FOREST CITY | Betsy Rose Vaagen, 89, of Forest City, died Tuesday, March 7, 2017, at Mercy Medical Center in Mason City, Iowa. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 11, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Forest City with the Rev. Rod Hopp officiating. Visitation will be held 5-7 p.m. Friday, March 10, at Cataldo Schott Funeral Chapel, Forest City. Burial will be held in Oakland Cemetery in Forest City. Arrangements are with Cataldo Schott Funeral Home in Forest City. New Delhi, March 9 : Even if the US pulls out of the Paris Agreement, as President Donald Trump has threatened to do, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will bank on India, China and the European Union (EU) and India for the success of the accord, which aims to limit global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius, if now below 1.5 degrees Celsius, above pre-industrial levels by 2100 its top administrator has said. "I am optimistic of whatever happens in the White House. India, China and European Union and other major players have decided they will move (go ahead). They are long past from the point of return. The idea is now to provide global leadership," UNEP Executive Director Erik Solheim told IANS in an interview during a visit here for meetings with the Indian Railways and NABARD. He further said that the US private sectors will also participate in the efforts to climate change. "The private sector also will move whatever happens in the White House. Companies such as Apple, Google and Microsoft will participate. Also, companies like WalMart will do it for customers and for their own benefit," Solheim maintained. Solheim said a US pull out would seriously dent the country. "The US has already lost 400,000 jobs and its withdrawal (from the Paris Pact) will take away jobs to China, India and other places," Solheim said. Terming the Kigali Agreement -- where 197 countries struck a new landmark deal last October to phase out by the 2040s the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) -- a "breakthrough", Solheim said: "The process has just started and I am confident that it will happen. It will be implemented the same way, we implemented the Montreal Protocol, that is 100 per cent." The Kigali Agreement went one step ahead of the 1987 Montreal Protocol on phasing out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances (ODS). Solheim said UNEP had plans to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Railways for green procurement to promote use of clean energy on larger scale. The green procurement focuses on procuring or buying things from vendors, which are environment compliant, clean energy efficient and do not use HFCs. "The Indian Railways is not a backyard company. If it starts procuring or buying environmental friendly things, it will have huge impact on market," Solehim said, adding that similar MoU was planned to be signed with an industry lobby to engage the private sector. Similarly, the UNEP has started working with the National Bank For Agriculture And Rural Development (NABARD) to finance a solar revolution in India, Solheim said. He said investment in solar and wind energy has helped in repidly bringing down the environmental crisis. Solheim said that the UNEP had its focus on the major Indian cities which are among most polluted in the world. Although road traffic was source of pollution everywhere, burning of agricultural waste also added to pollution at some places, he said. "We are ready to support the governments with measuring equipment to monitor pollution or to see source, and how pollution can be controlled. We assist them to switch to electric buses and vehicles," he said. "The government must come up with policies but we can provide best expertise, technology, contacts with other governments working on this." (Saurabh Katkurwar can be contacted at saurabh.k@ians.in) New Delhi, March 9 : The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed a bill to increase maternity leave to 26 weeks from 12 weeks at present. The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016, also provides for leave up to 12 weeks for a woman who adopts a child below the age of three months, and for commissioning mothers. Passed by the Rajya Sabha on August 11, 2016, the bill -- once it becomes law -- will be applicable to all establishments employing 10 or more persons. The period of maternity leave will be calculated from the date the child is handed over to the adoptive or commissioning mother. In surrogacy, the surrogate mother carries a child for another person after an agreement made before conception of the child. The person wishing to adopt and foster the child is called the commissioning person/couple. The bill paves the way for the ratification of International Labour Organisation convention number 183 that provides for 14 weeks of maternity leave benefit to women. It also facilitates 'work from home' for nursing mothers once the leave period ends and has made creche facility mandatory in respect of establishments with 50 or more employees. Employers will have to allow women staff to go to the creche four times, which will also include her rest period. The bill requires an establishment to inform a woman of all benefits made available under the law, at the time of her appointment. Such information must be given in writing and electronically. "The well-being of women during pregnancy has been a matter of serious concern," Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya said while tabling the Bill in the lower house. Participating in the debate, Congress MP Sushmita Dev said along with maternity leave, the government should also make provisions for paternity leave. "This may be a deterrent for the private sector in providing employment to women. There can be two ways of handling this -- The government provide funds to organisations or by making paternity leave mandatory," Dev said. "If both (men and women) are entitled to leaves, the presumption will be that a man will also avail of it and it won't be disadvantageous for women," she said. The Congress member questioned why the period of maternity leave was lesser after the birth of two children. "Why should you deprive the third or fourth child of (mother's care) unless it is a family planning policy in disguise," Dev said. The Bill will become law after President Pranab Mukherjee's assent. Kathmandu, March 9 : A Nepali national was killed when Indian border guards Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) allegedly opened fire at the Nepal-India border on Thursday following a dispute over building a culvert over Sano Khola river in Kanchanpur district of Nepal. Kanchanpur shares the border with India's Uttarakhand state. Govinda Gautam, 20, of Punarbas Municipality-8 in Kanchanpur district, died after he was injured when an SSB Inspector from Sampurnanagar station allegedly opened fire, locals said. The incident took place in Ananda Bazar along the Nepal-India border. The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, however, categorically denied any firing by the SSB personnel. "In response to queries by the local media regarding disturbances near the border at Aananda Bazaar, Kanchanpur, it is categorically denied that there was any incident of firing by the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)," the embassy said in a statement. "There is a need to maintain calm and let the survey officials of both sides discuss the location of border pillars before any construction work is undertaken," it stated. District officials have been directed to cooperate to defuse the situation, said the statement. A dispute erupted in the border area after Nepal-India pillar number 200 went missing and both sides staked claim and counter-claim over the piece of land in the No-man's Land. The Nepali side was constructing the culvert in an area that is claimed by the Indian side. The situation became tense on Thursday after the SSB personnel, who were accompanied by residents of the Indian border town of Basahi, allegedly fired in the air. Nepali residents said the SSB personnel contended that certain Indian territory was transgressed while digging for the construction. Chief District Officer of Kanchanpur Manohar Prasad Khanal told the local media that Nepali nationals in border areas had been protesting since morning after the Indian authorities objected to the construction of a culvert in the locality claiming that was No-man's Land. Gautam sustained a bullet injury when the Indian police Inspector allegedly fired during the altercation. Gautam succumbed to the bullet injury while being taken to hospital. Security personnel from the Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force have been deployed in the area to bring the situation under control. After the death of Gautam, hundreds of Nepalis demonstrated outside the hospital where his body was kept. Locals in Ananda Bazar also accused the SSB of manhandling Nepali nationals living in the border areas and blocking the Nepal-India border since Thursday morning. New Delhi, March 9 : India and Belgium have signed a Protocol to amend the double taxation avoidance agreement to curb tax evasion, an official statement said on Thursday. "India and Belgium have signed a protocol amending the existing agreement and protocol between the two countries for avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income on Thursday in the national capital," said the Finance Ministry statement. "The protocol will broaden the scope of the existing framework of exchange of tax related information. This in turn will help curb tax evasion and tax avoidance between the two countries and will also enable mutual assistance in collection of taxes," it added. To fight the menace of black money stashed in offshore accounts, India has either signed or amended international agreements, declarations or conventions for the avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income and for the exchange of information with Switzerland, Mauritius, Cyprus, Japan, South Korea, Kazakhstan, Singapore and Austria during the financial year 2016-17. New Delhi, March 9 : India raised the killing of Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla in a hate attack in Kansas with US authorities in "very strong terms", a top official said on Thursday, adding that the security of Indians and persons of Indian origin is a matter of serious concern for the Indian government. On a day the issue featured in a major way in Parliament and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh assured the Lok Sabha that the government is taking the issue very seriously, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said in a briefing that Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar was conveyed by US officials during his talks in Washington that the attack on Kuchibhotla and another Indian in the February 22 incident was an "individual case". Baglay said that the Indian Consulate reached out to the families of Kuchibhotla and Alok Madasani, who was injured in the shooting in a Kansas pub, and also to the family of a Sikh, Deep Rai, an American citizen, who was injured in a hate attack in Kent last week. "You would have also seen the response of the US authorities, beginning with President Trump who referred to the Kansas incident in his address to the Congress. The US Embassy had put out a press release condemning the Kansas killing. Speaker of the House has also condemned it," said the spokesperson, adding that there is wide ranging condemnation of such crimes within the US. "This point has also been highlighted by various prominent US dignitaries that such crimes do not represent the views of the vast majority in that country. In fact, several senior US dignitaries have explicitly mentioned in the recent days that Indians are welcome in the United States," he added. "Given the high priority the Government attaches to the security and wellbeing of Indians and persons of Indian origin abroad, we will continue to remain strongly engaged with the concerned authorities wherever required." He also said that the government of Kansas has offered to provide support to the family of Kuchibhotla and has welcomed Indians to the State. Referring to the letter of the Governor of Kansas Sam Brownback, Baglay said, "there is a sense of regret at the unfortunate shooting, commitment to prosecute the matter, support to the family of the deceased, and recognition of the qualities and contribution of Srinivas to Kansas." Kansas Governor Sam Brownback on Wednesday wrote a letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing regret over the violence against Indians. Another Indian, Harnish Patel, was killed in South Carolina 10 days ago, but the killing was not identified as a hate crime. Mumbai, March 9 : Embarrassed by the involvement of Shiv Sainiks in a moral policing incident in Kochi, the Shiv Sena on Thursday washed its hands off the activists and announced their suspension from the party. "The said persons involved in the act in Kochi have been immediately suspended from the party membership indefinitely," a terse statement from Yuva Sena President Aditya Thackeray said. Describing the incident as "shameful and unnecessary", he warned that the party would not shield or endorse such acts. The statement came in the wake of an incident of alleged 'moral policing' indulged in by at at least six Shiv Sainiks on the seafront in Kochi, Kerala's commercial capital, on Wednesday evening. They went on a rampage, chased and attacked some youths in full media glare even as police allegedly turned a blind eye to the whole episode. Later, the police arrested six Shiv Sainiks, T.R. Devan, K.K. Biju, K.Y. Kunjumon, T.R. Lenis, K.U. Ratheesh and A.V. Vineesh, for unlawful assembly, threatening youths and obstructing police personnel. Moving swiftly, Kochi Police Commissioner M. P. Dinesh suspended Sub-Inspector Vijay Shankar and transferred eight others for dereliction of duty. However, the police have not received any complaints from the youths or couples who were harassed by the six. Mumbai, March 9 : Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has courted trouble from feminists, activists, private and government organizations, women's groups and political parties roundly slamming him for his International Women's Day comments on actress Sunny Leone, a former adult entertainer. "I wish all the women in the world give men as much happiness as Sunny Leone gives," Varma, who is known as RGV, said in a tweet on Wednesday. He has been trolled widely. As the row over comment snowballed, he came up with more: "The negative noise towards my tweet on Sunny Leone arises from ultimate hypocrisy. She has more honesty and more self-respect than any women." Nationalist Congress Party senior leader Jitendra Awhad hit out at him: "RGV apologise or face the consequences. We don't mind taking law in hand." Undeterred, RGV shot back nonchalantly: "Great @PawarSpeaks (NCP President Sharad Pawar) should kick you out for threatening to take law in hands in our sovereign democratic country. You are a disgrace to his ideals." Unfazed, Awhad warned that if RGV didn't apologise, he would lodge a formal police complaint against the filmmaker. Late on Wednesday, social activist Vishakha Mhabrey lodged a complaint with Mapusa police station in Goa, demanding RGV's Twitter account be blocked. She also demanded that an offence should be registered against RGV under the cyber laws and the Indian Penal Code for victimisation of women. Not cowed down, RGV tweeted: "Filing counter against OverActivist with 212 followers which would be her family and friends, for disrespective 18 lakh followers of Sunny Leone." NCP spokesperson Vidya Chavan warned that if RGV failed to apologise, they would launch a 'Joote Maro Andolan' and beat him up with footwear. The Film Studio Setting & Allied Mazdoor Union, with over 50,000 members, jumped into the controversy on Thursday by starting a boycott of RGV on his tweets. On Thursday, Prateeksha Korgaonkar, state convenor of Ranaragini, the women's wing of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti in Goa, too filed a complaint against RGV with the Goa State Women's Commission. Srinagar, March 9 : Two suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists and a civilian were killed on Thursday in a gunfight between militants and security forces in south Kashmir's Pulwama district. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), who conducted the operation along with police, said the gunfight started around 4 a.m. in Padgampora village following a tip-off. Those killed were LeT militants Mohammad Safi Shergujari, 25, and Jahangir Ahmad Ganie, 23, and civilian Aamir Wani, the police said. However, it was not immediately clear whether the civilian was fatally hit by a stray bullet during the gunfight or was killed during a protest by a group of villagers. "Our troopers from 130 Battalion and the SOG (Special Operations Group) of Jammu and Kashmir Police killed the two militants after a tip-off that four-five suspects were holed up in Padgampora," CRPF Deputy Inspector General M. Dinakaran told IANS. "A group of people started pelting security forces with stones at the gunfight site. Police dispersed the crowd by bursting teargas shells," the officer said. Following the gunfight, the Bannihal-Baramulla train service was disrupted since the tracks are close to Padgampora village. Srinagar, March 9 : A militant was killed and an army officer injured in a shootout in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora district on Thursday, police said. "Following information about a militant travelling in a vehicle in Bandipora town, security forces set up a checkpost outside the Bandipora police station. During the checking operation, the militant travelling in a vehicle fired at the checking party, resulting in injuries to a major. "In the retaliatory firing, the militant, identified as Mushtaq Peer of Hizbul Mujahideen, was killed," a police officer said. Thiruvananthapuram, March 9 : Ace comedian and hugely popular Malayalam actor Jagathy Sreekumar, 66, who has been confined to a wheelchair for the past five years following an accident, is still hoping against hope that he would one day return to stand before arclights. Exactly five years ago, in the early morning hours of March 10, 2012, the actor was seriously injured in a road accident near Kozhikode in north Kerala while he was dashing off to reach a shooting location on the Kerala-Karnataka border. In a career spanning 41 years, he had already acted in more than 1,100 Malayalam films. After that accident, Jagathy was shifted by an air ambulance to the Christian Medical College, Vellore, near Chennai, and was there for a year. While the actor has not regained his speech, he is able to understand what is spoken to him. Today, the actor is mostly confined to his wheelchair or lies in his bed at his home in the state capital. He continues to undergo various therapies and is surrounded by his immediate family members all the time, besides his personal physician. When this IANS correspondent met him at his home on Thursday along with a journalist based in Melbourne, the actor was lying in the bed. Jagathy's face lighted up when the Melbourne-based journalist, who had hosted him at his residence on the actor's last visit to Australia, asked if he remembers him. Jagathy, as he is popularly known, put out his hand to hold the journalist's hand. When the journalist handed over a copy of a Melbourne magazine that he edits, which had the picture of Jagathy when he was there, the actor nodded, implying that he recalled his visit. His face again lit up when the Melbourne journalist reminded the actor of how he relished eating crocodile and kangaroo meat during that visit. Jagathy then more firmly clutched the hand of the journalist. The actor has a daily routine which includes walking for a while with support. He is taken around in a wheelchair and then he lies down on his bed. Most of the time Jagathy listens to music and moves his lips to the words. When it was time to bid goodbye to the actor who with his effortless comedy roles has given thousands of his fans happy moments through his films, there were moist eyes. When he extended his hand to this correspondent, it was difficult to hold back the tears, and all one could tell him and reassure him was, "You will certainly return to make all of us smile again." In response, Jagathy clutched this correspondent's hand more tightly. (Sanu George can be reached at sanu.g@ians.in) BRITT | State fire marshals and local firefighters are investigating a blaze that injured five people at a Britt apartment complex on Thursday. The fire broke out about 4:15 a.m. on the first floor of Westside Apartments, 766 Fifth St. S.W. Five people injured in the blaze were taken to Hancock County Health System in Britt. A hospital spokeswoman said they were treated and transferred to other facilities. Britt Fire Chief Jon Swenson said two of those patients were flown by helicopter to area burn units. Details of their injuries and current medical conditions was not available. Britt firefighters and agents from the Iowa State Fire Marshals Office were at the scene throughout the morning, sifting through the debris as they tried to determine what caused the fire. They worked inside a ground-floor unit, occasionally tossing shovelfuls of blackened debris out a burned-out window onto a pile in the front yard. The fire burned out an upper-level and lower-level window in the two-story building. It also melted the siding, exposing and blackening the wood underneath. There also was a hole in the roof. The cause remained under investigation Thursday night. There are eight units in the building, according to landlord Bill Murphy of Algona. Seven are currently rented, with nine total residents. All the occupants were outside the building by the time firefighters arrived. The complex is next to Westview Care Center and about 500 feet away from West Hancock School. The Kanawha Fire Department, West Hancock Ambulance Service, Kanawha EMTs and Hancock Sheriffs Department also provided assistance at the scene. London, March 9 : The United Kingdom's Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday unveiled a memorial in central London to honour the veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. In an official event with some 2,500 guests in attendance, the Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, presented the new memorial designed by sculptor Paul Day. The memorial comprised of two white monoliths and a central bronze medallion to commemorate those who served in both armed conflicts, Efe news reported. The unveiling ceremony took place at the Horse Guards Parade in London. While not focusing specifically on those who died, the piece aims to honour the service of those who protected Britain's borders and helped citizens of other nations who were in danger. There was a brief religious ceremony, a military parade, and a military orchestra during the event. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and his wife Catherine; Prince Harry, Prince Charles as well as Prime Minister Theresa May attended the ceremony. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and Liberal Democratic Party leader Tim Farron were also present at the event along with former Prime Ministers John Major, Tony Blair and David Cameron. The Queen thanked the soldiers and civilians who took part in the conflicts for bringing "peace and stability" to war zones in a foreword for the event's programme. More than 800 British citizens, among them soldiers and civilians, died in the two wars. Kolkata, March 9 : Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) India on Thursday paid homage to Ron Drever, one of the co-founders of LIGO, who passed away in Scotland at the age of 85. "Drever passed away peacefully yesterday (Wednesday) in Edinburgh, Scotland at the age of 85. Ron joined the Caltech faculty in 1979 and was instrumental in the 1980s and 1990s in developing some of the key concepts for precision measurement and GW laser interferometry. #LIGOIndia joins the community in saluting a pioneer and conveys condolences to his family," LIGO India said in Facebook post. His death comes less than 18 months after LIGO physicists detected gravitational waves -- ripples in space -- set off by two massive black holes spiralling into each other. LIGO project operates three gravitational-wave (GW) detectors, both of which are in the US states of Washington and Louisiana. India is poised to set up world's third advanced LIGO. Washington, March 9 : Hawaii has become the first state in the US to file a lawsuit against President Trumps revised travel ban, saying that it will disrupt families, harm its Muslim population, tourism and foreign students and is "antithetical to Hawaii's state identity and spirit". Attorneys for the state filed the lawsuit against the US government on Wednesday in the federal court in Honolulu. The state had sued over Trump's initial travel ban too, but that lawsuit was put on hold while other cases played out across the country, USA Today reported. "For many in Hawaii, including state officials, the executive order conjures up the memory of the Chinese Exclusion Acts and the imposition of martial law and Japanese internment after the bombing of Pearl Harbour," the suit filed by Attorney General Douglas Chin asserted. "Hawaii is special in that it has always been non-discriminatory in both its history and constitution," Chin said. "Twenty per cent of the people are foreign-born, 100,000 are non-citizens and 20 percent of the labour force is foreign-born." Chin said the new version is fundamentally the same as the first, and called it "Muslim Ban 2.0". In its complaint, Hawaii says it is suing to protect its residents, businesses and schools, as well as its "sovereignty against illegal actions of President Donald J. Trump and the federal government". The revised order, which takes effect on March 16, places a 90-day ban on people from six mainly Muslim nations and a 120-day ban on all refugees. It replaces an initial order issued in January, which sparked confusion at airports and mass protests in the US. The previous order was subsequently halted by a federal court following legal challenges across the country. Chin said the new order amounted to the same policy "dressed up differently", the New York Times reported. "Nothing of substance has changed: There is the same blanket ban on entry from Muslim-majority countries (minus one)," Chin said. The new order will bar entry of citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen for 90 days. Iraq, which was included in the first ban, has been taken off the list. The Justice Department declined to comment on the filing, but will have an opportunity to respond to the state's amended complaint against the travel ban on March 13, a CNN report said. Hawaii is also joined in the lawsuit by an American who is the imam of the Muslim Association of Hawaii and says he has lived in the state for over a decade with his wife and children, but now his Syrian mother-in-law cannot visit them because she does not currently hold a visa to enter the US, according to the report. Trump has not yet commented on Hawaii's latest legal bid, but had previously insisted he has the right to enact such an executive order and hit out at "so political" courts. Kathmandu, March 9 : At least 22 people were killed and 40 others injured when a passenger bus plunged down some 200 meters from a highway in Nepal's far-western Jajarkot district on Thursday. Chief District Officer Krishna Chandra Poudel said 13 people died instantly and nine succumbed to their injuries in a hospital. The bus was heading from Khalanga to Khara, a village in the district. The bus with over 60 passengers was passing through rough terrain when the tragedy occurred. District police chief Bhabesh Rimal said a large number of security personnel have been deployed in the rescue work. Some of the seriously injured were taken to Kathmandu and Nepalganj for treatment. Bus accidents claim a large number of lives in Nepal every year due to the difficult terrain, untrained drivers and ageing vehicles. Jammu, March 9 : An Indian soldier was killed on Thursday on the Line of Control (LoC) in a ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Poonch district. Army sources told IANS in winter capital Jammu: "Pakistan army resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation in Krishna Ghati (KG) sector of the LoC in Poonch district today. "An army soldier was killed in Pakistan firing on the LoC. The Indian Army has effectively retaliated Pakistan firing." New Delhi, March 9 : A young woman was killed and her husband critically injured when a speeding minitruck rammed their two-wheeler in north-west Delhi, the police said on Thursday. Arti, 26, and her husband Ashish were returning home in Nangloi after attending a marriage when the accident occurred in the Mangolpuri area around 12:30 a.m. on Thursday. The couple was rushed to a nearby hospital, where Arti, 26, was declared brought dead. Ashish was in critical condition. The police are looking for the minitruck driver, who ran away. Although hospitals continue to try to shrug it off, the damning evidence is building that far more Americans die of preventable causes in their care than previously thought, and approximately 200,000 such deaths each year in the United States is not unreasonable as an estimate. Those are the top-line findings from a team of doctors and public health experts who have published new research in the Journal of Patient Safety. Theirs was the fourth study in recent times to try to quantify what one of the research groups has described as potentially the third leading cause of death in the United States, those from medical error, especially occurring in hospitals. A year ago, the Heartland Health Research Institute looked at Iowa and six surrounding states to assess what experts call preventable adverse events, and examining the existing studies that might offer national insights on the issue. These researchers found that it was reasonable to conclude that 250,000 patients [die] annually in U.S. hospitals due to preventable mistakes. Two months later, The Leapfrog Groupa sometimes controversial, national nonprofit that includes 1,800 member hospitals and seeks to improve quality and safety in care-giving institutionsestimated that more than 206,000 avoidable deaths occur in hospitals annually. A month later, as I have written, a study team led by a Johns Hopkins surgery professor published its research. They found that medical errors claim the lives of roughly 685 Americans per day more people than die of respiratory disease, accidents, stroke and Alzheimers. They accordingly ranked medical errors as the third leading cause of death in the U.S., behind only heart disease and cancer. The authors of the latest study, led by Kevin Cavanaugh, a doctor and leader at Health Watch USA, an organization whose mission is to promote health care transparency, competition and patient advocacy, support the sizable hospital death figures. They say that research in this area needs to recognize that voluntary and required reporting of serious incidences like hospital deaths or harms tend to under- rather than over-reported. They chide hospitals for trying to down play negative data and reporting by arguing, for example, that it is affected by patients age, health or life choices. It is unacceptable, regardless, if an aged or terminal patient dies prematurely due to medical error, they say, noting, Medicine does not have the moral authority to discount or disregard days, weeks, or months of life. The authors say hospitals and other care-giving institutions, rather than expending so much energy challenging or ignoring adverse studies, should generate their own data to show it is more credible and reliable. Their research, they say, equates to five or so potentially preventable deaths per year per hospital in the United States or one every 2 to 3 months. This figure also should be doubled by accounting for deaths from diagnostic errors. In what other industry would such a record be tolerated, let alone defended? Would the airline industry and public ever tolerate even a single preventable airline crash? We can and must do better. In my practice, I see the huge harms that patients suffer while hospitalized, and I have struggled with my clients as powerful, moneyed hospitals pull out all the stops to assail their one-time charges, rather than admit their own flaws, negligence, and wrongdoing. We all want great medical care that is accessible, affordableand safe. This desire unites rather than divides us. Hospitals cant surface and correct errors, especially grievous ones, without a willingness to acknowledge their fallibility, and, yes, then their humanity. The growing information about the scope and scale of preventable error and deaths in hospitals is both shocking and unacceptable. Since 2014, when the Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD) announced its plans to build the $1.6 billion The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences located adjacent to Atlantis on the crescent of Palm Jumeirah, landscape architecture firms, SKS Studio and 40North have been pushing the boundaries of creativity and design. The property is scheduled to open in 2019, expanding on the Palms 15-year success as one of Dubais most touted landmarks. In a city known for its grand architecture, The Royal Atlantis is destined to stand out even amongst the existing engineering feats found there. The Royal Atlantis is a modernist design of stacked blocks with overhangs and sky courts overlooking the Arabian Gulf on one side and the Dubai skyline on the other. In all, the property consists of approximately 800 hotel rooms, 250 luxury residences and haute retail offerings. Kerzner International held a design competition in which firms competed to be the landscape architecture of record for The Royal Atlantis. When we learned of the project, our first inclination was to partner with 40North. John Galloway, 40North president, and I have known each other for years. Our history goes way back on other projects. We both know our talents and how they complement one another. It was a wise and natural partnership for a project of this scope and notoriety, explains Sean Simms, SKS Studio president. Simms and Galloway arrived in New York City with upwards of 30 presentation boards to present to Kerzners CEO and senior executive team. Within an hour of wrapping up their presentation, the two were awarded the project. It was one of, if not the most, exciting moments in our careers. Kerzner Internationals number one core value is Blow away the customer. We share that same value and thats exactly what our presentation proved we could help them do, recalls Simms. SKS Studio and 40North are the visionaries behind designing all outside spaces and outdoor areas on the building from Sky Courts featuring suites with magnificent landscaping to stunning acrylic pools 46 storeys up. From the hardscape, pools and water features to the landscape, SKS Studio and 40North pushes their creativity, design skills and practical know-how beyond the limits to turn the vision of this extraordinary property into a tangible experience for guests and residents. Kerzner International is renowned for their demanding expectations. They hire the best design teams in the world and challenge them. We view working with them and other firms on this project as an honor and thrive on collaborating to create something that has never been seen before, and some things that have never been attempted, states Simms. Collaborating with other superb caliber design firms from around the world is standard operating procedure for SKS Studio. On The Royal Atlantis, it involves working with two architecture firms in New York City and Toronto, two interior design firms in Paris and London, engineers in London, New York City and Dubai, plus the Dubai-based client. Our landscape architecture team has worked on several projects in similar harsh environments. Extreme heat, salt air and the like are challenges, but we know the type of landscape that thrives in this environment and what does not. We created a proven palette down to where shaded and sun-drenched areas must be for both guests pleasure and the landscape to remain lush, explains Simms. There is also the challenge of scale with which SKS Studio contends. This is a 46-storey building on a man-made island with an expected 1,000 units behind it. Our landscape architecture design creates luxury spaces that discerning guests and residents demand, balanced with the boutique experience they expect. Relaxation, privacy and immersion in the environment are paramount, states Simms. The design output is a culmination of pushing the limits of both design and engineering. The technical challenges alone of building on a man-made island of sand are more layers added to projects complexities. Scrutinizing and obsessing is what we do and what were challenged by Kerzner International to do. There isnt one square meter of The Royal Atlantis that has not been meticulously designed, which is the reason it will be unlike any other property in the world, explains Simms. More amazing ideas for The Royal Atlantis have been thrown away than are brought to the table on some other projects. SKS Studio will have been working on The Royal Atlantiss landscape architecture for five years by the time it celebrates its grand opening in 2019. That timeline is lightning fast for a project of this size and scope. The Royal Atlantis is not a check-off box project, but rather a push-yourself-beyond-what-anyone-could-possibly-imagine-under-tight-time-restraints project. Were thinking ahead to what will be cutting-edge in two to three years. One idea spurs an even better one so changes are made, but one change affects 10 more down the line. Things happen in the field that evolve the landscape architecture design, yet were careful to hold on to the original vision as well. The Royal Atlantis is built for those who can travel anywhere in the world, and they chose this property, says Simms. About SKS Studio SKS Studio is a full-service, boutique master planning and landscape architecture firm, specializing in large-scale, mixed-use and hospitality related projects. Since 1997, the SKS team has participated in projects in more than 50 countries, totaling over $2 billion in construction, including The Royal Atlantis Dubai, Malliouhana Resort and Spa, Royal Towers at Atlantis, Halcyon Hotel and more. Visit sks-studio.com to learn more about the firm and their approach to landscape architecture around the world. ### The creation of an exhibition stand for a firm, for us, is always an important affair. An ephemeral set up implies the action of many professionals at the same time, who have to collaborate in the same way each one of them with their know-how. From February 27th to March 2nd, the Mobile World Congress, the largest mobile phone congress in the world, was held in Barcelona. This is where the world's largest phone companies take advantage to launch their latest innovations and technological advances. One of these companies was Alcatel, with its spectacular stand, who has introduced the Alcatel A5 LED, the first interactive Smartphone with LED case. This new system was designed for the younger audience, and thats why Alcatel has thought to make a more exquisite stand, full of contrasts between technology and vintage style. This was what made the Alcatel stand the best valued by the attendants. To attract the attention of over 100,000 visitors (planned for the organization of the event), the stand must have one of the most striking and functional designs at the event. That was what was achieved by Contemporanea Eventi with the Alcatel stand. However, it took half a year to achieve the success wanted by the brand. The world of stands is like the world of gastronomy; the quality of the ingredients, the order, and the arrangement; that's what differentiates a dish that is used directly to feed from one that is designed to be enjoyed through sight and taste. That stand, which can distinguish itself from the rest, will be the one that attracts all eyes. It was important to know how to choose the corporate colors, the music, the location and, in general, create an excellent space in which the value of the brand was transmitted. A good stand speaks for itself, and having a good design is the best speech. This idea was evident in the philosophy of companies like Contemporanea Eventi, which was created ten years ago in Barcelona by an Italian Architect, Gabriele Pranzini. This strategy has been used by the specialized stand design company to ensure that the project carried out with Alcatel was the best valued by the Mobile World Congress 2017 attendants. An architect by profession, Pranzini knew that the image of a stand was everything, so he applied the so-called 'Italian Design' to his projects, characterizing them with the elegance combined to the unique innovation of the Alpine area. The creation of an exhibition stand for a firm, for us, is always an important affair. An ephemeral set up implies the action of many professionals who have to collaborate at the same time, in the same way, with their know-how. Our passion and experience were illustrated in the final result, he explained. The stand made for the MWC17 was able to combine the latest innovations of the stand's design with a retro style inside the stand. This combination made attendees feel attracted by each of the details that were exposed. Hiring a trademark attorney or trademark law firm costs a bit more than using a filing service. However, in the long run it makes more sense as it will dramatically reduce the risk of rejection, save time, and eliminates worries. MyBrandMark.com is a full service trademark law firm that recognizes getting a trademark is a big step for any business. It is also very important to go about trademarking a name correctly. In order to assist those seeking to get a TM sign or TM symbol next to their name, MyBrandMark.com is introducing a new Trademark Registration Package. This package includes a comprehensive USPTO search done by a licensed trademark attorney, up to 3 name choices, and a short consultation. All this is only $545 per international class and includes the government fees. Below is an overview of the best approach to the trademark registration process and an explanation as to why a trademark attorney or trademark law firm is preferable to a filing service. Many people are confused about whether or not they need a trademark attorney. As business grows, many small businesses contemplate this question as they realize how vital it is to have a TM symbol or TM sign next to their brand name. When researching the trademark registration process, business owners often Google how to trademark a name. Doing this will present one with an overwhelming number of offers from many sources and for different prices. Research is necessary to understand the benefits and downsides to the various services. There are two types of trademark services, attorneys and filing services. Many of the offers found on Google will be from filing services. It is very important to understand that filing services are not trademark attorneys or trademark law firms. As such, they have less overhead and are generally cheaper. However, this low price comes with a catch. When obtaining a trademark registration there are generally two main issues, the correct identification of goods and services and the trademark search. Most filing services do not provide advice on the correct identification. Instead they rely on the applicants choices. This usually results in registration in wrong or unneeded categories. Consequently, people end up getting either a useless trademark or wasting money on unneeded protection. MyBrandMark.com will not let this happen as it is a law firm employing licensed trademark attorneys and is not merely a filing service. The trademark search is the second major pitfall for filing services. Most will only run an exact search which misses many adverse results. This can result in applying for a trademark which is similar to existing trademarks, an issue known as likelihood of confusion. In such cases USPTO examiners issue so-called Office Actions. Responding to Office Actions can become an additional and very substantial expense. In many cases this is the end of the road for the trademark. If an Office Action has already been encountered, then request a free estimate from MyBrandMark.com today. There are dozens of other factors which need to be weighed in the legal analysis of a trademark. The use of personal names, geographic locations, descriptiveness, and many more should all be taken into account. Unfortunately, filing services ignore these factors, resulting in Office Actions against such trademark applications. Trademark attorneys and trademark law firms are much better suited for assisting with trademark registration. Unlike filing services, the process does not involve lengthy website forms. The reason for this is simple, the attorney needs to speak with the client. Talking to the client will allow the attorney to understand the clients situation and navigate the case in the most efficient and successful manner. Attorneys will rectify and clarify exactly which categories of goods and services the trademark should apply for. Attorneys will also run a comprehensive search to reduce the possibility of likelihood of confusion and run checks for secondary factors. Hiring a trademark attorney or trademark law firm costs a bit more than using a filing service. However, in the long run it makes more sense as it will dramatically reduce the risk of rejection, save time, and eliminates worries. Start the process with our attorneys here. Charge Your Life! Medifilms 23-Episode film series will help boost your wellbeing & happiness. Medifilms Corporation is launching a new film series on Yoga developed by Dr. T. Suresh Kumar who is intimately familiar with the Yogic energy. This 23-episode documentary film series will cover several aspects of yoga, benefiting millions of people around the world. There have been many educational documentaries covering the subject of yoga, but until this series, nothing as extensive as this has been done before. Amassing original information from manuscripts written over 5,000 years ago, this is a must see, one-of-a-kind production. This film series includes opinions of yoga experts and scholars from India, Europe, and North America. Also included are interpretations from medical professionals related to Yogic Asanas cardio-vascular, pulmonary, digestive, neurological systems. This series also includes episodes related to weight loss, stress & anxiety management and positive emotions. This is a series that no yoga enthusiast will want to miss. The methods described in this series will not only improve the physical and mental health of millions of people, but possibly enhance their purity of mind and body. Through mind coordination and balance, millions of viewers could reach superior health and well-being. This 23-episode series contains every aspect of yoga in high resolution, vibrant visual imagery, and rich content. The documentary film series will be exhilarating for yoga enthusiasts, yoga teachers, yoga training centers, yoga therapy & health care facilities, and it will find its proper place on the media shelves of universities and public libraries. For help raising our budget, MediFilms is crowdfunding through http://www.Indiegogo.com (health & fitness) starting on 3/8/2017 (noon). This is a reward based campaign with stellar perks for everyone who supports this project. Backers save up to 68%. For more information about this campaign, please follow the link https://igg.me/at/23episodes About MediFilms Corporation: Medifilms Corporation is specialized in originality and fact-based work, we produce informative, engaging, educational films and digital media content for television and mobile devices. In partnership with many outstanding institutions and talented people such as doctors, scientists, researchers, and scholars, Medifilms is responsible for putting out visually stunning, high-resolution, and rich content films in the health, health care, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and wellbeing niches. Medifilms is a startup independent production company based in San Jose, California, USA. The philosophy of Medifilms Corporation revolves around raising awareness of the new generation, dreadful diseases and ever-evolving health risks associated with environmental pollution by providing first-class documentary films on various subjects related to health, healthcare and wellbeing. For MediFilms current campaign, follow this link https://igg.me/at/23episodes About Dr. Suresh: Dr. T. Suresh Kumar earned his PH. D in life sciences, and he is an accomplished researcher, He has published two books, and his work has appeared in several other publications. He has embarked on film projects that help to prevent diseases and improving health, healthcare around the world. For further information, please visit http://www.medifilms.com For further information on our campaign https://igg.me/at/23episodes interjet-logo1-5in-150.png Interjet announced it has added additional non-stop flights between New Yorks JFK airport and Mexico City effective immediately. These additional flights operate Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday complementing two other daily flights Interjet operates between the two cities. Our business traveler market is booming between New York and Mexico City, said Jose Luis Garza, Interjet, CEO. Adding this additional frequency helps us keep up with the demand for our service, he added. The A320 aircraft departs JFK at 12:55 arriving Mexico City 17:05 in time for late afternoon meetings or business dinners. An early morning 06:05 departure from Mexico City arrives JFK 11:55 in time for afternoon business meetings in the New York metropolitan area. In addition to convenient departures and arrivals, Interjet offers more legroom between seats, inflight service that includes free light snacks and drinks, no fees for checked baggage on specific fares and female-only lavatories. For more information regarding this service or to make a reservation, visit http://www.interjet.com or call 1 866-285-9525. About Interjet Interjet is an international airline based in Mexico City providing air service to 53 destinations in seven countries, including 37 cities in Mexico. Its network includes service to nine U.S. markets: Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Orlando/Sanford and San Antonio. Other international routes include Havana, Santa Clara and Varadero,Cuba; Bogota, Colombia; Guatemala City, Guatemala; Lima, Peru; and San Jose, Costa Rica. The airline operates a fleet of 70 aircraft including 45 Airbus A320s, three Airbus A321-200s and 22 Sukhoi Superjet 100s. Media Contacts Diana Ocampo Medina Tel. +(52) 55 9178 5500 ext. 5708 Email: diana.ocampo(at)interjet.com.mx Sheilla Moonens Tel. +52 (55) 9178 5500 x5880 Email: sheilla.moonens(at)interjet.com.mx B & E Meats and Seafood How To Step-by-Step Guide To Cooking Corned Beef After cooking your corned beef all day, your home will smell so good. Dont eat it quickly, instead take time to sit down and enjoy the dish together with your family and friends. Youll be glad you did! Ask most U.S. citizens and they will likely agree that there is nothing more appealing than salt cured beef to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day, except maybe a salt cured pork roast. Jeff Green, co-owner of B & E Meats and Seafood, just cured 3,000 pounds of their delicious corned beef along with some cured pork for their customers just in time for the special holiday, which lands on Friday this year. Thats one and a third tons of what he calls, the best corned beef this side of Ireland." B & E Meats and Seafood's special house-made recipe is nearly 60 years old. It is a recipe that was handed down by a retired butcher to Bob and Earl Green, the original founders of B & E Meats and Seafood who are now themselves retired. Their curing process is unique because instead of piling up the spices atop of the meat B & E's butchers take the time to infuse the special spices -- pepper, brown sugar, garlic, bay leaves, all spice and more -- right into the meat giving the corned beef a unique flavor profile. If youre wondering how to cook corned beef you need look no further, B & E Meats and Seafood have their own video outlining an easy "how to" on cooking corned beef and cabbage. Customers are advised to cook the corned beef or pork in a 1:1 ratio of apple cider to water sweetening up the carrots, cabbage and potatoes which are added towards the end of the cooking process. Green says, The nice thing about corned beef is that it comes in a vacuum sealed package so customers can purchase it 2-3 weeks before the holiday. In fact, its a good idea to order or pick up early because we often sell out. Corned beef is beef cured with rock or sea salt and commonly served on Saint Patricks Day in the U.S., but not so much in Ireland. During both World Wars corned beef was a staple ration for soldiers served in a can. It was also commonly eaten in the British Kingdom even during the potato famine, but today it is still rarely eaten in Ireland. Why you may ask? Although the Irish produced a salted beef product throughout the Middle Ages and continue still today, the Irish for the most part export it rather than choose to eat it themselves. In fact, most Irish do not associate corned beef with Irish cuisine nor St. Paddys Day, as the holiday has come to be known. Instead they serve lamb because beef is still considered a luxury product in Ireland. So whether you are Irish or not, Green (who will be wearing green on St. Patrick's Day) hopes that his customers will wear green too and stop to pick up some of his specialty corned beef or pork (@$6.99 per pound), which he makes available year-round. After cooking your corned beef all day, your home will smell so good. Dont eat it quickly, instead take time to sit down and enjoy the dish together with your family and friends. Youll be glad you did, adds Green. If youre lucky enough youll have leftovers to make Reuben sandwiches or corned beef hash the next day. For more information about B & E Meats and Seafood (located in Queen Anne/Seattle; Burien; Des Moines; Newcastle), visit their website at: http://www.bnemeats.com/ For media inquiries, contact Bettina Carey at askbettina(at)gmail(dot)com. About B & E Meats and Seafood: Founded nearly 60 years ago by brothers Bob and Earl Green, B & E Meats and Seafood serves the northwest with the highest quality meats, the freshest seafood including Copper River Salmon, and outstanding marinated products such as Teriyaki Beef Tri-tips, Kalbi Marinated Beef Ribs, Award Winning Beef Jerky, and always delicious Smoked Salmon Candy. After nearly 40 successful years in the meat business, Bob and Earl retired. Bobs son and daughter-in-law, Jeff and Trisha Green took the helm. Together with their daughter, Dena, who joined the family business in 2008, and Steve Dunaychuk, who became a minority partner in 2014, the business has continued to grow thanks to friendly staff and high quality, unique products. Smart Vent Products, Inc., a leader in wet and dry flood-proofing solutions, announced today its innovative flood vents have met California building and engineering standards and are now available for purchase throughout the state. Recent heavy rains and flooding across California validate the need for efficient flood venting to protect homes and commercial buildings. Smart Vents foundation flood vents stay closed and latched until they come in contact with flood water. The water lifts the patented internal floats which unlatch and allow the flood door to rotate open. This allows the flood water to automatically enter and exit through the frame opening, relieving the pressure from the foundation walls. And unlike competitors products, Smart Vent flood vents feature large unobstructed openings that allow flood debris to easily pass through instead of being trapped against screens or smaller openings. Certification was conducted by ICC Evaluation Services LLC, the industry leader in performing technical evaluations for code compliance, providing regulators and construction professionals with clear evidence that products comply with codes and standards. Smart Vent flood vent standard models are ICC-certified to cover 200 square feet. Smart Vent has also received certification renewal in building code stringent Florida and renewal of its company National ICC certification, which is accepted by FEMA and all building and construction professionals nation-wide. This ICC Evaluation Report is the single document of certification needed to provide building code officials, land surveyors, and insurance agents that demonstrates flood venting performance. Many people living in flood zones become complacent about remediation during times of drought, but as we have seen with recent heavy storms and flooding in California and Texas, its better to be prepared and not use it than not be prepared and need it and thats where our flood remediation solutions come into play, said Tom Little, vice president of Smart Vent Products, Inc. Home and commercial property owners can rest assured our certified flood plain managers and innovative products can address any flood mitigation needs. About Smart Vent Products, Inc. Founded in 1997, Smart Vent Products, Inc. is the leading manufacturer of foundation flood venting systems and has an ICC-ES Certified product line with dual-function and insulated engineered models for residential and commercial applications. Smart Vent is providing over 100 million sq. ft. of certified flood protection around the world today. A new division called the Flood Risk Evaluator (http://www.yourfloodrisk.com) was recently born to evaluate and provide detailed reporting to property owners on what can be done to reduce rising NFIP flood insurance premiums. For more information about Smart Vent Products, Inc., call 1-877-441-8368 or visit http://www.smartvent.com. # # # Media Contact: Christian Scarborough Inventive Public Relations 512-297-6426 christian(at)inventivepr(dot)net Skye Jethani addresses Marketplace Mobilization audience. (Memories Matter Photos) Ninety-five percent of Christians separate God from their work, and only about five percent struggle every day with parking our spiritual selves at the door when we go to work. Skye Jethani urged Cincinnatis working Christians to go to work with God March 4 at the 14th annual At Work on Purpose(AWOP) Marketplace Mobilization 2017 at Cincinnati Christian University. Jethani, an ordained minister, author and blogger from the Chicago area, speaks on a wide range of topics, including why Millennials are leaving the church; Christianity and consumerism; the intersection of faith and vocation; and what it looks like and means to live with God, not for, under, over, or from him. His book, With: Reimagining the Way You Relate to God, discusses four postures Christians can create for themselves that prevent them from having an authentic relationship with God. This book spoke to me in a profound way, said Chuck Proudfit, AWOP founder and president. Ninety-five percent of Christians separate God from their work, and only about five percent struggle every day with parking our spiritual selves at the door when we go to work. Sometimes we have the view that our primary purpose is to obey God to win his approval or blessings, said Jethani. The idea of living 'under' God is that if we do the right things, we can control him and get him on our side. If we live 'over' God, we believe that by understanding natural laws and principles and placing more faith in science and technology than Him, we can take direct control over our world, he added. We put God over to the side, and he is not engaged in our lives, he said. A Christian version of living 'over' God is believing that if we run our lives and businesses according to biblical principles, life will go our way. Living 'from' God is probably the most common posture in American culture, said Jethani, because it is linked to what he calls consumer Christianity, a view that sees God as a spiritual vending machine. Its the idea that God exists to be used like any other consumer product, he said. Since we live in a consumer culture, we are often tempted to use God for our own needs or desires. I this posture, God is not the goal, He is the means to achieve that goal our consumer culture teaches us to use everything, including God. Finally, Christians can fall into a trap of believing that they need to live 'for' God. Jethani cited activist Christians, evangelists or social justice workers as examples of people who can become caught up in the belief that their lives only have value in relation to how much they achieve for God in this world. What the Father desires most is to have his children with him. The most important thing to God is not obedience or service, its your presence, said Jethani. God doesnt need you; he wants you. Jethani said Christians can live a life rooted in the Father, in which we abide in Him as He abides in us. This can be achieved through prayer, listening to God and cultivating a constant awareness of Gods presence in all that we do. AWOP leaders held four breakout sessions addressing how working Christians in each of the four posture categories can work toward living "with" God instead of under, over, from or for Him. Session leaders included: Dan Busken, president and CEO of Busken Bakery; D. Michelle Thompson of Designed for Destiny, LLC; John Hartz, owner of Hartz Sealcoating; Trip Bodley of Smart Data Systems; Daryl Nelson, owner of Chick-fil-A of Bridgewater Falls; Bryan Kaiser of Vernois; John McCarthy, CEO of AGI Hospitality Recruiting; and Rachel Eklund of Witheos. AWOP, located in Blue Ash, is the nations largest, citywide marketplace ministry, connecting more than 8,000 working Christians in greater Cincinnati and the Miami Valley. Founded in 2003, AWOP is dedicated to equipping everyday Christians to find and fulfill Gods purposes for them at work. For more information, visit http://www.atworkonpurpose.org. Contact: Laura Jackson Email: ljackson(at)skillsource.com Phone: (800) 513-9580 About At Work on Purpose: At Work on Purpose is the nation's largest, citywide marketplace ministry, connecting more than 8,000 working Christians in the Cincinnati area and Miami Valley. The nonprofit is dedicated to to equipping everyday Christians to find and fulfill God's purposes for them at work. Cellular Sales' store in Chino, Calif., represents the company's fourth California store opening in less than a year. We saw an opportunity to move into San Bernadino County and had to take it. Cellular Sales, the nations largest Verizon premium retailer, announces it has opened fourth store in California in less than a year with its latest store opening in Chino. The new store, which opened on Jan. 11, is located at 7055 Schaefer Ave. The store sits on the Euclid Avenue entrance to the Stater Bros. Shopping Plaza next to Starbucks. Were excited to expand our reach in California, said Cellular Sales Regional Director Jahi Edwards. We have already been built a lot of relationships within the communities we serve in California, and we look forward to meeting the people of Chino. Cellular Sales has seen tremendous growth, now operating more than 600 stores across 34 states. Due to its annual growth, the company has been named to Inc. Magazines Inc. 5000 list as one of the nations fastest growing privately owned retailers for eight of the past nine years. Starting as just one store in Knoxville, Cellular Sales attributes its success to its focus on customer service. We saw an opportunity to move into San Bernardino County and had to take it, Regional Director Jason Lee said. We look forward to providing this community with the latest in Verizon Wireless products and serving them to our best ability. Cellular Sales seeks to hire motivated sales professionals with a passion for customer service to work at its Chino store. Those interested in applying for jobs at Cellular Sales in Chino may contact Cellular Sales Recruiter Joe Cherrix via phone at 805-801-5396. About Cellular Sales Headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn., Cellular Sales was founded in 1993 and has been named by Inc. Magazine as one of the nations fastest-growing privately owned retailers for eight of the past nine years. The company currently employs nearly 4,500 people and operates approximately 600 stores nationwide. Job seekers may visit jobs.cellularsales.com. For more information on the company, visit cellularsales.com. ### RecruitMilitary, the national leader in helping employers connect with high-quality veteran talent, announced the finalists for the 2017 Most Valuable Employers (MVE) for Military today. The MVE recognition serves to help military-experienced job seekers identify the top employers to target for civilian careers. MVEs are selected annually based on those employers whose recruiting, training, and retention plans best serve military service members and veterans. The award marks its ninth edition in 2017. One of the greatest challenges facing veterans today is the smooth transition from military service to the civilian workforce, said Clyde Thomas, SFC (R) USA, a recruiter with presenting sponsor Vinnell Arabia. Military veterans are the fabric of Vinnell Arabia, dating back over 40 years. The members of the Vinnell Arabia veteran workforce have deeply established values and professionalism from their military service that are the hallmark of their outstanding performance. The MVE finalist companies are: Accenture Amgen Archer Daniels Midland Company Aviation Training Consulting, LLC (ATC) Bank of America Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. Benco Dental Bluehawk, LLC Boeing Company, The Booking.com Booz Allen Hamilton CACI International Inc. Caliber Home Loans Capital One Capitol Guard & Patrol, Inc. Capstone Corporation CarMax, Inc. Carmeuse Lime & Stone Caterpillar Inc. Celadon Trucking Services, Inc. City of Cincinnati Police Department CN-Rail Comcast NBCUniversal Constellis CoreCivic Cotiviti DaVita HealthCare Partners Deloitte Duquesne Light Company Eaton Ecolab Inc. Exelon Corporation Farmers Insurance FDM Group Federal Acquisition Strategies, LLC First Command Financial Services, Inc. Fresenius Medical Care North America G4S Secure Solutions (USA) Inc. GE GEO Group, Inc., The Greencastle Associates Consulting, LLP Halfaker and Associates, LLC HCA, Hospital Corporation of America Hilton Home Depot, The Humana, Inc. Hyundai Motor America JDog Kaiser Permanente KBRwyle Koch Industries, Inc. Leidos Level 3 Communications ManTech International Corporation Marsh & McLennan Companies Measure Navy Federal Credit Union New York Community Bancorp, Inc. Northwell Health Northwestern Mutual Los Angeles Patterson-UTI Drilling Company LLC Pearl Interactive Network, Inc. Phoenix Protective Corporation Procter & Gamble Puget Sound Energy Quality Distribution Inc. Quicken Loans Roehl Transport, Inc. Roush Ryder Sallyport Schneider Sears Holdings Corporation SEI Investments Southwest Airlines Sprung Services, Inc. State Street Summit Midstream Partners TMC Transportation Total Quality Logistics U.S. Bank United Rentals, Inc. Unites States Postal Service USA Truck, Inc. USAA Veterans United Home Loans Vinnell Arabia Walmart Transportation 7838 Werner Enterprises Whelan Security Whitestone Group, Inc. Windstream Holdings, Inc Xcel Energy YRC Freight Hiring veterans just makes good business sense, said Peter Gudmundsson, President of RecruitMilitary. It is evident that companies across the country see the value that veteran talent brings to the table by this years list of MVEs. I congratulate each of the finalists on their veteran hiring strategies and for their selection." The 2017 Most Valuable Employers (MVE) for Military presented by Vinnell Arabia was open to all U.S.-based companies. Winners will be selected from this pool of finalist companies and will be announced in May. In observance of Armed Forces Day, the annual list of MVEs will be released in the May/June issue of RecruitMilitarys Search & Employ magazine. Prior to the 2017 application opening, the MVE recognition was produced by CivilianJobs.com. All previous winners can be found in the MVE Winner Archive section at http://RecruitMilitary.com/MVE. To be notified about the opening of the 2018 MVE application, email MVE(at)recruitmilitary(dot)com. About MVE The RecruitMilitary Most Valuable Employers (MVE) for Military serves to help military-experienced job seekers identify the top employers to target for civilian careers. MVEs are selected annually based on those employers whose recruiting, training and retention plans best serve military service members and veterans. RecruitMilitary (http://RecruitMilitary.com) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bradley-Morris, Inc. (BMI), the largest military-focused recruiting company in the U.S. Together, BMI and RecruitMilitary offer employers access to more than 1,000,000 military job seekers via services that include contingency recruiting, military job fairs, a job board, employer branding, a military base publication and more. Many of the most influential governing and lead plan sponsor investors from the institutional investment industry will be providing their valued insights at the Pension Bridge Annual Conference in San Francisco. The industrys only controlled attendance structured event will be held on April 18th and 19th at Four Seasons Hotel, San Francisco. The exclusive conference will attract over 225 pension plans, corporate funds, foundations, endowments and consultants, while limiting the investment manager firms. Jim Keohane, President and CEO of the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan, will be the keynote speaker. The leader of the $47.72 billion plan (U.S. Dollars), will be discussing the success of the Canadian Model with assets being managed internally. Mr. Keohanes HOOPP Toronto-based plan is well positioned with a funded ratio of 122% and statistical outperformance of a 9.32% 10-year return rate. With returns that have far exceeded every U.S. state pension plan over the past decade, Mr. Keohane will discuss the benefits that could be necessary for pension fiscal sustainability and the long-term fund management process. Staying on the governance side, highly regarded leaders from the industry will be speaking on the Executive Director/CEO Roundtable Panel. Steve Yoakum of the Public School & Education Employee Retirement Systems of Missouri, David Wescoe from San Diego County Employees Retirement Association, Brian Guthrie of Teacher Retirement System of Texas and Ruth Ryerson with Wyoming Retirement System will be discussing various topics that will provide an industry health status check-up. Panel moderator and the President of Wilshire Consulting, Andrew Junkin, will be pitching the group questions on demographics, defined contribution plan considerations, efforts to cut investment costs, best governance practices and future industry expectations. Switching over to the investment side, an impressive group of Chief Investment Officers will be anchoring the event for the CIO Roundtable Panel. Christopher Ailman of California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS), Tom Tull of Employees Retirement System of Texas, John Skjervem of Oregon State Treasury and Craig Husting with Public School and Education Employee Retirement Systems of Missouri will join together to discuss various risks, allocations and macro-based approaches for the current low growth, low return and high valuation environment. The panelists plans currently have over $330 billion in assets under management combined. The session will be moderated by Aon Hewitt Investment Consultings Head of Public Pension Funds and Partner, Kristen Doyle. The Pension Bridge is an innovative company offering educational conferences of the highest quality to the institutional investment community. The Pension Bridge will be providing an impressive and influential speaker faculty in a controlled attendance setting. The company strives to serve the industry by providing influential insights and concepts at their events while building beneficial relationships between pension plans, consultants and investment managers. His sales relationships, and his sense of understanding customer needs and priorities, make him an excellent fit for ADOMANI as we grow our business throughout the country. ADOMANI, Inc., a leading supplier of all-electric school buses, trucks and conversions, announced that Jim OConnell is joining the Company as Director of New Bus Sales headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. OConnell offers a broad range of expertise, with over 45 years of operational, sales, and management experience in the school bus industry. Most recently, OConnell has been consulting in the electric transit bus market. He has held roles in management for several truck and bus dealers, and was the long-time Vice President of Bus Sales for A-Z Bus Sales, the Blue Bird dealer in California. Jim has previously worked with environmental agencies in delivering demonstration and emerging technology vehicles including the first electric school buses in California in 1995. He has had great success in applying for, and being awarded, grant money for agency partners over several decades. We are pleased that Jim is joining our growing team of experienced sales and service personnel, said John Roselli, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. His sales relationships, and his sense of understanding customer needs and priorities, make him an excellent fit for ADOMANI as we grow our business throughout the country. Jim will work in multiple western states at local levels with customers and with regional and state air districts and environmental agencies alike, all looking for clean community transportation options and efficiencies. Its a tremendous opportunity to be with ADOMANI, OConnell said. The vision of the company and the dedication that they have for reliable and environmentally friendly transportation solutions is a real motivation for me; working for the success that will benefit our customers and their communities! With a new FLIP liquid solver, plus a new fire and smoke solver, Phoenix FD 3 for Maya delivers realistic visual effects in shorter time frames. Today, Chaos Group releases Phoenix FD 3 for Maya, a major update to its all-in-one fluid dynamics plugin for Autodesk Maya. Phoenix FD supports a wide range of fluid simulations including smoke, fire, water and oceans, making it a popular choice for fast-paced television productions such as "Arrow," "Once Upon a Time" and "The Man in the High Castle." With a new FLIP liquid solver, plus a new fire and smoke solver, Phoenix FD 3 for Maya delivers realistic visual effects in shorter time frames. Phoenix FD 3 for Mayas quick presets and intuitive controls now make it faster and easier for artists to create any type of fluid simulation. Phoenix FD works seamlessly in Maya and renders with V-Ray, Chaos Groups Academy Award-winning rendering solution. Phoenix FD lets us simulate fire and smoke effects quickly for projects with short deadlines, said Saker Klippsten, CTO at Zoic Studios. Artists save valuable time by iterating looks without leaving Maya. Highlights of Phoenix FD 3 for Maya include: FLIP solver Fast, realistic liquid solver. New fire & smoke solver Create realistic smoke and fire with super-fine details. Quick presets New toolbar with presets for fire, smoke and liquid simulations. Ocean simulations Create ocean surfaces that never repeat using procedural ocean displacement. Preview and render the ocean surface without simulating cache files. Wave force Transition from a procedural ocean surface to detailed wave simulations. Force controls Art direct and control simulations with forces like wind, mesh attraction and more. Path follow Create simulations that follow a path along a spline. Interactive simulations Fine-tune simulations interactively in the viewport with Phoenix FDs GPU-accelerated preview. Refine simulations Increase simulation resolution and add detail without changing overall shape or behavior. Simulation retiming Speed up or slow down simulation playback. Perfect for slow motion effects. Cascade simulations Create a series of simulations that trigger and interact with each other. Emission sources Use a wide range of customizable emission sources, including animated meshes, texture maps and particles, to drive complex simulations. Fast volume rendering Optimized volume rendering with accurate lighting and global illumination. Compatibility Supports industry-standard tools and formats like Alembic and OpenVDB. Simulation licenses Use Phoenix FD simulation licenses to submit jobs over the network to Deadline and Backburner. For more information, visit: https://www.chaosgroup.com/phoenix-fd/maya. Pricing & Availability Phoenix FD 3 is available now for Autodesk Maya and is a free upgrade for all Phoenix FD 2.x for Maya customers. A Phoenix FD 3 for Maya Workstation license is $830 and includes one floating user license and one floating simulation license. Additional simulation licenses are available for $210. Contact sales(at)chaosgroup.com for volume discounts. About Chaos Group Chaos Group is a worldwide leader in computer graphics technology, helping artists and designers create photoreal imagery and animation for design, television, and feature films. Chaos Group specializes in physically based rendering and simulation software used daily by top design studios, architectural firms, advertising agencies, and visual effects companies around the globe. Today, the company's research and development in cloud rendering, material scanning, and virtual reality is shaping the future of creative storytelling and digital design. Founded in 1997, Chaos Group is privately owned with offices in Sofia, Los Angeles, Baltimore, Seoul, and Tokyo. For more information, visit: chaosgroup.com. Join a warming swarm of raucous revelers for the 22nd annual Magic Hat Mardi Gras celebration, March 10-12, in downtown Burlington. All events over Mardi Gras weekend will bring awareness and support for the Vermont Foodbank, while offering a fun and festive fete for the community. Over the years, Magic Hats Mardi Gras weekend has raised more than $250,000 for Vermont nonprofits, and the tradition will continue in 2017. Join the local brewer for a jolly jubilee and experience everything a Vermont-style Mardi Gras has to offer including a Magic Hat beer launch, the #9 Fun Run, live music, a family-friendly Jambalaya Zone, the glorious Grand Parade, and much more! #ChooseYourHefe Faceoff Mardi Gras weekend offers the perfect platform for some friendly competition of the drinkable variety. As revelers boogie their way downtown, they can join the #ChooseYourHefe faceoff between Magic Hats classic American-style hefeweizen, Circus Boy, and his German-style doppelganger, Zirkus Boy. Attendees can support their favorite by by sampling each beer and casting a vote. Which will you choose: Circus Boy or Zirkus Boy? The good news is, everyones a winner in the end, because Circus Boy vs. Zirkus Boy split packs will be available for purchase at retailers locally and along the East Coast starting March 10. Kick-off Mardi Gras Weekend with Loads of Live Music The festivities will kick off on Friday night, March 10, with live music from Fishbone at the Top Block of Church Street at 6pm. The tunes will continue with the soulful sounds of Burlingtons Own Steady Betty in the Showcase Lounge at Higher Ground. Doors open at 7pm, and the show will begin at 7:30pm. Steady Betty is an 8-piece band paying homage to the classic late 60s sound of Jamaica. Louis The Child will also be performing in the Higher Ground Ballroom with doors opening at 8:00pm and the show beginning at 8:30pm. Hailing from Chicago, Louis The Child is an electronic music duo with the simple goal of creating music that makes people happy. Also playing at Higher Ground during Mardi Gras weekend are Billy Dean & The Honor Roll and DJ Ryan Brown. Mardi Gras Day-Of Festivities Saturday, March 11, will be a fun-filled day of festivities, starting with a breakfast at the Artifactory, performances on Church Street beginning at 11am, the #9 Fun Run, feature performances on the City Hall Park stage, the parade through downtown, and a family-friendly Jambalaya Zone. Kegs & Eggs Breakfast at the Artifactory Start the day off right with Kegs & Eggs at the Magic Hat Artifactory from 10am-1pm. There will be local food trucks, tents, tunes from Funky Dawgz Brass Brand, and, of course, Magic Hat beers before the downtown festivities. Party-goers can beging the celebrations early with their favorite brew and dont even have to worry about driving, as Magic Hat will be providing shuttles to and from this event. Magic Hat #9 Fun Run The #9 Fun Run -- named for the popular Magic Hat beer -- will begin at 2:15pm at the intersection of Church and Main Street. This all-ages run/walk will feature participants in magnificent Mardi Gras garb, with 100 percent of the $20 registration fee going to support the Vermont Foodbank. To continue with the #9 theme and throw a Magic Hat-style wrench into things, the 9th person to cross the finish line will be the winner! Registration for the Fun Run begins at noon at the Magic Hat tent on Church Street. More Live Performances On Friday night, Fishbone is getting the band back together in Burlington for a feature performance. For the first time in 25 years, the original members are touring together and will help celebrate Magic Hats Mardi Gras weekend with a show at the top of Church Street, starting at 6pm. The live shows will continue with a performance by White Denim after the Grand Parade on Saturday at 4pm on City Hall Park Stage. The Glorious Grand Parade Following the Fun Run, this years Grand Parade will sashay down Main St. in all its festive glory at 3pm. Spectators can celebrate local businesses and community groups as they show off their creativity with elaborate floats ready to woo the judges for a chance to win fabulous prizes. Attendees can also look forward to a rainstorm of beads and chocolates, donated by Lake Champlain Chocolates. Following the parade, there will be performances on City Hall Park Stage and festivities continuing throughout the city. Magic Hat Mardi Gras Weekend is a fundraiser that aims to raise awareness and money for the Vermont Foodbank while celebrating with the local community. Those wishing to add flair to their winter dress may purchase beads and masks at local shops and at stands along Church Street and City Hall Park, proceeds from which will benefit the Vermont Foodbank. Each year, the Foodbank and their network of food shelves and meal sites throughout the state serve 153,000 Vermonters in need of emergency food assistance. To learn more about Vermont Foodbanks mission, visit them at http://www.vtfoodbank.org. For more information on Magic Hat Mardi Gras, visit http://www.magichat.net/mardigras/. For on-location interviews during Mardi Gras, contact Amanda Sylvester at (631) 678-8846. . Magic Hat Brewing Company & Performing Arts Center http://www.MAGICHAT.NET The RE/MAX of Hot Springs Village agents and teams received statewide recognition at the RE/MAX Knows Arkansas Outstanding Agent Awards Celebration, held Feb. 23 in Little Rock. The ceremony honored top Arkansas RE/MAX agents and offices for 2016. The RE/MAX of Hot Springs Village team of agents placed third in Arkansas for transaction and volume. Ann Buckner received Administrator of the Year. Kathy Sherman, of Team Sherman, received a Cooperative Spirit Award and Modine Spruell was honored for Highest Referral Check. The RE/MAX Team in Hot Springs Village continues to excel in the local Real Estate Market, says Clara Nicolosi, RE/MAX of Hot Springs Village owner. 2016 was our highest year of production to date. We exceeded our past production in both the total volume of real estate sold and in the number of transactions. This year is off to a very busy start, she continued, and we are encouraged about the future of real estate here in Hot Springs Village. New Village Resident Ambassador Materials Now Available Spread the word about living in Hot Springs Village as a Resident Ambassador. Pick up the new Spring RE/MAX magazine, Escape to the Ouachitas, available throughout the Village. A companion video will be available soon. Open House Event Set for April 22 The Spring Village Wide Open House, will be held Saturday, April 22. The event, will feature beautiful homes currently for sale in HSV. Stop by the RE/MAX office that day to pick up a list of open house homes, along with snacks, beverages and a free Village map. For more information about RE/MAX of Hot Springs Village, go to GoHotSpringsVillage. The complete list of award winners is included below. Top Office Awards Ann Buckner, Administrator of the Year RE/MAX of HSV Top 3 Office by Transaction and Volume Top Agent Awards Kathy Sherman, Cooperative Spirit Award Modine Spruell, Highest Referral Check Anniversary Awards 10 year Pat Bollier, Susie Burns, Linda Forry, Jane Hollansworth, Jeff Hollansworth Club Awards Executive Club Kay Arsenault Ray Clem Linda Forry Karen Mallonee Modine Spruell Lindsey Wright 100% Club Pat Bollier Wanda Bonner Susie Burns BJ Conner Nancy Cross Mike Griffin Jim Harbour Charlotte Hitchens Anthony Nicolosi Kathy Sherman Sheryle Spann Platinum Club Kimberly Taylor Chairmans Club Jane Hollansworth Career Recognition Anthony Nicolosi Nearly 10 years ago, Las Vegas celebrated one of its most popular wedding dates, 7/7/7. To commemorate, Vegas Weddings is holding a photo contest for couples married on this date, and the winner will receive a complimentary vow-renewal ceremony. The contest launches today at 12 noon PST on the companys Facebook page and has a two-week submission period followed by a 10-day voting period. Vegas Weddings aims to Recreate the couples special day with beautiful and fun memories, and is giving away its Recreate Vow Renewal Package, a $699 value. Among the inclusions offered are a professional wedding planner, roundtrip limousine transportation, fresh floral, professional photographer with candid ceremony images and a professional videographer with DVD and live internet broadcast, to name a few. The complete Recreate Vow Renewal Package may be viewed at http://www.702wedding.com/best-place-elope-vegas.asp. The winning couple will have the choice to renew their vows at Vegas Weddings on 7/7/17 or 7/17/17. The famed date, so popular for sequential numbers and the lucky 777, is already booking quickly for both weddings and vow renewals in the current year (7/7/17). Vegas Weddings consistently offers a variety of monthly specials for wedding bookings, and is currently in the midst of its Spring Bling promotion with a bonus floral special available with most wedding packages. Those who want to take part in the popular sequential date, whether marrying or renewing their vows, can enjoy Vegas Weddings popular Reserve-A-Date feature that allows couples to reserve their venue, date and time with the option of choosing their package later. Eligible couples looking to enter the 10th anniversary vow renewal contest must submit a photo of the two of them through the website http://bit.ly/777vegasweddings by March 21, 2017. Through March 31, 2017, the public will then vote by liking their favorite photo for the chance to win. The winning couple will be announced on April 1, 2017. Couples must have been married on 7/7/7 and the winning couple will be required to show a copy of their marriage license. There is no purchase necessary to win. Complete rules are available at http://bit.ly/777rules. About Vegas Weddings Award-winning Vegas Weddings is the premier wedding chapel in Las Vegas offering upscale and elegant weddings and vow renewals regardless of budget. The company recently celebrated its 15th anniversary and rang in the year with 2017 awards from The Knot Best of Weddings and Wedding Wire Couples Choice Awards. Vegas Weddings offers 10 wedding venues with an array of options from simple vow exchanges to 100-guest traditional chapel-style affairs. Its sister companies, Downtown Tux & Gown and Downtown Artistic Floral, expand the brand and offer guests a full-service experience. Vegas Weddings is proud to be a charter member of the Las Vegas Wedding Chamber of Commerce. For more information on Vegas Weddings, call 702-WEDDING (933-3464) or visit VegasWeddings.com and follow on social media at Facebook.com/VegasWeddings, Twitter.com/WeddingsVegas and Instagram.com/VegasWeddings. ### Media Contact: Aimee Stephens, Vegas Weddings 702.550.3915 aimee(at)vegasweddings(dot)com Vista Analytics welcomes Chief Data Scientist Dr. Xuning (Michael) Tang as Partner. An expert in the field of data science, Dr. Tang will aid Vista Analytics in building a variety of advanced analytics solutions using machine learning, natural language processing, network analysis, and AWS cloud computing to further the field of eDiscovery. Since opening in 2016, Vista Analytics has been expanding its team to include Ph.D.-caliber researchers and analysts to help create innovations beyond existing technologies in eDiscovery. Dr. Tangs work will encompass artificial intelligence and machine learning, relational database analytics, and custom programming to create high-performance systems for legal eDiscovery that will reduce the time and costs associated with data analysis. Prior to joining Vista Analytics, Dr. Tang worked on fraud detection solutions as an economist with Fannie Mae. Previously, he served as manager for Deloitte Advisory where he contributed to multiple advanced analytics projects related to anomaly detection, eDiscovery and predictive modeling in the automobile, hospitality and financial industries. He also worked for Siemens Corporate Research in the area of semantic-based knowledge management. Dr. Tang received his Ph.D. from Drexel University in the College of Computing and Informatics in 2013. He filed one patent, two inventions, and published more than 30 peer-reviewed research papers in top computer science journals and international conferences including IEEE and ACM Transactions, International Journal of Electronic Commerce, JASIST, and CIKM. He also served as associate editor and reviewer for multiple flagship journals in the fields of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. A number of his articles can be found on the Vista Analytics website. About Vista Analytics Since opening its doors, Vista Analytics has been expanding its team to include world-class talent comprised of Ph.D. caliber researchers and analysts. The company is located at 1333 H Street, N.W., Suite 600W, Washington, D.C. 20005. Vista Analytics can be reached at (202) 808-2286 or through its website, http://www.vista-analytics.com. Ihor Dlaboha, former editor of ID (Institutional Distribution) and the online version ID Access, has been appointed as chief copywriter with The Food Connector, announced Ed Zimmerman, founder of the company. In addition, Dlaboha will take over management of the industry blog site, The Foodservice Blog. Dlaboha, a lifelong journalist and editor, served on the staff of ID from 2000-2009. I worked closely with Ihor during his time with ID Magazine and ID Access. He was a great advocate for the food service industry and it was a real loss to the industry when he left. The Food Connector is proud to help Ihor return to the business, said Zimmerman. In the course of his career, Dlaboha has been editor of business-to-business media as well as Ukrainian American publications. He also launched the worlds first satellite-delivered TV and radio network between Ukraine and North America and worked on the staff of the United Nations Non-Governmental Organizations section of the Department of Public Information. Currently a prolific blogger, one of his topics, Boosting Your Outreach, focuses on social media outreach for non-profit organizations and small businesses. I am thrilled to return to writing about food service, especially food service trends and value-added selling techniques, Dlaboha said. *** The Food Connector team works for you. We are food industry executives with extensive marketing expertise. Our work with food manufacturers and distributors helps sell more products and services to restaurant operators. The Food Connector team works to enhance a companys message, improve its visibility and extend its reach throughout the industry. ### 27th Annual CCA Banquet and Auction Come help support our Florida coastlines and enjoy a great meal! - Gary Ingman Ingman Marine announces the commencement of the 27th Annual CCA Charlotte Chapter Banquet and Auction. The event will take place at 6pm on Thursday March 23, 2017 and will last until approximately 10pm. The location for the event will be at The Charlotte Harbor Event and Conference Center, located at 75 Taylor Street Punta Gorda Florida, 33950. This banquet and auction will provide aid to the conservation of Florida coastlines. The banquet will feature steaks from The Texas Cattle Company. They will be cooked over a Florida citrus and oak woods fire. For additional questions, contact Adam Miller at (941) 270-0895 or email him at amiller(at)ccaflorida(dot)org. RSVP here: http://tinyurl.com/cca-charlotte-chapter-banquet SCHEDULE The CCA Banquet and Auction: 6pm 7:30pm - OPEN BAR AND SILENT AUCTION 7:30pm 8:30pm DINNER 8:30pm 9:30pm - LIVE AUCTION ABOUT THE CCA CCA Florida is a non-profit, statewide marine conservation organization. They work in advanced roles to help maintain and protect Floridas marine wildlife and resources, as well as the interests of all saltwater fishermen. Aside from us, the Charlotte Chapter, there are 29 additional local chapters from Pensacola all the way to Key West. Local chapters help support research-based law enforcement and aid in the fight for and maintenance of fishery regulations, aimed at protecting state and federal fish stock. The CCA of Florida has helped protect Redfish and they have also set up a management plan for Dolphin and Wahoo. They have also set up a four month plan to help the Red Grouper stock recover. CCA Florida is only 1 of 17 different state chapters of the Coastal Conservation Association. ABOUT THE LOCATION The Charlotte Harbor Event and Conference Center is located on the shore of Southwest Florida's Peace River. The event and conference center offers 44,000 square feet of event space. To find out more about the other activity in the Punta Gorda area, view the Charlotte Harbor Event Calendar here: CONTACT RSVP by filling out the form and purchase tickets here: http://tinyurl.com/cca-charlotte-chapter-banquet Ingman Marine can be contacted for additional information at one of it's locations listed below: PORT CHARLOTTE 1189 Tamiami Trail Port Charlotte, FL 33953 Phone: (941) 255-1555 SARASOTA 8311 N. Tamiami Trail Sarasota, FL 34238 Phone: (941) 360-0088 PLACIDA 15001 Gasparilla Rd. Placida, FL 33946 Phone: (941) 697-1000 PINE ISLAND 16501 Stringfellow Rd. Bokeelia, FL 33922 Phone: (941) 255-0985 NORTH FT MYERS 14531 North Cleveland Ave. North Ft Myers, FL 33903 Phone: (239) 599-9069 From Philadelphia to Omaha to Honolulu, were creating activations in 50 United States cities this year with one simple goal: help innovative companies hire Americas talent. Today, TechUp, the tech industrys leading diversity inclusion organization, in partnership with TechHire, announced the launch of a 50-city Tech Jobs Tour, an initiative that will connect Americas talent to open tech jobs, ultimately filling 100,000 positions in 2017. Hundreds of professionals will celebrate the Tours launch at a kickoff party on March 11 during SXSW. The event will feature co-founder of Recode Kara Swisher, founder of Code2040 Laura Weidman Powers, and CNN commentator and co-founder of Dream Corps Anthony Kapel "Van" Jones. America has over 500,000 open tech jobs and over 60 percent of all new coders, engineers and data scientists are emerging from bootcamps and industry-current vocational schools. The Tech Jobs Tour will connect the current and next generation of technical talent to companies who need their skills to grow and thrive in todays economy. American cities are shifting from industrial to digital economies, meanwhile, our workforce is acquiring technical skills via non-traditional training, said TechUps founder Leanne Pittsford. From Philadelphia to Omaha to Honolulu, were creating activations in 50 United States cities this year with one simple goal: help innovative companies hire Americas talent. The Tech Jobs Tour is launching under the leadership of Pittsford and is supported by a team of experienced economic development, social impact and technology professionals. In addition, the programs initial advisors include Megan Smith, third chief technology officer of the U.S.; Tess Gilman Posner, managing director of Tech Hire, an initiative of Opportunity@Work; LaTeesha Thomas, director of partnerships and corporate training for Dev Bootcamp; and Tom Ogletree, director of social impact at General Assembly. The idea for the Tech Jobs Tour was born during my time in the Obama Administration and Im pleased to see it coming to fruition so quickly thanks to the private sector, said Smith. At this rate, by 2020 we are going to have over 1 million open jobs in our innovation economy. The Tech Jobs Tour will fill an important role in connecting job seekers to opportunities in our rapidly evolving and growing workforce. To learn more about the Tech Jobs Tour, visit http://www.wetechup.com/techjobstour. SXSW goers are also invited to the launch party on March 11 at 4pm at Highland Lounge in Austin. The event will include welcome remarks from Jones, and a fireside chat with Swisher and Powers entitled Future of Tech Jobs in America. Click here to register. ### About TechUp TechUP connects diverse tech talent with companies who believe diversity is an advantage, and that inclusive teams are stronger, smarter, and better. TechUP intentionally recruits badass, underrepresented and talented tech professionals with a variety of skills. We especially seek women, people of color, LGBTQ individuals, and people who live with a disability. We seek: front end developers, back end developers, mobile developers, graphic designers, UX + UI designers, data scientists, database administrators, tech journalists, product + project managers, IT professionals, full stack engineers, JavaScript, Ruby, Python, and Java programmers, social media professionals, marketing professionals, and more. We love engineers, auto-didacts, innovators, peer mentors, instigators, optimizers, and problem-solvers. HR technology leader brings benefits fully into the 21st century with secure smartphone access to benefits information anytime, anywhere. Businessolver, a leader in SaaS-based benefits administration technology, today announced the launch of its MyChoice mobile app, which allows users on the company's technology platform to securely access benefits information, documents, and carriers all with a tap and swipe on their smartphone. Businessolver leaders unveiled the app today in San Francisco at a stop on its Vision 20/17 Tour, an annual event series that gathers employers, carriers, and industry leaders to showcase product innovation and thought leadership in the employee benefits industry. "We're thrilled to launch MyChoice app here in Silicon Valley, the tech capital of the world, as a bold step forward in transforming benefits for 21st-century employees," said Jon Shanahan, Businessolver President and CEO. "More than 100 million Americans get their benefits coverage through their employer, in line with the 100 million American adults that use a smartphone every day. Letting people take their benefits wherever their lives are demonstrates the power of technology to help make our lives simpler and more convenient, and marks a major part of our overall business strategy." Convenience and Control for Workers Across All Employment Stages With the MyChoice app, users can see their current and future benefits elections for medical, dental, vision, voluntary, and supplemental plans - plus medical savings account balances - all in one secure place. It eliminates the need to hunt for paperwork and reduces the likelihood that benefits information could fall into the wrong hands. Users also can upload their medical ID cards and benefit documents for dependent verification - no more scanning or faxing. Additionally, push-alert functionality sends helpful reminders so that important deadlines aren't missed, and a chat function allows users to reach a helpful representative to answer general benefits questions. It aligns with Businessolver's strategy to transform employee benefits from a one-time act during annual enrollment to a year-round engagement. However, the value of the MyChoice app extends beyond users' current employment. It also aligns with the growing trend of "boomerang" employment, where employees return to a former company. According to Forbes, 15 percent of employees have "boomeranged" and nearly 40 percent would consider doing so. Further, 40 percent of HR professionals say their organization has hired back former employees. With the MyChoice app, companies can keep potential boomerang workers engaged through its offboarding capabilities that allows for a seamless benefits transition from one company to the next. For example, former employees that elect COBRA to continue medical coverage can use the app to maintain convenient access to their medical information and receive essential messages relating to their coverage. "The way we offboard employees is just as critical as how we onboard them - and you don't need to look any further than the boomerang phenomenon to see why," Shanahan said. "The MyChoice app sets our system apart by maintaining consistent support for employees in managing their benefits, no matter where they are on the employment spectrum." The MyChoice app may be used alone or jointly with Businessolver's MyChoice recommendation engine, which asks users a series of questions related to how they feel about certain real-life benefits situations - such as a large, unexpected medical bill or major life event like getting married, having a child, or undergoing surgery - as well as their saving habits to gauge financial preparedness before offering plan recommendations. # # # About Businessolver Since 1998, Businessolver has delivered market-changing benefits administration technology supported by an intrinsic responsiveness to client needs. It creates client programs that maximize benefit program investment, minimize risk exposure, and engage employees with easy-to-use solutions and communication tools to assist them in making wise and cost-efficient benefit selections. Founded by HR professionals, Businessolver's unwavering service-oriented culture and secure SaaS platform provide measurable success in its mission to provide complete client delight. Media Contact Kristin Schmotzer, Edelman (on behalf of Businessolver) kristin.schmotzer(at)edelman(dot)com 312-240-3152 Root Logo Self-driving cars are making our roads safer, and that means less risk and less expense for everyone, said Alex Timm, CEO of Root. Root Insurance, the first insurance company founded on the principle of fundamental fairness, today announced a new program for Tesla owners that gives a discount for the increased safety of semi-autonomous vehiclesor self-driving cars. Root is the first car insurance company to offer such a discount. Starting today, the new discount is available to Tesla drivers with Autopilot, but soon will be available to everyone with a self-driving car. To qualify, drivers must first download the Root app and take a test drive. Self-driving technology has proven to significantly reduce crash risk. For example, the crash rate of Tesla vehicles plummeted almost 40% after Autopilot became available, according to a recent report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Falling crash rates means the insurance industry should adjust their models to account for safer driving habits. But none of them haveuntil now. Self-driving cars are making our roads safer, and that means less risk and less expense for everyone, said Alex Timm, CEO of Root. Its only fair to pass those savings along to the customers who invest in those self-driving cars. Using artificial intelligence, Root is able to adjust risk by factoring in the increased safety of self-driving miles. To calculate the new discount, Roots app measures Autosteer-eligible highway miles driven during a test drive. Then a tiered discount is appliedthe higher the percent of highway miles driven, the higher the discount. The car insurance industry is woefully out of date, which is why you pretty much only see flashy marketing campaigns and pricing gimmicks, said Dan Manges, CTO of Root. At Root, were using technology to reinvent insurance from the ground up to make the whole experience easier and fairer for our customers. Our new discount for self-driving cars is just one of many cutting-edge things still to come. To join Root, drivers simply download the app and take a test drive, which takes approximately two or three weeks. Once the test drive is complete, Root provides a quote that rewards good driving behavior and allows customers to switch their insurance policyall through their mobile phone. Root is currently available in Ohio and will be coming to more states soon. For more updates, please follow Roots blog. Get the rate you deserve at http://www.joinroot.com. Disclaimers: Tesla and the Tesla logo are the property of Tesla Motors, Inc. or its affiliates. Tesla Motors, Inc. does not sponsor, endorse or approve this promotion. This is a special promotion for certain Root customers and ROOT is not affiliated with Tesla Motors, Inc. in any capacity. About Root Root is the first insurance company founded on the principle of fundamental fairness. We create personalized products that give good drivers the protection they deserve. At Root we only insure good drivers, so our rates are always fair. Unlike other insurance companies, we do not bundle good drivers with bad drivers. Instead, we use data science to find and reward good drivers with the best rates. Root is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. The company is an official carrier licensed by Ohio Department of Insurance, a member of the Ohio Guarantee Fund, and backed by the largest reinsurance companies in the world. Get the rate you deserve at http://www.joinroot.com. Exotic Automation & Supplys headquarters is located in Farmington Hills, Michigan. We are committed to serving this industry with the most innovative, state-of-the-art natural gas conversion equipment. Exotic Automation & Supply, a premier Parker Hannifin distributor, announced today it will be showcasing its alternative fuel products at the 2017 Work Truck Show March 14-17, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The companys exhibit will be at booth #5568 in the Green Fuels Pavilion section, which is dedicated to advanced vehicle technologies and fuels. The Exposition is North Americas largest work truck event and gives attendees the opportunity to see the latest vocational truck and equipment displays, meet with current and prospective suppliers, find solutions to critical technical questions, interact with thousands of peers and gain insight into recent industry and market trends. 2017 marks the 5th consecutive year the company has exhibited at the Work Truck Show. Exotic will showcase their Alternative Fuel Products Group, which consists of CSA certified Parker Hannifin CNG & LPG hoses & fittings, nozzels, receptacles, check valves, coalescers, filters, lock-off valves, custom molded rubber products and more. We welcome Fleet Managers who are attending the show to stop by our booth and learn how Exotic can support their fleet from the original equipment conversion to regular, routine maintenance. Our Alternative Fuels Products Group serves as a single-source solution for the highest quality products used in CNG and LPG vehicle platforms. Henry Testa, Group Sales Director said. In conjunction with the show, Exotic will be holding a press conference to announce Parker Hannifins new flexible fuel hose for natural gas vehicles. We are committed to serving this industry with the most innovative, state-of-the-art natural gas conversion equipment. Parkers new flexible fuel hose is a great addition of our product line-up and offers greater safety and reliability. Steve Orlando, Vice President of Sales & Marketing said. The press conference is slated for Tuesday, March 14th, 2017 at 12:35pm in Room 243. For complimentary passes to the show, courtesy of Exotic Automation & Supply, please email sales(at)erpc(dot)com About Exotic Automation & Supply: Exotic Automation & Supplys headquarters is located in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The company maintains full service centers throughout Michigan with locations in Freeland (Saginaw), Lansing, Taylor, Flint, Jackson, Rochester Hills, Shelby Township, Ann Arbor, as well as at the main Farmington Hills complex. The company employs approximately 150 people and saw sales exceeding $65 million in 2016. Charity Navigator 4-Star Rating Good360s exceptional 4-star rating sets it apart from its peers and demonstrates its trustworthiness to the public. Good360, a global leader in product philanthropy and purposeful giving, recently earned a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, Americas largest independent charity evaluator. The 4-star rating is a result of Good360 maintaining strong financial health and a commitment to accountability and transparency in its efforts to ensure that nonprofit organizations across the US and around the world have access to product donations that allow them to fulfill their own local mandates and missions. Since 2002, using objective analysis, Charity Navigator has awarded only the most fiscally responsible organizations a 4-star rating. In 2011, Charity Navigator added 17 metrics, focused on governance and ethical practices as well as measures of openness, to its ratings methodology. These Accountability & Transparency metrics, which account for 50 percent of a charitys overall rating, reveal which charities operate in accordance with industry best practices and whether they are open with their donors and stakeholders. On June 1, 2016, Charity Navigator upgraded its methodology for rating each charitys financial health with CN 2.1. These enhancements further substantiate the financial health of its 4-star charities. Good360s exceptional 4-star rating sets it apart from its peers and demonstrates its trustworthiness to the public, according to Michael Thatcher, President & CEO of Charity Navigator. Only a quarter of charities rated by Charity Navigator receive the distinction of our 4-star rating. This adds Good360 to a preeminent group of charities working to overcome our worlds most pressing challenges. Based on its 4-star rating, people can trust that their donations are going to a financially responsible and ethical charity when they decide to support Good360. It is important that our donors trust that we are distributing their product donations wisely in order to serve our network of more than 57,000 nonprofit members, said Howard Sherman, CEO of Good360. Our 4-star Charity Navigator rating demonstrates to our supporters our good governance and financial accountability. Good360s rating and other information about charitable giving are available free of charge on http://www.charitynavigator.org. More-detailed information about Good360s rating is available to Charity Navigator site visitors who become registered users, another free service. About Good360 Good360s mission is to help people in need by inspiring companies to support nonprofits, and does so by connecting companies that have products to donate with nonprofits who need them. Since 1983, Good360 has distributed more than $9 billion in donated goods in the US and around the world, helping its network of more than 57,000 prequalified nonprofit members strengthen communities and improve the lives of millions of people in need. In 2016 alone, Good360 distributed $400 million in product and supported recovery efforts in a number of domestic and international disaster-impacted areas through its DisasterRecovery360 initiative. Good360 is an innovative leader in socially responsible product giving that delivers mutual benefit to both its nonprofit and corporate partners. The organization is proud to partner with corporations such as Walmart, UPS, CVS Health Foundation, Nike, IKEA, Sears, The Home Depot, Grainger, 3M, Mattel, Crayola, Gap, Inc., ANN INC., and Williams-Sonoma, Inc. Good360 is a cause-neutral 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered in Alexandria, VA. Learn more at http://www.good360.org. About Charity Navigator Charity Navigator, http://www.charitynavigator.org, is the largest charity evaluator in America and its website attracts more visitors than all other charity rating groups combined. The organization helps guide intelligent giving by evaluating the Financial Health and Accountability & Transparency of more than 8,000 charities. Charity Navigator accepts no advertising or donations from the organizations it evaluates, ensuring unbiased evaluations, nor does it charge the public for this trusted data. As a result, Charity Navigator, a 501 (c) (3) public charity itself, depends on support from individuals, corporations and foundations that believe it provides a much-needed service to America's charitable givers. Charity Navigator, can be reached directly by telephone at (201) 818-1288, or by mail at 139 Harristown Road, Suite 101, Glen Rock, N.J., 07452. Independent oversight of Wisconsin's judges and court commissioners is at risk in Gov. Scott Walker's proposed new state budget. The governor, citing potential but unspecified "administrative efficiencies," has asked the state Legislature to remove the independent standing of the Wisconsin Judicial Commission and instead put it, and its budget, under the jurisdiction of the state Supreme Court. The commission is charged with investigating complaints against state judges and that includes Supreme Court justices. Each year, the Judicial Commission reviews 400 to 500 complaints against judges and court commissioners and, if it finds probable cause of misconduct, either issues a warning or seeks disciplinary action from a three-judge panel. The panel's recommendations go to the state Supreme Court, which is the ultimate arbiter in deciding whether a judge or commissioner is reprimanded, suspended, censure or removed from office. It is of note that in the past decade, the Judicial Commission has alleged misconduct against sitting high court justices three times one of which resulted in a Supreme Court reprimand against Justice Annette Ziegler for failing to avoid conflict of interests when she was a circuit judge in Washington County. Ziegler had presided over nearly a dozen cases involving a West Bend Bank when her husband was on the board of the bank. In perhaps the most notorious case, the Judicial Commission recommended action against Justice David Prosser for allegations that he placed his hands on the neck of Justice Ann Walsh Bradley during a heated argument. Seven justices were present at the mini-melee and after Prosser called on them to recuse themselves because they were witnesses, the high court couldn't reach a decision because it lacked a quorum. Suffice to say that such pesky complaints by the Judicial Commission would probably dwindle if the Judicial Commission was placed under the control of the high court itself. Instead of a judicial watchdog, the Judicial Commission would lose its independence, and its teeth, and become a cozy lapdog for the court. But the Legislature doesn't have to listen to us they should listen to the Commission itself. Earlier this month, the nine-member Judicial Commission urged lawmakers to oppose Walker's proposed change. "The proposed budget degrades the independence of the Judicial Commission by transferring the budgeting and position authority over the Commission from the Legislature to the Supreme Court," commission executive director Jeremiah Van Hecke warned. It should also be noted, the Judicial Commission is not made up of a partisan left-wing cabal operating out of some cellar in the City of Madison: five of the commission's members were appointed by Gov. Walker. The other four were appointed by the state Supreme Court. They see what we see that putting the commission under the aegis of the high court would not only jeopardize fair and even-handed judicial oversight, it would pose real conflicts of interest for both the Supreme Court and the commission members. The Legislature should pull this proposal from the budget and keep the oversight of Wisconsin's court as free and independent as practicable. This editorial appeared in the March 4 edition of The Journal Times of Racine (Wisconsin), another Lee Enterprises publication. The Tunica Show, an industry trade event for manufactured housing professionals, returns to Tunica, Mississippi on March 29-31, 2017 For more than 20 years, the Tunica Show has brought together the newest manufactured home designs, the best in suppliers' offerings and the most innovative systems-built technologies. The Tunica Manufactured Housing Show returns to Tunica, Mississippi on March 29-31, 2017. As the Southeasts premier event for manufactured housing professionals, the 2017 Tunica Show presents an opportunity to see the latest industry trends, tour model homes from the regions leading manufactured home builders, participate in informative seminars, and network with fellow professionals. For more than 20 years, the Tunica Show has brought together the newest manufactured home designs, the best in suppliers offerings and the most innovative systems-built technologies, said Keith Bennett, Chairman of the South Central Manufactured Housing Institute, a nonprofit trade association and producer of the Tunica Manufactured Housing Show. This year will be no exception as we look forward to one of our most successful shows yet. Located at the Hollywood and Resorts Casinos, the 2017 Tunica Show will be attended by more than 1,900 manufactured housing industry professionals representing in excess of 500 companies. For manufactured home community owners and managers, retailers, suppliers and builder/developers, the Tunca Show is the most significant trade event in a multi-state region that that attracts attendees from Illinois to Texas. If youre serious about staying up-to-date with trends and growing your business in 2017, this is a cant-miss event, commented Bennett. We know our attendees time is valuable so weve taken great efforts to provide an outstanding roster of exhibitors. Seventy homes will be on display from 16 prominent manufacturers. They will be joined by over 90 suppliers representing every facet of the manufactured housing industry, from manufactured home transport and installation, to building materials, financing and professional services. The number of exhibitors continues to grow and more participants will be added before the roster is finalized. The show begins Wednesday, March 29 and continues through Friday, March 31, with an afternoon of educational seminars on Tuesday, March 28. These pre-show seminars will explore strategies to directly improve business performance and marketing outreach efforts, while still allowing attendees plenty of time to visit homes and exhibits during the three show days. Hospitality luncheons on Wednesday and Thursday, with a Bloody Mary mixer on Thursday morning, will offer ample networking opportunities. As an industry trade event, the 2017 Tunica Show is not open to the public. Registration for manufactured housing professionals is quick, easy, and free of charge. Special rates on accommodations are available through both the Hollywood and Resorts casino hotels. For registration information, event location and schedules, visit the 2017 Tunica Show website at http://www.TheTunicaShow.com Show Produced and Managed by: Show Ways Unlimited Dennis Hill, Show Coordinator 770-587-3350 About The South Central Manufactured Housing Institute The South Central Manufactured Housing Institute is a non-profit trade-association dedicated to the promotion and advancement of the manufactured housing industry in Mississippi and Alabama. The Institute holds the Tunica Manufactured Home Trade Show annually in Tunica, Mississippi. Dace has deep knowledge about the issues The Denver Foundation is committed to, including economic development, affordable housing, education, and more. The Denver Foundation, Colorados largest and most experienced community foundation, today named Dace West as its Vice President of Community Impact. West will step down from her role as Executive Director of Mile High Connects, a Denver Foundation partner, on March 23. Beginning April 5, West lead The Denver Foundations community grantmaking and programmatic activities in four areas of focus: Basic Human Needs, Economic Opportunity, Education, and Leadership and Equity. She will also oversee Strengthening Neighborhoods, technical assistance, leadership development, and directed grantmaking programs. The Vice President of Community Impact will steward strategic relationships with key partners Mile High Connects, Social Venture Partners Denver, and the Colorado Nonprofit Loan Fund. West, who was selected following an extensive national search, is recognized as a uniquely qualified, connected, and forward-thinking leader on transit-oriented development, affordable housing, economic development, resident engagement, transit equity, and other issues that have a direct impact on low-income and vulnerable communities in Metro Denver and across the region. Throughout her career, Dace has developed deep knowledge about the issues The Denver Foundation is committed to, including economic development, affordable housing, education, and more, says Christine Marquez-Hudson, President and CEO of The Denver Foundation. She has demonstrated extraordinary talents in community leadership. We are very fortunate to have her join us in this new capacity. "Dace believes deeply in collaboration, and as a leader she is able to bring out the best in her colleagues, says Patrick Horvath, The Denver Foundations Director of Economic Opportunity. She is also deeply committed to the Foundation's core values of community leadership and racial equity, and brings concrete experience in both of these areas to our work." Since West joined as Executive Director three years ago, Mile High Connects has built a network of more than 300 community partners including Colorado Housing and Finance Authority, Denver Office of Economic Development, The Colorado Health Foundation, The Colorado Trust, Enterprise Community Partners, and FirstBank, among others. Under Wests leadership, Mile High Connects has achieved multiple policy wins including reinstatement of bus routes in low-income neighborhoods, strengthening of affordable housing preservation policies, prioritization of jobs for local workforce on construction projects, and significant advocacy around affordability of bus and light rail fares. West was instrumental in creating and expanding the Denver Transit Oriented Development Fund, an acquisition fund to preserve affordable housing near transit that has grown to $24 million. She also led the launch of the Regional Equity Atlas, a nationally recognized data tool used to demonstrate disparity in the region. Mile High Connects provides nearly $1 million in grants to the Denver regions nonprofits annually. West previously served as the Director of the Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships, an office created by Denvers Mayor in 2004 to serve as a liaison between the City and its nonprofit sector. She has also served as Executive Director of HealthBridge Alliance and Director of Organizational and Resource Development at Front Range Economic Strategy Center. In my work, Im devoted to pulling together diverse partners across a variety of issues to work toward common, comprehensive goals and create real change for stronger communities, says West. Im thrilled to bring my skills to this new role within The Denver Foundation, which has been doing this work for more than 90 years. West has served on a number of nonprofit governance and advisory boards, including the Rocky Mountain Survivors Center, Denver Young Nonprofit Professionals Network, Abusive Men Exploring New Directions (AMEND), Denver Center for Crime Victims, Denver Mayors Childrens Cabinet, Rocky Mountain MicroFinance Institute, Denver Small Business Support Coalition, National Council of Nonprofits Government Contract Reform Task Force, and Colorado Nonprofit Association Education Committee. West holds a Masters of Nonprofit Management from Regis University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Colorado at Boulder, graduating Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa. About The Denver Foundation The Denver Foundation is a community foundation that inspires people and mobilizes resources to improve life in Metro Denver. In 2015, the Foundation and its donors awarded more than $97 million in grants. The Denver Foundation has three roles: stewarding an endowment to meet current and future needs for Metro Denver, working with community leaders to address the core challenges that face the community, and managing more than 1,000 charitable funds on behalf of individuals, families, and businesses. For more information, visit http://www.denverfoundation.org. Established as an organic, artisan-quality pure maple syrup brand, Crown Maple is pushing the boundaries of the maple syrup category, showcasing three new flavor infused products at Expo West this year. From March 9-11 at the Anaheim Hilton, Booth H428, the brand will highlight a line of small-batch, limited edition syrups -- available in Madagascar Vanilla, Cinnamon, and Applewood Smoked -- created from Crown Maples popular Dark Color Robust Taste Pure Maple Syrup. Each new product offers a distinctive, robust flavor profile and artisan-quality to naturally sweeten dishes far beyond the pancake platter, including baked goods, grilling marinades, and even cocktails. The Madagascar Vanilla Syrup (8.5oz, $ 14.95) is infused with floral and aromatic Madagascan vanilla beans to create a delicate and inviting syrup that accentuates the graham cracker and brown butter flavors of Crown Maples Dark Color syrup. Crown Maple suggests adding a splash in coffee, tea, oatmeal, and baked goods to give everyday food a surprisingly sweet hint of vanilla. The cinnamon sticks used to infuse the Cinnamon Syrup (8.5oz, $ 14.95) are made from long pieces of bark that are rolled, pressed, and dried to create an intriguing and comforting flavor, while elevating everyday foods such as yogurt, ciders, coffee, tea and ice cream. Crown Maples Applewood Smoked Syrup (8.5oz, $ 14.95) is smoked with 100% natural applewood to create a sweet smoke and warm spice that bring to life the toffee and toasted pecan notes of Crown Maples Dark Color syrup. This distinctive and intriguing infused syrup is suggested for grilling marinades, sauces, ciders, and mixology. Im thrilled to share Crown Maples flavor infused syrups at All Natural Expo West, said Mike Cobb, CEO of Crown Maple. The processes and flavor innovation happening at Crown Maple allows consumers to enjoy maple syrup in newer and more innovative ways than ever before, and our team is committed to creating superior maple products that inspire you in the kitchen and excites your tastebuds. We believe this new line builds on that promise and offers maple lovers and newbies alike the opportunity to explore the culinary and beverage possibilities of pure maple, while benefiting high antioxidants and low glycaemic index of our products. Sunniva, the worlds first super coffee, will also be exhibiting with Crown Maple, showcasing their line of coffee products, all of which are naturally sweetened with Crown Maple syrup. This is just one of the many collaborations Crown Maple is working on in 2017 to leverage the power of maple and elevate its presence across multiple industry categories Crown Maples line of small-batch, limited release flavor infused syrups is currently available at the retail shop at the Crown Maple Estate in Dover Plains, NY, and will be available for purchase at additional retail outlets and online. To learn more about Crown Maple, stop by Booth #H428 at Expo West or visit http://www.CrownMaple.com. ### About Crown Maple Crown Maple is Quite Possibly the Purest Maple Syrup on Earth and sets a new standard of excellence for maple. Established in 2010, Crown Maple has been carefully crafted from the ground up to become the preeminent maple syrup brand. By pairing the best from nature with artisan craftsmanship and breakthrough state of the art proprietary production technology, Crown Maple creates an exceptional maple experience. Crown Maple syrup and sugar products are estate-produced, certified-organic and provide a superior and distinctive taste and performance that elevates Crown Maple beyond a sweetener and into a defining ingredient. The Crown Maple Estate is based in New Yorks Hudson Valley and has quickly become New Yorks No. 1 maple syrup producer. Open to the public on weekends, Crown Maple invites guests to visit the estate, experience the sustainable maple grove firsthand, and learn about the maple production process. The on-site maple-infused cafe also offers a variety of innovative maple foods and craft beverages to further inspire guests. In an effort to continually push industry boundaries, Crown Maple regularly collaborates with an array of nationally-known brands to incorporate maple syrup into a variety of sweet and savory foods and beverages that go well beyond the pancake platter, and the brand is the syrup of choice served at top restaurants, resorts, and culinary institutions nationwide. Crown Maple products are available for purchase from coast-to-coast at select grocery stores, natural retailers, specialty stores, and foodservice distributors. Crown Crown Maple products can also be purchased online at http://www.CrownMaple.com. We want to accelerate the growth of some of our products, particularly loans, but we need to do it in a way that is respectful of our members. Doxim (http://www.doxim.com), a leading provider of customer engagement software for the financial services industry, is pleased to announce that Synergy Federal Credit Union (FCU) has chosen Doxim Loan Accelerator to improve its lending velocity. Doxim Loan Accelerator is comprised of Doxim CRM, Doxim Business Analytics and Doxim Email Marketing, which the credit union already uses. Together these solutions will help Synergy FCU gain a deeper understanding of member needs and market more effectively and intelligently to its members. Based in San Antonio, with branches throughout Texas, Synergy FCU supports a membership of 12,000, with assets over $230 million. In 2016 Synergy FCU was recognised as NAFCUs Federal Credit Union of the Year (<$250 million), and it has been ranked as one of the Healthiest Credit Unions in America by depositaccounts.com for three straight years. Synergy FCU is dedicated to building lifelong relationships with members while providing excellent personalized service and quality financial products. To meet that goal, CFO Jon Savio recognized he needed better insight into the credit union and how it was meeting member needs. We want to get a better picture of our membership, said Savio, including which products offer the best value to our members, and what changes we need to make to grow and serve them better. Previously, data analysis was a slow and manual process at Synergy FCU, which made getting benchmark data a challenge. With Doxim Business Analytics, Ill be able to measure our successes and make data-driven business decisions quickly and easily, without requiring IT support. The Doxim solution will provide Savio with an aggregated view across the multiple databases that Synergy FCU manages, allowing him to slice and dice complex data in real time to extract actionable insights. For Director of Marketing and Business Development Casidhe Meriwether, the new suite of Doxim solutions will offer a competitive advantage by helping her increase marketing ROI through improved campaign targeting. We want to accelerate the growth of some of our products, particularly loans, but we need to do it in a way that is respectful of our members, said Meriwether, and we certainly want to avoid sending out untargeted offers, or offers for products our members already have. Well use Doxim Loan Accelerator to help us identify the ideal candidates for each of our products. Then well take advantage of the tool to automatically dispatch targeted, personalized offers that connect the right people with exactly the right product at the right moment. Were delighted that Synergy FCU has chosen Doxim Loan Accelerator to help grow its business, said Chris Rasmussen, President and CEO of Doxim. Synergy FCU, like many credit unions, wants to move towards data-driven marketing models while still maintaining a members-first philosophy. This bundled solution will allow them to analyse their data, identify how to meet member needs, and grow their credit union by solving members problems. Our philosophy is always to partner with our clients to ensure success, so the Doxim team will be there to assist every step of the way, during implementation and beyond. ABOUT DOXIM: Doxim is a leading provider of SaaS-based customer engagement software for banks, credit unions, and wealth management firms. Doxims Customer Engagement Platform helps financial institutions transform their client experience, communicate more effectively throughout the client lifecycle and improve cross sell and upsell activities that drive increased wallet share. The platform addresses key digitization challenges, from automated account opening, through improved, personalized communications to anytime, anywhere content access, tailored to a clients channel preferences. This eliminates costly traditional paper-based, manual processes and enables cost-effective provision of an omni-channel experience that delights customers and improves their long-term loyalty. Find out more at http://www.doxim.com. Dr. Richard Amato, Trusted Periodontist in Monroe, CT, Honors Gum Disease Awareness Month Renowned periodontist, Dr. Richard Amato, celebrated Gum Disease Awareness Month by teaching patients common signs and symptoms of this life-threatening infection. To do so, he developed new educational materials including a dental health quiz for patients to test their knowledge of gingivitis and gum disease in Monroe. CT. More than 47 percent of the U.S. adult population has some degree of gum disease. Although the prevalence is high, many are unaware that they are showing signs of this condition. If left untreated, gum disease in Fairfield County, CT can lead to harmful systemic effects including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and even some cancers. In order to avoid these complications and ensure his patients reach and maintain proper oral health, Dr. Amato has created interactive and entertaining educational materials for his community. These tools, located in the blog section of connecticutperiodontist.com, help patients recognize common signs of gingivitis including swollen or inflamed gums, bleeding gums, loose teeth, gum recession and tooth sensitivity. The degree of gum disease a patient has will determine their ideal treatment solution. Patients with minimal bleeding may require enhanced dental hygiene habits, whereas those with advanced periodontitis may need to see a qualified periodontist for treatment. As a specialist in periodontal care, Dr. Amato offers a variety of treatments for every stage of gum disease. Patients in need of osseous surgery for advanced care can often receive the minimally invasive LANAP protocol from Dr. Amato instead. This gentle and effective laser gum surgery technique is the first FDA-cleared procedure for True Regeneration; patients can expect to not only eradicate harmful bacteria after this treatment but also regenerate the gum and bone tissue lost from this infection. As a former Clinical Instructor of Periodontics at the University Of Connecticut School Of Dental Medicine, Dr. Amato is excited to educate current and new patients on the importance of recognizing and treating gum disease in Monroe, CT and the surrounding towns of Danbury, Newtown and Brookfield, CT. To learn more, visit his practice website at connecticutperiodontist.com or call 203-268-2000 to schedule a personalized consultation with Dr. Amato. About the Doctor Dr. Richard Amato is a leading periodontist and dental implant specialist who provides personalized dental care using the latest advanced technology for patients at Advanced Periodontics and Dental Implant Center of Connecticut LLC in Monroe, Connecticut. He has placed thousands of dental implants since 1989. Dr. Amato earned a DDS degree from Stony Brook University. He then completed a full-time multi-year specialty residency and received his Certificate of Proficiency in Periodontics from Eastman Dental Center at the University of Rochester. He belongs to the one percent of dentists in the USA currently providing the first FDA-cleared laser procedure for gum disease treatment. Dr. Amato is the first and most experienced provider of LANAP therapy in Fairfield County, Connecticut as well as the first Periodontist to provide the Pinhole Surgical technique in CT. To learn more about Dr. Amato and his dental services, visit his website at http://www.connecticutperiodontist.com and call 203-712-0917. By offering three of our most popular programs, CSU Bakersfield is opening doors of opportunity to residents in the Bakersfield area and beyond. Career Step, an online provider of career-focused education and professional training, is pleased to announce that California State University, Bakersfield has become its newest academic partner. With the partnership, CSU Bakersfield will now offer Career Steps Medical Transcription and Editing, Professional Medical Coding and Billing, and Computer Technician programs through the Professional and Continuing Education program of the schools Extended University Division. We are excited to launch this new partnership, providing an opportunity for our community members to create better futures for their families through training, education and the career skills desired by employers, said Jennifer Patino, Director of Professional and Continuing Education Programs at CSU Bakersfield. Our students will be better prepared for the workforce in the high-demand job markets of healthcare and computer technology. CSU Bakersfield joins more than 150 educational institutions in Career Steps network of academic partners, including the University of Utah, Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana and sister school California State University, San Bernardino. We are thrilled to partner with a university that has such a community-building focus, said Ryan Ewer, Vice President of Academic Partnerships. By offering three of our most popular programs, CSU Bakersfield is opening doors of opportunity to residents in the Bakersfield area and beyond. We know these programs will make a real difference in the careers and economic success of the students who take them. For more than a decade, Career Step has partnered with colleges, universities and other higher learning institutions to provide industry-leading career training courses to the community through the schools continuing education departments. These partnerships offer a turnkey solution for the institution to help more students gain the skills necessary to build successful careers. More information about Career Steps partnership with CSU Bakersfield is available at CareerStep.com/csub. To learn more about Career Steps academic partnership program, please visit CareerStep.com/academic-partnerships. About Career Step Career Step is an online provider of career-focused education and professional training. The company has trained over 100,000 students for new careers, has more than 150 partnerships with colleges and universities nationwide, offers a variety of continuing education courses for healthcare professionals and has educated more than 100,000 healthcare professionals. Career Step provides training for several of the largest and most respected healthcare employers in the nation and is committed to helping students and practicing healthcare professionals alike gain the skills they need to be successful in the workplace--improving lives, advancing careers and bettering business results through education. More information can be found at CareerStep.com or 1-800-246-7836. About California State University, Bakersfield California State University, Bakersfield is a comprehensive public university committed to offering excellent undergraduate and graduate programs that advance the intellectual and personal development of its students. An emphasis on student learning is enhanced by a commitment to scholarship, diversity, service, global awareness and life-long learning. The University collaborates with partners in the community to increase the regions overall educational attainment, enhance its quality of life, and support its economic development. The University was founded in 1965 and opened for classes in fall, 1970. Its vision is to be the leading campus in the CSU system in terms of faculty and academic excellence and diversity, quality of the student experience and community engagement. The Universitys faculty is world-class, with nearly 75% holding the highest degrees in their respective fields. The University serves more than 9,500 students between the main campus in Bakersfield and CSUB - Antelope Valley and counts approximately 47,000 alumni from its four schools: Arts and Humanities; Business and Public Administration; Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering; and Social Sciences and Education. The University offers undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate and credential programs, and CSUB's Extended University serves the community by offering additional professional development, certificate, and degree programs. www.data-basics.com We are happy to announce DATABASICS as one among the top 10 companies that are showcased in the Travel Expense Management special edition." -- Sarah Dawson, Managing Editor of CFO Tech Outlook. DATABASICS announced today that it has been featured as a 2017 Top 10 Travel Expense Management Solution Provider in the latest edition of CFO Tech Outlook Magazine. DATABASICS is ranked as one of the top accounting solution providers by the leading publisher CFO Tech Outlook, a magazine that especially focuses on the financial and technology sectors. This recognition of the companies in the 2017 edition is based on the companys contribution to innovation and advancement in providing Travel Expense Management solutions. DATABASICS is also ranked by CIOReview for its specialties in providing Spend Management, Travel Expense Reporting, Employee Reporting, Vendor Payments, Timesheet Management, Travel Expense Management, Expense Management, Expense Reporting, Invoice Management, Expense Automation, Mobile Global Expense Reporting, and P-Card Reconciliation. The companies that are featured in this edition are elite organizations with proven track records in providing Travel Expense Management software solutions. We are happy to announce DATABASICS as one among the top 10 companies that are showcased in the Travel Expense Management special edition, said Sarah Dawson, Managing Editor of CFO Tech Outlook. About DATABASICS DATABASICS is a global company with global solutions for mobile and web reporting headquartered in Reston, Virginia with offices in Montreal, Quebec. Since 1997, DATABASICS has been providing web-based business solutions to a broad spectrum of leading organizations. For over 20 years, DATABASICS has solved problems in P-Card program management, expense reporting, and time tracking for leading organizations around the world. For more info, visit: http://www.data-basics.com About CFO Tech Outlook Magazine CFO Tech Outlook Magazine helps organizations to identify the risks faced in businesses and comes up with the latest technology insights that influence the business prospects of corporate houses serving across various industries. The board members of CFO Tech Outlook Magazine, including technology leaders and experts, have decided the Top 10 Travel Expense Management Solution Providers 2017 and shortlisted the best vendors and consultants. For more info, visit: http://www.cfotechoutlook.com Peter Renton, Co-Founder of LendIt, Larry Chiavaro, EVP of First Associates, David Johnson, CEO of First Associates, Presenter Gilles Gade First Associates is excited to celebrate our achievements as we look forward to the continued growth and success of the online lending industry. First Associates Loan Servicing, the nations leading third-party loan and lease servicer, is proud to announce the company has been named Top Service Provider of the Year by LendIt. Winners of this international competition, considered to be the most prestigious in the Fintech industry, were unveiled Tuesday night during at a gala dinner in New York City. The awards ceremony was attended by the lending industrys thought leaders, senior level management, top tier media and their guests. This is the first time a loan servicer has received recognition at this level. Determined by a panel of industry experts, this award recognizes the operational excellence and outstanding contributions made by First Associates Loan Servicing to the Fintech industry. We are tremendously honored to be recognized as Top Service Provider by LendIt, said David Johnson, CEO of First Associates Loan Servicing. First Associates is excited to celebrate our achievements as we look forward to the continued growth and success of the online lending industry. First Associates Loan Servicing is the leading third-party service provider in the marketplace lending industry. The company actively contributes to the advancement of the online lending industry through development of specialized services for the industry, support of online lending startups, and educational programs. Hundreds of nominees, ranging from small to large organizations, were evaluated in the competition. The panel of judges consisted of more than 30 online lending industry experts who named award winners across the categories. 2016 was an outstanding year for First Associates, and the best in our 31 years of serving the industry, said Larry Chiavaro, Executive Vice President of First Associates Loan Servicing. The award of Top Service Provider is the perfect cap to a year of extraordinary growth. We are grateful to LendIt for shining a light on the industry, as well as our partners and our clients for their continued support. About First Associates Loan Servicing, LLC Based in San Diego, First Associates Loan Servicing is the fastest growing third-party loan and lease servicer in the United States. The company offers a wide range of solutions for a variety of asset classes including marketplace lending, automotive, motorsports, business, retail purchase finance, solar, timeshare and student loans. First Associates has world class management and staff, full SSAE 16 II audit, best-in-class IT infrastructure, as well as strong institutional relationships with commercial and investment banks, finance companies, investment funds and credit unions. First Associates leads the consumer finance industry in providing customized technology and customer service solutions for its partners. The company celebrated its 30-Year Anniversary in 2016. For more information, please visit http://www.1stassociates.com. About LendIt LendIt is the worlds largest event series dedicated to connecting the fintech and lending community. Their conferences bring together the leading lending platforms, investors, and service providers in the industry for unparalleled educational, networking, and business development opportunities. LendIt hosts three conferences annually: the flagship conference LendIt USA as well as LendIt Europe in London and LendIt China in Shanghai. LendIt USA 2017 was held in New York City March 6 - 7. Learn more at http://www.lendit.com/. Mark Madrid, President & CEO, GAHCC "At a growth rate higher than any other discernable demographic, Hispanic business owners are real drivers of the American economy. Mark Madrid, President & CEO, GAHCC The Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (GAHCC)a Texas-based nonprofit that focuses on increasing members personal, business and educational wealthis producing today A New Chapter in U.S.-Mexico Relations, an event featuring a keynote address by Carlos M. Sada, Mexico Undersecretary for North American Affairs. Additionally, GAHCC CEO Mark L. Madrid, Austin Mayor Steve Adler and Hispanic Heritage Foundation CEO/President Antonio Tijerino will address a sold-out audience at the Hotel Van Zandt. The GAHCC luncheon is in support of Casa Mexico at SXSW. A New Chapter in U.S.-Mexico Relations represents a continuation of the GAHCC trade mission to five Mexican cities in December to inspire strong commercial and cultural ties between Austin and Mexico, as Mexico is the number one trading partner of the state of Texas. During the luncheon, Madrid will outline the demonstrative impact of Latina and Latino business in America today, based on findings of the State of Latino Entrepreneurship 2016 study by the Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative. Madrids statements about the inception of the event and the mission of the GAHCC: At the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce we have the unique opportunity not only to see the real-time, direct impact of Latino-owned business in all aspects of our community, but also the countless opportunities for trade and business that are borne from our proximity and links to Mexico. Although the GAHCCs membership is pan-Latino, a notable number of our members, as well as sponsors and partners, are of Mexican heritage. The economic and business value propositions of our communitys links to Mexico are part of the fabric of our work, evidenced by our mammoth, wildly successful trade mission to several Mexican cities last December, in a joint venture with Austin Mayor Steve Adler, the City of Austin Economic Development Department and esteemed delegates. The GAHCCs goals are clear and surgically precise. We strive to be the center of excellence for businesses and entrepreneurs in the Central Texas Hispanic market. We design and execute programs and initiatives to build our members business capacity and profitability. The result is empowerment of our member businesses to compete and secure procurement opportunities when doing business with larger corporations, both domestically and globally. The event will highlight the Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative study findings, which the GAHCC declares are important to the Austin, Texas, and national communities. Among the key insights that the research unveiled: There are an estimated 4.23 million Hispanic-owned businesses in our country, contributing approximately $700 billion dollars to the American economy every year. The growth rate of Latino companies has doubled or tripled the national average over the past 15 years. Immigrants own 29% of Latino firms. 50-60% generate more than $1m in annual revenue and have more than 50 employees- a direct impact on their local economies and communities. 75% are located in majority non-Hispanic areas, serving mostly non-Latino clients. 60% of Latino companies are found in 4 states: New York (6%, 3.6% in New York City), Florida (12%, 2.1% in Miami), California (22%, 2.1% in L.A.) and of course Texas, at 18%, with 1.6% of Hispanic businesses in Austin. Madrid continued: The GAHCC invests in lifting Latina and Latino entrepreneurs in our land of the free, home of the brave. There are countless Hispanic success stories dotted with accounts of lack of funding, struggles to be competitive and slow access to real business opportunities with larger corporations. This is not just about empowering Hispanic-owned firms with equal access to networking, continued education, mentorship, and funding and investment. This is not just about keeping the concept of the American dream (sustainable income, equal access to growth, et al) alive. As well, it is about cultivating economic development opportunities, such as a viable, healthy, and thriving relationship with Mexico, Texas' number one trading partner. Hispanic-American and foreign-born business owners are part of the American dream. They are actively contributing the U.S. economy in an exponential fashion. At a growth rate higher than any other discernable demographic, Hispanic business owners are real drivers of the American economy. VIP sponsors for the GAHCC luncheon include International Accelerator (IA) and TxMx. IA is dedicated to helping non-U.S. citizen entrepreneurs set up their U.S. company, give it an American look-and-feel, and lay a sturdy foundation to build a global business. TxMx is an association of entrepreneurs in Texas and Mexico that work together to achieve positive changes in the business, political and social arena. TxMx was conceived to identify, assist and support government and non-government initiatives on their objectives with cross-border impact, through the influence and knowledge of its members. The GAHCC is a world-class organization, with which we share common goals and a game-changing philosophy to drive business, respect and impact, states Luis Campos, TxMx Co-Founder and Chair. Additional sponsors include the Consulado General de Mexico en Austin, Univision Communications Inc. and iTexico. About the GAHCC: http://www.gahcc.org For media inquiries, contact Andie Farris, CF Creative: marketing(at)cf-creative(dot)com and (954) 448-7590. The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) announced its approval today of the Change of Control application submitted by the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture (School). This allows the School to operate as an entity independent from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation (Foundation), and thus maintain its accreditation as an institute of higher learning. The HLC decision allows the School to continue its three-year Master of Architecture Program, while offering additional programs for continuing education, including an 8-week non-degree Immersion Program. Stuart Graff, CEO of the Foundation, applauded the decision. This action is a result of a collaborative process between the Higher Learning Commission, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, and the School. We are pleased this decision results in the continuation of a legacy of education that Frank Lloyd Wright began in 1932 with his apprentices, said Graff. Together, the Foundation and the School are now able to extend this approach throughout the education continuum. As the Foundation creates unique K-12 experiences that challenge students to think about the world in new ways, the School will continue to provide exceptional programs for advanced education. As Graff indicates, the Foundation will expand its own STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) education programming for K-12 students. Since gaining accreditation in 1987, the School has operated as part of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. In a proposal submitted in February of 2016, and after responding to communications from the HLC regarding revised accreditation standards, the School demonstrated its ability to operate independently from the Foundation. With the approval of this plan, the School will begin to transition to an independent entity by August 2017 while providing a seamless educational experience for both existing and incoming students. The Foundation will continue to be a supportive partner as the School works to provide experimental and experiential higher education in architecture. It will continue to donate space at Taliesin and Taliesin West for the Schools operations and providing other support to the School. Aaron Betsky, Dean of the School, said the HLC decision will benefit all parties. Frank Lloyd Wright established his apprenticeship program to encourage innovative and creative thinking that furthers the Schools mission of learning how to create a more sustainable, open, and beautiful designed environment. We look forward to working with the Foundation and building on this legacy at his homes, Taliesin and Taliesin West. Betsky and Graff both expressed gratitude for the work of the HLC and the time dedicated to reaching an outcome that satisfies all parties. The School and Foundation will work together over the next several months to allow the School to begin its new academic year as an independent institution beginning in August 2017. # # # Contact: Jeff Goodman JGoodman(at)FrankLloydWright(dot)org 602.502.3142 About the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation: The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation established by Wright in 1940, is dedicated to preserving Taliesin and Taliesin West for future generations, and inspiring society though an understanding and experience of Frank Lloyd Wrights ideas, architecture and design. Wrights legacy, reflected in contemporary work around sustainable and affordable architecture and excellence in design, is of even greater importance today than in his own time. The Foundation is forward-looking, but rooted in the history of the Taliesin communities. Please visit FrankLloydWright.org for more information on tour schedules, cultural and educational experiences and events. About the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture: Founded by Frank Lloyd Wright over seventy years ago as an architecture apprenticeship program, the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture has been accredited since 1985. It is dedicated to teaching architecture at a graduate level so that students may learn how to make the human-made environment more sustainable, open, and beautiful. Embodying the principles of organic architecture and the notion of working with the land rather than building upon it, the Schools curriculum is based on the concepts of learning by doing and collective experimentation. Students learn from Frank Lloyd Wrights architecture by working and living in its two campuses Taliesin in Spring Green, Wisconsin, and Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona. We appreciate that Datto invests so heavily in its partners' success. Datto, the leading provider of total data protection solutions for businesses around the world, today announced the launch of its new Global Partner Program. As a channel only organization, the MSP community is always the top priority for Datto. With more than 6,000 partners across the globe, Datto listened and acted on essential feedback from the MSP ecosystem to create the new program. The Datto Global Partner Program was developed to accelerate partners business growth with actionable enablement programs focused on sales and marketing. Dattos overarching goal of the program is to further invest in the MSP community with more training, education and resources to empower partners with the tools they need to be successful. Building on the prior award-winning Datto partner program, the new program includes business planning, commercial and technical education sessions, enhanced training and onboarding best practices, as well as access to Dattos business continuity, disaster recovery and managed networking solutions. The program structure benchmarks partners by monthly recurring revenue in four new tiers: Business, Professional, Enterprise, and Blue. Some of the program highlights include: MarketNow: A marketing automation platform designed for non-marketers, with pre-built promotional campaigns, co-branded and customizable collateral, and streamlined social media content to communicate with clients and prospects at the right time with the right message to grow their business. Benchmark Analysis: Partners will have the opportunity to evaluate their businesses against new research and benchmarks from top Datto Partner performers, identifying opportunities for growth and training with their Datto Account Managers. Not for Resale (NFR) Program: Dattos NFR Program supports and empowers partners to perform live demonstrations for customers with discounted device programs for internal use or demos. Partners are now able to receive one NFR device per product family to experience it all. Advanced Sales Tactics Training: This new course focuses on the benefits and opportunities of going up market and unique sales strategies for mid-market organizations. "Our partnership with Datto is about more than technology solutions. From day one, Datto has enabled Ash Creek to grow our business, said Joseph Cichowski, Vice President of Marketing for Ash Creek, a Datto partner. Now, with access to the MarketNow platform, we'll have a marketing automation tool right at our fingertips to empower us to do even more. Ash Creek was consulted in the vendor evaluation process for this exciting new marketing platform, and we appreciate that Datto invests so heavily in its partners' success." This new program allows us to engage with our partners on a much deeper level, empower them with the tangible tools and resources they need to be successful, and motivate them with fresh, new benefits, said Sue MacGregor, Director of Partner Marketing for Datto. Our partners have grown at a tremendous pace and its a necessity that our enablement programs evolve in lockstep to further support their business growth and success. The Datto Global Partner Program encompasses four partner levels: Business, Professional, Enterprise and Blue. To learn more about Dattos Partner Program and new upgrades, register for the webinar happening today, March 9, 2017. About Datto: Datto protects business data and provides secure connectivity for tens of thousands of the world's fastest growing companies. Datto's Total Data Protection solutions deliver uninterrupted access to business data on site, in transit and in the cloud. Thousands of IT service providers globally rely on Datto's combination of pioneering technology and dedicated services to ensure businesses are always on, no matter what. Datto is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut and has offices in Rochester, Boston, Portland, Toronto, London, Singapore and Sydney. Learn more at http://www.datto.com. Cosmos Broadcast System and EASE - hands-free webcasting solutions. Photo Credit: Missouri City, TX With Missouri Citys two-phase project, they will continue to further the accessibility for residents to remotely participate in local government. Swagit Productions, LLC is thrilled to announce that Missouri City, TX is streaming live high-definition video via Cosmos HD broadcast system and EASE solution in their council chambers. The live video streaming is available on Missouri Citys website for any interested party to watch City Council and Planning & Zoning meetings at their convenience. If a citizen is unable to view a meeting live, then the indexed and archived videos are available on-demand. Phase two includes a smartphone or web device PEG App and PEG Portal. Both the app and portal will help to further increased transparency and distribution channels - making it even easier for residents to view streaming content. The PEG Portal will give Missouri City residents the freedom to see all streaming video and audio; as well as, bulletin boards, social media widgets and more all in a 16:9 HD frame. With Swagit's hands-free video streaming and broadcast solutions Missouri City offers its 70,000 plus residents crystal clear high definition streaming of meetings and other specialty content. Missouri City is investing in smart city emerging technologies and these solutions will give control to viewers to watch whenever and wherever - from mobile or other web viewing devices. This is a great step towards the kind of technological development smart cities like Missouri City are utilizing said David Owusu, Swagits Direct of Streaming Media Services. With Missouri Citys two-phase project, they will continue to further the accessibility for residents to remotely participate in local government. Visit http://www.MissouriCityTX.gov for updates as they are announced. About Swagit Productions, LLC Swagit Productions, LLC based in Dallas, TX, provides hands-free video streaming and broadcast solutions to local, state and federal government agencies. Swagit pioneered the COSMOS Broadcast System a complete package of PTZ (Pan, Tilt and Zoom) cameras and professional video-switching equipment that enables any client to fully outsource the production, operation and distribution of HD or SD multi-camera broadcasts for public meetings. Swagits progressive online, mobile and social platform solutions include the Extensible Automated Streaming Engine (EASE): a hands-free webcasting system for public meeting indexing, agenda integration, archiving, on-demand playback, closed captioning and the innovative sound search. Swagits focus is on emerging technology and relevant avenues of distribution for example, Swagits PEG (Public, Education and Government Access) portal and app featuring HD viewing, social media integration and on-trend resident engagement. To request a personalized demo, visit http://www.swagit.com/demo. Welcoming Address by Prof. Alex Molasiotis, Head of PolyUs School of Nursing The EAFONS aims to promote the development of doctoral nursing education and research by providing a regular regional forum for doctoral prepared nurse academics and their students. Since its formation in 1997, forums have been held annually in East Asia, including Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Taiwan and Japan. The forum this year was co-organised by the Nethersole School of Nursing, The Chinese University of Hong Kong; The School of Nursing of The University of Hong Kong; Hong Kong Society for Nursing Education Limited; Pi Iota Chapter, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing; The Hong Kong Academy of Nursing; and the Hong Kong College of Education & Research in Nursing. The opening ceremony of 20th EAFONS were officiated by Prof. Sophia Chan, JP, Under Secretary for Food and Health, HKSAR Government, and Prof. Alex Molasiotis, Head of SN, PolyU. Over 700 professionals and doctoral students from 14 countries/places, including Australia, Finland, the UK, the USA, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand, attended the forum this year to share the latest knowledge and practices, as well as to collaborate and develop synergies for promoting the development of doctoral nursing education and research. Prof. Alex Molasiotis, organizer of the forum and Head of PolyUs SN, said, The significance and size of EAFONS have grown noticeably over the years. The high participation rate of this forum indicates that there is an increasing recognition of EAFONS by nursing scholars and doctoral students. It shows the success of EAFONS over the two decades. The renowned keynote speakers of the forum were Prof. Azita Emami, Prof. and Dean, School of Nursing, University of Washington, the USA; and Prof. Sonja Mcllfatrick, Professor of Nursing, School of Nursing, University of Ulster, the UK, and President of the International Network for Doctoral Education in Nursing. The 20th EAFONS is also the first event in celebration of SNs 40th Anniversary. Details of the forum are available online (http://sn.polyu.edu.hk/eafons2017) while update of the SNs 40th Anniversary activities is available at http://sn.polyu.edu.hk/sn_40th_anniversary. ***** Press Contact: Ms Helen Hsu, Communications Manager, School of Nursing Telephone: (852) 2766-4129 Email: helen(dot)hsu(at)polyu(dot)edu(dot)hk Appointment of Thomas Madsen as CEO The Board of Directors has selected Thomas Madsen as Chief Executive Officer for the QUADROtech Group, effective immediately. Madsen has previously acted as Chairman of the Board, and Senior VP of Delivery. He has a wealth of experience at QUADROtech, as well as 25 years of expertise in numerous areas of the software industry. Thomas is highly experienced, exceptional leader, and he is dedicated to the ongoing success of QUADROtech Group. said Dan Clark, Chief Strategy Officer. He has an extensive knowledge of both the organization, and its industry. He is the right person to lead QUADROtech to the next stage of growth, development and innovation. I am excited and honoured to enter the role of CEO for QUADROtech Group. said Madsen, we are fortunate to have a fantastic team of committed, skilled people at QUADROtech, and there are some extremely exciting plans ahead. I look forward to getting started, and working towards achieving further success. Tony Redmond named Chairman of the Board Tony Redmond has been appointed as Chairman of the Board. Amongst various other positions, Redmond had previously been a non-executive director on the QUADROtech board, and previously served as a Chief Technology Officer at HP. Since joining the board as an independent non-executive director in June 2016, Redmond spearheaded QUADROtechs acquisition strategy and led the acquisition of Cogmotive that closed in November 2016. As one of the most highly recognised voices in the Microsoft Office 365 community, Tony understands the unique challenges our customers face as they master the transition to cloud-based services. said Thomas Madsen, Chief Executive Officer. During this time of high growth for QUADROtech, and following its recent acquisition of Cogmotive, there is no one better suited to take on this position. Alan Byrne selected as Senior Vice President of Product Alan Byrne, CEO of Cogmotive, has been appointed as Senior Vice President of Product for QUADROtech. Building on his demonstrable success with co-founding and developing the Cogmotive Reports product suite, Byrne will become the driving force behind product development for all QUADROtech solutions, standing at the forefront of the innovation and implementation of new technologies. Byrne will bring his extensive knowledge of cloud solutions and technologies, including Office 365, to this new role. QUADROtech have developed some of the industry-leading solutions for data migration, and their product development team are clearly dedicated to building on these accomplishments said Alan Byrne, SVP of Product, through exploring cutting-edge technologies, and techniques, I think we can develop some really exciting new features, products, and services. I cant wait to get started. New US Location Finally, QUADROtech opened a new office in North America on March 1st. The brand new, dedicated location in Fargo, North Dakota, will host a Sales and Business Development function. Our brand-new offices will enable us to further demonstrate our dedication to serve customers and prospects in US territories. said Peter Parker, Chief Operating Officer. We already have a wide-ranging presence in the US, and the opening of this new location will help us to deal with this demand more effectively, and deliver an even higher level of service. With headquarters in Switzerland, and offices throughout the UK, US and Slovakia, the new offices in the US will be the sixth location to be added to the QUADROtech Group. -End- About Thomas Madsen Thomas has a background in Electronic engineering, but has focused on Software and has over 25 years of experience in various segments and positions within the software industry. He has lead PreSales teams, was Country Manager for Germany, Austria and Eastern Europe for Legato and later EMEA VP of Partner operations for Legato (Later EMC). Thomas was part of the management team at VCARE that originally developed the migration tools which became QUADROtech as part of a management buyout. About Tony Redmond Tony Redmond is a technologist with a long history in collaboration and email technologies. After a career at Digital Equipment Corporation, Compaq, and Hewlett-Packard where he served in multiple roles, Redmond founded his own consulting company. Since then, he has worked with many different companies on issues such as technology strategy, the transformation of technology to embrace the cloud, and as an advisor to boards. A frequent speaker at major events, including the recent Microsoft Ignite conference in Atlanta, Redmond is the author of many books and writes a regular column for Petri.com. He is based in Dublin, Ireland. https://ie.linkedin.com/in/tonyredmond About Alan Byrne Alan Byrne is the co-founder of Cogmotive, and newly awarded Microsoft MVP. Byrne has a wealth of experience in Office 365 migration, management, and reporting. Cogmotive is a leading global provider of enterprise level reporting and analytics applications for Office 365. Founded in 2012, Cogmotives reporting solutions are now used to manage over 4 million Microsoft Office 365 seats worldwide. Cogmotive was acquired by QUADROtech group in November 2016. About QUADROtech QUADROtech is a hybrid ISV/MSP that helps customers to optimize their operations and empower employee collaboration and productivity by bringing ALL email data (live mail, email archives, PST files, and public folders) home to Microsoft Office 365 and Azure. QUADROtech is a trademark of QUADROtech Solutions AG. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Cogmotive (part of the QUADROtech group), is the market-leading provider of Office 365 reporting, analytics and auditing tools. Offering a suite of over 100 reports covering all major Office 365 services, the Cogmotive Reports suite helps customers gain the business insight to control their Office 365 environment on a global scale. By leveraging industry-leading technology from both QUADROtech and Cogmotive, organisations are able to achieve a fast, compliant Office 365 migration, that delivers visible, measurable end-to-end success, as well as ongoing insight using powerful, detailed reporting and analytics. Greenberg Traurig, LLP, has added Brenda L. Rosales to its San Francisco office as an associate in the firms Labor & Employment Practice. Rosales will assist clients with both labor & employment litigation and traditional labor advice. Joining the firm from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Rosales has prosecuted and investigated unfair labor practice allegations, including, but not limited to: retaliatory terminations, bad faith bargaining and employee handbook rules. In the early stage of her career, she has already successfully negotiated 100 settlements with opposing counsel and was nominated by the NLRBs Oakland office for conspicuous achievement in litigation preparation and execution. Rosales holds a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law (2012) and a B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles (2008). About Greenberg Traurigs Labor & Employment Practice Greenberg Traurigs Global Labor & Employment Practice serves clients from offices throughout the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. Members of the practice have had numerous trial wins and are frequently called upon to handle complex, bet-the-company, and large high-stake cases, including class and collective actions. On the labor side, a leading group of lawyers regularly represents management with labor-relations matters. Labor & Employment team members assist clients with complex employment issues, and design practical, proactive strategies that can be readily implemented by todays human resources professionals. The practice has been recognized by Law360 as Practice Group of the Year for Labor & Employment (2011 and 2013), and has received a regional award from American Lawyer affiliate, Daily Report, for Litigation Department of the Year in Georgia (Labor & Employment 2015). In addition, the practice is recognized by The Legal 500 United States in the areas of Labor and Employment Litigation, Workplace & Employment Counseling, Labor-Management Relations, and Trade Secrets Litigation. Visit Greenberg Traurigs Labor & Employment Blog for insights and analysis of the latest labor and employment developments, including legislation, regulations, cases, policies, and trends. 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. One firm 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. The NoodleBus promises an integrated and seamless experience, adherent to open standards, that will ultimately help universities and vendors have less friction and better information. Noodle Partners is changing how colleges and universities bring their programming online by announcing a joint venture with IData Incorporated, the leading company for higher education data management. The two companies are launching a turn-key technology solution that enables colleges and universities to have complete transparency -- and thus control -- over the complex data systems that drive online educational programs. It is a standardized, integrated higher education enterprise service bus (ESB) -- the NoodleBus by IData -- that will make it possible to connect internal systems and service providers to give universities access to mission-critical program data. Today, online higher education programs require technology solutions to manage multiple parts of the program: recruiting, enrollment, online classes (LMS), retention, advising, student information systems (SIS), analytics, content development, course media, student support, and many others. Unfortunately, most of these systems, the institutions that use them, and the companies that design and support them, do not share standards or have common platforms for data, which makes them costly, inefficient and complicated to operate. Past approaches to higher education online technology have failed because the cost and work involved in connecting point solutions is onerous, said John Katzman, CEO and Founder of Noodle Partners. The NoodleBus promises an integrated and seamless experience, adherent to open standards, that will ultimately help universities and vendors have less friction and better information. With iData, well ultimately improve learning and engagement, lower costs, and increase scale. Working with Noodle Partners growing community of best-in-class education technology providers, IData has collaborated to develop open standards, creating a well-defined, pragmatic approach to seamless technical integration. This new approach eliminates the technical barriers-of-entry for both institutions and technology providers and maximizes the investments in these systems. To make the interoperability of these critical tools work, the NoodleBus by IData drives real-time information around marketing and enrollment, course engagement, satisfaction, and grades. Because a standard on its own does not guarantee connectivity, Noodle Partners and IData have also launched a pre-packaged set of API connectors built on IDatas integration platform The IDataHub. Now, there are open standards for rapid innovation and an out-of-the box integration solution to support these standards. Education providers create and store a great deal of data, said Brian Parish, CEO and Founder of IData. With the NoodleBus by IData, schools and others can now switch in and out of a cohesive network of systems using the same standardized connectors. Simplifying the ability to get the most out of their information resources is a big step forward for institutions, students and those who support them. Noodle Partners and IData will officially launch the NoodleBus by IData at ACE2017, the American Council on Educations 99th Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, taking place March 11-14th. ACE is the countrys most distinguished higher education event, convening nearly 2,000 leaders from deans to presidents from all institution types. About Noodle Partners Founded by a team of education and technology veterans, Noodle Partners provides a completely new approach to program management and creates online and hybrid programs while improving traditional classroom models. Noodle Partners works with universities on every aspect of building a great certificate or degree program marketing, student recruitment, enrollment, curriculum design, student engagement, support services, graduate placement, and alumni engagement and provides an exceptionally high level of fit and finish. The effective cost structure, innovative approach, and team of experts enables delivery of these services while maximizing tuition revenue and control to the universities. For more information, please visit: http://www.noodle-partners.com About IData The leader in higher education data management, IData has helped over 500 institutions to better manage their data and system integrations. IData is focused entirely on higher education and is the only vendor with working integrations and strong formal partnerships with all the major ERP systems (Ellucian, Jenzabar, Campus Management, Oracle/PeopleSoft, and others). IData was founded in 2004 and is based in Northern Virginia. For more information, please visit: http://www.idatainc.com Media Contact: Alyssa Miller alyssa(at)ammediaworks(dot)com 973-615-1292 Knowing our assessment is making a difference in the lives of students across the globe is very rewarding. We are truly honored to receive the Governor's Trade Excellence Award by the state of Alabama. SmarterServices of Prattville, Alabama, is awarded the Governors Trade Excellence Award. Selected for their expansion to the Latin American Market in 2016, SmarterServices, a full spectrum, edtech assessment company, is now servicing students around the globe. Led by Alabama Governor Robert Bentley and joined by other key officials, the award presentation ceremony will commence at 11:00 am CST in the Old House Chamber and be followed by a luncheon in the Old Archives Room at the State Capitol. Since 2002, SmarterServices has been an industry leader in higher education readiness assessments while empowering colleges and universities to use data in improving overall student success. They provide SmarterMeasure Learning Readiness Indicator, serving over 500 client schools across the U.S. and Canada. In mid-2015, SmarterServices began the process of researching global markets in which to launch the readiness assessment. Prepared with research and development provided to them by partners, MainLine Equity Partners, they chose to start in the Latin American Market (LAM) having exponential growth potential. Alan Manley, Director of Business Development-LAM, was excited to lead the expansion effort. Alan commented, The Department of Commerce played a key role in our ability to travel to countries including Mexico, Chile, and Peru. Meeting potential clients face to face and spending time learning about their needs has given me the opportunity to fully understand the needs and culture of the Latin American student population. The SmarterMeasure assessment platform delivers the Learning Readiness Indicator and measures students non-cognitive attributes and goodness of fit to learn in a self-regulated environment. Schools use it in their orientation courses to help students understand their strengths and weaknesses as related to learning with technology and alternative learning delivery systems. In addition, administrators also have access to the rich student data provided in the robust engine that gives them identify at-risk students and connect students with the appropriate resources to overcome challenges. Dr. Mac Adkins, company CEO and President, an educator at heart, built SmarterServices from the ground up with a dream of reaching students across the globe. Dr. Adkins commented, Its very rewarding to see a long-time dream become a reality. Knowing our services are making a difference in the lives of students is very rewarding. Being honored by the state of Alabama and receiving the Governors award gives me a great sense of pride and accomplishment. Attorney Nancy Gray Employers with employees working and residing in California may want to review all mandatory employment agreements to determine whether they contain out-of-state forum selection or choice-of-law clauses. Past News Releases RSS Attorney Nancy Gray Examines Sexual... On September 25, 2016, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law a new California Labor Code provision (Section 925) that is likely to have major repercussions for contracts with employees who live and work primarily in California. The new California Labor Code provision prohibits the use of contract provisions that apply the law of a different state or require adjudication of disputes in another state as a condition of the employment of an individual who primarily resides and works in California," said Attorney Nancy Gray, founder of Gray & Associates, P.C. To help employers better understand the new California Labor Code provision, Gray lists the following three tips: No. 1: Time frame. The law applies to agreements entered into, modified or extended on or after January 1, 2017. The law does not apply to existing agreements that remain unchanged, added Gray. No. 2: Consequences of violating the law. Any provision of an agreement that violates the law is voidable by the employee. If an employee requests that a provision be rendered void, the dispute over whether the provision is voidable will be litigated in California under California law. A court may issue a full range of relief in connection with the resolution of that dispute, including injunctive relief and reasonable attorneys fees, said Gray. Additionally, existing law prohibits an employer from requiring an employee or applicant for employment to agree, in writing, to any term or condition that is known by the employer to be illegal. No. 3: What employers can do now. Employers with employees working and residing in California may want to review all mandatory employment agreements to determine whether they contain out-of-state forum selection or choice-of-law clauses, including arbitration clauses, at-will agreements and handbook acknowledgments, confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements and invention and assignment agreements, concluded Gray. For those agreements that will be modified or extended and for all new agreements, employers should consider removing out-of-state forum selection or choice-of-law clauses. However, the law does not apply to a contract with an employee who is represented by legal counsel in negotiations. This caveat presents a whole host of questions about the nature and extent of the involvement of counsel and whether that representation means the employer can insist on out-of-state law or forum. The attorney-negotiated exception could result in unrepresented employees, who are automatically protected, faring better than those who retain counsel. About Nancy Gray, Gray & Associates, P.C. Nancy Gray is an AV-Rated attorney and Los Angeles Super Lawyer with more than 30 years of experience providing personalized attention and creative solutions to her clients legal issues. Gray & Associates focuses on civil litigation and trials, commercial law, contracts, sexual harassment, labor and employment law, employment contracts, intellectual property litigation, trademark litigation, unfair competition, false advertising, and business law. For more information, please call (310) 452-1211, visit http://www.grayfirm.com or follow them on Facebook. The law office is located at 11500 W. Olympic Blvd., Suite 400, Los Angeles, CA 90064. About the NALA The NALA offers small and medium-sized businesses effective ways to reach customers through new media. As a single-agency source, the NALA helps businesses flourish in their local community. The NALAs mission is to promote a business relevant and newsworthy events and achievements, both online and through traditional media. For media inquiries, please call 805.650.6121, ext. 361. BTS, SHOWING BAND SPIRIT "BTS Videos...are the most viewed videos in a 24 hour period." International K-pop sensation, BTS, are ready to make their mark as they prepare to hit the US in just over 2 weeks. The band are in the midst of making a huge impact on our shores including their upcoming sold out arena shows in NY, CHICAGO and LA. BTS is causing a unstoppable wave of interest here by entering the music charts with high impact competing with artists such as Lana Del Ray, Ed Sheeran, and more. What makes this remarkable is that the KPOP band sings in Korean which hasnt stopped US fans from taking notice. They have also been nominated in the category of BEST INFLUENCER for this years Shorty Awards, winner to be announced in NYC on April 23, 2017. The band released two videos in the last 26 days: The first is Spring Day released on February 12 to worldwide eyes and views are now at 48 million and counting. The second video, entitled, Not Today launched on February 19, leading the iTunes Music Video Chart at #1 for 3 consecutive days. Views as of this writing: almost 45 million and counting. Both videos have seen rapid and unprecedented growth since release with combined views of almost 92 million people. Billboards KPOP writer, Tamar Herman, wrote: On Tuesday (Feb. 28), YouTube Music revealed that the video for BTS Not Today-- uploaded to the streaming platform on Feb. 19 -- is now the most-viewed video in a 24-hour period to debut on the YouTube Top 100 Chart in 2017, outpacing music videos from every other genre worldwide since January. ... Not Today is also the most-viewed Korean track in a 24-hour span to appear on the chart since its debut in February 2016. http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/k-town/7709030/bts-twice-speed-past-youtubes-k-pop-view-records In other charts, BTS leads the Billboard Social 50 Chart at #1 for the past 6 weeks in a row, above highly respected American artists such as Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran, Miley Cyrus, Beyonce, and more. Tamar continued, BTS took over a variety of other charts, many of which only occasionally welcome Korean artists to their ranks. Spring Day took the final spot on the Canadian Hot 100 while Not Today charted at No. 77. Both songs also appeared on the Spotify Viral 50, with Spring Day at No. 38 and Not Today at No. 48. And, if that werent enough, the aggressive Not Today took the No. 1 spot on the Twitter Top Tracks chart. BTS has also just recently announced their participation at KCON in Mexico this year just before they come to the US. Their appearance at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ will be just the beginning of the American onslaught of this Korean band. As BTS prepares to hit our shores, they will be available for interviews, limited TV performance, photoshoots and social media takeovers. 2017 BTS LIVE ON THE TRILOGY EPISODE III THE WINGS TOUR dates: Sat 3/11 Santiago, Chile Movistar Arena SOLD OUT Sun 3/12 Santiago, Chile Movistar Arena NEWLY ADDED Sun 3/19 Sao Paulo, Brazil Citibank Hall SOLD OUT Mon 3/20 Sao Paulo, Brazil Citibank Hall SOLD OUT Thu 3/23 Newark, NJ, USA Prudential Center SOLD OUT Fri 3/24 Newark, NJ, USA Prudential Center SOLD OUT Wed 3/29 Chicago, IL, USA Allstate Arena SOLD OUT Sat 4/1 Anaheim, CA, USA Honda Center SOLD OUT Sun 4/2 Anaheim, CA, USA Honda Center SOLD OUT ABOUT BTS Hailing from Korea, BTS formed in 2013 consisting of seven members, Rap Monster (Kim Namjun/Team Leader, Rapper), JIN (Kim Seokjin/Vocalist), SUGA (Min Yoonki/Rapper), J-HOPE (Jung Hoseok/Choreographer & Rapper), JIMIN (Park Jimin/Choreographer & Vocalist), V (Kim Taehyung/Vocalist) and JUNG KOOK (Jeon Jungkook/Vocalist, Rapper, Choreographer). The band is part of the world-wide social phenomenon known as K-POP and are lead artists in the genre. They have been featured in publications from Billboard to the Wall Street Journal to teen outlets worldwide. CONTACT: FOR MARKETING: Eshy Gazit, CEO, Gramophone Media Eshy(at)gramophone(dot)media FOR PR IN THE US: Ellyn Solis / Samantha Alaimo ellyn(at)ei-pr(dot)com / samantha(at)ei-pr(dot)com 201.665.3942 mobile 212.777.6727 office The objective is to turn everyday purchases into a lifelong impact for children. Natierra, the natural foods company best known for pioneering Himalayan Pink Salt and Goji Berries under its Himalania line, is proud to partner with Convoy of Hope for Natierras Feed A Soul project. For each product purchased, Natierra gives one meal to one child in need. The objective is to turn everyday purchases into a lifelong impact for children, says Natierra Founder and CEO, Thierry Ollivier. Natierras mission is to offer innovative and high-quality superfoods that give back to social and environmental causes, a mission reflected in our tagline, Superfoods with Soul. Ollivier traveled to Haiti with Convoy of Hope and witnessed the dire living conditions firsthand, which inspired him to launch the Feed A Soul project. Natierras goal is to give one million meals to children in Haiti by 2018. We are thankful for the generous support of Natierra, says Hal Donaldson, president of Convoy of Hope. Because of such partners and friends, we are able to feed more than 160,000 children in 11 nations. To learn more about the partnership, please visit http://www.BuyOneFeedOne.org. About Convoy of Hope Convoy of Hope is a faith-based organization with a driving passion to feed the world. With a long history as an early responder in times of natural disasters, Convoy of Hope has been a Four Star Charity as recognized by Charity Navigator for 13 consecutive years. Convoy of Hope has served more than 80 million people since it was founded in 1994. For more information please visit convoyofhope.org. About Natierra Natierra is a mission-driven company that offers unique superfoods, gourmet salts, and freeze-dried fruits and veggies to conscious consumers nationwide. At the forefront of the healthy food movement, Natierra introduced the US to Himalayan Pink Salt in 2002 and Goji Berries in 2006. Most recently, Natierra launched its revolutionary superfood snack Chia Crunch, combining nutrient-dense chia seeds and fruits with a unique freeze-drying method. A Fair For Life certified company, Natierra is committed to foster social progress and sustainable business through Organic and Fair Trade practices. To learn more about Natierra, the products, and give back mission, please visit http://www.buyonefeedone.org or follow us on Instagram: @natierrasuperfoods; Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Natierra. Recessive Genes Approximately, one out of every 280 babies born worldwide has a genetic disease that could be detected by carrier screening. By screening patients prior to pregnancy, we can prevent passing along the disorder to the next generation. This month, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine released a report that concluded clinical trials for gene editing with human gametes (egg or sperm) or embryos may be permitted. While this transformative technology may one day allow for DNA to be cut and rewrittenessentially eliminating genetic disorders such as cystic fibrosis or cancer causing genes such as BRCA; its proven safe use within the field of reproductive medicine is still many years away. For women and men who are carriers of genetic disorders, there are cutting-edge genetic treatment options available today at Shady Grove Fertility to help them have children free of inherited disease. For patients with a known family history of monogenetic disorders, or those who proactively would like to be tested, Shady Grove Fertility offers a screening panel of over 100 of the most common single-gene diseases. According to Dr. Jeanne E. OBrien, reproductive endocrinologist at Shady Grove Fertility in Rockville, MD, Approximately, one out of every 280 babies born worldwide has a genetic disease that could be detected by carrier screening. By screening patients prior to pregnancy, we can prevent passing along the disorder to the next generation. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) can determine which embryos are unaffected by a genetic disorder and available for transfer. Dr. OBrien adds, Many pregnancies are unplanned or carrier screening was not offered/accepted in a prior pregnancy. These patients find out they are carriers of a genetic disorder when they give birth to an affected child. The age of genomic medicine is also resulting in the widespread ability to detect cancer causing genes, giving affected families the ability to prevent transmission to future children. The process of PGD allows Shady Grove Fertility to check embryos for the correct number of chromosomes also called comprehensive chromosomal screening (CCS). The goal is the same, to identify the healthiest embryos for transfer. Age related chromosomal errors are the most common genetic abnormality in the embryo and the leading cause of failed implantation and miscarriage. We offer all patients undergoing IVF treatment the option of CCS. The future of reproductive medicine will most likely include treatment options where changes to the DNA of gametes or embryos will be possible, explains Dr. OBrien. However, today, reproductive technology can help the vast majority of people with known monogenetic disorders conceive healthy children. About Shady Grove Fertility Shady Grove Fertility is a leading fertility and IVF center of excellence offering patients individualized care, innovative financial options, and pregnancy rates among the highest of all national centers. 2016 commemorated 25 years of Shady Grove Fertility providing medical and service excellence to patients from all 50 states and 35 countries around the world, and over 40,000 babies bornmore than any other center in the nation. Today, 39 physicians, supported by a highly specialized team of more than 700 Ph.D. scientists, geneticists, and staff care for patients in 19 full-service offices and six satellite sites throughout Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Shady Grove Fertility physicians actively train residents and reproductive endocrinology fellows and invest in continuous clinical research and education to advance the field of reproductive medicine through numerous academic appointments and partnerships such as Georgetown Medical School, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the University of Maryland, and the National Institutes of Health. More than 1,700 physicians refer their patients to Shady Grove Fertility each year. For more information, call 1-888-761-1967 or visit ShadyGroveFertility.com. The new website and app Stay Outdoors has launched to campgrounds and resorts. What if there was one website that listed campgrounds where you could search by location and amenities? Imagine how easy that would be. Sarah & Mike Jirak fully understand the difficulties faced by travelers and visitors in attempting to find information about campgrounds and resorts. So often the task relies solely on the site owners and managers to get the word out. Wanting to help alleviate that burden and to create a solution that makes it easy for travelers to plan and book their vacations (including themselves), Sarah Jirak explains how the idea of Stay Outdoors came about, "When we were preparing for a trip to Colorado, searching for campgrounds was so time consuming and took me to more websites than I even planned on looking at. Laying in bed one night, thinking about our upcoming trip, I wondered if there was a go-to site for outdoor accommodations. What if there was one website that listed campgrounds where you could search by location and amenities? Imagine how easy that would be. Needless to say, with this idea I couldnt sleep the rest of the night. I woke up my husband, Mike, and ran the idea past him. Then we both got out of bed and began searching online; neither of us could find anything that jumped out at us. I felt this is one of those one-in-a-million ideas and, though we kept thinking to ourselves Could this really work?, we decided to actually act on it - thus, Stay Outdoors was created." Stay Outdoors allows campgrounds and resorts to easily list their properties on a platform which can be accessed by anyone looking to reserve a campsite, houseboat, etc. When you consider that there are more than 30,000 campgrounds just in the United States, it would be a tall order to expect travelers to remember each one of them by name. Now travelers only need to know one place to look: StayOutdoors.com. Here's how it works: Campgrounds create a profile of their property, including photos and site specifications, such as dimensions and amenities. There are several payment options including commission on a per-reservation basis or one might opt for the simple annual fee. Additionally there are advertising and partnership opportunities on the website as well as within Stay Outdoors social media presence. When considering the fact that print advertising is very expensive and the audience is limited, Stay Outdoors is an economical solution for campgrounds and resorts to advertise to those looking to find places to vacation. Entities will also benefit by knowing exactly where the reservation is coming from, as opposed to other sites which do not allow for this. The site is completely free for travelers. Vacationers enter the geographic area where they wish to camp, their preferred dates, and desired amenities to begin their search. A list is generated of campgrounds and resorts that meet their criteria, and the website user can select, then book, their site. Jirak details more on the need a website like this, Having kicked off our social media presence just last year, Stay Outdoors already has acquired nearly 50,000 fans & followers - and that's without a finished product (we just launched our official website to campgrounds in November 2016)! To Mike and I, that shows there is a real need for and highly-desired solution for making camping reservations onlinejust as there is for hotels, vacation rentals, etc. To date, Stay Outdoors has been completely self-funded by Sarah and Mike. They have formed affiliate partnerships with other small businesses for software & application development, branding & marketing, and even hooked up with a celebrity spokesperson, Rowdie Mitch Goudy, a CMA recognized country recording artist who Rolling Stone Magazine named as one of the 25 Best Things at CMA Fest last year. When asked about Stay Outdoors, Goudy stated, It really is a great tool. So easy to use whether youre looking to rough it in a tent, take it easy in your RV, or REALLY take it easy at a resort. I am proud to be part of this journey with the Jiraks. The full website, http://www.StayOutdoors.com, is currently available only to campgrounds in order to acquire and develop a robust database of properties. Within the next few months, the Jiraks plan to release the full website to travelers so they can search and book their outdoor vacations for the upcoming travel season. You cant imagine how many times Ive heard (Stay Outdoors) is a really good concept, I wish I thought of it. It confirms to me that, when you have that one-in-a-million great idea, you should follow it, says Jirak. SC, by majority of 3:2, upholds validity of 103rd Constitution amendment providing 10 pc reservation to EWS in admissions, govt jobs. 10 pc reservation to EWS: Justice Bhat, in minority view, says 50 per cent ceiling on quota cannot be breached and EWS quota has to go. SC, by majority of 3:2, upholds validity of 103rd Constitution amendment providing 10 pc reservation to EWS in admissions, govt jobs. NEW ORLEANS, March 08, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, the former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., reminds investors that they have until May 1, 2017 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V. (NYSE:CBI), if they purchased the Companys shares between October 29, 2013 and December 10, 2014, inclusive (the Class Period). The action is pending in United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. What You May Do If you purchased shares of Chicago Bridge 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 May 1, 2017. About the Lawsuit Chicago Bridge and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws. The alleged false and misleading statements and omissions include that Chicago Bridge: (i) was responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars in liability and had improperly accounted for its goodwill during 2013 to cover losses associated with construction delays and cost overruns on contracts to complete construction on two new nuclear power plants; (ii) failed to establish and disclose an appropriate reserve for this liability in its financial statements; and (iii) lacked effective internal controls over financial reporting. 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. Cookies What are cookies ? How do we use cookies? How to control cookies? Managing cookies in your browser see what cookies you have got and delete them on an individual basis block third party cookies block cookies from particular sites block all cookies from being set delete all cookies when you close your browser X A cookie is a small text file that a website saves on your computer or mobile device when you visit the site. Cookies are widely used in order to make websites work, or work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to the owners of the site.Website use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. ("Google") to help analyse the use of this website. 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You can delete all cookies that are already on your computer and you can set most browsers to prevent them from being placed.Most browsers allow you to:If you chose to delete cookies, you should be aware that any preferences will be lost. Also, if you block cookies completely many websites (including ours) will not work properly and webcasts will not work at all. For these reasons, we do not recommend turning cookies off when using our webcasting services. With their first cookbook, Ducksoup, the owners of the restaurant of the same name celebrate simple cooking. Believe in the simple. Angel hair pasta with olive oil, sage and Parmesan for example. People always feel the need to impress but you dont need lots going on. Have confidence that less is more. Clare Lattin is sitting with Tom Hill, co-owner and executive chef of Ducksoup, the unassuming restaurant in the heart of Londons Soho that they and Rory McCoy set up five years ago. Its mid-afternoon and a few people are sitting at the scrubbed-wood tables eating honest, straightforward food from a modest hand-written menu of around a dozen dishes that changes every week or so. Willie Nelson drifts through the speakers, the LP chosen by a customer: Ducksoup is now almost as famous for its 33rpm platters as for its food. Were talking about their first (and, for the moment, last) cookbook, Ducksoup: The Wisdom of Simple Cooking, 350 elegantly designed pages printed on matt cream paper. The photos, taken by Kristin Perers in the restaurant and at home, are good enough to eat, but gastroporn this most definitely is not. We all have the same philosophy, explains Lattin, who worked in publishing (for cookery specialists Quadrille and Murdoch) before putting together a business plan and heading off to the bank. Simple cooking, great ingredients. Honest food. Everything was already in my head, my thoughts informed from travel. The idea was that its not fanciful its an everyday place that you could always come to, but quality was at the heart of it. Really really good food and wine but no airs and graces. You just pitch up, and you can be on your own. Theres no ceremony, no pompousness. As to the name: It sounded fun and quite cute. So too with the book, in which everything is gathered under no-nonsense headings: Quick Things; From the Stove; A Little More Time; Cooking; Pudding. The opening chapter is all about the Ducksoup larder, the ingredients we come back to time and time again essentials that will transform the way you cook. The closing chapter is Toolkit, a half-dozen key items that should be thought of as good friends, among them a cast-iron skillet and a mandoline. An Introduction describes in equally unpretentious terms how Ducksoup came to be. Cookbooks are big business, piled high in bookstores and in places such as Williams Sonoma, alongside so much copper cookware. Pots and books do indeed furnish a home. Oft-times thats all they do, the copper too shiny to spoil, the list of ingredients too long to detain us. But Ducksoup offers easily attainable recipes (razor clams, wild garlic and lemon just add olive oil) and some that require no cooking at all (prosciutto, walnuts and honey) which anyone can manage, and in the smallest of kitchens. Its just assembly having good stuff in the fridge and knowing how to put it together, Lattin says. What could be better for those of us who love to eat but may be less fond of cooking, or who simply lack the time? Lattin and Hill met on the job when Lattin was promoting a book by chef Mark Hix who had just opened his first restaurant, Hix Oyster & Chop House, in London. Both were food obsessives though their childhood experience of food had been rather different. Lattin was a terribly greedy child and while her parents were both keen cooks there wasnt the money to be lavish. Holidays were spent in Scotland, not then renowned for its cuisine. On the other hand, Hills childhood was spent in the countryside, Dorset, in south-west England, and much of the produce came either from his parents greenhouse or local markets. My Mum loved cooking and eating was very much a family occasion wed sit round the table with a glass of wine and have dinner together. My brother and I would cook at the weekends, often sous-cheffing for Dad, then in his Ken Hom phase. But it was summer holidays in Spain and Greece that awakened Hills senses: Wed eat stuffed aubergines and tomatoes in olive oil. And the oil was on the table, whereas at home we bought it in a small bottle from the chemist! (This was the 1970s and 80s: warm olive oil was a treatment for earache.) Thered be mussels I was 10 or 12 and it just blew my mind. I remember telling my parents I wanted to try grilled octopus. They asked if I knew what it was and explained it to me. And this massive tentacle came up, beautifully chargrilled with all the suckers on. I took a sucker off and put it in my mouth and absolutely loved it. Thus are chefs born and not made. Hill learned on the job, working in bars and coffee shops in the south-west port city of Bristol where, in the close-knit catering community, everyone knew everyone else. Mitch Tonks was about to open Fishworks, and Hill asked for a job. Mitch took me under his wing and I saw how a kitchen works. It was just his thing a good piece of fish grilled on charcoal and served with salad: keep it simple. After around four years, Hill felt he should broaden his experience and Tonks introduced him to his friend Hicks. I went from Mediterranean to British seasonal food. You had to create a menu with what you had an abundance of. Finally, there was a period at Terroir, a London restaurant that early on was into natural wines. There are now two restaurants Rawduck, in Hackney, in Londons newly trendy east end, something of a foodie paradise and a third will shortly open in Battersea, south of the Thames. The philosophy and the style are the same, though the offer is tweaked: Soho, in central London (where actor Stanley Tucci is a regular) is a destination restaurant, the others are local, which makes a difference. The business may be demanding but the Ducksoup team make time to travel together in search of shared foodie experiences. If Japan wins in terms of taste and texture, the Middle East (they were lucky to make it to Damascus before the war) provided the greatest inspiration. Food there is not about celebration its about life, community, survival. They dont worry about perfect lighting or the perfect plate all the things we feel we have to create in order to survive as a restaurant. Smoked cods roe, spring onion, marjoram and olive oil is Lattins lasting memory of Beirut: The salty row and the perfumed herb its explosive. And it doesnt need cooking. The book also recommends suitable cheeses and charcuterie, and offers suggestions on preserving and fermenting, including fruit-based drinking vinegars a health-giving alternative to soft drinks and taken from the history books. It doesnt touch on wine, though the restaurants serve only natural wine, which is to say wine made from grapes that are grown naturally, then picked and fermented. Its biodynamic and works with the cycles of the moon, explains Hill, the oldest way of producing wines. The colours, tastes and sensation are all very different from the wine we are used to, which contains stabilising chemicals, and while the movement began in France, Italy and Spain, it is now slowly spreading in America. Ducksoup is a book to pore over and to cook from, and youll want to do both. Its about accessibility, concludes Hill. Its knowing you can do something great with just a few ingredients. You dont need to spend hours in the kitchen its about the sensation. Liz Thomson is a London-based journalist, broadcaster and author. She is the co-founder of The Village Trip, a festival to celebrate the history and culture of Greenwich Village. The third annual North Texas Teen Book Festival was held on March 4 at the Irving Convention Center in Irving, Tex. The festival, sponsored in part by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and the Institute of Museum and Library Service, featured more than 80 authors who spoke on panels, signed books, and met with young readers. The preceding Educator Day, hosted by the Sam Houston State Universitys College of Education on March 3, offered professional development panels for more than 500 area teachers and librarians. Here are some of the highlights from the events. All festival photos: Joon Koo at SJKoo Photography. All Ed Day photos: Christy Archibald at Christy Archibald Photography. Some of the nearly 11,000 attendees as they make their way to panel sessions. Moderator Sara Roberts leads the Dystopian Dynasty panel with authors (from l.) Victoria Aveyard, Kirsten Hubbard, Marie Lu, Veronica Roth, Jessica Shirvington, and Amy Tintera. Shannon and Dean Hale take a dare at the Middle Grade Madness panel. Author Ally Condie signs a book for a fan. On Educator Day, North Texas educators attended sessions led by Sam Houston State University Library Science professors featuring more than 30 YA and middle grade authors. (From l.): Authors Renee Watson, George OConnor, Hena Khan, and Ally Condie (not pictured) discuss their craft at an Ed Day panel. Educators show off their autographed books at the conclusion of the YA luncheon. (From l.): Authors Veronica Roth, Nicola Yoon, and Jeff Zentner at the YA luncheon held on March 3 as part of Ed Day. Following the latest executive order on immigration issued by President Donald J. Trump, a growing list of authors have committed to participating in #Read4Refugees, a read-in aimed at raising awareness of, and funding to combat, refugee issues. The campaign is hosted by the nonprofit Go Jane Give, whose co-founder, Josie Lauritsen Lee, places emphasis on the importance of actual donations to refugee causes rather than simply supporting them on social media. Hashtags for refugees are good. Resources for refugees are better," Lauritsen Lee said in a statement. "#Read4Refugees empowers everyday people to take on the refugee crisis from their own homes and contribute resources in a doable way." The campaign, according to Go Jane Give, "encourages people everywhere to support refugees by donating what they spend on a night out and stay in to read instead." Writers associated with the campaign, to date, include Junot Diaz, Sherman Alexie, Isabel Allende, Emma Donoghue, Anthony Doerr, Jodi Picoult, Ally Condie, and Sue Monk Kidd. All donations to #Read4Refugees are given to the nonprofit organization RefugePoint, which helps refugees resettle in countries including the U.S., Canada, and Australia. It also provides refugees with healthcare, counseling, business skills training, and small grants. Im happy to be able to turn my passion for reading and writing into a way to support refugees," Condie, the first author to sign on to the campaign, said in a statement. "#Read4Refugees is about more than just sending a messageits about getting funds into the hands of refugee-focused organizations that are making a real difference. The campaign is one of the latest following President Trump's executive order to involve the publishing industry, including an industry-wide agency call for submissions from Muslim writers in January. As one of the featured speakers at the Association of American Publishers annual meeting held March 8 in New York, Barnes & Noble CEO Len Riggio delivered something of a bookselling history lesson, as well as his vision for the future of the country's biggest bricks and mortar book retailer. In conversation with Penguin Random House CEO Markus Dohle, who conducted the Q&A, Riggio was clearly someone the audience wants to succeed. (After announcing his plans to retire from B&N in April 2016, he took back control of the company he founded in August of the same year). Speaking only six days after the release of disappointing third quarter results (in which he said he has yet to find a magic bullet to stop B&N's sales slide), Riggio repeated that turning around negative comparable store sales into positive comps at the company is key to its future. Riggio said he thought B&N was on its way to achieving positive comps, but the distraction caused by the presidential election and its aftermath ended the upward momentum. B&N remains comitted to being a multichannel retailer, Riggio continued, offering customers books through its physical stores and e-commerce website. He said the back end of BN.com, which had had a string of problems, is now secure, and the company has a great team of new people who have BN.com on track. Riggio acknowledged that B&Ns expansion into manufacturing digital devices was a mistake, saying, "were not a technology company. And the Nook unit, which at one point had as many as 1,600 employees, he said is now, after dramatic cuts, at about the right size, selling devices manufactured by third parties, but that carry the Nook name. Riggio said that while Nook is significantly smaller, he still wants B&N to be able to sell customers an e-book if that is what they want. On the topic of online sales versus in-store sales, Riggio noted that B&N does "a huge amount of business from customers who order books online and then pick them up in a store. In a reference to Canadian retailer Indigo Books & Music, Riggio said that CEO Heather Reisman has done a great job turning around the company (which posted strong 2016 results), by making the retailer a cultural store. But Riggio said making B&N a cultural department store is not in our DNA. He said books, which account for about 80% of B&N's sales, will remain central to the company. Asked by Dohle what publishers can do to help B&N succeed, Riggio suggested that more heads of houses could visit B&Ns headquarters to explore new ideas. He also advised publishers not to fixate on B&N but, rather, on what their customers want. To this end, he suggested publishers should visit more stores outside of major cities. The final piece of advice Riggio offered to publishers was to inject new life into the steadily declining mass market paperback business. He said at one point mass market paperbacks outsold hardcovers by a seven-to-one ratio. Riggio said with their low price points, mass market paperbacks are an entry format for many customers. The meeting, in addition to offering a platform for Riggio to discuss B&N, served as the formal transfer of power from Tom Allen as AAP CEO to Maria Pallante, the former U.S. Register of Copyrights, who was selected to succeed Allen in January. In very brief remarks, Pallante said she will work to articulate the value of publishing to the public and will focus on such key areas as copyright protection, free speech issues, and trade. Q4 2016 Highlights : Total volume increased 18.6% to 1,631 million liters. Gross profit margin per liter was 14.5 euro cents (Q4 2015: 14.8 euro cents). Adjusted EBITDA increased 7.9% to 52 million. FY 2016 Highlights [1] : Total volume increased 6.0% to 6,462 million liters. Co-Packing volumes increased 49.0%, representing 26.8% of total volume. Private Label volumes decreased 4.1%, representing 73.2% of total volume. Gross profit margin per liter was 14.2 euro cents (FY 2015: 14.2 euro cents). Adjusted EBITDA increased 2.7% to 222 million. Adjusted net profit increased 11.1% to 86 million and adjusted EPS increased 8.2% to 1.06. Proposed cash dividend of 0.38 per share, subject to shareholder approval. Un-audited Audited In millions of , unless stated otherwise Q4 2016 Q4 2015 FY 2016 FY 2015 Volume (millions of liters) 1,631 1,376 6,462 6,095 Revenue 529 471 2,107 2,016 Gross profit margin per liter (euro cents) 14.5 14.8 14.2 14.2 EBITDA 50 53 217 195 Adjusted EBITDA[2] 52 48 222 216 Net profit / (loss) 17 25 82 42 Adjusted net profit / (loss) 19 19 86 78 Adjusted EPS[2], (euro) 0.23 0.23 1.06 0.98 Net debt ratio (net debt/LTM adj. EBITDA) [2] - - 2.8 2.1 Dividend proposal (euro) - - 0.38 0.34 CEO Refresco, Hans Roelofs: "Looking back on the 2016 results and our strategic objectives, we are pleased to report good progress. Our strategy to grow rapidly the Co-Packing business is contributing very positively to volume development. With many branded players looking for international partners like Refresco, we expect this part of our business to continue to grow at a rapid pace. We made strong progress on our buy & build strategy, strengthening our position in Europe with the acquisition of DIS. A major highlight of the year was undoubtedly the acquisition of Whitlock Packaging with which we took our first step into the US market. Integration of this business is now underway and proceeding smoothly. Buy & build remains an important focus for us and we see ample opportunities for consolidation - in Europe and the US - going forward. In our operations we continued to invest in new bottling lines and warehousing facilities across the business, expanding further our capabilities especially in Aseptic PET. The expansion of our customer offering is an important driver of organic growth, which remains our top priority. Finally, we are pleased to welcome Thomas Kunz as new Supervisory Board member and Vincent Deloziere as additional Executive Board member, subject to shareholder approval at the upcoming AGM." French English Evolution in the Governance of Bureau Veritas Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, March 9, 2017 Aldo Cardoso appointed Chairman of the Board - Frederic Lemoine resumes his duties as Vice Chairman Following its meeting on 8 March 2017, the Board of Directors of Bureau Veritas, chaired by Frederic Lemoine, is pleased to announce the appointment of Aldo Cardoso as Chairman of the Board of Directors as of today. Aldo Cardoso has been with Bureau Veritas for many years. He joined the Board of Directors as a Non-Voting Director in 2004 and became a Director and Chairman of the Audit and Risks Committee in 2009. Aldo Cardoso has held several successive positions at Arthur Andersen: Associate Consultant (1989), Regional Managing Partner for France and Western Europe (1998), member of the Board of Directors of Andersen Worldwide (1998), Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors at Andersen Worldwide (2000-2003) and CEO of Andersen Worldwide (2002-2003). He is also a Director at Engie, Imerys and Worldline. Frederic Lemoine, who had agreed to chair the Board following the departure of Frank Piedelievre in November 2013, has taken over as Vice Chairman of the Board, a position he held from 2009 to 2013. Moreover, following the arrival in October 2016 of two new additional Directors representing Wendel on the Bureau Veritas Board of Directors - Stephanie Besnier and Claude Ehlinger - Wendel wanted to entrust the chairmanship of the Board of Directors to an independent director.The Board of Directors also decided on 23 February 2017 to renew the term of Didier Michaud-Daniel as CEO effective 1 March 2017. Appointment of Ana Calpe Giros and the renewal of five terms of office proposed at the General Meeting of 16 May 2017 The Board of Directors has decided to propose the appointment of Ana Giros Calpe as a Director at the next General Shareholders' Meeting. Her expertise and international experience would indeed be very useful to the Board in contributing to enriching the quality of its work. Ana Giros Calpe is the CEO of the Europe and Latin America business unit and a member of the Executive Committee of Suez. She is an engineer and graduate of the Polytechnic University of Barcelona and Insead Graduate Business School. She has held various positions at Alstom Transport including that of Managing Director of its Transport France division. Nicoletta Giadrossi and Patrick Buffet did not wish to seek the renewal of their terms of office. The Board of Directors decided to ask the General Meeting to approve the reappointment of five other Directors whose terms expire at the end of the General Meeting. Directors whose reappointment will be proposed at the General Meeting: Frederic Lemoine (Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors) Stephane Bacquaert Jean-Michel Ropert Lucia Sinapi Thomas leda Gomes-Yell If these resolutions are adopted, the Board of Directors will be composed of twelve members. The Company will have achieved its goals in accordance with the rules regarding gender balance in the boardroom, with 42% women. The Board will be composed of 6 representatives from Wendel and 6 independent members. Furthermore, the Committees will be primarily composed of independent members. Composition of Committees at the close of, and subject to approval of the resolutions relating to Directors, by the General Meeting: Audit and Risks Committee: Aldo Cardoso (Chairman), Stephanie Besnier, Ieda Gomes-Yell, Sian Herbert-Jones, Lucia Sinapi-Thomas; Remuneration and Appointments Committee: Pierre Hessler (Chairman), Aldo Cardoso, Claude Ehlinger, Ana Giros Calpe, Pascale Lebard, Strategic Committee: Frederic Lemoine (Chairman), Claude Ehlinger, Ieda Gomes-Yell, Pierre Hessler, Pascal Lebard. Changes in the Bureau Veritas management team In order to speed up the implementation of Bureau Veritas' Strategic Plan 2020, and as stated in the press release of the Group's annual results, Didier Michaud-Daniel wanted to surround himself with a tight Executive Committee, so as to facilitate a more agile governance and better adapted to the Group's transformation challenges. This new organisation is structured around the key operating divisions, larger geographic areas and central support functions. The Board of Directors accepted this proposal and approved the corresponding appointments. As part of this new organisation, Philippe Donche-Gay will spearhead the implementation of Bureau Veritas' Strategic Plan as Deputy CEO, in parallel with his position as Chairman of the Marine & Offshore Division. The Executive Committee welcomes Natalia Shuman, who will head the CIF2 North American operations as of 10 April. It will consist of: CEO: Didier Michaud-Daniel, Deputy CEO, International Operations & Support: Philippe Donche-Gay, President of the Consumer Products Division: Oliver Butler, President of the Marine & Offshore Division: Philippe Donche-Gay, Executive Vice President, CIF2 Latin America: Eduardo Camargo, Executive Vice President, CIF2 AMAP (Africa, Middle East, Asia, Pacific, Russia, Turkey and Caspian Sea): Juliano Cardoso, Executive Vice President, CIF2 North America: Natalia Shuman, Executive Vice President, CIF2 Europe: Jacques Lubetzki, Executive Vice President, Human Resources: Xavier Savigny, Executive Vice President, Finance: Nicolas Tissot. Aldo Cardoso Aldo Cardoso has held several successive positions at Arthur Andersen: Associate Consultant (1989), Regional Managing Partner for France and Western Europe (1998), member of the Board of Directors of Andersen Worldwide (1998), Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors at Andersen Worldwide (2000-2003) and CEO of Andersen Worldwide (2002-2003). He has been a Director at Rhodia, Accor, and Gecina since 2004 and is currently also a Director at Engie, Imerys and Worldline. Aldo Cardoso is a graduate of the Paris Business School (Ecole superieure de commerce de Paris) and holds a Masters in Commercial Law and an Accounting Degree. Natalia Shuman Natalia is a global executive with more than 20 years of management and operational experience in the staffing industry. Before joining Bureau Veritas she was in charge of Kelly's EMEA and APAC regions. She has also served as a board member of Kelly's joint venture. She is based in Singapore and Switzerland. Her career with Kelly spans three regions of the globe and a variety of leadership positions. She first joined Kelly in Russia, to launch its operations in Russia. She was relocated to New York in 2000 to take over Kelly's operations in the United States as well as key accounts and strategic growth initiatives. She was in charge of the most complex customer programs across the U.S., Europe and Asia, and led strategic cross-divisional projects focused on delivering above and beyond results and value creation for clients. In 2011, she relocated to Singapore to focus on Kelly's customers and partners in the APAC region. She was then appointed chief operating officer to start-up Kelly's joint venture operations in China and North Asia and was based in Shanghai. She has been managing director of the EMEA and APAC regions for the past four years. She completed a dual Global Executive MBA program with Columbia University and the London Business School, and graduated with distinction from St. Petersburg University of Economics and Finance in Russia. Natalia is an active member of the London Business School alumni network in Singapore and Columbia alumni in Shanghai. In 2015, she was named in the "Women Worth Watching" list by Profiles in Diversity Magazine and in the Global Power 100 - Women in Staffing list by Staffing Industry Analysts. That same year, Natalia was elected to the board of Ciett (the International Confederation of Private Employment Agencies). About Bureau Veritas Bureau Veritas is a world leader in laboratory testing, inspection and certification services. Created in 1828, the Group has 69,000 employees located in 1,400 offices and laboratories around the globe. Bureau Veritas helps its clients improve their performance by offering services and innovative solutions in order to ensure that their assets, products, infrastructure and processes meet standards and regulations in terms of quality, health and safety, environmental protection and social responsibility. Bureau Veritas is listed on Euronext Paris and belongs to the Next 20 index. Compartment A, ISIN code FR 0006174348, stock symbol: BVI. For more information, visit www.bureauveritas.com Contacts Analysts/Investors: Laurent Brunelle: +33 (0)1 55 24 76 09 laurent.brunelle@bureauveritas.com Mark Reinhard: +33 (0)1 55 24 77 80 mark.reinhard@bureauveritas.com Press: Cathy Pianon: +33 (0)6 79 53 21 03 cathy.pianon@bureauveritas.com Veronique Gielec: +33 (0)1 55 24 76 01 veronique.gielec@bureauveritas.com English French Press release March 9th, 2017 Partnership Altran makes an equity investment in H2Scan, a US company specializing in hydrogen sensors, and becomes its strategic development partner Contributes to the transformation of Altran's US energy business into a higher-value digitalized global offering for the industrial Internet of Things Reinforces Altran's business relationship with global OEM players in Energy Altran announced today that it has made a minority equity investment in the California-based company H2Scan, thus placing the Group in a strategic lead investor position. Altran will also become a board member of H2Scan. H2Scan is a company specializing in analyzers for measuring hydrogen concentration in oil and mixed gases environments. The company serves the power industry, petro-chemical and oil refinery markets, with leading applications for power transformers. H2scan sells private label systems, subassemblies, or fully integrated sensors to global multi-national OEM customers, and distributor representation in over 65 countries. H2Scan, who already has a business relationship with Altran to significantly reduce the cost of its sensor, is committed to use Altran as its development partner to support the development of: the design of custom system solutions for its customers the development of a new, lower cost sensor and ASIC the development support for production efficiency initiatives. Commenting on this partnership, Dominique Cerutti, Chairman and CEO of the Altran Group, stated: "I am very happy to announce this partnership with H2Scan, which is the ideal partner for Altran to be right in the heart of the Internet of Things for Energy. This alliance is fully aligned with our strategy in the US, contributing to transforming Altran's energy business into a higher value digitalized global offering. By teaming up with H2Scan, we will also further reinforce our relationship with major OEM players worldwide." Mike Allman, Chairman and CEO of H2scan, added: "I am pleased to have H2scan aligned so closely with a global Engineering and R&D Service leader such as Altran. Altran has already proven that they can shorten the lead time and provide a cost effective solution for new products and designs as an IoT provider." About Altran As a global leader in Engineering and R&D services (ER&D), Altran offers its clients a new way to innovate by developing the products and services of tomorrow. Altran works alongside its clients on every link in the value chain of their project, from conception to industrialization. For over thirty years, the Group has provided its expertise to key players in the Aerospace, Automotive, Defence, Energy, Finance, Life Sciences, Railway, and Telecoms sectors, among others. In 2016, the Altran group generated revenues of 2.120bn. With a headcount of more than 30,000 employees, Altran is present in more than 20 countries. www.altran.com Read all our news on the Altran press hub About H2Scan Founded in 2002, H2Scan operates near Los Angeles, California and has a highly experienced team which developed a unique technology, and registered more than 20 patents worldwide. H2 measurement, which is a key indicator of pending transformer failure, drives a multi-billion opportunity. H2Scan is the only low cost semi-conductor solid state Hydrogen sensor available on the market. Contacts Altran Group Albin Jacquemont Executive Vice-President and CFO Tel: + 33 (0)1 46 41 71 89 comfi@altran.com Marine Boulot Group Vice-President Communications Tel: + 33 (0)1 46 41 71 73 marine.boulot@altran.com Press relations Shan Candice Baudet Depierre, directeur conseil Tel: +33 (0)1 44 50 51 71 candice.baudetdepierre@shan.fr Anne Vernois, directeur associe Tel: + 33 (0)1 44 50 51 75 anne.vernois@shan.fr H2Scan Dennis Reid President Founder H2scan Corp Tel: 661 775 9452 Follow-us on Twitter: @Altran #Altran2020 A Milan man's request to withdraw his guilty plea in connection with a drunk driving accident was denied on Wednesday. In June 2016, Dan E. Sylvester, 64, pleaded guilty in Rock Island County Circuit Court to two counts of aggravated driving under the influence. A third DUI charge was dismissed, according to court records. Mr. Sylvester was sentenced to 12 years in prison and one year of mandatory supervised release. He must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence. Mr. Sylvester pleaded guilty to causing a Nov. 10, 2015, crash that seriously injured Tammy Fuller, then 49, of Milan, and her son, Cody, just after midnight in the 6500 block of Airport Road in Moline. Police said Mr. Sylvester was driving intoxicated and crossed the road's center line, striking an oncoming vehicle driven by Ms. Fuller. The Fullers and Mr. Sylvester were hospitalized as a result of the crash. Ms. Fuller's injuries have left her wheelchair-bound. She lives at a Quad-Cities rehabilitation center and continues to receive treatment for her injuries. The crash was Mr. Sylvester's fifth DUI offense, according to court information. EAST MOLINE Up to 15 licensed employees may be dismissed from the school district for the 2017-18 school year. School board members met Wednesday night for a public hearing on the possible dismissals, followed by an hour-long closed session to discuss the matter. Superintendent Kristin Humphries said at the Feb. 27 board meeting that a lack in state funding was affecting the district's education fund and its ability to pay teachers. "We did receive a payment from the state last week, but we are owed just under $1 million from Illinois," Mr. Humphries said on Wednesday. "That number goes up again when the next quarter payment is due next month. "We hope to call back as many honorably dismissed personnel as possible, and as soon as possible. Unfortunately, we have to continue to watch what happens in Springfield and if the governor and the general assembly can get their act together to provide some direction." Mr. Humphries said there are many school districts across the state cutting employees as a result of the state's financial crisis. "Because of the uncertainty of the state, the district has to make some tough decisions right now," he added. Mr. Humphries said he is recommending the dismissals of three elementary teachers, one music teacher, one preschool English as a second language teacher, and one administrative intern. He did not list what other positions might be subject to the dismissals. "We have to save dollars for classroom teachers where we can. We are going to wait to see (registration) numbers for next year before bringing any of those back," he said. "We don't want class sizes in the 30s. That's not our intent at all." More than 60 people showed up for the public hearing, including Gregg Johnson, whose daughter is a student in the district. Mr. Johnson criticized board members for spending $4 million in 2014 to purchase and renovate the administration and transportation building at 3451 Morton Drive. "I'm not sure that was a prudent decision at the time. The cost of heating and gas for this building from 2013 to 2015 tripled, and the cost of electricity quadrupled. I'm not sure this board made the proper decision to purchase this in the first place," he said. "In 2015, you borrowed $233,000 from the education fund, and there's no intention of paying that money back. My taxes have been raised twice since I moved here. It's my fault as a taxpayer for not being involved, but it's your fault as well. You have not been responsible with my tax money." Mr. Humphries clarified that money used for teacher salaries and money spent on buildings comes out of two separate funds. Mr. Johnson said when voters approved the 1 cent local sales option tax in November, they never thought that a few months later the district would announce teacher layoffs. Board member Kai Killam stated the 1 cent sales option tax does not go toward employee salaries, but is meant for facilities only. Marjie Hannah stood before board members and thanked the district's teachers for making a positive difference in the lives of children, including her own. She stated Mr. Humphries has been treated unfairly, and thanked him for making such an effort to ensure her children with learning disabilities received the services they needed. "Fifteen years ago, Mr. Humphries met this devastated mother and a terrified 7-year-old on the front steps of Hillcrest School," Ms. Hannah said. "That day, he made a promise to me and that child, that East Moline School District was the right place for my child. He guaranteed my child she would get everything she needed to succeed. Over the years, he has provided assistance. "Thank you is not enough. We have quality education at this school district. We need to stop slinging criticism and disrespect. It doesn't set a good example." School board members and Mr. Humphries said they will meet with members of the East Moline Education Association to discuss possible early retirement options as a way to avoid the honorable dismissal of some teachers. Mr. Humphries said the board will take action on the dismissals at its March 27 regular meeting. MOLINE By day, Christopher Tracy is the mild-mannered IT director for a six-state Midas franchise. By night and weekends, the 43-year-old DeWitt, Iowa, man is the soul of Charlie Brown. The Peanuts iconic, perennially suffering hero has a special place in the large heart of Mr. Tracy, who plays him in the musical "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown' opening Friday to a sold-out show at the new Black Box Theatre in downtown Moline. "I identify more with Charlie Brown now," said Mr. Tracy, a central Illinois native with an 8-year-old daughter. "Some kids, they're slightly out of sync with their peers, not disliked or hated, but go through that different beat," he said. "Stuff happens to Charlie; he tries to keep an upbeat, positive attitude overall. I can definitely identify with that." He also was drawn to the role since his father played it when he was a kid, in two productions in Carroll, Iowa. "I will admit, the pull of my dad having done the role, I thought it would be kind of neat," Mr. Tracy said. "Theater for me, it's a hobby. I by no means hold myself up to be a professional amateur. My dad performs and directs shows." He called the family-friendly show with six actors a true ensemble with no star. "It's such a great cast holy cow some of whom I had never worked with before," said Mr. Tracy, a veteran of District productions of "The Addams Family," "Spamalot," Company," "Moon Over Buffalo," "The Mousetrap" and the "Big Rock Candy" shows. Directed and designed by Black Box Theatre co-founder David Miller, with musical direction by Randin Joy, "Charlie Brown" features Sara Tubbs of Moline as Sally; Becca Meumann Johnson of Davenport as Lucy; Adam Cunningham of Moline as Linus; Keenen Wilson of Davenport as Schroeder; and Nancy Teerlinck of Lynn Center as Snoopy. "Nancy is always a hoot to work with," Mr. Tracy said. "We have just connected; we have a similar sense of humor. We like to play off each other on stage. Having her as Snoopy in a couple scenes, her personality hits." Ms. Teerlinck who appeared in the inaugural Black Box play "Murderers" last month and in the District "Moon" and Music Guild "Young Frankenstein" also has a connection with the wise, playful Peanuts canine. "It's really wild for me because one of my first musicals I was cast as Snoopy," she said, recalling her Orion High School senior role 40 years ago. "Now here I am a geriatric, overweight, female Snoopy. The part has changed a little bit. ... What a great great honor to be able to do this again. It's one of my favorite parts. "Chris IS Charlie Brown, let's be honest," Ms. Teerlinck added. "It's almost harder playing a cartoon character; you don't have any point of reference. It's just kind of going off what you think works." The Clark Gesner musical premiered off-Broadway in 1967 with Gary Burghoff in the title role. The musical was revived in 1998, with the character of Sally replacing Patty. The Q-C Music Guild did it in 2006, and St. Ambrose in 2010. "It's a very upbeat show," Mr. Miller said, noting the cast breaks "the fourth wall," interacting with the audience in the 60-seat venue. "With a show like this, it's easy to do; with the caliber of the actors of the show, it's easy. "It's marvelous, it's a great space," Mr. Tracy said of the new 5th Avenue theater. "For a show like this, it could not be better. "It's got a lot of heart," he said. "The show is a very solid, emotionally feel-good show. We need that nowadays. ... With audiences, any time you're in a black-box environment is a more intimate feeling. I can literally look some people in the eye. I like it you can connect more with your audience." Though it's not in the script, Mr. Miller's 9-year-old daughter, Makenna, makes cameo appearances in the role of Snoopy's silent blonde sidekick, Woodstock. "I am a big Charles Schulz fan, of the 'Peanuts' specials, and I could not do 'Charlie Brown' without Woodstock," Mr. Miller said. "We found some clever ways to add her. I'm proud as her dad." "It is a great idea," Ms. Teerlinck said. If you go: -- What: "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" -- When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday (plus March 17-18, and 25) and 2:30 p.m. Sunday (plus March 19) -- Where: Black Box Theatre, 1623 5th Ave., Moline -- Tickets: $16, available at theblackboxtheatre.com. Opening night is sold out. MOLINE A huge chrome-plated replica of a Moline police badge is too big for the Rev. Bob Miller, a police chaplain, to carry easily. The guy assigned to make the wallet for Chaplain Miller to carry it in, public information officer Detective Scott Williams joked, was nowhere to be seen. Chaplain Miller, however, said he and his wife, Laura, will think of the "perfect spot" to display the unique memento. On Wednesday, Chaplain Miller became the first recipient of the badge, which will become a traditional gift for honored police officers, according to Moline Police Capt. Trevor Fisk, who organized the event. Wednesday marked Chaplain Miller's 80th birthday and 20 years of service to the police department. More than 40 Moline Police Department members attended the event. Rev. Miller's son Pete Miller, a former Indiana state senator who lives in Indianapolis, surprised his dad when he walked into the police department's community room for the noon luncheon. Also at the event were his other son, Mike Miller, executive director of River Bend Foodbank in Davenport, and daughter, Courtney Miller, who recently moved to Davenport. Chaplain Miller said the occasion was overwhelming, adding that retirement is the furthest thing from his mind. Moline Police Capt. Fisk agreed. "We won't let him entertain the thought of retiring," Capt. Fisk said, adding that his service been a two-way street. "One of the things he's always said is that we've ministered to him as much as he has ministered to us." Moline Police Chief Kim Hankins said the city wants Chaplain Miller to remain in his post as long as he wants. "It was great that we were able to do something in admiration for all that he has done for us," Chief Hankins said. Chaplain Miller said he wondered what ministry was going to be like when he was ordained in 1962 in Plymouth, Wis., and again in 1996 when he was asked to become the department's chaplain. He earlier had retired as pastor at First Congregational Church in Moline. Each time, he said, he felt he was enlarging his circle of influence to be with people at the most important times of their lives. Detective Williams said Chaplain Miller was a "gift from God." Dutch English Investment portfolio within easy reach 24/7 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, 9 March 2017 Van Lanschot today launches its new investment advice app for its investor clients, the next step in digitising its Private Banking offering. The app provides clients with a comprehensive view of their investment portfolios and returns, while putting them into easy and swift contact with their personal investment advisers if they choose. Richard Bruens, member of the Executive Board responsible for Private Banking: "Clients who are active investors want to be able to act fast on any advice their Van Lanschot investment adviser puts their way. This app gives them immediate access to their investments, whenever they want and wherever they are. This latest innovation fits with our aim to couple the personal attention our clients expect from their private bank with high-quality digital support." The investment advice app is the second such app Van Lanschot has introduced for its investor clients, following in the footsteps of the discretionary management app launched in 2016. Van Lanschot's discretionary management clients use this to access their portfolios at any time convenient to them, monitor the breakdown of their wealth across asset classes and regions, and check out the views of their investment managers. The latest app is specifically tailored to Van Lanschot's investment advice clients, who invest with the help of Van Lanschot as sparring partner, and using the insights and research made available to them by its investment advisers. The app provides easy access to a client's investment portfolio, highlighting where and how they invest across the world. Portfolio return developments are available real-time. Perfecting the app The investment advice app is downloadable from the App Store today. After downloading it, clients can go online to link their portfolios to the app. It runs on iOS and will also be supported by Android later in the year. New functionalities are being developed, including updates on the latest financial market news, fund pages and related news, as well as lists of buy and sell recommendations. Omnichannel service The launch of Van Lanschot's investment advice is part of its drive to expand its omnichannel service provision for Private Banking clients, announced in its April strategy update 2020 and encompassing an investment programme to support personalised services through digital channels. Media Relations: +31 20 354 45 85; mediarelations@vanlanschot.com Van Lanschot is the oldest independent private bank in the Netherlands with a history dating back to 1737. Van Lanschot, a wealth manager operating under the Van Lanschot, Kempen & Co and Evi van Lanschot brand names, is active in Private Banking, Asset Management and Merchant Banking, with the aim of preserving and creating wealth for its clients. A Declaration of Public Works for Line B was signed on February 20 following more than three years of studies and public consultation. In February 2016 Angers Loire Metropolitan Council voted to push back the start of construction on the 245m project amid concerns over financing, although public consultation continued according to the previous schedule. This means construction will begin no earlier than 2019, with the project due for completion in 2022. The 9.9km line will begin in Belle-Beille in the west of the city, running along Avenue Patton into the city centre, where it will briefly share tracks with Line A before turning east along Avenue Montaigne. From here it will turn north onto Boulevard de Deux Croix and Boulevard Alloneau to reach the eastern terminus at Monplaisir. The project will include a short link between Line B on Avenue Montaigne and Moliere station on Line A, creating a light rail loop in the city centre, together with the expansion of the existing Line A depot. Line B will have 19 stations, including three with park-and-ride facilities, and will bring another 50,000 residents within 500m of a tram station. Services will be operated by a fleet of 18 30m-long low-floor LRVs, each accommodating up to 210 passengers. For detailed data on light rail projects around the world, subscribe to IRJ Pro. Starting from an index of 100 in 2005, rail freight tonne-km has risen to 118 in 2015, mainline passenger-km to 152 and urban rail passenger-km to 169. The three types of traffic are forecast to grow to indexes of 280, 208, and 135 by 2025. SCI Verkehr says urban rail will grow at an average of 5% per year up to 2025, although growth is expected to tail off after 2020 with the completion of many metro and light rail projects. Network expansion, especially the construction of new lines in cities that previously have not had urban rail systems, is the main driver of urban rail development, SCI says. In China, for example, the urban rail network tripled from less than 1000km to more than 3000km between 2005 and 2015. Currently, 4450km of lines for rail-bound city transport networks are under construction or in operation. High growth rates will also be achieved in South and Central America. While mainline passenger has shown consistent growth, there are very different regional trends. Traffic has fallen significantly in the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East, while it has grown rapidly in Asia and South and Central America. The expansion of high-speed networks, especially in China, and the increasing number of services in South American metropolitan areas, for example, have contributed to this trend, SCI says. Rail passenger transport has also been stimulated in mature markets such as Western Europe or North America, where regulatory measures are aimed at the reduction of road transport in order to improve environmental conditions and the quality of life. Rail freight traffic suffered a 4.4% drop between 2014 and 2015 and the downward trend is expected to continue in 2016 and 2017 due to the decline of heavy freight such as coal and steel, as well as lower growth in international trade. In North America, coal transport has strongly decreased due to a shift in the energy supply matrix, SCI says. Intensive fracking in United States has created an exceptional boom in oil transport. Although oil transport by rail had grown at high rates, it was not enough to compensate for the reduction in coal. With decreasing oil prices, rail transport of petroleum has suffered a deceleration and in the long run it could be negatively affected by the construction of new pipelines. Asian rail freight transport is dominated by the Chinese market, which is decreasing, SCI continues. The main reasons for this reduction are the increasing rates for rail freight transport in the past years while road infrastructure was rapidly expanded though the construction of highways, significantly increasing the attractiveness of road freight. Furthermore, Chinas energy policy has reconsidered the position of coal in its supply matrix, creating opportunities for other energy sources and negatively impacting coal transport by rail. The latest Chinese efforts to sustainably improve air quality, on the other hand, could cause a shift in the modal split towards more environmental-friendly rail transport. However, it is still uncertain to what extent this political agenda will be implemented and if it can compensate for the decreasing transport of coal. Could the conventional hopper car be going the way of the steam locomotive? In Seattle BNSF Railway settled a lawsuit brought by the Sierra Club and other environmental groups for pollution caused by open-top cars carrying coal and coke. The Sierra Club, Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, Columbia Riverkeeper and four other environmental groups brought a Clean Water Act lawsuit against BNSF for dust and spillage from open-top railcars moving through the Pacific Northwest. The Fort Worth-based railroad will clean up spilled coal and petroleum coke, and consider covering these loads, under a consent decree in U.S. District Court in Seattle. The company also will spend $1 million to help fund environmental projects in Washington State. The groups in a statement said scientists at a trial in November 2016 testified that coal particles from railcars carried mercury, arsenic and other pollutants into waterways. Conrails Board of Directors has named Timothy Tierney President and Chief Operating Officer, effective April 1. Tierney succeeds Ronald Batory, who is retiring after nearly 46 years in the railroad industry. A 39-year Conrail veteranboth iterations, Big Conrail and Conrail Shared Assets OperationsTierney most recently served as Vice President and Chief Engineer, managing all of the companys engineering functions. He assumed responsibility for locomotive assets, mechanical policy and planning in 2002. Prior to this role, Tierney worked in various positions of increasing responsibility within Conrails engineering department, including Division Engineer of the Buffalo, Albany, and Philadelphia divisions. Between 1996 and 1999, he worked assignments at Philadelphia headquarters, culminating as Chief Engineer-System during the planning, transition and implementation of Conrails acquisition by CSX and Norfolk Southern. Following completion of that transaction, which culminated in formation of the three Shared Assets areas (North Jersey, South Jersey/Philadelphia and Detroit), Tierney played a critical role managing capital expenditures and overseeing design, development and project management of infrastructure projects. Tim Tierney has served Conrail with distinction and proven himself to be a successful, trusted leader with an exceptional commitment to hard work and safety, Batory said. Tim brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the rail industry and will continue to accelerate Conrails commitment to providing safe, efficient service. Batory joined Conrail in 1998 as Vice President-Operations, and was appointed President and COO in 2004. Prior to Conrail, Batory served as President of The Belt Railway Company of Chicago. He spent more than 20 years working for eastern and western Class I railroads in addition to assisting a court-appointed trustees successful oversight of a regional railroad bankruptcy. Norfolk Southern greatly appreciates Rons leadership over the past 19 years and his more than four decades as a dedicated railroader, said NS Chairman, President and CEO Jim Squires. We wish him the best in a well-deserved retirement. All of us at CSX have great respect for Rons railroad experience and his continuous focus on teamwork, said CSX Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Cindy Sanborn, who served on the Conrail board of directors and worked closely with Batory for several years. We wish him a happy retirement. David Burwell, 69, the Ivy League-educated lawyer-turned-public activist who helped convert abandoned railroad lines into trails and parks, died Feb. 1 at his home in Bethesda, Md. The Massachusetts native co-founded and was the first president of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy of Washington, D.C. He died of complications from acute myeloid leukemia, according to reports. Burwell was inspired by his mothers efforts to create a bike trail on Cape Cod, and built the first nationwide movement to preserve green space and corridors for cyclists and other alternative modes of transportation. A graduate of Dartmouth and University of Virginia law school, Burwell practiced law but later moved to Washington to work for a public advocate. In 1986 he started the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy with Peter Harnik. Together they convinced the Interstate Commerce Commission to formulate regulations that eased the conversion of old rail lines to trails. As an attorney, Burwell dealt with complicated ownership issues of rights-of-way, among other details. The idea of turning unused lines into a vibrant resource unites many people hiking clubs, cyclists, wildlife advocates, political types who are community-oriented, Burwell told the San Francisco Chronicle in 1997. But you get long, skinny parks, cutting across several jurisdictions. Such things fall through the cracks of conventional government. Who has the current title? Wholl fund the trail, who winds up managing it? Thats where we arrive, to provide expertise. A major victory came in 1991 with the passage of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA), which reserved a portion of federal highway funds for projects other than paved roads. That helped local groups buy old railroad property, pull up tracks or build new trails next to existing rail lines. Today there are more than 2,000 trails on 22,000 miles of rail corridors in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with another 8,000 miles in the planning stage. The longest, the John Wayne Pioneer Trail, runs for 253 miles in the state of Washington. After practicing law in Boston and Vermont, Burwell moved to Washington in the late 1970s to work on transportation issues for the National Wildlife Federation. He stepped down as president of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in 2001 to found the Surface Transportation Policy Project. He later worked as a consultant on transportation, the environment and urban policy before directing the energy and climate program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace from 2010 to 2014. Physicians at Scripps Green Hospital have elected general and laparoscopic surgeon Amy Day, M.D., a Rancho Santa Fe resident, as the hospitals new chief of staff. Days two-year term began on March 7. As chief of staff, Day will serve as the primary medical staff liaison to Scripps Greens administrative leadership staff and Scripps Healths board of trustees. She will play a key role in driving continuous quality improvements to the more than 90,000 patients who are treated at the hospital annually. Day succeeds the hospitals outgoing chief of staff, Maida Soghikian, M.D. Dr. Days commitment to Scripps Green Hospital and our patients over the years make her an ideal medical staff leader, said Robin Brown, chief executive of Scripps Green. Her experience and expertise will serve her well, and were pleased to welcome her to this new role. As Scripps Greens chief of staff, Day will focus on helping to implement a number of key initiatives at the hospital, including the launch of Scripps new electronic medical record system, EPIC. She will also provide support to the Scripps MD Anderson Cancer Center, a program that is expected to include dozens of Scripps Green-affiliated physicians when it opens for patient care in fall 2017. I am committed to helping ensure that crossing all aspects of our patient care is a focus on patient safety and the delivery of consistently high-quality care in the most efficient and compassionate manner possible, said Day. Day joined Scripps Clinic Medical Group in 2006 and currently serves as its division head of general surgery. She has been a member of the Scripps Green medical staff since 2006 and her clinical practice is focused on minimally invasive abdominal and hernia surgery, as well as skin and soft tissue surgery. In addition to her clinical practice, Day has also served in a variety of leadership capacities at Scripps Green, including membership on its medical executive committee, credentials committee, graduate medical education committee and medical records committee. Day earned her undergraduate degree from Stanford University, her medical degree from the University of California, Los Angeles and completed her residency at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. She also completed fellowships at the University of California, San Francisco and Kaiser Foundation Medical Center in San Diego. She is board-certified in surgery by the American Board of Surgery. Days research has been published in a variety of peer-reviewed medical journals, including Journal of the American College of Surgeons, Journal of Surgical Research and Surgery. A San Diego native, Day is a graduate of Point Loma High School. She lives in Rancho Santa Fe with her husband and three children. Founded in 1977, Scripps Green Hospital is a 173-bed acute care facility that offers a wide range of clinical and surgical services, including general and bariatric surgery, organ transplantation, oncology care, orthopedic surgery and blood and bone marrow transplantation. More information can be found at www.scripps.org. How do coastal states assert sovereignty over disputed maritime areas? In the Asia-Pacific, as in many other parts of the world, the answer to this question until recently has been to send the navy. Navies offer a strong signal of state power and control, aimed at alerting rival claimants that the territory under dispute is a matter of national security and a matter that states are willing to go to war over. My research, published recently in Naval War College Review, suggests that coast guards, not navies, are the new asset of choice for many states in East and Southeast Asia to assert sovereignty over disputed waters. This shift is driven in part by a perception among regional policymakers that coast guards offer a less militaristic face of state power in disputed maritime areas, as well as by a presumption that coast guards demonstrate that the dispute in question is under domestic civilian jurisdiction, subject to domestic laws and regulations. On its face, having coast guards patrol large bodies of disputed territory, like in the South China Sea, might be cause for optimism, as coast guards can be viewed as less escalatory and possess limited war-fighting capabilities. They have the capacity to serve as a source for intrastate cooperation by conducting, for example, joint search-and-rescue operations. But the way coast guards are employed in the South China Sea as blunt instruments to assert state power gives more cause for concern than optimism. Aggressive tactics and increasingly formidable armaments on many newer coast guard cutters have blurred the lines between platforms and missions traditionally associated with law enforcement and those of national defense during peacetime. At the center of regional coast guard growth is China, which in 2013 consolidated four of its five maritime law enforcement agencies under the State Oceanic Administration, further unifying the forces and doctrine of a new China Coast Guard (CCG). The reform represents the bureaucratic manifestation of a larger commitment by China to build the largest and most formidable coast guard force in the world in terms of total overall tonnage, which I calculate at around 190,000 tons. China's aggressive tactics and rapid enlargement of forces have transformed outlooks of regional states. China's aggressive tactics and rapid enlargement of forces have fundamentally reshaped outlooks of regional states. By employing what China regards as non-military assets to demonstrate administrative control over disputed territory, China has attempted to civilianize its expansion of sovereignty protection to strengthen its legal claims over other claimants. As a result, other countries in the region have sought to bolster their own coast guard fleets and increasingly feel compelled to turn to coast guards to counterbalance China and assert administrative control in disputed waters. Many states in the region, particularly Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia, however, lack the funds to match China's coast guard fleet. Many still rely on navies to patrol and police their exclusive economic zones, or fall back on navies during times of heightened disputes with China. Whether it is appropriate for states to respond to China's coast guard expansion by bolstering their own coast guard fleets is a matter of ongoing debate among policymakers in the region. China is not the only country expanding its coast guard. All the other coast guards in the study Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines are in the process of multi-year fleet expansion initiatives and have added roughly 35,000, 15,000, and 10,000 tons, respectively, to their fleets over the last five years. Japan, for example, is in the process of procuring an additional 25 vessels, in large part to address increasing concern over Chinese actions near the Senkaku Islands. Of these 25 vessels, 10 medium-endurance cutters (1,0003,000 tons) are to be deployed to Ishigaki Island, the closest outpost with vessels responsible for patrolling the Senkakus. The accretion of ships near the Senkakus is part of a broader campaign by Japan to strengthen its presence in the disputed area, to include the permanent stationing of a 600-member coast guard unit. Several shifts in CCG capabilities and operations in the South China Sea resulting from these reforms are apparent. First, China is employing larger, more heavily-armed, and more capable offshore patrol vessels for longer periods of time in disputed waters in the South China Sea. China has begun commissioning CCG cutters based on the type 054 Jiangkai II frigate hull frame, armed with 76mm auto-cannons. Compared to other coast guard vessels of this size (~3,500 tons), these new Type 818 CCG cutters represent the most potently-armed cutters in the region. Recent photos from Chinese sources indicate the CCG is equipping even smaller-sized CCG cutters (~2,500 tons) with 76mm auto-cannons. Second, CCG patrols in the South China Sea now operate more widely, more regularly, and apparently also more assertively. In the past, CCG vessels encountering illegal activities of foreign vessels within the nine-dash line would take less confrontational measures, such as querying other vessels over their deployment purpose, verbally asserting Chinese sovereignty through radio communications, and sometimes attempting to expel foreign vessels with floodlights and water cannons. Following the reforms, patrol vessels have adopted more aggressive tactics, such as shouldering, ramming, and endangering freedom of navigation of other countries' fishing and law enforcement vessels. The arbitral tribunal ruling under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in July 2016 found that China's coast guard had breached several articles governing safety and navigation at sea. Finally, the CCG is coordinating intelligence, command, and control to a greater degree with Chinese fishing, maritime militia, and People's Liberation Army Navy vessels. Recent joint exercises between the CCG and China's military services highlight efforts at honing interoperability. To be sure, the reform is still in its early stages and the process of consolidating agencies, cultures, and training has proven more difficult than anticipated. Nevertheless, the CCG has made great strides and will become more effective with time. What does this mean for regional security and U.S. policy in the region? Policymakers should adapt to the reality that the new face of state power in the East and South China Sea will increasingly be represented by coast guards, not navies. Coast guards will not only be deployed in increasing numbers, but also in close proximity with rival coast guards and other civilian actors. This scenario introduces a new set of escalation dynamics that countries in the region are only beginning to grapple with. Such dynamics will first require a much more efficient, real-time command and control architecture between naval, government, and civilian actors, on land and on the water. Second, a more robust and routinized joint exercise program should be pursued to enhance interoperability between coast guard and naval commanders. Finally, war-gamers must begin to develop games that deal exclusively with grey-zone escalation scenarios involving non-military actors such as coast guards, maritime militia, and fishing vessels. The results of these games could assist military strategists in great need of concept of operations that account for non-military actors and assets, which will in turn feed into operational imperatives such as thresholds for use of force and non-kinetic options at sea. Lyle J. Morris is a policy analyst at the RAND Corporation. This commentary originally appeared on Asia Maritme Transparency Initiative on March 8, 2017. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis. Icelandic English Enclosed is the final agenda and proposals from the Board of Directors for the 2017 Annual General Meeting. Eimskipafelag Islands hf.'s Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday 23 March 2017 at 16:00 (GMT) at the Company's headquarters, Korngarar 2, Reykjavik, Iceland. For further information, please visit the Company's website www.eimskip.is/investors/agm The Sovengard Adam Bird From Ethiopian and Korean to Turkish and Vietnamese restaurants, there are an almost endless number of culinary havens in and around Grand Rapids where you can explore the world, right in your own backyard. Grand Rapids, Herman Lee remembers reading out loud from a wrinkled piece of paper moments after scribbling East Lansing, Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids on three separate sheets and placing these into a hat. With what may seem an unusual method, Lee pushed himself to buy a one-way bus ticket to the Michigan city known for its furniture industry. Plagued by the question, Will I make it on my own? Lee took one last glance at his hometown of Detroit and jumped on the next bus to Grand Rapids. The 12 months that followed his arrival at the downtown bus terminal in April of 2015 would be unforgettable. Growing up in Detroit for Lee and his two brothers was not always easy. Raised in a single parent household, Lee recalls seeing his mother work day and night to make sure the family had enough food on the table and a roof over their heads. As the oldest of the three, he always dreamed he would one day become a police officer or join the armed forces and make enough money to help support his mother. When he came to Grand Rapids, the man known by everyone in the southeast neighborhood as Lee did not know anyone in town with whom he could stay. So, he headed to Mel Trotter Ministries to find a place to sleep for the night. For Lee, Grand Rapids exemplified the promise of a new life loaded with potential opportunities. After a stint in prison, Lee swore he would never return to the lifestyle that led him to incarceration in Detroit. I got out of Detroit to make a new start for myself, says Lee. Because he had a stable income, Lee thought finding permanent and stable housing in town would be easier, but after spending a couple of months submitting housing applications and receiving countless rejection letters, Lee soon found himself living what he describes as his worst nightmare. I would fill out the applications, and a couple of days later the paper would come back with a denial, with the marked check box, due to misconduct with the police, explains Lee. Herman Lee riding his bike in the southeast neighborhood of Grand RapidsLee is far from alone when it comes to facing homelessness in our community. According to data from the Grand Rapids Area Coalition to End Homelessness, 9,842 people experienced homeless in 2015. Of these individuals, 52 percent were black Americans, including Lee. In Kent County alone, black residents experience unemployment at the highest rate of any demographic, making this group the most vulnerable to experiencing homelessness. Unemployment is not the only factor contributing to an individual becoming homeless; in many cases, families in poverty who are employed are still unable to cover the rising costs of housing. According to a 2015 report from the National Alliance to End Homelessness, unemployment has decreased by 1 percent, but the burden of housing costs for families in poverty has increased by 25 percent since 2007. As rents rise dramatically in some cases and rental vacancy rates plummet, advocates in Grand Rapids are banding together to address a lack of affordable housing that is forcing longtime residents from their homes and preventing others, like Lee, from getting a home in the first place. The Grand Rapids Coalition to End Homelessness is a group of 60 organizations collaborating to address the housing crisis affecting residents of Grand Rapids. Jessica Vail, program manager for The Grand Coalition to End Homelessness, explains the groups efforts are focused on the communitys most vulnerable by serving people who are homeless. Tami VandenBergWe prioritize families and individuals who are staying in a shelter or on the streets, states Vail. In 2016 alone, Kent County received $5,511,453 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). According to the advocacy group, the money will be used to launch rapid rehousing projects to help end family and youth homelessness by 2020. The goal is to make homelessness rare, brief and one time, says Vail. The group will also focus its efforts to end homelessness for people with a disability who have been homeless for a year or more by 2017. Additionally, the Kent County Housing Commission received $69,480 from the $5.5 million to partner with the Battle Creek VA Medical Center and the Wyoming VA Health Care Center in ending veteran homelessness in the county. By employing a Housing First philosophy, Vail explains the solution to homelessness lies in access to affordable housing. As a community, we need to keep having conversations around affordable housing issues. The best way to build up our communities is to help folks with poor credit history or with criminal backgrounds have stable housing. If we refuse to rent to people because of their past, they will have a harder time improving their future, and that hurts all of us in the long run, says Vail. After months of going from organization to organization in an effort to receive any help obtaining stable housing, Lee was met positively by the team from StreetReach. The StreetReach program is funded through Network 180 and operated through Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services, and it provides case management to individuals experiencing homelessness. Those at StreetReach helped him fill out and fax an application for housing at Well House. Well House is a nonprofit organization located in the southeast community of Grand Rapids. Through the Housing First model, the organization provides affordable housing with no strings attached. Tenants are not required to abide by a schedule or any sort of required training to live at Well House. In addition, the group prioritizes applications from individuals who have criminal backgrounds or are substance dependent. When everybody else was rejecting me; I found Well House and they didnt reject me, Lee says. Currently, Well House provides housing to 60 tenants, the majority of whom are people of color with criminal backgrounds and a physical or mental disability, according to Tami VandenBerg, executive director of the organization. We prioritize the group of people who are the most stigmatized and most marginalized. This includes people with a history of addiction and law enforcement, VandenBerg says. Based on her years of experience working in direct care with individuals experiencing homelessness, VandenBerg argues the solution to homelessness can be found in changing policies at the city and state level. In the state of Michigan, applicants who do not pass a criminal background are not eligible to receive a section 8 voucher, which provides housing assistance for low-income residents. With 1,500 vacant homes available in Grand Rapids, according to VandenBerg, she believes the city of Grand Rapids needs to provide a way for people to gain access to those homes through various incentive programs. Additionally, VandenBerg stresses that city officials could enact other measures to address barriers to housing in Grand Rapids. We have a whole lot of different lots that are not buildable because they dont meet the required size to build a house on, VandenBerg ays. Thats the reason we cant do tiny homes in the cities. In this city, we have the ordinance that [there can be] no more than four unrelated people per houseno matter how big the house. There are a lot of policies in place that drive up the cost of housing, which result in people not having housing. For Lee, having a place to sleep at night without the weight of expectations brings him a sense of safety and belonging he didnt have when he was out in the streets of Grand Rapids. Lee has been an incredible asset to our community. He has been an incredible support to staff and to other tenants. He is really just the guy you can depend on, says VandenBerg. To give back to this neighborhood and community, the 63-year-old Lee spends his day doing maintenance for the organizations headquarters and walking around the neighborhood mentoring youth in the community through his story. Homelessness can happen to anybody, and this city needs to wake up and look at those who are homeless in the eye, shares Lee. In other words, Lee believes the answer to homelessness in Grand Rapids is taking a serious look at those who are experiencing homelessness because one day it could be them. It is important for people in the community to recognize that those experiencing homelessness are just people, just like them, but who are in a bad spot. Think of how alarming it would be to most of us to lose everything and have nowhere to goit would be a life-changing crisis. From there, what is it we would want most of all in that situation? A home, Vail says. When Lee arrived in Grand Rapids, he did not know he would find a community to belong to in the southeast of Grand Rapids, but finding stable housing through Well House has empowered him to become a sustaining resident of this neighborhood. Herman Lee stands outside of Well House This community means a lot to me. They accept me. They see me, shares Lee. To support individuals experiencing homelessness, consider making a donation to organizations helping people into homes. Community Rebuilders, Grand Rapids Urban League, and Inner City Christian Federation all have programs for short-term rental assistance that help get people back on their feet and back in the workforce if they arent already. Donations can also be made directly to Well House and to any of the 60 organizations involved with the Grand Rapids Coalition to End Homelessness. On The Ground GR On The Ground GR is a Rapid Growth series. This series will highlight and celebrate the communities found touching along the southeast end between Wealthy Street, Cottage Grove, 131 and Madison Square. Over the next few months, On The Ground GR journalists will be knocking on doors and getting to know the neighbors and community members. We will dive deeper into topics concerning this neighborhood's residents and stakeholders while celebrating the diversity and strength found in this area. We are on the ground listening and want to celebrate the community's unifying spirit of positivity and vibrancy. You can follow On The Ground GR's work via Twitter (#OnTheGroundGR @rapidgrowthmedia), Facebook and Instagram. To connect with On The Ground GR's editor, Michelle Jokisch Polo (read more about Michelle here), you can email her at [email protected] and follow her on Facebook and Instagram. On The Ground GR is made possible by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, an organization working to guarantee livability of all children. Photography by Dreams by Bella. FORM 8.3 PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the "Code") 1. KEY INFORMATION (a) Full name of discloser: Rathbone Brothers PLC (b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a): The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named. (c) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates: Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree Booker Group PLC (d) If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: (e) Date position held/dealing undertaken: For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure 08/03/2017 (f) In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer? If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state "N/A" No 2. POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security. (a) Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any) Class of relevant security: Interests Short positions Number % Number % (1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 19,798,189 1.11 (2) Cash-settled derivatives: (3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell: TOTAL: 19,798,189 1.11 All interests and all short positions should be disclosed. Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions). (b) Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors' and other employee options) Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists: Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages: 3. DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in. The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated. (a) Purchases and sales Class of relevant security Purchase/sale Number of securities Price per unit (p) 1p Ord Sale 87,550 1.99601052 1p Ord Sale 26,300 1.99601052 (b) Cash-settled derivative transactions Class of relevant security Product description e.g. CFD Nature of dealing e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position Number of reference securities Price per unit (c) Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options) (i) Writing, selling, purchasing or varying Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type e.g. American, European etc. Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit (ii) Exercise Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit (d) Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities) Class of relevant security Nature of dealing e.g. subscription, conversion Details Price per unit (if applicable) 4. OTHER INFORMATION (a) Indemnity and other dealing arrangements Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer: Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none" (b) Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to: (i) the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or (ii) the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced: If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none" (c) Attachments Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? NO Date of disclosure: 09/03/2017 Contact name: Emma Mulhearn - Compliance Department Telephone number: 0151 236 6666 Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service. The Panel's Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code's disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129. The Code can be viewed on the Panel's website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk. 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: Club de Soleil ~ Las Vegas, NevadaFREE CLOSING!! Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE The Whole Amount of the Winning Bid is to be Paid by Buyer Payment Accepted: *Check *Money Order *Wire Transfer All funds (Payment) are held by GO Properties Services LLC licensed, bonded and insured Real Estate/Closing Company. Funds will be held by GO Properties Services LLC escrow until ownership has been transferred. Closing: We guarantee clear title to every ownership we sell. We strive to provid... Price: $ 1 Seller State of Residence: New Jersey State/Province: Nevada Type: Attractions Number of Bedrooms: 2 Number of Bathrooms: 2 Zip/Postal Code: 89103 Location: 891**, Las Vegas, Nevada You will be redirected to eBay Nearby 89103 , We're sorry, this article is not currently available HOME > The Bachelor > The Bachelor 21 Corinne Olympios denies claims she's gotten engaged since 'The Bachelor' By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 03/08/2017 has been rumored to have found love shortly after her stint on , and now the blonde beauty is setting the record straight. ADVERTISEMENT In response to recent rumors she got engaged to a man from her Miami hometown whom she had dated on and off prior to appearing on Corinne said she isn't even sure how the engagement rumors got started in the first place. "I don't know. I'm hearing so many different things. It's just that people love to talk, I guess," Corinne suggested. Corinne is currently single after getting her "I just feel like when the right person comes along, they'll just come along," Corinne noted, "and it'll feel right, and I won't have to stress about it." Corinne found some closure with Nick on : The Women Tell All, which aired on ABC earlier this week. Despite criticism from Bachelor Nation, Nick has always defended Corinne in the press, and she told him on the special, "I just wanted to tell you that I appreciate all the time that we spent together, and it really was very special." Rejection may have hurt Corinne's ego, but she's definitely not letting it get her down. She was reportedly spotted partying poolside at a friend's birthday bash in Miami on Saturday, March 4. Fans speculated Corinne was engaged once before in January 2016 when she was photographed wearing a large diamond sparkler on her left hand's ring finger, however, it turned out she was just trying on her good friend's ring during a girls' night out of drinking. EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this article noted several reports had identified Keith Berman as the man Corinne is allegedly engaged to, however Berman has subsequently denied they are engaged. Corinne Olympios has been rumored to have found love shortly after her stint on , and now the blonde beauty is setting the record straight.In response to recent rumors she got engaged to a man from her Miami hometown whom she had dated on and off prior to appearing on Nick Viall 's season of , Corinne, 25, told Us Weekly, "I'm not engaged."Corinne said she isn't even sure how the engagement rumors got started in the first place."I don't know. I'm hearing so many different things. It's just that people love to talk, I guess," Corinne suggested.Corinne is currently single after getting her heart broken by Nick on the show after he visited her hometown and met her family. While the fearless bachelorette would love to star on her own reality spinoff , she's not sold on the idea of participating in Season 4 of Bachelor in Paradise this summer."I just feel like when the right person comes along, they'll just come along," Corinne noted, "and it'll feel right, and I won't have to stress about it."Corinne found some closure with Nick on : The Women Tell All, which aired on ABC earlier this week.Despite criticism from Bachelor Nation, Nick has always defended Corinne in the press, and she told him on the special, "I just wanted to tell you that I appreciate all the time that we spent together, and it really was very special."Rejection may have hurt Corinne's ego, but she's definitely not letting it get her down.She was reportedly spotted partying poolside at a friend's birthday bash in Miami on Saturday, March 4.Fans speculated Corinne was engaged once before in January 2016 when she was photographed wearing a large diamond sparkler on her left hand's ring finger, however, it turned out she was just trying on her good friend's ring during a girls' night out of drinking.EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this article noted several reports had identified Keith Berman as the man Corinne is allegedly engaged to, however Berman has subsequently denied they are engaged. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Page generated Sat Nov 05, 2022 11:10 am in 0.7480309009552 seconds English Danish Hedehusene, Denmark, 2017-03-09 11:32 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Release no. 3 2017 To Nasdaq Copenhagen ROCKWOOL International A/S Hovedgaden 584, Entrance C DK2640 Hedehusene Phone: +45 4656 0300 www.rockwool.com Danish CVR no: 54879415 Page 1/4 9 March 2017 NOTICE CONVENING THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF ROCKWOOL INTERNATIONAL A/S The annual general meeting of shareholders is hereby convened to take place on Wednesday, 5 April 2017 at 3:00 p.m. at Roskilde Kongrescenter, Mllehusvej 15, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark. Registration for the general meeting must take place no later than Friday, 31 March 2017 either electronically via the shareholder portal on www.rockwool.com/shareholder or by returning the completed registration form to Computershare A/S. During the annual general meeting coffee and cake will be served. The general meeting will be transmitted in full directly via webcast in Danish and English. The webcast and further information is available at the companys website, www.rockwool.com/agm. The webcast will only include the platform and rostrum. The agenda for the annual general meeting is as follows: 1. The board of directors report on the companys activities during the past financial year. 2. Presentation of annual report with auditors report. 3. Adoption of the annual report for the past financial year and discharge of liability for the management and the board of directors. 4. Approval of the remuneration of the board of directors for 2017/2018. 5. Allocation of profits according to the adopted accounts. The board of directors proposes a distribution of dividends for the financial year 2016 of DKK 18.80 per share of a nominal value of DKK 10. The dividend is to be distributed on 10 April 2017 after approval by the general meeting. 6. Election of members to the board of directors. According to the Articles of Association all members of the board of directors elected at the general meeting resign each year. Members of the board of directors are elected for the period until the next annual general meeting. Board members, Bjrn Hi Jensen and Lars Frederiksen, have informed the board of directors that they will not seek re-election to the board at the annual general meeting. The board of directors nominates the following board members for re-election: Carsten Bjerg, Sren Kahler, Thomas Kahler and Andreas Ronken. The board of directors proposes that Henrik Brandt and Jrgen Tang-Jensen are elected as new members of the board of directors. A description of the background of and the offices held by each candidate proposed for election by the board of directors, including the board of directors reasons for the nomination, are enclosed in schedule 1 and are available at the companys website, www.rockwool.com/agm. Subject to election of the above candidates, the board of directors expects to appoint Henrik Brandt as Chairman and Carsten Bjerg and Sren Kahler as first and second Deputy Chairman, respectively. 7. Appointment of auditors. The board of directors proposes re-election of PricewaterhouseCoopers Statsautoriseret Revisionspartnerselskab as auditor of the company. 8. Proposals from the board of directors or shareholders. Proposals from the board of directors: 8a. Authorisation to acquire own shares. The board of directors proposes that the general meeting authorises the board of directors to allow the company to acquire own shares during the period until the next annual general meeting, i.e. class A shares as well as class B shares, of a total nominal value of up to 10% of the companys share capital, provided that the price of the shares at the time of purchase does not deviate by more than 10% from the most recent listed price. 9. Any other business. Share capital, voting right and adoption requirements At the time of convening the general meeting, the companys share capital amounts to a nominal value of DKK 219,749,230, divided into a class A share capital of a nominal value of DKK 112,316,270 (11,231,627 shares of a nominal value of DKK 10 each) and a class B share capital of a nominal value of DKK 107,432,960 (10,743,296 shares of a nominal value of DKK 10 each). Each class A share of a nominal value of DKK 10 entitles to ten votes, and each class B share of a nominal value of DKK 10 entitles to one vote according to article 9.b of the Articles of Association. Shareholders are entitled to vote, if they on the record date, Wednesday, 29 March 2017, are registered in the companys register of shareholders or have given notice to the company of a change of ownership, which the company has received for the purpose of registration in the register of shareholders, but which has not yet been registered according to article 9.c. of the Articles of Association, and who have requested admission cards or submitted absentee votes in due time. All proposals on the agenda may be adopted by a simple majority vote. Admission cards As something new this year, the company will issue electronic admission cards. The electronic admission card(s) will be sent to the email address provided by the shareholder in the shareholder portal and which has been registered in the register of shareholders. Shareholders must bring the admission card(s) to the general meeting, either electronically on a smartphone/tablet or in a print version. Shareholders also have the option to collect admission card(s) at the registration counter at the entrance to the general meeting upon providing proper proof of identification. At the registration counter, shareholders will receive a printed ballot for the general meeting upon providing proof of admission card(s) or identification. Shareholders wishing to attend the general meeting must request an admission card no later than Friday, 31 March 2017. Admission cards can be obtained as follows: (a) electronically via the shareholder portal on www.rockwool.com/shareholder by using the password and deposit account information sent directly to all registered shareholders or NemID; (b) by returning the completed registration form to Computershare A/S, Kongevejen 418, DK-2840 Holte. The registration form has been sent to all registered shareholders, who have requested it, and is also available at the companys website, www.rockwool.com/agm; or (c) by contacting Computershare A/S by phone, (+ 45) 4546 0997 (weekdays between 09:00 and 15:30 (CET)) or by email, gf@computershare.dk. Proxy A shareholder may utilise his/her voting rights by proxy, provided that the proxy holder substantiates his right to attend the general meeting by presenting an admission card and a dated proxy form in writing. The proxy form is available at the companys website, www.rockwool.com/agm, and can also be obtained from Computershare A/S. Computershare A/S must receive the completed proxy form no later than on Friday, 31 March 2017. The proxy form may be sent in writing by ordinary mail or electronically via the shareholder portal on www.rockwool.com/shareholder. Absentee votes (voting by correspondence) A shareholder may exercise his/her voting rights by submitting an absentee vote. A form for submitting absentee votes may be obtained at the companys website, www.rockwool.com/agm, and may also be obtained from Computershare A/S. Computershare A/S must receive the absentee votes no later than Monday, 3 April 2017. Absentee votes can be sent in writing by ordinary mail or electronically via the shareholder portal on www.rockwool.com/shareholder. Publication of documents The notice including the agenda, the complete proposals, information about voting rights and capital structure at the time of the notice convening the annual general meeting, the audited annual report as well as the form of proxy and absentee votes will be available at the companys website, www.rockwool.com/agm, in the period from the publication of the notice and until and including the day of the general meeting. A printed copy of the ROCKWOOL Group 2016 (pamphlet with extract of the annual report) and the ROCKWOOL Foundation Annual Report 2016 may be ordered on our website www.rockwool.com/order. Questions The company encourages all shareholders to actively take part in the annual general meeting, by providing questions to the companys management on any matters that may require clarification. Up until the day before the general meeting the shareholders can submit questions in writing to the company regarding the agenda or documents for the purpose of the general meeting. Yours sincerely, ROCKWOOL International A/S On behalf of the board of directors Bjrn Hi Jensen, Chairman of the board of directors By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 03/09/2017 ADVERTISEMENT FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. star Nick Viall has narrowed his list of potential bachelorettes matches to only two suitors.Nick, a 36-year-old former software salesman from Wisconsin, sent Rachel Lindsay packing during a Rose Ceremony in Finland after enjoying a romantic fantasy suite date with her.Rachel got her heart broken after confessing to the Bachelor that she was falling in love with him. Nick even said in reply, "Rachel, I am falling for you, like, 100 percent.""It's hard to hear how great you are and [about] how much love somebody has got for you but then they still don't choose you, and that's the story of my life. I know how great it could've been," Rachel said in tears following her ouster."Maybe I didn't show all that. Maybe he didn't get that. I wanted someone to have that undeniable, unconditional, unexplainable love for me, and I want to feel the same way for them, so it's back to square one."Rachel will, however, get another shot at love as ette's upcoming thirteenth-season star.With Rachel gone, two bachelorettes remain in the running for Nick's heart: Vanessa Grimaldi and Raven Gates In the latest episode, Nick and Vanessa had a playful date in which they ran back and forth from a steamy sauna room to an ice bath. It wasn't until they completed multiple rounds of this torture that they got to relax and get to know one another better in a hot tub.Raven enjoyed her fantasy suite date with Nick in last week's broadcast.While Raven seems completely smitten with Nick with no hesitations or reservations, Vanessa is just the opposite. There is no doubt in Vanessa's mind she could envision spending the rest of her life with Nick, but at the same time, the couple hasn't decided where they would live since Nick resides in Los Angeles, CA, and Vanessa is from Montreal, Canada.Vanessa also wants to be able to have lunch with her large Italian family in Montreal every single Sunday, which Nick must have realized would be a big undertaking if he doesn't decide to move there.Nick's bond with both women appears strong, but they certainly bring different things to the table -- challenges and positives.Both women, however, are strong, feisty, intelligent and beautiful. And most importantly, Raven and Vanessa are both truly in love with star.Nick has one more huge decision to make about his future wife and partner in life. Will he choose Raven or Vanessa, and will he propose marriage? If he chooses to get engaged, will the bachelorette be on the same page and accept his offer?According to Reality Steve spoiler blogger Steve Carbone, Nick rejects Raven in favor of Vanessa at the final Rose Ceremony. As a result, Vanessa walks away from the process with Nick's final rose and a Neil Lane diamond engagement ring!As for the current status of Nick and Vanessa's romance, Reality Steve claims they are still happily engaged. Apparently Nick's fourth attempt at finding love on a reality dating series truly was the charm!Below are the two bachelorettes still in the running for Nick's heart: Vanessa Grimaldi , a 29-year-old special education teacher from Montreal, Quebec, Canada Raven Gates , a 25-year-old fashion boutique owner from Hoxie, AR Do Assault Weapon Bans Infringe Upon the Second Amendment? Some of you will recall a time when the gun-control push targeted handguns. Handgun bans popped up in multiple U.S. locations, including Washington D.C. and Chicago, where residents were denied the ability to buy them. These bans were later shut down by the United States Supreme Court in two cases: one in 2008 (District of Columbia v. Heller) and one in 2010 (McDonald v. Chicago). These cases were the last time Americans received any direction on the meaning of shall not be infringed from the Court. The author of one of these Supreme Court decisions, the late Justice Antonin Scalia, cleared up any misunderstanding about whose rights are protected by the Second Amendment. On behalf of the Supreme Court, in the written opinion for the most important Second Amendment case in history (the Heller case mentioned above), he wrote that, with few exceptions, the Second Amendment protects the right of all Americans to keep and bear arms for lawful reasons, not just those citizens involved with the military. He wrote that the Second Amendment protects our right to keep and bear firearms that are in common use. Fast forward to 2017, when state and local governments, including cities and counties, have shrugged their shoulders at their inability to ban handguns and instead, are banning all kinds of other firearms by name and by feature. These same governments are also banning magazines holding more than a certain number of rounds. These assault weapon and large-capacity magazine bans are the new anti-gun craze. Federal courts, including the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals a few weeks ago, have upheld these bans, and are defying citizens the right to keep and bear some of the most common firearms in the country. Clearly, Americans need another Supreme Court decision, the prospect of which is both dangerous and exciting. The Activist Judge Activist judges reach their conclusion first, and then twist and turn the law into a pretzel to justify that conclusion. If an activist judge does not like guns, he or she will find support for an assault weapon ban despite the Constitution or the prior decision of the Supreme Court. Justice Scalia had a simple way of commenting on activist judges: If youre going to be a good and faithful judge, you have to resign yourself to the fact that youre not always going to like the conclusions you reach. If you like them all the time, youre probably doing something wrong. Perhaps more than in any other area of the law, the courts have become activists to restrict the protection of our Second Amendment. The judges who should be protecting and upholding our Constitution are instead dismantling it because they, personally, do not like guns. The Fourth Circuits decision in the recent case of Kolbe v. Hogan is a classic example of how activist judges are making decisions about Second Amendment issues based upon personal feelings rather than the law. Assault Weapons and Magazine Bans Like daffodils in spring, assault weapon bans are popping up across the United States. Marylands Firearms Safety Act of 2013 is typical in its language and in the fact that it was passed after the Sandy Hook school shooting. The Maryland ban lists 45 firearms by name, including the AK-47, the SKS, the AR-15, and the mini-14. The law also bans any copy cat rifles that have certain cosmetic features, such as folding stocks and flash suppressors. Despite the popularity and common use of the rifles that are banned by this law, a panel of judges sitting for the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals decided that the ban does not violate the Constitution. The courts written opinion, its sell if you will, begins with an emotional plea. Youve heard it all before, often from the mouth of our former President. The courts opinion first recites the murders in Newtown, stating that a gunman used an AR-15-type Bushmaster rifle and detachable 30-round magazines to murder 20 first-graders and six adults in the Sandy Hook Elementary School Nine terrified children ran from one of the classrooms when the gunman paused to reload, while two youngsters successfully hid in a restroom. Another child was the other classrooms sole survivor. In all, the gunman fired at least 155 rounds of ammunition within five minutes, shooting each of his victims multiple times. The courts written opinion goes on to recount the shootings in Aurora, Virginia Tech, Fort Hood, San Bernardino, and Orlando. The opinion even mentions that the SIG SAUER MCX used by the terrorist in the Orland nightclub was developed at the request of our Armys special forces and is known in some military circles as the Black Mamba. The opinion, voicing the legal analysis of ten judges, concludes that the banned assault weapons and large-capacity magazines are not protected by the Second Amendment because they are like M-16 rifles weapons that are most useful in military service, and which, supposedly, Justice Scalia in the written Heller opinion singled out as being beyond the Second Amendments reach. Wait. What? This Court is trying to sell to the American people that the Heller decision somehow stands for the proposition that common, everyday firearms are beyond the Second Amendments reach if they are useful for military service. Three Major Problems with the Fourth Circuits Analysis First, the Heller decision was not a case about rifle or magazine bans. The ability to own those types of firearms was not in question at the time the Heller case was decided, and the court did not specifically say that firearms useful in military service could be banned. Rather, the specific question of whether a ban on assault weapons and magazine capacities is constitutional has not specifically been answered by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has never stated that the test for whether or not a firearm is protected for ownership by the Second Amendment is whether it would be useful in military service. The Supreme Court did say, however, that firearms that are in common use are protected. Second, even if the Heller case stood for the proposition that military service rifles are not protected (which it does not), the AR-15 has never been issued as a military service rifle. ARs, and the other banned firearms, are used mainly by law-abiding, American citizens. Rifles like M-16 rifles would also, obviously, be fully automatic firearms. Most of the firearms banned by Marylands and other states laws are only semi-automatic. Not all the judges reviewing the case for the Fourth Circuit agreed with the courts decision to allow firearms and magazines to be banned. Four judges disagreed with the ten judges deciding the Kolbe case. Judge Traxler wrote an opposing opinion, where he pointed out factual flaws in the other judges opinion: The majoritys assertion might surprise the United States Army, which sets the maximum effective rates of M4- and M16-series rifles operating in semi-automatic mode at 45 to 65 rounds per minute only about five rounds in five seconds (not 30 rounds as the majority believes). This is far slower than 150 to 200 rounds per minute that may effectively be fired by the same arms operating in fully automatic mode. Finally, the author of the Heller decision, Justice Scalia, specifically disagreed in writing with what the Fourth Circuit court just tried to sell to America. You see, the issue of whether assault weapon bans are constitutional has been put before the Supreme Court before. In 2015, a man denied his right to own an assault weapon sued the city he lived in because it banned AR-15s. He asked the Supreme Court to review his case (this case is referred to as Friedman v. City of Highland Park). The Supreme Court in 2015 refused to hear the case (known in the legal world as denied cert.). Because the Supreme Court did not bother to even listen to this mans case, it allowed the assault weapon ban to remain in place. This ban is very similarly worded to the Maryland ban. At the time of the Friedman case, two justices, Justice Thomas and Justice Scalia, disagreed with the Supreme Courts refusal to hear the case. In what is called a dissenting opinion (an opinion written by the judge or justices who disagree with a majority vote), they argued that the Court should hear the case because they believed that bans on common, semi-automatic rifles, such as the AR-15, are unconstitutional. Heres a quote from their written opinion: Roughly 5-million Americans own AR-style semiautomatic rifles. The overwhelming majority of citizens who own and use such rifles do so for lawful purposes, including self-defense and target shooting. Under our precedents, that is all that is needed for citizens to have a right under the Second Amendment to keep such weapons. If the test for whether a firearm is protected by the Second Amendment is whether or not it would be useful for military service, courts and legislatures could potentially ban every firearm in the country, including the handguns that were specifically protected by the Supreme Court. Where do we go from here? Since 2010, the United States Supreme Court has remained silent on protecting us from assault weapon bans, magazine bans, and other Second Amendment issues, such as our right to carry concealed firearms and onerous permitting processes. The last word from our Court on what, exactly, the Second Amendment protects is that we have the individual right to keep and bear a handgun in our own homes for self-defense purposes, which cannot be infringed by any federal, state or local government. Decisions that, to many gun owners, infringe on the right to keep and bear arms have been cropping up all over the country since we last heard from the judiciary branch on this topic. It is possible, and even likely, that the United States Supreme Court will soon address the issue of assault weapon bans, as well as other Second Amendment concerns. Lawyers must choose carefully the cases to put before our Supreme Court, or we could wind up with decisions that hurt, rather than help, American gun owners. Timing is also important. The right case must proceed to the right Supreme Court a Court of judicial conservatives. As we have seen, not all judges or justices follow the law or strictly uphold our Constitution. As Justice Scalia pointed out, Undoubtedly some think that the Second Amendment is outmoded in a society where our standing army is the pride of our Nation, where well-trained police forces provide personal security, and where gun violence is a serious problem. That is perhaps debatable, but what is not debatable is that it is not the role of this Court to pronounce the Second Amendment extinct. Hopefully, our emerging, new, Supreme Court will believe this as well. Learn more about Alex Kincaid at www.alexkincaid.com. Ocean View, Delaware, March 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The growth forecast report Concentrated Solar Power Market Size, By Technology (Parabolic, Linear Fresnel, Power Tower, Dish), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Spain, Italy, Australia, Morocco, China, India, South Africa, Chile, Saudi Arabia, the UAE), Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016 2025 by Global Market Insights, Inc. says Concentrated Solar Power Market size will cross 24 GW by 2025. Growing adoption of clean energy fuel over conventional fuel will drive the global concentrated solar power market size over the forecast timeframe. Government measure towards carbon footprints and greenhouse gas emissions may further compliant the industry growth. Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/1164 Rising electricity demand coupled with increasing investments to raise efficiency index will foster the concentrated solar power market share. In July 2016, U.S. federal government funded USD 9 million towards research and development of six CSP projects with an aim to reduce the overall project cost through technological advancements. Declining component cost coupled with favorable government incentives including carbon credits, and renewable energy certificates will upsurge the global concentrated solar power market by 2025. Easy integration with grid makes it most cost-effective energy alternatives for large scale power generation. Ability to store solar energy as heat, CSP can deliver low emission power, even after the sun sets. Reliably and flexibly of power supply help to mitigate the supply and demand mismatch. However, high capital cost compared to other available sustainable energy may act as restraint over the forecast timeline. Parabolic troughs accounted for over 70% of the global concentrated solar power market in 2015. Low cost with matured technology are some of the advantages over other available thermal systems will may positively impact the business growth. Global concentrated solar power market size from power tower for 2015 was valued over USD 2.8 billion. Improved heat storage, high efficiency, low cost, and effective capacity factor may favor the business landscape. Browse key industry insights spread across 117 pages with 149 market data tables & 11 figures & charts from this 2017 report Concentrated Solar Power Market in detail along with the table of contents at: https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/concentrated-solar-power-market U.S. concentrated solar power market share will see growth, of over 8% by 2025. Federal government initiatives including tax rebate, financial assistance and net metering will complement the industry outlook. Chile concentrated solar power market revenue is set to witness strong growth of over 25% over the forecast timeframe. Favorable climatic conditions with strong pipeline projects will boost the business. Morocco is set to exceed USD 5 billion by 2025. Noor solar plan targets of 2 GW of solar capacity addition by 2020 will positively favor the industry growth. Spain concentrated solar power market size for 2015 was valued over USD 15 billion. Government emphasis to replace conventional fossil fuel technology with efficient clean energy technology will augment the industry landscape. China concentrated solar power market is predicted to exceed 7 GW by 2025. The Government of China in its 13th five year plans aim to install 110GW solar power plants, of which 5GW will be accounted from CSP. Favorable initiatives including feed in tariff and tax benefits may further boost the business. Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @ https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/1164 Concentrated solar power market research report includes in-depth coverage of the industry with estimates & forecast in terms of volume in MW and revenue in USD Million from 2014 to 2025 , for the following segments: Global Concentrated Solar Power, By Technology Parabolic Linear Fresnel Power Tower Dish The above information is provided country basis for the following : U.S. Spain Italy Australia Morocco China India South Africa Chile Saudi Arabia UAE Browse Related Reports: Solar Panel Recycling Management Market Size By Process (Thermal, Mechanical, Laser), By Product (Monocrystalline, Polycrystalline, Thin Films PV Cells), By Shelf Life (Early Loss, Normal Loss), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, Germany, Italy, France, UK, Spain, Ukraine, Denmark, Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Chile, Mexico, Brazil), Application Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016 2024 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/solar-panel-recycling-management-market Floating Solar Panels Market Size By Product (Tracking, Stationary), By Capacity (0.1-1 MW, 1-5 MW, 5 MW), By Connectivity (On Grid, Off Grid), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., UK, Italy, Netherlands, Japan, South Korea, China, India, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Brazil, Israel), Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016 2024 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/floating-solar-panels-market About Global Market Insights Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology. Contact Us: Arun Hegde Corporate Sales, USA Global Market Insights, Inc. Phone: 1-302-846-7766 Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688 Email: sales@gminsights.com Web: https://www.gminsights.com Blog: https://gminsights.wordpress.com Connect with us: Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter Hosted by the advertising and marketing agency Moxie, FutureX Live brings innovators, educators and major leaders in technology, entertainment and media together for a full-day event of panels, presentations and tech expositions. A few broken guitar and banjo strings never got in the way of one local Athens bands dreams of spreading their music. Analysts and sector experts pin this trend down to the aspirational nature of home and personal products. Viveat Susan Pinto reports. IMAGE: Inside an Amul processing unit. An expert says, "What MNCs have is globally-tested best practices and formulations that work well in home and personal care. Products are uniform across markets. In food, uniformity doesn't help. It is local tastes and preferences that work." Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters . India's nearly 3 lakh crore consumer goods market throws up an interesting trend. Multinational companies such as Hindustan Unilever (HUL), Procter & Gamble (P&G), Colgate-Palmolive and RB (formerly Reckitt Benckiser) dominate the home and personal care category here. Indian entities such as Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), marketer of the Amul brand of dairy products, biscuit maker Parle Products, Britannia and ITC dominate the food category. Analysts and sector experts pin this trend down to the aspirational nature of home and personal products, drawing Indian consumers to global brands. Food, on the other hand, is local in nature, they say, with Indian companies having a better handle on consumer preferences than their MNC rivals in this category. Arvind Singhal, chairman, Technopak, says, "What MNCs have is globally-tested best practices and formulations that work well in home and personal care. Products are uniform across markets. In food, uniformity doesn't help. It is local tastes and preferences that work, helping local food companies over their global rivals." A look at the 2015-16 top lines reported by food and home and personal care companies makes the picture. HUL, the country's largest consumer goods company, derived 77.3 per cent of its 2015-16 top line (31,987 crore) from home and personal care alone, its annual report for the period shows. Home and personal care includes soaps and detergents, which gave HUL 47.1 per cent of its 2015-16 top line, while personal products gave it 30.2 per cent of its top line. Packaged food, on the other hand, gave HUL only 6.6 per cent of its 2015-16 topline. Rival P&G, operating only in home and personal care, cumulatively derived 10,248 crore from its three companies in India in 2015-16. This included listed companies P&G Hygiene and Healthcare, P&G Home Products and Gillette India. P&G, for the record, has a July-June accounting period. British consumer goods maker RB, meanwhile, which is best known for its Dettol brand in India, reported a 2015-16 top line of 5,606 crore, while Colgate-Palmolive, the country's largest oral care company, reported a 2015-16 top line of 4,162 crore. In food, GCMMF, whose Amul brand is among India's most popular food products, tops the list with a turnover of 23,004 crore for 2015-16, while Parle Products has an 2015-16 turnover of 9,500 crore, according to industry estimates. Britannia's 2015-16 top line is 8,607 crore and ITC Foods 2015-16 top line, according to analysts estimates, is 7,779 crore, which is 80 per cent of its total turnover from its consumer business minus cigarettes. Abneesh Roy, senior vice-president at brokerage house Edelweiss, says, "Companies such as HUL have limited exposure currently to (packaged) foods. This explains why its turnover from food is small vis-a-vis home and personal care. "Secondly, local companies have dedicated supply chains like ITCs e-choupal, helping them in the food category. "Thirdly, global giants have traditionally been strong in home and personal care in India because they come from markets where products are evolved. Their product formulations are better, giving them the edge here." While some experts believe that the growing herbal/ayurvedic trend could upset the apple cart for MNCs in home and personal care, others say this is a long way off. "Though usage of herbal/ayurvedic products has been growing in the country thanks to proponents such as Patanjali, MNC consumer goods companies have been quick to respond to the trend," G Chokkalingam, founder, Equinomics Research & Advisory, says. HUL itself has revived its Ayush brand recently to counter Patanjali and is now introducing herbal variants of key brands such as Fair & Lovely in skin creams. Most other majors, including Colgate-Palmolive, are also increasing their emphasis on herbal variants in toothpastes. In the past, Qatar Airways has repeatedly expressed a desire to invest in IndiGo, the countrys largest domestic airline. State-owned carrier of Qatar, Qatar Airways, will start a new domestic airline in India, its Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker announced on Wednesday. While he did not elaborate on the plans, Al Baker, responding to media queries at an event in Berlin, said the airline would partner with his governments investment arm, Qatar Investment Authority, and soon make an application to the Indian government for approval. This would make it Indias first fully owned foreign airline. In the past, Qatar Airways has repeatedly expressed a desire to invest in IndiGo, the countrys largest domestic airline. Sources said Qatar Airways signed a letter of intent to purchase 60 Boeing 737 Max aircraft last October; some of these could be for the new airline in India. IndiGo declined to comment on Al Bakers announcement. An informal discussion happened with the Qatar Airways authorities when the government requested them to consider starting an airline in India, but nothing has been finalised, a senior civil aviation ministry official said. Last year, the government amended foreign direct investment norms, allowing full foreign investment in a local airline. However, the ownership in such a venture would be restricted at 49 per cent. Rules also mandate an airline must operate at least 20 aircraft the country before being allowed to fly abroad. Another ministry official said there was no plan to amend the substantial ownership and control norms in the near future. This could prove to be a hurdle for Al Bakers plans. Qatar Airways, one of the Big 3 Gulf airlines, has been trying to expand its presence in India but its growth has been constrained because of limitation of traffic right. Rival Etihad Airways, based in Abu Dhabi, has gained and become the fastest growing foreign airline in India, following its investment in Jet Airways in 2013. Over the past few years Qatar Airways has been stepping up its investments. It is purchasing 49 per cent stake in Italian carrier Meridiana. In December, Qatar Airways bought 10 per cent stake in Chiles LATAM Airlines. We are not surprised with Qatar Airways announcement. However, launching the airline may not be easy and incumbent airlines will do everything possible to block it, said Kapil Kaul, CEO-South Asia of aviation consultancy firm CAPA. UIDAI has asked police to investigate, it was not fully convinced about nature of the incident The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has registered a criminal case against unknown persons after it found that biometric details of individuals were illegally stored and used for carrying out unauthorised transactions. Under the UIDAI Act, storing of biometrics and using these for any purpose other than for authentication or verification by the registered agencies is a criminal offence punishable by a jail term of at least three years. Though the UIDAI has asked the police to investigate, it was not fully convinced about the nature of the incident. In the First Information Report (FIR), reviewed by Business Standard, the UIDAI said certain persons in clear violation of the provisions of the Aadhaar Act, 2016, the IT Act and other provisions of various laws in force have tried to do unauthorised authentication, impersonation and have indulged in spreading false rumour regarding the Aadhaar eco-system. The issue was enquired into at the UIDAI headquarters and it was found that the video posted in the said article presumably demonstrated a lady performing authentication under the name of Gaurav Vasant Nikam. UIDAI got into action after Sameer Kochhar of the Skoch group wrote an article and posted a video on Twitter allegedly showing how the Aadhaar authentication system was flawed and vulnerable. In a conversation someone claimed that Aadhaar data can be hacked and explained the process. Finding it incredible, I asked the person for proof and I was sent a video claiming an ethical hack of Aadhaar, which I published with the story. We have the electronic trail of the related communication with the source. We have never asked anyone to hack the Aadhaar data and I have neither ever met nor know the people in the video who did the hack. I am a patriot first and then a journalist and did my duty, Kochhar said, denying any knowledge that a case has been registered against him. I have no knowledge of it and no one has approached me, he said. In its own investigation, the UIDAI found that Aadhaar data was intact on its servers, but some multiple concurrent transactions had taken place using the same biometrics at the end of its empaneled agencies. The UIDAI investigation revealed that the biometric match score was the same for many transactions. Match score can be constant only if the biometrics are stored and re-used. An individuals match score differs every time because of multiple angles and hand pressure while matching fingerprints. UIDAI has asked the Delhi Police to investigate violation of various provisions under the UIDAI Act, Information Technology Act, and the Indian Penal Code. The thinking in the UIDAI was that the incident could be a deliberate attempt to tarnish its image. But there was no deniability that the incident has exposed the vulnerability at the end of the authentication user agencies (AUAs). The police has registered a case against unknown persons under penal code Sections 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent), 419 (punishment for cheating by personation), and 120 B (criminal conspiracy). Besides invoking provisions of the UIDAI Act, the police has also added Section 65 (tampering with computer source documents) and Section 66 C (punishment for identity theft) of the IT Act. The UIDAI, which heard its AUAs on Monday, was now deliberating whether it should take action against the authenticating user agency by terminating their contracts or wait for the police to complete its investigation. Currently, about 400 agencies, both government and private, are registered with the UIDAI for the purpose of authentication and e-KYC (know your customer) as well as cashless transactions through the Aadhaar-enabled payment system. These agencies use Aadhaar services without paying a fee. The agencies take fingerprints of a person and then relay these to the Aadhaar database for verification. The UIDAI sends back a message confirming or denying the identity of the person. Similarly, banks use the Aadhaar payment system to make cashless transactions by taking the fingerprints of the person and matching it with the Aadhaar database. Till date, 320 million monetary transactions have taken place using the Aadhaar-based payment system and over 4,000 million transactions have used Aadhaar for authentication purposes. Experts have criticised the Union government on two accounts. They alleged that the government spent hundreds and thousands of taxpayers money to build databases to help private businesses save huge cost. Their argument was based on the fact that telecom service provides and banks had saved huge amounts of money, which they would have otherwise had spent on verification of their customers and storing the data both offline and online. Government official, however, argued the Centre wanted to promote Digital India and the current policy was for betterment of residents. If the government dont give this service for free, service providers will charge fee from customers. In future, we may charge service providers, said a senior government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. But the critics are worried the biometric data of more than 500 million stored on Aadhaar can be accessed by empanelled agencies and misused. The recent incident of alleged storage of biometrics and its alleged misuse by some authentication user agencies has brought back an old debate about safe storage of biometrics. DENVER, March 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blue Line Protection Group, Inc. (OTCPink:BLPG), a leading security, transportation and risk mitigation solutions provider for financial institutions servicing the legal cannabis industry, is pleased to announce its vaulting and processing division has seen triple-digit growth from October 2016 through January 2017. Since our vaulting and processing division began operations last year, weve seen a tremendous increase in the number of clients served by our transportation and currency processing services, said Daniel Allen, Blue Lines CEO. Blue Line provides currency vaulting and processing solutions to financial institutions serving high-risk industries. Blue Line serves the financial institutions clients by securely transporting their cash assets from their business locations to Blue Lines secure vaulting facility in Denver, Colorado. From October 2016 through January 2017, Blue Line experienced an increase in client currency deposits of 292 percent. Revenue for processing those deposits grew 325 percent during the same period. In terms of dollars, weve seen a significant increase in what were collecting and processing for our clients, added Mr. Allen. The nearly 300 percent increase is testament to the fact that Blue Line provides a necessary and unique service to high-risk clients who depend primarily on cash to keep their businesses competitive and viable. Blue Line not only provides currency processing for financial institutions and their customers, its vaulting and processing division also fulfills coin, change and ATM orders for its clients. From October 2016 through January 2017, Blue Line experienced a 2,000 percent increase in its change and ATM fulfillment services for its clients across Colorado. Its a tremendous growth curve, and weve seen no evidence of it tapering off, added Mr. Allen. By having Blue Line fulfill their change and ATM currency needs, our clients have a reliable and responsive solution to maintaining their cash flow and providing uninterrupted service to their customers. Our clients used to have to fulfill their change needs by visiting other local businesses or banks, placing themselves at risk by transporting money outside of their stores. Now, Blue Line securely delivers change directly to their businesses. Blue Line also provides independent, verifiable ATM reloading services, providing financial institutions the assurance they need that their clients revenue is being accounted for appropriately. Revenue for providing these change and ATM order services increased over 400 percent during the October 2017 through January 2017 period. Over the same period, Blue Lines transportation services saw an increase of nearly 290 percent in terms of the number of currency assets collected from and delivered for its clients. Each one of those currency asset packages is collected and protected by our trained, licensed and badged armored transportation personnel, added Mr. Allen. Our personnel provide a level of customer service and communication unmatched by other armored service providers. In addition to the explosive growth in its cash processing and vaulting division, Blue Lines licensed investigators have also conducted nearly 400 on-site compliance investigations of legal marijuana businesses for financial institutions, helping them comply with their know your customer requirements. Blue Lines independent, third-party assessment verification helps reduce business transactional fraud and risks to financial institutions offering banking services. From on-site investigations, to currency collection and processing, to change and ATM order fulfillment, Blue Line is helping financial institutions and their clients operate safe, secure and compliant businesses, added Mr. Allen. As we expand into other states, we can deploy this model to provide the same level of compliance and currency processing to clients and financial institutions across the country. About Blue Line Protection Group, Inc. Blue Line Protection Group provides consulting, armed security, compliance and investigations, transportation and secure vaulting services to banks, businesses and government entities who need to protect their assets, licenses and clients. Blue Line serves banks and credit unions by providing currency processing and transportation solutions, and its risk mitigation services help financial institutions serving cash-intensive industries comply with federal know your customer mandates. For more information, visit www.BlueLineProtectionGroup.com. Safe Harbor Statement This release includes forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and reflects management's current expectations. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations. Some of these factors include: general global economic conditions; general industry and market conditions, sector changes and growth rates; uncertainty as to whether our strategies and business plans will yield the expected benefits; increasing competition; availability and cost of capital; the ability to identify and develop and achieve commercial success; the level of expenditures necessary to maintain and improve the quality of services; changes in the economy; changes in laws and regulations, including codes and standards, intellectual property rights, and tax matters; or other matters not anticipated; our ability to secure and maintain strategic relationships and distribution agreements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Today as one sees the Owaisi brothers of Hyderabad seeking to lay claim as the custodians of the Muslim vote and the upholders of the community's interests, it is Syed Shahabuddin who springs to mind for having been there, done that, says Saisuresh Sivaswamy. IMAGE: Syed Shahabuddin, centre, with members of the Babri Masjid Action Committee -- to his left, the late Indian Union Muslim League MPs Ebrahim Sulaiman Sait and G M Banatwala, to his right, a younger Azam Khan, now the Muslim face of the Samajwadi Party, behind him the late Salahuddin Owaisi, the MIM MP from Hyderabad and Asaduddin Owaisi and Akbar Owaisi's father. How does one explain Syed Shahabuddin to a generation for whom the name barely rings a bell, but who in his time not so long ago, was a critical player in the nation's affairs? And whose role in bringing the nation to its current pass, where identity politics has not only moved from the fringes where it was just a generation ago, when Shahabuddin strode the political proscenium, to the centrestage now? Would it be accurate to describe Shahabuddin as the originator of Muslim identity politics in free India? Or should he be described as the mirror image of the nascent Hindu right of the 1980s, who as founder of the journal Muslim India copped many a criticism for not calling it 'Indian Muslim'? Can Shahabuddin be called the forerunner to the brand of politics practised by the Owaisi brothers of Hyderabad? It is hard to put Syed Shahabuddin, who gave up his Indian Foreign Service sinecure to dirty his hands with Muslim politics, into any one bin. To understand him and his politics, it is necessary to go back to the time that made and unmade so many political careers. Including his own. The 1980s. Barely a generation had passed since the first general elections had been held in the young Republic. But those years, it seemed, had served to unravel the grand consensus forged in the fire of the freedom movement and which had held the nation-State together so far. No sooner had the sub-national tendencies in Dravida land been extinguished than the fires leaped out in the north-east. Even as India was coming to terms with fighting its own citizens, its most prosperous state went up in flames. It was a splintered, fragmented India that faced the world in the 1980s, one that was at war with itself. Murphy's law says that what can go wrong will go wrong. It seemed to us then that the perspicacious line had a special resonance for India, for everything went wrong with the country, starting with the election of a political greenhorn as leader with a stupendous majority in those fraught times. Rajiv Gandhi's heart was in the right place, no doubt about it, though one was not so sure if his head was. Thus in right earnest he set about putting out the mini fires across India, signing accords swiftly. One with Laldenga in Mizoram, another with Subhash Ghising in Darjeeling, and the most far-reaching of all, the one with Harcharan Singh Longowal in Punjab that went a long way in restoring dignity to its proud people. That was the heart in Rajiv working overtime, as he went about correcting the mistakes of the past, most of which can be laid at the door of his redoubtable mother. But it was the head which was creating a new set of problems. Even as old fires were extinguished, new ones were being lit, some by commission, some by omission, about which his government had no clue. The outcome was that the schism between the two major communities of India widened, and has stayed more or less that way for the last 30 years. Into this breach stepped in Shahabuddin on one side, and the fledgling Bharatiya Janata Party on the other with an incredible Lok Sabha presence of all of 2 members. The battle in India then was over issues that were prickly as they were unavoidable. Were they religious in nature, or 'secular'? What was it when the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the old and abandoned widow Shah Bano's claim for maintenance? Secular, or religious? The government of the Westernised, liberal Rajiv Gandhi was expected to respect the court verdict and leave it at that. But he was browbeaten by the vociferous Muslim orthodoxy within his own Congress party, led by the likes of Z A Ansari, and the likes of Shahabuddin outside, to quickly legislate and overturn the court verdict. That moderate voices like Arif Mohammed Khan's were ignored, their advice disregarded, will always be a black mark against the young prime minister who single-handedly presided over secularism's decline. It was this single gesture, of succumbing to the orthodoxy, that breathed life into the Hindu Right, represented by the BJP and its aggressive leader, Lal Krishna Advani, even as Shahabuddin grew in stature in his community as one who would fight its battles. Naturally, when he demanded that Salman Rushdie's novel Satanic Verses be banned, without having read a single word of it, the government quickly obliged, before even our neighbour to the West that was formed to uphold Muslim interests did. Shahabuddin may have succeeded in articulating his community's position forcefully, but it was the manner of his very intervention that drew the community deeper within itself and further away from the others. Even conceding the point that he was the tallest Muslim leader in free India -- purely for the sake of argument, mind -- had he chosen a more reasonable path, one of accommodation instead of confrontation, of co-existence instead of conflict, perhaps we will have around us a vastly different India. If the government had not been herded into cancelling a court verdict, it would have had no reason to open the gates of the Babri Masjid-Ram Janambhoomi to pacify the Hindu Right, a decision whose reverberations can be felt through the decades since. If the government had not banned Satanic Verses, the Hindu Right's claim of minority appeasement under the Congress would not have assumed the dimensions of Satya Vachan that it did. Was Shahabuddin really a man of the masses, who held the community in his thrall? A young editor turned politician from Rajiv Gandhi's coterie certainly did not think so and threw an open challenge to take him on in an electoral battle from his pocket borough of Kishanganj, Bihar. It was Shahabuddin who turned tail, M J Akbar winning the seat in style on his debut in an election which rejected the Congress otherwise. And what of Shahabuddin himself? Contesting from Bangalore North as an Independent then, he came 3rd, the seat having been won by C K Jaffer Sharief of the Congress. So much for epithets like 'tallest Muslim leader' etc that have been used by commentators to describe Shahabuddin these last few days. The simple fact is that Shahabuddin perfected identity politics way before it became cool and hip. And the simpler fact is that there are no half measures in identity politics, as we are seeing in world capital after world capital where the Right is quickly shuttering things up. What if Shahabuddin had actually succeeded in emerging as his community's tallest leader? Does the path he had chosen have another exit apart from Jinnahland? A scary thought, redeemed by India's robust, even if often abused, democracy, which showed the community that its true interests can actually be safer in others' hands. Today as one sees the Owaisi brothers of Hyderabad seeking to lay claim as the custodians of the Muslim vote and the upholders of the community's interests, it is Shahabuddin who springs to mind for having been there, done that. There are paths and there are paths through the democratic landscape. The Owaisis are still floundering about, testing their strength and the weakness of their opponents. Hopefully, they will learn plenty from the late diplomat turned politician's remarkable life to ever be tempted by brinkmanship. Post-script: Syed Shahabuddin and M J Akbar did finally clash in Kishanganj, in 1991, the former emerging victor, but it doesn't alter what I have written above. Akbar came 3rd, in a year when the Congress put up a better than expected show in most places, and never contested elections after that. Maybe he will, in 2019. And oh, the person who came 2nd was from the BJP, and was named Kejriwal. Really. 'Hate cannot be channelled only in one direction,' warns Amulya Ganguli. Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com Barack Obama's prediction of a 'meaner, harsher, more troubled world' because of the rise of the white xenophobes is coming true. Both in the US and in Britain, there has been an uncommon spurt in recent months of hate crimes against immigrants following Donald Trump's election as the US president and in post-Brexit Britain. According to the Southern Poverty Law Centre in the US, 'hate activity' after Trump's ascent to power has been above pre-election levels. In Britain, the London metropolitan police noted a 'horrible spike' in hate crimes following the referendum on Britain remaining in the European Union while there was a 41 per cent increase in England and Wales, according to official figures. The targeting of 'aliens' by the ultra-nationalists is the primary distinguishing feature of the present-day 'troubled world'. Among those who arouse the ire of the chauvinists are the Muslims in the US, Britain and other European countries and also any person of 'colour,' irrespective of his or her religion, along with even the white immigrants from Poland and elsewhere who take away the jobs of the locals. 'Get out of my country' is the war cry of the uber-nationalists against the outsiders. This was the dire threat uttered by the former US navy employee against Indian technologist Srinivas Kuchibhotia when shooting him dead in Kansas. The White House has refused to see any link between the crime and Trump's anti-immigration rhetoric. The disinclination is understandable because the US president's success is almost totally based on whipping up such nativist sentiments among his supporters in disaffected white communities whose employment prospects have been hurt by globalisation. In any event, an admission on this score by the White House is unthinkable. Insularity is currently the cornerstone of all Alt-Right parties in Europe, which are gaining ground by exploiting the resentment against and fear of Muslims. There is also apprehension about immigrants eroding the local culture. Britain, too, is proving to be no different although 48 per cent of its people opposed Brexit. The reason is that hate has its own momentum. Even before the Brexit referendum, a promising politician of the Labour Party, Jo Cox, was killed by a man shouting 'put Britain first.' But it is not only the West which is experiencing the violent expression of parochialism. India, too, has seen campaigns by the BJP and its allied organisations, which have included the imposition of their fetishes about beef in their agenda. So passionate is their abhorrence of the consumption of beef that a mob killed a Muslim householder near Delhi on the suspicion that he and his family were eating the forbidden meat. Muslim transporters of cattle have been beaten up or killed while a group of Dalits were beaten up in Gujarat for skinning a cow. One can also hear the angry warning, 'Get out of my country.' BJP Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi's threatening advice to beef-eaters was to go to Pakistan and in Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis felt that those who do not chant 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' have no place in India. The tactics of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the saffron brotherhood's student body, against those it considers anti-nationals is another example of self-appointed patriots running amok. The ABVP recently ensured the cancelling of a seminar in Delhi's Ramjas college by clashing with Leftist student groups over the participation of two Left-leaning students from the Jawaharlal Nehru University and compelled another college to call off a theatre festival because of the allegedly anti-national content of some of the plays. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who started his political career in the ABVP, has muddied the waters by saying that the opponents of the saffron student body constitute an 'alliance of subversion.' However, the saving grace of democracy is its incompatibility with violence. Just as Modi silenced the ghar wapsi and love jihad brigades and stopped the attacks on churches, it is not impossible that he will send a discreet message to the saffron students to cool down. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's rather surprising admonition of those who judge the patriotism of others -- 'doosre ki bhakti naapne ka adhikar kisiko nahin hai (no one has the right to measure anyone's patriotism)' -- is apparently a hint in the direction of restoring sanity. In America and Britain too, the 'horrible spike' in violence against the fabled Other cannot but worry the Republicans and Conservatives. The death of the Indian techie in Kansas is also bound to induce second thoughts about Trump among the saffronites in India who were happy with his anti-Muslim outlook. Now, they will realise that hate cannot be channelled only in one direction. Amulya Ganguli is a writer on current affairs. DO READ the interesting features in the RELATED LINKS below... 'Amartya Sen is a citizen of the country who has every right to criticise or give his opinion on a policy decision.' 'Get back at him! Why get back at Harvard?' IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his road show in Varanasi, March 4, 2017; Photograph: PTI Prateek Kanwal -- who wrote an open letter to Narendra Modi about his 'hard work is more powerful than Harvard' comment at an election rally in Uttar Pradesh last week -- tells Rediff.com's Prasanna D Zore why he crossed swords with the prime minister. Prateek has been at Harvard for less than a year, but such is his respect for the university that he has taken up cudgels with the most powerful man in India for dragging his varsity in his battle of words with Harvard Professor Amartya Sen. Ever since Prateek wrote his 'open letter' to Modi over his 'hard work is more powerful than Harvard' jibe at the Nobel Laureate for criticising demonetisation, his phone has not stopped ringing. Some people want to conduct a television interview with him, others want him to write columns. And because of this 'open letter', which too calls demonetisation a 'disaster', Prateek's day now begins at 6.30 am instead of 7.30 am (US time). "At Harvard our normal work day is 16 hours long, but now I need that extra hour to reply to tweets and do interviews," Prateek says over the phone from Cambridge, Massachusetts, at 7.30 in the morning. "It's been quite hectic the last couple of days. I am completely ignoring the trolls; that's exactly the ideology I don't stand for," says Prateek who is studying public policy at Harvard. Before he was admitted to the famed university, Prateek taught students at a municipal school in Kandivli, northwest Mumbai, for two years and later set up Teach for India chapters in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. "My aim is not to take jibes at people, my aim is to work for the country, solve its problems and that's what I exactly wanted to write (to the PM): Focus on economics, focus on policies, and forget taking jibes at each other." "This culture in India (of taking jibes, and trolling on social media) is taking a turn for the worse. We just don't trust each other; we fight with each other; we just want to put the other person down," he says. "Basically we are mimicking what our leaders are doing on the national stage," he adds. Are you suggesting that Prime Minister Modi was trying to put down Dr Amartya Sen with his Harvard versus hard work comment? It is not about just putting down an individual, in this case Dr Amartya Sen. I am talking about the greater culture... this is just one example. In politics, outdoing each other without focusing on the real issues to be talked about (is the norm). Why can't we focus on the policies and critique them constructively? Obviously, no policy can be foolproof, but you need to admit your failure at some point. That is what Dr Amartya Sen was pointing to. He was critiquing demonetisation and it had nothing personal against the prime minister. As a citizen of this country (India), I am well within my rights to criticise a government policy. He (Dr Sen) is a Nobel Laureate from a university which has been there for the last 500 years. There must be some credibility to what one learns at such a university versus two- -and-half years of ruling. The prime minister must understand that these institutions were not built in a day. And it is not just Amartya Sen who studied here or taught here; there are other renowned economists at Harvard. These economists proved their credentials with their rigour and hard work. The prime minister must just focus on work, keep doing work and people, including ones like me, will rally behind him wholeheartedly. People in the US are saying that 'Trump is not my president'. I am not saying that. I am saying 'Modi is my PM,' and if he is my PM I have all the right to criticise him constructively and he has a right to reply in a very civil manner. That's what democracy is all about. In fact, you should reply to such policy critiques on a policy front. IMAGE: 'Round table with @dpradhanbjp (Dharmendra Pradhan, minister of state (independent charge) petroleum and natural gas, seated fourth from left) and Professor Henry Lee on India's energy security @Kennedy_School' Prateek Kanwal, seated second from left, tweeted on March 4, 2017 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his 'hard work is more powerful than Harvard' statement at an election rally in Maharajganj, Uttar Pradesh. Photograph: Kind courtesy: Prateek Kanwal/Twitter What made you write the open letter to Prime Minister Modi? It's very frustrating to see such debates not being conducted at a civil level. It is full of prejudices, biases, trolling, and that is why I decided to write this letter to express my anguish at the way debates are taking shape these days. These 140 character, one liners do not justify a policy debate; that needs more seriousness. I wanted to talk about a couple of points that need to be kept in mind when you formulate and implement policies (like demonetisation). If you make a policy, you need to have a clear idea of benefits you will derive out of it. You just don't make policies in the dark and then retrospectively think about right and wrong. Policies need to be clearly thought out in advance and then executed to perfection. That is what I wanted to say; that is what Dr Amartya Sen also wanted to say. I don't think Dr Amartya Sen has something personal against the prime minister. During Vajpayee's time (Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee) too there were a lot of policy criticisms. Did you see Vajpayeeji going down to this level? His answers to his critics were articulated in Parliament, not at election rallies. I have not seen that since the time Prime Minister Modi came to office. He is always in campaign mode and that's why I said why don't you just govern because that is what the country needs. Your job is to make policies, implement them and govern the country. In your letter you made a very critical and contentious observation that the PM's remark on Harvard will push away Indians like you who want to serve the country. What makes you think so? There was a term in my social studies book called 'brain drain'. That word would always make me very angry. You know America has been developed by Indians too. Our scientists, our doctors... if you need these people to come back to India you need to create an environment for it. I think by making such remarks (hard work is more powerful than Harvard) you are telling academicians and people who have done well abroad that there is no place for you here. Why would you mock people who are doing good work? You should invite them to come and work for you and join the government. Making such remarks goes on to signal the fact that you are very comfortable with where you are and you don't need any help. It pushes people to stay back here (in the US or abroad) because they feel you have no value for the work they do. If you think that no policy of yours requires any analysis, any scientific backing then people will not come to you. You were at Harvard when the prime minister made this remark. How have the Indian academicians and Indian students at Harvard reacted to the PM's comment? To be really frank, every day is a 16 hour day here. People are busy doing cutting edge research here, but it was this one off comment that needed to be replied to because if you do not reply to such things it spreads to other things as well. I just wanted to put out an opinion from Harvard's perspective while admitting that this is not the general opinion out here. I am sure people here will have their own views, but in general people were surprised by the PM's comment. They are like 'Why would a prime minister, a person of such a stature, one of the most powerful persons in the country and the world ridicule an institution like Harvard?' It is something which nobody expects from the prime minister of India. Just because a prime minister mocked a university, you said that would isolate India from the world. Isn't that too simplistic an assumption? Harvard is one of the biggest universities in the world and it has a grant of some $45 billion. That's equivalent to some big companies in India. Would the PM have said the same thing about a Reliance or Adani or Facebook or Google? He goes and meets Facebook and Google CEOs. So, why ridicule any institution in the first place? Why do you dub demonetisation a 'disaster'? Clearly, 200 people died because of this policy. There is empirical evidence to show that. Then crores of Indian stood in queues to exchange and deposit old notes that were banned because of demonetisation. How many man hours do you think were lost when this happened and how did that harm India's production and productivity? If so many people stood in queues for two months, the productive value of the economy went down. Now, what was the need for such a policy that made people waste their time in queues and what have we got in return? All the black money came in (deposited as accounted money into the banking system). Even if you managed to get a few crores what point, what good, did demonetisation serve? My point is there was loss of life and demonetisation, apart from not achieving anything, resulted in the loss of $200 million -- the statistical value of an average Indian in a lifetime being one million US dollars. Also, the way this policy was implemented made it a disaster. You have to think through policy loopholes in advance. You can't continuously change the course of action after loopholes come to light. Every move has to be pre-empted. But nothing of that sort happened. And that is what Harvard teaches you about the rigours of policy formulations and implementation. Don't you think that the third quarter GDP numbers -- that showed India grew at a healthy 7 per cent between October-December 2016 -- demonetisation, especially when critics said the growth rate would slump to 6 or 6.2 pet cent? Do you know how GDP was calculated for the October-December quarter in 2015? We changed the way we calculate GDP in 2015. The way we calculated this number before 2015 was quite different. The problem with believing the third quarter 2016 GDP numbers is like comparing apples to oranges. These numbers (published by the Central Statistical Organistaion) don't reflect the true numbers. China has been talking about 10 to 12 per cent GDP growth for more than a decade now but these numbers don't add up. So, there is a way to project these numbers to suit oneself. In a real sense if you were to look at the old way of calculating India's GDP numbers then we are still between 6 and 6.4 per cent. You get this bump up to 7 per cent when you change the way you calculated this number. If you look at these numbers critically, wearing an economist's lens, you will realise the difference between the numbers one can reach by following two different methods. So, the numbers published by the CSO is a statistical mirage? Exactly. When you are cooking you can add more masala into it and the dish looks very tasty, but it is just that. It (the GDP numbers) have been spiced up a little bit. Why are you not convinced by the GDP number? Not just me; pick up any economist in the world and tell me if they are happy with these numbers. Is there a debate in the classrooms at Harvard about these numbers? Of course, there is debate, and a healthy one at that. A lot of the voices believe that these numbers have been glorified to show that demontesition gets a leg up. What I am saying is that every government has instruments in its hand and they choose it to suit their needs. In this case, I think this government has taken advantage of certain statistical methods to make sure the government looks good for the polls. Don't you think the prime minister was not taking cudgels with Harvard, but just getting back at Amartya Sen? Dear prime minister: Harvard is not just Amartya Sen and that is what I wanted to say. Amartya Sen is just a citizen of the country who has every right to criticise or give his opinion on a policy decision. Get back at him! Why get back at Harvard? What would be your priority once you come back to India? I want to focus on my dream of making India a place for every student to get excellent education. I want to work to put in place systems that will not fail our children every day and give them the right access, opportunity and exposure to make sure that everyone in India can aspire to join Harvard and not just the top one per cent who can afford and aspire to be at Harvard. I would focus on the remaining 99 per cent and make sure every child gets these opportunities. Two Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorists and a civilian were killed during a nine-hour gunbattle between the ultras and the security forces in Awantipora area of south Kashmirs Pulwama district on Thursday. The encounter broke out in Padgampora village after security forces launched a cordon and search operation around 2.30 am following information about presence of terrorists there, a police official said. The militants, holed up in two adjacent houses, opened fire at security personnel at around 4.40 am and the troops retaliated, triggering a fierce gunbattle which lasted nine hours. The security officials had brought the mother of one of the militants to the site to persuade him to surrender but he refused, he said. The slain ultras were affiliated to LeT outfit and have been identified as Jehangir Ganai and Mohammad Shafi Shergujri, the official said. A 15-year-old civilian -- Amir Nazir Wani -- was also killed after he suffered a bullet wound in the neck during the cross-firing, he said. While local residents claimed security forces fired at the protesters near the encounter site, leading to Wanis death, police officials said the teenager was fatally injured by a stray bullet. Another youth -- Sajad Ahmad Bhat -- was injured after he was hit by a bullet in the hip. He has been referred to Bone and JointHospital for treatment. Train services from Banihal to Srinagar have been suspended temporarily as authorities apprehend that miscreants might target the trains along the south Kashmir tracks. Meanwhile, Armys Director General of Military Operations Lt Gen AK Bhatia on Thursday spoke to his Pakistani counterpart and conveyed Indias concerns over movement of terrorists along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. The DGMO spoke to the Pakistan Army DGMO this morning. He expressed concern regarding the movement of terrorists noticed along the Line of Control, army sources said. Photographs: Umar Ganie An army jawan was killed on Thursday when Pakistani troops violated ceasefire in Poonch sector in Jammu region. Official sources said that Pakistani troops opened fire at Indian posts around 1400 hours at Gulpur area which was effectively retaliated by the army. The sources said that the jawan was injured in the firing from across the border and he was shifted to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The jawan identified as sepoy Deepak Jaganath had suffered a bullet injury in the head. There have been a number of ceasefire violations along the international border and the Line of Control this year. In another case, the bullet-riddled body of an armyman was found at Daraba in Poonch sector with police saying the jawan died under "suspicious circumstances". It is third instance of a jawan dying with bullet injuries in the past 13 days. Police have said that earlier two were cases of suicide. "One jawan has died under suspicious circumstances due to bullet injuries in Draba belt of Surankote tehsil of the district today," Surankote Sub-Divisional Police Officer Asgar Ali Malik told PTI. The deceased is Sepoy Balraj Singh of Rashtriya Rifles, the SDPO said. He said that the body bore several bullet wounds and a case has been registered in this regard and investigation started, the officer said. On March 5, Army jawan Sepoy Roshan Singh has committed suicide by shooting himself with his service weapon while he was on duty in the Krishnagati LoC belt in the district. On February 25, BSF constable Pramodh Kumar, who was guarding a forward post along the LoC in the district had committed suicide by shooting himself with his service rifle. Representative image Police on Thursday arrested a former India Air Force employee who they believe is the "mastermind" of a terror module that included Saifullah, a suspected terrorist killed in an encounter on Wednesday. Mohd Ghaus Khan was picked up from Kanpur by the anti-terrorist squad, and revealed vital information during questioning, said Additional Director General of UP Police Daljit Chaudhary. He said that another suspect, identified only as Azhar, was also arrested by the ATS. Khan "is a technical man and a hardcore member of the module," Chaudhary said, adding he was the "main accused and mastermind" of the module. He said that Azhar, the second suspect, was the main supplier of arms to the module. He did not say where he was arrested from, or in what capacity Khan worked in the air force. The UP police claimed that with these two arrests, all the main members of what they alleged was an Islamic State influenced module are in custody. The latest arrests raised to five the number of people in the UP police custody in connection with the blast on the Bhopal-Ujjain train in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. The MP police also has arrested some people. On Wednesday, the UP police arrested three men after an encounter on the outskirts of Lucknow in which Saifullah was killed after a 12-hour ATS operation. Police say he and his alleged accomplices carried out the train blast in which at least ten persons were injured. Police say he was self-radicalized and was influenced by the Middle Eastern terror group, IS. Saifullah's father has refused to claim his son's body, saying anyone who carries out a terror attack is a traitor to the nation. The National Investigation Agency will probe suspected terror cases, including the Lucknow encounter in which an alleged terrorist linked to a train blast was killed, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday. While the Uttar Pradesh police shot dead suspected terrorist Mohammad Saifullah on Wednesday, six suspects have been arrested by cops in Madhya Pradesh and UP on terror charges, Singh said in a statement in the Lok Sabha. IMAGE: Mohammad Sartaj, father of Saifullah, who has been linked to the Bhopal-Ujjain train blast, refused his body on Wednesday, saying a traitor couldn't be his son. Photograph: PTI Photo Members thumped desks when the minister lauded Saifullahs father Mohammad Sartaj for his refusal to accept his sons body saying if he could not be loyal to the country, how can he be ours. The government is proud of him and I am sure Parliament too is, he said. Reacting to the gesture, Saifullah said, "We thank them for this and it is a matter of happiness that they have acknowledged our decision. It is a good message for the country." "It is a big gesture to laud a small man's decision, and sends out a good message to all countrymen," Sartaj, who lives in Kanpur, told reporters. "A traitor cannot be my son, straight and simple," Sartaj had said about his son Saifullah, a suspected Islamic State terrorist who was killed in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh Police on Wednesday in Lucknow after a 12-hour gunfight. Sartaj had refused to take Saifullah's body, saying, "A traitor cannot be related to me, let alone be my son." Saifullah was suspected to be linked with the blast in the Bhopal-Ujjain train in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. Giving details of various cases registered in the two states following the blast which injured 10 persons, Rajnath said the state police arrested three suspects in Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh, following which the UP cops acted in various parts of the state following information provided by the accused and nabbed three persons. IMAGE: People gather near the site of the encounter between security forces and terrorist who was holed up inside a building in the Thakurganj area of Lucknow. Photograph: Nand Kumar/PTI Photo The above sequence of events presents an excellent example of coordination amongst state police and central agencies. Due to the prompt action taken by the police of both the state, a possible threat to national security was successfully averted. Further investigations will be handed over to the NIA, he said. The home minister also informed the House that eight pistols, 630 live cartridges, Rs 1.5 lakh, three mobiles phone, four sim cards, two wireless sets and some foreign currency were recovered from the place where Saifullah lived. Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who did not campaign in the assembly elections in five states, including Uttar Pradesh, will also give the counting on Saturday a miss as she has flown abroad for treatment. Party sources said that she left for abroad on Wednesday night for a "routine medical check-up" and will return only after Holi on Monday. Though they did not let in on where Gandhi has gone for the check-up, there was speculation that she was in the United States where she had undergone treatment for an undisclosed ailment. Gandhi, who has not been keeping well for quite some time, held a closed-door meeting with senior party leaders and her deputy Rahul Gandhi before her departure. Rahul, Congress vice president, will discharge the functions of the party president in her absence. Rahul, tipped to succeed her over time, spearheaded Congress's election campaign in the five states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur. Sonia Gandhi has been out of action much of the time after having taken ill during a roadshow in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency, on August 2. She was flown to the national capital and admitted to the Army's Research and Referral Hospital before being shifted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. Gandhi was again admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in November for viral fever and discharged after a few days. English Danish Copenhagen, 2017-03-09 13:10 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- cBrain continues investing and building its presence in the US. cBrain is very pleased to announce that Aaron Snow has joined cBrain North America as its Chief Operating Officer (COO). cBrain helps government organizations transform into digital working environments, and Aaron brings a unique level of experience within this field. As a former Presidential Innovation Fellow and 18F Executive Director, Aaron helped government agencies build and buy modern digital products and services. Following his position at 18F, Aaron was the founding Deputy Commissioner and helped create the Technology Transformation Service (TTS) at the General Service Administration (GSA). With Aaron joining cBrain, cBrain significantly strengthens its international team and efforts to internationalize Denmarks proven success at digital transformation. In May 2016, Greg Godbout joined cBrain as co-founder and CEO of cBrain North America. Greg was the first Executive Director at 18F and worked closely with Aaron. With Aaron now joining Greg at cBrain North America, cBrain has a very experienced management team in place. Per Tejs Knudsen, CEO FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. and COLUMBIA, Md., March 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Netsurion, a leading provider of remotely-managed data and network security services for multi-location businesses, and its security information and event management (SIEM) subsidiary EventTracker, today announced the appointment of technology industry veteran Guy Cunningham as vice president, Channel Sales and Distribution for both firms. Cunningham will help resellers, managed service providers (MSPs), and distributors realize the full potential of Netsurion and EventTrackers offerings for small to mid-size organizations. Cunningham brings a deep background in technology sales, including both direct and channel responsibilities. In his prior positions, he expertly managed not only internal relationships but partnerships with other companies as well. Most recently, he served as director of Global Alliances for Veritas Technologies, managing the relationships for both Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Hitachi Data Systems. Prior to Veritas, he acted as regional director of Sales for data center, managed hosting, and cloud provider Connectria Hosting. Notably, he previously held the position of senior manager, Eastern U.S., Commercial Channel Sales at Symantec, where he was primarily responsible for the growth of the companys core backup and security platforms. Guy brings a fantastic analytical mind to the Netsurion and EventTracker teams, said Netsurion CEO Kevin Watson. With the rapidly changing security and threat landscapes impacting small, multi-location, and mid-size businesses, we must continue to build strong relationships with resellers, MSPs, and distributors, so we can secure as many organizations as possible. Guy will be key in increasing the reach of Netsurions managed security services and EventTrackers SIEM offerings in order to achieve this goal. We are thrilled to welcome him to our team. Customers today are making technology purchases based on the cost of a desired outcome. Whether its cloud infrastructure, managed services, or enterprise software, theyre buying solutions, not technologies, said Cunningham. Im excited to be a part of the team because both Netsurion and EventTracker deliver industry-leading solutions, with highly predictable and successful outcomes, with cost-effective price points. Not only do we enable our customers to have confidence in their compliance and security posture, we enable our partners to deliver best-in-class service to their customers. Cunningham plans to use his extensive experience across software and services to expand on Netsurion and EventTrackers active and rapidly growing channel partner programs. Learn more at http://www.netsurion.com/partners and https://www.eventtracker.com/partners/msp-partners. Tweet this: .@Netsurion, EventTracker (@LogTalk) name Guy Cunningham VP, #Channel Sales + Distribution http://bit.ly/2mCsyT4 #managedsecurity #SIEM Resources Netsurion Security Blog Netsurion Success Stories EventTracker YouTube EventTracker Case Studies About Netsurion Netsurion is a managed security service provider specializing in the protection of multi-location businesses information, payment systems, and Wi-Fi networks from data breaches, network outages, and ever-evolving cyberthreats. Our new service offering SIEM-at-the-Edge is powered by our subsidiary, EventTracker, which helps deliver comprehensive security benefits to edge locations that normally would not have the means to leverage such a solution. Netsurions award-winning remote network security services and PCI compliance solutions help keep businesses of any size secure. Any sized branch or remote office, franchise, or sole proprietor operation can use Netsurion without the costs of onsite support. The company serves the retail, hospitality, healthcare, legal, and insurance sectors. www.netsurion.com About EventTracker EventTrackers advanced security solutions protect enterprises and small businesses from data breaches and insider fraud, and streamline regulatory compliance. EventTrackers platform comprises SIEM, vulnerability scanning, intrusion detection, behavior analytics, a HoneyNet deception network and other defense-in-depth capabilities within a single management platform. The company complements its state-of-the-art technology with 24/7 managed services from its global security operations center (SOC) to ensure its customers achieve desired outcomessafer networks, better endpoint security, earlier detection of intrusion, and relevant and specific threat intelligence. The company serves the retail, hospitality, healthcare, legal, banking and financial services, utilities, and government sectors. EventTracker is a division of Netsurion, a leader in remotely-managed IT security services that protect multi-location businesses information, payment systems, and on-premise public and private Wi-Fi networks. www.eventtracker.com. Twitter: @LogTalk. Viet Nam: UN experts urge Government to release blogger 'Mother Mushroom' Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 8 March 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Viet Nam: UN experts urge Government to release blogger 'Mother Mushroom', 8 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58c14aa44.html [accessed 7 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. A group of UN human rights experts has urged the Government of Viet Nam to immediately release a popular blogger, known as Mother Mushroom, who has been detained since October last year. Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, a 37-year-old environmental human rights defender, is accused of spreading propaganda against the Government. The charges are linked to her online activities that were critical of the Government. "We are deeply concerned that Ms. Quynh is being detained because of the exercise of her right to freedom of opinion and expression on a matter of public interest," the experts emphasized in a news release issued by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). "We fear for her physical and psychological integrity, and denounce the violations of her fundamental right to due process, in particular her being detained incommunicado, the denial of her right to legal counsel and the banning of visits from her family," they added. Among the issues she tackled was an incident involving the dumping of toxic chemicals in April 2016, which polluted local waters and killed a large number of fish. "As an environmental human rights defender, Mother Mushroom should be honoured for her courage and perseverance in defending the environment and human rights for years without fear," the experts stressed. The experts are Special Rapporteurs: John H. Knox, on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment; Maina Kiai, on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; David Kaye, on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; Michel Forst, on the situation of human rights defenders, and Baskut Tuncak, on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes. Special Rapporteurs and independent experts are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a specific human rights theme or a country situation. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work. Latest ballistic launches by DPR Korea raise risk of regional arms race, UN Security Council warns Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 8 March 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Latest ballistic launches by DPR Korea raise risk of regional arms race, UN Security Council warns, 8 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58c14b1b4.html [accessed 7 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Expressing strong condemnation of the most recent ballistic missile launches carried out by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United Nations Security Council reiterated that the country should refrain from any actions, including nuclear tests, in violation of the relevant Council resolutions, and comply fully with its obligations under those resolutions. "Such [ballistic missile] activities contribute to the DPR Korea's development of nuclear weapons delivery systems and increase tension in the region and beyond as well as the risk of a regional arms race," stressed the 15-member Security Council in a statement issued late yesterday. "[We regret] that the [country] is diverting resources to the pursuit of ballistic missiles while [its] citizens have great unmet needs," the members added. Three of the ballistic missiles launched on 5 March landed in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone. These latest ballistic missile firing follows at least 14 launches between April last year and February this year, as well as a nuclear test in September 2016. These actions are also in violation of a number of Security Council resolutions, including one adopted in March last year that had imposed fresh sanctions on the country. Further in the statement, Security Council members underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in north-east Asian region at large and expressed their commitment to a peaceful, diplomatic and political solution to the situation. They also welcomed efforts by Council members, as well as other States, to facilitate a peaceful and comprehensive solution through dialogue, emphasised the importance of DPR Korea showing "sincere commitment" to denuclearisation, and stressed the importance of working to reduce tensions in the Korean Peninsula and beyond. Earlier this week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had also condemned the missile launches and reiterated his call for the DPR Korean leadership to refrain from further provocations and return to full compliance with its international obligations. Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. South Africa: Revocation of withdrawal from the ICC a chance to rethink thwarting pursuit of justice Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 8 March 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, South Africa: Revocation of withdrawal from the ICC a chance to rethink thwarting pursuit of justice, 8 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58c14d134.html [accessed 7 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. In response to today's announcement that the South African government has decided to revoke its notice to the UN of its intention to withdraw from the Rome Statute, Amnesty International's Africa Director for Research and Advocacy, Netsanet Belay said: "This formal revocation of the notice of withdrawal from the ICC presents yet another opportunity for the government of South Africa to rethink its decision to thwart the pursuit of justice. While the international community appears indifferent to mass atrocities committed with impunity around the world, it is even more important today that South Africa reclaims its position as a champion of African victims of crimes under international law. "It remains to be seen if this revocation means a shift in Government's intention to withdraw from the ICC or rather a temporary step to comply with the High Court decision and exhaust domestic procedures before formalizing its withdrawal. "If the Government's revocation of its withdrawal becomes permanent, it means the nation follows the lead of Gambia which also revoked its withdrawal from the Rome Statute recently. "We urge South Africa to align itself with the majority of African states that have unequivocally rejected calls for withdrawal and stood firm in their support for the ICC." Amnesty International has today submitted a briefing to the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services in response to the call for public comment on the proposed Implementation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Repeal Bill. Click here to download the briefing. Background The news of South Africa revoking its notification of withdrawal from the Rome Statute follows a decision by the North Gauteng High Court two weeks ago which held, in a case brought by the opposition Democratic Alliance, that the government's action in withdrawing from the ICC without consulting Parliament was unconstitutional and invalid, and which ordered the government to revoke its withdrawal. The government had officially deposited its instrument of withdrawal from the ICC with the United Nations on 19 October 2016. On 16 February 2017, Gambia also revoked its withdrawal from the Rome Statute. The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation today received a briefing by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development on the High Court ruling on the ICC withdrawal and subsequent revocation. Copyright notice: Copyright Amnesty International Yemen: Saudi Arabia-led coalition uses banned Brazilian cluster munitions on residential areas Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 9 March 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, Yemen: Saudi Arabia-led coalition uses banned Brazilian cluster munitions on residential areas, 9 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58c14d544.html [accessed 7 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Amnesty International has corroborated new evidence the Saudi Arabia-led coalition recently fired Brazilian-manufactured rockets containing banned cluster munitions striking three residential areas and surrounding farmland in the middle of Sa'da city, injuring two civilians and causing material damage. The attack, which took place at 10.30pm on 15 February 2017, is the third confirmed use of Brazilian-manufactured cluster munitions documented by Amnesty International in the last 16 months. "The Saudi Arabia-led coalition absurdly justifies its use of cluster munitions by claiming it is in line with international law, despite concrete evidence of the human cost to civilians caught up in the conflict," said Lynn Maalouf, Director of Research at the Beirut regional office. "Cluster munitions are inherently indiscriminate weapons that inflict unimaginable harm on civilian lives. The use of such weapons is prohibited by customary international humanitarian law under all circumstances. In light of mounting evidence, it is more urgent than ever for Brazil to join the Convention on Cluster Munitions and for Saudi Arabia and coalition members stop all use of cluster munitions." Following the rocket attacks, Amnesty International interviewed eight local residents over the phone, including two witnesses - one of whom was injured in the attack. It also spoke to a local activist and analyzed photographic and video evidence provided by the national munitions watchdog, the Yemen Executive Mine Action Centre (YEMAC), which inspected the site within 30 minutes of the attack. YEMAC staff also confirmed the use of the same type of cluster munitions in a separate attack that occurred in late January in the directorate of Abdeen, five kilometres south of Sa'da city. Neighbourhoods affected According to witnesses and local residents, rockets struck the residential areas of Gohza, al-Dhubat and al-Rawdha, resulting in submunitions also landing on homes in al-Ma'allah and Ahfad Bilal, as well as on the new and old cemeteries in the middle of the city, and surrounding farms. Latifa Ahmed Mus'id, 22, described the attack in Ahfad Bilal, which took place while she was asleep at home. She was with her husband Talal al-Shihri, her three-month old son, Hasan, and three-year old son, Hussain. "The bomb came into the house, into the bedroom from the ceiling. There is a big round hole in the ceiling. At the time, we heard a big explosion and seconds later the bomb exploded in the room and we got hurt. Three exploded right outside the house The children were unhurt but in shock My husband sustained shrapnel injuries on his foot. I hurt my left foot and we went to al-Salam hospital that very night." The family fled 78km to Sa'da city four months ago after their home in Baqim, 12km south of the Saudi Arabian border was bombed. "We were forced to leave our home in Baqim when it was bombed. The bomb went right into our living room and destroyed the house. Everyone had to leave the area. The bombardment was constant. We left two-three months after the strike on our house We made our way to Sa'da on foot. We walked for 20km and I was six months pregnant at the time and then a car gave us a lift to Sa'da city." A local resident of al-Ma'allah, one of the affected areas in the recent attack, described to Amnesty International hearing a loud explosion. "I heard a really loud sound. And directly after I heard very dense sounds, as if something was spreading. It was so rapid and it lasted 20-30 seconds." Head of the YEMAC 12th team Yahya Rizk told Amnesty International about his team's visit to the neighbourhoods of al-Rawdha and Ahfad Bilal. "We found one carrier and one unexploded submunition in al-Rawdha. Al-Rawdha is a densely populated area where bombs [submunitions] penetrated the roofs of two houses. One bomb went through the roof and injured a man and his wife in Ahfad Bilal - it went into their bedroom at [approximately] 11pm. They were taken to the hospital the same night. Most of the damage was to the property, houses and cars. We noted 12 impact holes in al-Rawdha, by the fruit farms. And 12-13 impact sites in Ahfad Bilal. We found one unexploded bomb [submunition] in al-Rawdha which came down from a tree and landed in the soil, which we photographed." Members of the YEMAC team also confirmed carrying out a sweep of residential areas in densely populated Gohza where they noted impact holes and damage to houses. Yahya Rizk said, "The bombs [submunitions] landed in people's porches and between houses. They all exploded and no people injured. But windows were all broken and up to 30 cars damaged." Based on the description of the YEMAC team, and after examining photographs and videos of the aftermath of the attack, including photos of the carriers and one unexploded submunition, Amnesty International was able to identify the remnants used in the attack as being an ASTROS II surface-to-surface rocket. The ASTROS II is a truck-loaded, multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) manufactured by Brazilian company Avibras. ASTROS II is capable of firing multiple rockets in rapid succession, with each rocket containing up to 65 submunitions, with a range of up to 80km, depending on the rocket type. The company's marketing presentations describe it as being "an important defence system with great deterrent power." Mounting evidence Amnesty International documented the first known use of these types of cluster munitions in Yemen on 27 October 2015 on Ahma north of Sa'da city, which wounded at least four people, including a four-year old girl. In May 2016, Amnesty International found further evidence of the same type of cluster munitions in villages 30km south of the Saudi Arabian border in Hajjah. As recently as December 2016, Human Rights Watch also documented the use of Brazilian-manufactured cluster munitions on Sa'da city. To date, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have documented the use of seven types of air-delivered and ground-launched cluster munitions made in the USA, the United Kingdom, and Brazil. The coalition has admitted using UK and US-made cluster munitions in attacks in Yemen. "How many more civilians need to be killed, injured, or see their property destroyed through use of these internationally banned weapons, before the international community condemns the use of cluster munitions by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition and pressures coalition members to immediately become parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions?" said Lynn Maalouf. Background Cluster munitions contain between dozens and hundreds of submunitions, which are released in mid-air, and scatter indiscriminately over a large area measuring hundreds of square metres. They can be dropped or fired from a plane or, as in this instance, launched from surface-to-surface rockets. Cluster submunitions also have a high "dud" rate - meaning a high percentage of them fail to explode on impact, becoming de-facto land mines that pose a threat to civilians for years after deployment. The use, production, sale and transfer of cluster munitions is prohibited under the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, which has almost 100 states parties. On 19 December 2016, the Saudi-run Saudi Press Agency reported that the Saudi Arabian government would stop using a UK-made cluster munition, the BL-755 but contended that, "international law does not ban the use of cluster munitions" and while some states are party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), "neither the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia nor its coalition partners are state parties" to the CCM. It further claimed that UK-made cluster munitions used by the coalition had been used against "legitimate military targets" and that the cluster munitions were "not deployed in civilian population centres" and that the coalition "fully observed the international humanitarian law principles of distinction and proportionality." While Amnesty International is aware of the presence of a military objective, Kahlan Military base, 3km north-east of the city of Sa'da, the presence of a military objective in itself would not have justified the use of internationally banned cluster munitions - particularly not its use on populated civilian neighbourhoods. And even though Brazil, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and members of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition participating in the conflict in Yemen are not parties to the Convention, under the rules of customary international humanitarian law they must not use inherently indiscriminate weapons, which invariably pose a threat to civilians. The customary rule prohibiting the use of inherently indiscriminate weapons applies to their use under all circumstances, including when the intention is to target a military objective. According to Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor, Avibras has sold this type of cluster munition to Saudi Arabia in the past, and Human Rights Watch documented their use by Saudi Arabian forces in Khafji in 1991. Copyright notice: Copyright Amnesty International Brazil: Military Police Muzzled Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 9 March 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Brazil: Military Police Muzzled, 9 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58c14dd64.html [accessed 7 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Brazilian authorities should reform laws that have been used to impose disproportionate punishments on military police officers who speak out publicly to advocate reform or voice complaints, Human Rights Watch said today. "A country with close to 60,000 killings a year urgently needs to consider new approaches to public security," said Maria Laura Canineu, Brazil director at Human Rights Watch. "Those who fight crime every day on the streets have an invaluable perspective on security policy and police reform; and should be able to express their views without fear of being punished arbitrarily." Brazil's 436,000 military police officers patrol the country's streets, a purely civilian task, but are subject to military law because they are technically considered to be auxiliary forces of the Army. Brazil's military criminal code and various state disciplinary codes include broad restrictions on the officers' free speech rights. Police officers who transgress these limits can end up in prison under the military criminal code. Police commanders also have wide discretion to impose harsh penalties under the disciplinary codes. Under article 166 of the military criminal code, criticizing a superior officer or a government decision are crimes punishable with up to a year in prison. Inciting "indiscipline" is punishable with up to four years under article 155. State disciplinary codes that govern the conduct of military police officers, both on duty and off duty, and of retired military police officers contain similar infractions, punishable with up to 30 days in detention and expulsion from the force. These offenses are so broadly framed that they allow for harsh punishment out of all proportion to the severity of the offense, and in some cases this is precisely what happens. International human rights law allows countries considerable though limited discretion to limit the free expression rights of security force personnel. It does not, however, allow authorities to impose punishments that are disproportionate to the severity of any offense. Darlan Abrantes, a military police officer in the state of Ceara, was sentenced to two years in prison in July 2016 after he self-published a book saying that the police force should be demilitarized. The sentence was suspended, but he had already been expelled from the force in 2014 in connection with the matter, destroying his career. Police officers also told Human Rights Watch that they had been subject to arbitrary punishments in retaliation for speaking out in ways that angered superiors, without access to any effective remedy. Brazilian authorities should reform laws to ensure that any punishments meted out to military police officers who transgress legal restrictions on their right to free expression are proportionate to the severity of any offense, Human Rights Watch said. They should ensure that all officers have access to an effective and impartial appeals process. The authorities should also consider whether it is necessary and appropriate for police officers to be subject to the limits on free expression imposed under the military criminal code and state disciplinary codes, or whether a less restrictive legal framework is called for under international and regional human rights law. Several reform efforts are under way that could achieve that purpose, and result in more accountable and effective policing. They include bills in Congress to delink the military police from the army and to abolish administrative detention, as well as proposals at the state level to reform disciplinary codes. The unreasonably harsh punishments handed down to some police officers have a dramatic chilling effect on other members of the force, who often refrain from expressing opinions or suggestions about law enforcement reform for fear of reprisals, said Human Rights Watch. "Officers can be imprisoned and their careers destroyed for expressing opinions about police reform that their commanders don't like," said Canineu. "These penalties are out of all proportion to whatever interest the government has in limiting their ability to speak out." Detailed Analysis Darlan Abrantes, a military police officer in the state of Ceara, self-published Militarism--An Archaic Security System, in 2008, printing 300 copies. In the book, Abrantes asserts that Brazil has a "medieval" police system in which low-ranking police officers "are not allowed to think for themselves." They are supposed to simply follow orders and if they criticize militarism they are detained, he wrote. Abrantes contends that transforming the military police into a civil police force would make it more efficient in fighting crime and would bring it closer to the population. The Ceara state command expelled Abrantes from the force in 2014, under article 24 of the state's disciplinary statute, concluding that the book contained "serious offenses" and that, in publishing it, Abrantes had demonstrated "absolute lack of discipline and insubordination." At that time, his police record was "excellent," Abrantes told Human Rights Watch. A military court made up of four high-ranking officers and a judge sentenced Abrantes, in July 2016, to two years in prison, under article 155 of the military criminal code, for "inciting to disobedience, indiscipline or the practice of a military crime." The prosecutor accused Abrantes of handing out his book in the police academy, which he denies. The military criminal code does not define what actions may be considered to constitute incitement to disobedience, indiscipline, or the practice of a military crime. This gives military prosecutors ample leeway to criminalize the expression of opinions that are critical of the police command. In Abrantes' case, the judge imposed a suspended sentence, under which he will not spend time in prison as long as he complies with five probation conditions: not committing another crime, not drinking alcohol, not going into gambling locations, not carrying firearms or thrusting weapons, and appearing before the court once a month. "They considered me a criminal because I dared to think differently I dared to say that the military system is not working," Abrantes told Human Rights Watch. "I am living proof that the military police do not respect either democracy or freedom of expression." Abrantes' call for "demilitarization" is far from the fringe. More than 76 percent of military police officers polled nationwide in 2014 said that state military police forces should abandon their military structure and subordination to the army. Their link to the military, as auxiliary forces, subjects them to the military criminal code that was adopted during Brazil's military dictatorship (1964-1985). This issue is an important area of public debate that could have important human rights implications, given the prevalence of police abuses in Brazil. Some high-ranking and low-ranking police officers interviewed by Human Rights Watch criticized military training and structure. In their view, the military nature of the police forces perpetuates a vision of officers as heroes fighting an enemy suspected criminals that can lead to excessive use of force, especially in poor neighborhoods, and to high levels of stress among officers. Instead, police should focus on preventing crime and use lethal force only when strictly unavoidable to protect life. State disciplinary codes, some of which also date to the dictatorship, likewise contain broad restrictions on free speech and allow for disproportionate penalties for both active and retired military police officers. The code of the state of Sao Paulo, for example, prohibits publishing or spreading information that may "discredit" the military police or harm hierarchy or discipline, without any further definition of what kinds of information may cause those effects. The disciplinary codes of Sao Paulo and 14 other states also contain the same prohibition not allowing officers "to discuss or incite the discussion, through any communications media, of political, military or military police matters, except for those exclusively technical when duly authorized." This can be interpreted to subject military police officers to punishment for any public statement about policing or public security. Many state disciplinary statutes also confer commanders the authority to determine the gravity of the administrative infraction, which gives them broad discretion to impose harsh or disproportionate punishment. Sanctions include up to 30 days in detention in the barracks or expulsion from the force. One such case involves Para state military police officer Luiz Fernando Passinho. Every year, on Brazilian Independence Day, nationwide demonstrations celebrate "The Shout of the Excluded," in which people protest against social exclusion. Passinho took a microphone during such a demonstration on September 7, 2014, and in a two-minute speech, complained that military police officers and military firefighters are told during training that they have no rights. "That message distorts the nature of our mission, our sense of citizenship, and has a direct effect on our relationship to the community," said Passinho, who was not in uniform. "We cannot accept that our freedom of expression should be considered a crime." The general commander of the Para State military police decided that Passinho's speech had "violated discipline and military hierarchy," caused "disorder" within the force, and damaged the reputation of its command. The commander accused Passinho of having failed to exhibit a long list of values that every military police officer is required to respect, under articles 17 and 18 of the disciplinary statute of the state of Para, including "professionalism," "loyalty," and "discipline." The commander said Passinho had violated nine prohibitions, under article 37, including by exhibiting "inappropriate behavior in public" and by publishing information that could "discredit the force or harm discipline." The commander ordered Passinho detained for 30 days in October 2016. Passinho has appealed the decision to the same commander who issued it, as the procedure in the states disciplinary code establishes. Meanwhile, the command is persecuting him for speaking out, he told Human Rights Watch. In September, for example, the command ordered him detained for 15 days for a single instance of not wearing his hat while in uniform, he said, an infraction usually punished with a warning. "The military command uses the disciplinary statute arbitrarily," Passinho said. "Police officers who commit real crimes escape punishment." Dozens of low-ranking officers in Rio de Janeiro interviewed by Human Rights Watch in 2015 and 2016 said they were afraid of being punished for expressing opinions. Almost all requested that their names not be published, for fear of reprisal, though the state military command had given Human Rights Watch written authorization to conduct the research. Restrictions on free speech also stifle internal debate. A nationwide study published in 2016 by Brazil's federal government concluded that low-ranking officers believe they are rarely allowed to express an opinion different from that of a superior officer at work. They were frequently afraid to do so. More than 14,000 low-ranking military police officers participated in the study. Many police officers are afraid not only of formal disciplinary action, but of broader retaliation they may face for speaking out. Leandro Bispo, a police officer in Para State, faced disciplinary action in 2012, 2013, and 2014 in connection with three Facebook posts he wrote or shared. One said that police have inadequate working conditions. Another alleged corruption and abuse within the police. A third offered scathing criticism of public institutions in Brazil without mentioning the police by name. The disciplinary proceedings against Bispo resulted in his demotion from corporal to soldier in 2016 and required him to return six months' worth of a salary increase that he had already received, he told Human Rights Watch. He also said there had been informal retaliation against him, for which he had no effective recourse. His commander transferred him to the city of Porto de Moz, four hours away by car and speedboat from his home, which he believed was in response to the comments he wrote or shared on Facebook. When Bispo filed a petition to contest the transfer, he faced yet another disciplinary proceeding, in which the commander contended that Bispo had wrongly accused him of violating internal regulations. In December, Bispo was expelled from the force altogether for various violations of the state disciplinary statute, including requirements to revere the symbols and traditions of the military police, to respect discipline and to avoid "inconvenient" comments about the police, discrediting a superior officer, and making anonymous comments. Bispo plans to appeal to a civil court. Bispo, who has a daughter and a pregnant wife, borrowed money from his mother-in-law to make a down payment on the lawyers fees and needs to pay the rest in monthly installments. He said that losing his job in a time of economic crisis in Brazil is adding to the stress of the situation. Brazil's Federal Government issued recommendations in 2010 urging states to reform laws and disciplinary codes to respect the rights contemplated in the country's Constitution. The recommendations called on states not only to guarantee the rights of police officers to free speech, especially over the internet, but to encourage their participation in public fora and initiatives, such as seminars, councils, research projects, and conferences, where public security policies "are debated, publicized, studied, reflected on and formulated." Implementation of the recommendations, however, has been disappointing. Human Rights Framework Under international human rights law, the right to free expression can be limited by law only to the extent necessary for respect of the rights and reputations of others, or to protect national security, public order, public health or morals. This framework is applicable under both the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the American Convention on Human Rights. Brazil is a state party to both. In cases in 2005 and in 2009, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights found that government efforts to curtail the speech of former military officers were unlawful restrictions on their rights. However, it is generally accepted that governments have much broader leeway than in other contexts to restrict the free expression rights of security force personnel if considered necessary to protect national security or public order. This reflects, among other things, a recognition of the state's legitimate interests in maintaining discipline and hierarchy within the ranks and ensuring that the police and military as institutions are not politicized. This does not, however, obviate governments' responsibility to ensure that restrictions on the free expression of security force members are in fact "necessary" to protect national security and public order, and no more restrictive than necessary to achieve those aims. As the special rapporteur for freedom of expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights stated in 2009, members of the armed forces are "entitled to freedom of expression and are legitimately able to exercise this right, and the limits imposed upon them must be respectful of the conditions established in the American Convention." Limitations to that right "can be neither excessive nor unnecessary, and they must in every case meet the requirements set forth in article 13.2 of the Convention." In December 2016, a second-instance civil judge in the state of Rio Grande do Norte ordered an end to disciplinary proceedings against an active-duty military police officer, Joao Figueiredo, whom the state military police command had ordered detained for 15 days for "offending" the force in a comment he posted online. The judge issued her ruling on the basis of "the violation of the defendant's human rights, the violation of the Constitution regarding freedom of expression and thought, and also because of the legal flaws in the proceedings, the very clear restrictions placed upon the defense by the authority, and the disproportionality of the punishment." The military police command did not appeal the decision. Even where laws that restrict the right to free expression are acceptable, the punishments must be proportionate to the seriousness of the offense. Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch UN: Boost Office Examining North Korea Abuses Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 9 March 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, UN: Boost Office Examining North Korea Abuses, 9 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58c14e614.html [accessed 7 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. The United Nations Human Rights Council should strengthen the UN rights office documenting grave abuses in North Korea, Human Rights Watch said today. The Seoul office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights should be upgraded to include international criminal justice experts who can develop strategies to prosecute North Korean leaders responsible for human rights crimes. "The Human Rights Council needs to do all it can to ensure that North Korean leaders implicated in grave crimes are brought to justice," said John Fisher, Geneva director at Human Rights Watch. "The council can bolster the UN's existing efforts by approving legal experts who can set out a prosecution strategy for alleged crimes against humanity in North Korea." On March 9 and 10, 2017, Human Rights Watch is co-organizing two panel discussions in Geneva to address the current human rights situation in North Korea. These events are taking place in conjunction with the Human Rights Council's 34th session, where Tomas Ojea Quintana, the new UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea, will make his first oral report on North Korea to the council on March 13. The first panel discussion, taking place on Thursday, March 9, at 2:30 p.m. in room XXVII of the Palais des Nations in Geneva, will focus on the importance of ensuring accountability for human rights violations in North Korea in line with Quintana's report recommendations. It will feature John Fisher, Geneva director at Human Rights Watch, and the Sages Group, an advisory group on North Korea's human rights issues composed of Lee Jung-Hoon, South Korean ambassador for North Korean human rights; Marzuki Darusman, former UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in North Korea; Justice Michael Kirby, former chair of the Commission of Inquiry on the situation of human rights in North Korea; Robert King, former US special envoy for North Korean human rights issues; Song Sang-Hyun, former president of the International Criminal Court; and David Alton, Baron Alton of Liverpool. The second panel discussion will take place on Friday, March 10, at 2 p.m. in room XXVI of the Palais. The event is titled "Unprotected and Exploited: North Korean Women and Children." It will feature Special Rapporteur Quintana; Sonja Biserko, a member of the council-appointed group of independent experts examining options for accountability in North Korea, and a former commission of inquiry member; and three North Korean escapees who will share their experiences. The three escapees are Choi Ju-Yeon, who was forced to carry out hard labor in school; Lee So-Yeon, who will talk about discrimination and violence against women and girls; and Park Kyung-Ho, who experienced exploitation in an orphanage and later in a paramilitary forced labor brigade (known as dolgyeokdae). In his report for the council released on February 22, Quintana highlights the need to address allegations of crimes against humanity and other violations that require perpetrators to be held accountable. He calls for a "two-track strategy" of engagement with North Korea on human rights wherever possible, while also pursuing accountability as necessary for bringing tangible and sustainable human rights improvements. Quintana also endorses the recommendations of the group of independent experts on accountability. In February, the group of independent experts, created in September 2016 by the Human Rights Council to recommend practical accountability mechanisms for North Korean abuses, released its report as an addendum to Quintana's report. The experts, Sonja Biserko and Sara Hossain, found that the "crimes described in the COI [commission of inquiry] report are of a gravity rarely seen, involving systems of abuse that have been operating for decades. These crimes are of international concern and cannot go unpunished." They concluded that addressing these crimes "requires the international community to enhance efforts [in] laying the ground for future criminal trials." The group of experts also backs having the UN Security Council refer the grave human rights situation in North Korea to the International Criminal Court, but recognizes the possibility of a veto from North Korea's allies China and Russia. They also recommend that the high commissioner's Seoul field office be strengthened with international criminal justice experts to assess available information and evidence, map government command structures to identify gaps and develop possible investigation and prosecution strategies as well as blueprints of suitable international or internationally assisted court models. The 2014 commission of inquiry found that the gravity, scale, and nature of the human rights violations taking place in North Korea reveal a state that does not have any parallel in the contemporary world, and amount to crimes against humanity. The Security Council has recognized the gravity of the situation by addressing North Korea's bleak human rights record as a threat to regional peace and security as a formal agenda item three years in a row. "A crucial task for the Human Rights Council is to make justice for rights abuses by the North Korean government against its people a genuine future possibility," Fisher said. Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch Secretary of State for the Home Department v. Muhammad Sazzadur Rahman, Fazly Rabby Islam & Mohibullah Rahman Publisher European Union: Court of Justice of the European Union Publication Date 5 September 2012 Citation / Document Symbol ECLI:EU:C:2012:519; C-83/11 Cite as Secretary of State for the Home Department v. Muhammad Sazzadur Rahman, Fazly Rabby Islam & Mohibullah Rahman, ECLI:EU:C:2012:519; C-83/11, European Union: Court of Justice of the European Union, 5 September 2012, available at: https://www.refworld.org/cases,ECJ,58c15b054.html [accessed 7 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. JUDGMENT OF THE COURT (Grand Chamber) 5 September 2012 ( ) (Directive 2004/38/EC - Right of citizens of the Union and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States - Article 3(2) - Obligation to facilitate, in accordance with national legislation, entry and residence for 'any other family members' who are dependants of a Union citizen) In Case C83/11, REFERENCE for a preliminary ruling under Article 267 TFEU from the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) (United Kingdom), made by decision of 3 February 2011, received at the Court on 22 February 2011, in the proceedings Secretary of State for the Home Department v Muhammad Sazzadur Rahman, Fazly Rabby Islam, Mohibullah Rahman, THE COURT (Grand Chamber), composed of V. Skouris, President, A. Tizzano, J.N. Cunha Rodrigues, K. Lenaerts, J.C. Bonichot, A. Prechal, Presidents of Chambers, R. Silva de Lapuerta, K. Schiemann, E. Juhasz, G. Arestis, M. Ilesic (Rapporteur), M. Berger and E. Jarasiunas, Judges, Advocate General: Y. Bot, Registrar: L. Hewlett, Principal Administrator, having regard to the written procedure and further to the hearing on 14 February 2012, after considering the observations submitted on behalf of: - the Centre for Advice on Individual Rights in Europe (AIRE Centre), by A. Weiss, N. Mole and S. Chaudary, legal advisers, - the United Kingdom Government, by L. Seeboruth, acting as Agent, and R. Palmer, Barrister, - the Belgian Government, by T. Materne, acting as Agent, - the Danish Government, by C. Vang and V. Pasternak Jrgensen, acting as Agents, - the German Government, by A. Wiedmann, acting as Agent, - the Italian Government, by G. Palmieri, acting as Agent, and L. D'Ascia, avvocato dello Stato, - the Netherlands Government, by C. Wissels and M. Bulterman, acting as Agents, - the Polish Government, by M. Szpunar, acting as Agent, - the European Commission, by C. Tufvesson and M. Wilderspin, acting as Agents, after hearing the Opinion of the Advocate General at the sitting on 27 March 2012, gives the following Judgment 1 This reference for a preliminary ruling concerns the interpretation of Articles 3(2) and 10(2) of Directive 2004/38/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the right of citizens of the Union and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States amending Regulation (EEC) No 1612/68 and repealing Directives 64/221/EEC, 68/360/EEC, 72/194/EEC, 73/148/EEC, 75/34/EEC, 75/35/EEC, 90/364/EEC, 90/365/EEC and 93/96/EEC (OJ 2004 L 158, p. 77, and corrigenda at OJ 2004 L 229, p. 35, and OJ 2005 L 197, p. 34). 2 The reference has been made in proceedings between the Secretary of State for the Home Department ('the Secretary of State') and Muhammad Sazzadur Rahman, Fazly Rabby Islam and Mohibullah Rahman, who are Bangladeshi nationals, concerning the application by those latter parties for a permit to reside in the United Kingdom as family members of a national of a State in the European Economic Area ('the EEA'). Legal context Directive 2004/38 3 Recital 6 in the preamble to Directive 2004/38 states: 'In order to maintain the unity of the family in a broader sense and without prejudice to the prohibition of discrimination on grounds of nationality, the situation of those persons who are not included in the definition of family members under this Directive, and who therefore do not enjoy an automatic right of entry and residence in the host Member State, should be examined by the host Member State on the basis of its own national legislation, in order to decide whether entry and residence could be granted to such persons, taking into consideration their relationship with the Union citizen or any other circumstances, such as their financial or physical dependence on the Union citizen.' 4 Article 2(2) of Directive 2004/38 provides that, for the purposes of the directive, 'family member' means: '(a) the spouse; (b) the partner with whom the Union citizen has contracted a registered partnership ; (c) the direct descendants who are under the age of 21 or are dependants and those of the spouse or partner as defined in point (b); (d) the dependent direct relatives in the ascending line and those of the spouse or partner as defined in point (b)'. 5 Article 3 of Directive 2004/38, headed 'Beneficiaries', provides: '1. This Directive shall apply to all Union citizens who move to or reside in a Member State other than that of which they are a national, and to their family members as defined in point 2 of Article 2 who accompany or join them. 2. Without prejudice to any right to free movement and residence the persons concerned may have in their own right, the host Member State shall, in accordance with its national legislation, facilitate entry and residence for the following persons: (a) any other family members, irrespective of their nationality, not falling under the definition in point 2 of Article 2 who, in the country from which they have come, are dependants or members of the household of the Union citizen having the primary right of residence, or where serious health grounds strictly require the personal care of the family member by the Union citizen; (b) the partner with whom the Union citizen has a durable relationship, duly attested. The host Member State shall undertake an extensive examination of the personal circumstances and shall justify any denial of entry or residence to these people.' 6 Article 10 of Directive 2004/38, headed 'Issue of residence cards', states: '1. The right of residence of family members of a Union citizen who are not nationals of a Member State shall be evidenced by the issuing of a document called "Residence card of a family member of a Union citizen" no later than six months from the date on which they submit the application. A certificate of application for the residence card shall be issued immediately. 2. For the residence card to be issued, Member States shall require presentation of the following documents: (e) in cases falling under Article 3(2)(a), a document issued by the relevant authority in the country of origin or country from which they are arriving certifying that they are dependants or members of the household of the Union citizen, or proof of the existence of serious health grounds which strictly require the personal care of the family member by the Union citizen; ' National legislation 7 Directive 2004/38 was transposed in the United Kingdom by the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006, as amended by the Immigration (European Economic Area) (Amendment) Regulations 2009 ('the Immigration Regulations'). 8 Regulation 7 of the Immigration Regulations, headed 'Family member', provides: '(1) Subject to paragraph (2), for the purposes of these Regulations the following persons shall be treated as the family members of another person - (a) his spouse or his civil partner; (b) direct descendants of his, his spouse or his civil partner who are - (i) under 21; or (ii) dependants of his, his spouse or his civil partner; (c) dependent direct relatives in his ascending line or that of his spouse or his civil partner; (d) a person who is to be treated as the family member of that other person under paragraph (3). (3) a person who is an extended family member and has been issued with an EEA family permit, a registration certificate or a residence card shall be treated as the family member of the relevant EEA national for as long as he continues to satisfy the conditions in regulation 8(2), (3), (4) or (5) in relation to that EEA national and the permit, certificate or card has not ceased to be valid or been revoked. ' 9 Regulation 8 of the Immigration Regulations, headed 'Extended family member', reads as follows: '(1) In these Regulations "extended family member" means a person who is not a family member of an EEA national under regulation 7(1)(a), (b) or (c) and who satisfies the conditions in paragraph (2), (3), (4) or (5). (2) A person satisfies the condition in this paragraph if the person is a relative of an EEA national, his spouse or his civil partner and - (a) the person is residing in an EEA State in which the EEA national also resides and is dependent upon the EEA national or is a member of his household; (b) the person satisfied the condition in paragraph (a) and is accompanying the EEA national to the United Kingdom or wishes to join him there; or (c) the person satisfied the condition in paragraph (a), has joined the EEA national in the United Kingdom and continues to be dependent upon him or to be a member of his household. (3) A person satisfies the condition in this paragraph if the person is a relative of an EEA national or his spouse or his civil partner and, on serious health grounds, strictly requires the personal care of the EEA national, his spouse or his civil partner. (6) In these Regulations "relevant EEA national" means, in relation to an extended family member, the EEA national who is or whose spouse or civil partner is the relative of the extended family member for the purpose of paragraph (2), (3) or (4) or the EEA national who is the partner of the extended family member for the purpose of paragraph (5).' 10 Regulation 17 of the Immigration Regulations, headed 'Issue of residence card', provides: ' (4) The Secretary of State may issue a residence card to an extended family member not falling within regulation 7(3) who is not an EEA national on application if - (a) the relevant EEA national in relation to the extended family member is a qualified person or an EEA national with a permanent right of residence under regulation 15; and (b) in all the circumstances it appears to the Secretary of State appropriate to issue the residence card. (5) Where the Secretary of State receives an application under paragraph (4) he shall undertake an extensive examination of the personal circumstances of the applicant and if he refuses the application shall give reasons justifying the refusal unless this is contrary to the interests of national security. ' The dispute in the main proceedings and the questions referred for a preliminary ruling 11 On 31 May 2006 Mahbur Rahman, a Bangladeshi national, married an Irish national working in the United Kingdom. 12 Following that marriage, his brother Muhammad Sazzadur Rahman, his halfbrother Fazly Rabby Islam and his nephew Mohibullah Rahman applied for EEA family permits in order to obtain the right to reside in the United Kingdom as his and Mrs Rahman's dependants. Those applications were refused by the Entry Clearance Officer in Bangladesh on 27 July 2006 as the respondents in the main proceedings had been unable to demonstrate that they were dependent on Mr and Mrs Rahman in Bangladesh. 13 The respondents in the main proceedings then brought an appeal against that refusal before the Immigration Judge of the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal. The Immigration Judge allowed their appeal on 19 June 2007. The Immigration Judge found that they were entitled to benefit from the provisions of Article 3(2) of Directive 2004/38 and that, therefore, their entry into the United Kingdom had to be facilitated. Consequently, the respondents in the main proceedings were issued with EEA family permits and they were able to join Mr and Mrs Rahman in the United Kingdom. 14 On 9 January 2008 the respondents in the main proceedings applied for residence cards to confirm their right to reside in the United Kingdom. Those applications were refused by decision of 24 December 2008 of the Secretary of State, as the latter took the view that they had not proved that they had resided with Mrs Rahman, the relevant Union citizen, in the same EEA Member State before she came to the United Kingdom, or that they continued to be dependent on her or were members of her household in the United Kingdom. 15 An appeal against that decision was brought before the Immigration Judge of the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal, who held, on 6 April 2009, that the respondents in the main proceedings were indeed 'dependants' and, consequently, that their file had to be considered under regulation 17(4) and (5) of the Immigration Regulations. 16 The Secretary of State requested a reconsideration of that decision before the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber). Reconsideration was ordered by decision of 30 April 2009 and the case is before that tribunal as an appeal. 17 It was in those circumstances that the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) decided to stay the proceedings and to refer the following questions to the Court for a preliminary ruling: '(1) Does Article 3(2) of [Directive 2004/38] require a Member State to make legislative provision to facilitate entry to and/or residence in a Member State to the class of other family members who are not nationals of the European Union who can meet the requirements of Article 10(2) [of that directive]? (2) Can such other family member referred to in Question 1 rely on the direct applicability of Article 3(2) of [Directive 2004/38] in the event that he cannot comply with any requirements imposed by national legislative provisions? (3) Is the class of other family members referred to in Article 3(2) and Article 10(2) of [Directive 2004/38] limited to those who have resided in the same country as the Union national and his or her spouse, before the Union national came to the host State? (4) Must any dependency referred to in Article 3(2) of [Directive 2004/38] on which the other family member relies to secure entry to the host State be dependency that existed shortly before the Union citizen moved to the host State? (5) Can a Member State impose particular requirements as to the nature or duration of dependency referred to in Article 3(2) of [Directive 2004/38] by such other family member so as to prevent such dependency being contrived or unnecessary to enable a non-national to be admitted to or continue to reside in its territory? (6) Must the dependency on which the other family member relies in order to be admitted to the Member State continue for a period or indefinitely in the host State for a residence card to be issued or renewed pursuant to Article 10 of [Directive 2004/38] and if so how should such dependency be demonstrated?' Consideration of the questions referred Questions 1 and 2 18 With regard to the first and second questions, which it is appropriate to examine together, it should be pointed out at the outset that Directive 2004/38 does not oblige the Member States to grant every application for entry or residence submitted by persons who show that they are family members who are 'dependants' of a Union citizen, within the meaning of Article 3(2)(a) of that directive. 19 As contended by the governments which have submitted observations to the Court and by the European Commission, it follows both from the wording of Article 3(2) of Directive 2004/38 and from the general system of the directive that the European legislature has drawn a distinction between a Union citizen's family members as defined in Article 2(2) of Directive 2004/38, who enjoy, as provided for in the directive, a right of entry into and residence in that citizen's host Member State, and the other family members envisaged in Article 3(2) of the directive, whose entry and residence has only to be facilitated by that Member State. 20 That interpretation is borne out by recital 6 in the preamble to Directive 2004/38, which states that, 'in order to maintain the unity of the family in a broader sense , the situation of those persons who are not included in the definition of family members under this Directive, and who therefore do not enjoy an automatic right of entry and residence in the host Member State, should be examined by the host Member State on the basis of its own national legislation, in order to decide whether entry and residence could be granted to such persons, taking into consideration their relationship with the Union citizen or any other circumstances, such as their financial or physical dependence on the Union citizen'. 21 Whilst it is therefore apparent that Article 3(2) of Directive 2004/38 does not oblige the Member States to accord a right of entry and residence to persons who are family members, in the broad sense, dependent on a Union citizen, the fact remains, as is clear from the use of the words 'shall facilitate' in Article 3(2), that that provision imposes an obligation on the Member States to confer a certain advantage, compared with applications for entry and residence of other nationals of third States, on applications submitted by persons who have a relationship of particular dependence with a Union citizen. 22 In order to meet that obligation, the Member States must, in accordance with the second subparagraph of Article 3(2) of Directive 2004/38, make it possible for persons envisaged in the first subparagraph of Article 3(2) to obtain a decision on their application that is founded on an extensive examination of their personal circumstances and, in the event of refusal, is justified by reasons. 23 As is clear from recital 6 in the preamble to Directive 2004/38, it is incumbent upon the competent authority, when undertaking that examination of the applicant's personal circumstances, to take account of the various factors that may be relevant in the particular case, such as the extent of economic or physical dependence and the degree of relationship between the family member and the Union citizen whom he wishes to accompany or join. 24 In the light both of the absence of more specific rules in Directive 2004/38 and of the use of the words 'in accordance with its national legislation' in Article 3(2) of the directive, each Member State has a wide discretion as regards the selection of the factors to be taken into account. None the less, the host Member State must ensure that its legislation contains criteria which are consistent with the normal meaning of the term 'facilitate' and of the words relating to dependence used in Article 3(2), and which do not deprive that provision of its effectiveness. 25 Finally, even though, as the governments which have submitted observations have correctly observed, the wording used in Article 3(2) of Directive 2004/38 is not sufficiently precise to enable an applicant for entry or residence to rely directly on that provision in order to invoke criteria which should in his view be applied when assessing his application, the fact remains that such an applicant is entitled to a judicial review of whether the national legislation and its application have remained within the limits of the discretion set by that directive (see, by analogy, Case C72/95 Kraaijeveld and Others [1996] ECR I5403, paragraph 56; Case C127/02 Waddenvereniging and Vogelbeschermingsvereniging [2004] ECR I7405, paragraph 66; and Joined Cases C165/09 to C167/09 Stichting Natuur en Milieu and Others [2011] ECR I4599, paragraphs 100 to 103). 26 In the light of the foregoing, the answer to the first and the second question referred is that, on a proper construction of Article 3(2) of Directive 2004/38: - the Member States are not required to grant every application for entry or residence submitted by family members of a Union citizen who do not fall under the definition in Article 2(2) of that directive, even if they show, in accordance with Article 10(2) thereof, that they are dependants of that citizen; - it is, however, incumbent upon the Member States to ensure that their legislation contains criteria which enable those persons to obtain a decision on their application for entry and residence that is founded on an extensive examination of their personal circumstances and, in the event of refusal, is justified by reasons; - the Member States have a wide discretion when selecting those criteria, but the criteria must be consistent with the normal meaning of the term 'facilitate' and of the words relating to dependence used in Article 3(2) and must not deprive that provision of its effectiveness; and - every applicant is entitled to a judicial review of whether the national legislation and its application satisfy those conditions. Questions 3 and 4 27 By its third and fourth questions, which should also be examined together, the national tribunal asks in essence whether, in order to fall within the category, referred to in Article 3(2) of Directive 2004/38, of family members who are 'dependants' of a Union citizen, it is necessary to have resided in the same State as that citizen and to have been a dependant of that citizen shortly before or at the time when the latter settled in the host Member State. 28 As has been submitted by the Centre for Advice on Individual Rights in Europe (AIRE Centre), the Netherlands Government and the Commission in particular, the wording of Directive 2004/38 does not support the conclusion that family members of a Union citizen who do not fall under the definition in Article 2(2) of that directive and who have duly demonstrated their situation of dependence on that citizen can be excluded from the scope of Article 3(2) of the directive solely because they have not resided in the same State as that citizen. 29 Under Article 3(2) of Directive 2004/38, the Member States are to facilitate, in accordance with their national legislation, entry and residence for 'any other family members who, in the country from which they have come, are dependants or members of the household of the Union citizen having the primary right of residence'. 30 Also, Article 10(2)(e) of Directive 2004/38, relating to issue of residence cards, authorises the Member States to require family members referred to in Article 3(2) of the directive to present a 'document issued by the relevant authority in the country of origin or country from which they are arriving certifying that they are dependants of the Union citizen'. 31 As the Advocate General has explained in points 91, 92 and 98 of his Opinion, there is nothing to indicate that the term 'country from which they have come' or 'country from which they are arriving' ['pays de provenance'] used in those provisions must be understood as referring to the country in which the Union citizen resided before settling in the host Member State. On the contrary, it is clear, on reading those provisions together, that the country referred to is, in the case of a national of a third State who declares that he is a 'dependant' of a Union citizen, the State in which he was resident on the date when he applied to accompany or join the Union citizen. 32 So far as concerns the time at which the applicant must be in a situation of dependence in order to be considered a 'dependant' within the meaning of Article 3(2) of Directive 2004/38, it is to be noted that, as follows from recital 6 in the directive's preamble, the objective of that provision is to 'maintain the unity of the family in a broader sense' by facilitating entry and residence for persons who are not included in the definition of family member of a Union citizen contained in Article 2(2) of Directive 2004/38 but who nevertheless maintain close and stable family ties with a Union citizen on account of specific factual circumstances, such as economic dependence, being a member of the household or serious health grounds. 33 It is clear that such ties may exist without the family member of the Union citizen having resided in the same State as that citizen or having been a dependant of that citizen shortly before or at the time when the latter settled in the host State. On the other hand, the situation of dependence must exist, in the country from which the family member concerned comes, at the time when he applies to join the Union citizen on whom he is dependent. 34 In the main proceedings, it is for the national tribunal to establish, on the basis of the guidance as to interpretation provided above, whether the respondents in the main proceedings were dependants of the Union citizen, in this instance Mrs Rahman, in the country from which they have come, Bangladesh, at the time when they applied to join her in the United Kingdom. It is only if they can prove that dependence in the country from which they have come, in accordance with Article 10(2) of Directive 2004/38, that the host Member State will have to facilitate their entry and residence in accordance with Article 3(2) of that directive, as interpreted in paragraphs 22 to 25 of the present judgment. 35 In the light of the foregoing, the answer to the third and the fourth question referred is that, in order to fall within the category, referred to in Article 3(2) of Directive 2004/38, of family members who are 'dependants' of a Union citizen, the situation of dependence must exist in the country from which the family member concerned comes, at the very least at the time when he applies to join the Union citizen on whom he is dependent. Question 5 36 By its fifth question, the national tribunal asks, in essence, whether a Member State may impose particular requirements as to the nature or duration of dependence as referred to in Article 3(2) of Directive 2004/38, in order to satisfy itself that such dependence is genuine and stable and has not been brought about with the sole objective of obtaining entry into and residence in its territory. 37 As has been stated in answering the first and the second question, the Member States have a wide discretion as regards the selection of the factors to be taken into account when examining applications for entry and residence submitted by family members of a Union citizen who are envisaged in Article 3(2) of Directive 2004/38. 38 As the Advocate General has observed in point 105 of his Opinion, the Member States may, in the exercise of that discretion, lay down in their legislation particular requirements as to the nature and duration of dependence, in order in particular to satisfy themselves that the situation of dependence is genuine and stable and has not been brought about with the sole objective of obtaining entry into and residence in the host Member State. 39 It is necessary however, as has been held in paragraph 24 of the present judgment, that those requirements be consistent with the normal meaning of the words relating to the dependence referred to in Article 3(2)(a) of Directive 2004/38 and do not deprive that provision of its effectiveness. 40 Accordingly, the answer to the fifth question referred is that, on a proper construction of Article 3(2) of Directive 2004/38, the Member States may, in the exercise of their discretion, impose particular requirements relating to the nature and duration of dependence, provided that those requirements are consistent with the normal meaning of the words relating to the dependence referred to in Article 3(2)(a) of the directive and do not deprive that provision of its effectiveness. Question 6 41 By its sixth question, the national tribunal asks, in essence, whether issue of the residence card referred to in Article 10 of Directive 2004/38 may be conditional on the requirement that the situation of dependence for the purposes of Article 3(2)(a) of that directive has endured in the host Member State. 42 With regard to issue of the residence card referred to by Directive 2004/38, the European Union legislature essentially confined itself to listing, in Article 10 of that directive, the documents to be presented in order to obtain such a card, which is then to be furnished within six months from the date on which the application was submitted. 43 So far as concerns the applicants envisaged in Article 3(2)(a) of Directive 2004/38, Article 10 of the directive states that those applicants must present inter alia 'a document issued by the relevant authority in the country of origin or country from which they are arriving certifying that they are dependants of the Union citizen'. 44 The legislature did not settle, either in that provision or in other provisions of Directive 2004/38, the question whether family members of a Union citizen who do not fall under the definition in Article 2(2) of the directive and who apply for issue of a residence card by presenting a document, issued in the country from which they have arrived, certifying their dependence on that Union citizen can be refused a residence card on the ground that, after their entry into the host Member State, they have ceased to be dependants of that citizen. 45 The answer to the sixth question therefore is that the question whether issue of the residence card referred to in Article 10 of Directive 2004/38 may be conditional on the requirement that the situation of dependence for the purposes of Article 3(2)(a) of that directive has endured in the host Member State does not fall within the scope of the directive. Costs 46 Since these proceedings are, for the parties to the main proceedings, a step in the action pending before the national tribunal, the decision on costs is a matter for that tribunal. Costs incurred in submitting observations to the Court, other than the costs of those parties, are not recoverable. On those grounds, the Court (Grand Chamber) hereby rules: 1. On a proper construction of Article 3(2) of Directive 2004/38/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the right of citizens of the Union and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States amending Regulation (EEC) No 1612/68 and repealing Directives 64/221/EEC, 68/360/EEC, 72/194/EEC, 73/148/EEC, 75/34/EEC, 75/35/EEC, 90/364/EEC, 90/365/EEC and 93/96/EEC: - the Member States are not required to grant every application for entry or residence submitted by family members of a Union citizen who do not fall under the definition in Article 2(2) of that directive, even if they show, in accordance with Article 10(2) thereof, that they are dependants of that citizen; - it is, however, incumbent upon the Member States to ensure that their legislation contains criteria which enable those persons to obtain a decision on their application for entry and residence that is founded on an extensive examination of their personal circumstances and, in the event of refusal, is justified by reasons; - the Member States have a wide discretion when selecting those criteria, but the criteria must be consistent with the normal meaning of the term 'facilitate' and of the words relating to dependence used in Article 3(2) and must not deprive that provision of its effectiveness; and - every applicant is entitled to a judicial review of whether the national legislation and its application satisfy those conditions. 2. In order to fall within the category, referred to in Article 3(2) of Directive 2004/38, of family members who are 'dependants' of a Union citizen, the situation of dependence must exist in the country from which the family member concerned comes, at the very least at the time when he applies to join the Union citizen on whom he is dependent. 3. On a proper construction of Article 3(2) of Directive 2004/38, the Member States may, in the exercise of their discretion, impose particular requirements relating to the nature and duration of dependence, provided that those requirements are consistent with the normal meaning of the words relating to the dependence referred to in Article 3(2)(a) of the directive and do not deprive that provision of its effectiveness. 4. The question whether issue of the residence card referred to in Article 10 of Directive 2004/38 may be conditional on the requirement that the situation of dependence for the purposes of Article 3(2)(a) of that directive has endured in the host Member State does not fall within the scope of the directive. [Signatures] Language of the case: English. Copyright notice: Cour de justice des Communautes europeennes L-2925 Luxembourg. Telephone switchboard: (352) 4303.1; fax: (352) 4303.2600 Kunqian Catherine Zhu Man Lavette Chen, v. Secretary of State for the Home Department Publisher European Union: Court of Justice of the European Union Publication Date 19 October 2004 Citation / Document Symbol C-200/02 Cite as Kunqian Catherine Zhu Man Lavette Chen, v. Secretary of State for the Home Department, C-200/02, European Union: Court of Justice of the European Union, 19 October 2004, available at: https://www.refworld.org/cases,ECJ,58c15be94.html [accessed 7 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. JUDGMENT OF THE COURT (sitting as a full Court ) 19 October 2004 (Right of residence - Child with the nationality of one Member State but residing in another Member State - Parents nationals of a non-member country - Mother's right to reside in the other Member State) In Case C-200/02,REFERENCE to the Court under Article 234 ECfrom the Immigration Appellate Authority (United Kingdom), made by decision of 27 May 2002, received at the Court on 30 May 2002, in the proceedings Kunqian Catherine Zhu,Man Lavette Chen, v Secretary of State for the Home Department, THE COURT (sitting as a full Court ), composed of: V. Skouris, President, P. Jann, C.W.A. Timmermans, A. Rosas, R. Silva de Lapuerta and K. Lenaerts, Presidents of Chambers, C. Gulmann, R. Schintgen, N. Colneric, S. von Bahr and J.N. Cunha Rodrigues (Rapporteur), Judges,Advocate General: A. Tizzano, Registrar: L. Hewlett, Principal Administrator,having regard to the written procedure and further to the hearing on 11 November 2003,after considering the observations submitted on behalf of: - Man Lavette Chen, by R. de Mello and A. Berry, barristers, assisted by M. Barry, solicitor, - the Irish Government, by D.J. O'Hagan, acting as Agent, assisted by P. Callagher SC, and P. McGarry, BL, - the United Kingdom Government, by J.E. Collins, R. Plender QC, and R. Caudwell, acting as Agents, - the Commission of the European Communities, by C. O'Reilly, acting as Agent, after hearing the Opinion of the Advocate General at the sitting on 18 May 2004, gives the following Judgment 1 This reference for a preliminary ruling concerns the interpretation of Council Directive 73/148/EEC of 21 May 1973 on the abolition of restrictions on movement and residence within the Community for nationals of Member States with regard to establishment and the provision of services (OJ 1973 L 172, p. 14), of Council Directive 90/364/EEC of 28 June 1990 on the right of residence (OJ 1990 L 180, p. 26) and of Article 18 EC. 2 The reference was made in the course of proceedings brought by Kunqian Catherine Zhu (hereinafter 'Catherine'), of Irish nationality, and her mother, Man Lavette Chen (hereinafter 'Mrs Chen'), a Chinese national, against the Secretary of State for the Home Department concerning the latter's rejection of applications by Catherine and Mrs Chen for a long-term permit to reside in the United Kingdom. Legal background Community legislation 3 Article 1 of Directive 73/148 provides: '1. The Member States shall, acting as provided in this Directive, abolish restrictions on the movement and residence of: (a) nationals of a Member State who are established or who wish to establish themselves in another Member State in order to pursue activities as self-employed persons, or who wish to provide services in that State; (b) nationals of Member States wishing to go to another Member State as recipients of services; (c) the spouse and the children under 21 years of age of such nationals, irrespective of their nationality; (d) the relatives in the ascending and descending lines of such nationals and of the spouse of such nationals, which relatives are dependent on them, irrespective of their nationality. 2. Member States shall favour the admission of any other member of the family of a national referred to in paragraph 1(a) or (b) or of the spouse of that national, which member is dependent on that national or spouse of that national or who in the country of origin was living under the same roof.' 4 Article 4(2) of the same directive states: 'The right of residence for persons providing and receiving services shall be of equal duration with the period during which the services are provided. Where such period exceeds three months, the Member State in the territory of which the services are performed shall issue a right of abode as proof of the right of residence. Where the period does not exceed three months, the identity card or passport with which the person concerned entered the territory shall be sufficient to cover his stay. The Member State may, however, require the person concerned to report his presence in the territory.' 5 Under Article 1 of Directive 90/364: '1. Member States shall grant the right of residence to nationals of Member States who do not enjoy this right under other provisions of Community law and to members of their families as defined in paragraph 2, provided that they themselves and the members of their families are covered by sickness insurance in respect of all risks in the host Member State and have sufficient resources to avoid becoming a burden on the social assistance system of the host Member State during their period of residence. The resources referred to in the first subparagraph shall be deemed sufficient where they are higher than the level of resources below which the host Member State may grant social assistance to its nationals, taking into account the personal circumstances of the applicant and, where appropriate, the personal circumstances of persons admitted pursuant to paragraph 2. Where the second subparagraph cannot be applied in a Member State, the resources of the applicant shall be deemed sufficient if they are higher than the level of the minimum social security pension paid by the host Member State. 2. The following shall, irrespective of their nationality, have the right to install themselves in another Member State with the holder of the right of residence: (a) his or her spouse and their descendants who are dependants; (b) dependent relatives in the ascending line of the holder of the right of residence and his or her spouse.' The United Kingdom legislation 6 Under Regulation 5 of the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2000 (the 'EEA Regulations'): '1. In these Regulations, "qualified person" means a person who is an EEA national and in the United Kingdom as (a) a worker; (b) a self employed person; (c) a provider of services; (d) a recipient of services; (e) a self sufficient person; (f) a retired person; (g) a student; or (h) a self employed person who has ceased activity; or who is a person to whom paragraph (4) applies. ' The main proceedings and the questions referred to the Court of Justice 7 The order for reference states that Mrs Chen and her husband, both of Chinese nationality, work for a Chinese undertaking established in China. Mrs Chen's husband is a director and the majority shareholder of that company. For the purposes of his work, he travels frequently to various Member States, in particular the United Kingdom. 8 The couple's first child was born in the People's Republic of China in 1998. Mrs Chen, who wished to give birth to a second child, entered the United Kingdom in May 2000 when she was about six months pregnant. She went to Belfast in July of the same year and Catherine was born there on 16 September 2000. The mother and her child live at present in Cardiff, Wales (United Kingdom). 9 Under section 6(1) of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act of 1956, which was amended in 2001 and applies retroactively as from 2 December 1999, Ireland allows any person born on the island of Ireland to acquire Irish nationality. Under section 6(3), a person born in the island of Ireland is an Irish citizen from birth if he or she is not entitled to citizenship of any other country. 10 Under those rules, Catherine was issued with an Irish passport in September 2000. According to the order for reference, Catherine is not entitled, on the other hand, to acquire United Kingdom nationality since, in enacting the British Nationality Act 1981, the United Kingdom departed from the jus soli, so that birth in the territory of that Member State no longer automatically confers United Kingdom nationality. 11 It is common ground that Mrs Chen took up residence in the island of Ireland in order to enable the child she was expecting to acquire Irish nationality and, consequently, to enable her to acquire the right to reside, should the occasion arise, with her child in the United Kingdom. 12 The referring court also observes that Ireland forms part of the Common Travel Area within the meaning of the Immigration Acts, so that, because Irish nationals do not as a general rule have to obtain a permit to enter and reside in the United Kingdom, Catherine, in contrast to Mrs Chen, may move freely within the United Kingdom and within Ireland. Aside from Catherine's right of free movement limited to those two Member States, neither of the appellants in the main proceedings is entitled to reside in the United Kingdom under its domestic legislation. 13 The order for reference also makes it clear that Catherine is dependent both emotionally and financially on her mother, that her mother is her primary carer, that Catherine receives private medical services and child-care services in return for payment in the United Kingdom, that she lost the right to acquire Chinese nationality by virtue of having been born in Northern Ireland and her subsequent acquisition of Irish nationality and, as a result, that she only has the right to enter Chinese territory under a visa allowing residence for a maximum of 30 days per visit; that the two appellants in the main proceedings provide for their needs by reason of Mrs Chen's employment, that the appellants do not rely upon public funds in the United Kingdom and there is no realistic possibility of their becoming so reliant, and, finally, that the appellants are insured against ill health. 14 The Secretary of State for the Home Department's refusal to grant a long-term residence permit to the two appellants in the main proceedings was based on the fact that Catherine, a child of eight months of age, was not exercising any rights arising from the EC Treaty such as those laid down by Regulation 5(1) of the EEA Regulations and the fact that Mrs Chen was not entitled to reside in the United Kingdom under those regulations. 15 The decision not to grant a permit was the subject of an appeal to the Immigration Appellate Authority, which stayed the proceedings pending a preliminary ruling from the Court of Justice on the following questions: '1. On the facts of the present case, does Article 1 of Council Directive 73/148/EEC or in the alternative Article 1 of Council Directive 90/364/EEC: (a) confer the right on the First Appellant, who is a minor and a citizen of the Union, to enter and reside in the host Member State? (b) and if so, does it consequently confer the right on the Second Appellant, a third country national who is the First Appellant's mother and primary carer, to reside with the First Appellant (i) as her dependent relative, or (ii) because she lived with the First Appellant in her country of origin, or (iii) on any other special basis? 2. If and to the extent that the First Appellant is not a 'national of a Member State' for purposes of exercising Community rights pursuant to Council Directive 73/148/EEC or Article 1 of Council Directive 90/364/EEC, what then are the relevant criteria for identifying whether a child, who is a citizen of the Union, is a national of a Member State for purposes of exercising Community rights?3. In the circumstances of the present case, does the receipt of child care by the First Appellant constitute services for purposes of Council Directive 73/148/EEC?4. In the circumstances of the present case, is the First Appellant precluded from residing in the host State pursuant to Article 1 of Council Directive 90/364/EEC because her resources are provided exclusively by her third country national parent who accompanies her?5. On the special facts of this case does Article 18(1) EC give the First Appellant the right to enter and reside in the host Member State even when she does not qualify for residence in the host State under any other provision of EU law?6. If so, does the Second Appellant consequently enjoy the right to remain with the First Appellant, during that time in the host State?7. In this context, what is the effect of the principle of respect for fundamental human rights under Community law claimed by the Appellants, in particular where the Appellants rely on Article 8 ECHR that everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life and his home in conjunction with Article 14 ECHR given that the First Appellant cannot live in China with the Second Appellant and her father and brother?' The questions referred to the Court of Justice 16 By those questions, the national court seeks in essence to ascertain whether Directive 73/148, Directive 90/364 or Article 18 EC, if appropriate, read in conjunction with Articles 8 and 14 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR), confer, in circumstances such as those of the main proceedings, upon a young minor who is a national of a Member State, and is in the care of a parent who is a national of a non-member country, the right to reside in another Member State where the minor receives child-care services. If such right be conferred, the national court wishes to ascertain whether those same provisions consequently confer a right of residence on the parent concerned. 17 It is therefore necessary to examine the provisions of Community law concerning the right of residence in the light of the situation of a national not of legal age such as Catherine, and then that of a parent who is a national of a non-member country and looks after the child. The right of residence of a person in Catherine's situation Preliminary considerations 18 The Irish and United Kingdom Governments' contention that a person in Catherine's situation cannot claim the benefit of the provisions of Community law on free movement of persons and residence simply because that person has never moved from one Member State to another Member State must be rejected at the outset. 19 The situation of a national of a Member State who was born in the host Member State and has not made use of the right to freedom of movement cannot, for that reason alone, be assimilated to a purely internal situation, thereby depriving that national of the benefit in the host Member State of the provisions of Community law on freedom of movement and of residence (to that effect, see, in particular, Case C-148/02 Garcia Avello [2003] ECR I-11613, paragraphs 13 and 27). 20 Moreover, contrary to the Irish Government's contention, a young child can take advantage of the rights of free movement and residence guaranteed by Community law. The capacity of a national of a Member State to be the holder of rights guaranteed by the Treaty and by secondary law on the free movement of persons cannot be made conditional upon the attainment by the person concerned of the age prescribed for the acquisition of legal capacity to exercise those rights personally (to that effect, see, in particular, in the context of Regulation (EEC) No 1612/68 of the Council of 15 October 1968 on freedom of movement for workers within the Community (OJ, English Special Edition, Series I, 1968 (II), p. 475), Joined Cases 389/87 and 390/87 Echternach and Moritz [1989] ECR 723, paragraph 21, and Case C-413/99 Baumbastand R [2002] ECR I-7091, paragraphs 52 to 63, and, in relation to Article 17 EC, Garcia Avello, paragraph 21). Moreover, as the Advocate General made clear in points 47 to 52 of his Opinion, it does not follow either from the terms of, or from the aims pursued by, Articles 18 EC and 49 EC and Directives 73/148 and 90/364 that the enjoyment of the rights with which those provisions are concerned should be made conditional upon the attainment of a minimum age. Directive 73/148 21 The national court wishes to ascertain whether a person in Catherine's situation may rely on the provisions of Directive 73/148 with a view to residing on a long-term basis in the United Kingdom as a recipient of child-care services provided in return for payment. 22 According to the case-law of the Court, the provisions on freedom to provide services do not cover the situation of a national of a Member State who establishes his principal residence in the territory of another Member State with a view to receiving services there for an indefinite period (to that effect, see, in particular, Case 196/87 Steymann [1988] ECR 6159). The child-care services to which the national court refers fall precisely within that case. 23 As regards the medical services that Catherine is receiving on a temporary basis, it must be observed that, under the first subparagraph of Article 4(2) of Directive 73/148, the right of residence of persons receiving services by virtue of the freedom to provide services is co-terminous with the duration of the period for which they are provided. Consequently, that directive cannot in any event serve as a basis for a right of residence of indefinite duration of the kind with which the main proceedings are concerned. Article 18 EC and Directive 90/364 24 Since Catherine cannot rely on Directive 73/148 for a right of long-term residence in the United Kingdom, the national court would like to know whether Catherine might have a right to long-term residence under Article 18 EC and under Directive 90/364, which, subject to certain conditions, guarantees such a right for nationals of Member States to whom it is not available under other provisions of Community law, and for members of their families. 25 By virtue of Article 17(1) EC, every person holding the nationality of a Member State is a citizen of the Union. Union citizenship is destined to be the fundamental status of nationals of the Member States (see, in particular, Baumbast and R, paragraph 82). 26 As regards the right to reside in the territory of the Member States provided for in Article 18(1) EC, it must be observed that that right is granted directly to every citizen of the Union by a clear and precise provision of the Treaty. Purely as a national of a Member State, and therefore as a citizen of the Union, Catherine is entitled to rely on Article 18(1) EC. That right of citizens of the Union to reside in another Member State is recognised subject to the limitations and conditions imposed by the Treaty and by the measures adopted to give it effect (see, in particular, Baumbast and R, paragraphs 84 and 85). 27 With regard to those limitations and conditions, Article 1(1) of Directive 90/364 provides that the Member States may require that the nationals of a Member State who wish to benefit from the right to reside in their territory and the members of their families be covered by sickness insurance in respect of all risks in the host Member State and have sufficient resources to avoid becoming a burden on the social assistance system of the host Member State during their period of residence. 28 It is clear from the order for reference that Catherine has both sickness insurance and sufficient resources, provided by her mother, for her not to become a burden on the social assistance system of the host Member State. 29 The objection raised by the Irish and United Kingdom Governments that the condition concerning the availability of sufficient resources means that the person concerned must, in contrast to Catherine's case, possess those resources personally and may not use for that purpose those of an accompanying family member, such as Mrs Chen, is unfounded. 30 According to the very terms of Article 1(1) of Directive 90/364, it is sufficient for the nationals of Member States to 'have' the necessary resources, and that provision lays down no requirement whatsoever as to their origin. 31 The correctness of that interpretation is reinforced by the fact that provisions laying down a fundamental principle such as that of the free movement of persons must be interpreted broadly. 32 Moreover, the limitations and conditions referred to in Article 18 EC and laid down by Directive 90/364 are based on the idea that the exercise of the right of residence of citizens of the Union can be subordinated to the legitimate interests of the Member States. Thus, although, according to the fourth recital in the preamble to Directive 90/364, beneficiaries of the right of residence must not become an 'unreasonable' burden on the public finances of the host Member State, the Court nevertheless observed that those limitations and conditions must be applied in compliance with the limits imposed by Community law and in accordance with the principle of proportionality (see, in particular, Baumbast and R, paragraphs 90 and 91). 33 An interpretation of the condition concerning the sufficiency of resources within the meaning of Directive 90/364, in the terms suggested by the Irish and United Kingdom Governments would add to that condition, as formulated in that directive, a requirement as to the origin of the resources which, not being necessary for the attainment of the objective pursued, namely the protection of the public finances of the Member States, would constitute a disproportionate interference with the exercise of the fundamental right of freedom of movement and of residence upheld by Article 18 EC. 34 The United Kingdom Government contends, finally, that the appellants in the main proceedings are not entitled to rely on the Community provisions in question because Mrs Chen's move to Northern Ireland with the aim of having her child acquire the nationality of another Member State constitutes an attempt improperly to exploit the provisions of Community law. The aims pursued by those Community provisions are not, in its view, served where a national of a non-member country wishing to reside in a Member State, without however moving or wishing to move from one Member State to another, arranges matters in such a way as to give birth to a child in a part of the host Member State to which another Member State applies its rules governing acquisition of nationality jure soli. It is, in their view, settled case-law that Member States are entitled to take measures to prevent individuals from improperly taking advantage of provisions of Community law or from attempting, under cover of the rights created by the Treaty, illegally to circumvent national legislation. That rule, which is in conformity with the principle that rights must not be abused, was in their view reaffirmed by the Court in its judgment in Case C-212/97 Centros [1999] ECR I1459. 35 That argument must also be rejected. 36 It is true that Mrs Chen admits that the purpose of her stay in the United Kingdom was to create a situation in which the child she was expecting would be able to acquire the nationality of another Member State in order thereafter to secure for her child and for herself a long-term right to reside in the United Kingdom. 37 Nevertheless, under international law, it is for each Member State, having due regard to Community law, to lay down the conditions for the acquisition and loss of nationality (see, in particular, Case C-369/90 Micheletti and Others [1992] ECR I-4329, paragraph 10, and Case C-192/99 Kaur [2001] ECR I-1237, paragraph 19). 38 None of the parties that submitted observations to the Court has questioned either the legality, or the fact, of Catherine's acquisition of Irish nationality. 39 Moreover, it is not permissible for a Member State to restrict the effects of the grant of the nationality of another Member State by imposing an additional condition for recognition of that nationality with a view to the exercise of the fundamental freedoms provided for in the Treaty (see, in particular, Micheletti, paragraph 10, and Garcia Avello, paragraph 28). 40 However, that would be precisely what would happen if the United Kingdom were entitled to refuse nationals of other Member States, such as Catherine, the benefit of a fundamental freedom upheld by Community law merely because their nationality of a Member State was in fact acquired solely in order to secure a right of residence under Community law for a national of a non-member country. 41 Accordingly, in circumstances like those of the main proceedings, Article 18 EC and Directive 90/364 confer on a young minor who is a national of a Member State, is covered by appropriate sickness insurance and is in the care of a parent who is a third-country national having sufficient resources for that minor not to become a burden on the public finances of the host Member State, a right to reside for an indefinite period in that State. The right of residence of a person in Mrs Chen's situation 42 Article 1(2)(b) of Directive 90/364, which guarantees 'dependent' relatives in the ascending line of the holder of the right of residence the right to install themselves with the holder of the right of residence, regardless of their nationality, cannot confer a right of residence on a national of a non-member country in Mrs Chen's situation either by reason of the emotional bonds between mother and child or on the ground that the mother's right to enter and reside in the United Kingdom is dependent on her child's right of residence. 43 According to the case-law of the Court, the status of 'dependent' member of the family of a holder of a right of residence is the result of a factual situation characterised by the fact that material support for the family member is provided by the holder of the right of residence (see, to that effect, in relation to Article 10 of Regulation No 1612/68, Case 316/85 Lebon [1987] ECR 2811, paragraphs 20 to 22). 44 In circumstances such as those of the main proceedings, the position is exactly the opposite in that the holder of the right of residence is dependent on the national of a non-member country who is her carer and wishes to accompany her. In those circumstances, Mrs Chen cannot claim to be a 'dependent' relative of Catherine in the ascending line within the meaning of Directive 90/364 with a view to having the benefit of a right of residence in the United Kingdom. 45 On the other hand, a refusal to allow the parent, whether a national of a Member State or a national of a non-member country, who is the carer of a child to whom Article 18 EC and Directive 90/364 grant a right of residence, to reside with that child in the host Member State would deprive the child's right of residence of any useful effect. It is clear that enjoyment by a young child of a right of residence necessarily implies that the child is entitled to be accompanied by the person who is his or her primary carer and accordingly that the carer must be in a position to reside with the child in the host Member State for the duration of such residence (see, mutatis mutandis, in relation to Article 12 of Regulation No 1612/68, Baumbast and R, paragraphs 71 to 75). 46 For that reason alone, where, as in the main proceedings, Article 18 EC and Directive 90/364 grant a right to reside for an indefinite period in the host Member State to a young minor who is a national of another Member State, those same provisions allow a parent who is that minor's primary carer to reside with the child in the host Member State. 47 The answer to be given to the national court must therefore be that, in circumstances like those of the main proceedings, Article 18 EC and Directive 90/364 confer on a young minor who is a national of a Member State, is covered by appropriate sickness insurance and is in the care of a parent who is a third-country national having sufficient resources for that minor not to become a burden on the public finances of the host Member State, a right to reside for an indefinite period in that State. In such circumstances, those same provisions allow a parent who is that minor's primary carer to reside with the child in the host Member State. Costs 48 Since these proceedings are, for the parties to the main proceedings, a step in the action pending before the national court, the decision on costs is a matter for that court. Costs incurred in submitting observations to the Court, other than the costs of those parties, are not recoverable. On those grounds, the Court (sitting as a full Court) hereby rules: 1. In circumstances like those of the main proceedings, Article 18 EC and Council Directive 90/364/EEC of 28 June 1990 on the right of residence confer on a young minor who is a national of a Member State, is covered by appropriate sickness insurance and is in the care of a parent who is a third-country national having sufficient resources for that minor not to become a burden on the public finances of the host Member State, a right to reside for an indefinite period in that State. In such circumstances, those same provisions allow a parent who is that minor's primary carer to reside with the child in the host Member State. Skouris Jann Timmermans Rosas Silva de Lapuerta Lenaerts Gulmann Schintgen Colneric von Bahr Cunha Rodrigues Delivered in open court in Luxembourg on 19 October 2004. Registrar President R. Grass V. Skouris - Language of the case: English. Copyright notice: Cour de justice des Communautes europeennes L-2925 Luxembourg. Telephone switchboard: (352) 4303.1; fax: (352) 4303.2600 LOS ANGELES, March 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Imperial Capital, LLC (Imperial Capital) announced today the addition of a number of senior institutional sales professionals as it continues its recruiting strategy to employ veteran sales professionals to deepen the franchises credit sales & trading capabilities with global institutional investors. Terrance Cassidy Jr., Geoffrey Mattson and Charles Yorke join Imperial Capitals High Grade/Hybrid Sales team as Managing Directors. We are pleased to add these seasoned professionals who bring both quality credit sales experience and excellent relationships to Imperial, said Tom Corcoran, President of Imperial Capital, LLC. The depth of their product knowledge will enhance our ability to provide value for our clients and our growing franchise. Mr. Terrence Cassidy Jr. joins Imperial Capital as a Managing Director in the High Grade/Hybrid Credit Sales Group in New York with over 30 years of industry experience. Most recently, Mr. Cassidy was a Managing Director in Fixed Income Sales at Societe Generale. Prior to this, he was a Managing Director at CapRok Capital, LLC. Mr. Cassidy spent the majority of his career with Bear Stearns & Co. Inc. as a Managing Director of Credit Sales. Mr. Cassidy earned an MBA from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University and a BA in Economics from Hobart College. In addition, Mr. Cassidy holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation from the CFA Institute. Mr. Geoffrey Mattson, who brings over 15 years of experience in Capital Markets, is a Managing Director in the High Grade/Hybrid Credit Sales Group in New York. Mr. Mattsons experience includes his role as the Head of Fixed Income Sales at SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc. Prior to SMBC, Mr. Mattson was a Director of Institutional Fixed Income Sales with SunTrust Robinson Humphrey and a Senior Vice President with KBW. Mr. Mattson began his securities experience with Lehman Brothers in High Yield Research, eventually transferring to the Credit Sales Group. Mr. Mattson earned an MBA in Finance from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BA in Political Science from the University of Michigan. In addition, Mr. Mattson holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation from the CFA Institute. With over 35 years of credit sales experience, Mr. Charles Yorke joins Imperial Capital as a Managing Director in the High Grade/Hybrid Credit Sales Group in Chicago. Most recently, Mr. Yorke was a Director in the investment grade and high yield sales group with Deutsche Bank. In recent years, Mr. Yorke has held IG and HY credit sales positions with Jefferies LLC and Cantor Fitzgerald. Mr. Yorke was Head of Marketing & Business Development at CW Henderson & Associates as well as a Managing Director with HSBC Securities USA. Prior to this, Mr. Yorke has spent nine years in credit sales at Credit Suisse First Boston. Mr. Yorke began his career as a Vice President with Salomon Brothers. About Imperial Capital, LLC Imperial Capital is a full-service investment bank offering a uniquely integrated platform of comprehensive services to institutional investors and middle market companies. We offer sophisticated sales and trading services to institutional investors and a wide range of investment banking advisory, capital markets and restructuring services to middle market corporate clients. Paired with our proprietary research and sales & trading desk analysis, we provide investment analysis across an issuer's capital structure, including bank loans, debt securities, the hybrid/bank capital marketplace (through our ELP Framework), post-reorganization equities, special situations claims and listed and unlisted equities. Our comprehensive and integrated service platform, expertise across the global capital structure, and deep industry sector knowledge enable us to provide clients with research driven ideas, superior advisory services, and trade execution. We are quick to identify opportunities under any market conditions and we have a proven track record of offering creative, proprietary solutions to our clients. Imperial Capital has three principal businesses: Investment Banking, Institutional Sales & Trading and Institutional Research. More information about Imperial Capital can be found at www.imperialcapital.com. Firma Laub GmbH & Co. Vieh & Fleisch Import-Export v. Hauptzollamt Hamburg-Jonas Publisher European Union: Court of Justice of the European Union Publication Date 21 June 2007 Citation / Document Symbol ECLI:EU:C:2007:368; C428/05 Cite as Firma Laub GmbH & Co. Vieh & Fleisch Import-Export v. Hauptzollamt Hamburg-Jonas, ECLI:EU:C:2007:368; C428/05, European Union: Court of Justice of the European Union, 21 June 2007, available at: https://www.refworld.org/cases,ECJ,58c161c64.html [accessed 7 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. JUDGMENT OF THE COURT (Eighth Chamber) 21 June 2007 ( ) (Export refunds Regulation (EEC) No 3665/87 Definition of 'undue payment of a refund' Payment of a refund on the basis of incomplete documentation Possibility of completing the documents relating to the payment of the refund after the expiry of the periods referred to in Articles 47(2) and 48(2)(a) of Regulation (EEC) No 3665/87 in the context of a subsequent recovery procedure) In Case C-428/05, REFERENCE for a preliminary ruling under Article 234 EC from the Finanzgericht Hamburg (Germany), made by decision of 21 November 2005, received at the Court on 2 December 2005, in the proceedings Firma Laub GmbH & Co. Vieh & Fleisch Import-Export v Hauptzollamt Hamburg-Jonas, THE COURT (Eighth Chamber), composed of E. Juhasz (Rapporteur), President of the Eighth Chamber, G. Arestis and J. Malenovsky, Judges, Advocate General: Y. Bot, Registrar: B. Fulop, Administrator, having regard to the written procedure and further to the hearing on 17 January 2007, after considering the observations submitted on behalf of: Firma Laub GmbH & Co. Vieh & Fleisch Import-Export, by O. Wenzlaff, Rechtsanwalt, the Commission of the European Communities, by J.C. Schieferer and F. Erlbacher, acting as Agents, having decided, after hearing the Advocate General, to proceed to judgment without an Opinion, gives the following Judgment 1 The request for a preliminary ruling concerns the interpretation of the first sentence of the first subparagraph of Article 11(3), Article 47(2), and Article 48(2)(a) of Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3665/87 of 27 November 1987 laying down common detailed rules for the application of the system of export refunds on agricultural products (OJ 1987 L 351, p. 1) as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 604/98 of 17 March 1998 (OJ 1998 L 80, p. 19) ('Regulation No 3665/87'). 2 This request has been made in the course of proceedings between the company Firma Laub GmbH & Co. Vieh & Fleisch Import-Export ('Laub') and Hauptzollamt Hamburg-Jonas (Hamburg-Jonas Main Customs Office) ('Hauptzollamt') concerning the latter's decision relating to the recovery of an export refund which it claimed had been unduly paid to Laub. Legal context 3 The 25th and 50th recitals of Regulation No 3665/87 state: 'Whereas no refund is granted if the time-limits for export and for submitting the proof required for obtaining payment of the refund are not complied with; Whereas in the interests of sound administrative practice applications for payment of the refund, accompanied by all relevant documents, should be required to be made within a reasonable period, save in cases of force majeure and in particular when it has not been possible to comply with the time-limit because of administrative delays beyond the control of the exporter.' 4 The first sentence of the first subparagraph of Article 11(3) of Regulation No 3665/87 sets out: 'Without prejudice to the obligation to pay any negative amount as referred to in the fourth subparagraph of paragraph 1, where a refund is unduly paid, the beneficiary shall reimburse the amounts unduly received, which includes any sanction applicable pursuant to the first subparagraph of paragraph 1, with interest calculated on the basis of the period between payment and reimbursement.' 5 Article 47(1), (2), (4) and (5), which feature under Title 4 of Regulation No 3665/87, entitled 'Procedure for the payment of the refund' is worded as follows: '1. The refund shall be paid only on written application by the exporter and shall be paid by the Member State in whose territory the export declaration was accepted. Application for the refund shall be made either: (a) in writing; Member States may prescribe a special form to be used for this purpose; 2. Except in cases of force majeure, the documents relating to payment of the refund or release of the security must be submitted within 12 months following the date on which the export declaration was accepted. 4. Where the documents required under Article 18 cannot be submitted within the period referred to in paragraph 2, although the exporter has acted with all due diligence to obtain them and communicate them within such period, he may be granted further time for the production of these documents. 5. Requests for the treatment of other documents as equivalent, as referred to in paragraph 3 and requests for extension of time referred to in paragraph 4 must be submitted within the period referred to in paragraph 2.' 6 Article 48(2)(a) of Regulation No 3665/87 is worded as follows: 'Where proof that all the requirements laid down by Community rules have been complied with is produced within six months of expiry of the periods set in Article 47(2), (4) and (5), the refund paid shall be 85% of the sum which would have been paid if all the requirements had been complied with.' The dispute in the main proceedings and the question referred for a preliminary ruling 7 By two export declarations of 26 January and of 26 February 1999 Laub declared frozen pigmeat for export to Russia. Refunds relating to those exports were granted and paid by the Hauptzollamt. 8 By letter of 20 September 2001, the Hauptzollamt stated that the refunds had been unduly paid, because the two CMR-waybills, submitted as transport documents with the application for payment of the export refund, were incomplete. They only contained partial responses to sections 16 and 23 relating to the carrier and did not bear the signature or the stamp of that carrier. 9 By reply of 26 September 2001 Laub produced duly completed waybills, bearing the carrier's stamps. It explained that these supplementary waybills had been sent to it later, but that, in light of the decisions of the Hauptzollamt to grant a refund, it had not considered it necessary to produce them, assuming the transport documents already presented to be sufficient. 10 By two amending decisions of 14 and 17 December 2001 the Hauptzollamt nevertheless sought the repayment of the refunds. The Hauptzollamt rejected the objection lodged by Laub against those decisions and the latter then lodged an appeal before the Finanzgericht Hamburg. 11 It is in these circumstances that the Finanzgericht Hamburg decided to stay proceedings and to refer to the Court of Justice the following question for a preliminary ruling: 'Is a refund within the meaning of Article 11(3), subparagraph 1, first sentence, of Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3665/87 unduly paid and thus to be reimbursed, where the beneficiary presents the documents supporting payment only in the course of the procedure for recovery and after the expiry of the time-limits set out in Articles 47(2) and 48(2)(a) of Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3665/87?' The question referred for a preliminary ruling 12 By its question referred for a preliminary ruling the referring court asks, in essence, whether, in circumstances such as those in the main proceedings, in the context of the procedure for recovery of an export refund as set out in Article 11(3) of Regulation No 3665/87 ('the recovery procedure'), an exporter is entitled to produce the necessary documents to show its entitlement to the refund after the expiry of the time-limits for their production provided in Articles 47(2) and 48(2)(a) of that regulation, or if the production of the evidence is excluded at that point, so that it is necessary to consider the refund unduly paid within the meaning of Article 11(3). 13 Laub and the Commission of the European Communities submit that an export refund can not be considered 'unduly paid' solely on the ground that the time-limits referred to in Articles 47(2) and 48(2)(a) of Regulation No 3665/87 have not been respected. They submit that it follows from Case C-385/03 Kaserei Champignon Hofmeister [2005] ECR I-2997 that the time-limits referred to in those articles are not substantive conditions, but merely administrative formalities necessary to obtain the payment of a refund, so that a contravention of the time-limits does not lead to a refund being considered 'unduly paid'. 14 Laub claims, moreover, that it is apparent from an analysis of the scheme and the aims of Regulation No 3665/87 that the procedure for payment and the procedure for recovery are separate procedures, each with their own objectives, and therefore the time-limit referred to in Article 47 of that regulation should not be applied in the context of a recovery procedure. 15 Laub considers that, if, on the basis of documentation provided by the exporter, a competent authority has finally paid out the export refund, or released the securities for a refund paid in advance, the principle of the protection of legitimate expectations precludes the competent authority from then proceeding to recover that refund on the basis that the documentation is insufficient. According to Laub, the exporter is entitled to consider that, at that stage, the Member State has verified the documentation submitted and that it (the exporter) must not endeavour to obtain secondary evidence provided for in Regulation No 3665/87. 16 At the outset, it is appropriate to point out that, in general, non-compliance with procedural rules set out in Regulation No 3665/87 can lead to the reduction, even the loss, of the rights to an export refund. This is the case, in particular, when an exporter does not produce the necessary evidence to obtain the export refund until after the expiry of the time-limits referred to in Articles 47(2) and 48(2) of that regulation. 17 The 25th recital of Regulation No 3665/87 states that no refund is granted if the time-limits for export and for submitting the proof required for obtaining payment of the refund are not complied with. Under Article 48(2)(a) of that regulation, the refund to be paid to an exporter is reduced by 15% if the exporter only provides the necessary evidence within six months following the time-limit provided specifically in Article 47(2) of that regulation. 18 Although the Court decided, at paragraph 26 of Kaserei Champignon Hofmeister, that Article 47 of Regulation No 3665/87 is one of the procedural rules that an exporter must observe to obtain a refund payment, the fact remains that the contravention of these rules can lead to a reduction in, or the loss of, the amount of the refund due to the exporter. 19 Nevertheless, it is accepted that the main proceedings do not concern the production of the necessary evidence in the context of the payment procedure referred to in Article 47(2) of Regulation No 3665/87. The events which have given rise to this reference for a preliminary ruling take place at a later stage, in the context of a recovery procedure under Article 11(3) of that regulation, after the payment procedure had been brought to an end and the export refund had been paid by the competent authority. 20 Whilst Articles 47(2) and 48(2) of Regulation No 3665/87 set the applicable time-limits for the production of the necessary evidence for the payment of the refund, the regulation does not contain provisions regarding the applicable time-limits during the implementation of the recovery procedure referred to in Article 11(3). 21 It should be noted that it does not follow from this absence of provisions that, following a final payment of a refund, a competent authority, which has found deficiencies in the documents produced pursuant to Article 47(2) of Regulation No 3665/87, may not demand supplementary information from the exporter and, where appropriate, adopt the necessary measures to recover the refund paid. 22 On the contrary, such a right is in keeping with the purpose of the recovery procedure referred to in Article 11(3) of Regulation No 3665/87. This provision has the aim of ensuring the protection and the proper application of the Community budget in regard to export refunds and, in particular, of ensuring that only those exporters entitled to refunds benefit from them, in accordance with the objective conditions established by the Community legislature. 23 Moreover, the Court has already held, in the context of a refund paid to an exporter, that the release of a security does not discharge the exporter from obligations imposed on it under Community legislation (C-155/89 Philipp Brothers [1990] ECR I-3265, paragraphs 13 to 16). This principle also applies to the final payment of an export refund to an exporter who has not produced sufficient evidence that the conditions for the right to the refund have been fulfilled. 24 Nevertheless, the right of the competent authority to demand from the exporter the necessary documents in order to obtain the refund, even after the payment of that refund and after the expiry of the period referred to in Article 47(2) of Regulation No 3665/87, has as its corollary that the exporter, in turn, must have the opportunity to produce the necessary documentation to prove its right to the refund. 25 To deny exporters this opportunity would constitute an infringement of the principle of good administration, insofar as this principle precludes a public administration from penalising an economic operator acting in good faith for non-compliance with the procedural rules, when this non-compliance arises from the behaviour of the administration itself. The fact that the competent authority, on the one hand, went ahead with the payment of the export refund on the basis of incomplete evidence, and on the other hand, only initiated the recovery procedure after a certain period had passed, directly affected the opportunity for Laub to produce sufficient proof. Further, it is not claimed in the request for a preliminary ruling that, according to the competent authority, the exporter acted in bad faith. 26 It would be contrary to the objectives of Regulation No 3665/87 if the actions of the competent authority were able to prevent exporters of agricultural products from benefiting from the system of export refunds, when they fulfil the conditions set out in that regulation and are acting in good faith. 27 As the time-limits referred to in Articles 47(2) and 48(2)(a) of Regulation No 3665/87 are not applicable to the recovery procedure and as there are no specific Community law rules prescribing the time-limits for the presentation of supplementary evidence in the context of a recovery procedure, it is a matter for the competent national authorities, in accordance with national law, and subject to the limits imposed by Community law, to grant a supplementary period on the basis of the specific circumstances of each case (see, to that effect, Case C-467/01 Eribrand [2003] ECR I-6471, paragraph 49). The period allowed must be reasonable in order to allow the exporter to obtain and produce the required documentation and must take account of, in particular, any effect of the actions of the competent authority on the exporter. 28 In light of the foregoing, the reply to the question referred for a preliminary ruling must be that an export refund can not be regarded as 'unduly paid', within the meaning of the first sentence of the first subparagraph of Article 11(3) of Regulation No 3665/87, if the beneficiary, in the context of a recovery procedure for the refund, produces the necessary evidence to justify its right to that refund. It is a matter for the competent national authorities to set a reasonable time-limit which allows the beneficiary to produce this evidence. Costs 29 Since these proceedings are, for the parties to the main proceedings, a step in the action pending before the national court, the decision on costs is a matter for that court. Costs incurred in submitting observations to the Court, other than the costs of those parties, are not recoverable. On those grounds, the Court (Eighth Chamber) hereby rules: An export refund can not be regarded as 'unduly paid', within the meaning of the first sentence of the first subparagraph of Article 11(3) of Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3665/87 of 27 November 1987 laying down common detailed rules for the application of the system of export refunds on agricultural products, as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 604/98 of 17 March 1998, if the beneficiary, in the context of a recovery procedure for the refund, produces the necessary evidence to justify its right to that refund. It is a matter for the competent national authorities to set a reasonable time-limit which allows the beneficiary to produce this evidence. [Signatures] Language of the case: German. Copyright notice: Cour de justice des Communautes europeennes L-2925 Luxembourg. Telephone switchboard: (352) 4303.1; fax: (352) 4303.2600 Bangladesh: IWD: National Human Rights Commission urged to do more to protect women journalists Publisher Article 19 Publication Date 8 March 2017 Cite as Article 19, Bangladesh: IWD: National Human Rights Commission urged to do more to protect women journalists, 8 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58c168564.html [accessed 7 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Five years after the double murders of high-profile journalist couple Mehrun Runi and her husband Sagor Sarwar, campaigners and advocates of free expression, are yet to see the final police investigation report into the crime. Despite attention on the case by the community of journalists and media workers, demands for the release of the report have gone unanswered no less than 46 times since 2012. During a conference yesterday,* Tahmina Rahman, ARTICLE 19 Regional Director for Bangladesh and South Asia, urged the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to play a more effective role in improving the protection of journalists. Highlighting the commitments made by Bangladesh to the Global Goals Ms Rahman reminded the audience that Goal 16 requires States to take active steps to remove obstacles to free expression and to refrain from interference. Such a commitment clearly requires all governments to ensure the protection of journalists and online activists especially those who face specific gender-related barriers to freedom of expression. Despite these commitments however, women working in the media in Bangladesh face many challenges including discrimination, various forms of harassment (including sexual harassment ) and physical violence. Journalists are often silenced with unwarranted application of laws including defamation and laws designed to harass and intimidate targets (known as vexatious litigation). Since 1995, 51 journalists and internet activists have been murdered in Bangladesh, and in only two cases there have been convictions. Most of the other cases are under investigation with very few reaching trial stage. Last year a ground-breaking Resolution on the Safety of Journalists (adopted at the 33rd session of the Human Rights Council) requires States to take a gender sensitive approach to designing and implementing measures to address the safety of journalists. "During a week that marks International Women's Day, the government has an opportunity to reassure women in Bangladesh and those working in the media that they live and work in an environment that is safe and secure. Both the State and media houses must work to create an environment that both protects and promotes free expression. Given the context of both international law and clear commitments made at the international level the government has clear guidelines to end to the intimidation and harassment of journalists. The speedy conclusion of the murder investigations of Mehrun Runi and Sagor Sarwar would send a strong signal of intent." said Ms Rahman. Copyright notice: Copyright ARTICLE 19 Why is the so-called Islamic State attacking Sufis? Publisher IRIN Author Aamir Saeed Publication Date 9 March 2017 Cite as IRIN, Why is the so-called Islamic State attacking Sufis?, 9 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58c16a8c4.html [accessed 7 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Zahid Hussain has been preaching tolerance at the Bari Imam Sufi Muslim shrine in Pakistan's capital for 30 years, but it is that very message that now requires the shrine to be barricaded by police and security guards. Sufis are known for their mystical pursuit of divine wisdom and their embrace of diversity that extends even beyond Islam. Such open-mindedness is unacceptable to militant Islamist extremists like the so-called Islamic State, which on 16 February bombed a different Sufi shrine in Sindh Province and killed 88 people. Even as the militant group is squeezed out of strongholds in the Middle East, it is expanding its presence in Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan. That's bad news for Sufis and other Muslims whom IS deems to be apostates. A senior counter-terrorism official has told IRIN that hundreds of Pakistanis have recently returned from Syria after gaining training and battle experience with IS. "The nexus of sectarian and militant outfits like Islamic State is resulting in attacks on Sufi shrines, as they want to push the people back to Stone Age," said Hussain, sitting in a white marble burial chamber for the shrine's namesake who died in 1705. Last month's bombing of the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sindh prompted administrators to put security measures in place in this shrine, which is nestled into the Margalla Hills that rise over the north of Islamabad. Men and women now pray in separate enclosures, and about a dozen armed men guard the entrance. Enemies of diversity The Bari Imam shrine has also been attacked, back in 2005, when 20 people died in a suicide bombing claimed by the Pakistani Taliban. After that, administrators stopped the dhamal, an ancient ritual in which people of various beliefs and genders whirl in unison to the beat of drums. But devotees say the spirit of inclusiveness continues. "The Sufi shrines belong to everyone including Muslims, Christians, Hindus and transgender, and that's why the militants linked with the IS label people coming here as heretics and liable to be killed," said Jamil Ahmed, who was visiting the shrine with his family. It is precisely that kind of diversity that makes the Sufi community a target. After the 16 February attack, IS released a statement saying it had targeted Sufis because they were "polytheists", according to SITE, an organisation that monitors militant groups. Extremist expansion Militants have attacked 16 Sufi shrines since 2005, according to Pakistan's Dawn newspaper. The threat is rising as IS makes inroads into the country with the help of about 400 fighters who have returned from Syria, a senior counter-terrorism official told IRIN on condition of anonymity. "The Islamic State advocates radical Salafi thought and unfortunately Pakistan provides a perfect environment for it to grow due to existing infiltration of Wahhabism in the society, thanks to our Middle East friends for funding the sectarian outfits here," he said. The Salafi movement promotes strict adherence to what believers say were the practices of early Muslims. Wahhabism is a related, ultra-conservative school of Islam that originated in Saudi Arabia, which has promoted it over decades by funding religious schools in countries including Pakistan. The 18 February bombing was one in a string of attacks throughout the country that killed about 100 people within a week, prompting authorities to launch an operation targeting militant groups called Raddul Fasaad. While similar operations have concentrated on taking control over rugged areas like the Swat Valley and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas on the frontier with Afghanistan, Raddul Fasaad is the first one to focus on cities. "The main objective of the operation in urban centres is to bust sleeper cells of the militants and arrest their financiers and facilitators," said Malik Ahmed Khan, a Punjab provincial government spokesman. He told IRIN that security forces have killed 100 militants so far and arrested 600 more suspects. Among those arrested were at least five IS members who recently returned from Syria, he said. In January 2015, IS declared its intention to establish "Khorasan", in reference to a historical region that once covered much of modern-day Afghanistan as well as parts of Iran and Central Asia. But it has so far only been able to establish control over a small area in Nangarhar, an Afghan province bordering Pakistan. Amir Rana, an expert on militancy and the director of the Pak Institute of Peace Studies, told IRIN that while IS had expanded its presence in Pakistan in recent months, it still lacks a "charismatic leadership" here to lure fresh recruits, consolidate its position, and to forge strong alliances with established militant groups. "The IS cannot set up its rule over any territory in Pakistan without a vibrant local leadership, but seems to be capable of targeting some vulnerable places like the Sufi shrines," he said. SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., March 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Meritage Homes Corporation (NYSE:MTH), a leading U.S. homebuilder, will host an Analyst Day for investors and financial analysts at the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday, March 14, 2017. Management presentations will begin at 9:00 AM Eastern Time and conclude at approximately 12:00 PM Eastern Time. Analysts or investors interested in attending the live event should email investors@meritagehomes.com to register. Due to limited capacity, advance registration is required. The event is not open to members of the press. The event will be webcast live and may be accessed through the "Investor Relations" page of the Company's web site at http://investors.meritagehomes.com. Participants should access the webcast event page at least five minutes before the live event for the audio link and any accompanying materials. Archived versions of the webcast will be available on this site for 60 days following the presentation. About Meritage Meritage Homes is the eighth-largest public homebuilder in the United States, based on homes closed in 2016. Meritage Homes builds and sells single-family homes for first-time, move-up, luxury and active adult buyers across the Western, Southern and Southeastern United States. Meritage Homes builds in markets including Sacramento, San Francisco Bay area, southern coastal and Inland Empire markets in California; Houston, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Austin and San Antonio, Texas; Phoenix/Scottsdale, Green Valley and Tucson, Arizona; Denver and Fort Collins, Colorado; Orlando, Tampa and south Florida; Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina; Greenville-Spartanburg and York County, South Carolina; Nashville, Tennessee; and Atlanta, Georgia. Meritage Homes has designed and built over 100,000 homes in its 31-year history, and has a reputation for its distinctive style, quality construction, and positive customer experience. Meritage Homes is the industry leader in energy-efficient homebuilding and has received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for Sustained Excellence Award every year since 2013 for innovation and industry leadership in energy efficient homebuilding. For more information, visit www.meritagehomes.com. A look back on all of our reporting of the Delphi murders since 2017 Unique insulator core nose design provides unprecedented mechanical and electrical strength SOUTHFIELD, Mich., March 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Federal-Mogul Powertrain has introduced a new industrial spark plug that has unprecedented mechanical and electrical strength, thanks to a new u-shaped core nose on the insulator. The Pokal spark plug offers increased robustness for use in new engine applications with high peak cylinder pressures while also enabling the use of larger electrodes, providing increased service life and enhanced performance. The geometric constraints of a 14mm plug make it more difficult to meet the levels of robustness and durability possible with an 18mm product, but we have achieved this with our new Pokal spark plug, said Gian Maria Olivetti, Chief Technology Officer, Federal-Mogul Powertrain. The unique shape of the insulator core nose increases its resistance to mechanical pressure waves, allowing OEMs to use more aggressive combustion strategies for improved engine efficiency without reducing spark plug life. Conventional insulators have a conical nose, the shape of which defines the heat range of the plug and ultimately limits the thermal extraction and electrical properties. The nose of the Pokal spark plug incorporates a cup-shaped cavity around the center electrode, improving both the electrical and mechanical strength. This shape allows the plug to better withstand increased voltage demand requirements, in addition to a more aggressive combustion setting with higher peak cylinder pressures. The Pokal spark plug has been released for use in engines rated between 100 KW and 600 KW and has been in production since 2016. Its first application is with a major European industrial engine manufacturer, but the technology is of interest worldwide for marine, off-highway and stationary industrial engines using gaseous fuels, including natural gas, landfill gas and bio-gas. There is significant market demand for cost-effective plugs wrapped in M14 packaging, but they must be technically capable in order to meet increasing efficiency and service life requirements of current and future engine applications, explained Andrew Stamper, Director, Global Sales and Engineering, Industrial Ignition, Federal-Mogul Powertrain. Federal-Mogul Powertrains Pokal spark plug brings a new, higher level of capability and robustness offering to this important market sector. Federal-Mogul Powertrains industrial ignition products are sold under the Federal-Mogul and Champion brands globally, and are industry-leading technologies servicing all heavy-duty and environmentally friendly industrial gasoline engine segments, including on- and off-highway, marine, power generation and compression/pumping. Champion was the first to pioneer ignition products for heavy-duty and industrial applications and, for over 100 years, is still driving the market in product excellence. About Federal-Mogul Federal-Mogul Holdings LLC is a leading global supplier of products and services to the worlds manufacturers and servicers of vehicles and equipment in the automotive, light, medium and heavy-duty commercial, marine, rail, aerospace, power generation and industrial markets. The companys products and services enable improved fuel economy, reduced emissions and enhanced vehicle safety. Federal-Mogul operates two independent business divisions, each with a chief executive officer reporting to Federal-Mogul's Board of Directors. Federal-Mogul Powertrain designs and manufactures original equipment powertrain components and systems protection products for automotive, heavy-duty, industrial and transport applications. Federal-Mogul Motorparts sells and distributes a broad portfolio of products through more than 20 of the worlds most recognized brands in the global vehicle aftermarket, while also serving original equipment vehicle manufacturers with products including braking, wipers and a range of chassis components. The companys aftermarket brands include ANCO wiper blades; Beck/Arnley premium OE quality parts and fluids ; BERU* ignition systems; Champion lighting, spark plugs, wipers and filters; Interfil filters; AE, Fel-Pro, FP Diesel, Goetze, Glyco, Nural, Payen and Sealed Power engine products; MOOG chassis components; and Ferodo, Jurid and Wagner brake products and lighting. Federal-Mogul was founded in Detroit in 1899 and maintains its worldwide headquarters in Southfield, Michigan. The Company has nearly 53,000 employees in 24 countries. For more information, please visit www.federalmogul.com. *BERU is a registered trademark of BorgWarner Ludwigsburg GmbH A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/27529b2b-f9c5-413f-8d93-525ef65d09b6. First Procedure in Prospective, Randomized, Multi-Center Study Performed at Maria Cecilia Hospital in Italy DUBLIN - Mar. 9, 2017 - Medtronic plc (NYSE: MDT) today announced the launch of the IN.PACT(TM) BTK study to evaluate the effectiveness of using a drug-coated balloon (DCB) in patients with below-the-knee (BTK) peripheral arterial disease (PAD). This study will evaluate the IN.PACT 0.014 paclitaxel-coated percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) balloon catheter. This is an investigational device, which uses Medtronic's unique IN.PACT(TM) Admiral(TM) drug coating technology. Dr. Antonio Micari of Maria Cecilia Hospital in Cotignola, Italy performed the first procedure on a patient with critical limb ischemia (CLI). Dr. Micari reports the first patient is doing well post-treatment. "The first patient enrollment in the IN.PACT BTK study marks a landmark milestone in identifying a treatment option for below-the-knee PAD," said Dr. Micari. "Given the chronic nature and co-morbidities of this disease, there is a critical need for treatment options that are safe and durable. I look forward to continuing patient enrollment to evaluate the use of this DCB in treating this challenging disease state." CLI with PAD below-the-knee is associated with risk of non-healing wound ulcers and amputation. This complex disease is one of the most significant clinical challenges for physicians in the clinical vascular community. "Patency rates after conventional balloon angioplasty can be challenging in BTK disease, and we believe that a sustained patency could improve healing and reduce the need of target lesions revascularization (TLR) and major amputation," said Francesco Liistro, M.D., chief of Cardiovascular Intervention at San Donato Hospital, Arezzo, Italy. "Multiple studies have evaluated DCBs in the superficial femoral arteries (SFA), but the need for clinically supported treatment options for below-the-knee PAD still remains. We look forward to participating in this significant trial to evaluate the IN.PACT 0.014 DCB in a complex CLI patient population, particularly given the strong evidence for use of IN.PACT Admiral in the SFA." The IN.PACT BTK study is a unique, prospective, randomized, multi-center study that will enroll approximately 60 patients at four sites in Europe. The study's primary endpoint is late lumen loss at nine months, an important angiographic measure of drug effectiveness, in patients who received treatment with the IN.PACT 0.014 DCB compared to standard PTA. The study also includes a wound care protocol, which provides additional safety controls and ensures patients will routinely undergo routine and standard monitoring by qualified wound care professionals. Medtronic partnered closely with the clinical community to further understand the complexity of this disease state and build on the emerging body of scientific knowledge regarding use of DCBs below-the-knee. This includes findings from Medtronic's IN.PACT DEEP trial, which used an earlier balloon technology. Additionally, at TCT 2016, Dr. Juan F. Granada presented pre-clinical data on wound healing in a porcine model. The findings indicated that the use of the IN.PACT Admiral drug-coated balloon in the SFA territory does not delay wound healing despite measureable concentrations of paclitaxel in the adjacent cutaneous tissue. "Peripheral artery disease below the knee is complex. With these prior analyses, we have developed an unmatched knowledge around the treatment of below-the-knee disease and CLI," said Mark Pacyna, vice president and general manager of the Peripheral business in Medtronic's Aortic & Peripheral Vascular division. "Together with our clinical investigators, we look forward to launching the IN.PACT BTK study to evaluate the effect of the IN.PACT 0.014 in patients with below-the-knee PAD." The IN.PACT 0.014 DCB is an investigational device being evaluated in Europe and does not have an approved Investigational Device Exemption in the United States. In collaboration with leading clinicians, researchers, and scientists worldwide, Medtronic offers the broadest range of innovative medical technology for the interventional and surgical treatment of cardiovascular disease and cardiac arrhythmias. The company strives to offer products and services of the highest quality that deliver clinical and economic value to healthcare consumers and providers around the world. About Medtronic Medtronic plc (www.medtronic.com), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is among the world's largest medical technology, services and solutions companies - alleviating pain, restoring health and extending life for millions of people around the world. Medtronic employs more than 88,000 people worldwide, serving physicians, hospitals and patients in approximately 160 countries. The company is focused on collaborating with stakeholders around the world to take healthcare Further, Together. Any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Medtronic's periodic reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results. -end- Cambodian villagers who have been relocated by the government from areas near the U.S. $781 million Lower Sesan 2 hydropower dam project on Mekong River tributaries said Thursday that they cannot eke out a living in their new locale. Forty-seven families from Chrop village in Kbal Rormeas commune of Sesan district in northeastern Cambodias Stung Treng province where the dam is being built previously accepted an offer from the government to move to Sre Sranok village, but now complain that life in the new location is even worse than it was before. The government gave each of the families five hectares of farmland, a house on a 20-by-50-meter (66-by-164-foot) plot, and U.S. $6,000 in cash for agreeing to move to Sre Sranok, about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from Chrop. Srey Lebek, who used to live in Chrop, told RFAs Khmer Service that the new land is too harsh for farming and that Sre Sranok is too far away from the fishing grounds on which many villagers rely to make a living. We have faced more hardship after moving here, he said. I would therefore like to call on the government and the company to reconsider its compensation policy to ensure that peoples livelihoods are better taken into consideration. Speaking at a forum in Phnom Penh on Thursday hosted by the NGO Forum in Cambodia, Srey Lebek said he has been frustrated by being too far away from where he used to fish in the Sesan River to make a living. He also said he cannot grow rice in the new location. The displaced fisherman was speaking at a forum funded Oxfam, an international confederation of charitable organizations, to examine ways to resolve the problems faced by villagers affected by the construction of the dam, which is being built on two tributaries of the Mekong River. The government's response Norng Sareth, an official from the Ministry of Mines and Energy, said the provincial Department of Agriculture has assisted villagers with farming, and that some of the land the government distributed to them is suitable for growing crops. He also said the government would consider giving other plots of farmland to villagers who contend that their current plots are nonarable. Of the more than 800 families affected by the dam, only 13 percent have refused to accept compensation from the government, he said. But villagers say that more than 1,000 families in four communes in Sesan district have been affected by the building of the 75-meter (246-foot) wide, six-kilometer (3.7-mile) long dam whose reservoir covers about 34,000 hectares of land. Tek Vannara, executive director of the NGO Forum on Cambodia, said the government should consider other options to appease the villagers who relocated but cannot make a living. An alternate and more acceptable option should be considered and discussed for the sake of the people affected, he said. There wont be a better solution unless the issue is put on the table for a debate among all stakeholders. No better compensation Srey Sarum, an ethnic Laotian who lives in Sre Kor 1 village in the provinces Sre Kor 1 commune, said about 120 families in her village have refused to accept the governments offer to move. The main issue is that they do not want to move away from the sites where their ancestors are buried, she said. There is no better compensation than allowing us to live in our current village which we have called home for generations, she said. We cannot leave our farmland and the river on which our lives depend. The Lower Sesan 2 dam is expected to begin generating electricity in 2017. It is seen as a critical piece of Cambodias national power grid, and has been touted as a way to reduce the cost of electricity. The dam along the Sesan River in northeastern Cambodia is being jointly developed by Cambodias Royal Group, Hydrolancang International Energy Co., and a subsidiary of Vietnam Electricity, and is expected to provide the government of Cambodia with around U.S. $30 million in tax revenue annually. About 90 percent of the project, which began in February 2014, has been completed. When the Lower Sesan 2 dam becomes operational later this year, it will be Cambodias largest hydropower dam. Villagers have campaigned against the dam, expressing concern about compensation for being displaced by the project, the destruction of protected forest areas and rivers they rely on for their livelihoods, and the disturbance of burial sites. Reported by Savi Khorn for RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Nareth Muong. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. UPDATED at 11:17 A.M. EST on 2017-03-13 Cambodias acting head of state has signed into law a controversial bill that gives the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen vast new powers over political parties as the nation heads into local and national elections in June and in 2018. Say Chhum, president of the Senate from the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CCP), signed the bill into law on Wednesday as acting head of Cambodia in the absence of King Norodom Sihamoni who is in China on a medical trip. The government issued information about its promulgation to the media on Thursday. The opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) objects to the law because it believes the measure is another effort by Hun Sen and the CCP, which routinely file lawsuits against the party and its leaders, to cripple it in the run-up to the elections. The new law bars anyone convicted of a crime from holding a top office in a political party. The CNRPs former leader Sam Rainsy has been in exile since late 2015 after his conviction on charges of defamation that supporters say were questionable rulings by a court system beholden to Hun Sen. He resigned from the party on Feb. 11, telling the media that he had stepped down to save the CNRP from being dissolved. The CNRP also objects to Article 18 of the Law on Political Parties. The article states that the president and vice president of a political party and components of its steering committee or permanent committee, or an equivalent body to the steering committee or the permanent committee of a political party, shall not be convicted of a crime or misdemeanor which carries an unsuspended jail term. The National Assembly approved the bill with little debate on Feb. 20 with 66 votes by the CPP, amid a boycott of parliament by CNRP deputies. Eight days later, the Senate approved an amended version of the bill with an article allowing the state to dismantle any political parties deemed as secessionist or subversive. The provision was ordered by Hun Sen, who has used recent public speeches to rail against alleged "color revolutions" aimed at overthrowing his 31-year rule. The Constitutional Council, comprised of CPP loyalists, ruled on March 3 that changes to the Law on Political Parties were constitutional. Reported by Sereyvuth Oung for RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Nareth Muong. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story erroneously stated that the National Assembly approved the bill on Feb. 20 with 44 votes by the CPP. Chinese people stand outside a closed Lotte store in Jilin, northeast China's Jilin province, March 9, 2017. The South Korean retail giant has been forced to shut down dozens of stores in China because of diplomatic rows over a controversial U.S. missile defense system that sparked boycott calls against Seoul. Amid an ongoing war of words over Seoul's deployment of a U.S. antimissile defense system to counter the nuclear threat from the Stalinist North, China's boycott of South Korean goods and services appears to be spreading across the country. A decision by South Korea's Lotte retail conglomerate agreeing to a land swap with the South Korean government so the military can deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) antimissile system last week has sparked sporadic protests against Lotte and store closures around China. The Lotte group has also reported cyberattacks, while South Korean airlines have been refused permission to increase China-Korea flights, cosmetics firms have reported increased scrutiny at customs, and Chinese travel agents have stopped sending tour groups to the country. Crowds have blockaded Lotte stores in Liaoning, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Qingdao, and the southwestern megacity of Chongqing, local residents told RFA. A Chongqing resident surnamed Wang said he believes there is clear evidence that the Lotte boycotts have tacit government approval. "All sorts of strange people have been showing up [at the blockade on Tuesday]," Wang said. "In today's China, nobody goes waving red flags and dancing on the streets without government approval." "They won't even let a few dozen gather on the streets wearing masks [in protest at the smog]," he said. He said the blockades had occurred in two places in Chongqing. "A lot of people were gathered in these two spots, and the majority of them were laid-off workers," he said. "According to my knowledge, somebody mobilized them to go there, and is using them to create an incident on the streets." China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks at a press conference during the National People's Congress in Beijing, March 8, 2017. Credit: ImagineChina Looming crisis Meanwhile, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi warned on Wednesday of a looming crisis on the Korean peninsula. In Nantong city in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu, residents said that their local Lotte store had been closed since Tuesday, along with a number of others in the city. "Nantong is a pretty small, out-of-the-way place, but they have even shut down the Lotte stores here," a local resident surnamed Cao told RFA. "They were open a few days ago, but they were shuttered [on Tuesday]," he said. "I'm not saying they are all shut; just the ones I know about." Cao said the ostensible reason for the closures was a "fire and safety inspection." "But the suppliers are already refusing to supply the stores in the city, so their supply line has been cut off, and they had to close," he said. Meanwhile, a Beijing resident surnamed Li said he didn't agree with the boycott, because it was unevenly applied. "Why didn't China boycott American goods when the U.S. sailed its aircraft carrier into the South China Sea?" Li said. "I don't agree with this." "But the atmosphere in China nowadays is a bit like it was back in the Cultural Revolution [1966-1976]," he said. "The mood is very volatile among ordinary people, and it can be very easily whipped up by the government." "Once that happens, it's totally irrational, and if you speak out against the boycott you're likely to be attacked by others," Li said. Hard to wrap up A veteran military commentator who declined to be named said Beijing has mishandled the THAAD row by criticizing North Korea more strongly than usual amid heightened tensions caused by U.S.-South Korean joint military exercises. "Actually, they are already on North Korea's side," he said. "And this business with Lotte is going to be very hard to wrap up." "The foreign ministry said ... that there is no such thing as an anti-South Korea boycott, still less a violent anti-South Korea movement," the commentator said. "They are trying to play this whole thing down [now], and set limits to where it can go." Wu Fei, senior fellow at the Chinese public diplomacy and international relations think tank Chahar Institute, however, said the speed with which THAAD is being implemented is totally unacceptable to China. "The two sides engage in negotiations at various levels, whether deployment happens or not, but it seems as if there have been no bilateral talks between Beijing and Seoul, nor any trilateral negotiations between Washington, Seoul and Beijing," Wu told RFA. "This is all moving much faster than Beijing thought it would, and its that speed ... that China finds unacceptable," he said. "Basically, that's what I think Wang Yi is talking about," he said. Reported by Yang Fan for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Wong Siu-san and Sing Man for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak speaks with the counsellor at Malaysias embassy in Pyongyang from his office in parliament, March 9, 2017. Two Malaysians employed by the United Nations in North Korea have arrived in Beijing and Kuala Lumpur is working to secure the safe release of nine other citizens barred from leaving the communist state, Malaysias prime minister said Thursday. The two U.N. World Food Program staffers left North Korea amid a diplomatic row that has escalated after the assassination of Kim Jong Uns half-brother on Malaysian soil last month, and which has seen both countries impose exit bans on each others citizens. Stella Lim and Nyanaprakash Muniandy have both safely arrived in Beijing, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said in a Twitter message Thursday, referring to the two Malaysians working for the United Nations. The World Food Program confirmed that the two had landed in the Chinese capital on Thursday. The staff members are international civil servants and not representatives of their national government. They work on WFPs programs in DPR Korea, the U.N. agency said in a statement sent to BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service. tThe nine Malaysians who are still in North Korea consist of three staffers at Kuala Lumpurs embassy in Pyongyang and their families, according to information from Malaysias foreign ministry earlier this week. Late on Thursday, there was no official word on whether Malaysia would allow any North Korean citizens living or working on its territory to leave the country. The remaining nine Malaysians were fine, Najib said in a Facebook post after he spoke by phone with Mohd Nor Azrin, the counsellor at the Malaysian embassy in Pyongyang. I would like to update that he, his family along with all of the other Malaysians in North Korea are safe, Alhamdulillah, Najib said. I have given him my assurance that the government will do everything we can to ensure that they return home safely soon. The whole of Malaysia is praying for them, he said. The North Korean government has assured the safety of the Malaysians in Pyongyang and said they are free to go about their daily lives, the prime minister said. At loggerheads The Feb. 13 assassination of Kim Jong Nam through poisoning with a banned nerve agent, according to Malaysian police, has rocked bilateral ties dating to 1973. In addition to the mutual exit bans, Malaysia and North Korea this week expelled their respective ambassadors. Malaysia kicked out North Korean envoy Kang Chol because he did not apologize for twice publicly lambasting a Malaysian police probe into Kim Jong Nams murder. Meanwhile, authorities have arrested and charged two Southeast Asian women and identified seven North Korean nationals as suspects. On Tuesday, Najib blamed North Koreas regime for assassinating the half-brother of its dictator marking the first time that a Malaysian official had made such an accusation. Officials in the United States and South Korea have also accused Pyongyang agents of being behind Kims murder. What we are facing now is the result of their action in assassinating their own citizen in Malaysia, on Malaysian soil, using a strictly banned chemical weapon, the prime minister said. The feud has centered on Malaysias refusal to release Kims body until his next-of-kin comes forward to claim the remains and give police a DNA sample needed for a positive identification. Nearly a month after the assassination, no next-of-kin has come forward, according to Malaysian officials. On Wednesday, a video of a young man claiming to be Kims son, emerged when a group calling itself Cheollima Civil Defense posted it online. Cheollima Civil Defense claimed to look after North Korean citizens who seek protection. On its website, the group said it received an emergency request by survivors of the family of Kim Jong Nam for extraction and protection. My name is Kim Han Sol from North Korea, part of the Kim family. My father has been killed a few days ago. I am currently with my mother and my sister, and we are very grateful. We hope this gets better soon, the young man said in the short and undated video clip, which was partly redacted. Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service. SALT LAKE CITY, March 9, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CHG Healthcare has been named as one of the nation's 100 Best Companies to Work For by FORTUNE magazine. This is the eighth straight year that CHG has made the list, which recognizes companies that have exceptional workplace cultures. This year, CHG ranks No. 20. The company's commitment to its core value of Putting People First creates a culture where employees feel supported at all levels of the organization. Here's why employees say CHG is a great place to work: 1. The Company Is Inclusive One of the biggest reasons employees like working at CHG is because of the people they work with. The company encourages its people to take care of each other, which results in a workplace where coworkers aren't just part of your team but are also like family. 2. Every Employee's Voice Matters CHG's emphasis on open, transparent communication empowers employees to share ideas and opportunities for improvement with anyone in the company, including executive leaders. In addition, each year, CHG sends out an employee opinion survey and makes changes based on that feedback. 3. CHG Provides Support to Working Parents Currently, 40 percent of CHG's employees are parents who are trying to achieve a healthy balance between their careers and time with their families. The company offers a variety of unique benefits to make it easier, including an onsite health center and fitness center as well as flexible schedules. 4. Employees Can Be Themselves at CHG In addition to its casual dress code, the company has created an open and respectful atmosphere that encourages diverse ideas and thinking. Employees feel comfortable being themselves and respect the opinions of their coworkers. 5. Making a Difference Is a Company Priority CHG provides opportunities for employees to give back through programs like company-paid volunteer time off (VTO), team volunteer events and its Employee Compassion Fund, which provides need-based grants to employees facing financial hardships. Last year, employees not only used more than 6,600 hours of VTO to serve in the community, but the company also raised more than $700,000 for charity during its annual Making a Difference Week. 6. CHG Believes in Developing the Whole Person From new employees to company veterans, CHG's award-winning training programs offer a wide-range of learning and development opportunities to help employees remain competitive in their roles and enhance their personal growth. CHG Healthcare has also ranked on Fortune's list of Best Workplaces for Parents, Millennials, Women and Giving Back and was recently named as a Best Staffing Firm to Work For by Staffing Industry Analysts. Find out why CHG Healthcare was named a Top Workplace in Utah: bit.ly/topworkplacestuah The company employs more than 2,500 people in eight offices across the country, including Utah, Florida, North Carolina, Connecticut, Michigan, and Oklahoma. Last year, CHG's healthcare staffing companies placed more than 12,000 medical providers across the country who served 25 million patients. Learn more about CHG Healthcare's people-centric culture at www.chgpulse.com. About CHG Healthcare Services Founded in 1979, CHG Healthcare is a leader in healthcare staffing and the nation's largest provider of locum tenens services. Through its trusted brands CompHealth, Weatherby Healthcare, RNnetwork, Foundation Medical Staffing and Global Medical Staffing the company provides temporary and permanent placement of physicians, allied health professionals and nurses to healthcare facilities across America. CHG prides itself on having a values-driven culture that focuses on Putting People First. The company is known for its award-winning culture and benefits and has been named one of Fortune magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" each of the past eight years. To learn more about CHG's workplace culture, visit www.chghealthcare.com. A photo accompanying this release is available at: http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=42250 CONTACT:S pencer Sutherland, Public Relations 801.930.3876 spencer.sutherland@chghealthcare.com The follower of a Buddhist nationalist movement in Myanmar said Thursday his family had pressured him to withdraw a defamation lawsuit against a prominent journalist who criticized an outspoken monk in the group, but warned that his organization is pursuing further legal action. Kyaw Myo Shwe, a follower of Ma Ba Tha Buddhist movement, had lodged the complaint against Swe Win, chief editor of Myanmar Now, under Section 66(d) of the Telecommunications Law, but told RFAs Myanmar Service he changed his mind after his mother urged him to drop the lawsuit. I am going to withdraw the charge against Swe Win because my mother asked me to do so, he said. However, someone else will file other charges against him possibly through Ma Ba Tha or other nationalist organizations. We are still discussing who is going to file a claim against Swe Win. On Wednesday, Kyaw Thu, commander of the No. 7 Police Station in Mandalay, said Kyaw Myo Shwe had filed the lawsuit because Swe Win used his Facebook account Ba Kaung to defame Wirathu, a controversial Buddhist monk from the Ma Ba Tha movement. In a Feb. 28 Facebook post, Swe Win criticized Wirathu for praising the brutal murder of Ko Ni, a prominent Muslim lawyer and critic of Myanmars powerful military. The reporter said Wirathu had committed a major violation of parajika [the Buddhist monk code] by doing so. Wirathu demanded an apology from Swe Win within a week and Kyaw Myo Shwe filed the lawsuit after the deadline had passed, the police commander said. Swe Win faced a maximum of three years in prison if convicted under Secion 66(d) of the Telecommunications Law. On Thursday, Kyaw Myo Shwe said that Ma Ba Tha or another nationalist organization would pursue separate charges against the reporter because he had insulted Ma Ba Tha during a Home Affairs Ministry press conference on lawyer Ko Nis murder and in other forums. He suggested Ma Ba Tha was involved in the murder case of Ko Ni, and said in interviews and wrote [online] that he will fight against Ma Ba Tha until it is abolished, Kyaw Myo Shwe said. We plan to charge him under Section 295(a) of the Penal Code, which prohibits deliberate and malicious attacks on religion. Kyaw Thu on Thursday confirmed that Kyaw Myo Shwe had withdrawn his lawsuit. Kyaw Myo Shwe contacted me and told me that he wants to withdraw the charge against Swe Win because of his familys pressure to do so, the police commander said. He doesnt want his mother upset because he did it, he said, adding that he was awaiting an official letter from Kyaw Myo Shwe retracting the complaint of his own free will. Government role Swe Win suggested Thursday that the authorities had been complicit in Kyaw Myo Shwes lawsuit against him. [The complaint against me] includes my ID number and my latest address, which I only moved to recently Kyaw Myo Swe couldnt have this information unless the authorities shared it with him, he said. I believe the authorities were involved in this charge against me together with Kyaw Myo Swe. The reporter also questioned why the government had never taken action against Wirathu for speaking in support of Ko Nis murder. I want to ask members of parliament and government officials is it right that [Ko Ni] was killed and we should thank his murderers, Swe Win asked. Ko Ni was shot dead as he held his grandson on Jan. 29 outside Yangon airport in a murder that shocked the country. A taxi driver, Ne Win, was also killed trying to stop the gunman, who authorities said was hired by a former military officer who is on the run. Wirathu, a Buddhist monk who serves as vice chairman of Ma Ba Tha, had hailed the men accused of planning Ko Nis assassination as defenders of Myanmars race and religion. Speaking the truth When reached by telephone, Presidents Office spokesman Zaw Htay refused to comment on Swe Wins case. But some observers suggested that authorities were wrong to have acted on Kyaw Myo Shwes complaint. Thein Than Oo, a lawyer who has followed the case, said Swe Win should not be charged for speaking the truth. This is akin to limiting freedom of expression, he told RFA. If the authorities allow charges against Swe Win, it implies they are ashamed by his questions during the Home Affairs Ministrys press conference regarding the assassination of Ko Ni. Myanmar has transitioned from a country ruled by a military junta to one run by a civilian government under Aung San Suu Kyi, but rights groups say authorities have scaled up an attack on critical voices from the opposition. At least 43 cases have been filed under Section 66(d) since March last year, when the current government came to power. Reported by Thet Su Aung, Aung Theinkha and Thiha Tun for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story erroneously identified Wirathu as vice chairman of Ma Ba Tha. Authorities in northwestern Chinas Xinjiang region have assigned a spy to monitor the daily movements of an elderly Uyghur woman deemed troublesome by police, telling her that the young woman sent to visit her each day is now her daughter, sources say. Speaking to RFAs Uyghur Service, Rabihan Musa, a resident of Bortala city in Xinjiangs northwestern Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, said the woman was brought to see her first on New Years Day. The head of our autonomous district came to visit me and introduced Xiong Qizhang to me, saying This lady will be your daughter from now on and will take care of you. She will take care of any difficulties that you may have, Rabihan said. Since then, she has been coming to see me at least a couple of times each day, bringing eggs, milk, and rice, Rabihan said, adding, Sometimes she comes and meets my neighbors instead, and I have been told that she asks about who comes and goes from my house. After telling her unwanted helper that it seems she has not come to help but only to watch, she doesnt say anything, but only smiles, Rabihan said. Rabihan, 82, had tried in February 2016 to leave Xinjiang to visit family members who had fled Xinjiang for a better life in Norway six years before, but police seized her passport before she could purchase a ticket, she told RFA in an earlier report. Alarmed after Rabihan gave interviews by phone to RFAs Uyghur Service, police offered to give her passport back if she would end a months-long public petition for its return, but she never saw the document again. One day, I told [Xiong], Im getting old. If you really want to help, just bring my passport back so that I can go to see my kids, Rabihan said. But she tells me this is beyond her control. Now I dont know how to free myself from this situation, Rabihan said. I am afraid of being detained and charged with disrupting ethnic unity if I chase her out of my house with a broom, as I sometimes think of doing. Rabihan said she has told Xiong that she knows she comes only because she has been ordered to do so. She says Youre so smart, but makes no reply to my requests, she said. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFAs Uyghur Service. Translated by Mamatjan Juma. Written in English by Richard Finney. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on March 9 that there was " absolutely no justification" for comments from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that compared actions by current German authorities to those of the Nazis. In a speech to the Bundestag, Merkel addressed a statement Erdogan made on March 5 after several German municipalities canceled events in which Turkish officials had planned rallies in support of a national referendum expanding the president's powers. (Reuters) A research center in Kazakhstan is raising saiga antelope to learn more about the critically endangered species and help boost their numbers. The saiga population suffered massive losses during an epidemic in 2015. Now the breeding center is also under threat from a lack of funding. (Sanat Urnaliyev, RFE/RLs Kazakh Service) Afghan officials say the death toll in an attack on a military hospital in Kabul has risen to 49. Salim Rassouli, director of Kabul hospitals, said on March 9 that 49 people were killed in the attack on the Sardar Mohammad Khan military hospital on March 8, and at least 63 wounded. The extremist group Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack in which gunmen dressed as health workers shot doctors, patients, and visitors at the 400-bed hospital. Health Ministry spokesman Qamaruddin Sediqi confirmed the death toll of 49 but put the number of people wounded at 76. Other officials said 90 people were wounded. Afghanistan's largest military hospital, Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan is located close to the heavily fortified U.S. Embassy. It took Afghan special forces several hours to neutralize the attackers. The number of gunmen killed in the attack was also unclear. Afghan officials had spoken of four armed men. However, IS overnight published a photo of the alleged fighters including their names, showing five men. In a statement via its affiliated news agency Amaq, the militant group claimed that 400 people were killed or wounded. Based on reporting by Reuters and dpa France and Armenia have signed deals on tourism, research cooperation, and the creation of a French university in Armenia. The agreements were signed in Paris on March 8 as French President Francois Hollande hosted an official state visit by Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian. Hollande said he and Sarkisian on March 8 also discussed efforts to try to resolve the long-running conflict over Azerbaijans breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Hollande said "we want to work and find solutions" to avoid a repeat of recent violence. Last week, fighting killed five Azerbaijani soldiers and one ethnic Armenian separatist fighter from the breakaway region. Azerbaijan and Armenia have been at loggerheads for decades over the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous region inhabited almost entirely by ethnic Armenians but which is located within Azerbaijans internationally recognized borders. Based on reporting by AP and AFP MINSK -- Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has announced that collection of a tax on unemployed people will be suspended for one year, stepping back from a policy that has prompted widespread protests in the tightly controlled former Soviet republic. Lukashenka told a government meeting in Minsk on March 9 that the law imposing the tax will not be revoked, but said payments "will not be collected for the tax year of 2017." He berated local authorities over implementation of the law and suggested many people had been unfairly targeted to pay the tax. But an opposition leader told RFE/RL that a fresh rally against the tax would go ahead as planned on March 15, calling Lukashenka's move a "carrot" aimed at quashing protests he had failed to halt by the use of force. The 2015 law -- reminiscent of legislation in the Soviet Union, where jobless people undermined the state's portrayal of a "workers' paradise" -- is aimed at combating what Lukashenka has called social parasitism. The law imposes a special tax on Belarusians who work less than half of a calendar year and do not register at the country's labor bureaus. It exempts registered job-seekers, homemakers, subsistence farmers, and Belarusians working in Russia. It has sparked protests in cities across the nation of 10 million, where the authoritarian Lukashenka has held power since 1994 and tolerates little dissent. WATCH: Belarusians Protest 'Parasite Tax' In Vitsebsk Lukashenka defended the legislation, casting it as an "ideological and moral" measure rather than an effort to boost government revenue. "The state will not get any big money [from the tax]," he said. "The law's goal is to force those who should and can work to work." Lukashenka blamed local authorities for what he said was "bad implementation" of the law. He said that demonstrators who protested across Belarus were in fact "not parasites," and that they protested because local authorities had added them to the list of "parasites" by mistake. Lukashenka said he had ordered local authorities to prepare "lists of real parasites" by April 1. "God forbid we abuse a single person again," Lukashenka said. The deadline for payment of the tax for 2016 was February 20. According to the law, those who fail to pay the "parasite" taxes in time may face a fine and up to 15 days in jail. The Belarusian Tax Ministry said in February that of 470,000 citizens who were officially informed that they must pay "parasite" taxes, some 54,000 had paid 16.3 million Belarusian rubles ($8.5 million) for the 2016 taxation year. Anatol Lyabedzka, leader of the opposition United Civic Party, told RFE/RL that a protest called the March of Non-Parasites scheduled for March 15 in Minsk, the capital, would not be canceled. "The authorities saw that after they dispersed two public protests with 300 participants each in the city of Brest and brought some of the protesters to trial, more than 1,500 people gathered for the third such protest in the same western city," Lyabedska said. "They saw that repressions do not work and decided to use the method of a carrot to resolve the situation." Lukashenka's announcement was an attempt to "calm down the protest wave" but was insufficient, he said. "It will never do to be satisfied with a scrap thrown by the authorities," Lyzbedzka said. "We have to continue demanding a completely different situation.... It is necessary to change a large number of laws, to create different opportunities for the people, to give them a right to choose," Lyabedzka added. With reporting by BelTA and BelaPAN Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has lashed out at Russia and said that nobody can bring his country "to its knees," his latest salvo during a period of rocky relations with Moscow. Lukashenka's March 9 outburst came two days after Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev suggested that his Belarusian counterpart, Andrey Kabyakou, was trying "blackmail" Moscow in a persistent dispute over natural-gas prices. Attempts "to increase tensions by reprimanding us instead of solving problems...will not work," Lukashenka said during a government meeting. At a March 7 meeting between prime ministers of the Eurasian Economic Union, Kabyakou criticized Russia for more than doubling the price it charges Belarus over a yearlong period after the regional trade group started functioning in January 2015. Lukashenka seemed to suggest that if pushed too far, Minsk could abandon its close ties with Moscow, which sees Belarus as a buffer between Russia and NATO. "Medvedev...should understand that if we pay a European price [for Russian gas], he will have to pay for something as well. And that price will be immeasurably higher than the price for natural gas," Lukashenka said. "Some smart types think that it is possible to always bend us and bring us to our knees, but that is not going to happen," he said. With reporting by BelTA and BelaPAN Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti says he is in constant contact with international security authorities to ensure stability in Kosovo as more ethnic Serb police officers in the north of country resigned. Kurti said on November 6 after a rally by ethnic Serbs in the streets of North Mitrovica that the security situation in Kosovo was threatened by various criminalized individuals and groups, but said that during his time in office, we have made great progress in the fight against crime and corruption." He added that the rule of law goes hand in hand with peace and security and cannot be threatened, adding that authorities do not distinguish criminals on the basis of ethnicity, but only on the basis of their criminal acts." When asked about the decision on November 5 by the Serbian List party to leave Kosovo's institutions, Kurti repeated his call that Kosovo Serbs refrain from doing so. "I once again I invite all Serb citizens of our country to not abandon institutions, not to resign, not to leave their jobs, because there would be less service for the people," he said. Kurti has blamed Belgrade for seeking to destabilize Kosovo by supporting the ethnic Serbs in their boycott of state institutions. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement on November 5 that the withdrawal of Kosovo Serbs from Kosovo institutions "is not a solution to the current disputes" and it has the potential to further escalate tensions. A statement from the U.S. Embassy in Kosovo released to RFE/RL's Balkan Service late on November 6 said the United States agrees with the European Union that the recent developments around relations between Kosovo and Serbia "are of great concern and put important progress achieved in the EU-facilitated Dialogue at risk. "The Kosovan Serbs' withdrawal from Kosovan institutions is not a solution to the current disputes and has the potential to further escalate the tensions on the ground," the statement added. "All involved must take steps to reduce tensions and ensure peace and stability on the ground." The Serb officers who resigned on November 6 submitted written resignations to the police station in North Mitrovica. One of the policemen told RFE/RL that the officers only submitted their resignations in writing but had not yet turned in their uniforms and weapons. However, he said this will follow in the coming days. Numerous media outlets reported that the police officers took off their uniforms as part of the wider Serb movement to withdraw from institutions in Kosovo touched off by a move to implement a mandate on the conversion of vehicle license plates. A statement from the Kosovar police force said it was aware that Serb police officers had abandoned their posts and that some have handed over police equipment. The rally by ethnic Serbs in North Mitrovica on November 6 came a day after Serbs there said they would quit their posts in state institutions to protest against the use of license plates issued by Pristina. Following a meeting of Serb political representatives in the north of Kosovo on November 5, the minister of communities and returns, Goran Rakic, said he was resigning from his post in the Pristina government. He told reporters that fellow representatives of the Serb minority in the north had also quit their jobs in municipal administrations, the courts, police, and the parliament and government in Pristina. Rakic said they would not consider returning unless Pristina abolishes the order for them to switch their old car license plates, which date to the 1990s when Kosovo was a part of Serbia, to Kosovo state plates. Addressing the rally on November 6, Rakic accused Kosovo government authorities of not respecting international law and agreements negotiated in Brussels. Rakic has called on the protesters "not to fall for provocations and to continue the fight with peaceful and democratic means." The license-plate measure took effect on November 1, and Kosovo authorities said enforcement would be gradual. The U.S. Embassy statement reiterated the U.S. position that the Kosovar authorities should extend the process of converting vehicle license plates and suspend any punitive actions until the license plates issue can be resolved through dialogue. Many ethnic Serbs in Kosovo refuse to recognize the countrys independence from Serbia, which it declared in 2008. The European Union has told Kosovo and Serbia that they must normalize ties if they want to advance toward membership in the 27-nation bloc. With reporting by dpa, AP, and AFP TORONTO and BOSTON, March 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bionik Laboratories Corp. (OTCQX:BNKL) (Bionik or the "Company"), a global pioneering robotics company focused on providing rehabilitation and mobility solutions to individuals with neurological disorders, announced today the companys recent highlights. Development and commercialization strategy designed to provide leading-edge robotic rehabilitation and assistive product solutions from hospital to home, representing $11 billion addressable market. Appointed Malcolm G. Bock as Vice President of Engineering. - Mr. Bock is an established and experienced leader in the development of medical devices. - Mr. Bock is an established and experienced leader in the development of medical devices. Appointed Bill Harris as Marketing Director, where he is responsible for implementing the brand strategy with 25 years of experience in health care products. - He is providing commercial input into product line development of the Bionik robots for health care facilities and consumer home use. - He is providing commercial input into product line development of the Bionik robots for health care facilities and consumer home use. Bionik products have been tested in over 240 locations in 20 countries. Focus on bringing new products to market and expanding global footprint to drive future revenue growth: - Advanced InMotion AnkleBot expected to be commercially available in first calendar quarter of 2018; - Launch of next generation upper body commercial product line planned in second calendar quarter of 2017; and - Negotiating with Tier-1 ODM to optimize manufacturing and distribute products in Asian markets. Management believes that Bionik Laboratories is at an inflection point in the Companys development, stated Mr. Peter Bloch, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. The rapidly expanding marketplace coupled with ongoing advancements in the field of robotics have positioned us well in this expanding market. We have focused on building the commercial team and advancing our products in development to market. In addition, we have successfully forged relationships with some of the most respected names in the healthcare industry. We believe these achievements have provided a strong foundation for future growth. Going forward, we intend to leverage our strategic relationships and our proven technologies to increase revenue, expand market opportunities and enhance overall shareholder value. Bioniks previously announced growth strategy is designed to leverage its current product portfolio and internal development programs. The Companys newly formed commercialization team is expected to build out a robust sales and distribution channel, which includes leveraging innovative sales models. About Bionik Laboratories Bionik Laboratories (OTCQX:BNKL), is a global, pioneering robotics company focused on providing rehabilitation and mobility solutions to individuals with neurological disorders. The Company has a portfolio of products focused on upper and lower extremity rehabilitation for stroke and other mobility impaired patients, including three products on the market and four products in varying stages of development. The InMotion Systems - the InMotion ARM, InMotion Wrist, InMotion Hand and InMotion AnkleBot, are designed to provide intelligent, patient-adaptive therapy in a manner that has been clinically verified to maximize neuro-recovery. Bionik is also developing a lower-body exoskeleton, ARKE, designed to allow paraplegics as well as other wheelchair users the ability to rehabilitate through walking. ARKE is expected to be designed to continually adapt to a patients ability and provide real time feedback to the physiotherapist. For more information, please visit www.bioniklabs.com and connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Forward-Looking Statements Any statements contained in this press release that do not describe historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, statements regarding (i) the plans and objectives of management for future operations, including plans or objectives relating to the design, development and commercialization of human exoskeletons and other robotic rehabilitation products, (ii) a projection of income (including income/loss), earnings (including earnings/loss) per share, capital expenditures, dividends, capital structure or other financial items, (iii) the Company's future financial performance and (iv) the assumptions underlying or relating to any statement described in points (i), (ii) or (iii) above. Such forward-looking statements are not meant to predict or guarantee actual results, performance, events or circumstances and may not be realized because they are based upon the Company's current projections, plans, objectives, beliefs, expectations, estimates and assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties and other influences, many of which the Company has no control over. Actual results and the timing of certain events and circumstances may differ materially from those described by the forward-looking statements as a result of these risks and uncertainties. Factors that may influence or contribute to the inaccuracy of the forward-looking statements or cause actual results to differ materially from expected or desired results may include, without limitation, the Company's inability to obtain additional financing, the significant length of time and resources associated with the development of our products and related insufficient cash flows and resulting illiquidity, the Company's inability to expand the Company's business, significant government regulation of medical devices and the healthcare industry, lack of product diversification, volatility in the price of the Company's raw materials, and the Company's failure to implement the Company's business plans or strategies. These and other factors are identified and described in more detail in the Company's filings with the SEC. The Company does not undertake to update these forward-looking statements. WASHINGTON -- A senior U.S. lawmaker says that the future of the European Union could be in danger if "Kremlin-backed politicians" come to power in France. The statement by Representative Ed Royce (Republican-California) on March 9 comes ahead of April's first-round presidential election in France, whose foreign minister has suggested that Russia is targeting pro-EU candidate Emmanuel Macron with cyberattacks and a campaign to influence public opinion in France. "The stakes are high. If Kremlin-backed politicians take power in France, it could potentially spell the end of the European Union," Royce said on March 9 in opening remarks at a hearing about Russia by the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which he chairs. Macron's aide said in February that his campaign's computer system has been hit by a surge of cyberattacks coming "from the Russian border" and that Russian state media is trying to discredit the candidate with "fake news." The Kremlin denied the allegations. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault suggested in February that Russia is targeting Macron with cyberattacks while showing a preference for the candidate's more pro-Russia rivals: nationalist Marine Le Pen and conservative Francois Fillon. Ayrault warned that France "will not accept any interference whatsoever in our electoral process, whether by Russia or any other state." U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia was behind a hacking and public opinion manipulation campaign aimed at helping Republican Donald Trump win the 2016 U.S. presidential election, a charge Moscow also denies. Speakers at the March 9 congressional hearing, which focused in part on alleged Russian "disinformation" aimed at undermining democratic institutions, include former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Daniel Baer, the former U.S. ambassador to the OSCE. The committees top-ranking Democrat, Eliot Engel of New York, said in his opening remarks that while "disinformation is a problema much bigger problem is that a hostile foreign government committed criminal acts in an effort to undermine American democracy." "At Vladimir Putins orders, Russia's agents tried to swing last years election in favor of President Trump. Those actions were an attack on our country. And if we don't respond effectively, Putin will become an even bigger threat to the United States and our allies," Engel said. The alleged Russian hacking and public opinion manipulation campaign -- as well as contacts between Trump's associates and Russian officials -- have become the subject of intense scrutiny in Washington, where several different congressional committees are looking into Moscow's purported meddling in last year's election. With reporting by AP, Politico.eu, and Reuters BRUSSELS -- European Union leaders meeting in Brussels have confirmed Polands former Prime Minister Donald Tusk for his second term as the president of the European Council. Tusks confirmation for another 30-month mandate came despite opposition from the current government of Poland, Tusks home country. A French diplomatic source said EU leaders voted 27-to-1 for Tusk on March 9. Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski said before the vote that the right-wing government in Warsaw would do "everything to ensure that the reappointment does not take place today." Some EU officials said Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo tried to get other EU leaders to postpone a decision about Tusk, who is closely tied with the centrist opposition in Poland. But Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who holds the rotating presidency of the EU, insisted that the vote take place immediately and all 27 other EU leaders supported the 59-year-old Tusk -- including one of the Polish government's closest allies, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Muscat said: "One country or a number of countries might be against that decision, but one country cannot block a decision. There are very clear rules of engagement and rules of procedure which we will follow." Beata Mazurek, a spokeswoman for Szydlo's ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, said after the 27-to-1 vote to reappoint Tusk that the decision raised questions about the bloc's unity. Mazurek said, "We should ask whether the EU can remain united, or whether this situation will not lead to the leaders of individual member states having little say." For his part, Tusk thanked the other EU leaders for their support. Speaking at a press conference after the first session of the summit, he held out an olive branch to Warsaw, noting that "I will do everything I can to protect the Polish government against political isolation. This is for obvious reasons and I think that I will find a good solution to this." At the same time, Tusk quoted an old saying, "Be careful of the bridges you burn, because once they are gone you can never cross them again," and dedicated it to the Polish government. German Chancellor Angela Merkel had said before the decision that Tusks reelection would be a "sign of stability" for the bloc. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said before the vote that Tusk was "always fair as chairman with his eye on the ball. In very turbulent times, he has kept a cool head." Tusk was the prime minister of Poland when Lech Kaczynski, his wife, and 94 other Polish officials were killed in a plane crash near Smolensk, Russia, in 2010. Following the vote on the European Council presidency, EU leaders were continuing their summit in Brussels with plans to discuss the situation in the Western Balkans. Ahead of the talks, Tusk alluded to the negative influence of Russia in the region. "Tensions and divisions have got out of hand partly because of unhealthy external influences which have been destabilizing several countries for some time," Tush said. "I will propose to leaders that we take action including in our strategic communication." RFE/RL has learned that the EU is hiring "a couple of people" who will focus on EU strategic communication in the Western Balkans. The leaders were expected to adopt conclusions seen by RFE/RL in which the European Council "reaffirms its unequivocal support for the European perspective of the Western Balkans." The document also stresses "the importance of continuing on the reform path, neighborly relations, and inclusive regional cooperation initiatives." The Western Balkans includes Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, and Kosovo. With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP A decision by Russia to permanently station Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad, its enclave on the Baltic Sea, would mark a setback for European security, Germany's foreign minister told the Interfax news agency on March 8. Russia last year moved the ballistic nuclear-capable missiles to Kaliningrad and deployed an S-400 air missile defense system there. It said the deployment was part of routine drills, but Western military officials worry that it may become permanent. "If Iskander missiles were stationed in Kaliningrad permanently, that would be a cause for great concern and a blow to European security," German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel told Interfax. "That is why we are watching what's happening in Kaliningrad very carefully." Some Iskander-M missiles can hit targets 700 kilometers away, putting Berlin within range of Kaliningrad. Gabriel rejected Russian criticism of NATO's deployment of 4,000 troops to Poland and the Baltic states, including 400 German soldiers in Lithuania. "Germany and other NATO states were not the first to go into the Baltic area," he told Interfax, adding that the number of German troops in the region was small compared with Russia's massive buildup. Gabriel made the remarks before traveling to Moscow to meet with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on March 9. Based on reporting by Interfax and Reuters U.S. media are reporting that the White House has asked former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman to become the next U.S. ambassador to Russia, and he has accepted the offer. Citing anonymous White House officials, Politico, the Associated Press, and NBC News are reporting that President Donald Trump will nominate Huntsman for one of the most sensitive and high-profile ambassadorships at a time when the FBI and Congress are investigating allegations of Russian interference in last year's presidential election. Huntsman, who ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, was ambassador to Singapore under President George H.W. Bush and served as ambassador to China under President Barack Obama. He was an outspoken critic of Trump during last year's campaign, calling on Trump to drop out of the presidential race after the release of a recording on which Trump bragged about groping women. But Politico, which first reported the White House's choice of Huntsman, said that Huntsman has since warmed to the president and the two have developed a cordial relationship. Based on reporting by AP, NBC News, and Politico Iraqi security officials say a double suicide attack has targeted a wedding in a village near the city of Tikrit, killing at least 30 people and wounding 26 others. The March 8 attack was at the village of Hajaj, about 160 kilometers northwest of Baghdad. Police say both attackers walked into the wedding celebration wearing explosive belts and blew themselves up. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but so-called Islamic State extremists have carried out similar attacks as the group comes under pressure in its northern stronghold of Mosul. Meanwhile, Iraqi forces on March 8 continued to battle IS fighters for control of the western part of Mosul. Based on reporting by dpa and Reuters The leader of Macedonia's largest ethnic Albanian political party has said the governmental crisis in the country could last "years." Ali Ahmeti, leader of the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI), also warned parties to avoid turning the divisive issues at the heart of the crisis into an "interethnic problem" for their own advantage. "This is a political crisis and should be resolved with political means and not be made an interethnic problem for the gains of some political parties," Ahmeti told Reuters in an interview that was published on March 9. Ahmeti said Macedonia's political stalemate could last for "up to four years" -- when the next scheduled election is due to take place. Ahmetis DUI is the would-be junior partner in a coalition formed by the opposition Social Democrats of Zoran Zaev and two smaller ethnic Albanian parties. But Macedonia was thrown into political crisis when President Gjorge Ivanov, a member of the nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party, said on March 1 that he would not present a mandate to Zaev's coalition to form a government. Ivanov justified his decision by saying that "negotiations on Zaev's part" involved "a platform of a foreign country" -- a reference to the demands of the ethnic Albanian parties to broaden the official use of the Albanian language. The European Union and the United States have criticized Ivanovs decision, while Russia has backed Ivanov and accused the EU, NATO, and Albania of interfering in Macedonias affairs. Macedonia's constitution does not state what should happen if a president refuses to give a mandate or set a deadline for forming a government. Ahmeti's DUI -- which had been in coalition with the VMRO-DPMNE for eight years until 2016 said on February 25 that it would back the Social Democrat-led coalition. As part of the coalition deal, Ahmeti said, the Albanian language would be used in state institutions and included on Macedonia's banknotes. In addition, he said the parties agreed to elect an ethnic Albanian as speaker of parliament. About one-quarter of Macedonias population of 2.1 million people are of Albanian descent. Macedonia narrowly avoided civil war in 2001 after an uprising by armed ethnic Albanians who sought greater rights. With reporting by Reuters and The Economist The Moldovan government has warned its officials not to travel to Russia, citing what it calls "humiliating" abuse and harassment by officials from Moscow's security apparatus. The government in Chisinau said on March 9 that it thinks the "humiliating" actions are in retaliation for its investigation into an alleged $22 billion scheme to launder Russian money through Moldova's financial system. The government statement said Moldovan lawmakers, government officials, and intelligence services "are being abusively stopped on entry to the Russian Federation, interrogated, and treated in a humiliating manner by representatives of a Russian special intelligence service." Prime Minister Pavel Filip and parliamentary speaker Andrian Candu met with Russia's ambassador to Moldova, Farit Mukhametshin, to make an official complaint. "Until a solution is found to this issue, Moldovan officials are asked to abstain from visits to the Russian Federation," the Moldovan statement said Russia authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the accusations. Moldovan authorities charge that Russian funds have been laundered through a Moldovan bank, helped by the alleged collusion of Moldovan judges and some central bank officials. At least 14 Moldovan judges, other judicial officials, and a prominent Moldovan businessman have been arrested. Moldovan authorities also have said that Russian authorities are refusing to cooperate in the investigation. The controversy comes amid a tense political situation in Moldova. Moldova's newly elected pro-Russia president is looking to move closer to Moscow, while the pro-Western government in Chisinau wants to improve ties with the European Union and eventually become an EU member state. President Igor Dodon on March 9 denounced the warning by Filip's government about traveling to Russia, saying it was "abnormal." Dodon is scheduled to travel to Russia himself next week. With reporting from AP and Reuters A court in Podgorica has jailed a five more citizens of Serbia over an alleged coup plot during Montenegro's October election -- the latest such sentences in a case that Montenegrin authorities say was linked to Russia. The five struck a deal with prosecutors to receive five month sentences in exchange for pleading guilty, as another three of their compatriots did in February. Montenegro's state prosecutor has alleged that the plot included a plan to assassinate then Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic on October 16 in an attempt to take over the government and derail its bid to join NATO. In a statement, the prosecutor on March 8 said: "Five citizens of Serbia admitted to being part of a criminal organization whose plan was to break into the parliament of Montenegro violently," with the aim of seizing it. Authorities have accused "Russian nationalists" of orchestrating the alleged plot, saying pro-Moscow Serbs were hired to carry it out. Montenegrin prosecutors suspect 25 people, mostly Serbian citizens, of links to the alleged coup. They also have launched a manhunt for two Russians who are on the run. The suspects include two leading pro-Russia lawmakers from Montenegro's opposition Democratic Front (DF), Andrija Mandic and Milan Knezevic. Their parliamentary immunity was lifted in February so that they could face charges. Mandic and Knezevic have repeatedly denied being involved in a coup plot. They claim the allegations of a plot are politically motivated. They have also denied knowing any of the sentenced Serbs. Montenegro hopes to join NATO later in 2017. Russia opposes NATO's further enlargement in the Balkans and says membership for Montenegro would be a "provocation." With reporting by AFP, Reuters, and AP Pakistan closed its two main border crossings with Afghanistan on March 9 after thousands of people rushed to cross the border during a two-day reopening. Islamabad closed its Torkham and Chaman crossings on February 16 after a series of suicide attacks in Pakistan that killed dozens of children, soldiers, and police officers. Pakistans government claims that the attacks were carried out by militants who were crossing into the country from Afghanistan. The Associated Press news agency quoted border management officials Fayyaz Khan and Irfan Toor as saying that the two crossings, major trade and commerce points between the countries, would be shut indefinitely. With reporting by AP, Dunya News, and Reuters SAN JOSE, Calif., March 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Satellite Healthcare, a leading national not-for-profit dialysis care provider, today recognizes World Kidney Day and National Kidney Month by emphasizing the role of humanizing dialysis in making life better for people living with kidney disease. Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) often feel overwhelmed by the dialysis process and a loss of control over their lives. At the 2017 Annual Dialysis Conference (ADC), to be held March 11-14 in Long Beach, California, Satellite Healthcare leaders will give presentations on the psychosocial effects of dialysis on patients and ways to ease the transition process. Also attending ADC are Satellite Healthcares PATHfinders, highly trained and compassionate patient liaisons who assist CKD patients starting down the path to dialysis. Learn more about Satellite Healthcare at booth #232. Presentations at ADC include: Keynote Address Changing Lives and Making a Difference: Home Hemodialysis Stories Brigitte Schiller, MD, Satellite Healthcare Chief Medical Officer Saturday, March 11 at 8 a.m. PT Nurse Luncheon Break-Out Session: Ask Your Colleagues Paul Bennett, PhD, MHSM, GCAppStats, RN, Satellite Healthcare Director of Medical Clinical Affairs Saturday, March 11 from 12:30-1:15 p.m. PT Supporting the Psychosocial Needs of the Patient on Home Therapy Paul Bennett, PhD, MHSM, GCAppStats, RN, Satellite Healthcare Director of Medical Clinical Affairs Saturday, March 11 at 2:30 p.m. PT Care of the PD Catheter, Post Implantation and Chronic Catheter and Exit Site Care Joanna Neumann, RN, CNN, Director of Home Dialysis Training and Educator Sunday, March 12 at 5:15 p.m. PT Integrated: Hepatitis C Virus Infection (HVC): Challenges and Opportunities Norma Gomez, MBA, MSN, RN, CNNe, Safety and Infection Prevention Program Manager Sunday, March 12 at 5:30 p.m. PT HD Nursing: Laughter: The Best Therapy During Dialysis Paul Bennett, PhD, MHSM, GCAppStats, RN, Satellite Healthcare Director of Medical Clinical Affairs Monday, March 13 from 10:45 a.m.-12 p.m. PT A Sustainable Intradialytic Training Program Using Elastic Resistance Bands** Paul Bennett, PhD, MHSM, GCAppStats, RN, Satellite Healthcare Director of Medical Clinical Affairs Monday March 13 at 9 a.m. PT PD Nursing Luncheon Session: Learn from Your Colleagues Panel Discussion: Practical Solutions to Practical Problems in PD Joanna Neumann, RN, CNN, Director of Home Dialysis Training and Educator Monday, March 13 at 12:15 p.m. PT Integrated: Supporting Patients on Home Dialysis Joanna Neumann, RN, CNN, Director of Home Dialysis Training and Educator Monday, March 13 at 2:00 p.m. PT HD Nursing: Hemodialysis Access-related Infections and Maintaining Safety of Your Hemodialysis Patients Norma Gomez, MBA, MSN, RN, CNNe, Safety and Infection Prevention Program Manager Monday, March 13 at 2:00 p.m. PT **Awarded Best Nursing Abstract World Kidney Day is a time for us to remember that kidney health affects people in very personal ways. Our mission is to make life better for those living with kidney disease, and we are doing that with Laugh Out Loud HD and additional services for our patients through the PATHfinder program, said Dr. Brigitte Schiller, chief medical officer at Satellite Healthcare. The presentations that we are giving at ADC all have one thing in common: they address best practices to provide individualized care and support the well-being of our patients both physically and psychosocially. PATHfinders provide education on treatment options, support patient decision making, navigate appointments (including access surgery), introduce the dialysis training team and follow patients upon admission to a dialysis center through the dialysis journey. PATHfinders ensure that each patients personal goals and desires align to optimize their health. I want each patient to know that everyone at Satellite Healthcare is here to help them live their best life possible, said Chaquita Shannon, LMSW, Satellite Healthcare PATHfinder. Regardless of illness or disability, each of us can have a life with meaning and moments of joy. PATHfinders are Satellite Healthcares latest innovation and a part of its Re-Imagine Home Initiative aimed at doubling its industry-leading proportion of patients who dialyze at home from 20 to 40 percent. Patients who dialyze at home have been found to lead longer and healthier lives. About Satellite Healthcare: Satellite Healthcare, Inc., has been among the nations leading not-for-profit providers of kidney dialysis and related services since 1974. Through its affiliated services, Satellite WellBound, Satellite Dialysis, and Satellite Research, Satellite Healthcare provides unparalleled early patient wellness education, personalized clinical services, and a complete range of dialysis therapy choices. In addition, Satellite Healthcare has a well-recognized, enduring commitment to philanthropy and community service, from funding millions of dollars in research grants to sponsoring kidney programs nationwide. Satellite is committed to advancing the standard of chronic kidney disease care so patients can enjoy a better life. German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel has warned Russia about the danger of a new arms race triggered by the conflict in eastern Ukraine, and called for reducing the number of conventional weapons. Speaking on March 9 in Moscow after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Gabriel said the two agreed on the need to continue talks in the so-called Normandy Format -- which consists of Russia, Ukraine, Germany, and France -- on ending the conflict between government forces and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. Germany has contributed some of the roughly 4,000 troops NATO has deployed to the Baltic states and Poland, where Russia's aggression in Ukraine has increased concerns about its intentions in the region. Meanwhile, Russia has transferred tens of thousands of soldiers to its western border regions. "We have concerns that we are entering a new arms race," Gabriel said, adding that solving the Ukraine conflict would pave the way to work on further disarmament measures. Lavrov said Russia rejects accusations that it was disproportionately building up a military force at its western borders. He acknowledged that Russia and NATO began what he called cautious exchanges of information on military exercises. Ahead of his arrival in Moscow, Gabriel called for the NATO-Russia Council to resume regular meetings. NATO and Russia last week held their first top-level talks in three years, with a telephone conversation between the Russian Armed Forces General Staff chief Valery Gerasimov and NATO Military Committee chief Petr Pavel. NATO suspended ties in April 2014 following Russia's seizure of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. During a joint news conference with Lavrov, Gabriel also said Germany had no knowledge about purported CIA hacking attacks carried out from the U.S. Consulate in the German city of Frankfurt. According to some of the thousands of purported CIA documents released by WikiLeaks on March 7, the consulate was the hub for U.S. cyberespionage in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. While the CIA has declined to comment on the subject, the German government said on March 8 that it was in close touch with U.S. authorities about the issue, but could not immediately verify the authenticity of the documents. During the news conference, Lavrov also touched upon cyberattacks, but from a different angle. He used the event to protest what he said were regular accusations by German officials that Russia was perpetrating cyberattacks and was attempting to influence Germany's federal elections scheduled for September. "All these accusations are absolutely groundless," Lavrov said. In response, Gabriel said Berlin took any kind of influence operations aimed at affecting public opinion very seriously, regardless of their origin. Gabriel and Lavrov were scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin later on March 9, the Kremlin said. With reporting by Reuters, dpa, and Interfax The Kremlin says Russia will welcome any U.S. ambassador who displays a "firm commitment to the idea of establishing a dialogue" between Washington and Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, spoke on March 9. He was commenting on reports that U.S. President Donald Trump has asked Jon Huntsman, a former governor of the state of Utah, to be the U.S. ambassador to Moscow. Huntsman was ambassador to China in 2009-2011, under President Barack Obama, and ambassador to Singapore in 1992-93. Huntsman, 56, unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for the U.S. presidency in 2012, and was a critic of Trump during the campaign last year. Trump has called for improving Russian-U.S. relations, which have been badly strained by rancor over issues including Moscow's aggression in Ukraine, its actions in Syria, and allegations that it used hacks, leaks, and other methods to interfere in the U.S. election, in which it is widely believed to have favored Trump. Senior officials in Trump's administration have taken a tough public stance on Russia since his inauguration on January 20. Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax ON MY MIND Apparently, Europe's last dictator ain't what he used to be. Alyaksandr Lukashenka's suspension of a controversial tax on the unemployed today marked the second time this month that the Belarusian strongman backed down and reversed an unpopular decision in the face of public protests. Earlier this month, authorities in Minsk suspended construction of a business center next to the Kurapaty preserve, where thousands were killed and buried during Josef Stalin's terror, after weeks of protests. It's way too early to say this is a whole new Belarus. But Belarus does appear to be moving into a new period amid intensifying tensions with Russia and fears of Russian aggression. After Russia's annexation of Crimea and invasion of the Donbas, Lukashenka presented himself as the last best hope for Belarusian sovereignty and Belarus's opposition was reluctant to take to the streets, fearing that any instability could invite Russian intervention. That changed in recent weeks with the unemployment tax and the Kurapaty preserve protests. And it appears that Lukashenka also fears that a crackdown on protesters could lead to instability and provide a pretext for Russian intervention. He chose to placate the protesters rather than cracking heads. Russian revanchism has apparently done the impossible. It has led to an uneasy peace between Lukashenka and the Belarusian opposition. IN THE NEWS U.S. media are reporting that the White House has asked former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman to become the next U.S. ambassador to Russia, and he has accepted the offer. Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka says the collection of a controversial tax on unemployed people will be suspended for one year. Nearly a thousand people marched through Kyiv on International Women's Day calling for women to rise up, fight domestic violence, and demand equality. Police in Moscow have detained four women who tried to hang a banner reading "Men in power for 200 years! Down with that!" on the Kremlin wall on International Women's Day. A decision by Russia to permanently station Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad, its enclave on the Baltic Sea, would mark a setback for European security, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel has said. The vice chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff says Russia has deployed a land-based cruise missile that violates the "spirit and intent" of a Cold War-era nuclear-arms-control treaty -- and that it did so to "pose a threat to NATO." Ukrainian authorities are threatening to impose sanctions on the local subsidiary of Sberbank, Russia's main state bank, after Sberbank said it would recognize passports issued by Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. WHAT I'M READING The Counterrevolution Cometh In a piece in Tablet, Paul Berman, author of the books A Tale Of Two Utopias, Terror And Liberalism, Power And The Idealists, and The Flight of the Intellectuals, looks at the current authoritarian and nationalist "counterrevolution" that is rolling back a half-century of democratic gains. "What has brought about the counterrevolution?" Berman writes. "Fear has brought it about -- a vague and unarticulated fear that life has spun out of control: a fear that assumes a different shape in each country, yet is visibly shared across half the world, such that people who experience the fear naturally feel a solidarity, even across the national borders. And what has brought about the fear? The liberal revolution itself has done this -- its aspirations, its successes, its failures, and the gap between aspirations and realities." Just Say No To Yalta II In a commentary on the Center for European Policy Analysis website, veteran Kremlin-watcher Edward Lucas, author of the book The New Cold War, argues that a new detente, a new Yalta, or a new grand bargain would not solve the West's problems with Russia. "The real problem here has nothing to do with Russia, a declining, mid-sized economy with an outsized military. It is Western weakness," Lucas writes. "We have lost self-confidence in the rule of law, democracy and the sustainability of welfare capitalism. That makes us timid in promoting our values abroad, and in defending them at home. Plenty of room for new thinking there." A New Transatlanticism Anna Wieslander, director for Northern Europe at the Atlantic Council and secretary-general of the Swedish Defense Association, has a piece on how Europe is preparing for a new transatlantic bargain. Women's Day In Ukraine In OpenDemocracy, playwright and political commentator Natalia Antonova speaks to Ukrainian feminist activist Maria Dmytriyeva to look at what Women's Day should mean in contemporary Ukraine. The Showdown In The Middle East Ilan Goldenberg, a senior fellow and director of the Middle East Security program at the Center for a New American Security, and Julie Smith, director of the strategy and statecraft program at the Center for a New American Security, have a piece in Foreign Policy on the return of U.S.-Russian competition to the Middle East and what it means. CFR Report on NATO and Russia The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) has released a report by Kimberly Marten, a professor at Barnard College, on how to maintain deterrence while reducing tensions between NATO and Russia. How Russia Is Using WikiLeaks (Again) Kevin Poulsen has a report in The Daily Beast on how Russian media and Internet trolls are attempting to use WikiLeaks' latest data dump to suggest claims about Moscow hacking the U.S. election are a "false flag." Target: Canada In a piece in MacLean's Scott Gilmore looks at why Canada is now a target in Russia's information war. Jitters In Belarus Grigory Ioffe, a professor at Radford University, has a piece on the Jamestown Foundation's website on how fears are mounting in Belarus about potential Russian aggression. The head of the U.S. military's Central Command says more U.S. troops will be needed on the ground in Afghanistan in the fight against the Taliban and other forces. General Joseph Votel told the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee on March 9 that he thinks "it will involve additional forces to ensure that we can make the advise-and-assist mission more effective." Votel told the Senate panel he was working on a new strategy aimed at breaking what he described as a "stalemate" in Afghanistan against the Taliban. Votel's comments echo similar remarks he made on February 24 about the situation in Syria, when he indicated further U.S. troops would be needed in the battle to fight so-called Islamic State (IS) militants there. On March 9, the Pentagon said it was deploying a temporary force of 400 additional U.S. ground troops to Syria in order to help defeat IS in Raqqa, the militants' self-proclaimed capital. Based on reporting by AP and Reuters Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry says it will host another round of Syrian peace talks on March 14-15. In an official statement on March 9, the ministry said the talks in Astana would include delegates from Russia and Iran, which both back Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government, and from Turkey, which supports some Sunni Arab rebel factions. The ministry said diplomats from the United Nations, the United States, and Jordan "are also being invited" to the talks. The statement said the "guarantor countries expect that the Syrian government and the armed opposition groups will confirm their delegations' participation in the gathering." The talks would be the third round of negotiations in Astana since January. Two previous rounds of talks in Astana ended without a breakthrough. The United Nations special envoy on Syria, Staffan de Mistura, says he also has asked the warring parties to return to Geneva later in March as efforts to end Syria's nearly 7-year-old conflict intensify. The UN special envoy did not announce a specific date for the next round of talks in Geneva. De Mistura has been meeting in Geneva with government and opposition leaders in an effort to end the conflict that began in March 2011 when protests broke out in Syria against Assad's government. Since then, an estimated 300,000 people have been killed and millions more have been displaced by fighting that has created one of the largest migrant crises in Europe since World War II. The conflict has also involved fighters of the Islamic State (IS) militant group -- opposed by both sides -- which has served to complicate matters on the ground further. With reporting by AP and AFP A U.S.-based advocacy group for refugees trying to enter the United States says the U.S. Embassy in Kabul has officially stopped scheduling interviews for applicants under the Afghan special-immigrant-visa program. The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), a program of the New York-based Urban Justice Center, says the process for interviewing and vetting Afghan applicants was put on hold on March 9 "due to a shortage in available visas...leaving thousands of Afghan allies and their families in immediate danger." IRAP and pro bono lawyers that it works with are engaged in cases where Afghans and their families are granted "special immigrant" status because of the work theyve performed for the U.S. government or U.S. military in Afghanistan that puts the families' lives at risk. Those who apply include Afghans who have served as translators in the battlefield with U.S. or NATO forces, as well as for intelligence or other operations within U.S. military bases or U.S. government facilities. In order to qualify for the U.S. governments special-visa program, Afghan applicants must go through a difficult and lengthy vetting process that usually takes at least five years and requires letters of recommendation from senior U.S. military officers or U.S. government officials in Afghanistan. Applicants also must be interviewed by the U.S. Embassy in Kabul as part of the vetting process before actually receiving the special visas. More than 10,000 Afghans are currently in the process of trying to obtain the special visas, but fewer than 1,500 of the visas remain. The U.S. State Department did not immediately comment, but provided a travel bulletin saying the department expects to exhaust all its special immigrants slots by June 1 and had decided to conduct no further interviews of visa applicants after March 1. Officials at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul were not immediately available for comment. IRAP policy director Betsy Fisher said that news of the interview freeze in Kabul was a "devastating development." "This means that thousands of trusted U.S. allies will remain in danger, waiting for Congress to allocate visas that were clearly needed months ago," Fisher said. IRAP national-security-policy associate Mac McEachin noted that the development comes on the same day that the Pentagon announced fresh deployments of U.S. ground troops to fight against Islamic State militants in Syria. "Now that the world has seen how we turn our backs on our Afghan allies, there is almost no chance that local allies in Syria will be inclined to work with us," McEachin said. Some Afghans who received the special visas have experienced difficulties with border officials when trying to enter the United States since President Donald Trump on January 27 issued an executive order that temporarily barred entry into the United States for citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries. Although Afghanistan was not one of those seven countries, and although Trump's travel order was blocked by U.S. federal judges, an Afghan family of five was held for 40 hours earlier in March upon their arrival at Los Angeles International Airport. That family was separated, with the father being sent to a detention center in Orange County, California. Meanwhile, the mother and three children, none of whom speaks English, were ordered by customs officials to be sent to a separate detention facility in Texas. The family was reunited after lawyers working through IRAP won their release on March 6 through a federal court ruling. However, that family still must pass an "admissibility interview" set for early April before they are allowed to resettle in the United States. On March 6, Trump signed a revised executive order that freezes the issuance of new visas for citizens from six predominantly Muslim countries -- Iran, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen. The revised order, due to come into effect on March 16, says valid preexisting visas would still be honored for individuals from those six countries. IRAP on March 9 called on the U.S. Congress to pass legislation that would authorize and allocate funds that would immediately allow for at least 2,500 more visas under the Afghan special-immigrant-visa program. With reporting by Carl Schreck in Washington Nearly a thousand people marched through Kyiv on International Women's Day calling for women to rise up, fight domestic violence, and demand equality. The March 8 holiday was celebrated in the Soviet Union and is still widely marked in Ukraine, but activists say a recent emphasis on giving women flowers and compliments is not what women really want. "From the beginning it was a day for women's rights, not a day for flowers," Alina Zabruyko, 22, a student, told the AFP. news agency, "I came to the march just to revive the original meaning [of the day]." Marchers shouted slogans including "Woman's rights are human rights!" and held banners saying ""To hell with patriotism! We need feminism," and "Don't give flowers, give safety." Protesters said they were marching to highlight domestic violence, the mistreatment of women, and bullying in the armed forces. "Today in Ukraine, violence is being used against women. It is often invisible -- it takes place in families, in hospitals, at work. It is not given enough attention," said Diana Poladova of the Expert Center for Human Rights. Police detained three counterprotesters after they attempted to throw bright green disinfectant at the activists. "They are alienating Ukrainian women from Ukrainian men," one of the counterprotesters told the crowd as police grabbed him. Based on reporting by AFP and dpa Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Mountain View, CA, March 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Digital transformation has lead to many unique products, services, and business models, and is reshaping the landscape of numerous industries by allowing them to engage better with consumers, partners, employees and others. Meanwhile, established organizations are trying to remain competitive by engaging in digital transformation. To support these organizations, WSO2 will present six technical webinars on how integration, API management, the Internet of Things (IoT), identity and access management (IAM), and analyticsalong with WSO2s open source platform approachserve as enablers for digital businesses and digital transformation. This webinar series will run March 15 April 26, 2017. To learn more, visit http://wso2.com/landing/enabling-digital-transformation-with-wso2-technology/. March 15 The Role of Enterprise Integration in Digital Transformation Every enterprise has a multitude of existing systems running on-premises and in the cloud, which perform critical functions. Integrating data and services across these enterprise systems is critical for an enterprise to successfully offer APIs that provide critical business functions to new markets, a key element of digital transformation. This webinar will discuss the role of integration in digital transformation and explore how WSO2 meets key requirements in this space, including: An enterprise integration overview A review of whether integration services are an anti-pattern in future enterprise architectures Integration beyond the ESB: connecting services, systems, data and identities The role of integration in microservices, IoT and APIs Hybrid integration models: on-premises, integration platform as a service (iPaaS) and integration software as a service (iSaaS) Webinar presenter Kasun Indrasiri is WSO2 director of integration technology. The session will be held on Wednesday, March 15, from 9:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. PDT. Visit http://wso2.com/library/webinars/2017/03/the-role-of-enterprise-integration-in-digital-transformation/ for more information. March 22 Building Enterprise-Grade IoT Architectures for Digital Transformation IoT and mobile computing are at the heart of many organizations digital transformation initiatives. Together, these technologies are enabling enterprises to innovate new business models and solutions that enhance customer and partner interactions, optimize supply chain logistics, and improve operational efficiency. This webinar will examine how WSO2 IoT Server offers an extensible framework for device manufacturers to write plugins for various types of devices they wish to integrate and how it also features enterprise mobility management (EMM) for enterprises looking to manage employees mobile devices. Other key topics will include: An IoT solution and deployment architecture for digital transformation IoT analytics IoT integration via APIs Security architecture for IoT and EMM Sumedha Rubasinghe, WSO2 director of API architecture, will present this webinar on Wednesday, March 22, from 9:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. PDT. To learn more, visit http://wso2.com/library/webinars/2017/03/building-enterprise-grade-iot-architectures-for-digital-transformation/. March 29 Identity and Access Management in the Era of Digital Transformation Solutions for strong identity and access management, whether the user is a person or a device, are critical to the success of a digital business. This session will explore the challenges of IAM that need to be addressed when preparing for digital transformation. The webinar will begin by discussing how a variety of digital apps and services now span many ecosystems, as well as how security becomes weaker as more systems are integrated while using a single identity. Next, it will examine how these factors contribute to the need for federated identity management and multi-factor authentication and authorization to ensure robust security without compromising usability and the customers experience. The session then will discuss how WSO2 IAM technology helps IT professionals overcome these challenges and support their organizations digital business initiatives. Prabath Siriwardena, WSO2 director of security architecture, will present this webinar on Wednesday, March 29, from 9:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. PDT. For more information, visit http://wso2.com/library/webinars/2017/03/identity-and-access-management-in-the-era-of-digital-transformation/. April 5 APIs: The Gateway to Digital Transformation APIs are the front line of defense in any business. This webinar will explore how API management also serves as a key enabler in digital transformation. It will begin by reviewing how APIs can dramatically reduce friction in enabling internal innovation, efficiency, and the creation of new business models by making it easier to discover and consume digital services by both internal and external parties. It then will examine the designs, best practices, benefits, and drawbacks of API management solutions that allow enterprises to create, publish and manage APIs. Additionally, the webinar will discuss how IT professionals can: Identify the key performance indicators for evaluating an API strategy. Build the right solutions architecture. Make an API ecosystem future-proof. Nuwan Dias, an associate director and architect at WSO2, will present this webinar on Wednesday, April 5, from 9:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. PDT. To learn more, visit http://wso2.com/library/webinars/2017/04/apis-the-gateway-to-digital-transformation/. April 19 Driving Insights in the Digital Enterprise Data and digital businesses go hand-in-hand. Enterprises today not only need to gather the large amounts of data flowing in from the web, IoT sensors, and mobile devices but also to immediately analyze them for meaningful insights into how to drive new business value. This webinar will discuss how smart analytics combine event stream processing with machine-learning and deep-learning systems to address these requirements. This webinar will explore how WSO2 Data Analytics Server for smart analytics: Plays a role in an enterprises digital transformation journey. Collects and analyzes streaming data in real-time, incrementally and with intelligence. Communicates results effectively through dashboards and alerts. Enables IT professionals to build smart analytics solutions for their digital business initiatives. Webinar presenter Sriskandarajah Suhothayan is an associate director and architect at WSO2. The session will be held on Wednesday, April 19, from 9:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. PDT. Visit http://wso2.com/library/webinars/2017/04/driving-insights-in-digital-enterprise/ for more information. April 26 Open Technology Platform for Digital Transformation Open source software promotes agility and adaptability in enterprises, which are key requirements of digital transformation. This webinar will discuss how open source offers an alternative to proprietary software that gives businesses the flexibility to innovate on their own. It also will examine how WSO2s open platform provides the five fundamental ingredientsAPI management, integration, identity and access management, analytics, and IoTto build innovative digital products. Additionally, the session will: Discuss the open interoperability of all WSO2 products. Explore how they are seamlessly connected to meet real-world digital needs. Describe a reference architecture by mapping WSO2 products to a conventional digital enterprise design. Asanka Abeysinghe, WSO2 vice president of solutions architecture, will present this webinar on Wednesday, April 26, from 9:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. PDT. To learn more, visit http://wso2.com/library/webinars/2017/04/open-technology-platform-for-digital-transformation/. About WSO2 WSO2 uniquely increases the agility of digital businesses and enterprises engaging in a digital transformation. It offers the only completely integrated enterprise platform that enables businesses to build, integrate, manage, secure and analyze their APIs, applications, and Web serviceson-premises, in the cloud, on mobile devices, and across the Internet of Things. Leading enterprise customers worldwide rely on WSO2s award-winning 100% open source platform and its robust performance and governance for their mission-critical applications. Today, these businesses represent nearly every sector: health, financial, retail, logistics, manufacturing, travel, technology, telecom and more. Visit http://wso2.com to learn more, or check out the WSO2 community on the WSO2 Blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Trademarks and registered trademarks are the properties of their respective owners. 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. HERSHEY, Pa., March 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- After rumors swirled on social media last week, Reeses brand confirmed today that it is launching a new product Reeses Crunchy Cookie Cup. Its a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup stuffed with crunchy, chocolate cookie bits. The confirmation brings an end to the online #Cupspiracy that started two weeks earlier, driving excitement and anticipation for the newest item. You could say this combination is cuptivating, said Ryan Riess, Senior Brand Manager, Reeses Brand. Reeses fanatics are one-of-a-kind. They have a love and devotion to the brand that is unlike anything I have ever seen, and have been buzzing at the potential thought of a new innovation from the brand. Were excited to finally let the secret out of the bag and end the #Cupspiracy - announcing the new Reeses Crunchy Cookie Cup. You could say we crushed it! The new product will be available on shelves nationwide starting in May in both standard two-cup size 1.5-oz. (SRP $1.09) and king two-cup Big Cup size 2.8-oz. (SRP $1.79). Official Product Name : Reeses Crunchy Cookie Cup : Reeses Crunchy Cookie Cup Size : Standard two-cup size 1.5-oz. (SRP $1.09), and in king two-cup Big Cup size 2.8-oz. (SRP $1.79). : Standard two-cup size 1.5-oz. (SRP $1.09), and in king two-cup Big Cup size 2.8-oz. (SRP $1.79). Availability : The product will be available on shelves nationwide starting in May : The product will be available on shelves nationwide starting in May Image: https://share.agencyroad.com/message/nFROJGx4prTRKAGJsITGmU (Expires March 18) About The Hershey Company The Hershey Company, headquartered in Hershey, Pa., is a global confectionery leader known for bringing goodness to the world through its chocolate, sweets, mints and other great-tasting snacks. Hershey has approximately 18,000 employees around the world who work every day to deliver delicious, quality products. The company has more than 80 brands around the world that drive more than $7.4 billion in annual revenues, including such iconic brand names as Hershey's, Reese's, Hershey's Kisses, Jolly Rancher, Ice Breakers and Brookside. Building on its core business, Hershey is expanding its portfolio to include a broader range of delicious snacks. The company remains focused on growing its presence in key international markets while continuing to extend its competitive advantage in North America. At Hershey, goodness has always been about more than delicious products. For more than 120 years, Hershey has been committed to operating fairly, ethically and sustainably. Hershey founder, Milton Hershey, created the Milton Hershey School in 1909 and since then the company has focused on giving underserved children the skills and support they need to be successful. Today, the company continues this social purpose through 'Nourishing Minds,' a global initiative that provides basic nutrition to help children learn and grow. From neighborhoods across the United States to the streets of Shanghai and Mumbai and villages of West Africa, our goal is to nourish one million minds by 2020. To learn more - Visit: www.thehersheycompany.com Follow: https://twitter.com/hersheycompany https://www.linkedin.com/company-beta/166377/?pathWildcard=166377 https://www.facebook.com/HersheyCompany/ https://www.youtube.com/hersheycompany https://www.instagram.com/hersheycompany/ Automotive retailer CarMax Inc. again has been named to Fortune magazines annual list of the 100 best U.S. companies to work for, published on Thursday. It is the Goochland County-based chains 13th year on the list. CarMax ranked at No. 77 this year. The company was joined by McLean-based Capital One Financial Corp., the Richmond regions largest private employer. Capital One came in at No. 17 on this years list. The Fortune list also included three other Virginia-based companies: Vienna-based Navy Federal Credit Union, McLean-based Hilton Worldwide and McLean-based Mars Inc. Other companies with operations in the Richmond area that made the list includes grocery chain Wegmans, which was ranked second. Wegmans, which opened two stores in the region last year, was ranked No. 4 in 2016. The family-owned supermarket chain has been on the Fortune best workplace list for 20 years one of 12 companies that have appeared on the list every year since it was created. At CarMax, the Fortune survey found that 88 percent of the chains employees say their workplace is great. Their dedication and drive to not only support the customer, but each other, is what makes CarMax a great place to work, CarMax CEO Bill Nash said. At Capital One, the financial services giant is adding innovative workspaces to foster collaboration to inspire workers. Like many companies, Capital One is making health and wellness a priority. At its offices in the West Creek business park in Goochland, the company created a bike share program in late 2015 in which bike stations are located throughout its campus. Also this week, CarMax and Capital One were two of 60 companies in the Richmond region named in the fourth annual Top Workplaces program conducted by the Richmond Times-Dispatch and Workplace Dynamics. The top businesses in each of four size categories will be announced at the Top Workplaces 2017 program set for May 4 at the University of Richmond. For three years in a row, CarMax has received the first-place prize among organizations with more than 1,000 employees in the Top Workplaces program. Also on the Fortune workplace list is Publix Super Markets Inc., the Florida-based grocery chain that is entering the Richmond market this year. The chain, which ranked at No. 21, also has been on the Fortune best workplace list each year for 20 years. Other retailers on the list with operations in the Richmond area included Whole Foods Market, REI, Sheetz, Nordstrom and The Cheesecake Factory. Google, the Mountain View, Calif.-based internet search giant, was ranked No. 1 for the eighth time in 11 years. Fortune works with the Great Place to Work Institute to develop the annual list, which is based on employee surveys and questionnaires sent to companies about pay and benefit programs, hiring practices, internal communications, training, recognition programs and diversity efforts. Rise Biscuits Donuts a North Carolina-based biscuit and doughnut shop is opening its first Virginia location this summer in Short Pump. The quick-service restaurant will be called Rise Richmond and will be located at 11561 W. Broad St., across from Short Pump Town Center. Rise Biscuits Donuts started in 2012 in Durham, and the chain now has 10 locations, all in North Carolina. We are excited to bring this creative, chef-driven concept to Richmond, co-owner David Dowdy wrote in a news release. We feel theres a void Rise will fill nicely in the breakfast market and cant wait to serve scratch-made biscuits and donuts daily to hungry Virginians. Dowdy is opening the Richmond franchise with business partners Nash Osborn and Matt Hurley. In the next three years, the trio plans to open four additional Rise restaurants in central Virginia, including a second Richmond location, according to the news release. The restaurant serves sandwiches such as fried chicken, ham and sausage topped with cheeses, spreads and eggs on either a biscuit or potato roll. Doughnut flavors include Maple Bacon Bar and Creme Brulee. Rise Richmond is slated to open in June and operate from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. *** In case you missed the news earlier this week, Rappahannock restaurant at 320 E. Grace St. in downtown Richmond will remain closed as the owners assess the damage from a fire that broke out Sunday afternoon. *** Stroops in Church Hill has unveiled its new menu and concept. The former Stroops Heroic Dogs at 2709 E. Marshall St. announced last month that it was closing or rebranding, and it looks as if the spot went for rebranding. The takeout place is now offering a rotating menu of prepared meals from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. This weeks menu includes Bratwurst with Sauerkraut and Potato Dumplings with Mustard Cheese Sauce; and Lamb Leg Tikka Masala with Basmati Rice and Naan each serves two and all are priced at $20. There is also a sandwich option each week for $12 with fries and deli items as well. *** Early Bird Biscuit Co. is heading back to North Side. The Richmond biscuit place started in the Lakeside area and moved to the Fan District last year and now its opening a new spot in North Side at 1221 Bellevue Ave., to be exact. But dont worry, Fan biscuit-lovers, the Robinson Street spot will stay open. Early Bird announced the second location on Instagram using a cartoon from Richmond artist Doug Orleski, who goes by RVA Coffee Stain, writing, We are coming back home! I promised the kind souls that supported my business from the beginning that Id come home. Its official, space has been secured. From brewers and fermenters working with doughnut makers, to brewers working with an alliance to fight cancer, partnerships are abounding locally, with results that may tempt your taste buds and tug at your heart. Two recent collaborations involve Sugar Shack and Buskey Cider and Sugar Shack and Strangeways Brewing. Sugar Shack approached us last year about brewing a beer based on one of their doughnuts, said Mike Hiller, head brewer at Strangeways. We decided on their Samoa, and featured caramel, toasted coconut and dark chocolate in the Sugar Shack Samoa Porter, to be released March 25. There was demand for an updated version after the initial run was depleted, Hiller said. This year, were shooting for a bigger caramel presence. Dark-beer fans will definitely dig this beer, and any fans of dessert beers, he said. Sugar Shack will have a new gluten-free doughnut available this week that incorporates Buskeys Cranberry Basil Cider as an ingredient, said Elle Street, Buskey Ciders marketing director. Another creation from the two will be launched April 12 at Buskey, Street said. Steam Bell Beer Works aims to leave a lasting legacy with its newest collaboration: Alliance Ale, a permanent fundraiser for Virginia Commonwealth Universitys Massey Cancer Center that expands on an earlier project. Our first connection with Massey was when we created a beer, The Steam Belle, to use as a vehicle for donations in the month of October for breast cancer research, in memory of a friend who succumbed to breast cancer at 27, said Steam Bell partner Brittany Cooper. Abbey Withrow, president-elect of the Massey Alliance, a group of young professionals who raise awareness and funds for the cancer center, thought more was possible. We saw potential for an even stronger partnership that would last more than one month, Withrow said. Massey was heavily involved in the creation of Alliance Ale, Cooper said. We started by deciding to use a saison as the base style (it) is very approachable. From that point, the Massey Alliance board and members of the Massey development team tasted a variety of options and settled on rose hips and pink peppercorns with a light touch of honey, Cooper said. The result is a floral saison with light pepper notes that complement the sweetness of the honey. Withrow looks forward to the brews rollout March 25 during Richmond Brunch Weekend. At this time, we have over 22 restaurants committed and are hopeful for more. The more restaurants willing to serve it, the more money back to Massey, Withrow said. Alliance Ale also will be sold in the Steam Bell tap room. Coopers brother, Steam Bell founder Brad Cooper, is excited about the growing partnership: We are only about nine months into this game, and to be partnering with a Richmond institution such as the Massey Alliance is an incredible honor. For Brittany Cooper, its gratifying to be involved with a project that gives Steam Bell the chance to help others. This connection with the Massey Alliance allows us to give back to a community we dearly love and jump into a fight that impacts so many by doing that thing we love: making great beer. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. LOUISA Sherman Shifflett is writing a book about his father. I know this because he has sent me a few sample chapters to read, which is how I came to learn about the mountain residents who were displaced for the creation of Shenandoah National Park. Shiffletts family was among them. Look in Sundays Flair section for a piece Ive written about the Blue Ridge Heritage Project and its effort to honor those who lost their homes to eminent domain so the National Park Service could develop one of its first parks in the East. For the families of those who did not want to move, it remains a story that is understandably sad and at times infuriating, but its nice to see the displaced recognized for their sacrifice. Its also good to see the park has come around in the way it tells the story of how it came to be and acknowledging the lives and plight of the former residents of the park land who long ago were portrayed in a less-than-flattering and -truthful light. Sherman Shifflett hadnt been born when his family was forced from its Rockingham County home in 1933, but his four oldest siblings spent their early years on the mountain. The family moved to Albemarle County, and Sherman was born at University of Virginia Hospital in Charlottesville in 1942 on April 13, which happens to be Thomas Jeffersons birthday. His mother told him the nurses were trying to get her to name him Thomas Jefferson Shifflett. I thanked Mom many times for not doing that, Shifflett wrote, though he did get Thomas as a middle name. He prefers Sherman to T.J., though he doesnt know where they got Sherman. Of course, Sherman was the ninth of 11 children, so his parents had run through a lot of names by the time he came along. One time, a neighbor asked Dad, Mr. Shifflett, why did you have so many children? Sherman has written in the as-yet-unpublished manuscript. Dad thought for a few seconds and responded, Thats the only thing I know to do to keep the youngest child from being spoiled. Shifflett, a retired teacher and administrator at Louisa High School now in his second term on the county School Board, enjoys rambling around Virginia. Over the years, he has offered me a number of travel tips, including several solid dining recommendations. He introduced me to the inimitable Eugenia T. Bumpass, now 102, a Louisa educator for whom the library in the recently rebuilt high school was named (and whom I wrote about in 2016). All of that, and we share a mutual interest in pie. So, it was only right that when I went to interview Shifflett, we wound up the afternoon at Floozies Pie Shop in Louisa. You cant go wrong with the sour cherry. Its been enlightening reading Shiffletts words about his father and the challenging, self-reliant life his family led on the mountain in Rockingham and later in the foothills of Albemarle. They raised cattle and milk cows, pigs and chickens. His father worked in surrounding orchards and dug ginseng, gathered American chestnuts by the bushel to eat, feed to the hogs and sell. His family would make an expedition to Harrisonburg or Elkton several times a year for staples it couldnt produce: salt, sugar, coffee, spices. Fruit and vegetables were dried, canned and buried for winter use in straw-lined holes. (Back at his home, Shifflett had brought out one of his treasures: a large, old, blue-tinted Mason jar that his mother had brought off the mountain. She gave it to me just before she died, he said.) Hams were cured and sausage was canned. His family would deliver grain to the gristmill for flour and cornmeal; the miller wouldnt charge for his services but would keep a percentage of the grain. The Great Depression had minimum impact on the family, Shifflett wrote. They had no money in the bank and did not trust banks anyway. What money they had was placed in fruit jars and buried. His family was poor, but early on the children learned the value of hard work and responsibility several of the Shifflett children, Sherman among them, went on to earn graduate degrees. They also grew to appreciate the importance of humor. His father, Harvey, and mother, Nelie, saw to that. I used to hear them laughing long after the lights had been turned off, Shifflett wrote. I heard laughter most mornings before I came down the steps. Many mornings I woke up and heard the coffee pot perking, and the pleasant aroma of coffee wafting throughout the house. But, above all else, I remember the laughter emanating from the kitchen. We were poor, but we had the basic necessities food, shelter, clothing. There were very few amenities, but we had each other, we had love and we had lots and lots of laughter. Often, we laughed when we should have cried. New York law enforcement officials have thwarted a gun-trafficking ring, mainly operating out of Richmond and Hampton Roads, and recovered 217 firearms bought in Virginia, authorities announced Wednesday. Twenty-four people, including 22 from Virginia, were charged in the 627-count indictment. They are accused of trafficking guns purchased in Virginia to be sold on the streets of New Yorks Brooklyn borough, according to a statement from the Brooklyn District Attorneys Office. Fifteen people from Richmond, one from Highland Springs and another from North Chesterfield were among those charged with weapons offenses and conspiracy. Traffickers were caught on wiretaps bragging about their ability to buy guns for resale and mocking Virginias weak gun laws, authorities said. Theres no limit to how many guns I can go buy from the store, a man is heard saying on a wiretap. Police identified him as Antwan Walker, 21, of Highland Springs. I can go get 20 guns from the store tomorrow. I can do that Monday through Friday. ... They might start looking at me, but in Virginia, our laws are so little, I can give guns away. Acting Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said the defendants were arrested last week, mostly in Virginia. Authorities from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Marshals Service helped make the arrests, as did the Henrico County and Richmond police departments. The defendants are allegedly associated with the Bloods gang, a statement said. It is alleged that one arm of the criminal organization operated in the area of Henrico and Richmond, while the other arm of the conspiracy operated in the cities of Hampton and Newport News, Gonzalez said in a statement. In addition to the 17 people from the Richmond area, one person each is from Bristow and Woodbridge in Northern Virginia, two are from Hampton, and another is from Newport News. One person is from Brooklyn, and another is from Washington, D.C. The district attorney identified the leaders of the conspiracy as Damian King of Bristow, Jacquan Spencer of Hampton and Levar Shelborne of Richmond. Others are accused of being straw purchasers who bought guns to give to co-defendants for resale. Ten people, along with the three leaders, were charged with bringing up to a dozen guns illegally into New York City at a time by car or bus. An undercover officer in New York bought the 217 assault weapons, Tommy guns and handguns, prosecutors said. It was the largest gun bust in Brooklyns history, Gonzalezs office said. The suspects used code words like chopper and joint to peddle the weapons, investigators said. Ammunition was food. Most illegal guns in the nations largest city come via Southern states with laws that are less restrictive than New Yorks. Gonzalez said that must be changed. I find this case truly, truly infuriating, he said. As so long as anybody continues to peddle death in our borough, we will continue this hard work ... including beyond state lines. Prosecutors said the guns were bought in many Brooklyn neighborhoods and were sold for up to $1,200 for a handgun and up to $2,200 for an assault weapon. WESTCHESTER, Ill., March 9, 2017 - Ingredion Incorporated (NYSE: INGR), a leading global provider of ingredient solutions to diversified industries, announced today that it has successfully completed the acquisition of the rice starch and rice flour business from Sun Flour Industry Co, Ltd. based in Banglen, Thailand. "This acquisition not only supports Ingredion's global strategy to increase our higher-value specialty ingredients portfolio, it also strengthens our capability to produce clean label starches, a growing category," said Jorgen Kokke, Ingredion senior vice president and president, Asia-Pacific and EMEA. "There is an increased demand for foods that are perceived as more natural and wholesome, and rice is a versatile, on-trend ingredient that addresses these demands," Kokke added. The terms of the agreement will not be disclosed. With the acquisition, Ingredion now operates four manufacturing facilities and has 870 employees in Thailand. ABOUT INGREDION Ingredion Incorporated (NYSE: INGR) is a leading global ingredient solutions provider. We turn grains, fruits, vegetables and other plant materials into value-added ingredients and biomaterial solutions for the food, beverage, paper and corrugating, brewing and other industries. Serving customers in over 100 countries, our ingredients make crackers crunchy, yogurts creamy, candy sweet, paper stronger and add fiber to nutrition bars. Visit Ingredion.com to learn more. ### CONTACT: Investors: Heather Kos, 708-551-2592 Media: Claire Regan, 708-551-2602 A Richmond police officer felt the barrel of a handgun being pressed into his stomach and heard the click of a trigger being pulled several times, Police Chief Alfred Durham said Wednesday, describing a near-deadly encounter one of his officers had with a Richmond man who was arrested Tuesday night. Thankfully, that weapon did not fire, Durham said during a news conference, adding that no one was injured. At no time were any shots fired during the entire event. Police declined to say why the suspects gun failed to fire. Durham, along with Mayor Levar Stoney, applauded the officers involved for their restraint. I just want to acknowledge their professionalism, and the courage and bravery that they exhibited yesterday evening, and how close of a call it could have been, Stoney said Wednesday. Every single day they put the shield on and the uniform on, they are putting their lives on the line, and they do it because they love this community, the mayor added. They have to tell their loved ones each and every day, I love you, and sometimes they dont know whether or not theyll be coming back. Police were called about 10:15 p.m. Tuesday to the Blue Ridge Estates apartments in South Richmond, off Carnation Street near Midlothian Turnpike, for a report of random gunfire. An apartment had been struck by a bullet, and the woman who lived there provided a description of the shooter, Durham said. Three officers assigned to the 3rd Precincts Violence Suppression Team were patrolling the area and stopped a vehicle of interest in the Newport Manor Apartments in the 6000 block of Carnation Street, he said. There were six people three men, two women and a boy in the car, and as they were being removed from the vehicle, one of the men struggled with the officer. Donte J. Watts, 24, of the 300 block of Labrook Drive, was charged with felony assault of a law enforcement officer and use of a firearm in a felony. More charges were pending Wednesday evening. Three others in the vehicle with Watts were charged with unrelated offenses, police said. They were not identified, nor were the officers involved. Capt. Chris Gleason, commander of the 3rd Precinct, which covers most of eastern Richmond, north and south of the James River, said the area has actually seen a decrease in crime recently. Durham added that the city has seen a 25 percent turnaround in violent crime since last year. This shows community policing is working in Richmond, said Gleason, who pointed to the fact that police were called immediately after the initial gunfire and, because of the good relationship with the community, were able to get a description and detain the suspect quickly. I think that we can all say that they are heroes, Durham said. They showed amazing restraint. Those officers did not fire their weapons, even when they realized that one of their own was in mortal danger. No shots were fired. No one was struck. No lives were lost. Based on my experience, one false move like this and it could have been very bad for all our officers and even that suspect. These three officers ought to be complimented for what they did and didnt do and I salute them. Durham said all three of the officers spoke with the Richmond Behavioral Health Authority before they left at the end of their shift, and he has given them time off. Students and faculty re-entered Patrick Henry High School in Hanover this afternoon after nothing suspicious was found during a bomb threat investigation at the school. "I'm pleased to inform you that the safety concern (bomb threat) reported earlier today has been resolved," Principal Beth Smith said in an email to parents. "No credible threat exists, and the building (Patrick Henry High School) has been deemed safe." All students and faculty were safely evacuated after authorities learned of the bomb threat and no injuries have been reported, the Hanover County Sheriff's Office said. There were four bomb-detecting canines at the school, but authorities didn't locate anything suspicious, said Sgt. James R. Cooper, a spokesman for the Hanover County Sheriff's Office. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Hanover County Sheriffs Office at (804) 365-6140 or the Metro Richmond Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000. Citizens can also text Crime Stoppers at 274637 (CRIMES), using the keyword iTip followed by your tip. Both Crime Stoppers methods are anonymous. Four Culpeper area residents were recently indicted in the city of Alexandria for allegedly swindling an 89-year-old woman out of $71,000 for supposedly doing chores around her house. Each of the suspects was charged with one felony count of conspiracy to obtain money by false pretenses, carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years. They are: Robert R. McCloud Jr., 37, of Culpeper; Pamela Ann McCloud, 32, of Reva; Krystal Marie Mullins, 28, of Culpeper and Gerald Scott Canard, 25, of Culpeper, according to a news release from the Alexandria Commonwealths Attorneys Office. The four defendants are suspected of participating in the scheme in Alexandria between February 2015 and January 2016 during which time the alleged co-conspirators purported to run a contracting business alternately called Trees Unlimited and Unlimited Property Enhancements, according to the news release. The reported victim resided in the Taylor Run neighborhood. She made payments totaling $71,000 for supposed roof repairs, landscaping and pest removal work and other allegedly phony tasks such as putting mothballs in the attic and the installation of a squirrel alert system, according to the news release. Once an investigation was launched, Alexandria Police detectives and Alexandria Code Enforcement inspected the victims home and saw no evidence of the repairs allegedly completed. Given the nature of these charges and the fact that other vulnerable seniors may have been victimized, this case constitutes a matter of public import that justifies a limited release of information, said Alexandria Commonwealths Attorney Bryan L. Porter in the news release. I emphasize, however, that the co-conspirators are presumed to be innocent, that my office must prove any charge through the addiction of admissible evidence at trial and that the co-conspirators guilt should not be inferred simply because they have been charged with a criminal offense. The younger son of U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., was one of six people arrested while protesting against a rally in support of President Donald Trump at the Minnesota state Capitol last weekend. Linwood Michael Woody Kaine of Minneapolis resisted arrest on the Capitol grounds, where police used a chemical irritant and a knee strike while detaining him, according to a police statement. Protesters clashed with hundreds of Trump supporters who gathered at the Capitol rotunda in St. Paul on Saturday for one of several pro-Trump rallies held throughout the country. Woody Kaine and four other people were suspected of lighting a smoke bomb inside the Capitol, St. Paul police spokesman Steve Linders said Wednesday. Woody Kaine, 24, ran from the scene and was arrested about a block away after he resisted arrest, was sprayed with a chemical irritant and was taken to the ground, according to a police report. Kaine was booked into the Ramsey County Jail on a recommended second-degree riot charge and was subsequently released. The Ramsey County Attorneys Office declined to file criminal charges, finding insufficient evidence to substantiate the charge, spokesman Dennis Gerhardstein said Wednesday. The St. Paul City Attorneys Office was reviewing the case and didnt immediately reply to a message seeking comment. Tim Kaine, a St. Paul native who was Hillary Clintons running mate last year on the Democratic presidential ticket, and his wife, Anne Holton, released a statement following their sons arrest: We love that our three children have their own views and concerns about current political issues. They fully understand the responsibility to express those concerns peacefully, they said. The group holding a pro-Trump rally in the Capitol had a permit, and about 400 people showed up for the rally, according to a police report. A group of protesters entered the building and five or six of them wearing all black set off fireworks and smoke bombs. When St. Paul police arrived at the Capitol on Saturday to look for the fireworks suspects, they found them in a park on the grounds, according to a police news release: The officers identified themselves and ordered the suspects to the ground. At this point, the suspects attempted to flee. Officers were able to apprehend all five suspects, including Linwood Michael Kaine, the release said. Kaine was ordered to the ground but failed to cooperate. He attempted to run but was caught by an officer, who took him to the ground. Kaine then got back on his feet and squared off with the officer, who re-engaged Kaine in an attempt to arrest him. While the officer was attempting to take Kaine to the ground, another officer arrived and deployed a chemical irritant known as ASR. At this point, Kaine was taken to the ground but continued to resist arrest. In an effort to get Kaine to comply with officers instructions, a third officer on scene delivered a knee strike. Kaine then cooperated, put his hands behind his back and was taken into custody without further incident. The St. Paul police do not wear body cameras, said Linders, the police spokesman. Sen. Kaine and Holtons older son, Nat, is a U.S. Marine who has deployed overseas. Their daughter, Annella, is a college student. Woody Kaine attended a small liberal arts college about 45 minutes south of St. Paul. Kimberley Hardins favorite Harry Potter series character is Hermione Grangera smart girl like her. Or maybe the brave Harry Potter, himself. But werewolf professor Remus Lupin is one of her favorites, too. Whoever her favorite character is, Kimberley was excited to be sorted into Ravenclaw House Wednesday morning and to attend a potions classjust like she read about in the J.K. Rowling books. She was among the eight students in Amie Canters second- and third-grade class from the Merit School in Stafford who visited the University of Mary Washington to learn about the subtle science and exact art of chemistry in an engaging way with assistant professor of chemistry Leanna Giancarlo. Canters class, called Advanced Concepts for a Better Future, takes accelerated students and helps them delve into in-depth subjects. Last year, their concept was government and students met with mayors and went to the White House. This year, students wanted to learn about being doctors, so they have dissected sharks with UMWs biologists and are beginning to learn chemistry. It helps them focus and drives their interests, she said. It helps them determine what path they might take later in life. The class also has advanced readers who just finished the third book in the series: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Giancarlo didnt exactly teach the students how to bottle fame or brew glory like in the books. Instead she taught them about the three states of matter: gases, liquids and solids. She then showed them the properties of those states through Lego demonstrations and by acting out how molecules behave. Can you see a gas? she asked them. No, the class shouted back. Kind of like Harry Potters invisibility cloak, she said. They nodded along in apparent comprehension. She then had them don wizarding robes (lab coats) and spectacles (protective goggles) to do Harry Potter-themed experiments using household items like water, baking soda, lemon juice, glue and food coloring. The students of Gryffindor HouseAnthony Watkins and Katerina Canningmade Harry Potters Foam and Neville Longbottoms Magic Mystery. Its so good! Katerina exclaimed about the experiments when she and Anthony used corn starch to turn their liquid solution solid. The deal Giancarlo gave the students: If their potions resulted in all three basic forms of matter, they could stay in her class instead of attending potions with Professor Severus Snape, a character from the books. The students sorted into Hufflepuff House were Sajeela Ahmad and Sophia Samsa. Sophia said she liked being a Hufflepuff because they are helpful and I like helping. But potions isnt her favorite aspect of the book. Its so cool, she said. Hermione has a Time-Turner. The students representing Slytherin House were Kaleb Carter and Gavin Wheeler. Like the other students, their experiments were turning out two states of matter, either a liquid and a gas which they could see through bubbles, or a solid and a liquid. Kimberley and fellow Ravenclaw Marlee Howell saw that, too. Their Hermione Grangers Gel turned out a red solid, as did their Luna Lovegoods Oozing Goo. I recognize that from anywhere, Marlee said. Thats goo, so that a solid! Only Giancarlos solo experiment turned out all three states. She demonstrated to the students how dissolving dry ice in water creates a solution with a solid, a liquid and a gas all at once. This weekends snow chances are heading south literally and figuratively but theres still a window for some snowflakes in Richmond early on Sunday and again in the next workweek. Sundays cold-weather pattern should steer most of the precipitation to the south of Virginia. The track of the low-pressure system will move east along the Gulf Coast on Saturday, then head from Georgia into the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday. Tuesdays data took any mild and rainy outcomes off the table for Richmond; Wednesdays update ruled out a big weekend snowstorm. This narrows the possibilities down to light snow or just dry and cold weather. The probability for accumulating snow late Saturday night and early Sunday will be highest across the southern Appalachians and North Carolina. The chance diminishes from south to north across Virginia. With Virginia on or near the northern edge of that precipitation, the chance of a light coating is best toward the North Carolina-Virginia line, and almost zero in Northern Virginia. Saturday will begin a stretch of several days with below-average highs in the 40s and lows generally running in the 20s. This would be the coolest period of weather since mid-January (but theres no danger of another zero-degree low). There will be another window for rain or snow showers across Virginia between Monday night and Tuesday night. That system could take the form of a coastal storm for the Northeast. If that storm is a miss, it would be the kind where snow misses us to the north. That forecast will also take a few more days to come into focus. In the meantime, the warm, dry and breezy weather today will greatly increase the risk that fires could spread through dry vegetation. The National Weather Service in Wakefield advises extreme care with any machinery that could create a spark and discourages outdoor burning. State law already prohibits open burning between midnight and 4 p.m. until April 30. While staying mindful of that concern, warm-weather fans should try to enjoy some time outside in the sunshine and low 70s today. It should be the last warmer-than-average day for at least another week. NEW YORK, March 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hunt Mortgage Group, a leader in financing commercial real estate throughout the United States, announced today that it has opened a production office in Buffalo, New York and has hired Zach Casale to oversee the local effort. Casale was named Director, Mortgage Banking. He is responsible for sourcing and closing deals of all kinds and will spearhead originations across upstate New York. He will report to Steven Cox, Managing Director at Hunt Mortgage Group. Hunt Mortgage Group has three main business lines: the conventional loan business, small balance loan business, and an affordable housing lending business. Our decision to open an office in Buffalo is in direct response to the areas strong market dynamics, noted Cox. A local presence enables us to better serve the rapidly growing needs of area developers and investors. We are making strategic additions to our organization to expand our market reach and capitalize fully on our expanded financing capabilities, added Cox. Zach is a seasoned financial services executive with a solid background originating and closing commercial real estate loans across upstate New York. We are pleased he has come on board to open an office in Buffalo and serve local clients. This is the sixth new Hunt Mortgage Group office weve opened in the past year. Prior to joining Hunt Mortgage Group, Casale spent six years as a mortgage banker serving as Managing Director for Originations for Largo Real Estate Advisors, Inc. A 2009 graduate of The State University of New York at Buffalos Master of Urban and Regional Planning program, Zach brings a unique perspective for his clients development and financing needs. About Hunt Mortgage Group Hunt Mortgage Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hunt Companies, Inc., is a leader in financing commercial real estate throughout the United States. The Company finances all types of commercial real estate: multifamily properties (including small balance), affordable housing, office, retail, manufactured housing, healthcare/senior living, industrial, and self-storage facilities. It offers Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, HUD/FHA in addition to its own Proprietary loan products. Since inception, the Company has structured more than $21 billion of loans and today maintains a servicing portfolio of more than $12 billion. Headquartered in New York City, Hunt Mortgage Group has 189 professionals in 20 locations throughout the United States. To learn more, visit www.huntmortgagegroup.com. A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. Founding leadership of the GO Virginia initiative named 28 people to form a Roanoke-Blacksburg-Lynchburg economic development council. GOs board plans to approve the names Tuesday. GO stands for Growth and Opportunity, a 2016 initiative to promote economic and workforce development. Coalitions of business, education and community leaders will operate in nine parts of the state. The state will budget for region-specific economic and workforce development projects that the regional groups endorse under the plan. The local council plans to schedule its first meeting in late March and could receive proposals for funding consideration this fall, said John Provo, director of the office of economic development at Virginia Tech. Tech has offered to provide staffing for the local council. Virginia has tentatively budgeted $28 million for GO this coming fiscal year and next fiscal year, said Elizabeth Rafferty, policy and legislative director for the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Its all a response to the significant economic headwinds that our state faces because of federal sequestration and other cuts, according to the website for GO, a program run by a board picked by the governor and General Assembly. State leaders have decried low job creation and the states over-dependence on public sector and government contractor employment and called for a shift to greater private sector investment and employment. Virginias traditional economy is gone, according to Gov. Terry McAuliffe. He said new industries that could replace it include cybersecurity, human genome sequencing and data analytics. Virginia has lost a lot of ground in the last 10 years or so and this is an opportunity we need to take seriously to address that, said Ray Smoot, retired chief executive officer of the Virginia Tech Foundation and a regional council nominee. There will be a lot of reasons to see green on Saturday. More than 20,000 people are expected for Roanokes St. Patricks Day festivities, which begin with a parade downtown at 11 a.m. For many restaurants, the day of the parade is the single busiest day of the year. But this year comes with an extra perk: While the official events are scheduled for Saturday, St. Patricks Day is actually next Friday, giving businesses a chance to spread the holiday across two weekends. Green Day: St. Patrick's events on Saturday in Roanoke St. Patricks Day is one of those holidays whose celebration has to happen on a Saturday, re The move to host the festival the Saturday before the holiday was deliberate by Downtown Roanoke Inc., which manages the event. Spokeswoman Jaime Clark said downtown business owners were asked which weekend they preferred, and they overwhelmingly requested this Saturday. That way, she said, they get two good weekends. Its the best setup for us, said Tara McAllister with Corned Beef & Co., which hosts one of downtowns biggest St. Patricks Day events. For the past four years, as soon as the parade ended, people have filed into Corned Beef to take in its special Irish menu and imbibe green beer. And now people have six days to recuperate and can come back out on Friday, she said. Corned Beef blocks off part of the street in front of its building, puts up a tent and offers a daylong party with Celtic music. The weather tends to have the biggest effect on attendance, McAllister said. Last year, more people showed up than ever before, which she credits to the sunny skies and spring-like temperatures. This year will be colder, but she still expects thousands to attend anyway. Its the single biggest day of downtown Roanoke. Period, she said. Jason Martin, the owner of Martins restaurant, said he expects more than 2,000 people at his annual St. Patricks Day block party. The day of the downtown parade is always busier than the actual St. Patricks Day, Martin said. It has been our busiest day of the year, every year, since we opened. ... The way the calendar falls this year creates a unique opportunity to cash in on two dates instead of one. Even with the chilly forecast for this weekend, I fully expect the 11th will be at least five times busier than the 17th. However, Mike Flanary, the owner of Flanarys Irish Pub and Cornerstone Bar & Grill, said he plans to offer his Irish specials on March 17. Crowds on Saturday are a given, he said, and next Friday could actually bring in a bigger crowd when Flanarys rolls out its holiday menu and Irish stout specials. He thinks hell even have some green beer left. Clark said Dickens of a Christmas brings out more people than St. Patricks Day, but its spread over three weeks. St. Patricks Day is believed to draw the largest single-day crowd of any day in downtown Roanoke, she said, especially as buzz about the festivities grows every year. A Google search for Roanoke St. Patricks Day turns up multiple results for best of lists. Last year, the celebration made it on to The 10 Best St. Patricks Day Cities in the U.S. on Bustle, an online womens magazine known for its viral lists. The post was written by freelance writer Kat Boogaard, who said Wednesday she didnt remember exactly how Roanoke popped up on her radar, but said it was likely because it had appeared on other similar lists. She said she wanted to include some smaller cities on the list, not just places like Boston, which is known for its Irish community. She thought Roanoke was a good fit. Clark said she met a couple of people at last years St. Patricks Day event who cited the blog as one of the reasons they came. Catherine Fox, spokeswoman for tourism organization Visit Virginias Blue Ridge, said Roanoke benefits from being one of the only cities in the greater region to host an event of this size for St. Patricks Day. Its also something that the organization markets on its blog and through social media, which gets a lot of traction online. Nationally, people are expected to spend about $5.3 billion on St. Patricks Day, a 13-year high, according to the National Retail Federation. According to a federation survey, more than 139 million Americans are expected to participate in the holiday. Of those, 83 percent say they will wear green, 31 percent plan to have a special dinner and 27 percent will head to a party at a bar or restaurant. The data suggest that retailers especially restaurants should expect a nice boost. Virginia ABCs St. Patricks Day sales have steadily risen each year, hitting nearly $17 million the week of the holiday in 2016. The St. Patricks Day week brings an average $500,000 boost in sales compared to non-holiday weeks, according to data from ABC. For the past three years, Jameson Irish Whiskey has been the top-selling brand on St. Patricks Day, both in ABC stores and in restaurants. Last year, Jameson accounted for more than $72,000 in sales on the holiday, a jump of 126 percent from the week before. The number could rise this year, especially as the celebrations span two weekends. Anchor Mobile Repair is busy making plans for its second Ducks on a Mission drive. Anchor Mobile Repair owner Kevin Stuckey has partnered with several Roanoke Valley businesses to create points where residents can donate toiletry items, which will be distributed as kits to Feeding America Southwest Virginia partner agencies. Collection begins April 1 and lasts through April 10. Stuckey hopes to provide toiletries to at least 100 people in the area, he said. Hes asking for donations of 6 Essentials, including shampoo, bars of soap or body wash, deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste (non-alcohol only) and a rubber duck. Stuckey is also accepting mouthwash (non-alcohol only), dental floss, shaving cream and hand lotion. Volunteers will organize the items and pack the 6 Essentials into Duck Packs, which will be distributed by Good Samaritan Christian Soldiers Food Pantry, St. Francis House Food Pantry and ARCH/Trust House. The additional items will be added as needed. The packs will also include a razor donated by Defender Razor. Instead of toiletries, donors can also contribute cash or gift cards, which will be used to purchase toiletries. If they choose, donors can donate the cost of a Duck Pack, which is $5. But why ducks? Because Stuckey is the Duckman, of course. Each April, Stuckey returns to his home state of Maine to participate in a kayak race. During the race, his kayak is covered with rubber ducks. This year, hes heading back April 15. Stuckey says he started Ducks on a Mission, which he plans to turn into a full-fledged 501(3)(c) nonprofit, as a way to say thank you to for the blessing God has given him, especially through Anchor Mobile Repair. In explaining his motivation to hold the Ducks on a Mission collection, Stuckey referenced this passage from Hebrews: Dont forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are sacrifices that please God. Hebrews 13:16. Stuckey said the verse reminds him to help those in need by providing the specific help that they need. People have multiple needs and attend to those that are most urgent: food, water and survival, he said. Hygiene becomes out of reach. We are lucky to have a hot shower every morning, soap and shampoo waiting for us, and deodorant and body spray to help us smell great, but not everyone has this luxury, Stuckey said. Through Ducks on a Mission, we are reminding others to not forget to share with those who do not have the luxuries we do. We need to help others and acknowledge all their needs because they are human like us. Drop-off points include: Salem: HSH Insurance & Safety Services (100 East Main Street, Salem) Downtown: Chocolatepaper Boutique (308 Market St SE) NE Roanoke: RockFab Kitchen & Bath (3406 Orange Ave), Top Dawgs Pub & Deli (40 Summers Way) NW Roanoke: Crossroads Church (4827 Delray St NW) SW Roanoke: Anchor Mobile Repair at CoLab (1327 Grandin Rd SW), Viva La Cupcake (2123 Crystal Spring Ave) Roanoke County: Realstar Realtors (3959 Electric Rd) Vinton: Discount Computer Services (211 E Cleveland Ave, Vinton) Submitted by Kevin Stuckey 09.03.2017: Borregaard ASA ("Borregaard", OSE ticker: BRG) Reference is made to the stock exchange notice of 27 February 2017 where Borregaard announced the intent to repurchase up to 300,000 of its outstanding common stock. Borregaard has today purchased 28,000 own shares through broker at an average price of NOK 96,3125 per share. After this transaction Borregaard holds a total of 398,076 own shares, representing 0.398% of total shares outstanding. Contact Lotte Kvinlaug, Investor Relations Officer, +47 922 86 909 This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. RADNOR, Pa., March 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP reminds Banc of California, Inc. (NYSE:BANC) (Banc of California or the Company) shareholders that a class action lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California on behalf of purchasers of Banc of Californias securities between August 7, 2015 and January 23, 2017, inclusive (the Class Period). DEADLINE REMINDER: Banc of California shareholders may, no later than March 24, 2017, petition the Court to be appointed as a lead plaintiff representative of the class. For additional information or to learn how to participate in this action please visit https://www.ktmc.com/new-cases/banc-of-california-inc#join Shareholders who wish to discuss their legal rights or interests with respect to this action are encouraged to contact Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check (Darren J. Check, Esq., D. Seamus Kaskela, Esq. or Adrienne O. Bell, Esq.) at (888) 299 7706 or (610) 667 7706, or via e-mail at info@ktmc.com. Banc of California provides banking and home lending services to individuals and businesses. As detailed in the complaint, on October 18, 2016, SeekingAlpha.com published an article entitled BANC: Extensive Ties To Notorious Fraudster Jason Galanis Make Shares Un-Investible. That article alleged that Banc of Californias senior-most officers and board members have ties to Jason Galanis (Galanis), who the article claimed has a long history of secretly gaining control of banks and public companies via front men, looting assets, and leaving unsuspecting investors and taxpayers with hundreds of millions in losses. Following this news, shares of the Companys stock declined $4.61 per share, or 29%, to close on October 18, 2016 at $11.26 per share. Then, on January 23, 2017, Banc of California disclosed that its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) had resigned and that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission had opened an investigation into whether the Company had misled investors in its response to the October 2016 SeekingAlpha report. Following this news, shares of the Companys stock declined $1.50 per share, or 9.3%, to close on January 23, 2017 at $14.65 per share. The complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Banc of California and certain of its executive officers made a series of false and misleading statements and/or failed to disclose: (1) that the company had extensive ties to Galanis; (2) that, given Galanis history, the Companys ties to Galanis created substantial regulatory risk; (3) that revelation of Galanis ties to the company could cause a substantial decline in the market price of the Companys securities; and (4) that the Companys communications to investors regarding the SeekingAlpha investigation was misleading. The complaint further alleges that, as a result of the foregoing, the defendants positive statements about Banc of Californias business, operations and prospects were false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. Banc of California shareholders may, no later than March 24, 2017, petition the Court to be appointed as a lead plaintiff representative of the class through Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check or other counsel, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. A lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of all class members in directing the litigation. In order to be appointed as a lead plaintiff, the Court must determine that the class members claim is typical of the claims of other class members, and that the class member will adequately represent the class in the action. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision of whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff. For additional information, or to learn how to participate in this action, please visit https://www.ktmc.com/new-cases/banc-of-california-inc#join Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check prosecutes class actions in state and federal courts throughout the country. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check is a driving force behind corporate governance reform, and has recovered billions of dollars on behalf of institutional and individual investors from the United States and around the world. The firm represents investors, consumers and whistleblowers (private citizens who report fraudulent practices against the government and share in the recovery of government dollars). The complaint in this action was not filed by Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check. For more information about Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, please visit www.ktmc.com. CLEARWATER, Fla., March 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In honor of Womens History Month, the Church of Scientology Information Center will host a special piano concert on March 26th - Everyday Women, Making History Every Day - at the Historic Clearwater Building. The concert will feature Ms. Kathy Roberts, pianist and entertainer. The event will be on March 26th, from 6-8:00pm. There is no cost to attend. Refreshments will be served. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2786d36b-efe2-42ab-8e71-860409920086 Im honored to be invited to play for such a personally meaningful cause. Women have contributed to history in so many ways, and we continue to do so every single day, said Ms. Kathy Roberts. Kathy Roberts performed all over the US for over 40 years in all genres of music. In the past 15 years, she has been a staple at the Bon Appetit restaurant in Dunedin where she is well-known for her ability to carry out any request from Beethoven to Beyonce. Women have inspired us to bridge gaps, strive for the impossible, persist through adversity and remember to keep our chin up no matter what, said Amber Skjelset, Manager of the Scientology Information Center. For more information or to RSVP please contact Amber Skjelset, Manager of the Center at (727) 467-6966 or e-mail amber@cos.flag.org. Womens History Month: In February 1980 President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8th 1980 as National Womens History Week, celebrating the achievements of American women. President Carter said, From the first settlers who came to our shores, from the first American Indian families who befriended them, men and women have worked together to build this nation. Too often the women were unsung, and sometimes their contributions went unnoticed. But the achievements, leadership, courage, strength and love of the women who built America were as vital as that of the men whose names we know so well. Congress then declared March as National Women's History Month in 1987. A special Presidential Proclamation is issued every year which honors the extraordinary achievements of American women. The Church of Scientology: The Scientology religion was founded by humanitarian and philosopher, L. Ron Hubbard. The first Church of Scientology was formed in the United States in 1954 and has expanded to more than 11,000 churches, missions and affiliated groups in 167 nations. The Church of Scientology regularly engages in humanitarian programs and community events. Clearwater is the home of the spiritual headquarters for the Church of Scientology. In July 2015, the Church fully restored the historic Clearwater Building and re-opened it as the Scientology Information Center for the community. The Center houses a gallery of audio-visual displays with some 400 videos allowing guests a self-guided tour showing basic Scientology beliefs, who was L. Ron Hubbard, Churches around the world and ongoing social programs. For more information please visit www.scientology-fso.org. Letters 11-4-22 A Vote For Tom Sullivan Dear Editor: On Election Day, I will be proudly voting for Colonel Thomas P. Sullivan for State Assembly. A proven leader, and financial professional. A vote for Tom Sullivan is... Letters 10-28-22 Thanks, Stacey Dear Editor: I would like to recognize Stacey Amato for the tireless work she has done in our community. She responded to every call I have ever made to her office with results.... Press Release Fourth annual competition seeks top global innovators and researchers with 'Future X' technology ideas to improve the human experience Competition offers winners cash prizes up to $175,000 and the opportunity to collaborate with renowned Nokia Bell Labs researchers on idea development 9 March, 2017 Espoo, Finland - Nokia Bell Labs today opens its global competition for the fourth annual Nokia Bell Labs Prize. The Prize recognizes innovators with game-changing ideas in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics with the potential to disrupt or profoundly change the state of human existence and experience by a factor of 10. Researchers, scientists and innovators in participating countries around the globe are invited to enter their idea proposals until May 1, 2017. Prizes up to $175,000 will be awarded to the first, second and third place winners, who will also be rewarded with an opportunity to collaborate with world-renowned Nokia Bell Labs researchers on the development of their ideas. The Nokia Bell Labs Prize competition is geared towards innovative proposals that look to solve broader societal and humanistic challenges. These might include ideas that offer disruptive innovations connecting all humans, senses, things, systems, infrastructure, or processes that enable a future where new knowledge is created with an associated 'sixth sense' whose purpose is to save time. Marcus Weldon, president of Nokia Bell Labs & CTO for Nokia, said: "The energy, innovation and collaboration the Nokia Bell Labs Prize brings to our industry and our research community is incredible, and I am always amazed at the breadth of ideas this competition generates. We look forward to a new round of entries and are excited by the possibilities to fundamentally change our world in profound ways." The competition continues Nokia Bell Labs' rich tradition of finding solutions to some of the greatest challenges facing the information and telecommunications industry. Nearly 1,000 applicants have submitted ideas to the Nokia Bell Labs Prize competition since its inception in 2014. Previous finalists have come from Belgium, Canada, Germany, Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, the UK, and the U.S. They include grand prize winners offering solutions that enable a better Internet of Things (IoT), and new ways to simplify Big Data to extract actionable information and knowledge. In 2016, a team of two PhD students from the University of Southern California, Sungwon Chung and Hooman Abediasl, along with their professor, Hossein Hashemi, created large-scale plasmonic optical phased-array technology - an architectural innovation for nanodevices. Together, they developed the technology to enable a wide range of applications across free-space communications, biomedical diagnostics, and inexpensive sensing for self-driving cars. In 2015, Brandon Lucia, assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University, presented a new way for developers to bring their communications and sensing applications into environments with scarce energy, such as inside living organisms, or attached to infrastructure without access to power, or even in deep space. Unlike traditional machines with tethered power or batteries, these outage-tolerant systems can compute intermittently and even scavenge their surroundings for energy. In 2014, Emmanuel Abbe, assistant professor at Princeton University, proposed new algorithms and methods for extracting actionable information from Big Data. In doing so, he was able to apply the information theory limit developed by Bell Labs pioneer Claude Shannon to make practical, fast computations on massive social and complex graph-based networks. Resources: Connect with Nokia Subscribe to receive information on specific areas of interest Website Blog LinkedIn Twitter.com/BellLabs Facebook Instagram Periscope YouTube Glassdoor About Nokia Nokia is a global leader innovating the technologies at the heart of our connected world. Powered by the research and innovation of Nokia Bell Labs, we serve communications service providers, governments, large enterprises and consumers, with the industry's most complete, end-to-end portfolio of products, services and licensing. From the enabling infrastructure for 5G and the Internet of Things, to emerging applications in virtual reality and digital health, we are shaping the future of technology to transform the human experience. www.nokia.com Media Enquiries: Communications Phone: +358 (0) 10 448 4900 E-mail: press.services@nokia.com Suresnes - March 9, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. Fromageries Bel Annual Financial Information 2016 Results Sales decline 1.0% organically Operating margin exceeds 10% Balance sheet is strong Meeting March 8, 2017, the Board of Directors approved the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2016. The Board was informed that the statutory auditors had completed their audit of the consolidated financial statements and that their report was forthcoming. Key Figures (*) (millions of euros) 2016 2015 % change Sales 2,936 2,949 - 0.4% Operating income 298 272 + 9.5% Net financial result 2 (8) - 129.4% Income tax expense (83) (76) + 8.8% Consolidated net profit - Group share 213 184 + 15.6% (*) Key figures exclude contribution from the MOM Group, acquired on December 15, 2016 and not consolidated in the 2016 income statement. In 2016, the Bel Group recorded a slight decrease in sales. The Americas, Asia-Pacific region continued to grow, reporting organic sales growth of 4.5%. A price war among food retailers in Europe and France in particular directly impacted producer sales, with Bel's sales in the region contracting 2.1% organically during the year. Lastly, volumes in the Middle East, Greater Africa were negatively affected by unrest in several markets in the region, where sales declined 2.3% organically in 2016. The Group nevertheless confirmed its ability to support and develop its strong brands to grow market share and win new markets, while consolidating its operating margin. Helped by a generally favorable foreign exchange impact and bottom-of-the-cycle raw material prices throughout much of the year, operating income advanced 9.5% in 2016. Net financial income came to 2 million, primarily reflecting the favorable foreign exchange impact, with the cost of net financial debt increasing from 11 million in 2015 to nearly 15 million in 2016, including financing for the acquisition of the MOM group. In 2016, income tax expense amounted to 83 million, compared with 76 million in 2015. In 2016, consolidated net profit, Group share, totaled 213 million, versus 184 million in 2015. The Group's balance sheet remained robust. At December 31, 2016, total equity came to 1,667 million, compared with 1,502 million a year earlier. Net financial debt amounted to 688 million, following the acquisition of the MOM Group completed on December 15, 2016. At December 31, 2016, the Group had two untapped credit lines totaling 820 million. Dividends On March 8, 2017, the Board of Directors voted to propose a dividend of 9.75 per share, with an ex-dividend date on May 17 and payable as of May 19, 2017. The dividend is subject to the approval of the Annual General Meeting scheduled for May 11, 2017. Outlook for 2017 In Europe, markets remain affected by fierce competition among food retailers that is unfavorable to rolling out campaign plans for the Group's brands. The uncertain geopolitical and economic environment in numerous world regions continues to cloud visibility. Further, the new hike in dairy raw material prices announced at the end of 2016 is expected to weigh on operating margin in 2017. The Group will focus in particular on its future projects in the healthy snack market, following the consolidation of its latest acquisitions, Safilait and MOM. Bel will continue to follow its aggressive strategy to advance its positions around the world by building on the vitality of its brands and the talent of its teams. This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Such trend and/or target information should in no way be regarded as earnings forecast data or performance indicators of any kind. This information is by nature subject to risks and uncertainties that may be beyond the Company's control. A detailed description of these risks and uncertainties is provided in the Company's Registration Document, available at www.groupe-bel.com as of March 20, 2017. More comprehensive information about the Bel Group can be found in the "Regulatory Information" section of the www.groupe-bel.com website Finnish English Stock Exchange Release Talvivaara Mining Company Plc 9 March 2017 Insider dealing charges brought against a member of Talvivaara's Executive Committee Talvivaara Mining Company Plc (the "Company") has been notified that charges have been brought against a member of its Executive Committee on a case concerning alleged misuse of insider information. The Company is not a party to the case, but the Company's disclosure practices in 2012 - 2013 have been heard in the Helsinki District Court in consequence of the charges brought by the prosecutor in May 2016. To the Company's understanding this insider dealing charge concerns the same time period. The main hearing phase of the disclosure case has ended, but no decision in the case has been given yet. The Company's view is that the brought charges of which the Company has now been notified have no impact on the Company or its financial position nor do they give any reason to reassess the composition of the Company's Executive Committee. Enquiries Talvivaara Mining Company Plc. Tel. +358 20 7129 800 Pekka Pera, CEO Pekka Erkinheimo, Deputy CEO Attachments: http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bbafe4a0-699a-4baf-a1d3-0bcee4830594 Three rough diamond tenders will be held at the Israel Diamond Exchange (IDE) International Tender Center from March 13-16, 2017 by I. Hennig Tenders and viewings will be held by appointment only, announces IDE. The first tender will offer two special fancy color rough diamonds of yellow color weighing 77.54 and 38.88 carats respectively, from the Superkolong diamond tailings operation in Kimberley, South Africa. The second tender will be of a single rough commercial stone weighing 10.80 cts of Russian origin, sourced in Gokhranco; and the third will be of a wide selection of single rough stones from 5 to 15 carats. Yoram Dvash,IDE President said, We are happy to once again host I.Henning at the International Tender Center. Our purpose in opening the center was to bring more rough and polished tenders to Israel. It is clear that this is a win-win situation for the tender companies and for the bourse. I. Hennig Tenders CEO David Kuchler said, The upcoming tenders present Israeli rough buyers the opportunity to view and offer on rough diamonds in their local market. The International Tender Center has made it convenient for us. Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in-Chief of Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished With the arrest of ISIS terror suspects from Saurashtra, a Quick Response Team (QRT) of the city police has been placed at the Mahidharpura diamond market in Surat, where transactions of precious stones worth crores of rupees take place daily. A number of angadias dealing in high value transactions also operate from the area. In a meeting held with city police commissioner Satish Sharma, representatives of diamond industry demanded security."As the demand for security to the diamond market at Mahidharpura was an important, we took the decision to post a QRT there. The QRT will be deployed at the Mahidharpura police station in the diamond market," said Sharma. The QRT will have five policemen armed with carbines and machine guns to combat armed attacks. They will be wearing bullet proof jackets and remain present at the police station along with the regular staff. Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in-Chief of Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished Lucara Diamond said it recovered 309.79 carats from 5,021 tonnes of kimberlite for a sample grade of 6.2 carats per hundred tonne (cpht) during the second BK02 mini-bulk sample programme in Botswana. It said the largest diamond recovered was a 4.56 white/grey octahedron. A total of 22 stones were recovered greater than 1 carat in weight, including five diamonds in excess of 2 carats in weight (inclusive of the 4.56 carat diamond), Lucara said. It also said that the second phase sample results confirmed the coarse size distribution of the BK02-1 sample. Three largest diamonds were recovered and these were 4.56, 2.71 and 2.26 carats The combined BK02-1 and BK02-2 samples saw 584.12 carats being recovered from 10,937 tonnes of kimberlite for a sample grade of 5.3 cpht. A total of 46 diamonds were recovered greater than 1 carat in weight, including 8 diamonds greater than 2 carats in weight, it said. Three largest diamonds were also recovered and these are 5.48, 4.56 and 2.71 carats. "Results of the second BK02 mini bulk sample are very encouraging with the improvement in the grade and confirmation of the coarse nature of the BK02 diamond size distribution, said Lucara chief executive William Lamb. The combined parcel of diamonds is suitable for a preliminary diamond valuation which we expect to provide to the market in the second quarter of 2017. The next stage of exploration at BK02 will be to develop an understanding of the diamond content and size distribution continuity at depth." The diamonds recovered would be independently valued early in the second quarter of the year while a large diameter drill (LDD) programme at BK02 was in the advanced planning stage, with the tendering process underway. The first material from the pilot drilling programme was expected in the second quarter of the year. Meanwhile, Lucara said a deep drilling programme at the Karowe Mine AK06 kimberlite was completed in the first quarter of the year. The programme was designed to increase confidence in the geological model for the South Lobe of the AK06 kimberlite and provide sufficient data and material for an updated resource to be utilised in an underground option study for the Karowe mine. Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished DiamondCorp said its net loss for the six-month period ended 30 June 2016 was 247 221 compared with 3.159 million in the same period in 2015 after adjustments for a stronger Rand exchange rate. The troubled diamond junior said its administrative expenditure for the period increased to 0.893 million from 0.672 million, a year earlier. The increase is primarily due to a timing change on audit remuneration, as well as additional administrative expenses as the company is moving from development into production, it said. Cash at 30 June was 0.108 million. However, after the period end, a further 2.0 million was raised through a share issue. DiamondCorps Lace diamond mine in South Africa was placed into business administration following the impact of adverse weather last year. However, the diamond junior had been trying to refinance the mine through a placing and debt restructuring. Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished The board of Namib Desert Diamonds (Namdia), which was set up last May following a new sales and marketing agreement with De Beers, is allegedly divided on who to appoint as its chief executive officer. The state-owned firm was responsible for selling Namibian diamonds worth N$2 billion ($154 million) per year. The Namibian newspaper reports that two camps had emerged with one supporting the director of business improvement at Swakop Uranium Alex Gawanab, while the other group wanted Namdia's acting chief executive and the countrys diamond commissioner Kennedy Hamutenya. Namdia's chairperson Shakespeare Masiza declined to name the candidate recommended to energy minister Obeth Kandjoze. However, unnamed sources cited by the daily claimed that Gawanab had been chosen to lead Namdia. The Namibian also reported that Deloitte Management interviewed candidates last November and told the board that Hamutenya had come first; followed by former Namdeb engineer Wicus Burger, while Gawanab came third. Namdia was last year accused of undervaluing the countrys diamonds. However, mines minister Kandjoze dismissed the allegations as baseless. Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished The Supervisory Board of ALROSA may convene a meeting next Monday to consider the appointment of Sergei Ivanov to the position of the companys president, mass media reported citing their own sources. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a directive to appoint Sergey Ivanov to be the head of diamond mining company ALROSA and wished him success in his work at a meeting last Monday, noting that ALROSA is the worlds largest diamond producer, which is systemically important for Russia and in particular for the development of the Far East. We need to work pro-actively within all industrial and economic programs of the government and with the Ministry of Finance building full-fledged relations with regional authorities, because the company has an unconditional value also for the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) itself. All these factors need to be put on your list of priorities as head of the company, the prime minister stressed. ALROSA is the worlds major diamond producer by volume in carats. The company is mining diamonds at its operations in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and in the Arkhangelsk Region. ALROSAs sales of rough diamonds reached 40.1 million carats in 2016, which is an increase of 10.1 million carats over the previous year. At the same time, ALROSA reduced production of rough to 37.2 million carats in 2016 from 38.3 million carats in 2015. The company plans to increase diamond production to more than 41 million carats by 2019. Theodor Lisovoy, Rough&Polished, Moscow English French HAVAS GROUP SHIFTS ITS ORGANIZATION TO A CENTRALIZED CLIENT APPROACH & UNIFIED MANAGEMENT ACROSS CREATIVE AND MEDIA Havas Group today announced another step in its Together strategy to accelerate integration by further breaking down silos and moving to a client-centric and region- based organization. The Group's two divisions, Havas Creative Group and Havas Media Group, will no longer exist. The creative and media businesses, alongside the healthcare and wellness business, will become simply business units, under one regional P&L, to ensure agility and a seamless experience for clients. And to ensure the most relevant organization in a client-centric model across media and creative, Dominique Delport is appointed Global Managing Director and Chief Client Officer for the Havas Group, where he will oversee global clients relationships, marketing initiatives and New Business. These moves are the result of the successful implementation, at the end of 2016, of a centralized management of our four largest markets, where Chairmen were appointed at the Group level: Chris Hirst for the UK, Alfonso Rodes for Spain and Yannick Bollore for France and North America. The Group is now adding two new Chairmen roles to optimize its structure and offering in Latin America and Asia Pacific. Jorge Percovich, presently CEO Latin America Havas Media Group, is appointed CEO Havas LATAM Group across the creative and media businesses. He will be responsible for overseeing all of the Havas Group agencies in the region: 65 offices in 19 countries, with +3,000 people. Mike Amour, presently CEO APAC Havas Creative Group, is appointed CEO Havas APAC Group across the creative and media businesses. He will be responsible for overseeing all of the Havas Group agencies in the region: 79 offices in 17 countries, with +2,400 people. Dominique Delport said: "For four years now, the #together strategy and the opening of our 47 Havas villages has transformed the way we work and serve our clients. Now it's all about extending Yannick's vision and reinventing our industry by creating new standards, new offers and new services that blend the best of both worlds: relentless creativity and smart media accountability. Havas will be at the forefront of this transformation by putting the power of content and data at the core of our activities. It's an exciting challenge. Being agile and having a challenger mindset doesn't prevent us from having big ambitions for our Group, our people and our Clients." Yannick Bollore, CEO Havas Group, declared: "As the world moves faster and grows more complex, we believe in transcending the traditional definition of "creative" and "media" to better deliver for our clients. The appointments of Dominique, Jorge and Mike will ensure we create the most modern approach to developing solutions, regardless of where the thinking begins. They will enable us to better share talent and resources on behalf of our clients, as well as create cross-channel learning and development opportunities for our people." The three appointments are effective immediately. About Havas Group Havas is one of the world's largest global communications groups. Founded in 1835 in Paris, the Group now employs 20,000 people in over 100 countries. Havas Group is committed to being the world's best company at creating meaningful connections between people and brands through creativity, media and innovation. Havas is also the most integrated Group in its sector: the Together Strategy is implemented through Havas Villages, where most creative and media teams share the same premises, increasing synergies for clients and better serving their needs. Further information about Havas Group is available on the company's website: www.havasgroup.com Contact : Lorella Gessa Director of Communications, Havas Group +33 (0)1 58 47 90 36 lorella.gessa@havas.com @Lorella_Gessa Aurelie Jolion Director of Investor Relations, Havas Group +33 (0)1 58 47 92 42 aurelie.jolion@havas.com 29-30 quai de Dion Bouton, 92817 Puteaux Cedex, France Tel +33 (0) 1 58 47 80 00 SA au capital de 167 862 108 - 335 480 265 RCS Nanterre - APE 7311Z www.havasgroup.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/HavasGroup/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HavasGroup Google +: http://bit.ly/163Ii2y LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/Havas Group Attachments: http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c26abd26-9d00-444b-8b3b-cd64835ace4f Jacob "Jake" Argiro, PE, joined HNTB Corporation as Connecticut office operations manager and associate vice president. He is based in the firm's Rocky Hill office, where he manages HNTB's operations throughout the state, including project management, budgeting, quality control and staffing. Argiro has more than 18 years of transportation management and operational experience on roadways, interstate highways and interchanges, railroad and transit systems. His background includes a project management role for the CTfastrak implementation. He also served as program manager for a $300 million Connecticut Department of Transportation program for the replacement or rehabilitation of multiple highway and railroad bridges. Argiro is a graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and holds a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering. He is a professional engineer in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Maine, and a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. HNTB currently is designing and implementing major infrastructure projects for the Connecticut Department of Transportation, including program management of the I-84 Mixmaster program, the Walk Railroad Bridge replacement, construction engineering and inspection services for the Moses Wheeler Bridge replacement project and engineering services for the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield rail corridor along with railroad construction engineering and inspection services. Switzerland's unemployment data for February is due to be released in the pre-European session on Thursday at 1:45 am ET. The jobless rate is expected to remain unchanged at 3.3 percent in February. Ahead of the data, the Swiss franc showed mixed trading against its major rivals. While the Swiss franc fell against the U.S. dollar, it held steady against the euro, the pound and the yen. As of 1:40 am ET, the Swiss franc was trading at 1.0698 against the euro, 1.2347 against the pound, 1.0154 against the U.S. dollar and 112.71 against the yen. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Forex News REDWOOD CITY, Calif., March 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- At Google Cloud NEXT 17, Informatica, the worlds leading data integration and data management company, announced an expanded partnership with Google Cloud in key areas of cloud integration, marketing analytics and data warehouse modernization to power faster and more accurate insights, increased agility and lower data management costs. Supercharging Marketing Analytics with Google Cloud Marketing analytics has emerged as a must-have solution for providing insights into customers and prospects in order to improve the success of marketing programs and make every engagement count. Informatica is working with Google Cloud to help marketing professionals have a next-generation, data-driven market engine within their organizations, with new capabilities in marketing analytics and data warehouse modernization. Today, Google Cloud announced the beta availability of BigQuery Data Transfer Service that automatically centralizes data from AdWords, YouTube, DoubleClick and Google Analytics 360 into Google BigQuery, giving marketers a single source of truth they can trust. Informatica further enhances the value for marketing organizations by combining, enriching and augmenting existing Google Marketing data with data from social, CRM and marketing automation sources. Informaticas out-of-the-box connectivity to sources such as Marketo, Eloqua, Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics quickly transforms and loads the desired data into Google BigQuery for a holistic view of the entire marketing landscape. These powerful insights allow organizations to provide next great offers to their customers based on past purchases, preferences and behaviors on the web. One of the great challenges for marketers today is that they are awash in data about their customers, said Sally Jenkins, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Informatica. A decade ago marketing was a discipline driven by preference, experience and gut-feeling. Today, marketers are one of the most data-driven function in organizations. With Informatica, customers can pull data from the critical marketing systems, such as Marketo, Eloqua and Salesforce, into Google BigQuery. By combining Google Cloud Platform, an extremely powerful, scalable and cost-effective big data analytics platform, with Informatica Cloud which offers connectivity and data management, customers can expect powerful insights, recommendations and offers, which is what everyone is looking for. Expanding Support for Google Cloud - Google BigQuery, Google Cloud Storage and Cloud SQL Informaticas data management offerings are well aligned and are expanding their support for the Google Cloud Platform. Today, Informatica is announcing the integration of Informatica Cloud with Google BigQuery, Google Cloud Storage and Cloud SQL. Google BigQuery: Informatica Cloud for cloud integration scales from proof-of-concept to petabyte-scale production systems. With the Informatica Cloud connector for Google BigQuery, Google Cloud customers can use Informatica Clouds native, high volume connectors to transform and load data into and out of BigQuery from cloud applications, social IoT and on-premise sources. Google Cloud Storage: With the Informatica Cloud connector for Google Cloud Storage, Informatica Cloud can move and synchronize data of all types and volumes into and out of Google Cloud Storage for big data analytics. Cloud SQL: Informatica Cloud support for Cloud SQL will simplify the migration of data from on-premise databases into Cloud SQL, Googles fully managed, transactional database service. Additionally, Informatica is excited to support new Google Cloud Platform products with planned availability of connectivity to Google Spanner. Expediting Enterprise Data Warehouse Modernization with Google BigQuery As enterprises continue to replace or augment traditional data warehouse implementations with Google BigQuery, they are looking for ways to fast-track the migration of data to their new cloud infrastructures while minimizing risk. Informatica provides hybrid data management solutions designed to accelerate the migration of data to Google BigQuery, delivering and synchronizing trusted data from cloud, on-premise and big data sources. Additional Information: Tweet this: News: @Informatica & @Google partner to deliver #CMOs unique & powerful insights from business data http://infa.media/pr170309a News: @Informatica offers frictionless data migration to @Google BigQuery #GoogleNext17 http://infa.media/pr170309a About Informatica Informatica is 100 percent focused on data because the world runs on data. Organizations need business solutions around data for the cloud, big data, real-time and streaming. Informatica is a leading provider of data management solutions, in the cloud, on-premise or in a hybrid environment. More than 7,000 organizations around the world turn to Informatica for data solutions that power their businesses. For more information, call +1 650-385-5000 (1-800-653-3871 in the U.S.), or visit www.informatica.com. Connect with Informatica at https://linkedin.com/company/informatica, https://twitter.com/Informatica and https://facebook.com/InformaticaLLC. ### Note: Informatica, Informatica Cloud, Informatica PowerCenter and Informatica Big Data Management are trademarks or registered trademarks of Informatica in the United States and in jurisdictions throughout the world. All other company and product names may be trade names or trademarks of their respective owners. The information provided herein is subject to change without notice. In addition, the development, release and timing of any product or functionality described today remain at the sole discretion of Informatica and should not be relied upon in making a purchasing decision, nor as a representation, warranty or commitment to deliver specific products or functionality in the future. MAPLEWOOD, N.J., March 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Valerie Fund is proud to announce it has again been awarded the highest rating by Charity Navigator, the nations largest independent charity evaluator (www.charitynavigator.org). The non-profit organization treats children with cancer and blood disorders in the tri-state area and has been given a 4-star rating for demonstrating strong financial health and a commitment to accountability and transparency. Americans donate over $300 billion each year to roughly one million charities and earning a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator -- only 25% of rated charities achieve this distinction -- validates the effectiveness of The Valerie Funds philanthropic efforts as they exceed industry standards. Since the first Valerie Fund Childrens Center opened in Summits Overlook Medical Center in 1977, the extraordinary growth of The Valerie Fund has been rooted in founders Sue and Ed Goldsteins own heartbreaking experiences and their desire to provide compassionate care close to home. After their nine-year-old daughter Valerie died of cancer, they were determined that no family should have to travel great distances to receive superior medical care. While there is so much more to do, we can reflect on the 40th Anniversary of the founding of The Valerie Fund and be proud of the fact that thousands of critically ill children and their families were not alone as they navigated the many challenges faced following a devastating diagnosis of cancer or a blood disorder. The Valerie Fund Childrens Centers -- in New Jersey, New York City and the Philadelphia area -- evolved into what we had hoped for: institutions delivering medical expertise, unconditional support and loving kindness for the children under their care. Our seven Centers are composed of pediatric oncologists, nurses, social workers, educational liaisons, psychologists and child life specialists, integrative medicine practitioners and palliative care physicians, all working tirelessly toward the treatment and cure of cancer and blood disorders. Barry Kirschner, Executive Director of The Valerie Fund adds, We can acknowledge that while rarely covered by health insurance, these social services play a vital role in addressing quality of life issues during the treatment and healing process. Forty years later, The Valerie Funds mission remains that of supporting comprehensive health care for children battling cancer and blood disorders. For more information, please contact Bunny Flanders, Director of Marketing and Communications at bflanders@thevaleriefund.org. GRANDVIEW, Mo., March 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Peterson has combined the classic look of its original 36-diode Piranha LED lights with state-of-the-art circuitry and automated manufacturing to create an exciting new-generation line of USA-made lighting: the 817R-36 Stop/Turn/Tail light and the 817A-36 Park/Turn light. The new models offer the best of old and new Petersons best-selling 4" round styling and the rugged durability of its most modern lighting technology. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c5a368b2-97c2-4046-905b-e785db52a734 http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/30a069e4-7868-4482-ba2a-1e94e84537c3 These newly redesigned lights offer something for everyone, said Peterson marketing director, Mark Assenmacher. Customers can now choose the classic look and owner-operator appeal of Petersons traditional 36-diode LED light while still getting all of our latest features: integrated AMP connector, insert-molded terminals for the ultimate environmental seal, and the most efficient surface-mount diodes available. The new 4" round models are available as both red-lensed S/T/T lights and amber-lensed Park/Turn signal lights. Thirty-six of the latest bright white diodes provide brilliant illumination with proven LED reliability. Both models feature an operating range of 9-16 volts, with a design that provides consistent light output over the entire voltage range. Available in either grommet- or flange-mount design, the new lights do not require Top positioning to meet FMVSS 108 standards. The amber version meets DOT requirements for front and rear turn signal, parking lamp, sidemarker and clearance light. Were proud to add these new items to our growing USA-made line, said Assenmacher. Theyre now in stock and priced to compete with any LED high-count light on the market. Peterson Manufacturing Company is a world-leading innovator in the engineering and production of a complete line of vehicle safety lighting, custom wiring harnesses, and many other safety-related products. As an ISO 9001 certified company, Peterson Manufacturing is a key subsidiary of Peterson Corporation, nine highly specialized companies and nearly 1,000 associates working in global transportation-related industries. With headquarters in the greater Kansas City area, Peterson Manufacturing is a privately held company and has been in operation since 1945. Still Standing: Four the Moments legacy honoured at Nova Scotia Music Week When a quartet of Halifax women began singing together a cappella in the name of social justice in 1982, there was little in the way of a music industry at play in Atlantic Canada. And even if there had been, its likely that Four the Moment would ... An effects-driven, adventure film, "Kong: Skull Island" is a survival tale on a monster-infested island. The film is a visual spectacle that is mildly entertaining. Film: "Kong: Skull Island"; Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts; Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, Brie Larson, John C. Reilly, Jing Tian, Toby Kebbell, John Ortiz, Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Shea Whigham, Thomas Mann, Terry Notary; Rating: *** The tale, layered with back-stories, is set in 1973, near the end of the Vietnam conflict. The saga takes off when Bill Randa (Goodman), a geologist, convinces the administration to support an expedition to a remote, mysterious island in the Pacific. He requests for the exploration because the island was never properly mapped and the satellite images of the island confirm the presence of treacherous storms that cause the disappearance of many ships and aircraft in the area, thereby likening it to the Bermuda Triangle. So, Randa along with his seismologist colleague Houston Brooks (Corey Hawkins) rope in a military platoon -- The Sky Devils Helicopter Squadron led by Lieutenant Colonel Preston Packard (Samuel L. Jackson) and Captain James Conrad, a "tracker". The team is later joined by a photo-journalist Mason Weaver, who believes that the scientific expedition is to cover an illegal military operation and plans to expose it. When the team reach the island, they realise that the place, inhabited by natives is also infested with monsters of various sorts -- the cruellest of them being the lizard-like creatures called the Skull Crawlers, thus giving the island its name, Skull Island. How they survive the expedition with the help of Kong, the giant ape, forms the crux of the tale. While the plot is intriguing and achieves an ideal balance between wild action, throwaway humour and genre tropes, the script by Dan Gilroy, Max Borenstein and Derek Connolly, based on a story by John Gatins, is dull and kid-centric. It fails to deliver an immersive experience. That is because the weaving of the story seems formulaic along with characters which are one dimensional and archetypal. Also, Kong, the last of his tribe, has a much-subdued personality. The cast list, packed with A-listers, have their moments of on-screen glory, but they are short lived due to their underwritten character graphs. The only exception is that of John C. Reilly who plays Hank Marlow, an American pilot who has been stranded on Skull Island since World War II. Technically, the film is brilliant. It is stylistically and magnificently mounted with fine production values, brilliant sound track and vivid cinematography. The dazzling computer generated images seamlessly mesh with the live action visuals. Visually, the film universe with colours, fog and other environmental details is elaborate, well-designed and realistic. The creatures -- Bamboo Spiders, Octopus, Bison, Bees, Birds, Lizards and Kong -- are nothing new, but the visual effects, created by the team led by visual effects supervisors Stephen Rosenbaum and Jeff White, are marvellous. The combat scenes between Kong and the Skull Crawlers are truly gruesome, thrilling and exciting. Overall, the calm ending is a downer. But for an exhilarating experience, it is advisable to watch the film through a child's forgiving eyes. For otherwise, "Kong: Skull Island" is just another man versus monster tale. The corruption trial against Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong in the "Rasputin" scandal case began on Thursday at a court here in the South Korean capital, media report said. The de-facto President of the country's biggest business conglomerate, Lee was being tried for his part in the graft case which lead to the impeachment of its President Park Geun-hye, media reported. The preparatory trial would take place at the Central District court here from 2 pm onwards but it was unknown whether Lee would appear on Thursday as the law does not oblige him to do so. The 48-year-old Samsung chief, who has been detained since February 17, was accused of having authorised the diversion of $37.3 million to foundations controlled by Choi Soon-sil, dubbed the "Korean Rasputin", because of her friendship with Park. Payments were made in exchange for the South Korean public pension fund authorising a merger of two Samsung subsidiaries (one of which was owned by the fund) which would further reinforce the Lee clan's control over the group. Aside from the bribery, Lee, who has been heading the Samsung Group since his father was disabled by a stroke in 2014, also faces charges of embezzlement and concealment of assets abroad. Four other officials of the company, who remain at large, would also be tried alongside Lee. The Rasputin case led to the dismissal of President Park by the South Korean Parliament in December 2016, and the Constitutional Court would announce on Friday whether or not it would ratify this decision. If the dismissal was approved, it would strip Park of her immunity and force Presidential elections in less than 60 days. The second-half of Parliament's Budget Session will start on Thursday and attacks on Indians in the US and the anti-terror operation in Lucknow will be raised by the Congress. Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge told media that the party will raise the issues of attack on Indians in the US and the anti-terror operation of Lucknow, in which a youth was killed, as well as the bomb blast in a train near Bhopal. Home Minister Rajnath Singh is expected to make a statement on both issues on Thursday, according to informed sources in the Home Ministry. Meanwhile, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has said that the government is prepared to take up any discussion opposition parties want. The minister told reporters that pending bills, including the ones relating to Goods and Services Tax and Enemy Property, are among those on the government's agenda. "There are 20 new bills on the agenda of the government," Naqvi told media. Leaders from different parties felt that the mood of the session will depend on the results of assembly elections in five states -- Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur. Lok Sabha members on Thursday expressed concern over the killing of Indians in the United States and sought answers from the government. Raising the matter during Zero Hour, Congress leader of the house Mallikarjun Kharge said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should come to the House and give an answer on the killing of Indians in the US. "Why is the government silent on this issue. Around 1.70 lakh Indian students are there for studies. Lakhs of Indians are there for work purposes. They are being targetted. Their parents in India are worried," Kharge said. He said,"Prime Minister reacts on tweets on every issue. But why is he silent on this. He must answer and should share the details of its plan to stop such attacks." Expressing his deep concern over the killing of Indians, Biju Janata Dal leader Bhartruhari Mahtab sought to know from the government why Indians are getting killed there. Shiromani Akali Dal leader Prem Singh Chandumajra said that such incidents of killings of Indians in US and other parts of world are not new. "There have been racial attacks on Indians in US in the past. Government should take it seriously," he said. CPI-M leader Mohammad Saleem said: "We mourn the killings of Indians in US but at the same time we also condemn it." He urged the government to to raise this issue at the highest level and the Prime Minister should discuss the issue with to US President Donald Trump. Jithendra Reddy of Telangana Rashtra Samiti sought a detailed statement from the External Affairs Minister over the issue as the parents of the students or Indians living in the US are worried. Responding to the issue, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the government has taken the issue very seriously. "We are saddened by such incidents. We condemn it," he said. "The government will take all steps so that Indian feel safe there," he added. Rajnath Singh also said that as External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is unwell, a detailed statement will be given in the House next week. The members were voicing concern over the killing of Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla in Kansas on February 22 in an apparent hate crime, and of another Indian Harnish Patel a week later. A Sikh man, Deep Rai, who was an American citizen, was fired at in a racial attack last week, and is out of danger. US President has condemned the Kansas shooting. Is the Islamic State behind the Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train blast in Madhya Pradesh? While the Madhya Pradesh police was quick to link the arrested suspects with the terror group, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in a statement in Lok Sabha on Thursday avoided any direct mention of the group. The Minister said the train blast was an act of a "suspected terrorist gang". The Uttar Pradesh police, which on Wednesday neutralised an alleged member of the gang involved in the train blast in Lucknow, said suspected terror operative Saifullah who was killed, and his associates were "self radicalised" and trying to build an "Islamic State Khorasan module". Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan supported his state police's theory and said on Wednesday in Bhopal that those behind the train bomb blast had suspected Islamic State links. Chouhan also revealed that the explosion was caused by a pipe bomb, whose pictures were sent to Syria through their mobile phones. A timer was also used in the bomb. Making a statement in the Lower House, Rajnath Singh also said that the anti-terror operations had helped "successfully avert" a possible threat to national security and that further probe would be handed over to the National Investigation Agency. The Minister said that Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh Police have so far managed to arrest six members of the gang related to the train blast. "The events present an excellent example of coordination amongst the state police and central agencies. Due to the prompt action taken by the police of both the states, a possible threat to national security was successfully averted. Further investigations will be handed over to NIA," Singh said. Saifullah, a resident of Manohar Nagar in Kanpur, was killed on Wednesday morning in an 11-hour-long gunfight in Thakurganj's Haji colony in Lucknow while his associates were held from different places in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. _ _SHOW_MID_AD__ Hung assembly in UP and Uttrakhand, Congress win in Punjab, BJP will retain Goa and historic gains for BJP in Manipur. As the polling for assembly elections in all five states Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Goa are over today, the action has shifted to TV studios where the results of the exit polls conducted by media houses are being announced. While state elections cannot be seen as a referendum on the central government, what has made UP elections different is Prime Minister Narendra Modis personal involvement. Not only did he address dozens of elections rallies, he was also the face of the NDA campaign. The stakes are even higher for UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, after Yadav family feud it was Akhilesh's decision to had alliance with Congress. If Samajwadi party will not only lose state government but will also lose grip on party. As these elections are termed as semi final for 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Exit polls are showing BJP gaining grounds in UP. The battle for Punjab is a broad three-fold race. The Punjab Assembly election 2017 has been more interesting than ever with the entry of the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has campaigned across the state tirelessly in the interiors of Punjab. Stakes are also high for the Congress with the return of Prince of Patiala Captain Amarinder Singh at the fore. Meanwhile, the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party were wiped out by major exit polls The battle in Uttarakhand seems evenly split between BJP and the incumbent Chief Minister Harish Rawat of the hill state. Most polls predict BJP victory in hill state. In Uttarakhand exit poll results BJP seems victorious. Manipur has been a Congress stronghold for over a decade, thanks to the leadership of Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh, a savvy political operator. In 2012 assembly election congress had a landslide victory and Okram Ibobi Singh was re-elected as chief minister for an unprecedented third consecutive term. But this time exit polls predict historic gains for BJP. In Goa assembly election BJP has been campaigning in name of Manohar Parrikar and Narendra Modi, where as AAP contested the Goa Assembly election on the issue of corruption and clean politics. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi also campaigned for the grand old party in the state. The exit polls released shows victory for BJP and AAP to be at the third spot. AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday accused the Congress of running a "shop of secularism" and asked the party to end this Reacting to Congress leader Digvijay Singh's comments that Indian Muslims felt alienated with the Modi government, the MP said Muslims often suffered hardships under Congress rule too. "I am not a terrorist expert, he (Digvijay Singh) may be one. But I know for a fact that when Congress was in power in Maharashtra for 15 years, 28 Muslim undertrials were languishing in jails," Owaisi told media. "Also, the Aurangabad arms haul case, the Malegaon case and the 7/11 train blasts occurred during Congress rule. There are numerous other cases, I need not mention them all," he added. Owaisi said that politics should not be done in the name of terror. "All I would say is that the Congress should stop running this shop of secularism and the BJP should stop its shop of nationalism," the All India Majlise Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader said. SAN FRANCISCO , March 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP alerts investors in USANA Health Sciences (NYSE:USNA) to the securities class action pending in the United States District Court for the District of Utah and to the April 14, 2017 Lead Plaintiff deadline. If you purchased or otherwise acquired securities of USNA between March 14, 2014 and February 13, 2017 and suffered over $50,000 in losses contact Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP. For more information visit: https://www.hbsslaw.com/cases/USNA or contact Reed Kathrein, who is leading the firms investigation, by calling 510-725-3000 or emailing USNA@hbsslaw.com. On February 7, 2017, USNA announced that it is voluntarily conducting an internal investigation of its China operations, BabyCare Ltd. The investigation focuses on compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and certain conduct and policies at BabyCare, including BabyCares expense reimbursement policies. The Company also hired outside counsel to conduct the investigation and notified both the SEC and the U.S. Department of Justice of the investigation. This news drove the price of USNA shares down over 11.5% to close at $55.40 on February 8, 2017. Were concerned that if in fact there were FCPA violations, they would have occurred in the Companys largest operations, said Hagens Berman partner Reed Kathrein. Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding USNA should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new SEC whistleblower program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 510-725-3000 or email USNA@hbsslaw.com. About Hagens Berman Hagens Berman is a national investor-rights law firm headquartered in Seattle, Washington with offices in 10 cities. The Firm represents investors, whistleblowers, workers and consumers in complex litigation. More about the Firm and its successes can be found at www.hbsslaw.com. For the latest news visit our newsroom or follow us on Twitter at @classactionlaw. Meghalaya owe Rs 527.07 crore in outstanding dues to the government-owned North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) and other central generating stations till March 2, 2017, Power Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar told the state assembly on Thursday. " Meghalaya Power Distribution Company Limited (MePDCL) is clearing the current power purchase bills every month but is unable to the clear the outstanding dues as the revenue collected is required to meet different liabilities," he said. Dhar, who was replying to queries during the Question Hour in the assembly, said the inability of the MePDCL to liquidate the dues pertaining to power procurement is primarily due to fund constraints. Citing reasons for the accumulation of power dues, the Power Minister said that the inadequate realisation of outstanding dues from defaulters was one among the many reason for the accumulation of outstanding dues. He also informed the assembly that major power defaulters were Sai Prakash -- Rs 35 crore, CMJ Breweries -- Rs 1.2 crore, Bomber Cement -- Rs 0.23 crore, RNB Carbide -- Rs 4.5 crore, JUD Cement -- Rs 22 crore, and government-owned Meghalaya Cherra Cement Limited -- Rs 18 crore. Dhar said the fund constraint has arisen from low electricity distribution tariff, which is among the lowest in the country, besides the inadequate tariff subsidy provided by the state government. Dhar said the MePDCL had to procure power from expensive sources to avoid load shedding. As rainfall in the previous years was scanty, power generation from the state generating stations was considerably low. However, the Power Minister informed the assembly that the MePDCL had availed a government guaranteed loan of Rs 325 crore from the Power Finance Corporation and partially cleared the outstanding dues to NEEPCO on December 21 as part of the one-time settlement plan for liquidation of the dues. He also said that the Meghalaya government had agreed to take over 75 per cent of the outstanding debts -- which is about Rs 166.67 crore -- as on September 30, 2015, by issuing Bonds. Dhar said that the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) has submitted a proposal to the state government on February 2, 2016, to participate in the Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY). UDAY is a central government scheme for financial turnaround of power distribution companies. _ _SHOW_MID_AD__ Twenty-one girls died and 37 others were injured in a fire at a children's shelter home in central Guatemala. The fire broke out at the Virgen de Asuncion home in San Jose Pinula on Wednesday when the residents were protesting sexual and physical abuse at the shelter, Efe news reported. Although the staff attempted to extinguish the flames, the fire spread rapidly. Guatemala official Mayra Veliz said that of the first 19 deaths, 17 were caused by severe burns. According to preliminary investigation, the fire started after the girls set the mattresses alight during the protest, said the ombudsman for Human Rights, Abde Paredes. Some 100 people gathered around the area, crying and demanding that authorities identify the deceased and wounded girls. A witness at the shelter home said authorities "didn't help" the girls on Wednesday and took a long time to react. Outside the care home, families of some of the children demanded answers and complained about conditions at the centre. FBI Director James Comey warned that Americans should not have expectations of "absolute privacy" after the disclosure of a range of hacking tools used by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). "There is no such thing as absolute privacy in America; there is no place outside of judicial reach," Comey said at a Boston College conference on cyber security on Wednesday. He made the remark as he discussed the rise of encryption since 2013 disclosures by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden about sensitive US spy practices, media reported. The Federal Bureau of Investigation chief also said that he planned to finish his term leading the agency, media reported. "Even our communications with our spouses, with our clergy members, with our attorneys are not absolutely private in America... In appropriate circumstances, a judge can compel any one of us to testify in court about those very private communications," Comey said. But, he also said Americans "have a reasonable expectation of privacy in our homes, in our cars, in our devices". "It is a vital part of being an American. The government cannot invade our privacy without good reason, reviewable in court," Comey said. Fresh concerns over personal privacy arose after WikiLeaks published what it called the first tranche of a larger body of data about CIA hacking, which it says was provided to the organisation by a whistleblower seeking to trigger a debate on the issue. The CIA said it would not comment on the authenticity of the WikiLeaks material but issued a statement pointing out it was legally prohibited from using such surveillance tools in the US. "The CIA's mission is to aggressively collect foreign intelligence overseas to protect America from terrorists, hostile nation states and other adversaries. It is CIA's job to be innovative, cutting-edge, and the first line of defence in protecting this country from enemies abroad. America deserves nothing less," the statement said. There is anxiety in Washington that the WikiLeaks release of what it called its "Vault 7" trove of data would make the hacking tools available to criminal or terrorist organisations, or foreign governments, according to reports. Comey said that in the last four months of 2016, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) lawfully gained access to 2,800 devices recovered in criminal, terrorism and counter-intelligence investigations and the agency was unable to open 43 per cent of those devices. Americans' desire for privacy and security should never be viewed as incompatible, he said. "We all value privacy. We all value security. We should never have to sacrifice one for the other," Comey said. "Our founders struck a bargain that is at the center of this amazing country of ours and has been for over two centuries." At least 22 people were killed and 40 others injured when a passenger bus plunged down some 200 meters from a highway in Nepal's far-western Jajarkot district on Thursday. Chief District Officer Krishna Chandra Poudel said 13 people died instantly and nine succumbed to their injuries in a hospital. The bus was heading from Khalanga to Khara, a village in the district. The bus with over 60 passengers was passing through rough terrain when the tragedy occurred. District police chief Bhabesh Rimal said a large number of security personnel have been deployed in the rescue work. Some of the seriously injured were taken to Kathmandu and Nepalganj for treatment. Bus accidents claim a large number of lives in Nepal every year due to the difficult terrain, untrained drivers and ageing vehicles. Delaware, March 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The report Global Luxury Packaging - Strategic Assessment and Forecast Till 2021, available on MarketIntelReports, estimates that the market will exhibit a CAGR of 4.96% till 2021. Browse numerous Market Tables as well as Figures which are spread through Pages and an in-depth TOC on the Luxury Packaging Market 2016 - 2021 http://www.marketintelreports.com/report/1609-01/global-luxury-packaging--strategic-assessment-and-forecast-till-2021 Scope & Regional Forecast of the Luxury Packaging Market Luxury brands view packaging materials as a vital component within their overall work-flow because they provide an identity and impart a certain brand value. Luxury packaging manufacturers are constantly on the lookout for strategic investments to improve their brand image. In their purest form, luxury packaging boxes are designed while always keeping the target audience in mind. Hence, luxury packaging companies end up producing a unique style of luxury gift boxes. Meanwhile, high-end packaging considers factors like price, weight and unique style as the prime factors of concern. Packaging companies are gradually prioritizing sustainable development over everything else. This is reflected in the development of biodegradable and eco-friendly luxury box packaging. Thus, the Luxury Packaging Market has a tremendous scope for growth during the forecast period till 2021. Request Sample PDF Brochure @ http://www.marketintelreports.com/pdfdownload.php?id=1609-01 According to predictions, the Luxury Packaging Market is expected to be valued at $23 Billion by 2021, with a CAGR of 4.96% during the same time period. Some of the exciting trends taking over the demand for packaging materials are: a need for personalization; rising public demand for sustainable packaging; and other demographic drivers. Luxury packaging has rapidly transformed into one of the most lucrative segments within the packaging industry. The Luxury Packaging Market considers the surprisingly fast growth of the E-commerce business as the most vital driver of growth during the next few years. Product manufacturers are also aware of the significant effects of packaging as well as display on a customers mind. They are increasingly tapping these to factors to gain a competitive advantage over rivals. Another factor worrying luxury packaging companies are the constantly changing style trends. Keeping up with them is imperative as missing out means a significant drop in market share in a short period of time. In 2015, the US held the highest revenue share within the Luxury Packaging Market with 21.5%. It was followed by China while Europe grabbed 36% of the consumption share in terms of all luxury goods which were consumed. Most of the latest style trends come out of Europe as the major luxury houses are all situated in the region. Inquiry before buying report @ http://www.marketintelreports.com/inquiry-before-buying.php?id=1609-01 Prominent Segmentations Involved in the Luxury Packaging Market The Luxury Packaging Market can be broken down into various segmentations on the basis of - Material : Paper & Paperboard, Glass, Metal, Plastic, Wood and Others. : Paper & Paperboard, Glass, Metal, Plastic, Wood and Others. End-Use : Cosmetics & Fragrances, Premium Alcoholic drinks, Gourmet Food & Beverages, Watches & Jewellery, Confectionery, Tobacco and Others. : Cosmetics & Fragrances, Premium Alcoholic drinks, Gourmet Food & Beverages, Watches & Jewellery, Confectionery, Tobacco and Others. Geographical Location : North America, Europe, MEA, Asia-Pacific and Latin America. : North America, Europe, MEA, Asia-Pacific and Latin America. Countries: Africa (South Africa, Nigeria, East Africa), Brazil, China, Eastern Europe, GCC (UAE, Qatar), India, Japan, Mexico, US and Western Europe. Some of the sample companies profiled in the Luxury Packaging Market report are as follows: Stolzle Glass Group Pendragon presentation Packaging Fleet Luxury HH Deluxe Packaging MW Luxury Packaging BC Boncar Why buy this report? Get a detailed picture of the Luxury Packaging Market. Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change. Understand the competitive environment, the markets major players and leading brands. A five-year forecast method is used in order to assess how the market is predicted to develop. Purchase Luxury Packaging Market Research @ http://www.marketintelreports.com/purchase.php?id=1609-01 About Us: MarketIntelReports (MIR) aims to empower our clients to successfully manage and outperform in their business decisions. We do this by providing Premium Market Intelligence, Strategic Insights and Databases from a range of Global Publishers. MarketIntelReports currently has more than 150,000 plus titles and 100+ publishers on our platform and growing consistently to fill the Global Intelligence Demand Supply Gap. We cover more than 15 industry verticals being: Automotive, Electronics, Manufacturing, Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare, Chemicals, Building & Construction, Agriculture, Food & Beverages, Banking & Finance, Media and Government, Public Sector Studies. Media Contact Company Name: Market Intel Reports Contact Person: Mayur S Email: sales@marketintelreports.com Phone: 1-302-261-5343 Address: 2712 Centerville Road, Suite 400 City: Wilmington State: Delaware Country: United States 3 things to think about for Kansas mens basketballs opener The No. 5 Jayhawks are opening their season Monday. Its the start of their run to try to defend their national championship this past season. DTI bares year-long plans as chair of ASEANs business and investment promotion committee By DTI-OSEC-PRU January 24, 2017 MALACANAN Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez revealed year-long plans that aim to complement and heighten the impact of the countrys strategic priorities and deliverables for the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), following DTIs chairmanship of the ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) meeting and the ASEANs Committee on Business and Investment Promotion (CBIP). Speaking at the formal launch of the ASEAN 2017 Business and Investment Program on 24 January, Sec. Lopez expressed confidence on ASEAN as an economic powerhouse, citing that the region is now the third largest market in the world with over 620 million people, the third largest economy in Asia, and the seventh largest economy in the world with a combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 2.3 trillion dollars. He also called on maximizing the opportunities and benefits from the AEC, and reiterated the four pillars of AEC as landscape for the dialogue with ASEAN partners in realizing the ASEAN 2025, starting with the 23rd AEM Retreat. AECs four pillars are the establishment of a single market and production base, a highly competitive economic region, a region of equitable economic development, and a region fully integrated into global economy. This will solidify our priorities for the 50th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM), the 49th AEM Meeting and the Leaders Summit, to be chaired by President Rodrigo Duterte, according to him. As we host the ASEAN 2017 Summit, the Philippines is one with the ASEAN in increasing trade and investments in the region; in integrating micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the digital economy for greater access to trade information, global market and value chain, and finance, promoting youth and women entrepreneurship; and in increasing cooperation within the region and connectivity to the rest of the world, Sec. Lopez said. The trade chief said that coinciding with the Leaders Summit in April is the holding of an ASEAN MSMEs-Mentors Conference, bringing together ASEAN mentors who can equip ASEAN local community enablers with the necessary information on access to capital, markets, ASEAN industries and innovation. An ASEAN Creative Cities Forum and Exhibit will also be held, showcasing initiatives of 10 ASEAN Member States (AMS) in making culture and creativity a driving force for sustainable development and urban regeneration, according to Sec. Lopez. Taste ASEAN as the Philippines holds International Food Exposition (IFEX) in May. IFEX will showcase the best food brands from Southeast Asia and its partner countries, he said, adding that DTIs aim is to increase ASEAN SME participation in the global production and value chains, through participation of 10 AMS and ASEAN Dialogue Partners (DPs) in the country's biggest international trade exhibition on food and food-related products. Aside from these, an ASEAN Womens Business Conference in August will be held to provide strategic dialogue among ASEAN, the private sector and DPs in addressing issues and concerns on women entrepreneurship, focusing on market access and finance and the identification of innovative business models which supports the ASEANs vision of a stronger, more inclusive, and integrated economic community. In September, Sec. Lopez said that an Inclusive Business Summit, emphasizing the role of the government in sharing best practices on implementing inclusive business strategies and in recognizing exemplary inclusive business models through the ASEAN Inclusive Business Awards. Meanwhile, the 2nd ASEAN Young Entrepreneurs Carnival will strengthen the network among young entrepreneurs from ASEAN and other countries capturing the fast-paced developments on key sectors such as food, agriculture, information technology, logistics, business process outsourcing, start-ups, and Internet of Things (IOT). Through the formal launch of ASEAN Young Entrepreneurs Association (AYEA) Charter, Sec. Lopez hoped to commit young entrepreneur towards strengthened ties, cooperation and linkages. In October, driven by the goal to promote innovation across the ASEAN region, DTI will spearhead the annual Slingshot event, helping create a regional network of ASEAN ecosystem players including startups, investors, incubators, mentors, academe, co-working spaces, and industry experts. It shall showcase investment-ready startups for potential local and international investors as well as facilitate easy access of information between governments running start-up development programs in the region, he said. Before the year closes, another MSME Summit will be held, featuring inspiring MSMEs including those that have benefited from the mentoring program of the Philippines and other AMS. The Summit, which is in conjunction with the concluding ASEAN Leaders Summit, will be an occasion to formally introduce the establishment of the ASEAN Mentors Network, an organization of mentors from AMS. The California Coastal Commission cleared the way Wednesday to rule on the $13 million Portside Pier replacement for Anthonys Seafood Grotto. Meeting in Ventura, the commission voted 9-1, with San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox voting no, to assert its right to vote on restaurants, even though it used an usual process to arrive at that conclusion. Advertisement At issue is the Brigantine Restaurants redevelopment of the Anthonys facility at 1360 N. Harbor Drive and what was the right way to deal with it. Anthonys closed Jan. 31 and auctioned items worth about $20,000 were being removed from the 25,000-square-foot building Wednesday with a turnover of the property to the port expected next week, said Anthonys President Craig Ghio. The restaurant opened in 1966 at 1360 N. Harbor Drive, 20 years after Ghios grandmother opened the original restaurant farther south on the downtown waterfront. Brigantine plans a new facility to accommodate about 1,000 diners at three restaurants Brigantine on the Bay, Miguels Cocina and Ketch Grill & Taps plus a gelato and coffee bar, public viewing deck and enlarged dock-and-dine facility. Brigantine officials hope to get construction under way this year but are awaiting clearance from federal and state agencies. The opening date had been set for mid-2018, but that could slip depending on the coastal commissions decision on the project. The commission did not rule on the merits of the project but on whether it had jurisdiction and the vote was yes. That came despite the argument by the Brigantines attorney, Steven Kaufmann, that what was labeled as a dispute resolution hearing was an invented proceeding. Coastal staff said a similar discussion would happen at a future appellate hearing anyway and did not take a separate vote upholding the hearing approach. Then came the discussion whether the commission had the power to rule on restaurants that were not otherwise identified in the ports master plan as subject to appeal. The commission concluded that an appeal was legal, though port attorney Rebecca Harrington, as well as Kaufmann, said it was not. The commissions attorney said the port now has the option to take the commission to court on restaurant oversight. But commissioners, including Cox, suggested that the port, coastal and restaurant representatives could work out a compromise on some of the issues and avoid an appeal. I think its a great project my office is right across the street, said Cox, referring to the County Administration Center. But he agreed there were several legitimate issues worth working out, including public access. A port spokeswoman said the port board will have to discuss its options before announcing the next step. For now, the coastal commission has an appeal on file by two of its members and it could be heard as early as the May meeting in San Diego. Coastal staff had raised questions about public access, design and size of the new facility and whether or not the port has to apply for a port master plan amendment, which could add months to the approval process. The port is in the middle of writing a new master plan and final restaurant approval might have to wait until that occurs, either in 2018 or 2019. Business roger.showley@sduniontribune.com; (619) 293-1286; Twitter: @rogershowley A popular craft coffee roaster in San Diego has been purchased by a Topeka, Kansas-based company that has plans to expand the brand. Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, which has coffee bars in La Jolla and Little Italy and a roasting facility in Morena, was purchased by PTs Coffee Roasting Company. They did not disclose the purchase price. Jeff Taylor, 54, now co-owner of PTs Coffee and Bird Rock, said its always been a dream of his to move to San Diego. Like PTs, Taylor said Bird Rock uses the highest quality beans, has an attention to detail when roasting and strong relationships with coffee producers. Advertisement He said the growth of independent roasters is a reflection of consumers desire for a higher quality product than bigger coffee chains. The best coffees are what were buying. Not Starbucks, Taylor said. Were not about milk and sugar. Were about the quality of the coffee we buy. Taylor purchased Bird Rock along with PTs co-founder Fred Polzin and a Kansas City-based investment group. Bird Rock owner Chuck Patton will stay on as head coffee buyer for both companies. Taylor and Patton have been friends for more than a decade and Bird Rock was sold for a fair price, Taylor said. Whereas Bird Rock was more focused on retail, PTs has been more of a wholesale distributor. He said he plans to open at least two more Bird Rock coffee bars in San Diego County by the end of the year. Taylor said he will also add new offerings to the menu of its stores, including coffee from Brazil and Ecuador. PT has 35 to 40 employees and Bird Rock has 45. Bird Rock has racked up plenty of awards in its nearly 15 years of operation. It was ranked No.1 in a Top Coffees of 2016 competition from Coffee Review, an online publication, and won a Good Food Award for coffee two years in a row based on more than 200 blind tastings. It is well-known for its Geisha varietal, an $11 cup of coffee. The combination of the two companies comes as the coffee world is upgrading to the gig economy with mobile ordering. Starbucks mobile pick-up-and-go system has proven so popular that some stores have struggled to keep up. In the last quarter of 2016, Starbucks mobile orders represented at least 20 percent of sales during peak traffic times at nearly 1,200 Starbucks stores, said Bloomberg. Taylor said the company is in the process of developing their own mobile ordering application. Business phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1891 Twitter: @phillipmolnar ALSO The vanishing San Diego single-family home Twice this ridiculously wet winter several homes in northern Escondido along Vista Avenue have been damaged when flood waters overtook their homes. After the first flood in January, Michael Sucharda began repairs to the home where he lives with his wife and in-laws. Then came a record storm on Feb. 27 that dropped more than four inches of rain on Escondido, causing a new round of flooding worse than the first. City officials are trying to get to the root of the problem before the next storm moves in, but have so far declined to say what theyve learned. Advertisement Surcharda has said he believes the culprit is a graded property about a block to the east, where KB Homes plans to build 40 homes. The site includes a holding pond where water spilled out, he said. A report on the incident filed by Escondido Fire Capt. Derek Chapman confirmed that runoff from the excessive rain breached the holding pond and flooded three homes. The developer released a statement this week denying any fault, however, and said the problem was caused by another neighbor who filled in a drainage channel which serves the area. This compromised the water management systems capacity and caused flooding during the recent record rainfall. As the drainage channel is not located on our property, we do not have the authority to address the issue without permission from the homeowner, KB Homes spokeswoman Susan Martin said in the statement. We have notified the neighboring property owner and their counsel of the drainage issues and have even offered to shoulder the costs of restoring the drainage channel to its prior and intended condition. After the first incident, a claim was filed against the city by Ruben Cruz, another resident of the area, that simply stated: Drain plugged and house is flooded, need help! Julie Procopio, Escondidos engineering services director, said this week the city is looking into the problem. She declined to comment beyond that because of possible pending litigation. Chapman, the fire captain, said some of the rain came from the holding pond but more came from the sky. Ill discuss only facts as I saw them, he said. Look, there was too much rain. The water overflowed and it came into the back yards. Evan Walker, an attorney for Surchardas in-laws Ellen and Ron Ewertz who own the Vista Avenue home said the courts may have to ultimately figure out what happened. Were trying to figure out who is really responsible here and we may not know until we file suit and have flushed it out that way, said Walker, who specializes in flood litigation. He said he doesnt yet know if the city will be included in the list of defendants. He said the last time the Ewertzs home flooded was in the 1970s. Sucharda said hes been told by a contractor the damage will will cost between $80,000 and $130,000 to repair. Meanwhile, he said, he doesnt know if he should start repairs. Do I wait to rebuild? Is this going to happen again? Sucharda said. Who do I need to talk to at this point to get it squared away? jharry.jones@sduniontribune.com; 760/529-4931; Twitter: @jharryjones The small awning above the door may still say Champions, but the iconic diner on Grand Avenue in downtown Escondido now has a new sign above the entrance: Rosies Cafe. Kaitlin Rose, a 30-year-old Jersey girl, has moved into the former Champions Restaurant storefront on Grand Avenue in downtown Escondido, serving the same great tasting cinnamon rolls and corned beef hash that drew generations of loyal customers to Champions for more than four decades. Champions closed about 13 months ago, after former owner Annette Champion decided it was time to let go of the diner her parents had launched in 1972. She said she wanted to sell the business to someone special, someone who would do the name, the business, and Escondido proud. Advertisement Rose heard about the space when a customer at the French bakery where she worked in Vista brought in a newspaper article about the closure, and encouraged her to branch out on her own. He came in one day and slammed a newspaper article down in front of me and he said you belong in Escondido, Rose said. She went to check out the restaurant a few days later, but Champions had already shut down. I looked in and thought its a diner! I grew up on the East Coast in diners. I was so excited, Rose said. It took months before she finally met Annette Champion and discovered their personalities instantly meshed. Dan , Annettes husband, said Oh my God! Theres two of them!, Rose said. Jokingly, when I first met her I called her Mini-Me, Champion said. I was absolutely in hysterics. Rose now rents the space from Champion, who spent a great deal of time teaching her the recipes that everyone loved. Rose opened Rosies Cafe in December, and its now open daily for breakfast and lunch. Annette is a phenomenal woman, Rose said. I have the utmost respect for her. She is a phone call away. Shes had my back since Day 1. Rose said working with Champion behind the scenes in the kitchen before she opened were some of the best hours I had. Just listening and watching her move and groove. Im grateful beyond words. Rosies Cafe looks a lot like the old Champions. New paint, new carpet, different decorations including an homage to Rosie the Riveter, but still the same feel and much the same old crowd. Many of the regulars have returned. Mr. B is still here every morning. Allen and Bob, they are here, Rose said. Champion didnt charge Rose for the recipes, which include pancakes and roast beef. She asked only that I serve them only here and that I keep them consistent, Rose said. She said she wanted me here for the people the people loved it and I respect that. Rose said the famous corned beef she serves is almost identical to Champions, but the cinnamon rolls were tougher to master. I cant say everything is exactly the same but it is inspired by the same methods and practices that had been used for more than 40 years, Rose said. Champion said shes taking a step back now. I dont want her to keep getting hit with the its not Champions, its not Champions thing, she said. Because its not Champions anymore. Its a whole new gig. I think Kaitlin is a really neat gal. I hope she can carry on what we started with her own twist on it. Rosies Cafe Hours: 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., seven days a week Where: 117 W Grand Ave, Escondido, CA 92025 Phone: (442) 248-8863 Limited time offer In observance of Lent, Rubios Coastal Grill is introducing two new shrimp dishes to its existing menu: Panko-Crusted Crispy Shrimp Two Taco Plate and the Panko-Crusted Crispy Shrimp Burrito. Each entree features sustainable shrimp crusted with panko bread crumbs and topped with Rubios chef-crafted chile aioli sauce, creating a combination of sweet and spicy flavors and crispy texture that is pleasing to the palate. For locations, visit rubios.com Happy birthday Cafe 222 is celebrating its 25th birthday by offering diners monthly featured favorites, starting this month with Green Eggs and SPAM. The scramble is made with three eggs, diced SPAM, spinach and jack cheese served with potatoes and toast. Owner Terryl Gavre said people knock SPAM but secretly everyone loves it. The item was added to the menu when the cafe opened in 1992, and its become a breakfast favorite ever since. 222 Island Ave., San Diego. (619) 236-9902 or cafe222.com Advertisement Whats new You can have your cupcakes and cookies, too. Sprinkles Cupcakes is debuting its new cookie and cupcake combination, Cookie Cupcake, at all bakery locations. Conceived from a recipe from owner Candice Nelsons best-selling cookbook, The Sprinkles Baking Book, this chocolate chip-studded yellow cake is lined with cookie crust and topped with brown sugar frosting, similar to chocolate chip cookie dough. Crunchy cookie pieces finish off the cupcake. Individual cupcakes are priced at $3.95 or purchase a dozen for $45. 8855 Villa La Jolla Drive, La Jolla. (858) 457-3800 or sprinkles.com The Grass Skirt, San Diegos newest tiki concept, has launched new bottle service packages. Available in a variety of options called treasure chests, this service is available exclusively for guests with booth reservations. Packages include: Tropical Honeymoon ($120) includes Demerara and Jamaican Rums, Bianco, Orgeat syrup, limes, pineapple, pomegranate and a bottle of bubbly; The Hawaiian Sun ($250) includes a bottle of vodka, tropical Hawaiian Sun (fruit drink) and pineapples; Cuba Libre Service ($250) includes Cuban-style rum from Panama, Coca-Cola and limes; and The Paloma Palms ($300) includes a bottle of Herradura Ultra Anejo tequila, blood orange ginger beer, Mexican Squirt (grapefruit drink) and pineapples. 910 Grand Ave., San Diego. (858) 412-5237 or thegrassskirt.com Cafe and gluten-free bakery The Curious Fork is branching beyond its brick-and-mortar Solana Beach location by bringing its gluten-free products into several culinary establishments. They include Seaside Market in Cardiff, Harvest Ranch Market in Encinitas, Specialty Produce in San Diego and the newly opened Elixir Juice Bar in Del Mar. The retail expansion builds on owner Barbara McQuistons goal to connect people with healthy, gluten-free and unique foods. Retail pricing ranges from $8.50 for Belgium waffles (two) to $12.50 for baguettes (four). thecuriousfork.com Farmers Fix, a San Diego salad delivery service, is offering convenience, health and taste with ready-to-eat salads for the busy professional on a time crunch. The service offers 15 different salads, including gluten-free and vegan options and come packaged in 24-ounce bowls. Each salad includes greens, grains like lentils, farro and quinoa, and flavorful dressings like smoky pomegranate and chipotle lime. Salads cost $10 a piece with a minimum selection of five salads. Delivery is free to your home or office. For more information, visit myfarmersfix.com. Looking ahead Hiatus Lounge at Hotel La Jolla is bringing back its popular Spirits Fests series, starting with WHISKEY! A Grain & Oak Festival, a nod to the Irish in celebration of St. Patricks Day. Nearly a dozen premium and unique whiskeys and cocktails will be poured, served alongside a full menu of seasonal outdoor favorites designed to bring out the tasting notes of the whiskey. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at festivalofwhiskey.bpt.me. 2 to 5 p.m. March 18. 7955 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla. (858) 551-3620. National Ravioli Day is March 20 and several San Diego restaurants will honor the foodie holiday with special non-traditional Italian dishes. Bleu Bohemes owner and executive chef, Ken Irvine, uses French and Southern California influences to lighten up his version, Raviolis Maison ($24.95). The dish is made with shiitake and oyster mushroom raviolis served with sauteed fresh spinach and tomato relish topped with a sprinkling of Fines herb sauce. 4090 Adams Ave., San Diego. (619) 255-4167 or bleuboheme.com. Bankers Hill Bar + Restaurant executive chef Carl Schroeder and chef de cuisine Tyler Nollenberger have created a dish that showcases locally-sourced products, Mushroom Tortellini ($21). The entree features roasted Brussels sprouts, Parmesan crisp, truffle butter and fennel puree. 2202 Fourth Ave., San Diego. (619) 231-0222 or bankershillsd.com Chefs on the move Whisknladle Hospitality welcomes Andrew (Dru) Betita as its new chef de cuisine. A San Diego native, Betita will oversee kitchen operations and menu developments at its flagship location. He has worked in notable kitchens such as The Bazaar in Beverly Hills, Son of a Gun in Los Angeles and Alma, voted Best New Restaurant in America by Bon Appetit in 2013. 1044 Wall St., San Diego. (858) 551-7575 or whisknladle.com Openings Hugos Cocina, formerly Ranchos Cocina in Ocean Beach, has reopened under longtime Ranchos manager Hugo Carrillo and partners Patrick Clingman and Matt Cook. Fans of Ranchos cuisine will find selections are similar to the original menu offering healthy, organic alternatives, including vegan and vegetarian options as well as traditional Mexican dishes. Beer and wine license is pending. 1830 Sunset Cliffs Blvd., Suite H, San Diego. (619) 892-7882. The owners of Farmers Bottega in Mission Hills announced the opening of a new restaurant in East County. Farmers Table, La Mesas food-to-fork destination, replaces the popular Sanfilippos Pizza. The eatery was built and designed using reclaimed elements, including a 1940s tractor parked in the bar area, benches and tables made from old car parts, tires and vintage suitcases. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, Farmers Table borrows best-seller menu items from its sister restaurant that include Bison Tartare, Pecan Crusted Chicken Sandwich, Kurobuta Pork Chop and Tiramisu French Toast. The expanded menu features true Italian pizza cooked in an imported pizza oven from Naples. A testament to their commitment of authentic cooking methods and flavors. 8141 La Mesa Blvd., La Mesa. farmerstablelamesa.com Mall owner Westfield Corp. announced it has signed leases with nine new dining establishments scheduled to open in Westfields UTC. The lineup includes San Diego-based Arbor and Great Maple, Orange County-based Javiers Finest Foods of Mexico, coffee purveyor La Columbe, New York burger concept Shake Shack, South African-inspired Smokeyard BBQ and Chop Shop, The Winery Restaurant La Jolla, True Food Kitchen, Taiwanese dumpling palace Din Tai Fung and others. Our goal at Westfield UTC is to provide a modern, one-stop dining district with something for every palate, said John Alderson, vice-president of development in San Diego. The expansion is expected to be completed in October. 4545 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego. westfield.com/utc/center-info/announcements Food & Wine Videos carolina.gusman@sduniontribune.com The global matcha trend has found a pretty pink home in North Park. On Saturday, San Diego entrepreneur Geraldine Ridaura, 28, will open Holy Matcha, which is believed to be San Diegos first matcha cafe. Advertisement Matcha, a highly concentrated green tea powder thats used in everything from ceremonial tea to doughnuts, is a trendy ingredient found on menus from Tokyo to Brooklyn and L.A. The decor of Holy Matcha is a riot of Paris-meets-Palm Beach pink chic and the cafes eclectic offerings range from matcha latte to coconut matcha chia seed pudding with fruit. Ridaura first tried matcha on a trip to Japan in 2014 when, for health reasons, she had to give up coffee but couldnt quell her craving for its caffeine buzz. She turned to the green stuff and holy matcha discovery! instant obsession. Last summer, the University of San Diego grad decided to blend her business management degree with her newfound passion. I knew I wanted to bring matcha to San Diego in a big way, Ridaura said. Im pairing my love of high quality matcha with bold design. By opening Holy Matcha, Im creating a unique space to bring people together. Holy Matcha: 3118 University Ave., North Park. holymatchasd.com Twitter: @sdeditgirl michele.parente@sduniontribune.com BETHESDA, Md., March 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:HST) today announced that Host Hotels & Resorts, L.P. ("Host L.P."), for whom the Company acts as sole general partner, has priced its offering (the "Offering") of $400 million aggregate principal amount of 3 7/8% Senior Notes due 2024 (the "Notes"). The Offering is expected to close on March 20, 2017, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of customary closing conditions. The net proceeds of the Offering of approximately $395 million, after deducting the underwriting discount, fees and expenses, will be used to repay a portion of Host L.P.s outstanding indebtedness under its senior credit facility and for general corporate purposes. Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Goldman, Sachs & Co., Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, are the joint book-running managers for the Offering. The Offering is being made pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement and accompanying prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 31, 2015 and a preliminary prospectus supplement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 9, 2017. A copy of the final prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to the Notes may be obtained, when available, by contacting Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. Attn: Prospectus Group, 60 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005-2836, telephone: (800) 503-4611 or email: prospectus.CPDG@db.com, Goldman, Sachs & Co., Attn: Prospectus Department, 200 West Street, New York, NY 10282, telephone: (866) 471-2526, fax: (212) 902-9316 or email: prospectus-ny@ny-email.gs.com and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, 608 2nd Avenue South, Suite 1000, Minneapolis, MN 55402, Attn: WFS Customer Service, telephone: (800) 645-3751 or email: wfscustomerservice@wellsfargo.com. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities, nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such state. This press release contains information about pending transactions, and there can be no assurance that these transactions will be completed. Note: This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities regulations. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "should," "plan," "predict," "project," "will," "continue" and other similar terms and phrases, including references to assumptions and forecasts of future results. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results to differ materially from those anticipated at the time the forward-looking statements are made. These risks include, but are not limited to: our ability to close this Offering and apply the proceeds as currently intended; changes in national and local economic and business conditions and other factors such as natural disasters, pandemics and weather that will affect occupancy rates at our hotels and the demand for hotel products and services; the impact of geopolitical developments outside the U.S. on lodging demand; volatility in global financial and credit markets; operating risks associated with the hotel business; risks and limitations in our operating flexibility associated with the level of our indebtedness and our ability to meet covenants in our debt agreements; risks associated with our relationships with property managers and joint venture partners; our ability to maintain our properties in a first-class manner, including meeting capital expenditure requirements; the effects of hotel renovations on our hotel occupancy and financial results; our ability to compete effectively in areas such as access, location, quality of accommodations and room rate structures; risks associated with our ability to complete acquisitions and dispositions and develop new properties and the risks that acquisitions and new developments may not perform in accordance with our expectations; our ability to continue to satisfy complex rules in order for us to remain a REIT for federal income tax purposes; risks associated with our ability to effectuate our dividend policy, including factors such as operating results and the economic outlook influencing our boards decision whether to pay further dividends at levels previously disclosed; and other risks and uncertainties associated with our business described in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC. Although the Company believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that the expectations will be attained or that any deviation will not be material. All information in this release is as of the date of this release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to conform the statement to actual results or changes in the Company's expectations. Not quite two years ago, the musical Come From Away had its world premiere at La Jolla Playhouse. Now, after stops in three other cities and lots of fine-tuning, the show is poised for a huge moment: Its official Broadway opening, which takes place this Sunday at Manhattans Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. Come From Away is a San Diego-sprung musical set in Newfoundland (and written by Canadians) but with a strong spiritual connection to New York. Advertisement That atlas-hopping aspect of the shows creation is fitting given its story: Come From Away tells the real-life saga of how the remote town of Gander housed, fed and comforted thousands of stranded air passengers from all over the globe after the 9/11 terror attacks forced numerous jetliners to divert there. Now the piece, whose music is based in the homegrown sounds of Newfoundland, becomes the 27th Playhouse-connected show to land on Broadway (and the first since Doctor Zhivago in 2015). Come From Away, directed by Playhouse artistic chief Christopher Ashley, has proved life-changing for some San Diegans who have been with the show from the beginning. They include actor Geno Carr, who will make his Broadway debut with the show (and received a nice writeup recently at Broadway World), as well as fellow cast mate and former San Diegan Sharon Wheatley and such behind-the-scenes artists as assistant director Jessica Bird, associate lighting designer Sherrice Mojgani and associate scenic designer Jenna Carino. The show has been getting lots of buzz in previews, and right now ranks among the highest on Show Score, a site that attempts to assign numerical ratings to both critics and playgoers reviews of Broadway productions. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also has just announced that hell attend a performance shortly after the opening. The shows original cast album was released for digital download Friday, and is available at iTunes and Amazon Music. But you can still also hear a streaming version of the album here. Opening-night reviews of Come From Away should start coming in early Sunday evening, so check back here then for a roundup of the critics takes on the show as they come in. In the meantime, if you want to catch up on Come From Away and its journey to Broadway, heres some suggested reading: The U-T preview of the Playhouse production My U-T review of the show My follow-up piece on the musical for American Theatre magazine A look at how the show was received in a concert version in Newfoundland The Toronto Stars recent look at the show and its Canadian connections San Diego Theater On Now Video: Bruce Springsteen's solo trip to Broadway On Now Video: Inside the rehearsal room of SDMT's Damn Yankees! 2:22 On Now Video: La Jolla Playhouse-bred shows earn key Tony nominations 3:05 On Now Video: Broadway moment has arrived for La Jolla Playhouse's 'Come From Away 0:33 On Now Video: Lamb's Players Presents "An American Christmas" 2016 1:21 On Now Old Globe's 'Grinch' ready to rumble again 0:52 On Now Little Miss Sunshine at La Jolla Playhouse On Now Working the Magic On Now San Diego Repertory Theatre presents "Federal Jazz Project" On Now An American Christmas Twitter: @jimhebert jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com For more than 12 years, Brad and Susanne Livingston have opened their wallets to support Southern California foster care programs. But when it came to helping former foster child Beronica Radford, they also invested their time, business and hearts. When Radfords financial safety net became strained four years ago, the Livingstons gave her a job at their Carmel Valley finance company and they covered all the tuition and other expenses during her final semester of college. Today, Radford is married and a new mom, and she considers the Rancho Santa Fe couple her family. They are very generous people, said Radford, 25, of Lakeside. When I was working for Brad, he would always say, If we have people who help us profit in life, we want to help them profit, too. None of the success I have now wouldve been possible without them. Advertisement Brad Livingston grew up in Orange County, where his parents, Ron and Sandy, started a family foundation to encourage the philanthropic spirit among each generation. At a family meeting every year, the Livingstons from children to grandparents were each required to make a presentation on a cause the Livingston Family Foundation should support. About a decade ago, the family began focusing its charitable efforts on helping young adults struggling to succeed after aging out of the foster care system. Because former foster children lack family and financial support, nearly half end up homeless within a year and fewer than 10 percent enroll in college. Radford is that rare exception. She is the only one among seven siblings who went to college. Brad and Susanne Livingston raised their two daughters, Kristen, 25, and Lauren, 23, in Encinitas, where they volunteered for many years with the National Charity League, a mother-daughter community service organization. One of the charities they worked with was Just In Time for Foster Youth. The San Diego nonprofit offers both financial and educational transition programs for aged-out youth from 18 to 26. At first, the giving involved rounding up unused household items to help furnish the youths dorm rooms. Then Susanne, Kristen and Lauren began taking the teens on college-needs shopping sprees at Target. Over time, the familys commitment to foster programs grew. In 2007, the Livingston Family Foundation launched Learning to Succeed, a nonprofit that mentors former foster kids in Orange County. In San Diego County, Brad and Susanne Livingston have become major supporters of Just in Time and Voices for Children. Last year alone, the Livingstons gave $70,000 in scholarships to Just In Times College Bound program. Theyve also forged lasting relationships with many of the young people in the program, like Radford. You cant help but want to continue the relationship because not only can you see how appreciative they are of what youre doing, but they also have someone who can care for them long term, Susanne said. Its not just about writing a check. These youth need that community connection. Don Wells, executive director of Just In Time, said that while financial giving is important, its the mentoring relationships that form between donors like the Livingstons and the youths that make the most significant impact. Growing up, these youth were disconnected, so the solution is connections, Wells said. These youth come for the resources, and then they meet people like the Livingstons who change their ideas about whats possible. The Livingstons are an excellent model for both the financial support and the community mentoring they can provide. Radford was an infant when she and two of her siblings were sent to foster care. She spent the next 18 years shuttling from one group or foster home to another. Provided with various scholarships and loans, she was able to attend college. While studying accounting at Cal State San Marcos in 2011, she met Susanne and her daughters at a Target shopping event and a friendship formed. Six months later, the Livingstons called up Radford and offered her a full-time paid internship at their Carmel Valley company, Residential Wholesale Mortgage. She worked there for the next two years and made so much money that she no longer qualified for her scholarship. To fill the gap until she graduated in May 2013, the Livingstons paid all her school bills. Radford has since moved on to an accounting job she loves with a retail boutique chain, and nine weeks ago she and her husband welcomed their daughter, Sayler. The Livingstons were guests at the wedding and the baby shower and will be a part of the young familys lives for many years to come, Radford said. Susanne Livingston said her goal for 2015 is to build bridges between the various nonprofits that help former foster youth. She has already forged a line of communication between Just in Time and Voices for Children. Next, shed like to create a round-table representing all the foster care nonprofits in San Diego County. Id love to see them all talking to one another to use the same resources, Livingston said. Its all about the children, the young adults, and helping them in any way we can. A Chinese man has been sentenced to two years and three months in prison for buying military-grade night vision goggles used by U.S. special operations, an item civilians are typically restricted from buying. Yang Xin, 36, claimed he was a collector of U.S. military gear, particularly items used by special operations troops, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. The investigation, which began in 2014, suggests Xin has bought other equipment and was seeking to buy more, according to court records. An unidentified cooperating source told federal authorities that someone on eBay was trying to buy Ground Panoramic Night Vision Goggles specialty goggles with two additional lenses on each side to enhance peripheral vision. An undercover agent took over the contact and for more than a year negotiated with Xin. The deal fell through several times until Xin flew on a tourist visa from Hong Kong to Los Angeles on Jan. 30, 2016. Advertisement He met with the undercover agent at an office building in Del Mar Heights a few days later and completed the transaction for $20,000, according to court records. During the meeting he told the agent he bought similar goggles before and wanted two more, as well as a tactical radio and night vision binoculars, according to a search warrant affidavit. Xin was arrested minutes later. The source who tipped off authorities is a broker in the U.S. who was tied to a $1.7 million theft of military equipment from Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, according to prosecutors. Evidence from that investigation suggests Xin obtained 15 Advanced Target Pointer/Illuminator Aiming Lasers, also known as LA-5s a lightweight laser attached to weapons for firing at night, according to an affidavit filed by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego. Xin allegedly bought the lasers from Steven Paul Browning, a North Carolina man who ended up pleading guilty to unlawfully exporting the stolen gear, according to court records. When Browning was arrested, investigators seized 47 pieces of military equipment from a home. Such military equipment is controlled by the International Trade in Arms Regulations and can only be sold to licensed dealers with State Department permission. Xin, from the Guizhou province, pleaded guilty in September to one count of smuggling goods from the United States. He also forfeited $20,000. He was sentenced Monday in San Diego Federal Court. We are committed to protecting the sensitive defense technologies that give our warfighters a decisive edge on the battlefield, said Chris Hendrickson, special agent in charge of the Western Field Office of Defense Criminal Investigative Service. The agency investigated the case alongside Homeland Security Investigations. kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @kristinadavis School suspensions increase dropout rates, costing California an estimated $2.7 billion dollars in lost income and taxes, and increased crime and welfare expenses, according to a report by University of California researchers. The paper, released Wednesday by researchers with UCLA and UC Santa Barbara, followed students at every high school in the state for three years starting in 2011-12. It concluded that school suspensions make students 6.5 percent more likely to drop out, reducing their lifetime earnings and increasing their risk of crime, health issues and other costly problems. The report comes as the state is revising school performance measures, from a single measure based on standardized test scores, to multiple categories including suspension rates. A number of San Diego districts have already moved from policies that mandate suspension or expulsion for many offenses, to systems that counsel offending students on decision-making and accountability. Advertisement For instance, San Diego Unified School District shifted to a restorative justice program that calls on disciplined students to take responsibility for and make amends for their misconduct, instead of imposing home suspension. Oceanside and Escondido schools have similar programs that require students to attend behavioral intervention sessions in lieu of staying home. Before somebody would have said, what rule was broken, who broke it, and what is the punishment? said Linda Trousdale, executive director of student services for SDUSD. Now say what happened, who has been impacted, and how can we make it right as possible. The UC report quantifies the potential costs of suspensions, using a state education database to track all high school sophomores starting in 2011-12 until their senior year, when they would be slated to graduate. It found suspension rates statewide to be 14.9 percent for all school districts over the three-year period. San Diego Unified, with a suspension rate of 11.6 percent over that time period, was in the mid-range among the states biggest school districts. Los Angeles Unified School District had the lowest suspension rate, at 5.9 percent. The researchers compared those to graduation rates, and concluded that 83 percent of students who had never had suspensions graduated, while only 60 percent of those who were suspended earned high school diplomas. Most of that difference comes from factors that raise the risk of both suspension and dropout, such as lower grade point averages, failed classes and socioeconomic disadvantage. After accounting for those variables, though, the study still found a 6.5 percent difference in dropout rates between students who faced suspension and those who didnt. The issue of suspensions have been on the agenda both locally and nationally for a long time, because its long been viewed as harmful to students, and theres some equity issue involved, with African-American students suspended twice as often as white students, said Russell Rumberger, professor emeritus of education at UCSB and director of the California Dropout Research Project. We know that kids who dont graduate from high school are a drain on society and taxpayers in general. Traditional discipline such as suspension and expulsion creates a downward spiral for troubled students and their communities, local school officials said. You have these kids who are suspended, and going home, and are more and more disenfranchised, said Barbara Perez, director of student services for Oceanside Unified School District. Certainly that would have an effect on them personally, but also on society. Once you drop out, its difficult. Cristina Rosas, a student in San Diego Continuing Education, said she almost gave up on education after being expelled from Lincoln High School in her junior year for a fight with another girl. It took a year before she was able to enroll in a charter school, and she struggled with its independent study program. Getting expelled was kind of harsh on me, because it did take away part of my education time, and I was considering not going back, said Rosas, 20. After finally joining an accelerated high school program, she got the help she needed to make up lost ground, and will graduate in June, she said. Some researchers maintain that theres not enough evidence to conclude that behavioral interventions work better than suspension or expulsion. The evidence base about the harm caused by suspensions, and the potential benefits of other approaches, is surprisingly thin, Matthew Steinberg, an assistant professor of education at the University of Pennsylvania wrote in Education Next, an opinion and research journal focused on school choice and accountability. Clearly, there is a great need for rigorous evaluation research, which should focus both on the impact of school discipline reforms and on their potential unintended consequences. Rumberger, however, countered that there isnt good evidence in favor of suspensions. The idea of punishment in itself as an effective deterrent and corrective action, is not supported by research, he said. Local educators say the new approach seems to be heading in the right direction. Barbara Gauthier, director of interventions for Escondido Union High School District, said alternative discipline programs cut suspensions from 277 in the first semester of last year to 143 this year. I think people are probably working harder to keep kids in school, she said. We just know that it has worked with our kids. deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennan When the grandmother of a Mira Mesa military veterans family was sent back to Mexico last week, her devastated family members focused on her central role helping raise two small children whose father is serving as a contractor in Afghanistan. More details of her deportation came out this week, as immigration officials offered details of a felony welfare fraud conviction against the woman, Clarissa Arredondo, and disclosed that she had previously been deported. Arredondo, 43, was removed to Tijuana on Friday after being detained on Valentines Day. Her story was featured in The San Diego Union-Tribune on Sunday and became national news. Her daughter is married to a Navy veteran, and they have daughters, 2 and 3. Advertisement Hers is one of many cases arising across the nation as supporters and detractors of President Donald Trump seek to understand his administrations new immigration enforcement priorities and practices. Arredondo was previously removed from the U.S. in 2005, according to Lauren Mack, spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Mack said that Arredondo tried to enter the United States at the Otay Mesa port of entry in 2005. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers determined that Arredondo did not have authorization to enter the United States, and they sent her back to Mexico. Mack said that border officials at that time used a process called expedited removal, which allowed them to determine that Arredondo was not admissible to the country without letting her see a judge. Because that order was still on her record, when immigration officials targeted her last month, they were able to remove her again without giving her a hearing with an immigration judge. Arredondo was targeted based on her immigration and criminal history, Mack said. Trump has called for increased use of expedited removal in his recently signed executive orders ramping up immigration enforcement both at the border and inside the U.S. Bardis Vakili, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union in San Diego, said he found the use of the expedited process in Arredondos case troubling. Any time we hear that a longtime member of our community has been ripped from her family and deported without seeing a judge, we are going to be concerned, Vakili said in an emailed statement. In our report Discharged, Then Discarded, we have already documented ICEs utter disregard for the sanctity of military families, and this incident just continues the agencys pattern of terrorizing patriotic immigrant communities. In the Union-Tribunes original story, family members said they were told by immigration officials of a long-ago case of welfare fraud, although without any details. They said they were unaware of that history. The family members declined to comment for this story, and Arredondo could not be reached. ICE officials did not provide any information about Arredondos immigration history for the initial story. Even with no mention of the previous deportation, many readers were unsympathetic to Arredondos plight. In the country illegally and lied in order to get welfare benefits? No tears from me, Josh Hutton of San Diego said on Facebook. We cant be told that people in the country are working and paying taxes and contributing to the economy, then be given a story like this. How many people are illegally collecting welfare and havent gotten caught? Todd Johnson wrote that San Diegans care about military veteran families but law is law and wrong is wrong. The Union-Tribune was initially unable to find records of the welfare case because of a misspelling in the court records. ICE provided information that helped the newspaper find the case. Based on records at San Diego Superior Court, Arredondo took a plea deal after being charged with misrepresenting her income level to obtain food stamps and cash assistance for her children between May 2001 and March 2003. Arredondo pleaded guilty to the felony. She apparently paid $6,633 in restitution and served five years on probation. According to terms of her plea deal, she was permitted to petition the court to reduce the conviction to a misdemeanor. There were no documents indicating that she did so. ICEs records indicate that the conviction remains a felony. According to the initial documents filed by Cynthia Stewart, a public assistance fraud investigator, less assistance would have been paid had it been known that the representations were false. Arredondo worked several cleaning jobs to take care of her three children as a single parent, according to her daughter, Adriana Aparicio. Somebody who was working a bunch of bottom-tier jobs cleaning hotels and apartments, and raising three kids with an absent father, its not like she was personally enriching herself on welfare, said Ev Meade, director of the Transborder Institute at the University of San Diego. I would find that hard to believe. She broke the law, but what did she break the law to do? It wasnt criminal violence. It wasnt a threat to the broader community. It was trying to provide for her kids. Meade said he believes people are being deported under the Trump administration who would not have been deported under former President Barack Obama although its hard to tell. He said that the Department of Homeland Security has a history of not being very transparent, making it difficult to know how enforcement now differs from enforcement under previous administrations. We dont often understand what the government is doing with regard to immigration because we dont have the information that we need to make an assessment of it, Meade said. Since its behind closed doors, people can choose to believe whatever they want about it, and you can find an echo chamber for all of the wildest myths about immigration that anyone can cook up. Negotiations between San Diego County government and its largest labor union have hit a major snag because of a disagreement over who and how many people can be at the bargaining table, a disruption that could possibly impact thousands of employees. The county and Service Employees International Union, Local 221, a labor organization that represents more than 10,000 of the governments 17,000 employees, have filed unfair practice charges against each other before bargaining sessions could dive into talks on pay, benefits, pensions and other matters that make up the meat of a labor contract. The county has reached three tentative agreements with other unions that represent deputy district attorneys, public defenders, and mechanics, carpenters and park maintenance workers. The new deals extend existing contracts, include pay increases and, in some cases, allow for parking reimbursements. The pacts also create a new pension tier for new employees that raises the retirement age and pays smaller benefits in an attempt to reduce county costs. Advertisement But talks with the SEIU have not been as fruitful. The county maintains that SEIU improperly brought representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union, the Center for Policy Initiatives, the Community Advocacy Network and others group to join the union at the bargaining table and participate in negotiations. On Feb. 21 the county filed an unfair practice charge against the union with the California Public Employment Relations Board. The County objected to the presence of the observers on the grounds that there was no agreement to allow members of the public to observe negotiations, the countys claim says. Local 221, a union that represents nurses, social workers, appraisers, librarians, clerical staff and other employees, says that representatives from these community groups provide expertise and insight into the nature and value of the services the unions members provide and are allowed to sit at the bargaining table. We believe, morally and legally, were right, said David Garcias, Local 221s president. The union also said that the county did not give permission to enough of its members to be released from their regular duties in order to attend negotiation sessions, effectively making it difficult for Local 221 to keep its thousands of members up to speed on negotiations progress and the impact on their pay and benefits. It filed an unfair practice charge on Feb. 20 and an amended complaint on Feb. 23. Despite the charges, negotiations can continue, and the county and union are scheduled to resume talks on Thursday. Discussions arent going well because the bargaining teams havent been able to dive into the terms of the contract, Garcias said. Were in a holding pattern, he said. Contracts between the county and SEIU expire in June, and the most recent negotiations are the first time that the union has brought in outside organizations. This is real work and we think that our perspective is stronger with dialogue and partnership with community organizations, said David Lagstein, SEIUs political director. These types of groups understand the countys work, and its finances, and brings a perspective of the county residents the unions members serve, he said. In November 2015, the Center for Policy Initiatives published a study that conducted that eligible county residents are under-enrolled in government benefits like CalFresh (food stamps), CalWORKS and Medi-Cal, causing them to miss $714 million in benefits each year, and $905 million in economic activity. The research organization recommended that the county do more to enroll eligible people into benefit programs, and to hire additional staff. Local 221 represents many of the workers who help people enroll in public assistance programs. CPI said it can provide perspective on how the countys policies impact its employees and residents. There are county workers who leave work and then go sit on the other side of the counter, Kyra Greene, CPIs deputy director. The county said that CPIs methodology in its report was flawed, and that it used misleading statistics, and that more eligible are enrolled in benefits than mentioned in the study. After community organizations showed up alongside Local 221 at bargaining meetings and no forewarning during earlier planning discussions, the county decided it would not be able to continue negotiations, despite being prepared for talks. As a result of SEIU 221s intimidation tactics and refusal to meet and confer as the parties through their negotiation teams, the County was forced to choose between waiving its right to exclude the public or leave the negotiation session. The County team chose to preserve its objection to the presence of the observers and left the session, the county wrote in its complaint. But the county offered to continue negotiations after the community groups left, it said in its complaint. The union says it has the right to build its bargaining team as it sees fit, and it can include community groups. Theyre not really providing a reason why these organizations cant be in the room, said Paola Martinez-Montes, the director of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, one of the groups that accompanied SEIU. SEIUs complaint says county did not allow enough people to be excused with pay from their regular duties in order to attend negotiations. During previous contract talks, the county authorized 43 people, but in this round, they only approved 26. This would make it tough for the members who are able to attend without foregoing compensation or using a vacation day, would be unable to keep the rest of the members informed about bargaining issues. The complexity of the negotiations requires that representatives are able to maintain reasonable feasible communications with employees at all work sites, the unions complaint said. The Public Employment Relations Board will evaluate the unfair practice charges and determine if a complaint will be issued. If a complaint is issued, an informal settlement conference will be held to try and resolve the charges. If that meeting is not successful, a more formal hearing similar to a trial will be held. An administrative law judge will issue a proposed decision that becomes final and binding if parties do not appeal. Twitter: @jptstewart joshua.stewart@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1841 An antiabortion provision in the recently unveiled House GOP plan to replace Obamacare could make it impossible for most Californians to take advantage of proposed tax credits meant to offset the cost of health insurance. The Republican healthcare proposal would offer individual tax credits to people who do not get insurance from their employer, but it would prohibit that money from being spent on plans that cover abortion a ban that would make virtually all health plans in the state ineligible for such credits. The restriction, should it become law, sets the stage for yet another clash between liberal California and the GOP-dominated federal government. Advertisement On the face of it, its a direct challenge to how [health insurers] operate in California, said Amy Chen, an attorney with the National Health Law Program, which backs abortion access. In practice, I think there would almost certainly be legal challenges to the federal provision and its implementation in California. A top California Democrat said he also saw an impending conflict. The House GOP proposal is directly at odds with California law and Californias constitutional protection of an individuals right to have access to abortions, said Dave Jones, the state insurance commissioner. The potential collision stems from how thoroughly California has embraced abortion rights, starting with enshrining a right to privacy in its Constitution. In 1981, a court ruled that, under the California Constitution, the state must treat abortion and maternal care neutrally. Any plan offered or regulated by the state that offers pregnancy coverage must also cover abortions. State law now requires all policies in the individual and small group markets to cover abortion. Other states have taken steps to guarantee abortion coverage in healthcare. Massachusetts requires health insurers to cover medically necessary care, which often can apply to abortions. New York has proposed a regulation that would mandate insurers to cover medically necessary abortions requiring a co-pay. But no state is as comprehensive in requiring private insurers to cover abortion as California. California is basically in a class by itself, said Elizabeth Nash, a state policy analyst with the Guttmacher Institute, a think tank that supports legalized abortion. A side-by-side comparison of Obamacare and the GOPs replacement plan The states position in favor of abortion rights can be at odds with the federal governments. For 40 years, Congress has routinely approved a provision barring certain federal funds from being used to subsidize elective abortions. In crafting the Affordable Care Act, former President Obama vowed that no federal dollars would go toward abortions. In response, insurers that sell plans on the Covered California exchange, which was set up by Obamacare, effectively segregate the premiums they collect into separate funds, so that the federally provided subsidies are not put toward abortions. Opponents of abortion have argued that Californias coverage requirements violate a religious freedom law that protects healthcare providers who object to abortion on moral grounds. The Obama administration upheld Californias policy, but House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) has asked new Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price to revisit the issue. Congressman Kevin McCarthy believes that Californias current policy mandating that elective abortions be offered in every health plan offered in the exchange directly violates the federal law, said his spokesman, Matt Sparks. The Obamacare replacement proposal put forth by House Republicans this week adds a new wrinkle. The plan would do away with the income-based subsidies that consumers can use to purchase insurance. Instead, people who arent insured through an employer would qualify for tax credits based on their age, with older consumers getting larger credits. People over 60 could get as much as $4,000 annually, while those under 30 could get as little as $2,000 per year. Under the bill, those tax credits could not be put toward a plan that covers abortion. If Congress adopts the current House GOP plan in its present form its tax credits could not be used to purchase 98% of Californias current insurance offerings, said Chuck Donovan, president of the Charlotte Lozier Institute, a think tank that opposes abortion. They could only be used to purchase one of the four multi-state plans. The GOP plan would not affect Californias mandate, except to the extent that it would create an incentive for California to allow abortion-free insurance options, which the state, an outlier in this regard, should do anyway. Abortion rights advocates say that sets up an untenable conflict between California and the federal government. Something has to give, said Nash of the Guttmacher Institute. If the policy went into effect as written, either the state would have to revise their law potentially or people would be penalized several thousand dollars because they would want a plan that has full coverage including abortion coverage. Advocates on both sides of the issue caution it is far from clear that the bill in its current form would become law. The proposal has had a rocky rollout, facing pushback from the conservative flank of the GOP, as well as uniform opposition from Democrats. Donovan said he believed the abortion restriction would not stall a replacement plan. In fact, he said, we expect such mandates to help propel any reform plan forward. Jones said he hoped the U.S. Senate would take a different view and pull this language from the bill. Otherwise, he said, it could open the potential for lawsuits. Were I [state] attorney general, I would sue to challenge this if it remains in the bill, said Jones, who is running for the post in 2018. A spokesperson for state Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra did not respond to a request for comment. Meanwhile, state regulators are keeping an eye on the provision as it makes its way through Congress. The California Department of Managed Health Care, which regulates more than 90% of the states commercial health plan market, has just begun its review of the proposal, said spokesman Rodger Butler. Amy Palmer, spokeswoman for Covered California, said the abortion provision is one of the many issues contained in the House proposal we are looking to better understand so that we can be prepared to provide technical assistance to policymakers. Insurers struck a similar wait-and-see note. Plans will continue to provide covered, medically necessary services until changes in federal law take effect, said Charles Bacchi, president and CEO of the California Assn. of Health Plans. This is a bridge we will cross when we get there. melanie.mason@latimes.com Follow @melmason on Twitter for the latest on California politics. Millions of Californians likely would lose coverage under GOP Obamacare replacement, experts say Obamacare 101: Whats in the House Republicans replacement plan? Updates from Sacramento Californians want compassionate use of marijuana. Californians do not want pot smokers to go to jail. That was the message voters sent to Sacramento in 1996 with Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act, and in 2016 with Proposition 64, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act. While we agree with the concept of compassion and decriminalization, the voters did not bargain for increased visits to emergency departments, exposure to children and newborns, drugged drivers, increased homelessness, crime, suicides and work force impact related to marijuana. The legal changes for marijuana are a result of brilliant campaign and marketing by the multibillion-dollar marijuana industry. But it is the duty of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors to protect our community and consider the public safety and health implications of the marijuana industry. Unfortunately, over the years, compassionate care has evolved into full-scale marijuana commercialization. Advertising high-THC content products like candy and soda, buy-one-get-one-free, bring a friend and happy-hour dispensary marketing are all profit-driven strategies. Marijuana in the 1960s contained 3 percent THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Todays marijuana plants are genetically modified for up to 25 percent THC and have resulted in an increasing public health problem. Advertisement Related: Medical marijuana: Ban on dispenseries aids illegal shops The public must understand that the word medical in medical marijuana is political and not scientific. People who have marijuana cards know that its a card for law enforcement and not for their doctor. To prescribe any medication, a doctor needs to do an exam, a physical, consider drug interactions, risks and benefits, and then prescribe a known dose. The medicine that is prescribed needs to have quality control measures for set milligram dosages and possible contaminants. Every day in every emergency department in San Diego, a person is treated with marijuana poisoning. We have experienced a tenfold increase in marijuana-related emergency visits from 2004 to 2014. A cancer patient bought a marijuana brownie to help his nausea but ended up in the emergency room with chest pain. A patient with migraine headaches fainted and suffered a significant head injury after eating marijuana gummy bears she took for her migraines. A tourist was simply trying to have a good time with friends when he called 911 with severe paranoia, thinking he was going to die after smoking marijuana. Code trauma is activated after a driver high on marijuana caused a three-car pile up on the interstate. Marijuana currently has no regulation, and people have no idea what they are smoking or eating. San Diego County is blessed with vast open space and farmlands. People flock to San Diego to enjoy our great outdoor recreational opportunities. Our local farm-to-table economy is thriving. And more than 300 local farms are registered organic growers. If you drive through our county you will see trucks full of avocados, lemons, flowering plants and shrubs. In counties where marijuana cultivation has overtaken the agricultural industry, you will find guard towers and guns guarding their cash crops. We dont have machine guns protecting our avocado groves; do we want to grow crops that require protection by heavy weaponry? The countys 2010 Medical Marijuana Facilities ordinance has not been effective at reducing the black market. Illegal storefronts and cultivation persists. Public lands, including state parks, continue to be used by cartels for mass cultivation operations that destroy the environment with illegal pesticides, stolen water and poisoned wildlife. The Sheriffs Department and county officials regularly get marijuana nuisance and criminal complaints by neighboring businesses and residents. The current ordinance does not fund sufficient enforcement or code compliance. It is a burden on local law enforcement and residents. The state Legislature recently approved a set of bills for regulation and licensing to govern medical marijuana cultivation, testing, distribution and manufacturing. These new regulations will be rolled out over the coming year, creating a new framework for local policy development. This is the right time for San Diego County to draw from the lessons of the past seven years of attempting to allow marijuana facilities. The San Diego County Board of Supervisors must put public health and public safety ahead of the smoke and mirrors of big marijuana business interests. The proposed ban on medical marijuana storefronts and cultivation in the unincorporated areas of the county is good for public health, good for the local economy and good for public safety. Lev, M.D., is chief, Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego Emergency Department and chair of San Diego Emergency Medicine Oversight Commission. Stevens is executive director, Community Action, Service & Advocacy/CASA. As many as 1,000 people are expected to be in Ramona for Congressman Duncan Hunters town hall meeting on Saturday. The meeting is scheduled from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in Ramona Mainstage, 626 Main St., but some Hunter supporters and critics plan to arrive by 8 or earlier. Because so many people are expected, members of Indivisible Ramona will host another town hall meeting in Collier Park for the anticipated overflow crowd. We have acquired a permit at Collier Park for the overflow crowd to go to so there will not be a logistical problem for the Sheriffs Department concerned with crowd control, Pierre Beauregard, a Ramona resident, said in an email. On the opinion page of last weeks Sentinel, Beauregard and others expressed concern about Ramona Mainstages ability to accommodate the crowd expected and suggested a larger venue, perhaps a school auditorium. On page 4 of this issue, Indivisible Ramona chair Susan Conrad, a Ramona resident, said she would be outside Mainstage to help keep a peaceful and calm atmosphere. Indivisible Ramona is part of a nationwide movement concerned about President Trumps administration. They have participated in rallies outside Hunters El Cajon office, talked with Hunters deputy chief of staff there, and called for a town meeting with the congressman. Ramona is one of the communities in District 50, which Hunter represents. Among other 50th District communities are Julian, Lakeside, Valley Center, Escondido, parts of El Cajon, mountain and desert areas east to Imperial County, and southwestern Riverside County in the Temecula area. Some Indivisible Ramona members are also Indivisible 50 members, said Ramona resident Dave Patterson, who participates with both. While Conrad hopes for a unifying and respectful meeting despite differing opinions, Indivisible San Diegos calendar of upcoming events refers to the gathering in Collier Park as Dirty Duncan Rally of the Excluded. Indivisible will march from outside the Mainstage to the park, to rally with people who are denied admission to Hunters town hall and to educate the public on his ethics and positions on critical issues, states Indivisible San Diegos calendar for this week. Hunter supporters, concerned busloads of liberals will be transported to Ramona to protest against the congressman, plan a peaceful but firm counter protest, Ramona resident Mary Moran said in an email. A patriotic opportunity is coming to town. The Duncan Hunter town hall is an opportunity to highlight democracy in action. Having moved to Canada after the Julian fires, I realized how much America and its core values mean to me. Our family decided to return home after six years because raising our children and living out our lives in this great country is everything. I started Indivisible Ramona to exercise a basic right, one that is not granted to everyone. As my international high school students have said to me, Ms. Conrad, you are lucky to live in a country that allows you to safely express your opinions, even if they dont agree with your government. Many of them live in countries without such rights. Indivisible Ramona follows the Indivisible Guide. We dont agree with some of the language; however, it does offer a practical means to express our voices and exercise our rights within a peaceful, democratic process. Although we, as a community, may disagree on specific issues, we have a common thread that is at the heart and foundation of American values. I believe that we all want to preserve and protect the civil liberties and ideals that Americans have fought and died for over many generations. It is our deepest desire to have a town hall that can be a model of democracy in action, one that is unifying, not dividing, one that is respectful, not hateful, and one that is a celebration of the American democratic process. Indivisible groups have reached out to clergy to arrange for a public ceremony with a unifying message the day before the town hall. Also, the leaders of the Ramona Tea Party and the Republican Womens organization have been contacted by Indivisible Ramona to meet, with the goal of forming a mutual respect and an understanding that we are all dedicated Americans. While I want to be in the Duncan Hunter town hall event, I have decided to remain outside to help keep a peaceful and calm atmosphere. I feel this is a personal responsibility that I will try very hard to uphold as a member of Ramona and the founder of Indivisible Ramona. This town hall is open to constituents of Congressional District 50; therefore, we can anticipate that a lot of people will be coming to Ramona. Lets have a great American event! Susan Conrad, a Ramona resident, is chair of Indivisible Ramona. The outgoing Miss Rancho Bernardo and Miss Teen Rancho Bernardo will meet their potential successors on Saturday. A mandatory orientation for young women ages 14 to 21 who want to enter the scholarship pageants will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 11, at the Rancho Bernardo Inn, 17550 Bernardo Oaks Drive. Those under age 18 must attend with a parent. There is an $85 entry fee. For eligibility requirements, rules and application go to missranchobernardo.com. For questions, contact pageant director Lynn Ross at lynn7936@att.net or 858-705-4920 in the evenings before 9 p.m. The all-day pageant will be on Sunday, March 26 in the RB Inn. The titleholders serve as community ambassadors throughout their yearlong reigns. Their duties include participating in the Spirit of the Fourth festivities and Rancho Bernardo Business Association events. They receive an assortment of prizes, including education scholarships. Miss Rancho Bernardo 2016 Anita Clifford, a Del Norte High senior, said she wants to attend the University of Virginia or University of Washington to study international business or international relations. She is the daughter of Rancho Penasquitos residents Henry and Patricia Clifford. I did not expect to meet as (many) amazing people in the community of RB, Clifford said. I feel like I am a part of huge a family. I got such helpful advice from so many strangers at each event that I am very grateful for. She also mentioned her great friendship with Miss Teen RB. She added, I have learned how to interact with so many people. My social skills have improved tremendously and I know how to present myself appropriately in different (situations). Clifford said her favorite event was the Soroptimist High Tea at the Grand Del Mar, which raised money for transitional housing for domestic violence victims. There was a guest speaker who gave a beautiful speech, she added. Miss Teen Rancho Bernardo 2016 Taylor Mitchell, a Rancho Bernardo High junior, said she wants to major in biomedical science so she can work in the medical field. She is the daughter of Rancho Bernardo residents Jeanine and Rick Mitchell. I knew about attending events and I would be involved in the community, but what I didnt know is how it would impact my life in such a positive way, Mitchell said. I learned many valuable lessons, and the program provided many opportunities for myself and Anita, and I gained an amazing friend (in her). She added, The most important lesson I learned from being Miss Teen RB is to be able to communicate with people I never met, and carry on a conversation. I used to lack the confidence and ability to speak in front of audiences or step out of my comfort zone, but after a year in this program everything about that reversed, and now its all I do. Mitchell said her favorite events were those with the RB Business Association due to meeting so many amazing people who work hard in our community, plus volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House where I met such strong and wonderful families and at the Boys & Girls Club because the kids were so enthusiastic and excited to work with Anita and me. As for advice they would give to those possibly entering the pageants, Mitchell said, It is pretty scary trying out for a program that is completely new and different from anything youve done, but it is 100 percent worth it. Even without the title, the process of learning how to prepare and talk in an interview, practicing my speech skills and meeting the amazing other contestants that go through the pageant with you was worth it. Clifford added, Just ... be yourself. The judges want to see who you truly are as a person. Dont get nervous because that pageant day itself is super fun. Email: rbnews@pomeradonews.com SACO, Maine (AP) Many in the movie industry feared the need to convert to digital could be the death knell for drive-ins, but drive-in operators are finding creative ways to afford the switch. Drive-in movie theater operators say more than 200 of the remaining 348 drive-ins in the country have made the expensive conversion from film to digital, which typically costs more than $70,000. Theater owners say conversions escalated quickly in 2013 and will help keep the drive-ins in business for now, promising news for an industry that peaked in the 1950s and 60s, then with more than 4,000 drive-in theaters nationwide. Some drive-ins are raising money using crowd-funding platforms such as Kickstarter while others are taking advantage of financing programs or renting out their theaters as flea markets during off-hours. Advertisement Ry Russell, general manager of Saco Drive-In, launched a social-media campaign to win an $80,000 digital projection system in a contest sponsored by Honda. His drive-in theater in Saco is celebrating its 75th anniversary by welcoming hundreds of cars to its giant roadside screen to watch the latest films on a new digital projection system. Were just seeing Darwinism kind of take over, Russell said. The ones that survive will prosper. Its a story thats playing out at drive-ins all over the country, where conversion to digital is the key to survival, said John Vincent Jr., president of the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association. Studios are phasing out 35mm film prints as Hollywood moves toward all-digital distribution. Even older movies are difficult to obtain on film because many repertory companies have gone digital, said Vincent, noting that people in the industry expect this season to be the last summer of film. In Westbrook, 15 miles up the road from Saco, the owners of the 62-year-old Prides Corner Drive In are struggling just to keep business alive they can only show movies in 35mm film and have raised just $1,350 of the $100,000 they need to convert to digital. When they stop making film, thats it, said Andrew Tevanian, operator of Prides Corner. Then youre out in the cold. These days, moviegoers in 44 states can take in a drive-in movie from the comfort of their own vehicles, according to the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association. New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania have the most drive-ins, with nearly 30 each; Indiana has 20 and California, 17. Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Louisiana, North Dakota and Wyoming are the only states without them. In Rhode Island, Rustic Drive In in Smithfield sometimes welcomes 500 cars on a Saturday. It needs to because the company that owns the theater spent more than $200,000 on three new digital projectors for its three screens. The company is taking advantage of an offer from Los Angeles-based Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp., which arranges flexible loans and reimbursements from studios, a representative said. The conversion means the 63-year-old drive-in is in it for the long haul, said Deborah Belisle, vice president of the company that runs the theater. That is saying were staying, Belisle said. The ones that are left now, theyre not going anywhere. 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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 By Peggy Kelly Santa Paula News Dozens of people visited City Hall Saturday where paintings were replaced by about two-dozen oversized sheets, each one showcasing an improvement for the historic Downtown each sporting red and green dots or seeking input. The February 25 workshop was just the latest step in defining what people want in the Downtown, ranging from brick and mortar such as parking structures and an event center to green as in cash generated by a Business Improvement District for maintenance and marketing. Santa Paula High School Key Club members were on hand helping greet the almost 50 visitors who signed in and handing out the red and green dots signifying votes for each of the 21 concepts resulting from interviews with stakeholders and a public survey. The Key Club members were also bilingual and ready to answer questions from Spanish-speaking visitors. Some concept pages showed a sea of green, while others were an even mix of green and red yes and no votes. A few were completely skipped over. Results even changed from a majority of red to more green when a concept of a mixed-use commercial and parking structure parking starting on the second floor was labeled Not a high rise! 2 floors max! Saturdays workshop was just the latest of a years long effort to tackle the Downtown, famed for appearing as a backdrop for numerous movies, television shows and commercials. In 2011, the Downtown was the focus of a San Luis Obispo Cal Poly student Design Team who spent months visiting the city and garnering input on the Downtown. In 2012 they presented the results of their survey and recommendations for the future. Several people that visited Saturday questioned the number of studies done on the Downtown while others, such as Vice Mayor Ginger Gherardi, noted public input is valuable. I think its useful to get commens, said Gherardi, but she questioned the lack of certain aspects centered on economics, such as how to encourage boutiques and reopening the Tower Theater as a art film house. We have to develop a niche, she noted, to draw residents and visitors alike to the Downtown. Laura Hernandez of Port Hueneme, a Santa Paula native and frequent visitor, agreed. She questioned whether the workshop should have included mention of the Mural Project, 10 art pieces by noted artists throughout the city highlighting history and culture, and the possible impacts on tourism if the project was expanded. Hernandez said specifics folded into the concepts would have been helpful, such as detouring the bike trails into the Downtown. One concept centered on signage and Hernandez voted yes with a green dot: Im really in favor of that. By Peggy Kelly Santa Paula News Community leaders and stakeholders met last week to address how Santa Paulans can reverse the cycle of poverty by getting into gear with a variety of efforts and advocates. The Santa Paula Collective Impact Project (SPCIP) workshop was co-sponsored by Latino Town Hall and others at the Community Center, where dozens of activists, educators, social service providers and others who have been working together for months took another step forward on its two-generation approach. Reversing the Cycle of Poverty in Santa Paula focused on challenges associated with issues related to local poverty, which noted organizers, Continue to adversely impact the quality of life for our local residents. Santa Paula has one of the highest poverty rates in Ventura County and is among the lowest in median income. Members of SPCIP have been addressing strategies and projects to address such challenges for more than a year and held its orientation meeting in September. Participants were intentionally selected to represent a broad cross-section of the community based on the belief that no single organization, however innovative or powerful, can accomplish social change alone via isolated impact. Large-scale social change requires broad, cross-sector coordination from a wide variety of backgrounds to ensure multiple perspectives via collective impact. The SPCIP also seeks to build relationships, capacity and trust among its collaborators to reverse the trend of organizations across the country that have failed to solve social issues by collaboration. Santa Paula Latino Town Hall President Lorenzo Moraza told the crowd that Your presence speaks to your commitment to the residents of Santa Paulawe are all interested in making this beautiful city of ours a better community for us and generations, to come. Moraza said the group has been doing its homework: We have accomplished much, including discovering that although there are many services for those seeking help and guidance, there is a lack of coordination among such agencies and organizations. Now that SPCIP has the Structured leadership team, we are ready to move into the next space, and learn more about the assets and needs to make Santa Paula, a sustainable and safe community. Literature was distributed that showed the citys demographics, age distribution, socioeconomics, education, crime rate and even life expectancy. Santa Paula, noted Moraza, is the second poorest city in Ventura County: Only Port Hueneme has that distinction of being number one in being less fortunateSanta Paula is multicultural, multilingual and small, but we have spirit. But, we are traditionally underserved and un-served, and Moraza said that would be changed. We have been called to be shields for those less fortunate if not us, asked Moraza, who will? Selfa Saucedo of the Ventura County Health Care Agency spoke about the backbone support that SPCIP would provide. It really is quite simple. Its not a project of itself, its not something were going to do, it is more of a philosophy, an approach, a way of strategizing and selecting ideas and projects. She explained the five components of the Two Generation approach, each illustrated as a gear that must be interlocked to make it all work. The approach focuses on creating opportunities for and addressing needs of both vulnerable children and their parents together. The five key components are early childhood education, postsecondary education and employment pathways, economic supports and assets, health and well-being and social capital. By Peggy Kelly Santa Paula News When organizers, including Crosswhite, learned they would not be able to use Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, the city, said Vincent, Said yes, they will co-host thisthey not only made it possible for us to have the event but a successful event, that drew up 80 to 90 people. Pressure was put on Our Lady of Guadalupe Church on Oak Street where the event had been scheduled since September by those who believed One Billion Rising was pro-abortion and represented radical feminism, according to those that objected to the event via social media. I have never been so proud to be a Santa Paulan, concluded Vincent. Crosswhite herself had posted on social media when she learned One Billion Rising had been cancelled at the church, specifically chosen because of its proximity of those the event was trying the hardest to reach, Spanish-speaking women and girls. I am truly, truly heartbroken that anyone would cast judgment on our event, calling it and us cruel things. For the past four years, my colleagues and community/county partners and I have come together to try to raise awareness about domestic violence, cycles of violence, abuse, rape and human trafficking. We have poured our blood, sweat and tears into trying to get the word out because one woman, man or child suffering in this way is one too many. I would not wish this experience on my worse enemy, let alone my friend or family member. The reality is that 1 in 3 women will be raped or abused in their lifetime. That means that we are ALL affected, if for no other reason by virtue our interconnectedness as human beings, but I promise you, you all know someone, if not yourselves. This is not a political event. This is a raw, beautiful, educational, healing event that has come to mean so much for so many over the past 4 years. The state of our country, and apparently even our community these days, where we jump to judgment without having all the facts, breaks my heart all over again. I am not pointing fingers at anyone I am sharing the depth of my sorrow with you all. I have no other agenda, and neither does anyone else planning Saturdays event here in Santa Paula, than to raise awareness. We have remained silent for far too long while our neighbors and loved ones have suffered in silence. This being said, I have been inspired by everyone who has come together to make this event still possible, including the City of Santa Paula. I am grateful for each and every one of you you know who you are. Following the event Crosswhite said It was so incredible to walk out of the Community Center, after One Billion Rising, which features the group dance Break the Chain, and see a rainbow in the sky. Wow. God is good. Even as the storms in our lives and our country rage on, this promise remains. I am thankful for every person who helped make our event possible yesterday, and everyone who came out and took resources they can share with people they know, or for themselves. Even in the darkness the light will shine... Santa Paula News Members of the Santa Paula High School National Honor Society, along with their advisor Gretchen Speer and SPUSD board member Pam Thompson, attended the annual ARC Christmas Party back in December. Every year for the past eighteen years, the students have chosen a client from the ARC Foundations Christmas list to shop for and deliver gifts to the party for that client. There were over 50 developmentally disabled individuals on ARCs list and the National Honor Society, with over 50 members, was able to shop for everyone. The party was held at Cafe 126 and a wonderful time was had by all. The National Honor recognizes students who are leaders at school in various activities, who participate in volunteer service, maintain at least a 3.0 in a rigorous course of study, and strive to be all-around good citizen at school and throughout the community. By Peggy Kelly Santa Paula News A Ventura City Fire Engineer remains hospitalized and in an induced coma after suffering a heart attack Sunday while responding to a medical emergency call. The Santa Paula Fire Department helped cover the City of Ventura during the emergency. The unidentified fire engineer, 49, Was on his way to a call from Station 6, when he was stricken, said Santa Paula Assistant Fire Chief Vern Alstot. When the firefighter experienced the medical emergency about 9:30 a.m., his co-workers were able to pull their engine over and treat him on scene before transporting him to the hospital. His partner grabbed the steering wheel and hit the emergency brake to stop the engine, avoiding an accident said Alstot. If the paramedics had not been there, the fire engineer likely would not have survived. Santa Paula Fire and Ventura County Fire helped cover stations throughout the City of Ventura so firefighters could gather at the hospital where the engineer was taken. On the anniversary of one of the greatest journalistic takedowns ever recorded, Jeff Nilsson looks at how it happened. "Thisis the news." Ed Murrow eyes the clock, saving time for Dick Hottelot, a guest, while Announcer Dixon (right) awaits his cue. (Martin Harris) Weekly Newsletter The best of The Saturday Evening Post in your inbox! Join Today is the anniversary of one of the greatest journalistic takedowns ever recorded. At the start of 1954, Senator Joseph McCarthy was a rising political star. His campaign to root out communists in the federal government had won him an approval rating of 50 percent. He was chairman of the powerful Senate Committee on Government Operations. Government officials feared him, and critics avoided speaking out against him for fear of being labeled a communist. Yet McCarthys fall was even faster than his rise. By the end of 1954, hed been censured by the Senate and shunned by other senators, the media, and much of the public. Subscribe and get unlimited access to our online magazine archive. Subscribe Today What happened between January and December was that McCarthy lost public support. The American people became disenchanted with his endless inquiries, bullying of witnesses, accusations of treason without evidence, and questioning of the loyalty of anyone who opposed him. Among the few prominent figures willing to challenge him was the veteran journalist Edward R. Murrow. His weekly news program, See It Now, was the forerunner of programs like 60 Minutes. Murrow relished the opportunity to report on controversial topics, and he despised the hysteria and paranoia that accompanied the hunt for communists. On March 9, 1954, Murrow devoted an entire program to exposing McCarthy and his methods. Murrow presented the senator in his own words and exposed McCarthy contradicting himself, boasting of his power, and bullying witnesses in congressional hearings. In concluding, Murrow added his own thoughts: No one familiar with the history of this country can deny that congressional committees are useful. It is necessary to investigate before legislating, but the line between investigating and persecuting is a very fine one and the junior Senator from Wisconsin has stepped over it repeatedly. His primary achievement has been in confusing the public mind, as between the internal and the external threats of Communism. We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason. Murrows program is widely credited with taking down McCarthy. In fact, the broadcast simply encouraged the growing public distaste for the senator, his message, and his manner. The show prompted thousands of letters, phone calls, and telegrams to the CBS studios. For every message criticizing Murrow, there were 15 messages approving of the program. Its reception encouraged President Eisenhower to take action against McCarthy. The president had long been disgusted with the senator but refused to criticize him publicly. In private, though, he told aides, I just will not I refuse to get into the gutter with that guy. Now he saw the public starting to turn against McCarthy. He ordered the release of a report showing how lawyers on McCarthys committee had blackened the U.S. Armys reputation to obtain favors. In public hearings, the Armys attorney presented evidence of McCarthys distortions and personal vendettas. His culminating question to McCarthy, Have you left no sense of decency? resonated with the American public. With the hearings concluded, the Senate voted to censure the senator. It was not the contents of the See It Now broadcast that made the greatest impact, but the character of the reporter. Had it been presented by any other journalist, the broadcast might have been dismissed as a partisan attack. But Edward Murrow had a reputation for integrity. Murrow Sticks to the News, from the December 10, 1949, issue of the Post, reflects some of the awe with which journalists regarded Murrow. It was written when Murrow was working in radio and still remembered for his courageous reporting under fire during the London Blitz. Americans admired his just-the-facts, no-hype style of reporting and his careful separation of opinion from facts. The article reminds us that the ultimate argument against McCarthy wasnt Murrows facts, but his character. Featured image: Photo by Martin Harris for Murrow Sticks to the News from the December 10, 1949, issue of the Post. Sarasota, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/08/2017 -- Zion Market Research, the market research group announced the analysis report titled "Armored Vehicles Market: Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecasts 20162024" Armored Vehicles Market: Overview An armored fighting vehicle is combat and has a strong armor that protects it. It is generally armed with arms and has capabilities such as operational mobility, is defensive and tactical offensive. The vehicles can be tracked or wheeled. An armored civilian car in the UK is used for security purposes in which the standard vehicle window glass is replaced with bulletproof glasses and layers of armor plates are inserted into the body panels. Request Free Sample Report @ https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/sample/armored-vehicles-market Armored Vehicles Market: Segmentation The global armored vehicles market is globally segmented into its application, product, type, technology and region. Based on the application, the market is segregated into defense and commercial sector. The defense sector is further sub-segmented into military and homeland security. The commercial sector is sub-segmented into government, banks, embassy, VIPs and others. Depending on the sectors, the product segment is classified into main battle tank, amphibious armored vehicles, infantry fighting vehicles, light protected vehicles, mine-resistant ambush protected, armored personnel carriers and others in the defense segment. The products in the commercial segment include Sedan, Bus/Van, SUV, Limousine and others. Based on the type, the market is bifurcated into tracked, wheeled and others. Based on technology, the market is segregated into passive and active. Region-wise, the market is diversified into Asia Pacific, North America, Europe and Rest of the World. Armored Vehicles Market: Growth Factors The key factor that is driving the armored vehicle market is the increasing occurrences of armed violence and terrorist attacks have compelled the civilians to procure armored vehicles for the commercial purposes. The increasing demand from the civilian commercial applications has increased the demand for the armored vehicles. In the defense sector, vehicles should have less weight and size thus the demand for highly efficient, robust and compact vehicles are increasing, thus triggering the market growth. Huge investments and R&D activities are going on for the implementation of updated technology in the armored vehicles market, which is positively affecting the market growth. Request Report TOC (Table of Contents) @ https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/toc/armored-vehicles-market Armored Vehicles Market: Regional Analysis The Asia Pacific region holds a major share in the armored vehicles market. The concerns regarding the security from the terrorist attacks and the insurgent groups across the region have led to the need to make advancements in the military organizations. The government bodies are taking interest and are making huge investments in order to develop the defense sector. Countries such as China, India and South Korea are making investments for the procurement of advanced armored vehicles thus driving the demand. Other countries such as Israel, Iran, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are also taking initiatives and are increasing their military budgets to procure advanced armored vehicles in their military troops. Armored Vehicles Market: Competitive Players The key market players of the armored vehicles market include General Dynamics Corporation, Lockheed Martin, Textron Inc., The Raytheon Company, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co. KG, Oshkosh Corporation, Rheinmetall Defence, International Armored Group, BAE Systems, Plc., INKAS Armored Vehicle Manufacturing, STREIT Group and Elbit Systems Ltd. Browse detail report @ https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/report/armored-vehicles-market Armored Vehicles Market: Regional Segment Analysis North America U.S. Europe UK France Germany Asia Pacific China Japan India Latin America Brazil Middle East and Africa What Reports 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. Ask for a customized report @ https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/custom/1276 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/08/2017 -- Bep Nam Anh, a well-known seller of kitchen and bathroom appliances, has pulled yet another first in the world of quality and modern kitchen appliances rolling out new types of high performance induction cookers. The new induction cookers, just like other appliances from Bep Nam Anh, are purely based on latest technology and capture what any modern lifestyles entails. The new brands of induction cooker from Bep Nam Anh are not only safe but also very easy to clean. These are some of the features that were considered in order to give users easy times when using the cookers, something which has been missing in many induction cookers that are in the market. Some of the tested, reviewed and trusted brands that one can get at Bep Nam Anh include Bosch, Fagor, Munchen, Teka and Lorca. Why use new Bep Nam Anh induction cookers? One good thing about Bep Nam Anh's induction cookers is the fact that they replaced the old-style knob with touch pads that are very easy to use, precise and easy to clean as well. The new cookers' cooktops are unheated and, therefore, stay quite cool. The cooktops remain cool because in induction cooking, the only area that is heated is the one that is in direct contact with the iron which has the cookware. There are also no spills when using them and, as such, you, as a user, can avoid splatters when using these types of induction cookers. Induction cooking also reduces, by far, the time that one uses to cook. And now, with Bep Nam Anh improved induction cookers, that time has been reduced even further. About Bep Nam Anh Bep Nam Anh has been in this industry for more than 15 years and has found their way into the hearts of many families thanks to the types and quality of appliances they sell. Apart from induction cookers, Bep Nam Anh also sells many kitchen appliances such as electric cookers, ovens, dishwashers and bathroom equipment such as massage bathtubs and sauna to mention just a few. The Vietnam based Bep Nam Anh is a fully licensed dealer and its products come with genuine warranty. The kitchen and bathroom equipment from Bep Nam Anh are also available in competitive prices. One can shop online through their easy to navigate website. The transactions are also secured. Bep Nam Anh's customer service has been credited for its quick and professional responses. One can have a live chat with the customer services representatives, call them through their open lines or drop them an email. Media Contact: Company: Bep Nam Anh Address: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Hotline: 091.602.7088 E-Mail: cuongnoithat1972@gmail.com Website: http://bepnamanh.com/ Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/08/2017 -- In real terms, the Bahraini construction industrys output grew by 6.4% in 2016, following an average annual growth of 5.2% during the preceding four years. This increase can be attributed to favorable macroeconomic conditions, improvements in business confidence and consumer demand, and public and private sector investment in infrastructure and residential construction projects, leading to an increase in demand for the Bahraini construction industry. Consequently, in real terms, the construction industrys contribution to the countrys GDP increased from 6.7% in 2012 to 7.0% in 2015. The construction industry is expected to continue to expand over the forecast period (20172021), with investments in infrastructure, residential and energy projects continuing to drive growth. The focus on the development of transport infrastructure and the construction of affordable housing units will be key growth drivers. The industry growth will also be driven by the Bahrain Economic Vision 2030, under which the government aims to diversify the countrys economy away from oil and support economic growth. The industrys output value in real terms is expected to rise at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.01% over the forecast period, compared to 5.73% during the review period (20122016). To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @ http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1014764 Low oil prices are expected to undermine growth prospects during the early part of the forecast period. However, the governments early efforts to diversify the economy away from oil by focusing on non-oil sectors will create growth opportunities for the construction industry. Summary Timetrics 'Construction in Bahrain, Key Trends and Opportunities to 2021' report provides detailed market analysis, information and insights into the Bahraini construction industry, including: The Bahraini construction industry's growth prospects by market, project type and construction activity Analysis of equipment, material and service costs for each project type in Bahrain Critical insight into the impact of industry trends and issues, and the risks and opportunities they present to participants in the Bahraini construction industry Profiles of the leading operators in the Bahraini construction industry Data highlights of the largest construction projects in Bahrain Scope This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the construction industry in Bahrain. It provides: Historical (2012-2016) and forecast (2017-2021) valuations of the construction industry in Bahrain using construction output and value-add methods Segmentation by sector (commercial, industrial, infrastructure, energy and utilities, institutional and residential) and by project type Breakdown of values within each project type, by type of activity (new construction, repair and maintenance, refurbishment and demolition) and by type of cost (materials, equipment and services) Analysis of key construction industry issues, including regulation, cost management, funding and pricing Detailed profiles of the leading construction companies in Bahrain Reasons To Buy Identify and evaluate market opportunities using Timetric's standardized valuation and forecasting methodologies. Assess market growth potential at a micro-level with over 600 time-series data forecasts. Understand the latest industry and market trends. Formulate and validate strategy using Timetric's critical and actionable insight. Assess business risks, including cost, regulatory and competitive pressures. Evaluate competitive risk and success factors. Key Highlights The government is focusing on improvements to the countrys infrastructure to boost the performance of non-oil sector. As a result, the countrys non-oil economy is expected to record growth of 2.4% in 2017. According to the Economic Development Board (EDB), the country is currently in the process of implementing infrastructure construction projects with a value of BHD12.0 billion (US$32.0 billion). Housing supply in Bahrain is relatively low compared to demand, which provides opportunities for residential developers. Accordingly, in a bid to provide affordable housing to meet demand from lower- and middle-income groups, the government set a target of constructing 65,000 social housing units across the country by 2020 under the Government Action Plan. The government is focusing on the expansion and modernization of airport infrastructure, with an aim to improve airport services and build a world-class aviation infrastructure to meet the expected rises in passenger, cargo and air traffic. Accordingly, the government is developing Bahrain International Airport (BIA) under the Airport Modernisation Programme. In 2016, a joint venture of the Dubai-based Arabtec Construction and Turkey's TAV Construction won a contract to construct a new terminal at BIA. The Bahraini construction industrys growth will be driven by government plans to increase the share of renewable energy in terms of total energy consumption, and encourage investment in renewable energy infrastructure. Accordingly, the Bahraini cabinet approved the National Plan for Renewable Energy in January 2017, to achieve sustainable development and energy efficiency. The government is seeking help from foreign investors to improve the countrys infrastructure. In August 2016, the Bahraini government signed seven contracts worth BHD148.5 million (US$395.0 million) with Kuwait and the UAE to carry out housing and infrastructure construction projects in the country. Make an Enquiry of this report @ http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=1014764 About ResearchMoz ResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price. For More Information Kindly Contact: ResearchMoz Mr. Nachiket Ghumare, Tel: +1-518-621-2074 USA-Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948 Email: sales@researchmoz.us Follow us on LinkedIn @ http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG Port Arthur, TX -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/09/2017 -- The company, "Biomedical Waste Solutions" says that they never compromise on the quality of the services they render though they offer them at highly affordable costs. Florida residents need not worry about the problem of medical waste disposal any more because the good news is that the company, "Biomedical Waste Solutions," is offering appropriate solutions for this issue. This Florida Medical Waste Disposal company assures their potential as well as existing customers that they can rely upon their services. Additionally, customers need not spend a fortune for getting their tasks completed because they are offering these medical waste disposal services at affordable costs. At the same time, customers need not worry if there will a compromise on the quality of their services since they have always been striving to provide their customers with services of impeccable quality, says the company. They also ensure that the services they render strictly comply with all the stipulations laid down by the regulatory bodies. Among many benefits customers can derive by availing their services, two stand out, points out the Florida Medical Waste Disposal company. The first benefit is that customer who opt for their services can make a good saving whenever they order for a pickup. The second and more important benefit is that customers can have absolute peace of mind because they will be getting reliable medical waste disposal services as well as customer service of immaculate quality. In addition to complying with the stipulations laid down by organizations such as OSHA or Occupational Safety and Health Administration, EPA or the United States Environment Protection Agency and HIPAA, they strictly abide by the state and federal laws governing disposal of red bag waste and medical waste, emphatically asserts the company. This means customers need not worry if there will be any deviation from the laid down stipulations and laws that govern medical waste disposal. The company points out that they have put in place excellent systems in order to make available instant quotes to those customers who seek their services. Not only that, customers can be certain that all aspects pertaining to medical waste disposal will be taken care of once they entrust the task to them. The company takes pride in pointing out that they have always been traveling the extra distance for satisfying their customers and this fact can be verified by visiting their website and going through the testimonials written by their past customers. In short, customers will absolutely not have any hesitation in hiring their services for carrying out their medical waste disposal tasks. Since they always aim that their customers should get the best services they deserve, they discuss with them to fix the schedule that is convenient to them for carrying out the task entrusted to them, says this Florida Medical Waste Disposal company. Simply put, customers who decide to seek their help for medical waste disposal can be certain of getting the best services at highly affordable costs, says the company. About Biomedical Waste Solutions The company, "Biomedical Waste Solutions," is offering appropriate solutions for the issue of medical waste disposal. This Florida Medical Waste Disposal company assures their potential as well as existing customers that they can rely upon their services. Additionally, customers need not spend a fortune for getting their tasks completed because they are offering these medical waste disposal services at affordable costs. The company strictly adheres to the stipulations laid down by organizations that govern medical waste disposal and also to the state and federal laws pertaining to them. For Media Contact: BioMedical Waste Solutions, LLC 9665 Jade Avenue Port Arthur, TX 77642 For getting a quote: 877-974-1300 http://www.biomedicalwastesolutions.com/Florida-medical-waste-disposal Pune, Mahrashtra -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/08/2017 -- The Pet Bottle Blowing Machine Market 2017 Research Report investigates a thorough and complete study on Pet Bottle Blowing Machine industry volume, market Share, market Trends, Pet Bottle Blowing Machine Growth aspects, wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis, manufacturing capacity, Price during Forecast period from 2017 to 2022 The research report labeled Global Pet Bottle Blowing Machine Market 2017 presents the penetrating study of Pet Bottle Blowing Machine market globally, concentrating on complete analysis of the present and past historical details of Pet Bottle Blowing Machine market. The competitive landscape view of the Pet Bottle Blowing Machine industry is also covered in this research document. Request Sample Report Here: https://market.biz/report/global-pet-bottle-blowing-machine-market-2017/56958/#inquiry Competitive Study of Global Pet Bottle Blowing Machine Market 2017 Based on Key Vendors: 1 Krones AG 2 Sidel 3 SMF Germany 4 Aoki Technical Laboratory, Inc. 5 ASB International Pvt. Ltd. 6 KHS GmbH 7 Sipa S.p.A. 8 Bekum America Corporation 9 Jomar Group 10 Newamstar Packaging Machinery Co., Ltd. 11 Dongguan Tongsheng Machinery Co., Ltd. 12 Quinko Fujian Machinery Industrial Co., Ltd. 13 Hongkong Tongsheng Group 14 Zhejiang ZIQIANG Machinery Co., LTD The report organizes the Pet Bottle Blowing Machine market across the globe into distinct portion based on industry standards. It also distinguishes the market based on geographical regions. The report mainly throws light on dominant players in the regions of (United States, EU, China, and Japan). Other regions can be added accordingly. Discrete aspects of the Pet Bottle Blowing Machine industry like value chain analysis, Pet Bottle Blowing Machine industry rules and policies, the factors driving the growth of the market and the constraints hampering the growth are explained. In next section, the Pet Bottle Blowing Machine report mentions the products that are currently available in the market along with their cost structures, manufacturing volume, requirement and supply analysis, import/export scenario and their overall contribution to the Pet Bottle Blowing Machine market revenue globally. Buy Complete Report Here (To get Instant access): https://market.biz/report/global-pet-bottle-blowing-machine-market-2017/56958/ Further, the report analyzes the feasibility of investment, investment return analysis and shows a complete picture of market development scope and business strategies followed by leading Pet Bottle Blowing Machine industry players along with their company profile, market share and contact information. Lastly, the report enlists the vital conclusions that will assist all individuals who have a keen interest in Pet Bottle Blowing Machine Market. Browse More Manufacturing Construction Industry Reports- https://market.biz/reporttype/manufacturing-construction/ Clemson, SC -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/09/2017 -- Inspirational, Scripture-based gift company Heart On Your Sleeve Design has announced their expansion into three physical showrooms in gift marts across the country. The South Carolina-based gift and jewelry company's products are now in showrooms in Atlanta, Chicago and Dallas, allowing vendors convenient access to viewing and ordering products. In addition to the convenience of the locations in three different major U.S. markets and geographic areas, the showrooms with Heart On Your Sleeve Design's products are in convenient, prominent locations within these cities as well. The Atlanta showroom is located in AmericasMart inside Bill Curlee & Associates, a manufacturer's rep organization. The Chicago location is located within Excelsior Marketing in Des Plaines, Illinois, a northwestern suburb of Chicago. In Dallas, Heart On Your Sleeve Design can be found inside Cathy & Co.'s showroom in the World Trade Mart. Each of these showrooms is staffed by knowledgeable salespeople who specialize in assisting vendors through the process of viewing and ordering pieces from the inspirational gift company. Heart On Your Sleeve has created a wide variety of unique collections, each with its own aesthetic and message. One of their jewelry collections, the "Be" Collection, features "tribal inspired jewelry bursting with copper tones as well as painted turquoise & white tones." Beyond the thematic designs and color schemes, each piece in the "Be" collection comes with an inspirational, faith-based message printed on high-quality, collectable packaging. Further details concerning the "Be" collection can be found at https://heart-on-your-sleeve-design.myshopify.com/collections/be-collection Apparel collections are also available from the gift company. Heart On Your Sleeve offers a collection of hats as well as multiple different collections of scarves and socks, respectively. Tote bags, hand bags, party cup sleeves and items curated by holiday theme are also offered by the gift company, in addition to their many different jewelry collections. Many of their items are stamped, printed, sewn and otherwise designed and manufactured with inspirational, Scripture-based messaging on the item. https://www.facebook.com/HeartOnYourSleeveDesign/ About Heart On Your Sleeve Design Heart On Your Sleeve Design began out of an upstairs attic in 2007 with a product line of a few simple jewelry pieces and a clientele of a few friends. Eventually, the company expanded to selling their products in local boutiques and markets. Now, in addition to gift mart showrooms in major cities, the inspirational and Scripture-based company sells thousands of pieces to clients all over the world through their website. Customers are able to order individual pieces, inquire about wholesale ordering, read company news and view pictures of each piece in each of their collections on their website, provided in the contact information below. Contact: Company: Heart On Your Sleeve Design Address: 100 Century Plaza Bypass 123 Unit 6B, Seneca, SC 29678 Phone: 864-627-9054 Website: https://heartonyoursleevedesign.com Port Arthur, TX -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/09/2017 -- The news that the company, Biomedical Waste Solutions, undertakes medical waste disposal related tasks may please those who live in Illinois. According to this Illinois Medical Waste Disposal company, the services they render are reliable and not only that, the services are made available at highly affordable costs. The company adds that customers who opt for their services need not apprehend that they will get mediocre services from them just because they are charging reasonably for the medical waste disposal tasks they undertake. Further, they leave no stone unturned to ensure that their services are in strict compliance with the stipulations of the regulatory bodies, says the company. Customers can derive two main benefits by opting for their services, points out the Illinois Medical Waste Disposal company. The foremost benefit is that they can get significant savings with every pickup. Another benefit is that customers can be certain of getting reliable and highly responsive customer service from them. Some of the organizations the compliance of which they are strictly adhering to are OSHA or Occupational Safety and Health Administration, EPA or the United States Environment Protection Agency and HIPAA. This Illinois Medical Waste Disposal company takes pride in pointing out that they ensure not to deviate from the stipulations laid down by these organizations. Customers who opt to utilize their services will get their quote almost instantly, assures the company. Customers can also rest assured that once they entrust the medical waste disposal task to them, everything related to the task will be taken care of. This means these customers can relax and need not have any worries about medical waste disposal. The company requests their potential customers to visit their website so they can have a look at the testimonials written by their past, satisfied customers. In other words, customers will readily and willingly make their decision to seek their services, asserts the company. They add that they are fully aware of the state and federal laws that govern disposal of red bag waste and medical waste and that they ensure to strictly adhere to these laws. Apart from rendering their services at affordable, reasonable costs, they bestow utmost attention on the aspect of customer service also because they firmly believe that it is customers who help them sustain and grow in their business. Before undertaking the task entrusted to them, they discuss with their customers so they can schedule it according to their convenience. Their aim is that customers should get the service and attention they deserve. About Illinois Medical Waste Disposal The company, Biomedical Waste Solutions, undertakes medical waste disposal related tasks in Illinois. The services they offer are reliable. Not only that, their services come at affordable costs also. The company discusses with their customers before scheduling the tasks according to their convenience. In short, their aim is to render the best services possible to their customers. The company strictly adheres to state and federal laws and the stipulations laid down by organizations that govern medical waste disposal. For Media Contact: BioMedical Waste Solutions, LLC 9665 Jade Avenue Port Arthur, TX 77642 For requesting quote: 877-974-1300 http://www.biomedicalwastesolutions.com/Illinois-medical-waste-disposal/ Carpi, Italy -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/09/2017 -- Hostingeconomico.guru, a leading web hosting service provider has announced to provide top quality web hosting solutions at special introductory prices. The company's spokesperson has revealed that their introductory packages have been mainly offered to the medium and small sized businesses. According to the information provided at hostingeconomico.guru, its company has a team of top professionals who offer quality service along with premium support. The company's team of professionals operates and maintains its own network. According to the company's spokesperson, the servers are built using the newest technology. The information provided at the site further added that its company is passionate about hosting and endeavor to provide an exceptional level of service to its clients. The site further added its newly launched cheap hosting packages can help benefit small and medium sized business. Hostingeconomico.guru has been serving clients for decades and they know how to deliver fast, reliable and powerful hosting with superior customer support service. Its system is completely managed and monitored round the clock to keep the servers up and running. Additionally, the company's team of professionals ensures to regularly check the traffic and constantly monitors all the operating systems in order to provide its clients with the best user experience. The information provided at the site revealed that its hosting services come with a user friendly interface in order to make the navigation easy for its clients. The site further added that their services can be extremely helpful for those that have restricted capacity of data concerning internet hosting. For more details kindly visit https://www.hostingeconomico.guru/ About Hostingeconomico.guru Hostingeconomico.guru is one of the leading service providers of web hosting. The company offers a wide array of reliable and cheap hosting plans. In addition to affordable pricing offered by the company it also provide exceptional support by its team of professionals. Businesses looking cheap hosting can make the most out of the services offered by the company. CONTACT MEDIA: Hostingeconomico Carpi - Italy info@hostingeconomico.guru https://www.hostingeconomico.guru/ Seattle, United States -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/09/2017 -- According to a new market research report "Internet of Things (IoT) Managed Services Market by Service Type (Infrastructure Management, Security Management, Network Management, Data Management, Device Management), Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2021", published by MarketsandMarkets, the IoT managed services market size is expected to grow from USD 21.85 Billion in 2016 to USD 79.60 Billion by 2021, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 29.5% during the period 20162021. The major drivers for the increase in demand for IoT managed services market include rise of managed cloud services and growing inclination towards cost effective managed services. Managed Service Providers (MSPs) offer high effectiveness and performance for enterprises with their offerings, which also boosts the growth of the market. Network management services segment is likely to hold the largest market share in the IoT managed services market Network management deals with the entire network chain of an organization. It is essential to enhance the network for optimum utilization of the available resources. Network management services assist in analyzing the amount of data transferring over a network and automatically routes it, to avoid congestion that can result in crash of the network. Opting for a MSP can help organizations in reduced downtime, better network connectivity, safety, security, automatic device discovery, scalability, and seamless operation of the business process. Ask for PDF Brochure @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=256294760 Smart transportation segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period Smart transportation is all about integrating advanced technologies with the existing transportation infrastructure, delivering real-time online information about the traffic flow, tracking of the assets, and passengers/commuters. IoT managed services help the transportation vendors to manage and monitor the complex IoT ecosystem. The increasing requirement for managing analytics, security, devices & sensors, data, and high volume networking, along with a rise in the overall operations and responsiveness drives the smart transportation vertical in the IoT managed services market. North America is expected to hold the largest market share in the IoT managed services market As per the geographic analysis, North America is likely to benefit from factors such as rapid digitization across industry verticals. Increasing adoption of smart connected devices and technological advancements, followed by robust network infrastructure and presence of major IoT MSPs that offer specialized managed services. Inquiry before Buying @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=256294760 The major vendors covered in the IoT managed services market for this study include Cisco Systems, Inc. (California, U.S.), Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation (New Jersey, U.S.), HCL Technologies Limited (Uttar Pradesh, India), Harman International Industries, Inc. (Connecticut, U.S.), Infosys Limited (Karnataka, India), Virtusa Corporation (Massachusetts, U.S.), Tieto Corporation(Helsinki, Finland), Tata Consultancy Services Limited (Maharashtra, India), Tech Mahindra Limited (Maharashtra, India), and Wipro Limited (Karnataka, India). About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets is the largest market research firm worldwide in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to a multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. M&M's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. The new included chapters on Methodology and Benchmarking presented with high quality analytical infographics in our reports gives complete visibility of how the numbers have been arrived and defend the accuracy of the numbers. We at MarketsandMarkets are inspired to help our clients grow by providing apt business insight with our huge market intelligence repository. Contact: Mr. Rohan MarketsandMarkets 701 Pike Street, Suite 2175, Seattle, WA 98101, United States Tel : 1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Teton Village, WY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/09/2017 -- A "Cell Phones and Health" advisory was just released by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) via a California Superior Court order. The document states, "health officials are concerned about possible health effects from cell phone EMFs because some recent studies suggest that long-term cell phone use may increase the risk of brain cancer and other health problems." For three years, the CDPH refused to release the document to Dr. Joel Moskowitz, a Berkeley Professor, arguing that such advice would cause "undue panic." Guidance on cell phones was first issued in the United States a decade ago, in 2007, when the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute issued the first US medical warnings about cell phones to the public and even sent a memo to the Cancer Institute's 3,000 faculty and staff. "The public has a right to know now who ordered the California Health Department to suppress that simple warning," stated Devra Davis, PhD, MPH, President of the Environmental Health Trust (EHT) and former Director of the University's Center for Environmental Oncology issued the cell phone safety advice in 2007 with Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, Director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and added that "the American Academy of Pediatrics and Consumer Reports have both issued recommendations to reduce exposure to cell phones along with over a dozen other countries." The just released California document recommends people keep the phone away from the brain and body especially for children stating, "EMFs can pass deeper into a child's brain than an adult's. Also, the brain is still developing through the teen years, which may make children and teens more sensitive to EMF exposures." The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute's 2007 advice also details children's vulnerability and recommends, "Do not allow children to use a cell phone, except for emergencies. The developing organs of a fetus or child are the most likely to be sensitive to any possible effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields." In 2015 CDPH denied the request to release the document stating, "In light of the updated guidance issued by the CDC [US Centers for Disease Prevention and Control] in June of 2014, CDPH has chosen not to issue a guidance document on radio frequency EMF and cell phones." However, Davis points out that the CDC retracted the June cell phone guidance within three months of issue. The CDC had issued new advice to the public to reduce exposure to cell phone radiation in June 2014 warning that children are more vulnerable stating, "along with many organizations worldwide, we recommend caution...If RF does cause health problems, kids who use cell phones may have a higher chance of developing these health problems in the future." However, by August of 2014, this and other language was removed because, according the internal CDC documents obtained by EHT, "We thought the struck language was hard to understand,"and the CDC website was reworded to state that, "some organizations recommend caution in cell phone use. More research is needed before we know if using cell phones causes health effects." The statement on children disappeared. "Why didn't the California Department of Health move to issue guidance after the CDC retracted their cautionary advice? The CDC not only retracted the clear advice to reduce exposure, but also eliminated information on children's higher risk and also eliminated the International Agency for the Research on Cancer's classification of wireless as a possible carcinogen," stated Davis who also pointed out that an industry consultant was hired by the CDC to consult on their non-ionizing radiation website content in 2014. A BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA CELL PHONE HEALTH DOCUMENT In 2010, health professionals in the Environmental Health Investigations Branch of California Department of Public Health prepared a cell phone guidance document that summarized the science regarding the health risks from cell phone radiation and provided precautionary recommendations to the public for limiting personal exposure. Dr. Joel Moskowitz, Professor at University of California Berkeley School of Public Health learned of the document in 2013 and submitted several formal requests for the document under the California Public Records Act (CPRA) starting in January 2014 but was denied. The Environmental Law Clinic at the University of California, Berkeley Law School and the First Amendment Project represented Dr. Moskowitz pro bono and filed a lawsuit for the document's release in May 2016, with the Superior Court of the County of Sacramento California. In February 2017, Judge Shellyanne Chang issued a ruling which over-ruled eight of the nine objections submitted by the Attorney General and directed CDPH to release the "Cell Phone and Health" Guidance documentation. In response to CDPH's argument that disclosing the document would cause "undue panic and unnecessary doctor or medical visits," Judge Shellyanne Chang stated, "This concern is paternalistic. The public has a right to be informed of the health risks associated with activities so that the public can make informed decisions before participating in those activities." In a 2017 International Conference of the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies held at Hebrew University, Dr. Anthony Miller long-term advisor at the World Health Organization's IARC, and advisor to Environmental Health Trust detailed the current epidemiological research on long-term cell phone users and stated that his overall conclusions are that "the evidence has increased" and "radiofrequency fields should be considered a probable cause of human cancer." Davis points out that "the government was informed on the need for precautions a decade ago." In 2008 Dr. Ronald B. Herberman testified to a Congressional Subcommittee on cell phone radiation stating, "I recognized that there was sufficient evidence to justify the precautionary advisories that had been issued in other countries, to alert people about the possibility of harm from long-term, frequent cell phone use, especially by young children. Then, Dr. Davis and I consulted with international experts in the biology of radiofrequency (RF) effects and the epidemiology of brain tumors, and with experts in neurology, oncology and neurosurgery at UPCI. Without exception, all of the experts contacted confirmed my impression that there was a sound basis to make the case for precaution." About Environmental Health Trust Environmental Health Trust is a 501 C 3 registered public charity with the Internal Revenue Service that is the only non-profit in the world that is both conducting cutting-edge basic and epidemiological research and working with policy makers, physicians, teachers and parents to educate and motivate preventive public health strategies. http://www.ehtrust.org LINKS: California Department of Health Cell Phone and Health Document http://ehtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/California-Cell-Phone-Health-Document-.pdf Expose on the CDC Website Retraction: Children Risk Removed http://ehtrust.org/policy/cdc-cell-phones-health/ Fox News (2008) Pittsburgh Cancer Center Warns of Risk From Cell Phone Use http://www.foxnews.com/story/2008/07/24/pittsburgh-cancer-center-warns-risk-from-cell-phone-use.html 2008 Memo of Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, Director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute: Important Precautionary Advice Regarding Cell Phone Use http://www.foxnews.com/story/2008/07/24/pittsburgh-cancer-center-warns-risk-from-cell-phone-use.html 2007 Center for Environmental Oncology University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute Frequently Asked Questions about Cancer and the Environment http://ehtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/Center-for-Environmental-Oncology-FAQs-.pdf India's presidential palace was the site of an unusual gathering this week, celebrating the democratic inclusion of people with no or little training in the countrys innovation system. It brought together world experts on innovation with citizen inventors from across the country farmers, healers, young students. As citizen inventors walked across an official stage to receive awards I saw a moving mix of pride, humility and gratitude. And the moment seemed to symbolise India's embracing a kind of innovation that values the knowledge held by everyone regardless of training in modern science and technology. This is innovation without fancy labs or hefty R&D funding. Its essential ingredients are a spirit of creativity, cheap accessible materials, and a drive to solve everyday problems for the common good. Science for society is the new mantra. Harsh Vardhan, science and technology minister The inventions by citizens without specialised training range from new crop varieties to wheelchair designs to agricultural machinery to herbal treatments for livestock. India's grassroots movement has built momentum over the past three decades under the leadership Anil Gupta, founder of the Honeybee Network and executive vice chair of the National Innovation Foundation (NIF), which organised the Festival of Innovation this week (March 4-10). Crucially, for me, it recognises the capacity of poor and marginalised people to improve their own lives. "Minds on the margins are not marginal minds," Gupta is fond of saying. And I think it's an example of what capacity building should really be about: supporting people to help themselves, whether that's through networks or seed funding or helping their ideas develop. In a speech on the opening day, president Pranab Mukherjee called for a Ghandian model of decentralised and distributed innovation for the country a vision of the future that he said is tied to improvements in education to support the kind of creativity needed to solve India's pressing problems. The president's hosting of the event signals a recognition of the value in this inclusive brand of innovation. Words by other dignitaries struck a similar chord. "Science for society is the new mantra" said science and technology minister Harsh Vardhan. Over the course of the week I heard representatives from governments, multilateral institutions, startups and business schools offer praise for India's championing this more democratic way of doing innovation.There was talk of a paradigm shift that's fundamental to how we think about people and social innovation that this is not just about feeding millions of mouths, but harnessing the power of millions of minds.I also heard reflections on the future of the movement, with some delegates pondering how it might navigate the high-level government recognition will ties with the state become stronger, and what might change as a result? And is there a plan to channel the diffuse creative activity on show in a certain direction, so it can make a stronger impact on the country's development?The spirit of inventiveness nurtured by Gupta and NIF certainly seems to be thriving. This year's competition attracted over 33,000 submissions from 530 districts across India. Each one was evaluated by the NIF to shortlist innovations for national, state, consolation and appreciation awards.NIF actively scouts innovations across the country, runs 86 innovation clubs and catalogues projects by students in an online 'techpedia' that aims to avoid duplication in ideas because, in Gupta's words, "without originality there's no innovation". The Alaskan volcano, Bogoslof, has erupted again late last Tuesday night until the early morning of Wednesday. The authority has warned the airlines and major U.S. fishing port for the ahses in the Aleutians Islands. The Bogoslof Volcano has erupted at exactly 10:36 p.m. Tuesday. It sent out ash for three hours that formed a cloud up to 35,000 feet, the Alaska Volcano Observatory reported. ABC News has reported that it was the 36th eruption of Bogoslof Volcano since mid-December. It was also the first eruption since Feb 19. Another warning about the one millimeter trace amount of its ashes that might stay on the Dutch Harbor, which is a major port for Bering Sea crab and Pollock, was announced from the National Weather Service. "It was the most significant event for the entire eruption," said U.S. Geological Survey geologist Kristi Wallace. There were 200 lighting strikes and elevated seismic activity that lasted until 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. It was what made the authority turn their attention again to the Bogoslof volcano. After all the activity, it just shut off, Wallace added. However, this Alaskan volcano is still in a heightened state and could spewed ashes again, anytime. The Aleutians Island volcano is 850 miles southwest of Anchorage. The ash clouds it spewed, which rose above 20,000 feet, are definitely a threat to jets flying between Asia and North America. The volcanic ash floating above the Bogoslof volcano can wear down jet engine turbine blades. The observatory said the ash will be melted when it enters the engines and it will cause an engine failure. The ashes can also hinder with the electronics of the navigation systems and scratch cockpit windows, CNBC stated. The volcanic ashes do not only interfere with the jets' engine up above but it also causes harm to the people and animals below. It will cause respiratory problems and can damage air filters and gasoline engines. However, the good news is, there are still no reports that it has reach the people in the city. Before, the Bogoslof Island was nowhere to be seen. It only appeared after an underwater eruption in 1796. The island is up to 5,500 feet below reaching the ocean floor. After more eruptions, the island has become bigger then small again. Scientists and spiritual gurus across the globe have been trying to describe the state of consciousness for far too long. Some of these explanations are based on logic while other not so much. However, a consensus theory that explains human consciousness is lacking till date. Nonetheless, the theory of quantum physics and consciousness, though not accepted completely, has gained a lot of popularity in the recent times. While quantum theory in itself is too complicated for most people to comprehend, some physicists believe that it may be the key to explain the state of consciousness on an atomic and subatomic level. The theory has been further propagated since the advent of quantum computers. Most physicists hypothesize that the way a quantum computer is able to accomplish extremely complicated tasks that a normal computer cannot may be the key to mankind's understanding of the consciousness, BBC reported. While contradictory theories proposed by physicists and spiritualists pertaining to quantum physics and consciousness prevail, many artists believe that there is a deep underlying connection between the two. Furthermore, many of them try to express this connection in not so scientific but highly artistic manner. According to the North Denver Tribune, Jennifer Parisi, renowned artist from Denver, will soon be exhibiting her 20-piece show on quantum physics, named Unified Field Theory. The show, scheduled on March 30, is expected to host most spectacular portraits of principles of quantum physics and its connections with mystical writing and consciousness. In addition, Parisi's show will also host artistic portrayal of four other fundamental scientifically explained forces of nature like weak and strong nuclear interactions, gravitational and electromagnetic forces. In the meantime, filmmaker Frank Huguenard will host the screening of The Physics of the Soul documentary on the interconnections between quantum physics and consciousness, at the Appalachian State University, on March 21. The documentary features the views and explanations on human consciousness given by notable authors, scientists, physicists and spiritual gurus, Appalachian State University News reported. The documentary is speculated to be highly insightful and will help in propagating the logic behind the application of principles of quantum physics in explaining human consciousness. These events are a proof that the society is coming out of the era of blind belief and entering into the new age where people believe in reasoning and logic. WASHINGTON The progressive mob that disrupted Charles Murray's appearance last week at Middlebury College was protesting a 1994 book read by few if any of the protesters. Some of them denounced "eugenics," thereby demonstrating an interesting ignorance: Eugenics -- controlled breeding to improve the heritable traits of human beings -- was a progressive cause. In "The Bell Curve," Murray, a social scientist at the American Enterprise Institute, and his co-author, Harvard psychologist Richard J. Herrnstein, found worrisome evidence that American society was becoming "cognitively stratified," with an increasingly affluent cognitive elite and "a deteriorating quality of life for people at the bottom end of the cognitive ability distribution." They examined the consensus that, controlling for socioeconomic status and possible IQ test bias, cognitive ability is somewhat heritable, that the black/white differential had narrowed, and that millions of blacks have higher IQs than millions of whites. The authors were "resolutely agnostic" concerning the roles of genes and the social environment. They said that even if there developed unequivocal evidence that genetics are "part of the story," there would be "no reason to treat individuals differently" or to permit government regulation of procreation. Middlebury's mob was probably as ignorant of this as of the following: Between 1875 and 1925, when eugenics had many advocates, not all advocates were progressives but advocates were disproportionately progressives because eugenics coincided with progressivism's premises and agenda. Progressives rejected the Founders' natural rights doctrine and conception of freedom. Progressives said freedom is not the natural capacity of individuals whose rights pre-exist government. Rather, freedom is something achieved, at different rates and to different degrees, by different races. Racialism was then seeking scientific validation, and Darwinian science had given rise to "social Darwinism" -- belief in the ascendance of the fittest in the ranking of races. The progressive theologian Walter Rauschenbusch argued that with modern science "we can intelligently mold and guide the evolution in which we take part." Progressivism's concept of freedom as something merely latent, and not equally latent, in human beings dictated rethinking the purpose and scope of government. Princeton University scholar Thomas C. Leonard, in his 2016 book "Illiberal Reformers: Race, Eugenics & American Economics in the Progressive Era," says progressives believed that scientific experts should be in society's saddle, determining the "human hierarchy" and appropriate social policies, including eugenics. Economist Richard T. Ely, a founder of the American Economic Association and whose students at Johns Hopkins included Woodrow Wilson, said "God works through the state," which must be stern and not squeamish. Charles Van Hise, president of the University of Wisconsin, epicenter of intellectual progressivism, said: "We know enough about eugenics so that if that knowledge were applied, the defective classes would disappear within a generation." Progress, said Ely, then at Wisconsin, depended on recognizing "that there are certain human beings who are absolutely unfit, and who should be prevented from a continuation of their kind." The mentally and physically disabled were deemed "defectives." In 1902, when Wilson became Princeton's president, the final volume of his "A History of the American People" contrasted "the sturdy stocks of the north of Europe" with southern and eastern Europeans who had "neither skill nor energy nor any initiative of quick intelligence." In 1907, Indiana became the first of more than 30 states to enact forcible sterilization laws. In 1911, now-Gov. Wilson signed New Jersey's, which applied to "the hopelessly defective and criminal classes." In 1927, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Virginia's law, with Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes saying that in affirming the law requiring the sterilization of "imbeciles" he was "getting near to the first principle of real reform." At the urging of Robert Yerkes, president of the American Psychological Association, during World War I the Army did intelligence testing of conscripts so that the nation could inventory its human stock as it does livestock. The Army's findings influenced Congress' postwar immigration restrictions and national quotas. Carl Brigham, a Princeton psychologist, said the Army's data demonstrated "the intellectual superiority of our Nordic group over the Mediterranean, Alpine and Negro groups." Progressives derided the Founders as unscientific for deriving natural rights from what progressives considered the fiction of a fixed human nature. But they asserted that races had fixed and importantly different natures calling for different social policies. Progressives resolved this contradiction when, like most Americans, they eschewed racialism -- the belief that the races are tidily distinct, each created independent of all others, each with fixed traits and capacities. Middlebury's turbulent progressives should read Leonard's book. After they have read Murray's. George Will's email address is georgewill@washpost.com. From the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the sandy beaches along our Atlantic coast, the Palmetto States natural beauty draws thousands of people here annually. Yet even as our state enjoys remarkable growth, an instrument that has been a key in conserving our states most-precious assets is, itself, in peril. Lawmakers created the South Carolina Conservation Bank in 2002 to protect and sustain land that is either of ecological or historical significance, or both. One significant feature of the bank is that it is not funded with taxpayer dollars; rather, its funding comes from the states share of the deed recording fee, which is paid each time land in the state is sold. The Conservation Bank has had 15 years of success stories throughout the state. Approximately 300 properties across South Carolina are partially or fully funded by the bank. Many of these are hidden gems that, rather than fall victim to unrestrained development or fragmented ownership, have been preserved for future generations through the efforts of landowners who chose to participate voluntarily in the program. Some are vast and include thousands of acres, while others are relatively small, yet each possesses its own significance. The bank has managed to protect 41 properties in the PeeDee. From Chesterfield to Williamsburg, from Bennettsville to Myrtle Beach, you will find land preserved by the bank. The Marsh Furniture Tract in Marion County contains more than eight miles of river frontage along the Great Pee Dee River. The area contains numerous Native American artifacts as well as habitat diversity for many animals, including the bald eagle and the wood stork. Back Swamp School Woods in Florence County is located just off I-95. The 93-acre tract was slated for development but will serve as an educational nature preserve adjoining a historic 1920s school house that now serves as a community center. The Pettigrew Tract in Darlington County boasts a mixture of bottomland hardwoods, planted pine and cypress-tupelo swamp on Lowthers Lake, an oxbow lake accessible to the public from DNRs Whipple Landing. With more than 1,000 acres protected, the variety of forest structure and access to water provides optimal shelter and forage habitat for white-tailed deer. The 25,000 acres in the Woodbury Tract include 38 miles of river frontage, and the entire tract is open to the public. The protection of this land enhances the recovery efforts of the robust redhorse, a fish limited to freshwater rivers in the coastal Southeast. The preservation of the floodplains on this site will also aide in flood control and sediment filtration, and it will preserve the drinking water supply for nearby Myrtle Beach. The Woodbury Tract is the type of land the Conservation Bank envisioned protecting when it was first set up. With successes like these, you might think the Conservation Banks future would be assured. Sadly, it is not. The bank is subject to a sundown provision that will kill the agency automatically on June 30, 2018, unless lawmakers vote to continue it. Alarmingly, the needed reauthorization bill has failed to even make it out of committee for three consecutive years. In addition, and despite its lack of reliance on taxpayer funding, the bank also has been impeded with a death clause that said whenever half or more of other state agencies budgets are cut, the Conservation Bank receives no funds. This has happened several times since its inception. Bank supporters have established a nonprofit organization, the Palmetto Land and Water Legacy Alliance, with the sole mission of securing bank reauthorization without sunset provision or death clause. This is a wide range of business, political and environmental people who have come together to voice their concerns over the banks future. To learn more and show your support for this preservation tool, please visit palmettolandwater.com, and the Alliances Facebook page. A contribution is not required. Via this grassroots organization, you can receive updates and information so you can contact your representatives in the S.C. House and Senate and let them know your feelings about the Conservation Bank during the General Assembly session. The states population will continue to grow, and many people will be drawn to South Carolina and the Pee Dee because of their extraordinary natural and historic resources. The continued good work of the state Conservation Bank is vital to preserving these resources for future generations of South Carolinians. David Harper is the executive director of the Pee Dee Land Trust. Tim Dargan is a Pee Dee Land Trust board member and chairman of the Land Protection Committee. We rely on your support to make local news available to all Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2022. Donate today This would support 379 jobsfull, part-time and seasonala 'pretty significant' number in a town with a population of 5,235, said Cornell Knight, town manager. The study by the University of Maine's School of Economics is based on 2,231 mail surveys that were completed by visitors associated with 31 ship calls over 24 days between May and October. Passengers were surveyed from a mix of ships, small to large, and across a wide range of lines. The $20.2m is up from the $13.7m estimated in 2005 and the $12.1m in 2002. 'Cruise ship activity has grown in the last years so this is good information to know. We were very pleased by the impact of over $20 million,' Knight said. Ships arriving last year had capacity for 163,000 passengers, and the study calculated 138,285 passengers went ashore. It found that travelers visiting Bar Harbor on a cruise are highly educated and affluent, and most are at least 50 years old (their median age was 65). They were avid cruisers60% have taken at least five cruisesbut most had not visited Maine before. The ship visitors came from all 50 states and 22 countries. This confirms the cruise passenger demographic is different from the typical Maine tourist, noted Amy Powers, director of CruiseMaine USA. Prof. Todd Gabe, who led the study, explained Maine's summer vacation market consists of a high percentage of travelers who drive from nearby states like Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Cruise passengers come from much further away, he said. The top two states were Florida and California, and Maryland, Texas, Virginia and Ohio were in the top 10. More than 80% of the survey respondents were off the ship for at least four hours, including the time spent on cruise line excursions. Apart from the time on tours, about 50% of the respondents explored the local area for at least four hours. About 44% walked along the shore path, and about 60% walked past the Village Green. More than 96% visited at least one store or restaurant/bar, and about one-third visited 10 or more places. Over three-quarters of those surveyed spent money in one to four stores and restaurants/bars, and about 13% made purchases in five to nine stores and restaurants/bars. About 60% of the survey respondents visited Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor's marquee attraction. Some 46% took a cruise line excursion. Of those, about 86% reported they shopped in Bar Harbor and 72% indicated they ate in Bar Harbor. The survey respondents spent an average of $108. $74 of this amount does not include expenditures on cruise line tours. After tours, the largest expenditure items were meals and drinks, clothing and general souvenirs. About one-third of the passengers reported reading 'Museum in the Streets' signs that provide written descriptions about nearby sites, and 40% used wayfinder signs. Powers said this confirms the value of the signs, which were paid for from passenger fees collected by the town. Twenty additional signs are in the budget for 2017. 'It's also good to know that 45% of the people surveyed felt they needed more time in Bar Harbor,' Knight said, adding that the town is looking at purchasing a ferry terminal the state owns and converting it into a cruise terminal. If ships can dock, that would give people more time ashore. 'They lose time tendering so that could be useful information as we consider the cruise terminal,' the town manager added. Not included in the study were crew spending or cruise line spending for such costs as ship agents, dockage, pilots and provisions. One example of a local activity not included in the economic impact analysis was the $686,472 in passenger fees collected by the town. The study was funded by the Maine Port Authority/CruiseMaine USA and the town of Bar Harbor, with support from Harbor Place and the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce. That's been talked about for awhile, but on Wednesday, Michael Bayley, Royal Caribbean president and ceo, described the CocoCay blueprint as 'really exciting.' The destination, he added, will be 'packed with experiences ... like those you'd expect on Harmony of the Seas.' Bayley didn't share further details, but said CocoCay's development will entail a multi-phase project and for the most part, ships will continue to call without disruption though there may be a few minor itinerary adjustments. CocoCay is due to be completed in 2019. The addition of a pier means the private island will be visited by Oasis-class ships in the future, though CocoCay is not among the cruises that opened for sale today on the fourth Oasis-class ship, Symphony of the Seas, to be based at PortMiami from November 2018. The Mercy Ships part is scheduled for 'The Five' show that airs 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. EST March 10, probably toward the end of the broadcast. This will be Perino's second visit to a Mercy Ship. Social media events that are tentatively scheduled around the live broadcast include a live question and answer session on Perino's Facebook page Thursday (March 9) at 5:30 p.m. ET and a Facebook Live broadcast on Mercy Ships' Facebook page at 10:20 a.m. ET Friday. Perino may also take over Mercy Ships' Twitter account (@MercyShips) between noon and 1 p.m. ET Friday. Mercy Ships is the charity of choice for Cruise Lines International Association and will be featured during Seatrade Cruise Global next week as part of a new partnership with the event. The Costa Group also recently launched a partnership in support of Mercy Ships. Greeted by a colorful fleet of motorized rickshaws, passengers were ferried into town to explore an ornate temple and then attend a welcoming ceremony of song and dance presented by local children. The three-day stopover in the country also included visits to Hiron Point, Charaputia, Harbaria and Kokilmoni. A high point was visiting Sundarbans mangrove forest, a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its Bengal tigers. The ship sailed again to Bangladesh last week on a 14-day voyage that continues this week with visits to several destinations in Myanmar. 'This is a major milestone in Silversea's history that underscores our commitment to exploring some of the world's most remote and secluded regions,' said Conrad Combrink, global head of expedition planning and strategic development. Silversea's four expedition ships are designed to access remote destinations in luxury and comfort. The on-board program features destination lectures, photo presentations and daily recaps. Exploratory Zodiac excursions and interactive walks ashore, led by experts in their fieldmarine biologists, ornithologists, geologists, botanists, historians, and anthropologistsare included in the fare. The City of Wyandotte is hoping to raise funds for the completion of the Arrowhead Pavilion, an enhanced outdoor public space in front of Wyandotte City Hall.Arrowhead Pavilion will be a new gathering space in downtown Wyandotte. Situated at the corner of Sycamore Street and Biddle Avenue, the pavilion will feature outdoor seating, dining spaces, lighting installations, art, and improved landscaping. The venue will also host events, including the Wyandotte Street Art Fair, Christmas Tree Lighting, and monthly 3rd Friday celebrations.To raise funds to build Arrowhead Pavilion, the city has signed on with the Public Spaces Community Places initiative. Michigan Economic Development Corporation will contribute a $50,000 matching grant to the city if Wyandotte successfully raises $50,000 through a crowdfunding campaign via the Michigan-based crowdfunding platform Patronicity.Wyandotte has until March 31 to raise the funds. It's an all-or-nothing crowdfunding campaign, meaning that Wyandotte only receives the money if they successfully reach the $50,000 mark."This is a project that can really enhance our Downtown, providing additional public space for residents and visitors to gather and relax," Joe Gruber, Downtown Development Authority Director for the City of Wyandotte, says in a statement. "Achieving our goal is only possible with everyones participation, and we are confident that lots of folks will participate, because they are deeply connected to this town and its growth and development."By improving downtown placemaking and pedestrian infrastructure, the city believes that it will attract more residents, visitors, and businesses.Arrowhead Pavilion was designed by Rochester Hills-based architects D'Anna Associates.Got a development news story to share? Email MJ Galbraith here or send him a tweet @mikegalbraith This is the first piece in After nearly seven years operating 1515 Broadway Cafe in Detroit, rents in the burgeoning downtown district were pricing Dan Martinez out. So he decided to start a new business in the "cute little downtown" he passed through on his daily drive from his Detroit home to his teaching gig at In many ways, Pontiac's path has mirrored Detroit's. Like Detroit, Pontiac faced a dire financial situation, prompting a succession of three state-appointed emergency managers between 2010 to 2013. And though it has received less attention than Detroit, Pontiac is also following in its larger neighbor's footsteps in a positive way, emerging from emergency management with numerous signs of revitalization. For example, Compuware cofounder Pete Karmanos Jr. is But those major developments and big names are just the tips of the iceberg. Less recognizable but equally determined entrepreneurs like Martinez are beginning to stream into the city as well. "Downtown looked like it was ready for a renaissance," says Martinez, who now operates the Alleycat Cafe. Photo by Doug Coombe. Affordable appeal Pontiac planning commission chair Dayne Thomas sums up the city's renewed appeal with a single word: "Affordability." In residential neighborhoods, homes can still be had for $1,000. They're fixer-uppers, to be sure, but many of them have a Dayne Thomas, Chair of Pontiac Planning Commission and GM Modern Housing resident. Photo by Doug Coombe. "No one has an appetite to live in the suburbs," Thomas says, somewhat ironically using a word that might have easily referred to Pontiac before its revitalization began. "There's frankly no dignity living in the suburbs. You live someplace where you have to drive someplace." Troy-based Beverly Meek, Flagstar Bank. Photo by Doug Coombe. "Pontiac is in our backyard, 10 minutes from our headquarters," says Flagstar first vice president Beverly Meek. "A lot of people are investing in Detroit, and so are we. But Pontiac is an area where we thought we could make a greater impact by investing in a city where we think our investment could be leveraged and would make a greater impact." Interest has piled up quickly in downtown commercial space as well. "We're constantly in renovation mode down here," Konopaskie says. Effects of emergency management Despite all the good news, Pontiac's financial emergency remains a very recent memory as do the controversial actions of the city's emergency managers, who privatized emergency and other city services, dissolved Pontiac's police department and turned community policing over to the Oakland County Sheriff, and liquidated many city assets in the process of paying off $87 million in city debt. Residents are divided as to the overall effect the emergency manager period has had on the city's recovery. Konopaskie says the city's first two emergency managers, Fred Leeb and Michael Stampfler, "did more harm than good." Konopaskie gives more credit to Stampfler's successor, Lou Schimmel, while still describing his role as a "necessary evil." Glen Konopaskie, director of Main Street Pontiac. Photo by Doug Coombe. "Did the emergency manager have to do some stuff that wasn't popular? Absolutely," Konopaskie says. "We lost some really good things in this city because of emergency management. But part of what was done when the emergency manager came in was to start cleaning up the broken processes and forcing us to rebuild from scratch with something better, in my opinion." Konopaskie is still waiting out that transition and in the meantime, struggling with extended waits for basic city services like building inspections. Pontiac resident Sean Kammer is far less measured in his appraisal of the long-term effects of emergency management, describing it as "a detriment to the city." Kammer, who founded the nonprofit "I don't think an emergency manager can engineer all those things from his desk," Kammer says. Spreading revitalization Sean Kammer. Photo by Doug Coombe. As Pontiac builds on a resurgence that's still concentrated primarily in its downtown, Kammer says another key problem is engaging the city's neighborhoods in that revitalization. He says there are "definitely different perspectives" on downtown redevelopment, depending on which Pontiac neighborhood you check in with. "In neighborhoods where transportation may be challenging, developments going on in downtown may not be perceived as beneficial," he says. "The same things go with those neighborhoods if there's serious economic inequalities, unstable housing situations." Kammer suggests a wide variety of solutions to that problem, including a campaign that promotes a sense of "collective ownership" of downtown, neighborhood outreach efforts led by the businesses flowing into downtown, or partnerships between businesses and nonprofits to transform some of Pontiac's vacant schools into neighborhood community centers. Neighborhood organizer Cole Yoakum sees it a bit differently. Yoakum moved to Detroit from Arkansas in 2011 with interest in doing neighborhood revitalization work; finding that Detroit was already "gaining traction," he chose to resettle on the western edge of Pontiac one year later. He's since started the nonprofit community development organization Coleman Yoakum, Micah 6 and Sprout Fresh Food Store. Photo by Doug Coombe. "The thing that scares people the most is ambiguity and not knowing what's going to happen," Yoaku m says. "So while our schools are in turmoil and our property values and all this stuff is up in the air, I think that's going to be a deterrent for folks who are maybe craving a little more stability from institutions. But for young, enterprising, especially entrepreneurial people like me and like my friends and the people who are coming right now, those things don't bother us yet. We're still excited, and we're still coming." Yoakum summons a vision of Pontiac at an exciting but tenuous moment, which Martinez echoes when he says the city is "approaching the tipping point." Martinez says his business is still struggling somewhat in what he describes as a "weak market," but as long as the rent stays low he's willing to bet on Pontiac's continued comeback. "The infrastructure is in place," he says. "Everything's there. It's just time for a new, young population to come and see what value a small town like this holds." Please join #OTGpontiac on Thursdays from 8 am-1 pm for our weekly at the Alleycat Cafe, 31 N Saginaw (alley entrance off W. Lawrence) in downtown Pontiac. You can pitch us ideas, tell us your Pontiac story, give news tips or just hang out with our writers and editors. Community Open Newsroom at the Alleycat Cafe, 31 N Saginaw (alley entrance off W. Lawrence) in downtown Pontiac. You can pitch us ideas, tell us your Pontiac story, give news tips or just hang out with our writers and editors. Metromode's 3-month On The Ground Pontiac series. To follow the series, subscribe to Metromode and follow the hashtagon Instagram Facebook , and Twitter . You can view all of the stories here Dorsey Schools Culinary Academy : Pontiac. moving three of his companies from Birmingham to downtown Pontiac's Riker Building (another Detroit parallel, echoing Compuware's impactful move to downtown Detroit in 2003). The Flagstar Strand Theatre recently reopened following a $20 million renovation. In another Detroit connection, Slows Bar-B-Q is scheduled to open a Pontiac location next to the Strand this year. And even the long-dormant Bloomfield Park development, which straddles the Pontiac-Bloomfield Township border and fell victim to the Great Recession, is back on track Alleycat Cafe in downtown Pontiac. "It looked like it was perfectly suited to a little growth, just like Ferndale and downtown Detroit ... so I took a chance." rich history . And they have the added appeal of proximity to what's starting to feel like a downtown on the verge. Flagstar Bank has moved to capitalize on growing interest in Pontiac in a big way. The bank contributed $1.5 million to the renovation of the Strand Theatre, which now bears Flagstar's name. But that's just a portion of the bank's overall $10 million investment in the city, half of which is devoted to a home mortgage product for Pontiac residents. The bank has also earmarked money for economic development and financial literacy initiatives in the city. Pontiac Downtown Business Association director Glen Konopaskie says a total of 60 buildings and parking lots have sold downtown over the past five years, and property owners are now plowing just over $15 million a year into renovation work. Konopaskie expects this year's total will exceed that, as Auch Construction prepares to build its new corporate headquarters on a former General Motors property on the eastern side of downtown. Better Pontiac , appreciates recent signs of resurgence in his city. But in the wake of a recent announcement that two Pontiac schools are at risk of state-imposed closure for low performance, he notes that Pontiac still has major problems to solve in creating economic and educational opportunities for all of its citizens. Micah 6 . As Yoakum sees, community organizers have one job and developers have another. As animal welfare advocates and conservationists celebrated the recent phasing out of scientific experiments conducted on captive chimpanzees, Peter Walsh of the University of Cambridge and his team worked at a feverish pitch. They had been testing an oral Ebola vaccine in Louisiana for wild apes when it was announced that expanded Endangered Species Act protections would soon close a loophole that excluded captive chimpanzees, sharply curtailing biomedical research involving the primates. "We expedited all the preparations for the trial in order to complete it before the new regulations took effect," Walsh, a biological anthropologist, told Seeker. The results of their work, published in the journal Scientific Reports, indicate that the new oral Ebola vaccine holds promise for safeguarding wild chimpanzees and other primates from the deadly virus. It is estimated that Ebola killed a third of the world's wild gorilla population over the last three decades. The findings complicate the ethical debate over whether or not to conduct biomedical research on captive chimpanzees, particularly when the therapeutics in question are targeted to save the lives of primates. Humans willingly participate in drug trials, "but with chimpanzees," Walsh said, "there is no possibility of informed consent or voluntary participation. You either do the testing on captive animals, or wild animals die." RELATED: Zoo Chimp Has Legal Rights, Says Judge in Argentina The researchers monitored the chimps up to 28 days afterward. Blood tests determined that levels of antibodies against the Ebola virus rose about equally in all of the primates, suggesting that oral delivery was just as effective as the shots. "The vaccine would be used in a bait, which the [wild] apes would voluntarily eat, therefore immunizing themselves," Schnell explained. "This is similar to what has been done to eliminate the rabies virus threat to foxes in Europe." The scientists closely monitored the chimps for behavioral and biological signs of stress throughout the research trial. Other than minor weight loss of about 2 percent of total body mass, signs of trauma were "entirely absent," they reported. Walsh likened the stress to what college students experience when anticipating exams. The test subject chimps are now "alive and in good health," he noted, adding that the primates will soon be retired to a sanctuary. While the fate of the chimps appears clear, the future of an oral Ebola vaccine for wild primates as well as other possible vaccines for these animals remains an unknown at this point. The researchers say that additional tests are needed before this and any other possible vaccines should be deployed, but their biomedical research trial is the last on captive chimps for now. The application of an oral vaccine in a range of wild areas would likely inoculate more apes than would be covered by using hypodermic darts to painstakingly vaccinate a few apes at a time. But field trials involving wild apes are needed to demonstrate an oral vaccine's reach, and additional work will be required to stabilize the vaccine against the heat of forest environments where the primates live. The CDC has documented both human and domesticated animal contacts with oral vaccine baits that were distributed to help prevent rabies in multiple states. If such baits are freely scattered, almost any animal could consume them. Individual animals - even from the target species - could also eat several baits, potentially putting them in danger. Walsh and his team are investigating solutions to these possible problems, such as using automated camera traps to record rates of bait uptake and to better control overall vaccine distribution. Regarding the future of captive chimpanzee trials, the scientists said such experiments are technically still legal in the US in instances meant to benefit the species. Limited funding and unwillingness on the part of zoos and sanctuaries to permit such testing on their animals pose immense challenges, however. RELATED: Watch Zookeepers 'Shoot' Man in Chimp Suit During Bizarre Training Exercise "We have developed a very promising tool for inoculating ape species against the myriad deadly diseases they face in the wild, but continued progress relies on access to a small number of captive animals," Walsh said in a statement. "This may be the final vaccine trial on captive chimpanzees: a serious setback for efforts to protect our closest relatives from the pathogens that push them ever closer to extinction in the wild." The researchers remain hopeful that the National Institutes of Health or a private funder will step forward to bear the cost of supporting chimps at a facility where conservation trials could be done. They initiated their Ebola vaccine work with studies on mice, but those are not enough to warrant regular usage of the vaccine in primates. They further believe that alternatives to drug tests on live animals, such as in vitro experiments, do not provide adequate results. The researchers additionally mentioned that Ebola is just one of many viruses impacting wild primate populations now. Others include malaria, anthrax and SIV, which is a virus closely related to HIV. The new study, Walsh said, "is about developing the capacity to prevent or treat all of these disease threats. We do it for our children. Why shouldn't we do it for our wild cousins?" Add enhanced risk of premature balding to the list of illnesses and indignities faced by diminutive men of European descent, according to a new study. "It seems that men with a relatively shorter body height have a higher chance of losing their hair," University of Bonn professor Stefanie Heilmann-Heimbach, lead author of the study, told AFP. Her team's research appeared on Wednesday in Nature Communications. "Our data indicates that some of the genes involved in baldness are associated, on average, with shorter stature." Earlier research has shown that men with so-called male pattern baldness are also statistically more likely to suffer from heart disease and prostate cancer, though the added risk is slight. Reduced body size and early onset of puberty are also linked with loss of hair for men. Some of the same genes that regulate human height, it seems, also play a role in the emergence of these conditions and diseases. WATCH: This Unorthodox Procedure Makes Short People a Foot Taller For decades, sci-fi movies have promised us intelligent computers that respond to natural-language commands and can even hold a conversation. With Google Home and Amazon Echo, which answers to the name of Alexa, some say the future has officially arrived. These so-called "voice-activated knowledge devices" use cloud-based AI to serve up answers to your every question. But are they equally smart? Digital marketing firm Stone Temple Consulting thought it was time for a performance test, posing 5,000 questions to both Amazon Echo and Google Home to determine how many each device could answer correctly. "It's very important to note that our test is NOT a test of all the capabilities of both devices," the company stressed. "Our test focused on the ability to provide direct answers to specific user questions. In short, we're only testing the ability of each device to provide factual answers to questions." RELATED: Police Want to Ask an Amazon Echo Who Strangled Its Owner In terms of accurate knowledge, the contest showed that Google Home was the clear winner. Stone Temple first counted the number of questions that each device attempted to answer. This is a strong indicator of the device's ability to recognize natural-language queries. In that head-to-head showdown, Google owned the category. Google Home attempted to answer 68 percent of the 5,000 total questions, while Amazon Echo hazarded a guess for only 21 percent. Press Release March 9, 2017 De Lima seeks Senate probe on killings of lawyers Sen. Leila M. de Lima has sought a Senate investigation on the series of killings targeting lawyers handling high-profile cases, thereby putting their invaluable role in maintaining the rule of law in the country at greater risk. De Lima filed Proposed Senate Resolution No. 300 urging the appropriate Senate committee to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation to enact measures intended to ensure the safety and welfare of the members of the Philippine Bar. "This recent spate of killings victimizing members of the Bar makes it imperative for the government to enact measures for the personal and professional safety of Filipino lawyers and to effectively prevent attacks on their independence and safety," she said. The former justice secretary noted the following incidents of killings involving lawyers, to wit: Atty. Rogelio Bato who was the lawyer of alleged drug lord, the late Mayor Rolando Espinosa, was killed in an ambush in the town of Albuera, Leyte last Aug. 24; Atty. Melver Tolentino who was shot several times by two motorcycle-riding gunmen while he was refuelling his vehicle at a gasoline station in Ilocos Sur last Sept. 16; Atty. Goering Paderanga who was killed while his son was wounded when they were shot by a security guard as they stepped out of his office in Bgy. Sta. Cruz, Cebu City last Dec. 22; Atty. Mia Mascarinas-Green, a known environmental lawyer handling cases involving property disputes and criminal cases and a volunteer lawyer's network of the Environmental Legal Assistance Center, was also ambushed and shot dead by four motorcycle-riding gunmen near her home in Bohol. Citing the 8th United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, De Lima noted that "governments shall ensure that lawyers are able to perform all their professional functions without intimidation, hindrance, harassment or improper interference." "[W]here the security of lawyers is threatened as a result of discharging their functions, they shall be adequately safeguarded by the authorities," she said, quoting paragraph 17 of the Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers of the UN instrument. The proposed Senate resolution aims to enact measures to secure the safety and welfare of the members of the Philippine Bar and at the same time, prevent attacks on the lawyers' independence and safety. Press Release March 9, 2017 Senate Approves Paris Agreement on 2nd Reading, Concurrence Soon The Senate has approved on second reading the Resolution Concurring in the Accession to the Paris Agreement after Senator Loren Legarda's sponsorship on Wednesday evening. Legarda, who chaired the Subcommittee on the Paris Agreement under the Committee on Foreign Relations, said the Senate is set to approve it on third reading next week, which would signal complete accession to the treaty. "I thank my colleagues in the Senate for their support to the Agreement. I hope for the unanimous approval on third reading next week. As Party to the Agreement, we can influence the decisions on how the accord will be implemented and we maintain our leadership role in the international climate talks and advocacy," said Legarda. The Senator explained that the Agreement would be beneficial to a vulnerable developing nation like the Philippines. "The Paris Agreement is a vehicle towards achieving climate justice as it compels developed nations that have contributed most to cause global warming to finance the Green Climate Fund and provide support to developing and vulnerable nations through capacity building and technology transfer," she said. The principle of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR) and the Loss and Damage Mechanism are enshrined in the accord. "The principle of CBDR is prevalent in many provisions of the Agreement. Developing countries are provided some flexibility in the implementation of its obligations and will be provided with the tools and means to do so," Legarda said. She added that Parties have also agreed on a process to determine what approaches and arrangements are needed to best address the needs of those countries and communities who have contributed least but are impacted most from climate change, like the Philippines. The principle of CBDR has long been the foundation of the Philippines' negotiating stance. Equity is the foundation of CBDR. It implies that different capacities must trigger different responsibilities, so that the required actions should differ among countries, based on their national circumstances. Moreover, under the Agreement, the Warsaw Mechanism for Loss and Damage may be enhanced and strengthened. Vulnerable countries will need a robust lost and damage mechanism to answer to those impacts of climate change that cannot anymore be managed through mitigation and adaptation. "The Paris Agreement establishes the obligation of all Parties to contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation. The Agreement is governed by voluntary mitigation contributions and transparent processes that will ensure continued collective progress towards meeting the ambitious global goal," said Legarda. The Philippines, as chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) during the Paris climate talks last December 2015, was among the most influential in the crafting of the Paris Agreement as it led the call to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius to be able to survive. From the day the Paris Agreement was signed by more than a hundred countries on April 22, 2016 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York where Legarda was present, the Senator has called on the Philippines and all nations to immediately ratify the Agreement. Legarda, principal author of the Climate Change Law and Chair of the Senate Committees on Finance and Climate Change, has been working behind the scenes in pushing for the Philippines' ratification, explaining the Agreement to Cabinet members, including the President's economic team, and at the same time coordinating with various climate organizations on the way forward. "Our ratification will send a strong signal of our continuing commitment to work with the rest of the world in ensuring the survival of this generation and the generations to come, and the ability of the Earth to sustain life," Legarda concluded. News, analysis, and archives on the grassroots in Haiti. Nouvel, analiz, ak achiv sou baz yo an AYITI. Noticias, analisis y archivos sobre el pueblo de Haiti. Press Release March 9, 2017 COCO LEVY FUND BILL IN SENATE MOVES FORWARD, HOUSE URGED TO FAST-TRACK MANILA - Senators on Wednesday night finished examining Sen. Francis Pangilinan's coco levy trust fund bill, moving the measure closer to becoming a law with the end of the period of interpellation. "Umaasa tayo na ma-ipapasa natin ang Coco Levy Trust Fund measure sa third and final reading bago matapos ang first regular session ng Kongreso sa Hunyo (We hope we would be able to pass the Coco Levy Trust Fund measure on third and final reading before the first regular session of Congress adjourns in June)," said the Liberal Party president. Pangilinan was removed as chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Food during a recent Senate re-organization, but he continued to defend the bill that seeks to correct the 40-year-old injustice on coconut farmers, with new committee chair Sen. Cynthia Villar agreeing to let him finish work he has started. "Matapos ang mga interpellation, kaagad tayong maghahanda para sa period of individual amendments (After the interpellations, we will immediately prepare for the period of individual amendments)," Pangilinan said The period of individual amendments for the Coco Levy Trust Fund bill is set to begin next week. Once the period of individual amendment concludes, the Senate shall put to a vote the passage of the measure. "Habang patuloy na gumagalaw ang ating panukalang batas sa Senado, umaasa tayo na gagawin din ng ating mga kasamahan sa Kamara ang kanilang tungkulin. Hinihimok natin sila na bigyang prayoridad ang pagpasa sa panukalang batas na ito alang-alang sa ating mga magniniyog na nananatiling pinakamahihirap sa lahat (As our bill in the Senate continues to progress, we hope our colleagues in the House of Representatives do their part as well. We urge them to give priority into the passage of this measure for the sake of our coconut farmers who remain among the poorest of the poor), Pangilinan said. Once enacted into law, Pangilinan said, the landmark Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Bill will: Specify that the estimated P100-billion in cash and assets of the coco levy fund will go only for the development of the coconut industry. Establish a perpetual trust fund that will only use the interest income earned. Create a fund trustee, the Trust Fund Committee, of which six of its eleven members, or a majority, are either from coconut farmers groups or their representatives. Chaired by the Secretary of Finance, and co-chaired by the Secretary of Agriculture, the committee will decide on how to invest the fund. Specify the formulation of a Coconut Development Plan. Ensure the active participation of coconut farmers at every stage of the implementation of the law. The senators who scrutinized the measure for fine-tuning were Senators Risa Hontiveros, Grace Poe, Cynthia Villar, Joel Villanueva, Leila De Lima, Ralph Recto, and Richard Gordon. Majority Floor Leader Sen. Vicente Sotto III was the last to interpellate. Starting 1973, government collected taxes from coconut farmers purportedly to develop the industry. However, cronies of the late dictator used the collected levies to enrich themselves until the Supreme Court ruled to get the monies back from them and instructed the government to use them in trust in behalf of the coconut farmers. San Francisco art collector and philanthropist Pamela Joyner is rapidly becoming an influential figure around the world. A trustee of the Art Institute of Chicago and a member of support committees at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Britains Tate museums, Joyner was elected last month to the 14-member Board of Trustees of the J. Paul Getty Trust. At that time, Getty Trust President James Cuno called her an art collector of distinction, and praised her commitment to education and her deep understanding of the value of a research library. A scholarly catalog of the works she and her husband, Fred Giuffrida, have amassed, Four Generations: The Joyner Giuffrida Collection of Abstract Art, was published in September to strong reviews. Now, an extensive exhibition drawn from the collection has been announced. It will tour to at least five prominent museums throughout the United States, beginning this fall at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and making stops at the Baltimore Museum of Art and the museums of Duke and Notre Dame universities. Current plans call for the tour to end at the UC Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive in August 2019, though additional venues are under discussion. This kind of attention would please any committed art collector. The Joyner Giuffrida Collection, however, has a particular distinction: It comprises some 300 works by leading African American artists, and artists of the African diaspora. And it has a mission. Joyner, by phone, said that is to try to be a catalyst to reframe art history around artists of African descent who have been overlooked by the full arc of the canon. Christopher Bedford enthusiastically embraces that goal. He is director of the Baltimore Museum of Art and co-curator of the exhibition with Baltimore Museum curator Katy Siegel. Her collecting practices are astoundingly topical, he said by phone. In the history of collecting, we have never seen this mix of commitment to the quality of the objects and to their social import. The exhibition, titled Solidary and Solitary: The Pamela J. Joyner and Alfred J. Giuffrida Collection, will look at the work of the four generations of artists on which Joyner and Giuffrida have focused. It will span from the 1940s to the present. The work of Norman Lewis, in particular, but also Alma Thomas, Beauford Delaney and others associated with Abstract Expressionism and its offshoots are well represented among the collections earliest objects. Other significant first-generation artists include Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Richard Hunt and Jacob Lawrence. Venerable artists like Sam Gilliam, Charles Gaines, Melvin Edwards, David Hammons, Raymond Saunders and Jack Whitten are among the second generation. The Freestyle generation, named after a groundbreaking 2001 exhibition at the Studio Museum of Harlem, is a large group encompassing many key artists of our day, from Mark Bradford who will represent the U.S. this year at the Venice Biennale to Kara Walker. The final group is defined, according to Four Generations essayist Joost Bosland, as artists connected to the African continent by birth or recent family history. It includes Odili Donald Odita, Moshekwa Langa, Robin Rhode and others, with a strong representation of the British portraitist Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. Bedford, the Baltimore Museum director, said the show is a particular passion for me. As museums, we do a really poor job of representing the interests of all our audiences. He said his museum will devote 12,000 to 14,000 square feet of galleries to an expanded version. We are just taking the first step here, he said. When all is said and done, the story to be told is not one of exclusion but integration. Asked whether she had models in building such an extensive and incisive collection, Joyner said, We started 20 years ago, like a lot of people start, with a need to enhance our living environment by hanging things on the wall. But as we got into this more deeply, what emerged was a strand of stories that really has been of interest to me. Over time, she came to love the Anderson Collection, now permanently installed at Stanford University, where works from her collection hang on loan as part of Stanfords effort to broaden the story it can tell. She also admires the scholar and collector Estrellita Brodsky, who really has shined a keen light on Latin American artists whove been overlooked. It took me some time to develop a strategy, a mission statement we have all of that, you know. I actually write these things down. Thats the businessperson in me, said the collector, who holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and retired early from a successful career in finance. And, she said, I have an acquisitions target list. After buying about 30 works annually in recent years, the couple plans to slow down now. Although, in preparation for the exhibition, were trying to fill a few holes or enhance a few story lines. The collecting bug is a pretty bad bug to have you become addicted to the process. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate More than 100 people could face charges relating to a bloody melee that broke out at the state Capitol last year when white-nationalist demonstrators were confronted by counterprotesters. The California Highway Patrol announced Wednesday that it had forwarded results from an eight-month investigation into the clash to the Sacramento County District Attorney and had found clear evidence of crimes ranging from unlawful assembly to assault with a deadly weapon. The violence stemmed from a June 26 demonstration that members of a group calling itself the Traditionalist Worker Party took out permits to hold in the west area of Capitol Park. The organization, which claims about 500 members nationwide, is a white nationalist, political group that formed early last year, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. A group called Anti-Fascist Action Sacramento, which also calls itself Antifa Sacramento, organized a counter-demonstration, for which it did not have permits, authorities said. The back-and-forth between about two dozen of the right-wing demonstrators and hundreds of others began with small skirmishes on the steps of the Capitol and soon spread elsewhere in the park. Some 300 people were involved, authorities said. At least 14 were injured, two with critical stab wounds. Thousands of dollars of damage was done to the Capitol grounds, according to the California Highway Patrol. No arrests were made at the time. At least 100 law officers were present. The California Highway Patrols new 2,000-page report, which includes hours of video footage, asks the district attorneys office to consider 514 misdemeanor and 68 felony charges against 106 people. The District Attorneys Office could not be immediately reached Wednesday evening. 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. Officers said that the investigation was hampered by demonstrators who refused to cooperate or identify themselves. Many were masked during the confrontation. Our role is to protect free speech, said Capt. Daniel Lamm in a prepared statement, but not when that speech involves violence. Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate As the sun poked through the clouds Tuesday morning, Alden Wong pedaled along the path leading to the Bay Bridge, building speed as he prepared to head up the incline and across the east span to Yerba Buena Island. Then he discovered that the bridges bike and pedestrian path is open only on weekends. Only weekends? the 44-year-old Oaklander asked. Whaaaaaaat? Bay Area bike advocates, and many cyclists, are wondering the same thing. Its been 3 years since the Bay Bridge east span opened to the public. But its bike and pedestrian path from Oakland to Yerba Buena, the one that was supposed to be ready when the new bridge opened, and remain open 24 hours a day every day, is available to riders only during daylight hours on weekends. Paul Chinn/The Chronicle The 2.2-mile route, which took until December to complete, is closed nights and weekdays. Bob Haus, a Caltrans spokesman and a cyclist, said he was unsure when the path will be open daily. Bike advocates say they were informally told it would open on weekdays starting March 1, but the date passed with the gates still locked. A Caltrans Web page for the bridge shows it open only on Saturdays and Sundays through March, but goes no further. Caltrans officials say the path is barricaded on weekdays to protect cyclists and pedestrians from the clouds of smoke and fumes produced by demolition crews using cutting torches to slice the old east span, covered in lead-based paint, into pieces small enough to haul away. Near the east end, the new bridge and the few remaining trestles of the old span run close together, side by side. But while Caltrans spins its wheels, bike advocates are getting tired of waiting. Its frustrating, in part because Caltrans did such a good job of designing and building it, said Dave Campbell, advocacy director for Bike East Bay, which persuaded transportation officials to build the bike path as part of the new east span. But its now 3 years since the bridge opened 24/7 for cars. I dont think there is a sense of urgency at Caltrans and its not OK. Trouble for the steel bike and pedestrian path began to emerge as the bridge neared completion in 2013. Thats when Caltrans officials announced that the way the span had been assembled meant that a temporary piece the buttress for the infamous S-curve would have to be removed before the path could be linked to Yerba Buena Island. They said it might not open to Yerba Buena Island until 2015. But problems with design, manufacturing and installation of the path intervened, leaving cyclists, joggers and walkers 568 yards short of the island. The path stopped at a steel gate just past the bridges signature tower. Caltrans officials then promised an early 2016 opening, but it wasnt until Oct. 23 that cyclists and pedestrians were finally able to reach Yerba Buena Island. Although no ones saying when the path will open for weekday use, Haus, the Caltrans spokesman, did say that when it happens, it will still close at sundown and reopen in the morning for the foreseeable future. The long-range goal is to have it open 24/7, he said. But there are issues we have to resolve. Its more than just putting up a sign. There are security issues, safety issues. There are a lot of things we have to work out. Those issues include how the CHP will keep an eye on the bridge after dark. CHP officers on bikes and dressed in black outfits instead of the departments standard khaki patrol the path now. Campbell said the path opened around the clock would serve not only recreational riders but also commuters who either live or work on Treasure Island and some East Bay residents who would like to ride to the island from home and then take Muni to downtown San Francisco. Ginger Jui, Bike East Bays communications director, said a surprising number of cyclists have voiced interest in weekday transbay commutes on the bike path. When the path reached Yerba Buena last fall, she said, 75 riders asked the group by email when it would open for weekday commuting. Bike riders havent given up their dream of a bike path on the west span, permitting a pedal-powered commute all the way from the East Bay to downtown San Francisco. A study of potential designs for a path costing less than $300 million is expected later this year. Bike advocates hope it will be funded as part of Regional Measure 3, a toll increase that might be put before voters in 2018 if the state Legislature allows it. Meanwhile, bicyclists like Wong wait for weekday access to the bridge path that already exists. Its disappointing, he said. I guess Ill have to come back when it really opens. Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan Nearly a week before WikiLeaks revealed that the Central Intelligence Agency may be using personal electronic devices for espionage, a lawsuit settlement admonished Facebook for reading messages the company had led its users to believe were private. These were not the first instances in which Facebook and the federal government have been accused of gathering information from peoples private devices, conversations or even homes. And they wont be the last. What both cases show, experts said, is a grim slice of reality: When it comes to digital data photos, conversations, health information or finances nothing can be perfectly private. And for those entities charged with keeping and protecting peoples data, including governments and big tech companies, whats best for consumer privacy may not always be in line with their own priorities. When it comes to making these decisions about privacy and vulnerabilities, without any clear law or anything, it all becomes a matter of opinion, said Jeremiah Grossman, the chief of security strategy for cybersecurity firm SentinelOne. The CIA could have a really reasoned argument for why its in the countrys best interest to hoard (tech vulnerabilities). Whereas I would prefer to have the information so we can fix our software and make everyone safer. Internet users are increasingly aware of this, and increasingly wary of institutions charged with protecting their data, according to studies from the Pew Research Center. Just 12 percent of Americans and 9 percent of social media users report a very high level of confidence that the government and tech companies can keep their personal information safe and secure, according to a Pew study from 2016. Overwhelmed with stories of hacks, attacks and the prying eyes of private companies and public agencies, fatigued consumers may feel even attempting to protect themselves in a digital age is futile, security experts said. That, they added, is exactly the wrong approach. The truth is theres no silver bullet, said John Breyault, vice president of public policy at the National Consumers League. Theres no foolproof way to protect your privacy and data security from the government, for example. But there are plenty of basic, important steps people can take to reduce their risk. WikiLeaks, an activist organization that exposes government secrets, revealed what appeared to be a legitimate trove of internal CIA documents Tuesday that suggested hackers within the agency had been able to co-opt Android and Apple smartphones, Samsung SmartTVs, and Internet-enabled cars, among other computer systems, to spy on targets. Using a variety of tools, CIA hackers found ways past antivirus systems and defensive software and around messaging apps that encrypt communication by scrambling messages so third parties cannot intercept a conversation by hacking into the deepest parts of a phone or computer operating system. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 2 1 of 2 Leah Millis/The Chronicle Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Michael Macor/The Chronicle Show More Show Less By Wednesday, companies cited in the data leak had responded, saying they were working to patch the apparent vulnerabilities of their products. Samsung, whose Internet-connected TVs were put into a false off-mode and used as listening devices by CIA operatives, according to the leak, said Wednesday that it was urgently trying to fix the security flaws. According to the leaked documents, the CIA discovered and kept secret 14 methods of exploiting Apple devices. Those vulnerabilities are known as zero-day attacks, meaning they pounce on security defects unknown even to the company itself and, therefore, have no known fix. Apple said in a statement that most of those issues were already fixed in its latest software update; those that werent were being quickly addressed, it said. The spy agency also collected 24 weaponized zero-day exploits against Android devices, the documents said. Google, the creator of Android operating systems, did not respond to a request for comment. Of course, some of these same companies have been embroiled in controversies over how they use and collect consumer data. Google, which was sued for its practice of scanning Gmail users emails for advertising purposes, agreed to modify its own use of data following a lawsuit in 2010. Data has become such a part of wearables, smart homes, social media, smart cars, surveillance, that its not about privacy as much as it is about disclosure, said Jules Polonetsky, CEO of the Future of Privacy Forum. These are data-driven products, tools, services, and the ethics of how you design and use these tools, and how people understand what youre doing with their personal information thats the central point. Facebook was not named outright in the CIA documents, though WhatsApp, an encrypted messaging service owned by the social media giant, was. But just six days prior to the WikiLeaks data dump, Facebook had been dealing with its own privacy concerns. In settling a 2013 class-action lawsuit accusing it of violating the federal Wiretap Act and Californias Invasion of Privacy Act by mining Facebook users private messages without their knowledge or consent, the company agreed last week not to read its users private messages. Facebook, which pointed out in the settlement that it had dropped that particular message-mining practice several years ago, vowed to make it clearer to users how all their data and information is scanned, used and sold to advertisers. The settlement still has to be reviewed by U.S. District Court Judge Phyllis Hamilton in Oakland on April 12 before it can take effect. Though Facebook is not the CIA, and mining user messages using an algorithm is not the same as a human hacker breaking into someones cell phone or the TV they have at home, privacy advocates said both actions stem from a lack of transparency and strict privacy regulations in the U.S. What this settlement suggests, and not just to Facebook, but to other companies in the tech world, is if you tell people youre offering people a private tech service, your word needs to be matched by what youre doing, Breyault said. President Trump has pledged a forthcoming cybersecurity executive order that would push for studies of current vulnerabilities and the United States cyberattack capacity. But leaked drafts do not indicate a clear plan for addressing privacy concerns or creating a national mandate that protects consumer data. One of the key challenges of the Trump administration, which has been very pro-security, is learning how to integrate privacy concerns into surveillance concerns, Polonetsky said. Being responsible for deciding exactly what is too far or what is not for the CIA to use and deciding when we need strong encryption to protect our infrastructure even though that leads to security tensions is so important. These are conversations we need to have. Marissa Lang is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mlang@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Marissa_Jae Protect your tech Here are some best practices experts recommend to protect your personal data: Use better passwords: Create a truly random password that is not a word you can find in the dictionary using 11 characters or more, including numbers and special characters. Do not repeat passwords for multiple accounts. Use a password manager: The average person today has more than two dozen different online accounts that require passwords, according to a study by Intel Security. For most, that's too many to remember without using duplicates, which can leave multiple accounts vulnerable should one password fall into the wrong hands. Using a password manager, like1Password, Dashlane and Passpack, allows users to store a list of passwords in a secure account for which they only need to remember one strong password. Update your software: Always make sure youre using the most up-to-date version of software as updates from manufacturers often come with security patches and bolstered protections. Enable two-step verification: Activating two-step verification on your online accounts will require a step beyond entering a password like sending a text message with a code to your phone before you can log in. If someone gets your password, the text message may alert you to an attempt to break into your account and allow you to deny them access. Use strong encryption: Security experts suggest downloading Signal or similar messaging apps that scramble messages and calls, which can prevent third-parties from intercepting or eavesdropping on a conversation. In the recent Wikileaks leak, it was revealed that the CIA may have found a way around these apps, by hacking into the phone on which the apps were run to record conversations, both written and spoken, before they were transmitted via the app. Still, experts suggest using something called end-to-end encryption, which means even the app makers cant unscramble your conversation. Two days after House Republicans unveiled a plan to end federal funding for Planned Parenthood, Kathy Kneer, the reproductive health organizations top California official, was in Washington fighting for the future of her organization, which serves some 850,000 Californians each year. Because of Californias large population and geographic reach, the state has more Planned Parenthood health centers than any other state, 115, and receives more than half of the $500 million the organization gets from the federal government each year, according to the groups leaders. If the House GOP plan made public Monday as part of a proposal to replace the Affordable Care Act is successful, it would defund Planned Parenthood for one year by making the organization ineligible to receive federal Medicaid dollars. Such a move would mean Planned Parenthood centers in California would lose $174 million, $22.5 million of which goes to Northern California clinics. And Californians on Medi-Cal insurance, who make up 87 percent of Planned Parenthood patients in the state, could no longer choose the organization as their health care provider. Planned Parenthood leaders say losing Medicaid dollars would require them to shut down some centers and significantly scale back the services they provide, and force many of the 200,000 Planned Parenthood patients in the Bay Area to seek care elsewhere. At the heart of the funding battle is Republican leaders belief that health care providers that perform abortions, like Planned Parenthood, should not receive federal funding even if they do not use federal money for abortions. In California, the organization says, 98 percent of services go toward pregnancy testing, contraception, testing for and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, sex education, and cancer screenings. The 2 percent that goes toward abortions is funded by the state, not federal Medicaid dollars. Since Republicans won majorities in the House and Senate in 2014, Congress has voted nine times on bills to end federal funding to Planned Parenthood, including one that passed in 2016 and was vetoed by President Obama. But now, with Republicans in control of both chambers and the White House, the prospect of Planned Parenthood losing Medicaid dollars which represent the majority of its funding appears more real than its been in years. GOP leaders say they want to pass the ACA replacement plan by the end of April. Whats our contingency plan? Kneer said. When you lose 80 percent of your patient base, its a significant part of your funding. Its hard to close that gap. Fundraising cant solve that problem. Kneer was in Washington on Wednesday helping lead a multipronged push combining old-fashioned Congressional lobbying, Facebook ads and mobilizing Planned Parenthood supporters to call their representatives in Congress and urge them to preserve its federal funding. We have to keep the pressure on, especially on Republicans who prior to this year have never felt negative pressure when they promised to repeal the ACA, because Obama was going to veto it, Kneer said. Republicans want to reroute the money that would have gone to Planned Parenthood to community health centers that do not perform abortions. But many community clinics say they do not have the capacity to absorb such a large volume of new patients, or lack the specialized care for reproductive and sexual health services that Planned Parenthood provides. I dont think its fair, because this is my primary care doctor, said 22-year-old San Mateo resident Lyzbeth Ramirez, who came to the Planned Parenthood center in Redwood City this week for a primary care visit. Its not fair to end [funding] just because other people come here for birth control and abortions. Blocking federal funding to abortion providers would ensure that health care funds are used to save lives rather than to destroy them, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, said in a National Review editorial he co-wrote with Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn., published Wednesday. A spokesperson for McCarthy did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday. Kneer, meanwhile, is in Washington this week to meet with staffers for California Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, and Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes While Kneer is not meeting with Republican officials on her trip, Planned Parenthood officials organized a lobbying blitz on Capitol Hill last week, bringing in 150 patients and nurse practitioners from around the country to meet with House and Senate members of both parties. The contingent met last week with staffers for California Reps. Jeff Denham, R-Turlock (Stanislaus County), and Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine (San Diego County). Planned Parenthood supporters rallied outside Denhams office in Modesto on Tuesday, holding signs touting the nearly 19,000 visits his constituents made to Planned Parenthood centers in his district to seek contraceptive care. Kneer and other Planned Parenthood leaders may soon shift their focus to Nevada, where they view Republican U.S. Sen. Dean Heller as a potentially crucial swing vote. Republicans have a slimmer majority in the Senate than in the House, outnumbering Democrats 52 to 48. If the Senate votes on the ACA replacement bill primarily along party lines, it would take three GOP senators joining Democrats to block defunding. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, have both publicly said they oppose defunding Planned Parenthood as part of an ACA replacement bill. Nevadas Heller is up for re-election in 2018. Were concentrating our attention on Sen. Heller in hopes we can keep enough pressure on him to have him realize with his re-election, hell have to think twice about defunding Planned Parenthood, Kneer said. A spokesman for Heller did not immediately return requests for comment Wednesday. Catherine Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: Cat__Ho A sales executive who said he was fired by a San Francisco company after reporting financial improprieties to a manager can sue the company as a whistle-blower even though he never contacted the government, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. Federal securities law bars retaliation against an employee of a public company who reports violations to the boss, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said in a 2-1 ruling. The issue has divided other federal courts, a situation that often prompts the Supreme Court to step in and resolve the conflict. The case involves Paul Somers, a vice president of Digital Realty Trust from 2010 to 2014, who worked in Singapore marketing high-tech real estate for the San Francisco data-center services company. Somers said he was fired after telling management about financial misconduct by a supervisor and the companys lack of internal controls. The company said it fired him for unrelated reasons, but sought to dismiss his lawsuit on the grounds that federal whistle-blower laws protect only those who report potential securities violations to the Securities and Exchange Commission. SEC regulations interpret the law more broadly, covering those who report suspected wrongdoing to higher-ups in their company or organization. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen of San Francisco deferred to the SECs view and refused to dismiss Somers lawsuit, and the appeals court upheld his ruling Wednesday. The majority opinion by Judge Mary Schroeder cited a provision of the most recent regulatory law, the Dodd-Frank Act, prohibiting retaliation against employees who make disclosures protected by an earlier securities law, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. That law required would-be whistle-blowers to report suspected financial misdeeds to their supervisors before turning to a government agency, and barred companies from punishing them for in-house reports. Leaving employees without protection for that required preliminary step would result in early retaliation before the information would reach the regulators, said Schroeder, joined by Judge Kim Wardlaw. The SECs rule in our view accurately reflects Congress intent to provide broad whistle-blower protections under Dodd-Frank. Judge John Owens dissented, agreeing with another court the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that interpreted the law more narrowly in 2013. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes Stephen Henry, a lawyer for Somers, said the ruling expands the ability of whistle-blowers to internally report and then be protected. President Trump and some congressional Republican leaders have proposed narrowing the regulatory scope of Dodd-Frank. Henry said any changes would not affect Somers suit, which was filed under the current version of the law. The companys lawyer could not be reached for comment. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko When it comes to dangerous and violent unauthorized-immigrant felons, California voters, not lawmakers, should decide sanctuary policy. This is first and foremost a crime issue and secondarily an immigration issue. Sacramento lawmakers, provoked by the Trump administrations defunding threats, are considering new legislation, SB54. The bills requirements make San Franciscos sanctuary city ordinance look moderate in comparison. The California Values Act would effectively prohibit all California cities, schools, including charter schools, and public hospitals, from cooperating with federal immigration authorities including with regard to violent felons in the country illegally. The bill prohibits detaining an individual on the basis of a hold request issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Customs and Border Protection as well as any other federal immigration authorities. Our lawmakers in Sacramento, who are working to make California a sanctuary state, are disconnected with the voters with regard to the sanctuary policy. A recent Institute of Government Studies-UC Berkeley poll shows 74 percent of Californians want an end to sanctuary cities. Sixty-five percent of Hispanics, 70 percent of independents, 73 percent of Democrats and 82 percent of Republicans agreed that local authorities should not be able to ignore a federal request to hold a detained person who is in the country illegally. Institute Director Jack Citrin, a professor of political science at UC Berkeley, noted that the poll was conducted in English and consisted almost entirely of citizens. In February, two other polls captured the sentiment of the states voters. A McLaughlin & Associates poll of likely voters conducted for Secure America Now found that a majority of Hispanic voters approved the deportation of criminal immigrants in the national illegally, 56 percent to 31 percent. And a KPIX 5 Survey USA poll showed that 53 percent of those polled believed that local law enforcement should always contact federal authorities about unauthorized immigrants who commit violent crimes. Now is the time to act. We should let our representatives in Sacramento know that we do not support releasing unauthorized immigrants who are dangerous and violent felons back into our communities. Time is of the essence. SB54 is on a fast track for passage and will become law immediately after the governor signs it. Second, it is time for citizens and anticrime advocacy groups to put the question to a vote, both locally and on the state level. This is not a Republican or conservative position. The Obama administration set a priority of deporting immigrants living in the U.S. illegally who have criminal convictions. Since 2013, approximately 530,000 convicted criminals were expelled. Under Obamas directive, the priorities were those who had committed at least one felony or a misdemeanor of significance such as drunken driving or dealing drugs or three misdemeanors. The widely publicized killing of Kathryn Steinle in San Francisco figured prominently in candidate Trumps anti-immigration rhetoric. But put the sensationalism aside. Steinles alleged shooter was in the country illegally and has multiple felony convictions and deportations. If convicted, and if he completes his prescribed prison time and is ready to be released, SB54 will prohibit the local authority from contacting immigration authorities. It is an outrage he would be released into the community. We must turn our outrage into action. We, who live in California and in sanctuary cities, have stood by as our elected representatives ignored our safety concerns and passed strict sanctuary ordinances in defiance of our wishes. Voters in every sanctuary city and statewide, not lawmakers, must decide if dangerous and violent undocumented felons will be released into or removed from our communities. Arthur Bruzzone is the former vice chair of the California Republican Party County Chairs Association. To comment, submit your letter to the editor at http://bit.ly/SFChronicleletters. A few days before the Trump administration issued a new, seemingly softer ban on travel from several Muslim-majority nations, it made another controversial immigration restriction. Expedited processing for the H-1B visa program will no longer be available. The change may not seem like much. Premium processing for H-1B visas allowed work sponsors for highly skilled foreign workers to pay a substantial extra fee ($1,225) for a guaranteed answer about an applicants work visa in 15 days, rather than waiting for months. The federal government has previously suspended premium processing before for two months in 2015, for example, when it needed to focus its resources on processing applications for spouses of certain visa holders. The difference this time is that the Trump administration has not given a specific timeline for the suspension and the fact that the entire H-1B visa program is in the administrations crosshairs. Many Silicon Valley employers are concerned that this is just an opening salvo. This is one more troubling signal that the door, if not closing, is not wide open for welcoming talented workers from around the globe, said Carl Guardino, CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. The H-1B program is already a laborious and insufficient system. Even with (expedited processing) it still takes eight months for a visa to be finalized and you have to take a chance on a lottery. Now heres the message that were going to make it even harder. Few regions have more to lose than the Bay Area. The Bay Area is heavily dependent on foreign workers to fuel our innovation-related economy, and not only for technology. Our leadership in medical research and the life sciences is also tied to our ability to welcome foreign workers to work side-by-side with American-born ones. The H-1B visa program is not perfect. Thanks to the cost and paperwork associated with the program, its benefits are heavily weighted toward large multinational outsourcing corporations, not startups in search of talent. Abuses of the program like the hundreds of American technology workers at Southern California Edison who were laid off in favor of workers from India have further wounded its reputation in Washington. But for all of H-1Bs troubles, it remains a crucial opportunity for businesses to hire the workers they cant find in America workers who support the entire U.S. economy. The Trump administration threatens this program at its peril. Before President Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos attempt to shift large amounts of taxpayer money into school choice, we should carefully consider what we are getting into. As with health care, improving education is more complex than some might think. The Trump administration is focusing on privatizing education by expanding school voucher programs that transfer public funds to private schools through bills such as the Choices in Education Act (HR610). Voucher advocates including Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman have argued that income should not limit access to good schools, and schools would be more efficient if forced to compete. There are problems implementing vouchers, though. Among them, tuition at many high-quality private schools is more than public vouchers can feasibly provide, and there is virtually no mechanism guaranteeing instructional quality. Voucher programs success has been mixed. Some studies find small positive effects on achievement, others find no effect, and recent research found that Louisianas voucher program had very poor results, leading to lower achievement in both reading and mathematics. We need to know more about the ingredients of successful voucher programs before significantly expanding these programs as the Trump administration plans to do. Charter schools represent a more established form of school choice, which has also been supported by DeVos and was earlier endorsed by the Trump campaign. They are publicly funded schools open to all students that operate with fewer regulations than traditional public schools. Charters began in 1992 and now operate in at least 40 states and the District of Columbia, serving more than 2.5 million students about 6 percent of all public K-12 students. California alone has more than half a million charter students. Proponents contend that charters offer alternatives to traditional public schools that better match childrens needs and inject healthy competition in the system while adhering to some of the same accountability mechanisms. Al Shanker, the iconic leader of the American Federation of Teachers, envisioned charters as a means to empower teachers by giving them more authority over instruction. Some charter schools are effective and have long waiting lists, but substantive education research more generally shows charters are a mixed bag as variable in quality as traditional public schools. In addition, charters have spurred a for-profit management industry that caused charter school creator Shanker to back away from the reform he initially championed. In Michigan, DeVos home state the state with the most for-profit charter management organizations education research has found that most charter authorizers did a poor job of monitoring quality in the schools. School choice may have a role to play in solving the problems in public education, but it is not a panacea. Charters, when administered wisely, have shown they can provide high-quality educational alternatives to students who need them. Vouchers may be helpful in places with few viable public options once we learn how to oversee their progress, but its naive to assume that privatization alone can automatically improve education. Lets ensure careful oversight before our country invests in school choice, particularly vouchers, on an unprecedented scale. Cassandra Guarino is professor of education and public policy at UC Riverside and studies the effectiveness of teachers and schools. Four years ago, when President Barack Obama asked Ann Ravel to serve on the Federal Election Commission, she was seen as one of the last great hopes to save the agency that is supposed to root out the secretive dark money political contributions that can poison our politics. Instead, Ravel returned home to Los Gatos last week after quitting two months before her term was to end, exhausted by the worst of Washingtons partisanship, beaten by its gridlock. Despite her best efforts, the FEC has become, as Ravel once told The Daily Show, as irrelevant as male nipples. That quote is going to be on my gravestone, she said shortly after arriving home to California. Yet like the best public servants, she couldnt keep taking a paycheck without being able to make a difference. Im a public servant. Ive always been a public servant, the former chair of Californias Fair Political Practices Commission said this week. Im there to do what Im paid to do, and if I cant do it I need to find another way to do that. Her tenure wasnt supposed to end this way. Unlike most of the party hacks who get commission slots, Ravel is different: She has a serious history as a regulator. In 2012, when she led the state FPPC, it nailed the largest campaign money-laundering scheme in state history, ferreting out how a conservative Arizona group had hidden the true source of $11 million in political donations, some of them tied to the Koch brothers. After all she had done in California, we were really excited to see someone who was clearly a champion for disclosure and transparency appointed to FEC, Sunlight Foundation Executive Director John Wonderlich said Wednesday. The hope was that maybe it would help with the FECs increasing dysfunction and deadlocks and paralysis. But soon after she arrived in Washington, she realized that three of her fellow commissioners all Republican appointees showed little desire to protect transparency. To them, disclosing who gave a political donation was akin to a violation of free speech. The agencys business ground to a halt. With three members nominated by each party, the commission couldnt agree on anything except the most routine matters. The panel that is supposed to protect Americans by shining a light on how wealthy interests are trying to manipulate the system couldnt even get four votes to investigate when they think somebody is doing something wrong. It used to be that we could all agree that transparency is good, right? said Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the nonpartisan watchdog Center for Responsive Politics. Now it has become part of the partisan attack. As in transparency would have a chilling effect on freedom of speech. Ravel thought she could transcend that. She had worked with conservatives in California. But she soon realized she couldnt. Even though she crossed over to vote with the GOP-nominated commissioners sometimes, that wasnt a two-way street. They vote in lockstep 98 percent of the time. The result: gridlock. In 2006, 2.9 percent of the commissions votes ended in 3-3 ties. In 2016, 30 percent of the votes were deadlocked. The message that sends to campaigns everywhere is: Violate the law whenever you want because the FEC isnt going to do anything about it. Its no wonder that since the Supreme Courts 2010 Citizens United decision on campaign finance, more than $800 million in contributions from undisclosed sources have flooded our system. The FEC is supposed to protect us from what that kind of unseen power can wreak. But it doesnt. They wanted no further regulations. And they ultimately, wanted a regulatory-free environment, Ravel said. In Washington, D.C., political lawyers have said its like the Wild West. People know there is no consequence for violating the law. Others lashed out at her for trying to do her job. She received death threats and vile misogynistic attacks on social media. Her frustration was captured in the widely seen November 2015 piece on the Daily Show in which she laid out the panels dysfunction in stark terms. When the shows correspondent Jordan Klepper asked her, Would you say the FEC is more or less useless than mens nipples? Ravel replied, I would say that the FEC and mens nipples are probably comparable. There are things that are done that have some value, just like mens nipples. A short time later, Ravel wanted to quit. But after an Oval Office conversation with Obama, she decided to stay. When his term ended in January, she felt more comfortable leaving. But before she left, she dropped what may be the most valuable piece of her legacy on the commission: A 25-page report that details just how rotten and cynically partisan the FEC has become. Heres one telling tidbit: In 2006, the commission assessed more than $5.5 million in civil monetary penalties. In 2016, civil penalties imposed totaled only $595,425. Thats less than Californias FPPC issued in fines last year. Some fear what losing her voice might mean under the Trump administration, which has shown contempt for the kind of ethics and laws we have for public service, Sunlights Wonderlich said. People are are losing a champion for transparency, Krumholz said. Ravel doesnt know what shell do next. She accepted positions on a couple of boards, and shes looking around at how else she can continue to serve and speak out about transparency and ethics it is hoped to an audience that will be more receptive. Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli San Francisco has long led the nation when it comes to providing health insurance benefits for transgender residents. It is doubling down on that reputation. Health Service System Director Catherine Dodd is proposing to expand the health insurance benefits available to transgender employees of the city, school district, City College of San Francisco and Superior Court. Some elective procedures like rhinoplasty or forehead reconstruction not now covered would be if considered medically necessary. A doctor could determine them medically necessary if the surgeries are crucial to the patients mental health, Dodd said. The proposal would also allow children as young as 12 to receive hormonal therapy. Dodd presented the proposal Thursday to the Health Service Board, which selects the medical and dental plans for employees and retirees, and sets the amount members pay for each plan. The board will vote on the plan at its meeting next month, Dodd said. If it supports the proposal, it would take effect in 2018. We are doing this at a time that when the first thing that happened when Trump got elected president is that the court upheld the ruling that transgender services are not part of the Affordable Care Act, Dodd said. In December, a federal judge in Texas barred enforcement of an Obama administration policy that would have guaranteed transgender-related health care services. Its kind of a statement that we are making sure our employees have this, Dodd said. In 2001, San Francisco became the first city in the country to pay for gender reassignment surgeries for city employees. In 2012, it made history again, when it extended that benefit to uninsured transgender residents. Emily Green Former San Francisco Supervisor David Campos is returning to government in Santa Clara County. Campos will become deputy county executive. In a statement, Santa Clara County Executive Jeffrey V. Smith praised Campos proven track record for requiring transparency and accountability for government agencies. Smith added that Campos possesses the right combination of management expertise, knowledge of policy implementation and a clear understanding of how to meet the needs of a diverse community. Campos said he was excited about the post. Like San Francisco, Santa Clara is not afraid to lead on critical issues facing the region and the county. Im excited to work for such a diverse and forward-thinking county as Santa Clara, he said in a text message. Campos has had a long career in San Francisco government and politics. He served two terms on the Board of Supervisors, from 2008 through 2016, representing the Mission District and Bernal Heights. He was a leader of the boards progressive bloc and a frequent adversary of Mayor Ed Lee. He made a name for himself going after Airbnb and pushing for more affordable housing. Last year, he championed an unsuccessful ballot measure that would have created an office of public advocate in San Francisco a position he was rumored to want. From 2004 to 2007, Campos was general counsel for the San Francisco Unified School District. He began his career in government as a deputy city attorney in San Francisco, from 1999 to 2004. Emily Green Email: cityinsider@sfchronicle.com, egreen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfcityinsider, @emilytgreen Barbara Gratta started making wine on a dare. It was the mid-90s, and the physical therapist was living in the Mission. A co-workers husband, who had been dabbling in home winemaking, prodded Gratta: Youre Italian and youve never made wine? She had not, though her grandfather had after emigrating from Italy to New Yorks Brooklyn in the 1920s. Gratta had no formal training, no equipment and no idea where to find either. She did, however, have a basement. And thats how Gratta Wines began: a couple barrels in her home by Dolores Park, which became a few more barrels in her next apartment, in the Castro. But Gratta Wines wasnt truly born until its owner moved to the Bayview in 1999. Today, thanks in large part to her Bayview community, Gratta operates a fully licensed winery in her garage, producing a few hundred cases of Italian-inspired wines each year. In 2015, she opened a tasting room just a few blocks away. This year, for the first time, she quit her day job. Grattas may be the only commercial garage winery in the Bayview, but it has a lot in common with the neighborhoods many other food artisans a diverse, scrappy group drawn to this corner of southern San Francisco for its just-affordable rents and still-available manufacturing spaces. Together, Gratta and her neighboring food businesses are transforming an area once designated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a food desert into a land of plenty. I started at a time when there wasnt much happening in the Bayview, Gratta says. To obtain a winery license, she had to make a special appeal to the Board of Supervisors, since her garage wasnt zoned for commercial use. The board approved her license in 2006, but truthfully, she says, I dont think it would happen again today. There were two wineries nearby August West and Harrington, both housed in more conventional warehouse spaces. Though both are small wineries, their wines are in distribution, available far beyond San Francisco. By contrast, Gratta, making wine by herself in her garage when she got off work, had hyper-local aspirations. She found herself part of a burgeoning community of small, craft-minded business owners and they decided to unite. An organization called the Bayview Underground Food Scene began organizing and promoting regular pop-up markets temporary bazaars in provisional spaces featuring businesses like Yvonnes Southern Sweets, Auntie Aprils soul food, Fox & Lion Bread and Ejis Ethiopian. Gratta became increasingly involved in a weekly pop-up at the Bayview Opera House. But when that historic building closed in 2014 for renovations, the community market relocated to Dogpatch, and it kind of all fell apart, Gratta says. It lost its community sense, because it wasnt in the Bayview anymore. (It has since moved back to the opera house.) Thats when Gratta teamed up with Xan DeVoss, of Fox & Lion Bread another one-woman operation to start their own brick-and-mortar version of the pop-up community market. The small, airy Butchertown Gourmet Marketplace on Third Street opened in 2015: DeVoss bakery in the front, Grattas tasting room in the back. Liz Hafalia/The Chronicle Linger at the tasting bar, open Thursday through Sunday, and its easy to forget youre still in San Francisco. The whole room smells like sweet, wet bread dough and feels much less like a winery than like a small-town bar, only with much more sophisticated merchandise. Not only does everybody know your name, they know your dogs name, too. Gratta and her employee (theres just one) remember what you drank the last time you came in. Flights, a tasting rooms typical wares, are advertised only in small type at the bottom of the tasting menu; more popular are bottles, both for here and to go. Most of Grattas fruit comes from the Teldeschi Home Ranch vineyard in Dry Creek Valley, where some of the vines date back to 1889. She makes a heady, blue-fruited Zinfandel ($7/glass; $27/bottle), a pleasantly rustic Cabernet Sauvignon ($8; $28) and a tropical, lychee-driven Pinot Grigio ($7; $25). Best of all, though, is Grattas Dolcetto ($8; $27). The 2015 vintage was made as both a red wine and, siphoned off of it, a rose. Concentrated from that saignee process, the red wine trades Dolcettos typical light, red-cherry flavor for a darker profile, earthy and sanguine. It wouldnt be a Bayview community market without short-term pop-ups, however, and DeVoss and Gratta host them frequently. Local restaurants turn up to serve specialties in the space on Thursday nights: Marcellas Lasagneria, from Dogpatch, pops up every third Thursday. (This will come as great news if you are one of the many lasagna-loving San Franciscans who have been disappointed to learn that this delicious restaurant is open only during the day.) On Friday nights, DeVoss makes pizza. Gratta also has her own menu of small, wine-friendly bites available; she offers the standard cheese, charcuterie and olives, but has found its her homemade meatballs that people come back for. Liz Hafalia/The Chronicle Its fitting that Gratta and DeVoss should call their venture Butchertown, a nickname ascribed to the Bayview in the 1860s, when a group of butchers purchased 81 acres in the neighborhood and founded a so-called Butchers Reservation. They had been forced to this urban extremity after a city ordinance forbade any animal slaughtering in the city center; by 1877, all 18 of San Franciscos slaughterhouses had moved here. Of course, today theres no prohibition on winemaking or bread baking in downtown S.F., but theres an even stronger pulse pushing businesses like Grattas to the citys fringes: the forces of rising rents and diminishing square footage. Most important, as residents continue to move to the area, theres a greater demand for places to eat and drink here. This is sort of the last neighborhood, Gratta says. She likes it that way. Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicles wine, beer and spirits writer. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley Instagram: @esthermob What: Dolcetto ($8/glass; $27/bottle), Zinfandel ($7/glass; $27/bottle), Pinot Grigio ($7; $25). Flight of 3 wines ($10); 5 wines ($15). Where: Gratta Wines at Butchertown Gourmet Marketplace, 5273 3rd St., S.F. (415) 892-9791 www.grattawines.com When: 5-9 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 1-9 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. A federal appeals court revived a lawsuit Thursday by food and beverage workers at the Hilton Hotel on Union Square in San Francisco who said theyve been cheated out of some of their tip money at dinners and banquets. The hotel adds a service charge, typically about 20 percent, to customers bills. According to the lawsuit, the hotel keeps a portion of those funds for itself, then apportions 25 percent of the remaining funds to management staff and the rest to workers who serve the customers. Passengers on a Hawaiian Airlines flight from San Jose to Honolulu were disappointed Tuesday when their plane was in the air for hours, but never landed at its planned destination. Instead, the plane circled above the ocean for about 3.5 hours before returning to Mineta San Jose International Airport, according to KPIX. The airline says a mechanical issue was to blame. Travelers told KPIX there were signs of trouble before the flight even took off. The departure was scheduled for 9:10 a.m. but was delayed more than two hours while crews worked to repair a generator. The Boeing 767 eventually left San Jose at 11:21 a.m., according to a statement Hawaiian Airlines provided KPIX, but then about 30 minutes into the flight, the pilot announced the generator had failed once again. "So then we had to turn around and come back to San Jose and fly around for four hours to burn off fuel," Renea Wood, a passenger on the flight to nowhere, told KPIX. Satellite tracking images (seen in the video above) show just how twisted the flight path was, as the plane looped more than 10 times off the coast of California. Something similar happened in February on a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Hawaii. It circled for four hours over the Pacific Ocean before returning to SFO. The 241 passengers on the Hawaiian Airlines flight Tuesday touched back down in San Jose at 2:52 p.m., and were told to rebook their flights for the next day. Frustrated and longing for vacation, Amari Thomas told KPIX, "This is not the Aloha vibe I was expecting." Watchara Phomicinda/Associated Press One of two women recovered alive when a private plane bound for San Jose crashed last week in Southern California, killing three others aboard the aircraft, has died from her injuries, an official said Wednesday. Joanne Stacey Pierce, 46, had been badly burned and hospitalized since the Feb. 27 crash in Riverside. Former Utah Gov. and onetime Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman Jr. is being vetted for the job of U.S. ambassador to Russia, according to media reports. The former ambassador to China and Singapore, and native of the Bay Area, was critical of President Trump in last years campaign, even calling for the businessmans withdrawal, but he still won Trumps nomination for the post. Huntsman, 56, was officially offered the position earlier this week, Politico reported Wednesday, and is in the process of submitting paperwork to take the job. The ambassadorship is one of the nations top diplomatic posts, complicated recently by allegations that Russia meddled in the U.S. presidential election to give Trump a boost. Congress is debating whether to launch an investigation into the alleged interference. Trump, meanwhile, has disputed U.S. intelligence reports of Russian meddling and has showed repeated interest in improving relations between the two powers. Huntsman, in many ways, represents a stark contrast to Trumps ideology. Hes a veteran politician who is generally respected on both sides of the aisle, even supporting action on climate change in his 2012 presidential bid. In 2004, he appeared in a television ad with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, calling on Congress to address greenhouse gas emissions. Hes also a true native of the Bay Area, he said in 2011 at a campaign stop in San Francisco. He was born in Palo Alto, where his grandfather served as mayor. Huntsman is Mormon and espouses generally conservative positions. He was elected governor of Utah in 2004 and was re-elected in 2008. He resigned at the start of his second term to serve as ambassador to Singapore under President George W. Bush. He served as ambassador to China under President Barack Obama. Huntsman ran to be the GOP presidential candidate in 2012, but dropped out after finishing third in the New Hampshire primary. During last years presidential campaign, Huntsman called on Trump to drop out of the race after an Access Hollywood video surfaced of Trump boasting about sexually assaulting women. Here is some of The Chronicles past coverage of Huntsman: http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Bay-Area-native-Jon-Huntsman-Jr-may-run-in-2012-2370634.php http://blog.sfgate.com/politics/2011/06/21/goper-jon-huntsman-says-he-wont-run-down-anyones-reputation-in-prez-run-then-gets-rundown-by-rush-gop/ http://www.sfgate.com/politics/joegarofoli/article/Jon-Huntsman-struggles-to-rise-in-GOP-race-2295111.php Michael Macor/The Chronicle Blue Shield of California plans to move its headquarters from San Francisco to a new facility in Oakland, a move the insurer said will help to cut down on administrative expenses and other costs. Around 1,200 Blue Shield workers will move from their current location on Beale Street to a 24-story building at 601 City Center in Oakland in 2019, the insurer said Wednesday. Construction of the building is set to begin this year. The insurer has leased about 200,000 square feet of space there. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is headed back to Harvard, but this time hell be giving the commencement speech. Harvard President Drew Faust said the Harvard dropout has profoundly altered the nature of social engagement worldwide, and shes glad to welcome him back for the May 25 graduation ceremony. The stage is your world If youre a fan of the first U.S. Treasury secretary the subject of that musical starting in San Francisco this week you soon might have the chance to have a Hamilton stage of your very own. OK, it would be built out of Legos, but still ... About 3,000 people already support an online push to have Lego offer a re-creation of the Richard Rodgers theater set, complete with turntable, hinged stairs and wheeled staircase. And the characters, too. Like other ideas submitted to Lego, it needs 10,000 supporters to get the company to review it. Are you willing to wait for it? Pinterest acquires Jelly Pinterest is paying an undisclosed price to acquire Jelly Industries, the question-and-answer app led by Twitter co-founder Biz Stone. Jellys product lets people ask questions and then uses an algorithm to pair them with experts to give answers. Compiled from San Francisco Chronicle staff and news services. More items and links: www.sfgate.comTwitter: @techchronicle A Yahoo shareholder is suing the company and its board in Santa Clara County Superior Court over a massive 2014 data breach that was not disclosed to the public until last year. The suit, which spotlights the prospective pay packages of CEO Marissa Mayer and co-founder David Filo, is the latest of several dozen suits that have been filed by consumers and shareholders relating to hacks. The 2014 breach, and others, played a role getting Verizon a $350 million discount on its deal to purchase Yahoos Internet properties. While Yahoos users and shareholders did not find out about the hack until 2016, senior executives and Yahoos legal team were aware of a breach in 2014 affecting 26 users and failed to investigate it adequately, according to a recent report by two independent board members. Last year, Yahoo said the breach affected at least 500 million accounts, the second largest in the nations history. Shareholder Patricia Spain argues in a suit filed this week that it is unfair that she and many shareholders didnt learn about the breach until long after many key executives found out. She also said Filo and Mayer can still qualify for the full amount of their golden parachutes after the deal with Verizon closes. Her lawsuit alleges a breach of fiduciary duties, and says that Filo and Mayer knew about the 2014 breach. Filo, Mayer and other executives stand to make money if they are dismissed after the Verizon deal, through a golden parachute or change in control clause in their contracts. These clauses are contract conditions between Yahoo and its executives that are approved by the board. David Lowe, a partner at employment law firm Rudy, Exelrod, Zieff & Lowe, said it is generally difficult for acquiring firms to change them, but it is possible if they exert enough pressure on the target company. Many analysts do not believe Mayer will join Verizon after the deal closes, but last year she said she planned to work with the telecom company. Filo is still with Yahoo, but his plans regarding Verizon are unclear. Spain is also suing Yahoos board, saying its members were aware of the data breach in 2014 and misled Verizon and shareholders by not disclosing that information when it happened or when the original deal was negotiated. Quite simply, the board knowingly approved payments of millions of dollars to Mayer notwithstanding knowledge of the massive damage caused to Yahoo, the lawsuit says regarding Mayer and other executive compensation packages. In general, in these types of cases, it is hard for shareholders to prove that a companys board knew about the security breach and did true wrongdoing, said Michael Chasalow, a clinical law professor at the University of Southern Californias Gould School of Law. It tends to be very difficult, because most board members act responsibly, Chasalow said. Also named in Spains lawsuit are Yahoos former general counsel Ronald Bell (who recently resigned), Chief Financial Officer Ken Goldman and two former Yahoo board members. Verizon and Yahoo declined to comment on the lawsuit. Yahoo plans to sell its Internet properties to Verizon for $4.48 billion in the second quarter of this year. The discounted price factors in the 2014 data breach, along with a 2013 breach that affected more than 1 billion accounts and a hacking attack in 2015 and 2016. Analysts said that it is common to see lawsuits pile up before a company is acquired, because people may be trying to hold up the acquisition in hopes of extracting more money from the company to get them to drop their lawsuits, or because the shareholders truly second-guess the deal. As a result of the 2014 breach, Mayer lost her cash bonus for 2016, and the board accepted her offer to forgo her 2017 equity award. Spain points out in her lawsuit that in 2008, Microsoft had tried to buy Yahoo. It was a deal worth $45 billion, but never came to fruition. Wendy Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: wlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thewendylee This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A man was convicted of yelling racial epithets and wielding a knife at an African American camp counselor outside a summer youth program in San Franciscos Potrero Hill neighborhood, the district attorney said Thursday. A Superior Court jury found Steven Alfred Beck, 37, guilty of brandishing a deadly weapon with a hate crime allegation, a felony, as well as an additional misdemeanor charge of brandishing a weapon. Beck was arrested July 14, according to court records, after he approached the victim outside the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House. The victim had been greeting children as they arrived to the summer camp when Beck began shouting racial slurs and profanities at him. Beck was shirtless and displaying a large swastika tattoo on his chest, an Iron Cross tattoo on his neck and a knife in his waistband. The victim quickly ushered the children into the building and directed the staff to close and lock the doors. He remained outside knowing that more children were arriving, and Beck began advancing toward him. Beck allegedly pointed at his swastika tattoo and yelled, This is for you, before pulling out his knife and making a slashing motion toward the victim. Beck then walked down the street and onto the property of a private home. When the owner told him to leave, he allegedly pulled the knife out again. At this point, police arrived and took him into custody. Hate crimes strike at the heart of this citys identity, District Attorney George Gascon said in a statement. Far too many hate crimes go unreported, and thats unfortunate in an era where it is imperative that we send a strong message that this community will not stand for intolerance. Deputy Public Defender Abigail Rivamonte, who represented Beck, said her client may have been in a mental health crisis when the crime took place, and that this case is a result of our failed mental health care system. Numerous witnesses described Mr. Beck as incoherent, ranting about the alignment of the planets and seemingly in the midst of a psychotic episode in the time leading up to this incident, yet he was not hospitalized until after his arrest, she said. Beck is being held in county jail without bail. A sentencing date has not been set. Vivian Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: vho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VivianHo Billionaire Tilman Fertitta, sole owner of Landry's Inc., a corporation responsible for a number of recognizable chain restaurants including Claim Jumper, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., Rainforest Cafe, and McCormick & Schmick's Seafood & Steaks, believes that San Francisco shouldn't mandate its restaurants pay for city workers' healthcare. In "Billion Dollar Buyer," a CNBC show starring the restauranteur, Fertitta says his businesses have to charge more for the same menu items because San Francisco requires some types of businesses to contribute to their workers' healthcare coverage. "All these states now are doing their own mandates," Fertita says. "Why should the city of San Francisco be able to do absolutely whatever they want to do?" Within the city of San Francisco, restaurants with 20 people or more on the staff (excluding the owners and managers) must contribute to its employees' healthcare as part of the Healthy SF program. To make up for the extra expense, some add a separate line item charge to patrons' bills, and others roll it into a dish's total cost, but all restaurants under local legislation have a choice as to how they work with the added cost of business. SFCHRONICLE.com: Why it's more expensive to eat out in SF The restaurant must then do one of three things for all employees who work more than eight hours a week: purchase health insurance for employees, contribute to a public city-run program that will provide healthcare for employees, or add money to a health reimbursement account. Fertitta employs 60,000 people by CNBC's estimates, although it's not clear how many of them work in San Francisco. "Do you realize, all the restaurants in San Francisco, we all have added charge?" says Fertitta. "We have a 3 percent or 4 percent or 5 percent add-on to the menu because they make us give all our employees full healthcare. We can't afford to do it." He adds that cities like San Francisco should be forced to follow a federally-defined law as far as what kinds of benefits restaurants should be required to provide to their employees. Until then, customers at his San Francisco restaurants will just have to fork out a little more for their "Bucket of Boat Trash." This story has been updated. ZACH GIBSON/AFP/Getty Images WASHINGTON A Republican-led Senate committee on Thursday narrowly approved the nomination of the combative lawyer selected by President Trump to be ambassador to Israel, brushing aside concerns that David Friedman lacked the temperament for such a critical diplomatic post. Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted largely along party lines, 12-9, to recommend that the full Senate consider Friedmans nomination. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., sided with the committees 11 Republicans in favor of Friedman. The committees other nine Democrats opposed the choice. The first lawsuit against President Trumps revised ban on travel from selected Muslim-majority countries says the new executive order, though narrower than its short-lived predecessor, was still fatally infected with religious prejudice. Given that the new executive order began life as a Muslim ban, its implementation also means that the state will be forced to tolerate a policy that disfavors one religion, in violation of the Constitution, lawyers for the state of Hawaii said late Tuesday in an amended version of their previous suit against Trumps original ban. Hawaiis earlier suit was put on hold while federal courts in other cases blocked Trumps first executive order, but the new case is on a fast track. A federal judge on Wednesday granted the states request for expedited briefing and a hearing on March 15, the day before the revised order is scheduled to take effect. The next stop would be the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, which on Feb. 9 upheld a nationwide order by a federal judge in Washington to halt implementation of Trumps first travel ban. Trump said at first that he intended to challenge that ruling, but on Wednesday the court granted the administrations request to dismiss its appeal. The presidents new order, issued Monday, would impose a 90-day ban on U.S. entry of anyone from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen. It would also impose a 120-day freeze on all U.S. admission of refugees, who have been approved for entry by U.S. consular officials after fleeing violence or persecution in their homeland. The order differs from the earlier version, issued Jan. 27, in several ways. It exempts legal U.S. residents and holders of U.S. visas from the travel ban, allows other would-be entrants to seek individual waivers from consular officials on hardship grounds, and removes Iraq from the list of targeted countries. Hawaiis lawyers, however, said the new order was essentially the same as the old one. The lawsuit quoted Trump adviser Stephen Miller as telling Fox News last month that while the administration would respond to a lot of very technical issues that were brought up by the court ... youre still going to have the same basic policy outcome. The suit contended Trumps executive orders must be read in light of his pledge as a presidential candidate to halt Muslim immigration to the United States. The suit noted Trumps statement while signing the first executive order that it was meant to keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the U.S., and a statement the following day by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Trump adviser, that the president had asked him to find a legal way to carry out a Muslim ban. Mondays order was motivated by animus and a desire to discriminate on the basis of religion and/or national origin, which is also legally forbidden, Hawaiis lawyers said. Trump says his executive orders target potential terrorists, not Muslims. The revised order includes an assertion that the Jan. 27 order did not provide a basis for discriminating for or against members of any particular religion and was not motivated by animus toward any religion. In the new lawsuit, Hawaii, the nations most ethnically diverse state, said the travel ban would prevent its universities and employers from recruiting candidates from the targeted nations and would keep some residents from reuniting with family members. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko NEW HYDE PARK, N.Y. Twelve-year-old Janet Sylva of Gambia wants to be a doctor when she grows up, she says with a broad grin one that surgeons in New York gave back to her after removing from her mouth one of the largest tumors theyd ever seen. The 6-pound benign tumor was about the size of a cantaloupe. It prevented Janet from eating, and her breathing had become so difficult that doctors were afraid she might die within a year if nothing was done. It made her a prisoner in her own body, said Dr. David Hoffman, a Staten Island surgeon who became aware of Janets plight last year after doctors in the neighboring west African nation of Senegal reached out to international health groups for assistance. She had stopped going to school and wore a scarf around her face to hide the huge tumor. Hoffman coordinated with the Global Medical Relief Fund and a team of volunteer surgeons and other medical staff at Cohen Childrens Medical Center in New Hyde Park on Long Island to arrange for Janet to have the surgery, which was performed for free in January. Dr. Armen Kasabian, chief of plastic surgery at North Shore University Hospital, led the team in performing the delicate operation, which not only involved removing the tumor but also rebuilding her jaw by using part of a bone from her leg. Kasabian said the team knew they had to get it right the first time because Janet and her mother, Philomena, would only be in the U.S. for a short time. We dont have the luxury of operating on her 10 times, he said. We have to try and get the most that we can out of just one operation. He and Hoffman said they employed 3-D imaging to build models of the childs mouth, including the tumor, and were able to use the virtual modeling techniques to practice for the procedure before the actual 12 -hour surgery took place on Jan. 16. Janet and her mother are preparing to return to Gambia next week, said Elissa Montanti of the Global Medical Relief Fund, the Staten-Island based charity that arranged for transportation, housing and travel visas for Janet and her mother. Before heading home, Janet and her mother returned Thursday to Cohen Childrens hospital. Through an interpreter speaking their native language of Wolof, the mother and daughter shyly thanked the medical staff. I have my daughter back, Philomena Sylva said. Janet smiled and said the scarf she had worn to hide her face has been thrown away. Frank Eltman is an Associated Press writer. Logan At Cinemark (R) Grade: B+ The X-Men movies remind me of old Westerns which often featured the gunslinger who wouldnt die. The gunman would walk down main street, taking bullets in the arm, the leg, the chest and everywhere. Finally, weighed down by 50 pounds of internalized ammo, hed fall, twitch -- and then, inevitably, get back up to keep on firing. You cant keep an immortal cowboy down. So it is with many of the X-Men, blessed with special qualities that often extend their lives indefinitely. Wolverine, for example, has regenerative powers that are helpful should he face one of those annoying Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid climactic showdowns. If hundreds of Bolivian soldiers trained their guns on Wolverine, hed wince as he took a few thousand rounds and then pause to stitch up the tissue damage before stepping over all the bodies and riding off into the sunset. Regeneration is a useful skill. Wolverine is the featured star in Logan, the final chapter in the Marvel-ous tale of this charismatic X-Man. Other mutants are featured, and many more are mentioned in flashbacks, but this story is 141-minute ode to Wolverine. The irony, of course, is that this tribute to the immortal mutant is all about his final showdown with his own mortality. And, along for the ride, is The Professor, the legendary head of Xaviers School for Gifted Youngsters, which held court at the X-Mansion. Professor Xavier is now aging and knows he doesnt have long to live. Wolverine cares for him like a son does for an aging father, literally carrying him in his arms on part of the journey. Wolverine, too, seems to have waning powers and suffers from continuous pain. Hes trying to withdraw from life as a superhero, but then a little mute mutant named Laura shows up to provide him with a final mission: Muttering about your own mortality can wait, Logan, get this girl to safety. Laura is an import from the X-Men comic tales where she was X-23, a clone daughter of Wolverine, developed as a lethal assassin and sharing many of Wolverines regenerative traits. Her deadly powers make Laura a prime target for bad guys everywhere, and hordes are chasing her when she seeks safety behind a reluctant Wolverine. So we have two men facing mortality teaming up with a very young a vibrant future mutant -- or, perhaps, a future female Wolverine? In mythology the phoenix was a bird that lived for hundreds of year until it burned to death on a funeral pyre -- only to rise from the ashes to live hundreds more. Logan feels very much like the myth of the phoenix flying through Marvels X-Men Wolverine series. Yes, another Phoenix (Jean Grey) exists in this series, but were talking mythology here. And so, breaking most rules of the franchise, we are treated to a touching reflection on mortality in a series where we are accustomed to meeting heroes who are impenetrable and everlasting. The result is powerful, touching -- and remarkably human superhero movie that is at its best when the claws arent out. Logan includes a very poetic interlude when our travelers are invited to dinner by a family they help along the highway. After an evening of good food and warm friendship, everyone heads for bed -- not knowing that their innocence will be shattered by morning. This segment is Oscar-worthy cinema where we fall in love with everyone on the eve of their funerals. Hugh Jackman delivers a dark, brooding performance that some have likened to Eastwood. He regrets his life. He confesses that good people have died when they got too close to him -- not because he hurt them, but because hes always at the center of deadline hurricanes that suck mere mortals down the funnel. Even Logan is losing the strength to resist the dark forces. Just as powerful is Patrick Stewart as the fading professor who is losing his brilliant mind. Most startling of al, however, 12-year-old Dafne Keen, a sensation as the mute mutant with attitude. Warning to Mean Girls everywhere: Dont tease Dafne during school lunch or youll have to explain the claw marks to mom when you get home. If Dafne ages gracefully and survives adolescence, she could be the face and claws of the next decade of the Wolverine franchise. However, for a reflection on the sacredness of life, Logan includes far too many gratuitous killings. The opening scene, for example, is a pointless showdown between a pack of killers and Wolverine. Our hero slaughters the gang and claws his way to freedom before the title credits roll across the screen -- pointless red rivulets drip off the screen. The X-Men fans want their blood apparently, so Marvel obliges, not realizing that every drop of plasma reduces the power of this compelling tale about the passing of the claws. Ultimately, however, my super-hero sidekick Jon has convinced me to give Logan the benefit of the doubt -- allowing it to be a classic modern Western, perhaps in the shadow of Eastwoods Forgiven, also a bloody musing on mortality. This was a neo-Western comic book movie, said Jon. The script took all the right steps and graciously declined to indulge in any post-credits scenes, cameos, or other fan service. It's been two days and I still feel goosebumps over this movie. Jon also saluted the R-rating that allowed Logan to become a deeper, more raw exploration of the Marvel universe. Conceded, Jon, but humor me with the concession that battlefield graveyards might have been strewn with a one or two too many bodies. This is a funeral, after all? BILLINGS For snowmobilers seeking steep mountain riding with loads of snow, Cooke City is a white Nirvana. Its stunning. It takes your breath away, said Doug Chabot of the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center. Just northeast of Yellowstone National Park in Montanas steep Beartooth Mountains are big valleys surrounded by treeless slopes that climb 300 vertical feet or more to the top of 9,000- to 10,000-foot peaks. Combine the terrain with consistent snowfall that can cloak the mountains in nine feet of snow or more and its easy to see why riders from as far away as Minnesota are drawn to the region and why snowmobiling magazines rate the area as one of the best in the West. It hits this sweet spot. It has the culture and feel of being more remote and out there, Chabot said. Downside Theres a dark side to all of that white, though. The same conditions that make Cooke City so attractive can also prove deadly a high concentration of big, steep mountains; old mining roads that provide easy access into the heart of the mountains; and heavy annual snowfall that causes lots of avalanches. Based on data compiled by the avalanche center, it is the most deadly piece of real estate in the United States for snowmobilers, Chabot wrote in an article. I was talking to people last year in Cooke City and they werent even aware of their status, he said. Neither was Chabot until he and a colleague plotted southwest Montana avalanche deaths on a map and saw the concentration of fatalities near Cooke City. During the past 15 years, a 5-square-mile area has accounted for 14 snowmobiler fatalities, men ranging in age from 18 to 52 trapped and killed by avalanches. When the information was compared to the national avalanche fatality database in Colorado, they found no other place like Cooke City in the United States. Schooling Its not something we advertise, said Shannan Abelseth of Cooke City Motorsports. Its something we try to educate people about. To that end, the avalanche center has used funds provided through a Montana State Parks grant to hold free classes every Friday night and a short field course on Saturday mornings to educate snowmobilers who visit Cooke City. Since starting Thanksgiving weekend, Chabot said the classes have touched about 400 riders, mostly out-of-staters. We havent killed any snowmobilers this year, and weve had prime opportunities to do so, Abelseth said. So I do believe the avalanche classes are making a difference. The 14 fatality reports for the Cooke City area point out some interesting facts. The most dangerous months are January and February, when more than 64 percent of the fatalities have occurred. But the deaths stretch across the winter months, from November to March. Four of the 14 killed in avalanches were from North Dakota, three from Minnesota and five from Montana. The victims average age, out of 12 accidents for which there were reports, was 35.6. All were men. Better machines According to national statistics gathered by the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, snowmobiler deaths in avalanches first spiked in 1994. In that year fatalities jumped to nine after averaging less than two deaths during the previous 12 years based on data collected from 17 states. Brian Lazar, deputy director of the center, attributed that increase to snowmobile manufacturers introducing more powerful snowmobiles with longer tracks designed specifically for mountain riding. The equipment has gotten lighter allowing people with entry-level skill sets to get into avalanche-prone terrain, Lazar said. The barrier has come down due to technology. When I was a kid we didnt get to some of the places these guys are going now, Abelseth said. Unfortunately, back in 1994 many of those snowmobilers were unaware of avalanche safety gear, terrain dangers or proper riding techniques. The worst year for snowmobile fatalities in the U.S. was 2002, when 18 deaths in avalanches were recorded. Since 1950, 249 snowmobiler deaths in avalanches have been recorded in the United States, which is roughly the population of the entire Eastern Montana town of Fort Peck. When compared to other states in the West, Montana leads with 70 snowmobiler deaths since 1951. The next closest state is Alaska with 41, according to the Colorado data. Fortunately, as rider awareness has slowly increased in the past 10 years, Lazar said fatalities have leveled off. Some of the outreach, the forecasting and dissemination of information is getting the message out there better, and theres more training, Lazar said. One out of 50 snowmobilers seven years ago were wearing an avalanche pack, Abelseth said. The rate today is 90 to 95 percent. So these guys are educating themselves. Theyre realizing what kind of danger they can get themselves in, and not just here. More riders There are also more riders and more new snowmobilers every year. What were seeing nationally, quite frankly, is more people doing every activity, snowmobiling included, Lazar said. According to the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association, there are more than 1.2 million registered snowmobiles in the United States and more than 600,000 registered snowmobiles in Canada. The association puts Montana snowmobiles at more than 30,400 with Wyoming at 33,700. In comparison, North Dakota has 17,100 snowmobiles while Minnesota claims 213,300. On average, about 30 percent of snowmobile owners have sleds built for the rigors of mountain riding, and about 53,000 new snowmobiles are sold annually in the U.S. based on sales data from the past four years. Some of these snowmobilers, especially ones from the flatlands, have less experience when it comes to riding in avalanche terrain. Whats become obvious over the years is their inability to identify avalanche terrain, Chabot said. Theyre not realizing that lower on the slope is avalanche terrain. In Cooke City the avalanche educators are using past fatalities as stories of caution. Pointing to specific mountains and areas that the riders can see adds weight to the tales that is amplified by photos of the deadly slides. We have some really relevant stories about where they can go, Chabot said. Its really powerful for them to see photos of where they just were. It gives extra weight to everything. If we showed the same picture to a crowd in Wyoming it wouldnt carry the same weight. They are lessons that, so far this year, seem to be saving snowmobilers lives. With these stats, if theres a silver lining, its that it provides opportunities for us to teach others to stay alive, Chabot said. FWP forming chronic wasting disease advisory panel Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is seeking six to 12 individuals to serve on a chronic wasting disease citizen advisory panel to provide input on the agencys management plan for the disease. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has not yet been found in Montanas wild populations of deer, elk and moose, but as it continues to expand to the north, south and east of the us, FWP officials believe it is only a matter of time before it is in Montana. The panel will lend a citizens perspective to FWP in reviewing the science and management of CWD, predicting and anticipating public sentiment, and how to inform the public about potential CWD-oriented management actions. This citizen panel needs to be diverse and ideally will have people from across the state and include wildlife and livestock perspectives, scientific and recreation interests, commerce and tourism, and local and state government representation. Meetings will be facilitated and be advertised and open to the public with opportunity for public comment. Applications can be found online on the FWP home page, fwp.mt.gov, look under Popular for CWD Citizen Advisory Panel. Application deadline is March 15 and the FWP director will select panelists by March 25. The first meeting will be April 5-6 at the Bozeman FWP regional office. Interested individuals should be willing to travel for up to six one to two-day meetings in 2017. For more information contact John Vore at 444-3940. *** Comments sought on changes to trail proposal In response to public comments received about Alternative 4 of the Tenmile-South Helena Project, Helena District staff have made adjustments to the non-motorized trail system proposal, and invite public feedback on those specific changes beginning immediately until March 20. In November 2016, the Helena Ranger District released an additional project alternative Alternative 4 based on public comments received on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and additional field reviews. Part of that alternative included designating several new non-motorized system trails, which were recently adjusted based on public feedback. Those specific non-motorized trail system adjustments are open for a two-week public review and comment period. Adjustments to the non-motorized trails system in Alternative 4, based on public comments, include: The Brooklyn Bridge to Blackhall Meadows Trail (Proposed Trail B) has been relocated lower on the slope; Proposed Trail D has been added to the trail system to provide access between the Moose Creek Interpretive Trail to City of Helena land with parking capacity near the Tenmile Water Treatment Plant and Highway 12; Adjustments are proposed to the Moose Creek to Switchback Ridge trail (Existing FS Trail #348) on segments located in existing road corridors; A seasonal restrictions proposed for the Colorado Mountain to Moose Creek trail (Proposed Trail A). The trail would be open to bicycle use 5/16 to 8/31 annually; Bicycles would be restricted to designated system roads and trails within the project area. Members of the public can review the details of the non-motorized trail system proposal on the forest website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=45725. Written comments will be accepted until March 20, and can be submitted one of three ways: Emailed to comments-northern-helena-helena@fs.fed.us (include TSH in the subject line); faxed to 406-449-5436; or sent through regular mail or hand delivered to Helena Supervisors Office, Helena District Ranger, ATTN: Tenmile-South Helena, 2880 Skyway Drive, Helena, MT 59602. *** Student internships available for outdoor work The Montana Discovery Foundation and the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest are encouraging incoming high school students who love the outdoors or are curious about outdoor-based jobs to apply to the 2017 Youth Forest Monitoring Program student crew. Students will receive one week of training alongside Forest Service scientists, learning forest ecology concepts and becoming familiar with field protocol for monitoring streams, soils, vegetation, recreation areas, and black-backed woodpecker populations at the Montana Learning Center near Canyon Ferry Lake. Following this initial training, students are split into five teams and under the direction of field instructors, monitor between 45-50 sites on the National Forest. Students spend their summer collecting data and formulating a final report and oral presentation to give to Forest Service professionals and the public at the end of the internship. At the end of the summer, upon successful completion of the internship, students will receive a stipend from the Montana Discovery Foundation. Applications are due by Friday, April 7, and should be sent to Liz Burke, Helena-Lewis and Clark Supervisors Office, 2880 Skyway Drive, Helena, MT 59602. Along with the application, please send a letter of recommendation from a teacher, school transcript and cover letter, with pertinent contact information, describing what you hope to gain by this experience and special contributions you can make to this program. Interviews will be scheduled with students after the application deadline. For more information, call Burke at 406-495-3713. *** Habitat improvement project decision signed Last week Townsend District Ranger Corey Lewellen and Helena District Ranger Heather DeGeest, signed a decision memo for the Johnny Crow Wildlife Habitat Improvement Project, which is primarily located in the Crow Creek area of the Elkhorn Mountains. The 13,525-acre project is designed to improve wildlife habitat by using a variety of prescribed burning methods, along with hand-piling and slashing. The Elkhorn Mountain Range is unique in that its the only Wildlife Management Unit within the Forest Service; all projects within this mountain range must focus on the improvement and sustainability of wildlife and its habitat. Approved treatments in the Johnny Crow Wildlife Habitat Improvement Project will promote wildlife habitat by enhancing whitebark pine habitat, improving riparian habitat, maintaining and enhancing shrub and grassland habitat, and by creating diversity within the forested areas. The Johnny Crow Habitat Improvement Project and associated maps are posted on the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forests website at www.fs.usda.gov/helena. For more information, contact the Townsend Ranger District at 406-266-3425. *** Auction raises money for moose habitat initiative Montanas moose habitat conservation initiative will get more funds, thanks to the winning bid of $30,000 at last weekends Helena Ducks Unlimited event. The Helena chapter auctioned the rare Shiras moose license during its annual dinner. Proceeds from the license sale will go to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks moose program. Ducks Unlimited won the right to auction off the license from MFWP. The Helena DU chapter hosts the event as a draw to its yearly fundraising dinner. DU has also partnered with Montana and federal fish and wildlife agencies to restore and protect habitat that will enhance public hunting by attracting more wildlife. The Montana Senate on Wednesday advanced a bill to limit where drones can fly, after a lengthy debate on whether the legislation would actually protect property rights. Senate Bill 170, carried by Sen. Steve Hinebauch, R-Wibaux, would establish a civil penalty if a person flies a drone over private property below 500 feet. It also would change the minimum fine from $500 to $2,500 if a drone flew over a critical infrastructure facility. The bill would require drones to follow public roads and land, unless the user had permission to fly over private property. If you can get there by land, you can get there by air, Hinebauch said. You just have to go the same route. Although the bill passed on a vote of 30 to 19, members from both sides of the aisle said they were concerned the bill conflicted with Federal Aviation Administration regulations, which say a drone cannot be operated over 400 feet. The bill was amended to provide certain exceptions to strike a balance between personal property rights and the rights of drone users. The legislation provides exceptions for government or commercial purposes if cleared by the FAA, if the drone is used for land surveying, used by insurance agencies to assess damage or used by law enforcement. Sen. David Howard, R-Park City, said he recently bought a drone for his grandson and the wind blew it onto a neighbors property. Howard said the legislation would punish people who were intending to follow the law. I think this is searching for a problem that doesnt exist, he said. We need to think this out a little better. A business owner opposing the bill said it would impact the economy by making it impossible for aerial filming companies to continue operating. Pepper Petersen, the CEO of Big Sky UAV, said hes been providing precision aerial imaging since 2011 without a single complaint. If passed, the legislation would make every video hes filmed illegal. He said the legislation blatantly conflicts with federal law and doesnt clarify who the burden of proof falls on if a complaint is filed. Petersen said he thinks the true intention of the bill isnt about privacy or drones, but that it intends to entirely redefine property rights. Airspace has always been held by the public, and Peterson said the FAA would likely step in and challenge the bill, which would trump state authority. It just makes Montana look bad, Petersen said. Hinebauch has said drones were used to spy on people suntanning in their backyard and therefore invade a property owners privacy, Petersen noted. If the bill were about protecting privacy, Petersen said Hinebauch could bring legislation to strengthen Montanas voyeurism laws. Theres already laws against spying on people and we absolutely support those, Petersen said. Everything in this bill is not allowed. It attempts to supersede federal law. Petersen said he hoped the governor would veto the bill and instead appoint a commission to study drone use in Montana with help from experts. Lisa Bullock explained the importance of what AmeriCorps members from across the state were about to do. Montanas First Lady told the roughly 260 people who filled a room at Carroll College on Wednesday that the food drive would help feed hungry children. A lot of kids go home to empty cupboards and empty refrigerators, she said, noting that one in five children are hungry. They dont know where their next meal is going to come from. Some 1,100 elementary school children and others enrolled in Head Start have been identified by school and program staff as in need of food. Helena Food Share prepares a two-day supply of food for school and program staff that on Fridays is discretely placed into the childrens backpacks during recess. Roughly 250 AmeriCorps participants and perhaps a dozen staff are in Helena this week for a three-day Serve Montana symposium intended to further opportunities for service and collaboration. On Wednesday, they were divided up into crews for the food drive. Some went door to door in Helena and East Helena to collect bags of food that had been left on doorsteps. Others went to grocery stores where they handed out small white slips of paper explaining the Doorsteps to Backpacks food drive and what kinds of food were needed. Granola bars, juice, fruit cups, oatmeal, canned spaghetti and chili, milk, peanut butter and crackers can all be found in the childrens food packs, as can other essentials to feed them until school opens on Monday mornings. Asnaketch Keating, from Medford, Oregon, who is an AmeriCorps participant serving in Great Falls, and April Turnage, who is from Reno, Nevada, and serving in Troy, a tiny town in northwest Montana along the Kootenai River, were part of the four-person crew that asked shoppers at Vans Thriftway Food Store to help support the food drive. With them were Katie MacFeeters, of Philadelphia, and Jessica Faunce, whos from Rochester, Minnesota. Both women in their early 20s are serving in Helena with the Montana Legal Services Association project Justice for Montanans. Shoppers at Vans are generous. Donations often came by the bag or box and quickly filled the plastic milk crates used by the four women to store them. A shopping cart made the trips to deliver them to a waiting Helena Food Share truck parked outside the store quicker and easier for Keating. AmeriCorps appealed to Keating, 23, who said she wanted to do something that had an impact. Trying something new was part of the appeal for her too, she said. Im huge when it comes to helping kids. I wanted kids to know more about health and good nutrients. And now Im here and Im excited," she said. Eating healthy food is obviously important, Keating said, and she explained it helps you have energy and be more focused in school. Turnage, 52, was looking for something different in life and a friend suggested AmeriCorps. I needed a change and wanted to make change for others and help in any way that I could to see that kids get proper nutrition and focus better in school, she said. Turnage saw the Montana No Kid Hungry program online one of the eight that AneriCorps has in Montana and it appealed to her. She applied and was accepted. Keating is serving with AmeriCorps for six months. Turnage will devote what amounts to a year that will end for her in July. She and Keating will be putting programs into place to help children have food. Establishing an alternative breakfast program that allows children to eat in the classroom once class has started is an example of what they will seek to accomplish. After-school meal programs and those intended to help feed children in the summer months, when schools not in session, will also be part of the legacy of their efforts. In the summertime they dont have school to feed them so were trying to make sure that they dont go hungry, that they have the proper nutrition, Turnage said. Coordinating sponsors with available grant funds makes summer meal programs possible. Adding in activities for children furthers participation in meal programs, she explained. Last years AmeriCorps participants who gathered in Helena for this event collected some 8,000 pounds of food, said Sarah Sadowski, grants manager with the Governors Office of Community Service. Were looking to get more than that this year, she added. When the summer participants arrived last year, there were 435 people in AmeriCorps programs in Montana. Participants receive an educational award that can be used toward repayment of federally guaranteed student loans or toward tuition, Sadowski said. Those who serve full-time for a year will receive $5,775 toward education debt or tuition. The award is reduced for those who serve less. AmeriCorps also provides its participants with a small living allowance thats based on the poverty level of the community in which theyre serving. The wages for their work is typically less than $1,000 a month. No one does it for the compensation, it turns out, said Sadowski, who herself is a two-year AmeriCorps participant. She paraphrases a quote attributed to Rachel Naomi Remen, a physician who is a clinical professor of family and community medicine, who talks about helping and fixing and service. Helping is action when life is seen as weak and fixing is the response to seeing life as broken, according to the quote. But service, Sadowski explained of Remens outlook, is the work of the soul. We have a wide variety of reasons why people serve, Sadowski said. Some come from a service background. Some have been beneficiaries in the past and are ready to give back to folks or agencies that have helped them along the way as well. The beauty of AmeriCorps is that no matter what your background or any other experiences, you can contribute all of that. You dont have to be anything besides over 18, she said. The goal is that we want to meet these local needs in our communities. We want to develop citizens, which is for the betterment of our nation, of our country, of our state. Engaged citizens, she added, are essential to democracy. As Montana ranchers, we have considered ourselves to be good stewards of the rich natural resources we are blessed to have. However, the EPA's so-called Waters of the United States Rule has the potential to undermine our ability to work our land and has trampled on our private property rights. We were pleased to see that President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order on directing the EPA to reconsider an Obama-era rule that expanded federal jurisdiction over streams and wetlands. This rule, has caused excessive economic harm to farmers and ranchers across the country and Senator Jon Tester voted in favor of this harmful rule. What seems like a meaningless rule to a politician like Senator Tester has a real impact here in our state. We agree with President Trump when he said EPA's so-called Waters of the United States Rule is, one of the worst examples of federal regulation. The rule has removed local control over land and water and it allows for the EPA to treat ditches, storm water drainages, storm sewer systems and water supply as Waters of the United States which are subject to the Clean Water Air Act. This expansion of the definition of the term Waters of the United States means that every pond, stream and irrigation ditch can be subjected to costly federal sanctioning, fines and federal criminal enforcement actions. In essence, landowners could be penalized every time a cow walks through a ditch. The EPA's own estimates show the rule will cost American property owners between $158 million and $465 million a year. To make matters worse, the constitutionally of the rule is under question. Many believe that this rule is an overreach of federal power and the federal government shouldnt be regulating every pond on private property. Recently, the Supreme Court of the United States agreed to hear National Association of Manufacturers v. Department of Defense, where the National Association of Manufacturers is challenging the lawfulness of the Waters of the United States rule. This specific case will resolve the wrangling over which federal court should hear challenges, but nonetheless will provide an avenue to debate the issue. We are encouraged that the new EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt was a leading voice in the effort to overturn the Waters of the United States rule as Oklahoma Attorney General. However, I am disappointed but not surprised to see that Senator Jon Tester voted against his confirmation. Senator Testers lack of action on the Waters of the United States rule is exactly why we need a change in Washington. Senator Tester has let government bureaucrats write rules without public input and without understanding the economic impact on Montana farmers and ranchers. We deserve a Senator that will review and address our concerns, not turn the other way. Republican Debby Barrett is the former state Senate president, and she ranches near Dillon. Deanna Robbins is a board member of United Property Owners of Montana, and she ranches near Roy. My head exploded when I read Republican Speaker Austin Knudsens misguided and hypocritical logic surrounding HB501, his bill to prohibit state agencies from contracts with or investments in companies engaged in boycotting Israel. According to the IR, Knudsen apparently thinks that this is the best way to combat anti-Jewish hate groups in Montana. The Republican Party has quietly watched the alarming two-year rise in hate crimes and hate speech against Jews, people of color and other marginalized groups across Montana and the US. At the same time, they enthusiastically support the Trump Republican mindset, which has affirmed and made mainstream the smoldering racism and hateful intolerance of the alt-right, embodied in white nationalist leaders like Richard Spencer and hate speech promoters like White House chief strategist, Steve Bannon. The Republican Party owns responsibility for providing a voice to groups that espouse anti-Jewish hate. In HB501, Knudsen and the Republicans hope to shirk the blame for the hate monster their party unleashed last year and transfer an odious load of bureaucracy to the Montana Board of Investments, counties, cities and towns. According to the bills fiscal note, Compliance and monitoring may impose unknown additional costs to the Board of Investments. In addition, according to the fiscal note, The bill may conflict with the Boards constitutional obligation of acting as a prudent fiduciary. The bill also may unconstitutionally encumber the Boards decision abilities regarding pension assets. If Republicans really want to effectively work to fight against hate, they might try forcefully denouncing hate speech by their own members, rejecting the political support of the alt-right and getting on-board with human rights and anti-hate crime legislation sponsored every session by Democrats and shot down each time by Republicans. Kyle Strode Helena People who run puppy mills come to Montana because of the states lax regulations for breeding dogs and cats and when sick and abused animals are seized, it costs counties hundreds of thousands of dollars, people who support a bill to license pet breeders said Thursday. These unethical breeders not only impact innocent cats and dogs but create a financial millstone around the neck of local taxpayers who must pick up the bill when these facilities are forced to close, said Rep. Willis Curdy, D-Missoula. Curdys House Bill 570 was heard by the House Business and Labor Committee, which took no action Thursday. The legislation, which only applies to cats and dogs, would require commercial breeders with more than eight female animals to be licensed by the Board of Veterinary Medicine and pay license fees. Breeders would be inspected annually to see if they are meeting health and humane treatment standards established through rulemaking by the board, which could assess fines from $100 to $1,000. Past attempts at similar regulations on dog and cat breeders have failed for at least the last four legislative sessions. Arguments against the bill have included that it could be interpreted to ranchers and livestock, as well as disagreements about what state agency would oversee the regulation of breeders. Lake County Sheriff Don Bell told the committee a puppy mill that was raided last year in his jurisdiction chose the state because of its lack of regulation. About 130 small-breed dogs were taken from a breeder who eventually admitted to charges as part of a plea deal. The people that had this puppy mill sought out Montana, checked which had the least restrictive laws, and they moved to our state, Bell said. The sheriff described dogs that had lived their entire lives without ever touching the ground because they were kept on wire mesh and had teeth falling out of their mouths. It was so torturous to see these animals were treated so poorly. Marta Pierpoint, the executive director of the Humane Society of Western Montana, said that licensing breeders does not impose excessive regulation and ends up reducing burdens on taxpayers. Bridget Johnson, a Missoula resident who fostered two dogs from the Lake County seizure, said she spent $600 in care in one month and had $1,400 in donated vet care. Whether its the tax to the county thats paying for these things or private citizens, your constituents, your folks, are bearing the brunt of these operations that are going crazy with no oversight. Margaret Duezabou, who has been breeding dogs for over 50 years, spoke in opposition to the bill. She said breeders are motivated to keep dogs healthy because they cant make money selling sick puppies. She also told the committee the state has sufficient animal cruelty laws as well as federal regulations breeders must follow. Someone is trying to fill a gap in what happens when we have trouble enforcing our cruelty statutes, she said. Charlotte Lauerman, with the Montana Veterinary Medical Association, said her group also opposes the bill. While it supports some sort of regulation for pet breeding, the association objected to oversight by the Board of Veterinary Medicine. Though no one from the board attended the meeting, a representative of the Department of Labor said the board unanimously voted Monday to oppose the bill. A fiscal note said it would cost $33,718 in fiscal year 2018 and $46,793 in 2019 to implement the bill, and then $13,075 the following two years. The cost comes from rulemaking, setting up and carrying out inspections and changing the licensing database. Curdy said the cost to the state is far less than what a county would pay when it must care for animals seized from puppy mills in their area. A bill that would require teens to have parental permission to use tanning beds received tepid support in the House after legislators questioned the bills merits with comparisons to teen abortions, smoking and ballot counting. House Bill 478 as amended Wednesday would require anyone younger than 16 to have their parent provide an in-person signature of permission before using a tanning bed and would limit visits to 12 times per year. Similar laws exist in 41 other states, although they all set the bar at age 18. Most ban the use of tanning beds by minors outright, while 10 allow the use with parental sign-off. Melanoma now is the most deadly form of cancer for women. In the last 40 years, its touched more women than breast, colon, ovarian, uterine and pancreatic cancers combined. Two million teenagers now use tanning beds every year. Seventy percent of the people who use these tanning beds are white women between the ages of 15 and 29 years old. Melanoma is now the most common cancer for 25-29 year olds and the second leading cause of cancer for 15 year olds, Rep. Ellie Hill Smith, D-Missoula said. It would require kids to get permission from their parents before they give themselves cancer in a tanning bed. A similar measure passed the House on an 88-12 vote in 2015 but died in the Senate amid hopes for a tougher law that never advanced. This session, Senate Bill 133, carried by Billings Republican Sen. Roger Webb, would have banned tanning for anyone younger than 18. It died last month after a 25-25 vote killed a motion made in the full Senate to blast it out of committee. Webbs measure is preferred by the American Cancer Association but opposed by the American Suntanning Association. Smiths measure to allow tanning with parental permission is opposed by the cancer group, but supported by the tanning organization and the American Medical Association. Rep. Theresa Manzella, R-Hamilton, introduced a successful amendment to Smiths bill that lowered the age limit from 18 to 16 years old. She cited a 2012 legislative referendum that a majority of voters later approved, which requires doctors to notify parents if their child younger than 16 years old is receiving an abortion as well as state law that sets the age of sexual consent at 16. I cant for the life of me see myself voting for a bill that creates a higher threshold for parental consent on tanning beds than we do on abortions, she said. Republican Reps. Brad Tschida of Missoula and Kerry White of Bozeman argued the bill was unenforceable. Rep. Mike Hopkins of Missoula also questioned the penalties provision of the bill. The age limit for tanning is in the same section of state law as bans on underage smoking and drinking, which allow adults to be fined up to $500 and sentenced to six months in jail for providing those substances anyway. Really? Seems slightly harsh to me for a tanning bed, Hopkins said. Read through the things already prohibited in this section and ask yourself how were doing on that, like teen smoking, drinking. It doesnt seem to me like its going to work out very well. Smith noted that because the tanning industry supports the measure and is willing to enforce the law she thinks there would be little need to use those provisions. She said she would be open to amendments in the Senate to remove the possibility of jail. Rep. Derek Skees, R-Kalispell, also opposed the bill. Just a few short weeks ago we said someone older than the age of 16 and younger than the age of 18 should be able to count our votes and be judges in elections, he said. I wanted to point out that hypocrisy and I cant wait to see the vote total on this one. Rep. Tom Woods, D-Bozeman, argued Skees comparison was flawed. Counting votes doesnt give you cancer, he said. Rep. Peggy Webb, R-Billings, was one of several women from both parties who urged legislators to approve the bill. Im usually about freedom, but we just spoke to a group of nurses on Monday, she said, recalling one in her early 20s who has had cancer three times, likely a result of frequent tanning as a teen. We need to protect our kids. We try not to let them smoke. I dont think they should be drinking. I dont think we need to be encouraging and making it easier for them to get cancer. Smith emphasized Wednesday was International Womens Day and that cases of skin cancer resulting from tanning disproportionately affect women. Were telling you this would make a difference for women and girls, she said. The House endorsed Smiths bill 51-49, with 38 Democrats and 13 Republicans supporting it while 4 Democrats and 45 Republicans opposed it. The final House vote will be Thursday. President Trumps executive order to cut funding to sanctuary cities has injected huge uncertainty in San Franciscos budget, City Attorney Dennis Herrera alleged Wednesday as he asked a federal judge to freeze the order until a lawsuit challenging its constitutionality is resolved. If defendants strip all federal funds from San Francisco, the result will be catastrophic, Herrera wrote in seeking an injunction in U.S. District Court. Under this cloud of uncertainty and budgetary sword of Damocles, San Francisco must adopt an annual budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2017. San Francisco has a $9.6 billion budget, and Mayor Ed Lee is in the process of creating a blueprint for how to spend that money over the next two years. But he is operating blindly, as the Trump administration has not clarified how much money San Francisco stands to lose because of its sanctuary policy limiting its cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Trumps executive order, signed in January, seeks to block federal grants to sanctuary cities. The orders nebulous phrasing means San Francisco could lose from a couple hundred thousand dollars to $2 billion, according to Herrera. So far, the administration has not cut any money. The White House didnt respond to a query about whether the administration planned to offer more clarity on the executive order. In a statement, Lee said he needs to decide whether to create a budget reserve to account for the potential loss of federal money. It is a question of whether we hold funds back now and place on reserve or spend general fund dollars and make possible cuts later, Lee said. San Francisco receives most of its federal funds through reimbursement it spends the money and then the federal government reimburses the city. Money placed in reserve cant be spent until the fiscal year is over, and thats a problem as the city seeks to boost funding for homeless services, among other initiatives. Lee has to come up with the framework for the budget by May 15 and submit a balanced budget to the Board of Supervisors by June 1. The board is required to pass the budget by Aug. 1. Even a small cut in federal funding could have a major impact. Melissa Whitehouse, the mayors budget director, stated in a declaration filed with the court that even a 10 percent loss of federal funds would require reductions in the number of first responders, including police officers, firefighters, paramedics and 911 operators. The motion Herrera filed Wednesday is part of his January lawsuit against the Trump administration, which claims that withholding federal funding from sanctuary cities is unconstitutional. The request for an injunction is the second one to be filed in the U.S. District Court of San Francisco. In February, Santa Clara County officials filed a similar motion. They called Trumps executive order extortion. Legal experts were divided on the merits of granting an injunction. You cant challenge something that hasnt happened. The executive order is an order to do something in the future, but we dont know what that is and it hasnt happened, said Michael McConnell, a Stanford law professor and a former federal appeals court judge. Maybe its nice for states and cities to have more predictability, but I dont think they have any legal entitlement to predictability, McConnell said. He also said its impossible to rule on the executive orders constitutionality without knowing what federal grant money is cut. A grant that is closely related to immigration enforcement might be constitutional (to cut), but an unrelated grant for education or street improvement is not related and probably not constitutional, McConnell said. Bill Ong Hing, a professor of immigration law at the University of San Francisco, said Herreras argument is ironically similar to the one made by the state of Texas in its lawsuit against former President Barack Obamas executive order giving legal status to many immigrants who came to the United States as children. Texas successfully sought an order halting implementation of the order on the grounds that it would incur irrevocable harm from the cost of issuing drivers licenses to newly eligible immigrants. Given that context, Hing said, Herreras argument is not that far-fetched. Pratheepan Gulasekaram, who teaches constitutional and immigration law at Santa Clara University Law School, said courts usually want to see all the facts before issuing an injunction. But he said a judge may make an exception in this case because Trumps mere threat to cut funding to sanctuary cities is already making an impact. In February, the Miami-Dade County Commission responded to the executive order by ending its sanctuary status and agreeing to cooperate fully with federal immigration officials. The real question right now is whether the city can convince a court that because the city does its budgeting now, it can have assurances that it can put out its budget and not worry about federal funds being taken away, he said. Emily Green is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: egreen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @emilytgreen Pregnant New York City subway rider Yvonne Lin, 38, takes the subway to work each day, commuting for an hour in each direction. During her first pregnancy two years ago, Lin decided to pay attention to who would offer their seat to her, noting that women overwhelmingly offered their seats over men. For fun, Lin told broadcast station PIX11 News that she began carrying around a "Congrats" card to hand to the first guy who gave his seat to her. Except that moment never arrived. Not one man offered his seat, according to Lin, who told the news station that she even wore form-fitting clothing while riding the subway to make it obvious she was pregnant. To no avail. Fast forward to more than two years later, and with her second pregnancy Lin decided to try again with her social experiment. This time, Lin carried around another "prize" to give to the first generous man who offered his seat. "Since it was a long time coming, I needed to up this thing," Lin said, referring to the award she hoped to give. The designer commissioned a 7-inch trophy made in the likeness of comic book character Incredible Hulk, seen ripping his shirt off. The plaque on the trophy reads, "#1 DECENT DUDE. First Man to Offer Subway Seat to Pregnant Woman throughout Two Pregnancies." Two weeks ago, Lin who is eight months pregnant was finally given a seat by "decent dude" Ricky Barksdale. "He looked up at me and looked super startled and embarrassed," Lin said to DNA Info. "He immediately stood up and said, 'Please take this seat, I just noticed.'" Lin posted a photo of the trophy and Barksdale to her Instagram account, declaring him the winner. She said Barksdale was "adorably sweet and embarrassed" when she handed him his prize, telling NBC4: "He is the closest thing to a real life superhero." Barksdale, an actor and Army veteran, recalled the chance encounter saying he didn't expect a reward for the good deed. In fact, he was shocked when Lin told him how long it took to hand out the trophy. "Just be a decent person and do the right thing," Barksdale said. "I'm no angel. I'm not perfect, but little things like that can go a long way." This week marks the 10th anniversary of the disappearance of former FBI agent Robert Levinson on the Iranian island of Kish. Acknowledging the anniversary, both the FBI and the White House released statements that pledged to do more to find the missing American. Bob went missing in Iran, FBI Director James Comey said. Ten years is an inhumane amount of time to ask a family to wait for word of their loved one. White House press secretary Sean Spicer said the Trump administration remains unwavering in its commitment to finding Levinson and getting him home. We want him back, and we will spare no effort to achieve that goal, Spicer said. President Trump is a frequent critic of Iran and has said he would guarantee that U.S. citizens held by the country will be released. In 2015, as his electoral campaign began to gain momentum, he said that Levinson would be released before he even took office, along with the then-jailed Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, Marine Amir Hekmati and Christian pastor Saeed Abedini. If I win the presidency, I guarantee you that those four prisoners are back in our country before I ever take office, Trump said at an event on Capitol Hill on September 10, 2015. I guarantee that. However, while the three other U.S. citizens were released in 2016, the location of Levinson remains a mystery. It is not definitively known who is holding him or whether he is alive. And the details of why he was in Iran at the time of his disappearance remain unclear. Levinson, who turns 69 Friday, was working as a private investigator in 2007 when he disappeared. Levinson, a Florida native, had been a 28-year veteran of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI. Originally, the State Department said that he had been traveling to Kish, an Iranian resort island and free trade zone, to set up an interview for a project involving a book and a documentary, when he disappeared March 9, 2007. It was only years later that more details about Levinsons work at the time of his trip to Kish became publicly known. In 2013, the Associated Press revealed that Levinson had been working on an unapproved intelligence mission for the CIA. The private investigator had been hoping to recruit a source who could give details of alleged corruption among Iranian elites, the New York Times later reported, in an apparent bid to renew his contract with the agency. Levinsons family hopes that under a new president, who has been vocally critical not only about the nuclear deal but about Iran in general, their fathers case might be resolved. Levinsons wife, Christine, said this week that she knows her husband is still alive. Its now time for him to be returned home to his family, she said. Adam Taylor is a Washington Post writer. BERLIN Police in three European countries have raided dozens of homes and offices linked to suspected cybercriminals, including the alleged operators of a secret forum used to trade illicit wares, officials said Wednesday. More than 1,000 investigators searched over 120 premises across Germany late Tuesday in connection with crimenetwork.biz, a so-called dark net site that is allegedly used to buy and sell stolen goods, drugs and medication. A Billings Republican wants to expand an exemption to the states business equipment tax, which has been whittled down repeatedly since 1989. Senate Bill 327 is another bite of developing a more positive business climate in the state, Sen. Roger Webb said. The tax on many types of equipment from swathers and balers to commercial printers and bottling machines has been at the center of perennial debates about the Montana tax code. Legislators have reduced the tax multiple times since a high of 12 percent in the 1980s. Today, the first $100,000 in equipment value is exempt from taxation. Businesses then pay 1.5 percent on the first $6 million and 3 percent beyond that. SB 327 would raise the exemption from $100,000 in taxable value to $350,000. It would reduce the number of businesses paying anything from about 7,000 to 3,500 and amounts to an estimated tax cut of $12 million in 2018-19. The state would reimburse local governments and the university system for lost revenue. Supporters of the measure included the Montana Chamber of Commerce, Montana Grain Growers Association, Montana Beverage Association, Independent Electrical Contractors, Montana Stockgrowers Association and the Montana Association of Counties. They argued it would spur economic growth and improve the states overall business climate without gutting local budgets. Many business groups said they would prefer eliminating the tax altogether but understand a compromise is necessary given a slump in state revenues. The Department of Revenue and Montana Budget and Policy Center opposed the bill because of lost state revenues and a shift in tax burden. Look at the fiscal note and the total impact in the context of the current session, Revenue Director Mike Kadas said, noting that previous reductions typically came in years with a better budget situation. To make a reduction of this magnitude just exacerbates what we understand is a significant challenge because of business cycle and the price of oil. Now is absolutely not the time. Montana Taxpayers Association Executive Director Bob Story said he opposed the bill because it does not go far enough. The people left (paying the tax) are the large employers that have a lot of business equipment, he said. That group is getting so small, there wont be a lot of political will to deal with business equipment, so I would rather see a rate decrease that applies to everybody rather than an exemption from the bottom. Gov. Steve Bullock declined to say outright whether he would sign or veto Webbs bill if it reached his desk, noting he still needed to review the proposal. Broadly, however, he said the state has already made significant efforts to reduce the tax and highlighted a proposal that would expand an abatement for new capital investments. Im not sure we need to take additional steps, he said. But long before the bill would reach Bullock, Webb noted his proposal first must move out of the Senate Taxation Committee and clear Senate Finance and Claims. That will be the test, he said. Thats when well find out if theres money in the budget to do this. 1 Orphanage fire: Fire swept through a crowded childrens shelter near Guatemala City early Wednesday and officials said at least 19 people died and dozens were injured. The national police department said 38 people were injured and the countrys Health Ministry said 14 were in serious condition with severe burns. President Jimmy Morales office issued a statement saying the cause of the fire was under investigation. The president held a moment of silence to mark the tragedy. 2 NATO exercises: Romanian and American troops staged joint exercises as part of a New York-based Army brigades nine-month deployment in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve, which aims to reassure NATOs European allies in light of Russias invasion in Ukraine. Troops flew three Black Hawk helicopters Wednesday and headed to a nearby shooting range, where they planned to confront a simulated land attack before flying back to a base near the Black Sea. A total of 86 helicopters and 2,200 troops have been deployed to NATOs eastern flank as part of Atlantic Resolve operation. WASHINGTON The United States is sending an additional 400 troops to Syria to help prepare for the looming fight for Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic States self-proclaimed caliphate, U.S. officials said Thursday. The increase, which includes a team of Army Rangers and a Marine artillery unit that have already arrived in the country, appears to represent a near-doubling of the number of U.S. troops in Syria. The U.S. military had declined to say precisely how many troops it had deployed in the country. The formal troop cap for Syria is 503, but commanders have the authority to temporarily exceed that limit to meet military requirements. The presence of the Rangers became apparent last weekend when they were seen driving around the northern Syrian town of Manbij in Stryker vehicles and armored Humvees. The Washington Post earlier reported the deployment of the Marine artillery battery. We are preparing logistical and fire support to enable a successful assault on Raqqa, the self-proclaimed capital of ISIS, said Col. John Dorrian, a spokesman for the U.S.-led command that is fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. The exact numbers and locations of these forces are sensitive in order to protect our forces, but there will be approximately an additional 400 enabling forces deployed for a temporary period to enable our Syrian partnered forces to defeat ISIS in Raqqa, Dorrian added. Our indigenous partners in Syria face an entrenched foe and like the Iraqis, will require additional support to enable them to fight and defeat ISIS in Raqqa, he said. The mission of the additional troops will be to help Syrian fighters prepare for the offensive on Islamic State forces in Raqqa. They will provide artillery support, training and protection for improvised explosives, among other efforts, Dorrian said. The decision to deploy artillery mimics the approach taken in Mosul, Iraq, where U.S. and French artillery have been supporting the Iraqi offensive to take the western half of the city. In the case of Raqqa, the idea is that Syrian forces will do the bulk of the fighting on the ground but that Americans will assist them by providing advisers as well as firepower. The United States is already carrying out air strikes in Syria and has deployed surface-to-surface rockets in the northern part of the country. Before he left office, President Barack Obama approved the use of a small number of Apache attack helicopters, and they are expected to be part of the Raqqa operation, as well. Now, Marine artillery is being added to the mix. The Trump administration, however, has yet to make clear which fighters will seize Raqqa. U.S. military commands favor a mixed force of Syrian Arabs and the Kurdish YPG militia. But Turkey has objected to arming the Kurds, since it has denounced the group as terrorists. Michael R. Gordon is a New York Times writer. My car broke down this week. I'm walking everywhere. The resultant change to my routine has meant that I have begun to notice the signs of spring popping up around town. On Paseo de Peralta, for instance, the crocus are in full bloom. There seem to be a few more bunnies of the Santa Fe Unversity of Art & Design campus. The quality of light has taken on a warmer tone. Better start thinking about your gardens. This is super late notice, but there is a great fundraiser happening tonight at the Inn of the Anasazi. In partnership with Southern Wine & Spirits, EDV and the Liquid Muse, the Anasazi Restaurant will host a special community dinner to benefit Cooking with Kids, a local organization that empowers children and families to make healthy food choices through hands-on culinary education. Prepared by Executive Chef Edgar Beas, the five-course meal will feature French-inspired dishes including caviar with cauliflower bisque and caramelized apples, confit garlic agnolotti and lamb culotte with tapenade and charred onions to complement a curated selection of French wines. In addition to wine pairings with each course, guests will also receive a cocktail upon arrival sponsored by the Liquid Muse and infused with OM Liqueur. Where: Inn of the Anasazi (113 Washington Ave) When: 6:00 TONIGHT! Reservations: 988.3236 Cost: $175 (Benefits Cooking with Kids) The 16th Annual New Mexico ProStart Invitational was yesterday at the Santa Fe Convention Center. More than 100 high school students from across the state competed to demonstrate mastery of restaurant leadership skills culinary and management in a fast-paced competition to win a share of $3.2 million in scholarships. In 60 minutes each team prepared a three-course meal using only two butane burners with no access to electricity. Teams were evaluated on taste, teamwork, safety and sanitation. Management teams developed a business proposal for an original restaurant concept and presented to a panel of industry judges, who challenged them to address the issues restaurant managers face on a daily basis. The high schools competing were: Alamogordo, Artisco Heritage, Cloudcoft, Clovis, Deming, Eldorado, Questa, Rio Rancho, Sandia, Santa Fe and Taos. I'll let you know who won next week. The first-place team in each category will be crowned state champions and represent New Mexico at the National ProStart Invitational in Charleston, South Carolina April 28-30. The New Mexico Restaurant Association works with 27 high schools across the state to introduce 1989 students to career opportunities in the restaurant industry through the National Restaurant Association's ProStart program. Speaking of whom, the New Mexico Restaurant Association is busy this week; in partnership with The New Mexico Kitchen Cabinet they presented Florence Jaramillo owner of historic Rancho de Chimayo, with the first annual Women's Restaurant Award. The NMRA has decided to rename the award in her honor. March is National Women's History Month, and according to the National Restaurant Association, there are more women in restaurant management and ownership positions than virtually any other industry, providing career opportunities for women from every race, class and ethnic background. "Sixty-one percent of adult women have worked in a restaurant at some point in their lives, using their jobs as a springboard to a meaningful career in hospitality, a way to fund a college education, or a skill base for any professional pursuit," said Carol Wight, NMRA CEO. In addition to the award, the New Mexico House of Representatives is designating March 8, 2017 as Florence Jaramillo day in the state. 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Zinke's office says that during Friday's visit to Glacier the former Montana congressman also will receive a traditional tribal blessing by members of the Blackfeet Nation. He's due to speak in the state House chamber at 1 p.m. Monday, in an address expected to focus on energy and public lands. On Tuesday he'll visit Bureau of Land Management field offices in Lewistown and Billings for closed meetings with agency personnel. Zinke took over the U.S. Department of Interior on March 1 to become the first person from Montana to serve in a presidential cabinet. DECATUR After deliberating for one hour, a jury convicted Robert Howell of one count of aggravated battery with great bodily harm, for slashing the face and chest of a 41-year-old man on the city's east side. Howell, 54, a career criminal with 10 prior felony convictions, showed no emotion as he sat at the defense table and heard the verdict at 4:55 p.m. Wednesday, as it was read aloud by the clerk of Associate Macon County Judge James Coryell. He was acquitted of a greater charge, one count of Class X armed robbery. Howell, who is being held in jail without bond, will be sentenced by the judge at a hearing on April 13. The guidelines for the Class 3 felony are two to 10 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. The state and defense attorneys agreed that Howell slashed the victim the night of Oct. 4, during a confrontation in the vicinity of Hilton Street and Prairie Avenue. The victim underwent a battery of surgeries to repair a laceration that stretched from the left side of his nose to his lip and another deep gash on the right side of his chest. His facial injury required 16 nylon sutures to close, the wound to his upper chest wall was closed by nine staples. In her closing argument, Assistant State's Attorney Jane Foster said the blood trail the victim left from the west side of Hilton to the victim's house on Wood Street showed his version of the incident was accurate. There was no blood found for a distance of 371 feet between the residence where the defense said the incident occurred and the site where the police discovered blood spatter on the sidewalk. The trail of evidence leads from 105 N. Hilton to the victim's house, Foster said. Ultimately where it leads is to a guilty verdict for this defendant. The defense theory was that Howell wielded the knife in self-defense and no robbery ever occurred. Assistant Public Defender Scott Rueter argued that the slashing occurred in a house at the corner of Hilton and Prairie, after the victim reached for a gun while arguing with Howell. Nobody ever saw that gun and no gun was ever found by police. The victim, whose face was marred by a fresh facial abrasion and large bump on his head from a Monday night hit-and run accident, testified early Wednesday that the October attack occurred during a street robbery, in which about $60 was taken from him by Howell. The accident, in which the victim was hit from behind by a pickup truck while riding a bicycle, is under investigation by the Decatur Police Department. Jail calls made by Howell to acquaintances before the trial contained messages such as take care of that (expletive). Recordings of the calls were played for the jurors. The defense presented two women, longtime friends of Howell, who testified that they saw the victim reach for a gun while in the home of one of the women, on the corner of Hilton and Prairie. Howell did not testify at his trial. The jurors apparently acquitted Howell on the armed robbery charge because the victim gave several different versions of his story to the police and the court as to the details of the alleged robbery. In all of his versions Howell asked for a small amount of money, the victim pulled out a significant wad of cash to give him something, which led to Howell demanding all his money. It was unclear whether Howell actually made off with any money, as the victim left the scene, bleeding profusely from both of his wounds. The victim testified that he had $602 in his possession when Howell accosted him. Decatur patrol officer Ryan Wicks testified that the victim had $540.41 when they found him sitting on the porch of his house in the 600 block of East Wood Street shortly after the incident occurred. After Wicks interviewed him for about two minutes while waiting for an ambulance, the victim passed out. DECATUR Ice cream made with liquid nitrogen makes a sound very much like thunder as it freezes. And when it's frozen, it looks a little like Styrofoam. It tastes like Dippin' Dots, said Hayden McInerney, a member of Girl Scout Troop 3559, who was chosen to represent Decatur Girl Scouts for a tour of the Joint Information Public Center of Ameren Illinois on Wednesday. Girl Scouts of Central Illinois applied for an Ameren Cares grant, which was presented to Jennifer Worth on behalf of the Scouts at the event. Worth said the money will support the organizations outreach program, which allows low-income girls to be Girl Scouts at their schools. Many of those girls would have difficulty with transportation to traditional troop meetings and affording a uniform and fees, and the grant will take care of that for them. It's for six weeks, Worth said. Of course, we hope that they go home and say 'Mom and Dad, I want this to be part of my life' and stay in (Scouting) and join a traditional troop. We'll make it work somehow. Daisies are in kindergarten and first grade, while Brownies are in second and third grades, and the girls were completing a badge requirement with the visit to Ameren, too. Troop leader Kara Demirjian Huss said the STEM badge can be earned by science, technology, engineering and math activities or by learning about careers, as they did on Wednesday. They're gathering information that they can use someday when they're adults, Huss said. Ameren Division Director Gussie Reed welcomed the girls and told them they were celebrating International Women's Day by meeting female engineers, who had set up stations throughout the building to provide information on their careers. Emma Ridley, a student at Holy Family School, said some of them are in planning, some in making the plans happen and some in fixing things that go wrong. Making ice cream was the big hit, however. Heather McConnell-Smith, supervising engineer, had brought the ingredients from home and included a presentation on safety gear, from her long sleeves to safety glasses to an apron and steel-toed shoes, just in case she spilled any nitrogen. They're ugly, she remarked with a chuckle as she put the shoes on, but it's better to be ugly than to get hurt. That made the little girls laugh, and when she poured the nitrogen from its container and smoke rose from the steel bowl and billowed around her, enveloping the bowl, the table, and that whole end of the room, the reaction from Scouts and their moms was noisy. Oh, my God, said one small voice, and McConnell-Smith laughed. Exactly! she said. NEW DELHI: Global financial advisory firm Arthur Andersen has re-entered Indian market in partnership with consulting company International Business Advisors (IBA). IBA has announced its partnership with Arther Andersen (AA) to offer professional advisory services in India. "With the announcement, Global giant Arthur Andersen reconstituted its India operations and will be offering its professional services capabilities to the Indian enterprises through the India partner - IBA," International Business Advisors said in a release. Commenting on the announcement, Nirav Maniar, Director, IBA said the partnership should be mutually beneficial for the growth of AA network and IBA in Indian market. Further on the restart of AA's operations globally, Stephane Laffont-Reveilhac, Global Managing Partner of AA said: "IBA's strong presence will surely help Arthur Andersen network re-build its reputation and business presence in India". In the wake of the Enron scandal and the Arthur Andersen's indictment for obstruction of justice in 2002, it ceased auditing clients in 2002. Its associates in India joined other firms and started their own enterprises. Read Also: Tech Mahindra Buys American Healthcare IT Firm Xiaomi India To Spruce Up Retail Network For Rural Gains HYDERABAD: After launching 'Digital Unlocked', a training programme to help small and medium businesses (SMBs) go digital, Google India today announced the launch of 'SMB Heroes', a nation-wide programme designed to recognise SMBs that have embraced digital platform to grow their business. A nation-wide programme 'SMB Heroes' will comprise three categories -- Business Innovation through Digital, Impacting Change through Digital and Woman Business Leader, Kevin O'Kane, Managing Director, Google Marketing Solutions- Asia Pacific, told reporters here. Google today launched 'Digital Unlocked' programme here. Since its launch in January this year, Google has hosted 'Digital Unlocked' workshops in five cities across the country and trained over 4,000 businesses across the offline and online training. Starting today businesses from across the country can submit their nominations on the SMB Heroes website g.Co/smbheroes. The last date for entries is April 24. "One winner from each category will be shortlisted for five major zones, culminating in a national final in Delhi later this year," Kevin said. Citing a joint research study by Google-KPMG, Google (India and South-East Asia) Vice President Rajan Anandan, said, 68 per cent of the 51 million Indian SMBs are offline. "A large number 35 per cent of small businesses are not aware of the benefits and 31 per cent cited lack of technical skills for the reasons that they are not on internet. At Google we want to address these barriers," Rajan said. "We will be investing heavily in helping SMBs to benefit from digital technology," he said. SMBs contribute 37 per cent to India's GDP and employ 120 million people. Today, there are only 32 per cent of small businesses in India that have any sort of web presence, said Rajan. Digital Unlocked, will empower SMBs with essential digital skills to help them get online and start using the internet to grow their business. The programme is built across the different formats of online, offline and mobile. "The offline training is being conducted in partnership with FICCI and over the next three years, 5,000 workshops will be held across 40 Indian cities," Rajan said. Quoting the report, he said rising Internet penetration and greater uptake for digital by SMBs could help increase their contribution to India's GDP by 10 percentage points, taking it up to 46-48 per cent by 2020. "SMBs that leverage digital platform grow revenues fast compared to offline SMBs," he added. Read Also: SAP Launches 'GST In A Box' To Help Indian SMEs Back-Office SaaS To Generate Huge Revenues For Indian Firms: SirionLabs HYDERABAD: T-Hub today said it along with Anthill, a speed scaling platform for early-growth stage startups, has launched a international startup initiative in India - the Smart Women Angels Network (SWAN). T-Hub is a startup incubator set up by the Telangana Government To celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit in women and create awareness about investing and recognising the need for women investors, T-Hub and Anthill have launched SWAN, a release said. SWAN, which has its roots in Barcelona has now spread its wings to reach India to create a network of women angel investors who will then collaborate with their counterparts from across the world to interact with and invest in startups, it said. Jay Krishnan, CEO, T-Hub said, "To encourage women to be active members of the ecosystem, T-Hub in collaboration with Anthill, has launched SWAN in India. We truly believe this reputed programme will not only suffuse the culture in the country, but change the dynamics of the community to make it more inclusive." Prasad Vanga, founder and CEO, Anthill said, "With the launch of SWAN, we want to boost the presence of more women investors in India." Cristina Ventura, president of SWAN and an Angel and Fund-of-Funds Investor, said, "The percentage of women investors around the world is very less. For example, in the US just 20 per cent of the investors are women, in Europe it is 5 per cent, in the UK it is 14 per cent while in Spain it is just 8 per cent. In India, the numbers are very low." "SWAN believes in creating an inclusive network that can make a positive difference," added Ventura. Read Also: NASA Plans To Create 'Coolest Spot In Universe' Cabinet Approval To MoU On Energy Efficiency Between India, UAE NEW DELHI: The UK Department for International Trade in partnership with BEAMA, a leading UK trade body, is bringing a Smart Grid Trade Mission to the India Smart Grid Week (ISGW) from March 7-10 here, a statement said. The British smart grid delegation comprises nine smart grid companies along with BEAMA, which represents the interests of a collection of trade associations in the energy and power industry. The participating companies range from smart meter manufacturers, to communication technology, data analytics, financing and software solution providers. The companies will be exhibiting at ISGW. This is the second year the UK has had a presence and is the largest delegation from the UK to participate at ISGW, a statement from the British High Commission here said. Andy Barr, First Secretary, Department for International Trade said: "The UK companies I have met have a wealth of skills, services and technologies within and beyond the Smart Grids projects - and are interested in working with Indian partners to ensure efficient and reliable energy for all." The trade mission comes a month ahead of the visit of Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Greg Clark to New Delhi in April. Clark will be meeting his Ministerial counterparts in New Delhi, who are hosting him for the inaugural India-UK Energy Dialogue. Kelly Butler, Marketing Director, BEAMA said: "UK businesses are here to showcase their smart grid capabilities along with a solution-based approach to the exciting Indian market opportunity. This is a perfect precursor to the UK India Bilateral Dialogue summit taking place in April. BEAMA has established strong working relations with Indian utilities and we are looking forward to forging stronger business ties with Indian businesses through the conference." Read Also: HP Launches 'Centre Of Excellence' To Support Digital India T-Hub, Anthill Launch SWAN in India DECATUR -- During a time of uncertainty for Muslims, the visitors pouring into the Greater Decatur Islamic Center on Wednesday evening were a welcome sight. One hundred adhesive name tags at the welcome table were gone 20 minutes into the three-hour open house for International Womens Day. Visitors tried on hijabs, got henna tattoos drawn on their hands, sampled some unfamiliar foods and explored tables with treasures from 10 different countries represented in the local Islamic community. They also left with a new appreciation for people who might be affected by President Trumps latest travel ban, which restricts travel into the United States for 90 days, starting March 16, from the Muslim-majority countries of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Sudan and Yemen. One of the displays was created by Mariam Mohamed, originally from Somalia, and another by Raziyeh Zabehi and her daughter, Sara Nazarian. I am from Iran, and Iranians are not ISIS, Zabehi said. These are real peoples lives, Chris Oyer of Decatur said after going around the room. It could just as easily be happening to me and my family. Oyer said her faith background is Mennonite and that she came to show support for diversity in Decatur. Mohamed said she felt disappointed to lose freedoms in a country where everyone can worship how they choose, but she was delighted to share samples of the lahooh, a popular breakfast dish in her home country, she had prepared and show a few of her dresses, examples of Somali dirac. Among the myths the women of the Islamic Center said they hoped to dispel is the notion that the hijab is a sign of second-class citizenship when it actually frees women from societys tendency to objectify them. Farah Mahmood showed Shae Genebacher how to put one on after her mom, Kim Genebacher, finished giving Mahmood a big hug. Weve been friends for 15 or 20 years, said Kim, who is a member of Holy Family Catholic Church. Halima Jing Yang of China, one of the mosques newest members, had on her table three pairs of shoes. My grandma made these by hand, and she is nearly 90 years old, she said proudly, adding, We just want to spread the message, if we take out the labels, we are far more alike than we are different. One thing everyone inside had in common was a lack of footwear, as keeping dirt out of the House of Allah (God) is a sign of respect. Wearing a floral hijab and leaning down to put on her shoes before leaving, Joy Grieve described herself as an ecumenical Christian and said couldnt get over how many people were there. Im proud of Decatur, she said. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Today's archive page is from Jan. 10, 1969. On this date, the Staten Island Advance takes a look at some of the developments being made to the borough's hospitals. The top-left photo shows the framework for a 30-bed addition to Doctor's Hospital, Concord. The bed space will be used for a much-needed intensive coronary care unit. The top-right photo shows the development of a 98-apartment doctors and nurses residence on the grounds of St. Vincent's Medical Center. The administration says the living complex will help facilitate the growth of St. Vincent's as a teaching institution. The photo below shows an old building at Sea View Hospital that is scheduled for demolition to make way for a 300-bed, $10 million infirmary complex. nws bus needle 2 A Staten Island commuter found a needle on an express bus Thursday morning. (Photo courtesy of the commuter) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A Staten Island commuter found a needle while traveling on a Manhattan-bound express bus Thursday morning. The commuter boarded the x10B bus at Schmidt's Lane at 8:15 a.m. and found the needle in the aisle. "There were no seats, so I had to stand, and when I looked down, I saw a needle right in the middle of the aisle," the commuter said. "It was horrifying and just so sad." The concerned commuter had not seen needles on the bus before, and did not report the incident to the bus driver. During the summer, several borough residents reported seeing drug paraphernalia on buses, trains and the ferry. "Staten Island should really receive more funds from the city to help us keep fighting this epidemic plaguing our Island," the commuter said. In situations involving possible drug paraphernalia, MTA employees do not handle potentially infectious material, an MTA spokeswoman previoulsy told the Advance. They report the situation, take the bus out of service and return to the depot immediately where the paraphernalia is properly disposed, she said. On Thursday, an MTA spokeswoman said nobody reported the needle and the bus was searched, but only a pen was found. CITY HALL -- City agencies have spent at least $6.2 million on nearly 250,000 doses of the so-called "heroin antidote" naloxone since July 2008, saving dozens as the opioid epidemic rages on. The drug, which reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, is said to be a necessary tool on the front line of the borough's fight against heroin and prescription painkillers. Many addicts have been saved with naloxone more than once. "Whatever money needs to be spent to save lives is well-spent money," Camelot Counseling's executive director Luke Nasta said. "But what the naloxone does, it saves a life, it doesn't preserve a life." DOZENS OF LIVE SAVED The Health Department suspects there were at least 107 fatal drug overdoses on Staten Island last year, according to Borough President James Oddo. That's well over the 69 confirmed deaths in all of 2015. But without naloxone, the death tally would likely be much higher. Seventy-three people were saved from overdoses on Staten Island using naloxone last year, according to the district attorney's office. Twenty-seven people were saved in the borough through March 6 of this year -- six by family members, 17 by emergency medical service personnel with the fire department and four by police officers. "There's no denying that naloxone provides a key life-saving measure and without its expansion to the entire police force, the number of overdose fatalities would surely be even higher," District Attorney Michael McMahon said in a statement. COST BREAKDOWN The NYPD spent $1,646,892 for 54,750 syringes, or single doses, of naloxone between July 2014 and Feb. 10 of this year, according to the city. Emergency medical workers with the FDNY have been carrying naloxone longer. The city said the Fire Department has spent $1,395,053 for 75,244 syringes between July 2008 and Feb. 10 of this year. Naloxone distribution at the Rikers Island Visitor Center began in 2014. The center has distributed an average of 1,000 kits of two doses each every year since, at about $71,000 annually. The Health Department also purchases naloxone to distribute to registered Opioid Overdose Prevention Programs across the city, including syringe exchange programs and shelters. The city said the agency bought roughly 107,366 doses for $2,903,469 between July 2008 and last December. Dr. Hillary Kunins, an assistant commissioner at the Health Department, said that naloxone not only saves lives, but allows the city to connect people with resources to overcome their addiction. "Getting naloxone into the hands of as many people is part of a broader strategy -- it's a way to keep people alive and to create an opportunity to engage with them," said Kunins, who leads the department's bureau of alcohol and drug use prevention, care and treatment. PRICE PROTECTION The city said agencies purchase most of the naloxone from Amphastar Pharmaceuticals or a subsidiary of the company called International Medication Systems Limited. In 2009, Amphastar hiked the price of naloxone nearly 95 percent from $17.80 to $34.65 per dose. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman negotiated with the company and reached an agreement setting a $6 rebate for every dose purchased by the state or local municipalities here. The rebate would also rise with any increase in the wholesale price. The agreement is only in place through this year, but the price of naloxone remains fixed for governments like New York City, at least for now. The attorney general's office said discussing details of a possible extension after this year is premature. "Access to naloxone is a public health imperative, and we will monitor the price of this antidote closely throughout the year to determine how to best ensure this live-saving drug will remain accessible to more than 200 state agencies," Schneiderman said in a statement. RELIANCE INCREASES The reliance on the drug has only increased in recent years. The drug is available at hundreds of pharmacies across the five boroughs without a prescription, including at least 49 on Staten Island. Over-the-counter prices range from roughly $35 for two syringes of naloxone to about $135 for two injections of Narcan, the only federally approved nasal brand of the drug, according to GoodRx. The number of naloxone doses the city buys for public employees has risen steadily since 2008. In fiscal year 2009, which began July 2008, FDNY and the Health Department spent $116,179 on 8,350 doses. The city bought at least 65,070 doses for some $1.9 million in fiscal year 2015, when the NYPD began purchasing naloxone kits for all patrol cops. DOWNSIDES TO EXPANSION? Still, expanding access to naloxone may have downsides. "I hear stories about young people who go to parties to abuse heroin and pills and they bring naloxone in their pocket because they believe that's going to keep them safe," Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan said during a City Council hearing last year. Police Commissioner Jimmy O'Neill indicated that naloxone should be "left to trained professionals" when asked in December about addicts bringing the drug to parties. But city officials and advocates said that fears of naloxone emboldening addicts are largely unfounded. Studies have shown that distributing naloxone sometimes actually results in safer or less drug use. Adrienne Abbate, executive director of the Staten Island Partnership for Community Wellness, likened naloxone to drugs that treat other health conditions. "Though short term prevention costs are difficult to measure, in the long run, this life-saving medication reduces overall health care costs related to opioid use," Abbate said. "Although our ultimate goal is to have a person with substance use disorder connect with treatment, we understand that it takes time and the road to recovery looks different for everyone." 'ONE PIECE OF THE EQUATION' Mayor Bill de Blasio is expected to announce a new plan to tackle the opioid epidemic in the coming weeks. In February, officials announced a new initiative designed to combat the borough's heroin and opioid scourge by diverting low-level drug offenders into treatment instead of into court and jail. Those in the program are given two doses of naloxone. De Blasio has promoted naloxone as vital in the city's overall efforts to reduce fatal overdoses. "We're trying to get that drug out more broadly, including into households that people fear their child in particular might be susceptible to an overdose," de Blasio said in December. "That's one piece of the equation." The city's use of naloxone must adapt as the high-powered painkiller fentanyl is linked to more deadly overdoses. The biological effects of the drug are indistinguishable from those of heroin, and while treatment for fentanyl is the same as for other opioid overdoses, larger doses of naloxone may be needed for reversal. The city gives police and other first responders two doses of naloxone. Kunins said trained responders are told to administer a second dose if the overdose victim doesn't respond about three minutes after the first. "In some cases, people who have ingested fentanyl will need a second, and possibly another additional dose of naloxone," Kunins said. Minority Leader Steven Matteo (R-Mid-Island) defended the expanded use of naloxone, even as costs rise. "Our ultimate goal must be to reduce the need for naloxone, which means more prevention and more treatment," Matteo said. "But right now it is a necessary and effective life saving tool." MOUNT ZION -- After she saw the murals done by the Decatur Area Arts Council, Becky Hamilton knew she wanted to see something similar in Mount Zion. Hamilton, the administrator for the Mount Zion Chamber of Commerce, will soon get her wish. After several months of discussion, it was announced Wednesday that a mural will be coming to the village in 2018. The news was made official during Wednesday afternoon's meeting of the Mount Zion Chamber. Since 2013, the Decatur Mural Project has led to a several prominent murals being painted in high-traffic areas in the downtown area. Those include the Commodore Stephen Decatur mural on the Central Illinois Title Co. building, and the history of the Chicago Bears mural on the west side of the building at 111 E. Main St. When I first saw those murals I thought, What would it take to get one of those here in Mount Zion? Hamilton said. The chance arrived in December, when Hamilton and Jerry Johnson, executive director of the Decatur Area Arts Council, discussed the idea of a mural. With Hamilton and village officials interested in getting their own mural, and Johnson saying the council was looking to expand the mural project into the surrounding communities, it did not take long for an agreement. Since several locations in Decatur have already been identified for murals in 2017, officials agreed to move the target for Mount Zions to 2018. What has yet to be determined is a final design or location for the mural. Johnson said the goals for the project have been to find building locations, sponsors and artists to make the mural a reality. One part of that is solved, as the village of Mount Zion, its Chamber of Commerce and the Odd Fellows Lodge 300 of Mount Zion are partnering on the project. Hamilton said they are eyeing a location on Main Street for its high traffic. The groups are talking with local businesses to finalize a place for the mural, and its final design will be chosen from artist submissions. Those submissions will likely take place next spring, Johnson said. Tentative completion of the project is next summer. We wanted this project to expand to outside the Decatur area, Johnson said. This is a great opportunity to incorporate the rest of the community into the mural project. The council is currently accepting artist submissions for its three projects lined up for this year, which includes placing a mural at the 100 block of North Oakland Avenue (outside of Garcias Pizza), 200 block West Main Street (to replace the current pot and bamboo mural) and 730 E. Cerro Gordo St. (east wall of Kens Aquarium and Pet Supply). Submissions must be in by March 31. For more information, visitwww.decaturarts.org/murals. Page Content During the Conference OCT leaders were given the opportunity to discuss various topics affecting OCTs such as the post 2020 EU-OCT relationship, the OCTA Secretariat and the Institutional strengthening of the Association. Prime Minister Marlin signed the Joint Position for the post 2020 period on behalf of Sint Maarten. This position paper was signed by all OCTs with the exception to Curacao and co-signed by the member states of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, The Kingdom of Denmark, the French Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. By signing this joint position the signatories agree upon 10 guiding principles of moving forward in establishing the post 2020 relationship. Other noteworthy aspects of the 15th Ministerial Conference included the election of the new OCTA Chair, the Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Honourable Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson, and the OCTA Vice Chair, the President of French Polynesia, the Honourable Edouard Fritch and the election of the Executive Committee of OCTA. Ms. Carol Voges on behalf of Sint Maarten was elected as the President of the Executive Committee for 2017. The remaining members include New Caledonia, Curacao, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos Islands, St. Helena, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, French Polynesia and Greenland. The positions of Treasurer and Secretary will be defined during the first meeting of the Executive Committee in early March. The Audit Committee consisting of Cayman Islands, Aruba and British Virgin Islands as its members was also selected during this meeting. The Ministerial Conference was also updated on the status of various EU funded programmes, such as, the BEST initiative, the 11th EDF Thematic, Caribbean, Pacific and Indian Ocean Regional Programmes, where Sint Maarten as the Regional Authorizing Officer for the 11th EDF Caribbean Regional Programme gave an update on the state of play and upcoming actions for the programme. Finally, the Political Declarations and Administrative Resolutions were finalized and signed by the Heads of OCTs for presentation to the EU Commission during the OCT-EU Forum held on February 24th,2017. In the photo, L to R - Prime Minister of St. Maarten William Marlin, Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson, President of the Executive Committee Ms. Carol Voges On their recent working visit to Aruba, Prime Minister of St. Maarten, the Honourable Mr. William Marlin, the Minister Plenipotentiary, Mrs. Henrietta Doran-York, the Secretary General of the Ministry of General Affairs, Mr. Hensley Plantijn, and the rest of the St. Maarten delegation attended the 15th Overseas Countries and Territories Association, OCTA, Ministerial Conference. The Ministerial Conference is OCTAs highest body. The objective of the conference was to define policies, approve the 2017 budget and elect the Chair of the Ministerial Conference as well as members and the President of the Executive Committee. Page Content Minister of Public Health, Social Development, and Labor, Minister Lee has announced at Wednesdays weekly Council of Ministers Press Briefing that the Inspectorate of VSA will begin with an intensified schedule for inspections. Recognizing that improving compliance also includes making sure that government is clear about the information and regulations to which we are expecting compliance. Much of the information is readily available on www.ministryvsa.sx stated Minister Lee. Minister Lee commented, Within the Council of Ministers, there are discussions on how to work towards renewed interministerial cooperation with respect to controls and inspections. Improving compliance is critical for the community for a number of reasons, including loss of revenue for Government, exposure to Government for expenses such as medical evacuations for undocumented workers, unsafe and/or unfair working conditions, unfair business competition and most importantly missed opportunities for our citizens for employment. Minister Lee is urging all businesses to become informed about their responsibilities as a business operating on St. Maarten and must be compliant to the laws of the land. From a labor and health perspective the Inspectors will be looking for the following: 1. Copy of Chamber of Commerce (COCI) Registration for relevant year 2. Copy of Business License & Copy of Directors License 3. Copy of Labor Registration 4. Copies of the Employment and Residence Permits of the employees 5. Copies of SZV cards/SZV registration of employees or private insurance registration 6. Copy of List of Personnel 7. Work schedule of employees 8. Overtime Register of employees 9. Occupational Health and Safety Standards Compliance - Sufficient lighting - Clean environment - Sufficient toilets and urinals - Prevention measures for creation or distribution and removal of harmful or irritating vapors or gases or dust - Prevention measures for accidents and standard procedures to provide assistance in case of accidents - Clean drinking water or non-alcoholic beverages for employees free of charge - Prevention measures to avoid poisoning, infection or occupation diseases 10. Proof that employees receive pay slips As a reminder to the community, unless you fall into one categories below, you are obligated to obtain an employment permit in order to work. 1. A permanent resident 2. Married to a Dutch National 3. holding a Dutch Passport, you are obligated to obtain a work permit. Minister Lee will at random be joining the Inspections by the Inspectorate at various business establishments in order to get a hands-on feel for what is taking place in the community and to better identify any challenges for the Inspectors and the business owners/managers. Page Content During his working visit in Aruba, Prime Minister of St. Maarten, the Honourable Mr. William Marlin, and the rest of the St. Maarten delegation attended the 15th OCT-EU Forum. The core objective of this forum was to bring together the OCT Authorities with their Member State, members from the European Commission, members from the European Parliament, the European Investment Bank (EIB), and when appropriate as in this case, members of the Outermost Regions and other Regional Organizations for dialogue. During the Forum, the Joint Position on the guiding principles of the post 2020 EU-OCT partnership and Political Declarations of the OCTA Ministerial Conference the previous day, were presented to the European Commission. A panel was also convened at the political level where the the Honourable Prime Minister of St. Maarten, Mr. William Marlin took part in the discussion on Renewable Energy: A Key Driver for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth along with representatives from eight other global OCTs. In the side-lines of this forum, the St. Maarten delegation also had the opportunity to convene a bilateral discussion with Director of Development Coordination Latin America and the Caribbean, Mrs. Jolita Butkeviciene and her team. During this meeting, St. Maarten was given the opportunity to further discuss the programmes under our responsibility such as the 10th and 11th EDF Territorial Programmes, the St. Martin/St. Maarten Territorial Cooperation Programme and the 11th EDF Caribbean Regional Programme. This meeting also provided an opportunity to solidify and gain assurances with regards to St. Maartens partnership with Directorate General for Development Cooperation. The next OCT-EU Conference is tentatively slated for February 2018 in Brussels, Belgium. In the photo Prime Minister of St. Maarten, William Marlin & Director of Development Coordination Latin America and the Caribbean, Jolita Butkeviciene New Braunfels, TX (78130) Today Cloudy skies early with scattered thunderstorms developing late. Low 71F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Cloudy skies early with scattered thunderstorms developing late. Low 71F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. 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 Theres a sign in the village of Khashtarak, in Armenias Tavoush Province, announcing that the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund is planning to renovate the local school, medical unit, and cultural center. The faded sign has been there for ten years. While the school and medical unit have been renovated, the cultural center remains untouched. The center has been stripped bare, and is in bad shape. Nevertheless, the village continued to spend 4.5 million AMD yearly to pay the staff of the non-working center. For several years, the centers director, librarian, cleaner and guard were receiving 60,000 AMD monthly. Residents still hold out hope that the cultural center will one day be renovated. After all, they say, its the All-Armenian Fund thats promised. Khashtarak Mayor Andranik Virabyan is also hopeful that the center will be up and running soon. Were grateful that the school and out-patient clinic were beautifully renovated. But nothings been done on the school to date, Virabyan told Hetq. Resident Seryozha Kamalyan feels bad that children in the village dont have a place to go to perform plays or have music and dance clubs. Culture is something vital for all villages. Its the highest form of a persons internal world. Cultural centers, along with schools, are the life of a village, Kamalyan said. Hasmik Grigoryan, the Funds public affairs director, told Hetq that the delay in renovating the cultural center is because no interested benefactors have been found. She notes that the project to renovate the center is still on the Funds agenda. Armen Ghoulakyan, the famous director and dramatist, is a native of Khashtarak. Many notable artists have performed in the cultural center back in the day, including Gohar Gasparyan, Sos Sargsyan and Gevorg Emin. The much beloved We Are Our Mountains HayFilm was shot in the village. The films production crew even made the cultural center their base of operations. In 2015, newly elected village mayor Andranik Virabyan dismissed the staff at the non-working center. The following year, a criminal investigation of funds embezzlement was launched, but later dropped. They couldnt find a prime witness to testify. Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan received today a delegation led by Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotsias. This year ushers in the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Greece. Our friendly relations are at a very high level, but we are keen to activate the cooperation with Greece and take it to a new qualitative level, Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan said addressing the guests. Stressing the need to boost economic exchanges, the head of the Armenian government said there is great untapped potential in this area. Karen Karapetyan welcomed the ongoing bilateral cooperation within international institutions and the fact that the two countries keep by similar positions on a number of issues on international agenda. Pleased with his stay in friendly Armenia, the Greek Foreign Minister conveyed warm greetings on behalf of Prime Minister of Greece Alexis Tsipras. We have always been brotherly peoples. The purpose of my visit is to create a strategic partnership, Nikos Kotsias said. Highly appreciating the Armenian-Greek political dialogue, the Greek Foreign Minister agreed in that economic relations are on a low level, and there is a need for their harmonious development. As they discussed issues of bilateral and multilateral economic cooperation, the parties highlighted the role of the Armenian-Greek joint commission on economic, industrial and scientific-technical cooperation. In particular, the interlocutors discussed the possibility of holding an Armenian-Greek business forum. In this context, Prime Minister Karapetyan suggested clarifying the areas of mutual interest to the two countries business circles and actively working on joint projects. Karen Karapetyan and Nikos Kotsias exchanged views on cooperation within the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union, the furtherance of EEU-EU dialogue, as well as on the prospects for regional cooperation. Chinese Ambassador Liu Jieyi warned that "if you look at ... the development of events now on the Korean Peninsula there's a real danger, there's a real risk." The alternative to China's proposal "would be escalation of tension, and the situation may get out of control," he said. System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28: 29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:948 /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 125 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 157 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612ea8f9ee8)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ecac8690)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612ea8f9ee8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1302 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 955 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ecac8690)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612efe49ec8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1300 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 433 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ecac8690)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ecac8690)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612e82f4010)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612e9d997f0)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612e9d997f0)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28:
29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:948 /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 125 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 157 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612ea8fa168)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612eba746d0)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612ea8fa168)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1302 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 955 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612eba746d0)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612efe49ec8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1300 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 433 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612eba746d0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612eba746d0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ecac8600)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612e9d997f0)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612e9d997f0)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 Van Morrison's Astral Weeks was the first album Vince Jones ever bought. Jones was about 18 at the time, he and his sister would pitch in their spending money and buy records together. She was a fan of Dusty Springfield, Jones, not surprisingly, even then liked rock and jazz. "Astral Weeks was quite unique," Jones said. "It was like Van wanted to make a crossover album using jazz players, making rock, and, of course, bringing in his Irish folk roots. Vince Jones, in Van Morrison's Masterpieces, at the Canberra Theatre. "I'd never heard anything like it." And now Jones is bringing his own interpretation to this album, and Morrison's other classic recording Moondance, in a night of homage to one of music's most endearing talents. The Greens have echoed calls for the ACT government to close the gaps on its incoming reportable conduct scheme that would allow some religious instructors to continue to operate unchecked. Greens politician Caroline Le Couteur said while the scheme was designed to protect some of the most vulnerable Canberrans from institutionalised abuse, it had failed in its charge before the scheme even came into effect. Greens politician Caroline Le Couteur. Credit:Jamila Toderas "It appears that not all religious instructors are covered by the scheme in all instances, potentially placing vulnerable members of our community at risk," Ms Le Couteur said. The scheme, which comes into effect on July 1 this year, was imported almost directly from NSW, where it only covers clergy attached to a school or residential care organisations. The Immigration Department is pressing on with a slate of digital transformations changing how people travel as other agencies struggle to adopt new technologies. As it grows less visible to travellers using Australian airports, the department is coupling its adoption of digital programs with efforts to transform its business, its technology boss says. The Immigration Department is adopting new technologies as other agencies grapple with IT wrecks. The Department of Immigration and Border Protection's Chief Information Officer Randall Brugeaud told Canberra's Trans-Tasman Business Circle briefing on Thursday that agency bosses were driving its digital uptake. Digital disruption and innovation needed to be driven by the executive to succeed, Mr Brugeaud said. The number of approvals for doctors to issued 'controlled drugs' in the ACT, mainly opioid painkillers, has fallen some 25 per cent - or about 500 a month - since April last year. That fall in approvals - which doctors need before filled prescriptions, fell in Canberra after changes to the territory's old paper-based prescription monitoring system, including a weekly digital update on prescriptions filled and data monitoring for 'red flags'. ACT Chief Health Officer Dr Paul Kelly said the number of controlled medicine prescriptions issued in Canberra fell 25 per cent since a new monitoring program was introduced last year. Credit:Rohan Thomson Those changes have seen pharmacists go from faxing hard copy lists of the controlled drugs - from codeine to oxycodone - once a month to ACT Health - to a weekly digital data transfer. The Canberra Times understands a decision was made to institute a fully operational real-time monitoring system about three years ago, but was not instituted at the time, in the hope a national system would be running. The Israeli investigation into the extravagant lifestyle of its Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his links to moguls like James Packer, has all the elements of a Hollywood thriller. But it isn't one that our embattled billionaire would like to see. A Packer spokesman declined to comment on reports by Israeli media group, Haaretz, claiming that Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan recruited Packer to help fund the systematic demands of the Netanyahus for champagne, cigars, fine clothes and jewellery. It set up a relationship that is causing heart burn for Packer as Israeli authorities investigate the extent of the gift giving. Israeli state employees and elected officials are forbidden from accepting gifts, but Netanyahu has characterised the items in question as personal gifts from friends. It sounds like the Hollywood thriller with everything: The Israeli prime minister, the movie mogul, a spy boss and pop chanteuse and an Aussie billionaire who is probably wondering what on earth he has blundered into. James Packer might want to turn his thoughts to who is going to play him when it all hits the big screen. Israeli news group Haaretz released the latest instalment in this saga the star chamber-like investigation into the lavish gifts rained on the family of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. According to the report, former Israeli intelligence operative/arms dealer and now Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan recruited Packer to help fund the demanding lifestyle of the Netanyahu family because he was tired of footing the entire bill on his own. They are only starting to gain a foothold in the Australian market, but could batteries provide a near overnight solution to the energy woes that have hit South Australia and risk spreading east? At least one company believes so. In an elaborate launch in a former power substation in suburban Newport, in Melbourne's west, Tesla Inc said its technology could provide a fix within 100 days. The Californian company's energy products vice-president Lyndon Rive said it could install up to 300 megawatt hours of grid-scale battery storage in that timeframe at a cost of about $66 million per 100 megawatt hours. "If you had storage deployed during the blackout [in] South Australia you wouldn't have had the blackout," Mr Rive said. Policymakers should stop sticking their heads in the sand and ignoring the fact that "there are going to be a massive amount of jobs destroyed" from the digital revolution, says Mike Cannon-Brookes, co-founder of Australia's most successful tech company, Atlassian. Mr Cannon-Brookes said the need to understand, adapt and be part of the new economy was critical, but lamented the government had been mostly silent over the past year on the topic of innovation despite Malcolm Turnbull's "ideas boom". The federal government has committed to spending about $1.1 billion in the next four years to promote business-based research, development and innovation, as the economy shifts away from mining-driven growth. Mr Cannon-Brookes said it was a hard sell to the electorate but that governments needed to show leadership. Don't thank Trump for the Australian stock market rally, try Pope Gregory XIII instead. It's the 16th century pope's Gregorian calendar that's delivering for investors who bet on rising share prices in January, according to Bell Potter's Richard Coppleson. Coppleson has been going back through the numbers for his Coppo Report to confirm that we are in the middle of the ASX's sweet spot the three months to the end of April, before the "sell in May and go away" cliche hits. Over the 17 years of this century, betting on a rising ASX 200 for the April quarter worked 76 per cent of the time and produced an average gain of 2.99 per cent. The head of one of the country's largest power utilities has warned there is no quick fix to the crisis that is enveloping the country's energy supplies, as Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg warned that the country is producing too little gas, and exporting too much. Responding to the surge in both electricity and gas prices, amid the warning of gas shortages emerging as soon as the summer of 2018, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Thursday called for meetings to be held with gas producers to find a way of resolving the looming shortfalls. Energy Australia's Catherine Tanna (left) and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg. Credit:Louie Douvis Ms Catherine Tanna, who heads up EnergyAustralia, one of the country's largest energy utilities, warned there is no quick fix to the present challenges. "I'd be very wary of anybody suggesting there are quick fixes here," Ms Tanna said at the The Australian Financial Review Business Summit in Sydney. Seven years since it was ravaged by fire which was a month after the local council permitted it for redevelopment the enormous waterfront parcel regarded as Phillip Island's best site is finding its way into the hands of a new owner. South Yarra-based aged care provider John Matthies is paying a figure speculated to be in excess of $10 million for the vacant tract of land, which for decades accommodated the Isle of Wight pub. The enormous waterfront parcel regarded as Phillip Island's best site, formerly occupied by The Isle of Wight hotel. Credit:Ken Irwin The 8625-square-metre Cowes site was offered without a permit but in 2010 was approved to make way for a contentious $180 million, nine-level hotel resort, which would have been the tallest building on the island, a popular holiday hamlet about a two-hour drive south-east of the CBD. Covering 9-10 The Esplanade and 2-8 Bass Avenue, the prime site is opposite Cowes Jetty and Erehwon Point Reserve and near the corner of Thompson Avenue, the island's main retail thoroughfare. The sale of collapsed fashion brands Marcs and David Lawrence is being hampered by owner and major creditor Malcolm Webster's security over assets, including the chains' stock holdings, according to potential buyers. Administrator Rodgers Reidy confirmed Mr Webster, an experienced retailer who co-founded UK fashion chain Jigsaw, had a "general security" over the assets of the two companies, M. Webster Holdings and Webster Asset which operate the Marcs and David Lawrence chains in Australia and New Zealand, employing more than 1100 workers. Marcs and David Lawrence stores in New Zealand will shut up shop in the next two months. Credit:Virginia Star Marcs and David Lawrence fell into administration in February under the weight of debts totalling more than $30 million, including $12 million owed to Mr Webster. Geoffrey Reidy, director of Rodgers Reidy, would not go as far as saying the security arrangement was making the sale difficult but he said it was "certainly a relevant fact". Airbnb has quickly become a favourite destination for travellers looking for somewhere to stay on vacation. Now the home-sharing start-up is interested in doing the same for people who want to find a place to live. Airbnb was considering an expansion in the long-term rental business and had asked McKinsey & Co to research the market, said two people familiar with the matter. The consulting firm's work involved conducting competitive analysis of Craigslist, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations were private. While Craigslist currently dominated rental markets in many cities with its "sublets/temporary" section, Airbnb believed there might be an opportunity to offer a safer, identity-verified alternative, the people said. McKinsey is expected to present its findings to senior management at the San Francisco company next month. James Ruse Agricultural High School, NSWs top school for the last 21 years, came in at 1262. By comparison, among the 20 top performing private schools in Sydney (as measured by 2016 HSC results), only 30 per cent had an ICSEA of 1200 or more. Only one private school, Sydney Grammar, outstripped James Ruse, with an ICSEA of 1303. The levels of advantage within selective schools are perhaps even more stark when we compare the students falling within the top quarter of socio-educational advantage (Q1) with those in the bottom quarter (Q4). As the chart below shows, in 2015, an average of 74 per cent of students in Sydneys selective schools were drawn from the most advantaged quarter, compared to only 2 per cent from the bottom quarter. More than half (56 per cent) of Sydneys selective schools had no students at all from the lowest quarter in 2015. Whats more, this inequality has grown noticeably in just five years, with 2010 figures showing a (slightly) more balanced distribution. On average 60 per cent of selective school students came from the highest quarter, while 9 per cent were from the lowest. There is no stipulation in NSW around the proportion of students selective schools can accept from a single postcode. There are also no diversity benchmarks that these schools must meet. Source: MySchool/The Conversation Is this happening in other states too? There are signs that other states are moving towards the NSW model. Victoria now has four selective schools, whose enrolments are similarly polarised, though not to the same extent as in NSW. As the chart below shows, in 2015, an average of 62 per cent of students were drawn from the most advantaged quarter, up from 51 per cent in 2010. Only 5 per cent were drawn from the lowest quarter in 2015, down from 12 per cent five years earlier. Source: MySchool/The Conversation Schools should select regardless of background As public schools designed to cater for gifted and talented students, selective schools should be accessible to high achievers regardless of family background. The MySchool figures raise serious questions about how accessible or meritocratic selective schools really are. They have become more inaccessible in recent years, almost completely so to the most disadvantaged groups. Entry to selective schools is becoming increasingly competitive, with growing evidence that success is reliant on months or years of training through academic tutoring centres. Sometimes this begins in early primary school. In my research with students and families in selective schools in Sydney, interviewees explained that many tutoring centres offered programs specifically focused on the selective schools test. This kind of academic tutoring, designed solely to improve students test-taking skills, is quite a different phenomenon to the traditional tutoring undertaken by those who might be struggling in a particular subject area. Academic tutoring is particularly popular among east and south Asian migrants to Australia, who are often accustomed to the practice in their home countries. As a result, selective schools, as well as being increasingly dominated by the socially advantaged, are also now dominated by students from Language Backgrounds Other Than English. In both Sydney and Melbourne, these enrolments make up more than 80 per cent of the school community in virtually all selective schools. At James Ruse, the figure was 97 per cent in 2015. I have previously analysed some of the social implications of this ethnic imbalance, from self-segregation in the playground to hostility from Anglo-Australian parents who accuse Asian-Australians of gaming the system. The demographic profile of selective schools therefore reflects Australias skilled migration policy, which overwhelmingly selects highly educated, professional migrants. These middle-class migrants, keen to see their kids do well, but also anxious about their place in a new society, have sometimes been unfairly demonised as tiger parents. But their behaviour is a logical response to Australian education policies that increasingly emphasise competition and schooling hierarchies. Ultimately, most students sitting for the selective schools test this week will be unsuccessful in securing a place. And based on current trends, we can confidently predict who will be successful: the majority will come from the most advantaged groups in our society, often from Asian migrant families. Virtually none will be from the most disadvantaged groups. Selective schools were set up to provide opportunities to the gifted and talented, not just the wealthy, gifted and talented. Loading Hundreds of thousands of people were told they had been overpaid, and invited, with menaces, to "engage" with Centrelink to discuss their parlous situation with. In line with a culture pioneered by the Immigration Department, the clients were treated not as citizens with rights, but as people to be regarded as guilty until proven innocent, and with all of the onus of establishing no overpayment seeming to rest with them. Those who didn't receive their letter (perhaps because they had changed addresses after ceasing to be Centrelink dependents), those who could not understand it, and those who failed to respond with alacrity were treated as guilty, the debt regarded as established, and the client able to be harassed by private debt collectors. Some of these, no doubt on a percentage incentive, have used methods or made threats that, as witnesses to the Senate have pointed out, are probably illegal under Australian credit laws. The adverse publicity has now probably made many of those wrongly accused of receiving overpayments aware of their rights. It is by no means clear that only a fifth of those accused, as the government suggests, were innocent of overpayment. Those are the ones who can readily establish themselves as victims of a very dodgy algorithm. Many others will not have the records or the capacity to gainsay the agency's assertions, will lack capable advocates or the capacity to counter interpretations of entitlement legislation, or cute departmental pretences that its record represents the complete truth, as known to Centrelink, and that if it is wrong, or deficient, then that is because the client has mis-advised it, or failed to inform it of "correct" facts. My advice to any person against whom a debt has been raised is that they lodge a legal appeal, and have the onus of proof put on the agency. At the very least this will ensure that the claim is reviewed by an administrative lawyer. It is simply not good enough to claim, as Campbell has, that "people have always been responsible for providing the department with correct information", with the implication that if Centrelink, or the computer algorithm, had made a false deduction from the material, it must be the client's fault. My second piece of advice is that any recipient of a letter seek advice and help from the electoral office of their local MP, especially if she or he is of the Coalition. Most electoral officers are very helpful, and even better at providing feedback to their boss than a direct letter to the MP. It would be hard, even for the army, to beat the privacy protections with which everyone in the Department of Human Services seems to be clothed. In her evidence to the Senate, Campbell has gone beyond the call of duty in personally attaching herself with both the actions and the political rationales behind the scheme. Perhaps she thinks that schemes to hound welfare cheats are politically popular, and that even Labor governments (one of which appointed her) have been keen on the idea that much money can be saved by relentless suspicion of the poor. It seems unlikely this loyalty will be, or should be, rewarded. It is probably unlikely the federal police will take any action against Human Service's self-serving notion that the Social Security Administration Act entitles it to breach a person's privacy if public complaints are made which the department believes to be unfounded. The legislation permits limited release of private information "for the purpose of administering the act", and it is drawing a long bow to claim this purpose includes protecting the agency from criticism, even unfair criticism, or in maintaining confidence in agency management or reputation. The AFP, in its federal functions, is not a proper police in that many of its powers depend on referrals from agencies, rather than its own initiative. It has never demonstrated any zeal whatever in any matter where the actions of the government of the day might be criticised. One cannot quite say this of the DPP, but its practical insistence that any brief be watertight prevents its being a factor in law enforcement in such matters. It is somewhat amazing that the Auditor-General's office has yet to seize the opportunity to examine the reliability of the department's algorithms, reversals of the onus of proof, use of bluster and menaces, and general disdain for the rights of Australians. But this failure fits with the general modern tendency of watchdogs to not bark very loudly, or at appropriate moments. Public interventions from the Commonwealth Ombudsman, Colin Neave, have been restricted to advice, issued in January, that anyone with a problem with Centrelink ring Centrelink itself, or perhaps a welfare rights organisation. The Privacy Commissioner, Tim Pilgrim, has publicly raised his eyebrows at departmental interpretations of its "right" to breach the privacy of public complainants, but could hardly be said to have allayed public concerns, or to have assured everyone that the system has real checks and balances. It's a curious thing that Campbell seems a good deal more relaxed about protecting the privacy of Centrelink's enemies and clients than she is about her own. In another guise, she is a brigadier in the Army Reserve (in command of the Fifth Reserve Brigade). She was, at least until her recent public humiliations, regarded as a top candidate for the position of Defence Department secretary, when Dennis Richardson gruffly but falsely claims senectitude later this year. Campbell has said she is a better departmental secretary for being simultaneously a brigadier, and vice versa. Some, however, might suggest it has been a command culture, from her army rather than her public service background, that has brought her down. On Thursday, I asked Defence public relations for details of Campbell's successive military appointments and ranks, if only for passing comment about her background. I knew it, broadly, if only from old departmental marketing handouts pushing her barrow, but I wanted a complete recent list, not merely highlights. The army refused me the information on privacy grounds. This is even though all senior officer appointments are gazetted, and, as such a matter of public record, though it would take ages to track it down. And even though army public relations has, at various times, published information glorifying her during some of her appointments, including a recent stint in Iraq. It is information of a sort once routinely available of senior defence officers, in much the same way that one could, and did, regularly obtain the curriculum vitae (and photographs) of senior executive service-level public servants. (There was a day, too, when each and every one of these, and all officers of star rank, had their phone number listed in the Commonwealth Directory.) The army could not, or would not, say when the new rule was invented, or why it was, but, whether designed to protect privacy or not, it is not required or suggested by the Privacy Act. The change may well have been under the reign of the present Chief of Army, General Angus Campbell (no relation), who has long been deeply antipathetic to anything other than press stenography. He's the one who invented the "on-water" rationale to prevent any public scrutiny and accountability for the Operation Sovereign Borders program of refusing refuge to and repelling persecuted people exercising their rights to seek asylum in Australia. I asked for an explanation able to be attributed to Campbell for why his service was so gun-shy with information about its senior commanders. I received no answer. The director of army communications, Rebecca Constance, told me that no such information could be provided by Defence about anyone even of a person of full general rank without the permission of the officer herself or himself. Asked why, she required me to submit questions in writing. No answers were supplied before my deadline. Defence PR suggested I contact the brigadier herself but, alas, Human Services, however anxious to volunteer information about clients, failed to answer both a written request and repeated phone messages to its departmental public relations person, who seemed unable to live up to a recorded promise of a quick call back. Nor did Campbell respond to a message on her mobile phone. Indeed, it was like waiting for an answer to a call to Centrelink. Actually, it would be hard, even for the army, to beat the privacy protections with which everyone in the Department of Human Services seems to be clothed. No risk of a debt collector calling anyone, from the secretary down. Neither the phone book, nor the internet record a switchboard number for the department, though the department's page in the phone book is replete with 1800 and other numbers for any number of Centrelink, Medicare, Child Support and other services. One might even find someone from these agencies if you can stand the average 15-minute delay one will encounter if one does not hang up in sheer frustration. It says a lot about the department, its service culture and its broad approach to its clients that this 15-minute figure is regarded, complacently, as comfortably inside the department's aim of having the average delay being no more than 16 minutes. That's not counting the 4,118,686 hang-ups, non-connections, and phones going dead after a promised transfer to someone who might be able to answer the question, if you again wait indefinitely, hopefully more no more than 16 minutes. Sydney Ball spent much of his career as a painter riding the waves of the avant-garde. Over the decades he embraced Hard-Edge, Colourfield, Lyrical Abstraction, and even New Figuration, before returning to high-keyed modular abstract paintings in his final years. As the eye of advanced taste or if you prefer, "fashion" started to wander, it required well-honed instincts to know when it was time to move on. No-one in Australian art had better instincts than Syd Ball, at least until the 1990s, when he spent time travelling and working in Asia, allowing his local profile to fade. Artist Sydney Ball with his artworks on display in his exhibition 'The Stain Paintings' in 2013. Credit:Tamara Dean Ball made a triumphant return to the spotlight in the mid-2000s, through an association with youthful Sydney art dealers, Sullivan + Strumpf. Works that seemed old hat only a few years ago, miraculously regained their cutting-edge. During this period survey exhibitions of The Stain Paintings 1971-80 (2006), and The Colour Paintings, 1963-2007 (2008), did much to reawaken interest in his work among a new generation of artists, curators and collectors. He leaves us restored to his eminence, as one the coolest painters around. Ball was born in Adelaide in 1933, and would remain in South Australia until 1962, studying part-time with artists such as James Cant, Dora Chapman and John Dowie. When he had saved enough to make his escape, Ball rejected the worn-out path to London and Paris, and set sail for New York. He was one of a wave of emerging Australian artists who recognised the city as the new capital of world art, where Modernism was entering its final heroic phase. When I was at school I went to "scripture" classes on Thursdays and church on Sundays. Scripture was taught at Fort Street High, a public school, by the Anglican Dean of Sydney, Stuart Barton Babbage. He became a lifelong friend. The Church of England class was by far the biggest. Roman Catholics were few; but they had taken themselves off to their own schools. Jews were fewer still. They went to "non scripture", basically reading under supervision with pupils whose parents were non-religious. I liked the scripture class. But does religious education still have a place in secular schools? It's a question guaranteed to give rise to a range of opinions, with those at one extreme or the other likely to dominate the discussion. In a richly multicultural society, it is essential that parents, and children when they are mature enough, have all secular and religious options presented to them from the outset. Credit:iStock Special Religious Education (SRE) continues to be compulsory for students in NSW public schools. Parents have to take positive steps to exempt their children before they can even learn what secular options are available. Secular options now include Special Education in Ethics (SEE), delivered by Primary Ethics, the approved provider. Additionally, individual schools may choose to provide other activities or studies for students who are not enrolled in either SRE or SEE. Premier Gladys Berejiklian. Credit:Peter Rae If she cannot prove that the light rail will boost public transport capacity into the city in the morning peak hour between 8am and 9am, or, if it is revealed that the light rail will actually be decreasing public transport capacity, then we are asking, is there any point in continuing It? Do we continue to destroy the city and build the light rail? Or should we save our trees, save $1 billion and put the light rail underground and finish the Eastern Suburbs Railway? John Bellamy Maroubra Illustration Cathy Wilcox The recent reports by EMM Consultants to the Randwick Council and by the NSW auditor-general show that the Randwick / Kingsford Light Rail project fails to deliver worthwhile benefits. From day one of its operation, it will be unable to cope with the peak passenger demand and will need to be backed up by the busses it was supposed to replace. Travel times will be longer and travel convenience will be less. It was poorly planned, resulting in a massive cost blow-out that the government tried to mask by making the false claim that it was providing additional benefits. The project is causing massive permanent damage to the natural environment with the destruction and mutilation of historic trees and the reduction of parkland. It is also causing massive permanent economic damage by significantly interrupting traffic flows and reducing access to businesses and public facilities. The only apparent winners are the main contractor and developers. The $2.1 million should have been spent in extending the Eastern Suburbs Railway and beginning a fleet of articulated electric-powered busses for Sydney. Charles Gerrard Randwick If documentation shows Gladys Berejiklian was not aware, as claimed, of the reasons for the cost rise of the light rail project then it should be released to clear up the matter, otherwise we are left with the quandary that our current Premier, when minister for transport, treated Parliament with contempt by misleading it with her statements. Gordana Martinovich Dulwich Hill If Gladys Berejiklian has nothing to hide in relation to the cost increases of the City South East Light Rail, then why won't she release the documents? Maria Bradley Coogee Why persecute men for responding to their hormones? Now that International Women's Day is over, I would like to make a statement in defence of men (Letters, March 9) Many of us were brought up to respect and appreciate women and to admire their strengths and multi-tasking abilities. Many of us are appalled by the gender inequities of opportunity and salaries and many of us are sensitive to the sexism that is openly displayed in our society. Happily, I work in an industry where ability and capacity is more important than gender. However, I have male chromosomes and, for the time being, a reasonable amount of testosterone circulating through my veins. When I walk down the street I still look for pretty faces and shapely female bodies yet I am made to feel guilty if I ogle at revealing cleavages and short skirts let alone pictures of scantily clad women. I am man, hear me roar, so why do I feel I belong to a persecuted species? Craig Lilienthal Wollstonecraft George Fishman proudly proclaiming himself "a male chauvinist, anti-feminist sexist" doesn't know what it was like for women in the '70s but for men they were the best (Letters, March 9). It was in the '60s that the social revolution began and our society has advanced and improved in all aspects since then. Women were "liberated" in many aspects of their lives and, dare I say it, so were men. Gay Rights came into being and life for them has improved greatly. As has been quoted many, many times, "There is no such thing as the good old days." Lorraine Nelson Frenchs Forest I am sure my mother would laugh at the suggestion that life was better for women in the 1970s. She effectively raised four children single-handedly, worked full time, sent all of them to non-government schools and spent every Saturday doing the weekly clothes washing with a copper, tub and wringer. Anyone who thinks it harder now for parents clearly isn't thinking rationally. Riley Brown Bondi Beach Unethical approach to scripture lessons Congratulations to Michael Kirby for his article ("Schools must be upfront on ethics", March 9). For parents to have to go through two levels of rejection of scripture choices for their children before being told of the ethics option is unfair to all. If goods were sold in such a fashion, the companies selling them would be up before fair trading. Parents need to know their true options before making such decisions. As a former scripture teacher and primary teacher I am convinced that scripture class does not belong in public schools. It is obviously a result of a long-ago political compromise and no longer relevant. Kids aren't interested in most scripture classes and non-scripture students just waste time in the library. They'd all be better off having ethics lessons. Virginia Hastings Thirroul Justice Kirby is factually incorrect when he writes that SRE is "compulsory for students in NSW public schools". Parents are able to choose whether they nominate a religion for their child, or ethics if offered. There is nothing compulsory about that. At the public schools my daughters attended parents had many options, often including Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Bahai, with ethics sometimes available. And it saddens me to hear people claiming the private study and reading alternative is a "waste of time" for those who do not choose SRE or ethics. Since when is reading worthless? Sandy Grant Wollongong Michael Kirby claims that the ethics class option should be offered to all parents enrolling their child in a public school. Alas the former judge has not read the governing legislation the Education Act section 33A specifies that ethics classes are only for "the parent of a child who objects to the child receiving special religious education". This is why schools must make sure that only parents who meet the requirement of "objecting to SRE" are the ones who will be offered any available ethics class or non-SRE for their child. Polly Seidler Darlinghurst Bible should be studied, but critically I agree with Greg Clarke that the Bible is a cultural treasure house and should be studied in school ("The Bible is still key to culture", March 9) but only if its shortcomings are acknowledged. Starting with Copernicus, science has disproved the biblical accounts of a three-decker universe a flat earth with heaven above the sky and hell below created in six days. So much of the Bible is metaphor or of doubtful veracity. Let's stick to Jesus' inspiring stories, including the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son, and leave out such horrors as the massacre of the Canaanites. Andrew Macintosh Cromer No strike, no pay rise You are so right Jan Boyd (Letters, March 9) to feel saddened, disillusioned, angry and probably several other emotions at the fact that several non-unionists did not support the strike by carers at child-care establishments for improvements in their low hourly pay rates. Over the years I have questioned this. If they don't join in, I feel that non-unionists should not be entitled to or receive the increased pay and conditions achieved by unionists who forego pay for the day. Gloria Healey Condell Park Horrors of polio now forgotten Stewart Fist (Letters, March 9) no coercive measures were needed 50 years ago (not 30) to defeat polio as everyone then had first-hand memories of the devastation of polio. For example, most schoolchildren had experiences of a classmate suddenly disappearing and returning months later with calipers on their legs. Sometimes they didn't come back at all. Today that collective memory is lost, which is why certain people now focus on, and scare others by, the minuscule risk of side-effects of vaccines. Bruce Stafford Tascott I agreed wholeheartedly with Robert de Niro's recent character assessment of Donald Trump. However, in view of the fact that he has willingly participated in execrable trash like Dirty Grandpa, I'd be cautious about invoking his name in a discussion of such a serious subject as the merit of vaccination, Michael Troy ( Letters, March 9 ). Cliff Jahnsen Bowral Indian cricketers guilty too It's a bit rich, Virat Kohli and those legends of Indian cricket pointing the finger at Steve Smith for cheating ("Did Australia cheat on DRS? Yes, but it's a sideshow", March 9). Every other cricket nation associates India with unashamed doctoring of wickets to nullify opposing pace attacks and to give advantage to their own spin bowlers. I have memories of seeing photos in the 1970s of legions of local groundsmen on their hands and knees scrubbing the pitches with wire brushes. And more recently using hot coals to dry the pitches out. Truth be told, nobody really takes Indian cricket seriously while they continue to go to such dubious lengths to ensure victory to their teams. Ian McKenzie Mt Annan For Malcolm Knox to say "Even if Steven Smith cheated ... it doesn't matter" says that something is wrong with the ethics of Australian cricket. Cheating is cheating. I would expect nothing less than the Australian captain sack himself, and then perhaps watch some top-level golf, where higher standards of integrity apply. Ian Shepherd Elizabeth Bay TV should pounce on One Nation melodrama The commercial networks are missing a golden reality TV opportunity, with the latest instalment in the One Nation melodrama ("Hanson's WA race implodes as support drops", March 9). "I'm a Nutjob ... Get Me Out of Here!" could be hilarious, if the support the party gets wasn't so chilling. Bob Guy Cootamundra Pauline Hanson has admitted she was wrong on vaccines. Refreshing to hear a politician of any persuasion admit to a mistake. It does not happen very often, and suggests an attitude that is not entirely closed. Greg McCarry Epping Another Abetz? ("Fighting for his political life: on the road out west with the other Abetz", March 9) Basing his campaign on lies about the Safe Schools programme? Please, no! All Abetz are off. Richard Mason Newtown An honourable member Bad luck for CBA managing director Ian Narev that he ran into Matt Thistlethwaite on the former's recent questioning of banking practices by a parliamentary committee ("Bank review of Comminsure reminding someone of a Yes Minister episode", March 8). There would not be a more honest and trustworthy member of parliament than Thistlethwaite. He has future prime minister written all over him. Stewart Copper Maroubra Miraculous recovery African musician Inna Modja's creativity ranges from pop singing and modelling to acting and activism, and she's a champion of women's rights and advocate for fellow survivors of female genital mutilation. It's unexpected to hear such a justice-driven woman speaking highly of building giant walls across countries, but she says a wall isn't always a sinister concept. Mali-born Modja's next project will document the ongoing creation of The Great Green Wall, an 8000-kilometre barrier of trees across the entire African continent. Inna Modja wants to show that a wall "can be a positive force". "It's to combat the effects of climate change and stop the spread of the Sahara Desert," she says. Modja is in Sydney for the Alliance Francais French Film Festival and is starring in its French-Malian thriller Wulu. She will work with British-Nigerian filmmaker Joseph Adesunloye and City of Gods director Fernando Meirelles to document the trees initiative. As well as narrating and shooting in five African countries, Modja will produce the film's soundtrack with seven international musicians, culminating in a concert by the wall in Senegal. Labor frontbencher Kate Ellis is set to quit politics at the next election after more than a decade in federal parliament to spend more time with her young son. Ms Ellis will also step down from the shadow ministry shortly, creating a vacancy in the early childhood education portfolio for Bill Shorten to fill, but will serve the remainder of this term and not force a byelection. As she announced her decision to quit the seat of Adelaide - which she held at the 2016 election with a margin of 4.7 per cent - Ms Ellis re-opened debate about the pressures of juggling family life with the demands of federal politics for men and women. Ms Ellis, who is just 39, is married to Adelaide media identity David Penberthy and the pair have three children, including a toddler. Declaring that Australia is in the midst of an energy crisis, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said he will call together the chief executives of east coast gas companies to address the threat to their customers. Mr Turnbull told delegates to a conference hosted by The Australian Financial Review that he was concerned by Wednesday's report by the Australian Energy Market Operator warning of blackouts unless something was done to secure gas supplies. He said Australian businesses had lost the international advantage they once had of access to cheap and reliable energy. Mr Turnbull also criticised state governments for hampering onshore gas exploration and development. "We are facing an energy crisis in Australia because of these restrictions on gas," he said. A deal to block foreign donations in Australian politics has broken down over the inclusion of activist groups, with no agreement between the Coalition and Labor expected in a parliamentary report to be issued on Friday. The cross-party committee considering the 2016 election was given a week-long extension for talks on the future of foreign donations to political parties and candidates, as senators worked to find a deal on which organisations would be impacted. Fairfax Media has been told negotiations have broken down, with the committee report to be released on Friday morning to be accompanied by dissenting reports Labor, the Greens and Liberal Democratic senator David Leyonhjelm. Labor believed an agreement had been reached to ban foreign donations to political parties, some trade unions and associated entities, but government senators on the committee sought inclusion of activist groups including GetUp! and environmental campaigners. Papua New Guinea has made an extraordinary surprise request for Australian taxpayers to pump $550 million cash into its coffers each year. The move would see Australia's entire aid grant each year deposited into the PNG budget to fund schools, hospitals and infrastructure, despite persistent allegations of local corruption and mismanagement. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the PNG request came as a surprise. Credit:Tatan Syuflana The request, which came without warning to foreign minister Julie Bishop, poses a major headache for the Turnbull government. As host of the Manus Island detention centre, PNG is still crucial in Australia's strategy to stop asylum seeker boats, even as moves are underway to mothball the camp. On Thursday, Mr Dutton said the genesis for former US president George W. Bush to create an over-arching body was "because the intelligence agences there were essentially operating in silos". Fairfax Media reported this week that the contentious idea is being considered by the Turnbull government . It has been labelled "empire-building" on the part of Mr Dutton and Mike Pezzullo, the Secretary of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection. The Australian Federal Police and Australian Security Intelligence Organisation - as well as Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, Attorney-General George Brandis and Defence Minister Marise Payne - are understood to oppose it. Mr Dutton, seen as the chief government backer of the proposal to dramatically reorganise several agencies and departments, said Australia must pursue "world's best practice" for its intelligence and law enforcement system, while pointing to Britain's Home Office and the US Department of Homeland Security. Accused of 'empire building': Minister Peter Dutton. Credit:Andrew Meares "Now homeland security or home affairs has been spoken about here over a long period of time. Different governments and ministers have looked at it. The Prime Minister's made comment on it the other day but I'm just not aware of the process beyond that and if there's consideration, it's an issue for others," Mr Dutton told Sydney radio station 2GB. "But from my perspective, we work well with the agencies and we want to make sure that there are no silos, we want to make sure that we're sharing all the intelligence and information because it's part of the reason that we can thwart these terrorist threats before they are realised." Mr Dutton said, as in the case of accused "fake doctor" Shyam Acharya, "you necessarily want to make sure that you're getting access to all of the information that whatever government department holds" on anyone being investigated by authorities. He said "we live in a very different age" to 10 or 20 years ago and it was difficult to predict security threats over the near future. "So we've just got to make sure that we've got a modern system that is going to deal with people crossing our borders, sharing intelligence with law enforcement agencies and intel bodies and the rest of it. We've got the best people in the world and my sense, my only requirement, is that we continue that world's best practice," he said. Brie Larson has addressed rumours she deliberately withheld applause from Oscar winner Casey Affleck, all but confirming the action was, indeed, one of protest. Speaking to Vanity Fair, the actress said her refusal to clap for Affleck, whose nomination was controversial due to his history of sexual harassment allegations, "spoke for itself". "I think that whatever it was that I did onstage kind of spoke for itself," Larson, an advocate for survivors of sexual assault, said. If you keep eating like this youll Continue to enjoy a healthy relationship with food while nourishing your body. You have a nice mix of foods and the right attitude to the occasional treat. Continue to limit treats or you may fi d your weight creeping up. Why dont you try On this day youre a little low on calcium, so add a serve of natural yoghurt to your morning fruit and since there are benefits to eating nuts on most days add a handful either as a snack or sprinkled over salad. See Rachel on Zumbos Just Desserts, 7.30pm, Mondays and Tuesdays, Channel 7. This is when we entered what I came to think of as Plan "Be" existing only in the present. As for the future, allow me to introduce you to the gentleman of this article, Jason Brian Rosenthal. He is an easy man to fall in love with. I did it in one day. Amy Rosenthal has composed a dating profile for the man she'd leave behind. Credit:Tribune Let me explain: My father's best friend since summer camp, "Uncle" John, had known Jason and me separately our whole lives, but Jason and I had never met. I went to college out east and took my first job in California. When I moved back home to Chicago, John who thought Jason and I were perfect for each other set us up on a blind date. It was 1989. We were only 24. I had precisely zero expectations about this going anywhere. But when he knocked on the door of my little frame house, I thought, "Uh-oh, there is something highly likable about this person." By the end of dinner, I knew I wanted to marry him. Jason? He knew a year later. 'Jason is an easy man to fall in love with. I did it in one day.'. Credit:Andrew Quilty I have never been on Tinder, Bumble or eHarmony, but I'm going to create a general profile for Jason right here, based on my experience of coexisting in the same house with him for, like, 9,490 days. First, the basics: He is 5-foot-10, 160 pounds, with salt-and-pepper hair and hazel eyes. The following list of attributes is in no particular order because everything feels important to me in some way. He is a sharp dresser. Our young adult sons, Justin and Miles, often borrow his clothes. Those who know him or just happen to glance down at the gap between his dress slacks and dress shoes know that he has a flair for fabulous socks. He is fit and enjoys keeping in shape. If our home could speak, it would add that Jason is uncannily handy. On the subject of food man, can he cook. After a long day, there is no sweeter joy than seeing him walk in the door, plop a grocery bag down on the counter, and woo me with olives and some yummy cheese he has procured before he gets to work on the evening's meal. Jason loves listening to live music; it's our favourite thing to do together. I should also add that our 19-year-old daughter, Paris, would rather go to a concert with him than anyone else. Jason showed up at our first pregnancy ultrasound with flowers. When I was working on my first memoir, I kept circling sections my editor wanted me to expand upon. She would say, "I'd like to see more of this character." Of course, I would agree he was indeed a captivating character. But it was funny because she could have just said: "Jason. Let's add more about Jason." He is an absolutely wonderful father. Ask anyone. See that guy on the corner? Go ahead and ask him; he'll tell you. Jason is compassionate and he can flip a pancake. Jason paints. I love his artwork. I would call him an artist except for the law degree that keeps him at his downtown office most days from 9 to 5. Or at least it did before I got sick. If you're looking for a dreamy, let's-go-for-it travel companion, Jason is your man. He also has an affinity for tiny things: taster spoons, little jars, a mini-sculpture of a couple sitting on a bench, which he presented to me as a reminder of how our family began. Here is the kind of man Jason is: He showed up at our first pregnancy ultrasound with flowers. This is a man who, because he is always up early, surprises me every Sunday morning by making some kind of oddball smiley face out of items near the coffeepot: a spoon, a mug, a banana. This is a man who emerges from the minimart or gas station and says, "Give me your palm." And, voila, a colourful gumball appears. (He knows I love all the flavours but white.) My guess is you know enough about him now. So let's swipe right. Wait. Did I mention that he is incredibly handsome? I'm going to miss looking at that face of his. I have been married to the most extraordinary man for 26 years. If he sounds like a prince and our relationship seems like a fairy tale, it's not too far off, except for all of the regular stuff that comes from two and a half decades of playing house together. And the part about me getting cancer. Blech. In my most recent memoir (written entirely before my diagnosis), I invited readers to send in suggestions for matching tattoos, the idea being that author and reader would be bonded by ink. I was totally serious about this and encouraged submitters to be serious as well. Hundreds poured in. A few weeks after publication in August, I heard from a 62-year-old librarian in Milwaukee named Paulette. She suggested the word "more." This was based on an essay in the book where I mention that "more" was my first spoken word (true). And now it may very well be my last (time shall tell). In September, Paulette drove down to meet me at a Chicago tattoo parlour. She got hers (her very first) on her left wrist. I got mine on the underside of my left forearm, in my daughter's handwriting. This was my second tattoo; the first is a small, lowercase "j" that has been on my ankle for 25 years. You can probably guess what it stands for. Jason has one too, but with more letters: "AKR." As a teenager, Kelly Cartwright dreamed of playing netball for Australia, but a niggling pain in her knee forced her to give up her favourite sport. "The doctors kept telling me it was growing pains and it would just go away," she said. "It wasn't until two years later that I went to get a scan and they found a lump." Cartwright had a synovial sarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer that forms in soft tissue. "My mum and dad and I were asking my doctor questions he couldn't answer, because he'd never seen anything like it," she said. There was little the doctors could do: "Basically amputation was my only chance of survival." At the age of 15 she had her right leg amputated above the knee. She went on to compete as a Paralympian in Beijing and London, winning gold in the long jump and silver in the 100 metres in 2012. The Minister for Local Government, Gabrielle Upton, has referred a report into Auburn Council to the Independent Commission Against Corruption, after a public inquiry ordered by her predecessor was unable to compel witnesses to answer questions. Richard Beasley SC conducted the inquiry into the former Auburn Council, which was thrust into the spotlight by its former deputy mayor Salim Mehajer's famously extravagant 2015 wedding which caused unauthorised street closures in Lidcombe and drew national media attention. "It really was the wedding that killed the council," Ms Upton told parliament, as she tabled the report on Thursday. Ms Upton said the inquiry found that Mr Mehajer "may have breached the disclosure provisions in the Local Government Act" relating to the sale of council-owned property to a company associated with him, and recommended that a review be conducted into road closing procedures to give notice to residents so they could lodge objections. A serial fraudster who evaded Australian police for more than 14 years will be extradited from South Australia to NSW on Thursday night to face 29 fraud charges. Goran Markovic, 57, of Blacktown, fled Australia for London more than a decade ago. Goran Markovic arriving at Sydney airport after being extradited from South Australia to face 29 fraud charges spanning as far back as 2002. Credit:James Brickwood After returning to Australia in December, he dodged NSW Police and fled interstate. Markovic was arrested by South Australian police on Saturday for breaching a 31-year-old bond relating to an outstanding arrest warrant. He was held without bail. Lucy Turnbull's Greater Sydney Commission faces an uphill battle to convince Sydney councils of the merits of its vision for the city. A string of councils, including those run by government-appointed administrators, have called on the Greater Sydney Commission to provide plans for Sydney's future that are both more detailed and more ambitious than what has previously been released. The Greater Sydney Commission is charged with shaping the city's future housing supply, jobs growth, and transport and other infrastructure. When it released draft district plans late last year, councils were immediately required to take these into account in their own planning decisions. Those draft plans will be finalised this year, following a consultation process with local councils and others. A man who allegedly impersonated a doctor in NSW hospitals for 11 years using another man's identity has exposed a "failing in the system", Immigration Minister Peter Dutton says. Shyam Acharya allegedly assumed the identity of a doctor in India before he migrated to Australia and gained employment with NSW Health in 2003. He worked in hospitals until 2014, eventually becoming an Australian citizen, and began to work for a medical research company. His alleged deception was only unveiled in 2016, when his then-employer began to question his credentials and reported him to police and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. A suspect in the execution of Sydney crime figure Hamad Assaad has been shot dead in his flat in Sydney's inner west. Kemel Barakat - nicknamed "Blackie" - was shot at point-blank range inside the unit in Bennett Street, Mortlake, in the early hours of Friday. It is understood the bikie figure, who is well-known to police, was in bed when the gunman opened fire. A woman was also home but escaped uninjured. A man has been shot dead at an apartment block in Sydney's inner west, police say. Officers were called to the waterside complex on Bennett Street in Mortlake just after 2.30am on Friday to reports that a man had been shot multiple times. It's understood the victim, aged in his late 20s, had been shot in the stomach and the chest inside an apartment. He died at the scene from his injuries. The shooter fled the scene, and no arrests have been made. An airline has successfully challenged part of the almost $5 million in damages awarded to a former CareFlight nurse who suffered serious physical and psychological injuries when her patient transport plane crash-landed off Norfolk Island. Pel-Air won its appeal against Sydney nurse Karen Casey with a court finding post-traumatic stress disorder is not a "bodily injury", as defined under the Montreal Convention, which governs air crash compensation around the world. On Thursday, the NSW Court of Appeal found that expert evidence showed Ms Casey's brain was malfunctioning as a result of "biochemical changes" rather than physical damage to part or parts of the brain. Ms Casey's damages payout will be reduced by a percentage to be determined, although she won a cross-appeal to increase the amount of money awarded to cover the fees charged by her trustee to manage her funds. A syndicate covertly producing the drug ice in rural NSW has been smashed following a three-month investigation by gangs squad detectives. Members of the Finks bikie gang were among 13 people arrested in a pre-dawn operation on Tuesday at several properties across Wagga Wagga. A sergeant of arms, a treasurer and an ex-president of the gang were among those pulled out of their homes wearing tracksuit pants and boxer shorts. In recent years, bikie gang members have shifted drug manufacture from busy metropolitan areas to more covert rural hideouts. Several country towns have been ravaged by ice as its availability has increased. A motorist who died in a crash between a car and a school bus in Sydney's north-west on Friday morning was being followed by police at the time after allegedly committing a traffic violation, police say. Five schoolchildren on the bus were injured when the silver sedan allegedly entered the intersection of The Driftway and Londonderry Road in Londonderry without slowing and crashed into the side of the bus about 8am on Friday. The front of the silver sedan was destroyed, and police said the male driver of the vehicle died at the scene. He has not been formally identified. Acting Assistant Commissioner Jeff Philippi said police had allegedly detected the driver of the sedan committing a traffic violation on The Driftway shortly before the crash. A Brisbane man with the measles the second confirmed case of the disease in the city in two days was infectious as he visited several locations including the Brisbane Airport, health officials warned on Thursday. A Metro North Public Health Unit spokesperson said the Chermside man was believed to have moved extensively through Brisbane, as well as been on international and domestic flights while unknowingly infectious. The man, in his 40s, is also the second person to have passed through Sydney in March while infected with measles. He was in these locations between March 1 and March 6: A Queensland service that helps women fight back against discrimination at work has had to scale back its advisory phone line, as well as direct some callers to Victoria. Announcing the decision on International Women's Day, Queensland Working Women's Service director Kerriann Dear said it was a huge blow. Queensland Working Women's Service cuts advisory phone line as a result of federal funding drying up. Credit:Erin Jonasson The choice was made on Wednesday to close the phone line, but a day later the service changed tack, opting to open the line three mornings a week, due to a funding boost from the Queensland government. Late on Thursday the website was still advising the hotline was closed. Residents in Brisbane's bayside and riverside suburbs have been warned of flooding as the city braces for higher-than-usual tides at the weekend. A predicted tide peak of 2.45 metres was expected at the mouth of the Brisbane River just after 8am on Friday to be followed by 2.78 metres just before 9am on Saturday. The Brisbane City Council warned the high tides could cause localised flooding through to Monday in bayside, riverside and low-lying parts of nearby suburbs. Residents living near creeks and other waterways may also be affected. A man has been rushed to hospital after he fell from a warehouse while trying to take a shortcut home on the Gold Coast early Friday morning. Emergency services were called to Melissa Street at Upper Coomera after reports a man had fallen "about three to four metres" from a warehouse down an embankment just after 3am. The man was rushed to hospital in a serious condition. High Acuity Response Unit paramedic Jaye Newton said paramedics had to climb down the steep embankment to reach the critically injured man who was in and out of consciousness. "We then required assistance from the fire service to extricate him back out up to the waiting ambulance," he said. Drunken louts repeatedly banned from party precincts should be forced into education sessions, experts say, as figures reveal a stark increase in bans from the state's most popular late-night spot. Figures from the past two years showed about one in five prohibitions were handed out to repeat offenders, triggering calls for change. Longer-term bans from Fortitude Valley have doubled. Credit:File Police data showed a 19 per cent increase in banning orders in Fortitude Valley from 2015 to 2016. In total, 1531 bans were issued in 2016, and more serious extended bans rose to 474 from 236. University of Queensland postdoctoral research fellow Dr Renee Zahnow suggested the rise in extended bans likely pointed to either an increase in repeat offenders or an increase in the seriousness of their conduct. Uber drivers will be slugged more than $200 for an annual licence fee under suggested state reforms that even the ridesharer's traditional rival the taxi industry has slammed. The fee was among a swag of changes announced by Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey ahead of the second stage of legislation due to be introduced to Queensland Parliament later this month. Uber drivers in Queensland will have to pay a $200 annual licence fee under proposed new legislation. Credit:AP But the latest reforms are far from popular pleasing neither ridesharing company Uber nor the Taxi Council Queensland. Taxi service licences and limousine licences and plates will be retained and a new annual licence fee of $237.26 will be introduced for ridebooking operators such as Uber. For business owners, getting their head around matters like industrial relations, workers' compensation and adequate insurance is one thing, but the preoccupation of never truly knowing how long revenues will continue to sustain the new employee must ramp up nerves to a whole new level. But when the business is your own, and recruiting someone is an entirely foreign experience, I imagine the exercise would be immensely daunting. The risks both financial and psychological must at times be overwhelming. Because one rotten apple in a small business can create far more damage and distraction than a rotten apple in a large enterprise where incompetence can more easily hide. Doing so as a manager in a large corporation is less of a big deal. You're usually protected by a HR department and supported by a payroll team that takes care of the wages and the super and the taxes and the HECS and the who-knows-what-else is involved in keeping the wheels turning. Much noise is made about the hiring potential of small business. There's the oft-quoted statistic that it's Australia's biggest employer; that a reduction in penalty rates will enable owners to hire more workers; that there are substantial advantages in working for a small employer over a large one. All of that may be true but what these discussions rarely appreciate is the sheer enormity of even deciding to hire an employee, especially when that employee is your first. So in light of all that copious stress, it's a wonder why only now has a study been published on the factors that characterise an entrepreneur's transition from being a soloist to being an employer. The researchers, from the University of California, have published their findings in the latest issue of the Journal of Economics and Management Strategy. The researchers relied on three sources of data: census information that comprised every business in the US; a survey consisting of almost 5000 business owners; and an entrepreneurial training program with 4000 participants. All in all, an extremely comprehensive dataset, and even though it's based on Americans rather than Australians, there are inferences we can draw on. Let's begin with the curious fact that the chances of hiring an employee decrease the longer a start-up is operational. Approximately one third of business owners recruited someone in their first year, almost 13 per cent did so in their second, and then it drops even more markedly thereafter. In short, if you haven't hired your first employee in your initial two years, it's unlikely you ever will. And at a time of anti-immigrant sentiment, it's interesting that migrants are roughly 7 per cent more likely to become employers in their first two years in business, although their native-born compatriots manage to catch up by the seventh. In contrast, men are about 10 per cent more likely to hire someone in their early years but women unfortunately don't ever seem to catch up. Also, in an era when more people are going to university than ever, and when entrepreneurship courses and workshops are becoming ubiquitous, you might think a better education would make new employers more likely to hire. Not so. There's no difference between their hiring inclination and that of their less educated peers. What matters (slightly) more? Prior industry work experience. When Allen Liao was still at university he borrowed a friend's expensive sunglasses and lost them. "He wasn't very happy with me so that's how it all started," Liao says. Allen Liao has chosen a simple and classic design for the glasses. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer The 23-year-old dropped out of uni to start developing Tzukuri, a line of "unlosable" glasses which went on sale this week. Tzukuri integrates hand-crafted glasses with Bluetooth technology. The glasses are connected to an iOS app, which notifies the owner if they are left behind, records the last GPS location and shows proximity when searching for them indoors. An Australian team will do battle next week against 24 other outfits in pursuit of $US5 million ($6.6 million) prizemoney at the Abu Dhabi Formula One circuit. But they won't be racing cars. Instead, the University of NSW engineers will compete using drones and a ground-based robot in a search and disaster response simulation. It is the richest robotics competition in the world and is named after the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohamed Bin Zayed. "The focus of the competition is disaster response," said Mark Whitty, lead researcher for the engineering team. Akon Guode faces deportation after completing a prison term as the first mother in Victoria to be jailed after pleading guilty to the charge of infanticide. The Supreme Court has heard Guode would spend her time in custody for killing three of her children, when she drove her car into a lake, uncertain of what would happen when she was eventually released. A court must decide whether Akon Guode becomes the first mother in Victoria to be jailed for infanticide. Credit:Joe Armao, Fairfax Media. Defence counsel Marcus Dempsey said unless Guode was granted a protection visa when released, she faced either "languishing" in immigration detention or being deported back to her troubled homeland. "And it's not like being sent back to New Zealand when you have made your life in Australia. It is the prospect of being sent back to Sudan," Mr Dempsey told the court on Thursday. They are supposed to enrol students from all walks of life, but select-entry schools are increasingly catering to the brightest and most advantaged. That's the finding of new research by the University of Technology Sydney's Christina Ho, which reveals an average of just 5 per cent of students at Melbourne's four selective state schools are from the most disadvantaged backgrounds. This compares to 12 per cent in 2010. As the proportion of poor students at select-entry schools dwindled, those from the most advantaged families grew from 51 to 62 per cent in 2015. Last year was a tough one for Phillips 66 (NYSE: PSX). That's evident by looking at its financial results, where earnings slumped 63.2% versus 2015 due to issues across all its business segments, including an 89% plunge in refining profits. That said, refining earnings are notoriously volatile, which is one reason why Phillips 66 has invested heavily to reduce its exposure to the refining sector. Those investments should start paying off and that's just part of the reason why investors don't need to worry about this stock. Midstream earnings are ready to ramp One of the ways Phillips 66 is working to mute the impact of its volatile refining segment is by investing to boost earnings from stable midstream assets. For example, over the past year the company has completed the construction of a 4.4 million barrel-per-month LPG Export Terminal in Texas, financed its 25% share of the Bakken Pipeline project, and increased the storage capacity of its Beaumont Terminal. As these projects come online, capital spending is declining at the same time cash flow is growing, which is providing the company with more money for other uses. In addition to that, the company's MLPs Phillips 66 Partners (NYSE: PSXP) and DCP Midstream (NYSE: DCP) are also investing capital on organic growth projects that should deliver incremental earnings in the near future. Phillips 66 Partners, for example, is currently working on completing the western leg of the Bayou Bridge Pipeline, which should enter service later this year. Meanwhile, DCP Midstream recently completed a significant repositioning by combining with its MLP. On top of that, the company recently started a slate of new growth projects that should boost cash flow later this year. These rising earnings from its MLPs, when combined with internally generated growth, should fuel earnings growth in Phillips 66's midstream segment over the next year. A big chemicals expansion is almost finished In addition to investing capital to expand its midstream segment, Phillips 66's chemicals joint venture with Chevron (NYSE: CVX), CPChem, has been undergoing a significant capacity expansion to take advantage of cheap supplies from shale. The Phillips 66-Chevron venture is building two 1.1 billion-pound-per-year polyethylene facilities that should come online later this year and a 3.3 billion-pound-per-year ethane cracker, which should enter service by the middle of next year. Overall, these facilities will grow CPChem's capacity by one-third, which should provide a significant boost to earnings within Phillips 66's chemicals segment over the next year. Further, because the joint venture financed this growth internally, it should start generating substantial excess cash flow when the projects enter service, which it can then distribute to its owners. Several catalysts should fuel a rebound in refining earnings While Phillips 66's refining profits were under pressure last year, there are several reasons to be optimistic that results should improve in the future. For example, one of the issues impacting results last quarter was a major turnaround at its Los Angeles Refinery, which only operated at 45% capacity during the quarter. However, the refinery will be back up to full capacity once it completes the turnaround. In addition to that, the company had some additional costs due to the termination of railcar leases, which are one-time expenses that shouldn't impact earnings in the future. Finally, there was a significant spike in environmental compliance costs last year due to the renewable fuel standards program. However, President Trump has vowed to roll back some of the regulations that have impacted refiners, which could cut compliance costs in the future. In addition to the removal of those headwinds, Philips 66 has been investing some money to improve the earnings capacity at its refineries by investing in quick payback projects. For example, it is investing capital at its Billing Refinery to increase Canadian heavy crude processing capacity up to 100%, which should lower feedstock costs and improve margins. It is also working on a diesel recovery project at its Ponca City Refinery and modernizing its Bayway and Wood River refineries to increase their clean product yields. As these projects come online, it should lower the company's costs and improve yields, which should enhance earnings, even if market conditions in the refining sector don't get better. Investor takeaway Refining can be a tough business, which was clearly the case last year. However, just because Phillips 66 had a down year, doesn't mean it's a sign of things to come. Instead, things are looking up for the company because it has several major projects nearing completion that will grow its non-refining earnings. On top of that, some of the headwinds impacting its refining segment are going away, which along with recent investments should improve results. These visible catalysts are why investors don't need to worry about Phillips 66's future. 10 stocks we like better than Phillips 66 When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Phillips 66 wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. Click here to learn about these picks! *Stock Advisor returns as of February 6, 2017 Matt DiLallo owns shares of Phillips 66. The Motley Fool recommends Chevron and DCP Midstream. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The older voters get the more conservative the vote, one political expert says. According to the Electoral Commission, those aged over 70 were the biggest age group to vote, making up more than 13 per cent of the electorate. What's more, Murdoch University political expert Ian Cook said they were likely to vote for One Nation. "As we get older, we do start to get a little conservative so we're more attracted to more conservative parties. I think they will be attracted to One Nation," he said. Doctors say it is miracle Soth Rey is alive. Her face is disfigured by a wide gaping hole, her nose and right cheek eaten away by necrosis, a rare form of rapid cell degeneration. But the 18-year-old, whose story focuses attention on the poor state of medical care in Cambodia, is not giving up as residents of Phnom Penh raise funds through the website Just Giving after the Phnom Penh Post revealed her plight. In December, Soth Rey was working in a massage parlour to help support her parents and three younger siblings in the north-western town of Siem Reap when she fell ill with a sinus infection. A doctor diagnosed the flu and sent her home. Former war correspondent David Fox expressed his relief and gratitude to a Balinese court for recognising the "circumstances of my peculiar case" after he was sentenced to just seven months' jail for possessing hashish. The sentence, which is minus time already served, means Mr Fox will be released from Kerobokan jail in just two months. Relieved: David Fox in the Denpasar District Court on Thursday. Credit:Amilia Rosa It is considerably less than the 12 months requested by the prosecutor. Mr Fox, a former bureau chief of Reuters news agency in Jakarta, was arrested in the seaside precinct of Sanur last October for possessing 9.83 grams of hashish. Miami: A Miami defence lawyer's pants burst into flames in court just as he began his closing arguments in front of a jury - in an arson case. Stephen Gutierrez, who was arguing that his client's car spontaneously combusted and was not intentionally set on fire, had been fiddling in his pocket as he was about to address jurors on Wednesday when smoke began billowing out his right pocket, witnesses told the Miami Herald. Stephen Gutierrez in a photo from his firm's website. He rushed out of the Miami courtroom, leaving spectators stunned. After jurors were ushered out, Gutierrez returned unharmed, with a singed pocket, and insisted it wasn't a staged defence demonstration gone wrong, observers said. Instead, Gutierrez blamed a faulty battery in an e-cigarette, witnesses said. Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, said the group will work with technology companies to close gaps identified in thousands of Central Intelligence Agency documents it published this week as well as in additional material it has yet to disclose. Assange, speaking Thursday in a webcast, said he's interested in helping better secure communications technology after this week's disclosure of more than 8,000 documents highlighted apparent vulnerabilities in smartphones, televisions and software built by companies including Apple, Google, and Samsung . Assange claimed the disclosures show that the CIA has "lost control" of its "entire cyberweapons arsenal." Two of Assange's lawyers and a Wikileaks spokesman did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Pompeo's remarks. Credit:Screenshot The webcast came on the same day that former UKIP leader and Donald Trump ally Nigel Farage visited Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Buzzfeed UK photographed Mr Farage leaving the embassy on Thursday. Mr Farage would not confirm he visited the WikiLeaks founder and gave a bizarre quote, saying he couldn't remember what he had been doing inside the embassy for the past 40 minutes. The Independent later cited a source close to Mr Farage confirming the two had met. London: The London newsroom and studios of RT, the television channel and website formerly known as Russia Today, are ultramodern and spacious, with spectacular views from the 16th floor overlooking the Thames and the London Eye. And, its London bureau chief, Nikolay Bogachikhin, jokes, "We overlook MI5 and we're near MI6," Britain's domestic and foreign intelligence agencies. Bogachikhin was poking fun at the charge from Western governments that RT is an agent of Kremlin policy and a tool directly used by President Vladimir Putin to undermine Western democracies - meddling in the recent US presidential election and, European security officials say, trying to do the same in the Netherlands, France and Germany, all of which vote later this year. But the West is not laughing. Even as Russia insists that RT is just another global network like the BBC or France 24, albeit one offering "alternative views" to the Western-dominated news media, many Western countries regard RT as the slickly-produced heart of a broad, often covert disinformation campaign designed to sow doubt about democratic institutions and destabilise the West. Western attention focused on RT when the Obama administration and US intelligence agencies judged with "high confidence" in January that Putin had ordered a campaign to "undermine public faith in the US democratic process", discredit Hillary Clinton through the hacking of Democratic Party internal emails and provide support for Donald Trump, who as a candidate said he wanted to improve relations with Russia. Ko Ni, an adviser to Aung San Suu Kyi, was shot dead at an airport. Credit:Facebook Ko Ni, a Muslim in the majority-Buddhist country, had received threats but pushed ahead with his work, often arriving home after midnight and ignoring concerns for his own safety. "He always said that lawyers are forever worrying, and never wanted to pass those worries on to his family," Yin Nwe Khine said. A Buddhist monk holds a portrait of Ko Ni, who spoke out about how the constitution stacked power in the hands of the military and was inconsistent with democracy. Credit:AP Melissa Crouch, a friend of Ko Ni's from the University of New South Wales and an expert on Myanmar's constitution, remembers him expressing particular concern about the situation in his country in a phone call in August last year. "I had never heard him talk in such pessimistic tones before he showed concern for people's safety, human rights and security," Crouch says. Tin Tin Aye, second right, mother of Ko Ni, cries as she attends his funeral. Credit:AP "He warned that it was not safe for locals to be talking in public forums about constitutional issues but encouraged foreigners to continue to do so." Police claim the plot to kill Ko Ni was hatched in a tea shop in April last year by a group of men who held a personal grudge against him. A Myanmar police officer looks at photos and records of assassination of Ko Ni, prominent legal adviser to the government, displayed during a press conference in Yangon, Myanmar. Credit:AP Whether that is true or not and many observers doubt the police account it is clear he was targeted in a brazen and well-planned political assassination on January 29. At least three other co-conspirators are believed to have watched at the airport as Kyi Lin, the 53-year-old gunman, tried to run away after firing a single shot from a Myanmar-made 9-millimetre pistol. People carry the coffin of Ko Ni to his final resting place. Credit:AP What they didn't count on was the bravery of airport taxi drivers, who saw the shooting and gave chase. Kyi Lin, a criminal and former soldier who was reportedly paid the equivalent of $US71,500 ($95,000) to carry out the hit, turned and shot dead one of the pursuing drivers, before others managed to overpower him and hold him for police. Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi arrives to attend a memorial ceremony to mark one month from the killing of Ko Ni and taxi driver Ne Win. Credit:AP On February 26, more than four weeks after the killing, Myanmar's Office of the President distributed a photo of him and announced in a brief statement the killing was ordered by 45-year-old Aung Win Khine, who was still at large. The statement did not mention that Aung Win Khine was a former lieutenant-colonel who retired from Myanmar's army in 2014. Aung San Suu Kyi remained silent for weeks and was absent from Ko Ni's funeral, prompting criticisms about her inability or unwillingness to speak out on many issues. Credit:AP Also arrested was another former soldier, Aung Win Khine's 46-year-old brother Aung Win Zaw. The military denies any involvement in the plot. Myanmar Police Chief Officer Zaw Win - officers claim the plot to kill Ko Ni was hatched in a tea shop in April last year by a group of men who held a personal grudge against him. Credit:AP But Myanmar experts sitting on a panel at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand painted a picture of a military leadership with a bunker mentality obsessed with the belief that only generals can rule the country and keep it united, and who had the most to benefit from Ko Ni's death. Larry Jagan, a commentator and analyst living in Myanmar who has been following the country for 40 years, quoted military sources telling him last year that the military saw Ko Ni as its most serious threat because he was leading the push for constitutional change, although he believes the order for the assassination did not come from the military's top ranks. He said as a result of the death those in the NLD who had wanted to move quietly and not push the military on constitutional reform now hold sway. Asked about this, Crouch said she didn't think the reform push had ended but "it may require a change of tactics and patience". Anthony Davis, a security consultant and analyst with defence publisher Jane's, said the military organised a fraudulent constitution in 2008 that allowed it to effectively continue to operate as a state within the state, maintaining its grip despite all the talk of a transformed Myanmar ruled by a democratically elected government. Davis said the military wanted to be seen as moving towards democracy because it had no choice in today's world, but generals always saw it as a "disciplined" or "guided" democracy, where they still dominated all aspects of Burmese society in much the same way they have for more than 50 years. "Even before the 2015 election, but especially in the days after, there has been a facile, childlike enthusiasm for democratic change, a belief the country was being transformed and was on the right track," he said. "But basically if you set that vision of where the military has come from and where it is today, it disappears in a puff of smoke." Analysts say Ko Ni's death is a pivotal point in the history of the country, rekindling deep concerns about its future. "The bullet was not only for Ko Ni. It was for the NLD and the people who want to amend and replace the 2008 Constitution and support the peace process," said Thein Than Oo, a human rights lawyer in Mandalay. The killing stunned the NLD. But for weeks Aung San Suu Kyi remained inexplicably silent. She was absent from Ko Ni's funeral, prompting further criticisms about her inability or unwillingness to speak out on many issues, including military offensives against ethnic armies in border areas and atrocities against Rohingyas in western Rakhine state, which the UN has described as ethnic cleansing and "very likely" crimes against humanity. Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said the military is "more than happy to have Aung San Suu Kyi as their international flak-catcher" while its business conglomerate reaps the rewards of the lifting of economic sanctions by Western nations, which she recommended. Davis, who has deep knowledge of Myanmar's army, believes the country's future is "looking pretty bleak" now that the NLD has lost Ko Ni. He envisages the military, which under the constitution controls the ministries of defence, home and interior, and is automatically allocated 25 per cent of seats in parliament, will want to see Suu Kyi remain in place for years while keeping her powerless on a wide range of issues. He said the Nobel laureate will be 75 at the time of the next elections in 2020 and given the NLD's weak leadership in its first year in office, her party may even struggle to retain office. Crouch said Ko Ni's death was seen as a personal attack on members of the NLD while for lawyers it was seen as an outrageous attack on their profession. "However, I would suggest his death has been felt hardest for Muslims," Crouch said, pointing out that there was an increase in online hate speech against Muslims in the days after the killing. Ashin Wirathu, a radical Buddhist monk, even praised the killers. London: Plans for a free trade agreement between Australia and the European Union have hit another big delay, which trade minister Steven Ciobo has blamed on the EU. The minister said on Thursday that negotiations are not expected to start until the "middle to end of this year" pending a scoping study which was expected to be finished last year, but which European countries still cannot agree on. Free trade agreements are meeting increasing opposition from countries within the union. Last October a long-anticipated deal with Canada was almost scuppered at the last minute when it was vetoed by the tiny regional government of Wallonia in south Belgium. And noses were put out of joint when Australia slapped anti-dumping measures on Italian tinned tomatoes last year, which one Italian politician said had cast a "bit of a shadow" on the proposed free trade deal. Suspension letter signed by old board members --- copy sent to the Minister PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Education Silveria Jacobs gave reasons why she cannot intervene in the situation at the Philipsburg Jubilee Library even though she is aware of the director's suspension. Asked by SMN News to explain the difference between NIPA and the Philipsburg Jubilee Library both of which are foundations. The Minister said NIPA was established by the government and one of the members of the board represents government while at the Philipsburg Jubilee Library that is not the case. Minister Jacobs said that the director Monique Alberts asked to meet with her and she met her and her, in turn, chose to invite the board and in that meeting she advised the board to respect the bylaws and to work based on good governance. Minister Jacobs said she was made aware that the board has outlived its lifespan and she advised the board members that were present what they needed to do. However, since then she does not know if the board has changed and she also does know if its the old board members or if its the new ones that suspended the director. Minister Jacobs further explained that she is currently looking at the law to see if the old board members can request the subsidy they get from government and if they can legally execute the work they are doing. Otherwise, she said she is waiting on information. In the meantime, SMN News obtained a copy of the suspension letter that was given to Monique Alberts. The letter was signed by the old board members that outlived their time based on the bylaws of the Philipsburg Jubilee Library. They are Clayton Holiday, Monique Hofman and Sunil Khatnani. So far the existing board did not appoint any new members all of which SMN News learned the Minister is fully aware of. SMN News further learned that on February 1st Alberts sent the suspension letter to the Secretary General Jorien Wuite and on February 7th the letter along with a rebuttal from Alberts was sent to Minister Jacobs. Click here to read the suspension letter that was signed by the illegal board members of the Philipsburg Jubilee Library. Besides that SMN PHILIPSBURG:--- The House of Parliament will sit in a plenary public session on March 9, 2017. The Minister of Finance will be present. The plenary public meeting has been set for Thursday at 2.00 pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg. The agenda points are: 1. Incoming documents 2. Draft National Ordinance establishing the accounts of Country St. Maarten for the financial year 2012 (Ordinance establishing accounts 2012) (ZJ 2016-2017-096) (IS / 014 / 2016-2017 dated September 21 2016) 3. Approval Decision Lists Public meetings Parliamentary Year 2016-2017 no. 1-6 and POV no. 1 Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations. The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg. The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 120, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com and via www.sxmparliament.org. Seaspan Corporation's (NYSE: SSW) stock has been steadily sinking for the past several years; it's down nearly 70% over the last three years. What's driving this downdraft: the challenging market conditions in the container shipping sector, which are causing investors to worry that the company might be in over its head. However, the company sees things quite differently. Why the stock has been sinking Last year was a tough one for Seaspan Corporation. While full-year revenue rose 7.2% to $877.9 million, cash available for distribution to common shareholders dropped 13.8% to $373.1 million. Conditions grew steadily more challenging for the company throughout the year, evidenced by its fourth-quarter results, in which revenue slipped 2.4%, and cash available for distribution to common shareholders plunged 38.7%. Driving the declines were two factors, the bankruptcy of South Korean shipping giant Hanjin and record-low charter rates for Panamax vessels. Seaspan Corporation took a direct hit from the Hanjin bankruptcy, recording $19.7 million in related expenses. In addition, the company had to cancel leases on four vessels. While it was able to find short-term work for one of those ships, two others are sitting idle at the moment, and the company sent another to a ship recycler for disposal. The reason it chose to recycle that last ship is that Panamax spot rates are below breakeven levels, so it made more sense to jettison the vessel than to continue operating it. In fact, the company has unloaded several of its older Panamax vessels as part of a replacement program, in which it is simultaneously taking advantage of market conditions to purchase some newer vessels at historically low prices to position its fleet for an eventual market recovery. These harsh operating conditions are causing investors to worry that the company is in over its head as a result of its aggressive expansion campaign the past few years. That growth led the company to borrow heavily, ending last year with $3.4 billion in debt. Furthermore, the company still has several newbuilds under construction that it needs to finish paying for, including two that are currently without long-term charters. While the company has the option to push back delivery of those two vessels until 2018, investors are worried that it might have to sit on those ships for quite a while if the market doesn't recover. What Seaspan has been doing to stay afloat While the current market is clearly challenging, Seaspan Corporation has insulated itself from much of this impact because the bulk of its fleet is under long-term contracts. In fact, its backlog of future contracted revenue currently stands at $5.2 billion, with an average remaining life of six years. These contracts will supply the company with 94% of its revenue this year and a stable base of cash flow, more than offsetting the weakness of its small Panamax fleet, which supplies the other 6%. To further shore up its financial situation, the company raised a total of $660 million in equity last year, which helped reduce net debt by 13.8%. In addition, the company reduced ship operating expenses by 8.8% per ownership day last year to generate more cash flow. Finally, it recently made the difficult decision to cut the dividend. However, that decision was more about increasing its financial flexibility, to capitalize on the industry's current weakness, than to shore up its balance sheet. That's because "a lot of the deleveraging occurred in 2016," according to comments by CFO David Spivak on the most recent quarterly conference call, with the company focusing on paying down secured bank debt and near-term maturities. Because Seaspan already did most of the heavy lifting, it sees opportunity instead of challenges; that was clear from comments by CEO Gerry Wang on that call. He noted that the company is "actually quite excited by the distress opportunities in front of us," and that the reason it reduced the dividend was "just to have more firepower/ammunition in our hands to grow our business through this down cycle." Wang thinks 2017 could be an interesting year for the company, as it focuses on taking advantage of the down cycle to "grab the right assets at the right value and build our long-term contract backlog." Investor takeaway While investors have concerns about Seaspan's ability to navigate through the shipping industry's current challenges, the company sees opportunity instead. It has already shored up its balance sheet, which along with its recent dividend cut, gives it the firepower to make acquisitions that should grow its fleet and cash flow. Given its improving financial situation and already substantial backlog, I tend to agree that Seaspan Corporation shouldn't have any problems swimming through this storm. 10 stocks we like better than Seaspan When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Seaspan wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. Click here to learn about these picks! *Stock Advisor returns as of February 6, 2017 Matt DiLallo owns shares of Seaspan. The Motley Fool recommends Seaspan. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. PHILIPSBURG:--- The Central Committee will meet in a session on March 9, 2017. The Central Committee meeting has been set for Thursday at 10.00 am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg. Representatives of the Sint Maarten Anti-Poverty Platform will be present. The agenda points are: 1. Discussion with the Sint Maarten Anti-Poverty Platform on discrimination and human rights violations of the persons of Caribbean origin in the Kingdom of the Netherlands (IS/319/2016-2017 dated December 15, 2016) 2. Approval composition delegation and provisions for the meeting of the Board of Directors to be held in Mexico City, D.F. on Friday 24th and Saturday 25th of March of the current year (IS/499/2016-2017 dated February 24, 2017) 3. Approval composition delegation and provisions for the meeting of the Committee of Education, Culture, Science, Technology and Communication to be held in Mexico City D.F. on March 23rd to 25th (IS/510/2016-2017 dated February 27, 2017) 4. Approval composition delegation and provisions for Aruba day (IS/519/2016-2017 dated March 3, 3017) Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations. The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg. The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 120, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com and via www.sxmparliament.org. PHILIPSBURG:--- On Friday, March 10th from 2 PM to 5 PM and Saturday, March 11, 2017, from 10 AM to 1 PM MHF will team up with Ms. Julie Alcin to host an arts & craft workshop. Julie Alcin has been instrumental in trying to raise awareness for mental health and to do this she came up with a project called Letters of May. Letters of May will be publishing artwork (writing, letters, poets, drawings and paintings) to allow persons that deal with or have dealt with mental health to tell their story in the way that spreads hope, educates, and help put an end to stigma. This project has the following goals; raising awareness for mental health, giving hope to those that struggle with mental health, showing how it is to live with mental health, helping to put an end to the stigma on mental health and to educate others on mental health. The event is sponsored by SXM DOET, and therefore, materials, food and drinks will be provided, interested participants are asked to bring your creative mind and spirit. If transportation is a problem, the MHF will try to organize some pick-ups and drop-offs, you are kindly requested to let us know within a timely manner if you want to be picked up and/or dropped off by the MHF bus (by calling 5421677 extensions 507 or 515). The art workshop will be held at SOIL in Bettys Estate, who also contributed to the event by offering a discounted price. MHF would like to request all persons who would like to attend to come coming Friday at 2 PM and Saturday at 10 AM to create some beautiful artworks. MHF does not have funds available for educational, promotional and festive activities but with the help of SXM DOET and collaborating with Julie Alcins initiative, this event will be made possible. MHF is the leading secondary Mental Health care provider on the Dutch side of St. Maarten and has been operational since 2006. In addition to providing support and treatment for mental health issues brought on by the everyday challenges of life, MHF is currently the only mental health facility in Sint Maarten that provides 24-hour inpatient care to individuals suffering from the most severe forms of mental illness. The Mental Health Foundation and Julia Alcin look forward to your participation in the Letters of May! PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Public Health, Social Development, and Labor, Minister Lee has announced at Wednesdays weekly Council of Ministers Press Briefing that the Inspectorate of VSA will begin with an intensified schedule for inspections. Recognizing that improving compliance also includes making sure that government is clear about the information and regulations to which we are expecting compliance. Much of the information is readily available on www.ministryvsa.sx stated Minister Lee. Minister Lee commented, Within the Council of Ministers, there are discussions on how to work towards renewed interministerial cooperation with respect to controls and inspections. Improving compliance is critical for the community for a number of reasons, including loss of revenue for Government, exposure to Government for expenses such as medical evacuations for undocumented workers, unsafe and/or unfair working conditions, unfair business competition and most importantly missed opportunities for our citizens for employment. Minister Lee is urging all businesses to become informed about their responsibilities as a business operating on St. Maarten and must be compliant to the laws of the land. From a labor and health perspective the Inspectors will be looking for the following: 1. Copy of Chamber of Commerce (COCI) Registration for relevant year 2. Copy of Business License & Copy of Directors License 3. Copy of Labor Registration 4. Copies of the Employment and Residence Permits of the employees 5. Copies of SZV cards/SZV registration of employees or private insurance registration 6. Copy of List of Personnel 7. Work schedule of employees 8. Overtime Register of employees 9. Occupational Health and Safety Standards Compliance - Sufficient lighting - Clean environment - Sufficient toilets and urinals - Prevention measures for creation or distribution and removal of harmful or irritating vapors or gases or dust - Prevention measures for accidents and standard procedures to provide assistance in case of accidents - Clean drinking water or non-alcoholic beverages for employees free of charge - Prevention measures to avoid poisoning, infection or occupation diseases 10. Proof that employees receive pay slips As a reminder to the community, unless you fall into one categories below, you are obligated to obtain an employment permit in order to work. 1. A permanent resident 2. Married to a Dutch National 3. holding a Dutch Passport, you are obligated to obtain a work permit. Minister Lee will at random be joining the Inspections by the Inspectorate at various business establishments in order to get a hands-on feel for what is taking place in the community and to better identify any challenges for the Inspectors and the business owners/managers. ORANJESTAD:--- On their recent working visit to Aruba, Prime Minister of St. Maarten, the Honourable Mr. William Marlin, the Minister Plenipotentiary, Mrs. Henrietta Doran-York, the Secretary General of the Ministry of General Affairs, Mr. Hensley Plantijn, and the rest of the St. Maarten delegation attended the 15th Overseas Countries and Territories Association, OCTA, Ministerial Conference. The Ministerial Conference is OCTAs highest body. The objective of the conference was to define policies, approve the 2017 budget and elect the Chair of the Ministerial Conference as well as members and the President of the Executive Committee. During the Conference, OCT leaders were given the opportunity to discuss various topics affecting OCTs such as the post-2020 EU-OCT relationship, the OCTA Secretariat and the Institutional strengthening of the Association. Prime Minister Marlin signed the Joint Position for the post-2020 period on behalf of Sint Maarten. This position paper was signed by all OCTs with the exception to Curacao and co-signed by the member states of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, The Kingdom of Denmark, the French Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. By signing this joint position the signatories agree upon 10 guiding principles of moving forward in establishing the post-2020 relationship. Other noteworthy aspects of the 15th Ministerial Conference included the election of the new OCTA Chair, the Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Honourable Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson, and the OCTA Vice Chair, the President of French Polynesia, the Honourable Edouard Fritch and the election of the Executive Committee of OCTA. Ms. Carol Voges on behalf of Sint Maarten was elected as the President of the Executive Committee for 2017. The remaining members include New Caledonia, Curacao, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos Islands, St. Helena, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, French Polynesia and Greenland. The positions of Treasurer and Secretary will be defined during the first meeting of the Executive Committee in early March. The Audit Committee consisting of Cayman Islands, Aruba and the British Virgin Islands as its members were also selected during this meeting. The Ministerial Conference was also updated on the status of various EU-funded programmes, such as, the BEST initiative, the 11th EDF Thematic, Caribbean, Pacific and Indian Ocean Regional Programmes, where Sint Maarten as the Regional Authorizing Officer for the 11th EDF Caribbean Regional Programme gave an update on the state of play and upcoming actions for the programme. Finally, the Political Declarations and Administrative Resolutions were finalized and signed by the Heads of OCTs for presentation to the EU Commission during the OCT-EU Forum held on February 24th,2017. PHILIPSBURG:--- One of Parliaments roles is to supervise the functioning of government. And one of its tools to carry out this supervisory function is the right to ask questions as laid down in article 62 of the Constitution. This entails parliamentarians submitting their queries in writing to the government via the President of Parliament. Article 63 of the Constitution mentions that a Member of Parliament may also invite the ministers to provide information. Article 62 of the Rules of Order of Parliament states that this invitation will be considered by the President of Parliament if it is supported by at least one other member of parliament. So, in order to be effective in parliament, a political party should have at least two seats. As all parties in the current parliament have two seats or more, there is no reason why parliamentarians cannot exercise their right to ask questions and to also invite ministers to parliament to provide the requested information. Yet, more and more we see parliamentarians putting their questions to ministers and government via the media. This is all good and well but, parliamentarians need to be mindful that a minister or government has no obligation to respond to such queries. During the past months, the faction of the United Peoples Party in parliament has been posing quite a number of questions to ministers and government via the media. For example, the Honourable MP Theo Heyliger has expressed his concern about the stagnation of the construction of the new hospital facility. He also raised some critical questions concerning the new immigration rules for yacht and cruise ship crewmembers. The Honorable MP Franklin Meyers also questioned the government about its lack of concern for the tourism industry by not yet having a minister of tourism in place. Last year, MP Meyers had also posed several questions, via the media, to the Minister of Finance concerning the Pearl of China Project. On February 24th, 2017, MP Meyers followed the correct procedure by submitting his questions in writing to said, Minister. According to MP Meyers, some six months ago, he had submitted several questions in writing to the Honourable Minister Emil Lee, pertaining to the hospital but never received a response. Reason why he has recently forwarded a second request to the Honorable Minister asking for answers. A member of parliament should never have to wait six months or more to receive answers from a minister. How can parliament supervise government effectively, having to wait six months or more for information? This is unacceptable in the corporate world and parliamentarians should not tolerate it either. Besides, article 62 of the Constitution states that the minister shall answer such questions within a reasonable term. It seems that, in Sint Maarten, only the opposition in parliament is supposed to question and supervise the ministers and the government. However, according to article 62 of the Constitution, the supervision of government is the responsibility of all fifteen members of parliament, the coalition included. All fifteen members must use their given powers to ensure transparency, efficiency, and accountability in government. How else will parliamentarians know what is going on in government, if they do not ask relevant and critical questions? The weekly press briefings of government are not enough. An occasional visit by a minister, to explain a draft law or to give information concerning a current issue, such as the Oyster Pond border situation, is not enough. Parliamentarians need more information than that. Actually, by rights, the ministers should not even be giving press briefings but should be reporting directly to the parliament who hired them in the first place. It is the right and duty of every parliamentarian, including the members of the coalition, to question the functioning of the government on behalf of the people. This should not only happen during the budget debates but it should take place on an ongoing basis throughout the four-year term. Only when parliamentarians know the vision, the goals, plans and projects of the government can they supervise with some measure of success. Therefore, parliament should demand that the governing program is submitted as soon as possible. If there is any parliamentarian who knows the importance of a governing accord, it is our current President of Parliament, the Honorable Sarah Wescott-Williams, who in 2015 demanded that the government at that time present its governing program and also insisted that it be debated in parliament. In October 2016, MP Wescott-Williams even presented a list of fifteen issues that she felt should be included in the then governing program. The Daily Herald, on October 12th, 2016, quoted her as saying as the opposition in the incoming parliament, we will observe with a magnifying glass the actions of this government. Actually, this should be the attitude of every single parliamentarian, namely, to check and challenge the work of government. SMCP dares each of the fifteen parliamentarians to exercise their right to question, examine and challenge the functioning of the government to ensure proper, transparent and accountable governance during this governing term. Wycliffe Smith Leader of the Sint Maarten Christian Party PHILIPSBURG:--- Taxi drivers that are operating in Philipsburg and are not members of the Dutch St. Maarten Taxi Association (DSTA) plans to take action if government does not intervene to preserve their livelihood Some of the taxi drivers gathered on Wednesday morning planning how to deal with a situation the DSTA started on Tuesday. The drivers said on Tuesday the DSTA began putting orange bands on the hands of the tourists and informed them that they are not to use any other taxi on the island. They claimed on Tuesday that the island visitors were sent to the French side with the same instructions but when taxi drivers on the French side objected and authorities got involved they informed the tourists that they do not have to comply with the instructions given to them by the DSTA and that they could board any legal taxi operating on the French side to take them to their destination. They said that on Wednesday the DSTA changed their strategy and they even placed their members in Philipsburg, at Sunset Beach Bar and Maho. The disgruntled drivers said that the DSTA members are now sending tourists to Sunset Beach Bar, Maho, and ad Mullet Bay and back to the Harbor for $16.00 per person and they are no longer allowing the visitors of the island to visit the French side. They further stated that since the DSTA started this new project, the other drivers that are operating in Philipsburg but are not part of the DSTA cannot get work. We will act and the actions we take will not be good for government, can you imagine government issued a taxi license to us and because we are not members of the DSTA we are not allowed to work and the same government that issued the license to us is allowing one set of people to take bread out of our mouths. On Wednesday at least two taxi drivers showed up at the government administration building to meet with the interim Minister of TEATT Rafael Boasman but they were informed that the Minister is off island and that there is no one to receive them. SMN News tried to contact Prime Minister William Marlin by telephone since he is filling in for the Minister of Justice and Minister of TEATT but Marlin could not be reached. PHILIPSBURG:--- The air in Philipsburg, Madame Estate, Over the Pond and surrounding areas are currently being affected by a black smoke plume emitted by the tire fire located on the landfill (dump) on Pond Island. Tire fires produce smoke, which carries toxic chemicals from the breakdown of synthetic rubber compounds while burning. Keeping this in mind, it is imperative that individuals who reside in the affected areas that suffer from respiratory problems remain indoors with all doors and windows closed. Placing a wet towel in any openings (such as door and window slits) can help prevent any smoke from entering your home. Individuals that have to be outside in the affected areas are advised to wear protective equipment to cover their nose and mouth. Minister Lee shares the concerns and outrage of the public and expresses the need for this matter to be addressed post-haste. The way the dump was managed and continues to be managed is clearly not working, posing severe threats to the health of the population. This matter needs to be addressed structurally. This cannot be solved overnight but measures need to be implemented immediately. Minister Emmanuel and I have been discussing a review of protocol for the management of the dump. I have recommended bringing in professionals in landfill management to make recommendations. In the meantime, I urge the population in the affected areas to remain vigilant and take all the necessary steps to ensure that they are safeguarded from the chemicals that are carried in the smoke plume. GREAT BAY Sint Maarten (DCOMM):---- The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends for international travelers to get a yellow fever vaccination if traveling to Espirito Santo State, Brazil. As of 3 March 2017, yellow fever virus transmission continues to expand towards the Atlantic coast of Brazil in areas not deemed to be at risk for yellow fever transmission prior to the revised risk assessment published on the Event Information Site (EIS) on 26 January 2017, and supported by the scientific and technical advisory group on geographical yellow fever risk mapping (GRYF). Taking into account the speed of spread observed in Espirito Santo State, the proximity to the urban area of Vitoria of epizootics and human cases under investigation for yellow fever infection, as well as the implementation of yellow fever vaccination campaign in the State of Espirito Santo as a whole, the WHO Secretariat has determined that the State of Espirito Santo in its entirety should be considered at risk of yellow fever transmission. Therefore, vaccination against yellow fever is recommended for international travelers visiting any area in Espirito Santo State. The current advice by the WHO Secretariat for international travelers going to areas of Brazil deemed to be at risk, including Espirito Santo State in its entirety, is the following: vaccination against yellow fever at least 10 days prior to the travel. Note that, as per Annex 7 of the International Health Regulations (2005), a single dose of a yellow fever vaccine approved by WHO is sufficient to confer sustained immunity and life-long protection against yellow fever disease. Travellers with contraindications for yellow fever vaccine (children below 9 months, pregnant or breastfeeding women, people with severe hypersensitivity to egg antigens, and severe immunodeficiency) or over 60 years of age should consult their health professional for advice. WHO Secretariat further advises the adoption of measures to avoid mosquito bites; awareness of symptoms and signs of yellow fever; seeking care in case of symptoms and signs of yellow fever, while travelling and upon return from areas at risk for yellow fever transmission. The Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department in the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA), will continue to monitor developments related to yellow fever. Its surveillance mechanism was placed on alert for any potential cases in January. The department is requesting for all to be on the alert and be proactive in mitigating mosquito borne diseases by consulting your physician, removing mosquito breeding sites and apply mosquito repellent to stop mosquitos from feeding. Persons returning to Sint Maarten experiencing yellow fever symptoms should immediately consult their family physician. For more information call CPS at 542-2078, 542-3003 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Readying Black Box stage for brand new production The Dude with the Golden Tune PHILIPSBURG:--- The National Institute of the Arts (NIA) is bringing down the curtain this weekend on its hit production Behind the Beyond directed by Albina Matuzko. The fake comedy is a stage version of a short story by Canadian Humorist, Stephen Leacock, indulging in a nostalgic 1910 period in Edwardian England. Four different audiences have so far seen the show and all have given high praise to the skill of the Director and her players and also to the fun interaction they are forced to have with the actors with encouragements, banter and with well-timed gestures. The production has been a runaway success, playing to sellout shows, with a waiting list for tickets that may well prompt a repeat performance, much to the delight of those involved with NIAs Theatre Lab in their mission to quench a new-found thirst of theatre-lovers on the island with continuous theatrical productions and also with behind-the-scenes routines and support workshops. The Theatre Labs contact with its audiences continues immediately after Behind the Beyond with a second production The Dude with the Golden Tune by drama teacher and Director, Loes Nauta. The Dude with the Golden Tune will also see Behind the Beyond Director Albina Matuzko, in a co-directing and acting role, immediately following the staging of her hit fake comedy. According to Director, Loes Nauta, The Dude with the Golden Tune is a compilation of scenes played a famous spy and eccentric villains hell bent on taking over the world. The Dude is the hero in the various famous spy stories, adored by many women, however always manages to wind up in a pickle: in chains, in shackles, tied up or overpowered by an enormous laser weapon. The villains, on the other hand, are immature, theatrical, bombastic and vicious - and thats where the fun begins, with theatrical license to take a closer look at them: Dr. No, Elliot, Silva, Goldfinger and Mr. Big all make their appearance in this chilling, exciting and comical review of a handful of James Bond movies. NIA invites all theatre-lovers (and even curious onlookers) to come out and see a wonderful exhibit of collective cinematic showstoppers when five talented actors take to the Black Box stage to walk you through the exciting life of a well-known spy. The direction is in the hands of Loes Nauta, the NIA drama teacher, co-directed by multiple actors: Dieudonnee Ostiana, Alexandra Stroud, Albina Matuzko, Nascha Kagie and Loes Nauta, who will be showing their most evil and comic sides for each of the characters. A half price Preview is hosted on March 12th at 3 pm at the John Larmonie Center in Philipsburg. The Premiere is on March 17th at 8 pm with subsequent shows on March 25 and 31st at 8 pm. A Sunday matinee will take place on March 19th at 3 pm. Reserve by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . 20$ in advance, 25$ at the door. 10$ for kids (7+)and students. Get your tickets early! TV Sets in Southern California Go Dark; Size of Outage is Uncertain. The failure of a satellite caused a widespread outage for DirecTV customers at about 9:10 pm PST on Wednesday night, March 8, 2017. If your TV set is not working, it may not be because you forgot to pay the bill this time. Apparently the communications satellite upon which local Direct TV depends, hit a snag in space. It is not known how widespread the outage is at this time, but it has affected my set in Los Angeles. The failure of a satellite caused an outage for DirecTV customers in LA, at about 9:10 pm PST on Wednesday night, March 8, 2017. The company is probably aware of the problem and working to resolve it. No one returned The Observer's request for comment. All programming distributed by DirecTV is delivered to its broadcast centers in Castle Rock, Colorado, and Los Angeles, where it is then digitized and compressed. The resulting signal is encrypted by DirecTV to prevent its unauthorized reception. DirecTV then transmits these signals to several satellites located in geostationary orbit. DirecTV (stylized as DIRECTV) is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. As of July 2015, it is a subsidiary of AT&T. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean. Its primary competitors are Dish Network and cable television providers. After receiving approval from the United States Federal Communications Commission and United States Department of Justice, AT&T's acquisition of DirecTV in a transaction valued at $48.5 billion was completed on July 24, 2015. It is uncertain how wide the outage is. DirecTV provides television and audio services to subscribers through satellite transmissions. Services include the equivalent of many local television stations, broadcast television networks, subscription television services, satellite radio services, and private video services. Subscribers have access to hundreds of channels, so its competitors are cable television service and other satellite-based services. Most subscribers use reception antennas which are much smaller than the first generation antennas, which were typically a few yards (meters) across. Advances in antenna technology, including fractal antennas, have allowed a general reduction in antenna size across all industries and applications. Receiving equipment includes a satellite dish, an integrated receiver/decoder and a DirecTV access card, which is necessary to operate the receiver/decoder. Instagram photo of woman wearing bikini writing 100-year-old tortoise sparks controversy The tortoise is native to seven of the Galapagos Galapagos, islands a volcanic archipelago 1,000 miles West of the Ecuadorian Mainland. With lifespans in the wild of over 100 years, the Galapagos Tortoise is among the-longest lived vertebrates. Apparently a handful of the tortoises have made their way to the British Virgin Islands, where a couple got in social media hot water by posting a photo on Instagram. Inside Edition on Friday quoted one horrified wildlife expert as saying, "These are incredibly rare animals. You should not be riding on its back. You could injure it, you could stress it out." The photo was recently uploaded to the Instagram account of Dan Bilzerian, the self-proclaimed "King of Instagram." Instagram Photo of bikini-clad woman atop endangered tortoise leads to Instagram firestorm "100% it is disrespectful-no need to interfere with nature like that. Just take a photo and move on-but sitting on it? Just shows a lack of class and education," one offended follower wrote, according to the British Mirror tabloid. The paper reports that Bilzerian shot back, "Get off your soapbox, the people working there said it's fine to sit on them." He and his girlfriend encountered the tortoise on a visit to Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Island estate. Several waves of human exploitation of the tortoises as a food source caused a decline in the total wild population from around 250,000 when first discovered in the 16th century to a low of 3,060 individuals in a 1974 census. Modern conservation efforts have subsequently brought tortoise numbers up to 19,317 (estimate for 19952009). Claim: Under the LARK program, Gitmo detainees are being housed with liberals who disagree with the U.S. government's treatment of those prisoners. Rating: About this rating False Advertisment: We first encountered this bit of Internet lore (collected in the Example link above) about the government's offering to send Guantanamo detainees to live with "liberals" who complained about their treatment back in May 2002. It has since circulated in multiple versions, the most recent being cast as a letter sent by James "Mad Dog" Mattis, the recently installed Defense Secretary for the Trump administration: A liberal female from San Francisco wrote a lot of letters to the U.S. government, complaining about the treatment of captive insurgents (terrorists) being held in GITMO. She demanded a response to her letter. She received back the following reply: SECRETARY OF DEFENSE HONORABLE JAMES "MAD DOG" MATTIS PENTAGON WASHINGTON, DC Dear Concerned Citizen, Thank you for your recent letter expressing your profound concern of treatment of the Taliban and Al Qaeda terrorists captured by American Forces, who were subsequently transferred to the GITMO. Our administration takes these matters seriously and your opinions were heard loud and clear here at the Pentagon .. You will be pleased to learn, thanks to the concerns of citizens like yourself, we are creating a new department here at the Defense Department to be called 'Liberals Accept Responsibility for Killers' program, or L.A.R.K. for short. In accordance with the guidelines of this new program, we have decided, on a trial basis, to divert several terrorists and place them in homes of concerned citizens such as yourself, around the country, under those citizens personal care. Your personal detainee has been selected and is scheduled for transportation under heavily armed guard to your residence in San Francisco next Monday. Ali Mohammed Ahmed bin Mahmud is your detainee, and is to be cared for pursuant to the standards you personally demanded in your letter of complaint. You will be pleased to know that we will conduct weekly inspections to ensure that your standards of care for Ahmed are commensurate with your recommendations. Although Ahmed is a sociopath and extremely violent, we hope that your sensitivity to what you described as his 'attitudinal problem' will help him overcome those character flaws. Perhaps you are correct in describing these problems as mere cultural differences. We understand that you plan to offer counselling and home schooling, however, we strongly recommend that you hire some assistant caretakers. Please advise any Jewish friends, neighbors or relatives about your house guest, as he might get agitated or even violent, but we are sure you can reason with him. He is also expert at making a wide variety of explosive devices from common household products, so you may wish to keep those items locked up, unless in your opinion, this might offend him. Your adopted terrorist is extremely proficient in hand-to-hand combat and can extinguish human life with such simple items as a pencil or nail clippers. We advise that you do not ask him to demonstrate these skills either in your home or wherever you choose to take him while helping him adjust to life in our country. Ahmed will not wish to interact with you or your daughters except sexually, since he views females as a form of property, thereby having no rights, including refusal of his sexual demands. This is a particularly sensitive subject for him. You also should know that he has shown violent tendencies around women who fail to comply with the dress code that he will recommend as more appropriate attire. I'm sure you will come to enjoy the anonymity offered by the burka over time. Just remember that it is all part of respecting his culture and religious beliefs' as described in your letter. You take good care of Ahmed and remember that we will try to have a counselor available to help you over any difficulties you encounter while Ahmed is adjusting to American culture. Thanks again for your concern. We truly appreciate it when folks like you keep us informed of the proper way to do our job and care for our fellow man. Good luck and God bless you. Cordially, "Mad Dog" Mattis Secretary of Defense Rest assured this was never a letter sent out by anyone representing the White House; it is instead one anonymous author's idea of what the administration should be replying to those who criticize the conditions under which Taliban and other terrorist detainees were housed at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. The Guantanamo Bay facility (abbreviated as GTMO, hence its "Gitmo" nickname) has been decried as inhumane by a number of human rights associations and has been denounced at various times in the American press. As we detailed in our article about a Charlie Daniels essay on the situation at Gitmo, the detainees were initially incarcerated at Camp X-Ray, a temporary holding facility near Guantanamo Bay. Inmates were kept in tin-roofed 8x8 cells that resembled dog runs: chain link fencing on a concrete base, open on the sides to the elements. They slept on foam pads placed on concrete floors in cells containing chemical toilets or buckets. At least every two days prisoners would be taken from their cells for all of 15 minutes of exercise. Those being held were later moved to nearby Camp Delta, a permanent detention center erected for this purpose. The 8x6.66 cells had beds and walls and windows, flush toilets and running water, but could still be described as austere. Some were outraged by the apparent human rights violations found at Gitmo. Others viewed the method of foreign fighters' detainment at that facility as a necessary evil if those being held were to be prevented from inflicting harm on others. Members of yet another faction regarded the matter as one of severe punishment justly earned by foreign fighters not entitled to the protections afforded under the Geneva code to conventional, uniformed prisoners of war. That divergence of opinion led to members of the first and third groups (and sometimes the second) regarding one another as fool-headed in their assessments and hopelessly out of touch with the core issues at stake. The Internet piece about the fictional LARK program was penned from such a soapbox, its author expressing through the vehicle of humor the opinion that those decrying the condition of the prisoners would quickly change their tune if they were the ones responsible for incarcerating Taliban and al Qaeda detainees. That line of thought was not original to the unknown author of the Internet piece, as evidenced by a Jim Huber "Politically Correct" cartoon published in January 2002. This item (which regardless of one's viewpoint is nonetheless a well-crafted use of satire it is a playfully entertaining read that makes its point in none-too-subtle fashion) has gone through a few revisions as it has been spread its 2002 debut, most notably the change of the signature line from "Cordially, George W. Bush" to "Cordially ... Your Buddy, Don Rumsfeld." This shift reflected a then-current societal perception of U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld as the one responsible for tough treatment of captured foreign fighters, a view that was somewhat subscribed to in 2002 but which gained far wider acceptance in 2004 thanks to the Abu Ghraib prison scandal in Iraq. Other textual alterations included the elision of this segment of the 2002 version: Ahmed's meal requirements are simple, but we strongly suggest serving meals that do not require utensils, particularly knives and forks. Also, these should be "one-handed" foods; Ahmed will not eat with his left hand since he uses it to wipe himself after purging his bowels (which he will do in your yard) but look on the bright side.. no increase in the toilet paper bill. He generally bathes quarterly with the change of seasons, assuming that it rains, and he washes his clothes simultaneously. This should help with your water bill. Also, your new friend has a really bad case of body lice that hasn't been completely remedied. Please heed the large orange notice attached to your detainee's cage: "Does not play well with others." The section on how the fictional prisoner will get along with women in the LARK recipient's household was changed in later versions: Ahmed will not wish to interact with your wife or daughters (except sexually) since he views females as a subhuman form of property. This is a particularly sensitive subject for him, and he has been known to show violent tendencies around women who fail to comply with the new dress code that Ahmed will recommend as more appropriate attire. I'm sure they will come to enjoy the anonymity offered by the bhurka over time. Just remind them that it is all part of "respecting his culture and his religious beliefs" wasn't that how you put it? Ahmed will not wish to interact with your wife or daughters (except sexually) since he views females as a subhuman form of property. However, he will be eager to assist with the education of your sons; have available for their use several copies of the Q'uran. Oh and rest assured he absolutely loves animals, especially cats and dogs. He prefers them roasted, but raw is fine, too, if they aren't more than 2 or 3 days dead. The closing was also altered: Thanks again for your letter. We truly appreciate it when folks like you, who know so much, keep us informed of the proper way to do our job. You take good care of Ahmed - and remember...we'll be watching. Good luck! Thanks again for your letter. We truly appreciate it when folks like you, who know so much, keep us informed of the proper way to do our job. We think this watching over each other's shoulder is such a good way for people to interact that we will be sending a team of federal officials with expertise in your line of work to your place of business soon, just to help you do your job better. Don't be concerned that they have the power to close your business, seize your property, and arrest you for any violation of the 4,850,206 laws, codes, regulations and rules that apply to your profession. They're really there just to make sure you're doing everything the proper way. That is what you wanted, right? Well, thank you for this opportunity to interact with such a valued member of the citizenry. You take good care of Ahmed and remember...we'll be watching. The later cropping of the original closing paragraphs removed a key element from the piece, that of its writer's indignation over the Gitmo's decriers' insistence that a team of observers not allied with or controlled by the U.S. military be tasked with supervising the conditions under which prisoners are housed at that facility. Open Source and Big Data Analytics Experts to Speak on Data Processing with Arrow and Parquet and Security in Hadoop at Strata+Hadoop World 2017 MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA (Marketwired) 03/08/17 , a stealth data analytics company, announced today that its CTO and Co-Founder, Jacques Nadeau; Principal Architect, Julien Le Dem and Principal Software Engineer, Yuliya Feldman will be speakers at held at San Jose Convention Center, March 13-17. Strata + Hadoop World is a 4-day immersion in the most challenging problems, intriguing use cases, and enticing opportunities in data today. Leading experts in technology and business will take the stage to share their expertise and ideas, covering everything essential in data today. In pursuit of speed and efficiency, big data processing is continuing its logical evolution toward columnar execution. A number of key big data technologies have or will soon have in-memory columnar capabilities. This includes Kudu, Ibis, Drill, and many others. In a joint session, Jacques Nadeau, vice president of Apache Arrow, and Julien Le Dem, vice president of Apache Parquet, will discuss the future of columnar data processing and the hardware trends it can take advantage of. Additionally, Yuliya Feldman will discuss securitys role in the world of big data and the options and frameworks like SASL (simple authentication and security layer) and JAAS (Java authentication and authorization service) that plug into different security alternatives and support multiple security types at the same time. Details on Dremio featured conference sessions: Wednesday, March 15 at 4:20 PM LL21 B Yuliya Feldman, principal software engineer at Dremio, will present Pluggable security in Hadoop, and discuss security option including Frameworks like SASL (simple authentication and security layer) and JAAS (Java authentication and authorization service). Thursday, March 16 at 1:50 PM LL20 B Jacques Nadeua, CTO and co-founder at Dremio, and Julien Le Dem, principal architect, will lead the session, The future of column-oriented data processing with Arrow and Parquet. They will discuss why Apache Parquet and Arrow matter and what their roles in the evolution of the big data ecosystem are as well explore the hardware trends that will benefit Parquet and Arrow in the future. Julien Le Dem will also be hosting an Office Hour to discuss columnar data processing and hardware trends, on Thursday, March 16 at 3:30 pm at Table A. Join the Strata+Hadoop World conversation on Twitter and #StrataHadoop. Dremio reimagines analytics for modern data. Created by veterans of open source and big data technologies, Dremio is building a fundamentally new approach that dramatically simplifies and accelerates time to insight. Kim Pegnato Winkowski Public Relations (781) 620-0016 eProseed to co-organize Oracle Integration & API Cloud CAB in Melbourne Capellen Luxembourg, March 8, 2017 eProseed will co-organize the 2017 edition of Oracles Integration & API Cloud CAB Summit that will take place in Melbourne, Australia. The event will gather Oracle product managers, eProseeds leading experts, and selected customers from Japan and Asia-Pacific (JAPAC), a region in which eProseed has just set up its 9th subsidiary. eProseed is proud to announce its participation as an exclusive sponsor in the Oracle Integration & API Cloud Customer Advisory Board Summit for the JAPAC region to be held on March 15 & 16, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. The goal of the summit is to create a forum for the exchange of ideas with the Oracle Product Management and Engineering teams in order to provide feedback and help shape the future direction for Oracle Integration & API products both in the Cloud and on-premises. Participants will have a unique opportunity to share ideas, best practices, business use cases and solutions as well as learn from the experience of other Oracle customers drawn from multiple industries. eProseeds ACE Directors and members of Oracles Product Management and Engineering teams will discuss, with a group of hand-picked participants, the transformation now taking place in the market as organizations are moving their business models to the cloud. This event is an invaluable opportunity to foster direct relationships with Oracle product teams, and actively influence Oracle product development lifecycle by providing feedback, validating strategies, or testing and evaluating beta releases. It is also a place of choice for sharing our hands-on experience with customers from throughout the JAPAC region, comments Geoffroy de Lamalle, eProseeds CEO. The Oracle Integration & API Cloud CAB Summit in Melbourne comes as eProseed expands its products and services to a growing number of customers in the JAPAC area. In particular, contacts have been established with central banks and regulators in the region and a strong interest was confirmed for eProseed FSIP, our supervision and insights platform, along with Oracle Fusion Middleware and Oracle Cloud Integration Services offered by eProseed, explains Geoffroy de Lamalle. Asia is now home to the worlds fastest-growing economies, which contribute about 40 percent of global output and one-fourth of world trade. With growth come challenges. eProseed will continue to support customers in solving their hardest challenges, adds Jeroen Bolluijt, eProseeds Managing Partner for Australia & New Zealand. The Oracle Integration & API Cloud CAB Summit will explore the new Oracle iPaaS integration services that enable users to quickly integrate on-premises and cloud, mobile or IoT applications, including Oracle Integration Cloud, Oracle SOA Cloud Service and Oracle API Manager Cloud Service. Carl Data Solutions Enters Into Securities Exchange Agreement With AB Embedded Systems VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA (Marketwired) 03/09/17 Carl Data Solutions Inc. (CSE: CRL)(CSE: CRL.CN)(FRANKFURT: 7C5)(OTC PINK: CDTAF) (Carl or the Company), a developer of Big-Data-as-a-Service (BDaaS)-based solutions for data integration, business intelligence, and Industrial Internet-of-Things (IIoT) applications, is pleased to announce that further to its press release dated January 17, 2017, it has entered into a securities exchange agreement (the Agreement) with AB Embedded Systems Ltd. (AB Embedded), a leader in control systems and hardware devices, and each of the shareholders of AB Embedded (collectively, the Shareholders), pursuant to which the Company agreed to acquire all of the issued and outstanding voting securities of the AB Embedded from the Shareholders and all of the issued and outstanding shares in the capital of AB Embedded Private Limited (AB Embedded India), a corporation incorporated in India from the Shareholders and other shareholders of AB Embedded India, if any (the Acquisition). In consideration for the Acquisition, the Company agreed to pay the following: In addition, pursuant to the Agreement, at or prior to the closing, the Shareholders agreed to enter into, and cause other shareholders of AB Embedded India, if any, to enter into a share purchase or transfer agreement with the Company and/or the Companys subsidiary, pursuant to which the Shareholders and other shareholders of AB Embedded India, if any, will sell and transfer all of the issued and outstanding shares in the capital of AB Embedded India to the Company or the Companys subsidiary in consideration for the payment of the Purchase Price by the Company to the Shareholders. AB Embedded is a privately held company based in Calgary, Canada, that designs and manufactures control systems primarily in the Oil & Gas sector. These high-performance, high-efficiency systems are designed for all weather environments and are deployed where 100 percent reliability and low-power consumption for long life are essential. Dozens of leading Oil & Gas corporations across North America, and more than 250 natural gas compressor sites in Alberta and Saskatchewan alone, operate with their embedded control systems. Recently, AB Embedded expanded to introduce new Smart City products that include water and solid waste management solutions using advanced telemetry to cost effectively collect data from remote locations. AB Embedded is currently organizing several pilot projects in India and North America to test both new products and the telemetry solutions that connect its devices. The Company believes that the Acquisition will contribute to Carls corporate growth strategy to build and acquire companies with a proven record of success working in data- driven verticals, such as Oil & Gas, Utilities and Resource Development, whose data management needs are growing with the advancement of the IIoT. Carl plans to enhance AB Embeddeds solutions using its BDaaS platform to provide additional advanced analytics, reporting and alarming. Upon completion of the Acquisition, the Company believes that Carl along with its subsidiaries, AB Embedded and FlowWorks, will be able to provide turnkey IIoT solutions for progressive, data-centric companies and cities who rely on large amounts of data to properly operate and maintain their infrastructure. Attila Bene, founder and CEO of AB Embedded, is expected to continue with his role to develop, engineer and integrate of their sensors and communications with Carls existing solutions subsequent to the completion of the Acquisition. He commented, We are very happy to be joining a company like Carl, so we can offer a more complete solution for our clients. Simply creating the data is only half the job. Making sense out of the information is critical in order to use our systems effectively. Carls SaaS based solution will provide the necessary means for our clients to properly interpret and respond to the information generated by our hardware networks. Greg Johnston, CEO of Carl, commented, This transaction is a big step forward to providing a comprehensive solution for infrastructure monitoring. Carl can now provide unique and customized solutions from data collection through to predictive analytics using machine learning. Extracting actionable information from very large data sets is essential in the IIoT age. With the addition of AB Embedded, we expect to begin filling gaps and supplementing existing networks to create even more value for our clients by providing turnkey IIoT solutions. About Carl Data Solutions Inc. Carl Data Solutions Inc. is focused on providing next generation information collection, storage and analytics solutions for data-centric companies. Building on its recent acquisitions, Flow Works Inc., a company that helps its clients analyze and understand all forms of environmental data through a powerful platform of data collection, monitoring, analysis and reporting tools and ETS., Carl continues to develop applications to work with new cloud-based mass storage services and analytics tools (Big-Data-as-a-Service (BDaaS)). Carls development platform can accommodate virtually unlimited storage of any type of data. This technology allows Carl to build advanced applications for monitoring, reporting and analysis. Carls data collection and storage methods allow the company to build smart Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)-based applications that can collect data from many diverse sources and provide deep insight for decision-making purposes. More information can be found at . About AB Embedded Pvt. Ltd. AB Embedded Pvt. Ltd. has been executing projects in hardware and software engineering design since 2006 in Calgary, Canada. They focus on embedded systems. Since their embedded systems are engineered to perform specific tasks, their design engineers ensure that customers cost, power consumption, size, performance and reliability are optimized. Their smart control systems and devices are manufactured specifically for water, solid waste management, industrial control and monitoring in all-weather environments. AB Embeddeds high-performance, high-efficiency control systems, are a top choice for the Oil & Gas sector because of their consistent reliability and low-power consumption. AB Embedded believe in constant innovation. They are transforming the way engineers design, prototype and deploy embedded systems for automation, measurement and embedded applications. On behalf of the Board of Directors: Greg Johnston, President, Chief Executive Officer, Director Carl Data Solutions Inc. The Canadian Securities Exchange (operated by CNSX Markets Inc.) has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as plan, expect, project, intend, believe, anticipate, estimate and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions may or will occur. In particular, forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: the completion of the Acquisition; the Companys belief that the Acquisition will contribute to Carls corporate growth strategy to build and acquire companies with a proven record of success working in data-driven verticals, such as Oil & Gas, Utilities and Resource Development, whose data management needs are growing with the advancement of the IIoT; Carls plan to enhance AB Embeddeds solutions using its BDaaS platform to provide additional advanced analytics, reporting and alarming; the Companys belief that upon completion of the Acquisition, Carl along with its subsidiaries, AB Embedded and FlowWorks, will be able to provide turnkey IIoT solutions for progressive, data-centric companies and cities who rely on large amounts of data to properly operate and maintain their infrastructure; the Companys expectation that Attial Bene will continue with his role to develop, engineer and integrate of their sensors and communications with Carls existing solutions subsequent to completion of the Acquisition; Mr. Benes statement that Carls SaaS based solution will provide the necessary means for clients of AB Embedded to properly interpret and respond to the information generated by AB Embeddeds hardware networks; Carls expectation to provide unique and customized solutions from data collection through to predictive analytics using machine learning; and the Companys expectation to begin filling gaps and supplementing existing networks to create even more value for the Companys clients with the addition of AB Embedded. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements including, without limitation, risks with respect to: delay or failure to complete the transactions contemplated by the Agreement; the inability to successfully integrate the business of AB Embedded; the ability of the Company to establish a market for its services; competitive conditions in the industry; general economic conditions in Canada and globally; the inability to secure additional financing; competition for, among other things, capital and skilled personnel; potential delays or changes in plans with respect to deployment of services or capital expenditures; possibility that government policies or laws may change; technological change; risks related to the Companys competition; the Companys not adequately protecting its intellectual property; interruption or failure of information technology systems; and regulatory risks relating to the Companys business, financings and strategic acquisitions. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws. Contacts: Kimberly Bruce Corporate Communications Carl Data Solutions Inc. (778) 379-0275 When photography was invented in France in the 1820s, some artists predicted even feared that it would in time take the place of painting. That didnt happen, but photographers around the world consistently have recorded images that reveal... You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Powerball numbers for Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022 Here are the winning Powerball numbers and results for the lottery jackpot drawing on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022. Share your opinion on this topic by sending a letter to the editor to tctvoice@madison.com. Include your full name, hometown and phone number. Your name and town will be published. The phone number is for verification purposes only. Please keep your letter to 250 words or less. 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. Something went wrong, please try again later. Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. Get the latest news from Neath Port Talbot straight to your inbox A teacher who refused to be interviewed by Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan after he was barred from the US appears to have the backing of social media commentators. Juhel Miah, 25, a teacher at Llangatwg Comprehensive was taken off a New York plane in Reykjavik in Iceland and prevented from continuing his journey to the States. He told the Evening Post he was offered the chance to be interviewed on the ITV breakfast TV sofa about his experience, but declined because of host Piers Morgan's links to American president Donald Trump and fears about how he would be portrayed. GMB has since said that while they have many initial discussions with potential gusts, this does not constitute being actualy booked to go on the programme, and this was the case with Mr Miah, who they said was not confirmed for the show. A GMB spoksman said: Juhel Miah was never booked to go on Good Morning Britain." Since the story emerged, hundreds of people have been commenting on the story. Most seem to side with Mr Miah. Jason Moss said: "Mr Miah teaches in my son's school in Neath and he's a bloody good teacher. I wouldn't want to give Piers Morgan my time either." Leiha Marie Shaw added: "Disgusting the way he was treated. See the situation for what it is. This is public racism. Disgusting behaviour and I hope this man gets all the answers." (Image: Athena Picture Agency Ltd) Some said they wouldn't want to go on the show either, including Charlie Thomas. "Good on the man for having principles," added Charlie. Jacqueline Monteiro said: "I'm disgusted to say [Trump] is not my President. I've never saw so much hatred and racism because of this j*** and his buddies like Piers Morgan....I don't blame you one bit for refusing to go on his show. My appologies to you sir for such treatment!" Support for Mr Miah also came from Lindsay Wallage, while Jane Wolstenholme could not understand why Mr Miah wanted to got to America in the first place. A petition has been set up demanding an apology from the US Government over Mr Miah's removal from the aircraft. (Image: Athena Picture Agency Ltd) A total of 1,438 people have signed the petition which states: "Welsh-Muslim teacher Juhel Miah was removed from a flight to New York even though he had a valid visa and in violation of assurances from Pres Trump. Students he was travelling with were shocked and upset. The British government must immediately demand an explanation and apology from US government." The Government will only respond to petitions that reach 10,000 signatures. President Donald Trump recently signed a second travel ban excluding people from six majority Muslim countries from visiting America, unless they already have valid visas. The first ban was scrapped following legal challenges and the new order could also be fought in the courts. 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 We have more newsletters Something went wrong, please try again later. Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. Get the latest court and crime news from WalesOnline DETECTIVES in Swansea are investigating an alleged street robbery in which an 80-year-old woman had her handbag snatched from her. The incident happened in broad daylight in Manselton yesterday. The victim was said to have fallen to the ground and was left traumatised by the crime according to officers. Police said they had arrested a male in connection with the alleged offence. The alleged robbery took place at midday in Mansleton Road, Swansea. Police said the woman fell to the ground after her handbag was pulled from her. The alleged attacker than left the scene. The woman was in shock and traumatised by the incident. Officers believe that after the suspected robbery, the suspect ran towards CKs in Cwmbwrla. They are now trying to recover the black leather handbag, which had a patchwork design with a short shoulder strap. Detective Constable James Wilson said it was an awful incident considering the age of the victim, and has left her very traumatised. I would urge anyone who was in the area at the time on Wednesday between 11.45pm and 12.30pm or recognise the handbag to contact police. Call police on 101, or contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111 quoting occurrence: 1700087399. The dusty debris streams that cause meteor showers are much more complex than scientists had thought: They warp and change on their trips around the sun, rather than following one path, close observation has revealed. These dramatic shifts are clearly apparent in a new animation, which uses crowdsourced footage that tracks meteoroid trajectories through the sky to plot more than 45 meteor showers and their debris' paths through the solar system. You can click and drag to view the Omicron Eridanid meteor shower's path in the applet below, or view the full set of them here. Meteor showers occur when Earth passes through dust and debris left along the orbits of asteroids and comets that traverse the solar system. This debris burns up in Earth's atmosphere, producing shooting stars in the sky. [How Meteor Showers Work (Infographic)] On a given night, all of the meteors from a meteor shower seem to be streaking away from a specific point in the sky, called the radiant, which many observers assume is constant for each meteor shower. (For instance, the Perseids appear to emanate from the Perseus constellation during their peak.) However, the new work shows how meteors' apparent sources seem to wander throughout a shower, and why these shooting-star displays can last for so long. "It's the first time it's really well-documented, and the first time it's officially displayed [so] you can actually see how a stream looks in space as part of the solar system," Peter Jenniskens, an astronomer at the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute and NASA's Ames Research Center, both of which are located in California's Silicon Valley, told Space.com. Jenniskens heads the Cameras for Allsky Meteor Surveillance (CAMS) project, which marshals low-light video cameras (many of which are ordinary security cameras) across the world to document meteor showers. The network has recorded more than 300,000 meteoroid trajectories since it started observing in 2010. By combining all of the trajectories, researchers were able to visualize the meteoroid streams of comets (and some primitive asteroids) in the solar system and figure out how the streams' paths warp and change the approach direction at different points along the Earth's path every year, causing showers to wander through the sky. And the actual measured data is contained within the new animations, which are open source and were created by Ian Webster. Meteor showers occur when Earth plows through streams of debris shed by comets on their trips around the sun. This animation shows the orbital path of the debris stream that causes the Kappa Cygnid shower, which peaks in mid-August. (Image credit: Seti Institute) Meteor showers move across the sky in part because the Earth is moving in a curved orbit as it passes through the stream of debris. But that's far from the full story, Jenniskens said. "When I plotted out the maps with the Earth motion taken out, I noticed that some meteor showers would stay put they would come from a certain direction, they would get intense for a couple of days, they would peak and then they would fade, and [their position in the sky] would not move," Jenniskens said. "But it turns out that a number of showers were moving, and that was quite interesting to see in the animations." The warped path that creates the Omicron Eridanid meteor shower, which peaks in mid-November. (Image credit: Seti Institute) Some of the most extreme changes came from short-period meteor showers such as the Kappa Cygnids and the Omicron Eridanids, whose objects have relatively short orbits that loop past Earth and out near Jupiter. Those streams are stretched and warped so the meteor showers' radiants move dramatically across the sky over the few months' duration of each shower. The effect likely comes from the tug of planets on the objects creating the streams, Jenniskens said. The spots where these objects' orbits cut through the plane of the planets change over time, and the pull of Jupiter at the outer end of their orbits changes their closest approach to the sun, too. Those effects in combination mean the stream takes on a skewed shape and the meteor shower moves across the sky, and also that Earth stays within the stream longer. Longer-period meteor showers whose orbits venture further out show some change, too, even though their orbits are less perturbed by Jupiter such as the famous Perseid meteor shower, which is generated by the debris strewn behind Comet Swift-Tuttle. During their peak, the Perseids appear to emanate from the constellation Perseus, but the meteor shower's source wanders slightly as well near the beginning and end of the shower (even when Earth's movement is taken into account). [Perseid Meteor Shower: Amazing Photos by Skywatchers] In all, 18 short-period and 27 longer-period showers wander from night to night (and there are more to be discovered in the Southern hemisphere, Jenniskens said). Some showers don't wander, Jenniskens added and whether and how a meteor shower wanders holds clues to how old the stream is and how it was created. Jenniskens hopes that the visualization will inspire more amateur astronomers to participate in the surveillance studies. The places covered are listed online on the CAMS website, and the research team particularly needs more coverage triangulating meteor showers in the Southern Hemisphere. Many meteor showers only appear for a short period of time, like a few hours, some only appear in certain years, and sometimes weather gets in the way, so the more observers the more data can be gathered. "It's a long process to get enough regions observed to really see all the meteor showers in detail it's now coming of age, and you can really create these maps and see what's going on," Jenniskens said. "What we need to do now is learn how to read that book, how to understand the streams," he added. The new work, reviewing what has been measured about meteor showers during low-light camera surveys, has been accepted for publication in the journal Planetary and Space Science, according to a statement. Email Sarah Lewin at slewin@space.com or follow her @SarahExplains. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. The two drogue parachutes begin the slowing. With the proving of Orion's parachute system, NASA hopes to send two astronauts for a flight in 2019. NASA successfully completed a test of the Orion space capsule's parachute system yesterday (March 8) in Arizona. Wednesday's trial run was the second of eight drops that are designed to test the parachute system in various scenarios. This test simulated an abort sequence, which might occur if something went wrong with the rocket launching an Orion spacecraft into space, and the capsule needed to be ejected. Above the U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, a model of Orion was dropped from a C-17 aircraft flying at an altitude of 25,000 feet, according to a statement from NASA. The drop took place at 9:45 a.m. local time (11:45 a.m. EST/1645 GMT), about 2 hours later than scheduled, and lasted about 4 minutes, a NASA representative told Space.com. [NASA's Orion Space Capsule Parachute in Photos] Video footage of the capsule shows it hurtling toward the ground at a terrifying speed, trailed by two gray drogue parachutes. Once the candy-cane-striped main parachutes open, the capsule slows down significantly. The craft hits the ground on its side, rather than directly onto its flat bottom, and some material appear to break off the side. NASA's Orion human space capsule touches down after a parachute drop test from 25,000 feet on March 8, 2017. (Image credit: NASA) "This was a very successful test for the team demonstrating the parachute performance for an ascent abort mode, critical to the safety of the crew for a safe landing," a NASA representative told Space.com in an email. During this kind of test, the Orion model travels at the relatively slow speed of about 130 mph (210 km/h); during re-entry from space, the capsule may reach speeds of about 310 mph (500 km/h), according to NASA. The parachute system can slow the space capsule to just 20 mph (32 km/h). Orion has a total of 11 parachutes, in four groups; only two of the parachute groups were deployed during Wednesday's test: the two drogue parachutes and the three main parachutes. Orion is NASA's new spacecraft for ferrying humans to deep-space destinations. Unlike the space shuttle, which was designed to glide back down to Earth after a trip to space, Orion relies on a parachute system to lower it back to Earth. Orion has undergone one uncrewed test flight and is scheduled for a second uncrewed flight in 2019; but NASA is but NASA is now investigating the possibility of moving directly into a crewed flight. NASA's Orion human space capsule rides toward Earth with its three main parachutes deployed, during a test on March 8, 2017. (Image credit: NASA) Follow Calla Cofield @callacofield.Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement Optimization Are you frustrated with a slow pc or a hard disk not performing as it should? Try SLOW-PCfighter to speed up boot time on a slow PC, or try a free scan of FULL-DISKfighter to recover space on a full disk. The latest offering is DRIVERfighter to update your driver updater. Get complete PC optimization and extend the life of your PC with these must-have software tools. Afghanistan is the perfect example. The German government considers at least some parts of the unstable country to be safe enough to return rejected asylum-seekers to. The Interior Ministry and the Foreign Ministry affirmed this in a letter to the states last week. Even liberal countries like Sweden and Norway are deporting people to Afghanistan on a "significantly higher scale," the letter stated. It also noted that 3,300 Afghans voluntarily left Germany last year to return home. "They see a future in the country and obviously consider the security situation to be tolerable." But in an internal situation report in February, the Foreign Ministry offered a considerably more pessimistic view. It described the Afghan unity government as "fragile." It noted that the "Taliban is advancing in rural areas." Berlin is nevertheless sticking to its position. The deportations back to Afghanistan also send an important message from the chancellor. For years, people only got deported back there in exceptional situations. But in 2015 and 2016, a total of close to 160,000 Afghan asylum-seekers came to Germany, including many young men who hadn't been persecuted by the Taliban and just hoped for a better life. Since December, Germany has flown three charter jets with 77 people back to Afghanistan. Other flights are also planned, in the hope of sending the message to thousands of other Afghans that it would be better if they left voluntarily. But several German states where the governments are led by the SPD and the Greens -- including Bremen, Lower Saxony and Berlin -- are boycotting the national government's organized mass repatriations despite being required by federal law to carry them out. Schleswig-Holstein has officially suspended deportations until May and would prefer to stop them indefinitely. Officials in the state capital point to a United Nations report showing a record level of civilian victims in Afghanistan in 2016. "Nothing is safe in Afghanistan," says Governor Torsten Albig. In Bavaria, in southern Germany, politicians hold an altogether different view. Markus Soder, the state's minister for home affairs, describes the action of flying just under 20 Afghans back to their home country the week before last as a "joke." If he had his way, he says, he would put thousands on the plane. In Bavaria, the deportation measures are also starting to affect young men who are already well-integrated into society. Refugees in Limbo Men like Rahmat Khan. The young Afghan fled to Germany in 2010. He claimed that the Taliban had murdered his father, but the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) didn't believe him and rejected his application for asylum. Since then, Khan's residency in Germany has been tolerated by the government. He found an apartment, he learned German, got involved in a Catholic youth group and began working as a mason for a construction company in the town of Essenbach. "A gift from heaven" is how his boss Thomas Monzel describes him. "All it would take for a German trainee to call in sick was a sore muscle, but he even came to work when he had the flu." Now Monzel has lost one of his best employees. The company hired a lawyer for Khan, begged the authorities to extend his work permit, wrote a letter to the Chancellery and submitted a petition to the state legislature, but nothing helped. On Dec. 14, police rang Khan's doorbell at 5 a.m., waking him up, and put him in a bus to the Frankfurt Airport, where a chartered jet took off for Afghanistan. Now Khan calls his former employer every Friday. "If you help me get back, I will work twice as much," he tells the company. But there's nothing Monzel can do. If Khan hadn't ended up in Landshut in Bavaria when he came to Germany and had instead arrived 800 kilometers further north, he would still be living in Germany today. In an attic apartment in the municipality of Nahe in Schleswig-Holstein, Jawid Youosof, 32, pours a cup of tea. The doctor has lived in Germany with his wife Zarlasht for the past year and a half. They entered the country via the Balkan route, a path through Eastern Europe followed by many migrants to Germany. In July, they had a son and Youosof's main wish right now is that his child be able to grow up in a safe place. He told case workers at BAMF that he had been threatened by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Youosof says that because he worked for the World Health Organization, he had become an enemy of the Islamists. He was certain that he and his family would be granted asylum because of the threats. But BAMF rejected the family's application, arguing that with his training he could also work in an area outside his home province of Laghman, where the Taliban has a strong presence, and find work - in Kabul, for example. "The applicants are ordered to leave Germany within 30 days," the decision states. But then Schleswig-Holstein issued a suspension of all deportations of Afghans two weeks ago. Now the family is hoping it will be able to obtain the right to stay. An Escalating Conflict The conflict over deportations to Afghanistan will continue to escalate. In the coming months, BAMF must still decide on the applications of tens of thousands of asylum-seekers from Afghanistan that have not yet been processed because the authorities have been unable to keep up with their massive workload. Only about half of the asylum applications are expected to be approved. The German public is still largely unaware of the sheer scale of the expected deportations. The consultancy McKinsey estimates that around a half-million rejected asylum-seekers will be designated as "obligated to leave the country" by the end of the year. They are technically required to leave the country. In its 102-page classified study, McKinsey consultants advised the government on how it could implement more forceful deportation policies. It states that there is "an urgent need to act." It also claims that cooperation between the federal government, state governments and alien registration offices is far too complicated. It takes around 12 months from the time of the rejection of an asylum application until deportation -- in extreme cases it can take up to four and a half years. If processes were improved, staffing increased and pressure ratcheted up on asylum-seekers' countries of origin, the number of deportations could be increased dramatically, McKinsey consultants believe. They write that seven times as many deportations -- in other words, 195,000 in 2017 -- could "theoretically be possible." Around 300,000 migrants could also be convinced to go voluntarily through financial incentives, they claim. But pragmatically inclined people working within the responsible agencies believe that anything close to those numbers is unrealistic. They say that even if all states had the will, many problems tied to the plan's implementation cannot be solved quickly. In the past two years, many of the deportations in Germany have been focused on people from western Balkan countries. Their home countries tend to cooperate with the German authorities and are also willing to accept the repatriations on the basis of temporary identity papers issued by Germany. But now, many of the migrants whose applications are getting rejected come from countries refusing to take their back their nationals. That's why high-level officials believe it will be tough to reach the 2016 figures, in which around 25,000 people were deported and 55,000 left the country voluntarily. In any case, the figures don't say anything about whether all the deportations actually make sense. It happens again and again that people like Rahmat Khan, a well-integrated migrant, get deported while a person like Anis Amri, the man behind the terrorist attack on a Berlin Christmas market in December who also cheated the system with forged identities and nationalities, manage to stay. On Feb. 7, police in the town of Diepholz in Lower Saxony arrested three Moroccans after they caught the men breaking into an apartment. The public prosecutor ruled that they couldn't be placed into temporary detention and the local alien registration office reviewed whether it was possible to place the men in pre-deportation custody, but decided against it. One of the men's asylum application was still under consideration, another one's had been rejected but he had not yet been served papers ordering him to leave the country, and the city-state of Berlin had jurisdiction over decisions relating to the third man. Officials in Diepholz say that nobody in Berlin responded to their emails and faxes. Two of the men disappeared. One resurfaced one more time on Feb. 12 to pick up his welfare payment. After that, he disappeared again and hasn't been seen since. And even in cases where the deportation actually happens, success is in no way guaranteed. On Friday, Feb. 24, federal police in Heidelberg intercepted an Algerian man in the city's train station after he harassed two women and threatened to shoot them. When the officers tried to arrest him, he threw a bicycle at them, punched at them and kicked and spat. After the police took his fingerprints, they were able to determine they were dealing with Khodja M., age 51, born in Mila, Algeria. In Germany, the authorities are aware of at least 14 aliases he has used. He traveled into the country for the first time in 1992. Since then, he has been deported six different times - in 2003, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2015 and, most recently, on Nov. 25, 2016. He came back every single time. 'Basically, Nothing Has Changed' Often the migrants' countries of origin refuse to take them back. Even after the Amri attack and warnings from the German government to North African countries, "basically, nothing has changed," says one senior federal police official. The atmosphere may have gotten friendlier and the numbers a little higher, but the problem remains the same. Chancellor Merkel recently wanted to pay a courtesy visit to Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, but the elderly leader canceled, saying he was ill. Since then there has been speculation among German interior authorities over whether the president had actually been sick or if he just didn't feel like negotiating with Merkel over taking back Algerians who have been ordered to leave Germany. During a visit to Berlin in February, Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed caused an affront by making it clear that he wasn't even considering simply taking back all those that Germany would like to send his way. Meanwhile, in Morocco, the German ambassador has sometimes had to wait as long as six months before being granted a meeting with the head of an interior department. Other countries are even less cooperative. Iran only repatriates people who want to return home, making deportations to the country virtually impossible. Ethiopia isn't currently responding to German queries. Without the cooperation of the countries of origin, it isn't possible to obtain replacement passports, which in turn means that citizens of those nations can't be deported. Close to 70 percent of all asylum-seekers arrive in Germany without a passport. Germany is slated to open a new administrative center in Berlin on March 13 to provide support to the states in their deportation efforts. Some 40 state and federal government employees will be housed in the facility, which is known by the acronym ZUR. Their task is to coordinate collective deportations and to intervene when problems mount with certain countries. Politicians Divided over Deportations Deportations aren't just a divisive issue for the states. German political parties are also divided over the deportations -- especially those to Afghanistan. Nowhere are these divisions greater than within the Green Party. The party is opposed to the deportations at the federal level, but the Greens are also members of coalition governments in 11 states and, as such, are required to carry out deportation orders. To the irritation of the Green Party's grassroots base, Hamburg, Hesse, Baden-Wurttemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia all took part in the collective deportations of recent weeks. The Greens have recently tried to pass the buck to the federal government in Berlin, which is made up of Merkel's conservatives and the center-left SPD. Ten state government ministers sent a letter to newly appointed Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel of the SPD, calling on him to re-evaluate the security situation in Afghanistan. In an internal email to the party's executive committee, North Rhine-Westphalia Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Lohrmann crowed, "Now the ball is where it belongs -- in the federal government's court!" She says the move by the state politicians had been coordinated with Katrin Goring-Eckart and Ozdemir, who are the party's main candidates in this fall's national election: "Katrin and Cem were of course involved." But in a letter sent this week by Gabriel's Foreign Ministry and de Maiziere's Interior Ministry to the states, they said there would be no re-evaluation. The message coming from Berlin is clear: The deportations should continue. The Greens are now placing their hopes in SPD chancellor candidate Martin Schulz. Sources close to him say they have received signals that he may have a different view on the matter than Gabriel. A poll has been circulating at SPD headquarters showing that although three-quarters of all Germans support the deportation of rejected asylum applicants who are known to be criminals or potential threats, only 20 percent approve of sending every rejected applicant back to Afghanistan. In contrast to his Schleswig-Holstein counterpart Albig, Winfried Kretschmann, the Green Party governor of Baden-Wurttemberg, who governs together with the conservative CDU, sees no elbow room for stopping the deportations. "The fact that we follow rules is what makes us a nation of law," he recently said at a party gathering. Sometimes, having the right person advocating on your behalf can matter more than the rules. Nader Darabi*, who came to Germany six years ago and converted to Christianity here, was already sitting in the bus to the plane in Frankfurt that would deport him on Dec. 14. But the police suddenly let him out at the airport train station, where he got onto a train back to Sinsheim. "God protected me," says Darabi. In truth it was the church: The Protestant regional bishop of Baden had intervened on his behalf with the government in Stuttgart. Challenges in Germany's High Court A growing number of deportation cases are landing at the Constitutional Court, which can intervene as a last resort in asylum cases. The signals coming out of the court so far have largely been clear: it will not tolerate rogue interpretation of the law. The court views deportations to Afghanistan as an especially sensitive issue. The rapporteur responsible for the issue of refugees on the court is Justice Ulrich Maidowski. He has stacks of files from expedited legal procedures piled up on and next to his desk. Before he joined the Constitutional Court in 2013, there had only been 27 cases pertaining to refugee law. This year alone, there could be more than 200. The fact that the judges responsible for the issue don't know when a deportation is about to happen creates significant difficulties for them, because it often leaves them with only a few hours to consider multiple cases. Maidowski says he wishes the authorities would confide in him and alert him a few days in advance of pending deportations. "As it is, we have to rely on rumors." Maidowski says he doesn't even plan vacations anymore and that he has also ordered the receptionists at the court to wake him up at night if a new case arrives. Maidowski spent four years as a child living in Kabul, where his father was a school principal. He continues to maintain regular contacts in Afghanistan today. That's why he knows just how insecure developments are in the country and how problematic it is when the responsible authorities and the administrative courts don't base their decisions on the latest situation reports. In three different cases since December, the court has issued temporary injunctions against deportations to Afghanistan. By doing so, it has demonstrated just how closely the court is watching. The court plans to issue its final verdicts in the cases soon. Observers do not expect it to order a blanket ban on deportations to Afghanistan, but it's also very unlikely the court is going to do anything to make things easier for politicians. *Nader Darabi's name has been changed by the editors in order to protect his identity. By Anna Clau, Jurgen Dahlkamp, Susan Djahangard, Jan Friedmann, Matthias Gebauer, Hubert Gude, Dietmar Hipp, Ann-Katrin Muller, Nico Schmidt, Andreas Ulrich and Wolf Wiedmann-Schmidt The claim that the change in Germany's fortunes had been achieved single-handedly was, of course, absurd. Fascinating, nevertheless, in this litany of what most ordinary Germans at the time could only have seen as astonishing personal successes of the Fuhrer, is that they represented national "attainments" rather than reflecting central tenets of Hitler's own Weltanschauung. There was not a word in this passage of the pathological obsession with "removing" the Jews, or of the need for war to acquire living space. Restoration of order, rebuilding the economy, removal of the scourge of unemployment, demolition of the restrictions of the hated Versailles Treaty, and the establishment of national unity all had wide popular resonance, ranging far beyond die-hard Nazis, appealing in fact in different ways to practically every sector of society. Opinion surveys long after the end of the Second World War show that many people, even then, continued to associate these "achievements" positively with Hitler. Compared with the state of Germany six years earlier, it was hard for those listening to Hitler's 1939 speech, even many who had earlier opposed the Nazis, not to admit that Hitler had accomplished something extraordinary. Few were clear-sighted or willing enough to analyze what lay behind the "achievements," to reject the gross inhumanity on which Germany's rebuilding had been founded, to perceive the undermining of governmental structures and ruination of Reich finances that was taking place, above all, to comprehend the colossal risks for the country's very existence involved in the regime's course of action. And few were in any position to contradict the fundamental lie in the claim that Hitler had constantly endeavored to avoid bloodshed and to spare his people (and others) the suffering of war. What for most Germans in spring 1939 were aims in themselves, which Hitler appeared triumphantly to have accomplished, were for Nazi leaders merely the platform for the war of racial-imperialist conquest which they were preparing to fight. But, however false their underlying basis, the claims in this speech point to areas of great success in winning over the mass of the population to support for Hitler. With all the caveats that are necessary for generalizations about approval, where those disapproving were mainly forced into silence, it is surely not mistaken to speak of a wide-ranging consensus which the integrative force of the Hitler Myth had cemented during the peace-time years of the dictatorship. Fertile Terrain Prepared the Way It was a manufactured consensus, a propaganda construct, with repression of political opponents, "racial enemies" and other outsiders to the proclaimed "national community" as the other side of the coin. The "superman" image of Hitler amounted to the central component of the fabrication. Already before the "takeover of power" it had been the creation of the most modern, hugely successful, political "marketing" strategy of its time, masterminded by Goebbels. And once the monopoly of state control of propaganda fell into Nazi hands in 1933, there was no obstacle in the mass media to the rapid spread of Hitler's "charismatic" appeal. But even the slick and sophisticated techniques behind the creation of the Fuhrer Myth would have been ineffective, had not fertile terrain been prepared long before Hitler became Reich Chancellor. Expectations of national salvation were by 1933 widespread, not just among Nazi supporters, and had already become vested in the person of Hitler. By the time that he took power, over 13 million voters had at least partially swallowed the Fuhrer cult, which was more fully embraced by the huge (if fluctuating) mass membership of the Party and its myriad subordinate affiliations. The organizational basis was therefore laid for the wider transmission of the Fuhrer cult. Given the failure of Weimar democracy and the crisis conditions in which the Hitler government came to power, it was clear that if the new Reich Chancellor could swiftly attain some successes, he would substantially increase his popularity. The scope for the rapid widening of the adulation of Hitler, the winning of "the majority of the majority" who had not voted for him in March 1933 had been laid. The speed with which the Hitler cult now spread has to be seen from this background, as well as from the masterly deployment of propaganda imagery. There were a number of crucial areas where Hitler could win great support by acting in what seemed to be the national, not partisan party-political, interest, and through converting his image from that of Party to national leader. Even his opponents recognized the growth of his popularity. The exiled Social Democratic organization, the Sopade, based in Prague, acknowledged in April 1938 the widely-held view it had repeatedly echoed, "that Hitler could count on the agreement of the majority of the people on two essential points: 1) he had created jobs and 2) he had made Germany strong." Readily Accepted the Acclaim In the early years of the Third Reich, most people sensed that after the dismal years of hopelessness there was new direction, energy, and dynamism. There was a widespread feeling that finally a government was doing something to get Germany back on her feet. Of course, Hitler, whose knowledge of economics was primitive, had not personally guided the economic recovery in the early years of the Third Reich. The reasons for the rapid revival were complex and varied. If any single individual could be said to have masterminded the recovery, then it was Hjalmar Schacht, President of the Reichsbank and Reich Minister of Economics. Hitler's contribution was above all to alter the climate, to build an air of confidence that Germany was being revitalized. But propaganda portrayed the economic upturn as Hitler's own achievement. He readily accepted the acclaim, and most people thought it was warranted. It was the first major step towards winning over those who had not supported him in 1933. It seemed undeniable: while other European countries (and America) still suffered drastically from mass unemployment, Hitler had removed the scourge from Germany and ushered in a kind of "economic miracle". A Sopade report from the Ruhrgebiet in late summer 1934 acknowledged that even "the neutral labor force" largely believed in Hitler, adding: "The 'work creation' by which the unemployed had landed in jobs, even if badly paid ones, has greatly impressed them. They believe that Hitler's 'quick decision-making' will lead him one day, if he is 'properly informed,' to change taxes in their favor." On a clandestine visit to Germany from his Norwegian exile in the second half of 1936, Willi Brandt, no less, admitted much the same: that providing work had won the regime support even among those who had once voted for the Left. Left a Lasting Mark By 1936, there was full employment. Of course, by now, rearmament, containing grave dangers for the future, was driving the labor market. But few Germans worried much about where the opportunities were work came from. The fact was, where in the past there had been immense misery through mass unemployment, there was now work. That was seen as largely Hitler's personal achievement. And if image differed from reality, it was the image that left the lasting mark. That Hitler had rid Germany of mass unemployment and rescued the country from the depths of the depression was seen by many Germans long after the war as a major achievement, whatever disasters had later followed. Good living conditions and full employment were among the positive attributes of Hitler recorded in opinion surveys in the American occupied zone in the late 1940s, while a sample of young Germans in north Germany around a decade later thought Hitler had done much good in abolishing unemployment. As late as the 1970s, Ruhr workers still had positive memories of the peacetime years of the Third Reich, which they associated with full employment and the pleasures of excursions with the Nazi leisure organization, "Kraft durch Freude," or Strength Through Joy. The second point singled out by the Sopade as the basis of Hitler's support was without doubt a key factor. Hitler never ceased to hammer home the humiliation Germany had suffered in defeat in 1918 -- allegedly the work of the "November criminals" -- and in the Treaty of Versailles signed the following year. The detestation of the Treaty and its perceived unfairness crossed the political spectrum in Germany. The reduction of the army to a mere 100,000 men was the lasting manifestation of national weakness. The bold moves in foreign policy that Hitler undertook to overthrow the shackles of Versailles and reassert Germany's national strength and prestige were, therefore, guaranteed massive popular support as long as they could be accomplished without bloodshed. Vast Approval for Hitler's Iron Fist The withdrawal from the League of Nations in 1933, the Saar plebiscite in 1935, the re-introduction of compulsory military service and announcement of a big new Wehrmacht the same year, the re-militarization of the Rhineland in 1936 and the "Anschluss" or annexation of Austria two years later were all seen as huge national triumphs, openly demonstrating the weakness of the western powers which had lorded it over Germany since the war, and a feat -- unimaginable only a few years earlier -- solely possible through Hitler's "genius" as a statesman. Even oppositional circles were forced to concede this, as a Sopade report on the reactions to the introduction of the military conscription in March 1935 illustrates: "Enormous enthusiasm on March 17. All of Munich was out on the streets. You can force a people to sing, but you can't force them to sing with that kind of enthusiasm. I experienced the days of 1914 and I can only say, that the declaration of war didnt make the same impression on me as the reception for Hitler on March 17. The trust in Hitler's political talent and honest will is becoming greater, as Hitler has increasingly gained ground amongst the people. He is loved by many." The Sudetenland crisis in the summer of 1938, as the threat of war loomed ever larger, posed the first significant challenge to the image, which Hitler had earlier sought to cultivate, of the fanatical defender of Germany's rights who had restored his country's standing in the world but had striven to avoid bloodshed. The western powers then, at Munich at the end of September, allowed Hitler one final great triumph in foreign policy -- even if it was one which, inwardly, he resented, since he had been set on war over Czechoslovakia. The resignation, rather than enthusiasm, that greeted war when it finally arrived in September 1939 again shows that Hitler had extended his popular support during the Third Reich's peacetime years on a false prospectus. Most people wanted the preservation of peace. Hitler had sought war. He effectively admitted the need to mislead the public in a confidential address to representatives of the German press in November 1938, when he remarked: Unlimited German Conquest "Circumstances have forced me to almost only speak of peace for decades. It was only through the continued emphasis on the German desire for peace and peaceful intentions that it was possible to give the German people the arms that were always a requirement for the next step." For the vast majority of Germans, the restoration of national pride and military strength, the overthrowing of the Versailles Treaty and the expansion of the Reich to incorporate ethnic Germans from Austria and the Sudetenland were goals in themselves. Most could not, or would not, comprehend, that for Hitler and the Nazi leadership they were the prelude to a war of unlimited German conquest. In addition to his presumed achievements in bolstering Germany's external standing, Hitler unquestionably won much support through what was taken to be the restoration of "order" at home. Nazi propaganda had been influential in the last, crisis-ridden years of the Weimar Republic, in instilling in much of the population an exaggerated image of criminality, decadence, social disorder and violence (much of which the Nazis themselves had instigated). Once in power, Hitler had much to gain through seeming to represent "people's justice," and the "wholesome national sensibility." His public image was that of the upholder of public morality who would clamp down, wherever he encountered it, on those posing a threat to law and order. At the end of June 1934, Hitler took what many thought was ruthless but necessary action to crush the leadership of the SA, an increasingly unpopular sector of his own Movement. In his Reichstag speech of 13 July 1934, Hitler took personal responsibility for the murders that had taken place. What had in reality been a brutal, Machiavellian power-political coup was portrayed as a necessary move to crush an imminent internal threat to the nation and to root out corruption and immorality. Hitler emphasized the homosexuality, loose living and extravagant life-style of Ernst Rohm and other SA leaders. Playing on existing, commonly-held prejudice, he was able to override any adherence to fundamental legal principles by claiming to have acted in the national interest as the highest judge of the German people. Upswing in Support Instead of condemnation for his authorization of mass murder, he reaped extensive approval for appearing to have acted ruthlessly to eradicate the evils and misdeeds that endangered the nation. "Through his energetic actions the Fuhrer has hugely won over the broad masses, particularly those who had still reacted hesitantly to the Movement; he is not only admired, he is idolized," was the verdict in one confidential report from within the lower levels of the regime's bureaucracy. Many other reports echoed the same sentiments. Reports filtering out of Social Democrat oppositional circles -- whose main thrust was, naturally, criticism of the regime -- acknowledged the upswing in support for Hitler. According to one report from Bavaria: "In general, it has unfortunately become clear that the people don't think politically. They think, 'now Hitler has created order, now things will go forward -- the saboteurs who sought to hinder his work have been destroyed.'" A report from Berlin added: "Hitler's authority is strengthened in the widest circles. Increasingly, one hears people saying: 'Hitler is cracking down.'" The view that Hitler had brought order to Germany was one that persisted well into the postwar era. That, despite "mistakes" (presumably those which had brought his country's ruination through war, and death and destruction to millions) he had "cleaned up" Germany, putting an end to disorder, stamping out criminality, making the streets safe to walk again at night, and improving moral standards, belonged -- together with the credit for eradicating mass unemployment and building the motorways -- to the lasting elements of the Fuhrer Myth. Alongside economic recovery, rebuilding military strength and restoring "order," Hitler gained support by personifying the "positive" values invested in national unity and the "Volksgemeinschaft" or national community. Propaganda incessantly depicted him as the stern but understanding paterfamilias, prepared to sacrifice normal human contentments and to work day and night for no other end than the good of his people. Whatever the frequent criticism of his underlings and the negative image of the "little Hitlers" -- the Party functionaries whom people daily encountered and often found wanting -- Hitler himself was widely perceived as standing aloof from sectional interests and material concerns, his selflessness contrasting with the greed and corruption of the Party big-wigs. Goebbels' published ritual incantations to "our Hitler" each year on his birthday, and the popular photographic books mass produced by Heinrich Hoffmann (each selling in huge numbers) which seemingly revealed the "private" Hitler -- "The Hitler Nobody Knows" (1932), "Youth Around Hitler (1934), "Hitler in his Mountains" (1935) and "Hitler Off Duty (1937) -- all aimed to highlight the "human" side of the Fuhrer and show that his "heroic" qualities arose from the very fact that he was a "man of the people." The 'Dynamic Hatred' against Minorities How many fully swallowed the nauseating personality cult can, of course, never be established. Not a few obviously did. Unctuous letters, doggerel poems and other eulogies, photographs and gifts -- including in one case the offer of a sack of potatoes which the Fuhrer apparently liked -- poured in, to be dealt with by Hitler's adjutants. There was a rise in the early years of the Third Reich in the numbers of parents naming their new-born babies Adolf, even though a decree of 1933 had instructed local registry offices to discourage the practice to protect the Fuhrer's name. Such effusions of the Fuhrer cult were doubtless confined in the main to a fanatical, Nazified minority. But even those able to keep the full excesses of the personality cult at arm's length nevertheless often accepted at least some parts of Hitler's positive image. The national community gained its very definition from those who were excluded from it. Racial discrimination was inevitably, therefore, an inbuilt part of the Nazi interpretation of the concept. Since measures directed at creating "racial purity," such as the persecution later of homosexuals, Roma and "a-socials," exploited existing prejudice and were allegedly aimed at strengthening a homogeneous ethnic nation, they buttressed Hitler's image as the embodiment of the national community. Even more so, the relentless denunciation of the nation's alleged powerful enemies -- Bolshevism, western "plutocracy," and most prominently the Jews (linked in propaganda with both) -- reinforced Hitler's appeal as the defender of the nation and bulwark against the threats to its survival, whether external or from within. Though Hitler's anti-Semitic paranoia was not shared by the vast bulk of the population, it plainly did not weigh heavily enough in the scales on the negative side to outweigh the positive attributes that the majority saw in him. The widely prevalent latent dislike of Jews, even before monopolistic Nazi propaganda got to work to drum in the messages of hatred, could offer no barrier to the "dynamic" hatred present in a sizeable minority -- though after 1933 a minority holding power. Much research has illustrated a diversity of attitudes towards the persecution of the Jews (most plainly visible in varied reactions to the promulgation of the Nuremberg Laws in September 1935 and "Kristallnacht" in November 1938). Nevertheless, the Nazis appear to have been successful in establishing, in most people's eyes, that there was a Jewish Question, and in deepening the anti-Jewish feeling at the time that the external threat of imminent war was growing. An Irrelevant Consideration When the open violence of Kristallnacht proved unpopular, even within Nazi circles, Hitler took care to distance himself publicly from the pogrom which he himself had commissioned. But, despite extensive disapproval of the methods, there was by now a general feeling that Jews no longer had any place in Germany, and Hitler's association of Jews with the growing international danger (which he had done more than anyone to foster) strengthened -- at least did not weaken -- his image as the fanatical defender of his nation's interests. Materially, too, many had benefited from the exclusion of Jews from German society, their economic dispossession, and their expulsion. The "boycott movement" which had begun as soon as Hitler became Reich Chancellor and, in waves, had effectively driven Jews out of commercial life, eventually ushering in the "aryanization" program of 1938 that robbed Jews of their possession, operated to the profit of large numbers of Germans. Here, too, many felt reason to be grateful to Hitler. The human cost, paid by an unpopular minority, was for them an irrelevant consideration. The apparently unending run of successes that Hitler could claim during the "peacetime" years of the Third Reich had a further reinforcing by-product. After 1933, affiliations of the NSDAP could spread their tentacles to almost all sectors of society. Millions of Germans were "organized" by the Nazi Movement in some fashion or another, and in each affiliation it was difficult fully to escape the clammy embrace of the Fuhrer cult. Armies of petty apparatchiks and careerists owed position and advancement to the "system" that Hitler led. The emphasis upon "leadership" and "achievement" invited ruthless competition, played upon everyday ambition and opened up unheard of possibilities, unleashing a vast outpouring of energy in the broad endeavor to promote the vision of national renewal embodied in Hitler himself. Literally or metaphorically, many individuals at every level of the regime operated along the guidelines laid down by Werner Willikens, state secretary in the Prussian Agriculture Ministry in February 1934 when he declared: "Everyone who has the opportunity to observe it knows that the Fuhrer can hardly dictate from above everything which he intends to eventually accomplish. On the contrary, up till now everyone with a post in the new Germany has worked best when he has, so to speak, cooperated with the Fuhrer." Willikens added that it was "the duty of everybody to try to cooperate with the Fuhrer"-- a key to how the Third Reich functioned, and to an important bond between "Fuhrer" and society. Deflated and Isolated These bonds were not, of course, of uniform strength. Alongside the fanatics were the skeptics and, though they could not express themselves in any meaningful fashion, the dissenters. Nor was it possible to sustain the enthusiasm for Hitler at a constant height. The outpourings of elation at moments of triumph, such as the announcement of the re-militarization of the Rhineland in 1936, were peaks. They subsided again as soon as the gray everyday returned for most people. Nevertheless, the affective integration which Hitler's mounting popularity during the first years of the dictatorship undoubtedly created was of immeasurable importance. Whether the adulation of Hitler was genuine or contrived (as it doubtless was in many cases), it had the same function. Millions of Germans who might otherwise have been opposed to, doubtful about, or only marginally committed to the regime and Nazi doctrine were publicly seen to give Hitler their backing. This was crucial to the dynamic of Nazi rule. At the grass roots, the growth of the Fuhrer cult meant that Hitler could detach himself from policy areas which were unpopular and exploit immense reserves of personal support practically at will. The negative impact, for example, of the "Church struggle" was directed away from Hitler and towards subordinate leaders, such as Goebbels and Rosenberg. When popular morale sagged in the spring of 1936, the Rhineland spectacular, focused directly on Hitler's "great achievement," served to re-galvanize support for the regime. The very purpose of the Reichstag "election" of March 29, 1936 was to demonstrate the unity of the people behind Hitler for internal as well as foreign consumption. Not for the last time during the Third Reich, opponents of the regime felt deflated and isolated. And Hitler had the backing he needed for further advancement of his expansionist goals. "The Fuhrer allows the people to demand that he implement the policies he wanted," was the perceptive insight of one Sopade report. Deposing Him Was Impossible The plebiscitary acclamation which Hitler could summon on such occasions massively strengthened his own position against the different groupings within the regime's power elite. Among the narrower elite of Nazi leaders, Hitler's immense popularity made him in every respect unchallengeable in his dogmatically held views and in his steerage of policy, even when, by 1938-9 some Nazi leaders, including Goring, were having cold feet about the dangers of embroilment in a war with the western powers. More important still, Hitler's popularity made him untouchable for those groupings within the national-conservative power-elite, above all in the Wehrmacht leadership and parts of the Foreign Ministry, where fears of a future disastrous war were leading by 1938 to the first embryonic signs of opposition to the dangerous course of foreign policy. When the western powers played into Hitler's hands and given him yet another triumph without bloodshed, it was plain to the nascent oppositional circles at the end of September 1938, that any move to depose him was impossible (a realization which helped to paralyze the conservative resistance throughout the first, victorious phase of the war). Fatal Narcissisim Hitler's conquest of the masses had the vital consequence, therefore, of extending his autonomy from any possible constraints within other sections of the regime. This helped to ensure that the ideological fixations which Hitler obsessively maintained since the beginning of his political "career" -- the "removal" of the Jews and the pursuit of "living space" -- were by the later 1930s emerging not simply as distant utopian dreams, but as realizable policy objectives. The process had been promoted at all levels of the regime through a readiness to "work towards the Fuhrer." But this in itself was a reflection of the dominance that Hitler had so rapidly established after taking over power, then consolidated and extended, backed at crucial stages by the plebiscitary acclamation which the expansion of his popularity had produced. Finally, there was the impact of the expanded Fuhrer cult on Hitler himself. Some of those in his close proximity later claimed to have detected a change in Hitler around 1935-6. He became, so it was said, more dismissive than earlier of the slightest criticism, more convinced of his own infallibility. His speeches started to develop a more pronounced messianic tone. He saw himself ever more -- the tendency had been long implanted in his personality, but was now much exaggerated -- as chosen by Providence. When, following the successful Rhineland coup, he remarked, in one of his "election" speeches: "I follow the path assigned to me by Providence with the instinctive sureness of a sleepwalker," it was more than a piece of campaign rhetoric. Hitler truly believed it. He increasingly felt infallible. By the mid-1930s, at the latest, the narcissistic trait in his own personality, the extreme flattery and sycophancy that surrounded him, and the immense adulation of the masses that repeatedly stimulated him, combined to magnify the belief that Germanys destiny lay in his own hands, and that he alone could guide his country to final victory in the ever closer great conflict. "It depends essentially on me, on my being, on my political skills," he told his generals on the eve of the war. He stressed, as part of this reasoning, "the fact that no one else will ever have the trust of the whole German people as I do. There will never be a man in the future, who has more authority than me. My being is therefore a huge value factor No one knows how much longer I will live. Therefore, it is better to have the conflict now." By this time, August 1939, all sections of the regime, and the masses who had been so jubilant at Hitler's every "success," had ensured that their fate was tied to the decisions of the Fuhrer. So it would remain down to 1945. In the wartime years, as seemingly glorious victory gave way to mounting, inexorable calamity, as defeat on defeat inevitably eroded the charismatic basis of his leadership, and as it became plain that he was leading Germany into the abyss, the fateful bonds with Hitler that had been sealed in the "good years" of the 1930s ensured that there was now no way back. The German people, having supported Hitler's triumphs, were now condemned to suffer the catastrophe into which he had led them. Brussels (Belgium), March 09, 2017 (SPS) - The illegal exploitation of natural resources in western Sahara after the European Union Court of Justice (EUCJ) ruled on the matter has sparked concerns among the members of the EU Parliament (MEPs). The MEPs called on the European Commission to publish the "consultative guidelines" for the attention of companies about the legal risks of disregarding EUCJ's decision. In a written question to the European Commission, about twenty Eurodeputies, including Florent Marcellesi, Barbara Lochbihler, Bodil Valero and Max Andersson called on the EU high representative for Foreign Affairs and security policy, Federica Mogherini, to ask the European Union member states if they have plans to publish the "consultative guidelines" for firms to be aware of the legal risks and the harm to their reputation if they invest in Western Sahara. The MEPs urged Mogherini to comment on the case of European companies, like Siemens, which conclude public contracts with Morocco, under the Moroccan law, and invest in illegal projects in Western Sahara territory. The Eurodeputies invited the EU top official to admit that Morocco has no sovereignty over the territory of Western Sahara and, as a result, Moroccan national laws cannot be applied in Western Sahara, in line with the decision of the EU Court of Justice. SPS 125/090/700 Algiers, March 09, 2017 (SPS) - Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Alfonso Dastis on Wednesday reaffirmed his countrys support to the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination, recalling that Spain has a "historical and emotional" connection with occupied Western Sahara people. "The Spanish government supports the UN Secretary General efforts in assisting the parties to finding just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution which guarantees Western Sahara people self-determination as part of the arrangements in line with the goals and principles stated in the UN Charter and in conformity with the UN Security Council resolutions," Dastis said in an interview to APS on the occasion of his working visit to Algiers. "Both as a member of Group of Friends for Western Sahara and the UN Security Council, we have defended the UN centrality and the capital importance of MINURSO (UN Mission for the Organization of a referendum in Western Sahara)," said the Spanish minister. Dastis also evoked Spain solidarity with the Sahrawi people "though our humanitarian aid programmes to the Refugee Camps, as Spain proved to be one of the main donators." SPS 125/090/700 There's a vast landscape out there for nightlife. So when you're in the mood to head out for a night on the town, it's important to know what you're getting into. We talked to podcast host and local bar expert Ken Tuccio to find out the different types of bars you'll encounter in the area. Fairfield County "Fairfield County is the most competitive market in the state. People want quality beer and cocktails and bar tenders who know what's up. They want to be able to walk into a bar and have the bartender give them advice," Tuccio said. Fairfield County is known for being where the fancy people liveand to an extent that's true when it comes to the bar scene. As Tuccio said, New York City is the place from which all trends trickle down, and Fairfield County is right next door. So, it's no surprise that many of NYC's nightlife trends have been adaptedfrom craft cocktails, to knowledgeable mixologists, sophisticated lounge atmospheres and boozy brunch. "A lot of the bars you see in Fairfield County are bars that were popular in NYC years ago," he said. The Valley Tuccio, who now lives in Norwalk, grew up in The Valley and said there's a unique culture there. They even have special drinking nights like Valley New Year, which is the night before Thanksgivinga huge night for bar hopping. "These are meat and potato, salt of the earth people. They want to have a good time and hang out with friends," he said. "Some places have really high quality beer on tap, but people are also content going out with buddies and getting a Bud light. It's so different from Fairfield County." Tuccio said the Hartford area has a similar vibe. Though West Hartford has adapted a vibe more similar to Fairfield Countycase in point, they have a bartaco and a Barcelona. Greater Danbury Area Champagne taste or not, the Danbury area has something for everyone. Tuccio likes the Greater Danbury area because you can find fancy cocktail bars as well as local watering holes where the locals have been coming for years. "The Danbury area is nice because it's a combo of educated people who know what they likeand like qualitybut you also have that home-town feel. You can go to a local bar and see people you grew up with. It's the best of both worlds," he said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BRIDGEPORT It could be three weeks before drivers can use their mobile phones to feed the citys new hi-tech meters and keep track of how much parking time they have left. Well be placing decals on each and every meter, said Ed Adams, the mayoral adviser who has been spearheading the somewhat rocky rollout of Bridgeports new downtown parking technology. When you pull up, youll be able to see the (mobile phone) app advertisement and meter number, so you can do everything from your car. The mobile phone application was touted as a major convenience associated with the 200-plus parking meters Mayor Joe Ganims administration recently installed downtown. The meters also accept credit cards something long-demanded by downtown merchants for the convenience of customers. I really look forward to our downtown business and residential customers having a better parking experience due to this new technology, Ganim said. But that was back in a December press release. It turned out the mobile phone app was not ready, but City Hall decided to launch the new meters which are expected to be a big revenue booster over the old coin-operated ones anyway. Adams said this week that the high-tech meters came with an application, but the city chose a different mobile phone technology MobileNOW! that could also be used with the 400 antiquated, coins-only meters still in operation. Unlike the newer meters, the old ones are not advanced enough to physically show they have been paid for through the app. But, Adams said, the human meter readers who still patrol those locations the new meters issue fines automatically will use handheld devices to confirm payments by mobile phone. When you set up an account with MobileNOW!, you have a credit card on file with them, Adams said. All youre doing is going to your account and instructing MobileNOW!, Im at a certain Bridgeport meter and I would like to put $1 one hour on that meter. The mobile phone app will be free to download, Adams said, but there is a 30-cent transaction fee charged. The city has long been pressured to upgrade its downtown parking meters. The effort began under Ganims predecessor, Mayor Bill Finch. These first few weeks have not gone completely smoothly. As previously reported, downtown tenants and visitors have complained the new technology should have been better publicized and phased in, and is too quick to issue parking violations in a neighborhood that is trying to attract business. Critics have also complained about the size of the fines $40 compared to the $20 or $25 charged in other big Connecticut cities. There has also been grumbling about the app not being available to help drivers avoid parking-meter fines. Asked why the city did not delay launching the meters until the mobile phone application was ready, Adams said the Ganim administration was eager to get people used to the new technology. We didnt want to hold back, he said. The meter still serves a good purpose (because) it accepts credit cards. Adams said City Hall is closely monitoring the reception to the updated meter system. Were listening to suggestions and complaints and talking about it in-house, he said. Were trying to bring out the advantages and solve some of the problems. H aircuts are codified. The right ones can signal power, boldness and sass; the wrong ones meekness or an absence of character. Confusingly, the right ones on some people are the wrong ones on others, though there are a few rules. Hiding behind long curtains suggests shyness; a sculptural bob conjures commanding leadership. And the tightly shorn, peroxide crop says you are claiming your image and remaking the world according to your own rules. Moreover, this week, it became the chosen way to say plenty without speaking a word. On Tuesday night Kristen Stewart presented her version to the world at the premiere of her new film Personal Shopper. Since Twilight, Stewart had worn her hair long-ish and dark brown; recently she had it swept back but, broadly, the style was unremarkable. This transformation, therefore, is extraordinary. Stewart has recently come out ("Im so gay, dude," she announced while hosting Saturday Night Live) and is taking more serious roles that clearly interest her. The haircut designates that shes not disowning her past so much as owning her future. Which is how you can read Katy Perrys new crop - also presented this week and, not irrelevantly, soon after her break-up with Orlando Bloom. Its a pixie cut, very blonde, a little bit undercut and neither "pretty" nor retiring. Its the haircut you get when life takes a joyful turn for the selfish and all you care about is you, and whether or not you look cool. Perry admits she was inspired by Scarlett Johansson: "Id been going, 'Should I do it? Should I not do it? Will it go with my face?' And I saw Scarlett Johannson and she had the same cut. So I went there." Paris Jackson - now finding her feet as a model - has a blonde, shaggy version and model Ruth Bell - an identical twin - took her own identity-forming step when she pruned her long, glossy curtains down to a severe buzz cut. It is like a reversal of Samsons myth: finding strength through cutting your hair. Each cut has shades of gender neutrality - Stewarts more than Jacksons - but none is feminine in a traditional sense. Each thumbs its nose at how women "should" look. Here, Cara Delevingne merits an honourable mention for her grey-platinum bob, which she presented to the world at the Chanel show this week. Chanel AW17 at Paris Fashion Week 1 /48 Chanel AW17 at Paris Fashion Week Chanel at PFW Models walk the AW17 finale Reuters Chanel at PFW Cara Delevingne arrives at the Grand Palais AP Chanel at PFW Rita Ora arrives at the Grand Palais Getty Images Chanel at PFW Lily-Rose Depp arrives at the Grand Palais Getty Images Chanel at PFW Skepta poses with a guest at the Grand Palais AFP/Getty Images Chanel at PFW Pharrell Williams arrives at the Grand Palais AP Chanel at PFW Lottie Moss arrives at the Grand Palais AP Chanel at PFW Lily Allen arrives at the Grand Palais AP Chanel at PFW Vanessa Paradis arrives at the Grand Palais Getty Images Chanel at PFW Kendall Jenner walks the AW17 runway Getty Images Chanel at PFW Bella Hadid walks the AW17 runway Getty Images Chanel at PFW Gigi Hadid walks the AW17 runway Getty Images Chanel at PFW Hudson Kroenig walks the AW17 runway Getty Images Chanel at PFW A model walks the AW17 runway Getty Images Chanel at PFW A model walks the AW17 runway Getty Images Chanel at PFW Atmosphere on the AW17 runway AP Chanel at PFW Lindsey Wixson walks the AW17 runway Getty Images Chanel at PFW A model walks the AW17 runway Getty Images Chanel at PFW Gigi Hadid walks the AW17 runway Getty Images Chanel at PFW A model walks the AW17 runway Getty Images Chanel at PFW A model walks the AW17 runway Getty Images Chanel at PFW A model walks the AW17 runway Getty Images Chanel at PFW A model walks the AW17 runway Getty Images Chanel at PFW Lucky Blue Smith walks the AW17 runway Getty Images Chanel at PFW A model walks the AW17 runway Getty Images Chanel at PFW A model walks the AW17 runway Getty Images Chanel at PFW A model walks the AW17 runway Getty Images Chanel at PFW Kendall Jenner walks the AW17 runway Getty Images Chanel at PFW A model walks the AW17 runway Getty Images Chanel at PFW A model walks the AW17 runway Getty Images Chanel at PFW Bella Hadid walks the AW17 runway Getty Images Chanel at PFW A model walks the AW17 runway Getty Images Chanel at PFW Adwoa Aboah walks the AW17 runway Getty Images Chanel at PFWChanel at PFW Atmosphere on the AW17 runway AP Chanel at PFW Karl Lagerfeld greets his runway audience REUTERS Chanel at PFW Karl Lagerfeld with his AW17 models REUTERS Power rejects rules: the point with this haircut is you do it and make it look however you want. Tear your hair out. @phoebeluckhurst B Ts critics have repeated calls that its grip on the UKs internet infrastructure should be loosened despite measures unveiled in the Budget to improve broadband and kickstart the 5G revolution. Chancellor Philip Hammond revealed plans to invest 200 million in full-fibre broadband and 16 million in a new 5G facility to test applications for ultra-high-speed internet. O2 welcomed the 5G strategy but again said Ofcom should cap the amount of wireless spectrum a single operator can own at 35%. EE, owned by BT, currently dominates with 45% of the airwaves, with an auction taking place later this year. Derek McManus, O2s chief operating officer, said: A competitive auction will allow the mobile industry to evolve successfully towards 5G. Professor Will Stewart, vice-president of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, argued that the 16 million investment will not come anywhere close to bridging the investment gap needed, adding: Achieving universal coverage for the UK, outside high-capacity urban areas, will not be affordable without regulatory change. Andy Hollingworth, chief executive of small-business broadband provider Toople, said: It shouldnt be the Governments responsibility to fund broadband improvements. The national network is owned by BT, and Openreach has full responsibility for investment in the network and technology decisions. 200 million will not make a difference. Ofcom is pushing for a separation of BT and Openreach, which owns the UKs broadband infrastructure. The Rockettes perform before the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in New York in December 2013. Some Rockettes declined to dance at President Trump's inauguration this year. T he worlds largest retailer, Ali Baba, does not own any shops. The worlds largest taxi company is Uber but it doesnt own any taxis. The worlds largest hotel company, Airbnb, does not own any hotels. The worlds largest media company, Facebook, does not generate its own content. Today these companies dominate their sectors. Established businesses are crumbling in the face of the onslaught, yet only 20 years ago these disrupters did not exist. Technology companies dont just change the way we live, they change the way we think about the world. Knowledge is so last century, said a speaker at a recent conference on the future of work. This is the age of imagination. He had in mind the disruptive power of technology. Knowledge and experience can be a handicap if they close peoples minds to new ways of thinking. All this make it a bit of a challenge for politicians when they talk, as Chancellor Philip Hammond did yesterday, about preparing the economy for the future because, however well intentioned and well informed they are, like the rest of us they are prisoners of the past. They, again like the rest of us, have no way of knowing everything that will happen tomorrow, let alone foresee how the world will look and what will be important in five or 10 years time. But it is part of their job to make a guess, and to do so with sufficient confidence to give us onlookers the impression that they know what they are doing. Hammond did this with style yesterday. Looking surprisingly comfortable, he delivered his Budget speech with the air of a man who knows his boss dare not sack him, and with some remarkably sharp jokes. As a set-piece occasion it was dismissed as boring even before he had stood up to speak, in some cases because, as promised, he resisted the temptation to be theatrical and did not mess around fundamentally with taxes. But beneath the headlines, in its tone and in its wider context, some of what he said was actually quite radical. He did the usual bit of boasting about Britains growth rate but he also talked about Britains economic weaknesses and vulnerabilities with a degree of candour and honesty that you never got from George Osborne or Gordon Brown. He stated clearly his ambition to build on what we have to make Britain able to pay its way in the world and to be one of its most competitive economies. Standing in our way was a shortage of people with the right skills, and business leaders with sufficient hunger and ambition to invest and grow. In addition, however good our higher education, and in spite of the promising progress of the recently established apprenticeship schemes, our education system was still not functioning as well as it needed to. This all leads to a lamentable productivity performance which, unless rectified, would deprive the British people of rising incomes and the Exchequer of much-needed tax revenues, both of which are urgently needed. Potentially compounding these difficulties is the fast unfolding plan to leave the European Union, which will put in place immigration curbs that, in the short term at least, will make the skills shortage even more acute. Ironically, the fin tech sector on which so many hopes are pinned is particularly vulnerable. Half of its employees come from abroad. If his diagnosis was accurate, its weakness was a failure of ambition in going for a cure. There are, of course, limits on what government can do, and Whitehall has a reputation for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory by botching the implementation of often quite intelligent ideas, which is clearly something he would wish to avoid. But that said, and while it is hard to argue against his desire to re-establish the credibility of technical training and to boost digital skills, he left listeners with the feeling that unless we are very lucky these measures will come nowhere near to what is needed given the scale of the challenge. Philip Hammond defends his maiden Budget Nevertheless, limited as they were, his proposals represent a break with the embedded Tory tradition that tends to say in the face of whatever economic problem that it will be all right on the night. This is the neo-liberal view that however disruptive changes are at the time, eventually new industries will arise and new work will be created for everybody. Even if right now we have no idea what these jobs will be, the market will sort things out. Critics have been known to say that the reason neo-liberals dont panic is simply because they do not realise what is going on. They point out that consultants are queuing up to forecast that, with or without Brexit, technology will destroy one job in five by 2025, and more if driverless cars, trucks and delivery vans are with us by then. More startling still is the observation that 60 per cent of the jobs that will one day be done by the current generation of school children have not yet been invented. Given that some of these will be leaving school soon, perhaps the market could hurry up and give us a few more clues about what is likely to happen. Interestingly, most of this wider economic and technology landscape would be lost on the average MP in the Chamber yesterday because the Westminster village saw the Budget entirely and exclusively in the context of Brexit. Some of these in the Remain camp no doubt wished that the British economy could be like a moody teenager and restrained for its own good to subdue its urge to self-harm. That option is not available in the real world, however, as Prime Minister Theresa May is determined to trigger Article 50 and follow it through whatever it costs. Hammond no longer says the British people did not vote for Brexit to make themselves poorer he just quietly does what he can to make that less obvious, and that lay behind much of what was done yesterday. The subliminal message of this Budget, however, is that with or without Brexit the UK economy faces a period of wrenching change. If there is a danger in our preoccupation with day-to-day politics, it is that we fail to pay enough attention to this wider challenge. T he implications of any Budget take time to digest, and so it is with Philip Hammonds first. Gratitude for its positive aspects has been swiftly overtaken by indignation on the part of the self-employed at increases in their National Insurance contributions, something at odds with the plain meaning of the Tory election manifesto. Mr Hammond responds that the legislation implementing the tax and National Insurance commitment in 2015 did allow for just the measure he announced yesterday, but he is on the defensive. John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, was quick to seize the moment: he says the move is just wrong. Its good that the Opposition has squarely aligned itself with the self-employed. But the white-van men, the self-employed, are meant to be the Tories own constituency. Of course there are economic reasons for Mr Hammonds move. Given the speed at which people are moving to self-employment as a result of fundamental changes in the labour market, the Treasury cannot afford to continue to lose out from the lower National Insurance contributions from the self-employed. Mr Hammond says he introduced the measure to help fund greater spending on social care, and that is obviously a real concern; he also says it is to make Britain match-fit for Brexit, another priority. But Budgets are about sending messages about what behaviour the Government wants to reward, and this is an unhelpful signal. Some people are self-employed because they have to be and in the case of Uber drivers and similar, their status is contested; others because they are entrepreneurs who take enormous risks and work hard in order to have their own business. Their relative insecurity by comparison with those in the public sector needs to be acknowledged. It is too late to execute an about-turn, and there is indeed a perverse incentive for some people to become self-employed purely for tax advantages, but Mr Hammond must take better care of this golden goose. The Budget did acknowledge the disastrous effect of the rise in business rates, but the answer to this regressive tax, which falls disproportionately heavily on London, and on small shops and start-up businesses in particular, must go further than the relief Mr Hammond offered. It would be disastrous if small, independent businesses were its casualties. Mr Hammond has promised to think about how to tax online retailers but we need fundamental reform. The Chancellor also gave emergency funding to the crisis in social care, but he failed to tackle the problem head-on. What we need is for a more radical way to fund the care of an ageing population: a social care ISA, or just social insurance for individuals, are possible ways ahead. At present, the system puts an intolerable burden on local authorities, which ad hoc increases in council tax are not enough to address. As Anthony Hilton points out on this page, there are other challenges to the economy which the Chancellor hasnt even raised: the advance of automation and the displacement of many jobs by robots. That will require a thoroughgoing rethink of our tax and benefit system. Meanwhile, Mr Hammond has at least done something to equip our young people for the workplace of the future, with the creation of T-levels and expanding schools of all sorts, including selective ones. Thats a start. Be nice and get ahead A researcher at Goldsmiths, University of London, has confounded expectations with a study that suggests nice people are more likely to be successful, as well happier and more able to cope with stress, than the nasty. This is a useful retort to those who seek to bully their way to the top. We look forward to business schools teaching the art of being nice. Or of dissimulating if you arent. While awards season and London Fashion Week may have occupied the majority of recent sartorial headlines, the Royal Ascot aesthetic garners a number itself come June. With hundreds of thousands of race-goers annually heading for the Berkshire racecourse, many will be spending the next few months deciding what to wear. But before attendees even begin their outfit planning, they must make note of the event's strict guidelines. Keen to make the dress code clearer than ever, Ascot officials have released this year's style guide early with one notable addition: jumpsuits are finally welcome. Royal Ascot 2017 - Style Guide suggestions 1 /21 Royal Ascot 2017 - Style Guide suggestions Royal Ascot 2017 Style guide suggestions... Royal Ascot 2017 style guide She wears: Hat: Awon Golding, 595 Jumpsuit: Hugo Boss, 450 Shoes: Hugo Boss, 340 He wears: Suit: Hugo Boss, 580 Shirt: Hugo Boss, 109 Shoes: Hugo Boss, 450 Royal Ascot 2017 style guide She wears: Hat: Jess Collett, 495 Jacket: Escada, 735 Trouser: Escada, 355 Top: Hugo Boss, 179 Shoes: Jimmy Choo, 425 Bag: Jimmy Choo, 475 He wears: Hat: Oliver Brown, from 500 Coat: Favourbrook, 690 Waistcoat: Favourbrook, 150 Trousers: Favourbrook, 240 Shirt: Ted Baker, 89 Tie: Reiss, 40 Shoes: Crockett & Jones, 385 Royal Ascot 2017 style guide Suit: Hugo Boss, 600 Shirt: Hugo Boss, 109 Tie: Hugo Boss, 65 Shoes: Hugo Boss, 450 Royal Ascot 2017 style guide Hat: Harvy Santos, 1,100 made to order Dress: Suzannah, 2,850 Shoes: Casadei, 745 Earrings: Garrard, 8,000 Clutch: Sophia Webster, 350 Royal Ascot 2017 style guide Hat: Merve Bayindir, 850 Dress: La Mania, price on request Clutch: Elena Ghisellini, 515 Shoes: Roger Vivier, 545 Royal Ascot 2017 style guide Hat: Awon Golding, 1,800 Jacket: Antonio Berardi, 1,170 Trouser: Antonio Berardi 596 Top: Hugo Boss, 179 Shoes: Kurt Geiger, 140 Clutch: Elena Ghisellini, 1,895 Royal Ascot 2017 style guide Hat: Jess Collett, 980 Dress: Coast, 229 Shoes: Rupert Sanderson, 425 Clutch: Paula Cademartori, 1,026 Royal Ascot 2017 style guide Hat: Edwina Ibbotson, 1,460 Dress: Roksanda, 995 Shoes: Reiss, 140 Royal Ascot 2017 style guide Jacket: Reiss, 295 Trousers: Reiss, 135 Tie: Reiss, 40 Shirt: Ted Baker, 89 Shoes: Kurt Geiger, 89 Royal Ascot 2017 style guide Hat: Sarah Cant, 650 Jumpsuit: Emilia Wickstead, 990 Shoes: Sophia Webster, 395 Royal Ascot 2017 style guide Hat: Jess Collett, 650 Coat: Ted Baker, 275 Bag: Ted Baker, 109 Dress: Reiss, 265 Shoes: Tabitha Simmons, 695 Royal Ascot 2017 style guide Hat: Oliver Brown, from 500 Waistcoat: Oliver Brown, 135 Suit: bespoke Dunhill, price on request Shirt: Dunhill, 160 Shoes: Dunhill, 890 Tie: Favourbrook, 85 Royal Ascot 2017 style guide Hat: Stephen Jones Millinery, 405 Dress: Luisa Beccaria, price on request Shoes: Tabitha Simmons, 595 Royal Ascot 2017 style guide Hat: Oliver Brown, from 500 Coat: Oliver Brown, 475 Waistcoat: Oliver Brown, 135 Shirt: Oliver Brown, 65 Trousers: Oliver Brown, 225 Tie: Oliver Brown, 35 Watch: Longines, 4,190 Shoes: Ludwig Reiter, 549 Royal Ascot 2017 style guide Hat: Emily London, 1,125 Coat: Hugo Boss, 430 Dress Hugo Boss, 400 Shoes: Hugo Boss, 365 Bag: Hugo Boss, 895 "Fashion and style are an important part of the Royal Ascot experience for all of our customers," said Julie Slot, Commercial Director at Ascot. "The annual Style Guide forms a key part of our support for customers to give them inspiration for what to wear to ensure they have a special occasion with us." "The inclusion of jumpsuits as part of the Royal Enclosure dress code recognises our customers fashion-forward taste and reflects our awareness of seasonal trends." Ascot 2016 fashion - in pictures 1 /74 Ascot 2016 fashion - in pictures Ascot - June 16, 2016 The Tootsie Rollers coordinated their looks with bright coloured suits David Davies/PA Wire Ascot - June 17, 2016 Brooke Harrison-Davis and Samantha Budd show off their aviation themed hats Steve Parsons/PA Wire Ascot - June 17, 2016 Queen Elizabeth II arrives into the Parade Ring Chris Jackson/Getty Ascot - June 17, 2016 A woman in a yellow dress takes a seat during one of the big races David Davies/PA Wire Ascot - June 17, 2016 A woman hides her face behind the monochrome netting of her fascinator Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Ascot - June 17, 2016 Anna Friel wears a brown dress on the fourth day at Ascot Chris Jackson/Getty Ascot - June 17, 2016 Zoe Davies and Samantha Gibbins pose for the cameras on their arrival Adam Davy/PA Wire Ascot - June 17, 2016 Natalia Kapchuk poses alongside another flamboyantly dressed woman Adam Davy/PA Wire Ascot - June 17, 2016 One lady wore a white netted hat with a silver horse leaping from the middle Harry Trump/Getty Ascot - June 16, 2016 One lady poses with a dramatic monochrome hat in front of a wall of flowers Harry Trump/Getty Ascot - June 16, 2016 Emma Smith-Lett supporting England and Hetty Kelly supporting Wales at the races Steve Parsons/PA Wire Ascot - June 16, 2016 Rachel Ann Johns (27), Helen Urquhart (23), Sophie O'Regan (29) and Samantha Ball (23) pose at Waterloo station Alex Lentati Ascot - June 16, 2016 A lady poses with a more subtle look Harry Trump/Getty Ascot - June 16, 2016 Alexandra Kovakova (27) and Klaudia Janosikova (23) pose at Waterloo station Alex Lentati Ascot - June 16, 2016 A racegoer poses for a picture exposing her dramatic tattoo Adam Davy/PA Wire Ascot - June 16, 2016 Reny Morsch poses in her Camembert hat at Waterloo station Alex Lentati Ascot - June 16, 2016 One guest wore an unusual, feathered hat Adam Davy/PA Wire Ascot - June 16, 2016 Punters wear matching Union Jack gowns David Davies/PA Wire Ascot - June 16, 2016 Lystra Adams wore a flamboyant feathered head-piece David Davies/PA Wire Ascot - June 15, 2016 The Duchess of Cambridge David Davies/PA Ascot - June 15, 2016 The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge David Davies/PA Ascot - June 15, 2016 Dec Donnelly and wife Ali Astall Adam Davy/PA Wire Ascot - June 15, 2016 Ant McPartlin and wife Lisa Armstrong Adam Davy/PA Wire Ascot - June 15, 2016 Ant McPartlin, Lisa Armstrong, Ali Astall and Dec Donnelly Steve Parsons/PA Wire Ascot - June 15, 2016 A racegoer poses for a photograph Adam Davy/PA Wire Ascot - June 15, 2016 Niall Horan Steve Parsons/PA Wire Ascot - June 15, 2016 Olivia Grant Steve Parsons/PA Wire Ascot - June 15, 2016 Victoria Pendleton Steve Parsons/PA Wire Ascot - June 15, 2016 Amy Willerton Steve Parsons/PA Wire Ascot - June 14, 2016 A racegoer poses for a photograph Steve Parsons/PA Wire Ascot - June 14, 2016 Racegoers arrive at the event Chris Jackson/Getty Ascot - June 14, 2016 Racegoers arrive at the event Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Ascot - June 14, 2016 Elizabeth Hurley David Davies/PA Wire Ascot - June 14, 2016 Racegoers pose for a photograph Chris Jackson/Getty Ascot - June 14, 2016 Tessa James arrives at the event Steve Parsons/PA Wire Ascot - June 14, 2016 Racegoer Ana Pribylova arrives at the event Steve Parsons/PA Wire Ascot - June 14, 2016 A racegoer arrives at the event Adam Davy/PA Wire Ascot - June 14, 2016 A racegoer regrets her footwear choice in the pouring rain Alan Crowhurst/Getty Ascot - June 14, 2016 Princess Beatrice arrives at the annual event Chris Jackson/Getty Ascot - June 14, 2016 Elizabeth Hurley poses for a photograph Chris Jackson/Getty Ascot - June 14, 2016 Racegoers arrive at the event Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Ascot - June 14, 2016 Princess Anne Chris Jackson/Getty Ascot - June 14, 2016 Flora Macdonald Johnston and Milja Kljajic Chris Jackson/Getty Ascot - June 14, 2016 A racegoer arrives at the event Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Ascot - June 14, 2016 A racegoer poses for a photograph Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Ascot - June 14, 2016 A racegoer poses for a photograph Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Ascot - June 14, 2016 Racegoers arrive at the event Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Ascot - June 14, 2016 Flo Dawson of the Tootsie Rollers poses for a photo Chris Jackson/Getty Ascot - June 14, 2016 Racegoers arrive at the event Chris Jackson/Getty Ascot - June 14, 2016 A racegoer poses for a photograph Chris Jackson/Getty Ascot - June 14, 2016 The Tootsie Rollers pose for a photograph Chris Jackson/Getty Ascot - June 14, 2016 Anouska Lancaster wears a hat by Pearls and Swine Chris Jackson/Getty Ascot - June 14, 2016 A racegoer shelters from the rain Alan Crowhurst/Getty Ascot - June 14, 2016 Queen Elizabeth arrives at the annual event Chris Jackson/Getty Ascot - June 14, 2016 A racegoer shelters from the rain Chris Jackson/Getty Ascot - June 14, 2016 Racegoers shelter from the rain Chris Jackson/Getty Also welcome in the Royal Enclosure this year are straps of one inch or greater, full-length matching trouser suits and headpieces with a base of 4 inches or more. Not welcome this year are strapless pieces, fascinators, halter necks or midriffs. For the male guests, morning dress is required and the top hat may be removed when within a restaurant, private box or terrace. Other enclosures boast slightly less stringent guidelines, allowing fascinators for women and a smart suit for gentlemen. Midriffs, shorts and strapless dresses remain unwelcome. Royal Ascot will be held from June 20-24, with tickets start from 26 if booked before March 31 I t doesnt sound like the typical spot for creative inspiration, but an artist who spent two months outside Liverpool Streets branch of McDonalds has won a top art prize. Christopher Green has been awarded the 2017 Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize for a large-scale ink drawing entitled Lunchtime, Liverpool Street. He wins 15,000 for the work, as well as a gold medal. Green worked on the piece during from April to June last year, finishing it on June 23, the day of the EU referendum. He admitted that he spent so long working outside McDonalds that he ended up befriending the staff. Daphne Todd, who was chair of the judges and also a judge on BBC Ones Big Painting Challenge, described it as a substantial work of art, full of life and activity with a palpable sense of time passing. She compared the technique to Van Gogh. Christopher Green's prize-winning picture Green described the win as a massive boost for my confidence. He said that he had been drawing for eight years and often lost money on his work. This will make life much easier, he said. The Prize, which is given for art that reflects the real world, is now in its twelfth year. It is open to any artist resident in the UK, and the winner receives an exhibition at the Mall Galleries. Christopher Greens winning drawing will be on display there until March 18. S ir Howard Hodgkin, widely regarded as one of Britains greatest artists, has died at the age of 84. It was announced that he passed away peacefully in a hospital in London. He was a central figure in the contemporary art scene for over 50 years. Born in 1932 but evacuated to America during the war, Hodgkin studied at the Camberwell School of Art and the Bath Academy of Art. His illustrious career saw him serve as a trustee of both the Tate and National Gallery, as well as representing Britain in the 1984 Venice Biennale. He received the highest honour in the contemporary art world, winning the Turner Prize in 1985. He was knighted in 1992. Tate director Sir Nicholas Serota paid tribute to him as one of the great artists and colourists of his generation. His characteristic subject, the memory of a meeting or a conversation with a friend, resulted in paintings that radiate the emotions of life: love, anger, vanity, beauty and companionship, he said. A number of exhibitions of Hodgkins work will open this year. Absent Friends, at the National Portrait Gallery, will be his first exhibition of portraits, and will open in March. There will also be two separate exhibitions exploring the influence of India on his work: Painting India at the Hepworth Wakefield and Howard Hodgkin: India on Paper at the Victoria Gallery, Bath. A nyone who inwardly tut-tuts at the sight of someones toddler glued to an iPad in a restaurant will find their worst fears confirmed by Adam Alters behavioural-psychology book, Irresistible. Alter, an assistant professor of marketing and psychology at New York University, argues that consumer tech is purpose-built to turn us into behavioural addicts. He lashes out at almost all forms of interactive media: Facebook, Instagram, Netflix, wearable tech, email, Kim Kardashians app, video games and the recent rise of virtual reality. The first generation of iPhones was unveiled in 2007 and the iPad in 2010, so knowledge of the social impact of smartphones is in its infancy. But Alter believes the effects of modern tech on our minds (particularly young minds) are hurling us towards disaster: When todays Millennials become adults, theres a fair chance their social cucumber brains will be pickled. Alter convincingly spins his case, recounting many scientific studies and distressing statistics: our attention span is now eight seconds, down from 13 in 2000; the average office email spends only six seconds unread; over a lifetime we will spend 11 years looking at our phone screens. The anecdotal stories are compelling too, such as Isaac Vaisberg, a DC college student who became hooked on World of Warcraft (WoW). At his lowest point he spent five weeks alone in his apartment, not showering and barely sleeping. He missed 142 phone calls and eventually had a full breakdown before checking himself into a recovery centre that specialises in internet and gaming addiction. But Vaisbergs experience pales in comparison with cases from South Korea and China, where some adult gamers have taken to wearing nappies so that their binges wont be interrupted by a toilet break. On a neurological level, Alter notes that brain patterns between a junkie shooting up heroin and a gamer booting up WoW are almost identical. There is, he concedes, a difference in their magnitude and intensity but addiction isnt just a physical response; its how you respond to that physical experience psychologically. Alter is a keen advocate of the importance of using the word addiction when we describe these responses: We shouldnt use a watered-down term to describe them; we should acknowledge how serious they are, how much harm theyre doing to our collective well-being. More book reviews 1 /24 More book reviews Recovery by Russell Brand Will Russells brand of self-help prove quite so addictive? By Nicholas Lezard. Read review A Life in Questions by Jeremy Paxman Paxo refuses to answer all the really good questions, says David Sexton. Read review Politics: Between: The Extremes by Nick Clegg The basis of this book makes it impossible not to warm to Clegg, says Melanie McDonagh. Read review Serious Sweet by A L Kennedy Thank heavens for London in this tale of self-obsessed lovers. Read review The Last Royal Rebel: The Life and Death of James, Duke of Monmouth by Anna Keay Born a kings b****** and destined for a traitors death. Read review Man Up: Boys, Men and Breaking the Male Rules by Rebecca Asher Getting to the bottom of why boys will be boys. Read review The Course of Love by Alain de Botton A philosophical novel that does run smooth, says Johanna Thomas-Corr. Read review The Tree Climbers Guide: Adventures in the Urban Canopy by Jack Cooke How I gave this book a proper test and ended up with a broken ankle. Read review Reader, I Married Him: Stories Inspired by Jane Eyre Brontes classic tale in the imaginations of other writers, says Claire Harman. Read review Moranifesto by Caitlin Moran Caitlin comes clean about politics the world according to our funniest feminist. By Rosamund Urwin. Read review Spark Joy An Illustrated Guide to the Japanese Art of Tidying by Marie Kondo Theres no messing wih Marie, says Katie Law. Read review Cockfosters Stories by Helen Simpson After 50, a womans life gets better not worse. By Katie Law. Read review Stalins Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess by Andrew Lownie Joker in the spying pack. By Richard Bassett. Read review Even Dogs in the Wild by Ian Rankin The darkness that lies at the heart of the novel is offset by a lightness of touch, says Mark Sanderson. Read review Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink by Elvis Costello Elvis proves not quite so lyrical on the page, says Nick Curtis. Read review The Importance of Elsewhere: Philip Larkins Photographs by Richard Bradford His poetry paints better pictures than any camera, says David Sexton. Read review Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith Morality wins out over macabre murders, says Melanie McDonagh. Read review The Grownup by Gillian Flynn Calling all Flynnies: the con girl whos like gone girl. Read review Maybe so, but lets not exaggerate. When Alter repeatedly equates screen addiction to using cocaine or heroin, as well as one bizarre comparison to the 1918 flu pandemic (death toll, an estimated 50 million), he tips into the same kind of hysteria as the 19th-century medical journals that claimed reading novels transformed ladies into as much a slave as the opium-eater or the inebriate. But even if these parallels with hard drugs are overemphasised, its hard to disagree with Alter that the effects of tech on young children are worrying, especially when it comes to the recognition of emotional cues. So whats the solution? Here, Irresistible is a bit of a let-down. Alter admits that abstinence from modern tech isnt realistic or desirable. Instead we should harness our behavioural addictions through moderation and redesign our own environments to minimise temptations. What this means practically is creating a space in daily household life for a work-free, game-free, screen-free downtime. Alter calls this behavioural architecture. I would call it common sense. Its also, of course, much easier to swear by than live by. Im pretty sure my brain is long-since pickled. E mmanuel Carrere remains best known for his terrifying book The Adversary, first published in French in 2000. It was the first of his non-fiction novels, telling the true story of Jean-Claude Romand, who in 1993 killed his wife, his children and his parents. After he had failed to kill himself it emerged that Romands life, in which he had pretended to his family to be a doctor, had been a vacuous lie for 18 years. Carrere had written a number of literary novels before and non-fiction about Werner Herzog and Philip K. Dick, but in The Adversary he combined reporting and storytelling with first-person confession in an entirely new way. It confronts you like nothing else. If you have never read it, make it your next book. Since then, Carrere has developed this mode of telling other peoples stories through the context of his own in a series of remarkable non-fiction novels, including My Life As a Russian Novel, in which he investigated his family background while excruciatingly describing how he published a porn story in Le Monde as a surprise for his wife; Lives Other Than My Own, in which he intimately describes the deaths and bereavements of people he knew more or less well; and Limonov, a quasi-biography of the Russian writer and dissident. The Kingdom, published in France in 2014, has been a huge success there, selling some 350,000 copies. Its both the story of Carreres own religious life, including three years of extreme Catholic fervour and its falling away, and an audacious re-telling of the writing of the New Testament, taking us as close as he can to the earliest Christians. In the first section, Crisis, Carrere describes how, aged 33, he was touched by grace in 1990, on a retreat with a spiritual friend in Switzerland. For a time he went to Mass every day, prayed, and did little else but make notes on his religious reading, while still beset by doubt. Then, in 1993, he lost this faith, ending his notebooks: I forsake you, Lord. Please do not forsake me. Fifteen years later Carrere retraces the path he once followed as a believer now as an investigator. With remarkable freedom, frequently digressing into his personal life, often making explicitly literary comparisons, he traces the story of Christianity through the lives and writings of the apostles: primarily Paul, who believed so absolutely that the end of the world would come in his own lifetime, and then his favourite, Luke, a storyteller with whom he identifies so closely that he imagines scenes from his life. More book reviews 1 /24 More book reviews Recovery by Russell Brand Will Russells brand of self-help prove quite so addictive? By Nicholas Lezard. Read review A Life in Questions by Jeremy Paxman Paxo refuses to answer all the really good questions, says David Sexton. Read review Politics: Between: The Extremes by Nick Clegg The basis of this book makes it impossible not to warm to Clegg, says Melanie McDonagh. Read review Serious Sweet by A L Kennedy Thank heavens for London in this tale of self-obsessed lovers. Read review The Last Royal Rebel: The Life and Death of James, Duke of Monmouth by Anna Keay Born a kings b****** and destined for a traitors death. Read review Man Up: Boys, Men and Breaking the Male Rules by Rebecca Asher Getting to the bottom of why boys will be boys. Read review The Course of Love by Alain de Botton A philosophical novel that does run smooth, says Johanna Thomas-Corr. Read review The Tree Climbers Guide: Adventures in the Urban Canopy by Jack Cooke How I gave this book a proper test and ended up with a broken ankle. Read review Reader, I Married Him: Stories Inspired by Jane Eyre Brontes classic tale in the imaginations of other writers, says Claire Harman. Read review Moranifesto by Caitlin Moran Caitlin comes clean about politics the world according to our funniest feminist. By Rosamund Urwin. Read review Spark Joy An Illustrated Guide to the Japanese Art of Tidying by Marie Kondo Theres no messing wih Marie, says Katie Law. Read review Cockfosters Stories by Helen Simpson After 50, a womans life gets better not worse. By Katie Law. Read review Stalins Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess by Andrew Lownie Joker in the spying pack. By Richard Bassett. Read review Even Dogs in the Wild by Ian Rankin The darkness that lies at the heart of the novel is offset by a lightness of touch, says Mark Sanderson. Read review Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink by Elvis Costello Elvis proves not quite so lyrical on the page, says Nick Curtis. Read review The Importance of Elsewhere: Philip Larkins Photographs by Richard Bradford His poetry paints better pictures than any camera, says David Sexton. Read review Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith Morality wins out over macabre murders, says Melanie McDonagh. Read review The Grownup by Gillian Flynn Calling all Flynnies: the con girl whos like gone girl. Read review Carrere tells us how much he loves Rogier van der Weydens great picture of St Luke painting the Virgin, in which, he is sure, St Luke is the artists own self-portrait Im doing the same thing in another way. Then, outrageously, he digresses about how one of his favourite pieces of internet porn, a girl masturbating, infatuates him because he believes it is real, amateur and not professional. He claims that in just the same way he can tell what rings true in scripture. The difference between portraits done from life and those drawn from the imagination jumps out in both painting and literature, he insists, and you can see it in the Gospel of Luke. Not a conventional exegete, then. Yet, for all such arrant waywardness, The Kingdom is also an act of devotion. Although Carrere no longer believes Jesus rose from the dead, the fact that people do believe it and that I believed it myself intrigues, fascinates, troubles, and moves me Im writing this book to avoid thinking that now I no longer believe, I know better than those who do, and better than my former self when I believed. Im writing this book to avoid coming down too firmly in my favour. Theres never been anything quite like it before. I n May 2009 a homelessness charity called Broadway launched a radical experiment in the City of London. It selected 13 homeless men who collectively cost society about 400,000 a year and gave them 3,000 each. The men were allowed to use the money as they pleased. They were encouraged to draw up a plan of how to spend it and if that plan was blow the lot on smack, that would be fine. After a year the men had spent an average of 800 each. After another six months, seven were in housing and two more were about to move into their own apartments. One man had kicked a 20-year heroin habit and was about to reconcile himself to his family. The Economist magazine concluded that the most efficient way to spend money on the homeless might be to give it to them. Rutger Bregmans book already a bestseller in his native Netherlands is full of case studies such as this one. His aim is to defuse notions that appear hard-wired, such as the poor cant be trusted with money, and replace them with practical policy solutions based on empirical research. The reason the poor are poor, he demonstrates, is simply that they dont have enough money. Instead of shaming and patronising them via the welfare system, the most efficient and kindest way to address the problem would be to give them money. Bregmans over-arching aim is to reignite an idealism miserably lacking in contemporary politics surprising, if you think about it, since by almost every measure life is sweeter than it has ever been through concrete policy solutions. A lot of these will be familiar if youve read the growing volume of neo-utopian literature (notably the more explicitly Leftist Inventing the Future by Nick Srnicek and Alex Williams). Bregman argues for a universal basic income: governments should simply give people money directly, as opposed to wasting it through a redistributive bureaucracy. He reignites John Maynard Keyness hope for a 15-hour working week, and likens the argument that we wouldnt know what to do with our time to the notion that women or the working class couldnt be trusted with the vote. He argues against using GDP as a measure of a countrys economic health. Most radically, he argues in favour of eliminating national borders both as a means of equalising global opportunity and of unleashing economic potential. Seven separate studies show the growth in gross worldwide product from open borders would be 67 to 172 per cent. Open borders could make us all twice as rich. Bregman writes with a necessarily broad brush and sometimes gets a little carried away (hes only 28). However, he balances this with a fair-minded appeal and historians eye for detail. His account of President Nixons doomed attempt to introduce a form of basic income in the Seventies is illuminating while his critique of foreign aid in particular is astute. More book reviews 1 /24 More book reviews Recovery by Russell Brand Will Russells brand of self-help prove quite so addictive? By Nicholas Lezard. Read review A Life in Questions by Jeremy Paxman Paxo refuses to answer all the really good questions, says David Sexton. Read review Politics: Between: The Extremes by Nick Clegg The basis of this book makes it impossible not to warm to Clegg, says Melanie McDonagh. Read review Serious Sweet by A L Kennedy Thank heavens for London in this tale of self-obsessed lovers. Read review The Last Royal Rebel: The Life and Death of James, Duke of Monmouth by Anna Keay Born a kings b****** and destined for a traitors death. Read review Man Up: Boys, Men and Breaking the Male Rules by Rebecca Asher Getting to the bottom of why boys will be boys. Read review The Course of Love by Alain de Botton A philosophical novel that does run smooth, says Johanna Thomas-Corr. Read review The Tree Climbers Guide: Adventures in the Urban Canopy by Jack Cooke How I gave this book a proper test and ended up with a broken ankle. Read review Reader, I Married Him: Stories Inspired by Jane Eyre Brontes classic tale in the imaginations of other writers, says Claire Harman. Read review Moranifesto by Caitlin Moran Caitlin comes clean about politics the world according to our funniest feminist. By Rosamund Urwin. Read review Spark Joy An Illustrated Guide to the Japanese Art of Tidying by Marie Kondo Theres no messing wih Marie, says Katie Law. Read review Cockfosters Stories by Helen Simpson After 50, a womans life gets better not worse. By Katie Law. Read review Stalins Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess by Andrew Lownie Joker in the spying pack. By Richard Bassett. Read review Even Dogs in the Wild by Ian Rankin The darkness that lies at the heart of the novel is offset by a lightness of touch, says Mark Sanderson. Read review Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink by Elvis Costello Elvis proves not quite so lyrical on the page, says Nick Curtis. Read review The Importance of Elsewhere: Philip Larkins Photographs by Richard Bradford His poetry paints better pictures than any camera, says David Sexton. Read review Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith Morality wins out over macabre murders, says Melanie McDonagh. Read review The Grownup by Gillian Flynn Calling all Flynnies: the con girl whos like gone girl. Read review Naturally, at a time when intolerance and ignorance are the cornerstones of western policy, this might all seem far-fetched. But if winning elections depends on telling the best story, his narrative is a lot more compelling than anything the centre-Left have been focus-grouping of late. And there is nothing in here that makes any less sense than, say, Britain saying goodbye to the worlds largest marketplace (real) to form Empire 2.0 (ridiculous, insulting, not real). Or America electing a totalitarian dunce to make itself great again. When the present illogic reaches its apotheosis I suspect these are the ideas that will help us out of here. If youre fed up with moaning, you owe it to yourself to read this book. O utside, Storm Doris may be brewing but inside the Camden home of Luke Edward Hall, all is serene. The 27-year-old artist is nursing a cup of builders tea as he shows me around the one-bedroom flat he shares with his boyfriend, Duncan Campbell, a branding consultant. With its forest-coloured walls, myriad pot plants and vessels filled with budding tulips, it is, he says, a little oasis to come home to. Hall is hot property at the moment. After a game-changing illustration commission for Burberrys AW16 campaign and his impressive curation of a contemporary art show for Christies last year, the Central Saint Martins graduate has been described as the wunderkind of the design world. Hes since collaborated with heavy-hitting brands such as Anthropologie (on cushions), Berry Bros & Rudd (creating a bespoke wine label for the house Claret) and The Lacquer Company (think eye-catching drinks tables and trays). Raised in Hampshire, he moved to London to study for an art foundation and menswear degree at Central Saint Martins, initially living in Bethnal Green before moving to Camden six years ago. It was Campbell who found the second-floor flat in a Victorian terrace row just off Camden Square. It was totally f***ed. The plaster, the heating... it was a grotty, unloved studio let with a poky kitchen, Campbell laughs. With only one room for the living, dining and kitchen spaces, they have had to be creative. The poky kitchen was ripped out of its enclave; now there is a single kitchen countertop with a stove in the main living space, overlooking the dining table. It makes entertaining more convivial, he says, smiling although Hall admits one drawback is the need for keeping it in order; everything happens in here, from cooking and eating to hanging out. Meanwhile, the kitchen cavity has been filled with a mini office nook. The pair have a fondness for collecting antiques and homeware pieces from their travels, whether its a Murano glass fruit bowl shaped like a fish (Duncan couldnt leave the shop in Italy without it) or an astounding collection of vintage ashtrays, from cut crystal to a gilded Fornasetti version alongside another in a jolly yellow (snaffled from the Hotel Cipriani in Venice). Luke Edward Hall: at home 1 /10 Luke Edward Hall: at home A tray by the designer helps keep accessories organised The office fits snugly into the space a tiny kitchen once filled; Chris Tubbs Halls walls are covered in framed art that complements the bright colours and contrasting patterns flowing through the flat. Chris Tubbs A peach marble dining table is Halls favourite piece in the apartment. Chris Tubbs Potted plants add to the oasis feel Chris Tubbs Every wall is covered in framed artwork, from Halls own Cocteau-like drawings and vintage exhibition posters to a rather charming pair of New Yorker covers illustrated by Pierre Le-Tan. Their hero piece? A peach marble dining table sourced from Ebury Trading. Its our favourite thing in the whole house, swoons Hall. I love the softness of the colour. One of Halls great inspirations is Wilton House in Salisbury. I love those old pictures of Cecil Beaton and Rex Whistler hanging out on the lawn in fancy dress. I love proper fancy dress no one does that enough. We always talk about throwing a party with a full-on Marie Antoinette vibe but it never quite happens. Perhaps its because of the sheer number of projects Hall has on the go; theres the collaboration with Alex Eagle on a line of hand-painted ceramics for her Soho store, alongside prints and textiles sold on his own website. This month Hall also launches a concession at Liberty to sell original drawings alongside a new range of vases, all very Bloomsbury the Omega Workshops were a big inspiration. Good thing his studio is just a short hop away at Camdens Cob Gallery, a space he shares with gallerist Victoria Williams and playwright Polly Stenham. Halls busy schedule renders his downtime at home all the more precious. If the pair arent escaping to the country for the weekend (its become an obsession to find a folly or cottage to rent outside London, admits Hall) its all about lazy Sundays at home: a day spent cooking, reading and an episode or two of Agatha Christies Marple a classic Sunday activity. Luke Edward Halls collection is available at Liberty (lukeedwardhall.com) W akefield is Britain through and through. When I started curtating an exhibition about the human form for the Hepworth Wakefield, my life was based on trains between Paris and London, London and Yorkshire. The big metropolises can feel overwhelming, but Wakefield has a different kind of energy. Each time, as I edged further north, I felt a sense of decompression and a growing fondness for the landscape of rural Yorkshire. Here are some of my favourite parts. Nostell Priory Nostell Priory, a country house in nearby Crofton, is incredible. It has one of Britains largest collections of Chippendale furniture and the quality of the pieces, which range from a dolls house to Lady Sabine Winns writing table, are out of this world. Ive always loved collecting arts and crafts I have pieces by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and William Morris at home in east London. I go to Nostell and dream about living an alternate life in a grand stately home with the wonderful pieces. Nostell Priory Sculpture in Yorkshire I love a museum but I have the patience of a small animal I admit I could do a museum in 10 minutes (and have yet to visit the Louvre since being at Loewe in Paris). The exception is the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Henry Moores sculptures were disobedient in that they didnt conform to the Victorian or Pre-Raphaelite perception of the body. Putting his work outdoors gives it a different dimension. Wakefield Cathedral Wakefield Cathedral Wakefield Cathedral, in the centre of the city, is the tallest cathedral in Yorkshire and dominates the Wakefield skyline. When I visit any cathedral it reminds me of being with my grandparents. They werent particularly religious but my grandfather was obsessed with architecture. When I first came to Wakefield Cathedral I thought, How does man conceive to build something like this? Its a building that has transcended time over the centuries and you appreciate the magnitude of humankinds power and vision. When youre inside, you feel as though the rest of the world doesnt exist. The Hepworth Wakefield Barbara Hepworth might now be synonymous with the St Ives School but Wakefield was where she was born and where a large number of her sculptures, prototypes and working models are on permanent display. Whats great about The Hepworth Wakefield is that you see her creative process. To me, she was one of the greatest women of the 20th century. Alongside works by Hepworth herself (below), the gallery also holds works by some of the giants of 20th-century art. Jonathan Andersons checklist 1. SLEEP Oulton Hall an amazing 18th-century mansion (left) that feels very nostalgic. 2. EAT at The Kings Arms pub. For me its all about the sausage and mash nothing is more comforting. 3. VISIT auction houses such as Hartleys in Ilkley. I love collecting things from auction we Brits really are hoarders and collectors. 4. READ The Collected Poems by C P Cavafy, which inspired David Hockneys major series of etchings. Disobedient Bodies: JW Anderson Curates The Hepworth Wakefield runs from 18 March to 18 June ( Students pray during chapel service at Hope Prima school in Milwaukee, which receives taxpayer money from vouchers that parents spend on tuition. F orgive me if I rehash an old sexist joke but its hard to recognise Theo James with his top on. The one hes wearing, teamed with blue jeans, is sensible, navy, long-sleeved not even skin-tight. Doubly disappointing for the British actors sizeable female fanbase, who like to watch this smouldering at all times, incredible hunk dressed in as little as possible, he is armed today not with a Chiappa Rhino 50DS revolver, but a freshly pressed green juice deadly weapon (against colds and flu). At the Shoreditch cafe in which we meet, he is alternating between sips of coffee and green sludge through a straw. Actors can be very boring to talk to, he says, with a straight face. I only want to talk about this green juice. He laughs perfect teeth. He frowns brooding brow. He is in a relationship, probably still with Irish actress Ruth Kearney (he wont go into it). Still, what Jamess love-struck legion of fans would give to be here. On the internet, James is seen mostly through the lens of young, pulsating female lust: gifs of him with his pecs out; videos with panting THEO JAMES IS FLIRTING!! headlines; a montage of his clips painstakingly strung together to Justin Timberlakes SexyBack. Parts in The Inbetweeners Movie and the British supernatural drama Bedlam have been overshadowed by his roles in the 440m-grossing Underworld franchise, in which he plays a vampire revived from the dead by Kate Beckinsales fellow vampire, and alongside Shailene Woodley in the dystopian Divergent film series (the first grossed 235m, although the fourth and final movie was shelved last year amid talk of a possible TV adaptation). The Hunky Action Hero label has stuck to him like velcro for eight years now. Not necessarily with his say-so. Yeah. Thats what has to be escaped from, he says. Perhaps he feels boxed in as too perfect-looking; an actor/model? Well, he says, smiling through his alarm. I hope they dont say the latter because I may as well jump off a cliff! Yet for a long time he was the face of a Hugo Boss fragrance. Well, you are a model and an actor, I say. Im not a model. We compromise on the fact that he might have the looks of a model. Its a tricky one, right, he says, because I cant decry it, can I? But purely in terms of career progression, if you dont want to do things that are representative of that image, and if you have half a brain yes, thats definitely something you have to escape. The aim is to be multi-dimensional. And being seen as hunky... he says, starting to mumble into his coffee, ...whatever that word describes... can be restrictive. Yes. LANVIN shirt, 535, 30-32 Savile Row, W1 (lanvin.com).ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA blazer, 1,500; trousers, 380 (zegna.com). VALENTINO shoes, 740 (020 7647 2520; valentino.com) This year, he hopes, will be the one that changes the incredible-hunk typecasting. Im 32. As fun as those films are, theyre not particularly representative of who I am as a person. Ive got to get past that. Just in time ignoring the big clusterf*** that James says the film adaptation of Martin Amiss London Fields was (of which more later) all the signs are there that he may be about to succeed. First there was his role in last years War On Everyone, in which James played a funny, aristocratic drug-addict. And hes just finished a run at Hampstead Theatre in the American two-hander Sex with Strangers, starring alongside Emilia Fox. The role involved stripping off on stage for live sex scenes, which doesnt appear to have fazed him: Nudity happens in probably 70 per cent of films. I was interested in this story because its about what modern sex is, what modern love means and you dont turn around to the director and say, Theres going to be no sex. But the major game-changer comes this September, when he will star in Backstabbing for Beginners, an adaptation of UN whistleblower Michael Soussans autobiography. Directed by the highly respected Danish film-maker Per Fly, it tells the story of how Soussan helped bring to light the UN oil-for-food scandal, in which Benon Sevan, the former director of the oil-for-food programme, was accused of accepting bribes from Saddam Husseins regime (claims he denied). James plays Soussan opposite Sir Ben Kingsleys Sevan. Its timing is perfect. Here is a tale of institutional corruption, the release of which coincides with the newly politicised atmosphere in Hollywood. Whistleblowing has an undeservedly glamorous reputation, says James. With Snowden, hes become an icon. Yes, whistleblowing has become more acceptable but the interesting thing about Michael is that he didnt become a hero. People did f*** all about it. He left the UN and found it very hard to get work for about 10 years afterwards. Theo James: in pictures 1 /8 Theo James: in pictures GIORGIO ARMANI jacket, 1,500; top, 460; trousers, 750, (020 7235 6232; armani.com) MARGARET HOWELL shirt, 325 (020 7009 9009; margarethowell.co.uk) As Kemal Pamuk in Downton Abbey GUCCI trousers, 725 (020 7235 6707; gucci.com). COS jacket, 99 (cosstores.com). ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA jumper, 445 (zegna.com). VALENTINO shoes, 740 (020 7647 2520; valentino.com) LANVIN shirt, 535, 30-32 Savile Row, W1 (lanvin.com). ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA blazer, 1,500; trousers, 380 (zegna.com). VALENTINO shoes, 740 (020 7647 2520; valentino.com) SANDRO shirt, 155 (uk.sandro-paris.com). MARGARET HOWELL trousers, 295, (020 7009 9009; margarethowell.co.uk). THE KOOPLES T-shirt, 55 (thekooples.co.uk). ARMANI belt, 160 (armani.com) On stage with Emilia Fox in Sex with Strangers The youngest of five (he has two brothers and two sisters), James grew up in Witney, just outside Oxford, former home constituency of David Cameron. His father worked as a consultant, his mother for the NHS a clue as to why their son ended up one year in a summer job, picking up equipment from disabled people who had passed away recently. That was really hard. Really depressing. He holds strong views on NHS funding cuts. I have friends who are junior doctors. What they get paid is unbelievable for the experience they have. He attended Nottingham University and graduated with a philosophy degree. He had been acting here and there in amateur productions but his mission was to go global as guitarist and frontman of his band, Shere Khan. Acting won; it was while at the Bristol Old Vic drama school that he caught the eye of an agent. Urban myth holds that his film career took off after his cameo as Kemal Pamuk in the first series of Downton Abbey (ratings soared when his character died of a heart attack after a forbidden tryst with Lady Mary). In fact, it had been his first film role, a small part as a personal trainer in Woody Allens You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, that attracted the big Hollywood studios, who began to cast him in power sci-fi. The roles emerged by proxy; he says he never relied on his looks. In fact, they have their drawbacks: There are preconceptions of what youre going to be like as an actor, as a person. People Ive worked with whove become friends have said to me: I assumed you were going to be a dick. His casting in London Fields, in 2013, must have represented a welcome change. He played the posh banker Guy Clinch; the cast included Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. James wont say anything about his co-stars (or their acrimonious breakup) but seems to blame the appointment of an inexperienced American director, Andrew Cullen, for the fact that it hasnt been released. I love the book thats why I wanted to do it. The director was American and adapted a Martin Amis book about very specific British class roles. Its tricky because it is a subject that is very nuanced and the director missed the nuance of Amiss fiction. Court records show that Cullen sued the producers for $1m (he says they tampered with the edit). The producers then sued Heard for 10 times that amount for supposedly having failed to fulfil her contractual obligations regarding sex scenes. James is a stage name. His actual surname is Taptiklis; his paternal grandfather was a Greek doctor who lived in Athens and joined the anti-fascist resistance after the Nazi invasion of Greece, before sailing across the Aegean for four days to Turkey with a view to joining the Allies. Then he went overland to Damascus, and ended up in Cairo, working for the British Navy... So only recently, in 1942, my grandfather was going from Europe to Damascus a refugee on a boat, doing exactly what people are doing now, but in the other direction. Brexit, he says, was a huge shock. I mean... its so deeply depressing, if Im honest. I know that people say theyre tired of too much bureaucracy but on a basic moral level, there are serious questions about community; the prospect of a future with entrenched disunity. James divides his time between north London and Los Angeles, where people were left mystified by the vote to leave the EU. Americans tend to have a very positive view of Europe the culture, the history of it. When the UK deliberately put itself at a distance from Europe, the Americans didnt understand it; the trend towards isolationism, the fear of immigration. Of course that was before Trump became President. Is Hollywood now worried about a new McCarthyism; a fake-news version of the deep cleanse of alleged communism in the film industry? You could say that its impossible in four years to make those kind of cultural changes; you have to have a lot of power and he is not popular enough. But we said hed never be the Republican candidate, then we said hed never be President. Are these subjects that the army of fans who queued at the stage door in Hampstead were keen to discuss with him? One thing I couldnt get used to was that a lot of people after the show would ask, Can we have a picture?. Im a little allergic to selfies and Im not on social media I find it a bit invasive, and very self-centred. So I would say, Im not going to take a picture, but Im happy to chat to you. Is Theo the next Leo, as has been suggested? Can he be more than a walking target for a fan-girl siege? Theres no doubt he has the brain and the right intentions. He can act. It would be a bonus if he could try to be a bit uglier; avoid the gym; let his hair grow long and greasy and his perfect teeth turn brown. But of all the problems to have in the world, your beauty overshadowing everything you do is not the worst I can think of. ' An educated consumer allows us to push the boundaries of what bourbon can be without bastardising its definition, says Trey Zoeller as we prowl Louisville in a Jeep emblazoned with Jeffersons livery. Kentucky-born, Zoeller founded Jeffersons two decades ago. But bourbon wasnt in vogue. For 15 years, we pushed that barrel uphill. Fortunately, Zoeller saw massive uptake in his considerately finished whiskeys owing to the perfect storm of classic cocktails given lift by Mad Men and an abundance of information online. While other distilleries look like New York nightclubs, Zoeller uses stills built straight after prohibition. An open truck takes us to a warehouse of 4,500 barrels (four years work). We forgot to put in a loading dock, admits Zoeller, pointing to a makeshift but effective ramp. One barrel bears his nickname: Mad Scientist Mystery Barrel. On the distillerys terrace, I hear Zoellers story. Aged 11 he shot down mistletoe from the branches of trees, and sold it door-to-door. He subsequently helped open a medical distribution centre in Las Vegas where he lived beside, and partied with, a juggler and strippers. However, a fascination for bourbon always coursed through the bloodline. My grandmothers first question was: How do you take your bourbon? Jeffersons Reserve is quintessential bourbon, says Zoeller of the new leather-scented pour (52.99; masterofmalt.com). Ocean, which Zoeller devised on his 40th birthday on the conservation vessel of that name, is more complex. In between catching sharks off Costa Rica I became mesmerised by the sight of rocking bottles, he says. Consequently, casks of Jeffersons stowed aboard sucked in salt and became super-caramelised as they crossed the equator four times. One voyage nearly scuppered matters. The crew said that corroded bands had burst off a couple of barrels I have my own theory about what happened! Jeffersons Ocean bourbon, 89.95 (masterofmalt.com) R enowned chef Stevie Parle was a savvy child. Growing up in Birmingham, he preferred to help prepare the family meals rather than do the washing up afterwards in this way, the passion that would shape his career was born. Now 32, he owns five buzzing London restaurants, having just launched Rome-inspired Palatino in Clerkenwell. At 16, Parles natural talent and enthusiasm led him to Darina Allens Ballymaloe Cookery School in County Cork, and on to his first professional cooking job at The River Cafe in W6. Parle was just 17 - the youngest cook Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers had ever employed at their famed riverside restaurant, where he learned to master superlative Italian fare. Then it was on to Michelin-star chef Skye Gyngells local and seasonal cooking at Petersham Nurseries Cafe, before Sam and Sam Clarks Moorish dishes at Moro in Exmouth Market. Each of these acclaimed London venues sowed a seed of varied creativity which would later form a theme in Parles own restaurants. Rome-inspired restaurant Palatino / Palatino Chef and innovator Parle was a pop-up restaurant trailblazer with his Moveable Kitchen, serving his own style of cooking in unused restaurants. In 2009, at just 24, he opened Dock Kitchen at Portobello Dock near Ladbroke Grove, west London. Parle had arrived. Variation is key to his cooking. Dock Kitchen offers a seasonal, farm-to-table menu, while Rotorino in Dalston serves Southern Italian plates. British cooking stars at Craft London, with Southern French fare at Sardine in Islington. Spinach and squash ravioli at Palatino / Palatino And now theres Palatino, a neighbourhood restaurant specialising in simple yet elegant food inspired by memories of Parles first trip to Rome when he was 17. Recipes are based on ancient dishes, gently tweaked, including bream with onions, pine nuts, raisins and vinegar; chicken, pancetta and pistachio meatballs with polenta, and freshly made ravioli with spinach and squash. Across all five venues, the menus are producer-led. The dishes stem from traditional roots, and the design and atmosphere are of equal importance. All our restaurants are different brands and quite distinct from one another, says Parle. By adding a constraint [a specific cuisine for each] it gives you some boundaries to work within but still allows you to be creative. Such varied dining requires an equally wide-ranging wine list. Parles 45-bin choice at Palatino, with more than 30 all-Italian grape varieties, offers a perfect opportunity to discover unusual styles, regions and rare vintages by the glass. Here, the chef-proprietor reveals his wine wisdom: What is your approach to drinking wine? I like drinking wine; I like the act of enjoying wine - preferably at home. Im privileged and lucky enough to have visited a lot of vineyards and I tend to drink wines from producers I know, or have met. I like to think about them and visualise the place that has produced these wines; the people and their stories. At The River Cafe we used to have an annual trip with David Gleave MW, which always stands out in my memories. When this isnt the case I want to drink something that leaves a certain taste of where its from - retaining its craft and identity. What do you love about food and wine, and matching the two? Good food is good food and good wine is good wine. I think the two things often go together anyway and we shouldn't look past this too much. I prioritise the overall dining experience and I want my guests to be happy, to enjoy themselves and be relaxed. Of course some things are best paired together in certain ways, but I want this to seem effortless and not overdone. British-made wines - in pictures 1 /8 British-made wines - in pictures Scroll to see our pick of the best British-made wines... Shutterstock / Rostislav_Sedlace Furleigh Estate Rose 2010 Gold winner of the International Wine Challenge 2016, this tastes beautifully of strawberries, tart cherries and summery berries, with a hint of rosehip. 28.50, Furleigh Estate, Buy it now Marksman English Sparkling Brut Blanc de Blancs 2013 This Sussex wine is bright and apple-sweet, and made exclusively at the Ridgeview vineyard for M&S. It makes for a refreshing aperitif. 26, Marks and Spencer, Buy it now Bolney Estate Cuvee Noir 2011 Red sparkling wine? Bolney somehow makes it work in this rich, creamy fizz packed with cherry and spice. Its delicious served with seasonal game and even dark chocolate. 23, The Bolney Estate, Buy it now Hush Heath Balfour Brut Rose 2013 Vintage after vintage of this oh-so-pretty pink sparkling wine has been deemed award-winning, and this ought to follow suit: its super-clean and elegant with a deep fruity finish. 36, Hush Heath, Buy it now Hattingley Valley Classic Cuvee 2013 Currently poured at Carousel and Bread Street Kitchen, the highly-regarded Hampshire vineyards classic cuvee is packed with green fruits. 29.95, Hattingley Valley, Buy it now Parle cooks up food and wine pairings for us from his new menu at Palatino: Selvapiana Vigneto Bucerchiale, Chianti Rufina Riserva, 2012 26.04, Exel Wines, Buy it here This is a reserve from the Selvapiana house in Chianti Rufina - refined, elegant and with something of the rustic appeal to it. Its one of the best buys and a real benchmark in Italian wines. Pair it with Bombolotti ragu Marcella, a hearty pasta dish inspired by the Italian food writer Marcella Hazan. Proprieta Sperino Coste della Sesia Rosso Uvaggio, 2013 26.46, Richard Granger Wines, Buy it here From Alto-Piedmont, Luca De Marchi, son of the now-legendary Paolo (Isole e Olena, Tuscany), stumbled across this old family winery some 15 to 20 years ago. The Nebbiolo base is blended with more local Vespolina and Croatina and the result is a delicious, rich, fruity red. I really like this one, its great to drink on its own or with antipasti and more. Its elegant, slightly peppery and a fun, easy-drinking style. Pair with the Speck on our antipasti menu. Lagrein, Erste + Neue, Alto-Adige, 2015 Lagrein, Erste + Neue, Alto-Adige, 2015 / Christopher Keiller Fine Wine Services This is a really unusual grape variety, only grown on about 400 hectares. Its big, bold, has a tight fruit content and is going down a storm with guests and the staff, too. We cant quite put our finger on it, but we all love it. Pair this with most meat dishes, ideally with our Saltimbocca. 19.99, Christopher Keiller Fine Wine Services. Call 02380 582259 Lambrusco, Solco Paltrinieri, Modena, NV Lambrusco, Solco Paltrinieri, Modena, NV / Buon Vino This is great and shouldnt be sneered it. Cheerful, delicious and yet still serious with long-lasting taste, its a great drink with snacks and ideal with our fried sage leaves with honey and vinegar. 15.95, Buon Vino, Buy it here Barolo Cicala, Aldo Conterno, Piedmont Why not? We are really happy to offer all our wines by the glass and we think this is a perfect, benchmark Barolo. Its luscious, rounded and extremely elegant and with the 99 vintage its a great find. One of the best wine producers in Piedmont and we think everyone should try it. This is ideal with our pork chop, served with a sauce of anchovy, olives and cream. From 131 (depending on the vintage), Hedonism Wines, Buy it here Nuria Stylianou is our WSET-qualified wine and spirits columnist. Email her on nuria.stylianou@ and follow her on Twitter and Instagram @nu_on_the_vine D espite having no limbs herself, Amazons Alexa wants to be your own personal sous chef. Having rolled out the voice-controlled digital assistant in late 2014, the internet giant is now loading its Amazon Echo (a vertiginous cylinder) and Amazon Echo Dot (its more diminutive, and cheaper, cousin) with 60,000 recipes via the skills on its app. If she keeps learning at this rate you can expect the odds of a Dot replacing Mary Berry on Great British Bake Off to come down faster than a collapsing flan. If youve ruined phones and iPads by using them as recipe books, only to spill ingredients all over them or worse, smash screens, voice-based guidance is an appealing idea. Thats the idea anyway. Activated by using the word Alexa followed by a command, my new Dot finds itself nestled between a pack of McVities digestives and two tubs of Philadelphia on a kitchen counter, among ingredients Alexa has picked out via a Philadelphia cheesecake recipes skill on the apps dashboard. The ingredients list doesnt mention the iPhone or Android, Amazon Prime account or the wi-fi acrobatics needed to get Alexa up and running, but our first few minutes together are fairly straightforward. Alexa, open cheesecake recipes, Alexa, play Prime music and Alexa, set timer for 10 minutes are all accomplished with ease. Alexa starts reeling off the ingredients checklist once more (160g digestive biscuit crumbs, 40g butter, and a greased 20cm pie dish), whacks on some Jess Glynne, and yes sets a timer. I could also order Alexa to turn on the kettle and potentially the oven if we had smart plugs. Kitchen domination beckons. Except there are bugs. Alexa really wants to make a Key lime cheesecake. I really want to make one with chocolate. This is a sticking point, as Alexa determinedly reels off the Key lime ingredients and I ask her to stop with increasing exasperation. Alexa, open cheesecake recipes, I demand. Would you like something fruity, quick, or something that uses specific ingredients? asks Alexa. I ask for chocolate. Alexa starts reading out the instructions for a lemon jelly cheesecake. Alexa, please make a chocolate cheesecake, I insist She starts reading out the instructions for a lemon jelly cheesecake again. Amazon's Alexa This highlights fundamental problems in AI, says Mark Bishop, professor of cognitive computing at Goldsmiths University of London. Alexa really doesnt understand questions or directives you give it in the same way that my three year old does, for instance, and this can lead to her doing strange things, he says. We may not see a convincingly empathetic machine in our lifetime, but in the meantime we can always ask Alexa to say something nice. And she will say something nice. Im sure you look nice today, being one such something. But she wont make our desired cheesecake. Abandoning following the instructions word-for-word, I allow Alexa to do her thing. Combine the biscuit crumbs and melted butter and press into the base of the tin, she croons, so I do. Now youll need to dissolve the jelly in boiling water, she says. I swap the jelly for chocolate and feel smug. Its one point for human ingenuity, zero to the robot. That said, Alexa wants me to leave the cheesecake in the fridge for three hours to set, but I estimate its more like an hour-and-a-half. The cheesecake falls apart. One all. Stand mixers - in pictures 1 /8 Stand mixers - in pictures Scroll to see our pick of the best stand mixers... Shutterstock KitchenAid 6.9L Artisan Stand Mixer Best for: Baking pros Pros: This iconic mixer is a classic in both design and substance, and is suitable for keen foodies. With a large 6.9L bowl, you wont have to keep making multiple batches. This mixer works with a wide range of handy attachments for cooks as well as bakers such as a pasta press attachment and meat mincer. Cons: Unless you are a serious baker with a large kitchen, you may find this stand mixer to be too big and cumbersome to be practical. That said, the generous size of the bowl does make for a good storage solution for the attachments. 799.95, John Lewis, Buy it now Smeg SMF01 Stand Mixer in cream Best for: Promising bakers Pros: If youre not quite ready to splash out on a KitchenAid Artisan mixer, this stand mixer from Smeg is a good wallet-friendly alternative. The Smeg SMF01 mixer comes in a similar retro design to the KitchenAid mixer but is more compact, making it a great choice for those with smaller kitchens. Cons: This mixer is on the heavy side considering its size. 299.95, John Lewis, Buy it now Sage Scraper Mixer Pro Best for: Lazy bakers Pros: This quiet mixer is equipped with all sorts of modcons to simplify baking for the half-hearted cook. With an automatically adjusting speed setting to cope with whatever is being mixed, this mixer does the hard work for you. The Scraper Mixer Pro uses a unique scraper beater which is designed to incorporate as much air as possible for the fluffiest cakes, and claims to reduce mixing time by 60%. Cons: If youre looking for a mixer with a kitsch and ornamental quality, the Sage Scraper mixer is easily trumped. 250, Lakeland, Buy it now Andrew James 5.2 Litre Food Mixer Best for: Baking newbies Pros: For first-time bakers looking to test the waters, opt for this popular mixer from Andrew James. At 79.99, this mixer is one of the more reasonably priced of our list making it a good choice for those just starting out. Cons: This mixer only uses three attachments, so may be quickly outgrown. 79.99, Amazon, Buy it now Russell Hobbs 21200 Aura Hand and Stand Mixer Best for: Budget bakers Pros: The Aura Hand and Stand mixer is the cheapest offering on our list. As its name suggests, this mixer can be used a stand mixer or a hand mixer, giving it a flexibility that other mixers cannot provide. Cons: Unsurprisingly, this mixer is more basic than some of the others on our list so dont expect the same level of robustness. 37, Tesco, Buy it now Amazon has talked up the devices merits in alleviating loneliness in older adults. Im 25, but I too find her oddly comforting when making breakfast alone later in the week. She pops on a timer for a boiled egg, plays a BBC bulletin to catch me up on the days news, and answers mundane questions about the calorie content of Utterly Butterly. Shes electric, eccentric and having a few teething problems, but I suspect the time will come when shell be having her cake and eating it too. Follow Sam Fishwick on Twitter: @Fish_o_wick T hese days, if a fashion photographer moved from New York to Dalston, theyd likely find everything they needed right on their doorstep: all-night bars and clubs, trendy pizza-by-the-slice restaurants and artisan coffee shops by the dozen. But back in 1984, when photographer Andrew Holligan abandoned the New York fashion scene to move to the then unknown corner of east London, it was a very different story. What he saw on the streets was a poverty and humanity that would change him and his art forever. Using a 1950s Rolleiflex camera, Holligan began taking portraits of the characters he happened to meet during his two years spent living in Dalston in the early 1980s. Thirty years on, his images form the subject of a new book called Dalston in the 80s - the fruits of a collaboration with east London publisher Hoxton Mini Press. Alongside hand-written annotations from the photographer, the book paints a lost portrait of a much-loved area on the brink of gentrification - from eels and mash to anarchists and fascists. Click through our gallery above to see a selection of photographs from the book. Dalston in the 80s is out now and available to buy from Hoxton Mini Press Y ou know that feeling when youre both snuggled up on the sofa and your partner turns to look at you and says, Is there a word in English meaning to defile corpses? No? Well, chances are youre not in a bilingual relationship. American Zach and his Hungarian fiancee Janka both work for online language hub Babbel. But when youre dating cross-culturally, discussions about super-niche verbs are by no means confined to the office. We love teaching each other idioms and colloquialisms in our native language. Hungarian is a very colourful language, says Zach. But not sharing a first language can come with its frustrations. The couple tend to speak English together which for Zach means simplifying. Janka meanwhile struggles with the limitations of her second language. In Hungarian you can take any noun and make it a verb she could say she was Zaching, meaning spending time with me and she gets frustrated she cant do that in English, says Zach. We have a lot of words that we say in Hungarian because there isnt an English equivalent. Despite the challenges of building a relationship across a language barrier, dating without borders is on the rise. According to a study by Eurostat, nearly 9% of marriages in the UK include a foreign-born spouse, while across Europe nearly 30% of people cite love as their reason for moving to another country. On Valentine's Day this year, the post-Brexit diversity campaign One Day Without Us launched the #loveknowsnoborders hashtag to celebrate cross-cultural relationships, one of the oft-untold benefits of freedom of movement. But how easy is it to fall in love when you dont speak the same language? British Ben described his first date with Spanish girlfriend Jennifer as interesting. For the first couple of months of our relationship, our hands were covered in ink from where wed taught each other words in the pub with nothing to write on, he says. 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Geisha balls 14, sh-womenstore.com Double Pleasure glass dildo 170, coco-de-mer.com For Greek Eleni and her German husband Sebastian, the challenge was in finding ways to translate things into English that felt specific to their own cultures. One of Sebs favourite phrases is das Leben ist kein Wunschkonzert which he literally translates as 'Life is not a musical request programme', said Eleni. There are also times where we think we are speaking correctly but we're unconsciously translating an expression from our mother tongue. Seb told me recently I frequently use 'let's say' in sentences, which is a literal translation of something we use a lot in Greek. I never realised I did it! And its not just limited vocab that can affect your relationship. According to Babbels head of didactics, Katja Wilde, people can even take on different character traits when speaking different languages. Youre not the same person that you are in your mother tongue. You see people who have another voice in a different language. Some people even speak louder in one language than another, she says. Italians tend to interrupt each other but in German you cant do that because the verb comes at the end so speaking another language can change your whole approach. Diana, who met her Polish husband Jakub in Texas before the couple moved to London, says she recognises this. Jakub often uses the I'm Polish, I'm a foreigner excuse to say shit native speakers wouldn't dare, she says. I dont think he does this in Polish. And then there are the misunderstandings, the awkward faux-pas. British Matthew recalls the time his German girlfriend Jessie told him she was going to sleep around now. It transpired shed directly translated the German phrase Ich schlafe eine Runde. She meant to say she was going for a nap. Diana tells me that the first time she met her husbands father, she accidentally called him Daddy, not realising what the Polish word meant. Jakub refers to his dad as Tatus, which translates directly as Daddy, she says. I was trying to show him where to sit, I said Tatus and pointed to the seat. He just looked at me in shock. All the Poles found it hilarious and I felt like an idiot. I still call him Tatus because now its a running joke. 9 break up signs you should know 1 /12 9 break up signs you should know Youre arguing all the time You try and try, but you keep fighting over the same things. Or one big thing. Either way, you never resolve it so the arguing continues. If you cant get past your problems, then maybe its time to part ways before things get worse. Copyright (c) 2015 Rex Features. No use without permission. You dont want to make sacrifices Compromise is a major part of being in a relationship, but if youre growing resentful about the amount of time, effort and money youre putting into a relationship, chances are youre not invested in the long-haul. If a night out with friends consistently takes priority over spending the weekend at your partners parents house, it might be a sign that youre yearning for your independence. Copyright (c) 2015 Rex Features. No use without permission. You dont make time for each other anymore In the early stages of the relationship youd message each other all the time. Now you can barely be bothered to text them back, let alone spare some time for a call. If youve reached the point where youre actively ignoring their attempts to contact you, its time to have the talk. Copyright (c) 2013 Rex Features. No use without permission. The reasons to stay together are trivial Hes financially stable. Shes good at cooking. These might be nice additions to a relationship, but they shouldnt be the reason why you're still together. The same applies to the I'm scared I wont meet anyone else excuse. Copyright (c) 2016 Rex Features. No use without permission. Everything your partner does bothers you Remember how you used to find their strange laugh endearing? Or his stubborn nature cute? Now you they just drive to despair. Copyright (c) 2015 Rex Features. No use without permission. Youve stopped having sex Theres no normal to the amount of sex you should be having, but theres a difference between cooling down after the initial honeymoon period, and cooling off all together. If youve swapped orgasms for a DVD box set of Downton Abbey, it might be time to reassess. Copyright (c) 2013 Rex Features. No use without permission. You want different things Kids. Jobs. Mortgages. These are big decisions to make as a couple that will only work if both of your lives are heading towards the same goal. Perhaps you want to travel for a year, or take an opportunity abroad? Before you go any further, make sure youre both on the same path. Otherwise, it might mean its time to move on. Copyright (c) 2015 Rex Features. No use without permission. The people closest to you express concern Youre friends, family and co-workers have an objective view of your relationship. If several people sound the alarm about how your relationship is negatively affecting you, its time to listen up. Copyright (c) 2015 Rex Features. No use without permission. Youre thinking about what else might be out there It used to be that you wanted to spend every night and waking moment together, but now youre daydreaming about bachelorhood, romanticising past relationships or even making contact with old flames. Either way, you already have one foot out of the door. Copyright (c) 2016 Rex Features. No use without permission. And Zachs attempts to speak Hungarian have gone awry at times. The classic one in Hungary is egeszsegere which means 'cheers' or 'to your health' but if you say it wrong it means 'to your whole bottom' and Ive done that, he says. The hardest part is spending time with your partners friends and family, something most of the couples I spoke to could relate to. When we visit Jakubs family he pretty much has to translate everything for me, says Diana. A lot of the time I have no idea what theyre talking about and often feel quite isolated and lonely, even though I'm surrounded by people. But all were quick to point to the benefits, not least the feeling that youre constantly learning and growing together. It's exciting to try to explain and share something and introduce someone else to it, says Eleni. I use the word opa like saying 'oops'. Seb has used it a couple of times in context and it really made me smile. Diana agrees: To this day, Jakub still comes across words he doesn't know. Just this morning I taught him 'austere'. A recent study showed couples in cross-cultural relationships report higher relationship satisfaction than those who date people of their own nationality. Wilde says one reason might be that people in bilingual relationships have to work harder. You really need to communicate a lot to make yourself understood and to understand, she says. Bilingual couples have to discuss and explain everything so much more. This certainly rings true for Ben and Jennifer. We've learnt that both patience and clarity are our friends, says Ben. But speaking in a clearer, simpler way actually helps eliminate second guessing and the 'reading between the lines' that can often happen in relationships. Anyone for language classes? Read more from Refinery29: Could Edging Be Bad For You? Getting Your Body Back: Sex After Sexual Assault Emergency Contraception: How We're Taking It & How We Should Be Taking It A 15-year-old boy "feared for his life" as a knife was held to his throat by a man on a Southern rail train, police said. The teenager was taunted and threatened by the man who had asked the boy and his group of friends: Do any of you have a problem with me? When they replied 'no', the man lunged towards the 15-year-old and held a knife to his throat. The suspect walked off after the "unprovoked attack" and left the train at Horsham before boarding a second service towards Ockley. British Transport Police has issued a CCTV image of a man they want to speak to in connection with the incident. Police said the victim, who did not sustain any injuries, and his friends were travelling on the 2.37pm service from Crawley to Littlehaven in Sussex on Tuesday, February 7. PC Mark Brookes from BTP, said: The group of boys were incredibly frightened by this mans threatening and violent behaviour. This unprovoked assault left the young boy fearing for his life. Violent incidents such as this are thankfully rare, and we have a number of active enquiries in place to trace the man responsible. Anyone with any information is asked to contact BTP by sending a text to 61016 or call 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference 216 of 09/03/2017 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. A couple have been arrested on suspicion of plotting to abduct a premature baby from Great Ormond Street Hospital. The pair, a 31-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman, are said to have posed as new parents when they approached staff at the world famous hospital in Camden on Monday. They are said to have claimed that their child had been born at the nearby Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel on March 1 before being transferred The couple showed staff a photo of their baby in an incubator and said they had come to collect their child from the neo-natal unit. The pair are thought to have aroused suspicions and staff checked with bosses at the Royal London Hospital for premature babies being born on March 1, but found no records and swiftly alerted the police. Officers arrived at the scene and a man and a woman were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to abduct a child. Police are investigating whether the photo the couple showed staff was a printout from the internet. The couple have now been released on bail on the condition that they should not enter any hospital - unless they are suffering a medical emergency. Inspector Paul Clarke, of Camden police, said: The actions of the staff at Great Ormond Street Hospital in making all of the necessary checks and the quick response of police in arresting a couple prevented what could have been a very frightening and harrowing incident. A spokeswoman for Great Ormond Street Hospital said: Thankfully, this type of incident is exceptionally rare. We are pleased that staff at the hospital acted so swiftly and calmly to ensure the safety of all our patients. Great Ormond Streets neo-natal unit treats critically ill newborn babies and infants who need the highest level of nursing and medical care. Around 500 babies a year from across the UK are treated on the ward. The case comes after details emerged last month of how a teenager who was stolen as a newborn baby in Florida in 1998 was raised by her kidnapper as her own. Kamiyah Mobley, 18, pleaded for her abductor Gloria Williams, who faces a jail sentence, to be shown mercy saying she was a great mum. In 1994 baby Abbie Humphries created headlines around the world when she was snatched from a Nottingham hospital at just three hours old and held captive for 17 days before being rescued. The woman who abducted her had posed as a nurse. The Met said in a statement : Police were called at approximately 2pm on Monday, 6 March by staff at Great Ormond Street Hospital following a report of an attempted abduction. Officers attended and arrested a 31-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman on suspicion of conspiracy to commit child abduction. They were taken to a central London police station and have since been bailed to a date in mid-April. Enquires continue. P olice are probing whether a couple arrested on suspicion of plotting to abduct a premature baby had visited another hospital to enquire about a newborn just days before. A 31-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman were detained by police after allegedly posing as new parents when they approached staff at Great Ormond Street Hospital in Camden on Monday. Scotland Yard said that officers were now investigating whether a couple matching the same description attended the Royal London Hospital enquiring about a baby on Friday, March 1. A Met Police spokesman said: They subsequently left [the hospital]. This information is currently being assessed by officers from Camden CID who are investigating and will form part of ongoing enquiries. At Great Ormond Street Hospital on Monday, the pair are said to have claimed that their child had been born at the nearby Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel on March 1 before being transferred The couple showed staff a photo of their baby in an incubator and said they had come to collect their child from the neo-natal unit. The pair are thought to have aroused suspicions and staff checked with bosses at the Royal London Hospital for premature babies being born on March 1, but found no records and swiftly alerted the police. Officers arrived at the scene and a man and a woman were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to abduct a child. Police are investigating whether the photo the couple showed staff was a printout from the internet. The couple have now been released on bail on the condition that they should not enter any hospital - unless they are suffering a medical emergency. Inspector Paul Clarke, of Camden police, said: The actions of the staff at Great Ormond Street Hospital in making all of the necessary checks and the quick response of police in arresting a couple prevented what could have been a very frightening and harrowing incident. A spokeswoman for Great Ormond Street Hospital said: Thankfully, this type of incident is exceptionally rare. We are pleased that staff at the hospital acted so swiftly and calmly to ensure the safety of all our patients. Great Ormond Streets neo-natal unit treats critically ill newborn babies and infants who need the highest level of nursing and medical care. Around 500 babies a year from across the UK are treated on the ward. A man in his 20s has been arrested following the murder of father Jonathan McPhillips in north London. Mr McPhillips was seriously stabbed and collapsed outside cocktail bar Be At One on Islingtons Upper Street in the early hours of Saturday, February 25. The father-of-two, known as JJ, was rushed to a hospital in east London but died three days later surrounded by his family. He was described by his close friend as one of the most honest and genuine people you will ever meet. Stab victim: Jonathan McPhillips, pictured with his mother Michelle On Thursday police revealed they have arrested a 24-year-old man on suspicion of his murder. He has been bailed until a date in mid-April. Detectives are continuing to investigate the murder, as well as another stabbing which also happened on Upper Street on the same night. Forensics: The police cordon on Upper Street. After police were called at 12.40am to the attack on Mr McPhillips, officers discovered a 17-year-old boy had also been knifed. He was taken to an east London hospital and has since been discharged. Anyone who witnessed the incident or anyone who has any information is asked to call the incident room on 020 8345 3775, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. The classrooms at Fort Winnebago Elementary School are no longer filled with students and teachers, but fond memories still burn bright for Bill Schroeder 55 years after he attended the old school in rural Portage. Schroeder, who has lived in the Portage area his entire life, attended the school when it opened in 1962. He watched his children go through school at Fort Winnebago and his granddaughter attended it for a short time until the Portage School District decided it no longer could use the facility in 2013. For the Schroeders, three generations passed through the halls of the old school. We always had a very active parent-teacher organization and there was always events going on there; they treated the kids well, Schroeder said. The school brought a lot of the community together. We had winter programs and school picnics and you lose some of that when you move away from the community and push everybody into another school. Lasting impact Fort Winnebago joined a list of several small rural schools in the area that were forced to close in recent years. While school districts close these buildings for various reasons, the effects can impact small communities for years to come. Closing a school takes a piece of the communitys heart that will never be replaced. In the early 60s, four one-room schoolhouses consolidated into one, forming Fort Winnebago. Back then, the school housed children in grades 1-8 and Schroeder attended for three years, starting in 1962. In the late 60s, the building turned into a first-sixth grade school and remained that way until it closed four years ago. The Portage School District eventually added on, putting in a gymnasium, a library and two other classrooms, Schroeder said. The school seemed to be doing well. Caledonia Elementary was also shuttered in 2013. According to Schroeder, the Portage School District decided to bring sixth graders into its middle school and didnt see the need to continue operating the two rural facilities. Portage administrators believed students in sixth through eighth would coexist and function well, but Schroeder said its been a failed experiment. Once they moved them into the middle school, the sixth graders now come in through the back side of the school and the seventh and eighth graders come in through the front side and they never really mix, Schroeder said. Its like theyre segregated. Portages decision was met with fierce criticism from community members in Fort Winnebago and Caledonia. The district did decide to keep one rural school Lewiston Elementary open, despite it being smaller than Fort Winnebago. Everyone wondered why and they said its kind of in-between Caledonia and Fort Winnebago, which is a farce, really, Schroeder said. But one of the school board members lived in Lewiston. When open enrollment led to greater school choice, Schroeder said parents from Fall River, Columbus, Poynette and even as far as Marquette County were sending their children to Fort Winnebago. The small rural school was a popular education destination. People were traveling 20, 30 miles to bring their kids to Fort Winnebago, Schroeder said. Yet they closed the school down and none of us were thrilled about it. I guess weve adjusted to it. When school wasnt in session, the Fort Winnebago town board used the school for government meetings and elections. In 2015, the Portage School District sold the building to Cooperative Educational Service Agency 5 to teach students with alternative needs. But, if CESA 5 decides to sell the building, the town can no longer use it. Schroeder said children who attended Fort Winnebago often had success in high school and beyond. When you looked at the honor roll and watched the kids who were doing well, once they moved into Portage for high school, you always saw a lot of kids with a higher grade-point average, Schroeder said. They were given individual attention, had good teachers and they did a good job teaching them and that followed through. I dont think they had the discipline problems like they do now in town. Now you see police coming in to handle even the little kids; you never saw that in the rural school. Teachers handled their problems and there were no big issues. Forming deep bonds Perhaps no other community in the area was as connected to its small school as Rock Springs. Rock Springs Elementary, which housed K-6 students, was built in the 1960s, but Reedsburg Area School District decided to close it following the 2008-09 school year. Jean Holtz, a Rock Springs resident since 1977, said the school had deep ties to the community, especially the local library. Holtz serves as president of the Rock Springs Library Board. What a school does for a community... you get to know one another like a family, Holtz said. Its like losing connection with your family. Even if you didnt have children going there, there was still a connection with the school. Today, taking all of these rural schools out of communities is like breaking apart a family. Holtzs husband, Marvin, attended school in Rock Springs before the newest facility opened and the couples children also attended the school. Since Rock Springs Elementary had a tight budget, the library often lent a hand by providing current reading material for students. We worked together as a community to provide that service, Holtz said. You get to know the students and theyre all kind of familiar faces. You would drive by, see the children, see the buses and you would know there was activity in the community. Holtz believes closing Rock Springs Elementary made the Reedsburg School District less accessible to rural students. In 2012, the school district sold the building for CESA 5 instruction. School districts desire to break up classes into smaller age groups often leads to school closures. When Marvin Holtz attended Rock Springs, the elementary taught students up to eighth grade. Its unfortunate because when you have so many age groups together you learn and work like a family, Holtz said. Little children are always going to be watching the older children and youre going to be held more accountable as you get older. When you get all that same age group together with larger numbers, its a much harder group of children to control. While the school has been closed for several years, memories of what the school provided for tiny Rock Springs live on. Holtz said there was a lot of grieving in the community after it closed. While the building has been used for instruction for a few years, Holtz said the number of students is far less than the student body that flowed through the halls for nearly five decades. For many years, the school had around 120 students. As the building aged, infrastructure repairs piled up. In addition, enrollment throughout Reedsburg was dropping. The remaining students at Rock Springs were merged into other elementary schools and Reedsburg pulled the plug. I believe Loganville and La Valle (schools) are going through the same thing and theyre considering closing those schools as well, Holtz said. If those schools close, Reedsburg may have to pass a referendum to build another school to house students from the shuttered facilities. I dont envy the school districts position because they have to be fiscally responsible, Holtz said. Its a tough decision, but theyre not always easy to take. Fond meories Lynne Rudy has taught in the Royall School District for more than 40 years. Rudy has seen plenty of changes and a major one came in 2011 when Royall closed Kendall Elementary School. The school stands abandoned and while there is new playground equipment behind the building, very little remnants of the schools identity remain. Rudy, a fifth-grade teacher, taught in Kendall for more than a decade. She began her career at the school teaching special education. The old Kendall school housed children in grades K-8. In those days, the school district accepted kids from Elroy, Kendall and Wilton. Due to travel concerns, Wilton seceded from the district to join Brookwood. After Wilton left, Kendall was reduced to grades 4-6 for about 10 years. Eventually, Royall decided keeping Kendall alive wasnt feasible. The district figured it could save a lot of money by busing the kids to one location and you wont have to pay what we call windshield time, Rudy said. While classes no are longer taught there, Rudy left with plenty of memories. It was a lovely little building and it had a sense of family, Rudy said. The big kids would help the little kindergartners put their boots on an off in the winter and you knew you were going to get that kindergartner in your room in a few years. You knew the families. It was a very close-knit little community. Rudy said the school had a bird cage in the hallway and children enjoyed feeding birds and watching babies hatch. They loved to watch them come out of the shell and hold them, Rudy said. Rudy also recalls Sue Ann Thompson, wife of former governor Tommy Thompson, teaching in Kendall. One time she had her husband come for Veterans Day we always did a big Veterans Day program that filled the gym, Rudy said. He came in a helicopter with a National Guard general from Wisconsin and landed it on our playground. But that wasnt as big of news as the governor marching up and kissing his wife right there in front of the whole school. It was amazing. With small, aging playground equipment, parents in Kendall raised about $30,000 for replacements. Despite the schools closure, the equipment is still used, but not as frequently. Everybody kind of knew the school wouldnt last, Rudy said. They kept it open as long as they could, but there comes a time when the well runs dry. There is no more money. Changing hands In many cases, school districts will close a small rural school because of the distance from its other buildings. In 2005, Baraboo made the difficult choice to close Fairfield Elementary. School board member Doug Mering wasnt on the board back then, but recalled why the district closed the school. The district had one principal overseeing multiple schools and since Fairfield was north of the city, traveling made the job even more strenuous. Problems do occur when youre offsite at another building, Mering said. The district decided it was best to move those kids from Fairfield into the Baraboo city district where the other schools are located. A large portion went to East Elementary. Mering said the district received some opposition to the closing, but most residents believed it was a good decision. Baraboo hasnt closed any other schools since 2005, despite tight budgets. Anytime a school closes, youre going to have concern, especially if you are a parent who has children in that area, Mering said. We try as best we can to minimize those instances, but we also have to consider costs. Sometimes when you make those decisions, there are going to be groups who dont like it, but you have to go with the hand youre dealt with as far as finances. Similar to other local schools that were closed, CESA 5 used the building for alternative instruction for several years and rented it from the Baraboo School District. Mering said CESA 5 was a suitable tenant, but the district could no longer maintain the building. We were just breaking even with what we had, so we decided to put the building out for bids, Mering said. We did get two bids back, one from CESA 5 and the other from Community Christian School, which was the higher bidder. Theyve been in there the past few years. Joining forces Not all closed schools in the area have seen a dire fate. In Sauk Prairie, administrators found creative ways to keep buildings open. A couple years ago, the district closed Black Hawk Elementary and merged students into Tower Rock Elementary by expanding the school with funds from a referendum. Prior to the merger, Black Hawks student population was about 125, 130 students, while Tower Rock was about 120, said Sauk Prairie Superintendent Cliff Thompson. What the community and district decided to do was bring all of those children together to form the new Tower Rock, so we have about 239 students there, 4-year-old kindergarten to fifth grade. Classes at the school with a combined student body have retained an agricultural focus. The new Tower rock also has focused on art and Spanish language learning. Its not a charter school, but it is an elementary learning facility in a rural setting, Thompson said. From 2003-2005, Thompson served as principal at three schools, splitting time between Black Hawk, Tower Rock and Merrimac Elementary. It made it challenging to be available to support students, staffs and families, but it was an incredible opportunity for me to be a part of three thriving elementary learning communities that had a smaller student population than the learning communities in town, Thompson said. In my last year doing that I was at each school every day; I drove over 400 miles every week. The staff wanted me there for a short time every day, but in reality we needed to adjust it. About 10 years ago, Thompson helped the school at Merrimac develop a charter, transforming it into Merrimac Community Charter School. The school, which teaches children in grades K-5, has grown steadily and attracts students from both Sauk and Columbia counties. Trying to remain While discussion has swirled for years whether to close Neenah Creek Elementary, the school remains safe, for now. The Briggsville school is more than 12 miles east of the Wisconsin Dells School District. It remains a true outlier, but according to Superintendent Terry Slack, the district has no plans to shut it down. In 1993, the district shuttered both Big Spring and Briggsville elementary schools, forming Neenah Creek. About a year ago, we had been working through a building process and the architectural firm put an option out there that we might want to consider closing that school from the standpoint of its operating efficiency, Slack said. The board has never talked about that, it only came from an outside perspective. It angered some people and got them worked up, but weve had no further discussion about closing Neenah Creek. Slack said the district is considering building a school in Lake Delton to address an enrollment increase in that area. While Slack is confident Neenah Creek will remain open, other Dells residents are skeptical. Jim Rodwell served on the school board for nine years, from 2006-2015. Rodwell is a fierce supporter of keeping rural schools open, especially Neenah Creek. Neenah Creek used to be one of the best performing schools in our district and theyve backed off from that because we dont have a good, solid anchored teacher there anymore and theyve kind of let things go to hell, Rodwell said. Strategically, I think its done by the school board to let the school fail so its easier to close it down. Rodwell said a new school in Lake Delton could prompt the district to close Neenah Creek. If thats the case, Rodwell would like to see it used as a charter school so it still thrives in rural Briggsville. The community is behind that school, Rodwell said. Even if there arent enough kids in that school, the community would do something with it. In the long run, closing it would hurt the school district more than helping it. The people out there wont allow it. There are three sides to this and it includes the people out in Briggsville, the people in Lake Delton and the ones in the Dells and everybody has to get a little piece of the pie or nothing is going to fly. A young man had a glass smashed into his face for holding hands with his boyfriend in an unprovoked homophobic attack at a Wetherspoon pub. The victim, a 23-year-old man, was attacked at the Kentish Drovers pub in Peckham late on Sunday evening, police said. A witness told the Standard that the attacker became aggressive towards the victim and his boyfriend when he saw that they were holding hands. He approached the couple and smashed a glass into the victims face, the witness said. Scotland Yard confirmed that the attack was being treated as a homophobic hate crime. Police and paramedics raced to the scene after being called to an assault at the pub in the high street at about 10.30pm. The suspect had fled when officers arrived at the venue, according to a witness. Officers said the injured man was taken to a central London hospital for treatment to facial injuries. No-one has been arrested. A Met Police spokesman said: Police are investigating an assault on a 23-year-old man at a pub in Peckham High Street. Officers and the London Ambulance Service were called on Sunday, March 5 at around 10.30pm to the venue. The victim was taken to an central London hospital for treatment for facial injuries after being assaulted with a glass. There have been no arrests and enquiries continue. The incident is being treated as a homophobic hate crime. A Wetherspoon spokesman said: This was an unprovoked horrendous attack on a customer at the pub. The victim went to hospital for treatment following the attack and we wish him a speedy recovery. Staff at the pub have reviewed the CCTV and identified the assailant and have passed on the information to the police. We will continue to assist the police in any way possible. Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously 0800 555 111. T he number of people caught carrying knives in the capital hit a seven-year high last year, new figures show. More people were convicted or cautioned for possession of knives in 2016 than in any other year since 2008, according to statistics released today by the Ministry of Justice. The figures show 4,686 people were punished for carrying knives by Met Police officers last year. In 2015, 4,050 people were caution or convicted for possession of a knife. The 2016 figure was the highest since 2008 when 5,516 people were caught with blades. Loading.... City of London Police saw the lowest number of people punished for carrying knives in eight years just 15 people were cautioned or convicted. The Metropolitan Police saw the highest number of people 63 in every 100,000 - caught with knives. The MoJ dealt with 4,602 knife possession offences between October and December last year three per cent more than during the same months in 2015. Of those caught with a knife 41 per cent of adults and 11 per cent of juveniles - a total of 1,581 people - were locked up. Cautions for carrying knives were given to 629 people. In 2015, 1,445 people were incarcerated over possession of a knife and 600 people were cautioned. Last month, shocking figures revealed that 60 people were stabbed to death last year, while 1,159 sustained serious injuries. In total officers dealt with 21,365 knife crimes, including domestic assaults involving knives and gang attacks, in London in the 12 months of 2016. The statistics, obtained by the Standard under Freedom of Information rules, show the total number of knife crimes rose by 17 per cent last year compared to 2015 when there were 59 deaths, 1,089 serious injuries and 18,202 less serious offences. Last year, 4,316 people were threatened or injured with a knife or other sharp instrument compared with 3,846 in 2015, a 12 per cent increase. Justice Minister Sam Gyimah said: Knife crime ruins lives and devastates communities, and those who carry blades should feel the full force of the law. These figures show that those convicted of knife crime are more likely than ever to go to prison, and for longer." W omen are more likely to eat salad than chips if they are dining with an attractive man, scientists have revealed. A study has suggested that women have less desire to eat unhealthy food when in the company of a handsome man and instead opt for low-calorie meals. But men will splash out on extravagant food and drink when with an attractive woman in an attempt to boost their status, scientists said. The studys author Tobias Otterbring, from Aarhus University in Denmark, told The Times: "This research reveals how, why, and when appearance-induced mate attraction leads to sex-specific consumption preferences for various foods and beverages. "The most valued characteristics men seek in a female mate are beauty and health, whereas status and wealth are the top priorities for women." The study was published in the consumer research journal Food Quality and Preference. It carried out five experiments around "mate attraction" and found that food preference was only affected when the person was with someone of the opposite sex. If they dined with an attractive person of the same sex, their habits did not change. T housands of people were charged with stealing food in London last year in what a food bank expert has warned is a criminalisation of the hungry. Hounslow was the London borough with the highest number of people charged with stealing food in 2016, figures from the Met Police show. The borough was closely followed by Camden, Tower Hamlets, Brent, Southwark and Greenwich - all which saw high numbers of people charged with food theft. Ray Woolford, who founded the first food bank in Lewisham and has since written the book Food Bank Britain, said many of those who have been criminalised for stealing food only did so in order to survive. The cost of jailing people and putting them through the courts is incredible, he told the Standard. These are people who instead should be helped." Mr Woolford, who lives in south London, added that many of the people charged had been caught rooting through supermarket bins. I was hearing more and more stories of people being arrested," he said. A Trussell Trust food bank in St Paul's Church in Brixton in 2012. / Getty Images What I found was this was not just people going into supermarkets and stealing food off the shelves, these were people who were taking out-of-date food from the supermarket bins. Food that the supermarkets would have to pay to take from the supermarket to the waste site. It makes no economic sense at all to prosecute these people. He added: I still feel it is shameful we still havent tackled food waste. We need a bigger debate about what we can do with waste food. We are creating a society where people are throwing food into the bin and people being obsessed about people taking it, its crazy. 147 people were charged with stealing food in Hounslow last year the highest in any borough in London. Barking and Dagenham, Bromley, Croydon, Ealing, Islington and Lambeth all had more than 100 cases of people criminalised for food theft, while Kingston Upon Thames had the fewest at 36. The figures, which come from a Freedom of Information request, show the total across London was 2,823. T he family of a web developer who died in hospital 24 hours after being detained by police spoke today of their grief and desperate wait for answers. Joseph Phuong, 32, who had a history of mental health issues, was picked up in the early hours by officers investigating a reported break-in near his home. He was taken to a mental health unit and then a hospital, where he was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer. He was taken to a police station and to hospital again, where he had a suspected cardiac arrest. Mr Phuongs family say their distress at his death, more than 18 months ago, has been deepened by delays in the investigation. They spoke out after his inquest was postponed to September. Mr Phuongs mother, Tu Tran Phuong, said: Joseph was such a handsome, generous son and he passed away so quickly I didnt get to see him. I miss him every day, my heart is broken. Post-mortem examinations proved inconclusive and an inquest is now due to be heard over two weeks at the Royal Courts of Justice on September 12. Nancy Collins, a civil liberties lawyer at Hodge, Jones & Allen who specialises in deaths in custody, said the family are desperate to establish all the details around Mr Phuongs death. The family have found the inquest process incredibly difficult and are deeply distressed by this further delay, Ms Collins said. The Standard understands Mr Phuong had a psychotic episode on the night of his arrest in 2015 and was knocking on neighbours front doors in an attempt to find his mothers house in Twickenham. Residents called police to what they believed was an attempted break-in at 1.49am on June 4. The Met said Mr Phuong was detained under the Mental Health Act and taken to a psychiatric unit for assessment before being transferred to a hospital in south London. He was arrested in hospital on suspicion of assaulting a police officer and taken to Kingston police station. After being assessed by mental health workers, he was held under Section 2 of the Mental Health Act and admitted to Springfield Hospital in Tooting at about 12am. In the early hours of the next day he had a cardiac arrest, according to a report by London Ambulance Service. He was taken by ambulance to St Georges Hospital in Tooting, where he was pronounced dead at 5.45am. The Independent Police Complaints Commission investigated police contact with Mr Phuong prior to his death. Last May, it found no officers had a case to answer for misconduct. Its report will be considered for publication after the inquest. The Met said the IPCC concluded officers interacted correctly with Mr Phuong. No officer was restricted or suspended during the investigation. Mr Phuongs family were updated by the [Met] throughout the process and were passed the IPCC report. Deborah Coles, director of the charity Inquest, which supports families after a death in state detention or care, said: This family had expected the inquest to begin shortly. This further delay places an intolerable strain on them. H ordes of hungry Londoners have lined the streets of Chinatown to be the first to try a tasty waffle dessert from a trendy new eatery in Soho. Foodies queued up to get their hands on a sweet egg waffle cone from the newly opened Bubblewrap store on Wardour Street on Thursday afternoon. The giant bubble shaped treats were previously being sold at a pop-up stall on Berwick Street every Saturday. But a new permanent premises was launched on Wednesday with Bubblewrap offering a two-for-one deal on waffles purchased within the first two weeks. Your new favourite pudding: the Bubblewrap waffle cone Excited waffle fans waited for up to an hour to get their hands on one of the Instragrammable desserts with the queue snaking all the way down Wardour Street. Lifestyle blogger, Jaime Tung, 33, told the Standard: We waited for about 40 minutes, but it was worth it. I was really excited to see these bubble waffles in London. It's a popular Cantonese snack I used to have as a child while visiting my grandparents in Hong Kong, so it brought back some wonderful memories. Sweet treat: Londoners queue up to get their hands on one of the tasty desserts It's typically served plain, so this version loaded with gelato and toppings was different, but very delicious. "The waffle itself was cooked to the perfection: slightly crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. I'd love to try the matcha and cocoa variations next. Those who were among the first to try out the new vendor took to social media to express their delight. Customers can choose from three flavours of waffle plain, cocoa and matcha - six varieties of gelato, fourteen toppings and nine sauces. The popular street snack first appeared in Hong Kong in the 1950s to avoid wasting broken eggs that could not be sold to customers. Stall holders created an egg-shaped iron machine and blended the broken eggs with milk and flour to create a batter for the delicious waffles. I slington has become the first town hall in London to urge Sadiq Khan to ban diesel vehicles from the capitals roads. The Labour-run borough called on the Mayor to join Paris, Madrid and Mexico City in getting rid of the most polluting vehicles within a decade. It has backed his plans for a 10 T-charge on the most polluting vehicles in central London from October and the early expansion of the Ultra Low Emissions Zone. But the north London borough urged him to go further. Islingtons environment spokeswoman, councillor Claudia Webbe, said: A blanket ban in the capital on all diesel vehicles would have a dramatic impact on air quality for the millions of us who work and live in London. A spokesman for the Mayor said: The Mayor is delivering hard-hitting measures to rid London of the dirtiest diesel long before 2025, the most ambitious of any world city. The Mayor has been clear that nothing is off the table he is using all of the tools available to him to tackle this public health emergency now, but the Government needs to step up to the mark and introduce a diesel scrappage fund. L ondons EU nationals have branded Brexit unfeasible and dangerous for the capitals economy after Pret A Manger revealed just one in 50 job applicants to the chain are British. The hugely popular sandwich brand could face a major staffing crisis when Britain leaves the EU, HR chief Andrea Wareham told a government committee. Staff at the high-street chain are made up of 110 different nationalities, with 65 per cent of those from outside the UK being EU citizens, she said last night. I would say that one in 50 people that apply to our company to work is British, she told the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee. Customer Maria Henriquez, 38, told the Standard said Brexit would be dangerous for the capitals hospitality industry. 'Not feasible': Maria Henriquez, 38, spoke out against Brexit amid Pret A Manger's staffing crisis claims / ES She said: Its completely unfeasible if they start to stop people working and say they cant stay here. It doesnt make economic sense to enforce people to leave, or not to allow them in, so many businesses will lose staff and revenue. The merchandiser, who works for H&M, added: Around 80 per cent of my workmates are EU nationals, my company is Swedish. It just would not make sense. Greek national and mother-of-two Nana Varveropoulou, 40, said: Its very worrying. I dont think they would ask me to leave, my children have British passports but it makes you feel very unwelcome. 'Very worrying': Nana Varveropoulou, 40, moved to London from Greece / ES You go into so many places and a lot of the staff are EU nationals, from France, from Spain, Im not sure places could cope without the staff. People come over here and they work hard to support the economy. Karolina, a Polish national, who has lived in London for six years said the situation was concerning. She added: I knew a lot of staff in Pret were EU nationals but not that many, I will come more often to support them. However, others claimed the chain should work to attract British applicants. 'Attract Britons': Anthony Binney 43, called on Pret to attract British staff / ES Anthony Binney, 43, who works in property said: Why not take on British people? Pret has been here around 20 years and its always been like that. Weve got British nationals who need jobs. Pret a Manger Brexit crisis Natasha, from Northern Ireland, who lives in west London, added: Its a controversial topic. I do think that if I have paid money into education and paid into the country then those people should be entitled to a job first. I dont think anyone should be sent away but I understand it is a small island and resources are limited. Pret A Manager has had to defend its use of foreign workers in the past. In 2011, the company was at the centre of a row with then Employment Minister Chris Grayling, who said it was unacceptable for fast-food chains to employ foreign staff at a time when unemployment in Britain had reached a 17-year high. Pret responded by saying people of all nationalities were welcome to apply, and that in some stores, particularly in London, more non-UK born workers applied for jobs compared to British workers. A ward-winning actor Sir Derek Jacobi, who starred in I, Claudius, entered into a civil partnership with fellow actor Richard Clifford in 2006. But now Sir Dereks partner of 40 years, who also appears in Netflix drama The Crown, tells me it is unfair that the same rights of heterosexuals dont apply to same-sex couples, particularly when it comes to the honours system. Im not Lady, Im not Lord, Im not Sir but we should call it something different because it is different, like Esquire, says Clifford. Were Sir Derek married to a woman, his spouse would get the title Lady Jacobi. Esquire is used to signify someone above a gentleman but below a knight in social rank. I decided with a friend in America that we dont want any of the male-female-type things, adds Clifford. So we thought Esquire would be rather good. Its not in law but it would be great if it was, Clifford announced at the St Martin-in-the-Fields gala dinner and auction of Alexander Newley portraits, which was also attended by Dame Judi Dench and her conservationist partner David Mills. Sir Elton Johns husband David Furnish has also called for the same- sex enoblements. I am for 100 per cent equality, Furnish said last year. The reality is, if a woman is married to a man with a title, she gets a title. Everybody should have the same opportunities and privileges and the same honours. Sir Derek and Richard Clifford Esq are hoping to marry this year. Meanwhile, David Mills is happy to be referred to as Mr Dench. ----- Also at the party was a very glamourous-looking woman called Jo, who introduced herself.You look very important, are you involved in organising the party? The Londoner asked. Im married to the vicar, Jo said her husband Sam is the vicar at St Martin-in-the-Fields. You look too sexy to be a vicars wife, to which she replied: Im a bishop. The woman in question was Jo Bailey Wells, Bishop of Dorking. Champneys owner cuts a good figure Getty Images Statuesque figures crowded into artist Shenda Amerys Chelsea studio last night for the unveiling of a new bust. Amery has sculpted John Major and Margaret Thatcher her latest subject is Dorothy Purdew, owner of Champneys spas. Guests included Charlie Brooks, hubby of News UKs Rebekah, who helped Champneys set up sub-zero kriotherapy units. He snuck off early with Dorothys son, Stephen. Lady Colin Campbell, author of Diana in Private, was also there. What does she make of Paul Burrell and his impending gay marriage? She sniffed: I deal with above stairs, not below stairs. I was brought up in a world with clear lines of delineation, and staff off bounds. ----- Quote of the day: Theyre cheaper than us, for one thing. And they think theyre better trained Actor Samuel L Jackson has a theory about why black British actors get picked before Americans in Hollywood. ----- Women finally have their day at Wiltons Dave Benett/Getty Images Revolutionary stuff at Wiltons, once the haunt of stuffy St Jamess gents. It looked perky yesterday not only was the back dining room full of women, for an International Womens Day lunch, the waitresses hitherto noted for pastel-green nursemaid uniforms are now in chic, black outfits. Speeches at the lunch were led by former Lord Speaker Frances DSouza and CNNs Christiane Amanpour, on the success of the Marefat School in Kabul that Lady DSouza co-founded. Guests included writer Fatima Bhutto and actress Alison Sudol, star of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I dont think Wiltons has ever seen so many women darken its doors in its 275 years, noted one attendee. ----- Camilla's X-file Getty Images Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, welcomed actress Gillian Anderson, The Southbank Centres Jude Kelly, Sarah Brown and Cherie Blair to Buckingham Palace yesterday to launch this weeks Women of the World festival. Everyone was thrilled to receive the invitation, but some paused on seeing the dress code: lounge suits. Journalist Rachel Johnson turned up in her closest bet, lederhosen, a tribute to Theresa May, she joked. Putting the International into International Womens Day. Threes a Donmar crowd Dave Benett/Getty Images The three surviving members of the Gang of Four David Owen, Shirley Williams and Bill Rodgers sat together to see themselves portrayed on the Donmar stage at the opening of Limehouse last night. Lord Owen once Labours Foreign Secretary, comes across as the angry driving force of the Social Democratic Party. Were all caricatures in a way in this play and yes, I was angry angry with the Labour Party, Owen told us after the show hed dug out his old SDP tie for the night. But it has been done brilliantly. The other character on stage is Davids wife Debra Owen, a literary agent. It brought back many memories, she said. She is seen in the play taking notes and then typing up what became the Limehouse Declaration in January 1981. All correct, and it was very useful that I had been to secretarial college in New York, said the American-born agent. Behind every great man... ----- I love it when Tim Farron gets a question in the House. Its like when Tiny Tim gets Christmas from Mr Scrooge in the Muppet film. Sky News Mollie Goodfellow was thrilled with the Lib-Dem leaders moment in the spotlight yesterday. ----- Cat in a box sprinkles some good luck Leave it to Gladstone, the Treasury cat named after the former Chancellor and four-time PM, to mark Budget Day in style. Apparently this is actually quite an important box, the cat tweeted ahead of the announcement, presumably with human help. Ive been using it as a litter tray! ----- Nickname of the day: Nick Robinson accidentally called Philip Hammond Spreadshit Phil on the Today programme. The Chancellor will be hoping that doesnt stick. Follow The Londoner on Twitter and Facebook here. T heresa May refused to rule out a Budget retreat over tax hikes today - as Chancellor Philip Hammond faced a growing Tory mutiny. Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith became the most senior figure to publicly demand a rethink of the raid on 2.5 million self-employed people, while a former party chairman branded the Budget a dogs dinner With a clamour growing, the Prime Ministers spokesman defended the overall package as designed to address an unfairness. But he four times ducked questions from reporters about whether No 10 would rule out any watering down of the National Insurance rise. Mr Duncan Smith, a Cabinet member until last year, was clear. I would like to see this kept under review so we can have a chance to reflect and make adjustments, said the former Work and Pensions Secretary. More than a dozen backbenchers had broken ranks by mid-morning to urge the Chancellor to give a concession on the 2 billion raid. Mr Hammond woke to the worst Budget headlines since the toxic omnishambles Budget of 2012, with newspapers uniformly accusing him of a flagrant breach of the Conservatives 2015 general election manifesto. Philip Hammond defends his maiden Budget He put on a brave face in a morning media round, saying the self-employed would make a fair contribution to public services, and insisting the increase was for Brexit and to fund social care. But he gave a hint that he might have to appease MPs, telling one interviewer: Of course, Im always prepared to listen to backbenchers. Lord Tebbit, the former Conservative chairman, told the Evening Standard: Its a bit of a dogs dinner. I think we need to encourage people to be self-employed rather than discourage them. I dont mind dealing with rich lawyers or wealthy people who take their pay through fake companies to avoid tax. But the local plumber is not in either category. The peer said the charge of breaking the manifesto was not the main issue. They have got a reasonable defence if they say a lot has happened since the general election. I wouldnt altogether buy it, but it is a reasonable defence. The main issue is are we doing enough to get back into the black? The answer is probably No. We are still getting deeper and deeper into debt. Bob Neill, co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group for London, suggested that a U-turn should be considered, saying: I think we just need to keep this under review. He said a rebellion was certainly possible, adding: People want a lot more clarity. Mr Neill, MP for Bromley & Chislehurst, said the Budget was a curates egg and stressed it included good stuff on business rates and devolution for London. Bob Blackman, MP for Harrow West, said: We have all got a concern that we are going to be hitting people who take the risk of running their own business. Equally, there is a concern that this will hit home shortly before we ask people for their votes in the next general election. Tory MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan was blunt, saying: We need to halt this particular decision now. Tom Tugendhat called for a re-think while Jacob Rees-Mogg said the Chancellor should be very cautious. Mr Hammond was treated warmly by members of the 1922 executive, the shop stewards of Tory MPs, at a private meeting in the Commons last night. But one member, James Cleverly, fired a warning shot that MPs could not be expected to defend the hikes now if there was going to be a humiliating U-turn later. Budget 2017: Seven key points Asked if he would reconsider the NI rise, Mr Hammond told BBC Breakfast: We think its a reasonable way to go forward. But todays front pages were relentlessly critical. The Telegraph declared: Tories Break Tax Vow. The Sun branded the Chancellor Spite Van Man. The Daily Mail showed images of Mr Hammond and Theresa May laughing in the Commons, with the headline: No Laughing Matter. One minister was quoted by the BBC saying: We are shooting our own people. There was silence early this morning from 10 Downing Street as Mrs May headed for a European summit. However, some Tory officials were aghast that the partys manifesto integrity had been compromised for a paltry 145 million, the net rise in National Insurance Contributions (NICs). The changes will cost 240 a year to 2.5 million self-employed workers. The manifesto had pledged no increases in VAT, National Insurance Contributions or income tax. Speaking in Dudley, Mr Hammond declined to rule out future tax rises. He defended the NICs rise saying circumstances had moved on since the 2015 election. We are now facing the challenge of leaving the European Union, of building a global Britain to exploit the opportunities in the future that this country can enjoy, and we need to invest to do that, he said. Ive had to ask the self-employed to pay a little bit more National Insurance in order to make a fair contribution for the services that they receive from Government. He denied that an increase from nine per cent to 11 per cent in Class 4 NICs for the self-employed was a breach of the manifesto pledge, arguing that laws passed since the election had made clear the pledge only applied to Class 1 NICs. Asked whether more tax rises were in the pipeline, Mr Hammond said: No Chancellor is ever prepared to rule out the possibility of future tax increases. No Conservative likes to increase tax, but we also have to pay for our public services. T heresa May has defended the controversial National Insurance hike for the self-employed insisting it will make the system fairer for all workers. The Prime Minister said the changes outlined in Wednesdays budget would close the gap between employees and self-employed workers. The Government faced an immediate backlash after Chancellor Philip Hammond announced the planned rises to National Insurance contributions (NICs), which are expected to hit almost 2.5 million people. Mrs Mays own MPs have voiced their concerns and Labour accused the Government of breaking a Conservative party manifesto pledge from 2015 in which the Tories promised not to raise NICs. The PM arrives at a press conference in Brussels / AP But ministers including the Prime Minister and the Chancellor have stressed that the legislation for that manifesto promise only extended to employees NICs. At a press conference in Brussels, Mrs May said: This is a change that leaves lower-paid self-employed workers better off, it's accompanied by more rights and protections for self-employed workers and it reforms the system of National Insurance to make it simpler, to make if fairer and to make it more progressive." The Prime Minister said the changes to National Insurance would not be in the Finance Bill, but contained in separate legislation. "What we will do this summer is publish a paper which will explain the full effects of the changes," she said. That will contain details about the reforms to National Insurance Contributions (NICs) "along with some changes we plan to make on rights and protections for self-employed workers, including on issues like pension rights and parental rights and maternity pay". She added: "The Chancellor will be speaking, as will his ministers, to MPs, business people and others to listen to the concerns." Mrs May said the difficult decisions in the Budget had allowed the Government to fund a new approach to technical education, open more than 100 new free schools and invest in social care, while investing in the long-term productivity of the economy and maintaining a commitment to balance the countrys books. The PM was speaking at a press conference at the European Council summit in Brussels, believed to be her last before she triggers Article 50 to start the process of exiting the European Union. Mrs May signalled that she would fight against any EU demands for a Brexit divorce bill which could potentially run to tens of billions of pounds. Mrs May indicated that Britain will argue against any suggestion that it must agree a divorce settlement before negotiations on a new trade deal can begin. She will maintain that Article 50 of the EU treaties states that both should be carried out at the same time. F acebook has thrown down the gauntlet to Snapchat by launching its own temporary messaging service. Messenger Day will allow users of Facebooks instant messaging service to post pictures and videos for friends to view before they are automatically deleted after 24 hours, similar to Snapchat Stories. Messenger product manager Tony Leach said: The visual status format has definitely evolved as a new way to express yourself. Snapchat and others have proved that its a good model. He said users do not always want pictures and videos to hang around forever. The launch could deal a major blow to Snapchat, just a week after its $24 billion IPO. Critics warned that Snap Inc, the parent company of Snapchat, faced competition from the likes of Facebook, which tried and failed to buy it for $3 billion in 2013. The launch of Instagram Stories last year is thought to have contributed to Snapchats slowing growth in the third quarter, which was revealed in its IPO documents. Instagram is also owned by Facebook, as is popular internet texting service WhatsApp. Mark Zuckerberg said last year that while text is the main way we communicate on social media apps, we believe a camera will be the main way that we share. Facebook has trialled the service in several countries, including Poland and Australia. There are no plans yet for advertising on the platform, but Leach said: I wouldnt rule it out in the future. W ikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has said he will work with technology companies to help defend them against CIA hacking tools outlined in the organisations latest leak. He said WikiLeaks would publish more confidential documents on the spy agency once a "key attack code" has been disarmed. Speaking at an online press conference from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, he said: "We have decided to work with them, to give them some exclusive access to some of the technical details we have." He said some of the firms have already put counter measures in place, but others want more information. The whistleblowing organisation, which previously refrained from publishing details of the US spy agencys covert hacking programme, began posting a leak of CIA secrets on Tuesday. "WikiLeaks has a lot more information on what has been going on with the cyber weapons programme," he said. It is understood former Ukip leader Nigel Farage spent over half-an-hour inside the embassy just before the press conference started. Samsung has said it is "urgently" investigating claims from WikiLeaks that intelligence agencies have used the firm's smart TVs as part of tools to spy on users. The whistle-blowing website published thousands of documents it claims reveal the various hacking tools used by the CIA in the US, including techniques which target various consumer software including Windows, Google's Android and Apple's iOS. WikiLeaks said software was developed to turn Samsung smart TVs into listening devices, a project codenamed Weeping Angel which the report claims also included input from the UK's MI5. Mr Assange has been living inside the embassy for more than four years after being granted political asylum by the Ecuador government. He is wanted for questioning in Sweden over a sex allegation, which he denies, but faces extradition to the United States if he leaves the embassy. A n anti-radicalisation campaigner today said the fight against global extremism starts at home. Saleha Jaffer, elected as Lambeths mayor last year, founded Families Against Stress and Trauma, or Fast, 10 years ago to help vulnerable people. She called the radicalisation of London student Mohammed Emwazi, who became the Islamic State executioner known as Jihadi John, a wake-up call for parents. Now every parent wants to safeguard their child, she said. Recently, more than 20 people took part in a workshop at Jean Stokes Community Centre in Islington as part of the Families Matter campaign, for those who fear their loved ones could be targeted by extremists. Mrs Jaffer said: We gave birth to those people dont blame others. It starts at home and how you communicate with your children. Talk to them and become their friends so that if anything happens in their life they can come and tell you as they have that trust. Last week, the Henry Jackson Society revealed that almost half of the 253 people convicted of terrorist offences in Britain between 1998 and 2015 were from the capital. Home Secretary Amber Rudd will unveil an updated counter-terrorism strategy this month. A widow is at war with her stepsons claiming they are trying to cut her out of her late husbands fortune. Ailsa Williamson Powell, 75, was left half of husband Davids 250,000 estate when he died aged 84 in 2012 after a battle with Parkinsons disease. Farm manager Mr Powell split the other half between the sons from his first marriage, Richard and Jonathan, in a final will signed in 2009. However, Richard, 54, a financial advi- ser from Wandsworth, and Jonathan, 55, who lives in the US, now claim their father was too ill from Parkinsons to understand the changes to his will. The brothers argue that their stepmother is entitled to just 2,000 from their late fathers fortune and claim that she was the driving force behind his will changes. Judge Marc Dight, hearing the case at Central London county court, warned that the acrimonious family feud was uneconomical, as lawyers bills are likely to reach 200,000 wiping out much of the disputed inheritance. Her stepsons Richard, left, and Jonathan outside court (Paul Keogh ) / Paul Keogh Mark Dencer, representing the widow, said it was inexplicable that the brothers have taken the case to court. This is not a case of genuine concerns reasonably maintained but of attempted self-enrichment should the widow lack the stomach or means to fight, he added. Mr Powell married his second wife in the village of Bridge, near Canterbury. His first will, signed soon after the wedding, left his sons the bulk of his estate, with only 2,000 for his new wife. But he made a second one in 2008, splitting the estate three ways, and then another in 2009, giving half to his wife, a quarter each to his sons and small gifts to a church, a Parkinsons charity and his grandchildren. Noel Dilworth, for the brothers, argued that there was nothing to prompt the third will, 18 months after the second, which increased his wifes share of the money. It is clear that it was Mrs Williamson Powell who had driven the process for revision of the will in 2009, he said. Mr Powells solicitor had recorded that the motive for changing the will was his wifes suggestion of increasing her share because she was spending a great deal of time and effort in look- ing after him, said Mr Dilworth. He also highlighted a 5,000 gift made to Mrs Williamson Powells church, saying it was odd as Mr Powell was not religious. However, Mr Dencer told the court there was nothing unusual in the 2009 will, which he said reflects how affection, bonds and obligations deepen over time. In her evidence, Mrs Williamson Powell, a former Kent and Canterbury Hospital orthoptist, said the new will was nothing to do with me it was Davids decision. She went on: He was able to concentrate on what he wanted to. He could read his magazines, his papers, and so on. He was perfectly able to understand his own affairs. The hearing continues. A couple have been rescued off Australias south-eastern coast after their yachts rudder snapped in gale-force winds and waves the size of buildings. Irishman Nick Dwyer, 55, and Barbara Heftman, 44, who is French, said they were looking death in the eye as their 40-foot boat repeatedly capsized and the sail tore off on their voyage from New Zealand to Australia. They managed to activate an emergency beacon on Tuesday, after three days without a rudder, and made contact with the Australian authorities. New South Wales Police said it took their rescue boat more than 13 hours to reach the couple in treacherous conditions and found them about 230 miles east of Sydney. Rescued: Nick Dwyer and Barbara Heftman / AP We owe them our lives, said Mr Dwyer, after the couple, who were o a circumnavigation of the globe, landed on Sydney Harbour last night. The yacht, their home for seven years, was abandoned. F ive people have been wounded after an axe-wielding attacker went on a rampage in Dusseldorf train station in Germany. Police said one suspect has been arrested following the attack, but it is not known whether more attackers are on the run. Swarms of anti-terror police sealed off the German city's main train station following the attack at around 9pm (8pm UK time). Around five people were injured but it is not known how serious their injuries are. Outside the main railway station in Dusseldorf. / Getty Images Police spokesman Rainer Kerstiens initially said more suspected attackers were believed to be on the run and officers are continuing to search the station. The man who was arrested was also hurt, Dusseldorf police spokewoman Anja Kynast said. Police and emergency workers stand outside the main railway station. / Getty Images Photos on social media show a person lying on the floor as police tape and officers cordon off part of the stations. A video recorded from the station concourse shows what appears to be blood on the ground. Armed police: Officers descend on Dusseldorf station following the attack. / Getty Images Witnesses described how the station was evacuated during the attack. A worker at the station told German newspaper Bild that a man jumped off a train before attacking people. Station: Hoards of emergency workers swarmed to the scene. / Getty Images They said: "We were standing on the track, waiting for the train. The train came, and suddenly someone jumped out with an axe, hit the people. The railway station was flooded with police. / Getty Images "There was blood everywhere." Another witness, Bruno Macedo tweeted: "Stay away from Dusseldorf train station crazy man with axe on the lose [sic]." He added: "I am in the train, things look bad." Trains were reportedly not stopping at the station while the attack took place. News reporter Fidelius Schmid from Der Spiegel newspaper said helicopters were circulating overhead and people were crying. At around 8.30pm, around half an hour after the attack began, he said the station was calmer. It is not yet clear what the motive for the attack is and police have released no details as to the suspect's identity. Press and media record officials at the scene of the axe attack. / Getty Images The Bild reported that Dusseldorf mayor, Thomas Geisel, also attended the scene and said: "This is a heavy blow for Dusseldorf. Many eyewitnesses are in shock. "I am here to thank the police and the rescue team. "My thoughts are with the victims and relatives." Germany's chief of staff of the Chancellery, Peter Altmaier, tweeted: "What happened at the Dusseldorf Central Station: our sympathy and our thoughts are with the innocent injured." Germany suffered a terror attack in Berlin in December last year when a lorry ploughed into a Christmas market, killing 12 and injuring 56. T he state of Hawaii has become the first to launch legal action to stop US President Donald Trump's revised travel ban. Attorneys for the state filed the lawsuit in federal court in Honolulu. The state had previously sued over Mr Trump's initial travel ban, but that lawsuit was put on hold while other cases played out across the country. Hawaii gave notice on Tuesday night that it intended to file an amended lawsuit to cover the new ban, which is set to come into force on March 16. The revised executive order bars new visas for people from six predominantly Muslim countries and temporarily shuts down the US refugee programme. It does not apply to travellers who already have visas. Hawaii's lawsuit says the order will harm the state's Muslim population, tourism and foreign students. "Hawaii is special in that it has always been non-discriminatory in both its history and constitution," Attorney General Doug Chin said. "Twenty percent of the people are foreign-born, 100,000 are non-citizens and 20% of the labour force is foreign-born." The move came after a federal judge in Honolulu said earlier that Hawaii could move forward with the lawsuit. US District Judge Derrick Watson granted the state's request to continue with the case and set a hearing for March 15 - the day before Mr Trump's order is due to come into effect. The US Department of Justice declined to comment on the pending litigation. The state will argue at the March 15 hearing that the judge should impose a temporary restraining order preventing the ban from taking effect until the lawsuit has been resolved. Hawaii's complaint says it is suing to protect its residents, businesses and schools, as well as its "sovereignty against illegal actions of President Donald J Trump and the federal government". The order affects people from Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Libya. Imam Ismail Elshikh of the Muslim Association of Hawaii, a plaintiff in the state's challenge, says the ban will prevent his Syrian mother-in-law from visiting. Mr Trump's executive order "inflicts a grave injury on Muslims in Hawaii, including Dr Elshikh, his family, and members of his mosque," Hawaii's complaint says. A federal judge in Seattle issued a temporary restraining order halting the initial ban after Washington state and Minnesota sued. The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals refused to reinstate the order. Reporting by AP I n the bright early spring sunshine, tourists and pilgrims pour into the Old City of Jerusalem, sacred to three religions. At weekends, they visit by the hundred thousand. The visitors are returning in numbers because of a remarkable turnaround in security this year. After a spate of stabbings and shootings over the past 18 months in Israel, the number of terrorist killings has fallen dramatically. Since October 2015, a total of 277 stabbings and 139 terrorist shootings were recorded across Israel. They left 46 dead and a further 676 wounded. Police say they arrested 172 suspects, and killed 206 alleged perpetrators. It is safer now because there is generally much greater awareness by everyone, says Superintendent Micky Rosenfeld, who has done much to develop the new phase of police counter-terror tactics. London-born, he came to Israel at 15 and has served in elite military units as well as the police. He has recently consulted colleagues in the FBI and in Londons Met on keeping cities safe. The attackers appeared to be coming into Jerusalem from nearby Israeli-Arab communities or from the West Bank, he explains. Holy city: Jerusalem / Shutterstock / ESB Professional They appear to have been acting alone, and not as part of a terrorist cell. They appear to have got their ideas and motivation from chats on social media. Accordingly, officers now monitor Twitter and popular apps for clues. Once we get intelligence, it goes direct to the police or military unit on the ground which doesnt happen in other forces. Most of Supt Rosenfelds officers are out walking the Oshkosh and alleys of the Old City, and not waiting for orders in barracks. They have back-up from a steady flow of young soldiers who are brought in by their units for ceremonies or sight-seeing. The worst spate of suicide bombings, on buses and streets, took place more than a dozen years ago. Mazes of concrete barriers were built on the approaches to Jerusalem and other major cities. Special forces, such as Yamam, Israels SAS, went on the offensive to destroy bomb-making factories and hideouts, most in the territories belonging to the Palestinian Authority on the West Bank. Four nights ago, special forces shot a man at a house outside Ramallah after they came under fire. An automatic weapon and M16 carbine were found at the scene, according to Mr Rosenfeld. However, the superintendent, who served in the Yamam himself, says responses have to be proportionate. If an attacker starts wielding an axe or a knife from say 20 yards off... lethal force shouldnt be used. Only if the attacker is in close for the kill can a police officer shoot back to kill. With more than a million visitors expected for various holidays between now and Easter, the new security mood seems to be working. But a fresh source of worry is the number of foreign fighters now quitting Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Several thousand are thought to be heading for Europe several hundred to Britain alone, according to Israeli intelligence sources. More worrying for Israel are the IS militants from Arab countries, who could become lone wolf attackers in their regional neighbourhood. A Catholic high school in the US has sparked outcry after its dress code appeared to ban some kinds of prom dresses on certain body types. The school in Illinois released an extensive guide for its female students warning that some dresses were acceptable on some body shapes but not others. Students at Boylan Catholic High School, whose prom is due to be held in May, have hit out at the rules which they claim are body-shaming young women. The schools guidelines include 15 slides of dress code information for female students with illustrations of acceptable and non-acceptable dresses including on necklines, the back and cut-outs. The online guide, which was released in mid-January, has just two pages dedicated to the boys dress code. It reads: Some girls may wear the same dress, but due to body types one dress may be acceptable while the other is not. If you are unsure about your dress, please show a picture of you in your dress and we will gladly let you know if it is approved. A Twitter account has since been set up demanding the school to allow an alternative prom run by pupils while students at other schools have reported similar dress codes. The account, called Boylan Morp, has published tweets reading: Wear what you want to prom! No body shaming ova [sic] here! One student, Alex Symonds, told CNN one of her peers said to the teacher: Thats body-shaming. She added: All the girls immediately booed the teacher, which was really awful. President of the private Catholic school, Amy Ott, told CNN the dress code is not new and said the school adheres to teaching their students moral values which include modesty. Where is everybody? Thats the question I had after I arrived at the Underground residency on Allen Street on a Friday evening. The residency, which started in mid-January, is a temporary restaurant from Underground Food Collective, which also runs the popular Forequarter and Underground Butcher. It also had the well-regarded Underground Kitchen, which was lost to a fire in 2011. The current Allen Street operation will last until the end of March, or maybe slightly longer, so hurry over. Oh, and be mindful of its limited hours: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Jonny Hunter, co-founder of the collective, said the Allen Street building, which formerly housed a coffee shop, will be remodeled by the landlord and then Underground will open something more permanent in its place. The residency provides a preview of that. When youre not opening a concept, youre doing a pop-up or residency, you get to try out ideas, right? Hunter said. This is us trying out concepts for there, and I think we are pretty happy with the response... So, I think some of the things we will definitely see there, maybe just ramp it up a little bit more. Hes thrilled with chef Jon Churan, whos been with Underground for three years, and is running the kitchen. The menu is small, simple, and full of comfort foods anyone can relate to, even children. Its certainly no Forequarter West. The restaurant has counter service, with customers picking up their own utensils, water and glasses at a table out front, and cooks bringing the food out. Most things we had were fantastic, but there were a few notable misses. What was really missing were other people. Is it because the spot isnt on a main drag, tucked off Regent Street? Is it because it doesnt serve alcohol? Has word been slow to get out? We had the best luck with entrees, particularly the super-moist whitefish ($10), sauteed with an amazing Italian salsa verde. The same salsa also made a chorizo link ($9) extra delicious. Meatballs (five for $10), a combination of pork and beef, are dense, and come in either a spicy red pepper sauce or a tomato sauce. The former was excellent, with spicy chunks of red bell pepper. Mushrooms are the star of the lone vegetarian entree ($9). They are paired with a creamy polenta, and mixed with sauteed kale and Pleasant Ridge Reserve, an Alpine-style cheese like Gruyere, from Uplands Cheese Co. in Dodgeville. The oyster and shiitake mushrooms were big and meaty, and the other ingredients played well with them. Also worthwhile was an order of nicely browned pierogi ($5), filled with squash and the same Pleasant Ridge Reserve, and served with a pile of helpful onion jam. I enjoyed the thick slices of Undergrounds homemade bread ($2) and butter. I found it remarkably light for whole wheat, but others at my table found it dull. The sides we ordered, however, were disappointments. A bowl of roasted potatoes ($5), supposedly smoked, didnt taste smoked, and lacked seasoning. The buttered noodles ($5) were homemade light-wheat shells, but plain. A little salt helped. You can order the green sauce on the side for $3, and that might be the way to go with the potatoes or noodles. A bowl of carrots and celery root ($7), roasted with Meyer lemon a lemon that tastes of mandarin orange were similarly uninteresting, although the lemon helped. The celery root could have been cooked longer, and some of the carrots had raw centers, but were otherwise nicely charred. Meyer lemon was also used in the marmalade that topped the buttermilk pie ($6). The pie had a crumbly crust and a soft interior. It was worth ordering, but if you want something simpler and cheaper, there are thin, excellent chocolate chip cookies ($2). Another thing to like about the Underground residency are the homemade soda choices, which an employee let us try before we committed. A taste was enough for the celery soda, but I admire the idea. The ginger soda was incredible. The environment is casual, with two long, narrow, communal-type picnic tables and three other tables. There are two counters with colorful stools in the room where you order. The washrooms dont have genders, but are just each labeled resident. West Side friends bemoan how most good restaurants in Madison are Downtown or Near East, and here, Underground brings a great option to the Near West Side, and people dont go. There was only one couple in the restaurant when we got there at 6:30, and until 8:30 p.m., we were the only other customers. A few people came in to get food to go, and they do more business that way, Hunter said. The website is set up well for carry-out. The restaurant doesnt take reservations, so I was initially worried we would have to wait a long time for a table, when the opposite was true. Hunter, when I talked to him, didnt sound discouraged, so I hope the collective follows through on its plan of setting up a more permanent shop. The Near West Side needs something like this, now it just needs to support it. A n Egyptian who is believed to be the worlds heaviest woman has shed 15 stone (100kg) after undergoing weight loss surgery in India. Eman Ahmed Abd El Aty weighed 78 stone (500kg) before being flown to Mumbai in India for the operation. The 36-year-old had previously been labelled the "world's heaviest woman" and had been unable to leave her home for 25 years. But the hospital has now said she lost 100kg after Tuesday's operation. A spokesman at Mumbai's Saifee Hospital said: "We are trying to get her fit enough to fly back to Egypt as soon as possible. The 36-year-old is likely to lose more weight in the coming months, a spokesman told the BBC. Ms Abd El Aty arrived in Mumbai in February on a chartered plane, and was lifted by a crane into Saifee Hospital. Ms Adb El Aty before the operation / Dr Muffi Lakdawala The surgery was performed by a team of doctors led by Dr Muffazal Lakdawala, a bariatric surgeon. Bariatric surgery, also known as weight loss surgery, is a stomach shrinking bypass procedure. It is considered a last resort to treat people who are dangerously obese, defined as having a body mass index of 40 or above or 35 plus other obesity-related health conditions According to Ms Abd El Aty's family, she weighed 5kg at birth and as a child was diagnosed with elephantiasis, a condition that causes the limbs to swell. However, Dr Lakdawala told the BBC in December that he believed Ms Abd El Aty did not have elephantiasis but suffered from obesity-related lymphoedema which causes gigantic swelling of the legs. By the time she was 11, her weight had risen sharply and she suffered a stroke which left her bedridden and led to diabetes, high blood pressure, hypertension and sleep apnoea. She is cared for by her mother and sister. S carlett Johansson has vowed to never, ever speak about her divorce for the sake of her daughter. The US actress, 32, filed for divorce from husband Romain Dauriac earlier this week, saying their marriage was irretrievably broken. Johansson said she will never comment on the dissolution of her marriage and asked that people respect her wish for privacy. In a statement she said: As a devoted mother and private person and with complete awareness that my daughter will one day be old enough to read the news about herself, I would only like to say that I will never, ever be commenting on the dissolution of my marriage. Out of respect for my desires as a parent and out of respect for all working mums, it is with kindness that I ask other parties involved and the media to do the same. Thank you. Scarlett Johansson on flirting Dauriacs lawyer, Harold Mayerson, told the New York Posts Page Six that the journalist would like to move to France with his daughter as Ms. Johansson does a lot of traveling. News of their divorce comes after months of split rumours. Johansson sparked speculation when she was seen at the Womens March in Washington in January without her ring. Scarlett Johansson - In pictures 1 /73 Scarlett Johansson - In pictures Scarlett Johansson walks the red carpet ahead of the "Marriage Story" screening during during the 76th Venice Film Festival Getty Images Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost Getty Images Scarlett Johansson stars in The Prestige (2006) Warner Bros Scarlett Johansson in the 2012 film Avengers Assemble Disney Marriage Story (2019) Netflix In an emotional scene from the 1998 movie 'The Horse Whisperer', Scarlett Johansson, is helped into the saddle by actor Robert Redford after being traumatized in a horseback riding accident AFP/Getty Images Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson in Lost in Translation (2003) Scarlett Johansson attends the 'Dangerous Liaisons: Fashion and Furniture in the 18th Century' Costume Institute benefit gala at the Metropolitan Museum in 2004 Getty Images Scarlett Johansson attends the Stuff Magazine/Armani Exchange 'Beachdance' party in 2003 Getty Images Scarlett Johansson arrives at the screening of the new Sofia Coppola film Lost In Translation at the 60th Venice Film Festival2003 Getty Images Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Rhys Meyers in Match Point (2005) Ewan MacGregor and Scarlett Johansson in The Island (2005) Warner Bros Scarlett Johansson arrives at the opening ceremony and 'The Black Dahlia' premiere on the first day of the 63rd Venice Film Festival 2006 Getty Images Scarlett Johansson arrives to the 63rd Annual Golden Globe Awards 2006 Getty Images The Other Boleyn Girls starring Natalie Portman as Anne and Scarlett Johansson as Mary Boleyn (2008) Columbia Pictures Scarlett Johansson in a fashion campaign for Mango in 2009 Mango Scarlett Johansson in 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' (2008) also starring Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem and Rebecca Hall. Scarlett Johansson in 'Iron Man 2' (2010) Marvel The Avengers (2012) with Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Captain America (Chris Evans) & Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) Marvel Scarlett Johansson is honoured with a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012 Getty Images Scarlett Johansson playing Janet Leigh recreates the famous shower scene from Psycho in Hitchcock (2012) Fox Searchlight Pictures Anthony Hopkins as Alfred Hitchcock and Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh in Hitchcock (2012) Scarlett Johansson in Under The Skin (2013) Scarlett Johansson poses for a photograph on the red carpet at the gala for the new movie " Under The Skin " during the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto on 9 September 2013 AP Scarlett Johansson arrives on the red carpet for the screening of her film Under The Skin in which she plays an alien AP Front Cover of the November 2013 issue of Esquire Magazine, featuring actress, model and singer Scarlett Johansson Esquire Magazine Scarlett Johansson visits 'Late Night With Jimmy Fallon' at Rockefeller Center in 2013 Getty Images Scarlett Johansson arrives on the red carpet at the New York premiere of Don Jon in 2013 Splash News Scarlett Johansson in Lucy (2014) Europacorp Scarlett Johansson arrives on the red carpet for the UK premiere of Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014 Getty Images Scarlett Johansson arrives on the red carpet for the UK premiere of Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014 EPA Scarlett Johansson signs autographs at the UK Film Premiere of Captain America: The Winter Soldier at Westfield London in 2014 Dave Benett Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) AP Scarlett Johansson arrives at the World Premiere of Captain America: The Winter Soldier" at the El Capitan Theatre, Los Angeles in 2014 Invision/AP John Travolta kisses Scarlett Johansson as they arrive for the 87th annual Academy Awards ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California in 2015. EPA Scarlett Johansson attends the premiere of Marvel's "Avengers: Age Of Ultron" at Dolby Theatre, Hollywood in 2015 Getty Images Scarlett Johansson attends The 2015 MTV Movie Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles Getty Images Scarlett Johansson attends the European premiere of "The Avengers: Age Of Ultron" at Westfield London in 2015 Dave Benett Madame Tussauds New York unveils first-ever wax figure of actress Scarlett Johansson in 2015 Getty Images Scarlett Johansson arrives at the premiere of Sing during the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto on 11 September 2016 The Canadian Press via AP Scarlett Johansson attends the Rough Night premeire in 2017 Getty Images Scarlett Johansson attends The American Museum Of Natural History 2018 Gala Getty Images Scarlett Johansson, Female Movie Star of 2018, poses in the press room during the People's Choice Awards Getty Images Scarlett Johansson attends the 70th Emmy Awards 2018 Getty Images Colin Jost and Scarlett Johansson attend the Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art 2018 Getty Images Scarlett Johansson attends the Met Gala 2018 Getty Images Scarlett Johansson attends the premiere of Disney and Marvel's 'Avengers: Infinity War' in 2018 Getty Images Scarlett Johansson arrives for the screening of the film "Marriage Story" during the 76th Venice Film Festival 2019 AFP via Getty Images Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson and Roman Griffin Davis in the film Jojo Rabbit Scarlett Johansson of Marvel Studios' 'Black Widow' at the San Diego Comic-Con International 2019 Getty Images Scarlett Johansson arrives to attend the 11th Annual Governors Awards gala 2019 hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood AFP via Getty Images Laura Dern, Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson attend "Marriage Story" photocall during the 76th Venice Film Festival at Sala Grande WireImage Scarlett Johansson arrives at the 77th annual Golden Globe Awards 2020 Invision/AP Scarlett Johansson in Black Widow (2020) Marvel Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost Evan Agostini/Invision/AP Johansson and Dauriac tied the knot in October 2014, just a few months after the birth of their daughter Rose Dorothy. The Avengers actress recently opened up about monogamy and said she is convinced it isn't 'natural'. I think the idea of marriage is very romantic; its a beautiful idea, and the practice of it can be a very beautiful thing, she told Playboy. I dont think its natural to be a monogamous person. I might be skewered for that, but I think its work. Its a lot of work. Being married is different than not being married, and anybody who tells you that its the same is lying. It changes things. Its a beautiful responsibility, but its a responsibility. T he BAFTA Games Awards nominations have been announced and its good news for Uncharted 4. The blockbusting action-adventure from Naughty Dog has come out on top with eight nominations, including Best Game and Narrative. The fourth entry in Nathan Drakes globe-trotting exploits was a hit with critics on release in May 2016. First-person indie mystery game Firewatch is Uncharteds biggest competition. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End - Story Trailer The debut title from Californian developers Campo Santo is up for six awards, including Best Game, Narrative, Debut Game, and Game Innovation. Long-delayed PS4 exclusive The Last Guardian, the latest release from auteur Fumito Ueda, has received four nominations mostly in technical categories, including Artistic Achievement and Music. Also receiving four nominations were online multiplayer shooter Overwatch, cooking simulation Overcooked, and open-world puzzle game The Witness. 10 video games we're excited for in 2017 1 /13 10 video games we're excited for in 2017 Yooka-Laylee Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC Release date: April 11 The Nineties were a classic era for 3D platformers which rarely see the light of day anymore. Now the team who created the Nintendo 64 classic Banjo-Kazooie are back with a game thats Banjo in everything but name the sound effects, fiendish puzzles, and plentiful puns are all back for a vibrant title thats unlike anything else being made nowadays. Team 17 Horizon: Zero Dawn Platform: PS4 Release date: March 1 While 2016s Xbox action-platformer ReCore proved a disappointment, hopes are high that Horizon: Zero Dawn could fare better. The game has an intriguing prehistory-meets-robofuture aesthetic, with gameplay that looks to combine stealth, combat, and exploration, with an open world boasting jungles, deserts, grasslands and more. Sony The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Platform: Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo Switch Release date: March 3 Do we really need to explain why were excited for this? That stunning world, the serene music, the evolution of the cel-shaded animation style from The Wind Waker Breath of the Wild looks like the mythical and ethereal Zelda we know and love, while venturing into new territory. Oh, and its set to be a star title on Nintendos new console (more on that later) Nintendo Mass Effect: Andromeda Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC Release date: March 23 The Mass Effect trilogy was one of the defining franchises of the last console era, with huge scope, amazing characters, and devastating choices to be made. Andromeda represents a new start for the series, and while it remains to be seen if it can introduce as engaging a cast as the previous games, it will be fascinating to see what BioWare have cooked up for the PS4 and Xbox One. Bioware Cuphead Platform: Xbox One, PC Release date: Unknown Based on the distinctive style of 1930s animation, Cuphead is set to be a visual marvel which perfectly captures the creepy and surreal vibe of Max Fleischers iconic cartoons. The run-and-gun gameplay seems like a perfect match for the visuals in what is sure to be one of 2017s most distinctive titles. Studio MDHR Red Dead Redemption 2 Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC Release date: Autumn Feverish anticipation for a sequel to Rockstar Games Red Dead Redemption peaked last year when they finally confirmed that RDR2 is happening. We still know very little, but the prospect of an open-world rootin-toot-em-up on the current console generation is incredible exciting. Early reports indicate the map will be huge, and Rockstar know a thing or two about addictive gameplay. Rockstar Games Guardians of the Galaxy: A Telltale Game Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC, iPhone, Android Release date: April Every time Telltale announce a new project its worth keeping an eye on but the idea of them delving into the vibrant playground of Marvels rag-tag intergalactic rebels is especially Groot great. Character and story is what Telltale do best imagine the snappy dialogue theyll give to Star Lord, Rocket and co! Telltale Sea of Thieves Platform: Xbox One, PC Release date: Unknown If Assassins Creed: Black Flag made you think, its a pirates life for me, youll be wanting to get your hands on Sea of Thieves. Combining the sea-faring adventure of that hugely fun title with a Monkey Island sense of humour, legendary developers Rare are allowing players to play sea shanties, engage in ship-on-ship battles in the games open-world, and most importantly get sozzled on grog. Drink up me hearties, yo ho! Rare ARMS Platform: Nintendo Switch Release date: Spring On first look, Nintendo Switch title ARMS looked like a fun if slightly throw-away party game. But when we tried a preview, this motion-controlled punch-fest was surprisingly great and featured more nuanced gameplay than youd expect. Its also set to feature a non-motion version to play with regular controls. Nintendo Super Mario Odyssey Platform: Nintendo Switch Release date: Winter A new Super Mario platformer is always cause for excitement and Odyssey looks to have some fun innovations, including the titular plumber having the ability to throw and jump on his trademark red hat. A trailer also showed Mario entering the real world in an American city but whether he finds apocalyptic rubble by the time the game is released at the end of 2017 remains to be seen. Nintendo The BAFTA Games Awards ceremony is due to take place on Thursday April 6 at Tobacco Dock in London, hosted by Danny Wallace. Im delighted to have been asked to host BAFTAs Games Awards, which are the very best and most prestigious awards, he said. This years nominations show, as always, the talent and hard work this incredibly exciting industry displays in all fields. Im looking forward to being part of such an important night for games. See the full list of nominations below. Artistic Achievement Abzu Dishonored 2 Inside The Last Guardian Uncharted 4 Unravel Audio Achievement Battlefield 1 Doom Inside The Last Guardian Rez Infinite Uncharted 4 Best Game Firewatch Inside Overwatch Stardew Valley Titanfall 2 Uncharted 4 British Game Batman: Arkham VR Forza Horizon 3 No Mans Sky Overcooked Planet Coaster Virginia Debut Game Firewatch Overcooked Oxenfree That Dragon, Cancer The Witness Virginia Evolving Game Destiny: Rise of Iron Elite Dangerous: Horizons Eve Online Final Fantasy XIV: Online Hitman Rocket League Family Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens Overcooked The Playroom VR Pokemon GO Ratchet and Clank Toca Hair Salon 3 Game Design Battlefield 1 Dishonored 2 Inside Overwatch Titanfall 2 The Witness Game Innovation Batman: Arkham VR Firewatch Pokemon GO That Dragon, Cancer Unseen Diplomacy The Witness Mobile The Banner Saga 2 Dawn of Titans Deus Ex Go Pokemon GO Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon Reigns Multiplayer Battlefield 1 Forza Horizon 3 Overcooked Overwatch Titanfall 2 Tom Clancys The Division Music Abzu Doom Inside The Last Guardian Uncharted 4 Virginia Narrative Dishonored 2 Firewatch Inside Mafia III Oxenfree Uncharted 4 Original Property Firewatch Inside The Last Guardian Overwatch Unravel The Witness Performer Alex Hernandez as Lincoln Clay in Mafia III Cissy Jones as Delilah in Firewatch Emily Rose as Elena Fisher in Uncharted 4 Navid Negahban as Hajj Agha in 1979 Revolution: Black Friday Nolan North as Nathan Drake in Uncharted 4 Troy Baker as Sam Drake in Uncharted 4 Ones to Watch Among the Stones Bluedoor Games Pentagrab Ludico Rebound Hexterion AMD Esports Audience Award (voted by the public) Clash Royale Counter Strike: Global Offensive Dota 2 League of Legends Overwatch Street Fighter V F earne Cotton will make her presenting debut on Lorraine when she fills in for TV favourite Lorraine Kelly next week. Cotton, 35, will present the ITV breakfast show while Kelly enjoys the final week of her adventure of a lifetime to celebrate her 25th wedding anniversary. Speaking about standing in for Kelly, Cotton said: Its going to be such a fun week. Im really looking forward to hosting the show while Lorraine enjoys her trip of her lifetime. She will be joined by guests including Emma Watson, Tom Daley and Steps. Helen Skelton and Christine Bleakley have also filled in for the TV presenter. Kelly and her husband Steve who she married in 1992 are currently following the journey taken by Polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton. Speaking ahead of her travels she said: Im so excited for what will definitely be a trip of a lifetime and I feel very reassured to know that the show is in such safe hands while Im away. Ill be keeping in touch from Antarctica throughout my journey and I look forward to sharing my adventure with Lorraine viewers when I get back! Kelly has been keeping fans up-to-date with her travels and recently posted a picture of herself dressed in the clothing Shackleton wore. She captioned the shot: Dressed in the gear The Boss would have worn - thanks to Seb Coulthard in South Georgia #shackleton #southgeorgia. National Television Awards 2017 1 /48 National Television Awards 2017 Holly Willoughby Anthony Harvey/Getty Keith Lemon and Paddy McGuinness Ian West/PA Mark Wright and Michelle Keegan Anthony Harvey/Getty Katie Price Dave Benett Helen Skelton Dave Benett Myleene Klass Dave Benett Katie Piper Dave Benett Susanna Reid Dave Benett Keith Lemon and Paddy McGuinness Ian West/PA Emma Willis Anthony Harvey/Getty Mark Wright and Michelle Keegan Ian West/PA Fearne Cotton Ian West/PA Scarlett Moffatt and Caroline Flack Getty Images Faye Brookes and Gareth Gates Ian West/PA Mary Berry Anthony Harvey/Getty Alesha Dixon Anthony Harvey/Getty Piers Morgan Dave Benett Sir Tom Jones Dave Benett Aidan Turner Anthony Harvey/Getty Loose Women Ian West/PA Scarlett Moffatt Dave Benett Rochelle and Marvin Humes Anthony Harvey/Getty Tess Daly and Vernon Kay Ian West/PA Casey Batchelor Dave Benett Megan McKenna and Pete Wicks Ian West/PA Ola Jordan Ian West/PA Sarah-Jane Crawford Ian West/PA Honey G Anthony Harvey/Getty Images Martin Kemp Ian West/PA Wayne Bridge Dave Benett Danny Baker Dave Benett Larry Lamb and Jordan Banjo Matt Crossick/PA Bradley Walsh and Mark Labbett Anthony Harvey/Getty Jorgie Porter Ian West/PA Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes Ian West/PA James Arthur Anthony Harvey/Getty Lorraine is on ITV, weekdays at 8:30am. Chris Rickert | Wisconsin State Journal Urban affairs, investigations, consumer help ("SOS") Follow Chris Rickert | Wisconsin State Journal Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Its easy to be cynical about God in a day when organized religion gets blamed often for good reason for everything from sexism to inspiring terrorism. So nice are those instances when organized religion provides reason to keep the faith. I had never heard of the Orthodox-Catholic Church of America when I got an email message on Saturday from one of its bishops announcing the ordination of three women later this month in Madison. You read that right: an orthodox and Catholic church ordaining women and at a Unitarian church no less, according to Bishop Douglas Smith. Founded in 1892, the tiny OCCA isnt easily pigeonholed in the ways various religions, and various denominations within those religions, are easily pigeonholed. Images on the churchs website show clergy in the kinds of elaborate vestments common in the old-line orthodox and Catholic traditions. The music, candles and other trappings of one service I watched reminded me of a Catholic Mass. The liturgies the church uses could be mistaken for Greek Orthodox or Roman Catholic ones, Smith told me. At the same time, not only does the OCCA ordain women, but it ordains and fully accepts gay and lesbian believers into its midst, according to Smith. Smith said OCCA priests were often trained and raised in other, more traditional some might say discriminatory faiths, but because of their personal identities or beliefs felt they needed a change. The OCCA also has only five or six free-standing church buildings and about 50 clergy, Smith said. Most priests have secular jobs, and worship is often conducted in private homes. Not being a big fan of professional clergy, the church hews to the notion that this is something that we desire to do rather than this is something that were paid to do, Smith said. Ive been doing ministry my whole life, said Barbara Nehls-Lowe of Madison, who works with Smith in continuing studies at UW-Madison and is to be ordained March 25 at the First Unitarian Society. There is no way I would want to be a minister in a church. She said she has a doctorate in ministry and conducts weddings and memorial services but opted for ordination in case she wants to pursue a job as a chaplain. Its tempting to consider the OCCA just another traditional denomination that loosened some of the old rules to satisfy modernitys shifting values like when the Catholic church started allowing altar girls. But the OCCA doesnt feel Christianity started out with a lot of rules and got progressively less rule-bound. It is trying to duplicate what the original church was, Smith said, and Jesus wasnt known for having a lot of rules about who was worthy of Gods love. Theres a difference between the religion of Jesus and the Christian church, Nehls-Lowe said. My intent here is not to recruit people to the OCCA, or to any kind of faith. But in an era when Americans are increasingly divided into various political, geographic and social camps, any organization that defies the usual stereotypes about what it can and cant be seems worth celebrating whether you believe in God or not. A state appeals court on Thursday agreed that the state Department of Health Services can dictate where people under emergency mental commitments must be taken, turning aside the city of Madisons contention that Mendota Mental Health Institute should continue to take them. The 4th District Court of Appeals said that under state law, DHS can designate which state treatment facilities will accept emergency mental commitments for detention and treatment. DHS has designated the Winnebago Mental Health Institute, near Oshkosh, as the only site accepting people for emergency commitments. The decision upholds a ruling a year ago by then-Dane County Circuit Judge James Troupis, who had dismissed a lawsuit brought by the city of Madison against DHS. The city has contended that trips to Winnebago are too long for those being committed and too expensive to the city, which uses police officers to transport people for emergency detention. DHS stopped accepting adult male emergency commitments at Mendota on April 1, 2014. Detention at state facilities occurs if there is no local approved treatment facility, as defined under state law, available to accept a person in need of detention and treatment. The city argued that state law does not authorize DHS to designate Winnebago as the only treatment facility accepting people transported for emergency detention and treatment. Instead, the city argued that the law states that commitments may be accepted at a state treatment facility, focusing on the word a. DHS argued that the law means that it can designate the facility, so long as it designates at least one. Judge JoAnne Kloppenburg, writing for the three-judge panel, said that while the phrase a state treatment facility might be ambiguous, it makes sense when the statute is read as a whole and in context. It is clear that the departments interpretation is the only reasonable meaning of the statute, she wrote. In the context of DHS authority to govern state treatment facilities, Kloppenburg wrote, It makes sense to include within that context the authority to designate one of the facilities for receiving and treating individuals under emergency detention at a state treatment facility. It is unreasonable, she added, to assume that the state Legislature intended to force DHS to organize itself and spend money so that the detention and treatment function is available at all six of the states mental health treatment facilities. Madison City Attorney Mike May was out of the office Thursday. Deputy City Attorney Patricia Lauten did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Two people arrested Monday in a drug investigation in Crawford County were arrested at home, their four children also at home at the time of the arrest. Kayla Odegard, 28, and Samuel Clark, 33, were taken into custody on tentative charges of illegal possession and sale of methamphetamine, marijuana and prescription drugs, the Sheriff's Office said. A search warrant was executed at their home on Highway B in the town of Utica, the result of a six-month investigation into narcotics dealing. "Through the course of the investigation, law enforcement discovered the renters of the residence (Odegard and Clark) were involved in the illegal sale and distribution of marijuana, prescription medication and methamphetamine," the Sheriff's Office said. The couple's children, ages 3, 6, 9 and 11, were home when the search warrant was executed and their parents were arrested. The children were taken into custody by Crawford County Human Services and later placed with family. Other agencies assisting at the scene were the Prairie du Chien Police Department, Vernon County Hazmat Response Unit, Soldiers Grove Fire Department, North Crawford Rescue, Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigations and the Wisconsin DNR. Several hundred people rallied at the state Capitol at noon Wednesday under a wide banner of womens rights that also encompassed a host of other progressive causes. Timed to coincide with International Womens Day and organized as part of a national call for a labor strike by women Wednesday dubbed a Day Without a Woman, the days events were sponsored by a coalition of disparate local organizations united by a drive for gender equity. I think its really important to protest for your rights, said Solie Macaulay, a sophomore at Madisons East High School. Womens rights are human rights. We should celebrate it, especially since (Donald) Trump is president. Trumps inauguration in January followed a divisive campaign that brought to light, among other things, a history of sexist remarks by the unlikely Republican front-runner. It also prompted a massive Womens March on Jan. 21 in Washington, and in cities around the world, including in Madison, where up to 100,000 marched. Wednesdays rally, mirrored by similar organized protests around the country, couldnt compete in terms of turnout with the January march, which occurred on a Saturday. But the passion of attendees was never in question. Massed on the Capitol steps at the State Street entrance to the Square, they listened intently to a stream of speakers and chanted on demand, many wearing red hats or armbands and gripping colorful, homemade signs no easy feat itself, with winds gusting to 50 mph. The range of issues for which they cheered progressive positions included equal pay, undocumented immigrants, reproductive rights, workers rights, environmental protection and support for third-party political candidates. Its not just about Trump, Luke Elkenrod, a branch organizer for Madison Socialist Alternative, told the crowd. Its about the whole system run by the billionaire elites. We all want the same things, said fellow socialist Dan Stevens of Madison, as he handed out literature about the organization at the rally. The power is with the working class. We are the ones who run the machines. The crowd leaned young, with some 1,120 students who attended from Madison public schools alone. District spokeswoman Rachel Strauch-Nelson said principals estimated that roughly 650 students from East High School took part, plus some 300 students from La Follette High School and about 170 from OKeeffe Middle School. I just wanted to support the movement, said Eden Riphenburg, another East High sophomore, about why she took time off from school to attend. Its pretty important we have equal rights. Just because someone has the body of a woman doesnt mean they should have less rights. The students who missed school had excused absences provided at their parents request, Strauch-Nelson said, noting students are granted up to 10 such days per year. For Dr. Steph Betts Stout, who said she moved to Madison a week ago to take a job at University Health Services, the participation by so many young people was uplifting. Seeing their solidarity gave her hope for a better, more equitable future, she said. I cried on my way up here, Betts Stout said. I stand for womens health, she added, calling the push by Republicans on the state and federal level to remove funding from Planned Parenthood because it provides abortion services an attack on my profession. Madison police said officers working traffic control had helped an estimated 700 people march safely to the Capitol. Starting around 11 a.m., they came from two directions: along State Street from Library Mall on the UW-Madison campus and along East Washington Avenue. Police reported no problems or arrests associated with the event, calling the rally-goers a peaceful group in a police report and thanking motorists for tolerating blocked Downtown traffic flow for short periods of time. Organizers ended the rally around 1:15 p.m. In addition to the rally, co-sponsoring organizations including Thrive United, the Campus Womens Center, Dreamers of UW and the Madison chapter of the National Organization for Women offered morning educational events at the Capitol for girls up to fifth grade, lobbying opportunities for activists in the afternoon and an evening rally in the Humanities Building. Gov. Scott Walkers proposal to increase funding for the University of Wisconsin System is the best budget news UW has heard in a long time, System President Ray Cross said Thursday. But there are still several changes officials hope the Legislature will write into the budget before it becomes law. Lawmakers from both parties have cut funding for the UW System in five of the last six state budgets, most recently by $250 million in 2015. Walkers executive budget, released last month, would increase funding for the System by more than $100 million in total, including $42.5 million in new money distributed based on how UW campuses perform on a range of metrics and $50 million that was lapsed from the System in the current budget. This is the best budget proposal weve had in over a decade, and we need to be appreciative, Cross told the UW Board of Regents. Cross said the budget shows Walker understands the Systems value. We provide one of the best returns on investment for this state, and we appreciate this recognition of our critical role in strengthening Wisconsins economy and its workforce, he said. UW officials plan to keep lobbying lawmakers as action on the state budget shifts to the Legislature and its Joint Finance Committee. They hope legislators will change the budget to include more money for maintenance and renovation of System facilities and greater authority over building projects that are funded with program revenue. We need to work with the governor and the Legislature to adjust some of the things that we think need to be adjusted, Cross said. Officials want to ensure that rules for performance-based funding recognize the differences between UW campuses as well, he said, and reflect the core values of a comprehensive and quality higher education experience. The governors budget proposal also calls for keeping in-state undergraduate UW tuition frozen for the 2017-18 school year, then cutting it by 5 percent the next year; another $35 million in state funding would replace the revenue lost from the cut. Prospects for the tuition reduction seem dim, however, as several top legislators have questioned the proposal. Cross did not directly comment on the tuition cut Thursday. UW officials want to reclaim their authority for determining tuition prices, and the Regents last year voted in favor of a plan that would end the freeze in the 2018-19 school year with a tuition increase tied to increases in the cost of living. 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 Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Catch the latest in Opinion Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly! Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy Panhandle Equality is letting transgender youth know they are here to support them. Panhandle Equality was formed to elevate LGBT voices and raise awareness to their daily experiences in the community. One of the struggles Panhandle Equality understands is, although national organizations have good ideas, they dont always fit the needs of western Nebraska. Many assume LGBT centers or gaystraight alliances are already in place. Everything is geared toward urban, said Jeff Leanna, Panhandle Equality chair. They have no programming geared toward rural. Its literally an open frontier. Members of Panhandle Equality have to work alone before they begin reaching out to communities. They are currently seeking businesses and organizations willing to sign up to be safe spaces for transgender people. Another idea is a registry of businesses that will not turn anyone away. Leanna knows four churches in Scottsbluff, within a four block radius of each other, who will perform same-sex marriages. This information is important when planning a wedding. The calls always begin with identifying gender or sexual orientation and asking if the business is willing to work with you, Leanna said. A business registry would be beneficial so we dont even have to think of that, Griffin said. When Griffin mentions a registry, straight people have told him there are no straight registries so why does he need one. They dont get what an LGBT person experiences, Griffin said. LGBT people have to find people in the medical field willing to see them. For example, one woman said she was told by a physician that lesbians dont need a yearly pap smear because they dont have sex with men. The default is to ask about your husband or wife instead of partner or spouse. Ladessa Heimbouch, vice chair of Panhandle Equality, recently spoke to a gentleman who assumed she had a husband because of her wedding ring. She didnt know how to react. Its because of how it is here, and Im a grown person, she said. I cant imagine what transgender kids are going through. The group gathered considers themselves some of the most out people in the community, but there are still times when they have gone back into protection mode. Most people do not realize the thought process you go through when youre out in public, Leanna said. If you want to hold hands with the person you love, theres a whole checklist in your mind to go through. When people ask questions, there is a game that is played by most gays and lesbians. Instead of saying, This is my wife, Hailey Heimbouch, treasurer of Panhandle Equality, has learned the pronoun game. She will say she moved to town because, This is where the in-laws are. I cant even understand what (transgender people) have to deal with, Hailey Heimbouch said. Leanna said when friends from bigger communities come to town, they are shocked at what its like to live here every day as an LGBT. Someone will say something derogatory to them and they think, Wait. This still exists? Leanna said. Some employers will not allow any discrimination in their businesses. When one customer threatened to take their business elsewhere because they told Griffin they didnt approve of homosexuals, Griffins manager stepped in and said the business would survive. His manager said he didnt have to handle it alone. They would defend him. He didnt have to listen to verbal abuse from customers. Smaller businesses have to walk that fine line where losing two or three customers would be the end of their business, Griffin said. Panhandle Equality hopes to work with smaller businesses by explaining cost vs. benefit. I feel like its my duty to make people aware so we can have something here I didnt have growing up. Thats why the minute I could leave, I left, Ladessa Heimbouch said. Its our responsibility to make life better here for people who dont fit in whatever box. According to several statistical databases, an average of 22 veterans commit suicide in America each day and the local chapter of Nebraska Buddy Check is determined to help make that number smaller. In remembrance of that total, the group meets socially on the 22nd of each month at 8 p.m. Nathaniel Johnson, one of the groups sponsors, said their unofficial motto is: You werent fighting over there alone, so you shouldnt be fighting over here alone. Since January 2016, the Scottsbluff chapter of Nebraska Buddy Check has been meeting at Godfathers Pizza in Scottsbluff for food, fellowship, and networking. When Johnson approached Dave Thiele of Godfathers about hosting their meeting, the decision was obvious. I havent served in the military, but I have several family members who are veterans, Thiele said. Its a fine thing for me to honor them in this way and to provide a resource for veterans to utilize. Im privileged to be a part of it. So far, no veteran has ever paid for the pizza served at meetings. Thiele has provided the food for some meetings. The Office of Veterans and Military Affairs at Western Nebraska Community College and several other community groups have stepped up as well. Starting a year ago with about five veterans attending, the number has grown to 14 at the February meeting, primarily veterans who have served overseas. All different age groups are represented, from Vietnam veterans to those who have recently returned from service in the Middle East. Its a good cross section of veterans who attend, Thiele said. That makes for lots of good stories and positive support among veterans who have walked the walk and been in their boots. He added that while he has sympathy for our veterans, true empathy can only come from other veterans who know what military life and overseas service is all about. Some veterans meet up for coffee or meetings at other times of the month as well. There are currently eight Buddy Check chapters in Nebraska. Johnson said veterans take advantage of the resource to help out when other members need help. It might be assistance with moving or finding a job, as one of the groups members is with Nebraska Workforce Development. Information about other opportunities, such as veterans hunting and fishing trips or whitewater rafting, is also shared at meetings. But primarily, the monthly meetings of Nebrask Buddy Check are for socialization and support for those who have served. For more information on Nebraska Buddy Check, call Johnson at 308-672-4688. Mary H. Gonzales, owner of Acacia Academy, motto is: If she is happy her students are happy. Gonzales has been happy because she is doing what she has wanted to do for a long time. She is running a preschool. She likes watching her students grow and because each child is different, she likes to bring out the best in them. The best part is watching them develop, Gonzales said. She points out students gifts and can even tell what students might do in the future based on the skills they have. Gonzales said she likes to get them to be who they are supposed to be. Acacia Academy has been around for six years. Prior to that, Gonzales taught at Head Start program for 16 years for Panhandle Community Services/Community Action Partnership of Western Nebraska. She first cooked in the program for four years. This was also her first job. Her son Rico was 3 years old at the time she started and she would only work at Panhandle Community Services if she was able to bring him into one of the classes. She discovered her inspiration to teach at that time in Anne Radford, who is currently teaching at Roosevelt Elementary. She admired how she was able to take control of children and her son Rico. Gonzales began helping Radford and then was asked by Panhandle Community Services to see if she wanted to go to school to get a degree in education. Gonzales dropped out of school when she was 16 so she had to first get her GED. Her husband, Steven, always encouraged her to go back to school but she never wanted to. In two weeks, she completed her GED and she was able to go to Western Nebraska Community College. She was getting As at school while her own children were also going to school. I was always saying, If I can get an A, you can get an A, too, Gonzales said. She received her Associate of Arts from WNCC in 1994. She continued at Chadron State College and received her degree through online training. Gonzales was honored at the WNCC Alumni banquet in October 2016 for being able to go back to school and achieve the success she did. She was amazed that WNCC did that and she was able to bring her whole family. The name Acacia was originally a band name for her family. Gonzales three sons, daughter and husband formed a band where they traveled around and did a lot of singing and dancing. Acacia is a type of shrub and used for a wide variety of uses. Among that is a type of medicine and food. She learned about the name in a church sermon where it was related to Christ. Gonzales said if she ever would change the name of the school it would be Marvel or Avengers because she likes superheroes and how children are attracted to them too. The building for Acacia Academy was bought 10 years ago. There was a lot of different things that took place at the building prior to having the preschool there. We called it the Acacia building. We had dances here, bible studies, and all kind of things happened here, Gonzales said. Once she had the idea for the preschool, she talked to the fire marshal and said that there was a long list of things needed to be done to the building. Her husband renovated it to bring it up to code. At the same time, she was doing paperwork for the state to have an official preschool. Once she passed the inspection, it was like a dream for her. She started a few weeks after that. Twelve students can be enrolled at Acacia Academy at a time. Gonzales likes to have a few less than that so there can be more one-on-one time. When they are at work time, I will call them individually and really work with them. I think thats the real highlight. Getting to work with them and spending that one-on-one time, Gonzales said. She also provides breakfast, lunch and snack for the students. When she started the preschool, she knew she could do it and said God provided everything. I had a lot of experience with kids. I directed vacation bible schools, directed a couple of camps, Gonzales said. Before she left Head Start, she prayed about starting her own preschool. It was almost a calling that led her to finally start the preschool. Two people she knew offered her free preschool equipment and furniture. Gonzales said its been a really good experience and its a Christian-based school. Students quote some scripture at graduation. Gonzales also includes faith-based stories and talk about obeying God. Gonzales said through that she shows them what good leaders look like. She also talks a lot about bullying and being able to have a good heart. (It) shows them how important it is to respect themselves and people, Gonzales said. Gonzales has a daily routine for the students that she sticks to well. Gonzales said the class runs smoothly. If you would come in here on a regular day. The kids arent running around. We are staying busy all day, she said. One of the best things she has found out is to do a lot of hands-on lessons. I think that is how kids learn, Gonzales said. I let them do a lot of their own stuff. Gonzales approach to teaching is that not every student will learn the same way. One example of this is when the class studies a letter, they will learn words associated with the letter and Gonzales uses a pop culture character so children can remember it. She will not only write words but use examples with the letter. Gonzales will stay on a letter for a few days until she believes students are grasping it. If I see a couple that are struggling, I will stay a couple more days, Gonzales said. She said she also likes to invest in young parents and give them advice on parenting. A big thing is discipline because she said they are scared to discipline their child or dont know how. She said parents will take notice of what Gonzales is doing when their childrens behavior improves. After a while, parents will start listening and ask for advice. Gonzales said she takes any child as long as they are potty-trained. Some are as young as 2 years old and are potty-trained. Gonzales said that parents interested in the school will stop by, fill out a form, and give a tour of the building. There is an hour orientation and there is a registration fee. During that time, she will go through the whole day of what the students do. Parents are always calling, Gonzales said, to ask about enrolling their children. I have moms that are pregnant right now. They say Hey, in a couple of years, my baby will go here, Gonzales said. Gonzales was born and raised in Scottsbluff. She now lives in Melbeta, where she said it is a lot quieter. Gonzales has nine grandchildren and four children. They are adults, married, and out of the house, Gonzales said. None of her children have left Scottsbluff which she is thankful for because she is able to see her grandchildren. The school has a playground outside where the students are able to have fun, educational games on computer. She utilizes the students as helpers for tasks to do around the building. Im really preparing them for kindergarten so its the academics that are very strong here. We do a lot on numbers, shapes and colors. Everything that is needed for kindergarten, Gonzales said. She is proud of what she has been able to do at Acacia Academy and all of the students she has had. For nearly 40 years, Leitheads has been among Torringtons Main Street retail businesses. The family enterprise has outlasted Coast to Coast, Gambles, Ben Franklin, J.C. Penney, Montgomery Ward and several others. The reason for their longevity is no secret, according to Aileen Leithead, co-owner with her husband Gary. She also is the bookkeeper, and does the marketing, advertising and general support. Weve tried to provide what people want. We now focus on appliances and bedding, and give people a choice so they can shop in Torrington, Aileen explained. We also service our Whirlpool brand, and do warranty work for others, as time allows. The first Leitheads arrived in Goshen County in the late 1970s. Harry had done appliance work in Chadron, but wanted to try farming, so he moved his family to Torrington. Farming didnt turn out the way he had hoped, and he returned to appliance repairs. Harry opened his first local business in 1978 in what is now a bike shop across the alley behind the Goshen County Library. As Harrys Appliance Repair, he sold used appliances and repaired used small appliances. In 1980, Gary went to work with his father, to learn the business that was growing so fast that Harry couldnt keep up. The next year, 1981, the Leitheads began their retail business when they took on the Sears catalog store and moved to 2029 Main St. They also continued selling appliances and doing repairs. By 1991, Harry and his wife, Minnie, decided it was time for them to retire, so Gary and Aileen took over day-to-day management. Gary bought out his parents in 1993 when Sears closed the catalog store. We were actually making money, Aileen recalled with a laugh, while sitting at her desk in the stores office on a recent Monday afternoon. They then acquired the Western Auto franchise and added tools, bikes and lawn mowers, among other items, to their offerings. During those years, the business continued expanding services and products, and by 1998, the third generation Leithead joined the business. Son Craig began making deliveries while a sophomore at Torrington High School. He continued helping with the operation through college and after he married. In 2005 he joined the business. By 1999, the family decided they needed more space. They moved to the old Gambles store location, which is where they are today, 1936 Main St., and opened Leitheads Appliance Center. A big change occurred in 2003 when Western Auto went out of business. At that time, the Leithead family decided to continue as a totally independent business. By 2007, they were ready to expand again, and purchased the building next door where the Kellum Drug Store had been. They added furniture to their inventory: Catnapper and Serta bedding lines, including Sertapedic mattresses, over the years. We wanted to compliment what was already available here in Torrington, not compete with other businesses. We wanted to give more choices to Torrington and area shoppers, Aileen explained. They picked up the Best Home Furnishings line formerly carried by D&B Fine Furniture when that owner retired last year. Currently, Leitheads Appliance Center is undergoing more changes. Craig is completing his student teaching as he works toward a career as a public school business teacher. His wife, Jocelyn, who has also helped in the store over the years, is a special education teacher at Torrington High School. Craig and Jocelyns three daughters, Brooklyn, Hadley and Briley, have also helped with the business. Still in elementary school, they have participated in radio and TV advertising over the years. Brooklyn made her debut as a baby, sitting on a washing machine, waving to viewers. The girls have been here a lot, Aileen said, smiling at the memories the trio has created. Its fun to have them be part of the business. The couples daughters are in Casper, Wyoming. Arista is an elementary school music teacher, and Kara is a massage therapist in a chiropractic office. They have no interest in assuming the business. With Gary and Aileen approaching retirement age, the future of Leitheads Appliance Center is not clear. Gary is not interested in retiring yet, and Aileen intends to continue her part of the operation, but they do think about what is ahead for the business the family has created and nurtured. Gary is still doing service calls, and asks, What would I do if I retired? Aileen is employed at St. Josephs Childrens Home, in addition to her management duties at the store. She also is involved in community theater, where she works behind the scenes. She has directed, been assistant director, stage manager, and takes a turn in the orchestra when needed. For now, the couple continues providing the best service possible, along with their assistants. Rob McIntosh oversees the furniture side of the business, and Eric Fogle is responsible for the appliance department. They also have two part-time employees who do deliveries, Kurtis Shannon and Alan Grasmick, who also does vacuum cleaner repair. Aileen credits current and past employees, especially Lou Ann Thayer who retired in 2016, for a large part of their success. Weve made a lot of changes to serve our customers, Aileen said, reflecting on the years that have slipped past. Theyve always been for the better. Its been stressful some times, but we keep moving forward. We want to take care of our customers, and well bend over backwards for them. A 68-31 vote in the state Assembly on Thursday set the stage for voters to decide next year whether to amend Wisconsins Constitution and eliminate the state treasurers office. Republican sponsors of the proposal say the office is a meaningless relic that has been perpetuated because it is in the state Constitution. Opponents maintain that an elected treasurer helps balance power within the executive branch, protects state funding for public school libraries and before lawmakers and the governor stripped the office of almost all its duties was an independent watchdog over public funds. One of the amendments lead authors, Sen. Dan Feyen, R-Fond du Lac, has said the change would streamline state operations and make them more modern while assuring the public that the lawmakers were good stewards of tax dollars. However, the treasurers office is funded by revenue from selling unclaimed property, a program that was shifted to the state Department of Revenue several years ago. Since gaining control of state government in 2011, Republicans have moved most of the treasurers duties to other offices. The treasurers remaining official duty is membership on a board that oversees a constitutionally established permanent endowment that provides millions of dollars used by public school libraries to buy books, magazines, newspapers and other tools for learning. Last year, $32.1 million was distributed to libraries by the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands, a small state agency that is governed by the treasurer and two other elected officials the attorney general and secretary of state. The Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association, which advocates for public school libraries, said the money is crucial, especially with budget constraints felt by schools in recent years. Tia Nelson, who was the commissions top administrator until 2015, has offered testimony opposing the amendment because it would place the lieutenant governor on the BCPL. Nelson said that would shift authority over the library money in a way that unwisely gives the governors office more influence over school funding than it already has through the state education budget. Amending the constitution is a serious matter and the public deserves to know it doesnt save taxpayers money and it does concentrate the governors powers, Nelson said. Former Treasurer Jack Voight has said shifting the elected treasurers duties to employees of state agencies risks a loss of accountability. And it may not save any money, because agency employees are paid to do the things the treasurers office workers once did, Voight said. Current Treasurer Matt Adamczyk, who was elected in 2014, favors eliminating the office. The treasurers salary is $69,936 a year. The lead author in the Assembly, Rep. Mike Schraa, R-Oshkosh, said he expects a large majority of voters will approve the amendment. But Schraa says if a majority votes to reject it, he will work to restore powers of the office. The Senate approved the amendment Tuesday by an 18-15 vote. Both houses of the Legislature also passed the resolution last year. If voters approve in April 2018, the change would take effect in 2019. The Associated Press contributed to this report. In a state once known for its treeless prairies, forest trails are becoming an important component of the economy in northwest Nebraska. The economies of Sioux and Dawes counties once depended on cattle, pine trees cut from the nearby forests and logs and other cargo shipped eastward on the Chicago and North Western Railway. Today, with the railroad converted to a recreational trail and the forests diminished by fire, the economy, while still mostly agricultural, has come to depend more and more on tourism and Chadron State College. About 20 people attended a recent meeting to promote recreation trails in the northern Panhandle, including the Chadron-to-Norfolk Cowboy Trail, a rails-to-trails project spanning more than 300 miles across northern Nebraska. They hope to link it and a network of city, forestland and park trails to a downtown gathering point. Those attending the meeting cited the importance of the trail system to the U.S. Forest Service, Chadron State Parks, the college and the city. They plan to encourage hiking, biking and more trail-related events and produce a brochure with maps and information about the system. The U.S. Forest Service plays a key role in the effort. The agency has seen its focus over the years turn from harvesting timber to its northern Panhandle grasslands, campgrounds and even a wilderness. Working from the Forest Service office in Chadron, Mike Watts works to promote and maintain it all. The jurisdiction of the Forest Service office extends as far east as the Bessey Ranger District in the Sandhills, as far west as the Wyoming border with the Oglala National Grasslands and northward to portions of forest land in South Dakota. It includes the 52,000 acres of the Pine Ridge Ranger District covering parts of Dawes and Sioux counties, where the native ponderosa forests of the Pine Ridge were added to the National Forest system in the 1950s. Watts studied forestry in college and began his career with the Forest Service working timber sales. Now he spends about 80 percent of his time promoting recreation. A seasonal worker in the late 1980s, he joined the district full time in 1992. At that time, the office had a part-time person whod go out and check trails and campsites periodically and clean them up. Public use has grown a lot since then. Watts is now a resource specialist, with an emphasis on recreation. He keeps an eye on unique Nebraska tourism treasures such as the Soldier Creek Wilderness, the Pine Ridge National Recreation Area, the Hudson-Meng Bone Bed site, Toadstool Geological Park, the Bison Trail and the Red Cloud Campground and other sites. Its hard to sell timber anymore. Theres other demands we need to manage for, he said. I had a forestry background. Because its such a small district, we have a lot of other responsibilities. The timber prices were really going down because of transportation costs. My work got shifted over to recreation. In fact, Toadstool Park, where theres hardly a tree at all, is the forests most popular site. Located in the Oglala National Grassland in far northwestern Nebraska, its named for a badlands landscape that contains rock formations shaped like mushrooms. It features a reconstructed sod house and a few restrooms, as well as a few miles of developed trail, part of about 70 miles of trail maintained in the federal lands. Three miles up the Bison Trail from Toadstool park is the Hudson-Meng site (also available by road) where ranchers discovered the 10,000-year-old remains of up to 600 ancestors of the modern bison while digging a pond in 1954. Extensively studied over the years, the site now features a seasonal visitor center with interpretive exhibits of the bones, believed to have been left at a kill site by prehistoric Native Americans. The Bison Trail has been named one of the 10 best hiking trails in the nation. Several sites are popular with horseback riders, including the 7,800-acre Soldier Creek Wilderness and the 6,600-acre Pine Ridge National Recreation Area. Other popular areas wrap around Chadron State Park, tying in with its trail systems and other amenities. They include the Red Cloud Campground to the south, the Outrider Corrals and trailhead to the north and the Black Hills Overlook Trail to the northwest. Theres a pretty good trail network between the Forest Service and Chadron State Park thats very accessible. Its probably one of the better-used areas, Watts said. We border the park and a lot of our trails tie in, so it works out pretty well for both of us. Lesser-known sites include secluded campgrounds at The Cliffs along Bordeaux Creek and the West Ash campsite in the Pine Ridge. The Roberts Trail Head and Corrals, on the site of a former ranch, serve as a gateway to the national recreation area. Many parts of the forest are still recovering from devastating fires in 2006 and 2012, with ongoing removal of dead trees and replanting of seedlings that come from from a nursery in the Bessey Ranger District. While wome areas are cut with primitive roads, others are closed to motorized travel. Starting at the Spotted Trail trailhead south of Chadron, a rider on horseback could travel close to 40 miles on forest trails and public roads and easements. The variety of terrain and access offers a range of experiences for hikers, campers and hunters. While the trails in the Soldier Creek Wilderness make for a long day of hiking, they can be covered easily on horseback. Anglers will find three types of trout in the wilderness creeks that are uncommon in Nebraska: brook, cutthroat and the hybrid tiger trout. You can have it to yourself a lot of days. Most people will camp at the trailhead, but there are a lot of nice campsites way back in there, Watts said. The Boy Scouts like to hike in and camp. Keeping the trails open requires cooperation from nature, other governments, private landowners and a lot of physical work. A lot of our forest was homesteaded at one time. People went broke and sold it to the Forest Service, he said. Some of it is interspersed with private inholdings. Weve gotten a few miles of easements to take the trails through. Keeping everything open requires adding, closing or re-routing roads for various reasons. Sometimes, it can get a little confusing where the roads and trails are, he said. We want to keep it clear so people dont get off the main roads and trails. To help keep the public up to date, the Forest Service is creating a Region II database of trail information, such as elevation, surface conditions, vegetation and route maps, for an app to be used on smartphones and similar devices. It will cover forest lands in Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota. When people call up a certain area theyll get trails and can look up information about them, he said. Each forest will get their information in by the end of August. It should be finished by 2018. Traffic counters help the Forest Service keep track of how many people use the various areas. Fire danger is a constant concern, especially in areas with tall grass, which can ignite when a vehicle passes over it. If things get bad enough well do fire restrictions, he said. The restrictions will limit use of camp fires, travel and some roads. When theyre in effect, recreational users are required to stay in a vehicle when smoking and camp in established areas. Because the forest is slow to recover from fires on its own, tree planting efforts are ongoing. If you want your forest to recover, you have to plant or youll be waiting a century or so, he said. The effort has become more significant as forest cover has burned away and hotter summers change the landscape. I dont think youll ever see the forest the way it was. The seeding success isnt good on some of the dry slopes, he said. Some of it now is really on the edge of being able to support a ponderosa forest. With decreased timber sales, funding for improvements and maintenance is scarce. Most summers I have two to four people who will help me out for several months, Watts said. This year, were scheduled to do maintenance on 45 miles of trail. The crews clear fallen trees, keep the trails marked and dig ditches to divert water from eroding the pathways. To promote their amenities, the Forest Service and National Park Service offer a free pass for fourth-graders which includes free admission for their families. They can harvest a Christmas tree and enjoy free camping and day use, in an effort to get younger generations more involved in the outdoors. They also sell annual passes, and senior citizens can get a discounted lifetime pass. Most of the local sites are open year-round, and only a few require fees. Our sites are open year-round as long as youre able to get into them, Watts said. Fees, which run from $3 to $8 depending on the site and level of use, help pay for trash collection, mowing and services such as attaching pump handles for use during the summer and fall months. Most of the money stays in the local economy for maintenance and supplies, Watts said. Although the Forest Service trails are becoming more popular and significant to the northern Panhandle economy, they still offer a quality experience, including solitude, for users. You have to be careful what you wish for, because if you get too much traffic, it detracts from the experience, Watts said. But we have a lot of areas and trails that are underutilized. Last week we celebrated the sesquicentennial of our great state. On Wednesday afternoon state senators in Lincoln celebrated our heritage with a ceremony filled with singing, speeches and poetry. Ironically, after 150 years of being a state, I believe there is one saying from Crazy Horse which now applies equally to all Nebraskans: We preferred our own way of living. We were no expense to the government. All we wanted was peace and to be left alone. Last week two important resolutions advanced in the Legislature. LR1CA overcame a motion to indefinitely postpone it and had a public hearing this week. This bill was introduced by State Sen. John Murante of Gretna. This constitutional amendment would require voters to show valid identification when voting at a polling place. Voter fraud has been documented in our state, and there are currently two cases pending in our courts. In 2014 Kenric Ward of watchdog.org reported almost 7 million people who were registered to vote in more than one state. Even if half of his numbers are wrong, we have a serious problem of voter fraud in America. Far be it that any case of voter fraud should ever cancel out the vote of a single American citizen! I will support LR1CA. The second important resolution to advance in the Legislature last week was LR6 introduced by State Sen. Laura Ebke of Crete. LR6 advanced to General File. LR6 calls for an Article V Convention of the States. In the event that a Convention of the States were to convene the only subjects to be considered for Constitutional amendments would be: Limiting the size and scope of the federal government, fiscal restraints, and term limits. Because I have received more e-mails supporting this issue than any other issue, and because I believe an Article V Convention of the States would be good for America, I will vote in favor of LR6. Finally, on Friday a public hearing was held on a bill which would directly affect all those living in the Panhandle. Sen. Lydia Brasch of Bancroft, Nebraska introduced LB 309, which would eliminate Daylight Saving Time. LB 309 would exempt Nebraska from participating in Daylight Saving Time. In effect, we would stay on winter time, and we would not spring forward one hour in the springtime. I would like to hear from my constituents regarding this bill. Please send me an e-mail at serdman@leg.ne.gov. LINCOLN The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will consider proposed dates for the 2017-18 waterfowl seasons during a March 17 meeting in Grand Island. The meeting will take place at the Full Circle Venue and Conference Center at Boarders Inn and Suites, 3333 Ramada Road, and is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. During the meeting, the Commission will consider recommendations for waterfowl seasons including opening the early teal season on the Saturday after Labor Day approximately one week later than in 2016 as well as discontinuing the Public Nuisance and Health Hazard Order for crows in Buffalo, Dawson, Franklin, Harlan, Kearney, Lincoln and Phelps counties. Proposed waterfowl and crow season dates are: Early Teal Low Plains: Sept. 9-24; High Plains: Sept. 9-17. Daily Bag Limit: 6; Possession Limit: Three times the daily bag. Duck and Coot Zone 1: Oct. 14-Dec. 26; Zone 2: Oct. 7-Dec. 19 and Jan.8-28 in High Plains; Zone 3: Oct. 26-Jan. 7 and Jan. 8-28 in High Plains; Zone 4: Oct. 7-Dec. 19; Daily Bag Limit: six (with restrictions); Daily Possession Limit: Three times the daily bag. Youth Zone 1: Oct. 7-8; Zone 2: Sept. 30-Oct. 1; Zone 3: Oct. 21-22; Zone 4: Sept. 30-Oct. 1. Daily Bag Limit: 6 (with restrictions); Daily Possession Limit: Three times the daily bag. Dark Goose East Unit: Oct. 30-Feb. 11; Niobrara: Oct. 30-Feb. 11; North Central: Oct. 7-Jan. 19; Panhandle Unit: Oct. 30-Feb. 11; Platte River Unit: Oct. 30-Feb. 11; Daily Bag Limit: five; Possession Limit: Three times the daily bag. White-fronted Goose Statewide: Oct. 7-Dec. 10 and Feb. 3-11; Daily Bag Limit: three; Possession Limit: Three times the daily bag. Light Goose Statewide: Oct. 7-Dec. 31 and Jan. 24-Feb. 11; Daily Bag Limit: 50; Possession Limit: no limit Light Goose Conservation Order Rainwater Basin Zone: Feb. 12-April 5; East Zone: Feb. 12-April 15; West Zone: Feb. 12-April 5; Daily Bag and Possession Limits: no limits Crow Statewide: Oct. 1-Nov. 15 and Jan. 20-April 6. Falconry Concurrent with teal, youth and duck season dates, as well as: Zone 1: Feb. 25-March 10; Zone 2: Feb. 25-March 10 in Low Plains and Oct. 7-Dec. 19 and Jan. 8-28 in High Plains; Zone 3: Feb. 25-March 10 in Low Plains and Oct. 26-Jan. 7 and Jan. 8-28 in High Plains; Zone 4: Feb. 25-March 10. The Commission also will consider: A recommendation to hold a public hearing at its April meeting pertaining to antelope, deer and elk seasons; A recommendation to amend park regulations to define camping units and campsite occupancy limits, as well as to define campsite registration and payment policies. Additionally, the Commission will hear updates from the communications and law enforcement divisions, as well as an update on agency research. Davis Regional Medical Center interim Chief Executive Officer Matthew Banks is the hospitals new CEO, according to a press release issued by the hospital Thursday afternoon. Banks is a graduate of Troy State University and received a Master of Science and Bachelor of Science in psychology/chemistry at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, the release said. He was also a clinical professor at the University of Alabama and is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Banks replaced former CEO Chad French, who stepped down in January. Banks is the hospitals fifth CEO in the past four years. Matthews expansive experience makes him the right fit to lead Davis Regional. We are confident he will help us build upon the quality and services we provide Iredell County, Dr. Ralph Bentley, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Davis Regional Medical Center, said in the release. For nearly a decade, Banks has served under several hospitals as chief operating officer at Lake Norman Regional Medical Center, COO and interim CEO at Stringfellow Memorial Anniston and executive director of Nursing and Operations at Shelby Baptist Medical Center in Alabama. With one hand holding a bottle of champagne and the other an oversized certificate declaring him the winner of $1 million from Publishers Clearing House, Bruce Saunders stood on the front porch of his western Davie County Monday and rattled off a list of things he plans spend his spend money on medical bills, fixing his lawnmower and helping family members. 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The state Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down Madisons policy banning guns on city buses. Gun rights groups cheered the decision. But not Soglin. The mayor said at a news conference hours after the ruling that hell ask the Legislature to change the states concealed-carry law to allow cities to ban weapons on buses. But the gun-friendly Republicans who hold record majorities in the Legislature immediately shot down the idea. I dont think thats going to fly, said Rep. Jeffrey Mursau, one of the Republican legislators who authored the 2011 law that made it legal to carry concealed firearms in most public places, including the state Capitol building. While the concealed-carry law makes exceptions for private property owners, the bus is a different situation, Mursau said. There are a lot of things that happen on buses and subways. The court sided with Wisconsin Carry, a gun rights group, ruling that Metro Transits policy is invalid because it is more stringent than the states concealed-carry law. Wisconsin Carry President Nik Clark has said the group could use the ruling to challenge other public transit systems and outdoor areas in the state. Soglin argued that the city controls other behaviors on city buses. We see it to be perfectly within our rights as property owners to be able to regulate firearms and knives, he said at the news conference. But lawmakers blasted Soglins reasoning. Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said city governments shouldnt be able to undermine the states gun rights protections. Cities should not be able to infringe on the rights of responsible gun owners who rely on their concealed carry permits for self-defense as they utilize public transportation to travel throughout their communities, he said in a statement. Republican Rep. Joel Kleefisch, a gun rights advocate, said private bus companies like Greyhound can set their own rules, but state law dictates what public transit systems can do. If the criminals know theyll be the only ones on the buses with guns, theyre much more likely to bring a gun on a bus, Kleefisch said. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos also said altering the concealed-carry law is a no-go even though he hasnt discussed it yet with fellow Republicans. Id say the odds dont look good, he said. The law, signed by Republican Gov. Scott Walker in 2011, allows people to get licensed to carry a concealed weapon in public. In addition to giving private property owners the right to ban weapons on their premises, it prohibits weapons in school zones in most cases. But Kleefisch and other Republican lawmakers have proposed removing the school zone exception in recent years. In 2016, KMG International, member of the National Oil and Gas Company of Kazakhstan KazMunayGas, improved its technological performance and financial resultswhile continuing its programs for the strengthening and development of its specific operations in Romania and Black Sea Region. With a 9% increase in the raw materials processed last year and 13% increase in products sold in Romania, its main market, the Group managed to obtain an EBITDA* of around USD 239 million and a net profit** of USD 88 million. In 2012, we embarked on a series of extensive changes within the KMG International Group. During that time, we built a team of people who shared the same vision for the company and managed to transform it from a completely unviable enterprise to one of constant progress. Thus, the main financial and operational indicators went up year after year. Furthermore, last year we recorded the highest success in our history, when it positioned itself as the stepping stone for the development of a strategic partnership between KazMunayGas and CEFC China Energy Company Limited in the Black Sea region. This partnership will ensure the conditions for the continued implementation, medium and long term, of the development strategy focused on special energy projects shaped by the interests of Kazakhstan, Romania and China, said Zhanat Tussupbekov, CEO of KMG International. The Groups record results were largely due to operational business improvements and specific production improvement programs (increase in the processing capacity and increase in the percentage of white products in the total finished products), operating costs (reduction of the thermal energy and electricity consumption), as well as the Change for Good program launched in 2014. The program is meant to increase the efficiency and improve the entire flow of operations specific to the refining petrochemical activities, trading procurement of raw materials, retail marketing, and upstream industrial services by 2018. Also, it aims to reduce operational expenses and increase profitability, with an economic impact of USD 132 million in 2014-2016, of which USD 84 million in 2016 alone. Refining and petrochemicals Due to investments made and continuation of programs for the improvement and development of specific activities, the Groups production units in Romania reported a 9% increase in the total processed quantities of feedstock from 5.45 million in 2015 to 5.95 million in 2016. Thus, Petromidia Navodari Refinery, the largest Romanian unit in the field and one of the most modern and complex units in the region, processed more than 5.4 million tons of feedstock last year (15,750 tons/day), which was also reflected in the fuel volumes 4.2 million tons (up 8%). Out of this quantity, approx. 1.9 million tons of fuel were sold domestically (13% rise), while the remaining quantitieswere sold on foreign markets (4% rise), to the Groups subsidiaries in Moldova, Bulgaria and Georgia, as well as traditional partners in the Black Sea Region. At the same time, Vega Ploiesti Refinery the oldest unit in Romania still in operation, processed 8% more feedstock (354,000 tons total), accounting for 107% utilization rate. It also scored historic levels for bitumen production (91,000 tons), hexane, ecological solvents, and also in terms of processing cost and processing loss. The petrochemical division, sole producer of polymers in Romania, processed 189,000 tons of feedstock last year (propylene, ethylene) the highest level recorded in the last 5 years and more than 8% higher than volumes reported in 2015. 57% of the products obtained were exported and the company managed to develop 3 new types of polymers. Retail and trading The Groups retail activity boasted record fuel sales last year (petrol, diesel, liquefied petroleum gas) in Romania, Moldova, Bulgaria and Georgia, up to 2.9 million tons, 14% higher compared to 2015. This evolution was supported by the adoption of a new commercial policy as well as the continuation of the extension programs for the distribution networks and the rebranding of Rompetrol stations in line with the concept launched in 2013 a combination between our customers needs and expectations and the best technical solutions available. In Romania, the total sales of oil products reached more than 2.6 million tons (up 13%), of which 1.76 million tons of fuel (up 8%) were delivered locally throughRompetrol Downstream the Groups retail division. The company is the biggest wholesale supplier of oil products in Romania, posting an 11% increase in business (up to 1.12 million tons of fuel). On KMG International With around6,000 employees in 11 countries, KMG International NV is owned by the national oil and gas company ofKazakhstan KazMunayGas. After its takeover in 2007-2009, it became an energy platform that connects the natural resources of Central Asia to European markets in the field. In Romania, KMG International holds one of the largest and most modern refineries in the Black Sea Region - Petromidia Navodari, with a refining capacity of 5 million tons of feedstockper year, and also Vega Ploiesti Refinery,the countrys sole producer of polymers. The Groups distribution network comprises more than 1,000 fuel selling points in Romania, Moldova, Georgia, Bulgaria and also inFrance and Spain trough Dyneff a partnership with CEFC China Energy Limited 51% / 49%. Its subsidiary, KMG Trading,is the sole operator for the export of crude oil produced by KazMunayGasand for the parent companys trading operations on international markets. *Unaudited financial result **Net profit generated from operating activities, as reported by management, without taking into account the effects of the singular nature reserves and deferred tax income President Klaus Iohannis said Thursday that Romania wants a European Union that is united and strong, adding that this is the stand he and all the other participants in the debate and diplomatic process regarding the future of the EU will embrace. "Our stand is well known. We have had the same stand since the very beginning. I have reiterated it any time the matter showed up. Romania believes in a strong and united EU and we have to achieve such consolidation together, all the 27 members, and I have said that loud and clear. That is why we have not agreed on alternatives such as a multi-speed Europe, a two-speed Europe or a Europe of concentric circles. What we want is a strong and united Europe. That was and will continue to be presented as Romania's stand by me and also by all the other participants in the debate and diplomatic process," Iohannis said. Iohannis is attending, March 9-10, a summit of the European Council in Brussels. He told journalists on Thursday at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace that the main items on the summit's agenda are employment, economic growth and competitiveness, migration, institutional aspects and EU's foreign affairs. agerpres. Gov. Scott Walker said Wednesday that the U.S. Congress should investigate President Donald Trumps claim that former President Barack Obama ordered his phones to be tapped during the 2016 campaign. Trump has offered no evidence to support the charge, which Obama promptly denied. Trump made the charge in a string of Twitter posts Saturday. One read: How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy! Walker, asked by reporters if Trump should provide evidence of his claims to the public or Congress, responded that Trump made serious accusations. The Congress appropriately should be looking into these, as should the Justice Department, Walker said. Trump has asked Congress to look into his claims, which Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, recently said he will do. Walker did not say if he believed Trumps claim. FBI director James Comey reportedly asked the U.S. Justice Department to publicly refute Trump, which it has not done. Im not in a position to know any more on that particular subject than anything I read in the paper, Walker said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Republicans on the state Legislatures budget committee privately discussed Gov. Scott Walkers planned move to self-insurance for state workers with state staff and consultants, without including Democrats on the committee, the Democrats said Thursday. The Joint Committee on Finance is the only legislative body with oversight of this law change, which will affect over 250,000 Wisconsinites directly and all of the taxpayers of this state, the four Democrats on the 16-member committee said in a letter to the committees co-chairs. Any briefing with (the state Department of Employee Trust Funds) on matters before the committee should be done in public, in accordance with not just the letter but the spirit of the law, they wrote. The committee co-chairs, Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, and Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, said in a statement that briefings were held in compliance with state open meetings law. The briefings were informative and helpful in understanding how the proposal may impact the people of Wisconsin, they said. We highly suggest the Democrats conduct their own research on this important issue rather than playing political games, they said. Nygren has said the committee will hold a hearing on self-insurance before it decides whether to approve it. The Democrats letter said Republicans on the committee met Wednesday with ETF staff, who administer state worker benefits, and the departments consultant, Segal Consulting, to discuss self-insurance. The Group Insurance Board, which oversees state worker benefits, voted last month to self-insure state workers beginning next year, but the move must be approved by the budget committee. Under self-insurance, the state would pay medical claims directly, using regional administrators, instead of paying premiums to 17 HMOs, which currently accept the risk for medical claims. Walkers 2017-19 budget assumes $60 million in savings from the change, to be directed to public education. Self-insurance is common among large employers. But the move has been controversial because the Wisconsin Association of Health Plans, other health care groups and some legislators including the Republican leaders of the budget committee have said it could significantly impact the states HMOs, many of which are owned by the states regional health systems. The Democrats on the budget committee Sen. Jon Erpenbach, of Middleton, Rep. Gordon Hintz, of Oshkosh, Sen. Lena Taylor, of Milwaukee, and Rep. Katrina Shankland, of Stevens Point said the meeting should have been public because the Republicans discussed self-insurance, a matter before the committee. ETF spokesman Mark Lamkins didnt respond to a request for comment. Its tempting for Madison to focus on attracting new and exciting businesses. When PayPal threatened to scrap its plans to build a call center with 400 jobs in North Carolina in the wake of discriminatory anti-LGBT legislation, city officials in Madison sprung to action. We made calls. We set meetings. We got the usual players involved who help attract business here. We put on a full-court press to get PayPal to take a serious look at bringing their jobs to Madison. It was an exhilarating and instructive effort. We chased the shiny object. While attracting business is important and desirable, effectively supporting the businesses we already have is a critical piece of Madisons economic success that can be overlooked in pursuit of the next big thing. A Madison entrepreneur I know recently applied for a liquor license for his startup business in Madison. During the approval process, he found city staff ill-equipped to help him with timely answers or proactively flag potential issues or barriers to approval. Additionally, he was frustrated with the lack of consistency and transparency in addressing concerns from neighborhood associations, City Council members and the mayor. He struggled with the lack of clarity in each step of the decision-making process. He told me he shouldnt need a team of attorneys and politically connected lobbyists to get something through the city process. Any entrepreneur with a good idea should be able to go to one place for non-financial help. I agree. Madisons entrepreneurs need a one-stop shop at City Hall where small-business owners can get clear guidance and answers to their questions. This is critical for aspiring business owners who dont have years of experience battling bureaucracy, and who dont have extra capital or a government affairs team. An inquiring person could spend months traversing city agencies, which is detrimental to Madisons need for more homegrown entrepreneurs. Thats why Madisons economic development staff, with help from the community and the Economic Development Committee, created Connect Madison last year. This updated economic development plan seeks to establish a business assistance team that will meet regularly to address the needs of small businesses looking for answers. It also strives to increase opportunities for low-income populations. We will not be able to address tomorrows challenges with yesterdays ideas. Madison is changing quickly, and our economic growth greatly outpaces the rest of the state. Our city is increasingly more complex, innovative and private sector-oriented. Our businesses are younger, more demographically and culturally diverse more Austin, Texas, than Eau Claire. Madison remains a destination for a highly educated, skilled and networked workforce. But some signs point to turbulent waters ahead. Despite fantastic growth, our middle-income workforce is in decline, and this is especially hard on vulnerable minority populations. At the same time, many baby boomers are retiring, representing a massive demographic shift. This will increase pressure on city infrastructure and human services. So its time to put our new economic plan into action and get to work. The Connect Madison plan can be found at go.madison.com/ConnectMadison. Having a plan is one thing. We also must begin to put that plan into action. Business owners cant wait. Its time to demand accountability and follow through. It is time to validate, fund and execute work for tomorrows initiatives. You can help. Let your Madison City Council members know that inclusive economic development is important to you. Reach out to the mayors office. We need all hands on deck. This is an exciting time to create opportunities in Madison. Lets continue to lead the state by example and chart the path to smart, sustainable and inclusive economic development. FRANKFURT German drug and crop chemical maker Bayer and Creve Coeur-based Monsanto are launching asset sales worth roughly $2.5 billion as they seek regulatory clearance for their $66 billion merger, people close to the matter said. To kick off an auction process, Bayer's advisers will send out information packages next week to prospective bidders for the businesses, which have been divided into three bundles of assets, the people said. Bayer and Monsanto have said in the past that they expect to divest activities with combined sales of up to $1.6 billion. While it could not be learned what businesses will be put on the auction block, antitrust and industry experts expect Bayer to potentially divest soybean, cotton and canola seed assets as well as LibertyLink-branded crops that are resistant to its glufosinate herbicide, an important alternative to Monsanto's Roundup Ready seeds. Overall, regulatory hurdles to the deal are seen as manageable because Bayer's main business in agriculture is pesticides while Monsanto's focus is on genetically modified seeds. Bayer said last month that it was on track to clear all regulatory hurdles for the takeover by year-end, including a likely in-depth investigation by the European Union's competition regulators. Peer BASF has been touted as a potential buyer of some of the assets after abstaining from a wave of consolidation in the agrochemicals industry, which also saw Dow and DuPont merging and ChemChina buying Syngenta. The assets, which comprise sets of different active ingredients in several global regions, will also be shopped to large private equity groups, which may, however, struggle to bid competitively against players in the agricultural supplies market, the sources said. "Transaction security is more important than price," one of the people close to Bayer said. Bayer and Monsanto declined to comment. Additional reporting by Ludwig Burger. CHICAGO Four individual investors of Peabody Energy Corp. are accusing the company, certain hedge funds and other parties involved in the coal producer's Chapter 11 bankruptcy of breaching their fiduciary duties, according to a lawsuit filed on Thursday. The four investors, who hold senior unsecured bonds of Peabody, the largest U.S. coal miner, have alleged during the Chapter 11 proceedings that they have been unfairly treated under the reorganization plan. Peabody spokesman Vic Svec said on Thursday that the company stands by its reorganization plan. In the lawsuit, filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in St. Louis, the investors also named as defendants the trustees of their bonds and the Chapter 11 committee that represents their interests. At the heart of their complaint is a plan to raise $1.5 billion by selling stock in a reorganized Peabody. The refinancing forms a key part of the company's plan to slash $5 billion of debt and exit Chapter 11 protection. The stock is being offered to holders of the company's unsecured bonds, except individual investors, denying them potentially lucrative returns. This violates the basic promise of bankruptcy that creditors of equal standing receive equal treatment, they argue. Peabody has about $4.5 billion of bonds outstanding, and the lawsuit says individual investors hold up to 7 percent of those securities. The four investors, who filed their lawsuit strictly on their own behalf, requested a jury trial to address their complaints. Peabody will ask U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Barry Schermer of St. Louis to approve its plan to exit bankruptcy, which has wide support from other creditors, on March 16. Among objections to the reorganization plan filed on Thursday, the U.S. government on behalf of certain states and tribes with claims and a group of dissenting creditors also opposed the plan on grounds of unfair treatment. Meanwhile, shareholder and former senior vice president Fredrick Palmer asked the court to reject the plan because he said it undervalues Peabody and overcompensates certain hedge funds while wiping out shareholders' stock. Environmental group Sierra Club questioned in a limited objection whether Peabody will be able to meet sales and profitability targets in its five-year business plan, which the Sierra Club said could put certain environmental obligations at risk. Peabody also received objections from the Internal Revenue Service and from four former employees, including Palmer and former chief executive officer Gregory Boyce, over their retirement packages. WASHINGTON President Donald Trump has signaled federal workforce reform is a high priority as a means to cut wasteful spending and improve the delivery of public business. It is promising that the new administration is seeking guidance from Gov. Scott Walker, who successfully championed public-sector reforms in his state that required worker contributions to pensions and increased labor union accountability to workers. Trump should also look to Iowa, which recently passed sweeping collective bargaining reforms, and Missouri for reforms, since it seems poised to pass strong reform plans this legislative session. Walkers famous Act 10, part of a package of collective bargaining reforms, requires government employers and employees to share the cost of funding public employee pensions. Prior to the passage of Act 10, unions had negotiated collective bargaining agreements where government employers agreed to make nearly all contributions to the retirement system. In 2010, the year before Act 10 was enacted, state and local government employers made 99 percent of all contributions to pension system. Now, as Politifact Wisconsin noted, public employees contribute 6.8 percent of their salaries for their pensions and their employers contribute the same amount. Requiring government employees to contribute a reasonable part to their own pensions resulted in massive taxpayer savings. Analysis from the MacIver Institute, a Wisconsin based free-market think tank, found that Act 10 saved the Badger state $3.36 billion by requiring government employees to contribute to their government-backed pensions. In addition to savings, Wisconsin is the only state with a retirement system deemed fully funded, which is a huge benefit to workers by making it all but certain that they receive their full pension benefits in retirement. The federal government could achieve significant savings if federal employees similarly shared pension expenses. Currently, most federal employees contribute very little toward their pensions, as research by the Heritage Foundation shows. Most federal employees, those hired before 2013, only pay 0.8 percent of their paychecks toward their pension system. Taxpayers foot the rest of the remaining 13.2 percent of payroll costs that fund the federal employees defined-benefit pension system. Another priority reform for the Trump administration to pursue is periodic union recertification elections. That would increase worker freedom in the federal government and make government unions more accountable to the people they seek to represent. As in the private sector, it is likely that most federal workers never voted for the union that represents them. Yet regular elections are crucial to guaranteeing that the majority of workers are represented by the union of their choice, instead of merely inheriting a union chosen by past workers. Finally, Trump should make it a priority to eliminate a practice known as union release time, or official time at the federal level, as Missouri seems poised to do this year. The federal government and a vast majority of states grant public employees paid time off to perform union activities such as lobbying and attending union conventions. This amounts to a massive subsidy to government unions at the expense of the taxpayer. According to the Office of Personnel Management, official time at the federal level cost taxpayers $157 million in 2012, which is the latest year data are available. This amounted to federal employees spending 3.4 million hours on union activities in 2012. While these are staggering numbers, the costs and hours are almost certainly higher. In 2014, the Government Accountability Office issued a report that found at four of the six agencies it examined official time costs are about 15 percent higher than the OPM cost estimates. The real cost of official time is actually higher. OPM only calculates the salary and benefits of employees on official time. But other costs are associated with official time. The Social Security Administration is required to report these extra costs annually. In fiscal year 2015, the value of official time in salary and benefits was $13.2 million. And the cost of travel and per diem, office space, telephones and supplies, interest and arbitration related to official time was $2.2 million. These extra official time costs account for 15 percent of the total official time cost at the Social Security Administration. If the Trump administration and congressional Republicans are serious about government union reform, they should look to states in the lead Wisconsin, Iowa and Missouri. PARIS Swiss-French cement maker LafargeHolcim should think twice about supplying cement for the wall President Donald Trump plans to build on the border with Mexico, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said on Thursday. Trump's plan has caused a diplomatic crisis with Mexico, and in an interview with Agence France Presse earlier this week, LafargeHolcim chief executive Eric Olsen said he was prepared to supply the materials for it. Officials at LafargeHolcim could not be immediately reached for comments regarding Ayrault's remarks. "It (Lafarge) should reflect upon what its interests are. There are other clients who will be stunned by this," Ayrault said on France Info radio. "Lafarge says it doesn't do politics... Very well, but I would say companies... also have social and environmental responsibilities." Olsen was quoted as saying in his AFP interview: "We are the No. 1 cement group in the United States... we are here to support the construction and development of the country... We are not a political organization." LafargeHolcim last week acknowledged that one of its cement plants probably paid protection money to armed groups in Syria to keep the factory running, calling the payments reported by media "unacceptable" in hindsight. WASHINGTON Last week, President Donald J. Trump chose the deck of the newest U.S. aircraft carrier, the $13 billion USS Gerald R. Ford, for a speech extolling his planned boost in military spending. Trump vowed that the newest generation of Ford Class carriers the most expensive warships ever built will remain the centerpiece of projecting American power abroad. We're going to soon have more coming, Trump told an enthusiastic audience of sailors, declaring the new carriers so big and solidly built that they were immune to attack. Trump vowed to expand the number of carriers the United States fields from 10 to 12. And he promised to bring down the cost of building three super-carriers, which has ballooned by a third over the last decade from $27 billion to $36 billion. The Gerald R. Ford alone is $2.5 billion over budget and three years behind schedule, military officials say. The second Ford-class carrier, the John F. Kennedy, is running five years late. Trump's expansion plans come as evidence mounts that potential enemies have built new anti-ship weapons able to destroy much of the United States expensive fleet of carriers. And as they have been for decades, carriers remain vulnerable to submarines. In a combat exercise off the coast of Florida in 2015, a small French nuclear submarine, the Saphir, snuck through multiple rings of defenses and sank the U.S. aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt and half of its escort ships. In other naval exercises, even old-fashioned diesel-electric submarines have beaten carriers. All told, since the early 1980s, U.S. and British carriers have been sunk at least 14 times in so-called free play war games meant to simulate real battle, according to think tanks, foreign navies and press accounts. The exact total is unknown because the Navy classifies exercise reports. Today, the United States is the only country to base its naval strategy on aircraft carriers. The U.S. fleet of 10 active carriers is 10 times as big as those deployed by its primary military rivals, Russia and China, who field one active carrier each. Roger Thompson, a defense analyst and professor at Kyung Hee University in South Korea, says the array of powerful anti-ship weapons developed in recent years by potential U.S. enemies, including China, Russia and Iran, increase carriers vulnerability. The new weapons include land-based ballistic missiles, such as Chinas Dong Feng-21 anti-ship missile, which has a claimed range of 1,100 miles (1,770 kilometers) and moves at 10 times the speed of sound. Certain Russian and Chinese submarines can fire salvos of precision-guided cruise missiles from afar, potentially overwhelming carrier-fleet anti-missile defense. Russia, China, Iran and other countries also have so-called super-cavitating torpedoes. These form an air bubble in front of them, enabling them to travel at hundreds of miles per hour. The torpedoes cannot be guided, but if aimed straight at a ship they are difficult to avoid. A 2015 Rand Corporation report, Chinese Threats to U.S. Surface Ships, found that if hostilities broke out, the risks to U.S. carriers are substantial and rising. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, a carrier is just a target, says defense analyst Pierre Sprey, who worked for the U.S. Secretary of Defenses office from 1966 to 1986 and is a longtime critic of U.S. weapons procurement. Defending carriers Navy leaders stand by the carrier. In an interview late last year, Admiral Scott Swift, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, lauded carriers versatility. Swift says they remain very viable, sufficiently impregnable to be sent into the thick of combat zones. Swift said he would order carriers into close battle in a heartbeat. Nevertheless, citing the new anti-ship weapons, Swift says the carrier is not as viable as it was 15 years ago. Trump has said he will make good on his campaign promise to increase the Navy's fleet to 350 ships. The Navy currently has 277 deployable ships. The cost of a single new, Ford-class carrier $10.5 billion without cost overruns would consume nearly 20 percent of Trumps proposed $54 billion increase in next year's defense budget. Some critics, including former senior Defense Department personnel, say Washington has put too much of the countrys defense budget into a handful of expensive, vulnerable carriers. At a naval symposium in 2010, then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates called into question making such big investments in a few increasingly sinkable ships. Gates said a Ford-class carrier plus its full complement of the latest aircraft would represent potentially $15 billion to $20 billion worth of hardware at risk. The Navy, with the backing of Congress, went ahead nevertheless. The program has strong Congressional backing. In the 1990s, when defense spending was cut after the end of the Cold War, Congress enacted a law requiring the Navy to maintain an 11-carrier fleet. Congress has given the Navy a temporary exemption to have 10 active carriers while one is overhauled. When the Ford is commissioned, it will bring the U.S. carrier fleet to 11. Trump did not specify in his speech how he would bring the carrier fleet to 12. But he said the Ford-class carriers would be invulnerable to attack because they represent the best in American know-how. There is no competition to this ship, declared Trump, who called the Gerald R. Ford American craftsmanship at its biggest, at its best, at its finest. Failing systems Trump did not mention that the ships builder, Huntington Ingalls Industries, launched the Ford more than three years ago, but the Navy has yet to commission it and put it into service because of severe flaws. Many of its new high tech systems failed to work, including such basic ones as the arresting gear that catches and stops landing jets. The Navy says the ship will be commissioned sometime this year. But the criticism has continued. In a written statement in July, John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, noted the cost overruns and cited a list of crucial malfunctioning systems that remained unfixed. The Ford-class program is a case study in why our acquisition system must be reformed, McCain wrote. Ray Mabus, who in January stepped down as secretary of the Navy, said in an interview that the Gerald R. Ford is a poster child for how not to build a ship. He added: Everything that could have been done wrong was done wrong. Mabus said that because of commitments made before he became Navy secretary, the Ford was loaded with high-tech equipment that had not even been designed yet. He also faulted awarding the shipbuilder a cost plus contract, under which it gets a fixed profit regardless of how much it costs to build the vessel. There was no incentive to hold down costs, Mabus said. Others criticize carriers as strategically flawed. Jerry Hendrix, a retired Navy captain and Defense Department official, is now director of the Defense Strategies and Assessments Program at the Center for a New American Security. Carriers, he said in an email exchange, give Washingtons rivals a cheap opportunity to score big. For the cost of a single carrier, he calculates, a rival can deploy 1,227 anti-carrier missiles. The enemy can build a lot more missiles than we can carriers for equivalent investments, Hendrix said, and hence overwhelm our defensive capabilities. The most commonly proposed alternative to carriers is building a much larger number of smaller, nimbler vessels, including submarines and surface ships. Submarines dont require escorts and can hit distant targets on land. And carriers have not been tested in battle against an enemy able to fight back since World War II more than 70 years ago. The Navy and some outside defense experts say that despite increased threats, carriers remain fully viable and perform an essential service. They laud carriers mobility and swiftness, enabling the United States to project air power to places otherwise unreachable. Carrier proponent Bryan McGrath, the deputy director of the Hudson Institutes Center for American Seapower in Washington, said carriers are less vulnerable than stationary, land-based air bases. A carrier is a big floating airport, and not only a floating airport, but it moves at 40 knots, says McGrath, a former captain of a guided missile destroyer. How much more vulnerable are airfields on land that dont move? But Sprey, the former Defense Department official and longtime Pentagon procurement critic, says carriers waste funds that could be used to build more cost-effective weapons systems. Every Ford-class carrier we build detracts from U.S. defense, Sprey said. Limited protection Both strong supporters of carriers as well as opponents agreed that there is a serious flaw in the current configuration of U.S. carriers: their complement of strike aircraft. Almost all are short-range jets, the F-18 Hornet, whose range could render the planes useless in some conflicts. The Chinese, in particular, have established sea zones bristling with anti-ship weapons meant to make it impossible for enemy flotillas to enter. Top U.S Navy commanders, including Pacific commander Swift and Vice Admiral Mike Shoemaker, the Navy Air Boss in charge of carriers, say carriers could safely enter such zones long enough to carry out a mission. But many outside analysts say a U.S. president would be hesitant to risk such an expensive ship and the lives of up to 5,500 crew members. In order to be relatively safe, a carrier would have to stand off by 1,300 nautical miles, or 2,300 kilometers out of range of the Dong Feng missiles. And F-18s have a range of about 500 nautical miles to a target with enough fuel to return. Experts on both sides of the debate say that if the carriers have to stand off, the Hornets would have to be refueled in midair an impractical number of times while flying to and from their targets. It thus would be all but impossible for carriers to send air power into war zones. The F-18s are to be replaced by 2020 with new F-35C Lightning IIs, but these have only a marginally better range of 650 nautical miles. The Hudson Institutes McGrath, who champions carriers, says the short-range jets impair the mission. What they (the Navy) havent done yet is to design and fund a strike aircraft that can fly 1,000 miles, drop its bombs and come home, McGrath said. The cost of carriers in terms of strategy and money is multiplied because carriers do not travel alone. For protection, they move with large escorts, making every carrier strike group a virtual armada. Each carrier usually has an escort of at least five warships, a mixture of destroyers and cruisers, at least one submarine and a combined ammunition-supply ship and helicopters designed to detect subs. When close enough to shore, carriers are also protected by new, land-based P-8 Poseidon jets, designed to detect and destroy subs. Old threats For carrier commanders, the most feared weapon is a 150-year-old one. A single, submarine-launched torpedo could send a carrier to the bottom. Most modern torpedoes arent targeted to hit ships. Instead they are programmed to explode underneath. This creates an air bubble that lifts the ship into the air and drops it, breaking the hull. For decades, critics have faulted the Navy for failing to develop effective defenses against modern torpedoes. A 2016 report by the Pentagons Office of Operational Test and Evaluation said the Navy has recently made significant progress, but the systems still have crucial deficiencies. Experts also say that carriers are at risk from updated versions of one of the oldest naval vessels still in use: the diesel-electric submarine. These were the subs used in both World Wars. Diesel-electric subs have the advantage of being small and while on electric power, silent, and in general quieter and harder to detect than nuclear subs. Diesel-electric subs are also far cheaper to build than nuclear ones. Allies and rivals have been building large numbers of them. Worldwide, more than 230 diesel-electric subs are in use. China has 83 in use, while Russia has 19. Hendrix, the former Defense Department official, says the carriers' vulnerabilities make the fleet a profligate use of money, vessels and aircraft. We have paid billions of dollars to build ships that are largely defensive in their orientation, thus taking away from the offensive power of the fleet, Hendrix says. In the end, we spend a lot of money on defense to send 44 strike aircraft off the front end of a carrier. Wells Fargo & Co. has taken further steps to restructure its retail banking business, demoting some senior executives within the bank, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing employees and memos. Mary Mack, who took over the retail banking unit in July, wrote in a memo on Tuesday that she was reorganizing groups within the business to expand its focus on about 6,000 branches across the U.S., the WSJ reported. Wells Fargo had estimated in September that up to 2.1 million customers may have had checking and credit card accounts opened in their names without their permission over a period of several years. Thousands of employees were fired due to customer abuses, which stemmed from aggressive sales targets implemented by managers. Wells' then-CEO John Stumpf abruptly left the bank because of the scandal. Wells Fargo could not be immediately reached for comment. WASHINGTON At Cork Wine Bar, owners Khalid Pitts and Diane Gross host corporate dinners, political fundraisers, embassy receptions and an array of other events for clients looking for a casually elegant setting offering more than 200 wines from around the world. But the couple contend their business would be better off if not for a new player in town whom they claim is operating with an unfair and illegal advantage: President Donald Trump, owner of the $212 million Trump International Hotel he opened last fall. With support from a legal team headlined by the co-founder of Ralph Nader's advocacy group, Gross and Pitts sued Trump and his District of Columbia hotel company Wednesday in Superior Court, alleging that the president's continued ownership of the hotel constitutes unfair competition that damages their business. "We have events we do here for elected officials, nonprofits, foreign dignitaries, the World Bank, law firms," Gross said. "Those folks are now being courted to come [to the Trump hotel] and want to go there because they see it as advantageous to them to curry favor with the president." The White House deferred questions to the Trump Organization, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the legal action. Trump has taken steps to insulate himself from the business, resigning from his positions and putting his adult sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, in charge. He pledged to donate profits from foreign clients to the U.S. Treasury. Donald Trump Jr. said recently that the suggestion his father donated millions of dollars to run for president against a deep Republican field and Hillary Clinton in order to make money was without any merit. "That doesn't make any sense whatsoever," he said. Gross and Pitts seek no damages, but rather an order barring Trump's Washington hotel business from operating while President Trump owns it. Attorneys are representing the couple on a pro bono basis and include Alan Morrison, dean of public interest law at George Washington University and co-founder, with Ralph Nader, of the Public Citizen Litigation Group in 1972. The complaint cites Trump's appearances at the hotel, its hosting of foreign embassies and White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer's comments saying, shortly before the inauguration: "It's an absolutely stunning hotel. I encourage you to go there if you haven't been by." "This is a company town and the business is the government," Pitts said. "We have people, individuals, companies in the U.S. and around the world who do business with the government. And the business leader of the government is the president of the United States." Cork's co-owners do not name any specific client they have lost to Trump, though they say business around the inauguration fell well short of what they experienced in 2009. "We do lose bookings sometimes and nobody ever gives you a reason. They don't say, 'We're going to the Trump hotel instead of coming here.' We do know that business has been a little slower with the inauguration of this president," Gross said. The restaurant faces competitive pressures beyond Trump's hotel and its BLT Prime restaurant a mile-and-a-half away in northwest Washington. Pitts and Gross were trailblazers when they opened on 14th Street among pawn shops and vacant storefronts in 2008. More than a year later they opened Cork Market & Tasting Room. Since then more than two dozen restaurants have opened nearby. And to be sure, their 2,500-square-foot brick establishment north of R Street and the 4,600-square-foot market across the street provide just a fraction of the crowd capacity and service of Trump's 13,200-square-foot chandelier-adorned ballroom. "We don't mind competition. The whole D.C dining scene is exploding and we are friends with half the businesses on this block," Gross said. "It's really about the unfairness of it." With the suit, Gross and Pitts join a growing list of D.C. restaurateurs confronting a new political climate in the Trump era. Chef Jose Andres is battling Trump in court over a failed deal to open a restaurant in the hotel and his establishments joined more than 50 area restaurants that closed for a day in protest of the president's hard-line immigration policy. A man chasing fake news accounts fired a shotgun in Comet Ping Pong pizzeria a month after the election, while the owners of Maggiano's Little Italy apologized for inadvertently hosting a white nationalist dinner in November. Given the unique circumstances of Trump's business interests, it's difficult to predict how a judge might consider the suit. Paul Rothstein, a professor at Georgetown University Law School, said that when the Supreme Court allowed a sexual harassment suit to proceed against President Bill Clinton in 1997 it opened the door to other litigation against sitting presidents. "The Supreme Court has made clear numerous times that president is subject to the laws of the country just like any other person," Rothstein said. Rothstein said part of a judge's decision about whether a case should proceed, rather than be delayed, could hinge on whether it could interfere with the president's work. "His businesses are so widespread that the court might find on the facts that there would be a little more interference in the president's job," he said. Similar to others pushing legal action against Trump or his companies, Gross and Pitts are active in liberal political causes, with Pitts running for D.C. Council in 2014 and having formerly served as national political director of the Sierra Club and as a campaign director for the Service Employees International Union. Other attorneys representing the couple include George Washington University law school professor Steven Schooner, Scott Rome of the Veritas Law Firm and Mark Zaid. Rome, who represents multiple restaurant owners, said that whatever business Trump reaps at the hotel is business another of the city's restaurants or hotels would otherwise be getting. "That business is coming from somewhere. And local D.C. restaurants are bearing the brunt of it," he said. This week Im taking a break from regular starred reviews to visit a popular new chain restaurant. Theres no ideal time to explain my abiding affection for the Everclear song Santa Monica to a 3-year-old. Waiting for a table at Rock & Brews while the songs video played on every single one of the restaurants televisions seemed good enough. This was one of Daddys favorite songs in high school, I told my daughter. I didnt add that Id driven my moms car to the mall to purchase Everclears debut album on compact disc from the store Sam Goody. Her developing brain can handle only so much strange information. Daddy is very old, I said. My daughter stared at our table pager, willing it to buzz. Nearby, another father was explaining to his daughter (a few years older than my kid) the entire purpose of music videos, how they provide a visual expression of a songs meaning. For example my example, not the other fathers in the video for Santa Monica, Everclear plays the song in various locales around what is ostensibly Santa Monica, Calif. Rock n roll has never felt less vital to the cultural conversation, has never been so busy repackaging its self-written mythology in play-the-entire-album tours and 180-gram vinyl reissues. Meanwhile, the kids unpack Beyonces Lemonade video, recite the lyrics of Kendrick Lamar and Chance the Rapper and glean, well, something from Twenty One Pilots. Sorry, kids, youre on your own with the last one. In other words, the Rock & Brews team, including KISS legends Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, knew exactly what they were doing opening their first area location at the Boones Crossing strip-mall megalopolis in Chesterfield. The photographs on the side of the standalone building Bono and Co. thinking Deep Thoughts in Joshua Tree National Park, Bruce standing in front of the American flag are as instantly recognizable as any of the big-box-chain logos surrounding it. Prints of classic album covers and concert posters decorate the walls inside the spacious, 4-month-old restaurant, but your attention will inevitably be drawn to the TVs playing music videos nonstop. These videos range from 1960s and 70s concert footage through the heyday of MTV to today, from a library of some 40,000 songs. Thats impressive, though on one visit the system played two consecutive Coldplay songs, so its not that impressive. Rock & Brews menu is exactly what youd expect from a chain restaurant on Chesterfield Airport Road, bar-and-grill fare aiming to please an arena-size audience. The only surprise is its relatively small number of pop-music puns: a Freebird chicken sandwich, a Margheritaville pizza, a dessert of chocolate-filled doughnuts drizzled with raspberry sauce called Purple Rain Drops. But there are times when nothing sounds better than those opening synth notes of Van Halens Jump cranked loud on KSHE, and there are times say, the week after youve published your annual reckoning of St. Louis 100 best restaurants when nothing sounds more delicious than a cold beer and some fried calamari ($10.95) and jalapeno poppers. Sorry, some Sgt. Peppers Jalapeno Poppers (I did say a relatively small number of puns; $9.95), the chiles halved lengthwise, filled with a blend of pepper Jack and cream cheeses, breaded and fried. The burgers are plump, and the kitchen understands what medium-rare means. The Ultimate ($11.95) is, name notwithstanding, the most straightforward version, distinguished by two slices of cheddar cheese, caramelized onion and Thousand Island dressing as well as lettuce, tomato and pickle. The menu notes the Demon Chicken sandwich ($13.95) as very spicy, and my server reiterated the warning. Its true. The chicken breast is coated in sauce that tastes like Sriracha blended with Franks RedHot sauce and then topped with a pepper-cheese spread, slices of raw jalapeno and chipotle-accented slaw. There is some ranch dressing, too, but its no relief. Its 2017, so of course there is barbecue, or R&B Wood-Fired Superstars. The baby-back ribs (half-rack $14.95, full $24.95) wont cure you of your Pappys Smokehouse habit, but the meats texture and the balance of pork, smoke and sweet-tangy sauce flavors are better than what you find in similar chains. The pizza is thin-crust so thin in my order of the pineapple-pepperoni-jalapeno Spicy Maui Wowie (10-inch $11.95, 16-inch $21.95) that it sagged and, at the center, fell apart under the weight of its toppings but it puffs out into a nicely chewy edge. In its preopening publicity, Rock & Brews touted its authentic Bavarian soft pretzel ($8.95), which uses dough flown in from Germany. My pretzel might have begun in Germany, but the kitchen in Chesterfield overcooked and undersalted it. The beer selection delivers quantity, with more than 50 taps and another 40 or so bottles, but most of the names will be familiar to even casual beer geeks. (The A-B InBev family is very well represented.) These quibbles aside, Rock & Brews does exactly what it sets out to do, proving that Rock n roll isnt dead just passed out on its favorite sofa, dozing off the carbs. Where Rock & Brews, 17258 Chesterfield Airport Road, Chesterfield More info 636-536-2739; rockandbrews.com Menu Bar-and-grill fare with nonstop music videos Hours Lunch and dinner daily Its 1973 and the Vietnam War is winding down the perfect time for gung-ho conspiracy theorist Bill Randa (John Goodman) to persuade the embattled Nixon administration to back his plan to explore a mysterious island in the Pacific Ocean. Those along for the expedition include renegade British operative James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston), self-described antiwar photographer Mason Weaver (Brie Larson), Randas bookish associate Houston Brooks (Corey Hawkins) and disgruntled U.S. military commander Preston Packard (Samuel L. Jackson). Skull Island turns out to be anything but a tranquil paradise a fact thats immediately apparent when the ad hoc group of adventurers has its first encounter with a giant ape who effortlessly slaps away their helicopters. Indeed, Kong is king of his domain. But hes far from being the only threat to the expedition: The island is teeming with frightful creatures that apparently didnt get the memo that they should be extinct. Clearly, Skull Island is a potential goldmine for scientific research. And Weaver should capture enough breathtaking images to result in a coffee-table book or a Pulitzer Prize. But Packard, frustrated at the outcome of the war, is all for killing anything that moves. That is, if he can stay alive long enough. Kong: Skull Island delivers a lot of thrills, but not much more than that. Working from a screenplay by Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler), Derek Connolly (Jurassic World) and Max Borenstein, director Jordan Vogt-Roberts (The Kings of Summer) keeps things moving as he updates the old-fashioned adventure flick. But at the end of the day, this is a movie about people getting eaten by exotic animals. Oddly, Kong is a no-show for much of the film, appearing only occasionally perhaps to remind us that hes actually in it. But his hulking presence is hardly missed amid the frenzy of activity. If youre looking for a film that offers pure escapism, Kong: Skull Island should definitely meet expectations. In what Fox bills as "the biggest jury pool in history," TV viewers will decide the outcome of court cases in the new unscripted series "You the Jury," arriving at 8 p.m. April 7. Jeanine Pirro, host of "Justice With Judge Jeanine" on Fox News Channel, will preside over "some of the most explosive, real-life, ripped-from-the-headline civil cases," Fox promises. (Civil cases, so no viewer-voted imprisonments.) "Six top (prosecution and defense) attorneys whove represented some of the nations biggest celebrities will argue their cases each week for Americas vote," Fox adds. Included are Jose Baez, who defended Casey Anthony; Benjamin Crump, who prosecuted the Trayvon Martin case. The attorneys "will question and cross-examine the litigants and expert witnesses, as they present their arguments to America and former judge of the Superior Court of California, LaDoris Cordell," Fox said. After the cases are presented, viewers will have about 5 minutes to vote via text message and the Fox Now app. "At the end of the East/Central time zone broadcast, 'Americas Verdict will be revealed," Fox elaborates. "The vote on the verdict is 100 percent live and binding. ... However, when the West Coast votes, if the cumulative votes (East/Central and West Coast/Mountain Time Zone combined) lead to a different verdict, the original verdict will be overturned." Got all that? Two years ago, NBC picked up a Dick Wolf-produced reality show called "You the Jury," but it never made it onto the air. This is a different show. Forecasts call for meteorologist Cindy Preszler to emcee the Craft Alliance bash next month. "Vital Voice" publisher Darin Slyman said he just enticed the former KSDK weather reporter to co-emcee with him at the April 21 "Makers Ball" at the Caramel Room, 1600 North Broadway. Along with dinner at the ball, an after-party of chocolate and cocktails is planned. Vital Voice, a monthly publication tailored to the LGBT community, distributes about 25,000 copies a month from 200 locations, Slyman said. Until recently, it had also been distributed in Kansas City. Slyman said the magazine ended a three-year run there after the December issue. Slyman said the Kansas City farewell was bittersweet. "They still wanted us to be a sponsor of their (next) Pridefest," he said. "But the market had gotten to everyone under-cutting everyone on ad rates, so it just no longer made any sense" fiscally. Having more time now, Slyman said he plans to focus on STL and revamp the events that have become tied to the publication. "We're doing our last 'Briefs' (stage play) festival this weekend, and our 'Queens in Space' ball in June is subtitled "The Last Mission,'" Slyman said. Said Slyman, "I think it's best sometime to realize you're doing the same thing year after year, so why not just change things up?" CHESTERFIELD Shawn McClanahan, an electrician for the Missouri Department of Transportation, was driving on Highway 40 well before sunrise Monday when a suspected drunken driver going the wrong way slammed into McClanahans car. Firefighters had to cut the top off McClanahans mangled Ford Focus to rescue him. He survived with serious injuries as did the suspected drunken driver who hit him. The photos of the wreckage are so horrific that Chesterfield police posted several on social media to spread the message about the dangers of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Police have not released the name of the SUV driver who allegedly caused the crash. It could be weeks before police officers seek charges against him. Meanwhile, relatives of McClanahan have set up a GoFundMe account to raise money for McClanahans medical expenses. They expect a long recovery ahead and ask that the fund also cover expenses of supporting his two young sons, ages 4 and 7. The fund described McClanahans injuries as a broken femur and fractured hip. Additional details werent available. McClanahan, 29, is from the OFallon, Mo., area. MoDOT spokesman Andrew Gates confirmed that McClanahan works as an electrician for the agency. McClanahans family said he was on his way to work when the crash happened. Police Capt. Steve Lewis said results of toxicology tests of the SUV driver were pending. After they come in, Chesterfield police expect to seek warrants from the county prosecuting attorneys office. The crash happened about 4 a.m. Monday on Highway 40 (Interstate 64) near Airport Road in Chesterfield. A man in his 30s was driving an SUV west in the eastbound lanes, Lewis said. He struck McClanahans car head-on. McClanahan and the wrong-way driver were the only people involved in the wreck. Police said their injuries were significant but not life-threatening. Police said alcohol was suspected as a contributing factor to the accident. Lewis said police were still investigating the movements of the wrong-way driver leading up to the crash; they arent sure where he got onto the highway. However, Lewis said, someone called 911 to report the wrong-way driver minutes before the collision. The caller said the wrong-way driver was on Highway 40 near Clarkson Road. Within minutes, and by the time police arrived, the vehicles had collided. Police know of no near-misses before the crash. Because it was early in the morning, there was little traffic on the highway. The Chesterfield Police Departments Facebook post showing photos from the crash had been shared by nearly 2,000 people by Wednesday evening. We are posting these pictures to stress the seriousness of what can happen if you drink and drive, the departments post said. 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. JEFFERSON CITY Detailing stories of public defenders missing hearings, with their clients forced to wait in jail as they struggle to build a case, a class-action lawsuit claims Missouri has failed to meet its constitutional obligation to fund its public defenders. Brought Thursday by the ACLU of Missouri and the Roderick & Solange MacArthur Justice Center at St. Louis, the petition says it would take an additional $20 million per year and more than 300 additional lawyers for the states public defender system to meet the constitutional floor of providing minimally adequate representation to indigent defendants. The constitutional right to counsel is not merely the right to a warm body licensed to practice law at ones side once trial begins, reads the lawsuit, which was filed in Cole County Circuit Court. The states struggle to pay for representation for its poorest residents has been well-documented most recently, when Michael Barrett, the states top public defender, assigned a case to former Gov. Jay Nixon, a lawyer and former attorney general. A court later found that Barrett had acted outside his authority, but the incident made national headlines. The petition says the defendants in the case including Barrett, members of the Missouri State Public Defender Commission and Gov. Eric Greitens have failed to rectify the grave problems in Missouris public defender system, despite every opportunity to do so. For three decades, the state of Missouri has known about the failings of its public defense system, said Anthony Rothert, legal director at the ACLU of Missouri. This chronic underfunding has resulted in an equally chronic constitutional crisis in Missouri that has cost the livelihood of thousands of Missourians who are denied justice because their attorneys couldnt devote the necessary time or resources to their cases. Greitens did restore $2.5 million in withheld funding in his proposed spending plan, but its still $1 million less than what the Legislature approved last year. Funding problems may be long term, but recently the system reached a critical point, Barrett told the Post-Dispatch last month. Though costs for public defenders have increased over the last 10 years, they could cope because caseloads remained steady, he explained. But then they were asked to grapple with a 12 percent increase in cases, without funding from the state to address to growing workload. In the St. Louis County office alone, attorneys are at 265 percent workload capacity, according to the lawsuit. This year poses a particular challenge for those responsible for crafting the state budget, as state legislators are trying to find ways to fill a $500 million shortfall. But the Legislature is not without blame, the lawsuit said, citing a 2012 Missouri Supreme Court decision upholding a rule that permits the public defenders office from declining appointments if it exceeds its caseload capacity for at least three consecutive months. Within months of that ruling, however, the Legislature passed a bill that barred the director of MSPD or its commission from limiting the ability of its attorneys or district offices to take cases, despite already enormous caseloads. The then-head of MSPD was told that if local offices continued to turn away cases, the Legislature would pass a bill to privatize the entire system, the petition reads. Since then, public defenders havent turned away clients for fear of reprisal, including additional budget cuts, lawyers in the suit argue. But that means poor defendants are left with inadequate representation, often unable to talk with their attorneys about evidence, witnesses, trial strategies or plea negotiations. In St. Louis County in 2014, one public defender was assigned nearly 400 juvenile cases. The U.S. Department of Justice investigated, culminating in an agreement between the department and the St. Louis County Family Court. But the lawsuit filed Thursday alleges that juveniles in St. Louis County are still not receiving adequate representation. Attorneys for the plaintiffs are hopeful the legal challenge will lead to real change. Enough is enough with appointing commissions and committees to study the issue, said Mae Quinn, director of the MacArthur Center . JEFFERSON CITY Administrators in the states troubled prison system did not act on a growing number of sexual harassment cases among employees until last summer, despite the state paying out millions of dollars in legal costs to victims for years. According to testimony Thursday by the No. 2 man in the Missouri Department of Corrections, it wasnt until the early summer of 2016 that top prison brass gathered to address the outbreak of sexual harassment cases. The result of that high-level session was new training rules for supervisors in the agency designed to reduce unprofessional conduct and improve the workplace, said Dave Dormire, director of the Division of Adult Institutions. But, Dormire told members of a House committee investigating harassment within the agency, change comes slowly. We are a bureaucracy, Dormire said. Dormire is the latest high-profile official to be grilled by members of the panel, who have expressed frustration with the answers theyve received from prison officials in response to questions over who should be held accountable for millions of dollars in legal costs associated with the harassment. Dormire is retiring on April 1 after 42 years in the system, including the past five overseeing 8,200 prison employees and 32,000-plus offenders in the state's 21 facilities. The chairman of the committee, Rep. Jim Hansen, R-Frankford, said he was surprised that it took that long to acknowledge there were problems. This is costing the taxpayers millions of dollars, Hansen said. Somebody has had their head in the sand on some of these issues. Dormire blamed the culture of working in a prison and the rapid growth in the agency for the majority of the problems. Correction officer is a tough job. They come in with no experience. They come into an environment where offenders are anti-law enforcement, Dormire said. Rep. Bruce Franks, D-St. Louis, said the agency needs to be overhauled. Its time that we make some changes because this is highly unacceptable, Franks said. The focus on the department comes in response to a report in Pitch.com that outlined how the state has paid millions of dollars in damages to female guards who alleged they were harassed at work and retaliated against for speaking out. During the first six months of 2016, the agency was ordered to pay more than $4 million to victims who were harassed and to those who faced retaliation after bringing complaints. The payouts have become a focal point as lawmakers and Gov. Eric Greitens work to craft a budget as revenues are not growing as predicted. The tight budget has Greitens hoping to cut spending on higher education and aid for the disabled and elderly. Attorney General Josh Hawley told a Senate panel this week that the state could be on the hook for as much as $28 million in additional payouts due to unfavorable court decisions involving the state. It is not clear how much of that money is linked to harassment cases within the Department of Corrections. A Post-Dispatch analysis in December found that at least 33 harassment cases are pending against the department, potentially costing taxpayers more money in settlements. A review of those cases found that racial and gender epithets are common among employees at a number of prisons. In one case, a female employee at the state prison in Bonne Terre alleged she was harassed by her supervisor after she requested a different shift in 2013. Along with Dormires departure, change is happening in the department. Former Director George Lombardi left in December after eight years at the helm. Gov. Eric Greitens appointed former North Carolina prison official Anne Precythe as his replacement. Precythe earlier told the committee she will have a zero tolerance policy for sexual harassment among employees. Dormire said the committee should put their trust in the new director to address the problems. I would ask that you give her a little time, Dormire said. Members of the committee, who are charged with creating a report designed to address the problems in the agency, remain frustrated with agency officials. I dont think we got well-detailed answers, Franks said. The right hand here doesnt know what the left hand is doing, added Hansen. ST. LOUIS A man from Washington Park was sentenced Thursday to 60 years in prison for a string of violent street robberies in downtown St. Louis in 2015. St. Louis Circuit Judge David Dowd sentenced Roy D. Brown, 28, to prison on 13 counts of robbery, attempted robbery and resisting arrest. A St. Louis jury last month found Brown guilty. Brown was accused of snatching purses and wallets from people from Nov. 27 to Dec. 23, 2015. Some of the victims were targeted after leaving downtown bars, restaurants and hotels. Immediately after some of the robberies, Brown would go to a casino and a Wal-Mart in Illinois where he spent thousands of dollars using stolen credit and debit cards. Police said Brown struck some victims, and in one incident dragged a woman by her purse for several feet and threatened to shoot her friend who tried to intervene. The victims provided police part of a license plate number, which helped investigators identify a vehicle by using license plate readers and surveillance cameras. On Dec. 23, 2015, police chased Brown across the Eads Bridge into East St. Louis, where Brown eventually stopped and was arrested. Police said they found a womans Social Security card and other papers in Browns wallet and her purse and wallet in the car. Roy Browns actions are exactly why people avoid the city of St. Louis, Assistant Circuit Attorney Madeline Connolly wrote in a sentencing recommendation. One of the victims moved out of the city because of the attack, Connolly wrote. Another wont walk alone to lunch downtown anymore. Brown also was charged a year ago with breaking into three businesses during the Ferguson riots of November 2014 and taking lottery tickets and liquor from two of them. Burglary and stealing charges are pending. Editor's note: An earlier version of this story had an incorrect spelling of Assistant Circuit Attorney Madeline Connolly's name. The story has been updated. ST. LOUIS Missouris 12 community college systems are banding together for a new workforce development program geared toward helping businesses in the state. School leaders gathered in Jefferson City on Thursday morning to sign an agreement that formalizes the new program. When a Missouri company needs help with employee training but the nearby community college lacks the relevant curriculum or expert faculty, the Missouri Community College Workforce Development Network will leverage resources among two-year schools to meet the businesss need. Schools with the required programs and faculty members can send information or people to the community college that needs the help. The schools also will help each other to adopt a curriculum of their own. Jeff Pittman, chancellor at St. Louis Community College, said the program mirrored an effort in Indiana, where he worked before coming to St. Louis in 2015. We have a large offering and a lot of skills and faculty here in the St. Louis area, Pittman said. A lot of smaller communities may not have the resources we have, so this dissolves the geographic barriers in place for colleges. He described the helping college as a subcontractor. The program could place a bigger burden on the larger community colleges such as St. Louis, Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City and Ozarks Technical Community College in Springfield, which all have large workforce development programs. But to Pittman, its not a burden. I really love this idea because, without increasing cost to the state, it allows community colleges to expand their training, he said. Community colleges, similar to Missouris public four-year universities, are facing budget cuts for the current fiscal year and possibly the coming year. Shortly after taking office, Gov. Eric Greitens announced he was withholding $67 million from Missouris colleges almost $12 million of that from community colleges. The new network went into effect immediately after college leaders signed the agreement in the Capitol on Thursday. ST. LOUIS Lyda Krewsons narrow Democratic mayoral primary victory Tuesday relied on overwhelming support from her base in the central west, southwest and downtown areas and virtually none in some northern parts of the city. A Post-Dispatch analysis of Tuesdays votes by ward found that, in her strongest areas, Krewson had some of the highest numbers of any of the seven candidates, racking up more than 40 percent downtown and between 50 percent and 60 percent in the Central West End and the southwest portion of the city. And the areas where she did best also were areas with some of the highest turnout in the city. But while Krewsons support was deep, it did not extend to every region of the city. In several regions, she had the lowest vote percentages among the major candidates, not even breaking 5 percent in four north city wards. Second-place finisher Tishaura Jones, by contrast, didnt dip below 12 percent support in any ward of the city and she took fully a quarter of the vote in Krewsons own 28th Ward. The numbers could indicate that Krewson, the only major white candidate in the crowded field, has some outreach work to do for vast areas of the city outside her base, particularly in the heavily African-American north side. In final unofficial balloting from Tuesdays primary, Krewson won the party nomination with about 32 percent of the vote, ahead of Jones, who finished with a little over 30 percent. Kenneth Warren, a St. Louis University political science professor, said Krewson should be congratulated for winning, but he called it a weak victory. Winning 32 percent of the vote is not impressive when you had double the money of the closest candidate and you had an endorsement from Mayor [Francis] Slay, he said. Sixty-eight percent of the voters voted against her. About lunchtime Wednesday, just 14 hours after the election results came in, Krewson ate lunch with Slay at the Cedars Banquet Hall at St. Raymonds Maronite Catholic Church. Slay agreed that Krewson had a lot of work to do. She has to reach out to the other candidates and the constituents they represent in order to build a stronger St. Louis, he said. Ive been the mayor for 16 years. Its a diverse city, and it has been a continuous challenge. Krewson was in good spirits at lunch, shaking hands and taking pictures inside the packed dining room. She said she had already reached out to two other candidates: Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed and 22nd Ward Alderman Jeffrey Boyd. Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner stopped by Krewsons victory party Tuesday night; and Comptroller Darlene Green, fresh off her own victory Tuesday night, joined Krewson for lunch. At lunch, she repeated a theme from Tuesday nights victory speech and reiterated that she had run a positive campaign. That was very intentional. We didnt attack the other candidates because we knew we are going to have to come together, she said. In the coming days, Krewson said, she will reach out to Jones, who came within a few percentage points of winning the Democratic primary. In her concession speech Tuesday night, Jones referred to Krewson as the status quo candidate. Jones did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday night and Wednesday. Name calling is not going to affect my outreach, Krewson said Wednesday. I understand how tense this all was. If we are really serious about bringing this city together, and really being one city, then we need to come together. She added that her outreach efforts would include delivering improved city services to north side neighborhoods and possibly holding town hall meetings or other forms of community input. Krewson said she had a track record in bringing people together. Dont forget, I represent both sides of Delmar, she said. We have successfully bridged that gap in the Loop. Krewson, currently the citys 28th Ward alderman, had been considered the front-runner for much of the campaign season, in part because she was the lone major white candidate and faced several serious African-American candidates. But the closeness of the race between her and Jones was the surprise of the night. Eric Vickers, a longtime civil rights lawyer and member of the black political establishment, supported Jones in the primary. He said Jones had the balancing act of appealing to black voters and young, white progressives. Framing a platform to speak to both groups without turning either away is the future of St. Louis electoral politics, he said. Vickers added that Krewson could go a long way in bridging the citys racial divide and the intra-party divide between traditional Democrats and young progressives, through diverse cabinet choices. Krewson will face off April 4 in the general election against Tuesdays Republican primary victor, utility executive Andrew Jones; Independent candidate Larry Rice, the operator of a controversial downtown homeless shelter; Libertarian candidate Robb Cunningham; and Green Party candidate Johnathan McFarland. In heavily Democratic St. Louis, the general election is viewed as a formality, as the Democratic nominee has always won easily in modern times. Krewson would be St. Louis first female mayor. In the primary, data show Krewsons strongest wards had higher-than-average turnout, another indication of geographically concentrated support. Turnout citywide in the election was about 28 percent of registered voters but was significantly higher in wards where Krewson did best. Those include the two highest-turnout wards: the 16th, which includes St. Louis Hills, turned out at a rate of more than 41 percent; and the 28th, Krewsons Central West End ward, which turned out at a rate of more than 38 percent. Jones, the city treasurer, posted respectable numbers in wards across the city, including winning about a third of the vote through much of downtown and the central corridor. She broke 50 percent in the south-central 15th Ward, which includes parts of Tower Grove South, Tower Grove East and Benton Park West. In post-election comments late Tuesday, Jones blamed her loss in part on other African-American candidates. It hurt all of us, she said. Lewis Reed, the president of the Board of Alderman who initially was considered a strong contender in this years race after his mayoral run four years ago, came in a distant third behind Jones, at about 18 percent of the vote citywide. He slightly outperformed Jones in much of the north side of the city but lagged far behind her elsewhere. Alderman Antonio French, who has a national profile because of his activism during the protests at Ferguson in 2014, came in fourth, with about 16 percent of the vote. His only ward win was in his own 21st Ward. Walker Moskop of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report. Kevin McDermott 314-340-8268 @kevinmcdermott on Twitter kmcdermott@post-dispatch.com ST. LOUIS En route to Washington on Wednesday to help bolster the media's role in political reporting, David Kurpius, dean of the Missouri School of Journalism, quickly found himself on the defensive from an off-handed comment. "Oh, journalism," said the random person sitting next to him on the airplane in a manner that was dismissive of his field of study. "Yeah," Kurpius said. "It's important." Media experts increasingly experience similar encounters, partly due to President Donald Trump's well-documented clashes with the press. Trump has said "fake news" is the "enemy of the American people." He vowed to break tradition by skipping the White House Correspondents Association dinner in April, the first president to do so in decades. But Trump isn't the only one bashing media. According to a Pew Research Center survey in 2016, only 22 percent of Americans trust information from local news "a lot." Last month, Pew also found that 64 percent of 1,503 adults contacted for a survey said freedom of news organizations to criticize political leaders is "very important" to maintain a strong democracy in the U.S. People like Kurpius, who leads the oldest journalism school in the country, begs to differ. As he did on the airplane and will do again Thursday. He's expected to speak at the National Press Club for a symposium titled: "Fact-Checking, Fake News and the Future of Political Reporting." "Journalism has been the center of attention here in the last year with the political campaign and changes in the industry," Kurpius said. "It's important to remind journalists and citizens and people in government that journalism is a key component in democracy." He said he'll use the platform to announce a new strategic plan to train students that would "build on excellence" already in place. "We want to ensure that we are continuing to get better and look for new opportunities to better train our students," he said. The Missouri School of Journalism is known for the "Missouri Method," a hands-on approach to molding future journalists. While in school, students typically cover a beat for either a university newspaper, radio station, magazine or television station. Kurpius said he expected to see more collaboration between mediums. He said the school would also take better advantage of research and innovation, while having a lot more "cross-disciplinary collaboration," for instance, with computer scientists and other fields of study in the broader University of Missouri network. By historical precedent and most pre-election polls, 28th Ward Alderman Lyda Krewson should have won Tuesdays Democratic mayoral primary by a comfortable margin. Instead, it turned out to be a squeaker after Treasurer Tishaura Jones staged a remarkable surge that fell less than 900 votes short of an upset victory. Krewsons fundraising had far outpaced her six Democratic opponents. Her campaign was bolstered by endorsements from Mayor Francis Slay, the main police union and Gregory F.X. Daly, the collector of revenue. There was no question that the St. Louis establishment stood squarely behind her. And thats probably why the Jones insurgency blindsided her. Jones was one of five African-American candidates scrambling for the black vote by championing the fight against joblessness, poverty and racial division. Polls suggested the black vote would be evenly split among Jones, Aldermanic Board President Lewis Reed and 21st Ward Alderman Antonio French. Instead, Jones carried 30.38 percent of the total vote, less than 2 percentage points behind Krewson. Reed took only 18.31 percent of the vote, while French who received this newspapers endorsement garnered only 15.31 percent. Key to Jones success was her ability to connect with young, mainly white progressives who were already energized by Bernie Sanders 2016 Democratic presidential campaign. She rallied at the grassroots by holding herself out as the one candidate who would stand up to the establishment, carry the banner of Black Lives Matter, and ensure development money went to the citys most troubled neighborhoods instead of to big downtown projects. French was the candidate who actually had those street activist credentials. While Jones was a non-player during the Ferguson protests, French was on the scene as a chronicler, blogger and protester. He even got arrested. But progressives say Jones campaign circulated word that French couldnt be trusted. She gained traction for standing up to the establishment by circulating a letter accusing this editorial board of racism. For those who read the newspaper regularly, the accusation was nonsense. But Jones was aiming for an audience less immersed in the issues and more in concepts of hope, inspiration and challenging the status quo. Ironically, her record suggests otherwise. She traveled widely at taxpayer expense, including to Paris and Las Vegas. Her explanations were unconvincing, as was her defense for the perk of a taxpayer-funded car on top of her $96,600 salary. Jones has long tended to blame others for her own shortcomings. Even after Tuesday nights loss, she offered no hint of admitting that personal failings might have turned voters away. Instead, she blamed the other African-American candidates for refusing to bury their male egos and bow out of the race. Voters value honesty and transparency. Add a dose of humility, and Jones might still have a promising political future ahead. Page not found The requested page could not be found. Please try looking for the information again using the menus or search tool. Possible reasons for this is. United Ventures Invests in Italy's MainStreaming Milan( ) United Ventures SGR, an Italian Venture Capital firm, has invested a Series A round of 4 million in MainStreaming. MainStreaming, a Global Video Delivery Network, specializes in video content delivery in real-time, based on proprietary technology ("Hypernode") fined-tuned in Italy and now ready to expand globally. The company has offices in Milan and San Francisco, CA. MainStreaming's powerful algorithm and very high performance network can distribute top quality video with a significant reduction in energy consumption, well below that of traditional internet technologies. This tech was created to meet the needs of emerging markets such as OTT TV (Over the Top Television) and offers traditional Broadcasters the opportunity to migrate their content over IP. Mainstreaming's service is targeted at large global Broadcasters, OTT TV (Over-the-top TV), Digital Media Companies, and emerging media companies, supporting them with all the encoding, management and video content distribution functionalities. MainStreaming essentially has three advantages over its competitors: ? There is no cache, for each video to be distributed, just a few copies are generated, not hundreds or thousands as with traditional CDN services, guaranteeing a notable reduction in energy consumption and the use of less servers; ? MainStreaming specialises exclusively in the distribution of video, ensuring a high performance transmission and a better User Experience; ? The proprietary algorithm is able to distribute optimum quality video, also in the presence of many simultaneous users, since the network and delivery technology have been designed for the broadcasting of video in real-time. We are extremely happy to work with United Ventures on a project that will enable us to become a major global player in the distribution of on-line video. - states Antonio Corrado CEO of MainStreaming - Thanks to the Series A round closed with United Ventures, we will push to expand global technological coverage, recruit new personnel and establish ourselves on the international market. The video sector is one of the strategic sectors that will offer opportunities for exponential growth in the next few years - stated Massimiliano Magrini, Co-founder and Managing Partner of United Ventures - In MainStreaming we have found a group of entrepreneurs with ambition and expertise to establish a potential leader in the Video Delivery sector. *** MainStreaming is a Global Video Delivery Network - with offices in Italy and in Silicon Valley, founded by Antonio Corrado (CEO), Philippe Tripodi (COO) and Giovanni Proscia (CTO) -which allows the distribution of real-time video over the internet. MainStreaming is a Global Video Delivery Network designed to ensure maximum performance and quality for the broadcasting of live and on demand video in real-time all over the world. It integrates all the operating phases for the management and distribution of always available video content at global level and on any device connected to the internet. A solution targeted at Broadcasters and Media Companies that require high quality and high performance distribution of on-line video for global audiences. Pakistans Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, who is on an official visit to Qatar, met with Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on Wednesday. The leaders discussed matters pertaining to regional security and defence cooperation. The Emir thanked COAS for visiting Qatar and helping strengthen the bond between the two brotherly countries and their armed Forces. Pakistan and Qatar share strong strategic relationship, reiterated the Emir. He also acknowledged Pakistan's role in development and strengthening of Qatar and its armed forces. He expressed his desire for enhanced defence and security cooperation between the two countries and their armed forces. The Emir of Qatar appreciated Pakistans positive in promoting regional peace and stability. He commended the successes of Pakistan Army in its campaign against terrorism and militancy. COAS thanked Emir of Qatar for his hospitality. Pakistan Army also looks forward for enhanced defence and security cooperation with Qatar, added the COAS. Pakistan has condemned the Wednesday's terrorist attack on a hospital in Kabul which killed over 35 people as a "cowardly act". "We pray for the victims and express our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families," Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said at a weekly briefing on Thursday. Gunmen dressed as medics stormed the 400-bed Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan hospital in the Afghan capital on Wednesday and battled security forces for hours, killing more than 38 people and wounding dozens in an attack claimed by the militant Daesh group. 'Unprovoked' LoC firing The FO spokesperson condemned the instances of 'unprovoked' firing by Indian troops across the Line of Control (LoC) and decried the targeting of civilian populations. Pakistani authorities have recorded their protest by repeatedly raising the issue of ceasefire violations with Indian officials, the FO spokesman added. "Through such steps, Indian wants to divert the world's attention from its atrocities against [India-held] Kashmir civilians." India has violated the ceasefire a total of 1,400 times since 2013, Zakaria said. "India violated the ceasefire 400 times in 2016 alone." Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan Thursday said that the government would leave no stone unturned to effectively block blasphemous content on the Internet, especially on social media websites. We will go to any extent even if we have to go to the extent of permanently blocking all such social media websites, if they refuse to cooperate. The Interior Minister was chairing a meeting here, which was attended by Chairman PTA, Secretary Interior, Advocate General and senior officials of FIA and Ministry of Interior, a press release said. He said that no blasphemous material would be allowed to be propagated through social media that hurts religious sentiments of the people of Pakistan. It is not the issue of Muslims living in Pakistan alone, but the sentiments of entire Ummah are hurt by such madness and Muslims all across the world have serious concerns over failure of social media operators to block such blasphemous content. The minister said that blasphemy and terrorism were two major sensitivities and the state will not compromise on these issues. The Minister observed that the international community must realize that hurting any religion through any channel is intolerable. The Minister directed Chairman PTA to engage various foreign companies operating social media websites to convey serious reservations and concerns of the government so as to find permanent solution for blocking of such material i.e. websites, Facebook pages and simultaneously to ensure that such content is not uploaded with any other name. He asked Chairman PTA to convey to social media operators in no uncertain terms that the government of Pakistan will be forced to block all such social media websites which would refuse to cooperate in this matter. The minister said that there is a need to develop local solutions and softwares for detection of such material on the Internet. He said efforts must be made for putting in place a robust mechanism of deterrence as well as timely action against such web pages. The minister particularly mentioned refusal of Facebook to cooperate in the matter of airing a false photograph of senior most personality of superior judiciary. Elaborating, he said that no country can allow its religious sentiments being blatantly hurt and its important state functionaries subjected to ridicule and distorted under the pretext of freedom of expression. He said, Why are there two different sets of rules governing holocaust and the Prophet of Islam (PBUH)? Investigators probing the death of Superintendant of Police (SP) Muhammad Aslam Khan aka Chaudhry Aslam of the Crime Investigation Department (CID) revealed the officer's own driver-cum-bodyguard was involved in his murder. Chaudhry Aslam was martyred in 2014 when his convoy was attacked using an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted in a vehicle on the Lyari Expressway. According to then SP Muqadas Haider, "the explosion was so powerful that the vehicle's wreckage was thrown some 20 to 30 feet away from the site of the explosion". Suspects being held by the CTD revealed that Kamran, who was at the time behind the wheel of Aslam's pickup truck, was involved in the attack and was in fact, a member of the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba, which later reinvented itself as Ahle-Sunnat-Wal-Jamaat (AWSJ). Kamran gave information regarding Aslams movement to his killers including Naeem Bukhari, Karachi chief of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ). Suspects in the case in police custody revealed that police constable Kamran helped in conducting reconnaissance for the murder. Read more: Karachi: SSP CID Chaudhry Aslam among 4 policemen martyred in blast Kamran gave information about Aslam to Imran Bhatti, a police informant who was later arrested by the Rangers, the suspects revealed. The suicide bomber was called by Imran Bhatti from South Waziristan, revealed Qari Javed, Zafar Saeen, Wazir and Hasan alias Shah Jee during interrogations. Also read: 100-150 kg explosives used in attack on Chaudhry Aslam Who was Chaudhry Aslam Chaudhry Aslam was seen as one of Pakistans toughest police officers. He survived several attacks on his life, including a suicide attack on his residence in September 2011 in which eight people were killed Starting his career as an ASI in 1984, Muhammad Aslam Khan, commonly known as Chaudhry Aslam, was serving as the Superintendent of Police (SP) of the Central Investigation Department (CID). He had served as a station house officer (SHO) at a number of tough police stations in the metropolis. He originally hailed from Mansehra in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Chaudhry was added in front of his name due to his role in the Karachi operation. In 2010, Khan was appointed as a head of the Investigation Wing of the CID. Earlier, he also headed the Lyari Task Force (LTF) to uproot gangsters from Lyari. Clayton Mitchell New Zealand First MP More revelations from the Ministry of Thin Air. This must be this blue governments most valuable department, as it appears to be the first port of call for answering tricky or uncomfortable questions. This week, again it is immigration on the agenda. Our new net immigration figure for the year is 71,300. Seriously, how is our infrastructure supposed to cope? Our schools, health system and housing? Were getting more new people every day than weve had new Police in the last eight years. So what is our Prime Ministers response to this new increase? Why do we have no reason to be concerned about hordes of unskilled migrants arriving, looking for work? Apparently its because Kiwis are on drugs. When asked why New Zealanders could not fill job vacancies, the Prime Minster told the New Zealand Herald in the article titled PM defends net migration levels, says foreign workers needed because Kiwis failing drug tests that: One of the hurdles these days is just passing a drug test. He then went on about our oh-so-effective health and safety laws requiring people to pass drug tests. Fair enough, so Prime Minister can you give us the numbers of Kiwis who have failed workplace drug tests? Fortunately, the Ministry of Thin Air is there to save the day again. He said the Government did not keep records of failed or refused drug tests, but businesses raised the issue with him two or three times a week. Lets help him out by assuming its three times a week. That would be 156 cases a year, so why did we need the other 71, 144 extra people in the last year? The simple fact is there are none so blind as those who will not see. This blue government has a vested interest in selling us to the highest foreign bidder, and they have pinned all of their much-vaunted reputation for financial management on regular short-term injections of foreign money, through open-door hyper immigration. So they will keep pulling arguments and statistics out of the Ministry of Thin Air, as long as theyre in the drivers seat. But September and the General Election is coming. The final decision on the proposed merger between NZME and Fairfax has been delayed. The Commerce Commission was due to release its final decision on Wednesday, but says it will now release the decision on April 11. The extension is required in order for the commission to properly assess and account for the further information it has received following its draft determination and conference," says a commission spokesman in a statement released this week. The commission proposed to reject the merger in a draft decision back in November 2016. Chairman Dr Mark Berry says the merger would result in one media outlet controlling nearly 90 per cent of New Zealands print media market. This would be the second highest level of print media ownership in the world, behind only China. The Race Relations Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy is concerned at attacks suffered by Indian New Zealanders in recent weeks. Unprovoked attacks caught on film in recent weeks is "shameful" behaviour, she says. Auckland man Narindervir Singh live streamed an attack on him earlier this week, showing him being yelled and spat at. Watch the video below. "Hes trying to threaten me, hes giving me bad names," Narindervir said in the video, sitting in his car filming a man outside the window. The man responds with a string of random words in an Indian accent before telling Narindervir "go back to your f***ing own country" and "you Punjabi, f*** you". Bikramjit Singh filmed a similar encounter at a Papatoetoe storage company, when he was told by a man "Go back to your f*****g country". When he replied that New Zealand was his country, the man responded "no its not". These unprovoked attacks were caught on camera and we encourage people to film incidents that happen to them: this is an ugly part of our country but one that we need to highlight as much as possible, says Dame Susan. I encourage our politicians and other leaders to stand up for New Zealanders who are under attack. This is not who we are and those people who think its OK to attack other people and that the only New Zealanders are ones that look like them need to grow up and get real. We are one of the most ethnically diverse nations on the planet as well as one of the most peaceful: if we want to keep it that way then some of us need to really pull our heads in. This behaviour is shameful, she says. We are witnessing appalling, deadly race attacks overseas and Kiwis need to ask ourselves: is this what we want here? I dont think we do. This is not the New Zealand we want our kids growing up in. -Additional reporting from AAP. When I came to start this company, there were a lot of naysayers saying day charters were crazy and it would ruin the boat, explains Dhardra Blake, Founder of LuxuryDayCharters.com. But, I work with corporate clients, families and high-net-worths who cant afford the time to charter a yacht for seven days or more. It comes down to time and affordability, everybody is busy. If people get the opportunity to take the family out on the boat for a half day, a day or even a few days it feeds a market that didnt necessarily exist before. The method of chartering a yacht for a day opened up an entirely new market of last minute, family and friend orientated escapes which are time, economically friendly and completely customisable. Everything is really customised, continues Blake, you can customise the time, you can customise the location, you can customise the food and beverages, guests can hire a chef for the day or they can cruise to a restaurant. The story of how LuxuryDayCharters.com came to be surrounds the demand for more accessible charter across South Florida, which led to a natural expansion across the Eastern Seaboard of America. I mainly started out here in South Florida because there is a demand, mainly Miami but partly Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach, the Keys and The Bahamas. About four years ago I expanded my business north to Newport, Rhode Island, basing there and servicing the new england market in the summer. With an inventory of Westport, Sunseeker, Azimut and Lazzara yachts available for charter for seven days or less, LuxuryDayCharters.com offers a glimpse into the charter lifestyle for those looking to sample the owner lifestyle and cruise the U.S. and The Bahamas in style. How does the recent berth sale prove Barcelona as a superyacht hub? "The sale of the 160-metre berth signifies that OneOcean Port Vell is one of the premier marinas in the Mediterranean and possibly the world. Since we announced the news of this berth sale, we have had a large increase in superyacht berth enquiries. There are limited berthing opportunities for gigayachts in the Mediterranean and OneOcean Port Vell can cater for the largest yachts. With the MYBA Charter Show next month, and set to be larger than ever, this also shows that Barcelona and OneOcean Port Vell is on everyones radar. What are the factors behind superyacht growth in Spain? "Since the changes to matriculation tax in 2015 allowing superyachts to charter in Spanish waters, there has been a notable increase in demand in Spain encouraging a steady growth of marinas for superyachts and facilities. Last year, we had an 85% increase in the 80m category and 742% rise in yachts over 100m+. Our neighbour MB92, the refit shipyard, is a prime example of expansion and upgrade works in Barcelona." What makes Barcelona the heart of that growth? "Barcelona is probably the most exciting city in Europe and it is no surprise that it was visited last year by 32 million people. It is a diverse city attracting lovers of art, cuisine, architecture, sport, theatre and music. It has fantastic international connections - you can fly to almost anywhere in the world from Barcelona and this is a very important factor for the owners and the crew. The marina really is in an unrivalled location - in the heart of the city, a stones through from El Born and Las Ramblas. From a charter perspective, the proximity of the Balearics is a huge draw, and the coastline to the north of Barcelona is something not to be missed. From a homeport perspective, it is becoming a transient marina for the yachts sailing to and from the Caribbean. We are one of the few marinas to have the TPA tax-free permit allowing non-EU flagged yachts to conduct minor repairs and improvements whilst in the marina and be exempt of VAT. This allows for large savings to be made when yachts undergo winter works." How are you bringing something new to the team at OneOcean Port Vell? "I always say that there is no magic wand to selling berths, instead, there are dedicated and passionate teams. I am delighted to be part of this team at OneOcean Port Vell. The team is committed to offer a high quality service to yacht owners, captains, crew, yacht agents and all other yachting industry actors. I am bringing +25 years experience in the industry and have a worldwide network from diverse places such as Monaco, France, Italy, Montenegro and Hong Kong." What's next for the team and the development as a whole? "We will continue with the exceptional work that the team has achieved until now and focus on delivering exceptional service to the yachts in the marina as well as responding to the surge in recent requests. We will become the number one marina in the Mediterranean as both a charter destination and homeport." With the arrival of superyachts such as Dilbar and Eclipse recently, the new berth sale and appointment of Nizar Taji hints at the exciting activity for both the marina and the city on the horizon. We look forward to bringing you more from OneOcean Port Vell on the run up to the MYBA Charter Show (24-26 April). The National Police have launched an investigation after Ian Thompson, a British national, 64, was reported missing on Saturday. Thompson, who has lived in Estepona since last October, was last seen by his daughters. "He was in bed at 1.30am [on Thursday night] and he woke up early the next day to go to work. On Saturday morning, when we saw he hadn't come back, we called the police," said his girlfriend, Claudia, who last saw him on Thursday when he dropped her at work before heading to the Social Security office in Marbella. Thompson, who is a property developer, would routinely join colleagues for a drink on Friday nights after work which is why the alarm wasn't raised until the following day. "All of his clothes are still here. He was only carrying his wallet, with his documentation, and his mobile phone. This has never happened before," she said. Concerned family members tried to call him and sent him numerous messages until his phone stopped giving signal three days after he disappeared. "This is a nightmare. We haven't been able to sleep since Saturday and we've not heard any news," said his partner. "We know a few people here and they are helping us to try and track him down." Thompson's family in the UK, including his son, have also joined the effort by spreading pictures of him across social media. According to information provided to SOS Desaparecidos, Thompson had taken his car, a green Renault Laguna, and was wearing a black jacket with white lettering and jeans at the time of his disappearance. He has grey hair, wears glasses and is around 1.75 metres tall. He has a good level of Spanish. Any information regarding his possible whereabouts should be directed to Estepona police. 2014-02-05-db-Care2.JPG An X-Ray technician at Five Star Urgent Care in North Syracuse, NY. (Dick Blume) Five Star Urgent Care, which is based in Ellicottville in Cattaraugus County, is expanding again in upstate New York. The growing chain, which added a site in Liverpool in 2016, is now proposing a new location in DeWitt, at 6227 Thompson Road, just north of Bristol-Myers Squibb company. The DeWitt office will be the chain's ninth location - there are currently locations in Fayetteville, Fairmount, Cicero, Ithaca, Jamestown and Big Flats near Elmira. An office in Vestal opens March 18. In 2017, Five Star expects to open eight centers in Upstate NY, according to Dr. John Radford, Five Star founder and chief executive officer. Down the road, the chain plans to open locations in Auburn, Oneida, Oneonta, Oswego and several in the Rochester and Buffalo areas, according to Five Star's web site. Radford said the DeWitt location would tentatively open in the fall or early winter of this year, and employ 10 to 15 people. "We felt we needed closer access for some our patients, and this way we can take care of more people on the east side," Radford said. "We have a model that serves patients well, and we want to bring the service to other areas in the state." Five Star acquired Industrial Medical Associates last year, which has offices on Canal Street and Teall Avenue in Syrause and Lawrence Road East in North Syracuse. Five Star offices are walk-in clinics that offer an alternative to emergency rooms for non-life threatening ailments and injuries when a patient's regular doctor's office is closed or can't see a patient, according to the company's web site. The chain has been in the Syracuse market since 2013. Destiny USA exterior 2013.0.JPG Exterior of Destiny USA shopping mall in Syracuse. Picture shot from Hiawatha Boulevard. (Rick Moriarty / The Post-Standar) Richard Darwish Syracuse, NY -- A professed Syracuse drug addict was caught about 30 minutes after carjacking a woman and two children at knifepoint in a Destiny USA parking lot when an officer spotted him driving the stolen SUV a few miles away, according to court testimony. Richard Darwish, 37, initially refused to come to court today from jail for a routine hearing in the August 2016 incident. But Judge Thomas J. Miller signed a use of force order compelling him to appear. Darwish then objected to the entire proceeding, saying he had something to say. "I've been waiting (a half-hour) for you," Miller told him. Darwish asked to delay the hearing. "Denied," the judge said immediately. Four Syracuse police officers testified this afternoon about catching Darwish and bringing the victims -- including the two children -- to identify him. Detective Jeremy Merola said he spotted the stolen SUV -- identified by license plate -- on the city's West Side near Apple Street. Merola saw a man walking away from the vehicle who he believed to be the driver. The man matched the description of the suspect given to police by the victims, Merola said. The man, later identified as Darwish, was taken into custody. The other three officers described bringing the three victims to the Apple Street location to identify Darwish as the suspected robber. Today's hearing came days after Darwish came to court and acknowledged being an out-of-control drug addict who needed help. But it's not clear what his overall defense strategy is. He has not denied committing the robbery, but indicated that his problems were due to his drug addiction. He's been trying the judge's patience by filing grievances against three previous lawyers, including one who wanted Darwish to get a psychiatric examination. Darwish told the judge he has mental health issues, but has fought getting tested for competency. He's also facing another carjacking and a burglary case. Prosecutor Misha Coulson has offered a plea deal that would send Darwish to prison for 20 years, a prospect he called "ridiculous." He could face a maximum of up to 45 years in prison if convicted of all three cases. Camillus flipped car.JPG A car drifted into a ditch and flipped Thursday, March 9, 2017, on Harris Road in Onondaga. The driver suffered minor injuries, deputies say. (Samantha House) ONONDAGA, N.Y. -- A woman was injured Thursday after her car rolled into an Onondaga ditch. A woman was driving a sedan on Harris Road around 12:45 p.m. when her car drifted off the side of the road, said an Onondaga County sheriff's deputy. The car flipped over onto its roof, trapping the woman inside her car. Emergency responders freed the woman from her crumpled car. She was transported to a hospital to have what appeared to be minor injuries evaluated, the deputy said. The accident happened across from the Onondaga County Veterans Memorial Cemetery. The road was blocked near Howlett Hill Road while workers towed the car. In addition to deputies, the Taunton Fire Department and an American Medical Response ambulance responded to the accident. FULTON, N.Y. -- A Fulton student allegedly threatened to harm others at the high school, causing the school to cancel today's school play preview, according to an email sent to parents this morning. A student told administrative workers at G. Ray Bodley High School that another student allegedly made a threatening statement about harming people at the school, the email from the superintendent's office stated. School officials heard about the threat at 8:15 a.m. Thursday morning, the email states. The building at 6 William Gillard Drive was thoroughly searched, and the student who supposedly made the threat was immediately taken to the main office, according to the email. The nature of the threat was not immediately disclosed. It was not clear if the school took any action against the student. The school was not put on lock down and Fulton Police Department investigators were not involved, police said. After the email went out, Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard was told that Superintendent Brian Pulvino was in a meeting and was not available for comment. A preview of the high school's play "The Addams Family" was supposed to be performed for the elementary and junior high students today, but it was canceled due to the threat incident, according to the email. Fulton Junior High School had to be searched Thursday after employees found bullets in a school bathroom toilet. The boy who had been hunting with his father forgot he had the ammo in his pocket and got scared when he found it at school, Pulvino told syracuse.com. The junior high school was not put on lock down for that incident and police did not get involved. The boy was to be disciplined by the school, Pulvino said. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Five people were charged after officers found two handguns in a car during a traffic stop, Syracuse police said. Around 5:15 p.m. Saturday officers Jacob Breen and Patrick Moore stopped a Chevrolet Impala in the 1400 block of South Salina Street when the car did not stop at a stop sign at Tallman Street. Police did not say if the officers were on patrol at the time or were in the area for another reason. Jared Santifer, Britney Hardimon, Deanna McKinney, Benisha Miller, and Jequan Harlow. Five people were in the car: Jared Santifer, Britney Hardimon, Deanna McKinney, Benisha Miller, and Jequan Harlow. During the stop Breen noticed the smell of marijuana coming from the car, police said, and had everyone get out, police said. Police said that when asked, Santifer told officers he had a pistol under a seat of the car. Santifer said he had a permit for the pistol in Georgia, but that he did not have a permit in New York, police said. In the car officers found a Springfield XD-S .45-caliber handgun and a Taurus 180 Curve .380-caliber handgun, police said. The Taurus had six rounds in it, police said. Another magazine found in the car contained 12 rounds of .45-caliber ammunition, police said. Santifer told officers the Springfield was his, but he did not know of any other guns in the car, police said. No one in the vehicle had a New York pistol permit, police said. During the stop, police said, Harlow also repeatedly lied about his identity and was found with marijuana. Santifer, 26, of 4090 Cranwood Drive, College Park, Georgia, was charged with two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and two counts of criminal possession of a firearm, police said. The following were each charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a firearm: Hardimon, 26, of Smyrna, Georgi McKinney, 32, of 345 Garfield Ave., Syracuse Miller, 23, of Cooper Lake Road, Mableton, Georgia Harlow, 16, of 4090 Cranwood Drive, College Park, Georgia Harlow was additionally charged with false impersonation and unlawful possession of marijuana, police said. All five were held at the Onondaga County jail awaiting arraignment. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Strong wind gusts cut power to tens of thousands of New Yorkers Wednesday in the western part of the state as crews worked to repair the damage and officials restricted traffic. Utility provider National Grid reported nearly 80,000 people with no electricity in western New York. About 35,000 customers did not have power in Erie and Niagara counties. Around 16,000 were without power in Monroe County. And around 17,000 people and 10,000 people respectively did not have power in Genesee and Orleans counties. National Grid estimated that most customers would not have their electricity back until Thursday afternoon. The wind was so strong in western New York Wednesday that gusts flipped tractor-trailers, derailed a CSX train, and bent a church steeple and knocked down signs. Rochester's airport reported a gust of 81 mph, faster than the lowest hurricane wind speed. Concerns about wind caused the New York State Police to urge the public to avoid unnecessary travel in Monroe, Ontario, and Livingston counties. And state officials banned all empty tractor-trailers on the New York State Thruway from Exit 45 (Rochester - Victor - I-490) westward to Exit 61 at the Pennsylvania state line. Both loaded and empty tractor-trailers were banned between exits 45 and 47 near Rochester. The elevated of the Route 5 Buffalo Skyway was also closed to traffic. Power out across NYS County Customers out Percentage of total customers Niagara 23,850 29% Genesee 16,855 63% Monroe 14,704 72% Erie 10,952 4% Orleans 10,487 58% Chautauqua 5,719 14% Wyoming 2,989 86% St. Lawrence 2,147 5% Livingston 2,125 13% Cattaraugus 2,056 7% Allegany 1,122 16% Jefferson 1,060 2% Lewis 972 7% Saratoga 536 1% Oneida 280 0% Franklin 245 1% Rensselaer 132 0% Essex 103 1% Warren 82 0% Otsego 81 2% Schenectady 80 0% Montgomery 69 0% Oswego 65 0% Onondaga 18 0% Washington 18 0% Schoharie 13 0% Ontario 10 0% Albany 6 0% Cayuga 0 0% Chenango 0 0% Clinton 0 0% Columbia 0 0% Cortland 0 0% Madison 0 0% Fulton Fewer than 5 0% Hamilton Fewer than 5 0% Herkimer Fewer than 5 0% Source: National Grid, as of 5 p.m. It has been an exciting few weeks for the student film scene in Cambridge. ADC hosted its Cambridge Shorts evening a few weeks ago, A Festival of New Writing sees television and film professionals descend upon Cambridge in the latter half of this week, and the Watersprite international student film festival is back in Cambridge from 10-12 March. Student filmmakers are attending from all over the world, with this years nominations including short films from South Africa, Myanmar, and Turkey, to name just a few. As Hilary Bevan Jones, the Chairman of Watersprite and the former Chairman of BAFTA, said Watersprite promotes diversity and the support of young people by assisting in navigating the mysteries surrounding entry routes into the world of film this event will be providing a showcase for student filmmakers from all walks of life. Industry professionals and film and television experts will also be attending, with many giving speeches and sitting on panels over the weekend, alongside the screenings of all nominated films. TCS has compiled our own list of the top 10 free events for you to look out for this weekend. 10 Dangerous Crossings: Filming the Migration Crisis (Saturday, 2pm) If youre interested in the high-octane coverage of current affairs, then it will definitely be worth listening to Jack MacInnes, Marco Orsini, and Ragnhild Ek talking about their experiences recording the horror and scale of the migration crisis. 9 Screening: Encounters (Sunday, 3.15pm) All of the nominated films at the festival will be shown at some point over the weekend, loosely grouped into themes. Encounters is one of those themes, and looks set to be a particularly interesting one, as it covers stories ranging from the relationship between and old man and a seagull to the friendship between a banker and a cleaner. 8 The Power of Visual Effects with Paul J. Franklin (Saturday, 4pm) The man who worked on the visual effects for Harry Potter, Interstellar, Inception, and The Dark Knight will be talking about his experiences in the industry and how he got to his position as an Oscar winner. This should be interesting for anyone curious about the work that goes into on-screen wizardry, and will hopefully provide some sneak peeks into your favourite film franchises. 7 High Fliers: Stunt Filming with Gareth Milne (Sunday, 12pm) Another exciting speaker should be Gareth Milne, who choreographed and performed many of the stunts in Skyfall, The Bourne Identity, and Indiana Jones. This should be an entertaining chat, whether you aspire to jump boats over bridges, or would rather watch from the comfort of your own home. 6 Screening: Expression (Saturday, 10.45am) This is a screening that should really showcase the diversity of student filmmaking. The films on show include a surrealist film from Germany, and G-Face, the story of a rapper from South Africa, 5 Fantastic Beasts and How to Film Them (Sunday, 2pm) Everybody was in awe of the filmmaking in Planet Earth II, and this event could be your chance to ask one of the producers, Elizabeth White, just how they did it. Dr Gabrielle Walker, the BBC4 presenter of shows such as The Secret Life of Ice, will also be there, explaining her path from Cambridge to TV. 4 Birds Eye View: Cinematography Masterclass (Saturday, 10.30am) This masterclass is run by Illuminatrix, an all-female group of Cinematographers, giving a great example of the diversity on offer in the film industry today. This is not just an event about their experiences as women in the film industry, however, as they will also provide an insight into the art of cinematography. 3 Screening: Confinement (Sunday, 12.15pm) From the story of the 1912 expedition to the South Pole to the tale of a man trapped in an attack by a sinister organisation, the films shown in this screening display the ability of student filmmakers to capture the essence of confinement. 2 LGBT Representation in Film (Saturday, 12.30pm) Brian Robinson, the Festival Programmer of BFI Flare, Josh OConnor, an actor who has starred in Gods Own Country and Florence Foster Jenkins, and Chanya Button, the director of Burn, Burn, Burn, talk about their perspectives on the increased representation of LGBT characters and relationships in film and TV today. 1 Winners Screening, Picturehouse (Sunday, 10.30am) The winning films in each category will be shown at this screening. While its unfortunate that no Cambridge students made it onto the nominations, this should showcase the best of student film from across the world, giving us all something to aspire to! On International Women's Day, Wednesday 8 March, Newnham College hosted a so-called "Wikipedia Edit-a-thon" with a view to raising the online profiles of notable women. There are many notable women of history and of modern society who do not have Wikipedia profiles and over 70 people from across Cambridge, from University staff to schoolchildren, gathered in Newnham from 12pm-6pm to create these Wikipedia pages. Each person chose a woman of note and was then tasked with creating or updating the Wikipedia entry for them. Speaking to Cambridge News, Newnham College's principal, Dame Carol Black, said "We wanted to do our bit to help close the gender gap because we know from experience as a womens college how many eminent and talented women there are in the world". The event was part of Wikipedia's "Women in Red" campaign, which seeks to create a page for all notable women. The campaign bears that name as when a person without their own profile is mentioned on Wikipedia, their name appears in red. Qualcomm on Wednesday announced a collaboration with Microsoft to accelerate next-generation cloud services on the 10nm Qualcomm Centriq 2400 ARM-based platform. The collaboration will span multiple future generations of hardware, software and systems. The companies have been working for several years on ARM-based server enablement. They have been optimizing a version of Windows Server for ARM running on the Centriq 2400, which Microsoft will use in its data center. Possible Synergies Qualcomm made the announcement at the Open Compute Project Summit in Santa Clara, California, where it conducted the first public demonstration of Windows Server on the Centriq 2400. Qualcomm also submitted a server spec the Qualcomm Centriq 2400 Open Compute Motherboard to the OCP. The spec, based on the latest version of Microsofts Project Olympus, pairs the Centriq 2400 with the most advanced interfaces for memory, network and peripherals, and lets devs design ARM-based servers for the most common cloud compute workloads. The motherboard fits into a standard 1U rack server system. It can be paired with compute accelerators, multihost network interface controllers, and leading-edge storage technologies to optimize it for specific workloads. Microsofts looking for more efficient compute architecture for Azure, and Qualcomm wants a slice of the [Infrastructure as a Service] business, said Holger Mueller, a principal analyst at Constellation Research. When two vendors see synergies, good things can happen, but its too early to tell how well this spec will do, he told TechNewsWorld. Why the ARM Move? Microsoft has been running evaluations of ARM servers side by side with its Intel-based production workloads, noted Microsoft Distinguished Engineer Leendert van Doom. ARMs high Instruction Per Cycle counts, high core and thread counts, the connectivity options, and the integration that we see across the ARM ecosystem [are] very exciting. Intel has about 98 percent of the server market today, and this is a choke hold on innovation, remarked Kevin Krewell, a principal analyst at Tirias Research. The industry needs competition, or Intel will use the industry as its piggy bank to fund other projects, he told TechNewsWorld. Cavium, which collaborated with server supplier Inventec, also developed an OCP-based motherboard compatible with Project Olympus and presented a demo with Windows Server for ARM on its server processor SoCs at OPC. All About the Cloud Microsoft is looking for the cheapest solution for the cloud, suggested Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group, and its working to make sure all its eggs arent in one basket. The companys Azure cloud business is going gangbusters, based on its Q2 results. Microsoft considered where ARM servers would be applicable and provide the most value, van Doorn pointed out. Those areas include search and indexing, storage, databases, big data and machine learning. Cloud systems have to be able to scale from the very large to very small almost instantly, so they need dense, high-core technology which is very similar to what AMD and ARM have been working on, Enderle told TechNewsWorld. Microsoft has been looking at optimization of servers, and this goes to its cloud first strategy, because it wants to have the best cloud on the planet, he added. In addition to Qualcomm, Microsoft is working with AMD, Intel, Cavium, Nvidia and others on the Olympus project. Google has received what will likely be the final wave of approvals needed to create a signature campus in the company's hometown of Mountain View, California. Dubbed Charleston East, the facility will take shape at 2000 N. Shoreline Blvd. on an 18-acre plot of land. The campus will be unique in that it'll be the first that Google has built itself; all of its other buildings were purchased from previous owners. The bottom floor of the 595,000-square-foot building will be open to the public and feature restaurants, cafes, shops, art installations and other attractions. An open plaza at the southeast corner of the facility that'll be serviced by food trucks will be used for public events like live music and tech exhibits, Mountain View Voice reports. Google real estate director John Igoe said the project was the opportunity to make the location more open to the community. As such, they made an effort to make sure the site is welcoming to the public. The search giant first unveiled plans for its new campus in early 2015; planning for the project dates back nearly 10 years. On-site preparations have already begun for construction, the publication notes, with Google officials interested in moving forward quickly with grading and laying the foundation. Assuming cooperative weather conditions, the project could be complete before the calendar rolls over to 2020. One of the many hurdles involved in colonizing Mars - apart from actually getting there - is figuring out how to support life once we arrive. For example, will we able to grow vegetation in the harsh Mars climate? According to promising data from the International Potato Center (yeah, apparently that's a thing), the answer may be yes... so long as you like potatoes. Known as CIP from its Spanish-language name Centro Internacional de la Papa, the Lima, Peru-based facility in February 2016 launched an experiment to grow potatoes in simulated Martian conditions. They planted a tuber in a specially constructed CubeSat contained environment developed with help from NASA. The hermetically sealed environment controlled temperature to simulate Mars' days and nights and also mimicked the planet's air pressure, carbon dioxide and oxygen levels. Preliminary results from the testing are positive. Julio Valdivia-Silva, a research associate with the SETI Institute who now works at UTEC in Lima, said that if the crops can tolerate the extreme conditions they are exposing them to in the CubeSat, they have a good chance to grow on Mars. They plan to do several rounds of experiments to find out which potato varieties do best but have concluded that humans on Mars missions that aim to grow potatoes will need to prepare soil with a loose structure and nutrients that allow tubers to obtain enough air and water to grow. Doctors can legally lie to parents about the condition of the fetus when they feel the client may seek remedy, such as abortion, if the fetus has serious health and physical problem, and parents cannot sue them for withholding the information from them. This is not farfetched, as Texas Senate is poised to pass the bill protecting doctors from lawsuits that may stem from "wrongful birth." "[The bill] will send a message that Texas does not believe that a life ... is an injury in which parents need a damage payment," State Sen. Brandon Creighton said. No 'Wrongful Birth' "Wrongful birth" lawsuits date back to 1975. In the case Jacobs v. Theimer, Dr. Louis M. Theimer was sued by Dortha Jean Jacobs and her husband on the ground that he failed to diagnose a serious disease during her pregnancy and did not inform them on the risks it posed to the fetus. The doctor's failure to inform them of the health condition led Jacobs to give "birth to a child whose major organs were defective." The court decided in favor of the complainant and ordered the award of reasonable expenses needed for the "care and treatment of their child's physical impairment," which total amounted to $21,000 in 1973. Creighton, a Republican and the bill's author, said the case had set a precedent acknowledging that "there are births that are wrongful." The Republican state senator is standing on the other side of the fence saying, "There are no wrongful births." But This Bill Is 'Wrong' The bill, which was forwarded to the Senate Committee on State Affairs last week, is fraught with drama and high with emotions. Opponents of the bill, comprised mostly of abortion-rights supporters, described the bill as a way of giving health professionals the license to lie to patients on the true conditions of their fetuses. The bill, if approved, would open the possibility of doctors "lying to patients about the health of their fetuses when they feel that the patient might seek an abortion if told that the fetus has a long-term health problem." Rachel Tittle, one of those who opposed the bill, said she experienced the dilemma of learning too late in her pregnancy the health of her fetus. If discovered early, she could have sought some therapy to save the situation and give her fetus a chance. She said the bill, however, "takes that chance away." Tittle, a freelance science writer, told the state Senate committee it is not right when doctors may decide to lie on the true conditions of the fetus for fear that the parents might decide for an abortion. "This bill would be wrong," she said. Supporters of the bill shot down the argument, saying that "this is a bill without a hidden agenda." According to Texans for Life president Kyleen Wright, the bill will right what is wrong. The bill does not restrict "access to testing and in no way restricts access to abortion and in no way regulates abortion," Jennifer Allmon, executive director of the Texas Catholic Conferences of Bishops, added. Under the bill, a doctor could still face lawsuits for malpractice or negligence. Thumbs-Up The bill is a few steps away to becoming a law, as the State Affairs Committee approved it on Feb. 27. "Children born with disabilities ought to have the same rights as any abled person," Creighton said. If approved, the state of Texas will join the states of Arizona, South Dakota, and Indiana, banning lawsuits on "wrongful birth." 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking has warned that mankind is facing threats from new technology strides and will imperil their survival. Listing the threats, Hawking said there are too many, ranging from climate change to mass species extinction. The physicist noted that humans have achieved many big feats because of technological advances. Now those gains are augmenting their demise. The technology overkill can bring about mass species extinction, an excess of artificial intelligence and unbearable global warming. Amid the despondency, the physicist exuded optimism that a calamity can be avoided if humanity shuns a parochial outlook and works toward a world government. Hope Amid Grim Outlook Noting that aggression is hard-wired into human genes by Darwinian evolution, Hawking said the advancement of technology has added more fangs to it and destruction of the human race by a nuclear or biological war cannot be ruled out. "Since civilization began, aggression has been useful inasmuch as it has definite survival advantages," the scientist said. "We need to control this inherited instinct by our logic and reason," Hawking added. Hawking has made news in the past as well with apocalyptic prophecies suggesting that humankind may only have 1,000 years left on Earth and they must seek out another planet to occupy. Despite the turmoil, he maintains hope that there is scope for harmony if everyone worked together to identify the threats and actions are taken before things go out of control. "This might mean some form of world government," he said. Fear Of Artificial Intelligence In late 2016, Hawking had called the creation of artificial intelligence as "either the best, or the worst thing, ever to happen to humanity." "We spend a great deal of time studying history, which, let's face it, is mostly the history of stupidity. So it's a welcome change that people are studying instead the future of intelligence," Hawking said. A few years ago, he warned that the development of AI could "spell the end of the human race." His concerns were also shared by Bill Gates, Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak who signed a letter along with 8,000 leading researchers and scientists warning that the danger of artificial intelligence is many times bigger than nuclear weapons. Living Proof Of Survival Against Odds The intrinsic hope on humanity's goodness is a manifestation of Professor Hawking's own battle for survival as he is considered a living proof of struggle against many odds. At the age of 25, he was given a couple of years to live. But in February 2017, the famous scientist celebrated his 75th birthday. Hawking said he is happy with the life he had and looking forward to the future with expectations. He said he traveled widely, visited Antarctica and met the presidents of Korea, China, India, Ireland, Chile and the United States and had meetings with four Popes. "I have been down in a submarine, and up on a zero gravity flight in preparation for the flight into space that I'm still hoping to make it on Virgin Galactic. It is a great time to be alive," Hawking recalled. What Will AI Do? Meanwhile, the concerns expressed by many experts including Hawking has strengthened the debate what all functions an AI-induced machine can do and when it will happen. It is expected that 2050 will be a watershed year when artificial intelligence will perform the intellectual tasks. According to a survey presented at a recent AI conference, such machines can perform any activity that a human has performed till date. Some of the everyday human stuff that AI machines will do include the following. Recognize objects in images Navigate a map of the London underground Transcribe speech better than professional transcribers Translation from one language to another Speech Picking out a paragraph that answers a question Recognize emotions from images of faces Recognize emotions in speech Drive vehicles Fly a drone Predict parking difficulty by area Discover new uses for current drugs Spot cancer in tissue slides better than humans Identify diabetic retinopathy that causes blindness Analyze genetic code of DNA to detect genomic conditions Solve quantum state of many particles instantly 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The launch of Samsung Galaxy S8 is still a few weeks away and the company has postponed the official release to April 28, which is a week later than the previously planned date. However, it seems Chinese manufacturers cannot wait that long as they have created multiple clones of the undisclosed phone. With the help of several leaked pictures and videos supposedly belonging to the Galaxy S8, Chinese manufacturers were easily able to make a replica of the rumored Samsung flagship. The Chinese have a reputation for replicating major retail and clothing brands, as well as gadgets like smartphones. According to the pictures and video posted on Weibo, a Chinese social networking site, the duplicate device was bought from the Huaqiang North Market, one of China's most popular electronic markets. Although the Chinese manufacturers did a pretty good job with the clone which features several similarities with the impending handset, there are of course some prominent differences based on the leaked images. Original Galaxy S8 vs. The Clone: Similarities And Differences Similar to the leaked pictures of the original Samsung Galaxy S8, the clone seems to have a large display along with rounded edges and slim bezels. The front part of the phone doesn't have any home button and there is a fingerprint sensor available on the back of the handset, just beside the camera. This has been evidenced by leaks of the original Galaxy S8. However, the position of the sensor and the camera's LED flash has been interchanged in the clone when compared to the leaks of the real device. The original Galaxy S8 houses the flash on the left and the fingerprint sensor on the right of the camera, but the clone has exactly the opposite positions. The second difference is in the pattern of the speaker grille and the USB port. The knockoff has a microUSB port in place of the USB Type-C connector, which is expected to be on the original phone. When the phone is turned on, the biggest difference becomes visible. Even though the clone manages to copy TouchWiz, the display in the knockoff comes with a black border on the top and bottom whereas the original is expected to suffer no such issues regarding its display. The real phone was expected to introduce a physical button to access its own virtual assistant Bixby, but that button is missing on the Galaxy S8 clone. This isn't the only time that a clone of a Samsung flagship has been made, a Chinese company also made a clone of Galaxy S7 which was surprisingly similar to the genuine phone. What Will Be New In The Genuine Galaxy S8? The design of the phone will bring a major change from the previous Samsung devices as the top bezels will be reduced along with the bottom one, and at the same time, the device will also reportedly eliminate the home button. The Galaxy S8 is the latest handset from Samsung since the fire-prone Galaxy Note 7 in 2016, which was a huge disaster. This is probably why Samsung decided to opt for a larger display with the Galaxy S8 to appeal to the fans of big-screen phones. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Samsung is about to launch its two new devices, the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+, in a few weeks from now. As the March 29 debut of the two smartphones draws nearer, the latest rumor suggests that the Galaxy S8 and its bigger sibling the Galaxy S8+ will both come in a novel color. Curious as to what this shade is? Violet! Moreover, the upcoming smartphones from Samsung will be available in multiple hues. What Are The Colors For Galaxy S8? The other colors are reportedly the not so usual black and silver options. The latest leak comes from a popular leakster, Roland Quandt, who took to Twitter to share this interesting tidbit. However, the veracity of Quandt's assertions is still shady even though he has cited an EU retailer as his source of information. He also revealed the pricing for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, which may be at 799 or approximately $843 and 899 or approximately $948, respectively. These prices suggest that these new models may be costlier than the Samsung Galaxy S7. Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ will be out in Black, Silver and Violet (!) colors, retail listings show. S8 priced at 799, S8+ at 899 Euro. Roland Quandt (@rquandt) 7 March 2017 If the latest rumor proves to be true, then the company may exclude the Coral Blue and white options, which are presently available for the Galaxy S7. Whether the violet variant will be replacing these options is still not known. Unfortunately, the tipster did not share an image of the rumored Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ donning the violet hue to support assertions. Samsung Galaxy S8+ and Galaxy S8: Rumored Specs And Features Samsung Galaxy S8 will likely sport a 5.8-inch Quad HD+ display and may be powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset. It is also expected to boast 4 GB of RAM along with an internal storage of 64 GB. The Galaxy S8+ is expected to have a bigger 6.2-inch Quad HD+ display. The processor and the RAM will likely be the same as the Galaxy S8. Both phones may also be equipped with a fingerprint sensor along with an Iris Scanner. It is also expected that the phones may also have the new AI assistant Bixby. According to previous leaks, the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+ will come preloaded with Android 7.0 Nougat. The speculated models may also have a glass and metal design which will be dust and waterproof. The Galaxy S8 is rumored to house a 3000 mAh battery whereas the Galaxy S8+ may come with a bigger 3500 mAh battery. Samsung is gearing up to launch the devices in the company's "Unpacked Event" which would be held in New York City on March 29. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. NASA is set to create the coldest place on Earth and launch it into outer space. Astrophysicists will use a device to re-create temperatures millions of times colder than that of outer space. The Cold Atom Laboratory (CAL) from NASA is the device in question, which will be launched into outer space by SpaceX in August. Scientists will then attempt to carry out experiments which would not have been possible to conduct on Earth. The box will chill down the atoms to a billionth of a degree above absolute zero. "Studying these hyper-cold atoms could reshape our understanding of matter and the fundamental nature of gravity," says Robert Thompson, project scientist at CAL. NASA's CAL - The Coldest Place On Earth The coldest place on Earth right now is NASA's CAL. It is an ice-box sized chest packed with lasers, a vacuum chamber and an electromagnetic knife which is used to slow atoms down to a state of negligible motion. In other words, it creates temperatures near the absolute zero mark, making it the coldest place on Earth. The CAL is in its final stages of assembly and NASA intends to fill up the CAL cavity with atomic gas particles, while the box is at the International Space Station. The microgravity will enable researchers to witness unique quantum events and occurrences, which would be impossible to see on Earth. One such phenomenon is the creation of the Bose-Einstein condensate. It is a super fluid state of matter where the atoms transform into mysterious waves and propagate themselves. This has never been witnessed in absolute zero temperatures. NASA further explains that since this super fluid state lacks any kind of viscosity, where the atoms are able to move without any sort of friction and behaves as a single substance. Physicists would love to study the Bose-Einstein condensate, purely because of its unique and rare nature. The condensate cannot be prepared on Earth because of the Earth's gravitational pull, which does not allow this alluring state of matter to remain in existence for more than a fraction of a second. Why Is NASA Creating CAL? In the micro-gravitational environment aboard the ISS, the scientists will be able to study the Bose-Einstein condensate much more comprehensively. NASA speculates that the condensate will be in existence in space for up to 10 seconds at a time. This is a huge breakthrough for physicists. A detailed study of the Bose-Einstein condensate will help scientists understand the links between classic and quantum physics and could very well lead to the construction of better sensors, atomic clocks and telescopes used in space. The prospect of the world's first quantum computer may also be quite near. The possibilities are therefore endless, as scientists gear up for the launch of the CAL. Science is set to prosper immensely from the Bose-Einstein condensate and one can only wait in anticipation of what new scientific discoveries are on the horizon. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Bright pink water has flushed out of a Canadian towns water system. Onoway in central Alberta saw its drinking water from tap running bright pink. Complaints from some of its 1,000 residents began to pour into the town office and on social media on March 6. Spring In The Taps? In a CBC report, resident Sheila Pockett recalled being asked by her husband as to why pink water was coming out of their faucet and eventually clearing up after running for about five minutes. Pockett seemed to take it lightly, even dubbing the incident spring in the taps in reference to the forthcoming season. But she wished the town warned them earlier about the pink water and any potential harm. But does the strangely colored water actually cause harm? Town mayor Dale Krasnow dismissed any potential public health risk but admitted that their authorities could have done a better job communicating what was going on. He said the weird pinkness was a side effect of a common water treatment chemical known as potassium permanganate. We were never advised by Alberta Environment to issue a public advisory and all indications are that there was never a public health risk, Krasnow said in the official statement posted on the Onoway website. The color was the result of the chemical being used during routine line flushing, he noted. During normal line flushing and filter backwashing, a valve appeared to have stuck open, letting the chemical enter the sump reservoir. The reservoir had been drained yet some of the potassium permanganate commonly incorporated in treatment processes to remove iron and manganese still made its way into the water system, the statement read further. We ask all residents and businesses to leave your taps running until your water is clear, Krasnow said. Alberta Environment inspected the water lines on March 7, seeking to complete all needed repairs by end of the day. Potassium Salt In Focus Also known as potassium salt, potassium permanganate is a chemical disinfectant typically used for removing iron and hydrogen sulfide from well and waste water. It is not highly toxic, yet concentrated amounts can still cause harm to the skin. As a potent oxidizer akin to chlorine, permanganate can lead to irritation or even burns when the undiluted salt comes into direct contact with skin. Apart from water treatment, the chemical is also used for treating fish diseases and parasites, as it cures bacterial gill infections and skin ulcers. It also improves water quality, and can be beneficial as a pest and parasite-controlling agent in aquariums. On the medicinal front, potassium permanganate can be used as an antiseptic and fungicide. Those suffering from wounds with pus and blisters may have a potassium permanganate bath, as long as the solution is dilute. In the United States, a much more serious public water supply issue struck Flint in Michigan, where increased lead levels from thousands of service lines were detected and heralded a water crisis since 2015. Thousands of the citys lead pipes remain and will likely take a number of years to be replaced, making water filters massively important in the meantime. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. In a new study, DNA in hair samples confirms Aboriginal peoples longstanding connection to Australia. DNA from Aboriginal people gathered during expeditions from 1928 to the 1970s revealed that modern Aboriginal Australians descended from a certain group populating the same regions for up to 50,000 years, around which time the continent was still linked to the New Guinea. Heritage Redefined Based On Hair The first peoples populations spread rapidly around the east and west coasts and met somewhere in southern Australia about 2,000 years later, the team from the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA (ACAD) of University of Adelaide concluded based on mitochondrial DNA from 111 hair samples. The populations appeared to stay in certain geographical areas while continental migration took place, being continuously present in such regions for the next 50,000 years. "This is unlike people anywhere else in the world and provides compelling support for the remarkable Aboriginal cultural connection to country, said ACAD director and project lead Alan Cooper in a statement, hoping the findings will lead to a rewriting of the nations history to incorporate detailed Aboriginal history, spanning about 10 times the length of the European history currently being taught. Mitochondrial DNA allows the tracing of maternal ancestry. The hair samples in this study was obtained with permission from Aboriginal families forced to relocate to Queenslands Cherbourg and South Australias Koonibba and Point Pearce communities. The universitys Board of Anthropological Research ran the expeditions from which the South Australian Museums collection of over 5,000 hair samples emerged. The study built on and lent data from a 2016 paper, which sequenced the genome of 83 Aboriginal people. It revealed that Aboriginal Australians living in desert environments may have developed certain biological adaptations to survive the harsh, arid conditions. According to its results, the occupation of the arid zone took place long before the last ice age, being contemporaneous with the Australian megafauna. The research puts into perspective the development of the Australian culture and civilization, by comparison to Europe's development. Mapping Aboriginal History: Why It Matters Study co-author Lesley Williams is the granddaughter of one of the donors of the hair samples. A lot of non-Indigenous people said we werent here. This establishes the truth of what weve been saying all along, she said in an ABC report. The DNA analysis was done only with consent from the donors and their descendants, with the results discussed face to face with families prior to publication and great sensitivity for the whole community employed, Williams added. Kaurna Elder Lewis OBrien, among the original hair donors and sitting on the advisory group for the research, said the results affirmed existing knowledge. But it is important to have science show that to the rest of the world, he emphasized, hopeful that the project will assist those from the Stolen Generation and others raring to reunite with their families. The study was the first stage of a decades-long initiative to help people with Aboriginal heritage to trace their ancestry on the regional level and reconstruct their genealogical history, and to pursue the return of Aboriginal artifacts where they rightfully belong. It seeks to get results from up to 1,000 samples in the next two years, and to extend the study to investigate paternal ancestry from DNA. The findings were discussed in the journal Nature. A study from early last year showed that Aboriginal Australian men were in isolation for half a century since their initial settlement, challenging the previous hypothesis that suggested the arrival of early inhabitants from India up to 5,000 years ago. The modern humans who arrived in Australia almost 50,000 years ago were one of the earliest groups who settled outside of Africa, founding the ancestry of today's Aboriginal Australians. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The top 1000 companies listed by Fortune magazine may be more vulnerable to security breaches when compared to peers which do not make the cut. A report from BitSight, the standard for all security ratings, reveals that companies listed under Fortune magazines' 1000 top organizations are more prone to cyberattacks than non-Fortune listed companies. The report states that Fortune 1000 companies are likely to suffer or have already suffered twice the amount of data breach compared to its peers. BitSight, released the report named How Secure Are America's Largest Business Partners? Rating The Cybersecurity Performance of the Fortune 1000 on March 8, which has looked into the security stance of some of the largest business corporations, which are listed under Fortune 1000. What Is Fortune 1000? Fortune 1000, similar to Fortune 500, is a list maintained and prepared by Fortune business magazine. The companies incorporated in the list are ranked according to their revenues. The Fortune 500 is a sub-division of this list. The companies, which are considered eligible to be included in the list, should have the authorization to do business in the United States and should declare its revenues publicly. Walmart for a long period of five years ranked one on this list. How Was The BitSight Study Conducted? The Bitsight report presented information on the level of cybersecurity performance of Fortune 1000 companies and also went on to identify the most common system compromises that take place in a company. The report also gives recommendations for improvement for the same. "This data can be used to better inform companies of the risks posed when sharing data or network access with Fortune 1000 organizations," said Stephen Boyer, CTO and co-founder of BitSight. To identify the common system security breaches, BitSight studied the Fortune 1000 companies alongside 2,500 other companies, which were randomly selected and not included in the Fortune 1000 list. The non-Fortune companies were chosen on the basis of two criteria: a similar industry breakdown and the company must have at least 2,500 employees. BitSight then went on to study these two categories of companies by applying refined algorithms developed from evidence of security incidents gathered from all around the world to come up with regular security ratings for organizations. The companies were given ratings ranging from 250 to 900, where a higher rating equaled lower risks. Findings Of The Study The key findings of the study stated that in the last 15 months, no less than one company out of every 20 companies listed in Fortune 1000 has undergone a breach that has been disclosed to the public. The report further states that most of the Fortune 1000 companies have at least one division in their administration which uses an open port system. With time, this has allowed illegal access to the company's systems unintentionally. The report concludes by saying that the security performance of the Fortune 1000 companies on a whole has taken a dip. Only 53 companies have put in efforts to improve its security, whereas 103 companies from the list experienced a downfall in their ratings between October 2016 and January 2017. Photo: Fortune Live Media | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A previous report by The New York Times claimed that Uber has used a secret tool for years to deceive regulators in markets where its ride-hailing service is prohibited or banned. The tool, named Greyball, utilized data acquired by the Uber app to identify and avoid local officials. The allegations have been proven to be true, with Uber admitting the existence of Greyball. The ride-booking company has now released a statement on the shady tool and what it is now planning to do to move forward. Uber Responds To Greyball Report In a statement uploaded to the Uber Newsroom, the company's Chief Security Officer, Joe Sullivan, explained the intended purpose of the Greyball tool. According to Sullivan, the Greyball tool hides the standard city app view from individual riders, allowing Uber to show a different version to customers. There are many applications of the tool, including testing new Uber features by the company's employees, launching marketing initiatives, preventing fraudulent activities, protecting drivers from physical harm, and deterring riders from using the Uber app in ways that violate Uber's terms of service. In response to the report by The New York Times, Sullivan said that the company has launched a review on the different applications of the Greyball tool. In addition, Uber has expressly prohibited the use of Greyball in deceiving local regulators. Sullivan, however, noted that due to the way that the systems of Uber are configured, the full enforcement of the prohibition will take some time. Uber, once it finishes its review on Greyball, will then respond to the inquiries of the organizations that have requested for more information from the company regarding the tool. Uber Controversies Continue Through Greyball, Uber was said to have been able to avoid regulators in cities where its drivers are not allowed to pick up passengers. Through the collection of in-app data to identify certain individuals such as law enforcement officers, Greyball will show these target users that there are no Uber rides available in the area, or show mock-ups of the app with fake rides. The Greyball tool continues Uber's recent run-ins with controversy, with the company trying its hardest to keep up with damage control. Last month, a former Uber engineer published a lengthy blog post that accused Uber of sexist workplace practices, prompting Uber CEO Travis Kalanick to order an investigation into the matter. A few days later, Google unit Waymo filed a lawsuit against Uber and Otto for stealing some components of the company's self-driving car technology. Kalanick was then caught on video harshly arguing with a driver regarding Uber prices, an incident that led the Uber CEO to admit that he needed to grow up and get leadership help. In light of these issues, along with several other problems, Kalanick revealed that he is now looking for a Chief Operating Officer to help him run Uber. With Uber being the focus of several controversies already in 2017, it remains to be seen how the ride-booking service will be able to recover. While hiring a COO would certainly help, Uber will need to do much more than that to stay afloat. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Hyderabad: Reminding citizens of the post demonetisation days, several ATMs in the city, including those attached to respective banks, have gone dry for the past one week posing problems to public. The no cash days seem to be prevailing in Telugu states where people can only use the ATMs to check their account balance..The first week of every month witnesses people thronging ATM centres to withdraw money. But, apart from one or two ATMs none are working. Many ATM machines are not able to dispense Rs 2000 notes as they are not updated yet. People are experiencing anxious moments wondering if the post-demonetisation days are repeating. In Cyberabad, there are 1,370 ATMs and 788 bank branches, while there are 2,150 ATMs and 1,150 bank branches in Hyderabad. Since November last year, 60 per cent of ATMs in the twin cities are not working and out of service boards are promptly displayed outside the ATM centres. This is because the machines are still not updated to dispense Rs 2000 notes.Talking to The Hans India, a bank employee residing at Kukatpally Housing Board Colony said that he was visiting various ATM centres to withdraw money for the past three days but in vain. The president emphasized that people are voting for Nicaragua and by doing so they are also voting for peace. | Read More International Womens Day was celebrated in all the four districts that constituted undivided Adilabad, on Wednesday.At Adilabad, Forest Minister Jogu Ramanna recalled the efforts being taken by the State government towards the welfare of women. The Minister spoke about empowering women through welfare schemes formulated by the government. Mr. Ramanna said the government was spending around ?1 lakh towards girls education, and elevating anganwadi workers as teachers and enhancing their salaries to ?10,500.Appreciation certificates were also given to women self help groups and ASHA workers. Collector Buddha Prakash M. Jyoti and municipal chairperson Rangineni Manisha also participated.At Mancherial, Collector R.V. Karnan exhorted women to come forward and participate in all activities based on their aptitude. He also praised women for their patience.Karimnagar Special Correspondent adds: Various organisations celebrated International Womens Day across Karimnagar district with pomp and gaiety, on Wednesday.The district administration held a function at the Collectorate auditorium. Participating as chief guest, Zilla Parishad chairperson Tula Uma said the State government was contemplating on providing 30% reservation to women in police constable recruitment. Ms. Uma said Telangana was the first State in the country to announce a holiday for women employees on the occasion of Womens Day.Choppadandi legislator Bodige Shoba called upon women to stay united. She captivated the gathering by performing a song on the importance of protection of the girl child. MLC Naradasu Laxman Rao, MLA G. Kamalakar, Mayor S. Ravinder Singh, Collector Sarfaraz Ahmed, and District Welfare Officer Girija were also present.The Democratic Teachers Federation held a function on the occasion too, which was attended by Ms. Uma and District Education Officer P. Rajeev. Several private schools, including Paramita High School in Mankammathota and Bhagavathi High School in Bhagathnagar, too celebrated the occasion by conducting fun games for women teachers. The Satavahana University PG College joined the celebration.Peddapalli Special Correspondent adds: Collector A.S. Alagu Varshini participated at the International Womens Day celebration at the Adriyala Longwall project area of Singareni Collieries Company Limited in Ramagundam-3 on Wednesday. The Collector called upon women to excel in their chosen field. She felicitated an employee, S. Sunitha, who won the silver medal in the Coal India long jump competition.Ms. Varshini also felicitated JNTU Manthani students who scored the highest marks in the exams as well as Shikka Padnakar, professor in JNTU, for her book on English literature. General manager (APA) S. Chandrashekhar and RG-3 general manager M.S. Venkata Ramayya were also present.At NTPC Ramagundam, women employees participated in a walkathon which was organised with the theme be bold for a change in the township. NTPC executive director D.K. Dubey lauded the services of women employees.Khammam Special Correspondent adds: Felicitation of distinguished women from various fields, distribution of cheques to the beneficiaries of the Kalyana Lakshmi scheme, rallies, and meetings marked the celebration of International Womens Day across Khammam district on Wednesday. Several Anganwadi workers were honoured in recognition of their distinguished service at a function held at Puvvada auditorium here. Khammam MP P. Srinivas Reddy and MLA P. Ajay Kumar felicitated the best Anganwadi workers.Zilla Parishad chairperson G. Kavitha, Collector D.S. Lokesh Kumar, and others participated in a meeting organised by the Department of Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens at the Ambedkar Bhavan.Activists of the Progressive Organisation for Women (POW) took out a rally from Ramnarsaiah Vignana Kendram to the bus stand centre to register their protest over growing atrocities against women and to press for womens empowerment. An awareness meeting on the significance of empowerment of women was held at SR&BGNR Government Arts and Science College. Principal U. Veerabhadraiah addressed the meeting.Sattupalli MLA S. Venkata Veeraiah distributed cheques to the beneficiaries of the Kalyana Lakshmi scheme at a meeting in Kallur. Bethany Lutheran Videos at Each Live Worship Service Such is the contrast between the Bible of the old and the Bible of the new theologies. That there are compromise systems between the twoor at any rate attempts at a compromise is certainly true; but it is impossible to effect a compromise between systems fundamentally and essentially at variance. This is a case of either or, Delitzsch was right when he maintained that a deep chasm existed between the old and the new theology, and this chasm exists because there is a chasm between the Bible of the old and the Bible of the new theologies. In one word, the Scriptures of the one is the Bible without God; the Scriptures of the other is the Bible of and with God. The Bible Of The Old And The Bible Of The New Theology. By Rev. Professor George H. Schodde, Ph. D., Columbus, O. in Loy, ed. The Columbus Theological Magazine. Vol. 18, 1898. LutheranLibrary.org Heads up to prevent injury from falls Morning walks in my neighborhood are one of the most enjoyable parts of my day. I love the coolness of daybreak and the special sightings of the stag and two does that frequent our open space. I also enjoy my walk because each day at... Signs that point to the best time for retirement Ive been thinking a lot about retirement lately. One of our amazing staff members, who has been with Senior Concerns for the last 13 years, retired last month. It just doesnt seem real. I always thought of Dana as young. Certainly not the person to... Rethinking the mandatory retirement age How old is too old for working at a job? Last week a news story hit my inbox and it really got me to thinking about age and retirement. The article noted that Target Corp. abandoned its mandatory retirement age of 65 for its CEO,... Tips to promoting a healthy nights sleep for children Question: Help, please. My daughter is almost 2 years old and has been an easy child to put into her own bed. Yet in the past few weeks she is purposefully stretching out the bedtime routine longer and longer. She wants more: more stories, more... More than a year before authorities across the Baton Rouge area accused contractor Matthew Morris of defrauding over two dozen clients with homes ruined by the August flood, Donna and Doug Cox filed a 92-page complaint with the state Attorney General's office decrying his company's practices. The Coxes are one of three families who say they complained about Morris and his company, Complete Construction Contractors, either to the Attorney Generals office or the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors and sometimes both agencies before the summer flood. None felt the state agencies took their complaints seriously. In April 2015, the Coxes paid $13,183 up front in a $66,000 contract for the construction company to build them a new backyard cabana. But after four failed inspections, the relationship with Morris soured. The Coxes wanted out of the contract, believing Morris had not done enough work to warrant what had been paid, even as he claimed he was owed another $26,000 just to finish the cabanas slab. His response was to put a lien on their property. The Coxes filed their complaint with the Attorney General's office in July 2015 and another with the contractors board about the same time, but eventually sued months later. You know they kept saying that 'You have to get an attorney involved. We have to stay out of it, Donna Cox, 57, recalled about the AG response. And Im like, No, you dont understand. I know theres a couple of complaints already, and I know hes not going to stop until yall stop him. Six months after the flood, complaints about Morris have racked up. Starting in early February, six law enforcement agencies have accused Morris of starting home and business restoration work and then seeking exorbitant cost increases that arent justified by the completed work. Morris, who is being held without bail, has maintained he is "100 percent innocent" of the criminal charges against him, and in civil court papers accused the Coxes of owing him tens of thousands in unpaid bills and fees. Morris' attorney, Travis Turner, has declined to comment, while Morris civil attorneys in New Orleans have not returned calls. Dispute or fraud? In Louisiana, the Attorney Generals office and the state contractors board are designated as agencies that are supposed to protect consumers and police contractors. The Attorney General's office has a consumer protection section and a fraud hotline, and routinely issues warnings to consumers about how they can avoid falling prey to scammers. I will do all that I can to root out fraud and scams in our State, Attorney General Jeff Landry says in a flier on contractor fraud. But by their own admission, both the contractors board and the Attorney Generals office are sometimes reluctant to become involved in private contract disputes over subjective standards of whether a contractor has done an adequate job. Contractor given $780,000 bail in Livingston; more counts await in Ascension LIVINGSTON A state district judge in Livingston Parish has set bail at $780,000 for a Bato Baton Rouge lawyer Kevin Landreneau who handles civil contracting disputes and, though he represents primarily contractors, has also represented contractors clients said that subjectivity can extend to the quality of workmanship, the length of the job, when different phases of a job are finished and require payment, and even the finest details of a job. "Typically, the matter does not turn criminal until there is clear proof of a scheme or intent to defraud the owner by the contractor," Landreneau said. A contractor board official says it focuses on licensing issues, such as whether a contractor has insurance, has passed a licensing exam, has basic financial backing and uses licensed subcontractors. The board is not designed to be the arbitrator of quality and workmanship issues or of the validity of any contracts, said Brad Hassert, the compliance director. Every complainant is advised of that when the complaint is filed. They are advised that the board cannot ensure that any monies are refunded to them, that any work will be done or redone, he said. Hassert said the board has received several complaints about Complete Construction, but the nature of the disputes, including a contract that purports to give Morris a powerful hand with his clients, has made it hard for the board to act. Still, the board suspended all licenses it had issued to Morris and Complete Construction in February after he was arrested by multiple local law enforcement agencies. The board has refused to make the notice of suspension public, but Hassert said the boards investigation centers on allegations that mold remediation work performed by the company was done without a license. The Attorney Generals office says it can lead consumer protection cases with multiple victims, but they are civil cases. The office also investigates but does not prosecute criminal contractor fraud cases. Local prosecutors decide whether to bring charges, agency officials said. The Attorney Generals office also avoids private civil disputes in contracting, especially once lawsuits are filed. In many cases, the evidence does not establish the intent to defraud; it establishes a disagreement of the parties and a breach of contract, said Ruth Wisher, a Landry spokeswoman. She said the office can't take up those kinds of cases, which "are private matters between private parties who have contracted with each other. Wisher said she could not say how many complaints the AG's office has received or has investigated about Morris and Complete Construction. Wisher did say that the Coxes spoke with office personnel, but pointed to lawsuit they filed over the dispute. But the Coxes said they filed a complaint with the office nearly seven months before they filed a lawsuit in February 2016. An investigator closed the Coxes complaint to the contractors board with no action, Hassert added. 119 counts and growing Ascension Parish kicked off the criminal investigation accusing Morris of fraud. Ascension sheriffs deputies arrested Morris Feb. 8 on dozens of fraud and other counts stemming from new post-flood complaints in that parish. Ascension Parish Sheriff Jeff Wiley said his office investigated its cases independently at first and did not seek out help from the Attorney General's office until deputies needed the agency to develop search warrants for Morris' business and home, which are both in neighboring East Baton Rouge Parish. Developing the cases, which was done in cooperation with Twenty-Third Judicial District Attorney Ricky Babin's office, required a great deal of research to work through Morris' records, Wiley said. "Because you guard against looking at these things and stacks of flies, and your first reaction is that's lawyers suing lawyers," Wiley said. "Somebody's got to sue somebody, and you know the length of time that takes, so we felt like all along we had a crime and so did our district attorney and frankly the judges who signed the arrest warrants." Since the Ascension Parish arrest, law enforcement in Livingston and more recently East Baton Rouge have begun investigating Morris cases in their parishes. As of Monday, Morris, 39, has been arrested on 119 counts of contractor fraud, insurance fraud and other counts involving 26 victims in Ascension and Livingston parishes and in Baton Rouge, Walker and Denham Springs. The investigations are continuing. Almost all of the cases are for post-flood construction work, although at least one arrest in Baton Rouge involved a contract from 2014. A familiar pattern has emerged in many cases, according to warrants in Ascension and East Baton Rouge parishes and Complete Constructions contracts. Complete Construction often signed customers to contracts with a maximum value of $750,000, according to the documents, but rarely provided an estimate for the job, Ascension sheriffs deputies said. Instead, Morris would collect the insurance deductible plus the first insurance payments that would normally have gone to the homeowner, said Harold Dorsey, of St. Amant, who has had counts filed against Morris on his behalf. According to many of the contracts, Morris often obtained the authority to deal directly with homeowners insurers. After the customers' out-of-pocket money was in hand, authorities allege that Complete Construction would begin demolition but stop once early steps were finished, then seek inflated costs for reconstruction. He told us he was upside down on our house. We need money, you know, the rest of the insurance,' before he could do anything else, said Dorsey, 48, a truck driver. Ascension deputies said some victims later learned about two-thirds of their insurance payout had been spent on demolition and restoration, like mold remediation, and not enough was left to rebuild their houses. A case in Walker followed a similar pattern, except Morris quoted an initial price of $70,000 only to pressure the victim for a total bill of $244,500 to finish the job or face a lien, according to Walker police. Morris faces a count of extortion over the threat, police have said. Liens are documents that can be legally attached to homes and land to ensure that when bills are outstanding, they get paid before the property is sold. But, in the case of several of Morris' alleged victims, the liens also had the effect of halting their insurance payments, Ascension deputies said. Courtney Stricklin, who processed information for Complete Construction from mid-August to early September, said she handled around 70 contracts. "That is something that when we talked to clients to give them information before they sign contracts, one of the first questions Matt wanted us to ask was, What's your max policy, like what's the max on your policy," Stricklin said. As the bill rose and enough progress wasnt happening on a gutted home or business, customers balked, Dorsey and other homeowners said. They were then hit with termination fees and costs spelled out in the contracts. Liens on the damaged property often followed, tying up further progress, according to Ascension deputies. Stricklin, who said she left Complete Construction because of the hours and her concerns about the business, also hired Morris to repair her flooded house. She sued Morris over a lien he placed on her Denham Springs house after she refused to pay him for work she claimed his company never completed. Before a hearing Monday in Livingston Parish, Morris voluntarily removed Stricklins lien. A final judgement is pending. Morris also played on his Christianity and his ties to area churches to land business, several people said. Christie Andry, whose business This Olde Shoppe on Tiger Bend Road flooded in August, said she got Morris name through her daughter and son-in-law, who were in Bible study with him at Healing Place Church. Andry said when she signed with Complete Construction, Morris gave her a gift basket with a Jesus calling book, a kind of daily prayer devotional. Its disgusting. Boy, I tell you what, it burns me up when people claim to be a Christian and do this. That makes it even worse, said Andry, who lives in Covington. Andry said Complete Construction, which stopped working on her shop in late September, destroyed the business' floors. She said she complained to the contractors board and the Attorney Generals Office later that fall. She said she thought the Attorney Generals office, which initially appeared interested, would pursue her case, though the agency ended up not taking it. I really thought they were going to do something with it. Then all of a sudden their tune kind of changed. They just were, Well, you signed the contract, said Andry, who she said she is now speaking with East Baton Rouge Parish sheriffs deputies. Wisher, the Attorney Generals Office spokeswoman, said the agency spoke with Andry. We cannot prevent people from signing bad contracts or breaching those contracts, Wisher said. Hassert said Andrys complaint to the contractors board is part of its investigation into Morris. Ascension Parish Sheriff Wiley said Mark Stermer, The Church in St. Amants pastor, came to him with concerns Morris may be victimizing some parishioners and "using the credibility of the church and his relationship with the pastor to curry business. Wiley said that Stermer told him that he had addressed his concerns with Morris, who stopped using the church's name. Officials with Healing Place Church and The Church in St. Amant have declined to comment. Pre-flood complaints Cody and Krystal Haydel hired Complete Construction in June 2014 to plan construction of a new home in Gonzales, said Daniel Atkinson Jr., the couple's attorney. The Haydels later sued, claiming Morris and his company charged them for work that was never done. Morris, in a lawsuit he filed against the Haydels, countered he did much of the early work, but the couple hired another contractor and wont pay Morris for the work he completed. When they refused to pay him, Morris responded by filing a lien against them. Shortly before September 2015, when the Haydels sued to dispute the lien, they filed an online complaint with the contractor board. Atkinson said the Haydels never received a response. Atkinson, who convinced a judge to remove Complete Constructions lien May 6 and was awarded attorneys fees and costs, said he wasnt surprised. I have found in my practice that the Board exercises very little oversight of licensed contractors, Atkinson said. Hassert, the contractors board compliance director, said the board has no record of a complaint from the Haydels or their attorney. Clayton Lester, the former president of the Old Goodwood Landing Condominium Homeowners Association, said he filed an AG complaint in early August. Morris had been hired to repair a four-unit condo in Old Goodwood Landing off Lobdell Road that burned April 5, 2015. The association and its insurer spent more than $542,000 on Complete Constructions repairs, Lester said. The building has been gutted and cleaned, and part of its brick facade was removed, but the brick has not been replaced, Lester said. The building is also without a new roof and is on its fourth or fifth tattered blue tarp, he said. Complete Construction wants another $400,000 to finish a job that the associations insurer had valued at $650,000. This makes no sense to me, Lester said of the Attorney Generals office inaction, when I know there is a guy out there doing stuff and conducting business in a manner in which he takes from everybody and does not give equivalent value and, in fact, takes stuff and does not offer value at all. Thats not right. The Attorney Generals office informed Lester in October that it would not get involved because Morris had been subpoenaed in related litigation, Lester said. One of the condo owners had sued the association over the lack of progress on the units. Donna Cox filed her AG compliant with former Attorney General Buddy Caldwell. Once Landry was elected attorney general in late 2015, she said, Cox figured then it may have then gotten postponed with the coming change of administration. But they eventually got word from the Landry administration that the office wouldn't take up the case. In the Coxes 2015 complaint to the AG, they detailed their dispute with Morris but also questioned the validity of claims on his website. Those claims included that Complete Construction could do restoration from fire, flood and mold and had out-of-state offices. Recent calls to those offices went to the same voice mail or to the Baton Rouge office on Perkins Road. The same person repeatedly answered calls to those numbers last week and said Complete Construction only has a corporate office in Baton Rouge. Morris has voluntarily dropped his lien against the Coxes, but litigation with them continues. Its sad. Its really sad. Its bad, said Donna Cox, who said she too was won over by Morris' name-dropping of church members. I dont know why the Attorney Generals office didnt listen to me. A settlement has been reached in a federal lawsuit that accuses Louisiana regulators of harassing and discriminating against a group of Vietnamese-American nail salon owners. Court filings on Wednesday didn't disclose terms of the agreement. Attorneys for the state and for four Vietnamese-American salon owners didn't immediately respond to calls and emails seeking comment Thursday. The plaintiffs claimed the Louisiana State Board of Cosmetology disproportionately targeted Asian-American salon owners for frequent inspections, fines and disciplinary hearings because of their race. Lawyers for the board and two agency inspectors denied there was any evidence of racial bias in their regulatory activities. Vietnamese-American nail salon workers claim discrimination; Baton Rouge judge calls it 'very troubling' A Baton Rouge federal judge said Tuesday he is greatly troubled by allegations that state co A jury trial for the case had been scheduled to start March 13. Last month, U.S. District Judge Brian Jackson refused to dismiss the plaintiffs' claims before trial. The plaintiffs alleged that Vietnamese-owned businesses account for just 9 percent of the roughly 7,500 salons regulated by the state agency, including hair salons, but paid at least 80 percent of all board-imposed fines in each year between 2011 and 2013. The plaintiffs and defendants disagreed on whether the rate of fines should be viewed through the prism of all types of regulated salons or just nail salons. Steven Young, the board's executive director, estimated that 80 percent of all nail salons in Louisiana are owned by people of Vietnamese heritage. However, Jackson noted in his ruling last month that plaintiffs have presented other evidence that nail salons are subject to more scrutiny than other categories of salons. One plaintiff, Thoa Nguyen, claimed an inspector, Sherrie Stockstill, unlawfully detained her and her employees for approximately two hours during a 2013 inspection. Jackson ruled that those detentions were "objectively unreasonable." Stockstill denied saying that nobody could leave the building during the inspection, and she didn't try to stop salon employees who fled through the back door when she identified herself as a board inspector, according to her attorneys. Another plaintiff, Mai Thi Nguyen, claimed her salon was shut down for three months by the board after they falsely suspected her of fraudulently transferring the business from its previous owner simply because she and the previous owner had the same Vietnamese last name. The salons owned by the plaintiffs are located in Lafayette, Prairieville and Gonzales. Most of the owners are first generation immigrants who "tirelessly fought for the 'American Dream' and became successful small business entrepreneurs," their attorneys wrote last month. Board attorneys claimed each of the plaintiffs has, "in some way," admitted to the violations for which they were cited. "There is zero evidence in the record, direct or circumstantial, that Defendants intentionally targeted Plaintiffs because of their race," they wrote. One of the plaintiffs' attorneys is former U.S. Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao, a New Orleans Republican who was the first Vietnamese-American to serve in Congress. A second suspect in the 2014 fatal shooting of 23-year-old Nicholas Brumfield turned himself in to the Baton Rouge police Thursday, according to a police report. Devante Courtney, 24, of 2121 Lobdell Blvd., Baton Rouge, surrendered without incident and was booked into Parish Prison on a count of second-degree murder. Police said Wednesday they were looking for Courtney after they arrested and booked 24-year-old Leslie Ferguson for second-degree murder in Brumfield's death. Ferguson and Courtney fatally shot Brumfield around 10 p.m. on May 31, 2014, while Brumfield was working at Red's Auto Upholstery at 5737 Greenwell Springs Road, said Sgt. L'Jean McKneely, a Baton Rouge Police Department spokesman. Ferguson, who's been held at Parish Prison since April 2015 when he allegedly beat the mother of his child, was interrogated by detectives Wednesday after being linked to the killing and was re-booked into jail on a count of second-degree murder in Brumfield's death, McKneely said. One of the familiar, long-running restaurants of the West Bank has always been about getting something a little different. It still is, though the terms have changed. Sun Ray Grill debuted in Gretna in 1996 mixing Asian, Latin and American comfort food, not so much as fusion but as a sampling of flavors from around the world. Theres a new Sun Ray Grill now, and, increasingly, the focus is on a wider variety and fuller expression of the flavors from our own backyard. The blackboard specials make this clear, and it starts with seafood. Sun Ray Grill is an anytime, family-friendly neighborhood eatery that routinely has three or four different Gulf fish types alone, with speckled trout, pompano or red snapper often joining the usual suspects of drum, tuna and flounder. Sometimes the seafood even changes with the weather. That was the case during a visit to Sun Ray Grill in January, when a brief cold snap had blown red snapper off the menu. It was replaced by striped bass, an excellent fish meaty and full flavored and one I cant remember ever finding at a restaurant so casual. Here, it was pan-seared, and its seasoned, crinkly skin was topped with a clutch of cornmeal-crusted oysters bursting with juice and crowned by bits of buttery garlic. Such a rich range and lusty preparations of the local catch should be commonplace even at down-home, midrange eateries in this town. But it's not, and that is one reason the new Sun Ray Grill is so noteworthy. The overhaul is the work of chef Tom Hinyup, a Terrytown native who ran the Sun Ray Grill kitchen for years and bought the business from founder Dana Deutsch in 2015. Deutsch and his wife, Julia, had built Sun Ray Grill into a small local chain with five locations. They began selling these off a few years back, and the original location in Gretna is the only one that still bears the name. Since taking over, Hinyup has gradually changed the kitchens direction, pointing it back toward the Louisiana flavors he grew up eating. Talk food with this chef even a little, and the family fishing camp comes up a lot. It seems to double as his restaurant research and development lab for the best dishes on the menu. Some staples from the old Sun Ray Grill remain, and some of them are dated. Just say Santa Fe burrito or Chinese chicken salad, and the mind dials back to the heyday of "Seinfeld" and grunge rock. Still, it's a wise move to keep some touchstones of the old place intact. This is a neighborhood restaurant that relies entirely on a local clientele. They might revolt if the Thai ribs went away, and with cause. The spicy/sweet sauce fully justifies getting your fingers sticky, and even the appetizer version is generous enough to share around the table. But what really recommends Sun Ray Grill these days is Hinyup's dedication to fielding a local and highly varied seafood selection. The "fish market" portion of the menu has five preparations for whatever is on the blackboard. The garlicky, oyster-topped fish Barataria described above is one example. Tuna, usually on the blackboard, also goes into a playful riff on poke, a Polynesian salad of chopped raw fish that is a longtime standard of sushi bars and has lately become a fast-casual craze. The Sun Ray Grill version has a tight dice with a bouncy fresh texture and the contrasting creamy-sweet-crunch of avocado, mango and almonds between wonton chips. The heartier counterpoint to this dish is oyster bread, a homestyle or, more accurately, camp-style creation of fried oysters over oyster and artichoke dressing broiled into the crannies of crusty French bread. Apart from seafood, the Avery Island duck makes an impressive entree. Dark and moist under a thick crispy crust, a pepper jelly sauce gilds the plate, and a dressing of tasso and spinach lays the foundation. As the Sun Ray Grill menu has grown more interesting, the restaurant has not become any fancier. The bar still fields basic wine and beer lists, and the desserts, like whipped cream-embossed bread pudding and cheesecake, are predictable and generally too resistible. The setting does little to disguise the fact that this restaurant is set in an office park, but the staff brings a genuine sense of welcome that can warm up the room and thats no small consideration. Sun Ray Grill remains not just familiar but familial. Even as the waitresses write new specials on the blackboard in chalk, kids are still swirling crayons over the white paper table coverings. That's always a sign that you're in a casual, anytime joint. The new commitment to local seafood in so many robust preparations leaves no doubt this one is also a modern Louisiana restaurant. Sun Ray Grill 2600 Belle Chasse Highway, Gretna, (504) 391-0053 Prices: appetizers $7.50-$16.50, sandwiches, $9.75-$19.50, entrees $15.50-$23 Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Louisiana State Police Superintendent Col. Mike Edmonson and other officials have discussed how to respond to potential protests after the U.S. Department of Justice releases its investigation into the shooting. Edmonson said he anticipates getting advance notice of the federal announcement. Purple has always been the colour to represent women and now there's a new fashion accessory to continue flying the flag for the fairer sex. And there is a local connection. Canberra Fashion blogger Janette Lenk (seated far left) was selected to be one the faces to launch a UN Women National Committee (NC) Australia purple scarf to mark International Women's Day. Canberra Fashion blogger Janette Lenk was selected to be one of the faces to launch the UN Women National Committee Australia's purple scarf to mark International Women's Day, which took place on Wednesday. The scarf was a collaboration with the label Esprit and is available in stores and online now. "To my knowledge the injunction has not yet been served on the territory but I can advise the ACT government solicitor [GSO] has made contact with lawyers for the club in February in relation to the injunction which had initially been proposed in correspondence and meetings with the club. "I note there has been an announcement by the Canberra Greyhound Racing Club that it has lodged an injunction to stop the cessation of ACT government funding in the 2017-18 year," Mr Ramsay said. Wednesday's committee hearings at the Legislative Assembly were briefly halted after the minister flagged a Facebook post in which the Canberra Greyhound Racing Club had allegedly signalled impending legal action over plans to withdraw government funding . ACT regulatory services minister Gordon Ramsay has refused to answer questions about the future of Canberra's greyhound racing industry after confusion about whether or not the club was filing an injunction against the government. "The government solicitor invited the club solicitors to provide a copy of the terms of any injunction before it was filed and the legal basis for it so they could consider the position of the territory. "The announcement on Facebook today suggests the club has decided to proceed with the injunction and make public statements about the matter without taking up the offer of the GSO or serving a copy of the application on the territory. "Obviously members would now appreciate the matter is now apparently the matter of legal proceedings and so it's inappropriate for us to make any comment on the matter in relation to greyhounds and so because of that I will not be proceeding any further with any matters in relation to the greyhounds as it's a matter before the courts." But Liberal MLA Elizabeth Lee was incredulous that an injunction that has not yet been served could preclude the minister from answering questions. "The territory hasn't been served with the process so you actually have no idea what the content of that process is and the cause of action, is that right? You're speculating at this point. The statement on the greyhound club's Facebook or wherever you saw it is not an initiating process that has been filed in the courts," she said. We are gathering information for the 2022 general election. On desktop, click "election information" on the right side of this pag... Whenever I'm in New York I head for the bookshops, even though I usually regret the trouble of fitting my McNally Jackson purchases into my luggage for the return journey. But a few years ago, I thought I had discovered gold. The long-awaited autobiography of Mark Twain had just arrived the day before. Twain was an amazing man in every way and lived life to the full. Such was the extent of his notoriety and enormous circle of associates that he left instructions that his autobiography could not be published until 100 years after his death in order that he could speak with his "own frank mind". He went on to say that "what I was writing would be exposed to no eye until I was dead, unawares and indifferent". Thy kingdom come, thy will be done. And the will, too, of the oracles Bolt and Bernardi, and the lesser prophets who have missed no opportunity to warn us of the menace of Islam. Give us strength, Lord. Better still; give us a royal commission . Most of all, protect us from those who'd seek to tell us "the truth". Our freedoms are precious as you know very well and the freedom to select our own alternative facts is the most cherished of all. Protect us from the " leftist hysteria ''. Defend us from the arrogant and out of touch the atmospheric scientists who alarm us about climate change ; the teachers who claim children are suffering in offshore detention; the engineers who say 100 per cent renewable energy is actually possible; the counter-terror experts who question the conservative rhetoric. Save us from the economists, the scientists, and the journalists. Save us, in fact, from all those who would have us live in fear. Or live with squat toilets . Which reminds me, what are your thoughts on free speech? If the meek shall inherit the earth as you say, then surely they can deal with the odd insult from time to time? As for the less fortunate, the poor in spirit can't they just turn the other cheek so the silent majority can be a little less silent? Give us this day our daily bread. And meat too, please. But not halal we didn't ask for it, and we won't pay for it. halal is a "scam'' another sign of the pervasive and imminent sharia threat and is probably used to finance terrorism too. And there's no point heeding the Senate Inquiry, which found no link between halal certification and extremist causes. We've been warned about the bleeding-heart liberals and their leftist agenda already. They can't be trusted. Forgive us our trespasses; forgive our sniping, our wrecking and undermining, our scheming behind the scenes. Much as we'd like to forgive those that trespass against us, it's a bit of a stretch. They've made life hell, with their wind farms and their carbon tax, mendacious refugee advocates standing in the way of offshore processing, vexatious litigants standing in the way of major development, migrants driving up property prices. And it's only getting worse. I'm telling you, the destruction of civilisation is nigh. In our hallowed halls of learning, Australian women are being spurned by Muslim men for simply wanting to shake hands. Is nothing sacred? What is the world coming to when religious beliefs can be used to justify discrimination on the basis of gender? It's un-Australian. God knows you do, don't you? how we value our women and place them on an equal footing in all things? Alright, so not in the Parliament. Not in business either OK, you've got me there. But we revere their roles as carers and as mothers, so long as they don't "rort" the paid parental leave system, naturally. I so often hear the idiom walk the talk corrupted to talk the walk or walk the walk or some other horrid variation that even I am becoming confused as to the correct usage, writes Steve of Killara. I am hopeful that C8 can clear this up. Dont baulk Steve but dont you have to walk the talk to talk the talk ... so to speak? Browsing the local pharmacy, Richard Stewart, of Pearl Beach, spotted the labels of Olive Leaf Products advising they were just picked. I noted the use-by date was May 2018, indicating the leaves have an extremely long stay-fresh time. Replacing little red men with little red women on Melbourne traffic lights may be progressive but Kevin Johnston of Forster thinks its just skirting the issue. On matters sexual, Warren Menteith, of Nyatnyatan, asks: Arent residents of Wales called Welsh? Whats wrong with New South Welsh? (C8) Tim Ingall of Arizona says the C8 item on milkshakes for blood donors in Wollongong brought back fond memories of The Aunty Jack Show which celebrated Wollongong as the home of the fish milkshake. Are fish milkshakes still being sold in Wollongong? he wonders. We live in hope Tim, one way or the other.It may have taken only four days for Australia Post to get a parcel to Canada (C8) but Margaret Combley, of Maclean, is not so impressed. Last night my friend in Canada rang to thank me for the lovely calendar which she had just received. I had posted it three weeks before Christmas. Wait, theres more. Edi Wright, of Drummoyne, says two of her family sought postal votes for the 2016 federal election. Despite each receiving a text message from AEC advising their ballot papers had been lodged with Australia Post on June 18, 2016, theyve yet to arrive. 264 days and counting. Philip Kinsella, of Killara, points out that the intestinal rumblings reported by Terry Williams sisters kindergarten teacher (C8) have a melodic scientific name ... borborygmi. Meanwhile Keith Ridler-Duttons teachers sounded off with these gems: The improvement in his handwriting has revealed his inability to spell and He has an overdeveloped unawareness. Matter of balance Chris Carder supposes that "a newspaper like The Canberra Times does need some right-wing balance..."(letters, March 8). I guess it all depends on where one stands. I look forward to the day the Canberra Times gives us some real leftwing balance. At the moment there appears no space for an Australian columnist in the socialist tradition of the likes of Jeremy Corbyn or Bernie Sanders. Why not? John Passant, Kambah Change benefit's nation Those who complain about the transfer of a government department to the city of Armidale often argue that the population of such regional cities is too small to provide and support highly educated and skilled public servants. Until the early 1960's most Commonwealth government departments were in Melbourne. About 1962 PM Menzies issued the decree that all those departments would move from Melbourne to Canberra. As is now obvious the transfer of departments was very successful. Canberra, at the beginning of 1963, had a population of nearly 65,000 people. The official population of Armidale as of 30 June 2015, was 23,674. While there is a difference, remember that the plan is for only one small department to be moved to Armidale, not a plethora of departments as happened to Canberra in the early 1960s. There are many benefits to the nation for both federal and state government departments and agencies to be in the regions. Many who argue against decentralisation do so out of self-interest and that is understandable. We need leaders with the vision of Menzies to drive change for the nation's benefit. Colin Toll, Bywong, NSW Self-awareness needed Only one day after calling for the Catholic Church to rebuild after pain and scandal of child sex abuse ("Prowse seeks to heal and rebuild", March 6, p.6) Archbishop Prowse has the breathtaking audacity to whinge about the Church's right to free speech being muzzled in relation to abortion and same sex marriage ("Archbishop says protests will carry on", March 7, p.9). No senior member of the Catholic Church deserves any right to lecture us on any social issue. The Church has been exposed as a cesspit of brutal abusers, unrepentant paedophiles and hypocrites who covered up the sinful behaviours of their colleagues. They should be directing their energy into begging the forgiveness of their victims. That the archbishop has the nerve to pontificate on what may or may not be a "recipe for a very unhealthy society" is an astonishing insight to the Church's lack of self-awareness and absence of contrition. They should hang their collective heads in shame. Scott Humphries, Curtin Church hypocritical I must say l found the bleatings of Archbishop Prowse ("Archbishop says protests will continue", March 7, p9) somewhat hypocritical after all the publicity about child abuse at the hands of Catholic heirachy over the last few decades, and then after the Archbishop having admitted he has not handled it all too well. He then claims that those who question those who are having prayer vigils near an abortion clinic are being branded as "homophobic or antediluvian, and these are putdowns". He also asks the question "How can a person just praying nearby impinge upon proper civic behaviour?" Well as if the Archbishop knows anything about "civic behaviour". If the church had any semblance of Christ in its veins it would be supporting these women who have usually angonised deeply whether or not to have an abortion, and not condem them as murderers, which is virtually what he has done. Geoff Barker, Flynn China to blame If China is worried about blowback from a possible confrontation between the US and its client dictatorship, North Korea, it has only itself to blame for encouraging lunacy and then allowing it to get out of hand. M. Strong, Mendooran, NSW Rail improvements needed Clive Williams ("Heavy Rail Becomes the Forgotten Service", March 3, ) is mostly right. Reducing the time taken by existing rail services from Canberra to Sydney is doable and at a modest cost. Improvements to the existing service, including to the rolling-stock, are also well-overdue. Four to four-and-a-half hours for the present trip is really third-world stuff. Even just reducing the time taken from over four hours to three would add significantly to rail's appeal. Residents of my federal electorate centred on Campbelltown and those in the major towns and centres between Sydney's west and Canberra would benefit too. In time, the service might be extended areas south of Canberra. The "permanent way" between Queanbeyan and Cooma is still, I understand, in public hands. Since I entered parliament in 2016, I've campaigned for improvements to road and rail principally to the Appin Road linking Campbelltown and Wollongong and for the rail line that should link Sydney's west to the new Badgerys Creek airport due to start operation in the mid 2020s. So Clive, not every politician is "dazzled" by "Rolls Royce options" or disinterested. Based on my experience, Clive is quite right in suggesting that, whatever the rhetoric; the Turnbull government is little more committed to rail than was its predecessor, led by Mr Abbott. If Clive thinks I can help, he and his "fellow travellers" should make an appointment to visit my Canberra Office when Parliament next resumes. Dr Mike Freelander, Member for Macarthur Parkinson's vision There is a problem with appointing a bean-counter-in-chief (former secretary of Treasury) as the head of the department of policy (Prime Minister and Cabinet). After all, one can hardly credit such a man with a sense of humour. Martin Parkinson AC PSM modelled a rather average hallucination (vision), a workforce that "reflects the full diversity of the public that we serve" ("Thinking bold: highest echelons will ensure women are recognised and their achievements promoted", March 9, pp16,17). One assumes that he has dedicated positions reserved for the cretins and psychopaths (who also make up the public). It's all very PC but that's to be expected from PM and C. Unfortunately he committed the classic faux pas, lumping together, "women, people with a disability and people with diverse backgrounds". This used to be expressed as "women and other minorities". Whilst confusing his role with that of the Australian Public Service Commissioner, Mr Parkinson proved his ignorance of the ministerial manual (Yes, Prime Minister) by advocating "courageous" decisions and promoted public service suicide with his final words, "Challenge your leaders. Be bold for a change." Gary J. Wilson, Macgregor Israeli settlements I'm Jewish, American, Australian. I urge those able to boycott all things economic, cultural, and academic originating from all Israeli settlements in West Bank and East Jerusalem (to do so). From 1973, I volunteered in Israel; beginning 2001, I volunteered in Palestine. From Israeli kibbutzim to Palestinian villages, I work with moms, dads, kids helping them survive wars, incursions, rockets, occupation. Now a "sister" and "auntie" to many on the West Bank, I know they want the same things you and I want: security, safety, stability, hope, a decent life and a future for their next generations. Settlements and the occupation deny these things to Palestinians and Israelis both. Financial, social, economic, cultural, psychological damage devastates both occupy-er and occupy-ee. I write this fully "aware of [the] possibility" that my call "has a reasonable possibility of leading to the imposition of a boycott." [New Law, in translation]. I arrive Ben Gurion Airport on Tuesday, 21 March, UA954. Arrest me. Judy Bamberger, O'Connor Duplicity of the AFP Has Australia walked away from its campaign against capital punishment, or merely become duplicitous? ("Australian lives at risk...", March 3, p.4). The AFP remains defiantly unapologetic of its wanton facilitation of the judicial murders of Chan and Sukumaran. The AFP seemed content to trade the lives of clumsy criminals in pursuit of their forlorn attack on the tip of the drug importation iceberg, with its ego and budget-boosting media opportunities from each periodic "bust". And the unelected AFP has won again, despite the bipartisan views of a fully informed democratic parliamentary committee. But the death penalty issue should be paramount, except in immediate life-threatening emergency. Evidence to the committee made clear the feasibility of, and precedent, for establishing arrangements to preclude the death penalty. But the AFP does not wish to do so. The AFP may be independent of the government. But the government is seemingly not sufficiently independent of the AFP. Mike Hutchinson, Reid Women's rights I was pleased when, on Wednesday, March 8, I started my day with my regular reading of The One Year Bible (although I read the lesser known Chronological Bible). March 8 is International Women's Day and there was the passage for the day: Numbers, chapter 27, which records the story of the daughters of Zelophehad. These women, on the death of their father, sought their inheritance in an otherwise patriarchal society. Moses sought the Lord and it was decreed gender was not an issue in the determination of property rights. The daughters of Zelophehad took their property. I am encouraged to know women's rights, and human rights in general, are to be found in scripture years before these causes were polluted by social agendas. Me thinks Susan B Anthony et al would look down from Heaven and agree. Chris Longhurst, Jerrabomberra, NSW TO THE POINT WIKILEAKS DUMP So WikiLeaks have done it again, released another file dump, this time relating to naughty CIA cyber activities. Curiously I don't recall seeing similar dumps of FSB, SVR, MSS or 3PLA files. If WikiLeaks would deign to do so I bet they would also make interesting reading, but most tellingly not in their countries! Phil Clark, Isaacs GET PM OUT OF HERE Recent images of Malcolm Turnbull in Queensland betrayed an uncomfortable PM (joining groups in funny cowboy hat competitions and holding a can of beer as if it was a grenade). Whether this was through him being in redneck country, or in redhead territory, there were shades of "I'm A Celebrity. Get Me Out Of Here". M. F. Horton, Adelaide, SA ABORTION DEBATE Christopher Budd (letters, March 9) asserts he and everyone else is wrong regarding the abortion debate and then offers sage advice which we can only assume from his own assertion is wrong. As Hamlet remarked "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." Was he wrong? Peter Snowdon, Aranda A big shout out to Christopher Budd for suggesting people help women who are unexpectedly pregnant (letters, March 9). Make a donation to Karinya House. It's been helping women and babies in Canberra for almost twenty years, and does a wonderful job of it. Jane Craig, Holt PARTIES LOST TOUCH Pauline Hanson, love her or loathe her, is the unintended creation of Australia's mainstream political parties who have lost touch with a very large chunk of the electorate in their pursuit of trendy ideologies over the day-to-day realities of life in a country that is no longer as lucky as it used to be. S. Pascoe, Barry, NSW PC MUZZLES MAJORITY As long as the intellectual muzzle of political correctness is not removed, the silent majority will remain slaves to the vocal minority. Is this congruent with the tenets of democracy? If not, why so? Perhaps the MPs should answer that as our elected guardians of democracy. Mario Moldoveanu, Frankston, Vic NO CASH POLICY My wife and I always like to support the Enlighten Festival. I was very disappointed to see that cash was not acceptable at the Noodle Market. Surely by not accepting cash a law is broken? Ken Eynon, Latham Email: letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au. Send from the message eld, not as an attached le. Fax: 6280 2282. Mail: Letters to the Editor, The Canberra Times, PO Box 7155, Canberra Mail Centre, ACT 2610. The Bramble Cay melomys, a creature once found at the northern tip of Australia, will never enter the popular lexicon in the way of the dodo. But like the infamous fate to befall the flightless birds, this small rodent distinguished by a mosaic tail has now been declared extinct. The Bramble Cay melomys also has the dubious honour of being the first mammal wiped out by global warming. Pause for a moment to think on the consequences of a group of words that appeared this week in the federal government's State of the Environment report. Climate. Mammals. Extinction. Now. Bramble cay melomys. RIP. Credit:Queensland government You can be forgiven for never having heard of the Bramble Cay melomys. The tiny rats were confined to a tiny island in Torres Strait and considered ecologically unique, the only endemic mammal species in the Great Barrier Reef. In the late 1970s, the island was estimated to be home to several hundred; by the late 1990s the population had dwindled to about 90 individuals. A few years later, scientists trapped about a dozen, with the last known individual sighted in 2009. By 2014, none could be found, and last year a declaration of extinction was made. Fear of the revenge of the Frankston line voter is distorting public transport investment decisions in Victoria, and other parts of Melbourne are paying for it. This week the Andrews government revealed the last piece of the puzzle in its series of 13 level crossing removals on the Frankston line. The small seaside suburb of Carrum is in for a big change. Three crossings are due for the dustbin, not the promised two, as is the eyesore train stabling yard south of the station, which will be replaced by a new town centre. New local roads will also be built to make it simpler to get on and off the Nepean Highway. It's a big investment for a suburb of just 3500 people. It's tempting to conclude all these extras have been included to sweeten the bitter pill of a new 900-metre rail bridge some are calling it sky rail which will be built, after engineering experts ruled out putting the rail line below ground. Community groups along the Frankston line have spoken overwhelmingly against sky rail, and the government has taken heed. Chinese warships have carried out naval drills in Australia's maritime backyard for the third time in three years in a move that experts say strengthens the case for greater co-operation with Indonesia. China's state media have reported that two missile destroyers and a supply ship conducted combat exercises during a 25-day voyage that took them close to Australia's Christmas Island. China's missile destroyer Haikou, which took part in the exercises, in 2014. Credit:Zheng Wenhao The People's Liberation Army Navy made major headlines in early 2014 when they carried out similar drills in the eastern Indian Ocean close to Australian territory for the first time. This was followed by anti-piracy exercises close to Christmas Island in May last year. It is understood the Australia Defence Force monitored the latest Chinese activities and the ships' passage between Indonesian Java and Christmas Island. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has apologised and admitted she was wrong for suggesting parents subject their children to a non-existent test for vaccine allergies. Four days after linking vaccines with autism and likening the government's child vaccination programs to a "dictatorship", Senator Hanson ceded to expert advice and said sorry. "I have heard a couple of doctors have said that there is no test," she told Channel Seven's Sunrise program on Thursday. "If that be the case, I am wrong. I do apologise. "Vaccinations have controlled a lot of diseases. I admit that. As far as having tests done, I admit I was wrong with that." Malcolm Turnbull has called urgent crisis talks with Australia's east coast gas companies after the energy market regulator warned of looming shortages that could lead to widespread blackouts as early as next year. Describing the potential shortfall as "very concerning", the Prime Minister also called on state governments to loosen restrictions on onshore gas exploration and development in a bid to avert the energy emergency. His government is also considering some sort of domestic reservation policy to boost gas supplies but is grappling with how to implement it, fearing it could act as a disincentive to investment. The Australian Energy Market Operator has also warned that power costs will continue to rise even if new gas supplies come online, putting the "financial viability of some commercial and industrial customers" under threat. Adelaide: On the rugged sand dunes at Salt Creek, a South Australian man tied up a female backpacker with rope, cut off her bikini with a knife and sexually assaulted her, a court has heard. And as another backpacker went to the helpless woman's aid, the man allegedly attacked her with a hammer before running her down in his four-wheel drive as she fled across the sand. A 60-year-old man has gone on trial in the Supreme Court over the alleged attack on the two young women at a remote beach in the Coorong National Park one evening in February 2016. Opening the trial on Thursday, prosecutor James Pearce said the man met the backpackers online through classifieds website Gumtree, where one of the backpackers had sought a lift from Adelaide to Melbourne. He drove them to an isolated spot on the beach, only accessible by 4WD, and set up a camp before the attacks occurred, the court heard. In a capacious brick warehouse in the historic Eveleigh railway precinct, hundreds of tonnes of heritage railway carriages and equipment is sitting idle after the NSW government terminated a tour company's access to the site and changed the locks. For 30 years, 3801 Limited, a heritage rail company run by volunteers, has had almost exclusive use of the warehouse - called the Large Erecting Shop - to run its historic railway tours through the Southern Highlands and along the Hawkesbury River. The heritage rail group's access to the site, so close to Redfern Station, has been periodically threatened. When in 2006 the former Labor government indicated it might sell the site for development, then opposition transport spokeswoman Gladys Berejiklian insisted it should continue to be used for heritage rail, and said 3801 had been doing a great job. But in January, after years of failed negotiations and time extensions, Ms Berejiklian's government acted on its plans to convert the warehouse into a facility that could also be used by other rail heritage companies. Premier Gladys Berejiklian has been accused of lying about her knowledge of the real reasons for a $549 million blowout to the cost of the Sydney light rail project, but refuses to release a document that would set the record straight. Fairfax Media on Thursday revealed that in October 2014 Ms Berejiklian, as transport minister, was sent information contained in a briefing paper from Transport for NSW about the cost increase. Two months later, in December, Ms Berejiklian issued a statement on the blowout, attributing it to improvements in the project. But an auditor-general's report in December last year said this was incorrect. Good Morning How was International Women's Day for you? There was certainly plenty of debate and discussion about gender equality, perhaps more than any other year. As IWD drew to a close for another year, I enjoyed this piece by Brisbane blogger and podcaster Kaitlyn Plyley, whose message last night was "we must remember our victories to guard against despair". A shock at our place this morning, as we read that Uber drivers are refusing to take unaccompanied minors as passengers. An Uber or a taxi is our back-up plan for the school run if either Nikki or myself can't get there. Today, The Courier-Mail reveals that's against Uber's rules - and not only are children being refused rides, their parents are then being slugged the $10 cancellation fee. Oh well, at least our water isn't pink this morning! Yes, there is pink water in the taps and toilets in the Canadian town of Onoway! Images for the Gateway 09032017 1. `If you're so confident I killed her, try me again' You have to hand it to Graham Stafford, the man who served 15 years for the murder of schoolgirl Leanne Holland before having his conviction overturned. He is confident and convincing when he argues he did not commit the crime. Police say new evidence proves Stafford is the only person who could have killed her. Stafford says bring it on , let's go to trial again. 2. Gas (and therefore electricity) crisis looming Australia is facing a major gas shortage from next year. The Australian Energy Market Operator is warning that the country needs to come up with new ways of supporting gas-powered electricity generation. Widespread shortages would hit NSW and South Australia first, then Victoria in 2021 and Queensland between 2030 and 2036. Good Morning My belly is sore this morning - in a good way - thanks to Dave Hughes. You know those comedy shows where you just don't stop laughing? That was us last night watching Hughesy at the Brisbane Comedy Festival . Among his targets was the Clem 7 tunnel: "Is it called that because there are only ever seven cars in there?" Funny you should ask that, Hughesy . The gap between Brisbane's tunnel traffic projections and the reality is widening, Cameron Atfield investigates why. Before you read on, have you parked the car in one of those low-lying streets that always floods when there's a king tide? Because there will be king tides from today until Monday. 1. Hanson's WA vote will affect Queensland It might be happening several thousand kilometres away, but Pauline Hanson has ensured Queenslanders are taking more than a passing interest in tomorrow's WA election. Writing for The Conversation, Michelle Grattan says if One Nation polls well in the west, it would reinforce pressure for preference deals at the next Queensland election. Here are five factors which will determine the result in WA. In federal politics, ABC News reports the Prime Minister is planning a Cabinet reshuffle. 2. Driscoll to be sentenced today with $500k+ still missing More than half a million dollars linked to the fraudulent activities of Scott Driscoll remains unaccounted for. The former LNP Member for Redcliffe is due to be sentenced today after admitting to a string of fraud charges. He faces six years behind bars. 3. Another death for Child Safety to explain The spotlight is back on Queensland's Child Safety Department this morning, with The Courier-Mail reporting that a baby boy has died just months after the department was alerted to concerns about his family. The Opposition is blaming a child safety "backlog" and wants Minister Shannon Fentiman sacked. 4. Did Australia Post really force staff to work around a dead body? Australia Post staff claim they were forced to keep working while the body of a dead contractor lay on the ground at the Nambour depot yesterday. They say the body was cordoned off with witch's hats but remained at the site for hours. Australia Post says "none of our employees were forced to work this morning as this very sad situation unfolded". 5. Even non-sporty types can get into this game Aside from State of Origin and the grand final, NRL games don't get much more hyped than this one - the Broncos vs the Cowboys tonight at Suncorp. It's like two sons playing against each other. You love them both and as long as it's a good fight, you don't really mind who wins. 4BC's Ben Davis has sucked me in with his coverage this week, including this great interview with Cowboys captain Johnathan Thurston . On a sad note for the sport, Rugby League Week has announced it will cease publication - online and in print - after round five. Former Queensland editor Tony Durkin explains why. Also catching my eye... A little under five years ago, I got angry about a piece of fake information, and I decided to do something about it. I was reading a recipe in the New York Times, and the recipe told me, as many, many recipes had told me before, that it would take about 10 minutes of cooking to caramelise onions. I knew from personal experience that this was a lie. Recipes always said it took five or 10 minutes to caramelise onions, and when you followed the recipes, you either got slightly cooked onions or you ended up 40 minutes behind schedule. So I caramelised some onions and recorded how long it really took 28 minutes if you cooked them as hot as possible and constantly stirred them, 45 minutes if you were sane about it and I published those results on Slate, along with a denunciation of the false five-to-10 minute standard. When asked about onions, Google can't tell the difference between the truth and an obvious falsehood. What else is it wrong about? It might be the most valuable journalistic work I've ever done. After the piece went up, I heard again and again from readers who had thought they were incompetent cooks, because they'd trusted recipes that deceived them. The New York Times began publishing accurate onion-cooking times and even cited the Slate article. The work made it into the Wikipedia page for caramelisation for a while, until someone dinged it because I am "not a trained chef" (and because some crank had tried to rebut it with a high-powered restaurant stove). Years after the fact, people still tell me that reading the truth made a difference in their lives. So when I saw the news that Google's search result box has been giving people bogus information in its algorithmic search for the One True Answer to various, I thought about the onions. If Google can't figure out whether Barack Obama is plotting a coup or not, or whether or not MSG is lethal, can it at least recognise that the lie about cooking onions is a lie? Thousands of unionists and taxi drivers took to Melbourne's streets on Thursday in separate protests over their pay and working conditions. The unionists blocked several city streets as they protested against the Federal government's new tough building code, the reintroduction of the Australian Building and Construction Commission and planned penalty rate cuts. Led by the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, the rally began at Trades Hall in Carlton before marching to the Liberal Party headquarters on Exhibition Street. The Victorian government announced an inquiry into the penalty rates cuts, as the workers rallied. A man who tricked Australian immigration officials into letting him into the country, then stole $17,000 from ATMs, will spend at least two years in jail before being deported. Kiril Todorov, 32, was on Thursday sentenced to 3 years in prison, with a non-parole period of two years, following pleas of guilty to providing false documents and fraud. Credit:Gabriele Charotte His crimes were in the context of a much larger ATM fraud operation, the Victorian County Court heard. His co-offender, Todor Tsenov, has already been sentenced. A man has been charged following the alleged sexual assault of a teenage boy as he got off a peak-hour train in Melbourne's west. Transit Crime Investigation Unit detectives arrested an Albion man, 31, after he handed himself in to Richmond Police Station on Thursday afternoon. It is alleged the assault of the 17-year-old happened at Footscray Railway Station at about 5.20pm on February 22. The man has been charged with sexual assault and bailed to appear at Sunshine Magistrates' Court on May 22. The City of Perth has failed to explain a number of recurring parking machine faults throughout the CBD. In recent months there have been reports of a fault occurring throughout City of Perth car parks when customers were charged for parking but machines failed to issue a ticket. WAtoday understands when motorists attempt to pay with a credit or debit card, the machine often displayed a 'declined' or 'transaction failed' message. However upon checking their bank or credit card statement, many patrons found they had been charged by the machine, yet no ticket had been printed. Beijing: The story dripped with intrigue. A frantic President Donald Trump, holding court in a bathrobe, ordered his aides to wrap the White House telephones in tinfoil, several Chinese publications reported this week, citing The New Yorker. After a sleepless night, Trump called staffers Kellyanne Conway and Sean Spicer at 6am, ordering them to buy enough tin foil to cover every phone in the building. "Wrap it tighter," he was heard bellowing at Conway, The New Yorker reported. Jakarta: Trade Minister Steven Ciobo has stressed there are no trade barriers to the export of palm oil from Indonesia to Australia and said the Anti-Dumping Commission was reviewing a decision that Indonesia had dumped A4 copy paper in Australia. During a trip to Australia last month, Indonesian President Joko Widodo conveyed to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull some of the key issues in a free trade deal being hammered out between the two countries. "First is the removal of barriers to trade, tariffs and non-tariffs for Indonesian products such as Indonesia's papers and palm oil," President Jokowi, as he is popularly known, said in a joint media statement. Mr Ciobo, who this week led a trade mission of 120 businesses to Indonesia, said there were "no barriers on palm oil". Stanley Black & Decker Completes Purchase Of Craftsman Brand From Sears NEW BRITAIN, Conn. , March 9, 2017 -- Stanley Black & Decker , an S&P 500 global diversified industrial company, announced today that it has successfully completed its purchase of the Craftsman brand from Sears Holdings Corporation (" Sears Holdings ") for a net present value of approximately $900 million in cash, giving Stanley Black & Decker the right to develop, manufacture and sell Craftsman-branded products outside the Sears Holdings and Sears Hometown & Outlet Stores distribution channels. This transaction was originally announced on January 5, 2017 . Stanley Black & Decker's President and Chief Executive Officer, James M. Loree commented, "We are pleased to complete the purchase of the Craftsman brand, a legendary American brand with tremendous consumer awareness built on a legacy of providing reliable products at a good value and standing behind them. We will invest in the brand with a focus on quality, innovation and U.S. manufacturing, with the goal of rapidly increasing sales through new channels and will provide more information on our distribution plans as they are developed. We are confident that we can grow Craftsman while continuing to execute on our other core strategic initiatives, leveraging our world class innovation, commercial and operational excellence and experienced team. We also understand the Craftsman warranty is important to existing customers and intend to honor existing and offer similar warranties going forward. As we continue our growth journey, we will pursue opportunities across the portfolio to build upon our world-class franchises to create shareholder value." As previously announced, Stanley Black & Decker has made a $525 million cash payment to Sears Holdings at closing and will make a $250 million payment at the end of year three and annual payments to Sears Holdings of between 2.5% and 3.5% on new Stanley Black & Decker sales of Craftsman products through year 15. Updated 2017 EPS Outlook As previously announced on January 26, 2017 , Stanley Black and Decker's 2017 GAAP earnings per share ("EPS") were expected to approximate $6.85 - $7.05 (excluded the estimated impacts from the Mechanical Security, Craftsman and Newell Tools transactions which had not closed at that time). The Craftsman transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to 2017 EPS by approximately $0.08 per share, excluding approximately $20 million of primarily deal-related costs. Inclusive of the previously announced approximately $0.19 per share dilution from the sale of the Mechanical Security business and the related estimated after-tax book gain of $200-$215 million , Stanley Black and Decker's 2017 updated GAAP EPS outlook is approximately $7.94 - $8.14 per share. The company's 2017 adjusted (excluding charges and gain from the Mechanical Security sale) EPS outlook is $6.74 - $6.94 per share. The following provides a reconciliation of the company's updated GAAP and adjusted EPS outlooks for 2017 reflecting the impacts from the Craftsman and Mechanical Security transactions: 2017 EPS Outlook Initial 2017 Guidance Range (1/26/2017) Mechanical Security Dilution Mechanical Security Gain Craftsman Brand Accretion Craftsman Brand Charges Updated 2017 Guidance Range (3/9/2017) EPS, GAAP $6.85 - $7.05 ~($0.19) ~$1.30 ~$0.08 ~($0.10) $7.94 - $8.14 EPS, Adjusted $6.85 - $7.05 ~($0.19) ~$0.08 $6.74 - $6.94 The above excludes the estimated 2017 earnings accretion of ~$0.20 - $0.25 per share, excluding charges, from the pending Newell Tools acquisition which assumes a first quarter 2017 closing. Honda has revealed the all-new Civic Type R at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, ahead of the models European launch in the summer. The new car builds on Hondas heritage in developing high-performance hatchbacks, and represents the segments ultimate expression of dynamic purity. Sharing the same fundamentals as the new Civic hatchback, the new Type R has been engineered from the ground up to deliver the most rewarding drive in the hot-hatch segment both on road and on the race track. Revised 2.0-litre VTEC TURBO engine and 6-speed manual transmission The 2.0-litre VTEC TURBO ?heart of the multi-award-winning previous generation Type R has been optimised and refined and now produces 320 PS with peak torque of 400 Nm. Throttle response and driveability have improved thanks to optimised engine control settings. The smooth and precise six-speed manual transmission is further improved by a rev match control system, ensuring no compromise in the Type Rs intimate, rewarding connection with the driver. A stiffer chassis and revised suspension The new Type R takes the lighter, more rigid body shell of the new Civic hatchback and adds further use of adhesive in key areas. Compared to the previous Type R, torsional rigidity is further improved by 38%. The front Macpherson strut suspension of the standard hatchback is revised with new geometry to minimise torque steer and maximise sporty handling. At the rear, the new independent multi-link system of the standard car is improved with the use of unique high rigidity suspension arms. Enhanced driving modes An enhanced selection of driving modes give the car greater usability compared to the previous Type R. A new ?Comfort setting sits alongside agile ?Sport and track-focused ?+R modes. Each selection tailors the adaptive dampers, steering force, gear shift feeling and throttle response of the car on demand. Refined aerodynamics for high-speed stability The all-new Type R has a more comprehensive aerodynamic package than the previous model, including a smoother underbody, front air curtain, a lightweight rear wing and vortex generators at the trailing edge of the roof line. The muscular, aggressive body has a best-in-class balance between lift and drag, contributing to greater high speed stability. Produced in Europe, exported to major markets worldwide Production of the new Civic Type R is anticipated to start in summer 2017 at Honda of the UK Manufacturing (HUM) in Swindon the global manufacturing hub for the 10th generation Civic hatchback. The Type R will be exported across Europe and to other markets around the world, including Japan and the US. Its arrival in North America will mark the first time that any Honda-badged Type R has been officially sold there. if the people of Biafra want Republic of Biafra, it will be a reality during my administration. ----Donald Trump Donald Trump I wi... City of Columbias Pet of the Week Meleas is a five-month-old pit bull puppy who is looking for a home to call her own. Meleas is happy to hang around with her humans, sunbath, snooze on a... For Dogs, its Trick and Treat Its almost Halloween, a great time to teach your dog a trick and give him a treat. Most trainers are fans of trick training. Its not as silly as it... FRED DUFOUR/AFP/Getty Images Thanks to their French imperial heritage, the Bernadottes of Sweden have a jewelry collection that features pieces that date all the way back to the days of Napoleon and Josephine. But todays jewels, the Vasa Earrings, have an even longer Swedish royal legacy. Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images The diamond earrings feature an elaborate briolette drop pendant within a diamond frame. Their design dates to the eighteenth century, to a time when the Swedish monarchy was in a precarious position. The earrings originally belonged to Queen Louise Ulrika of Sweden, wife of King Adolf Frederik (1710-1771). Adolf Fredrik belonged to the House of Holstein-Gottorp, but his son, King Gustaf III, was keen to exploit a family connection to an earlier Swedish royal dynasty, declaring himself a king of the House of Vasa. The earrings, therefore, are usually called the Vasa Earrings. Andreas Rentz/Getty Images The original House of Vasa reigned in Sweden from 15231654; Gustaf IIIs revived version had an even shorter tenure on Swedens throne. His son, King Gustaf IV Adolf, was deposed in the Coup of 1809, following a disastrous war with Russia that resulted in the loss of a third of Swedens land. Exiled from Sweden, the Holstein-Gottorp/Vasa family took Louise Ulrikas diamond earrings with them to their new home in Switzerland. Eventually, Sweden would elect a new king: Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, who was crowned King Carl XIV Johan in 1818. Grand Ladies Site But by the end of the nineteenth century, the Vasa Earrings would end up back in Swedish royal hands. In 1881, Gustaf IV Adolfs granddaughter, Queen Carola of Saxony, was the owner of the earrings. Her cousin, Princess Victoria of Baden (pictured above), was engaged to be married to Crown Prince Gustaf of Sweden a member of the countrys new ruling dynasty, the House of Bernadotte. Like Queen Carola, Princess Victoria was a member of the Holstein-Gottorp/Vasa family: she was a great-granddaughter of Gustaf IV Adolf through his daughter, Sophie. As a wedding present, Carola decided to bestow the Vasa Earrings on Victoria. It was a generous, symbolic gesture: through her marriage, Victoria would unite the Holstein-Gottorp/Vasa and Bernadotte lines, and she would be able to wear her familys Swedish royal earrings, too. One problem, though: Victoria didnt have pierced ears! Youll note that no portraits of her feature her wearing earrings. But she brought the earrings with her to Sweden anyway, and after her death, they were worn by her daughter-in-law, Queen Louise of Sweden. Louise shared them with other members of the family, too, including Princess Sibylla, the widow of Prince Gustaf Adolf. Above, Sibylla wears the earrings during the 1963 Nobel Prize Banquet. SVEN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images In recent years, the earrings have been worn and shared by several of the most senior ladies of the Swedish royal family. Above, Queen Silvia wears the earrings during a visit from the Emperor and Empress of Japan in 2007. She also shared the earrings with Princess Lilian and Princess Christina. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Crown Princess Victoria, the namesake of Victoria of Baden, has also been pictured wearing her ancestors earrings. During a 2008 state visit from Luxembourg, she demonstrated a second setting of the earrings above: the diamond frames can be worn without the central briolette pendants. Princess Madeleine has also worn the diamond frames alone. Torsten Laursen/Getty Images In fact, the earrings have become favorite pieces of Princess Madeleine over the past decade. Above, she wears them at her sisters pre-wedding gala in June 2010, pairing them with her Modern Fringe Tiara, worn as a necklace. She wore the same two jewels the tiara and the Vasa Earrings at her own wedding in Stockholm in June 2013. JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images And she repeated the jewel combination for a third time in June 2015 at the wedding of her brother, Prince Carl Philip. Jon Huntsman, who went from Trump adversary to ally to adversary to ally again, has accepted an appointment as ambassador to Russia. Its a critical post at a time of multiple investigations into Russian interference with the American political process, and the former Utah governor certainly has the experience to serve as a top American diplomat. He served as President Obamas ambassador to China and President George H.W. Bushs ambassador to Singapore. But Huntsmans appointment also underscores how many Republicans who have been critical of Trump are coming to terms with this presidency. Huntsman and Trump have had a historically rocky relationshipin 2012, while Huntsman was running for president, Trump made a public show of attacking him. Jon Huntsman called to see me. I said no, he gave away our country to China! Trump crowed in February 2012. Their relationship has been a rollercoaster ever since. In the next presidential election, Huntsman began to suggest that he could back Trump by February 2016, much earlier than many of the Republican Partys elite. In April, Huntsman began calling for unity, saying, weve had enough intraparty fighting. Nows the time to stitch together a winning coalition And its been clear almost from the beginning that Donald Trump has the ability to assemble a nontraditional bloc of supporters. By the fall, many in the Republican Party saw an electoral disaster in the making and became coy about whether they fully supported Trump. Huntsman did the opposite, surprising those in Utah who have known him as a politician since he became governor in 2005especially considering he was the co-chair of a group called No Labels, a group that encouraged civility in politics, something Trump is not known for. On Oct. 7, 2016, Huntsman told the Salt Lake Tribune that, although he disagreed with Trump on a host of topics, he would still vote for him. Just one week later, Huntsman called on Trump to drop out after the leak of the Access Hollywood tapein which the president makes his infamous grab em by the pussy comment. In a campaign cycle that has been nothing but a race to the bottomat such a critical moment for our nationand with so many who have tried to be respectful of a record primary vote, the time has come for Governor Pence to lead the ticket, Huntsman told the Salt Lake Tribune. Trump offered a rare apology for the comments and went on to deliver a stunning electoral victory just a month later. With that, Huntsman began creeping up again as a Trump ally. In December, when Trump took a call from the Taiwanese president, prompting a diplomatic uproar, Huntsman praised Trumps decision. Huntsman was also named by the Trump administration as a potential pick for secretary of state. News of the ambassadorship was first reported by Politico and confirmed by multiple news organizations. If confirmed by the Senate, Huntsman will inherit an incredible amount of tension between the United States and Russia. The intelligence community has concluded that Russia attempted to interfere in the U.S. election, with an aim to benefit Trump, and several active congressional investigations are currently under way to explore the issue. Now Huntsman will be in the middle of it. An unlikely protagonistor, depending on ones perspective, anti-herohas emerged from the delirious drama surrounding the charges of Russias collusion with Donald Trumps campaign in its hacking of last years presidential election and Trumps unsubstantiated claim that he was illegally wiretapped on orders of Barack Obama. Its British-born controversialist Louise Mensch, founder of the Rupert Murdoch-backed website Heat Street as well as a former Tory member of Parliament, who last November, the night before the balloting, authored a barely noticed story that has suddenly engulfed the political universe. The 45-year-old Mensch, a resident of Manhattans Upper West Side with her three children and rock band-manager husband, is a former record-company publicist and chick-lit novelist who is better known for spinning outlandish conspiracy theories than for her investigative-reporting chops. But it was her Nov. 7 piece on Heat Streetwhich claimed the FBI obtained a secret warrant last October to monitor communications between Trump Tower and two Russian-connected banksthat provoked the president into a Twitter meltdown that continues to reverberate, with White House demands for a congressional investigation and a report that Obama is livid with anger at Trumps accusation. I was really thrilled, Mensch told The Daily Beast on Wednesday about the presidents reaction, because I thought he was simply admitting that my story was true. She added that she normally dismisses Trumps Twitter feed because she has doubts that the presidential fingers are actually behind it. Not this time. Mensch, meanwhile, is definitely doing it herself, at a rate of dozens of tweets per day. In her lively, f-bomb-laced feed to her 178,000 followersmuch of it attacks on Russia and Russiansshe has variously asserted that Vladimir Putin had Breitbart News founder Andrew Breitbart murdered, apparently to create a leadership opening for the allegedly Putin-loving Stephen K. Bannon; that former Breitbart executive chairman Bannon, now the presidents chief strategist, is responsible for the bomb threats phoned in to Jewish community centers (Bannon team are doing this obviously); and that then-President Obama should have responded to Russian meddling in U.S. democracy last fall with precision bombing raids. Bank hacks. Massive cyber war. Russia is a paper bear cub let @Potus show Putin what alpha means. Perhaps Menschs most elaborate conspiracy theory, fleshed out last month on her Patribotics blog, argues that serial sexter Anthony Weiner was cat-fished by a hardened group of adult hackers in North Carolina posing as a 15-year-old girl, prompting the criminal investigation that ultimately led FBI Director James Comey to inform congressional Republicans that a cache of Hillary Clintons emails had been discovered on Weiners laptop. The emails were planted there, Mensch surmised, by a Russian hacker who alerted Russias moles and agents of influence in the FBI field office in New York, who subsequently leaked to all and sundry that the emails had been found, and pressured James Comey into sending the letter [to Congress] And so on and so forthall personally directed by Putin. Louise has become Carrie Mathison on a bad acid trip, said Republican political consultant Evan Siegfried, referring to the emotionally fraught CIA operative on Showtimes Homeland series. Anybody who does not agree with her 100 percent is somehow working against her and in league with Russian interests. Siegfried had been friendly with Mensch, whom he occasionally ran into in television green rooms, but recently backed away after hostile Twitter encounters. In general, shes being viewed in many circles as unbelievably toxicnot only to the people shes trying to connect with, but to the ideas shes promoting. Russia expert Tom Nichols, a professor of national security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College, publicly scolded Mensch last month for her claim that Putin had Andrew Breitbart whacked. This is crazy talk, Nichols tweeted. And undermines the important point that Russia has done real things for which it must be held accountable. Former Navy counterterrorism and intelligence officer Malcolm Nance, an on-air analyst for MSNBC and author of The Plot to Hack America: How Putins Cyberspies and WikiLeaks Tried to Steal the 2016 Election, is even blunter. Shes batshit crazy, OK? Nance told The Daily Beast. She is a fruit loop of the highest order. Mensch fired back: I am unfazed by little people snapping at my heels. She said Siegfried is too marginal a figure to merit a response, while Nance, she claimed, didnt even write his latest book. I like Malcolm Nances book, but entire parts of it in reference to hackingalmost all of the bookwere not written by him, Mensch insisted, adding that one of Nances collaborators had done the heavy lifting. He doesnt know anything about hacking. Nance, the author of six books and a cryptologist by training, responded: Do I have researchers? Yes, I do. Did [cyber researcher] Chris Sampson help me on my book? Yes, he did. But, you know, I actually have to write this stuff, and it actually has to be competent. Sampson told The Daily Beast that in a recent exchange of Twitter direct messages, Mensch suggested that he, Sampson, was the real author. I said, I didnt write the book. because its all Malcolms book, Sampson said. I would love to take credit for writing an amazing book that I havent finished reading myself. As for Nicholss rebuke concerning Menschs claim about Putin and Breitbart, she argued that assertions made on Twitter neednt be established facts. I said I believe that and it was as a tweet. It wasnt done as a reporter, she said. Its not a piece of reporting, and I havent done any research into it. Not surprisingly, Mensch was recently targeted for personal abuse in response to her anti-Russia polemics by RT America, the Kremlin-financed television network. The propaganda outlet presented her public admission of youthful recreational drug use as somehow disqualifying her from the debate. Yet she, too, has resorted to ad hominem attacks on people with whom she disagrees, notably accusing Naval Reserve intelligence officer and former FBI double agent Naveed Jamali of disseminating what can only be described as pro-Kremlin propaganda, she said. Mensch added that she was especially incensed by Jamalis suggestion on Twitter that the Russians didnt recruit top-secret leaker Edward Snowden and initially werent even sure that he was was on the level. Menschs ally in verbal fisticuffs, defrocked Naval War College professor John Schindler, tweeted about their Twitter fight: After his epic, Kremlin-sucking exchange w/@Louisemensch, there are only 2 choices left about Jamali: he a complete fool or Kremlin tool. Schindler didnt respond to an email seeking comment. Jamali chronicled his experience of volunteering as a double agent, pretending to Russian intelligence operatives that he was an asset but instead hampering their mission by taking their money for disinformation, in his 2015 memoir, How to Catch a Russian Spy. I dont know what has happened theresomething negative, the way he keeps promoting the pro-Russian point of view, Mensch said about Jamali, whose performance as a talking head she was publicly praising as recently as Feb. 9, when she tweeted: Thanks Naveedhope we do a show together one time! Love watching you. As someone who has who has spent the last 12 years in service of his country, Jamali messaged The Daily Beast, I was deeply offended that Louise would question my loyalty to this country. Mensch, meanwhile, observed that Jamali and Schindler are frequent antagonists. Ex-national security people can sometimes get into these little fights. Menschs Nov. 7 Heat Street report, vaguely attributed to two separate sources with links to the counter-intelligence community, claimed that the FBI was granted a secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant to examine emails and other communications between Trump, at least three of his associates, and two financial institutions with Russian connections, SVB Bank and the Alfa Bank. Menschs reporting was the centerpiece of a Breitbart News essay published last Friday and inspired by right-wing radio jock Mark Levins rant the night before concerning the Washington establishments police state tactics and silent coup against the 45th president. The Breitbart piece was widely circulated in the West Wing and drove Trump into a white-hot rage, prompting his infamous pre-dawn Saturday Twitter tantrum that drew heavily on Menschs article (without mentioning her name) and alleged that Obama had wire-tapped him in Trump Tower before the victory. Trump added that his predecessor is a Bad (or sick) guy. (Menschs story didnt claim the FISA court had authorized wiretaps; that assertion erroneously appeared, however, in Breitbarts summary of her piece.) Menschwho quietly relinquished the top editorship of Heat Street in December to pursue unspecified digital projects at the sites parent company, News Corp.has been celebrating her newfound relevance with an appearance on Fox News and stories acknowledging her pivotal role in The Washington Post, Yahoo News, Britains Telegraph and, last month before the presidents meltdown, in the Guardian, among other outlets. But the problem, say intelligence community experts and journalists covering the ongoing Russian hacking and Russian/Trump saga, is that Menschs scoop may not be demonstrably accurate. Really, Im just puzzled that even weeks after the fact, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, who have people on the beat, have not been able to corroborate the existence of a FISA warrant as described by Mensch, said a Washington-based journalist who has been writing about Trumps Russia connections and spoke on condition of not being named. Why havent the major U.S. media outletswhich collectively have dozens of presumably well-sourced reporters on the casebeen able to confirm this? A second prominent journalist who has been investigating the Trump/Russia connection also expressed skepticism about the validity of Menschs revelation. Its exceedingly murky and there are ample grounds to be cautious about all of this, said this journalist. My sense is that there is a lot of smoke and probably something there, but its not exactly what we think it is, and theres a lot of overwrought, overheated reporting going on that exceeds the known facts. Times legal and national security correspondent Charlie Savage noted this week that Heat Street does not regularly publish investigative stories about American intelligence or law enforcement operations. To date, reporters for The New York Times with demonstrated sources in that world have been unable to corroborate that the court issued any such order. And The Washington Posts resident fact-checker, Glenn Kessler, pronounced stories about the alleged survelliance sketchy and awarded Trump the dreaded four Pinocchios for maximum mendacity. Mensch, however, points to the Guardian and the BBC as having independently confirmed her account of the FISA warrant. Indeed, the BBCs Paul Wood wrote: On 15 October, the US secret intelligence court issued a warrant to investigate two Russian banks. This news was given to me by several sources and corroborated by someone I will identify only as a senior member of the US intelligence community. He would never volunteer anything but he would confirm or deny what I had heard from other sources. Mensch also said a statement at Tuesdays regular briefing by White House press secretary Sean Spicer, in which Spicer didnt deny that the president has received hard information confirming such a warrant, also bolsters her case. Naturally enough, Mensch declined to answer questions about her sourcing and, ever the conspiracy theorist, accused this reporter of participating in what she called a mainstream media disinformation campaign against her. There is a coordinated effort under way to somehow link the FISA warrant back to the CIA, she said, explaining that another reporter she spoke with seemed to be trying to delegitimize her scoop by connecting it to former CIA agent Evan McMullin, whom Mensch supported for president. Youve asked me an awful lot of questions, and Ive got a good idea whos behind this disinformation, Mensch said mysteriously. I find it fascinating. Danielle Bregoli is the last female celebrity I want to be writing about on International Womens Day. The 13-year-old skyrocketed to fame after she told rapt members of Dr. Phils studio audience to cash me outside, howbow dah? According to Bregolis mother, who co-starred in her daughters televised cry for help, the invitation loosely translates to shell go outside and do what she has to do. And Danielle has been doing what she has to dowhether thats attacking a fellow passenger on a Spirit Airlines flight, starring in a Kodak Black music video, peddling her own line of Cash Me Outside merchandise, or taking a victory lap on Dr. Phil. Ever since that infamous segment aired and re-aired ad nauseam across Instagram meme accounts, Cash Me Outside girl has earned the new moniker of viral sensation. In the celebrity hierarchy, meme star ranks about 10 rungs below B-Lister and one step above Jonathan Cheban. While standing outside L.A. hotspots waiting for the paparazzi to notice you might sound like a glamorous gig, Bregoli is more or less amusing the masses pro bono. Despite being a particularly rich source of headlines and material, Danielle is essentially alienated from her own labor. Dozens of TMZ articles dont yield personal profits, and neither does agreeing to star in a music video for free publicity. Thats not a job, its an unpaid internship. Bregolis attempts to directly translate her 15 minutes of fame into fat stacks have gone pretty poorly, with Hanes accusing the Dr. Phil star of ripping off their logo for her own line of merchandise. Unfortunately for Bregoli, you cant sucker punch a cease-and-desist letter. While Bregoli appears to have remained relevant far past her expected expiration date, landing her in a meme league of her own (well, her, Pepe, and Harambe), looks can be deceiving. Aside from a lifelong ban from Spirit Airlines, Bregoli doesnt have much to show for her time in the spotlightin fact, shes taken a series of Ls. On Tuesday, she was supposedly hacked by a group of online vigilantes who chastised the insta-celeb for her rotten behavior. The hack was later revealed to be a confusing PR stunt hyping a new music video. According to an email from Bregolis team, the collaboration with visual artist Glassface was meant to be a commentary on the state of celebrity, current eventshysteria, fake news & conspiracy theories. In a series of three videos posted on her Instagram, the so-called hackers explained, This is the modern day celebrity. This country glorifies and makes famous a young girl for being disrespectful to her mother. She is no role model. She is no idol. She is no God. Pay close attention to what happens next. There was also a Cyrillic component to the hack, because if the Cash Me Outside girl isnt being targeted in a pseudo-Russian hack, is it even 2017? And while @bhadbhabie is back and better than everaka posting videos from WorldStarHipHop to her 7.5 million Instagram followersonline pseudo-hackers arent the only ones who are trying to take advantage of Bregolis following. Miami rapper Stitches, a 21-year-old man with a huge face tattoo, looks exactly like the kind of guy who would trick a 13-year-old with a business proposition. And, allegedly, he did just that, reaching out to Danielle with a vague proposition to work together that she subsequently turned down. When rejected by a tween whos famous for appearing on the Dr. Phil show, the normal response is to cut your losses. Instead, Stitches reportedly slid into the DMs of one of Bregolis friends, offering to pay her if she could successfully lure the 13-year-old to his home. Stitches alleged amateur abduction was a success, and the rapper managed to get a collaboration and a music video out of Bregoli without triggering an Amber Alert. Subsequently, Bregolis representative dragged the rapper in the press for exploiting the tween, saying, Stitches is a scumbag. He tricked a child into his van by offering her candy. Stiches clapped back on his intriguingly private Instagram account, claiming that he and Danielle made a hit song and blasting TMZs bullshit story. In related news, Stitches, aka Phillip Katsabanis, has three children, and was arrested on felony drug and gun-possession charges in January when police found a firearm and a Mason jar of marijuana in his car, reported NBC News. Of course, rap sheets havent been a deterrent for Danielle in the pasther last collaborator Kodak Black has been arrested on numerous charges, including robbery, battery, and sexual assault. But the last adult lining up for Bregoli-related handouts is undoubtedly the most depressing. Danielles own father, Ira Peskowitz, appears to have started a GoFundMe on behalf of his estranged daughter. Linking to articles about Danielles growing infamy, he writes, Im asking for help with covering fees associated to legal expenses to get her the proper help she needs to be able to have a happy and healthy life in a stable home with a strong positive future. So far, Peskowitz has raised $2,515 of his $50,000 goal, courtesy of donors offering prayers, good wishes, and notes like, There is still time to save her. But do internet memes really need saving? Thats not to ask whether exploiting a 13-year-old is ok (it isnt), or if Bregoli is too young to be TMZ-bait (she definitely is). But the frenzy over saving Bregoliand the fact of her persistent fame in the first placeraises some uncomfortable questions. Without sugarcoating, Bregoli is famous for being a rebellious, violent, verbally unhinged white girl making threats in a blaccent. This double standard is at the heart of the Cash Me Outside girl phenomenon; as blogger LaSha wrote, Black girls who exhibit the same kind of behavior as Danielle dont get booking agents. They get booked. The very whiteness that made Bregolis ridiculous AAVE so hilarious is now contributing to her evolvingnot to mention profitablevictim narrative. Because the only thing more fascinating than an unhinged teen is a white girl redemption story. Just because a tale is old as time doesnt mean it readswell in present times. Such has been a major concern in the recent spate of live-action updates of Disneys classic animated fairy tales, especially the upcoming release of Beauty and the Beast. It was, it turns out, a concern of stars Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, who play the films titular characters, as well. A week before Beauty and the Beast is set to break box office records in theaters, we chatted with Stevens, best known for sending Downton Abbey fans into a heartbroken fury in his three seasons as Matthew Crawley, about that scrutiny: a girl whos ostracized as odd for enjoying reading and rebuffing the proposal of the town alpha male falls in love with the aggressive, emotionally abusive beast who imprisons her while he and his minions attempt to coerce her into loving him. From glamorizing Stockholm syndrome to being anti-feministto, yes, even winking at bestiality, criticisms of Beauty and the Beasts fairy tale love story have paraded over theyears like enchanted dishes performing a show-stopping production number. Stevens didnt just have a smart answer to those criticisms at the ready. He started spouting feminist theory, throwing around words like patriarchy, and referencing Gloria Steinems most recent essay on the topic in The New York Times. Friends, the Beast is woke. It was about calibrating the relationship between masculineand feminine energies, Stevens tells The Daily Beast, clarifying that hedoesnt want to reduce those energies to gender identities male and female.And I was really, really excited to wade through the water with a brain likeEmma Watsons. Before they spent several months frolicking around a French castle, Stevens had seen a video of Watson delivering her famous HeForShe speech at the United Nations headquarters in 2014, which made a plea for men and boys to be active advocates in the fight for gender equality, because it is an issue that affects them, too. The HeForShe movement captivated Stevens, he says. It was really addressing a lot of things I had always seenin fairy tales, that I had always seen in literature and really believe in:that feminism is about redressing a balance, and in order to do that you needto engage boys and men, he says. You need to engage masculine energy, andgrapple with what that balance is, what that entails, what are the elements ofthe patriarchy that need walking down and which are just elements ofmasculinity that need to be balanced with femininity. And, yes, its a conversation that applies to the filmandto the criticisms of its love storyas well. All of these ideas are very much at play in Beauty and the Beast and theyre alsovery much in play in Emma Watsons mind, Stevens says. It was getting to sitwith her and discuss how this fairy tale resonates timelessly but alsoresonates now. Not shoehorning anything but just realizing how much of what weboth believe about the gender spectrum and those masculine and feminineenergies are at play in this fairy tale. To that regard, there was also consideration about howthreatening and how terrifying to make the Beast. Part of that had to with thefact that this is a family film. He wanted his Beast to be scary enough forkids to jump into their parents arms, but not to the point that yourecarrying them screaming from the theater. But the calibration also had to do with the optics of a girl ultimately forgiving and falling in love with a man who was her volatile, emotionally abusive captor. Combatting that involved tapping into the Beasts sense of humor. And, like many things in this filming process, involved a conversation with Watson. He cant just be a monstrous, growling, grumpy dude, Stevens says. There has to be something there in order for her to fall in love with him. What kind of guy would Emma Watsons Belle fall in love with? If its not the strapping, handsome Gaston, what is that shes looking for? Much like Watsons Hermione in the Harry Potter films encouraged girls to not only be the smartestperson in the room, but to own it and be proud of it, her Belles interest inliterature morphs from the kooky hobby it was depicted as in the film to a keenintelligence, supplanted by her skills as an inventor. Stevens and Watson, then, found the spark between Belle andthe Beast in the more soul-deep intellectual connection, the toe-to-toescrewball thing about the books they read and their tastes. Theres a scene in the new film thats not in the animatedfeature, for example, in which the Beast is impressed by Belles affinity forShakespeare, but scoffs that her favorite work is the love story Romeo and Juliet. Later, when she spotshim reading about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, she teaseshim for being interested in the romance between Lancelot and Guinevere. It goes back to the conversation about men and women,Stevens says. Theres a great piece Gloria Steinem wrote last week in The New York Times about chick flicks,and should the opposite be called prick flicks, he says. Trying to explodethese traditional labels that we have. It applies to the literature that would have been availablein this castles library in the 18th century as much as it does tothe conversations men and women have today. Its like a couple whos getting together and he discoversthat she really likes The Notebookand hes like ick, and shes like oh what do you like, Fast and Furious? he says. I know tons of guys who like The Notebook and tons of girls who like Fast and Furious. Its finding the wayto tell the same kind of stories. Its hard to imagine skeptical viewers of the new Beauty and the Beast finding too muchfault in the well-intentioned attempts to address the fairy tales latentickiness. But as the film has already learned, not all well-intentionedprogressiveness goes unpunished. When it was revealed, before any critics or journalists had seen the film, that it would feature Disneys first exclusively gay moment, the news spread like wildfire, with applause, calls for boycotts, and news that Russia would put an age restriction on the film all flickering together in the flames. Having seen the film, the moment is so small and seeminglyinconsequential that the sight-unseen outcry seems absolutely ludicrous. I presume somebody somewhere thought it would drive a lotof traffic to their site, thats usually how these things start, Steven says,begrudgingly, when the controversy is brought up. Another attempt to engageI mention a comedy websites headline about the controversy, Outrage at Inclusion of Gay Character in Film About Woman-Buffalo Romancegets a reluctant chuckle. I saw that, Stevens says. That was very funny. Its not that he hasnt had practice with passionate, protective fanbases with strong opinions and no qualms about holding scandal grudges. Stevens still finds himself answering to the outrage over his early exit from Downton Abbey, even whilst on a press tour for what is sure to be one of the biggest films of the decade. And hes currently the lead on Legion, FXs trippy foray into the X-Men universe. Its that, as he says, this movie has been made by anenormous group of fans of the original film. Hes much giddier, then, when we start talking about thefilms most iconic scene, the magical, sweepingly romantic ballroom dance tothe title songa waltz with Watson that Stevens had to perform while on stiltsand wearing a sweaty lycra bodysuit, which would be CGId to transform him intothe Beast. Could the experience possibly have been as sweepinglyromantic as it looks? Weirdly it was, Stevens laughs. At least after a while. Maybenot on day one, up on the stilts terrified that I was going to break Emmastoes. The song is his favorite from the film, he says. Theballroom set they filmed in was as impressive as youd think. Then, theres thesensation of nailing a waltz. Its hard to describe, really, Stevens says. It speaks togreat choreography that you can tell a story, you can tell the crucial turningpoint of a story during a dance. He takes a few tepid steps, and shes gentlyreminding him that actually he used to be an excellent dancer. They are verymuch in love although they probably dont quite realize it yet, in a whirlingwaltzing wonderland. A top government ethics watchdog on Thursday pushed back against White House claims that its employees are not subject to ethics rules that bind every other federal government official. Walter Shaub, the director of the Office of Government Ethics, told Stefan Passatino, President Donald Trumps deputy counsel, that the claim has no basis in law or precedent. Passatinos extraordinary assertion that many of OGE' s regulations are inapplicable to employees of the Executive Office of the President...is incorrect, and the letter cites no legal basis for it, Shaub wrote in a Thursday letter. The missive, the latest salvo between OGE and the White House, was in response to a Feb. 13 letter in which Passatino told Shaub that the White House was complying with some OGE rules even though it was not legally bound to do so. Many regulations promulgated by [OGE] do not apply to employees of the Executive Office of the President, Passatino wrote. OGE has been in frequent contact with Trumps team since the election and over the first month his presidency to try to hammer out legal and administrative issues created by the presidents sizable wealth and accompanying conflicts of interest. Despite that contact, Shaubs Thursday letter shows that major points of contention remain regarding federal ethics rules. Trump has insisted that conflict-of-interest rules do not apply to the president. But Passatinos statement went even further, and Shaub was adamant that it was legally unfounded and contradicted the practices of past White Houses. Presidential administrations have not considered it appropriate to challenge the applicability of ethics rules to the entire executive branch, Shaub wrote. It is critical to the public's faith in the integrity of government that White House employees be held to the same standard of ethical accountability as other executive branch employees. Shaub also took aim at the White Houses apparent refusal to discipline a senior staffer for using her position to enrich a member of Trumps family, even as it seemed to admit wrongdoing. Passatinos initial claim came in response to an OGE inquiry into White House counselor Kellyanne Conways promotion of First Daughter Ivanka Trumps fashion line. "It's a wonderful line," Conway said in a February appearance on Fox News. "I'm going to give a free commercial here. Go buy it today, everybody." That statement appeared to run afoul of a federal law designed to prevent corruption. An employee shall not use his public office for his own private gain, for the endorsement of any product, service or enterprise, or for the private gain of friends, relatives, or persons with whom the employee is affiliated in a nongovernmental capacity, the law states. Passatino acknowledged the apparent violation in his letter to Shaub, but indicated that the White House considered the matter resolved. I personally met with Ms. Conway and advised her that her comments regarding Ms. Trump's products implicated the prohibition on using one's official position to endorse any product or service, Passatino wrote. Ms. Conway has acknowledged her understanding of the Standards and has reiterated her commitment to abiding by them in the future. Shaub was not satisfied. When an employee's conduct violates [the law at issue], disciplinary action serves to deter future misconduct, he wrote. Not taking disciplinary action against a senior official under such circumstances risks undermining the ethics program. OGE released the letter on Thursday after notifying House Oversight Committee chairman Jason Chaffetz and ranking member Elijah Cummings of Shaubs objections. The White House's response makes clear that disciplinary action will not be taken, Shaub told Cummings and Chaffetz. Of greater concern, the White House's response includes assertions challenging the applicability of ethics rules and OGE's authority to oversee the ethics program for.the entire executive branch, he added. OGE disagrees with these assertions. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Shaubs letter. Attorneys and activists worry the federal government may be discriminating against people with Muslim-sounding names by revoking their membership in a program that makes it faster to get through airport security. Greg Siskind, an immigration attorney based in Memphis, Tennessee, told The Daily Beast that in the aftermath of Trumps first travel ban, he started hearing from people who received vague letters from the Department of Homeland Security informing them that their Global Entry status was being revoked. Global Entry is part of the DHSs Trusted Traveler program, which lets travelers get pre-screened so they can have much shorter wait times at airports when returning to the U.S. from other countries. USA Today called it a great value for any adult who travels domestically and abroad. To get it, enrollees must go through an extensive background check and an in-person interview. And for many travelers with Muslim or Arab namesincluding U.S. citizensthat great value has been revoked. So Siskind and another immigration attorney, Andrew Free, have teamed up with the Arab-American Anti-Defamation Committee to seek more information from the Department of Homeland Securityand even take the agency to court, if necessary. They filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the agency on Wednesday, and Free said they are prepared to sue if the department doesnt provide more information about any changes. Weve got a bunch of people who are telling us that theyve been revoked, and they all have something in commonand its not that they have a different security profile, said Free. Its that they have Muslim-sounding names or are Muslim. A Customs and Border Protection spokesperson strongly disputed these allegations. The claim you report is completely false, the spokesperson said. I can tell you that having a Muslim or Arab sounding name is not a criteria for Trusted Traveler revocation. Free added that he and Siskind hadnt heard of any examples of apparently discriminatory revocations before Trump was inaugurated. But since he came into office, they said they have heard from more than two dozen people who lost their Global Entry for reasons they believe are discriminatory. Thats enough to show that theres something systemic going on, said Abed Ayoub, the legal director for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. It indicates that this administration has put policies in place to target Arab and Muslim nationals, including Arab and Muslim U.S. citizens. Given the current climate and the presidents promises on the campaign trail, it seems to me that there are serious questions as to whether theyve effectuated unofficial policies of interfering with the travel of U.S. citizens and others who just happen to be Muslim, Free said. The FOIA request, which The Daily Beast reviewed, says that these incidents seem to be part of a pattern. ADC has received reports that immediately following the presidential election in November, persons who were granted access to the GES had the privilege revoked by CBP, it reads. These are not isolated incidents, it appears, but rather, part of a larger pattern in which GES participants with Arab or Muslim names or ancestry have been singled out for revocation in the absence of any material change in their risk profile. Physicians, bankers, students, and businesspeopleall long-time holders of GES statushave suddenly and inexplicably faced new scrutiny. The vast majority of those reporting revocation are U.S. citizens. Mic and Skift reported on the Global Entry revocations in the immediate aftermath of Trumps first travel ban. Siskind says that in the weeks since then, he and Free have gathered more and more examples of people who have lost their Global Entry statusenough that they are pushing the DHS to turn over more data on the program. In the meantime, those who lost their Global Entry tell The Daily Beast that theyre confused and concerned. Farhad Hasan, an Iraqi Kurd and a doctor who came to the U.S. to practice medicine, said he lost his Global Entry and that he believes his nationality was the reason. Its inconvenient, said Hasan, who has a green card and is going through the naturalization process. Its like getting discriminated against just based on nationality. Im a Kurd, he added. We were persecuted inside Iraq, and now its like we are persecuted even in the U.S. And Saeed Mohamed, an American citizen and a Muslim who had his Global Entry revoked in late January, told The Daily Beast that the change perplexed him. The government is not so efficient that they can figure everything out, he said. They can be very heavy-handed, and I do believe my name is common enough that it could have tripped something. But that should have been a problem the first time I applied, not for them to just out of the blue to revoke everything, especially coming 10 days after the inauguration. And Nojan Emad, an Iranian-born citizen of Canada who moved to the U.S. about five years ago, said his Global Entry was revoked shortly after DHS confirmed that he had gotten it. He said his family fled Iran when he was 7 because of the Islamic Revolution, and that he hasnt been back since. Im positive that this is definitely because of where I was born and because of the Muslim ban, or whatever its calledthe travel ban this president has put through, he said. Im just appalled. Im appalled. We truly fear whats happening, he added. Its causing a lot of anxiety. And its not just people born in Iran and Iraq who have lost their status. Mona Jundy, an immigration attorney based in Flint, Michigan, told The Daily Beast that in the last several weeks, she has heard from several Syrian nationals who lost their Global Entry status and were hoping to get it reinstated. She added that it was the first time she heard any queries about the program. And there is speculation that Khizr Khanwho famously criticized then-candidate Donald Trump at the Democratic National Conventionhad his Global Entry status revoked as well. In the meantime, lawyers are hoping some of the people who lost their Global Entry status will be able to get it reinstated. I can assure you the U.S. citizen doctors were not doing sleeper cell work between surgeries, said Siskind. Say what you will about Justin Bieber, the volatile 23-year-old Canadian king of bubblegum pop, but he appears to now be a legitimate victim of a lurid identity theft. His impersonator, a 42-year-old law professor named Gordon Douglas Chalmers, Australian media outlets report, has just been charged with 931 child-sex offenses, including rape, assault, and soliciting pedophilic pornography from 157 fans in the name of the pop star. Among the victims of the sickening scam are reportedly 50 American, 20 British, and six Australian children who sent nude photos of themselves and, in several cases, managed to meet the perpetrator, who pretended to be the Beeb, for sexual encounters or photo sessions. Authorities said the Brisbane professor communicated with the kids as the Fake Beeb via Facebook and Skype, and then used nude photos they sent him to make compilation child-pornography films that were later distributed through illicit networks. When police raided his home, officials said they found a cache of child-abuse images that may or may not be related to his impersonation of the entertainer. Police in Queensland say the suspect was under investigation for other crimes dating back to 2007 when they found the ties to the phony Bieber persona. In November, they were able to get warrants to search his social-network accounts, cloud storage services, and email services through third-party providers, which led to the Wednesday arrest in Australia. These additional 931 counts related to Bieber were stemmed from the investigation into the previous charges, according to reporters in Australia. Chalmers has yet to enter a plea in the case. The fact that so many children could believe that they were communicating with this particular celebrity highlights the need for a serious rethink about the way that we as a society educate our children about online safety, Police Detective Inspector Jon Rouse said in a statement published in local media outlets. The breadth of offenses committed in this instance is frankly horrendous. Online child pornography is a global problem. Every year, thousands of children are victimized, either lured by predators to meet in person or convinced to send photos online. Last week, the BBC ran an expose about how Facebook often refuses to take down clearly pornographic images involving children. When BBC reporters requested an interview with Facebook executives for their report, they agreed under the condition that BBC first send the images they were referring to. When the journalists sent images, including some they found under profiles of known pedophiles and others showing actual child abuse taking place, Facebook reported the BBC journalists to police for sending obscene images, citing company policy when inappropriate images are sent to them. In the case against Biebers impersonator, Facebook played a major role in luring the children by enabling Chalmers to create a phony Bieber profile meant to represent the star, and then use it to entice children. Chalmerss first court date is April 6. He may face additional charges in the U.S. and U.K. because many of the reported victims were from those countries. Bieber is currently on the Australian leg of his Purpose World Tour and will play in Brisbane on Monday. His representatives have not made an official comment on the ordeal or whether he will pursue any legal avenues against the suspect. The organizers of Bostons premiere St. Patricks Day event should know better than to try to keep LGBT people out of a parade. On Tuesday night, the Boston-based LGBT veterans organization OutVets announced on its Facebook page that the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council had voted 9-4 to deny them entry into the 2017 South Boston St. Patricks Day parade. The Council did not give a clear reason, but, given the tenor of the Council's deliberations, one can assume it's because we are LGBTQ, OutVets wrote. This is a sad day for the LGBTQ community and for veterans of all backgrounds. The ban comes just two years after the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council ultimately decided to allow OutVets to march in the 2015 parade after two decades of quarrelling over the inclusion of LGBT groups. As CNN reported, the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council won a 1995 U.S. Supreme Court case over its right to ban the Irish-American Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Group of Boston from the annual parade, causing the city to pull funding for the event and leading Mayor Thomas Menino to boycott the parade until his death in 2014. And now that the Council has changed course so suddenly, they are once again facing the wrath of Boston. Corporate sponsor Anheuser-Busch announced they were re-evaluating [their] participation in this event. Grocery chain Stop & Shop went a stage further and cancelled their sponsorship, saying in a statement, The men and women from OutVets, who have bravely served our country, deserve our respect and to be included. (The South Boston Allied War Veterans Council did not return The Daily Beasts multiple requests for comment.) The Teamsters Local 25 Union also announced theyre not marching and the parades army veteran Grand Marshal resigned, writing in a powerful statement, The freedoms that we possess to hold such an event [are] due to the men and women who have spilled their blood in defense to this great nation, regardless of where they come from, what they look like, or who they share relations with. Massachusetts politicians, too, are joining in protest over the parade organizers decision, as the Boston Globe reported. Governor Charlie Baker, Senator Edward Markey, two congressmen, and several others announced they would boycott, pending a reversal of the OutVets ban. Marty Walsh, who two years ago became the first Boston mayor in decades to march in the parade due to the 2015 decision to allow OutVets, said in a statement that hes sitting this one out unless the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council changes course. I will not tolerate discrimination in our city of any form, he said. We are one Boston, which means we are a fully inclusive city. I will not be marching in the parade unless this is resolved. Anyone who values what our city stands for should do the same. In the meantime, OutVets is still struggling to understand why they were suddenly uninvited from the parade after two years of marching. Founder and executive director Bryan Bishop, who was not immediately available for comment Thursday morning, told WFXT yesterday, I asked what is the reason and I was not given one. Bishop told WFXT that he was told to submit an application on February 16 and then saw a February 15 deadline show up on the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council website. He has also heard reports that the Council believes the pride rainbow in the OutVets banner logo equates to sexuality and therefore cannot be displayed in the parade. The rainbow flag has long been a symbol of pride in LGBT identities. Ironically, designer Gilbert Bakers original 1978 version of the flag had a hot pink stripe on the top intended to symbolize sexuality but it had to be removed before entering mass production because the fabric was too expensive, as a 2015 Washington Post history noted. Not only is the rainbow flag itself not an overt display of sexuality, then, the only element originally associated with sex was literally erased from the symbol decades ago. Boston isnt the only city where St. Patricks Day parade organizers have taken issue with symbols of LGBT pride. In fact, it wasnt until 2016 that the New York City St. Patricks Day parade allowed more than one LGBT group to march in the parade after facing boycotts from Mayor Bill de Blasio and Guinness. It was also, as the Associated Press reported, the first year that these marchers were allowed to tout LGBT-themed buttons and signs in the processionbuttons and signs that they had originally been told would distract from the parades overarching Irish theme. Meanwhile, across the pond, the Dublin St. Patricks Day parade allowed its first gay float all the way back in 1993. The South Boston Allied War Veterans Council might decide to rejoin the inclusive ranks of the Dublin and New York City parades after all. Citing Ed Flynn, a member of the council who voted to allow OutVets to participate, the Associated Press reported early Thursday morning that the Council will hold an emergency meeting to revisit its decision. Flynn told the Boston Globe that the meeting will take place Friday and that if the vote doesnt produce a different result, [he] will not be marching. And until theyre allowed back in the parade, OutVets sees this as just one more battle in a continuing bid for respect. We served our country with honor and distinction, the group wrote in its statement. But even after bringing honor to this parade, this community, and to all those who have served, we fight every day to be treated with the basic dignity that comes with service to country. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump surprised a group of startled tourists in the White House basement, took meetings with senators, and met with leaders of the AFL-CIO and the Boy Scouts. On the same day, Trump bypassed a West Wing meeting of military veterans, who met with the presidents staff instead. For the assembled veterans service organizations, which have a combined membership of about six million veterans, the missed connection with the president was the latest in a series of puzzling interactions with the Trump administration. Despite Trumps audacious campaign promises to them, including a commitment to overhaul the long-troubled Veterans Administration and vow to do everything for veterans, Trump himself has still not met face-to-face with veterans groups since he was elected president. Tuesdays meeting, which was first reported by the Military Times, included Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, former Apprentice contestant Omarosa Manigault, and a handful of White House staffers. Although the meeting was not on the presidents official schedule, several attending the meeting said they fully expected they would have met with Trump by this point in the administration. I wont say anyone told us we were meeting with the president, but it was implied that we would be able to voice our concerns to the boss, the guy who ultimately runs everything, which is the president, said Joe Chenelly, executive director of AMVETS, one of the nations largest and oldest veterans service organizations. Chenelly described the ongoing efforts by veterans groups to meet directly with the president since he was elected a fruitless effort that has left them feeling completely rebuffed by the White House. We feel like we really need the opportunity to talk directly to the Commander-in-Chief and the people making the decisions, he said. We were never given that opportunity, so that caused a lot of concern within our community to begin with. Following the Tuesday meeting, Verna Jones, executive director at the American Legion, also told the Military Times, President Trump ran a campaign on helping veterans, she said. When you look at who he has met with since winning, he has to make sure to make veterans a priority still. To hear Trump during his America First presidential campaign, veterans were practically his sole priority. He tweeted repeatedly about our great VETERANS, and promised hed do everything for vets, who are being treated terribly. In a summer speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Trump called veterans the finest and bravest people on earth. We are going to take care of our veterans like theyve never been taken care of before, he said at the time. He even promised to create a 24-hour White House hotline to answer complaints about the VA. If the hotline didnt work, he said, I will pick up the phone and fix it myself, if need be. Veterans voted for the president by a two-to-one margin over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. But 2016 has turned out to be the high point for Trumps apparent focus on veterans. While the president-elect took a stream of visitors at his Trump Tower office, the veterans groups were not among them. Instead, they met in December with transition team staff in Washington to outline their priorities. Several described their surprise at that meeting to see that Omarosa was not only present at the meeting, but appeared to be the most senior transition staff member attending, despite having no experience with either the VA or healthcare. Omarosa explained her qualifications by saying that she had once been a lieutenant chaplain with the California State Military Reserve. When Omarosa was introduced the room collectively gasped, said one attendee, who asked to remain anonymous to avoid conflict with the White House. There were people there missing limbs and she was once a chaplain with the militia. Another in attendance said, There was an obvious disconnect between that transition team and, at that point, New York. The next veterans meeting came in early February at the White House. The roundtable discussion included Trump for an hour-long veterans listening session. But this time, it was the veterans themselves who were not invited. Instead, Trump spoke with Shulkin and a group of healthcare executives about ways the VA could better serve veterans. If Trump were to meet with the groups directly, he would likely hear about the ongoing need to modernize the appeals process for veterans applying for benefits, which can last as long as seven years. He would also likely hear that his federal hiring freeze has calcified the already slow-motion claims process, as well as a request to give Shulkin the tools he needs to impose accountability at the VA and its hospitals. The veterans would also likely share their deep anxiety that Trump may fully or partially privatize the VA, despite his promises over the summer to keep the VA public because it is a public trust. Part of the concern comes from Trumps close relationship with Pete Hegseth, an Army Reserve veteran, Fox News Contributor, and past executive director of Concerned Veterans for America, a Koch-funded 501(c)4 that had pushed for a massive overhaul of veterans health care. While the vets did not get a meeting at Trump Tower, Hegseth did. He was also reportedly a top choice to run the VA for Trump, a sign to veterans groups that privatization could be on the table. But a bright spot for the veterans groups has been the man Trump chose for instead. The groups describe Shulkin as positive, professional, and very receptive, but they still worry that they may be at arms length from Trump. It was disturbing when I got out of the meeting and I looked at my phone and saw that the president had taken the time to meet with tourists instead, Chenelly said. I hope he can carve that time out for us soon. The White House did not respond to requests for comment for this article, but press secretary Sean Spicer proactively noted during his press briefing on Wednesday that Trump would be getting involved with the veterans groups soon. I know the president looks forward to personally following up with the VSOs. The veterans would welcome the news, but at the moment, they seem to be taking all of Trumps promises with a grain of salt. He says a lot of things, one group executive said. But were waiting for him to do something. A corrections officer bet another guard a sandwich that an inmate under their watch would kill herself, a new lawsuit by the deceased womans family claims, based on prison surveillance footage. Janika Edmond, 25, had attempted suicide multiple times in the months before her November 2015 death in Womens Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The lawsuit against the Michigan Department of Corrections and several officers states Edmond received regular medical treatment for mental illness in prison and that corrections officers were aware of her suicidal tendencies. Michigan Department of Corrections spokesperson Chris Gautz said the department would not comment on ongoing litigation. Corrections officers would have been aware of Edmonds suicidal history, the lawsuit claims. She had allegedly attempted suicide before entering prison in February 2013 on assault charges. While in prison, she was under a doctors supervision. But approximately halfway into her three-year sentence, she began exhibiting suicidal behavior again. Eight times in 13 months, Edmond either attempted suicide, or requested suicide prevention observation. Less than two months before her death, prison doctors issued a special mental health plan for her, instructing officers to report any behavior or verbalization of harm to self or others. But when Edmond asked officers for a suicide prevention vest on Nov. 2, her calls for help supposedly went unanswered. Before moving her to a solitary cell, corrections officers temporarily confined her in a shower unit. Surveillance footage, the lawsuit claims, showed Edmond becoming agitated while corrections officers conversed outside. Edmond shouted that she wanted a bam bam, a slang term for a suicide prevention vest that are nearly impossible to tear or twist into a noose. Edmond shouted that she should kill herself. But rather than helping Edmon, the officers placed a bet on whether she would attempt suicide, her familys lawyers say. The prize was allegedly a Subway sandwich. Somebody owes me lunch! Officer Dianna Callahan allegedly shouted, pumping her fist and gesturing toward the shower where Edmond was locked. She repeated the demand. Somebody owes me lunch! Edmonds lawyers say Callahan was alluding to a bet with Kory Moore, another officer. Upon information and belief, Callahan made a bet with Moore that Edmond would become suicidal, the lawsuit reads. Five minutes after Edmond called for a bam bam, choking noises from the bathroom are heard on the surveillance footage, and would have been audible to the corrections officers, the suit claims. The noises continued for four minutes, during which none of the 12 nearby officers supposedly checked on Edmond. Finally, nearly 20 minutes after Edmond first called for help, an officer entered the shower to find her hanging from her bra. She was taken to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced brain dead. When her mother came to visit her at the prison less than an hour later as part of a routine visit, corrections officers allegedly said Edmond was not accepting visitors, and did not inform Edmonds mother that she had attempted suicide. Edmonds family did not learn the truth until the next day, lawyers say. Edmond was taken off life support and pronounced dead the following week. Gautz defended the prisons decision not to inform Edmonds family of her hospitalization earlier. In this case, the prisoner had chosen not to list her biological family in her emergency contacts, Gautz told The Daily Beast. We respected her wishes. But David Steingold, the familys lawyer told MLive.com that Edmonds behavior suggested she needed special care while in the facility. Edmonds repeated suicide attempts suggests that somebody along the way should have said this woman needs some tender love and care and some serious counseling more than being locked up, he said. Following Edmonds death, the Michigan Department of Corrections fired Callahan and Moore, but Moore won her way back into the department. She fought [termination] successfully with her union through arbitration, Gautz said, adding that the department was forced to rehire her. Callahan, meanwhile, is facing criminal charges for involuntary manslaughter and willful neglect of duty in Edmonds death. Callahan killed Edmonds as a result of the negligent omission by said defendant to perform a legal duty, a criminal complaint December 16 reads. Callahans defense lawyer told The Daily Beast he was aware of the new lawsuit, but that she had yet to be served. Neither the Michigan State Police nor the local medical examiner responded to requests for comment. But Edmonds lawyers say the Department of Corrections is also guilty of wilful neglect in the days after her day. Following the death of an inmate, the Michigan Department of Corrections is required to file a report with the Michigan State Police. Instead, Edmonds lawyers allege, police only learned of Edmonds death when a bewildered medical examiner contacted them, complaining that the prison had declined to give him enough information on Edmond to conduct an autopsy. The examiner wanted to know who from the MSP was conducting the investigation, the suit says. No one was conducting the investigation, Edmonds lawyers say. The corrections officers responsible for Edmonds safety collected on their bet, then let the case go quiet. If not for the surveillance footage, Edmonds final words might have gone ignored forever. Samantha Bee is back, just in time for International Womens Day. And she wasnt ready to forget that unexpectedly presidential speech Trump made last week. Last week, Americas one-man white supremacist employment program managed to talk about his dystopian agenda using an indoor voice without mentioning his Electoral College win or deporting anyone from Congress. Hooray! Bee said at the top of her show. For this astonishing feat, the pundits rained golden compliments down on him in the warmest shower hes ever had outside of Moscow. What the fuck is wrong with you? Question mark, exclamation point, rage emoji! she asked CNNs Van Jones and others. If pundits set the bar for President Trump any lower, even Jeff Sessions wont be able to walk under it without bumping his head. Look, I know its extraordinary that he learned to read something, finally. I didnt think he could do it, either! Bee said, referring to her pre-election conspiracy theory. But you dont have to gush like hes a toddler who just made a boom-boom on big boy potty. Sadly, presidential Trump didnt have long to enjoy his victory over his own tongue, Bee added, moving on to Trumps outrageous wiretapping charges against President Obama. Thats new. A white guy shoots himself in the dick, tries to pin it on a black guy. When has that ever happened? To be fair, theres a good chance Trump fell asleep watching news, rolled over on the remote, and woke up during The Wire. Mr. President, thats not Barack Obama. Apparently, the presidents intel on wiretapping was prepared by Steve Bannons news-Pepe of record reporting on a doolally radio host named Mark Levin, whose voices told him Obama is behind a silent coup against Trump, Bee explained. Solid. Just one of those classic coups where a president uses the might of the government to spy on an opponent and then doesnt release any of the information he found, lets the other guy win and then isnt president anymore. Classic coup, exactly what that word means. With Americas pundits so eager to declare Donald Trump presidential, Bee said, in one way, he is. Namely, when he spouts nonsense, it has immediate global consequences and makes us less safe, because hes the fucking president! And if theres no one on his staff brave enough to tell their boss that theres only one p in tap, there certainly isn't anyone brave enough to tell him that Obama isnt running a coup. Thankfully, this #DayWithoutAWoman still had Samantha Bee and her talented staff in it. MOSCOWOver the past 25 years, local Russian businessmen have learned that they all need one thing to survive: a krysha, or roof, or, in the ever-applicable mafia parlance, protection. Three years ago, on March 6, 2014, the U.S. Treasury Department authorized sanctions against a host of Russian institutions and officials for violating the territorial integrity of Ukraine. The most influential companiesGazprom, Alfa Bank, Novatek, all of them loyal to or controlled by the Kremlinrushed to hire well-connected lobbyists in Washington to try to get them off a financially crippling blacklist. That is, to get them the protection they needed. There was no shortage of money offered, since nobody could predict at the time how bad the tensions of a renascent Cold War would grow. The question was which doors the hired American strategists could unlock for Moscow. With his decades of experience, Republican party bona fides, and a global team at McLarty Associates, Richard Burt seemed an ideal lobbying partner for Russian big business. The 70-year-old Burt has been close to several generations of Republicans, including Ronald Reagan, for whom he served as U.S. ambassador to Germany, and, much more recently, to President Donald Trump. A frequent visitor to Moscow, Burt has spent most of his professional diplomatic and lobbying life dealing in one way or another with the Kremlin. In one dramatic photograph shown around the world, he escorted the famed Soviet refusenik Natan Sharansky across the Glienicke Bridge in Berlin in 1986 as part of a U.S.-Soviet spy exchange. (The Jewish dissident was the one non-spy; he was, however, the first political prisoner released under Mikhail Gorbachevs reformist government.) He was the star brilliant American diplomat under Reagan, with Richard Perle, a former CIA operative in Moscow told The Daily Beast. I think hes an opportunist, a businessman. I would never think of him having serious views about anything. In a way, hes like [Vitaly] Churkin, the ex-spy added, referring to the recently deceased Russian ambassador to the U.S. A charismatic guy who sold out to the system. And theyre both rough contemporaries. Last year, two major Russian corporations used Burts lobbying services, the Russian gas giant Gazprom, one of five constituent companies party to the Nord Stream II pipeline project, which was designed to deliver an additional 55 billion cubic meters of gas to Germany. According to the Heinrich Boll Foundation, run by the German Green Party, using Nord Stream II to expand capacity would further increase dependency on Gazprom, with the Russian state-owned corporation already taking more and more control of the entire gas supply chain in the EU as it is. Thus, it would undercut a major European Union geopolitical objectivemore energy independencewhich became especially important following Russias invasion of Ukraine. According to open sources, Gazproms New European Pipeline AG paid Burts company $690,000 for their 2016-2017 contract, that just ran out this month, Sergei Kostiayev, a Russian political scientist researching international lobbyists, told The Daily Beast. Documents recoverable from the website for the Lobbying Disclosures Act Database, administered by the U.S. Senate, bear this out. Kostiayev, a docent at the Financial University, which is run by the Russian government, says that working for Gazprom is no different from working directly for the Kremlin. But just lobbying efforts are as useless as attempts to decorate a corpse. By now the Kremlin realized that that they needed their man in Washington, who could provide Trumps support for Moscow, the academic added. To hear Burt tell it, however, neither he nor McLarty Associates are lobbyists at all, as 98 percent of the firms clients are U.S. companies seeking help in international markets, the only foreign clients the company represents are through a subsidiary known as McLarty Inbound. Also, he insists, there is no connection to Russias gas behemoth. We represented Nord Stream IInot Gazprom itself when it was a consortium including 5 companies, Burt wrote The Daily Beast in an emailed statement. One of them was Gazprom. In October, when the Western companies including Royal Dutch Shell, etc. dropped out having to do with the fact that Poland wouldnt do business with them, we stopped invoicing the client and let our contract lapse at the end of October 2016. The reason we pulled out was that McLarty Associates have a policy of not representing foreign governments or state-owned enterprises. One of these foreign clients is a Russian-owned investment vehicle Letter One. Letter One or L1, a Luxembourg-registered and London-based company, was founded by Mikhail Fridman, the owner of Russias largest private bank, Alfa, which was alleged to have had digital communication with servers in Trump Tower during last years presidential election. Burt, an adviser to the board of L1, told The Daily Beast that the U.K.-domiciled Fridman, along with Pyotr Aven, the head of Alfa Bank, are longtime business associates. Just before McLarty apparently stopped invoicing the New European Pipeline AG, Burt had what he describes as a very peripheral role in crafting parts of then-presidential candidate Donald Trumps first major foreign policy speech, delivered at Washington, D.C.s Center for the National Interest in April 2016. At that event, the now heavily scrutinized Russian ambassador to the U.S., Sergei Kislyak, was seated in the front row. I believe an easing of tensions and improved relations with Russiafrom a position of strengthis possible, Trump said on that occasion. Common sense says this cycle of hostility must end. Some say the Russians wont be reasonable. I intend to find out. Burt told The Daily Beast that he never met Trump or interacted with anyone from the campaign for the purpose of offering his input on the speech. Rather, a third party intermediary transmitted his counsel. And as to the bits of the address pertaining to Russia, The only thing I remember was something along the lines of needing to deal with Russia from a position of strength. In an interview last June, Burt told Reuters: I am happy to talk to people looking for advice on foreign policy issues. According to Politico, which Burt said mischaracterized his role in the composition of Trumps speech, he attended two separate dinners hosted by then-senator Jeff Sessions, who served as the chairman of Trumps national security committee during the campaign. Now the presidents embattled attorney general, Sessions last week was forced to recuse himself from any forthcoming investigation into Trumps ties to Moscow owing to his allegedly misleading testimony during his confirmation hearing, at which he said he hadnt talked to any Russian officials about the campaign. As The Washington Post disclosed, Sessions met and spoke to Kislyak twice during his work on the campaign. Burt, Politico noted, was invited to discuss issues of national security and foreign policy, and wrote white papers for Sessions on the same subjects. Burt has also continued to spend time in Russia. Last year Burt visited Moscow twice to participate in round table discussions about nuclear weapons, Konstantin Remchukov, editor in chief of the independent Russian newspaper Nezavismaya Gazeta, told The Daily Beast. Burts main message was that both Russia and the United States need an injection of pragmatism, that sanctions against Russia were harmful for both Russia and the West. His words sounded marvelous to many ears in Moscow. Burts long diplomatic service combine with a personal style that everyone interviewed for this article could not help but find impressive. He is seen as a savvy and affable elder statesmen among his peers. One U.S. think tank specialist on Russia who has interacted with him abroad told The Daily Beast, Hes tall, well-dressed, and a sharp political player. Which is to say, markedly at odds with the sort of American interlocutors the Kremlin used to prefer dealing with. Once the biggest foreign investor in Russia, Bill Browder, the CEO of the now London-based Hermitage Capital, admitted in an interview with The Daily Beast that Burts services for a Gazprom-affiliated company marked a significant difference from Moscows jejune style in the beginning of the Putin era. In the early years, the Kremlins lobbying and legal work was as unsophisticated as their representatives in gold chains, shiny suits and pointy shoes, but they have learned how to dress and how to hire the best lobbyists, Browder said, who often refers to the Kremlin, as gangsters who killed my lawyer. Although their transactions are just as criminal and difficult to mask, they are much better at fighting legal battles with big hired guns in the West. Browder added that he was not surprised that Burt shared his time between writing speech memos for Trump and promoting a pipeline deal that would boost Gazproms energy hold on Europe. There must be lots of companies in Washington who would love to sign a million-dollar contract with Gazprom. Russian media, too, seem keen on continuing to see Burt as a channel between East and West. In recent weeks, his name has been floated frequently in various news reports, along with John Huntsman and others, as a possible U.S. ambassador to Moscow. When asked by The Daily Beast if thats a position hed accept should it be offered to him, Burt responded: In Washington, you never answer a question like that. Anna Nemtsova reported this story from Moscow, Michael Weiss reported from New York City MAIDUGURI, NigeriaAt first glance the corrugated tin shack with its display of dried plants and powders in empty rice sacks spilling outside and animal skins tacked to the front door seems like any other roadside spice market or traditional medicine shop here in northeast Nigeria. But this humble depot is where members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF)a vigilante group integral to the Nigerian governments counterinsurgency operationsprocure the charms and amulets they believe protect them from the terrorists of Boko Haram. Even before arriving at the shop, members of the CJTF from Bama, a city ravaged by the insurgency, giddily emptied their pockets, revealing a wealth of amulets. Pointing to bullet holes on their pickup truck from a recent raid into the rebel-infested Sambisa Forest, the members credit their safety to the amulets in their pockets, the special potions they bathed in and drank before the raid, and the charms they put in seat cushions of the car. Manning the traditional medicine shop is the gregarious, flamboyant Buba Saliki. Draped in an intricately embroidered tunic with a floppy and worn cap, he greets the CJTF members with warm embraces. Pointing out their grins, he brags, I am the king of the hunters, another name for vigilantes in the region. They can come to me for anything. He displays a leather band with several crudely sewn satchels dangling from it, explaining the significance of each charm. This one, it will prevent the bullet from hitting your body; his fingers slide to the next charm, This one, it prevents your enemies from seeing you It lets you see what you are hunting first; the next, It will wiggle and shake if you are going someplace dangerous. Each charm is filled with local medicine or papers with prayers scribbled on them. These protections dont come cheapBuba Saliki estimates that he could sell each for 150,000 to 200,000 naira (roughly $350-$500). A relieved CJTF member cuts in to report that the CJTF gets these charms for free, as a gift from Buba Saliki. The vigilantes smile gratefully. Buba Saliki responds with a magnanimous grin and enthusiastic nodding. It took Buba Saliki 20 years to learn the trade, starting from when he was 9 and studying under his grandfather. He, of course, doesnt merely make amulets for vigilantes; much of his business comes from selling traditional medicine to cure town residents of typhoid, malaria, and their eye problems. His work has become more difficult recently, as Boko Harams reign of violence has complicated the process of going to the bush to retrieve the local medicines, but he has made do. While the efficacy of the charms is subject to debatewhen a CJTF member who asks to be called Kashim is questioned about a comrade who recently died in a fight against Boko Haram, Kashim says with a wry smile, Up to now we dont have a charm against bomb fragments Whether you think of all this in terms of the placebo effect or psychological warfare or something more pejorative, Buba Saliki is like a one-man USO for the vigilantes, sustaining their morale in a very dangerous fight. Before we leave his shop, he insists on demonstrating how powerful his charms are. The vigilantes excitedly agree and assemble themselves into a semicircle around the entrance, all making sure that they have a good view. Buba Saliki takes off his shirt, ties on a belt of charms, and takes a swig of a potion from a beaten-up plastic water bottle. He begins his performance by sharpening the rough knives strewn across his shop floor; with a flourish, he cuts through sheets of paper, demonstrating their sharpness. Then he rubs the paper against his charms and tries to cut it againthe knives seem to slide off of the edges of the paper. He begins to saw harderbut the paper will not relent. He takes another sheet of paper and shreds it with the knife. Smiling to the crowd, he takes that knife to his own body, making exaggerated slicing movements across his chest and stomach. Each swing of his arm is punctuated by a whistling that sounds eerily like a dogs squeaky toy. He turns the knife to his eyes, making movements as if he would slice them open or gouge them out. His mouth and nose are assaulted next, then he even puts the knife to his throatyet it seems he is unaffected. Like any good performer, Buba Saliki knows what his audience appreciates the most and he is visibly heartened by the delighted gasps and claps from the crowd assembled. He even incorporates audience participation. Nearing the end of his show, he walks toward the crowd and rubs the sweat from his underarms on the neck of one of the bystanders. He then saws maniacally at their throat, still incorporating the insane whistling into his movements with his long knife, but to no avail. He then takes the knife and cuts off a small tuft of hair from the vigilantes head, holding it up for the audience to see before letting it drop into the wind. The vigilantes and the passerby that had gathered meet this flourish with riotous applause. Climbing back into their battered pickup truck with their double-barrel shotguns in their self-purchased uniforms, the vigilantes appear heartened. Unlike the Nigerian soldiers and police, vigilantes are not guaranteed a salary even in theory; many have complained of marginalization by the state and feel their sacrifices are not being recognized. As they leave the king of the hunters, however, these troubles seem to be placed on the back burner. Puffing his chest, Kashim says, You see, were not afraid of Boko Harams magic, because we have our own. Our magic beats theirs. When Donald Trump was elected president, the first thing Cary Gabriel Costellos wife said was, There goes our chance at transition health care coverage. Friends of the Wisconsin couple, both of whom are transgender, thought that they were overreacting, Costello told The Daily Beast. Some naively advised them to stop overdramatizing, reassuring them that President Trump isnt going to hurt you. After all, didnt he once say that Caitlyn Jenner could use the Trump Tower ladies room? How harmful could a man who holds up a rainbow LGBT pride flag really be? Then, a mere twelve days after the inauguration, the dire prediction came true. On February 1, as The Daily Beast previously reported, the Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Funds (ETF) announced that the state was reinstating a longstanding exclusion in its employee health plan on any procedures, services, and supplies related to surgery and sex hormones associated with gender reassignment. For a family like mine, with two gender transitioners who had been waiting for many years to access additional care and get coverage for our [hormone therapy], that was more than depressing, Costello, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the director of the schools LGBT studies program, wrote in a viral blog post about the policy change. But at least we saw it coming. That exclusion had actually been lifted for thirty days before the ETF reinstated it, citing a temporary injunction issued last December on an Affordable Care Act regulation that the Obama administration interpreted as prohibiting exclusions of transition-related medical care. That regulation had pressured the ETFs Group Insurance Board to vote last July to provide transgender health carerecognized as medically necessary by major medical associationsstarting on January 1st, even though Governor Scott Walker didnt want them to comply. Before the election, Costello was optimistic. [F]or a brief moment, he recalled in his blog post, things really started to look up. But now, the transition-related health care coverage is gone, the Affordable Care Act is on its way out the door, and the Jeff Sessions-led Department of Justicewhich also rescinded Obama-era guidance on trans students last monthhas passed on the opportunity to challenge the December 2016 injunction, as the Washington Blade reported. Wisconsin didnt have to reinstate its exclusion on transgender health care for state employees like Costello. But the ETF has an opportunity to exclude the coverage without fearing retribution from the federal governmentand theyre taking it. And now, the Daily Beast can report that ETF is additionally asking Costello and other transgender state workers to go through a new process to change their gender or to prove a previous gender change. Whats more is that this new process, per the ETF website, can require medical certification of the very same appropriate clinical treatment that the ETF has now excluded from the employee health plan. Its a Catch-22, Costello wrote, and [it] seems deliberately cruel. ETF requires either an updated passport, court order, birth certificate, or physicians letter to change genderall of which require some degree of medical treatment. Costello transitioned over a decade ago and has a male drivers license. But as of January 1st, he has to prove to the state all over again that hes a mansomething he cant do, he says, without undergoing costly and now-excluded surgery to get a court order or a corrected birth certificate, procuring a doctors letter with the details required by the state, or going through the necessary legal hurdles to obtain a new U.S. passport. Costello says he was told by his human resources department in an email earlier this year that, in order to maintain a current [gender] change, he will need to comply with this process. In essence, he wrote in the blog post, he and his wife are being detransitioned by the state. My personal experience shows that having followed the rules to document our status only results in security if the rules aren't changed under our feet, he told The Daily Beast. The ETF told The Daily Beast that the new process for changing gender has nothing to do with the timing of the recent health care exclusion, adding that it will help smooth out any inconsistencies between data held by employerslike the University of Wisconsinand the data that the ETF needs to administer Wisconsin Retirement System benefits. We developed the policy for members to change their gender on record based solely on requests from members, no other reason, ETF communications director Mark Lamkins told The Daily Beast. Since we did not have a policy or process in place prior to January 1, we will reach out to members who previously requested we change their gender on record. And in response to Costellos claim in his blog post that ETFs gender change process asks for an unusual amount of potentially privacy-compromising medical information, Lamkins said, As a best practice to protect our members personal information, we implemented similar requirements being used by the Social Security Administration. The ETFs new requirements, however, do go above and beyond the SSAs requirements for changing gender. The SSA merely requires a letter from a licensed physician like an M.D. or a D.O. stating that the individual has had appropriate clinical treatment for gender transition to the new gender. It does not require the letter to specify what, exactly, that appropriate clinical treatment entailed. The ETFs new requirements, on the other hand, specify that when an employee must submit a medical certification letter, that letter must include the date the treatment began and an explanation of appropriate clinical treatment. This is none of their business! Costello wrote. Moreover, ETF is staffed by bureaucrats and accountants, not medical personnel qualified to review such information. Costello is concerned that the ETF has intervened in a process that was previously handled by HR, alleging in his blog post that the department is effectively maintain[ing] a database of gender transitioners. In essence, we are being required to register with the state, he wrote. As a Jewish person who lost extended family in the Holocaust, I find this extremely creepy. We are not maintaining a registry of transgender employees, Lamkins told The Daily Beast. Costellos viral blog post was published on Sunday. Asked if he and his wife had been able to sort anything out with ETF yet, he said, The situation is stressful, as you might imagine. Nothing yet has been resolved. How to Find Local Job Listings Are you looking for a job and not having much luck finding local job listings? There are variety of ways to narrow down your local job search to focus on jobs near you or in the locations where you are interested in working. Bryan's apartment parking ordinance should be revised upward The city of Bryan's outdated off-street parking code for apartments must be changed to help protect home owners from developer intrusion that adversely affects the quality of life in our residential neighborhoods. Bryan's code for apartment off-street parking is less restrictive than those of seven other Texas cities I reviewed, and the code benefits developers to the detriment of homeowners. Bryan requires a developer to include only one parking space per bedroom for apartments, and this is true regardless of the number of bedrooms in the unit. In contrast, Austin, San Antonio, Round Rock, The Woodlands, Waco and Brenham, to name a few, require one and a half parking spaces for one-bedroom units and two spaces for two-bedroom units. Our neighbor College Station requires one and a half off-street parking spaces for one-bedroom units and the same number for two-bedroom units. Additionally, Bryan's apartment parking requirement is less than that required for single family homes which require two parking spaces for one and two-bedrooms. Manuals of the Institute of Transportation Engineers show that the off-street parking requirements of apartments in the Texas cities mentioned are consistent with current practice throughout the United States. Many cities require the developer to include additional parking spaces for guests. Brenham, for example, requires 10 percent additional parking for guests. What does the outdated apartment code mean to Bryan's homeowners? Apartments with insufficient off-street parking which cannot be constructed in College Station or other Texas cities can be built in Bryan We can expect significant overflow parking by apartment residents and their guests on our city's residential streets, thus adversely affecting safe, livable and sustainable residential neighborhoods The safety of our elderly pedestrians and children walking to school can be compromised. An example might be an apartment complex with 51 one-bedroom units and 18 two-bedroom units. In Bryan, the complex would need 87 parking spaces, while in College Station, the complex would need 104 spaces. In the other Texas cities cites, the complex would need 113 spaces. CONRAD DUDEK Bryan Don't blame Seal's death on President Donald Trump All veterans share the sorrow of the father of Navy Seal Chief William "Ryan" Owens, killed in a raid in Yemen. Blaming this death on President Donald Trump is doing a disservice to the Seals as the attack was in all probability planned before the current administration took office. H.K. PITTS College Station It's time to put the U.S.A. first, as President Trump says It appears that our government is not going to remain a democracy very long. With the Democrats crying and trying to block the appointments of the president and going to the courts to stop his legal orders. We are soon going to be governed by the courts. Even the House and Senate will be proceeding at what the courts have ruled on. So much for our representative style of government. Someone in the far distant past forecast that when the people find they can vote all that they want the government will fall. Now The time it takes to get anything done with all the talk back and forth will just make the U.S.A. unable to defend the country from foreign governments when fast action is required. The crying from the losing Democrats and the courts stepping in on what is a political problem is going to bring about the downfall of our country. The president is the person responsible for the citizens' safety of the U.S.A. Our safety is also the responsibility of all citizens of the U.S.A. Now is time for us just like Trump says U.S.A. first. We have too long put other nations ahead our welfare. WESLEY TURNBOW Bryan If our natural survival response was functioning well, we'd be fighting the planetary danger or fleeing the enslavement traps set for us. Instead we are frozen, unable to respond to the conflicting truths - the erosion of that which is dear to us and the part each of us plays in contributing to this, simply by going about our lives. Thus we end up, even the most aware and active of us, in a kind of tacit denial. This is strikingly manifested in the abundantly widespread climate-denial in which to some degree virtually all of us participate; (see Climate Change is a white swan). By consuming consumerism and all its trappings - albeit frequently laced with greenwash - civil society gets caught in the crossfire between our inner knowing and the silver-tongued palliatives of our so-called leaders. But perhaps, just perhaps, our shared inner knowing is stronger... Awakening: The un-named movement' For: the second macro-force is a fast-building sub-culture termed by Paul Hawken the 'unnamed movement'. In Hawken's book The Blessed Unrest he describes the tens if not hundreds of thousands of environmental and social justice groups, involving hundreds of millions of people, emerging worldwide at a grassroots level. Collectively they represent a planet-wide web of interconnection and awakening. Interestingly this web' found metaphorical expression in the culminatory portion of the film Avatar, which, encouragingly and not coincidentally, was, judging by box-office receipts, the most popular film ever made: Avatar Transformed Cinema. This movement is expressed in all sorts of life-affirming interventions such as widespread activism, grassroots solidarity, myriad labours of care and love, and much more, which ultimately deliver social wellbeing, local resilience (Local Cultures) and environmental safeguards. The unnamed movement is deeply 'for-life'. (For more on the meaning of this being 'for-life', see the close of Read's book Philosophy for Life as reviewed here. This movement is a deeper expression of who we really are when concern for or debasement of that which we hold dear finally causes us to think and act for ourselves. It is empathetic, altruistic, holistic and pulses with the spiritual force that binds us: interconnection - or what Charles Eisenstein (following the Buddha and Thich Nhat Hanh) calls interbeing. It remains to be (fully) seen but it could represent the greatest awakening yet in human consciousness. The true opening of our eyes, hearts and souls, that we now deeply desire, know is possible, and know is necessary. The ultimate struggle So these are two primary macro-forces shaping the 'Anthropocene' and what may follow. It's a race between the growing movement for positive change and that of ecological unraveling. Both of these forces are active, but only one will ultimately dominate. Our discussion, our proposal is about ensuring that the 'for-life' path has the chance to succeed. Several macro-levers are at play: democracy, economics, energy, ecology, food & water availability and more. Each is approaching such an extreme level of fragility that the modern 'civilised' world we know could be brought to an end quite abruptly. But like any fragility or indeed potential breakdown, there lies opportunity, both in itself and in its wake. Our job - yours too, reader - is to elucidate and then help to convey with viral speed a deep understanding of the routes which allow a strengthening of a 'for-life' agenda in each case. Achieving this is also to make the malfunctioning of most of the system - inherent in our dominant economics and politics - so visible that it cannot continue. Crucial to the possibility of success in this endeavour, this achievement is the recognition that the greatest potential force for good on the planet is the seven billion human population, or at least most of 'the 99%', turned in near-unison toward a radical challenge against the 'anti-life' force operating in our hijacked governance systems. Seven billion people focused on protective and restorative activity can rapidly bring about major and lasting change on the planet. Restoration: What A For-Life' Movement Looks Like What kind of activity do we mean? This is not the place to detail that. But we will mention five key elements of it, elements so pressing, so huge - and yet so little discussed in the 'mainstream' - that they can strike one as new, even though they represent the well-trodden paths of both humanity's long history of resistance struggles and the ancient wisdom of indigenous cultures (Ancient Futures & Post Growth Localisation): First, and above all, a necessary condition for all the rest, we need to make our voices heard, and make them count. The Occupy Movement, which involved hundreds of thousands in over 500 cities globally, was a valiant start. It directly challenged the neo-liberal economic agenda and its anti-life machinations. But it didn't last; and in any case we need to go much further. Awakening is not just about seeing what's going on, it's about getting our voices heard, and getting a difference made by those voices (Noam Chomsky Interview). >> Speaking up needs to include the voice of our natural world. Protecting our environmental life support systems requires two things; Protection and restoration. Only a massive movement demanding change will stop the destruction and initiate extensive restoration. Rewilding and non-monocultural re-greening can take us swiftly in the opposite direction from the commodifying and denuding of our natural systems, sparking the regrowth of great biodiverse areas. >> We need to call out the damage wrought by industrial agriculture and forestry, demanding nothing less than a shift toward permaculture, agroforestry, organic and (above all) agroecological methods. These will be more labour-intensive but that can be a good thing, in a time when the constant refrain is worry about where the jobs of the future are to come from. >> And modern building methods extract their own toll on the natural world. We need to see a massive change in building methods, significantly less building (see Make Do & Mend) - and the employment of low impact materials, including recycled waste, wood and materials such as straw and hemp which both lock in carbon and offer insulation benefits. Growing such materials in biodiverse habitats makes this ecologically viable. >> And then there's that perennial call voiced now for 60 years or so; to stop burning fossil fuels. The only way we can achieve a 'carbon descent' is by implementing an energy descent' in the short term. This is because a complete shift to renewables is - even by optimistic projections - at least a decade-long process, and we are already on the cusp of irreversible climate feedbacks (tipping points). i.e. any wriggle room that we had at the launch of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997 has now been squandered. So what would such an energy descent look like? It means foregoing virtually all non-essential fossil fuel burning. By introducing some form of per capita carbon allocation (e.g. carbon rationing ( Supporting Carbon Rationing) or tradable quotas). An individual ration' would allow for the low mileage running a small, shared car, or one long haul flight perhaps every decade. A serious energy descent pathway would also require our governments to return investment to true renewables such as solar, wind, tidal, and geothermal energy. Add these five interventions together as a starting point and we're talking about an end to neo-liberal economics i.e. the global growth economy as we know it. We'd be exchanging debt and asset bubbles (and the ensuing mayhem they portend) for a strategically planned economic descent, which sees the most destructive human activities phased out or replaced by benign technology. We can make these changes - and fast These five points should be at the heart of a plan that, for reasons we will now explain, we suggest might be called 'Apollo Earth'. Taken together, they offer the outline of a very different way forward for humanity than business-as-usual or any of the usual techno-fixing variants of it. One such techno-fix - geo-engineering, aka 'climate-engineering' (Climate Geoengineering) - is so dangerously misguided that it threatens to further disrupt rather than remedy our finely tuned climate system. The Precautionary Principle demands that, as sketched above, we find a climate-safe alternative to geo-engineering (Safe Alternative to Geoengineering): Apollo Earth is therefore also a call to bring so called experts' to account, and to resist what will be their increasing siren calls in the coming years to risk everything on a climate-engineering gamble. The exciting thing about our outline agenda here is that each point (and much more) is already strongly represented by environmental and civil society groups across the world. But we're not yet at the critical threshold for change. Short of revolution (!), scaling-up requires traction at the political level, and this requires an unparalleled collective demand. With this, meaningful change would be underway in just one year (because most of the interventions we mention above are tied to the growing cycle, to annual climatic rhythms), and human society could potentially be making a net restorative contribution within a decade. Across the world NGOs, grassroots activists, families and communities serve as torch-bearers. By challenging the status quo, (and) by planting woods, changing how we farm, building differently, installing solar paneling and much else they beckon us towards collective responsibility. Time is of course of the essence: not just because of the pressing nature of the dire climate threat (cf. e.g. Avoiding Climate Change), but also because of recent political developments. Brexit and Trump, though likely to lead on balance to disastrous, calamitous moves in the wrong direction, make clear at least that people are awake enough to no longer support the establishment. Globalisation is at last up for question; neo-liberalism and technocracy are at last on the ropes. But the prognoses for what happens next being progressive' and green are not great. Unless we think-and-act together, the next stage of the curtailing civil rights is probably not far down the road: we have to seize this moment to come together to struggle for a better future. In fact: For a future at all. Apollo Earth We tentatively suggest calling this call to arms - a call to save the humans - 'Apollo Earth'. Why? For these three related reasons: 1) Apollo is the Ancient Greek God of rationality. If we proceed onward down the path to self-imposed climate-nemesis, we will have disproved Aristotle's famous definition of humankind as the rational animal. By coming together behind and successfully executing an Apollo-Earth project, we will have kept hope, wonderfully, alive, that perhaps we are a rational species of animal after all. 2) We need a unifying project to pull us together, at this time more than ever. As the U.S. was broadly unified behind the (first) Apollo project, so the world now needs to be broadly unified behind the project of saving ourselves and our beautiful living home. The unificatory project will require great effort, unprecedented ambition: as the mission to put 'man' on the Moon did. Compare this promising precedent, seeking to use the Apollo precedent to name the ambition for humanity of working together to meet the climate crisis by a transformative common effort: The need for an Apollo Programme to tackle climate change. And contrast this mirror-image, the disastrous possibility that the epochally-inappropriate President Trump might replace funding to rein in dangerous climate change with funding for a new Mars mission! Trump's Mars Mission 3) The Apollo missions led to the hugely-important and symbolic 'overview effect': 'Overview Effect'. Astronauts went to space to discover the Moon - and discovered Earth. This incredible jewel, changed by life, with its so-thin and vulnerable carapace of atmosphere. The overview effect', available initially to astronauts, became available to us all vicariously by way of the important photos they brought back and also for instance via the means of the magnificent ecological work of art that was Hollywood's 'Gravity' (see Gravity Blog), offers real hope. By going to space, we found our planetary home and the deep necessity of saving it. And, perhaps, the passion to save it, too. This point - what 'the overview effect' taught - was brought home further by the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission (a factive precedent of course for the fiction of Cuaron's masterpiece, 'Gravity'). The triumph of Apollo 13 was of course not the reaching of another world; it was the safe return, against incredible odds, to this world. The only place where we can live. And returning with enhanced recognition of its uniqueness and preciousness. Spaceship Earth' Apollo Earth' is the clear recognition that we are already in a state of extreme emergency - akin to Apollo 13's onboard systems failure, half a million miles from earth. Our mission - to steer a path away from mass extinction (to radically change course) - is heroic on a scale humanity has never faced before... In short the unnamed movement' needs to evoke - to birth - something radically different if we are to have any chance of pulling back from the brink. We are inescapably together on Spaceship Earth' (Buckminster Fuller's term); there is no-one to ride to our rescue. Only us, and the void. This is the biggest ask humanity has ever faced. No exaggeration. In our favour, history is replete with examples of humankind rising to meet extreme demands. Extraordinary levels of creativity, leadership, innovation and social cohesion are unlocked at such times. The analogy we'd like to leave you with is that of the perfectly synchronous flight behavior known as murmuration associated with some bird flocks, most notably starlings and migrating geese. When in flight these birds respond to signals from the flock in a tiny fraction of a second and with near-perfect accuracy. In times of crisis and elation, human communities do something similar. Human emotional signals are infectious and aligning. Let's hear the alarm that our climate system is sounding, loud and clear. Let's prove that we are rational beings (as Aristotle, possibly the greatest philosopher of Ancient Greece, famously claimed). Rationality today doesn't mean exploring options for colonizing another planet, it means an unprecedented journey into our own survival on planet Earth: Apollo-Earth. And now over to you. Humanity needs to do something with precedents, but unprecedented, and at scale. How, together, can we midwife this into being? How can we act in time? How can Apollo-Earth' be realized? _______________________________ These Authors Rupert Read is Reader in Philosophy at the University of East Anglia, Chair of www.greenhousethinktank.org and a former Green Party Councillor and MP-candidate. Deepak Rughani is a change-management consultant, has worked on climate issues since 2005 and is a co-director of Biofuelwatch, a UK and US-based NGO working to stop ecosystem destruction for bioenergy. You can contact them here: rupertread@fastmail.co.uk "We dedicate this article to the late Heidi Hillman, without whom the great body of work produced by her beloved husband Mayer Hillman - one of few writers prescient enough to sound the climate alarm in the 1980s - would not have been possible." "We also note that the project we propose takes inspiration from David Wasdell's critically important 'Apollo Gaia' project: Wasdell has shown perhaps more honestly and starkly than anyone (possible rivals for the crown include Kevin Anderson and James Hansen) the stakes and the folly of the path we are currently on. Apollo-Earth needs to be a far more 'secular' and popular continuation of Wasdell's groundbreaking effort." This article is a sequel to Climate Change is a white swan The news finally broke cover a few days ago, news which the Kimblewick Hunt had been sitting on since December. The Kimblewick is an amalgamation of three former hunts, and hunts over land in six counties, Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire and Oxfordshire. Rather than the familiar red coats, it wears coats of a peculiar mustard yellow. None of this has made it newsworthy. But the fact that 25 of its foxhounds had to be put down because they were infected with bovine TB, with a further 120 undergoing testing, has made both wildlife organisations and farmers sit up. Information given to Hounds Off claimed that at least 40 hounds had been culled. Horse & Hound were full of praise of the Hunt's action in suspending hunting, only to add that hunting was carrying on anyway, using 'visiting packs'. And of course the Hunt was cooperating fully with Defra, vets and everyone else to find the source of the problem. H&H added, for readers' comfort, that the hounds had been 'humanely put down'. The Huffington Post used the word 'euthanised'. Sorry, folks. That means they were shot, as per usual, by the kennelman or huntsman. The same problem could be lurking in hunts across the British Isles. The League Against Cruel Sports, which gives an account of just how the bTB outbreak was made public through the work of Hounds Off, is demanding that all hunting should stop until the problem has been fully investigated. Defra says that bTB in dogs is not a notifiable disease, but an outbreak of this size in dogs that work across farmland must surely now be taken seriously. Just how many other packs are infected? And of course hound-to-cattle bTB transmission, perhaps via hound excrement left in fields pastured by cattle, is entirely plausible - a fact that concerned farmers are waking up to. Hound excrement may even be infecting badgers with bTB. Some farmers, belatedly trying to protect their cattle, have banned hunts from their land. Those local to the hunt kennels are refusing to let the hunt exercise the hounds on their land. And campaigners fighting to stop the badger culls are wondering how the government's failure to deal with TB in the cattle through stricter cattle-based measures will spread the problem even more. Some of course also wonder if the foxhound debacle will also be blamed on the badger. Decreasing barriers to women in the workplace can shift the balance of power and help us to move forward on a host of sustainability issues. Womens Day was celebrated on March 8, so this is an opportune time to review the importance of women to the health of the planet. While women represent roughly half of the population, they have yet to assume their rightful role at the highest levels of decision making. We have good reason to believe that as the power of women grows, they will be a civilizing force in business. There are a number of female environmentalists who have played pivotal roles over the years. There are also a number of studies which show that women are better for the environment than their male counterparts. 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 ... Plan your week ahead in SE Iowa with these local events Your guide to getting off the couch and out the door this week in Southeast Iowa. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NEWTOWN James Costa would love for his strawberry drink to be more red. The problem is strawberries are an off-white color when turned into liquid form, and adding artificial coloring is out of the question for his brand of organic milk drinks. Sneakz Organic products deliver nutrition from carrots, sweet potatoes, beets, spinach, cauliflower, organic milk and other natural ingredients. No artificial flavors or colors allowed. We get pressure all the time to add coloring because parents think their children want the strawberry drink to be red. But we wont add any coloring, said Costa, a 63-year-old Newtown resident who founded Sneakz with business partner Jeff Robbins. All of the ingredients are natural and real. The kids dont really care what color the drink is as long as it tastes good. Strictly adhering to the all-natural philosophy is also why Sneakz will soon launch a peach/mango flavor instead of banana/mango. I just couldnt get banana/mango to work. The bananas want to dominate, Costa said. Peach is a more mellow flavor. Because were an organic product, everything is real and the flavors are what they are. Peach/mango is a great flavor. Its super. Mangos are also popular in Asian countries and Costa is in the process of introducing Sneakz to China. Sneakz is currently available in vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. Costa and Robbins founded the company about three years ago and the product is starting to take off. Right now, about 80 percent of the stores were in are west of the Mississippi, Costa said. It is currently in 2,600 stores nationwide, including 330 Walmart stores and several Costco locations. Partnering with Walmart is a major step for our brand in reaching a larger number of customers, Robbins said last year in announcing Sneakzs entry into the retail giant. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to bring Sneakz to their stores and offer shoppers a fun and easy solution for feeding little ones veggies. Sneakz is not available in any local stores yet, but area consumers may purchase the product on Amazon. Costa said Sneakz is not in the Northeast because the region is dominated by Stop & Shop and Sneakz has a policy against paying slotting fees, or fees charged by companies to have products on their shelves. He is hopeful to reach an agreement with Stop & Shop this spring. He also hopes to be in local Walmart stores by this summer. In addition to a new flavor and new U.S. markets, Sneakz this year will also add a one-liter container option and a protein-enriched powder form. It is currently available in eight-ounce containers, sold individually or in four- or six-packs. An alternate packaging may also be designed to cater to adults as the beverage is becoming popular with senior citizens. It is currently reimbursable through Medicare for its health benefits. Costa is also working on addressing the lactose intolerance issue associated with dairy. Thats a challenge Im dealing with now, he said. Its already a more comfortable drink for senior citizens than processed milk. The most significant change for Sneakz this year, however, will be entering the Chinese market. Costa spends a considerable amount of time in China with another engineering business he owns and has met extensively with Chinese officials to get Sneakz certified as an organic product in China. Chinese officials will be visiting Costa in the U.S. soon to inspect the milk and manufacturing facilities used by Sneakz. The U.S. quality of milk is very much appreciated in China. Its a great product for exporting to China, he said. Health is becoming a priority in China. Costa will then turn his attention toward introducing Sneakz to Australia and South Korea, then Vietnam, he said. Costa worked for PepsiCo for 31 years before retiring in 2012. He held various vice president titles while at PepsiCo. After you work for a corporation for as long as I did you learn a lot. PepsiCo is a tough place to work but you learn a lot and Ive never had a bad day, Costa said. When I left I wanted to do something different and small. The premise was to come up with a beverage that was all-natural and had no high-fructose corn syrup. Ive never been a fan of high-fructose corn syrup. Costa said he is looking forward to the new challenges ahead as Sneakz grows into new markets. He said the company is considering looking for investors, but wants those currently associated with Sneakz to remain in control. The company is not willing to compromise on its principles of offering an all-natural product, he said. We will continue to persevere. It takes a lot of tenacity to get things done, Costa said. For us, its very important to do it right and be compliant, especially because we are dealing with a childrens drink. cbosak@hearstmediact.com; 203-731-3338 NORWALK On Tuesday, Brien McMahon High School Principal Suzanne Koroshetz received news that brought tears to her eyes. Koroshetz opened the letter notifying her that the high school was authorized as an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School after three years of hard work put in by herself along with other school administrators and teachers. I take pride in the thought that someone with an outside barometer and a very high bar found us worthy to be named this, Koroshetz said. Really, I'm very proud of the people who worked so hard to make this happen. The IB school program is recognized around the world for the highest standard of teaching, student learning and student outcomes. Brien McMahon joins a total of just around a dozen IB schools across Connecticut. Were very proud and gratified to have Brien McMahon officially authorized as an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School said Norwalk Superintendent of School Steven Adamowski. This is an important milestone toward creating educationally robust choices that meet diverse student needs and interests a key goal in our Strategic Operating Plan. The impetus for getting the program at Brien McMahon stems from an idea former Norwalk Superintendent Manny Rivera mentioned to Koroshetz, who took up the idea and started the process three years ago. In that time, school officials had to develop course concepts, train teachers to meet the programs professional development requirements, have IB officials make several visits to the school and more. After a waiting period for authorization, the school was approved and will start offering IB courses in the 2017-18 school year. Scott Hurwitz, a housemaster at the school and active member of the IB process, said there are two options for IB students. Juniors and seniors can either take individual IB classes or partake in the IB Diploma Programme where 13 of each students final 16 credits must be IB courses, along with other requirements such as an essay and community project. Hurwitz said there are already 40 to 50 students in the class of 2019 who have declared themselves diploma candidates, with well over 100 total taking IB courses. All students are welcome to sign up for the courses. AP courses will still be available and students can take IB courses as they would AP, but the IB diploma program is intended to be more of a holistic approach to education than a singularly class. Its something that is really tied together and geared toward creating a whole sort of person, Koroshetz said. A total of roughly 15 IB classes will be offered at the school next year, a number that school officials expect to increase as more students enroll in the courses and they are able to train more teachers. Overall, school officials said just laying the groundwork for the program to the school has had a positive effect. Teachers who received the training said it made them think about their teaching in new, expanded ways, Koroshetz said. When you bring IB into a school the tide rises for everyone, Hurwitz said, meaning that it lifts the bar for the teachers and students alike. Plus, officials said, the new title helps, too. I think this is spectacularly good for Norwalk, Koroshetz said. I think it puts us on the map in a different way. KSchultz@thehour.com; 203-354-1049; @kevinedschultz Horses sometimes wind up malnourished, partly because its expensive to feed them. Three or four times a year, the Central Nebraska Humane Society finds livestock neglect in the area. Those cases sometimes involve cattle, goats and pigs. But horses are the most common victims of neglect, said Laurie Dethloff, the agencys executive director. Often, the owners dont realize how expensive the animals are to maintain, especially horses. Horses must be provided with the proper grain and hay, Dethloff said. Dental and hoof treatments also need to be done. Horse care can change as an animal ages. So its not a cheap hobby to have, she said. The Central Nebraska Humane Society investigates about 50 animal welfare cases a year, both in Grand Island and Hall County. Livestock neglect happens more frequently than what you think, Dethloff said. As far as receiving insufficient care, cattle follow behind horses. Humane Society representatives venture outside Hall County only when law enforcement asks them to look into a dire situation, Dethloff said. Dr. Brad Adrian, the Humane Societys veterinarian, investigates those cases. Last June, the Humane Society assisted in the removal of five horses from Tommy Leetch Sr., who lives in Merrick County. The Merrick County Sheriffs Department asked the Humane Society for its help. The Sheriffs Department seized the animals on June 9. Leetch, who lives at 156 Beck Road, was charged with five counts of abandoning or cruelly neglecting an animal, which is a Class 1 misdemeanor. According to court documents, Adrian concluded after his physical inspection that the horses were subjected to life-threatening conditions, which constituted neglect, in his professional opinion. Court paperwork says Merrick County Sheriff John Westman went to 156 Beck Road in June after receiving numerous reports of several horses that were neglected and malnourished. Grand Island attorney James Wagoner, who represents Leetch, said Leetchs neighbors are a little bit disgruntled about the upkeep of his property. Two or three of his neighbors are possibly using the horse issue as a vehicle for other complaints, Wagoner said. A man was accused of making terroristic threats against Leetch, he said. So I think it goes a little deeper than any horse concerns, Wagoner said. Leetchs trial will begin at 9 a.m. April 21 in Merrick County Court. The city of Grand Island will no longer provide health insurance to spouses of city employees who can get health insurance through their own employers, as part of its fiscal 2018 budget. Mayor Jeremy Jensen said the city currently has a self-insured plan, which means that the first $150,000 in claims is paid directly out of the citys health insurance fund, which has a little over $1 million available. Jensen said the current total cost of the citys health insurance plan is approximately $8.5 million and is growing. Of this amount, $1.2 million comes from employees bimonthly premium plans. That difference in $7.3 million in change is being paid for truthfully by the taxpayers and the ratepayers, Jensen said. Im not saying that we shouldnt pay for our employees, but at what point can you not pay any more? Jensen said 480 employees are currently enrolled on the citys health insurance plan, which ensures about 1,300 people including employees, spouses and dependent children. He added the health insurance fund is rapidly losing money and will run out of money in early 2018 unless changes are made. In January alone, we paid out over $500,000 more than what we brought in, Jensen said. If we run out of money, we dont have money to pay the claims. So somebody who goes to the doctor, their claim comes through and we dont have the money to pay it. Well have to go to the city council and ask for additional funds. We dont have the money. That is what set a lot of this in motion. Jensen said that in January, he met with his administration team, insurance officials, the citys Legal Department and the finance team to find $2 million in savings in the citys health insurance plan. By no longer providing health insurance to the 61 spouses who qualify for health insurance through their own employers, Jensen said the city will save $720,000. As an example, Jensen said a city employee has a spouse who works at Grand Island Public Schools and gets offered $7,500 to not enroll in the GIPS health insurance plan, thus enrolling on the citys plan and the claims become the citys responsibility. In his example, he added that, if the spouse had to have his or her appendix removed and it was a $20,000 procedure and claim, the city of Grand Islands insurance pool would be responsible for paying it all. The ratepayers and taxpayers of our community should not be liable for those claims, and if it is worth $7,500 to have someone not take the coverage, you can quickly see that the real economic impact of their claims is more than the $7,500 GIPS is paying out, Jensen said. In this scenario, this person needs to get her coverage through GIPS. She will have to buy a single plan. The Grand Island police and fire unions said they are opposed to the city eliminating health insurance coverage for their spouses. Phil Thomas, president of the Grand Island Firefighters IAFF Local 647, said health care costs for its unions members would increase from $400 a month to $1,000 a month with the city eliminating health insurance for spouses who can get it through their employers. He added there will probably be members of the Grand Island Fire Department whose wives quit their jobs to stay on the citys health insurance plan and to avoid the added expenses of other plans. The city of Grand Island should be family-friendly, Thomas said. Im afraid it is going to hurt recruitment for the Fire Department and the Police Department. They (spouses) have to sacrifice a lot. Were gone a lot and they have to deal with families at home on their own. The mayor posed the question, Should the taxpayers be paying for our wives? I said, Yes, because shes at home taking care of my family. Thomas added this agreement was not negotiated with the unions and hoped the city would sit down at the table with union leaders to negotiate an agreement on its health insurance plan. In the state of Nebraska, that is a mandatory subject of bargaining and they are not doing it, he said. Thomas said he plans to send each city council member a letter voicing the unions concerns about the city eliminating coverage. Jarret Daugherty, president of the Grand Island Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 24, said he and the other union leaders sat down with Jensen, who informed them of his plans for the citys health care coverage. The decision was not taken well, he said. There was quite a bit of angst and a lot of questions that were asked as a result of that decision. Daugherty added he feels the health insurance plan changes were made only by city administration. He said the citys health insurance committee was not involved in the process and should have been. Jensen called Daughertys claim false, saying that the health insurance committee has been involved in the discussions on changes to the citys health insurance plan. Our Human Resources Department worked with our health insurance committee. Aaron (Schmid, the citys human resources director) and our team talked about this, Jensen said. We said, Theres a problem coming up. Do you have any solutions or ideas to help us save money with the plan? They gave me a list of eight to 10 ideas. We took the ideas that they brought forward to us, penciled them out and they just didnt make any economic impact on the plan. Jensen added the police and fire unions claim that they were surprised by the health insurance changes and did not have any input is false as well. He said that in August 2016, he emailed all city employees informing them of upcoming changes in the health insurance plan because he didnt want to surprise anybody with anything. We made some negligible changes in 2016, Jensen said. Those changes amounted to about $50 per month additional premium for those folks. You would have thought we completely eliminated them last year. People just threw a fit about it. I told them they needed to be prepared for the next year. This was just the first step. Family, friends and those concerned for the homeless celebrated the life of Elizabeth Chase-Cosby, who died in Grand Islands Memorial Park on Saturday, Feb. 25, as a result of hypothermia, on Wednesday afternoon. People who knew Chase-Cosby as a homeless resident of Grand Island remembered that, even then, she remained a child of God. Dan Naranjo, owner of All Faiths Funeral Home, read remembrances from members of Chase-Cosbys family, who could not attend the prayer service. They recalled Chase-Cosby as a vivacious young woman who loved nature, animals, her family and who enjoyed helping those in need. Her oldest daughter, Jasmine Cain, wrote that her mother was one of the most selfless people I have ever known. Even though we didnt have much, she would often help out other children nearby who were worse off or had abusive home lives Cain said her mother also helped women who were fleeing domestic abuse, as well as Vietnam veterans who were suffering. Cain said when her mothers mental state started to deteriorate when Cain was a teenager, she made the decision to move in with other family members. However, she added, Even later when I would (seldom) visit, I witnessed her going around helping her neighbors. She worked mostly in home health care for the elderly or disabled people who she treated with dignity, respect and true compassion and also worked as a waitress. Cain said her mother suffered from thyroid disease, Graves disease and PTSD. Eventually, Chase-Cosby began suffering from delusions and major conspiracy theories. When hospitalized about five years ago, her mother began to complain about how mistreated she was, a claim Cain does not believe is true. After being dismissed from the hospital, Chase-Cosby broke off contact with her family, with Cain believing her mother feared that relatives would put her back into the hospital. Her sister, Kathy or Kate Tuck, said that as a child, Elizabeth marched to the beat of a different drummer. Growing up in the 70s, there was plenty of opportunity to walk a little on the wild side. She was only a little bit wild. Little Bit was her baby nickname. Tuck said her sister, whom she called Betsy, was a mentor and protector, once using ice cubes to remove a wad of gum that school bullies had put in her hair. Betsy was the leader and ringmaster to all our childhood plays and skating parties. She led melodramatic rituals to transfer ownership of teddy bears and such. Tuck, who took in Jasmine Cain when Elizabeths mental health began to deteriorate, said that her sister did make a connection with her daughter, Sarah. Sarah always loved her aunter Betsy, and they got along famously, said Tuck, who noted that for a while, it seemed as though she and Betsy had switched kids when it came to Jasmine and Sarah. But eventually Betsy also distanced herself from Sarah, which broke her heart. And Sarahs heart broke most of all with our terrible news from Nebraska. Jamie Pyper Eschliman said that she first met Chase-Cosby on Thanksgiving Day, when she went to a store to pick up a few last-minute items. She said the woman that she also came to call Betsy was sitting outdoors covered in blankets. It stopped me in my tracks, said Eschliman, who said she felt filled with love that she did not think came from her, but straight came from God and Jesus. Earlier, Eschliman noted that Jesus himself was without a home as he traveled with his disciples. She noted that Jesus had to depend on the kindness of friends of strangers. Eschliman said she was fortunate enough to buy Betsy Thanksgiving food. She noted the store employees made sure to provide Betsy with very generous portions. They stood there and felt so grateful for the opportunity to do that. Eschliman said before she left, she asked Betsy if she could pray with her. Betsy at first refused. But Eschliman said that she got down on her knees and, to her surprise, she also was able to put her hand on Betsys hand as she prayed. When she was reaching the end, Eschliman said, she felt certain there were people on this earth who loved Betsy. Eschliman was surprised again when she said Amen, and Betsy squeezed her hand. During the service, Naranjo read Bible verses beginning with Matthew 25:31 that tells how When the Son of Man comes in his glory, he will put sheep on his right and say to them, Come, you who are blessed by my father, take your inheritance For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. When those on the right asked when they did all this, they were told whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. Cain gave more memories including a time when her mother rebuffed Ku Klux Klan members attempt to intimidate her for having African-American friends. Instead of giving in, she put up trip wire. She wrote that many for self-protection say the homeless are responsible for their plight. We can pretend we are safe if we just follow the rules But she noted no amount of money, loving family members or friends provide immunity against mental illness. Cain quoted Natasha Tracy: Mental illness is the only disease that makes you deny its own existence. After a fire early this morning, the Sonic Drive-In on South Locust Street wont reopen until next week at the earliest. Repairing the damage is going to take a while, said Grand Island contractor Ben Ross, who will do the work. A car crashed into the east side of the restaurant, near the drive-through window, at about 1:50 this morning. After hitting a gas line, the vehicle caught fire. The driver had to be pulled from the vehicle. It appears that the driver hit right between the buildings two back doors. No one was hurt, but a Grand Island Fire Department battalion chief estimated the damage at $50,000. If the driver was looking to place an order, she was too late. The Sonic closes at 10:30 p.m. on weeknights and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, said Sonic owner Junior Roebuck, who declined to talk about the fire. Cars are regularly driving around the back of the restaurant today. Some might be curious about the incident, but many are hoping to place an order, unaware the restaurant is closed. While preparing estimates, Ross deliberately blocked the drive-through route with his pickup to let drivers know they shouldnt place an order. The damage looks to be restricted to a portion of the back of the building. But more work needs to be done than a passerby might think. Workers need to remove some of the brick and replace it. Structural steel thats bent or broken needs to be replaced. The drive-in needs two new fire doors at the back, Ross said. The restaurant may need new heating, plumbing or electrical equipment. The rear of the building needs new EIFS, which stands for exterior insulation finishing system. There is also smoke damage inside. Anything else? "Ive got to get up on the roof and see what else is damaged up there from the heat," Ross said. Ross, the owner of Ben Ross Enterprises, said workers will repair the damage as quickly as they can. Utility companies were called to shut off the gas and electricity, said Capt. Tom Cox of the Grand Island Fire Department. Information about the driver is not yet available. Much of the debate in the Legislature last week focused on a bill that would require the state Department of Motor Vehicles to design a choose life license plate. Three-quarters of the fees from the plate would be designated for the Department of Health and Human Services Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. Generally when new license plates are proposed the introducing senator chooses who will design the plate and what organization will receive the revenue it generates. Working together they come up with an acceptable design for the DMV to approve. LB46 introduced by Sen. Dan Watermeier ran into trouble when several senators objected to the plate as an official endorsement of a controversial and divisive position by the state. Sen. Watermeier said a choose life license plate would show support for the protection of Nebraskas children and that 29 states currently offer a choose life license plate. First round debate lasted over four hours and was ended by a successful cloture vote. The bill then advanced to Select File by a 37-7 margin where it is again likely to meet stiff opposition from a handful of senators including Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers and Lincoln Sens. Patty Pansing-Brooks and Adam Morfeld. Two additional license plate designs have been proposed this session. Sen. Watermeier put forward a bill to create a Military Honor License Plate for individuals who serve, or have served, on reserve duty with the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, or Navy. Military Honor plates are currently available for active duty service members or veterans. Sen. Kate Bolz of Lincoln offered a bill to create a Native American Cultural Awareness and History License Plate. As Sen. Bolz noted at the public hearing on her bill, with Nebraskas Sesquicentennial celebration underway this would be an ideal time to offer such a plate. Availability of specialty license plates is a relatively recent phenomenon in Nebraska. From when he was first elected in 1970 until he was term-limited out of office in 2008, Sen. Ernie Chambers fought against allowing the state to issue specialty license plates. If I had been in office when Senator Chambers was stopping personalized plates I probably would have joined him in his efforts. With the exception of Cornhusker Spirit Plates which were introduced in 1997, the first specialty plates became available in 2009 when Sen. Chambers was out of office and the Legislature voted to allow Gold Star Family License Plates and Amateur Radio License Plates for qualified applicants. In 2010 the Legislature green lighted issuance of organizational plates. Since then organizational plates have been issued for eight organizations: Creighton University, Nebraska Cattlemen Research and Education Foundation, University of Nebraska-Omaha, Friends of the Union Pacific Railroad Museum, Ducks Unlimited, Nebraska Corn Growers Association, Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, and Nebraska Serious Injury and Line of Duty Death Response Team. In 2015 Nebraska 150 Sesquicentennial Plates, Military Honor Plates, and Breast Cancer Awareness Plates were introduced. In 2016 Mountain Lion Conservation Plates were approved. Bills to create new license plate designs begin with hearings in the Transportation & Telecommunications Committee which I currently chair. At some point in the future the committee will have to make a decision on just how many different plates we offer and whether a message is too controversial or offensive to put on a license plate. It seems that we are getting less tolerant of one anothers opinions and the legislature will ultimately be forced to take a stand. As the session nears its halfway point it is almost certain that additional time will be consumed by the license plate debate. With the budget battle looming I would say that we will have a tough time getting through our priority bills, much less all the other bills that have been introduced. Please feel free to contact me and my staff about your legislative concerns or other issues you would like to discuss. My email address is cfriesen@leg.ne.gov and our telephone number is (402) 471-2630. President Donald Trump made an important move to help ag producers last week when he signed an executive order scaling back the Environmental Protection Agencys Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule. The EPA had stirred up angst and uncertainty in farm country with WOTUS. The vague and confusing rule, meant to keep pollutants out of navigable waters, was written in such a way as to appear to give EPA regulatory authority over any ditch, pond or watering hole in a farm field. To many, it was an overreach, overregulation and a power grab by the EPA. The result would be costly to farmers and force them to deal with regulatory red tape. Just about all farmers are good stewards of the land and water. They are not polluting waterways. To put a new burden on them, that was completely unnecessary, was wrong of the EPA. The EPA, under the Obama administration, seemed unresponsive to farmers concerns. Fortunately, a lawsuit temporarily halted implementation of the rule. Now, Trumps order sends it back to the drawing board, where it should be. Any such rule as this really should come from Congress. The peoples elected representatives should be making these laws, not unelected bureaucrats. Unfortunately, over the years Congress has written environmental laws so broadly that it has left it to agencies to draw up regulations. This has led to many of them being challenged in court some successfully and some not. All of this has led to confusion and overregulation that has often held the economy back for no good reason. The Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act have been important in lessening air and water pollution. They were steps forward. But regulations also can go too far, which they did under President Obama. President Trump seems determined to bring some common sense back to environmental regulations. Scaling back WOTUS is a good first step. EPA officials need to listen to Congress and ag representatives. They need to have clear, concise language on what constitutes navigable waters. Trumps order asks the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers to look at limiting the protected waterways covered by the rule to larger, navigable bodies of water. That is a good step and it should prevent the regulation from applying to every ditch and pond, which was unnecessary. Regulations must have common sense behind them and WOTUS didnt have it. WOTUS would lead to regulatory gridlock for many ag producers. It needs to be rewritten, and that is exactly what Trump is seeking. Was there a murder 100 years ago at Yardley's Continental Tavern? Frank Lyons began excavating the basement of the Continental Tavern in Yardley. He found a gun, bloody corset and part of a woman's purse. I only saw two movies last week and one of them came out at Christmastime (it was a pre-Oscars late matinee of Fences, by the way). Ill tell you a short bit about my impressions of Collide, a terrible new action thriller in cinemas now, but the news of the day still is the great gaffe of the Oscar telecast this past Sunday night. That is a story I cant wait to share my impressions of with you. My love affair with the Academy Awards goes back to an early Spring night in 1992 when my passionate ten year-old self was convinced that a lushly animated Beauty & the Beast was a lock to win Best Picture over some movie called The Silence of the Lambs. All I knew about that one was that it was too scary for me to be in the same room when Dad was watching it in his old VCR, a JVC model that I still think fondly back to during a time when electronics were made to last. Surely, no one could dethrone a Disney musical based on the great fairy tale story! Such were my misunderstandings of film, campaigning, and many other things in 1992. But Ive been hooked on this pageantry ever since. I was watching when Tom Hanks won back-to-back acting awards for Philadelphia and (my favorite movie) Forrest Gump. I saw Titanic just barely avoid setting the record for most wins (dodging a bullet for a movie I dont particularly care for). I watched Affleck & Damon shriek like little kids and Cuba Gooding, Jr. dance around the stage. Billy Crystal was a great host, but I loved Whoopi Goldberg and Chris Rock and thought this years emcee, Jimmy Kimmel, did a swell job. I love movie awards season. So where did this one go so far astray at the final moment? Laumeier Sculpture Park presents an exhibition in celebration and commemoration of its 40th Anniversary year, April 1July 16, 2017, in the Whitaker Foundation Gallery at the Adam Aronson Fine Arts Center. Curated by Laumeiers Curator of Exhibitions Dana Turkovic, the multimedia exhibition features a selection of works from the institutions extensive collection of preparatory drawings, prints, works on paper, collages and photographs. The exhibition demonstrates the organizations leadership in the area of contemporary public art by drawing on the breadth and depth of the outdoor collection and the many ways in which artists have approached temporary and permanent sculptural commissions throughout Laumeiers history. The exhibition features works by internationally renowned artists including Vito Acconci, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Andy Goldsworthy, Donald Judd, Cildo Miereles, David Nash, Valeska Soares, Ursula Von Rydingsvard and Meg Webster, among many others. Drawing from the Collection: 40 Years at Laumeier focuses on the unique way these artists approach drawing as a method used to brainstorm, engineer, translate and complement their three-dimensional creations. There is an immediacy in the artists thought process that these works on paper communicate as they explore the gap between ideas and reality, said Dana Turkovic, Laumeiers Curator of Exhibitions. The artworks in Laumeiers Collection are unique in the sense that they function, in some cases, as diagrammatical studies in addition to studies of Laumeiers landscape. Collectively, the artworks are sketches of a space that is not only a place for sculpture, but also a place for living. Laumeier Sculpture Park is free and open daily from 8:00 a.m.30 minutes past sunset. Beginning Saturday, April 1, the Adam Aronson Fine Arts Center is open daily from 10:00 a.m.4:00 p.m. Drawing from the Collection: 40 Years at Laumeier Laumeier Sculpture Park, 12580 Rott Road, Saint Louis, Missouri 63127 Whitaker Foundation Gallery, Adam Aronson Fine Arts Center Saturday, April 1Sunday, July 16, 2017 Free Opening Reception: Saturday, April 1, 11:00 a.m.1:00 p.m. Free Coffee with the Curator: Friday, April 21, 11:00 a.m. Free Coffee with the Curator: Friday, May 19, 11:00 a.m. Join Laumeiers Curator of Exhibitions Dana Turkovic for a coffee break and casual tour of the current exhibition in commemoration of the organizations 40th Anniversary, Drawing from the Collection: 40 Years at Laumeier. Refreshments are provided. Free, adult audiences. 40th Anniversary Activities Laumeier Sculpture Park kicked off its 40th Anniversary year with proclamations from the St. Louis County Council and the City of Sunset Hills naming July 1, 2016, Laumeier Sculpture Park Day in honor and celebration of 40 years of providing St. Louis residents and visitors with world-class artistic experiences, education programs and special events in the unique cultural landscape of the Park. Later that month, Laumeier presented a free performance of musical selections in celebration of the Park, organized by Laumeiers 2016 In-Residence: Composer Dr. Barbara Harbach and Conductor Dr. James Henry, both faculty at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. The highlight of the recital was a performance of the original composition Laumeier Sculpture Park Anthem, by Dr. Barbara Harbach. More information about Laumeiers history and anniversary activities, including a running list of 40 Ways to Celebrate Laumeiers 40th Anniversary, is available on Laumeiers website. Multiple social media campaigns, including a year-long historical highlights campaign and seasonal sculpture interaction guidelines and favorite sculpture spotlight campaigns, can be found on Facebook and Instagram (#tbt, #lovelaumeier, #laumeier40). History of Laumeier Sculpture Park Founded in 1976, Laumeier is one of the first and largest sculpture parks in the country. In 1968, Mrs. Matilda Laumeier bequeathed the first 72 acres of the future Laumeier Sculpture Park to St. Louis County in memory of her husband, Henry Laumeier. In 1976, local artist Ernest Trova gifted 40 artworks, with an estimated market value of approximately one million dollars, to St. Louis County for the formation of a sculpture park and gallery. Laumeier Sculpture Park opened as part of the St. Louis County Department of Parks and Recreation system on July 7, 1976. One year later, Laumeier Sculpture Park was officially incorporated. Today, Laumeier is an internationally recognized, nonprofit arts organization that is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and operates in partnership with St. Louis County Parks. Projects and programs are supported by the Mark Twain Laumeier Endowment Fund, the Regional Arts Commission, the University of Missouri-St. Louis, Missouri Arts Council and the Arts and Education Council of St. Louis. Laumeier presents 60 works of large-scale outdoor sculpture in a 105-acre park located in the heart of St. Louis County. Free and open daily, Laumeier serves 300,000 visitors of all ages each year through sculpture conservation, education programs, temporary exhibitions and public events. In 2015, Laumeier closed its first major capital campaign, Sculpting the Future, culminating in the renovation of the Laumeiers 1917 Estate House into the Kranzberg Education Lab and the construction of the new Adam Aronson Fine Arts Center for exhibitions, programs and events. The Annual St. Patricks Day Parade in St. Louis will take place on Saturday, March 11, 2017 and will be dedicated to the city of St. Louis First Responders. Leading the 48th annual parade will be parade founder and St. Louis Irish Consul Joseph McGlynn, Jr.; Parade Committee Chairperson Joe Milligan; Mary Mitchell OConnor, Irelands Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation; our Honorary Parade Marshal John Saunders, president and chief executive officer of FleishmanHillard; Mayor Francis Slay; Parade Director Karen Lee; and other dignitaries. The First Responders special unit in the parade will be led by Police Chief Sam Dotson and Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson as well as representatives of first responders who have been injured in the line of duty along with active police and firefighters. The parade steps off at noon from 20th and Market Streets and proceeds east on Market to Broadway and then south on Broadway where it will disband at Clark Street. Market Street will be closed at 7:30 a.m. from Compton to Broadway. Parade units will stage starting at 7:30 a.m. from Compton to 18th Street. Participants and spectators are encouraged to use the official hashtag of the event - #stlucky - to share why they feel lucky this St. Patricks Day. The parade, also known as St. Louis "Rite of Spring," will feature over 130 units, including floats, bands, marching units, large helium-filled balloons, and over 5,000 marchers. A Marine color guard from the 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment based in St. Louis will lead the parade. In the past with good weather, more than 350,000 spectators have gathered along Market Street to watch the elaborate floats, marching bands, marching units, dance groups, animal units, novelty units, and motorized units. The children's favorites giant cartoon character helium-filled balloons will be featured in the parade. Each balloon will have its own team of handlers, usually employees of the corporate sponsor of the balloon in question. McGlynn noted the support the run has received over the years from Anheuser-Busch, From the very first run 39 years ago, Anheuser-Busch was there supporting our efforts. The 39th Annual Michelob ULTRA St. Patricks Day Parade Run will precede the parade at 9:00 a.m. The St. Patricks Day Parade Run is St. Louis largest locally organized run. It covers a five mile course which will begin on Broadway just south of the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark hotel in front of the Ballpark Village (Broadway between Walnut and Clark Streets) and concludes at 8th and Market Streets. Runners will then be directed to the Michelob ULTRA Runners Village at The Ballpark Village at 7th and Walnut Streets. Ballpark Village will also be the site of this years Irish Village featuring a live band, food and beverage, which will be open prior to, during and after the parade. Over 8,000 runners, walkers and wheelchair racers of all ages participated in the 2016 St. Patricks Day Run. There are 13 different age categories for both male and female competitive runners, ranging in age from under 14 to 70-plus years. Prizes will be awarded in age categories St. Patricks Day Parade and Run add two for both men and women, including 14 and under and 70 and over. This years run will bring back the popular Best Costume award competition. Individuals and teams can show off their best Irish-themed outfits. In the past there have been Irish potatoes as well as St. Patrick driving out the snakes. The runners creativity is their only limit. Runners may register online at: www.stpatsrun.com. The cost is $32.00 with the entry fee going up in March. Past top finishers will be issued special bib numbers so they will be allowed into the corral at the front of the pack. The Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark is the official hotel of the St. Patricks Day Run and Parade. For information on special St. Patricks Day Parade and Run room packages, visit the hotels Hotel Specials page of its website WWW.HILTONSTLOUIS.COM or call 314-421-1776. The Shamrock Village opens at 9:00 a.m. on Parade Day at the Aloe Plaza across from Union Station on Market Street and closes at 4 p.m. The Village will feature a Main Stage and food and beverage booths. Starting at 9:00 a.m. some of the unique inflatable balloons that will be in the parade will begin inflating at Aloe Plaza as part of the pre-parade activities. The St. Patricks Day Parade and the Michelob Ultra St. Patricks Day Parade Run celebration kicks off Friday night, March 11 at the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark, 1 South Broadway, with cocktails and dinner. For cost and further information, call 314-241-PATS or visit our website at www.irishparade.org. The Missouri Historical Society unveiled its latest plans for renovations and exhibit design for Soldiers Memorial Military Museum, a downtown St. Louis landmark that opened in 1938. The organization shared the plans during the first in a series of Community Forums being held to engage the public in a dialogue about the project. We are so honored to revitalize Soldiers Memorial for the St. Louis community and the veteran community, said Dr. Frances Levine, president of the Missouri Historical Society. And we want the community to truly feel a part of the process. The $30 million renovation of Soldiers Memorial is on schedule to be completed in November 2018, in time for Veterans Day. The St. Louis Soldiers Story For the first time since the Missouri Historical Society took the helm of Soldiers Memorial in November 2015, they shared their plans for exhibitions. Soldiers Memorial Military Museum will set itself apart from other war memorials across the country because St. Louis is central to the story. Soldiers Memorial will tell the stories of service men and women from St. Louis and their families, as well as St. Louis contributions to the war effort. The core galleries on the main floor of Soldiers Memorial will feature a long-term exhibition in four sections: Pre WWI, WWI, WII, and Post WWII. Between 250 and 300 artifacts will be on display, ranging from the earliest artifacts in the collection from the War of 1812 all the way up to the War on Terror. Although these galleries will take a chronological interpretive approach, beginning with the American Revolution, the exhibition will not be telling the story of every single American war and conflict. It will tell the story of major US conflicts through the lens of St. Louis. The lower level of Soldiers Memorial is being renovated for use as an exhibition gallery, more than doubling the amount of exhibit space at Soldiers Memorial. This will be home to the Museums rotating exhibitions. The first temporary exhibit planned will commemorate St. Louis involvement in World War I, titled World War I: St. Louis and the Great War. It will be in place for three to five years. The Soldiers Memorial exhibits will bring to life the stories of military members and their families in a uniquely personal way, said Patrick Allie, military and arms curator for the Missouri Historical Society. Nearly all aspects of the exhibits are representative of real individuals stories and service. Renovation of a City Landmark Under the direction of Mackey Mitchell Architects, every effort is being made to maintain the architectural and historic integrity of this beautiful art deco building. The unique metal work on the Museums windows and doorways is being cleaned and preserved. The decorative plasterwork on the ceilings is being restored. Where possible, the original art deco light fixtures are being cleaned and rewired to return to use. The stunning mahogany-lined elevator, with its art deco metal doors, is being brought up to code. The several hundred missing tiles from the gorgeous Gold Star Mothers mosaic on the ceiling of the loggia are being thoughtfully matched and replaced. Overall the building is receiving a face-lift. The exterior of the building is being cleaned. The beautiful Walker Hancock sculptures have already been carefully cleaned o remove years of coal dust and embedded dirt from the surface. The lower level of the museum, which had previously not be open for public use, is being gutted and renovated to more than double the amount of exhibition space and add additional restroom facilities. The renovations include the addition of a museum-quality HVAC system, a first for the building, as well as new electrical wiring and a fire sprinkler system. Interior storm windows are being added to aid in the climate control needed for the safety of the artifacts while allowing the original windows to remain in place. The building is also being brought up to ADA compliance. The organization is adding a second elevator to the east wing, bringing the elevator in the west wing up to code, adding a wheelchair lift to the upper floor, and more. A second exterior wheelchair ramp is being added to allow access to the building from Chestnut Street. A New Life for The Court of Honor The Court of Honor was created as the Citys World War II memorial in 1948 and resides across Chestnut from Soldiers Memorial. It will be revitalized with the addition of fountains to represent the five branches of the military. A reflecting pool is also being added. Monuments to those who lost their lives in Korea and Vietnam t will be moved to their own spaces along the walkway between the Museum and the Court of Honor. New memorials to St. Louisans who lost their lives in more recent conflicts will be also be added to that space. Chestnut Street will be narrowed to a single vehicular lane and a protected bike lane on this block to better integrate Soldiers Memorial with the Court of Honor. There will be a grassy area that can be used for quiet reflection of visitors or a programming space for the Museum. It will be outfitted with lighting and a sound system. The Edwardsville FFA Alumni are holding a dinner and auction at the Edwardsville Moose Lodge, 9371 Marine Road, on Saturday at 7 p.m. The doors will open at 6. Urban Farmhouse in Highland will cater the event. Members of the EHS FFA chapter will be helping at the event. Jack Eaker, the president of the chapter, said that the members will do whatever is needed, from opening the door to helping with the auctions. There will be both a silent and oral auction. Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) and Schnucks are teaming up to bring a sweet treat to military service members. Beginning on March 8, for every $4 donation a Schnucks customer makes to Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois through a Scan & Give campaign at checkout, a box of Girl Scout Cookies will be gifted to the USO of Missouri. The promotion is running in all 100 Schnucks locations and seven additional Girl Scout councils are participating. The three-week promotion ends on April 2, 2017. Schnucks continues to be very supportive of Girl Scouting and our mission of building future leaders, said Kelly Jansen, Director of Product Program. This promotion allows the community to support Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois and potentially offers more members of our community the opportunity to provide a favorite national treat to our brave military service personnel. We are proud of our longstanding partnership with the Girls Scouts throughout our trade areas, said Joanie Taylor, Schnucks director of community relations. As a company, we are dedicated to exploring new and different ways to partner with community groups, and this Scan & Give with the Girls Scouts and the USO is an excellent example of this commitment. . To make a donation at the checkout, customers select a slip from the register tear pad and give it to the cashier to scan. The donation amount will be added to the customers bill. Store patrons have the option to donate in three different amounts up to $20. In additional GSSI is holding a council-wide Cookie Booth Weekend on March 10-12 at local venues like shopping centers, gas stations and places of worship, etc. Area troops may continue to hold cookie booths through the end of spring. Find a local Girl scout cookie booth by visiting www.girlscoutcookies.org or using the official Girl Scout Cookie Finder app, free for iOS or Android phones or mobile devices. Customers can order Girl Scout Cookies online through March 19 using Girl Scouts safe, interactive Digital Cookie platform. Digital Cookie combines traditional sales activities with todays technology to help girls learn more about online marketing and ecommerce. Girls are able customize their personal sales website and then use e-mail to invite friends and family to order cookies from the comfort of their home. Customers can choose to have cookies delivered to them or to purchase cookies to send to American military members. When a girl participates in the Girl Scout Cookie Program, she learns essential life skills, her confidence soars and her leadership skills develop in powerful everyday ways. Every sale is one more opportunity for her to lead, speak up and discover her true potential. Funds raised by the Girl Scout Cookie Program power new adventures and enriching activities such as troop travel, summer camp and community service projects. In addition, proceeds from the program help GSSI recruit and train adult volunteers, deliver quality programs, maintain camp properties and provide financial assistance so Girl Scouting is available to all girls. The Girl Scout Mission is: Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place. Todays Girl Scouts not only enjoy camping and crafts, but they also explore math and science and learn about diversity, good citizenship, leadership and teamwork. Girl Scouts helps transform girls into G.I.R.L.s (Go-getters, Innovators, Risk-takers, Leaders) as they learn essential life skills that will stay with them forever. Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois serves over 12,400 girls and nearly 5,000 adult volunteers in 40 1/2 counties in southern Illinois. Girl Scouting has inspired more than 50 million girls and women since its founding in 1912. For more information, please contact Chief Communicatons Officer Jay Strobel at 618.692.0692, ext. 1108 or jstrobel@gsofsi.org. Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois is a not-for-profit organization supported by various United Ways throughout the region. Girl Scouts is a Proud Partner of United Way. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Hendarsyah Tarmizi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, March 9, 2017 Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud received a warm and friendly welcome from almost all the Indonesian people during his historic visit to the country, the first Saudi monarch to visit the worlds largest Muslim-majority country since 1970. The visit not only further deepened the two countrys long-established relations but also marked the Indonesian peoples strong emotional attachment to the Middle Eastern country, where nearly 1 million Indonesian Muslims conduct pilgrimages to Mecca each year. Besides top government officials, King Salman, who is still on vacation in Bali until Sunday, also met with religious leaders during his official visit in Jakarta. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Gilang Kembara (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, March 9, 2017 Within the space of a month, two separate incidents perpetrated by the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, or North Korea, have alerted many nations within the Asia-Pacific region. The assassination of Kim Jongnam, a half-brother of North Koreas supreme leader, allegedly by Vietnamese and Indonesian nationals at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia, caused confusion and disbelief. All throughout February, the Indonesian media was filled with the news about how Siti Aisyah, the alleged Indonesian citizens, was duped into assassinating Kim. 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 Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Masajeng Rahmiasri (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, March 9, 2017 07:23 2069 a291276806121264c0bd211cde3c3a2f 1 Lifestyle 2017-keramika,ceramics,ceramic-tiles,exhibition,#exhibition,#ceramics,Keramika Free Those seeking information related to building materials should visit the annual Keramika exhibition at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) in South Jakarta slated for March 16-19. Initiated by the Indonesian Ceramics Industry Association (ASAKI) and Reed Panorama Exhibitions, the sixth annual expo invites visitors to explore a variety of local ceramic tiles, including the latest ceramic innovations by local manufacturers. We want to provide information to the public about the technology developments in the local ceramics industry, such as the machinery, designs and materials, exhibition head Mulyadi Toha told The Jakarta Post during a press conference on Wednesday. Read also: National Museum to exhibit the afterlife of leaves Reed Panorama Exhibitions general manager James Boey (left), Indonesian Ceramics Industry Association chairman Elisa Sinaga (center) and Keramika organizer head Mulyadi Toha (right) speak to the media during a press conference in South Jakarta on March 8.(JP/Masajeng Rahmiasri) The exhibitors are set to showcase ceramic tiles according to national, regional and international standards. Mulyadi explained that several local manufacturers were now able to produce porcelain tiles of an international standard ceramic that will not crack when placed in areas with temperatures lower than 0 degrees Celsius. He added that visitors could also find ceramic tiles that had designs similar to other materials, such as stone, marble and wood thanks to digital printing technology. ASAKI chairman Elisa Sinaga said the event aimed at showcasing the ability of local manufacturers, even when faced with low demand amid a declining property industry market. Elisa said that local manufacturers had only managed to reach 65 percent of their maximum production capability last year, while imports of ceramics continued to increase. Ceramics are highly needed by the Indonesian public and we [as local manufacturers] can produce them. We should not hand over the production to foreign manufacturers, he said. Read also: A glimpse of Asmat's vibrant culture in Jakarta cultural center One day, we want to be able to brand Indonesia as a ceramics manufacturer, he added. Aside from ceramics, the exhibition will also host workshops, business meetings, competitions, grand sales, as well as aspiring architect and interior designer tours. Visitors may also opt to visit Megabuild Indonesia, a neighboring architecture, interior design and building materials exhibition being held in parallel with Keramika. (kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Gregory Katz (Associated Press) Leavesden, Hertfordshire, England Thu, March 9, 2017 The wizarding world held a reunion of sorts Wednesday as some veterans of the blockbuster "Harry Potter" film series gathered at the site just north of London where the films were made. There was Jason Isaacs, who played Lucius Malfoy, Evanna Lynch, aka Luna Lovegood in the films, and Aragog the machine which made a very convincing, somewhat sinister giant spider. The event was a preview for the new Forbidden Forest wing at the Warner Brothers Studio Tour London, the "Harry Potter"-themed attraction developed after the last of the original films was completed. Nick Dudman, the chief special effects makeup artist for all eight "Harry Potter" movies, said the goal was to create a place that captures the mood of the forest that was supposed to be off-limits to the fictional young wizards studying at Hogwarts academy. "You're entering the creepy, dangerous place," Dudman said. "It'll be colder and spookier and nasty things could happen to you. Nothing will eat you, but there might be a moment when you might perhaps suspect that something might." Actor Jason Isaacs poses for the media next to Aragog the Acromantula at a new extension called the 'Forbidden Forest' to the Warner Brothers studio tour 'The Making of Harry Potter' in Watford, England, Wednesday, March 8, 2017. Isaacs played Lucius Malfoy in the popular Harry Potter film series.The attraction will open to the public on March 31.(AP/Alastair Grant) Read also: Indonesia to have own version of Harry Potter book cover Isaacs said he will not allow his daughter, who is afraid of spiders, to see the exhibit until she is more comfortable with arachnids. "For younger people, whose imaginations are still alive to the world of Harry Potter, they will feel like they're in the forest," he said. Lynch said she is not surprised that Harry Potter remains popular so many years after his creation by author J.K. Rowling "Personally, growing up I felt closer to a lot of the characters than I did with my friends," she said. The exhibit opens March 31. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Jessicha Valentina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, March 9, 2017 07:26 2069 a291276806121264c0bd211cde3c3fa6 1 Science & Tech Google,Google-App,music,musician,#music,#Google Free Google App introduced two new features for music enthusiasts on Tuesday. Through its latest campaign #SelaluTauMusik (Always know about music), Google App has revealed a new knowledge panel, which allows users to get the most searched information about music without having to click on several links. This new system is said to give the most comprehensive information related to music, including musicians' profiles, songs and lyrics. Music is one of the most searched topics in Google among Indonesians. Weve developed this feature to allow users to get the most comprehensive information faster through mobile phones, said Google Indonesia search marketing manager Mira Sumanti in a press release. Read also: "Where is Bali?" most searched travel question on Google in 2016 Meanwhile, the second feature has been developed for musicians. Through this link, verified musicians, music labels or organizations can share the latest information on Google search engine and it will be shown in real time. Legendary musician Iwan Fals said in a press release that the new feature helped to share the information faster. I know that music enthusiasts tend to look for information on Google. Now, musicians can directly share the updates on the first page of Google. [This feature] makes it faster and [more] practical for all of us, Iwan said. (kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ni Nyoman Wira (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, March 9, 2017 17:07 2068 a291276806121264c0bd211cde3f0c40 1 People Women,international-womens-day,women-in-tech,women-empowerment Free March 8 marks the celebration of International Women's Day around the world, and the rise of women power in the tech industry in Indonesia is a positive sign of how women can build a solid career in the country. The Jakarta Post spoke to four women in the Indonesian tech industry who shared their points of view about Indonesian women's prospects in the tech industry. Megawaty Khie Vice President and Managing Director of SAP Indonesia Megawaty Khie, vice president and managing director of SAP Indonesia.(SAP/File) With 18 years of experience in the telecommunications and Information Technology industry under her belt, Megawaty Khie, vice president and managing director of enterprise application software company SAP is one of the most recognized names in her field. She admitted that Information Technology is still a predominantly male industry, however, she encourages employers to be more open-minded in the recruitment process. As employers, we should be open-minded and able to recruit (women) and provide opportunities, she told the Post. For instance, in SAP theres a goal where 40 percent of the employees have to be women. On the management side, weve targeted to have 25 percent female employees. For Megawaty, educational background is not the only crucial matter for women who want to be part of the industry. I didnt major in engineering, I have a bachelor's degree in marketing and hold a master's of business administration (MBA) degree, she explained. So its more about the willingness to keep learning because technology has many developments. Theres always something new. Megawaty hopes women will use the existing chance to enter the IT world as technology has become the catalyst for all aspects of life, ranging from social-economics, companies and country, to daily activities, namely shopping, communication, transportation and education. Roolin Njotosetiadi Director of Products, PT Kudo Teknologi Indonesia Roolin Njotosetiadi, vice president of Products of KUDO. (KUDO/File) Roolin Njotosetiadi, director of products at Jakarta-based e-commerce startup PT. Kudo Teknologi Indonesia (Kudo) is convinced that women can actually perform better than men within the tech field. Most women are still in more traditional roles in marketing, human resources and so on. I believe that in the future there will be more women in more tech-related roles, such as developers and data analysts, she explained. She is optimistic that there are many opportunities in the industry for women to make an impact. In a few years, you are expected to be one of the leaders in the field, she then advised. So learn as much as you can, be bold for change and enjoy the ride. Roolin sees the International Women's day as a reminder that women can achieve higher. A lot of women are limited in pursuing their careers or pursuing opportunities due to lack of self-belief. The company I work at strongly empowers women of all ages to be able to succeed independently, she said. She also added that Kudo's 300,000 agents, ranging from housewives to university students, have tried to be digital entrepreneurs. I hope they can inspire not only me but others as well to be braver and more assertive in achieving their goals." Read also: Women: The backbone to peace Priscila Cipluk Carlita Communications Manager, Twitter Indonesia Priscila Cipluk Carlita, communications manager of Twitter Indonesia.(Cipluk Carlita/File) Having started her career path in the tech world in 2011, Priscila Cipluk Carlita kicked off 2017 as the communications manager of Twitter Indonesia and the Philippines where she oversees communications or Public Relations (PR) for the social media giants activities in both countries. [At the time when I started] technology was still referred to as the mens 'world'. I worked as a PR in an international hardware company and many doubted my ability because they perceived women as not knowing too much about technology, she told the Post. Several years passed and I now see many women jump into this world. A lot of them has proven that theyre able to position themselves as professional workers whom also deserve to be respected not based on their gender, but based on their achievements. Cipluk also explained that it is no longer appropriate to contemplate which gender fits into a certain industry and which one does not, especially because information and technology have become easier to access. I have female friends who work in automotive, hardware, software, social media and e-commerce industries. All of them have succeeded in each of field, she said. It proves that Indonesian women can work in industries that were previously perceived as mens industries. Those who want to follow their predecessors in the tech industry may not need to be shy or tiresome to learn from other people, including from male colleagues. Many women feel that asking questions means they dont know anything, but they forget that if we dont ask, we will get lost, she said, adding that reading following the current developments about industries will make women equal interlocutors for both genders. I see International Womens Day as a symbol and real form of womens awakening [] to defend and fight for their rights as individuals and professional workers, she said. Cipluk also added that women can start their daily lives as role models for the next generations to come, therefore they will be individuals who respect equality. Devy Pranowo Head of Product Manager Digital of Tokopedia Devy Pranowo, head of Tokopedia's product manager digital.(Tokopedia/File) Having worked at Tokopedia for three years, Devy Pranowo currently holds the position of head of product manager digital in the online marketplace. Echoing similar sentiments from her fellow women in tech, Devy sees many Indonesian women are already making their ways into the tech industry. Basically, the profession is genderless, [meaning that] everyone can be whatever they want as long as they have willingness and ability. The most important thing is how they live their choice and are beneficial to others, she said. Devy also offers her advice to women who want to join the tech industry, saying that courage to begin, determination to always keep going and to keep on having a dream are the most important things. Do what you love, do everything with a full heart without any pressures from other people because happiness is determined by yourself, she said, adding that women should not forget to share the happiness with others. (asw) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Duncan Graham (The Jakarta Post) Malang Thu, March 9, 2017 13:22 2069 a291276806121264c0bd211cde3e0743 4 Books architecture,Book,Javanese-culture,Dutch,limasan,#bookreview,book-review Free From the outside, they look unremarkable, only to be picked out among terracotta sameness by keen eyes. But the roof is the giveaway the lower sides should slope gently over verandas on all four sides while the peak rises sharply. The shoulder shape is critical, indicating the owners importance, essential in a statusconscious culture. The most important is joglo with a central cone, the others limasan. These houses are the liveable representations of the landscape in miniature, the gently rising fields suddenly confronted by the upward thrust of a mountain range. Limasan are the traditional buildings of Java and South Sumatra with a design ancestry of more than a millennia as these houses sometimes feature on temple frescoes where the playful carvers of legends and the doings of royalty spiced the stories with cameos of everyday life. Some look as though they were chiselled yesterday as the artist glanced around for subjects; a man hawking goods carried on a yolk, a woman dressed in a long skirt, buffalo ploughing a paddy: These remain commonplace scenes in rural Java. Preserved: Limasan Klabang Nyander, a palce of residence from Klaten, Central Java, is part of the Tembi Rumah Budaya collection.(Mitu M. Prie/File) Volcanic eruptions smothered Borobudur and scores of other monuments to Shiva-Buddha (an evolved mix of indigenous Hindu and Buddhism). Hot ash rained down destroying almost everything combustible. As the peoples homes were built of timber and bamboo these burned rapidly or rotted slowly as the jungle reclaimed abandoned farms. The carvings survived, and like photographs, contain such detail that curators at the Trowulan Museum in East Java have built a replica. Western visitors should be warned not to stand upright in doorways or under roof beams as the early Javanese were not tall so the houses were built according to their body sizes. Read also: Cultural movement seeks Indonesian women to wear, preserve kebaya However, they did construct with a sense of proportion and beauty and a practical knowledge of comfort in a climate of heavy rain and intense sunlight. Guests could be received in shade on the front veranda without having access to the intimate inside. The overhang kept rain off the walls. The high point in the house collected the rising hot air ensuring the lower living area stayed cool. Keeping out the light meant many dark corners where spirits could feel at home. All well and good. Dutch's influence: A house called Rumah Batu (Stone House) with limasan roof influenced by the Dutch East Indies style in Arab village in Ulu Musi, Palembang, South Sumatra.(Mitu M. Prie/File) But inside a limasan, theres much more than just a few basic tricks of design. The underside of the roof supported by tall timber pillars is often a masterpiece of carving inside rectangular three-dimensional ceilings. Like sleeping under the stars and watching galaxies afar wink their way across the dome of heaven, a dozer in a limasan can be lulled by contemplating the impressive decorations above. Archaeologist Mitu M. Prie graduated from the University of Indonesia in 1984. For a while she worked in her profession before turning to advertising. She started the arts collective Koalisi Seni Indonesia and has long been involved in campaigns to preserve and appreciate Indonesian heritage. Her latest book, Pancaran Limasan (The Brilliance of Limasan), is homage to the artisans of the Majapahit Kingdoms (late 13th century to early 16th) and their ancestors. Read also: 'Jenang' festival preserves traditional food This golden era of Javanese history came when an empire was built by the clever and cunning Gajah Mada, the prime minister under Hayam Wuruk. The king reigned between 1350 and 1389, consolidating his empires power centered on the rich Brantas River flatlands of East Java. The people prospered through conquest and trade. They had enough disposable income, as modern economists say, to spend on things they didnt necessarily need but certainly liked. These included elaborate interior design of a style that reflected the culture enigmatic. So there are elaborate patterns, though few depictions of real things, unlike the temple frescoes. This may be a mark of respect to Islam which prohibits images of nature; if so its a recent addition as monotheism was a latecomer to the archipelago. In the finest examples of limasan, the posts are decorated and painted in the traditional green and yellow, often with a touch of muted red. Although originals are rare and pricey limasan with glass windows, neon lights and all modern amenities have been built in some upmarket resorts. Past record: Temple's carving shows limasan style house.(Mitu M. Prie/File) When the Dutch arrived in the 16th century they included European architecture among their cultural baggage but soon found that a mansion in chilly Amsterdam didnt transplant well to tropical Batavia. Those who were least proud borrowed local concepts to create the high roof Indies Style. Art deco versions are still to be seen in cities like Malang in East Java where the wealthy Dutch plantation owners settled. The intricately patterned tile floors came later. Read also: Garin Nugrohos Setan Jawa to have world premiere in Australia Pries book also attempts to be a work of art in keeping with its subject. It has a sturdy cover, many sketches and around 100 photos taken by the author. However, these are in monochrome or sepia, when sharp colors would have aided appreciation. And the text is tiny. Publishers of big picture books frequently get carried away by presentation and forgetting contents. The final product should be easily accessible to all readers even if that means sacrificing tonal subtleties known only to the designer. The best limasan and joglo are exquisite, to be ranked alongside wayang kulit puppets and gamelan orchestras as cultural treasures of global importance, and the book aims to let in more light. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, March 9, 2017 08:29 2069 a291276806121264c0bd211cde3caa30 4 Art & Culture national-film-day,Diversity,culture,athirah,salawaku,cek-toko-sebelah Free In response to current sociopolitical conditions, the government has made diversity the big theme for this years National Film Day celebrations. The Ministry of National Education, together with the Creative Economy Agency (Bekraf ) and State Film Company (PFN), will launch a string of activities involving filmmakers and communities from across the nation for the special day, which falls on March 30. The activities include outdoor screenings of films promoting the countrys principle of unity in diversity, such as Cek Toko Sebelah (Check the Store Next Door), Sokola Rimba (Jungle School), Athirah, Salawaku, Tabula Rasa and Mencari Hilal (The Crescent Moon). We used the theme of Celebrating Indonesian Diversity in hopes that our people could enjoy and at the same time appreciate differences in our nation, said Education Minister Muhadjir Effendy at a press conference on Monday. Read also: Salawaku: Road trip with a twist He also called on government institutions, film stakeholders and the public to use national films as a tool to spread the ideas and narratives of the countrys diversity. Wed like the film industry to rise up with our own cultural identity and with more talents joining in. That will be our target, he said. President Joko Jokowi Widodo has set the development of the film industry as among the governments priorities to strengthen the creative economy. According to Lasja F. Susatyo, a filmmaker appointed as chairperson of National Film Day 2017, the event will also mark a new era of the Indonesian film industry as it saw a record high 36 million moviegoers in 2016 and the exemption of foreign visas in the film industry. This year should become the right momentum to increase peoples access to national films as part of the effort to raise public appreciation toward Indonesian films, she said. The activities, which will start on March 11 in Malang, East Java, with a discussion on film animation and the screening of the pilot of animation series Pasoa dan Sang Pemberani (Pasoa and the Brave), will also include the screening of short animation films and group discussions among film communities, as well as the Film Project Expo in Jakarta on March 23-24. At the expo, filmmakers can get in touch with potential investors from HBO, Fox, Discovery Channel, iflix and many others. The organizer will also send 10 filmmakers on a trip to 10 tourist destinations from March 13-19 to make a proposal about local filmmakers who they think should be presented at the expo. Bekraf will become the executive producer for the selected films. The Film & Art Celebration (FILARTC) exhibition and bazaar, the opening of which will be attended by President Jokowi, will be the main event from March 30 to April 1. Read also: Feminism in Indonesia under siege by Muslim conservatives Located in the PFN building on Jl. Otto Iskandardinata, East Jakarta, FILARTC will present the history of Indonesian film, the exhibition of film productions and free screenings as well as the launch of the Layar Indonesia special at Cinema 21 chains. Film Day falls on March 30 as a reminder of the 1950 film Darah and Doa (Long March of Siliwangi) by Usmar Ismail, a journalist-cum-filmmaker who recruited an all-Indonesian crew for the film and who is regarded as a pioneer in producing films with Indonesian aesthetics. Meanwhile, the Usmar Ismail Foundation will involve 40 film journalists as judges for the second edition of the Usmar Ismail Film Awards. The list of nominees is scheduled to be released on March 30 while the organizer at the event will present awards for regional administrations actively developing local films. The ceremony is slated for April 22, to be aired live on Trans7. With the industry having seen a rise in quality films and increased public support, expectations are high for Indonesian films to dominate the upcoming ASEAN International Film Festival & Awards (AIFFA) 2017, to be held in Kuching, Malaysia, from May 4 to 6. According to festival director Livan Tajang, 10 titles were submitted to compete in the biannual event, which this year will be held in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the regional organization, including Salawaku, Ziarah (Pilgrimage), Turah, Surat dari Praha (Letters from Prague), Athirah (Emma/Mother), Ada Apa dengan Cinta? 2 (Whats Up with Cinta? 2), Jingga, Sunya, Istirahatlah Kata-Kata (Solo, Solitude) and Super Didi. We are open to more [submissions], which could be submitted through our website, she said at a press conference on March 7. AIFFA has become a window to the ASEAN market for the world. This time more investors and producers would take part in the event because they see the potential of the region in producing remarkable and unique content, Livan said. At the press conference, film observer Hikmat Darmawan said the festival would prove beneficial for Indonesian filmmakers. It will be an opportunity [for filmmakers] as it could bridge them to film communities out there who wish to see films that depict Indonesia as it is. Currently, 100 titles from 10 ASEAN countries are competing at the awards. The festival will hand awards in 16 categories, including best director, actor, director of photography, scriptwriter, editor as well as the Lifetime Achievement and Inspiration award. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Bill Dalton (The Jakarta Post) Tabanan, Bali Thu, March 9, 2017 09:55 2069 a291276806121264c0bd211cde3cdf0d 4 People water-access,rural-area,bali Free In 1972, when Rus Alit returned to his village deep in the countryside of west Bali, he saw elderly people struggling to walk down a ravine for their daily water needs. That was the moment he decided to help and begin looking for alternatives. Born in Sangketan village in Tabanan district as the 11th child in a poor farming family, after graduating from high school he had the good fortune to study in New Zealand for three years. To make ends meet, he worked as a laboratory assistant and drove a forklift at a milk factory. The overseas experience profoundly changed his life. Three years later, Rus returned to Bali and soon became directly involved in changing the villagers way of life. In 1975, he built a biogas system that enabled people to cook with gas. The first time he struck a match and lit a flame, he was hooked, and so he doubled his efforts of looking into alternative technologies. From his neighbors, he learned about and simplified age-old farming methods and put them into practice. He even introduced foreign technologies, such as water wheels that generate electricity. Welcome: A giant water jar marks the entrance to the BATI training center.(Bill Dalton/File) The most important thing about traditional technology is that it must be simple, affordable and sustainable. Sophisticated technology controls people, but appropriate technology is controlled and used by the people, he said. To him, it is a cruel paradox that in Bali inhabitants suffer water shortages even during the wet season when rain falls in torrents but runs off into the sea. One day, a visitor showed him a book on appropriate technology that contained information about a hydraulic ram pump that powers water to a point higher than where the water originally started. Read also: Local advocate wants locals to benefit more from West Manggarai tourism A spring near the village too inaccessible to be used provided clean water at an amazing rate of 38 drums every 24 hours more than enough to serve his small mountainous community. In 1978, he tested a prototype of a ram pump that he installed in the village of Sarinbuana. Rus knew that villagers would initially be skeptical. He would have to prove to them that the pump would work. Dual function: An aquaponic system enables villagers to grow fish and plants together.(BATI/File) I took the village heads to see the Sarinbuana pump in use. Its always easier to show people something than it is to try and explain a system, he explained. When I pushed the valve on that first hand-built pump and the water started to flow uphill into the village, I saw tears in their eyes, he said. One man offered to sell his cows to raise the cash need but ed for materials and equipment to install it. The other farmers pledged to repay him after the rice harvest. In 1981, humanitarian organization World Vision Indonesia in Jakarta hired Rus Alit as a consultant. He later traveled across the country, installing appropriate technology systems until 1996. He would identify the needs of people at the grassroots level before designing practical ways to fulfill their specific needs. Tug of road: People work together to make a road in Sangketan Kerta village, Wanagiri, Tabanan, Bali.(BATI/File) Rus also traveled to the South Pacific, helping to deliver water supplies and micro-hydro and biogas systems. He worked handson in the rural communities of Latin America, Africa, India and China. In these far-flung outposts of civilization, he built roads, bridges and irrigation canals. He installed energy efficient stoves and water purification and food preservation systems. I saw peoples lives change. Im not a master of any trade, I know enough skills to make a difference. There is a great need out there for down-to-earth technologies. Read also: It takes a village In 1987, he established the Bali Appropriate Technology Institute (BATI) learning center near his village in Tabanan. Presently residing in Perth, he travels between West Australia and Bali. Even at the age of 71, he still spends most of the year fulfilling his mission of bringing innovative technologies that are practical and affordable to people around the world. Heat it up: A simple solar water heater has its water inside the black-painted drum exposed to the sun thanks to a plastic cover.(Bill Dalton/File) BATI has initiated local community development programs, such as the constructing of dams to divert water for irrigation, and provided employment for villagers in a virgin coconut oil production factory. There are now thousands of his own version of hydraulic ram pumps, dubbed Rus Pumps, installed all over Indonesia and the developing world. As many as 60 ram pumps have begun to operate in Timor Leste since he taught a group of students there 12 years ago ago. BATI does not advertise. News of the institutes courses and activities are spread by word of mouth. For funding, he works as an international consultant in his fields of expertise and welcomes donors who believe in his approach. Despite having no advertisements, the learning center has attracted people from around the world. Every February and September, the organization hosts an international mixture of students, scientists and villagers from Timor Leste, Ghana, Rwanda, Central America, Japan and elsewhere in Asia. In a five-day course, they learn about water systems, road and bridge building, micro-enterprises, animal husbandry and sustainable agriculture and other appropriate technologies. These skills, not available in universities, are learned hands-on by observing and participating in a completely natural environment, Rus said. Old, simple technologies will always stay close to his heart. I admire our old way of life. In Bali, we used appropriate technology for generations up until we were exposed to modernization, which in many ways teaches us greed, waste and destruction of our environment. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, March 9, 2017 17:46 2068 a291276806121264c0bd211cde3f253d 1 Science & Tech YouTube,#YouTube,YouTube-Pop-up-Space,Google,#Google,video Free Google has opened a pop-up space for YouTubers for the second time in Jakarta at Rumah Maroko (Maroko House) in Menteng, Central Jakarta. Available for three days starting on Thursday, the YouTube Pop-up Space Jakarta aims to become a creation hotspot for platform enthusiasts following its popularity in the country. "In January, the duration of YouTube videos watched by Indonesians increased by 155 percent compared to last year. The number of content uploaded from Indonesia also increased by 278 percent," said Google Indonesia country director Tony Keusgen as quoted by kompas.com. "This year alone, about 100 million people went online and the number is estimated to reach 150 million next year. Video consumption is also estimated to see a seven-fold increase in 2020," he added during the opening ceremony on Thursday. "With this kind of growth, we seek to continue to develop it by focusing on YouTube video creators and communities by providing easier access. One strategy is by opening this pop-up space." Read also: Top 12 YouTube earners rake in total of $70.5m Ini adlh YouTube Space ke-2 yg hadir di Jakarta sbg bagian prog. global @YouTube Pop-up Space, kali ini diselenggarakan di @rumahmaroko. pic.twitter.com/MwjYFYRDcf Femina Indonesia (@FeminaMagazine) March 9, 2017 The rooms at Rumah Maroko will be dedicated to YouTubers, including the second floor, basement and plaza in the backyard that can be use as a recording studio. The company is said to provide studio equipment for recording purposes, while the editing matter will be handled by each creator. Three creators were seen using the creative room on Thursday and five more will reportedly join in on Friday. The pop-up space will also host video workshops and about 700 local creators are registered to participate. (kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, March 9, 2017 About 500,000 traditional miners, including 100,000 women and children, are exposed to the highly toxic mercury, a recent survey shows. Bali Fokus research in Sekotong, West Nusa Tenggara, and Paboyo in Central Sulawesi, found that the dangerous chemical is widely used to amalgamate gold. There, the risky process is done in peoples backyards and on their farms. Miners also use cyanide and directly dump the waste into rivers. Some women even use fireplaces in their kitchen to help their husband amalgamate gold, Toxic Program Manager of Bali Fokus Foundation, Krishna Zaki, said in Jakarta on Wednesday. A separate study by the Biodiversity Research Institute on traditional mining communities in Sekotong, West Nusa Tenggara, and in Paboyo, Central Sulawesi, in 2012 showed that the mercury levels in peoples blood exceeded the safe standard. The average mercury level at both communities was recorded at 4.32 ppm. with 1 ppm being the most tolerable level and 10 ppm as the highest level of exposure to mercury. Bali Fokus found that several new born babies and children in the surveyed communities showed signs of neurological disorder, cerebral palsy, and deformity, among other things. We have not been able to check the levels of chemical substances in all of the kids' blood but among some of the children we did find traces of mercury, Krishna said. The Health Ministry, which has embarked on a national action plan on mercury exposure, admitted that it still lacked vital facilities for detection and early diagnoses of mercury-related health issues. Our biomonitoring facilities for detecting the mercury exposure in the blood system are available only in several big cities in Sumatra an Java, Inne Nurfiliana of the ministry said, noting that the situation was precarious because most of the mining communities live in rural areas. The ministry reckons that costly diagnosis was a major issue. A single check on the amount of metal amount in ones blood using the biomonitoring system costs between Rp 300,000 and Rp 600,000. Its hard to stop the use of mercury because a lot of people depend on it for their livelihood, Purwasto Saroprayogi of the Environment and Forestry Ministry said. Furthermore, most traditional miners obtain it from the black market. This year the Ministry is planning to begin pilot projects in Lebak, Banten; Banyumas, Central Java, and Pacitan, East Java, for gold processing with gold cyanidation, instead of mercury. While the level of toxicity of cyanide is still unknown, Purwasto assured that with a closed management system it would be less dangerous than mercury. To control the use of mercury, we have to control small-scale miners, Purwanto said. The ministrys short-term plan would be to organize the small scale miners under the Peoples Mining Zoning scheme. (hol) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ni Komang Erviani (The Jakarta Post) Denpasar Thu, March 9, 2017 The Australian Consulate-General in Bali commemorated International Womens Day 2017 with businesswomen from Indonesia and Australia at the Consul-Generals residence in Sanur, Bali, on Wednesday. This years International Womens Day celebration highlighted the economic, political and social achievements of women and focused on Womens economic empowerment through aid, trade and economic diplomacy. The day is a time to reflect on progress made to date and to recommit to addressing the persistent barriers to full gender equality and womens empowerment," Australian Consul-General Helena Studdert said in her opening remarks. Womens economic empowerment is a driver of economic growth and prosperity, she added. (Read also: Indonesian women eager to make use of ample work opportunities: Survey) Meanwhile Niluh Djelantik, a successful Indonesian businesswoman from Bali, made an inspirational speech at the event. She encouraged women to believe and build in our dream, and our dream is unlimited, but build it with integrity. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, March 9, 2017 The Indonesian Ceramic Industry Association (Asaki) will hold its 6th annual ceramic exhibition Keramika 2017 on March 16 to March 19 in Jakarta to showcase advancements in industrial technologies and designs to the global market. Exhibition committee chairman Mulyadi Toha said on Wednesday that the exhibition, jointly held with Reed Panorama Exhibitions (RPE), would present 48 participants from various countries, including China, India, Indonesia, Italy, Turkey and the United States. Although the number of exhibitors this year has decreased from 52 last year, we expect that the number of visitors will increase by about 15 percent from 38,000, he said. The showcase will coincide with architecture exhibitions Megabuild Indonesia and Jakarta Design Week at the same place, the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) in Central Jakarta, Mulyadi added. (Read also: Govt to cut gas price for ceramics industry: Minister) Asaki chairman Elisa Sinaga said Indonesian ceramic factories operated at 65 percent of their capacity in 2016, out of the total installed capacity of 580 million square meters. The association expected to raise the utilization of the industrys capacity to about 75 percent, he added. Ceramic exports make up around 13 percent of overall domestic production, according to the group. (yon/lnd) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Viriya P. Singgih and Nethy Dharma Somba (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta/Jayapura Thu, March 9 2017 The dispute between PT Freeport Indonesia and the government is beginning to hurt economic activity and dividing opinions in Mimika, Papua. On Jan. 12, the government fully imposed the mineral export ban, after failing to do so in 2014, as mandated in the 2009 Mining Law. Several new requirements were introduced for mining companies to get an export permit for certain commodities, including copper concentrate. Under the new measures all mining firms, including Freeport Indonesia, can get the export permit if they agree to convert their contract of work (CoW) agreements into special mining licenses (IUPK), divest 51 percent of their shares to Indonesian entities within a decade of production and build smelters. 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 (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, March 9 2017 Ida Zubaiah, 51, swears she will never forget the devastating day on Jan. 19 last year when an angry mob torched her family house in Mempawah, West Kalimantan. It all happened on a Thursday afternoon, just a few minutes past 2 p.m., the lady tearfully said, recalling the attack on the new residential complex constructed by the members of the Gafatar sect. The complex was attacked by an unidentified mob that condemned the Gafatar members as infidels and terrorists. Almost 12,000 Gafatar followers lived across Kalimantan in 2016. Ida, her husband and daughter were part of the 400 members of the group who moved to Mempawah in 2015. The followers stick to their claim that they wanted to start a new life as a farming community. Upon their arrival, they started growing corn, vegetables, ginger and other cash crops in line with the organizations vision of food security. 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 (Associated Press) Berlin Thu, March 9, 2017 German police hunting for a 19-year-old suspect who boasted online about the killing of a 9-year-old boy searched a hospital in western Germany on Thursday, but came up empty handed. A witness had tipped off police saying he had seen the suspect, Marcel Hesse, at a hospital in Moenchengladbach, 80 kilometers (50 miles) southwest of Herne where the boy was killed Monday night, the dpa news agency reported. After their investigation, authorities found that the person spotted wasn't Hesse, police said. Authorities have said Hesse had posted boastful pictures of the boy's body, clearly showing stab wounds, on a web forum and may have injured himself in the hand. A nationwide manhunt for Hesse was launched Tuesday. Police have described Hesse as potentially armed and asked people to not approach him if they see him. (dan) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, March 9, 2017 Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman has stressed that the government would buy all unhusked rice produced by farmers from all over the country to ensure that paddy prices would not fall lower than the government price floor (HPP) of Rp 3,700 (28 US cents) per kilogram. We have issued a ministerial regulation stipulating that the price of unhusked rice with a water content between 25 percent and 30 percent is Rp 3,700 per kilogram, said Amran when attending the great harvest event in Lamongan regency, East Java, on Wednesday as reported by kompas.com. He referred to Agriculture Ministerial Regulation No 3/2017 on the guidance for purchasing farmers unhusked rice, which is a supporting regulation for Presidential Regulation No 20/2017 on the requirement to purchase farmers unhusked rice. If the farmers cannot sell their unhusked rice to traders, the government, through the National Logistics Agency (Bulog), will buy all remaining unhusked rice, the minister said. The move is part of the governments effort to protect farmers so that they get good prices during the harvest season, he added. Bulog has to buy unhusked rice with the price of Rp 3,700 per kilogram without negotiation. We dont want to let the speculators play with the prices. That will end up causing farmers to suffer losses, Amran said. (bbn). Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, March 9 2017 Director and comedian Ernest Prakasa is learning the hard way that everything spoken bears consequences. The 35-year-old stars recent comment on Twitter has lost him an ad contract from Sido Muncul, the producer of the herbal medicine drink Tolak Angin. [Our] contract with Ernerst will be over soon and Ernest has personally apologized to us, Sido Muncul said on the companys twitter account as quoted by tribunnews.com. 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 Farida Susanty (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, March 9, 2017 Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi has said that the Indonesian government will offer an Australian company the opportunity to jointly manage Lombok International Airport in West Nusa Tenggara. The offer came after a meeting between Budi and Australian Regional Development, Regional Communications, and Local Government and Territories Minister Hon Fiona Nash on Thursday. "We are offering an airport operator in Australia the chance to jointly operate Lombok airport," Budi said. Currently, the Lombok International Airport is managed by state airport operator Angkasa Pura (AP) I. (Read also: Lombok to welcome thousands of cruise passengers in 2017) The airport has not yet been able to turn a profit and as such the minister hopes that the cooperation will increase traffic and spur further development of the airport. The meeting also highlighted possible cooperation between the two countries in tourism and aviation, especially in remote and border areas. The development of airports in border areas such as Rote Island and emerging tourist destination Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, were also discussed during the meeting. Indonesia has invited private companies to take part in developing airports because of limited funds in the state budget. Australia mentioned the Christmas Island as well as an area in Brisbane as possible locations for collaboration in area development. Fiona also welcomed the business talks between the two countries. "Certainly there are various ways to extend our opportunities in front of us," she said. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, March 9, 2017 Indonesia has prepared Rp 40 trillion (US$2.96 billion) for acquiring shares in PT Freeport Indonesia, a copper and gold miner in Papua, as the company is required to divest at least 51 percent of its shares as stipulated in the new mining regulation. The fund, will be used to buy 40.65 percent of Freeports shares as it already holds 9.36 percent of the mining giants stock. The government and Freeport have been negotiating several issues including the conversion of Freeports contract agreement from a Contract of Work (CoW) to a special mining license (IUPK), the share divestment and concentrate export permit. For the share acquisition, the government has sourced the funds from the state-owned enterprises pension fund (Dapen), Hadi said, adding that the move was in line with the instruction of President Joko Jokowi Widodo. It is the government, which will be responsible for the fund, not the state enterprises, said Hadi as reported by tribunnews.com on Thursday, adding that after the divestment the operator of the mining site would still be Freeport. The divestment requirement is stipulated in Government Regulation (PP) No. 1/2017 on mineral and coal mining. Speaking about the demand of the Mimika administration for 10 percent to 20 percent of the Freeport shares, Hadi said, it was still in the process of discussion. Energy and Mineral Resources Deputy Minister Archandra Tahar, however, said Freeport had not agreed on the divestment of its shares. We are fighting [to get] 51 percent of the shares]. We can talk later about the demand of the regional administration, Archandra added. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Associated Press) Bali Thu, March 9, 2017 An Indonesian court has sentenced a former Reuters war correspondent to seven months in prison for possessing hashish. The sentence announced in Bali on Thursday was less than the one-year prison term sought by prosecutors. British national David Fox was arrested Oct. 8 along with Australian Giuseppe Serafino on the tourist island, where police confiscated a total of 10.09 grams (0.36 ounces) of hashish from Fox's clothing and house. (Read also: Bali police to combat drug abuse, terrorism) Fox, 55, worked for Reuters for 20 years but was fired in 2011 for making an off-color remark in an instant-messaging system while covering the 2011 Japan tsunami and nuclear reactor meltdowns. He told Indonesian police he used the drug to overcome stress caused by covering conflicts. (dan) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Safrin La Batu (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, March 9, 2017 The first trial of the corruption case related to the multi-million dollar procurement of electronic IDs (e-KTP) on Thursday has revealed possible involvement of some of the country's elite politicians, including the House of Representative speaker Setya Novanto. Two high-ranking officials from the Home Ministry, Irman and Sugiharto, have been accused in the trial of embezzling funds from the mega project, resulting in state losses of Rp 2.3 trillion. In their indictment, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutors said the two defendants were not alone in executing their actions. Some politicians in the House of Representatives helped them in approving the budget allocation for the project. The indictment stated as many as 37 lawmakers in Commission II, which oversees home affairs, received portions of the embezzled funds in return for their help in approving the budget. Besides Setya Novanto, two former Democrat Party politicians Anas Urbaningrum and Muhammad Nazarudin, are being held in another corruption case, which was mentioned in the indictment. The trio was said to have a dominant role in the case. (Read also: Setya acknowledges knowing Andi, denies e-KTP links) The budget allocated for the project was Rp 5.9 trillion (US$447 million). Setya, Anas, Nazarudin and Andi were said to receive 11 percent of the distributed funds, according to the indictment. "The lawmakers received 5 percent of the finds," a prosecutor said, adding that Setya was said to play a significant role in arranging members of Commission II to approve the budget. (dan) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, March 9, 2017 The Industry Ministry has proposed that Tanah Kuning Industrial Estate in North Kalimantan be listed as a national strategic project as it could potentially drive economic development in the province. If the proposal is accepted, it will be among the projects in the revision of Presidential Regulation No. 3/2016, under which development will be accelerated until 2019. Located in a 10,000 hectare area, the industrial estate has potential to be utilized by various businesses, such as mineral, palm oil and cocoa processing and fisheries. Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto said Wednesday that as Tanah Kuning was situated along a sea route serving international trade and in a future global economic center in the Pacific Rim, the estate had a vital role to play in reaching out to the northern part of Asia and America. Within the next three years, we will encourage the acceleration of Tanah Kuning Industrial Estate, Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto said in a statement. Seen as one of the new industrial growth centers, the estate is included in the ministrys national industrial development master plan for 2015-2035. (Read also: Govt. to finish revised strategic project list next week) Various infrastructure projects, including construction of an international seaport, roads, bridges and airport, have been prepared to support the estate targeted to absorb 60,000 workers, Airlangga further said. In addition, a Rp 170 trillion (US$12.7 billion) hydro power plant with 6,600 megawatt capacity is set to be built on a nearby site in Long Peso subdistrict, Bulungan Regency, he added. (lnd) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Balikpapan Thu, March 9 2017 Bank Indonesia (BI) has eased requirements for money exchange services in border areas that have become gateways for transnational crimes. Only at the gates, and only for individuals with small trades, said Muhammad Nur, the head of the central banks East Kalimantan (BI East Kalimantan) office, on Wednesday. Those who provide the exchange service are obliged to have an Indonesian ID, taxpayer identification number (NPWP) and a license from BI. 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 Thu, March 9, 2017 President Joko Jokowi Widodo is set to lead a limited Cabinet meeting on Thursday at the Presidential office to discuss national strategic projects and priority programs in Central Sulawesi and East Kalimantan as the government commitment to accelerating infrastructure development to boost economy. The issues will be considered in two separated meetings in the afternoon, State Palace media bureau head Bey Triadi Machmudin said. (Read also: New regulations to speed up projects) There are 225 projects nationwide which comprise of 47 highway projects, five national non-toll roads, 12 railway projects, seven of facilities and urban train, 11 airport revitalization works, construction of four new airports and the development of the two airports, building 13 ports, three-phase of one million homes development. The projects are stipulated in Presidential Decree (Perpres) No.3/2016 and Presidential Instruction (Inpres) No.1/2016, giving public officials the authority to revise or replace rules that hamper development work and to have land acquisitions processed more quickly. (dan) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, March 9, 2017 A lecturer of Jakartas Prof. Dr. Hamka Muhammadiyah University (UHAMKA), Alfian Tanjung, acknowledged he had made a mistake in calling Indonesian Press Council member Nezar Patria a cadre of the now-defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). I have come here to acknowledge my mistake and convey my apology to Pak Nezar and the public, who might have a wrong perception about him because of my statement, Alfian said at the Press Council office on Jl. Kebon Sirih in Central Jakarta on Wednesday, as quoted by kompas.com. Alfian made the apology in response to a letter in which Nezar threatened to sue him for calling the press activist a PKI cadre in several Quran recitation communities. Alfian said that after he had received Nezars letter and met with Nezars lawyer team, he had checked again several names he had called PKI cadres. After scrutinizing the data and directly confirming the matter with Nezar, the lecturer concluded he had made a mistake. Alfian said he had accused Nezar a PKI cadre based on a fact that Nezar was once a member of the People's Democratic Party (PRD), an organization with a democratic, socialist platform. Its true that he was a PRD activist, but calling him a PKI cadre was a mistake, he said. So, I firmly state here that I have made a mistake and I revoke my statement on him. I hereby declare that Pak Nezar was not what I stated in my speeches [a PKI cadre]. Alfian also clarified a statement of his, in which he had said that Nezar had once led a PKI meeting at the State Palace. He [Nezar] was never involved in any activities at the palace, said Alfian. (Read also: Press Council member summons Muslim preacher over PKI accusation) At the meeting, Nezar appreciated Alfians move, saying Alfian was brave to admit his mistakes. He said he hoped Alfians case could be a lesson for the public that they must be careful in spreading unverified information. I express my gratitude to Pak Alfian, who has openly and bravely admitted his mistakes in conveying information and citing names, including my name, during the Quran recitation event, said Nezar. (ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Haeril Halim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, March 9, 2017 The first official meeting between President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the Merdeka Palace on Thursday was held at the latter's request, a Presidential spokesman said. Yudhoyono, who is also the chairman of the Democratic Party, requested the meeting, spokesman Johan Budi said. "The Democratic Party's secretary general filed the request with State Secretary Pratikno on March 7 and we scheduled the meeting for today," he told journalists at the palace complex. Jokowi welcomed Yudhoyono at the Merdeka Palace at noon where the two had lunch together. A number of presidential office staffers have been seen preparing the venue for the meeting, including the veranda at the back of the palace where Jokowi has previously hosted top officials and guests. Yudhoyono has previously said that he wanted to meet the President in person to talk about various issues, especially the large-scale rallies last year that Yudhoyono has been accused of being behind. "I want to meet him to explain to him what really happened, so we can have a dialogue. [So we can talk about] which reports are true and which ones are not," he said in a press conference last month. Kolkata, Mar 9 (IBNS): Google India on Thursday reaffirmed its commitment to digitally empower Indiaas small and medium business community by announcing the launch of SMB Heroes, a nationwide program designed to recognize and celebrate SMBs that have embraced digital to grow their business. A nationwide program in partnership with FICCI, SMB Heroes will comprise of three categories - Business Innovation through Digital, Impacting Change through Digital and Woman Business Leader. Starting today, businesses from across the country can submit their nominations on the SMB Heroes website The last date for entries is April 24, 2017. Following this, one winner from each category will be shortlisted from five major zones, culminating in a national finale in Delhi later this year. Talking about the 2017 SMB Heroes challenge, Shalini Girish, Director - Google Marketing Solutions said; Small and medium businesses are the backbone of Indian economy and are powering the next wave of the countrys growth. We are deeply committed to partnering these businesses in accelerating their growth through high quality digital training and tools. Our new initiative, SMB Heroes celebrates small and medium businesses that have successfully embraced digital and will provide a roadmap to businesses that are yet to embark on this journey. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, March 9, 2017 Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama ought to be running on all cylinders to catch up to his rival Anies Baswedan after losing his first day of the runoff campaign period tangled up at court in his blasphemy trial. Instead, the embattled governor decided to skip all his Wednesday campaign stops to tag along with his godmother Megawati Soekarnoputri. Ahok, along with his running mate Djarot Syaiful Hidayat, arrived at the residence of the former president and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle chairwoman in Menteng, Central Jakarta, where they hosted South African President Jacob Zuma. After the meeting, Ahok was seen leaving the house along with Megawati in the same car. Ahok said Megawati had asked him to accompany her to meet with a senior official from the Singaporean Embassy after meeting with Zuma. We went for lunch at the Singaporean Embassy. Ibu Mega [Megawati] met the deputy [ambassador]. I was only told to accompany her, Ahok told reporters. (Read also: Megawati, Puan have exclusive meeting with King Salman) Ahok has said his relations with Megawati go beyond political ties. It was Megawati and Gerindra Party patron Prabowo Subianto who paired Ahok with President Joko Jokowi Widodo to run in the 2012 Jakarta gubernatorial election. Commenting on Ahoks abrupt change in schedule, Ahok campaign team spokesperson Merry Hotma claimed the meeting with Zuma had been scheduled. We already planned that in our schedule and our whole campaign should not be seen merely from the first couple of days, Merry told The Jakarta Post. She added that the team was not worried about the flying start made by Anies and Sandiaga to gain support in the first two days of the campaign period. No worries at all. We each have our strategies to win this election, and we will focus on ours, she asserted. Having edged out Anies by a whisker in the first round, Ahok still has a long way to go to secure victory on voting day on April 19. A recent poll by Survey Indonesia Institute (Median) even puts Anies ahead of Ahok in popularity. Separately, Hendri Satrio, a political communications expert from Paramadina University, said as an incumbent candidate, Ahok was well positioned for the race, adding that Jakartans often associated improvements in Jakarta with Ahoks performance. And dont forget that Ahok has also gained a lot of media coverage during his meeting with Zuma and Megawati, even more than the coverage received by Anies and Sandiaga, he said. The Anies camp started its campaign with Islamic group Syarikat Islam on Tuesday. Anies continued on Wednesday by holding a meeting with ethnic groups from Madura and West Kalimantan living in the capital at his residence in Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta. During the meeting, Anies told his guests that he expected them to supervise the election to prevent any potential fraud. We need to work together to create a better Jakarta and monitor this election closely, Anies said. Anies said earlier he was trying to win support from those who had voted for Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono. Agus finished in third place in the first round of the election. Anies claims that Agus supporters share similar views to his own and want to see a change of leadership in Jakarta. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, March 9 2017 In response to current sociopolitical conditions, the government has made diversity the big theme for this years National Film Day celebrations. The Ministry of National Education, together with the Creative Economy Agency (Bekraf) and State Film Company (PFN), will launch a string of activities involving filmmakers and communities from across the nation for the special day, which falls on March 30. The activities include outdoor screenings of films promoting the countrys principle of unity in diversity, such as Cek Toko Sebelah (Check the Store Next Door), Sokola Rimba (Jungle School), Athirah, Salawaku, Tabula Rasa and Mencari Hilal (The Crescent Moon). 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 Novi Adri (The Jakarta Post) Balikpapan, East Kalimantan Thu, March 9, 2017 The position of Mulawarman Military commander was officially handed over from Maj. Gen. Johny L Tobing to Maj. Gen. Sonhadji in a ceremony at the military commands headquarters in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, on Wednesday. Johny had served the position since July 12, 2016. He has been transferred to the Army headquarters in Jakarta in his new position as inspector general. He recalled some memorable moments in remote and border areas during his tenure as commander, covering South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan and North Kalimantan provinces. I ate cassava with the soldiers stationed in border areas. We cleaned ourselves using rain water, he said. (Read also: Indonesian Military to build naval base in Papua) Under his leadership, the Indonesian Military (TNI) operated three new military posts in border areas. There are now 40 posts spread along the border line with Malaysia, which spans 400 kilometers. Sonhadji, meanwhile, formerly served as the press assistant to the Army chief of staff. (bbs) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, March 9, 2017 Political instability has alarmed European businesspeople as they are now weighing their reinvestment options in Indonesia. According to the Joint European Chambers Business Confidence Index 2016, concerns over political instability have crept into 47 percent of 148 respondents, rising from 32 percent in the previous year. The result was an indication that political stability was no small issue when evaluating Indonesias business environment, said British Chamber of Commerce (BritCham) Indonesia chairman Adrian Short. Were seeing a negative bounce back in businesses views around the risks of political and social stability. That is clearly a balancing factor against all the positive factors weve seen here, he said during the announcement of the index on Wednesday. So thats not one that we should take lightly and take that as something that is a factor for businesses in general. The result contrasted greatly to the one reported in 2014, when 47 percent of the surveys respondents said they had a positive outlook on the political environment. At the time, European businesspeoples optimism seemed to have been triggered by the euphoria surrounding the election of President Joko Jokowi Widoous do and the announcement of his Cabinet lineup, Short said. However, the country has been hit by political instability since October stemming from the Jakarta gubernatorial election, with the race and religion card being played throughout the process. It came as no surprise that the number of European investors on the fence about reinvesting rose 22 percent. When asked whether they would carry out major investment in Indonesia, 41 percent of respondents answered maybe. Meanwhile, those who answered yes still optimistic about investment prospects fell 11 percent and those who said no also declined by 11 percent. In addition to political instability, the survey finds investors represented by senior executives at European firms operating in Jakarta are also worried about the regulatory environment and lengthy red tape. Regulatory environment topped the list of their concerns. Data from the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) show realized foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2016 posted the slowest growth in the past five years. The growth rate came in at 12.3 percent, far lower than the previrange of 16.2 percent to 27.3 percent. The amount of investment from the European Union to Indonesia stood at US$13.3 billion during the five-year period, with the top investors hailing from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and France. A majority of the investment was channeled in Java, with most investors opting to invest in the automotive, telecommunications and energy and mining sectors. All concerns factored in, the survey finds 49 percent of respondents were confident about business in 2016, falling slightly by 1 percentage point from 2015. UK Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor Leste Moazzam Malik said the survey might have been overstating peoples worries around political stability, as it was carried out between December and January, when there were many protests held against Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama. The survey slightly overstates the political concern given this particular period, just as I think two years ago the survey probably overstated the confidence and optimism when the survey period coincided with the first few weeks after the election of President Jokowi, he said. Meanwhile, not all is dreary in regard to investors expectations about conducting business in Indonesia. The survey also states that a majority of European investors believe revenue and workforce will increase in the next 12 months. Moreover, most companies believe the Indonesian government will take more action than in the previous year in several areas, such as consultation with businesses, coordination with other ministries and making pro-business decisions. Separately, Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) deputy chairperson of international relations Shinta Widjaja Kamdani said it was not a surprise that Indonesias political stability was a rising concern for foreign investors on account of the heated environment surrounding the elections. However, she said it was only a temporary concern and was unlikely to significantly affect EU investment in Indonesia. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Jon Afrizal (The Jakarta Post) Jambi Thu, March 9, 2017 Poor drainage and rapid housing development in Jambi are blamed for being the main factors behind the worsening floods in the city, an official has said. There are at least 25 areas flooded every time there is heavy rain, said M. Yunus, the head of water resources at the Jambi Public Works Office. He said the poor drainage was made worse by trash piling up inside the system, especially during high-intensity rain. The agency recorded that the 25 habitually flooded spots are spread throughout eight districts, including Talang Banjar, Palmerah, Jelutung, Kotabaru and Telanaipura. What we can do to prevent bigger floods is to clean trash from the gutters, especially in the markets and densely populated areas, he said on Thursday. The rising number of new residential complexes in the city also caused floods as places that used to be water catchment areas had been turned into housing complexes, Yunus added. His office would coordinate with the provincial Public Works Agency to improve the mostly shallow drainage systems. (rin) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, March 9, 2017 The Jakarta administration plans to build two more towers at the Rawa Bebek low-cost apartment complex (rusunawa) in Cakung, East Jakarta, to accommodate more people, including evictees. Jakarta Housing Agency head Arifin said Thursday that two 16-floor towers, each with a capacity of 255 apartments, would be built this year as a part of a plan to increase the residential capacity of the capital. "We want to maximize our capacity to accommodate people. We will build 24 more towers [in various rusunawa] including in Rawa Bebek," he said as quoted by beritajakarta.com Currently, Rawa Bebek has six towers with the total 750 apartments, with the construction of four other towers with 400 apartments just finished. Arifin added that the additional towers would have elevators and construction was expected to be finished by the end of 2017. (vny/idb) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Haeril Halim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, March 9, 2017 Former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has wished his successor President Joko Jokowi Widodo success in his administration amid challenges faced by the President in running the country. I told him that his Cabinet is only part of it. My hope is [his administration] is more successful in the future, he said with a smile with Jokowi sitting next to him. In their first official meeting, Yudhoyono said he and Jokowi had the same vision to build the country. However, it was not easy being president, with every decision scrutinized by the public. But I know he [Jokowi] is tough in the face of various challenges, the former president added. Yudhoyono, accompanied by his loyal friend and former minister Djoko Suyanto, expressed his pleasure of meeting President Jokowi. The meeting, he said, aimed to start a political tradition between administrations. The two did not discuss official support from the Democratic Party for Jokowis administration, he said, adding that his visit was as a former president, not as chairman of the Dems. Yudhoyono, however, hinted that for the sake of the countrys best interests, any political cooperation was possible. Jokowi echoed Yudhoyonos sentiments. If we maintain this tradition, we can reach our targets for the interest of the people, he said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, March 9, 2017 The Bekasi Police are going to name a suspect in the collapsed roof incident that took place in State Senior High School 1 Muara Gembong, Bekasi, West Java. The incident that happened on Feb. 28 injured 28 students who were in the classrooms. Bekasi Police head Sr. Comr. Asep Adi Saputra said Wednesday that seven witnesses had been questioned including the school principal and the building construction firm. "We have found indications of criminal behavior in the incident but we have yet to name anyone a suspect," he said as quoted by tempo.co on Wednesday. (Read also: More teaching volunteers needed in Indonesia's rural, remote schools) Asep said unsatisfactory construction was found in the building. "We are lucky there were no fatalities in the incident," he added. Based on witnesses account, the roof suddenly collapsed at 8 a.m. "The victims are fine now. They only needed to recover from their trauma," Asep said. (idb) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Bambang Muryanto (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta Thu, March 9 2017 In 2015, Yogyakarta Police reportedly refused to investigate a case of sexual violence committed against a mentally retarded woman on the back of communication difficulties. Only after locals threatened to storm their office did the police finally take on the case, Himawan Sutanto, a counselor with the Integration and Advocacy Center for the Disabled (SIGAB) in Yogyakarta, said on Tuesday. SIGAB has followed 26 cases involving women with mental disabilities from 2014 to 2017, only 10 of which went to court. 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 Margareth S. Aritonang (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, March 9 2017 Megawati Soekarnoputri is president no more, but she still captures the attention of world leaders, thanks to her father: former president Sukarno. After having an exclusive meeting with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia at the State Palace upon the request of the king, who said he wanted to meet the descendants of Sukarno, Megawati hosted South Africa President Jacob Zuma at her residence in Central Jakarta on Wednesday. A day before, the leader of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), who gave up her presidential ambitions in 2014, also met the wife of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Rosmah Mansor at the residence. 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 Mumbai, Mar 9 (IBNS): ICICI Bank Limited, Indiaas largest private sector bank by consolidated assets, today announced the launch of the second season of aICICI Appathona, its virtual mobile app development challenge. It is Indias largest mobile app development initiative by a bank in the FinTech and InsurTech space which offers access of over 250 diverse APIs to the participants. The programme aims to create the next generation of banking applications on mobile and web space by attracting developers, technology companies, startups, technopreneurs and students across the globe. Last year, the ICICI Appathon challenge witnessed an overwhelming response from over 2,000 participants including a large number of entries from international developers and startups. As a testimony towards nurturing young developers, the bank incorporated the winning mobile innovation of enabling payments using digital keyboard into its mobile banking app within 100 days of the completion of ICICI Appathon. Christened, iMobile Smartkeys, it is the first payment service in Asia that allows payments and banking from a smartphone keyboard. Speaking about the initiative, Chanda Kochhar, MD & CEO, ICICI Bank said, At ICICI Bank, technology has been at the core of our strategy. In line with this, we introduced a global mobile app development challenge, 'ICICI Appathon', last year. It allowed us to foster innovation and tap into the minds of the most innovative developers across the world. Post the event, the winning entry that enabled payments using digital keyboards was incorporated into the Banks mobile banking application and named iMobile SmartKeys. As a testimony towards nurturing young developers, ICICI Bank incorporated this innovative solution within a quarter of completion of ICICI Appathon. Through 'ICICI Appathon' season II, we intend to collaborate with more such innovative technopreneurs. We believe that programmes like these will encourage young developers to create world class banking applications on mobile and will strengthen the Government's 'Digital India' mission. TR Ramachandran, Visa Group Country Manager, India and South Asia, said: Visa is proud to support the ICICI Appathon, a mobile app development challenge. Theres never been a more important time for the development of innovative payment solutions in India, so were excited to see what apps the best and brightest minds can create using Visas APIs. Good luck to all the competitors and were looking forward to the judging process. Chetan Naik, Vice President, Sales, IBM India/South Asia, said, IBM is committed to be the technology partner for the ICICI Appathon for the second year in a row. Developers and start-ups will tap into the power of IBM's open cloud platform, Bluemix to build next generation mobile apps quickly and easily. In addition to providing technical guidance and mentorship to participants, IBM will also award startup winners with IBM Cloud credits as a part of the IBM Global Entrepreneur program. This collaboration brings together IBM's technology strength with the exceptional talent of developers and start-ups to foster innovation and growth for India. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Associated Press) San Francisco Thu, March 9, 2017 Uber is dismantling a secret weapon it used against local regulators who have been trying to curtail or shut down its ride-hailing service in some cities around the world. The about-face announced Wednesday comes less than a week after a report published in The New York Times exposed the existence of a technology feature nicknamed "Greyball" that identified regulators posing as riders while trying to collect evidence that Uber's service was breaking local laws governing taxis. The program served up a fake version of Uber's popular app to make it appear the undercover regulators were summoning a car, only to have the ride never show up or canceled. Uber now says it will ban greyballing undercover regulators, although it may take time to block the program completely. The San Francisco company said it also will respond to city officials who have been inquiring whether their regulators were being greyballed. The Times reported that Uber has targeted regulators in Boston, Paris and Las Vegas, among other cities, as well as a litany of countries that include Australia, China, Italy and South Korea. Uber had previously said it used greyballing to deter passengers who were violating the company's terms of service. The violations included harassing or threatening its drivers, according to the company. The cat-and-mouse game with regulators is the latest example of the aggressive tactics that Uber has adopted while upending the heavily regulated taxi industry. In doing so, Uber has built a rapidly growing company valued at more than $60 billion by its investors that is frequently accused of bending the rules. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Arya Dipa (The Jakarta Post) Bandung, West Java Thu, March 9, 2017 During a massive strike of public minivan drivers in Bandung, West Java, on Thursday, an angry mob attacked a vehicle it suspected of being a taxi used by the ride-hailing application Uber. The Toyota Avanza car was attacked at the crossroads of Jl. BKR and Jl. Sriwijaya. The police named one man identified as Ujang Permana a suspect involved in the attack. The car was carrying four passengers when several people attacked it, suspecting it was an Uber taxi. They damaged the car with their hands and by using stones, Bandung Police chief Sr. Comr. Hendro Pandowo said. The incident began when Eggy Muhammad Juniardi, 29, was driving his car and several unidentified men suddenly approached him and asked him to stop. It was suspected that the attackers were among the protesters who were on their way to the Gedung Sate heritage building for a rally to ask the Bandung administration to take tough measures to push for the revocation of Transportation Ministerial Regulation No. 32/2016 concerning app-based transportation. One of the passengers recorded the attack on a video that showed perpetrators hitting both the windows and doors of the car. They forced all the passengers to leave the car. Get out of the car! Get out of the car! they shouted. A female passenger cried and screamed hysterically, asking for help. The sound of a baby crying was also heard in the video footage. A male passenger was heard asking the perpetrators to stop the attack. Help! Help! Help! There is a baby here. What have we done? he pleaded in the three-minute video. Look, theres a baby here. How brutal all those public minivan drivers are. Pak Ridwan Kamil, please investigate this, he added, referring to the Bandung mayor. (hol/ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Bambang Muryanto (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta Thu, March 9, 2017 Hundreds of activists from various groups celebrated International Womens Day in Yogyakarta on Thursday, calling on the government to bring an end to the violence against women that continues to occur in the country. The activists, united under womens rights advocacy group the Womens Struggle Committee (KPP), voiced their call as they marched along Jl. Malioboro. They carried various banners emblazoned with anti-violence messages such as Pecat Dosen Mesum (Dismiss immoral lecturers), Menolak Perjodohan (Resist forced marriage), Keep your policies off my body and Our Bodies, Our Minds, Our Power. KPP activists later joined with their colleagues from the Yogyakarta Women Network (JPY) at Titik Nol in the center of Yogyakarta. Demanding rights: Women's rights activists call for the elimination of violence against women during a rally to celebrate International Women's Day in Yogyakarta on March 9. (JP/Bambang Muryanto) At the rally, JPY activists and other rally participants performed a dance titled Perempuan Menggugat untuk Perubahan (Women Fight for Change), an adaptation of a dance titled Jampi Gugat created by Kinanti Sekar Rihana. The dance expressed anger against the pressures women endure. Artist Fitri DK from Survive Garage created an art performance titled Surat 1,000 Bangau (Letters from 1,000 herons). She asked all women attending the rally to write about all kinds of violence they ever experienced on pieces of paper, which were then created into origami herons. These letters can be transformed into various forms of art, said Fitri. JPY coordinator Sukiratnasari said the fulfillment of womens rights in Indonesia was still far from what had been expected. In Yogyakarta, violence against women continued to occur. Around 70 percent of the cases are of sexual violence, said Sukiratnasari. (ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Farida Susanty (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, March 10 2017 Domestic airlines are gearing up to fly more frequently to Saudi Arabia, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that opens the door for an unlimited number of flights between the two countries. The MoU was one of the agreements signed during the recent visit of Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to Jakarta and Bogor, West Java. Private carrier PT Sriwijaya Air, which has never flown to Saudi Arabia, said it was mulling over opening flights connecting Jakarta to Jeddah and Madinah, as well as Medan in North Sumatra to Jeddah this year. 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 Luky Djani and Olle Tornquist (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, March 10 2017 With the vote for Donald Trump and Brexit, it is common knowledge that increasingly large numbers of people affected by the ills of unregulated globalization are drawn to populist right wing nationalism rather than mainstream liberalism and social democracy. This challenge applies to the Global South too. In India, for example, the Hindu fundamentalists identity politics is thriving along with their own private provisioning of social services and neo-liberal oriented economic policies, thus nurturing a local version of the American dream. In the Philippines, a president was elected by promising jobs for the poor and deals with the Maoists. In Brazil, the combination of neo-liberalism and welfare programs lost popular trust in face of shrinking commodity prices, poor governance and inability to scale up local democratic participation. 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 Viriya P. Singgih (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, March 10 2017 With an abundant supply of natural resources, particularly energy, Indonesias youngest province North Kalimantan is set to become the new industrial star in the near future. The province is home to at least nine oil and gas fields, including the Ambalat Block that holds 764 million barrels of oil reserves and 1.4 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves, according to data from the regional administration. It is also rich in non-conventional gas reserves amounting to 23 trillion cubic feet. 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 Grace D. Amianti (The Jakarta Post) Fri, March 10 2017 In an effort to seize momentum amid improving commodity prices, stakeholders in the palm oil industry expect the government to facilitate and accelerate a financing and development scheme for the welfare of independent and plasma farmers. As one of worlds major palm oil producers, Indonesia needs to synchronize laws and regulations to enable farmers to access comprehensive financing from the state budget and the government-backed Indonesian Oil Palm Estate Fund (BPDP-KS), a joint group of stakeholders has recommended. 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 (Associated Press) Kuala Lumpur Thu, March 9, 2017 The United Nations says two of its employees who were among 11 Malaysians stuck in North Korea because of a travel ban have left the country. The two work for the World Food Program in North Korea. Jane Howard, the WFP coordinator for global issues, said they arrived in Beijing on Thursday morning. North Korea this week banned Malaysians from leaving its territory in a stunning breakdown in diplomatic ties. Malaysia responded in kind. The dispute is connected to the Feb. 13 killing of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half brother of North Korea's ruler, at the Kuala Lumpur airport. Pyongyang has said the investigation is politically motivated. Although Malaysia has never directly accused North Korea, many have speculated that Pyongyang orchestrated the attack. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. J&K: Encounter underway between security forces, suspected terrorists India Blooms News Service | | #JammuandKashmir, #SecurityForces, #Pulwama, #Terrorism, #KashmirTerrorism Srinagar, Mar 9 (IBNS): A gunfight is currently going on between security forces and suspected terrorists in Awantipora village of Pulwama district in south Kashmir on Thursday, reports said. On Wednesday morning, March 8th, Agudath Israel of Americas leadership mission to Washington began the day with a unique and memorable meeting with a longtime friend of the organization, U. S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. Secretary DeVos demonstrated that she was very familiar with the people and policies of Agudath Israel and many participants pointed to that meeting as the highlight of their visit to the nations capital. Rather than delivering a speech, Secretary DeVos engaged in a wide-ranging conversation with the group on topics such as school choice, special education, security, and the unique higher education issues faced by rabbinical colleges. Throughout the discussion, Secretary DeVos listened intently, asked pertinent questions and expressed her commitment to focus on policies that best serve students. I was very encouraged by her genuine interest in understanding the issues we raised and her commitment to taking our concerns into account when developing policy, reflected the chairman of Agudath Israel of California, Dr. Irving Lebovics, who brought up issues related to students with special needs. Secretary DeVos was thanked by Agudath Israels national director of state relations, Rabbi A. D. Motzen, for her leadership role in the hundreds of millions of scholarship dollars currently going to students attending the private school of their choice in more than twenty five states. Agudath Israels leadership expressed its strong support of President Trumps pledge to provide $20 billion for school choice and offered to work with the administration and Congress to enact a meaningful program. The meeting with Secretary DeVos was quite unique and deeply gratifying, said Rabbi Abba Cohen, Agudath Israels vice president for federal affairs and Washington director and counsel. The Secretary has an impressive familiarity with our community and the educational challenges we face. For an entire hour, she was fully engaged in discussing possible avenues to addressing those challenges. It was a meaningful dialogue that I am confident will bear fruit over the months and years ahead. Mr. Shlomo Werdiger, chairman of Agudath Israels board of trustees, summed up the feelings of his fellow board members. It was clear to everyone that we have a true friend in the Department of Education. After the meeting, Secretary DeVos issued the following statement: I applaud Agudath Israel for their commitment to and leadership in providing their community with access to educational options that meet the academic and religious needs of their families. Agudath is a terrific partner and advocate for their families, and I welcomed todays discussion. I look forward to continuing to work with Agudath Israel of America, the Orthodox Jewish community and all supporters of school choice who believe that every child, regardless of where they live or their familys income, should have an equal opportunity to a quality education. Thirteen women arrested during protests at Columbus Circle yesterday were brought to the 7th Precinct on Pitt Street for processing. They were all taking part in a rally near the Trump Hotel on International Womens Day / Day Without a Woman. Local resident and photographer Pat Arnow was on the scene last night at about 10 p.m. as the last of the women, Sophie Ellman-Golan, was released. Thats Sophies mother, Rabbi Barat Ellman, on the right and Womens March organizer Linda Sarsour on the left. Sarsour was one of the 13 arrested for blocking traffic uptown. She was released earlier in the evening. Upon their arrest, a message went up on the Womens March Twitter account asking demonstrators to meet those arrested at the Lower East Side precinct. UPDATE: Meet us at 7th precinct (19 1/2 Pitt St) in Manhattan to show solidarity with our sisters who were arrested today. #DayWithoutAWoman Womens March (@womensmarch) March 8, 2017 Arnow said she asked a police officer why the protesters were brought down to the Lower East Side: He said he didnt know, since there are a lot of precincts where they could be booked between here and there (Columbus Circle). He suggested that it might be that this out-of-the-way police station was chosen in the hopes of keeping the number of protesters down. It might have worked but still, some intrepid people waited for the more than seven hours for all those who had engaged in civil disobedience to be released. More from Time Magazine on the scene inside the station house: The 13 women were kept two to a cell. They sang We Shall Overcome and This Little Light of Mine and gospel songs up and down the corridors of the NYPDs 7th precinct in downtown Manhattan. We checked on each other, said (Tamika) Mallory, the first of the 13 to be released. The goal is to show young girls and women that their voice is their power, said (Carmen) Perez after her release. The fact that were able to inspire so many other women out here in the world is truly an honor. Perez joked that the detained activists spent their time behind bars plotting the next big action and said the detained activists were cold, hungry, and tired after their ordeal. Ellman-Golans mother was arrested about three weeks ago while protesting Donald Trumps travel ban. Rabbi Ellman, waiting outside the precinct said of her daughter, Im incredibly proud of her Her activism has encouraged my more recent activism Were a mother-daughter arrestee team. Heres one more photo from Pat Arnow. A driving dog kept people entertained on Pitt Street last night: Police have arrested a man accused of attacking four Asian women on the Lower East Side over a two week period last month. 44-year-old Gilbert Mack was taken into custody this past weekend in connection with the incidents, which started on Feb. 17 on Catherine Street. At an initial court appearance, bond was set at $50,000. He remains in custody. Mack faces burglary and assault charges. His next hearing is scheduled for Friday. The attacks all happened in the late evening hours. The victims said their attacker demanded money and punched them in the face or pushed them to the ground. Only Asian women were targeted. The New York Daily News reported that the same man was responsible for the February incidents and the attempted rape on Friday of a woman in her Ludlow Street apartment building. But police tell us today that the crimes are unrelated; Mack is not a suspect in the Ludlow Street attack. Police continue to search for 41-year-old Robert Adams, who allegedly followed his victim into 139 Norfolk St. He groped her and tried to remove the womens clothing, but she screamed and he fled. Joyce Carol Oates turned 75 years old yesterday, and shes now writing some of the best fiction of her career. More than any other American novelist of her generation, Oates has been ruthless in questioning her obsessions. Constantly experimenting with different styles, situations, and characters, she has refused to settle into a fixed viewpoint, either toward herself or other people. We recognize the Oates world of physical and psychological violence when we read her, but there has never been anything complacent in her vision. She doesnt romanticize violence in the way Mailer or Hemingway do. She also doesnt romanticize victimhood, even if victims of aggression are key figures in many of her works. Well probably never know exactly what happened to Oates when she was young, though books like Son of the Morning, with its nightmarish gang rape, give us some disturbing clues. But whatever it is that powers her writing, she races on, making mistakes and learning from them, relentless in her pursuit of each new novel. In Virginia Woolfs terms, Oates has put as much of her art down on the page as possible, has expressed herself completely, achieving the prodigious effort of freeing whole and entire the work that is in her. 1. Consummation In her latest novel, The Accursed, the characters hunger to eat the people around them, and sometimes hunger to be eaten in turn. The hunger thrives on the mutual incomprehension between husbands and wives, sisters and brothers, ministers and anarchists, journalists and university presidents, blacks and whites, artists and propagandists, social reformers and politicians. The novel repeatedly demonstrates how, despite our best intentions, we can fall in love with our ignorance, the compulsions that blind and fulfill us. Our appetites are terrible and destructive, but they also drive us toward whatever flawed, incomplete actions we might take only to force us, in the end, to discover weve advanced the worst in us along with the best. Consummation is something to be feared and desired. Our urge to feed on others is built into the novels prose. The narrator, M.W. van Dyck II, is writing the book in 1984. Van Dyck is a man in his late-seventies, with many of the prejudices of someone from his time and place. Oates doesnt, however, spend the novel scoring cheap points against him. Instead, we often have a hard time separating his self-deceptions from his insights. Oates doesnt want us to feel superior to van Dyck. She wants us to see that his flaws arent so different from ours. Our convictions might not age any better than his have. Van Dyck claims to offer us his research on the Curse, a series of mysterious, seemingly linked events occurring in, and in the vicinity of, Princeton, New Jersey, in the approximate years 1900-1910. Yet he admits his account is a stylized distillation. The multiple histories of the events, he says, have been condensed into a single history as a decade of time has been condensed, for purposes of aesthetic unity, to a period of approximately fourteen months in 1905-1906. Is he an unreliable narrator who doesnt see how far he strays from the facts? Or a strangely reliable narrator who deliberately draws our attention to the fictions we impose on our experiences? Hes both, and the tension between these possibilities extends to every person in the story, and to the entire world of the novel, which is constantly shifting before our eyes. Van Dycks voice is only one among the many voices he gives us, from diaries, coded journals, a deathbed confession, the text of a blasphemous sermon. All of the speakers are determined to have their say against the words of the people who come into conflict with them. Whats at stake isnt just the interpretation of the Curse but the question of whether the men and women in the novel have wasted their lives. Their struggles mean more to them than they feel others can understand, and Oates catches them in the act of trying to impose that meaning everywhere they go. As usual, Oates is in thrall to her characters without being limited to any single viewpoint or any specific type of figure. She immerses herself as passionately in Marilyn Monroe in Blonde as she does in the reckless businessman Corky Corcoran in What I Lived For, the lawyer in Do With Me What You Will, the wife in American Appetites, the evangelist in Son of the Morning, the leader of the girl gang in Foxfire, the alcoholic father in We Were the Mulvaneys. No single person in The Accursed stands out as strongly as Corky Corcoran or Legs Sadovsky or Michael Mulvaney do. In compensation, though, this is the Oates novel that best displays her range, her feel for the pressures we all exert on each other. 2. The Bog Kingdom The plot of The Accursed is a parody of a Gothic horror story, a mash-up of Dracula with samples from Hawthornes greatest hits. We get the spreading consequences of passed-down sin from The Marble Faun and The House of the Seven Gables, the guilty conscience of Dimmesdale and the communal punishment of Hester Prynne from The Scarlet Letter, the problematic utopianism of Brook Farm and the rebelliousness of Zenobia from The Blithedale Romance. At first the novel seems to promise merely a mock romance, a reaction against Twilight-style sentimentality. Quickly, however, we enter a far-reaching meditation on history, class, racism, politics, religion, business, and power, involving a wide array of characters and settings. Though nearly 700 pages long, and despite its intricate collage of documents and viewpoints, the story moves with Oatess characteristic deftness. The Accursed has a striking tone of playful seriousness, the exhilaration that comes from a writer who knows shes doing a major book and knows shes doing it well. The Dracula figure is Axson Mayte. He ruins the reputation of Annabel Slade on the day of her wedding to another man. She is with Mayte for a short time, becomes pregnant, dies in childbirth. But the facts of Annabels seduction are unclear. The gossip-mongers in Princeton see Mayte as a demonic aristocrat who holds a vampire-like sway over women. But did Mayte kidnap Annabel or did she simply decide to walk out on her wedding? The question becomes more urgent when Annabel returns to her family and gives birth to Maytes child. Before the birth, she allegedly makes a confession to her brother about her experiences in Maytes home, the surreal Bog Kingdom. The Bog Kingdom is an anti-sexual version of a Gothic estate. It strips the Gothic conventions of their plush eroticism: for Mayte, seduction contains no love or passion but only a cold, bored, exhausted exercise of power. The Bog Kingdom is all about turning everyone to food and waste, with the emphasis on the waste. Annabel quickly learns she is meant to be used up by Mayte and his drinking companions, and then thrown in the marsh with Maytes other dead brides. The dying women in Maytes harem are held in rooms for horrific medical experiments, or function as broken-down manual laborers. Mayte and his men soon lose interest in raping Annabel and make her a servant-girl. As they eat cannibal sandwiches, raw beefsteak that leaked blood down their chins, they jab Annabels pregnant belly with their elbows. Then she is exiled to the cellar-crew. She must bail out the sewage from the cesspool, through the continuous emptying-out of buckets, hour after hour, day following day. What are we to make of this bizarre confession? Is this really Annabels voice? Her words reach us through at least two degrees of warping first from her brother, who hates Mayte, and then from van Dyck, who has a complicated relationship to the Bog Kingdom story. Is the story Annabels crazed version of a more conventional seduction-and-abandonment, the result of her mind being broken by Maytes cruelty? Or do the exaggerations come from her brother, who turns increasingly unstable as the novel goes on? Moreover, what do the exaggerations reveal? Is the vision of the Bog Kingdom the brothers revenge on Annabel for damaging her familys reputation? Is the monstrous image of Mayte a puritanical fairy tale, a warning to all Princeton women against following their desires? Oates wont allow us any easy answers. Instead, she develops the possibility that Annabels confession is a mix, a bastardization of Annabels version of the truth along with the versions of her brother, the community, and of course van Dyck. The confession contains odd layers, contradictions that might have survived because the brother and van Dyck have either allowed them to survive or havent recognized them or have inserted them later. Many of the novels characters have moments when they find themselves saying or thinking something that contradicts what they would usually say or believe. They surrender to unexpected countercurrents, reversed or distorted twists on their self-image. These individual moments of madness or moments of one strain of madness within other strains of madness gradually join the larger movements of the Curse through the community. Finally all of Princeton becomes as strange and wildly divided as the story of the Bog Kingdom. I dont want to make too much out of it, but the divisions in Oatess characters might help explain some of the minor lapses in her nonfiction writing and her public statements. She recently tweeted, for instance, that reviewers should try to limit the opinions they express, even though she has spent years producing highly opinionated criticism for The New York Review of Books. Oates has an eye for our paradoxes, the quarrels and inconsistencies we carry around inside us. Possibly she writes so well about our contradictions in part because theyre so strongly present in her personality. I sometimes wonder if she even courts her inconsistencies in order to see them more clearly for her novels and stories. Oates is the opposite of those writers who devote most of their effort to maintaining an artful persona to help market mediocre books. Her public image is slipshod and poorly managed, while her fiction has consumed the bulk of her exceptional energy, has nourished itself on the special ferocity she brings to the design and execution of her work. 3. Birth and Rebirth Van Dyck tells us Annabel died when her child was born; the baby lived only a few seconds. Van Dyck also reports that gossip turned the baby into a grotesque snake creature, the appropriate offspring for Mayte. Later in the novel, however, we suspect the child has survived. He might even be van Dyck, who was officially born soon after Annabels death. Van Dycks legal parents hadnt slept together for years when the wife supposedly became pregnant. In the second half of the novel, the husband goes insane mapping the lines of the Curse and trying to work out if his wife has been unfaithful. The narrator is lost in the impossibility of knowing whether hes Annabels son. If Annabel gave birth to a demon, is the demon van Dyck? Is the Bog Kingdom his admission of some hidden strain of brutality in him? Or is he satirizing the prejudices the community marshaled to pass judgment on Annabels actions? Theres a chance that Annabel or van Dycks legal mother or both of them working together invented the Bog Kingdom and the story of the babys death. They might have used the misogynistic fantasies behind the Curse to conceal the babys transfer and perhaps, as the disorienting penultimate chapter hints, to give Annabel and her siblings a chance at being reborn themselves. If Annabel was caught between her original romanticizing of Mayte and Princetons equally inaccurate demonizing of him, she might have fed on those who fed on her, might have turned their hungers against them. But in the process, she might have helped the Curse radiate outward, releasing pain and death in ways she couldnt anticipate. Though she possibly outwits the people who use her, they respond by letting the Curse run wild, as a cover for their most destructive acts, including the rape and murder of at least two young men. 4. Dogs and Dinners The Accursed is full of deluded leaders, from Woodrow Wilson to Teddy Roosevelt to the heads of some of the elite Princeton families. They treat other peoples lives as a banquet, an endless feast of cannibal sandwiches. Yet Oates devotes the bulk of the book to characters who hold only a limited amount of influence, which theyre desperate to protect or expand. The chapters on the muckraking journalist Upton Sinclair link the nightmare of the Bog Kingdom to the complexities of political and social reform. With The Jungle, his famous and still-timely expose of the food industry, Sinclair forces people like Annabels brother to wonder if theyve literally become cannibals, drinking the blood of workers injured or killed in the factories. Sinclair is both a genuine reformer and a cringing, timid, would-be tyrant. His drive to reveal the injustices of capitalism blinkers him to his neglect of his wife and helps him rationalize his kitsch Nietzcheism. Oates views him satirically, but the satire isnt a simple matter of declaring him a hypocrite. For Oates, identifying our hypocrisy is less interesting than tracing the eccentric ways our mingled impulses carry us forward. Its his contradictions his clashing waves of kindness and insecurity and intolerance that make Sinclair human. The same can be said of Annabels brother, who becomes more vivid for us as he becomes more confused about what he wants. Jack London appears in the book as an activist version of Mayte: a man who seeks revolution so he can satisfy his appetites without restraint. The Bog Kingdom used to belong to aristocrats; Mayte was a servant in the Kingdom and led a revolt against his masters, so he could take their place and install an even more brutal regime. This is what Jack London wants as well. He worships violence, thinks he is a natural warrior who was born deprived of his heritage. His destiny, he says, is to rise up against those who exploit him and drink their sang impur. Upton Sinclair is horrified by Londons bloodlust yet mesmerized by his vitality. London has a rough magnetic presence that the physically delicate and emotionally divided Sinclair lacks. Again like Mayte, London bullies his followers. He demands their abasement along with their admiration. Sinclair watches London give a speech, and sits gazing up at his hero with the unstinting admiration of a kicked dog for his master, who has left off kicking him for the moment and is being kind to him, capriciously, yet wonderfully. This recalls Annabels delusions in the Bog Kingdom. Even after Mayte has sentenced her to endlessly emptying the cesspool, Annabel fantasizes that he is merely testing her, hoping to determine if I loved him purely, or was so shallow as to foreswear my vow to him. Only gradually does she realize that she has chosen to come to the Bog Kingdom, and that she can choose to leave it. The powerful want us to believe that submitting to their demands is natural, irresistible, right. Sinclair and Annabel, however, end up abandoning their masters and refusing to follow orders. Oates can see the strength in Sinclairs wavering kindness and delicacy, and the weakness in Maytes boorish aggression. Still, the standout quality of The Accursed is the turn and flow of the characters personalities, the constant repositioning of their relationships with each other. The characters never harden into a final form we can pass judgment on, and we understand them differently depending on where we are in the book. Like The Golden Bowl and the other Henry James works that Oates references, The Accursed resists moralistic parsing. The novel finds its beauty in its ability to keep all its competing interpretations alive and strong, spinning around each other in humming, electric motion. New Delhi, Mar 9 (IBNS): The Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs on Thursday staged protest outside the Parliament on the issue of killings of Indians in US. Several Indians were attacked in the US in recent times. "#BudgetSession Trinamool MPs stage dharna in #Parliament on the issue of killings of Indians in US," the TMC tweeted. Image: AITC Twitter page Srinagar, Mar 9 (IBNS) :Two Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists were killed in a fierce gun battle with security forces in south Kashmir's Pulwama district on Thursday morning. Among the slain terrorists is Jehangir Ganai, who was involved in the killing of a policeman last year, NDTV reported. The second terrorist has been identified as one Sher Gujri.. Both were stated to be locals from Koel in south Kashmir. Security forces launched an anti-terror operation early in the morning following information about few terrorists being holed up in a house in Padgampora village. As the forces closed in, the militants fired on them from inside the house leading to a prolonged gun battle. This is the second major encounter in the area in last four days. Last week, top Hizbul Mujahideen militant Aqib Maulvi was killed along with a Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammed militant Osama in Tral area of Pulwama district. International Womens Day was an opportunity to celebrate women, but for many it was also a chance to stand up against gender inequality. In cities all over the world demonstrators took to the streets to protest against sexism. Here are some of the major rallies from all over the globe, many of which were fighting specific causes in the battle to help women. Ireland Dublin's streets filled with peaceful protestors, marching to #repealthe8th Gardai say up to 12,000 strong at the #March4Repeal pic.twitter.com/LPd6WK6h0q Kara Fox (@karadaniellefox) March 8, 2017 Thousands took to the streets in Dublin to protest against the governments abortion laws. In Ireland, abortion is illegal except if the pregnant womans life is in danger, and thats exactly what the March4Repeal was trying to overturn. Women marched in their thousands, chanting Our body, our choice! and Enda, Enda, wheres our referenda? the last being an address to Irelands prime minister Enda Kenny. On the same day, students staged a Strike4Repeal, protesting against the abortion laws by walking out of lectures. Protests supporting the March4Repeal also took place simultaneously in other cities like London and Amsterdam. Poland (Czarek Sokolowski/AP) In Warsaw and across the country, protesters showed the government red cards as part of their demonstration. (Czarek Sokolowski/AP) They were demanding protection against violence, equal rights and respect. America (Lynne Sladky/AP) Hundreds of women around the US took part in the A day without a woman protest, organised by the group behind the Womens March in January the day after Donald Trumps inauguration. (Kathy Willens/AP) Rallies took place from New York to California, with thousands of women striking, joining rallies or wearing red to demonstrate how vital they are to the US economy. (Kathy Willens/AP) Women protested against a range of issues from the Republican-backed bill that would strip Planned Parenthood of its funding to the wage gap and the inequality that women at work face. In New York, around 1,000 people protested outside of Trump Tower and at least 10 arrests were made. (Bebeto Matthews/AP) Yemen (Hani Mohammed/AP) Women protested outside of the UN building in Sanaa. They were taking a stand against war that kills both women and children, calling for the Yemen siege to end. (Hani Mohammed/AP) Brazil (Eraldo Peres/AP) In Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Brasilia and Porto Alegre women were demonstrating against current president Michel Temer. Temer came under particular fire for honouring women on International Womens day for their home-making skills and for spotting supermarket bargains. (Andre Penner/AP) Protesters held signs saying Cancel the impeachment, defeat the coup in support of the countrys first female president Dilma Rousseff, who was impeached after being accused of breaking fiscal rules in 2015. Kings College London announced last night that the university would divest from all fossil fuels by 2022. The announcement came after 14 days of hunger strike by PhD student Roger Hallam, and after 24 hours of occupation of the Old Committee Room by Kings College Climate Emergency. 24HR occupation of old Committee room by @kings_climate. Banner making & HUGE VICTORY -KCL TO DIVEST FROM FOSSIL FUELS BY 2022!! (vid:Plome) pic.twitter.com/ek5jgMBhpm Teuta (@teuutaa_) March 8, 2017 Hallam, who had previously been suspended by the university for protesting their investment in oil and gas companies, led talks between student activists and administration staff yesterday evening. The agreement with the university has seven key points, including recognising that divestment is only one part of the process of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. While KCL has agreed to be divested from all fossil fuels by the end of 2022, they also aim to be carbon-free by 2025, although this is "dependent upon having options without significant financial impact". Kings is also to more than double the percentage of its investments with "socially responsible benefits" to 40% by 2025. This move comes on the same day that the University of Bristol announced its own fossil fuel divestment plan, which has been signed off by the institutions board of trustees. Bristol will remove all funds from coal and tar sands extractors within the next year, and will move 3 million into a fund made up of environmentally friendly companies. Both Bristol and KCL are joining an ever-growing number of British universities agreeing to divest from fossil fuels following student-led campaigns and protests. Lead image by Katy Ereira. 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Home >Police Enforcement > Checkpoints and Stops > New Jersey Court Overturns Strip Search Over $6.50 Traffic Fine Srinagar, Mar 9 (IBNS) : Two suspected Lashker-e-Taiba militants and a 15-year-old boy were killed during an encounter in Kashmiras Pulwama district on Thursday. The slain militants have been identified as Jahangir Ahmed Gani and Mohammad Shafi Shergujari. Both were stated to be locals from Koel in south Kashmir. The security personnel suspect more militants are holed up in a house in the region as the encounter still continues. A teenager, Amir Nazir, who was caught in the crossfire, also died. The gun battle began in Pulwamas Padgampora area early Thursday morning. Troops from the 130 Battallion of the CRPF, 55 Rashtriya Rifles and Special Operations Group launched an anti-terror operation early in the morning following information about few terrorists being holed up in a house in Padgampora village. As the forces closed in, the militants fired on them from inside the house leading to a prolonged gun battle.This is the second major encounter in the area in last four days. Last week, top Hizbul Mujahideen militant Aqib Maulvi was killed along with a Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammed militant Osama in Tral area of Pulwama district. (Reporting by Saleem Iqbal Qadri) Srinagar, Mar 9 (IBNS): A teenage student of class XI was killed near an encounter site, in south Kashmir's Pulwama district, where two militants were holed up inside a house, on Thursday. The student, identified as Amir Wani, a resident of Pulwama's Beegumbagh-Kakapora, was "hit by a stray bullet, when civilians clashed with the security forces to help the militants escape. Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Pulwama, Talat Jabeen, confirmed the death of Wani. Police sources said the militants identified as Jehangeer Ahmad Ganai and Shafat Ahmad Sherguri were trapped inside a house. The militants opened fire at a security team, triggering an encounter. They said there were massive blasts near the house where the militants were holed up. (Reporting by Saleem Iqbal Qadri) New Delhi, Mar 9 (IBNS): Dr. Fayez Al-Tarawneh, Chief of Royal Court of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan called on President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan here on Wednesday. Welcoming Dr. Al-Tarawneh to India, the President said he had warm memories of his recent visit to Jordan, the first ever State Visit by a Head of State of India to Jordan. The President said India attaches great value to its ties with Jordan. India appreciates Jordans proactive role, under the leadership of King Abdullah on regional issues, especially towards resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and addressing the scourge of terrorism that has affected our regions and the world. The President said no country is safe from terrorism.Urgent collective action is needed to eradicate it. The President said India lauds Jordans exceptional humanitarian assistance in hosting refugees from its war torn neighbourhood despite the tremendous strain on its socio-economic resources. He was happy that India could make a contribution to help mitigate the crisis. The President said India-Jordan bilateral trade which was US $1.35 billion in 2015-16 is expected to touch new heights. India is happy that Jordan is interested in cooperation in security and defence cooperation, space, fertilizers etc. Migrant worker, 19, slain while eating dinner PHUKET: A 19-year-old migrant worker from Myanmar was stabbed to death at a workers camp close the bus station on Thepkrasattri Rd in Rassada last night (Mar 8) whilst he sat eating dinner. crimedeathMyanmarmurderpoliceviolence By Yutthawat Lekmak Thursday 9 March 2017, 12:08PM Police and rescue workers at the scene of the slaying. Photo: Worachet Jantanakhet Lt Chaleaw Thaieu of the Phuket City Police was informed of the incident at 10:30pm. Lt Chaleaw arrived at the scene to find the body of Tae Zor Auaz, 19, slumped in his makeshift room with several stab wounds on his body. Mr Taes body was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital. Speaking to The Phuket News today (Mar 9), Lt Chaleaw said, We are not yet able to comment on this case as the investigation is still ongoing. However, we will investigate and find out the truth about this incident. DSI: Dhammakaya stand-off to end in 5 days PATHUM THANI: The stand-off between authorities and Wat Phra Dhammakaya followers will end by Monday Mar 13), the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) announced on yesterday (Mar 8). crimecorruptionconstructionlandpolicereligion By Bangkok Post Thursday 9 March 2017, 08:50AM A monk keeps a wary eye on a soldier on duty at the Wat Phra Dhammakaya followers rally site in a market just outside the temple in Khlong Luang district, Pathum Thani. Photo: Pongpat Wongyala An interrogation venue had already been prepared for its former abbot and sect founder, Phra Dhammajayo, DSI Deputy Director-General Songsak Raksaksakul said. He did not say how the two points were linked. Within the next week, or five days from now, the case of Wat Phra Dhammakaya must be concluded, Col Songsak, the official spokesman, told the media at the Region 1 Border Patrol Police Bureau in Khlong Luang district. The DSIs time frame was revealed after temple followers dug moats at Wat Phra Dhammakaya to block access to its six-storey medical care building, Boon Raksa, which is well-guarded. The latest search for Phra Dhammajayo began on Feb 16 when authorities entered the grounds of the temple, which sprawl over 2,300 rai. It has so far been unproductive and the whereabouts of the 72-year-old monk remains uncertain, although attention does seem to be focusing on the Boon Raksa building. Col Songsak said the situation had been very prolonged, and the temple had time to mislead society into believing the attempt to arrest Phra Dhammajayo was damaging to Buddhism. He did not elaborate on the venue he said had been prepared for Phra Dhammajayo. He did say some officials had proposed the defrocking of the former abbot, who has been removed from his position by royal decree. The DSI spokesman denied authorities had totally failed to accomplish their mission at Wat Phra Dhammakaya. The matter was sensitive, he said, and authorities had to step carefully. The DSI has summoned over a dozen monks and about 160 laymen supporters accused of defying the dictate of the National Council for Peace and Order making the temple and its vicinity an area under special control, to facilitate authorities attempts to arrest the wanted senior monk. Phra Dhammajayo is wanted for alleged money laundering and receiving stolen property in connection with multi-billion-baht embezzlement at Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative, building code violations by buildings in Wat Dhammakayas compound and forest encroachment by branches of the temple in several provinces. He has failed to answer any charge and ignored summonses and arrest warrants for about a year. Read original story here. Guatemala in mourning after blaze kills 20 girls in shelter GUATEMALA: Guatemala declared three days of mourning after a blaze yesterday (Mar 8) in a government-run childrens shelter killed 20 teenage girls and focused national attention on allegations of sexual and other abuse in the facility. accidentsdeathsexviolencepolice By AFP Thursday 9 March 2017, 09:29AM Relatives cry outside the childrens shelter Virgen de la Asuncion, after a fire killed at least 20 people. Photo: AFP All those killed were aged between 14 and 17. Most appeared to have died of burns in the fire that occurred in the Virgin of the Assumption Safe Home in San Jose Pinula, 10 kilometres east of Guatemala City, officials said. Dozens of survivors were treated for serious burns in several of the capitals hospitals. One, Roosevelt Hospital, said it had 24 wounded, six of them in critical condition. The blaze was believed to have started during an overnight rebellion in the packed centre, which holds nearly double the 400 people it was designed to house. They were serving food to the teenagers when some of them started a fire in a mattress and thats how the fire was set, said Abner Paredes, a prosecutor defending childrens rights. It was a ticking time bomb. This was to be expected, one of the centre's former employees, Angel Cardenas, said outside. He said he had lodged several warnings about conditions inside. At the entrance of the facility whose imposing, barbed wire-topped concrete wall showed no sign of the drama inside crying relatives crowded the entrance. They were searching for news of the children kept there. Police blocked access to them and to journalists. A few survivors were seen hugging kin on the pine tree-lined road. But many other family members were left in the dark. They dont want to give any information at all, stormed Rosa Aguirre, a 22-year-old street vendor who had rushed from the capital to see if her two sisters, aged 13 and 15, and her 17-year-old brother were among the casualties. She said many frustrated people had gone to the hospitals to see if their relatives were there. Aguirre said she, too, had lodged past complaints about how the centres charges were treated, but received no attention. She said brawls broke out inside often, and her brother was sometimes put in a dark isolation cell nicknamed the chicken coop. She said she had tried in vain to be given custody of her siblings after their mothers death four months ago. Guatemalan media said the shelters occupants had revolted overnight and into yesterday against alleged sexual abuse by staff, and over poor food and conditions. The United Nations childrens fund UNICEF called the fire and the deaths a tragedy. It added in a Twitter post that these children and adolescents must be protected. The centre, supervised by state authorities, hosts minors under age 18 who are victims of domestic violence or found living on the street. They are sent there by court order and are under the responsibility of the social welfare ministry. The shelter has been the target of multiple complaints alleging abuse. Dozens of children have run away in the past year, reportedly to escape ill treatment inside. Reports that could not be verified said that dozens of residents had attempted to flee the facility late Tuesday (Mar 7). Guatemalas government expressed its distress at the deadly fire and decreed three days of mourning. A prosecutor for upholding childrens rights, Hilda Morales, told reporters she was requesting the shelter be closed due to welfare authorities inability to manage it. We are going to ask for the immediate closure of the centre, and attribute administrative and criminal responsibility against those in charge of the centre for not fulfilling their duty, she said. She noted that last year the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights had found in favour of several adolescents who had alleged maltreatment and sexual abuse in the shelter. She stressed that those sent to the centre should receive better protection than in their families where they were abused. Another prosecutor tasked with protecting children in the country, Harold Flores, told the radio station Emisoras Unidas that since last year complaints had surged against the shelter over minors fleeing to escape alleged sexual abuse there. He said an investigation was under way to find the reasons and those responsible for yesterday's tragedy. In Guatemalas Congress, lawmakers held a minute of silence for the victims of the fire before demanding those in charge of the centre be dismissed. Phuket beach vendors file complaint about payments to access Laem Singh Beach PHUKET: A group of 50 beach vendors from Laem Singh Beach yesterday (Mar 8) paid a visit to the Kamala Tambon Administration Organisation (OrBorTor) to complain that a government agency had built a barrier closing the entrance to the beach. crimecorruptionlandtourism By The Phuket News Thursday 9 March 2017, 01:25PM Beach vendors file their complaint at the Kamala Tambon Administration Organisation (OrBorTor). Photo: PR DEPT The group, led by Ms Namrin Butta, presented a letter of complaint to Kathu District Chief Sayan Chanachaiwong which also demanded government agencies check the land tittle deed No.6868 (Chanote) which they say is for public land but owned by a company. Mr Namrin said, Vendors and tourists must pay B100 to access Leam Singh Beach as the owners of the land which has access to the beach have placed barriers blocking the entrance before, but now a government agency has blocked the entrance with a barrier. This has never been done before, she said. Mr Sayan replied, Relevant government agencies are currently in the process of checking the land tiles for the land adjoining Laem Singh Beach. We cannot do anything until this process is complete, he said. The Phuket Highways Department has now built barriers to close access to the land because relevant government agencies have already found that the company which holds the land titles have never asked for permission to connect public land to the land for which the land tile is held, he added. Bangkok Broadcasting & TV Co Ltd (BBTV), the company that broadcasts Thai TV Channel 7, privatised access to Laem Singh Beach and started charging B100 per person to cross beachfront land that the company claims to own. Access across the land is open from 7am to 7pm, effective July 1, the company announced with a large sign posted at the site. (See story here.) Phuket officials welcome 7,800 cruise line passengers Officials from various local government agencies were in Patong yesterday morning to welcome some 7,800 passengers enjoying a cruise from Singapore. tourismmarine By Eakkapop Thongtub Thursday 9 March 2017, 10:57AM The main deck of the Ocean of the Seas liner. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub The view of the Mariner of the Seas cruise liner from the Ocean of the Seas liner. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Phuket Vice Governor Snith Sriwihok believes the one-day visit generated around B31.2 million in revenue for the island. Yesterday morning, V/Gov Snith together with officials from the Tourism Authority of Thailand Phuket Office, Phuket Marine Office, Phuket Customs House, and Patong Police Station were at Patong Beach to welcome some 7,800 tourists who disembarked Ovation of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas cruise liners to enjoy a day on the island. The cruise liners left on the next leg of their voyage at 9pm last night. The liners moored close to the 300-metre-long Coral Beach jetty in Patong and once on land passengers were entertained by traditional Thai dancers. Some passengers chose to take taxis or tuk-tuks to other parts of the island while others simply enjoyed a stroll along Patong Beach. Officials and media were also invited on board the Ovation of the Seas cruise liner where they were greeted by Capt Hendrick from Norway, who presented V/Gov Snith a souvenir. Capt Hendrick then gave officials and media a tour of the boat and later provided lunch at one of the liners restaurants. V/Gov Sanith said, Some 7,800 cruise liner passengers have spent the day on Phuket today. We have estimated that each passenger would spend at least B4,000 during the trip bringing the island some B31.2mn in revenue. It is imperative that we take care of these visitors so that they consider coming back again in the future, he said. Kolkata, Mar 9 (IBNS): Police on Thursday arrested two middle-aged men for allegedly gang-raping a woman inside a beauty parlour at Mukundapur Road area under Purbo Jadavpur Police Station limits in southern Kolkata, officials said. According to reports, after receiving call from one Rajkumar Mondal, the nearly 21-year-old woman went to Face 2 Face beauty parlour at Mukundapur area for beautician training at around 8:30 pm. on Monday (Feb 6). The woman alleged that main accused Rajkumar Mondal and beauty parlour's care-taker Amal Mondal provided her some light food and soft drink. After having the food and liquor, she became drowsy and the duo allegedly raped her inside the parlour. The 21-year-old also claimed that after committing the crime, Rajkumar threatened her not to tell anyone about the incident or inform the police to avoid dire consequences in future. However, the woman lodged an FIR at Purbo Jadavpur Police Station against the two men on Wednesday and police nabbed two accused on Thursday morning. "Besides booking the duo- Rajkumar Mondal and Amal Mondal, we have started probe into the matter," a senior official of Kolkata Police told IBNS. (Reporting by Deepayan Sinha, Image: ABP Ananda TV Grab. Kolkata, Mar 9 (IBNS): Protesting against the alleged unfair primary teachers' recruitment in the state and demanding a fresh and fair TET (Teachers Eligibility Test) exam, activists of CPI-M's students' and youths' wings- Students' Federation of India (SFI) and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) respectively- held demonstration in Kolkata on Thursday. They hosted a protest march from College Square to city's downtown Esplanade area and agitators blocked Dorina Crossing in central Kolkata followed by the rally. When policemen tried to lift the blockade, they engaged in a scuffle with the protesters. Later a heavy police force were deployed to the area and policemen restored to mild lathi charge to bring the situation under control. SFI-DYFI leadership claimed that several party workers were injured during the 'unprovoked' lathi charge by police and a large number of protesters were arrested. However, leaders of SFI and DYFI submitted a memorandum, describing their allegations and demands, before West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi. (Reporting by Deepayan Sinha) What county auditors want voters to know ahead of the midterm election elections Kolkata, Mar 9 (IBNS): The school education department of West Bengal government has reportedly served show cause notices to at least ten schools across the state for allegedly spreading religious education among the pupils, deviating them from education board-mandated syllabus. During a session in state assembly on Wednesday, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) MLA Manas Mukherjee alleged that few schools in the state are currently fanning religious education, instead of teaching state-directed curriculum. Countering the statement, West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee claimed that state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her government are aware of it and currently looking into the matter. "We have already show caused 10 schools and 125 more institutions are under our scanner. We will dismiss those licenses if allegations against them are proved," Partha Chatterjee said. According to reports, nearly 125 schools across North 24 Parganas and northern states of West Bengal, run by three organizations- Sarada Shishu Tirtha, Saraswati Shishu Mandir and Vivekanada Vidyavikas Parishad (VVP), are being monitored by the state government. VVP is claimed to be the West Bengal unit of Lucknow-based trust- Vidya Bharati Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Sansthan, which is the educational wing of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), reports said. "These three organizations are currently running over 350 schools in the state and more than 60,000 students are being taught 'out-of-syllabus' religious lessons in those institutions," an official of West Bengal education department told IBNS. When a CPI-M leader accused the TMC-government for the emergence of such schools, where a strong religious mindset is being installed in the brains of pupils, state Education Minister Partha Chatterjee told IBNS, "These schools got government affiliations during 1981-2009 period, when Left parties had ruled the state, and our government only renewed those licenses." "If the allegation against the schools are proved, we will take action against the institutions and will dismiss those licenses. Our government will never allow such religious teaching in state's schools," Chatterjee added. Meanwhile, condemning the step of the government, BJP's Bengal president Dilip Ghosh said, "These schools follow all government rules and regulations and board-mandated syllabuses are taught there." "Alongside the board syllabus, few extracurricular activities, maintaining compatibility with the Indian culture, are also practiced there," Ghosh further said. A state level leader of BJP told IBNS, "If the state government is taking such actions against RSS affiliated schools, then they should take steps against those Madrasas in Bengal-Bangladesh border areas, where several out-of-syllabus lessons are being taught." (Reporting by Deepayan Sinha) Image: Partha Chatterjee Facebook It's our annual Labour Weekend tradition ...The Sound 'Hall Of Fame' Countdown... Where we honor the greatest 500 songs of all time as voted by you. Srinagar, Mar 9 (IBNS): In a brief encounter one Hizbul Mujahideen militant was killed after he fired on a search party in Bandipora of North Kashmir Thursday evening. According to sources, on a specific information a cordon was laid near Police Station Bandipora by special operation group police and Rashtriya Rifles. "During the checking, one militant opened fire on security party injuring an army major of 14 RR, the fire was retaliated in which the said militant was killed," police officer said. Identified as Mushtaq Ahmad, the ilitant was active in north Kashmir since many years, the officer added. One pistol and a grenade was recovered from his possession. (Reporting by Saleem Iqbal Qadri) Guwahati, Mar 9 (IBNS): Despite protest by several organizations, Assam Assembly on Thursday unanimously asked the government to complete the stalled 2000 MW Lower Subansiri Hydro power project soon. The house favoured for stalling the halted hydro power project for greater interest of development of the state after the issue was raised by BJP legislator Debananda Hazarika. Assam assembly speaker Hitendra Nath Goswami said that, for the development in the state, the hydro power project should be completed soon. The speaker asked the government to talk to the people of the state and protesting groups to complete the project. "For greater public interest and development, it is necessary to complete the project soon. It is a good news that the all members of the house unanimously agreed to stall the halted project," the Assam assembly speaker said. On the other hand, Assam state power minister Pallab Lochan Das said that, the state government is interested to talk with the all sections of people and the protesting groups to move ahead the project. The state power minister further said that, around 56 percent works of the project constructed by National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) have been completed so far. "Following the agitation against the project, an expert committee was formed and the committee had already submitted its report. Apart from the committee report, NHPC has accepted the recommendations by the protesters to redesign the dam," the minister said. The Assam minister said that, state Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who also holds the power department, will talk with the people of the state and other groups regarding the issue. The Lower Subansiri Hydro power project's construction works at Gerukamukh was halted since December, 2011, following massive protests against the project by All Assam Students Union (AASU), Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) and other several tribal organizations. Initially, the project cost was estimated Rs 6285 crore and later the Union government had raised it to Rs 11,000 crore. The Centre has rescheduled to complete the project by 2018. (Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath) Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing on Thursday opened a new research and development centre in the US' Silicon Valley to attract top engineering talent. The DIDI Labs in Mountain View, California will primarily focus on big-data-based security and intelligent driving technology, and are a landmark step for the company to create a global innovation nexus. "Sweeping changes are taking place in the global transport and automobile industries," Cheng Wei, founder, chairman and CEO of the company said, adding that they would build on rich data and fast-evolving artificial intelligence analytics to work with cities to build intelligent transport ecosystems for the future. Didi, backed by Apple, has emerged as the single biggest car-haling app after Uber merged its operation with it last year in a deal valued at about $35 billion. Cheng said that Didi's international vision now extends to building the best-in-class international research network to advance the global transport revolution through innovation, state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday. Didi's current projects span cloud-based security, deep learning, human-machine interaction, computer vision and imaging, as well as intelligent driving technology. The US labs will work in tandem with the broader Didi research network to advance its global strategy, apply its research findings and help cities develop smart transport. In the next decade, Didi aims to lead innovation in the optimisation of transportation infrastructure, introduce new energy vehicles and intelligent driving systems and shift the human-automotive relationship from ownership to shared access, Didi's chief technology officer Bob Zhang said. The government has garnered more than Rs 1.15 crore towards the fund for regional air connectivity scheme, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said today. The ambitious Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) seeks to connect unserved and under-served airports as well as make flying more affordable. It has also set up the RCS fund which would be utilised for providing viability gap funding to airlines participating in the scheme. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Raju said that "till date, an amount of Rs 1,15,42,000 has been received" under the RCS fund. An amount of up to Rs 8,500 is being levied from scheduled airlines operating in major routes to raise money towards the RCS fund. The Civil Aviation Ministry started collecting the levy from December 1, 2016. Meanwhile, the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) has already challenged the collection of levy from carriers for the RCS fund in the court. FIA has filed a court case on this issue and the matter is subjudice, the Minister said. Jet Airways, IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir are members of the FIA. Airlines participating in the regional connectivity scheme, also known as UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik), would receive viability gap funding. The funding would be shared by the Centre and the respective state governments that provide the airport for flights under the scheme. The government is considering raising the stock market exposure of the National Pension System (NPS) for its employees to 50 per cent from 15 per cent at present. A decision in this regard is likely to be taken soon, highly placed sources in the government told The Statesman. The Finance Ministry is likely to increase the equity exposure limit for government subscribers, bringing them at par with private subscribers of the NPS, sources said. All the government employees, both in state and central government, who joined service January 2004 onwards have to compulsorily contribute 10 per cent of their salary to the NPS, which will provide them pension for the lifetime. Any citizen aged between 18 and 60 years can also join the scheme with a minimum contribution of Rs 1000 per annum. When the person reaches the retirement age, at least 40 per cent of the corpus has to be utilised to buy annuities. Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority chairman Hemant G Contractor feels that the employees should be exercising the choice of where the money should go. The PFRDA board has had several rounds of discussions on the proposal. "The ball is now in the Finance ministry's court," he said, hoping the government staff would be allowed to have the flexibility of putting higher percentage of their contributions into equities. Once the proposal is cleared, the government employees will be able to exercise the choice to invest their pension corpus. Currently, the government is making the investment decision for its employees on a mix of securities, bonds and equities. However, private subscribers have been free to choose the fund allocation pattern with effect from 2009. The government subscribers account for 88 per cent of the total corpus which has given an average rate of return of around 10 per cent over the last five years. Currently, only 8 to 9 per cent of their funds are being invested in the equities. For private subscribers, the amount going to equities is around 28 per cent at the moment. Since the government employees' money accounts for the bulk of the NPS fund, the average investment in equities for around 1.5 crore subscribers comes to around 13 per cent. NPS corpus currently stands at Rs 1.67 lakh crore. The heir to the Samsung business empire denies all charges in connection with a wide-ranging corruption scandal, his lawyers told a preliminary hearing on Thursday. Lee Jae-Yong, 48, was not present at Seoul Central District court for the hearing, which comes as his giant company the world's biggest smartphone maker struggles to recover from a recall scandal. Lee, the vice-chairman of Samsung Electronics, is being held in custody on accusations of bribery, corruption, perjury and other offences stemming from a scandal that has seen President Park Geun-Hye impeached. Four other Samsung executives have also been charged. "Everyone denies all the charges," a defence lawyer told the court at the hearing, which lasted little more than an hour. The prosecutors' formal indictment was sketchy, with some of the accusations lacking clear evidence and only circumstantial, the defence said. The accused allegedly paid nearly 40 million in bribes to Park's close friend Choi Soon-Sil to secure policy favours. The courtroom was about 80 percent full, with dozens of reporters, students and a handful of middle-aged and elderly citizens. When one of Lee's attorneys finished reading his statement, an elderly lady abruptly stood up from her seat and shouted: "Can a member of the public ask a question?" Her request was rejected by the judge. Lee has effectively been at the helm of Samsung since his father suffered a heart attack in 2014. One of the favours which Lee allegedly sought from Park was state approval for a controversial merger in 2015 of two Samsung units seen as a key step to ensure a smooth transfer of power to him. The deal was opposed by many shareholders who said it had wilfully undervalued shares of one of the two firms. But it eventually went through after the national pension fund a major Samsung shareholder approved it. The Supreme Court on Thursday put forth searching questions to liquor baron Vijay Mallya on the disclosure of his assets to the court. A bench comprising Justices A K Goel and U U Lalit asked Mallya if he had been truthful after a consortium of banks led by the SBI alleged that $40 million was transferred by Mallya to his three children in complete violation of the Karnataka High Court order. Moreover, the fact that $40 million was received by Mallya from a United Kingdom-based company Diageo PLC was not disclosed before the court here, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the banks, alleged. Taking note of the allegation, the bench asked the counsel for Mallya to respond to the AGs query whether he truthfully disclosed his assets or not. It also wanted to know as to whether by transferring $40 million to his children, he violated the Karnataka High Court order in this regard or not. The Karnataka High Court had restrained Mallya from transferring or alienating any movable and immovable assets to any third party. The bench would resume hearing at 2pm. On March 3, the banks had submitted that $40 million which Mallya had allegedly received from British firm Diageo in February last year was transferred to his children in flagrant violation of various judicial orders, including those passed by the Debt Recovery Tribunal and the Karnataka High Court. The banks prayed that orders be passed to secure the deposit of the said amount of $40 million before this court or the DRT forthwith, pending disposal of the further recovery proceedings. The bench on January 11 had granted three weeks to Mallya to file an affidavit in response to the plea of banks. In October last year, the court had rapped Mallya for not making full disclosure of his overseas properties and had asked him to do so within a month. The bench had also pulled up Mallya for not giving details of the $40 million, which he had allegedly received from the British firm in February last year, saying it was of the prima facie view that proper disclosure as per its earlier order was not made. The consortium of banks including SBI had alleged that the $40 million belonged to the consortium of banks which was now stashed in Mallyas Swiss bank account and said it should be brought back to India or the Supreme Court. The banks had on August 29 last year told the apex court that Mallya had deliberately not made full disclosure of his assets including the $40 million he received on February 25, 2016 from Diageo. It had asked Mallya, who owes over Rs 9,000 crore to around 17 banks, to deposit a substantial amount with it to prove his bonafide that he was serious about meaningful negotiations and settlement. The decision of the US to suspend fast-track H-1B visas will hurt India in the 'short run' but will hugely damage the American economy, former chief economist of the World Bank Kaushik Basu said on March 8. "US suspension of fast track H-1B visas. Will hurt India in the short run & then help. But will do huge damage to US," Basu, who is currently professor of economics at Cornell University, said in a tweet. The US has announced that from April 3, it would temporarily suspend the 'premium processing' of H-1B visas, which allowed some companies to jump the queue, as part of overall efforts to clear the backlog. The suspension came even as New Delhi pressed for a fair and rational approach on the matter from a trade and business perspective. By paying an additional premium of $1,225, companies were able to get an H-1B application processed within 15 days, whereas a standard process takes 3-6 months. The suspension of the fast-track processing widely used by the Indian IT industry may last six months. It also puts pressure on Indian IT companies as any changes in visa regime may result in higher operational costs and shortage of skilled workers for the Indian outsourcing industry. In the past few weeks, there have been proposals to overhaul the popular H-1B visa regime through various legislations which have added to the worries of the Indian IT sector that is battling slower growth, currency fluctuation and cautious client spending. The US accounts for over 60 per cent of the Indian IT export revenues. Thailand's anti-graft watchdog on Thursday said it will investigate senior government officials and employees of the country's flagship airline over bribes paid more than a decade ago by Rolls-Royce. In January Britain's Serious Fraud Office announced that Rolls Royce had paid out huge sums over three decades to win contracts in Indonesia, Thailand, India, Russia, Nigeria, China and Malaysia. Rolls Royce admitted to wrongdoing and agreed to pay a USD 808 million fine to authorities in Britain to settle the case. But the UK probe has sparked follow up investigations in some of the countries where the bribes were received. Thailand's National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) on today said an initial fact-finding committee had uncovered "reasonable suspicion" of wrongdoing. "There are enough facts and witnesses to investigate the allegations," Sansern Poljiak, secretary general of the NACC said. The statement said the probe would centre on the "transport minister, their deputy, the THAI Airways board and Thai Airways' long-term investment subcommitee" between 2004 and 2005 over a deal to buy six passenger jets with Rolls-Royce engines. The statement did not name any suspects. At that time the government was headed by Thaksin Shinawatra, a democratically elected prime minister who was toppled in a military coup in 2006. Two transport ministers served during that period. The Thai Airways board at that time contained major business figures as well as five senior Air Force officers and a police general. The UK fraud probe, the country's largest ever, found some USD 36 million in bribes and incentives were paid between 1991 and 2005 to intermediaries including "agents of the State of Thailand and employees of Thai Airways" to help the company win lucrative jet engine deals. Thai law places a statute of limitations on most crimes and some of the alleged offences that took place before Thaksin took office can no longer be prosecuted. Civil compensation claims can still be made though it is not clear if authorities plan to do so. Thai Airways launched its own investigation after the UK probe became public. Graft is endemic in Thailand, which currently ranks 76th out of 168 countries in Transparency International's annual Corruption Perceptions Index. The current military junta that seized power in 2014 has vowed to root out corruption. But critics say junta probes have selectively targeted political opponents while top brass have also found themselves accused of graft. Others say the military's push has had some effect, especially on cutting out the expected "tea money" needed to secure large government contracts. About 77 per cent electorate cast their votes at the end of the repolling in 34 polling stations in three districts of Manipur on Thursday, an election office official said. The poll percentage might be changed subject to correction, Chief Electoral Officer Vivek Kumar Dewangan said. The repolling in 34 polling stations in three districts in eight Assembly segments was conducted peacefully, he said. Polling in these booths in Imphal, Churachandpur and Kangpoki districts was held in the first phase of the elections on March 4. The repoll was ordered on Tuesday following electoral malpractices in these polling stations. Midday meals served in Delhi government schools are set to get healthier with bananas and eggs being included in the menu. While the expenditure for midday meals is borne by the Centre, the Delhi government has decided to pump in extra money to enhance the nutritional value. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had announced this while presenting the budget for 2017-18 yesterday. Earmarking Rs 55 crore in its annual budget for the mid-day meal scheme, the Delhi Government has also planned to expand its coverage to all students of class IX to XII in girls schools. "The Centre provides complete assistance for implementation of the midday meal scheme in government schools for students of Class I to VIII. However, the grant is hardly sufficient to ensure desired levels of calorie and nutrition with quality in the meals," a senior official of Directorate of Education (DoE) said. "We have decided to supplement the existing nutrition content by providing banana/boiled egg to each student from Delhi government's resources," she said. Questions have been raised time and again over the quality of the midday meals being served in schools. A committee formed in 2015 by the HRD Ministry which had experts from AIIMS had recommended that items like milk and milk products, eggs and bananas be included in midday meals. However, the upgradation is yet to take off at national level. The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought reply of the poll panel on pleas seeking to quash the notification laying down the manner of allocation of wards for reserved categories and women in the upcoming MCD polls. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Chander Shekhar issued notice to the Delhi State Election Commission and directed them to file their affidavit explaining the manner in which they have allotted the seats for the reserved category. The matter has now been fixed for further hearing on March 16, the next date of hearing. The bench was hearing pleas filed by NGOs challenging the poll panel's February 6 notification, announcing the election for 272 wards of the three municipal corporations here. The election are scheduled to be held in April. Many social activist have also approached the high court seeking stalling of the MCD polls, which was declined by the bench on Thursday. In its pleas, the NGOs said the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) in 2011 was divided into three zone North Delhi Municipal Corporation, East Delhi Municipal Corporation and South Delhi Municipal Corporation. The petitioners have sought quashing of the January 13 order with regard to delimitation of 272 wards with the composition of wards in each assembly constituency. It said while the number of wards in each of the three corporations 104 each in South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) and North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and 64 in East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) has remained the same, the number of wards in a few assembly segments has changed, ranging from three to seven. In 2012, ahead of the MCD elections, a notification was issued regarding allocation of wards amongst schedule caste, women and general category, the pleas stated. Claiming that the present notification was contrary to the Constitution as well as Section 3 of the DMC Act, one of the plea demanded that it should be quashed and a fresh circular issued in accordance with the law. It sought direction to identify and determine the municipal wards for the purpose of reservation for schedule caste, women and general category in terms of Article 243 of the Constitution. The article provides for reservation of seats for the schedule castes in the municipal area by rotation to different constituency in the municipality. The pleas have alleged that the poll panel, government and others agencies have not made reservation to different constituencies in a municipality by rotation. Image: twitter.com/sarbanandsonwal Guwahati, Mar 9 (IBNS): Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday said that the state government is committed to ensuring the grant of ST status to six communities. In fact the State Government has endorsed the demand of the six communities and been pressing the Centre for fulfilling their demands. Chairing a meeting at the conference room of Chief Ministers Office in Janata Bhawan, Sonowal said that the state government is hell bound to put its demand to the Union Home Ministry for convening a tri-partite meeting involving the Centre, State and the representatives of the six communities. I will personally convince the Union Home Ministry for holding a tri-partite meeting and solve the issue once for all, Sonowal said. Sonowal also informed that the state government is taking initiatives for the preservation of customs, traditions, language, and literature of different ethnic communities in the State. State Government is all set to launch a flagship programme for this purpose. Even the financial outlay for the same has already been earmarked in the budget, Sonowal said. The Assam CM also said that through Discovery of Assam State Government has been aiming at preserving the typical idiosyncrasies of every ethnic group. He also sought cooperation from all ethnic communities in this regard. On the other hand Sonowal also held discussion with a delegation of Adivasi National Convention and assured it to discuss it with the Centre for granting ST status to the Adivasis. He also said that the government would take appropriate steps for insurgent groups currently on ceasefire with the government. Chief Ministers Media Advisor Hrishikesh Goswami, Chief Secretary VK Pipersenia and a host senior officers were present at the meeting. (Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath) The by-election for the two Lok Sabha seats in the Kashmir valley in April will be an acid test for the PDP-BJP coalition government headed by Mehbooba Mufti. The Election Commission on Thursday announced that the by-election for the Srinagar and the Anantnag seats will be held onApril 9 and 12 respectively. Reports were circulating that the coalition government might again try to get the elections postponed on the issue of the ongoing unrest in certain parts of the valley. The state government had pleaded that the panchayat elections should be held before the bypolls for the vacant Lok Sabha seats. The Congress had recently accused the coalition government of running away from the elections in the valley. The general atmosphere in the valley at this point of time is not congenial particularly for the PDP because of the recent long stretched unrest that claimed 80 lives in Kashmir following the killing of a local terrorist leader Burhan Wani in an encounter in July last. The Anantnag Lok Sabha seat was vacated by Mehbooba Mufti in June last year after she won the assembly election to become Chief Minister following the death of her father Mufti Syeed. The Srinagar Lok Sabha seat fell vacant when the sitting PDP MP Tariq Hameed Karra resigned as a protest against what he called brutalities on the people who were protesting killing of Burhan Wani. Karra has now joined the Congress and was expected to again contest the seat in the by-election. The atmosphere in Anantnag that was considered a stronghold of the PDP during the lifetime of Mufti Sayeed was also not in favour of the PDP at this point of time as South Kashmir has become epicenter of the current unrest in the valley. However, Mehbooba was making efforts to politically mellow down the anger among the electorate. The BJP had failed to win even a single seat in the valley in the last Assembly elections. In yet another incident of moral policing in Kerala, a group of Shiv Sena supporters attacked young couples on Marine Drive in Kochi on Wednesday evening. The events unfurled as a handful of Shiv Sena men, some of them wielding canes, took out a march through Marine Drive. The incident took place in the presence of policemen and mediapersons and a police sub inspector was suspended and eight constables were transferred for their failure to prevent the harassment. Police said that the Sena activists took out a procession, with a banner 'stop love under umbrella' on Wednesday. They then verbally abused the couples and threatened them to vacate the walkway. Some of the Sena supporters then caned the couples and asked them not to return to the walkway anymore, police informed. The situation was brought under control after more policemen reached the spot. Six Sena activists were arrested in connection with the incident. The arrests were made under charges of causing public nuisance and holding procession without police permission. The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed Delhi Police to ensure that the Vice Chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University and other officials are not stopped from entering or exiting the varsity's administrative block. It also directed that any 'dharna' or protest at the university shall be held peacefully but not within 100 metres of the administrative block and ordered the Delhi Police to ensure compliance of the two directions by use of its officers, if necessary. Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, however, sensitised the senior police officers present in court about the manner in which they have to deal with the students if there is any untoward incident. The court also issued notice to the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) and sought presence of their office bearers on the next date to explain the reason for their agitation. The union's office bearers' presence was required as the judge was of the view that "the issue pertains to a university and the relation between the university and students" and the problem should be resolved by dialogues and mediation and not by adjudication. "I feel, the issue instead of being strictly adjudicated should be resolved by way of dialogue, mediation and counselling," the judge said. The students are protesting the recent amendments made in the JNU admission policy which they claim will lead to a massive cut in M.Phil and Ph.D seats. The admission policy was framed subsequent to a University Grants Commission (UGC) notification of May 5 last year capping the number of students per supervisor in M.Phil and Ph.D courses. The JNU administration, which had come to court against the blocking of its administrative block by agitating students, said the "university will install CCTV cameras in and around the administrative building" to step up security. The court directed JNU to preserve 30 days footage of the cameras and to make it available to local police, if required or demanded by them. . Following the election commission's order, repolling in 34 polling stations in three districts of Manipur is being held amid tight security on Thursday. "Voters are seen standing in queues before the polling stations for the repolling which is so far peaceful" an election commission official said. As electoral malpractices were reported at the polling booths in Imphal, Churachandpur and Kangpoki districts, the EC on Tuesday ordered for a repoll. Polling for the these booths were held in the first phase the Manipur Assembly elections on March 4. Repolling was started at 7 am. (With inputs from Agencies) Both the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party were banking on Muslim votes along with their traditional Yadav and Dalit support in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. It is on this account that both distributed a number of tickets to Muslim candidates to ensure the support of the community. However, an exclusive exit poll conducted by CrowdNewsing to gauge the mood of Muslim voters in UP, pointed out that the community has voted diversely in this election. The poll, which was conducted with a sample size of 2500 voters in ten cities and towns of the state, reveals that 55% Muslims voted for the Samajwadi-Congress alliance, and 36% for the BSP. The other 9% voted for other parties. The exit poll reveals that in communally disturbed cities of western Uttar Pradesh, people from the minority community have voted for the SP-Congress alliance whereas in many pockets of central and eastern Uttar Pradesh, the Muslims have stood with Mayawatis Dalit-Muslim social engineering, bypassing the Congress-SP alliance as well as smaller parties like AIMIM (All India Majlis-e ittehadul Muslameen). When probed about their disaffection for the BJP, most respondents blamed the partys public positioning among the community. Altogether 86% respondents believe Prime Minister Narendra Modis Shamshan versus Kabristan comment was a direct attack on the minorities. Only 7 per cent believed the Prime Ministers statement was a reference to equality among all communities. On the question of whether Ram Mandir or Babri Masjid was an electoral issue or not, 59% believed that its a non-starter. Among the respondents on this question, 75 % were people under the age of 30. On the reason behind their voting percentage, 45 % said it was for the partys ability to win, followed by the candidates ability to defeat BJP which stood at 29 % and candidate's track record at 20%. Among the issues that matter the most, development of infrastructure, roads, water and electricity tops the agenda at 44%, followed by the partys ability to "prevent riots and communal violence" at 23%, "creation of jobs" at 19% and "candidates religion" at 12 per cent. Commenting on the need to have an exit poll exclusively among Muslims, Bilal Zaidi, the founder of CrowdNewsing, said, "There is a tendency in the mainstream media and political parties to engage with religious clerics whenever there is a conversation around the Muslim population, and elections are no different. The idea behind this survey was to look beyond these self-appointed interlocutors to understand the voting preferences as well as the aspirations of the community." Tanweer Fazal, political analyst and sociologist, Associate Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, commenting on the diversity of Muslim voters, said, Muslims should be never be seen as a single community, there are various layers within the community, they vote accordingly. Besides this Mayawati had distributed tickets to Muslims in large numbers, the vote was destined to be divided. Finally, with many analysts predicting a hung assembly, 92 per cent of the respondents want SP and BSP to bury their differences and form a mega alliance to prevent a BJP government in Uttar Pradesh. President Pranab Mukherjee has returned a Bill, that stipulates steep penalty for violating labour laws in the national capital, to the Delhi Assembly. Speaker Ram Niwas Goel said on Thursday that the Bill, that was cleared by the assembly in December 2015, has been returned for "reconsideration". Incidentally, it was returned once before and was sent back to the President with the required changes, Labour Minister Gopal Rai said. "We have received a letter from the Lt Governor (Anil Baijal) dated March 8 in which he has apprised me that the President has returned the Minimum Wages (Delhi) Amendment Bill 2015 for reconsideration," Goel told the House. The proposed law has recommended imprisonment of up to three years and penalty amounting Rs.50,000 for violators of the Minimum Wages Act. Under the proposed amendments, companies will also have to upload the data of their employees on their websites in the manner as may be prescribed by the Delhi government. "The financial condition of the labourers in Delhi is quite bad. Keeping this in mind, minimum wages have been hiked recently. But the biggest problem has been violation of the law and the lack of options to penalise violators. "The returning of the Bill is unfortunate. We will sit with the Chief Minister and work out the details and resend it," Rai told reporters. With the 'Exit Poll' results predicting a close fight between the main Opposition Congress and new entrant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab Assembly polls, the stage appears set for a change of government in Punjab as all surveys predicted a wipe out for the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-Bhartiya Janta Party (SAD-BJP). With some surveys predicted a Congress victory, others also predicted the poll result in favour of AAP which indicated the close fight between the two parties are having in the state ruled by the SAD-BJP for the past decade. While AAP's fate depends largely on politically significent Malwa region, the Congress appears to have done better in the remaining two regions Doaba and Majha. Around 1.4 Crore people in Punjab voted for the state's 117 Assembly seats on 4 February. There were some 1,100 candidates in the triangular contest between the ruling combine, the Congress and AAP, which contested the Assembly elections in the state for the first time. Expressing confidence of his party forming the next government in the state with a clear majority, Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh said that his party would attain a clear majority with 62-65 seats in its kitty. "The exit polls were merely indicative of the positive trend in favour of the Congress, but the actual results would be completely in favour of the party," he added. The SAD-BJP was obviously headed for a total washout in these polls, with the huge pent-up resentment against their misrule having perceptibly translated into negative votes, said Captain Amarinder. He added that the people were evidently having also been wary of experimenting with the AAP which had failed to prove its credentials as a serious player in the political arena. It's miserable performance in the Delhi government and the erosion of its reputation in Punjab as a result of widespread allegations of corruption and other misdemeanours had led to AAP losing the advantage it had seized in Punjab during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, said the Congress leader. The Congress chief ministerial candidate had earlier, on the occasion of the launch of his authorised biography, said that his own gut feeling, based on his political experience, suggested that the party would secure between 62 and 65 seats. Trinamool Congress MPs on Thursday staged a dharna in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in the Parliament complex against the killings of Indians in the US. Demanding a response from the Centre, the TMC MPs from both the Houses held placards with slogans "All Indians are our brothers and sisters, stop attacking them in the USA" and "The world is one. All citizens are our brothers and sisters. We must take care of them". Speaking on the issue in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, Saugata Roy said This is the result of a persistent hate campaign against Indians which is taking place in the United States, especially after the new Government came to power. Raising questions on the silence of the government on the issue, he asked "Arent we going to take steps to stop this hate campaign against Indians?" "The Central Government, especially our very voluble, vocal and articulate Prime Minister is keeping a strange silence on the issue" he added. Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC chief had also tweeted on the issue and urged the Centreto take up the issue at the highest level in the US. (With inputs from Agencies) Uttar Pradesh emerged as the best state in terms of capital spending and completion of projects during the first three quarters of this current fiscal, while Gujarat bagged the numero uno position as regards the overall development, says a report. In terms of total value of projects completed, Uttar Pradesh topped the list with Rs.185.5 billion, followed by Maharashtra at Rs.178 billion, Telangana Rs.111.3 billion and West Bengal Rs.61.3 billion, according to a Deutsche Bank research note. When it comes to the number of projects completed, UP again grabbed the lead position 25 units during the April-December period of the current fiscal. Punjab saw completion of 21 units, while Maharashtra stood at third place with 19 units with regard to projects completed. Overall, the project completion rate of all states is up 104 per cent in April-December 2016, from the year-ago period, with five states Maharashtra, UP, Telangana, West Bengal and Punjab constituting almost 83 per cent of total value of projects completed. On the other hand, Gujarat, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala recorded a contraction in the project completion rate in April-December period of current fiscal over the year-ago period. In terms of overall development that includes economic, social, fiscal and governance aspects, Gujarat was ranked as the best state, followed by Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Karnataka. While Bihar, UP, Odisha, Rajasthan and West Bengal feature at the bottom in the list. The report said that at state government level, capex spending has increased substantially since last financial year for most states, compared to their past trend, and encouragingly the positive momentum is continuing for many states through the current fiscal as well. "It is encouraging to see that capex momentum in states such as UP, West Bengal and Bihar has picked up in the last two years, albeit from a low base, especially given that these states are generally regarded as economically backward relative to the other states. The challenge will be to sustain the momentum in the years ahead so as to bridge the gap with the other states," the report noted. It further said states which have a higher urbanisation rate are also the same states that are relatively more prosperous and enjoys a higher score related to developmental metrics. "The government's initiative to build smart cities across India is encouraging and should help expedite the pace of urbanisation, which has been abysmally slow in the last several decades. The strategy of building or transforming small tertiary towns to cities and connecting them to hub cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata, through high speed transport will increase productivity and reduce the problem of urban primacy," the report added. Widows in Madhya Pradesh need not compulsorily hold a Below Poverty Line (BPL) card to get their pension, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced. "The condition of BPL card will not be imposed for sanctioning pension to widows in the state. Also, from now on, they (widows) will be addressed as Kalyani," Chouhan said last evening in a private function on the occasion of International Women's Day. A state government pension scheme is in place to help distressed widows. The CM also said that they would be given priority in welfare schemes and their expertise will be used for the betterment of the state. On the occasion, ten women who managed to reach top positions beating odds in life were honoured by the Chief Minister for their achievements. Chouhan said that women have showed that they are not distressed but are now empowered, by facing challenges successfully. "They do not lack in intelligence, commitment and devotion. They can illuminate the lives of others if they get opportunity," he said. He informed on the occasion that efforts are being made to eliminate discrimination faced by them. Girls are no more a burden on their families. Several schemes have been prepared for their empowerment in the state, Chouhan said. He further mentioned that the state government will forward a draft demanding capital punishment to culprits involved in heinous crimes against women, to the President. This draft was submitted to the CM by the first beneficiaries of 'Mukhyamantri Kanyadaan', 'Ladli Laxmi' and 'Tejasvini' schemes and a group of girls who met him in the programme. Image: Google Maps Guwahati, Mar 9 (IBNS): The Assam Police on Thursday announced a bounty of Rs 1 lakh on Sudodh Biswas, national president of Nikhil Bharat Bangali Udbastu Samanvay Samiti (NBBUSS), one of the prime accused in the All Assam Students Union (AASU) office attack. Assam DGP Mukesh Sahay said that, the Assam police has announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh to anyone who will provide information of Subodh Biswas, who was already declared absconding person. Following the attack on the All Assam Students Union (AASU) office by miscreants during the rally of NBBUSS at Silapathar in northern Assams Dhemaji district, police had registered a case (67/2017) and declared Subodh Biswas as a wanted person. On March 6, NBBUSSs Dhemaji district committee had held an open meeting at Sila Janajati High School with gathering of around 5000 people. Some of the attended leaders of NBBUSS delivered provocative speeches. A procession was taken out under leadership of Kripesh Baidya and others following the meeting," the Assam DGP said. "When the procession reach at Silapathar town near AASU office, suddenly the processionists got violent and started pelting stones at AASU office and damaged the furniture and other items. Dhemaji police had immediately tried to control the situation and also used tear gas cells to disburse the unruly assembly after issuing warnings. Later the protesters pelted stones on police personnel. However the mob got more violent and caused damaged to the public properties, Swahid Smrity Bhawan of AASU and few vehicles. Later police had managed to control the situation. Following the incident, police had registered a case after Dhemaji district AASU president and general secretary lodged an FIR, he said. DGP Sahay said that, police has arrested 27 persons in connection with the incident so far and communicated with the Arunachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal counterparts to trace Subodh Biswas. On the other hand, Assam police has sounded an alert across the state to prevent violence following the AASU office attack. We have already sounded an alert across the state and are determined to strictly stop any violence, DGP Sahay said. The Assam DGP said that, if required police will take stern action against those who instigated to create violence. Mukesh Sahay further said that, following the AASU office attack incident, Assam police has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under SSP CID. (Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath) Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, whose ostensible tweet on Women's day created an uproar on Twitter, has now landed him in legal tussle. The filmmaker posted a series of obscene tweets on the occasion of Women's day, one of which read, "I wish all the women in the world give men as much happiness as Sunny Leone gives. While the Sarkar 3 director received a backlash on Twitter for his tweet, Vishaka Mhambrey, a womens wing of the Hindu Janajagruti group, has reportedly filed a police complaint against him in Goa. In the complaint, it was mentioned that insulting a womans prestige is a cognizable offence under the Indecent Representation of Women Act, hence a complain should be registered against the director under Cyber Law for victimisation of Women. Retorting to the complaint, Varma tweeted, "Filing counter against OverActivist wid 212 followers which wud b her family n friends, for disrespecting 18 lakh followers of @SunnyLeone. Only God nd Social media numbers r true judges nd who disagree shud check no, of @SunnyLeone followers with their own numbers b4 they tweet," the director added. Pratiksha,the State Organiser of the Ranaragini group, also demanded that Varmas Twitter account be permanently blocked. Ram Gopal Varma is currently busy helming his upcoming flick Sarkar3, which stars Amitabh Bachchan and Jackie Shroffs in pivotal roles. Tiger Shroff said that he is not even close to what his father is while responding to director Ram Gopal Varma's comment that the young actor should learn "machoism" from Jackie Shroff. Varma, known for his controversial comments on the social media, had recently tweeted about Tiger's picture on the cover of a magazine, with this caption: "Truly real men like Bruce Lee and 'bindasbhidu' (Jackie Shroff's Twitter handle) never pose in a 'Urmliaish' way." "Please learn machoism from bindasbhidu who even without martial arts poses more like a man and never like this," he continued. When asked about his response, Tiger said Varma is a senior filmmaker and entitled to his opinion. "I am not even half the man that my father is. He is the original hero. Even if I tried I can't be like him. But everyone has the freedom of speech. He is a senior director, so, there's not much I can say to him," the 27-year-old actor told reporters at the inaugural day of Mumbai International Motor Show. Tiger said he does not care if some people react negatively to his "artistic expression." "I try to be my own individual self and be different. I try to express my individuality as much as I can. Some might appreciate my artistic expression, some may not. To each his own." Jackie and Varma worked together in Rangeela and are back in Sarkar 3. Patients at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) seemed to be irked over the premier institute's new move to open exclusive OPD counters for VIPs. These "special patients" can now escape OPD's long queues. However, the definition of VIPs will be decided by AIIMS director, deputy director administration (DDA), medical superintendent and senior financial advisor, besides the officer on special duty (OSD) to the Union health minister. Neha Rana, who was standing at the OPD queue, said, "My father is unable to stand due to severe stomach ache. I am here from 8 am for his check-up, but unable to consult a doctor due to long queqe and it's already 10 am. Why the hospital authorities are providing special counters to VIPs. I am totally disappointed from this step." The move has also drawn wide criticism among doctors and faculty members. A doctor on the condition of anonymity said, "The VIP culture shall be removed from AIIMS as it is a government hospital. This is simply not acceptable. Already patients have to wait for hours to consult a doctor." Earlier, the media and protocol division at AIIMS facilitated the registration process for VIP references, but there was no exclusive counter for them. Now, the AIIMS administration has officially started a mechanism to ensure smooth registration for VIP references from 1 March, opening a new counter at the Rajkumari Amrit Kaur OPD. Arjun Singh (39), a diabetic, said, "I came from Palwal. It took me around two hours to reach here. After this, I am facing a long queue to consult a doctor. How a patient can stand for such a long time. Then, this exclusive VIP references. These things annoy me." On an average, AIIMS gets 10,000 patients daily at its OPD counters. As OPD registration closes at 11 am, patients who have been referred from one department to another have to register online for consultation the next day. Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday expressed confidence that the BJP would win the high-stakes Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls with an "absolute" majority, two days before counting of votes. Asked about his party's prospects in the state, he told reporters, "We will get absolute majority". He, however, did not answer questions about who will be the party's chief ministerial candidate if it comes to power. The counting of votes for the five-state Assembly polls, including in UP, will be held on March 11 with results expected the same day. UP underwent seven-phase polls spread across almost a month. The saffron party led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pulled out all stops to capture power in the state where it has been on the margins for over 15 years. It is locked in a keen triangular battle involving the SP-Congress alliance and the BSP. The Congress party on Thursday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his silence over the recent incidents of attacks on Indians in the United States and said such incidents have increased after President Donald Trump took charge. Congress leader in Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, demanded Prime Minister Modi to make a statement on the issue in the Parliament. "Such incidents have increased after the new US President has taken charge. The Prime Minister tweets on every other issue. Why doesn't he talk on this issue? Why is he silent? He should make a statement today," Kharge said while addressing the second part of the Budget Session in Lok Sabha. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh earlier in the day had said that the government has taken up the matter of incidents regarding attacks on Indians in US and a statement on behalf of the Government of India would be given in the Parliament next week. "We will take steps to ensure that Indians in USA feel secure there. The government will make a detailed statement soon," Singh said in Lok Sabha. Meanwhile, AIADMK leader M Thambidurai said it is high time that India should intervene and protect its citizens and see to it that such incidents don't repeat. An Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla was killed and another Indian Alok Madasani was injured in a shooting by navy veteran Adam Purinton, who yelled 'terrorist' and 'get out of my country' before opening fire on them in Kansas last month. Army's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt Gen AK Bhatia on Thursday spoke to his Pakistani counterpart and conveyed India's concerns over movement of terrorists along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir. The conversation came amid an ongoing encounter between security forces and militants holed up inside a house in Awantipora area of Kashmir's Pulwama district. "The DGMO spoke to the Pakistan Army DGMO on Thursday morning. He expressed concern regarding the movement of terrorists noticed along the Line of Control (LoC)," Army sources said. The Pakistani DGMO was also informed about the repatriation of two Pakistani nationals apprehended in Uri. "The individuals will be repatriated through Wagah border on March 10," said the sources. The NIA had handed over to the army two Pakistani youths on Wednesday whom it had arrested in connection with the 2016 terror attack on a military base in Uri that had killed 19 soldiers. The NIA had handed over Faisal Hussain Awan and Ahsan Khursheed to the army's 16 Corps headquarters in Jammu. Police on Thursday arrested a former IAF employee who they believe is the "mastermind" of a terror module that included Saifullah, a suspected terrorist killed in an encounter on Wednesday. Mohd Ghaus Khan was picked up from Kanpur by the Anti- Terrorist Squad, and revealed vital information during questioning, said Additional Director General of UP Police Daljit Chaudhary. He said another suspect, identified only as Azhar, was also arrested by the ATS. Khan "is a technical man and a hardcore member of the module," Chaudhary said, adding he was the "main accused and mastermind" of the module. He said Azhar, the second suspect, was the main supplier of arms to the module. He did not say where he was arrested from, or in what capacity Khan worked in the air force. The UP police claimed that with these two arrests, all the main members of what they alleged was an ISIS influenced module are in custody. The latest arrests raised to five the number of people in the UP police custody in connection with the blast on the Bhopal-Ujjain train in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. The MP police also has arrested some people. Yesterday the UP police arrested three men after an encounter on the outskirts of Lucknow in which Saifullah was killed after a 12-hour ATS operation. Police say he and his alleged accomplices carried out the train blast in which at least ten persons were injured. Police say he was self-radicalized and was influenced by the Middle Eastern terror group, ISIS. Saifullah's father has refused to claim his son's body, saying anyone who carries out a terror attack is a traitor to the nation. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday briefed the Lok Sabha on Lucknow encounter and said the government and the Parliament is proud of slain terrorist Saifullahs father. "Saifullahs father has refused to take his body as he was a traitor. The government and the Parliament is proud of him," the home minister said. "The government is expressing sympathy to slain terrorist Saifullahs father," he added. One terror suspect was neutralised as anti-terror operation in Thakurganj area of Lucknow ended after almost 12 hours in the wee hours ofWednesday. According to police, eight pistols, 650 rounds of ammunition, 50 fired rounds, explosives materials, gold, some cash, passports and SIM cards were recovered from the terrorist. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that the government has taken Kansas shooting incident very seriously and will issue the statement in Parliament next week. "India has taken US incident seriously. We will give the statement in house next week," Rajnath said. Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, was killed and Alok Madasani, another Indian of the same age, injured in a shooting by navy veteran Adam Purinton, who yelled 'terrorist' and 'get out of my country' before opening fire on them in Kansas last month. The home minister is also likely to make a statement on the anti-terror operation that took place in Lucknow on Tuesday, as well as the pipe bomb blast in Bhopal-Ujjain train earlier that day. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will probe the Lucknow terror operation. The home minister applauded the father of terror suspect Saifullah, for refusing to accept a traitors body. "Saifullahs father has refused to take his body as he was a traitor. The government and the Parliament is proud of him," Rajnath said while addressing the second leg of the Budget Session. "The government is expressing sympathy to slain terrorist Saifullahs father," he added. Earlier on Wednesday, the father of Saifullah, Sartaj refused to accept his sons body saying a traitor is no son of theirs. "A traitor cant be our son. We are Indians, we were born here, our forefathers were born here. One who indulges in anti-national activities cant be our son we wont accept his body, Sartaj said. Saifullah was killed by commandos in a house on the outskirts of Lucknow on Wednesday after an exchange of fire with the police for about 12 hours. New York, Mar 9 (Just Earth News): The richness, welfare and prosperity of countries depend on the full integration of women in the development process, United Nations Secretary-General AntAnio Guterres said on Wednesday, commemorating International Womenas Day at a ceremony in Nairobi as part of his visit to Kenya. Speaking at an event alongside the First Lady of Kenya, Guterres told the hundreds of assembled women leaders at the Governments official celebration of the International Day, that every effort had to be made to finally defeat male-dominated culture if we are to be able to achieve gender equality. The truth is that north and south, east and west [] everywhere, we still have a male-dominated culture, he said, recalling that he had pushed hard for womens empowerment when he was the Prime Minister of Portugal and, as the former UN High Commissioner for Refugees, he had met women who suffered the worst possible abuse. Against this background, and the enduring male-dominated culture and violation of womens human rights, we need to have [] policies of gender equality [and] policies of protection of women in vulnerable situations, but the key [] is our strong commitment to women and girls empowerment in our societies, he stated. Noting the three pillars of the UN human rights, peace and security and development he also underlined that it is better to prevent conflict when we have women fully empowered in societies and its better to solve conflicts when fully participate in conflict resolution. Guterres also had the opportunity to visit a number of field projects in the Mathare slums, including a womens empowerment program run by UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) as part of its slum upgrading initiative and a UN WOMEN project designed to encourage the political participation of women. He was able to listen to a group of women who had decided to run for office, often against great odds. Earlier in the day, the Secretary-General met with Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House. Speaking to the press following the meeting, Guterres expressed his belief that the narrative of the UN about Africa has not always been the right one, being sometimes too much concentrated on crisis. And while it is true that there are crises in Africa as there are crises in Europe, Asia and elsewhere Africa must be seen more and more as a land of achievements and opportunity. And [] Kenya is the symbol of that achievement and that opportunity, he said, going on to express solidarity with the Kenyan Government and people regarding the drought that is affecting the country. I hope that the international community will be able to match the generosity that Kenyans have always shown, namely in relation to refugees, and support the country now that the drought has been prolonged in such a way that, of course, the resources of the country are themselves in difficulty to face this enormous challenge, he underscored. Turning next to his visit yesterday to neighbouring Somalia, he reiterated his concern for ongoing drought there, saying: People are dying. This must stop. The international community must act now and mobilize to support the Somali people in this very difficult situation. Guterres visited a settlement for people displaced by the drought. For over an hour, he walked through the camp, asked question and listened to the stories of men, women and children who had come to Baidoa to seek food and water. Some had recently resettled from the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya only to be forced to move again because of the drought. International Womens Day around the UN system Meanwhile in New York, the official UN commemoration of International Womens Day took place at Headquarters and featured statements from Peter Thomson, the President, 71st Session of the UN General Assembly; Bjarni Benediktsson, the Prime Minister of Iceland; Amina Mohammad, UN Deputy Secretary-General; Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, Chair of the upcoming 61st session of the Commission on the Status of Women ; Lana Nusseibeh, President, UN Women Executive Board; Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director, UN Women; Casar Jacobson, Disability Activist and Youth Champion; and Anne Hathaway, UN Women Global Goodwill Ambassador. As we meet on Wednesday to celebrate the positive developments that have taken place over the years in the promotion and protection of women and girls human rights, let us pause to recognize that this progress has often been slow, fragile and uneven, said Thomson. He called on the even to recall that if we are to achieve a future in which all women and men enjoy equal rights, empowerment, and opportunity, then we must commit to decisive action to overcome the entrenched obstacles still preventing progress. Noting the theme of this years International Day Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030 brings focused attention to a critical driver of gender equality, he said that if governments and other stakeholders are serious about achieving a Planet 50-50 by 2030, specific action must be taken now to accelerate the realization of gender equality. Also on Wednesday, the Organizations Rome-based agencies the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP) reminded the world that women and girls play a crucial role in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular, the goal of eradicating hunger and extreme poverty. Leaders from the three agencies reinforced their commitments to step up efforts to invest in the capacities of rural women as key agents of change in building a world without hunger. Photo: UN Habitat/Julius Mwelu Source: www.justearthnews.com A civilian and three terrorists were killed in separate incidents in South and North Kashmir on Thursday. One terrorist was killed in a brief encounter this evening with security forces at Bandipora in North Kashmir, while two others were killed during an encounter with security forces in the Padgampora village in the Pulwama district of South Kashmir. A spokesman of the Northern Command of the army said that a soldier was wounded during the encounter near the Bandipora police station. Security forces have cordoned the area and launched search operation. The army spokesman said, one soldier has been martyred in a ceasefire violation by the Pakistan Army in the Poonch Sector on Thursday. Pakistani troops fired at the Indian post and the Indian troops retaliated the fire. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a conclave on 'Politics of Disruption' in Mumbai on March 18. President Pranab Mukherjee will be the chief guest at the two-day conclave, organised by the India Today group, starting on March 17. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is among the list of speakers at the event. Modi will speak on the topic- Politics of Disruption, setting India's new agenda while Mukherjee is expected to deliberate on his long political career, the organisers said. One terrorist was killed in a fierce gun battle between security forces and suspected terrorists in Awantipora village of Pulwama district in south Kashmir on Thursday morning. Security forces from the CRPF and Special Operation Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir police have started search operations and cordoned off the area where two-three militants of the group were holed up. The Army was deployed in the area to carry out combing operations. "Two heavily armed terrorists are believed to be trapped in a house. Troops of 130 Battalion CRPF, 55 Rashtriya Rifles and SOG Pulwama are involved in the operations," police said. Locals said gunshots were heard after security forces have sealed all the entry and exit points. Meanwhile, the Bannihal-Baramulla train service has been suspended as the railway track moves close to encounter site in Padgampora village. This is the second major encounter in the area in last four days. Last week, top Hizbul Mujahideen militant Aqib Maulvi was killed along with a Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammed militant Osama in Tral area of Pulwama district. Two militants were killed in a fierce gun battle that broke out on Thursday morning between security forces and Lashkar-e-Toiba militants in south Kashmir's Padgampora area of Pulwama district. "The slain militants have been identified as Jehangir Ganai and Mohammad Shafi alias Sher Gujri," a senior CRPF officer said, adding that Ganai was involved in the killing of a local policeman last year. "Both militants are resident of Koel village of the district (Pulwama)," the officer said. Security forces from the CRPF and Special Operation Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir police have started search operations and cordoned off the area where two-three militants of the group were holed up. The Army was deployed in the area to carry out combing operations. "Two heavily armed terrorists are believed to be trapped in a house. Troops of 130 Battalion CRPF, 55 Rashtriya Rifles and SOG Pulwama are involved in the operations," police said. Locals said gunshots were heard after security forces have sealed all the entry and exit points. Meanwhile, the Bannihal-Baramulla train service has been suspended as the railway track moves close to encounter site in Padgampora village. This is the second major encounter in the area in last four days. Last week, top Hizbul Mujahideen militant Aqib Maulvi was killed along with a Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammed militant Osama in Tral area of Pulwama district. In a major development to the Uphaar fire tragedy case, the Supreme Court has on Thursday dismissed Gopal Ansals plea seeking withdrawal of the February 9 order sentencing him to one-year in jail and asked him to surrender on March 20. He has to surrender in Patiala House Court after which he will be lodged in Tihar jail to serve one-year in the prison. "The appeal filed by Gopal Ansal is dismissed," a three- judge bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi said. Justice Gogoi, in a 2:1 majority verdict on February 9, had granted relief to 76-year-old Sushil Ansal considering age-related complications by awarding him jail term already undergone and had asked Gopal to surrender in four weeks to serve the remaining jail term. Gopal had thereafter filed a plea in the apex court seeking modification of its order on the grounds of parity, saying he was 69 years old and would suffer irreparable damage to his health if sent to prison. After the bench, also comprising Justices Kurian Joseph and Adarsh Kumar Goel, dismissed the plea, senior advocate Ram Jethmalani representing Gopal Ansal told the court that as per the February 9 order, Gopal was to surrender to serve the remaining jail term within four weeks, which is expiring on Wednesday. Jethmalani told the bench that Gopal Ansal be given some time to surrender. "Gopal Ansal will surrender to serve the rest of the sentence as imposed on him on March 20," the bench said. 59 persons had died in the Uphaar cinema during the screening of Hindi movie 'Border' on June 13, 1997. Two terrorists and a stone pelting civilian were killed on Thursday during an encounter with security forces in the Padgampora village in the Pulwama district of South Kashmir. This is the first civilian killing following warning of Army Chief Bipin Rawat to the civilians not to indulge in stone pelting on security forces during an encounter as the terrorists could escape in such situation. Deputy Commissioner of Pulwama, Muneer-ul-Islam, told the SNS over the telephone that the civilian identified as Aamir Nazir did not belong to the village where the encounter was in progress and had come from the Begum Bagh village about 4 kms away probably with a mob to pelt stones at the security forces and distract their attention from the terrorists. The DC said that the encounter has been called off but cordon of the village has not been lifted so far as search operations in the area were continuing. The Northern Command of the army confirmed that two terrorists have been killed in the encounter. The police said in the evening that the two killed terrorists were involved in the recent bank robberies and hurling grenades at security personnel. These terrorists were also wanted in cases of snatching rifles of policemen. They were motivating the youth in South Kashmir to join militancy and were also threatening people to keep away from the Mom Sabha and pancetta elections, police said. One of the slain terrorist has been identified as Jehangir Ganai who was a top commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) who was operating in South Kashmir and the Doda and Kishtwar districts of Jammu. Three of his accomplices, including a teacher, were yesterday arrested by the police and large quantity of arms and ammunition recovered from them. The other terrorist has been identified as Shaffi Sher Gujri. The 15-year-old civilian Aamir, who was a student of 9th class, got killed as the police fired at a mob that was pelting stones and other missiles at the security forces although restrictions under the Section 144 CR.PC. prohibiting assembly of people were promulgated in the area. Two other civilians are also reported to have been injured in the police action. One person received bullet injury on his leg and was stated out of danger. Residents of the surrounding villages descended at the place of encounter where the army, CRPF and the J&K police had laid a cordon to nab the terrorists last night. They started pelting stones from all sides while the security forces zeroed in on the house from where the terrorists were firing at them as such the police had no alternative but to open fire at the surging crowd. Reports said that Ganai was killed in the initial bout of gunfight, while the police called Gujris wife and mother to the encounter site in an attempt to make him surrender. However, the effort failed and the terrorist kept firing at the security forces. Train services from Banihal to the valley remained suspended as a precautionary measure. Reacting to the killing of Aamir during clashes, Hurriyat (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said the warning of Indian army chief Bipin Rawat has been put to action. Earlier on Sunday, the security forces had killed two terrorists in an encounter at Tral. A policeman also lost his life in the encounter. Rarely the crime; invariably the cover-up. So it has been since long before Richard Nixons resignation over the Watergate break in. And so it is today. President Donald Trumps National Security Adviser, Mike Flynn, lasted just 24 days before resigning over a conversation he had denied. Now, Trumps attorney general, Jeff Sessions, stands accused of lying to Senators about contacts he, too, had during the election campaign. It is not at all clear that he will be able to tough it out. One conclusion that could be drawn is that Trumps associates are prone to the same casual attitude to the truth as he appears to be. But this is not what the charges of concealment are really about: would either man have been called to account as he has if the contacts in question had not been with Russians? Would a call to a British diplomat, for instance, have been so suspect or thought so problematical as to be glossed over by the American concerned? I doubt it. Indeed, the UK ambassador in Washington came in for criticism back home for errors of almost the opposite kind: for failing to cultivate the Trump team. At least the Russian ambassador, Sergei Kislyak, cant be accused of that. All other things being equal, he would be in line for a medal recognising his stellar contribution to bilateral relations. But all other things are not equal. The reason why first Flynn and now Sessions are in anyones sights is that their supposed misdeeds feed into a theme that unites a very broad Washington coalition. Democrats, anti-Trump Republicans, members of the outgoing Obama administration, and sections of the diplomatic, law enforcement and intelligence establishment all agree that Trump is vulnerable, even culpable, on Russia. Their motives are mixed and overlap. There is the belief that Russia used nefarious means to help Donald Trump to power. Not to the point where the election was actually subverted by Russia. Oh no, the US electoral process, the actual voting and the count, retained its integrity. But Russian interference, including the hacking of the Democrats computers and ensuring anti-Clinton material reached the public domain, tipped the balance in favour of Trump. Or so the story goes. And it suits a lot of people. Democrats find it easier to blame Russia than accept that they lost in a fair fight. There is still a large US constituency that sees Russia as Enemy Number One and a smaller section whose jobs actually depend on the continued perception of Russia as a threat. They saw Trumps campaign pledge to try to improve relations with Moscow as a betrayal of the national interest and their own. Then there are those who regard any avenue that might lead to Trumps removal as worth pursuing, and at the moment the most promising avenue leads through Russia. Thus far, six weeks into Donald Trumps presidency, the anti-Trump, anti-Russia alliance has notched up some successes. It saw off Mike Flynn, regarded as the chief advocate for Russia in Trumps administration, largely by virtue of his attendance at a dinner with Vladimir Putin. It may have encouraged cabinet nominees to be harsher on Russia at their confirmation hearings than they would otherwise have been which may be why Sessions went wrong. Its most conspicuous success, though, was Trumps decision to omit Russia completely from his address to the joint chambers of Congress earlier this week. After a campaign in which relations with Russia had been one of his few consistent pitches, this omission was glaring. Was it a policy change, or a tactical retreat? There will be those a relatively small part of specialist opinion in Washington, but probably more in the country at large who will hope that it is only a tactical retreat. I have to agree. Not only because a US-Russia thaw could help solve some of the most intractable problems around the globe, but because the actual evidence against Russia is so thin and some of the methods used against the Trump camp smack of a witch hunt. Lets take a few of the claims. Did Russia try to manipulate the US election? The intelligence services report, in its declassified version at least, reveals only how ill-informed US intelligence appears to be. It also fails to make a crucial distinction. Every intelligence service worth its salt would have tried to probe behind the scenes of this unusual campaign. Trying to manipulate the result is something different, but Russia seemed as unprepared for a Trump victory as anyone. Did individuals around Trump make or maintain links with Russia? Some, such as Sessions as a member of the Senate armed services committee, and Rex Tillerson as CEO of Exxon-Mobil had professional reasons for their Russia contacts, which predated any association with Trump. Given, however, that a shift in Russia policy was a headline of the Trump campaign, it would make sense for one or more of those close to him to sound out the possible reception in the Kremlin. If they talked to the Russian ambassador, why not? He was doing his job, and they theirs. No, no, say Trumps accusers, any such contacts would have broken the (1799) Logan Act, which makes it illegal for a private citizen to negotiate with a foreign power. It hardly needs to be said that the circumstances in 1799 were rather different, or that low-key contacts between trusted associates and foreign diplomats have not featured in every US presidential transition to date. This seems one of the more trivial charges. Then there was the way Mike Flynn was trapped by the leak of material from tapped phone calls and emails to prove that he had spoken to the Russian ambassador. Is this a justified use of state power not the bugging, but the leak for this particular purpose? Trump described it as criminal, and I tend to agree. It looked very like payback by the CIA and others for Trumps scepticism about their hacking accusations against Russia. With hindsight, Trump may wish he had not sacrificed Flynn so soon. His enemies smelled blood and hastened their pursuit. Amateur sleuths are now trying to track contacts of Trump allies with Russians around the world. And Chris Steele the British ex-spy who compiled the dossier on Trumps supposed Kremlin links is being rehabilitated via social media in an effort to expose Trump as financially, or by reputation, in hock to the Kremlin. What does all this say? Those hostile to Trump would like it to show that he is essentially a rogue president who must be de-fanged if he cannot be deposed. Perhaps, though, it shows something else: that there interests feeling so threatened by this unorthodox president that they are prepared to use all the resources of the state against him? It may be too early to decide. But you have to delve back to the early Cold War for a time when Americans could be branded traitors merely for their associations. Just now, that infamous question are you now or have you ever been? seems uncomfortably close. The Independent. Hate crimes against Indians in the USA are growing. The advent of the Donald Trump administration earlier this year witnessed the recrudescence of white supremacists driven underground by the strong civil rights crusade of the 1950s and 1960s. Institutions and leaders of white supremacists have come together under one propaganda outlet codenamed alt right, whose chief ideologue, Stephen Bannon, sits next to President Trump in the Oval Office as one of his top advisers. World attention is drawn to the pestiferous Islamophobia but hidden from sight is the overall sentiment against immigrants from third world countries. What is surprising is that in the recent spell of hate crimes only Indians and people of Indian origin are being targeted. There are people from Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka who resemble Indians but singling out Indians from among them is rather perplexing. The majority of Indians in America not only voted for Trump in last years election but also raised huge funds and campaigned for him. America is not a white nation as countries like Australia, Canada and New Zealand were once. It was a nation of immigrants where whites, blacks, browns and Latinos co-existed. Indians are by far the most prosperous immigrant community in America and are the envy of the less educated whites. In the last fortnight, Srinivas Kuchibhotla was killed and Alok Madasami was shot at in Olathe City in Kansas on 22 February. The next day, an Indian-origin girl was racially abused on a train in New York. On 2 March, Harnish Patel, a 43-year-old shopkeeper, was shot dead outside his home in Lancaster, South Carolina. The following day, Deep Singh Rai, a 39-year-old Sikh, was shot and injured outside his home in Kent, California. Trump had described India as a true friend of America soon after his inauguration. It took him almost a week to condemn the killings. Indias ambassador to the USA, Navtej Sarna, conveyed the nations deep concerns to the US government while the State Department expressed condolences and assured it was working with all agencies concerned to ensure speedy justice to the victims. Punjabs Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal wanted External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to intervene in the matter and address the issue while the Punjab Congress president, Amarinder Singh, wanted the Modi government to engage with the Trump administration to preempt any further hate crimes against Indians in the USA. The problem is of intolerance and hate and that cannot be fixed easily by government fiats of either India or the USA. However, it is interesting to note Indian travellers visiting the USA have more than doubled in the last decade. About 1.1 million Indians visited the USA in 2015 and spent close to $12 billion. The two countries have kicked off talks to expand air connectivity with more non-stop flights, allowing frequent Indian visitors quicker exit at the airports under Americas Global Entry programme. While the world tears itself apart with raging debates over the drivers of climate change and projected impacts on sustainable human development, our waste just keeps piling up to turn development back a day every day. But issues of waste dig to the core of global policies such as Sustainable Development Goals (SDG: 2015-2030). As we enter the era of SDG, WHO-UNICEF strongly emphasises on myriad impacts of unsound waste management on global poverty (SDG 1), hunger (SDG 2), health and well-being (SDG 3), environment (SDG 6), inequality (SDG 10), responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), climate action (SDG 13), life below water (SDG 14), and life on land (SDG 15). Climate claims the hot seat at almost every international environment-sustainability summit worldwide. But interestingly, even recent climate-change research has begun stressing heavily upon multifarious challenges ushered by the waste-climate nexus and its snowballing dimensions over time. Findings suggest that sustainable waste management holds better promise to climate mitigation than devising expensive means to reducing methane emission from organic wastes in landfills (comprising mostly of municipal solid waste: MSW) and/or eliminating black carbon from composting. About 10-15 per cent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions could potentially be checked by developing sustainable landfill mitigation/diversion techniques and using solid waste as a resource for energy generation. Recently, Germany attributed about a quarter of its total savings in GHG emissions between 1990 and 2006 to sustainable solid waste management. It appears that incorporation of sound waste management methods in environmental protection/conservation policies could further offset the global GHG emissions by another 5-10 per cent. Presently, the global waste sector is going through a paradigm shift. Developing economies are trying to take the notion away from waste disposal to waste management coupled with reversal of the basic idea from wastes to resources as part of their circular economy. Efforts have begun to cut off waste-generation at the very source. Studies reveal that preventing waste-generation at source yields better results than keeping wastes concentrated and isolated (still the main waste-handling method in developing nations). Developing economies are becoming increasingly inclined towards adopting an Integrated Sustainable Waste Management (ISWM) framework, while their counterparts are still pretty lackadaisical to bringing about necessary policy reforms. The beauty of ISWM is that it takes into account the multi-dimensional aspects of the entire waste sector beginning with sound waste collection, waste treatment/disposal, to the 3Rs (Reduce-Reuse-Recycle). In addition it explicitly acknowledges the issues of waste-governance: stakeholder inclusivity (service user/provider issues), financial sustainability (cost-effective and sustainable), and proactive reform policies (national/local). The latter includes strategic aspects of waste management, taking into stride the political, health, institutional, social, economic, environmental, and technical facets. But how adoptable is ISWM in developing economies? How about India? Just recently the Supreme Court has severely admonished the Central Government for permitting other nations to use our coastal waters as dumpsites for their own wastes. And then earning money in exchange. The recent incident of a fire breaking out on Bellandur Lake (the largest in Bengaluru) resulting from years of unregulated MSW disposal can be a wake-up call. In fact, Bengaluru is at its tipping point. The MSW rules of 2000 mandate masonry bins to be installed at every 100-200 meters. However, in reality, most parts of the city lack this, giving rise to appalling roadside-waste-heaps. Segregation of waste is seldom carried out and is directly transported to disposal sites, causing air pollution, emission of toxic fumes, littering, and rampant soil-water contamination. Even when segregated, waste get mixed during transportation. MSW issues in Bengaluru have reached such epic proportions that researchers of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) believe that by 2025 the city might just be unsustainable to live in. A recent report of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reveals that the total municipal solid waste (MSW) load has soared in 59 major cities/towns from 30 x 03 tons/day to about 50.5 x 103 tons/day between 1999-2000 and 2011-11. The report finds Delhi (6,800 tons/day) and Mumbai (6,500/tons/day) as toppers, followed by Chennai (4,500 tons/day), Bengaluru (3,700 tons/day) and Hyderabad (4,200 tons/day). In each metro, MSW-loads have grown stupendously over time with the highest achieved by Hyderabad (168 per cent), followed by Bengaluru (85 per cent), Delhi (70 per cent), Chennai (44 per cent), and Mumbai (21 per cent). Nationwide, about 70 per cent of MSW-load is collected, of which only about 17 per cent is treated. Theres no documented record of MSW-treatment for UP, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, and most north-eastern states. Compared to developing economies, the waste sector in India is in its adolescence, pitted with ignorance and deplorable laid-back attitudes. Most cities/towns still lack a waste-management plan. Door-to-door MSW-collection/segregation is seldom comprehensive, even for Class-I cities. There lies a yawning gap between MSW-collection and processing. Most municipalities still lack environmentally-sustainable landfill facilities, and resort to unregulated dumping. Waste-collection-segregation statistics for most municipalities are rarely available online. During 2010-11, only 22 out of 34 SPCB/PCCs had submitted their Annual Reports to the CPCB which underscores the lack of concern, awareness and initiative. The fundamental hitch in contemplating ISWM for India is utter lack of willingness of our authorities to deliberate on its multi-dimensional strategic aspects. ISWM is not a standalone process but an intricate web of several sectors. But a nation where inter-sector frictions are a norm, can we aspire to adopt such a rigorously collaborative framework where multiple sectors will overlap and complement each other? What are the consequences? Three of 50 largest dumpsites in the world are located in India. We rank 3rd on MSW-generation. About 85 per cent of MSW-disposal methods in India are deemed unsound. The fastest growing economy of the world is also among the largest producers of the worthless. The writers are, respectively, Assistant Director, Centre for Environment and Sustainable Global Development, Jindal School of Liberal Arts and Humanities, Sonipat and a student of the O P Jindal Global Law School. Some of the data is sourced from the Global Waste Monitoring Outlook 2014 and Global Waste Atlas 2015 Delhi of the Mughals never ceases to astonish one. Besides the vast literature on the subject one sometimes gleans gems of information that lie buried in obscurity. Would it surprise modern readers to know that Shah Jahan (whose birthday fell on 15 January) built not only a new Capital but also imparted a certain unique tradition to it. According to Shama Mitra Chenoy, Delhi was not only Darul Khalifa but also 22 Khawaja-ki-Chaukhat (royal patronage hub and threshold of 22 saints). The city had 14 gates: Delhi Darwaza, Rajghat Darwaza, Khizri Darwaza, Calcutta Darwaza, Nigambodh Ghat Darwaza, Kela Ghat Darwaza, Lal Darwaza, Kashmiri Darwaza, Badarroo Darwaza, Kabuli Darwaza, Pathar Ghat Darwaza, Lahauri Darwaza, Ajmeri Darwaza and Turkman Darwaza. There were also 14 Khirkis or windows in the Walled City. According to Prof Aleem Ashraf Khan, writing in the Indo-Persian Societys publication, Delhi of the Mughals, printed by Mohammed Anees, the enclosing wall of the city, a mud one, built in four months, crumbled a year later in heavy rain and the emperor ordered it to be rebuilt in stone and lime-mortar. It was about 6,664 yards in circumference, four yards in width and nine yards in height with 27 bastions, each 10 yards in diameter. The cost was Rs.4 lakh though the mud one had cost Rs.1.5 lakh. But the value of the rupee at that time was more than a hundred times of what it is now. The saying was that Delhi had many gates of entry but none for departure (meaning that those who came to the city just stayed on). And why would anyone want to leave a city, which was grander than any in the world at that time? European travellers like Manucci were amazed by the beauty and variety of Shahjahanabad, whose Chandni Chowk was like a fairyland (the meeting place of writers,poets and storytellers), where one could buy anything from an elephant to a pin or even an afrit or jinn. There were precious stones as big as turkey's eyes and enchanted maidens, who could sing one to the land of the Lotus Eaters and bewilder both the residents and visitors. The poet Bedil, records Prof Rehana Khatoon, was witness to the Rasm-e-Sati in the 26th year of Mohammad Shahs reign in 1156 A H (corresponding to 1745 AD). He says: "On 2nd Jamadus Sani, the wife of Bhagwan Narain Khatri, who lived in Vakilpura, became sati with her husband at the age of 35. His father was a friend of Rai Rayan Nagarmal and Nagarmal tried this not to happen but she (the wife) did not accept his advice and went to a jungle with the body of her husband. Bedil saw this rasm and remained disturbed for the whole day. Then he went to the Dargah of Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki (in Mehrauli) and wrote some rubais (quatrains)." Dr Narayani Gupta says the city was divided into 12 thanas or wards, each in charge of a Thanedar. The thana was a honeycomb of mohallas, each of which was sealed off from the other and could be entered only by one gate. Each mohalla was named after the affluent resident, whose haveli dominated it. The Thanedar of Daryaganj saved the life of Sir Theophilus Metcalfe when he was fleeing to Rajputana during the revolt of 1857. Incidentally, each ward also had the house of some prominent Iranian official, who exercised good control. Dr Khalid Alvi of Zakir Husain College recounts that Sufis and poets would always gravitate towards Jama Masjid. There were many Kehwa Houses in Chandni Chowk (kehwa is a Kashmiri green tea). Coffee was introduced to India by Sufi Buddhan Baba in the 14th century. Incidentally, tobacco came in Akbar's time but smoking became popular only in Shah Jahan's reign. After Aurangzeb there was a deluge of courtesans and cadamites in Delhi. In Moraqquae-Delhi Dargah, Quli Khan writes that Kasalpura and Nagul were the slums where prostitutes were habilitated. Delhi residents used to go to Arab-ki-Sarai to watch Arab cadamites. A rich man named Meeran hosted an all-night cadamites' revelry on the 11th of every month. Homosexuality was so common in the 18th century that both the feudals and commoners showed interest in it. Effeminate boys were frequently found dancing in Chandni Chowk and Chowk Sadullah. Besides the Armenian Sarmad, who befriended Abay Chand, Wali Dakhini, who came to Delhi in the 17th century, fell for a boy named Amrit Lal. Faiz composed poems on a boy, Ramzani. Another poet, Mazhar-Jan-e-Jana loved Abdul Hai Taban and Mohammed Yar Khaksar was in love with the great Mir Taqi Mir. There were many other aspects of Delhi, which made one fall in love with it.And this holds true even today. Sadly, Delhi's glorious heritage is fast getting eroded because of rampant despoliation, encroachment, urbanisation and neglect. Nawab Dojana's haveli, known as Dojana House in Matia Mahal, is now a flatted building, which is already showing signs of deterioration. Haveli Sadr Sadur, bang opposite it, has been so encroached upon and rebuilt in parts that it is hard to recognise it. The haveli of Nawab Buddan, said to be a great fashion trendsetter, could not be traced, perhaps because of alterations. The old hamam in the same street, which had become a shop, is also not easily recognisable. The building behind Jama Masjid associated with Dara Shikoh had become a school. The monuments of Mehrauli that are not among the official list (despite Maulvi Zafar Hasan's classification) are slowly disappearing as most of the care and attention is lavished by the Archaeological Department on the well-known edifices. The same is the case in Nizamuddin area. The gateway of the house of Mirza Jahangir, favourite son of Akbar Shah II and Queen Mumtaz Mahal II, in the Nizamuddin Dargah complex is showing signs of deterioration. His tomb and that of Mohammad Shah Rangila (which look almost identical) are also showing signs of wear and tear. Mirza Jahangir is the one whose return from exile in Allahabad in the early 19th century resulted in the institution of the annual Phool Walon-ki-Sair. The Tughlak period Langar Khana in the same complex is a picture of neglect as is the eastern gateway of the Dargah. However, the two dalans, or verandahs, of Atgah Khan's tomb complex, which were used as khanqas, or hospices, in Mughal times, look less dilapidated after repairs. Atgah Khan was the husband of Ji Ji Angah, a wet nurse of Akbar, who was murdered by Adham Khan, son of the other wet nurse, Maham Anga,out of jealousy. Atgah's mausoleum lately been renovated under the restoration plan of the Aga Khan Trust. But Bari-ka-Gumbad, east of Atgah Khan's tomb, is deteriorating, so also a gateway north of the Chausath Khamba. The gateway of Inner Kot, west of Kali Masjid, is in a bad state. It leads to a small fortification which, according to INTACH, once had the houses of the Pirzadas of the Nizamuddin Dargah. Khan-iJahan Tighlinani's tomb in Nizamuddin village shows signs of serious deterioration. He was the Wazir of Firoz Shah Tughlak and father of Khan-i-Jahan Junan Shah, who succeeded him as Wazir. It is supposed tobethe first octagonal tomb built in Delhi. New buildings have come up close to the tomb so that it is hedged in between them. Such grand monuments would have been preserved with care elsewhere but not in the capital. New York, Mar 9 (Just Earth News): Urgent attention, creativity and cooperation are needed to address online gender-based abuse, but authorities should be careful to avoid curtailing freedom of expression in doing so, two United Nations human rights experts said on Wednesday. Online gender-based abuse and violence are undeniably a scourge, and governments and companies should be taking action against it, David Kaye, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of freedom of expression, said in a news releases that coincides with worldwide commemoration of International Womens Day. However, Mr Kaye added that poorly formulated laws prohibiting nudity or obscenity could have an adverse impact on conversations about gender, sexuality and reproductive health. Censorship and undue restrictions on content could end up undermining the rights of the very women for whom governments and corporate actors may seek to provide redress. Significant numbers of women have experienced gender-based abuse online, according to surveys and reports. These attacks include blackmail, intimidation, stalking and dissemination of private content without consent. The Special Rapporteur on violence against women, Dubravka Simonovic said: Women victims and survivors need transparent and fast responses and effective remedies which can only be achieved if both States and private actors work together and exercise due diligence to eliminate online violence against women. The experts called on governments and private actors to provide training on the problems related to online abuse and violence, in addition to greater transparency in the private sector in regards to reports of abuse and the steps taken to address them. Research into the scope, manifestations and impact of the abuse, as well as a strengthened emphasis on protection of privacy by online platforms, is also required. Ensuring an internet free from gender-based violence enhances freedom of expression, Simonovic said, as it allows women to fully participate in all areas of life and is integral to womens empowerment. Special Rapporteurs and independent experts are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a specific human rights theme or a country situation. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work. Photo: ITU Source: www.justearthnews.com The trouble started with a mass escape. Dozens of teens held in an overcrowded state-run shelter on the outskirts of Guatemala's capital flooded through the gates Tuesday evening, most only to be caught and locked down in their dorms. Yesterday someone set fire to mattresses in the girls' section of the rural campus, authorities said. The blaze quickly spread through two dorms, killing at least 22 girls and injuring dozens more, most with second- and third-degree burns. Distraught parents scribbled their children's names on pieces of paper to pass to shelter staff begging for information. They went to the two local hospitals and the morgue. Authorities worked to identify victims, but said DNA tests might be necessary for some remains. At Roosevelt Hospital, Dr. Marco Antonio Barrientos asked parents waiting outside for information to come back with photographs, dental records and details about tattoos or other distinctive features. Piedad Estrada, a street vendor, arrived at the hospital with a photograph of her 16-year-old daughter. She said the teen was pregnant and had been at the shelter for nine days because she ran away from home. Estrada searched at the hospitals and the morgue, but got no information. She showed the photo to workers at one hospital, but they said they had five girls who were completely bandaged so they could not be sure. "They only took her from me to burn her," Estrada said. "I blame the state for what has happened." Late Wednesday at the morgue, Patricia Ramirez said her 15-year-old granddaughter Achly Gabriela Mendez Ramirez was one of the dead. She said her daughter, the girl's mother, had identified Achly's burned body at the shelter earlier in the day, but authorities said they would not release her body until there was a DNA test. Ramirez said the family was from a region east of the capital in Jutiapa department and Achly had been at the home for one year. Ambulances had hurried to the hospitals throughout the morning carrying the injured, some partially naked, burned bright pink with large flaps of skin hanging from their bodies. A 15-year-old girl being treated for minor injuries at Roosevelt Hospital said she and other girls had sought refuge on the roof of their dorm after the disturbances began, fearful of being attacked by other youths. By morning she said she could see the fire in a nearby building. "I saw the smoke in the place. It smelled like flesh," the girl said Speaking before Congressional staff on Tuesday, March 7, 2017, Congressman Ted Poe (R-TX) who chairs the House subcommittee on Non-proliferation and Terrorism introduced a special briefing about Pakistan's nuclear weapons development program by one of America's foremost experts, Ambassador Robert Gallucci. Organized by the American Foreign Policy Council (AFPC), the invitation-only event was hosted in the Rayburn House Office Building. The two hour briefing, also included a presentation by AFPC Asia specialist Jeff Smith about the second of Pakistan's "twin dangers" transboundary terrorism. James Clad, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for Asia, moderated the discussion. Known for his tireless efforts to list Pakistan as a terrorist state, Congressman Poe spoke about repeated but failed efforts to apply conditionality to billions of US aid to Pakistan. "It's way past time to apply serious focus on both threats nuclear and terror coming out of Pakistan," he said. "Pakistan's production of nuclear weapons has accelerated in recent years", said Amb. Gallucci, a past president of the MacArthur Foundation. "While other countries have also sought nuclear weapons, Pakistan's headlong accumulation of so many warheads amounts to a unique non-proliferation challenge so far unrestrained by outsiders' diplomacy. Pakistan's government structure remains vulnerable to extreme ideologies." Cong. Poe welcomed the renewed anxiety about Pakistan's direction, a worry reflected in recent analysis by foreign affairs scholars and government specialists. "The problem cannot be ducked any longer," he said, urging a new series of Pakistan-focused hearings on Capitol Hill in upcoming months. Around 40,000 protesters took to the streets of Madrid to mark International Women's Day and call for an end to domestic violence. Gathered in the central square on Thursday, the protesters carried posters reading "Justice" and "We are not all here" in reference to victims of violence who have lost their lives. Municipal officials estimated at least 40,000 people had rallied in Madrid, and smaller protests were held in Barcelona and other cities. "Gender violence must end, equality must be attained and the 'glass ceiling' for women in business broken," Marta Garcia, a protester at the Madrid rally said. But Garcia said she was pleased to see the number of men taking part in the demonstration. Manuela Carmena, the city's mayor, released a video message together with the mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau, advocating to an end to violence against women. In the last three months of 2016 there were 38,402 reports of domestic violence, marking a 14 per cent increase compared to the previous year, according to figures provided by a watchdog group. Elsewhere in Europe and around the world marches were held to mark International Women's Day, with rallies taking place in Istanbul, Ukraine, New York and Buenos Aires. Energy-deficient Pakistan has awarded two contracts worth Rs.180 billion to a Chinese firm for the construction of a part of a hydropower project on the Indus river in the northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. Pakistan's Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) and China Gezhouba Group Company (CGCC) signed the agreements on Wednesday for carrying out main civil works in the first stage of the Dasu hydropower project. This stage of the project, expected to be completed in 2021, would generate 2,160 MW of electricity. The selection of the contractor was through international competitive bidding among pre-qualified Chinese firms, Dawn reported today. The project is being constructed on the Indus river, upstream of Dasu town in Kohistan district of the province. The World Bank is partially funding the Stage-I, while a major chunk of funds is being arranged by Wapda from its own resources and with the sovereign guarantee of the Pakistan government. Power Minister Khwaja Mohammad Asif said the project is critical to Pakistan's energy needs and will herald a new era of affordable electricity generation. Pakistan faces a huge energy crisis and governments have failed to rapidly augment its electricity generation capacity. It faces a shortage of up to 8,000 megawatts, according to reports, leading to load shedding for hours in several parts. Asif said the government would lay foundation stones for two other dams this year. Wapda chairman Lt Gen (retired) Syed Muzammil Hussain said the total cost of the first phase of the project was estimated at USD 4.2 billion. Hussain assured the second phase capable of generating 2,160MW would not take a long time given the fact that the main dam would already be available and the second stage would involve only setting up a power house at an estimated cost of USD 2 billion. Dasu Project Director Javed Akhtar and CGGC representative Tan Bixuan signed the contracts on behalf of the two firms. Pakistan military on Thursday rejected Indian Army's concerns over the movement of terrorists along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir and asked it to "share evidence". Army's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt Gen AK Bhatia spoke to his Pakistani counterpart and conveyed India's concerns over the movement of terrorists along the LoC. Pakistan military spokesman Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor confirmed the contact between the officials of the two armies on the hotline. "Indian concern on terrorists' movement along LoC were strongly rejected during (the) hotline (call). Indian Army asked to look inward, share evidence," Ghafoor tweeted. Indian Army sources had earlier said, "The DGMO spoke to the Pakistan Army DGMO this morning. He expressed concern regarding the movement of terrorists noticed along the Line of Control (LoC)." The Pakistani DGMO was also informed about the repatriation of two Pakistani nationals apprehended in Uri. The 2016 US Presidential poll was a "farce" as it was fought with lies exposing hypocritical nature of the democracy in America where racial discrimination is "worsening", a Chinese report on America's human rights record said on Thursday. In a tit-for-tat report on the US which every year releases human rights record of China and other countries, a Chinese official report said money politics and power-for-money deals had controlled the presidential election between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton. Voter turnout and support rate reached new low, the report, 'The Human Rights Record of the United States in 2016' released here said. Only about 55 per cent of voting age citizens cast ballots in the 2016 election, lowest in 20 years, the report said, adding that a growing number of Americans were disappointed or even angry about the election. It was the most expensive election ever and Americans running for federal offices spent about USD 6.8 billion, more than what consumers spend on cereal, it said. A new statue of a resolute young girl staring down Wall Street's famous Charging Bull was erected by a major asset managing firm for International Women's Day to make a point: There's a dearth of women on the boards of the largest US corporations. State Street Global Advisors, the Boston-based investment giant, had the statue created to push companies to increase the number of women directors. Artist Kristen Visbal's "Fearless Girl" drew crowds on Wednesday that initially came to pose for pictures with the bull, but the novelty quickly became a New York hot spot. The girl is sculpted in bronze, her hands firmly planted on her waist, ponytailed head held high. "Know the power of women in leadership. SHE makes a difference," reads a plaque at her feet. "As a steward of nearly 2.5 trillion of assets, we want to engage with boards and management around issues that we think will drive core results," said Lori Heinel, State Street's deputy global chief investment officer. "And what you find repeatedly is having more diverse boards and more diverse senior management will actually drive better results for companies." Twenty-five percent of the Russell 3000 a broad index of US companies have no women on their boards, according to State Street, which manages many of their assets. According to ISS Analytics, a business research firm, just 16 percent of board seats on companies in the Russell 3000 are held by women; the average board of directors has eight men and one woman. "It's going to happen to the end of time unless you change something," says Erik Gordon, a lawyer and professor at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. "It's got to not just be the rules. It's got to be the culture." State Street has three women on an 11-member board. Heinel said her company also will urge those in Great Britain and Australia to add women to their leadership. One man working in corporate America needed no convincing. Chandrasekar Sundaram says a woman is the CEO of the company he works for in Texas, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and has quite a few women reporting to her. "But when it gets to 50 per cent, that's when I think it'll be right," said Sundaram, a Dallas resident and native of India who was visiting New York with his family with the Charging Bull as one of their stops. The mammoth bronze was a "guerrilla art" act, dropped in the middle of the night in Bowling Green Park in 1989 without permission, by an artist who created it as a symbol of Americans' survival energy following the 1987 stock market crash. The city gave its permission for the bull to remain. This week, McCann New York, a top advertising agency, installed the statue of the girl before dawn Tuesday with a city permit for one week. Negotiations are underway for the piece to remain longer. Why choose the Charging Bull as the site to place the girl? "Well, we really wanted the bull to have a partner, and a partner that we thought was worthy of him," Heinel said. "And so we got a very determined young woman who is fearless and is willing to drive the change that we believe we need." Sundaram's 8-year-old daughter, Sankaribriya, got the message. She wanted to pose with the sculpted girl "because I just wanted to look at her and wanted to feel like her." The United States has rejected China's proposal for a halt to joint US-South Korean military exercises if North Korea suspends its nuclear and missile activities. It yesterday called North Korean leader Kim Jong Un irrational and demanded "positive action" before the US can take his regime seriously. In Washington, US State Department acting spokesman Mark Toner said, "At this point we don't see it as a viable deal." A Pentagon spokesman, Cmdr Gary Ross, said US activities to defend South Korea "cannot be equated to North Korea's repeated violations of its obligations and agreements." The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, told reporters after an emergency Security Council meeting on North Korea's latest ballistic missile launches that the United States must see "some sort of positive action" by Kim's regime before discussing ways to reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula. "They've given us enough reason to think how irresponsible that they are that we ever try and think that we're dealing with a rational person on this," she said. Yesterday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi proposed the freeze-for-freeze, likening escalating tensions between the North and Washington and Seoul to "two accelerating trains, coming toward each other with neither side willing to give way." The idea was rejected by South Korea and Japan as well as the US. Haley said the military drills are especially needed now after North Korea conducted two nuclear tests and 24 ballistic missile launches last year and two sets of missile launches and the assassination of Kim Jong Un's estranged brother using a chemical weapon this year. She also defended the upcoming deployment of a US missile defense system in South Korea, a move that has been strongly opposed by China. She said America would not leave its ally facing the threat from North Korea without help. "We have not seen any goodwill at all coming from North Korea," Haley said. "I appreciate all my counterparts wanting to talk about talks and negotiations, (but) we are not dealing with a rational person." With any other country, the United States would be seeking negotiations, she said. "This is not a rational person, who has not had rational acts, who is not thinking clearly," Haley said of North Korea's leader. "This is someone who is trying to get attention. This is someone who is trying to get a reaction." Haley said the United States is re-evaluating how it is going to deal with North Korea going forward "and we are making those decisions now and will act accordingly." "We're not ruling anything out and we're considering every option that's on the table," she said. The US on Thursday said it will take up with India the shutting down of a Colorado-based donor NGO and sought a "transparent process" for foreign NGOs in the country, saying the Christian charity has been facing "significant challenges" for some time. Compassion International is said to be shutting down its India operations after it was put under 'prior permission category' in May, 2016. When a donor organisation is put under this category, it is barred from funding any Indian NGO without the government's approval. In December, the Home Ministry said it was unlikely to reconsider the decision, notwithstanding appeals by American authorities. "NGOs do valuable work overseas. Certainly these countries and governments have their own reasons for the laws they pass, but we believe it should be transparent and clear why they're shutting down these organisations," State Department's acting spokesman Mark Toner told reporters. He said the US will take up the matter with India. "Certainly, we'll raise that with the Indian government," he said. He expressed concern that foreign NGOs had to face challenges to run their operations in India. "Unfortunately, we have seen over the past couple of years a number of foreign-funded NGOs in India that have encountered significant challenges in continuing their operations," Toner said, adding that the US has raised the issue with India through diplomatic channels. He, however, said that because of the strong US-India relations "we can talk about these kinds of issues." Toner said that "all parties" should work "cooperatively in a way that not only respects Indian laws, but also encourages a transparent process." Santiago Mellado, Compassion International's chief executive officer, in a telephone interview to The New York Times said that a briefing on the situation would be submitted to the Trump administration this week. The reports of the shutdown came amid allegations that the charity was engaging in religious conversion. Other religious charities are watching the case closely, Mellado told the daily, adding, "What we hear from our friends in India is that it would be tragic if they were successful in shutting down Compassion, because that would leave other ministries very vulnerable." Montreal, CA (H4T1V6) Today Windy with a few clouds from time to time. High 58F. Winds W at 20 to 30 mph.. Tonight Mostly clear skies. Low 36F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph. New York, Mar 9 (Just Earth News): A group of UN human rights experts has urged the Government of Viet Nam to immediately release a popular blogger, known as Mother Mushroom, who has been detained since October last year. Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, a 37-year-old environmental human rights defender, is accused of spreading propaganda against the Government. The charges are linked to her online activities that were critical of the Government. We are deeply concerned that Quynh is being detained because of the exercise of her right to freedom of opinion and expression on a matter of public interest, the experts emphasized in a news release issued by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). We fear for her physical and psychological integrity, and denounce the violations of her fundamental right to due process, in particular her being detained incommunicado, the denial of her right to legal counsel and the banning of visits from her family, they added. Among the issues she tackled was an incident involving the dumping of toxic chemicals in April 2016, which polluted local waters and killed a large number of fish. As an environmental human rights defender, Mother Mushroom should be honoured for her courage and perseverance in defending the environment and human rights for years without fear, the experts stressed. The experts are Special Rapporteurs: John H. Knox, on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment; Maina Kiai, on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; David Kaye, on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; Michel Forst, on the situation of human rights defenders, and Baskut Tuncak, on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes. Special Rapporteurs and independent experts are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a specific human rights theme or a country situation. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work. Photo: World Bank/Tran Thi Hoa Source: www.justearthnews.com In this Feb. 28, 2014, file photo, U.S. actress Scarlett Johansson, left, and her partner Romain Dauriac arrive at the 39th French Cesar Awards Ceremony, in Paris. Dauriac's lawyer confirmed to The Associated Press that Johansson filed for divorce from Dauriac on March 7, 2017, in New York,. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau, File) 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. New York, Mar 9 (Just Earth News): Unless drastic measures are taken to share up peace and security in Syria, the situation a which marks its sixth anniversary next week a will worsen, the United Nations refugee agency today said urging the international community to redouble its support for the 13.5 million people in need of aid. Funding won't end the suffering. But it is one thing we can do as poverty and misery intensify. The resources currently available simply don't come close to meeting all the challenges, said Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Funding won't end the suffering. But it is one thing we can do as poverty and misery intensify. His message comes ahead of 15 and 16 March, when in 2011 authorities clamped down on demonstrations in Damascus, setting off protests calling for the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad. Since then, nearly 6.3 million people were displaced and an additional 4.9 million people mostly women and children were forced to seek refuge, according to UN figures. Nearly 3 million Syrians under the age of five have grown up knowing nothing but conflict. Ultimately, Syria's conflict isn't about numbers it's about people, Grandi added. Families have been torn apart, innocent civilians killed, houses destroyed, businesses and livelihoods shattered. It's a collective failure. One of those people is Wafaa Keyari, an eight-year-old girl from the battered Sakhour district of eastern Aleppo. Living now in a temporary shelter on the outskirts of Aleppo, Wafaa was severely burned on her face and body when her house was shelled two years ago. I was taken to hospital. I was awake and they treated me, Wafaa told UNHCR. You know I was wearing wool clothes, like the ones I am wearing now, they got stuck to me. When they took me to the hospital, they were pulling them off my skin. It hurt so much, they didn't even use anaesthetic they just pulled it off. Asked whether the incident had changed her at all, she paused for a moment before replying with a smile: No. I am still the same nice girl. In the shadow of the sad anniversary, the international community is preparing for a conference in Brussels in early April to assess the country's future. The UN is seeking $8 billion for this year to meet the needs of Syrians in the country and those living abroad. According to UNHCR, the request follows commitments made at the 2016 London Conference, especially on education and livelihoods. Syria is at a crossroads, Grandi said. Unless drastic measures are taken to shore up peace and security for Syria, the situation will worsen. Photo: UNHCR/Qusai Alazroni Source: www.justearthnews.com New York, Mar 9 (Just Earth News): Underscoring that the United Nations should not be, in any way, associated with the vile and vicious crimes of rape, sexual violence, exploitation and abuse, Secretary-General AntAnio Guterres has outlined a new victim-centred approach to prevent and respond to such abuses committed by those serving under the UN flag. Such acts of cruelty should never take place. Certainly no person serving with the United Nations in any capacity should be associated with such vile and vicious crimes, said Guterres in a message announcing his report released today on 'Special Measures for Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse: A New Approach.' Let us declare in one voice: We will not tolerate anyone committing or condoning sexual exploitation and abuse. We will not let anyone cover up these crimes with the UN flag, he added. The Secretary-General's report, Special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and abuse: a new approach, outlines a victim-centred strategy that is rooted in transparency, accountability and ensuring justice. Noting that exploitation is also deeply rooted in gender inequality and discrimination, Guterres said that promoting gender equality throughout the UN system, including its missions and peacekeeping forces, would help advance parity and at the same time decrease incidents of abuse. Let us do so in the name of all who look to the UN for life-saving protection and support and on behalf of the tens of thousands of UN personnel around the world who deliver that assistance with courage and commitment to the highest ideals, he stressed. Four-track, victim-centred approach Based on four tracks, the approach documented in the report focuses on the rights and dignity of victims; ending impunity for those guilty of crimes and abuses; drawing on the wisdom and guidance of all those who have been affected, civil society, local communities and others to strengthen and improve UN's efforts; and to raise awareness and share best practices to end the vicious scourge. The report also emphasizes the need to engage with UN Member States and calls for a high-level meeting on sexual exploitation and abuses in 2017 on the margins of the general debate of the 72nd session of the General Assembly. The report further notes that the UN chief would seek Member States support to establish a system-wide consolidated confidential repository of case information to be placed under the supervision of the Special Coordinator on Improving UN Response to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. It also includes a detailed list of actions and recommendations, along with the relevant UN entity that would be responsible for consultation with relevant stakeholders, as well as provides data on allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse across the UN system and by non-UN international forces authorized by a Security Council mandate, covering the period 1 January to 31 December 2016. Source: UN News Source: www.justearthnews.com Nasirabad, Mar 9 (IBNS): A Hindu woman has been axed to death in Pakistan's Baba Kot area of Nasirabad district, media reports said on Thursday. Police was quoted as saying by Dawn News that unknown people attacked Zania Kumari in Goth Asif Ali Shah and escaped after the murder. The exact cause of the attack is not known. Police have registered a case in connection with the matter. Job Title: Field Assistant Organisation: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Position No.: 10007693 Vacancy Notice: 012/2017 Duty Station: Uganda Post Grade: GL4 Reports to: Field Officer About UNHCR: The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. UNHCRs mandate under the Statute of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is to lead and co-ordinate action for international protection to refugees; seek permanent solutions for the problems of refugees and safeguard refugee rights and well-being. UNHCR has an additional mandate concerning issues of statelessness, as it is given a designated role under Article 11 of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. Job Summary: The Field Assistant performs a variety of functions related to Field activities within the office. The supervisor exercises close control and regular review of the work processes and provides regular advice and guidance. The jobholder keeps frequent internal contacts with staff members in the same duty station to exchange information and with the external contacts generally with officials of national and international institutions, leaders of the refugee community, local population and/or Implementing Partners (IPs) on routine subject matters under the direction of the supervisor. Responsibilities: Key Duties andResponsibilities: Assist in administrative tasks as required such as preparation of reports and meeting authorized personnel and assisting them during field missions. Serve as interpreter in the exchange of routine information, contribute to related liaison activities and respond directly to routine queries. The incumbent will collect data and other information relevant to UNHCR and report to the supervisor accordingly. Keep regular contacts with local authorities and implementing partners as requested by supervisor. Work in liaison with implementing partners, assist in the reception, registration and provision of assistance to persons of concern to UNHCR. Perform any other relevant duties as required. Key Performance Indicators: UNHCR office has sufficient administrative and local support for the field activities thus better able to meet the needs of persons of concern. UNHCRoffice has sufficient administrative and local support for the field activitiesthus better able to meet the needs of persons of concern. Experience: Qualifications, Skills andExperience: The ideal candidate for the United Nations UNHCR Field Assistant job placement should have completed secondary education with post-secondary training/certificate in Business Administration, Law, Political Science or related field. At least three years of previous job experience relevant to the function. Good computer skills. Excellent knowledge of English and working knowledge of another relevant UN language or local language. How to Apply: All interested Ugandan nationals who wish to join the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the aforementioned capacity are encouraged to click on the link below and follow the application instructions after reviewing the job details. th December 2017 Deadline: 18December 2017 Patnaik's close aides say that to understand him, one has to understand his empathy By Pratul Sharma/Photos Sanjay Ahlawat Prime minister Narendra Modi has received a letter from Kansas governor Samuel Brownback expressing regret over the killing of Indian techie Srinivas Kuchibhotla. Gopal Baglay, the spokesperson for the external affairs ministry, said the tone of the letter makes it clear that Indians are welcome in the US and that the shooting was an aberration. It did not reflect the view of the majority of Americans. Baglay said while the attacks on three Indian origin people was unfortunate, "we should also see the response of the government". He said that the feeling India has got is that the US government has condemned the attacks and that their system is working on bringing the perpetrators to justice. Rubbishing China's concerns over visit of the Dalai Lama to Tawang region of Arunachal Pradesh, which the neighbouring country calls disputed, India said no political meaning should be assigned to his visit. We have no say on his travels in India. No political meaning should be assigned to the visit, Gopal Baglay, ministry of external affairs spokesperson said. India's position on the Dalai Lama has been consistent. He was a revered religious figure who was treated as such by the government and the people of India, said Baglay trying to distance New Delhi from Tibet leader's upcoming visit in April. China had expressed its concerns and even warned that the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradeshs Tawang monastery in April could seriously damage bilateral ties. The invitation to the Dalai Lama by the Indian side to the contested area between China and India will inflict severe damage on the China-India relationship and peace and stability in the China-India border area, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang had said last week. The view in the Indian political establishment was that India should act aggressively when it comes to dealing with China. The issue of Tibet has been one such, that make the neighbouring country understand New Delhi's concerns. China has been playing footsie with Pakistan over issue of terrorism and particularly Hafiz Saeed who India wants to get on the UN terror list. The Dalai Lama's visit will be between April 4 to 13 and Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju will meet him there. The visit is likely to put pressure on New Delhi - Beijing relationship, as it is a high profile visit which will be closely watched. It will also help assert India's resolve that Arunachal Pradesh was country's integral part and China should stay away from it. In October last year, the then US Ambassador, Richard Verma, had visited Tawang to attend a festival. In January this year Richard hosted Kiren Rijiju and Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile Lobsang Sangay at US embassy in Delhi. The Dalai Lama had even met President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan during a children's summit in December last. China had strongly objected to these moves saying any interference by Washington in the Sino-India boundary dispute will make it complicated. But New Delhi seems pushing ahead with the visit in order to send a strong message to Beijing. Toronto, Mar 9 (IBNS): Nestled in Ontario's Richmond Hill, IT professional services company, mobileLIVE has been honoured with the prestigious Canada's Best Managed Companies designation. The 2017 Best Managed program sponsored by Deloitte, CIBC, Smith School of Business and MacKay CEO Forums recognizes the best-in-class of Canadian-owned and managed companies demonstrating strategy, capability, and commitment to achieve sustainable growth. Companies which are fully Canadian-owned and managed were selected in the grounds of steadfast revenues along with demonstrating strategy, capability and commitment to achieve sustainable growth in the Canadian market and adding to the global economy. Best Managed companies deserve recognition for their entrepreneurial approach to excelling in an uncertain economic climate. They truly bring out the best in Canadian business leadership, said Peter Brown, Partner, Deloitte and Co-Leader, Canadas Best Managed Companies program. Every year since the launch of the program in 1993, hundreds of entrepreneurial companies have competed for this designation in a rigorous and independent process that evaluates their management skills and practices. Jahan Ali, Founder & CEO of mobileLIVE says, Im really pleased with the way mobileLIVE is contributing in the digital ecosystem of Canada and at the same time being recognized among the best of the best in the industry. Our strengths in operational adaptability and scalability, enterprise grade solutions, end-user experience driven developments, modular and scalable approach, culture of robotic process and test automation, agile and lean structures along with collaborative working models to co-create, sets us apart. Canadas Best Managed Companies is one of the countrys leading business awards programs recognizing companies for their innovative, world-class business practices, distinctive culture and sustained growth. Its much more than just financial performance, said Lorrie King, Partner, Deloitte and Co-Leader, Canadas Best Managed Companies program. Well-run companies are important to the economic health of our country. These companies serve as role models to help make all Canadian businesses better. Best Managed Companies are the leaders Winning the Best Managed Companies title is a proud moment for us, says the excited President, Hussain Qureshi. However, he believes winning is not the end in fact consistently living up to the title is equally important. We will always go above and beyond in providing disruptive & innovative services to our clients, ensure unique and personalized experiences for end-users along with consistently investing in our team's growth. The Best Managed program is sponsored by Deloitte, CIBC, Canadian Business, Smith School of Business and MacKay CEO Forums. CIBC is thrilled to congratulate mobileLIVE on being named one of Canadas Best Managed Companies, recognizing its excellence in leadership, business performance and innovation, said Jon Hountalas, Executive Vice President, Business and Corporate Banking, CIBC. As a sponsor of Canadas Best Managed Companies program for over 20 years, CIBC is proud to celebrate private companies like mobileLIVE as leaders in their industry. Last year, mobileLIVe also received a number of industry notable awards from being conferred the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 and Fast 500 awards to emerging as the finalist in the Toronto Board of Trade, Emerging entrepreneur of the year and more. At a time when a debate is raging over whether the dreaded terror outfit Islamic State was behind the Ujjain train blast, Uttar Pradesh DGP Javeed Ahmad in a candid talk with THE WEEK said that "we must differentiate between fact and opinion". The fact is that an IS flag has been recovered from their hideout in Lucknow and the rest of the theories floating around the case so far is ''opinion''. How correct is the claim that the IS was behind the bomb planted in a train near Ujjain? The fact is that an IS flag has been recovered from the hideout of the slain accused terrorist . There is nothing else so far in our investigation that suggests that the IS carried out the attack. Now we will stick to facts rather than giving opinions. How do you differentiate whether the slain accused terrorist is an IS-inspired or a part of the IS group? There is no proof to show that he belonged to the IS. He appeard to be part of a self radicalised group of self proclaimed IS sympathisers. Whether the IS owned them is a different thing. Any one can claim allegiance to any outfit but that does not make him a part of that outfit or group . Have there been intelligence inputs to suggest that the IS was becoming active in Uttar Pradesh or neighboring states? There has been nothing so far to suggest the same. Radicalisation has been happening and that is something which is not just restricted to the minority community . There are Hindus also who are radicalised . And you would agree that radicalisation as a phenomenon has been on the rise in the country. What about the claims of Madhya Pradesh police about the role of the IS, and why did the radicalised youth from UP chose a target in another state? The group decided to carry out the strike in MP and the MP police are probing into it. The one person (Saifullah)the suspected terrorist, whom we were chasing, is dead. The Union home ministry has brought in the NIA to probe the matter. Do you think the case requires investigation by the central agency? If the NIA is going to probe the case, it is most welcome. It's an important case which may have several leads in other states. Do you see any link of the Bhopal - Ujjain train blast with the other incidents of railway sabotage in the country in the last few months ? No there is nothing of that sort. Tension gripped Kashmir on Thursday after two civilians died after scores of protesters clashed with police during an encounter with Lashkar-e-Toiba militants at Padgampora in Pulwama. Amir Nazir, a 15-year-old schoolboy, was killed after he was hit by a bullet in the neck. The police said Amir was hit by a stray bullet but the locals alleged the security forces fired at crowds who had gathered there in support of the militants. Another youth, Jalaluddin, fell unconscious and was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared brought dead. Security forces killed two militants in the encounter. One more militant was killed in Bandipore in north Kashmir in another encounter in which an army Major was injured. Earlier, the police tried to persuade the militants to surrender and even brought the wife and child of one of the militants to the encounter site but the militants did not budge. The death of the two civilians comes in the wake of threat by Army Chief Bipin Rawat last week that protesters disrupting anti-militancy operations will be treated as over ground workers of terrorists. His comments came after three soldiers were killed during an ambush by militants in Shopian. This is the second encounter in last four days in south Kashmir which will witness by-polls for Parliamentary constituency of Anantnag on April 12. The slain militants were identified as Mohammad Shafi Wagay alias Shafi, Gujari alias Ehsan and Jahangir Ahmad Ganie alias Safi-ul-lah. Police had brought Gujari's wife and child to the ncounter site to persuade him to surrender, but he refused. These militants were involved in many incidents of violence including the killing of security officials, police personnel and political activists. They were also involved in threatening general masses to refrain from forthcoming elections and motivating youth to join militant ranks. They had also role in recent bank robberies and weapon snatching incidents in south and central Kashmir, said a police spokesman. Heavy clashes were reported between forces and protesters after the news of the death of two militants and two civilians spread. Additional forces are being mobilised for security in view of the possibility of protests spilling over to other parts of south Kashmir and beyond after Friday prayers common. The recurrence of violence and protests in south Kashmir is caused alarm among the government security agencies in view of the beginning of new tourism season from March and by-polls for two Parliament constituencies of Srinagar and Anantnag. The government is nervous that the spread of violence could scare away tourists from Kashmir and create anxieties among people associated with tourism. Toronto, Mar 9 (!BNS): Canada wide raid by police on marijuana dispensaries belonging to Marc Emery and his wife Jodie resulted in their arrest at Pearson International Airport on Wednesday night as they were on their way to a pot festival in Europe, media release said. The couple, owners of Cannabis Culture chain were held overnight at Toronto police's 51 Division following their arrests and were set to appear in court Thursday morning. About a dozen marijuana shops in Canada under the Cannabis Culture banner are run by Emery and his wife. Toronto police have told the B.C.-based lawyer, Kirk Tousaw that the couple had been charged with trafficking cannabis. Emerys' Cannabis Culture location on West Hastings had been raided by Vancouver police at the request of Toronto police. The tweets of Cannabis Culture confirmed that at least two Toronto locations were raided Thursday morning: Church Street and Queen Street East. The court was filled with about a dozen of Emery supporters, advocates of medical marijuana and pot dispensary stakeholders. A manager of one of the Emerys' Toronto marijuana dispensaries was also at the courthouse Thursday morning. Toronto police refused to make any comments to CBC Toronto about the arrests. Marc had been in U.S. prison on charges of selling marijuana seeds in the United States and was released only in 2014 after spending just over four years behind bars. A Facebook post by Marc Emery shortly after 7 p.m. Wednesday confirmed that the couple were heading to Spain for Spannabis, a marijuana festival. (Reporting by Asha Bajaj) [COMMUNICATED CONTENT] For the past few years, battei midrash that were once empty on Purim night have been filled to capacity, as thousands of men in Eretz Yisrael streamed in to join a special Purim Kollel, for at least an hour of Torah learning, in an intense, Shavuos-night atmosphere. The tefillas rabbim that follows has been compared to Neilah on Motzaei Yom Kippur. Recently, a young talmid chacham from Yerushalayim, who is now in New York fighting for his life, requested of a visiting friend, Lets bring this idea to America; give battei midrash here a taste of the experience! And so this year we are taking this important initiative all over the world! Maran Harav Chaim Kanievsky, Maran Harav Aron Leib Steinman and Harav Matisyahu Salomon, among many others, have given this project their enthusiastic endorsement. The Purim Kollel is quickly turning into a movement, as ever more shuls are signing up in Eretz Yisrael, Europe, South Africa, the USA and Canada. In addition, the Har Nof Kollel is organizing a Purim Partners program: Everyone who registers for the Purim Kollel in chutz laAretz is invited to submit his (or another persons) name and specific needs for tefillah in the powerful tefillas rabbim that will be held in Yerushalayim on Sunday night, Shushan Purim. Together we will make this a truly elevated Purim! To sign up and, if you choose, to partner with an avreich in Eretz Yisrael by having your matanos laevyonim be given to him on Purim call 718-210- 9737 or email [email protected] Twelve wounded IDF soldiers and veterans arrived in New York City for a 10-day trip organized by Belev Echad, March 7-15. During the trip, on March 14, the group will make a special visit to Ariel Property Advisors headquarters for the unveiling of Belev Echads new mentor program during which Ariel Properties Founder and President Shimon Shkury will give a 45-minute presentation to the soldiers about pursuing a career in real estate. I am humbled and honored to have the opportunity to give back to the brave Israeli soldiers who risked their lives to protect me and every other Jew around the world, said Shkury. I hope to inspire these young veterans to pursue their dreams and teach them some of the lessons Ive learned in my career so they can look forward to brighter futures. During their trip, the Israeli soldiers will visit New York landmarks including Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, the 9/11 Memorial, and the Intrepid, and the group and will get an aerial view of the city from the seats of chartered helicopters. Belev Echad was founded by Rabbi Uriel Vigler in 2009. The organization aims to show the Jewish peoples gratitude to IDF veterans for putting their lives on the line to protect and defend the Jewish state. Aside from the life-changing therapeutic trips to New York, the organization helps the soldiers receive prosthetic limbs and other therapies, scholarships and counseling. These brave IDF soldiers have risked and nearly lost their lives to protect the people and the sacred land of Israel, said Vigler. I am very excited to introduce the mentoring program as another way to show the soldiers just how much we appreciate their service. Our goal with this program is to help the soldiers choose a career, go to college and secure a job they will be passionate about, all through the support and guidance of seasoned businessmen. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) Winds are expected to slow down Wednesday, but weather conditions are still not ideal for emergency crews battling wildfires in four states that have killed six people and destroyed hundreds of square miles of land. Bill Bunting, forecast operations chief for the Oklahoma-based Storm Prediction Center, said Tuesday that the powerful wind gusts that fanned the wildfires in Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas should ease to about 10 to 20 mph on Wednesday. He said temperatures should peak in the 70s, with afternoon humidity low. These conditions will make it somewhat easier for firefighting efforts, but far from perfect. The fires still will be moving, Bunting told The Associated Press. The ideal situation is that it would turn cold and rain, and unfortunately thats not going to happen. In addition to those four states, conditions were ripe for fires in Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska. That followed powerful thunderstorms that moved through the middle of the country overnight, spawning dozens of suspected tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service. Kansas wildfires have burned about 1,025 square miles of land and killed one person. The Kansas Highway Patrol said Corey Holt, of Oklahoma City, died Monday when his tractor-trailer jackknifed as he tried to back up because of poor visibility on a Kansas highway, and he succumbed to smoke after getting out of his vehicle. Two SUVs crashed into the truck, injuring six people, state trooper Michael Racy said. About half of the states charred land is in Clark County, along the states southern border with Oklahoma, where 548 square miles have burned and about 30 homes have been destroyed, said Millie Fudge, the countys emergency manager. She said planes will go up Wednesday to evaluate the damage while helicopters will dump water on the flames. She anticipated that the estimates of burned land would increase. Pretty much when you look at the map, the county is burned, she said. There is not much that hasnt burned. Fortunately all three cities in Clark County have not been burned. It has come close. Another 235 square miles burned in neighboring Comanche County, Kansas, with smaller amounts of burned land from separate fires spread among six other counties. The large Kansas fire started in Oklahoma, where it burned an estimated 390 square miles in Beaver County. Officials said a separate blaze scorched more than 155 square miles of land in neighboring Harper County, Oklahoma, and was a factor in the death of a woman who had a heart attack while trying to keep her farm near Buffalo from burning. Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in 22 counties due to the wildfires. The largest evacuations elsewhere were in Reno County, Kansas, where 10,000 to 12,000 people voluntarily left their homes Monday night, said Katie Horner, a state Department of Emergency Management spokeswoman. She said 66 people were in shelters Tuesday in Hutchinson, 40 miles northwest of Wichita. Several hundred more people evacuated their homes in Russell, Ellsworth and Comanche counties, in central Kansas. In the Texas Panhandle, three fires burned about 500 square miles of land and killed at least four people. One of them near Amarillo was fully contained by late Tuesday afternoon, while a larger fire in the northeast corner of the Panhandle near the Oklahoma border was 50 percent contained, according to Texas A&M Forest Service. That larger fire was responsible for a death on Monday, authorities said. A wildfire in Gray County, also in the Texas Panhandle, killed three ranch hands trying to save cattle, said Judge Richard Peet, the countys head administrator. One of the three apparently died of smoke inhalation Monday night and the other two were badly burned and died on the way to hospitals, he said. Forest Service spokesman Phillip Truitt said as many as four firefighters were hurt battling the fires Monday. He provided no details on their conditions Tuesday morning. In northeastern Colorado near the Nebraska border, firefighters battled a blaze that burned more than 45 square miles and was 50 percent contained Tuesday. Officials said the fire had destroyed at least five homes and 15 outbuildings, with no serious injuries. Dry conditions and strong winds had put the region at risk for wildfires. All of eastern Colorado is classified as either moderately or abnormally dry along with major parts of Kansas, almost all of Oklahoma and some of northern Texas, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. After several years of drought, Kansas received good to great rain the last two summers. But the taller grass provides more fuel to burn. (AP) Security Minister Gilad Erdan announced on Wednesday, 10 Adar that a PA (Palestinian Authority)-sponsored event which was to he hosted in the eastern Jerusalem St. George Hotel was canceled. Officials in Erdans office report that they obtained information the PA planned to hold a Womens Day event in the hotel but the minister prevented it since the PA may not hold events in Jerusalem without filing for permits in advance, which was not done. Clearly this is a case of the PA trying to maintain a presence and establish a foothold in the eastern capital, which it views as the capital of a future State of Palestine. Police were dispatched to the hotel to personally deliver the ministers order to event organizers. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) Rabbi Yigal Levinstein, one of the founders of the acclaimed Bnei David IDF Prepatory Yeshiva in Yishuv Eli, is under attack again. Rabbi Levinstein dared to speak out against mixed gender IDF units, and stated females belong in Sheirut Leumi, not the IDF. Rav Levinstein spoke out strongly against the new policies and the ongoing effort to integrate women into units that have been exclusively for men. This elicited the ire of many, including the liberal stream of the dati leumi community, non-religious IDF preparatory academies, and womens rights activists. Levinstein, a former high-ranking reserve duty officer, came under attack last summer when he dared to speak out against toeiva in the IDF. He was banned from military bases, where he often visits to give words of chizuk and shiurei Torah. After his latest remarks, 28 heads of mechinot yeshivot signed a letter against Rabbi Levinstein. Among those who signed the letter are 24 mechinot which are not torani. The torani mechinot include Elisha for men, Tzahali and Lapidot for females, Yonatan, which is for males and females, located on Kibbutz Alumim. They decry Levinsteins words, his condemnation of female combatants in the IDF. They reject his words and his hashkafa, insisting he is incorrect and has embarrassed and harmed the image of the women soldiers and the IDF. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) Despite the shouts in the stormy Knesset session on Wednesday, 10 Adar, the Muezzin Bill was passed in its preliminary reading. Arab MKs were vocal during the debate to put it mildly, after the bill was read aloud. Likud MK Yehuda Glick, a known opponent of the current version of the bill, absented himself from the plenum session. The original version of the bill, to outlaw the mosque loudspeakers entirely, but there were fears this may lead to outlawing the pre-Shabbos candle lighting sirens which are heard in many cities and municipalities nationwide. As such, the amended bill outlaws the loudspeakers between 11:00PM to 7:00AM the following day. Arab MK Ahmed Tibi made sure to remind chareidi MKs that every time they ask him to refrain from voting on a law because it involves religion he complies and now, they are supporting what he calls an anti-religious bill. Tibi was noticeably angry by the chareidi support for the bill which he and his colleagues oppose vehemently. Opponents explain there is a law on the books that covers the muezzin and the loudspeakers and there is no need for a new law, but to simply improve enforcement by local authorities. Tibi added that passing the bill is a violation of Islamic religious ceremony and intolerable. He insists that nowhere do the loudspeakers pose an environmental threat. Tibi called on Knesset colleagues to refrain from backing the bill. Arab List MK Ayman Odeh condemned the bill, adding The is religious and Arab persecution as well as affront to the Arab presence and language. Chazal tell us we do not implement gezeiros that the tzibur cannot live by. We are law-abiding but there are gezeiros that we cannot live with. The first thing is enlistment in the IDF and the second thing is house demolitions as part of planned apartheid. The third gezeira is the Nakba Law and this is the fourth is this gezeira. The sound of the muezzin was heard before the decree and it will remain following the racist decree. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) A newly launched commission announced by Governor Andrew Cuomo during his recent solidarity trip to Israel will be comprised of a 22 member panel representing the many different facets of the Jewish community. Among those named to the commission was Shlomo Werdiger, chairman of Agudath Israel of America. The New York-Israel Commission will dedicate itself to strengthening ties between New York and Israel by cementing the states relationship with the Jewish community while simultaneously demonstrating its unwavering support to the State of Israel. New York and Israel have always shared a deep cultural, social and economic bond and I am proud that we are working to make our partnership stronger than ever before, said Governor Cuomo. The committee will be co-chaired by Allen Faigin, executive vice president of the Orthodox Union, Malcolm Hoenlein, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, and Linda Mirels, former chair of the UJA Federation of New York. Mort Zuckerman, owner and publisher of the Daily News and U.S News and World Report will serve as the committees honorary chairman. Other members of the committee include Richard Joel, president of Yeshiva University, Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis and Rabbi Michael Miller, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York. The New York-Israel Commission is intended to further partnerships between New York and Israel in areas including economy, trade, security, education and culture and will build on the states Global NY initiative which encourages business relationships between the state and foreign countries, including Israel. Members of the commission will create programs and initiatives that will forge even stronger bonds between New York and Israel. Mr. Werdigers inclusion in the commission is yet another link in the solid chain of commitment between Governor Cuomo and Agudath Israel of America. Mr. Shlomo Werdiger is one of our communitys most respected and beloved leaders and a perfect choice to represent the New York Jewish community in the governors new endeavor, said Chaskel Bennett, a member of the Agudahs board of trustees. Agudath Israels chairman of the board knows the Israeli business scene very well and is always an asset in any project that he undertakes. I am personally grateful to the governor for his leadership on this important issue. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) Have you always dreamed of moving to an, Out of town, community? Do you want to make a difference in a place where every Jew counts? Norfolk, VA may be the place for you. Norfolk is home to an open, warm and amazing community of people based in Bnai Israel Congregation. Led by Rabbi Sender Haber, Bnai Israel is the hub of our community. Not only is the shul thriving with new, young families moving to town on a regular basis, but there is an amazing Torah school with over 100 children, a boys yeshiva, girls high school, Vaad Hakashrus, eruv, Kollel, kosher restaurant, and much more. Many out-of- town communities want new families to move in, but few can back up their claims with action. Norfolk has a recruitment hiring mechanism that does its best to place perspective employees in new, suitable jobs prior to their move. The community is offering FREE tuition to qualified families, due to the Virginia state tax credit program, and is giving free shul membership and other benefits as well to new residents who qualify. Norfolk, VA is home to the largest military installations in the world. Various businesses and industries are able to thrive near such a lucrative environment. The weather is not bad either. With average temperatures in the winter above 50 degrees, and beautiful Summers, the area is the perfect place to raise a family. Being a short four hour drive from Baltimore and a six and a half hour drive to New York, the Norfolk community is positioned close enough to large communities that resources are readily available, but far enough away that the in laws cant just stop in. Norfolk, VA has shocked the frum world in the way that it has grown and maintained its Torah institutions. Toras Chaim, the Torah day school, is led by Rabbi Mordechai Loiterman, Ph.D. His school prides itself on not only preparing the boys and girls for high levels in Torah education and secular education, but Toras Chaim prepares kids to live a life of proper middos and kindness for others. The gift of living in a smaller, yet committed community is that our children learn that each one of them can make a difference. BINA High School for girls has also made a name for itself. Under the leadership of Mrs. Aviva Harpaz, BINAs specialized and personalized attention to each girl helps to guarantee that girls leave BINA with a tremendous love of Torah and the skills to be whatever they choose to be. Yeshivas Aish Kodesh is a true Makom Torah attracting many boys from outside of Norfolk. Norfolk, VA is a wonderful place to raise a family. Affordable housing, great job opportunities, wonderful, Southern hospitality and the kindest and committed people around. Norfolk is a place that you should want to call home. For more information about how to make Norfolk, VA your new home please check out www.norfolktorahcommunity.com and contact Rabbi Sender Haber at 757-275- 8271 or [email protected]. The United States must see some sort of positive action from North Korea before it can take Kim Jong Uns regime seriously and discuss ways to reduce tensions on the Korean peninsula, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said Wednesday. China earlier Wednesday called for North Korea to suspend its nuclear and missile activities in exchange for a halt in joint military exercises conducted by the U.S. and North Korea. But Haley made clear after emergency closed consultations of the Security Council that North Korea has to respond first, saying the exercises are defensive and have been held for 40 years with advance notice to Pyongyang. The military drills are especially needed now after Pyongyang conducted two nuclear tests and 24 ballistic missile launches last year and two sets of missile launches and the assassination of Kim Jong Uns estranged brother using a chemical weapon this year, she said. In Washington, U.S. State Department acting spokesman Mark Toner said, At this point we dont see it as a viable deal. Pentagon spokesman Cmdr. Gary Ross said U.S. activities to defend South Korea, cannot be equated to North Koreas repeated violations of its obligations and agreements. Haley also defended the upcoming deployment of a U.S. missile defense system in South Korea strongly opposed by China saying America would not leave its ally facing the threat of North Korea without help. We have not seen any goodwill at all coming from North Korea, Haley said. I appreciate all my counterparts wanting to talk about talks and negotiations (but) we are not dealing with a rational person. With any other country, the United States would be seeking negotiations, she said. This is not a rational person, who has not had rational acts, who is not thinking clearly, Haley said. This is someone who is trying to get attention. This is someone who is trying to get a reaction. Haley said the United States is re-evaluating how it is going to deal with North Korea going forward and we are making those decisions now and will act accordingly. Were not ruling anything out and were considering every option thats on the table, she said. South Korean Ambassador Cho Tae-yul rejected the idea of a North Korean nuclear freeze in exchange for halting U.S.-South Korea military exercises, which he stressed are defensive in nature. Linking this exercise to anything else, which is illegal nuclear and missile provocation by North Korea, is inappropriate and unacceptable, and I think this is just trying to link the un-linkable, he said. All kinds of options have been exhausted so far, Cho said, So the only available means to change the North Korean behavior fundamentally is to continue to keep up the pressure and sanctions on North Korea. But Chinas U.N. Ambassador Liu Jieyi warned that if you look at the development of events now on the Korean Peninsula theres a real danger, theres a real risk. The alternative to Chinas proposal would be escalation of tension, and the situation may get out of control, he told The Associated Press and two other reporters. We should avoid any worsening of the situation, or still any conflict, any sparks triggering a larger-scale conflict or even war on the Korean Peninsula, Liu said. Thats not something thats in the interest of anyone. He said implementing Chinas proposal shouldnt be hard if there is political will, but it would take the agreement of all the sides to get this result. When asked whether China had a commitment from North Korea to freeze testing, he told AP that we have been talking to various parties concerned about this. Haley indicated Chinas proposal is one option on the table for U.S. consideration along with many others. She said other council members would also all be discussing with their capitals what to do next on North Korea. Japans U.N. Ambassador Koro Bessho told reporters that three of the missiles launched Sunday night landed in the countrys exclusive economic zone where fishermen troll for squid. He said the North Korean military unit that conducted the launches is tasked with striking U.S. military bases in Japan when necessary. This shows us they are serious in these aggressive actions, Bessho said, calling North Koreas actions totally unacceptable and a serious matter for the whole world. He welcomed the Security Councils reaction late Tuesday, which was stronger than after previous launches. The council strongly condemned the Norths missile tests and increasingly destabilizing behavior and defiance of its resolutions. It said the missile activity increases tensions in the region and beyond, and risks a regional arms race. The Security Council has already imposed six rounds of increasingly tougher sanctions on North Korea. It urged all countries to redouble efforts to implement them and warned of possible further significant measures. Britains U.N. Ambassador Matthew Rycroft, the current council president, said members discussed a potential role for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in pursuing a united council position, including Tuesdays statement. He gave no details. Speaking on behalf of Britain, Rycroft backed the U.S. position calling it very important that the first step come from North Korea to demonstrate its commitment to denuclearization. Chinas Liu told AP the Security Council must follow the situation closely but it is key that the main players in the region refrain from doing anything that would exacerbate the current highly tense situation on the Korean Peninsula. (AP) A senior U.S. general on Wednesday accused Russia of deploying a land-based cruise missile in violation of the spirit and intent of a nuclear arms treaty and charged that Moscows intention is to threaten U.S. facilities in Europe and the NATO alliance. We believe that the Russians have deliberately deployed it in order to pose a threat to NATO and to facilities within the NATO area of responsibility, Gen. Paul Selva, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a House Armed Services Committee hearing. Selva said he sees no indication that Moscow intends to return to compliance with the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which bans an entire class of weapons all land-based cruise missiles with a range between 500 and 5,500 kilometers (310 and 3,410 miles). The treaty was a landmark in arms control in the final years of the Cold War. Selvas accusation takes on added political significance in light of President Donald Trumps stated goal of improving relations with Russia even as Moscow is perceived by U.S. allies in Europe as a military threat of growing urgency. The alleged treaty violation comes amid multiple congressional investigations of alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The FBI also is probing ties between Russia and Trump associates during the campaign. Trump has said little about the INF treaty but on multiple occasions has questioned the value of a separate, more recent treaty that limits the number of strategic nuclear weapons the United States and Russia can deploy to 1,550 warheads each starting in 2018. Trump has said it unfairly advantages Russia. And he has said the U.S. should expand its nuclear weapons capability, although he has not explained what he meant. The Obama administration had hoped to talk Moscow into returning to compliance with the INF treaty but seemed to make no progress. Russia has claimed U.S. missile defenses violate the threat. Asked how the U.S. might respond now that Russian cruise missiles are deployed for potential use, Selva said the military is preparing a set of options to be considered this year by the Trump administration as part of a broader nuclear policy review. Selva said he could not publicly discuss those options. When pressed he said the plan is to look for leverage points to attempt to get the Russians to come back into compliance, adding, I dont know what those leverage points are. The Obama administration had accused Moscow of violating the INF treaty, but Selvas statement was the first public confirmation of recent news reports that the Russians have deployed the nuclear-capable cruise missile. The New York Times, which was first to report the Russian missile deployment, said last month that the Russians have two battalions now in the field. One is at a missile test site at Kapustin Yar and one was moved in December from the test site to an operational base elsewhere in the country. Russia denies that it has violated the INF treaty. Some in Congress have expressed alarm at the alleged Russian deployment. Sen. John McCain, the Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, last month called on the Trump administration to ensure that U.S. nuclear forces in Europe are ready. Russias deployment of nuclear-tipped ground-launched cruise missiles in violation of the INF treaty is a significant military threat to U.S. forces in Europe and our NATO allies, McCain, R-Ariz., said, adding that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin was testing Trump. In response to questions at the hearing on Wednesday, Selva said U.S. officials have been talking to Moscow about the alleged treaty violation. He seemed unconvinced that the discussions would be fruitful. I dont have enough information on their intent to conclude other than they do not intend to return to compliance with the treaty, he said. Absent some pressure from the international community and the United States as a co-signer of the same agreement, there is no logical reason to believe that Moscow intends to end its violations, he added. (AP) [PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE] This Monday marked 18 years to the founding of the first Haredi combat battalion. Eighteen is the numerical equivalent of the Hebrew word Chai, life, and thus symbolic of this concept. A special gathering was hosted in honor of this noteworthy event. The affair was attended by IDF Central District Commander Major-General Roni Numa; IDF Chief Rabbi Brigadier-General Rabbi Eyal Karim, Rabbi Yaron David, Executive Director of Nachal Haredi Organization, Rabbi David Fuchs, Rabbi Shaul Avdiel, Rabbi Yitzchak Bar-Haim, and veterans and current members of the battalion. Netzach Yehuda (Nachal Chareidi) is the pioneering chareidi battalion in the IDF and promotes the integration of chareidi soldiers into the military. Three years after its formation, the battalion was linked as an infantry unit to the Kfir Brigade; and in the past year led the counterterrorism battle following the recent wave of terror incidents. In the near future, battalion soldiers will return to the Binyamin region, where they were deployed throughout the past year in the framework of counterterrorism missions and engage in noncombat employment operations. Addressing the audience, Lieutenant-Colonel Itamar Deshel said: When the first Nachal Chareidi battalion formed, it numbered all of 31 soldiers. No one could envisage the wonders that we bear witness to todaya victorious combat battalion that unites all Tribes of Israel from across the country and Diaspora. Nachal Chareidi is a model and paradigm for many other recruitment projects in the IDF. I am proud to command this battalion which today spearheads counterterrorism within the framework of the Kfir Brigade. Rabbi Yitzchak Bar-Haim, a rabbi affiliated with Nachal Chareidi Organization expressed: Today, we bear witness to an inspirational event that both proves and emphasizes our triumphs throughout the year. We strongly believe that our very existence demonstrates to the entire Jewish nation that it is, indeed, possible to serve in the IDF without compromising on a Haredi lifestyle. As we saw manifested this evening, thousands of young men have chosen the Netzach Yehuda track, were integrated into the IDF, and realized their dreams of safeguarding our nation and country without compromising on any of their religious standards. We are an indistinguishable aspect of Israeli society, and we will continue operating and expanding into all realms without surrendering the values that are most important to us. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) After spending months rehashing the brutal GOP primary campaign and bragging about his victory, President Donald Trump has quietly launched a charm offensive, reaching out to former rivals whose help he now needs. The latest on his list: Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who has said he has significant concerns about the GOP health care bill Trump is pushing for passage. The president and first lady hosted Cruz and his wife, Heidi, and their two daughters for dinner Wednesday night a day after Trump broke bread with Sen. Lindsay Graham, another rival, over lunch. Trump has also been spending time with Sen. Marco Rubio, giving him a ride to Florida on Air Force One last week and hosting him and his wife for dinner at the White House. He met recently with Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, hosted Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey and his wife for Valentines Day meatloaf, and had a working lunch with Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin all former campaign foes. The meetings come as Trump continues to lob unsupported accusations at his predecessor in the White House, Barack Obama, alienating a potential source of guidance as hes turned his focus toward selling a legislative agenda that hell need every possible ally to pass. That means wooing former rivals like Cruz and Sen. Rand Paul, whom Trump has spoken to several times since taking office, including this week, said Pauls spokesman Sergio Gor. But the 2016 Republican campaign was uniquely brutal, leading to some awkward interactions. During the campaign, Trump not only went after Cruz, giving him the nickname Lyin Ted, questioning his faith and bizarrely suggesting his father may have been involved in the Kennedy assassination. He also went after Cruzs wife, re-tweeting an unflattering photo of her next to his wife and threatening to spill the beans on her. Cruz responded by calling Trump a sniveling coward and labeling him a pathological liar and utterly amoral. Cruz also declined to endorse Trump in his Republican Convention speech. Press secretary Sean Spicer ignored a question Wednesday about whether the president intended to apologize to Heidi Cruz, saying instead: I think theyre looking forward to a great dinner. This is a president thats going to engage with everybody that can help join in proposing ideas and thoughts and opinions on how to move the country forward. So he looks forward to dinner tonight with Senator and Mrs. Cruz as he has with several others, he said. Spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders noted the president has been holding meeting after meeting as he tries to sell the health care bill. I think theres outreach to most of Congress, she said. Cruz, who met with the president a week after the election, seemed equally willing to bury the hatchet. He told reporters ahead of the dinner that the president had called him several weeks ago and invited him and his family to dinner, and said, were very much looking forward to it. Its principally a social dinner but Im sure the conversation will turn to the repeal of Obamacare and I have serious concerns about the House bill as drafted. I do not believe the House bill as currently drafted would pass the Senate, he said. Trump has in the past marveled at politicians abilities to move on, even after brutal election campaigns. Its a very strange phenomenon, he recently told Fox News, describing his ability to get along with Obama, despite their nasty election rivalry as Obama campaigned on behalf of Democrat Hillary Clinton. What amazed me is that I was vicious to him in statements, he was vicious to me in statements, and here we are getting along, were riding up Pennsylvania Avenue, talk we dont even mention it, he said. I guess thats the world of politics. Trumps latest unsupported claim on Twitter that Obama ordered wiretaps on Trump, has apparently chilled those relations a bit. Even Graham, one of Trumps fiercest critics during the primary, seems to agree with the idea of moving past the campaign rhetoric. After their lunch, Graham praised Trump, saying he was strongly committed to rebuilding our military which is music to my ears. President Trump is in deal-making mode and I hope Congress is like-minded. Graham also appeared to forgive the president for once reading out his personal cellphone number to a rally crowd. How good was the meeting? I gave him my NEW cell phone number, Graham tweeted. Jason Miller, who worked for Trumps campaign and transition, said that Cruz and other past rivals are eager to find ways to work together. I think theres a feeling of optimism and confidence that we can actually pass a conservative agenda, he said. Yet there is one rival candidate who has yet to make nice with the president: former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. While Bush has been in touch with members of the Trump administration, he has yet to make an appearance with Trump and his spokeswoman Kristy Campbell said he has no immediate plans to dine with the president. (AP) The last time Rabbi Yigal Levinstein of Yeshivat Bnei David spoke out against toeiva in the IDF him came under fire, including shouts to cut funding to the mechina and shut it down. The rabbi was quick to apologize by issuing a clarification. The same thing occurred this week after Levinstein once again spoke out publicly, this time against men and women serving together in the military. Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman was among the first to speak out against the veteran mechina, demanding an apology from Rabbi Levinstein for his remarks. Rabbi Levinstein was interviewed on the Wednesday evening news on Channel 2 TV, refusing to retract the heart of what he said but he did issue an apology for the manner in which he delivered his words and offending some. However, he remains opposed to men and women serving together. The Srugim website writes on Thursday 11 Adar that Lieberman did not spare words in his criticism of the co-head of Bnei David, Rabbi Levinstein, adding when he returns home to Israel from Washington, he is going to reevaluate Rabbi Levinstein and his fitness to prepare young men to serve in the IDF. It may be that Rabbi Levinstein, who is not naive, simply feels the need to speak out to send a clear message to his talmidim in the IDF and those serving in the reserves, to make it clear the mixed unit is a red line that mustnt be crossed by anyone. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) Shas party leader Interior Minister Aryeh Deri praised Rabbi Yigal Levinstein for having the courage to speak out as he did against mixed units in the IDF. Deri explained It takes courage to speak out and say the halacha and I praise him for having it. During a joint interview with Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) on Thursday morning 11 Adar, Deri explained I will not hide my position, citing that it took courage for someone at the top of the mechina pyramid to speak out as he did. He added Baruch Hashem he apologized as he did, explaining he too did not agree with the exact wording of his statements, which left some feeling insulted. We must remember that he was just repeating the words of Gedolei Yisrael and while his method was not great, this is halacha and there is nothing to be done, this is the way it is. Deri emphasized halacha has not changed and the reason women should not serve is not became of life-threatening danger but because women do not belong there and as much others see it differently, this is halacha. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) At the end of the stormy Knesset session on Wednesday 10 Adar, the Muezzin bill was passed in its preliminary reading. While the shouts of opposition from the Arab MKs were audible, one objection was heard across the border, in Jordan. The word from Jordan is that if Israel dares to pass the bill into law and implement it, it would be a gross violation of the peace agreement signed between the two countries. Spokesman for the king, Muhammed el-Mumani explained The fact the bill applies to East Jerusalem too constitutes a violation of the peace treaty between the two countries regarding Jordans responsibility for holy sites in East Jerusalem. The PA (Palestinian Authority) also expressed its opposition, stating the bill is nothing less than a declaration of war. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times True. It is published by Artscrolls Youth Series, but adults can get a lot out of this portrait of Rav Chaim Kanievsky Shlita as well. It was adapted and translated by Libby Lazewnik from the Hebrew Gadol bKirbech. Mrs. Lazewnik is a highly talented author based in Baltimore that writes books for both children and adults. In the very beginning of the book, we catch a glimpse of the young, almost-six-year-old Rav Chaim arriving in Eretz Yisroel in 1934. We read of his insatiable curiosity in approaching an Arab to help him identify an obscure plant mentioned in BaMeh Madlikin an identification that had eluded both his father as well as his illustrious unlce the Chazon Ish. His Bar Mitzvah, we learn, was very simple (would we have expected anything different?), and his pshetl was on hesech daas btefillin. And no, they did NOT sing him down. The sefer is replete with stories that reflect the gadlus, syata dishmaya, and remarkably prescient advice of a Gadol BYisroel. But we (and our children who will read it) also see so much more. Rav Chaim is introduced to a man from Gibraltaer. Rav Chaim picks up in fascination. Why is he so fascinated? The Shulchan Aruch (OC 228:1) cites an opinion that when one sees the Mediterranean one recites the blessing of Oseh HaYam HaGadol. However, others hold that this bracha is only recited on the Atlantic. Because of the doubt in the bracha, we defer to the generalized bracha of Oseh Maaseh Bereishis. But, Rav Chaim pointed out, at Gibraltar, both oceans can be seen. Therefore, the bracha of Oseh HaYam HaGadol can be recited according to both opinions. We see his extraordinary tzidkus too. A baal Teshuva asks him a question about not having lechem Mishna for Rosh Hashana. Rav Chaim resolves the dilemma by inviting the Baal Teshuva to his home. There are humorous sections as well, but filled with educational points too. We read how Rav Chaims wife had told her father-in-law, the Steipler Gaon that Chaims back was troubling him. Not realizing that his daughter-in-law was referring to a different relative, the Steipler ordered his son to bed immediately. Not wishing to question his father, Rav Chaim went to bed right away. Only later did he leave when his father discovered the miscommunication. But we do see the alacrity in which Rav Chaim observed the Mitzvah of Kivud Av. On page 113 we read of an interesting cure for kidney ailment watermelon juice told to a woman by Rebbitzen Kanievsky. While the woman was alive, the drink helped her. After the Rebbitzen had passed away the remedy was no longer effective. Rav Chaim commented that the woman had thought that it was the watermelon juice that was the cure. That was not the case, however, it was the Rebbitzens bracha that kept her in good health. It is interesting to note that although there is such an idea that is out there that watermelon juice cleanses the kidneys, the medical world does not agree with it. In light of this, Rav Chaims point is therefore all the more fascinating. A main benefit of the biography is the centrality of Torah study that should be taking place in all of our lives. It is a perspective that is vintage Rav Chaim Kanievsky. In 2002, Rav Chaim was hospitalized (see page 135). The doctor asked him when, in his view, he would be ready to go home. Rav Chaim responded that when he would be able to manage on his own. But what does managing on his own mean to Rav Chaim? Rav Chaim answered the doctors question. It means being able to get a sefer off the shelf by myself. This reflects a different emphasis on our birkas krias shmah in maariv. When we say the words, Ki haim chayeinu we can read it either as for they are our life or for they are our life emphasizing the word, they. Rav Chaim Kanievskys entire life shows this emphasis. We learn how Rav Chaim views his learning schedule. He calls them chovos pages he must learn, but not in a pejorative sense. A page in Shulchan Aruch, two pages in the Yerushalmi, 3 more in the Bavli these were examples of his Chovos.. He viewed them as a holy duty, and he got this perspective from his father (see page 145). Throughout the sefer you encounter stories that reflect Rav Chaims profound anivus humility. There is another fascinating story about Rav Chaim that actually was not in the book, but shows this quality about him too. Someone had heard him wonder why nowadays bands at weddings no longer play a variety of music, and that they only play the song yamim al yemai melech tosif over and over again. There are five chapters in this book comprising 173 pages. There are also numerous photographs in the sefer. It is highly captivating written in a you cant put it down style. A fifth or sixth grade student could gain much from it, and perhaps a bright fourth grader as well. Adults will gain immensely as well. It is a very inspiring Sefer. The reviewer can be reached at [email protected] Hakeen, a 27-year-old Kerala man, was arrested in Palakkad for beating his cousin to death for not feeding his dog. He took his injured cousin to hospital claiming he had fallen from the roof. But doctors realised that the victim was assaulted based on his wounds. Risky businessman: Barclays' new head of investment banking Tim Throsby Barclays' new head of investment banking, ex-JP Morgan Aussie Tim Throsby, 50, who arrived in post in January, has been busy reinvigorating his new unit, according to the Wall Street Journal. His message to the troops: Don't be afraid to take more risks. Oh dear. Haven't we been down this IED-laden road before? Do the eggheads at the Institute for Fiscal Studies teeter with self-importance? Their annual Green Budget, published last month and setting the scene ahead of the Chancellor's big day, was 307 pages long. Philip Hammond's statement, which he delivered to the Commons yesterday, came in at just 64 pages. Gordon Brown's final Budget in 2007 ran to a snooze-inducing 317, but neither brevity nor mirth were his strong points. New York-based hedge funder Ray Dalio, 67, says that he encourages an awkward office atmosphere at his fund Bridgewater Associates, which he likens to visiting a nudist beach. He reasons: 'If you can stand naked in front of other people and have them stand naked in front of you, you can have actually better relationships and be more productive.' If he says so. Let's hope he doesn't give London's hedge fund Adonis Crispin Odey or his rivals any unsavoury ideas. How the Mighty Have Fallen Part 1: George Osborne entering the Commons chamber for yesterday's Budget and having to make small talk with Liberal Democrat numbskull Tim Farron. Part 2: David Cameron wandering aimlessly around the Whole Foods Market in Kensington, West London, dressed in civvies while clutching a tatty recyclable shopping bag. Budget got you down? Brexit making you anxious? Fret not. Matters are far worse over in France. Revered French political scientist Brice Teinturier's latest book, which discusses the glum economic situation across the Channel, has been named the country's political book of the year. It's title? 'Plus Rien a Faire, Plus Rien a Foutre.' Translation: 'Nothing More to Do, Nothing More to F***.' Banks are set to be stung for 2.1billion more tax than previously thought, new forecasts show. The figures, published by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), reveal that two taxes on the financial sector will provide the Treasury with an even larger windfall than expected. It is likely to trigger further demands from top lenders for a rethink of how they are taxed, with many seeking to use Brexit as a pretext for squeezing concessions out of the Government. Windfall: Economist and chairman of the Office for Budget Responsibility Robert Chote in jovial mood The OBR said the bills for the bank levy and corporation tax surcharge would be about 350million a year higher than previously expected for the six years to 2022. It would hand the Government 23.4billion over the period, up from an earlier estimate of 21.3billion. The improvement was boosted by higher than expected profits for the sector. It follows a furious outcry from bosses over what they claimed were punitive fees. HSBC even threatened to move to Hong Kong if the levy was not reduced. A new surcharge was introduced last year, charging 8 per cent on any profits above 25million. Stepping down: David Cumming has been with Standard Life for 18 years The fund boss at Standard Life has suddenly quit just two days after it was revealed the investment giant is to merge with rival Aberdeen Asset Management. David Cumming has been with Standard Life for 18 years and runs its top-performing UK Equity Recovery fund. Yesterday Standard Life revealed he was leaving 'to pursue other interests'. Cumming, who has a master's degree in economics and accounting from the University of Edinburgh, started his career in 1983 as an investment analyst at Royal London Mutual. His move came just 48 hours after the group announced plans to merge with Aberdeen to create an 11billion investment giant with some 660billion of savers' cash under management. The newly created group will be the biggest fund manager in the UK and one of the largest in Europe, but it is thought that, with significant overlap between fund ranges, there are likely to be job losses and that a number of funds could merge. Stan Pearson, head of European equities at the firm, will be Cumming's interim replacement. By Press Trust of India: Srinagar, Mar 9 (PTI) Two Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants and a civilian were killed during a nine-hour gunbattle between the ultras and the security forces in Awantipora area of south Kashmirs Pulwama district today. The encounter broke out in Padgampora village after security forces launched a cordon and search operation at around 2.30 AM following information about presence of militants there, a police official said. advertisement The militants, holed up in two adjacent houses, opened fire at security personnel at around 4.40 AM and the troops retaliated, triggering a fierce gunbattle which lasted nine hours. The security officials had brought the mother of one of the militants to the site to persuade him to surrender but he refused, he said. The slain ultras were affiliated to LeT outfit and have been identified as Jehangir Ganai and Mohammad Shafi Shergujri, the official said. A 15-year-old civilian -- Amir Nazir Wani -- was also killed after he suffered a bullet wound in the neck during the cross-firing, he said. While local residents claimed security forces fired at the protesters near the encounter site, leading to Wanis death, police officials said the teenager was fatally injured by a "stray bullet". Another youth -- Sajad Ahmad Bhat -- was injured after he was hit by a bullet in the hip. He has been referred to Bone and Joint Hospital here for treatment. Train services from Banihal to Srinagar have been suspended temporarily as authorities apprehend that miscreants might target the trains along the south Kashmir tracks. Meanwhile, Armys Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt Gen AK Bhatia today spoke to his Pakistani counterpart and conveyed Indias concerns over movement of terrorists along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. "The DGMO spoke to the Pakistan Army DGMO this morning. He expressed concern regarding the movement of terrorists noticed along the Line of Control (LoC)," Army sources said. PTI MIJ RT --- ENDS --- By Press Trust of India: Kathmandu, Mar 9 (PTI) At least 24 people were killed and 41 others injured today when a bus veered off the road and plunged down about 200 metres from a highway in western Nepal. The accident took place in Jajarkot district when the bus carrying more than 60 people, passing through rough terrain, skidded off the road and plunged down. advertisement Police said the bus was heading towards Khara from Khalanga when the incident occurred at Dhangaredanda, the Kathmandu Post reported. At least 24 people were killed in the accident and as many as 41 were injured, police said. The injured were receiving treatment at the District Hospital in Jajarkot. Nepal Army and Nepal Police personnel have been deputed for the rescue operation. DSP Bhabesh Rimal said that the accident might have occurred due to over-speeding. PTI ASK ASK --- ENDS --- MBABANE Most parents are worried about a hastily spreading skin disease afffecting mostly children. Impetigo is a highly contagious skin condition that usually affects the face, neck and hands of young children and infants. The disease is caused by two bacteria, which are transferred by contact of skin with anything that an individual with the disease has touched. An injury to the skin, insect bites and animal bites may also cause one to be infected with impetigo. This disease occurs more rarely in adults, usually following another skin condition or an infection. Children aged between two to six years are most at risk of developing the skin condition. Since it is highly contagious, they are at risk of contracting the disease if they regularly attend a day care or school. As skin contact with an affected person or thing may spread the disease, children with skin irritated by other conditions are also prone to getting the disease. Being in a crowded environment where bacteria can spread easily and participating in activities that involve skin-to-skin contact, poor hygiene, having diabetes, having a compromised immune system, are high risk factors for developing impetigo. Dr Vusi Magagula, the Ministry of Health Director, confirmed that they have had several cases in the countrys health centres. However, he said the public should not be alarmed as yet because it has not been confirmed as an outbreak. We have had several cases of impetigo in the countrys health centres and experts are investigating the cause and the extent of the disease. However, the public should not be worried for now because it has not been confirmed as an outbreak, said Magagula. LOBAMBA After over three years of waiting, the Swaziland Communications Commission (SCCOM) finally has a substantive chief executive officer (CEO). This was announced by the Minister of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT), Dumisani Ndlangamandla, during the House of Assembly portfolio committee sitting yesterday. Even though he did not mention the name of the new CEO, this newspaper reliably gathered that the post has been filled by Mvilawemphi Dlamini, who is an employee of Standard Bank Swaziland, where he holds the position of Head of Information Technology and Chief Information Executive Member. SCCOM is the regulatory body responsible for regulating the communications sector in the country, constituting of telecommunication services and networks, broadcasting services plus the use and allocation of radio spectrum. Ndlangamandla informed the committee that the CEO was going to assume his duties on April 1. The minister further announced that the post of the parastatals Chief Financial Officer (CFO) had also been filled and that the candidate was going to begin work on May 1, 2017. He was responding to concerns that were raised by the MPs on why the ministry was taking long in filling the vacant post. The MPs had earlier told the minister that the delay in the hiring of the CEO was a sign that perhaps the position was not important while others asked him to explain if there was a challenge in finding qualified Swazis to fill the post. The front view of Atlanta Products where the incident took place. (Pic: Sibusiso Zwane) MATSAPHA A sugar-packing company employee died tragically after he was pinned by a forklift truck against the roofing of the factory shell. The freak accident took place in the wee hours of yesterday morning at Atlanta Products Factory. An impeccable source within the company said the employee was allegedly feeding the machine which packs the sugar when the incident took place. He said the worker was lifted by the forklift truck with the bags of sugar up to the machine. The operator of the forklift truck failed to stop it when it was at the height of the packing machine and it smashed him hard against the roofing of the factory shell and he was pinned between the bags of sugar and the roof, the source narrated. The source also revealed that both the employee and the driver of the forklift truck were subcontracted to the company as they belonged to a certain labour broker. In fact, the source alleged that a majority of the employees in the company were hired from the labour broker in question. Furthermore, he alleged that most of the permanent staff members worked day shifts and a few of them worked night shifts despite the fact that the company was big and generally the duties required skilled people. He said after the incident, management was called and they responded promptly to the call by going to the scene right away. They assessed the scene and the police were called too. On the occasion of International Women's Day, Roopa, an acid attack victim and the assistant manager of Sheroes Cafe, was honored with the 'Nari Shakti' award by President Pranab Mukherjee. By Siraj Qureshi: The International Women's Day has again made men realize that women are not behind them in many things. Facing all kinds of harassments, women are still moving forward, maintaining their future and lighting up the name of their city, state, and country in the world. The Sheroes Cafe in Tajganj, Agra is run by such women who have faced acid attacks and are bravely taking life head-on by running this unique cafe such close to the tourist magnet of India, the Taj Mahal. advertisement On the occasion of International Women's Day, Roopa, an acid attack victim and the assistant manager of Sheroes Cafe, was honored with the 'Nari Shakti' award by President Pranab Mukherjee, again highlighting the cause of acid attack victims not only in UP, but all over India. The UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had also visited the Sheroes Cafe and had coffee with the staff of the cafe, promising to give them Yash Bharti Award for bravery and courage in dealing with this criminal abuse, although that award never materialized. Talking to India Today, Roopa said that there was a time when she lived life hiding her face which had been disfigured by the acid attack. At that time, people used to comment on her face despite being covered up, but now none of the cafe staffers hide their faces and yet people support them. She said that she had been burnt by her stepmother, who threw acid on her face. For several years, she did not come out of her house, but when she came to know about "Stop Acid Attack" campaign, she joined it and got the inspiration to join Sheroes Cafe, finally becoming self-reliant. Now, she feels proud that she was able to put the adversity of acid attack behind her and become a role model for other acid attacks victims, who can find rehabilitation with the "Stop Acid Attack" campaign. She said that she was surprised when she received the news that a postal envelope was launched by the Head Post Office Agra Fort on Acid Attack Survivors on 7th March 2017, saluting the courage of the workers of Sheroes Hangout Cafe. On this occasion, Postal Department's Assistant Director B Arya said that the envelope, which has been published in a limited quantity of 1000 prints, has been priced at Rs 75. He said that the acid attack victims of Sheroes Hangout Cafe give a message of women empowerment to rest of the world and the postal department has become a part of this mission through the launch of these envelopes. Bhartiya Muslim Vikas Parishad chairman Sami Aghai congratulated Roopa for receiving the "Nari Shakti" Award from the President of India and said that she and the rest of the staff of Sheroes Hangout Cafe are an inspiration to the women who are subjected to acid attacks and other forms of domestic violence. The city's social organizations should come forward to help these women through any means possible. advertisement Also read: Sacred Transformations: Niraj Gera's exhibition that chronicles acid attack victims Acid Attacks: Strict law but minimal implementation on ground WATCH THE VIDEO: --- ENDS --- AIIMS recently released a circular saying that it has decided to open an 'additional' counter to cater exclusively to patients recommended by the OSD to President, AIIMS and VIP references from honourable members of the Parliament. AIIMS recently released a circular saying that it has decided to open an 'additional' counter to cater exclusively to VIP cases. By Roshani Thokne: AIIMS recently released a circular saying that it has decided to open an 'additional' counter to cater exclusively to patients recommended by the OSD to President, AIIMS and VIP references from MPs. The circular has made AIIMS come across as a hospital promoting VIP culture. To which, official sources at AIIMS have said: "The circular is in public domain. We are not promoting VIP culture but we are trying to streamline the reference cases. In our circular we have clearly mentioned that we are not closing the general OPD for patients but streamlining the media-protocol division which had less man-power earlier. advertisement Also, AIIMS has found a few cases of fake references and a few touts who charged people and provided them fake references. So for making the whole system transparent, the slip for OPD cases needs to be signed by the respective authorities at AIIMS. Also OSD to president, AIIMS wrote us for recommended patients to get OPD registration in media and protocol division. On the other side Media and protocol division requested AIIMS to shift (Protocol) OPD registration from their end. From the new special counter, patients who come to AIIMS from different states with the reference of the member of the parliament will be able to reach the counter directly. As we know, thousands of reference cases come everyday. We will categorise the cases on the basis of emergency and seriousness." Also Read : UP Police records minor victims statement at AIIMS Also Read: Jayalalithaa death row: AIIMS hands over medical report to Tamil Nadu government Also Watch: AIIMS gives Jayalalithaa's medical reports to Tamil Nadu government --- ENDS --- Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Patrick Donachie The citys Department of Education will be opening 24 new Dual Language and Transitional Bilingual Education programs in Queens schools this September, part of a citywide initiative to launch 68 new programs, the most additions at the start of a school year since 2010. As a first-generation American and former English Language Learner, I know firsthand the many benefits of being bilingual, and this expansion will expose many more students in our citys schools to multiple languages, Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina said at the new programs announcement Feb. 28. The Queens schools benefitting from the new programs span the entirety of the borough, from Forest Hills High School, which will have a Spanish Dual Language program, to Hillcrest High School, which will benefit from a new transitional bilingual education program for Chinese. The languages included in the new Queens programs are individual to each school, but include Spanish, Chinese and Bengali. The schools with dual language programs will receive a $20,000 planning grant, while schools with a transitional bilingual education program will get a $10,000 grant. The grants will partially be funded through the Federal Title iii Language Instruction for ELLs Program. The DOE will also be offering an Urdu bilingual program for the first time. As the representative of one of the most ethnically diverse districts in the country, Im thrilled to see the expansion of dual language programs across our schools, U.S. Rep. Joe Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) said. Programs like these not only enrich our students own development, but by fostering the understanding of new cultures, it strengthens communities. In addition to the languages being offered at Queens schools, there are also programs in place for Russian, Arabic and French. The new bilingual programs include 28 in elementary schools around the country, 16 in middle schools and 14 in high schools. With the start of the new school year and the new bilingual programs, there will be 507 total programs around the city, according to the DOE. In Dual Language programs, about half the students will be ELLs, with the other half proficient in English, and instruction will be carried out in both languages. In the transitional bilingual education programs, ELLs are the primary target of focus, with instruction initially conducted in the students home languages with a gradual transition into English instruction until the students become proficient. We are a city of immigrants that is stronger because of our different cultures and languages, Mayor Bill de Blasio said about the new programs. This bilingual expansion will provide thousands more students with high-quality programs, and sends a clear message that we welcome all families in our school system. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Patrick Donachie A crowd of hundreds gathered in the cold Sunday afternoon for a Unity in Diversity rally sponsored by Borough President Melinda Katz, part of a concerted effort to keep public pressure and attention on opposition to President Donald Trumps policies on immigration. What affects one community affects all communities, Katz said in her introduction to the rally, which featured dozens of different speakers. We have people being attacked, and we want them to know that Queens stands in solidarity with them. Katz also held the rally to condemn instances of bias, hate crimes and anti-Semitism. and she was joined by U.S. Reps. Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica) and Tom Suozzi (D-Huntington), numerous faith leaders, state and local representatives as well as Public Advocate Letitia James, who said the six weeks since Trumps inauguration had felt a lot longer. The rally followed a week that included the presidents first speech to Congress, the recusal of Attorney General Jeff Sessions from any investigations the Justice Department may make into the Russian governments influence on the 2016 presidential election, and the presidents accusation via Twitter that former President Barack Obama had ordered his phone bugged during the general election campaign. Several legal organizations set up shop near the rally to offer pro bono legal assistance to immigrants under threat of deportation. Jose Torres, a representative for Legal Hand Jamaica, said the organization was trying to help individuals find ways to proactively protect themselves from the impact of Trumps immigration orders. Everything right now seems like a more reactive action, he said. When youre on the defensive, its hard to quell peoples fears and help give them a way forward. Jessica Marroquin was on hand representing the New York Legal Assistance Group. She said NYLAG was making inroads in Queens communities, aware that the immigration population in the borough was substantial and anxiety was high. She said the office had received numerous inquiries since Trumps inauguration, including many questions from undocumented parents about how to legally ensure their childs well-being if the parents are apprehended by Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents. Now the question is what might happen to my child? she said. Its crazy to have that mindset. Numerous organizations were also on hand to show their support, including representatives from NYC Health + Hospitals, who stressed that New Yorkers should not be afraid to seek medical service at a H+H establishment, regardless of immigration status. Denny Meyer was on hand representing the New York chapter of the American Veterans for Equal Rights. Meyer, who served for 10 years, said he was a veteran of the Vietnam War, a gay man and the child of an illegal immigrant. Meyer said his mother came to America illegally from Germany in 1938 to escape the Nazi regime. She raised me to believe theres nothing more important than American freedom, he said. It makes me sick to tears that the president is turning away people just like my mother, who just want to live in peace, raise families and work. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Philip Newman A 32-year-old Pennsylvania man and a 29-year-old Brooklyn woman have been indicted by a Queens grand jury on charges of sex trafficking, kidnapping, promoting prostitution along with other charges for allegedly forcing a 21-year-old woman into prostitution. They were arrested outside a hotel in Flushing where the victim was forced to have sex with a number of clients, the Queens district attorney said. Elizabeth OSullivan of 4th Avenue in Brooklyn and Lee Vargas, 32, of Main Street in Stroudsburg, Pa. were arraigned last Friday before Queens Supreme Court Justice Richard Bucher on an indictment charging them with kidnapping, sex trafficking, promoting prostitution, tampering with a witness, criminal possession of marijuana, tampering with a witness, intimidating a witness, assault and forcible touching. Queens DA Richard Brown said bail was set at $600,000/$300,000 cash for Vargas and $125,000 for OSullivan. Each faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted. They were ordered to return to court on May 8. OSullivan and Vargas traveled to Massachusetts in October 2016 and picked up the 21-year-old victim and brought her to Queens, purportedly to perform as a dancer/stripper with her earnings going to OSullivan and Vargas But shortly after arriving in Queens the victim was forced to have sexual intercourse with a number of men, the DA said. On one occasion the victim burst into tears whereupon Vargas slapped, choked her and threatened worse, according to the criminal complaint filed by prosecutors. According to the charges, the victim finally got word to her family who notified police. An undercover rescue officer responded to an ad on Backp age.com on Jan.7, 2017 and was directed to a hotel on Main Street in Flushing, where the young woman was found. Police arrested OSullivan and Vargas in their car parked in front of the Main Street hotel in Flushing with marijuana allegedly burning in the cars ash tray, the complaint said. OSullivan was charged with contacting a friend of the victim to intimidate her into not testifying before the grand jury, the DA said. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Bill Parry Helen Marshall has left a legacy that touched thousands in the borough and reached across the city to the state. The funeral for former Borough President Helen Marshall will be private but a New York memorial service is currently being planned and will be announced at a later date. The tribute may be held in the $23 million Helen Marshall Cultural Center, the 11,000-square-foot atrium at Borough Hall which was dedicated last September. Marshall, who served as Queens borough president for 12 years after many nearly two decades as a Democratic lawmaker at the city and state levels, died Saturday in a Palm Desert, Calif. hospice. She was 87. A former teacher, she spent her years in public office with a sharp focus on education and expanding library services in Queens. Marshall was the first African-American borough president of Queens and the second woman to occupy the post in the most ethnically diverse county in the country. Helen Marshall was a larger-than-life figure in the civic life of Queens and the State of New York, said Melinda Katz, who succeeded Marshall as the borough president. During her decades in public life, Helen fought tenaciously to improve our childrens schools, to address seemingly intractable quality-of-life issues and to secure a fair share of City resources for Queens. When Marshall first became borough president in 2001 she had a list of priorities. We lovingly dubbed it the Marshall plan for Queens, former Chief of Staff Alexandra Rose said. Rosa said Marshall set up the War Room, a hold-over from the administration of previous Borough President Claire Shulman, where she and her staff developed strategy on how to address overcrowded schools, and the Green Room for working on issues involving parks and open space. She spent more than half her life in public service, but she was more than just a politician, she was a wonderful human being, Shulman said. She treated everyone who came to her with their problems with great care. She was just a very, very, very kind-hearted woman and a really hardworking woman. Born in the Bronx on Sept. 30, 1929, she was educated at Queens College and taught until she became the first director of the Langston Hughes Library in Corona. Helens legacy as the champion of East Elmhurst, Corona and all of Queens goes back for more than 30 years. Her hard work led to the establishment of many emblematic institutions in our community, including Langston Hughes Community Library & Cultural Center and Elmcor Youth & Adult Activities, Inc, City Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras-Copeland (D-East Elmhurst) said. Helen changed the lives of thousands of Queens residents, including my own. Helen launched my political career when she appointed me at 14 years old to serve on the Corona Youth Council. She was a mentor, a friend, but most of all, she was family. I am honored to occupy the City Council seat that she once held. Marshall was a state Assemblywoman from 1983 until 1991, then ran for a seat in the City Council, where she served from 1992 to 2001. Helen Marshall was as big-hearted, dynamic and brave as the borough of Queens, which she represented with such determined grace for three decades in many roles, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. Marshall, who was known as simply Helen to her colleagues and constituents, directed the affairs of Queens County from Borough Hall for three consecutive terms from 2002 to 2014. It was often noted that Marshalls terms were bookended by the tragedies of the Sept. 11 attacks and Superstorm Sandy. Our borough lost one of its biggest champions, but she will continue to live on in our hearts and her presence will continue to be felt throughout the countless communities she touched, U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) said. In her more than three decades of public service she broke barriers, embraced the strength of our diversity, and guided our borough through unprecedented growth. She also fought hard to ensure we got our fair share and she is leaving behind an incredible legacy of helping those in need. In 2013, the Center for an Urban Future reported that Marshall had directed more funding towards the boroughs library projects that the previous four borough presidents combined. Queens Library would not be the world-class library system it is today without Helen, Queens Library President Dennis Walcott said. She believed in libraries as places where communities are empowered and inspired, where children can nurture a love of learning and discovery and where adults can gain the skills they need to adapt to a changing workforce. Her passion for libraries drove her to secure a record amount of capital funding to upgrade, expand or improve many of the 62 libraries throughout our system and to continue to open new ones. Marshall embraced her time as the chief executive of the nations most diverse county. One of her favorite accomplishments was creating the Queens General Assembly, a cross-cultural exchange established in 2013. She founded the Queens General Assembly to give every community in our borough a seat at the table and she created the Borough Hall Immigration Task Force to help new arrivals to our country, Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Fresh Meadows) said. We are all building on the foundation she helped lay. On her page on the History Makers website, the nations largest African American video and oral history collection preserving and sharing the life stories of thousands of African Americans, Marshalls favorite quote is featured. If you see Queens, you see the world, she said. Marshall is survived by her two children, Donald Jr. and Agnes Marie. Her husband, Donald, died recently. Donations can be made in the name of Helen M. Marshall to Elmcor Youth & Adult Activities, Inc. at 33-16 108th Street, Corona 11368. Cards and letters of condolences can be sent to the Marshall family at 31-17 Buell St., East Elmhurst, NY, 11369. Greater Astoria Historical Society In conjunction with the Greater Astoria Historical Society, the TimesLedger newspaper presents noteworthy events in the boroughs history Steven McDonald, a native of Queens Village, was a New York City police detective who became a messenger of peace and forgiveness after being shot and paralyzed in the line of duty in 1986. Before his death Jan. 10, 2017, Detective McDonald traveled the world, from high school gyms on Long Island to Northern Ireland, Bosnia and the Middle East sharing his story of rebirth through forgiving the young man who nearly took his life. When his son, Conor, joined the police force in 2010, he proudly became the fourth generation McDonald to don the NYPD badge. His wife Patti has been the mayor of Malverne on Long Island since 2007. The third of eight children in a large Queens Irish-Catholic family, Steven McDonald was born on March 1, 1957 and spent most of his early years in Rockville Centre, L.I. After four years of service in the U.S. Navy, McDonald became a police officer in 1984. He followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, a decorated detective who survived a gunshot wound in the line of duty, and his father, who took young Steven along for rides in his radio car. Detective McDonald was on the force for less than two years on that fateful July day when he and his partner approached three youths behaving suspiciously in Central Park. When attempting to frisk one suspect, another youth named Shavod Jones approached McDonald and shot him three times. At age 29, the young officer would never again hold his young wife or play with his son Conor, born the following year. Through a grueling 18 months in rehabilitation and an equally trying journey through his own soul, however, a new act and a new life eventually revealed itself to McDonald. In his book, Why Forgive, he shared his own path to forgiveness and inner peace: Then, about six months after I was shot, Patti Ann gave birth to a baby boy. We named him Conor. To me, Conors birth was like a message from God that I should live, and live differently. And it was clear to me that I had to respond to that message. I prayed that I would be changed, that the person I was would be replaced by something new. That prayer was answered with a desire to forgive the young man who shot me. I wanted to free myself of all the negative, destructive emotions that his act of violence had unleashed in me: anger, bitterness, hatred, and other feelings. I needed to free myself of those emotions so that I could love my wife and our child and those around us. I forgave Shavod because I believe the only thing worse than receiving a bullet in my spine would have been to nurture revenge in my heart. Such an attitude would have extended my injury to my soul, hurting my wife, son, and others even more. Its bad enough that the physical effects are permanent, but at least I can choose to prevent spiritual injury. In his second act as a messenger of peace inspired by his Catholic faith, McDonald reached out to the imprisoned Jones and forgave him. He shared his story, including trips to Northern Ireland with FDNY Chaplain Rev. Mychal Judge, who perished in the 9/11 terror attacks. He met with world leaders from President George W. Bush to Pope John Paul II and Nelson Mandela. Although he never again met Shavod Jones, who died in a motorcycle accident shortly after his prison release in 1995, he lived to see his son join the proud ranks of the NYPD in 2010 and touch the lives of countless people with his unequalled courage, love and understanding. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Bill Parry The NYPDs Hate Crimes Unit is investigating a bias incident in Astoria that occurred last week when a man swung an umbrella at a woman after telling her to go back to her country. Jean Aviles, 69, was walking home past the Key Food supermarket on 31st Street near Ditmars Boulevard March 1 when a white man in his 60s began shouting at her to leave the United States. Get the fk out of my country, you should be deported, I should shoot you, the man screamed at Aviles, who is of Puerto Rican decent, according to an NYPD spokesman. The attacker began to swing an umbrella at her, cutting her finger, police said. Aviles fought back with an umbrella of her own and as a crowd gathered the man fled into the subway system, according to the NYPD. Aviles refused medical attention. The attacker, who was wearing a green jacket and beige pants, remains at large, police say. It makes me feel degraded, Aviles told News 4, adding that the man didnt look like a hardened criminal. She also had a message for her attacker. Go get your head examined, because you have to be a real nut to carry this type of hate around you, because everyone has a right to be somewhere, she said. Hate crimes in New York City are up 55 percent during the first two months of the year compared to the same period in 2016, according to the NYPD. Astorias elected officials were outraged by the attack. This despicable attack has no place in our city or anywhere. Now more than ever, we must stand united for tolerance and respect, state Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria), Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas (D-Astoria) and Councilman Costa Constantinides (D-Astoria) said in a joint statement. All New Yorkers, including our immigrant communities, deserve the opportunity to walk our streets safely and without being viciously harassed or assaulted because of the way they look. Our nation was founded by immigrants and they continue to be an integral part of the American fabric. As hate crimes have risen over the past year we reaffirm our belief in justice and cooperation, and stand united with our community against hate and bigotry. Akshay Kumar took to Twitter today to share a video of himself which shows a younger Akshay throwing kicks and punches at a martial artist. By India Today Web Desk: Akshay Kumar was always meant to be an action hero. Many, many years ago when Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia wasn't the 'Akshay Kumar' that we know today, he was training in martial arts. After getting a black belt in Taekwondo during his days in India, Akshay Kumar took off to Bangkok, Thailand to study Muay Thai, a Thai combat sport. On returning to Mumbai, Akshay Kumar began training students in martial arts. advertisement From there, Akshay took to modelling and finally after working as a background dancer in films, he stepped into Bollywood in a full-fledged hero's role in the 1992 film Deedar though it was Saugandh that released before this film. Now, a little more than an hour ago, Akshay Kumar took to Twitter to share a video of himself fighting a martial artist on a stage. The video shows a young Akshay throwing punches and kicks with ferocious dexterity and one cannot help but wonder when will Akshay show such moves on the big screen again. On the work front, Akshay Kumar will soon be seen in a cameo role in Naam Shabana starring Taapsee Pannu. Directed by Shivam Nair, Naam Shabana is the prequel to the 2015 film Baby. Watch Akshay Kumar's motivational throwback video here: #ThrowBack to when speed was about how fast you could punch not how fast you could type!! ????? #ThursdayMotivation pic.twitter.com/FWPcWmNYw1- Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) March 9, 2017 ALSO SEE: Akshay Kumar dances to Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast ALSO READ: Akshay says that working with Raveena was an honour; what went wrong between the ex-lovers? WATCH: Akshay Kumar demands online portal to help families of martyrs --- ENDS --- Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams Paul Vallone After leaving Ash Wednesday Mass this past week, all of the wonderful and powerful memories of my most recent trip to Israel came flooding back to me. The New York City Council embarked on a mission to Israel which was hosted by the Jewish Community Relations Council and the Jewish Federation of North America. Rabbi Michael Miller, executive vice president and CEO of the JCRC who has made over 90 missions, was our leader and guide as he continually unites persons of all faiths and occupations with Israel. Today we are faced with a hard truth, as locally and across the country our Jewish brothers and sisters, their places of worship, community centers, cemeteries and homes, increasingly suffer from some form of anti-Semitic attack. As we learned from every person and elected official we met with, the rise in these attacks weighs heavily on the heart of every Israeli citizen. We were told, The unbreakable bond between the Unites States and Israels past, present and future is paramount in the mind and spirit of every Israeli citizen. Any change in that relationship, whether perceived or real, is perhaps one of the greatest issues for our country. This call to action, to reassure that this bond is not only present, but a priority for every one of us, has moved me to summarize our mission and trip to Israel. Some of the persons and organizations that formed this once-in-a-lifetime experience were: Tzipi Livni, prominent member of the Knesset and former foreign minister of Israel, Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv Asaf Zamir, a fellow Council member Mickey Gitzin of Tel Aviv, the amazing staff and students of the Bialik-Rogozin School where all children of refugees and residents are welcome, as well as the Hand in Hand school where Jewish, Christian, Arab and Muslim children learn and grow together. We walked the floor of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange as well as the troubled path between the Gaza strip and Israel. We met some of the residents who live there and embody the true spirit and pride of Israel. Local artist Tzamerat Zamir has made a mosaic of peace at the border wall and proudly stated, This is our home and the only life we know as she yearns for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Our journey brought us to pray at the Great Western Wall while I also reflected on my faith as we walked the path of Jesus. My heart sang as we traveled from Bethlehem to the Sea of Galilee and finally to the glorious history contained within the Old City at Jerusalem. One of the most lasting yet haunting memories I will take with me was our visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Remembrance Center. The history of the atrocities committed upon the Jewish people during the Holocaust must be preserved for future generations, so that it will never be forgotten. As you leave the memorial, there is an undeniable grief and understanding that overwhelms you, yet there is hope for the future as seen in the face and life of every Israeli family. Our last night together was also my first Shabbat dinner, hosted by our very own Rabbi Michael Miller and his family living in Israel. In this most revered Jewish tradition, family and faith are celebrated and cherished from one generation to the next. We truly became one in our journey that night and I will forever be thankful to Michael for opening his home and family to all of us. My heart and mind keep going back to the unforgettable people and places we were privileged to meet. Their story, spirit, pride, strength and faith will be with me and my family forever. Shalom, Israel. Council Member Paul Vallone Bayside 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. By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 9 (PTI) Anti-graft activist Prashant Bhushan today alleged that the Centre was making attempts to "severely compromise" anti-corruption institutions to "protect" the influential. "The current government came to power on the plank of anti-corruption and promises of bringing back black money. "But what happened to that black money crusade? Now, from Lokpal to CBI and CVC (Central Vigilance Commission), attempts are being made to destroy these anti-graft institutions so that no probe can be done against the accused, including a few big corporates," the senior Supreme Court lawyer alleged. advertisement Bhushan was answering questions from reporters during an anti-corruption rally -- Bhrastachaar se Azadi organised from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar. Addressing a crowd at Jantar Mantar later, Bhushan said, "Our demand is that the Lokpal be immediately appointed and the Whistleblower Act implemented at the earliest. We also seek an independent probe in (former Arunachal Chief Minister) Kalikho Puls suicide case." Raking up the issue of Sahara and Birla papers, on behalf the activists, he also demanded that "a probe be held into the alleged payoff cases connected with the two corporate houses." In January, the Supreme Court had rejected a plea for a court-monitored SIT probe into bribery allegations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the basis of documents seized during the raids in business houses-- Sahara and Birla-- on the ground they had no evidentiary value. He also hit out at Arvind Kejriwal and his AAP government for "just capitalising" on the anti-graft movement led by Anna Hazare six years ago. "The party which is in power in Delhi also was born out of the anti-graft movement but Kejriwal and the AAP just benefited themselves, so we are starting this fresh anti- corruption movement, which will fan out to the corners of this country," he said. The rally was jointly organised by several activist groups, including Anti-corruption Team (Swaraj Abhiyan), National Alliance for Peoples Movement, SFI, CITU and AIDWA. Puls wife also took part in the rally and demanded constitution of a separate SIT to probe his suicide case and the allegations made in his long suicide note. "Modi government has failed to operationalise the Lokpal an Lokayuktas Act. Three years after the Lokpal Act was passed by Parliament, no Lokpal has been appointed," Bhushan said. "The Prevention of Corruption Act is also being severely compromised. The Whistleblower Act which was passed in 2014 has not been operationalised has not been operationalised till date," he claimed. Bhushan also alleged that the Rafale defence deal was an "exorbitant" one and that prices were "later ramped up". advertisement Activist Aruna Roy alleged that a "conspiracy" is being hatched to "suppress" the voices of whistleblowers and activists, who speak against corruption. A ghotala rath with a man, personified as corruption, riding it, was also taken out during the rally. (MORE) PTI KND ZMN --- ENDS --- This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Bennington, Vt. The house that Kevin Dailey was considering for his employer was in poor condition, strewn with garbage and crawling with feral cats. "It was really beyond disgusting, to be honest with you, when we first went in," said Dailey, vice president for human resources at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center. In other words, it was perfect. The medical center bought the 1,700-square-foot home for $25,000. Dailey and others from the Bennington hospital were on an unusual hunt for a property no one else would touch not a homeowner, not a landlord, not a real estate investor in the market for a property to flip. They were looking for the first house to launch SVMC's Healthy Homes for Bennington initiative. The effort may be unique and is certainly innovative: The hospital is buying derelict homes and rehabbing them, then selling them to first-time homeowners, with preference given to its own employees. It may sound more like a project for a real estate developer than a hospital. But the center's executives said Healthy Homes of Bennington addressed three of the health care institution's goals: 1) to aid community development efforts in the city, 2) to address the health reform goal of improving "population health" which seeks to reduce chronic illness by encouraging healthier habits and environments, and 3) to retain valued staff members. "Our hope is our workforce will be most of the people who acquire the homes," Dailey said. The first Healthy Homes buyers are Russell Carrier, a 30-year-old hospital chef, Leah Hart, a 26-year-old nursing assistant, and their 10-month-old son Abel. Carrier and Hart have worked for the hospital for a combined 12 years. The couple was living in a 700-square-foot apartment in nearby Shaftsbury. They wanted to buy their own home and figured they could swing a mortgage, but didn't know how they would ever save enough for a down payment and closing fees, Carrier said. The Healthy Homes program offered help with those costs. So they jumped at the chance to apply to buy the newly renovated home at 206 Park St. for $140,000 what the house was valued at after renovation. Dailey said the hospital sunk more into the building, but the aim was not to make money. In fact, SVMC expects to lose $20,000 to $25,000 per house, he said. The family's new home is in a nice neighborhood just a few miles from the hospital, Carrier said. Their space has more than doubled, and everything is brand-new. "We've always been very happy with our employers," Carrier said. "Now we're very fortunate and thankful." Aside from workforce investment, the Healthy Homes' goal of improving population health is among the less recognized aspects of the federal Affordable Care Act. The federal law, known as Obamacare, provides incentives for projects aimed at boosting the health of the whole community and reducing unnecessary hospital admissions. In the Capital Region, projects to boost population health include getting trainers to asthmatic patients' homes to educate them about managing their condition, or working with community organizations to increase healthy eating. Around the country, perhaps a handful of hospital-based health systems are renovating housing as a way to lift the health of their communities, according to David Nash, founding dean of the Jefferson College of Population Health at Thomas Jefferson University. The idea is that people cannot be healthy without safe, affordable housing. Without a place to live, they are unlikely to be able to get healthy meals or see a doctor regularly. "This is a broader recognition in our country that housing equals good health," Nash said. SVMC may be unique among that exclusive group of hospitals engaged in housing initiatives in that it is not a large academic medical center, said SVMC Chief Executive Thomas Dee. "I haven't seen any models of small community health centers doing this," Dee said. The medical center has partnered with the town and The Bank of Bennington on the Healthy Homes program. The hospital's contribution comes from investment revenues, not operations, Dailey said. If all goes well, the project will rehab three to five homes a year. "If five years from now, we've done 15 or 20, it will make a noticeable difference," Dailey said. chughes@timesunion.com 518-454-5417 @hughesclaire ALBANY A Washington County man was sentenced to 96 months in prison Wednesday for distributing, receiving and possessing child pornography, federal prosecutors said. Michael Telford, 47, of Cambridge pleaded guilty in October to using an online chat program to exchange child porn multiple times between 2013 and 2015. At the Wednesday hearing, U.S. District Judge Mae D'Agostino said Telform had ensured "these children will have images of the worst times in their lives posted on the internet." Police are trying to determine if the body of an elderly man dumped in a suitcase in Arkansas is connected to an identity fraud case in Johnstown, according to numerous news reports. Investigators descended on 329 N. Perry St., on Wednesday, NewsChannel 13 reported, adding that police were drawn to the home after the body of a man who lived there was found in a field in Prairie County, Ark. "The body was in the suitcase in the back of a pickup truck. A person that people stopped to talk to after driving 19 hours from the city of Johnstown down to Arkansas discovered the body, called 911. The suspects fled with the body. They ended up pulling off the side of the road, dumping it off a farmer's field into the woods," Johnstown Police Lt. Dave Gilbo told the channel. SEE THE NEWSCHANNEL 13 REPORT Police said they were unsure if the man died of a natural cause or homicide. "Again, there could be issues with social security checks. I mean, we've seen more than one case here in Fulton County where people keep people alive or so people think he's alive," Gilbo told NewsChannel 13. In 2015, a Gloversville woman admitted she left her mother's moldering corpse in an apartment in the building they shared so she could collect the woman's Social Security check and her pension payments. Mary F. Kersting, 60, pleaded guilty to grand larceny, a felony, and petit larceny Tuesday in Fulton County court, District Attorney Louise Sira said. She also pleaded guilty to charges of unlawfully disposing of a dead body and endangering the welfare of a disabled person. Kersting admitted she stole $13,296 from the U.S. Treasury and $844 from the pension of her mother, Hope Ruller, between October 2013 and Dec. 3, 2014. United Nations The United States on Wednesday rejected China's proposal for a halt to joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises if North Korea suspends its nuclear and missile activities. It called North Korean leader Kim Jong Un irrational and demanded "positive action" before the U.S. can take his regime seriously. In Washington, U.S. State Department acting spokesman Mark Toner said, "At this point we don't see it as a viable deal." A Pentagon spokesman, Cmdr. Gary Ross, said U.S. activities to defend South Korea "cannot be equated to North Korea's repeated violations of its obligations and agreements." The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, told reporters after an emergency Security Council meeting on North Korea's latest ballistic missile launches that the United States must see "some sort of positive action" by Kim's regime before discussing ways to reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Earlier Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi proposed the freeze-for-freeze, likening escalating tensions between the North and Washington and Seoul to "two accelerating trains, coming toward each other with neither side willing to give way." The idea was rejected by South Korea and Japan. Haley said the military drills are especially needed now after North Korea conducted two nuclear tests and 24 ballistic missile launches last year and two sets of missile launches and the assassination of Kim Jong Un's estranged brother using a chemical weapon this year. She also defended the upcoming deployment of a U.S. missile defense system in South Korea, a move that has been strongly opposed by China. She said America would not leave its ally facing the threat from North Korea without help. "We have not seen any goodwill at all coming from North Korea," Haley said. "I appreciate all my counterparts wanting to talk about talks and negotiations, (but) we are not dealing with a rational person." With any other country, the United States would be seeking negotiations, she said. "This is not a rational person, who has not had rational acts, who is not thinking clearly," Haley said of North Korea's leader. "This is someone who is trying to get attention. This is someone who is trying to get a reaction." Haley said the United States is re-evaluating how it is going to deal with North Korea going forward "and we are making those decisions now and will act accordingly." "We're not ruling anything out and we're considering every option that's on the table," she said. South Korean Ambassador Cho Tae-yul also rejected the idea of a North Korean nuclear freeze in exchange for halting U.S.-South Korea military exercises, which he stressed are defensive in nature. "Linking this exercise to anything else, which is illegal nuclear and missile provocation by North Korea, is inappropriate and unacceptable, and I think this is just trying to link the unlinkable," he said. Japan's U.N. ambassador, Koro Bessho, said that "at the starting point we need some assurances they are serious about the denuclearization." "So Japan's position is that it's not freeze-for-freeze but it's denuclearization that we're looking for," Bessho said. THE ISSUE: A showdown looms over the level of state aid to education. THE STAKES: Lawmakers and advocates must unite to continue the state's court-mandated commitment to all New York's students More Information To comment: tuletters@timesunion.com or at http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion See More Collapse --- With just three weeks left to adopt a state budget, state legislators are deciding now whether to hold firm on New York's obligation to provide all the state's children with a sound basic education or go along with Gov. Andrew Cuomo's plan to blow off that mandate. The question of how much additional school aid to include in the budget is emerging again as one of the key obstacles to reaching a budget agreement. The governor's 2017-18 spending plan proposes increasing aid by $961 million, nearly 4 percent above the $25.6 billion the state already spends in aid to education. Of that increase, $428 million would go to Foundation Aid unrestricted funding that aims to correct a decades-long disparity that denied sufficient funds to New York's neediest districts. To Mr. Cuomo, that's enough. It is not. A 2006 decision by the state's highest court found New York was not meeting its constitutional requirement to provide sound basic education for all. The remedy accepted by then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer, the Assembly and the Senate provided billions in new state aid over the next four years. It targeted districts that had been persistently underfunded mostly inner-city and rural school systems. After only a year, however, the Great Recession put the remaining years of the Foundation Aid plan on hold. Only partial payments of the agreed-upon funding have resumed in recent years. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. Mr. Cuomo's proposed $428 million hike in Foundation Aid is sizable. But state education leaders put the need at more like $1.47 billion for the year ahead, plus more in the next two years to fulfill the 2007 agreement. Certainly it's true that the state spends a lot on schools: $20,610 annually per pupil, the highest in the nation. But the formula used to distribute this money has unjustly favored wealthier school districts. Their political clout suggests they won't settle for less to fund poorer districts. Mr. Cuomo, arguing he isn't bound by a decade-old court settlement, wants to scrap Foundation Aid after this year. Education groups, including those representing the state's school boards, superintendents, district business managers and other advocates, say otherwise. Reneging now would surely mean years of litigation, and the same outcome. Meanwhile, millions more New York children would miss out on a fair shot in life. Legislators need to stand up for those kids, and include sufficient aid in their own budget plans. The Democrat-controlled Assembly already supports increasing and continuing Foundation Aid. If even just two members of the Senate's Republican majority sign on, the chamber would have enough support to challenge the governor's low-ball funding, too. This is not about throwing money at education. It's about following through on a carefully considered solution aimed at providing a basic education for all our kids. They should not have to wait another decade for New York to honor its promise. This is about their future, and New York's. THE ISSUE: State legislative employees provide a ready corps of campaign workers. THE STAKES: Are taxpayers footing the bill for lawmakers' political staffs? More Information To comment: tuletters@timesunion.com or at http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion See More Collapse For years, many New York lawmakers have rejected the idea of public financing of political campaigns, even though it could reduce the corrupting influence of campaign donations. Taxpayers, they argue, should not have to foot the bill for politicians to run for office. And yet, that's exactly what taxpayers are doing thanks to some of those very same lawmakers. For a hint of how this political welfare works, consider this statistic: One out of four staffers in the state Senate is a notary public. There may be some innocent reasons for this, but there is one noteworthy political benefit: By law, notary publics can gather signatures for nominating petitions without having to belong to a particular political party. That's a big deal in New York, where even a small third-party ballot line can help in a close race. The challenge for politicians is getting those signatures. Small parties usually have few field workers. So all those notaries public in the Legislature at least 360 come in handy. As the Times Union's Chris Bragg explained in an article Sunday, those employees often spend a chunk of the summer working campaigns while the Legislature is out of session but they're still on the payroll. Lawmakers, of course, would insist there's no theft of honest services going on here, no sir. Those legislative employees work long hours, they would argue, especially around the April 1 budget deadline or end of session rush in June. They just happen to be helping the people to whom they're beholden for a job while they burn off all that alleged comp time. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. Or could it be that taxpayers are supporting hundreds of full-time salaries for a small army of political workers on the public payroll? Who knows? These generally aren't clock-punching jobs. This isn't really new, nor limited to Republicans. In 1987, then-Senate Minority Leader Manfred Ohrenstein, a Democrat, was indicted on conspiracy and other charges for, among other things, using legislative staffers for full-time campaign work. The charges were dismissed, though, with courts finding this wasn't technically illegal. Oh, and taxpayers had to cover $1.3 million of Mr. Ohrenstein's legal bills. It's worth noting that most of those Senate notaries work for the Republican majority, which has long blocked legislation to create a system of publicly financed campaigns, which many advocates believe would reduce the impact of big money in New York's politics. Senate Republicans defend their position as pro-taxpayer, arguing that citizens shouldn't have to pay for "career politicians" to run for office. Their own campaign help, though? That's apparently another matter. Sadly, it's probably too much to hope that lawmakers who benefit from this system would end their abuse of the public's right to honest services. But perhaps a prosecutor, armed with better laws today than we had back in 1987, could show them not just how bad this looks, but is. By India Today Web Desk: Malayalam actor Bhavana got engaged to Kannada producer Naveen on Thursday in an intimate ceremony attended by close friends and family earlier today. The news was broken on the internet, after a picture of the ceremony went viral. Bhavana's close friend and fellow Mollywood actor Manju Warrier was also clicked at the ceremony. Actress #Bhavana got engaged to Kannada Producer #Naveen at a simple ceremony earlier today.. Wedding date yet to be fixed.. Congratulations pic.twitter.com/5r3Zmo4TrC- Ramesh Bala (@rameshlaus) March 9, 2017 advertisement The date of the wedding has not been fixed yet. The actor had been in a relationship with the producer for a few years and the couple was reportedly supposed to get hitched in 2014, but couldn't do so due to work commitments. Bhavana is currently busy with Prithviraj-starrer Adam, and is also gearing up for Honey Bee 2, which also features Asif Ali in the lead role, and Adventures of Omanakuttan, where she plays a ghost-hunter. ALSO READ: Akhil Akkineni-Shriya Bhupal wedding called off? ALSO WATCH: Tamannaah, Shriya Saran, Amyra Dastur and Manju Warrier shake a leg at India Today Conclave --- ENDS --- A Tipperary Engineering student will begin his paid placement in ESB in the Summer having scooped a top award. A Co Tipperary engineering student has won the top honours at an international engineering and commerce competition in Montreal. Darren Feehily from Clonmel and his three University of Limerick (UL) team members became the first team outside of Canada to claim the top award at the International Engineering and Commerce Case Competition (ECCC) in Montreal. Darren and his team were flying the flag for Europe, with the other 11 teams hailing from North America and the Middle East. As well as winning the overall title, the UL team won Best Engineering Solution and Best Sustainable Solution honours. The team Darren, David Monaghan (Co Clare), Patrick Lu (Co Limerick), Eoin Hann (Co Limerick) had to create innovative solutions in three different tasks. These included creating a Data Centre Design and Strategy, designing a solution for a tunnel based on Hyperloop technology and developing a strategy for the autonomous vehicle market. Hosted by the renowned Universite Concordia, the inter-disciplinary competition is the only test of its type in the world and is rated as one of the top case challenges in North America. The aim of the competition is to find solutions to real-world challenges that modern industries face. Each team comprised students from engineering and business disciplines. The UL team was selected to represent Ireland following their win in the ESB Inter Colleges Challenge last November. This annual competition comprises teams from all universities in Ireland. During that task, the team researched and designed a complex engineering and financial energy challenge in just seven hours During the event in Montreal, ESB announced its continued support of Irish universities competing in the ECCC competition. Commenting on the teams success, Pat ODoherty, Chief Executive of ESB, said: We heartily congratulate the University of Limerick team and their mentors on this wonderful win. To create such innovative and real-life solutions in such a highly competitive environment and against world class competition is testament to the dedication and capability of this team, their mentors and lecturers in UL. We look forward to supporting and developing the team further when they start their placements with ESB in the summer. The ESB-Inter College Challenge 2017 takes place in November with the ECCC Competition taking place in March 2018. The Office of Public works have committed funding for new signage in the town of Roscrea as part of the Enhancement Plan. A recent delegation led by Cllr. Michael Smith met with Minister Sean Canney, with responsibility for OPW and Heritage Sites. A joint proposal was put forward from Tipperary County Council in an effort to secure funds. The Council recently commissioned DBA consultancy to carry out a detailed study of provision of new signs in the heritage town. Local Cllr. Michael Smith a member of the enhancement committee was delighted that the meeting yielded such positive results Tipperary County Council, in conjunction with the Heritage Council, local interest groups and numerous stake holders came together to commission the Enhance Llan for Roscrea. A key initiative under this plan was to identify a signage strategy within the town. The town had not fully capitalised on its breadth of heritage. I want to express my sincere thanks to the Minister Sean Canney for looking so favourably on our proposal, the very prompt reply shows how important this can benefit the town of Roscrea and attract tourists. The Office of Public Works has always shown a willingness to listen and accommodate projects working with the Council. I look forward to these works taking place in the coming months. The Roscrea Chamber President Mr. Seamus Browne told the Tipperary Star that this would be of huge significance for Roscrea the Roscrea Chamber have always been advocating to the Council to improve and upgrade signage in our Heritage Town, the proposal which was agreed will be of immense importance to attract tourism and I want to thank the OPW for working in partnership with the businesses. The Chair of the Committee Brian King deserves huge credit for steering the enhancement committee to bring about a key priority, concluded Mr Browne. To celebrate Seachtain na Gaeilge, Thurles Farmers Market is going 'as Gaeilge' this weekend where they will be celebrating the Irish language through music, song and dance on Saturday morning. Up to 60 students from Gaelscoil Bhride are set to perform on the day and it looks to be an exciting line up of events with plenty of 'amhranaiocht agus damhsa' promised to delight as well as the delicious fare from the market stallholders enticing those taste buds! So even if your Irish is a bit on the rusty side why not pop down to Thurles Farmers Market this weekend to celebrate the language (and perhaps sample a few tasty treats). Seachtain na Gaeilge is the perfect time to give it a go! Thurles Farmers Market takes place this Saturday, March 11 at the usual time from 9.30am to 12.30pm at Thurles Greyhound Stadium with the student performance scheduled for 11am. Last year the market celebrated its tenth year operating in the town where it has been providing fresh, local produce and homemade desserts and pastries to customers from all over Tipperary. Seachtain na Gaeilge runs from March 1 - 17. For more information on the festival visit www.snag.ie. A group of students in Cashel Community School led by a third year student Semilore Giwa attended the Youth 4 Decent Work Short Film Awards Show at the Savoy cinema in Dublin on 2nd March. The event was sponsored by ICTU and run in conjunction with Youthconnect, a non-profit making organisation whose role involves educating young people on their rights as workers. Students entering the competition were required to create a short film with the theme of Workers rising to the Challenge 1916 2016. Twenty films were shortlisted for awards. The film Make it Fairer by Girls that make a difference which was directed and produced by Semilore was nominated in the Best Acting award and saw off tough challenges to emerge overall winners in this category. The film not only gives an insight to what is happening with workers in Ireland today but also a hundred years ago including the lockout of 1913. Aonghus Og McNally, the host for the afternoon, on presenting the award commented that the film contains a powerful message about equality in the workplace and was a very worthy winner. Students in the group then got an opportunity to meet with Jim Sheridan director of acclaimed films such as The Boxer and My Left Foot. The prize for this category was a days workshop at the Gaiety school of Acting in Dublin. This is the first time students from CCS have entered a film and it is a major achievement for this student driven project to succeed to firstly be shortlisted to top twenty in the county and secondly to succeed. This was a very enjoyable and proud day for the school. The film can be viewed on the following link: https://youtu.be/YLX0JCdusXw [March 08, 2017] The California Community Colleges Technology Center Awarded the 2017 Innovations in Networking Award for Educational Applications In recognition of their work to develop a system-wide federated identity for students across the 113 California Community Colleges, the California Community Colleges Technology Center has been selected by CENIC as a recipient of the 2017 Innovations in Networking Award. Individuals named in the award include Tim Calhoon, Executive Director; Lou Delzompo, Chief Technology Officer; Patricia Donohue, Product Manager; Roberto Fuentes, Supervisor, Support Services; and Jeff Holden, Chief Information Security Officer. The 2.1 million students who annually attend California's Community Colleges enjoy enhanced convenience, security, and privacy thanks to the work of the Technology Center, which provides a unique student data identifier through a federated identity system. "With single sign-on access to all system-wide technology offerings, students statewide can easily access available tools and resources provided by the CCC to help them succeed in reaching their educational goals," said Debra Connick, Vice Chancellor for Technology, Research, and Information Systems at the CCC Chancellor's Office. "With system-wide student identity to tie student data together, it is now within reach to achieve significant improvements in administrative decision making and student success rates." This innovation has not just benefited students, but has made possible significant institutional innovations. These include the re-envisioning and release of a new common application for admission, system-wide student success initiatives such as a common assessment for placement and education planning, and a common course management system. With a system-wide student identity to tie student data together, the stage is now set for data-driven decisions and machine learning technologies to support student outcomes and institutional improvement. This is path-breaking work in the largest system of higher education in the country, andwill be a model for others to emulate. Innovations in Networking Awards are presented each year by CENIC to highlight exemplary innovations that leverage ultra-high-bandwidth networking, particularly where those innovations have the potential to transform the ways in which instruction and research are conducted or where they further the deployment of broadband in underserved areas. About CENIC www.cenic.org CENIC connects California to the world-advancing education and research statewide by providing the world-class network essential for innovation, collaboration, and economic growth. The nonprofit organization operates the California Research and Education Network (CalREN), a high-capacity network designed to meet the unique requirements of over 20 million users, including the vast majority of K-20 students together with educators, researchers, and individuals at other vital public-serving institutions. CENIC's Charter Associates are part of the world's largest education system; they include the California K-12 system, California Community Colleges, the California State University system, California's public libraries, the University of California system, Stanford, Caltech, the Naval Postgraduate School, and USC. CENIC also provides connectivity to leading-edge institutions and industry research organizations around the world, serving the public as a catalyst for a vibrant California. About the California Community Colleges Technology Center www.ccctechcenter.org Funded by a grant from the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, the California Community Colleges Technology Center, hosted by Butte College, facilitates and coordinates the work of system-wide technology projects by: providing project leadership, providing technology services, disbursing funds, managing contracts, developing external funding resources, and publicizing the progress of the projects. Our goal is to provide secure, scalable, and integrated technology solutions for the California Community Colleges that take advantage of economies of scale and are facilitated by governance from the colleges themselves. About the California Community Colleges www.cccco.edu The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation, with 2.1 million students attending 113 colleges. Our colleges provide students with the knowledge and background necessary to compete in today's economy. With a wide range of educational offerings, the colleges provide workforce training, basic courses in English and math, certificate and degree programs, and preparation for transfer to four-year institutions. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170308006469/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 09, 2017] Fujitsu World Tour and Fujitsu North America Technology Forum 2017 Bring Digital Transformation and Co-Creation to Life in Santa Clara SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Fujitsu World Tour 2017, a global event spanning 24 countries across six continents, kicks off its first stop in Santa Clara today alongside the 10th annual Fujitsu North America Technology Forum. This year, Fujitsu brings its theme, "Human Centric Innovation: Digital Co-Creation," to life with a unique, hands-on experience for businesses and government bodies to learn how to leverage the power of knowledge integration. Created by Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Cloud and Cybersecurity technologies, this knowledge integration guides organizations to successfully take on digital transformation and ultimately, reshape their organizations and society. "Recent independent research by Fujitsu revealed that 98 percent of C-Suite decision makers believe that digital has already disrupted their businesses," said Alex Attal, executive vice president and head of Digital and Business Application Services, Fujitsu America, Inc. "Hyperconnected technology is redefining the limits of what is possible, and co-creation bringing together previously unconnected fields of expertise has become an absolute necessity to realizing innovation and value creation at scale." The panel sessions and keynotes at Fujitsu World Tour will reinforce the company's dedication to continuous and collaborative innovation that supports digital co-creation and will cover the industry's most talked about topics including Hyperconnected Cloud, Enabling Digital, Workplace Anywhere, Advanced Cyber Security with AI, Infrastructure of the Future and Making Digital Transformation a Reality with MetaArc/K5. Keynotes will be delivered by: Shigeru Sasaki, chief executive officer of Fujitsu Laboratories, Ltd.; Dr. James Kuffner, CTO, Toyota Research Institute; Kevin Ubert, vice president of IT at Vitamix; and Alex Attal. Additional Fujitsu executives speaking include: Ankit Gandhi, vice president of Digital Services and SaaS practice lead, Fujitsu America, Inc.; James Zhang, director of Business and Application Services, Fujitsu America, Inc.; JC Dewaele, head of Offerings Management for Hybrid IT, Fujitsu America, Inc.; Shobhit Porwal, vice president of Digital Business and head of Hybrid IT, Fujitsu America, Inc.; Sreedhar Kajeepeta, global technology officer, Fujitsu America, Inc.; Stafford Bond, chief digital officer and head of IoT and Analytics, Fujitsu America, Inc.; Dr.Takeshi Horie, head of computer systems laboratory, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd.; Shoji Suzuki, member of the board, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd.; Dr. Fumihiro Maruyama, senior expert, Artificial Intelligence Research Center, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. Attendees will experience live demonstrations of new Fujitsu solutions that are shaping today's digital landscape, as well as the latest innovations from the researchers and scientists from Fujitsu Laboratories wrldwide. Exhibitions include: Fujitsu RoboPin: A friendly robot intermediary that delivers customer services, enabling seamless interaction between people and information communication technology (ICT). A friendly robot intermediary that delivers customer services, enabling seamless interaction between people and information communication technology (ICT). Emotional AI: Technology that improves the customer experience by reading a customer's psychological "mood" based on his or her interactions with touch screens and tone of voice in conversation. Technology that improves the customer experience by reading a customer's psychological "mood" based on his or her interactions with touch screens and tone of voice in conversation. AI-based Cyber Security : As the cyber attack surface continues to expand from the exponential increase in sensors (e.g., social media data, IoT data, etc.), Fujitsu AI, with its fully automated Machine Reasoning and Machine Learning, enables 87 percent automation on average, preventing many incidents before they occur, minimizing exposure to threats and reducing time and effort to resolve outbreaks and security events. : As the cyber attack surface continues to expand from the exponential increase in sensors (e.g., social media data, IoT data, etc.), Fujitsu AI, with its fully automated Machine Reasoning and Machine Learning, enables 87 percent automation on average, preventing many incidents before they occur, minimizing exposure to threats and reducing time and effort to resolve outbreaks and security events. IoT Optimization for entire factory operation: Intelligent Dashboard supports optimal factory management by integrating various factory data using IoT sensor technology. Data that could not be collected or integrated previously can now be holistically captured to provide a singular view into factory operations including issue identification, root cause analysis and issue resolution using proven processes with the help of AI. Intelligent Dashboard supports optimal factory management by integrating various factory data using IoT sensor technology. Data that could not be collected or integrated previously can now be holistically captured to provide a singular view into factory operations including issue identification, root cause analysis and issue resolution using proven processes with the help of AI. iNetSec Smart Finder: This hybrid internal network security appliance offers wired and wireless device and application discovery, classification and management, directly addressing the growing BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) and BYOA (Bring Your Own Application) trends facing organizations of all sizes. Smart Finder allows IT administrators to identify, monitor and prevent future threats that are introduced from within an organization, while maintaining business productivity. "Digitalization is progressing at a very rapid pace. Fujitsu helps customers quickly and responsibly turn their innovative ideas into reality by removing the barriers and complexity of digitalization. Our unique approach helps them realize the full value of digital transformation, all without introducing new risk to their business," Attal added. "We are dedicated to working with our customers and co-creating a future that is rewarding for business and society. I think you'll see that commitment evidenced throughout the World Tour both in our exhibitions and our people." Fujitsu World Tour and Fujitsu North America Technology Forum 2017 take place at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. Additional information on today's event can be found here. Media contacts Fujitsu America, Inc. Bryan Hollar 408-746-6412 [email protected] Finn Partners Andrew Corcione 415-249-6775 [email protected] About Fujitsu Fujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company, offering a full range of technology products, solutions, and services. Approximately 156,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.7 trillion yen (US$41 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com. About Fujitsu Americas Fujitsu America, Inc. is the parent and/or management company of a group of Fujitsu-owned companies operating in North, Central and South America dedicated to delivering the full range of Fujitsu products, solutions and services in ICT to our customers in the Western Hemisphere. These companies are collectively referred to as Fujitsu Americas. Fujitsu enables clients to meet their business objectives through integrated offerings and solutions, including consulting, systems integration, managed services, outsourcing and cloud services for infrastructure, platforms and applications; data center and field services; and server, storage, software and mobile/tablet technologies. For more information, please visit: www.fujitsu.com/us and http://twitter.com/fujitsuamerica About Fujitsu Laboratories Founded in 1968 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fujitsu Limited, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. is one of the premier research centers in the world. With a global network of laboratories in Japan, China, the United States and Europe, the organization conducts a wide range of basic and applied research in the areas of Next-generation Services, Computer Servers, Networks, Electronic Devices and Advanced Materials. For more information, please see: http://www.fujitsu.com/jp/group/labs/en/. Fujitsu, the Fujitsu logo, RoboPin and "shaping tomorrow with you" are trademarks or registered trademarks of Fujitsu Limited in the United States and other countries. iNetSec is a trademark or registered trademark of PFU Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. Information provided in this press release is accurate at time of publication and is subject to change without advance notice. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fujitsu-world-tour-and-fujitsu-north-america-technology-forum-2017-bring-digital-transformation-and-co-creation-to-life-in-santa-clara-300421034.html SOURCE Fujitsu America, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 09, 2017] IndustryBuilt is recognized for excellence in business performance as one of Canada's Best Managed Companies TORONTO, March 9, 2017 /CNW/ - IndustryBuilt was honoured with the prestigious Canada's Best Managed Companies designation. The 2017 Best Managed program recognizes the best-in-class of Canadian-owned and managed companies with revenues over $15 million demonstrating strategy, capability and commitment to achieve sustainable growth. "It's much more than just financial performance," said Peter Brown, Partner, Deloitte and Co-Leader, Canada's Best Managed Companies program. "The ingredients to success also include overall business performance and sustained growth. It takes dedication and commitment from the entire organization." As one of the new winners, IndustryBuilt's robust Vision, Mission and Values program, and collaborative approach to business led to this award. IndustryBuilt is one of Canada's Best Managed companies in a number of ways, not least of which thanks to its weekly employee scrums, an annual kickoff held for all employees across North America and an annual leadership conference which allows cross functional teams to tackle solving key business challenges and bring new ideas to the senior leadership team, which then get rolled up into the annual operating planning process. A detailed business planning process includes quarterly business reviews and an annual operating plan process that is fully transparent and collaborative. IndustryBuilt's award winning culture, corporate growth and low turnover are evidence that these programs are a success. Established in 1993, Canada's Best Managed Companies is one of the country's leading business awards programs recognizing Canadian-owned and managed companies for innovative, world-class business practices. Winners are an important engine of economic growth for being adaptable and sustainable in a global market. Applicants are evaluated by an independent judging panel made up of judges from Deloitte, CIBC, Cnadian Business, Smith School of Business and MacKay CEO Forums. Best Managed companies share commonalities that include an emphasis on culture and people, innovation, sustained performance and strong financial results. "We are humbled and pleased to be recognized by Deloitte as one of Canada's Best Managed Companies" said David Pilz, CEO of IndustryBuilt. "It is a remarkable achievement to receive this award in our first year of applying and is a testament to the work our team puts in every day and was made possible by our exceptional people and valued customers." "CIBC is thrilled to congratulate IndustryBuilt on being named one of Canada's Best Managed Companies, recognizing its excellence in leadership, business performance and innovation," said Jon Hountalas, Executive Vice President, Business and Corporate Banking, CIBC. "As a sponsor of Canada's Best Managed Companies program for over 20 years, CIBC is proud to celebrate private companies like IndustryBuilt as leaders in their industry." 2017 winners of the Canada's Best Managed Companies award will be honoured at the annual Canada's Best Managed Companies gala in Toronto on April 19, 2017. On the same date, the Best Managed symposium will address leading-edge business issues that are key to the success of today's business leaders. The Best Managed program is sponsored by Deloitte, CIBC, Canadian Business, Smith School of Business and MacKay CEO Forums. About Canada's Best Managed Companies Canada's Best Managed Companies continues to be the mark of excellence for Canadian-owned and managed companies with revenues over $15 million. Every year since the launch of the program in 1993, hundreds of entrepreneurial companies have competed for this designation in a rigorous and independent process that evaluates their management skills and practices. The awards are granted on four levels: 1) Canada's Best Managed Companies new winner (one of the new winners selected each year); 2) Canada's Best Managed Companies winner (award recipients that have re-applied and successfully retained their Best Managed designation for two additional years, subject to annual operational and financial review); 3) Gold Standard winner (After three consecutive years of maintaining their Best Managed status, these winners have demonstrated their commitment to the program and successfully retained their award for 4-6 consecutive years); 4) Platinum Club member (Winners that have maintained their Best Managed status for seven years or more). Program sponsors are Deloitte, CIBC, Canadian Business, Smith School of Business and MacKay CEO Forums. For further information, visit www.bestmanagedcompanies.ca. About IndustryBuilt IndustryBuilt is the creator of JustFood (http://www.justfooderp.com) and EquipSoft (http://www.equipsoft.com) ERP software. Our ambition is to improve our customers' ability to make, distribute, and service their offerings. Our products take the complexity out of the equation for our customers, simplifying ERP while delivering solutions that were purpose built for the industries we serve. Our proven team, technology and methodology have resulted in hundreds of successful implementations across North America. Learn more at www.industrybuilt.com. (www.industrybuilt.com) For further information, please contact: [email protected] www.bestmanagedcompanies.ca SOURCE IndustryBuilt Software [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu said the government is prepared to discuss every issue in the House, however, passing bills which have been stuck for long would be the government's priority. The second part of Budget session is likely to start on a stormy note. (Photo: IndiaToday/Supriya Bhardwaj) By Supriya Bhardwaj: The second part of the Budget session is expected to start on a stormy note with principal opposition party Congress all set to raise the issue of hate crimes against Indians in the US and other foreign countries. Seeking discussion on issue, the Congress has given adjournment notice in Lok Sabha However, the government is keen to get the pending bills cleared. "From government side our priority is GST Bill and other bills that need to be cleared," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu said. advertisement Also, the recent encounter in Lucknow in which a suspected terrorist was killed will be one of the top priorities of the government when the House convenes today. Delhi: TMC protests in front of Gandhi statue at Parliament complex regarding attack of Indians in USA pic.twitter.com/ulX4WyFvrO- ANI (@ANI_news) March 9, 2017 "Home Minister (Rajnath Singh) wants to give statement on Lucknow encounter. We will decided over the matter after seeing the situation in the House," Naidu added. The second half of the Budget session resumes today with both the BJP-led NDA Union government and Congress-led opposition ready with their arsenal to target each other. While Lok Sabha is likely to witness stormy scenes on the first day of the new session, Rajya Sabha is most likely to be adjourned owing to demise of few sitting MPs. ALSO READ: Budget session from today, Rajnath to speak in Parliament on Lucknow terror operation, Bhopal train blast Budget session resumes today, Opposition to corner govt on ISIS, US hate crimes --- ENDS --- [March 09, 2017] Inspiring Students to Solve Tomorrow's Problems, Today: Samsung Canada launches 2017 Solve for Tomorrow Challenge National education challenge invites Canadian students to apply Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) learning to solve issues in our communities and compete for Samsung school technology grants MISSISSAUGA, ON, March 8, 2017 /CNW/ - Following a successful 2016 campaign that saw over 650 Canadian schools participate, Samsung Electronics Canada Inc. today announced the official launch of the 2017 Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Challenge. The national educational initiative aims to inspire Canadian students to reach their full potential and get closer to STEM subjects by applying STEM to help solve community issues. Samsung will award 150 Finalist schools with technology grants, with four of these 150 schools having a chance to be awarded one of four grand prize technology grants, valued at $20,000 each. "In a year where we celebrate Canada's 150th, we are committed to helping the bright minds of the next 150 reach their full potential through STEM education, benefiting the Canadian communities they call home," said Mark Childs, Chief Brand Officer, Samsung Electronics Canada. Teachers of classrooms from Grades 6 to 12 can now enter the contest on behalf of their class at solvefortomorrow.ca by April 13th, 2017. All eligible entries will be judged based on the criteria outlined in the Official Rules, and a minimum of 37 entries from each of the four regions below (for a total of 150) will be deemed Regional Finalists. The four (4) regions are: Western Canada : British Columbia , Alberta and Yukon : , and Central Canada : Saskatchewan , Manitoba , Northwest Territories and Nunavut : , , and Eastern Canada : Ontario and Quebec : and Atlantic Canada : New Brunswick , Nova Scotia , Prince Edward Island , Newfoundland and Labrador The 150 Regional Finalists will each receive Samsung Solve for Tomorrow technology grant kits including a Samsung GearVR and Gear360 innovation to help produce a short video submission of their project. A panel of judges will select four Regional Winners from these final 150 submissions, who will each receive $20,000 in Samsung technology for their school and be part of an exclusive Canada 150-themed celebration in Summer 2017. Solve for Tomorrow is supported by The Learning Partnership, a national charitable organization dedicated to advancing public education in Canada, and Let's Talk Science, a charitable youth development organization which creates and delivers free STEM learning programs and services that support educators and strengthen student learning outcomes. "Let's Talk Science is proud to partner on the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Challenge. We believe that the Challenge provides a meaningful learning opportunity, unleashing students' potential to develop and use STEM-based skills to improve their community," said Dr. Bonnie Schmidt, President of Let's Talk Science. "It showcases the relevance of STEM in our world and the fundamental importance of STEM-based skills for our future." "The Learning Partnership is delighted once again to partner with Samsung's Solve for Tomorrow Challenge to develop and nurture STEM learning among Canadian students," says Michelle Beveridge, Interim President and CEO of The Learning Partnership. "Schools need technology and innovation support. The workforce is becoming increasingly global and technology-focused, and STEM skills are needed to ensure students are empowered to compete in our global economy." Stay tuned for specific details and updates via solvefortomorrow.ca, and follow @SamsungCanada and #SamsungSolve on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. About Samsung Electronics Canada, Inc. Samsung Electronics Canada inspires Canadians to reach their full potential through a transformative ecosystem of products and services that deliver innovation and distinct design to every aspect of their connected lives. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, virtual reality and wearable devices, tablets and digital appliances. In 2016, Samsung was ranked in the top 10 most reputable brands in Canada, based on a study by Leger. Dedicated to helping make a difference in the lives of Canadians, Samsung's award-winning Hope for Children corporate giving initiatives supports public education, sustainability and health-related issues in communities across the country. To discover more, please visit www.samsung.com For link to french release click here. SOURCE Samsung Electronics Canada [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 09, 2017] Tyler Technologies to Provide Odyssey Solution to Clayton County, Georgia Tyler Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: TYL) signed a $6.9 million agreement with Clayton County, Georgia, for Tyler's Odyssey solution. The Tyler Alliance project includes Odyssey Case Manager, Odyssey Jail Manager, Odyssey Attorney Manager, Odyssey Supervision, and Odyssey Jury, as well as Brazos eCitations and Tyler Eagle. After more than twenty years of using an in-house developed solution, Clayton County leadership required an updated case management system to manage its growing caseload and technology needs. The county selected Tyler because Odyssey is an end-to-end justice solution and has a strong presence in the Metro-Atlanta area, with 10 metro clients using Odyssey. The county was also familiar with Tyler's expertise in the public sector, having partnered with Tyler on eFileGA since 2014. "We look forward to bringing greater access to justice through Tyler's fully integrated solution, as well as having the ability to share information with our justice partners at the jail and probation officers as well as with other courts in the Metro-Atlanta area," said Detrick Stanford, Clayton County chief operating officer. Odyssey Case Manager will manage all case types for the Superior, State Magistrate and Probate courts. It will provide financial and document management, and includes a suite of Odyssey e-solutions, such as Odyssey ePayment Manager, Odyssey Portal, and Odyssey Guide & File. The suite of solutions will enhance access to justice for the county's constituents, allowing self-represented litigants to file and retrieve information about their own cases electronically. This project will utilize Tyler Alliance to share information across departments, agencies and jurisdictions. Tyler Alliance is a multi-agency, distributed platform that integrates public safety and criminal justice systems. The Odyssey solution will manage data as soon as it is entered into the jail and will flow seamlessly between product centers across the Odyssey platform. Odyssey Jail Manager will securely manage inmate information at Clayton County's jail with advanced solutions for pretrial services. Information will move to the prosecuting offices and through the courts with minimal data reentry. On the bench, judges will have the tools to review, write, and sign documents electronically. Finally, Odyssey Supervision will be used to assist with Clayton's in-house probation services. The criminal justice process will be greatly enhanced through these processes. Additionally, Clayton County and all Georgia courts using Odyssey will benefit through another component of Tyler Alliance: Tyler dataXchange. This tool allows the criminal justice information services (CJIS) community to communicate and share information in real time, across jurisdictions. These clients include six contiguous counties: Clayton, Fulton, DeKalb, Forsyth, Rockdale, and Spalding, ultimately connecting roughly a quarter of Georgia's population through these Metro-Atlanta courts. "We're eager to bring a fully integrated solution to Clayton County to help them manage the flow of information in the county more efficiently," said Bruce Graham, president of Tyler's Courts & Justice Division. "We are confident these solutions will not only assist in helping constituents, but also will make communication easier with fellow courts in Georgia." About Tyler Technologies (News - Alert), Inc. Tyler Technologies (NYSE: TYL) is a leading provider of end-to-end information management solutions and services for local governments. Tyler partners with clients to empower the public sector - cities, counties, schools and other government entities - to become more efficient, more accessible and more responsive to the needs of their constituents. Tyler's client base includes more than 15,000 local government offices in all 50 states, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and other international locations. In 2016, Forbes ranked Tyler on its "Most Innovative Growth Companies" list, and it has also named Tyler one of "America's Best Small Companies" eight times. The company has been included six times on the Barron's 400 Index, a measure of the most promising companies in America. More information about Tyler Technologies, headquartered in Plano, Texas, can be found at www.tylertech.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170309005101/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 08, 2017] Thermo Fisher Scientific Named Company of the Year by SelectScience Pittcon 2017 - The global community of SelectScience readers and contributors has voted Thermo Fisher Scientific Reviewers' Choice Company of the Year, an annual award that recognizes one company with the best reviews and ratings on SelectScience, a leading independent online resource that fulfills the information needs of the global scientific community. SelectScience announced the winners at an awards ceremony during the annual Pittcon Conference & Expo at McCormick Place in Chicago and presented the award to Dan Shine, senior vice president and president, analytical instruments for Thermo Fisher. Thermo Fisher had previously been named Reviewers' Choice Company of the Year in 2015. "It is an honor to be recognized again for innovation by the scientists and researchers who make up the SelectScience community," said Shine. "We are committed to continuously re-imagining technologies and products designed to accelerate innovation and drive productivity in our customers' laboratories around the globe." "The Reviewers' Choice Award for 'Company of the Year' acknowledges the corporation which has received the highest level and ratings of customer reviews online," said Kerry Parker, editor-in-chief, SelectScience. "Scientists expect to read reviews and receive validation from others when investing in their laboratory, therefore Thermo Fisher Scientific is being recognized as the company of choice by customers." The company also received awards in the "Video of the Year" and "Article of the Year" categories. Thermo Fisher earned Reviewers' Choice Video of the Year for its segment featuring Professor Francisco Radler, head of the Brazilian Doping Control Laboratory - LADETEC - UFRJ. The video shed light on the role that mass spectrometry, including Thermo Scientific Orbitrap technology, played in the WADA-certified lab for the analysis and detection of prohibited substances in athletes' samples. In addition, the Reviewers' Choice Article of the Year went to Alexander Makarov, director of global research, life sciences mass spectrometry at Thermo Fisher, for his article on the Hong Kong Jockey Club and their use of mass spectrometry in testing for prohibited substances using the Orbitrap mass spectrometry technology. About Thermo Fisher Scientific Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with revenues of $18 billion and more than 55,000 employees globally. Our mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. We help our customers accelerate life sciences research, solve complex analytical challenges, improve patient diagnostics and increase laboratory productivity. Through our premier brands - Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific and Unity Lab Services - we offer an unmatched combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and comprehensive support. For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170308006438/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 08, 2017] Header Bidding Goes Server Side - AndBeyond.Media Launches Header Bidding S2S - A Revolutionary Header Bidding Solution MUMBAI, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- AndBeyond.Media, the world's leading on-demand native marketplace serving over 1 billion MM ad experiences, today announced the launch of its revolutionary header bidding solution - Header Bidding S2S; the next step in the evolution of auction dynamics that evolves the way in which header bidding is currently being looked at by publishers and their partners. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160301/10141186 ) Talking about the newest innovation, Dharika Merchant, President, AndBeyond.Media mentions, "Header Bidding S2S will provide publishers with a solution that is technically superior and much faster. The solution offers clear advantages - publishers can run a pre-auction before the ad server to create an equal opportunity for demand where S2S header bidding is much faster because all the heavy lifting happens on a remote server, not on a user's browser. By allowing multiple buyers to bid on ad spaces at once through a unified auction, S2S will increase the value of a publisher's programmatic ad yield, thereby increasing the competition in the auction and driving higher bid density which subsequently translates into higher yield and increased revenue for publishers." "Browser or client-side bidding allows publishers to offer ad inventory to multiple exchanges before making calls to their ad servers. However, in this process, the bid occurs on the user's browser - auctions are run and ads are invited directly to the webpage via multiple JavaScript operations. This not only increases he page load time, but heightens the risk of page-load latencies," says Dharika. "In a time where mobile-first strategies are making page speeds more important than ever, and marketers are dealing with issues such as ad blocking, impediments like slow page loads and latencies is the stuff of nightmares that publishers have to deal with." To speed up load times, publishers are now slowly but surely seeing the advantage in moving to server-to-server connections, allowing for unified auctions to take place on servers instead of browsers. "Publishers in the Indian subcontinent will be the first to experience the capabilities of Header Bidding S2S and we're really excited to witness its adoption within the advertising ecosystem here," says Karan Gupta, CEO, AndBeyond.Media. "S2S intends to break the notion that server-to-server bidding is still very much uncharted territory. With a solution this powerful, we look forward to driving scale and sustainable growth for our partners, and challenge the limits of innovation." "We at AndBeyond.Media, are offering the bandwidth required for server-to-server auctions and can support businesses with the necessary infrastructure. Our solution will do the heavy lifting required, so that publishers do not have to suffer at the hands of page-load latencies and abysmal yield," adds Dharika, impressing upon the superior technological capabilities that Header Bidding S2S brings to the table. "Publishers will no longer feel restricted as to how many demand sources they can plug in. S2S will also ensure that publishers will have fewer, performance-driven partners to work with, as everything will be integrated directly via the server." Header bidding is revolutionising digital advertising and header bidding containers are an essential element in managing this new technique. By moving the container off the user's browser and onto the provider's server, publishers can make use of tried and tested technologies to minimise complexity, improve ad quality, and optimise the user experience. AndBeyond.Media is a firm believer in the power of technology and scale via programmatic channels. Adding yet another feather to its suite of bespoke technology and solutions, the company is focused on driving quality engagement, delivering high performance, 100% transparency and viewability in its offerings. About AndBeyond.Media: Founded in January 2015, AndBeyond.Media is a global on-demand native advertising marketplace catering to small and large-scale publishers serving cross-device and exclusive ad experiences across various programmatic channels. AndBeyond.Media has offices across the USA and India. It aims at creating a niche space in the native advertising industry and is working with 500+ premium advertisers and publishers from around the world. http://www.andbeyond.media For Further Information Contact: Neha Nair [email protected] +91-9967022537 +1-646-455-3031 Global Marketing and Communications Manager AndBeyond.Media [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 09, 2017] ENVIROTEK Deploys Tidal Energy in South East Asia SINGAPORE, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- In Mid-February, ENVIROTEK, together with an international team of experts, has successfully deployed a SCHOTTEL Instream Turbine (SIT) in the waters off the Sentosa Boardwalk in Singapore to showcase the viability of tidal energy in the region. ENVIROTEK, a Singapore-based clean-technology investment company, aspires to lead tidal in-stream energy projects in South East Asia. "This demonstration is about using appropriate technologies in suitable locations to address real energy needs of South East Asia. We are keen to develop projects that involve marine renewable energy -- a resource that is yet to be tapped effectively in the region." said Jefferson Cheng, Chairman and Founder of ENVIROTEK Pte Ltd. Floating integrated renewable energy platforms are envisioned for the usage of local stakeholders (e.g. island or coastal areas) helping them increase energy resilience, decrease fossil-fuel dependence, explore multiple applications, and showcase the viability of harnessing tidal in-stream energy (TISE) and its potential to supply clean, renewable, and safe electricity to island as well as coastal communities. Dr. Michael Lochinvar Sim Abundo, Managing Director of OceanPixel Pte Ltd noted that ocean renewable energy is currently not in the energy mix in South East Asia and remarked, "There is tremendous potential for harnessing ocean/marine renewable energy in the region especially for archipelagic countries like Indonesia and the Philippines. We are looking at marine renewable energy to be part of the energy mix -- not just in off-grid areas but eventually to feed into micro-grids and the main grid." OceanPixel Pte Ltd, a spin-off company from the Energy Research Institute @ Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (ER[email protected]), was chosen to manage the project on behalf of ENVIROTEK Pte Ltd. ENVIROTEK used a SIT 250 turbine in this project, a 62kW device with a rotor diameter of 4m, designed to be very robust and cost-effective. The turbine is attached to a catamaran platform with a lifting frame, allowing the turbine to be easily raised from and into the water. "We believe floating systems are the way to go for tidal energy because this allows us to reduce the installation cost but also to reduce the maintenance cost," explained Dr. Ralf Starzmann, the Sales Director of SCHOTTEL Hydro. Lita Ocean, a local shipping company, was commissioned to build the catamaran and integrate the SIT 250 turbine unto the platform. On the difficulties that the company faced in the project, Yeo Ying Da, Director of Lita Ocean said: "The main challenge for this project is the design of the platform, such that it is suitable for the deployment of the turbine and is stable in bi-directional mode." The deployment of the catamaran and the turbine was a joint effort between Lita Ocean, OceanPixel, Aquatera, NTU Singapore, and Orcades Marine. Lita Ocean, working with the local marine contractors, laid down the mooring lines and anchor before finally positioning the floating platform after towing it from their shipyard. Personnel from Aquatera and Orcades Marine were present to supervise the operation. Commissioning of the turbine is expected to take place in March with support from engineers from SCHOTTEL Far East based in Singapore. Commenting on working in Singapore compared to the UK, David Thomson, Managing Director of Orcades Marine Management Consultants Ltd said, "We have to be very aware of the other stakeholders who use the environment we're working in." Dr. Gareth Davies from Aquatera added, "One of the key aspects we're looking at here is how to learn to install technology in the SEA situation. We need to learn techniques and use equipment that is appropriate to South East Asia. In doing so, we can bring ideas from Europe and the tried and tested techniques but then adapt them to the South East Asian condition." This deployment has led to the development of local expertise in the tidal energy sector, and it is hoped that they can be used to further develop the industry in the South East Asian region. Dr. Srikanth Narasimalu, Programme Director and Senior Scientist of Wind and Marine Renewables, [email protected] remarked that this project has given enough credibility to showcase Singapore as a key hub to develop such systems. Jefferson Cheng, President of ENVIROTEK, comments: "This project demonstrates the viability of such solutions and develops pathways for marine renewable energy to enter SEA." About ENVIROTEK ENVIROTEK is a Clean Technology Invesment Company based in Singapore focused on Marine/Ocean Renewable Energy. It has been involved in technology development for both Wave energy (via Global Renewable Solutions in Australia) and Tidal Energy investing in projects such as the Black Rock Tidal Power in Canada and its own demonstration project in Sentosa (Singapore). www.envirotek.sg About OceanPixel OceanPixel is a South East Asian-based innovation-enabled expert group who specialize in providing intelligence for sustainability efforts focusing on renewables especially for the offshore / ocean / marine renewable energy sector. Offering data catalogs, report products, and technical services a multi-site, multi-device, and multi-criteria geographic information system decision support approach for various stages of project development. OceanPixel is headquartered in Singapore with active presence and involvements in the Philippines, Indonesia, and various parts of Asia. www.oceanpixel.org About SCHOTTEL HYDRO SCHOTTEL HYDRO offers its services in three segments: hydrokinetic turbines, semi-submerged platforms and components, such as turbine hubs and drives. SCHOTTEL HYDRO also includes the British company TidalStream Ltd. (TSL) and the Canadian company Black Rock Tidal Power (BRTP). SCHOTTEL HYDRO is located in Spay, Germany. A large network of SCHOTTEL sales and service locations ensure customer proximity worldwide. www.schottel.de/de/schottel-hydro/ About Nanyang Technological University, Singapore A research-intensive public university, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has 33,500 undergraduate and postgraduate students in the colleges of Engineering, Business, Science, Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences, and its Interdisciplinary Graduate School. It also has a medical school, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, set up jointly with Imperial College London. NTU is also home to world-class autonomous institutes -- the National Institute of Education, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Earth Observatory of Singapore, and Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering -- and various leading research centres such as the Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI), Energy Research Institute @ NTU ([email protected]) and the Institute on Asian Consumer Insight (ACI). Ranked 13th in the world, NTU has also been ranked the world's top young university for the last three years running. The University's main campus has been named one of the Top 15 Most Beautiful in the World. NTU also has a campus in Novena, Singapore's medical district. For more information, visit www.ntu.edu.sg About Aquatera Aquatera is one of the world's leading marine energy consultancy and project development specialists. The company has undertaken over 250 studies in over 30 countries around the world related to marine energy. Aquatera is located in Stromness, Orkney Islands (UK). www.aquatera.co.uk About Orcades Marine Orcades Marine is a leading provider of Marine Project Management and Consultancy Services to the Offshore Renewable Energy Sector, Shipping and Port industry. Based in the stunning Orkney Isles, we pride ourselves on providing the most economic and practical solution for your installation. For more information, visit http://www.orcadesmarine.co.uk/ About Lita Ocean Lita Ocean was established in the 1970s and has since become one of the leading shipping companies in Singapore providing a diverse range of marine and shipyard services. They have a well-equipped waterfront yard, a fleet of more than 40 various types of vessels and an experienced workforce that have served various governmental organizations, port authorities, international oil majors, offshore oil and gas companies, marine engineering and marine service providers. http://www.litaocean.com Media Contact: Dr. Michael Lochinvar Sim Abundo Managing Director OceanPixel Pte Ltd Tel: +65 90663584 Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20170309/8521701541-a Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20170309/8521701541-b Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20170309/8521701541-c [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 09, 2017] Innovative Supply Chain Information Platform Will Help Prepare for Next Pandemic TOKYO, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and NEC Corporation (NEC)announced on March 9 their collaboration for the development of the first ever information platform to provide end-to-end visibility of supply chains for pandemic interventions, on behalf of the Global Pandemic Supply Chain (PSC) Network. The government of Japan has provided US$1 million for the PSC Network, which will be used as seed funding for the new information platform. The challenges faced during the 2015 West Africa Ebola outbreak included severe warehousing and distribution capacity constraints, limited visibility of the overall supply and demand of critical items, access constraints caused by border closures, and lack of public-private sector coordination resulting in duplicate efforts and an inefficient response. Original release: http://www.nec.com/en/press/201703/gloal_20170309_01.html By bringing together information on supplies and logistics and enabling analysis of supply chain inefficiencies, the new information platform, which will be part of the Global Pandemic Supply Chain Network, will promote timeliness and cost efficiency as well as aiding in continuous improvement. NEC was the first Asian company to join the PSC Network and remains the only information and communications technology (ICT) company in the Network. Together with the WFP, NEC will focus on designing a logistics visualization system that will enable end-to-end tracking of pandemic response items, such as protective clothing and medical equipment within a country facing an outbreak, helping to ensure quick and appropriate delivery of supplies to people in need. "We are honoured to collaborate with the WFP and the other members of the PSC Network to strengthen the global supply chain for pandemic preparedness and response in order to more effectively fight the next disease outbreak," said Dr. Nobuhiro Endo, Chairman of the Board, NEC. "This is a perfect example of our commitment to creating safe, secure, efficient, and equal societies through the provision of innovative ICT such as artificial intelligence, which also contributes to the United Nations' SDGs." As members of the PSC Network jointly advocated the need for more efficient pandemic supply chain, the Japanese government has since committed US$1 million to development of the Network, allowing NEC and WFP to begin work. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/innovative-supply-chain-information-platform-will-help-prepare-for-next-pandemic-300420843.html SOURCE NEC Corporation [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 09, 2017] Asetek - Mandatory Notification of Trade: CEO Sells Shares to a Long Term Investor in Asetek A/S OSLO, Norway, Mar 09, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Chief Executive Officer and primary insider of Asetek A/S, Andre Sloth Eriksen, has today sold 100,000 shares in a single, private transaction to a long term investor in Asetek A/S at price NOK 82.70 per share. Pre transaction Andre Sloth Eriksen and closely related parties owned a combination of 624,337 shares, warrants and options and post transaction 524,337 shares, warrants and options. "I sell some shares due personal reasons, as explained in October last year. I still hold a substantial amount of shares, warrants and options. Given Asetek's recent development and the exciting place we are in, I obviously remain fully committed as the company's CEO", said Andre Sloth Eriksen. About Asetek Asetek (ASETEK.OL) is the global leader in liquid cooling solutions for data centers, servers and PCs. Asetek's server products enable OEMs to offer cost effective, high performance liquid cooling data center solutions. Its PC products are targeted at the gaming and high performance desktop PC segments. With over 3.9 million liquid cooling units deployed, Asetek's patented technology is being adopted by a growing portfolio of OEMs and channel partners. Founded in 2000, Asetek is headquartered in Denmark and has operations in California, Texas, China and Taiwan. For more information, visit www.asetek.com. For further information, please contact: Andre S. Eriksen, Chief Executive Officer Mobile: +45 2125 7076 E-mail: [email protected] This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com http://news.cision.com/asetek/r/asetek---mandatory-notification-of-trade--ceo-sells-shares-to-a-long-term-investor-in-asetek-a-s,c2207998 The following files are available for download: To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/asetek---mandatory-notification-of-trade-ceo-sells-shares-to-a-long-term-investor-in-asetek-as-300420996.html SOURCE Asetek [March 09, 2017] TUV SUD is a Participating Lab in Amazon's Solutions Provider Network for Sellers MUMBAI, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- - Sellers on Amazon can now Work With TUV SUD to Demonstrate Their Commitment Towards Delivering Quality Products Consistently and Meeting Safety Standards - TUV SUD Will Help Sellers Enhance Brand Value With its Internationally Acclaimed Services Ranging Across Testing, Auditing, Certification, Inspection and Training German testing, inspection, auditing, certification and training giant, TUV SUD, today announced its listing on Amazon's Solution Provider Network (SPN) as a 'Compliance Solutions Provider' for manufacturers and suppliers. TUV SUD has a wide network of testing laboratories with state-of-the-art facilities and expertise that cater to an extensive range of product categories such as electricals and electronics, toys, apparel, jewellery, textiles, fabrics, shoes, leather, food, lights and others. With over 150 years of legacy, TUV SUD has partnered with premium brands across a wide range of product portfolios to help them comply with global quality and safety norms to deliver superior customer experience. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150910/10130068) Sellers listed on Amazon can now leverage TUV SUD's expertise to further demonstrate their commitment towards delivering quality products consistently and meeting safety standards, thereby enhancing customer delight. While buying products, online shoppers, can now check for the TUV SUD certification to ascertain the quality of products. To avail TUV SUD's services, Amazon sellers and manufacturers can visit http://www.amazon.com/spn, find the TUV SUD listing information and download TUV SUD's test request form for compliance solutions from Amazon's Solution Provider Network. The completed form should be sent to [email protected], from where the requirement will be addressed to the chosen location. Within 24 hours of sending the email, respective regional managers from TUV SUD will contact sellers to activate the process. Discounts on services may also be available by sellers based on testing volumes. Kapil Bansal, Senior VP of Consumer Products & Retail of TUV SUD's Product Service Division, said, "Shoppers have been exponentially shifting to the online space owing to the convenience the medium offers. Being location agnostic, marketplaces today, serve as a meeting place for consumers and merchants. While websites offer a wide range of products, consumers run the risk of not being able to gauge the quality of products online. To bridge this gap, it is critical for sellers to ensure that their products meet quality standards consistently and are safe for use. TUV SUD's services can help merchants deliver safe products and mitigate risk of product failure." India's online marketplaces have flourished in the past couple of years. Indian shoppers are likely to spend almost 85% more on global online marketplaces in 2017 across categories, as per a report jointly published by digital payments platform PayPal and market research firm Ipsos. The report suggests that India's online spend is likely to touch Rs 875,600 crore by 2018. About TUV SUD TUV SUD is a leading international service organisation catering to the strategic business segments industry, mobility and certification. Headquartered in Munich, Germany and founded in 1866, it has over 24,000 employees representing more than 850 locations throughout the world. Optimising technology, systems and know-how, the interdisciplinary specialist teams act as process partners to strengthen their customers' competitiveness. About TUV SUD South Asia TUV SUD South Asia is the leading consulting, testing, inspection and certification (TIC) company with presence across India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. With more than 1300 employees, TUV SUD South Asia has serviced over 10,000 clients to date through the past two decades. It is present at 32 locations including 19 labs across the three countries. Today, TUV SUD South Asia is internationally competent to provide TIC solutions cutting across a wide range of sectors that include management systems, conventional and renewable energy, water, sanitation, environmental technology, infrastructure, transit systems, real estate, food, supply chain, agriculture, toys, consumer electronics, textiles, leather and related products, automobile and components, and technical as well as soft-skills training. For further details, visit http://www.tuv-sud.in/. Follow us on social media platforms - Twitter and LinkedIn. Media Contact: Bhagyashree Valecha [email protected] +91-9158775187 Edelman [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 09, 2017] Daylight Solutions Signs Definitive Agreement with Leonardo DRS Daylight Solutions, Inc. (Daylight), a world leader in mid-infrared lasers and systems based on its proprietary quantum cascade laser (QCL) technologies, along with Leonardo S.p.A., through its U.S. subsidiary Leonardo DRS, announced today that they have signed a definitive agreement in which Leonardo DRS will pay $150 million USD to obtain 100% of the equity of Daylight Solutions. Under the terms of the agreement, Daylight will operate as one of eight Leonardo DRS lines of business, and will maintain its current management and location in San Diego. The transaction has been constructed to be essentially transparent to Daylight's current customers and supply chain partners. All of Daylight's current contracts will continue to be executed without novation. Bill Lynn, Chief Executive Officer of Leonardo DRS, said, "With this acquisition, Leonardo DRS reinforces its commitment to remain at the forefront of infrared technology to not only protect our men and women in uniform but also to perform critical tasks across a range of industries, including medical and industrial applications." "Daylight has established itself as a market leader in Scientific Lasers, Infrared Microscopy, and Lasers for Aircraft Survivability utilizing QCL technology," added Dr. Timothy Day, Chairman and CEO of Daylight Solutions. "Together with the added strength of the people and resources of Leonardo DRS, the mission of Daylight Solutions, 'To Protect with Light,' will be more fully realized and will enhanc our proven ability to transition new technologies into commercial products for a wide range of industries." All three co-founders, Dr. Timothy Day, Paul Larson, and Sam Crivello, will remain with Leonardo DRS. The acquisition is subject to a number of closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals, review by U.S. antitrust authorities, and by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the Unites States. About Daylight Solutions Daylight Solutions develops molecular detection, imaging, and illumination systems for use in scientific research, life sciences, industrial process control, and defense applications. The company is the world leader in mid-infrared laser-based solutions, with a line of broadly tunable and fixed wavelength laser sources and sensors that utilize mid-infrared spectroscopy. www.daylightsolutions.com About DRS Technologies DRS Technologies is a leading technology innovator and supplier of integrated products, services, and support to military forces, intelligence agencies, and prime contractors worldwide. The company specializes in naval and maritime systems, ground combat mission command and network computing, global satellite communications and network infrastructure, aviation support and avionics systems, and intelligence and security solutions. Additionally, DRS builds power systems and electro-optical/infrared systems for a wide range of commercial customers. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, DRS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Leonardo-Finmeccanica S.p.A., which employs more than 47,000 people worldwide. See the full range of capabilities at www.drs.com and on Twitter (News - Alert) @drstechnologies. The statements contained in this news release are not purely historical and contain forward-looking information and statements. These include statements regarding the Company's expectations, intentions, or strategies regarding future matters. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are based on information available to the Company on the date released. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170309005390/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 09, 2017] Currencycloud Secures 20M ($25M) From GV and Existing Investors to Boost Further Global Expansion Currencycloud, the world's leading cross border payments platform today announced 20 million (US $25M) in Series D funding with a new investment from GV (formerly Google (News - Alert) Ventures) and additional funding from the existing investors - Notion Capital, Sapphire Ventures, Rakuten FinTech Fund, and Anthemis. Total investment in the five-year-old company now stands at 44 million ($61 million). This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170309005634/en/ CEO Mike Laven of Currencycloud. The world's leading cross border payments platform today announced $25 million (20 million) in Series D funding with a new investment from GV (formrly Google Ventures) and additional funding from existing investors: Notion Capital, Sapphire Ventures, Rakuten FinTech Fund, and Anthemis. (Photo: Business Wire) Currencycloud provides the tools to build cross-border products and applications, driving a wave of innovation across the FinTech industry. The company counts over 200 customers in 35 countries and millions of end-users have access to its platform through their payment providers. Klarna, Travelex, Standard Bank, Revolut and Azimo, have all built products using Currencycloud's APIs. Users of the platform include challenger banks, pre-paid cards, digital payment firms and PSPs. To date, $25 billion has been sent through Currencycloud's infrastructure to over 200 countries. This new funding will be used to fuel the company's continued growth and ongoing global expansion, as it reimagines the way money flows through today's digital economy, using its flexible APIs to remove the friction and costs of traditional cross-border payments. GV General Partner Tom Hulme commented: "We believe in empowering developers by making it easier for them to add scalable services to their products, ideally with simple APIs. Currencycloud is the leader in providing cross-border payment services in this manner, a real need as companies globalize." Mike Laven, CEO of Currencycloud adds: "In recent years we have seen the rise of the building block economy. Companies can combine services such as AWS, Google Maps, Stripe and Twilio (News - Alert) to build innovative new businesses fast and without the overhead of expensive proprietary systems. Currencycloud provides a set of multi-currency payment and conversion tools that are helping hundreds of companies globalize fast. We are seeing massive and increasing demand for these services, with volumes growing over 150% last year." As a reflection of the continued confidence in the company, existing investors also substantially increased their investment. Jos White, Partner at Notion Capital commented: "Currencycloud is powering the global economy of the future enabling customers to do business around the world without the usual cost and friction we associate with this. We are very happy to continue to back the company." Oskar Mielczarek de la Miel, Managing Partner at Rakuten FinTech Fund adds: "We see huge opportunity for Currencycloud which is reflected in our increased investment. 2016 saw Currencycloud sign several flagship deals, further validating the market opportunity and marking a huge momentum in 2017." This funding builds on 12M ($18M) raised in 2015, 7M ($10M) in 2014 and 5M ($8M) in 2012. About Currencycloud Currencycloud's Payment Engine is the power inside countless businesses, driving the transformation of the global payments landscape. The company is reimagining the way money flows through the global digital economy, allowing payment firms to remove the friction and inefficiencies of traditional cross-border payments using its flexible APIs. Launched in 2012 Currencycloud is based in London and is regulated in Europe, the USA and Canada. For more information about the company, please visit www.currencycloud.com View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170309005634/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] It was the Congress that had given adjournment notice in Lok Sabha seeking discussion on the entire sordid affair. By Supriya Bhardwaj: The Opposition parties, Congress and TMC, upped the ante against the Central government on the issue of attacks on Indians in USA as the Parliament's Budget Session resumed on Thursday. It was the Congress that had given adjournment notice in Lok Sabha seeking discussion on the entire sordid affair. "Attacks on Indians in the US have increased ever since the new President took charge. Our PM tweets on everything, but why is he silent on the attacks on Indians in the USA?" said Congress party leader in Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge. advertisement TMC MPs, who had also staged a protest near Gandhi statue inside the Parliament complex, raised their voices too on this matter in Lok Sabha. "This is the result of a persistent hate campaign against Indians in America after the new government came to power there. Aren't we going to take steps to stop this hate campaign against Indians?" said TMC MP Saugata Roy. He added that the opposition hopes that the Central government will show the courage to stand up against the hate campaign carried out by misguided people against Indians in US. Watch the video here Also Read:Budget Session 2017 LIVE: Hope for a breakthrough on GST, says PM Modi --- ENDS --- [March 09, 2017] H3 Biomedicine to Present New Data from Recent Research Advancements at 2017 American Association of Cancer Research Annual Meeting H3 Biomedicine Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company specializing in the discovery and development of precision medicines for oncology and a member of Eisai's global Oncology Business Group, announced today that company scientists will present one oral and five poster presentations at the 2017 American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., which is being held from April 1-5, 2017. Presentations will include first disclosures and updates on H3's lead programs in clinical development; H3B-6454, H3B-8800 and H3B-6527. Additional presentations will cover a survey of spliceosome gene mutations in cancer in collaboration with TCGA, as well as new research defining mechanistic changes induced by new SF3B1 alterations observed in CLL and small molecule splicing modulator mechanism of action studies. Each of the five compounds to be presented are currently investigational agents that have not been approved for any indication. The accepted abstracts are listed below and now available online on the AACR conference website: http://www.abstractsonline.com/pp8/#!/4292 H3 Biomedicine AACR 2017 Presentations: ABSTRACT TITLE: Discovery and development of H3B-6545: A novel, oral, selective estrogen receptor covalent antagonist (SERCA) for the treatment of breast cancer. Session information: Oral presentation to be presented at New Drugs on the Horizon Session 1 on Sunday April 2, 2017 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Location to be announced. ABSTRACT TITLE: H3B-8800, a novel orally available SF3b modulator, shows preclinical efficacy across spliceosome mutant cancers Session Category: Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics Session Title: Novel Molecular Targets 1 Session Date and Time: Monday, April 3, 2017 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Location: Convention Center, Halls A-C, Poster Section 5 Poster Board Number: 30 Permanent Abstract Number: 1185 ABSTRACT TITLE: H3B-6527, a selective and potent FGFR4 inhibitor for FGF19-driven Hepatocellular Carcinoma Session Category: Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics Session Title: Molecular Medicine Session Date andTime: Tuesday, April 4, 2017 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Location: Convention Center, Halls A-C, Poster Section 5 Poster Board Number: 15 Permanent Abstract Number: 3126 ABSTRACT TITLE: Survey of spliceosome gene mutations and associated splicing defects across 33 cancer types Session information: Session Category: Molecular and Cellular Biology / Genetics Session Title: Genomic Analyses across Cancer Types Session Date and Time: Sunday, April 2, 2017 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Location: Convention Center, Halls A-C, Poster Section 16 Poster Board Number: 9 Permanent Abstract Number: 383 ABSTRACT TITLE: Novel SF3B1 deletion mutations result in aberrant RNA splicing in CLL patients Session Category: Molecular and Cellular Biology / Genetics Session Title: Post-transcriptional and Translational Regulation in Cancer Session Date and Time: Tuesday, April 4, 2017 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Location: Convention Center, Halls A-C, Poster Section 21 Poster Board Number: 4 Permanent Abstract Number: 4471 ABSTRACT TITLE: A chemogenomic approach reveals the action of splicing modulators at the branch point adenosine binding pocket defined by the PHF5A/SF3b complex Session Category: Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics Session Title: Novel Agents Session Date and Time: Sunday, April 2, 2017 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Location: Convention Center, Halls A-C, Poster Section 5 Poster Board Number: 22 Permanent Abstract Number: 126 About H3B-8800 H3B-8800 is an oral, potent and selective small molecule modulator of splicing factor 3b subunit 1 (SF3B1) that is being developed by H3 Biomedicine as an anticancer therapeutic agent. In pre-clinical studies, H3B-8800 showed dose dependent modulation of canonical and aberrant splicing when dosed orally at tolerated doses. More importantly, oral administration of H3B-8800 demonstrated preferential antitumor activity in several pre-clinical xenograft models carrying spliceosome mutations. H3 Biomedicine's lead research and discovery programs in splicing are designed to develop drugs that target the vulnerabilities related to deregulated RNA homeostasis in cancer. About H3B-6527 H3B-6527 is a selective, orally bioavailable, and potent inhibitor of fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 (FGFR4) that is being investigated for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Aberrant signaling through the FGF19-FGFR4 axis has been shown to drive tumor development and dependency in pre-clinical models of HCC. H3B-6527 has shown sustained tumor regressions in several preclinical models of HCC where FGF19-FGFR4 signaling is aberrantly activated. The safety and preliminary efficacy of H3B-6527 will be explored in patients that are selected using a companion diagnostic that identifies HCC with activated FGF19-FGFR4 pathway activity. About H3B-6545 H3B-6545 is an orally bioavailable, potent and selective small molecule modulator of wild-type and mutant Estrogen Receptor (ERa). Mutations in ERa are detected in up to 30% of patients that initially respond but subsequently relapse to anti-endocrine therapies. Current endocrine therapies are only partially effective in the ERa mutant setting and a significant proportion of endocrine-therapy resistant breast cancer metastases continue to remain dependent on ERa signaling for growth/survival indicating a critical need to develop the next generation of ERa antagonists. About H3 Biomedicine Inc. H3 Biomedicine is a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biopharmaceutical company specializing in the discovery and development of precision oncology treatments, and was established as a subsidiary of Eisai's U.S. pharmaceutical operation Eisai Inc. Leveraging this collaboration with Eisai Co., Ltd., who through this partnership provides essential research funding and access to the capabilities and resources of this global pharmaceutical company, H3 Biomedicine combines long-term vision with operational independence. Using modern synthetic chemistry, chemical biology, and human genetics, H3 Biomedicine seeks to bring the next generation of cancer treatments to market with the goal of improving the lives of patients. For more information, please visit http://www.h3biomedicine.com/. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170309005644/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 09, 2017] March 13 Deadline Alert: Law Offices of Howard G. Smith Reminds Novo Nordisk A/S Investors of Upcoming Lead Plaintiff Deadline and Encourages Investors to Contact the Firm Law Offices of Howard G. Smith reminds investors of the upcoming March 13, 2017 deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in the class action filed on behalf of a class of investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Novo Nordisk A/S ("Novo Nordisk" or the "Company") (NYSE: NVO) American Depository Receipts ("ADRs") between February 5, 2015 and October 27, 2016, inclusive (the "Class Period"). Novo Nordisk investors have until March 13, 2017 to file a lead plaintiff motion. On August 5, 2016, Novo Nordisk disclosed disappointing earnings for the second quarter of 2016, shrinking its predictions for sales growth, and reporting the loss of a contract with a large U.S. pharmacy benefit manager ("PBM"). On this news, Novo Nordisk's ADR price fell over 9% on August 5, 2016. Then, on October 28, 2016, Novo Nordisk announced its second consecutive quarter of disappointin earnings and cut its long-term profit-growth forecasts by 50%. Additionally, the Company acknowledged receipt of a Civil Investigative Demand from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York for information concerning Novo Nordisk's contracts and business relationships with PBMs related to certain of the Company's insulin products. On this news, Novo Nordisk's ADR price fell over 12% on October 28, 2016. The Complaint filed in this class action alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants reported impressive revenue, operating profit growth and sales growth, and informed investors that the Company would achieve sales and operating profit growth of between 5% and 9% in 2016, as well as 10% operating profit growth over the long-term. All the while, however, Defendants were informed by the company's U.S. organization, and could infer from other data sources, that Novo Nordisk's aggressive pricing model produced unsustainable revenues, and its inflated earnings and profit forecasts concealed the true extent of the pricing pressures the Company was experiencing. The Company continued to misrepresent the sustainability of its business model while perpetuating a massive stock buyback program to stabilize its ADR price. If you purchased Novo Nordisk ADRs, you may move the Court no later than March 13, 2017 to request appointment as lead plaintiff. To be a member of the class you need not take any action at this time; you may retain counsel of your choice or take no action and remain an absent member of the Class. If you wish to learn more about this action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Howard G. Smith, Esquire, of Law Offices of Howard G. Smith, 3070 Bristol Pike, Suite 112, Bensalem, Pennsylvania 19020 by telephone at (215) 638-4847, toll-free at (888) 638-4847, or by email to [email protected], or visit our website at http://www.howardsmithlaw.com. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170309005758/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 09, 2017] Wells Fargo Donates $281.3 Million in 2016 to 14,900 Nonprofits Wells Fargo (News - Alert) & Company (NYSE: WFC) supported 14,900 nonprofits in 2016, donating $281.3 million to organizations across the country. Separately, Wells Fargo's team members showed their commitment to communities by donating a total of $98.87 million to 30,000 nonprofits, including $60.7 million that was pledged during the company's monthlong Community Support Campaign. For the eighth consecutive year, United Way Worldwide named Wells Fargo's workplace giving campaign No. 1 in the U.S. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170309005847/en/ (Graphic: Business Wire) "Even while we as a company are in the midst of rebuilding trust, our team members continued to step up, showing an unwavering dedication to caring for others," said Jon Campbell, head of Government and Community Relations. "This shows the true character of our team members and the true passion they have for helping our communities thrive." More than 80,000 team members donated during the company's Community Support Campaign, where team members donate their time and money to support charitable organizations. United Way Worldwide has recognized Wells Fargo's campaign as the largest in the country every year since 2009. "We're grateful to Wells Fargo and its team members for their continued commitment to making a positive impact on people's lives," said Brian Gallagher, president and CEO of United Way Worldwide. More than 82,000 team members also donated their time in 2016, reporting 1.73 million volunteer hours with nonprofits, which equals a monetary value of more than $40 million according to Independent Sector.* Wells Fargo provides first progress reprt towards 2020 philanthropic goals Last year, Wells Fargo launched an integrated, companywide corporate social responsibility strategy and five year-goals that focus on three areas: strengthening financial self-sufficiency and creating economic opportunities in underserved communities; advancing diversity and social inclusion and helping to ensure that there is equal access to resources and opportunities to succeed; and accelerating the transition to a lower-carbon economy and helping to reduce the impacts of climate change. The company last year announced a philanthropic goal of $665 million in these three areas by 2020. Of the $281.3 million** Wells Fargo donated to nonprofits last year, $139.9 million directly supported our 2020 strategic philanthropy goals. The donations included: $87.9 million to support economic empowerment and opportunities in underserved communities, including financial education, sustainable housing, small businesses and other critical economic needs. The 2020 goal is $500 million. $36.4 million to advance diversity and social inclusion, including the development of women and other diverse leaders, and other critical social needs. The 2020 goal is $100 million. $15.6 million to support environmental sustainability, including clean technology, environmental education, and strengthening community resiliency. The 2020 goal is $65 million. The remaining donations were directed to community-based organizations where Wells Fargo team members live and work, including education, community development, the arts, and civic-focused nonprofits. The company will report more progress related to its 2020 corporate social responsibility goals when Wells Fargo's 2016 Corporate Social Responsibility Report is released in April. * The Independent Sector is a U.S. coalition of more than 550 philanthropic organizations. Their most recent estimate of the value of one volunteer hour is $23.56. ** Total includes $3.8 million in giving by the Wells Fargo Regional Foundation. About Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.9 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 8,600 locations, 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 42 countries and territories to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 269,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 27 on Fortune's 2016 rankings of America's largest corporations. Wells Fargo's vision is to satisfy our customers' financial needs and help them succeed financially. News, insights and perspectives are also available at Wells Fargo Stories. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170309005847/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 09, 2017] Community Health Systems to Participate in Barclays Global Healthcare Conference 2017 Community Health Systems, Inc. (NYSE: CYH) today announced that management will participate in the Barclays Global Healthcare Conference 2017 to be held March 14-16, 2017, at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. The investor presentation will begin at 10:45 a.m. Eastern time, 9:45 a.m. Central time, on Thursday, March 16, 2017, and will be available to investors via a live audio webcast. A link to the broadcast can be found at the investor relations section of the Company's website, www.chs.net, and a replay will be available for 30 days using that same link. Community Health Systems, Inc. is one of the largest publicly traded hospital companies in the United States and a leading operator of general acute care hospitals in communities across the country. The Company, through its subsidiaries, owns, leases or operates 158 affiliated hospitals in 22 states with an aggregate of approximately 26,000 licensed beds. The Company's headquarters are located in Franklin, Tennessee, a suburb south of Nashville. Shares in Community Health Systems, Inc. are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "CYH." More information about the Company can be found on its website at www.chs.net. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170309005834/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 09, 2017] Invesco Canada Opens the Market Invesco Canada Ltd. ("Invesco"), including PowerShares Canada Vice President of Product and Business Development, Christopher Doll, joined Jos Schmitt, President and Chief Executive Officer, Aequitas NEO Exchange Inc. ("NEO Exchange"), to open the market in celebration of two new PowerShares exchange-traded-funds (ETFs), representing five ticker symbols, launching on the NEO Exchange. PowerShares ETFs seek to outperform traditional benchmark indexes while providing advisors and investors access to an innovative array of focused investment opportunities. The two high-dividend, low-volatility PowerShares ETFs commenced trading on the NEO Exchange on March 7, 2017. The two new funds are PowerShares S&P 500 High Dividend Low Volatility Index ETF (UHD, UHD.U, UHD.F) and PowerShares S&P Global ex. Canada High Dividend Low Volatility Index ETF (GHD, GHD.F). This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170309006013/en/ Invesco Canada Ltd. ("Invesco"), including PowerShares Canada Vice President of Product and Business Development, Christopher Doll, joined Jos Schmitt, President and Chief Executive Officer, Aequitas NEO Exchange Inc. ("NEO Exchange"), to open the market in celebration of two new PowerShares exchange-traded-funds (ETFs), representing five ticker symbols, launching on the NEO Exchange. PowerShares ETFs seek to outperform traditional benchmark indexes while providing advisors and investors access to an innovative array of focused investment opportunities. The two high-dividend, low-volatility PowerShares ETFs commenced trading on the NEO Exchange on March 7, 2017. The two new funds are PowerShares S&P 500 High Dividend Low Volatility Index ETF (UHD, UHD.U, UHD.F) and PowerShares S&P Global ex. Canada High Dividend Low Volatility Index ETF (GHD, GHD.F). (Photo: Business Wire) About NEO Exchange Aequitas NEO Exchange Inc. is a new Canadian stock exchange using a bold new blueprint that puts investors, businesses looking to raise capital and dealers first. Launched in March 2015, the NEO Exchange currently offers an innovative trading venue and a value added listing venue for capital raising companies and investment products. The NEO Exchange is a wholly owned subsidiary of Aequitas Innovations Inc., a company founded by a diverse group of prominent investors representative of all Canadian capital market stakeholders. For more information, please visit: www.aequitasNEOexchange.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170309006013/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 09, 2017] ZeroFOX Safeguards Modern Businesses against Latest Social and Digital Risks with a New Comprehensive Brand Protection Offering ZeroFOX, the innovator of social media and digital security, today unveiled its latest security offering, ZeroFOX Brand Protection, enabling businesses to protect their online brand identity, reputation and security across all digital channels for only $200 per month. ZeroFOX Brand Protection leverages the top-ranked ZeroFOX Security Platform to provide real-time visibility and control to find and eliminate threats targeting businesses' brands, customers and employees. The ZeroFOX SaaS (News - Alert) Platform's automated protection and remediation addresses account takeover, brand impersonations, fraud and scams, copyright and trademark violations, spoofed fake accounts, phishing and inappropriate use across all social platforms, mobile applications, web domains and other digital channels. "Social media and digital platforms have become critical business applications that all brands rely on to engage with their customers, build a following, support customers and grow revenue. In response, malicious actors are increasingly targeting businesses by impersonating brands and targeting customers to siphon cash flow and tarnish brand reputation," said James C. Foster, CEO of ZeroFOX. "Traditional brand monitoring solutions are overpriced and don't sufficiently protect organizations from the real security risks, which have grown dramatically in recent years. Leveraging the flexible architecture of the ZeroFOX SaaS Platform, this new ZeroFOX Brand Protection solution is uniquely targeted to support the eeds of businesses of all sizes around the globe. As such, we are launching ZeroFOX Brand Protection at a value-optimized price starting at $200 per month, enabling every business to deploy security for their most critical asset, their brand." Recently, ZeroFOX Research released findings that showed the number of brand impersonation and brand spoofing attacks increased 11x from December 2014 to December 2016. ZeroFOX Research reported that impersonation accounts have spanned all social and digital platforms, with criminals impersonating brands by exploiting logos, social account, messaging, domains and product photos in order to attack employees and defraud customers. While phishing and malware have long been the standard form of duping users, new attack methods that more easily trick consumers and employees have made the social and digital landscape more threatening than ever to an organization's bottom line. ZeroFOX is releasing ZeroFOX Brand Protection as a standalone offering starting at $200 per month per brand as part of the ZeroFOX Business Protection Suite. ZeroFOX Brand Protection is ideal for modern, branded businesses using social and digital channels to actively engage customers and markets, including those in financial services, consumer goods, retail, hospitality and healthcare. ZeroFOX Brand Protection enables organizations to easily fulfill brand, compliance and security requirements in a simple, effective package that minimizes risk while saving time, cost and manpower. For more information about ZeroFOX Brand Protection, please visit: https://www.zerofox.com/brand-protection/. About ZeroFOX: ZeroFOX, the innovator of social media security & digital risk monitoring, protects modern organizations from the dynamic risks of social media and digital channels. Recognized as a Leader in Digital Risk Monitoring by Forrester, ZeroFOX's cloud-based, SaaS platform processes millions of posts and accounts daily across the social landscape, spanning Facebook (News - Alert), LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, YouTube and more. Using targeted data collection, intelligent analysis and automated remediation, ZeroFOX protects businesses and government agencies around the world against phishing attacks, information loss, account compromise, fraud, compliance violations, and financial loss. Led by a team of information security and high-growth start-up veterans, ZeroFOX has raised over $40M in funding from NEA, Highland Capital and others, and has collected top industry awards such as the SINET16 Champion, Dark Reading's Top Security Startups to Watch, Tech Council of Maryland's Technology Company of the Year, and the Security Tech Trailblazer of the Year. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170309006022/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 09, 2017] PayQix Raises $11M to Open Online Bank for Its SMB Focused Transaction Management Platform PayQix, Inc., a revolutionary online bank (BankQix) with a built-in business and transaction management platform that bridges the gaps between social media, sales, marketing, and business automation tools, as well as legacy transaction management tools like PayPal (News - Alert) and QuickBooks, today announced it closed an $11 million dollar investment with an international multi-strategy focused family office. Proceeds from the financing round are dedicated to filing for, finalizing, setting up, and then opening its' bank in Luxembourg, which will serve as the centerpiece of its' SMB focused technology platform. PayQix started with the understanding that small business owners do not have large budgets of time or money. Each decision is a critical judgment about resource allocation that must be carefully considered. Current tools that work cross-functionally are nice, but in today's ultra-fast paced 24/7/365 business environment they're insufficient to the needs of modern SMBs. Solving for these problems, PayQix used its initial $1.5 million dollar Seed round to build and test a super secure and scalable architecture that solves for the core business problems SMBs face. PayQix's solution is market and sector agnostic, omnichannel, and addresses 95% of all 320 million SMBs worldwide. The U.S. marketplace alone represents $35 trillion dollars, which yearly creates 35 million new growth companies. The $11 million dollars was a dedicated tranche broken off of the larger $21 million dollar Series A round that PayQix currently has open. The remaining $10 million dollar placement will be dedicated to continued build-out of the technology platform, specifically the front-end and dashboard, a tightening of the backend and database systems, as well as robust international branding, marketing, and user acquisition efforts, which the company is executing wth one of its' partners, JrPixels. Jose Graca, Chief Executive Officer, said, "Fundamentally, businesses are needs-based and relationship-driven, so the next generation of global online banks need to facilitate the full transaction cycle for every customer. Solving these problems means more loyalty and therefore more transactions. Increased transaction volume equates to more revenue and stronger relationships that drive trust and future business. We don't wait for deposits and loans to be made; we actively create value for our customers at every intersection of their business." Chief Operating Officer and Head of Global Partnerships, Tom Szabo, commented that "Our integrated revenue model presents at least eight ways to maximize revenue and drive growth both for PayQix and its' customers, which is why we like to say, "Smarter Business is Better Business". From a market development perspective, we're in active conversations with leading EU banks like Bank Nordea who are eager to help pollinate our solution to their customers. Last year, 451 Research (News - Alert) provided excellent market intel when they said, "Applications are being built to meet the needs of increasingly dispersed workforces we expect the number of players, as well as investment, to grow substantially and further outlying technologies to be drawn inward." We agree completely and expect this marketplace both to grow and consolidate quite a bit over the next ten years." ABOUT PayQix has one vision - The relentless pursuit of making businesses better! With offices in the United States, the European Union, Hong Kong, and a growing footprint worldwide, PayQix is the next generation online bank with a built-in business and transaction management tool. By bridging the gaps between social media, sales, marketing, and business automation tools, as well as all those legacy payment and transaction management tools like PayPal and QuickBooks, PayQix saves small business owners valuable time and money. Because small businesses are under incredible pressure to deliver the highest quality customer service while providing the lowest possible price, resource utilization and management become "make or break" functionalities. So, suddenly, the time it takes to manage all those legacy platforms becomes a meaningful problem. We created PayQix to solve these problems and give back valuable resources to SMBs worldwide. PayQix was born in New York City, NY where it comes to grow and thrive. Our office location is 71 Broadway, Level B, Suite 101, New York, NY 10006, USA and we may be reached anytime via [email protected]. For more information, please visit www.payqix.com View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170309006024/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 09, 2017] Informatica Expands Partnership with Google to Enhance Marketing Analytics and Power Data Warehouse Modernization on Google Cloud REDWOOD CITY, Calif., March 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- At Google Cloud NEXT 17, Informatica, the worlds leading data integration and data management company, announced an expanded partnership with Google Cloud in key areas of cloud integration, marketing analytics and data warehouse modernization to power faster and more accurate insights, increased agility and lower data management costs. Supercharging Marketing Analytics with Google Cloud Marketing analytics has emerged as a must-have solution for providing insights into customers and prospects in order to improve the success of marketing programs and make every engagement count. Informatica is working with Google Cloud to help marketing professionals have a next-generation, data-driven market engine within their organizations, with new capabilities in marketing analytics and data warehouse modernization. Today, Google Cloud announced the beta availability of BigQuery Data Transfer Service that automatically centralizes data from AdWords, YouTube, DoubleClick and Google Analytics 360 into Google BigQuery, giving marketers a single source of truth they can trust. Informatica further enhances the value for marketing organizations by combining, enriching and augmenting existing Google Marketing data with data from social, CRM and marketing automation sources. Informaticas out-of-the-box connectivity to sources such as Marketo, Eloqua, Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics quickly transforms and loads the desired data into Google BigQuery for a holistic view of the entire marketing landscape. These powerful insights allow organizations to provide next great offers to their customers based on past purchases, preferences and behaviors on the web. One of the great challenges for marketers today is that they are awash in data about their customers, said Sally Jenkins, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Informatica. A decade ago marketing was a discipline driven by preference, experience and gut-feeling. Today, marketers are one of the most data-driven function in organizations. With Informatica, customers can pull data from the critical marketing systems, such as Marketo, Eloqua and Salesforce, into Google BigQuery. By combining Google Cloud Platform, an extremely powerful, scalable and cost-effective big data analytics platform, with Informatica Cloud which offers connectivity and data management, customers can expect powerful insights, recommendations and offers, which is what everyone is looking for. Expanding Support for Google Cloud - Google BigQuery, Google Cloud Storage and Cloud SQL Informaticas data management offerings are well aligned and are epanding their support for the Google Cloud Platform. Today, Informatica is announcing the integration of Informatica Cloud with Google BigQuery, Google Cloud Storage and Cloud SQL. Google BigQuery: Informatica Cloud for cloud integration scales from proof-of-concept to petabyte-scale production systems. With the Informatica Cloud connector for Google BigQuery, Google Cloud customers can use Informatica Clouds native, high volume connectors to transform and load data into and out of BigQuery from cloud applications, social IoT and on-premise sources. Google Cloud Storage: With the Informatica Cloud connector for Google Cloud Storage, Informatica Cloud can move and synchronize data of all types and volumes into and out of Google Cloud Storage for big data analytics. Cloud SQL: Informatica Cloud support for Cloud SQL will simplify the migration of data from on-premise databases into Cloud SQL, Googles fully managed, transactional database service. Additionally, Informatica is excited to support new Google Cloud Platform products with planned availability of connectivity to Google Spanner. Expediting Enterprise Data Warehouse Modernization with Google BigQuery As enterprises continue to replace or augment traditional data warehouse implementations with Google BigQuery, they are looking for ways to fast-track the migration of data to their new cloud infrastructures while minimizing risk. Informatica provides hybrid data management solutions designed to accelerate the migration of data to Google BigQuery, delivering and synchronizing trusted data from cloud, on-premise and big data sources. Additional Information: Blog: Informatica Collaborates with Google Cloud on Marketing Analytics for CMOs Data sheet: Informatica Google BigQuery Connector Informatica for Google Cloud Platform Informatica Google Cloud Platform Connectors Informatica Trial for Google Cloud Platform Tweet this: News: @Informatica & @Google partner to deliver #CMOs unique & powerful insights from business data http://infa.media/pr170309a News: @Informatica offers frictionless data migration to @Google BigQuery #GoogleNext17 http://infa.media/pr170309a About Informatica Informatica is 100 percent focused on data because the world runs on data. Organizations need business solutions around data for the cloud, big data, real-time and streaming. Informatica is a leading provider of data management solutions, in the cloud, on-premise or in a hybrid environment. More than 7,000 organizations around the world turn to Informatica for data solutions that power their businesses. For more information, call +1 650-385-5000 (1-800-653-3871 in the U.S.), or visit www.informatica.com. Connect with Informatica at https://linkedin.com/company/informatica, https://twitter.com/Informatica and https://facebook.com/InformaticaLLC. ### Note: Informatica, Informatica Cloud, Informatica PowerCenter and Informatica Big Data Management are trademarks or registered trademarks of Informatica in the United States and in jurisdictions throughout the world. All other company and product names may be trade names or trademarks of their respective owners. The information provided herein is subject to change without notice. In addition, the development, release and timing of any product or functionality described today remain at the sole discretion of Informatica and should not be relied upon in making a purchasing decision, nor as a representation, warranty or commitment to deliver specific products or functionality in the future. Maureen OConnell Informatica +1 650 385 4022 - office +1 408 679 0648 - mobile [email protected] Shira Frantzich Informatica +1 650 385 5674 - office [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 09, 2017] SAS named a leader in predictive analytics and machine learning solutions by independent research firm CARY, N.C., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SAS was named a leader in The Forrester Wave: Predictive Analytics and Machine Learning Solutions, Q1 2017, earning the highest scores among the 14 vendors in each of the three categories evaluated: current offering, strategy and market presence. The new report follows SAS being named in December as the only leader in The Forrester Wave: Enterprise Insight Platform Suites, Q4 2016. In that report, Forrester noted that SAS "leads the pack" of evaluated vendors and was cited among vendors that "differentiated themselves with a clear vision of offering an insight platform that supports the implementation of insight at the point of decision." The predictive analytics and machine learning report said: "SAS reimagines its data science portfolio. SAS is unifying its comprehensive portfolio of data science solutions under SAS Visual Suite (SAS Visual Analytics, SAS Visual Statistics, SAS Visual Data Mining and Machine Learning). It brings together world-class data prep, visualization, data analysis, model building and model depoyment. This unified tooling approach provides a consistent user experience that data scientists need to build even the most sophisticated models. "SAS' vision for data science is not limited to innovation in tools. It has been quick to jump on new, promising analytical methods across multiple disciplines, such as statistics, econometrics, optimization, machine learning, deep learning, and natural language interaction. It recently introduced support for calling SAS analytics from Python, Java, and Lua, leveraging open source data science notebooks." Into the future SAS Viya, an open, cloud-ready analytics platform, was cited in The Forrester Wave: Enterprise Insight Platform Suites, Q4 2016. SAS Viya applications offer fast, distributed processing with integrated data prep, visualization, analytics and model management. The product portfolio supports a wide range of user types including business professionals, analysts, statisticians, data scientists and executives. It is a platform designed for fostering collaboration between different user types to make analytics pervasive in the organization. "The evolution of analytics continues with our SAS Viya platform," said Saurabh Gupta, Director for the SAS Analytics Product line. "Enterprises are clamoring for powerful analytics to help them drive innovation and competitive differentiation. SAS has been their 'go-to' choice for analytics insights and decisions, and we're continuing our leadership with SAS Viya." To better understand how machine learning automates analytical model building, please read "Machine Learning: What it is and why it matters." About SAS SAS is the leader in analytics. Through innovative analytics, business intelligence and data management software and services, SAS helps customers at more than 83,000 sites make better decisions faster. Since 1976, SAS has been giving customers around the world THE POWER TO KNOW. SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries. indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies. Copyright 2017 SAS Institute Inc. All rights reserved. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sas-named-a-leader-in-predictive-analytics-and-machine-learning-solutions-by-independent-research-firm-300421336.html SOURCE SAS Institute [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 09, 2017] Dr. David Dranove, One of the Nation's Leading Economists, Joins Analysis Group as Academic Affiliate Analysis Group, one of the largest private economics consulting firms in North America, is proud to welcome Dr. David Dranove, a distinguished expert and one of the nation's leading economists, as an Academic Affiliate to the firm. Dr. Dranove is the Walter J. McNerney Distinguished Professor of Health Industry Management and a Professor of Management and Strategy at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. He also has more than two decades of experience providing economic analyses in litigation and regulatory matters. Notably, Dr. Dranove was the U.S. Department of Justice's primary expert witness in its recent challenge to the proposed $54 billion merger between health insurers Anthem and Cigna, the largest announced merger in the history of the healt insurance industry. The testimony of Dr. Dranove, which was supported with work by a team of economists from Analysis Group, was cited numerous times by the federal district judge, who ruled that the merger should be enjoined. "David has an incredible depth of expertise and he is held in such high esteem. Our work with David on the Anthem-Cigna case has been a fantastic collaboration," said Analysis Group CEO and Chairman Martha Samuelson. "We are very excited that he is affiliating with Analysis Group, and we look forward to more collaboration with David on a variety of complex and important cases." Dr. Dranove added: "Analysis Group is widely respected for the intellectual talent and rigor that its economists bring to their work. I am thrilled to formalize my relationship with them." Dr. Dranove's extensive academic research focuses on industrial organization and business strategy, with particular depth in the health care industry. His consulting work as an expert focuses on issues in health care competition, antitrust, econometrics, and competitive strategy, among other areas. About Analysis Group: Analysis Group is one of the largest private economics consulting firms in North America, with more than 700 professionals across 11 offices in the United States, Canada, and China. Since 1981, we have provided expertise in economics, finance, health care analytics, and strategy to top law firms, Fortune 500 companies, and government agencies. Our internal experts, together with our network of affiliated experts from academia, industry, and government, offer our clients exceptional depth of expertise. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170309006136/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] By Press Trust of India: From Sajjad Hussain Islamabad, Mar 9 (PTI) A case was today registered against unidentified persons involved in spreading blasphemous material on social media, amid a top Pakistan courts call for a ban on such sites due to the spread of "blasphemous" images. The case was registered at Raman Police Station after Islamabad High Court (IHC) ordered the government to implicate those running "blasphemous Facebook pages". advertisement "Sentiments of Muslims have been hurt by the content being shared on these pages," according to the FIR. The relevant sections of blasphemy laws have been invoked against the perpetrators of the crime, an official said. The action came two days after Islamabad High Court Judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui called for a ban on social media sites in Pakistan due to the spread of "blasphemous" images online. Justice Siddiqui on March 7 had ordered Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan to take immediate action to eliminate access to blasphemous content on social media. The court mentioned pages like Bhensa, Mochi and Roshni and ordered that action should be taken even if it means blocking all access to social media. Justice Siddiqui also ordered to put names of the people found to have posted blasphemous content online on the Exit Control List, thereby prohibiting them from leaving Pakistan. The controversial blasphemy laws were introduced in Pakistan by former military ruler Zia-ul Haq in the 80s and anyone charged under the laws become an easy target for extremists. The laws have been misused by miscreants and efforts to reform them have failed due to opposition by religious groups. PTI SH AMS AJR ZH AKJ ZH --- ENDS --- [March 09, 2017] Accelerance to Select and Certify the Best Software Outsourcing Providers in Puerto Rico, Brazil, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka REDWOOD CITY, Calif., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Accelerance, which connects companies that need software development services with the most qualified outsourcing firms around the globe, is about to embark on its 43rd international trip to meet with software development providers and to certify those that will become Accelerance Partners. Accelerance is first heading to San Juan, Puerto Rico, March 9 12, and then Curitiba and Florianopolis, Brazil, March 13 19. A second trip to Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka takes place March 14 April 7. During these trips, Accelerance will meet with local software development providers to review their processes, metrics and best practices, as well as their recruiting and training processes, to assess their capabilities as world-class software engineers. Once these trips are complete, only the top software service providers will become a part of the Accelerance network of qualified offshore and nearshore software development partners. Accelerance has already researched more than 6,000 software development firms to create the most curated network of thoroughly vetted software providers ever assembled. Accelerance is the only company to carefully select, visit and investigate partners from among thousands of software development firms, to ensure that client companies looking to outsource are matched with the best software engineering companies. "When considering the use of global software services, nothing is more important than the experience and qualifications of your outsourcing partner," said Accelerance Founder and CEO Steve Mezak, a software development expert, co-author of Outsource or Else! How a VP of Software Saved His Company and author of Software Without Borders. "Enterprises want confidence that the software outsourcing company they engage with is highly accomplished and brings deep experience to the table, so we take the time to find the best outsourcing providers with perfectly aligned technical expertise for your software. Puerto Rico, Brazil, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka all have some excellent software developers, and we're looking forward to meeting them and bringing new revenue to their businesses and local economies." According to Mezak, when an enterprise or CTO decides to outsource one or more software initiatives, the next step is to find a highly-qualified software development partner to deliver. "You're looking for technical capabilities, industry experience and a host of other criteria," said Mezak. "Due diligence in the partner selection process makes all the difference in the success of your outsourcing engagement and, ultimately, the quality of your software. However, most companies that need software don't have the time or resources to spend months on searching for the best partners. You don't want to cut corners when selecting a good outsourcing partner, as you'll likely pay for it via low quality work, missed deadlines, wasted time and resources, cost overruns, etc. That's where Accelerance steps in. We simplify the process of finding and working with offshore, nearshore and even onshore software development companies." During its upcoming trips, Accelerance will conduct technical evaluations of software development providers and review: innovations the companies have implemented; project management processes; operations; security protocols and the reliability of a potential partner's infrastructure; business culture; company history; staff recruiting, training and retention; and communication skills, among other key areas. Once vetted, a select few companies will become Accelerance-certified software providers, and they'll be connected to companies that are looking to outsource with world-class development teams. For enterprises and CTOs that are ready to outsource software development, Accelerance's new Software Outsourcing Due Diligence Guide presents key areas to consider, what to look for when vetting a potential partner, and questions a company should ask. The free guide can be downloaded at http://www.accelerance.com/how-to-evaluate-a-software-outsourcing-provider . About Accelerance Accelerance (@accelerance) connects companies that need software engineering services with the most qualified outsourcing firms around the globe. As the global outsourcing authority, Accelerance sets the standard for software outsourcing best practices and has developed a proven process for verifying the skills, references, business practices and trustworthiness of top software service providers in more than 60 countries. Accelerance's proprietary Rapid Referral System reduces the time it takes to identify and select a trusted outsourcing partner from five months to five days. To talk to an Accelerance Advisor about your software needs, visit http://www.accelerance.com. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/accelerance-to-select-and-certify-the-best-software-outsourcing-providers-in-puerto-rico-brazil-pakistan-india-and-sri-lanka-300421412.html SOURCE Accelerance [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 09, 2017] Robins Cloud Files Lawsuit for Second Child in "I.M. Healthy" Brand SoyNut Butter E. Coli Food Poisoning Outbreak On March 8, 2017, Robins Cloud's food safety lawyers filed the second lawsuit in the nation against The SoyNut Butter Company. The SoyNut Butter Company makes "I.M. Healthy" brand SoyNut Butter and granola coated with SoyNut Butter. The CDC, FDA, Illinois Department of Public Health, and state health agencies spanning the country have now linked both "I.M. Healthy" brand products to the current nationwide outbreak of E. coli cases. The CDC reports that there are currently 16 victims of E. coli food poisoning linked to this outbreak. The victims live in nine states: Arizona (four cases); California (four cases); Maryland (one case); Missouri (one case); New Jersey (one case); Oregon (two cases); Virginia (one case); Washington (one case); and Wisconsin (one case). This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170309006230/en/ Jory Lange Jr., Partner at Robins Cloud LLP (Photo: Business Wire) Robins Cloud filed the lawsuit on behalf of a 2-year-old victim of E. coli food poisoning. The 2-year-old child developed hemolytic uremic syndrom (HUS), a serious form of kidney failure, after eating "I.M. Healthy" brand SoyNut Butter that was contaminated with E. coli bacteria. This is the second E. coli lawsuit filed against The SoyNut Butter Company in the nation, and the first lawsuit filed against The SoyNut Butter Company in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois. E. coli contamination is completely undetectable to consumers. SoyNut Butter contaminated with E. coli bacteria looks, smells and tastes just the same as uncontaminated SoyNut Butter. "Nut butters contaminated with E. coli bacteria are especially dangerous to children. Children under the age of five are among the highest risk groups for developing serious E. coli complications, such as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious form of kidney failure. Because children's immune systems are still developing, children are less able than healthy adults to fight off E. coli infections. This is especially true of young children," says Jory D. Lange Jr., a partner at Robins Cloud LLP, a nationwide law firm representing victims of defective products and foodborne illnesses. The firm is providing free, no-obligation legal consultations to the sickened adults and families whose children may have been harmed. Lange added, "Like peanut butter, SoyNut Butter is not normally cooked before it is eaten. When an unsuspecting parent, teacher or caregiver spreads SoyNut Butter on a child's sandwich, cooking is not usually a part of making a sandwich. Without high temperature cooking, E. coli bacteria can survive and multiply within contaminated SoyNut Butter." The SoyNut Butter Company markets its "I.M. Healthy" brand products as "safe" alternatives to peanut butter for children with peanut allergies. The company's website states that its products are served to "over 2 million children a month [i]n everything from schools to daycare facilities, camps and Head Start programs[.]" The complaint filed by Jeffrey M. Goldberg Law Offices and Robins Cloud LLP can be read here. Robins Cloud LLP is currently investigating the details of the E. coli food poisoning outbreak linked to The SoyNut Butter Company's products. Those who suffered injury and complications allegedly related to foodborne illness from eating products from The SoyNut Butter Company may be entitled to compensation for injury-related damages. To learn more about making a claim, please visit Robins Cloud LLP's website, or call 855-969-5637. About Robins Cloud LLP Robins Cloud LLP is a national law firm dedicated to helping families who have been harmed by large corporations. We help families who have been harmed by defective products and foodborne illnesses. ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. 2017 Robins Cloud LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Robins Cloud LLP, 2000 West Loop South, Suite 2200, Houston, TX 77027, (866) 517-9520. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170309006230/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 09, 2017] Analysis Group Provides Support in Anthem and Cigna Merger Trial Analysis Group, one of the largest private economics consulting firms in North America, supported Academic Affiliate and key expert witness Dr. David Dranove, who testified on behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice, which sought to block the proposed merger of Anthem and Cigna. On February 8, Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the federal district court for the District of Columbia ruled that the proposed merger - the largest announced merger in the history of the health insurance industry - would violate federal antitrust laws, likely resulting in higher prices, decreased competition, diminished innovation, and fewer health insurance choices for consumers. Dr. Dranove, the Walter J. McNerney Distinguished Professor of Health Industry Management and Professor of Management and Strategy at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, was a primary expert witness for the DOJ on key economic issues, providing both affirmative and rebuttal testimony. In her opinion, Judge Jackson cited Dr. Dranove's testimony on many of the key issues, finding, for example, that "Dr. Dranove's methodology appropriately measured market concentrations" and concluding that "the Court finds that Dr. Dranove's analysis is more persuasive, and the merger will in fact result in the loss of head-to-head competition between Cigna and Anthem for national accounts in the fourteen Anthem states." A team of economists from Analysis Group worked closely with Dr. Dranove providing support, including CEO and Chairman Martha Samuelson, Managing Principal Jeff Cohen, Vice Presidents Samuel Weglein, Dov Rothman, Noam Kirson, Maria Lauve, and Brad Rice, and Manager Maria Garibotti. "It was very gratifying to be so involved in a landmark case such as this, as well as to work so closely with the excellent support team from Analysis Group," noted Dr. Dranove. "Together, I believe we made a significant impact for the DOJ and its legal team." "We are proud to have supported Dr. Dranove and the DOJ in this important case," said Ms. Samuelson. "As Dr. Dranove's analysis and testimony made clear, allowing this merger to proceed would have lessened competition in what is already a highly concentrated market among the few carriers with sufficient resources to serve national accounts." Anthem, which is contractually required to pay a "breakup fee" of $1.85 billion to Cigna if the deal is terminated, has appealed the decision. Cigna subsequently notified Anthem it had terminated the merger agreement and brought suit against Anthem, seeking to recoup the breakup fee as well as nearly $13 billion in damages as a result of the failed merger process. In response, Anthem filed for and received a temporary restraining order to prevent Cigna from ending the deal. About Analysis Group: Analysis Group is one of the largest private economics consulting firms in North America, with more than 700 professionals across 11 offices in the United States, Canada, and China. Since 1981, we have provided expertise in economics, finance, health care analytics, and strategy to top law firms, Fortune 500 companies, and government agencies. Our internal experts, together with our network of affiliated experts from academia, industry, and government, offer our clients exceptional depth of expertise. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170309006237/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 09, 2017] Greg Gamet, Co-Founder of Denver Consulting Group, Awarded Cannabis Industry's Compliance Executive of the Year DENVER, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Denver Consulting Group, the nation's leading cannabis industry consultants, announced that Greg Gamet, company Co-Founder, was awarded the Cannabis Industry Compliance Executive of the Year. The award, given by CannaNews.buzz, a leading industry trade publication, said, "No one has done more to help cannabis businesses stay compliant than Greg Gamet." The publication also stated, "Running a successful cannabis business requires many talents however, nothing will get you past the starting gate if your business isn't compliant with the myriad of state and local regulations. The award was given to Gamet after considering his experience in cannabis compliance, which includes running a grow operation and dispensary at Dank Colorado, which was just named a Cannabis Business Executive Top 200 Producer, Processor and Retailer; Co-Founding CannaScore, which develops software to simplify compliance checking; and working with hundreds of new and established cannabis companies as a Senior Consultant at Denver Consulting Group. "Nothing will shut down a company faster that a lack of compliance, but undertanding the plethora of rules is a very difficult challenge," according to CannaNews. "I am very humbled to have been acknowledged with this award, and I thank my wife for her support and understanding of my long hours at work," Gamet said. "As the caretakers of this new industry, we must all make certain that we are good corporate citizens and abide by the regulations, which not only protect the product and the public, but also safeguard the future of this industry for ourselves and for generations to come." For information on Denver Consulting Group, call: Colorado Office: 720-890-7344 Pacific Northwest Office: 503-862-3030 Or visit: www.denverconsultinggroup.com. To read about the award, visit: www.cannanews.buzz About DCG DCG is the nation's premier cannabis consulting company, and offers a range of services designed to help clients succeed in the legal marijuana industry, build powerful brands, optimize operations, improve profitability, and remain compliant to a myriad of regulations. Services include license application support, real estate acquisition, dispensary design, grow facility design and optimization, staff training, SOP Manuals, seed-to-sale system implementation, and regulatory audits. DCG helps cannabis businesses get established, stay compliant, and thrive. Connect: Facebook: Facebook.com/dankconsulting Twitter: @dankconsulting Blog: https://denverconsultinggroup.com/category/cannabis-consulting-blog-marijuana-industry/ Media Inquiries: The Innovation Agency 310-571-5592 www.inov8.us hello(@)inov8.us To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/greg-gamet-co-founder-of-denver-consulting-group-awarded-cannabis-industrys-compliance-executive-of-the-year-300421467.html SOURCE Denver Consulting Group [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 09, 2017] A.M. Best Affirms Credit Ratings of Life Insurance Company of Alabama A.M. Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B++ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) of "bbb" of the Life Insurance Company of Alabama (LICOA) (Gadsden, AL) [OTCBB: LINSA]. The outlook of these Credit Ratings (rating) is stable. The rating affirmations reflect LICOA's consistent capital growth and strong risk-adjusted capitalization measures supported by a trend of favorable net income. The company has a well-established brand and markets accident, health and life insurance products, primarily to rural areas in the Southeastern United States. Offsetting rating factors include a declining trend of net premium that continued in 2016 as the number of reinsured policies increases. LICOA has also reported underwriting losses in four of the past five years due in part to some large claims from its unlimited cancer business, as well as increased administrative expenses. The company also has some exposure to below investment grade bonds partially due to downgrades on existing holdings. A.M. Best also believes the company is exposed o geographic risk as over three-quarters of direct premium revenue is derived from four states. This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on A.M. Best's website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see A.M. Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Understanding Best's Credit Ratings. A.M. Best is the world's oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. For more information, visit www.ambest.com. Copyright 2017 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170309006319/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 09, 2017] Helping Innovators Improve Lives of People with Disabilities Applications Now Open for Accessibility Innovation Showcase and Tech Pitch Competition TORONTO, March 9, 2017 /CNW/ - Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) is thrilled to announce that applications for the third annual Accessibility Innovation Showcase (AIS) and the Accessibility Tech Pitch Competition are now open. In partnership with the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Science (MRIS) and the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario (ADO), the AIS has become a cornerstone of OCE's annual Discovery Conference, which runs May 15-16, 2017 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The AIS brings together industry and entrepreneurs, showcasing and promoting groundbreaking technologies that are changing the lives of people with disabilities. "The Accessibility Innovation Showcase has become one of the most popular features of the OCE Discovery Conference each year," says Dr. Tom Corr, OCE's President and CEO. "While improving the lives of people with disabilities, technologies that start as assistive devices can also find wider applications, such as speech-to-text, making Discovery an exciting space for the convergence of innovative technology and the broader demands of the marketplace." The Accessibility Innovation Showcase will feature 25 companies, providing them with an opportunity to present their accessibility-focused innovation and technology to the broader innovation ecosystem, build business network and preview products for potential investors. It is also a chance for the audience to experience and learn about accessibility technology first-hand. "The Accessibility Innovation Showcase and Tech Pitch Competition shine a brilliant spotlight on inspiring new advances in technology," says Tracy MacCharles, Ontario's Minister Responsible for Accessibility. "The innovations on display at the showcase and pitch competition have great potential to make a positive impact on the lives of people with disabilities not just across Ontario but around the world." Five companies from the AIS will be selected to compete in the Accessibility Tech Pitch Competition. During the competition, each company will have 10 minutes to pitch its innovative product or service to both the accessibility community and a panel of judges, with one winner being awarded $20,000 to further develop their assistive technology innovation. "Supporting innovators and entrepreneurs who are spearheading accessibility-focused technology will contribute to our government's ongoing effort to improve the lives of people with disabilities in Ontario," says Reza Moridi, Ontario's Minister of Research, Innovation and Science. "Our goal is to promote the advancement of accessibility technologies through the showcase and pitch competition, while also giving innovators access to resources that can take their innovation to the next level." The deadline for AIS applications is March 24, 2017 at 12 noon. For more information on the application process for the Accessibility Innovation Showcase (AIS) and the Accessibility Tech Pitch Competition, please visit the OCE Discovery Conference website at www.ocediscovery.com. About Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Inc. OCE drives the commercialization of cutting-edge research across key market sectors to build the economy of tomorrow and secure Ontario's global competitiveness. In doing this, OCE fosters the training and development of the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs and is a key partner with Ontario's industry, universities, colleges, research hospitals, investors and governments. A champion of leading-edge technologies, best practices and research, OCE invests in sectors such as advanced health, digital media and information communications, advanced manufacturing and materials, and cleantech including energy, environment and water. OCE is a key partner in delivering Ontario's Innovation Agenda as a member of the province's Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs (ONE). Funded by the Government of Ontario, the ONE is made up of regional and sector-focused organizations and helps Ontario-based entrepreneurs rapidly grow their company and create jobs. SOURCE Ontario Centres of Excellence Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 09, 2017] Flexiti Financial wins LendIt Award for "Emerging Consumer Lending Platform" NEW YORK, March 9, 2017 /CNW/ - LendIt, the world's largest conference in lending and fintech, announced that Flexiti Financial has been named the top "Emerging Consumer Lending Platform" during the first annual LendIt Awards held in New York City. Flexiti Financial's POS financing technology was recognized as having the greatest potential to impact the future of consumer lending by a panel of over 30 industry experts and influencers across North America. "Tonight, we couldn't be more thankful to the organizers and judges for recognizing Flexiti Financial with this award," said Peter Kalen, Founder and CEO, Flexiti Financial. "I speak for the entire Flexiti Financial team when I say that we're overwhelmed by the recognition and confident about our future as the leading POS lending platform for retailers." Selected amongst numerous applicant across North America, Flexiti Financial competed against five finalists within its category. Winners were announced on March 7 at The LendIt Awards Ceremony in New York City. "Having been on the front lines of emerging and later stage FinTech companies for the past five years, we wanted to unveil our own best of the best industry accolades," said Jason Jones, Co-Founder, LendIt. "We were positively overwhelmed with the high number and caliber of entrees. These finalists represent the most innovative companies that are radically improving financial services through technology." Awards winners can be seen here. About Flexiti Financial Flexiti Financial is a Canadian sales financing company founded in 2013. They help retail businesses increase sales by providing instant consumer financing at the (POS), with higher approval rates and superior customer service compared to other providers. Using Flexiti Financial's mobile application process, customers can apply for financing and receive approval within minutes no paperwork, scanning or mailing, plus retailers get paid within two business days. Today, over 5,000 customers use Flexiti financing in 1,000+ locations across Canada. Flexiti Financial is backed by some of Canada's leading investors including Globalive Capital Inc. Learn more at flexitifinancial.com. About LendIt LendIt is the world's largest event series connecting the fintech and lending community. Our conferences bring together the leading lending platforms, investors, and service providers for unparalleled educational, networking, and business opportunities. LendIt hosts three conferences annually: our flagship conference LendIt USA, LendIt Europe and LendIt China. LendIt USA 2017 was held in New York from March 6 - 7. Learn more at http://www.lendit.com/. SOURCE Flexiti Financial [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] By Press Trust of India: Itanagar, Mar 8 (PTI) Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu today said his government was committed to equal development of every constituency in the state and called upon the legislators to work in the spirit of ?Team Arunachal?. ?Team Arunachal? is the mantra for all-round development of the state with cooperation from all the members irrespective of party affiliations, he said at the discussion on motion of thanks on the governor?s address in the assembly. advertisement While assuring to look into the suggestions put forth by the house members, Khandu urged upon the MLAs to change their mindset for transparent and accountable governance and reiterated that the work of every minister would be reviewed. ?Rising number of educated unemployed youths calls for a pragmatic policy,? he said adding the feedback from the masses have been incorporated in the 2017-18 budget, which would be unique in nature with announcement of many policies. He described the governors address to the house as the guiding principles for his government. Khandu said government jobs should be given on merit instead of political recommendations, which would bring in a sea change in the mindset of the youth and check corruption. He informed that a CM dashboard project would be launched this year to ensure transparency in government functioning and added that the government would reward those who worked well. Participating in the discussion Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein said the state government was committed to ensure that the fruits of development percolate to every section of the society. This policy of the government would be reflected in the budget. ?No one will be alienated,? he said and clarified opposition charges of unequal distribution of developmental funds. State art and culture minister Mohesh Chai said a linguistic survey would be conducted in the state soon. Agriculture Minister Wangki Lowang informed the house that the state government was trying to fulfil the shortfall in agriculture production and contemplating organic production in the state. ?Through Agriculture Production Marketing Board we are trying to generate employment,? the minister added. Industries and Power (Electrical) Minister Tamiyo Taga said the completion of the proposed Frontier Highway and East-West Industrial Corridor would revolutionize the all-round development in the state. PTI UPL KK KK --- ENDS --- Council approves rules to limit self-storage growth Future self-storage facilities in the city of Thousand Oaks will be excluded from prime commercial areas, according to a new ordinance adopted by the City Council this month. In a... Dealership does Distinguished thing SPECIAL TRIPChildren from Boys & Girls clubs in Camarillo, Simi Valley and Moorpark, and Oxnard and Port Hueneme attended Misty Copelands Oct. 18 appearance in the Distinguished Speaker Series at... Stagecoach Inn honors veterans The Stagecoach Inn Museum is honoring those who served with a Veterans Day exhibit featuring museum volunteers who have served in the military as well as family members who have... Sepoy Deepak Jagannath Ghadge, aged 27 years, belongs to village Borgaon in Satara district of Maharashtra. By Manjeet Negi: An Army jawan, Sepoy Deepak Jagannath Ghadge, was martyred when Pakistani soldiers initiated indiscriminate and unprovoked firing at about 2pm on Army posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch sector today. Army responded appropriately and effectively. Sepoy Deepak Jagannath Ghadge, aged 27 years, belongs to village Borgaon in Satara district of Maharashtra. He is survived by wife, 2 year-old son and 1 year-old daughter. advertisement Earlier in the day, two terrorists were killed by security forces at Padgampora village near Awantipur town of South Kashmir. Also read: J-K: 2 Army jawans, 4 Hizbul militants killed in gunfight; encounter over, search ops on --- ENDS --- Gopal Baglay, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs said, "As far as it pertains to His Holiness Dalai Lama, let me say that government's position has been consistent. He is a revered religious figure, who is treated as such by the government and the people of India." By Smita Sharma: India on Thursday sought to downplay China's 'grave concerns' over the upcoming visit of the Dalai Lama to Arunachal Pradesh. Beijing had last week raised the issue cautioning it was 'strongly opposed' to the visit and it could lead to 'serious damage' to bilateral relations. New Delhi reiterated its earlier stance on Thursday. Gopal Baglay, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs in response to a question said, "As far as it pertains to His Holiness Dalai Lama, let me say that the government's position in this regard has been consistent. He is a revered religious figure, who is treated as such by the government and the people of India." advertisement Earlier on Friday, China's foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang addressing a media briefing said, "China's position on the eastern section of the China-India border dispute is consistent and clear. The Dalai clique has long been engaging in anti-China separatist activities and its record on the border question is not that good." "India is fully aware of the seriousness of Dalai Lama issue and the sensitivity of China-India border question. Under such a background if India invites the Dalai Lama to visit the mentioned territory, it will cause serious damage to peace and stability of the border region and China-India relations," Geng had added. The spiritual leader of the Tibetans will be hosted by the Tawang Buddhist Monastery along with the Arunachal Pradesh government from April 4-13. Beijing had earlier objected to His Holiness sharing the stage with Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi during an event at Rashtrapati Bhawan, Delhi. However, India has maintained the Dalai Lama is solely a religious figure. "Government has no say in his travels within India and no political meaning should be attached to it as such," Baglay responded. Also read: China grants preliminary approval to 38 new Trump trademarks Also read: Wanq Qi, Chinese soldier who spent 54 years in India, gets grand welcome in home village --- ENDS --- Great PC gaming deals are everywhere once you know where to look. Whether you're looking to pick up some of the best PC titles or a new gaming rig, we've taken the pain out of searching for you. We here at Tom's Guide know a great PC gaming deal when we see one, and we've been reviewing the best gaming PCs and best gaming laptops to help you find the products you want at the best prices. Good deals don't stick around for long especially when they're on big brands such as ASUS, Dell, Alienware, so make sure to act fast. PC gaming desktop deals (opens in new tab) Acer Nitro 50: $829 $783 @ Amazon (opens in new tab) This gaming desktop has and 11th-gen Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM, and 512GB storage. You'll also get NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics and a keyboard and mouse are included. (opens in new tab) Dell XPS Desktop (8940): $749 $649 @ Dell (opens in new tab) If you want the power and expandability of a desktop, this Dell sale is for you. Currently, this XPS Desktop is on sale for $685. It features a Core i5-11400 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. (opens in new tab) HP Envy Desktop: $599 $529 @ HP (opens in new tab) This gaming desktop gets you some decent specs without breaking the bank, especially now it's on sale for this price. It comes pre-installed with Windows 11, plus a Core i5 processor and 8GB RAM. (opens in new tab) MSI Gaming Desktop: $1,499 $1,249 @ Newegg (opens in new tab) MSI makes excellent gaming PCs at a variety of prices, and Newegg is currently selling a model with a Ryzen 5600X CPU, 16GB RAM, a 500GB SSD and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU. This should be suitable for full HD or QHD gaming, at a better price than usual. PC gaming laptop deals (opens in new tab) Lenovo Legion Slim 7: $1,499 $1,199 @ Best Buy (opens in new tab) This deal saves you $300 on this powerful gaming laptop. The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 packs a punch with its Ryzen 7 5800H CPU, Nvidia RTX 3060 6GB GPU, 15.6-inch 1080p 165Hz display, 512GB of SSD storage, and 16GB of RAM. (opens in new tab) Gigabyte Aero 15: $1,899 $1,449 @ Amazon (opens in new tab) Amazon is offering a big discount on a gaming laptop that packs in an awful lot. The Aero 15 includes a 15.6-inch UHD OLED display, a 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM, a GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, an Intel Core i7 processor, all packaged into a much thinner frame than you're probably used to. (opens in new tab) Dell XPS 15: $2,599 $1,830 @ Dell (opens in new tab) Dell is dropping the price of its XPS 15 during Black Friday. It comes with a 15.6-inch (1920 x 1080) touch LCD, Core i9-11900H CPU, 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD, and an RTX 3050 Ti 4GB GPU. It's the perfect laptop for just about any type of task. PC gaming monitor deals (opens in new tab) Razer Raptor 27" Gaming Monitor: $699 $579 @ Amazon (opens in new tab) The Razer Raptor is the best overall gaming monitor you can buy. The 27-inch monitor features a WQHD (2560 x 1440) resolution, 144Hz resfresh rate, 1ms response time, and Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync compatibility. In our Razer Raptor 27 review (opens in new tab), we called it a gorgeously designed monitor with a stellar screen. By comparison, Best Buy has it on sale for $652 (opens in new tab). (opens in new tab) Acer Predator XB271HU: $599 $289 @ Amazon (opens in new tab) This 27-inch Acer gaming monitor comes with a WQHD resolution and Nvidia G-Sync to help eliminate any frame tearing. It also comes with a fast 144Hz refresh rate and sports an IPS panel. (opens in new tab) Alienware AW3420DW: $799 $688 @ Amazon (opens in new tab) Want an expansive gaming monitor? Then this 34-inch Alienware curved monitor is the one for you. It sports a 1440p resolution and a fast 120Hz refresh rate and it's $100 off. PC gaming headset deals (opens in new tab) Razer Kraken Tournament Edition: $99 $64 @ Amazon (opens in new tab) Save big on this striking neon green gaming headset from Razer, one of the biggest names in gaming peripherals. It has THX 7.1 support and comes with a USB audio controller so you can switch your volume on the fly - ideal when you need to mute your team mates for that clutch 1 vs 5. (opens in new tab) Logitech G G432 Virtual 7.1-Channel Gaming Headset: $79 $46 @ B&H Photo (opens in new tab) If you're looking for immersive surround sound without burning a hole in your pocket, Logitech G's G432 is perfect for you. It comes with not just 7.1 virtual surround sound, but also support for DTS Headphone:X. And now that it's $30 off, this is the best price we've seen since the Black Friday sales. Other PC gaming deals (opens in new tab) Xbox Game Pass Ultimate: $15 $1 @ MS Store (opens in new tab) It might be an Xbox deal but Xbox Game Pass Ultimate gives you access to a whole load of PC games as well and cross-platform titles that'll sync across a Windows 10 machine and an Xbox One or Xbox Series X. For a limited time, you can get 3 months of Xbox Game Pass for $1, making it a huge bargain. (opens in new tab) PC games sales: 6,000+ games discounted at Fanatical (opens in new tab) At the time of writing, nearly 7,000 games are discounted in the Fanatical Red Hot Sales, which is available in the U.S. and the U.K. (opens in new tab) You can score discounts of up to 95% on some excellent games from a range of genres. (opens in new tab) Humble Bundle Summer Sale: up to 60% off @ Humble Bundle (opens in new tab) Humble Bundle's End of Summer Sale is here. Through September 6 you can save up to 60% off select titles including Doom Eternal, Cuphead, Dead Island Definitive Collection, and more. (opens in new tab) Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB SSD: $249 $99 @ Amazon (opens in new tab) While it's not as exciting as a whole new rig , an SSD upgrade can make a huge difference to how fast your PC can load games. And with a hefty $150 off the original price, this Samsung SSD is a bargain. By India Today Web Desk: Daniel Radcliffe and Erin Darke are apparently engaged, say reports. The Harry Potter star, who has cast his spell on womenfolk all over the world, might soon be off the market. The couple is said to be shopping for rings for each other. The 27-year-old Radcliffe, who has been in a relationship with actor Darke for five years now, has reportedly popped the question. While Daniel's representatives have denied all such rumours, sources told Star Magazine that a marriage is on the cards. advertisement "Daniel recently took Erin ring shopping and spared no expense. They've been talking about marriage for a while now and thought this was something worth splurging on," the source informed the magazine. Radcliffe, best known for his decade-long role as Harry Potter in the eight-film series, reportedly lives a 'very quiet, ordinary life together in Manhattan' with girlfriend Darke. ALSO READ: Daniel Radcliffe to Alia Bhatt, young actors who surprised us by breaking away from the norm WATCH: Daniel Radcliffe poses with girlfriend Erin Darke at Tony Awards --- ENDS --- It's been almost two years since Facebook brought 360-degree photo and video support to its social network. Now the company has released Facebook 360, a new app for the Samsung Gear VR on the Oculus Store, to help make all of that sweet content "even more immersive and easier to discover." Just don't expect to share your own 360-degree media via the app--Facebook 360 is currently limited to viewing photos and videos, sharing them to your own Timeline, and "reacting" to them with one of the network's six canned responses. (Those being Like, Love, Haha, Wow, Sad, and Angry.) Facebook said "more social features" will be added to the app "soon" but didn't offer any details about what that entails or when the update will arrive. The company said in a blog post that Facebook 360 breaks content up into four different feeds: Explore: Discover some of the most interesting and popular 360 content on Facebook from media companies, organizations and individual creators.Following: Experience 360 content that your friends have posted on Facebook as well as 360 content from Pages and people you follow.Saved: Find all the 360 content youve saved from News Feed ready for you to enjoy at a more convenient time.Timeline: Relive your memories in a new way through your own 360 photo and video uploads. One of the media organizations showed off in Facebook's promotional materials is CNNVR, the just-announced VR platform from CNN, which features work from many of the broadcaster's news teams from around the globe. CNN said when it announced CNNVR that its 360-degree videos have been watched more than 30 million times on Facebook alone, so chances are good that the company had Facebook 360 in mind when it created CNNVR. Not that CNN is the only one posting 360-degree content to Facebook. The company said in its announcement that more than 25 million and 1 million 360-degree photos and videos, respectively, have been published since it added support for the formats. That's a lot of content for people to sift through; no wonder Facebook is trying to make it easier for early VR adopters to find the signal in the noise with something like Facebook 360. The app is available now from the Oculus Store (opens in new tab). It's worth noting that it's not compatible with the Oculus Rift even though Facebook owns Oculus. If you have a Gear VR, though, you can download the app today and start looking for all the 360-degree content you missed in all of Facebook's clutter. Or, if Facebook isn't really your thing, you can also check out some of the 360-degree videos published to the also-just-announced Vimeo 360 service. A 42-year-old man has been charged with 931 child sex offences after pretending to be Justin Bieber on various online platforms in order to lure underage victims. The man has been charged with rape, indecent treatment of children, and making child exploitation material among numerous other charges. He was taken down by Queensland Polices Task Force Argos who had been monitoring the man. A large amount of child exploitation material was found on the mans computer, dating back a decade. Queensland Police allege he used a variety of social network platforms, such as Facebook and Skype in order to solicit exhibit material. Central Australias biggest live and electronic music festival Wide Open Space has just added a bunch of great names to an already-overflowing lineup, lead by the really exciting addition of one of our favourite bands in the country, Melbournes future-soul legends Hiatus Kaiyote. Theyll be heading into the wilderness of Central Australia for a weekend festival getaway, joined by some other big names in New Zealand loop genius Reuben Stone, Monkey Marc with Vida Sunshyne, and Melbourne electronic icon JPS (The Operatives). They join the likes of already-announced acts including J:Kenzo, Plutonic Lab, Mojo Juju, Average Rap Band, and This Way at the festival, which will all go down near the Northern Territory hub of Alice Springs from April 28th to the 30th. A bit strapped for cash? Well, theres good news, as the festival is running a competition that lets you win a festival pass, transport and a return ticket to Alice Springs, as well as a merch pack and the role of official festival photo blogger for the duration. You can find out more about how to enter here, and check out the full lineup below. If you could use a remote getaway and wild festival in the one weekend, tickets are on sale now. WIDE OPEN FESTIVAL LINEUP Second Announcement Hiatus Kaiyote (VIC) Grim Tilla & the Dead Heart (NT) Reuben Stone (NZ) Bass Bug presents: Roll Deep (NT) Monkey Marc with Vida Sunshyne (VIC) Edward Francis (NT) Sietta Soundsystem (NT) Skank & Shake (NT) JPS (The Operatives) (VIC) Common UnderGround (VIC) Beatrice (VIC) Stellar Sea (NT) Altruism/Auramechanic (VIC) Daddy LongLegs (QLD) Drazics Girlfriend (VIC) Take My Song & Run With It (NT) First Announcement Chimpo (UK) Resin Moon (NT) Mojo Juju (VIC) Kodiak Kid (VIC) J:Kenzo (UK) Kardajala Kirri-Darra (NT) Plutonic Lab (VIC) Cuterly (NT) Average Rap Band (VIC) King Marong & The Tamala Express (NT) Wonqi Rose (VIC) Dinobitch (VIC) This Way North (VIC) Edi Donald & The Transients (NT) Griff (VIC) Bumble (NSW) Red Dirt Crew (NT) Miss Moneytoast (VIC) Knobs (ITL) Cooperblack (NT) The folks behind Sydneys Party In The Park sure do know how to draw the names, hey? The 2017 iteration of the event is set to feature the likes of Dope Lemon, Boy & Bear and The Delta Riggs, amongst many, many others, with each band included ready to wow audiences. Better still, the Party doesnt just boast music your ticket will also guarantee you access to a beer barn, a food farm and live art. Hows that for a day out? The full 2017 Party in the Park lineup is: Boy & Bear Dope Lemon (Angus Stones juicy new musical project) Nicole Millar The Delta Riggs Paces Bleeding Knees Club Indian Summer Lime Cordiale Sons of the East Winston Surfshirt The Ruminaters Tasty China is opening a second Smyrna area location. The popular Szechuan eatery started by respected chef Peter Chang will open a new location in Taylor Square in the 1800 block of Atlanta Road in "about a month." The existing Tasty China is on Franklin Road in Marietta. Tasty China closed its Sandy Springs location on Powers Ferry Road in 2014. (It later became Ray's Rio Bravo , a reboot of the popular 90s Tex-Mex chain, but it, too, closed last month .) Zoes Kitchen plans to open its newest Atlanta area location Thursday March 16th at Peachtree Station in Chamblee . The restaurant chain is promoting the location as being in Brookhaven but it's truly in the city of Chamblee. (Some people refer to the area as ChamHaven.) Chipotle Mexican Grill plans to open its location in the center on Thursday March 30th. Peachtree Station will also welcome a host of new restaurants and retailers, including a new Whole Foods Market which is expected to open "in 2017." Sephora The new at Buckhead Exchange is expcted to open April 16th. The new store follows the chain's November 2016 opening at the Avenue East Cobb. Both stores are meant to test the popularity and traffic of non-mall based stores. The Lovesac store at Lenox Square is closing this Sunday March 12th and is currently offering 60% off all in-stock merchandise. Lovesac Lenox is located at the front of the mall, on the upper level, near Anthropologie. The furniture retailer which specializes in "sactionals" operates a second Atlanta area store at Mall of Georgia in Buford which is expected to remain open. Goodwill in Roswell is expected to open Thursday, April 13th at Alpharetta Highway and Mansell Road. The new Goodwill will occupy a former Office Depot space and will be The newin Roswell is expected to open Thursday, April 13th at Alpharetta Highway and Mansell Road. The new Goodwill will occupy a former Office Depot space and will be relocating from its current store nearby. Popular e-tailer ThinkGeek is coming to Kennesaw with a location at Town Center at Cobb. Slated to open in early April, the shop will be located on the malls upper level Sears Wing, next to Bath & Body Works. ThinkGeek will offer customers a wide selection of pop culture and collectible items including movies, games, books, toys, trading cards, music and more. At Town Center, ThinkGeek joins Box Lunch, a similar retail store, basically directly below its new store. ThinkGeek has existing Georgia locations in Mall of Georgia in Buford and Oglethorpe Mall in Savannah A new Planet Smoothie/Auntie Anne's/Cinnabon tri-brand location is planned for Augusta Mall in Augusta. The three concepts will share a single nearly 1,400 square foot space near Sears and Dillard's in the General Growth Properties owned mall. QuikTrip is finally making progress on Howell Mill Road. Existing structures are being demolished this week with plans to start construction soon. The long awaited and controversial is finally making progress on Howell Mill Road. Existing structures are being demolished this week with plans to start construction soon. H&M will celebrate the Grand Opening of its new store at The Mall at Stonecrest Thursday, March 16th. The new store is the Swedish chain's 15th in Georgia and will be followed by a 16th later this summer at The Shoppes Webb Gin in Snellville. A new restaurant called Parkside District A Meat & Seafood Co. expects to open in "late May" in Duluth. The new full service restaurant is located just off Duluth Highway in Lawrenceville and will occupy the former American Classic Tavern. Stein Mar t plans to open its newest Atlanta area location tomorrow March 9th, at Park side West Cobb. The new shopping center on Dallas Highway recently welcomed a new Sprouts Farmers Mark et and a relocated Marshalls. A number of other new restaurants and retailers are expected to open soon including Mellow Mushroom and Zoes Kitchen. Cracke r Barrel plans to open Monday March 13th at Park Place in Snellville. The new restaurant joins Zaxby's and Freddy's in the newly developed center on Scenic Highway in Snellville. U.K. based Agent Provacateur reportedly plans to close the "entire international side of the business" after being aquired by a consortium of investors. The super sexy lingerie company operates one store in Georgia at Phipps Plaza in Buckhead. Well informed restaurant sources indicate that the planned Sage Social Kitchen & Bar Kitchen in Buckhead may be stalled. Sources tell ToNeTo Atlanta that restaurant ownership is having financing issues that may cause the restaurant to be delayed or abandoned. Sage Buckhead was announced last fall to be replacing the long vacant Morton's Steakhouse, but the last permit that was filed with the city of Atlanta was in December, with no permits and limited work since. Nancy's Chicago Pizza planned for Buckhead I In addition to the , another location is planned for Johns Creek. Nancy's Johns Creek will be located near the intersection of State Bridge and Medlock Bridge Roads in the Medlock Corners shopping center. Nancy's will occupy a 4,400 square foot space previously home to Stevi B's Pizza Buffet, which closed in late 2014. Michael Glover, a multi-year veteran of McDonald's, is spearheading the Atlanta expansion where his franchise group signed a " Multi unit master franchise agreement" to further develop the chain in the southeast. announced previously Glover, whose group owns and recently expanded the Nancy's on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Midtown, does not own the Camp Creek location. Glover hopes to have both the Buckhead and Johns Creek locations open later this spring and plans to open as many as 20 locations over the next 10 years. Cost Plus World Market at Piedmont Peachtree Crossing has started its moving sale. Now through April 22nd, the store is clearing out in-stock merchandise ahead of Theat Piedmont Peachtree Crossing has started its moving sale. Now through April 22nd, the store is clearing out in-stock merchandise ahead of its move to nearby Buckhead Station where they will occupy the remaining space left from the Toys r Us closure . ( Saks OFF 5TH occupies the other portion.) A store representative indicated that all merchandise is up to 30% off and that the new store will open April 23rd. Both Piedmont Peachtree Crossing and Buckhead Station were previously Equity One properties but have been absorbed into the Regency Centers portfolio following Regency's acquision of Equity One which was announced last fall and completed earlier this month. The Fellini's Pizza on Howell Mill Road is closed to complete some minor renovations including a new floor and new paint. A Fellini's representative indicated plans call for the restaurant to reopen for normal business on Monday March 20th. Nate & Stephanie Smith of Smith Auto Spa dba Cactus Car Wash plan to open a number of new businesses in East Point. The Smiths operate an existing Cactus Carwash in Douglasville and plan to open another Cactus in East Point along with two restaurants. The nearly four acre property is located just off Camp Creek Parkway, along I-285, on North Desert Drive. Plans call for the constuction of the Cactus Car Wash along with a new Mexican restaurant called Sabroso Bar & Grill. The restaurant, previously known as El Bandido Cantina, will reportedly be about 7,500 square feet and is being designed by Sandy Springs based Restaurants Consulting Group. Plans indicate that Sabroso will have two levels with an outdoor patio and terrace. A site plan indicates the second restaurant could be as large as 6,500 square feet. Metro Atlanta's first location of Sage Dental is expected to open March 20th in East Cobb. The dental office occupies the remaining portion of the former Blockbuster Video at the corner of Lower Roswell and Johnson Ferry Roads. A Baskin-Robbins recently opened in another portion of the former video rental store, joining a Papa John's franchise. Boca Raton based Sage Dental is appearing on a lot of property site plans these days as they work to penetrate the Atlanta market and compete not only with traditional private practice dental offices but also Irvine, CA based Pacific Dental Services, which is already rapidly expanding its Atlanta presence. Other Sage Dental offices are planned for Johns Creek, Marietta, Midtown and Decatur, among others. Waffle House c0-founder Joe Rogers Sr. died this past Friday, March 3rd, at the age of 97. Rogers and Tom Forkner opened the first Waffle House in Avondale Estates in 1955. Today, Waffle House has over 2,000 location and covers half of the United States. Forkner is 99 years old. The late great S. Truett Cathy who founded in Chick-fil-A in 1946, died in late 2014 at the age of 93. So there you have it: the secret to living a long, prosperous life is plenty of Waffle House and Chick-fil-A. "After a report of a shooting officers were called to the crime scene at an apartment complex located in the 9300 block of Bales at about 1:20 p.m. where the victim was found dead. Police havent released further details about the victim past his gender" AS WE MOVE CLOSE THE FIRST QUARTER OF THIS YEAR . . . KANSAS CITY CONFRONTS A 33% INCREASE IN HOMICIDES OVER LAST YEAR ALREADY!!! A spate of gunfire this afternoon contributes to the rising local murder count . . .Police ask anyone with information about this deadly shooting to call the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-TIPS.Links:Again, this is the 24th murder so far this year compared to 18 at this date last year as the KCPD homicides cleared/solved rate stands at 30%.Developing . . . KANSAS CITY STRIPPERS AND SEX WORKERS CONFRONT FEAR OF A 'JACK THE RIPPER' KILLER ON THE LOOSE!!! THE ALL NIGHT KANSAS CITY STRIP CLUB SEX WORKER LIFESTYLE OF TONI ANDERSON DIRECTLY CONTRIBUTED TO HER DISAPPEARANCE!!! It's not a pleasant assertion to uphold but it's a fact of life that gallivanting across town in the early morning hours from one strip club to the next while meeting with sex workers and online strangers is a hazardous endeavor. The strange politics of Kansas City media conspire to silence a clear and present danger to some of the most vulnerable women working in the metropolitan area.To wit . . .The digital era hasn't changed the fundamental nature of the world's oldest profession and sex workers still occupy a perilous and potentially deadly profession. Trading affections for money, fame and favors has facilitated the tragic demise of so many courtesans over the course of human history.Currently, this crisis in Kansas City is worsened by equivocating language and misleading narratives that confuse the very real threat to women working within the sex trade.As the search for Toni Anderson continues, irresponsible advocates and crusaders have brought forth fantastical theories about a random human trafficking abduction or even more dangerous notions which place blame upon police or merchants in an attempt to link a murky chain of evidence.Sadly, all of these unproven theories overlook a simple fact that is proven even while documenting the dalliances of this tragically missing young woman.Moreover,associated with the modern strip club and sex worker culture.Finally, Kansas City must come to terms with the reality of the sex trade and the threat of a JACK THE RIPPER killer lurking within this underworld.The wages of anand all of those who support this profession are earned by capitalizing on the illusion of affection from an adoring clientele. Sex workers trade favors of all sort and manner with so many random men they encounter An exchange that is the most ancient form of commerce. While these women of the night exercise a certain skill whilst bilking their customers,is also an expert in his craft.is kind, handsome and worst of all, he his generous. Once again, the lure of exorbitant remuneration in exchange for the briefest sexual encounter has led many a trollop to an unfortunate conclusion since time immemorial.Nevertheless, our community of readers, savants, pundits and keyboard philosophers do no wish to cast aspersions on the memory or reputation of Toni Anderson. Instead, we strive for realism and a forthright consideration of her fate. Her whereabouts remain a mystery. So many of her sex worker acquaintances have been irresponsibly dishonest and now silent regarding the circumstances of her disappearance. Local media has long since stopped calling her a "student" and now moved on to the next sensational topic of conversation.Sadly, the search for Toni Anderson offers an important lesson for all of Kansas City. Despite an adherence to politically correct language, the impulses of pathologically polite residents who don't want to offend and the bevy of so many other murders in an increasingly violent municipality: The vanishing of Toni Anderson elucidates the tragic consequences that can so often befall a beautiful, young woman caught in the grips of a dangerous career. And while some of these details and assertions might seem callous or horrific, the reality of Toni Anderson's disappearance should serve as a remonstrance for other young women selling their pulchritude to random and potentially deadly strangers. KCPD Chief: "But I would be remiss not to thank the people of Kansas City, as well. Thank you for your civility. Thank you for letting your thoughts beknown in a peaceful manner. One of my main goals as chief of police is to improve relationships between KCPD and other segments of the community. We are working toward that every day. I look forward to continuing to build upon the relationships we have made thus far and enhancing the trust between police and our community." A recent message of thanks and appreciation from Kansas City's top cop reads more like a farewell note . . .Money line . . .To be fair,. . . However, over the past few months he has scaled back his social media presence and curtailed his interviewsYou decide . . . Teams from the European Commission, the European Central Bank (ECB) and the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) held policy discussions with the Greek authorities for the second program review Teams from the European Commission, the European Central Bank (ECB) and the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) held policy discussions with the Greek authorities for the second program review, the institutions said in a joint statement on Thursday. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) was part of the discussion in the context of the negotiations of its own program. "Important progress has been made on a balanced fiscal package for the post-program period and a number of key reforms, notably in the financial sector. Follow up meetings have been scheduled for the next week in advance of the Eurogroup on March 20. The aim is to rapidly conclude a staff-level agreement," the institutions 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 The parliament plenum voted by majority on Wednesday an amendment which specifies the conditions for the return by the State of the money paid by media owners The Greek parliament plenum voted by majority on Wednesday an amendment which specifies the conditions for the return by the State of the money paid by media owners after the botched TV licensing tender. The amendment, submitted by State Minister Nikos Pappas, states that claimants do not have to provide a tax clearance to collect the amount paid but that may be withheld or offset automatically with overdue debts to the taxman of social security funds. Amounts already withheld for overdue debts to the State will not be returned, the amendment says. The tender was annulled by the Supreme Court in October 2016, which ruled that the law on which the auctioning of broadcasting licenses was based on violated an article of the constitution which stated that any licensing must be done by the countrys independent regulator. Opposition parties approved the amendment with the exception of Golden Dawn, with New Democracy describing it as the last act of Pappas personal Waterloo and the Democratic Coalition saying the government is exposed. 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 Autonomous status would allow colleges to frame syllabuses, conduct exams, declare results, decide their own recruitment rules, teacher salaries and student fees. By Arpan Rai: With the management at one of the country's top colleges, St Stephen's, battling an "autonomy backlash" from faculty and students, six other institutions in the city that were toying with the idea of cutting their umbilical cord from Delhi University are now trying to thrash out the issue. Autonomous status would allow the colleges to frame syllabuses, conduct examinations, declare results, and decide their own recruitment rules, teacher salaries and student fees. The institutes will have a deemed university status. advertisement The six colleges are Sri Venkateswara, Lady Shri Ram, Hindu, Shri Ram College of Commerce, PGDAV and Hansraj, which were offered the autonomy option for "better academic standings and independent administrative control". WHY ARE THE COLLEGES OFFERED AUTONOMY? Delhi University's dean of colleges Prof Devesh Sinha told Mail Today, "Autonomy has been offered to these colleges for enhancing academic and administrative freedom." DU last month formed a committee for its colleges that are seeking autonomy or university status after the central government announced such provisions for educational institutions across the country in the annual budget. "Grants to these colleges will be increased if they are declared independent," said Sinha. However, many students and teachers fear autonomy would prompt the institutions to hike fees and it would lead to commercialisation of the public education system.' Faculty members and students have sent pictures of meetings and open houses in one of these colleges to Mail Today. But already facing campus unrest following clashes between ideologically divergent student groups last month, the management and principals are taking the autonomy debate slow for now. NO CONCLUSION DESPITE LONG DISCUSSIONS St Stephen's College principal John Varghese agreed this month to students' and teachers' demand to hold consultations on the issue while promising to write to the governing body to rescind a decision on applying for autonomy following days of protests. At Venkateswara College, where an open house of students and teachers discussed the matter at length last Friday and criticised the move by the college governing body and top leadership, principal Prof Hema Reddy put up a notice "appealing for calm and denying any move from their side." In fact, a meeting between the dean of colleges and the Sri Venkateswara governing body was arranged, but it remained inconclusive. No stranger to the autonomy debate and speaking on it since 2012, Lady Shri Ram College has witnessed clear resentment among professors, who have vehemently opposed the step. "The faculty and staff at LSR has conveyed to the principal our staunch opposition to the decision and we have been assured by the principal that no such move is being planned," LSR's assistant professor V Ravi told Mail Today. advertisement WHAT UGC GUIDELINES SUGGEST Guidelines set by India's higher education regulator, the University Grants Commission, provide for consultations with staff before a college applies for autonomy. "We have been offered the proposal to go autonomous but we have no such plans in the near future as well," SRCC principal RP Rastogi said. "In fact, SRCC had rejected the autonomy offer straight away with both faculty and principal on the same page." DU sources say principals and managements of these colleges selected for autonomy have had meetings in this regard. They are rejecting the offer, though, at present. "The exclusion of academic standards from the discourse and agenda of privatisation of education is worrying. The manner in which the proposal has been pushed makes these colleges look like they are already autonomous," said SRCC professor Sanjay Bohidar. Even at Hansraj, the debate bubbled up and apprehensions were raised about its fallout and the college's standing in DU. "The college's principal has assured the staff council that a meeting with the staff will be held if the proposal to go autonomous reaches her table," said associate professor Sanjay Kumar. "Though we have not been approached officially, the staff has clearly rejected the need to go autonomous - irrespective of whether it's financial or academic in nature. advertisement ALSO READ | Anti-national JNU virus should not creep into DU's campus: ABVP Delhi University professor GN Saibaba sentenced to life for Maoist links --- ENDS --- As Greece emerged from the economic crisis the priority going forward was the creation of new jobs, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said As Greece emerged from the economic crisis the priority going forward was the creation of new jobs, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said in a meeting with regional bodies in Thessaloniki on Wednesday, announcing plans to set up a Western Macedonia Development Fund. The goal was jobs and for this it was necessary to take measures favouring investments, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises, he said. "In some cases we must invent the way. We must think up the tools and means and I think this initiative has this attribute. I should point out that, along with the Western Macedonia Fund, there is the creation of various financing structures - for example guarantee funds, subsidy funds, micro-loan funds and letters of guarantee. Structures that will be focused on the problems and needs of the region's businesses," he said. The prime minister made the statements in a meeting with Western Macedonia Regional governor Theodoros Karypidis, representatives of local chambers and local administration in the presence of Alternate Economy and Development Minister Alexis Charitsis and Deputy Interior Minister (Macedonia-Thrace) Maria Kollia-Tsaroucha. He noted that the Western Macedonia Fund was an "experiment" that would be implemented in other regions if it was successful. Starting capital of 10 million euros The prime minister said the Fund would be set up with a starting capital of 10 million euros, half of which would be contributed by the state via the economy ministry, and the other half by the Western Macedonia Region, and the Kozani and Florina chambers of commerce. The management of the fund will be handled by the Hellenic Fund for Entrepreneurship and Development, he said. Its aim, according to the prime minister, will be to facilitate access to financing for Greek businesses, especially those that don't meet the criteria for funding via the usual financing instruments, such as EU funds, the developmental law and others, as well as to encourage investments in the area. Tsipras also remarked on the economy ministry's success in the absorption of National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) funds, saying that this was partly responsible for the "lower-than-expected" growth figures in the last quarter of 2016 that were a surprise to some. According to Tsipras, these funds were pumped into the real economy all together in the last quarter of 2015, at the end of the year, whereas absorption of NSRF funds in 2016 was more uniformly spread out. "This picture is not as worrying as some would like to present it, at least for those that know the reason that caused it," Tsipras added. The prime minister also referred to the dialogue that the government intends to launch on the strategic plan for Greece's growth model, which it will present to local government and business associations over the coming period. "This time we want to try the opposite tack. Instead of starting from the top down, from the tip of the pyramid, to start from the base. We want the national strategic plan to be put together for each region and the total to make up national strategic planning. It is a challenge and a wager. To give local government and local associations a say over the next period, in order to plan the next day for the national economy," Tsipras 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 Turkey will be launching seismological research and drilling activities in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea this year Turkey will be launching seismological research and drilling activities in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea this year, Energy Minister Berat Albayrak told Anadolu news agency on Thursday. Albayrak announced that Ankaras ship Barbaros and another research vessel would be conducting two-dimensional and three-dimensional research in both the Mediterranean and Black Sea. We are aiming to diversify our natural gas portfolio in the following years, Albayrak said. The Barbaros vessels activities have been the cause for Cyprus talks to freeze in the past, after it was sent to conducted research in the islands EEZ. In 2014, Turkey sent the vessel to Cyprus waters to conduct research, inciting President Nicos Anastasiades to not attend meetings with then Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, due the infringement on the Republic of Cyprus sovereignty. Talks on the Cyprus issue did not restart until 2015, when Mustafa Akinci was selected to be the Turkish Cypriot leader. 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 European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker has characterised Turkeys demand to gain access to the four basic EU freedoms as unacceptable European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker has characterised Turkeys demand to gain access to the four basic EU freedoms as unacceptable after meeting with President Nicos Anastasiades on Thursday. He said: The four freedoms are not a bilateral issue, they are an issue that involves the whole European UnionThe demand is unacceptable. The Juncker-Anastasiades meeting lasted for 45 minutes and both exchanged their positions on the future of Europe, ahead of a European Council meeting to discuss Junckers white paper on the unions future. President Anastasiades also informed the EU Commission head on the latest developments in the Cyprus problem talks, including the Turkish Cypriot sides abandonment of the negotiations. He also expressed to Juncker he is ready to restart the negotiations. Hand in hand with the negotiations Juncker and Anastasiades also discussed Nicosias position that the Turkish Cypriot community needs to be harmonised with the Europe and that it is a process that should be carried out hand in hand with the negotiations, CNA learnt. On Wednesday, President Anastasiades met with European Parliament President Antonio Tajani. After the meeting, government spokesman Nikos Christodoulides expressed the Presidents complete satisfaction for the meeting with Antonio Tajani, with whom President Anastasiades is connected with from the European Peoples Party. CNA learnt that the President and Tajani discussed the agenda of the European Council meeting and especially the launch of a dialogue on the future of Europe, from which the union aims to emerge stronger. The two men had a detailed discussion about migration mostly affecting Europes southern countries. According to CNAs information, President Anastasiades informed Tajani in detail on the Cyprus issue, with particular emphasis on the question of the viability of a settlement, the chapter of security and guarantees, as well as the role of the EU in solving these issues. CNA also learnt that Tajani believes that the EU itself could act as a safeguard for both the solutions viability and the security of Cypriot people in their entirety. 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 Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yilidirim will be in the occupied areas of Cyprus on Thursday, to drum up support for an upcoming referendum in Turkey on April 16 Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yilidirim will be in the occupied areas of Cyprus on Thursday, to drum up support for an upcoming referendum in Turkey on April 16. The referendum seeks to expand the powers of the presidency in Turkey, through a number of constitutional reforms, and approximately 100,000 Turkish voters in the occupied areas are eligible to take part. Yildirim will also meet with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci at 2pm on Thursday. On Monday another event in support of a yes vote in the referendum was held, when Deputy Prime Minister Tugrul Turkes visited the occupied areas. 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 In a long article titled Where did the money go? How Greece fumbled the refugee crisis, British news-site theguardian.com raises examines the issue of large sums of cash directed to Greece to alleviate the plight of the refugees entering the country was squandered. According to the piece, nearly $70 out of $100 disbursed to the Greek authorities to look after refugees were lost along the way. From theguardian.com: Authors: Daniel Howden and Apostolis Fotiadis Widad Madrati remembers the first snowfall at Oreokastro in the way most children would, as a thing of wonder. It threw a brilliant white cover over the squalor of a refugee camp pitched in the grounds of a disused warehouse in the hills above Greeces second city, Thessaloniki. The 17-year-old Syrian did not mind that the water pipe to the outdoor sinks had frozen. She took photographs of the icicles. The pictures on her phone show nothing of the broken chemical toilets or the discarded, inedible food; nor of the flimsy tents pitched on freezing ground by refugees, such as her family, who arrived too late to find a spot inside the concrete shell of the old warehouse. Instead, the images show children playing in the snow. Stranded outside the Oreokastro buildings, in a tent dusted with white flakes, the other members of the Madrati family were more realistic about survival and begged the authorities and volunteers for a way out of the camp. A family of four when they left Aleppo, they became five along the way Widads sister Maria was born in Turkey and had endured worse indignities in Greece than pleading. The family was among the last to leave their previous temporary home at Idomeni, close to the border with Macedonia, on the overland western Balkan route to northern Europe. They held on in the chaotic encampment for 10 weeks after Greeces northern border closed in March 2016, in the hope that it would reopen. It did not. The settlement was evacuated and its residents moved to former industrial sites such as Oreokastro and disused army barracks. I was crying when we left Idomeni, says Widad. I felt I was losing hope after so many people had crossed the border and we could not. She tells her story in the English she learned from volunteers at Idomeni and then taught to other refugee children at Oreokastro. Her family, who qualify by almost any criteria as refugees, have witnessed much of what has gone wrong in Greece since the country became the gateway to Europe for record numbers of refugees and migrants. Exactly how much money has been spent in Greece by the European Union is much reported but little understood. The online media project Refugees Deeply has calculated that $803m has come into Greece since 2015, which includes all the funds actually allocated or spent, all significant bilateral funding and major private donations. The biggest pots of money are controlled by the European Commission (EC), the EUs executive body, which oversees the Asylum Migration Integration Fund (AMIF) and the Internal Security Fund (ISF) which collectively dedicated $541m to fund Greeces costs related to border control, asylum and refugee protection. However, since it did not complete the extensive strategic planning required, the Greek government did not receive significant amounts of these funds, necessitating emergency assistance from the commission, channelled through other means. Confusion over the true extent of European spending has been exacerbated by inflated statements from the European commissioner for migration, home affairs and citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos, who has regularly cited figures in excess of 1bn, although this amount apparently refers to all available and theoretical funds, not what has actually been allocated or spent. Officials from the EUs humanitarian operations directorate, Echo, believe the payout per beneficiary was higher than any of their previous operations. One senior aid official estimated that as much as $70 out of every $100 spent had been wasted. Source: theguardian.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 Greece has good prospects in wine tourism, wine producer Iliana Stegou said in an interview with the Athens Macedonian News Agency. Greece is one of the most important tourist destinations in the world because of its geomorphology, climate and tourist infrastructure, she underlined and cited the rare biodiversity of local varieties and many microclimates. She also noted that Greece has been the forerunner of wine in the modern western world. According to Stegou, the tourism sector has changed over the last years and the demands of tourists have increased. People are now looking for new experiences in their travels. They want to come closer to the nature, the locals, the civilisation, the tradition and the cuisine of the place they are visiting, she explained. Modern tourism is gradually turning from all inclusive to a more personal experience (customised travel packages). Read more here. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report The President of Thessaloniki Port (OLTH) said he believes all four investors who have expressed an interest in the acquisition of a 67 percent stake in OLTH will submit binding bids The President of Thessaloniki Port (OLTH) said he believes all four investors who have expressed an interest in the acquisition of a 67 percent stake in OLTH will submit binding bids on March 24, the deadline set by the countrys privatization agency. Speaking to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA), Konstantinos Mellios said he believed this could be the first international tender of the last five years in which more than one investor participates and expressed hope the interested consortia will make offers worthy of the real value of the port. Mellios said he believed a positive outcome in the tender will bolster Greeces international image as a reliable partner. Asked about the decision not to extend again the deadline for the submission of the binding bids requested by three out of the four consortia, he said it was decided that the time they had available was enough. Potential investors include Philippines-based International Container Terminal Services ICTS, Dubai-based P&O Steam Navigation Company (DP World), Japan's Mitsui & Co and, as of recently, Frances CMA CGM, which has agreed to take part through its Terminal Link subsidiary, joining forces with Deutsche Invest Equity Partners and Russian-Greek investor Ivan Savvidis group. Read more here. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development approved up to 300 million euros of funds to finance renewable energy projects in Greece The board of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) approved on Thursday up to 300 million euros of funds to finance renewable energy projects in Greece. The amount will finance investments in electricity generation from renewable sources and in electricity distribution and transmission capacity to improve efficiency, reduce losses and enable the integration of renewables into the grid. The framework is expected to result in annual emissions savings of 500,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, while it will lessen Greeces dependence on fossil fuels and imports. One of the first renewable energy projects that EBRD is considering financing under the new framework subject to Board approval, is a 43 MW wind farm project developed by Volterra S.A., a Greek renewable energy developer and electricity operator fully owned by the Greek construction company J&P Avax. New renewables scheme This framework marks a milestone in our engagement in Greece. It provides us with the opportunity to play an important role in ensuring that the countrys new renewables scheme is successful and thus supporting Greeces energy security and carbon-reduction goals, said Harry Boyd-Carpenter, the EBRDs new Director for Power and Energy. The EBRD renewable energy framework will make the Greek economy greener, more resilient and more competitive. Sub-projects under the framework will have to be 100 percent compliant with the EBRD Green Economy Transition approach. The decision follows the establishment by Greece in 2016 of a new, more market-based, renewable-energy support scheme that introduces competitive auctions to replace fixed-price feed-in tariffs. It will also contribute to the countrys target of adding 2.4 GW of new green-energy generation capacity by 2020. The EBRD started investing in Greece on a temporary basis in 2015 to support the countrys economic recovery. To date, the Bank has invested some 850 million euros in 17 projects in the financial, energy, infrastructure and agribusiness sectors of the Greek economy. 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 KPMG in Bahrain, as part of its initiatives to support the development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), will host the Entrepreneurs Forum seminar on March 14 at the Gulf Hotel, Bahrain. Under the theme the importance of accounting and financing, the event will focus on the benefits of sound finance management for SMEs and startups. Harish Gopinath, partner and head of KPMG Enterprise at KPMG in Bahrain, commented: Financial management is the foundation of any successful business. In todays fast-paced marketplace, businesses need to be agile by having instant access to accurate financial information, enabling them to take the best decision at the right time. I believe the event will be an ideal platform for entrepreneurs to learn about best practices and technologies in this field. The one-day seminar will feature presentations, a panel discussion and testimonials from representatives of government and private sector organizations in Bahrain. Attendees will also have the opportunity to see a live demonstration of KPMGs Enterprise Accounting Solution (EAS), a technology-enabled accounting system. The increasing complexity of market regulations, the introduction of Valued-Added Tax and growing competition all mean that to thrive, businesses must focus on efficiencies and optimizing business activities. I am pleased to present our EAS, specifically designed for entrepreneurs, utilizing advanced technologies provided by smartphones and portable devices to make financial management processes simple and available to everyone at a competitive price. The event is free of charge for KPMG in Bahrains Entrepreneurs Forum members. To join the Entrepreneurs Forum and to sign up for the event, contact Khalid Seyadi ([email protected] ) or Jayadeep Jayaprakash [email protected] or call 1722 4807 TradeArabia News Service In the first case at Tardeo police station the cops seized one crore sixty lakhs from two people. By Saurabh Vaktania: In two separate cases in Mumbai, over 2.5 crores cash of old denomination have been seized by the police. Over five people have been detained in the matter and they have informed the IT department who will make further investigations. All the detained people have failed to give explanations on the large amount of cash. Sources in Mumbai Police said that as the deadline is coming close, there are people who desperately want to get their money exchanged with the new currency. The percent rate to exchange money has also gone up now. advertisement In the first case at Tardeo police station the cops seized one crore sixty lakhs from two people. They are identified as Sayar Mali, 49, who is a businessman and resident of Malad and the other is Jaimin Vora, 34, who is estate agent and resident of Borivali. Over one crore cash was of 500 denomination while the remaining was 1000 denomination. They were nabbed from Haji Ali junction of south Mumbai. In the second case at Antop Hill police station, the cops seized 93.80 lakhs from three people. They are were travelling from car when cops intercepted them and recovered the money. Also read: Demonetisation effect to spill over to next quarter in some segments: Reserve Bank of India Cashing in on Demonetisation Watch: This 11-year-old Dalit boy rips apart demonetisation like no other --- ENDS --- Oman has announced the launch of the second phase of its RO7-million ($18.1 million) Areej Residential Community under its national mass housing scheme, said a report. The project, spread over a 30,000 sq m area, is just a 15-minute drive from Muscat International Airport and Muscat City Centre and a 10-minute drive from Seeb Souq. Its location near the German University of Technology and Sandan Industrial Park gives the project more uniqueness and investment value, reported Times Of Oman. The first phase of the Areej Residential Community has been completed and all the units have been handed over to the buyers, it added. The project is targeted at the middle income group, which constitutes a large segment of the population, said the report, citing a top official. "The architectural design of the villa project ensures all comfort, luxury and an enjoyable life for all residents," remarked Rashid Saleem Al Masalti, the CEO of National Mass Housing. The project design combines modernity and originality. Each villa, which is priced at around RO85,000 ($220,048), stretches over 237 sq m and boasts spacious bedrooms, in-built kitchen cabinets, smart lighting for corridors and private parking. The other key features of the project are a mosque, spa, kids zone, park, swimming pool and eco-friendly green space. The project is deu for completion in 2019. Oman is working on a proposal to make Omanisation rate of 10 per cent mandatory for construction companies, a move that is likely to come into effect by the end of June, said a report. The proposal was drafted by the Oman Society of Contractors (OSC) in December last year and it is in the advanced stages of approval, reported Time of Oman, citing a senior official. "There are a lot of processes involved before the law is passed. We have reached a good position. The ministerial decree has been drafted and is being looked into by legal affairs. There is permission required by the cabinet," remarked ist CEO Shashwar Al Balushi. "It is all being done now and we are expecting the law to be out in the first half of this year, if not sooner, he told Times of Oman in an interview. The proposal by OSC reflects a gradual increase in the nationalisation rate in companies from 10 per cent in 2017 to 15 per cent by 2020, he added. Abu Dhabi is set to welcome hundreds of farmers and food growers from around the world to introduce them to the growing number of new sustainable agriculture solutions which will directly impact their business. The Hosted Farmers Programme, supported by the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA), will run at the upcoming Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture (GFIA), held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, Minister of Presidential Affairs and chairman of Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, with support of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment. The GFIA runs on March 20 and 21 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. This new programme in Abu Dhabi underlines the commitment of the UAE to working with farmers and food growers to increase food production in a sustainable, responsible way, said Thamer Al Qasemi, director of the communication and community service division at ADFCA. We are encouraging farmers from the UAE to attend GFIA, this is an unrivalled opportunity to meet counterparts from all over the world. Providing access to the best innovative minds in the world will give our hosted farmers the ability to understand what solutions would work best in their environments and we hope a number of these will be adopted when they return to their land. Al Qasemi pointed to ADFCAs role in the development of the agriculture sector and in ensuring food security and supply at all times. He noted that the authority had helped boost the status of Abu Dhabi on the worlds food map, reinforcing it as a reliable platform for international institutions concerned with food and agriculture industry. The Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture is considered the largest forum of its kind in the world to review the latest innovations in sustainable agriculture to boost profits from environmentally responsible agricultural practices. Unlike other major agricultural events, GFIA is committed to meeting the needs of both large agribusinesses and smallholders by presenting the best solutions available to achieve higher yields without damaging the natural environment and our resources, Al Qasemi added. Farmers from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Egypt, the Netherlands and Zimbabwe have already registered to take advantage of the programme, where they will be matched with UAE farmers as well as international buyers and relevant exhibitors for a series of one to one meetings throughout GFIA. With return airfares to Abu Dhabi, accommodation and complimentary access-all-areas passes to the conference sessions and VIP opening ceremony, the programme is unrivalled for farmers benefits and opportunities, said the statement. Added Al Qasemi: GFIA is the worlds largest showcase of sustainable agriculture innovations for increased profits and environmentally responsible farming practices. Unlike other major agriculture events, GFIA is uniquely committed to meeting the needs of both large and smallholder farmers by presenting the best available and emerging solutions with the potential to deliver higher yields without damaging our natural resources and climate. The GFIA conference will feature speakers from around the world tackling five key challenges: climate-resilient crops; growing the aquaculture industry; future-proofing animal health; smallholder farmer development; and sustainable animal production. On the opening day, Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment in the UAE, will deliver the welcome address. Among the panel of speakers will be Mohamed Bin Obaid-Al Mazrooei, president, The Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development; Khadim Al Darei, vice chairman and managing director, Al Dahra Agriculture Company; Memli Krasniqi, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development, Kosovo; Dawood AlYahyai, director of aquaculture development, Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries, Oman; Edward Hamod, general manager, Emirates Food Industries; and Alya Al Mazroui, programe manager at the National Centre of Meteorology & Seismology, who will be giving an update on the progress to date of the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science. GFIA, now in its fourth edition, will also feature an exhibition hosting some 300 companies, and an Innovations Programme, showcasing a series of 15-minute talks from start-up companies who think they have a next-generation solution that could shape the future of farming around the world. TradeArabia News Service Ooredoo and Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail) have signed an important agreement that will see Ooredoo implement its next-generation In-Building Solution (IBS) across the Qatar Rail Red Line Metro network. The agreement was signed at a ceremony today at Qatar Rails QITCOM Stand by Waleed Al Sayed, chief executive officer, Ooredoo Qatar; and Eng Abdulla Al Subaie, managing director and CEO of Qatar Rail, which was also attended by senior executives from both companies. As part of the agreement, Ooredoo will work closely with Qatar Rail and their systems contractor to complete the project, which will include the planning, designing, installing and commissioning of the Ooredoo IBS service, a statement said. As construction of the stations continues, Ooredoo will install the network infrastructure required to provide voice and data services for passengers during their travel on the Doha Metro Red Line. Once in place, the Ooredoo IBS service will enable travellers to connect to Ooredoos Supernet network at any of the Qatar Rail Metro Red Line stations, the statement said. Al Sayed commented: Were proud to be working with Qatar Rail to implement the Qatar Rail Development Programme (QRDP) network requirements. This project will demonstrate the power and reach of the Ooredoo Supernet at Qatar Rail Metro Red Line buildings, including in underground areas, at grade and elevated stations. Ooredoo continues to be the technology provider of choice for Qatars most prestigious projects, as we work to provide the very best services for the people and companies of Qatar. The Qatar Rail Metro Red Line will cover 40km in length and includes an impressive 17 stations, including a link to Legtaifiya Station to allow passengers to transfer over to the Lusail Light Rail Transit. It also connects to the central point of Musheireb, which will serve as transit point and main intersection for the Red, Green, Gold and Blue Lines. Al Subaie said: Ooredoo has demonstrated its experience and expertise in connecting Qatar with world-class ICT infrastructure in the past and we are confident that this partnership will enable us to provide the smoothest connection for our customers. Todays agreement is designed to support our vision to provide customer-centric integrated railway services that are accessible, efficient, safe, and reliable while maximising social, economic, and environment benefits for Qatar. At the signing ceremony, both Ooredoo and Qatar Rail reaffirmed their commitment to achieve operational readiness and installation in-line with the overall project timelines, reflecting Qatars strategic expansion in alignment with the Qatar National Vision 2030. - TradeArabia News Service The Organizing Committee of the third-edition of the Bahrain Shopping Festival, Shop Bahrain, recently conducted its final raffle draw to announce the winner of the Taste Tour event. The popular Taste Tour included a total of 29 participating restaurants and attracted more than 2,000 participants during the course of 30-days of the Festival held between January 18 and February 19. During the event, visitors were given the opportunity to enjoy special dishes at an affordable price ranging from BD5 ($13) to BD12 ($31.5). Tasters were able to sample the set menus at participating restaurants, and then had to submit their review cards for a chance to win a Q50 Infiniti. The winner, Nilo Enruques, was announced during a raffle draw held recently at the premises of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism. Present were representatives from Shop Bahrain. The raffle draw is the fifth raffle draw held as a part of Shop Bahrain where shoppers had the opportunity to win 12 cars. We congratulate the winner of the Taste Tour. The event was held as a part of Shop Bahrain and offered residents and visitors the opportunity to discover the culinary treasures of the kingdom and further promote the hospitality sector, said the director of Shop Bahrain, Yousef Al Khan. Shop Bahrain offered more than 25,000 instant prizes during the 30-day festival including airline tickets and much more. A series of fun-filled activities was also held during the event. - TradeArabia News Service More than 10,000 companies from 184 countries are being represented at ITB Berlin, the worlds leading travel trade show, which opened on March 8 and will run till March 12. Covering 160,000-sq-m, the exhibitors will be showcasing the global tourism industrys latest products and trends. Dr. Christian Goke, chief executive officer of Messe Berlin, said: As the worlds most important gathering place for the tourism industry ITB Berlin above all brings people together. A million face-to-face meetings at ITB Berlin will do one thing in particular, and that is build trust, trust on which we increasingly depend in our business dealings, in a digitalised and globalised world that has become more and more difficult to understand." "Over 80 per cent of our exhibitors are from abroad. The organisers again expect more than 100,000 international trade visitors as well as many thousand members of the public on the weekend, who will be able to book their holidays directly at the show," he said. Partner country Botswana focuses on sustainability The spotlight this year will be on the partner country Botswana, which has been a regular exhibitor at ITB Berlin since 1983, and this year will be represented with 39 companies. Botswana has information on its wide range of products and services in Hall 20, and places a focus on ecologically sustainable tourism. Visitors can also admire traditional dances as well as handicrafts from Botswana in Hall 4.1. ITB Speed Dating Day: 2,800 meetings in just one day On March 9, two Speed Dating events gave buyers and bloggers an opportunity to meet with exhibitors from around the world, enabling them to establish valuable contacts all in one day. Brief time slots gave leading buyers who are members of the ITB Buyers Circle a chance to meet and get to know exhibitors. Over 1,000 meetings have already been set up in the run-up to the fair. The exclusive ITB Buyers Circle gathers 1,000 leading buyers from Europe, Asia, America, Africa and Australia. Over the past five years the ITB Buyers Circle has become a sought-after meeting place for travel buyers from around the world. Some 80 per cent of the participants attend in a direct decision-making capacity, with a budget of more than 500,000 euros. More than one third of buyers even have over 10 million and more at their disposal. At the ITB Blogger Speed Dating in the afternoon exhibitors and bloggers were given an opportunity to hold brief meetings and talk about joint ventures or exchange ideas on future collaboration. A total of 1,800 meetings were already arranged with the ITB Matchmaking Tool. Year of Sustainable Tourism The United Nations organisation UNWTO has declared 2017 the Year of Sustainable Tourism. The focus is on the economic, ecological and social aspects that represent the sustainability goals of the Agenda 2030. On March 10, the ITB CSR Day will be setting the tone. At the ITB Berlin Convention, high-ranking figures representing politics, science and business will discuss innovative concepts, examples of best practices and the economic prospects for sustainable tourism. The main topic this year will be Sustainable Food and Beverages in the Hotel Industry and at Tourism Destinations. Besides the ITB Berlin Convention numerous other events will also dwell on the topic of CSR. Thus, a wide range of papers and discussions on sustainability will be taking place again, mainly on the two stages in Hall 4.1. The future is digital For many years growth and dynamic expansion have been the hallmarks of the Travel Technology Halls and the eTravel World. Currently, 30 per cent of the exhibitors in the Travel Technology segment are newcomers to the show. The increasing presence of payment system providers also underlines the growing importance of travel technology. This year, the eTravel World is fully booked again. Due to the high level of demand an extra hall has been set up. In Hall 7.1c visitors will find that first-time exhibitors make up around 60 per cent of those present. The eTravel World was fully booked as early as November 2016. Over 70 companies representing social media, big data and mobile travel services are represented in this fast-growing segment. At the same time the eTravel World is attracting more and more international exhibitors and especially startups from around the world. On March 10 at 11.30 a.m., for the first time startups can take part in an international pitching event powered by Phocuswright. New segment: Medical Tourism This year at ITB Berlin, for the first time the important growth segment of medical tourism will receive its own platform. Medical service providers, hotels and destinations will be able to exhibit their products and services In the Medical Tourism Pavilion in Hall 3.2. On March 9, in addition to lectures and presentations, a Medical Networking Reception took place in the Medical Tourism Pavilion in Hall 3.2. High demand for space from exhibitors At the 51st ITB Berlin exhibitor demand for floor space is as high as ever. Turkey, which is looking positively towards the future, will be represented in its own hall again. Regardless of Indias current economic crisis exhibitors from the sub-continent are participating in Hall 5.2b, which once again is fully booked. Among the European countries occupying larger display areas will be Croatia in Hall 1.2, France and Portugal in Hall 1.1, and the Czech Republic in Hall 7.2 b. Hall 26, featuring Asia, is fully booked again with waiting lists. Exhibitors from Indonesia will also be occupying more space. HanaTour, one of Koreas largest tour operators, will be represented on its own stand and for the first time. The stands of Caissa Travel Management, Beijing Nimbus Travel, China Inbound and the Dossen Hotel Group from China will be adding to the range of products displayed by one of Asias leading growth markets in tourism. The growth potential of Middle Eastern countries will also be reflected at ITB Berlin. A total of 32 major exhibitors from the Middle East will be represented at ITB Berlin. The UAE and Qatar Airways on an area of 3,380 square metres as well as Saudi Arabia on more than 300 square metres will be occupying larger stands than in 2016. The displays of the US are expanding by 100 square metres. This year, Australia will also be represented on a larger stand, and its neighbour New Zealand will be appearing individually with its services and new products in Hall 5.2a. Several exhibitors from Africa and Europe are now back after a prolonged absence. Among them, Togo und Senegal can be found in Hall 21. Andorra is also back at ITB Berlin and will be represented in Hall 2.1. This year, the stand of Convention & Culture Partner Slovenia in Hall 17 has grown too. Slovenia is sponsoring the wi-fi network on the entire grounds at ITB Berlin. In Hall 9 this year, visitors can find even more hotels, including the enlarged stands of Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Hilton, Accor Hotels, Jin Jiang International and Expedia. Deutsche Hotel & Resort Holding is a newcomer this year and can also be found in Hall 9. Airbus is also a first-time exhibitor, in Hall 25. This is also where Aeroflot will be represented with its own stand for the first time. The number of car rental firms and tour operators in Hall 14.1 has also risen significantly. - TradeArabia News Service Buy Side Demands Independent IPO Research Asset managers have told the Financial Conduct Authority, the UK regulator, that they are wiling to pay for research from non-syndicate banks during UK initial public offerings, especially for large transactions. The FCA published a consultation today on possible changes to the UK IPO process. At present only analysts employed by the book-running syndicate are able to access the information they need to produce research on an offering, while there is no access for third-party research providers. The result is that so-called connected research written by analysts within the book-running syndicate is the dominant source of information available to investors during a crucial stage of the process, said the consultation. Christopher Woolard, executive director of strategy and competition at the FCA, said in speech at Bloomberg in London today that the market study on IPOs confirmed investor concerns that the prospectus, which should be the primary source of information, is currently made available very late and only connected research is available. This is of particular concern given the conflicts of interest and associated conduct risks that arise during the production of connected research, added Woolard. This includes analysts coming under pressure to produce favourable coverage of the issuer in order to secure a place for their bank on the book-running syndicate. Woolard said the regulator is considering re-sequencing the IPO process so that a prospectus or registration document is published, and third-party analysts have access to the issuers management, before connected research is released. The FCA also wants to prevent analysts within prospective syndicate banks from interacting with the companys management and advisers around the time pitching efforts are taking place. In the consultation the FCA found that only one of the 169 UK IPO transactions between January 2010 and May 2015 included the publication of unconnected research. This was due to the lack of availability of the approved prospectus until the first day of trading and the lack of access for unconnected analysts to the issuers management. Therefore the FCA has suggested that the prospectus is published earlier and the analyst presentation should be opened up to unconnected analysts to meet the issuers management. The FCA said: Feedback from buyside investors was unanimous in supporting our aim to create the necessary conditions for unconnected research to feature in the IPO process. A number of buyside firms have said that they would like to see more unconnected research available during the IPO process, and they would be willing to pay for it, particularly on larger transactions. In addition, independent research providers told the FCA they are frequently approached by existing or new buyside clients with requests for analysis of an IPO, but they are almost always unable to satisfy that demand due to the lack of access to available information on the issuer. Fund managers also said they need to receive unconnected research by the start of the management roadshow and book-build for it to be useful. Ideally it would come earlier to support investor education and initial price discovery, said the FCA. The majority of buyside firms told the FCA they would prefer that all information on the IPO (i.e. a prospectus or registration document, along with connected research and unconnected research) was released simultaneously at the beginning of the public phase of the process. The FCA also found that corporate finance advisers typically analysts about their views of the sector and its prospects, and that advisers consider a positive research message conveyed by analysts as being one of the main factors when advising the issuer on which banks to appoint to the syndicate. The nature of this engagement heightens the risk of bias being imparted to connected research, noting here the 2014 enforcement case in the US surrounding the Toys R Us IPO in 2010, where ten US broker dealers were found to have used their equity research analysts to win investment banking business by offering favourable research coverage, said the FCA. Comments on the consultation paper are due by 1 June 2017. For more information on related topics, visit the following channels: Being friendly neighbours, India has extended all possible support to Bangladesh in the search operations. By Manogya Loiwal : One of the main suspects in Dhaka's Gulshan cafe terror attacks last year has been arrested from Kolkata. Idris Ali, one of the main links in the terror attack in Dhaka, was arrested from Burrabazar area of the city by Kolkata Police's special task force which acted on a tip-off from Delhi's special cell. Ali, who was operating with a fake identity in Kolkata, had sneaked into the Indian territory with the advantage of his language and cultural similarities in this region and Bangladesh. advertisement Bangladesh security agencies had alerted Kolkata and West Bengal police about the possibility of his crossing the border and hiding in India. Being friendly neighbours, India has extended all possible support to Bangladesh in the search operations. On July 1, 2016, Gulshan attack had left the world in a state of shock with 22 deaths including 17 foreigners. Till now 8 militants hailing from Jamaat Ul Mujahiddeen Bangladesh have been arrested in relation to the attack and three have been killed in the encounters too on suspected involvements. His arrest comes as a big achievement for security agencies in India and is the first catch from the country in this particular case. Also read| Bangladesh: Dhaka Police arrests main arms supplier of Gulshan Cafe terror attack Also read| Bangladesh: Dhaka Police arrests main arms supplier of Gulshan Cafe terror attack --- ENDS --- Traveling is a tried-and-tested way to open one's mind in the form of new cultures, experiences and memories. As the focal point of health is one's mental state, the elation brought by travel improves health -- often in the form of better metabolism, better sexual performance, creativity, and stress management. According to Travel and Leisure, a new study shows travel is a significant deterrent against cortisol, the hormone that causes stress. The alleviation of stress improves one's mood. Citing Psychologist Dr. Linda Papadpoulos, the reduction of cortisol coupled with "exposure to a healthy amount of sunshine" increases the natural release of serotonin, which calms a person and enables them to try new things, such as fitness and an eagerness for new experiences. According to Chopra, a 2012 Expedia survey revealed that 89 percent of its respondents found themselves only capable of relaxing after a day into their trip. A 2009 University of Kansas study shows traveling reduces depression levels and improving mental health among its respondents. Know more about keto induction Physical activity is a staple in traveling -- either in leisure or backpacking journeys. Walking around the city, or hiking or climbing mountains, are forms of exercises only made better by amazing journeys and thrilling experiences. Mental stimulation created by social interaction and itinerary planning prepares the body for activities, helping functions respond better, including metabolism. Travel has been a staple for many artists and writers because it quickly enhances moods. New experiences allow the brain to enhance its adaptability to new situations. With new lessons, immersion to different cultures and perspectives, individuals enhance their creativity and need to express their own outlook in a unique way. An increased connection to others and to one's self drives confidence, which in turn drives inspiration. A better image of one's self inspires others and creates new healthy bonds, which helps in better hormone response. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) didn't get to say anything in his scene towards the end of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." But for "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," this will all change as he will be uttering his first words to Rey, who was handing him his lightsaber. According to a report from L.A. Times, the annual shareholders meeting of Walt Disney Co. in Denver provided sneak peek of its upcoming movies and theme parks. One of the snippets provided was from "Star Wars: The Last Jedi." The report said that one of L.A. Times staff writer, Daniel Miller, was at the meeting and he tweeted what was being shown to them about the movie. At first, he thought it was a joke, seeing only a few seconds of the clip with Rey handing Luke his lightsaber. But then he saw more clips, this time with Luke saying his first words to Rey. Miller said the clip showed Luke asking Rey "who are you?" and then showing Rey "deftly" handling a lightsaber. But the footages didn't only show the two characters, as Miller said the also saw a glimpse of General Leia Organa, Chewbacca, and Finn. Then he went on to describe the possible settings of the movie, saying they saw oceans, forests, mountains, and deserts. CNET reports that out of all the things Miller shared about "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," Luke's line to Rey is what's actually interesting. The line may have given some hint as to the relationship between the two characters. Of course, Luke not recognizing Rey doesn't mean they aren't related to each other. The report said that it's not unusual for people, even relatives, to not recognize each other in the "Star Wars" franchise. Luke and Leia are twins that were separated at birth and both of them only finds out that they're sibling on "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi." Luke learned about it after Obi-Wan Kenobi told him, while Leia learned it from Luke before he went to confront Darth Vader and Darth Sidious. The report said that if Luke and Rey do have a family relationship, it won't be easy for them to recognize each other, considering that Rey has grown up a lot and they have been apart for decades. "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" is scheduled to premiere on December 15, 2017. Check out the ending scene of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in the video below. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 The agency has got at least few names of politicians, based in New Delhi, who "may have direct links" with Ritesh Jain, a prime accused in the money laundering case. By Virendrasingh Ghunawat: The deeper the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is getting into the Rs 1500 crore outward remittance scam, more skeletons are tumbling out. The agency has got at least few names of politicians, based in New Delhi, who "may have direct links" with Ritesh Jain, a prime accused in the money laundering case. In addition, few public and private banks have also come under ED's scanner. advertisement Last year, in the second week of December 2016, the ED officials had conducted searches on Rajeshwar Exports, a Mumbai-based diamond company with a business of import and export. Rajeshwar Exports, a shell company, was formed by Ritesh Jain, managing director of Auro Gold Jewellery Private Ltd. After the initial searches, the agency found that Rajeshwar Exports had diverted around Rs 700 crore to Hong Kong in the month of November 2016, soon after the demonetisation process began. Later, the investigators got more specific details and some indiscriminating documents which revealed that the company had diverted about Rs 1421 crore, since December 2015 (in one year). "While investigating the entire money trail, we found one transaction of around Rs 120 crore bit unusual. This transaction was done in demonetisation period. We suspect that the diverted money belongs to either a politician or a bureaucrat," a source, with a condition of anonymity, confirmed to India Today. On December 27, 2016, India Today was first to reveal how black money in crores were flown to Hong Kong and Dubai. Two months back, the major questions in the mind of investigators were: whose money was put into the banking channel and who are the ultimate beneficiaries of this money outside India. Is it a politician's money? Sources told India Today that till now, "It has obtained names of at least 3-4 politicians who might have direct connection with this case." The source further added, "At present, the names of these politicians could not be shared. But these names are the public figures and belongs to the Opposition party i.e. Congress". At present, the agency has not initiated any investigation against these names. "We have not sent any queries or communication to these names till now, but we may soon. Currently, the agency has become very cautious in its action plan. It all depends how decisions are taken at the top," the source said. Banks under scanner During the investigation, the agency found that Rajeshwar Exports and other shell companies had violated all the rules of special economic zone (SEZ) at Sachin, Surat in Gujarat. As per the remand application filed before the special PMLA Court in Mumbai, the ED had informed that accused shell companies had overvalued diamonds more than 10 times in its book of accounts. advertisement Ritesh Jain and few others (mostly bogus directors) had opened almost 500 bank accounts in India for the illegal transactions. Sources said, "Strategically, the money was credited into a leading public sector bank, either in cash or by using bogus entry bills. Later, the money got diverted into accounts of other private banks. In last one year, the entire money of about Rs 1500 crore were diverted using four different banks in various layers". The money trail shows that around 80 per cent of the transactions were handled by State Bank of India (SBI), the source said. Queries sent to SBI by India Today remain unanswered. Other banks which are under ED's scanner are: Axis Bank, HDFC Bank and Indusind Bank. Past records of default Ritesh Jain and his father Amritlal Jain own a leading jewellery company - Auro Gold Jewellery Private Limited in Mumbai with a turnover of Rs 3672 crore in 2013-14. India Today accessed the company's data available with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), which revealed 14 charges registered against Auro Gold with a debt amount of about Rs 680 crore against SBI, State Bank of Patiala, State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur, Dhanlaxmi Bank Ltd, IDBI Bank and India Infoline Finance Ltd, in the period of 2002 to 2014. Interestingly, the major component of Rs 626 crore which remain unpaid belonged to SBI and its subsidiaries. advertisement Incidentally, in year 2013, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had lodged a graft case against SBI's MD Shyamal Acharya. During the searches, the CBI officials had found four kilograms of gold in Acharya's personal lockers in Kolkata and Mumbai. Investigations further revealed that Acharya had allegedly invested an additional six kilograms of gold with jeweller Amritlal Jain, Chairman of Auro Gold. Does that CBI case has anything to do in this money laundering case, it's too early to conclude, the source said. But meanwhile, the ED has arrested one Kritika Dahal (now in judicial custody), director of International Rising Ltd, based in Hong Kong - another shell company of Rajeshwar Exports and has issued a look out notice against Ritesh Jain, who is currently hiding in Gulf region. Also read: Demonetisation case: ED arrests owner of diamond import firm Rajeshwar Exports for laundering over Rs 1478 crore advertisement ED seizes diamonds worth Rs 34 crore, money laundering above Rs 2500 cr by firms suspected Black money travels abroad, ED investigates a diamond import firm for diverting Rs 700 crore to Hong Kong --- ENDS --- On Azores Airlines, with flights to Portugal from Boston, Providence and Oakland, a stopover comes at no extra costs and includes stopping in Azores both ways on your way to Lisbon or Porto. You can choose a stopover at no additional fee and you can stay up to seven nights. (TRAVPR.COM) USA - March 8th, 2017 - How many times have you visited a country and wanted to visit more than one city but the cost was a barrier? Now, with Azores Airlines new free stopover, you can choose two cities for the price of one. On Azores Airlines, with flights to Portugal from Boston, Providence and Oakland, a stopover comes at no extra costs and includes stopping in Azores both ways on your way to Lisbon or Porto. You can choose a stopover at no additional fee and you can stay up to seven nights. How does it work? Its simple; you can choose to visit the Azores and Lisbon, the Azores and Madeira or the Azores and Porto. Where you go, its up to you. You just need to leave from Boston or Providence or Oakland and embark on an adventure that will be unforgettable. This will give you a chance to emerge into the Azores breathtaking nature, to go whale watching, to hike, to eat the famous cozido while you contemplate your picturesque surroundings and some days later you can experience Lisbons vibrant history and culture, while you eat at a Michelin-star restaurant or at a task in the city center, while taking in fado. Madeira Island and Porto also come as options in this stopover, both of them made for wine lovers. Madeira is best known for its natural beauty and great weather. Funchal_Pico_da_Cruz Porto was chosen European Best Destination of 2017, for the third time, and its a city with warm people and great food. Whichever destinations you pick, a warm welcome is waiting for you, the kind of welcome that makes people want to go back over and over again. Because welcoming guest is Portugals strong suit, it doesnt matter the city or the island, youll feel at home. Azores Airlines, part of the SATA Group, has connected New England with the Azores and mainland Portugal for more than 35 years. For more information about booking flights visit http://www.azoresairlines.pt or call 800-762-9995. ### On its part, the Trump administration has gone for all cosmetic changes to its previous version of the executive order issued on January 27 that aimed to put a ban on people from seven Muslim majority countries so that it can evade the courts. By Santosh Chaubey: A new travel ban is set to come into force from March 16, if it goes as intended, without the US courts pitching in. The new Donald Trump executive order was signed on March 6, after five weeks of the first futile attempt to ban immigration from some Muslim majority countries. On its part, the Trump administration has gone for all cosmetic changes to its previous version of the executive order issued on January 27 that aimed to put a ban on people from seven Muslim majority countries so that it can evade the courts, like exemptions for green card holders, permanent US residents and for those already having a US visa. advertisement But the new travel ban order, that drops Iraq from its list and goes soft on Syrian refugees in terms of the language used, does talk of withholding new visas for 90 days to the people from the six countries, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan and Syria. The new executive order drops Iraq from the list as the Trump administration feels that the new vetting procedure of the prospective travellers adopted by the Iraqi government is promising enough to take care of the US security concerns. HAWAII FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST BAN But it seems these cosmetic measures are not enough to save even this new Trump dump from the judicial scrutiny. A federal judge in the US state of Hawaii has allowed the state's amended petition challenging the new travel ban by the Trump administration. The state of Hawaii had filed a lawsuit against the first executive order on travel ban but a national injunction on the Trump's travel ban by a Washington court had put an automatic hold on it. In its amended lawsuit, the state of Hawaii has argued that the new executive order on travel ban doesn't change much and violates the right to freedom of religion. Also, the state says in its lawsuit that the travel ban would adversely affect the social fabric and economy of the state by targeting a religion and thus hindering people's movements in its educational institutions and in the society as a whole, something that is against the US Constitution. A Hawaii judge has accepted these contentions and is set to hear the lawsuit on March 15, before it comes into effect on March 16. The court has issued notice to the Trump administration to submit its response by March 13. This Hawaii lawsuit may be the beginning of yet another round of court hearings that may again cloud the Trump administration's divisive agenda to put a ban on people's movement from some Muslim majority countries as some other states that had successfully challenged the earlier version of the executive order, including the state of Washington, have said that they are carefully reviewing the new executive order before deciding on their next step. The Hawaii court hearing may give them the reason they need to go ahead with their own lawsuits. advertisement Watch Video: Donald Trump signs revised immigration order, leaves out Iraq from list Also Read: Hawaii becomes first state to sue over Donald Trump's new travel ban --- ENDS --- Officials in heavily Democratic Hawaii previously sued to stop Trump's initial ban but that suit was placed on hold amid legal challenges around the country. The revised executive order bars new visas for people from six predominantly Muslim countries and temporarily shuts down the US refugee program. By AP: The state of Hawaii has become the first state to sue to stop President Donald Trump's revised travel ban. Attorneys for the state filed the lawsuit on Wednesday in federal court in Honolulu. The state had previously sued over Trump's initial travel ban, but that lawsuit was put on hold while other cases played out across the country. Hawaii gave notice on Tuesday night that it intended to file an amended lawsuit to cover the new ban, which plans to goes into effect on March 16. advertisement The revised executive order bars new visas for people from six predominantly Muslim countries and temporarily shuts down the US refugee program. It doesn't apply to travelers who already have visas. Hawaii's lawsuit says the order will harm Hawaii's Muslim population, tourism and foreign students. "Hawaii is special in that it has always been non-discriminatory in both its history and constitution," Attorney General Doug Chin said. "Twenty per cent of the people are foreign-born, 100,000 are non-citizens and 20 per cent of the labor force is foreign-born." MOTION APPROVED The move came after a federal judge in Honolulu said earlier on Wednesday that Hawaii can move forward with the lawsuit. US District Judge Derrick Watson granted the state's request to continue with the case and set a hearing for March 15 - the day before Trump's order is due to go into effect. It bars new visas for people from the six predominantly Muslim countries and temporarily shuts down the US refugee program. Officials in heavily Democratic Hawaii previously sued to stop Trump's initial ban but that suit was placed on hold amid legal challenges around the country. A day after Trump's administration announced its new executive order, attorneys for the state filed their proposed revision in federal court on Tuesday night, along with a motion asking that it be allowed to proceed. Watson approved that motion and said the state will file the final lawsuit later Wednesday. The Hawaii attorney general's office did not provide further details on timing but has said the ban will harm Hawaii's Muslim population, tourism and foreign students. The US Department of Justice declined to comment on the pending litigation. TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER The state will argue at the March 15 hearing that the judge should impose a temporary restraining order preventing the ban from taking effect until the lawsuit has been resolved. Hawaii's complaint says it is suing to protect its residents, businesses and schools, as well as its "sovereignty against illegal actions of President Donald J. Trump and the federal government." The order affects people from Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Libya. It does not apply to travelers who already have visas. Imam Ismail Elshikh of the Muslim Association of Hawaii, a plaintiff in the state's challenge, says the ban will keep his Syrian mother-in-law from visiting. advertisement Trump's "executive order inflicts a grave injury on Muslims in Hawaii, including Dr. Elshikh, his family, and members of his mosque," Hawaii's complaint says. A federal judge in Seattle issued a temporary restraining order halting the initial ban after Washington state and Minnesota sued. The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals refused to reinstate the order. MUSLIM BAN 2.0 While Hawaii is the first to sue to stop the revised ban, the restraining order is still in place and could apply to the new one, too, said Peter Lavalee, a spokesman for the Washington attorney general's office. University of Richmond Law School professor Carl Tobias said Hawaii's complaint seemed in many ways similar to Washington's successful lawsuit, but whether it would prompt a similar result was tough to say. He said he expects the judge, an appointee of former US President Barack Obama who was a longtime prosecutor, to be receptive to "at least some of it". Given that the new executive order spells out more of a national security rationale than the old one and allows for some travelers from the six nations to be admitted on a case-by-case basis, it will be harder to show that the new order is intended to discriminate against Muslims, Tobias said. advertisement "The administration's cleaned it up, but whether they have cleaned it up enough I don't know," he said. "It may be harder to convince a judge there's religious animus here." Tobias also said it is good that Hawaii's lawsuit includes an individual plaintiff, considering that some legal scholars have questioned whether the states themselves have standing to challenge the ban. "This new executive order is nothing more than Muslim ban 2.0," Hawaii Attorney General Douglas Chin said in a statement Monday. "Under the pretense of national security, it still targets immigrants and refugees." Watch Video: Donald Trump signs revised immigration order, leaves out Iraq from list Also Read:Under Donald Trump, US suspends fast processing of H-1B visa applications --- ENDS --- It came a day after Hawaii launched its own lawsuit, and Washington state Attorney General said both Oregon and New York had asked to join his state's legal action. By AP: Legal challenges against President Donald Trump's revised travel ban mounted today as Washington state said it would renew its request to block the executive order. It came a day after Hawaii launched its own lawsuit, and Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson said both Oregon and New York had asked to join his state's legal action. Washington was the first state to sue over the original ban, which resulted in Judge James Robert in Seattle halting its implementation around the country. Ferguson said the state would ask Robart to rule that his temporary restraining order against the first ban applies to Trump's revised action. advertisement REVISED BAN SHUTS DOWN US REFUGEE PROGRAMME Trump's revised ban bars new visas for people from six predominantly Muslim countries: Somalia, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Libya and Yemen. It also temporarily shuts down the US refugee programme. Unlike the initial order, the new one says current visa holders won't be affected, and removes language that would give priority to religious minorities. Ferguson said it's not the government, but the court, that gets to decide whether the revised order is different enough that it would not be covered by previous temporary restraining order. "It cannot be a game of whack-a-mole for the court," he said. "That TRO we've already obtained remains in effect." WHAT THE LAWSUIT SUGGESTS In filing a lawsuit Wednesday night, Hawaii said the revised order would harm its Muslim population, tourism and foreign students. In his initial lawsuit Ferguson said the original ban was unconstitutional and hurt the state's businesses and universities. A federal appellate court later upheld a temporary restraining order issued against the first travel ban. 'OLD ORDER TO BE REVOKED AFTER MARCH 16' The Trump administration says the old order will be revoked once the new one goes into effect on March 16. Attorneys for Hawaii filed the lawsuit against the US government in federal court in Honolulu. The state had previously sued over Trump's initial travel ban, but that lawsuit was put on hold while other cases played out across the country. Hawaii's complaint says it is suing to protect its residents, businesses and schools, as well as its "sovereignty against illegal actions of President Donald J Trump and the federal government." ALSO READ | Donald Trump's new travel ban too in court's firing line Hawaii becomes first state to sue over Donald Trump's new travel ban --- ENDS --- New Delhi, March 9 France's GDF International plans to sell its entire 10% stake, worth over Rs 2,900 crore, in Petronet LNG Ltd. GDF, a unit of French energy giant Engie SA, has written to Petronet Indias biggest importer of liquefied natural gas expressing its desire to exit the company. It has offered the stake to Petronets principal promoters GAIL India Ltd, ONGC, Indian Oil Corp (IOC) and Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL). "We have been informed by GDF International, which is holding 10% equity share capital in the company, that they proposed to divest their entire shareholding in the company," Petronet said in a regulatory filing. Petronet said GDF International has also sent a communication to each of the promoters offering "a first right of purchase/refusal in relation to the proposed sale of 10% equity shares in the company in the same proportion in which the promoters are holding equity shares in the company." The four promoter firms hold 12.5% stake each in Petronet. Going by this proportion, they are each entitled to buy 2.5% of GDF's stake. But it is unlikely that anyone of them will exercise that option given that Petronet has been structured as a private company. At present, the four companies hold 49.99% stake of Petronet. If any of the promoters were to buy GDF's stake, the combined shareholding of state-owned firms will rise above 50% and will lead to conversion of Petronet into a public sector company. Though Petronet is registered as a private company, Government of India's Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas is its Chairman. By its private nature, the company is currently out of purview of CAG audit as well as any Parliamentary scrutiny. The Ministrys desire to keep the company private had led to none of the four promoters exercising their right of first buy when in August 2011 Asian Development Bank (ADB) offered to sell its entire 5.2% stake in Petronet. All the four promoters firms IOC, ONGC, GAIL and BPCL were originally interested in buying ADB's 5.2% stake but the company management was opposed to it as it would have led to PSU holding crossing 50%. The Board of all the four promoter companies approved exercising the first right of refusal over ADB stake but the Ministry vetoed the proposal at a meeting on March 26, 2012. Eventually, ADB in September 2014 sold 3.9 crore shares via a block deal to CitiGroup and HDFC Mutual Fund for Rs 714.5 crore. EDF holds 7.5 crore shares in Petronet, which at today's trading price of Rs 391.70, is valued at Rs 2,937 crore. PTI Washington, March 9 Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan has discussed with new Energy Secretary Rick Perry the possibility of importing LNG from the US and Indian investment in the energy sector there. Pradhan met Perry during an unscheduled trip to the US Capitol and discussed energy cooperation between India and the US, Indian investment in Liquefied natural gas (LNG) and Shale sectors, and the possibility of the US exporting LNG to India from early next year. Perry said co-operation between India and the US in the energy sector is in mutual interest as Indias energy need is set to see a rapid increase as the economy expands. Pradhan arrived in Washington DC from Houston, a city located near the Gulf of Mexico, where he attended the influential CERAWeek energy conference and launched the new Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP). On the sidelines of the conference, Pradhan had bilateral meetings with counterparts from Russia, Sri Lanka, Canada and Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih is expected to visit India soon. Pradhan also met the CEO of state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company; Bob Dudley, CEO of British Petroleum; and International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol. In Washington, Perry, who took over the department last week, strongly pushed for a Houston visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this year. He said Modis meeting with the strong energy community in Houston could add a new dimension to bilateral ties. Dates of Modis US visit is still being worked out. Pradhan, who invited Perry to India for the next round of India-US Energy Dialogue later this year, said he would convey his message to the prime minister. Pradhan said the US energy secretary believes energy is the next frontier for India-US relationship. On Tuesday, the Union minister met Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who appreciated the Indian-American community and said that he is planning to lead a trade delegation to India soon. During the visit, Oil India signed a MoU with Houston University to work on CO2 injection technology to enhance production in Assam. Pradhan started his US tour from Boston, where he interacted with students and faculty members of MIT, Harvard Kennedy School and Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University. At MIT, he also met former US Energy Secretary Prof Ernest Muniz. Both in Boston and Houston, Pradhan met members from the Indian community, including scientists of Indian origin. PTI Tribune News Service Mansa, March 9 For duping innocent residents of villages on the pretext of providing them jobs abroad, three persons have been awarded two-year imprisonment and imposed Rs 1,000 fine each by the court of Mansa JMIC Daljit Kaur. The court sentenced accused Hardeep Kaur, her father Sukhwant Singh and mother Sukhvir Kaur, all residents of Kheeva Kalan village, for duping Gurdeep Singh of Kishangarh Pharmahi village, Najam Singh of Dhalenwan village and Baljeet Kaur of Gurnekalan village. According to information, the parents of all these victims had filed a complaint with the police. A case was registered under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code at the Bhikhi police station against the trio in September 2010. Complainant Gurjit Singh of Kishangarh Pharmahi village alleged that his son Gurdeep Singh gave Rs 7 lakh to the accused who had promised a job in England. Similar was case with Jora Singhs son Najam Singh of Dhalenwan village who gave Rs 8.20 lakh to the accused and Bhola Singhs daughter Baljit Kaur of Gurnekalan who shelled out Rs 5 lakh. The complainants alleged that they were taken to Cyprus instead of England where they faced hardships as they could not get any job. Both Baljit and Gurdeep somehow managed to return to India within a year. Najam is still struggling to return. Jaswant Singh, counsel to the litigants, said, Accused Hardeep Kaur was an alumna of National College, Bhikhi. These three students came into contact with Hardeep Kaur through social media. Like Hardeep, these three were also alumni of the same college and had an interaction with each other during college days. Hardeep promised them jobs in England and pocketed money. But after the three landed one by one in Cyprus, she tore their passports. One of these three students, Najam Singh of Dhalewan village, is still facing tough time and making attempts to come back. The other two, Gurdeep Singh and Daljit Kaur, were extended help by a Punjabi in Cyprus, so that they could get passports and air tickets to reach Punjab. Accused Hardeep Kaur, along with her mother, faced arrest for the first time in October 2015 and then got bail. Since then she has appeared in for more than 44 hearings in the court. Melbourne, March 9 An Indian man in Australia has been accused of impersonating a doctor and working in various hospitals for more than a decade with the immigration minister terming the case as a big failing of the system. Shyam Acharya took the name of another man in India, Sarang Chitale, before he began a new life in Australia, where he registered with the Medical Board of New South Wales (NSW) in 2003, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. He then used the identity of the doctor and pretended to hold a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degrees and membership as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians to gain employment in the NSW public health system. The authorities have been unable to find or contact him saying his current whereabouts are unknown and they are trying to track him with reports saying Acharya could potentially now be in India. Reacting to the report, Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said, Theres obviously been a big failing of the system. The case of accused fake doctor...you necessarily want to make sure that youre getting access to all of the information that whatever government department holds on anyone being investigated by authorities. He said we live in a very different age to 10 or 20 years ago and it was difficult to predict security threats over the near future. So weve just got to make sure that weve got a modern system that is going to deal with people crossing our borders, sharing intelligence with law enforcement agencies and intel bodies and the rest of it. Weve got the best people in the world and my sense, my only requirement, is that we continue that worlds best practice, Dutton said. Acharya first came to Australia on a tourist visa in 2002 and then got a job in NSW health recently acquired Australian citizenship. He worked for NSW Health as a junior doctor from 2003 to May 2014 at four hospitals in Australia and even worked in emergency departments. In 2013, Acharya worked for international pharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca, before moving to medical research group Novatech in 2016. PTI Toronto, March 9 An Indian-origin Canadian citizen was barred from entering the US and told to get a valid visa if she wanted to cross the border, a media report said on Wednesday. Manpreet Kooner, who lives in Canadian city of Montreal, said she was turned away at a crossing along the Quebec-Vermont border on Sunday after a six-hour wait where she was fingerprinted, photographed and questioned before being refused, The Huffington Post (Canada) reported. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Thirty-year-old Kooner said an officer told her that she was an immigrant without a valid US visa and claimed that the border agent told her, "I know you might feel like you're being Trumped". "Unbelievable. Refused entry to the States. Because I'm apparently an Immigrant who now requires a Visa to enter the States. While informing me that I cannot enter the States. The office told me 'I've been trumped'", she wrote on her Facebook Page. "At the end of it, they told me I was not allowed going in and that I would need a visa if I ever went in the States again," Kooner was quoted as saying. Last time she had an issue entering the US was in December last year when a computer glitch prevented her from crossing into New York State for 24 hours. IANS Geetanjali Gayatri Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 9 After two adjournments and an all-party meeting in his chamber failed to bring any semblance of order in the Vidhan Sabha, Speaker Kanwar Pal Gujjar today named all 16 Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) MLAs present in the House and suspended them for a day for creating a ruckus in the House. Demanding that Congress MLA Randeep Singh Surjewala be asked to leave the House for his presence at the Punjabs manifesto-release programme in Delhi, thereby compromising Haryanas water interests, the INLD MLAs resorted to nonstop sloganeering during the Zero Hour of the ongoing Budget session here today. Immediately after the Question Hour, Leader of Opposition Abhay Chautala objected to the welcome accorded to Surjewala by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ram Bilas Sharma. The minister should have thought about it since Surjewala was present at the manifesto-release programme of Punjab. The manifesto had clearly mentioned that the party would not allow the SYL canal to be constructed, he said amidst slogans of shame, shame by the Treasury Benches. Surjewala tried to clarify, stating that Abhay had personal issues with him and that it was merely a red herring since the BJP was feeling cornered after objectionable comments of their ministers against Dalit women MLAs of the Congress. Adamant on not letting Surjewala speak, the INLD MLAs were on their feet and shouted slogans of SYL virodhi murdabad and Abhay demanded that Surjewala be asked to leave the House. The House was adjourned for 20 minutes and second time for half-an-hour after leaders of all three parties were called to the Speakers chamber to resolve the issue. After the proceedings resumed, the Speaker urged the MLAs to exercise restraint and refrain from using objectionable words which led to animosity. No sooner had the Speaker said this, Abhay raised the demand for Surjewalas ouster again and the INLD MLAs resumed their sloganeering, shouting Haryana ka gadar, sadan se bahar. Gujjar tried to push ahead with the proceedings, but the INLD refused to relent and he named all MLAs in the House before adjourning it for 15 more minutes. The marshals pleaded with Abhay and his MLAs to leave the House but to no avail. Finally, just as the marshals stepped in, Abhay yielded and the discussion on the Budget began when the House met again. Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 9 Pandemonium was witnessed during the Question Hour in the Assembly today when members of the BJP and the Congress sparred over Baba Ramdevs herbal forest to be developed in Morni. The hubbub lasted 30 minutes and during this, Congress MLAs walked up to the Speaker thrice arguing with him over the conduct of the BJP members. The ruckus started after Tourism Minister Ram Bilas Sharma replied to a question by BJP MLA from Kalka Latika Sharma regarding the governments proposal, if any, to develop Morni into a tourist spot and Health Minister Anil Vij stood up to inform about the herbal park to be developed in Morni under the guidance and technical support of Patanjali Research Institute, Haridwar. Congress MLA from Palwal Karan Singh Dalal stood up and questioned Vijs locus standi to answer the question and he also asked how costly land in Morni Hills had been doled out by the government to Ramdev. Do you have springs in your feet that you stand up every time? Vij asked Dalal as he told him to sit down in an angry tone. Following which, Dalal said though Vij was the Health Minister, he was promoting inferior-quality drugs of Ramdev. When Vij pointed out that Ramdev was the brand ambassador of the state and the government had not given any land to him, but was merely developing the herbal park under his guidance, a Congress member quipped Seth Ramdev Kaho (call him Seth Ramdev). Soon, other members of the Congress like Kuldeep Sharma, Anand Singh Dangi, Geeta Bhukkal and BJP ministers, MLAs Manish Grover, Krishan Bedi and Kamal Gupta started shouting at each other. Grovers comments, Hold their ears and take them out of the House, aggravated the situation further after which the Congress legislators went up to the Speaker demanding an apology from the minister. The BJP members reminded that Congress MLA Kuldeep Sharma had used the similar words for Vij in this House, but Sharma said he had already apologised. While the commotion was still continuing, the Speaker announced the end of the Question Hour. Tribune News Service Shimla, March 9 The government today came under fire from the Opposition for failing to fill vacancies of doctors, nurses and paramedical staff in health institutions all over the state resulting in people being denied quality medical facilities. The issue of huge staff crunch, virtually crippling health institutions dominated the question hour in the Vidhan Sabha today. Replying to a query by Mahender Singh, Health and Family Welfare Minister Kaul Singh Thakur said 550 posts of doctor, 1,200 posts of nurses and pharmacists had been filed to tide over the shortage. Even as Thakur claimed that walk-in interviews for doctors were being held every Tuesday and efforts were on to get faculty to make the medical colleges at Chamba, Mandi and Hamirpur functional, Ravinder Ravi pointed out that out of 1,351 posts sanctioned for Tanda medical College in Kangra, 524 were still lying vacant. The minister said interviews had been held at Amritsar, New Delhi and Jalandhar to recruit doctors Urging the minister not to politicize the issue, BJP members rued that there was no point in opening new health institutions or upgrading the old one, when no additional staff is posted. Rajiv Bindal pointed out that the poor state of affairs of the Health Department was more than obvious from the fact that 9,087 posts of various categories out of a total of 22, 212 were lying vacant in the Health Department. He said 1,085 posts out of a total of 2,278 were vacant at the IGMC, and 524 out of a total of 1,351 were vacant at Tanda Medical College, which reflected the poor state of affairs. An agitated Vinod Kumar accused the government of discriminating with the Assembly segments represented by the BJP. The community health centre in my segment has been upgraded to a civil hospital two year back but till now six posts of doctor, one radiographer and three lab technicians were lying vacant, he remarked. He said the thrust was on opening new institutions when there was an acute staff shortage, resulting in inconvenience to people, especially in remote rural areas. To a query on inadequate facilities for treating mental ailments, Maheshwar Singh demanded that all the posts of psychiatrist be filed in nine districts. By Press Trust of India: From Youssra El-Sharkawy Cairo, Mar 9 (PTI) An Egyptian army officer was killed and three others were injured when militants targetted a security patrol in the countrys restive North Sinai province, officials said today. The explosion took place yesterday when the security patrol which was passing through Assiut street in Al-Arish city was targetted by militants. advertisement While Colonel Yasser El-Hadidi was killed in the explosion, a conscript and a civilian sustained injuries, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. Security forces rushed to the incident spot and the areas was cordoned off, it said. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. Egypts North Sinai has witnessed several terror attacks after the January 2011 revolution that toppled ex-president Hosni Mubarak. The attacks, mainly targeting police and military, increased after the ouster of Islamist ex-president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 by military following massive protests against his rule. The military has launched security campaigns in the area, in which some terrorists are based. The security forces have arrested suspects and demolished houses that belong to terrorists, including those facilitating tunnels leading to the Gaza Strip. PTI YES CK AMS AKJ AMS --- ENDS --- Tribune News Service Srinagar, March 9 Three militants and a civilian were killed while an Army Major was among those injured in two separate gunfights in Kashmir on Thursday. Two Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants and a civilian were killed in a gunfight between militants and security forces in south Kashmir's Pulwama district. The Lashkar militants slain in Pulwama slain have been identified as Jahangir Ahamd Ganaie and Mohammad Shafi Shergujari, who were associated with the LeT. The civilian, identified as Amir Nazir, was killed by a stray bullet. As soon as the security forces cordoned off Pulwamas Padgampora village following information about the presence of three-four militants in a house, they were fired at, triggering the gunfight. The militants, holed up in two adjacent houses, opened fire at security personnel at around 4.40 am and the troops retaliated, triggering a fierce gunbattle which lasted nine hours. Following the gunfight, the Bannihal-Baramulla train service was stopped as the railway track moves close to Padgampora village. In a separate incident, a Hizbul Mujahideen militant was killed and an Army Major was injured in a brief gunfight in north Kashmir's Bandipore in evening. Security forces had put up a check post near Bandipore police station following information that a militant was going to travel through the area, a police official said. When the militant came in a cab, he was challenged by security forces but he opened fire, resulting in injuries to two soldiers, police said. In the retaliatory firing by the security forces, the militant, identified as Mushtaq Ahmad Shergujri, was killed, he added. A pistol and a hand grenade were recovered from the scene of the shootout, the official said. With inputs from agencies Tribune News Service Jammu, March 9 A sector commander-level flag meeting was held between the Border Security Force (BSF) and Pakistan Rangers in the Suchetgarh area of International Border in Jammu. The meeting was held on the request of Pakistan Rangers, which started at 11.30 am and culminated at 1.20 pm. Giving details, the BSF PRO informed that the BSF delegation comprising 18 officers was led by the DIG, BSF-Jammu sector, PS Dhiman, while the Pakistan Rangers side was led by Brigadier Amjad Hussain, Sector Commander, Chenab Rangers, Sialkote, Punjab. The Pakistan delegation also comprised 18 officers, including three Wing Commanders. It was the first sector commander-level meeting between the two border guarding forces since heavy shelling and firing experienced on the International Border in October and November last year. Several infiltration attempts were initiated from the Pakistan soil in recent months and the same were successfully foiled by the BSF, including the killing of three terrorists on November 29. On February 13, a cross-border tunnel was also detected by the BSF in the Chamliyal area of Ramgarh sector. The PRO said during the meeting, commanders of both the border guarding forces, inter alia, discussed various issues, including forced infiltration attempt in Bobiya sector on October 19 and 20 last year, snipping of late constable Gurnam Singh, recent detection of tunnel, infiltration attempts by the terrorists from Pakistan territory and firing in Ramgarh sector as well as return of constable Sohan Lal of the J&K Police who crossed to Pakistan inadvertently in 2014 and other routine issues related to border management. He said it was decided to re-energise instant communication between field commanders, whenever required, to resolve petty matters. The meeting was held in a cordial, positive and constructive atmosphere and both sides agreed for expeditious implementation of the decisions taken in the earlier meeting and committed each other to maintain peace and tranquillity at the International Border, the PRO added. Amit Khajuria Tribune News Service Jammu, March 9 The office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), J&K, has geared up for the last-minute preparations for the bypolls to two parliamentary constituencies as the Election Commission issued a notification for the byelections this morning. Immediately after the announcement of the bypolls, the CEO called a meeting of all Deputy Commissioners of the Srinagar and Anantnag parliamentary constituencies. There are three districts in the Srinagar parliamentary constituency (Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal) and four in the Anantnag parliamentary constituency (Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopian), which will go to the bypolls on April 9 and 12, respectively. Shantmanu said his team was all set for the bypolls and the last minute preparations had been initiated. Technical teams have been called for the testing of the electronic voting machines, the CEO said. Meanwhile, the CEO will leave for Delhi tomorrow to meet the Election Commissioner and work out the modalities for the bypolls. Dinesh Manhotra Tribune News Service Jammu, March 9 As the Election Commission of India today announced the schedule for the byelections to the Srinagar and Anantnag Lok Sabha constituencies, the Congress initiated the process to go for seat adjustment with the National Conference. Highly placed sources said the Congress leadership would offer one parliamentary seat to the NC to give a tough fight to the PDP-BJP coalition in the byelections, which are perceived as a test of popularity of the PDP in the Valley after the 2016 summer unrest. It is too early to say anything. The state leadership of the party has been authorised to take a final call on the byelections, AICC general secretary Ambika Soni, who is in charge of the J&K Congress, told The Tribune. The decision in this regard will be taken within a couple of days, she said, adding that Tariq Hamid Karra, one of the founder members of the PDP who had joined the Congress recently, would also be taken on board before taking any final decision. However, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief Ghulam Ahmed Mir did not divulge much about the partys plan. He simply spoke about coordination between the Congress and the NC to avoid division of votes. As the schedule for the byelections was announced this morning only, we will sit together and devise a strategy for the polls, said Mir while alleging that the PDP-BJP government had brazenly made every effort possible to get the byelections delayed. Buoyed by Karras entry into the Congress, the party is hoping to convince the NC to leave one seat for it to give a tough fight to the coalition government. Karra, who was Member of Parliament from Srinagar seat, had resigned from the PDP as well as the Lok Sabha on September 15, 2016, over the brutal policies of the BJP at the Centre and the Jammu and Kashmir Governments complete surrender to it. Five months after he quit the PDP, Karra on February 18 joined the Congress before party president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi. As Karra had created history by defeating NC stalwart Farooq Abdullah from Srinagar parliamentary seat in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress is in a position to bargain with its former coalition partner for seat adjustment. The Anantnag parliamentary seat had fallen vacant in June 2016, after Mehbooba had resigned from the Lok Sabha following her election as Member of the Legislative Assembly from the Anantnag Assembly segment. Dinesh Manhotra Tribune News Service Jammu, March 9 The Election Commission on Thursday announced the schedule for by-elections to Srinagar and Anantnag parliamentary constituencies of Kashmir Valley. According to this, the last date for filing nominations for Srinagar parliamentary seat is March 21; the scrutiny of nomination papers will be held on March 22. The last date to withdraw candidature is March 24. The polling will be held on April 9. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) March 24 is last date for filing nomination papers for the Anantnag parliamentary constituency. The scrutiny of nomination papers will be held on March 27; March 29 is the last date for withdrawing the candidature. The polling will be held on April 12. The counting of votes for both seats will be held on April 15. The Anantnag seat had fallen vacant in June 2016 after Mehbooba Mufti, the present Chief Minister, had resigned as Lok Sabha member following her election as MLA from Anantnag assembly segment. The Srinagar seat had fallen vacant after former PDP leader Tariq Hamid Karra had resigned from the PDP as well as Lok Sabha in protest against what he called brutalities on protesters in Kashmir. Jammu, March 9 An Army jawan was killed on Thursday when Pakistani troops violated ceasefire in Poonch sector in Jammu region. Official sources said Pakistani troops opened fire at Indian posts around 1400 hours at Gulpur area which was effectively retaliated by the Army. The sources said the jawan was injured in the firing from across the border and he was shifted to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries this evening. The jawan identified as sepoy Deepak Jaganath had suffered a bullet injury in the head. There have been a number of ceasefire violations along the international border and the Line of Control this year. PTI Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 9 Army Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Lt Gen AK Bhat spoke to his Pakistani counterpart on Thursday morning and expressed concern over the movement of terrorists along the Line of Control (LoC)-- the 749 km de facto Indo-Pak border in Jammu and Kashmir. The DGMO (Lt Gen Bhat) expressed concern over the movement of terrorists noticed along the LoC, a senior official said on Thursday. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) On September 29 India had carried out strikes across the LoC on terrorist launch pads. The Pakistan DGMO was also informed about the repatriation of two Pakistani nationals apprehended in Uri, Kashmir. The individuals will be repatriated through the Wagah border on March 10. These youths had accidentally crossed over to India fearing repression from within Pakistan after they had allegedly teased the daughter of a local man there. Melbourne, March 9 An Indian man in Australia has been accused of impersonating a doctor and working in various hospitals for more than a decade with the immigration minister terming the case as a "big failing of the system". Shyam Acharya took the name of another man in India, Sarang Chitale, before he began a new life in Australia, where he registered with the Medical Board of New South Wales (NSW) in 2003, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) He then used the identity of the doctor and pretended to hold a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degrees and membership as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians to gain employment in the NSW public health system. The authorities have been unable to find or contact him saying his current whereabouts are unknown and they are trying to track him with reports saying Acharya could potentially now be in India. Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said: "There's obviously been a big failing of the system. The case of accused fake doctor...you necessarily want to make sure that you're getting access to all of the information that whatever government department holds on anyone being investigated by authorities." He said: "We live in a very different age10 or 20 years ago it was difficult to predict security threats over the near future. So we've just got to make sure that we've got a modern system that is going to deal with people crossing our borders, sharing intelligence with law enforcement agencies and intel bodies and the rest of it. We've got the best people in the world and my sense, my only requirement, is that we continue that world's best practice." Acharya first came to Australia on a tourist visa in 2002 and then got a job in NSW health recently acquired Australian citizenship. He worked for NSW Health as a junior doctor from 2003 to May 2014 at four hospitals in Australia and even worked in emergency departments. In 2013, Acharya worked for international pharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca, before moving to medical research group Novatech in 2016. PTI Lakhimpur Kheri (UP): Nine SSB jawans and a few civilians were on Thursday injured in a cross-border stone-pelting incident along the Indo-Nepal border and authorities said the situation was still tense. Paramilitary and local police personnel fired a teargas shell to disperse the mob around the no mans land in Sampurnanagar area here. Senior Sashastra Seema Bal officials said the issue pertains to a joint survey to erect the missing pillar number 200 at the IB. The SSB is tasked with guarding the 1,751-km Indo-Nepal border. PTI Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 9 The Union Government today unequivocally condemned the recent racial attacks on Indians in the US, and said it would make a detailed statement on the issue in Parliament next week. Addressing concerns of MPs in the Lok Sabha, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the attacks were saddening and unfortunate. The government has taken the development seriously. The External Affairs Minister is unwell. The government will make a detailed statement on the issue next week. No amount of words will suffice to condemn the development. I assure the House that the government will take all steps to make the Indians living in the US feel secure, Singh said. Raising the issue during the zero hour, the Opposition flayed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his alleged silence on the racial attacks on Indians, and faulted the government for not taking steps to stop them. Congress Mallikarjun Kharge set the ball rolling questioning the Prime Ministers silence on the issue even when he was quick to tweet on everything. He attributed the unsavoury development of change of dispensation in the US. The development has created anxiety among the Indians living and working in the US, Kharge said. The CPM, SAD, TRS, AIADMK and BJD also expressed concern over the development. But for a clear and comfortable majority, support of the grand alliance could have proved to be crucial for the BJP. By India Today Web Desk: Although predicted to retain its hold over Goa, BJP may have improved its position in the Assembly further had it not been for breakaways. The grand alliance of three parties Shiv Sena, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and Goa Suraksha Manch (GSM) are expected to win 3-6 Assembly constituencies in Goa with a collective voteshare of 11 per cent. advertisement With 35 per cent votes, the BJP is likely to secure 18-22 seats in the 40-seat Goa Assembly. India Today-Axis exit poll suggests that the BJP should be in a position to retain power. THE ENEMY WITHIN But for a clear and comfortable majority, support of the grand alliance could have proved to be crucial for the BJP. RSS rebel Subhash Velingkar, who is leading the anti-BJP alliance, was sacked as sanghachalak for Goa region after he was found to be constantly criticising the BJP over its alleged anti-regional language policies, especially promotion of English language as the medium of instruction in government-aided primary schools. MGP entered the alliance, which was first floated by Velingkar, less than a month after two of its cabinet ministers were sacked from the BJP-led coalition cabinet after their criticism of Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar's leadership. Shiv Sena, on the other hand, was already committed to a grand anti-BJP alliance. Velingkar has however rejoined RSS after the elections but may have cost votes to the BJP for his aggressive anti-BJP campaigning. FOUR-CORNERED BATTLE In the four-cornered battle Congress and debutant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are expected to win anything between 9-13 seats while AAP can win 0-2 constituencies. According to India TV-CVoter survey BJP will win 15-21 seats while Congress will get 12-18 seats. AAP can win a maximum of four seats. The MRC-NewsX Exit Poll has predicted hung Assembly in Goa with Congress and AAP making inroads. BJP may have to satisfy with only 15 seats while the Congress and AAP may bag 10 and 7 seats respectively. Also read: Goa exit poll: With no anti-incumbency, BJP to retain hold against AAP, Congress Goa Assembly election: Populist schemes rule campaign Watch: Goa exit poll: Congress, AAP fail to dislodge BJP --- ENDS --- New Delhi, March 9 Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday said Congress leader Digvijay Singhs remarks that injustice to Indian Muslims makes terror outfits attractive to them are a more serious threat than IS to the unity and integrity of the country. Demanding an apology from both Singh and the Congress party, Naidu said his comments are an insult to minorities and he must apologise. Referring to the blast on Bhopal-Ujjain express allegedly carried out by an ISIS-influenced module on Tuesday, Singh had yesterday said that injustice to Muslims is making terrorist outfits attractive to them. For him to say that ISIS is targeting our country due to lack of justice to Muslims is a more serious threat to the unity and integrity of our country than even ISIS, Naidu told reporters here. Singh has come out in the open justifying ISIS operations in the country, Naidu alleged, adding that the Congress leader is trying to perpetuate and promote a sense of fear among minorities. He also asked Singh whether the terror attacks carried out during the Congress-led UPA rule were also spurred by injustice to muslims in our country? No other country parallels India in the way citizens practise and profess the religion of their birth, the minister asserted, adding the Congress leader is unmindful of these great traditions and has launched a condemnable attack on the great legacy of our country. PTI Ravi S Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 9 Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today informed the Lok Sabha that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) would probe the terror case of bomb blast in a train in Madhya Pradesh in which 10 persons were injured and a related encounter in Lucknow in which one terrorist was killed. Singh said while one terrorist, Mohammad Saifullah, was shot dead by the Uttar Pradesh Police yesterday, six suspected terrorists have been arrested by the Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh police. The operation demonstrated effective coordination between the police and Central agencies. "Due to the prompt action of the police of the two states, a possible security threat to the country was averted", Singh said. When Saifullah was cornered, he opened fire on the ATS team of Uttar Pradesh. After 12 hours of futile exercise to persuade him to surrender, the team stormed the house in which he holed up and shot him down. As many as eight pistols, 630 live cartridges, Rs 1.5 lakh currency notes, 45 gm of gold, three mobile phones, four SIM cards, two walkie-talkie sets, and some foreign currencies were recovered from the house of the deceased, Singh said. Amidst applause from Members, Singh informed Mohammad Sartaj, father of the terrorist killed in the encounter, has refused to accept his son's body saying "For everyone country should be first; if he could not be loyal to the country, how can he be ours". He further informed that Sartaj has told the authorities that he does not want to see his (son) dead face. The government is proud of him and others should also feel the same, Singh added. The entire gamut of the development would be investigated by the NIA, Singh said. Shahira Naim Tribune News Service Lucknow, March 9 With exit polls predicting a hung Assembly in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has sprung a surprise, indicating he is willing to join hands with the BSP, if the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance falls short of a majority. In an interview to BBC, Akhilesh said if the alliance failed to get the requisite numbers, they were not averse to the idea of joining hands with the BSP to keep the BJP out. I have always shown the BSP president respect and have referred to her as bua (paternal aunty), he said, pointing out that a hung House could lead to Presidents rule with the BJP remote-controlling the state which no one wants. It may be recalled that at their first joint press conference in Lucknow to announce the alliance, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had showered praise on BSP president Mayawati. Throughout the campaign, Rahul chose not to attack the BSP. Akhilesh, of course, frequently attacked Mayawati and her paththar wali sarkar(reference to statues of elephants). Akhileshs statement has created ripples in political circles. BJP national vice-president Dinesh Sharma said other parties were panicky as the BJP was headed for a clear majority. Demanding a high-level inquiry into police claims regarding Thakurganj encounter, a rights advocacy group has alleged the operation appears to be the Centres attempt to polarise votes during the final phase of UP elections on Wednesday. The Rihai Manch, fighting for rights of wrongly imprisoned terror suspects, was established after the Batla House encounter. Its team visited Thakurganj on March 7-8. 1 The neighbours had told the ATS Saifullah was a simple man and they would be able to convince him to surrender. Did the ATS not want to catch him alive? 2 Qayyum, a tenant of the house where Saifullah was killed, was shifted along with his family from the house Where has he been kept and what has the police to hide? 3 Saifullah was living in an inner room from where he could not have opened fired at the police. Nor could the police have targeted him. There were no bullet marks on the walls 4 Why was the media not allowed to enter the house where the encounter took place? 5 If Saifullah and his associates were involved in a terrorist attack on a train that very day, would he have remained in the house or would he have quietly slipped away? 6 The UP Police claim they had been tipped off by the Madhya Pradesh police. How then did the police get Saifullahs address? 7 While the police say he was killed in the wee hours of March 8, neighboursclaim that he had been killed by 5 pm on March 7. Why do locals not agree with the police version? 8 The police claim they had used a chilli bomb to flush out the suspect alive. People living a kilometre away say they had difficulty breathing owing to the chilli bomb 9 The daily time table of the terror suspect mentions routine activities such as morning walk, prayers, discussion on religious matters. Nothing indicates he was a terrorist 10 The police have not been able to explain how the suspect was linked to the Madhya Pradesh train blast earlier in the day Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 9 The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed realtor Gopal Ansals plea for modification of its February 9 order asking him to surrender in four weeks to serve the one-year sentence imposed on him in the 1997 Uphaar fire tragedy case that claimed 59 lives. A bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi ordered him to surrender on March 20 to serve the remainder of his sentence. Fifty-nine people had died and many more injured after a fire broke out at Uphaar cinema during the screening of Hindi film Border on June 13, 1997. Most of the victims died due to asphyxia. On behalf of Gopal, senior counsel Ram Jethmalani said he deserved a clean acquittal but I am asking for only parity with his brother--a co-convict who was spared a jail term. Both the brothers have paid Rs 30 crore each as fine. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Jethmalani said Gopal was surviving on charity and deserved to be given parity with his brother as his health condition has worsened. My plea should be considered on the ground of humanity and law, Jethmalani said. But the bench wasnt impressed. The court also dismissed Association for Victims of Uphaar Tragedys petition seeking a review of the top courts verdict in the review petition after senior counsel KTS Tulsi said he would not like to press it. In his plea filed barely days before his date of surrender, Gopal (68) had said that the court could not have denied him the relief extended to his brother Sushil because his medical condition was equally bad. Gopal wanted the court to apply principle of parity in his case on the grounds that he had already spent over four months in custody, more than what his brother had. A three-judge bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi had on February 9 refused to review its order regarding Sushil Ansal (77), who was let off without any prison term after payment of Rs 30 crore fine in view of his old age and health condition. Both brothers--owners of Uphaar cinema in South Delhi--have already paid Rs 30 crore each as fine which has to be used for building a trauma centre in Delhi. By a 2-1 verdict, the bench had said that the principle of parity could not be applied to Gopal as he didnt have that kind of health problems. The period of four months and 20 days for which Gopal remained in jail during the trial was likely to be deducted from the one-year prison term. Justice Gogoi and Justice Kurian Joseph had partially reviewed the top courts earlier order and decided to send Gopal to jail while Justice AK Goyal declined the review. The top court had earlier held the Ansal brothers guilty of criminal negligence and fined them but didnt sentence them to further jail term, beyond the period already spent by them in Tihar during the trial. The CBI and the victims had sought review of the order. The CBI said the court did not give it time to put forth its views leading to miscarriage of justice. A Delhi trial court had in 2007 sentenced the Ansal brothers to two years in jail. A year later, the Delhi High Court had reduced the sentence by half, forcing the CBI and victims to approach the top court. New Delhi, March 9 With the resumption of the Budget Session of Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hoped for a breakthrough on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) "The budget session is resuming and I believe the level of the debate, the level of discussions will go very high and the focus will be on the welfare of the country's poor," Modi said addressing the media here. "I also hope there will be a breakthrough on the GST Bill. There is a possibility of that because there has been very positive response from the states as well as all political parties," he said. "Debating and discussing democratically, we are moving ahead and I hope the process of GST is completed in this session," Modi added. IANS Ravi S Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 9 The Congress on Thursday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of keeping mum on the rising attacks on Indians in the US and has sought his statement on the issue in Parliament. Speaking in the Lok Sabha during the Budget Session, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said the Prime Minister tweets on every other issue, but why he is silent on the attacks on the Indians in the US. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Why doesn't he talk on this issue? Why is he silent? He should make a statement, said Kharge. He said: Such incidents (attacks on Indians in USA) have increased after the new US President has taken charge.' Kharge said the BJP government had no strategy to counter the rising hate crime against Indians in the US. He said the government should take up the issue with the US at the high level. He said: Indian professionals contribute immensely to the GDP of the US and still they are being racially targeted, which is unfortunate. Meanwhile, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said alleged hate crimes against Indians in the US are being viewed seriously by India and the government will make a statement on the matter in Parliament next week. In recent weeks, at least two Indians have been killed in incidents of hate crime in the US. With Opposition members raising the issue in the Lok Sabha, Singh said the government has taken serious note of the issue. What is happening in the US is being viewed seriously by the government and a statement would be made in the Parliament next week, he said during Question Hour. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar also said the government was very much concerned about the incidents in the US. During the discussion, Jithender Reddy (TRS) asked the government to take firm steps and inform Parliament. He also suggested that the government should have a dialogue with the US government and sought a proper a statement in this regard. Prem Singh Chandumajra of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) said the Sikhs were especially being targeted due to their attire and appearances. As soon as the proceedings began after obituary references were made on the passing away of four former members, Opposition members raised various issues, including those related to hate crimes against Indians in the US. AIADMK members wanted to raise the issue of Sri Lankan Navy firing at Tamil fishermen. They raised slogans and trooped into the Well of the House. The members went back after Speaker Sumitra Mahajan assured that they could raise the issue during Zero Hour. As a mark of respect to the departed members, including former Lok Sabha Speaker Rabi Ray, the House stood in silence for a brief while. Other former members who passed away were Jambuwant Dhote, P Shiv Shanker and Syed Shahabuddin. With PTI inputs Sarbjit Dhaliwal Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 9 The Punjab Agro Industries Corporation (PAIC) has tied up with ITC to supply it 3 lakh bags of processing grade potato from them. Potato will be procured for Rs 500 per quintal besides the cost of the gunny bags and loading. Revealing this, Managing Director of the Punjab Agro K. S. Pannu said today. He said mainly farmers grow table varieties but in some districts like Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ludhiana and Bathinda, processing grade potato was also grown. The ITC would accept tubers containing sugar up to 12 per cent and not beyond this limit. Likewise, Mahindra and Mahindra would procure 40, 000 bags of potato. PAIC has already 20,000 bags of potato for the ITC. I hope that the procurement of potato would stablise the market and farmers would gain from this exercise, said Pannu. He said that there was possibility of exporting to Russia and Sri Lanka from the next week. I am in touch with Jalandhar Potato Growers Association in this regard. Punjab Agro was also helping farmers send potato to South India and would provide subsidy to such farmers. Already, 40,000 bags had been sent to South India and 10 more rakes would be sent soon, he added. BKU leader Balbir Singh Rajewal said that Markfed and other organizations should also extend help to farmers to stabilize the potato market. He said he had the impression that things were not moving as fast as these should. The government should play a proactive role to save potato growers, who were facing a glut. Growers were unable to even recover their inputs, he added. The Potato Growers Association president, Jang Bahadur Sangha, said that the possibility of supplying potato to Pakistan via Wagah should also be explored. The potato prices are high in Pakistan and the consumer there would benefit from such a decision, he said. Gagan K Teja Tribune News Service Patiala, March 9 The state governments decision to hand over the Saragarhi gurdwara at Ferozepur the war memorial built to honour the 21 Sikh soldiers of the British Indian Army who sacrificed their lives on duty to a religious sect trust has led to resentment among veterans of the Sikh regiment. The government during its cabinet meeting on December 3, 2016, had decided to hand over this memorial to Baba Nand Singh Trust of Nanaksar Sampardai for 30 years. This has not gone down well with the Saragarhi Memorial and Ethos Promotion Forum. The gurdwara was to be handed over to the sect on January 6, but as the code of conduct was enforced, forum secretary Capt Amarjit Singh Jaijee (retd) wrote a letter to the Election Commission and got the move stalled. Now, the forum has approached Punjab Governor VP Badnore to revoke this order urging him to maintain the sanctity of this great memorial, which should not be converted into a serai. Saying the sanctity of the war memorial was under threat, Capt Jaijee said, There are hundreds of gurdwaras in the state being headed by various religious preachers and we have complete regard for all of them, but the Saragarhi gurdwara is not a religious structure. It is a war memorial constructed in the memory of those Sikh bravehearts who did not think twice before laying down their lives in the line of duty. This is disrespect to the martyrs and the SAD-BJP government had taken this decision for personal gains which is unacceptable. During the Congress government in 2006, the Ferozepur memorial was handed over to the Saragarhi Memorial Management Trust with the local General Officer Commanding as its head and the Deputy Commissioner as its vice-chairman. However, the SAD-BJP government after coming to power scrapped the arrangement on August 1, 2008. The memorial has also been recognised by the Archaeological Survey of India as a protected monument. Last stand The Saragarhi gurdwara was one of the three memorials made by the British Government to commemorate the gallant action of the 21 Sikh soldiers of 36 Sikh Battalion (now 4th Battalion the Sikh regiment) who laid down their lives defending the Saragarhi post on September 12, 1897, in North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) (now in Pakistan). The other two are in Amritsar and the Battalion Headquarters at Ford Lockhart in NWFP. All 21 Sikh soldiers were awarded the Indian Order of Merit, which was at that time the highest award given to Indian soldiers. The Saragarhi battle has been recognised by UNESCO as one of the 10 most famous battles of the world history showing collective bravery, devotion to duty and calm defiance in the face of certain death. The exit poll for Goa suggests that the BJP could be very close to majority in the face of stiff challenges from the Congress and the AAP. By India Today Web Desk: Exit poll LIVE on Assembly Elections 2017 in Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand, Manipur Polling was held on February 4 for Goa Assembly election. An overwhelming 83 per cent of the voters cast their votes to elect new government in the state. The Goa exit poll suggests that the BJP should be in a position to retain its hold over the state. advertisement The BJP is likely to secure majority in Goa or come very near to having majority of its own. The Congress and the AAP seem to have failed to dislodge the BJP despite desperate efforts and high-octane campaign in Goa. Party Projected Seats BJP 18-22 Congress 9-13 AAP 0-2 Others 4-9 Here are the highlights of the Goa exit poll results: The BJP is likely to secure 18-22 seats in the 40-seat Goa Assembly. The BJP has secured 35 per cent of the votes polled in the Goa Assembly election. The Congress's attempt to stage a comeback failed after Manohar Parrikar became Defence Minister leaving Goa in the hands of Laxmikant Parsekar, who was considered less formidable leader in Goa. The Congress is likely to get 9-13 seats in Goa Assembly. The Congress has secured 32 per cent of votes, three per cent less than the BJP. The AAP is likely to debut in Goa Assembly with about 8 per cent vote-share. The AAP is expected to win 0-2 Assembly constituencies in Goa. The MGM, Shiv Sena and SV are expected to win 3-6 Assembly constituencies in Goa with a collective vote-share of 11 per cent. Others have got 14 per cent of votes and are likely to win 1-3 seats in Goa Assembly. INDIA TODAY-AXIS EXIT POLL Party Seats Vote-share percentage BJP 18-22 35 Congress 9-13 32 AAP 0-2 8 MGM/SS/SV 3-6 11 Others 1-3 14 OTHER EXIT POLLS The MRC- NewsX Exit Poll has predicted hung Assembly in Goa with Congress and AAP making inroads. Party Seats BJP+ 15 Congress + 10 AAP 7 The India TV - CVoter India Exit Poll suggests that the BJP may be able to hold on to power in Goa. Party Seats Vote-share percentage BJP 15-21 35.8 Congress 12-18 31.9 AAP 0-4 12.8 Othes 2-8 19.5 Former Chief Minister and current Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar threw his weight to galvanise the BJP cadre during the Goa Assembly election. Parrikar's aggressive canvassing and poll management are likely to beat anti-incumbency against the BJP government in Goa. The BJP faced serious challenge not only from the AAP and the Congress but also from a rebel RSS faction led by Subhash Velingkar, who campaigned against the Laxmikant Parsekar government. Velingkar had launched his own political outfit - Goa Suraksha Manch (GSM)- in October last year. He campaigned with the sole objective of 'comprehensibly defeating' the BJP in the Goa Assembly election 2017. Velingkar's GSM contested Goa Assembly election. But, only a few days ahead of the Goa Assembly results, he dissolved his breakaway RSS faction- the Goa Prant. Velingkar has rejoined his parent organisation, the RSS. advertisement This has brought ambiguity about the political future of his candidates, who contested the Goa Assembly election. He had campaigned against the Parsekar government over the medium of instruction in Goa schools. Parsekar is not considered as a popular choice for the Chief Minister but he seems to be enjoying the confidence of the central leadership of the BJP. The top leadership of the BJP is said to be satisfied with his performance in Goa. --- ENDS --- Washington, March 9 Indo-US ties will touch new heights under the Trump administration as the two countries are natural partners and have common interests amid Chinas assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region, an Indian-American entrepreneur considered close to Vice-President Mike Pence has said. Both India and the US have an interest in fighting terrorism originating in central Asian areas such as Pakistan and Afghanistan, said Indiana-based Gurinder Singh Khalsa, founder and chairman of Sikhs Political Action Committee (SikhsPAC). It is to Indias long-term benefit to continue improving relations with the US. We also have many shared business priorities, particularly in IT and tech industries, he said. Khalsa, a businessman, has been Pences friend from the days when the latter was not even elected Indiana Governor. Khalsa said he wanted to focus on strengthening India-US ties and be the voice of Indian-Americans and other such ethnic communities in the US. Pence has been very outspoken about the need for more economic cooperation between India and Indiana. Prior to becoming Vice-President, he spoke to us about his intention to travel to India after the election. He wanted to be the first Indiana Governor to visit India, he said. Born in 1973, Khalsa moved to the US in 1996 after writing four research papers. Prior to moving to Indiana in 2008, Khalsa spent five years in the real estate, insurance and finance sectors in California. Since 2003, he has developed a chain of businesses throughout California, Nevada and Indiana. In 2007, a TSA agent in Buffalo, New York, refused to allow Khalsa on an airplane unless he removed his turban. This was a clear violation of the Sikh religious practice, he argued, adding that he refused and took the issue before the Congress, where he successfully lobbied for changes to the TSA headwear policy. PTI Ruchika M Khanna Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 9 With the result of the Punjab Assembly elections to be out on Saturday, candidates and pollsters in each of the three main parties as well as punters are again looking at the numbers anxiously trying to decipher the outcome from the rise and fall in poll percentage in each of the 117 constituencies. The SAD-BJP alliance, AAP and Congress are claiming to form the government, with each one predicting to win between 62 and 75 seats. The exit polls, however, has given an edge to the Congress. A break-up of the polling percentage in different constituencies as well as the three regions Malwa, Doaba and Majha shows a drop in turnout in 76 constituencies this time as compared with the 2012 Assembly elections. Polling percentage usually increases whenever a major change in political establishment happens. It drops or remains static when the people do not foresee a change. In 41 constituencies of Malwa and Doaba (including 19 reserved segments), the poll percentage increased over the 2012 elections. Of the 19 reserved segments, 13 are in Malwa and six in Doaba. Theres chance of the ruling alliance not doing well in the crucial Malwa region, especially when AAP seemed to have a definite wave here ahead of the elections. Of the 41 seats, 28 are in Malwa. And of these 28 segments, 14 have Dera Sacha Sauda followers in huge numbers and 12 have AAP following. None of these 28 seats are in urban areas, with 15 being rural seats and 13 being semi-urban constituencies. Pramod Kumar, Director, Institute of Development and Communication, told The Tribune that the rise in vote percentage in constituencies with a strong dera influence showed that dera followers voted in huge numbers. Though the dera had announced its support to the SAD-BJP alliance, it remains to be seen how many of its followers did vote for the alliance. Given the voting trends, AAP appears to be evenly placed with the Congress which is expected to get a lead in Malwa as well as the Akali Dal, riding on the dera support, he said. In Majha, the poll percentage dropped in 14 seats out of 25 and increased in 11 segments. In Doaba, the poll percentage increased in just two segments Jalandhar West and Balachaur. Here the voting trends do not suggest a change. Capt confident of majority Chandigarh: State Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh has expressed confidence over his party forming the next government in the state. Reacting to the exit polls, Capt Amarinder said he was optimistic that his party would attain a majority with 62-65 seats in its kitty. The exit polls were merely indicative of the positive trend in favour of the Congress, but the actual results would be completely in favour of the party, he added. In a statement issued here today following the release of the exit polls, Capt Amarinder said the internal assessments indicated a sweeping majority for the party. The people of Punjab have voted for stability and development, which only the Congress was equipped to provide, said the PPCC president. The SAD-BJP was obviously headed for a washout in these polls with a huge pent-up resentment against their misrule having perceptibly translated into negative votes, said Capt Amarinder. He added that the people were evidently wary of experimenting with the AAP. TNS Kulwinder Sangha Mohali, march 9 A special court here today declared the accused in the Pathankot airbase terror attack case as proclaimed offenders (POs). The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had on December 19 last year filed a chargesheet accusing Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar, his brother Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar and handlers Shahid Latif and Kashif Jan of plotting the attack that left seven security personnel dead on January 2, 2016. NIA counsel Surinder Singh and ASP V Srivastava, appearing in the court today, said raids had been conducted at various places as part of efforts to arrest the accused. The court told the NIA team that these efforts should be intensified and, if needed, the assistance of Interpol be taken. The chargesheet had been filed in the court of Tarsem Mangla, Additional District and Sessions Judge here, levelling charges against the quartet under various sections of the IPC, the Explosive Substances Act, the Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The next date of hearing has been fixed for April 10. A CURIOUS error seems to have crept in to the Press communique issued by the United Provinces Government in regards to the use of kirpans by the Sikhs in that Province. The communique refers to kirpan as a sharp-edged quoit made of steel worn by the Sikhs. Now the quoit worn round the turban by Akali and some other Sikhs is no doubt one of the religious symbols of the Sikhs but it is not what is known as kirpan, at all events in this province. The latter is a small knife about five to eight inches in length usually carried by all Sikhs. This is evident from the report of cases which have been heard and decided in the Punjab courts. The Government recommended the exemption referred to which has been sanctioned by the Government of India, and it is not a little remarkable that the exact significance of the kirpan should have escaped attention in such official documents. Tribune News Service Dehradun, March 9 A joint team of the Special Operations Group (SOG) and the city police arrested an absconding criminal wanted in the Ankit Thapliyals murder case here yesterday. He has been identified as Akram. He was arrested after nearly a gap of two-and-a half years. The Uttarakhand police made several police teams to arrest the accused. They activated its sources and kept the cell phones of suspected individuals on surveillance. The police teams conducted raids in different cities of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to get lead in the case. Acting on a tip-off, the police arrested Akram from Muzaffarnagar. It was revealed during investigation that Akram took up a job at a roadside restaurant at Rajkot, Gujarat, after the incident. The police arrested Akram when he had visited Muzaffarnagar to meet his family members. It may be recalled that a group of six armed dacoits had entered in the house of Surendra Thapliyal, a resident of Vivek Vihar, on September 10, 2014. The dacoits made Thapliyal and his wife Anjani hostage and ransacked the house. Akram fired with point blank gun on Ankits chest when he resisted the dacoits. The dacoits immediately ran away from the spot after the incident. Family members and neighbours protested many times and demanded immediate arrest of the dacoits. The police had already arrested Nadeem from the Bhagwanpur area of Haridwar on September 28, and later arrested Sajid (Haridwar), Eklakh (Haridwar), Sajid Pahalwan (Saharanpur), and Shahzad (Bijnor). Akram was the only dacoit who was absconding since the incident. The murderer was sent to jail. Neena Sharma Tribune News Service Dehradun, March 9 Uttarakhand is battling with a shortage of psychiatrist and trained psychologists to handle rising cases of depression and other mental disorders. There are just 15 trained psychiatrists in five government hospitals and two private hospitals in Uttarakhand. Eleven private clinics in Uttarakhand do not fulfil the norms for treating patients suffering from mental diseases as these cannot function without bed facility for patients. The situation is grim in the state. There are a few psychiatrists to handle cases of depression and other mental disorders. The infrastructure too is ill-equipped as there are only 15 mental hospitals with beds to cater to the demands of patients, said Dr JS Bisht, psychiatrist, Doon Medical College. Significantly, the 11 private clinics in the state that are dealing with mental cases should have been shut long ago as they do not possess beds and hence do not fulfill the infrastructure criterion mentioned according to the Clinical Establishment Act that the Uttarakhand Government has accepted in principle, but failed to implement. The inequitable distribution of mental health resources means most of mental disorders, especially depression, remain hidden and surface only at a very later stage, said Dr Khagender Kumar, Chief Medical Superintendent Mental Hospital Institute, Selaqui. He said the Selaqui hospital with 30 beds receives patients from Himachal Pradesh as the condition in the neighbouring states too is not rosy as far as infrastructure is concerned. Dr Bisht said most persons with symptoms of depression were misdiagnosed as psychiatrists were not present at a primary stage. Symptoms of feeling sad for no reason for a long period often goes unnoticed but if adequate training is provided to physicians and other doctors, the problem can be handled with ease, he said. A research conducted by mental health expert, Kaaren Mathias, with the Emmanuel Hospital Association in India had also found gender inequality and social biases as the primary reasons for the occurrence of mental diseases. The Department of Health has prepared a training mental manual for government doctors to train them in preliminary diagnosis of the disease. This kind of module and training was long over do, we hope to start it in the coming months, at least it will help us in addressing the problem of shortage of psychiatrists, said Dr BS Rawat, Joint Director and former Chief Medical Superintendent of Selaqui Mental Hospital. Beirut, March 9 A US Marines artillery unit has been deployed to Syria in recent days to help local forces speed up efforts to defeat Islamic State at Raqqa and the campaign to isolate the city is going very, very well, the US-led coalition said on Thursday. Coalition spokesman US Air Force Colonel John Dorrian said the additional US forces would be working with local partners in Syria the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian Arab Coalition and would not have a front line role. The additional deployment comprises a total of 400 US forces both Marines and Army Rangers. It adds to around 500 US military personnel already in Syria, Dorrian said. The SDF, which includes the Kurdish YPG militia, is the main US partner in the war against IS insurgents in Syria. Since November it has been working with the US-led coalition to encircle Raqqa, IS key bastion in Syria. This week, the SDF cut the road between Raqqa and the jihadists stronghold of Deir al-Zor province - the last main road out of the city. Dorrian said the effort to isolate Raqqa was going very very well and could be completed in a few weeks. Reuters Putin hosts Netanyahu Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday for talks focusing on the situation in Syria and Israeli concerns about the role of Iran and its proxies there. Netanyahu praised Russias role in fighting the IS and other radical militants in Syria. At the same time, he raised strong concern about the presence of Iranian and Hezbollah forces in Syria. AP Kuala Lumpur: North Korea guaranteed the safety of Malaysians banned from leaving the country, the Malaysian Prime Minister said on Thursday, as two Malaysian working for the UNs World Food Programme left the isolated state in a possible sign that diplomatic tensions had begun to settle. Najib confirmed on Twitter that the two WFP staffers, Stella Lim and Nyanaprakash Muniandy, had left North Korea and reached Beijing. It was unclear why the pair, who according to a Malaysian government official held UN passports, had been allowed to go. North Korea had barred Malaysians from leaving the country on Tuesday, sparking tit-for-tat action by Malaysia as relations soured over its investigation into the murder last month of Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Reuters Los Angeles, March 9 Two women from the US Marine Corps, one still on active duty, came forward on Wednesday as victims of a clandestine all-male social media network of military personnel and veterans under investigation for sharing nude photos of female colleagues. The existence of a private Facebook group called Marines United and its surreptitious distribution of explicit images of women in the Armed Forces - often with obscene, misogynist commentary - came to light in published reports over the weekend. Initially uncovered by The War Horse, a nonprofit news site run by Marine veteran Thomas Brennan, the scandal was first reported on Saturday by the California-based Center for Investigative Reporting through its radio-podcast Reveal. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service has opened an inquiry into the matter and senior lawmakers on Capitol Hill immediately denounced the activity. The Marines top commander, General Robert Neller, weighed in with a videotaped rebuke on Tuesday, calling the disclosures an embarrassment to the corps. I dont think such behavior is that of true warriors, he said. On Wednesday two women identifying themselves as victims appeared with their Los Angeles-based attorney, Gloria Allred, urging others to come forward and calling on Neller to meet with victims in person. I can tell you that this exact behavior leads to the normalization of sexual harassment and even sexual violence, said Erika Butner, 23, who served in the Marines for four years before leaving the service last June. Butner said she learned months later that she was among numerous women from all branches of the military whose pictures were posted without permission to a shared digital drive and organized by name, rank and military base. In some cases, contact information was included, she said. She was accompanied by Marisa Woytek, an active-duty Marine who said in a written statement that while she was fully clothed and appropriately dressed in the photos posted of her, those images drew comments suggestive of sexual violence. Woytek told the New York Times the pictures were taken from her Instagram account without permission, and she was alerted by friends who sent her a screen shot. I love the Marine Corps, she said, but after seeing that, I wouldnt re-enlist. The U.S. Code of Military Justice explicitly outlaws distribution of sexually explicit photos of others without their consent as an offense punishable by court-marital. The Facebook group in question is reported to have nearly 30,000 followers, mostly active-duty U.S. Marines, Marine Corps veterans and British Royal Marines. CNN reported Wednesday that group members, rather than halting their network once exposed, moved to other pages with more restrictive access. The photo sharing, involving thousands of images, began weeks after the first Marine infantry unit was assigned women on Jan. 5, Reveal reported. Reuters The model GST draft bill allows maximum tax rate at 40 per cent even as the effective tax rates range between five and 28 per cent. The Congress has been demanding for a levy cap at 18 per cent. By Prabhash K Dutta: The second of leg of the Budget session of Parliament began today with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley expressing high hopes of the national goods and services tax (GST) bill getting nod of Parliament this time around. The Modi government is keen on rolling out the GST from July 1 this year. Parliament requires to give its consent on a slew of bills before the GST become a reality. advertisement READ| Budget Session 2017 LIVE: Hope for a breakthrough on GST, says PM Modi WHAT HAS BEEN DONE TILL NOW The constitutional amendment was made last year to enable formation of GST Council, comprising of the representatives from all the states, Union Territories and the Centre. The Union Finance Minister heads the Council. The GST Council has approved two draft bills, which will be presented in Parliament for their passage. These bills are the Central GST (C-GST) and the Integrated GST (I-GST). The GST Council will take up the remaining State GST (S-GST) and Union Territory-GST (UT-GST) during its next sitting on March 16. A farmer in Jammu: Small traders are apprehensive about how GST is going to impact their businesses. (Photo: AP) WHY SO MANY DIFFERENT BILLS The Constitution of India has given both the Centre and states the financial powers including those to levy taxes. The C-GST will be levied by the Centre on goods and services falling under its domain- currently levied under excise and services taxes. The I-GST will be levied on the supply of goods and services from one state to another. The S-GST will be levied by the states on the goods and services falling under their domain. The Bill for S-GST will have to be passed by each of the 29 state Assemblies. The Bills for C-GST and I-GST will have to be passed by Parliament before they could be rolled out. The UT-GST will be passed by the Assemblies of Delhi and Puducherry. This will also go the Parliament for approval. Picture for representation. As these bills are money bills, they can be sent for President's consent even if the Rajya Sabha votes against it. With the BJP have comfortable majority in the Lok Sabha, the passage of GST should not be a problem, but the provisions of the bills leave many sticking points, politically. STICKING POINTS FOR GST When GST was introduced as a concept, it was said that it would be one-nation, one-tax regime. When the details came out, it proposed taxes ranging from five per cent to 28 per cent. advertisement The effective GST rates have been kept at 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent. The model GST draft bill has a clause enabling the governments to levy up to 40 per cent tax (20 per cent by the Centre and 20 per cent by the states). The draft also provides for an additional levy of one per cent over and above the GST. Both the Centre and states can levy separately. GST is likely to give some respite to traders from multiple and confusing tax regimes. (Photo: AP) The Congress has objected to the capping tax rate. The largest Opposition party in the Lok Sabha has maintained that the maximum tax rate should be fixed at 18 per cent and that the law should have a clear mention about it. The Congress has also demanded that tobacco and petroleum products should also be included in the GST regime. The third sticking point for the Congress is its demand for an independent mechanism for resolution of disputes between the Centre and the states or among the states. The government has not agreed to these demands. ALSO WATCH: --- ENDS --- Photo via Port of Los Angeles Twitter Private and public transportation partners conducted a partially automated truck platooning demonstration in California Wednesday at the Los Angeles Port complex and along the Interstate 110 freeway. The Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control system on display offered a first-hand look at platooning technology in a real-world setting. Platooning technology has the potential to impact safety, transportation system capacity and emissions reductions, note demo organizers. In the demonstration, trucks used the technology to follow in closer proximity, using forward-looking sensors and vehicle-to-vehicle communication to maintain automated speed and spacing. CACC was developed by the University of California, Berkeley Partners for Advanced Transportation Technology (PATH), in coordination with Volvo Trucks of North America. Once again California is leading the nation in advanced technology, said Malcolm Dougherty, Caltrans director. Today we saw a demonstration of a truck technology that promises to improve Californias existing freight system by enhancing truck safety and increasing capacity on existing highways. The demonstration simulated real world conditions with three trucks driving 50 feet apart at 55 mph while hauling cargo containers, similar to those used at the port and at industrial centers throughout Los Angeles County. The demonstration also included vehicles cutting in front of the platooning trucks to demonstrate how the system can handle traffic. CACC is an enhanced version of Adaptive Cruise Control, capable of closer and more accurate control of the gap and differences between trucks than conventional ACC. In addition to improving fuel economy for the platooning vehicles, CACC could also reduce congestion and increase the capacity of dedicated truck lane facilities, according to CalTrans. Our technology planning and traffic simulation work suggests connected vehicle and truck platooning technologies may eventually facilitate the ability to operate up to 50% more trucks on these lanes essentially giving the capacity equivalent of a third lane of freeway in each direction, said Mark Jensen of Cambridge Systematics, a CACC partner. In the spring, PATH plans to test truck driver preferences among multiple gap settings on Bay Area freeways and simulate impacts on traffic and energy savings on the 710 corridor in Southern California. This technology will become available for use in the coming years, and when it does it should be embraced due to its numerous benefits, said Steve Shladover, PATH representative. Spot truckload freight volume jumped 17% for the week ending March 4 compared to the previous week while rates responded with the first week-over-week increase in national averages in more than a month, according to DAT Solutions and its network of load boards. Load-to-truck ratios were up sharply for all three equipment types: Vans: 2.9 loads per truck, up 25% Reefers: 5.7, up 30% Flatbed:: 34.6, up 19% Despite several weeks where freight volume was up 100% year-over-year, spot truckload rates have been depressed by the number of trucks contract carriers were putting onto the spot market, particularly in the Southwest and West, according to DAT. The overall number of available trucks fell 4% last week while the national average cost of diesel was unchanged at $2.58 per gallon. Outbound van load volume on the spot market increased 21% while truck posts closed the week down 4%. Prices rose on 56 of the top 100 van lanes last week, led by Memphis at $1.90 per mile, up 6 cents, and Atlanta, at $1.89 per mile up 4 cents. The national average van rate was up 4 cents to $1.66 per mile. In Chicago and Los Angeles, big increases in the number of available van loads this week may send rates higher, said DAT. After seven consecutive week-over-week declines, the national average reefer rate increased, picking up a penny to settle in at $1.88 per mile. The number of spot reefer load posts was up 24% against a 14% drop in the number of available trucks. One market to watch is Miami, where reefer volumes are surging perhaps because of an early growing season or imports from South America. Usually when theres an uptick in loads and rates out of Miami, it means that the inbound rate goes down, said DAT. However, that wasnt the case last week on the lane from Atlanta-Miami, which was up 15 cents to $2.58 per mile. Demand for flatbed trucks keeps building. Flatbed load posts increased 13% while truck posts fell 5% last week, which sent the flatbed load-to-truck ratio higher for the fifth week in a row. The national average flatbed rate was $2.02, up 6 cents. Flatbed rates improved in major markets and especially out of port cities like Los Angeles, at $2.24 per mile, up 7 cents, and Houston at $2.10 per mile up 6 cents. Other flatbed lanes with notable gains include: The situation has become so grave that, sources said, party chief Amit Shah too has been seized of the matter. By Siddhartha Rai: Not all is hunky dory in the BJP government in Haryana. Just half-way down the five-year term, almost 18 MLAs, mostly non-Jat, have risen in open rebellion against the government and already held four parleys with party workers and leaders. The situation has become so grave that, sources said, party chief Amit Shah too has been seized of the matter. "The party chief knows what is going on, but has put matters on hold till the conclusion of the crucial UP polls. He will take care of things after March 11," said a Haryana BJP leader. advertisement The MLAs, sources said, had risen against what they have accused as "nepotism, corruption and the mishandling of the Jat reservation issue apart from high-handedness of the bureaucracy" and also complained that they are "not heard" by the government, they "do not have any say". THE BONES OF CONTENTION Issues such as change of land use (CLUs), changes in Master Plan 2031, and charges of corruption around land use in Sector 75 and Gwal Pahari have also been bones of contention. Open rebellion, said one of the MLAs, was in the offing for some time as complaints against the state leadership had been conveyed earlier too, but with no result. State in-charge Anil Jain had gone on statewide consultation earlier in the wake of the plaints. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Chief Minister Manoharlal Khattar told Mail Today that while it could not be denied that there was rebellion in the ranks, it would soon be resolved as it was a matter within the "family". He, on the other hand, accused some of the rebels to be hobnobbing with the opposition, who the government accused of fishing in troubled waters of the BJP government. V SATISH IN CHARGE OF THE SITUATION "Some people get things, others don't. The latter are now making noise. It is fine and can be resolved within us, but hobnobbing with the opposition and giving them a chance to de-stabilise the government is wrong. Even today in the House, some of these rebelling MLAs accused some of their own brethren to be planting misleading news in press and colluding with the opposition. But we assure that good things will come out after March 16 meet," he said. The high command has put V Satish, joint general secretary (organisation) of the party, in charge of the situation. The senior party functionary would be sitting down BJP MLAs, MPs and party's state unit functionaries along with party's district presidents to take stock of the situation and listen to their views and grievances in Gurugram on March 15. ALSO READ | Haryana CM Khattar: Strict action against protesters (Jats) if they indulge in violence Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Gurgaon traffic jam's latest victim --- ENDS --- By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 9 (PTI) The Delhi High Court today allowed three power companies to withdraw their bids for coal blocks and asked the Centre to refund their bid security without any penalty. The court gave the direction saying the companies had not been informed about the cap on fixed charge component of electricity rate prior to the auction. advertisement A bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva said that had the government informed the companies about the cap on fixed charge prior to the auction, it would have impacted the bidding and the viability of the coal mines as the economics would have changed. The fixed charge component includes depreciation, return on equity, interest on loan, operation and management costs and interest on working capital. The companies, Monnet Power, Mandakini Exploration and Jaiprakash Power Ventures, had challenged the Ministry of Powers April 15, 2015, decision to put a cap on the fixed charge component of electricity tariff generated by companies which were declared as the successful bidders for the coal mines earmarked for the power sector. The companies had also sought an alternative relief, that they be allowed to withdraw their bids and their bid security be refunded. The bench said that the tender conditions for the auction of the mines made clear stipulations with regard to energy charges and what could be passed through and what could not. "But, the tender conditions were silent on fixed charges. Therefore, it would not be unreasonable to assume that when the petitioners made their bids in the auction, they would not have contemplated that the fixed charges/capacity charges would be subjected to a ceiling or a cap. "It would, therefore, not be wrong to observe that had the tender condition clearly indicated that there would be or could be a ceiling on fixed charges/capacity charges, the bids might have been entirely different as the economics would have changed," the court said. The bench said that in its view the companies were not aware, prior to placing of the bid, that there would be a cap on the fixed charge component, so they "would be entitled to the alternative prayer of withdrawing from the bids and for refund of the bid security without any penalty". PTI HMP PPS RT --- ENDS --- A former Tulsa probate attorney was sentenced Thursday to a 41-month prison term for taking nearly $600,000 from a dozen estates he administered. Chief U.S. District Judge Gregory Frizzell ordered Christopher Ivor Mansfield, 38, to also pay back most of the $587,030 he had taken during a three-year period ending in October 2015. Mansfield pleaded guilty earlier to bank fraud and unlawful monetary transaction related to the thefts. Prosecutors had sought a 51-month prison term, which was the maximum recommended by sentencing guidelines. Federal statutes provided for up to 30 years in prison. Mansfield had hoped to be sentenced to no prison time, but rather a term of supervised release. However, prosecutors said Mansfield hurt several families and tarnished the legal profession when he embezzled the money to pay for personal expenses and fuel a heavy cocaine habit. U.S. Attorney Danny Williams urged Frizzell to give Mansfield the 51-month prison term, saying his actions eroded the trust of the public. Mansfield apologized for his actions, adding that he deserved to be punished. I have earned their disgust and their anger, Mansfield said, referring to those whose deceased family members estates he administered as an officer for Tulsa District Court. I cannot imagine the pain that Ive caused them, he said. A failed marriage helped spur what was described as a 3-gram-per-day cocaine habit, evidence introduced during the sentencing hearing indicated. Nobody forced me to start using drugs, your honor, Mansfield said. Life threw me a curveball and I didnt deal with it the right way; that is 100 percent on me. Mansfield said since undergoing inpatient drug treatment, he has been clean for 523 consecutive days. After Mansfields comments, Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles McLoughlin told the judge the court had just seen a replay of the movie that occurred earlier when Manfield addressed an Oklahoma Bar Association tribunal that was considering sanctioning him over a much smaller amount of diverted client funds. That was in 2014 when he was busily stealing $600,000, McLoughlin said, adding that Mansfield used the money for buying drugs and having a good time. He shouldnt be able to charm his way out of this situation, McLoughlin said. Several members of family estates affected by Mansfields thefts told Frizzell how his actions had a negative impact on their lives. Part of Mansfields scheme involved taking $404,622 from the estate of Robert and Maralene Waller. Vanesa Masucci, a daughter of the Wallers, told Frizzell that she didnt believe Mansfield was sorry for what he did, noting that her familys share of the estate was to help send her son to college. That money was for his education, Masucci said. David Cox, a family member of the Elizabeth Cox estate, which was administered by Mansfield, said he doubted that the attorney would change. He will always just be ungrateful to people, Cox said. Everything he says is an act. In addition to the prison term, Frizzell ordered Mansfield to serve five years of post-custody supervised release. While Mansfield agreed to repay $587,030 to the victims, Frizzell noted that his order would be about $50,000 less because representatives of three estates had not been in contact with federal officials. Defense attorneys noted that malpractice insurance may pay for all or a portion of the total amount lost, although to date only about $10,000 has been repaid. Prosecutors charged Mansfield with a two-count information on Sept. 28. In requesting a lighter sentence, Mansfield said his troubles began with a failed marriage and were exacerbated by continuing problems with visitation of his child, which he blamed on his wife. In requesting probation, Mansfield cited a desire to start working so he can repay the remaining restitution. However, McLoughlin noted in a court filing that the government opposed supervised release because Mansfield would likely take a long time to pay back the funds anyway. Mansfield cannot be trusted to keep his promise to repay his victims, McLoughlin wrote in a court filing. Rather, Mansfield would like have only minimum wage jobs which would provide no opportunity to put any kind of dent in the approximately $600,000 restitution order, McLoughlin wrote. Mansfield was slow to stop his fraudulent ways, McLoughlin said, noting that the attorney lost his law license for 18 months after admitting to the theft of about $45,000 from one estate prior to December 2012. Obviously Mansfield was not deterred from future embezzlements by the Supreme Courts 18-month suspension of his (Oklahoma Bar Association) license, most of his crimes occurred after he was charged by the OBA in January 2014, according to McLoughlin wrote in a pleading. McLoughlin said one of the estates Mansfield handled inappropriately was that of a retired sanitation worker who worked all his life, saving what he could for his family. My granddad worked hard for everything he had, said one unidentified family member in a letter to Frizzell. A retired garbageman, that is an income of poverty. Frizzell ordered Mansfield to surrender to the designated federal prison facility by April 20 to begin serving his sentence. By Press Trust of India: Chennai, Mar 8 (PTI) The Madras High Court today dismissed as abated an election petition filed against former chief minister J Jayalalithaa in view of her demise. Justice M Duraiswamy dismissed the petition filed by G Pravina, who unsuccessfully fought as an Independent candidate in the May 16 Assembly elections from R K Nagar constituency from where Jayalalithaa had won. advertisement The petitioner had sought that Jayalalithaas election be declared "null and void" alleging that she was not even allowed to campaign in the constituency. When the matter came up for hearing today, counsel for Jayalalithaa informed the court about her death following which the judge dismissed the election petition as abated. Jayalalithaa died of a cardiac arrest on December 5 after a prolonged hospitalisation. PTI CORR VS ZMN DK --- ENDS --- Radio commentator Steve Price fought back tears after being eliminated from Im a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. The 2GB host and regular on The Project turned emotional after seeing a video montage of his time on the series and called upon radio sponsors to donate to his chosen charity, Beanies for Brain Cancer, initiated by Carrie Bickmore. With nearly six weeks of his grumpy cat demeanour, Price managed proved to be one of the surprise participants on the show, especially with his jungle radio interviews. But he clashed with others including The Bachelors Keira Maguire, while others tested his temperament. But Price was clearly hoping to reset audience perceptions of him in agreeing to go on the show -and it appeared to work- outlasting others including Hollywood comedian Tom Arnold by weeks. The final four on the show are favourite Casey Donovan, Nazeem Hussain, Natalie Bassingthwaighte and Dane Swan, with one more to be ejected on Sunday night. A winner will be announced on Monday. By Press Trust of India: Ahmedabad, Mar 9 (PTI) The Gujarat High Court today reserved its order on a plea seeking compensation to the Surat hooch tragedy victims after the government refused payout on the ground that consuming liquor is a punishable offence in the dry state. A Division Bench of Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy and Justice V M Pancholi reserved the order after hearing submissions made by the two parties. advertisement The government insisted that the question of compensation does not arise because as per the prohibition law, consuming liquor is a punishable act and providing financial help to the victims will tantamount to encouraging the offence. The government said it has already taken action against those responsible for the tragedy and suspended police personnel for negligence of duty and transferred some other officials. Also, seven accused were arrested. The petition was filed by one Chagan Mewada, who had sought compensation for those who had died after drinking hooch, saying they were poor people. As many as 26 people had died after consuming adulterated liquor in September last year in Surat. PTI KA PD RSY SMJ --- ENDS --- On the outskirts of Aleppo, the shrieks and laughter of young children at play ring out from a schoolyard behind a long row of concrete storage units that serve as temporary shelters for Syrians displaced by the countrys long-running conflict. Standing off to one side and watching the other children is Wafaa Keyari, an eight-year-old girl from the battered Sakhour district of eastern Aleppo. Wafaa doesnt spend much time with the other children because of the way she looks. An explosion two years ago destroyed her home and severely burned her body and face. We had a gas cylinder in our home, she explains. When the house was shelled, the gas cylinder exploded. I was next to it. My father and I got burned and a man died. "When the house was shelled, the gas cylinder exploded. I was next to it." Wafaa has thus far survived the brutal war in Syria, which is now approaching a tragic sixth anniversary. Alongside the hundreds of thousands killed or maimed in the fighting, 4.9 million people have sought refuge in neighbouring countries and a further 6.3 million have been displaced within Syrias borders. Wearing a bright purple scarf and a green woolen hat that hides the scars on her scalp, Wafaa smiles shyly and bobs up and down as she describes the immediate aftermath of the explosion. Syria: A young girl scarred by war I was taken to hospital. I was awake and they treated me, she recalls. You know I was wearing wool clothes, like the ones I am wearing now, they got stuck to me. When they took me to the hospital, they were pulling them off my skin. It hurt so much, they didnt even use anesthetic they just pulled it off. Homeless, Wafaa, her parents and seven older siblings went to live with nearby relatives in east Aleppo. But as the four-year battle for Syrias second city reached its destructive climax at the end of last year, the family fled in search of safety and came to the shelter in western Aleppo where they have lived for the past four months. The historic city is calm for now, following a truce that saw the evacuation of armed groups and citizens trapped in conflict areas. But years of conflict have changed it beyond recognition. Of the estimated 4 million former inhabitants of the city, fewer than 1.5 million remain. Thousands died, and many more are now refugees abroad. Wafaa and her family are among 400,000 people displaced within the city. Wafaa talks to her father outside the temporary shelter they share with other displaced Syrians. The burns on her face and body resulted from an explosion that destroyed her home. UNHCR Wafaa plays music in a classroom at the temporary shelter, where she has finally been able to start her education and attend school for the first time. UNHCR Wafaa, in blue, sits with her classmates, who have all been displaced by six years of war in Syria. UNHCR On a recent visit there, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi was shocked by the level of destruction. There is very little that one can say these ruins speak by themselves, he said. When you see childrens clothes hanging out of windows, kitchens cut in half by shells and rockets, real lives of people interrupted by war as it was happening I think this will weigh very heavily on the conscience of the world for generations. Around 40 per cent of the city is destroyed beyond repair, and many other parts of Syria have suffered a similar fate. Twelve of the 18 neighborhoods in the city of Homs now form an apocalyptic landscape of flattened, bullet-ridden tower blocks and houses. They are devoid of any sign of life beyond the sounds of birds and the green shoots of plants beginning to grow out of the rubble. I think this will weigh very heavily on the conscience of the world for generations. We must think that there are people here, some are returning to these ruins who need help, immediate help, Grandi said. They are cold, they are hungry, they need to work to earn some money. They need the elementary things of life. With no home to return to, Wafaas family must remain in their temporary shelter for now, surviving on the aid they receive from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and NGO partners. Despite everything, there is one bright spot for Wafaa. Fighting in Aleppo prevented her from starting school, but now she is enrolled in classes set up by NGOs at the shelter. In the past month, Wafaa has also been to see doctors in Damascus, who are considering plastic surgery to repair some of the scarring. How much they can do is uncertain, but Wafaa is excited by the mere possibility. I want to get better, and be happy in life and not be in need of anything, she says. Wafaa says she still remembers how she used to look before the explosion. Asked whether the incident had changed her at all, she paused for a moment before replying with a smile: No. I am still the same nice girl. Syrian refugee Nasreen Ahmed Sweii poses in Tripoli, in North Lebanon, in this March 2014 portrait. She fled her family home in Homs, Syria, with her four children after her husband was killed. UNHCR/Lynsey Addario GENEVA As the world prepares to mark yet another tragic milestone in the brutal Syrian conflict, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, urges the international community to redouble its generous support to help offset the continued, intense suffering of millions of innocent civilians in the country and the region. Syria is at a crossroads, said Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Unless drastic measures are taken to shore up peace and security for Syria, the situation will worsen. In Syria, 13.5 million need humanitarian aid; 6.3 million are displaced internally; hundreds of thousands have made perilous sea voyages seeking sanctuary; nearly 3 million Syrians under 5 have grown up knowing nothing but conflict; and 4.9 million the majority women and children are refugees in neighbouring states, placing host communities under huge strain as they shoulder the social, economic and political fallout. Ultimately, Syrias conflict isnt about numbers its about people, Grandi added. Families have been torn apart, innocent civilians killed, houses destroyed, businesses and livelihoods shattered. Its a collective failure. This year and beyond, UNHCR will continue to provide aid and protection to the victims, in Syria and the region. UNHCR, with partners, has been providing life-saving help for millions. In 2016, over 1 million Syrians received winter assistance essentials to help keep people alive in sub-zero temperatures. Last year, over 4 million people within Syria received basic relief items like food, medicine, bedding and utensils. Over 2 million benefitted from UNHCRs network of community centres in Syria, providing services including child protection, education and health. Within the region, over 3 million displaced Syrians and refugees received assistance to help survive a bitterly cold winter. UNHCR and partners have helped nearly five million Syrian refugees and those hosting them with a range of protection and assistance including education, healthcare and shelter in the five major refugee hosting countries in the region. As vulnerabilities increase over time, funding is, unfortunately, lagging behind needs. A conference in Brussels in early April will assess the countrys future, including humanitarian funding requirements. The UN is requesting $8 billion this year to meet Syrians needs at home and in exile. This follows important commitments made at the 2016 London Conference, especially on education and livelihoods, and it is essential that these efforts are sustained. We urge donors to maintain adequate, flexible funding to allow us to respond to the enormous needs, Grandi said. Funding wont end the suffering. But it is one thing we can do as poverty and misery intensify. The resources currently available simply dont come close to meeting all the challenges. UNHCR hopes that the recent peace initiatives will pave the way to a lasting and sustainable resolution. Peace talks alone wont create the conditions on the ground for refugees to be able to return, Grandi added. But once the basic elements for durable peace and security are in place, we should anticipate the largest reconstruction effort in a generation. In the meantime, it's essential that the lifeline provided by humanitarian aid is maintained, and humanitarian access expanded to enable life-saving support for all those in need. A package of UNHCR photos and videos for the sixth anniversary of the war can be accessed here. (login required) Contacts: By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 9 (PTI) The Delhi High Court today upheld the governments decision to cancel the bid of Jindal Power Ltd (JPL) for three Chhattisgarh coal mines by annulling the tender process, saying the Coal Ministrys view that fair value was not achieved cannot be faulted. A bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva, however, did not uphold allotment of the Gare Palma IV/2 and IV/3 mines to Coal India Ltd (CIL), saying the blocks were given to it only as a "stop gap measure". advertisement The court left it open to the government to take a decision within six weeks as to whether the the two mines should be put up for re-auction or be allotted to CIL or any other public sector corporation. The ruling came while dismissing JPLs pleas challenging the ministrys March 20, 2015 decision cancelling its bids for the two Gare Palma mines and Tara coal block in Chhattisgarh. The court said, "The view taken by the government that the bid of JPL for the Gare Palma coal mines and Tara coal mine did not reflect a fair value cannot be regarded as unreasonable, arbitrary or whimsical". It also did not accept JPLs arguments that each coal mine has to be considered in isolation and cannot be compared as there are inherent differences with regard to variation in extractable reserves, quality of coal, the terrain etc., and said, "The decision of the respondents (the ministry and its nominated authority) cannot be faulted". The bench said that as as long as the view taken by the ministry was backed by reason, "even if we had a different view, we cannot substitute our view for that of the government". "As such, the decision not to declare JPL as the successful bidder cannot be interfered with," it said. On allotment of the gare palma mines to CIL, the bench said it was "a stop gap measure" which was taken to maintain coal production as the ministry was left with no other viable option at that point of time. "In our view, since the allotment of the coal mine was made to Coal India Limited in order to override an emergency situation, it cannot be regarded as a long-term allotment. Therefore, we confirm our interim order and record that Coal India Limited would function as a designated custodian," the bench said. PTI HMP PPS SK --- ENDS --- Apologies, it seems we cant find what you were looking for. The content has either moved or no longer exists. Maybe try a search By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 9 (PTI) The Delhi High Court today upheld the Centres 2014 Coal Ordinance provisions on determination of compensation payable to allottees who lost out in the 2015 coal mine auctions towards mining infrastructure and land. A bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva, however, laid down how the provisions ought to be interpreted and how the compensation should be calculated so that they do not violate the Constitutional protections of equality, right to carry on business and right to property. advertisement The court said that if the compensation was not computed in the manner indicated by it, then the companies can raise the issue before the tribunal set up under the ordinance. The courts ruling came on pleas of GVK Power (Goindwal Sahib) Ltd, Jayaswal Neco Industries Ltd, Jindal Power Ltd, Jindal Steel and Power Ltd and several other similar companies who have alleged under-compensation by the government for their mining infrastructure and land. The petitions were filed by the companies whose coal block allocations were cancelled by the Supreme Court in 2014. These firms took part in the subsequent auction, which were conducted in 2015 as per the ordinance, and could not succeed to hold on to their mines. The bench said that under the ordinance, quantum of compensation was fixed to be the amount in the registered sale deeds along with simple interest of 12 per cent from date of acquisition by prior allotee till date of issuance of the order vesting the land in the successful bidder. The court said fixing a rigid formula of the value of the land as per the historical value given in the sale deeds together with 12 per cent simple interest may operate unfairly against the prior allottee and to the benefit of the successful bidder. Instead, it suggested that the amount in the sale deed along with the interest be made the benchmark and if the prior allottee was able to show that fair market value of land was more than the benchmark figure, when vesting order was issued, then the company ought to be entitled to the higher amount. "The point being that the successful bidder ought not to get the land for a song and, that too, at the expense of the prior allottee," the bench said. (More) PTI HMP PPS SJK ZMN --- ENDS --- The increase in the cost of higher education all over the country has been going up and it has been unstoppable. More and more low income students just find it difficult to get into college, or at least finish their major and obtain a degree. But a student from Concord High School has just figured a brilliant way to pay for his college. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the total costs of tuition, room and board was roughly at $16,188 at public institutions, for the academic year 2014-15; $41,970 at private nonprofit institutions, and $23,372 at private for-profit institutions. This only means that attending college is equivalent to a great deal of money especially for those who cannot afford it like Gabe Harley. Harley, a graduate from Concord, was raised by his 70 year old grandmother Marianne Lundy who has used up her retirement account to pay for Harley's first two years at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, according to Delaware Online. She retire early because she had to take care of her sick mother, and that means no one was going to pay for Harley's college. Just as when Harley almost gave up on the thought of finishing college, his friend was able to come up with a solution. Harley started with a fundraising account. He said that he was uncomfortable with the idea at first but did it anyway as it was the only way he could finish college. At present, Harley is not the only one who turns to online fundraising to gather funds for their education. One of the most popular platforms now is the GoFundMe which allows people to raise money for any event or any challenging situations. Harley was able to raise a total of $6,700 which was enough to pay for one semester in college, then a local family whose daughter sang with Gabe in the Wilmington Children's Chorus, paid for his second semester. The ability to effectively conduct Google searches is one of the most important skills that 21st century students should have. The information that students can gather from the internet is essential in their learning as well as education. And because the internet is a pool of all types and kinds of information, its users should be how to effectively utilize the tool to maximize its purpose especially in research and other educational purposes. So here are a few tips to make your search more efficient. Be specific with your searches To be able to find the article you are looking for, you have to be very specific, and according to LifeHacker, you must be specific not just with the phrase, but also with the author's name if you have it; or you can type intitle(word) to find the word in the title you are looking for. Increase the possible results by using an asterisk (*) According to CampusTalkBlog, using an asterisk will broade man your search and will suggest the results that you could be looking for. Be specific with the format of the document you are looking for What you can do is type filetype: then put in the format style, for example jpg for images and docs or pdf for other files. Search for related articles To be able to bring up more related searches, use "related:" to be able to locate similar sites. This will help you discover other websites that could cover other bases for your research. Limit search results If there are certain sources that you do not want to show, you can use the minus sign (-) to exclude the search results from a specific site. If you also want to find a range of numbers like dates, or measurements, you can use two periods (..) to set the range. Nvidia in GDC 2017 keynote announced that it will be offering significant GeForce GTX 1080 and GTX 1070 price cuts which already went live yesterday. There are now custom models of the GTX 1080 and GTX 1070 that come pre-bundled with a GeForce game with prices ranging from $499.99 to $599.99 for the top-tier chip and $369.99 to $399.99 for the mid-range. Enthusiasts and high-end gamers will have much to celebrate with the GeForce GTX 1080 price cuts as the high-end chips become more affordable at $499 from original $599 price. The card was launched in May 2016 using the GP104 GPU with 2560 CUDA and leveraging on NVIDIA's FinFET architecture for extreme overclocking as demonstrated in its launching. The GTX 1080 has 8GB of the next-generation and faster GDDR5X memory across 256-bit bus with a boost of over 352 GB/s as compared to its 320 GB/s when it first shipped. The GeForce GTX 1080 price cuts are now featured and available in Newegg and Amazon with pre-bundled games like the "Ghost Recon: Wildlands" or "For Honor" according to wccftech. Newegg offers the best deals like the MSI GTX 1080 DUKE OC 8GB 1847 MHz Boost with GeForce game bundle for $499.99 or Gigabyte's GTX 1080 Turbo OC 8GB 1797 MHz Boost with GeForce game bundle for the same price. Also at Newegg is the EVGA GTX 1080 FTW Hybrid 8GB 1860 MHz Boost with game bundle for $589.99 while the Aorus GTX 1080 Extreme OC 8GB 1936 MHz Boost with game bundle is at $599.99. Amazon sells the ZOTAC GTX 1080 AMP! Edition 8GB 1822 MHz Boost with GeForce game bundle for $549.99. NVIDIA also offers not only the GeForce GTX 1080 price cuts but also the GTX 1070 now only $349 from the original price of $379. The GTX 1070 ranks high in performance-to-price ratio with a competitive price for a card that is deemed faster than the flagship product of rivals. Gamers may now experience 1440p gaming using advanced Visual Quality and 8GB of GDDR5 memory. Amazon is now selling the Gigabyte GTX 1070 Windforce 8GB 1771 MHz Boost with GeForce game bundle or the Gigabyte GTX 1070 Mini OC 8GB 1746 with GeForce game bundle for only $369.99 each. Incidentally, the GeForce GTX 1080 price cuts in the U.K. are also bringing significant impact to the PC gaming market despite the weakness of the pound according to Hexus. Several e-tailers like SCAN, Aria, OCUK, eBuyer, Box, Novatech and Amazon offer custom models by third-party manufacturers for less than 500. Asus Strix graphics cards like the 1080 Advanced A8G Gaming is now only 579 when last week it was priced from 669 to 699. Moreover, Asus is currently having the 50 Cashback promotion for U.K. purchases starting from March 6 to 31 but only available from participating resellers listed here making the Asus Strix card available for only 529. Thousands of college students participated in A Day Without a Woman Strike which was held yesterday, March 8. The said event was organized by the group behind the successful Women's March. The strike correspond with the celebration of International Women's Day, which called for women to do any of the following to show participation including taking a day off work, avoid shopping or spending or to wear something red in solidarity, College USA Today reported. While the college students could not call off work, they were instead encouraged to take a class off. In TeenVogue, young women explained their own reasons why they chose to join. One student, Maya Brown-Edwards of Lincoln University of Missouri shared that she appreciates the contributions that women made in the society, which is why she proudly wore red on March 8 strike and also took a stand that she will not shop on the same day. According to Madison Thomas, the National Coordinator for College Engagement for the Women's March, students from a total of 275 colleges have joined for the #DayWithoutAWoman, and that tens of thousands have participated in some way. Many students have wished to join but could not make it due to midterms this week but they have planned to celebrate in their own way like wearing red, educating their peers and attending the protests. The march, according to the organizers, ultimately aims to recognize the value that women of all backgrounds add to the nation's socio-economic system, despite receiving lower salaries or wages, experiencing inequalities in the society, being vulnerable to discrimination, sexual harassment and job insecurity. They also added that that recognize that trans and gender conforming people have faced high levels of discrimination, political targeting and social oppression and that they believe in gender justice. U.S. News has released its annual lists of best countries around the world in different categories. The selection underwent a long list of metrics and other factors. For the list of the best countries for women, the organization based some of the criteria on peace and prosperity and gender equality among other things. Here are the Top 5 best countries for women. Sweden Sweden beat all of the countries when it comes to how women are treated fairly. According to the Swedish government, gender equality is one of the cornerstones of the Swedish society. It is evident in the policies and laws where both parents are given three months of parental leave. In the education system, almost two-thirds of the university degrees are given to women. The country's Discrimination Act requires employers to promote equality between men and women while pursuing their specific business goals. Denmark According to the website of Denmark's Department of Education, gender equality is necessary for economic growth as well as the full enjoyment of human rights. Such principles are seen in every fiber of Denmark's society where women are given equal rights in health care, education, employment, and other things. According to expats who have lived in Denmark, it is common to see fathers taking care of their babies during their parental leave while women go to work and pursue their career. Norway Norway comes third on the list and like all other Nordic countries, their policies on gender equality are to be admired. Some of the steps to promote this include equal access to higher education and the labor market. Both men and women in Norway has equal levels of education. The government also provides care arrangements for children as both parents pursue their own careers. Netherlands The Netherlands' Emancipation Act ensures that both men and women have equal rights to salaries, employment, health care, and their private life. Canada Despite the protests occurring in Canada about gender inequality, the nation comes in fifth as one of the best countries for women. The country has a number of programs and initiatives that promote equality between men and women not only in terms of education and employment but also in health care, human rights, and other aspects. The number of tourists visiting Kuthibari will also increase as a result. Signing of agreement between India and Bangladesh By Sahidul Hasan Khokon: India and Bangladesh have signed a financial agreement for construction of a Rabindra Bhaban at the Kuthibari complex in Kushtia's Shilaidaha. The estimated cost of the project is Tk 181.7 million. Economic Relation Development's senior secretary Kazi Shofiqul Azam signed the agreement paper on behalf of Bangladesh while Indian High Commissioner Harsh Vardhan Shringla signed for India. advertisement Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor told the media that several establishments including a Rabindranath Tagore Memorial Complex will be constructed with funds of the Indian government. The number of tourists visiting Kuthibari will also increase as a result. The Indian High Commissioner told reporters that the treaty will strengthen India-Bangladesh ties and cultural engagement. He also said that this is the symbol of good relations between India and Bangladesh. Also read: High alert on Indo-Bangladesh border, West Bengal after blast in Malda Bangladesh government bans extremist organization Ansar al-Islam Bangladesh officially recognises Kosovo as independent state Also watch: Watch how fake currency notes are smuggled across the Indo-Bangladesh border --- ENDS --- By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 9 (PTI) India and Belgium today signed an agreement amending the bilateral tax treaty to curb evasion and also enable mutual assistance in tax collection. India and Belgium have signed a protocol amending the existing agreement and protocol between the two countries for avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income, a finance ministry statement said. advertisement "The protocol will broaden the scope of the existing framework of exchange of tax related information. This in turn will help curb tax evasion and tax avoidance between the two countries and will also enable mutual assistance in collection of taxes," it said. The protocol was signed by CBDT Chairman Sushil Chandra and Belgium Ambassador to India Jan Luykx. Fighting the menace of black money stashed in offshore accounts has been a key priority area for the government and to this effect India has either signed or amended tax treaties with various jurisdictions. During the financial year 2016-17, tax treaties have been amended for the exchange of information with Switzerland, Mauritius, Cyprus, Japan, Republic of Korea, Kazakhstan, Singapore and Austria. PTI JD BKS BAL --- ENDS --- UW Accepts Comment on Program Fees Proposal The University of Wyoming is accepting public comment on a proposal to institute cost-based fees for academic programs. The proposal, which is detailed online at www.uwyo.edu/president/budget_planning/rec/index.html, would directly help UW students through enhanced advising, career preparation, assurance of course availability and other student services. People who would like to comment on the plan may do so on that webpage; the deadline for comments is Monday, March 20. Crafted by a subcommittee appointed by President Laurie Nichols, the proposal was discussed with UW students during a series of town-hall sessions on campus last fall, and student comments were solicited online this spring. Following the public comment period and potential revision, a program fees proposal is scheduled to be presented to the UW Board of Trustees for action at its March 22-24 meeting. These program fees would directly benefit our students, assuring that the university continues to provide an outstanding education even during a time of declining state resources, UW Provost Kate Miller says. Though the fees would be an additional cost for students, we believe they actually will improve the value students receive per dollar spent above the already excellent value UW students currently receive. The proposal was drafted in response to the revenue challenges the university faces and is meant to ensure the quality of programs at UW is maintained while expanding student services. Revenues from the program fees would stay with each academic unit to cover program requirements, and new revenues would ensure course availability and improve advising, career student services and instruction. Ultimately, the proposal aims to improve retention, career readiness and time to graduation for UW students, while keeping the universitys tuition and fees among the lowest of public universities across the country. Under the proposal, student fees would be assessed above the standard tuition rate based upon the cost of individual academic programs -- and the earnings those degrees provide for students upon graduation. The fees would range from $10 per credit-hour for students in the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, to $69 per credit-hour in the College of Engineering and Applied Science. Additional fees would be assessed for a limited number of specific high-cost programs. On average, the cost of tuition and fees for in-state students would rise by $738 annually. Increases in the overall cost of a four-year degree would range from $1,422 for English majors to $6,297 for mechanical engineers. This proposal recognizes the different wages earned by our graduates, along with the varying costs of each academic program, says Rob Godby, the UW Department of Economics professor who chaired the subcommittee that crafted the plan. Program fees provide a mechanism to more closely tie the true cost of education to the students most likely to benefit from a course of study, and to hold our academic units accountable to students for the quality of their education. With revenues from the program fees staying with each academic unit, students would benefit directly from the fees they pay -- particularly in the areas of advising and career placement. The revenues would not be used to supplement faculty research, salaries or other activities. For example, the College of Engineering and Applied Science would use its program fee revenues to fund an internship/career placement professional; additional student advisers; communications instructors; professors of practice to support laboratory maintenance and senior design instruction; support of instructional laboratories; and other student-focused uses. Spending on a portion of the colleges revenues would be guided by a committee of students toward activities in support of the colleges undergraduate educational mission. We are excited about what these program fees will do to assist us in our efforts to deliver a Tier-1 educational experience to our students, including internship opportunities, and in preparing them for outstanding careers, says Michael Pishko, dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science. The additional expense will be more than worth it to our students, while keeping our cost of attendance extremely competitive with our peers. Other examples of how program fee revenues would be used: -- Additional advisers would be hired, and a central advising center would be created, for students in the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources -- while all colleges would expand advising, career and placement services for students. -- All colleges would implement seat guarantees, ensuring that if high-demand class sections necessary for students programs of study are filled, new sections would be opened to avoid delays in students taking those classes. -- Student communications and math assistance centers would be created and maintained for all students across campus. -- The College of Businesss communications studio for students would reopen. Currently, in addition to mandatory student fees for services such as the Wyoming Union and the Student Health Service, UW assesses a variety of academic course and program fees -- 11 separate undergraduate fees, at least 86 course fees, and more than 40 fees for course or program activities and other charges. The proposed program fees would replace most of the existing academic fees with a simpler and comprehensive framework to allow students to better understand the costs of attending UW. Godby notes that the vast majority of UWs peer institutions assess program fees, most much higher than those proposed for UW. Thats in addition to tuition rates at those institutions, which also far exceed UWs. In fact, if the program fees are approved by the universitys Board of Trustees, UWs tuition and fees would still be 51 percent lower than the average of UWs 11 nearest-peer schools based on current tuition rates, and UW would remain the lowest-cost doctoral institution in the country. The university has been incredibly fortunate in receiving strong support from the state, which has allowed us to provide excellent educational opportunities at a very low cost to students, Miller says. Challenging times need not undermine the universitys commitment to quality, accessible and affordable higher education. That is what the program fee proposal would help us accomplish. Frequently asked questions and answers about UWs academic program fee proposal: Why are the fees being proposed? To help the university maintain programs of the highest quality for students; and to improve student retention, time to graduation and career readiness. How much will they cost students? For students in the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, $10 per credit-hour; the College of Health Sciences, $12; the College of Business and the College of Education, $45; the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, $48; and the College of Engineering and Applied Science, $48. Additional fees would be charged for a limited number of high-cost programs. Increases in the overall cost of a four-year degree would range from $1,422 for English majors to $6,297 for mechanical engineers. Why not just increase tuition uniformly? Program fees are the fairest means to distribute the financial burden to students, allocating program costs through a user pay principle. The UW Board of Trustees could still consider a regular tuition increase separately from the fee proposal. On what basis were the different fee levels determined? The program fees were developed on the basis of cost of delivery, student demand and the varying value of graduates degrees. Would the program fees make UW more expensive than its competitors? No. UW would still be the lowest-cost doctoral institution in the country, with tuition and fees still 51 percent lower than the average of its 11 nearest-peer schools. How would program fees affect the cost of attendance and financial aid? Undergraduate students are awarded financial aid with a standard cost of attendance based on 15 credit-hours per semester, plus mandatory full-time fees. Additional costs, including program and course fees, may be included in the cost of attendance on an individual basis after consultation with the Student Financial Aid Office. What would revenues from the program fees be used for? The fee revenues would stay with the individual academic units to go toward enhanced advising, career preparation, assurance of course availability and other student services. What about existing student fees? Mandatory fees assessed for all students would continue, but the new academic program fees would largely replace the dozens of program and course fees currently assessed. When would the new program fees go into effect? The proposal set to go before the Board of Trustees calls for the new program fees to be assessed beginning with the fall 2017 semester. When would students see the benefits of the program fees they pay? Students would see the new services and instructional benefits beginning when the new fees start, in the fall 2017 semester. Wyoming Secretary of State to Meet with MBA Students at UW Wyoming Secretary of State Ed Murray will meet with Master of Business Administration (MBA) Program students Friday, March 10, at 10 a.m. at the University of Wyoming. His talk is part of the UW MBA Executive Speaker Series in the College of Business. Murray was elected as secretary of state in 2014 and is a fourth-generation Wyoming native. He received his J.D. degree from the UW College of Law after completing his high school and undergraduate degrees. Before being elected, Murray spent many years in the private sector owning and operating a Laramie County-based real estate investment and development business. We are grateful for the time and invaluable information that Secretary Murray will share with our MBA students and faculty, says Tanner Parmely, MBA Program recruiter. With all of the changes that are taking place in the state and nation, we look forward to the conversation that will be sparked in this collaborative atmosphere. For more information about the MBA Program, call Parmely at (307) 766-2449 or email tparmely@uwyo.edu. By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 9 (PTI) Expressing concern over the killing of four Madhesi protesters in police firing, India today said peace and stability in Nepal were of "paramount interest" to it. External Affairs Ministrys spokesperson Gopal Baglay said Indias consistent view had been that political leaders in Nepal should address the issue of the Constitution through dialogue and consultations with participation of all sections of its society. advertisement "India will continue to support efforts for peace, progress and stability in Nepal," Baglay said. Four United Democratic Madhesi Front supporters were killed on Monday when police opened fire to disperse protesters who had encircled a venue in Saptari district where a public meeting of the main opposition party CPN-UML was taking place. The Madhesi Front had disrupted the meeting as part of its separate campaign against local body polls scheduled for May 14. The Nepalese police have also formed a three-member committee to investigate the killing. "Peace and stability in Nepal are of paramount interest to us. We are seriously concerned at the recent violent clashes which you mentioned and in which several people lost their lives. "We conveyed our condolences to the families of the deceased and urge all sides to exercise restraint and to avoid any action that may vitiate the atmosphere further," Baglay said. Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin, launched a six-month- long agitation in 2015 against the implementation of the Constitution without amending its provisions that would address the demands for more representation and re-demarcation of state boundaries. At least 50 people died in the violent Madhesi protests between September 2015 and February last year. Replying to a separate query, Baglay said the government was also making sincere efforts to secure the release of Father Tom Uzhunnalil from captivity in Yemen. The priest was abducted by ISIS terrorists in March 2015 from an old age home in Aden run by the Missionaries of Charity. PTI PR MRJ --- ENDS --- "India's public policy to diplomatically isolate Pakistan hinders any prospects for improved relations. This is especially troubling as a significant conventional conflict between Pakistan and India could escalate into a nuclear exchange, given that both are nuclear powers," Votel said. By Press Trust of India: A significant conventional conflict between Pakistan and India could escalate into a nuclear exchange, a top American General warned on Thursday. Testifying before powerful Senate Armed Services Committee, General Joseph Votel, Commander of the US Central Command or CETCOM, said there is continued ongoing tension between Pakistan and India. "India remains concerned about the lack of action against India-focused militants based in Pakistan and even responded militarily to terrorist attacks in India-held territory, earlier this year," Votel told top American Senators. advertisement "We assess that these types of attacks and the potential reactions, increase the likelihood for miscalculation by both countries," he said. "Furthermore, India's public policy to diplomatically isolate Pakistan hinders any prospects for improved relations. This is especially troubling as a significant conventional conflict between Pakistan and India could escalate into a nuclear exchange, given that both are nuclear powers," Votel said. Additionally, the American General said Pakistan's increased focus on its eastern border detracts from its efforts to secure the western border with Afghanistan from incursion by Taliban and al-Qaida fighters. BORDER CONTROL Security along the western border will nevertheless remain a priority for Islamabad, as the Pakistani military seeks to expand border control and improve paramilitary security, he said. Votel told members that seven of the US-designated 20 terrorist organisations have home in Pakistan. "So as long as these groups maintain safe haven inside of Pakistan, they will threaten long-term stability in Afghanistan," he said. "Of particular concern is the Haqqani Network (HQN) which poses the greatest threat to coalition forces operating in Afghanistan," he said adding that to date, the Pakistan military and security services have not taken lasting actions against HQN. "We have consistently called upon the Pakistanis to take the necessary actions to deny terrorists safe haven and improve security in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region," he said. "We have seen some promising coordination between the Pakistan and Afghanistan militaries aimed at addressing instability in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region," he said. The Pakistan military in particular continues to conduct counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations in the FATA and facilitate, via ground and air lines of communication, the sustainment of coalition operations in Afghanistan, the general said. Also read: India hoists tallest tricolour at Attari, Pakistan fears it could be used for 'spying' Also read: I will not let Iran develop nuclear weapon, ever: Trump Also watch: Is Pakistan's threat of a nuclear war real? --- ENDS --- Rock fans rejoice! Rancid and Dropkick Murphys will bring their off-the-wall, co-headlining punk tour to the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center on Friday, August 25. Doors open at 6 p.m., with the show starting at 7:00 p.m. (Pictured: Rancid) The iconic bands will be joined by their openers, The Selecter and Kevin Seconds. Concert-goers will be treated to an energetic set from the punk performers, which will include an unforgettable joint encore from both headliners. Rancid and Dropkick Murphys have a long and important history together. Back in 1997, Rancids Lars Frederiksen came across a copy of Dropkick Murphys original EP at a friends house. He turned it over to his bandmate and Hellcat Records president Tim Armstrong, who quickly snatched up the band for his new label. Rancid is looking forward to hitting the road with our brothers the Dropkick Murphys, says Rancids Tim Armstrong. We will end the night with DKM and us playing songs together. Look out for The Bouncing Souls, The Selecter, Kevin Seconds and Jake Burns to be on certain shows. SEE YA IN THE PIT! Rancids Lars Frederiksen says, Its a long time coming with these two bands touring together. There is so much history between both of us that it should make for a great tour. We look forward to seeing all of our friends and family out there. Photo credit: Gregory Nolan. Dropkick Murphys Ken Casey comments, This is a dream come true for Dropkick Murphys. Hopefully all the people coming to the shows will feel the same way. Rancid gave us our break Tim signing us to his label, Lars producing our early albumsso much history and great memories. Now, literally sharing the stage together every night. This tour is going to destroy all others this summer!!!! The roots of Rancid are traceable back to Operation Ivy at 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley, CA. circa 1987. After Operation Ivy broke up, Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman went on to form Rancid. In 1993, they signed with longtime producer, and label founder, Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion and Epitaph Records, who would stay on with the band for the next 20 years as the bands producer. Rancid (Tim Armstrong, Lars Frederiksen, Matt Freeman, Branden Steineckert) has stayed independent. They have their own independent booking agent, theyre on an independent record label, Hellcat/Epitaph, and they make their own t-shirts. 2017 will see the release of Rancids ninth studio album. Dropkick Murphys are touring in support of their 11 Short Stories Of Pain & Glory album, released through the bands own Born & Bred Records earlier this year. The album debuted at #8 on the Billboard Top 200 and was the #1 independently released album. Theres a feeling of purpose throughout the album, influenced by the bands work with The Claddagh Fund, a charity the band established in 2009 to help support addiction recovery as well as childrens and veterans organizations. Dropkick MurphysAl Barr, Tim Brennan, Ken Casey, Jeff DaRosa, Matt Kelly, James Lynchare hands-on in raising funds, mentoring, and lending a helping hand with veterans, youth sports, and drug and alcohol rehabilitation. Many of the songs reflect these experiences, and the bands sadness, anger and dismay at the opiate epidemic ravaging the country in particular, Boston and New England and also their feeling of pride and optimism at the sight of those who have turned their lives around. Dropkick Murphys have become ambassadors for their city. In Boston, it seems like everybody knows someone connected to the band whether by blood, friendship, or the time they shared a brew at a Bruins game. Theyve built a legacy that does Beantown proud. Local tickets will go on sale Friday, March 10 at 10 a.m. PST. Tickets can be purchased at www.Ticketmaster.com and dlvec.com and start at $35 plus applicable fees. For more information, please visit www.dlvec.com. Everybody knows that the D Casino Hotel is the place to be in downtown Las Vegas, but this especially holds true during UFC week! The downtown hot spot was buzzing with stars and fans alike during the UFC 209 week-long extravaganza (Pictured: UFC Miesha Tate, Dana White, the D Executive Richard Wilk and Urijah Faber at Andiamo Las Vegas Photo credit: the D Casino Hotel). UFC President, Dana White, was spotted dining alongside dozens of fighters at the propertys top-rated Andiamo Italian Steakhouse. The restaurant is extraordinarily popular, but the amount of steaks served to Dana and co.s table could quite possibly be a new record! Fans were jam-packed in the restaurants entrance in hopes for a quick selfie with one of the many UFC stars seated inside. UFC legends, Urijah Faber and Miesha Tate, were two of the many familiar faces gracing the downtown eatery. D Executive, Richard Wilk, made sure to gather the group for the perfect picture to illustrate the weekend. The fueled up fighters thoroughly enjoyed everything else the D had to offer as well from the multiple bars, to the flair shows, to the beautiful dancing dealers. It was tough getting through the groups of fans in the casino, but it wasnt anything security couldnt handle. Photo credit: the D Casino Hotel. Also experiencing Downtown Vegas D style during the UFC weekend, was Guinness World Records holder, George Bell. USAs second tallest man stands at a whopping 78 and is one of the few fans who can make the well-built Dana White look small! Dana got a kick out of it and posed for a picture to remember the one-of-a-kind moment. If youre in search for fun, flair, and your favorite fighters in #Vegas, look no further than the D Casino Hotel they seem to have it all! By Press Trust of India: Mumbai, Mar 7 (PTI) India, which is yet to step up overall conditions conducive to the success of women entrepreneurs, has ranked among the lowest Women Business Ownership index, a survey has revealed. "Women entrepreneurs have been carving out a niche for them across the globe, including India especially in niche and unconventional businesses. However, there is significant potential to harness the untapped potential of womens entrepreneurship in India", according to Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs. advertisement According to the index India scored an overall 41.7 points, ranking 49 among 54 economies globally with comparatively low in Women Business Ownership percentages. The index uses 12 indicators and 25 sub-indicators in 54 economies across Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, North America, Latin America and Europe, representing 78.6 percent of the worlds female labour force. It said India presents lower opportunities for women to assume leadership roles, participation in the workforce or engagement in entrepreneurial activities - a disparity that explain the low scores for Business Ownership by Women in the country. "While necessity and grit are often important to foster women entrepreneurship, strong supporting conditions are an imperative for ensuring a high business ownership by women. While India is yet to travel a long road for scaling up opportunities that foster women entrepreneurship, the potential presented by the country is vast," said Mastercard Advisors Senior Vice President and Group Head - South Asia/ Advisors CoE Sukanyya Misra. She said, lack of education, technological know-how and cultural bias coupled with stringent business and government regulations are some key impediments that happen to undermine womens ability to rise to positions of leadership and take advantage of entrepreneurial opportunities in India. Overall developed markets top the index, led by New Zealand (74.4), Canada (72.4) and the United States (69.9). These countries have the strongest conditions that support women business ownership, such as robust small- and mid-sized business communities, a high quality of governance and ease of doing business, the survey said. On the other hand, lower-income economies like Uganda (34.8 per cent), Bangladesh (31.6 per cent) and Vietnam (31.4 per cent) have some of the highest percentages of women entrepreneurs, driven mostly by necessity as opposed to being inspired by business opportunities, it added. PTI SM NRB BAS --- ENDS --- Noi Bai International Airport under the management of ACV. -Photo baochinhphu.vn The firm, which manages 22 of the countrys international and domestic airports, said it will prioritise investment resources for terminals with high passenger growth, which have a potential of developing the countrys economics and tourism and significance in national security and defence. ACV will focus on investment projects to improve road system access to airports, and equipment systems at HCM Citys Tan Son Nhat, Da Nang and Ha Nois Noi Bai airports. The plan also aims at expanding parking spaces at Tan Son Nhat, Da Nang, and Noi Bai, and other airports. The expansion of passenger terminals, enlarging aircraft parking areas and upgrading the runways at Phu Quoc airport in Kien Giang Province are also included in the plan. ACVs Deputy General Director Do Tat Binh, quoted in Vneconomy.vn, said that the corporation has submitted its investment scheme to the Ministry of Transport, and was awaiting implementation permission from the Prime Minister. In principle, the investment capital for flight-related facilities will be wholly funded by the State budget. By the middle of 2016, ACV had asked the ministry to consider adjusting the rates for some aviation services, which apply to domestic flight routes at seven airports, including Tan Son Nhat, Noi Bai, Da Nang, Cam Ranh, Phu Quoc, Vinh, Phu Bai from January 1, 2017. However, the proposal has not been accepted by the ministry, yet. Viet Nam News sought comment on the plan from ACV, but was unable to contact the agency. Suez chief Jean-Louis Chaussade, seen in 2015, said the link-up would crease "an unparalleled industrial water platform". (AFP/ERIC FEFERBERG) Suez and Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec (CDPQ) are putting 3.2 billion (US$3.4 billion) on the table to pick up GE Water with a view to merging it with Suez's own industrial water business, the buyers said in a joint statement. Suez is footing 70 per cent of the bill and CDPQ the rest, they said. "Long-term demand for water treatment equipment, chemicals and services are expected to remain strong both as a consequence of growing water scarcity and the impact of global warming on the water cycle," the statement said. "Furthermore, there are increasing global concerns related to industrial wastewater and its impact on the environment which make advanced treatment of water an absolute necessity," it said. Suez chief Jean-Louis Chaussade said the link-up would crease "an unparalleled industrial water platform". Suez supplies drinking water to 92 million people worldwide and waste water treatment services to 65 million more but has been short on customers from industry. GE said at the end of last year that it was looking to spin off its water business, which employs 7,500 people, as part of its pending merger with oil giant Baker Hughes. Ly Nguyen country managing director of Opportunity Network UK-based Opportunity Network is striving to set a firm niche in Vietnam by cooperating with local banks. Nizami Namazov, vice president of Channel Sales, and Ly Nguyen, country managing director of FinTech, spoke with VIRs Thanh Tung about this. What sets Opportunity Network apart from other rivals? Opportunity Network is a UK-based FinTech company providing a digital business matchmaking platform where members can find trustworthy counterparts for any deal above $1 million and which allows banks to grow their market share. Members and key decision-makers selected by financial institutions from all over the world post opportunities anonymously that vary from mergers and acquisitions (M&A), commercial partnerships, and investments to joint ventures. Opportunity Network, backed by The Boston Consulting Group, has now a valuation of around $180 million and is in on-going partnerships with top financial institutions like London Stock Exchange Group, CaixaBank, and Intesa Sanpaolo, Citizens Bank, and YPOthe largest global CEO network. You ask me what makes Opportunity Network different from our Vietnamese rivals. In general, there is no company in the world that does something similar to Opportunity Network. So what makes us different from other disruptors is that we take the trust factor in business very seriously. We believe that when we trust each other, we can successfully co-operate with each other. For us, trust is the most important thing in doing business. Via the trust factor, we enable banks to better serve their corporate clients by understanding their current needs and by giving the clients access to quality deal flows from around the world. What we offer is to make the co-operation process much faster and much more efficient, while at the same time ensuring the trust. You say the trust factor separates Opportunity Network from other rivals in Vietnam. But what about product quality as a factor? We start with the idea that each company is worth as it has its own products and services. If they do not have these, they will not be able to compete and seize opportunities, and expand their co-operation network either. Our business strategy ensures that only the highest-quality products and services come to be on offer, building up the trust factor in our business. Thats why there are 13,500 companies on our platform today, at lower costs than other platform providers. How important is the Vietnamese market to Opportunity Network? Vietnam is one of the most dynamic economies not only in Southeast Asia but around the world. The Vietnamese economy has grown at an average of over 6 per cent over the past many years, which is far higher than in many economies. Vietnam is also a very export-oriented economy, with double-digit annual export turnover growth rate year after year. In addition, Vietnam is now seeing remarkable M&A activity in many sectors, such as aviation (Vietnam Airlines, for example) and banking and retail (supermarket chains), with the appearance of many new foreign firms. This has made Vietnam attractive to foreign firms, including Opportunity Network. Moreover, the banking sector is also attractive. We have met with several commercial banks and many small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). We see many opportunities for co-operation, as the Vietnamese government is trying to create a more accommodating business climate, so that the number of private enterprises in Vietnam can double from the existing 500,000 to about 1 million by 2020. Why do local firms and banks need Opportunity Network? I would like to stress that Opportunity Network has a very impressive track record. Currently, it serves thousands of companies across 128 countries and has hosted over $38 billion in opportunity deal flow. Hundreds of connections have been made on Opportunity Networks platform, making a key contribution to sustaining global economic development. Opportunity Network is a bankFinTech collaboration platform digitalising deal matchmaking on a global scale by working with leading financial institutions worldwide and leveraging digital tools as strategic enablers for banking transformation. We are helping banks leverage financial technology to deliver more value and create a better experience for their corporate clients, especially the SMEs who are looking for trustworthy partners to expand their growth both domestically and internationally and gain market share while saving time, money, and effort. This is absolutely in line with the Vietnamese governments policy line to promote the growth of the private sector with a strong focus on SMEs, and facilitate trade, investment flows and M&A opportunities. Connections on Opportunity Network generate business deals between members that banks can then serve and benefit from. Opportunity Network acts as a deal origination tool for clients and banks alike. Opportunity Network also acts as a tool that helps achieve key performance indicators in risk management by targeting the right client at the right moment and the right products. You say the Vietnamese market is full of potential for Opportunity Network. What will the firm do in the years to come in Vietnam? We will continue working with the domestic banking industry. We will further our co-operation with local banks to help enterprises, especially SMEs. Opportunity Network has been effectively supporting companies in 128 countries and we consider Vietnam a very important one of them. What about Opportunity Networks FinTech solutions, what are the benefits for Vietnamese banks and partners? Our FinTech solution is a business-to-business digital platform supporting local businesses. It is in line with the development policies endorsed by the Vietnamese government. In this regards, we will continue working with the government and local banks, and other stakeholders as well. FinTech can play a fundamental role in preserving banks supremacy in the financial services industry. The rapid evolution of financial services technology and the potential for disruptive entrants to the market should spur banks to develop their own technologies. While innovation in banking is always difficult - according to studies, 96 per cent of bankers agree that the industry is evolving towards a digital ecosystem, however, 87 per cent say their core banking systems cannot support it - FinTech companies are pushing the boundaries of customer experience and digitalisation and we are seeing obvious trends in payments and lending. There is a wide scope of imaginative new approaches through which FinTech may serve to strengthen banks quality and deepen their relationship with their clientsthe core competitive advantage in the banking sector/industry. Partnering with FinTech companies, with a focus on collaboration and client relationships, and harnessing the respective strengths of each partner, could be the smartest way to gain leadership in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Despite strong growth in exports, the country's trade was still unbalanced with surge in auto and mobile phone imports.-Photo doanhnghiepvn.vn The ministry said in the first two months, export value grew 15.4 per cent to US$27.3 billion, including $7.6 billion from wholly State-owned enterprises, up 12.2 per cent, and $19.7 billion from foreign invested firms, up by 16.8 per cent against the same period last year. Notably, the processing industry achieved a year-on-year surge of 15.5 per cent in export value to $22 billion, accounting for 80.6 per cent of the total national export value. Meanwhile, farming, forestry and fishery export value reached $3.2 billion, 9.9 per cent higher than the same period last year, accounting for 11.4 per cent of the total value. The high export value growth in the first two months of 2017 is particularly significant given the relatively low 2 per cent growth during the same period last year and failure to reach a two-digit value growth rate in 2016, the ministry said. Moreover, average export prices increased sharply during the first two months, including coal (115.5 per cent), rubber (81 per cent), crude oil (61.9 per cent), coffee (31.9 per cent) and cashew (20.3 per cent). However, the export prices of farming, forestry and fishery products dropped. The increase in export prices contributed to a surge of $736 million in total export value during the two months against the same period last year, the ministrys representative said. Export value of textiles and garments in the first two months also rose by 12.2 per cent to $3.66 billion year-on-year. Le Tien Truong, general director of Viet Nam Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex), said many Vinatex businesses had obtained stable long-term orders for the second quarter and beyond. Total export value of textile and garments this year was expected to increase by 6.5-7 per cent to $30 billion, Truong said, with US and Japan its major markets. Auto and telephone imports The ministry said the imports of some products experienced strong growth during the first two months of this year. The import growth of products such as under-nine-seater vehicles, mobile phones, vegetables and fruits, could impact the general trade balance. In the first two months, Viet Nam spent $153 million to import 9,500 complete-built-units of under-nine-seater vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 139.6 per cent, while import value surged by 129 per cent for mobile phones and 129.8 per cent for vegetables and fruits. These imports partly contributed to a 20 per cent increase in total import value to $27.4 billion in the two months, the ministry said. The nation had a trade deficit of $46 million in the first two months, it said, $3.5 billion for local enterprises and $3.4 billion for foreign companies. Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh praised the high export growth, but urged enterprises to focus on sustainable export development, vietnamplus.vn reported. He said enterprises should focus on diversifying export products and markets to avoid dependence on products which have the advantage of cheap labour and on markets which we have the benefit of free trade deals. We must re-organise production to ensure competition, especially which is based on adding value factors, such as technology and labour productivity, Minister Tuan Anh said. To limit the trade deficit and control imports, the ministry said the State should have solutions to control the fast-growing import of such products as mobile phones, scrap steel, under-nine-seater automobiles and precious metals, as well as vegetables and fruits. FLC Faros Construction (ticker ROS) will be included in FTSE Vietnam Index from March 20. - Photo flc.vn FTSE, a London-based provider of indexes, late on March 3 announced that it would add three tickers FLC Faros Construction (ROS), Hoa Binh Construction (HBC) and at Xanh Real Estate Service & Construction (DXG) to its FTSE Vietnam Index in the first quarterly review of 2017. FTSE, in the meantime, will remove five other Vietnamese stocks namely KDC, PVT, PDR, HVG and HQC from the basket for calculation of the index. FTSE Vietnam Index is the underlying index for db x-trackers FTSE Vietnam UCITS ETF, run by Deutsche Bank, one of the two most active foreign-run ETFs in Viet Nam. The changes will be applied after the close of business on Friday, 17 March 2017 and will be effective on Monday, 20 March 2017, FTSE said in a statement. Together with Hoang Huy Investment Financial Services (TCH), ROS was also added to the FTSE Vietnam All-Share Index while Hung Vuong JSC (HVG) and real estate developer HQC were deleted. According to Saigon Securities (SSI) and BIDV Securities (BSC), FTSE Vietnam UCITs ETF would buy in between 4 million and 4.7 million shares of ROS to refresh its portfolio. US-based MSCI Inc on February 10 included ROS and brewer Sabeco (SAB) into the basket for calculation of the MSCI Frontier Markets Index. The stock price of ROS ended down 0.6 per cent at VND167,000 (US$7.32) per share on Wednesday, up 12.15 per cent from the close on February 28. Female cinematographers who have made it big in Bollywood don't want other women to face the hardships and gender stereotyping they did. By Priyanka Raval: Indian women cinematographers are coming together to announce the formation of the IWCC--Indian Women Cinematographers' Collective--to have a platform to showcase their work and encourage and support their peers. Founded by senior cinematographer Fowzia Fathima, IWCC joins the global movement of female cinematographer organisations such as the ICFC in United States and Illuminatrix in the UK. It is already a 60-member strong body which includes founder Fathima, Deepti Gupta (Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd), Priya Seth (Airlift), Archana Borhade (Phuntroo), Preetha Jayaraman (Tadka) to name a few. advertisement The above-mentioned women recollect the challenges they have faced in the field, and the work and aspirations of the IWCC. Fowzia Fathima: Fowzia Fathima "Now was the time for the Collective to manifest itself. Each of us, until we connected to the other women cinematographers, has experienced an isolation or been looked at as an exception. We need to change this perception." Archana Borhade: Archana Borhade Archana Borhade "Many perceived cinematography as supposedly manly and impossible for a woman to do. They thought I wouldn't last long in the industry; that eventually I'd get married, have kids and wouldn't be able to continue camerawork. Occasionally I'm still asked, 'It is very heavy equipment, are you sure you can manage?' So far I've have shot numerous short films, commercials and three feature films. I can certainly wield a camera!" Deepti Gupta: Deepti Gupta "Similarly for me, directors have said they'd like to film with me something "nice for a woman to shoot". What is it exactly that a woman can't shoot that a man can?" Archana Borhade: "Attitudes are changing. By 2011 when I became an independent cinematographer, the same people who'd passed those comments now totally respect me and my decisions. Most of the industry has gotten used to women cinematographers thanks to our burgeoning numbers." Preetha Jayaraman: "But the Collective is not a space for resentment and complaining. It's about empowerment. We want a move towards a cinematic journey with more women cinematographers telling stories, where talent is the only requisite and there are no other limits." Deepti Gupta: "This is our space to nurture and enable the one thing that can cause change and break discriminatory barriers, and that is excellence. Hence why our upcoming website--www.iwcc.in--will feature an extensive database of women cinematographers and their diverse body of work. We plan to celebrate the upcoming projects like Priya Seth's Chef and Neha Parti's Badrinath Ki Dulhania. There will also be blogs, podcasts and discussion forums so members can connect and brainstorm over technical and creative challenges. New work from cinematographers coming out of film schools will also be promoted to encourage budding talent." advertisement Priya Seth: Priya Seth "Women cinematographers bring different eyes, a different lens. There's so much potential to be unleashed with women doing the storytelling. It's a whole new world to be discovered." Deepti Gupta: "From lens diffusion being used for close-ups of women to a higher eye level often making a woman look more delicate and fragile, these are occasional pitfalls of the male gaze. With a female eye behind the camera the 'preset' gaze on women doesn't just seek beauty; it captures the more complex and layered representation of a woman's character--power, strength, vulnerability, resolve. Our politics is in our gaze. Only if women tell stories about women will we start getting some truth in our films and an equal voice in our films and filmmaking." Preetha Jayaraman: "Ultimately, the aim is to encourage more girls to consider cinematography and its allied fields such as gaffing, grips and assistant cinematographers as viable professions. If we can inspire one woman to choose the craft of cinematography as a profession, we have made a difference." --- ENDS --- Two firms from Japan and Germany look to offer consultation services for a master plan for the steel industry development.-Photo: tiepthithegioi.vn The ministrys Department of Heavy Industry said that in the end of February, the two consulting firms had sent letters expressing interest. The two foreign firms are eligible to become consultants who can help with the master plan, it said, adding that it has put in place an advisory team to select the suitable agency based on their capabilities. It will be the selected consulting firms job to determine the development trend of the steel sector in the world and the region. The firm will also have to assess Viet Nams competitiveness in the sector compared to other countries, help choose contractors and technologies and evaluate the environmental impact of implementing the master plan. The department said that before this a foreign consulting firm has not been hired to draw up the master plan. It hopes that an independent overseas company will be able to offer an objective view about the countrys steel sector. On December 28, 2016, Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh approved the departments draft of the master plan for steel production till 2025, with a vision till 2035. Cultural diversity: Painting by Thai artist ranuch Areepongsa from the College of Fine Arts of Bunditpatanasilpa Institute (Photo hanoigrapevine.com) Among the 54 Thai artists are Den Warnjing, Thanom Chantakruea, Phattarapion, Wisit Pimpimon while the 12 Vietnamese ones include Ngo Quang Duong, Dao Chi Dac, Do Quoc Binh, Luu Bao Trung, Nguyen Dinh Quang, Nguyen Duc Vinh, Nguyen Thanh Son and others. Alongside the upcoming exhibition, which will expose the public to the cultural diversity of the two ASEAN nations, art exchange activities for artists will be held during a drawing trip to the northern mountain town of Sa Pa on March 8. Some of the Thai artists are lecturers at the Nakhon Si Thammarat College of Fine Arts, Suphanburi College of Fine Arts, Faculty of Fine Arts of Bunditpatanasilpa Institute, College of Fine Arts of Bunditpatanasilpa Institute. The three-day exhibition, co-organised by the Suphanburi Fine Arts College and Fine Arts and the Photography Exhibition Centre, is taking place at the Fine Arts and Photography Exhibition Centre, 29 Hang Bai street, Hoan Kiem district. Entry is free of charge. An employee of a contractor was welding to assemble pipe equipment near the flue-gas desulfurisation system right in the way of the gas coming out, causing sparks that shoot into the insulation that covers the system, causing the insulation cover to burn. The fume from this fire went out through the exhaust of the plant. The fire did not cause any human damage. Equipment damage is being evaluated by the contractor. The Vinh Tan 4 thermal power plant is located in Binh Thuan province, with EVN as the developer. The plant is designed to have two units, with total capacity of 1,200 MW. Construction started in 2014. The first unit is planned to start operation in December 2017. The fire was reported at 10.45 am on March 7, 2017. The contractor, the managing committee of the plant and local fire police started putting out the fire immediately and at 11.30 am they succeeded. The parties are working to find more details pertaining to the cause of the fire in order to prevent similar incidents later. Brutal poachers on Monday killed a white rhino named Vince in a French zoo. It is the first time a European zoo has been breached in this way. Here is a handout picture of Vince, taken on Mar 22, 2016. (AFP/Arthus Boutin) With skyrocketing Asian demand for rhinoceros horn to use in "medicine" or as a display of wealth, Europe's museums, auction houses, antique dealers and taxidermist shops have long been targets as traditional sources dry up. In many museum exhibits, stuffed rhinos already sport fake horns to discourage thieves. But in 2011, police agency Europol warned that zoos too, could fall prey. Monday's killing of Vince the white rhino marked the first time a European zoo had been breached in this way. WHY RHINO BORN? Despite a dearth of scientific evidence that it has any curative powers, rhino horn commands astronomical prices of about US$60,000 (57,000) per kilogramme - more than gold or cocaine. The highest price ever recorded by French conservation NGO Robin des Bois (Robin Hood) was 100,000 for a kilogramme of powdered horn in a private sale in China. One horn can weigh four kilogrammes - comprised exclusively of keratin, the same substance in human hair and fingernails. Demand for the commodity is soaring in Vietnam and China, where it is thought to cure anything from hangovers to cancer. WHY A ZOO, AND WHY IN EUROPE? Wild rhino numbers are plummeting. About 1,400 are killed every year, out of an estimated population of 25,000 - mainly in South Africa but also in Asia and India. In the last eight years alone, roughly a quarter of the world population has been massacred in South Africa, home to 80 per cent of surviving rhinos. Today, it may be easier to poach in a European zoo than an African game park, where just about every rhino has its own guard. There are about 160 rhinos in European zoos - a potential goldmine for horn smugglers. WHAT CAN ZOOS DO TO PROTECT LIVE ANIMALS? According to Europol, zoos and other public places with rhino horns on display or in storage, must remain on alert for "possible 'visits' from persons likely to defraud or attack them to obtain specimens." The NGO Robin des Bois recommends ramping up zoo patrols and giving guards the right to fire warning shots. It also wants to boost customs procedures and surveillance of postal services to stop the horns, whose sale is illegal everywhere, from ever reaching the Asian market. Education is also needed to convince possible consumers that rhino horn does not have any of the healing powers it is credited with. Another worrying development is a rise in the theft of live animals from European zoos in the last 15 years - anything from monkeys and flamingos and penguins, according to Robin des Bois spokeswoman Charlotte Nithart. "If this first blow (for zoo rhinos) is not followed with rigorous security measures, it is certain to be repeated in another zoo in France or in Europe," she told AFP. The ISIS links in Tuesday's Bhopal-Ujjain train blast have given intelligence agencies a fresh challenge to track the 20-odd Indian operatives that were fighting for Daesh in Iraq and Syria. By Ajit Kumar Dubey, Manjeet Negi: The ISIS links in Tuesday's Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train blast have given intelligence agencies a fresh challenge to hunt sympathisers of the extremist group and track the 20-odd Indian operatives that were fighting for Daesh in Iraq and Syria as they may try to re-enter the country after heavy defeats there. According to officials, the train blast was the first major ISIS operation in India. "ISIS has been routed by national forces in Iraq and Syria and their members are on the run. Our biggest worry is about the ISIS fighters who may be forced to return to India after their defeat? We are tracking them and are on the lookout for possible routes from where they would try to re-enter India," a top government official said. advertisement Around 20 highly-educated Muslim students, most of them from Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Maharshtra and Tamil Nadu had left India over the last few years to join ISIS to wage a war against the governments in Iraq and Syria to establish a caliphate there. HIGHLY-INDOCTRINATED YOUTH HAVE CARRIED OUT STRIKES IN BANGLADESH Sources said there have been cases where the highly-indoctrinated youth have carried out strikes in Bangladesh, including the massacre in a caf in Dhaka, and have been active against rationalists and Hindu bloggers there. Sources said states such as UP and Madhya Pradesh are on the radar for possible ISIS activities due to the recent propaganda activities on social media in these areas. On the waving of ISIS flags in Kashmir valley by the separatists while protesting against Army troops there, officials said there is no major activity there so far. Sources said terror groups like Hizbul Majahidden and LeT are still the major operators in Kashmir but there were reasons to be worried about the terrorist outfit as they have set up bases in country's western neighbourhood. "There is no evidence of any ground activity in Kashmir but we are keeping an eye on the situation as ISIS operatives have been active in places like Karachi in Pakistan, where they carried out attacks? They are not very far away from Kashmir or from India," the official said. 'EFFORTS MAY BE MADE TO COUNTER ISIS IN VALLEY' Sources say that an effort may be made to counter ISIS in the Valley by spreading the message about what ISIS presence would mean for locals, especially women, as they would be caged inside houses as was done by the group in the middle-east. Meanwhile, on Tuesday's operations in Lucknow against suspected ISIS terrorists in which one operative Saifullah was killed by the UP police Anti Terrorist Squad, the sources said the Intelligence Bureau was tracking this group online for last few months using sophisticated equipment of the National Technical Research Organisation. Agencies of various state governments were also involved. "The outfit which carried out the attack on train is a home grown and self-radicalised group inspired by the ISIS activities on the internet. The six men nabbed in UP and MP were in touch with each other on social media," they said. The sources said the terrorists had not stepped out of India at any point of time but were guided by the ISIS ideology. advertisement "We are still probing how people sitting several hundred kilometers away from each other came in contact and planned a coordinated attack on the train," they said. Sources said intelligence agencies are also upgrading their capabilities to flush out more such groups where members chat with each other based on fake identities and in codes to carry out their missions. ALSO READ | ISIS plans to attack India through its bases in Bangladesh and Pakistan ISIS will meet al-Qaeda's fate in India, it will flop: Union Minister MA Naqvi to India Today Watch the video here --- ENDS --- As Barack Obama prepared to board Air Force One and leave the Laotian capital of Vientiane last September, he turned to salute. The gesture may mark not only Obamas departure from Laos, where he was attending the Asean summit, but also a wider departure of the Untied States from its strategic focus on Asia to compete with China. The election of U.S. President Donald Trump has marked a significant shift in world affairs, analysts say. Chheang Vannarith, chairman of the Cambodian Institute for Strategic Studies, said small- and medium-sized countries could now leverage themselves to assume regional or even global leadership positions amid a transition to a multi-polar system. This creates room for many countries in our region and elsewhere to formulate their own security regime or regional architecture to serve both regional and domestic interests in those countries, Chheang said. In the long term, China will come to replace [the U.S.] in this region, so if the medium powers unite in an alliance system, they can resist the Chinese domination in the region, compensating the fading roles and presence of the U.S. in the region, he added. Nearly six months since Obamas appearance at the summit in Vientiane, the new administrations commitment to Obamas regional strategy remains unclear. Expectations that Trump will attend the East Asian summit in the Philippines in November are low and he had yet to mention Southeast Asia in a speech. But analysts said the U.S. is unlikely to abandon the Pivot to Asia strategy just yet. In February, the U.S. Navy sent its Carrier Strike Group on routine patrols of the South China Sea, close to where China had earlier that month installed missile launchers in contested waters. "We have operated here in the past, we're going to operate here in the future, we're going to continue to reassure our allies," U.S. navy rear admiral James Kilby told the Associated Press last week. The standoff between Asean members and China could hamper Asean from fulfilling its economic and political potential, Elina Noor, head of security studies at the Malaysian Institute for Strategic and International Studies, told VOA Khmer. The South China Sea dispute has provoked controversy between Asean members, some of whom are at odds with China, while others have lent tacit support to the superpower. I think differences in interests and priorities [among the member states] affect Asean unity and centrality, Noor said. So if Asean is serious about its vision for 2025 and beyond, then it needs to make some very serious and mature positions about its current decision-making process as well as its structures and how it operates. To avoid derailing the project, Vannarith says the body needs to prevent its members from splitting along factional lines. Otherwise the region will fall freely into instability, he said. The need for leadership Asean has hosted numerous global events chaired by its members over the past 20 years, but analysts see few long-lasting initiatives coming from the bloc. There needs to be a single driver of leadership and an agreement on agendas fostered for Asean as a collective institution, said Noor. However, the time may not be right to seek a single leader among Asean members while they appear to be preoccupied with domestic politics. The election of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, the growing power of the Thai junta, the 1MDB scandal enveloping Malaysias Prime Minister Najib Razak, a pre-election crackdown on dissent in Cambodia and the deepening crisis in Myanmar has rocked the region. A larger leadership role for Asean could be tested following the recent killing of the half-brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Nam, who was killed in Malaysia last month. Southeast Asia, which has traditionally been not so associated with the troubles in Northeast Asia, will begin to be drawn into the politics of the Korean Peninsula, Noor said. Urban India is employing an increasing number of children many under 9 years old in producing everything from pickles to fireworks, working in tourism and laboring on building sites, a U.N. children's agency report and campaigners said. The State of Child Workers in India report by UNICEF, based on the latest Indian census data, says the proportion of child workers in the 5-to-9-year age group jumped to 24.8 percent in 2011 from 14.6 percent in 2001. The same decade also saw an increase in urban child laborers to 2.9 percent of the child population, up from 2.1 percent. While across India there was a drop in child workers, to 3.9 percent in 2011 from 5 percent in 2001, campaigners say the problem could be much bigger, with data failing to capture the extent of child labor in the home. Many children missed Andrew Sesuraj of the nonprofit Tamil Nadu Child Rights Observatory said most of the information available takes into account only those children working in the organized sector. "Girls doing domestic work, children in agriculture, those working with their parents are totally discounted. ... What we see is just the tip of the iceberg," Sesuraj said. Helen R. Sekar, co-author of the report, which was published in February, said most child workers are migrants who have no home address and who do not figure on any government list. "Investigators would not come across these children when they visit homes for data collection," Sekar said. Other factors Falling agricultural returns, landlessness and few work opportunities are also forcing rural families into cities, putting their children at greater risk, campaigners said. The analysis shows that although education policies have led to a rise in literate children, inadequate family earnings still compel them to work and supplement household incomes. Komal Ganotra of the nonprofit Child Rights and You said there was an increase in work being outsourced to Indian homes and wages being paid per piece produced. "It is motivating parents to employ their children to earn more. The number of children working with their families and dropping out of school is increasing," Ganotra said. The report cites the embroidery, shoe, carpet, garment, leather and lock-making industries as examples where "invisible children" work with their parents to increase household income. 32 locations cited Produced in collaboration with the V.V. Giri National Institute of Labor, the report identifies 32 child labor hot spots, with the cities of Hyderabad and Jalore topping the list with 67,366 and 50,440 child workers, respectively. The report says that while the growth of child workers is decreasing at 2 percent annually, at that rate it will take almost 200 years for India to eradicate child labor. It calls for better implementation of education policies, including better schooling for migrant children, to reduce cases of child labor. "We are looking at the report and will come up with suggestions accordingly," said Stuti Kacker, head of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights. The slain LeT operatives have been identified as Jahangir Gaine of Koli Pulwama and Mohd. Shafi Shergojiri. By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu, Ashraf Wani: A little after the Pulwama operation concluded following the killing of two Lashkar terrorists, there have been reports of some more gunshots from the house where they were holed up in Padgampora village in Pulwama district of South Kashmir. Security forces have put the house on fire after the firing. The firing began when after security forces were carrying out searches in the area following the conclusion of the encounter in which 2 LeT terrorists were killed. advertisement It is believed that one more militant could be holed up inside. Earlier today, two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists were gunned down in an encounter with security forces. The slain LeT operatives have been identified as Jahangir Gaine of Koli Pulwama and Mohd. Shafi Shergojiri. Security forces even tried to persuade a terrorist to surrender. They brought the wife and other family members of one of the militants Muhammad Shafi Shergojiri to the spot to make an appeal to him to surrender. But, the effort failed, as the hard core terrorist refused to do so. Both the terrorists were locals. Gaine belonged to Koil Pulwama while Shafi belonged to Banderpora (Kakpora). CRPF: Another terrorist gunned down by security forces in Pulwama (J&K) encounter,identified as LeT's Mohd Shafi Shergujari;total 2 killed pic.twitter.com/B4eZNNUhqJ- ANI (@ANI_news) March 9, 2017 Two weapons have been recovered from the two slain militants. The house in which the militants were hold up has been brought down. TWO CIVILIANS KILLED, 2 INJURED IN POLICE FIRING The 15-year-old Kashmir schoolboy who was injured in police firing. A 15-year-old school boy has been killed in police firing in clashes that erupted at the encounter site in Padgampora village. Two other civilians have been injured. Another youth, Jalal Din, who was injured in the ongoing clashes, succumbs to his injuries in hospital. The terrorists started firing at the security forces late last night, when they were cordoning off an area after receiving inputs about the presence of terrorists there. Authorities have suspended train services from Banihal to Srinagar as one of the railway stations is near the Pulwama encounter site. ALSO READ | Kashmir: Encounter breaks out in Pahalgam; terrorists hiding in village Watch the video here --- ENDS --- Countries that signed up for the failed trade pact known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will meet in Chile next week, seeking a way forward on a possible future regional deal, Chile's head of international trade told Reuters. Representatives from the 12 countries that formed the TPP, plus China and South Korea, will meet for the first time since President Donald Trump pulled the United States out the TPP in January, effectively killing the accord in its current form. The Chile meeting is a sign that efforts to find an alternative Asia-Pacific trade pact are moving ahead, with China now likely leading the talks after the United States dropped out. Chile has accomplished its first goal of getting everyone together and will now seek commitments for further meetings to evaluate alternatives, Paulina Nazal told Reuters in an interview in Santiago on Wednesday evening. "The objective is to confirm if the strategy of growth and openness of recent years is what we believe to be correct," she said. "Do we need to include other issues? Do we need to implement policies that complement the opening of trade or not?" It was still premature to say what the future roadmap would look like, she added. "What we have seen from the various delegations is that it's too open still," said Nazal. "This is going to be the first meeting on how we go forward." Likely options, according to Nazal, could be to build on the base of pre-existing agreements such as Latin America's four-country Pacific Alliance, or the proposed Southeast Asian-backed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Countries including Australia, New Zealand and Canada had a "similar commercial approach" to the Pacific Alliance and had signaled an interest in joining or negotiating as a bloc, said Nazal. "Others evidently feel more comfortable with the RCEP model and they could open a door to let others in." China, which is part of RCEP talks, has argued the TPP was too complex and political rather than purely trade-based. Critics of the RCEP including the former Obama administration warned it would not include strong protections for workers, the environment or intellectual property. With the election of Trump and the demise of the TPP, eyes have been on Beijing to take the lead on future trade talks. "The Chinese want to be the leaders, the benchmark," said Nazal. "That was not like that before." China is seeking an international agreement to enhance state control over the internet in order to fight cyberattacks and cyberterrorism. Beijing wants to extend the existing idea of sovereignty over land and sea to cyberspace. Beijing has released its first white paper discussing how it will persuade different countries to join together in an international partnership. The idea is to enhance the power of individual governments over cyberspace and reduce the role of the private sector. "Countries in the whole world have increasing concerns [about cyberattacks] in this regard. Cyberspace should not be a space of no laws," Long Zhou, coordinator of the Cyber Affairs division of the Foreign Ministry said last week while releasing copies of "International Strategy of Cooperation on Cyberspace," China's first policy paper on the issue. Censorship Analysts see it as a grandiose plan to extend the Chinese idea of censorship across large parts of the world. China has been criticized in developed countries for controlling the internet with a heavy hand and not allowing Google, Facebook, Twitter and many foreign news websites to be seen in China. The first set of organizations that will be hit, if the Chinese campaign gains momentum, are American companies that play a dominant role in the internet space, analysts said. "The inventors of cyberspace were idealistically and ideologically convinced that they had created a domain of perfect freedom, where anyone could gain entry and behave as if no laws existed," Sheila Jasanoff, director of the program on science, technology and society at Harvard University's Kennedy School told VOA. "It has been interesting to see how this allegedly wide open and free space has gradually been 'written over' with all the markers of national sovereignty and rivalry," she said. Russian role in U.S. polls China is taking advantage of the uproar in the United States over alleged cyberattacks by Russia to interfere in the recent presidential election. Asked about the alleged Russian interference, Long said, "Especially in recent years, the number of cybersecurity events throughout the world is increasing, posing challenges to all countries' efforts to maintain political, economic stability and protecting all citizens' rights and interests." Lee Branstetter, an associate professor of economics at the Heinz School of Policy and Management of the Carnegie Mellon University, saw the situation differently. "The China solution is a proposal to create huge barriers to the free flow of information across borders. It is hard to see how a global digital economy could function under such a regime," he said. Beijing action plan China is trying to persuade world governments and international agencies, including the United Nations, to accept the principle of "cyber sovereignty" that allows each country to govern the internet in the manner it wants without interference from other governments. Long said the concept of land and sea sovereignty, which is recognized by the U.N., should be extended to the cyber world because the problems and situations are similar. He said the international community is discussing the need to "produce new international legal instruments to deal with the security situation in cyberspace." These situations include cyberterror or cross-boundary cybercrimes. China plans to raise the issue at different international forums including U.N. agencies, the BRICS group for Brazil, Russia, India and China and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The Chinese endeavor has the support of Russia, which will join in the campaign for making international rules on cyberspace, Long said at a recent news conference. Jasanoff is skeptical of the Chinese rationale. "There is good reason to believe that China will do more to limit the freedom of information of its citizens than to ensure its own security with regard to things like critical infrastructure," she said. "The most effective firewall will likely be against the creation of domestic networks of civilian information exchange and protest." Assertions of cybersovereignty from China and elsewhere are happening at a time when national sovereignty is in decline for many reasons, not least because the technological capability for both creating and breaking through security systems is highly dispersed, she said. "Hackers for hire are distributed throughout the world, and recent experiences at all kinds of major institutions shows that hardly any are free from threats [and even the reality] of cyberattacks," Jasanoff said. Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives secured two legislative victories Thursday in their drive to scrap and replace former President Barack Obama's health care plan amid mounting intraparty opposition. In a pre-dawn vote along party lines, after 18 hours of debate, the House Ways and Means Committee approved a Republican proposal to replace the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. After also working feverishly overnight and some 10 hours later, the House Energy and Commerce Committee overcame Democratic delays and approved the replacement bill, the American Health Care Act. As the committees finished working on the replacement bill, House Speaker Paul Ryan attempted to consolidate Republican support by hosting a briefing with reporters. "This is the closest we will ever get to repealing and replacing Obamacare," the Wisconsin lawmaker said. "The time is near. The time is now." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said earlier that legislators needed to see a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate of the impact the measure would have on the federal deficit. "I think we need to know that," the Kentucky Republican told reporters at a breakfast hosted by Politico. Other lawmakers, such as Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, maintained the rush to approve a replacement bill, particularly without budget estimates, would have long-term detrimental effects. House Republicans and White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney both predicted a CBO estimate would be available by early next week, prior to combining two versions of the bill and presenting the result to the House Budget Committee. The prospects of replacing the current health care law are far from certain, even with Republicans in control of the White House and both chambers of Congress. Opposition to the replacement plan is intensifying among influential lawmakers who believe it is too similar to Obamacare. Those on the far right said the replacement plan fails to address conservative principles by maintaining government subsidies of Obamacare under the guise of refundable tax credits for people who buy their own health insurance. In addition to mounting Republican congressional opposition, influential health groups, such as the American Medical Association and the American Hospital Association, and the AARP, an advocacy group for older people, have come out against the Republican bill, warning it could result in a rise in the number of uninsured people. Hospitals are complaining to lawmakers that the replacement bill cuts Medicaid and other programs. America's Health Insurance Plans, which represents insurance providers, applauded the elimination of the tax penalty but warned that proposed Medicaid changes "could result in unnecessary disruptions in the coverage and care beneficiaries depend on." President Donald Trump, meanwhile, is planning to go all out to get a House repeal measure approved. Trump met privately in the Oval Office Wednesday with conservative activists and emphasized the replacement bill was strong and imperative. The president said the biggest challenge was in the Senate, where many conservatives and moderates oppose the replacement bill for various reasons. Trump told the conservative leaders he was prepared to secure votes from holdout senators by holding campaign-style rallies in stadiums and in other large venues in the senators' home states. Republican congressional leaders have said they want to get the replacement measure on the president's desk before the Easter break in early April. Czech President Milos Zeman told supporters on Thursday he would seek a second term in 2018, ending speculation over whether he would run again. Zeman, who has pushed for better ties with Russia and backed Donald Trump in the U.S. vote last year, announced his decision at an annual party at Prague Castle to celebrate the anniversary of his election in 2013, two participants who asked not to be named told Reuters. Other media outlets also reported Zeman's comments. I announce to you that I decided to run again for the office of president, Zeman told the gathering, according to mobile phone video shown on Czech Television. Zeman will hold a news conference on Friday to officially announce his decision to the public. Zeman's election a first Zeman, 72, won his country's first ever direct presidential election four years ago, remains its most popular politician and is in strong position for the January 2018 election. While governments run domestic and foreign policy, the president can hold leverage over the European Union country's cabinets, as well as appoint central bankers and nominate ambassadors and constitutional court judges. Zeman's first term has been marked by battles with a Social Democrat-led government, sniping at journalists, warnings about Muslim immigration to Europe and efforts to improve relations with Russia and China. He opposes EU sanctions imposed on Russia over its annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its role in a rebellion in eastern Ukraine measures which the centre-left cabinet backs. He was one of the few European leaders to vocally back Trump's campaign last year. Election season Zeman will play a role in naming the next prime minister after a parliamentary election in October in which no party is likely to secure a majority. Some analysts say Zeman may tie this to support for him. A former Social Democrat leader, Zeman split with the party after it failed to completely back him in his first attempt at the presidency in 2003 in a vote among parliamentarians. He ran as an independent four years ago. Zeman so far has only one serious challenger next year: businessman and writer Michal Horacek, who launched his campaign last November with the motto "We can do better." Has ties to Russia Zeman was out of politics for a decade before his 2013 victory. Instrumental in his comeback were several businessmen with interests in Russia, including the president's top adviser Martin Nejedly, who did business in Moscow and had a joint venture with Russian oil firm Lukoil in the Czech Republic. Zeman was the only EU leader to attend a World War II victory ceremony in Moscow in 2015. He has also helped steer the country toward China and welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to Prague last year. This week, the richest Czech businessman, Petr Kellner, met with Zeman to discuss economic ties with those countries, both of which Zeman aims to visit this year. In April Zeman will meet Trump at the White House. It wasnt just another day at Paradigm Talent Agency. Many of its employees did not come to work. The chairman of our company sent out a mass email to the entire company, not just the women, saying he was encouraging all of us to do this. And then this morning, I got several individual emails from male colleagues saying that they were proud of me for participating in this, said literary agent Valarie Phillips. Many of her Los Angeles colleagues and thousands of others across the United States are participating in A Day Without a Woman. As part of International Womens Day, it was a day to skip work, wear red and rally to support womens issues and womens rights. The female employees at Paradigm Talent Agency started their morning at a colleagues home in Los Angeles to put together personal hygiene bags for homeless women who are moving to permanent housing. So we have 101 women in the Los Angeles office, so we decided to put together 101 hygiene bags today. And I think thats actually a nice symbol, because I think as 101 it represents us as a group united, and the 1 represents us as individuals. We need to show up for things like today and we need to show up to be a part of the sisterhood, said Phillips, who later attended a rally in front of L.A. City Hall with her colleagues. Coast-to-coast rallies Thousands of women and some men participated in rallies and marches in cities across the U.S. Were putting an important message out there that women matter. Were more than half the population. We can make a difference in this world. I think we stand more for things we believe in: the love, the beauty, the hope, the uplifted side of humanity. We want to share that with others, said retired nurse Mona Dimick, who attended the rally in Los Angeles with her sister. In more rural areas of the U.S., such as Mount Carroll, Illinois, the mood was very different and few people knew about the event. Ruide Jusufi, originally from Albania, owns a cafe in Mount Carroll. She said observing International Womens Day is more prevalent in Europe than the U.S. Being a woman, [you] work. Do work. Thats it. This is the womans day. You have to work. You have to take care of your husband, your kids, [and] your grandkids, Jusufi said. Men march, too Men also participated in the rallies. For Carlos Heredia, fighting for womens rights is personal. Growing up, seeing my mom abused by my father, then seeing my three sisters abused by their men and the consistency of hearing what goes on, of what they call gym talk or corporate talk. I think me, being a male, I need to do my job to protect our women, Heredia said. Womens rights mean different things to different people. Some participants are advocating for gender equality and equal pay, others for abortion rights. Karin Agness, founder of the conservative womens group Network of Enlightened Women, agrees on the need for gender equality. But she says Wednesdays rallies exclude conservative women like herself and sends the wrong message. Women have made great gains, and its frustrating for me as a young woman that the womens movement today really sees women as victims still, and as a victim class in need of the government to fix their problems, she said. If they are really concerned about women in the workplace, they could have come up with some more concrete actions that really would have made a difference. I think this is more a media opportunity and less about advancing women, Agness added. In Washington, D.C., several thousand people marched and rallied outside the White House. For many women, this event was also a political protest against President Donald Trump. What this president unfortunately is trying to do -- he and his ridiculous Cabinet -- is bring this country backwards. We thought we had fought and made progress many, many years ago. Unfortunately I think we got complacent, and we stopped fighting, and we have to keep fighting, Gabriella Belli said. Many participants of A Day Without A Woman said they are the lucky ones. I know a lot of people cant actually be here because theyve got jobs they have to be at. So when youre at a position where you can and youve got people saying go, its important for us to be here and represent for those who cant, and its incredibly important, said Nicolle Alfaro who attended the Los Angeles rally with her friend. Surrounded by a sea of red, these women said they feel empowered to continue the fight for womens rights of all kinds within their own communities. Next month, Nebraskas state liquor commission will decide the fate of the tiny but notorious town of Whiteclay, population 12, whose livelihood depends on selling beermore than 12,000 cans a day, mostly to vulnerable Lakota natives from the nearby Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, which sits only about 60 meters away, over the border in South Dakota. Marsha and Bruce Bonfleur have operated Lakota Hope, a Christian service ministry in both Whiteclay and Pine Ridge for more than a dozen years. During that period we witnessed a lot in the way of human suffering, said Bruce Bonfluer in an email. On any given day in good weather, there probably averaged 25 to 30 Lakota men and women struggling with alcohol and life on the street. On some days, he said, the numbers would double. Every day in Whiteclay, there are dozens and dozens of alcohol-consumption violations; people passed out, fighting, etc., he continued. And because there are no public restrooms in the town, people urinate, or worse, in the open street or behind trees. Public health is a huge concern, always, he said, and law enforcement is woefully inadequate. For at least two decades, activists have been asking for the state of Nebraska to shut the stores down, resorting to blockades, marches and lawsuits. They blame Whiteclay, which has been dubbed the skid row of the Plains, for fueling rampant alcoholism on the reservation. As many as 80 percent of Pine Ridge residents suffer from alcoholism, which is associated with dozens of chronic diseases, including diabetes, cirrhosis, hepatitis and high blood pressure. Alcoholism increases the likelihood of domestic violence, child neglect and sexual abuse, and accounts for a high rate of suicides, particularly among Pine Ridge youth. Women who drink during pregnancy run a serious risk of damaging their fetuses: To wit, one in every four reservation babies is born with fetal alcohol syndrome or a related disorder. If you are a man on Pine Ridge, chances are you wont live past 48. Women are a little luckier, with an average life expectancy of 52. Since the 1990s, tribal officials and activists have tried everything from protests to blockades to lawsuits in an attempt to shut down Whiteclays liquor stores. Last November, after the beating death of a 50-year-old Lakota woman in Whiteclay, the state of Nebraska finally took notice. Its liquor control commission ordered Whiteclays four stores to reapply for their licenses to sell alcohol. If they want to keep operating past April 30, the date their current licenses expire, they will have to demonstrate at an April 6 hearing that they can provide adequate law enforcement in the town. Theyll also have to answer complaints that they break the law themselves by selling to under-age drinkers and intoxicated individuals. Separately, Nebraska Senators this week gave first-round approval to a bill that would set up a legislative task force made up of lawmakers, public health officials and the state Commission on Indian Affairs to examine what one lawmaker called a public health emergency in Whiteclay. The core problem But some say shutting down the liquor stores isnt the answer -- among them is Leon Blunt Horn Matthews, a Lakota author, columnist and pastor who has experienced first-hand the despair of Whiteclay. There are core issues that we need to confront, like the historical trauma theyve suffered, he said, citing Native Americans history of oppression and displacement. People are grieving for their mothers, for their grandmothers, for their children, for their parents. That pain is almost too much. And alcohol just blunts the pain, Matthews said. Tim Giago, an Oglala Lakota newspaper publisher and author, takes a pragmatic view. We put them out of business and what are we going to end up with? he asked. You are going to end up with a Whiteclay with no liquor stores. Addicts always find a way, he said, rattling off the names of several nearby towns with ample numbers of liquor stores. You can tear down or buy every bar within a 100 mile radius, if you want to. Weve got bootleggers on the reservation who would take up the slack. Giago says the only solution is to address the core problemaddictionand build a big, beautiful, state-of-the-art addiction treatment and rehabilitation center. As it stands, the reservations addicts have few treatment options. The Indian Health Service (IHS), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is responsible for providing federal health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. IHS funds and oversees a small, 45-bed hospital in the town of Pine Ridge and five small clinics or health stations in other towns on the reservation. Anpetu Luta OtipiLiving in a Red Dayis a small alcohol and drug treatment center about an hour away in the town of Kyle. Tribally-run and federally-funded, it provides 30-day inpatient treatment adapted to fit traditional Lakota culture and values, offering equine therapy, meditation and traditional sweat lodges. However, it can accommodate no more than 10 inpatients at a time. As it turns out, the Bonfleurs are hoping to address the shortage in treatment options. They say they have met several times with the current beer store owners, who are willing to sell if their licenses are denied. The Bonfluers recently formed Whiteclay Redevelopment, a low-profit corporation seeking to raise more than $6 million to buy out the liquor businesses and create an entirely new economy in Whiteclay that respects and honors the Lakota Nation and provides much-needed jobs, hope and a future for residents on both sides of the border. Their plan also includes an alcohol detox and rehabilitation facility, possibly in Whiteclay itself. Bruce Bonfluer acknowledges it is an ambitious plan, and time is running out. So, will we raise $6 million? he asks. We don't know yet, but we do know that if the people and the leaders of this great state of Nebraska really believe in a Good Life [the states longtime slogan], then the money will come in, whether it be through individuals, foundations/philanthropists, government or fundraising on social media or elsewhere. Michael Flynn, who was fired last month as President Donald Trump's national security adviser, has registered as a foreign agent with the Justice Department for $530,000 worth of lobbying work that may have aided the Turkish government. A lawyer for the former U.S. Army lieutenant general and intelligence chief said in paperwork filed Tuesday with the Justice Department's Foreign Agent Registration Unit that Flynn was voluntarily registering for lobbying that "could be construed to have principally benefited the Republic of Turkey." Under the Foreign Agent Registration Act, U.S. citizens who lobby on behalf of foreign governments or political entities must disclose their work to the Justice Department. Willfully failing to register is a felony, though the Justice Department rarely files criminal charges in such cases. They routinely work with lobbying firms to get individuals back in compliance with the law by registering and disclosing their work. Flynn's attorney did not respond to questions about whether the Justice Department or FBI had contacted Flynn about his lobbying. Dutch company Flynn's consulting firm, Flynn Intel Group Inc., had previously disclosed to Congress that it worked for Inovo BV, a Dutch company owned by a Turkish businessman. But neither Flynn nor his company had previously filed paperwork with the Justice Department, which requires more extensive transparency about work that benefits foreign governments and political interests. In the filings with the Justice Department, Flynn's attorney, Robert Kelner, noted they served as a termination of the registration, saying the firm had ceased operations in November, the same month the lobbying contract ended. Under a Trump administration ethics pledge that postdated his company's work, Flynn agreed not to lobby for five years after leaving government service and never to represent foreign governments. Calls to phone numbers associated with Flynn and his firm weren't answered. Kelner, his attorney, declined to comment through a spokesman for his law firm, Covington & Burling. Reached Wednesday afternoon, an official at the Turkish Embassy in Washington said he would refer the questions to the embassy spokesman. The spokesman did not immediately respond. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday afternoon. Trump fired Flynn last month for misleading Vice President Mike Pence and other administration officials about his contacts with Russia's ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak. Several conversations As a key member of Trump's transition team last December, Flynn spoke by phone several times with Kislyak during the period when former President Barack Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats from the U.S. and levied new sanctions in response to Russian election-related hacking. According to the new paperwork, Flynn's firm took on the Turkish-related lobbying work last August while he was a top Trump campaign surrogate. Flynn's consulting firm said its lobbying work ended in November, when the company ceased operations. Flynn Intel disclosed in its filing that the company was invited by its Turkish client, Ekim Alptekin, to meet with Turkish officials in New York in mid-September. Among those officials, the documents said, were Turkey's ministers of foreign affairs and energy. Flynn's company did not name the officials but reported the two worked for Turkey's government "to the best of Flynn Intel Group's current understanding." In late October and early November, Flynn wrote an op-ed promoting Turkey's political and business affairs that was later published in The Hill, a Washington-based political newspaper. In the new filing, Flynn disclosed that in writing the op-ed, he relied on research conducted as part of the Inovo BV contract. But Flynn's filing emphasized that neither Inovo BV nor the Turkish government directed him to write the article. He also said he was not paid for the op-ed. Six U.S. states are challenging President Donald Trump's revised executive order that bars new visas for people from six predominantly Muslim countries and temporarily shuts down the U.S. refugee program. The state of Hawaii already has filed suit, arguing the new federal order will harm Muslims living in the Pacific island state. Five other states have banded together in a combined challenge to the latest order from Trump, meant to replace an earlier decree that was overturned by U.S. courts. The West Coast state of Washington, which played a leading role in resisting the original presidential order, asked a federal judge in Seattle to affirm that a court order suspending enforcement of Trump's January 27 edict also applies to the new version released by the White House. The states of Oregon, Minnesota and New York have joined Washington state's legal action, and Massachusetts announced late Thursday that it, too, will take part when an amended complaint is filed next week. Bob Ferguson, Washington state's attorney general, said the states have a solid legal argument. The president's new immigration order is "narrower" than the original version, Ferguson said, but "that does not mean that it's cured its constitutional problems." New order to take effect March 16 Trump signed a new executive order Monday barring citizens from six countries -- Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen -- from traveling to the United States for three months, and suspended for four months a U.S. refugee resettlement program. Foreign travelers who received visas to the United States before January 22, or who already are legal permanent residents of the U.S., are exempted from the new order. A federal judge will hold a hearing on Hawaii's lawsuit on March 15, one day before the new ban is to take effect. The revised order removed Iraq from the list of countries whose nationals were to be barred from entering the United States, and also clarified the exempt status of "green card" holders -- legal permanent residents. Airport chaos moved into court The original immigration order issued January 27 led to chaos and confusion at airports across the U.S. All travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries were affected, either detained for prolonged periods or sent back on return flights to their home countries. Crowds of protesters gathered at many airports demanding that would-be immigrants be allowed into the U.S. and many volunteer attorneys came out seeking to represent foreign detainees. Customs and border patrol agents who apparently had little time to prepare for the immigration action carried out the president's order unevenly in different cities, and dozens of legal challenges were mounted in courts across the country. Days of chaos ended only when a federal appellate court on the West Coast issued a temporary order preventing enforcement of the travel ban. The Department of Justice in Washington argued against the temporary order, but was overruled by the court, and the original restraining order still is in effect. However, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Thursday that the Trump administration is "very confident" the new travel ban will withstand legal challenges. A gay veterans group said Wednesday it has been denied permission to march in this year's Boston St. Patrick's Day parade just two years after organizers made the groundbreaking decision to allow gay groups to participate for the first time. The veterans group, OutVets, said on its Facebook page that the reason for the denial is unclear, but "one can only assume it's because we are LGBTQ." The South Boston Allied War Veterans Council, the parade's organizer, drew immediate condemnation from Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, who said he would not participate in the March 19 parade unless the council reversed course. "I will not tolerate discrimination in our city of any form," he said in a statement. Republican Gov. Charlie Baker said he would not participate either, while Democratic U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton called for a boycott of the parade. Moulton, who served four tours of duty in Iraq, has marched with OutVets previously. Restricting a veterans group from marching in a parade that honors veterans "doesn't make any sense to me," Baker said. This year's Chief Marshal, Dan Magoon, the executive director of Mass Fallen Heroes, resigned over the vote. "The freedom that we possess to hold such an event as the St. Patrick's parade is due to the men and women who have spilled their blood in defense to this great nation, regardless of their race, religion, gender or sexual orientation," he said in a letter to the council. Democratic State Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry, whose district includes South Boston, asked the council to reconsider. The vote left OutVets leadership stunned. "It's disgusting and disgraceful that they would do this to their own, because we are veterans like them," said Bryan Bishop, an Air Force veteran who founded OutVets. The council gave no reason for its 9-4 vote, Bishop said. Emails and several phone messages seeking comment from the council were not immediately returned Wednesday. Council member Ed Flynn said he voted to allow OutVets to participate in the parade through the largely Irish-American neighborhood, which in the past has drawn as many as one million spectators. "I am saddened and outraged that the Allied War Veterans Council has voted to turn back the clock on equality," he said. He called on the council to hold an emergency meeting to hold a new vote. OutVets has gone out of its way to conform with the parade's code of conduct the last two years, Bishop said. "If we did break any rules, we were never informed," he said. The only issue OutVets had with parade organizers was over use of their rainbow flag, he said. That issue was resolved. Bishop said he heard rumblings that OutVets would be barred from this year's parade as far back as November when Brian Mahoney, the former commander of the veterans' council, died. Mahoney had been firmly in OutVets corner. "The only thing I can assume is that with Brian no longer there to beat the drum for us they had enough support to put us out," Bishop said. The South Boston Allied War Veterans Council's legal battle to keep gay organizations out of the parade went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in its favor in 1995. "This is a black eye on South Boston," Bishop said. European Union leaders on Thursday voted overwhelmingly to re-elect Donald Tusk president of the bloc. Tusks home country of Poland was the only one of the 28 member states to vote against his reappointment. Following the vote, Beata Mazurek, a spokeswoman for Polands ruling Law and Justice Party, questioned the unity of the EU in light of Tusks re-election. Poland had earlier threatened to derail the EU summit if the vote went through as planned, though that didnt happen. Following his re-election, Tusk said on Twitter he hoped to make the EU better, despite Polands opposition. "Grateful for trust & positive assessment by #EUCO [European Council]. I will do my best to make the EU better," he said via social media. Tusks new term will run from May until November 2019. EU leaders were also expected to discuss other issues related to the economy and defense Thursday. On Friday they begin preparations for a summit in Rome later this month to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the EUs founding treaty. Sepoy Balraj Singh (24) was a resident of Punjab and is survived by his wife and daughter. By Ashwini Kumar: An Army Jawan posted in Daraba in Poonch Sector of Jammu was found dead with gunshot wounds in his living quarters in the early hours today. Sepoy Balraj Singh (24) was a resident of Punjab and is survived by his wife and daughter. The next of kin of the deceased has been informed by the Army. Defence spokesman, Lt Col Manish Mehta said that an inquiry into the matter has been instituted by the Army. The Police authorities have also been informed and have commenced investigating the case. advertisement Also read: Soldier suicide controversy: Communication gap between officers and jawans, feels Army top brass --- ENDS --- Republicans on a pivotal House committee scored an initial triumph in their effort to scuttle former President Barack Obamas health care overhaul, using a predawn vote Thursday to abolish the tax penalty his statute imposes on people who dont purchase insurance and reshaping how millions of Americans buy medical care. Yet the Ways and Means panels approval of health care legislation only masked deeper problems Republican backers face. Hospitals, doctors and consumer groups mounted intensifying opposition to the GOP health care drive and the White House and Republican leaders labored to rally a divided party behind their high-stakes overhaul crusade. Medical groups oppose bill The American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association and AARP, the nations largest advocacy group for older people, were arrayed against the measure. Seven years ago their backing was instrumental in enacting Obamas health care statute, which President Donald Trump and Republicans are intent on erasing. The hospitals major employers in many districts wrote lawmakers complaining about the bills cuts in Medicaid and other programs and said more uninsured Americans seem likely, adding, We ask Congress to protect our patients. Groups representing public, childrens, Catholic and other hospitals also expressed opposition. Americas Health Insurance Plans, representing insurers, praised the legislations elimination of health industry taxes but warned that proposed Medicaid changes could result in unnecessary disruptions in the coverage and care beneficiaries depend on. Early morning vote In epic sessions that began Wednesday morning, Ways and Means worked until nearly 4:30 a.m. EST before approving the final batch of tax provisions in a party-line 23-16 vote. The Energy and Commerce Committee panel continued working, tackling a reshaping of Medicaid. GOP leaders faced rebellion within their own ranks, including from conservative lawmakers and outside conservative groups claiming the bill took too timid a whack at Obamas law. Numerous GOP centrists and governors also were antagonistic, worried their states could lose Medicaid payments and face higher costs for hospitals having to treat growing numbers of uninsured people. Top Republicans knew if the upheaval should snowball and crush the legislation it would be a shattering defeat for Trump and the GOP, so leaders hoped approval by both House committees would fuel momentum. In words aimed at recalcitrant colleagues, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., told reporters: This is what good, conservative health care reform looks like. It is bold and it is long overdue, and it is us fulfilling our promises. The last was a nod to campaign pledges by Trump and many GOP congressional candidates. Outnumbered Democrats used the panels meetings for political messaging, futilely offering amendments aimed at preventing the bill from raising deficits, kicking people off coverage or boosting consumers out-of-pocket costs. They tried unsuccessfully to insert language pressuring Trump to release his income tax returns, and failed to prevent Republicans from restoring insurance companies tax deductions for executive salaries above $500,000 a break Obamas law killed. There were signs of growing White House engagement, and perhaps progress. Trump, conservatives meet Trump met at the White House late Wednesday with leaders of six conservative groups that have opposed the GOP legislation, and several voiced optimism afterward. Im encouraged that the president indicated theyre pushing to make changes in the bill, said David McIntosh, head of the Club for Growth, though he provided no specifics. Underscoring Trumps potential impact, Energy and Commerce Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., said of GOP holdouts, A lot of them, they maybe havent felt the inertia that comes with Air Force One landing in their district. The legislation would defang Obamas requirement that everyone buy insurance a provision deeply disliked by Republicans by repealing the tax fines imposed on those who dont. That penalty has been a stick aimed at pressing healthy people to purchase policies. The bill would replace income-based subsidies Obama provided with tax credits based more on age, and insurers would charge higher premiums for customers who drop coverage for over two months The extra billions Washington has sent states to expand the federal-state Medicaid program would begin ending in 2020, and spending on the entire program would be capped at per-patient limits. Around $600 billion in 10-year tax boosts that Obamas statute imposed on wealthy Americans and others to finance his overhaul would be repealed. Insurers could charge older customers five times more than younger ones instead of the current 3-1 limit, but would still be required to include children up to age 26 in family policies, and they would be barred from imposing annual or lifetime benefit caps. We will answer President Trumps call to action, said Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, adding later, Relief is on the way. Democrats predict more uninsured Democrats said the Republicans would yank health coverage from many of the 20 million Americans who gained it under Obamas statute, and drive up costs for others because the GOP tax breaks would be skimpier than existing subsidies. And they accused Republicans of hiding bad news by moving ahead without official estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office on the bills cost to taxpayers and anticipated coverage. You can expect more town hall meetings you wont want to go to, said Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich., a reference to liberal activists who hounded Republicans during last months recess. Since January of this year, thousands of school children in Indias northeastern state of Assam have pored over an illustrated story of how two young girls from a relief camp were lured by a man who told them of the good life they could lead in a big city, home to swanky buildings and flashy cars. It sounded attractive to the poor youngsters who could only visualize a bleak life ahead. Fortunately spotted by a policeman as they waited for the man at a railway station to head to the city, the story goes on to relate what their future could have been like when they were sold to work as poorly paid domestic employees, sex workers or laborers. The comic in the Assamese language aims to raise awareness among children about trafficking rings that lure young girls and boys from villages into Indias booming cities with the promise of good jobs. The most vulnerable to human traffickers are states such as Assam, where a violent ethnic conflict has displaced many families, and the countrys poorer, underdeveloped states such as West Bengal, Telengana, and Andhra Pradesh. As child rights campaigners stress prevention as key to addressing the problem, comic books have emerged as an effective tool to empower children to protect themselves in these areas. Children being sold accounted for nearly half of the human trafficking cases in India in 2015. There are more colors, more expressions, its an effective means of communication, especially for children, says Miguel Queah at Assam-based non-profit Utsah, who wrote the story and helps organize reading sessions in vulnerable and displaced communities such as relief camps, childrens homes and government schools in Assam. Children love reading the stories, discussing among their friends, we could see that response taking place he says. Orders to print more comics have gone out with the initial stock of 800 copies having run out and there is a proposal to incorporate it in school curriculums. The non-profit My Choices Foundation began reaching out to rural communities a little over a year ago with its comic book, The Light of Safe Villages to educate children about threats such as trafficking and other social problems such as child marriage. Hannah Norling who heads communications at the My Choices Foundation is confident that the colorful books and simple stories in local languages are effectively spreading the message of how traffickers trap young children. We are in the right place, she said. It is distributed to students across more than 500 Indian villages. She points out that while it is sometimes difficult to reach out to parents, who are busy working, children are more of a captive audience and the idea was to give them an illustrated book that could serve as a complete educational tool which they could share with their parents. We had to leave something behind that would be a long term reminder. If something happens a year from now, a physical frame of reference for them to revert back to 'OK now what do I do? said Norling. One of the stories in the comic is of a guardian girl on a mission to save others and another of a vigilant boy. Growing awareness among children has made them more alert to threats from traffickers and some have reported to village council or others if they noticed a friend missing, according to Norling. She said that helped in the rescue of three girls in the past year who had left their village. The comic book initiative is among several efforts to prevent trafficking in rural areas. One of them by Save the Children spreads the message in local communities through children who have been rescued. India honored a woman on Wednesday when 21-year-old Anoyara Khatun, who was trafficked from West Bengal state, received the "Women Power" award from the president for stopping hundreds of other children from being forced into labor or married off. Khatun was brought to Delhi when she was 12 years old and forced to work as a house maid, but managed to escape after six months. With the help of child rights advocates, she returned home and is part of a network of childrens groups in 80 villages where young people are taught about their rights. Manab Ray at Save the Children in New Delhi points out that once trafficking has happened, there is little that can be done to help the victims, so the key is to stop it in villages. And at the heart of the effort to engage local communities are the children themselves. Children we found are the best informers, in terms of knowing the issues, because they face it themselves, they can have the natural ability of identifying the traffickers and all, said Ray. Moldova said on Thursday it would bar its officials from visiting Russia because they were being subjected to "humiliating" abuse and harassment by some members of Moscow's security apparatus. The government of the small ex-Soviet republic said in a statement it believed the abuse was revenge for an investigation of what it said was a $22 billion scheme to launder Russian money through Moldova's financial system. The spat has erupted at a delicate time, as Moldova's newly-elected president is looking to pull his country closer to Moscow while its staunchly pro-Western government seeks closer ties with and eventual membership of the European Union. A reaction to treatment from Russia Moldovan lawmakers, government officials and intelligence services "are being abusively stopped on entry to the Russian Federation, interrogated and treated in a humiliating manner by representatives of a Russian special/intelligence service," the government statement said. Russia's security services and foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Moldova's accusations. Until a solution is found to this issue, Moldovan officials are asked to abstain from visits to the Russian Federation, the Moldovan statement said. Authorities in Chisinau say Russian money has been laundered through a Moldovan bank with the collusion of Moldovan judges and some central bank officials. Fourteen judges and a prominent Moldovan businessman have been arrested. President denounces move Moldova, Europe's poorest country, borders EU member Romania, with which it has close linguistic and cultural ties, but remains heavily reliant on Russian energy supplies. Relations with Moscow soured after Moldova signed a political and trade pact with the EU in 2014, prompting Russia to slap a retaliatory ban on Moldovan produce. President Igor Dodon, who travels to Russia next week, denounced the move on Thursday to stop Moldovan officials from traveling as abnormal and said it would hurt efforts to build better relations with Moscow. Requests ignored In its statement, the government said one Moldovan interior ministry official had been stopped 35 times while entering and exiting Russian territory at a Moscow airport. It also accused Russian security officials of spreading false information about high-ranking Moldovans as a ruse to get them put onto international watch lists. The Moldovan government said the Russian authorities had refused to co-operate with its money-laundering investigation and had ignored official requests for help. Conservationists are calling for support to protect a major wildlife sanctuary in Myanmars northern Karen state they say is threatened by a China-financed dam on the Salween river. Plans to dam the Salween, the longest river free from dams in mainland Southeast Asia, remain controversial, with seven dams proposed for the Salweens main stem. But it is the 1,365 megawatt Hatgyi that is seen as threatening two wildlife sanctuaries in northern Karen State. The dam is a joint venture between Chinas Sinohydro and Thailands Electricity Generating Authority (EGAT). Saw Paul Sein Twa, executive director of Karen Environmental and Social Action Network (KESAN), said the dam is a direct threat to the sanctuary and is calling for a moratorium on the project. The dam will flood the area where we have found so many species, including tigers, we need to really preserve. We need to do more research, survey to find out their status, he said. We have found some already but we need to do more. So this area will be flooded before we can do much work on the ground. Thats why we are calling for a moratorium to stop it and look into this study of the wildlife, Saw Paul told VOA. Species under threat In a February 6 edition of Oryx Journal, co-authors Saw Sha Bwe Moo, Graden Froese and Thomas Gray, detailed results of research investigating the sanctuary area. They said from a total of 9,511 trap nights they obtained 4,191 records showing tigers, leopards, the Asian black bear and elephants. At least 17 of the 31 species found are considered as near threatened, vulnerable or endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list. The authors called for urgent action to assist the Karen people to protect one of Southeast Asias last intact rich and diverse ecosystems. The five-year study has drawn international support, including from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), European zoological associations and the Australian non-government organization Wildlife Asia. Wildlife Asia director Clare Campbell said protecting the region from growing threats, including development and poaching, requires international support. Threats are emerging all the time and some of those threats are going to take fairly considerable resources and international awareness and attention as well as if the local community is able to see out their vision for the landscape which may be a little different from a foreign developers vision, Campbell told VOA. A program to protect the sanctuary against poaching led to the creation of teams of local Karen undertaking anti-poaching patrols, often with the armed backing of the Karen National Union (KNU) militia. Campbell said they are looking to expand the teams area of coverage but will require greater resources. Political factors Myanmars central government has reached cease-fire agreements with several ethnic armies, including the Karen, while political stability and reform has opened the economy to development. But a reduction in conflict has opened the way for animal poaching and trafficking. Since 2012 Myanmar has reported a tenfold increase in elephant poaching to around 25 to 30 a year, with authorities blaming a lack of information and ongoing demand for animal parts, especially from China. Deforestation has also taken its toll. Myanmar is reported by the U.N.s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) to rank only behind Brazil and Indonesia in forest loss. But conservationists fear Chinas growing influence may lead to a loss of support from the Karen leadership to continue to support the sanctuary through Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the armed wing of the KNU. During recent cease-fire talks, KNU chairman Mutu Say Poe recently became the first Karen rebel leader to visit China. KESANs Saw Paul says there are concerns over the KNU possibly abandoning support for the sanctuary. We worry about the Chinese side might raise this project [sanctuary] in relation to their cooperation with the KNU or in the peace process. I dont know. But of course since this dams major stakeholder is China, the second is EGAT of Thailand, so we do have that concern, he said. VOA was unable to reach KNU officials for comment on this story. In a bid to dissuade the government from backing the Hatgyi dam construction, the Karen have launched the Karen Wildlife Conservation Initiative (KWCI) to promote alternative development. The KWCI brings together the Karen Forestry Department, KESAN, and Wildlife Asia. The project, known as a Peace Park, earmarks an area down to the dam site as a Karen cultural and community reserve as well as a wildlife sanctuary. The program we are looking at now is an alternative to the governments big development projects, he said. After topping the polls for months, anti-immigrant, anti-Islam, far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders, often dubbed the Dutch Donald Trump, is now polling in second place, less than a week before the Dutch national elections. A square in the center of Breda, a mid-sized city in a southern province, is filled with police while rain pours down. Retired truck driver Rien Adriaanse has come to see Wilders, leader of the Freedom Party. Adriaanse has decided that this year, for the first time, he will vote for the Freedom Party of Wilders. I always voted for the Social-Democrats, but I am tired of them now. But I see this as a strategic vote because I dont agree with everything that Wilders says. I just dont want [current Prime Minister] Mark Rutte to win again. If Rutte wins, it will mean another four years of being deceived. Many citizens supporting Wilders say all other politicians make promises that they keep breaking, and they feel the political establishment needs to be shaken up. Over the past four years, the Social Democrats and the conservative Liberals formed the Dutch government. Anti-establishment insider Susan Pfaff-Bons drove down from another city with her own banner to show Wilders her support. I feel that Wilders is the only one who defends the people, the other politicians are just there for their own benefit, she said. Wilders appeals to voters for being anti-establishment, despite being one of the longest serving members of parliament. Political lecturer at the Radboud University Koen Vossen has followed the rise of populism and Wilders party specifically. Vossen describes Wilders as a workaholic and a skilled media strategist. He profiles himself as an outsider, but he knows all the procedures in parliament. However, in all other ways he doesnt participate like other politicians. He canceled all his debates and he probably does that intentionally, said Vossen. Wilders does not make many public appearances, partly because he has been living under 24-hour security since 2004 due to his anti-Islamic statements. Last week, Wilders temporarily canceled all his campaign activities when it became clear his security detail had leaked information to a criminal gang. A statement or a tweet from Wilders often is enough to dominate the Dutch news cycle. He has almost 800,000 followers on Twitter. He has said women who wear headscarves should be taxed, and his cry for "less Moroccans" in the Netherlands led to him being convicted of hate speech last December. Trump comparisons When Wilders does appear in public, there is as much media waiting for him, as there are voters. While handing out flyers, he shortly responds to a few questions from international journalists about whether or not he is the Dutch Donald Trump. I am an original of myself. Maybe not as a result of elections, but movements like mine and in Germany and Austria and Italy, were getting stronger in the last few years," said Wilders. "Even before Trump came to office. Donald Trump, however, is the one who won the elections. We didnt do that yet. There might be similarities, but also a lot of differences. The situation in Holland, the rest of the world is different. There are a few similarities, though, between the new U.S. president and Wilders, other than their preference of communicating through Twitter, says Vossen. They both emphasize putting their own country first and both want to close the borders. They both have a strong aversion against Islam, but that feeling is much stronger with Wilders. They both communicate with extreme statements, although with Wilders it is most likely more controlled and calculated. Populist and right-wing movements are gaining popularity on the European continent, and right wing leaders, such as Wilders and Marine le Pen from France, make appearances together. But Wilders differs greatly with many far-right groups in his pro-Israel views. Other Dutch political parties have ruled out the option of forming a coalition with the Freedom Party. But if Wilders' party does win the elections on March 15, he will have to take the first initiative of finding a coalition partner, which is needed in the Netherlands to form a government. After the 2010 elections, Wilders provided support for a minority Cabinet, but the coalition had to step down after Wilders rejected some measures that led to new elections. Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari will return to the West African nation Friday after extended medical leave in Britain, the president's office said Thursday. Buhari, 74, left Abuja on January 19 for treatment in Britain. He had planned to stay 10 days but stayed longer to rest after consulting his doctors. Officials have refused to disclose details of his illness, triggering much speculation in Nigerian media and on social media. "President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to return to the country tomorrow, Friday, March 10, 2017," the president's office said in a statement. "President Buhari expresses appreciation to teeming Nigerians from across the country, and beyond, who had prayed fervently for him, and also sent their good wishes," it added. The statement gave no medical details. Meeting with archbishop Earlier in the day, the president's office published pictures of a smiling Buhari meeting the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, in Abuja House, part of the Nigerian High Commission in London. No official pictures of Buhari's meetings in London had been posted since February 15. The government had sought to allay concerns of a void at the helm of Africa's biggest economy by stressing that Buhari gave Vice President Yemi Osinbajo full powers as acting president during his leave. Osinbajo, a lawyer, held cabinet meetings in Buhari's absence and finished work on an economic reform plan needed to secure a World Bank loan to help plug a deficit caused by low oil revenues. The central bank also devalued the naira for retail customers two weeks ago. A fire that ripped through an overcrowded home for abused children in Guatemala killed at least 30 people, mostly girls, and doctors on Thursday described their shock at the severity of the burns suffered by two dozen more hospitalized victims. Ive been doing this for 29 years. What I saw yesterday was a scene from Dante," said Juan Antonio Villeda, director of the San Juan de Dios hospital, where 17 patients with extremely serious first- and second-degree burns were being treated. The fire broke out on Wednesday as some residents allegedly set mattresses ablaze following an escape attempt from the government-run Virgen de Asuncion home for youths aged up to 18, in San Jose Pinula, 25 km (15 miles) southwest of the capital, Guatemala City. Overcrowding a mayor problem Investigators were trying to determine whether the fire was started by a group that authorities had isolated after the escape attempt on Tuesday night. Guatemala has Latin America's worst rates of child malnutrition and street gangs like the Mara Salvatrucha prey on minors, making it an often dangerous place to grow up. The Central American nation's public institutions are underfunded, racked by corruption and widespread overcrowding. Criticism is mounting about conditions in the home, which housed boys and girls. Presidential spokesman Heinz Heimann said victims of abuse were mixed in with juvenile offenders in what he criticized as open living arrangements. Parents alleged abuse at the center, including rape, and said gangs operated there. Many more victims in critical conditions More than 500 minors were in the home in a wooded area outside the semi-rural town of San Jose Pinula, although Guatemalan media said its capacity was 400. Doctors announced eight deaths overnight of residents of the home who had been treated for injuries at hospitals in Guatemala City, and said some 24 more were in critical condition. In my 13-year career I have never seen injuries like this. It is tragic, said Carlos Soto, director of the Roosevelt hospital, describing severe burns to their lungs, throats and skin. A former employee of a state-owned newspaper who figured among China's 100 "most-wanted" fugitives has returned from the United States to turn himself in, the top anti-graft body said on Thursday, as China mapped out its strategy on fugitives in 2017. Last year, China brought back more than 1,000 people and assets of 2.4 billion yuan ($347 million) after kicking off its "Sky Net" campaign in 2014 to target corruption suspects who had fled overseas and the illicit funds they spirited out. In the campaign's latest victory, China has succeeded in bringing back Wang Jiazhe, who fled to the U.S. in 2000 amid allegations of contract fraud while working for the official newspaper in the northeastern province of Liaoning, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said. Wang, 56, returned thanks to the efforts of "Sky Net", the commission said in a statement on its website. As part of President Xi Jinping's sweeping anti-corruption campaign, China published a list of 100 most-wanted fugitives in April 2015, all subject to Interpol red notice arrest warrants. Wang is the 39th fugitive on the list to return, the graft body said, without giving details, such as whether U.S. law enforcement provided assistance. In a separate statement, the commission said this year's "Sky Net" campaign will focus on prevention and better global cooperation, including aligning some criminal laws with international laws, though it did not say how this would happen. "Preventing one person from fleeing, in some respects, is to get a person back," it said. In November, China's most-wanted corruption suspect, Yang Xiuzhu, a former deputy director of the construction bureau in the southeastern city of Wenzhou, ended 13 years on the run by returning from the United States. China has been trying to drum up international cooperation in its hunt for suspected corrupt officials who have fled overseas since Xi began his war on deeply-rooted graft more than four years ago. Western countries, however, have been reluctant to help, or to sign extradition treaties, unwilling to send people back to a country where rights groups say mistreatment of criminal suspects remains a problem. They also complain China is unwilling to provide proof of the crimes. Instead, China has turned to methods of persuasion to get people back from countries such as Canada and the United States, where many graft suspects have holed up. Pakistan is defying calls for permanently opening the border with landlocked Afghanistan, asserting that terrorist attacks emanating from the neighboring country continue to hurt Pakistani citizens and security forces. A string of deadly suicide bombings across Pakistan last month prompted authorities to close all regular crossings for movements of people and trade convoys across the largely porous frontier spanning roughly 2,600 kilometers. The move also halted transit of containerized cargo, an economic lifeline of Afghanistan, which is dependent on Pakistani ports. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Nafees Zakaria, reiterated Thursday that fugitives linked to the anti-state Pakistani Taliban and affiliates of Islamic State are plotting the violence from across the border, pointing to statements the militants have made taking credit for it. "The decision of the closure of the border was actually the security context ... to protect our own citizens from the dastardly attacks which were continuing from the other side of the border by those terrorist groups who are enjoying sanctuaries in Afghanistan," Zakaria told a news conference in Islamabad. The Pakistan military earlier this week alleged that militants staged cross-border raids on its outposts, killing five soldiers. The Afghan government says it has nothing to do with the violence and has criticized Pakistan for shutting the border. Kabul has called for the border's immediate opening to legitimate migration and trade. Independent critics and some Pakistani commentators have emphasized the need for resolving political differences through diplomatic channels, rather than resorting to punitive measures such as closing the border. Zakaria said that Pakistan has taken steps to strengthen security and tighten monitoring on its side under a comprehensive border management plan, and is urging the Afghan government to do the same for effectively deterring movement of terrorists in both directions. This border management is the most important aspect as far as we are concerned to control the cross-border terrorism and movement of terrorists who are actually hurting both sides. This is in the interest of both the countries to cooperate and this is what we had been talking about with Afghanistan, the spokesman maintained. Pakistan opened the two main border crossings of Torkham and Chaman for 48 hours this week, allowing more than 50,000 stranded Afghans and Pakistanis into their respective countries. Pakistan has lately also increased pressure on more than two million registered and unregistered Afghan refugees to go back to their country, saying militants are using the displaced population for hiding and planing terrorist attacks. Traders on both sides, particularly Afghans, say they are incurring demurrage charges because the border closure has led to a piling up of containerized cargo at Pakistans Karachi seaport on the Arabian Sea. The fragile relationship between the two countries has long suffered setbacks because of Kabuls allegations Islamabad harbors members of the Taliban insurgency and the Haqqani network blamed for deadly attacks in Afghanistan. Under the border management plan, the Pakistani military intends to conduct phased fencing of the border with Afghanistan to try to plug so-called ratlines through the mountains between the two countries, which terrorists traditionally use for infiltration in both directions. A new poll has found that 63 percent of American voters believe the level of hatred and bias against minority groups in the U.S. has increased since Donald Trump was elected president in November. The poll, released Thursday by Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, found another 32 percent saw no change, 2 percent believed it has declined, and 3 percent offered no opinion. More than three-quarters of those surveyed, 77 percent, felt prejudice against minority groups was "very" or "somewhat" serious. Of those respondents, 48 percent said the bias was "very serious," compared with 41 percent who felt that way in an earlier poll released on June 29, 2016. In the last month, perceived levels of anti-Semitism increased significantly. Seventy percent of American voters felt bias against Jewish people was "very" or "somewhat" serious, a sharp increase from 49 percent in a February 8 poll. Respondents are almost equally divided on Trump's response to bomb threats against Jewish community centers and recent acts of vandalism at Jewish cemeteries. Thirty-seven percent approved while 38 percent did not. "Americans are concerned that the dark forces of prejudice and anti-Semitism are rearing their ugly heads," said Quinnipiac University Poll official Tim Malloy. "Voters are less than confident with the new administration's response." In his first address to Congress on February 28, Trump condemned the fatal shooting of an Indian computer engineer six days earlier in Kansas, calling it "an act of racially motivated hatred." Trump further addressed the killing, as well as the vandalism of Jewish cemeteries and other recent anti-Semitic attacks. "We may be a nation divided on policies," he said, but "we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all of its very ugly forms." IG state CID (crime) Ravindra Kadam told Mail Today that Naxal activities were going on in JNU and DU at an alarming rate and magnitude. GN Saibaba and four others were awarded life sentence on Tuesday by a Gadchiroli court. By Siddhartha Rai: Naxal influence among students of premier institutes - thrown once more under the spotlight by the indictment and sentencing of DU professor GN Saibaba and others, including JNU student Hem Mishra - was being taken by law enforcement agencies extremely seriously. Former inspector general of police (IGP) of Nagpur range and now IG state CID (crime) Ravindra Kadam told Mail Today that Naxal activities were going on in Jawaharlal Nehru University and Delhi University at an alarming rate and magnitude. advertisement "JNU and DU continue to be hubs of Naxal activities where indoctrination of students continues at an alarming rate. The Democratic Students' Union (DSU) that is active in DU is neck-deep in such activities," said Kadam. SAIBABA FOUNTAINHEAD OF INDOCTRINATION "Prof Saibaba was the fountainhead of indoctrination and is guilty of converting students who came in his contact. Arrests in Gadhchiroli led anti-Naxal squad to Saibaba and several implicating digital records of such activities were found and submitted to the court." Meanwhile, highly placed sources in the Delhi Police special cell suggested Mail Today that several students and organisations, that have had active association with Saibaba and others such as Mishra, are on their radar and under surveillance. Even, some teachers from both the campuses, said police sources, were being watched closely. Maharashtra Police sources told Mail Today that a few JNU students had joined the underground Maoist cadre at the behest of Saibaba. DSU MEMBERS JOINED MAOISTS Maharashtra Police have also said those students who joined the Maoists in their anti-state struggle were members of DSU, the same students' body Umar Khalid - who made it to fame owing to the Afzal Guru commemoration row - had once been associated with. Earlier, Kadam had told Mail Today that Saibaba had been active with Left-leaning students of both JNU and DU, and indoctrinating and recruiting them for the Maoist movement. Gadchiroli police had arrested Saibaba in 2014 for his alleged links with the Maoists. "While Prof Saibaba was working in DU, he was also associated with students' activities in the JNU and DU, especially the DSU. Saibaba used to guide students from these universities. In the course of time, he had even prepared and recruited four students as Maoist cadre," Kadam had told Mail Today on an earlier occasion. WHAT LED TO SAIBABA'S ARREST Incidentally, his name had cropped up during the interrogation of Mishra, who was arrested by the Maharashtra Police in Gadchiroli district in August 2013. Mishra too was a DSU member. advertisement The suspended DU professor and four others were held guilty of having links with the Maoists and sentenced to life imprisonment by a court here in Maharashtra on Tuesday. A sixth convict was sentenced to 10 years in jail. Principal Judge of Gadchiroli District and Sessions Court Suryakant Shinde delivered the verdict. Besides Saibaba, the others to get life term were Hem Mishra, Prashant Rahi, Mahesh Tirkey and Pandu Narote. 6 ACCUSED ARE ACTIVE MEMBERS OF CPI (MAOIST) Vijay Tirki was awarded 10-year rigorous imprisonment. The judge also imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 each on the convicts. Shinde had observed that accused no. 1 to 6 are active members of CPI (Maoist) and Revolutionary Democratic Front. The prosecution has proved that all the accused conspired together to carry out illegal and violent activities of the banned organisation, he said in his 826-page verdict. The judge said disability of Saibaba is no ground for showing leniency towards him. Though he is physically handicapped, he is mentally fit and acted as a think tank and high profile leader of CPI (Maoist) and RDF. ALSO READ | GN Saibaba case: Gadchiroli District Court to announce verdict today Delhi University professor GN Saibaba sentenced to life for Maoist links advertisement Defence lawyer Surendra Gadling said they would challenge the order in the Bombay High Court. --- ENDS --- On Pingtung jails sunlit roof, prisoner No. 24 has a view of a brighter future. Ex-cop Chen, serving time for bribery, is learning how to install solar panels in a program thats part of Taiwans shimmering vision of a future without nuclear power. The 48-year-old is working on a project that has seen the southern Taiwan prison become the first to send solar power into the islands electricity grid. I should be out in two-three years, said Chen, whose full name cant be disclosed under prison rules, this should help (in finding a future job). Things are looking up for Chen, selected for the solar team on good behavior. But with a capacity of 1.8 megawatts, enough to supply power to 639 average Taiwanese households for a year, the drop-in-the-ocean Pingtung project highlights the towering scale of Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wens pledge to make the island nuclear-free by 2025. Nuclear accounts for around 14 percent of Taiwans total electricity generation. Renewable sources, including solar, wind and hydro, together account for less than 5 percent, leaving the 2025 goal of having renewables, primarily solar, account for a fifth of electricity generation by 2025 looking like a mirage. Not a main power source At Pingtung prison, where temperatures outside can peak around 33 degrees Celsius in summer, the chief of project manager Taichung-based Lixma Tech Co. said the arithmetic was simple: Its not possible for renewables, dependent on weather conditions, to be a main supply source. Renewable energy can reduce and replace a lot of traditional power generation, coal or nuclear power, only during peak electricity consumption periods, said Lixmas Chief Executive, Thomas Hsu. With plentiful sunshine at its disposal, Taiwan has certainly made progress in expanding solar energy in recent years. From current capacity of about 1,061 megawatts, Taipei is targeting about double that amount by mid-2018, with other jails among those considering solar projects, Pingtung prison officials said. But to match official government targets of having solar power account for 73 percent of total renewable energy capacity by 2025, Taiwan would need nearly 20 times current solar power capacity within nine years about 20,000 megawatts. That kind of power could mean panels taking up around 25,000 hectares of space on the island nearly the size of capital Taipei. Roadblocks vs consensus While Pingtung sees Taiwan join the ranks of countries from the United States to Brazil and South Africa in developing solar prison projects, the island will have to resolve numerous serious roadblocks if its to implement the massive rollout of renewables it needs to meet its goals, experts and industry insiders say. Problems in grid transmission for renewable energy, outdated regulations governing a power industry long dominated by state monopoly Taiwan Power Co., known as Taipower, environmental concerns and rival interests among government agencies and local communities are among issues to be overcome. The biggest uncertainty is how to get consensus among the various stakeholders, said Laurence Li, head of the governments Renewable Energy Project Office in Taipei, who says private sector players are eager to participate. While a key player in encouraging renewables projects like the Pingtung prison, Taipower is also the principal operator of Taiwans nuclear energy industry, as well as coal and liquefied natural gas plants. Financing development At Pingtung prison, Lixma shoulders all costs and says it will receive around T$9 million ($292,000) a year from Taipower for the solar power from the prison. Lixma CEO Hsu said the firm wont break even on the project until the ninth year of its 20-year contract with the prison and Taipower. Better known in Taiwan for the aged soy sauce its inmates have been making for decades, Pingtung prison is content to offer its 10,000 square meters of roof space for the 6,000 installed panels for the advancement of renewables. We are primarily a resource for absorbing solar energy, said vice warden Lin Cheng-rong. It is the companies with technical capabilities who invest and set up the solar panels and who sell the solar energy to Taipower, Lin said. Part of the central governments corrections agency, the prison cant keep revenue from the solar energy it is generating, or even directly use the power itself before lights-out at 9 p.m., its bulbs run on electricity from the Taipower grid. For inmate Chen, each night brings release and the day he no longer needs his No. 24 prison vest a step closer. Once the solar panel installation is complete, hell return to tending crops on prison grounds as part of his regular prison life, but with rooftop views still firmly on his mind. Russian President Vladimir Putin is hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for talks expected to focus on the situation in Syria. Greeting Netanyahu at the start of their talks, Putin emphasized a high level of trust between them. Netanyahu hailed Russia's role in fighting the Islamic State group and other radical militants in Syria. At the same time, he warned of the danger posed by radical Shiite groups, an apparent reference to the Hezbollah movement. Russia has sided with Iran and Hezbollah in helping support Syrian President Bashar Assad, but at the same time it has maintained warm ties with Israel. The two nations have coordinated to prevent any possible incidents between their militaries in Syria. Netanyahu's visit to Moscow follows his talks with U.S. President Donald Trump last month. A Republican plan to eliminate and replace major portions of former President Barack Obama's signature domestic achievement, the Affordable Care Act, has been savaged since its release earlier this week on Capitol Hill, presenting an early test of Republican governance. "Unconstitutional dead on arrival." "A step in the wrong direction a missed opportunity." "Horse excrement." Watch: Republican Fractures Could Hurt Trump's Agenda Those words were uttered by Republicans: Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, Senator Mike Lee of Utah, and Congressman Louie Gohmert of Texas, respectively. Democrats also have blasted the plan, but rifts among Republicans, who control both houses of Congress, ultimately could sink their party's push to make good on a central promise to voters: repealing and replacing Obamacare. Republicans are not expecting to get any Democratic votes, so they have to figure out how to resolve internal divisions in order to have any hope of getting anything done, said political analyst Molly Reynolds of the Washington-based Brookings Institution. Backers of bill undaunted So far, backers of the bill the American Health Care Act are undaunted. "The president [Donald Trump] supports the American Health Care Act (AHCA), said Vice President Mike Pence during a visit Tuesday to Capitol Hill, adding that he was very confident the legislation will become law. This is monumental, exciting conservative reform, said House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, one of many architects of the Republican bill. It repeals Obamacare's taxes, it repeals Obamacare's spending, it repeals Obamacare's mandates. As a candidate and as president, Donald Trump repeatedly branded Obamacare a disaster. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said Republicans have no choice but to repeal it. The status quo is unsustainable. We cannot sit on our hands and do nothing, McConnell said. Republicans far from united But if Republicans are united in portraying the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, as a catastrophic government intrusion into America's health care system, they are anything but united about what should replace it. For members of the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus, the Republican bill preserves too much of existing law. There were many things that were in Obamacare that are still in the [Republican] bill, Paul told Bloomberg Television. The major taxes, all of them, are kept for a year. This is Obamacare-Lite. For moderate Republicans, the AHCA goes too far in dismantling the status quo. Senator Rob Portman of Ohio was one of four Republicans who wrote to McConnell expressing concern that a key Obamacare provision, expanding a federal health care program for the poor, would be gutted under the Republican plan, causing a reduction in access to life-saving health care services. A wasted opportunity? Political analysts note that Republicans promised for years to end Obamacare, but they waited until now to unveil detailed legislation to replace it. By not building party consensus ahead of time, Republicans ensured that rifts would emerge. There were certainly [Republican] plans that came out, but they didn't do the hard work to get together on one page about what this [repeal and replace plan] would actually look like, said Reynolds. The Republican plan scored a minor victory Thursday when a House panel voted to scuttle an Obamacare requirement that Americans purchase health care insurance or pay a tax penalty, demonstrating once again that Republicans have ample votes to repeal current law. A formula for replacing Obamacare is proving far more divisive. "House health care bill (AHCA) can't pass the Senate," tweeted Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas. Pause, start over. Get it right, don't get it fast. Bill a starting point The bill's proponents stress that the current draft is but a starting point and that lawmakers with concerns about the replacement plan can propose amendments. We're certainly open to improvements and recommendations in the legislative process, Pence said. There's going to be plenty of opportunity for senators in both parties to change this bill, McConnell said. The political stakes for Republicans are potentially enormous depending on the outcome of the drive to reshape health care. "We could see some real voter anger," Reynolds said, adding that conservatives would be particularly dismayed if Republicans, even with control of the White House and Congress, were unable to deliver on a core promise. In an unusual move, Republican advocacy groups that typically target Democrats are running television ads pressuring their own members to vote for the AHCA. It's time for conservatives to unite behind President Trump and Speaker Ryan to pass the American Health Care Act, concludes an American Action Network advertisement running in the districts of Freedom Caucus members. 'Trumpcare is a mess' Democrats, meanwhile, are seeking to ratchet up public opinion against the Republican plan, arguing Obamacare should be improved, not scrapped. Should Republicans succeed in repealing and replacing it, Democrats are preemptively assigning blame for any negative consequences, labeling the Republican plan Trumpcare." The fact is, Trumpcare is a mess, said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York. It'll mean higher costs and less care for most Americans. Even a growing number of conservatives are expressing their distaste for the legislation. We Democrats will fight it tooth and nail. As people learn of this bill over the next few weeks, there will be rebellion in the land about it. They should listen to the voices coming from their own party, who say this bill will hurt their states and hurt the country, Schumer added. VOA's Katherine Gypson contributed to this report Russian President Vladimir Putin is single-handedly trying to undermine democracy in the United States and Europe and rupture their decades-old NATO alliance by meddling in their elections, foreign affairs analysts and Estonia's former president told a congressional hearing Thursday in Washington. One of the experts, Peter Doran, executive vice president of the Center for European Policy Analysis, a group promoting closer ties between central and eastern European countries and the United States, said U.S. lawmakers "should have no doubt, Russia is a rival to the United States." Doran declared, The Russian government is sharpening its use of state-sponsored propaganda against Western democracies. This puts democratic states and NATO at risk. The strategic aims of the Russian government are fundamentally incompatible with American interests in Europe." Doran added, "Russia wants to establish a sphere of privileged influence in Europe and to do so, [it] must weaken Americas links to our allies, divide NATO and, if necessary, use force." Repeating President Donald Trump's signature campaign slogan, Doran said, "I think it is very obvious that Putin does not want to 'make America great again.' In fact, Putin has the opposite goal, however our allies do. Allies like front-line states, the Baltic states, Poland and others, neighbors of Russia, they actually want us to succeed. Russia does not [want them to]." Former Estonian president Toomas Hendrik Ilves told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that Putin "in all cases wants "anti-European Union, anti-NATO forces" to win European elections in Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands this year. "The Dutch," Ilves said, "are so afraid" of Russian attacks on their electronic voting that the Netherlands has "gone back to paper balloting because they are afraid of what might happen." Our democracy is being tested The U.S. intelligence community has concluded that Putin tried to interfere in November's U.S. presidential election with cyberattacks. Now, U.S. investigators and several congressional panels are probing the details behind the findings of the Central Intelligence Agency and examining contacts Trump aides have had with Russian officials. Moscow's cyberattacks targeted the computer of Hillary Clinton's campaign chief, John Podesta, with the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks subsequently releasing thousands of his emails in the weeks before the election that showed embarrassing, behind-the-scenes efforts by Democratic operatives trying to help Clinton win the party's presidential nomination before she ultimately lost to Trump. Lincoln Bloomfield, a former assistant U.S. secretary of state for political military affairs, told the congressional panel that the overall consequences of the Russian interference in the election have yet to be determined. "But it's very important to realize that our democracy is being tested," he said. Daniel Baer, a former U.S. representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said it is possible to track Russian disinformation campaigns aimed at Western democracies from Moscow's intelligence agencies through its propaganda arms "to a set of intermediaries disguised as independent sources." He said purported news accounts that appeared in the United States last year might have described themselves in a way to "legitimize and make them attractive to target audiences. For example, those targeting Trump supporters may have, 'Make America Great Again,' or 'Christian, patriot, USA' in their profiles. Never mind that they might in fact be sitting in a troll factory in St. Petersburg." Baer said the stories that started in Russia were "then amplified through technical means or bots that send many thousands of tweets with the same false stories accompanied by hashtags." He said the "burst of activity puts the hashtags on Twitters trending list and then then the story is picked up by genuine supporters of a candidate or cause, who share it on Twitter or Facebook. Little does the person in Hamilton, New Jersey, or Brea, California, know that what they just shared by their friends and family is junk that was written by a Russian agent. Last summer, former Rwandan army soldier Twagiramungu Theoneste returned to his Kigali home and found a red cross daubed on the front wall. "That was the authorities telling me: 'Don't build any more. Don't change anything about your house. It is going to be demolished soon,'" he told Reuters. Theoneste was not alone. Every house in his neighborhood, which tiptoes up the mountainside, was similarly marked with a red cross. The sign indicates that a house has been deemed dangerous by city authorities so is marked for demolition. A father of three, Theoneste moved into his one-room, mud and straw house in 2011 after leaving the country's southern provinces in search of work. Perched on a steep mountain slope, part of an informal settlement known as Agashubi, the house overlooks a river valley toward the modern city center on a distant hill. Now his new life is under threat as the city aims to check the growth of informal settlements or bulldoze dangerous ones. "All of this is illegal," said Christopher Ndebo Mugaju, an official for Kigali's slum upgrading program, as he gestured at the hillside settlement. "They built the houses without a permit. We are fighting illegal construction day by day." City of challenges Kigali has one of the most challenging urban environments on Earth: It is wet and crowded, and the hilly terrain makes building precarious, expensive and often dangerous. The city is also faced with rapid population growth and last year's census projected that if the current rate of 4 percent continues, the city's population will triple in six years. In May, major landslides hit the country, killing dozens of people. Last month, three more people died and hundreds of houses were destroyed when heavy rains paralyzed the capital. Natural disasters of this kind have become more frequent in recent years as the impact of climate change becomes evident. The Kigali city master plan, which took inspiration from Singapore and was introduced in 2013, aimed to manage these risks and build an environmentally sustainable city by stipulating that only 35 percent of Kigali's land would be available for development. The ambitious plan was praised by urban planners for its focus on sustainable land use, and won several awards, although its strict implementation drew fire from human rights groups. The city's steep slopes in particular were singled out for protection, as were its valley wetlands, which were put under the auspices of the Rwanda Environment Management Authority. "We make sure nobody is encroaching on these areas," said Coletha Ruhamya, its director general. The authorities also pledged that by 2040, the city's numerous informal settlements would be a thing of the past, so the city embarked on a large-scale clearance of slum housing. Alongside this "massive mobilization," areas that are deemed safe will be upgraded in an equally comprehensive program, said Fatou Dieye, an urban planner based in Kigali. This year alone, the Rwanda Housing Authority (RHA) plans to move some 40,000 households across the country. Whose market rate? All homeowners are to be offered compensation or relocated. However, many in Agashubi are suspicious of the plans. Few understood the detail; many question the authorities' motives. "They say it is dangerous, but I think it is in the government's own interests," said Twahirwa John-Peter, who has rented his house for nine years. "They'll just put expensive houses here once we've gone." An Expropriation Bill passed in 2007 set out the principles of fair compensation. Homes and plots were to be valued at market rates and, in 2015, an additional "disturbance" fee of 5 percent was introduced to compensate for any further hardship. But expropriation remains controversial. "There is some resistance in the mindset," said Augustin Kampanya, head of human settlement at the RHA. "People say, 'Our grandparents lived here, so we want to stay.'" Residents fear any compensation will not be enough. "I'm not in a position to say 'no' to any amount," said Mukamugara Josepha, an elderly widow who inherited her home. "People don't like to be expropriated by the government, because the government always underpays," said Dieye, the urban planner. Confusion over "market rates", the government's desire to keep land costs down to encourage investment, and a lack of independent valuers has also contributed to discontent, said a report published by USAID in 2014. Scarce government finance, too, is an obstacle. "Money is a big, big deal. The expense will be astronomical," said Dieye. The government allocated 4.5 billion Rwandan francs ($5.42 million) in the 2015-2016 fiscal year to help people in high-risk areas across the country. "It remains a peanut," said Kampanya. Limited resources also mean that moderately well-off residents in risky parts of the city will be left to fend for themselves because for now, the demolition process will target the poorest first. "The government doesn't have the money to deal with everyone," said Ndebo Mugaju, the city official. "So we close our eyes and just leave them." Nowhere to go Those with the most to lose from the Kigali master plan, say planning experts, are not landowners but their tenants. While all of Rwanda's land is now registered and most has been titled, the majority of slum dwellers rent their homes and enjoy few rights. Theoneste rents his shack from a man who lives in the north. When eviction comes, his landlord will be compensated but he and his family will receive nothing. Theoneste and his fellow tenants in Agashubi said they have nowhere else to go. "We are jobless. We came here for cheap houses," said John-Peter. "Now we are going to be thrown out." Samsung lawyers denied Thursday all charges brought against Lee Jae-yong, the billionaire heir to Samsung, in a massive corruption scandal that has ensnared the countrys president. Lees lawyers told a court that prosecutors are unfairly trying to create an impression Lee is guilty by mentioning a past conviction of his father and by depicting Lee as having absolute control over a strategy office that allegedly engaged in bribery. The 48-year-old Samsung Electronics vice chairman was arrested and indicted last month on bribery, embezzlement and three other charges that could entail at least five years in prison if hes proven guilty. Four other Samsung executives also have been charged. They were not at Thursdays preliminary hearing. Prosecutors believe Lee and his aides used Samsung corporate funds to bribe President Park Geun-hye and one of her close friends in exchange for supporting a smooth leadership transition at Samsung. Samsung gave or promised to give 43.3 billion won ($38 million) to four entities controlled by Parks friend. Prosecutors allege the money was given to obtain government backing for a contentious merger of two Samsung companies in 2015 that served as a key step in passing corporate control to Lee from his ailing father. Lee is the highest profile figure arrested during the probe on the influence-peddling scandal that also led to indictment of former presidential aides and dozens others. The Constitutional Court is to announce a final ruling Friday on whether to remove or reinstate Park after the parliament voted in December to impeach her. Scotland's pro-independence leader says the country could make a second bid for independence within 18 months to avoid being dragged out of the European Union with the rest of the United Kingdom. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said in comments broadcast Thursday that fall 2018 is "the common sense time" to hold a referendum, "if that is the road we choose to go down." She insisted that no decision has been made about whether to ask Scottish voters for a mandate for independence. Sturgeon, who leads the pro-independence Scottish National Party, has complained bitterly about Britain's decision to withdraw from the European Union. Overall, Britain voted by a margin of 52 to 48 percent last year to quit the 28-nation bloc but voters in Scotland voted by 62 percent to 38 percent to stay in. Scottish voters rejected independence in a 2014 referendum, with 55 percent voting to stay in the U.K. Sturgeon says the Brexit vote changed the situation dramatically. She has warned repeatedly that she will not allow Scotland to be taken out of the EU against its will. In an interview with the BBC broadcast Thursday, she said she was not bluffing about holding another vote and was looking for ways to maintain Scotland's ties with the EU. British Prime Minister Theresa May plans to invoke Article 50 of the EU's key treaty the trigger for two years of exit negotiations by March 31, putting the U.K. on course to leave the EU by early 2019. Sturgeon said the second half of 2018 could be when "the outline of a U.K. deal becomes clear." Last week May accused Sturgeon and her party of "tunnel-vision nationalism which focuses only on independence at any cost" and said that preserving the unity of the U.K. is a key objective of her government. The U.S. Senate has voted to repeal an Obama-era education regulation that governs teacher training and evaluation. On Wednesday, the senate voted 59-40 in favor of rescinding the rule, which comes as part of the Every Student Succeeds Act, a successor to the No Child Left Behind law. The rules, issued in October 2016, stipulate that federally-funded teacher preparation programs must be evaluated on the academic outcomes of those teachers' students. Some lawmakers criticized the bill saying it was overly bureaucratic and represented federal overreach. Proponents of the rules say it provided a way to evaluate teacher-training programs and student performance. The U.S. House of Representatives voted to overturn the rules last month. The bill now heads to the White House, where it is expected to be signed into law by President Donald Trump. Also on Wednesday, Trump met with Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple founder Steve Jobs, for talks on education and immigration reform. Details of the meeting were not released. In 2015, Powell Jobs donated more than $50 million to XQ: The Super School Project that is aimed at modernizing public education. Her philanthropic work also includes a nonprofit created to help students from low-income communities obtain college degrees. The top U.S. spy agency is going public with concerns about the latest document dump by the online whistle-blower organization WikiLeaks, warning that all Americans should be "deeply concerned" about the potential fallout. A spokesman for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency refused to comment Wednesday on the authenticity of the 8,771 documents, but argued there could be little doubt about WikiLeaks' intentions "to damage the Intelligence Community's ability to protect America against terrorists and other adversaries." "Such disclosures not only jeopardize U.S. personnel and operations, but also equip our adversaries with tools and information to do us harm," CIA spokesman Jonathan Liu said in a statement. White House press secretary Sean Spicer also expressed alarm Wednesday, telling reporters the U.S. "will go after people who leak classified information." "This is the kind of disclosure that undermines our security, our country and our well-being," he told reporters, adding President Donald Trump is "extremely concerned." Review of documents Like the CIA, Spicer refused to confirm the authenticity of the WikiLeaks documents. But several cybersecurity experts and former intelligence officials who reviewed them told VOA that they appeared to be real. WikiLeaks said it obtained the documents from a former U.S. government hacker. And a U.S. intelligence official told VOA, on condition of anonymity, that it appeared a CIA contractor might have been the source. "There's always someone with the permissions to do this sort of thing," said Alex McGeorge, the head of Threat Intelligence at Immunity Inc., a cyber firm that does some work with government agencies. McGeorge also said that while the disclosures were damaging, WikiLeaks' claim that the documents dump represented the CIA's "entire hacking capacity" was most likely overblown. "What we currently have in this dump doesn't provide a whole lot," he said. "It's not game-changing." Many of the WikiLeaks documents appeared to be online transcripts of conversations between intelligence agency employees working to exploit software to turn digital devices such as mobile phones like Apple or Android smartphones, or even Samsung's smart televisions into listening devices. Limiting damage But at least for now, WikiLeaks appears to be limiting the damage. "They didn't disclose the code, at least, and populate the marketplace with what we would consider cyberweapons left on the battlefield that can be reverse-engineered and used against us," said Jeff Bardin, CIO of the cybersecurity firm Treadstone 71 and a former member of U.S. Air Force intelligence. Still, that day could be coming. In its statement Tuesday, WikiLeaks said it was only holding off on releasing the critical codes "until a consensus emerges on the technical and political nature of the CIA's program and how such weapons should be analyzed, disarmed and published." Even more worrisome for some current and former U.S. and Western officials, though, is the possibility of Russian involvement. "I'm now pretty close to the position that WikiLeaks is acting as an arm, as an agent of the Russian Federation," former CIA Director Michael Hayden, a retired Air Force general, told CNN Wednesday. Other former officials noted Russia was on the short list of countries capable of foiling the CIA's cyber efforts. "It is in Russia's interest to see the CIA discredited," former British cybersecurity official Jonathan Shaw said Tuesday, following the WikiLeaks disclosure. A January report by the U.S. intelligence community also concluded with "high confidence" there was an ongoing relationship between Russian intelligence and WikiLeaks. A twin suicide bombing struck a village wedding north of Baghdad as the wedding party gathered in the evening hours, killing at least 26 people and wounding dozens, a government spokesman said Thursday. The attack, which took place late Wednesday, began when one suicide bomber wearing an explosives-laden belt walked into the wedding party assembled in an open area in Hajaj, near the city of Tikrit, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) from Baghdad. The bomber detonated his explosives, only to be followed by the second attacker who blew himself up when people gathered to help the victims of the first explosion, provincial spokesman Ali al-Hamdani told The Associated Press. He said 26 people were killed, most of them children, and up to 67 were wounded. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but suspicion is likely to fall on the Islamic State group, which has staged similar attacks in the past. The wedding party was for a family that had been displaced from Iraqs western Anbar province and that is affiliated with a major anti-IS tribe there. IS had captured Tikrit during its blitz across Iraq in the summer of 2014 when the Sunni militant group seized nearly a third of the countrys territory. Iraqi forces drove the militants from the city in April 2015, but IS has since managed to launch deadly attacks in and around Tikrit. IS has also used large-scale attacks in an effort to distract from its losses as Iraqi forces battle to retake all of Mosul, the countrys second-largest city, from the group. Iraqi forces in Mosul have over the past week fought their way into the heart of the western part of the city, separated by the Tigris River from the eastern sector, capturing a government complex and the citys antiquities museum where IS had destroyed priceless relics. Mosul also fell to IS in the summer of 2014, along with Tikrit and large swaths of northern and western Iraq, but now remains the militant groups last significant urban area in the country. Police said a local militant Mushtaq Ahmad was killed in a brief encounter in the northern district's main town, on Thursday evening. By Ashraf Wani: A local militant was killed in a brief gunfight in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora district, police said here on Thursday. Police said a local militant Mushtaq Ahmad was killed in a brief encounter in the northern district's main town, on Thursday evening. One army solider was also injured during the encounter. Police said the gunfight broke out during a frisking operation in the town. "The brief gunfight broke out between the militant and security forces outside the police station in the town in which Mushtaq was killed," a police officer said. advertisement He said Mushtaq was a 'Category A' militant and was a resident of Mallangam, Bandipora that shares its border with Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Highly placed sources said security forces had inputs about Mushtaq's movement in the busy town. There was chaos in the town when the gunfight broke out, witnesses said. Also read: J-K: 2 Lashkar terrorists, 2 civilians killed in Pulwama's Padgampora encounter --- ENDS --- The "deep state." It is a murky and ominous term often suggesting a conspiracy usually involving intelligence agencies, the armed forces or even judges to influence policy and undercut democratically elected administrations. It has been uttered in recent years to describe the situation in Turkey as well as the internal battles faced by governments in Egypt and Pakistan. Now it is being used by conservative media and others in the U.S. to describe an alleged cabal intent on wrecking the presidency of Donald Trump, who assumed power seven weeks ago. "A lot of times other people have seen this nefarious actor that kind of does what it wants to do and sometimes doesn't follow the directions of a leadership," said Robert Tomlinson, an associate professor at the Naval War College. The deep state is a "classic" conspiracy theory, said Professor Tim Melley of Miami University in Ohio, who has written extensively on the subject. "It's describing what might be called bureaucracy." In decades past, intimations of "deep state" conspiracies in the United States have bubbled to the surface from the depths of the far left and right. 'Deep state' conspiracy theories abound "There's no way you can disprove it," said Cornell Clayton, Washington State University's Distinguished Professor of Government. "That's part of the problem." Most memorably, the term emerged with theories that U.S. intelligence agencies were involved in the 1963 assassination of President John Kennedy. The label was also applied to Pentagon resistance in 1973 to President Richard Nixon's order to ship U.S. military aid to the Israelis during the Yom Kippur War. The president himself fueled such talk last week with an incendiary series of tweets accusing his predecessor, Barack Obama, of ordering "my wires tapped in Trump Tower" during the 2016 election campaign. Trump provided no evidence and the claim has been categorically denied by Obama administration officials and former intelligence agency leaders. Did Trump's tweets go too far? Even members of Trump's own Republican Party have been reluctant to embrace the wire-tapping charge, although several have suggested that something more subtle is going on. "I have not seen that evidence" of wiretapping, the chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives intelligence committee, Devin Nunes, told reporters Tuesday. "I think the bigger question that needs to be answered is whether or not Mr. Trump or any of his associates were in fact targeted by any of the intelligence agencies or law-enforcement authorities." Representative Steve King, an Iowa Republican, has also commented on "the emergence of a deep state" led by Obama. "That is something that we should prevent," he told The New York Times this week. "I don't think Republicans should be saying that," former CIA agent Fred Fleitz told VOA. "I don't think there is a deep state. But I do think there's a problem with people in bureaucracy who are working against President Trump." Federal bureaucracy is powerful... While not using the phrase "deep state," a senior administration official responding to a VOA query said Wednesday, "It is odd that President Obama and the Democrats routinely denounced leaks during the campaign last year when [the leaks] harmed their party's standard-bearer, but are silent today amid illegal and even more troubling disclosures." In the United States, the military is subject to civilian control and federal judges are appointed by presidents. But the sprawling federal bureaucracy, with several dozen layers and more than 2 million civilian workers, can be a tough beast to tame for any administration. White House officials and others believe this entrenched bureaucracy skews left politically, and therefore has been hostile to the new Republican administration from the outset. "There are many, many supporters of the previous administration both career officials as well as political appointees that have been held over temporarily, largely for continuity-of-government purposes that are widely believed to be, and in some cases known to be, the source of many of these leaks," the senior administration official told VOA. and abhors change The official said many former political appointees or Democratic staffers from Capitol Hill have "burrowed" into safe career positions in a myriad of agencies, from which they are disseminating inaccurate leaks "to try to embarrass the president." The official added that some are committing crimes by leaking classified information that "can undermine our national security and sensitive diplomatic efforts." The American Federation of Government Employees, the biggest federal worker union with 313,000 dues-paying members among the 700,000 civil servants it represents, rejects any thought that its members are undermining the Trump presidency. "It's utterly false," union policy director Jacqueline Simon said of the allegation that the federal bureaucracy is part of a nefarious deep state working against the new administration. "Federal employees take an oath to uphold the Constitution and they take that very seriously," Simon said. "The federal employees we represent are not management. They are the ones who implement the laws, regulations and policies." She added, "The work they do is entirely apolitical." Former CIA agent Fleitz, who is now the senior vice president of the Center for Security Policy, said he thinks Trump "can deal with this problem by getting his people into place, staffing these bureaucracies." St. Lawrence University associate professor Howard Eissenstat said pushback against Trump by the permanent bureaucracy is understandable, because the new administration intends to "shake up the system, push policies in radical new ways." Trump White House officials "make no bones about the idea that they are going to change things more radically than a traditional and political administration might do," Eissenstat noted. Analogies found in Ankara The use of the "deep state" phrase in the United States now "is very useful politically because it suggests something much more conspiratorial, nefarious, dark and scary than the usual sort of bureaucratic resistance that we would see," added Eissenstat. And that is a real concern, according to several of the academic experts VOA contacted. As Miami University's Melley cautions, for those accused of being part of a conspiratorial shadow government, "while it's not impossible to disprove some conspiracy theories, it's often annoyingly difficult." Some government workers in Turkey discovered that last year, when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan retaliated against those whom he held responsible for a failed coup attempt against him, the phrase was used to delegitimize the bureaucracy. "What it led to was purges of civil servants with a lot of government experience, who were replaced by loyalists," explained Clayton, who directs Washington State University's Foley Institute of Public Policy and Public Service. For now, the young and inexperienced Trump administration should not be too focused on "deep state"-type conspiracy theories, said Tomlinson, a former U.S. Air Force colonel. "You need to be aware of how to understand and work with a bureaucracy. This is one of the big things that a president and a new administration have to learn how to deal with," he told VOA. Turkey has once again arrested a man it describes as the national leader of the Islamic State group, but Turkish media say the suspect is the same person who was arrested multiple times in the past but released from custody in each case. Halis Bayancuk, also known as Abu Hanzala, was charged in the past with involvement in alleged terrorist attacks and with recruiting extremists for training abroad. He has been detained at least a half-dozen times since 2009, only to be freed because of a lack of evidence or problems involving the charges against him. Bayancuk was detained Wednesday for allegedly making threats against the Ankara governors office in a recent online video. Media reports say he was taken into custody in Istanbuls Bagcilar district and moved to a prison facility Ankara, the capital. VOAs Turkish Service reports that the Ankara prosecutors office has prepared an indictment charging Bayancuk with insulting Turkish government leaders. The menacing remarks he is said to have made came after Turkish authorities canceled a speech he was planning to give February 26 in Ankaras Etimesgut district. Outspoken supporter of IS After his speech was canceled, Bayancuk said, We consider this a threat. We will see what will happen here and also in the afterlife. He also denounced staff at the governors office as nonbelievers. Fliers and banners prepared before Bayancuks scheduled speech describe him as the fearless man who introduced Islam to thousands of people. He has long been an outspoken supporter of Islamic State and is awaiting trial on terror charges pending against him since July 2015, when he, his wife and three other alleged IS supporters were detained in connection with a suicide bombing claimed by IS that killed 31 people in southeast Turkey. Bayancuk also had been part of what was said to be the largest prosecution ever of Islamic State members in Turkey 94 suspects but he was one of eight imprisoned defendants freed a year ago by a court that ruled they should be released because of the state of the evidence [against them] and time already served in prison. Human-rights groups say the release of IS suspects charged with serious acts of violence contrasts with Turkeys treatment of thousands of Kurdish activists the state has been holding in custody since a coup attempt last July, even though their pretrial detention involves no allegations of violence. Bayancuk first drew national attention when he was arrested by the Turkish National Police for sending teenagers to receive training at al-Qaida camps in Afghanistan. He is alleged to have been one of the planners of synagogue bombings in Istanbul in 2008 carried out by that terror network, but he was released in May 2009 because of a lack of evidence. In 2011, Bayancuk and 50 alleged al-Qaida members were arrested in a roundup of suspected terrorists, but he was again released in January 2013 because of a lack of evidence. Switched allegiance from al-Qaida to IS In 2014, he was detained during another al-Qaida roundup and named by authorities as the leader of Turkish al-Qaida. He was charged with facilitating passage of foreign and Turkish fighters to Syria and providing weapons and logistical support to extremists, but once again was released. Bayancuk was freed after several police officers and prosecutors involved in the case against him were dismissed for allegedly plotting to overthrow President-elect Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The long-serving prime minister (2003-2014) won the presidency in a first-ballot victory two weeks before the alleged coup attempt. After leaving prison in 2014, Bayancuk reportedly established ties with the Islamic State group, then emerging as a factor in Turkish politics and delivered a sermon urging Muslims to support the extremists. Bayancuk has been identified as Islamic States leader in Turkey by a number of analysts, including Anne Speckhard, director of Georgetown Universitys International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism. Turkish media have reported on articles signed by Bayancuk that appeared in pro-IS outlets, and Turkish intelligence reports say he recruited fighters to join IS. The Turkish government has endured blistering criticism in recent years for the way in which Islamic State has grown in strength domestically. The group is reputed to have built a national network that smuggles IS recruits from across the globe into neighboring Iraq and Syria. Both foreigners and Turkish nationals have been detained in a number of crackdowns on IS, but experts say many jihadists were subsequently released even suspects with an extensive record of previous arrests in what has been dubbed a revolving door policy. Turkish media reported one of the suspects detained for a deadly New Years Day attack on an Istanbul nightclub had been picked up last year and scheduled for deportation, but instead was let go. In recent weeks, Turkish officials say they have increased their efforts to suppress IS. Police have been breaking down the doors of suspected IS members and reportedly have detained more than 700 people nationwide during the past month. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is heading to Russia in the latest step in rapprochement efforts between the countries. Erdogan is to meet Friday with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin Erdogan will be accompanied by several of his Cabinet ministers for bilateral talks, under the auspices of the High level Cooperation Council. The council was created as part of rapprochement efforts between the countries after the Turkish downing of a Russian jet operating from Syria in 2015. The meeting comes as differences over Syria remain. Murat Bilhan, an analyst with the Turkish Asian Center for Strategic Studies, says the agenda will be full. "Syria will top the agenda, plus the normalization of relations in the economic cooperation field, with the Russians also. I do not see many thorny issues between Russia and Turkey because they have already started escalation of positive relations, positive cooperation," Bilhan said. With the Turkish economy slowing and unemployment rising, Erdogan is expected to be pushing for Moscow to end sanctions imposed against Turkey after the downing of the jet. Former senior Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen says despite nearly a year of rapprochement efforts, there have been few concrete gestures by Moscow. "The relations are better, but on the other hand there is no concrete progress or development. Because we know even the famous tomato issue is not solved yet, the exporting of tomatoes to Russia. So there is little progress actually, but rhetoric-wise, everything is going for the better," Selcen said. Progress slow in coming Turkish media report that Moscow has agreed to ease some trade restrictions, but Syria could again threaten relations. Earlier this year, the Syrian Kurdish group PYD opened an office in Moscow. Ankara accuses the PYD and its YPG militia of seeking to create an independent Kurdish state on its border. It also charges the PYD with being affiliated to the PKK, which is fighting the Turkish state. Observers say Ankara has been muted in its criticism of Moscow, which last month hosted a gathering of Kurdish groups from the region, including the PYD. Selcen says with Russias growing military and political influence in Syria, Ankara probably recognizes it has to work with Moscow. "From now on, forming a policy toward Kurds of Syria, and in particular toward those PKK-affiliated elements in Syria, they will have to take in[to] consideration what Moscow and Washington, D.C., say. The Russians are also pulling the Kurds of Syria to be more realistic with Damascus. Moscow shows the limits of what can be done and what cannot be done," Selcen said. Erdogan is expected to offer potentially lucrative arms deals, including possibly purchasing Russias S400 anti-aircraft missile system, which is incompatible with its NATO partners. Weakening Turkeys ties to its NATO partners is widely seen as a goal of Putins foreign policy, while analysts say Erdogan is eager to send a message that Turkey has alternatives to its traditional allies. North Korea allowed two Malaysian employees of the United Nations' World Food Program to leave the country Thursday, amid an ongoing diplomatic dispute triggered by the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's half-brother. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak confirmed on Twitter that the pair had arrived safely in Beijing. The U.N. says the two Malaysians were "international civil servants, and not representatives of their national government." The two were among 11 Malaysians confined to their country's embassy in Pyongyang after North Korea imposed a ban preventing Malaysian citizens from leaving the country. Kuala Lumpur responded with its own travel ban on North Koreans in Malaysia. The dispute was triggered by the February 13 assassination of Kim Jong Nam at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport by assassins using a toxic nerve agent. Authorities in Malaysia have charged 25-year-old Indonesian Siti Aisyah and 28-year-old Doan Thi Huong, from Vietnam, with murder for allegedly swiping Kim's face with VX nerve agent while he waited to board a flight home to Macau. He died 20 minutes later. Kim Jong Nam was estranged from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Kim Jong Nam reportedly fell out of favor with their father, the late Kim Jong Il, in 2001, when he was caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport to visit Tokyo Disneyland. Malaysia has blamed North Korea for organizing the killing and is seeking additional suspects in the case. Prime Minister Najib ruled out severing diplomatic ties with North Korea in his statement Thursday, but insists his government will not "relent" from its "firm approach" in dealing with Pyongyang. A man claiming to be the son of the North Korean leader's slain half-brother said he and his family are safe and in an undisclosed location, in a video released online. A South Korean intelligence official identified the man as 21-year-old Kim Han Sol, the son of Kim Jong Nam's second wife, who lives in Macau. The video was posted by a group called the Cheollima Civil Defense, which says it works to help high-level North Korean defectors. The United Nations says that nearly two years since the election crisis in Burundi, the country is still at risk of intensifying its problems. Speaking Thursday to the U.N. Security Council, the secretary-general's special adviser, Jamal Benomar, reported that Burundi was still struggling with a fragile security environment; soaring unemployment, especially among youth; and deterioration of the humanitarian situation. He also underscored that the political impasse had only deepened in the two years since President Pierre Nkurunziza sought what many viewed as an unconstitutional third term in office. Perhaps most troubling, he said, is the worsening human rights situation. "Many Burundians live in fear as a result of widespread repression and increasing intimidation by the Imbonerakure, the ruling party's youth militia," Benomar said. "Members of opposition political parties, as well as perceived opponents, reportedly continue to be victims of arbitrary arrest, detention, ill treatment and enforced disappearances." Benomar said 3 million Burundians need humanitarian assistance, a quarter of the population. Since the crisis erupted in 2015, nearly 400,000 people have fled the country, and the U.N. refugee agency projects that number will reach 500,000 by year's end. International police force In July 2016, the Security Council authorized a 228-member international police force to deploy to Burundi to prevent human rights violations and provide stability for an intra-Burundian dialogue. The government has continued to reject the council's decision, and the force has been unable to deploy. Former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa, who is the facilitator for the opposing sides, told the council via a video link from Entebbe that the parties were far apart, despite intensive efforts to bring them together. "Each side claims to be the depository or the custodians of the Arusha agreement [which ended the countrys civil war and created a power-sharing agreement between the Hutu majority and Tutsi minority] and the constitution," he said. "And the tendency is to see other side as the criminals, and therefore they are the ones who should be visited with all the wrath of the power of the state or the power of the international community." Benomar expressed his frustration with the Burundian government, saying the United Nations had tried to engage with Bujumbura but "the doors to engagement and cooperation have been largely shut by the authorities." U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will host a 68-nation meeting in Washington this month to discuss the next moves by a coalition fighting Islamic State, the State Department said Thursday. The March 22-23 meeting of coalition foreign ministers aims "to accelerate international efforts to defeat ISIS in the remaining areas it holds in Iraq and Syria and maximize pressure on its branches, affiliates and networks," the State Department said in a statement, using an acronym for Islamic State. The State Department said it would be the first meeting of the full coalition since December 2014, shortly after it was founded. "It's an opportunity for Secretary Tillerson to lay out the challenges that are facing the coalition moving forward," acting State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters. "We all recognize that we have seen progress in defeating ISIS on the ground ... how do we leverage that success?" he said. "How do we build on that success?" Islamic State has declared a caliphate in Iraq and Syria. It has been losing ground in both countries, with three separate forces, backed by the United States, Turkey and Russia, advancing on its Syrian stronghold of Raqqa. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on January 28 directing the Pentagon, Joint Chiefs of Staff and other agencies to submit a preliminary plan in 30 days for defeating Islamic State. Toner said details of that plan were still classified, and he declined to provide further information. He said the meeting would look at how "to augment existing capabilities and processes on the ground." Iraqi forces have advanced deeper into west Mosul, facing stiff resistance from IS militants who have used suicide car bombs and snipers to defend their last major stronghold in Iraq. The Iraqi operation to retake the eastern bank of the city, launched in mid-October with support from the U.S.-led coalition, took more than three months. The offensive to recapture west Mosul began less than three weeks ago. Mosul is the largest city Islamic State has held. The group has lost most of the cities it captured in northern and western Iraq in 2014 and 2015. There is little doubt Iraqi forces will eventually prevail over the militants, who are outnumbered and overpowered, but even if it loses Mosul, Islamic State is expected to revert to its insurgent tactics of old. On Wednesday, bomb blasts ripped through a wedding party near Tikrit, which was recaptured by Iraqi forces in 2015, killing more than 20 people. They are known in the U.S. Border Patrol as "tunnel rats" agents who go in clandestine passages that have proliferated on the U.S.-Mexico border over the past 20 years to smuggle drugs. The Associated Press joined the Border Tunnel Entry Team, as it is formally known, inside an incomplete tunnel that was discovered in San Diego in 2009 70 feet deep, 3 feet wide, 2,700 feet long and equipped with a rail system, lighting and ventilation. Here are some questions and answers about the team's work: Question: How many tunnels are there? Answer: Authorities discovered 224 border tunnels originating in Mexico from 1990 to March 2016, including 185 that entered the United States, according to the latest U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration annual survey. Many are shallow holes, but some are elaborately constructed with hydraulic lifts, water pumps and rail cars. The vast majority are in Arizona, where smugglers connect to underground drainage canals in Nogales, and in California, where construction noise generates less attention amid warehouses of an industrial area of San Diego, across from densely packed homes and businesses in Tijuana. Q: What are they for? A: Tunnels are generally used for multi-ton loads of marijuana because the drug's bulk and odor are difficult to conceal for motorists and pedestrians who enter the United States at official border crossings, the preferred method for smuggling methamphetamine and heroin. In 2015, authorities seized cocaine in connection with two California tunnels, including one that ran underwater from a house in Mexicali, Mexico, to the All-American Canal near the city of Calexico. The tunnels, which the DEA generally attribute to Mexico's Sinaloa cartel, cost between $1 million and $2 million to build and take months to complete, said Chris Davis, supervisory special agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations. That investment quickly pays off with profits from smuggling if crews escape detection, he said. Q: How are tunnels found? A: Leads from informants, neighbors and others have been the most trusted technique, but technology plays a part. Lance LeNoir, who leads the Border Patrol's "tunnel rats" team in San Diego, says seismic devices, acoustics and ground-penetrating radar complement human intelligence. Investigators keep tabs on who owns and rents warehouses in San Diego's Otay Mesa area for suspicious transactions. They also visit businesses to ask them to report telltale signs: construction equipment and piles of dirt, jackhammer sounds, people coming and going at odd hours. "They'll tunnel anywhere they want to. It's wherever they can get a building on the south side and a building on the north side," LeNoir said. "Location, location, location." Sometimes agents stumble across "gopher holes" while on patrol. Once the passages are found, the "tunnel rats" go inside a dangerous assignment because there's always a chance the walls can collapse. They map and measure the passages and work on filling them with concrete to prevent them from being used again. Q: What happens after tunnels are discovered? A: On the U.S. side, the tunnels have been filled since 2007 to prevent smugglers from burrowing into them. In Mexico, they are sealed but not plugged with concrete. Mexican authorities say they don't have the money to fill them, a vulnerability that is gaining more public scrutiny. LeNoir says smugglers have tapped into existing tunnels at least seven times in recent years. "It gets down to funding and political will," he said. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says it spent $8.7 million to fill tunnels from 2007 to 2015. Last week, it awarded a $153,000 contract to inject concrete into the U.S. part of a completed tunnel lined with cobblestone. The tunnel was discovered in October. It ended in a San Diego warehouse 1,200 feet north of the border. Q: What does President Donald Trump want to do? A: Trump has made construction of a "great wall" on the 2,000-mile U.S. divide with Mexico a signature issue of his presidency, prompting critics to say that people will go over, under and around it. Trump, as the Republican nominee, promised during an August speech in Phoenix that he would "find and dislocate tunnels and keep out criminal cartels." His executive order on border security doesn't specifically address tunnels but notes that criminal organizations run sophisticated drug and human smuggling networks on both sides of the border. After going inside a San Diego tunnel underneath a highly fortified border fence last month, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said drug profits were so enormous that smugglers would keep trying to burrow through. "I would argue that the fact that they're spending huge amounts of money to tunnel underneath the wall tells you that they can't get through it," Kelly said. A U.S. military investigation has found that U.S. forces killed between four and 12 civilians during a January raid targeting al-Qaidas branch in Yemen, according to U.S. Army General Joseph Votel, the commander who oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East. Votel, who heads U.S. Central Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday the civilian casualty determination was based on the best information available. The general took responsibility for the mission against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). "We lost a lot in this operation," Votel said, referring to Ryan Owens, the U.S. Navy SEAL killed during the raid, along with the civilians killed and the V-22 Osprey aircraft that was destroyed. Some lawmakers have questioned the value of data captured by U.S. forces in the January raid, which was authorized by President Donald Trump. Votel reaffirmed the Pentagons stance on the taken data, telling lawmakers that the military did gain some valuable information that will be helpful against AQAP. The general added that he saw no need for an additional investigation into the operation. A separate probe is still ongoing to provide accountability for the loss of the V-22 Osprey, an aircraft worth about $70 million, during the raid. The U.S. military has carried out more than 40 airstrikes in Yemen in recent days targeting members of AQAP. Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis has said the latest round of airstrikes was meant to deny AQAP operatives "freedom of movement." Iran Votel also told lawmakers on Thursday that the U.S. military and its allies were dealing with a range of malign activities perpetrated by Iran and its proxies in the Middle East. It is my view that Iran poses the greatest long-term threat to stability for this part of the world, Votel said. The general said Iran seeks to be the regional hegemon and is using destabilizing behavior to achieve its goal. He voiced concern about Iran and Russias actions to prop up the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, as well as Irans maritime behavior. Iranian vessels came within 550 meters of a U.S. Navy ship Saturday in the Strait of Hormuz, forcing the American ship and other vessels to change direction. No other nation operates the way they do in the Arabian Gulf, Votel said, referring to the body of water also known as the Persian Gulf. And they need to be held accountable for that, and they need to be exposed for those types of unprofessional, unsafe and abnormal activities. A contingent of U.S. Marines has arrived in northeast Syria to provide artillery support for local forces in an upcoming assault on Raqqa, the defacto capital of the Islamic State terror group, U.S. officials said. But there appears to be no final agreement yet between Washington and Ankara on the disposition of the Raqqa attack force whether U.S.-backed Kurdish militiamen or Turkish-led Syrian rebels will be in the vanguard to oust an estimated 4,000 jihadists entrenched in the city. As the Marines arrived, Turkeys foreign minister Thursday warned Turkish-led forces will attack U.S.-backed militiamen from the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units, or YPG, if they dont leave a key town in northern Syria. Such a move would complicate an assault on Raqqa, one that has been delayed for months because of disputes over who should lead the offensive. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkish forces would strike the YPG in Manbij, arguing the Kurdish occupation of the town is a hindrance to Turkish efforts to carve out a safe zone in northern Syria. He gave no deadline though for an attack. Ankara views the YPG as a terrorist group linked to Turkeys outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, PKK, and has repeatedly urged Washington to drop its support of the Syrian Kurdish militiamen. Cavusoglu accused Washington of being confused in its planning for an attack on the IS stronghold of Raqqa. According to U.S. officials, a contingent from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit has deployed in northern Syria within 32 kilometer artillery range of Raqqa. The contingent is equipped with M777 Howitzers, capable of firing 155mm shells. The Syrian deployment mirrors a similar move last year in Iraq when artillery-equipped U.S. Marines arrived ahead of the start of the assault to take Mosul, ISs last major urban stronghold in Iraq, in order to provide covering fire for Iraqi security forces. A senior U.S. defense official says the detachment includes a couple hundred Marines, but the Pentagon has declined formally to confirm the deployment or to detail any location for the Marines or the numbers on the ground. The deployment marks an escalation of U.S. military involvement in Syria. Several hundred Special Operations troops have been advising the YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Last weekend, some of those Special Forces, a hundred U.S. Rangers, deployed in Manbij in a bid to deter clashes between YPG fighters and Turkish-led rebels. The deployment comes as the Trump administration debates a Raqqa plan drafted by Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the U.S. commander overseeing the campaign against the Islamic State. On March 1 in a briefing for reporters, Townsend declined to go into any details about the plan but he emphasized the coalition strategy of working with local partners in the battle against IS would continue. Thats still the right way to go, he said. Its working. Our local partners are fully invested. Theyre leading the fight and were just here helping them. He confirmed recently as well that a small number of American conventional soldiers have been assisting Special Operations troops in Syria with a truck-mounted High Mobility Artillery Rocket System and with medical and other logistical support. U.S. military officials told VOA that there is skepticism at the Pentagon about the capability of Turkish-led Syrian rebel forces and they question whether they are up to the task. They point to the drawn-out assault mounted by the Turkish forces to recently retake the town of al-Bab, northeast of Aleppo. There are also Pentagon concerns that if Turkish-led forces move east of the Euphrates River to attack Raqqa, there will inevitably be clashes with Kurdish militiamen, who will see the arrival of the Turkish-led forces as a move aimed as much at them as IS. Turkey has been determined to prevent Syrian Kurds from linking Kurdish-majority cantons along the Turkish-Syrian border, fearing the Kurds are determined to set up their own mini-state in northern Syria. Earlier this week, in an unusual three-way meeting in southern Turkey, the top commanders of the U.S., Russian and Turkish armed forces discussed how IS could be ousted from Raqqa. Turkish officials after the meeting indicated there had been no resolution over who should spearhead the Raqqa assault. Russian commanders insisted that whoever takes Raqqa, the city must be handed over to the Syrian army afterwards, said Turkish officials. U.S. Marines have been deployed to northern Syria to help in the fight to retake the city of Raqqa from Islamic State militants. The Washington Post, which first reported the deployment, says the arrival of the artillery battery is a significant escalation in the use of U.S. conventional forces in Syria. There has been no official announcement, but military officials have confirmed the deployment to other news agencies. A U.S. Army artillery unit is already in place in the area. Marines also have been dispatched to the town of Manbij, located about 138 kilometers northwest of Raqqa, the Islamic State group's self-declared capital of its supposed caliphate. As many as 4,000 IS fighters are believed to be in Raqqa. The U.S. Defense Department has described the mission in Manbij as one to "reassure and deter" local parties from attacking one another. Until now, the United States has deliberately limited its ground troops in Syria to around 500 Special Operations forces supporting the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Arab and Kurdish forces fighting IS. Military officials say the extra troops are heading to Manbij to prevent rival factions from turning on each other. Meanwhile, a Syrian activist group says at least 14 people, including eight children, have been killed in airstrikes on a northern Syrian village held by Islamic State. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says it believes U.S.-led coalition jets targeted the village of al-Matab, located west of Raqqa. As many as 4,000 IS fighters are believed to be in Raqqa. Kiss of Love protest by activists in Kerala against against the moral policing by the Shiv Sena has begun in Kochi's Marine Drive. By Press Trust of India: The Kiss of Love protest organised by activists in Kerala has begun. The protest is being held at Marine Drive grounds against the moral policing by the Shiv Sena, organisers said. Despite beginning the protest at 4 PM, the "kissing" has not yet happened, reports say. People have gathered in hundreds, more people to see what's happening than in solidarity. advertisement Kerala police has tightened the security in the area. A group of people on Facebook called for the programme after Shiv Sena activists chased away young men and women who were sitting in the Marine Drive area yesterday. "Kiss of Love programme (will be) at Marine Drive today at 4 PM against moral policing by the Shiv Sena," the group posted on its Facebook wall. FYI || Kiss of love: Andhra man interrupts lover's engagement, kisses her and ends up getting family's approval || Police said a central police sub-inspector was suspended yesterday for failing to stop the Shiv Senas "moral policing" while eight police personnel, who were on duty when the incident occurred, were transferred to the Armed Reserve police camp. A similar Kiss of Love programme was held in Kochi in 2014 to protest vandalism by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha activists at a hotel in Kozhikode. It was held amid protest by various outfits and those who participated were taken into custody. The call for the Kiss of Love agitation came today amid ongoing protests by the DYFI and the SFI activists at Marine Drive. The Congress and its student wing KSU have also called for protest against Senas "moral policing". FYI || An IAS love story: UPSC topper Tina Dabi is dating 2nd rank holder Athar Aamir Khan || The campaign involves volunteers coming to the Marine drive and hugging and kissing each other. Six activists of the Shiv Sena have been taken into custody in connection with yesterdays incident which has come in for condemnation from both the ruling CPI(M) and the opposition Congress. TV news channels had aired video footage showing a group of marching Shiv Sena activists, wielding sticks and chasing away young men and women from Marine Drive, a tourist spot. The incident had occurred allegedly in the presence of police. Kochi Mayor Soumini Jain had condemned the incident and asked the police to take strong action against those involved. Also Watch: Shiv Sena's moral policing in Kerala on International Women's Day --- ENDS --- Kansas rancher Greg Gardiner got into some of his scorched pastures for the first time Wednesday and surveyed what he likened to a battle zone: carcasses of dead cattle everywhere. It's pretty much a catastrophe, Gardiner said as he looked out on his ranch near Ashland, charred by wildfires that have burned through hundreds of acres in four states. It's as bad as a mind can make it. Gardiner cries when he talks about how thankful he is that none of his family members were lost in wildfires that that have led to the deaths of six people. Gardiner's brother Mark lost his home like dozens of other people in largely rural areas of Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado but he is safe. Gardiner figures he lost 500 cattle. Any badly burned animals found still alive are mercifully shot. A lot of people have gone out and run out of shells and come back to get more shells,'' said Gardiner, speaking by cellphone. It's pretty grisly work out here right now, to be honest. Wildlife can't escape blaze He sees a coyote's carcass and wryly states that there's not even coyotes left to clean up the dead. No wildlife is left as far as he can tell. While cattle producers like Gardiner spent much of Wednesday assessing their losses, fire crews were attempting to extinguish the blazes. Most of the burned land is in Kansas, where more than 1,000 square miles has been consumed in a series of blazes, including one believed to be the largest in the state's recorded history. It is too soon to know yet how many animals perished. In Clark County, where Gardiner lives, ranchers so far have lost about 2,500 adult cattle and at least 1,000 calves, said Randall Spare, co-owner of Ashland Veterinary Center. It is just horrendous, rancher David Clawson said from his home near Englewood, a Kansas town of about 50 residents where a fire destroyed 12 homes. Three ranch hands die trying to save cattle Ranch hands were among those who have been killed in the fires. In the Texas Panhandle, three ranch hands died trying to save cattle from fires that have burned nearly 750 square miles. Gray County Judge Richard Peet said it appears 20-year-old Cody Crockett was on horseback and his girlfriend, 23-year-old Sydney Wallace, was nearby on foot as fire and smoke swirled around them. Peet says Wallace died of smoke inhalation. Crockett suffered burns, as did 35-year-old Sloan Everett who also was on horseback. Their bodies were found near each other. A fourth person who died in Texas 25-year-old Cade Koch was attempting to drive home when smoke from a separate fire to the north enveloped him. His wife, Sierra Koch, who is pregnant, described her husband as a hard-working, friendly man who treated everybody with the utmost respect. He was hard-headed and had a huge heart, she said. Smoke claims truck driver In Kansas, the Highway Patrol said Corey Holt, of Oklahoma City, died Monday when his tractor-trailer jackknifed as he tried to back up because of poor visibility on a highway, and he succumbed to smoke after getting out of his vehicle. About 545 square miles also has burned in Oklahoma, where a woman had a heart attack while trying to keep her farm and died. No deaths were recorded in Colorado, where more than 45 square miles burned. President Donald Trump's administration is weighing a deployment of up to 1,000 American soldiers to Kuwait to serve as a reserve force in the fight against Islamic State as U.S.-backed fighters accelerate the offensive in Syria and Iraq, U.S. officials told Reuters. Proponents of the option, which has not been previously reported, said it would provide U.S. commanders on the ground greater flexibility to quickly respond to unforeseen opportunities and challenges on the battlefield. It would also represent a step away from standard practices under President Barack Obama's administration by leaving the ultimate decision on whether to deploy some of those Kuwait-based reserve forces in Syria or Iraq to local commanders. "This is about providing options," said one U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The officials said the deployment would differ from the existing U.S. troop presence in Kuwait. It was unclear whether the proposal had the support of U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who could opt to use other tools to give commanders more agility. Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis declined to comment on options being weighed by the Trump administration. Obama's administration was often accused of micromanaging even the smallest tactical details about the fight against Islamic State, weighing in on the use of helicopters or movement of small numbers of U.S. forces. It also set limits on U.S. deployments that would be adjusted incrementally, a strategy meant to avoid mission creep by the military and prevent military moves that might seem good on the battlefield but which could have inadvertent diplomatic or political consequences. Such limits are now under scrutiny. The decision on whether to create a more rapidly deployable Kuwait-based force is part of the ongoing review of the United States' strategy to defeat Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, where around 6,000 U.S. troops are deployed, largely in advisory roles, the officials said. Trump has made defeating Islamic State one of the key goals of his presidency. U.S. officials have acknowledged the review may lead to an increase in American troops in Syria, where U.S.-backed Arab and Kurdish forces are isolating the city of Raqqa Islamic State's de facto capital ahead of an assault. But they have so far played down expectations of a major escalation or dramatic shift in a strategy that has focused on training and advising local ground forces, pointing to successes so far in Syria and the steady advance of Iraqi forces in the campaign to retake the city of Mosul. Raqqa battle looms Trump's push against Islamic State in Syria could soon present him with an unenviable decision on whether to risk alienating NATO ally Turkey by relying on the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, which, in addition to Arabs, includes Kurdish YPG fighters. Ankara views the YPG as the Syrian extension of the Kurdish PKK militant group, which has fought an insurgency in Turkey's southeast since 1984 and is considered a terrorist group by both the United States and the European Union. A senior Turkish official said on Tuesday that the United States had decided to go with the YPG, instead of agreeing to Ankara's call for it to instead back Syrian rebels that Turkey has trained and led against Islamic State for the past year. The comments came on the same day that the top U.S. military officer, Marine General Joseph Dunford, met his Turkish counterpart in the southern Turkish province of Antalya. A U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Dunford did not inform his Turkish counterpart of any decision about the Raqqa offensive, in remarks that appeared at odds with the Turkish account. In a sign of advancing U.S. preparations for Raqqa, an American official said Wednesday that a small group of Marines have entered Syria. The Washington Post said the Marines were from an amphibious task force and were establishing an artillery outpost to support the Raqqa offensive. Pentagon spokesman Marine Major Adrian Rankine-Galloway said he could not comment on future or ongoing U.S. deployments. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange accused the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency of devastating incompetence Thursday after his organization was able to obtain and publish documents related to CIA hacking programs. "This is a historic act of devastating incompetence, to have created such an arsenal and then stored it all in one place and not secured it," Assange said during a live-streamed press conference. Earlier this week, WikiLeaks published thousands of pages of what it says are classified CIA documents that expose the entire hacking capacity of the CIA. The documents allege that the CIA has the tools to hack into smart phones and some televisions, allowing the agency to remotely spy on people through microphones on the devices. Assange said during the news conference that several technology companies contacted WikiLeaks and asked for more information about the CIA operation. Assange said he would work with technology companies to help them protect against the hacking tools. "We have decided to work with them, to give them some exclusive access to some of the technical details we have, so that fixes can be pushed out,'' he said. Tech giants assessing impact Both Apple and Samsung issued statements Wednesday saying the companies are looking into the allegations made by WikiLeaks. Apple said it already had addressed many of the issues identified in the WikiLeaks documents. According to the WikiLeaks documents, the CIA identified weaknesses within the software used by Apple, Google, Microsoft and other U.S.-based manufacturers; but, instead of informing the companies of the vulnerabilities, the CIA hoarded the exploits, leaving people open to potential hacking. Concern about the CIAs alleged hacking tools is starting to grow among foreign diplomats, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who said Thursday he always tries to avoid bringing his cell phone into sensitive meetings to avoid being spied on. At least, I succeed not to get into a bad situation," Lavrov said. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said China opposes all forms of hacking. We urge the U.S. side to stop listening in, monitoring, stealing secrets and internet hacking against China and other countries. China will resolutely safeguard its own internet security," he said. The CIA said Wednesday that WikiLeaks is hurting American security interests and helping the countrys enemies. The war against Boko Haram is leaving women vulnerable to poverty, violence and isolation, says a U.S. diplomat who visited areas devastated by the Nigerian militant group. U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Michele Sison returned late Tuesday from a five-day U.N. Security Council mission to Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger. Some 26 million people in the four nations are suffering from the effects of a humanitarian crisis fueled by the terror groups attacks, including severe food shortages. In an interview with VOA in Abuja, Sison said women who were formerly involved with Boko Haram either voluntarily or involuntarily seem to be stigmatized more than men who fought with the group, especially when it comes to their ability to marry and return to their home communities. Women face other problems as well. They are often widowed or alone, caring for several children with no way to provide an income for their family. In Maroua in northern Cameroon and in Maiduguri in northeastern Nigeria, Security Council representatives met with displaced and refugee women. In Maiduguri, we were talking about food rations and one of the mothers said Well, I have eight children and these food rations are not stretching far enough to feed all eight children and so I have to go outside of this camp to beg,'" Sison said. "Now thats a wake up call for the international community to look at the sustainability of the way that we are funding this rather severe food insufficiency crisis." Women and girls also have specific protection needs. They are more vulnerable to sexual exploitation and abuse and to early and forced marriage. When I asked in the womens tent, How many of you are the head of the household?, almost every hand went up of some two dozen women, Sison said. The women had either lost their husbands due to violence, had been recruited into Boko Haram, and many had seen one or more children recruited by the Islamist militant group. We do see a starkly, more difficult and more challenging picture than we had perceived when we took off from New York last Wednesday, Sison said. Senior government officials in all four countries told council members that they have made significant progress in degrading Boko Harams military abilities, but that the group still poses a threat because its fighters have switched to more asymmetric tactics, such as suicide bomb attacks. An integral part of a sustainable peace in post-conflict countries is the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) of ex-combatants. Ambassador Sison said during their mission there was a lot of discussion about a new D Deradicalization. What we saw, particularly with this increase of the use of women and children as suicide bombers, is that the issues surrounding the examination of root causes, but also of deradicalization, is necessary, she said. US support The United States has a multi-pronged approach to the Lake Chad Basin crisis, extending support in excess of $300 million for 2016-17. That figure includes food aid, basic household items, programs to reach out to youth, and other vital humanitarian assistance. On top of that, we have our Global Security Contingency Fund, Sison said. Money totaling some $40 million which is devoted to enhance the security cooperation and particularly border security cooperation among Cameroon, Niger, Chad and Nigeria. The ambassador said when she returns to New York, she and her Security Council colleagues would be fired up to keep pushing for a scaled-up and sustained response to the situation. I think there are some very unique challenges in this Lake Chad Basin area that are going to continue to put this on the front burner for all of us," she said. A federal court in Minneapolis sentenced a Minnesota man to a year in prison Wednesday for threatening to blow up an Islamic center. Daniel George Fisher pleaded guilty in November to charges of sending a letter to the Tawfiq Islamic Center and threatening to blow up your building with all you immigrants in it. He also faces three years of federal supervision after he is released from prison. Fisher, 57, told investigators he has been angry at Muslims since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and wanted to stop them from building an Islamic center in his neighborhood. This sentence sends a message that anyone who threatens others with violence because of religious intolerance will face significant consequences, Acting Assistant Attorney General Tom Wheeler said Wednesday. Pro-democracy activists and family members gathered Thursday in Harare to renew pressure on Zimbabwean authorities to investigate the abduction two years ago of activist Itai Kadiki Dzamara. Dzamara was an outspoken critic of President Robert Mugabe, and he organized anti-government demonstrations. He was last seen in 2015 being loaded into a car by men thought to be plainclothes officers of the central intelligence organization. Dzamara was about to have his hair cut, and his barber and several bystanders said they witnessed the incident. Dzamara's wife, Sheffra, who attended Thursday's event, said it was very painful that two years had passed without her husband being found. She said police and government officials did not respect Dzamara's family and colleagues; she contended that police could track down the culprits if they wanted to do so. On Thursday, the U.S. Embassy in Harare and the European Union mission issued separate statements expressing deep concern about the lack of progress in the Dzamara case. Thursday's commemoration drew about 200 people to Freedom Square in the capital. Police had tried to block the event but later gave in after Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights threatened to sue. Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa has rebuffed accusations the government is dragging its feet in the investigation. So did police spokeswoman Charity Charamba. The Zimbabwe Republic Police force "is pursuing all possible avenues to locate Itai Kadiki Dzamara as directed by Justice [David] Mangota," she said. "The Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of State Security, human rights lawyers and Dzamara's relatives are also actively involved in the investigations with the police. Periodical meetings are being held with all concerned parties with a view to locate Itai Kadiki Dzamara." On Thursday, Dzamara's relatives disputed that claim. They said police were not complying with the High Court ruling in which Mangota ordered state security agents to regularly update Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights on progress in the case. Last year, Amnesty International appealed to set up a commission of inquiry on Dzamara's disappearance, but the proposal appears to have fallen on deaf ears. The United States says it remains deeply concerned about the abduction of Zimbabwean civil society activist and leader of Occupy Africa Unity Square, Itai Dzamara, who was forced into unmarked vehicle two years ago. In a statement, the U.S Embassy in Harare said it is worried about Dzamara's whereabouts and wellbeing. "The lack of progress in this case raises doubts about the intention of the authorities responsible for the investigation. "We once again call on Zimbabwean authorities to show their commitment to protecting the constitutionally-guaranteed human rights of all Zimbabweans, regardless of political beliefs or affiliation. We again call on Zimbabwean authorities to mobilize the full extent of their resources to investigate the circumstances surrounding Mr. Dzamaras abduction, and to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice." The U.S said this is not an issue of politics. "This is an issue of basic human rights and rule of law. All citizens of Zimbabwe have the right to life and personal liberty, the right to participate in peaceful political activities, including the right to demonstrate and petition peacefully, and the right to express themselves freely and without repercussion. We stand together with Mr. Dzamara, the Dzamara family and the people of Zimbabwe in demanding resolution in this case and in supporting their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly." Dzamara, whose organization wants President Robert Mugabe to step down for failing to properly run Zimbabwe, was abducted by suspected state security agents at a barber shop in Harare's Glenview suburb. The Zimbabwean government has distanced itself from the abduction while civil society leaders say it is responsible for his disappearance. The High Court ordered state security agents to find the missing political activist, who was recently recognized by Amnesty International for fighting against human rights abuses in Zimbabwe. Gibraltar Partnership to Support Sustainable Practice in Local Schools The Departments of Education, Environment, Heritage and Climate Change and the University of Gibraltar have announced their partnership in an international collaborative project. This project, ClimACT, funded by the European Union Interreg SUDOE programme, brings together institutions and schools from Gibraltar, Portugal, France and Spain, jointly working to deliver teaching and learning support materials to engage with Education for Sustainable Development. This exciting initiative aims to embrace the whole school community and seeks to actively improve sustainable practices in schools across several European countries. ClimACT will provide learning materials to support students comprehension of the low carbon economy and will offer training and resources to assist teaching colleagues with the embedding of sustainability in everyday school experiences. ClimACT will also deliver guidelines to support schools to implement sustainable management practice and improve environmental performance. "We are confident that the combination of both environmental assessment and educational resources shall inspire schools to adopt innovative managerial and education practice to work towards embedding education for sustainable development into the core curriculum." explains a Govt spokesperson. "This is a great opportunity to have Gibraltar schools engaged in an international funded project which will deliver environmentally sustainable practices. We are looking forward to working together and start trialling these education and training resources in local schools. We hope to contribute to enhancing the learning environment and help develop critical thinking and leadership skills amongst young students to engage and inspire future generations to participate in changes towards a more sustainable future." Minister for Education, Environment and Climate Change Dr John Cortes commented, This project is significant in bringing together Education with Environment and Sustainability, and also demonstrates the importance of EU funding in providing added value across a range of disciplines. Engagement of teachers and students in projects of this nature is important for the future of our community and the world, and the involvement of the countries in our region will place the work in an important international context. Professor Daniella Tilbury, Vice-Chancellor of the University, and Professor in Education for Sustainable Development, explained: "The project recognises that local schools have a tradition of successfully engaging students in environmental education initiatives. It builds on this leading education work, seeking an alignment between the curriculum and school management efforts. It is no longer sufficient to learn the conceptual or theoretical aspects of global warming in the classroom. Students need to experience and see how the school community embraces low carbon practices in its decision-making and day to day actions. The partnership recognises its responsibility in supporting school leaders and teachers to respond to this challenge and assist in lightening the footprint of education." Acting Director of Education, Darren Grech went on to say the following: We are delighted to embrace this project, and for our schools to be working in close collaboration with other schools in different countries. It is truly exciting. We already educate our children to care for the world we live in, to be aware that what we do and how we behave can impact positively or negatively. Children are deliberately taught that it is possible to continue to meet human needs without undermining the natural resources of our planet; human development and sustainability are not mutually exclusive. Yet this project goes one step further: schools will be making the effort to reduce their carbon footprint. They will screen and prioritize what they do on a daily basis, in order to achieve this. Furthermore, they will set priorities and objectives for the future. The educational potential here is therefore tremendous as we prepare our children to be the responsible citizens of tomorrow. Dr Liesl Torres, CEO of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Climate Change said "Sustainability and Environmental Stewardship must become a way of life and not just concepts which we strive to adopt. Programmes such as these will ensure that younger generations embrace these concepts through improved student involvement and interaction. These programmes allow students to explore core issues, engage in problem solving, and take action to improve their living environment. As a result, individuals develop a deeper understanding of the issues and gather the skills to make informed and responsible decisions. Learning in this manner facilitates applied thinking, and it is only when we apply our thinking, that these concepts evolve from a subject learnt in a classroom to an inherent part of our modus operandi." By Press Trust of India: Kochi, Mar 9 (PTI) Dozens of volunteers of the Kiss of Love movement today hugged and kissed each other at Marine Drive here as a mark of protest against the alleged act of moral policing by Shiv Sena activists. The volunteers, including artists, writers, activists and transgenders from various parts of the state, converged at Marine Drive, where the Sena activists allegedly chased away young men and women yesterday. advertisement Similar protests were held in different parts of the state, including at Thiruvananthapuram where the DYFI, the youth wing of the ruling CPI(M), took out a march. The protesters performed streetplays, drew paintings, sang songs and raised slogans in the presence of a huge crowd, before hugging and kissing each other at Marine Drive, a picturesque promenade facing the backwaters here. "We want to create a platform against moral policing," one of the activists told reporters. The police, facing flak for failing to stop the Sena activists yesterday, had put in place a tight security at the protest venue to prevent any untoward incident. The Kiss of Love event was held following a group of people calling for the agitation on Facebook. A large number of activists of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of the BJP, also assembled at Marine Drive, albeit at a different location. They raised slogans against the Kiss of Love event as well as the alleged act of moral policing by the Shiv Sena. The port city also witnessed several other protests staged by various youth and student outfits, including the DYFI, SFI, KSU and AIYF, against the alleged act of moral policing. CPI(M) district secretary and former Rajya Sabha MP P Rajeev inaugurated the Sneha Irippu Samaram (love sit-in protest), organised by the DYFI and SFI at Marine Drive. AIYF activists, wielding canes, took out a protest march towards the Shiv Sena office here. Meanwhile, the police said a central police sub-inspector was suspended for failing to stop the Shiv Sena activists yesterday, while eight police personnel, who were on duty at the time of the incident, were transferred to the Armed Reserve Police camp. Six Shiv Sena activists have been arrested in connection with yesterdays incident. TV news channels had aired video footage of a group of Sena activists wielding sticks and chasing away young men and women from Marine Drive yesterday. PTI TGB UD VS RC --- ENDS --- Government Emphasises Support of Insurance Sector Government has reiterated its complete support for its Insurance sector in Gibraltar and confidence in the important role played by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (GFSC) in delivering high European standards of insurance regulation. This follows recent media reports relating to comments attributed to the Irish Regulator, the CBI and the recent motion in the Irish Parliament on the general subject of motor insurance in the Republic of Ireland; including references to the failure of Setanta, a Maltese Insurer and Enterprise. Further to these reports, the Hon Albert Isola, Minister for Commerce last week wrote to the Irish Finance Minister, Michael Noonan and the Minister of State for Financial Services in the Republic providing factual information on the issues to be debated in the Irish Parliament later that day. The letter was referred to by the Government representative when speaking in Parliament on the motion. "Gibraltar Insurance firms must adhere to the same set of rigorous regulatory standards and capital requirements as all other European insurers, including Irish insurers. These are provided for in the Solvency II Directive, are a much more rigorous set of standards than existed before across the EU and were implemented at the beginning of 2016." explained a Govt spokesperson. "Further, Gibraltar firms passporting into Ireland contribute to the Insurance Compensation Fund, 2% of premiums by non life insurers, and the Motor Insurance Bureau in Ireland, 6% of gross written premiums" The Insurance Compensation Fund was set up in Ireland in 2012 to contribute to the losses sustained in Ireland following the Euro 1 Billion collapse of Irish Insurer Quinn. "By the end of 2016, Gibraltar firms in Ireland had contributed some Euros 7 Million to the Irish Compensation schemes and are expected to contribute more than Euros 4 million in 2017. This will more than meet the estimated losses arising from the Enterprise failure in Ireland" (Euros 7.4M for 233 live claims). 'It is further important to note, that Gibraltar firms have contributed some 350 Million to the compensation schemes in the United Kingdom (FSCS and MIB).' Government has said it is very confident in the approach taken by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission to its regulation of insurance companies and the emphasis the GFSC places on consumer protection in all countries in which Gibraltar insurers operate. "To support this work, the GFSC has put a strong emphasis on developing close relationships with EU Member State supervisors as well as the European Supervisory Authorities, and more specifically, EIOPA which oversees insurance and pensions activities in the EU." "The Gibraltar Financial Services Commission works closely with the Central Bank of Ireland and is in regular contact with the insurance supervisory team there. The comments attributed to the CBI are therefore out of step with this relationship and inappropriate in the circumstances as established forums exist within the European Regulatory framework for any such issues to be ad- dressed as and when they arise. HM Government is proud of its vibrant, innovative and successful Insurance sector which works within a compliant and robust regulatory environment under the supervision of the GFSC which enjoys our complete confidence." Aaron Carter knows that most of the people who hear his name still think of his hits from 16 years ago, like Aarons Party (Come Get It) and I Want Candy. Thats okay; hes here to keep making music anyway. A lot has happened since Carter released his last full-length album, Another Earthquake, in 2002, including a struggle with depression and reportedly filing for bankruptcy in 2013. Hes had producers and labels turn on him repeatedly, so in the absence of any industry support, he opted to cloister himself away and work on his own beats, which now make up much of his new EP, LVe. And yet, if hes weary of toting around the baggage that accompanies having a career and fandom established when he was 10 years old, he hides it well at live shows he still includes his old hits, going all-out in venues a fraction of the size of the stadiums he used to play. Carter has endured, and as the 29-year-old prepares for his first album in nearly a decade and a half, he spoke with Vulture about breaking the stigma of child stardom, the motivating power of losing everything, and his one big piece of advice. Its been more than 14 years since your last album. When during that time did LVe start to take shape? Ive been working on it for two years now. I started really working on it at home in Malibu, just makin beats like I always did, and then I paired up with Melanie Fontana, who has written on Dayas record and with the Chainsmokers. So, we wrote the songs, and then she brought in a friend of hers from Germany that was a producer as well. I was a little reluctant at first, because I kinda wanted to do it all myself. But I was like, All right, I trust you, Melanie, so lets bring in this guy to spice up my beats a bit. Sounds like you were pretty protective about having creative control. Is that something you learned from being in the industry for so long? Ive always been a producer, but nobody ever took me seriously, nor did other producers ever wanna really be partners with me, because they wanted it all for themselves. Over the last ten years Ive cut all these demos with other producers and all the record labels have said, No, Aaron Carter will never be able to do this again. Its not gonna happen for him. Bye. Get out of here. You know what I mean? And then Im like, well, Im not gonna give up, Im done working with other producers. Their way didnt work, so let me try producing it myself and see what happens. Do it your damn self. The moral of the story is dont ever give up on yourself. When people are like, I thought Aaron Carter was dead, well, yeah, I was a zombie in my recording studio, trying to learn how to make beats. And being mentored by people like Jim Johnson and Deadmau5. Because of your early success in pop music, do you feel youve had to work against expectations people put on you? There was definitely stuff from the past, obviously, that all my fans hung on to and the music and the sound. But I didnt make those beats. I didnt write those songs. I just went in the studio, and the producers would be like, Heres the next line: I always tried to be the flyest kid on the block! Heres the next line: The popular one with the rising stock. Lets do that again. Then I got to the point where I was 16, 17 years old performing all that old stuff and I was like, I cannot relate to this music. So I was like, if Im gonna come back and do this I cant be cutting other peoples records, for one, and two, its not even working. I cant even get a record deal with it. So I do it myself. My fan base, were growing up together, and we dont just have Aarons Party and dreams about how I beat Shaq anymore. Do you find that the sound of contemporary pop speaks to you? Your latest stuff is very sonically in step with the electropop hits that have taken over mainstream music. To be honest, when I was working on the project, I didnt listen to the radio, or anybody else because Im not a biter. I didnt listen to that stuff, because I didnt want to be influenced by it. I didnt want people to say, Oh, you took this from here. No. I didnt take it from anywhere. I secluded myself in the studio and just focused on creating my own sound. Now Sooner or Later is on Top 40 radio. Youve been through serious ups and downs, and from what youve said a lot of people were not willing to bet on you. How do you stay self-motivated? Ive spent so long in the last ten years trying to get back to everything I wanted that I grew up, so I just have this hunger in me that I think people lose when they dont lose everything. When you lose everything you gain the hunger, you become hungry and when I go back to my instincts, my instinct was I love making music. I want to be really good at it. I want to be credible, and its not just as beat makers making my beats and stuff. Its funny, some guy tweeted at me and was like, Wow Im ashamed to admit this but I really like Aaron Carters new EP, amazing what good producers can do for you. I responded to him and said, Isnt it though? Good thing Im the producer too. Thats exactly what I knew I was going to deal with when I came back out in the industry and Im leaving them no room to talk. Just one visit from Mother of Models Tyra Banks is all it takes for this finale to feel like the most classic of Americas Next Top Model episodes. Theres tension, theres sparkle, theres a runway, and, of course, theres the age-old refrain: They both have what the other one needs. In in the end, it comes down to Tatiana and India and folks, weve got ourselves a classic ANTM showdown between commercial and editorial, personality and photo, boss and beauty. All along, the judges have been saying theyre looking for someone who embodies business, brand, boss, but what happens on a show called Americas Next Top Model when one of the final two embodies those things, but the other is just a flat-out better model? Ill give you a hint: Its not called Americas Next Top Business Brand Boss ( at least not yet). Heading into the finale, India, Tatiana, and CoryAnne have only one photo shoot for Paper magazine and walking in a fashion show for the Blonds standing between them and the coronation of cycle 23s winner. We jump right into it, too; theres no time for house drama or bathroom breakdowns or challenge prizes. This finales narrative is a simple one of personal growth: CoryAnne feels more confident, Tatiana thinks she has the potential to build the empire the judges are looking for, and India has gone from blending into the background to standing out in every single shoot. These final three really do seem like models now, and theyre total professionals in the shoot for their Paper spread with Charlotte Rutherford. As a photographer, Charlotte seems really fun and communicative, and were I ever to shoot a six-page spread with the concept being a boss, but having fun with it, I would want her behind the camera. Drew says Tatiana gives them amazing body shots, but shes looking a little less editorial in the face. CoryAnne gets positive feedback about her unusually edgy poses. India starts the day off strong, but as the shoot wears on, Drew says she starts to fizzle. Everyone does reasonably well, so the next and final opportunity to separate the models from the top models is at the runway show. It occurs to me that this season has not put much emphasis on runway challenges. Are we to believe that in this age of branding and moguls that Snapchat has actually replaced runway modeling? Or did the ANTM producers know that too many runway challenges would make the Miss J-sized hole in this VH1 reboot too obvious? Hopefully its the latter, because runway is still hugely important in all levels of modeling, but luckily, cycle 23 managed to end up with three pretty strong walkers on its hands. The final fashion show consists of three runways, video projections, and choreographed lights, two outfit changes, and a live performance by Tinashe in the middle. The Blonds tenth-anniversary collection is half golden eagle warrior princess, half ethereal flower rock star, and other than the part in the middle where Tatiana, India, and CoryAnne have to stand in awkward lines around Tinashe, they all kill it. There are dramatic poses at the top of the runway, fierce looks at the end, and a few sassy nods to the judges cheering them loudly from the front row. With that, and following a few pep talks from former contestants and congratulations from the judges, its time for the final panel and what a final panel it is. First, the judges review each models best shot from the Paper shoot to instantly eliminate one model, bringing us down to the final two competing for $100,000, a fashion spread with Paper, a commercial for Rimmel London, and a one-year talent deal with VH1. All three look incredible in sexy sparkling dresses from the Blonds, and Tatiana is up first. Shes at a slight advantage with this final shoot because the neon-bright office setting is perfect for her entrepreneurial personal branding. Though shes taken many a tough comment for being too commercial, Ashley thinks shes all editorial here, and Law, her harshest critic all season, says he can see her in the pages of Paper. Indias review is slightly more mixed, in that Rita thinks it shows off the mysteriousness she has that cant be taught, but Law thinks that mysteriousness is her downfall. Drew agrees that she might have the strongest personal presence, but she always blows him away, and because of that, shes a superstar. Unfortunately, its CoryAnne who takes the fall. Even though her Paper shoot is one of her best from the competition, Law says he simply cant see her on the cover, so shes sent home before the final round of judging. And that is when things get really juicy. Tatiana and India both get nothing but positive feedback about their runway work because, lets face it, at the end of the competition and with a runway that didnt involve a single giant, swinging pendulum, this was never going to determine the winner of cycle 23. It all comes down to their body of work, and as the judges deliberate over Tatianas superstar personality and presence versus Indias superstar face and ability to take an amazing picture Tyra Banks shows up. I dont know if it was just some top-notch acting, but even the judges seemed surprised that she was there. But you know what isnt a surprise? That Tyra immediately pulls up a seat right in the middle of the table and begins conducting the show. Thank goodness she is there. With Tyra present, a feeling that the right decision would be made suddenly washed over me, even though I still didnt know what the right decision was until the judges made their choice. Tyra proposes the type of wise hypothetical that could only come from someone with 22 cycles of experience in facing amateur models against each other in a battle of beauty and music video prowess. To Law, she asks who he thought he could style and make other people want to buy the clothes she was wearing; to Drew, she asks who he thinks his competitors would want to book; to Ashley, which of these girls could really put the word super in front of model nine months from now; and to a particularly confused-looking Rita, Who do you think is more than just a model? After a quick Jenner comparison Tatiana is like mogul Kylie, India is like high-fashion Kendall Tyra leaves us. She doesnt make a final decision, but instead offers this koan: Do you choose the one that is a model-model and then put a machine behind her to make her work? Or do you choose the one that is the brand, business, boss, and put a machine behind her to make her werk. Yall, it is just so good to see Tyra again. Then its back to the four judges who must now make the all-important decision about these young women. It gets a little heated! Ashley is all-in on Tatiana she says her own personality is whats made her a supermodel while Drew is clearly rooting for India, saying if he could restyle her and work on her social-media presence, he could make her a star. Law says he could do the same with Tatiana if he took her to Fashion Week and simply got her in front of the paparazzi. Drew pops back, You can sell lotion and I will sell a brand. Before things turned up so much, Law said something that kept ringing in my head throughout these deliberations: I was always told never to fall in love with someones potential. It could be said about either girl, but in the end, the judges awarded India five wins throughout the competition, whereas Tati only got one. Tatiana and her drive to build a brand will still benefit from running the ANTM gauntlet, but its India whose true brand is MODEL, and its that undeniable face that earns her the cycle 23 title of Americas Next Top Model. And she did it all with purple hair! Beyonce Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images for NARAS As women across Hollywood show support for A Day Without a Woman, a group of celebrities including Beyonce, Salma Hayek, Julia Roberts, and Madonna are honoring International Womens Day by putting their names to an open letter advocating for gender equality. The letter is published by Chime for Change, a campaign that Beyonce and Hayek co-founded to convene, unite and strengthen the voices speaking out for girls and women around the world. The letter also signed by Dakota Johnson, Jada Pinkett Smith, John Legend, Hari Nef, and Freida Pinto describes the current moment as a critical moment in history. Recent legislation and rhetoric have put decades of progress for girls and women at risk. It continues to describe the present mission for women as follows: This is about hearing a call - to join us wherever you are. About raising an alarm - drawing attention where there is work to be done. And about celebrating - those who are already showing us, against impossible odds, what is possible. We believe that connection empowers us. That every voice matters. That each one of us is needed to achieve change. We believe we can do extraordinary things when we come together. We fight for education. For health. For justice. For every girl. Every woman. Everywhere. We fight for our future. Because none of us can move forward if half of us are held back. Read the call to action in full here. Photo-Illustration: Maya Robinson/Vulture Bollywoods three biggest stars are all Khans, though they are not related. Together, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, and Aamir Khan rule even mundane aspects of Indian life. Shah Rukh is said to endorse more goods than any other Indian, dead or alive. His face is everywhere, looming over roads and in the pages of magazines, hawking the stuff that makes a life from the luxe (Apple toys and motorbikes) to the dull (AC units and pens). Aamir, the good guy, hosts a national talk show, avoids tabloids, and is often cited as a dream political candidate. Salman is the brute the Crowe to Shah Rukhs Clooney and Aamirs Damon. Hes forever in the news for some sin that wont hurt his box-office clout, whether its joking about rape, or killing a rare animal for sport. The Khandom, to quote director Karan Johar, is real. Nothing can take down a Bollywood Khan. Of the countrys ten top-earning movies ever, the Khan triumvirate star, separately, in eight. One of the others is narrated by a Khan: Irrfan of Life of Pi, Slumdog Millionaire, and other blockbusters. Excepting Salman (whose movies draw smaller audiences stateside), the above Khans have all been detained multiple times in Western airports since 9/11, long before the travel ban came to pass. So has the boxer Amir Khan, causing a notable enough Heathrow event that David Cameron stepped in (a U.S. immigration officer stopped him, en route to Vegas, on the anniversary of 9/11); the actress Zareen Khan, in JFK; acclaimed directors Sajid Khan and Kabir Khan, the latter reportedly in three different U.S. airports the same year; and Imran Khan, one of the most globally famous Pakistanis, who was forced to opine on drones. Readying for a transatlantic media trip in 2008, the television star Iqbal Khan says he turned up earlier than anyone else in his group to the embassy office, yet was the only one denied a visa because, he surmised, my name is Mohammed Iqbal Khan. Irrfan Khan nearly quit Hollywood after being made to sit for hours in back rooms with no explanation, in both LAX and JFK. When I tried to ask why I was being treated this way, I was told to keep quiet, he told a reporter, calling the experience humiliating. I wasnt allowed to use my phone. They said, No, you just sit down. All because my name was Irrfan Khan. Compared to recent airport drama, these injustices pale. Families werent split indefinitely, no young children kept from their mothers. But Donald Trumps travel ban didnt come from nowhere, though the sudden sensitivity for Muslim travelers can seem to suggest it did. For years, Muslims have surrendered all power inside American airports even those with great power outside them. Arguably, no case proves the absurdity of modern profiling more than Khan. On one side of the world, the surname signifies godlike greatness. On the other, it convicts its holder of crimes uncommitted. In 2015, the U.S. government introduced a measure to excuse VIPs, VVIPs, and VVVIPs to use the lingo of India, a country obsessed with hierarchy from airport questioning. India was to enter the U.S. Customs and Border Protections Global Entry program, bumping Indian elite out of security lines. The measure seems to have stalled. India is not yet listed online as an official member; and last summer, one of the VVVIPs to be protected by the pre-check system was again detained: Shah Rukh, in LAX, where he gamely caught Pokemon during the hours spent waiting. (The TSA did not respond to requests for comment on Indias Global Entry status.) The brighter side is while waiting caught some really nice Pokemons. Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) August 12, 2016 It was SRKs fourth detainment in the U.S. (the only country to ever stop him), and was as memorable as the rest. His third detainment tracked with the 2012 global tour of My Name Is Khan, a blockbuster about a Muslim family man in America, fighting for equal treatment. The irony did not escape fans, who wondered if the airport hassle was a setup. From Khan, it produced a legendary quote, on the twisted art of profiling. Speaking at the podium at Yale University hours late, having been detained he quipped: Whenever I start feeling too arrogant, I take a trip to America. The next year, writing for the magazine Outlook, he grew serious. The name Khan once evocative of a strapping man riding a horse, his reckless hair flowing from beneath a turban tied firm around his head had warped in our new age to describe a new sort of man: shoved into a backroom of a vast American airport named after an American president. The nobler sense of Khan goes back centuries. The name is derived from a title, adapted from the Turkish word for king. Demand for it spread, through mountain tribes, into Central Asia (thanks Genghis), morphing as it went. In China, it became Xan, and was handed out by Ming-dynasty emperors. Hindu courtiers of 16th-century India could become Khans, if Emperor Akbar took a liking to them. There are Hindu Khans, and Buddhist Khans, though it is largely a Muslim surname. Nowadays, its one of the most common last names in the world: As of 2014, more doctors in the U.K. were named Khan than anything else. In Bollywood, thanks to the successes of its bearers, the name retains that first, regal, sheen. Some years ago, the renowned Harvard professor Shahab Ahmed spoke to a reporter hoping to crack why Indias biggest movie stars were Khans. Ahmed was the authority on the matter, at work on a book on the history of Khans in Bollywood. He died before its completion, and his insights paint a half-formed picture of how the name came to the screen: via a tribe of Pashtun warriors Khans who left Afghanistan for India, and young Bollywood. These early Khans were skilled, but not, to use Ahmeds word, influential. It was an Afghan Khan who wrote the first-ever Bollywood song, for example, for the industrys first talkie. By the 1950s, at least two Khans were stars Madhubala and Dilip Kumar though theyd adopted faux Hindu names. (India holds as confused a relationship with Muslims as any nation.) Khandom theories exist. Most are conspiracies, about a Muslim underworld controlling Bollywood; some credit the Khanss Afghan blood for the fair skin that seduces Indian audiences. Perhaps the simplest answer is best, though. Salman and Aamir each claim parents in the industry. Their ancestors were those early Khans, working in the dark, so their descendants could stand in the spotlight. (As for Shah Rukh, son of an activist and homemaker, hes keeping the Khan mystery alive.)* Any travelling Muslim today might view faith as a malleable force, to be downplayed or celebrated with care, depending on context. Its therefore a boon, in a sense, when VVVIPs are held to the same standards. A person used to special treatment calls out injustices others swallow. What separates a Bollywood Khan from the rest, after all, is he still sees himself as a hero. *An earlier version of this piece incorrectly stated that Shah Rukh Khan had parents in the industry. In fact, he made it to Bollywood all on his own. Good luck casting a perfectly terrible Nino. That adaptation of Elena Ferrantes Neapolitan novels we heard about last year is really, truly happening. Per the New York Times, Saverio Costanzo (Hungry Hearts) has signed on to direct and help write the 32-episode series, which will cover the elusive Ferrantes four linked novels My Brilliant Friend, The Story of a New Name, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, and The Story of the Lost Child. The adaptation will be shot in Italy, in Italian, and written by a team of Italian writers with the help of Ferrante herself, whom Costanzo plans to talk with via email. Italian producer Wildside, which also produced The Young Pope, is in talks with American and Italian broadcasters. The series is expected to air in 2018. Update March 30: HBO has picked up the adaptation of My Brilliant Friend, which it will produce alongside Wildside, Italian network RAI, and Fandango. The series will start shooting in Italian, thank the heavens in Naples this summer. Glenn Howerton. Photo: Patrick McElhenney/FXX Two shocking things went down in last nights Its Always Sunny season finale: The waitress finally hooked up with Charlie, and Dennis was confronted with the child he didnt know he had and decided to leave his life in Philadelphia. Given the sitcoms love of the status quo, it might seem totally plausible that Dennis and Glenn Howerton, the actor who plays him, and created and writes for the show will slip right back in with the gang for Sunnys future seasons (FX has already ordered seasons 13 and 14). But in interviews after last nights episode, Howerton has been more cagey about Denniss fate. Howerton told Uproxx: Its a little complicatedIts not entirely certain whether I am or am not. I might be. I might be, but I might not be. That really is the truth. Just to be clear, to dispel any potential weirdness, it has nothing to do with my relationship to anyone on the show or Rob or Charlie or anyone like that. Its partially a creative and personal decision. We may be taking an extended hiatus between season 12 and season 13. So Im certainly staying open to the possibility of doing more, but there is a possibility that I will not. Speaking of potential scheduling conflicts, the news broke just after last nights Sunny episode that Howerton had signed on to an NBC pilot with Patton Oswalt. While his Sunny co-star Kaitlin Olson also stars in Foxs The Mick and its technically possible for Howerton to work two shows at once, his pilot is for NBC, which is entirely outside the Fox/FX domain, and his Sunny obligations tend to be more time-consuming than Olsons, as he also produces and writes for the show. Cue the Sunny episode where the gang tries to sabotage NBC in order to get Dennis back. John C. Reilly in Kong: Skull Island. Photo: Vince Valitutti / Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Kong: Skull Island is ostensibly a King Kong movie; hell, its right there in the title. Failing that, youd at least expect Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson, the films big stars, to figure prominently. And they do, sure, and so does Kong, roaring and grunting and beating his chest, knocking helicopters out of the sky like a grumpy kid who hates balloons. But make no mistake: This is John C. Reillys film. Reilly plays Hank Marlow, a pilot who was stranded on Skull Island during World War II. When the island is discovered in the 1970s thanks to recent developments in satellite technology, a group of explorers, scientists, and soldiers set out to map the island and find the big monster that they suspect is living there. (Some of them, anyway. For the others, the monster is kind of a nasty surprise.) But in addition to Mr. Kong and some other troublesome critters, they also find Marlow, whos been living in the jungle ever since his crash landing. And boy, does he have a lot to say. Kong has the good problem many modern ensemble movies suffer from: It has to figure out which of its many characters should be the protagonist. Of course, it doesnt hurt that theyre all played by A-list actors: Larson is a photographer, Hiddleston is the teams tracker, John Goodman is a scientist, and Samuel L. Jackson is a colonel whose rank is one of the films many nods to Apocalypse Now. When Reilly shows up, though, it instantly clears up that dilemma. The name of his character, Marlow, comes from Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness, the original text on which Apocalypse Now is based. (Notice the name of Hiddlestons character, James Conrad, as well.) While Marlow isnt a straight reproduction of the books Joseph Marlow, Reilly comes to serve a similar purpose in the narrative: Hes our guide, introducing us to the taxonomy of the island and the dynamic of its inhabitants, and criticizing the mindset of the people who have come to visit. But while this character has, in the past, been the looking glass through which we see a dark, disturbing vision think of Willard in Apocalypse Now Reillys Marlow is the opposite. Sporting a David Letterman beard and a pretty hip flight jacket, hes made the best of being a castaway, ingratiating himself with the locals and plotting, alongside adversary turned best friend Gunpei, to make their escape, a goal thats been aborted since his buddys death. With the arrival of the films ostensible heroes, he finally gets that chance, though first he has to deal with Samuel L. Jacksons Nietzschean intentions. To me, John C. Reilly is the human beating heart of the film in a lot of ways, because he has this clean simple narrative that you understand: This guy was here, he wants to get home, hes gone a little crazy, director Jordan Vogt-Roberts told Vulture recently. Its a really, really tricky part. He should break the movie. On page, if you describe that character to people, and even from the trailers, people will be like, Oh, it feels a little weird and goofy. But when you see it in context, Johns performance, instead of taking you out of the moment, somehow makes it more real, more human. It gives it more pathos and weight, even though hes saying these bizarre things, because it stems from a pure place. Thats the other part of Reillys performance in the movie: Hes really, really funny. Waving around Gunpeis sword and projecting a perfect balance of bemused surprise, knowing wisdom, and unhinged excitement, he both plays host to the visitors and entertains them with the stopped-up humanity of someone whos spent 30 years apart from civilization. Vogt-Roberts, who had previously directed the Sundance standout The Kings of Summer as well as a variety of television episodes, isnt your typical monster-movie director, and he says he featured improvisation as a major aspect of his process. On set in Vietnam, he and Reilly did as much as they could to find the character in the moment, and a large portion of Reillys performance in the movie was ad-libbed. Related Stories John C. Reilly Is Giving One of the Best Performances in TV Comedy Today While the rest of the film plays it mostly straight-faced, inserting some levity into what is otherwise a swashbuckling adventure into the heart of, if not quite darkness, than at least some serious shadow, Reilly lets loose, seeming to catch the other characters constantly off guard with his verve and vivacity. At one point, he tells John Ortizs prickly Victor Nieves that hes going to stab him by the end of the night, the look on his face a sort of wild glee; at another, he says, with that same far-gone mania in his eyes, This is a good group of boys! Were all going to die together out here! The years of isolation have taken an obvious toll, and its an essential element of the character. Marlow is not just the wild man, the clown; hes also the insider, the holy man, the one who really gets it. In that way, its a signature John C. Reilly role, with the actor utilizing his significant comedic and dramatic gifts to render a character only he could play. And by the end of the film, hes the one we really root for, the person we care about. Yes, its Kongs movie, but in a weird way, to me, its actually Marlows story, Vogt-Roberts says. The movie starts and ends with him. Essentially, its about a guy who crash lands on this island, and then its this weird journey, where these other characters and creatures get involved, as he finds his way home. Photo: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images After getting himself banned from the Cannes Film Festival for jokingly calling himself a Nazi in 2011, Lars von Trier is plotting a comeback. The Danish director has a star-studded serial killer movie in the works, and hes reportedly negotiating to premiere it at Cannes in 2018, according to The Guardian. Titled The House That Jack Built, the Danish director said the movie could be maybe the most traditional film [hes] made. Originally meant to be a TV series, the director says the narrative is inspired by the rise of the rat king Donald Trump. Matt Dillon will star as a serial killer in the 1970s; his victims will include Uma Thurman, Sofie Grabl, and Riley Keough, though von Trier said the murderous main character wont only prey on women. The controversial directors return to Cannes is hardly confirmed, but he hinted that it could be possible: I have talked to the people I know in Cannes and yeah, maybe. Dune(s). The recent news that Denis Villeneuve, the Oscar-nominated director of Arrival, will helm a big-screen adaptation of Dune is a good-news-bad-news proposition. The good news: Villeneuve has an excellent track record. The bad news: Dune, the 1965 science-fiction novel by Frank Herbert, has long intrigued talented directors, only to leave their dreams in tatters. In the past 50 years, no less than Ridley Scott, David Lynch, and Alejandro Jodorowsky have taken runs at the sprawling novel, with disappointing, and occasionally catastrophic, results. Here, we present a time line of the pitfalls, near bankruptcies, and premature deaths that have greeted those foolhardy enough to tackle it. 1965: Frank Herbert writes Dune, an award-winning epic about interstellar factions feuding over a precious spice. 1971: Film producer Arthur P. Jacobs, responsible for the Planet of the Apes film series, acquires the film rights to Dune. 1973: Jacobs dies at age 51. Illustration: Chris Foss 1973: The Dune film rights are acquired by a group of French film producers on behalf of Alejandro Jodorowsky, the director of cult hit El Topo. Jodorowsky tries to enlist, among others, Pink Floyd, Orson Welles, and Salvador Dali as collaborators, but his ambitious project fails. 1976: Producer Dino De Laurentiis, who produced Fellinis La Strada and Barbarella, acquires Dunes film rights. 1977: Star Wars becomes a national phenomenon, stoking a market for space epics. 1979: De Laurentiis hires Ridley Scott, fresh from the success of Alien, as his director. Dune would be a step very, very strongly in the direction of Star Wars, Scott says. But when his brother Frank dies unexpectedly, Scott drops out. He goes on to direct Blade Runner instead. Sting in David Lynchs Dune. Photo: Universal Pictures/Photofest 1981: De Laurentiis approaches David Lynch, director of The Elephant Man, to adapt Dune. Lynch accepts, turning down a concurrent offer to direct The Return of the Jedi. 1983: Principal photography on Dune begins in Mexico. The film features then-unknown Kyle MacLachlan and Sting. The soundtrack is by the 80s band Toto, known for the hit song Africa. 1984: Lynchs Dune is released and is a theatrical disaster. Costing $45 million, it grosses $31 million and is savaged by critics; Roger Ebert calls it the worst movie of the year. Writer Harlan Ellison later says, It was a book that shouldnt have been shot. It was a script that couldnt have been written. It was a directorial job that was beyond anyones doing and yet the film was made. 1986: Dune author Frank Herbert dies. 1986: Stung by his experience, Lynch retreats to small-scale filmmaking, reuniting Dune stars Kyle MacLachlan and Dean Stockwell in Blue Velvet, which turns out to be a career-making masterpiece. 1988: As was common with movies at the time, an even longer, three-hour version of Lynchs Dune is recut for TV. A clumsy prologue is added that uses concept art from the film. Lynch disavows this version, forcing producers to attach the pseudonymous Alan Smithee as the directors credit. Lynch also removes his name from the writing credit, replacing it with Judas Booth. 1996: The film rights are acquired by Richard P. Rubinstein, who produced Dawn of the Dead and Pet Sematary. 2000: A Rubinstein-produced TV-mini-series version of Dune airs on the Sci-Fi Channel to generally good reviews. It wins two Emmys. 2007: A group of Spanish students releases a four-minute trailer for a fan-made version of Dune that was seven years in the making. The trailer is removed from YouTube at the request of the Herbert estate, and the film is never released. 2008: Paramount attempts to set up a new adaptation of the novel. Peter Berg and Pierre Morel (Taken) are attached as directors, but after four years the project is abandoned. 2013: Jodorowskys Dune, a documentary about that filmmakers early attempt to make Dune, premieres at the Cannes Film Festival to excellent reviews. Ironically, Jodorowskys Dune is, to date, the most critically successful film associated with Dune. 2016: Legendary Films acquires the film and TV rights to Dune. 2016: Denis Villeneuve releases Arrival, which earns an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. In interviews, he says, Dune is my world. 2017: Villeneuve is hired to direct a new adaptation of Dune. *This article appears in the March 6, 2017, issue of New York Magazine. Police said that arms and ammunition seized from the rented house suggested there was Lucknow - Kanpur - Khurshan terror nexus in operation from the house. By Rajat Rai: A studied silence prevailed in Hazi colony in Thakurganj area of Lucknow, where a joint team of the ATS and the UP Police shot dead a terror suspect in the wee hours of Wednesday. Saifullah was killed after a prolonged gunfight lasting over 12 hours. Police said that arms and ammunition seized from the rented house suggested there was Lucknow - Kanpur - Khurshan terror nexus in operation from the house. advertisement Neighbours of the slain terrorist are in shock over the developments. Kaiyyum, who lives next door and whose house was used to penetrate the compound, said four youths had taken one room on rent around four months ago. "There were four youths living in one of the rooms out of the four rooms in the house. As the owner lives in Saudi Arabia, we did not know anything about them or their activities. We only used to exchange greetings. They did not have any interaction with anyone in the colony", Kaiyyum said. SELF-PROCLAIMED BELIEVERS OF ISIS IDEOLOGY? Another neighbour, Rubina said that while there was quiet in the house during mornings, the nights were unusually busy. "We never saw them during the day, but they got several visitors at night. They never kept any interaction with other residents and had placed heavy curtains on the windows and the main entrance of the house," she said. UP police officials said that these people were self-radicalised and self-proclaimed believers of ISIS ideology. "They had no financing from any foreign source. They were using their own properties and other sources to fund their activities," said an officer. Police also carried out arrests of several other self-radicalised persons suspected to be linked to the train blast on Tuesday in which ten persons were injured. Among the suspects held are Kanpur residents Mohammed Faisal Khan, Mohammed Imran and Danish, who are believed to be brothers. Police have also arrested Fakre-Alam from Etawah and Atiq Muzaffar from Kanpur. ALSO READ | Lucknow encounter: Father of suspected ISIS terrorist says won't accept body of an anti-national WATCH VIDEO | Lucknow encounter: Why Saifullah's kin don't want his body? --- ENDS --- At Disneys annual shareholders meeting in Denver today, the house that Walt built screened the first footage of its next Star Wars saga entry. Attendees got a brief look at The Last Jedi that featured glimpses of General Leia Organa, Chewbacca, Finn, an X-Wing under attack, an unnamed character shouting, Its now or never, and a host of new settings that Los Angeles Times reporter Daniel Miller described as mountains, oceans, forests, deserts that look suitably epic, exotic. The clip also apparently featured Luke Skywalker saying the words to Rey weve been wondering about since the two shared a very long emotional pause on a tempestuous island at the end of Force Awakens. After Rey hands Luke a lightsaber he reportedly says, Who are you? Which feels like kind of a letdown, but also what else was he supposed to say? She did drop in pretty unannounced. Now everyone can start speculating on what she says in response, and you dont get to just say, Im Rey. Try harder. Joaquin El Chapo Guzman Photo: Vice News Joaquin El Chapo Guzman is finally getting a dream come true. Guzman, who was recaptured last year in part due to an attempt to make a biopic about himself, is the subject of a new movie in the works by Sony. The project is just one of many about Guzman in production, joining Netflix and Univisions El Chapo TV series and Ridley Scotts thriller The Cartel, an adaptation of Don Winslows fictionalized take on the Mexican drug lord with a knack for escape routes. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Sony will use Cole Merrell and Douglas Centurys Hunting El Chapo: The Thrilling Inside Story of the American Lawman Who Captures the Worlds Most-Wanted Drug Lord as the basis for its film about the Sinoloa drug cartel boss, though they might want to shorten that title. Too bad The Great Escape is already taken. Photo: Toy Fight Productions, Columbia Pictures, Broad Green Pictures South by Southwest isnt exclusively a film festival, but the music-tech-innovation fest always manages to wrangle up a handful of notable premieres. The indies on SXSWs slate match Austins ethos: If theyre not earnest and artistic, theyre definitely weird. Terrence Malicks Song to Song is the biggest world premiere Michael Fassbender as a modern-day Lucifer! but theres plenty more to look forward to, including a couple juicy action movies and the story of a music-fueled getaway driver. Song to Song Terrence Malicks long-awaited Austin music drama is the highest-profile premiere of this years SXSW. What we know so far: Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara, Michael Fassbender, and Natalie Portman star as two couples whose relationships get tangled in the Austin music scene. Peppered into this story of love and betrayal are cameos from a bunch of musicians (and maybe even Moonlight star Trevante Rhodes). Song to Song could be an exciting chapter in Malicks newly prolific period: After making only five movies between 1973 and 2005, this is his fourth feature since 2011. Baby Driver Edgar Wrights latest is a music-fueled, baby-faced heist movie. Ansel Elgort stars as Baby, a getaway driver (hmm) with tinnitus a chronic ringing in his ears, as you may remember from Archer ready to step away from his life of crime for his crush (Lily James). Not exactly the worlds most groundbreaking plot, but Wrights always good for an original vision, and hes gathered an impressive cast, including Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm, Eiza Gonzalez, and Kevin Spacey as a crime boss. Colossal If you missed the world premiere of this Anne Hathaway oddball comedy at Toronto last year and again at Sundance earlier this year, Austin is your third chance. Hathaway plays a reformed party girl with a hilarious mystical connection to a monster thats stomping through streets of Seoul. The premise is intentionally goofy, but its real-world connection isnt: Director Nacho Vigalondo told Vulture that the movie is really taking on the trope of the Angry White Man. Hot Summer Nights Its the year of Timothee Chalamet coming-of age-dramas. This time, the Call Me by Your Name breakout plays a teen boy spending his summer on Cape Cod in 1991. Hes got a crush on It Follows star Maika Monroe, and gets caught up in a New England drug ring. Elijah Bynum directed the feature from his script, which made the 2013 Black List. Behind the Curtain: Todrick Hall A full-length documentary takes you behind the scenes of the prolific musician and choreographer, famous for his viral 70-plus song Beyonce orchestration and his original live-action Beauty and the Bea(s)t. Directed by Katherine Fairfax Wright, Behind the Curtain: Todrick Hall charts Halls ascent from small-town Texas to Broadway fame. Fits and Starts David (Wyatt Cenac), a not very successful writer, is married to Jennifer (Greta Lee), a very successful writer. When the couple goes to an exclusive publishers salon, David tries to keep his cool. Surrounded by literary types and pseudo-intellectuals (a dentist with publishing aspirations, a book critic full of condescending advice, a fellow writer who may know his wife a little too well), he has to deal with his own struggle with his work. Fits and Starts comes from director Laura Terruso, who co-wrote the sweet Sally Field comedy Hello, My Name Is Doris. Atomic Blonde Charlize Theron is doing action movies again, and with one of the dudes behind John Wick! As MI6s leading assassin (James who?), Theron plays agent Lorraine Broughton, an agent described as equal parts spycraft, sensuality and savagery what? couriering state secrets. This is the latest offering from David Leitch, the Wick co-director whos good at making gory action movies very fun to watch. Free Fire Free Fire promises a lot, including but not limited to Armie Hammer wearing a beard and a turtleneck. High-Rises Ben Wheatley directs the a stacked satirical action-comedy that seems to have more than a little Tarantino in it. Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy, Sharlto Copley, Sam Riley, Noah Taylor, and more join Hammer for a raucous shootout. When cops went to Kanpur to bring his father to receive the body in Lucknow, Sartaj flatly refused. He said he would not receive an "anti-national's body". By Atir Khan: From invoking Prophet Mohammad to weeping wretchedly- hours before Saifullah was shot dead by Uttar Pradesh police, his family members tried everything to persuade him to surrender. By daybreak, news of the ISIS-inspired youth's killing was out. When cops went to Kanpur to bring his father to receive the body in Lucknow, Sartaj flatly refused. He would not receive an "anti-national's body". advertisement Top UP police sources said when Saifullah's hideout was surrounded and onlookers were removed from the locality at the outskirts of the state capital, there was a straight fight between the gunman and members of the special task force (STF). But the police first tried to make him surrender but when their efforts failed, a meeting of top UP police officers took place. A quick strategy was worked out- while police commandoes were kept on standby at the hideout, Saifullah's relatives were located in Kanpur. They were roped in to coax the youth to give in. HOW SAIFULLAH'S FAMILY CONVINCED HIM TO SURRENDER His Kanpur-based brother, Khalid, was made to speak to Saifullah over the phone by the police. But Saifullah was not receptive. The young man in his 20s was, in fact, "screamed and said he wanted to die" as if he was possessed by someone, said sources According to the police, Saifullah and his associates' terror plans were nothing less than "catstrophic". Khalid also asked his father to speak to Saifullah and convince him to surrender. Sobbing and helpless, Sartaj told Saifullah that he had left home to study and he should focus on that rather than getting into terrorist activities. But this made no difference. At one point, Khalid also invoked Prophet Mohammad and asked Saifullah to give up in his name. However, the gunman was not prepared to listen. He was so deeply indoctrinated that it became impossible for even his family members to penetrate his hardened ideology, police sources said. "It was like all hell broke loose on his family when they discovered that someone who had spent his childhood and best years of his life with them was not willing to listen to them at all," said a senior police officer. TOLD FATHER HE'S OFF TO SAUDI ARABIA Sartaj said, two months ago he had beaten up Saifullah for not working. Last week the young man called up his father to say he was going to Saudi Arabia. Clearly there were differing views within the family on what Saifullah was up to. However, relatives could not prevail and police action had to be launched to eliminate him. PLOTTING A FIDAYEEN ATTACK? advertisement The police drilled walls in the hideout and tried to use fibre optic cameras to monitor his movements. They also used tear gas and chilly shells to try and flush him out. Finally, anti-terrorism squad commandoes stormed the building after issuing a warning. But Saifullah started firing and the ATS men retaliated. Following the 12-hour long operation, the rooms were searched and his body was found. The commandoes had also spotted a wire wrapped around his stomach, indicating he was plotting a fidayeen attack. The police wanted to catch him alive so his interrogation could shed light on the module, its plans and sympathisers. Cops seized a large cache of arms and ammunition, explosives, railways maps and ISIS flags from the site. ALSO READ | Lucknow encounter: Home grown ISIS Khorasan module was planning big strike. All you need to know Lucknow encounter ends, ISIS terror suspect killed: What we know so far Watch the video here --- ENDS --- When I find myself driving around some other town in a rental car, my standard practice is to listen to the local public radio station, which is often run by a local university. I usually find it to be a dependable source of news (Ive discovered that I never turn the TV on in my hotel room), a good barometer of the local art scene and a way to hear some music I might not otherwise hear. Two weeks ago I was in Jacksonville, Florida, and heard a show that was playing instrumental versions of Beatles songs. Two tunes one by jazz legend McCoy Tyner and another by Swedish pianist Jan Lundgren (whom Id never heard of) were so good I put them on my iTunes wish list. What really blew me away, however, was music by a composer named William Grant Still. Still was born in Woodville, Mississippi, in 1895. He was remarkably musical and while taking violin lessons also taught himself clarinet, saxophone, oboe, viola and cello. He attended Wilberforce University in Ohio where he conducted the band and began writing music even though he went there to study medicine. He relocated to New York City and got a gig playing oboe in the orchestra for the groundbreaking 1921 musical Shuffle Along. After touring he returned to New York and worked as an arranger. His first symphony premiered in Rochester in 1931, the first performance of such a work by an African American composer. He was also the first African-American to conduct a major orchestra (Los Angeles in 1936), and in 1949 became the first to have a work performed by the New York City Opera. Still wrote symphonies, ballets, operas and even did a stint in Hollywood arranging film music. In 1936, the CBS radio network commissioned him to write a piece which he based on a series of Harlem street scenes and titled Lenox Avenue. It later became one of his ballets. As I write this, Im listening to his piece called The American Scene, which is made up of movements titled The Southwest, The Far West and The East. While the first two are evocative of Aaron Copland and the third has an echo of George Gershwin, its a distinctive work by a singular composer. So because of getting to know Still and his music, Ill be including him later this spring in my U.S. history survey class when we cover the Harlem Renaissance, that remarkable cultural efflorescence of poetry, painting, and music that came out of Harlem in the 1920s and 30s. Still knew writers like W.E.B. DuBois and Alain Locke but generally thought of himself as being on the periphery of that movement rather than at its center. While not as famous as, say, Duke Ellington, he was an important artistic presence in those years and knowing him lets you see the Harlem Renaissance as being even broader in scope. In his wonderful book The Rest is Noise: Listening to the 20th Century, critic Alex Ross says that in New York in the 20s and 30s, Jewish, African-American, and even Caucasian composers were working shoulder to shoulder, trading ideas, borrowing themes, plundering the past, and feeding off the present. Listening to the music of William Still is to hear that synergy come to life as surely as one does in Gershwin or Ellington. When it comes to art theres never a bad time to have a new door opened, because learning something new helps clarify everything else you already know. The model code of conduct has been imposed at Bhind, the district in which Ater segment falls and Umaria, the district in which Bandhavgarh Assembly segment is located. By Rahul Noronha: The politically significant and much anticipated by-elections of the Ater and Bandhavgarh (ST) Assembly constituencies in Madhya Pradesh would be held on April 9 while counting for the polls would be held on April 13. Ater Assembly segment fell vacant after then leader of Opposition and Congress MLA Satyadev Katare died and Bandhavgarh seat fell vacant after incumbent MLA and state minister Gyan Singh was elected to the Lok Sabha in the Shahdol (ST) by-election in November last year. advertisement As per the schedule announced by EC, nominations would open from March 14-21 and polling would be held on April 9 at both the segments. The model code of conduct has been imposed at Bhind, the district in which Ater segment falls and Umaria, the district in which Bandhavgarh Assembly segment is located. While neither the BJP nor the Congress have officially announced their candidates for the seats, the Congress will field late Satyadev Katare's son, Hemant from Ater in all likelihood. Hemant has been touring the area extensively after his father's death. BJP is likely to field former MLA Arvind Singh Bhadoria, who had lost to Satyadev Katare in 2013 but had defeated him in 2008. Bhadoria too has been camping in Ater from almost two months now. The contest also assumes significance because these would perhaps be the last by-elections before the Assembly election in November 2018 and would set the tone for the big battle. The Ater election is also important for the Congress as Katare is perceived to be close to Guna MP Jyotiraditya Scindia, who is one of the strong contenders to lead the Congress campaign in November 2018. A Congress victory will bolster Scindia's claims for leading the campaign. The BJP is likely to field Shivnarayan, a district Panchayat member in Umaria from Bandhavgarh in the upcoming by-elections. Shivnarayan is the son of former minister Gyan Singh, whose resignation from the Assembly after election to Parliament has precipitated the by-election. --- ENDS --- The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly witnessed noisy scenes with the Shiv Sena joining the Opposition in their demand of loan waiver to farmers. By Kamlesh Damodar Sutar: The lower House of Maharashtra Legislature was adjourned for the second consecutive day on Thursday, following ruckus over loan waiver demand for farmers. The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly witnessed noisy scenes with the Shiv Sena joining the Opposition in their demand of loan waiver to farmers. Surprisingly, BJP members too joined the demand. The house was adjourned thrice before being finally adjourned for the day. This is the second consecutive day when the House was adjourned without transacting any business. advertisement Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil raised the loan waiver issue on the floor of the House earlier in the day. Shiv Sena members soon thronged the Well of the House with Opposition Congress and NCP demanding loan waiver for farmers. Shiv Sena members chanted slogans saying that the agitation was a warning by Uddhav to the state govt. "Uddhav sahebancha BJP sarkarla ishara, Kora kara Shetkaryancha 7/12) (This is Uddhav Thackeray's warning to the BJP govt to remove loan entries from the 7/12 extracts of farmers) Adding to the confusion, soon BJP members too joined the slogan shouting demanding a loan waiver for the farmers. "BJP's demand for loan waivers is like shedding crocodile tears for farmers. Our party chief Uddhav Thackeray has been touring Marathwda and Vidarbha and wiping tears of farmers. We will continue to fight wherever there is injustice," said Anil Kadam, Shiv Sena MLA from Niphad in Nasik district. NCP legislators held protests on the stairs of Vidha Bhawan earlier in the day. "I don't understand one thing, if Shiv Sena and BJP, who are both running the govt and their members too are demanding a loan waiver like us (opposition) what is stopping the Chief Minister from taking a decision?" questioned Ajit Pawar, NCP leader and MLA. Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar preferred to downplay the Sena protest saying there was nothing wrong in demanding loan waiver for farmers. "if I had not been a minister I too would have joined the demand. But, our concern is not just to waive off loans, we want to make the farmers debt free forever." "Farmers have the first right over the state govt's coffers. Unlike the earlier govt, the loan waiver will not be made to benefit the banks owned by their leaders. We are taking several steps to uplift the lives of farmers," Mungantiwar added. Also read:Mumbai: Shiv Sena joins Opposition to demand loan waiver for Maharashtra farmers --- ENDS --- The Lok Sabha passed the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016 today. The Bill had already been passed by the Rajya Sabha during the Winter Session. By Press Trust of India: Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi today hailed the passage of Maternity Bill, which allows paid maternity leave of 26 weeks, in Parliament, calling it a "historic" decision. The Lok Sabha passed the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016 today. The Bill had already been passed by the Rajya Sabha during the Winter Session. It entitles the women working in the organised sector to paid maternity leave of 26 weeks, up from 12 weeks. advertisement "I am very, very happy that we have made history today. This will help thousands of women and produce much healthier children. We have been working on it for a long time," said Maneka. She also wrote a message on Change.org addressing the women who had petitioned her on the issue. "This is a historic decision taken by our government. I had requested Minister for Labour to make these changes in relevant laws and I am grateful to him for taking up my request. While congratulating all working women who are planning to have a child, I assure you that we will continue to work for women in the country," the Minister said. NO COMMENTS ON PATERNITY LEAVE Maneka also acknowledged that ensuring organisations implement the bill by providing mothers the mandatory 26 week leave and making provisions for a creche will be an uphill task. The Minister refrained from commenting on the issue of paternity leave. She had earlier courted controversy when she remarked that paternity leave will just be a holiday for men. The bill also provides for maternity leave of 12 weeks to mothers adopting a child below the age of three months as well as to commissioning mothers. It also makes it mandatory for every establishment with more than 50 employees to provide creche facilities within a prescribed distance. --- ENDS --- The Texas State Federation of Square and Round Dancers is having its 43rd annual Round Up from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday in the Brazos Ball Room at the Waco Convention Center, 100 Washington Ave. For more information, call 409-893-5570. Low-cost vaccinations La Vega Veterinary Clinic will offer a low-cost pet vaccination clinic from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at C&N Axtell Store, 4553 E. Old Axtell Road. Dog packages with distemper, parvo, bordetella and rabies vaccinations cost $40. Dog packages for distemper, parvo and rabies cost $25. Cat packages with distemper, leukemia and rabies shots cost $40. Rabies-only shots for dogs or cats cost $12. For more information, call 799-0808. Women of Waco lunch Women of Waco will meet at 11:30 a.m. Friday at La Fiesta House, 3725 Franklin Ave. The group is open to all women and provides educational and motivational programs and strong networking with area women business leaders. For information, call Diane Jenkins at 744-2430. Lunch with an author The Friends of Hillsboro City Library are sponsoring an author luncheon and book discussion featuring Portland, Oregon, author Mark Pomeroy at noon March 28 at Historic City Hall, 127 E. Franklin St. in Hillsboro. Tickets cost $15. To order, call 582-7385, email rkeelin@hillsborotx.org or visit the library, 118 S. Waco St. in Hillsboro. Tickets will not be sold at the door. Proceeds will benefit the Friends of Hillsboro City Library. Calligraphers meeting The Waco Calligraphy Guild will meet from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 800 N. New Road. Linda Hardwick will demonstrate how to make an envelope book with a string-bound cover. For more information, call 848-4165. DSA school Saturday A Democratic Socialists of America Organizing School will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the West Waco Library, 5301 Bosque Blvd. The event will include information about how to organize to amplify the voice of everyday people. For more information, call 537-3344. Pajama story time Waco-McLennan County Library will present a Pajama Night story time at 7 p.m. Thursday at the West Waco Library, 5301 Bosque Blvd. For more information, call 754-6018. A Brenham woman described as law-abiding and cooperative who was arrested with her husband after the May 2015 Twin Peaks shootout is seeking $350 million in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday. Morgan English, a 32-year-old bank teller and mother of one, alleges in the suit that she committed no crime, was wrongfully arrested and improperly jailed for 16 days under $1 million bond after the incident that left nine dead and dozens injured. English and her husband, William, a military veteran and a welder, are not among the 155 bikers who have been indicted on identical engaging in organized criminal activity charges. The lawsuit, filed in an Austin federal court, names the city of Waco, McLennan County, former Waco police chief Brent Stroman, McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna, Waco police detective Manuel Chavez and unnamed government agents as defendants. This is especially outrageous because a perjured arrest affidavit was issued for a young lady who arrived at the restaurant parking lot minutes before the shooting began, said Houston attorney Randall Kallinen, who represents English. Morgan English has now been portrayed all over the world as involved in a mass homicide. Her lawsuit is very different from others that have been filed following the melee that happened nearly 22 months ago. Drove to restaurant The suit says English and her husband drove in a car with two friends to Waco to attend a meeting that day of the Coalition of Clubs and Independents, a group of motorcyclists who get together to discuss legislative issues and other topics of interest. The lawsuit says the Englishes were not aware of the growing animosity between the Cossacks and Bandidos groups and they knew nothing about an ongoing criminal investigation by multiple police agencies into the two groups activities. Neither wore an insignia that connected them to the Bandidos or Cossacks, the suit says. During an examining trial in their case in August 2015, Department of Public Safety Lt. Steven Schwartz testified that William and Morgan English wore patches that identified them as members of a group called Distorted. Another patch identified them as members of a support group for the Bandidos, which Schwartz said has been identified as a criminal street gang. Schwartz said he thinks the Englishes were aware of the rift between the Cossacks and Bandidos and they were there that day in a show of support for the Bandidos. But under cross-examination from Houston attorney Paul Looney, who represented the Englishes at the hearing, Schwartz said neither he nor other DPS investigators were aware that the seven-member Distorted group existed before May 17, 2015. Looney said that of the seven members, only William English has a hint of a criminal past, what he called an old DWI. Schwartz said he saw nothing that day and has developed no subsequent evidence to show the Englishes are involved in criminal activity. According to the lawsuit, the Englishes parked a good distance away from Twin Peaks and walked toward the restaurant. Before they entered, shots rang out, and they took cover. Morgan and William did not strike, shoot or assault anyone, or attempt to do so, nor did they encourage others to take such actions, the suit claims. They committed no crime nor was there probable cause they committed any crime. The Englishes cooperated with police after the shootout, the suit says. Once the decision was made to arrest anyone who met certain criteria, identical arrest warrant affidavits that the lawsuit contends lacked probable cause and were filled with misrepresentation, were drafted to support the arrests of 177 that night. Among the misrepresentations, according to the suit, is that Morgan English, a graduate of Stephen F. Austin University and a member of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority, is a member of a criminal street gang. She is not, the suit says. When I first met Morgan, she had been held in custody for 13 days. My first efforts were to get her released and removed from the suspicion of criminal behavior, Looney said. Only after the authorities made that an impossibility did I finally decide there was no choice but to use a lawsuit to change the prosecutorial environment in Waco once and for all. This lady is, was and always will be virginally innocent of any criminal behavior that occurred at Twin Peaks. What happened to her, however, is a cruel and excruciating crime not of her own making, and $350 million is an appropriate figure for this case, Looney said. A sales tax rebate of $2.79 million landed in the city of Wacos bank account this week, a refund about 7 percent more than the $2.61 million rebate Waco received in March of 2016. So far this calendar year, Waco has received rebates totaling $9.9 million, about 4 percent more than the $9.5 million collected during the January-through-March period last year. Rebates received in March reflect sales in January that are reported to the Texas Comptrollers Office in February. Waco places sales tax rebates in its general fund, which is used to pay for necessities including police and fire protection. Comptroller Glenn Hegar sent rebates totaling $619.7 million to cities, counties, transit systems and special-purpose taxing districts, which was 5.8 percent more than he sent in March 2016. The cities of Houston, San Antonio, Fort Worth and Austin saw noticeable increases in sales tax allocations, Hegar said in a press releae. The cities of McAllen and Sugar Land saw noticeable decreases. So far this fiscal year, which started Oct. 1, Waco has received rebates totaling $19.5 million, which is $844,000 more than it had received through March 2016, budget director Laura Chiota said. Gasoline prices tend to increase this time of year because of stronger demand, which can cause sales tax rebates to suffer as consumers cut spending on other items to compensate. Cities receive no sales tax rebates on the sale of gasoline. But Chiota said Waco has become an enticing tourist stop, especially with the popularity of Chip and Joanna Gaines and their Magnolia Market at the Silos. She sees spending continuing at a brisk pace. A lot of these people visiting Waco arent necessarily driving here. Theyre coming from out of state, and I just dont think gasoline prices are going to dictate their decisions, she said. The city of Hewitt received a $142,421 rebate, which eclipsed its rebate from March 2016 by more than $20,000. Hewitt City Manager Adam Miles said the city is feeling the effects of a new Wal-Mart that opened Jan. 25 at Interstate 35 and Sun Valley Boulevard. I know it was open only six days in January, but I think were getting a feel for what that store will mean to the community, Miles said. Hewitt city staff has estimated Wal-Mart alone will generate $80,000 to $100,000 a month in sales tax rebates, he said. Next month, Im expecting a pretty huge jump in our rebate, Miles said. Hewitt has not earmarked the sales tax revenue generated by Wal-Mart for any particular project, he said. The money will go for operations: police, fire, library, streets and parks, he said. Workers evaluate a sinkhole that developed Wednesday near the intersection of North 41st Street and Hillcrest Drive after a storm drain collapsed. Rojas A teacher was arrested Tuesday after a Waco detective uncovered an inappropriate relationship between the teacher and a student on the campus of Methodist Childrens Home in February , an arrest affidavit states. Carmen Rojas, 42, of Waco, was arrested on a Class A misdemeanor charge of displaying harmful material to a minor at the facility Feb. 15. The facility provides residential care, foster care and other services to youth. According to the arrest affidavit, the detective spoke and showed photo copies of text messages and images from Rojas phone to program director Jeff Creel, who identified Rojas as the teacher. The text messages content contain photographic nudity and sexual innuendos, the arrest affidavit states. Methodist Childrens Home President Tim Brown said Rojas was employed through University of Texas-University Charter School and was not an employee of Methodist Childrens Home. Brown said the University of Texas-University Charter School is located at Methodist Childrens Home campus in Waco, but the institutions are separate and operate independently. In the arrest affidavit, police stated that administration also confronted Rojas and that she reportedly admitted to texting the teenage boy at various times, the arrest affidavit states. Ms. Rojas described her text as only endearing and admitted that (the student) had made indecent proposals that he wanted her to perform, the arrest affidavit states. These proposals had not been reported by Ms. Rojas to administration, even though she had more than one opportunity to report it. Brown said Rojas no longer teaches at the Waco campus. He released a statement Wednesday after Rojas arrest. The Methodist Childrens Home has been made aware of the arrest on Tuesday of a former teacher at the University of Texas-University Charter School. The UT Charter School is an open-enrollment charter school and serves children from the local community as well as students from the Methodist Childrens Home, he said. The UT Charter School is a highly regarded school, which assists us in our mission of offering hope to children, youth and families in a nurturing Christian community. To the extent we have been asked to do so, we are cooperating in this investigation, but obviously since this is an open police investigation, we cannot comment on this matter. Rojas was taken to McLennan County Jail after her arrest. She was released Wednesday after posting a $1,500 surety bond. Sinkhole diverts traffic A small sinkhole near the intersection of North 41st Street and Hillcrest Drive has forced the city to set up a detour while crews work to repair a collapsed storm drain that caused the sinkhole. Police and city workers started blocking the intersection Wednesday afternoon after the 5-foot-deep hole opened up, and repairs are expected to take eight to 10 days, city spokesman Chris Martin said in a press release. Hillcrest will be closed from Glendale Drive to Cobbs Drive. A detour is set up along 41st Street and Pine Avenue. Its a storm drain thats broken, collapsed and caused the soil above it to fall down into the line, City Water Utilities spokesman Jonathan Echols said. Usually, it is a waterline that has collapsed, but this time it is a storm drain that will have to be fixed. Crews used water and a dye solution to verify the drainage issue and placed equipment down to inspect the damage, Echols said. Police blocked access to the intersection at North 41st Street and Pine Avenue throughout the afternoon. Echols suggested motorists avoid the area for the remainder of the week as he was unsure of when the line would be repaired. After almost 42 years in law enforcement and almost 11 years as Robinson police chief, Rusty Smith announced his retirement late last week. Having started out as a dispatcher in June 1975 with the Ballinger Police Department, Ive done a lot of things and I think its just time to wrap that up, the 64-year-old chief said. That was 42 years ago, and now, it is just the right time. Smith submitted his resignation papers on Friday to City Manager Craig Lemin, with his effective retirement date as May 31. Within the next several weeks, Lemin said he will start to organize a search for the next police chief and consider any internal or external candidates. Rusty has a strong law enforcement background, so we definitely will be looking for that and definitely someone with a strong community policing background, Lemin said. We want someone who will challenge the officers and keep them working in moving the department forward as well. Smith said he has had challenges and triumphs as chief, including acknowledging a rookie mistake he made the day before he announced his retirement. Smith left his service weapon in a restroom in Hewitt City Hall during a training session at the city councils meeting room on the morning of March 2. One of our cleaning employees found it as soon as Chief Smith left the restroom, so it was in the restroom for only few minutes, Hewitt City Manager Adam Miles said. We notified our chief of police, and it was immediately returned to Rusty. Smith said he left the weapon in an alcove in the stall and acknowledged the mistake. He said he spoke about the incident with Lemin and made him aware of it. It was a rookie mistake, and we all make rookie mistakes, Smith said. I am not perfect. A lot of experiences In 1976, Smith started his law enforcement career in Ballinger, a small town between San Angelo and Abilene. After working as a reserve officer with the Runnels County Sheriffs Office, Smith served 21 years with the San Marcus Police Department and held positions with the traffic unit, crime prevention unit and crime stoppers program and eventually became a detective with the criminal investigations division. From there, I applied to be Robinson police chief, and I think they liked that I was coming in with a lot of experiences, Smith said. Robinson hired Smith in June 2006 to lead its 17-officer police department. Smith said his retirement almost came in last year after one of his officers died by suicide. While I had to keep a strong face for the department, I came close to resigning right after that, because of the emotional struggle that it was, Smith said. Shortly after that, the 800 MHz radio system project came up, so I knew I wanted to help get that started. 800 MHz digital radio The Robinson Police Department has grown to 24 officers and has newer vehicles, more resources and adapted its telecommunication efforts with the Waco Police Departments 800 MHz Core digital radio system. City officials have credited Smith with implementing the new digital radio system for Robinson fire and police crews. It went live last fall. The digital network allows the McLennan County Sheriffs Office and various police agencies to communicate on the same network. Since Ive been here, I think the thing he has been most instrumental in is handling is the 800 MHz radio system, getting that to the city council and getting that approved for the police and fire departments, Lemin said. I havent talked to anyone in a police department that doesnt appreciate that and I think that is one of the biggest things for the city. Changing culture Despite the challenges, Smith said he has appreciated the support for Robinson officers and the department and that he is proud to retire as Robinsons police chief. He said he plans to pursue something in the technology field and to step away from law enforcement. My wife and I started talking about this about two years ago, but I knew I had to wait until the time was right, Smith said. Forty-two years is a long career, and seeing the changes in law enforcement in those 42 years, its night-and-day difference. But I know that we in the Robinson Police Department have changed a lot of the culture here, and I am proud of that. Lemin said the city plans to hold a farewell event for Smith, but details have not been set. Okram Ibobi Singh, who has been the Chief Minister of Manipur since 2002, seems to have defeated the anti-incumbency for the fourth time in a row. By India Today Web Desk: Exit poll LIVE on Assembly Elections 2017 in Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand, Manipur The India Today-Axis My India exit poll predicts that the Congress's bastion guarded by Okram Ibobi Singh in Manipur is still unassailable. The Congress is in power in Manipur since 2002, when Singh became the Chief Minister of the state for the first time. advertisement Manipur went to polls in two phases for 60 Assembly seats. Over 84 per cent polling was recorded in the first phase of Manipur Assembly election on March 4 in 28 constituencies while nearly 87 per cent of the voters cast their votes in the second phase for 22 seats. What worked for Congress: 1. The Congress, led by three-term CM Okram Ibobi Singh, turned the anti-incumbency wave. 2. Creation of seven new districts benefitted the people. 3. Non co-operation from the Center to Congress for lifting the economic blockade by the United Naga Council (UNC) which has paralysed Imphal for 127 days. 4. Ibobi is a leader always connected with the masses. 5. Congress has the support of dissatisfied BJP cadre who were not given tickets. What went against BJP: 1. BJP cadre dissatisfied with the selection of candidates in the valley. 2. People feel NPF economic blockade has a support of Centre and people are very upset and angry due to shortage of essential commodities and spiraling prices. 3. Also, NSCNIM has the support of the BJP. Highlights of Manipur exit poll: The Congress is expected to get 30-36 seats in the 60-seat Manipur Assembly. The Congress has secured 42 per cent of the votes polled in the two-phased Manipur Assembly election. The BJP has made inroads in the state with impressive performance in the Manipur Assembly election. The BJP has secured 31 per cent of the total votes polled in Manipur. The BJP is likely to get 16-22 Assembly seats in Manipur. The NPF is expected to win 3-5 Assembly constituencies with nine per cent votes. Others including the PRJA of activist Irom Sharmila are likely to win 3-6 seats with 18 per cent vote-share in the Manipur Assembly election. INDIA TODAY-AXIS EXIT POLL Party Seats Vote-share percentage Congress 30-36 42 BJP 16-22 31 NPF 3-5 9 Others 3-6 18 WHAT OTHER EXIT POLLS SAY According to India TV-C Voter India Exit Poll, the BJP is likely to emerge as the single largest party in Manipur. advertisement Party Seats Vote-share percentage BJP 28 34.8 Congress 20 32.7 Others 12 32.5 --- ENDS --- A small sinkhole near the intersection of North 41st Street and Hillcrest Drive has forced the city to set up a detour while crews work to repair a collapsed storm drain that caused the sinkhole. Police and city workers started blocking the intersection Wednesday afternoon after the five-foot deep hole opened up, and repairs are expected to take eight to 10 days, city spokesman Chris Martin said in a press release. Hillcrest is blocked from Glendale Drive to Cobbs Drive, and a detour is set up along 41st Street and Pine Avenue. "It is a storm drain that has broken, collapsed and caused the soil above it to fall down into the line," City Water Utilities spokesman Jonathan Echols said. "Usually, it is a water line that has collapsed, but this time it is a storm drain that will have to be fixed." Crews used water and a dye solution to verify the drainage issue and placed equipment down to inspect the damage, Echols said. Police blocked access to the intersection at North 41st Street and Pine Avenue throughout the afternoon. Echols suggested motorists avoid the area for the remainder of the week as he was unsure of when the line would be repaired. The most famous special prosecutor remains the first one: Archibald Cox of Watergate fame. After Cox got sideways with President Richard Nixon in 1973, the president ordered Cox fired, which led to the Saturday Night Massacre and then to Leon Jaworski, and then to . . . well, you remember. Now, though, Democrats are lined up demanding a special prosecutor into Russias interference with our election. They may have visions of Cox and Jaworski dancing in their heads, but they should be careful what they wish for. Democrats assume only Republican oxen will get gored by a special prosecutor, but the record suggests they would get caught up too. After Watergate, Congress got into the special prosecutors business, passing the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to create the office of the independent counsel. But Capitol Hill soon found that special prosecutors investigations tend to expand beyond their original brief. After more than a dozen wild rides that included Lawrence Walshs endless inquiry into Iran-Contra and Ken Starrs work that began with Whitewater and later metastasized into Monica-land, Congress let the office and its procedures lapse in 1999. There is no law governing special prosecutors today, despite what you may have heard some elected officials say on air in recent weeks. The attorney general can name a special prosecutor if he wants (or the deputy attorney general if Jeff Sessions recusal extends to even considering whether a special prosecutor is needed). But if either Sessions or Rod Rosenstein, Trumps nominee for deputy attorney general, declares the need for a special prosecutor, the key will be: What is the scope of the investigation with which the special prosecutor is charged? Republicans routinely demanded special prosecutors in the era of President Barack Obama and Attorneys General Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch. There were calls for one to investigate Hillary Clintons private email server, the Internal Revenue Services alleged abuse of power regarding tea party-named groups and the gun walking scandal known asFast and Furious. But there were no special prosecutors appointed during the Obama years. The Democrats knew better than to set a seasoned prosecutor with subpoena power loose when political intrigue is afoot. So I would sound a note of caution to Democrats pounding the lectern for a special prosecutor. Still, if one is to be appointed to look into the election of 2016 and all illegal activity surrounding it, I am in favor of going for the cathartic approach and putting everything on the table. It seems obvious that Russia did in fact meddle with our process and used WikiLeaks to do so. I and other conservatives said as much repeatedly during the election. And if any American cooperated with that active measures campaign against us, he, she or they should be prosecuted under the appropriate espionage statutes. But any special prosecutor appointed to look into the alleged Russian connection should also be given a scope of inquiry that includes the handing of the investigation into Clintons server, the slow-walking of document delivery to the Congress and the courts concerning Clintons administration of the State Department as well as alleged Obama administration leaks of classified information from the first campaign debate forward. I think the abuses at the IRS clearly have a nexus to shenanigans in 2016, so you can even add that to the list of appropriate subjects for the special prosecutor. Of course, that special prosecutor will have to look at every application for surveillance, in connection with either candidate for the presidency made to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Long ago I reviewed those applications from the FBIs counterintelligence pros before they went to the attorney general. Their contents are detailed and usually lengthy, and very classified, and so the new special prosecutor and his or her staff are going to need full FBI background investigations, which argues for a former prosecutor and/or a former federal judge who has already undergone the arduous process of clearance background investigations. That person will also need a reputation as a straight shooter, because when he or she begins to get close to touching Democratic nerves the politics of personal destruction will return with a vengeance. The new president isnt going to unleash the hounds on just his campaign. If the hunt is to be had, everyone connected to the election is the fox. The old KGB colonel at the top of the Kremlin must be smiling. His campaign against the legitimacy of everything in American politics is bearing fruit every day. Hewitt hosts a nationally syndicated radio show and is author of The Fourth Way: The Conservative Playbook for a Lasting GOP Majority. The verse read at this years Beall Poetry Festival at Baylor University will have a decidedly Irish lilt with three Irish poets and an American Yeats scholar teaching at the University of Limerick, as the festivals guests. The annual poetry festival, started by Baylor alumna Virginia Beall Ball in 1994 to encourage public access to and appreciation of poetry, will feature poets Caitriona OReilly, Adrian Rice and Michael OSiadhail reading from their works. Yeats scholar Margaret Mills Harper will deliver the festivals Virginia Beall Ball lecture on contemporary poetry. The festival has invited Irish poets in the past, most notably in 2013 when famed poet Seamus Heaney came, and the poets availability happened to align this year, said director and English professor Richard Russell. He did note in passing, however, that the festival closes on St. Patricks Day. The three represent a cross-section of contemporary Irish poetry. We wanted to have a good mix of younger and more established poets, Russell explained. As in past years, the Beall festival features public poetry readings at night and discussions during the day. All evening events at Kayser Auditorium in the Hankamer Business Building. Afternoon events are in Room 101, Carroll Science Building. Reading this year are: OReilly, a native Dubliner, poet and editor. OReillys 2015 collection of poems, Geis, was named one of 2015s Best Books by London news organization The Guardian. Her 2001 book The Nowhere Birds won the Rooney Prize for Irish literature. She has edited issues of the poetry journal Mere and the Poetry Ireland Review and written for BBC Radio 4. Rice, born and raised in Northern Ireland, is presently living in Hickory, North Carolina, while a doctoral student at Appalachian State University. The mandolinist of the performing duo the Belfast Boys, Rice has several books of poetry, the most recent being 2015s Hickory Station. OSiadhail, who holds degrees from Trinity College Dublin and the University of Oslo, has published 16 collections of poetry since 1978, the most recent being 2015s One Crimson Thread with his Five Quintets set for publication next year. OSiadhail founded the Irish artists academy Aosdana and is a former editor of Poetry Ireland Review. WAHOO Area agriculture and business and economic leaders anticipate the Costco poultry plant south of Fremont affecting residents and the economy in Saunders County. Wahoo Economic Development Executive Director Doug Watts said from experience, sizable operations come with both positives and challenges for an area. When anything new comes, theres going to be some stresses, but you just have to work with those, Watts said. Watts said he anticipates the processing plant will impact every town in Saunders County, or at least certainly within 30 miles of the plant targeted south of old Highway 275 near Morningside Road. Area villages and cities could house a commuting workforce, which has the potential to affect housing, schools and roads, Watts said. People will drive for a good job, he said. He said available housing could pose a potential challenge as a result of the plant. Towns are not speculative, said Watts about housing concerns. Were not unusual here that we dont have housing, its a Nebraska problem. Lincoln Premium Poultry, the Georgia-based company hired to operate the Costco plant, has publicly stated the processing plant will employ between 800 and 1,000 workers. Watts said with around four percent unemployment, finding workers may be difficult. However, he does not foresee manufacturing companies in and around Wahoo being in competition with the poultry plant for workers, as the two jobs have differing skill sets. As far as benefits, Watts said he thinks a positive economic impact on area businesses, both new and existing, will be a result of the plant. For example, discussions in the community point to expansion of the Darling Ingredients Incorporated rendering plant between Wahoo and Mead in conjunction with the poultry processing plant. Darling officials did not respond to requests for comment last week, but recently stated in a press release that the Texas-based company was in early planning stages of expansion of its Wahoo location. The poultry plant has the potential to impact the areas agriculture economy as well. To meet Costcos needs, contracted growers within a 60 mile radius of the processing plant and approximately 500 chicken houses will be necessary, plant officials said. Saunders County Zoning Administrator George Borreson said he has not received any inquiries about growing poultry in Saunders County. With a livestock friendly zoning designation, Borreson said individuals in Saunders County wishing to raise poultry do not need a special permit if their flock does not exceed 30,000 chickens. Growers with a flock of over 30,000 chickens would be considered a large animal feeding operation and would need a conditional use permit from the county and special permits from the state of Nebraska, Borreson said. Area farmers are also hopeful that the plant will positively impact growers and the market. To meet contracted poultry growers needs, the plants feed mill will transport around 350,000 bushels of corn and 3,000 tons of crushed soybeans per week. Saunders County Corn Growers President Bryon Chvatal said the processing plant would offer another market for area farmers corn and soybean crop. If some growers market directly to the poultry plant, the local elevators will have to compete with the poultry plant, Chvatal said. Chvatal said Saunders County farmers are producing more corn per acre every year, and their inputs still remain high. So the plant will help drive the price per bushel of corn and soybeans up in a positive way or narrow the base, he said. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, Saunders County produces approximately 33,252,000 bushels of corn annually. Saunders County Soybean Growers President Chad Bartek is also in support of the poultry plant. I think its a win for everybody, Bartek said. Wed get another market for our product, create some fertilizer options with manure and put people to work. The plants feed mill will only keep five days of storage and that will put a great deal of truck traffic on area roads. Watts has concerns about the current state of area infrastructure, based on the processing plants needs. The Nebraska Department of Roads has identified a mill and resurface project for years 2018 to 2022 on Highway 109 from Wahoo to Cedar Bluffs. Other infrastructure projects have been identified on Highway 30 from North Bend east spanning to Washington County. The project has also garnered discussion at the Lower Platte North Natural Resource District in Wahoo. According to Lower Platte North NRD General Manager John Miyoshi, the NRD board has discussed and is keeping watch of the energy charged topic. But the board offered no formal position. There are always concerns, but the City of Fremont has the zoning district and we have to assume theyre doing their job diligently, he said. He said the NRDs biggest concerns are related to the chicken houses on area farms, and that farmers are drawing water and dispersing manure at an agronomic rate. Its nothing we have direct control over or authority to regulate, Miyoshi said. Its up to those in charge to see that the regulations are adhered to. Nebraska Communities United will host a 1:30 p.m. March 16 meeting at the Wahoo Public Library. The group has been a vocal opponent of the project. The program will feature Craig Watts, a whistleblower for Perdue Farms. The American Volunteer Group (AVG), known as the Flying Tigers, successfully battled the Japanese in the sky under the command of Gen. Claire Chenault before the United States entered World War II. The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Dixie Wing Warbird Museum will feature the story of the Flying Tigers in the next Living Aviation History Day series at 11 a.m. March 18, 2017, at the Museum headquarters, 1200 Echo Court, Peachtree City, Ga. Admission is $10; active duty military members are admitted free. A special attraction, the CAF P-40 Warhawk, is scheduled be on display as part of a planned visit to the Dixie Wing Warbird Museum. Authors Susan Clotfelter Jimison and Billy McDonald will narrate the Flying Tigers story based on their research and books they have written about this pioneering group of combat aviators who went to China determined to fight the Japanese. Jimison authored Through the Eyes of a Tiger: The John Donovan Story, about one member of the original Flying Tigers, John Donovan, in his own words through his letters. McDonald wrote The Shadow Tiger: Billy McDonald, Wingman to Chennault. McDonald had an adventurous and dangerous career as a pilot in the Golden Age of Flight, and into WWII. He jumped from military cadet to wingman in Chennaults famed aerobatic flying group, Three Men on a Flying Trapeze. In China, he moved from instructor for the Chinese Air Force to combat pilot flying Chennaults legendary Hawk 75 Special against the Japanese. Our first 2017 Living Aviation History Day program was popular in February, said Dixie Wing Leader Jay Bess. We are grateful that so many of our members and other aviation experts are willing to share their experiences and knowledge about WWII and beyond. Also, the public is invited to visit our museum and hangar on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., or by special appointment. For more information about Living Aviation History Days or the CAF Dixie Wing Warbird Museum, please go to www.dixiewing.org. About 200 people, including late Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Kalikho Pul's wife Dangwimsai, joined the march with placards and shouted slogans against corruption. The march started from Mandi House and commenced at Jantar Mantar. By Abhishek Anand: Swaraj Abhiyan members Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav on Thursday launched a campaign against corruption from Delhi. With an eye on the MCD elections scheduled next month, Bhushan and Yadav targeted the AAP government in the national capital and the Centre for failing to check corruption. About 200 people, including late Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Kalikho Pul's wife Dangwimsai, joined the march with placards and shouted slogans against corruption. The march started from Mandi House and commenced at Jantar Mantar. advertisement "It has been over three years since the strong movement against corruption started from Delhi. But unfortunately, the movement was misused by a political party in Delhi. Time has come for a new movement against corruption in India," said Bhushan, attacking the Aam Aadmi Party. AAP GOVT PASSED A JOKEPAL: BHUSHAN He accused the Kejriwal government of passing a 'Jokepal' and demanded that a strong Lokpal be brought into effect to rein in corruption rampant in the country. "The central government is muzzling the voices against corruption. Also, the agencies that are working against corruption are being made toothless to save the culprits," said Bhushan. Prashant Bhushan participating in the march against corruption. Prashant Bhushan participating in the march against corruption. He alleged that there was massive corruption in the Modi government's decision of buying Rafale jets and also targeted big corporate houses for being hand-in-glove in such deals. Dangwimsai said, "I am here to demand justice for my dead husband. He had left behind a suicide note in which he exposed corruption. I want the government to investigate the matter and bring the culprits to justice." Kalikho had allegedly committed suicide accusing some judges, politicians, bureaucrats and others of being corrupt. The Swaraj Abhiyan will contest the forthcoming MCD elections. --- ENDS --- Christmas is such an important time for family reunions, but there are many of us for whom Christmas is also a time when those... Port of Waterford has estimated that it would generate 3.5m this summer with the return of cruise ships for the first time in two... Following on from the success of the inaugural To Be Irish At Christmas initiative last year, the programme returns again this December (8th - 23rd), celebrating... THERE was a great response to this years Spring Clean initiative in Waterford, as over 50 groups from the county registered to get down and... THE road to the classroom is to be made safer and easier for four Waterford primary schools. They have been selected for inclusion in... AS we count down the days, hours and minutes to Christmas, we at Waterford Today would like to make one appeal before the festivities... By India Today Web Desk: If you're a non-vegetarian who loves beautiful cuts of meat cooked really well, you'll know just how much of it is owed to good butchery. The way a whole animal is transformed into those cuts that you buy at the super-market, or directly at your local butcher's shop, is not just an art. It is a very precise science that requires training for years. advertisement And when it comes to halal meat, the technique matters even more. For those who don't know, butchery, according to Islamic law, has several conditions that need to be fulfilled. Rowaida Hosny has taken to this field to support her family. Photo: Reuters The butcher, in this case, has to be Muslim and call the name of Allah (bismillah) before starting the butchery. The cutting up of the carcass has to be very precise and swift, to save the animal any suffering. These sets of rules are called the dhabihah, and it is because of the tough execution of these laws that butchery has been the domain of Muslim men. Also read: Woman says she got fired for being too hot; employer begs to differ But one woman in Cairo, Egypt, is challenging these norms to support her family. Rowaida Hosny, a middle-aged mother, took to her husband's profession since he fell sick and was confined to his bed 10 years ago. According to a Reuters report, Hosny did face resistance from society when she took up butchery as a full-time profession. Rowaida Hosny cuts and hangs the meat at her halal butcher shop. Photo: Reuters "This job has been beneficial for me, because no one helps anyone these days, not my son, nor my brother, they all fought me," she said. It must be noted here that Islamic law does not state that a halal butcher HAS to be a man. As long as the butcher is pure, and follows all the rules of dhabihah, their gender does not matter. Hosny runs her butcher's shop with the help of her sons. Photo: Reuters Hosny runs her butcher's shop with the help of her sons. Photo: Reuters Also read: First Indian woman to drive solo to the coldest inhabited place on earth, Nidhi Tiwari, talks about her journey Nevertheless, society does have some unstated rules, and the prejudice against hijabi women who work in male-dominated fields can be quite strong. But this has not deterred Hosny in any way, because she has to support her ailing husband and son by working as a butcher. In her own words, she is quite a talented butcher: "I taught my sons how to be butchers, I taught them well, and I go buy the meat and bring it here." In her own words, Hosny is a good butcher, and is teaching her sons the family trade. Photo: Reuters Hosny isn't the only Muslim woman to take to butchery as a full-time profession. Zahra Shokouhi, a woman from Iran, also reportedly took to this job after learning the trade from her husband. These women, who are breaking restrictive conventions for the greater good are quite the inspiration for those working for women empowerment. --- ENDS --- advertisement Colin Barnett has announced a plan to grant property downsizers a similar concession to first-home buyers and Labor have taken the view that property and stamp duty taxes are an opportunity to raise extra revenue, in this case proposing a foreign buyers 4 per cent surcharge on property purchases. So how will the policies of both major parties affect property in WA? On the surface the seniors stamp duty relief policy looks like a good idea. It would grant downsizers - predominantly baby boomers - with no debt and assessing their options - a stamp duty concession to a maximum of $15,000 with a value cap at $750,000 to downsizers when they sell the family home and move to a smaller property. It may just be the catalyst for fence-sitting baby boomers to sell their quarter-acre block in the western suburbs and move to an apartment in Claremont, Subiaco, the CBD, North Fremantle or Fremantle. The market needs it, after a long period of cautious supply driven by value adjustments, finance predicaments and change of circumstance, the supply in the western suburbs is drying up and creating an incentive for boomers to move is a great idea. Ultimately though, this policy focuses attention on a tax that skews our market and drives up property prices. Through the retention of stamp duty, the state and federal governments encourage an illiquid market. It is no surprise that Pauline Hanson came out against vaccines. The tell is there in her language if you listen closely enough. She wasn't saying that vaccines caused autism, she reassured the ABC's Barrie Cassidy on Sunday, just that parents had concerns and rights. After all it's not a dictatorship. And finally, "I advise parents to go out and do their own research with regards to this." This is the giveaway, this elevation of a little gritty private research over the expertise of scientists leading their fields around the world. It is tempting to think that Hanson is simply regurgitating the language of Donald Trump, whose victory Hanson has celebrated, but there is more to it than that. The implosion of One Nation's Western Australian branch days before the state's election is no real surprise. This is not just because we have seen this party self-immolate before, but because the tensions have been escalating throughout the campaign. For weeks candidates and staff have complained about poor organisation and a distant autocratic head office, while support has fallen from over 13 per cent to about 8.5 per cent. Though Western Australia has a system of fixed four-year government terms, the party did not secure the necessary 500 members to register in WA until late October and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson did not conduct candidate interviews until just before Christmas. Even the eventual announcement of candidates was botched. Hanson was unable to say in which order the upper house candidates would be ranked and media were not provided full list of candidates until hours after the event. One Nation, still portraying itself as the new third force in Australian politics, was able to field only 45 candidates for the state's 59 lower house seats. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has admitted she was wrong to suggest parents subject their children to a non-existent test for allergies to vaccinations. Senator Hanson was roundly criticised for her remarks at the weekend linking vaccines with autism, and saying the government's "no jab, no pay" policy was akin to "dictatorship". She urged parents to "have your tests first" to establish whether their children might react adversely to a vaccine. "I advise parents to go out and do their own research with regards to this," she said. "No one is going to care any more about the child than the parents themselves. Make an informed decision. What I don't like about it is the blackmailing that's happening with the government. Don't do that to people. That's a dictatorship." In news that will surprise no one, an International Women's Day tweet sent out by US President Donald Trump was not particularly well received. The president, whose run for office came to be characterised by sexual assault allegations and a tape of him boasting about being able to "grab" women "by the pussy", tweeted a message stating he has "tremendous respect" for women. This was never going to end well. Credit:AP "I have tremendous respect for women and the many roles they serve that are vital to the fabric of our society and our economy," Trump tweeted on the March 8 holiday. But the review by ASIC and ASBFEO of small business loan contracts from eight lenders found they had failed to eliminate unfair terms from their loan agreements. One of the government's key measures for small business was the extension of the unfair contract term protections for consumers to cover standard form small business contracts entered into or renewed after November 12, 2016. A review by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman has found the big four banks have "substantial work to do" to comply with their obligations under unfair contract terms legislation. "The banks all rush to take out full page ads and billboards about how much they love small business but they are failing to comply with these legislative requirements". ASIC and the ASBFEO found the banks continue to use clauses that give them broad discretion to unilaterally vary terms and conditions of the contract, provide for non-monetary loan "default" in a broad range of circumstances and absolve the banks from responsibility for conduct, statements or representations that the banks make to borrowers outside of the contract. ASIC and ASBFEO are calling on the banks to prohibit non-monetary default clauses where the borrower is meeting their obligations under the contract, provide a 90 days' notice period where a loan facility will not be extended and to provide more comprehensive access to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Carnell says she is "firmly of the belief" that the loan contract terms as they currently stand, fail to comply with the unfair contracts law. "Once again, repeated calls for the banks to amend their practices are falling on deaf ears, despite inquiry after inquiry highlighting major flaws in the way they treat their small business customers." The WA Labor party is planning to sell the naming rights for the new Perth Stadium and the Perth Arena in a bid to fix the state's gaping budget deficit if it wins the MArch 11 election. Shadow Treasurer Ben Wyatt said the party would create naming right agreements for both venues in a plan to scoop around $10.5 million for the taxpayers. Labor plans to sell the name for Perth Stadium in a bid to fix the WA budget. Credit:Perth Stadium "After years of reckless spending, it's crucial that we take advantage of all options available to help get our budget back on track," he said. "I don't envision the Perth Arena or Perth Stadium being removed, we simply add the commercialised name to it," he said. NASA's Kepler Mission has provided more information about the recently discovered TRAPPIST-1 which hosts seven potentially habitable earth-size planets. By Press Trust of India: NASA's Kepler Mission has provided more information about the recently discovered ultra-cool dwarf star, TRAPPIST-1, that hosts seven potentially habitable Earth-size planets 40 light-years away. On February 22, astronomers announced that TRAPPIST-1 hosts a total of seven planets that are likely rocky, a discovery made by NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope in combination with ground-based telescopes. advertisement During the period between December 15 and March 4, the Kepler spacecraft, operating as the K2 mission, collected data on the stars minuscule changes in brightness due to transiting planets. These additional observations are expected to allow astronomers to refine the previous measurements of six planets, pin down the orbital period and mass of the seventh and farthest planet, TRAPPIST-1h, and learn more about the magnetic activity of the host star. FYI || TRAPPIST-1 is 40 light-years away: NASA discovers 7 earth-like planets which may have alien life on surface || "Scientists and enthusiasts around the world are invested in learning everything they can about these Earth-size worlds," said Geert Barentsen, K2 research scientist at NASAs Ames Research Centre in California. "Providing the K2 raw data as quickly as possible was a priority to give investigators an early look so they could best define their follow-up research plans. Were thrilled that this will also allow the public to witness the process of discovery," said Barentsen. The release of the raw, un-calibrated data collected will aid astronomers in preparing proposals due this month to use telescopes on the Earth to further investigate TRAPPIST-1, NASA said. By late May, the routine processing of the data will be completed and the fully calibrated data will be made available at the public archive, it said. The observation period, known as K2 Campaign 12, provides 74 days of monitoring. FYI || Trump jokes skyrocket after NASA discovers 7 earth-like habitable planets || This is the longest, nearly continuous set of observations of TRAPPIST-1 yet, and provides researchers with an opportunity to further study the gravitational interaction between the seven planets, and search for planets that may remain undiscovered in the system. During Campaign 12, a cosmic ray event reset the spacecrafts onboard software causing a five-day break in science data collection, NASA said. The benign event is the fourth occurrence of cosmic ray susceptibility since launch in March 2009. The spacecraft remains healthy and is operating nominally. "We were lucky that the K2 mission was able to observe TRAPPIST-1," said Michael Haas, science office director for the Kepler and K2 missions at Ames. advertisement "The observing field for Campaign 12 was set when the discovery of the first planets orbiting TRAPPIST-1 was announced, and the science community had already submitted proposals for specific targets of interest in that field," said Haas. Also Watch: NASA Discovers Three Potentially Habitable Planets --- ENDS --- The bus was heading towards Khara from Khalanga when the accident took place at Dhangaredanda in Bohara Gaum along the Chinchu-Jajarkot road section on Thursday. There were over 50 people on board the ill-fated bus. By India Today Web Desk: At least 24 people were killed and several injured after a bus veered off the road and fell some 200 metres in Jajarkot district on Thursday. According to police, as many as 41 people were injured in the incident. WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR Police said that the bus (Na 3 Kha 2279) was heading towards Khara from Khalanga when the accident took place at Dhangaredanda in Bohara Gaum along the Chinchu-Jajarkot road section on Thursday afternoon. It has been learnt that there were over 50 people on board the ill-fated bus. The accident site is 5 kilometres from Khalanga, the district headquarters of Jajarkot. The injured are receiving treatment at the district hospital in Jajarkot. According to DSP Bhabesh Rimal, the deployed police personnel have retrieved a dozen bodies from the incident site. The identities of the deceased are yet to be ascertained. Nepal Army and Nepal Police personnel have been deputed for the rescue operation. advertisement -With inputs from Pankaj Das ALSO READ | 24 killed in Nepal bus accident Nepal: 7 killed, 16 injured in jeep accident --- ENDS --- At the invitation of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Trade Out of Poverty (APPG-TOP), WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya spoke at the High Level Roundtable on the subject "Africa and the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA): from Ratification to Implementation", which took place in London on 8 March 2017 at the United Kingdom (UK) Parliament. The High Level Roundtable was attended by Government Ministers from the UK, Ghana, Nigeria and Rwanda as well as senior representatives from relevant international organizations and donor institutions. The event was held on the occasion of the inaugural meeting of the Commonwealth Trade Ministers. The Roundtable was opened by the APPG-TOP Co-Chairs: Mr. Peter Lilly, MP; and Lord Bates, UK Minister of State for International Development (DFID). After a presentation on the state of play by Ms. Suja Rishikesh Mavroidis, WTO Director, Market Access Division, Secretary General Mikuriya spoke about the WCO's contribution to the TFA implementation, which included an Implementation Guidance tool, a TFA Working Group and the Mercator Programme. He also explained the lessons learned especially, the importance of political support for Customs reform in terms of organizational and people aspects and, in particular, in transversal areas such as the Single Window, the Time Release Study and border cooperation, which require coordination with other government agencies, which have often been identified as difficult areas in the categorization exercise by TFA acceding countries. Donor collaboration was the topic most mentioned by participants and in this regard, the WCO took the opportunity to thank Her Majestys Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in the UK for its financial and human support. By Press Trust of India: Lakhimpur Kheri (UP), Mar 9 (PTI) Nine SSB jawans and few civilians were today injured in a cross-border stone pelting incident along the Indo-Nepal border in Uttar Pradesh and authorities said the situation was still "tense". Paramilitary and local police personnel fired a teargas shell to disperse the mob which had gathered around the no mans land in Basahi village in Sampurnanagar area here following a dispute over some construction work. advertisement "Nepalese citizens pelted stones after SSB jawans deployed at the location objected to permanent construction work on a disputed land near pillar No 200," SSB Commandant Dilbag Singh said. He added that the injuries were not serious. Meawhile, senior Sashastra Seema Bal officials at the forces headquarters in Delhi said the issue pertains to a joint survey being undertaken by the two sides to erect the "missing" pillar no 200 at the IB here. They denied media reports that there was firing by the force personnel. "A meeting was held last month to conduct the joint survey. When some activity related to permanent construction was spotted by the SSB and objected to, stones were pelted and protests were held," they said. They added "nine SSB jawans have been injured" in the incident. The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu also issued a statement in this regard. "It is categorically denied that there was any incident of firing by SSB near the border at Aananda Bazar, Kanchanpur. There is a need to maintain calm and let the survey officials of both sides discuss the location of border pillars before any construction work is undertaken. "District officials have been directed to cooperate to defuse the situation," the Embassy tweeted. District Magistrate Akashdeep and police officials rushed to the spot to take up the matter with the Nepalese authorities. The dispute first arose on February 18 when some Nepalese citizens started constructing a culvert in the area near the missing pillar no 200. Pallia SDM Shadab Aslam had then visited the spot and discussed the matter with Nepalese authorities. It was agreed then that no permanent construction would be carried out till the survey officers of both the countries decided the boundary. However, construction work was started yesterday by the other side and when it came to their notice, SSB jawans objected to it following which the group of Nepalese citizens indulged in stone pelting injuring the jawans. SSB, which works under the command of the Union Home Ministry, is tasked to guard the 1,751 km long Indo-Nepal border. advertisement Uttar Pradesh shares a 599.3 km long open border with Nepal touching seven districts- Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Kheri, Bahraich, Sravasti, Balrampur, Sidhharthnagar and Maharajganj. PTI COR/NES ABN SMI DIP RT --- ENDS --- When asked if she really hopes to win, Sharmila said, "Depends upon people's belief in me, without the love of people, I cannot win." By Indrajit Kundu: Aspiring to be the chief minister of Manipur, rights activist Irom Sharmila on Wednesday made her electoral debut from the Thoubal constituency against three time CM Okram Ibobi SIngh in a keenly watched contest, during the final phase of the state assembly elections. On International Women's Day, the timing of her entry into politics could not have been more apt. "I think this will bring me good luck as a woman stepping into electoral politics to involve myself to seek justice in society and make a difference," the anti-Armed Forces [Special Powers] Act (AFSPA) crusader told India Today as she toured around her constituency, considered a Congress bastion. advertisement In Thoubal, at Chief Minister Ibobi Singh's private residence, things looked calm and confident. His supporters, a large number of them women, had lined up at various Congress camp offices with traditional 'Ghot Chaphu' or pots with flowers placed before his posters, considered auspicious. At 6:50 am when many had not even queued up at polling booths, Singh was ready to cast his vote for his son Surajkumar, also making his debut from the Khangabok seat. "I've already forgotten Sharmila. It is only the media which is raising her name", Singh said when asked about his new opponent adding that his best wishes are always with her. "This is a most welcome step. We are democratic citizens of this country and even she has the right to contest", he said. On Wednesday, however, Ibobi Singh's calm demeanour was in stark contrast to his rival, a political greenhorn. When asked if she really hopes to win, Sharmila said, "Depends upon people's belief in me, without the love of people, I cannot win." Supporters unhappy over political plunge It is this acceptance from the Manipuri society at large, that eludes Sharmila now and no one knows it better than Sharmila herself. "There is a misunderstanding between me and my supporters. They didn't want me to enter politics because they see it like a business, they feel it is dirty. But first we need to be the change, we seek in the system," she tries explaining. Flanked by a handful of supporters, as she entered a polling booth at Athokpam town, many women standing in queue did stare at her, some even clicked photos but most remained indifferent. Sharmila's party, Peoples Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA) is fighting on only three seats and thus her aim of toppling the Ibobi government can at best be termed as political idealism. "If we have a chance we will make post poll alliance. If we don't get the chance, we will sit in the opposition", she says, making it evident that the activist in her was still grappling with the unpredictability of real-politik. advertisement ALSO READ| Manipur Assembly election: Irom Sharmila's showdown with CM Ibobi Singh in phase 2 ALSO READ| Exclusive: Shunned by supporters, Irom Sharmila says India may understand me, Manipuris do not ALSO WATCH| Manipur election: Irom Sharmila squares off against three-time Manipur CM Ibobi Singh --- ENDS --- By Press Trust of India: Vadodara, Mar 9 (PTI) ONGC Petro Additions (OPaL) has begun exports to Singapore and intends to float a tender soon for exporting more products to other countries. The first consignment of butadiene was shipped to Singapore, and the company wants to export more products benzene, etc. to other countries as well for which it will be floating tenders, Opal chief executive K Satyanarayana told PTI today. advertisement The Rs 30,000-crore OPal plant here is the first one set up under the petroleum, chemicals and petrochemicals investment region (PCPIR) in the Dahej SEZ, under which it has to export 50 per cent of production, Satyanarayana added. The city-based OPal is a joint venture promoted by ONGC, GAIL and Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation. This plant was commissioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 7. Satyanarana said "this is the single largest petrochemicals plant in the country and is working at full capacity now. We have annual capacity of 14 lakh metric tonnes of polymers, low and high density polyethelene, polypropylene and 5 lakh metric tonnes of benzene, butadiene and pyrolysis gasoline etc." Dahej is among the first four PCPIRs planned in the country. The Dahej PCPIR has a potential to employ 32,000 people directly. "OPaL is in talks with Kuwaits Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC) on a possible stake sale and is ready to offer as much as 40 per cent to the new partner," said Satyanarayana. On the revenue said, he said once fully operational, the plant can generate annual revenue of Rs 16,000 crore. The petrochemicals sector has been growing at 10-12 per cent per annum since the last decade, and is expected to grow at 12-15 per cent in the next decade, he said. The optimism comes from the low per capita consumption of polymers in the country which is about 10 kg against the global average of 32 kg, showing potential for further upsides, he said. PTI COR BEN NRB --- ENDS --- By Press Trust of India: Chennai, Mar 9 (PTI) The AIADMK today made a scathing attack on rebel leader O Panneerselvam, dubbing him as the B team of DMK and accusing him of spreading "a blatant lie" about mystery behind late Chief Minister Jayalalithaas death. Calling Panneerselvam a great actor, AIADMK Deputy General Secretary T T V Dinakaran said he was spreading the lie in "fear" that his political career was in its twilight years. "Great actor Panneerselvam has exposed through his activities that he is the B team of DMK. Panneerselvam is trying to gain mileage by raising the defamatory bogey of a mystery in the death of Amma (Jayalalithaa)," he alleged. advertisement Dinakarans sharp attack came a day after Panneerselvams camp staged a day-long state-wide fast to seek a judicial inquiry or a CBI probe into the "mystery and suspicions" surrounding the death of Jayalalithaa. Addressing the participants in the fast here yesterday, Panneerselvam had hit out at AIADMK chief V K Sasikala and her family, saying "our fight will continue till a judicial inquiry or a CBI probe is ordered" into Jayalalithaas death. In a statement here, Dinakaran said Panneerselvam had made "Goebbels philosophy his ideal... repeatedly telling a blatant lie that there was mystery behind the death of Amma believing that repetition will make it true." Dinakaran, appointed to the party post by Sasikala, his aunt, last month after her conviction in an assets case, cited hospital reports to maintain that there was no suspicion or mystery behind Jayalalithaas demise. "It is for sure that Panneerselvam will lose as he is indulging in treachery and sin," he claimed. Praising "Chinamma" (Sasikala) for her "sacrifices" for the party, Dinakaran dismissed Panneerselvam assertion that the party and the government had gone into the control of Sasikala who had announced in 2012 that she had no political ambitions. "Pannerselvam is harping on the single line that Sasikala gave in writing that she will not come to politics," he said adding it was party cadres who persuaded Sasikala to become both the AIADMK general secretary and to take over as the chief minister and people were aware of this. "People know that only after such persuasion she took a decision (to become General Secretary) and save the party from the treachery of Panneerselvam," he said indicating that the party was aware of his plans much before he openly revolted. (MORE) PTI VGN VS RAX --- ENDS --- Home NEW Wedding Ideas Magic Seems Real At This Lakeside Glendalough, Ireland Wedding Shoot Magic Seems Real At This Lakeside Glendalough, Ireland Wedding Shoot Golden hours is working over time at this mystical looking lake filled valley. The soft and enchanting lighting that fills each of Anastasia Gaasenbeek's photos leaves you tingling and expecting a fairytale to begin to unfold before your eyes. it truly does feel like magic could be real at this lakeside wedding shoot in Glendalough, Ireland. You can see even more of this gorgeous inspiration and all it's breath taking details by visiting the full gallery here! Get a closer look at that Tzariena fashion dress that has us swooning and get swept up in the romance all over again! From the Bride: Our Glendalough photoshoot was one of the most memorable experiences, and as it often happens with many of the best things in life, it was spontaneous. Our wedding had actually happended 3 months prior to the shoot, and although those special moments and feelings any newlyweds experience on their wedding day were still very fresh in the memory, when Katerina Agronik, a brilliant chef and our close friend, asked if we would be interested in a photo shoot with Anastasia, I jumped at the chance to feel the magic of being a 'bride' again! The whole day went by in a blur for us, though I'm sure there was plenty of forethought on Katerina and Anastasia's part. From the incredible one of a kind wedding cake, designed and made by Katerina to represent the rich magic shades of the valley, kissed by the setting sun, and the exquisite macaron, lightly brushed by gold fairy dust. To the gorgeous hand-made head-pieces and the absolutely out-of-this-world dress, brought from the Netherlands by Anastasia. If you have an event you'd like to list on the site, submit it now! Submit By Press Trust of India: Kanpur, Mar 9 (PTI) Over 200 kg khoya (a milk product) was seized from a market in Kanpur during a raid by the local administration over suspicion that it is adulterated. A food department team raided shops at a market in Govidnagar here yesterday and seized around 200 kg of khoya which seems to adulterated, officials said today. advertisement During the raid the shopkeepers fled from the spot. Samples of the seized khoya have been sent for lab testing, they said. With the Holi festival round the corner, khoya is generally used in making traditional sweets. The team also collected samples of milk, ghee, sweets, edible oil and other items from shops here and sent those for lab testing. The food department officials said that the raids being conducted will continue till Holi. PTI ZIR NSD --- ENDS --- Astros take World Series title over Phillies in six games Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 09, 2017 | PADUCAH, KY By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 09, 2017 | 11:46 AM | PADUCAH, KY A Paducah police officer was treated at a local hospital Thursday morning after he was attacked by a dog. The Paducah Police Department says Officer Will Gilbert went to a home in the 1100 block of Greer Street at 8:30 a.m. to conduct a follow-up investigation on a theft case. He was standing by his cruiser on the street, and a dog police described as a pit bull was chained in the front yard of the home. Police said the dog broke its chain and attacked Gilbert, biting him on the left thigh. As the dog was biting him, Gilbert fired one shot from his duty weapon, which missed the dog and hit the pavement. The dog then ran back to its home. Animal Control officers were notified and Gilbert was taken to Lourdes Hospital for treatment. Police said the investigation is continuing. Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 09, 2017 | PADUCAH, KY By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 09, 2017 | 10:22 AM | PADUCAH, KY Temperatures have definitely been too warm for snow over the past few days, but that's about to change. Much colder Canadian air will be moving into the area starting Friday and into the weekend. At the same time, the National Weather Service in Paducah says an upper level disturbance will drop southeastward into the region, bringing a good chance of some light rain and snow to much of the region. Relatively warm ground conditions and temperatures hovering around or just above freezing would likely minimize travel impacts, especially during the daylight hours. However, forecasters say if snow comes down hard at times, or if snow lasts much past sunset when temperatures fall into the 20s, there could be some impacts, especially on elevated roadways. Some forecasters are calling for accumulating snow toward the Kentucky - Tennessee state line due to the way the storm track is moving. Forecasters say they will have a better handle on what they believe is going to happen with any possible accumulations by Friday evening. The cold air is expected to stick around for a while. In the seven day forecast, high temperatures into next week are expected to be in the lower to mid 40's. Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 09, 2017 | PADUCAH, KY By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 09, 2017 | 04:21 AM | PADUCAH, KY Three western Kentucky residents were arrested Wednesday in connection with two separate strong-armed robberies. The first robbery occurred at about 11:10 pm Tuesday. According to the Paducah Police Department, a resident of Olivet Church Road told police he was walking to a nearby liquor store when he was attacked by a man and woman. He said the two assaulted him and took $170. The victim had apparent minor injuries, and was transported to Lourdes Hospital for treatment. Some time later, 27-year-old Kyle Zervas of Paducah and 25-year-old Cherie N. Dixon of Melber were involved in a disturbance at the same location where the victim was robbed. Their clothing and physical description matched the description provided by the victim, and the victim identified their vehicles. Zervas and Dixon were arrested Wednesday afternoon on charges of second-degree robbery. They were booked into the McCracken County Regional Jail. In a separate incident on Wednesday, officers were notified of a robbery on Koerner Street. An elderly man told officers he was walking in the door of his home when he was shoved from behind. His wallet was taken from his back pocket and he received a cut to his forehead when he was knocked to the ground. The victim said he was familiar with the robber, and provided a description of a white man, wearing a dark coat, white shirt and a hoodie. An officer saw a man matching that description running between Koerner Street and Bridge Court. They said the man jumped a fence into the Dolly McNutt apartment complex, and took off the jacket he was wearing. Police detained 42-year-old Alfred H. Capuano of Gilbertsville. Capuano allegedly admitted being in the area and knowing the victim through an ex-girlfriend. Capuano was arrested on a charge of first-degree robbery and booked into the McCracken County Regional Jail. Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 08, 2017 | PADUCAH, KY By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 08, 2017 | 06:08 PM | PADUCAH, KY A woman was arrested Wednesday morning after a disturbance at a business. Paducah Police were called to a tanning salon on Irvin Cobb Drive about 10:15 am, and learned from employees that a woman had been in a tanning room for an extended period of time and was screaming and creating a disturbance. An officer said 38-year-old Samantha McBride was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and was unable to perform several field sobriety tests. Police say when McBride was arrested and searched, they found legend drugs, Oxycodone, Aprozolam and Diazepam pills. She was charged with public intoxication, first- and third- degree possession of a controlled substance, possession of a legend drug, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of a controlled substance - not it the proper container. McBride was taken to McCracken County Jail. *Police originally listed the location of the tanning salon as Hinkleville Road in their report, and the original version of this story reflected that. The story has since been updated with the actual location of the disturbance, which was a salon on Irvin Cobb Drive. By Press Trust of India: From Sajjad Hussain Islamabad, Mar 9 (PTI) More than 51,000 Afghans and 2,700 Pakistanis crossed to their respective countries in two-days after Pakistan temporarily opened the Afghan border which was closed last month after a string of militant attacks. Pakistan opened the border on Tuesday for two days at Torkham in Khyber tribal region and Chaman in Balochistan province which are the most popular routes to travel to Afghanistan. advertisement Over 32,000 Afghans and 2,700 Pakistanis crossed into their respective countries via the Torkham and Chaman crossing points yesterday, the last day of reopening of the border, Dawn reported. "In two days, over 51,000 Afghans and 4,900 Pakistanis returned to their respective countries after the Pakistan government reopened the border crossings on Tuesday," the report said. At Torkham, the Frontier Corps in collaboration with the political administration made elaborate security and immigration arrangements in order to facilitate swift and speedy return of Afghans and also to avoid the situation when the frustrated people on Tuesday broke security barriers and crushed to death an Afghan woman in their desperation to cross the border. Female paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were also deputed at the border to help guide returning Afghan women and their children. According to officials, 11,500 Afghans crossed the border yesterday and 12,539 on Tuesday. About 700 Pakistanis returned home in two days. The Afghans waiting in long queues at the Torkham crossing expressed mixed feelings about reopening of the border and their return journey. Amanullah of Jalalabad said that though he was happy to go back home after 18 days of painful wait, the Pakistan governments decision to close the border again was even more painful for most of his countrymen. According to officials, 20,870 Afghans crossed into their country, while 2,631 Pakistanis returned home via the Chaman border crossing. In two days, 27,718 Afghans went back to Afghanistan and 4,277 Pakistanis returned to Chaman. The border was again closed indefinitely. "We have closed the border again for an indefinite period," a senior security official said, adding that he was not aware when it would reopen. The Pakistan government had decided to close the border last month amid a string of deadly militant attacks, that killed more than 125 people, which the military claimed were carried out by militants operating from safe-havens in Afghanistan. The two countries have long accused each other of failing to combat extremists who operate along their porous frontier. PTI SH AMS AKJ AMS --- ENDS --- advertisement By WestKyStar & Shawnee College Staff Mar. 08, 2017 | 07:19 PM | ULLIN, IL The first session is scheduled for 4:30-5:30 pm, with the second session immediately following from 5:30pm-6:30pm. Both sessions will cover the same information which includes an overview of the Eclipse, what business owners can expect, and joining the official Eclipse website. Computers will be available to help register your business on the official Eclipse website. Advance registration is not required, but appreciated. For more information or to register, contact Candy Eastwood at 618-634-3231. Shawnee Community College will host two informative Eclipse sessions on Thursday, March 30th at the SCC Anna Extension Center. The sessions are geared to business owners and how they can prepare for The Great American Eclipse on August 21st. By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 09, 2017 | 06:34 AM | GRAVES COUNTY, KY A disturbance in Graves County Wednesday led to one man's arrest. According to the Graves County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to a domestic disturbance in the 6000 block of State Route 564. According to police, 61-year-old Barry Hardison was involved in an altercation with his wife. Deputies say Hardison allegedly pulled out a handgun during the argument in front of his wife and a juvenile. Hardison was arrested and charged with two counts of wanton endangerment. He was lodged in the Graves County Jail. By The Associated Press Mar. 08, 2017 | 09:17 PM | FRANKFORT, KY House Republican Speaker Jeff Hoover has set a March 15 deadline for a bill that would allow charter schools in Kentucky. The House of Representatives approved the charter schools bill last week. But the Senate has yet to give the bill a committee hearing. After Wednesday, lawmakers are scheduled to meet Tuesday and Wednesday of next week and again on March 29 and March 30. But the legislature would be powerless to override a veto of any bill passed after March 15. Hoover said it was important for him that the House maintain its independence by having the option to overturn a veto. Supporters say charter schools would give parents and students more options. Opponents say it would drain resources from traditional public schools. By The Associated Press Mar. 09, 2017 | 11:13 AM | FRANKFORT, KY The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments in eight cases next week including an appeal in a death penalty case. A statement from the court says arguments in the criminal and civil cases will occur March 15-17 at the state Capitol. Justices are set to hear cases dealing with a variety of issues including questions about police powers, contracts, insurance and allegations of medical malpractice. In one case out of Louisville, justices will hear arguments over whether to reverse the conviction and sentence for Larry Lamont White. White was convicted in 2014 of raping and killing 22-year-old Pamela Armstrong in 1983, and he was sentenced to death. Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required. Your Full Name: (optional) Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required. The resumption of Budget session is likely to witness stormy scenes in Parliament with the Opposition all set to take on the government over the counter-terror operation in Lucknow, and over the recent hate crimes against Indians in the United States. By India Today Web Desk: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to make a statement in Parliament today on Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train explosion, and the operation in Lucknow in which suspected terrorist Saifullah was killed. The resumption of Budget session is likely to witness stormy scenes in Parliament with the Opposition all set to take on the government over the counter-terror operation in Lucknow, and over the recent hate crimes against Indians in the United States. advertisement Yesterday evening, Uttar Pradesh Police clarified that there was no evidence linking the slain Mohammed Saifullah to the global terror outfit ISIS, implying that it was premature to suggest that the group was behind it. NO PROOF OF ISIS LINK WITH LUCKNOW OPERATION: TOP COP "We have no such evidence yet of any ISIS link", Additional Director General of Police (law and order) Daljit Chaudhary had told journalists. Authorities are yet to find clinching evidence linking Saifullah directly to ISIS. The police had earlier said that Saifullah and two others arrested in this connection were allegedly affiliated to ISIS. The cops had found substantial literature in Urdu and English related to ISIS. Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha, said, "Till now, the central government said ISIS isn't an issue. Now what we saw in UP, MP raises questions. It shows government's negligence in this matter. PM should make a statement." Kharge was referring to the over 10-hour-long siege at a house in Lucknow's Thakurganj locality where a suspected terrorist was holed up inside and to the IED blast on the Ujjain Express in Madhya Pradesh. The suspected militant, identified as Saifullah, was killed in the Lucknow siege. He, along with six other people arrested in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, are believed to be linked to the train blast. WATCH VIDEO --- ENDS --- Rita Redmond was a true lady who felt that every pupil had something to gift to the world World's Largest English Language News Service with Over 500 Articles Updated Daily "The News You Need TodayFor The World Youll Live In Tomorrow." What You Arent Being Told About The World You Live In How The Conspiracy Theory Label Was Conceived To Derail The Truth Movement How Covert American Agents Infiltrate the Internet to Manipulate, Deceive, and Destroy Reputations March 9, 2017 Hillary Clinton, Not Trump, Warned Is Target Of US Congress Investigation Into Russia Ties By: Sorcha Faal, and as reported to her Western Subscribers While the leftist American propaganda mainstream media continues to consume itself over allegations of President Donald Trumps associations with Russia, an intriguing Investigative Committee (SLEDCOM) report circulating in the Kremlin today reveals that Russian officials have been cooperating with the US House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee On Intelligence and the US Senate Select Committee On Intelligence on a wide-ranging investigation into Hillary Clintons, not Trumps, ties with Moscow instead. [Note: Some words and/or phrases appearing in quotes in this report are English language approximations of Russian words/phrases having no exact counterpart.] According to this report, in July 2015, President Putin relayed to ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson (current US Secretary of State) the Kremlins grave concerns that certain Russian companies were being pushed to the line to violate the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by Hillary Clinton, her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and their organization called the Clinton Foundationand that US Senator Tom Cotton had identified as being one of world's largest money-laundering schemes. ExxonMobil CEO (and now US Secretary of State) Rex Tillerson and President Putin With former assistant FBI Director James Kallstrom having previously stated that the Clintons are a crime family, this report continues, the greatest Kremlin fear was that upon her assuming the US presidency, Russia would, in fact, be forced to deal with a lawless state overseen by Hillary Clinton. These Kremlin fears about the Clintons, this report explains, were based on the 2009-2010 Rosatom (Russias atomic energy agency) takeover of the Canadian Uranium One company in order for the Federation to gain access to uranium mines in Kazakhstanbut that also gave Russia control over one-fifth of all uranium production capacity in the United States. While US Secretary State, this report details, Hillary Clinton oversaw and approved this transactionreceiving in return for her favors four donations to her Clinton Foundation totaling $2.35 million paid by Uranium One, while her husband, former President Bill Clinton, received $500,000 for a Moscow speech from the Russian investment bank Renaissance Capital that was promoting Uranium One stock. Further benefiting Hillary Clinton for this deal, this report continues, was her 2016 presidential campaign chairman John Podesta who received from Renaissance Capital 75,000 shares in the mostly Russian owned energy company Joule Unlimited, while his brother Tony Podesta (Democratic Party super lobbyist), likewise, was paid $170,000 over a six-month period last year to represent Sberbank, Russias largest bank, seeking to end one of the Obama administrations economic sanctions against it. Though both Russia and Iran had greatly benefited under the Obama regimes 8 years in power, especially since 2012 when President Obama told Prime Minister Medvedev that after he was re-elected that he would no longer be constrained in making deals with Americas enemies, this report says, President Putins fears relayed to then ExxonMobil CEO Tillerson boiled down to the simple fact that Hillary Clinton could not be trusted for anything unless she, her husband, and her cohorts were generously paid. Upon hearing President Putins full fears about Hillary Clinton, this report details, ExxonMobil CEO Tillerson relayed them to then presidential candidate Donald Trump, who was going to be Clintons Republican Party opponentand who, in turn, established his own investigative group into these Kremlin concerns headed by retired US Army Defense Intelligence Agency General Michael Flynn and US Naval Academy Graduate and top US Marine Intelligence operative Carter Pageboth of whom who have extension knowledge of Russian intelligence agencies and procedures. Barely a month prior to his taking office when he could then turn over his evidence of Hillary Clintons crimes to US Congress investigators, however, this report notes, then president-elect Trump was blindsided/broadsided by an attack against him now commonly known as the Russian Dossier that made outlandish claims of Trumps and his campaigns involvement with Russian intelligence operativesand that the Democrats have been using ever since to discredit him with. This Russian Dossier, this report explains, was contracted to be compiled by a shadowy company called FusionGPS to investigate Trump on behalf of unidentified Republicans, and whose website is a single page giving only this information: Fusion GPS is based in Washington, DC and provides premium research, strategic intelligence, and due diligence services to corporations, law firms, and investors worldwide. We offer a cross-disciplinary approach with expertise in media, politics, regulation, national security, and global markets. Email: [email protected]. Working on behalf of these unidentified Republicans, this report continues, FusionGPS then contracted with a British company called Orbis Business Intelligence to compile a smear file on Trumpand that was performed by their employee identified as a MI6 British spy named Christopher Steele. [Note: There is no such thing as a former MI6 spy as they sign up for life.] Described as 35-pages of uncorroborated, explosive allegations against Trump, this report details, the lynchpin allegation made in this Russian Dossier was that the global tech firm XBT Holding (owner of Dallas-based enterprise-hosting company Webzilla) was the key link in the hacking of leaked Democratic Party emails that embarrassed Hillary Clinton and her fellow Democratsand was the conduit through which Trump paid to have this crime committed. Owned and operated by their Chairman and CEO Aleksej Gubarev, this report continues, XBT Holding, upon their hearing that they were lynchpin linked to this Russian Dossier against Trump, immediately sued in both US and British courtswith the American publisher of this smear file, called BuzzFeed (founded by the radical leftist Huffington Post), forced to make an immediate retraction of this outright fake claim and stating: We have redacted Mr. Gubarevs name from the published dossier, and apologize for including it. With the entire credibility of this Russian Dossier against Trump therefore being destroyed, this report continues, the radical leftist mainstream propaganda media in the US and their Democrat Party allies nevertheless continue to use it as their basis for claiming their President Trump colluded with Russia to win the election against Hillary Clintonand who daily (hourly even) call for special prosecutors to investigate. And so bizarrely insane have these radical leftists Russian claims against President Trump become, this report says, after the Kremlin labeled The New York Times as being fake news this week for their one week stating that Trump was being wiretapped by the Obama regime, then turned around and said he had no evidence he was being tapped, caused them to issue an explanation for their stunning contradiction that is a masterwork of confusionand best described as: Sarcasm aside, what the NYTs long-winded explanation boils down to is that Trumps inner circle was wiretapped, but the difference is whether Obama knew about it or not. And if anyone harbors any gullible thoughts that the president who lied to the public about his knowledge of Hillarys email server arguably the biggest fiasco of her presidential campaign but is telling the truth when he says that he has no idea whatsoever that someone, somewhere was in fact wiretapping Trump as the NYT reports, then we wish you all the best! As the stunning leak yesterday by Wikileaks proved conclusively that the CIA was behind the Hillary Clinton emails hack, and not Russia, this report concludes, what remains unknown is if the US Congress now having Trumps evidence against Clinton, her husband, and her cohorts, will be able to act without causing America to erupt into outright civil warand should that occur, retired Federation Colonel and Ministry of Defenses spokesman Viktor Baranetz inadvertently warned Russia would have to respond to by putting the US out of its misery by launching the seabed nukes now sitting all along the United States eastern and western coasts. March 9, 2017 EU and US all rights reserved. Permission to use this report in its entirety is granted under the condition it is linked back to its original source at WhatDoesItMean.Com. Freebase content licensed under CC-BY and GFDL. [Note: Many governments and their intelligence services actively campaign against the information found in these reports so as not to alarm their citizens about the many catastrophic Earth changes and events to come, a stance that the Sisters of Sorcha Faal strongly disagree with in believing that it is every human beings right to know the truth. Due to our missions conflicts with that of those governments, the responses of their agents has been a longstanding misinformation/misdirection campaign designed to discredit us, and others like us, that is exampled in numerous places, including HERE.] [Note: The WhatDoesItMean.com website was created for and donated to the Sisters of Sorcha Faal in 2003 by a small group of American computer experts led by the late global technology guru Wayne Green (1922-2013) to counter the propaganda being used by the West to promote their illegal 2003 invasion of Iraq.] [Note: The word Kremlin (fortress inside a city) as used in this report refers to Russian citadels, including in Moscow , having cathedrals wherein female Schema monks (Orthodox nuns) reside, many of whom are devoted to the mission of the Sisters of Sorcha Faal.] What You Dont Know About America, And Why Millions Will Die Final Battle For The World Begins: But Will Trumpian Forces Unite? Return To Main Page Loading... Daring and provocative, bracingly challenging, Ian McDiarmid's retelling of Goethe's take on the Faust legend is a short sharp evening of contrasts. His 72 year-old Faust aches as much for youth as he does for knowledge. McDiarmid has pared down Goethe's busy storyline and huge dramatis personae to these twin goals for which he'll trade heaven for hell, sharing the stage with only two fresh young performers. All three offer wonderfully rounded performances Sure-footed young director Lisa Blair confidently leads a production team as achingly cool and youthful as the smooth-operating, hoodie-clad demon Mephisto Faust conjures up (Jacques Miche). Georgia Lowe's deceptively simple box design is actually a box of tricks, on which video designer Zsolt Balogh projects a suggestion of over-sized shelves of books green with mould, morphing into vivid purples and yellows once Daisy Fairclough's disturbingly adolescent Gretchen reawakens Faust's sexual desire. All this is underscored by composer and sound designer Richard Hammarton's thrilling soundtrack, ravishing with the unearthly purity of Gretchen's song, fizzling and crackling in concert with lighting designer Elliot Griggs' slashes of lightning. Religion is an ever-present force. The pure Gretchen is an ardent believer, sullied by Faust's attentions. The words of the Bible dominating Faust's library to book-end the action are the opening of St John's Gospel 'In the beginning was the Word,' but eventually Faust's actions alter them too, Deed replacing Word. Meanwhile, as Mephisto serves Faust, the 'black magic' of the computer-game pyrotechnics serve the words, for McDiarmid's spare muscular verse adaptation of Philip Wayne's translation drives the narrative. A dapper waist-coat-clad academic, Faust first lectures and then confides in the audience in the Watermill's intimate space, his thirst for knowledge, action and youth. And so, jabbing a syringe into his groin, he summons Miche's insinuating Mephisto to help him and promises to serve him eternally once he's achieved his heart's desire. Mephisto's unsettling solution is a body swap. "Stride out into the world through me" he suggests. And so Gretchen is wooed and won by Faust's voice in Mephisto's honed young body, fit in Faust's sharp suit, while Faust's corporeal form lurks longingly in the shadows. McDiarmid hunches in Mephisto's hoodie, only his eyes visible, creepily suggesting a paedophile. It's an extraordinarily potent image, brilliantly realised. The vision of deflowered Gretchen, the white garment of the penitent drenched in water mixed with blood clinging to her, a cross around her neck as she embraces her fate, is as ambiguous as it is shockingly beautiful. Is Faust engulfed by the red pit of flames below? The final blinding image is of a cross between the words 'Jesus Saves'. This devilishly enticing retelling of Faust's story leaves room for doubt. Faust X2 runs at The Watermill until 25 March. By Press Trust of India: From Lalit K Jha Washington, Mar 9 (PTI) Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan has discussed with new Energy Secretary Rick Perry the possibility of importing LNG from the US and Indian investment in the energy sector there. Pradhan met Perry during an unscheduled trip to the US Capitol and discussed energy cooperation between India and the US, Indian investment in Liquefied natural gas (LNG) and Shale sectors, and the possibility of the US exporting LNG to India from early next year. advertisement Perry said co-operation between India and the US in the energy sector is in mutual interest as Indias energy need is set to see a rapid increase as the economy expands. Pradhan arrived in Washington DC from Houston, a city located near the Gulf of Mexico, where he attended the influential CERAWeek energy conference and launched the new Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP). On the sidelines of the conference, Pradhan had bilateral meetings with counterparts from Russia, Sri Lanka, Canada and Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih is expected to visit India soon. Pradhan also met the CEO of state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company; Bob Dudley, CEO of British Petroleum; and International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol. In Washington, Perry, who took over the department last week, strongly pushed for a Houston visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this year. He said Modis meeting with the strong energy community in Houston could add a new dimension to bilateral ties. Dates of Modis US visit is still being worked out. Pradhan, who invited Perry to India for the next round of India-US Energy Dialogue later this year, said he would convey his message to the prime minister. Pradhan said the US energy secretary believes energy is the next frontier for India-US relationship. On Tuesday, the Union minister met Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who appreciated the Indian-American community and said that he is planning to lead a trade delegation to India soon. During the visit, Oil India signed a MoU with Houston University to work on CO2 injection technology to enhance production in Assam. Pradhan started his US tour from Boston, where he interacted with students and faculty members of MIT, Harvard Kennedy School and Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University. At MIT, he also met former US Energy Secretary Prof Ernest Muniz. Both in Boston and Houston, Pradhan met members from the Indian community, including scientists of Indian origin. PTI LKJ ABH --- ENDS --- By Press Trust of India: Pudukottai (TN), Mar 9 (PTI) The 22-day-old agitation by the villagers of Neduvasal in the district against the proposed hydrocarbon extraction and exploration project was temporarily withdrawn today. Leaders of the Action Committee against the project held a meeting today and announced the decision to temporarily withdraw the agitation, considering the Centres recent "assurance" to Tamil Nadu that it would not implement any project inimical to the interests of the state. advertisement Union Minister of State for Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan had last week said the Union Petroleum Minister himself had said that he would look into the issue if the people had any doubt. "The Centre will not implement a project which the people feel is inimical to the states farming sector and its people," he had stated. Moreover, there was a "possibility" of a meeting between them and Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on March 15, the Action Committee leaders said. Last week, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami had also urged the protesters to withdraw the stir, saying the state will not implement any project which was against the interests of the people. The stir was temporarily withdrawn also taking into account the ongoing 10th and 12th standard board examinations, the Action Committee leaders said. PTI SSN RC RC --- ENDS --- While the Akali Dal-BJP combine is upbeat about a hat-trick, the Congress is sure about staging a comeback with a comfortable majority. By Indo-Asian News Service: Third time lucky, third time unlucky or making it in the first attempt. This sums up the political fortunes of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Congress and the AAP respectively as Punjab prepares to count the votes of 117 assembly seats on Saturday. The fate of the Akali Dal-BJP combine, which has been ruling Punjab since 2007 and is taking a third shot at power; the Congress - which has been unlucky in 2007 and 2012 and is in a do-or-die situation; and the Aam Aadmi Party, a completely new entrant in Punjab's political space but has made deep inroads, should be clear by noon on Saturday. advertisement The unique thing about the assembly election this time was that most seats witnessed triangular contests. By-election to the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat, vacated by Congress leader Amarinder Singh in November, was also held with the assembly polls. While the Akali Dal-BJP combine is upbeat about a hat-trick, the Congress is sure about staging a comeback with a comfortable majority. The AAP, which has emerged as a serious contender, is the crucial factor that could stand in the way of the wishes of both these traditional parties. SCARED OF HUNG HOUSE? Leaders of all parties, in private conversations, are afraid of seeing a hung house. Punjab Chief Electoral Officer VK Singh said on Thursday that all arrangements had been made for the counting of votes. "Over 14,000 officials will be involved in the counting process in 54 counting centres at 27 locations," he said. Punjab recorded a high voter turnout of 77.4 percent in the February 4 election to decide the fate of 1,145 candidates, including 81 women and a transgender. Female voters took the lead with 78.14 percent turnout, compared to 76.69 per cent by males. Of the total 1,98,78,654 registered electors in Punjab, there were 1,05,03,108 male voters and 93,75,546 female voters. The overall voting percentage in the state was a shade lower than the 78.57 percent votes polled in 2012. The number of voters went up by nearly 22 lakh this time. The border state's Malwa belt, which accounts for 69 out of the 117 assembly seats, will decide the fate of the next government in the state. Most districts in the belt saw a record turnout of 75-85 per cent. Though women constitute nearly 47 percent of the over 12.98 electors in Punjab, the four main parties fielded only 27 women candidates. Both the Congress and AAP are hoping to cash in from an anti-incumbency factor against the Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance. Parkash Singh Badal, 89, is the oldest serving Chief Minister in the country. Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh has already announced that this would be his last election in his political career. "We will win around 65 seats," he said here. advertisement Akali Dal president and Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal is sure about coming back to power. "The results will prove all surveys wrong," Badal junior said. The results will show whether the electorate in Punjab sticks to the traditional parties or opts for the new political option, the AAP. Also Read Assembly elections: Massive spike in cash, alcohol, drugs seizures, UP sees record high Punjab Assembly Election 2017: Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur calls Kejriwal ISI 'agent' --- ENDS --- Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 09/03/2017 (2069 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Canadian canola farmers wont have to wait much longer for duty-free access to the huge European market. International Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne told nearly 300 delegates attending the Canola Council of Canadas (CCC) annual convention in Winnipeg on Wednesday that the federal government hopes to provisionally apply the new trade agreement with the European Union (EU) sometime this spring. A federal government spokesperson later said Canadian producers of canola and canola products will be able to export their products duty-free to EU countries as soon as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is provisionally applied. BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS International Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne addresses the Canola Council of Canadas annual convention at Fairmont Hotel-Winnipeg ballroom on Wednesday. Champagne noted CETA, which was signed last October, will give Canadian exporters improved access to a market with more than 500 million people. But not all Canadian products will have duty-free access right away because it will take up to seven years for some tariffs to be fully phased out. But your industry wont have to wait that long, he told the delegates. I really encourage you to seize the moment. This is unprecedented, he said. I think the CETA agreement has the same potential that NAFTA had when it was negotiated. Canada currently exports more than 85 per cent of the canola seed, oil and meal it produces each year. The CCC estimates the elimination of tariffs will boost canola oil exports to Europe, which is Canadas second largest trading partner, to about $180 million a year. Market access is critical to our industry thats why weve been supportive of the negotiations since the beginning, CCC president Patti Miller said in a recent statement. The minister said the government is also working hard to improve access to a number of other key international markets, including India, the Asia-Pacific region and China. He said those markets also offer huge growth opportunities for Canada, which is already the worlds fifth largest exporter of agricultural products with annual sales of $57 billion. He noted China already purchases about $2.5 billion worth of canola seed, oil and meal each year. In fact, trade data released earlier this week showed it was strong demand from China that helped boost canola exports to a record $845 million, or 1.4 million tonnes, in January. The CCC has said Canada could be exporting even more canola to China if the two countries were able to negotiate a free-trade agreement, and Champagne told the convention delegates exploratory discussions with China are already underway. This is a key step for Canada in determining whether there is sufficient interest and potential benefits to pursue full-blown negotiations between our two countries, he added. He described canola as Canadas most valuable crop and a great Canadian innovation. He noted it was researchers from the University of Manitoba, working with their colleagues in the federal agriculture department, who developed canola in the 1970s. This is probably the biggest success story in our country, and it deserves to be told again and again and again, he said. Champagne was one of the keynote speakers at the three-day convention, which concludes today. murray.mcneill@freepress.mb.ca Exit polls by Axis-My-India on Thursday forecast the ruling SAD's tally reduced to a single digit in the February vote, the party's worst performance ever. By Harmeet Shah Singh: Led by Captain Amarinder Singh, Congress in Punjab is expected to win a clear majority, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) making a stunning debut and the Badals suffering a humiliating debacle in Assembly elections, according to a post-poll analysis by Axis-My-India for India Today Group. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's AAP, which had won four of Punjab's 13 Lok Sabha seats back in 2014, turned the Sikh hearthland's bipolar politics into a full-blown triangular contest for state power this year. advertisement Exit polls by Axis-My-India on Thursday forecast the ruling SAD's tally reduced to a single digit in the February vote, the party's worst performance ever. The governing Badals have faced serious accusations of corruption, misgovernance and of involvement in drug trade, charges they stoutly denied. According to the survey, the Akalis and their ally BJP are likely to crash down to somewhere between four and seven of the 117-seat Assembly. In 2012, the alliance cruised to a second term in a row, winning 68 boroughs together under the leadership of SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal. Capt Singh's Congress, which secured 46 seats five years ago, is poised to get between 62 and 71 this time, the Axis-My-India analysis predicts. Kejriwal's AAP is projected to sail through 42-51 constituencies successfully. VOTE SHARE In terms of vote-share, the exit polls predict 36 per cent for the Punjab Congress, 33.5 per cent for the AAP and 17 per cent for the Akali-BJP coalition. The Axis-My-India survey was carried out with a sample size of 16,283 across Punjab. Punjab is home to the highest percentage - 31.94 - of the SC population among all states. Scheduled Caste people number around 88.60 lakh of Punjab's total population of around three crore. A sizeable number of SC families, however, still live below the poverty line in the state. As high as 37 per cent of SC Sikhs and 41 per cent of SC Hindus might have backed the Congress in this year's Punjab elections, according to the caste-wise vote-share scrutinised by Axis-My-India. The AAP is projected to have secured 35 per cent of SC Sikhs and 26 percent of SC Hindu support, the projections show. With agriculture as the mainstay of the state's economy, a sizeable 37 per cent of farmers might have thrown their weight behind the Congress, as compared to 33 per cent supporting the AAP, Axis-My-India said. The SAD-BJP combine could only manage 18 per cent of farmer support this time, the predictions suggest. Geographically, 38 per cent of the urban electorate might have voted in favour of Capt Singh's party and 33 per cent for the AAP. In rural Punjab, both the parties were neck-and-neck at 35 per cent, the exit-poll data showed. advertisement Also read: Punjab exit poll: Congress ahead of AAP, SAD-BJP combine routed Also read: Punjab Assembly election results: Why anxiety levels are high this time Also Watch: India Today Exit Poll 2017: In Punjab AAP sweeps victory, Congress short of majority --- ENDS --- Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 09/03/2017 (2069 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Facing accusations he plotted a conspiracy to kill his business partner, a former Winnipeg convenience store owner told a judge he was the one being targeted by a hitman. In a convoluted testimony that appeared to puzzle Court of Queens Bench Justice Vic Toews, Amare Gebru claimed the alleged victim his female business partner had hired a hitman to kill him, not the other way around. In Gebrus recounting, the supposed hitman forced his way into Gebrus car, showed him a gun and confessed the deadly plan a plan Gebru never reported to the police despite contacting them three times subsequently to complain about his business partner, court heard. Police, meanwhile, were wiretapping his phone conversations and setting up covertly recorded meetings between Gebru and the would-be hitman. Wayne Glowacki / Winnipeg Free Press files Amare Gebru appeared to puzzle Court of Queen's Bench Justice Vic Toews with testimony that alleged his business partner had hired a hitman to kill him, not the other way around. Gebru, now in his early 40s, has pleaded not guilty to counselling to commit murder and counselling to commit robbery. He is standing trial before Justice Toews on accusations that arose after his business partnership soured with the co-owner of Teddys convenience store on Balmoral Street. Gebru, an immigrant from Ethiopia, bought the store and laundromat in 2011 with a younger woman who also hailed from Ethopia and was a permanent resident in Canada. He testified he thought investing in a business would improve his chances of securing permanent residency so he could stay and support his wife and children. The co-owner, now 31, testified earlier this week she already owned another business in Winnipeg at the time and wanted to help Gebru. They had a 50/50 partnership, but each business partner testified the other had contributed less money to the purchase of the store and each accused the other of stealing money from the business. Less than a year later, the work environment had turned toxic and both said they wanted out. But they couldnt agree on a buyout plan, despite help from a business lawyer and mediators from the Ethiopian community. In May 2012, a regular customer allegedly approached the woman while she was running the store counter and told her he had information concerning her life. He asked how well she knew her business partner and claimed hed been promised $10,000 to kill her, but that he didnt feel right about it and wasnt a killer. He said hed been given a list of details about her: where she goes to make bank deposits, where she lives, what time she gets off work, what kind of car she drives. It was shocking, the woman said on the witness stand Monday. Even now thinking about it, Im still shocked. She denied defence suggestions the scenario was flipped and she was the one who plotted to kill Gebru, whom she said had previously admitted to stealing from the stores international money-transfer fund to pay off his personal debts. Im not that kind of person. Im not crazy enough to I dont even know how he thought of doing that, she said. Its a business dispute. I know its emotional, like, its hard, but how do you kill somebody over money? She went to the police with the would-be hitman, and the younger man agreed to wear a wire the next time he met with Gebru. On the stand Tuesday, the now-28-year-old man testified he was on bail for sexual assault and possession of brass knuckles at the time, but he said he didnt know why Gebru asked him for his phone number to set up a meeting while he was doing his laundry at Teddys that day nearly five years ago. I was just a regular customer. I dont know why he came to me. He judged me and he approached me how to steal money from his partner, the 28-year-old man said, adding Gebru initially asked him to rob his partner while she was headed to the bank to make a deposit. After that, he changed his mind. He says, I dont want her to be stealing money again. I just want her to be dead. So if you can be able to kill her do it and Ill give you money, $10,000, and Ill sign your mortgage for you. In secret meetings with the customer, Gebru asked him to complete the mission, court heard as portions of the recordings were played during the trial. When he took the stand in his own defence Wednesday, Gebru explained what he meant by mission. He said after he learned the man had been hired to kill him, he concocted a plan to trap him by asking him a favour. The favour involved asking the younger man to fire a gun inside the convenience store so Gebru could claim insurance money. Then, Gebru said, he would have enough evidence to turn the man in to police. That was the mission he said he spoke about in the audio recordings, which he acknowledged were of his voice. He denied ever asking anyone to kill or rob his business partner. He also admitted he never told police he believed someone had been hired to kill him until after police told him theyd been recording him. He was arrested at the end of May 2012. I have to say Im puzzled, the judge said at the end of Gebrus time on the witness stand. Adrian Wyld / The Canadian Press Files Court of Queen's Bench Justice Vic Toews seemed confused by Amare Gebru's convoluted testimony. Toews questioned why the supposed hitman who Gebru claimed had shown him a gun a day earlier and said hed been hired to kill him would agree to shoot up the convenience store for no financial reward. Hes doing you a favour, and you want to turn him in to the police? the judge asked. Yes, Gebru said. Crown attorneys Mike Himmelman and Minh Nguyen, along with defence lawyer Mike Cook, are expected to make their closing arguments Thursday in the judge-alone trial. katie.may@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @thatkatiemay Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 09/03/2017 (2069 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The latest $900-million cost overrun and 21-month delay in the Keeyask generating dam megaproject are not jeopardizing any export sales, Manitoba Hydro said Wednesday. Hydro announced Tuesday the project on the Nelson River near Gillam is estimated to cost $8.7 billion and will not be operational until August 2021. We do not believe the delays will result in significant revenue impacts to Manitoba Hydro or affect our good standing in the export marketplace, Hydro public affairs manager Scott Powell said Wednesday. That includes a $2-billion export sales deal to Wisconsin announced in 2008 that was contingent upon Keeyask being operational within a decade. We have had discussions with our export customers and have come to agreements on how to mitigate any potential issues related to this announcement that will allow us to fulfil our obligations under our contracts, Powell said. CEO Kelvin Shepherd said completing the project will allow Hydro to supply $4.5 billion worth of export sales contracts already negotiated. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 08/03/2017 (2070 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Migrants arent just seeking asylum at Emerson anymore, after the first border jumper turned up in Gretna during Tuesdays snowstorm. There had been no activity at the Gretna border crossing whatsoever until (Tuesday afternoon), said Don Wiebe, reeve of the RM of Rhineland, which is just west of Highway 75. One guy walked across and wound up at the local store. The store called 911 and they waited for the RCMP. MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Most of the border-crossing activity takes place in Emerson because the U.S. I-29 highway ends close by. Gretna, south of Altona, is about 30 kilometres west of Emerson and about 120 km southwest of Winnipeg. Wiebe had no other information, and RCMP refused comment. The owner of Gretna Food and Video confirmed the incident, but did not comment. Wiebe said he doesnt expect Gretna to become the next Emerson. Emerson is fed by Interstate Highway I-29, whereas a less-travelled highway connects Gretna to Neche, a North Dakota border town. Gretna is a very minor border crossing, he said. Neither of the towns straddle the border the way Emerson does. Both Gretna and Neche are several hundred metres back from the border, Wiebe said. A survey of some of the other rural municipalities came up empty. RM of Piney Reeve Wayne Anderson said there havent been any migrants at the three ports in his rural municipality: Piney, South Junction and Sprague. Most of it is forested. There are no open fields. They would have to go through bush, and they dont really like to do that in winter, Anderson said. The area has seen a few border jumpers in the past, but not recently, he said. He expects that will change once the snow has melted. Were expecting a few this summer, probably more than usual, Anderson said. Sprague is almost straight north of Minneapolis, he added. The RM of Two Borders in Manitobas southwestern corner, which was notorious for rum-runners during Prohibition in the United States, hasnt seen any border jumpers either, said Reeve Debbie McMechan. Actually, things have been pretty quiet except for the storm, she said. Were just not well-situated to those major population areas. RM leaders sympathized with Emersons attempts to accommodate the newcomers. I feel for the people of Emerson. It would put a strain on any small community, McMechan said. bill.redekop@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 08/03/2017 (2070 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Pallister government is expected to introduce legislation Thursday to create a Crown corporation tasked with achieving new targets for reducing electricity and natural gas use in the province. The new entity to be known as Efficiency Manitoba would take over responsibility for energy-savings programs that are now carried out by Manitoba Hydro. The Progressive Conservatives promised to create such an entity during last years election campaign. Its formation was recommended several years ago by the Manitoba Public Utilities Board (PUB). WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Manitoba Hydro Power Smart mural on the the side of the Manitoba Hydro building on Portage Ave. and St James Street. Efficiency Manitoba would take over responsibility for energy-savings programs that are now carried out by Manitoba Hydro. Sources said Efficiency Manitoba will be directed to create policies and programs to reduce annual electricity growth by 1.5 per cent over the next 15 years. For natural gas, the savings target would be three-quarters of one per cent. The government served notice Wednesday that Crowns Minister Ron Schuler would introduce Bill 19 (The Efficiency Manitoba Act) Thursday, but refused to provide any details. A spokeswoman for Premier Brian Pallister said she could not confirm or deny the information obtained by the Free Press. The new corporations main mandate would be to encourage the delivery of energy-efficiency services through a variety of mechanisms, including the private sector and NGOs, a source said. In addition, Hydro could bid to deliver services to some sectors, such as large industrial users. With the creation of the new corporation, Manitoba Hydro would relinquish delivery of its popular Power Smart energy-savings program, which might be operated under a new name. Hydro would foot the bill for the new entity, which would have a budget in the range of $60 million to $100 million per year, according to a source. Its anticipated that some people working in Hydros energy-savings unit would move to the new corporation. Efficiency Manitoba would be supervised by a nine-person board of directors appointed by the provincial cabinet. The new corporation would also be subject to third-party independent reviews, including by the PUB. Every three years, Efficiency Manitoba would be required to present a plan to the PUB outlining the benefits of its programs and their costs. The PUB would then make a recommendation to cabinet on whether the plan should be approved or modified. Once the plan was approved, funding would flow from Hydro. In 2013, Philippe Dunsky, a Montreal energy consultant, told a PUB panel that Hydro, once considered the industry leader for its Power Smart program, appeared to be taking a big step backwards in its plans for conservation savings over the next decade. Dunsky said he had compared Hydros 2010 savings through energy-efficiency programs to those offered by utilities in 48 states and four provinces. He also examined Hydros planned savings for 2015 against utilities in British Columbia, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Vermont and Nova Scotia. His analysis showed Hydros 2010 performance was in the bottom half of North American utilities and its planned savings for 2015 was 70 to 88 per cent lower than the five comparison providers. The previous NDP government later hired Dunsky to assist with the establishment of an arms-length body to set and measure targets annually for the conservation of power in Manitoba. It envisioned the new entity as a Hydro subsidiary. However, the former government didnt follow through on the initiative. Dunsky is said to have submitted a report to the NDP government in early 2015, but it was never made public. He wasnt available for comment Wednesday. By the 2016 election campaign, then-premier Greg Selinger said the NDP was committed to keeping energy savings programs under Hydros jurisdiction. A poll conducted by Probe Research late last year designed in consultation with CUPE Manitoba found that only 12 per cent of Manitobans favoured the creation of a new energy-efficiency agency to take responsibility for energy-savings programs, while 78 per cent said Manitoba Hydro should continue to run Power Smart. Another 10 per cent of respondents said they were unsure. The poll was considered to be accurate within plus or minus 3.1 percentage points 19 times out of 20. larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 09/03/2017 (2069 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Premier Brian Pallister implored Ottawa not to wait for a death before giving Manitoba and Emerson the help they need to deal with a flood of asylum seekers. Weve just seen 20 people crossing a field from North Dakota in the middle of a blizzard, said Pallister risking their own lives, risking the lives of anyone who has to go out and rescue them. It shouldnt take a death to get us to understand this, Pallister told a news conference after speaking in the legislature Thursday. MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Premier Brian Pallister: 'We are requesting additional support for housing, along with reimbursement of health care costs, employment income assistance payments and labour market training costs.' In four or five weeks time, were at significant risk of a spring flood when it will become even more dangerous for everyone involved, the premier said. It is so unfair to stand by and watch while others are at-risk and doing the heavy lifting. Pallister called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to make U.S. President Donald Trump aware of whats happening at his northern border. Take this to the highest levels and place a call to the president of the United States, Pallister said. This is a Canadian probleme need Team Canada. The premier is seeking additional support from the federal government to deal with a flood of asylum seekers crossing into Manitoba from the United States. In a statement to the legislature on Thursday, Pallister did not place a dollar figure on the request. He said he wrote to Trudeau two days ago to update the prime minister about the situation. Pallister later told reporters that Manitobas costs have doubled over last year in dealing with asylum seekers, but its a moving target that goes up all the time. We are requesting additional support for housing, along with reimbursement of health care costs, employment income assistance payments and labour market training costs, Pallister said. We are seeking a comprehensive bilateral partnership agreement, similar to the existing model for government-assisted refugees. He said the province has also requested a two-year extension of the existing support arrangements in place with the federal government regarding government-assisted refugees. Pallister said he is asking Ottawa to revisit the recently announced reductions and redeployment in funding support levels for English language assistance funds for post-secondary institutions in Manitoba. We are waiting to receive the federal governments response to these requests. We hope they will be responded to quickly, and with generosity, he said. Manitoba has always pulled above its weight. Were helping, were ready to help. Pallister said he has a phone call lined up with the governor of North Dakota next week, noting Minnesotas governor is unavailable because of health problems. The premier said Manitoba has not talked to Ottawa about the possibility of another Manitoba community becoming the entry point for asylum seekers if Emerson floods, but is aware that a couple of people recently crossed at Gretna. More than 200 asylum seekers have crossed into Manitoba since Jan. 1, often at risk of freezing to death in the severe cold. nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 09/03/2017 (2069 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. For two days in a row, New Democrat Andrew Swan has accused Justice Minister Heather Stefanson of providing inside information on people charged with night hunting to the premiers office for partisan political purposes. Premier Brian Pallisters senior staff explained to reporters why Swans allegations are false, but in the house, the Tories are letting Swan run with it. If she didnt, who did? Swan asked repeatedly in the legislature. He said the list of 27 people and their communities could only have been compiled so quickly with Prosecutions Information and Scheduling Management (PRISM), a tightly controlled database intended for use by Crown attorneys. It didnt come from PRISM, according to the Tories, though it was unclear Wednesday why they arent saying so in the house. Olivia Baldwin-Valainis, Pallisters director of communications and stakeholder relations, said by email that Swans charges are false. Baldwin-Valainis said Pallister and Stefanson had nothing to do with compiling the information at the centre of Swans allegations it came from the department of sustainable development. Sustainable development tracks charges of night hunting, said Baldwin-Valainis. Its staff provided the list of people charged earlier in January to a member of the media on request. As this information was compiled for a media request, the information was shared with me as the director of communications for the government. The assertion that it was received the day after the story printed is false, she said, but would not say why Tory ministers are not publicly refuting Swan. In the legislature, Stefanson merely dismissed Swans allegations Tuesday as a smear campaign. Wednesday, Sustainable Development Minister Cathy Cox defended her departments track record in ensuring public safety. Meanwhile, Swan has spent two days attacking Stefanson. He noted that in late January, Macleans magazine quoted Pallister saying most cases of night hunting involved young indigenous men with criminal records. The next day, Pallisters office provided media with the names and home communities of 27 of the 44 people charged in 2016 with night hunting. Charged, not convicted, Swan told the house. Did the attorney general authorize release of this information? Swan said someone with access to the judicial systems internal database must have provided the list. Its highly protected and highly controlled, Swan said. It was supplied to the media for partisan purposes. The PRISM database is not to be used for personal and political reasons. The list didnt include age, indigenous status, criminal record or whether the person was convicted of night hunting. nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 08/03/2017 (2070 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale wants to know what is literally and figuratively driving asylum seekers to walk through a blizzard to try to make refugee claims in Canada. Speaking to reporters before question period in Ottawa Wednesday, Goodale said he intends to raise the issue of asylum seekers with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly when he visits Ottawa Friday. Specifically, he wants to discuss the factors that are leading people to risk their lives to leave the United States and seek refuge in Canada. JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, speaks to media after a visit with officials at the fire hall in Emerson, Manitoba, Saturday, March 4, 2017. The concern, I think, relates to why people are putting themselves into potentially very risky situations, said Goodale. That blizzard in Manitoba and Saskatchewan the last two nights has been pretty nasty stuff, and I think some attention needs to be paid to how people would actually expose themselves to that kind of physical danger. If youve ever been in a Prairie blizzard, you know that is very, very risky. So one question I would have is who organized this movement, and did they actually contemplate letting people out on a roadside in the middle of a Prairie blizzard? Emerson-Franklin Reeve Greg Janzen says 19 people crossed into Manitoba from the U.S. in a blizzard overnight Tuesday. Canada is already analyzing data on the hundreds of people who have crossed the border from the U.S. and claimed asylum here. At least 600 have done so in Manitoba since April 1, 2016, including more than 200 since Jan. 1. The numbers are rising along the U.S. border with Manitoba. In 2015-16, 340 crossed the border irregularly, up from 136 in 2014-15 and 68 in 2013-14. Ottawa says the numbers are also up along the border in Quebec and British Columbia. The federal government is running scenarios with the RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency to prepare for the possibility the onset of spring will lead to an explosion in the number of asylum seekers and how a flood in southern Manitoba might affect things. The Conservatives have asked the government to stop the influx by initiating policies to reject asylum claims from people who cross the border irregularly. Canada and the U.S. must come to an understanding of who the migrants are, how and why they are making these journeys and how the situation might evolve in the days and weeks ahead, Goodale said. I think in this first conversation, it will be very important to ensure that weve got a common fact base, he said. We also obviously have a great deal of care and attention directed toward the safety factors. The discussions Friday will also focus on traveller screening, immigration policy and visa issues, Goodales office said. The Nexus trusted-traveller cards of about 200 Canadian permanent residents were suddenly cancelled after U.S. President Donald Trump issued an initial executive immigration order banning visitors from seven largely Muslim countries. A revised but largely similar version of the order affecting six countries was introduced this week after the first one ran into judicial roadblocks. Its scheduled to take affect March 16. There have also been several recent reports about minorities being turned away at the U.S. border. The treatment at the border is an important thing, Goodale said Wednesday. Canadians have the right to expect that they will be treated in a fair and respectful manner, as people travelling in the opposite direction have the right to expect that, too. Kelly will have bilateral meetings with Goodale, Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould and Transport Minister Marc Garneau. Hussen has insisted the recent policies of the Trump administration do not necessitate rethinking the Safe Third Country Agreement. The long-standing agreement between Canada and the U.S. requires an asylum seeker to claim refugee status in whichever of the two countries they arrive first. We feel that folks seeking asylum in the United States continue to have fair access to hearings and due process, Hussen said Wednesday. My job is to continue our conversation around immigration, what we have in common in terms of our approach to giving people access to fair hearings in the asylum process and making sure that we maintain a robust asylum system. Other priorities for the two countries include continental security, namely plans to expand collection and sharing of data about people leaving Canada and the U.S. Goodales office said cross-border trade, law-enforcement co-operation and public works projects will also be discussed. with files from The Canadian Press mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca It is due to the presence of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which has not only emerged as a strong third contender, but also made all 117 contests a triangular fight. By Manjeet Sehgal: Punjab Assembly election has never been so exciting like this time. As the election results are set to be announced on March 11, the anxiety levels are very high. It is due to the presence of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which has not only emerged as a strong third contender, but also made all 117 contests a triangular fight. advertisement Everybody knows the Malwa belt with 69 seats holds the key to the Punjab Assembly, but the algorithm here is very complicated. It is easy to say that the party who manages maximum seats from this belt will form a government, but is not that simple. Malwa belt has been a bastion of Congress and the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal. But, the Akali Dal lost a stronghold after 2014 general elections. AAP is believed to have made inroads in this belt by winning four Lok Sabha seats in 2014 and claimed 24.40 per cent vote share. Reports say AAP has made a strong base in south Malwa belt, which has been the epicenter of the anger against the ruling SAD-BJP government. Most of the farmer suicides took place here as the farmers lost cotton crops. On the other hand, Congress faced a rebellion in this belt on over a dozen seats. Interestingly, the two key constituencies i.e. Lambi and Jalalabad are also part of the Malwa belt where the Badals showered most of the funds. Be it the government jobs, social security pensions or the popular Aata-Dal scheme ( subsidised ration), these constituencies were given a priority. In other words, if the people voted for anti-incumbency the Congress will benefit the most. Experts say AAP if is stronger in south Malwa, can be a spoiler in Doaba and Majha where there are remaining 48 Assembly seats. Congress is believed to have a stronghold in both these regions. The Doaba region is dominated by the Dalit voters which is considered as a traditional Congress vote bank. If managed to win the requisite seats in Malwa, Congress may emerge as the single largest political party in Punjab. Despite the guess that Congress and AAP may perform well in the Assembly elections, it will be foolish to ignore the Akali Dal, the social engineering of Sukhbir Singh Badal in particular. In such a situation, the biggest fear in Punjab this time is that the state may be heading for a hung House. That's why the anxiety levels are high. However, all leading political parties including Congress, AAP and Akali Dal claim they will win a majority vote. Whether any political party will be winning a clear mandate or state's political fate will hang in balance will only be clear on Saturday, when the election results are announced. advertisement Also read: Punjab exit poll: Congress ahead of AAP, SAD-BJP combine routed Uttar Pradesh exit poll: BJP set to win 251-279 seats, SP-Congress combine trails at 88-112, BSP decimated Exit poll LIVE on Assembly Elections 2017 in Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand, Manipur WATCH THE VIDEO: --- ENDS --- Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 08/03/2017 (2070 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The powerful storm that has battered Manitoba continues to hammer Churchill, with officials urging residents to stay indoors as all but its most essential services are shuttered. Snow coupled with wind gusts in excess of 90 km/h (topped with a recorded gust of 104 km/h at 11 p.m. Tuesday, according to Environment Canada) has forced the closure of the airport, left a Via Rail train stranded in town and delayed the communitys weekly supply train until the weather clears. Homes may be buried, streets and businesses are closed, but there is no sense of panic in the community of roughly 900, Churchill Mayor Mike Spence said Wednesday by phone. MANDEL HITZER PHOTO Mandel Hitzer posted this photo to Instagram yesterday from Churchill. Hitzer, owner/chef of Winnipeg restaurant Deer + Almond, is in Churchill for RAW: Churchill, an outdoor restaurant experience running form March 3-11. It is causing some concern for sure but were working through this, he said. Were monitoring the situation right now, and as it stands, we are doing OK. Were doing the best we can. Well get through this. As soon as the winds die down and its safe to, well start opening up the roads. Right now, essential services cant respond to anything. Luckily, we havent had that emergency call. (But if it does) weve got a plan in play. Environment Canada issued its first special weather statement for the northern part of province 4:30 a.m. Sunday calling for major winter storm. By 5 a.m. Monday, it became a blizzard warning. As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, the town had been experiencing zero visibility for 27 consecutive hours. Its really crazy here you cant see anything, Carlene Kustra said by phone from Churchill. Constant, constant (wind noise). Ive never seen wind like this in my life. It is like a hurricane, except with snow. The wind was so strong Tuesday night, two of her homes second-story windows were blown out, she said. Poof, there it goes The wind took my window and just took off with it Ive got a mattress stuffing the hole. The Churchill Health Centre employee said her house had lost its heat (The wind is so crazy they cant keep the pilot lights lit), but retained electricity, allowing her and her husband to run the oven and heaters. Hopefully, we dont lose power, she said, adding it flickered a couple times Tuesday, but stayed on. The local Manitoba Housing Authority is doing everything they can for her and her neighbours, Kustra said, adding representatives visited her by snowmobile and dropped off a plug-in heater. Everyone is just stuck. No one can see their vehicles. Everybody is under a mountain of snow. Everybodys doing the best we can. Once the wind stops, well be okay. We can take -60 C, that doesnt matter. The wind is whats killing us right now. Unfortunately for northern residents, the blizzard conditions are expected to last into Thursday night, with blowing snow expected to continue in Churchill until Friday. This is one massive storm that just wont leave, said Natalie Hasell, Environment Canada warning preparedness meteorologist. And when it does, Environment Canada is expecting extremely cold air to follow in its wake, pushing temperatures for Churchill and York Factory to the -50 C range with the wind chill. That prospect, however, was OK with the mayor. Were a hardy bunch and well get through this and chalk it up for experience, Spence said. In the meantime, Kustra said she, too, will just try to get by, and was having a quiet birthday celebration for her husband Wednesday night. Youre pretty limited to what you can do when the wind is that heavy, she said. (Well be) watching the news, watching outside, making sure the rest of the windows stay in my house. scott.emmerson@freepress.mb.ca Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 09/03/2017 (2069 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. As yet another xenophobic executive order from U.S. President Donald Trump threatens to increase the flow of asylum seekers into Canada, I find myself wondering what my father would advise. What would a social scientist who had lived through the Second World War, resided on several continents and revered former prime minister Pierre Trudeau think the current prime minister should do now? Dad is no longer alive to help me decipher what a responsible Canadian response to Trump might look like. However, the dad of the Canadian left, Stephen Lewis, is still available for guidance. CODIE MCLACHLAN / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Former Ontario NDP leader Stephen Lewis: I dont think any country should attempt to assuage the egotism of Donald Trump. The 79-year-old human rights advocate focusing on people with AIDS and former politician and diplomat was anything but diplomatic about Trump when he spoke at the University of Manitoba last week. We have a moron in the White House who understands almost nothing about the way the world works, Canadas former ambassador to the United Nations told about 200 students, professors and others at an annual lecture hosted by St. Johns College. I dont think any country should attempt to assuage the egotism of Donald Trump by playing nice, even if standing up to him causes Canada heartache in trade negotiations, Lewis said. What this world needs is a voice of principle to say to the president of the United States, Youre wrong. We have, as a country, a series of values and principles which we have cherished and adhered to for 150 years and were not prepared to have them subdued by executive orders which issue from the United States of America. If Canada doesnt speak out, were going to regret it deeply down the road, Lewis warned. Obviously, Justin Trudeau thinks otherwise. Lewis listed the ever-expanding ways he believes human rights around the globe are at stake and why Canada should not just ride out the Trump administration: Trumps prior attempt to ban immigrants from seven majority-Muslim countries and refugees has already affected Canada, with frightened people risking their lives to find a way across the border from the U.S. Womens reproductive rights around the world are under siege under a global gag rule that cuts U.S. government funding for foreign organizations that even discuss abortion. Canada and other countries have stepped up to help fill the funding gap but that could redirect money from other international priorities. Stripping funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency affects the rights of the planet, Lewis argues. Climate change-induced famine involves a profound erosion of human rights. A proposed massive increase in military spending combined with a mentally unstable president have brought the Doomsday Clock (nuclear catastrophe) closer to midnight than at any time since the 1950s, Lewis said. Cuts to foreign aid will likely cause dangerous setbacks in controlling tuberculosis and HIV, and in boosting childhood immunization rates. Lewis called the high prevalence of HIV in some smaller African countries the result of indifference verging on crimes against humanity. Hate crimes appear to be on the rise in the wake of Trumps racist rhetoric. Lewis worries about who will protect lives in South Sudan or Myanmar or half a dozen other world hot spots if the U.S. cuts United Nations funding for peacekeeping and other programs. The day before his talk, new UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres pointedly warned that we are increasingly seeing the perverse phenomenon of populism and extremism feeding off each other in a frenzy of growing racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim hatred and other forms of intolerance. Lewis warned that Canada is not immune to dangerous politics, suggesting the federal Conservative leadership race includes those who believe Canada has too much freedom and democracy. The former NDP politician sounded like a prophet whose warnings will be remembered when the next generation of social scientists is analyzing the Trump era. I had the same eerie feeling when Iranian-Canadian activist Marina Nemat (now avoiding travel to the U.S.) sat in my home 12 days after Trump was elected and warned about what she saw coming. Neither Lewis nor Nemat is immobilized by fear and thats not the effect they have on others. Lewis recommended last week that audience members write their politicians and join established organizations working for human rights or defending science. I think well see human rights more and more entrenched as the benchmark against which everything is measured, the humble, good-natured and grandfatherly prophet predicted. Helen Fallding is a former Winnipeg journalist who works in the human rights field. She grew up in Canada after her family was rejected for immigration to the U.S. Winonas elementary schools are a step closer to getting local historic designation. The citys Heritage Preservation Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to recommend the designation to the City Council, where the question will be taken up April 3 along with another public hearing on the subject. With few exceptions, the speakers at Wednesday's public hearing were all in support of protecting the historic exteriors of the buildings, all of which are on the National Historic Register. Several supporters said they would like to see the school buildings protected, even if they are eventually repurposed for future use; the Winona Area Public Schools district is considering a plan that would close multiple elementaries. One of the attendees, Kathy Christensen, said the city would be better off doing the designation now as a way of attracting developers who could take advantage of tax credits provided for refurbishing and preserving historic buildings. We have a great precedent in Winona now for that to happen, Christensen said. Detractors, however, said the city is putting itself in the middle of the school district's business, and should at least wait until the WAPS board finalizes a facilities plan. After 18 months of study and deliberation, the Winona Area Public Schools board voted in mid-December to expand and renovate Jefferson and Goodview elementary schools, while closing Rollingstone, Madison, Washington-Kosciusko buildings. Madison and W-K, in Winona's city limits, fall under the discussion of historic designation; the commissions recommendation also applies to the Central and Jefferson school buildings. Two school board members, Jeanne Nelson and Steve Schild, spoke against the plans. Nelson said that while reuse of the buildings would be beneficial to the community, she thought a developer should be the one to make the decision. Schild argued that the current situation amounted to the city imposing costs and potential complications onto the district as its in process of parting with the buildings. The arguments werent enough to sway any of the commission members to vote against the recommendation, which they had also unanimously supported when voting to start the designation process last summer. A local designation would also give the city, likely both the commission and city council, a hand in considering and approving further uses that the bodies wouldnt have otherwise. Changes to the exteriors of the buildings or grounds would require a certificate of appropriateness approved by the city, and demolition would require approval of the council, with a recommendation from the commission. If the buildings continued with just the national historic designation, they would just need to have a completed environmental assessment worksheet prior to any future development. Painting, interior remodeling, changes in use, emergency repairs, and maintenance or reconstruction to the facade where materials and form stay the same would not be affected. Myron White, the city's development coordinator, said that the process and designation have no bearing on any future use of the building, but add another step in the process of development while adding a system of local control. It takes the review process and brings it local, White said. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy Minnesota farmers are some of the best in the world at what they do. We have been blessed with incredibly fertile soils, ample rainfall, and an unmatched innovative spirit and hard work ethic. The success of our agricultural economy has been a cornerstone of our states rural communities and has been the underpinning of our states success. Since the early days of our states history and through our pioneer roots, Minnesotans have always addressed our shared challenges head on. We have always looked for creative ways to conquer obstacles to our growth and address threats to our success. As Minnesotans, no challenge is too big to solve. Today, farmers and rural communities are facing significant head winds. Farm commodity prices are low. Input prices remain high. Farm profitability has plummeted in recent years. We all know that when farm prices are low, the impact ripples through the main streets of Minnesota. One way we work to offset this is through crop insurance which serves as a safety net for our farm families. As farm profitability has gone down, individual health insurance market premiums in rural areas and across our state have skyrocketed. Many rural families are paying premium hikes of 40-60 percent over last years cost. For example, a family of four in Owatonna is paying $29,772 per year in healthcare premiums today. Many of these plans are high-deductible plans with limited coverage options. The bottom line is: Greater Minnesota needs better, more affordable healthcare choices. That is why Governor Mark Dayton and state legislators have outlined a solution to reduce costs and expand coverage options for all Minnesotans. In 1992, Republican Governor Arne Carlson and a bipartisan coalition of legislators created MinnesotaCare a health insurance plan that provides coverage to Minnesotas low income families. Today, over 100,000 Minnesotans have MinnesotaCare which offers a high quality coverage plan at more affordable prices. Now, some 25 years later, Governor Dayton and state legislators want to build on the successes of MinnesotaCare to lower the prices for more Minnesotans and their families. Governor Daytons plan would allow everyone who buys their insurance on the individual marketplace to have the added choice to buy into MinnesotaCare. The process of choosing MinnesotaCare would be similar to buying crop insurance. Working with their local agent, farmers would select the plan that works best for them and their family. In areas that have other healthcare options, MinnesotaCare would be another tool in the toolbox. The result would be higher quality healthcare options at a far lower cost compared to the individual market today. For example, on average, MinnesotaCare insurance would cost about $469 per person per month this is 12 percent less than the 2017 average monthly premium for commercial health plans. Savings for families would also be significant that family of four living in Owatonna could see an annual savings of $5,820 per year. At a time when farm families are operating in the red, buying into MinnesotaCare is a smart decision and an opportunity to reduce costs. This is clearly an opportunity legislators in St. Paul should not overlook. Furthermore, Minnesotans who choose MinnesotaCare would pay their own way which means that, after an initial start-up investment, their premiums would fully pay for their coverage without any additional costs to taxpayers. And, MinnesotaCare consumers would still be eligible for federal tax credits through MNsure. There has been more than two decades worth of discussion about the lack of health insurance options in Greater Minnesota. Rural residents are tired of paying expensive premiums that dont provide the option of choosing and keeping their own doctor. MinnesotaCare addresses this problem and expands choices for Minnesota families. It has a broad network of physicians and health care providers that offers more families more options. I urge Minnesota farmers and rural residents to support Governor Daytons proposal to let all Minnesotans buy into MinnesotaCare. The original program was the product of a bipartisan effort in 1992. Its time to set aside our political differences and address real issues Minnesotans are facing. This plan can be a bipartisan effort again. Our farmers and rural communities are depending on our state legislators to get the job done. The beautiful Mississippi River valley in southeastern Minnesota is a bustling transportation corridor. Thousands of cars and trucks, dozens of trains, and (in summertime) many barges are moving people and goods daily through the region. The Minnesota High-Speed Rail (MNHSR) Commission is working on ways to improve the safety and efficiency of the travel experience for those coming to the River Route as well as for those traveling through it. And the first step adding a second daily round trip passenger train could be up and running in just a few years, with your help. The MNHSR Commission, a group representing 17 governments along the River Route, is advocating for the Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago (TCMC) Second Train. The Commission is seeking funding for the Minnesota Department of Transportations Passenger Rail Office so planning for the Second Train can be completed this year. We know theres local support for improved passenger rail service. Each of the 17 governments in the Commission has passed a resolution in support. Business leaders and residents have told us they want expanded transportation alternatives. They are excited about the opportunity to quickly add service at a relatively low cost. As you know, there are many issues before the Minnesota Legislature. We ask legislators to give Minnesota House File 523 and Senate File 713 strong consideration. The bills would appropriate funds for the Minnesota Department of Transportation to complete work statewide on the intercity passenger rail system. This includes the TCMC Second Train, and projects connecting Minnesotas important regional hubs including Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, St. Cloud, Willmar, Mankato, and Albert Lea. We believe expanded passenger rail is good for the Mississippi River Route, and all of Minnesota. Here are three beneficiaries: Minnesotas economy. Since nearly all passenger trains run on freight rail tracks, passenger rail investments in tracks and stations help the movement of freight. Our environment. Freight railroads are four times more fuel efficient than trucks and produce 75 percent less greenhouse gasses. Passenger trains can carry hundreds of passengers, reducing automobile emissions. People! Passenger rail investments create temporary construction jobs and permanent jobs as businesses expand and tourism increases. And track improvements boost safety on the tracks and at roadway crossings. According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, nearly 10 million trips are taken annually between the Twin Cities and Chicago. More people are choosing to use passenger rail. Now that the oil boom has slowed in North Dakota, Amtraks Empire Builder has improved on-time performance and is attracting more riders (a 3.7 percent increase in 2016). A 2015 TCMC Second Train feasibility study showed ridership could more than double by adding a second daily round trip that complements the Empire Builder schedule. Second train ridership is estimated at 155,000 trips annually, in addition to the annual Empire Builder ridership of approximately 104,000. Support for expanded passenger rail using existing tracks is real, the cost of upgrading existing tracks is less than building new lines, and investments benefit freight and passenger rail. Now is the time to let your legislators know how you feel about expanding passenger rail in Minnesota and in the Mississippi River Route. The Aam Aadmi Party, which is fighting its first election outside Delhi, could be the big winner on March 11. By India Today Web Desk: With nearly all exit polls predicting a stupendous performance by the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab, Arvind Kejriwal's party's national ambitions have got a perfect start. The India Today-Axis exit poll has predicted 42-51 seats for AAP with a voter share of 33.5 per cent. While Congress is projected to lead with 62-71 seats, the decimation of the SAD-BJP combine looks complete with the alliance expected to win 4-7 seats. advertisement The C-Voter survey predicts an even better showing by the AAP in the Punjab election. Of the 117 Assembly seats, Kejriwal-led AAP is expected to sweep 63 seats with Congress getting 45 seats and Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP getting 9 seats. Several pollsters are predicting a neck-and-neck competition between the AAP and the Congress. News 24-Today's Chanakya has given both the Congress and the AAP 54 seats each and 9 seats to the ruling SAD-BJP government. The NewsX-MRC poll also predicts similar results for Punjab with the Congress and the AAP expected to mop up 55 seats each, and the SAD-BJP alliance managing just 7 seats. Party Projected Seats BJP + SAD 4-7 Congress 62-71 AAP 42-51 Others 0-2 WHAT IS MAKING AAP CLICK WITH VOTERS The AAP, which is making its political debut outside Delhi in this Assembly election, has projected itself as a "clean" alternative to the corruption-ridden Shiromani Akali Dal. In rally after rally, Arvind Kejriwal and his party have accused the ruling government and the Congress government of working together to stop the Aam Aadmi Party from coming to power in Punjab. The party said if voted to power it will fight the drug menace and rampant corruption in the political and bureaucratic circles of the state and put an end to farmer suicides. AAP chose to talk on issues that affect the common people and therefore struck a chord with them. At a rally in Muktsar in Punjab, Kejriwal said he will act against Bikram Singh Majithia, whose name allegedly cropped up in a drug racket. Like in Delhi, AAP relied on door-to-door campaigning to reach out to more voters in Punjab where volunteers informed people about the party's ideology. ALSO READ: Punjab Assembly Election 2017: 'Spineless' EC has surrendered to PM Modi, says Arvind Kejriwal India Today Investigation: How parties lure voters in Punjab with liquor coupons ALSO WATCH --- ENDS --- advertisement Sauk County governments new chief administrator says she is excited about the future, and wants to get the word out about all the area has to offer. I think that Sauk County is a great place to work and live, said Sauk County Administrative Coordinator Alene Kleczek Bolin, whose first day on the job was Feb. 27. I really like and enjoy the people that Ive worked with. Kleczek Bolin served in the countys legal office for nine years 2 of them as interim corporation counsel before accepting a job as the Baraboo city attorney in 2016. Her return to county government follows the controversial departure of the countys last administrative coordinator, who signed a buyout deal in December after eight months on the job. Kleczek Bolin said one of her main goals is to promote the positives in county government, such as a placemaking initiative, the construction of an energy efficient park building, and development of a multi-use trail. One way to do that, she said, is to boost the countys online presence, and take advantage of opportunities to use social media. During her first few days on the job, Kleczek Bolin said she has met with department heads to address issues that required immediate attention. One item on her plate is assisting with the replacement of the countys criminal justice coordinator, who resigned last month, citing a negative work environment. Reports of conflict in the county workplace, the departure of Kleczek Bolins predecessor, and other matters, have stoked existing discord among the Sauk County Board and generated public criticism. The board is expected to hold a special meeting in April to discuss hiring and firing practices. Kleczek Bolin said the boards problems can trickle into the countys workplace. If they do, she said she will do her best to help department heads work through that. But she said its not her role to address political matters among county supervisors. I dont think thats my job, Kleczek Bolin said. And I think they recognize thats not my job. My job is to make sure they have the information they need to make the policy decisions they are called upon to make. Supervisor John Miller of Baraboo agreed that its not Kleczek Bolins responsibility to resolve political strife. But he said she seems to be amenable and friendly, and he hopes that attitude will help calm any tension that might exist among supervisors, the public, and county staff. I think her personality would help if there are any fears or misgivings about the stuff that has gone on over the past few months, Miller said. Kleczek Bolin graduated magna cum laude from the University of Wisconsin Law School in Madison in 2005. She worked as a private attorney for two years before accepting a job in the countys legal office. During her time as Baraboos city attorney, Kleczek Bolin earned a reputation as someone who was not afraid to present views and information that challenged policymakers, according to one city alderman. She was terrific, said John Ellington, a member of the Baraboo City Councils Administrative Committee, to which Kleczek Bolin reported. Any question I ever asked her, if she didnt know it off the top of her head, she knew where to find the answer. And she always got back to me immediately. As a manager, Kleczek Bolin said she is honest and direct. She expects the same from others and wants to help bring out the best in county employees. Thats something she hasnt always had an opportunity to do in prior jobs. As a lawyer, you are in some respects putting roadblocks in peoples way, Kleczek Bolin said. But in this position, you really get to help people, and I like that. New Lisbon and Camp Douglas Police and Fire Departments responded to a 5:33 a.m. call of a semi-truck crashing into the New Lisbon Travel Mart March 9. Only two people, an employee and a customer were in the store at the time of the accident. New Lisbon Chief of Police Brent Granger said no one was injured. The truck driver was Scott Walter, 45, of Monroe. Due to the damage, the New Lisbon Travel Mart has now decided to close the Subway, A&W and New Lisbon Family Restaurants until further notice. Store manager Diane McNew said the store will not have store and gasoline services available for an estimated period of two to three weeks. However, because certain parts have to be ordered to fix the gas pumps, she said it could take awhile longer for those services to resume. The cause of the accident has not been released at this time. The accident is still under investigation by the New Lisbon Police Department. In cooperation with America Needs Fatima, a Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima will visit Durwards Glen Retreat Center from 6 to 8 p.m. March 21. The public is welcome to attend. A team of custodians travel all over the country with a 48-inch replica of the International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima. The original Pilgrim Virgin statue was made in 1947 under the direction of Sister Lucia dos Santos, the oldest of the seers to whom Our Lady appeared. The custodians take the statues to homes, schools and nursing homes to offer people a few hours of prayer and devotion in the presence of the beautiful statue of Our Lady of Fatima. First and foremost, the statue of Our Lady is ceremoniously crowned by the host as queen of the home as everyone sings hymns in Her honor. Then the visit begins with a short video presentation on the message of Fatima, followed by a group recitation of the Holy Rosary. After this, the custodian distributes a special card envelope on which the guests can write petitions. These petitions are later taken to Fatima, Portugal, and placed at the exact spot where Our Lady appeared. A social will follow. During this time, everyone is invited to browse the line of religious materials and take pictures with the statue of Our Lady. Call Durwards Glen Retreat Center for more information at 608-356-8113. A Poynette woman has been sentenced to four years in prison after a conviction for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated as a seventh offense. Laura Parrish, 53, appeared in Columbia County Circuit Court on Wednesday in front of Judge Alan White to close a drunken driving case that had been in the court since 2012. The original arrest came at 3:21 a.m. in Poynette on July 14, 2012, when a police officer was waved down by a woman looking for help with directions. He obliged and they both continued on, but then about 15 minutes later the officer reported seeing the same woman driving and did not think she was in a condition to be safely driving. The case proceeded over the next three years, with Parrish scheduled for a plea and sentencing hearing on Sept. 10, 2015. Parrish did not appear for the hearing and a warrant was issued for her arrest. She later surrendered to authorities in Mesa, Arizona. When she arrived in court Wednesday, escorted from the Columbia County Jail, she was greeted by a group of family and friends who sat behind her through the hearing and spoke on her behalf. If it is ever appropriate, Ms. Parrish is the one, said Assistant District Attorney Troy Cross, arguing for the maximum sentence of five years in prison and five years of supervision. Her history here is abysmal with OWIs. Ill take the court back to her last couple, which would be the fifth and the sixth. Parrishs charges already carried a mandatory minimum sentence of three years in prison in a previous conviction, leading Cross, he explained, to simply argue for more this time. She has been to prison and has had the treatment that prison has to offer, said Cross, and she continues to do this. All there is left is prison. Her supporters stood to give emotional and complicated testimony arguing for, if not probation, then the mandatory minimum sentence. Parrishs ex-husband told the court that despite her history, she is important to the family, in particular for her influence on their son. You may not consider her the best role model, he said, but shes all he has. Her son pleaded for her, saying that nonetheless, Im still learning to forgive her. A friend, who knew her in the intimate setting of a jail cell, said that Parrish had turned around, as evidenced by the case being from 2012 and her prior OWI conviction in 2003. I dont think prison is the answer, I think treatment is the answer, she told White. I know that she wants so bad to not be at Taycheedah (Correctional Institution), she wants to be here for her family. She just needs treatment and she is determined we have talked about it. You are a very tragic figure maam, White said in his ruling, because you have a son who needs you and yet youre not going to be able to be there by the mandates of the legislature for at least three years, except that he can come visit you in prison, I presume, in Taycheedah. White qualified that there are worse circumstances as he would be seeing a case soon involving vehicular homicide, and that although she had been convicted of OWI and causing injury in 1996, no one had died. The public may say and here Mr. Cross represents the public that the maximum is the only thing that applies, said White, noting factors of the pre-sentence investigation, her family and her health situation, before announcing a sentence of eight years, eliciting a gasp from Parrishs friend and former cellmate four years in prison and four years of extended supervision. There is always fallout collaterally, said White. That means other people are impacted and that is your doing Ms. Parrish. Im here to sentence you. By Press Trust of India: From K J M Varma Beijing, Mar 9 (PTI) The 2016 US Presidential poll was a "farce" as it was fought with lies exposing hypocritical nature of the democracy in America where racial discrimination is "worsening", a Chinese report on Americas human rights record said today. In a tit-for-tat report on the US which every year releases human rights record of China and other countries, a Chinese official report today said money politics and power-for-money deals had controlled the presidential election between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton. advertisement Voter turnout and support rate reached new low, the report, The Human Rights Record of the United States in 2016 released here said. Only about 55 per cent of voting age citizens cast ballots in the 2016 election, lowest in 20 years, the report said, adding that a growing number of Americans were disappointed or even angry about the election. It was the most expensive election ever and Americans running for federal offices spent about USD 6.8 billion, more than what consumers spend on cereal, it said. The US poses once again as "the judge of human rights", the report said. "Wielding the baton of human rights, it pointed fingers and cast the blame on the human rights situation in many countries while paying no attention to its own terrible human rights problems. "With the gunshots lingering in peoples ears behind the Statue of Liberty, worsening racial discrimination and the election farce dominated by money politics, the self- proclaimed human rights defender has exposed its human rights myth with its own deeds," it said. "In 2016, money politics and power-for-money deals controlled the presidential election, which was full of lies and farces. There were no guarantees of political rights," the report said. Racial relations in the US continued to deteriorate in 2016, the report said, adding that there were repeated incidents of African-Americans being shot by white police. Racial discrimination heavily influenced law enforcement and justice fields and there were systematic gaps between minority races and white people in employment and income, the report said. A total of 69 per cent of respondents in a poll said race relations in the US were generally bad. Six in 10 Americans said race relations were growing worse, up from 38 per cent a year ago, it said. MORE PTI KJV CPS AKJ CPS --- ENDS --- 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. By Piya Hingorani: He burst into the Bollywood scene with Love Sex Aur Dhokha back in 2010, as Rajkumar Yadav, and became one of the most promising actors who could mould himself into any role that was given to him. He could play the sidekick to Aamir Khan in Talaash: The Answer Lies Within and get noticed or even steal the show as the coy Govind Patel in Kai Po Che! advertisement Filmmaker Hansal Mehta collaborated with Rajkummar Rao in a series of author-backed roles in films like CityLights (2014) and Aligarh (2016), which garnered immense critical acclaim. Their association got both, Mehta and Rajkummar, National Award wins for Shahid (2013), a film inspired on the life of Human Rights Activist Shahid Azmi who was assassinated in 2010, in the best director and best actor category respectively. After a hiatus of over a year (his last film to hit screens was Aligarh, in February 2016), the powerhouse of acting talent, Rajkummar Rao, suddenly has a rush of releases in 2017, starting with Trapped this month, Behen Hogi Teri in May and Bareilly Ki Barfi in July. There is also Newton, which was premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in February and might be released this year, as most likely will the recently completed Omerta, directed by Hansal Mehta. "It was my fixed deposit that suddenly I've just broken! I was just shooting for these films the whole of last year and not doing anything else. I was shooting for a film, took some days off... And then moved on to another project. That's how it happened and it's just a co-incidence that they are all coming out almost at the same time. Exciting times! I'm so happy, they're all very different films and genres," confessed Rajkummar speaking exclusively to India Today. The 30-year-old actor is currently gearing up for his upcoming release Trapped, directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, a film that solely lies on the shoulders of Rao, which admittedly is a rare opportunity for this hero, "It wasn't daunting, it was an experience in itself. I had a great time, I thoroughly enjoyed this experience. I don't know when I'll ever get a chance to be all alone in a film." More often that not, Rao has portrayed ordinary men struggling with extraordinary situations, and his next, Trapped is no different. It revolves around a man, Shaurya, who gets stuck in an empty high rise without food, water or electricity. "Apart from making his background and character sketch, who is this guy, where is he coming from, how he can walk and talk, apart from that, the process was quite organic. We were exploring Shaurya's journey, while making this film, like he's stuck in an apartment, and there's no food water or electricity, so we can't really think and plan in advance, how he would look or how his body will react after 10 days, with no food. As an actor I had to go through that experience, so I thought of not eating and actually not drinking water, so we can achieve that truth. That was my responsibility, as an actor towards my job," the actor said. advertisement Trapped, which has received critical acclaim in many film festivals, is all set for a March 17 release. ALSO READ: Rajkummar Rao-starrer Newton wins Art Cinema honour at Berlinale ALSO WATCH: Hansal Mehta directs Rajkummar Rao in his next --- ENDS --- The following companies are subsidiares of Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft: ABFS I Incorporated, ABS MB Ltd., Alex. Brown Financial Services Incorporated, Alex. 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Read More Vesuvius plc provides engineering services and solutions principally to steel and foundry industries worldwide. It operates in two divisions, Steel and Foundry. The company offers foundry consumables and equipment, including binders, coatings, feeding systems, filtration and gating systems, melt shop refractories, metallurgical and pouring control systems, die dressings and coatings, melt treatment products, crucibles, and ceramics for the iron, steel, and nonferrous foundries. It also provides nonferrous metals, such as primary and secondary aluminum, copper, and other metals and alloys; cement and lime solutions, iron ore pelletizing and calcination products, and grains and powders; and process heaters, FCC units, hydrogen reformers, boilers, coke calciners, and thermal oxidizers, as well as sulphur, ethylene, and ammonia plants. In addition, the company offers solutions for power generation and incineration; glass products comprising artistic, display, float, hollow, and optical glass; glass tempering, and reheat and forming products; and solutions for solar multicrystal silicon ingots, thin film and cell processing, and feedstock. Further, it provides solutions for blast furnace stack repair; taphole clay, iron and slang runner, sampler and temperature, tilting runner, and torpedo ladle solutions; iron ladle solutions; lining, taphole system, bath agitation and tuyere system, electric arc furnace and BOF maintenance, and metallurgical sensor solutions; and ladle, ladle to tundish, and tundish solutions, as well as tundish to mold solutions for conventional slab, thin and slim slab, beam blank, flow control valve bloom or billet, and calibrated nozzle billet casters. Additionally, the company offers ingot casting solutions; and reheat furnace, steel hot forming, galvanized steel, and electrical and stainless-steel solutions. Vesuvius plc was founded in 1916 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Saifullah's father Mohammed Sartaj had yesterday refused to accept his body, saying what his son did was "not in the country's interest By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: Mohammad Sartaj, father of terror suspect Saifullah who was killed in an encounter in Lucknow, has made a remarkable gesture by disowning his son, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said in Parliament today. "The government is proud of Mohammed Sartaj. I express sympathy for the father and I am sure the House joins me," Rajnath said in Lok Sabha while briefing the House over the Tuesday's Lucknow terror encounter. The minister said that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will be probing the Lucknow encounter. advertisement Saifullah's father had yesterday refused to accept his body, saying what his son did was "not in the country's interest". "We will not accept the body of an anti-national," he had said. All possible efforts were made by police to dissuade Saifullah but sources said he was adamant despite his family's intervention. When Saifullah did not surrender despite persuasion by police, a meeting took place between top officers of the Uttar Pradesh Police to chalk out a strategy to discourage him from resisting security forces. Police by then had managed to identify Saifullah's relatives and decided to rope them in to talk him into surrendering. Senior police officers opened channels of communication and made his Kanpur-based brother Khalid speak to him for at least one hour. Saifullah, however, was not receptive; rather he was hostile and did not respond. He was "screaming that he wanted to die". BJP SHOULD STOP POLITICS OVER LUCKNOW ENCOUNTER: OWAISI Talking to India Today, AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi slammed the BJP and RSS, saying they should stop politicising the Lucknow encounter. "The RSS doesn't need more proof of patriotism from a father who refused to take the son's body because he was terrorist. But can the BJP stop doing politics over the issue," Owaisi said. Watch the complete video here ALSO READ: Lucknow encounter: Father of suspected ISIS terrorist says won't accept body of an anti-national Lucknow siege: How 4 states - UP, Telangana, MP, Kerala - worked together to bust ISIS Khurasan module Lucknow encounter: Home grown ISIS Khorasan module was planning big strike. All you need to know --- ENDS --- Art professor paints beautiful mess open to interpretation Artist's work Nicole Santiago, William & Mary associate professor of art and art history, encourages the viewer to look deeper into her narrative paintings on domestic themes. Photo by Stephen Salpukas Artist's work Nicole Santiago, William & Mary associate professor of art and art history, uses an array of props in her studio as she's working on her narrative paintings along domestic themes. Photo by Stephen Salpukas Photo - of - Hide Caption Nicole Santiago encourages the viewer to look deeper into her paintings, past the initial impression and into the larger possible messages. Her works on domestic themes show colorful images of children and celebratory cakes, supervising adults and sleeping babies. But the William & Mary associate professor of art and art history has bigger intentions for her narrative works. I want to defy the stillness of the painting, to portray a layered narrative where the residues of the past and suggestions of the future swirl around the present, creating a kind of thick time, Santiago said. What I mean by thick time is that if you, the viewer, choose to peel back the layers of my visual narratives, theres more than just the immediate moment shown. Theres a before and after. For example, the initial image of a woman with a birthday cake reveals its shaped more like a wedding cake. The candle flames are very intense, and theyre overlapping a map hanging behind them. Certainly, the ambiguous gaze she directs at the cake could mirror her internal uncertainty concerning marriage, Santiago said, adding that the protagonists unclear actions with a doll she is either taking out or putting into a gift bag might allude to her ambivalent feelings about motherhood. It is also not by accident that the flaming candles atop the cake visually align with the map in the background, perhaps suggesting the derailment of her current trajectory and former self. Placed in the foreground at the young womans feet is a gift bag, open and ready to reveal its contents. All of these elements are placed as props to coax the viewer to interpret the narrative according to his or her own life history and experiences. Solo shows in New York at First Street Gallery, where she is a co-op member, and Shoestring Studios the first half of this year will showcase her paintings. They are her first solo exhibitions in New York since 2013. {{youtube:medium:right|k3Ndi5Yhr8c, In the studio: Painting through life}} A life of their own Santiago was painting children before she had them because she wanted them, although she said she isnt sure she was completely aware of that at the time. "I mean I knew I wanted children, but mostly thought I was making them as an allegory to the painting process, Santiago said. During that time, children began to appear in my dreams. In the dreams, I would often be designated by an unknown force to rescue a severely neglected child from danger, but I could never get there in time. One night I did arrive in time. I picked up the swaddled baby and peered down at the small bundle. The baby was not a baby at all. It was a tube of paint. She goes on to describe squeezing the tube and seeing burnt sienna oozing onto the ground, connecting that the neglected children in her dreams were her paintings. Beginning to consider her works as creations or children, she saw how they existed separate from their creator. I noticed that the more the painting progressed, the less of my will I could impose upon it, Santiago said. With the first few brush strokes I had complete freedom, they could go anywhere. But each successive mark turned the work into collaboration and a compromise between the painting and myself. As works matured, they told her how to help them toward completion. When she finished a painting and it left her studio, she felt a sense of loss and wanted to visit it like an old friend, she said. In my way of understanding the world, this is not much different from having children, in a way, she said. As the child grows, the parent decreasingly asserts his or her will, allowing the child to eventually make all the decisions in his or her life. This is what happens with a painting. Juggling act Now her two little ones have influenced her thinking and work along the continuum. The paintings at Shoestring mostly involve children and cakes. In the last decade I have experienced many of lifes common milestones: marriage, birth, etc. and have been thinking about how often food, most commonly cakes, are shared to celebrate these milestones, Santiago said. As a result, I began using cakes as a motif in my work, mostly in the guise of a birthday cake, to imply celebration, ritual, indulgence and decadence. That included her own marriage and some deaths and births, including the births of her own children. The idea carries over in the works at First Street, which feature the theme of parenthood with its chaos, messiness and exhaustion that she called a beautiful mess. She talked about how there are heavier societal pressures on mothers as compared to fathers, compounded by the expectations women put upon themselves. Working, parenting and housework all compete for time and attention. And you cant do it all, Santiago said. Can you have it all? No. Not all at once because something has to give. Your health, time with your kids, your sleep, your work something has to give your house. And so there are all these balls up in the air, and you cant catch them all. When they fall you just have to decide which ones to catch and which ones to let fall. Right? She said that another reason she painted children before she had them was that she actually saw that as an allegory for the labor that goes into painting. Its a difficult task that sometimes includes frustration along with enjoyment. With paintings and children you have expectations of what they will look like when they are created or born, or how they will behave, Santiago said. But with both paintings and children, its always such surprise on how they actually turn out. It cant be predicted. Santiago teaches drawing at W&M, and said she does most of her painting when classes arent in session, though she tries to always be producing work. She said she feels really lucky to be walking into her space at Matoaka Studio each day, thankful for her job thats now in its 11th year, space to work and for her students. Theyre wonderful to teach, she said. Having her studio and office in one space adjacent to classrooms allows her to show them what shes working on. An unfinished work stood in the middle of the room, showing the view past a cell phone screen and down into a stroller where tiny feet poked out at the bottom. It came out of her thoughts about being distracted, seeing other parents absorbed in their phones and then catching herself doing it during a stroll with her son. But then these worlds are autobiographical, but not all the way, she said. Theres some element of fiction to all of them. There is no point criticising Ram Gopal Varma over his tweet about Sunny Leone or for that matter, anything he has ever said or written till date. The Sarkar 3 director operates in the fifth dimension. By Devarsi Ghosh: "If only acting talent is a measure for stardom, why wasn't Smita Patil bigger than Srideviji...the thunder thighs made the difference." "He (Rajinikanth) is a bad looker,doesn't have 6 packs ,short with a disproportionate body n knows just 2 nd half dance movements. Nowhere in world a man who looks like this can be SuperStar. (sic)" "Amitabh Bachchan, ur expression is so m**d*rc***iously b***nc**d that I challenge so called today's b*h**c**dious actors replicate even 1-%. (sic)" advertisement "Did Lord Ganesha have a paunch in his childhood too or did it develop in the recovery time of the elephant head operation?" "Megastar SRK becoming ordinary fan,dwarf etc is as big a same blunder as what Kamal Hasan did to lose his stardom to Rajnikant(Salman Khan). (sic)" "Mamooty should learn acting from his son. He is a junior artiste compared to his son. (sic)" "I wish all the women in the world give men as much happiness as Sunny Leone gives." The last statement Ram Gopal Varma made in a tweet brought the entire world angrily flinging those tired adjectives at him for the nth time: Shocking, Vile, Disgusting, Controversial, Sexist, Misogynist, Mad, Psychologically Imbalanced, so on and so forth. But here is the thing: Ram Gopal Varma does not care. You cannot shame him. You cannot censure him. You cannot censor him, of course. There is nothing you can do except for standing a corner and shaking your fist because he has offended you. Ram Gopal Varma operates in the fifth dimension. He is beyond our common understanding of good and evil, right and wrong, politically correct and incorrect. It does not mean that he has lost his marbles, clinically. If he did, kudos to his producers who keep investing in his work year after year. Think about this. Some of the top directors in our film industry get blacklisted after they deliver just one mega-flop. And yet here we are. RGV is releasing Sarkar 3 next month and even after countless commercial failures, even after the much-reviled Aag, he has managed to release a film every year. Every year! Sometimes, multiple films in a year in multiple languages. So, stepping aside from the entire holier-than-thou haranguing over the Sunny Leone tweet, let us admit for a second that there is absolutely no point or reason to write off Ram Gopal Varma as a filmmaker yet. Now, coming back to the point, Ram Gopal Varma's statements, opinions, tweets and of course, his super-entertaining book Guns and Thighs brings to mind that thing Friedrich Nietzsche wrote about morality. "There is no such thing as moral phenomena, but only a moral interpretation of phenomena," Nietzsche wrote in Beyond Good and Evil. advertisement Ram Gopal Varma, quite surely to the envy of many, is not caged by morality. He does not think twice before shooting off an opinion against anybody, be it Rajinikanth or Mammooty, Shah Rukh Khan or Amitabh Bachchan, Sridevi or Sunny Leone. He writes in glorious detail about his love for Sridevi's thighs in his book. In the opening page, he dedicates his book to pornstar Tori Black. He writes of his fondness for "sexy women" and gangsters without any inhibition or any control. That is what the man is. Society can go take a hike if it cannot handle him. What is absurd with people's criticism of Ram Gopal Varma is that the criticism is knee-jerk, shallow and lacking in intellectual depth. It is not adequately proportional to the madness of RGV. People are swayed by the rhetoric RGV uses and never scrutinises why he said what he said. That is because people are afraid to broach certain topics. When you put Rajinikanth or Lord Ganesha on a pedestal, or make Sunny Leone unworthy of respect, beyond any constructive criticism or even analysis, you are no bigger an intellectual or a liberal than RGV. advertisement In fact, you are worse. A blind, pedestrian, intellectually backward pleb. You can hate RGV as much as you want. It won't make a difference. To him. Or his value in the market of film-making and among actors; hell, Big B is working with him for the 7th time! He hasn't invested in liberal media's championing of certain artists like, say, an Aamir Khan or more recently, Taapsee Pannu has. In this way, he is very much like Kamal Haasan who has off late been splendid on Twitter. Regarding hate itself, in his book Guns and Thighs, Ram Gopal Varma writes, "When someone is up there and he deserves to be up there, try to learn from what he has achieved. If you think he doesn't deserve it, still try to learn from what he has achieved and add your own capability to it, as it might result in you climbing higher than him. To cut a long story short, I feel it's truly wasteful to expend your energy in hating someone." Bottomline is: Ram Gopal Varma has successfully made himself #trend. There is now a police complaint against him. So, all the more copy that will be written about RGV. And thus, Sarkar 3 gets footage and media-space. Set to release next month. advertisement RGV: 1. Moral police/outrage army: 0. (The writer tweets as @devarsighosh .) ALSO READ: I wish all women make men happy like Sunny Leone does, says Ram Gopal Varma ALSO READ: RGV gets in trouble over tweet on Sunny Leone on Women's Day ALSO READ: I was selfish with Urmila, RGV writes about his heroines and regrets WATCH: Ram Gopal Varma talks about cinema, his life and his book Guns and Thighs --- ENDS --- 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 BJP MLA Ram Kadam has threatened the director that he will not be allowed to shoot his films in Mumbai if he does not apologise for his controversial Women's Day tweet. By Kamlesh Damodar Sutar: The controversy surrounding Ram Gopal Varma's Women's Day tweet has now taken a political turn. After NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad threatened the director that he will face consequences if he does not apologise, BJP MLA Ram Kadam too has threatened the director, saying that his films will not be allowed to be shot in Mumbai. Kadam, who is also the President of the Film Studio Setting & Allied Mazdoor Union (FSSAMU), has threatened to stall Ramu's shoots in Mumbai. The union claims to have 52,000 members. "What kind of mentality does this man have? And he expects us not to react to his pervert statements? Our union will not allow the shooting of his films in Mumbai if he does not tender an apology," Kadam warned. advertisement The BJP leader also said that he will be urging his party's government to take strict legal action against the director. He also tweeted urging superstar Amitabh Bachchan to not work with Verma and condemn his statement. Earlier RGV was involved in a war of words on Twitter with NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad. When the politican threatened Ramu with dire consequences if he does not apologise, the director shared his address, challenging Awhad to do what he can. The NCP leader had said that they would not mind taking the law in their own hands. Speaking to India Today, Awhad said, "This man has a pervert mind. In the past, he has even made sick comments about Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Chandrashekhar ,PV Narasimha Rao. This is the land of Shivaji maharaj, we will not tolerate any disrespect to our mothers and sisters." Awhad's party colleagues went a step ahead with their reaction. NCP's MLC Vidya Chavan threatened to beat up the directors with chappals (footwear). "When he made those objectionabale comments about women at large, did he include his mother and sister in that? We will launch a Joota Maro agitation at his house to register our protest," she said. ALSO READ | International Women's Day: Ram Gopal Varma wishes all women to make men happy like Sunny Leone does OPINION | Guns, thighs and tweets: Why Ram Gopal Varma is beyond our understanding of good and evil ALSO WATCH | Ram Gopal Varma talks about cinema, his life and his book Guns and Thighs --- ENDS --- Human waste and factory runoff are both common sources for pollutants found within rivers, and rivers across the world are vulnerable to these pollutants. However, there are some rivers on the planet where these pollutants are found in greater quantity, sometimes reaching crisis. The Most Polluted Rivers In the World The Sarno River, Italy The Sarno River is located in Italy and stretches for 15 miles. It is a relatively short river, starting at Mt. Sarno and running downstream to the Bay of Naples. It has two main tributaries along its stretch, the Solofrana River and Cavaoila River. While The Sarno may be short, it is known as the most polluted river in Europe. The Sarno is relatively clean upstream where it supports fish and other small aquatic animals but this changes downstream where it joins its tributaries where the river start showing the increased level of pollutions through chemical foam easily seen at its surface. The chemical waste has been traced to have its origin from dumping of industrial and agricultural waste into the river. Citarum River, Indonesia The Citarum River is one of the largest rivers in Indonesia and stretches over 200 miles from its origin in the Wayang Mountains to its drainage in the Java Sea. The river is extremely important to the economy of Indonesia as it is used for the irrigation of thousands of acres of agriculture and is also used for hydroelectric power generation. However, the Citarum is also famously known as the most polluted river in the world. In the downstream areas of the river, trash and plastics are dumped in such large quantities that one cannot see the surface of the water. A major contributor to the toxic waste found within the river at former textile factories which were located along the riverbank. Lead, mercury, and arsenic have all been found within the river. The Ganges/Ganga River, India The Ganga River, also known as the Ganges, is the biggest and longest river in India. It is also an important religious site for Hindus. Running 1,569 miles from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal, the Ganga provides a lifeline for about 500 million people along its banks who are the largest number of people supported by a river anywhere in the world. However, this huge population has made the Ganges one of the most polluted rivers in the world. Increased dumping of human waste, as well as industrial waste, is noted as the most common form of pollution of the river. Effects of river pollution Pollution of rivers has profound implications on the aquatic life within the river as well as human beings who depend on the rivers. Some rivers such as the Citarum have seen their fish disappear completely, killed by a number of toxins dumped into the rivers while others such as the Ganges with their industrial pollutants saw the local people who ingest mercury-laden fish and adversely affecting their health. According to sources, the common emergency operation theatre at RML Hospital is in pathetic state and a gastrointestinal patient was given a surgery in torchlight on Monday. By Priyanka Sharma: The Capital's prestigious Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital had a 3 Idiots moment this week when doctors were forced to operate upon a patient under torchlight on a creaky table, sources told Mail Today. Experts say the incident at the state-run institute is emblematic of the rot in India's public health system that is responsible for some of the world's worst health indicators. advertisement According to sources, the common emergency operation theatre (OT) at RML Hospital is in pathetic state and "a gastrointestinal patient was given a surgery in torchlight this Monday when suddenly the focus light went off during the procedure, leaving the room pitch dark." OPERATING ON BROKEN TABLES In fact, the situation in the OT turned worse 24 hours later with a leg of the table breaking off. However, critical patients are still being operated on it. A doctor, requesting anonymity, said, "He was a gastrointestinal perforation patient and surgery could not be stopped as it could have led to a fatality." Another senior doctor told Mail Today, "Now, we are forced to perform operations over this broken table. RML authorities have turned a blind to this sensitive issue and are playing with the lives of already sick people with medical equipment in such pitiful conditions in the emergency OT." According to a report by consulting firm PwC India, the country's health system will need to add 3.6 million hospital beds, 3 million doctors and 6 million nurses over the next 20 years to meet the needs of the growing population. "Operation tables have to be adjustable as per the needs of a doctor. But for the past six months, this function of the operation table was not working. And it is broken too. Till Wednesday, we have operated on more than 10 emergency cases on a broken table, putting patients' lives at risk," informed a doctor. ONE OT SHARED BY 5 SPECIALITIES RML Hospital director Dr AK Gadpayle refused to comment. Dr Durga, OT-in charge at the institute, said, "I got to know about the broken operating table and damaged OT light today itself. We are working to fix the problem at the earliest." The hospital's common emergency OT conducts ENT, paediatric, gynaecology and plastic surgeries. Located on the first floor of the old emergency building, it was supposed to be shifted to the new building, but that has not happened yet. "Since the OT is used by five different specialties, there have been instances where doctors fight with each other to operate on their respective patients first. Moreover, most elective gynaecology cases are changed to emergency ones, which is unethical," said a doctor. advertisement ALSO READ | VIP chamber at RML hospital unused and overstaffed, as patients share beds in govt hospitals Doctors perform surgeries under cell phone light at Delhi's RML Hospital --- ENDS --- Iryna Nohai with Emlyn Karl Culverwell By: William Martin WorldWideWeirdNews.com A couple was arrested for having sex out of wedlock while in the United Arab Emirates. Iryna Nohai, 27, who is from Ukraine, and her finance, Emlyn Karl Culverwell, 29, who is from South America, met while they were working in the county. Two days after the couple was engaged, Nohai began having severe stomach pains. Culverwell took her to the Medeor Medical Centre in Yas Mall. There doctors realized that the woman was pregnant. They called police to report the couple, as having sex before marriage is a criminal offense in the United Arab Emirates. The couple has been detained at the hospital for not being able to provide a marriage certificate. Culverwells mother, Linda, said that Nohai said that the cramps could be a sign of a miscarriage. Both families are desperately trying to get the couple released. They also said that they are being denied access to their children. A church has reportedly offered to marry the couple, but a judge denied the request. Culverwell had been working in the UAE for five years as a water rescue operative at Yas Waterworld. He met Nohai in Abu Dhabi, where she worked as an administration officer. They couple has now been detained for over a month without being charged. Authorities are still investigating the case. They are waiting for the paternity results of the child and want to know how long the couple was sexually active. Their families are working on putting together enough money to hire lawyers in hopes of getting them released. A young man wanted to make a point about racism in the United States, but his plan backfired when he was exposed for a liar by police. 20-year-old Khalil Cavil of Texas was working at the Saltgrass Steak House in Odessa when he claimed he was discriminated against because of his Muslim name. Cavil took "I would humbly request our Delhi CM to come and speak with me directly, for all his grudges he has against me, instead of inciting other people against me," Robert Vadra wrote on his Facebook page. By India Today Web Desk: Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, has slammed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for consistently targeting him. Vadra, in a Facebook post, asked Kejriwal to speak to him directly instead of making baseless charges. "Robert Vadra seems to be the most referred name in the dictionary of Delhi CM. His remarks "Vadra will eat him alive" depict a strange obsession for me. I would humbly request our Delhi CM to come and speak with me directly, for all his grudges he has against me, instead of inciting other people against me. My best wishes to our Delhi CM, in all his endeavours," Vadra wrote. advertisement The businessman was referring to Kejriwal's statement in the Delhi Assembly a couple of days ago. "You can only arrest Satyendar Jain, not (Sheila) Dikshit. If the PM raises a finger against Robert Vadra, I'll be convinced he has a 56-inch chest...Vadra will eat him alive...He (Modi) is taking revenge on the people of Delhi for choosing us, and has been blocking our work, but we have done so much despite the hindrance," Kejriwal had said while delivering his vote of thanks speech to the Lieutenant Governor's address in the Assembly. WHY KEJRIWAL HAS BEEN TARGETING VADRA In 2012, Kejriwal had accused Vadra of being involved in a big land scam. He alleged that Vadra had purchased property worth crores of rupees on unsecured loans given by realty major DLF as quid pro quo for favours allegedly done to the company by Congress governments in Delhi, Rajasthan and Haryana. Kejriwal had alleged that property worth Rs 300 crore was given at throwaway prices by DLF to companies owned by Vadra with an unsecured interest free loan of Rs 65 crore from given by the realty firm. Both Vadra and DLF had then rubbished the charges. Watch the video here ALSO READ: Robert Vadra breaks his silence over Kejriwal's charges, says he can handle all negativity Robert Vadra was in regular touch with arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari: IB report Modi a PM, not emperor, Vadra's London home probe a conspiracy: Sonia Gandhi --- ENDS --- Activity Centre Plans For Former Wrexham Hotel Are Approved This article is old - Published: Thursday, Mar 9th, 2017 A former hotel in Wrexham is to be converted into a childrens activity centre after councillors gave the project the green light. Members of Wrexhams Planning Committee this week approved large-scale plans to convert the former Cross Lanes Hotel into an activity centre for children aged between 7 and 11. The change of use of the hotel was put forward by Robinwood Activity Centres, who operate three similar facilities across the country. Over 50 jobs are expected to be created locally when the centre opens in 2018. Speaking at this weeks meeting, Martin Vasey, managing director of Robinwood Activity Centres, explained that there is already a long waiting list for schools who want to book as the current centres are full. He said: The Cross Lanes Hotel closed due to ongoing loses over a six year period. As detailed in the reports provided it was losing 195,000 in the four years prior to closure, with loses rising each year. The community facility was lost due to the closure of the hotel prior to the Robinwood purchase. We offer a strong, alternative use for this site making a positive difference developing children whilst still enabling some community use. We look forward to being good neighbours for the Cross Lanes community, offering opportunities where we can for local children in particular to take part in activities we offer. One of the main concerns raised during the consultation process came from the local community council, who argued that the closure of Cross Lanes had resulted in the loss of meeting space for residents. As a result the community council called upon the developer to include an accessible hub within the centre, which locals could use on a regular basis. Mr Vasey explained that there would now be an opportunity for local community groups to book and access a room at the centre free of charge on Friday evenings. A room would also be available to pre-book for a fee on the weekend. However Cllr John Pritchard who represents the Marchwiel ward questioned if the change of use met with council policy and called for a room to be available seven days a week for community use. Cllr Pritchard said: The question was raised during the consultation if the company were able to provide a meeting place for local residents. The answer to this was it would be able to provide facilities within the activities that take place within the centre, and this would be available to local groups mainly on a Friday evening for only two hours if it was booked previously. My main concerns are this proposal does not comply with policy S9. What is the use of the council having this policy if it is not adhered to? It does state in policy S9 that the loss of local facility could have a detrimental effect to local residents quality of life and create a need to travel to facilities further afield. This certainly applies to the village of Cross Lanes. Since the consultation for those proposals, the public transport facility has become non-existent. He concluded: All Iam asking on behalf of the community of Cross Lanes is the planning committee adopt policy S9 and the company provide a small room where local people of all ages can meet and be available to use seven days a week. I can only support this proposal if this is adhered to. Planning Officer David Williams noted that the S9 Policy looks to protect existing community facilities in the area and that the applicants have had to go through a process to show that all attempts have been made to sell or let the business over a 12 month period . The change of use was supported by the majority of councillors who voted in favour the application with Cllr Pritchard abstaining from the vote. Car Destroyed in Arson Attack in Caia Park This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Mar 7th, 2017 Emergency services were called to a vehicle fire at The Dunks in Caia Park just before midnight. North Wales Fire and Rescue Service were called to the fire at 11:45pm, with one crew from Wrexham attending the scene. One hose reel jet was used to extinguish the blaze which left the vehicle with 100% fire damage. A spokesperson for North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said the cause of fire is thought the be deliberate ignition. PC Hough took the above picture and tweeted: Another arson Please help us put an end to these, this one on the Dunks, any witnesses please call 101. Just over an hour later one fire crew from Wrexham was called to a wheelie bin fire on Bryn Hafod, Caia Park. The cause of fire was deliberate ignition. By Press Trust of India: Chandigarh, Mar 9 (PTI) Uproarious scenes were witnessed in the Haryana Assembly today forcing its adjournment thrice on issues including SYL canal and the alleged "land allotment" to yoga guru Ramdevs Patajali Yogpeeth by the BJP-led state government. Din also prevailed in the House after legislators of the main opposition party INLD targeted Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala alleging his partys anti-Haryana stance on the Satluj-Yamuna Link canal issue before they were suspended by the Speaker. advertisement During the Question Hour, things took an ugly turn soon after Toursim Minister Ram Bilas Sharma replied to a question raised by BJP MLA Latika Sharma who sought to know if the government had any proposal to develop Morni area in her constituency Kalka into a tourist spot. The BJP and the Congress members indulged in heated exchange after Congress leader Karan Singh Dalal alleged the government was giving land to Ramdevs Patanjali Yogpeeth for development of a herbal forest at Morni in Panchkula "without following" due procedures. Dalal claimed that Ramdev, who was appointed as brand ambassador by the Manohar Lal Khattar government for promotion of Yoga and Ayurveda, was being extended "undue benefit" by the present regime and costly land in Morni had "been doled out to him". Health Minister Anil Vij clarified that no land had been transferred to Patanjali Yogpeeth and only an MoU with Patanjali Anusandhan Sansthan Divya Yog Mandir Trust, Haridwar, was signed for developing World Herbal Forest in Morni. Vij said Ramdev will neither take any financial or commercial benefit from this project, nor would he have right of ownership of the land, to which a Congress member quipped, "Seth Ramdev kaho (call him Seth Ramdev)". However, Dalal questioned Vijs locus standi in answering the question, with the minister hitting back in an angry tone and asking the Congress member to take his seat. Dissatisfied with the reply of the ministers, the Congress MLAs started to walk out of the House when state Cooperation Minister Manish Grover passed some remarks, which infuriated them. The BJP members pointed out that Congress MLA Kuldeep Sharma had used similar words for Vij in the House earlier, but Sharma said he had already expressed regret. The Congress legislators rushed to the Well of the House on three occasions in protest, asking the Speaker to tell Grover to tender an apology. "His (Grovers) remarks are also an insult to the two senior woman legislators of the Congress -- Geeta Bhukkal and Shakuntala Khatak, both of whom belong to the Dalit community," Surjewala said, demanding an apology from Grover. advertisement However, the BJP members attacked Surjewala and the other Congress MLAs who were present, claiming they were misleading the House. (MORE) PTI SUN KIS ZMN KIS --- ENDS --- General Motors sale of its Opel-Vauxhall division to French-based PSA Peugeot-Citroen will end nearly 90 years of GM production in Europe. The move is part of a restructuring of the global auto industry that threatens the jobs and livelihoods of tens of thousands of workers around the world. The spin-off is a further retrenchment by the once iconic symbol of American capitalism, which has shut down 20 plants in the US and nearly a dozen more in Europe, Latin America and Australia since the 2008 global economic crisis. It takes place under conditions of an international economic slowdown, a rise in protectionist trade policies, and an intensified struggle for markets and profits. These conditions will only be compounded by the entry of Chinese auto makers onto the world market. GM executives long complained that Opel-Vauxhall was a drain on the firms profitability because it could not close plants and carry out mass layoffs with impunity at its European subsidiaries as it could in the US. The company, which made $9.4 billion in 2016 profits, wants to concentrate on its highly lucrative North American operations along with the expansion of its operations in China. In a conference call with investors Monday morning, GM Chief Executive Mary Barra said that selling off the division would free up $2.3 billion to accelerate the companys $14 billion stock buyback program. GM stock fell slightly after the announcement, however, as Wall Street signaled dissatisfaction that the company was spending more on covering its retirement liabilities to Opels 18,500 workers in Germany than it was allocating to boost the share repurchase program. The sale, however, has been greeted with general approval by the representatives of finance capital. We believe a sale of GM Europe would represent the next logical step in GMs strategy to be the best rather than the biggest, properly focused on return on capital and return of capitalon investing in the business where appropriate and not investing where not appropriate. GM is no longer focused on being the worlds largest automaker, but on being the best," said Ryan Brinkman, an analyst for JPMorgan. This sums up the immense decay of American capitalism, concentrated in the gutting of its industrial base and growth of financial parasitism, which is a central feature of GMs withdrawal from Europe. The jobs and living standards of thousands more workersin the US, Britain, France and Germanyare to be sacrificed to satisfy the limitless greed of Wall Street speculators, banks and hedge funds. March 3 was the last day of work for 1,300 hourly employees at the GM Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant after the company cancelled the second shift. On Monday, the same day Barra was promising shareholders a 20 percent return on their investments, GM announced it was phasing out the third shift at its Lansing-Delta Township Assembly Plant, eliminating another 1,100 workers by mid-May. This brings to 4,400 the number of US job cuts announced by GM since December. These cuts were facilitated by the UAW, which has a 9.4 percent ownership stake in GM and a seat on the board of directors. The union rammed through a national concessions contract in 2015 that doubles the percentage of temporary workers in the factories and allows the company to pressure full-time workers on indefinite layoff to reapply for their jobs as temps, with no transfer rights, profit-sharing or supplemental unemployment pay. GM Canada has also announced new job cuts. It is eliminating 600 jobs at its CAMI plant in Ingersoll, Ontario in a shot across the bow to 2,800 workers whose labor agreement expires in September. The takeover of Opel-Vauxhall by the PSA Group is expected to lead to more plant closings and layoffs in France, the United Kingdom and Germany. It is difficult to see how PSAs takeover of Opel, which would create the second-largest carmaker in Europe after Volkswagen, could succeed without major job cuts and, probably, shutting some factories, the New York Times wrote Tuesday. Opel has not been profitable since the 1990s, and both companies have more factories than they need. I would expect job cuts, Professor Christian Stadler of Warwick Business School told the Telegraph. PSA has done it before and there is no other way to realistically achieve the cost savings they have in mind, which might possibly mean plant closures as well. Analysts say Britains exit from the European Union and difficulties closing plants in Germany make it likely that the 4,500 workers at the Vauxhall plants in Ellesmere Port, Luton and Toddington and the thousands more in supplier plants are most in danger. PSA Chairman Carlos Tavares is known as a brutal downsizer. After a state-backed bailout and Chinese investment kept PSA out of bankruptcy in 2013-14, he oversaw a cost-cutting plan that included a pay freeze, the shutdown of a plant in the Paris suburb of Aulnay-sous-Bois, and the wiping out of nearly 10 percent of the companys workforce in France. Tavares assurances that the PSA has no plans to close plants or tear up current labor agreements, which have been dutifully repeated by union officials, are worthless. In a thinly veiled threat Monday, he said workers had the power in their own hands to determine whether the Opel and Vauxhall plants would operate profitably within the next two years. The best way to turn the company into a European car champion, Tavares once said, was to have the unions and governments on your side. Like the UAW in the United States, IG Metall in Germany, the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) in France and Unite in the UK have collaborated with the transnational corporations to force workers in different countries and in different factories within the same country into a fratricidal struggle to save their jobs by accepting one concession after another. At the same time, the unions have demanded that their respective governments outdo their foreign counterparts in offering tax cuts and other subsidies to lure investment. It cannot be that the future of UK car workers jobs now lies in the hands of the French government and their backing for Peugeot, Unite chief Len McCluskey declared last month. The UK government has to offer at least equal but actually better backing for UK workers. After a meeting between Tavares and 100 Unite shop stewards, McCluskey claimed, He [Tavares] talked in terms of not being here to shut plants. Thats not his nature. The union leader said there were still a lot of issues to discuss, however, including pension cuts. In Germany, the chair of the Opel Central Works Council, Wolfgang Schafer-Klug, and IG Metall union leader Jorg Hofmann praised the new management, stating, We were able to ensure that the existing comprehensive corporate co-determination remains fully intact after the sale. While co-determination guarantees the income of union executives, what it means for workers has been aptly demonstrated by IG Metalls collaboration in the shutdown of Opel plants in Antwerp, Belgium and Bochum, Germany, and its decades-long collusion with VW. The outcome of the pro-capitalist and nationalist program of the unions will be new and more devastating wage and benefit cuts and job losses. But it goes beyond that. The unions are marching lock-step with their own ruling class in advocating the most reactionary forms of economic nationalism, trade war and preparation for world war. Only days before GM announced the sale of its European subsidiaries, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka declared his enthusiastic support for the America First trade war policy of the Trump administration, whose slogan is buy American, hire American. He was preceded in welcoming Trumps xenophobic policy of pitting US workers against their class brothers and sisters in other countries by UAW President Dennis Williams, who offered to collaborate with Trump and declared that the UAW was reviving its buy American campaign. The only viable response to the globally coordinated attack on autoworkers is the forging of a united struggle of autoworkers internationally in defense of jobs and living standards. This means a rejection of all forms of nationalism, whether in the form of America First, Britain First or Germany First. Time and time again, economic nationalism has proven to be the snake oil used by corporations, governments and unions to demand ever greater sacrifices from workers and prepare for trade war and shooting war. Autoworkers everywhere, whether in the US, Canada, Mexico, South America, Europe, Asia or Africa, must unite their struggles. New organizations, independent of the corporate-controlled unions and democratically controlled by the rank-and-file workers themselves, must be built to wage an industrial counter-offensive by the working class. The coming struggles must be guided by a new political strategy based on the fight for international socialism. The enormous advances in technology, from robotics to 3-D printing, and the world division of labor must be marshaled in a rational and planned manner, and on an international scale, to provide affordable and safe transportation for all and a secure livelihood for workers. This means transforming the global auto industry into a publicly owned enterprise so that society, not a parasitic financial aristocracy, benefits from the wealth created by the collective labor of the working class. This is the third of a series of articles on the recent Berlin international film festival, the Berlinale, held February 9-18, 2017. The first part was posted March 2 and the second on March 4. A good number of the German films at this years Berlinale portrayed people struggling through life within a narrowly defined personal framework. There was a general sense of discontent in the various films with the painful routine of everyday life, but the world outside was presented sketchily, if at all, and tended to reinforce the individuals feelings of isolation and abandonment. The dramatic developments of the past several yearsthe accelerating break-up of the European Union, the return of nationalism, military re-armament and moves towards an authoritarian statewere evidently not high on the German filmmakers agenda. The social alternatives on offer frequently took the form of some sort of utopia, or a retreat from politics into art. This was especially the case with the documentary Beuysdealing with the German artist Joseph Beuys, by director Andres Veiel. Veiel has made a number of interesting works in the past dealing with contemporary issues, such as the terrorism of the Red Army Faction (RAF, also known as the Baader-Meinhof group) in Black Box BRD (2001) and the extreme right in Der Kick (2006). Now he has turned his attention to the action artist and anthroposophist Beuys (1921-86), who vehemently rejected socialism and class criteria in favour of a theory that supposedly went beyond capitalism and communism. Beuys last political stop before his death was the Green Party. Veiels film will be discussed in more detail when it is released for general distribution. Volker Schlondorff (born 1939) has been one of Germanys leading filmmakers for decades. He was one of the most prominent figures, along with R.W. Fassbinder, Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders and his former wife, Margarethe von Trotta, of the New German Cinema movement of the late 1960s. Schlondorff has directed a number of serious films, including Young Torless (1966), The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum (1975), Coup de Grace (1976), The Tin Drum (1979) and The Legend of Rita (2000). His latest film, Return to Montauk, inspired by themes from Max Frischs novel, Montauk (1975), which was based in turn on the Swiss authors 1974 book-signing tour of the US, has little in common with these powerful earlier efforts. The aging Berlin writer Max Zorn (Stellan Skarsgard) draws a sober balance sheet of his life. In many respects he has lived like a leaf in the wind. He is stricken with remorse when he encounters a former flame, Rebecca (Nina Hoss), during a reading in an uptown New York bookshop. She, too, is a leaf, drifting along, having made a career first as a lawyer, then as a prosecutor in the US following the collapse of East Germany (GDR). She moved swiftly up the social ladder and became wealthy through defending corporations. In front of journalists, the former leftist, Max, who has gone on to support the right-wing Angela Merkel, and then the Green Party, brags about his political history. He offers glib responses to the European crisis, such as the spirit of Europe will survive. Schlondorff has evidently incorporated some of his own biography in the film. A longtime left member of the social democratic SPD, he supported the election of Merkel (Christian Democratic Union) in 2005 and 2009. For Max, life is in flux and largely driven by negative emotions. The same volatility is embodied in the dream-like presence of Rebecca, the spirit from a past that cannot be recovered. According to Max, in the words of his new novel, life is defined by what you did that you regret and what you did not do that you also regret. The things that come between do not matter. The realization of what he has lost hurts Max, but also presents him with a final opportunity. He wants to do all he can to ensure his present wife does not suffer the injury he once inflicted on Rebecca with his shallow love. The name of the main character, Max Zorn (Zorn is German for anger), suggests that Schlondorff, once a leading representative of an angry generation of young German filmmakers, is making a certain personal reckoning. It is difficult to sympathise with the two main characters who take centre stage throughout the film. The only German film about the disastrous refugee crisis on offer at the recent festival was the 30-minute Mikel by film school graduate Cavo Kernich, dealing with a Nigerian refugee stranded in Berlin. Twenty-year-old Mikel (Jonathan Aikins) is a so-called illegal. He survives on the miserable wages he makes as an unregistered worker for a small construction company that renovates run-down flats. Mikel himself is homeless and sleeps in the apartments he renovates with his fellow African, Jonathan (Para Kiala). Mikel is completely dependent on his boss, Norbert (Frank Leo Schroder), who promises to provide him with the documents necessary for him to stay in Germany. But the promised papers never arrive. The impact of Mikel comes from its sober and unpretentious narrative. This may well be due in part to the influence of writer-director Thomas Arslan, one of Kernichs lecturers. (Kernich was also an assistant on Arslans competition film Helle Nachte [Bright Nights].) One scene in the film stands out in particular. Expecting to find one of the renovated apartments empty, Mikel intrudes on a meeting between landlord and prospective tenants. The latter, well-to do Berliners, gaze in amazement at the interloper. The scene speaks volumes about Mikels dilemma. At a certain point in the film one of the characters observes, You are still at sea. Will Mikel sink or swim in Berlin? Outside he hears raised voicesa demonstration against high rents. The protest is evidently small and what does it have to do with his hopeless situation? In the end, he no longer goes to workhe cant tolerate any more of the degrading slavery. He buys a postcard to re-establish contact with his family in Nigeria, which he left with high hopes for (and big illusions in) Europe. Arslans own film at the festival, Bright Nights, was a disappointment. A leading representative of the so-called Berlin School, the director has more recently focused on genre films, which seek to strip away genre-type myths. In his attempts at a Western, Gold (2013), and his thriller, In the Shadows (2010), Arslan stressed the banality and mechanics of everyday life for characters whose lives are often romanticised. His latest film features a man (Georg Friedrich) who travels by car through the vastness of Norway with his son, Luis (Tristan Gobel), who has grown up with his divorced mother. The conflicts between the pair often find expression in tortured silence. The imposing landscape is the main protagonist in Bright Nights. Compared to this vista, the film seems to say, what is humanity with its petty and ever recurring emotional problems? The German-Austrian film, The Best of All Worlds, by Adrian Goiginger, who also wrote the screenplay, legitimately took the prize in the New German Cinema section. Goigingers work explores the world of seven-year-old Adrian (Jeremy Miliker). His young mother, Helga (Verena Altenberger), works during the day in a Salzburg snack bar. She loves her son very much, is full of warmth and generally reveals a feeling for fantasy and pedagogical skill in dealing with children. Everything would be fine were it not for her friends and acquaintances, and especially her boyfriend, who are all on drugs and always around. Adrian tries to distract his mother with fairy tales to create some sort of normality. The addicts become a group of rebels. A magic potion helps them fight evil. The mother strictly separates the magic potion she takes with the other adults from the one she gives to Adrian. But the pull of heroin is unrelenting. When the atheistic mother feels herself deserted by everything and everyone around her, including government institutions that only exert more pressure, she turns to God. She finds the strength to enter a religious anti-drug project and eventually breaks the habittogether with her friend. The director (born in Salzburg in 1991) impressively portrays the dynamics of a community living on the edge. He is describing his own childhood. To be continued We are witnessing the final political and moral collapse of Jeremy Corbyns leadership of the Labour Party. On February 27, Shadow Chancellor John MacDonnell wrote on the Labour Briefing website of a soft coup being mounted by an alliance between elements in the Labour Party and the Murdoch media empire. He went on to say that their objective is to ensure Jeremy trails in the polls and cant win elections. In this way they can destroy morale among party members and their confidence in him. McDonnells remarks were hardly controversial. He was only confirming what everyone knows: that efforts to remove Corbyn, which provoked last years leadership contest, are continuing. The focus of moves against Corbyn was the run-up to February 23 by-elections in Copeland and Stoke on Trent. Just days before the vote, Peter Mandelson, co-architect of the New Labour project alongside former party leader Tony Blair, told an event organised by the Jewish Chronicle that he works every single day to bring an end to his (Corbyns) tenure in office. Blair, a vociferous supporter of Britains membership of the European Union, declared earlier that Corbyn facilitated Brexit by not opposing the triggering of Article 50. He urged those in favour of EU membership to rise up and fight Brexit at any cost, adding, The debilitation of the Labour Party is the facilitator of Brexit. After having denounced Blair and Mandelson for sabotaging Labours election campaign in Copeland, leading to a victory for the Tory Party, McDonnell went into sharp reverse. On March 2, he said he was holding out hands to Mandelson and wanted a constructive relationship. He continued, I will be inviting him to come and have a cup of tea and discuss issues around common concern. This would be part of a dialogue with Progress, a Blairite think tank. Three days later, McDonnell, appearing on Sundays Andrew Marr Show, extended the hand of friendship to Blair himself. When the host asked if Blair as well as Mandelson was welcome to a cup of tea, McDonnell replied, Of course, I'm willing to talk to anybody, we need advice from everybody. I'm happy to go along and talk to Progress at any stage as well. He added, We have got to unite the party to provide an effective opposition, so we can then form a government. I think Tony Blair, Peter Mandelson and myself, Jeremy Corbyn realise the responsibility on our shoulders and were going to bear that and work together to do that. In an accompanying article in Sundays Mirror, McDonnell wrote, in an act of self-denigration, Let us drink tea, not make war. Corbyn has distinguished himself from McDonnell only by remaining silent throughout the latest efforts to remove him. Instead, at a conference of the Scottish Labour Party following the Copeland defeat, he meekly declared, We need to remain united. Last Saturday, Corbyn had the opportunity to address a rally of up to 250,000 people in London called to oppose the destruction of the National Health Service. Corbyn, the vicar of Islington, made allusions to the Parable of the Good Samaritan with regard to the need to defend the NHS. But not one word of criticism was directed against the Labour governments of Blair and Gordon Brown, whose embrace of the internal market and the Private Finance Initiative did so much to advance the free-market agenda, paving the way for the Tory assault. Nor was there any call for a struggle against their co-thinkers in todays Labour Party. Corbyn didnt attend a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party Monday night, where McDonnell, on his behalf, reportedly showed contrition when questioned by various Blairite MPs about his earlier accusations of a soft coup. He made a point of praising the work of former shadow ministers Rachel Reeves, Caroline Flint and Angela Eagle, coup plotters all. What the Tories fear most is a united Labour Party, he declared. That same night, his spokesman told the Labourlist website that he had already approached Mandelson: I wont give out any details, but, yes, we have begun our tea offensive. So complete is the prostration of Corbyn and McDonnell that columnist Daniel Finkelstein in Murdochs Times was able to comment, If hes going to go down, for goodness sake go down fighting. I mean, this? This is pathetic. Corbyn was elected Labour leader in September 2015 after defeating three challengers, including a rout of the most overt Blairite, Liz Kendall. As soon as he was in office, moves were initiated--backed by the UK and US intelligence agenciesto remove him. In the aftermath of the Brexit referendum, a leadership contest was provoked by a vote of no confidence in Corbyn by the overwhelming majority of Labour MPs, based on accusations that he was not sufficiently pro-war or pro-European Union. Corbyn defeated his challenger, Owen Smith, by an even greater margin than in his first victory. Hundreds of thousands had joined the party to support him because he was viewed as someone who would lead a struggle against the Blairites. Instead, Corbyn and McDonnell opposed every demand made by their supporters for the deselection of right-wing MPs and capitulated on every occasion to their opponents, including granting a free vote on war in Syria and on replacing the Trident nuclear weapons system, and instructing Labour councils to implement Tory austerity cuts. Now they offer unity discussions over tea and biscuits. Britains pseudo-left groups have played a politically criminal role in boosting Corbyns standing among workers and young people, portraying his election as proof that a fight was underway for the soul of the Labour Party. Today, the Socialist Party is warning somewhat belatedly that Corbyns latest backsliding poses the danger of a right-wing victory! For its part, the Socialist Workers Party channels the spirit of John Lennon, declaring, Mass revolts cant just be conjured up. But imagine if Labour had mobilised all its MPs and its vast membership on last Saturdays demonstration. Imagine if Labour councils refused to make cuts, or if constituency offices organised to support strikes. This conscious deception was opposed from the outset by the Socialist Equality Party. In its very first statement on Corbyns 2015 victory, the SEP warned of Labour: No one can seriously propose that this party--which, in its politics and organisation and the social composition of its apparatus, is Tory in all but name--can be transformed into an instrument of working class struggle. The British Labour Party did not begin with Blair. It is a bourgeois party of more than a centurys standing and a tried and tested instrument of British imperialism and its state machine. Whether led by Clement Attlee, James Callaghan or Jeremy Corbyn, its essence remains unaltered. Writing on Corbyns re-election in 2016, we explained, Corbyns overarching commitment to unity proves he is not an opponent of the Labour bureaucracy, but its last line of defence. His political role is a rebranding of Labour, which has become politically toxic as a result of its rightward lurch to overtly pro-business and pro-war policies. His aim is to prevent the emergence of a genuine struggle by workers and youth that would inevitably lead to a break with Labour. Last October, the SEPs Third National Congress endorsed a resolution, Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party: The strategic lessons. We urge all workers and youth to study this document. It provides an essential foundation for the development of a new socialist leadership in the British working class. Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party: The strategic lessons, published together with the other resolution passed at the SEP (UK) Congress, For a new socialist movement against militarism, austerity and war, can be purchased here. A record 700,000 DTE Energy customers are experiencing power outages in southeastern Michigan, including many in the city of Detroit, due to strong winds on Wednesday. The winds have also downed numerous power lines, resulting in tragic and deadly fires for some of the citys residents. On Detroits impoverished east side, at the blocks of Whittier and Greensboro, one fire in a building housing elderly and handicapped residents ended in five deaths. Four others were seriously injured. Ive never seen anything like it in my life, said Sarah Tobolski, who lives in an apartment unit across the street from the site of the tragedy. I called 911 back to back and it just rang and rang and rang. The next stoplight you see down the street, thats the fire department, she said, pointing a few blocks down Whittier. But it took them 17 minutes to get here. I timed it. I dont understand why. One main reason is that the budget for the fire department has been cut drastically prior to and in the aftermath of the Detroit bankruptcy, the largest municipal bankruptcy in the history of the US. The departments for the cities of Highland Park, Hamtramck and Detroit all now operate together. On days like Wednesday, with extreme weather conditions, units do not have the manpower to respond swiftly to each call. Residents of the complex jumped out of windows at the back of the building to escape the flames, witnesses told World Socialist Web Site reporters. The mayors office issued a public statement that urged residents to request assistance from the fire department only in the case of extreme emergencies. Due to high wind conditions, Communications Operations is experiencing an abnormally high volume of calls for service to 911, the department announced. It just stayed burning for hours and hours, Quintin Washington told the WSWS. It was mostly old people, people that couldnt see, things like that. I know there was a blind guy that lived there. The first time the firefighters went in there and came back out, it was at least 12 or 13 people still left up in there. I tried to tell them ahead of time. They pushed me back after I was trying to tell them that there were more people left up in there, Washington said. The police lady grabbed my arm and told me to back up, to mind my business, and I told her to get off me because there were more people left up in there. They heard me telling them. They said, We heard you, but then 20 minutes later they brought the dead people out. I saw the whole thing, said Sarah Tobolski. She was one of the first to call emergency services. I smelled it at first, and when I looked out the window and saw it, I called the fire department. Within five or six minutes, the whole top half of the building was up in flames. Ive lived here for six years, so I would see the people that lived there all the time, and they were all handicapped. After the fire calmed down, they dragged one man out, but you could tell he was dead. It brought tears to my eyes. Im out here every day, and I would see them all the time, and theyre all deaf, or in a wheelchair, they dont have families. I just dont understand how it took so long to get a response [from the fire department]. When the firefighters first showed up you could hear them saying that there was still more people inside. The chief was the one who went back in even after they radioed that there werent any more people inside, said Scott Tobolski, Sarahs brother. Last weekend two twin boys were shot at the liquor store next door, said Sarah. This whole area is out of control. The fire didnt have to go down like that. I dont understand why. Ive never seen anything like it in my life. A 42-year-old steelworker was killed Sunday morning in an accident at a rail-yard at the US Steel mill in Granite City, Illinois. According to the St. Louis Medical Examiners office, Timothy Dagon of Granite City, was pronounced dead at 12:31 p.m. Sunday at the St. Louis University Hospital, around two hours after the accident. The hospital has not yet released a cause of death. The incident is currently under investigation by the Granite City Police Department as well as the Illinois office of the US Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The plant has reported that it is working closely with the United Steelworkers Union during the investigation process. US Steel Corporate Communications Manager Erin DiPietro said, Yesterday [March 5] at approximately 10 a.m. local time, there was an incident at US Steels Granite City Works in the rail yard area of the plant that resulted in an employee fatality. The employees family has been notified. An investigation into the incident is underway, and we will work closely with the United Steelworkers and relevant government agencies throughout the process. We have also activated our Employee Assistance Program to offer their services to the employees family and coworkers. The Granite City plant was shut down in December 2015, but reopened after US Steel decided to bring back workers to operate its hot-strip mill. More than 200 steelworkers returned to work in the mill last month, after about 2,000 workers were laid off during the December 2015 plant shutdown. Dan Simmons, USW Local 1899 President, hailed the re-opening of the plant under dangerous conditions with a bare-bones staff, calling it good news and a step in the right direction. The plant was reopened following the settlement of a lawsuit filed by six steel companies alleging that seven countries were providing subsidies to steel by producers in violation of international trade rules and dumping the steel at cut rate prices in the US market. A call by the World Socialist Web Site to Simmons seeking more information on the cause Dagons death was not returned. According to the Belleville News Democrat, The death is at least the third since US Steel purchased Granite City Steel from National Steel out of bankruptcy in 2003. The first took place Feb. 3, 2005 when David M. Prengel, 46, was killed after being hit by a slow-moving train in the rail yard. The other was on Oct. 30, 2011 when Dennis C. Courtaway, 56, of Caseyville, was found at the top of a blast furnace. His death was ruled as a suicide. Although plant management is reportedly working closely with the union on the investigation of Dagons death, there is no mention of the death on the union locals Facebook page or website. In the past, collaboration between the steel companies and the USW have resulted in long delays and cover-ups, as was the case in the investigation of the death of steelworker Jonathan Arrizola in October 2016. Arrizola was an electrician at US Steels Gary Works and a USW member. He was electrocuted while performing maintenance on a crane at the mill just one and a half months after US Steel laid off all maintenance staff, replacing them with contract workers and forcing non-maintenance staff to take on the work left behind. The cause of his death, though reportedly under investigation by the union, was withheld until January 17, 2017, over three months after the accident. USW President Leo Gerard has enthusiastically supported Trumps America First nationalism and his efforts to repeal trade policies and withdraw the US from existing trade organizations, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement and the World Trade Organization (WTO). In an article published Wednesday on the website OurFuture.org titled Trumping the WTO for Fair Trade, Gerard wrote in support of Trumps decision to end US involvement in the WTO, the largest regulator of international trade. Such a measure would be sure to result in a trade war between the US and countries around the world, in the first place Mexico and China. While trade war policies would be implemented to fuel financial speculation and short-term gains for the rich, the international working class will be made to bear the burden of such policies through cuts to jobs, wages, and benefits, and lower standards of living and dangerous working conditions. The economic nationalism promoted by the unions as the savior of the American working class will in fact result in massive attacks on the living standards and health and safety of workers in the US and internationally. Through its support for Trumps America First program the USW is seeking to deepen its collaboration with the steel bosses in a struggle to increase the competitiveness of US industry by slashing costs and driving up productivity. This means an attempt to roll back every gain won by workers over the last 100 years. It means pitting American workers in a fratricidal struggle with their brothers and sisters overseas in a never-ending competition to reduce costs and drive up profits. The political support being given by the unions to the right-wing policies of the Trump administration will ensure that tragedies such as the deaths of Dagon and Arrizola will continue and accelerate. This is underscored by the drive by the Trump administration to eliminate job killing health and safety regulations. A precondition for the defense of health and safety and all the past gains of steelworkers is a break with the unions and their nationalist and pro-company program. One of the 8,761 internal CIA documents leaked by WikiLeaks on Tuesday reveals that the agencys Center for Cyber Intelligence has been exploring methods to hack into vehicle systems since at least 2014. As WikiLeaks noted in its release accompanying the documents, The purpose of such control is not specified, but it would permit the CIA to engage in nearly undetectable assassinations. While the anti-secrecy organization makes no specific charges in this regard, this information raises new troubling questions about the car crash that killed journalist Michael Hastings in June of 2013. Hastings, who was 33 when he died, was the Rolling Stone reporter who wrote an article in 2010 that led to the removal of General Stanley McChrystal from his post as ranking US commanding officer in Afghanistan. Hastings perished at around 4:30 a.m. after losing control of his car and crashing into a tree while traveling at about 100 mph. At the time of his death, Hastings was investigating another major figure within the Obama administrations military and intelligence apparatus, then-CIA Director John Brennan. At the time, police declared that there was no foul play involved in the accident. Before the accident, however, Hastings had informed his colleagues that he was under government surveillance. He also suspected that his own vehicle had been tampered with, having asked a neighbor to lend him a car. What the WikiLeaks documents show is that Hastings suspicions about his vehicle could very well have been justified. Meeting notes dated October 2014 show that the CIA has a division known as the Embedded Development Branch which lists potential mission areas, such as software and networking devices, as targets for hacking. One of the targets listed is vehicle systems (e.g., VSEP), likely referring to the embedded computer systems that play a major role in the operation of modern cars (though the acronym is not spelled out). Embedded systems are computers designed and built to solve only a few specific problems. They are not designed to take human input, but rather are a combination of hardware and software that is designed to do a specific task as a permanent part of a larger system, such as traffic lights, airplane controls or assembly lines in a factory. While in general the software of embedded systems is hard to change by design, the CIA memo indicates that gaining the ability to control many types of these computers is one of the goals of the agency. One piece of software in embedded systems specifically mentioned by the CIA memo is the operating system QNX, which the memo states is a big player in VSEP. Indeed, according to QNX Software Systems Limited, the software has been deployed in more than 50 million vehicles across at least 14 different brands, more than 50 percent of the market share of modern cars. While QNX is generally advertised as an infotainment systemregulating things such as Bluetooth connectivity, GPS, and musicit has been increasingly used to operate more critical systems of the car, such as the safety and navigation systems, which include things like power steering and acceleration. Thus, if a person or an agency were able to hack a car equipped with QNX, it is possible that they could force the car to crash by disabling brakes, causing uncontrolled acceleration and depriving a driver of steering. And since recovering software commands after the hardware has caught on fire is difficult at best, such hacks would be very hard to detect. Though there is not a clear indication that the CIA developed these tools beyond the potential for them to exist, one tool mentioned in the memo, Weeping Angel, has been developed and deployed. Weeping Angel is designed to infest smart TVs and transform them into microphones that covertly record nearby conversations and send what was said back to the CIA. No doubt other tools in the list of hacks wanted by the agency have also been developed. Moreover, if the CIA has developed the ability to hack the QNX operating system, it would give it control over more than just automobiles. In January, the company announced a new version of its software that is available for tasks that involve surgical robots, industrial controllers and high-speed trains, raising the potential for sabotage on an international scale. Going further, it would apparently also be possible for the CIA to attack a car (or a factory, or a train) and make it seem as if another country did it. Part of the WikiLeaks revelations include a program known as Umbrage, which is a library of cyberattack techniques developed in other countries, including Russia. If one of these is designed to attack embedded systems, or if the CIA can make it look as if their code was developed in another country, the next time that a journalist investigating the CIA dies in a car crash, it might be claimed that it was the Chinese or the Russians who did it. Press reports from around the United States document the stepped-up efforts of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), acting on the basis of the executive orders issued by President Trump, to deport longtime residents of the United States. In many cases, individuals have been targeted for no other purpose than to intimidate the immigrant community. Attorneys for Daniela Vargas, a young immigrant brought to the United States from Argentina when she was seven years old, have filed a petition in federal court charging that US immigration officers violated her First Amendment right to freedom of speech, targeting her for arrest after she spoke at a news conference in Jackson, Mississippi against the arrest of her father and brother. The Southern Poverty Law Center and the National Immigration Law Center joined with Vargass immigration attorneys to seek a writ of habeas corpus Monday in the US District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, the location of the ICE detention center where Vargas is being held. She was targeted for speaking out against the ICE enforcement actions in the Jackson area and for going public with her story, Michelle Lapointe, a senior staff attorney with the Southern Poverty Law Center, told the media. We want to send a message to ICE that they cannot behave in this manner that targets people for exercising their 1st Amendment rights. Vargas, 22, is one of several young immigrants seized by ICE who had been accepted under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, the temporary protection against deportation offered under an Obama administration executive order which new president Donald Trump has not rescinded. At the news conference March 1, Vargas said, Today my father and brother await deportation while I continue to fight this battle as a Dreamer to help contribute to this country which I feel is very much my country. Minutes later, she was stopped by ICE agents and arrested. The habeas corpus petition filed Monday night argues, The arrest, detention, and imminent deportation that Ms. Vargas currently faces have injured her and continue to injure her, and would chill any person of ordinary firmness from continuing to speak out on issues related to immigration enforcement and policy. There have been conflicting statements from federal officials over whether Vargas will have her case heard by an immigration judge, or simply deported to Argentina without a court hearing. In a similar case in Seattle, Washington, another young immigrant enrolled in the DACA program, Daniel Ramirez Medina, has charged that US immigration officials and local police falsified a statement that he made and signed after he was arrested along with his immigrant father on February 5. Ramirez, a 23-year-old who was brought to the US at age 7 by his parents, was the first DACA enrollee to be arrested and processed for deportation under the Trump administration. ICE officials claimed that Ramirez had admitted to gang affiliation and that this superseded his DACA status. Attorneys for Ramirez have submitted evidence that his statement allegedly admitting gang affiliation was doctored. A full sentence written by Ramirez reads: I came in and the officers said I have gang affiliation with gangs so I wear a orange uniform. A large eraser smudge mark deleted the first seven words, turning the allegation by a policeman into a confession by the prisoner that I have gang affiliation with gangs so I wear a orange uniform. A Justice Department official has now admitted that it is clear that Petitioner is denying, rather than admitting, to gang affiliation, but the government is nonetheless claiming that Ramirez has such ties and these vitiate his DACA status. Another outrageous immigration case involves a US Army veteran who served two tours in Afghanistan, suffering serious brain injuries during his second deployment, and who now faces deportation to Mexico because of a drug conviction in 2010. Miguel Perez was born in Mexico but grew up in Chicago, and was a legal permanent resident when he enlisted in the Army in 2001, believing this would give him automatic citizenship. He returned from Afghanistan with post-traumatic stress disorder, which his family says was not properly treated, and he turned to alcohol and drugs. He was eventually arrested for offering to sell cocaine to an undercover cop. His attorneys are now claiming asylum, saying he fears for his life if deported to Mexico, which he left as a child. According to an immigrant rights group, Perez is one of thousands of green-card veterans who now face deportation under the new, stricter enforcement order issued by President Trump on January 25. In Cincinnati, Ohio, Khoudiedia Nianghane, a West African native who has lived in the US for 20 years and has three US citizen children, was deported late Saturday night to Senegal, after spending more than 18 months in detention. One daughter is a college student, while her other son and daughter, aged 17 and 13 respectively, are in school on Cincinnatis west side. Nianghane, who doesnt speak English, missed a court date regarding her immigration status, giving ICE an opportunity to select her for deportation. Her attorney, Douglas Wiegle, told Cincinnati media that he could find no reason why ICE had prioritized her for deportation, since she has no criminal record of any kind, living quietly and raising her children. Press reports suggest that ICE has been instructed to target Africans as part of the Trump crackdown. According to ThinkProgress, 130 people were deported to Senegal on the night of Saturday, March 4 to Sunday, March 5. Nianghane was one of them. This compares to 21 deportations to Senegal in all of 2016, and 22 in all of 2015. In Houston, Texas, Armando Garcia Mendez, a 41-year-old taco vendor who has lived in the United States for 23 years, was arrested February 8 by four armed ICE agents on a deportation order that dates back to when he first came to this country in 1994, fleeing the civil war in his native Guatemala. Shortly before dawn four weeks ago, Garcia was preparing one of his trucks for the breakfast crowd. Four agents in ballistic vests emblazoned with ICE Police rushed out of an unmarked vehicle, handcuffed him, and took him away. He remains in detention. The Houston ICE office declared, in response to press inquiries about the case, that it was focused on smart, effective immigration enforcement that targets criminal aliens who present the greatest risk to the security of our communities. How this applies to a man who came to the US at age 18, seeking to escape being drafted in the military force of a brutal dictatorship, and who has a wife and children, and is well known in the community as a hardworking small businessman, was not explained. These cases, and thousands like them, are the human face of the crackdown ordered by the Trump administration. In many instances, the ground had already been prepared under the Obama administration: people identified, even detained, awaiting only the White House order to set the machinery of expulsion to work. Meanwhile, the new head of Trumps deportation machine, Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly, a retired general, told CNN Monday that he was actively considering a program to separate immigrant children and their parents when they are arrested together in the border area. He confirmed a recent Reuters report, said that he is considering exactly that as a way to deter Central American refugees from making the long trek north across Mexico to the Rio Grande. Kelly was asked by CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer, If you get some young kids who manage to sneak into the United States with their parents, are Department of Homeland Security personnel going to separate the children from their moms and dads? Kellys response was so emphatic and blunt that it took even Blitzer, a diehard defender of the American capitalist state, by surprise. We have tremendous experience in dealing with unaccompanied minors, he said. We turn them over to HHS, and they do a very, very good job... He continued: Yes, I am considering, in order to deter more movement along this terribly dangerous network, I am considering exactly that. They will be well cared for as we deal with their parents. In the three months ending January 31, 2017, some 54,000 children and parents were seized by ICE and Border Patrol agents, double the number arrested in the same period a year earlier. Amid sharply rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the Trump administration has flatly rejected a Chinese proposal for negotiations with North Korea despite warnings from the Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, that Washington and Pyongyang are on a collision course. A confrontation looms, with huge South Korean-US military exercises underway, involving over 300,000 troops backed by a US aircraft carrier strike group, stealth fighters and strategic bombers. China is clearly alarmed at the prospect of war on its doorstep. Speaking in uncharacteristically blunt terms in Beijing yesterday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned: The two sides are like accelerating trains coming toward each other with neither side willing to give way, he said. The question is: Are the two sides really ready for a head-on collision? Our priority now is to flash the red light and apply the brakes on both trains. US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley emphatically rebuffed the Chinese plan for the US and South Korea to halt their annual Foal Eagle war games, in return for a freeze by North Korea on its nuclear and missile programs. Speaking after an emergency UN Security Council meeting yesterday, Haley not only rejected Chinas dual suspension scheme but provocatively declared that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was not a rational person, effectively ruling out any future negotiations. Haley told the media that the US was revaluating how to deal with North Korea. We are not ruling anything out and were considering every option thats on the table, she said, in a thinly veiled threat that the US could attack North Korea. To emphasise that time was running out, Haley warned: We are making those decisions now and will act accordingly. The US ambassador was flanked by her South Korean and Japanese counterparts to highlight their support for Washingtons aggressive stance. After coming to office, the Trump administration initiated a comprehensive rethink of US strategy toward Pyongyang. According to the Wall Street Journal, deputy national security adviser K.T. McFarland called for proposals, including those well outside the mainstreamranging from talks with North Korea to regime-change and military strikes. Given Haleys comments yesterday, the White House appears to have ruled out any negotiations and is preparing to embark on a reckless course of action that could potentially plunge Asia and the world into a catastrophic conflict. The New York Times reported on Tuesday that three meetings of National Security Council deputies concluded that a dramatic show of force, like attacks on the Norths missile and nuclear sites, would probably start a war. Chillingly, the article did not say that, as a result, the White House had ruled out military strikes. The US is exploiting North Korean missile launches this week to justify its military build-up in North East Asia, which is primarily directed against China. Foreign Minister Yang yesterday opposed the installation that began on Monday of a US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile system in South Korea. Its common knowledge that the monitoring and early warning radius of THAAD reaches far beyond the Korean Peninsula and compromises Chinas strategic security, he said. However, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regimes response to the danger of warseeking a deal with Washington, on the one hand, and expanding its own military capacities, on the otheronly heightens the danger of conflict. A commentary in the official Xinhua news agency warned that THAAD would result in a regional arms race and suggested China would build more nuclear missiles to counter the US anti-missile systems. The immediate pretext for the escalating US confrontation with North Korea was Mondays test firing of four intermediate-range ballistic missiles, which flew about 1,000 kilometres before splashing down in the Sea of Japan. The missile launches, which coincided with the war games underway in South Korea, were accompanied by a militarist statement from North Korea. It declared it would reduce the bases of aggression and provocation to ashes with its invincible Hwasong rockets tipped with nuclear warheads if its territory were attacked. Such reckless threats do nothing to defend the North Korean people. They play directly into the hands of US imperialism and only heighten the danger of war. Washingtons primary target is not North Korea, but China. During the presidential election campaign, Trump deliberately whipped up anti-Chinese xenophobia, accusing China of stealing American jobs and raping America. The White House fired the first shot in trade war measures on Tuesday, by slapping a record $1.19 billion fine on the Chinese technology giant ZTE for allegedly breaching US sanctions. Having previously made menacing statements over the South China Sea and threatened to tear up the One China policy, the Trump administration seems to have settled on North Korea as the means for exerting intense pressure on China. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is heading for Asia next week for meetings in Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing that will focus on the advancing nuclear and missile threat from North Korea. The State Department said the discussions would try to generate a new approach to North Korea. Tillersons trip will seek to further concretise Japanese and South Korean support for US war planning and exploit the mounting crisis over North Korea to bully the Chinese government into making major concessionsnot only over Pyongyang, but the entire range of US demands. The overriding aim of the Trump administration, which is accelerating Obamas confrontational pivot to Asia against Beijing, is to halt the historic decline of US imperialism and subordinate China to its economic and strategic interests. The risk of war is compounded by the political and economic crisis wracking the US and its allies in North East Asia. The South Korean government is mired in a corruption scandal that has resulted in the impeachment and possible removal of President Park Geun Hye and could lead to an early election. Seoul is backing a belligerent approach to North Korea as a welcome diversion from its domestic strife. Similarly, the Japanese government is exploiting the confrontation with Pyongyang to deflect attention from its stagnant economy and justify its own military rearmament. Senior government figures have called in recent days for Japan to acquire the military hardware to conduct pre-emptive strikes against North Korea or any other potential enemy. However, the most explosive factor in the profoundly unstable situation is the United States, where the entire political establishment and state apparatus is mired in bitter infighting and recriminations over foreign policy and tit-for-tat hacking allegations. The danger is that the Trump administration, which is guided by fascistic figures such as Stephen Bannon on the National Security Council, will choose the path of provocations and military action against North Korea to distract from the profound crisis at home, and to advance its plans for a confrontation with China, regardless of the potentially disastrous consequences. New York University students expressed outrage when they learned that the schools Student Activities Board (SAB) had, for the second time, rejected the International Youth and Students for Social Equalitys (IYSSE) application for club status, even though it met or exceeded every stated requirement. The IYSSE obtained over 400 signatures from students in support of the club, and a number of professors sent messages of support to the SAB as well. When the IYSSEs application was rejected last semester, the SAB provided a number of specious justifications for its action, including the claim that it is too similar to other established clubs, which the IYSSE rebutted in its application this semester. The second rejection notice, sent out late Monday evening, did not provide any explanation of the rationale for the decision. The IYSSE has until March 18 to file an appeal. An NYU graduate student from Turkey responded, I think it is a hypocrisy on the part of the university. They say they support a diversity of political views and identities, but on another dimension they are rejecting the IYSSE. They are not allowing different clubs, and I dont understand how they judge differences and similarities between groups. It sounds like the IYSSE provided all the requirements for a club, and NYU is just representing its own stance. Joseph, a student in the individualized studies program, said, It seems like you met the requirements and even exceeded them [in reference to the over 400 signatures the IYSSE gathered]. It should be a Boolean system that accepts clubs if they check all the correct boxes. Asked about his thoughts on the SABs claims that NYU lacks resources, he added, NYU has to compete in a capitalist market and it is always expanding. There is a fight for resources against those plans, and it exposes the schools real ethics and priorities. It is possible there is also a bias against you. There is just a greater need for transparency in this institution. Nathanial, a teacher and part-time NYU student, commented about the club application process, It is not fair for groups applying. At the end of the day we are convening here to have a safe space of intellectual discussion. I really understand if there is a shortage of funds, but then they should make groups apply for funds. It shouldnt work this way. After some discussion with an IYSSE member about the requirements for applying clubs, such as holding successful meetings and proving the club is sustainable, he added, These demands are forcing you to come out on the street. How can you prove that a group is having a successful event, or what does the SAB hold up as a model for a good event? Im sure people are interested in this group and want to get involved, but they cant have a space to meet and discuss these issues. You guys cant even book rooms. Personally, I think more unpopular groups should be able to book rooms, and have a chance. Maybe every group should get a probationary period of one semester, and should have a chance to prove themselves. Nyles Pollonais, an NYU politics student, described his experience in the struggle to obtain club status for the IYSSE. The rejection of the IYSSE's request for club status at NYU by the SAB makes me question how liberal this New York campus truly is. As I've slowly started to engage with the clubs members, Ive found a community larger than myself dedicated to giving back to students and the working class internationallya large part of attendees at this University. He added that it would be discouraging if this rejection were to persist; this club is distinct in its ideas and positions on government, and it would thus lead to a detriment in philosophical and political discovery in the NYU Community if the IYSSE was not allowed to establish here on my campus. By Press Trust of India: Mumbai, Mar 9 (PTI) Demonetised currency notes worth Rs 1.60 crore were seized by police from two persons, who have been arrested from Tardeo area here, an official said today. The accused Sayar Lakhaji Mali (41) and Jaimin Vhora (34) were arrested yesterday and scrapped currency notes worth Rs 1.60 crore, in Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 denominations were seized from them, the official said. advertisement "Based on specific information that the duo was coming in a vehicle to exchange the scrapped notes, a trap had been laid yesterday at Lala Lajpatrai Road near Haji Ali Beat Chowki," he said. Mali, a small-time businessman from Malad and his friend Vhora, a real estate agent from Borivali, were arrested by the team before money could be exchanged, the officer said. Further investigation is on. PTI DC NP --- ENDS --- Last months decision by the Fair Work Commission (FWC), the Australian governments industrial tribunal, to slash weekend and public holiday wages in the hospitality, pharmacy, retail and fast food industries has prompted widespread anger among workers and young people. In response, the Labor Party and the trade unions have postured as opponents of the ruling. However, it was a Labor government that created the pro-business FWC and included penalty rates in a list of award entitlements to be reviewed, i.e., slashed. And the unions have already established a host of agreements with major employers that cut, or entirely eliminate, penalty wages (see: Australian unions and Labor Party launch bogus campaign over penalty rate cuts). A number of young workers who spoke to the WSWS said they have never received penalty rates and are victims of union-company wage slashing deals. Others commented on their hostility to Labor, which is widely reviled as a party of big business. Raymond, a 19-year-old student in Newcastle who has done casual work, said: Its horrible. Young people struggle already. Its hard to find a job here, and when you cut wages back even more, its leaving no leeway. We have to work harder and this cuts time to study. Its a big train smashing down young people. Its going to force them out of university. There has been a greater increase in costs for housing and bills in the last five years than in any other period. Im not working on Sundays anymore, but when I did, I used some of that extra money to pay for my bills, food and petrol. I think the situation will lead to what is happening in America, where the minimum wage is extremely low. David, a student and part-time cleaner in Newcastle, commented: It says a lot to me about Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard and the Labor Party in general that they created the Fair Work Commission, which is basically getting rid of penalty rates. Workers just keep getting betrayed by Labor. If [Labor leader] Bill Shorten is the one who originally proposed the Fair Work review into penalty rates, then how can Labor pretend to wage a campaign against this decision? David noted: Some workers are losing up to $70 a day if they are working certain shifts. With that you lose a lot; groceries, petrol, bills, possibly even rent. Its going to make it a lot harder to get by. Jake, a young chef in Brisbane, said: I work a six-day week of 60 to 90 hours and I rely on weekend pay. Sunday and Saturday rates are important because thats what our whole week is focused on. I only get paid a base rate of around $14 an hour, so cuts to penalty rates could take up to a third of my weekend pay. I get $1,200 a week, then $300 goes to tax, then I could lose $200 from the cut to penalty rates. It would leave me just $700 a week. Jake was struck by the hypocrisy of the Labor Party. Labor and Liberal are on the same side, he said. Labor created the conditions for these cuts and the Liberals are upholding it. In the last election, I did not vote because there was no socialist party, so I had to pay a fine. I know the Greens are not there for me. Labor and Liberal are not there for me. I want a socialist party. Danny, a 16-year-old high school student who works for a fast food chain in Sydneys western suburbs, said: When I started, I asked about weekend penalty rates and the manager said, No, we dont pay that. I earn $10 an hour and $5 is deducted from my pay each week for my work uniform. Workers who are under 16 get even less, and when you turn 18, you only get a few dollars more. If you were a 20-year-old living alone, you wouldnt make enough just to pay the rent. Asked about health and safety, he said: The conditions arent up to normal standards. The hygiene is poor and there are bugs around the kitchen. Youre expected to make food even with produce that is off and smells bad. There are a lot of things that are quite dangerous. You have to stick your hand under a really hot boiler to get meat out sometimes, or you can get burnt by splashing oil. Danny noted that while fast food workers receive abysmal wages, the major chains are among the most profitable businesses in the country. One time when I was there they made $11,000 in six hours, he said. Across Australia they make millions of dollars. Last weekend I was sent home two hours early, because it wasnt busy and they didnt want to pay me all my hours. Asked about the broader political issues, Danny stated: Labor and the unions are trying to claim they support the working class but theyve already done deals cutting penalty rates, including for fast food workers. Beck, a university student and casual worker in Melbourne, said: Ive got a few friends living out of home. It is really expensive at this age, especially having to choose between working and studying full-time. Sometimes it means you wont have meals or be able to afford rent. Some people depend on penalty rates. Asked about her experiences, Beck said: I worked every single public holiday last year, and I didnt see my family. I dont get penalty rates at all. I work in the fast food industry. I have to learn to live with that if I want to have a job. Im at university every day, so I have to work whatever shifts I can get, but it doesnt add up to much. Often I have to choose between paying for travel or getting lunch. It makes no sense that working-class students have to struggle so much. Olivia, a 21-year-old from Melbourne, said: Im going to be affected by these cuts because Im unemployed and looking for hospitality work. Its so unfair. They say they want young people to be able to buy a home. But if you want to buy your own property, you have to have a high-paying job. Now theyre cutting penalty rates, which affect predominantly young people. Penalty rates put a lot of people over the poverty line. At the same time theyre giving tax cuts to these massive corporations. Olivia spoke about the difficulties facing young people looking for work: Its really difficult to break that wall of finding someone who will give you a job interview. Even with several years experience in hotels, I havent been able to find anything. Asked about the Labor Party, she said: They have a lot of really backward positions. They like to put across an air of being more for the little guy. It would be great if we had a different choice than between these two parties, but we dont. Her friend, Silva, added that Labor is not representative of ordinary people. She expressed hostility to the new US president Donald Trump and the right-wing campaign waged during the election by his Democratic Party opponent Hillary Clinton. Asked if she followed politics closely, Olivia said: Its impossible not to think about these things. At the moment, the whole issue is the rich getting richer and the poor, poorer. The only thing that makes sense at this point is to totally restructuring the system. Maybe we have to try something new, a revolution. The authors also recommend: Australian industrial tribunal slashes workers wages [24 February 2017] Australian youth pushed into unpaid work experience [27 February 2017] With increasing frequency, aggressive foreign policy moves by Washington have been palmed off by the media and political establishment as defensive responses to hacking and cyber-espionage by US imperialisms geopolitical adversaries: Russia and China. For months, news programs have been dominated by hysterical allegations that Russia hacked the Democratic National Committee in order to subvert the 2016 election. As the print and broadcast media were engaged in feverish denunciations of Russia, the US and its NATO allies moved thousands of troops and hundreds of tanks to the Russian border. Not content to allege interference only in the American election, the US media and its international surrogates have alleged Russian meddling in elections in France, Germany and other far-flung countries. Prior to the current furor over Russian hacking of the election, the Obama administration used allegations of hacking and intellectual property theft to justify the trade sanctions and military escalation against China that accompanied its pivot to Asia. Whenever the State Department, the CIA or unnamed intelligence officials proclaim another alleged cyber provocation by Washingtons geopolitical rivals, news anchors breathlessly regurgitate the allegations as fact, accompanying them with potted infographics and footage of masked men in darkened rooms aggressively typing away at computer keyboards. But the official narrative of a benevolent and well-intentioned US government coming under attack from hordes of Russian and Chinese hackers, spies and internet trolls was upended Tuesday with the publication by WikiLeaks of some 9,000 documents showing the methods used by the Central Intelligence Agency to carry out criminal cyber-espionage, exploitation, hacking and disinformation operations all over the world. The documents reveal that the CIA possesses the ability to exploit and control any internet-connected device, including mobile phones and smart televisions. These tools, employed by an army of 5,000 CIA hackers, give the agency the means to spy on virtually anyone, whether inside or outside the United States, including foreign governments, friend and foe alike, as well as international organizations such as the United Nations. The WikiLeaks documents expose the United States as the worlds greatest rogue state and cyber criminal. The monstrous US espionage network, paid for with hundreds of billions in tax dollars, uses diplomatic posts to hide its activities from its allies, spies on world leaders, organizes kidnappings and assassinations and aims to influence or overturn elections all over the world. On Tuesday, former CIA director Michael Hayden replied to the revelations by boasting, But there are people out there that you want us to spy on. You want us to have the ability to actually turn on that listening device inside the TV to learn that persons intentions. One can only imagine the howls of indignation such statements would evoke in the American press if they were uttered by a former Russian spymaster. In his comments, Hayden barely attempts to cover up the fact that the United States runs a spying and political disruption operation the likes of which Russian President Vladimir Putin or Chinese President Xi Jinping could only dream of. The WikiLeaks documents show that the United States seeks to cover up its illicit operations by planting false flags indicating that its geopolitical adversaries, including Russia and China, bear responsibility for its crimes. Cybersecurity expert Robert Graham noted in a blog post, for example, that one anti-virus researcher has told me that a virus they once suspected came from the Russians or Chinese can now be attributed to the CIA, as it matches the description perfectly to something in the leak. The revelations have already begun to reverberate around the world. German Foreign Ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer said Wednesday that Berlin was taking the revelations very seriously, adding, issues of this kind emerge again and again. Meanwhile Germanys chief prosecutor has announced an investigation into the contents of the documents, with a spokesperson telling Reuters, We will initiate an investigation if we see evidence of concrete criminal acts or specific perpetratorsWere looking at it very carefully. The documents expose the CIAs use of the US consulate in Frankfurt, Germany as a base for its spying and cyber operations throughout Europe, employing a network of intelligence personnel including CIA agents, NSA spies, military secret service personnel and US Department of Homeland Security employees. Many of these operatives were provided with cover identities and diplomatic passports in order to hide their operations from the German and European governments. Wednesdays rebuke by the German government followed the revelations in 2013 by Edward Snowden that unknown members of the US intelligence services spied on the mobile phone of Chancellor Angela Merkel, as Germanys top prosecutor put it in 2015. The US media, true to its function as a propaganda arm of the CIA and other intelligence agencies, immediately sprang into action to minimize the significance of the revelations and to accuse Russia, entirely without substantiation, of having released the documents in an effort to subvert US interests. NPR quoted favorably the statements of Hayden, who declared, I can tell you that these tools would not be used against an American, while the Washington Post quoted a bevy of security experts who said there is nothing to worry about in the documents. It favorably cited one such expert, Jan Dawson, who declared, For the vast majority of us, this does not apply to us at all Theres no need to worry for any normal law-abiding citizen. Such absurd statements, made about a security apparatus that was proven by Snowdens revelations to have spied on the private communications of millions of Americans, and then lied about it to the public and Congress, were taken as good coin by the US media. Just one day after the WikiLeaks revelations, the media spin machine was already busy portraying them as part of a Russian conspiracy against the United States, and indicting WikiLeaks for acting as an agent of foreign powers. Could Russia have hacked the CIA? asked NBCs evening news program on Wednesday, while another segment was titled Could there be a [Russian] mole inside the CIA? The types of spying and disruption mechanisms revealed in the documents constitute a key instrument US foreign policy, which works to subvert the democratic rights of people all over the planet in the interest of US imperialism. No methods, whether spying, hacking, blackmail, murder, torture, or, when need be, bombings and invasion, are off the table. Large numbers of persons fleeing war and famine in sub-Saharan Africa are transiting through Libya in a desperate effort to reach Europe, UNICEF reported last week. An estimated 80,000 refugees, including 25,000 children, left Libyan ports in an effort to cross the Mediterranean Sea and enter southern Europe last year, with 4,000 of them dying during the crossing. Another 320 refugees died attempting the crossing during the first two months of 2017 alone, a 300 percent increase from the same period in 2016. Some 16,000 African refugees have crossed from Libya to Italy so far this year, nearly double last years figure for the same period. Twenty-two refugees from sub-Saharan Africa were killed and 100 wounded during clashes between smugglers along Libyas Mediterranean coastline on Tuesday. There are 5.5 million Africans currently refugees in other countries, while 11 million Africans are displaced within their home countries, the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center (IDMC) reported in January. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says 18 million people living in sub-Saharan Africa are at risk of becoming refugees in the coming year. The tide of refugees comes predominantly from countries where the United States and its European allies have intervened most heavily. In Africa, just as in the Middle East, decades of imperialist warfare have shattered entire societies and turned large sections of the population into refugees. This is the most important factor underlying the huge exodus of dispossessed people now struggling to reach European shores. Libya, which was destroyed and plunged into chaos by the 2011 US-NATO war, has become the epicenter of Africas refugee crisis. Refugee smuggling routes from across sub-Saharan Africa converge on the country, which has a long Mediterranean coastline and virtually no functionary authorities. A growing number of criminal networks and extremist militias specialize in transporting, and extracting money from, the refugees. While most of Libyan society remains in chaos, a system of detention centers, including for-profit camps run by militia groups, has managed to take hold. There are dozens of illegal prisons over which we have no control. There are at least thirteen in Tripoli. They are handled by the powerful armed militias, a Libyan police official told UNICEF, quoted in the organizations report, A Deadly Journey for Children: The Central Mediterranean Migration Route. In Uganda, 120,000 South Sudanese refugees have crossed the border fleeing war in the past two months alone. Thousands of South Sudanese are fleeing the country every day, the United Nations refugee agency reported this week. The South Sudanese civil war (2013-present), fought out between factions of a regime installed by Washington in 2011, is causing an unprecedented social collapse. The violence is fatally disrupting economic life, causing widespread famine and has forced 1.5 million to flee the country. The South Sudanese war is producing the destruction of all the social fabric in all parts of the country, according to a secret report by the United Nations secretary-general, leaked to the Washington Post Monday. The South Sudanese government in Juba is blocking humanitarian aid from reaching areas in need, according to UN humanitarian secretary Stephen OBrien. January saw preparations for airstrikes by US F-16 warplanes based in Djibouti, with speculation they could be directed against targets in South Sudan. The war in northern Nigeria is producing another humanitarian catastrophe that is among the worst in Africa. Five million northern Nigerians are in need of food in the northern provinces of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, and two million Nigerians may starve in the coming year, UN officials reported Monday. The Nigerian war has involved a steadily growing US role. The Obama administration steadily expanded the US troop presence in neighboring countries. In May 2014, the Obama administration sent 80 US Air Force soldiers to Chad, under the pretext of searching for Nigerian schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram. In March 2015, a US-backed Chadian army invaded northern Nigeria and seized several towns. In May 2015, the White House authorized direct US military operations in Nigeria. In October 2015, the US Defense Department sent 300 soldiers to Cameroon, along Nigerias eastern border. Last November, US AFRICOM General Donald Bolduc told the New York Times that the Lake Chad Basin, where Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon share borders, is becoming ground zero for the fight against militant Islam in Africa. Of the 30 million residents of the Lake Chad Basin, 2.6 million are already displaced as a result of military violence, according to the International Organization for Migration. Although presented as the fault of radical Islam, Africas refugee crisis has, in reality, developed out of the crisis of world capitalism and the worldwide eruption of US militarism. The transformation of millions of Africans into homeless refugees, fleeing for their lives, is above all the responsibility of the American ruling class, and the criminal strategic aggressions it has pursued during the past two and a half decades. Prior to the 1990s, the existence of the Soviet Union imposed constraints on US imperialisms efforts to dominate Africa. The end of the USSR removed a political obstacle inhibiting the imperialist powers from pursuing the military conquest of their former colonies. It marked the beginning of a new scramble to redivide and enslave the countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America. For 25 years, Washington has sought to violently reorder African society and politics in accordance with the interests of American capitalism. Africas national elites eagerly adapted to the new situation, and have grown rich amidst the spread of war and famine. They have welcomed ever more US and NATO soldiers into Africa and have thrown open their economies for unrestrained exploitation by foreign capital. Today, decades after Africas independence and decolonization, thousands of American troops are permanently stationed in Africa. The United States maintains an elaborate military infrastructure across large areas of the continent, including forward bases and security locations in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic Chad, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Senegal, the Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, and Uganda. AFRICOM, as a new command, is basically a laboratory for a different kind of warfare and a different way of posturing forces, Oxford Research Group security director Richard Reeve said. There are a myriad of lily pads or small forward operating bases ... so you can spread out even a small number of forces over a very large area and concentrate those forces quite quickly when necessary. This week, joint US-African war exercises are taking place along the Nigerian border, involving thousands of US and Africa soldiers, including forces from Burkina Faso, Tunisia, Cameroon, Mauritania, Morocco and Chad. The US navy began this years Pacific Partnership exercises on March 1 at Hambantota Port in southern Sri Lanka, the first time they have been held in South Asia. This marks another stage in the increasing involvement of South Asian states in the US military encirclement of China. The Pacific Partnership involves the US Seventh Fleet, which is at the centre of the Americas Air-Sea Battle plans against China. The Pentagon recently signed an agreement with the Indian company Reliance to carry out maintenance work for the Seventh Fleet in Gujarat state on Indias west coast. While the Pacific Partnership has been billed as a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission, the multinational exercises will feature military and civilian personnel from Australia, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States. Host countries this year include Myanmar, Malaysia and Vietnam, in addition to Sri Lanka. US Pacific Fleets USNS Fall River arrived at Hambantota Port last week, with 104 US, Australian and Japanese marines on board. The Indian navys Gharial and Sri Lankas SLNS Samudura, a former US coast guard vessel donated to Sri Lanka in 2004, are also involved. Another 60 American marines and naval personnel will later join the operation. A three-member US Congress delegation, including House Democracy Partnership chairman Peter Roskam, visited Hambantota Port and the Yala natural sanctuary, which is close to the facility, before the exercises commenced. The 10-day military operation will involve US Pacific Fleet chief Rear Admiral Donald Gabrielson and Sri Lankas Southern Province governor, chief minister and district secretaries. When the exercises finish on March 17, the USNS Fall River will proceed to Myanmar, Malaysia and finally to Vietnam in June. A number of Sri Lankan naval officers will be on board the ship. Last week, Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena oversaw a passing-out parade of over 300 members of the Sri Lanka Navy Marine Battalion. The battalion is the first of its type and was modelled on the US marines. The annual Pacific Partnership military exercises began in 2004, promoted as humanitarian and disaster relief exercises. This year, the US and the Sri Lankan navies are scheduled to be involved in civil activities, such as conducting community health clinics, school and hospital renovations, learning exchanges for medical and disaster relief, and peace and security seminars in and around Hambantota. The US 7th Fleet Band will perform public concerts. No hospital ship, however, will be involved in this years exercises. Pacific Partnership commander Stanfield Chien claimed this was because budgets are very tough. The humanitarian facade is aimed at whitewashing Washingtons past crimes, from the war in Vietnam to those in Iraq, Libya and Syria, and covering up the real purpose of the exercisesits ongoing military buildup against China. Hambantota Port was developed and expanded a few years ago by the Sri Lankan government using Chinese funds. The facility is part of Chinas One road, One belt project. It is adjacent to one of the worlds busiest sea lanes, through which Chinas oil and other natural resource imports and almost all its exports to Europe, Africa and Middle East pass. The cash-strapped Sri Lankan government is currently negotiating a deal to sell 80 percent of the port to China, along with an allocation of 15,000 acres of adjacent land to establish an industrial zone to attract foreign investment. While the extension of the Pacific Partnership exercises to South Asia would be of concern to Beijing, so far it has said nothing about the military operation. The Pacific Partnership was initiated by the US after the 2004 tsunami disaster, which engulfed the South and South East Asian regions. At that time, Washington sent 13,000 troops, along with 20 warships, including the giant USS Abraham Lincoln, war planes and helicopters to the Indian Ocean region, supposedly to assist tsunami-affected countries. It was the largest US military deployment in the region since the Vietnam War. In January 2005, 200 US marines were transported by the USS Duluth to southern Sri Lanka as part of this military deployment. The Pacific Partnership claims to be a multinational humanitarian project, but it excludes China and includes Japan, Australia, South Korea and India, which are an integral part of the US-led line-up against Beijing. During his trip to East Asia last month, US defence secretary James Mattis reaffirmed Washingtons longstanding strategic alliances with Japan and South Korea. He also reiterated the Obama administrations statement that the US would back Japan in a war with China over disputed rocky outcrops in the East China Sea. Last month, the Trump administration also announced that India would be a service and repair hub for battleships and other vessels. Last year the Obama administration conferred Major Defence Partner status on India. The Sri Lankan government is now in the process of renewing its Acquisition and Cross-Service Agreement with the US. Signed in 2007 for 10 years by the previous government of Mahinda Rajapakse, it committed Sri Lanka to the servicing, repair and refuelling of US warships or war planes, in line with US requirements, at the country ports and airports. In 2015, Washington orchestrated a regime-change operation to oust the Rajapakse government because of its close ties with China. The current pro-US Sirisena-Wickremesinghe administration has fallen into line with all of Washingtons geo-strategic demands. The principal and deputy principal of a high school in Sydney were dismissed from their posts last week, accused of not implementing a government program that instructs teachers to detect and report anti-social and extremist behaviour among students. The principal, Chris Griffiths, and deputy principal, Joumana Dennaoui, were replaced without notice. Mark Scott, the head of the New South Wales (NSW) state education department, confirmed this week that the two were removed because Punchbowl Boys High School, in Sydneys working-class southwest, resisted participating in the School Community Working Together program. This program was unveiled at the start of 2016. It is part of a national anti-radicalisation plan launched simultaneously by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbulls federal government, especially targetting schools in working class and immigrant areas. The aim, emphasised by federal Justice Minister Michael Keenan, who is also the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Counter-Terrorism, is to make schools the frontline of defence against radicalisation and threats to social cohesion. Speaking to right-wing broadcaster Ray Hadley on 2GB Radio on Monday, Scott said the school, which has a significant population of Muslim students, had been reluctant to participate in the program, which works with the police and other community leaders. A determination was then made at a senior level to send in a very senior team to conduct an appraisal of the school, which allegedly found matters that were a concern, including a significant lack of staff unity. Scotts comments reveal the real reasons for the pairs removal, which was conducted behind a media witch-hunt against Griffiths and students, laced with unsubstantiated claims by unidentified police officers of verbal attacks on staff by students and threats of beheadings. Griffiths was denounced for reportedly advising students of their democratic right not to be interrogated by police, and even accused of trying to turn the schoola government public schoolinto a Muslim-only college. Teachers at the school generally supported Griffiths on not participating in the government program, but the department exploited some grievances among teachers, including complaints that female teachers were sidelined in last years school graduation ceremony. Parents and students have opposed the removals. The local Canterbury-Bankstown Express reported that parents objected at a tense and hostile Parents & Citizens meeting at the school on Tuesday, where education department officials and new principal Robert Patruno spoke. Students could be seen and heard chanting we want Griffiths back while the meeting was underway. After the meeting, parents told the newspaper they were angry that the department was not more transparent with its reasons for removing the pair. Iman Awad, whose son attends the school, said the decision was unfair. She described Griffiths as a good person who used to go to the train station to walk all the kids to school each morning. The removals have all the hallmarks of a high-level political intervention. Scott himself is a major figure in ruling circles. He was appointed head of the education department by the state Liberal-National government last year, immediately after 10 years as managing director of the federal government-funded Australian Broadcasting Corporation. NSW Education Minister Rob Stokes told the Australian he had regular briefings from the department on the situation. He said it was unusual to remove both a principal and deputy principal, but decisive action has been taken by the department. Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham backed the decision and pointed to the wider precedent being set. He said the Turnbull government expects schools to uphold and promote Australian values and is monitoring the response of states to these issues, including their application of appropriate de-radicalisation programs. Birminghams reference to Australian values indicates the broader thrust of the anti-extremist schemes. They initially target vulnerable Muslim students but are directed against any dissent or unrest among students, particularly under conditions of worsening youth unemployment in working-class areas and escalating Australian military involvement in Washingtons predatory operations in the Middle East and other US war preparations. In February last year, when Birmingham and Keenan jointly announced the national anti-radicalisation plan, he said school staff would receive awareness training and be encouraged to report concerning student behaviour to authorities. The Australian hailed the program under the headline: Teachers to be trained to spot teens on path to terror. In other words, teachers are being required to become informants on their students. The School Community Working Together fact sheet circulated to teachers in NSW government, Catholic and private schools notes that in our modern society, students are more informed about world events than ever before and often discuss these passionately. The fact sheet instructs teachers: [I]f support for extremist behaviour is exhibited during these discussions you should advise your Principal or their delegate that these discussions have taken place If there is any doubt whether someone has engaged in anti-social and extremist behaviour, it should be reported to the School Safety and Response hotline. If a principal makes a report to the hotline, information may be shared with relevant police authorities. Anti-social behaviour includes offensive conduct. Extremist behaviour occurs when a person believes fear, terror and violence are justified to achieve ideological, political or social change. These classifications can cover not just opinions depicted as support for Islamic fundamentalism but views directed against imperialist war and the capitalist profit system itself. One of the academics who prepared the national program, Professor Greg Barton, who heads Deakin Universitys Australian Intervention Support Hub, told the Australian in February last year that the program sought to provide safe spaces to channel angry questions, such as why has the war in Syria being going on for five years? and why did we invade Iraq? into politically safe directions. Throughout the media barrage against Punchbowl Boys High and its principal, there has been no mention of the broad outrage among masses of workers and youth, expressed particularly acutely in migrant communities, over Australias role in the criminal US-led interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, Yemen and Syria, which have killed hundreds of thousands and forced millions to flee their homes. Nor is there any reference to the economic and social conditions that provide fertile ground for recruitment of marginalised youth by Islamists. In suburbs like Punchbowl and neighbouring Bankstown, young people from Middle Eastern and other immigrant backgrounds face worsening levels of unemployment, poor educational and social facilities and constant police harassment. Youth unemployment in the area officially exceeds 20 percent, and many more young people have been pushed into low-paid casual or cash-in-hand jobs, or forced to work in unpaid internships or traineeships. The purpose of anti-Muslim witch-hunts, such as what is taking place at Punchbowl Boys High, is to ramp up the 16-year-old war on terror both as a pretext for escalated military operations and as a means of diverting mounting social and class tensions at home in reactionary and divisive, chauvinist and nationalist directions. Two Yemeni boys, aged 10 and 12, were killed Monday in a US drone strike in south-central al-Bayda province. Residents identified the young victims as brothers, Ahmed and Mohammed al-Khobze. They were reported to have been tending a herd of goats when, without warning, they were blown to bits by a Hellfire missile. The Pentagon, which routinely denies or ignores US military actions resulting in civilian casualties, has yet to comment on the killings. The killing of these two children is part of a growing list of war crimes perpetrated by the Pentagon as Washington escalates its military intervention in war-torn Yemen, the most impoverished country in the Middle East. The Pentagon has acknowledged carrying out more than 40 drone strikes since launching a new bombing campaign against Yemen last week. It is not clear how many civilians have been killed, as the US military counts any adult male as a suspected member of Al Qaeda of the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). A number of civilians have been reported wounded in the attacks. A Pentagon spokesman claimed that a former Guantanamo detainee, Yasir al-Silmi, was killed in a missile strike on March 2. Silmi had been held without charges at the US detention center in Cuba from 2002 to 2009. The road on which the two young Yemeni boys were killed in Tuesdays drone strike was just outside the village of Yakla, the scene of a botched but brutal US Special Forces commando raid on January 29. Ostensibly launched with the aim of capturing an AQAP leader, who was not found at the scene, the raid was described by local residents as a massacre, with US soldiers going house to house and slaughtering everyone inside, men, women and children alike. In all, as many as 30 were killed, including a three-month-old baby and several other children. One of them was eight-year-old Nawar al-Awlaki, the daughter of Anwar al-Awlaki, the Islamist cleric and American citizen who was assassinated in Yemen by a drone strike ordered by Barack Obama in September 2011. Also killed in the raid was US Navy Seal William (Ryan) Owens, whose father subsequently refused to meet with President Donald Trump. He has demanded an investigation into what he called a stupid mission designed as a grand display for the new administration. Two other US troops were wounded in the raid, which also saw the loss of a $75 million helicopter. Even as the US steps up its drone war in Yemen, Saudi Arabia is escalating its own military intervention, which has already claimed 12,000 Yemeni lives. The Saudi monarchy is attempting to reinstall the US-Saudi puppet government of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi and crush Houthi rebels who won control of much of the country in 2015. Riyadh is able to wage its war, which has driven millions of Yemenis to the brink of starvation and left the country with one of the highest child malnutrition rates in the world, only thanks to US-supplied arms and the Pentagons logistical support. This has included the establishment of a joint US-Saudi operations headquarters and the US aerial refueling of Saudi warplanes. The Washington Post reported Wednesday that the Trump administration is lifting a partial suspension imposed by the Obama administration on the provision of precision-guided weapons to the Saudi regime. The suspension was put into effect in the wake of a Saudi air strike last October on a Yemeni funeral hall that killed over 100 people and amid overwhelming evidence that the Saudi bombing campaign deliberately targets civilians, striking schools, hospitals, farms, homes and even livestock. Prior to the suspension of the sale of the precision munitions guidance systems to Riyadh, the Obama administration had negotiated $115 billion worth of arms sales to the Saudi monarchy. A senior US official who spoke to the Post tied the opening up of the arms spigot to Saudi Arabia to the Trump administrations increasingly provocative military buildup against Iran, which has shown sympathy but little in the way of material support for the Houthis. Well be looking for ways to blunt Iranian malign influence in the region. And well be looking for all the tools that the U.S. government has, the official said. In that context, I think you have to look at Yemen. The buildup to war against Iran is the only coherent element of US policy in Yemen. On the one hand, it is carrying out drone strikes and commando raids against AQAP, while on the other, arming the Saudis to the teeth to suppress the Houthi rebels. AQAP, a Sunni Islamist faction that is among the most virulent enemies of the Houthis, has been vastly strengthened by the Saudi war. In the final analysis, the US intervention serves only to escalate the killing, while fueling hatred of US imperialism among all layers of the population and creating the conditions for a wider regional war. By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 9 (PTI) Womens usual indifference to themselves keeps them from realising their potential, writer-activist C S Lakshmi said while emphasising that "nothing is more empowering for women than self awareness". "There are several ways of women empowerment. And I feel nothing is more empowering than knowledge. They need to know about their own lives," Lakshmi said here during an International Womens Day event last night. advertisement Recalling a story, which was inspired by a neighbours life, Lakshmi said her neighbour could not recognise herself in the story. "When I showed her the story she liked it very much and asked me where do I get such good ideas. I couldnt bring myself to tell her that it was her story. But I realised it is the lack of knowledge about oneself that she couldnt recognise herself in the story. "I think it is very important to provide them with the knowledge to make them aware of the importance of their own lives," Lakshmi said. While recalling an event where widows were given sewing machins, she emphasised on the need to change how women empowerment is seen in India. "There is nothing wrong with sewing machines, but how can you empower women by making them do the same thing they have done all their lives?" Lakshmi said. The author, who goes by the pen name Ambai, is also the founder and director of Indias first and only womens archive- Sound & Picture Archives for Research on Women (SPARROW). She decided to start an archive because she felt there was a "dearth of information on women in the textbooks". "We came across photos, stories, portraits, drawings of women and so much material that we felt all this has to be documented. "History of women is endless. Every woman carries a history within herself. It is important. How will you make policies for women without knowing their history," the writer said. According to Lakshmi, the women for the archive are chosen from all walks of life but not restricted to famous women. "We have chosen women from all walks of life. But we also archived a story of a woman who walked from Burma to Mumbai during World War II. "Someone may ask how a woman walking from Burma to Mumbai is feminist. There is nothing feminist about the walk, but the wish of an 80-year-old woman to have the tale recorded is definitely feminist and it needs to be archived," she said. PTI MAH BK --- ENDS --- advertisement WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Casey Anthony - the Florida woman accused, then acquitted, of killing her 2-year-old daughter - spoke with The Associated Press five times over a weeklong period. During the interviews, she talked about her love for her daughter, Caylee Marie, and showed photos of her and artwork she finger-painted. Anthony maintains her innocence in the death and insists she doesn't know how the last hours of Caylee's life unfolded. ___ THE ASSOCIATED PRESS: "You were convicted of one thing." ANTHONY: "Lying to the cops. People lie to the cops every day. Cops lie to people every day; I'm just one of the unfortunate idiots who admitted that they lied. " AP: "Was the lying out of panic?" ANTHONY: "My dad was a cop, you can read into that what you want to." AP: "Touching on the convicted for lying, is there anything you regret with that? Would you rather get your story straight from the beginning? What didn't you keep straight?" ANTHONY: "Here's the problem. Even if I would've told them everything that I eventually told to the psychologist who evaluated me and the two psychologists who evaluated me over the course of three years - I hate to say this, but I firmly believe I would still have been in the same place. Because cops believe other cops. Cops tend to victimize the victims. I've never tried to make myself a victim. I see why I was treated the way I was, even had I been completely truthful." AP: "What weren't you truthful about?" ANTHONY: "It was things that I didn't know at the time." AP: "About how she died?" ANTHONY: "I didn't know at the time. I'm still not even certain as I stand here today sure about what happened." AP: "To your understanding, how did she die?" ANTHONY: "I don't know." AP: "What about drowning?" ANTHONY: "Everyone has their theories, I don't know. As I stand here today, I can't tell you one way or another. The last time I saw my daughter, I believed that she was alive and was going to be OK, and that's what was told to me." AP: "She was being babysat? With your parents?" ANTHONY: "No, my father told me she was going to be OK. That she was OK." AP: "So your parents had her?" ANTHONY: "My dad did. My mom was at work." AP: "The next thing you know she is missing? How did it play out?" ANTHONY: "I did what I was told. I don't remember too much of what happened. Again, there were several psychological evaluations. Even after everything transpired, even months, even within a year, I don't have personal knowledge of these things, because, and this isn't my belief, I read the evaluations. I wasn't present during whatever happened. If I was, something would've showed up. There would be some recollection; there would be some memory. I was living at home with my parents. What I remember is, every day we had a routine, and whether it was the day I was working or not working, Caylee and I got up and had breakfast, we said goodbye to my mom, between 7 and 7:30." AP: "Give me the situation when things went wrong. All of a sudden, is it like, 'Where is Caylee?' Is that how it went?" ANTHONY: "No. What I remember is, being in bed, and my mom coming in before she left for work, and saying goodbye to us. And then waking up several hours later not knowing where she was." AP: "Don't you wish you know what happened?" ANTHONY: "Absolutely. Absolutely, every single day." ___ AP: "It's just a blank spot? What the hell happened?" ANTHONY: "It's not even that it's something that's outside of me that if I knew at this point - if I knew what actually happened, I'd be able to fill in those blanks. I've done enough research, I've done enough psychology seminars, I've been tested, I've gone to the psychological evaluations, talked about this to the point where I've been in a puddle and not able to talk about it for days afterwards. She is still the central part of my life, the central part of my being, always will be. If I am blessed enough to have another child - if I'd be dumb enough to bring another kid into this world knowing that there'd be a potential that some jackass, their little snot-nose kid would then say something mean to my kid - I don't think I could live with that." (Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) - Three Augusta teenagers accused of attacking a younger student at Hephzibah High School in January face arraignment on felony charges Friday. Javarious Bates and Quantevious Russ, both 18, and a 17-year-old face charges of criminal attempt to commit armed robbery and aggravated battery. The Augusta Chronicle reports (http://bit.ly/2mCvcs6 ) a Richmond County grand jury indicted the trio Feb. 28. The teens are accused of attacking a 14-year-old freshman. The indictment charges the student was thrown to the ground and repeatedly punched and kicked as his attackers tried to take his shoes. The injured boy's mother says he suffered a broken eardrum in addition to cuts and bruises. Bates and Russ are free on bond. The 17-year-old, who was free on bond in an attempted burglary case, was denied bond. ___ Information from: The Augusta Chronicle , http://www.augustachronicle.com (Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Today is International Women's Day and a number of groups gathered this morning, marching to the Florida State capitol to show their support. The march is aimed at fighting bills that would negatively affect women, immigrants, minorities, and refugees. The Socialist Party of America observed the first National Woman's Day in 1909. The following year, Socialist International established it at a global scale. Today, organizers say they want to "stand with women around the globe" who supported their efforts during the women's march on January 21 with similar protests in cities around the world. Similar marches are also being held in Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Miami. Organizers say it's important to stand up for the rights of those who are under represented, not only today but all year long: "So really our goal is to show legislators that there are consequences to their decisions," said Saif Hamipeh, an Emerge USA legislative and policy director. "If they are not going to include the communities, if they are not going to represent their people, then they do not deserve to be representatives." As part of International Women's Day, women were also asked to not go into work, shop at only women owned stores and wear red. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Local law enforcement agencies are banding together to conduct a safety and sobriety checkpoint Thursday night. The Tallahassee Police Department and the Leon County Multi-Agency DUI Strike Force (LCSO, FSU PD, FAMU PD, and FHP) have announced that they will be hosting a checkpoint in the 2500 block of West Tennessee Street. The checkpoint will take place from 11:30 p.m. until 3 a.m. They said that the checkpoint is used for the purpose of detecting drivers who are too impaired to operate a motor vehicle, vehicles with faulty equipment, and those drivers operating a vehicle without a valid license. The checkpoint will be well marked by signage, marked patrol vehicles, and uniformed officers and is designed to have a minimal impact on traffic flow. CAIRO, Ga. (WTXL) - Cairo residents can now drink water from their faucets again without having to worry about arsenic levels. The new water treatment plant is up and running, easing the community's concerns. If high arsenic levels are detected in the water, the plant will send that water through a special filtration system, solving the problem before it reaches your home. Aline Rundle, a Cairo resident says it took the whole community coming together to raise awareness about the issue five years ago. "Perhaps what we've done here in Cairo, Georgia can make a difference throughout the world," said Rundle. "I hope it does." The plant is the first one in the state to have arsenic treatment capabilities. MARIANNA, Fla. (WTXL) - The Jackson County Sheriff's Office says two juveniles have been arrested for setting two fires in a Marianna Walmart. They told deputies the main reason they did it was "because they were bored." JSCO said that on March 3, around 10:30 p.m., they and Jackson County Fire Rescue were called to a Walmart on S.R. 71 in Marianna. When they arrived, the fire had already been extinguished by people inside the store. Surveillance footage revealed that 2 teen girls lit two candles in two different places and left them. As a result of their actions, the area where the first candle was lit burned the flooring causing damage. The second location, where a candle was placed in a box, ignited other boxes and the fire was seen burning above the shelves and spreading. They said that during the time these fires were set, there were over 100 people inside the store shopping. Due to the quick actions of patrons and Walmart personnel extinguishing these fires, many lives were possibly saved. Both the 14-year-old and 16-year-old were arrested for 1st degree arson and criminal mischief on March 5, around 6:30 p.m. and were interviewed. During post Miranda statements, both juveniles confessed to starting the fires stating the main reason for starting the fires were because they were bored. Both juveniles were transported to secure detention in Bay County, Florida. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Today is International Women's Day and its being observed across the globe, from New York to the eastern European countries of Moldova and Georgia. The United Nations observed the holiday by welcoming actress Anne Hathaway to take center stage. Hathaway used the platform to discuss paid maternity leave. March 8th was first recognized as a global holiday by the U.N. In 1975. With it's roots in the Women's Labor Movement, today "International Women's Day" is a global celebration of the social, economic, and cultural achievements of women, And in the capital city, a rally took up celebrations with a message in hopes of "lifting up the voices of women across the state of Florida". Organizers tell WTXL that they hope their gathering was impactful, because it coincided with the start of the legislative session. Also tonight, the Women's March Florida is hosting a vigil this evening until 7:30, to honor all women and gender non-conforming groups that have fallen victim to sexual abuse, domestic violence, and or gender based harassment. According to sources, Sonia Gandhi held a meeting with senior Congress leaders including her son and party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi before she left. By Indo-Asian News Service: Congress President Sonia Gandhi has gone abroad for a routine check up and will not be in the country when results of the crucial assembly elections to five states come in on March 11. According to sources, Sonia Gandhi held a meeting with senior Congress leaders including her son and party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi before she left. advertisement In her absence, Rahul Gandhi, who is slated to take over the reins of the party, will be leading the party. According to Congress sources, Gandhi has gone abroad for routine a check up as advised by her doctors. "She will be back after 3-4 days," said a party source. In August last year, the Congress chief was taken ill during a road show in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency. Gandhi had on February 27 visited the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital here for a routine medical check up. Earlier, Gandhi was twice admitted to the SGRH for her ill-health, during which she underwent a minor shoulder surgery. Sonia Gandhi has not addressed any election campaign in Uttar Pradesh and instead issued appeal to voters through a statement and video. The five states where elections were held are Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur. Also Read Sonia Gandhi visits RML Hospital amid buzz govt delaying announcing IUML MP's death Sonia Gandhi's exclusive interview to India Today: Full transcript --- ENDS --- You are the owner of this article. Miffed with Bhavya Gandhi's slack behaviour, makers had no other option but to replace him. By India Today Web Desk: Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah's fans were shocked with Bhavya Gandhi aka Tappu's exit from the show. The actor quit the show to pursue a career in films. Producer Asit Modi revealed that Bhavya's lack of commitment and unprofessionalism left him with no option but to replace him on the show. In an interview to Dainik Bhaskar Asit revealed, "Bhavya left the show when we needed him the most. I was like a father figure to him and I supported him throughout these years. He signed a Gujarati film without even informing us. I didn't interfere in it, as long as my show did not suffer. Tappu was required for a special Republic Day episode but Bhavya refused to shoot. I was disheartened with his behaviour towards me and my team." advertisement Also read: Tappu aka Bhavya Gandhi leaves Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah Raj Anadkat has replaced Bhavya Gandhi as Tappu in the show. Picture courtesy: Instagram/bhavyagandhi97 Asit told that this kind of unprofessional behaviour was unbearable. "It seems like fame and success has gone to his head. Having said that one cannot deny that Tappu's character played an important role in making the show popular," added Asit whose focus is now completely on new Tappu Raj Anadkat and Tappu Sena. Actor Raj Anadkat who was earlier seen in Sony TV's Ek Rishta Saajhedari Ka has replaced Bhavya on the show and has even started shooting for the same. --- ENDS --- Like beer? Like science? This night's for you Washington AG says order blocking Trumps first travel ban should apply to new ban By Press Trust of India: dies in cross-fire Srinagar, Mar 9 (PTI) Three militants were killed by security forces in Kashmir today in two separate encounters, during which a civilian also lost his life after being caught in the cross-fire. Two Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants and two civilians were killed during a nine-hour gunbattle between the ultras and the security forces in Awantipora area of south Kashmirs Pulwama district. advertisement The encounter broke out in Padgampora village after security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation at around 2.30 am following information about presence of militants there, a police official said. The militants, holed up in two adjacent houses, opened fire at security personnel at around 4.40 am and the troops retaliated, triggering a fierce gunbattle which lasted nine hours. The security officials had brought the mother of one of the militants to the site to persuade him to surrender but he refused, he said. The slain ultras were affiliated to LeT outfit and have been identified as Jehangir Ganai and Mohammad Shafi Shergujri, the official said. A police spokesperson said the slain militants were involved in many incidents of violence, including killing of security and police personnel and political activists, grenade attacks on the forces and police installations in South Kashmir. "They were also involved in threatening general masses to refrain from forthcoming elections and motivating youth to join militant ranks in the general areas of Awantipora, Pulwama and Shopian. "They were also involved in recent bank robberies and weapon snatching incidents in South and Central Kashmir," he added. A 15-year-old civilian -- Amir Nazir Wani -- was also killed after he suffered a bullet wound in the neck during the cross-firing, he said. While local residents claimed security forces fired at the protesters near the encounter site, leading to Wanis death, police officials said the teenager was fatally injured by a "stray bullet". Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti expressed grief over Amirs death and said it was highly unfortunate that the youth are caught in the vicious cycle of violence. Another youth Jalaluddin (22) was rushed in an unconscious state from Padgampora to a hospital where he was declared brought dead, a police official said. There were no visible injury marks on his body, the official said, adding the cause of the youths death is being investigated. One more youth -- Sajad Ahmad Bhat -- was injured after he was hit by a bullet in the hip. He has been referred to Bone and Joint Hospital here for treatment. advertisement Train services from Banihal to Srinagar were suspended temporarily as authorities apprehended that miscreants might target the trains along the south Kashmir tracks. In a separate encounter, a militant of Hizbul Mujahideen was killed and two soldiers injured in Bandipora town in north Kashmir. Security forces had put up a check post near Bandipora police station following information that a militant was going to travel through the area, a police official said. When the militant came in a cab, he was challenged by security forces but he opened fire, resulting in injuries to two soldiers, police said. In the retaliatory firing by the security forces, the militant, identified as Mushtaq Ahmad Shergujri, was killed, he added. A pistol and a hand grenade were recovered from the scene of the shootout, the official said. PTI MIJ DV AKK AKK --- ENDS --- Last Monday morning, local television channels in the United States were flooded with footage of small children holding the hands of adults walking next to them and trying to catch up with them. The adults, meanwhile, were trying to get the little ones to walk a bit faster, without making them panic. From North Carolina to Maryland, from Alabama to Rhode Island, thousands of children were evacuated from at least 12 Jewish community centers and schools. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter It was the fifth wave in a month and a half of telephone bomb threats against Jewish centers. Only one day earlier, desecrated headstones were discovered in Philadelphias Jewish cemetery. A week earlier, vandalized gravestones were discovered in the St. Louis Jewish cemetery. Several days prior, dozens of Jewish centers were evacuated. A week earlier, swastikas were taped to the front doors of a synagogue in downtown Chicago, and swastikas were scrawled on the windows of a New York City subway train. The day before that, and a day after, and pretty much every day since the change of administration in the US, Americas Jews have been facing provocations and insults which they never thought they would experience there, in that enlightened democracy. Sally Amon and her son Max at the Jewish cemetery in Saint Louis, Missouri (Photo: AP) In the middle of the week, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) issued a new security advisory to workers and visitors of Jewish institutions. This followed 90 bomb threats in a week and a half, including one threat directly against the ADL headquarters in New York, although they all eventually turned out to be false threats. According to the new advisory, the different institutions must review their evacuation procedures, in case of bomb threats, as well as the security arrangements at the entrances to the buildings. These troubling phenomena are now a matter of routine, and a direct result of the freedom felt by anti-Semites, racists and other ignorant people to bring their hatred out into the open. It began during the presidential campaign, when Jewish journalists were the main victims of anti-Semitic harassment, whether on social media or in emails with images of ovens. But since Donald Trumps electionafter gaining the support of neo-Nazi organizations, leaders of the Ku Klux Klan and the new generation of white supremaciststhe ripples of anti-Semitism have turned into a big wave. Under the anti-political correctness guise, real poison has been discharged into the American air. In the meantime, no one is actually trying to stop it, before something really bad happens. The result is that Americas Jews wake up in the morning without knowing where the next insult, in the best-case scenario, or the next physical threat, in the worst-case scenario, will come from. The following excerptssome using their full name, some using only their first name for fear of being exposeddescribe what the US Jewry is going through right now. This relatively small segment of the populationproud, pluralistic and esteemedknows its history and is beginning to understand that never again is a very fragile phrase these days. Karin Warsha, a housewife: Not the last time The place: The Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The time: February 26, 2017. The incident: Gravestone vandalism. I arrived at the Mt. Carmel Cemetery after hearing a report on TV that 75 to 100 gravestones had been vandalized. My grandfather is buried there, and I wanted to see if his grave was damaged as well. I was glad to discover that his gravestone was not damaged, but I feel terrible that so many headstones were toppled and graves were damaged. I dont cry easily, but when I got there and saw the destruction, I couldnt stop crying. I dont understand what the people who did this want from the dead. What did they ever do to them? Toppled headstones in Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia (Photo: AFP) Only a week ago, we heard about what happened in the Jewish cemetery in St. Louis, and now its happening here. Who would have thought? Im shocked. Im afraid that this is not the last time we will hear about gravestones being smashed, because as soon as it happens once or twice, it creates a chain reaction and pushes other anti-Semites to act the same way. Liran Braude, an ADL employee: 90 threats in 2 months The place: San Diego, California. The time: February 27, 2017. The incident: Bomb threats. Today, Monday, we received a threat that bombs and explosive charges had been planted in Jewish centers. This is the fifth time that we have received such terror threats. At first, the threats were mostly made against the JCC (Jewish Community Centers), but today threats were also directed at a Jewish school. In total, some 90 terror threats have been received so far in 55 Jewish centers in a short period of about two months. This is a rough estimate. Its very likely that there will be further warnings. Children evacuated from a Jewish kindergarten in Florida So far, none of the threats has been authentic, but we take every warning seriously and evacuate the buildings. We cant take a chance. The FBI is investigating all the incidents as a single crime, because all these threats sound the same and we believe that the same people are responsible for them. We keep getting reports of anti-Semitic and anti-Israel incidents, but since November we have received more complaints than in the entire year before that. Gregory Locke, a lawyer: I felt like I was drowning The place: New York. The time: February 4, 2017. The incident: Anti-Semitic graffiti on the subway. I got on the subway at night. Its usually very quiet on the train during the ride, but I felt that the train was particularly silent this time. After a few seconds, I realized that there were swastikas and anti-Semitic graffiti scrawled on all the windows and the advertisements. I felt as if I was drowning, as if someone was strangling me. A minute later, the shock was replaced with an understanding that this is the world we live in now, that it turns out that it can happen here too, that I am among people who have been in the shadow until now but have now come out into the open, and its so scary. There were a few more minutes of complete silence, people sank deeper into their phones, until one man got up and said that alcohol could clean this ink and asked if anyone had a hand sanitizer. Suddenly, everyone on the train pulled out little bottles and gave them to him. He cleaned one window, and when we saw that it was working, people joined in. There was a sense of relief that at least we can do something. Erasing anti-Semitic graffiti on the NY subway train (Photo: Gregory Locke) I pulled out my phone, took a few pictures and posted them on Facebook. I didnt think it would become such a viral story, and from many aspects I would have preferred it wouldnt have, because I was cursed a lot and many people said I had made it up. But these are the exact same people who are unwilling to believe that such things can happen here. Over the years, I have seen swastikas here and there, and I usually ignored them. I didnt think it was intentional anti-Semitism, but just some idiot. But here it was clear that it wasnt a trick. Here someone scrawled it on an entire subway train. A person doesnt become anti-Semitic overnight. These must be feelings that were deep inside of him for many years, but now he feels that he is allowed air them, in the most public place, the New York subway. I myself am not Jewish. I grew up in a Baptist home and what I saw scared me, but for Jews its a real physical threat. Im pretty sure that there was a Jew on that train too. Its New York, after all. I cant imagine how he felt. Im glad that the main thing people remember from this incident is that people decided to do something. The only way to beat what is happening now is not to keep quiet and not to accept it under any circumstances. Whoever knows some history must remember what happened when good people were silent in the face of evil. Dave, a student: What's this weird thing on my door? The place: The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis-Saint Paul. The time: February 8, 2017. The incident: A drawing of a concentration camp in the dorms. It was late at night. I was sitting in the room in the dorms to do my homework. When I happened to raise my head, I suddenly saw on my rooms door a swastika and a drawing which was probably supposed to look like a concentration camp, with fences and a furnace. My first feeling was: Wow, what is that weird thing? But it was immediately replaced with great fear. First, I tried to understand how someone had entered the room and scribbled on the door from the inside. I know that it was not my partner and not any friend of mine, and its still unclear who did it and how they got in. The drawings on the door of Daves room Im not naive. Im a proud Jew who talks about his Jewishness a lot and understands that in the current era its something which may cause trouble. The area I live and study in is very liberal and pluralistic, and we usually dont see these kinds of things here, but in the past few months there have been nine cases of swastikas drawn in the area, and I think there is definitely a cause for concern. We live in a period in which people are getting the feeling from the government that they are allowed to bring out all the dark sides and all the hate, which who knows why they have gained. I hope this situation doesnt get worse, but I wish I could be certain about it. Judy, a student: I started crying The place: The Rhode Island School of Design in Providence. The time: February 24, 2017. The incident: A swastika in the bathroom. I was returning from school to my room in the dorms when I saw a lot of people gathered near the unisex bathroom. Its a liberal campus which practices equal rights for transgenders. Everyone was standing there pale. I thought that someone had died. They told me they had found in the bathroom a swastika which someone had drawn with human feces. I immediately felt sick. I had to sit down. I went to the corner, and a few second later I started crying. My grandmother is a Holocaust survivor who lost her entire family in the camps. She always told me that there was no such thing as never again, that wherever there were people, terrible things could happen, but I wouldnt accept that. As far as I was concerned, such a thing could never happen in America, and suddenly seeing it was a terrible shock. What if she was right? Racist graffiti (Photo: AFP) It happened at the same time that Donald Trump decided to cancel the orders defending transgender students, so it wasnt clear if the psycho who did it had a problem with Jews or with transgenders or with both. One things for sure: These lunatics feel very free to bring out the hatred now. Religious Jews are suffering from anti-Semitic harassment on the street all the time, because its much easier to identify them of course. They are attacked with curses and insults and burn in the furnace wishes. And this is a liberal and democratic place. I can only imagine what is happening in less pluralistic places. People dont want to say the truth out loud, because most Americans are still living in denial, but the fact is that there is a president who has surrounded himself with people who believe in scientific racism, and not only does he not see it as a problem, he even feels that he is the victim here. I am very concerned that people wont wake up until something really terrible happens. Andrew Moss, a StandWithUs coordinator: Students told that 'Jews are the world's problem' The place: Ann Arbor, Michigan. The time: November 2016. The incident: Anti-Semitic emails. In the past few months I have experienced more anti-Semitism than in the entire two preceding years. It began in November, at the time of the debates between the presidential candidates. Jewish students would approach me and say that students are telling them that all the Zionists are Nazis and that the Jews are the worlds problem. Andrew Moss Several months ago, someone broke into one of the professors accounts and sent emails attacking the Jewish students to his contacts, 4,000 people. A radical right-wing organization recently distributed a flyer reading, Lets reclaim our tradition and get rid of the blacks and the Jews. In Michigan, there has always been a problem of anti-Israel activity and no one cared too much. Even now, it took the universitys management a long time to condemn what is happening. Isaac Amon, a government worker: I was shocked The place: The Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery in Saint Louis, Missouri. The time: February 21, 2017. The incident: Gravestone vandalism. My mothers grandparents are buried in the Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery in Saint Louis. I work in Jefferson City, Missouris capital, and I was at work when we heard what happened at the cemetery. My mother went there with one of my brothers, and they discovered that grandmothers gravestone had been vandalized. I was shocked. I couldnt speak or move for a several minutes. Words cannot describe the feeling. You ask yourself again and again, how could this happen here? I work in the government building, and people saw that I was very shaken up. I dont know how, but Missouri Governor Eric Greitens, who is Jewish himself, heard about it. He called me, said he was going to Saint Louis and asked me to meet him at the cemetery. I went there with my mother and brother, and the governor met my mother and gave her a hug. Isaac Amon I grew up in Saint Louis and I never experienced any anti-Semitic incidents, but the past few months have been very tense for the Jewish community across the United States, not just here. I dont know if there is one reason for it, and there is still no unequivocal proof that the gravestone desecration was an anti-Semitic act or just vandalism, but it doesnt matter. We understand what is happening. Im an American and I love this country, but Im recently finding myself wondering about things I was certain about until now. We heard all our grandparents stories about how everything began in Germany, and how no one thought it could happen there either. My mother was completely shocked. She told me that she had thought that if there was one thing everyone agreed about, it was that graves were always respected, that the dead were allowed to rest in peace, and now it turns out that its not the case. But she also reminded me that these are only gravestones, stones, not people, and that we should try to take the positive sides out of this, the overall sympathetic reaction and the fact that so many people from all religions volunteered to help us. We went back to the cemetery yesterday and saw that my grandmothers headstone was put back in place. Im still walking around with a heavy heart, but I hope things wont get worse. Rabbi Yisroel Levine: I was afraid The place: Oak Park, California. The time: February 11, 2017. The incident: Swastikas in the synagogue. Our synagogue, of the Chabad community, looks like just another apartment in the area. That was the condition for opening the synagogue at that place, that there would be no sign at the front or anything indicating that there is a synagogue here, because its a residential neighborhood. "Thats why we were surprised when we discovered two weeks ago two pieces of paper taped to the door with a swastika and Hail Hitler written on them. I know about at least five other people who received the same anti-Semitic flyers on their doors. And by the way, theyre not Jewish. The security cameras discovered that the flyers were taped by four coward teens with hoods and bandannas covering their faces. The papers taped to the synagogue door One of the synagogue goers, who passed by, saw the paper and called to tell me. I was definitely afraid. I didnt think such a thing could happen in a place like this. Its an upscale neighborhood in the suburbs, north of Los Angeles, and the people are very nice. Seeing such hatred here was shocking. My grandparents are Holocaust survivors, and it took me back to all the stories my grandmother used to tell us every Friday. The police were great. The cops were very supportive and responded immediately. A week after the incident, on my way to the synagogue on Shabbat, I met one of the cops. He was putting flyers in all of the tenants mailboxes with the image from the security camera, so see if anyone knew who these teenagers were. I was filled with appreciation that the police identify with what were going through and are trying to act. This isnt the first time that something like this happens. In the past, someone drew graffiti outside the synagogue and wrote, Get out of Oak Park! it was shocking at the time too, but its much worse when you see a writing like Hail Hitler. Ilanit Michelson, Israel Scouts, St. Louis: We felt like these people had died again The place: The Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery in Saint Louis, Missouri. The time: February 21, 2017. The incident: Gravestone vandalism I have been living here for 21 years. I got married here, I had four sons, one of them is now serving in the IDF, and I never thought I would encounter such a thing. My mother-in-laws entire family is buried in Chesed Shel Emeth. She doesnt visit the place often. The Americans, in general, go to cemeteries a lot less that what we are used to in Israel, but when we heard what happened we went there with her. Ilanit Michelson Those barbarians toppled mostly thin headstones, and most of the graves that were desecrated where very old, because its probably easier to desecrate old gravestones. Its a large old cemetery, a lot of graves, and as we walked around we felt like those people had died again. There was one girl there who was looking for a relative of hers. It was clear that she hadnt been there for a long time and didnt know where he was buried, and she was extremely shaken up. Some of the headstones which were vandalized belonged to very small graves, and it took me a few minutes to realize that they were old graves of children. This incident was all people talked about in Saint Louis for several days. My son, a 10th grader, told me that all his friends were worried about him because they saw how he took it to heart. He said to me, Mom, I dont understand, why do such a thing in a cemetery? A friend of ours, the son of Holocaust survivors, said he planned to buy a gun. Over the years, there have been manifestations of anti-Semitism here and there, but now there is definitely a feeling of a rise in the number of incidents. People are shocked that such things can even happen in America and are afraid that we may have become a target. Each person has his own theories about the reasons, but there is no doubt that the atmosphere in the United States since the elections is very unpleasant. I will never forget how entering the synagogue and seeing what they did there made my stomach turn over. Daniel, a high school student: Jew, there are coins on the floor The place: San Diego, California. The time: February 23, 2017. The incident: Anti-Semitic insult at a Home Depot store. When I was at the Home Depot store, I noticed two young people who kept staring at me. They began walking towards me. I thought perhaps they wanted to ask me something, but then they said mockingly: Hey Jew, look, there are coins on the floor. They laughed and walked away. It hurt me. Its easy to see that Im Jewish because I wear a skullcap and I have side-locks and a fringed garment, but luckily, I never encountered anti-Semitism. Until now. "I told my mother what had happened and she reported it to the Anti-Defamation League, but the truth is that there is not much we can do about it. Its sad, but its part of what we Jews deal with. More than 200 IDF officers, graduates of the military Yeshiva academy Bnei David Eli, have signed a petition backing up their rabbi, Yigal Levinstein, head of the pre-military academy, following his disparaging remarks Tuesday against women serving in combat. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter They argue that integrating women in combat units could harm the army "in a significant and painful manner," and the fact that the rabbi's words "sound harsh" is only "due to the seriousness of the matter." "Through this letter, we would like to express support and reafirm the words of Rabbi Levinstein," clarified the officers, reservists ranging in ranks from Lt. to Lt. Col. "Anyone who knows Rabbi Levinstein knows how great his love for the IDF is, and how much his concern over its proper functioning is sincere, profound and unshakeable. From him, we learned how important it is to devote ones self to the security of Israel. Rabbi Levinstein Recently, the rabbi warned of changes and vicissitudes in the army, especially in relation to the integration of women in combat units," wrote the officers, "As someone familiar with the military, we understand the problems mentioned by the rabbi and the dangers inherent in them." Levinsteins disciples emphasized that he is not alone, since his position reflects the opinion of the "great Rabbis of Israel" and the religious ruling of the Chief Rabbinate in relation to the integration of girls in the military in general, and the training of observant women in particular. The officers petition is a grass-roots initiative, which began with the graduates. Meanwhile, the Bnei David administration is still debating on how to officially respond following the Rabbis speech. It is widely assumed that on Wednesday night, Levinsteins co-director of the prestigious institution Rabbi Eli Sadan, will issue an announcement addressing the matter for the first time and clarifying the academys stance. Rabbi Levinsteins speech reignited the controversy surrounding the principle of integrating women in combat roles. Rabbi Dov Lior, a leader of the conservative wing of religious Zionism, stated that a male soldier must not serve in a co-ed unit. He said that "If the public stands firmthere is a chance it will be canceled." The rabbi explained that "even though service in the army is a commandment, it is not permissible to enter a situation where it is made impossible to live as an observant Jew." The rabbi of Beit El, Zalman Melamed, also a leader of the religious Zionist camp, sent a letter to the religious Knesset members, urging them to join forces and work together to cancel the command so as to "allow every soldier to serve in a gender appropriate unit." He claimed that the Chief of Staffs intent seems to be eliminating the gender-separate units, and determined that "the new IDF spirit goes against the spirit of the Torah in Israel." "Most IDF soldiers are traditional," claimed Rabbi Melamed. "Who gave the chief of staff the authority to harm the fundamental values of the majority of the soldiers? He does not have the authority to impose a world view." Rabbi Melamed also warned that if the process isnt somehow blocked, most soldiers will be obligated to serve in mixed units while the Orthodox will be placed in ghettos in the army." According to him, this would entail "the destruction of modesty in the army, which is one of the qualities distinguishing the people of Israel." The State Attorney's Office announced Wednesday that it has rejected the application of the "Free Israel" movement to open a criminal investigation against Rabbi Levinstein, following a lesson he taught last year that went against the LGBT community, calling its members "perverse." The letter sent by the prosecutor's office stated that there is no place to open an investigation since his words "did not call, either overtly or covertly, for violence against members of the LGBT community, or any other person. Therefore, the contextual basis for incitement to violence was not met." Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Minister of Education Naftali Bennett locked horns on Wednesday in the aftermath of a speech by Rabbi Yigal Levinstein against women serving in IDF combat roles. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Tension began to mount after the Ministry of Education received an application on Wednesday from the Ministry of Defense, asking to convene the Joint Council of 'Mechinot' (pre-military academies) headed by the Director General of the Ministry of Education to discuss the possibility of closing the Eli pre-military academy, co-directed by Rabbi Levinstein. The Defense Ministry also announced that a letter on the subject has already been transferred to the Ministry of Education. Upon hearing the request, Bennett's office appeared to have perceived it as an attempt to challenge him, and therefore responded in kind. "We will consider discussing the closure of the pre-military academy Eli with the defense minister once he liquidates Ismail Haniyeh," said a statement by Bennett's office. Bennett and Lieberman (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky, Yair Sagi) "The pre-military academy in Eli bred Israeli heroes like Roi Klein, Eliraz Peretz, Emanuel Moreno and many others, and it will of course continue to operate as usual. Whatever needs amending will be amended, particularly regarding such miserable statements, but without undue militancy," continued the statement. During a lecture in front of pre-military students, Levinstein ridiculed female combat soldiers. He described such women as not hot and wondered who would agree to marry them. Levinstein, a prominent educator and influential Rabbi in the national Zionism stream, caused quite a stir last summer as well after his "deviants speech, in which he attacked the LGBT community, came to light. He often deals with the relationship between religion and the army and heads one of the most prestigious institutions working on this issue. In his most recent lecture, Levinstein focused on the recruitment of female graduates of religious educationa growing phenomenon which is worrying rabbis in the more conservative circles. "Our women are holy and humble," he said to the students. "Does this mean that a woman cant work? She can work in whatever she likes. But what is her mission? The Talmud says: build the next generation. It is up to them. Only our holy women know how to do it. What will she be, a company commander? It is a question of madness. It belongs to the mental asylum." Later he added: "Leave the secular girls asidethis is a religious girl (we are talking about). They drove our girls crazy, drafting them into the army. Their entire set of values gets skewed, their priorities, home-career, would confuse everyone. We will not allow it." While the warming relations between Hamas and Egypt is leading to a sense of relief which Gaza residents have not experienced for many years, it is also causing concern both in Jerusalem and Ramallah. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Among other things, for the first time in a decade, Egypt agreed to send concrete pumps into Gaza. According to an official in the Hamas-run enclave, two pumps were brought in on Tuesday through the Rafah crossing which they said were intended for private companies, not for Hamas. Rafah crossing, between Egypt and Gaza (Photo: AFP) Israel has prohibited the entrance of such pumps being moved into the strip ever since the blockade of Gaza commenced, for fear that Hamas could use them to arm their bunkers or for their tunnel industry. The thawing of the frosty relations between Egypt and Hamas culminated in a first visit to Cairo during the regime of al-Sisi, conducted by deputy Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh in January, during which he met with Egyptian intelligence officials. Haniyeh was accompanied by a slew of Hamas officials, including from its military wing. The desecalation of tensions came after the Egyptian regime concluded that Hamas did not need to be embraced in order to triumph in the ongoing battle against ISIS in Sinai. In recent years, Hamas backed the ISIS branch in northern Sinai by providing them with logistical and military support, compelling Egypt to throw a bone to the Gaza rulers in an effort to to persuade them to sever ties with ISIS. Over the past few weeks, since relations began to show a more cordial side, the Rafah crossing was frequently opened not only for the transit of people but also goods, including construction materials and cement with the approval of the Egyptian authorities. Consequently, Israeli defense officials are increasingly worried about the new development between Hamas and Egypt, for fear that Egypt would loosen its military campaign against the smuggling tunnels in Rafahwhich served as the main conduit through which Hamas received its weapons arsenal before Egypt flooded them. Isis militants At the same time, there is a growing tension between Ramallah and Cairo, both in the context of Egypts warming relations with Hamas, and in light of Egypt's support of Muhammad Abbass great rival, Mohammed Dahlan, who was dismissed from the ranks of Fatah and is trying to challenge the leadership in Ramallah as an alternative leader. A record high was marked last week when Egypt prevented a senior Fatah official, Jibril Rajoub, to enter its territory. Rajoub landed at Cairo airport but had to return in disgrace on the same flight to Amman. Mohammed Dahlan. Egyptian support of him causes tensions with the Palestinian National Authority (Photo: Shaul Golan) Through the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, Israel publishes information in Arabic on the units site, regarding the close relationship between Hamas and ISIS in Sinai. The information is usually published to shame Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip who are assisting ISIS. The goal of these publications is also to expose the people of Gaza to Hamas atrocities and to arouse public opinion in Egypt against Hamas, hoping to thwart the thawing relations, or at least dampen them. The summer of 2015 was not easy for al-Sisis regime and the Egyptian army in the north of the Sinai Peninsula. Since the beginning of July and until October, the Egyptian army suffered one of the most intense attacks launched by the ISIS branch in Sinai. Jibril Rajoub. Prevented from entering Egypt (Photo: Amit Shabi) Dozens of Egyptian soldiers were killed and there were reports of a takeover of northern towns in the Peninsula. Following that attack, there were commentators who were already began speculating that in light of the cooperation between ISIS and Hamas, an Egyptian military intervention in the Gaza Strip was closer than ever. Almost two years later, it seems that Egypt is actually trying to establish some kind of cooperative system with Hamas. Hamas has already been declared a terror organization by Egypt and was even linked to several acts of terrorism, among them the assassination of Egypt's Prosecutor General Hisham Barakat. Even so, officials in Egypt probably understood that at the moment they have no better alternative than Hamas. In Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper, which is published in London and is known to be biased against Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's regime, published claims saying his meeting in January with Ismail Haniyeh was held in light of Egyptian intelligence's estimation that Haniyeh will replace Khaled Mashal as the group's leader. From right to left: Mahmoud Abbas, Khaled Mashal and Ismail Haniyeh Sources speaking with the Egyptian news portal Masrawy in recent days say that during the last few months, meetings were held with Hamas officials such as Mousa Mohammed Abu Marzook, who serves as somewhat of an ambassador for the group in Cairo. According to those sources, Hamas has agreed to two demands by the Egyptian side of the talks: border safety and stopping the passing through the tunnels. However, it did not agree to extradite wanted suspects, such as Saliman Sawarka, who is considered to be a senior member of ISIS. Hamas claimed that Sawarka is not present in Gaza. The same sources offered an explanation for Egypt's latest change, which is also reflected by the increasingly frequent opening of the Rafah crossing. "Mahmoud Abbas has completely neglected the strip, so Egypt is taking a stance to preserve its interests by being open with Hamas, even temporarily. Egypt will deal with Gaza not by waiting for the Palestinian Authority to take the reins, but by making sure to strengthen its own interests and reducing tensions." Even if those sources do not fully reflect al-Sisi policies, there is no doubt that in reality things are changing in relation to Egypt and the strip. The more frequent opening of the Rafah crossing in recent months and the even more recent sending of concrete pumps, despite Israel's stance on them, is clearly an indication for that. Switzerlands parliament made an unprecedented decision on Wednesday to prevent the state from "financing any organization which supports racism, anti-Semitism, or the BDS." Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The BDS, for the first time in any European parliament, was lumped in by the Swiss parliamentarians next to racism and anti-Semitism. The decision was passed with 111 votes for it and 78 against, while 4 abstained. Photo: Reuters Foreign Affairs Minister Didier Burkhalter tried to convince the parliament to reject the proposal, claiming that "it is Switzerland's right to encourage public discussion in Israel," referring to the country's support of body's linked, directly or otherwise, to the BDS, and presenting the organization Breaking the Silence as an example. Burkhalter claimed that Breaking the Silence is "a thorn in the eye of the Israeli government, because it reports the horrors of the occupation." This notion however, has been criticized as a fraudulent cyclical phenomenon, whereby Switzerland funds Breaking the Silence to report "horrors", which the minister is then "made aware of." Despite Burkhalter's protests, the Swiss parliament was not convinced. Affecting the change was injected with an added impetus due to the work by representatives of the NGO Monitor organization, which promotes accountability from non-governmental organizations and government funders. The organization's chairman professor Gerald M. Steinberg and NGO Monitor author Olga Deutsch met several months ago with members of the parliament in Switzerland's Capital of Bern. They presented the MPs with facts about organizations that Switzerland is funding, showing that they promote anti-Semitism and even denounce acknowledgement of Israel and the Jews' right to reside in the state's territories. These information, picked up on and covered by Swiss media, titled the cales, causing many Parliament members to be swayed, even members of Burkhalter own party. Didier Burkhalter (L) speaking with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (Photo: Reuters) For the parliament's decision to take effect, it needs to be approved by the senate, though senior diplomatic sources believe that the chance for that is high. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Hotovely responded to the decision, saying "I congratulate the Swiss parliament for this important step towards justice and human morals. This decision deserves to be adapted in other parliaments across Europe. We are all in favor of human rights, but there are organizations that serve a different purpose under the guise of this notion, and it's crucial to make efforts to uncover their true goals." NGO Monitor has been active in recent years in several European parliaments, and their efforts have lead to discussions caused governments to reconsider policies and funding of anti-Israeli organizations. The Dutch parliament made a decision to denounce funding of BDS, but that decision has yet to be implemented, and expectations are that after the near elections attempts will be made to push the agenda further. Similarly, Spain's High Court of Justice approved a decision against the BDS several months ago, and a few days ago one of the country's ruling parties adoted a bill proposal opposing the organization, calling it "a modern version of anti-Semitism." The comments made by Rabbi Yigal Levinstein, head of the Bnei David pre-army academy in Eli, as well as the apology for the style but not for the content, should be seen as part of a big, dramatic battle over the new face of the IDF, which has been rapidly changing in recent years and creating tensions. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The numbers tell the whole story: At a time in which 27 percent of the boys do not enlist and another 17 percent do not complete their service, in which 42 percent of the girls do not enlist and 15 percent fail to show up at the induction center to be released; in an era in which the number of career soldiers has reached a new low and the army discharges some 100,000 reserve soldiers and decides to use them for training onlythe army needs women in combat roles more than ever. Religious female soldiers no longer settle for serving as teachers and instead choose roles in high-quality units Its also a question of demand. At a time when the demands for technological systemslike the cyber security systemsgrow, as well as the demands for other units in the Intelligence Directorate, and at a time when the operational needs for the borders with countries with which we are at peaceEgypt and Jordanbecome more essential, the IDF needs women. Not to mention the fact that, at the same time, the army has launched a move of cutting down mandatory service by four months. Fortunately for the heads of the IDF, an encouraging trend has been recorded since the beginning of the decade among all girls volunteering to serve as fighters. Their number has increased from 500 to 2,100. The number of religious girls who join the army has recorded an impressive growth: From 900 to 2,135. The IDF has expanded the mixed combat units, and it is opening the fourth regiment which has 60 percent girls and 40 percent boys. Religious girls avoid the fighting corps because of the joint service, but voices of change are certainly being heard there too. A first platoon of girls seeking to serve together with boys is currently being formed, and the IDF is expected to accept their request. In order to thoroughly understand the battle over the face of the IDF, however, we must also look at the composition of the male fighting corps, which are comprised mostly of religious soldiers and residents of the periphery. The IDF tries to stay as far away as possible from the word religionization, but anyone who hangs around the combat units of Golani, Givati, the Paratroopers Brigade and elite units like Sayeret Matkal, Shaldag and Shayetet 13, which used to be a secular stronghold, cannot ignore the dramatic change taking place. In the Bahad 1 training base, 30 percent of the cadets are religious, and in the Gefen Territorial Brigade, which trains the combat cadets, their number reaches 40 percent. The numbers of people making careers in the army are persistently growing, because its much easier for brigade and regiment commanders to enlist a grownup officer who graduated from the Eli pre-army academy for a demanding service than a secular soldier from central Israel who sees the officers course as above and beyond peoples expectations. And so, we are witnessing the formation of a significant and welcome mass influx of religious and ethical officers with demands of their own, who have another authority they accept, which is the rabbis. This has led to the slow development of a battle over values, which reached its peak in the conflict between the Education Corps and the Rabbinate. In the current climate, the IDF has no intention to, and cant really give up, either on girls service in combat units or on the enlistment of religious girls, who no longer settle for serving as teachers and instead choose roles in high-quality units in the research department of the Military Intelligence Directorate and in Unit 8200. The rabbis have tried to prevent it, but have failed miserably both in the absolute numbers and in the fact that these girls come today not only from religious schools but also from the prestigious seminaries. The army, on its part, is failing to converse and even to explain that in the pilot project for integrating girls into the Armored Corps, which is beginning this month, there is no intention for them to serve with boys in the same tankbut that if they do meet the physical requirements, the tank will have only girls in it. The failure doesnt end here. The fact that IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot didnt condemn Rabbi Levinsteins comments and back the female soldiers in his own voice, or through an IDF spokesperson statement, was particularly annoying. The person who did do just that was Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman during a visit to Washington. Its true that Eisenkots assistant, Colonel Ronen Manelis, issued an order about a month ago not to invite Levinstein to the army units, but a clear and profound moral statementlike the one Eisenkot made after the Elor Azaria shooting affair in Hebronshould have been issued immediately too. The controversial remarks recently made by Rabbi Yigal Levinstein from the Bnei David pre-military modern Orthodox academy, in which he disparaged women for drafting into the IDF, has sparked yet again a fierce debate over equality for women in Israel and has prompted a response from the IDF and religious women serving in the military. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter In light of the remarks, in which Levinstein wondered aloud, "Who would agree to marry (women in the army)?" and cast aspersions on their femininity, IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Moti Almoz wrote on his Facebook page on Wednesday night that the comments were out of place. Woman serving in the IAF (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) Regarding the inappropriate comments...in the last few hours the calls to stop the integration of women into the IDF were publicized. Brothers in arms, you are mistaken. The IDF belongs to everyone, women and men, he wrote. Zionist and religious people who are dear to us fight together with their secular brothers in all fields of the army and with religious female fighters who guard out country, with Haredim, people of different religions and the entire Israeli society, he continued. The aim is onethe protection of the State of Israel, the assurance of peace for its residents and victory in war. Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit Almoz also added that the overarching goal of the army was to unite the different strata within its ranks and to create a united, strong and determined military in order to carry out its missions. We are doing this responsibly and with sensitivity while listening to all strands of Israeli society. He concluded by urging people to leave the IDF outside the disputes. The IDF spokesman was not the only one who spoke out against Levinsteins provocative comments. Indeed, Chen Levine, a 24-year-old religious woman who served in a classified unit in the army insisted that to be religious in the IDF and in a secular environment only strengthened her religious identity. It is having to cope in an environment unfamiliar with religion, and the questions that were raised always challenged me and forced me to find answers, said Chen. Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit Another woman from the Tzahali pre-military modern Orthodox academy, which was established in 2006 for religious girls, who wanted to serve in the IDF, also refused to let Levinsteins comments go unchallenged. The things Rabbi Levinstein said show me even more that we need to be heard, that our motives need to be known, said Esti Pinto, 18, who serves in an intelligence unit. The laughing of his listeners come from a lack of understanding, she added. Danna Salski, 19, who also serves in an intelligence unit in the IDF, stated that precisely because of the comments made by Levinstein, she is more interested in hearing what he had to say. But it also sharpened, in my mind, the significance of the conscription revolution among religious women, and I understand that I have a duty to put the matter in a positive light, Salski said. Nevertheless, the rabbis comments were not all met with anger, apprehension or dissent. More than 200 IDF officers, graduates of Bnei David, signed a petition backing up their rabbi, arguing that integrating women in combat units could harm the army "in a significant and painful manner," and the fact that the rabbi's words "sound harsh" is only "due to the seriousness of the matter." Construction work on the underground wall designed to prevent tunnel breaches into Israeli territory from Gaza is being expedited. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Between 1,500 and 2,000 foreign workers are expected to be recruited to help build the underground barrier. Construction work on the barrier (Photo: Roee Idan) The information was made public by Defense Ministry Director-General Udi Adam in his meeting with officials from towns near the Gaza border to update them on the status of the project. According to Adam, technological work to be undertaken by two Israeli companies is also set to begin soon. He added that the companies will create jobs for residents of the region and that there are already rsome from the area currently working on the project. The barrier, for which more than three billion shekels were allocated for its constuction, is expected to be completed in two years. The possibility to open the Erez crossing to increase the number of workers from Gaza for the purpose of working the region's fields was also brought up during the conversation. Adam said that he supports the idea and requested the assistance of the officials to promote the move with authorities that object it, such as the Shin Bet. By Press Trust of India: Coimbatore, Mar 9 (PTI) Tamil Nadu Agricutural University (TNAU) All India Coordinated Research Project on Weed Management has been adjudged as the Best Centre in the County during 2016-17. The award, carrying a citation and a shield, was presented during the 24th Annual Review Meeting held at Maharana Pratap Agriculture University and Technology, Udaipur last month, TNAU release said here today. Besides the award, Rs one lakh additional grant was given to the Centre for its outstanding contributions in the field of weed science research and extension by a team of scientists, it said. advertisement The Centre has developed integrated weed management technologies for different crops, such as rice, soybean, sugarcane, groundnut, onion, sugar beet, tobacco, maize and also aquatic weeds. Research on herbicide residues in soil, water and food chain and impact assessment of weed management technologies on improving the crop yields have also been carried out, it said. TNAU centre was selected from among 24 All India Coordinated Research Project on Weed Management Centres in operation in different parts of the country, the release said. PTI NVM RC --- ENDS --- A twin suicide bombing struck a village wedding north of Baghdad as the wedding party gathered in the evening hours, killing at least 26 people and wounding dozens, a government spokesman said Thursday. The attack, which took place late Wednesday, began when one suicide bomber wearing an explosives-laden belt walked into the wedding party assembled in an open area in Hajaj, near the city of Tikrit, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) from Baghdad. The bomber detonated his explosives, only to be followed by the second attacker who blew himself up when people had gathered to help the victims of the first explosion, said provincial spokesman Ali al-Hamdani. He said 26 people were killed, most of them children, and up to 67 were wounded. Comments from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other Turkish officials accusing Germany of "Nazi practices" cannot be tolerated and need to stop, Chancellor Angela Merkel told Parliament on Thursday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter In her strongest comments so far about Erdogan's statement, Merkel said the Nazi comparisons were "sad" and "so incredibly misplaced that one really can't comment, but they cannot be justified." "We will not allow the victims of the Nazis to be trivialized," she said. "These comparisons with the Nazis must stop." Angela Merkel Erdogan made the comment on the weekend after several German municipalities canceled events in which Turkish Cabinet ministers had planned to address rallies in Germany in support of a national referendum on constitutional reform that would give the Turkish president more powers. Officials have cited problems with overcrowding and fire safety, and other issues About 1.4 million people of Turkish descent living in Germany are eligible to vote in the referendum. In a step back from the heated rhetoric of recent days, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildrim told reporters in Ankara Thursday that Germany seems to be taking sides in the upcoming referendum, but he did not repeat the Nazi comparison. Asked about Merkel's comments, Yildrim said Germany "may be disturbed" that a yes vote is likely in the referendum, but that if it is interfering in the process it amounts to "meddling" in another country's affairs and is "very wrong." Some rallies have gone ahead, and Merkel's government has emphasized it wasn't involved in blocking the others, but must respect the decisions of local authorities. Turkish President Erdogan (Photo: AP) But as the rhetoric in Ankara has escalated, German officials have been expressing increasing irritation with Turkey. Adding to the tension has been Turkey's arrest in February of German newspaper reporter Deniz Yucel, whom Erdogan has accused of being both a German spy and a "representative" of the outlawed Kurdish rebel group PKK. Yucel, a reporter for Die Welt with German and Turkish citizenship, was detained in Istanbul over his reports about a hacker attack on the email account of the country's energy minister. Germany has dismissed Erdogan's claims about Yucel as "absurd," and Merkel told Parliament that the government is working "with all its means" to win Yucel's freedom. She told lawmakers that in all of her government's talks with Turkey, she and other German officials have emphasized Turkey's need to respect "freedom of opinion, freedom of speech and freedom of the press." The first face-to-face meeting between German and Turkish officials in the wake of the recent diplomatic friction came Wednesday when Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu sat down over breakfast at a Berlin hotel. Gabriel called the meeting "good, honest and friendly, but also hard and contentious" and the two sides agreed to meet again in Turkey. Muezzin calls blaring "Allahu Akbar" were heard from Baqa al-Gharbiyye's city hall loudspeakers on Wednesday, as the municipality sought to loudly protested the passing of the Muezzin Bill's preliminary reading. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The bill, which seeks to limit decibel levels for religious institutions, passsed in the Knesset on on Wednesday by a vote of 55-48. Baqa al-Gharbiyye loudspeakers The display of defiance against what Arab MKs have described as discrimination against the Arab population, was ordered by the town's mayor, lawyer Morsi Abu Mokh, who instructed the use of the loudspeakers to broadcast the muezzin. Abu Mokh attacked the members of the Knesset who passed the bill, saying "whoever believes in state law should represent all of its residents. This bill will only distance the two populations further, and we want to prevent that." He called on the members of the Knesset to reconsider, suggesting promoting other bills which strengthen and aid the principles of democracy and equality in Israel. The mayor stated that the city hall's loudspeakers will play the muezzin call to prayer twice a day every work day. "Our aim is to send a message to whoever voted in favor of the bill, saying that we will not stand for a decision which hurts our feelings and religion." Many residents in Baqa al-Gharbiyye and other towns supported Mokh's protest. An Imam in a nearby mosque insisted that the muezzin will not be silenced, saying "we will not stop the muezzin, and we will not respect this law even if they arrest us. This is the decision we made. The government is fighting Muslim's and Islam, and we'll respond accordingly." The Knesset approved the preliminary reading of two versions of the controversial bill in a raucous session that repeatedly descended into a shouting match between Arab MKs and right-wing supporters of the measure. An indictment was submitted against 23-year-old Qalqilya resident Yousef Yasser Sweilam Thursday for planning to commit acts of terrorism, including kidnapping. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Sweilam was arrested as part of a joint operation by the IDF and the police and was transferred to Shin Bet custody to be interrogated. During the investigation, the Shin Bet discovered that Sweilam was recruited to the Hezbollah terror organization through Facebook. Yousef Yasser Sweilam He was instructed to open an email which contained an encryption software, through which he could stay in contact with a Hezbollah enforcer nicknamed "Abu Hasin." Sweilam was also instructed to perform various missions, including photographing and collecting intelligence on IDF bases, checkpoints and other sites in the nearby city of Jerusalem. In addition, Sweilam set about attempting to recruit jihadists and establish a terror cell in order to kidnap an Israeli citizen and transfer him to Lebanon. Turkey's foreign minister has defended Turkish comments accusing Berlin of "Nazi practices," saying no German politician was being called a "Nazi." Mevlut Cavusoglu insisted Thursday that the German authorities' cancellation of a series of rallies, which Turkish Cabinet ministers had planned to address in support of a referendum to increase the Turkish president's powers, "were reminiscent" of that era. "No one has said (German Chancellor Angela) Merkel is a Nazi or (German Foreign Minister) Signar Gabriel is a Nazi," Cavusoglu said. "We have not called anyone a Nazi. Our President made a comparison in reference to certain practices." He added: "The trend in Europe at the moment reminds us of pre-World War II Europe." Earlier, Merkel said Turkish comments making comparison to "Nazi practices" cannot be tolerated. The Israeli Foreign Ministry has called the South African ambassador to Israel to be officially reprimanded following statements made by two senior officials in the government accusing Israel of practicing an apartheid system, and describing the neutralized Palestinian terrorist killed by Elor Azaria as a helpless and innocent protester lying on the ground. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Minister of Water and Sanitation Nomvula Mokonyane said that Israel was conducting a system of water apartheid against the Palestinians, adding that Azarias shooting illustrated that the IDF was a murderous machine. Another official, Deputy Secretary-General of the ANC Jessie Duarte, called on the government to strip South African Jews of their citizenship if they had drafted into the IDF. Minister of Water and Sanitation Nomvula Mokonyane The Israeli Ambassador to South Africa Arthur Lenk was also instructed by Jerusalem to communicate his countrys outrage at the comments in Pretoria. The remarks were made during an apartheid event in South African campuses, which is today considered the global stronghold of the BDS movement. Mokonyane slammed the evil ways, lacking all humanity, in which the Israeli regime deals with Palestinian resistance with an oppression that does not subside. It now looks like it is on steroids. She went on to say that Israel is using water and its control of water as a tool to control the state of Palestine. This was found to be the case by research, some of which was examined by the UN. Moreover, Israel is the biggest water apartheid state in the world. Jessie Duarte Speaking about Azaria, who was sentenced to a year and a half in prison last month for shooting dead a neutralized Palestinian who had just moments earlier carried out a stabbing attack, Mokonyane said the shooting of Palestinian protester lying on the ground, writhing in pain, was done without any fear of punishment. This is a protest against the culture and character of the Israeli army as a murderous machine. It is not surprising that others protested against the fact that the soldier was sentenced to prison for his crimes. Mokonyane added that with the support of the US, the Israeli regime has continued with its abhorrent policies of collective punishment which has hurt many innocent civilians who have been victimized. Israel must stop this policy. For Duarte, this is not the first time she has made inflammatory comments about Israel. During Operation Protective Edge, she compared Israels military conduct to Nazi behaviour, evoking a significant outcry from the local Jewish community. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Thursday afternoon in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Before their conversation, which Netanyahu described as "a very important conversation for the security of Israel," the leaders addressed the Jewish holiday of Purim, which takes place this year on Sunday. Putin extended his best wishes to the people of Israel for the holiday. In the prime minister's remarks as communicated by his office, Netanyahu replied, "I thank you for your Purim greetings. Two thousand five hundred years ago in ancient Persia there was an attempt to destroy the Jewish People that did not succeed and we mark this on the holiday of Purim. Netanyahu and Putin greet each other. (Photo: EPA) Netanyahu concluded by speaking to the defensive capabilities of his country: "Of course, I would like to say as clearly as possible: Israel is a state today. We have an army and we are capable of defending ourselves. But the threat of radical Shi'ite Islam threatens us no less than it does the region and the peace of the world, and I know that we are partners in the desire to prevent any kind of victory by radical Islam of any sort." Following the meeting, Netanyahu spoke with the Israeli press. He said that he had expressed to Putin that Israel would not be opposed to an arrangement with Syria, but strongly objected to Iran leaving a military presence in Syria. He added that no peace agreement could be reached with Syria while Iran, which calls for Israel's destructions, has troops there. "There can't be peace while they continue to make war," he said. The prime minister said that he and the Russian head of state also discussed economic issues pertaining to the two countries. Netanyahu then said that he brought up his oft-repeated request, as he is "accustomed to doing in other places in the world," for the return of the Israeli civilians held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip along with the bodies of two killed IDF soldiers. The prime minister referred only to the latter two, Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul , by name and then referred to the "the two Israeli civilians held by Hamas," despite there being three: Abera Mengistu Hisham al-Sayed and Jumaa Ibrahim Abu-Ghanima Israel's Transport and Road Safety Minister Yisrael Katz said he is pushing forward with a proposal to build an artificial island with a seaport off the coast of Hamas-ruled Gaza that he believes will alleviate hardship in the blockaded territory and offer residents their first real bridge to the outside world in a decade. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter With an independent Palestinian state unlikely anytime soon, Katz told The Associated Press that an island for moving goods in and out of Gaza was part of his broader goal of creating regional security and "economic peace" between Israel and its neighbors. The plan has been derided by critics as impractical but presents a bold platform for Katz, who speaks openly of succeeding Benjamin Netanyahu even as the embattled prime minister faces a series of potentially devastating corruption probes. Yisrael Katz (Photo: Marc Israel Sellem) Katz's plan calls for an eight-square-kilometer (three-square-mile) island linked to Gaza by a five-kilometer (three-mile) bridge. The island, estimated to cost $5 billion, would take five years to build and include a seaport, a power station, a desalination plant and perhaps a future airport. Israel would supervise security but it would otherwise be run by the Palestinians and the international communitywhich he says would mark the completion of Israel's 2005 withdrawal from Gaza. "No Palestinian can oppose this, not Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) and not Hamas, because it gives them an opening to the world," Katz said in an interview at his Tel Aviv office. "In an absurd way, we are giving Hamas the keys to the world's largest prison." The Palestinians have greeted the plan with skepticism, concerned that it is an Israeli power play whose real aim is to cement control over Gaza and further sever the territory from the West Bank. The Palestinians seek both territories, which are divided between rival governments, as parts of a future state. Israel destroyed Gaza's airport during the second Palestinian uprising in the early 2000s, and it restricts access to Gaza's small seaport, mostly to local fishermen. Nabil Shaath, Abbas' adviser for foreign affairs, said the Palestinians have their own plans for developing Gaza's coastline. "We are capable of taking care of ourselves. All we need is for Israel to leave us alone and lift the siege on Gaza," he said. Netanyahu and Katz (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky) He said Israel has rejected a number of initiatives over the years on security grounds. These include a French-Dutch offer to build a seaport in Gaza and a proposal for the Palestinians to rent a port in Cyprus, where international inspectors could check all cargo before it is shipped to Gaza. "Katz's idea is to build a place that will be easy for Israel to control," he said. "Israel is the main reason for the crisis in Gaza and it is the obstacle in the way of our development." Hamas, the Islamic militant group that controls Gaza, declined comment. Arie Arnon, the Israeli coordinator of the Aix Group, a joint Israeli-Palestinian think tank, said Katz should be lauded for trying to tackle the complicated Gaza crisis, but that his island initiative was merely a "gimmick" since it came unilaterally and did not address the core of the problem. "He wants a backdoor solution," he said. "The problem in Gaza is political, not technical." While the plan seems like a long shot, the idea has helped brand Katz as a creative thinker. The veteran Cabinet minister is currently Netanyahu's top deputy and has long been a power broker in the ruling Likud Party but remains generally unknown internationally. Katz made it clear he considers himself Netanyahu's natural successor but would not challenge the prime minister as long as he remains in power. "The day he retires, I am running for head of Likud and prime minister," Katz stated. The next Israeli election is not scheduled until 2019, and Netanyahu has given no indication of stepping down. But he faces a series of police investigations into possible corruption, including suspicions that he accepted expensive gifts from Israeli billionaire Arnon Milchan, that could potentially force him to resign. The media buzzes daily with reports of the police investigations. Katz says he is serious about the island plan, which he believes could bring much-needed relief to the people of Gaza at a time of political impasse. Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade on Gaza after Hamas seized power from the internationally backed Palestinian Authority in 2007. Repeated reconciliation attempts between Gaza and West Bank governments have failed. Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent arms from reaching the Islamic militant group, which is sworn to Israel's destruction and has fought three wars with Israel since the takeover. Over the years, Gaza has frequently been used to launch rocket attacks against Israel. But critics say the closure amounts to collective punishment of Gaza's roughly 2 million residents. The blockade has hit Gaza's economy hard and prevented most residents from moving in and out. Israel currently allows about 850 truckloads of goods into Gaza each day, but aid groups and UN officials say this is not enough to meet Gaza's needs, especially as it rebuilds from a 2014 war. Katz said the island would be in international waters and could provide economic independence to Palestinians while allowing Israel to still vet security. He said Israel's security establishment backs the plan, and he is pressuring Netanyahu to bring it up soon for a Cabinet vote. After that, international bodies would have to get involved in the implementation and funding. Katz said he has gotten positive feedback from the US and from Arab countries and that he believes wealthy Arab governments would pick up the hefty tab, though he declined to identify them. Officials in Saudi Arabia and with the Gulf Cooperation Council did not immediately return messages seeking comment. The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Katz said Israel will not negotiate directly with Hamas, which it considers a terrorist group. But he said he has received indications that the Western-backed Palestinian Authority would welcome such a plana claim the Palestinians deny. Although he himself opposes the creation of a Palestinian state, Katz said none of his initiatives inhibit future negotiations. "I'm talking about an interim arrangement for 10 to 15 years that can lower violence and friction, loosen the reins on the population and let them develop," he said. British media began reporting on Thursday that UK government sources have indicated that a member of their royal family may pay a visit to Israel in an official capacity for the first time in the Jewish state's history. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Speaking with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in Jerusalem, President Reuven Rivlin issued an invitation for a member of the royal family to visit Israel. This is not the first time: multiple Israeli leaders have extended invitations in the past that all were fruitless. Elizabeth II with her immediate family. Clockwise from top left: the Duke of York, the Princess Royal, the Earl of Wessex, the Duke of Edinburg, the Queen of the UK, the Prince of Wales (Photo: EPA) The Times and the Independent both cited Whitehall sources who allegedly spoke to the two papers and said that Rivlin's invitation was likely to be accepted. The justification would allegedly be to mark the centenary of the Balfour Declaration, seen as a critical development in the Zionist undertaking of establishing a Jewish state in that people's ancestral homeland. The declaration, issued by then-Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour, begins, "His Majestys Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object." Prince Charles, hatted in a kippa bearing his coat of arms, attending Shimon Peres's funeral in Jerusalem (Photo: AFP) Official visits carried out by Queen Elizabeth II or a member of the royal family deputizing for her are decided on by the British government on the advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Ezer Weizman, Israel's sixth president, made the country's only state visit to the kingdom in 1997. In a break with established diplomatic tradition, that visit was not reciprocated by the queen, though an invitation was indeed extended, the Telegraph reported that Israel's former ambassador to Britain claimed. Other possible visitors: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge before Prince Harry (Photo: EPA) The same newspaper reported that as of August 30 of last year, the British sovereign had been to 116 countries in 265 official visits. Israel has never been a destination for her or for a member of her family visiting on her behalf. In 1994, the Duke of Edinburgh visited Israelbut in a personal capacityto take part in a tree-planting ceremony for his late mother, who is buried on Jerusalem's Mount of Olives. Prince Phillip came to attend the ceremony at Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial museum, naming Princess Alice of Battenberg as " Righteous Among the Nations " for having hidden Jews in her home in Greece during the Second World War. In addition, Elizabeth's heir, the Prince of Wales, has visited Israel twice, coming to attend the funerals of Yitzhak Rabin in 1995 and Shimon Peres in 2016. WASHINGTONScotland Yard and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating more than a hundred bomb threats made to Jewish groups in the United States and Britain since January 7, US and UK law enforcement and Jewish community officials said. Investigators said there is evidence that some of the US and British bomb threats are linked. According to people in both countries who have listened to recordings of the threats, most of the them have been made over the telephone by men and women with American accents whose voices are distorted by electronic scramblers. Waves of threats against US Jewish groups - including community centers, schools, and offices of national organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) civil rights group - have been followed within hours by similar but smaller waves against Jewish organizations, mainly schools, in Britain, Jewish community representatives in both countries said. FBI officials in Washington confirmed that the agency is investigating the threats against US Jewish organizations. Sources in Britain's Jewish community said London's Metropolitan Police, otherwise known as Scotland Yard, is conducting its own investigation and collaborating with the FBI. Scotland Yard did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment. Some of the most recent threats were called in Tuesday to ADL offices in Atlanta, Boston, New York, and Washington. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said President Donald Trump's administration would "continue to condemn them and look at ways to stop them." By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 9 (PTI) Two infantry brigades, that were deployed following unrest in Kashmir Valley last September, have been moved out of the state. The pull out has been completed in January and any decision on their redeployment will depend of the ground situation, sources said. The Valley had witnessed widespread protests following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in July, 2016. advertisement The additional two brigades comprising 6,000 personnel, which operated along with Rashtriya Rifles, were deployed as part of Operation Calmdown to restore normalcy. The troops were deployed in areas across Kupwara, Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama districts in South Kashmir. Meanwhile, two Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants and a civilian were killed during a nine-hour gunbattle between the ultras and the security forces in Awantipora area of Pulwama district today. PTI MPB SBR RT --- ENDS --- President Reuven Rivlin has asked Egyptian President Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi to use his power of clemency for an Israeli imprisoned on a life sentence. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Last week, Rivlin sent a letter to his Egyptian counterpart regarding the citizen, Muaz Zahalka, who was arrested five years ago at the Taba border crossing. He was escorting a group of Ukrainian tourists to a resort in the Sinai Peninsula. Egyptian President Al-Sisi (Photo: AP) During routine examination, Egyptian officials discovered that Zahalka had brought a wooden box containing a huge cross that concealed a submachine gun and two magazines. The Israeli claimed in interrogations that he had been asked to bring the box to a Ukrainian tour guide in Sharm el-Sheikh, and he was completely unaware of its contents. Zahalka and the Ukrainian tour guide were sentenced by an Egyptian military tribunal to life imprisonment. The indictment claimed that the two intended to implicate Egyptian security forces in a terrorist attack in the Sinai, as the submachine gun was of the same make as those issued to security services. During his interrogations, Zahalka denied his involvement, maintaining that he was "doing a favor" for those to whom he was bringing the box. Rivlin's letter asks Al-Sisi to pardon Zahalka, reduce his sentence, or transfer him to serve out his sentence in an Israeli prison. Zahalka is 38 years old, single and from the village Kafr Qara to the west of Umm al-Fahm. He is related to MK Dr. Jamal Zahalka (Joint List). He is being held in solitary confinement. Since his arrest, Zahalka has been permitted monthly visits from the Israeli consul in Cairo. However, over the past four months, when the Israeli Embassy to Egypt has been closed due to security concerns, the visits have not taken place. LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) The Nebraska Legislature gave initial approval Wednesday to a compromise bill that would eliminate mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenders in what supporters say is an important first step toward comprehensive sentencing reform. Senators voted 25-22 to advance an amended bill after it became clear a proposal to eliminate mandatory minimum penalties for a variety of low-level felonies did not have enough support. The amended measure would apply to people convicted of possessing and intending to distribute cocaine, heroin or methamphetamine. Such crimes now carry mandatory minimum sentences of three or five years. Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Omaha, who proposed the amendment, said she doesnt see the purpose in having a mandatory minimum sentence for people on drugs. This is just a little step, she said. If youve got someone whos been caught with drugs, do you really want to lock them up for three to five years and release them without giving them any help? Opponents of mandatory minimum penalties argued that the sentences do nothing to encourage good behavior or rehabilitation. Inmates often serve their sentences and leave without participating in programs that aim to help them contribute to society, they said. Sen. Justin Wayne, a criminal defense attorney from Omaha who has represented drug offenders, said mandatory minimum sentences dont help drug users who need treatment. Going to jail simply doesnt help them, he said. Having a five-year mandatory minimum doesnt help them. The amended bill is a good step, Wayne said, but he urged senators to evaluate the states entire criminal code and penalties in the coming months. Inconsistencies now in the code make threatening to hit someone a felony, while actually hitting someone is a misdemeanor, he said. The drug offenders now subject to mandatory minimum sentences are dealers of hard drugs, not people selling piddling amounts of marijuana, said Sen. Mike Hilgers of Lincoln. These are folks at the top of the food chain, Hilgers said. These are serious crimes. Sen. Mike Groene, of North Platte, said he believes crime is down nationally because of tough-on-crime laws including mandatory minimum sentences, but he voted for the bill after clarifying judges still would be able to give longer sentences to offenders who deserve them. The measure would maintain minimum sentences of three or five years and maximum sentences of 50 years for the felonies affected. The bill still requires two more votes and a signature from Gov. Pete Ricketts, who opposes it. Ricketts said in a statement that removing mandatory minimums for any offenders would soften Nebraskas protections for public safety. During the March Unit Training Assembly, members of the 76th Aerial Port Squadron here palletized cargo for a Denton humanitarian airlift mission. Video Script: Title text: The U.S. State Department Denton Program allows non-governmental, not-for-profit organizations to use military airlift to transport humanitarian cargo. Senior Master Sgt. Kevin Massie, 76th Aerial Port Squadron Superintendent: During the rest of this UTA, were going to process the rest of Denton cargo for Mission of Love. The founder of Mission of Love, shes a local person who takes donations from hospitals and other private donors. We usually do between five and six Denton missions per year. Through Mission of love we usually do three or four of those. An Airmen directs another Airmen in raising cargo on a forklift: Alright, lift it up just a hair. Senior Master Sgt. Massie: Once its approved, being that were the closest Air Force base to Charleston, South Carolina, we bring it in here, palletize it, and get it on the airplane for whoever they send to pick it up. Then it goes on to its final destination. This is a great training opportunity for our guys. We dont have an active cargo mission here at Youngstown, so it gets our guys hands on training and experience driving equipment and doing their jobs. This is an opportunity for them to engage and really just hone their skills. This has been a long time in the making, but in our continuing pursuit to bring only the best of firearms, 2nd Amendment and defence related news to our readers, we are very excited to announce the next step in our evolution as a company. As of 2020, Minuteman Review is now the proud owner and operator of Your Defence News, a website with a long history of breaking huge news stories and investigative journalism. We hope you are equally as excited as us. This means that now the teams of Minuteman can combine with the firepower of Your Defence News to stay at the absolute forefront for our readers. Keep an eye. Big things are coming soon. We couldn't be more excited. In the meanwhile, here are some of our most popular posts and categories to keep you busy. Happy shootin' my friends! Buying Guides: Firearms Firearm Accessories Ammunition Gun Safes Scopes & Optics Hunting Air Rifles Best AR-15 Best AR 15 Scope Best Hunting Rifle Best Gun Safe Best AK 47 Best AR 10 Best Glock Triggers Best Glock Best Home Defense Shotgun While interacting with them, Naidu reminisced how women officers had always played a key role in his ministries. By Mail Today: Setting a new precedent and paving way for others to emulate, Union minister for information & broadcasting M Venkaiah Naidu on Women's Day on Wednesday met all the women employees of the ministry personally. While interacting with them, Naidu, one of the most senior faces of the Narendra Modi council, reminisced how women officers had always played a key role in his ministries and how he had seen them excel at their jobs even as collectors in the districts. advertisement This is for the first time that such an interface with women personnel was organised on the occasion of International Women's Day by the ministry. Women staff from all sections and ranks participated in the interaction with Naidu. The minister also elicited their experiences while working in the ministry. Naidu enunciated the formula of 3E (Women Empowerment, Emancipation and Equality) in his ministry as well as in the Modi government on the broader scale: "A strong political will and change in mind sets were critical elements in addressing the larger issues related to women. Naidu also acknowledged the efforts undertaken by "Nari Shakti" in the ministry to "mainstream the vision of Reform, Perform and Transform". ALSO READ | At PM Narendra Modi's Women's Day event in Gujarat, a woman dragged out of venue --- ENDS --- Control tower dedicated in honor of Blake Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii remembered U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Gordon A. Blake during a special tower dedication ceremony Dec. 5, 2016. Blake, then a major in the Army Air Corps, was stationed at Hickam Field as the base operations officer during the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor and Oahu. Blake was on the Hickam flight line when Japanese aircraft began their surprise attack on the field. Without consideration for his own personal safety, he proceeded to the control tower where he personally directed the landing of 12 unarmed returning B-17 Stratofortresses to five separate air strips across Oahu. His courage and knowledge were instrumental is the safe landing of the aircraft amid the attack. For his courage and dedication to the safety of the aircraft and fellow Airmen, Blake received the Silver Star. Seventy-five years later, Blake was honored again for his bravery as airmen unveiled a plaque detailing Blake's actions. With a speech and memories shared by retired Col. Robert Blake 59, Blakes youngest son, the aircraft control tower at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam was dedicated in honor of Lt. Gen. Blake. [This is] an enormous tribute to an unbelievable man said Col. Blake, what a sterling career he had and brought up his family in those [same] kind of values. The ceremony concluded with a performance by the USO Show Troupe and tours of the tower for attendees. The event was part of an island-wide joint commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor and Oahu. By Press Trust of India: From Lalit K Jha Washington, Mar 9 (PTI) The US has rejected a Chinese proposal aimed at reducing tension in the Korean peninsula, saying all previous attempts to pursuade North Korea to halt its nuclear programme have failed and theres a need to find "new ways" to engage. State Departments acting spokesman Mark Toner said the defence cooperation between the US and South Korea can not be compared to the "blatant disregard" the North has shown to international laws. advertisement Pyongyangs behaviour has not been rational and the world needs to understand that concerns over its nuclear programme "isnt about the US and North Korea," Toner said, adding that "every nation needs to look at how we can better respond." "Efforts up until today, whether its six party talks, whether its sanctions, all of the efforts that we have taken this far to attempt to persuade North Korea to again engage in meaningful negotiations, have fallen short. So we need to look at new ways to convince them, to persuade them that its in their interest," he said. China had yesterday proposed a formula to avoid a "head-on collision" between the US and North Korea, suggesting that its close-ally suspend its nuclear programme and the US and the South stop their military exercises in the tensed peninsula. Toner said China is "obviously concerned" about the threat to the region from North Koreas nuclear weapons programme. "Thats legitimate. We all share concern over North Koreas actions. We differ somewhat in our approach," he said. He said the US is open to dialogue with North Korea, but "the onus is on North Korea to take meaningful actions toward secularisation and refrain from provocations." The issue will be on the agenda during Secretary of State Rex Tillerson scheduled visit to South Korea, Japan and China next week. "Its going to be an opportunity for him to sit with his counterparts in China, in Korea, and in Japan, and talk through what our options are and new ways to look at resolving the situation," Toner added. At the White House, Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the US and China can work together to address the threat. "Were very troubled by the launch of missiles from North Korea. I think thats why the THAAD missile system that weve started to deploy into South Korea is so important," he said referring to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system the US Army has placed in South Korea. advertisement The THAAD system is designed to shoot down short, medium, and intermediate range ballistic missiles in their terminal phase using a hit-to-kill approach. North Korea has in 2016 carried out two nuclear tests and 20 ballistic missile tests, all in violation of international law, according to US authorities. PTI LKJ CK ABH --- ENDS --- History repeats itself, they say and watching the incidents of past couple of weeks I can only say that whosever said it, was definitely a man of tremendous foresight.

Karkare, Unnikrishnan, and all those who laid down their lives in Mumbai on November 26 carried the spirit of Indians, who think and dream of a united India, in their brave hearts. An India which is secure at all costs, an India where one can hold his head high. A nation that Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi once dreamt of.

It was a legacy which these martyrs inherited from the past. History has stood testimony to the fact that our country had no dearth of gallant heroes. Be it Chandrasekhar Azad, Khudiram Bose, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose or for that matter squadron leader Ajay Ahuja who died fighting in Kargil. The names of the martyrs scripted on India Gate in New Delhi are none the lesser.

It is the spirit of India that has stood ground against some barbaric aggressions in world history, starting from Taimur and Chengez Khan. It has also seen aggressors-turned-rulers who finally became Indians. It has seen the greatest Muslim ruler of modern times, Akbar-the great, who propagated a symbiosis of two cultures and went on to launch and propagate the Din - i- Ilahi. World history had never seen more secular ruler than Akbar before.

But, theres more to history.

Since time immemorial, rulers of this land of unlimited resources and boundless opportunities let it down repeatedly. It was in Bahadur Shah Zafars inefficiency that East India Company saw its opportunity. The internal feud among Indias princely states and sheer lack of foresight and wisdom in Zafar saw British Major Hodson capturing Delhi and with it, Indias pride.

Zafar undoubtedly was a fantastic poet and a man who loved nature and beauty and peace. Let me just quote one of his famous poems written in Urdu Lagta Nahi Hai Jee Mera:

My heart is not happy in this despoiled land
Who has ever felt fulfilled in this transient world
The nightingale laments neither to the gardener nor to the hunter
Imprisonment was written in fate in the season of spring
Tell these emotions to go dwell elsewhere
Where is there space for them in this besmirched (bloodied) heart? I had requested for a
long life a life of four days
Two passed by in pining, and two in waiting.
The days of life are over, its evening of death
Now I can sleep without any stress forever in my tomb
How unlucky is Zafar!


A brilliant poet but, as it was proved, good poets are not often good leaders.

Come November 30, 2008 and history repeated itself. Another man was relieved of his responsibilities. Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil was addressing the press conference in which he announced, I accept the moral responsibility of Mumbai attacks and resign from my post. I feel a lot relieved now.

Patil in many a-sense carried the legacy of Bahadur Shah Zafar. For his sheer incompetence in failing to take action as a series of terror attacks bruised India in different cities and under different names- he paid the price, arguably too late. Or else how will you explain the fact that the file of Mohan Chandra Sharma who died while fighting terrorists- was gathering dust in Home Ministry.

There have been stark revelations that intelligence agencies had forewarned of such attacks on numerous occasions but there was no urgency to act. Singling out just Shivraj would be like treating some one for fever when the patient has Cancer.

There are many who took to streets against such attacks in Mumbai and all across the nation. But lets not get bogged down by the leadership, or the lack of it. History suggests whenever it is felt that there is no way out of gloom, there comes a man who shows the way- which Guru Gobind Singh and Mahatma Gandhi showed.

The BIG question is- Are we ready to find the Mahatma within?

Compassion International is said to be shutting down its India operations after it was put under prior permission category in May last year. When a donor organisation is put under this category, it is barred from funding any Indian NGO without the government's approval. By Press Trust of India: The United States has said that it will take up with India the shutting down of a Colorado-based donor NGO and sought a "transparent process" for foreign NGOs in the country, saying the Christian charity has been facing "significant challenges" for some time. Compassion International is said to be shutting down its India operations after it was put under prior permission category in May last year. When a donor organisation is put under this category, it is barred from funding any Indian NGO without the government's approval. advertisement In December, the Home Ministry said it was unlikely to reconsider the decision, notwithstanding appeals by American authorities. REASON FOR CLOSING NGO MUST BE TRANSPARENT: US "NGOs do valuable work overseas. Certainly, these countries and governments have their own reasons for the laws they pass, but we believe it should be transparent and clear why they are shutting down these organisations", the State Department's acting spokesman Mark Toner told reporters. He said the United States would take up the matter with India. "Certainly, we will raise that with the Indian government," he said. He expressed concern that foreign NGOs had to face challenges to run their operations in India. "Unfortunately, we have seen over the past couple of years a number of foreign-funded NGOs in India that have encountered significant challenges in continuing their operations," Toner said, adding that the US has raised the issue with India through diplomatic channels. US-INDIA RELATIONS STRONG: MARK TONER He, however, said that because of the strong US-India relations, "we can talk about these kinds of issues." Toner said that "all parties" should work "cooperatively in a way that not only respects Indian laws, but also encourages a transparent process." In a telephone interview to The New York Times, Compassion International's chief executive officer Santiago Mellado said that a briefing on the situation would be submitted to the Trump administration this week. The reports of the shutdown came amid allegations that the charity was engaging in religious conversion. Other religious charities are watching the case closely, Mellado told the daily, adding, "What we hear from our friends in India is that it would be tragic if they were successful in shutting down Compassion, because that would leave other ministries very vulnerable." Also read | MHA not to reconsider ban on US donor NGO Compassion International --- ENDS --- According to the post-poll analysis by Axis-My-India for the India Today Group, the BJP is projected to bag an astonishing 251-279 seats in Uttar Pradesh. By Rahul Kanwal: Riding on a tsunami of support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP seems poised to pull off one of the most spectacular victories in the electoral history of Uttar Pradesh. According to the post-poll analysis by Axis-My-India for the India Today Group, the BJP is projected to bag an astonishing 251-279 seats in Uttar Pradesh. Axis projects the Samajwadi Party and Congress alliance will get only between 88-112 seats, while the BSP is forecast to crash somewhere between 28-42 seats. advertisement The good news for the BJP extends to Uttarakhand, where it is projected to get a clear majority, bagging between 46 and 53 seats in the 70-seat assembly. The BJP is projected to emerge as the single-largest party in Goa as well, but could fall short of a clear majority. Axis projects the BJP could getbetween 18 and 22 seats in the 40-seat Goa assembly. Punjab and Manipur appear to be the silver lining for the Congress, with the party expected to form the government in both states. In Punjab, Axis-My-India projects that the Amarinder Singh-led Congress will be able to fight off a fierce challenge by the debutant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The Congress is projected to bag 62-71 seats in the 117-seat assembly. The AAP comes in as a strong second, securing between 42 and 51 seats. Axis projects a rout for the Akali-BJP combine, with their tally crashing down to between 4 and 7 seats. A deep dive into the post-poll study conducted by Axis-My-India suggests that the BJP has literally pulled Uttar Pradesh back from the brink. The last opinion poll done by Axis right between the first phase of polling in UP had shown the BJP sliding while the SP-Congress combine was in the ascendant. DOUBLE WHAMMY FOR AKHILESH YADAV Before the first phase of elections, momentum favoured Akhilesh Yadav. However, the young CM seems to have been hard hit by a double whammy. The fact that Akhilesh Yadav did not disassociate with Shivpal Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav despite winning the battle for the cycle (SP's election symbol) and also that he allied with the Congress seems to have backfired against the chief minister. The Axis poll suggests that the Samajwadi Party may have been better off had it not allied with the Congress party and instead gone to the hustings alone, riding on the positive image of Akhilesh Yadav. Axis projects that the Congress will win only 10-15 seats out of the 114 seats which it fought, while the SP is by itself is projected to bag between 78-97 seats. BJP president Amit Shah's ticket distribution came in for much criticism from local party leaders in Uttar Pradesh. But if the Axis My India projections hold, Uttar Pradesh will once again prove to be a lucky hunting ground for the BJP's master strategist.After big defeats in Delhi and Bihar, Shah needs a resounding victory to prove why he's regarded as India's numero uno election strategist. advertisement NON-YADAV OBCs One of the biggest reasons for a possible BJP sweep in UP, the poll data suggests, would be the consolidation of non-Yadav OBCs solidly in favour of the BJP. Non-Yadav OBCs seem to have felt neglected under the Samajwadi Party rule and their mass migration to the BJP is one of the key reasons for the BJP's strong showing. Axis projects that the BJP will bag 57 per cent of the Kurmi vote, 63 per cent of the Lodh vote and 60 per cent of the remaining non-Yadav OBC vote. Many of these communities voted for the SP in the last elections in large numbers, which was part of the reason that the Samajwadi Party had done so well in 2012. One of the masterstrokes of Amit Shah seems to have been the projection of Keshav Prasad Maurya as the state unit chief of the BJP in UP. His elevation seems to have helped convince the non-Yadav OBCs that they would have a key share of the spoils if the BJP won and that the BJP was serious about shedding its image as an upper-caste and trader-dominated party. advertisement If the exit poll numbers hold, Keshav Maurya would be the front runner to be the next chief minister of the state. The aggressive wooing of the Rajbhar community in Eastern UP and the alliance with the Kurmi-dominated Apna Dal also seems to have helped the BJP in its strategy to stitch a rainbow coalition of upper castes and non-Yadav OBCs.The vote share projections by Axis-My-India show that the alliance with the Congress does not seem to have helped the Samajwadi Party in any significant way. The SP-Congress alliance is projected to garner 70 per cent of the Muslim vote, which is roughly the same as what the SP was winning even without a partnership with the Congress. The alliance is expected to bag about 80 per cent of the Yadav vote, which is slightly more than what the Axis opinion poll had shown in December 2016. However, it seems Akhilesh Yadav was not able to translate his development work and youth appeal among other communities into a significant amount of votes. Despite his supposed appeal among the youth, the SP-Congress alliance trails the BJP in all age groups, including among the youth. The BJP is projected to bag 34 per cent of the youth vote while the SP-Congress is expected to bag 31 per cent of the youth vote. advertisement JATAV SUPPORT TO BSP The BSP has been hard hit because, despite having the first-mover advantage when it came to seat distribution, Mayawati's party does not seem to have been able to add other communities to the BSP bandwagon. Mayawati has been able to hold on to its support among her own Jatav community. Axis projects that the BSP will bag 77 per cent of the Jatav vote. However, the BSP's hold over the non-Jatavs is slipping fast. Axis suggests that BSP will bag only 43 per cent of the non-Jatav vote share whereas the BJP is projected to bag a significant 32 per cent of the non-Jatav vote share. If the BSP's tally does indeed crash to 28-42, it would raise very serious questions about the survival of this Dalit party. Being out of power for two straight elections would make it difficult for Mayawati to hold her flock together. An analysis of the caste-wise break down of the Axis-My-India data suggests that demonetisation does not seem to have been a major turn off for BJP voters. The BJP is expected to bag 64 per cent of the Baniya vote. It's hold among upper castes remains strong. Axis projects the BJP will bag 55 per cent of the Kayasth vote, 62 per cent of the Brahmin vote and 62 per cent of the Thakur vote. Broadly speaking, these percentages of support are in line with the BJP's support amongst these communities even before the demonetisation bombshell detonated. It seems the negative perception about law and order under the Samajwadi Party rule far exceeded any negative effect DeMo may have had. Exit polls in the past have gone wrong and there is a possibility that the projections of Axis-My-India too could be off the mark. However, if these projections hold, this would be the first time since 1985 that any one party would have crossed the 250-seat mark in India's most politically significant state. In the then undivided Uttar Pradesh, ND Tiwari led the Cong to 269 seats in the 425 seat assembly. However, since the time Uttarakhand was carved out as a separate state in November 2000, no party has crossed the 224-mark, which was the SP's tally in the last assembly election. A victory as big as the one being projected by Axis-My-India would put the Modi-led BJP in the driver's seat ahead of the 2019 general elections. The pollsters have spoken. Now let's wait for the fat lady to sing. Also read: Uttar Pradesh exit poll: BJP set to win 251-279 seats, SP-Cong combine trails at 88-112, BSP decimated Also read: Akhilesh Yadav's Plan B: Join hands with Mayawati to avoid President's Rule in Uttar Pradesh Also watch: Uttar Pradesh Exit Poll 2017: PM Modi's BJP to return after 15 years with massive majority --- ENDS --- The India Today-Axis My India exit poll released today shows the Narendra Modi magic continues to work for the BJP, which is looking to return to power in the state after 15 years. By India Today Web Desk: In the mother of all battles in the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, the BJP is set to sweep the state by winning a staggering 251-279 seats in the 403-member Assembly, reducing the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance to less than 100 seats and decimating the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) of Mayawati. The India Today-Axis My India exit poll released today predicts that the Narendra Modi magic continues to work for the saffron party looking to return in the state after 15 years. The Akhilesh Yadav-Rahul Gandhi 'bhaichara' was no match for the BJP and may manage 88-112 seats, with the Samajwadi Party winning 78-97 and the Congress at 10-15 seats. advertisement The survey, which was conducted in all the 403 seats of UP, however adds that at least 50 seats in Uttar Pradesh may witness a tough contest and may go to any of the three main contenders. INDIA TODAY-AXIS MY INDIA EXIT POLL Party Seats Vote-share percentage BJP+ 251-279 36 SP-Congress 88-112 30 BSP 28-42 22 Others 4-11 12 OTHER EXIT POLLS ABP News-Lokniti Exit Poll Party Seats BJP+ 102-126 SP+Congress 98-122 BSP 30-46 Others 0-2 Times Now-VMR Exit Poll Party Seats BJP+ 190-210 SP+Congress 110-130 BSP 57-74 Others 8 MRC-NewsX Exit Poll Party Seats BJP+ 185 SP-Congress 120 BSP 90 Others 8 India TV - C Voter Exit Poll Party Seats BJP+ 155-167 SP-Congress 135-147 BSP 81-93 Others 8-20 Exit poll LIVE on Assembly Elections 2017 in Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand, Manipur What worked for BJP? 1. Party chief Amit Shah's strategies and organisational skills played a major role right from ticket distribution to the last rally of the campaign, except dissent in a few pockets which had negligible negative impact. 2. Shah managed to get the well-knitted fabric on caste dynamics of different segments, mainly the OBC, by getting OBC leader Swami Prasad Maurya, Rajbhar community of eastern UP, and Apna Dal of the Kurmi community. 3. Appointing Keshav Prasad Maurya as the BJP state president was a master-stroke. 4. All the above combinations helped the BJP to gain a lion's share of OBC voters being the deciding factor, apart from the traditional loyal voters. 5. BJP lost the golden opportunity of getting a cakewalk victory by not announcing a CM Candidate. Home Minister and former Chief Minister Rajnath Singh was still the most popular recalled candidate for the CM post all over UP. How did SP+Congress fail? 1. Akhilesh had good prospects because the sympathy wave after his split with father Mulayam Singh's group in the Samajwadi Party, and his victory over the Cycle symbol earlier this year. 2. Akhilesh had positive pro-development public perception of the work done by the large scale advertising propaganda, particularly central UP, for the highways, metro and beautification of Gomti river and distancing himself from deterrent and Bahubali leaders. advertisement 3. Akhilesh, however, lost the sympathy wave for re-uniting with the Mulayam group and allying with the Congress. The two crucial factors negated the momentum he had gained. 4. Anti-incumbency was yet another issue, particularly on law and order situation and a pro-Muslim and Yadav image. 5. The OBCs felt neglected, which was the deciding factor in UP for all the political parties. Why was Mayawati's BSP routed? 1. Delayed campaign assault did not generate the required impact for consideration as a strong and powerful force. 2. Initially, the BSP had the lead six months back and had announced the candidates for most of the constituencies well in advance. 3. Key OBC leaders deserted the party, dealing a major blow to the BSP's plans. 4. Mayawati could not get the expected support from Muslims in the absence of a popular Muslim leader. 5. Only Dalit support is not sufficient for the BSP to get the required seats in Uttar Pradesh. advertisement Highlights of India Today-Axis My India poll: The BJP alliance is likely to secure a clear majority in Uttar Pradesh Assembly. The BJP contested the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election in alliance with the Apna Dal (S) and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP). The BJP alliance is likely to get 251-279 seats in the 403-seat Uttar Pradesh Assembly. The BJP's alliance partners Apna Dal (S) is likely to win 6-8 seats. The SBSP- the other ally of the BJP- is expected to win 4-6 seats. The BJP alliance has secured 36 per cent of the total votes polled in the seven phases of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The SP-Congress alliance are likely to win 88-112 seats in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly. The Samajwadi Party is expected to win 78-97 seats in Uttar Pradesh Assembly. The Congress is likely to get only 10-15 seats despite heavy campaign by party vice-president Rahul Gandhi. The SP-Congress alliance has secured 30 per cent of total votes polled in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election. The BSP of Mayawati has polled about 22 per cent of total votes cast in Uttar Pradesh Assembly election. The BSP is likely to win 28-42 seats in Uttar Pradesh Assembly. Others are expected to win 4-11 seats with about 12 per cent vote-share. --- ENDS --- advertisement The BJP will make a mega comeback in the state after Chief Minister Harish Rawat failing to keep faction-ridden Congress together. By India Today Web Desk: The BJP is set to return to power in Uttarakhand by winning 46-53 seats in the 70-member state Assembly, reducing the incumbent Congress to an embarrassing 12-21 seats, the India Today-Axis My India exit poll has predicted. For the BJP, the hopes of getting the benefits from the Centre by having a common party both in the state and the Centre has been the big advantage. Small states largely depend on aid from the Centre. advertisement The voters of Uttarakhand have shown their faith in promises made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with most people saying they have had no problems with the demonetisation decision. People are expecting central aid for rehabilitation of the flood victims. For the Harish Rawat government in the state, anti- incumbency due to corruption, unemployment and mismanagement of the Uttarakhand flood situation are the major factors for their dismal show. Only MLAs having good individual performance have been preferred by the voters. The Congress has also been troubled with large-scale defections, including senior leaders deserting the Sonia Gandhi-led party. Highlights of Uttarakhand exit poll: The BJP, with a vote share of 43 per cent, is set to win 46-53 seats, a clear majority in the 70-member House. The Congress, with a vote share of 34 per cent, may manage 12-21 seats. Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party may be a marginal player with a couple of seats. Other parties in Uttarakhand may win 1-4 seats. INDIA TODAY-AXIS EXIT POLL Party Seats Vote-share percentage BJP 46-53 43 Congress 12-21 34 BSP 1-4 8 Others 1-2 15 OTHER EXIT POLLS The India TV-CVoter India has predicted a hung Assembly in Uttarakhand with both the BJP and the Congress winning 32 seats each. The BJP's vote-share is slightly more than the Congress's. It says that the BJP has polled 40.5 per cent of total votes polled against Congress's 40.4 per cent. India TV - CVoter India Exit Poll Party Seats Vote-share percentage BJP 32 40.5 Congress 32 40.4 Others 5 19.2 The News24-Today's Chanakya has predicted a big win for the BJP in Uttarakhand. News24-Today's Chanakya Exit Poll Party Seats Vote-share percentage BJP 53 43 Congress 15 34 Others 2 23 --- ENDS --- In a meek surrender to separatists, Omar Abdullah-led Jammu and Kashmir government succeeded in foiling BJPs effort to hoist the Tricolour at Lal Chowk on Republic Day 2011.

It was for the second consecutive time in the last two decades, the Jammu and Kashmir government broke a convention trying to unfurl the national flag at Lal Chowk.

In 1991-92 then BJP president Murli Manohar Joshi took out the Rastriya Ekta Yatra from Kanyakumari to Srinagar. Breaking the separatist writ, he hoisted the Tricolour on January 26, 1992 for the first time ever at Lal Chowk amidst rocket attacks by militants. Remember, the flag hosting ceremony lasted precisely 13 minutes, surrounded by 80 yatri s and conducted under the chill gaze of an estimated 1000 security men. It was Narasimha Rao-led Congress government at the Centre that provided security for the historic flag hosting ceremony during the height of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir. Since then, the security forces had been hoisting the national flag on Republic Day and Independence Day at the clock tower till 2009.

Much has changed. Last year, the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre was a mute spectator to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullahs move to suspend the unfurling of Tricolour by security forces at Lal Chowk. This time the Congress-led Union government went a step ahead and threw its weight behind Omar Abdullah government in foiling BJPs proposed program to hoist the Tricolour at Lal Chowk.

BJPs march to unfurl the Tricolour at Lal Chowk was part of its Rashtriya Ekta Yatra launched by partys youth wing Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM). It was a sequel of the same yatra undertaken by Murli Manohar Joshi in 1991-92. This time Anurag Thakur, the president of BJYM, was spearheading the second edition of the Ekta Yatra.

Kashmir belongs to India and the whole India belongs to Kashmiris. The pain of Kashmir is the pain of India. We need to feel it, Anurag said in an exclusive chat with this writer in New Delhi before he left for Kolkata to kick start the Ekta Yatra.

But what prompted the saffron party to replay the Ekta Yatra amidst opposition demand for JPC on 2G scam. Perhaps the present row over Kashmir is the best answer for this. The yatra was launched at a time when anti-national forces are openly endorsing the idea of disintegrating Kashmir from the rest of India. The likes of Arundhati Roy and Syed Ali Geelani continue to make seditious speeches on Kashmir and thoroughly use the right to freedom of expression against the country. And when the secessionists make merry, the Congress-led UPA government is napping. At that point in time BJYMs Rastriya Ekta Yatra and its proposed flag hoisting program at Lal Chowk was indeed a challenge to the separatist forces.

Rastriya Ekta Yatra-II was flagged off on National Youth Day in Kolkata, the birthplace of legendry Syama Prasad Mookerjee. The two-week long yatra covered 3037 kilometres and traversed through nine states. It was peaceful from the beginning to the end. The yatra was supposed to culminate at Mookherjees martyr place Srinagar where BJYM had plans to hoist Tricolour at Lal Chowk. But the yatris were stopped on their way to Srinagar at Punjab-Jammu boarder of Lakhanpur and arrested under Section 144 of IPC by J&K Police for defying the prohibitory orders imposed by the state government. The result: Flag was not hoisted at Lal Chowk this year keeping with the writ of the separatists.

It would however be unfair not to see the context. J&K has been passing through a very tumultuous time recently. Looking at the present situation, the flip side of the argument is that would it be correct to rock the J&K boat? Those who believe in that line argue that BJPs programme could have an adverse impact on the peace of the Valley which has seen an upsurge in violence recently.

Having stated that, we must also remember that last year separatists had flown the Pakistani flag atop Lal Chowk. The Omar Abdullah government was a silent observer to those anti-national crescendos. The state government also preferred to remain mum when Tricolour was burnt in full public display on a number of occasions.

Rashtriya Ekta Yatra has brought the other side of the Kashmir story to the limelight. There is no denial that Kashmir problem is the result of historic blunder committed during the early days of post independence era.

Those in know of political history of Kashmir must be aware of the fact that Kashmir was never under direct British rule. It was a princely state which acceded to India by virtue of a constitutional document called Instrument of Accession under the Indian Independence Act, 1947.

Maharaja Hari Singh, then supreme ruler of Jammu and Kashmir signed the Instrument of Succession on October 26, 1947. Though the format of the Instrument of Accession applied to Jammu and Kashmir was the same as was executed for other princely states, then interim Indian government led by Jawaharlal Nehru agreed that final decision with regard to the accession would be taken by the Constituent Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir and in the intervening period a temporary provision was made in the Constitution of India.

BJP was possibly the first party to voice the national perspective on Kashmir. it. The party is a descendant of erstwhile Bharatiya Jana Sangh founded by Syama Prasad Mookerjee. It was Mookerjee who scripted an uprising with his famous slogan on Kashmir-- Ek desh mein do Pradhan, do Vidhan, do Nishan nahi chalegi, nahi chalegi (The country will never accept a system which allows two Prime Ministers, two Constitutions and two National flags). He went to Kashmir as an Indian citizen but was arrested and jailed in a dilapidated house. He died while in custody.

But when BJP was in power, did the party really remember the sacrifice of Mookerjee from whom it takes inspiration from? Do not forget, it was BJP which backtracked on its commitment to abolish the Article 370 with an excuse of compulsion of coalition politics.

Now, out of power the saffron party sees the need to pick up the issue of abrogation of Article 370.Perhaps of late, the saffron party has realised its mistake of not going with the majority sentiments of Jammu and Kashmir after reeling under two successive Lok Sabha poll defeats. But is BJP really committed to its demand on Article 370?

BJYMs Rashtriya Ekta Yatra has no doubt made it to the headlines. But will it be able to contribute in real terms to bringing peace, wiping out the tears of the hundreds of thousands voiceless of the Valley or promoting national integration? PARIS, MARCH 8, ARMENPRESS. In the sidelines of the official visit to France President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan met with Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, the correspondent of Armenpress reports from Paris that following the meeting the President of Armenia and Paris Mayor gave speeches in front of the Armenian community in Paris at the "Banquet Hall" of Paris municipality. Its a pleasure for me to again visit Paris a city which encountered numerous waves during its history but never sank, instead, continued to flourish eternally remaining a unique cradle of civilization. Its said that just walking in Paris one learns about history, beauty and the meaning of life, President of Armenia said. According to the President of Armenia, its also thanks to Anne Hidalgo that decentralized cooperation, particularly with Paris, takes a significant share of the Armenian-French cooperation agenda. I greatly appreciate the fact that you stand with us in crucial moments for us, I mean your visits to Yerevan during the events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and the festive events marking the 2798th anniversary of Armenia. An of course, Mrs. Hidalgo, we will be happy if you visit Yerevan next year in the period when we will celebrate the 2800th anniversary of our capital city, the capital of all Armenians, addressing Paris Mayor, President Sargsyan said, adding that he is extremely happy for Yerevan and Paris are sister cities and cooperation between them strengthens day by day. I would like to specially focus on our activities in the sidelines of the Association of Francophone Mayors. Thank to this cooperation favorable conditions have been established in a number of schools in Yerevan for advanced study of French, as well as music, art centers and libraries have been renovated and refurbished. The city with most libraries in the world is exemplary for us. As a result of this partnership the French breath is more palpable in our capital. I hope the projects underway will also be a success and a House of Armenia will be established in Paris and House of France in Yerevan which will help Armenian and French people to feel like at home in the capitals of one another, President Sargsyan stated. According to the Armenian president, just being in Paris one can understand why dozens of thousands of Armenian genocide survivals gave preference to France. Even trading is a culture here, while culture is a lifestyle. Those people came to you and thanks to your hospitability they became law-abiding citizens of France, respected and demanded specialists, President Sargsyan said, and addressing to his compatriots in the hall, added, It can be confidently stated that you have had you contribution to the development of French culture and economy. Adopting the best French practice, you enriched it with unique Armenian colors, the Armenian president said, adding that they make Armenia more powerful, more widely recognized. Be sure, you are always welcome in Armenia as a friend, partner, tourist and an inseparable part of the Armenian people. You are welcome in Armenia to share both your achievements and hardships, Serzh Sargsyan underlined, bringing the example of thousands of Syrian-Armenians who have found shelter in Armenia amid the Syrian crisis. Concluding his speech, the President of the Republic of Armenia once again thanked Anne Hidalgo for her personal contribution in deepening relations between Yerevan and Paris. It was by you decision that in 2015 the lights of the Eiffel tower were switched off as a sign of respect towards the memory of the Armenian genocide victims. Let these lights always remain on as a sign of externalization of Armenian-French friendship. I am very grateful, President Serzh Sargsyan concluded. YEREVAN, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS. In honor of Armenias President Serzh Sargsyan, while on an official visit in France, official reception was held in the Elysee Palace in the evening of March 8 on behalf of President Francois Hollande, press service of the Armenian Presidents Office told Armenpress. The two Presidents delivered toasts speaking about the Armenian-French centuries-old friendship, the firm inter-state relations formed in the past 25 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations and their development prospect, issues related to the Armenian-French bilateral agenda including various sectors, as well as the important role of the Armenian community of France on strengthening the friendship between the two countries and peoples. YEREVAN, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS. The election of a Patriarchal locum tenens will be held on March 15 in Istanbuls Armenian Patriarchate. The results of the election will be released on the same day, Istanbuls Agos reports. Three candidates are nominated for the post Archbishop Garegin Bekchyan, Primate of Germanys Armenian Diocese, Archbishop Aram Ateshyan, Patriarchal Vicar of Istanbuls Armenian Patriarchate and Bishop Sahak Mashalyan, president of the spiritual council of Istanbuls Armenian Patriarchate. The would-be locum tenens will lead the organizing process of the Patriarchal election, and will be the de facto leader of the Patriarchate till the new Patriarch is elected. Ateshyan will step down as Vicar after the locum tenens election. YEREVAN, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS. The exclusive edition of the 90th anniversary of Lebanon-based Aztag daily has been published, Editor-in-chief of the newspaper Shahan Gantaharyan told Armenpress. The edition, comprised of over 450 pages, presents the history of Aztag daily, its past path. The edition includes the messages of the Presidents of Armenia, Artsakh Republic, Armenias Minister of Diaspora, Armenian clergies and other prominent figures. In the evening of March 8, the newspapers were brought out from the publishing house, the edition is quite impressive. There are interviews, messages, memoirs, analysis. We have presented interviews with the chief editors of the newspaper, we have presented the list of people who were directors, chief editors, or had other posts during these 90 years. The names are over 500, he said. The exclusive edition presents the readers the hidden part of the path passed by the newspaper. In particular, it presents the employees human relationships, the steps aimed at overcoming the problems of difficult, dangerous periods. Shahan Gantaharyan said this exclusive edition will bring its contribution to writing the history of the Diaspora-Armenian media. During these 90 years the key functions directed towards the maintenance of Armenian identity, the involvement of youth, reporting professional news on events of Lebanon and the Armenian world has been one of the major achievements of Aztag newspaper. In other words it is a repository of great materials, he said, adding that the digitization process of the entire archive of the 90th anniversary of the newspaper will be completed soon. 1500 copies of the edition were published, they will be distributed to media, scientific centers, to those who worked for the newspaper. YEREVAN, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS. On the eve of the Parliamentary Elections in the Republic of Armenia, discussing the Statement of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs of 17 February, 2017 on the Constitutional Referendum of 20 February, 2017 held in the Republic of Artsakh, the Board of the Political Science Association of Armenia (PSAA) adopted an Appeal to the Secretary General of the OSCE and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship states. Armenpress presents the full text of the Appeal which was provided by Chairman of the Political Science Association of Armenia, Professor, D.Sc. Hayk Kotanjian. The Promotion of Democracy in the Karabakh Conflict Zone as a Peacebuilding Resource for Conflicting Parties and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship The Political Science Association of Armenia has the honor to address Your Excellencies the Secretary General of the OSCE Mr. Lamberto Zannier, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Mr. Sergey Lavrov, the US Secretary of State Mr. Rex Wayne Tillerson, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France Mr. Jean-Marc Ayrault on the maintenance of peace in the turbulent zone of the Karabakh armed conflict and the surrounding volatile region of the Greater Middle East. On 20 February 2017, a National Referendum on the draft of a new Constitution was held in the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic). The turnout has been 76,44 % of the registered voters, of which 87,6 % supported the adoption of the new Constitution. Around 100 international observers from 30 countries monitored the voting process and positively assessed the organization and conduct of the referendum noting their transparency and compliance with international standards (NKR MFA Statement, http://www.nkr.am/en/news/2017-02-21/903/). The Constitutional Referendum of 20 February 2017 became the successive step in the legitimate institution-building in the Republic of Artsakh, based on the democratic will of the population in the continuation of the results of Referendum of 10 December 1991 on the independence of Artsakh with the establishment of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic in accordance with the norms of the international law and the Soviet legislature then active ( , No 1410-1 3 1990 . [Law on the Resolution of Issues of Secession of a Union Republic from the USSR, No 1410-1; 3 April, 1990]; , , 1990, No 15 [Gazette of the Congress of Peoples Deputies of the USSR, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, 1990, No 15]; Report on the Results of the Referendum on the Independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, http://www.nkr.am/en/referendum/42). The comparative analysis of the current state-building processes in the neighboring states of the Republic of Artsakh the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan shows fundamental distinctions in terms of the development of democracy in these countries. Following the record of another positive result of applying a referendum tool of direct democracy in the state-building of Nagorno-Karabakh one may notice an opposite trend of rollback to totalitarianism in neighboring Azerbaijan. In particular, the former US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Richard Kauzlarich qualified the appointment by Ilham Aliyev of his wife Mehriban Aliyeva on 21 February 2017, to the position of the first Vice President as a step towards the establishment of a monarchy in the country (Former US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Speaks Out Against Choice of First Lady as VP, Published on 23 February 2017, https://www.meydan.tv/en/site/politics/21308/). At the same time, the ruling regime in Azerbaijan systematically carries out repressive measures against the opposition, trying to suppress any manifestation of dissent in the republic. Many opposition figures are convicted under various articles, are obliged to leave the country; many international organizations have repeatedly drawn attention to the extant human rights situation in Azerbaijan, describing it as unacceptable (Orwellian Big Brother Chairing at the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. Europe Et Orient, dimanche 31 aout 2014, http://europeetorient.blogspot.am/2014/08/orwellian-big-brother-chairing-at.html). The Political Science Association of Armenia analyzed these facts that evidence the deepening systematic totalitarianization of power in Azerbaijan, which is accompanied by the use of the energy resources of this state for narrow clan purposes and as a resource for more militarization of the Republic of Azerbaijans budget and as a result of this as a main factor of returning the Karabakh conflict to the acute phase of war. These trends contrast with the condition in the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh, particularly, with the recent constitutional reform in the Republic of Armenia, as a result of which the state makes a transition to the parliamentary form of government. Thus, in terms of the development of democratic institutions, there is a widening gap between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh, on the one hand, and the Republic of Azerbaijan, on the other, which unequivocally manifested itself in the referenda on constitutional amendments held on 6 December, 2015 in Armenia, 26 September, 2016 in Azerbaijan and 20 February, 2017 in the Republic of Artsakh. Through the Constitutional Referendum in the Republic of Armenia the Basic Law was adopted, aimed at the further promotion of democracy in the process of transition to the parliamentary model of governance, as evidenced by the assessments made by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights according to the results of the Referendum (OSCE/ODIHR final report on Armenias Constitutional Referendum recommends inclusive electoral reform. 5 February 2016, http://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/220781). The contradiction between the constitutional changes and Azerbaijans international commitments to protect democracy was claimed in the letter of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights one of the most prestigious US institutions in the field of human rights protection addressed to Ilham Aliyev before the Referendum, which particularly states: By extending presidential terms and expanding presidential authorities, the proposed constitutional changes are susceptible to abuse that would entrench political authority, making it less responsive to the will of the Azerbaijani people. We are especially troubled by the amendments that would restrict fundamental rights vital to open public debate and government accountability (Azerbaijans Constitutional Referendum Creates Crisis of Legitimacy, https://www.csce.gov/international-impact/press-and-media/press-releases/azerbaijan-s-constitutional-referendum-creates?&&&&sort_by=field_date_value&page=3). Against this background, an extensive process of democratic state-building is consistently implemented in the NKR. Since 1991, competitive presidential and parliamentary elections have been held in the NKR, and since 1998 local authorities have been formed through elections. According to the assessments of international observers, elections in the NKR are conducted in line with the Electoral Code of the Republic and according to the universally recognized norms of international law, as a step reinforcing democratic institutions and developing the civil society (Statement of the International Independent Observation Mission on Nagorno-Karabakh Parliamentary Elections 2015, http://cecnkr.am/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/1.Statement-NKR-Election-Final.pdf; British Political Scientist: Parliamentary Elections in Nagorno-Karabakh Show that it is More Democratic than Azerbaijan, 13.05.2015, http://www.panorama.am/en/news/2015/05/13/elections-nkr/53787). The NKR Constitution, adopted through the Referendum in 2006, imparted a more systemic character to the process of state-building (Constitution of the Nagorno Karabagh Republic: http://www.president.nkr.am/en/constitution/fullText/). Today, the NKR population has all the legal and political tools for the organization of domestic life, formation of political and state structures, as well as development of democratic institutions. At present, by its political culture and the level of development of democratic institutions, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (renamed the Republic of Artsakh as a result of the recent Constitutional Referendum) outperforms Azerbaijan. The proof of this is the Freedom House Report Freedom in the World 2017, where Azerbaijan is included in the list of not free states, whereas the NKR and the Republic of Armenia in that of partly free states (Freedom House Freedom in the World 2017, https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/freedom-world-2017). The escalation of the situation along the line of contact on the night of 25 February, 2017, once again demonstrated the problematic character of identifying the perpetrators of ceasefire violations, and stressed the urgency of effective and immediate implementation of agreements reached on at the Summits of Vienna and St. Petersburg in 2016 towards the introduction of mechanisms for monitoring ceasefire violations. (Joint Statement of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Secretary of State of the United States of America and State Secretary for Europe Affairs of France. http://www.osce.org/mg/240316). At the same time, unlike other conflicts (Ukraine, Syria), the continuous coherence of US and Russian positions towards the settlement of the Karabakh Conflict enables to consider the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship as an effective platform for opening a constructive dialogue between these states (Carey Cavanaugh, Renewed Conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, http://www.cfr.org/regional-security/renewed-conflict-over-nagorno-karabakh/p38843). In this regard, it would be effective to assume control over the warlike preparations of the sides in the entire zone of the Karabakh Conflict through the orbital means of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair states from the near-Earth space. Such innovative application of hi-tech information and communication technologies in the outer space sensing for deterring a war could also become an experimental platform for the exchange of targeted intelligence information among the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs the Russian Federation, the U.S. and France, aimed at peace building. This innovation in political-diplomatic containment and military deterrence in the case of success could be used globally to prevent the escalation of Karabakh-like frozen local conflicts towards a war with the catastrophic involvement of actors from volatile surrounding regions like the South Caucasus, the Middle East and Central Asia ( , . REGNUM, 9 2016 .: https://regnum.ru/news/polit/2207408.html; The OSCE Minsk Group as a Platform for Unbroken Consensus of Positions among the RF, USA and France in Deterring a War: Kharabakhs Example, Geostrategic Pulse, N 225, 5 December 2016). According to the above-mentioned, we call upon the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair states to consider the Constitutional referenda of 6 December, 2015 and 20 February, 2017, correspondingly held in the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh, as well as the upcoming Parliamentary Elections in the Republic of Armenia as stages of democratic institution-building in the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh, as well as a factor contributing to the stability and security both in the turbulent zone of the Karabakh armed conflict and the surrounding volatile region of the Greater Middle East. YEREVAN, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS. Minister of foreign affairs of Greece Nikos Kotzias, currently on an official visit in Armenia, visited on March 9 the Armenian Genocide Memorial. The minister laid a wreath at the memorial and honored the memory of the innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide with a moment of silence at the Eternal Flame. Accompanied by Hayk Demoyan, director of the Armenian Genocide Memorial-Museum, the Greek FM toured the museum and got acquainted with the history, tragic episodes and realities of the Armenian Genocide. Before departing from the Memorial, minister Kotzias made a note in the Guestbook and received an English copy of the International Medias Front Page coverage of the Armenian Genocide book from Demoyan. YEREVAN, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS. Armenias Prime Minister on March 9 received the delegation of Greece led by Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias, press service of the Government told Armenpress. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of Armenian-Greek diplomatic relations. Our friendly relations are at the highest level, but we are interested in further intensifying them and give new impetus to them, Karen Karapetyan said. The PM attached importance to the development of bilateral economic ties, stating that many works need to be done in this sphere, and the potential is much more than is being utilized. PM Karapetyan welcomed Armenia-Greece cooperation in international platforms and the coincidence of approaches on a number of issues of international agenda. In his turn the Greek FM said he is happy to be in friendly Armenia and conveyed the PM the warm greetings of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. We have always been brother nations. My visit pursues one goal: we must establish a strategic partnership, the Greek FM said. He agreed that the economic relations are at the low level and it is necessary to work intensively on developing them. The PM and the Greek FM attached importance to the active work of the Armenian-Greek inter-governmental commission on economic, industrial, scientific-technical cooperation. The sides discussed issues related to holding Armenian-Greek business forum. The PM proposed to clarify the sectors that can present mutual investment interest for the businessmen of the two countries. The sides exchanged views on the cooperation within the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union, EU-EAEU development, as well as regional cooperation prospects. YEREVAN, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS. The Syrian crisis will not have a solution for a long time unless the super powers involved in this process come to a common agreement and start the negotiation process, Armenias Consul General in Aleppo Tigran Gevorgyan said at a meeting with the students of Yerevan State University on March 9, reports Armenpress. The Consul stated with pain that Aleppo is completely destroyed, however, everything is being done to help our compatriots, and the Armenian leadership provides major assistance on this issue. Tigran Gevorgyan added that despite the difficult times, the diplomats in the Consulate are working in emergency mode, almost every day receptions for citizens, consultative meetings are being held. The meeting, which was organized by the Department of Arabic Studies of the YSU Faculty of Oriental Studies, aimed at discussing the crisis situation in Syria, the negotiation process over its solution, the Syrian conflicts impact on regional developments, as well as the situation of Armenian community of Syria and its future challenges. YEREVAN, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS. Defense Minister of Armenia Vigen Sargsyan had a working dinner with the Foreign Minister of the Hellenic Republic Nikos Kotzias on March 9 who is on an official visit in Armenia. As Armenpress was informed from the press service of the Defense Ministry of Armenia, the sides discussed a broad scope of issues referring to the environment of regional security, bilateral relations, and cooperation prospects. Highlighting the existing high level political relations between the two states, Vigen Sargsyan singled out the defense sphere, where rich traditions of cooperation and productive mechanisms have been developed. The Armenian Defense Minister informed about the agreements reached with his Greek counterpart in the sidelines of his official visit at the end of the last year and their implementation process. For his part, Nikos Kotzias reaffirmed the readiness of the Greek side to implement defense programs with Armenia. The two ministers also exchanged ideas over recent regional military-political developments, neutralization of existing challenges and agreed to continue supporting each others positions on international platforms. YEREVAN, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS. The regular session of Canada-Armenia parliamentary friendship group took place in Ottawa on March 8. As Armenpress was informed fr4om the press service of the Armenian National Committee of Canada, the session chaired by co-chair of the friendship group Arnold Chan was also attended by the representatives of the Armenian National Committee of Canada. Along with several topics concerning the bilateral relations of the two countries, the meeting specifically discussed the upcoming general elections in Armenia, the importance of strengthening the political and economic ties between Canada and Armenia and other issues of mutual importance. The meeting unanimously passed to write a joint letter to Global Affairs Canada, urging the government to consider establishing permanent Canadian diplomatic representation in Yerevan, Armenia. The consul of the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Canada, Mr. Sasun Hovhannisyan representing his excellency Ambassador Armen Yeganian and the president of the Armenian National Committee of Canada, Mr. Shahen Mirakian had the chance to address the meeting and convey some issues of concern to the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian-Canadian community respectively. At the end of the meeting, the friendship group reiterated the importance of further advancing the ties between Canada and Armenia and discussed upcoming initiatives that are aimed towards the advancement of bilateral relations. "We are prepared to supply our materials to all types of infrastructure projects in the United States," LafargeHolcim chief Eric Olsen told AFP French-Swiss group LafargeHolcim is ready to sell its cement to build US President Donald Trump's controversial border wall, the company's CEO said in an interview. The wall Trump promised to erect along the US-Mexico border, valued at tens of billions of dollars, is at the center of a diplomatic crisis between Mexico City and Washington and is provoking criticism around the world. "We are prepared to supply our materials to all types of infrastructure projects in the United States," LafargeHolcim chief Eric Olsen told AFP. "We are the leader in cement, so we supply all our customers," he said. "We are here to support the building and development of the United States." Asked about possible consequences for the company's reputation, Olsen stressed that LafargeHolcim is not a political entity. "We are here to supply our customers' needs," he said. "We don't have a political view on things." He refused to comment on a possible victory for the extreme right-wing candidate Marine Le Pen in the French presidential election, a prospect increasingly worrying international business and financial circles. Olsen also declined to comment on the indirect financing by Lafarge in 2013 and 2014 of armed groups in Syria, a country torn by civil war, to keep one of its cement plants active. French President Francois Hollande warned the company to "be cautious before bidding" on the project. There are certain businesses in which "one must be careful before declaring" participation, Hollande said at a press conference in Brussels. The US government late last month posted a preliminary solicitation for companies interested in participating in the wall project, and LaFargeHolcim is on the list, along with nearly 600 other companies. - Boycott risk? - While this apolitical stance risks causing the firm bad publicity, especially in Europe, the material impact on sales likely would be negligible because LafargeHolcim does not sell cement directly to ordinary consumers. Story continues The company is therefore shielded from a potential boycott like the one targeting Uber, which was criticized for its slow reaction to the first travel ban by the Trump administration, blocking travelers from several Muslim-majority countries. Thousands of customers deleted the app from their phones. In contrast to LafargeHolcim, Irish cement manufacturer CRH, also with a presence in the US market, already announced it will not supply its materials for the border wall. - US jobs - The stakes are high for LafargeHolcim, a group created in 2015 by the merger of French cement manufacturer Lafarge and its Swiss counterpart Holcim. The company hopes to be one of the big winners of the $1 trillion infrastructure investment program Trump has promised to renovate bridges, tunnels, roads and airports. Olsen noted "there is going to be a significant increase in infrastructure spending," although the benefits are not likely to be felt this year "because it takes time for these infrastructure projects to get going." But "it will partially affect our business in 2018 and certainly in 2019, 2020 and 2021." The company is "very well positioned to serve that demand," he said. The cement maker, which returned to profitability last year after losses in 2015, is expected to announce the creation of new US jobs in the coming weeks, a topic central to Trump's agenda. "I don't have a specific number," Olsen said, but "we will be creating jobs." Another element that could appeal to Trump, who has been hammering for weeks on his strategy of giving priority to US employees, merchandise and companies: LafargeHolcim has production sites in Texas and operations in New Mexico and Arizona, three of the four US states bordering Mexico. The group has also built two new plants in Maryland and Oklahoma and opened new facilities in New York and Missouri in anticipation of the ongoing recovery in the US construction sector. This strong presence on US soil could tip the balance in favor of LafargeHolcim against Mexican cement maker Cemex. Spanish energy giant Repsol announced on Thursday a large find in Alaska that it says holds approximately 1.2 billion barrels of oil. The discovery, made with its US partner Armstrong Energy, is Repsol's biggest since a gas find in Venezuela in 2009, a spokesman said. The discovery is "the largest US onshore conventional hydrocarbons discovery in 30 years", Repsol said in a statement. The petroleum found near the village of Nuiqsut in Alaska's north "could amount to approximately 1.2 billion barrels" of oil, it added. Repsol has been actively exploring Alaska since 2008. The find was made in two wells in a region where Repsol has made other discoveries with Armstrong since 2011. The Spanish firm holds a 25 percent interest in the discovery, with Armstrong holding the rest. "The successive campaigns in the area have added significant new potential to what was previously viewed as a mature basin," Repsol said. The company expects to begin production in the area in 2021, with a potential rate of around 120,000 barrels of oil per day. To put that into perspective, Repsol produced 690,000 barrels of oil per day in 2016, a 23 percent increase over the previous year. The discovery could also mean a big jump in production for Alaska, helping stem a nearly three-decade decline in its oil output. The state's oil production has dropped 68 percent since hitting a peak of two million barrels per day in 1988, according to the Alaska Oil and Gas Association. It currently produces about 600,000 barrels per day. The Trans-Alaska Pipeline, which transports crude from Prudhoe Bay and other North Slope fields to the southern shores of Valdez, now operates at roughly one-quarter capacity. The petroleum industry supports one-third of all of Alaska's employment, generating 110,000 jobs throughout the state, which derives around 90 percent of its revenue from the oil and gas sector. Repsol, together with Italy's ENI, in 2009 discovered the largest offshore gas field in Latin America, the giant Perla field off Venezuela which holds 17 trillion cubic feet of gas. The company swung back into the black last year, posting a net profit of 1.7 billion euros ($1.8 billion), boosted by higher oil and gas production as well as a rise in crude prices. It recorded a loss of 1.2 billion euros in 2015. Repsol in October 2015 unveiled an ambitious cost-cutting programme which involves slashing billions from capital spending by 2020 and cutting 1,500 jobs out of 25,000 worldwide by 2018. LAS VEGASThe third day of the trial of Jonathan "War Machine" Koppenhaver concluded this afternoon with the MMA fighter's second victim, adult actress Christy Mack, on the witness standbut what set the newswires a-twitter was what happened as court was called to order yesterday morning. An unidentified woman entered District Judge Elissa Cadishs courtroom and handed a small manila envelope to the marshal charged with keeping order, and asked if she could give the package to the defendant. The marshal recognized the woman as one of the pool of potential jurors who had been called for jury duty, but who had not been selected to serve on the Koppenhaver jury, and brought the package to the judge, who opened it in front of prosecutor Jacqueline Bluth and defense attorney Jay Leiderman. "The woman had written a letter and included what appeared to be a handmade blue leather bracelet emblazoned with the word 'grace'," reported David Ferrara of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "While the letters contents were not made public, lawyers said the woman wrote that she was praying for Koppenhaver and asked others to pray for him. Someone she was close with was serving time in prison under similar circumstances, she wrote ... Leiderman described the letter as 'private thoughts she wanted to share with Jon,'" and which he described as "very sweet." In the end, Judge Cadish ruled that the woman could not give the package to the defendant in the courtrooman action Bluth deemed "absolutely inappropriate"but that she could send it to him at the Clark County Detention Center where he's been incarcerated since his capture more than two years ago. The trial then continued, with Mack's boyfriend Corey Thomas completing his testimony about the injuries he suffered during the attack, and then Bluth called to the stand the police officers who had responded to Mack's 911 call. Apparently, Mack had not had time to give the 911 operator her location during the call, so both policemen met her and Thomas at Sunrise Hospital, where they had been taken for treatment. "Her face was completely swollen," recalled Officer Somalia Shepherd. "Both eyes just puffy closed. Her teeth were missing." The jury was then played a recording of the 911 call that Mack's neighbor Dasha Giraldo had made when she heard Mack, in apparent distress, pounding on her front doorwhich she said on the tape that she was afraid to open, but told the operator, "I saw a person go over with a blanket and I heard a banging and I see some like blunt marks on her face. She's crying in front of my door. Somebody cut her with a knife." Called to the stand, Giraldo said she now regretted not allowing Mack to come inside her home. "At that time I didn't know who she was," Giraldo said. "Now I feel bad that I didn't open the door for her." Finally, Mack herself took the stand today, recounting the stormy, 15-month relationship she'd had with Koppenhaver, during which he'd occasionally beat her and choke her into unconsciousness. "At first they [the beatings] werent that frequent, maybe once a month," she testified, "but as our relationship progressed, the violence progressed." Koppenhaver also threatened to have his Navy SEAL or Hell's Angel buddies attack her if she complained about the beatings to the authorities. Mack also claimed that while they were together, Koppenhaver frequently used steroids in her presence. "I would watch him inject himself," she said. "I knew he would take pills every once in awhile." According to the New York Post, Koppenhaver's face turned red during some of Mack's testimonyperhaps not too surprising since her and Thomas' testimony could send him to prison for life. He faces 34 counts of sexual assault, kidnapping and attempted murder of the pair. One of the two Ford Mustang automobiles used in the filming of the Steve McQueen classic 'Bullitt' has been found. Long missing, the green pony car was found wasting away in a Baja, Mexico junkyard. The car is now being restored. Via the LA Times: Paramount-based body shop owner Ralph Garcia Jr., who has made a career building replicas of the "Eleanor" Mustang featured in the Nicolas Cage movie "Gone in 60 Seconds," said he was contacted by an associate in Mexico. He had found a clean '68 Mustang fastback that he thought would be a good candidate for "Eleanor"-ization. Ralph Garcia Jr., Kevin Marti and Hugo Sanchez pose in front of the reputed "Bullitt" car. The associate, Hugo Sanchez, delivered the car to a shop Garcia owns in Mexicali, Mexico. It was scheduled for restoration when Sanchez called Garcia and told him that he had run the vehicle identification numbers on the car and discovered it was no ordinary Mustang. "I was going to turn it into another 'Eleanor' car, but my partner Googled the VIN," Garcia said. "That's how he found out it was the 'Bullitt' car. He said, 'You can't touch it!' " The pair later enlisted the expert opinion of Ford evaluator Kevin Marti, who gave the car his official seal of approval. Though initially skeptical "I see car fraud on a daily basis" Marti asked Garcia for detailed photos of the car, then traveled to Mexicali to inspect it in person. "Then I was sure," he said, after checking VIN stamps and specific aspects of the car that would likely be unknown to anyone attempting to pass off a regular Mustang as the "Bullitt" car. Marti said there were two identical cars used in the filming of "Bullitt," a "hero" car that was used for the casual driving scenes, and a "jumper" car that was used for the dramatic chases, some of which involve airborne launches. "This is the jumper," Marti said, based on documents obtained from the filming and alterations to the car's suspension system Masha Gessen has impeccable credentials as a Putin critic you may remember her from her instant classic Autocracy: Rules for Survival, but you may not know that the Jewish lesbian mother of three fled Russia in 2013 to escape the country's Putin-fueled, ultra-violent anti-LGBT movement and so when she tells us that the conspiracy theories about Trump and Putin are problematic, it's worth listening. Gessen documents the thinness of the theories linking Russia and Trump: it's true that Trump's cabinet of robber-barons has lots of dealings with Russians, but that's because every billionaire is in bed with every autocrat dictators from Belarus to Azerbaijan to Turkey to Syria and Saudi Arabia. But developing this into a conspiracy theory about Russia secretly running the Trump campaign is a mirror image of the Russian xenophobic practice of claiming that the US is secretly operating Russia's opposition. The parallels are strong: for example, the unsubstantiated claim that the Russian ambassador to the USA is a "spymaster" is the mirror-image of the Russian claim that Obama's ambassador in Moscow was actually a spy. The major source of allegations of Russian involvement in the Trump administration is unnamed sources in the US spy agency, who, like their Russian counterparts, are sunk deep in xenophobia and paranoia. They may hate Trump, and you may hate Trump, but that doesn't mean you're on the same side as them, or that they have your best interests at heart. Making the anti-Trump campaign about Russia is politically useful, because (for now), it's a game the Republicans will play along with. Republicans will forgive Trump's cabinet appointees for perjuring themselves and being incompetent, but not for lying about Russia. As useful as that is, the real problem of the Russia theories is that they focus the criticism of Trump in xenophobic claims of the other, rather than on the real, undeniable evils of the Trump administration. The debate centers around whether Russia influenced the Muslim Ban, rather than the injustice of the Muslim Ban. Eventually, the GOP will stop worrying about being punished by voters for being soft on Russia, and the tactic will die and we'll still be fighting the Muslim Ban and all the other shitty policies of trumpism. The unrelenting focus on Russia has yielded an unexpected positive result, however. Following Flynn's resignation, Trump designated Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster, a thoughtful and highly respected military strategist, as his national security adviser. And Fiona Hill, probably the most knowledgeable American scholar of Putin's Russia, is expected to take charge of Russia policy at the National Security Council. Hill has been a consistent and perceptive critic of Putin, and a proponent of maintaining sanctions imposed by the United States following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Both of these appointmentsand the fact that sanctions remain in place six weeks into Trump's fast-moving presidencycontradict the "Putin's puppet" narrative (as does the fact that Russian domestic propaganda has already turned against Trump). But such is the nature of conspiracy thinking that facts can do nothing to change it. Imagine if the same kind of attention could be trained and sustained on other issueslike it has been on the Muslim travel ban. It would not get rid of Trump, but it might mitigate the damage he is causing. Trump is doing nothing less than destroying American democratic institutions and principles by turning the presidency into a profit-making machine for his family, by poisoning political culture with hateful, mendacious, and subliterate rhetoric, by undermining the public sphere with attacks on the press and protesters, and by beginning the real work of dismantling every part of the federal government that exists for any purpose other than waging war. Russiagate is helping himboth by distracting from real, documentable, and documented issues, and by promoting a xenophobic conspiracy theory in the cause of removing a xenophobic conspiracy theorist from office. Russia: The Conspiracy Trap [Masha Gessen/New York Review of Books] question-63916_640 Empire Company Limited (TSX:EMP.A) has been in a house of pain for almost two years, and the stock has lost half of its value during this time. The organizational structure is a complicated mess, but the company has hired former Canadian Tire Corporation Limited executive Michael Medline to help clean up the mess. Medline doesn?t have experience in the grocery business, but he knows the Canadian retail market very well, and I think that?s enough for him to get Empire?s head of out the dirt. The grocery sector is an extremely difficult place to thrive. Margins are incredibly thin, and anything short of operational excellence could potentially result in a disaster. Empire?s complicated operational process is a complete wreck right now, and that?s why the stock has been getting punished for such a long time. Empire also overpaid for an acquisition right before its massive downfall ? a poorly timed decision by the management team. The entire defensive sector has also gone out of favour because of the average investor has become more bullish than they were a year ago. I believe the defensive sector sell-off is overdone, and there?s a huge opportunity for value investors to hunt for undervalued gems. Empire could be one of these gems, and I think it could be on the verge of turning around. The company owns some terrific brands like Sobeys and Safeway, which aren?t going out of business anytime soon. Medline needs to get the right people in place so the company can focus on the basics to start growing again. This is not going to happen overnight; it could take many years before the changes are reflected in the financials, so if you?re looking for a quick way to profit, then you?re probably better off looking elsewhere. The stock currently trades at a 0.2 price-to-sales multiple and a 5.5 price-to-cash flow multiple, both of which are lower than the company?s five-year historical average multiples of 0.3 and 6.9, respectively. The stock seems rather cheap based on these metrics, but the price-to-book multiple is at 1.3, which is higher than the five-year historical average of one. The company?s book value went off a cliff along with the stock, so this is why the price-to-book multiple seems expensive. Story continues Is the stock really cheap? That depends on whether or not Medline can drain the swamp that is Empire?s complicated organizational structure. Many pundits believe he?s the right man for the job, and if he is, then Empire could be on its way to a slow recovery over the next few years. The stock is a falling knife right now, so if you?re a long-term investor with a time horizon of five years or more, then I?d buy the stock in small increments on the way down. Canada's answer to Amazon.com You've probably never even heard of this up-and-coming e-commerce powerhouse headquartered in Eastern Ontario... But, despite coming public just last year, it's already helping the likes of Budweiser... Tesla... Subway... and Red Bull move $9.9 BILLION (and counting) worth of goods online each year. And now it's caught the eye of the legendary investor who got behind Amazon.com in 1997 -- just before it shot up over 23,000% and made investors like you and me rich beyond their wildest dreams. Click here to discover why this investor says it's time to buy. More reading Fool contributor Joey Frenette has no position in any stocks mentioned. Canada's answer to Amazon.com You've probably never even heard of this up-and-coming e-commerce powerhouse headquartered in Eastern Ontario... But, despite coming public just last year, it's already helping the likes of Budweiser... Tesla... Subway... and Red Bull move $9.9 BILLION (and counting) worth of goods online each year. And now it's caught the eye of the legendary investor who got behind Amazon.com in 1997 -- just before it shot up over 23,000% and made investors like you and me rich beyond their wildest dreams. Click here to discover why this investor says it's time to buy. Fool contributor Joey Frenette has no position in any stocks mentioned. oil refinery Crescent Point Energy Corp. (TSX:CPG)(NYSE:CPG) is on the slide again and now trades close to its 12-month low. Let?s take a look at the current situation to see if the sell-off has more room to run. Oil prices Oil rallied through most of last year on the hopes that OPEC would get its act together and nail down an agreement to reduce global supplies. After nearly a year of negotiations, the group announced a plan at the end of November that would see the members and a handful of other countries cut production by 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) through June 2017. The announcement helped extend the 2016 rally that saw WTI oil move from below US$30 per barrel in January 2016 to US$55 in late December. Since then, the market has been reasonably stable, drifting in the US$52-54 range with upside support coming from investor belief that OPEC and its peers can deliver on their commitments and headwinds coming from rising U.S. production. Trouble brewing Last week, Russia reported stagnant production for the month of February compared to January. This is important because Russia is one of the non-OPEC producers that signed on to help reduce supplies. In fact, Russia is supposed to reduce output by 300,000 bpd. In January, the country dropped output by 100,000 bpd, and further reductions were expected last month. If Russia has decided to halt its participation, the entire pact could fall apart. At the same time, American production continues to increase, and U.S. crude inventories have risen for nine straight weeks. OPEC says its member had a 94% compliance rate with the reduction efforts in February, so there is a chance the Russians will say the pause was just a blip and continue to reduce output. However, the market is beginning to get nervous, and any break below US$50 per barrel for WTI could trigger a new sell-off. Should you buy Crescent Point today? It?s true that Crescent Point looks like a bargain right now. The company isn?t trading that far off its 2016 lows, yet oil is significantly higher and production in 2017 is expected to rise 10% by the end of the year. The balance sheet is in decent shape, and Crescent Point has the financial flexibility to ride out another dip. Story continues Contrarian investors might want to keep an eye on the stock, but I wouldn?t buy just yet. The latest dip might be the start of a much larger downdraft. Worried about what the market will do in 2017? Here's how our "pros" are investing our company's own money... First Brexit... then Trump. Yet, despite all the looming concerns on the horizon, the market continues to push higher and higher. Now many investors are asking us how they should invest in this market -- or if they should even be investing at all. Which is why Jim Gilles (who serves as the lead advisor of our invitation-only, real-money-portfolio service, Motley Fool Pro Canada) has put together a free special report detailing six strategies he's using to manage $250,000 of our company's own money during these highly uncertain times. For a limited time you can download this "Pro 2017 Survival Guide" free of charge by simply clicking here. More reading Fool contributor Andrew Walker has no position in any stocks mentioned. Worried about what the market will do in 2017? Here's how our "pros" are investing our company's own money... First Brexit... then Trump. Yet, despite all the looming concerns on the horizon, the market continues to push higher and higher. Now many investors are asking us how they should invest in this market -- or if they should even be investing at all. Which is why Jim Gilles (who serves as the lead advisor of our invitation-only, real-money-portfolio service, Motley Fool Pro Canada) has put together a free special report detailing six strategies he's using to manage $250,000 of our company's own money during these highly uncertain times. For a limited time you can download this "Pro 2017 Survival Guide" free of charge by simply clicking here. Fool contributor Andrew Walker has no position in any stocks mentioned. By Leigh Thomas and Sudip Kar-Gupta PARIS (Reuters) - Centrist Emmanuel Macron saw his position as favourite to win France's presidential election boosted on Thursday in two polls, with one showing him ahead of far-right leader Marine Le Pen in the first round of the two-stage contest. A monthly Cevipof survey, considered the most authoritative because it has a far bigger sample size than most polls, put Le Pen well ahead in the April 23 first round, although Macron was seen easily beating her in a May 7 runoff. However, a Harris Interactive poll showed Macron winning the first round with 26 percent of votes, with Le Pen taking second place on 25 percent, setting him up to trounce her in the run-off with a score of 65 percent. It was the second poll in a week that put the 39-year-old ahead of Le Pen in the opening round, a signal that the centrist former economy minister may be consolidating his position 45 days from the first stage of the contest. Le Pen, who leads the anti-European Union, anti-immigration National Front, faced strong criticism of her policies on Thursday from International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde, a former French economy minister. Without referring to Le Pen by name, Lagarde told Le Parisien newspaper that her flagship policy - pulling France out of the euro - would lead in the short term to "a period of very grave uncertainty, of great imbalance and of impoverishment of France." French President Francois Hollande, at a summit in Brussels, said there was concern among his European counterparts about the strength of the National Front. "There is concern because the extreme right is present everywhere in Europe at high levels," he told a news conference. EXAGGERATED A research note from Credit Suisse bank said, however, that the risk of a Le Pen victory was exaggerated. Macron's showing in the Harris poll helped ease investor concerns about the prospects of Le Pen winning, with the gap between French and German bond yields narrowing on Thursday morning. The race remains difficult to call, though, after a string of surprises, including Socialist incumbent Hollande's decision not to seek a second term, and surprising wins in primaries for contenders the pollsters had ruled out. Hollande has asked his ministers to wait until March 24 before stating publicly which candidate they will support. That has led to speculation some senior ministers will throw their weight behind Macron as the best bet to beat Le Pen rather than Socialist candidate Benoit Hamon, who is polling poorly. Financial scandals have engulfed Le Pen and conservative Francois Fillon, who slumped in the polls after he was accused of using public cash to pay his wife for a ghost job. The latest surveys suggest his support is stabilising. After a series of resignations, Fillon's team announced senior appointments on Thursday to try to shore up his campaign, including former finance minister Francois Baroin in the special role of unifying the increasingly fragmented Republicans party. Fillon stepped up his attacks on Macron at a rally on Thursday evening, calling him a "golden boy" who was offering disguised socialism. (Writing by Brian Love and Adrian Croft; Editing by Andrew Callus and Larry King) Loblaws 16-9 Loblaw Companies Limited (TSX:L) is a Canadian grocer that owns over 1,000 supermarkets under 22 regional and market segment banners. The company owns many terrific brands like President?s Choice, No Name, Joe Fresh, T&T Supermarkets, Exact, Seaquest, and Teddy?s Choice. The company has been facing some upside resistance for almost two years now, as the defensive sector has been one of the least attractive places for investors to put their money in. Sure, President Trump is likely to strengthen the U.S. economy, and the Canadian market is likely to benefit from this, but it still doesn?t make sense for investors to dump their defensive holdings in favour of cyclical names. Loblaw knocked one out of the ballpark in its recent Q4 2016 earnings report. Food prices are on the decline, and it was expected that Loblaw would face some serious pressure in the last quarter, so it came as a surprise to everyone when the company reported a profit increase of 57% to $201 million. Revenue also increased from $265 million to $11.3 billion. On an adjusted basis, the company had earnings per share of $0.97, which was considerably higher than last year?s earnings per share of $0.87. The decrease in food prices meant more happy customers that ended up buying more food. It?s truly remarkable how the company was able to perform well given the huge headwind of decreasing food prices. I believe the rally in the stock was warranted, and it could be on a sustained rally to higher levels. The food business is tough. Margins are razor thin, so operations have to be running smoothly, otherwise there would be huge problems. The management team at Loblaw is able to adapt to a changing environment, and this is why the company has been so successful lately. Count me as impressed. The company is firing on all cylinders by investing in initiatives that will drive same-store sales for the long run. Loblaw CEO and chairman Galen G. Weston believes that ?Click & Collect? will be the future of the grocery business. I see myself using this platform, as it?ll save me a ton of time, but what about home-delivery services? Story continues Mr. Weston has been considering home delivery as an initiative, but he believes that consumers are more inclined to drop by their local Superstore to pick up their food right away, instead of staying in their homes while waiting for their groceries to arrive. I believe there?s a market for both methods, but I think ?Click & Collect? is definitely a terrific start for the company. The stock trades at a forward price-to-earnings multiple of 14.4 and a price-to-book multiple of 2.2, both of which are ridiculously cheap when you consider the huge growth prospects like ?Click & Collect? and Shoppers Drug Mart?s expansion potential. The management is top notch, so I?d scoop up shares now while the defensive sector is still weak. This is how real money is made. Buy wonderful businesses that are experiencing a sector-wide sell-off. Stay smart. Stay hungry. Stay Foolish. Six "pro" strategies for today's highly uncertain market Motley Fool Canada's $250,000-real-money-portfolio service, Motley Fool Pro, is currently closed to new members. But lead advisor Jim Gilles is doing something special for investors who are worried about the market and where it will head in 2017. He's revealing the six strategies he uses in Pro to help members guardrail their portfolios and make money in up, down, and sideways markets. For a limited time you can download this "Pro 2017 Survival Guide" free of charge by simply clicking here. More reading Fool contributor Joey Frenette owns shares of Loblaw Companies Limited. Six "pro" strategies for today's highly uncertain market Motley Fool Canada's $250,000-real-money-portfolio service, Motley Fool Pro, is currently closed to new members. But lead advisor Jim Gilles is doing something special for investors who are worried about the market and where it will head in 2017. He's revealing the six strategies he uses in Pro to help members guardrail their portfolios and make money in up, down, and sideways markets. For a limited time you can download this "Pro 2017 Survival Guide" free of charge by simply clicking here. Fool contributor Joey Frenette owns shares of Loblaw Companies Limited. P Photo/Steven Senne, File WikiLeaks posting Tuesday of a gigantic trove of CIA documents shows one thing: Our communications are increasingly secure. You, however, may have seen a different distillation of this data dump in headlines warning the CIA could have been spying on you through your phone, tablet and even TV all along. But that take gets this story wrong. And we need to get it right to understand a debate we keep coming back to: Should developers of encrypted devices and apps provide special access to law-enforcement agencies? Your TV is a target if the CIA is in your home WikiLeaks announced Tuesday that it had posted 8,761 documents from a CIA facility in Langley, Va. the first in a series of planned disclosures of the agencys activities that the group calls Vault 7. This batch focused on the CIAs ability to conduct surveillance by hacking devices and apps, something WikiLeaks chose to highlight by playing up the scare factor of the CIA or the United Kingdoms MI5 intelligence agency hacking into your smart TV to turn it into a clandestine listening device. Thats the goal of a CIA program, code-named Weeping Angel, that targeted some Samsung smart TVs to listen in on people. WikiLeaks the secretive group founded by Julian Assange to post government documents called Weeping Angel the most emblematic realization of the endless surveillance described in George Orwells book 1984. Much first-round coverage for instance, a New York Daily News front page, inspired by the movie Poltergeist, that had a headline screaming THEY HEE-EAR obligingly focused on that angle without providing an important bit of context. That would be the detail that Weeping Angel apparently requires somebody to plug a USB flash drive into the TV in question to load this malware. And the CIA document posted by WikiLeaks observes that Firmware version 1118+ eliminated the current USB installation method, so it no longer works on an updated set anyway. Story continues If somebody from the CIA can sneak into your house and pop a flash drive into your TV, you have many larger problems. The CIA agent, meanwhile, might find it more efficient to hide traditional listening bugs throughout your house instead of limiting her attention to your TV. Aging Android and iOS attacks The CIAs attempts to crack smartphones, meanwhile, all appear to target old versions of iOS and Android. For example, a table of iOS exploits doesnt list any versions of that Apple (AAPL) operating system newer than 9.2. The current release is iOS 10, and its already on 79% of devices. The 24 Android exploits listed, meanwhile, dont specify a version newer than 4.4.4, far behind the current 7.1.1 release of the Google (GOOG, GOOGL) operating systemalthough an embarrassingly high 33.4% of Android devices run versions as old as 4.4.4. Both Google and Apple have said theyve closed most of these holes, many of which also require physical access to a phone. In a Thursday video appearance, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said the group would share data on the other vulnerabilities with companies affected. Donald Trumps Android may be more at risk than other devices. AP Photo/Matt Rourke President Donald Trumps own Android phone photos suggest its a 2012 Galaxy S3 may be among the more exposed devices, owing to its Android software seeing its last update in 2015. That and the sight of WikiLeaks targeting the CIA instead of his political opponents may explain why the man who in October tweeted a compliment for the incredible information provided by WikiLeaks now seems much less fond of the group. Summed up security analyst Robert Graham in a post unpacking the Vault 7 news: Most of this dump is childs play, simply malware/trojans cobbled together from bits found on the internet. The lesson of device hacking: Encryption works WikiLeaks says its only posted about 1% of the total Vault 7 info, so its possible that scarier stuff lurks in this file. And other details, like the disclosure of CIA efforts to hack wireless routers remotely, point to lingering security problems that the tech industry needs to address before it connects every computerized device to the internet. But we can draw one conclusion from the revelations available now: Encryption works. Otherwise intelligence agencies would not work so hard to compromise individual devices. Thats an easy thing to overlook in, for example, a tweet from WikiLeaks suggesting that these exploits allow the CIA to defeat such encrypted communications apps as Signal or WhatsApp. Yes, they could allow the CIA to take over a phone and thereby log a users speech and touchscreen interactions but a CIA technician could also bypass Signals encryption by looking over a Signal users shoulder. But without that compromise of an individual phone, the CIA cant snoop on a Signal chat. The alternative to hacking into specific devices is to require manufacturers and developers to keep extra keys for cops. That was the focus of last years dispute between Apple and the FBI over unlocking an iPhone 5 used by one of the San Bernardino shooters: The Feds wanted Apple to write software that would defeat the lock on any iPhone 5, but Apple resisted and the FBI eventually paid a third party to hack into that particular device. FBI director James Comey offered a reminder of that in a speech Wednesday in which he said there is no such thing as absolute privacy in America and called on tech firms to provide some way for law enforcement to access a locked device after getting a court order. The prospect of the three-letter agencies targeting your phone can be scary, not least since they could probably do it. As security expert Bruce Schneier said at a May 2015 event in Washington, when the debate over whether to restrain the National Security Agencys bulk surveillance was nearing its end: If the NSA wanted to be in my computer, theyd be in it. But, Schneier noted, that must be seen as a desirable outcome of encryption systems operating as designed: They make bulk collection infeasible and force the listeners to target. More from Rob: Email Rob at rob@robpegoraro.com; follow him on Twitter at @robpegoraro. thomson reuters Thompson Reuters Corp. (TSX:TRI)(NYSE:TRI) has been consistently reporting improvements on core financial metrics over the last five years since 2012, and there are several compelling reasons why investors should consider making the media giant a core holding in their portfolios. The parent company, Thompson Reuters Corporation, was formed in 2008 when Thomson Corp. of Canada bought Britain?s Reuters Group. The company is very popular across the world for its news agency Reuters News, which is, interestingly, the smallest segment and the least profitable. In 2016, the company sold off its Intellectual Property and Science (IP&S) segment for $3.55 billion in cash to Onex Corporation and Baring Private Equity Asia and is currently buying back some six million shares. Diversified revenue sources Firstly, what attracts investors is the fact that Thompson Reuters has a diversified global portfolio with operations in over a hundred countries, revenues streaming from three different main businesses, and a corporate centre that runs the Reuters News segment. The biggest segment as of December 2016, is the Financial & Risk segment, bringing in 54.25% of revenues, followed by the Legal segment at 30.15%. The Tax & Accounting segment contributes 13% to group revenue and the corporate centre, which houses the Reuters News segment, has the least contribution at 2.6%. While most business (about 60%) is conducted in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa contribute a significant proportion, almost 30%, of group revenues with Asia and the Pacific region bringing in about 10%. Reliable revenue composition Thompson Reuters revenue is mainly composed of a high proportion of recurring revenues. About 87% of the revenues come from client subscriptions. The less reliable transactional revenues just make up for a small proportion. Better still, with the ongoing digital revolution and growth in online services consumption, only 7% of corporate revenues came from print sources in 2015, and it was under 4.5% in 2016. The media giant is therefore well ahead the curve, and investors need not worry about future declines in the declining print media business model. Story continues A healthy dividend The corporation has increased the quarterly dividend by a constant half cent since 2014. At a current payout of $0.345, the dividend is yielding a hefty 3.12% per year at the current $57.80 stock price, which is great for regular dependable income. Furthermore, the dividend-to-free-cash flow payout rate has averaged at below 60% since 2015, making for a reliable dividend payout in the future. A decade of positive cash flows Most noteworthy, Thompson Reuters can boast of having achieved what some corporate giants can only dream of: a full decade of positive free cash flows. The corporation has been generating north of a billion dollars in free cash flow for all but just one year since 2006. Free cash flow has averaged about $1.5 billion dollars per annum over the decade. As of March 2017, Thompson Reuters is currently distributing a windfall of cash to investors through a buyback of six million share through private negotiations after selling off the IP&S segment for $3.5 billion last year. The huge cash flow boost will enable the corporation to further reduce its debt levels and grow the business. Investor takeaway With a strong portfolio of great global brands across a seemingly healthy range of attractive media segments, Thompson Reuters Corp. has a great appeal to long-term investors. Making the stock a core holding in a portfolio could be a very wise and rewarding decision. Six "pro" strategies for today's highly uncertain market Motley Fool Canada's $250,000-real-money-portfolio service, Motley Fool Pro, is currently closed to new members. But lead advisor Jim Gilles is doing something special for investors who are worried about the market and where it will head in 2017. He's revealing the six strategies he uses in Pro to help members guardrail their portfolios and make money in up, down, and sideways markets. For a limited time you can download this "Pro 2017 Survival Guide" free of charge by simply clicking here. More reading Fool contributor Brian Paradza has no position in any stocks mentioned. Six "pro" strategies for today's highly uncertain market Motley Fool Canada's $250,000-real-money-portfolio service, Motley Fool Pro, is currently closed to new members. But lead advisor Jim Gilles is doing something special for investors who are worried about the market and where it will head in 2017. He's revealing the six strategies he uses in Pro to help members guardrail their portfolios and make money in up, down, and sideways markets. For a limited time you can download this "Pro 2017 Survival Guide" free of charge by simply clicking here. Fool contributor Brian Paradza has no position in any stocks mentioned. Tom Cotton Sen. Tom Cotton, the influential Arkansas Republican, used Twitter on Thursday morning to express his displeasure with House Republicans' new healthcare legislation and the speed at which it was advancing through Congress. "House health-care bill can't pass Senate w/o major changes," Cotton tweeted. "To my friends in House: pause, start over. Get it right, don't get it fast." Numerous senators have expressed misgivings about the Republican replacement plan for the Affordable Care Act, the healthcare law better known as Obamacare. Some, including Sen. Rand Paul, of Kentucky, have criticized the law as not going far enough in its repeal. Others have worries about the future of Medicaid funding. The opposition has health-policy experts wondering whether the law can make it through the upper chamber. Cotton's state of Arkansas is one of 34 states and the District of Columbia that went ahead with the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion. That has allowed more than 11 million people nationwide to access Medicaid insurance and has become incredibly popular in the states where it has been expanded. Related Video: For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android. The new GOP bill, the American Health Care Act, would end the funding for Medicaid expansion in 2020 and shift to a per capita system of block grants that many experts say would result in less Medicaid funding for states. Additionally, the law would not allow anyone to be added to the expansion rolls after 2019, slowly decreasing the total number of Americans covered by Medicaid. Cotton also said he was opposed to the fast track on which the bill was moving through the House. The AHCA was introduced Monday evening by the GOP leadership and is now being reviewed by committees before it goes to the House floor for a vote. "GOP shouldn't act like Dems did in O'care," Cotton wrote. "No excuse to release bill Mon night, start voting Wed. With no budget estimate!" Story continues Cotton was referring to the fact that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has not released a score for the AHCA. The score gives estimates on the budget impact of the bill and how many Americans' health coverage would be affected. Cotton is a longtime supporter of President Donald Trump, who has publicly supported the law and attempted to win over conservatives to get the law through Congress. Despite this, Cotton made his opposition to the bill's existing form known Thursday. "What matters in long run is better, more affordable health care for Americans, NOT House leaders' arbitrary legislative calendar," Cotton said. Check out the tweets: 1. House health-care bill can't pass Senate w/o major changes. To my friends in House: pause, start over. Get it right, don't get it fast. Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) March 9, 2017 2. GOP shouldn't act like Dems did in O'care. No excuse to release bill Mon night, start voting Wed. With no budget estimate! Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) March 9, 2017 3. What matters in long run is better, more affordable health care for Americans, NOT House leaders' arbitrary legislative calendar. Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) March 9, 2017 NOW WATCH: 'That makes no sense!': Matt Lauer grills Kellyanne Conway over the timing of Michael Flynns resignation More From Business Insider By Alan Valdes, director of floor operations at Silverbear Yesterdays ADP jobs report, the first for the Trump administration, showed the Trump effect298,000 versus estimates of 187,000. Any doubt that there would not be a rate hike was wiped out. Odds makers in Chicago are estimating a 91% chance of a quarter percent hike when the FOMC meets next week for its two-day meeting on March 14-15. There is always a chance of a surprise with the headline number from the government Friday. However, as of late, ADP has been a good bellwether. Last month their tabulations were 9,000 off from the official government count, and in December, they were only 8,000 off. Construction added 66,000 jobs, the most in 11 years, and manufacturing increased by 32,000, the most in five years. These two groups are not only traditionally higher paying than the service sector, but also reflect real business confidence in the economy. That said, the confidence level still only derives from the anticipation that the Trump administration will indeed come through on the promised tax cuts, deregulation and infrastructure projects. Unemployment benefits, another number traders monitor closely, came in at 243,000 this morning. There was a jump of 20,000 from last months reading of 220,000, which was a 44-year low, and todays number was the 105th month in a row of sub-300,000 readings. Its a sign of a strong economy another indication of business optimism picking up. Tomorrow, we also get a look at wages. They have been rising ever so slowlybut rising, nonetheless. Yesterdays action in the markets was typical of traders waiting for the Fed. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) fell for the fourth out of five sessions, down -0.2%. Yet, at 2,362, we are only 1.6% below its all-time high. The Dow (^DJI) took a -69.03 loss to finish the day at 20855. Crude oil breaks down Yesterday was a bad day for black gold. It was the result of strength in the US dollar combined with surging oil output, along with a growing stockpile of US crude oil. The price in crude plunged more than 5% to $48.59 a barrel, the low for the year. The price which had been locked in the tightest trading range in a decade saw trading volume explode with 430,000 contracts in Brent crude for May delivery. Dont look for much of a move today as traders wait for not only tomorrows official government number on jobs, but also next weeks non-surprise Fed hike. Costa Rican police are investigating the death of a beloved 59-year-old Toronto teacher who was fatally stabbed in the coastal tourist town of Puerto Viejo on Sunday after he rose early to take a photo of the sunrise. A member of the regional police force in Limon confirmed the victim was Bruce McCallum, who has worked for the Toronto District School Board for roughly 20 years. It's unclear for exactly how long he had been in Costa Rica. Colleagues say that it was the latest stop on his yearlong sabbatical that began with a trip to New Zealand and Australia to capture photos and to immerse himself in new cultures and experiences. He planned to do the same through South and Central America. But video footage shows at least two teenagers confront McCallum just before dawn Sunday, said Rafael Arajna, speaking for the Costa Rican police agency Seguridad Publica on Wednesday. "They kicked out at the camera and when he tried to fight back they took out a knife," Arajna said. No arrests Video of the attack shows just two young men, but Arajna said a third person may have been involved. The attackers stole McCallum's camera and left him lying in the road. No one has yet been arrested in connection with the stabbing. The area, which caters to tourists and has become a haven for ex-pats on the Caribbean Sea, doesn't see a lot of violence. Arajna said that roughly 100 officers from Limon and a neighbouring district have been dispatched to Puerto Viejo and the surrounding area. McCallum had been on a leave of absence from teaching at Scarborough's Albert Campbell Collegiate Institute, where he worked for 18 years. Teaching was his second career -- something that he often told students who were struggling, his colleague Caroline Crabtree said. "Bruce was not an academic student in high school," she said. "And he liked to tell that story to kids to show them that we all have different paths to get to our goals." Story continues 'Caring and dedicated' teacher The school plans to hold a memorial Thursday morning for the teacher known as a someone who could teach math to kids who swore they couldn't understand it said Toronto District School Board spokesperson Shari Schwartz-Maltz. He was a caring and dedicated member of our teaching team [and] was a positive role model in the Campbell community who had a passion for photography and travel," school principal Carol Richards-Sauer wrote in a letter to students Wednesday. "His energy and work ethic were an inspiration to us all." He was the kind of teacher who got to school early and stayed late. He ran a comics and anime club and supervised the archery team. "He was a teacher that when the kids came and asked him to do something, no matter what his time constraints were like, he just said yes," Crabtree said. Michelle Zhao, a former student, said McCallum made math fun for his students, and he was well-liked because he took time to get to know everyone's interests. Zhao, 22, has always been engaged in pop culture, and she connected with her former math teacher when he promised to show her some photos he had taken of celebrities at the Toronto International Film Festival. "He loved photography and I'll always remember him for that moment," she said. "And he also always grew a mean 'stache during Movember." McCallum had no children of his own, but he was gifted at making connections with students, Crabtree said. He taught applied mathematics to Grade 9 students and helped several to move on into the more advanced academic stream under his guidance. 'Teaching is a calling' A math teacher herself, Crabtree teaches Grade 10 classes and says one of her most successful students bloomed thanks to McCallum's care this previous year. "Teaching is a calling," she said. "And Bruce had that calling and that passion. He was a very kind soul, a very soft-spoken man who cared about people." Global Affairs Canada told CBC Toronto that consular officials are working with Costa Rican authorities and providing assistance to McCallum's family. The South Caribbean Chamber of Tourism and Commerce also plans to hold a memorial in Costa Rica for McCallum on Saturday morning and "take a photo of the sunrise" in his honour. JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday there could never be peace in Syria as long as there was an Iranian presence there. "We discussed at length the matter of Iran, its objectives and intentions in Syria, and I clarified that there cannot be a peace deal in Syria when Iran is there and declares its intention to destroy Israel," Netanyahu said in footage supplied by his office after their meeting. Iran, Israel's arch-enemy, has been embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's staunchest backer and has provided militia fighters to help him in the country's civil war. "(Iran) is arming itself and its forces against Israel including from Syria territory and is, in fact, gaining a foothold to continue the fight against Israel," he said in reply to a reporter's question. "There cannot be peace when they continue the war and therefore they have to be removed." Russia, also Assad's ally, is seen as holding the balance of power in achieving a deal on Syria's future. In Geneva last week, the first U.N.-led Syria peace talks in a year ended without a breakthrough. Israeli leaders have pointed to Tehran's steadily increasing influence in the region during the six-year-old Syrian conflict, whether via its own Revolutionary Guard forces or Shi'ite Muslim proxies, especially Hezbollah. Last year, Avi Dichter, the chair of Israel's foreign affairs and defense committee, said Iran had tried several times in the past to move forces into the Syrian Golan Heights, next to territory that Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war. Dichter said those moves were repelled, but gave no details. Netanyahu has said that Israel has carried out dozens of strikes to prevent weapons smuggling to the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah via Syria. Two years ago, Israel and Russia agreed to coordinate military actions over Syria in order to avoid accidentally trading fire. (Writing by Ori Lewis; editing by Andrew Roche) MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday pleaded for help from mayors in Muslim parts of the south to deal with Islamist militants, and threatened to impose martial law there if the problem is not tackled. The largely Roman Catholic Philippines has been struggling to thwart two small but violent Islamic State-linked groups behind kidnappings, piracy, bombings and the recent beheading of a German captive. "I plead before you because I do not want the trouble in (the southern island of) Mindanao to spin out of control," Duterte told mayors in a speech in Davao. "Because then, as president, I will be forced, I will be compelled, to exercise the extra-ordinary powers." He added: "Help me. If not, you know, martial law, then I have to authorize the military just to arrest them, detain you." The Philippines is fighting Abu Sayyaf militants on two remote islands in the south. The government is seeking the support of separatists who are talking peace with the government to root out groups with extremist agendas. After years of denials by the Philippines that Islamic State is seeking a foothold in the country, Duterte's administration says it is now certain that local rebels are in contact with Middle East extremists and receiving funds. Duterte has warned of a "contamination" and the possibility of Islamic State fighters driven from Iraq and Syria taking refuge in the Philippines. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Abu Sayyaf's kidnappings were a national embarrassment, with the number of hostages increasing to 31 from 18 captives when Duterte came to power on June 30. "It's giving me a headache," he told reporters, adding the military's deadline to eliminate the militants by June was unrealistic. "Sometimes, I couldn't sleep at night." He said the army would move an infantry division to Jolo island, an Abu Sayyaf stronghold where most of the captives are held. A marine and naval task force would be deployed to tackle piracy. Lorenzana said the Philippines would jointly patrol southern seas with Indonesia and Malaysia from April, creating a sea lane for the merchant ships Abu Sayyaf has been intercepting. (Reporting By Manuel Mogato and Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Martin Petty and Nick Macfie) One of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's well-worn talking points is that building the economy and protecting the environment must go hand in hand. Tonight, at an international energy conference in Houston, he will receive an award for taking that position. "We recognize that Prime Minister Trudeau has taken a very clear position in terms of integrating energy and environmental concerns and the way that the two interact with each other," said CERAWeek conference chair Daniel Yergin in an interview with CBC News. "The award will highlight on a global basis what the prime minister is achieving in Canada and what he is conveying really to the world community on how to approach the challenges around energy and environment that the entire planet faces," said Yergin. The CERAWeek conference, organized by international financial services firm IHS Markit, is an annual event that brings in energy executives, politicians, clean tech companies and policy makers from 60 countries to talk about key issues facing the global energy industry. The topics up for discussion include everything from oil and gas to renewables. More than 3,500 delegates and 300 members of the media are attending the five-day conference. Trudeau will also give the keynote address to the global gathering of energy movers and shakers the first Canadian prime minister to do so. 'High-profile sales job' Yergin said that given U.S. President Donald Trump's promise to renegotiate his country's trade agreements, Trudeau's attendance is "very timely." "I think at this particular time of discussion about trade and investment, to highlight in particular U.S. and Canadian relations is very important." "It gives [Trudeau] an opportunity to address a global audience," said Yergin. "The words he says here in Houston will really resound around the world." It could also give Trudeau a chance to do a high-profile sales job for Canada, said Jackie Forrest, director of research for the Calgary-based ARC Energy Research Institute, which examines trends in the energy business. Story continues Forrest, who is in Houston for the conference, said that even though Canada is a big energy producer, it still doesn't have a big global profile. "I think it's a great opportunity to get in front of this group and say Canada is a great place to invest. We have some real advantages, we have great resources, we are balancing the economy and the environment," said Forrest in an interview with CBC News. "I hope he makes a compelling argument for people to bring their capital to Canada." Canada vs. U.S. on carbon pricing Forrest said Canada has an advantage over the U.S. right now, partly because of the new federal-provincial climate strategy that includes a price on carbon. She said a carbon price can provide certainty for industry at the same time that the U.S. is changing its regulations on carbon emissions. "What's important is you know what the policies are, you've got lots of transparency and you can plan for those policies." On Friday, Trudeau will take part in a roundtable discussion with industry executives and clean technology leaders on the transition to low-carbon energy sources. The conference has increasingly included discussions on renewable energy and electric vehicles. Trudeau and former U.S. president Barack Obama were in lockstep on their efforts toward developing a North American low-carbon economy, but that dynamic has changed since Trump was elected. "With the U.S. stepping back, more countries are looking to Canada to say we need leadership from North America, we need leadership on this issue, and hoping Canada can deliver. So that puts a lot of responsibility on Canada." said Clare Demerse, federal policy adviser for Clean Energy Canada. There were hints earlier this week about what Trudeau might say to the energy executives on that issue. Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr told the conference that Canada isn't going to step away from its long-term plan to reduce emissions and develop a green economy. We can expect the same message, perhaps with a bit more fanfare, from the prime minister tonight. ZURICH (Reuters) - Several Turkish citizens with diplomatic passports have sought political asylum in Switzerland, the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper reported on Wednesday, calling the move a potential test of the neutral country's ties with Turkey. The paper said the second-ranking Turkish diplomat in Bern and his family were among those seeking asylum after he refused to comply with a summons to return home amid a Turkish purge of people suspected of disloyalty to President Tayyip Erdogan. Swiss Foreign Ministry officials and the Turkish embassy in Bern were not immediately available to comment on the report. The news comes as Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu plans to address compatriots in Zurich at the weekend, prompting city officials to ask the federal government to block the event for security reasons, Swiss media reported. Cavusoglu accused Germany earlier on Wednesday of hostility toward his country and Islam, and Berlin complained of increased Turkish espionage on German soil as acrimony between the two NATO allies showed no sign of abating. Ankara is furious over the cancellation of several rallies by Turkish ministers in Germany, while Berlin has demanded the immediate release of a Turkish-German journalist detained on terrorism charges. Turkish ministers want to rally support among Germany's large ethnic Turkish community for Erdogan's bid to increase his powers in a referendum on April 16. Germany has said they can do so, provided they respect local laws, but has canceled several rallies, citing security concerns. (Reporting by Michael Shields; Editing by Sandra Maler) Women in U.S. vow to 'fight and fight and fight' against Trump Protesters who rallied in Washington, D.C., for International Women's Day Wednesday said this year's event was different. "It absolutely has a feeling of urgency," said Sarah Leonard. "There has not been a women's day like this in the United States in years." The demonstrators first gathered at Freedom Plaza before marching a few blocks to Lafayette Park, across from the White House, where they demanded U.S. President Donald Trump reverse policies they say threaten their freedoms and put women around the world at risk. The rally was one of many events held across the U.S. to mark International Women's Day. Large gatherings were also held in Los Angeles and New York and cities in between. - An ode to the quiet feminists on International Women's Day: Opinion "It's important that we are organized and we show unified opposition to these anti-choice and dangerous attacks on women's health care," said Anne Bailey, a field organizer with the pro-choice group NARAL, one of organizers of the D.C. protest. A woman named Danielle, who did not want to give her surname, made her point by wearing duct tape over her mouth and a pair of gloves taped to her bare breasts, with letters stuck on her torso spelling out "Hands off my body!" The protesters, including some men, were concerned about access to abortion for women abroad and at home. "There is no reason that women should not have control over their own bodies," said Austin Barry. Trump tweets to mark Women's Day Earlier in the day, Trump wrote on Twitter that he has "tremendous respect for women and the many roles they serve that are vital to the fabric of our society and our economy." The White House issued a statement that said the administration is committed to empowering women in the U.S. and around the world. It noted the joint council on women in business that the U.S. and Canada announced when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Washington last month. Story continues Demonstrators rejected the notion that Trump respects women and doubted his commitment to their advancement. "I came out because I live in D.C. and this has become the norm for us right now," said Jjana Valentiner. "There are so many alarming things happening at such a fast rate that we can't stay home." Momentum still going Organizers called for "A Day Without a Woman." Women were encouraged to boycott paid and unpaid work and to avoid making purchases for the day other than at women-owned businesses. The idea was to highlight how vital women are to the economy and labour force, and to draw attention to issues such as pay equity and discriminatory hiring practices. It would be hard to measure how many women went on strike across the U.S., but the school board in Alexandria, Va., just across the Potomac River from Washington, cancelled classes because so many women requested the day off. That's why Mike Stemle was at the rally in Washington with his two sons. The single father said instead of getting a babysitter, he took a day off work to give Badger, 6, and Oliver, 9, a real-life lesson outside the classroom. "I have white male children in the United States unfair is not really a thing they get to see a lot of," Stemle said. "It seemed like a good idea to have them come and see what unfair really looks like for other people, and how people speak out against it." Trump unites women in protest The Women's March on Washington, held the day after Trump's inauguration, was considered a massive success, bringing out millions of women in the U.S. capital, and across the U.S. and the world, including in Canada. But it raised questions about whether the momentum and energy felt that day would be sustained. Women who were at the White House Wednesday, some of whom had recycled their signs from the Women's March, had no doubts about the movement continuing. "The one thing I do appreciate about this new administration is it has galvanized people, it's activated people in a way that hasn't happened in years," said Valentiner, who gave up a day's pay to be at the rally. "I think it's going to continue. He set off an avalanche." Amy Hershey called the Women's March "one of the most perfect, beautiful days of all of our lives," and said "absolutely" the resistance to Trump witnessed that day remains strong. "We are going to fight and fight and fight," she said. Leonard, a member of the organizing committee for the American branch of the International Women's Strike, said there is the potential for "protest fatigue," but so far she doesn't see it. Leonard said that even before Trump came along women were concerned about reproductive rights, an eroding of social safety net programs and workers' rights, and that the new president has deepened those worries. "Women have felt a growing burden over time, and now that it's embodied in someone as odious as Trump really feel like they are inspired to take on a specific enemy and get together," she told CBC News by phone, on her way to a protest in New York City. Many women who've never been to a protest before now feel compelled to speak out against Trump. Leonard said that all of these newly politically active women have linked up with existing ones at their local levels. There are organizations that have been working on women's issues for years and they were ready to receive the momentum, she said. THURSDAY, March 9, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Zika may cause heart problems in some people infected with the mosquito-borne virus, researchers report. A new study has identified nine Venezuelan patients who suffered from heart problems shortly after coming down with Zika virus symptoms. Eight of the nine patients developed dangerous heart rhythm disorders, and two-thirds had evidence of heart failure, a condition in which the heart isn't pumping enough blood to meet the body's needs. Lead researcher Dr. Karina Gonzalez Carta said doctors should consider electrocardiograms (ECG) for all Zika-infected patients, and follow-up testing if an irregular heartbeat is detected. "While we anticipated we would see cardiovascular effects from Zika, we were surprised at the severity of the findings," said Carta, a Venezuelan native, and a cardiologist and research fellow at the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minn. This is the first study to report Zika-related heart troubles following infection, the researchers said. The findings are scheduled for presentation on March 18 at the American College of Cardiology's annual meeting, in Washington D.C. Until now, Zika concerns have mainly focused on pregnant women because the virus can increase a newborn's risk of birth defects up to 20 times that of babies born to uninfected women. The most common birth defect is microcephaly, in which babies are born with a smaller-than-normal head and an underdeveloped brain. However, Zika has also been linked to rare cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that causes muscle weakness and paralysis. The nine patients are all adults who were treated at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Caracas, Venezuela, one of the epicenters of the Zika virus outbreak. The patients suffered heart-related symptoms such as heart palpitations, fatigue and shortness of breath alongside more common Zika symptoms, including rash, fever and pink eye (conjunctivitis), Carta said. Only one had any previous heart health problem, and that was well-controlled high blood pressure. "They did not have any known previous cardiac disease," Carta noted. "They had never exhibited cardiac findings, so we knew it was something related to Zika." These patients were put through a battery of heart tests and screenings that revealed evidence of myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart wall. Myocarditis can effect both the heart's muscle cells and its electrical system, leading to reduced pumping ability and an irregular heartbeat. Carta's team was not entirely surprised by the findings. "We know from other research that mosquito-borne diseases can affect the heart, so we anticipated the same might be true of Zika," Carta said. During her presentation, Carta specifically noted the case of a 62-year-old man with Zika who developed palpitations and shortness of breath five days after initial symptoms of infection. Imaging scans showed that his heart wall had become swollen. "The heart walls of this study patient move very slowly," Carta said. "It shows that the function of the heart is limited." So far, none of the patients' heart problems have gone away, but their symptoms have improved thanks to treatment for heart failure or atrial fibrillation, the researchers said. Zika could be harming the heart by directly damaging the heart muscle cells, or by promoting inflammation or some as-yet-unknown damaging immune response, Carta suggested. Researchers noted that heart symptoms tend to develop later in the infection process, with an average lag of 10 days between patients' initial complaints of Zika symptoms to reports of heart-related symptoms. At this point, there's no way to know how common these heart problems are among people who have contracted Zika, said both Carta and Dr. Martha Gulati, chief of cardiology at the University of Arizona-Phoenix. Gulati is also editor-in-chief of CardioSmart.org, the American College of Cardiology's consumer-friendly website. "This is the first time we've considered that cardiovascular disease may be associated with Zika," Gulati said. "But it certainly is hard to determine the prevalence when we only know who came to that specific clinic. It would be important for us to collect this data long-term." In the meantime, Carta said, people traveling to areas with active Zika transmission should protect themselves against mosquito bites and be on the lookout for potential signs of infection. Research presented at meetings should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. In addition, this study only found an association and did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship. More information The World Health Organization has more on Zika. This Q & A will tell you what you need to know about Zika. To see the CDC list of sites where Zika virus is active and may pose a threat to pregnant women, click here. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram Abuja, Nigeria, March 6, 2017Chadian domestic intelligence officers should cease harassing and attempting to intimidate journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At least two journalists have gone into hiding following harassment from National Security Agency (ANS) officers in recent weeks, and another was detained and forced to apologize for his work. Harassment from Chadian National Security Agency officers has created such fear among the press that journalists are going into hiding, said CPJ West Africa Representative Peter Nkanga. Authorities should ensure that all journalists, including Eric Kokinague and Malachie Mbaigara, are free to report without fear of reprisal. Eric Kokinague, the publisher of the newspaper Tribune Info, which publishes three times a month, went into hiding on February 25 after receiving a warning that armed and masked ANS officers were at his house looking for him, he told CPJ by phone from an undisclosed location. Kokinague told CPJ that the agents searched the house and demanded from his wife his phone and laptop, which she did not have, and that they left having confiscated only copies of the newspapers past editions. Kokinague said that he fears for his life and that he believes the ANS is seeking to punish him for an article in the February 22-28 edition of the newspaper, in which contributor Daniel Ngadjadoum wrote an article calling President Idriss Deby a liar for going back on his promises not to run for office again. Deby was reelected for a fifth term in 2016, following a constitution amendment that allowed him to run again. ANS officers detained Ngadjadoum on February 26, as he left church, and released him on March 1, after a state prosecutor ordered him released without charge, according to media reports. Ngadjadoum told Agence France-Presse that he wrote an apology letter to the government under threat from General Ismat Acheik, the director-general of the ANS, who questioned him about his writing on Deby, the reports said. Malachie Mbaigara, the publisher of the weekly Mutations newspaper, also went into hiding after ANS officers detained him from his office in the capital NDjamena on February 21 and held him for several hours of questioning, according to media reports and Belngar Larme, the president of the Union of Chadian Journalists. The officers questioned him over the papers pledge in a previous edition to publish the names of journalists on the payroll of the domestic intelligence agency, the reports said. Larme told CPJ that Mbaigara did not publish the names after his meeting with ANS officers. General Ismat Acheik, the director general of the ANS, refused to speak with CPJ when reached by telephone. Madeleine Alingue, minister of communications, told CPJ that she was unable to comment. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram New York, March 9, 2017Albanian authorities should thoroughly investigate yesterdays attack on investigative journalist Elvi Fundo and swiftly bring those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Two unidentified assailants beat Fundo, who runs the news website Citynews.al and Radio Best, with crowbars near a train station in the capital, Tirana. Fundo was hospitalized with severe injuries, Citynews.al and the website Lapsi.al reported. Albanian Interior Minister Saimir Tahiri visited the journalist in the hospital following the attack, and said the police had launched an investigation, according to media reports. We are appalled by yesterdays assault on Elvi Fundo, CPJ Deputy Executive Director Robert Mahoney said. We call on authorities to consider Fundos journalism as a possible motive in the attack, and to bring his attackers to justice to send a clear message that journalists cannot be attacked with impunity. Following the incident, the journalist wrote on his Facebook page that the assault was not a political act, but a crime [carried out] by corrupt media clans with ties to the drug mafia, but did not elaborate. The Albanian Union of Journalists said the attack was likely a reaction to Fundos recent stories about corruption and corrupt affairs. Citynews.al did not immediately respond to CPJs request for further information. The Audiovisual Media Authority, a broadcast regulatory body, called the attack a grave act and a direct threat to media freedom and freedom of expression. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama likewise condemned the attack, calling for those [responsible] for this crime [to] be exposed immediately. Paul Ryan AHCA Medicaid's chief medical officer on Wednesday night came out publicly against the healthcare bill proposed by House Republicans. The decision to oppose the bill, the American Health Care Act, is a break from other leaders in the Department of Health and Human Services, which has shown support for the bill. "Despite political messaging from others at HHS, I align with the experts from @aafp @AmerAcadPeds @AmerMedicalAssn in opposition to #AHCA," Dr. Andrey Ostrovsky tweeted. Ostrovsky's account also tweeted out statements from the more than half a dozen medical associations that have opposed the bill. Despite political messaging from others at HHS, I align with the experts from @aafp @AmerAcadPeds @AmerMedicalAssn in opposition to #AHCA Andrey Ostrovsky, MD (@AndreyOstrovsky) March 9, 2017 Andy Slavitt, the former head of Medicare and Medicaid under the Obama administration, called Ostrovsky a hero. We should have a ton of admiration for @AndreyOstrovsky and what he did tonight. In my book he's a hero. In his he just serves the public. https://t.co/f3UKTq6P1E Andy Slavitt (@ASlavitt) March 9, 2017 NOW WATCH: Merriam-Webster cant stop trolling the Trump administration on Twitter More From Business Insider "Housed alone for years in tiny concrete cells" - Death row cell, Polunsky Unit, TX For many death row inmates, the long process leading to capital punishment is itself cruelbut not unusual. In 1979, Arthur Lee Giles, then 19 years old, was sentenced to death in Blount County, Alabama. Nearly 40 years later, he is still waiting to be executed. His glacial march to execution exposes a conundrum at the heart of Americas death penalty. Condemned prisoners often spend decades on death row before being executedif the execution ever happens at alla fact that undermines any retributive value capital punishment might provide. Approximately 40 percent of the 2,739 people currently on death row have spent at least 20 years awaiting execution, and 1 in 3 of these prisoners are older than 50. (This is according to data collected by the Fair Punishment Project and sourced from the NAACPs Legal Defense Fund, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and state corrections departments.) According to a Los Angeles Times investigation , roughly two dozen men on Californias death row require walkers and wheelchairs, and one is living out his days in bed wearing diapers. In North Carolina, nine death row prisoners have died of natural causes since 2006the same year the state last executed someone. These delays suggest that executions must be sped up significantly. And yet, the process that creates those delays cannot be eliminated without a corresponding increase in the risk of wrongful executions. Since 1973, 157 men and women have been exonerated from death row. The average time from conviction to exoneration is nearly a decade. Glenn Ford spent nearly 30 years on Louisianas death row in solitary confinement. Convicted of first-degree murder in 1984, new evidence later revealed Fords innocence. He was exonerated in 2014, just 16 months before he died of lung cancer. That same year, after three decades on North Carolinas death row, Henry Lee McCollum was cleared by DNA of the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl and released from prison. Behind this conundrum rests a profound moral and legal problem. Decades spent awaiting an uncertain execution inflicts an additional and nakedly cruel layer of punishment on the condemned. Most death row inmates are housed alone for years in tiny concrete cells even as a growing body of evidence suggests the psychological burden of solitary confinement is tantamount to torture. In Texas, for example, death row prisoners await their fates in the Allan B. Polunsky Unit , a Polk County prison where they spend 23 hours per day isolated in 60-square-foot cells. They exit only to shower or exercise and are handcuffed, stripped naked, and subjected to a full body search when they do leave their cells. In 2015, Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy questioned the humanity of confining prisoners in a windowless cell no larger than a typical parking spot. In his concurring opinion in Davis v. Ayala , Kennedy cited an 1890 Supreme Court ruling that solitary confinement represented a further terror and peculiar mark of infamy for prisoners whove been sentenced to death. That kind of isolation can exact a terrible price and literally drives men mad, Kennedy wrote. Source: Slate, Rebecca McCray, March 7, 2017. Rebecca McCray is a writer in New York and a journalism and research fellow with the Fair Punishment Project | 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 Iran: Medieval and barbaric punishments IRAN HUMAN RIGHTS (MAR 7, 2017): The 9th annual report of Iran Human Rights (IHR) on the death penalty gives an assessment and analysis of death penalty trends in 2016 in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The 9th annual report of the organization Iran Human Rights (IHR) on the death penalty in Iran shows that in 2016 at least 530 people were executed in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Although this number is significantly lower than the annual execution numbers in the past five years, Iran, with an average of more than one execution per day, remains in 2016 the country with the highest number of executions per capita. Commenting on the relative decrease in the 2016 execution figures, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the director and spokesperson of IHR said: We welcome any reduction in the use of the death penalty. But unfortunately there are no indications that the relative decrease in the number of the executions in 2016 was due to a change in the Islamic Republic of Irans policy. Our reports show that in just the first two months of 2017 Iranian authorities have executed at least 140 people. On the occasion of the launch of the 2016 annual report on the death penalty in Iran, the organizations Iran Human Rights (IHR) and ECPM (Ensemble contre la peine de mort) call on Irans European dialogue partners to push for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty in Iran and for major reforms in the countrys judicial system which does not at this time meet minimum international standards. The report puts special focus on the role of the Revolution Courts as a major source of arbitrariness and of violations of due process in the Iranian judicial system. The Revolution Courts are responsible for the vast majority of the death sentences issued and carried out over the last 37 years in Iran. According to IHRs 2016 report, at least 64% of all executions in 2016 and more than 3200 executions since 2010, have been based on death sentences issued by the Revolution Courts. The Revolution Courts are less transparent than the Public Courts, and Revolutionary Court judges are known for the abuse of their legal powers. Trials lasting less than 15 minutes, lack of access to a chosen lawyer, and sentences based on confessions extracted under torture are the hallmarks of the Revolution Courts. On the issue of lack of due process Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said: A sustainable reduction in the use of the death penalty is impossible as long as there is no due process. Revolution Courts which sentence hundreds of people to death every year are among the key institutions responsible for Irans violations of due process and must be shut down. 530 people were executed in 2016 (45% decrease from 2015) 232 executions (44%) were announced by official sources 64% of the death sentences carried out in 2016 were issued by the Revolution Courts 296 (56%) were executed for drug-related charges 33 executions were conducted in public spaces At least 5 juvenile offenders were among those executed At least 9 women were executed 142 were executed for murder 251 of those sentenced to death were forgiven by the families of the murder victims | 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: Iran Human Rights, March 8, 2017 Gallows trap door, Tokyo Detention Center The Osaka High Court commuted a death sentence for a man convicted of indiscriminately murdering a man and a woman here in 2012 to a life prison term in a ruling on March 9. "Considering that the crime was not carefully premeditated, it cannot be said the death penalty is unavoidable," Presiding Judge Hiroyuki Nakagawa said, while recognizing that the accused was mentally competent to be held responsible for his actions. The Osaka District Court had sentenced the defendant -- Kyozo Isohi, 41 -- to death in a lay judge trial, as demanded by prosecutors. The defense counsel, which had appealed the lower court ruling to the high court, told the court that their client heard a voice saying "Stab" due to auditory hallucinations caused by the aftereffects of his use of stimulants in the past, and pointed to the possibility that he was of diminished capacity. Therefore, the degree of his capacity to take responsibility for his actions and sentencing were key points of contention in the case. In its ruling, the high court deemed that the outcome of a psychiatric test on Isohi, which concluded that the effects of his auditory hallucination were limited, was rational, and recognized that he was competent to be held responsible for the crimes he is accused of committing. "His auditory hallucinations only contributed to the defendant's decision and action to carry out the crimes," the presiding judge said. Nakagawa then discussed whether the death sentence handed down by the lower court was appropriate. Pointing out that Isohi bought a knife he used in his attacks shortly before the incidents, the presiding judge determined "it cannot be recognized that the accused had carefully premeditated the crimes." Nakagawa noted that in all the past cases of fatal indiscriminate attacks in which the defendants were sentenced to death, courts recognized that the crimes were carefully premeditated. The judge then pointed out that because of this it is difficult to hand down a ruling that deviates from the judicial precedent. Furthermore, Nakagawa said it was necessary to take into account the defendant's auditory hallucinations, which he said may have had certain effects on his actions, in sentencing. The presiding judge then concluded that he has "no choice but to hesitate to choose the death penalty for the defendant even though the bereaved families of the victims requested a harsh penalty for the accused." According to the ruling, Isohi stabbed Shingo Minamino, 42, a producer at an event organizing company, and Toshi Sasaki, 66, a restaurant operator, on a street in the Higashishinsaibashi district of Chuo Ward, Osaka, on June 10, 2012. | 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: mainichi.jp, March 9, 2017 James Bigby James Bigby, 61, is scheduled to be the 4th Texan executed this year when he goes to the Huntsville gurney on Tuesday, March 14. The Fort Worth native has spent the last 25 years on death row after a 2-day killing spree that left 4 people dead. The murders began on Dec. 23, 1987. Bigby was convinced that several of his acquaintances were conspiring against him when he arrived at his friend Mike Trekell's Fort Worth home for dinner. Trekell was cooking when Bigby shot him in the head, then drowned Trekell's 4-month-old son in the kitchen sink. He then moved on to the houses of 2 more friends - Calvin Crane and Frank "Bubba" Johnson - killing both. He was arrested at an Arlington hotel on Dec. 26. Bigby confessed to the crimes when he was arrested and again later in a written statement. At his trial, during a recess, Bigby grabbed a gun from the bench, broke into chambers, and threatened his trial judge at gunpoint. Though he was disarmed before anything happened, the incident influenced the jury's decision in determining Bigby's future dangerousness; he was convicted of capital murder in March 1991, and sentenced to death. Prior to his killing spree, Bigby had a history of robberies and sexual assault, which prosecutors focused on during sentencing. His defense argued their client suffered from schizophrenia and depression, and that he was a product of a neglectful upbringing. (The defense also addressed Bigby's newfound reverence for religion.) Appeals have focused on the trial counsel's failure to address Bigby's family's history - a violation of Bigby's right to assistance of counsel under the Sixth Amendment. Court records indicate that Bigby's mother gave away each of his siblings to relatives, which caused him to fear he too would be abandoned. Bigby also detailed his unhealthy relationship with his mother - noting that she breastfed him until he was 7 - as well as her alcoholism, and her attempted suicide. None of those hardships have done anything to sway any appeals court. Bigby has had no sustainable luck finding relief at the state or federal levels - however, in 2005, the district court wherein he filed his appeal vacated his death sentence after ruling that his trial jury was given inadequate instructions regarding death penalty sentencing, citing the 2001 case Penry v. Johnson. In 2006, he attended a 2nd sentencing trial and was handed a 2nd death sentence. In March 2015, Bigby filed an appeal to the Supreme Court, though the effort was rejected by SCOTUS 2 months later. In September 2016, the state filed a motion to issue an execution date, but according to the order written by Tarrant County Judge Robb Catalano, Bigby's counsel requested additional time. Bigby "had been uncooperative and uncommunicative with him, such that he was unable to 'rationally evaluate' the Defendant's state of mind or mental ability," wrote Catalano. Bigby's attorney filed a report stating "no need" for a mental examination on Oct. 27, 2016 - Bigby "understands the reason for his execution." An execution warrant was signed a few days later. If all goes the way the state intends, Bigby will be the 2nd Tarrant County resident executed this year and 542nd in Texas since the state reinstated the death penalty in 1976. Texas: Death Sentence Upheld for Man Convicted of Killing Wife Carnell Petetan Carnell Petetan was condemned for fatally shooting his estranged wife, Kimberly. He was serving 20 years for assault and she was studying to be a drug abuse counselor when they met. The couple met when Kimberly started writing him in prison in 2009 after she had a chance meeting with his brother. Kimberly was a recovering drug addict studying to become a drug abuse counselor, and Carnell's brother believed her story could help his brother. At the time, Carnell was serving 20 years for shooting two men and attacking another with a chair in separate incidents when he was 16. Petetan's attorneys raised 30 points of error from his 2014 trial where defense attorneys contended Petetan was mentally impaired and ineligible for the death penalty. Appeals court Judge Elsa Alcala said Wednesday she would have waited to rule until the Supreme Court decides another case questioning the constitutionality of how Texas determines intellectual disability. | 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: Austin Chronicle, March 9, 2017Source: Associated Press, March 0, 2017 Pakistan executes 5 'terrorists' at prison in northwest Pakistan's military says authorities have hanged 5 "hardcore terrorists" after they were found guilty of carrying out attacks in the country. A military statement says the executions were carried out on Wednesday at a prison in the northwest. It says the convicts belonged to the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. The executions came 2 months after military courts were shut down in Pakistan following the expiration of their 2-year constitutional mandate. The courts were set up after a December 2014 Taliban attack on a school in the northwest killed 150 people, mostly children. The attack also prompted Pakistan to lift its moratorium on the death penalty. Since then, Pakistan has executed over 400 people. Most of those executed were not linked to terrorism-related cases. 4 convicts get death penalty A local court in Sahiwal awarded capital punishment to 4 murder accused and fined Rs100,000 each here the other day. According to the prosecution, the accused - Imran, Ameen, Ghaffar Ahmed and Aziz - said to be cousins, had shot dead 3 members of a family - Allah Ditta Kartar, Muhammad Iqbal and Ameer - for contracting love-marriage with 2 girls of their family after lifting them from their house in 2011. In light of the evidence, Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Zubair sentenced the accused to death and fined them Rs100,000 each. | 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: Associated Press, nation.com.pk, March 9, 2017 NEW YORK, March 08, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TAP Portugal is investing more than $73 million in a new onboard cabin for the airlines A330 fleet. Seven A330s will be retrofitted by the end of the year. The first A330 to be completed, named Joao Goncalves Zarco, has commenced flying between the U.S. and Lisbon this week. This A330 upgrade program represents TAPs commitment to improving comfort and improving its onboard product for passengers in all classes, bringing the cabins into line with that of the A330neo, which will soon be joining the fleet. TAPs proud Portuguese identity is recognizable through the aircraft interior, thanks to partnerships with Portuguese companies such as Almadesign, which selected the materials and developed the finishing, and with Couro Azul, which supplied the leather used in the Executive class seats. New Comfort in Economy Class The economy cabin now comprises two categories: Economy and Economy Plus. The configuration and design provide a fresh atmosphere, with more legroom, deeper seat recline, and new seat covers in shades of green and grey in Economy, and green and red in Economy Plus. More Modern and Comfortable Executive Class In Executive Class, the changes are even more pronounced, with 25 new fully-flat reclining chairs that are more than six feet long when fully reclined. Also, TAP has powered up its new business class chairs to include USB slots and individual electrical sockets, connections for headphones, individual reading lights, tables with storage space, and supports for bottles. Video of the cabin retrofit is available at: https://youtu.be/jEf9ts1UYI4 About TAP Portugal TAP is Portugals leading airline, and member of Star Alliance, the global airline alliance to offer customers worldwide reach, since 2005. In operation since 1945, TAP celebrated 70 years on March 14, 2015, and completed its privatization process in 2015, with the Atlantic Gateway Group now as new private shareholders of its share capital. TAP hub in Lisbon is a key European gateway at the crossroads of Africa, North, Central and South America, where TAP stands out as the international leading carrier in operation to Brazil. During the current IATA Summer period, the companys network will comprise 76 destinations in 29 countries worldwide. TAP currently operates about 2,500 weekly flights in average on a modern fleet of 61 Airbus aircraft and 17 aircraft operating in TAP Express livery, TAP regional branded product, adding up to a 78 aircraft fleet. As of June 2016, the company took delivery of two additional A330s, thus increasing its fleet to 80 aircraft in total. Within the vast restructure program currently going across the company as the outcome of its privatization process, TAP has announced its Network restructure, its medium and long haul fleet renewal program as of 2017 and the retrofit of the fleet currently in operation as well as the launch of the new branded product TAP Express, which replaces PGA and operates a new fleet of 8 ATR 72 and 9 Embraer 190. In the pursuit of its customer-focused policy, TAP continuously invests to deliver safe, reliable and upgraded products & services, tailored to meet customers expectations. Retaining the Portuguese character of the Companys brand and quality service as the basic concept has been the main driver of TAP strategy in most recent years. Recognized and awarded as Europes Leading Airline to Africa as well as Europes Leading Airline to South America by the World Travel Awards in 2015 and 2014, the company was also awarded as the WTA Worlds Leading Airline to Africa in 2011 and 2012 and the WTA Worlds Leading Airline to South America in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Voted Best Airline in Europe in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015 and again in 2016 by the Global Traveler, USA, the company was also honored by UNESCO and by the International Union of Geological Sciences with the IYPE Planet Earth Award 2010, in the category of Most Innovative Sustainable Product. TAP was also voted Best Airline by Conde Nast Traveller Magazine in 2010, Best Portuguese Tourism Company by the specialized magazine Marketeer, in 2011 and also the airline with Best Reputation by the Reputation Institute in 2014, while its Inflight Magazine UP was voted Best European Inflight Magazine by the WTA awards in 2015 . For further information, please go to www.flytap.com. 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 Daniel Kristiansen and his father, Klaus, discovered whats believed to be a Messerschmitt fighter plane buried in a field on their farm near Birkelse in northern Denmark. We went out to the field with a metal detector, Klaus Kristiansen told CNN. I hoped we might find some old plates or something for Daniel to show in school. Instead, they found bits of plane debris. So they borrowed an excavator from a neighbor and dug down seven or eight meters. At first we were digging up a lot of dirt with metal fragments in it. Then we suddenly came across bones and pieces of clothes, Kristiansen said. It was like opening a book from yesterday. Kristiansen remembered being told by his grandfather, who lived on the farm during World War II, that a German plane had crashed there. We think it was around November or December 1944, Kristiansen said. He recalled his grandfather once telling him that when the plane crashed, he was making Christmas cookies with Kristiansens grandmother and his uncle, who was a young boy at the time. But he also said his grandfather had told him the German occupying force had removed the plane. I mainly thought it was just a good story, Kristiansen said. Karsten Kristensen, superintendent at the North Jutland Police, said authorities believe the aircraft is a Messerschmitt fighter plane. An explosive ordinance team is now working at the site to secure any ammunition or other dangerous materials. The curator at the Historical Museum of Northern Jutland, which now has the pilots possessions and the remains of the plane, believes his team will soon be able to confirm the mans identity. We found the pilots papers, and I think we have a name, Torben Sarauw, curator and head of archaeology at the museum, said. Sarauw believes the pilot came from the training base for German pilots in Aalborg, a nearby city. Along with the pilots suit, hat and three unused condoms, they also have his wallet, which contained two Danish coins and some food stamps for the canteen at the Aalborg base. Its quite a special find, Sarauw said. He believes its the first time a German plane has been found buried in this way in Denmark. Kristiansen hopes that the pilots relatives can be found and the remains returned to Germany. Maybe he can have a proper funeral, he said. The German Embassy has been informed of the discovery, the police superintendent said. 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 ... Insurance Back PAID is preparing to effectively handle a major earthquake in Romania PAID Romania - the national pool for disaster insurance -, is prepared to successfully assist the mandatory household policy owners in case a major earthquake will hit the country. Currently the PAID portfolio numbers 1.7 million mandatory household insurance policies PAD, covering about 20% of the Romanian housing stock. PAID's own CAT reserve amounted to EUR 6.19 million at the end of 2016, while net assets reached EUR 18.38 million. In Solvency II terms, the pool's own funds stood at EUR 16.47 million, with a SCR of EUR 13.21 million and a solvency ratio of 1.25. PAID's RI capacity increased 300% since inception (2010), to EUR 800 million, while its own retention went up to EUR 4 million. PAID recorded an EUR 76 million reinsurance profit since inception. "Considering our portfolio, we can successfully handle an event similar to the '77 earthquake", stated Francois COSTE, President of the Board, PAID Romania. According to the RMS estimations, an earthquake similar to the 7.2 Mw one which in 1977 caused severe losses (~ USD 2.05 billion, up to 5% of the national GDP) and over 1,500 victims in Romania, would lead to a maximum losses of about EUR 775 million for the current PAID portfolio. At a national level, total losses may reach up to EUR 6 billion. The two figures reflect a wide CAT insurance gap: only 14% of the Romanian household are fully insured for a CAT event, being covered by both the mandatory policy and a facultative one, while and extra 6% of the homes are only covered by the mandatory policy (up to a total loss of EUR 20,000). "Implementing an extended communication strategy aiming to raise awareness is one of the main PAID goals for the near future," Nicoleta RADU-NEASCU, PAID's General Manager, said. She has also mentioned as strategic priorities: strengthening even further PAID's own funds, extending the reinsurance program, continuing diligencies for ammending the mandatory home insurance legislation regarding the introduction of a deductible of the sum insured, maintaining and consolidating the pool's portfolio. " A lot of effort will be also put in accomplishing and testing the Mass Claims Plan, a plan involving all the insurance market segments, meant to allow the timely and correct settlement of claims in case if a major disaster," she stressed out. The Pool's results were presented on the occasion of the reinsurance conference organized by PAID in Bucharest, under the titles "Building the future". Representatives of the most relevant reinsurers and reinsurance brokers, as well as of the Romanian insurers attended the event. Author: Daniela GHETU on 09.03.2017 Archive Comment this article 0 comments Atention! "Comment" and "E-mail" are mandatory Name: If you are logged on and you do not fill in your name, will be used the name that you used when you registered If you are not logged on, your name will appear preceded by '(Anonymous)'. For authentication, click here If you are logged on and you do not fill in your name, will be used the name that you used when you registered E-mail: Comment: < 10.000 car. Fill in the code from the image: Most of Samsungs smartphones may run Googles Android operating system, but Samsung has a long history of skinning Android with a custom user interface and loading up a bunch of custom apps. One of those apps is a web browser called Samsung Internet, and while it comes pre-installed on many phones, you can also download updates automatically from the Google Play Store. Recently Samsung also launched a new version of the browser called Samsung Internet Beta. One of the key differences? You can install the beta version on Google Nexus phones running Android 5.0 or later. Of course, theres no shortage of web browsers available for Android. Theres Google Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Dolphin, Puffin, UC Browser, Maxthon, and Brave, just to name a few. But Samsung Internet Beta does have a few nice features, including a clean user interface that gets out of the way when youre surfing the web, support for browser extensions including content blockers (ad blockers), and support for most content thats visible in Chrome, since Samsungs browser is based on open source Chromium project code. via Android Central Listening to Speaker Ryan and another Republican member of Congress who was interviewed on NPR recently, I'm starting to get an idea of what they mean when they say that there will be "better access to healthcare" under the AHCA. It seems to go something like this. Lots of Americans currently have health insurance through Medicaid or ACA plans with subsidies. But no doctors will actually see them for Medicaid reimbursement rates. And the deductibles are so high on the subsidized ACA plans, they can't go see a doctor anyway. So they have insurance, but no access to doctors. With our plan, the states will build low cost health clinics with their Medicaid block grants so that all those icky poor people can see a doctor where the real people with Medicare and a Medicare supplement plan or insurance through their employers won't have to see them. I guess they think that the low cost clinics will also provide specialist services like testing, imaging, chemo, etc. They don't describe it that way (naturally), but I think that is what they must mean when they say access to health care vs. having insurance. This is terrifying. I think it also has as a bonus that these fantasy low cost care clinics that the state will set up and, evidently, run perfectly will actually be a place where you can get a women's health check up that isn't Planned Parenthood, so it solves their paying money to the same legal entity that also provides abortions hang up. Right now, those places don't exist. Have any states announced plans to create low cost clinics for people who lose Medicaid and/or ACA subsidized insurance? Any at all? Credit: Shutterstock Broken bones do not always repair fully, especially after major trauma such as a car accident. Complications can occur when the bone is broken in several places, the blood flow is reduced or infection sets in. Patients can suffer long-term from loss of income and disability. There is significant demand for bone regeneration. Bone is the second most frequently transplanted tissue in Europe after blood, with about 1 million procedures annually. The worldwide market of bone replacement material is currently estimated at EUR 5 billion and is growing by 10 % each year. Grown from previous research EU-funded researchers have designed a new combination of stem cells and biomaterial that grows new bone where fractures have failed to heal. The ORTHOUNION project will now run clinical trials to test the treatment with patients from across Europe. The clinical trials will further test the method developed by the previous EU-funded research project REBORNE that ran from 2010 to 2015. In this project researchers defined a combination of stem cells and the bone substitute biomaterial, biphasic calcium phosphate. Specifically, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are extracted from the patient's own bone marrow and multiplied outside the body. These cells of connective tissue can differentiate into a variety of cell types, including bone cells. Results from initial trials were very encouraging. The ORTHOUNION trials will compare the effectiveness of the REBORNE combination with a graft of bone taken from the patient's pelvis, to treat fractures of long bones in the arm or leg. Transplanting bone from elsewhere in the patient's body is currently the most common treatment for bone defects, but the amount of tissue is limited and complications may occur. Bone grafts from a tissue bank are an alternative, but bring a risk of infection or rejection by the immune system. By running large-scale comparative trials, ORTHOUNION will test the safety and effectiveness of the new biomaterial in treating complex injuries. Patients in twenty hospitals in France, Germany, Italy and Spain will participate in the trial, coordinated over five years by the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid. The EUR 6 million project is funded entirely by the EU. The project will further understanding of stem cells and tissue engineering in regenerative medicine a growing field of medical innovation that offers hope to patients for more effective treatment. More information: REBORNE project website: REBORNE project website: www.reborne.org/ ORTHOUNION project page on Cordis: cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/207447_en.html That the first public health revolution occurred more than a century ago might surprise people, according to some historians. Before the discovery of penicillin or the polio vaccine, life expectancy improved dramatically because of relatively simple ideas implemented on a massive scale, including improved sanitation, safer food storage and quarantines to prevent the spread of infectious disease. Public health officials now argue that a similar revolutionsimple ideas implemented on a massive scalecould cut cancer rates in half. "To make major gains against cancer we don't need new medical discoveries," said senior author Graham A. Colditz, MD, PhD, the Niess-Gain Professor of Surgery and deputy director of the Institute for Public Health at Washington University in St. Louis. "That type of research is important, but we also must work to put strategies that we know prevent cancer into widespread practice." Strategies for cancer prevention are outlined March 9 in the New England Journal of Medicine by researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Harvard School of Public Health. "Our challenge is to act on the knowledge we have," said Colditz, who also is associate director of prevention and control at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. "We need to stack the deck for preventionembrace the opportunity to reduce our collective cancer toll by changing the way we live." Colditz and his colleagues call for education efforts and the expansion and implementation of programs, legislation and practices intended to help people: Quit smoking or never start; Prevent weight gain or lose excess weight; Increase physical activity; Eat more fresh produce; Get appropriate cancer screenings and vaccinations. While the ideas are straightforward and known to reduce cancer rates, the investigators said widespread implementation of this knowledge has proven difficult. With that in mind, Colditz and his colleagues call for increased research into how best to break down barriers that keep these basic public health tenets from widespread adoption. Among possible approaches to address such barriers: individual doctors speaking to patients; institutional involvement, regarding the writing of patient-care guidelines; or community involvement, regarding the development of government policies that may affect public health. The researchers said smoking rates are an important example of how such ideas could be expanded beyond current practices. They call for increased taxes on cigarettes but also expanding access to smoking-cessation programs, especially for patients already receiving health care. According to the researchers, only about half of substance-abuse treatment facilities provide counseling for smoking cessation and just over one-third of such facilities ban smoking altogether, despite data showing that cessation counseling and support can be effective in helping such patients quit smoking. In Massachusetts, for every $1 spent on Medicaid-supported smoking-cessation services, the state saves more than $2 in health-care costs. Going further, the researchers said all cancer patients who smoke should receive help in quitting. According to a surgeon general's report cited by the investigators, patients who quit at the time of diagnosis are at lower risk of dying from any cause, regardless of the type of cancer they have. "The main point we want to convey is preventing cancer can be done through current knowledge and research," Colditz said. "Successful intervention models already exist. Now is the time to use these resources to educate and engage community members to make healthy lifestyle changes, which will result in reduced cancer risk." More information: Karen M. Emmons et al. Realizing the Potential of Cancer PreventionThe Role of Implementation Science, New England Journal of Medicine (2017). Journal information: New England Journal of Medicine Karen M. Emmons et al. Realizing the Potential of Cancer PreventionThe Role of Implementation Science,(2017). DOI: 10.1056/NEJMsb1609101 Credit: University of Oxford Researchers have for the first time shown that standard tuberculosis (TB) diagnostic tests can be replaced by a sub-24 hour genetic test applied to the TB bacteria in a patient's sputum. It currently takes up to two months to obtain the full diagnostic information for a patient with TB, as the bacteria grow very slowly in the laboratory. Scientists have sought for years to bypass this time-consuming step by examining the bacterial DNA directly from a sputum sample. However since most of the cells in sputum are human, it is difficult to spot the signal (TB DNA) within the noise (human and other bacteria) and even harder to find a method that might be affordable and practical across the world. The new process, led by researchers from the University of Oxford and described in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, rapidly processes the sputum to preferentially retain TB, using simple and relatively affordable materials, and then sequences and analyses the bacterial DNA. The Oxford team worked with researchers from the University of Nottingham, the Foundation for Medical Research, Mumbai, and Public Health England. Until recently, DNA sequencing has required heavy machines and a well-equipped laboratory, which has limited its potential applications in the field. In this study, researchers have also shown that by using a new, real-time, handheld sequencing device (Oxford Nanopore MInION) they can achieve identical results, but with a process that might be applied anywhere in the world. In one example they achieved an effective turnaround time of 12.5 hours. By using DNA sequencing, not only does this method detect drug-resistant TB bugs vital information for the patient - but it also enables the tracking the geographical spread of strains, which is hugely valuable to public health workers, and something traditional tests cannot do. TB is one of the top causes of death by infectious disease in the world, with 10.4 million cases of the disease in 2015, and 1.1 million deaths directly attributable to TB. Dr Zamin Iqbal from the Wellcome Trust Centre of Human Genetics at Oxford University, who co-led the study, said: 'One of the great challenges with the management of TB is the need for rapid, comprehensive tests that do not require a hi-tech laboratory. We have shown that it is possible to get all information needed both for clinical management and for tracking disease spread, all within 24 hours of taking the sample from the patient. Further, by achieving this with a handheld device, we open the door to in-field diagnostic tests for TB.' Dr Antonina Votintseva, lead author, said: 'Although genome sequencing has been used increasingly in research for analysing TB, the limiting factor has continued to be the weeks spent culturing the bacteria in the laboratory. By developing an affordable and simple method for extracting M. tuberculosis DNA direct from sputum, and thereby cutting turnaround time to below 24 hours, we have taken a great step towards comprehensive point-of-care diagnosis. 'There is more work to be done of course - our goal is to return test results before the patient leaves their clinic, with huge potential for reducing transmission of the disease, and of drug resistance.' Dr Stephen Caddick, Wellcome Trust Director of Innovation, said: 'It can take many weeks for conventional tests for TB to provide results. Dr Iqbal and his team have made a significant breakthrough by developing a low-cost DNA extraction method which enables TB whole genome sequencing direct from patient samples and provides results in less than a day. The ability to use this technology to identify bacterial strains that may be resistant to antibiotic treatment, particularly in low and middle income countries, could be invaluable in the fight to tackle drug-resistant infections.' More information: Antonina A. Votintseva et al. Same-day diagnostic and surveillance data for tuberculosis via whole genome sequencing of direct respiratory samples., Journal of Clinical Microbiology (2017). Journal information: Journal of Clinical Microbiology Antonina A. Votintseva et al. Same-day diagnostic and surveillance data for tuberculosis via whole genome sequencing of direct respiratory samples.,(2017). DOI: 10.1128/JCM.02483-16 The study finds longer recovery and higher costs among surgery patients who were taking opioids before an elective operation. Credit: University of Michigan Surgery patients often go home from the hospital with a prescription for painkillers to take as they recover. But a new study suggests that doctors should also focus on patients who were taking such medicines before their operations. People who received prescriptions for opioid painkillers in the months before elective abdominal operations had longer hospital stays, and a higher chance of needing follow-up care in a hospital or rehabilitation facility, than patients who weren't taking such medications before they had the same operations, the study finds. The extra care translated into higher costs for their post-surgery care - double or triple the amount, with higher opioid doses associated with higher costs. The results are published in Annals of Surgery by a team from the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation. The new findings, and past research on the association between opioids and outcomes for other types of surgery, are enough to prompt the researchers to suggest that pre-operation opioid use should be considered a preoperative risk factor. "We often pause when we are considering elective surgery with a patient, based on known risk factors such as smoking, anticoagulant use, and overall medical conditions. These findings suggest that perhaps preoperative opioid use warrants the same awareness," says Jennifer Waljee, M.D., M.S., lead author of the study and a plastic surgeon at Michigan Medicine, U-M's academic medical center. Options such as tapering down opioid doses and alternative pain relief approaches could be options prior to surgery, she explains. But also, she says, "Physicians should make a plan to manage the patient's pain during the perioperative period that takes into account their past opioid use." Past research has suggested that chronic opioid use may lead to tolerance and can increase sensitivity to pain - leaving patients more vulnerable after an operation. Waljee and her U-M colleagues have launched a massive effort to help surgeons across Michigan prescribe opioids wisely - and understand the special needs of patients who come to them already taking opioids. Called Michigan-OPEN, it has funding from IHPI and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. About the new study Before doing the new national study, the authors identified similar trends in Michigan hospitals using data from the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative, led by medical student David Cron and published in July 2016. In that study, 21 percent of patients used opioids prior to surgery, according to their medical records. They had a substantially higher risk of complications, readmissions, and higher costs. For the new study, the authors used national claims data drawn from private insurance companies, through IHPI's repository from Truven Health MarketScan. They studied more than 200,000 middle-class Americans who had common operationshysterectomies, bariatric surgery, hernia repair and reflux surgery - over a 42-month period, and who spent at least one night in the hospital. About nine percent of the patients had filled at least two opioid prescriptions within the 90 days before their operationincluding at least one within a month before the operation. They tended to have more medical and psychological conditions than non-opioid patients. The patients who had been prescribed opioids before surgery spent an average of an extra half a day in the hospital after their operations, the researchers found - even after they adjusted for a wide range of co-existing factors such as medical conditions and demographic characteristics. They also were more likely to end up back in the hospital or to go to a rehabilitation facility within 30 days of the operationexcept for those taking the lowest-possible doses. These difference weren't huge - 4.5 percent of opioid users had a hospital readmission, compared with 3.6 percent of those who hadn't taken opioids. But they were enough to make a difference in cost. In the first 90 days after surgery, those who had been taking opioids had medical costs three times higher than those who hadn't. The gap narrowed as time went on, but even at a year post-surgery, the pre-surgery opioid users had twice the medical costs - at about $25,000as those who hadn't been taking the drugs, who came in at an average of $12,113. These data add to a growing body of evidence that in general shows that patients who take opioid painkillers on an ongoing basis use more medical care, and have higher medical costs, than those who don't. "The bottom line is that preoperative opioid use is an important and potentially modifiable risk factor prior to surgery, and should be on surgeons' radar as well as the minds of primary care providers," says Waljee. "Coordinating care throughout the surgical period could improve clinical outcomes and the patient experience." More information: Jennifer F. Waljee et al, Effect of Preoperative Opioid Exposure on Healthcare Utilization and Expenditures Following Elective Abdominal Surgery, Annals of Surgery (2017). Journal information: Annals of Surgery Jennifer F. Waljee et al, Effect of Preoperative Opioid Exposure on Healthcare Utilization and Expenditures Following Elective Abdominal Surgery,(2017). DOI: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000002117 Top: Representative fluorescence lifetime images of ERK activation during glutamate uncaging. Stimulated spine was marked with the white arrowhead. Bottom: ERK activation during sLTP along the stimulated dendrite as a function of the distance from the base of the stimulated spine. Credit: Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience Learning and memory are crucial aspects of everyday life. When we learn, our neurons use chemical and molecular signals to change their shapes and strengthen connections between neurons, a process known as synaptic plasticity. In Ryohei Yasuda's lab at Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (MPFI), scientists are working to understand how these molecules send messages throughout the neuron. To achieve this, his team is constantly working to develop high-resolution imaging techniques to visualize the activity and location of the molecules involved in the process. Ada Tang, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher in Yasuda's lab, developed new molecular biosensors, which helped her visualize the activity of two signaling proteins crucial to synaptic plasticity, ERK and PKA. These proteins send messages to other proteins by adding a phosphate group to the target proteins. The team found that these proteins, which were already known to play a role in synaptic plasticity, learning, and memory, have surprising properties in their activity. The work was published in March 2017 in Neuron. Dendrites are thin extensions that come out of a neuron's cell body and receive messages from other neurons. They branch out to form a tree-like structure, each branch typically extending tens of micrometers. They are covered by spines: tiny protrusions that receive inputs from other neurons and initiate molecular signals inside the cell. When a spine is strongly stimulated, it grows and strengthens to encode memories. Scientists have previously used traditional pharmacological methods such as western blotting to determine the activity of ERK and PKA averaged over many cells, but they haven't been able to visualize the molecules directly in dendritic spines because of their small size. To design sensors sensitive enough to visualize these molecules, Tang created a new dye molecule, sREAChet, a modified dark but light-absorbing molecule. When she linked sREAChet with both green fluorescent protein (GFP) and a target peptide of the protein, she found that it could readout the activity of the protein with 2-3 times higher sensitivity compared to previous sensors. This made the sensitivity sufficient for imaging activity in single dendritic spines. "These sensors will be useful for researchers in a broad field of cell biology since ERK and PKA are involved in a variety of phenomena in cells and their abnormal activity is related to many diseases including cancer and mental diseases," explained Yasuda. Top: Fluorescence lifetime images of AKARet-cyto in a secondary dendrite of a CA1 pyramidal neuron during sLTP. Bottom: PKA activation along the dendrite at various distances from the stimulated spine. Credit: Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience To demonstrate the usefulness of the new sensors, Yasuda's team first stimulated individual dendritic spines, then used a special microscope called a 2-photon fluorescence lifetime microscope to visualize how ERK and PKA activity moves from a single spine. To their surprise, the team found the proteins' activity did not stay within the individual spine, but spread much more than 10 micrometers, along the dendrite, influencing nearby spines. The spreading is estimated to be about several tens of micrometers and potentially extends throughout a branch of dendrites. The Yasuda Lab had previously shown that stimulating just a few spines could lead to ERK activation in the nucleus, but they didn't know how this was achieved. This experiment showed that after these proteins are activated in a spine, the message spreads strongly over a long distance and potentially reaches the nucleus. "To find that PKA and ERK activation in spines is spreading for several tens of micrometers is certainly a surprising discovery for the field," said Tang. The team has visualized an important step in the process, but there is still a long way to go to understanding the biochemical underpinnings of learning and memory. Researchers from Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience revealed signal spreading during structural plasticity of dendritic spines using new biosensors. Credit: Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience More information: "Imaging ERK and PKA Activation in Single Dendritic Spines during Structural Plasticity," Ada (Shen) Tang and Ryohei Yasuda, Neuron, March 09 2017. Journal information: Neuron "Imaging ERK and PKA Activation in Single Dendritic Spines during Structural Plasticity," Ada (Shen) Tang and Ryohei Yasuda,, March 09 2017. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2017.02.032 Credit: shutterstock.com/Rice University A new report from the Office of the Surgeon General, "Facing Addiction in America," suggests that an overhaul of U.S. drug policy is long overdue, according to a new issue brief from a drug policy expert at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy. The surgeon general's report is meant to be a call to action against the public health crisis of addiction, according to the brief's author, Katharine Neill, the Baker Institute's Alfred C. Glassell III Postdoctoral Fellow in Drug Policy. It brings an authoritative voice to the current national debate over how to confront addiction in the face of rising rates of opioid-related overdoses and confirms what many observers have claimedthat addiction requires compassion and treatment, not punishment, she said. "The strong endorsement from the surgeon general's office for integrated substance use care, expanded use of medication-assisted treatment and an overall public-health-based approach to addiction should send a clear message to policymakers and the public that an overhaul of U.S. drug policy is long overdue," Neill wrote. The report is densely packed with troubling statistics that highlight the prevalence of alcohol and substance misuse in the United States, Neill said. In 2015, 20.8 million peoplenearly 8 percent of the U.S. populationmet the criteria for a substance use disorder (SUD) involving alcohol or illicit substances. As the report states, roughly 88,000 deaths per year are alcohol-related. In 2015, more than 52,000 deaths were attributed to drug overdose, which has claimed more lives in recent years largely due to a rise in opioid misuse. Substance misuse and SUDs cost the United States roughly $400 billion annually in health care and criminal justice expenses and lost worker productivity. Despite the heavy toll of substance misuse on individuals, families and society, only about 10 percent of people who need help with an SUD actually receive it, Neill said. "In the face of this crisis and based on a growing body of neurobiological evidence, the report argues that addiction is a chronic disease of the brain that should be treated more like diabetes and less like an act of criminal misconduct," Neill wrote. Neill's brief, "Will the Surgeon General's Report on Addiction Change How We Treat Drug Users?", analyzes the major claims and implications of the report and proposes additional drug policy considerations for addressing substance use disorders." "For all its admirable qualities, there are other areas in which the report falls short," Neill wrote. "It misses an opportunity to bring heroin-assisted treatment into the discussion of effective medication-assisted therapies for opioid use disorders. While it argues that addiction should not be criminalized, it stops short of supporting decriminalization of drug possession and maintains that legal sanctions can be an effective incentive for drug treatment, not dealing with the reality of how these sanctions might be used in practice and the collateral consequences that an individual faces if sanctions are enforced." Neill said future efforts to address drug addiction should frame neurobiological explanations of addiction more squarely within the context of environmental risk factors and should emphasize the need for social policies that address the underlying external causes of addiction. "It is indeed time to change how we view drug addiction," Neill wrote. "Let's get it right this timeby acknowledging the many complexities of addiction and the need for a holistic policy response." Canadian police on Thursday raided nearly a dozen stores selling marijuana in several cities, after arresting a prominent pot activist and his wife. Search warrants were executed at 11 Cannabis Culture stores in Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa and Vancouver, according to a statement. On Wednesday night self-proclaimed "Prince of Pot" Marc Emery and his wife Jodie, who own the stores, were arrested as they waited at the Toronto airport to board a flight to Spain to attend a festival. The coordinated police operation came as the government reaffirmed its commitment to legalize recreational use of marijuana, but asked for patience. "We (will be) the first OECD country in the world to do this, so we want to make sure that this is done properly," Health Minister Jane Philpott said. "And people need to recognize it will take some time." Medical marijuana use has been regulated in Canada since 2001. But cannabis remains a controlled drug. Over the last two years, dozens of storefronts have opened in cities across Canada to sell pot, operating in what they call a "grey area" ahead of legalization as they vie for market share. Officials have been cracking down, but the shops often open up mere days after being raided and closed. Marc Emery has been arrested a number of times over his pro-cannabis activism. He was released from a US prison in 2014 after serving a nearly five year sentence for selling marijuana seeds by mail to US customers from his Vancouver dispensary. 2017 AFP In the Department of Genomics at the Life & Brain research center: Dr. Andreas Forstner (seated at the front), associate professor (Privatdozent) Dr. Rupert Conrad and psychologist Stefanie Rambau. Credit: Katharina Wislsperger/UKB-Ukom People with social anxiety avoid situations in which they are exposed to judgment by others. Those affected also lead a withdrawn life and maintain contact above all on the Internet. Around one in ten people is affected by this anxiety disorder over the course of their life. Researchers at the University of Bonn have now found evidence for a gene that is believed to be linked to the illness. It encodes a serotonin transporter in the brain. Interestingly, this messenger suppresses feelings of anxiety and depressiveness. The scientists want to investigate this cause more precisely and are thus looking for more study participants. The results will be published in the journal Psychiatric Genetics. Heart palpitations, trembling and shortness of breath: those who suffer from social phobia avoid larger groups. Verbal tests or everyday arrangements are filled with fear - after all, other people could make a negative judgement. Those affected often avoid such situations for this reason. Contact is often easier over social media or anonymously over the Internet. Social phobias are among the psychiatric disorders that are triggered simultaneously by genetic and environmental factors. "There is still a great deal to be done in terms of researching the genetic causes of this illness," says Dr. Andreas Forstner from the Institute of Human Genetics at the University of Bonn. "Until now, only a few candidate genes have been known that could be linked to this." Individual base pairs can vary in the DNA Together with the Clinic and Policlinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy at the University Hospital Bonn, Dr. Forstner is conducting a study into the genetic causes of social phobia. The research team investigated the DNA of a total of 321 patients and compared it with 804 control individuals. The focus of the scientists lay on what are known as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). "There are variable positions in the DNA that can exist to various degrees in different people," explains Dr. Forstner. The cause of genetic illnesses often lies in the SNPs. It is estimated that more than thirteen million such changes exist in the human DNA. The scientists investigated a total of 24 SNPs that are suspected in the widest sense of being the cause of social phobias and other mental disorders. "This is the largest association study so far into social phobia," says associate professor (Privatdozent) Johannes Schumacher from the Institute of Human Genetics at the University of Bonn. Patients provided information about their symptoms Over the course of the study, scientists at the Clinic and Policlinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy at the University Hospital Bonn will ask the patients about their symptoms and the severity of their social phobia. Their DNA is also examined using a blood sample. Whether there is a link between the signs of the illness and the genes is being investigated by the scientists using statistical methods. The evaluation of the previously collected data indicated that an SNP in the serotonin transporter gene SLC6A4 is involved in the development of social phobia. This gene encodes a mechanism in the brain that is involved in transporting the important messenger serotonin. This substance suppresses, among other things, feelings of fear and depressive moods. "The result substantiates indications from previous studies that serotonin plays an important role in social phobia," says associate professor (Privatdozent) Dr. Rupert Conrad from the Clinic and Policlinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy. Medications that block serotonin reuptake and increase the concentration of the messenger in the tissue fluid in the brain have already long been used to treat anxiety disorders and depression. Subjects can participate in expanded study The scientists now want to investigate more closely what the links are between the DNA and social phobia. "In order to achieve this goal, we need many more study participants who suffer from social anxiety," says the psychologist and study coordinator Stefanie Rambau from the Clinic and Policlinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy at University Hospital Bonn. Information about the study is available at http://www.SocialPhobiaResearch.de. "Those who take part will help to research social phobia. This is the basis of better diagnosis and treatment procedures in the future," says Stefanie Rambau. More information: Andreas J. Forstner et al, Further evidence for genetic variation at the serotonin transporter gene SLC6A4 contributing toward anxiety, Psychiatric Genetics (2017). Andreas J. Forstner et al, Further evidence for genetic variation at the serotonin transporter gene SLC6A4 contributing toward anxiety,(2017). DOI: 10.1097/YPG.0000000000000171 OICR researchers, together with international collaborators, have invented a technique to avoid a major problem with common laboratory techniques and improve the sensitivity of important cancer tests. The findings, recently published in the journal Nature Protocols, describe a process by which the sensitivity of DNA sequencing can be improved. The technology, called SiMSen-Seq, could aid in detecting the recurrence of cancers, catching possible disease relapses faster than current methods and improving patient outcomes. To sequence DNA, scientists often use a technique called polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to increase the amount of DNA available from a sample. However, PCR can introduce mistakes that can limit researchers' ability to detect real mutations in the original DNA molecules. To track the original molecules in a sample, molecular tags called DNA barcodes are added. This technique is essential for sensitive detection of mutations but can lead to other errors, as components of the tags can interfere with each other and affect the final results. "We created a DNA barcode with a hairpin structure that opens up to be read when heated and contracts when cooled. This allows us to 'hide' the barcode and analyze more patient DNA fragments in a single reaction," said Dr. Paul Krzyzanowski, Program Manager of OICR's Genome Technologies Program. Krzyzanowski led the development of analysis pipeline software used in SiMSen-Seq. This software flags errors in sequencing results and corrects them computationally. Current genome sequencing technologies return results with error rates of about one per cent, meaning that for researchers to be certain that a mutation exists it has to be detected in a sample at a rate of greater than one per cent. SimSen-Seq technology has lowered this error rate 100-fold, meaning that the recurrence of cancers could be detected at lower levels and earlier than before, allowing patients to receive additional treatment sooner. The team has patented their technique, and while it can conceivably be performed in any molecular biology lab, the group also hopes to make their expertise in using the method available to the research community. "Our paper describes how this process can be carried out, but we think that our experience in using the technique could be leveraged by other research groups and save them the trial and error of instituting a new process," said Krzyzanowski. Those interested in accessing this service can do so through OICR's Collaborative Research Resources directory. "Ontario is pleased to support this collaborative research project through the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research," said Reza Moridi, Ontario's Minister of Research, Innovation and Science. "This innovative technique that increases the sensitivity of DNA sequencing is a remarkable breakthrough and one that could improve patient outcomes in Ontario and around the world by detecting the reoccurrence of cancers earlier." More information: Anders Stahlberg et al, Simple multiplexed PCR-based barcoding of DNA for ultrasensitive mutation detection by next-generation sequencing, Nature Protocols (2017). Journal information: Nature Protocols Anders Stahlberg et al, Simple multiplexed PCR-based barcoding of DNA for ultrasensitive mutation detection by next-generation sequencing,(2017). DOI: 10.1038/nprot.2017.006 Provided by Ontario Institute for Cancer Research SHANK regulates adhesion and protrusion in very different cell types: cancer cells and neurons. Image taken by Dr Guillaume Jacquemet reveals the distinct morphologies of neurons and cancer cells. On the right: Primary Rat hippocampal neuron stained for actin (green) Dapi (blue) and MAP2 (purple). On the left a bone cancer cell stained for Actin (red) and paxillin (green). Credit: Turku Centre for Biotechnology Researchers from Turku Centre for Biotechnology have observed that a protein called SHANK prevents the spread of breast cancer cells to the surrounding tissue. The SHANK protein has been previously studied only in the central nervous system, and it is known that its absence or gene mutations are related to autism. The research was conducted at Turku Centre for Biotechnology. The novel discovery impinges upon the protein called SHANK which has been intensively studied in several processes in central nervous system and gene mutations in SHANK are linked to autism. - The same factors can regulate cell shape and adhesion in very different cell types. Our results revealed that gene mutations in SHANK, found in autistic patients, impair SHANKs ability to prevent the adherence of both neurons and breast cancer cells. This once again demonstrates the power of basic research in facilitating our understanding of several human diseases, rejoices Academy professor Johanna Ivaska. Ivaska's research team is working at Turku Centre for Biotechnology, University of Turku and Abo Academy. Large-scale screens aiming at find potential new genes regulating cancer cell metastasis revealed to the research team an unexpected link between brain development and tumor invasion. - Amazingly, the ability of cancer cells to adhere and migrate on their environment and invade into surrounding tissue were prevented by SHANK protein - a molecule previously studied in the central nervous system and linked to autism, describes graduate student Johanna Lilja. In cell culture experiments, the researchers found that SHANK protein limits the ability of a protein called Rap1 to activate cell adhesion receptors, integrins. This same mechanism regulated cancer cell motility as well as the morphology and branching of neurites, known to be essential for normal brain function. To reveal the underlying mechanism the co-operation of three international research group was needed. Dr. Igor Barsukov's laboratory from University of Liverpool solved the 3-dimensional structure of SHANK protein, which led the researchers to study the correct mechanism. Then, Ivaska's research team in collaboration with neuroscientist Dr. Hans-Juergen Kreienkamp from Institute for Human Genetics, Hamburg, studied the function of SHANK in both cancer cells and neurons. The research team and their collaborators are currently assessing if SHANK proteins have other impacts on cancer cells - especially on their proliferation. The findings were published in the highly appreciated Nature Cell Biology - journal on the 6th of March 2017. More information: Johanna Lilja et al, SHANK proteins limit integrin activation by directly interacting with Rap1 and R-Ras, Nature Cell Biology (2017). Journal information: Nature Cell Biology Johanna Lilja et al, SHANK proteins limit integrin activation by directly interacting with Rap1 and R-Ras,(2017). DOI: 10.1038/ncb3487 Provided by University of Turku Last summer, as it wrapped up multiple settlements after the Roger Ailes sexual harassment scandal, Fox News and its parent company, 21st Century Fox, were trying hard to end the ugliest chapter in its 20-year history. The downfall of Mr. Ailes, the former chairman and chief executive, had exposed a newsroom culture that many women there called hostile and demeaning. 21st Century Fox ordered an internal investigation and stated publicly that behavior that disrespects women would not be tolerated. Nearly eight months later, the company finds itself still dealing with fallout from that crisis. In late February, 21st Century Fox reached a settlement worth more than $2.5 million with a former Fox News contributor who reported that she was sexually assaulted by an executive at company headquarters two years ago, according to people briefed on the agreement. The contributor, Tamara N. Holder, has said that the network executive tried to force her to perform oral sex on him in February 2015 when the two were alone in his office, according to interviews with four people briefed on her account, and documents that detail her claims. Ms. Holder did not immediately report the episode to the company or the police, fearing that doing so would ruin her career, interviews and documents show. World oil prices falling Meghan Markle, Prince Harry want to keep their royal titles Mirzoyan, Blinken, Bayramov to meet in Washington today How long will it take to know US midterm elections results? Iranian Armenian MP: Iran-Armenia trade is expected to reach $1B Azerbaijan army units open fire in direction of Armenia positions Minister: Britain's government faces tough decisions Boris Johnson from fighting for Conservative Party leader over fears of losing income Greece slams Turkish authorities' temporary ban on Greek official's entry Scientifically proven: EU is inscrutable OPEC: To avoid unrestrained volatility we need to invest in oil For heart health: giving up smoking is five times more effective than controlling blood pressure Artur Davtyan's award ceremony (PHOTO, VIDEO) Turkmenistan becomes regional energy center Kishida pledges to strengthen Japan's naval and military capabilities Artur Davtyan claims world champion title (PHOTO, VIDEO) Blood Moon, total lunar eclipse, to take place on November 8: When, how to watch it? Germany and eight other EU member states plan to expand sanctions against Iran Manchester City to offer EUR 120 million for AC Milan forward NYT: Kyiv plans total evacuation in case of power outage Iran reveals new air defense missile IRGC neutralizes terrorist group in southwestern Iran Man with longest case of COVID-19 recovered Aaron Carter addresses Kanye West in his latest tweet Bahrain to continue building relations with Israel after Netanyahu's victory Gareth Bale's 128th-minute goal helps Los Angeles win the MLS title Monica Bellucci becomes first woman to grace Italian Style Magazine cover (PHOTOS) Rebel Wilson and Ramona Agruma get engaged Iran says it confiscated a large batch of U.S.-made munitions Iran successfully launches Ghaem 100 rocket, making the US nervous U.S. sends warplanes to Iran Washington Post: US privately urges Ukraine to show willingness to negotiate with Russia Parisien: French man wins 160 million in European lottery Singer Aaron Carter dies aged 34 U.S. decides to block number of seats on planes because of the increase in passenger weight The Masters: Djokovic is in the final and will play with Rooney BMW M4 turned into a pickup truck Gerard Pique plays last game of his career in Barcelona squad (VIDEO) Blinken calls on Israel and Palestine to urgently de-escalate tensions Romania signs deal with Norway for purchase of over 30 F-16 fighters Stoltenberg: The alliance has no plans to change nuclear positions and deployments Computer games improve children's memory Tagesschau: Nearly 200,000 people took part in strikes at industrial enterprises of Germany Teenagers hacks Uzbekistan senate website Artsakh Ombudsman: Azerbaijanis fired at tractor in Khramort village of Artsakh Rally participants' statement: Artsakh can't be a part of Azerbaijan Person accused of arson in Russia cafe confesses Fars: Iranian Foreign Ministry reported UAV deliveries to Russia a few months before the start of the UAS Bayramov: Azerbaijan, Armenia leaders next meeting will take place in Brussels this month Unity rally of participants start march in downtown Yerevan North Korea launches 4 ballistic missiles Scientists discover universes largest gas cloud 20 times larger than Milky Way Council of Border Guard Troops commanders discusses situation at CIS external borders Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis denies allegations of sexual assault against 4 women Armenia ex-President Kocharyan joins rally in downtown Yerevan Russia oil, natural gas companies plan to collaborate with Iraq Armenia army intelligence troops 30th anniversary is solemnly celebrated (PHOTOS) Rally of unity in support of Karabakh kicks off in downtown Yerevan Researchers discover 70-year-old secret of schizophrenia Johnny Depp breaks up with lawyer Joelle Rich Pentagon announces sending 8 NASAMS air defense systems to Ukraine Armenian Apostolic Church Supreme Spiritual Council meeting ends, Armenia and Artsakh security discussed Lopetegui takes helm at Wolverhampton Tropical Storm Nalgae death toll climbs to 155 in Philippines PSG to sign new deal with Marquinhos How to properly comb hair? Experts give advice Premieres in November: Let's go to the cinema! Artak Beglaryan is appointed advisor to Artsakh Minister of State (PHOTOS) US House committee extends deadline for Trump to produce documents on Capitol attack Djokovic to play in Masters semifinals for 74th time Over 200 elephants die in Kenya amid drought Kanye West to take month-long detox from everything 13 dead in cafe fire in Russia IT professions: Why can't the work of UX, UI designers be underestimated? Armenia Security Council chief to head for Poland, Netherlands, Lithuania Rishi Sunak: State cannot fix all problems Newspaper: To what extent Armenia adheres to sanctions on Russia? Jennifer Aniston to sue Brad Pitt The future champions of Armenian sports: David Harutyunyan (PHOTO, VIDEO) Biden accuses Twitter of spewing lies Newspaper: There are active political processes in Karabakh Qatar FM slams hypocrisy of calls to boycott World Cup Paris Masters: Djokovic advances to semifinals France, Singapore and Switzerland begin joint testing of experimental digital currencies Oil war is Biden's biggest mistake Japan considers possible deployment of hypersonic missiles by 2030 Alcoholism linked to increased risk of suicide and self-harm Germany to install better air defense system over Defense Ministry buildings Erdogan and Stoltenberg discuss war in Ukraine Xavi: I have been sincere and honest with Pique 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 The Masters: World No. 1 Alcaraz drops out of competition Aramyan: Why are police officers' salaries increasing, while defense officers' are not? Why elephants and whales never get cancer? Pentagon and U.S. weapons manufacturers to discuss Russia, human resources and supply chain It is size of lipstick and lasts 8760 hours continuously: Lenovo introduces new charger Urartu beat BKMA and take lead A flight from Las Vegas to Honolulu was diverted to Los Angeles on Wednesday after a passenger refused to pay $12 for a blanket and was accused of being unruly, Daily Mail reported. The police noted that the incident took place just after the Hawaiian Airlines flight took off from Las Vegas and a man, 66, requested a blanket as he was cold. When told he would have to pay $12 for the blanket, the unidentified man got upset and demanded to speak to a corporate representative from the airline and added I would like to take someone behind the woodshed for this. The pilot deemed that to be threatening behavior and ordered that the plane be diverted to Los Angeles. The plane landed in Los Angeles. Police and FBI agents met with the passenger, but after interrogation he was released and continued his journey. STEPANAKERT. The adversary violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between the Karabakh and Azerbaijani opposing forces around 40 times, from late Wednesday night to early Thursday morning. During this time the Azerbaijani armed forces fired more than 450 shots toward the Armenian position-holders, and with different-caliber shooting weapons, the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic/NKR) Defense Army informed Armenian News-NEWS.am. But the Artsakh defense army vanguard units mostly refrained from taking actions in response, and they continued confidently carrying out their military watch. In order to build a peaceful and secure future, we must continue our efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. French President Francois Hollande on Wednesday noted the abovementioned while making a toast at the official dinner given in honor of the visiting President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan. Referring to this conflict, Hollande also stated as follows, in particular: Nothing is as bad as the status quo. The parties are negotiating without achieving some results for 23 years. YEREVAN. The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of Armenia stated that opposition Prosperous Armenia Party Chairman and businessman MP Gagik Tsarukyan, who heads the Tsarukyan blocs proportional representation list for the forthcoming parliamentary election in the country, has violated the law by kicking off his election campaign by making monetary and material pledges to voters. Giving such promises is a violation of the law, CEC Chairman Tigran Mukuchyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am. We already have informed them about this, so that it stops, he added. [But] if continued, the Central Electoral Commission will launch appropriate proceedings, [and] take measures that are set out in the Electoral Code [of Armenia]. During an election campaign event in Tavush Province, Tsarukyan was pledging a variety of assistance to local residents. WASHINGTON, DC Azerbaijans ongoing aggression against Artsakh and Armenia were condemned last week, during Congressional commemorations of the anti-Armenian pogroms in Sumgait, Kirovabad and Baku, which took place in 1988-1990, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). We join with Representatives Sherman, Schiff, and Pallone in commemorating the anti-Armenian pogroms of a generation ago, knowing, all too sadly, that the very same state-sponsored intolerance that drove Azerbaijan's violence continues until this day - no longer simply as attacks on defenseless civilians but as all-out military assaults against both Artsakh and Armenia, said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. We draw from these remembrances added resolve to save the free citizens of the Artsakh Republic from the fate that befell those in Sumgait, Kirovabad, and Baku. I would like to commemorate the Armenian victims of the Sumgait, Kirovabad, and Baku massacres, to honor the memory of the murdered, and to stop future bloodshed," said Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), who serves as the Ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific. If we hope to stop future massacres, we must acknowledge these horrific events and ensure they do not happen again. We must urge Azerbaijan to cease all threats and acts of coercion against the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh. We should actively monitor and condemn Azerbaijan's violations of the ceasefire in Nagorno Karabakh. Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) concurred, noting that If we do not condemn crimes against humanity and allow them to go unpunished and unrecognized we only strengthen the resolve of those seeking to perpetrate these crimes in the future. The Armenian people have known this for too long, as we prepare to commemorate the 102nd Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in April." Rep. Pallone pledged to "continue to work with my colleagues on the Congressional Armenian Issues Caucus to remember the victims of the pogroms at Sumgait and to condemn all acts of violence against people who are targeted simply because of their existence. In a lengthy statement submitted for the Congressional Record, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) reminded his colleagues that The Sumgait massacre and the subsequent attacks on ethnic Armenians, resulted in the virtual disappearance of a once thriving population of 450,000 Armenians living in Azerbaijan, and culminating in the war launched against the people of Nagorno Karabakh." Highlighting Azerbaijans ongoing aggression against Artsakh and Armenia, including the April, 2016, attacks that cost hundreds of lives, Rep. Schiff, once again, called for a "direct international response to Azerbaijan's aggressive behavior through deployment of international monitors and technology to monitor ceasefire violations. Azerbaijan's continued rejection of these simple steps speaks volumes, but I believe they should not prevent the installation of these technologies within Nagorno Karabakh. The anniversary of Sumgait is a reminder of the consequences when aggression and hatred is allowed to grow unchecked. Armenian Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan said he expects to have sustainable economy growth from 2018. In an interview with Reuters agency, Karapetyan said Armenia is ready to take unpopular steps including cutting state spending and eliminating barriers to private investment in order to stabilize economy. Regular structural reforms will be implemented in Armenia, even if these reforms are unpopular, he said. The PM believes cutting administrative expenses and plans to reduce the budget deficit might impact economic growth, but the measures were necessary. Karapetyan added that government's target of 2.2 percent growth should be exceeded this year. He said that his government would also focus on fighting corruption and "eliminating all barriers that impede business from developing". As soon as we manage to stabilise the economic situation, we'll be able to have sustainable growth from 2018, Karapetyan emphasized. Karapetyan said a new centre for strategic initiatives would look to draft short- and long-term projects with the private sector and it was realistic to try to attract $850 million of investment this year, with the bulk coming from the private sector. YEREVAN. During Thursdays meeting, the Government of Armenia approved the 2017/2022 plan for using the water of the Akhurian Reservoir, which borders Turkey. The Minister of Nature Protection, Artsvik Minasyan, announced that the permits for taking water from the rivers in the western part of Armenia will be reviewed, so as to economize on water resources. The administrative zone of Armenias Akhurian River and Akhurian Reservoir comprises Shirak Province, some parts of Armavir and Aragatsotn Provinces, and one village in Ararat Province. The men killed in Armavir city of Russias Krasnodar krai werent Armenians, as the Russian media outlets claim, the Armenian community representatives of Krasnodar told Armenian News NEWS.am. Those killed were Azeris, not Armenians, the community representatives noted. According to the preliminary information, entrepreneurs dealing with wholesale supply of goods from Moscow to Kuban fell victim to unidentified persons, DNI24 reports. The alarm was received from the residents of one of the houses on Lenin Street. Upon arriving at the scene, the police found bodies with firearm wounds in the elevator. One of the killed men, born in 1966, turned out to have lived in that house. His companion, whose identity has not yet been confirmed, was much younger than him. As a result of questioning of people who closely knew the victim, it turned out that prior to his death the latter had received a large sum of money and was going to head for a new consignment of goods. A criminal case has been launched into the case. Human Rights Defender of Armenia Arman Tatoyan on Thursday delivered a special speech at the high-level discussion held by the UN on the implementation of the sustainable development goals. At the meeting held in Geneva, the Armenian Human Rights Defender briefed the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, high-level UN Childrens Fund representatives, ombudsmen of other countries and international experts on the work carried out in Armenia in the sphere of human rights defense. He also presented the legislative changes which took effect since 1 March 2017, under which the function of monitoring the implementation of the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child has been delegated to the Human Rights Defender. Special reference was made to the fact that a separate article stipulates the opportunity of unhampered visits to the institutions providing care and defense of children, as well as general educational institutions. Tatoyan also touched on the existing challenges in the sphere of guaranteeing the rights of children at the level of the region and country, as well as the ways of overcoming them. Apart from this, attention was attached to the joint work with the civil society and journalists in all the aforementioned issues. The discussion participants not only lauded the changes taking place in the activity of the Human Rights Defender, but also underscored the importance of the activity carried out by the Human Rights Defender in defending the rights of those children. The representatives of different countries expressed a wish to study the Armenian experience and introduce it in their countries. Armenian Haroution Stepanyan, 24, has pleaded not guilty to stabbing of a driver in Burbank. He is charged with murder and attempted murder, which took place last year. Stepanyan allegedly stabbed the minivans driver, who lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a 52-year-old Rodolfo Tan. The later died at a hospital, while the 33-year-old driver was taken to a hospital and survived, Dailynews.com reports. The next hearing is scheduled for April 21. According to the detectives, the surveillance cameras showed the attack, the suspect, and his vehicle. Stepanyan was arrested by Burbank police Tuesday. If convicted as charged, he may face a life sentence. His bail has been set at $2 million. The number one problem in Gegharkunik province of Armenia is neither unemployment nor migration, but ecology. Founder of Martuni Women's Community Council (MWCC) NGO, Anahit Gevorgyan, who is also the head of the Hands Off Sevan NGO, told the aforementioned at the campaign rally of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) on Thursday. The group activists attended the rally in order to voice their concern about the fate of Lake Sevan and the region. According to them, Lake Sevan is unlawfully exploited, this having catastrophic impact on the ecology of the entire region. Gevorgyan stated that the acting legislation doesnt allow building HPPs on the rivers flowing into Sevan. However, despite this, there are several HPPs on all the four rivers flowing into the lake. Large number of fish and small animals fall into the HPP turbines, there remaining no frogs in Martuni river. Nevertheless, despite the number of the HPPs, none of the residents of the region can say that the electricity price has even slightly dropped for them. In her words, lots of illegal facilities have been built on Sevan beaches, many of them belonging to oligarchs, who do their best for the water level of Sevan not to rise so as their facilities are not flooded. For this purpose, they either close Arpa-Sevan channel or release lots of water. Many of the beaches have turned into fish farms, whose owners pollute the water with nitrogen, phosphorus and different medical drugs. Sevan is one of the few freshwater lakes in the world, and it shouldnt be polluted and poisoned for the personal benefit of several people, she said. Anahit Gevorgyan considers the exploitation of Sotk and Amulsar mines another serious issue, this, according to her, threatening the entire region and all of its residents. The activists of Hands Off Sevan NGO are going to attend the campaign rallies of all the parties and alliances running for seats in the National Assembly to voice their position. They intend to organize a number of protests and flashmobs demanding to demount all the unlawful HPPs and stop the exploitation of mines. If there is one party, which has destroyed our security and ensured only our regress most of all, it is the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA). Deputy Chairman of the opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC), MP Levon Zurabyan, said the aforementioned at the meeting with voters in Kond district of Yerevan on Thursday. The motto of the RPA is Security and Progress. But if there is one party, which has destroyed our security and ensured our regress most of all, it is the RPA. The fact that they come up with a security motto only after 18 years means that they themselves confess they have failed the security issue. Why have they failed? Because for 18 years they have been busy with exploiting and corrupting the country and enriching themselves, the ANC representative said. According to the opposition MP, the country has appeared in a complicated situation and is threatened by Azerbaijani aggression. We should finally wake up from doze and realize that due to the lost time of 18 years we have reached a situation, where our country is in an unprotected state. We should take fast measures. For this we offer our people the peace program of the Congress, the MP said. The Swiss hotel canceled the campaign expected to take place with the participation of the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. On March 9, the manager of Hilton Zurich Airport-Hotel Alexei Lincuk announced, that the meeting of Cavusoglu with the Turkish community will not take place in that hotel. "We can not ensure the security of the participants and the staff of the hotel," said the manager, adding that the cancellation of the event was the decision made by the hotel personnel, reports DW. At the same time, the Swiss law enforcement officers expressed their concern in regards to the upcoming event. "Even the police can not guarantee the safety of the event," said a representative of the law enforcement. Earlier, Cavusoglus event was canceled in Rotterdam. The municipalities declined to provide a platform for his propaganda speech. After the cancellation of the event in Hamburg, the Turkish minister called it a decision of a " repressive system." President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, who is on an official visit to France, on Thursday left Paris for Lyon, where he met with Mayor Gerard Collomb. Prior to this, the delegation headed by the Armenian President visited one of the city squares, where they laid wreaths at the monument dedicated to the Armenian Genocide victims, honoring their memory. At the meeting in the Municipality of Lyon, President Sargsyan thanked Mayor Gerard Collomb for the warm reception, noting that such meetings are turning into a good tradition. The President expressed conviction that being among the best citizens of France, Lyon is developing every year, this also being the personal achievement of the Mayor, since he devoted significant part of his life and activity to this city. Sargsyan also thanked Mayor Collomb for his attention to the issues of concern to the Armenians. The President expressed hope that the Mayor of Lyon will continue to serve his valuable experience and knowledge to the further deepening of cooperation between Yerevan and Lyon. According to him, the efforts of Mayor Collomb towards strengthening the friendship of the two peoples, as well as his principled stance in the Armenian Genocide issue dont remain unnoticed. Apart from this, at the meeting, the interlocutors discussed issues related to the deepening of decentralized cooperation, scientific and educational, economic and other directions of collaboration. In the Municipality, President Sargsyan made a note in the Book of Honorary Guests. By the end of the meeting, the Armenian leader bestowed Medal of Honor upon the Mayor of Lyon for his significant contribution to the strengthening of the Armenian-French friendship relations and development. Moreover, official dinner was held in honor of the Armenian President on behalf of the Mayor of Lyon. The Communist Party of Armenia on Thursday held a campaign rally with the voters in the square of Masis town of the countrys Ararat province. Speaking before the voters, Chairman of the Progressives United Communist Party of Armenia, Vazgen Safaryan, recalled that the Soviet authorities created a system, under which the Armenian people began to revive, Armenian News NEWS.am correspondent reports. In 70 years, the number of the population increased up to 3.7 million, 1 million 200,000 people living in Yerevan then. During the years of the Soviet regime, Armenia became a strong industrial country. We urge you to choose the party, which gave the nation a chance to move forward. We were a manufacturing and exporting country, whereas now we have turned into an importing and consuming one, Safaryan stressed. According to him, the task of the party is to make Armenia an industrial country. We aim to re-launch all our plantsNairit, ArmEletroMachine, the tire plant, as well as all those plants, which were the result of a creative thought and glory of our people, Safaryan noted, A 67-year-old resident of Masis, Sanasar, complained of the current healthcare system of Armenia. During the rule of the communists we had no such issues. We lived a normal life. Once the Soviet Union collapsed, our cruel life began, he said. 91-year old grandpa Ashot, for his part, assured that he will remain a Lenin soldier till the very end of his life. Referring to Secretary of Ararat district committee, Gurgen Tevosyan, Safaryan told Armenian News NEWS.am that the former is already at home. We talked to the head doctor, who said that everything is fine, Safaryan added, Earlier, during the meeting with the voters in the town of Vedi, Gurgen Tevosyan slipped and fell down. He was hospitalized. The AmeriKat ready for a Vertigo Hitchcock scene... "this lawsuit is best understood as an effort by Amgen to use baseless litigation in an effort to delay Coherus as a competitor in the pegfilgrastim market." "Coherus does not need Amgens proprietary information to compete or be successful. We are proud of Coherus novel clinical development strategy and novel clinical study designs that were never performed at Amgen and are not Amgens intellectual property." "Recently, we received an unexpected email. One of our suppliers specializing in LiDAR components sent us an attachment (apparently inadvertently) of machine drawings of what was purported to be Ubers LiDAR circuit board except its design bore a striking resemblance to Waymos unique LiDAR design. We found that six weeks before his resignation this former employee, Anthony Levandowski, downloaded over 14,000 highly confidential and proprietary design files for Waymos various hardware systems, including designs of Waymos LiDAR and circuit board. To gain access to Waymos design server, Mr. Levandowski searched for and installed specialized software onto his company-issued laptop. Once inside, he downloaded 9.7 GB of Waymos highly confidential files and trade secrets, including blueprints, design files and testing documentation. Then he connected an external drive to the laptop. Mr. Levandowski then wiped and reformatted the laptop in an attempt to erase forensic fingerprints." "will suffer irreparable harm and injury to its operations and reputation, for which it has no adequate remedy at law. Upon consideration of these factors, the harm Defendant may suffer if injunctive relief is granted, the public interest, and all of the other legally required considerations, the Court determines that a temporary restraining order should be entered and this equitable relief should be granted." During her film studies class on Hitchcock almost 15 years ago, the AmeriKat was studying what would become her favorite film - Vertigo. Like any artist, Hitchcock had a palette with which he painted his films - the most vivid arguably being Vertigo. In the San Francisco-based mystery, he deployed contrasting green and red to draw attention to character identity. Once you know this, you see it everywhere. The same becomes true of IP law. Once you notice an issue in IP, it starts to pop up everywhere you look - from the grocery store shelves, to news broadcasts and other cases (no matter how tangentially relevant). During the past few weeks, it was the turn of trade secrets cases. Every news alert, late night internet surfing session or conversation seemed to turn to the topic. So what's been happening?Last Friday, Amgen commenced a trade secret action alleging that Coherus BioSciences, a biosimilar manufacturer based in California, engaged in a concerted effort to poach Amgen's employees in order to obtain their trade secrets. The information alleged to have been siphoned include lab notebooks, analytical methods, specifications and process optimization work. Coherus is progressing three late-stage clinical biosimilar products - pegfilgrastim (CHS-1701), etanercept and adalimumab. Amgen's pegfilgrastim product, sold under the brand name Neulasta, is used to reduce infection in cancer patients on chemotherapy and has been Amgen's top earner for years with 2016 bringing in $4.6 billion. Coherus' CHS-1701 is slated for a 9 June 2017 FDA decision date. Coherus' CEO, Denny Lanfear, rejected Amgen's allegations stating that:Lanfear continued At the end of February, Waymo, Alphabet's self-driving car company, filed a complaint against Uber and Otto (a subsidiary that Uber bought last year) claiming that they have infringed its patents and misappropriated its trade secrets (the complaint is made under the Defend Trade Secrets Act and California Uniform Trade Secret Act). Anthony Levandowski, who used to be employed by Waymo, was named Otto's founder. Before he left, he allegedly downloaded 14,000 confidential files. At the center of the dispute is LiDAR which stands for Light Detection and Ranging. The technology is used to compile a 3D map by calculating the time (and thus distance) it takes light from pulsed laser beams to bounce off objects in the vicinity of a car. This then enables the car to avoid crashing into nearby objects. A note published on Waymo's website states that "hundreds of Waymo engineers have spent thousands of hours, and our company has invested millions of dollars to design a highly specialized and unique LiDAR system." The note continues alleging the next sequence of events:Readers may recall that Google Ventures (parent company is Alphabet) was one of the investors in Uber. According to this CNBC article , GV's original $258 million investment increased to $3.5 billion. So a win in this case, may be some loss to the investment. The complaint can be found here Last week, a Pennsylvania federal judge ordered an ex parte temporary restraining order ("TRO") against Aimee de Blasis Amann, a former global marketing director for Pfizer who had been at Pfizer since May 2006. The TRO followed after Pfizer's emergency complaint that Ms Amann had misappropriated confidential information and trade secrets. A copy of the TRO can be found here . According to the complaint that was filed at the end of February 2017, Ms Amann had been responsible for marketing tofacitinib citrate for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (marketed as Xeljanz). She resigned in early January. Pfizer had sued Ms Amann alleging that she had forwarded to her personal email account 42 emails and compiled a USB drive containing hundreds of documents including strategic plans and product launch roadmaps immediately before resignation. Judge Eduardo C Robreno , found that absent the interim restraining order, Pfizer:In English parlance, the return date of the ex parte hearing was due to be held on Tuesday, but will now be held on 16 March 2017. The TRO has been extended until then.Despite the variety of industries and subject-matter, all of these cases follow a tried and tested model of trade secrets disputes - high level employees in trusted positions and/or teams with access with to highly confidential information going to the heart of a company's R&D - either in the product itself (LiDAR and process optimization) or in the commercialization of that product (commercial launch plans) - leave to a competitor or suddenly resign without telling their former company where they are going. Cue the complaint. However, with all of these cases, the claimants will have the burden of convincing the court that the information subject to these complaints are indeed trade secrets. That is not always such an easy task.With trade secrets cases continuing a pace in the US after the introduction of the DTSA and national legislation being completed in advance of next year's deadline for the implementation of the European Trade Secrets Directive , the AmeriKat promises that you will also start seeing trade secrets cases popping up everywhere you look. YEREVAN. - If the law enforcement authorities fulfilled their obligations, nobody would be able to offer bribes. Deputy Chairman of the opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC), MP Levon Zurabyan, said the aforementioned at the meeting with voters in Kond district of Yerevan on Thursday. They say, people hate the [ruling] Republican Party [of Armenia] (RPA) so much that they massively refuse to take their bribes, but they do take those offered by other parties. I would like to say that the party, which isnt even the RPA but offers bribes, is part of the government. If the law enforcement authorities fulfilled their obligations, nobody would be able to offer bribes. If the RPA does this, it means the law enforcement authorities are sponsoring them, he noted. Zurabyan reminded the Kond residents of the hopes they pinned on Ruben Sadoyan, who was sponsored by the RPA member Gagik Begkaryan, and whose voters never heard his voice during these five years. Meanwhile, the ANC deputies have been voicing the issues of concern to the citizens and pointing to the gaps of the authorities, the opposition MP noted. YEREVAN. Russia is demonstratively refusing from taking some actions and decisions in the Nagorno-Karabakh [(Artsakh)] peace process without the other OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs [i.e. the US and France], Russian international law expert Denis Dvornikov told 168 Zham (Hour) newspaper of Armenia. As per Dvornikov, the events in April 2016when Azerbaijan had unleashed a large-scale military aggression against Karabakhhave unleashed the hands of Yerevan. A good opportunity was created for resuming the negotiation process, joining the NKR [i.e. Nagorno-Karabakh Republic] representatives to it, as well, he added. [But] this opportunity was missed for some reason. And speaking about Armenian Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyans recent statement with respect to making use of the Iskander missile system, Dvornikov said: The statement was a serious warning to the ruling regime of Baku. This was done for one objective: not to permit new actions of large-scale aggression. Unfortunately, Azerbaijan itself drives to such a statement. As for the actions of Azerbaijan, they are quite predictable. Each event, which once again confirms that Artsakh is an effective and complete state, causes aggression. It is necessary to show on location that the conflict is not resolved. And the NKR Defense Army showed that it is ready for such traditional attacks. IS Threatens Copts in Egypt, Additional Suicide Bombings in Algeria in Naba 71 2017 Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year Award Winner Announced Dolly Hulin from the Thomasville Fire Department in North Carolina has been named the winner The NFPA has named Dolly Hulin, Fire and Life Safety Education Division Chief for the Thomasville Fire Department in North Carolina, as the 2017 Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year. Hunt will be recognized at the NFPAs 121st Conference & Expo, according to the news release. Hull created the Safety Fest event, intended to raise awareness during Fire Prevention Week. More than 20 area agencies, as well as hundreds of residents, attend the event. She also collaborated with local supermarkets to include fire safety fact sheets with Thanksgiving turkeys. DOE Wants Comments on Possible Changes to Uranium Transfers The U.S. Department of Energy is asking for comments and information by April 10 about a possible change in its transfers of uranium for cleanup services at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon, Ohio. The U.S. Department of Energy is asking for comments and information about a possible change in its transfers of uranium for cleanup services at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon, Ohio. DOE is considering a new Secretarial Determination covering potential continued transfers and issued a Request for Information last July seeking information about uranium markets and domestic uranium, conversion, and enrichment industries and the potential effects of DOE uranium transfers on the domestic industries; the agency also commissioned an independent analysis of the potential effects of various levels of uranium transfers. The public review now under way will contribute to and aid in deciding on the Secretarial Determination. DOE wants comments, data, and information on or before April 10. They may be emailed to [email protected] or mailed to Ms. Cheryl Moss Herman, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy, Mailstop NE-32, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 20874-1290. If possible, DOE asks that all items be submitted on a compact disk, in which case it is not necessary to include printed copies. DOE holds inventories of uranium in various forms, including low-enriched uranium (LEU), highly-enriched uranium (HEU), depleted uranium (DU), and natural uranium (NU), that have been declared excess and are not dedicated to U.S. national security missions. DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy, Office of Environmental Management, and National Nuclear Security Administration coordinate the management of these uranium inventories, and DOE in recent years has managed its excess uranium inventory in part by transferring uranium in exchange for cleanup services at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant and for down-blending of highly-enriched uranium to LEU. DOE currently transfers approximately 2,100 metric tons of natural uranium equivalent per year. DOE has commissioned a report by ERI that analyzes four scenarios involving different volumes of DOE transfers. Critics of a new MPS policy requiring students to wear uniforms beginning next fall say it will not accomplish its goals to contribute to a positive school environment by minimizing bullying and lowering costs for low-income families. "Bullying isnt caused by what outfits people wear. Bullies target people because they want to make themselves feel good," said Ava Antonie, 11, a student at Burdick Elementary School who previously attended private school and wore a uniform until second grade. "Outfits wont change anything bullies will just find new ways to bully people." The Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) Board of Directors passed a district-wide uniform policy Feb. 23. The move was hotly contested at a board meeting where parents, students and a former teacher testified against the proposed change. Larry Hoffman, an education activist and member of Schools & Communities United, said uniforms will only "cover over" the problem. "Whether theres going to be uniforms in a school or not, you have to talk about differences among people and how we deal with differences among people," he said. Three MPS principals testified in favor of the policy. The policy, which is not mandatory, reverses current policy, said board member Carol Voss during testimony at the recent meeting. Previously, a school governance council could implement a dress code or uniform requirement, but only because of "a specific educational, health, or safety purpose." A change at a particular school could only happen in the case of "broad-based support" from students, teachers and parents. Any modification, or rescinding, of an existing uniform policy required a petition signed by 20 percent of the school community. Fifty-one of the districts more than 150 schools already have a dress code or require uniforms. Beginning in fall 2017, every school in the district must comply with the policy unless 66 percent of the school community opposes it. The school must then send a written letter to the Regional Superintendent stating the reasons for its decision. Matthew Boswell, head of the MPS Department of Student Services, said if a school achieved the required two-thirds agreement to opt out the request would be honored. Parents also have the ability to opt out by signing and filing an exemption form with the schools principal. School Board President Mark Sain said the move was made in an attempt to meet the needs of MPS families. He added that he hoped it would help create a better atmosphere for learning and noted that the pros outweigh the cons. "The uniform policy is not a silver bullet," Sain said. "I dont look at this as being a one-stop-shop of stopping bullying But I think, in some schools, its going to help." A survey conducted between Nov. 2 and Dec. 2 of last year received 11,762 responses from parents. Of the respondents, 41 percent were in favor of uniforms, 38 percent were opposed and 15 percent had no preference. About 77,000 students were enrolled in 2016-17. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, between the 1999-2000 and 2013-14 school years, the percentage of public schools reporting they required that students wear uniforms increased from 12 to 20. Data from the 2013-14 school year, the most recent available, showed city schools were more than four times as likely to require uniforms which are considered a "safety and security" measure as schools in rural districts. Only 2.5 percent of schools where more than 80 percent of students were white required uniforms, compared to 43.8 percent of schools that are less than half white. Both opponents and those in favor of uniforms questioned why the policy is not mandatory. Two students who spoke on different sides of the issue at the board meeting expressed concern that giving individual families the ability to opt out would create a clear division within schools between those who are exempt and those who are not. "I dont think its effective if its not something that everybodys doing," said Patricia Hoben, head of schools at Carmen Schools of Science and Technology, a high-performing MPS charter network that requires uniforms at each one of its three campuses. "If somebody signs up for a school and that schools opted in for uniforms, then I think that schools expectation should be that everybody will wear uniforms and that that school will do everything possible to make it possible for every family to participate." MPS will allocate $1.3 million to schools to help mitigate the cost of uniforms. Many of those who testified said that amount, about $17 per student, would not significantly help struggling families. Eighty percent of MPS students are considered economically disadvantaged. Phuket, Thailand, March 2017 Angsana Laguna Phuket is delighted to announce the appointment of Mr. Martin Schaumburg to the position of Director of Food and Beverage. We are thrilled to have Martin leading our Food & Beverage operations at Angsana Laguna Phuket, said Brian Connelly, General Manager. Martin has proven himself as Director as his outstanding food & beverage, culinary and leadership experience makes him the perfect fit for this role. We are delighted to welcome him to Angsana Laguna Phuket. Martin has 23 years of food & beverage experience. Prior to joining Angsana Laguna Phuket, he was Director of Food and Beverage for InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong and Kempinski. Im delighted to join the team at Angsana Laguna Phuket at such an exciting time. I look forward to developing our signature food and beverage experiences, whilst working with the executive management team to deliver new projects. I started my career as a Chef before embarking on a Food & Beverage role. With experiences in both service and culinary, I am so excited to have been given this opportunity and I look forward to using my skills and experience to help grow the hotels food & beverage programme and build on its existing success. said Martin. A wind power station near the scientific base of Ny Alesund in Norway's Svalbard archipelago Lawmakers have voted for Norway, a major energy-producing nation, to become carbon-neutral by 2030, two decades ahead of schedule, as a result of the UN's December 2015 climate accord. A resolution was approved by MPs late Tuesday in a 54-47 vote despite opposition from the conservative minority government. To achieve its goal of being a zero net contributor to carbon, Norway will have to purchase so-called carbon offsets abroad. Offsets are investments in projects that reduce carbon in the atmosphere, such as reforestation or afforestation, or improving energy efficiency or a switch to cleaner power in poor countries. Climate and Environment Minister Vidar Helgesen, in a letter to parliament, branded the initiative premature and costly, saying the price could be as much as 20 billion kroner (3.2 billion euros) per year in 2030. The opposition however defended the move. "Would it be less costly and would the consequences for society be diminished if we postpone this measure?" asked Terje Aasland of the Labour Party. As western Europe's main oil producer, Norway is a big indirect contributor to heat-trapping fossil fuel gases, but it is also vocal in the fight against climate change. Its greenhouse gas emissions rose 1.5 percent in 2015 than the previous year, mainly after a new oil field went into operation. Emissions are now higher than in 1990, a benchmark year in calculating efforts to reduce global-warming gases. Its electricity is already mostly produced by hydro. In 2008, Norway had set a date of 2030 for carbon neutrality but said this was dependent on an international climate agreement. After the failure of the UN's Copenhagen climate summit in 2009, the deadline was pushed back to 2050. However, the 2015 climate deal reached in Paris reactivated the 2030 objective. The MPs also voted in favour of a recommendation to ratify the agreement. Under the so-called COP21 gathering in Paris, 177 governments set a target of limiting global warming to "well below" 2.0 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) compared with pre-industrial levels. Scientists warn that Earth is on track for much higher and potentially catastrophic warming, and reaching the 2 C target will require unprecedented effort. 2016 AFP Twitter was a major resource used in the organization of massive protests stemming from Ahmadinejads disputed 2009 reelection. After the violent suppression of the Green Movement, Twitter was blocked by Irans cyberspace authorities, thus joining a range of other websites that are obstructed on the basis of content deemed unlawful or immoral by the clerical regime. Nevertheless, citizens of the Islamic Republic have continued to access Twitter in large numbers, through the use of proxy servers and other resources that allow them to circumvent government firewalls. This situation has led to a situation in which more and more Iranian officials are reportedly coming to accept Twitter as a necessary evil. But on some level, many of these officials had already accepted this, as evidenced by the fact that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, current President Hassan Rouhani and various others have long maintained their own Twitter accounts. In previous reporting on this topic, Iran News Update suggested that emerging tolerance of Twitter may be indicative of an effort to exploit its mainstream prominence as a tool of propaganda, in order to overwhelm the pro-reform communications on the platform instead of simply suppressing them. Ahmadinejads presence on the site may very well play into such a strategy, given his continued popularity among hardline supporters of the regime. But the embrace of Twitter by figures like Ahmadinejad is by no means a sign of diminishing antagonism toward the free exchange of information online. In fact, Iran News Update previously suggested that that embrace may simply coincide with expanded efforts to suppress newer, less mainstream social media platforms like Telegram. This less popular platform has gained some popularity among Irans activist community because it is generally regarded as more secure than the familiar alternatives. But this supposed security has not prevented Telegram users and administrators from being arrested by regime authorities. In fact, in February the judiciary announced that an unnamed administrator had been arrested and held responsible for more than 14,000 obscene video clips and pictures that were shared on the platform. In its reporting upon that arrest, IranWire noted that regime officials had boasted of an 18,000-person network of volunteers drawn from the Basij civilian militia, who continually monitored the internet and social media. There is little doubt that the unnamed administrator is being regarded as an example to other users of newer social media resources. And he is not alone in being thus targeted. A more recent IranWire report pointed once again to the case of Ayatollah Mohammad Reza Nekoonam, who is serving a five year prison sentence based solely on his verbal defense of high speed internet and other modern technologies. Nekoonams arrest at the beginning of 2015 was a sign of the regimes attitude toward such views at the time. But his continued detention strongly suggests that that attitude has either remained the same or intensified, since the 68-year-old cleric has been repeatedly returned to prison after brief hospital stays, in defiance of advice from doctors of the Iranian Legal Medicine Organization, who have said that his poor physical health will continue to deteriorate if he is not granted release. Steven Powell, research engineer in the department of electrical and computer engineering, is pictured with the Cornell GPS antenna array in a clean room at the NASA/Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The array is currently mounted on the truss structure of the International Space Station. Credit: Zach Tejral, NASA Johnson Spaceflight Center/Provided The weather here on Earth has been a little strange this winter 60-degree days, followed by blinding snow, only to be followed by 50s and rain but for Steven Powell, the weather he's interested in can't be felt by humans or measured by barometric pressure. Powell, research support specialist in electrical and computer engineering, is concerned with "space weather" charged particles in the plasma of space, on the edge of the Earth's atmosphere. These particles affect the performance of communications and navigation satellites. To study conditions in the ionosphere, a band between 50 and 600 miles above the Earth, Powell and others in the College of Engineering have developed the FOTON (Fast Orbital TEC for Orbit and Navigation) GPS receiver, which was built in a Rhodes Hall lab. Last month, the FOTON hitched a ride aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to begin a long-term project at the International Space Station. The project, which could last two years, is called GROUP-C (GPS Radio Occultation and Ultraviolet Photometry-Colocated), and is headed by Scott Budzien of the Naval Research Laboratory. Powell is the Cornell principal investigator for the project; other Cornell contributors include Mark L. Psiaki, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering (retired); David Hysell, professor of earth and atmospheric sciences; Todd Humphreys, Ph.D. '08; and Brady O'Hanlon, Ph.D. '16. Also contributing was the late electrical and computer engineering professor Paul Kintner, who died in November 2010. Kintner was responsible for the original ionospheric research that formed the scientific basis for GROUP-C, Powell said. The FOTON is a highly sensitive GPS receiver, designed to withstand the rigors of spaceflight while detecting subtle fluctuations in the signals from GPS satellites. "These fluctuations help us learn about the ionosphere in which the signals travel," said Powell, who returned to Ithaca in early March after spending six weeks in Alaska on a project to send two sounding rockets into the aurora borealis, also to study the ionosphere. "These fluctuations are typically filtered out by standard GPS receivers," he said, "but they are the scientific 'gold nuggets' in the data analysis process." The STP-H5 palette of instruments being maneuvered by the robotic arm on the International Space Station. The Cornell antenna array is visible just to the right of the "Canada" logo. This photo was taken during the installation process. Credit: NASA Johnson Spaceflight Center/Provided Powell's experiment is one of a number of projects studying the Earth's atmosphere and ionosphere. It shares a mounting palette on the outside of the ISS, receives power from large solar arrays, and uses the data communications system onboard the station to quickly distribute data back to Earth. Powell and Hysell will collect data from the GROUP-C experiment. GROUP-C's position onboard the ISS will allow it to study the ionosphere "at an edge-on perspective," Powell said, to measure variations in electron density. The Cornell team's GPS receiver and antenna actually a suite of three antennas, configured to maximize GPS signals and minimize unwanted reflections from the large metal portions of the ISS will focus on GPS satellites as they move across the sky and set behind the Earth. As they set, Powell said, the radio signals travel through the ionosphere and are subtly delayed by the denser regions of the ionosphere. "From that, we obtain a vertical profile of the electron density," he said. This experiment builds on a short-duration NASA sounding-rocket mission Powell led in 2012, which was sent into the aurora to study the ionosphere at high latitudes, near the North Pole. "This experiment will allow us to study different, but equally interesting, effects in the ionosphere closer to the equator, where most of the world's population lives," Powell said. The Feb. 19 liftoff of the SpaceX rocket, and docking with the ISS four days later, was the culmination of a nearly four-year effort to get GROUP-C built. "It was extremely exciting and satisfying to see the GROUP-C experiment [launch]," Powell said. "I've been involved in more than 50 space-based research efforts over a 30-year period, but most have been using suborbital NASA sounding rockets, with mission durations of just 10 to 30 minutes. "The GROUP-C experiment duration will last up to two years," he said, "so the quantity of data and the potential for meaningful scientific discovery is huge." Homo erectus endocast in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. Under the specifications used, the authors' mathematical model recovered brain sizes matching those of H. erectus. Credit: Tim Evanson, CC-BY-SA A new mathematical model could help clarify what drove the evolution of large brains in humans and other animals, according to a study published in PLOS Computational Biology. Animals with high cognitive ability also have relatively large brains, but the factors that drive evolution of big brains remain unclear. Scientists have hypothesized that ecological, social, and cultural factors could each play a role. Most of these hypotheses have not been formalized mathematically, but doing so would allow scientists to refine their tests. To address the issue, Mauricio Gonzalez-Forero of University of Lausanne, Switzerland, and colleagues developed a mathematical model that predicts how large the human brain should be at different stages of an individual's life, depending on different possible evolutionary scenarios. The model relies on the assumption that the brain expends some energy on cognitive skills that allow an individual to extract energy from the environment (food), which in turn helps the brain grow. Given natural selection, it predicts how much energy is used to support brain growth at different ages under different biological settings. The researchers used the model to test a simple scenario in which social interactions and cultural factors are excluded, revealing the influence of ecological factors alone. In the scenario, a human must hunt or gather food alone, but may receive some help from its mother while it is still young. Under those specifications, the hypothetical human brain grew as big as ancient humans' brains are thought to have grown, and the slow growth rate matched that of modern human brains. This runs counter to prevailing thought, which holds that social and cultural influences are required to achieve these sizes and growth rates. "Our findings raise new questions about the effects and interactions of ecological, social, and cultural factors, and our framework offers a new tool to address them," Gonzalez-Forero says. "More broadly, our framework allows for new experiments in silico to study brain evolution, life history, and brain senescence." His team is now using the new model to investigate how social factors may influence evolution of large brain size. In the future, they hope to test cultural factors as well. More information: Gonzalez-Forero M, Faulwasser T, Lehmann L (2017) A model for brain life history evolution. PLoS Comput Biol 13(2): e1005380. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005380 Journal information: PLoS Computational Biology Credit: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Magnetic balls provide exciting avenues for exploring many fundamental phenomena in physics. They can be assembled by hand into chains and more complex structures and used to model the properties of unstretchable materials that, like paper, crumple under certain loading conditions. Magnetic balls stacked on top of each other into vertical chains remain stable, but only for certain choices of salient parameters. Professor Eliot Fried and Dr. Johannes Schonke from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) examined the maximum length of a chain of magnetic balls that can be balanced vertically without toppling a simple but important phenomenon related to the stability of magnetic chains. Using theory and mathematical analysis in combination with experimental data, they determined the critical parameter values at which chains lose stability under various circumstances. The findings, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series A, could provide insight into the stability of unstretchable materials used in large-scale architectural design. This has many practical applications in construction, from concrete power plant chimneys to the outer shells of rocket ships. First, they considered a single chain fixed at its base made from 5mm diameter magnetic balls, each weighing 0.5 grams and having a magnetic flux density of 1.19 Tesla (T). A chain of nine balls remains stable, but a chain of 10 balls buckles under its own weight. "It is a competition between magnetic force and gravity," says Dr. Schonke. "When the chain reaches 10 balls, gravity wins over magnetic force, and the chain loses stability." Credit: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Next, the team looked at the case of two chains, one being attached to the ground and the other hanging above with a gap of prescribed length in between. When the magnetic fields were aligned such that the upper chain and lower chain were magnetically attracted to each other, the upper chain stabilized a lower chain of 10 balls in length. In other words, the presence of an upper magnetic chain increases the length at which a chain clamped at its base remains stable. "As the number of magnetic balls in the lower chain increases, the gap between the upper and lower chains needs to be narrowed for the lower chain to remain stable," explains Dr. Schonke. Even if the bottom chain is unfixed, the magnetic interaction with the upper chain provides stability an impossible scenario for a single unfixed chain. However, in this case, if the distance between the upper and lower chains is too small, the unfixed bottom chain lifts off and attaches to the upper chain. In the final experimental setup, the researchers reversed the orientation of the magnetic balls in the upper chain so that the direction of the magnetic field of the upper chain opposed that of the fixed lower chain. Due to the resulting repulsion force between the two chains, the lower chain only remains stable with eight balls, one ball fewer than a stable single fixed chain and two balls fewer than a stable fixed lower chain attracted to a suspended upper chain. "We found that the stability of magnetic chains is determined by the number of balls in a chain, the size of the gap between the upper and lower chain, and the strength of the magnetic forces relative to gravity," says Professor Fried, who heads OIST's Mathematical Soft Matter Unit. Credit: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology "It may seem like a bit of fun with toy magnets, but in fact, we have performed nontrivial mathematical calculations that allow us to explain the stability of magnetic chains with extreme precision," says Dr. Schonke. These findings provide a basis upon which to study more complex structures of magnetic balls, such as cylindrical tubes comprised of stacked circular rings. If the rings are square packed such that each ball is in contact with only its four immediate neighbors, it can be deformed in many ways. Compared to square packed rings, hexagonally packed rings in which each ball is in contact with its six neighbors, are more stable. Maintaining the connections between the balls in this way creates a system that is incapable of extension or contraction. As such, structures configured in this way provide a model for understanding unstretchable materials like paper. "One of the next steps is to conduct more dynamic simulations using cylindrical tubes of magnetic balls and determine the critical parameter values at which structures configured in this way lose stability," says Dr. Schonke. More information: Johannes Schonke et al. Stability of vertical magnetic chains, Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Science (2017). DOI: 10.1098/rspa.2016.0703 Two years ago, SurModics Inc. conducted its annual meeting and only four shareholders showed up. Even though it was held at the company's suburban Twin Cities headquarters, there was not a big return for the expense. So last year, the company conducted a virtual annual meeting - something more companies are electing to do. SurModic's board chairwoman, Susan Knight, said during this year's meeting in February that the company now expects to follow suit every year. "Quite frankly, it's a more of a social gathering than anything else," said Andy LaFrence, chief financial officer and vice president of finance for SurModics. More than 90 percent of SurModics shareholders are institutions, he said. "The majority of them are going to be on the coasts," LaFrence said. "This gives those shareholders an opportunity to participate and to vote live with the tools in place." SurModics also offers other ways for shareholder engagement, he added. SurModics' annual meeting was hosted by Broadridge Financial, a Long Island, N.Y., company that provides investor communication and other services to corporate clients. The technology for virtual annual meetings is not much different from what is used for webcasts of a company's quarterly investor conference call. Broadridge provides the client two specific web addresses - one to broadcast the meeting and another to cast votes. Cathy Conlon, vice president of corporate issuer product and strategy at Broadridge Financial, sees virtual annual meetings as a trend. "This is technology that has become accepted," Conlon said. Broadridge's first virtual annual meeting was for Intel Corp. in 2009, when the Santa Clara, Calif.-based technology company had both a physical meeting with an option to participate virtually. Last year, Intel went fully virtual. Broadridge thought the virtual meeting product would appeal mainly to tech companies, but quickly realized that companies in a broad range of industries have started leaning toward the option. In 2016, Broadridge helped 154 companies conduct virtual annual meetings, an increase of 71 percent from the year before. Broadridge played host to 32 more hybrid models such as Intel's 2009 meeting. Conlon said virtual meetings are not the best solution for all companies or situations, but for some it is a cost-effective option. That was the case for Minneapolis-based industrial equipment manufacturer Graco, said spokeswoman Charlotte Boyd. "It was not a good use of time and money for shareholders or the company to hold a physical meeting," Boyd said, although she jokes that the employees and retirees miss the free cookies. Lack of attendance at physical meetings is a big reason companies, especially smaller ones, are moving toward the virtual route. Virtual options also can increase participation, especially with the growth of institutional owners. Institutional owners are not likely to be in the same cities as the companies in which they invest, and during the first several months of the year - the big annual-meeting season - they can't physically attend all meetings. There's no doubt that some companies will continue to use annual meetings as part of their communications strategies. The Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting is a multiday affair that overtakes Omaha, Neb. The annual meeting of Hormel Foods Corp. is conducted in an Austin, Minn., high school auditorium to accommodate the crowd. "We always refer to it as the social event of the year in Austin," said Hormel CEO Jim Snee. Snee laments that annual meetings have lost their "luster." "I was just at a food conference with other food companies and so many of them have turned their annual meeting into a conference-room meeting for an hour," Snee said. "I think the fact that we're still able to make it into this type of event because it really is so important to the community. It is a great way to not only recognize our shareholders, but for them to get a chance to hear from us." The actual business being undertaken at most annual meetings is actually very limited. Hormel's annual meeting, in addition to a couple of optional presentations and a question-and-answer session, didn't last much longer than an hour. SurModics' virtual meeting was 18 minutes, with the essential business actions taking five minutes. The business at hand typically means electing directors, voting on CEO compensation plans, ratifying company auditors and voting on any special shareholder proposals. "I think very few companies and very few shareholders would say that they view the annual meeting as being a forum for getting information about the company," said Amy Seidel, a partner in the Minneapolis law office of Faegre Baker Daniel who advises public companies. The first-quarter earnings releases are usually timed better for those updates. However, there are critics who say the face time with executives at physical annual meetings is important. Among them is the nation's largest pension fund, California Public Employees' Retirement System, or CalPERS, which has in its 2015 statement of investment policy that companies should only include a virtual option as a supplement to in-person meetings. The Council for Institutional Investors, a nonprofit association for corporate, public and union employee benefit funds and endowments, has a similar policy. "Virtual annual meetings can be good for expanding participation, but it's vitally important that share owners can attend and exercise their rights. CalPERS attends annual general meetings often," said Anne Simpson, the system's investment director for sustainability, in an email. 2017 Star Tribune (Minneapolis) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. University of South Carolina archaeologists found an abundance of platinum -- an element associated with cosmic objects like asteroids or comet -- at 11 Clovis excavation sites across the United States. Credit: South Carolina Institute for Archaeology and Anthropology, University of South Carolina No one knows for certain why the Clovis people and iconic beastsmastodon, mammoth and saber-toothed tiger - living some 12,800 years ago suddenly disappeared. However, a discovery of widespread platinum at archaeological sites across the United States by three University of South Carolina archaeologists has provided an important clue in solving this enduring mystery. The research findings are outlined in a new study released Thursday (March 9) in Scientific Reports, a publication of Nature. The study, authored by 10 researchers, builds on similar findings of platinum - an element associated with cosmic objects like asteroids or comets - found by Harvard University researchers in an ice-core from Greenland in 2013. The South Carolina researchers found an abundance of platinum in soil layers that coincided with the "Younger-Dryas," a climatic period of extreme cooling that began around 12,800 ago and lasted about 1,400 years. While the brief return to ice-age conditions during the Younger-Dryas has been well-documented by scientists, the reasons for it and the demise of the Clovis people and animals have remained unclear. "Platinum is very rare in the Earth's crust, but it is common in asteroids and comets," says Christopher Moore, the study's lead author. He calls the presence of platinum found in the soil layers at 11 archaeological sites in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina an anomaly. "The presence of elevated platinum in archaeological sites is a confirmation of data previously reported for the Younger-Dryas onset several years ago in a Greenland ice-core. The authors for that study concluded that the most likely source of such platinum enrichment was from the impact of an extraterrestrial object," Moore says. "Our data show that this anomaly is present in sediments from U.S. archaeological sites that date to the start of the Younger-Dryas event. It is continental in scalepossibly globaland it's consistent with the hypothesis that an extraterrestrial impact took place." He says the Younger-Dryas coincides with the end of Clovis culture and the extinction of more than 35 species of ice-age animals. Moore says while evidence has shown that some of the animals were on the decline before Younger-Dryas, virtually none are found after it. Moore says that would indicate an extinction event for North America. He also says the platinum anomaly is similar to the well-documented finding of iridium, another element associated with cosmic objects, that scientists have found in the rock layers dated 65 million years ago from an impact that caused dinosaur extinction. That event is commonly known as Cretaceous-Tertiary or K-Pg by scientists. "In both cases, the anomalies represent the atmospheric fallout of rare elements resulting from an extraterrestrial impact," Moore says. He says the K-Pg dinosaur extinction was the result of a very large asteroid impact while the Younger-Dryas onset impact is likely the result of being hit by fragments of a much smaller sized comet or asteroid, possibly measuring up to two-thirds a mile in diameter. "Another difference is that the Younger-Dryas impact event is not yet associated with any known impact crater," Moore says. "This may be because the fragments of the large object struck the glacial ice-sheet or exploded in the atmosphere. Several candidate craters are under investigation but have not been confirmed." Moore says while his team's data does not contradict the Young-Dryas impact hypothesis, it also does not explain the likely effects that such an impact could have had on the environment, Paleoindians or ice-age animals. Contributing to the study is Moore's university colleagues Mark Brooks, a geo-archaeologist who conducts research and excavations at the Savannah River Site, and archaeologist Albert Goodyear, who has spent decades documenting Clovis culture at the famed Topper site. Topper, located in Allendale County, South Carolina, along the banks of the Savannah River, is considered one of the most pristine U.S. sites for research on Clovis, one of the earliest ancient people. Goodyear's work with Moore builds on research in which he found traces of extraterrestrial elements, including iridium, at the Younger-Dryas layer at Topper that was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2012. Moore, Goodyear and Brooks conduct research through the South Carolina Institute of Anthropology and Archaeology in the university's College of Arts and Sciences. In addition to Topper, the remaining 10 archaeological sites that Moore, Goodyear and others on their team conducted research in 2016 included Arlington Canyon on Santa Rosa Island, California; Murray Springs, Arizona; Blackwater Draw, New Mexico; Sheriden Cave, Ohio; Squires Ridge and Barber Creek, North Carolina; and Kolb, Flamingo Bay, John Bay and Pen Point, South Carolina. Moore says the bottom line of the study and paper in the journal Scientific Reports is the presence of an easily identifiable hemispheric marker (platinum) in sediment layers for the start of Younger-Dryas. That discovery contributes to the body of evidence that a potential cosmic impact event occurred and warrants further scientific investigation. More information: Christopher R. Moore et al. Widespread platinum anomaly documented at the Younger Dryas onset in North American sedimentary sequences, Scientific Reports (2017). DOI: 10.1038/srep44031 Journal information: Scientific Reports SpaceX, the upstart company, and NASA, the government agency, both have plans to venture to Mars and orbit the moon. But that doesn't mean they've launched a new space race. In fact, NASA has long been SpaceX's most important customer, providing contracts to deliver cargo and eventually astronauts to the International Space Station. And the Los Angeles-area company will need NASA's technical support to achieve the first of its grand ambitions in deep space. SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk acknowledged as much last week, shortly after announcing that SpaceX would launch two private, paying individuals on a weeklong lunar flyby in 2018. "SpaceX could not do this without NASA," Musk tweeted. "Can't express enough appreciation." NASA, on the other hand, has come to rely on SpaceX and other companies for transport to the space station as its funding has tightened. In today's dollars, the agency's budget is about half what it was at the peak of the 1960s, and down from the 1990s. In the wake of the SpaceX news, NASA issued a statement that said it is "changing the way it does business through its commercial partnerships," in part to "free" the agency to focus on rockets and spacecraft to go beyond the moon into deep space. "The whole idea is that NASA is at the point of a spear," said Howard McCurdy, professor in the school of public affairs at American University. "It's like exploration of any terrestrial realm. This is the way the model is supposed to work." Indeed, the rapid ascent of Musk and other space industry pioneers is validation of the public-private partnership envisioned when Congress passed the Commercial Space Launch Act of 1984. By the mid-2000s, NASA was signing contracts with the private sector to fill in for its own funding constraints and the impending retirement of the space shuttle program. In 2006, SpaceX won its first NASA award for $278 million to help develop the company's now-workhorse Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon space capsule. It later received an additional $118 million, and SpaceX contributed a total of about $454 million of its own funds to finish development, according to a NASA report. Two years later, SpaceX won a $1.6 billion NASA contract to transport cargo to the space station. The deal came as the fledgling company of about 400 employees was starting to successfully launch the Falcon 1 from an atoll in the Marshall Islands. It was not just NASA's financial resources and technical support that helped SpaceX, said company President Gwynne Shotwell, but also the agency's trust. "We would not be the company that we are today without that early support from NASA," Shotwell said. "We would have made it, but it would have been more of a struggle, it would have taken us longer." A major milestone for the partnership came in 2012 when SpaceX launched its first NASA cargo load, making it the first private company to send a spacecraft to the space station. Marco Caceres, senior space analyst at the Teal Group, said the NASA supply missions gave SpaceX "almost instant credibility." "Having NASA as an anchor client allowed them to have enough revenue flow so that they could establish themselves and eventually diversify and get some commercial contracts and eventually to be able to get into the military establishment," he said. Today, SpaceX and Boeing Co. are developing separate crew capsules as part of NASA contracts to transport astronauts to the space station. SpaceX noted that this NASA program provided most of the funding to develop the Dragon 2 spacecraft, which will make the moon trip. It is planning to conduct the first test flight of the Dragon crew capsule in November, followed by a flight test with humans in May 2018. Once operational crewed flights to the space station are underway, the company said it would launch its Dragon capsule atop the Falcon Heavy rocket, which was developed with SpaceX funds, for the lunar mission in late 2018. Other well-known, newer space companies have also recently been awarded NASA contracts, including Amazon.com Inc. founder Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and British billionaire Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic. Both of those companies intend to target the suborbital space tourism markets, though Blue Origin has also unveiled plans for a launch vehicle called the New Glenn, which the company has said could lift astronauts to low-Earth orbit or even beyond. Blue Origin is interested in developing a lunar spacecraft and lander, and eventually, a delivery service for the moon, according to a white paper obtained by the Washington Post that the company sent to NASA officials and President Trump's transition team. Virgin Orbit, which recently split from Virgin Galactic, is focused on launching small satellites. NASA's role as a "development catalyst" has been part of the agency's objectives since its earliest days, said Sean O'Keefe, a former NASA administrator and current university professor at Syracuse University. "The idea was to spin that into opportunities for commercial market potential for other discoveries, for those who would build on the knowledge base of what was determined, discovered or invented as a means to overcome obstacles and take it to another level," he said. Phil McAlister, division director for commercial spaceflight development at NASA, called the recent advances of the space companies "really positive." "Moving human presence deeper into space is going to require the best of NASA and the private sector," he said. Over the last 10 years, he added, NASA's private partners have become more technologically mature and capable. It's unclear whether NASA will provide any further assistance for the SpaceX moon shot, though Musk emphasized that the agency would have first priority if it wanted to work with SpaceX on a lunar orbit mission. NASA also has its own plans to fly around the moon with a crew in tow. Last month, NASA said it would look into the feasibility of putting a crew on the first flight test of its Orion spacecraft and heavy-lift rocket, Space Launch System, in 2019. That mission is set to go around the moon to test maneuvers that would be necessary to eventually go farther into deep space. While both SLS and Falcon Heavy will have heavy-launch capabilities, they may not necessarily be redundant, said Dava Newman, former NASA deputy administrator and Apollo program professor of astronautics at MIT. "If in the next two years there's two capabilities for heavy-lift, that'd be awesome," she said. "Having one system leaves you vulnerable" to system failures. The nature of NASA's mission, and its funding, is up in the air under the new Trump administration, however. The agency is still waiting on Trump to appoint a new administrator, and there has been debate in Washington about whether NASA should go back to the moon or venture ahead toward Mars. SpaceX's private moon mission could influence that debate, McCurdy said. "It certainly complicates the argument that the moon-firsters would like to make." Both SpaceX and NASA plan flights to Mars. Last year, Musk unveiled plans to colonize the Red Planet, sending up to a million people on more than 1,000 spaceships, stretched over decades. He called for a public-private partnership, but the nature of any collaboration was unclear. The two entities will team up on at least one launch - SpaceX's first Red Dragon uncrewed mission to Mars, now aimed at 2020, two years behind Musk's original timeline. NASA has more than 50 years of experience with Mars exploration and will provide SpaceX with technical support during the mission, which could include help with data transmission from deep space, flight systems and engineering, and mission design and navigation. In exchange, NASA is interested in the entry, descent and landing data from the capsule. SpaceX has started testing some of that supersonic retro-propulsion technology by landing its first-stage rocket booster on floating platforms and on land, a technique that could be important for future Mars landings, said Ellen Stofan, former NASA chief scientist. NASA has successfully landed rovers on Mars weighing up to almost a ton. The robots have dropped to the planet's surface in air bags, using rockets, and with the assistance of cables extended from a "sky crane" - all methods that are problematic for landing humans. A human mission would weigh considerably more, somewhere between 10 and 20 tons, Newman said. "It is an order of magnitude greater than we've ever done," she said. "We all want to figure out how to get to Mars. And one of the things we need to figure out is to get humans there safely." 2017 Los Angeles Times Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. A team of researchers with members from several institutions in India has found evidence of ostrich relatives living in India as far back as 25,000 years ago. In their paper uploaded to the open access site PLOS ONE, the group describes finding avian eggshells, their DNA analysis of them and why they believe the finding bolsters certain aspects of continental drift theory. After finding partially fossilized avian eggshells during a dig, the researchers sought to learn if they were from an ancient ostrich relative. This is because the ostrich family tree is believed to have originated in Africafor them to be living in India at some point suggested a path between Africa and India that does not exist today. By subjecting the shell fragments to DNA analysis, the team determined that they were, in fact, from an ancient African ostrich relative, which, the team notes, bolsters a theory that approximately 150 million years ago, there existed a supercontinent called Gondwanald, which broke up approximately 130 to 100 million years ago, its pieces becoming South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, Madagascar and Arabia. The theory explains how ostriches could have made their way to India and perhaps other faraway places. Prior to the breakup of Gondwanald, birds of the ostrich family were known as ratites (large flightless birds). After being separated, new long legged flightless bird types evolved, including emus in Australia and cassowaries in New Guinea. But if ostriches made their way to India prior to the breakup of the supercontinent, that suggests they could have been living there for over a 100 million years. Prior research had suggested that ostriches might have made their way to India, but until now, there has been little hard evidence. Shells have been found that were believed likely to have come from an ostrich ancestor, but there was no DNA material that could be analyzed. The findings by the team with this new effort offer the first molecular evidence of ostriches in India, which the team suggests adds a lot of credence to the continental drift theory. More information: Sonal Jain et al. Ancient DNA Reveals Late Pleistocene Existence of Ostriches in Indian Sub-Continent, PLOS ONE (2017). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0164823 Journal information: PLoS ONE 2017 Phys.org Toxicology as a science has not evolved to keep pace with the chemical revolution, according to Thomas Hartung writing in the International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management, Hartung highlights ten problems that must be addressed if toxicology is to be made fit for purpose in the 21st Century. Until the industrial revolution almost the complete gamut of poisons and toxins lay in the natural realm. Lethal alkaloids from toxic plants, arsenic-containing rocks, noxious fumes from fires and plenty of other sources of risk. It wasn't until the Industrial Revolution and the maturation of alchemy to chemistry, that synthetic chemicals became an issue. In the 19th and 20th century, chemists identified literally tens of millions more chemicals in nature and in their laboratories and turned what was essentially a world of arsenic and old lace into the vast chemical space of toxicity we know, but cannot comprehend fully today. According to Hartung of the Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in Baltimore, Maryland, USA and also of the University of Konstanz, Germany, there are ten main issues to be addressed in modernising toxicology: The disparity of testing requirements and risk acceptance for different products and geographical areas, throughput and costs of testing versus testing needs, limited predictivity for humans, precautionary approaches from drug development adapted to other areas, animal use, new products not suitable for traditional tests, new hazards not covered, mixtures of toxicants not addressed, individual susceptibilities and vulnerable subpopulations not covered, and poor basic research and publication standards. Hartung concedes that it is relatively easy to criticise and yet the issues seem obvious in his analysis and that change is needed. He suggests that given the intransigence in the world of international toxicological policies and methods this overarching issue must be overcome first before these ten issues can be addressed. "While current approaches are still needed, there is room for substantial change," he says. "To meet the challenges of the 21st century, revolution rather than evolution is required." More information: Thomas Hartung. Evolution of toxicological science: the need for change, International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management (2017). DOI: 10.1504/IJRAM.2017.082570 Journal information: Public Health Provided by Inderscience An artist's illustration of a light-sail powered by a radio beam (red) generated on the surface of a planet. The leakage from such beams as they sweep across the sky would appear as Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs), similar to the new population of sources that was discovered recently at cosmological distances. Credit: M. Weiss/CfA The search for extraterrestrial intelligence has looked for many different signs of alien life, from radio broadcasts to laser flashes, without success. However, newly published research suggests that mysterious phenomena called fast radio bursts could be evidence of advanced alien technology. Specifically, these bursts might be leakage from planet-sized transmitters powering interstellar probes in distant galaxies. "Fast radio bursts are exceedingly bright given their short duration and origin at great distances, and we haven't identified a possible natural source with any confidence," said theorist Avi Loeb of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. "An artificial origin is worth contemplating and checking." As the name implies, fast radio bursts are millisecond-long flashes of radio emission. First discovered in 2007, fewer than two dozen have been detected by gigantic radio telescopes like the Parkes Observatory in Australia or the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. They are inferred to originate from distant galaxies, billions of light-years away. Loeb and his co-author Manasvi Lingam (Harvard University) examined the feasibility of creating a radio transmitter strong enough for it to be detectable across such immense distances. They found that, if the transmitter were solar powered, the sunlight falling on an area of a planet twice the size of the Earth would be enough to generate the needed energy. Such a vast construction project is well beyond our technology, but within the realm of possibility according to the laws of physics. Lingam and Loeb also considered whether such a transmitter would be viable from an engineering perspective, or whether the tremendous energies involved would melt any underlying structure. Again, they found that a water-cooled device twice the size of Earth could withstand the heat. They then asked, why build such an instrument in the first place? They argue that the most plausible use of such power is driving interstellar light sails. The amount of power involved would be sufficient to push a payload of a million tons, or about 20 times the largest cruise ships on Earth. "That's big enough to carry living passengers across interstellar or even intergalactic distances," added Lingam. To power a light sail, the transmitter would need to focus a beam on it continuously. Observers on Earth would see a brief flash because the sail and its host planet, star and galaxy are all moving relative to us. As a result, the beam sweeps across the sky and only points in our direction for a moment. Repeated appearances of the beam, which were observed but cannot be explained by cataclysmic astrophysical events, might provide important clues about its artificial origin. Loeb admits that this work is speculative. When asked whether he really believes that any fast radio bursts are due to aliens, he replied, "Science isn't a matter of belief, it's a matter of evidence. Deciding what's likely ahead of time limits the possibilities. It's worth putting ideas out there and letting the data be the judge." The paper reporting this work has been accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letters and is available online. The Office for National Statistics puts the gender pay gap at 9.4% for full-time employees. Measures to tackle this could fail if women continue to underestimate their earning potential, shows new research from the School of Management. Credit: University of Bath Efforts to end the gender pay gap could be thwarted by the tendency for women to be pessimistic about their earning potential, shows new research from the University's School of Management. The study finds that women underestimate their earnings prospects, leading to lower expectations and little inclination to push for higher wages or promotion, or seek a better paid position. Conversely, men consistently overestimate their prospects. When reality fails to live up to their optimistic expectations they are dissatisfied and more likely than women to try to engineer a pay rise or promotion, or change jobs in the pursuit of better pay. The finding adds to the complex mix of causes of the gender pay gap reported as work, society and family, and calls into question the efficacy of policy measures to address the gap. The parliamentary Women and Equalities Committee recently criticised the government for failing to implement reforms aimed at eliminating the gender pay gap, which The Office for National Statistics puts at 9.4 per cent for full-time employees in 2016. From 6 April 2017 new gender pay gap regulations will require companies to publish information on the difference between male and female salaries. Despite being lower paid than men, it's well documented that women are more satisfied at work than their male counterparts. Economists have been trying to explain the 'paradox of the contented female worker', or why women are happy at work despite pay inequality. Published in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, the findings are based on analysis from the British Household Panel Survey a major longitudinal study tracking individuals' expectations of salaries from unemployment to paid employment. Women underestimate pay prospects The results suggest men have a tendency to overestimate what they would be paid, while women underestimated their pay prospects, adding to the body of evidence that shows women underestimate their abilities, while men consistently overestimate their capabilities. Dr Chris Dawson, Senior Lecturer in Business Economics in the School of Management, said: "If low female expectations in terms of pay is fuelled by a pessimistic outlook, then even without discrimination and progression-related issues, women will continue to underestimate themselves and continue to inadvertently accept pay inequality. "It has serious implications for policy that is trying to address the gender pay gap and suggests more needs to be done to actively advance women at work, without relying on them to self-select for promotion and senior opportunities. The takeaway message of this research is not about putting the responsibility on women, but recognising that without policy measures to address this, we run the risk of never closing the gender pay gap." The role of 'unconscious pessimism' Professor Veronica Hope Hailey, Dean of the University's School of Management, added: "Whilst the role of unconscious bias in gender relations in the workplace has been well documented, this new research demonstrates the role of unconscious pessimism and passivity on the part of women. It shows the importance of people management practices that enable and encourage women to progress and recognise their value. The onus is on policy makers and employers to foster female talent so that initiatives to close the gender pay gap can succeed." More information: Chris Dawson. The upside of pessimism Biased beliefs and the paradox of the contented female worker, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization (2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2017.02.004 Journal information: Journal of Economic Behaviour and Organisation Mustafa refused to make a statement as the trial opened. Mustafa collected information including photos and videos of Robbe, and Rouach, as wells as details of their workplaces, homes, families and acquaintances, their neighborhoods, and the public transportation they frequented, according to prosecutors. He allegedly sent this information to a contact called Mahmud, who passed it on to the elite Iranian Quds Force unit. Mustafa came to Germany in 2012 to study for an engineering degree at the University of Bremen. Prosecutor Michael Greven told the Berlin state court that he collected the information on Robbe and Rouach between July 2015 and July 2016, on trips to both Berlin and Paris. While he spent several days in each city, he apparently clandestinely shot more than 900 photos and dozens of videos with a digital camera and with his iPhone. While in Berlin, he also collected information on the Jewish newspaper Juedische Allgemeine. As he read out the indictment, Greven said, The al Quds unit has its own agents and it considers Israel its arch enemy. Its unclear how far along in their alleged planning the Iranians were when Mustafa was arrested. To date, no attacks have been carried out. Mustafa provided his reports in the form of Power Point presentations, that highlighted the both individuals security situations, and details of surveillance cameras, security personnel and police presence, prosecutors said. According to Greven, Mustafa received at least 2,052 euros ($2,170) for his spying activities. He traveled to Pakistan in October 2015 and February 2016, and from there Greven believes he continued on to Iran, where he met with his contact Mahmud. On Monday, the trial will resume, and the court has scheduled eight days of hearings. If convicted, Mustafa faces a possible five years in prison. Sacharomyces cerevisiae cells in DIC microscopy. Credit: Wikipedia. A global research team has built five new synthetic yeast chromosomes, meaning that 30 percent of a key organism's genetic material has now been swapped out for engineered replacements. This is one of several findings of a package of seven papers published March 10 as the cover story for Science. Led by NYU Langone geneticist Jef Boeke, PhD, and a team of more than 200 authors, the publications are the latest from the Synthetic Yeast Project (Sc2.0). By the end of this year, this international consortium hopes to have designed and built synthetic versions of all 16 chromosomes - the structures that contain DNA - for the one-celled microorganism, Baker's yeast (S. cerevisiae). Like computer programmers, scientists add swaths of synthetic DNA to - or remove stretches from - human, plant, bacterial or yeast chromosomes in hopes of averting disease, manufacturing medicines, or making food more nutritious. Baker's yeast have long served as an important research model because their cells share many features with human cells, but are simpler and easier to study. "This work sets the stage for completion of designer, synthetic genomes to address unmet needs in medicine and industry," says Boeke, director of NYU Langone's Institute for Systems Genetics. "Beyond any one application, the papers confirm that newly created systems and software can answer basic questions about the nature of genetic machinery by reprogramming chromosomes in living cells." In March 2014, Sc2.0 successfully assembled the first synthetic yeast chromosome (synthetic chromosome 3 or synIII) comprising 272,871 base pairs, the chemical units that make up the DNA code. The new round of papers consists of an overview and five papers describing the first assembly of synthetic yeast chromosomes synII, synV, synVI, synX, and synXII. A seventh paper provides a first look at the 3-D structures of synthetic chromosomes in the cell nucleus. Many technologies developed in Sc2.0 serve as the foundation for GP-write, a related initiative aiming to synthesize complete sets of human and plant chromosomes (genomes) in the next ten years. GP-write will hold its next meeting in New York City on May 9-10, 2017; please visit this site for more information. Global Production To begin synthesizing a yeast chromosome, researchers must first plan thousands of changes, some of which empower them to move around pieces of chromosomes in a kind of fast, high-powered evolution. Other changes remove stretches of DNA code found to be unlikely to have a functional role by past efforts. Libraries of altered yeast strains can then be screened to see which have the most useful features. NYU Langone Geneticist Jef Boeke, PhD, discusses a package of seven papers published as the cover story for Science about the building of five new synthetic yeast chromosomes. Credit: NYU Langone Medical Center With the edits made, the team starts to assemble edited, synthetic DNA sequences into ever larger chunks, which are finally introduced into yeast cells, where cellular machinery finishes building the chromosome. A major innovation captured in the current round of papers involves this last step. Previously, researchers were required to finish building one piece of a chromosome before they could start work on the next. Sequential requirements are bottlenecks, says Boeke, which slow processes and increase cost. The current round of papers features several efforts to "parallelize" the assembly of synthetic chromosomes. Labs around the globe each synthesized different pieces in strains of yeast that were then mated (crossed) to quickly yield thriving yeast, not just with an entire synthetic chromosome, but in some instances with more than one. Specifically, a paper led by author Leslie Mitchell, PhD, a post-doctoral fellow from Boeke's lab at NYU Langone, described the construction of a strain containing three synthetic chromosomes. "Steps can be accomplished at the same time in many locales and then assembled at the end, like networking laptops to create a global super computer," says Mitchell. Along the way, the global team honed a number of innovations and came to understand yeast biology better. A team at Tsinghua University, for instance, led an effort where six teams built in pieces synthetic chromosome XII (synXII), which was then assembled into a final molecule more than a million base pairs (a megabase) in length. This largest synthetic chromosome to date is still 1/3,000 of what would be needed to build a human genome molecule, so new techniques will be needed. In addition, experiments demonstrated that drastic changes can be made to the genomes of yeast without killing them, says Boeke. Yeast strains, for instance, survived experiments where sections of DNA code were moved from one chromosome to another, or even swapped between yeast species, with little effect. Genetically pliable (plastic) organisms make good platforms for the dramatic engineering that may be needed for future applications. The package of seven newly published had authors from ten universities in several countries, including the US (NYU Langone, Johns Hopkins), China (Tianjin, Tsinghua), France (Institut Pasteur, Sorbonne Universites), and Scotland (Edinburgh); along with authors from key industry partners: BGI, the leading Chinese genomics organization, US/China-based Genescript, and WuXi Qinglan Biotechnology, Inc. Led by the School of Chemical Engineering and Technology at Tianjin University in China, the paper describing the synthesis of SynV is noteworthy in that is was done by undergraduate students as part of "Build-a-Genome China", a class first taught in the United States at Johns Hopkins, where Boeke worked before coming to NYU Langone. This is part of an emerging global network of "chromosome foundries," says Boeke, "which is building the next generation of synthetic biologists along with chromosomes." More information: "Design of a synthetic yeast genome," Science (2017). DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf4557 Journal information: Science UA doctoral student Sixing Lu is helping ECE associate professor Roman Lysecky develop technology on a prototype network-connected pacemaker (in left hand) to detect hacking of a real pacemaker (in right hand). Credit: UA College of Engineering Nearly a million new forms of malware are unleashed on the world every day. Manufacturers of software for smartphones, laptops and security cameras, as well as banks, retailers and government agencies, release upgrades frequently to try to protect customers and assets. Yet the millions of people with implanted medical devices typically never receive software upgrades to address security vulnerabilities for the gadgets in their bodies. "It used to be we only had to worry about breaches of our computers and smartphones," said Roman Lysecky, an associate professor in the University of Arizona Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. "Industry analysts predict that by 2020 most of the 20 billion electronic devices on the market will be interconnectedand millions of these will be implantable medical devices." Like other modern electronics, implantable medical devices are connected through the internet or wireless technologies. They include cardiac pacemakers and defibrillators for people with arrhythmia, insulin pumps for people with diabetes and brain neurostimulators for people with Parkinson's disease. Many IMDs have sensors to monitor vital signs such as heart rate and transmit data to healthcare providers' computers in real time. Doctors can evaluate patients remotely and, with a few simple adjustments, improve their conditions or even save their lives. But along with their benefits, IMDs pose risks. Hackers who gain access to confidential patient information could use malware as "ransomware." Worse, they could put a patient with an implanted cardiac pacemakerthere are more than 225,000 such people in the United States alone - into cardiac arrest. "This hasn't happened yet to our knowledge," said Lysecky, an expert in connected, or embedded, electronic systems who is leading two federally funded projects to reduce cybersecurity risks in pacemakers and other biomedical devices. "But security researchers have proved it is possible." Good Timing Lysecky is pioneering technologies to enable IMDs to detect malware and help ensure they will continue functioning properly in a patient when their security is breached. He has built a prototype of a network-connected pacemaker and is running experiments based on case studies of malware infecting other types of embedded systems. In one project funded by the National Science Foundation, he and co-principal investigator Jerzy Rozenblit, UA Distinguished Professor and Oglethorpe Endowed Chair in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and professor of surgery in the College of Medicine, are developing runtime anomaly detection. This technology exposes minuscule changes in the timing of how computations and data are transmitted from the pacemaker to a cardiac data log, revealing the potential presence of malware. A pacemaker might be engineered to send data to the patient's digital cardiac log every three milliseconds or to send specific types of data, such as ventricular or atrial readings, in less than 10 milliseconds. Any aberrations in these precisely timed processes could signal the presence of malware. The changes would immediately alert a doctor, who could then take action remotely, possibly with the patient never knowing of the harm averted. Lysecky, recipient of a prestigious NSF Early Career Award, is also looking for malware mimicry, whereby hackers tweak functioning of IMDs in subtle ways to avoid detection. His team, including doctoral students Sixing Lu and Minjun Seo, achieved a 100-percent detection rate for mimicry malware using runtime anomaly detection in the prototype pacemaker system. The researchers reported their findings for the 2015 Workshop on Embedded Systems Security and in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' Embedded Systems Letters in 2016. Pressure Building for Regulations Pacemakers are not yet required to have built-in detection and mitigation capabilities, but pressure is building. "As a cardiologist, I have seen an increase in patient awareness of security issues about their implanted devices in the digital realm," said Dr. Peter Ott, an associate professor in the UA College of Medicine Sarver Heart Center who has collaborated with Lysecky and Rozenblit and routinely implants cardiac pacemakers and defibrillators in patients. "I expect such concerns will grow." The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has identified hundreds of medical devices infected by malware and first published recommendations in October 2014 for manufacturers to consider software protections throughout a product's lifecycle. In December 2016 the agency issued security guidelines encouraging pacemaker manufacturers to regularly monitor, maintain and update software. "We believe manufacturers should build implantable medical devices like pacemakers with malware detection strategies from the get-go, and provide patches as future problems develop," said Lysecky, who is looking toward clinical trials of his runtime anomaly detection system at Banner-University Medical Center Tucson in the coming years. Thwarting Hackers from Every Angle Lysecky is working on another project, with a grant from the Army Research Office, to make medical implants more resistant to side-channel attacks. He and co-principal investigator Janet Meiling Roveda, UA professor of electrical and computer engineering, are developing mathematical models to analyze changes not only in timing, but also in power consumption and electromagnetic radiation. "Side-channel attacks like these are a critical threat to the security of embedded systems," Lysecky said. "By analyzing data transmission timing, power consumption and electromagnetic radiation from a life-critical device such as a pacemaker, a hacker can extract data like cryptographic keys that are essential for shielding communications from unauthorized users." Lysecky is one of many engineers, scientists and physicians throughout the UA working to improve cybersecurity for implantable medical devices, often in collaboration with the Arizona Center for Accelerated Biomedical Innovation. Larkmead School. Credit: CC-BY-SA-2.5,2.0,1.0 Babies in prams accompanying older siblings on the school run are twice as likely to be exposed to harmful air pollution in the morning than in the afternoon, a new study has found. The new research, published in the journal Environmental Pollution today, highlights the high levels exposure of babies in prams to fine and ultrafine particulate matter during the morning drop-in hours of school children compared with the afternoon drop-off hours. The study, carried out by researchers at the University of Surrey, also revealed that the worst places for infants to be exposed was at bus stops and traffic lights when they are waiting to cross roads. A recent WHO report states that 570,000 children under the age of 5 die every year from respiratory infections, such as pneumonia, attributable to indoor and outdoor air pollution, and second-hand smoke. Surrey researchers carried out a series of experiments using high specification air monitoring equipment located inside a pram to gauge the kind of pollutants and toxic chemicals toddlers are exposed to when accompanying older siblings during the school drop off/pick up peak times. During the study tests, the monitoring equipment simulated the average primary school drop off/pick up, passing through a number of traffic intersections and bus stops during the drop-in (morning) and pick-up (afternoon) hours. Primarily, the work of the research group identified that traffic intersections and bus stops emerged as pollution hotspots, with high levels of both coarse (PM2.5-10) and fine (PM2.5) particles. The researchers also found that small-sized particles, including ultrafine particles, were higher on an average by about 47% (PM1), 31% (PM2.5) and 31% (PNC) during the morning than afternoon hours, reflecting the influence of traffic emissions during the morning peak hours. Coarse particles (PM2.5-10) showed an opposite trend with 70% higher concentration during afternoon than morning, indicating that re-suspension was affected by the wetness of road pavement due to overnight dew in the early mornings. The above findings clearly suggest much higher concentrations of fine and ultrafine particles during the morning peak hours, especially at the traffic intersections and bus stops, substantiating their past research findings. Dr Prashant Kumar, lead author and Reader at the University of Surrey, said: "Previous research has shown that young children are far more susceptible to pollution than adults, due to their immature and developing systems and lower body weight. These findings provide an insight for families who walk to and from nursery/primary schools with young children. Essentially, children could be at risk of breathing in some nasty and harmful chemical species such as iron, aluminium and silica that form together the particles of various size ranges. "One of the simplest ways to combat this is to use a barrier between the in-pram children and the exhaust emissions, especially at pollution hotspots such as traffic intersections, so parents could use pram covers if at all possible. We are also working closely with our industrial partners to develop innovative methods to clean the air around the children in their in-pram microenvironments." This project has been carried out under the framework of the University Global Partnership Network funded project, NEST-SEAS (Next-Generation Environmental Sensing for Local To Global Scale Health Impact Assessment). The research was carried out in Guildford, Surrey, in the United Kingdom. More information: Prashant Kumar et al. Exposure of in-pram babies to airborne particles during morning drop-in and afternoon pick-up of school children, Environmental Pollution (2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2017.02.021 After Chemotherapy, these cells change their behaviour, become active and regenerate all cell types in the intestine (in green). Credit: Franscisco Barriga, IRB Barcelona The intestine has a high rate of cellular regeneration due to the wear and tear originated by its function degrading and absorbing nutrients and eliminating waste. The entire cell wall is renewed once a week approximately. This explains why the intestine holds a large number of stem cells in constant division, thereby producing new cell populations of the various types present in this organ. Researchers at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) headed by ICREA investigator Eduard Batlle, head of the Colorectal Cancer Laboratory, have discovered a new group of intestinal stem cells with very different characteristics to those of the abundant and active stem cells already known in this organ. Performed in collaboration with the Centro Nacional de Analisis Genomico (CNAG-CRG), the study has been published in Cell Stem Cell. These new group of stem cells are quiescent, that is to say, they do not proliferate and are apparently dormant. The researchers describe them as a reservoir of stem cellsit is estimated that there is one quiescent cell for every 10 active intestinal stem cells. In healthy conditions, these cells have no apparent relevant function. However, they are important in situations of stress, , for example, after chemotherapy, in inflammatory processes, and in tissue infectionsall conditions in which the population of "normal/active" stem cells is depleted. These quiescent cells would serve to regenerate the organ by giving rise to the various types of cells present in the intestine, renewing the population of "normal/active" stem cells, and restoring balance to the tissue. Eduard Batlle explains that the discovery of quiescent stem cells in the intestine reveals that stem cell biology is more complex that previously appreciated and that it does not follow ahierarchical model of cell organisation. "In intestinal cell hierarchy, there are no cells above others, so the two populations are in a continual balance to ensure the proper function of the organ". Most drugs against cancer have a secondary effect on the cells that are dividing in our tissues. "Because quiescent stem cells divide infrequently, they are resistant to many types of chemotherapy and they regenerate the tissue that this treatment has damaged," explains Eduard Batlle, head of one of the labs of international prestige in research into intestinal stem cells and their involvement in colorectal cancer. Quiescent cells are present in many kinds of tissue. However, in spite of their relevance in tissue regeneration, increasing evidence points to their involvement in tumour development. "It is difficult to study these cells, mainly because they are scarce and there are technical limitations with respect to monitoring, straining and distinguishing them from the others," explains Francisco Barriga, first author of the study and current postdoctoral fellow at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Using advanced techniques, such as genetic tracing of cell lineages and transcriptomic analysis of individual cells, performed by CNAG-CRG and the Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Unit at IRB Barcelona, the group has identified the distinct genetic programme used by quiescent stem cells with respect to normal intestinal ones. This work has been done over six years. The researchers have labelled this cell population with a specific marker, the Mex3a protein, which has allowed them to track it over time. "We intend to continue studying quiescent stem cells in health and disease and to discover the function of the genes that distinguish them in the colon and in other organs," says Batlle. More information: Mex3a marks a slowly dividing subpopulation of Lgr5+ intestinal stem cells Cell Stem Cell (2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2017.02.007 Journal information: Cell Stem Cell Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers are joining forces with the U.S. Navy Metalworking Center to study ways to reduce the high cost of inspecting welds on nuclearpowered submarines. Credit: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers are joining forces with the U.S. Navy Metalworking Center (NMC) to study ways to reduce the high cost of inspecting welds on nuclear-powered submarines. LLNL entered a feasibility study agreement with the Navy to look at developing a non-destructive technology that can essentially peer through the submarine's coatingknown as special hull treatmentto find defects in the ship's welds. Currently, hull inspections require the removal and reinstallation of the coating in order to examine the structure underneath, which is a costly and time-consuming process. "We're investigating a cross-platform technique that allows us to interrogate the welds without doing destructive work on that treatment," said LLNL Materials and Engineering Section Leader Karl Fisher, a principal investigator on the project. "[Submarine maintenance] is a major undertaking. A lot of things can happen and anything that impedes the schedule is bad. Our proposal is to reduce the cost, but it is a costly process." Fisher said researchers will be looking at using acoustical structural excitation along with ultra-wide-band radar technology, which has proven useful in penetrating underground to search for improvised explosive devices. While Fisher cautioned the technology isn't guaranteed to work on submarines, it could help narrow the area where a crack or defect in the welding has occurred. "We would use acoustics and vibration excitation to get the hull moving, and then watch and listen for changes in motion," Fisher said. "It's analogous to a wineglassif you tap it and the glass is solid, it will make a 'ding.' If there's a crack in it, you'll hear a dull thud. In theory, the defect will radiate differently and have a different mechanical response, and we could scan it and find out where." For the first phase of the study, the Lab team will use test samples to try the technique and gauge for efficacy. At the same time, two other institutions will be investigating terahertz and phased array approaches. The Navy will review the three proposals in early 2017 before moving on to developing a prototype system. At LLNL, engineer and co-principal investigator John Chang will lend his expertise in remote sensing to the project. "Each modality has its shortcomings; there's no one technique that will address the problem," Chang said. "To me it highlights the Lab's uniqueness in multidisciplinary research and tapping into experts in their fields to generate new capabilities." The Navy estimates that reducing the amount of coating that has to be removed and reinstalled on a Virginia Class submarine during inspections could reduce costs by as much as $1.2 million per hull per inspection cycle, or $6 million over a five-year period. Credit: Francisco Farias Jr/public domain A team of researchers led by the University of Queensland's Matthew Hornsey has found evidence that suggests people who are conservative are less likely to apologize than are those who are more liberal. In their paper published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, the group describes their study and offer their results and some opinions on why there may be differences between the two groups. Apologies have taken on a new form in the mass media agewhere once they were words used by one individual to another, or perhaps a small group, today, they can be messages from well-known people wishing to maintain a certain public persona. But as Hornsey noted in a recent interview with the press, some types of people seem to apologize more than others. He had noticed that liberal politicians and other notables seemed to offer more public apologies then their conservative counterparts. Intrigued, he gathered with colleagues to conduct a study. The first part of the study consisted of drafting a survey which they then sent to 2,130 people living in Chile, Hong Kong, Russia, Peru, Australia, China and the United States. The survey inquired about how willing people were to apologize and under what circumstances. In analyzing the results, they found that those who considered themselves conservative did, indeed, report apologizing less than those who considered themselves to be liberal. They also found that conservatives also appeared to be less influenced by an apology from another, which translated to being less likely to forgive a transgression just because someone apologized for it. The team then conducted a second experiment, this time with 65 volunteers, 38 from India and 27 from America. Each was asked individually to imagine they had been asked to water their neighbor's lawn while the neighbor went on vacation and that they had done a poor job of it. The volunteers were asked to write down how things would go when the neighbors returned. In studying the written reports, the researchers found that those that self-identified as conservative were less likely to apologize for not doing a better job than did those that identified as liberal. The researchers cannot say for sure why there appeared to be differences in willingness to apologize but theorize that it might be because conservatives engage more in hierarchical thinking than do liberals, which might translate to feelings of losing power over others if they offer an apology. More information: Matthew J. Hornsey et al. Conservatives Are More Reluctant to Give and Receive Apologies Than Liberals, Social Psychological and Personality Science (2017). journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1948550617691096 Journal information: Social Psychological and Personality Science 2017 Phys.org When companies make public declarations of social responsibility, it can be hard to tell whether they actually change practices or if they exaggerate the impacta practice known as greenwashing. New research by University of Michigan professors Jun Li and Andrew Wu examined the social outcomes of corporate responsibility efforts. They found: Private companies are more likely to follow through on corporate social responsibility declarations than public companies. Short-term market pressures prevent public companies from devoting the resources to corporate social responsibility efforts. Public companies with customer-facing brands are an exception, as this is a case when market incentives align with corporate social responsibility initiatives. The difference between public and private companies' behavior after signing onto the United Nations Global Compact program was striking. "There do seem to be conflicts for public companies when it comes to corporate social responsibility," said Li, assistant professor of technology and operations at the Ross School of Business. "They are constrained by shareholders and by law to maximize profits. If the CEO of Patagonia wants to buy organic cotton, he can make it happen even if it means lower margins. A public company has to justify that to shareholders." Li and Wu developed a novel method to find a common corporate social responsibility proxy and track the outcomes. They examined the 6,420 companies that signed onto the UNGC between 2007 and 2016. It covers a broad array of responsibility goalssuch as labor standards, environmental and corporate governanceand it's a unified set of standards. They then matched those companies with reports from RepRisk, a third-party firm that screens more than 80,000 media, regulatory and commercial documents in 15 languages each day for negative events regarding company-level environmental, social and governance events. They discovered that private companies in the study reduced their negative impacts, as reported by RepRisk, by 6.3 percent per month. There was no change for public companies, though in some cases the negative impacts increased slightly. "If you think about corporate social responsibility, it's mostly a diversion of resources," said Wu, assistant professor of technology and operations, and finance, at the Ross School of Business. "Not only from company shareholders to other stakeholders, but also from short term to long term. But public company managers tend to focus more on the short term and are incentivized as such." The exceptions they found among public companies were ones that own customer-facing brands. In those cases, the value of corporate social responsibility is aligned with shareholders, since consumers often punish companies for irresponsible behavior. "We segmented where companies are in the supply chain, and when a company owns a brand that's high-profile with consumers, like household products, they have better social responsibility performance," Li said. "But with the B-to-B companies further down the chain you see the greenwashing." More information: Jun Li. Do Firms Become More Responsible after Corporate Social Responsibility Engagement?, SSRN Electronic Journal (2016). DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.2853877 An innovative deep soil warming experiment in full swing. Scientist Caitlin Hicks Pries downloads soil temperature data while fellow Berkeley Lab scientists Cristina Castanha (left) and Neslihan Tas (middle) work on an experimental plot in the background. Credit: Berkeley Lab Soils could release much more CO2 than expected into the atmosphere as the climate warms, according to new research by scientists from the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). Their findings are based on a field experiment that, for the first time, explored what happens to organic carbon trapped in soil when all soil layers are warmed, which in this case extend to a depth of 100 centimeters. The scientists discovered that warming both the surface and deeper soil layers at three experimental plots increased the plots' annual release of CO2 by 34 to 37 percent over non-warmed soil. Much of the CO2 originated from deeper layers, indicating that deeper stores of carbon are more sensitive to warming than previously thought. They report their work online March 9 in the journal Science. The results shed light on what is potentially a big source of uncertainty in climate projections. Soil organic carbon harbors three times as much carbon as Earth's atmosphere. In addition, warming is expected to increase the rate at which microbes break down soil organic carbon, releasing more CO2 into the atmosphere and contributing to climate change. But, until now, the majority of field-based soil warming experiments only focused on the top five to 20 centimeters of soilwhich leaves a lot of carbon unaccounted for. Experts estimate soils below 20 centimeters in depth contain more than 50 percent of the planet's stock of soil organic carbon. The big questions have been: to what extent do the deeper soil layers respond to warming? And what does this mean for the release of CO2 into the atmosphere? "We found the response is quite significant," says Caitlin Hicks Pries, a postdoctoral researcher in Berkeley Lab's Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division. She conducted the research with co-corresponding author Margaret Torn, and Christina Castahna and Rachel Porras, who are also Berkeley Lab scientists. "If our findings are applied to soils around the globe that are similar to what we studied, meaning soils that are not frozen or saturated, our calculations suggest that by 2100 the warming of deeper soil layers could cause a release of carbon to the atmosphere at a rate that is significantly higher than today, perhaps even as high as 30 percent of today's human-caused annual carbon emissions depending on the assumptions on which the estimate is based," adds Hicks Pries. The need to better understand the response of all soil depths to warming is underscored by projections that, over the next century, deeper soils will warm at roughly the same rate as surface soils and the air. In addition, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change simulations of global average soil temperature, using a "business-as-usual" scenario in which carbon emissions rise in the decades ahead, predict that soil will warm 4 Celsius by 2100. To study the potential impacts of this scenario, the Berkeley Lab scientists pioneered an innovative experimental setup at the University of California's Blodgett Forest Research Station, which is located in the foothills of California's Sierra Nevada mountains. The soil at the research station is representative of temperate forest soils, that in turn account for about 13.5 percent of soil area worldwide. The scientists built their experiment around six soil plots that measure three meters in diameter. The perimeter of each plot was ringed with 22 heating cables that were vertically sunk more than two meters underground. They warmed three of the plots 4 Celsius for more than two years, leaving the other three plots unheated to serve as controls. They monitored soil respiration three different ways over the course of the experiment. Each plot had an automated chamber that measured the flux of carbon at the surface every half hour. In addition, one day each month, Hicks Pries and the team measured surface carbon fluxes at seven different locations at each plot. A third method probed the all-important underground realm. A set of stainless steel "straws" was installed below the surface at each plot. The scientists used the straws to measure CO2 concentrations once a month at five depths between 15 and 90 centimeters. By knowing these CO2 concentrations and other soil properties, they could model the extent to which each depth contributed to the amount of CO2 released at the surface. They discovered that, of the 34 to 37 percent increase in CO2 released at the three warmed plots, 40 percent of this increase was due to CO2 that came from below 15 centimeters. They also found the sensitivity of soil to warming was similar across the five depths. The scientists say these findings suggest the degree to which soil organic carbon influences climate change may be currently underestimated. "There's an assumption that carbon in the subsoil is more stable and not as responsive to warming as in the topsoil, but we've learned that's not the case," says Torn. "Deeper soil layers contain a lot of carbon, and our work indicates it's a key missing component in our understanding of the potential feedback of soils to the planet's climate." More information: "Getting to the Bottom of Soil's Role in Releasing Carbon; It Could Be Greater than Thought," Science (2017). DOI: 10.1126/science.aal1319 Journal information: Science The woylie is an extremely rare small marsupial endemic to Australia. Credit: Sabrina Trocini Murdoch University researchers have discovered a new species of Australian tick, but believe it may be facing extinction because of its strong preference for critically endangered woylies. Dr Amanda Ash and colleagues from the Parasitology research team in the School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, collected ticks from the two remaining woylie populations in south western Australia. They found 42 per cent of the woylies with ticks hosted the new species, named Ixodes woyliei. The team also sampled the ticks found on 268 other marsupial species living within the same areas as woylies like brushtail possums, western quolls and southern brown bandicoots, and only found the new species of tick on two of the animals. This is the first new Australian Ixodes tick species described in a scientific journal for more than 50 years. The woylie, also known as the brush-tailed bettong, is an extremely rare small marsupial that is endemic to Australia. It once inhabited more than 60 per cent of the Australian mainland. Murdoch researchers have been studying woylies for the last ten years, prompted by a population crash. Parasite infections were considered to be a possible contributing factor to their decline and so comprehensive data on woylie parasites were collected. Dr Ash found the new species is less likely than other species of tick to be a vector for blood parasites, which have been implicated in the recent declines of woylies. However, she said more research was required to understand the importance of the new tick for its marsupial host. A nymph Ixodes woyliei taken at the Centre for Microscopy Characterisation and Analysis at UWA "When considering the critically endangered status of woylies, having undergone a 90 per cent decline in seven years, and the apparent host specificity of Ixodes woyliei, there is a very real risk of a future co-extinction event," she said. "As such, it is important to understand more about this host-parasite relationship. Our native species carry many native parasites like ticks, internal worms and blood parasites, which can have a conservation value for that species. Parasites can influence the behaviour of hosts, regulate population sizes and act as ecosystem engineers. So parasite extinction may have important impacts on how an ecosystem functions and can affect biodiversity." Dr Ash said the preference of Ixodes woyliei for woylies could be explained ecologically. "Woylies utilise several nests, normally located under grass trees, and transmission of ticks could be confined to these sites," she said. "If the ticks detach, develop and relocate to another host within these nests, it is easy to understand why they seem to be found mostly on woylies." But she added the tick species could also face extinction through translocation events. "Woylies are currently the focus of intense conservation management strategies involving the frequent and wide scale translocation of the species across Australia. Some translocation protocols involve treatment for parasites, with ticks eliminated," she explained. "If hosts are not treated, the ability of the tick population to establish itself is reliant on the number of ticks and hosts translocated and the suitability of the new habitat for survival during its off-host development. "We found Ixodes woyliei hosted by woylies at Karakamia Wildlife Sanctuary, suggesting these ticks can survive translocation under the right conditions. But more research is required to understand this relationship fully." More information: Amanda Ash et al. Morphological and molecular description of Ixodes woyliei n. sp. (Ixodidae) with consideration for co-extinction with its critically endangered marsupial host, Parasites & Vectors (2017). DOI: 10.1186/s13071-017-1997-8 The "Novel Astronomical Instrumentation through Photonic Reformatting" (NAIR) project is being funded by the DFG within the "New Instrumentation for Research" call for proposals. The project is being supported by the Konigstuhl State Observatory of the Centre for Astronomy of Heidelberg University, the Institute of Physics I of the University of Cologne, and the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics in Potsdam. The researchers in Heidelberg, Cologne and Potsdam will design and test components that can efficiently rearrange the light of stars and galaxies to enable high-precision measurements of cosmic objects. This new technology is targeted for use on large telescopes in order to, for example, search for earth-like planets of nearby stars and determine their atmospheric composition. "When building spectrographs for modern telescopes, we increasingly encounter technical and financial limitations," explains Prof. Dr Andreas Quirrenbach, Head of the Konigstuhl State Observatory. "However, in the coming decade telescopes with mirrors up to 40 meters in diameter will be placed in operation. We need new concepts to exploit the potential of these giant telescopes." One of these innovative approaches is the reformatting of light: for example, a light beam with a cross-section in the shape of a thin line is formed from a circular beam. According to Prof. Quirrenbach, it is also possible to use relatively small spectrographs with very large telescopes if they are fed these "squeezed" light bundles. Heidelberg researcher Dr Robert Harris already worked with the rearrangement of starlight while preparing his doctoral dissertation. He came across micro-optic devices used by the telecommunications industry in switching centres for fibre-optic networks. They have complex functions in a minimum amount of space and are therefore suitable for reformatting light. Now Dr Harris is developing components specifically tailored to the needs of astronomy. There is a further application for these photonic systems, according to Prof. Dr Lucas Labadie of Cologne. "If several telescopes are connected to a so-called interferometer, we get sharper images than would be possible with a single telescope. For this purpose, all light bundles must be combined and superimposed with the highest precision." Achieving this requires optimising the components and better understanding their physical properties in order to minimise light losses, as Dr Stefano Minardi and Dr Roger Haynes from Potsdam emphasise. The DFG funding provides for staff and laboratory equipment to develop and test new micro-optic systems concepts for use in astronomical instruments. The technology should also be made available to others working in basic scientific research. The decisive point of the privatization campaign began in 2005, when Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the IRGC enjoyed an executive majority of people who shared their vision for the regime. At this point, Khamenei began to implement a profound restructuring of Irans economy, including the ownership of a wide range of industries and institutions, writes Alireza Jafarzadeh, deputy director of the Washington office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, who is credited with exposing Iranian nuclear sites in Natanz and Arak in 2002, triggering International Atomic Energy Agency inspections. In an article for Fox News, he says, This first took the form of an official directive issued in May 2005. The government was instructed to transfer 80 percent of its economic enterprises to non-government public, private and cooperative sectors by the end of 2009. Among these were large mines, primary industries (including downstream oil and gas), foreign commerce, banks, insurance, power generation, post, roads, railroads, airlines, and shipping companies. By some estimates, close to $12B in shares were transferred over just three years, from 2005 to 2008. The Supreme Leaders office and its various branches, including the dominant Setad (the armed services), and the bonyads (foundations), were the beneficiaries of the bulk of these transfers. These institutions have control over all decision-making, legislative mechanisms, intelligence gathering, and access to budgetary commitments. According to Jafarzadeh, this resulted in the rise of powerhouses that act as the main players and control the western companies who enter into the Iranian economy. The U.S. office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran recently release the newly published, Rise of the Revolutionary Guards Financial Empire: How the Supreme Leader and the IRGC Rob the People to Fund International Terror, that identifies the 14 economic powerhouses directly or indirectly controlled by Khamenei, the IRGC, or their affiliates. According to a recent Reuters calculation, Setads holdings alone total about $95 billion. Additionally, these entities are tax-exempt while some also receive annual government funding. The Supreme Leader and the IRGC control at least 50 percent of Irans GDP, and they use the profits to fund activities such as the conflict in Syria, the terrorism and sectarianism in Iraq, the war in Yemen, the nuclear and missile programs, the security apparatus in Iran, and fundamentalist operations around the world. In the end, Irans national economy has been made to serve the domestic suppression, warmongering, export of fundamentalism, and terrorism, writes Jafarzadeh. He adds, Tehran is spending between $15-20 billion annually to fund the war in Syria, including at least $1B in salaries to its proxies. IRGC Qods Force commander Qassem Soleimani spends billions of dollars in Iraq to fund the Shiite militias and instigate sectarian violence. At least one billion dollars is provided to Hezbollah in Lebanon annually, and Tehran has poured at least 1.3 billion dollars into the coffers of Hamas. While Western companies would like to believe that they make deals with the private sector, many of the official banks and companies are backed by institutions controlled by the IRGC. The West cannot ignore the reality that those who run Irans economy are those who suppress the Iranian population and export the terrorism that threatens the West. To do business with Iran is to do business with Khamenei and the IRGC, writes Jafarzadeh. By designating the IRGC as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, the Trump administration has an opportunity to cut off resources to the IRGC and impose limitations on its profit-making, terror-funding operation. There would most likely be bipartisan agreement in the US Congress on this issue. No Post-Election Bounce for Restaurants CHICAGO, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ Restaurant goers surveyed by Pentallect, a food industry strategy and business improvement firm, in collaboration with its insights partner Critical Mix, are increasingly making food at home versus using restaurants since the election. Specifically, 35% report making food at home more often versus 13% using restaurants more often during the past 90 days. While 47% believe the Trump Administration will be positive for the economy and 38% believe it will be positive for their personal finances, this has not yet led to any noticeable improvement in restaurant performance. Bob Goldin, a Partner at Pentallect, says 46% of our respondents claim to have very little or virtually no discretionary income. This is a huge drag on the restaurant industry, which is highly dependent on discretionary income. In this type of environment, consumers tend eat at home to save money. Goldin also notes that consumers have a growing number of attractive alternatives to restaurants, including meal kits, home delivered groceries, supermarket prepared foods, farmers markets and specialty stores. In many cases, these new and emerging channels are neutralizing some of the major advantages of restaurants. Despite the current inertia, Pentallect forecasts that restaurants will outperform traditional retail in 2017 as consumer uncertainty over the elections socio-economic impact subsides and restaurants focus on building consumer traffic. Rob Veidenheimer, Pentallects President, predicts restaurants, especially independents, will benefit by their innovation, flexibility, quality and broad appeal on multiple dimensions. The firm expects restaurants to grow 3.0 4.0 % and traditional retail 1.0 2.0% this year. About Pentallect Inc. Pentallect is a strategic consulting and business improvement firm that provides an extraordinary breadth of food industry knowledge, drawing on vast food business management experience and broad networks of relationships throughout the supply chain for manufacturers, operators and distributors. The team leverages Read more Other point of sale news: Inventory needs to be managed and managed well, or you are going to get in recurring trouble, and lose your credibility and hard-earned conversions, whether Read more (Bloomberg) -- From safeguarding citizens rights to protecting their national economic interests, European Union governments are sharpening their red lines while maintaining general unity as Theresa May prepares to formally withdraw the U.K. from the bloc. With less than a month to go before the British prime minister triggers Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to start two years of divorce negotiations, a Bloomberg News analysis shows that, while the EUs 27 other governments have differing priorities, they remain united in wanting Michel Barnier, the blocs chief negotiator, to drive a hard bargain. Brexit isnt on the agenda of a two-day summit of EU leaders starting on Thursday in Brussels, but it will be the elephant in the room. Their individual negotiating positions have shifted since Bloombergs last survey of the 27 governments in September. At that time, they were insistent that the U.K. couldnt remain part of the European single market for goods and services if it wanted to restrict the blocs principle of free movement by controlling immigration from other EU countries. QuickTake How Does U.K. Want to Trade With EU Post-Brexit? May listened. In a speech in January in which she set out what the U.K. expected from Brexit, she said Britain would no longer be a member of the single market. She wants a bespoke customs agreement that would retain the frictionless movement of goods across borders between the EU and Britain. But she also talked up the possibility of the U.K. slashing corporate tax rates if she doesnt get her way and became the first European leader to meet President Donald Trump as she pushes for a swift free-trade deal with the other side of the Atlantic as soon as Brexit happens. Reflecting that, nearly nine months since Britain voted to leave, the EUs 27 other countries have added new negotiating positions and refreshed others. Some maintain they want to keep as close ties to the U.K. as possible, others can barely conceal their ambition to punish the U.K. for leaving the club. Practically all say the U.K. needs to be seen to be worse off outside the EU than in it. Story continues Throw into the mix the likelihood of the U.K. being charged about 60 billion euros ($63 billion) for leaving, wrangling over whether it can fully escape the clutches of the European courts and the rule that it must exit the EU without any deal if it isnt concluded before the deadline, and its not hard to see why diplomats are bracing for difficult talks. Austria Key issues: No free lunch, U.K. budget commitments Austria insists there should be no free lunch for the U.K. government in the Brexit talks and that the country must be worse off after it leaves. While the Austrians dont have huge bilateral issues, Chancellor Christian Kern predicted a lengthy debate about the U.K.s financial commitments to the bloc in a Feb. 23 interview with Bloomberg. Kern said the EUs 60 billion-euro ($63 billion) Brexit bill would likely cause disappointment in the U.K. as it contrasted with the Leave camps pledge to British voters that exiting the bloc would save them money. Belgium Key issues: Close ties with Britain, EU unity and integration Belgium, one of the EUs most open economies, is primarily concerned that U.K. ties remain as close as possible after Brexit and it stresses the need for a common negotiation by the 27 remaining members of the bloc. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel insists that EU governments must resist the temptation to engage in parallel trade talks with Britain and must not succumb to U.K. attempts to divide them. The government in Brussels seeks to shore up the push for closer integration within the EU, at different speeds if necessary, while minimizing disruption in trade with the U.K. Bulgaria Key issues: EU development aid, nationals rights in U.K. While only about 3 percent of its exports are destined for the U.K., Bulgaria is among the net beneficiaries of development aid from the EU budget. So along with protection of the rights of the nearly 60,000 Bulgarian citizens living and working in the U.K., the government in Sofia seeks continuation of the EUs development policy without the U.K. Aid from the EU budget will be one of Bulgarias main priorities when it holds the rotating EU presidency in the first half of 2018. Bulgaria may also try to bargain for more aid to deal with refugees crossing the border from Turkey. Croatia Key issues: Rights of Croatians in U.K., freedom of movement Croatia is most interested in preserving freedom of movement for its citizens living and working in the U.K. The government in Zagreb insists that Britain should not be granted any access to the European single market without protection of the blocs four freedoms. Cyprus Key issues: Rights of Cypriots in Britain, U.K. bases in Cyprus Given its history and extended ties with the U.K., Cyprus is one of the countries most exposed to Brexit. The Cypriot government wants to ensure the rights of Cypriot citizens living in the U.K. and to have a smooth transition to the new EU-Britain relationship. Cyprus puts equal weight on the rights of its citizens residing and working in two British sovereign territories on the island country, where the U.K. will continue to maintain military bases. Czech Republic Key issues: Economic ties, security, Czech nationals in the U.K. The Czech Republic wants the EU to maintain close relations with the U.K. in trade and security. The government in Prague seeks to preserve as much as possible the current economic ties, with Prime Minister Bobuslav Sobotka vowing to oppose tariff and non-tariff barriers. The premier is adamant that the rights of Czechs living in the U.K. must be protected. The Czechs also want a fair financial settlement regarding the U.K.s contributions to the EU budget. Denmark Key issues: Farm, energy exports to the U.K., fishing rights Denmarks Brexit Task Force is charged with identifying both defensive and offensive priorities. These include protecting agricultural and energy exports to the U.K., fishing rights in British waters and luring the European Medicines Agency from London. Estonia Key issues: EU solidarity, defense, close U.K. relations Estonia wants as tight and good future relationship as possible with the U.K. and will strive to maintain solidarity among the 27 EU nations when the government in Tallinn holds the EU presidency in the second half of this year. Estonia will need to put more effort into other formats of cooperation after the EU framework is no longer there to support ties, according to Matti Maasikas, the countrys chief Brexit negotiator. This is particularly true in the area of defense. Estonia will seek to keep relations with Britain as close as possible given the U.K.s role in anchoring the NATO contingent in the country and the mixed messages coming from the Trump administration in the U.S. regarding the trans-Atlantic alliance. Finland Key issues: EU unity, freedom of movement, EU integration Finlands top priority is ensuring EU unity during the divorce negotiations with Britain, with its main concern the balance of power within the EU without Britain. The government in Helsinki is adamant that even limited access to the single market requires the U.K. to accept the four freedoms and is on the lookout for opportunities to deepen EU integration post-Brexit. France Key issues: No favors for Britain, French citizens rights in U.K. France is adamant that the U.K. cannot expect special favors as it leaves the EU, with French presidential candidates Emmanuel Macron and Francois Fillon vowing exacting Brexit negotiations. At the same time, Marine Le Pens calls for a so-called Frexit could prompt the EU to take an even tougher stance to dissuade the French from heading to the exit, too. The government in Paris wants to ensure the rights of French citizens in the U.K. and sort out U.K.-related fishing rights in the post-Brexit world. Germany Key issues: U.K. must be worse off, no back-door industry talks Germany has made it clear that the U.K. will have to settle for less since Prime Minister May isnt interested in staying a full member of the European single market. The government in Berlin wants to ensure a package deal without back-door negotiations by carmakers, banks and other industries. Chancellor Angela Merkel has repeatedly appealed to German business to support her in staying tough on that stance. Greece Key issues: Agricultural exports, Greek citizens in Britain The Greeks main concern is trade, particularly exports of agricultural products to the U.K. One of their top priorities is also the preservation of social status for Greek employees and students in Britain. The government in Athens wants to protect rights related to university fees and social security for Greeks in the U.K. Hungary Key issues: Trade ties, Hungarians in U.K., EU-Britain relations Hungary seeks to maintain strong trade ties with Britain and, along with other central European EU members, wants its citizens who are already in the U.K. to be able to continue to work and live there without discrimination. Hungary wants the EU to be fair with Britain as it exits the bloc and to avoid the suicidal strategy of alienating Britain, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in an interview this week. The EU should strive for trade relations that give Britain better terms than other countries offer, he said. Ireland Key issues: Close U.K. ties, no hard border, common travel area Ireland wants to have a relationship as close as possible to its pre-Brexit ties with the U.K. That would include no hard border with Northern Ireland and a common travel area. The government in Dublin also wants the U.K. to have as much access to the single market as possible, though insisting that Britain must allow free movement of EU citizens. Italy Key issues: Non-destructive Brexit talks, rights of Italians in the U.K. Italy wants to make sure its citizens living in the U.K. are treated fairly. Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said in February after a meeting with the U.K.s May that it was important for negotiations not to be destructive. Latvia Key issues: Security and defense, rights of Latvians in Britain Latvias priorities are the rights of its nationals living in Britain along with security and defense. Latvia wants the post-Brexit U.K. involved in European security policy. The U.K. will have soldiers in Estonia as part of NATOs policy to reinforce and reassure the Baltic states. Lithuania Key issues: Lithuanians rights in the U.K., budget commitments The No. 1 priority for Lithuania is ensuring the rights of its citizens in Britain, followed by maintaining trade ties. It also is important for the government in Vilnius that the U.K. honor its budget commitments regarding various EU programs that will continue after Britain leaves the bloc, not least of all the agreed co-financing for the dismantling of the Ignalina nuclear-power plant, which Lithuania shut down due to safety concerns. Defense and security also are top issues for Lithuania and other countries in the eastern flank of NATO. Luxembourg Key issues: Economic ties, financial-services industry Luxembourg wants to maintain strong economic links with the U.K. and build closer ties with the City of London after Britain leaves the EU. The Grand Duchy is among continental business centers making a pitch for post-Brexit business and Prime Minister Xavier Bettel said in February that a number of financial-services companies have shown interest in switching operations to Luxembourg from the U.K. due to Brexit. Luxembourg also is interested in bidding to host the European Banking Authority. Malta Key issues: Balanced Brexit deal, U.K. worse off after exit Malta, which holds the EUs rotating presidency in the first half of 2017, wants a Brexit agreement that is good and fair, Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said in a Bloomberg interview on Thursday. The deal cannot be superior to membership in the bloc, he said. The Netherlands Key issues: Trade and security, limited Brexit damage to both sides The Dutch government is most keen to protect its interests in trade and security but also wants to limit the damage as much as possible to both sides in the divorce. With domestic issues taking the fore in looming national elections, Brexit has gotten little focus in the campaign. Poland Key issues: Rights of Poles in Britain, defense, development aid Poland, the biggest exporter of workers to the U.K., is adamant about protecting the rights of the nearly 1 million Polish nationals living and working in Britain. And Poland counts on Britains continued commitment to NATO. With Poland the top recipient of EU development funds, the government in Warsaw also will push hard for an arrangement that wont dramatically cut the blocs development-aid budget. While the EUs largest eastern economy is trying to lure companies including HSBC Holdings Plc and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to move jobs from the financial-market hub in London, it also wants a deal that wont hurt its trade with the U.K. Portugal Key issues: Preserving U.K. relations, ensuring EU citizens rights Portugal sees the rights of EU citizens in the U.K. as the No. 1 priority for the other 27 nations in the bloc. The government in Lisbon wants to preserve its long-standing bilateral relationship with the U.K. Portugal plans to apply to host the European Medicines Agency in Lisbon. Romania Key issues: Close EU-U.K. cooperation, rights of Romanians in Britain Romania wants to make sure the U.K.s exit agreement ensures that the rights of Romanians living in the U.K. are fully protected. President Klaus Iohannis has insisted on the importance of a negotiation as soon as possible of the aspects regarding the rights of the EU citizens in Britain. Romania supports a continued close cooperation of the EU with the U.K. after Brexit. Slovakia Key issues: Rights of EU citizens in Britain Slovakia will fight hard to protect the rights of its citizens living and working in the U.K., with Prime Minister Robert Fico saying the Brexit talks must prevent the creation of second-class citizens from the nationals of other EU member states now in the U.K. Slovenia Key issues: Steadfast EU in Brexit talks, minimal impact on EU budget Slovenia is steadfast that the EU be firm in the negotiations with the U.K., fearing that allowing any cherry-picking could spur nationalist movements in other members of the bloc. The government in Ljubljana also wants to ensure that Britains exit has minimal impact on the EUs budget. Spain Key issues: Rights of Spanish citizens in U.K., Brits in Spain Spains main priority is removing uncertainties for the more than 130,000 of its nationals living in the U.K. and about the 800,000 Britons living Spain at least part the year. Keeping trade, tourism and investment flows also is key for Spain as it battles to reduce its budget deficit. Spain is standing by its request to have co-sovereignty over Gibraltar. Any concession to Scotland would raise concerns in Spain that separatists in Catalonia could use it to build their case in the international arena. Sweden Key issues: No increase in budget contributions, unified EU in talks Sweden is most concerned that Britains exit from the EU does not lead to an increase in contributions to the blocs budget by the remaining member states. But the government in Stockholm says EU countries should avoid pitching individual agendas, which could risk undermining the blocs position in Brexit talks. The Swedes have warned that excessively aggressive corporate tax cuts on Britains part would complicate the divorce negotiations. At the same time, Swedish Finance Minister Magdalena Andersson argues that the EU shouldnt try to punish the U.K. in order to deter other EU states from leaving. With assistance from Nick Rigillo, Boris Groendahl, John Martens, Slav Okov, Elizabeth Konstantinova, Stephanie Bodoni, Jasmina Kuzmanovic, Paul Tugwell, Peter Laca, Ladka Mortkowitz Bauerova, Peter Levring, Ott Ummelas, Raine Tiessalo, Kati Pohjanpalo, Jonas O Bergman, Mark Deen, Tony Czuczka, Birgit Jennen, Rainer Buergin, Eleni Chrepa, Zoltan Simon, Dara Doyle, Alessandra Migliaccio, Aaron Eglitis, Dalius Simenas, Corina Ruhe, Anne Van Der Schoot, Marek Strzelecki, Joao Lima, Esteban Duarte, Charles Penty, Andra Timu, Radoslav Tomek, Boris Cerni and Johan Carlstrom. To contact the authors of this story: Ian Wishart in Brussels at iwishart@bloomberg.net, Boris Groendahl in Vienna at bgroendahl@bloomberg.net, Zoltan Simon in Budapest at zsimon@bloomberg.net. To contact the editor responsible for this story: Alan Crawford at acrawford6@bloomberg.net, Jones Hayden 2017 Bloomberg L.P. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange during a press conference from inside the Ecuadorian embassy: AP WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has said he will work with technology companies to help defend them against CIA hacking tools outlined in the organisations latest leak. He said WikiLeaks would publish more confidential documents on the spy agency once a "key attack code" has been disarmed. Speaking at an online press conference from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, he said: "We have decided to work with them, to give them some exclusive access to some of the technical details we have." He said some of the firms have already put counter measures in place, but others want more information. The whistleblowing organisation, which previously refrained from publishing details of the US spy agencys covert hacking programme, began posting a leak of CIA secrets on Tuesday. "WikiLeaks has a lot more information on what has been going on with the cyber weapons programme," he said. It is understood former Ukip leader Nigel Farage spent over half-an-hour inside the embassy just before the press conference started. Samsung has said it is "urgently" investigating claims from WikiLeaks that intelligence agencies have used the firm's smart TVs as part of tools to spy on users. The whistle-blowing website published thousands of documents it claims reveal the various hacking tools used by the CIA in the US, including techniques which target various consumer software including Windows, Google's Android and Apple's iOS. WikiLeaks said software was developed to turn Samsung smart TVs into listening devices, a project codenamed Weeping Angel which the report claims also included input from the UK's MI5. Mr Assange has been living inside the embassy for more than four years after being granted political asylum by the Ecuador government. He is wanted for questioning in Sweden over a sex allegation, which he denies, but faces extradition to the United States if he leaves the embassy. It will deepen maritime research and developmen competencies. In the efforts of transforming the maritime sector, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore will be launching the MPA Living Lab to help firms adopt technology to improve business processes. The Living Lab will focus on developing capabilities in the areas of data analytics & intelligent systems, autonomous systems & robotics, smart & innovative infrastructure, and safety & security. In terms of data analytics, a maritime data hub will be set up for industry and technology partners to co-develop innovative applications, such as just-in-time vessel arrivals or predictive analytics to forecast traffic conditions and potential collision for the next-generation vessel traffic management system. On the autonomous systems & robotics side, MPA will work with industry partners to provide framework conditions for the development and testing of autonomous vessels, drones and other autonomous systems. Sea spaces and regulatory guidelines will be provided for such testing activities MPA will also optimise land and sea space by taking advantage of innovative engineering and technologies. For instance, the use of multi-purpose floating platforms for ship mooring and berthing, and timely supply of marine services will be employed. Meanwhile, in enhancing port and maritime saftey, MPA will make use of technologies such as smart sensors for detection of intrusions and monitoring of marine incidents. The MPA Living Lab will be the first of its kind in the region and will not only help Singapore to transform its maritime sector into a high technology industry through the test-bedding and development of new systems and capabilities for future port operations but also enable companies to test-bed locally developed solutions under actual operating conditions, bringing these technologies closer to commercialisation and internationalisation," MPA Chief Executive Andrew Tan said. MPA will be partnering with Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI) to set up three maritime research Centres of Excellence (CoEs) within local Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) over the next five years. The first centre focusing on maritime environment & energy will be launched by MPA and Nanyang Technological University by the second quarter of this year. More From Singapore Business Review As a result, ZTE has been ordered to pay 1.1 billion dollars in fines, and its executives have made statements of contrition, in which they expressed a commitment to positive change. But the incident is yet another example of the challenges that the US and its allies face in enforcing sanctions against the Islamic Republic, even in the current environment in which many of those sanctions have been suspended. ZTE joins a number of other companies, banks, and individuals, some of them based in the European Union, that have deliberately taken the risk of flouting the US sanctions in the interest of potential profits. Naturally, this is also indicative of the pressure that now exists among companies in Europe and beyond to continue enforcement of the Iran nuclear deal, or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, complete with its suspension of nuclear-related economic sanctions. Some companies that had previously been exploring collaborative agreements in Irans energy sector are now holding back on the pursuit of those plans until it becomes clear whether the new presidential administration in the US will continue to authorize the suspensions. There has been a great deal of speculation about what steps President Donald Trump might take to undermine or counteract the JCPOA, which he repeatedly described as the worst deal ever negotiated while campaigning for the office. Last week, Trumps Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson held his first talks with officials of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is tasked with enforcing the deal. Tillerson had previously called for a full review of the agreement with an eye toward strengthening its enforcement, but neither his office nor the IAEA revealed details of what was discussed during the meeting. Among critics of the JCPOA and the previous administrations handling of Iran policy, one major concern is the lack of restrictions on how foreign capital can be used, or on which Iranian businesses can be partners to Western investors. Some companies remain subject to sanctions over human rights violations and support for terrorism, and some have been newly sanctioned on the basis of their connection to the Iranian ballistic missile program. But opponents of the Iranian regime, among them the National Council of Resistance of Iran, insist that a wide range of non-sanctioned companies stand ready to use Western capital in support of familiar, nefarious Iranian activities. The NCRIs Washington, DC office hosted a panel discussion on Wednesday morning to discuss the ongoing development of a financial empire controlled by the hardline paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The NCRI had previously held press conferences to reveal the IRGCs control over 45 percent of all Iranian docks and the ongoing expansion of its terrorist training program, which is scattered across a number of bases and camps in the Islamic Republic. Fox News also reported upon the revelations of IRGC maritime activities, noting that such activities have been estimated to earn the IRGC 12 billion dollars annually. This is in addition to the earnings from large front companies that are wholly owned and operated by the IRGC, as well as from other companies in which the IRGC, its members and affiliates are minority stakeholders. Furthermore, the Iranian government has continually raised the portion of the national budget that is allocated to the IRGC. It now comprises nearly two-thirds of the total budget for the Iranian armed forces. All told, the NCRI estimates that the Revolutionary Guards control more than half of the Iranian GDP, and Wednesdays panel discussion served to emphasize that the paramilitarys financial and political power was still growing, with regime authorities specifically granting it preferential treatment including low-interest loans and freedom from oversight at IRGC-controlled docks. In this context, there is considerable concern that the Iran nuclear deal will accelerate the IRGCs acquisition of wealth, unless international measures are taken to contain this trend. President Trump has apparently taken tentative steps in this direction, having initiated a State Department review process last month that could lead to the IRGC being formally designated as a foreign terrorist organization. While the organizations role in the support of international terrorism has long been established, Western policy has tended to compartmentalize its dealings with the IRGC, imposing only limited sanctions on the foreign special operations wing known as the Quds Force and leaving the IRGC as a whole relatively untouched. The February NCRI press conference detailing IRGC terrorist training explicitly criticized this as a false distinction, noting that it is the IRGC as a whole that has a legal mandate from the regime to defend the Islamic revolution at home and to export it abroad. If President Trumps plans for FTO designation go forward, it would presumably bring an end to this distinction and subject the IRGC to punishing sanctions almost automatically. This is very much in line with what other opponents of the regime have been recommending, as evidenced by the NCRIs call for an economic blacklist of the IRGC and all companies supporting it. It is clear from violations by ZTE and other international companies that large-scale sanctions are not enough to prevent all such companies from taking risks that involve the potential indirect support of Iran-backed terrorism. But it is also clear from the post-JCPOA rush to invest in Iran that the risk of indirect financing is greater when dealings with IRGC-linked firms are explicitly made legal. If President Trump and his international allies succeed in sanctioning the IRGC as a whole, they may succeed in counteracting some of the perceived negative side-effects of the nuclear deal, but without directly undermining that deal. President Donald Trump's revised travel ban faced mounting new legal challenges on Thursday as the state of Washington, along with several other states, vowed to block the executive order. The announcement came one day after Hawaii filed the first suit challenging the controversial new directive, which temporarily closes US borders to all refugees and citizens from six mainly-Muslim countries. Washington's Attorney General Bob Ferguson, whose state was the first to sue over Trump's initial travel ban that created airport chaos worldwide and was eventually blocked, said at least three other states -- Minnesota, New York and Oregon -- are expected to join in the new legal battle. He said his motion calls on the court to apply an existing injunction against the first travel ban issued in January to the new executive order unveiled on Monday. "My message to President Trump is --not so fast," Ferguson told reporters. "After spending more than a month to fix a broken order that he rushed out the door, the president's new order reinstates several of the same provisions and has the same illegal motivations as the original," he said. "Consequently, we are asking Judge (James) Robart to confirm that the injunction he issued remains in full force and effect as to the reinstated provisions." Ferguson said although the revised order was narrower in scope, it still could be challenged on constitutional grounds. The new order denies US entry to all refugees for 120 days and halts for 90 days the granting of visas to nationals from Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Sudan. It is due to take effect on March 16. The first order had also applied to citizens of Iraq but the country was dropped from the new list. - 'Infected' - Hawaii on Tuesday filed the first lawsuit over the new ban, saying it remained unconstitutional despite the changes. "This second executive order is infected with the same legal problems as the first order -- undermining bedrock constitutional and statutory guarantees," said the suit, which was filed Wednesday in a federal court in Honolulu. Judge Derrick Watson put the suit on a fast track, scheduling a hearing on whether to impose a national restraining order on March 15, the day before the executive order goes into effect. The White House cites national security in justifying the ban, arguing that it needs time to implement "extreme vetting" procedures to keep Islamic militants from entering the country. - Broader crackdown - It comes amid a broader US crackdown on undocumented immigrants, following on Trump's campaign promises of mass deportations and to build a wall on the Mexican border. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said Wednesday the orders toughening immigration enforcement have driven down illegal entries -- as measured by apprehensions at the border -- by 40 percent from January to February. But Trump suffered a major black eye in January when his first attempt to impose the travel ban erupted into heart-rending scenes of families being detained and deported at US airports and, eventually, a slap from the courts. Polls show American public opinion is deeply divided on the issue. Most indicate a slight majority of voters opposed, with strong support among Trump's political base. Arguments that the ban had caused "irreparable harm" proved crucial in a San Francisco appellate court's decision to uphold the lower court's move to block enforcement. The challenge facing Hawaii will be to show that the ban violates constitutional guarantees against discrimination on the basis of religion. The White House has modified the latest version of its decree so that it can pass legal muster, stripping away a reference to religion while also explicitly exempting legal permanent residents and current visa holders from the ban. There also has been 10 days notice before it goes into effect, in a clear attempt to avoid the chaos that broke out when the first ban was imposed with no advance warning on January 27. - Muslim ban - In its suit, however, Hawaii argues that the second order "began life as a Muslim ban." As evidence of the administration's intentions, the suit detailed numerous instances during the campaign that Trump referred to it as a Muslim ban. Hawaii also claimed that the order violates constitutional protections against discrimination on the basis of nationality, the right to travel, fair process in determining who can enter or leave the country, as well as violations of US immigration law. "Nothing of substance has changed: There is the same blanket ban on entry from Muslim-majority countries (minus one)," Hawaii Attorney General Douglas Chin said in a statement. "The courts did not tolerate the administration's last attempt to hoodwink the judiciary, and they should not countenance this one," Chin wrote. (Bloomberg) -- Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, said the group will work with technology companies to close gaps identified in thousands of Central Intelligence Agency documents it published this week as well as in additional material it has yet to disclose. Assange, speaking Thursday in a webcast, said hes interested in helping better secure communications technology after this weeks disclosure of more than 8,000 documents highlighted apparent vulnerabilities in smartphones, televisions and software built by companies including Apple Inc., Google, and Samsung Electronics Co. The disclosures show that the CIA has lost control of its entire cyberweapons arsenal, Assange said. Assange, who didnt name the companies WikiLeaks seeks to work with, said the leaks show how difficult it is for any person or organization to maintain control of cyber tools. If you build them, eventually you will lose them, Assange, who remains holed up in Ecuadors embassy in London, said. They are just information. They must be used on the internet. WikiLeaks said March 7 that it obtained portions of the CIAs hacking archive and had several hundred million lines of code. The group said it withheld releasing armed cyberweapons until a consensus emerges on the technical and political nature of the CIAs program and how such weapons should analyzed, disarmed and published. CIAs Response The CIA, which has declined to say whether the WikiLeaks documents are legitimate, fired back at Assange on Thursday. As weve said previously, Julian Assange is not exactly a bastion of truth and integrity, agency spokesman Jonathan Liu said in an email. Despite the efforts of Assange and his ilk, CIA continues to aggressively collect foreign intelligence overseas to protect America from terrorists, hostile nation states and other adversaries. The WikiLeaks trove, if legitimate, discloses malware, viruses and security vulnerabilities known as zero days. It also reveals that the agency has the ability to break into individual devices and intercept messages before they can be encrypted by applications such as Facebook Inc.s WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram and Confide. Story continues The CIA, while not commenting on the authenticity of the documents, said Wednesday that the American public should be deeply troubled by any WikiLeaks disclosure designed to damage the Intelligence Communitys ability to protect America against terrorists and other adversaries. Republican Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska said Thursday that Assange should be imprisoned for life. "Hes an enemy of the American people and an ally to Vladimir Putin," Sasse said in a statement. "Mr. Assange has dedicated his lifes work to endangering innocent lives, abetting despots, and stoking a crisis of confidence in the West. Assange on Russia Assange said during the webcast that he has never been paid by the Russian government or RT, a Russian international television network funded by the Moscow. Assange, 45, is wanted by the U.S. for exposing classified material and by Sweden over allegations of rape and sexual assault. Companies including Apple and Google have said many of the vulnerabilities described in the files disclosed by WikiLeaks are old and have already been patched, and that theyre working to fix the remaining ones. Our products and software are designed to quickly get security updates into the hands of our customers, with nearly 80 percent of users running the latest version, Apple said in a statement similar to those from other technology companies. We always urge customers to download the latest iOS to make sure they have the most recent security updates. Microsofts Comment A Microsoft Corp. representative said Thursday that our initial investigation confirmed that most of the information is dated and appears to target older systems. It is likely that a vast majority of the disclosed issues are already addressed in modern systems. We take security issues very seriously and are continuing a deeper analysis. As for Assanges offer to work with technology companies, Microsoft said it hasnt yet been contacted and suggested our preferred method for anyone with knowledge of security issues, including the CIA or WikiLeaks, is to submit details to us at secure@microsoft com. Although President Donald Trump said I love WikiLeaks during last years campaign -- when it was posting emails stolen from rival Hillary Clintons campaign chairman -- White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters this week that theres a massive, massive difference between the two examples. Without confirming the new WikiLeaks documents were genuine, he said, This should be a major concern to people in terms of the leaks that are coming out, and the desire to get to the bottom of them. (Updates with comment from Microsoft in 15th paragraph.) --With assistance from Dina Bass To contact the reporters on this story: Chris Strohm in Washington at cstrohm1@bloomberg.net, Nafeesa Syeed in Washington at nsyeed@bloomberg.net. To contact the editors responsible for this story: Bill Faries at wfaries@bloomberg.net, Larry Liebert 2017 Bloomberg L.P. AFP News The UN's COP27 climate summit kicked off Sunday in Egypt with warnings against backsliding on efforts to cut emissions and calls for rich nations to compensate poor countries after a year of extreme weather disasters. Just in the past few months, climate-induced catastrophes have killed thousands, displaced millions and cost billions in damages across the world. Massive floods devastated swaths of Pakistan and Nigeria, droughts worsened in Africa and the western United States, cyclones whipped the Caribbean, and unprecedented heatwaves seared three continents. The conference in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh comes in a fraught year marked by Russia's war on Ukraine, an energy crunch, soaring inflation and the lingering effects from the Covid pandemic. But Simon Stiell, the UN's climate change executive secretary, said he would not be a "custodian of backsliding" on the goal of slashing greenhouse emissions 45 percent by 2030 to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius above late-19th-century levels. "We will be holding people to account, be they presidents, prime ministers, CEOs," Stiell said as the 13-day summit opened. "The heart of implementation is everybody everywhere in the world every single day doing everything they possibly can to address the climate crisis," he said. Current trends would see carbon pollution increase 10 percent by the end of the decade and Earth's surface heat up 2.8C, according to findings unveiled last week. Promises made under the 2015 Paris Agreement would, if kept, only shave off a few tenths of a degree. "Whilst I do understand that leaders around the world have faced competing priorities this year, we must be clear: as challenging as our current moment is, inaction is myopic and can only defer climate catastrophe," said Alok Sharma, British president of the previous COP26 as he handed over the chairmanship to Egypt. "How many more wake-up calls does the world -- and world leaders -- actually need?", he said. In a dire warning, the UN's World Meteorological Organization said the past eight years are on track to be the eight warmest on record, with an acceleration in sea level rise, glacier melt and heatwaves. "As COP27 gets underway, our planet is sending a distress signal," UN chief Antonio Guterres said in a statement. - 'Loss and damage' - The COP27 summit will focus like never before on money -- a major sticking point that has soured relations between countries that got rich burning fossil fuels and the poorer ones suffering from the worst consequences of climate change. The United States and the European Union -- fearful of creating an open-ended reparations framework -- have dragged their feet and challenged the need for a separate funding stream. Delegates agreed on Sunday to put the "loss and damage" issue on the COP27 agenda, a first step toward what are sure to be fraught discussions. Inclusion of the agenda item "reflects a sense of solidarity and empathy for the suffering of the victims of climate induced disasters," said COP27 president Sameh Shoukry of Egypt. "We all owe a debt of gratitude to activists and civil society organisations who have persistently demanded the space to discuss funding for loss and damage," he said to applause. Shoukry also noted that rich nations have not fulfilled a separate pledge to deliver $100 billion per year to help developing countries green their economies and build resilience against future climate change. He also lamented that most climate financing is based on loans. "We do not have the luxury to continue this way. We have to change our approaches to this existential threat," he said, calling for solutions that "prove we are serious about not leaving anyone behind". - US-China tensions - After the first day of talks, more than 120 world leaders will join the summit on Monday and Tuesday. The most conspicuous no-show will be China's Xi Jinping, whose leadership was renewed last month at a Communist Party Congress. US President Joe Biden has said he will come, but only after legislative elections on Tuesday that could see either or both houses of Congress fall into the hands of Republicans hostile to international action on climate change. Cooperation between the United States and China -- the world's two largest economies and carbon polluters -- has been crucial to rare breakthroughs in the nearly 30-year saga of UN climate talks, including the 2015 Paris Agreement. But Sino-US relations have sunk to a 40-year low after a visit to Taiwan by House leader Nancy Pelosi and a US ban on the sale of high-level chip technology to China, leaving the outcome of COP27 in doubt. A meeting between Xi and Biden at the G20 summit in Bali days before the UN climate meeting ends, if it happens, could be decisive. One bright spot at COP27 will be the arrival of Brazilian president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose campaign vowed to protect the Amazon and reverse the extractive policies of outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro. bur-lth/fz AFP News The UN's COP27 climate summit kicked off Sunday in Egypt with warnings against backsliding on efforts to cut emissions and calls for rich nations to compensate poor countries after a year of extreme weather disasters. An alarming UN report said the past eight years are on track to be the eight warmest on record, with an acceleration in sea level rise, glacier melt, heatwaves and other climate indicators. "As COP27 gets underway, our planet is sending a distress signal," UN chief Antonio Guterres said in a statement, calling the report a "chronicle of climate chaos". Just in the past few months, floods devastated Pakistan and Nigeria, droughts worsened in Africa and the United States, cyclones whipped the Caribbean, and unprecedented heatwaves seared three continents. The conference in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh also comes against the backdrop of Russia's war on Ukraine, an energy crunch, soaring inflation and the lingering effects from the Covid-19 pandemic. But Simon Stiell, the UN's climate change executive secretary, said he would not be a "custodian of backsliding" on the goal of slashing greenhouse emissions 45 percent by 2030 to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius above late 19th-century levels. "We will be holding people to account, be they presidents, prime ministers, CEOs," Stiell said as the 13-day summit opened. "The heart of implementation is everybody everywhere in the world every single day doing everything they possibly can to address the climate crisis," he said, noting that only 29 of 194 nations have presented improved plans as called for at COP26 in Glasgow last year. Current trends would see carbon pollution increase 10 percent by the end of the decade and the Earth's surface heat up 2.8C, according to findings unveiled last week. Promises made under the 2015 Paris Agreement would, if kept, only shave off a few tenths of a degree. Britain's Alok Sharma, who handed the COP presidency to Egypt, said that while world leaders have faced "competing priorities" this year, "inaction is myopic and can only defer climate catastrophe." "How many more wake-up calls does the world -- and world leaders -- actually need?" he said. - 'Loss and damage' - The COP27 summit will focus like never before on money -- a major sticking point that has soured relations between countries that got rich burning fossil fuels and the poorer ones suffering from the worst consequences of climate change. The United States and the European Union -- fearful of creating an open-ended reparations framework -- have dragged their feet and challenged the need for a separate funding stream. After two days of intense pre-summit negotiations, delegates agreed on Sunday to put the "loss and damage" issue on the COP27 agenda, a first step towards what are sure to be difficult discussions. Stiell said inclusion of loss and damage on the agenda after three decades of debate on the issue showed progress. "The fact that it is there as a substantive agenda item I believe bodes well," he told reporters. COP27 president Sameh Shoukry of Egypt said it would be unproductive to speculate on what outcome the negotiations will lead to, "but certainly everybody is hopeful." "Anything that we do effectively has to be on the basis of our common efforts and that we leave no one behind," he said. Shoukry also noted that rich nations have not fulfilled a separate pledge to deliver $100 billion per year to help developing countries green their economies and build resilience against future climate change. He lamented that most climate financing is based on loans. "We do not have the luxury to continue this way. We have to change our approaches to this existential threat," he said. - US-China tensions - After the first day of talks, some 110 world leaders will join the summit on Monday and Tuesday. The most conspicuous no-show will be China's Xi Jinping, whose leadership was renewed last month at a Communist Party Congress. US President Joe Biden has said he will come, but only after legislative elections on Tuesday that could see either or both houses of Congress fall into the hands of Republicans hostile to international action on climate change. Cooperation between the United States and China -- the world's two largest economies and carbon polluters -- has been crucial to rare breakthroughs in the nearly 30-year saga of UN climate talks, including the 2015 Paris Agreement. But Sino-US relations have sunk to a 40-year low after a visit to Taiwan by House leader Nancy Pelosi and a US ban on the sale of high-level chip technology to China, leaving the outcome of COP27 in doubt. A meeting between Xi and Biden at the G20 summit in Bali days before the UN climate meeting ends, if it happens, could be decisive. One bright spot at COP27 will be the arrival of Brazilian president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose campaign vowed to protect the Amazon and reverse the extractive policies of outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro. bur-lth/mh/lg Its easy to launch a business in Hong Kong, but ridiculously high cost of living and lack of government support are the main challenges There is no doubt that Hong Kong is one of the best cities in Asia to start a business. With its close proximity to manufacturing hub Shenzhen, Hong Kong sits within a four-hour flight to nearly every destination in the region. The citys large English-speaking population also makes it an attractive place to settle and, to top it off, Hong Kong has no capital gains tax and one of the lowest corporate tax rates in the world at just 16.5 percent. However, there are a number of challenges Hong Kong faces particularly with the rapid emergence of competing ecosystems around the region. One of the largest complaints regarding the city is . And while the ecosystem has grown by leaps and bounds over the last five years, challenges still arise due to a lack of early-stage investor education and talent retention. (Every good startup essentially leaves once they get traction.) I asked some of Hong Kongs most prominent venture capitalists what they thought of the citys future. Here are three reasons why you shouldnt give up on Hong Kong just yet. Survival of the fittest Two of the largest gripes that startup founders have about doing business in Hong Kong is the lack of government support and the high cost of living, namely rent. When compared with Singapore, the city provides virtually no financial support for startups other than the Innovation and Technology Venture Fund worth US$257 million (or HK$2 billion), which is still far less than the Singapore governments investments in total. The details of how this money will be deployed by the government are also vague at best. David Chang, founder and managing partner of MindWorks Ventures, is one of the stars in the Hong Kong venture capital scene. The way David sees it, these two deterrents are actually strengths of the overall ecosystem when viewed from the right perspective. Story continues Hong Kongs ecosystem is less crowded than Singapore. Getting too much support from the government is not a good thing [] [because] bad founders and bad business models are getting funded left and right. A lot of early-stage companies get stuck in a limbo stage where they are unable to raise a big round because their business model just doesnt work. And VCs get overcrowded with proposals. Because there is little to no government support in the city, a company must figure out how to aggressively grow their numbers and their top line from day one. This provides a natural filter allowing only the strongest companies to survive. Also read: Setting up a Hong Kong company: a newbies guide The same principle applies to the rising cost of living. High rent in Hong Kong forces a process of natural selection for startup companies. The last thing startup investors want to see is their money squandered on rent. A steady inflow of talent Hong Kong has always been a transient city due to its proximity to China and status as a financial hub. Expatriates come and go often which provides a constant pipeline of industry talent. Tytus Michalski is a managing partner of Fresco Capital, a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage startups around the world. He is an active supporter of the startup ecosystem in Hong Kong and serves the community through mentorship and education. As the ecosystems in Asia become more mature over the next 10 years, over the long term, we definitely see more of our portfolio companies being headquartered in Asia and going global []. We do think theres going to be a shift. Theres been a huge amount of progress in Hong Kong. I would say that it really started to accelerate about 5 to 6 years ago. When it comes to building a proper ecosystem, Tytus ultimately believes that the most important element is talent. Hong Kongs been fortunate in that theres been a pretty interesting inflow of talent from other parts of the world and thats been helpful for the ecosystem because that can accelerate the process. So to the extent that Hong Kong can remain relatively open to bringing in talent, I think thats very positive. The private sector paves the way More than the lack of government support, one of the criticisms the city often receives is the lack of support from the private sector. It is well-known that much of the private wealth in Hong Kong was created in the property market. As the ecosystem matures, early-stage investing will be gradually accepted as an asset class. However, this takes time. Alan Chan is the managing partner of Vectr Ventures, another one of Hong Kongs venture capital firms. In Alans opinion, what is perceived as one of the citys weaknesses is actually a strength, and a true ecosystem can only be built slowly over time. I personally am a strong believer of the private sector and the private sector driving business, innovation, and driving things forward. The perils of having the private sector driving [these] things forward are [that] it goes slower, people are more cautious, and it takes time. The silver lining is that for startups to attract investment from the private sector, they are required to level up their game. Hong Kong as an ecosystem comes with its own set of nuances, and founders have quickly realized that copycat ideas from the West dont always enjoy the same level of success locally. Also read: Hong Kong: The Pearl of Asias app market Weve seen a lot more companies now directly tackling a problem and building a product out of their own insights and experiences. Hong Kong doesnt have the same issues that the Bay Area has. What is really comforting and inspiring to see is that founders are reaching and wanting to solve a problem. Thats been a nice progression over the years. - Jay Kim is a Hong Kong-based investor, author and host of the popular podcast, The Jay Kim Show which educates aspiring entrepreneurs, investors, and startup founders through interviews with top global business leaders. Subscribe via iTunes and feel free to reach out directly to Jay on Twitter @jaykimmer. The views expressed here are of the authors, and e27 may not necessarily subscribe to them. e27 invites members from Asias tech industry and startup community to share their honest opinions and expert knowledge with our readers. If you are interested in sharing your point of view, submit your post here. Featured Image Copyright: leungchopan / 123RF Stock Photo The post Top VCs explain why you should start your business in Hong Kong appeared first on e27. Skate Nepal will be joining forces with Make Life Skate Life to start working on Annapurna Skatepark in Pokhara, Nepals second largest city, in April of this year. Check out a press release explaining their new project in greater detail, a short edit and, for more information and to donate, head to the Annapurna Skatepark website. OFFICIAL RELEASE Skate Nepal would like to wholeheartedly thank everybody that has donated, supported and spread awareness of our cause thus far. Thanks to all your love and support we raised 2515 towards extending and refurbishing Rams skate park in Pokhara. However, from making a trip to Nepal back in November 2016 it was evident that the longevity of the Rams park in Pokhara was looking incredibly bleak and past the point of real sustainability. Our foundations behind our project were to provide facilities that could serve as a hub for positive social and creative interaction for both younger and older generations in Nepal. To have a real impact however the facility needs to have lasting longevity and resources that ensure the space can be used for generations to come. So we would like to wholesomely announce that Skate Nepal will be redirecting efforts towards the Annapurna Skatepark Project A project led by Make Life Skate Life in partnership with The Community Collective and Alis. Construction of the park is set to commence this coming April. This is a truly incredible project and MLSL are no strangers in doing great things via skateboarding around the world. All of the funds generated from our previous project have been redirected and pumped into the Annapurna skate park fund. For more information on the project and to donate head to; www.annapurnaskatepark.org www.makelifeskatelife.org News headlines blare Pokemon craze takes over Houston park and Pokemon Go Is Influencing Baby Names and Bride stunned to discover her wedding venue was a Pokemon Go gym. With headlines like that daily on your local news, its clear that the Pokemon Go mobile game has burrowed its way into American culture. Those little digital Pokemon creatures are just too cute to ignore! Pokemon Go started as a kids card game two decades ago and then became a mobile game. As a mobile game it quickly grew to 20 million daily active game players as of July 2016. As it turns out, Pokemon Go isnt just for kids. Teenagers, young adults, parents supervising their Pokemon-playing kids, and anyone addicted to the mobile game, have all gotten into the action. As of October 2016, Pokemon players had taken 144 billion steps steps that could lead them right near your place of business. Whether the Pokemon craze will continue with the same intensity during 2017 is anyones guess. Regardless, there are some great marketing lessons to be learned. In fact those lessons can be especially applicable to small businesses because were nimble enough to take advantage of trends quickly. As independent business owners, we have a distinct advantage when it comes to pivoting our marketing quickly. If you want to learn about how to leverage the virtual world and the consumers enthusiasm for mobile devices, into real paying customers in the physical world, then Pokemon Go is a great case study. Join Anita Campbell, renowned small business expert and founder of the Small Business Trends community serving over 2 million small business people per month, in a FREE WEBINAR hosted by Verizon. We will explore these marketing lessons, including: How to leverage the world of local check in apps and games to lure in foot traffic. What Pokemon Go can tell us about being found in mobile devices. How to make your business appear attractive online and on mobile devices attractive enough to get people into your shop, restaurant or other place of business. Strategies such as hosting Pokemon events, joining teams, buying Pokemon lures, and other activities to participate in the trend. What you MUST know about the 5 ways people interact with their phones today, that impact what local places they visit and how they purchase. Well also discuss techniques for how to manage the downsides of Pokemon Go traffic, including security issues and disruption to your business from non-paying customers. And how to turn these issues into positives. There is much to be learned from the Pokemon craze and well explore it all and answer your questions with concrete examples and marketing tips. So join us for this webinar on March 22, 2017 at 2 pm Eastern Time. Its free, but be sure to register in advance to save your place. Go here to register. Register Now Robert Gilpin, R.I.P. - The Washington Post : His greatest book was written in 1981, but the main theory in it is perhaps more trenchant now... The controversial company asks for compensation from the Agriculture Ministry. Font size: A - | A + The Evka agency, known from the case of the allegedly overpriced gala to introduce the logo for Slovakias EU Council presidency, has submitted a lawsuit against the state. It is asking for a subsidy amounting to 180,000 which it was to receive from the Agriculture Ministry back in 2011 for the implementation of progressive technologies in wood processing, the Dennik N daily reported. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement The ministry, however, refused to pay the sum, claiming that Evka has not fulfilled its duties. The agency was to use the money for purchasing new devices to produce exhibition stands. Evka focuses mostly on exhibitions and constructs the stands for companies at various fairs. It has already constructed the stands for the state at several travel fairs, while it also prepared the Slovak pavilion at the latest Expo in Milan, Dennik N wrote. One of the conditions set by the ministry for those willing to receive the subsidy was that the company should have found suppliers of the machines in transparent competition. Evka, however, failed to meet this requirement, the ministry claimed. The inspection revealed the unauthorised exclusion of a bidder with the lowest offer though he had fulfilled the technical conditions for the devices requested in the competition materials, Agriculture Ministry spokesperson Vladimir Machalik said, as quoted by Dennik N. Evka repeated the competition, but the Public Procurement Office has again revealed some flaws and ordered that the competition be scrapped again. The agency thus violated the agreement on subsidies, so the ministry terminated it. Following this decision, Evka sued the state and is asking the court to order the ministry to pay the subsidy, Dennik N reported. Read also: Read also: Ombudswoman: MFA violated the constitution Read more The Agriculture Ministry insists on its claim that all of its actions were in compliance with the then valid legal framework, the ministry says. The court proceeding is scheduled for late March, Dennik N wrote. The agency made it to the headlines in November 2016, after former employees of the Foreign Affairs Ministry questioned its organisation of the gala at which Slovakias EU Council presidency logo was officially introduced. It received the order within the market survey, whose details are still hidden by the ministry. It is also not known who the other participants in the survey were, the daily wrote. The minister says that the insurer will not adopt saving measures at the expense of its clients. Font size: A - | A + The head of the state-run health insurer, Vseobecna Zdravotna Poistovna (VsZP) Miroslav Kocan and his management team, enjoy the trust of Health Minister Tomas Drucker. I want the insurer to be even more open with the media, the public, to communicate transparently enough, Drucker (Smer nominee) told the journalists after meeting Kocan on March 8, as quoted by the SITA newswire. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement He was referring to the recent reports about the recovery plan of VsZP which wants to tackle its high debts. The insurer has never been interested in saving at the expense of patients, the minister stressed. In the recovery plan, some further initiatives and proposals were included in the annexes which, however, have not been approved in terms of saving, explained Drucker, as quoted by SITA. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Robert Fico published a video on his Facebook account, in which he has a phone conversation with VsZP head and calls on him to throw the recovery plan into the bin. Read also: Read also: Fico publishes video call, scraps health insurer's austerity measures Read more Drucker admitted that Kocan failed to properly communicate the details of the recovery plan of the health insurance company and the planned measures. Also Kocan confessed that the communication was not sufficient. We will communicate with the public much more intensively, with journalists on what steps we are preparing, why we think that they will in no case affect patients and are aimed first of all at a better and more efficient distribution of the funds we have at our disposal, he added, as quoted by SITA. Slovakia, attempting to finish its network of highways and dual carriageways, will get financial support from Brussels. Font size: A - | A + The European Commission (EC) reported on March 8 that it is granting financial assistance worth 147.6 million for constructing the D3-motorway stretch near Zilina. The EC approved the technically challenging project involving the 4.3-kilometre Zilina Strazov-Zilina Brodno section last week, the TASR newswire wrote. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement This project is part of the Zilina bypass and part of a transport link between the D1 motorway and Poland. The Commission views the project in European terms, pointing out that it will interlink the transport infrastructures of Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Hungary. The EC believes that it will result in improvements in the traffic situation and quality of life while reducing the accident rate. Smooth connections across the EU keep local economies competitive and bring specific positive changes in peoples everyday lives, Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu said, as quoted by TASR. The construction of this D3 section will be significantly reflected in the development of the city of Zilina and of the whole region. Practically the entire route of the Zilina Strazov-Zilina Brodno D3-motorway section will involve bridges or a tunnel. The beginning of the section will be directly connected to the Hricovske Podhradie-Zilina Strazov D3 stretch. It should open in October 2017. Scrapping the Meciar amnesties would go some way towards restoring trust in the system. Font size: A - | A + A recent TV appearance by the man once dubbed the father of the nation was a little bit like seeing a zombie emerge from a swamp that we never wanted to revisit. But emerge he did, once again, to defend the things that he did to this country when he granted his amnesties, and to sit there, seemingly very calm, to say: I have nothing to fear. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Read also: Read also: Meciar appeared in public, speaking up against amnesties Read more The amnesties of Vladimir Meciar are hitting the headlines again almost 20 years after they were first granted. A movie about the abduction of the presidents son, the murder of Robert Remias and the fate of Oskar Fegyveres, is screening in cinemas across the country. Yet another attempt the latest in a string of such attempts to scrap the amnesties is gathering pace in parliament now. Even the prime minister, who has a history of governing in coalition with Meciar and who has always dismissed the idea of overturning the amnesties as a legal nonsense, now, after all these years, hints that he could try and find a way to get rid of them. I represent the generation that was barely interested in politics in 1990s, when Meciar tried to turn the country away from democracy and the transatlantic trends that its neighbours were following. It is a peculiar place we are in, neither here nor there. It is not history for us, like World War II, for instance. Textbooks devote little more than a page to the emergence of the Slovak Republic in 1993; merely a short text, accompanied by a picture of Meciar and Slovakias first president, Michal Kovac, shaking hands, and an oblique sentence about later tensions between the two. Nor would it be accurate to call this our own experience, although the things did take place in our lifetime. What were you doing on the day Kovac Jr. was kidnapped? I would not know, nor would most of my peers. On August 31, 1995 we were probably mourning the end of the summer holidays, preparing to go back to school, interested in cartoons or the pop charts rather than the news. Read also: Read also: Poll: Scrapping Meciar amnesties would be supported by 63 percent Read more Yet there are pictures of that era that remain quite vivid in my memory, perhaps, because they are now an indelible part of our collective memory too. The mother of Robert Remias slapping Meciar with a bouquet of flowers, perhaps the most emblematic moment of the events that took place in the months and years that followed the kidnapping. Or the picture of Ivan Lexa, wearing nothing but his swimming suit, as he jumped into a pool somewhere exotic (later we learned why he was hiding in South Africa). One did not need to be a proper grown-up to sense that something was very wrong about all that. By the time we really grew up and were allowed to vote, Meciars government was long gone and Slovakia was safely on its way into the EU. This generation was supposed to carry forward the ideals of democracy, to learn what the rule of law and respect for human rights were all about, and perhaps teach this to our parents too. Instead, our generation, and the one that is emerging now too, succumbs to the lies of the alternative in politics, in the media, and, alarmingly, even in medicine, with anti-vaccination campaigns gathering pace. One cannot help but think that if the biggest crimes of the 1990s were clarified and the immorality of the time was exposed and accounted for, there would perhaps be more trust in the system and less need to seek some twisted alternatives. Ombudswoman discovered frequent violations of rules in the construction of small hydropower plants. Font size: A - | A + A number of firms appeared in Slovakia over the last few years building small hydro-power plants that, when built unprofessionally, endanger the environment and make life tough for people living in the vicinity, ombudswoman Jana Dubovcova found in her latest survey that she published on March 9. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Unprofessional and, in some cases, illegal proceeding of public administration bodies resulted in insufficient assessment of structures impacts on the environment and subsequently in lower quality of the environment and biodiversity," the public rights defender writes in her report, as cited by the Sme daily. Some like the one in Novy Tekov lack the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and, in general, the approval and licensing process was fast-tracked and too hasty most of the time. Thus, even the environmentalists failed to notice and warn that the small Novy Tekov plant is already the third one on a ten kilometre stretch of the Hron river which, moreover, contains radioactive tritium from the nearby Mochovce nuclear power plant. Too many power plants in close proximity prevents dangerous waste liquids from diluting. Any ensuing petition of local inhabitants failed to change the status quo. The plant has been operated since 2014 and its functioning is legal. The Environment Ministry behaved strangely in this case as it evaluated the original application by another investor in 2003 much differently it involved the EIA process and counter-argued that the Slovenske Elektrarne Energy utility was already operating the nuclear power plant in Mochovce. Finally, the investor withdrew. A similar plan by MVE Tekov in 2006 was green-lighted without any EIA and approved smoothly, Sme writes. It was mainly the Horn river that became the focus of Dubovcovas report. Font size: A - | A + An investigator of the Interior Ministry Inspection charged three police officers of abusing the power of a public official in complicity. A young female driver sped away from police and refused to stop was then shot at and kicked when lying on the ground. The part of video which shows the kicking was cut by police but has now been published on the internet. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement The investigation continues, however, police spokesperson Andrea Dobiasova informed the SITA newswire on March 9. They face a prison sentence of four to 10 years, she added. The incident started on August 2, 2016, after 1:00 am when police tried to stop a Fiat Brava car in Salezianska Street in Trnava for a suspicious way of driving. When one officer was nearing the drivers door, the car wheeled off and started escaping all the way to the village of Madunice. In total 32 shots were made, with two hitting the driver in her chest and ear. Another girl was shot in her shoulder. By that time, the use of coercive force was evaluated as adequate, Sme wrote. Later it turned out that four girls were driving in it, the 21 year old driver driving without a driver's license. Recently, a longer version of the video was leaked to the media, showing that after the girl was kicking after leaving the car, having already been shot. The recording showing what happened in reality was published on the www.cas.sk website. The mute video shows two people leave the car with hands up, the rear window broken by shots. They go to the front and lie down on the ground. Three policemen come, kicking the driver brutally in her head and chest. One of them smiles in the camera satisfied, the Sme daily describes. After police inspection took over, one of the officers argued that they did not know the driver was a woman and that she resisted detention actively. Also, she threatened his colleague earlier when he wanted to stop the car. After studying the report and the video recording, chief of the Trnava Flying Motorised Unit of police, Ivan Karper, evaluated that the use of coercive force was unjustified and inadequate. The three policemen have been charged; but the woman has also been charged for attacking a public official, driving without a license, and being under the influence of drugs. Read also: Opposition politician accused of immoral behaviour towards a minor, a resident of the highly publicised Cisty Den (Clean Day) resocialisation home. Font size: A - | A + Controversial businessman Marian Kocner met with the Cisty Den co-founder Zuzana Tomankova Mikova, to inform the media that an unnamed opposition politician was involved in lewd communication with a minor from the centre. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Accusations of immoral behaviour regarding a 15-year-old drug addict resident of the resocialisation centre in Galanta (in Trnava Region) are nothing but a campaign to discredit me, opposition We Are Family party leader Boris Kollar told a news conference held in parliament on March 8. Kollar, who conceded that he was in contact with the girl in question but claimed that he did not know how old she was or that she was from a resocialisation centre, as quoted by the TASR newswire. He accused Smer lawmaker and Prime Minister advisor Erik Tomas, Prime Minister Robert Fico and Kocner of creating a smear campaign. He alleges that Smer is worried about criticism and thus it is striving to cover its own scandals with other accusations. As evidence, Kollar showed a photograph that was taken in the Bratislava-based Crowne Plaza hotel at 9:15 on March 8, i.e. before a press conference given later in the day by Cisty Den co-founder Zuzana Tomankova Mikova, who claimed that an unidentified opposition MP had engaged in lascivious and lecherous communication with a centres resident. She consulted this campaign to discredit me with Marian Kocner and [former Slovak Intelligence Service counterintelligence director and journalist] Peter Toth, Kollar said for TASR. This is exactly a game played by Robert Fico, Erik Tomas, Marian Kocner and Peter Toth via Ms. Tomankova. The opposition MP added that he does not believe in coincidences. He denies the accusations and sees nothing wrong with the fact that he likes women and flirts with them. I love women, he admitted. I keep correspondence with thousands of people, mostly women, I admit that. If they ask me about politics, we discuss politics. When they flirt, I flirt with them. I have five children from exactly such communication. Im not hiding it. And this young lady flirted with me, so I flirted with her, but I see no crime in it, Kollar summed up. Kollar claimed that he did not contact the girl first and that it was always her who contacted him except in one case when he learnt that she was missing on a social network. He asked her whether she was okay, and she replied that she was. The MP claims that he has never met the girl, that he did not know how old she was or that she was a resident of a resocialisation centre. The We Are Family leader added that if Tomankova Mikova was referring to him and his communications with the girl in her accusations, then she lied about those communications. He provided what he called a transcript to the media. Ive nothing to hide," he stressed, adding that he was warned that a campaign to discredit him was being prepared three weeks ago. The girl put pressure on him to act in favour of Cisty Den, which faced accusations of the sexual abuse of its residents and the violation of childrens rights. She wanted me to act in favour of Cisty Den, even though there were suspicions of sexual abuse. I refused to do so, which angered her, Kollar said, as cited by TASR. The case is under police investigation, according to Tomankova Mikova. Kollar has not been questioned yet. Police want him to testify as a witness, he said, adding that he will provide the police with anything that they want from him. He added that the ruling Smer party is behind the whole case. The Government Office strictly refused Kollars accusations, as quoted by the SITA newswire, and deems the whole case a desperate attempt at diverting attention from the core of the issue which is immoral behaviour towards a minor. The opposition originally pointed to the allegations against Cisty Den. Although the Accreditation Commission recommended that Labour Minister Jan Richter should strip the facility of its licence, he did not do so, stating that he saw "no facts or conditions that would legally justify the withdrawal of the licence". Read also: Here is the overview of the hoaxes and fake news that appeared on the Slovak internet over the past week. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled They want to make Le Pen a criminal The European Parliament stripped French nationalist politician Marine Le Pen of her MEP immunity. Mainstream media made a deal with Facebook and Google to prevent Le Pen from winning the French presidential election. This is the intro of an article by the Czech alternative website Aeronet.cz, which spread throughout social networks. Unlike the intro, the rest of the text tells a true story. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement The European Parliament really did vote to strip Marine Le Pen of her immunity. This was due to the fact that she published pictures of murders committed by extremist organisation ISIS on her Twitter account, which is a violation of French law. In a separate development, one month before the vote, two initiatives emerged in the EP to identify and explain hoaxes and fake news on the internet. Facebook, along with the established world media, wants to mark and bust lies. Google too announced the launch of their CrossCheck system with a similar ambition. After their experiences with the American presidential election, they now want to focus on the election in France. The point of both projects is not to exclude Le Pen from the competition, but rather to prevent that the public opinion and the election results are influenced by hoaxes and alternative facts. Le Pen goes on campaigning, she would only have to withdraw from the election if she was condemned. The article from the conspiracy website demonstrates logical and journalistic mistakes that can help the reader to uncover a hoax when they do not have facts at hand. Sentences like We all know very well, that are suspicious. They refer to a non-existent authority, which is a flaw in logic. When reading the article carefully, we can also find the problematic sources of the article. Most of them are Breitbart News, which emerged as a conservative website but moved towards the far right and has a history of publishing fake and misleading news. The third signal is that almost every sentence that cites some fact is followed by a commentative sentence that does not refer to any source. Influx of Roma The UK will soon close its borders to EU citizens; Czechia and Slovakia will face an influx of people who will return, dissolve the social system, and provoke a humanitarian disaster. The Czech website Aeronet.cz paints such a catastrophic picture and the author warns that most of the people coming back will be Roma. The website refers to the alleged plan of PM Theresa May to close the borders after the UK officially requests to leave the EU in March. The laws for entry will then resemble those which American President Donald Trump has introduced for six Muslim-majority countries. In reality, the author of the article merged several pieces of news into one text, which are based on well-informed sources, on real statements, but the mixture of them is not true at all. British media actually brought the news that the Brits might limit freedom of movement in the EU already in March. But the measures should not concern those people who already live in the UK, and it will also not mean closing their borders. Freedom of movement in the EU also means the freedom to travel, which the UK government does not plan to limit in any way. Unlike Donald Trumps new immigration ban. If the UK really partially limits freedom of movement, it will concern the rule that every EU citizen has the same rights for residence and work in the UK. That means Slovaks would have to request a work and residence permit in the UK after the changes are implemented. The Brits, however, do not want to send home those EU citizens who are already in the country, according to information published by the media. Not even Breitbart News, which Aeronet.cz cites, states that. Plan to get rid of Trump The Democrats have a plan to get rid of Donald Trump in the US. They will cooperate with Facebook to prevent the spread of unwanted news, and this will result in impeachment, the Hlavne Spravy website wrote. The very introduction of the article states that they pulled a heavy calibre in the fight against Trump, the criticism of the president has increased and a negative picture of him in the media is being formed The text suggests that media are behind all this, who in cooperation with the Democratic Party have the task to create a negative picture about the activities of the current American president and thus achieve impeachment. It also claims that Trumps critics have decided to form a team in order to control Trump and his relations with the leaders of other states and cautiously watch over every step of the new administration. They have already announced that they would closely cooperate with Facebook and social networks to prevent unwanted news from spreading. Such claims are of clearly conspiracy character and the statements are impossible to check. The article does not refer to any sources of information, which proves that the article intends to deceive and mislead readers. The authors also accused the Democrats of censorship, and at the same time they accuse Facebook of interfering with the rights of users. They also blame the police of EU states and the US of constant pathetic surveillance of social network users, and thus violation of their freedom of speech. The article claims that these people are leaving Facebook and creating accounts on Russian social network vkontakte.ru, where they are under the surveillance of the Russian police, but that does not limit the rights of the users in the same way as Facebook does. This is again an impossible-to-check claim that uses the well-known and widespread conspiracy claim: the mean West vs. the good Russia. (By Tomas Cizik, director of the Centre for European and North-Atlantic Relations) Muslims flooding Europe with children Another widespread myth suggests that the bigger number of children in Muslim families is a targeted attempt of the Muslims (or other groups of citizens) to impose their opinions and way of life in Europe. Also Archbishop Stanislav Zvolensky spoke about the Muslims outnumbering the rest of the population at the recent conference, Religion and Migration. The findings of sociologists, however, show that the birth rate is not so much linked with culture as it is with the level of economic development in the country. The more developed a country, the less people desire a numerous family. For instance, Saudi Arabia is an absolutist monarchy that has the sharia law implemented in its legal system. Despite that, local experts are trying to find how to stop the birth rate from dropping, since it dropped from 3.6 children to 2.8 children per woman between 2004 and 2014. The reason is that the country belongs among the richest countries in the world, and young people first focus on studies, then on their career, and they only go on to start a family later on. The same goes for countries in Europe. The most significant argument against the claim that Islam leads to a higher birth rate is the situation in Iran. In 2015, the country had the same birth rate as the US and lower than France. Local sociologists explain this by citing the significant rise in quality of life and the unwillingness of young people to get married. Young Iranians simply want to enjoy the bounties of the modern world and do not think of family. Currently, the highest birth rates are in the poor parts of Africa. It is true that the number of Muslims in Europe has increased, also thanks to their above-average birth rate. But studies show that every generation of descendants of migrants has less children than their parents did. The pre-refugee crisis estimates suggested the birth rate among Muslims will match that of the majority around 2050. Slovak expert in car production recalls that the Trnava plant has the best quality production within the PSA Group. Employees work on the new Citroen C3 Picasso in the PSA Peugeot Citroen Slovakia plant in Trnava. (Source: Reuters) Font size: A - | A + The joining of the French carmaker PSA Group and the European division of Opel may lead to an increase in production at the Trnava-based carmaker PSA Groupe Slovakia. Jan Lesinsky from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Slovak University of Technology and an expert on automotive production told the TASR newswire. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Already the carmaker in Trnava, along with Kia Motors Slovakia near Zilina, manufactures more cars than was originally planned. Read also: Read also: Peugeot will become European carmaker no. 2 Read more The Trnava plant now produces now about 10 percent more cars than the original capacity planned for, said Lesinsky. And there is still some reserve as the plant is launching the fourth shift. Read also: Read also: PSA Peugeot Citroen will increase salaries, finds agreement with unions Read more Lesinsky sees the purchase of Opel by the PSA Group as an alliance of strong players. He expects that the Trnava plant may later produce the smaller models of Opel. The expert cited the example of Volkswagen Slovakia in Bratislava where the same platform is used for the production of various car makes. This may happen also in Trnava, said Lesinsky, recalling that the Trnava plant has the best quality production within the PSA Group. But he does not expect hiring of additional staff as both companies will have to rationalise their production. The PSA Groupe Slovakia can benefit from innovative solutions or solutions that would not require so many workers, said Lesinsky, adding that unless a new plant for car production is built in Trnava, they are able to manufacture more cars with the same number of workers when using more innovative approaches. Economic University in Bratislava organised a lecture which turned into pro-Russian propaganda event. Font size: A - | A + If Hitler stopped in 1939 he would be remembered in his countrys history as a politician of the highest order uniting Germany with surrounding regions. That is how Russian political scientist Andranik Migranyan responded by likening Crimea's annexation to Anschlus and Austria before World War 2. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement The Faculty of International Relations of the Economic University in Bratislava invited him to give a lecture on March 7. It was a stream of Russian propaganda, Mario Nicolini, former Defence Ministry advisor who was present at the lecture told The Slovak Spectator. There was applause at the end, which sent chills down my spine. Migranyan told students that the Ukraine majdan protests were a coup. He had no opponent for the whole time he was speaking, Nicolini added. Read also: UPDATED: Slovak OSCE mission member is an extremist Read also: UPDATED: Slovak OSCE mission member is an extremist undefined Read more As part of the pro-Putin GONGO Institute for Democracy and Cooperation, Migranyan served as Putins tool of public diplomacy in the USA for several years, according to political scientist Grigorij Meseznikov. The university invited him as a part of the mutual cooperation with the Moscow State Institute of International Relations where Migranyan is professor, according to the universitys dean Ludmila Lipkova. She did not answer questions about whether the university checked him out before issuing the invitation. We had official information about professor Migranyans academic activities, Lipkova told The Slovak Spectator. There are currently 93,000 foreigners legally residing in Slovakia, making up 1.7 percent of the population. Font size: A - | A + Illegal migration in Slovakia decreased in 2016 year-on-year by 14.4 percent, the numbers published by the Office of Border and Alien Police show. During last year, the police recorded altogether 1,962 illegal crossings of Slovakia's outer border and 208 illegal residences in Slovakia. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement In 2015 when illegal migration was at its peak since Slovakia entered Schengen, there were 2,313 cases of illegal border crossing and 222 cases of illegal residence. On the Balkan route In the whole of Europe, migration decreased more markedly than in Slovakia. Ladislav Csemi of the Office for Border and Alien Police explained this with the continued illegal migration of people on the so-called Balkan route through Slovak territory, mainly in Serbia and Macedonia. Currently, there are about 74,000 people from outside Schengen and it is supposed that they are interested in continuing on the route. Our former attitudes were confirmed, firstly its important to stop the flow of migrants in the whole of Europe and secondly we can solve the problem of persons from outside the EU and they need to help, stated Csemi, as quoted by the TASR newswire. Of the whole illegal migration number, the crossings of the green border between Slovakia and the Ukraine constituted only 6 percent share (132 people), almost the same number as in 2015. Csemi stated that migrants, mostly Vietnamese, Ukrainians, Georgians, and Russians, were trying to get from the Ukraine by walking without IDs, mostly through harder terrain in the north with the help of smugglers. Serbians grow in number Ukrainians constituted more than half of all registered illegal migrants in 2016, up by 40 percent compared to the previous year (1,234 illegal migrants altogether). But the number of Serbians who illegally crossed the borders increased the most in the year-on-year comparison. In 2016, the number of Serbians who were detained as illegal migrants in Slovakia stood at 123 persons. They mostly come looking for work. The number of illegal migrants from Iran was in 2016 almost identical as in 2015 145. The number of illegal migrants from Syria and Afghanistan decreased 82 and 142 respectively. More legal travellers In 2016, the number of foreigners who crossed the border in 2016 amounted to 3.45 million, which is 11.4 percent more than in 2015, stated Csemi. This was mostly due to the increased number of EU citizens coming to Slovakia, whose number grew by more than 36 percent year-on-year. The number of foreigners with legal residence in Slovakia also increased in 2016, by one tenth, when 66,303 foreigners had permanent residence and 26,594 temporary residence in Slovakia. In absolute numbers 93,000 foreigners live in Slovakia now, which stands for 1.7 percent of citizens. The immigration authorities expect the interest of foreigners in Slovakia to significantly increase in the coming years. From the total amount of foreigners with residence in Slovakia, 55.8 percent come from EU countries. The biggest group of foreigners in Slovakia are Ukrainians, the same as last year, their number grew by 21.8 percent, 13,042 people. The second position has Serbia with 7,213 citizens and the third is Russia with 4,036 citizens. Former NAKA officer is accused of accepting bribes and cooperation with the mafia. Font size: A - | A + A former high-ranking officer of the National Criminal Agency (NAKA) was detained on Thursday March 9 in Komarno. He is suspected of cooperation with the underworld of Dunajska Streda, the Markiza TV reported. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Interior Ministry spokesperson Andrea Dobiasova confirmed the information. "The investigator accused the man of accepting bribes and other crimes," she said. Markiza reported that the arrest of the former officer of the elite police unit in Nitra is linked with the intervention against men who allegedly belong to the mafia of Dunajska Streda. The men were detained in May 2016 and the information they shared with the police led the investigators to the former NAKA officer. The billionaire owner of popular e-commerce site Amazon and space firm Blue Origin ahs announced about a new treaty for its on-going New Glenn Orbital Rocket, at the Satellite 2017 Conference, going on in Washington. Just a week after the billionaire CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos announced his grand, ambitious plan for his rocket venture Blue Origin to join forces NASA for shipping cargoes to the moon, the company has signed its first paying commercial customer, for its pipelined rocket project. In the high-profile summit, the American privately-funded aerospace has announced about its treaty with the French satellite company Eutelsat Communications, who is the first paying consumer of its in progress project New Glenn Orbital Rocket. The deal has come up as the first big commercial contract for Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos aerospace firm Blue Origin and its ambitious lunar rocket mission. By signing a contract with the French Company Eutelsat Communications, Blue Origin will empower its still-under-development project New Glenn Orbital Rocket. As quoted by Washington Post in one of its articles, the billionaire CEO of Blue Origin has officially confirmed the news and said that the first paying customer of his giant rocket mission the satellite television provider Eutelsat would tie one of its satellites to a new Blue Origin rocket for its deliverance to space. Earlier, the company has done the process dozens of times with its other space partners, and the Paris-based Eutelsat is no different. The primary components of the New Glenn Rocket will be power-driven by seven of Blue Origins BE-4 engines and are specifically intended for landing back on Earth after blasting off into space. In a video, which was published recently at a conference of satellite developers in Washington, DC, Bezos declared that New Glenn would take off from NASAs Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. As described by Jeff Bezos in his published video, the first console of the vehicle is capable of transporting approximately 100,000 pounds into lower Earth orbit, and about 29,000 pounds to a much higher orbit, located some 22,000 miles, called geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). For accomplishing the mission of decoding the anonymity of dark matter and gravity, NASA is gearing up to send an ice chest-sized box to the International Space Station (ISS), where, by freezing the gas atoms, it will create the coldest spot in the universe an advance that may pave new paths towards the exploration of gravity and dark matter. Forces like dark matter and gravity are present everywhere in the universe. But despite their omnipresence nature, the concept, nature, origin, and intensity of both forces are still weakly understood by scientists. Now in order to get new and clearer insights into the mysterious forces, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in taking a significant step forward, under which it will create worlds coolest place. And this coolest place will help the scientists to make out many secrets about dark matter and gravity. For this mission, NASA has developed a suite of instruments, called Cold Atom Laboratory (CAL). It is an ice-crust sized box a facility that will allow scientists to swot up of ultra-cold quantum gases in the microgravity atmosphere of the International Space Station (ISS). It is developed by NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the US. According to NASA, the ice-crust laboratory will take off to the International Space Station (ISS) to space on 1st August 2017, on board the cargo resupply mission of SpaceX, called CRS-12. Studying these hyper-cold atoms could reshape our understanding of matter and the fundamental nature of gravity, said CAL Project Scientist Robert Thompson of JPL. The experiments well do with the Cold Atom Lab will give us insight into gravity and dark energy some of the most pervasive forces in the universe. Once dispatched at ISS, scientists will use the laboratory for coagulating the gas atoms, presented inside the cold chamber. The instruments of CAL are designed for chilling the gas atoms by taking it to a billionth of a degree over the state of absolute zero degree, which is over 100 million times freeze than the depths of space. When the instruments of CAL succeeds in freezing the gas ions to excessive temperatures, the atoms will be capable of forming Bose-Einstein condensate a distinct state of matter where the attenuate gas of bosons refrigerated to temperatures extremely close to absolute zero degrees. Image Credits: Wiki Commons. Velocity-distribution data (3 views) for a gas of rubidium atoms, confirming the discovery of a new phase of matter, the BoseEinstein condensate. Left: just before the appearance of a BoseEinstein condensate. Center: just after the appearance of the condensate. Right: after further evaporation, leaving a sample of nearly pure condensate In this state of matter, the recognisable rules of physics will move away, and quantum physics will be switched on. On Earth, while, the tug of gravity forces the gas atoms to continually make progress towards the ground, making them noticeable only for some fractions of a second. However, by freezing them and applying Bose-Einstein condensate state of matter on the International Space Station, scientists will modify the observational quality of the atoms and will make the ultra-cold atoms to clutch their beckon-like shapes for a longer time. As estimated by Robert Thompson, a Project Scientist of Cold Atom Laboratory at NASAs JPL, Cold Atom Laboratory will endorse Bose-Einstein condensates to be perceptible for 5 to 10 seconds; means a long opening for scientists to study it. This will allow scientists to examine the atoms more thoroughly and to understand physics at its most elementary stage. Mars colonisation and exploration missions, alongside numerous possibilities, also have come up with the concerns for astronauts health and wellness. Scientists are constantly trying to explore what will be the impact of intense radiations and disorganised atmosphere of the Mars on the astronomers, traveling to the Red Planet in the coming days. In such advancement, a NASA-funded study has warned about the threat of Leukaemia for the astronauts. The question How Martian radiations affect human body is attained by scientists from various angles and a new study, sponsored by the US-based space agency NASA has warned that chronic contact with the deep space radiations can hamper the general wellness of travellers and intensify the threats of Leukaemia cancer that forms in blood-forming tissue like bone marrow and impede the function and health of vital stem cells. NASA, keeping an eye on its upcoming Mars manned mission, slated from 2030, has been conducting multiple experiments and studies to get better and clearer insights into the intensity of Radiation impacts on spacewalking astronauts. Moreover, the agency is also trying hard to know how the Martian radiations will impinge on the cognition ability and behaviour of the spacewalkers and how it will switch genetic materials on and off. In its recently funded study, the agency has highlighted how one particular source of radiation Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCRs), which predominantly sourced from outside solar system and pass through the Martian atmosphere can trigger the risks of leukaemia in the human body. The research, carried out by the scientists of Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, US has highlighted that, Galactic Cosmic Rays, while passing close to our own Sun, can shoot off intense solar flares and forces in the form of electromagnetic radiations and particles, chronic exposure to which may cause the particular type of cancer in human body. According to NASA, radiation exposure is one of the most hazardous perspectives of taking wings to Mars. It was earlier vaguely believed to hamper peoples health. However, the particular impacts of the radiations were somehow unidentified by the scientists and to decode this puzzlement; the agency is busy in conducting experiments. As said by an official of NASA, We are planning to send the human being to the Red Planet by the end of 2030, and before that, we want to remain assured about each and every perspective that is related to this mission. According to Christopher Porada, an Associate Professor at Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, US and the lead author of the study, The aftermaths of our experiment is still subjective to further researches. The conclusions are confusing us as they illustrate chronic exposure to Martian radiation could potentially amplify the threat of leukaemia in two distinct manners. In the first mode, we found that genetic harm to HSCs (hematopoietic stem cells) can directly lead to leukaemia, while in a second way, we noticed that radiation also could impinge on the aptitude of HSCs to produce T and B cells types of white blood cells which are involved in combating outer invaders like contagions or tumour cells. The complete details of the study are published in the journal Leukemia this week. Machine Learning Google Cloud Acquires Kaggle, Releases New Machine Learning Products Google Cloud has acquired Kaggle, home to the worlds largest community of data scientists and machine learning enthusiasts. More than 800,000 data experts use Kaggle to explore, analyze and understand the latest updates in machine learning and data analytics. Google Cloud is also releasing new machine learning products, including a Video Intelligence application program interface (API) that automatically recognizes objects in videos and makes them searchable and discoverable. Users can type in words such as dog, flower or human, or verbs such as run, swim or fly, and search within every shot or frame of every video file in their catalogs. The API quickly annotates videos stored in Google Cloud Storage with video, shot and frame-level context. Here are some main features: Label detection, identifying objects such as everyday items, places and things (i.e. elephants); Temporal annotations: One can search for relevant entities across ones entire video catalog and automatically aggregate ones search by video and each frame location; and Shot change detection: Detect scene changes within the video. Some applications of this new technology include media archiving, allowing publishing platforms to recommend digital content to consumers, and video content discovery. Google also revealed new capabilities for Vision API, as well as an Advanced Solutions Lab (ASL) training facility. Vision API has added new capabilities that support new enterprise use cases for image search: Expansion of video APIs metadata to recognize millions of entities from Googles Knowledge Graph. Google is now using the same metadata that powers Google image search. This also enables the API to detect and group similar images. Enhanced optical character recognition that can extract text from images of text-heavy documents such as books or legal contracts. The ASL is a new Google facility in Mountain View, CA, that is designed for customers to directly collaborate with Googles machine learning experts. Customers will be able to explore how machine learning can solve their specific use cases, while getting trained on the principles of machine learning and how to use Cloud Machine Learning Engine, which is Googles fully managed service for building and training machine learning models at scale. The training is based on Googles own internal education and training for machine learning. Cloud Machine Learning Engine (CMLE, formerly known as Cloud Machine Learning Platform) is now generally available for all businesses. CMLE can create a rich environment across TensorFlow and cloud computing tools such as Google Cloud Dataflow, BigQuery, Cloud Storage and Cloud Datalab. CMLE has been deployed by companies such as Airbus and Ocado. Google announced these new products and developments at its Google Cloud Next conference, taking place today through March 10 in San Francisco. For more information on Googles new products and developments, visit Google Clouds Big Data and Machine Learning Blog. Reuters The Italian government intends to scrutinise the potential sale of a refinery owned by Russia's Lukoil in Sicily to prevent job cuts and the loss of fuel production for the country, Industry Minister Aldo Urso said on Sunday. The ISAB refinery accounts for around 20% of Italy's refinery capacity and directly employs 1,000 workers in one of Italy's poorer regions. Lukoil had been in talks with U.S. investment platform Crossbridge Energy Partners to sell ISAB in a move that would have helped avoid the halt of the refinery due to an upcoming embargo on Russian oil. Supakit Ekthananun / shutterstock Zookeepers at Thiory Zoo, near Paris, recently arrived at work to find their four-year-old rhinoceros, Vince, dead from a gunshot to the head. The larger of his two horns had been cut off with a chainsaw. The poachers responsible had forced open one grill and two locked doors in order to get into the rhinos enclosure. Police presume that the smaller horn was not taken, and the zoos other two rhinos were not killed, because the poachers either did not have time or were interrupted. There is speculation that the poachers are professionals and the horn will be smuggled to Asia. No matter how shocking and heartbreaking it is to hear about the murder of this rhino, it should come as little surprise. In their native habitats the five species of rhino are at best near threatened and at worst critically endangered because they are poached for their horns. According to the charity Save the Rhino the total worldwide population was around 500,000 at the beginning of the 20th century. Today, there are just 29,000 left. Vinces species, the southern white rhino, is actually a conservation success story, as it has come back from the brink of extinction a century ago to an estimated population of at least 19,000. The good news ends there though. The black rhino population is estimated to be just over 5,000 individuals; the greater one-horn rhino over 3,500, and the Javan and Sumatran rhinos both under 100. Even the southern whites numbers cant protect it from poaching: if current death rates continue, it may become extinct in the wild by 2023. There are huge profits to be made from poaching rhinos. Demand from Asia, where there is a long history of rhino horn in traditional medicine, means each horn can fetch tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on the black market. This makes it one of the most expensive commodities in the world potentially more valuable per kilo than diamonds or cocaine. But poaching in the wild is getting harder. Anti-poaching technology is getting smarter, wardens are being militarised, and there are simply fewer rhinos left to target. The logical next step is for poachers and organised crime to adapt and choose soft targets such as zoos, safari parks and sanctuaries. Theres evidence this is already happening: an Irish organised crime group, the Rathkeale Rovers, is allegedly responsible for 60 rhino horn thefts from natural history museums across Europe. Story continues Poaching in the west may not even be limited to organised crime groups. In the case of Vince the rhino, one grill, two locked doors and some surveillance cameras are not exactly sophisticated technology that unorganised criminals wouldnt be able to get around. But we shouldnt be surprised if Vinces killers turn out to be professionals. Organised crime, like most wildlife crime, adapts to conditions and looks for new opportunities to make money. Zoos seem to be ready targets where the benefits are very high and the risk of getting caught very low. The horn is probably on its way to Asia, but lets not forget that Europe is one of the three top consumers of illegal wildlife. China and the US are the other two. So while Europeans may have a reputation for being wildlife and animal lovers, there is a dark side to the continents relationship with wildlife that is often ignored. Zoos and safari parks should increase their security measures and vigilance as chances are rhinos will not be the only victims of poaching in Europe because of the illegal wildlife trade. And thats regardless of whether the demand is from inside or outside of Europe and if the poachers are organised crime or not. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. The Conversation Tanya Wyatt does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond the academic appointment above. By Anthony Deutsch GRONINGEN, Netherlands (Reuters) - Dozens of migrants are sheltering on a former hospital ship in a Dutch canal, beneficiaries of a "Bed, Bath, Bread" programme for asylum seekers. But their hopes of settlement are dimming with the anti-immigrant right poised for a surge at the ballot box. Polls suggest the far-right ticket will double its vote in the March 15 election, riding perceptions that many years of Muslim immigration threaten to erode Dutch national identity. Despite statistics showing there are fewer foreigners in the Netherlands than commonly believed, many voters feel Muslim immigrants are failing to integrate and running down a once-generous health and welfare system. Even if firebrand nationalist leader Geert Wilders does not enter the next ruling coalition given the refusal of "establishment" parties to work with him, he has managed to push the mainstream political agenda to the anti-immigrant right. In the northern coastal town of Groningen, dozens of mainly Muslim men and women - Africans, Arabs and some Iranians - sit at bare tables and chat quietly in the living quarters fashioned out of a ship where hospital patients were once treated. They are awaiting decisions on appeals of government rejections of their asylum applications, a process that has dragged on for years during which the Netherlands began to crack down hard on economic migrants. In the meantime, they are grateful for the refuge from the harsh North Sea winter. Groningen opened its "Bed, Bath, Bread" facility for 100 asylum seekers in January after the government of conservative Prime Minister Mark Rutte cut off BBB funding, and it plans to expand capacity to 300 people later this year. About 30 other Dutch cities and towns run BBB shelters too. They accommodate thousands of asylum seekers in legal limbo. "Four years ago I was alone. You know how life is outside, without help, but at this moment I am grateful," said Moussa Sall. He said he fled political violence in Guinea, West Africa and drifted across Europe before arriving in Groningen. Sall and his cohorts were aware and worried about swelling anti-immigrant sentiment represented by Wilders, leader of the anti-Islam Party for Freedom (PVV), but seemed loath to discuss sensitive domestic politics. "I would like to stay here and work as a hairdresser. I have started learning the language. It's not possible to go back to my country for the moment. It's dangerous for me," said Sall. POPULIST PRESSURE That is not the position taken by Rutte's government, which under the populist pressure of Wilders has imposed some of the toughest immigration policies in the European Union since 2012. It has cut off funding for BBB facilities and shortened the period of shelter for failed applicants to 28 days unless they agree to leave and stay in semi-detention prior to deportation. The government has also expanded the list of "safe" countries to which rejected migrants can be legally returned and outlawed the wearing in public of face veils by Muslim women. The nationalist current changing Dutch politics reflects a deep souring of public attitudes towards immigrants in a country long known for liberalism and multicultural tolerance, rooted in centuries of maritime history. The welcome showered on hundreds of thousands of Moroccan and Turkish workers a few decades ago has turned to resentment at open-door, pro-EU policies under mainstream parties that may drive 20 percent of voters into the PVV's arms at the polls next week. That could make Wilders' party the biggest in parliament, though it is still unlikely to enter government as all its mainstream rivals have vowed to ostracise the PVV. But diverging views among a handful of contending parties in the election about how many immigrants to accept and where to shelter them could make the formation of the next government a complex, prolonged affair. IMMIGRATION HAS RISEN, NOT SOARED The percentage of non-Western immigrants in the founding EU member state rose from 7.5 percent of the population in 1996 to 12.1 percent in 2015, according to Statistics Netherlands. In 2015, when a record 1.2 million asylum seekers - often Muslims fleeing Syria's civil war - flowed into the EU, the Netherlands took in 43,000 of them, roughly in line with the 28-nation bloc's average. That year, the Netherlands accepted 2,546 asylum seekers per one million inhabitants, compared with 5,441 in Germany and 1,063 in France, according to Eurostat. The Dutch intake fell by half in 2016 thanks to an EU deal with Turkey that curbed migration via that country to neighbouring Europe. Yet the perception of the number of Muslims in the Netherlands greatly outstrips reality. A 2016 Ipsos poll found most Dutch believed 19 percent of the country's 17 million population is Muslim, rather than the actual 5 percent. Ipsos found a similar gap between perceptions and truth in France. Wilders condemns Moroccans for being over-represented in Dutch crime and welfare statistics. He wants to close the border to non-Western immigrants, shut down hundreds of mosques and take the Netherlands out of the EU. Jesse Klaver, a Greens politician, said Dutch culture was not threatened by immigration but by an intolerant far right. "We are not a racist country. It's not about immigrants or Islam. It's about social, economic problems. People who have to pay too much tax and can't make a living," he said. LAWSUITS Groningen and other municipalities decided to pay for migrant shelters themselves after talks with Rutte's cabinet about funding the BBB programme collapsed. Several lawsuits ensued, including by asylum seekers who won the right to shelter in Amsterdam. Groningen officials said they were honouring a 2014 decision by the European Committee on Social Rights, part of the Council of Europe rights watchdog, that the Dutch must provide shelter and medical care to the homeless as a fundamental human right. Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, accused mainstream parties of not standing up to populists ahead of elections in the Netherlands, Germany and France, but instead adopting their policies for short-term political gain. Such criticism has not swayed Rutte's conservatives. He published an open letter in January, weeks before election campaigning began, telling immigrants to accept Dutch values and blend in or go home. Immigrants reacted with consternation and anger in social media posts. A poll last month found that 40 percent of Turks and Moroccans no longer feel at home in the Netherlands. (Additional reporting by Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; editing by Mark Heinrich) BERLIN (Reuters) - A decision by Russia to permanently station Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad, its enclave on the Baltic Sea, would mark a setback for European security, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel told Russian news agency Interfax on Wednesday. Russia said in October it had moved the ballistic nuclear-capable missiles to Kaliningrad and deployed a S-400 air missile defense system there. It said the deployment was part of routine drills, but Western military officials worry that it may become permanent. "If Iskander missiles were stationed in Kaliningrad permanently, that would be a cause for great concern and a blow to European security," Gabriel said. "That is why we are watching what's happening in Kaliningrad very carefully." Gabriel traveled to Moscow late on Wednesday after a meeting with his Polish counterpart in Warsaw. Some modifications of the Iskander-M missiles can hit targets 700 km (450 miles) away, putting the German capital of Berlin within range of Kaliningrad. Lithuania, which borders Kaliningrad, in January said it planned to build a two-meter-high wire fence along its border, underscoring its concerns about a more assertive Russia. Gabriel visited Lithuania last week, vowing to keep German troops in the region for as long as need. In the Interfax interview, Gabriel rejected Russian criticism of NATO's deployment of 4,000 troops to Poland and the Baltic states, including 400 German soldiers in Lithuania. "Germany and other NATO states were not the first to go into the Baltic area," he said, adding that the number of German troops in the region was miniscule compared with a massive Russian buildup. (Reporting by Sabine Siebold; Writing by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Larry King) By Krisztina Than BARCS, Hungary (Reuters) - Sandor Jankovics is proud to be joining Hungary's new "border hunter" force after a six-month crash course to help police and army units keep out migrants, part of a security clampdown that has raised human rights concerns. Hungary's southern border with Serbia and Croatia marks the external edge of the European Union's Schengen zone of passport-free travel. Hundreds of thousands of migrants have entered Hungary via its southern frontier since 2015, though most have moved on westward to more prosperous parts of the EU. The migrant flow has ebbed greatly since Hungary erected a fence along the southern boundary and the EU struck a deal with Turkey 18 months ago that curbed migration from that country into neighbouring Europe. But nationalist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who on Tuesday described mainly Muslim migrants as a "Trojan horse for terrorism", has cited the risk of a new influx from the Balkans and is beefing up his country's defences. This week Hungary also passed a law to detain migrants in camps along its border, a step the United Nations said violates EU humanitarian law and will have a "terrible physical and psychological impact" on asylum seekers. Jankovic, 26, who quit his job as a labourer in nearby Austria last year, will start "border hunter" duty along with almost 1,000 other volunteers within three months. He is one of dozens undergoing fast-track training at Barcs, a border crossing with fellow EU country Croatia. Barcs witnessed the apex of the migration crisis in September 2015 when many thousands fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East flooded into Hungary after having passed through Croatia from Serbia. Now Barcs is eerily quiet, with only a few passing trucks being spot-checked by police. Orban's security plan focuses on the border with Serbia since Croatia has beefed up its boundary with its Balkan neighbour since 2015. Jankovics said he had never met a migrant, but looks forward to training patrols and to his deployment with great pride since he had always aspired to becoming a police officer. CRASH COURSE IN SECURITY "We will be sent to the stretch of border where we will be needed," he said. He will get a monthly gross salary of 220,000 forints (614), well above the minimum of 161,000 forints guaranteed by Hungary for those with secondary education. Recruits, who must be between 18 and 55 years old, are given training similar to police and learn other skills such as guarding a border fence, detaining large groups of migrants and tracking their paths. Some multicultural studies are part of the programme. "Initially we started to learn about the major religions of the world, who believes in what," Jankovics said. Like police officers, border hunters will carry pistols with live ammunition, batons, pepper spray and handcuffs, and will also be equipped with night-vision goggles if needed. "The defence of Hungary is the most important for us," said Adrienn Heronyanyi, 23, a recruit who previously worked in catering. Hungarian police aim to recruit up to 3,000 border hunters. Recruiting is continuous, including in secondary schools. In the classroom, the new recruits assemble their pistols at the order of their officer within seconds. In the afternoon, they learn judo skills and moves to handcuff people. Asked under what conditions border hunters could use force against migrants, regional police chief Attila Piros said the rules were the same as for police - to "break resistance" but only as a last resort. He said any force must be proportionate and justified. "One of the most important things in this six-month training that we teach as law but in fact has moral and ethical foundations is that criminals are human beings, everybody has human rights." MIGRANT "STORM" HAS NOT DIED - ORBAN At a swearing-in ceremony of border hunters in Budapest on Tuesday, Orban, whose anti-immigrant policies have gone down well with voters, said Hungary had to act to defend itself. "The storm has not died, it has only subsided temporarily," he said. "There are still millions waiting to set out on their journey in the hope of a better life (in Europe)." In addition to the razor-wire border barrier, the government has begun installing a second line of "smart fence" along the Serbian border. Border police said they had detained over 100 illegal migrants in the past 30 days. Nils Muiznieks, the Council of Europe's human rights commissioner, voiced alarm at Hungary's migrant detention plan. "Automatically depriving all asylum seekers of their liberty would be in clear violation of Hungary's obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights," he said on Wednesday. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said its teams in Serbia were treating a growing number of migrants who reported being beaten and stomped on by Hungarian border guards who intercepted them. Orban's government has denied mistreating migrants. His office said eight cases of alleged mistreatment had been investigated but in none "was it proven that refugees had been harmed by border personnel". Reuters could not independently verify reports of abuses. (Reporting by Krisztina Than; editing by Mark Heinrich) JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday there could never be peace in Syria as long as there was an Iranian presence there. "We discussed at length the matter of Iran, its objectives and intentions in Syria, and I clarified that there cannot be a peace deal in Syria when Iran is there and declares its intention to destroy Israel," Netanyahu said in footage supplied by his office after their meeting. Iran, Israel's arch-enemy, has been embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's staunchest backer and has provided militia fighters to help him in the country's civil war. "(Iran) is arming itself and its forces against Israel including from Syria territory and is, in fact, gaining a foothold to continue the fight against Israel," he said in reply to a reporter's question. "There cannot be peace when they continue the war and therefore they have to be removed." Russia, also Assad's ally, is seen as holding the balance of power in achieving a deal on Syria's future. In Geneva last week, the first U.N.-led Syria peace talks in a year ended without a breakthrough. [nL5N1GG2NL] Israeli leaders have pointed to Tehran's steadily increasing influence in the region during the six-year-old Syrian conflict, whether via its own Revolutionary Guard forces or Shi'ite Muslim proxies, especially Hezbollah. Last year, Avi Dichter, the chair of Israel's foreign affairs and defence committee, said Iran had tried several times in the past to move forces into the Syrian Golan Heights, next to territory that Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war. Dichter said those moves were repelled, but gave no details. Netanyahu has said that Israel has carried out dozens of strikes to prevent weapons smuggling to the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah via Syria. Two years ago, Israel and Russia agreed to coordinate military actions over Syria in order to avoid accidentally trading fire. (Writing by Ori Lewis; editing by Andrew Roche) Israeli Arab MP Ayman Odeh tore up a copy of a controversial bill that would ban mosques from using loudspeakers at certain times during a heated debate in the Israeli Parliament on Wednesday, March 8. The Joint List MP and other Israeli Arab politicians were ejected from the Knesset chamber during the debate over what has been dubbed the muezzin law. The Times of Israel reported that the Knesset passed two versions of the law, which would ban places of worship from using loudspeakers between 11 pm and 7 am or when they are unreasonably loud and likely to cause disturbance. Arab lawmakers condemned the bill as racist, adding that it is offensive to the Arab culture and language. The first readings of the bill was passed by slim majorities, the BBC reported. It will become law after further readings. Credit: The Knesset via Storyful By Matthias Williams CHISINAU (Reuters) - Moldova said on Thursday it would bar its officials from visiting Russia because they were being subjected to "humiliating" abuse and harassment by some members of Moscow's security apparatus. The government of the small ex-Soviet republic said in a statement it believed the abuse was revenge for an investigation of what it said was a $22 billion (18.09 billion) scheme to launder Russian money through Moldova's financial system. The spat has erupted at a delicate time, as Moldova's newly-elected president is looking to pull his country closer to Moscow while its staunchly pro-Western government seeks closer ties with and eventual membership of the European Union. Moldovan lawmakers, government officials and intelligence services "are being abusively stopped on entry to the Russian Federation, interrogated and treated in a humiliating manner by representatives of a Russian special/intelligence service," the government statement said. Russia's security services and foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Moldova's accusations. "Until a solution is found to this issue, Moldovan officials are asked to abstain from visits to the Russian Federation," the Moldovan statement said Authorities in Chisinau say Russian money has been laundered through a Moldovan bank with the collusion of Moldovan judges and some central bank officials. Fourteen judges and a prominent Moldovan businessman have been arrested. PRESIDENT DENOUNCES MOVE Moldova, Europe's poorest country, borders EU member Romania, with which it has close linguistic and cultural ties, but remains heavily reliant on Russian energy supplies. Relations with Moscow soured after Moldova signed a political and trade pact with the EU in 2014, prompting Russia to slap a retaliatory ban on Moldovan produce. President Igor Dodon, who travels to Russia next week, denounced the move on Thursday to stop Moldovan officials from travelling as "abnormal" and said it would hurt efforts to build better relations with Moscow. In its statement, the government said one Moldovan interior ministry official had been stopped 35 times while entering and exiting Russian territory at a Moscow airport. It also accused Russian security officials of spreading false information about high-ranking Moldovans as a ruse to get them put onto international watch lists. The Moldovan government said the Russian authorities had refused to co-operate with its money-laundering investigation and had ignored official requests for help. (Additional reporting by Alexander Tanas; Editing by Gareth Jones) Credit: AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana Leave it to Michelle Obama to step out with the most perfect off-duty tote for her weekend gallery-hopping jaunt with hubby Barack. The former First Lady and President Obama were the picture of casual chic Sunday in Washington, D.C., getting their dose of culture at the National Gallery of Art after their fun and fancy-free British Virgin Islands getaway. Credit: AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana Michelle Obama donned a city girl favorite: an all-black ensemble that was not without its share of punched-up accessories in the form of a mini arm party and a versatile leather tote we could see being a trusted go-to bag on the daily. The black top handle Alexander Wang satchel featured a belted padlock and chain detail ($950; saksfifthavenue.com). Credit: Courtesy The former president, meanwhile, couldn't look happier carrying a specially designed Scout shopping bag ($14; scoutbags.com) in his souped-up dad uniform, which was topped with a buttery brown leather jacket. Both exhibited shades and easy smiles. VIDEO: Inside the Obama Family's Kalorama Home We'll be keeping an eye on these two during their laid-back return to civilian life in the nation's capital. A puppy who was left paralysed by a horrific injury was forced to drag herself for several miles to find someone to help her. Poppy suffered a crushed spine that left her two back legs completely unusable, thought to have been the result of being trampled by an animal. The seven-month-old pup seemed to have health with her debilitating condition for weeks or even months before she started to drag herself to find help. She went for miles before finally coming across an elephant research camp in the northern Okavango region of Botswana, where worker Amanda Strong spotted her. Unbelievably, the pup who was completely alone managed to avoid predators like lions, hyenas and other predators on her way to the camp, that was situated in a remote region. Amanda told The Dodo: She came crawling literally crawling, because her back legs were completely immobilised into our research camp. Poppy was cared for once she came across a remote camp in Botswana (Amanda Stronza/GoFundMe) She was unable to walk, but full of love and seeking help. Staff at the camp took care of Poppy for several days before they made the eight-hour journey to the nearest vet, who decided that surgery on her spine would eventually be needed. Amanda added: He said the chances were slim she could make it through the surgery or recovery afterward. MORE: WikiLeaks Vault 7 CIA documents contain authentic information that may have been leaked by Russia MORE: Turning the airwaves blue: BBC presenters gaffe over spreadsh*t Phil But she had so much life in her, and I knew we needed to honour her will to live and the hard fight she had already fought to find us and stay alive. I couldnt agree to euthanise her. A GoFundMe page has now been set up to raise funds for the life-saving surgery as soon as Poppy is strong enough. Top pic: Amanda Stronza/GoFundMe [March 08, 2017] Canon launches Oce Colorado 1640, the world's first 64 inch roll-to-roll printer built on Canon's new UVgel technology MELVILLE, N.Y., March 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Canon U.S.A., Inc. a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced a new print technology that will offer large format graphics print providers unique levels of print speed, quality, automation, and cost of operation. Canon, a world leader in imaging solutions, proudly introduces a new 64 inch roll-to-roll printer designed to deliver exceptional productivity for high quality indoor and outdoor graphics. Customers will be able to easily handle peak periods with fully automated media loading of multiple online rolls, confidently print unattended with on-the-fly quality assurance, produce instantly cured prints on a wide variety of media including heat sensitive media, and help cut expenses with segment-leading low operating costs. The Oce Colorado 1640 will transform 64 inch roll-to-roll sign and display printing. "We are very excited about this revolutionary new game changing technology," said Toyo Kuwamura, executive vice president and general manager, Business Imaging Solutions Group, Canon U.S.A., Inc. "This new technology will help large format print providers to increase their print production while lowering their operating costs, enabling them to profitably grow their business. This technology will have a great business impact on the market including small, midsize and even the large production shops, everyone will benefit." UVgel Technology At the heart of the new Oce Colorado 1640 is Canon's recently announced UVgel technology. This technology combines a radically new UV curable ink from Canon that instantly gels on contact with the media, an advanced "self-aware" piezoelectric printhead technology, an LED-based UV system that cures without adding any damaging heat to the media, and continuous, on-the-fly, printhead nozzle monitoring and performance compensation. These unique technologies come together to create a 64" roll-to-roll printer that sets new standards for quality, productivity, automation, application range, and operating costs. Breakthrough Productivity The new Oce Colorado 1640 is the fastest 64 inch printer on the market. It boasts a top speed of 1710 square feet per hour and delivers high quality, POP prints at 430 square feet per hour faster than any competing system in this segment. The new, technologically advanced UVgel ink instantly gels on contact with media resulting in precise dot gain and positional control, perfectly repeatable images, and instantly cured, durable prints. The state-of-the-art low temperature LED-UV curing system moves independently from the printing carriage thus enabling uniform, post-print UV curing that further contributes to print speed and print quality. Confident unattended printing, automated quality assurance, unattended roll change, and reduced print waste all significantly contribute to overall productivity. Innovations in Automation The Oce Colorado 1640 sets a new standard in industrialization and automation. It features a heavy-duty drawer mechanism that holds up to two rolls of media at one time, each weighing up to 110 lbs. The two rolls can be of the same media type and size or different media, and once initialized, the print engine can switch jobs between rolls without operator assistance. If an unknown media is loaded, the printer will automatically measure its thickness ad adjust the print gap accordingly. This ensures the best possible print quality and reduces the risk of printhead crashes. This information is then stored in the media library along with other media parameters so that the next time this type of media is loaded, the printer knows exactly how to handle it. Reliability is key for a true production-oriented printer, and the machine must be able to print while unattended. This is why Canon has developed several innovative technologies for on-the-fly quality assurance and control. The UVgel printheads incorporate patented continuous nozzle monitoring to detect and correct any underperforming nozzles. During each and every printing pass, Canon's patented nozzle monitoring technology automatically checks all nozzles using acoustic sampling and even detects whether nozzles are going to misfire before they actually do. In the event of nozzle failure, corrective maintenance is automatically performed. Broad Application Range The Oce Colorado 1640 is excellent for both indoor and outdoor applications. It delivers a large color gamut, similar to solvent inks but combines this with the environmental benefits and safety profile of latex and UV-cured systems. The result is nearly odorless, VCL-free, durable, colorfast, high quality prints even on the thinnest, most heat-sensitive media. Canon's unique UVgel technology features ultra-thin ink dispersion with almost no discernible physical profile on the media surface. Prints feel uniquely smooth, unlike other UV ink technologies, and satisfy the highest environmental standards for indoor usage with a virtually odorless profile. As with all roll-to-roll printers, an important factor in print quality, and subsequently application range, is the accuracy with which the printer advances the media. Built on a heavy, robust frame for class-leading rigidity and equipped with industrial components, the media handling system uses an optical feedback loop that continuously monitors media advance. Using virtually invisible printed index marks at the edges of the media, the system measures media advances in real time to automatically correct the subsequent step size as needed. Lowest Operating Cost The Oce Colorado 1640 leads the way in terms of low operating costs. Canon's unique UVgel technology features ink consumption much lower than competitive technologies, as much as 40 percent lower. This technical advantage is matched with a competitive ink price, making the ink cost of production significantly lower than competing technologies. Looking beyond the easily measured cost savings found in every print, additional savings may be realized through unsurpassed automation features that help reduce operator machine handling time by up to a third compared to competitive products. "Canon is looking forward to the U.S. debut of this product at the ISA Show in April," said Toyo Kuwamura, executive vice president and general manager, Business Imaging Solutions Group, Canon U.S.A., Inc. "We know that there has been a lot of anticipation around this technology and we are very excited about what the future will bring." In summary, this proprietary UVgel technology, consisting of both inks and print heads from Canon, will offer large format graphics print providers significant benefits to existing eco-solvent or Latex ink technology, including: The world's fastest 64 inch roll-roll printer with a maximum usable print speed of 1710 square feet per hour and a high quality POP mode at 430 square feet per hour. Up to 40 percent reduction in ink/printing costs compared to other technologies such as latex Industrial designed production printer capable of printing higher print volumes and built to withstand high duty cycles Very high print quality across a wide range of applications without having to significantly compromise productivity by reducing speed Extremely easy and fast media loading and automatic switching with the support of 2 in-line rolls On-the-fly quality assurance technology facilitates unattended printing and reduced print waste Automated maintenance provides consistent print quality and higher uptime This product will have its first public debut in the U.S.A. at the ISA International Sign Expo in April of 2017. In conjunction with the first commercially available units, pricing and specification details will be released at that time. About Canon U.S.A., Inc. Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions to the United States and to Latin America and the Caribbean markets. With approximately $29 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), ranks third overall in U.S. patents granted in 2016. Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest level of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes in the United States. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. In 2014, the Canon Americas Headquarters secured LEED Gold certification, a recognition for the design, construction, operations and maintenance of high-performance green buildings. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss and follow us on Twitter @CanonUSA. For media inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office. Availability, prices and specifications are subject to change without notice. Canon is a registered trademark of Canon Inc. in the United States and elsewhere. Oce is a registered trademark of Oce-Technologies B.V. in the United States and elsewhere. All other referenced product names and marks are trademarks of their respective owners and are hereby acknowledged. 2017 Canon U.S.A., Inc. All rights reserved. Canon U.S.A. website: http://www.usa.canon.com For sales information/customer support: 1-800-OK-CANON To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/canon-launches-oce-colorado-1640-the-worlds-first-64-inch-roll-to-roll-printer-built-on-canons-new-uvgel-technology-300420539.html SOURCE Canon U.S.A., Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] FILE - In this Saturday, July 16, 2016 file photo, Turkish soldiers secure Istanbul's Taksim square, as supporters of Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan protest in Istanbul. In the wake of last years coup in Turkey, scores of military officers are seeking asylum in Belgium and elsewhere in Europe. Three who spoke to AP tell Kafkaesque tales of a life in hiding, charged with crimes against the state. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel, File) BRUSSELS (AP) In the days after rogue soldiers tried to take over Turkey last year, the fax machine in the Turkish delegation's offices at NATO headquarters started spitting out lists of names. The lists from armed forces headquarters in Ankara often arrived on Friday evenings as personnel were packing up for the weekend. At first, each carried 20 or 30 names. But the one that came through more than two months after the July coup attempt made even seasoned Turkish officers in Brussels anxious. It gave 221 colonels, majors and other mid-ranking officers at NATO facilities around the world three days to get back to Turkey. "Normally you would be told where you are going on your next assignment, get an allowance to move your family, have some time for your children to leave school," one major who appeared on the Sept. 27 list told The Associated Press. "It didn't make any sense." The lives of the individuals named were about to be turned upside down. Considered suspects in the coup, dozens of Turkish officers assigned to NATO are refusing orders from the country they spent their adult lives serving and no longer trust. Instead, they are seeking asylum abroad or have gone into hiding, fearing they could be arrested and imprisoned as terrorists if they return. More than 150,000 people have been taken into custody, fired or forced to retire from Turkey's armed forces, judiciary, education system and other public institutions since the thwarted July 15 coup. Yet few first-person accounts have emerged from those caught up in the unprecedented purge, in part because the crackdown has extended to journalists and news outlets in Turkey. Three officers, each with more than 20 years' experience in the armed forces and at least a year at NATO, shared their experiences as well as lists, documents and photographs with an AP reporter. Assigned to posts in Belgium while the failed power grab played out, they believe they have water-tight alibis. Story continues When the big list came in, men gathered around the fax machine trying to grasp what the order meant, how badly the failed coup had shaken up the armed forces. They compared notes in offices, at the cafeteria, and later in the homes of some 150 Turkish officers whose careers and paychecks were about to end. "People came together to understand why and what to do. Was it legal? How would it affect our lives? What was next?" the major said. He spoke on condition of confidentiality during a cautiously arranged interview, expressing fear for his safety and the welfare of his family. Three days after the officers were ordered back to Turkey, another fax arrived. It contained 19 more names and a new order: Return immediately. No explanation. No instructions for the city or military base where they were expected to show up. "It gave us only a few hours to return. We were told to buy a ticket and come back," the major recalled. "We couldn't work out what was going on, what it meant. But from that letter, we could understand that we had already been purged." The army long has been the guarantor of secularism in predominantly Muslim Turkey. Past military coups were conducted to remove leaders considered too Islamist and to uphold the republican ideals of modern Turkey. Over the years, though, a series of trials involving army officers accused of anti-government conspiracies many based on disputed evidence has weakened the army's political influence. The officers being excised, particularly the ones at NATO, are bright, western-educated men including West Point graduates whose experience they say was vital to building and running one of the biggest armies in the Western military alliance. With little help apart from the bond of solidarity the officers have formed, the specter of deportation and arrest seems all too near. "I have a brilliant military career, and I'm not new to the armed forces," one colonel said, producing a glowing recommendation letter from a non-Turkish superior officer at NATO. "We are good people, we are good officers. We are not terrorists. We are trying to understand why we were targeted." In a decree handed down on Nov. 22, the officers who spoke to AP, along with many others, were branded as members or contacts of terrorist groups or structures that Turkey's National Security Council accused of "activities against the national security of the state." At first, they were determined to return and prove their innocence. As a precaution, the major went to a doctor to establish a current health record. The doctor, a man of North African origin warned him: "We have seen this kind of thing before in my country. Don't go back." It was probably good advice. Amnesty International has reported cases of prisoners being severely mistreated since the coup attempt, subjected to beatings and sometimes even sexual assault. Food, water, legal counsel and medical treatment are routinely denied. "Some of the worst reported physical abuse was linked to military personnel and senior military personnel," Amnesty researcher Andrew Gardner told the AP. "It's fair to assume that they were among the people targeted for the most extreme abuse." The colonel and his family, along with about 100 other Turkish personnel, have applied for asylum in Belgium. Scores of other officers are seeking asylum in Germany, the Netherlands and Norway. "I don't want to be a refugee," he said. For now, it is the only guarantee of safety he and his family have, he said. The Turkish government alleges that the failed military power grab was plotted and directed from the United States by Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic cleric and former ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan says vast numbers of Gulen's followers have infiltrated the army and much of Turkish society like a virus. On that summer night, rebel officers launched simultaneous attacks in Ankara and Istanbul, striking at police stations and killing dozens. Fighter jets bombed the Turkish parliament while lawmakers were in session. Top military commanders, including the chief of military staff, were kidnapped. The hastily arranged coup ended up crushed amid a popular uprising by Turks frightened at the prospect of a military takeover. From southwest Turkey, the vacationing Erdogan used a smartphone to urge supporters into the streets. In the weeks that followed, thousands of people were taken into custody under sweeping emergency laws allowing 30 days' detention. "I was surprised and angry. From the very first moments it looked unreal," the major said. "Generals were beaten and treated like dogs in front of the cameras. Many of our friends and the people we knew of the highest caliber were being arrested." Defense officials say Gulen supporters who did not participate in the coup can still be threats, given past examples of officers ignoring their commanders to take instructions from high-ranking people in the movement. The officers in Belgium insist they are not Gulenists; they agree that Gulen supporters have infiltrated Turkish life. They also argue that the government's purge has been arbitrary and ill-conceived. European intelligence officials were surprised by the speed with which the coup suspect lists were drawn up, according to a report by the EU Intelligence Analysis Center. Turkey is trying to join the European Union, and must bring its laws and human rights practices in line with the bloc's standards. The Intcen report, which was reviewed by the Times of London newspaper, concluded that the huge wave of arrests that followed the aborted coup "was already previously prepared." "Erdogan exploited the failed coup and the state of emergency to launch an extensive repressive campaign against the opponents of the (governing Justice and Development Party) establishment," the Times quoted the report as saying. The purged officers think the plot was exploited by the Turkish authorities. Other Erdogan critics say the president has used the coup as a pretext to seize control of the judiciary and the armed forces, two of the country's most independent institutions. The officers who haven't requested asylum hang on as exiles, living in virtual hiding and without salaries, scared they are being watched and with no idea when or if they will be able to go home. The legal limbo is unnerving for the men, who have been refused consular assistance to help fight charges for crimes they say they did not commit. Turkish authorities say the charges must remain a state secret, and the officers have neither seen nor heard the evidence against them. They struggle to find lawyers to represent them. An official at the Turkish embassy in Brussels declined to say how purged officers would be treated if they came for help or documents, saying only "We don't deal with that kind of thing." A further AP request for information went unanswered. The accused men speak highly of NATO and have been moved by private gestures of support. One German colleague invited the colonel for Christmas. As he was leaving, he was handed an envelope with money inside. "I said that I could not accept it," the colonel said. "But his lady hugged me and cried. 'We want to wholeheartedly give you this,' she said." At NATO, the official position is that this is all a matter for the Turkish government. Only NATO's top general, Curtis Scaparrotti, has spoken publicly of "a degradation on my staff" due to the loss of about 150 "talented, capable people" from Turkey. He said he had no indication they were coup-plotters. Despite the risks, some former colleagues in Turkey ask why the men haven't come back if they have not committed crimes against the state as they claim. Relatives and friends also wonder why the men don't take a chance and return. Under pressure, deprived of their work routines and in some cases afraid for families in Turkey, these officers are also wary that Turkey's military attache or the country's the MIT intelligence agency might be tracking them. The strain shows. "My wife's family are having a hard time understanding why we are not going back. The whole society is divided," a second colonel, visibly more restless and tense than his colleagues, said. He has chosen not to apply for asylum in Belgium. "I'm just keeping a low profile," he said. "We are waiting for a change to happen in Turkey because this just isn't sustainable." The signal this colonel hopes to see may not materialize for a while. Last month, the Turkish armed forces removed a ban on Islamic-style head coverings, allowing female officers to wear them. In a country where Erdogan and his Islam-rooted party are working to consolidate power, the move represented a symbolic neutering of the army's role as the guardian of secularism. Meanwhile, with a state of emergency still in place almost eight months after the coup attempt, new lists have trickled off the fax at Turkey's NATO delegation in recent months. More officers have joined the ranks of those seeking international protection. 2_Herders2 Uzbekistan Silk Road Michael Frachetti If the book "The Travels of Marco Polo" can be believed, the famous Italian explorer and trader journeyed from the port of Hormuz in Persia overland via the Silk Road to the summer palace of Kublai Khan in what was then-known as Xanadu (or Shangdu) sometime in the late 13th century. Polo carried sacred lamp oil from Jerusalem and letters from the Pope to the Great Khan and founder of the Yuan Dynasty. That route from the Persian Gulf to Inner Mongolia was just one of many making up the ancient network of the Silk Road or, more accurately, Silk Roads that for centuries connected the cities of Asia and Europe. They connected China, Mongolia, Persia, India, and more, then stretched all the way across the mountains, deserts, and steppes of Central Asia to the Eastern Mediterranean, allowing for the transport of gems and spices and silks. While the basic geography of these routes has long been studied, largely identified by historical sites along the way, the specific details about why these roads pass where they do and how the connections were formed has not been as clear. Now, researchers think they've found a way to explain the origins and importance of the mountain routes for these roads, routes that are essential for overland journeys between Europe and Asia. They may have originally been the paths that nomadic societies traveled with their herds across the highlands, seeking out the best places to graze along the way, according to a study newly published in the journal Nature. Without those nomadic herders, it's unlikely that the paths that allowed travelers like Polo to cross Central Asia would have existed, according to this theory. The roads that connect cities and towns in lowland regions fit models that researchers had already created. These are based on what seem to be the easiest ways to travel between cities. Silk Road Map UNESCO But the Silk Roads that traverse highlands and rocky mountain ranges cannot be easily explained using an "ease of travel" model. Story continues The new "nomadic herder" model helps solve the mystery. 10_paths Kazakhstan Silk Road Michael Frachetti"[F]or over 4,500 years herders have exploited highland pastures in the summer, when grass resources are rich, and returned in winter to lower elevations where ecological conditions are favorable during colder months," the authors write in the study. And in fact, that long predates the major trade routes along those roads. The earliest records for "Silk Road" trade date to around 200 BC, meaning that for centuries before that, these same paths were used by groups looking for places to graze. Finding the best path To develop this explanation, the researchers focused on how the routes through the highlands could have been created. They used a modeling system that processes satellite imagery and is frequently used to calculate how water will flow over an area and tweaked that system so it could show how the most fertile routes through the region under study would change over time. Throughout each year, some parts of the area would work better for grazing land. A model of one year would show the best ways to move animals across that land. Then, the researchers ran that model 5oo times to create overall "average" routes that would be likely to represent the best way for herders to travel through the highlands. They then checked these routes with the 258 known Silk Road sites within these high altitude regions. Here's what those changing paths look like as they create roads over time in the model: 9_mdf_animated10yr M. Frachetti A full 148 sites fell onto the paths they'd modeled. When they made the model slightly more flexible, assuming that people and animals might stray from the "most perfect" paths by about 2 kilometers, a full 192 sites, or 74.4%, matched the routes they'd calculated. "Frachetti and colleagues' research is innovative in breaking new ground without breaking any actual ground," write archaeologists Michael Harrower and Ioana Dumitru of Johns Hopkins University in a commentary published in Nature along with the study. "The authors' analysis represents a significant advance in the study of an ancient trade network, a development achieved through the use of tools for spatial analysis that continue to transform scholars' understanding of ancient geographies." 1_Tashrabat2 Kyrgyzstan Michael Frachetti Reshaping our view of the ancient world In a way, this is a simple model, one that leaves out the social dynamics that could have moved routes over time and explain the sites that didn't fall onto these paths things like hostile bandits, friendly groups to visit, and valuable trading partners that would required a bit of wandering. Changes in climate and weather could also have had an effect on these routes that may not be fully incorporated into the model. Image 7 Michael Frachetti Yet the simplicity of this one origin for such famed roads shows the importance of smaller routes that nomads used for centuries. After all, that would mean the routes were created for local movement long before anyone was trying to use them to trade between Venice and China. It's possible, according to this theory, that there could not have been actual Silk Roads connected Europe to Asia without the herding routes that built established paths through the mountains. The fact that 74% of known Silk Road historical sites fall along these paths show how important they must have been and these models may lead researchers to new and still undiscovered Silk Road sites. This changes the vision we have of the connecting paths as most important because of how they link the major cities to one where those internal routes were perhaps just as important on their own. "Historical accounts typically cast large Silk Road oasis cities, political capitals, or market towns as dominant nodes within trans-continental trade and economic networks across Asia," write the study authors of the view that these major cities were the driving force behind what became the Silk Road. "Yet these sources also describe the participation of itinerant craftsmen, merchants, nomads, monks, and others whose Silk Road experiences unavoidably took them outside the orbits of these lowland oases into mountainous realms, where alternative logics of mobility and sociality had dominated for millennia." And in those highlands, it may have been herders and nomads that were the driving forces, making them just as important as their more historically recognized urban counterparts. NOW WATCH: What happens to your brain and body if you use Adderall recreationally See Also: The Trump administrations plans for the war against the so-called Islamic State (IS) are at last becoming clear. And it seems his still-young government has chosen which ally to put first: the Syrian Kurds. On February 24, the USs top commander in the Middle East, General Joseph Votel, visited Syrias Kurdish city of Kobane and pledged increased military support for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), including the USs own direct involvement. After his visit, the Pentagon released its revised strategy to defeat IS in Syria, commissioned by the Trump administration. It sets out a plan to seize the de facto IS capital city of Raqqa, hingeing on strategic and material US support for Syrian and Kurdish forces on the ground. The plan puts an end to speculation over which ally the US would choose, and implies that the Kurds might yet enjoy long-term American support for their Syrian battles. It also signals that a new, previously inconceivable geopolitical alignment is taking shape. So what made the US take the Kurdish side? Compared to its predecessor regime, the Trump administration has highly ambiguous relationships with the State Department and the CIA, which were always relatively responsive to Turkish worries about the Syrian Kurds. Trump himself clearly prefers military men and their opinions. The US military is increasingly distrustful of Turkeys leadership, especially purges in Turkey, which have left many pro-American senior Turkish officers in jail, unemployed or on the run. This distrust has been reinforced by Turkeys on-off relationship with Russia and Ankaras repeated suggestion that it might pivot eastward should Washington back the Syrian Kurds or fail to extradite Fethullah Gulen, a cleric Turkey accuses of orchestrating 2016s failed coup from exile in the US. Turkey views this as a game of sides, and the Trump administration now seems to have picked one. More surprisingly still, Washingtons increasingly pro-Kurdish stance puts it on side with two of its own and Turkeys major rivals: Russia and Iran. Story continues Uneasy bedfellows Turkey, Russia and Iran are formally co-operating in the Syrian peace talks known as the Astana process, but Turkey has frequently been described as the weakest link in this triangular relationship. It has officially struck a detente with Russia, but tensions with Iran have worsened of late. For all that their interests might occasionally overlap, the two countries are still competing for regional supremacy. Both know that only one of them can have it. The Kurdish question is in play here, too. Iran is clearly not entirely opposed to some form of Kurdish autonomy in Syria and that could be a significant barrier to Turkeys regional ambitions, offsetting any power given to the more pro-Turkey Kurdish factions in Iraq. Russia, meanwhile, is trying to contain Turkey with flexible but principled support for Syrian Kurds, openly supporting their aspirations to self-administration and their idea of turning Syria into a federal state. Moscows pro-Kurdish policy may also help it force the Assad regime to toe its line if necessary, as it recently had to do at a thorny moment in east Aleppo. Ultimately, Russia wants to showcase Syrian Kurds to the world as an alternative non-Islamist Syrian opposition to the world: a secular force, willing to negotiate and co-operate with the wider world against IS and other extremists. If this can be done, it could help delegitimise not only Syrias Sunni opposition groups, but also the purportedly moderate opposition forces allied against Bashar al-Assad within the Free Syrian Army (FSA). Moscow also intends to install a buffer zone in Kurdish-led areas of Syria to separate Turkish/Syrian rebel forces from the SDF and Syrian government ones. Turkey has tentatively welcomed this approach, but there are signs the situation is even more complex than it appears: while US special forces publicly deny that they know about this deal or are collaborating in it, there are reports that they are in fact patrolling the area. However contingent and fragile it might be, this convergence between Russia, Syria and Iran puts Turkey in a strategic and practical bind. This comes just as President Erdogan is ramping up for a constitutional referendum that could grant him an executive presidency with sweeping powers. If he wants to win that vote, he must keep the forces of Turkish nationalism on his side, and that in turn significantly raises the stakes of the anti-Kurdish intervention in Syria. But while Turkey may be an unpredictable player with bad options, it is nonetheless still projecting serious power and making its determination clear. The Turkish-backed FSA is mounting sporadic attacks from Turkish-controlled zones around the flashpoint city of al-Bab, raising the possibility of a wider conflict between Turkey and the SDF. With the US now apparently taking the Kurdish side, that could be a highly explosive situation. As for the future of the wider Middle East, things increasingly seem to revolve around the geopolitical behaviour of the Syrian Kurds. Whether through skillful realpolitik or by sheer happenstance, they are becoming kingmakers. With four major powers hovering over them, they have the leverage to decisively reshape the geopolitical contours not only of Syria, but of the whole Middle Eastern order. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. The Conversation The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond the academic appointment above. US soldiers REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is weighing a deployment of up to 1,000 American soldiers to Kuwait to serve as a reserve force in the fight against Islamic State as U.S.-backed fighters accelerate the offensive in Syria and Iraq, U.S. officials told Reuters. Proponents of the option, which has not been previously reported, said it would provide U.S. commanders on the ground greater flexibility to quickly respond to unforeseen opportunities and challenges on the battlefield. It would also represent a step away from standard practices under President Barack Obama's administration by leaving the ultimate decision on whether to deploy some of those Kuwait-based reserve forces in Syria or Iraq to local commanders. "This is about providing options," said one U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The officials said the deployment would differ from the existing U.S. troop presence in Kuwait. It was unclear whether the proposal had the support of U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who could opt to use other tools to give commanders more agility. Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis declined to comment on options being weighed by the Trump administration. Obama's administration was often accused of micromanaging even the smallest tactical details about the fight against Islamic State, weighing in on the use of helicopters or movement of small numbers of U.S. forces. It also set limits on U.S. deployments that would be adjusted incrementally, a strategy meant to avoid mission creep by the military and prevent military moves that might seem good on the battlefield but which could have inadvertent diplomatic or political consequences. Such limits are now under scrutiny. The decision on whether to create a more rapidly deployable Kuwait-based force is part of the ongoing review of the United States' strategy to defeat Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, where around 6,000 U.S. troops are deployed, largely in advisory roles, the officials said. Story continues Trump has made defeating Islamic State one of the key goals of his presidency. U.S. officials have acknowledged the review may lead to an increase in American troops in Syria, where U.S.-backed Arab and Kurdish forces are isolating the city of Raqqa - Islamic State's de facto capital - ahead of an assault. But they have so far played down expectations of a major escalation or dramatic shift in a strategy that has focused on training and advising local ground forces, pointing to successes so far in Syria and the steady advance of Iraqi forces in the campaign to retake the city of Mosul. Raqqa Iraq REUTERS/Rodi Said Raqqa battle looms Trump's push against Islamic State in Syria could soon present him with an unenviable decision on whether to risk alienating NATO ally Turkey by relying on the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, which, in addition to Arabs, includes Kurdish YPG fighters. Ankara views the YPG as the Syrian extension of the Kurdish PKK militant group, which has fought an insurgency in Turkey's southeast since 1984 and is considered a terrorist group by both the United States and the European Union. A senior Turkish official said on Tuesday that the United States had decided to go with the YPG, instead of agreeing to Ankara's call for it to instead back Syrian rebels that Turkey has trained and led against Islamic State for the past year. The comments came on the same day that the top U.S. military officer, Marine General Joseph Dunford, met his Turkish counterpart in the southern Turkish province of Antalya. A U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Dunford did not inform his Turkish counterpart of any decision about the Raqqa offensive, in remarks that appeared at odds with the Turkish account. In a sign of advancing U.S. preparations for Raqqa, an American official said on Wednesday that a small group of Marines have entered Syria. The Washington Post said the Marines were from an amphibious task force and were establishing an artillery outpost to support the Raqqa offensive. Pentagon spokesman Marine Major Adrian Rankine-Galloway said he could not comment on future or ongoing U.S. deployments. (Editing by Jonathan Oatis) NOW WATCH: A Navy SEAL explains what to do if you're attacked by a dog See Also: By Orhan Coskun, Tulay Karadeniz and Tom Perry ANKARA/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Turkey has lost momentum in the war for northern Syria as the United States draws on Kurdish allies in the assault on Islamic State-held Raqqa, but Ankara is still pressing Washington for a deal that allays its fears of Kurdish ascendancy. Syrian Kurdish groups meanwhile sense Washington is now more firmly behind them than before, a shift they hope will eventually aid their ambitions for autonomy after years of persecution by the Syrian government. One of the most complicated theatres in the multi-sided Syrian conflict, the war in the north has played out at lightning pace in the last few weeks with Islamic State fighters either withdrawing or collapsing in swathes of territory. The Russian-backed Syrian army has benefited from this, creating a corridor to the Euphrates River that secures Aleppo's water supplies and suggests at least tacit coordination with U.S.-allied Kurdish militia - at Turkey's expense. In a swipe at Washington, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Tuesday it was unfortunate that some of Turkey's allies had chosen the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia as a partner in the fight against Islamic State in Syria. "The field in Syria at the moment is really very complicated," said a senior Turkish official, stressing the fast-moving nature of events and the urgent need for agreement. "Anything could happen at any moment." "Such a harsh step in completely excluding Turkey there will cause a problem for relations between the countries," the Turkish official said. "Hence a share point must be found. Talks are still continuing." Turkey has seized a swathe of Syrian land on its southern borders since launching its "Euphrates Shield" operation in August. Its main aim was to prevent creation of a contiguous Kurdish-held corridor it fears could threaten its security. The rise of Kurdish power in northern Syria has caused alarm in Ankara, which views the Kurdish groups there as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that has been fighting an insurgency on Turkish soil for over 30 years. Turkey's military chief this week discussed Syria with his U.S. and Russian counterparts. Turkish officials said the first day of talks had focused on ways to guarantee no inadvertent "friendly fire" clashes. CONFLICTING AGENDAS Ankara had hoped to advance its strategy in northern Syria by persuading Washington to abandon its Kurdish allies and switch support to Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebel groups for the final assault on Raqqa - a northern Syrian city that is Islamic State's de facto capital. But any hopes of this have faded in recent days. Conflicting U.S. and Turkish agendas have surfaced clearly over Manbij, a city controlled by Kurdish-allied militia since its capture from Islamic State last year. U.S. forces were deployed there last week to deter a threatened Turkish attack. Foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu made clear Turkish sensitivities about the presence of Kurdish militia in Manbij, a town Ankara sees as the next stepping stone in creation of a safe zone free of Kurdish influence west of the Euphrates. "We will not allow the YPG's canton dreams (to come true),NTV television cited Cavusoglu as saying. If we go to Manbij and the PYD is there, we will hit them." A top U.S. commander last week also delivered a robust defence of the YPG, saying he had seen no evidence linking them to attacks on Turkey and signalling some role for them in the final push for Raqqa - a predominantly Arab city. U.S. military ties with the YPG have deepened since the U.S.-led coalition first provided air support to defeat Islamic State in the Kurdish town of Kobani at the Turkish border two years ago. The YPG now fights as part of an alliance called the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which includes YPG-allied Arabs and is Washington's main partner against Islamic State in Syria. With U.S.-led coalition air support and special forces backing on the ground, the SDF has been gradually encircling Raqqa since November. This week, it cut the last main road from Raqqa to the jihadists' stronghold of Deir al-Zor. Apart from the pocket of territory held by Turkey, the YPG and its political affiliate the PYD control areas of northern Syria all the way to the border with Iraq. They also control a corner of northwestern Syria at the Turkish border. Senior Syrian Kurdish official Aldar Xelil told Reuters that recent events showed Washington was telling Ankara: "Look, these are your limits". "It appears that the Americans have made up their minds", he told Reuters in a phone interview from the Kurdish-dominated city of Qamishli in northeastern Syria. "EUPHRATES SHIELD" NOT OVER Xelil foresaw eventual U.S. political engagement with the Syrian Kurdish groups - something Washington has largely avoided so far. In line with Turkish wishes, the PYD has been consistently left out of U.N.-led peace talks on Syria. "Let's say tomorrow Daesh is finished - and it will be - what about the political solution. Won't they ask what is the solution? It needs a plan, and the most reasonable one is a federal one based not on ethnicity or religion but geography." Washington has stated its opposition to the Kurdish-led autonomous zones in northern Syria, even as it backs the YPG militarily. Kurdish groups aim to preserve their autonomy as part of a federal system of government they say is the only way to settle the conflict. They say independence is not their aim. Turkey still hopes Washington will be forced to draw on its support in one way or another in the final assault on Raqqa. A scenario mapped out in the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet saw Turkish special forces deploying alongside U.S. special forces, FSA groups, Arab components of the SDF, and Iraqi Kurdish forces. But such a plan would need to navigate the hostility between the SDF and FSA, which have fought on and off across northern Syria for more than a year, and enmity between the main Syrian and Iraqi Kurdish groups. Away from the battlefield, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan cannot afford to appear to have been pushed aside in his campaign to secure Turkey's frontiers. He faces an April referendum on sweeping new powers he deems vital to a country facing spillover of Islamic State violence from Syria. Erdogan, who has been one of the foremost critics of President Bashar al-Assad, is due to fly to Moscow on Friday for talks with President Vladimir Putin. A senior Turkish official cautioned that Turkey's intervention in Syria was not yet over. "At this stage, the Euphrates Shield operation has not been completed. We are discussing the next step with our allies," the official said. "The U.S. side made some promises for this before and we believe that they will provide this support." (Writing by Ralph Boulton/Tom Perry; additional reporting by Tuvan Gumrucku in Ankara and Laila Bassam in Beirut; Editing by Samia Nakhoul and Giles Elgood) By Tom Perry BEIRUT (Reuters) - U.S.-backed Syrian forces said on Thursday they were closing in on Islamic State-held Raqqa and expected to reach the city outskirts in a few weeks, as a U.S. Marines artillery unit deployed to help the campaign. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a militia alliance including the Kurdish YPG, is the main U.S. partner in the war against Islamic State in Syria. Since November it has been working with the U.S.-led coalition to encircle Raqqa. SDF spokesman Talal Silo said: "We expect that within a few weeks there will be a siege of the city." Coalition spokesman U.S. Air Force Colonel John Dorrian said the additional U.S. forces would be working with local partners in Syria - the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian Arab Coalition - and would not have a front line role. Some 500 U.S. personnel are already in Syria to help the fight against IS. A 400-strong additional deployment which arrived in recent days comprised both Marines and Army Rangers, Dorrian said, adding they were there temporarily. Coalition airstrikes killed 23 civilians, including eight children, in the countryside north of Raqqa on Thursday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor said. The coalition said it was investigating the incident. Islamic State is also being fought in Syria by the Russian-backed Syrian military, and by Syrian rebel groups fighting under the Free Syrian Army banner with Turkish backing in northern Syria and Jordanian backing in southern Syria. On the other major flank of the assault on IS, Iraqi forces aim to dislodge the militant group from west Mosul within a month. This week, the SDF cut the road between Raqqa and the jihadists' stronghold of Deir al-Zor province - the last main road out of the city which is bordered to the south by the Euphrates River. Dorrian said the effort to isolate Raqqa was "going very very well" and could be completed in a few weeks. "Then the decision to move in can be made," he told Reuters by telephone. The artillery will help "expedite the defeat of ISIS in Raqqa", he said, using another acronym for Islamic State. The Marines were armed with 155-millimetre artillery guns. Asked if they had been used yet, Dorrian said he did not believe so. "We have had what I would describe as a pretty relentless air campaign to destroy enemy capabilities and to kill enemy fighters in that area already. That is something that we are going to continue and intensify with this new capability." A Kurdish military source told Reuters that further U.S. reinforcements were expected to arrive in the coming days. SDF RULED OUT TURKEY ROLE The U.S. military alliance with the SDF and YPG has strained relations with U.S. ally Turkey, which views the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has waged a three-decade insurgency in Turkey. Fearing deepening Kurdish influence in northern Syria, Turkey has been pressing Washington for a role in the final assault on Raqqa. SDF spokesman Silo said the SDF had ruled out that idea during a meeting with U.S. officials last month. "The Turkish side is an occupation force and it cannot be allowed to occupy more Syrian land," he told Reuters. The meeting in northern Syria was attended by U.S. Senator John McCain and U.S. military officials, he said. Dorrian said the Army Rangers were on a different mission to the Marines in a previously announced deployment near the city of Manbij to "create some reassurance" for Turkey and U.S. partners in Syria - a reference to the SDF. Turkey says the Kurdish militia maintains a presence in Manbij. The YPG denies this. Dorrian said a possible role for Turkey "remains a point of discussion at military leadership and diplomatic levels". He added that a new shipment of armoured personnel carriers had been supplied to the Syrian Arab Coalition, part of the SDF which has been vetted by the U.S.-led coalition, since an earlier delivery was announced in late January. (Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Toby Chopra) Most of us take it for granted that the taps in our homes will deliver safe and clean water for drinking, cooking, showering and cleaning. This means there is usually little interest from the public in how the water gets there. However, it took less than a day for a story from Onoway, a small town in Alberta, Canada, with just over 1,000 residents, to make it from social media to global newsfeeds. Bright pink water comes out of taps in Canada! suddenly we are all interested in water treatment methods. To enjoy the benefits of clear and safe water, a hidden but valuable infrastructure of water treatment exists in our cities and villages. These are operated and maintained by engineers and scientists, and among them are water chemists. These chemists have been investigating the use of neat chemical reactions to remove undesired chemicals and potential pathogens from naturally sourced water and to prepare the water for its safe journey through distribution systems. The local drinking water treatment plant of Onoway treats its water using potassium permanganate. This is an almost black looking solid which forms a bright purple solution in water and also removes dissolved iron and another metal called manganese. Iron and manganese are not harmful to human health but if these metals are present at high concentrations it can lead to deposits in the water distribution system and discolouration of the water. However, the auburn tints of iron seem boring compared to the spectacular pink that has raised global interest and lively social media discussions. Customers are very sensitive to the colour, taste and odour of drinking water these are the human senses used to assess water quality so this incident has understandably caused alarm. The pink colour stems from some potassium permanganate that escaped through a failed valve and into the drinking water distribution system, eventually ending up with the customers. Story continues Potassium permanganate has been used in drinking water treatment for more than 100 years. In addition to iron and manganese removal, it is used to remove taste and odour as well as to control undesired algal or mussel growth in treatment works. It also has disinfecting properties. Permanganate forms solid, black manganese dioxide when it reacts with the water contaminants and this can then be filtered out of the water. A little goes a long way Potassium permanganate has the chemical structure KMnO4 and is a compound that is electron deficient it doesnt have enough electrons. This lack of electrons makes it a strong oxidant that readily reacts with a wide range of unwanted compounds in water. It belongs to an established group of water treatment chemicals that can be summarised under the term conventional chemical oxidants, which also include oxygen, chlorine, chlorine dioxide, ozone, hydrogen peroxide and, in the wider sense, UV light. Water is typically treated with a dose of 1-3mg of potassium permanganate per litre of water, which is quite a small amount. But only unreacted potassium permanganate has a visible pink colour in water and is visible even at very low concentrations as low as 0.05 mg per litre of water so it doesnt take much to add colour. Since only small quantities of permanganate can change the colour of water, customer complaints relating to residual permanganate are known to occur . This means treatment works usually take care to remove any unreacted, coloured permanganate before the water reaches consumers. The pink water does not pose a threat to human health but skin irritation related to potassium permanganate is known at a certain concentration. Onoways mayor claimed that customers were not at risk, however these concentrations seemed to vary some had water merely tinted pink whereas some water was bright purple. Regardless of what shade of pink they receive, customers are advised to rely on alternative drinking water sources until the permanganate is flushed out of the distribution system. Water treatment isnt simple For water treatment, there is no one-size fits all approach. Drinking water treatment processes vary due to different local water resources and what the traditional and established technologies are. Iron and manganese can be removed by alternative methods, such as aeration, which uses the oxygen present in the air, or by running the water over catalytic granules consisting of manganese dioxide. But every method has its specific advantages and disadvantages. Many parameters need to be evaluated before making an informed decision on which method to use to treat a water supply but theres no doubt that potassium permanganate is one of the more colourful methods. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. The Conversation Jannis Wenk receives funding from The Royal Society and the Newton Fund. In recent months, the Government has been keen to champion Britain as a nation that is "truly global". Other countries have clear competitive advantages to exploit in the global marketplace: the United States in technology and military capability; China as an industrial powerhouse; and Germany as a leader of European integration. By way of comparison, Britain seems to lack direction. Our manufacturing has either been decimated by automation or gone abroad, while our dependence on financial services leaves us dangerously exposed to the ups and downs of market forces. However, we do have a clear, but unexploited advantage: Britain can become the world leader in science and education, a role forged in the furnace of universities and research institutes up and down the country, using students as its fuel. Britains capability to lead the world in science is exemplified by our past. Britons made historic contributions to the foundations of modern science. From Isaac Newton to Rosalind Franklin, and Charles Darwin to Alan Turing, our scientific history is truly impressive. In a time of great uncertainty for our country, we should turn to the past for inspiration and use our history and institutions as a platform to become the global centre of science, technology and education. Such a role will become increasingly important in the coming decades, as a whole range of advances artificial intelligence, robotics, and genetic engineering to name just a few radically change societies across the world. Crucially, this role is independent of size; we need not compete with the industrial might of China to teach their students physics, mathematics and computer science. Contrary to the beliefs of many in the scientific community, this idea is becoming increasingly common among those influencing the direction of the UK. Dominic Cummings, the director of Vote Leave, has written extensively about this subject on his blog. Theresa May herself has indicated that she wants Britain to be "a leader in science and innovation". Story continues As Brexit shakes up the system, the opportunity to seize this role is available. There are straightforward policies that could start this process. While the UK has significant infrastructure in place for science and education, we fail to invest and capitalize on it. Research in the UK is chronically underfunded: we spend under 0.5 percent of GDP on science, compared with 0.73 percent across the Eurozone and 0.77 percent in the G8. Moreover, while the UK is a net contributor to EU budgets, the UK does particularly well out of EU research budgets. This source of funding is now less certain. As a result, without substantial increases in spending on science, we are at serious risk of being left behind. The 10 pillars of the Governments new industrial strategy In the recent budget, Philip Hammond finally distributed the extra science funding - 4.7 billion over 4 years - which he had announced in the autumn statement last November. After consulting universities and industries on its industrial strategy, the Government pledged to focus funding research and development (R&D) of electric vehicle batteries, driverless cars, drug manufacturing technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, biotechnology, offshore energy, nuclear power plants, and mining. 16 million will be used to develop a high-speed and next-generation 5G mobile network. Another 200 million will bolster local 'full-fibre' broadband networks. A grand total of 250 million will be spent on fellowships for students and scientists, with over a third of this being used to support 1000 PhDs. 85 percent of these funds will bolster the four STEM subjects - science, technology, engineering, and maths. The government will also distribute an extra 50 million to attract scientists to the UK from overseas. However the new funding will only maintain spending as a percentage of GDP, and even with this increase we are still far behind the pack internationally. A concerted effort from scientists and the public alike is required to ensure funding is not only maintained but increased post-Brexit. Such funding is unlikely to be wasted. It is a remarkable testament to our scientists that, despite the current funding shortage, the UK has strong foundations in science research. Although we only have around three percent of global funding for research, the UK produces over 15% of the most highly cited papers in the world. We have elite higher education institutions too. In most international university rankings, the UK has multiple entries in the top 20, backed up by an extraordinary depth of excellent institutions across the country. Moreover, from the Francis Crick Institute in London, to the Diamond Light Source particle accelerator in Oxford, there are exciting projects already underway in the UK. These are projects that should be expanded and replicated in other fields and regions across the country. Previous large scale investments have yielded astounding returns. Although returns are hard to precisely quantify, it is estimated that for every dollar invested in NASA, the US economy is boosted by between $7 and $12. In the case of the Human Genome Project, estimates go as high as $65 dollars. But the benefits are not simply monetary. Scientific investment produces innovations that materially improve human well-being. From mobile phone cameras and water filters produced by NASA research, to genetic sequencing for disease screening and discovering new drug targets, public investment in science is an overwhelming force for good. Where else can governments invest and achieve such returns? The past decade has all too painfully exposed the flaws in over-dependence on our financial sector. With the Brexit negotiations posing its own series of challenges, it is fast becoming clear that we must evolve as a country. We should view this as an opportunity to invest wisely and finally capitalise on our strength in science and higher education. The referendum has sent other changes down the tracks, most notably in immigration policy. The ability of foreign scientists and students to come to the UK to contribute and learn from our system is crucial to its success. In my experience of research, Ive worked with scientists from across Europe, America and Asia, who bring unique skills that would be near impossible to replace. These people contribute to our economy whether through research, start-ups or providing a pool of highly skilled talent for our businesses. Many scientists are considering leaving the UK after Brexit. As shown by Emmanuel Macrons invitation for banks, talents, researchers, [and] academics to make the trip across the channel, other countries are welcoming them with open arms. In order to address these Brexit-related challenges, future immigration policy should focus on attracting more of the brightest and best from around the world. We should also make those already here feel more welcome. Importantly, while much of the current narrative is anti-immigration, public opinion on immigration for students and scientists is typically more favourable. The advantages of capturing the next generation of world-leading talent - driving innovation, discovering new medical advances, providing skills in increasingly important fields like computer science and physics - are clear, and the public understand that. Our university system provides the ideal framework to achieve this by attracting students and scientists to settle in the UK. Unlike other immigrants, these students often pay into the university system rather than coming to work. The government can use this to showcase its desire to become a global Britain by removing students from immigration figures and allowing universities the flexibility to bring talented students to the UK. Policy-makers should also learn from other fields where decisive action is being taken to adapt to a changing landscape by focusing on the next generation. The intelligence services, for example, are converting the wartime intelligence hub Bletchley Park into a factory for coding-whizzes. This is a model that could be replicated for other fields like medical research, physics and mathematics. These focused centres, spread across the country at exceptional university departments, would exceed any other system in the world. However, if we are to see the fruits of these endeavors, we must also convert investment in basic science into new companies. A recent example is that of DeepMind, the machine learning start-up by theoretical Neuroscience PhD students, bought out by Google for hundreds of millions of pounds, and now taking the machine learning field by storm. DeepMind provides an example of our most powerful weapon: students themselves. We produce more science graduates and PhD students than there are academic positions to fill, yielding a surplus of highly talented people without a clear path to take. While the investment by Google was exceptional, government could play a similar role in backing students to chase high risk, high gain opportunities that typical market structures do not support. Further support could come by introducing tax breaks to start-ups capitalizing on recent scientific advances, ensuring they stay and drive economic growth. On this front, Brexit may provide us with a competitive advantage. Recent select committees in both the House of Lords and the House of Commons have concluded that EU regulations hamper the process of technology transfer, particularly in the life sciences. Taking the opportunity to increase entrepreneurship would translate our science success more directly into a key driver of the economy, all the while capturing the talents of academics who would otherwise be forced into other fields. Furthermore, it would harness the ambition of young people in our universities, from both home and abroad, and maximize returns from government investment in science. Such steps would also increase the allure of further study, creating a virtuous cycle in which our best minds are attracted to fundamental research and contribute much more to the economy than would otherwise be possible. To date, the economic catastrophe predicted before the referendum has yet to materialize, providing government with the flexibility required to sculpt our future. Global Britain should capture the talents of our students and the allure of our higher education and scientific institutions to ensure Britain is the birthplace of the scientific and technological revolutions to come. It remains to be seen whether this government will forge this new role for Britain after Brexit, but our universities are our most powerful tool to do so. Matthew Phillips is a neuroscience PhD student at University College London (UCL). [March 08, 2017] Mouser Electronics Continues Sponsorship of Create the Future Design Contest Mouser Electronics, Inc., the New Product Introduction leader that empowers innovation, is again a major sponsor of the Create the Future Design Contest, a challenge to engineers and students worldwide to create the next great thing. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170308006087/en/ Mouser Electronics and its valued suppliers Intel and Analog Devices (News - Alert) are a major sponsor of the Create the Future Design Contest, a challenge to engineers and students to create the next great thing. http://www.mouser.com/createthefuture/ (Graphic: Business Wire) Mouser's valued suppliers Intel and Analog Devices, Inc. are once again joining Mouser in sposoring the 15th annual contest, produced by Tech Briefs Media Group, an SAE International Company. The grand prize winner receives worldwide recognition and a cash prize of $20,000 for an innovative product that benefits society and the economy. Previous contests have produced more than 12,000 design ideas from engineers, entrepreneurs and students in more than 100 countries. "Fostering technical innovation has always been a major part of our mission at Mouser," said Kevin Hess, Mouser Electronics Senior Vice President of Marketing. "We are very excited to again participate in this important event for engineers and students around the world." "Mouser is known for supporting innovation among engineers as well as providing unparalleled service to its customers," said Joseph Pramberger, President of Tech Briefs Media Group. "We are very happy to once again partner with Mouser and its suppliers, Intel (News - Alert) and Analog Devices." Last year's grand prize winner was Hyliion, a Pittsburgh-based transportation company that developed a hybrid electric technology for semi-trailers. Hyliion's system adapted the trailer portion of the tractor-trailer combination to use regenerative braking to capture power, saving more than 30 percent on fuel and decreasing emissions by 10 percent. The Create the Future Design Contest brings attention to product designs that enhance quality of life, improve the efficiency and quality of healthcare or help to reduce dependence on nonrenewable energy sources. Previous grand prize-winning entries include an economical rapid screening device to prevent food-borne illness and a wheelchair propulsion system designed to increase the user's mobility while decreasing upper body repetitive strain injuries. The contest was launched in 2002 by the publishers of NASA Tech Briefs magazine to help stimulate and reward engineering innovation. The grand prize winner will be chosen from the winners in seven entry categories: Aerospace and Defense, Automotive/Transportation, Consumer Products, Electronics/Sensors/IoT, Machinery/Automation/Robotics, Medical, and Sustainable Technologies. For more information, go to http://www.mouser.com/createthefuture. With its broad product line and unsurpassed customer service, Mouser strives to empower innovation among design engineers and buyers by delivering advanced technologies. Mouser stocks the world's widest selection of the latest semiconductors and electronic components for the newest design projects. Mouser Electronics' website is continually updated and offers advanced search methods to help customers quickly locate inventory. Mouser.com also houses data sheets, supplier-specific reference designs, application notes, technical design information and engineering tools. About Mouser Electronics Mouser Electronics, a subsidiary of TTI, Inc., is part of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway family of companies. Mouser is an award-winning, authorized semiconductor and electronic component distributor focused on rapid New Product Introductions from its manufacturing partners for electronic design engineers and buyers. The global distributor's website, Mouser.com, is available in multiple languages and currencies and features more than 4 million products from over 600 manufacturers. Mouser offers 22 support locations around the world to provide best-in-class customer service and ships globally to over 500,000 customers in 170 countries from its 750,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility south of Dallas, Texas. For more information, visit www.mouser.com. About Tech Briefs Media Group Tech Briefs Media Group is publisher of NASA Tech Briefs, the largest-circulation design engineering magazine worldwide, and Medical Design Briefs, the only OEM publication targeted 100% to medical design engineers and managers Trademarks Mouser and Mouser Electronics are registered trademarks of Mouser Electronics, Inc. All other products, logos, and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. Intel is a trademark of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170308006087/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Yellow taxis were found to be 9 per cent less likely to be involved in an accident than blue ones If you want to avoid being injured in a car accident you should take a yellow taxi rather than a blue one, scientists have said. A study by researchers in Singapore found yellow vehicles were 9 per cent less likely to be involved in crashes than their blue equivalents, and were involved in six fewer crashes per thousand taxis. It is thought the bright colour increases the cars visibility, making it easier for other drivers to see and avoid it. That theory is supported by the fact yellow cars were even more safe than blue ones in low lighting conditions, such as under street lights. Scientists tracked 4,175 yellow taxis and 12,525 blue ones from the same company in Singapore. They used speed data to rule out the impact of other factors such as driving speed or number of stops. Converting the whole taxi fleet to yellow vehicles could save $1.4 million (1.2 million) a year by reducing crashes, the study concluded. It is among the only studies to have demonstrated such a clear link between vehicle colour and accidents. "Although there is anecdotal evidence on higher accident rates for dark-coloured vehicles, few studies have empirically established a strong causal link between colour and accident risk," said Professor Ho Teck Hua of the National University of Singapore, who led the research. "The findings of our study suggest that colour visibility should play a major role in determining the colours used for public transport vehicles. A commercial decision to change all taxis to yellow may save lives and potentially reduce economic losses by millions of dollars." Several previous studies have suggested some link between vehicle colour and accident risk. A 2003 project in New Zealand found people were more likely to be injured in a brown car than a white one, while a Spanish study also concluded that dark-coloured cars were the most dangerous. One of the most difficult tasks a health care professional can undertake is the onsite assessment and care of people caught in a large-scale disaster. To help faculty, staff and health care students learn what to do in the event of such a catastrophe, the University of North Georgia (UNG) pulled departments and personnel together to hold a mock disaster event on March 8. Held on the university's Gainesville Campus, the event simulated the aftermath of a tornado, and involved dozens of faculty as well as more than 400 students. Nearly 200 first-year nursing, physical therapy and clinical mental health counseling students played the "victims" while 226 students beyond their first year of health care study split into 16 rescue teams, working to locate, triage and treat the "patients" throughout the exercise. "Watching students, faculty, staff, public safety and other partners pull together to hold this event was amazing," said Dr. Carolynn DeSandre, assistant dean of UNG's College of Health Sciences & Professions and director of the exercise. "It was clearly a valuable exercise to our students, and we feel confident that the experience will serve them well should they ever be called on to help in a real-life scenario of this magnitude." As the event began, student rescue teams entered the mock disaster site, where many dozens of "victims" were either milling about in disarray or lying still on the ground, some under fake debris. The teams worked to identify various grades of injury to determine which victims were in need of the most immediate care. When the teams located casualties that required more advanced treatment, specialized "manikins" jointed models of the human body often used in anatomy classes or labs were brought in to replace the student actor and accurately simulate the wounds. Patients were treated at a temporary emergent care center set up in the Simulation Lab. Aly Hicks is a senior in UNG's Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program who wants to work in critical care after she graduates, and said the event was very helpful in preparing her for any similar situations she could face in the future. "The scene was much more realistic than I anticipated, and the actors did a really good job of making it seem serious and life-like," she said. Mary Beth Memmel, a junior BSN student, played the role of a victim with a broken collarbone, and said she wanted to do her best to make the situation as realistic as possible for the benefit of her fellow students acting as rescuers and caregivers. "I think the most stressful thing for me, if I were taking the role of a rescuer or responder, would be trying to act fast to help people but also ensuring that I am accurate and correct in the care I provide," Memmel said. "That's why I want to help put a bit of pressure on the students rescuing and taking care of us, so they can draw on this experience later if they need to." The exercise also included university personnel who practiced dissemination of information about the "disaster" through digital communications and a mock press conference. UNG's Department of Public Safety also had nine officers training alongside the students. UNG has held similar events in the past, including drills simulating an active shooter scenario and the aftermath of an earthquake. DeSandre said it is the College of Health Sciences & Professions' goal to have an event like this every year. "Emergency preparedness training and practice is rarely included in traditional health profession curricula. These events give students, faculty and staff the opportunity to learn important skills while building engagement throughout our college and the UNG family," DeSandre said. "It also increases awareness of university protocols, procedures and resources in the event of a true disaster." Japanese dignitaries visited the University of North Georgia (UNG) Dahlonega Campus on March 8 as part of an ongoing effort to teach students about authentic Japanese society and culture. This visit was the second trip that the consulate made to UNG. During the first in 2016, Japanese Consul General Shinozuka and Consul Ohyama met with university leaders about possible partnerships as UNG began to expand its Japanese studies program. "This trip is a result of that initial conversation and the goal now is to promote better understanding of Japanese society and people. We were thrilled to offer our students the opportunity to witness a traditional tea ceremony demonstration as well as hear a public lecture by famed Japanese journalist Yoichi Kato," said Dr. John Wilson, associate vice president of international programs at UNG. The tea ceremony is a thousand-year-old choreographic ritual of preparing and serving Japanese green tea that symbolizes pouring all of one's attention into the predefined movements, meant to demonstrate grace and good etiquette. "The event was designed to encourage students to think deeply about Japanese culture and society, and its relationship with the United States," said Dr. Tomoe Nishio, assistant professor in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages at UNG. "The lecture by Kato provided students a chance to reflect on how American politics is understood by Japan as a longtime ally of the United States. Ultimately, the event was aimed at promoting friendly relations between the U.S. and Japan." Kato is the bureau chief of the American General Bureau of the Asahi Shimbun, one of the major daily newspapers in Japan. He is based in Washington, D.C. Prior to his current assignment, Yoichi was national security correspondent at Asahi's Tokyo head office, and reported extensively on security issues in the Asia-Pacific region. His area of expertise is the national security policy of Japan and its alliance with the United States. Kato's lecture discussed Japan's view of the impact of the Trump administration on the security environment in the Asia-Pacific region. In 2016, UNG was awarded a $400,000 grant from the Japan Foundation to introduce a concentration in Japanese studies. The goal of the program is to educate the next generation of civilian and military leaders in the languages, cultures, histories, politics, and the arts of China, Japan and Korea. The concentration offers students the opportunity to combine a minor in Chinese, Japanese or Korean language with a regional focus developed from coursework in anthropology, culture, digital animation and film, history, international affairs, philosophy, and political science. Last fall, the film Loving dramatized the true story of the interracial couple at the center of an historic Supreme Court case. In 1967, the justices who heard Loving vs. State of Virginia determined unanimously that race-based restrictions on marriage were unconstitutional. This is history with a capital H. But, what made the movie immensely watchable was its focus on Mildred and Richards relationship rather than that relationships lasting legal significance. Ruth Negga was recognized with an Oscar nomination for her moving performance. In 1947 London, it was legal for a black man and a white woman to marry. But, as we learn in A United Kingdom, the deeply satisfying new film by director Amma Asante, that doesnt mean it was easy. On a whim, Ruth Williams, middle-class office worker, joins her outgoing sister at a church dance, where the local clergy hopes to convert students visiting from Africa. There, her eyes meet Seretse, a charismatic young man who turns out to be a fan of jazz, a recreational boxer, and oh yes the future king of Bechuanaland. This complicates things, as you can imagine. But, Seretse soon realizes that he cannot rule his people without the woman he loves by his side. If this sounds a little like Wallis and Windsor, just wait. It may be a decade later, but the British government remains just as intractable. Despite the disapproval (denunciation might be a better word) of her parents, Ruth marries Seretse, and leaves her family, home and life behind. The couple travel to Bechuanaland, where they face opposition on every front. The British authorities (who have settled in nicely with their Whites Only hotels and cocktail lounges) cannot accept the union without alienating neighboring South Africa, rich in uranium and gold and where apartheid is being established. Meanwhile, Seretses own uncle, the current regent, will not accept Ruth. How can you possibly be the mother of our country? his wife demands when they are left alone together. The Khamas options are limited and ghastly: abdication, divorce and/or exile. One particularly slimy British official offers Seretse a diplomatic position in Jamaica. But it is not my home, Seretse objects. Ive heard there are similarities, the Englishman shrugs. Even Winston Churchill plays a significant (albeit off-camera) role in determining the couples fate. Building on the publics interest in the star-crossed lovers, Churchill campaigns with a promise to allow them to return to Bechuanaland. Once elected, however, he changes his tune, putting Britains financial and political interests ahead of their happiness. (I for one was quite disappointed in the Prime Ministers behavior. Id grown rather fond of him after devouring the first season of The Crown.) But, Ruths eloquent appeal to Churchill furthers their cause and helps her own father accept her husband. Racism, while apparent throughout A United Kingdom, is not the only story here. Bechuanaland is supposed to be an independent protectorate. However, some early mining efforts promise the potential of diamonds and the Khama marriage gives the Brits a good reason to take over completely. The stakes are very high for Seretses people and he becomes a champion of self-rule and democracy. WASHINGTON A top government administrator overseeing federal buildings including the historic tower that is home to President Trumps D.C. hotel is stepping down as controversy continues to swirl over whether officials are doing enough to address a potential lease violation stemming from the presidents ownership of the project. Some Democrats in Congress worry that Trump could appoint new leaders who will renegotiate the leasing terms to eliminate any potential legal entanglements. Norman Dong, head of public buildings at the General Services Administration since 2014, is leaving the government in coming weeks, agency officials and his new employers confirmed Tuesday. In a draft email to colleagues and staff obtained by The Washington Post, Dong said it had been an honor and a privilege to work there. I am so proud of what we have accomplished as a team, he said. Dongs responsibilities have included overseeing publicly leased and owned buildings, including the Old Post Office Pavilion in downtown Washington, where Trump opened a $212 million luxury hotel last fall on a 60-year lease with the agency. Dong, a civil servant (rather than a political appointee), arrived at the agency after Trumps deal was made but oversaw the Trump Organizations completion of the project and was among the agency officials evaluating Trumps continued ownership of the hotel operation after the business mogul won the election and became president. Reached by email, Dong directed questions about his departure to a GSA spokeswoman, who issued a statement on behalf of acting GSA administrator Timothy Horne praising Dongs leadership, work ethic, intelligence and experience dealing with the agency before arriving there. On behalf of the Public Buildings Service employees and GSA employees I would like to thank Norm for his contribution to GSA, Horne said. Democrats on Capitol Hill continued to press the agency to address concerns raised by Trumps profiting from the lease deal, with the latest broadside coming Tuesday from two top members of the subcommittee overseeing the agency. Reps. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., and Hank Johnson, D-Ga., wrote to the agencys inspector general, Carol Ochoa, asking her to express serious concerns about the agencys handling of the Trump lease. A clause in the lease bans an elected official from receiving any benefit from the agreement, and ethics officials have raised concerns about Trumps continued profiting from business involving foreign governments and political groups at the hotel. The congressmen raised specific concerns about how taxpayers would be fairly represented in any future lease negotiations with Trumps children running the company after Trump named his own appointee to run GSA, who would have the authority to modify the lease terms. The 200-page lease has been amended five times. Left unchecked, this arrangement is fraught with the possibility that President Trump and his children will enrich themselves at taxpayers expense, they wrote. This is simply untenable. DeFazio and Johnson urged Ochoa, whose office is independent of the agency, to investigate and report on GSAs management and administration of the [Old Post Office] lease agreement since President Trumps election, including identifying any breach of the lease agreement or associated conflicts of interest. For the first time in U.S. history, a sitting President operates and profits from a private business in a taxpayer-owned federal building, they wrote. Among the questions they asked is whether agency officials have calculated what the cost of terminating the Trump Organizations lease would be. Sarah Breen, a spokeswoman for Ochoa, said that the letter had been received. We are continuing to actively monitor developments in GSAs management of the Old Post Office lease, she said. Trump has taken steps to insulate himself from the business he founded and led, resigning from his positions and putting his adult sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, in charge. He pledged to donate profits from foreign clients to the U.S. Treasury. But critics say the agency should have acted to address concerns about the lease before the inauguration. On the day Trump took office, departing GSA Administrator Denise Turner Roth named Dong acting GSA administrator. Later that day, officials in Trumps new administration replaced Dong with Horne from another GSA office. In a brief statement, Roth called Dong a consummate professional, who was always committed to the mission of the GSA. The GSAs most recent public statement on the hotel lease came Jan. 27, when it said that officials had received information from the Trump Organization and were reviewing and evaluating this information to assess its compliance with the terms and conditions of the Old Post Office lease. Roth and Dong declined to discuss the review. Dong is leaving the government to return to work for his former boss, Anthony A. Williams, for whom Dong was city administrator during Williamss tenure as D.C. mayor, ending in 2007. Williams is now chief executive and executive director of a private business association, the Federal City Council, that is dedicated to local projects and policies affecting D.C. Dong will be a senior adviser there beginning April 3. Kevin Clinton of the Federal City Council issued a statement Tuesday saying Dongs knowledge of the District of Columbia and his expertise in public asset management will be a considerable contribution to our initiatives. His work will be limited to projects outside the scope of GSAs purview and will not include initiatives related to his GSA portfolio. WASHINGTON Major associations representing physicians, hospitals, insurers and seniors all leveled sharp attacks against the House GOPs plan to rewrite the Affordable Care Act on Wednesday, as some Republicans publicly questioned whether the measure can clear the House of Representatives. While industry groups warned that the proposal could leave vulnerable Americans with fewer protections than they now have, GOP leaders pressed ahead, bringing legislation before two key committees that are expected to approve the bills by weeks end. They were also working in concert with the White House to win over conservatives, who have complained that the proposal preserves too much of the current law. The flurry of activity including an evening meeting between President Donald Trump and leaders from five skeptical conservative groups created new uncertainty about the viability of Republicans signature promise to repeal and replace Obamacare. The days events also showed the uneasy predicament facing House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., the proposals chief booster, who described the plan Wednesday as a conservative wish list that would deliver on years of GOP campaign promises to change the nations health-care system. Right now I feel confident saying there arent 218 votes for this, said Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus, who was referring to the number of votes needed to pass the measure out of the House. Perry opposes the proposal. The barrage of criticism shows how fraught the terrain of health-care policy is. It also reflects a backlash prompted at least partly by the breakneck speed with which House Republicans are trying to push through their proposal with little upfront effort to work with interest groups or political factions. What were seeing now is that the political prospects for repealing the Affordable Care Act are as daunting as the effort to pass national health reform, Larry Jacobs, a political science professor at the University of Minnesotas Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, said in an interview. House Republican leaders have given little indication that they will make anything but marginal changes to their plan, which would eliminate the requirements that all Americans obtain coverage or pay a tax penalty and that businesses with at least 50 employees provide insurance. The American Health Care Act would replace income-based subsidies with refundable tax credits based on age and income, charge individuals a 30 percent surcharge if they buy a plan after allowing their coverage to lapse and phase out the laws more generous Medicaid funding over time. While conservatives complained that these changes dont go far enough, they have sparked criticism not just from Democrats but from moderate Republicans, AARP, the American Medical Association and the American Hospital Association. We cannot support the AHCA as drafted because of the expected decline in health insurance coverage and the potential harm it would cause to vulnerable patient populations, James Madara, chief executive of the American Medical Association and a doctor, wrote in a letter to committee leaders overseeing work on the bill. Richard Pollack, CEO of the American Hospital Association, voiced similar fears, saying efforts to restructure the Medicaid program by shifting it from an entitlement program to one based on a per capita allocation will have the effect of making significant reductions in a program that provides services for our most vulnerable populations and already pays providers significantly less than the cost of providing care. Americas Health Insurance Plans, the insurance industrys largest trade association, sent a letter Wednesday saying that while it appreciated several of the proposed changes, the changes to Medicaid could result in unnecessary disruptions in the coverage and care beneficiaries depend on. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., told reporters Wednesday that critics were exaggerating the proposals potential repercussions. Its tough to do entitlement reform, its tough to make these changes, but I think at the end of day, seniors are going to be fine, Walden said. If youre on Medicaid today, youll be on Medicaid tomorrow. States can intercede here and help out. So theres more to this story. Walden said it was sort of shocking that hospital groups were strongly opposing the plan, because the GOP legislation restores the ACAs cuts to disproportionate share payments to hospitals that serve large numbers of uninsured patients. Theres a pretty big medical-industrial complex in America, he added. And when you touch it, Ive discovered, it touches back. House Republicans determination to deliver on their promise to undo the ACA Ryan said Wednesday that it is the covenant we made with the American people when we ran on a repeal-and-replace plan in 2016 has spurred a legislative drive that is happening at warp speed. A cadre of lawmakers and staffers worked behind closed doors for several weeks to draft the pair of bills, which were designed to move through the annual budget process in order to clear the Senate with a simple majority vote. But that process, which did not involve an extended period of negotiation with interest groups or consultation with Democrats, has produced a furious backlash. Some insurers, including Molina Healthcare and the Alliance of Community Health Plans, said they did not get to offer any input into the House proposal. It doesnt seem like the industry got any heads up or was involved. We definitely were not, Sunny Yu, spokeswoman for Molina Healthcare, which has about a million members in the Affordable Care Act exchanges, said in an email. Democrats threw up procedural obstacles Wednesday in the committee meetings and on the House floor, complaining that it was irresponsible to consider the bills before the Congressional Budget Office offered an analysis that showed the legislations impact on the budget and Americans overall health care coverage. We need to know, what this is going to cost? asked Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. We need to know, what kind of health insurance is going to be feasible? Both House Republicans and White House budget director Mick Mulvaney have predicted that they will have a CBO score ready by early next week, before the bills are combined and brought before the House Budget Committee. GOP staffers noted that other health-care bills, including the 21st Century Cures Act and the 2015 reauthorization bill for Medicare and the Childrens Health Insurance Program, began their journeys through congressional committees without a CBO score. Democrats on the Energy and Commerce Committee moved to delay the bills consideration for 30 days, while those on Ways and Means moved to delay it for one week to allow for further hearings and to examine the CBO report. Both motions were voted down on a straight party-line vote, and the panels continued working into the evening. Still, the most imminent threat GOP leaders must contend with comes from the far right. The speaker can lose only 21 Republican votes if the American Health Care Act is to pass, and opponents are promising to use that leverage to force changes to the bill. Rep. Thomas Garrett, R-Va., a freshman member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, said he was confident that his camp could help reshape the legislation. While Trump had endorsed it already, Garrett said, he would probably be willing to accept something else if it were changed in a way conservatives could support. This is a guy who said he wasnt sure that NATO, in its classic role, is necessary and then two months later we saw countries like Germany vow to increase their defense spending to 2 percent of GDP, said Garrett. Whyd they do that? Because Donald Trump wasnt going to accept the status quo. They made a counteroffer. Right now, theres an offer, and hes saying he likes to get people to make counteroffers. Vice President Mike Pence met with two House Freedom Caucus leaders Tuesday, and that same day Mulvaney a former caucus member spent more than an hour at a meeting of the group. Its members have been invited to visit the White House next Tuesday. Wednesday night, Trump met with leaders from Americans for Prosperity, the Club for Growth, FreedomWorks, the Heritage Foundation and its political arm, Heritage Action, and the Tea Party Patriots. But the hard reality for Republicans is that any changes made to appease House conservatives could threaten the bills support among moderates. My fear is that the bill will go backwards, said Rep. Tom MacArthur, R-N.J., a co-chairman of the centrist Tuesday Group who has gotten White House attention of his own: He met Tuesday with Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price. If the bill starts going in the reverse direction in order to satisfy certain members of my party, then Im going to have a problem. I think the federal government has a role to play here, and Im not looking to just see the federal government undermine the health-care needs of the American people. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, a pivotal Republican moderate, said in an interview Wednesday with Yahoo News Katie Couric that the current House measure would not be well received in the Senate and stood no chance of passing as is. I want us to slow down to take more time to be sure we get this right. The Washington Posts David Weigel, Carolyn Johnson, Elise Viebeck and Amy Goldstein contributed to this report. Video: Republicans offer a mix of criticism and support for health-care plan: http://wapo.st/2mCEt3I KANSAS CITY, Mo. Wildfires scorching hundreds of square miles of Kansas, Colorado, Texas and Oklahoma have been blamed in at least six deaths as of Wednesday. Thousands of people have been displaced by the wind-whipped flames. Heres a look at the situation: WHATS BURNING? A two-county wildfire in Kansas has consumed an estimated 861 square miles of land, eclipsing last years record for the biggest single blaze in the states recorded history. Kansas Division of Emergency Management spokeswoman Katie Horner says the estimated 625 square miles charred in Clark County as of Wednesday is about 85 percent of that countys total land, with an additional 236 square miles lost in Comanche County. Horner tells The Associated Press that that number in the two predominantly ranching-and-farming counties appears certain to grow. The previous record for the most-widespread Kansas blaze came last year, with the Anderson Creek fire in Barber and Comanche counties consuming 488 square miles of land. Horner says that since last Saturday, large grassfires have been reported in 23 Kansas counties, consuming more than 1,000 square miles. At least 70 structures in Kansas have been damaged or destroyed. In addition, three wildfires in the Texas Panhandle have burned nearly 750 square miles of rural land, while more than 540 square miles of property has been blackened in Oklahoma. Dozens of square miles also have been charred in northeastern Colorado. WHAT CAUSES SUCH BLAZES? Its not yet clear what sparked the wildfires now raging. But Bill Bunting, forecast operations chief at the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, said human activity causes most wildfires in the prairie a cigarette thrown from a car or sometimes a spark from a catalytic converter. Bunting said lightning accounts for 25 percent of wildfires. WHATS STOKING THE FLAMES? Parched conditions amplified by strong winds and low humidity put the region at risk for wildfires. All of eastern Colorado is classified as either moderately or abnormally dry along with much of Kansas and Oklahoma, and some of northern Texas, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, a weekly tracker of dry conditions across the U.S. Noting the abundance of vegetation fuel, drought conditions and windiness in the southern central Plains, Liz Leitman, a Storm Prediction Center meteorologist, said Wednesday that everything has come together to overlap to create a pretty volatile situation. PROMISING WEATHER AHEAD Firefighters in many of the affected states may catch a break within days. Brian Fuchs, a climatologist with the Nebraska-based National Drought Mitigation Center, said the weekly drought report he put together for release Thursday will show an intensification of drought conditions in the fire-ravaged region. But perhaps starting late Thursday and lingering into the weekend, a storm is forecast to drop an inch or more of rainfall from central Kansas through much of Oklahoma and Texas, Fuchs said. The Texas Panhandle, eastern Colorado and western Kansas may miss out on that. That will be enough precipitation to put the brakes on some of this (wildfire outbreak) right now, he said. COULD THE OUTBREAK BE CYCLICAL? Leitman said the latest outbreak of wildfires seems to be, at least in my experience, a naturally occurring cycle for this area and not unusual for this time of year. She said the last large outbreak came in late 2010 and into 2011, when similar conditions caused wildfires that scorched more than 4,000 square miles in Texas and Arizona. COULD CLIMATE CHANGE BE IN PLAY? In 2013, University of Illinois atmospheric sciences professor Don Wuebbles warned that the frequency and intensity of wildfires likely would increase in the coming years, given the confluence of such factors as higher temperatures, untamed underbrush and less rain. Wuebbles, a co-author of a draft federal report linking climate change to an increase in severe weather trends, postulated then to National Geographic that this probably is the new normal. Thirty years from now, we may look upon this as being a much better period than what we may be facing then, he said then. WHATS THE COST? Officials in the states affected by the ongoing wildfires havent released estimates of the economic losses from damaged or destroyed homes, businesses and livestock or the expense of firefighters efforts to knock down the flames. But its expected those costs will run well into the millions of dollars. During last years massive wildfire along the Kansas-Oklahoma border, for example, firefighting costs reached $1.5 million in Barber County the Kansas county hardest hit by that blaze. That countys emergency management chief, Jerry McNamar, said the countys economic losses included 750 to 800 cattle that died in the county, along with at least 2,700 miles of fence, worth $27 million, that was destroyed. GLASS HALF FULL Wildfires can offer some ecological benefits. Conservation experts, for instance, say that last years sprawling Oklahoma-Kansas blaze managed to clear out more eastern red cedars in a week than local efforts to eradicate that invasive species could have accomplished in decades. Red cedars, also known as junipers, are fast-growing, drought-resistant trees that are useful for erosion control along canyon edges in the regions Red Hills. But those trees often the focus of prescribed burns are a nuisance on prairie land because they crowd out native grasses, suck up moisture from the soil and reduce the amount of forage area for wildlife and livestock. Two suspects were taken into custody after striking a deputys vehicle and fleeing the scene in a neighborhood near 98th and Sage SW Wednesday afternoon, according to a spokeswoman for the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office. Felicia Romero said detectives were trying to serve a search warrant near 94th and Jenny SW when the deputys vehicle was struck. She didnt know if the deputy was in the vehicle at the time. Romero said the suspects vehicle then tried to hit a deputy and a police officer who were out of their cruisers in an active school zone. Deputies gave chase and arrested the suspects about four miles away near Avalon and Yucca NW. No suspects are outstanding and minor injuries have been reported, she said. Romero didnt know if the suspects or the deputies had been injured. She didnt know the suspects names or genders. WASHINGTON With tears in their eyes, Vanessa and JR Ford recounted to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos the story of their transgender daughter Ellie, sharing the drawings where Ellie depicted herself as a stick figure in a little dress and telling her about Ellies fourth birthday, where she declared I am a girl in my brain and my heart. In the Department of Education conference room, Ellie sat nearby sketching characters from Sonic the Hedgehog and munching on apple sauce. She had just met the secretary, the Fords later recalled, giving DeVos her classic fake-out handshake in which she ran her tiny fingers up the womans arm, squealing squirrel! The Fords, who live in the District and send Ellie to a charter school, joined other families of transgender children at a Wednesday meeting hoping to persuade DeVos to do more to protect transgender students, whom they say have been imperiled by the Trump administrations move to roll back Obama-era protections two weeks ago. It was very painful to have to do. Both my husband and I fought through tears trying to tel her how difficult the past two weeks have been, Vanessa Ford told The Washington Post. These are our families. These are our friends. And we are angry. The emotional meeting took place immediately before DeVos met with representatives of three LGBTQ groups National Center for Transgender Equality; the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network; and Equality Michigan who echoed the parents message and outlined policy recommendations. I joined my colleagues from NCTE and Equality Michigan and a delegation of families in meeting with Secretary DeVos to relay the concerns and fears of hundreds of thousands of students, educators, and parents who have been affected by the alarming actions of the Trump administration, Eliza Byard, executive director of GLSEN, said in a statement. We highlighted the pervasive violence and discrimination that the majority of transgender students face across the country, including being prevented from using their correct name and pronouns and appropriate school facilities. The Education Department did not immediately respond to questions about DeVoss meeting with the advocates. On Feb. 22, DeVos and Attorney General Jeff Sessions pulled back Obama-era guidance that directed public schools to call transgender students by their chosen name and gender and to allow them to use the bathrooms of the gender they identify with, regardless of what is on their birth certificates. The two Cabinet members said the issue was a matter best left to states. But according to a GOP operative with knowledge of conversations on the issue, DeVos voiced private objections to rescinding the directive. The Supreme Court, which was scheduled to hear oral arguments in the case of a transgender Virginia teen seeking to use the boys bathroom at his high school, remanded the case this week to a lower court as a result of the change in guidance. It delivered another blow to the fight for transgender student rights and worried advocates, who fear that more schools and school districts will seek to restrict where transgender students use the bathroom. Attorneys for the teen, Gavin Grimm, on Wednesday asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit to expedite the case so that it could be resolved before the high school senior graduates on June 10. The rollback means states, schools and, in some cases, individual principals decide where transgender students use the bathroom, which advocates say will further imperil a group of students already at an increased risk of being bullied at school and suicide. Katharine Prescott of Vista, California, joined the families, talking about her transgender son Kyler, who committed suicide two years ago at the age of 14 after struggling with depression. Prescott said she wanted to underscore how vulnerable transgender children can be and how critical it is for the government to protect them. Prescott shared with DeVos just how much the guidance would have meant to her son and just how much it meant to transgender children who face a world where they often feel like they are not accepted. They need our support more than anything, Prescott said. These are children and they need to be able to go to school like anyone else. Looking around the room at other families and their transgender children, Prescott said she shed a few tears. I was wishing I could have been there with my son. that was the other emotion, Prescott said. These familes were coming in to stand up with their kids. I couldnt do that because Kyler isnt here anymore. [March 08, 2017] Bovie Medical Corporation to Present at 29th Annual Roth Conference Bovie Medical Corporation ("Bovie" or the "Company") (NYSE:BVX), a maker of medical devices and supplies and the developer of J-Plasma, a patented new surgical product, announced today that Robert L. Gershon, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, will present at the 29th Annual Roth Capital Conference in Dana Point, California on Tuesday, March 14, at 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time. To access the webcast, please go to http://wsw.com/webcast/roth31/bvx. A replay of the webcast and presentation will be posted following the event via Bovie Medical's website. The conference will be held March 12-15, 2017 at The Ritz Carlton and is by invitaion only. Bovie Medical's management team will be available for one-on-one meetings. Investors interested in arranging a meeting should contact their ROTH representative. About Bovie Medical Corporation Bovie Medical Corporation is a leading maker of medical devices and supplies as well as the developer of J-Plasma, a patented new plasma-based surgical product for cutting and coagulation. J-Plasma utilizes a helium ionization process to produce a stable, focused beam of ionized gas that provides surgeons with greater precision, minimal invasiveness and an absence of conductive currents through the patient during surgery. Bovie Medical Corporation is also a leader in the manufacture of a range of electrosurgical products and technologies, marketed through both private labels and the Company's own well-respected brands (Bovie, Aaron, IDS and ICON) to distributors worldwide. The Company also leverages its expertise through original equipment manufacturing (OEM) agreements with other medical device manufacturers. For further information about the Company's current and new products, please refer to the Investor Relations section of Bovie Medical Corporation's website www.boviemed.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170308006290/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] On Tuesday, the U.S. State Department held its first daily press briefing in two months. Spokesman Mark Toner gamely tried to field reporters questions, but as my Post colleague Josh Rogin has noted, he didnt have much to say. The scarcity of substance . . . was not Toners fault, Rogin writes. The problem was never a lack of press opportunities. It was and remains a lack of policies. And perhaps the biggest policy gap on display concerned human rights. Toner made one passing reference to human rights on China, so brief that a listener could have easily missed it. And when questioned about the spotty track record of the United Nations Human Rights Council, he couldnt manage more than an awkward afterthought: And as I said, were there, were at the table, were working on an agenda, weve been elected to a three-year term I think back in 2016, and were committed to human rights and fundamental freedoms and working to pursue those. But by then he was already on to the next question: Please, go ahead, Im sorry. Democracy and human rights are clearly not destined to play a prominent role in the foreign policy of the Trump administration. While Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has occasionally made hopeful-sounding statements on this score, his actions often belie his words. On Friday, the State Department issued its annual report on human rights but Tillerson rather conspicuously didnt show up to present it. That was a break with long-established precedent, and at least one senator erstwhile presidential candidate and fellow Republican Marco Rubio called Tillerson out on it: So why didnt Tillerson make the effort? Its entirely possible, of course, that were making too much out of his absence but forgive us if were a bit jumpy these days. As weve mentioned before, President Donald Trump has never shown much interest in asserting U.S. leadership on democracy and human rights around the world. And were already starting to notice corresponding ripples. During his confirmation hearing, for example, Tillerson notoriously refused to condemn Philippine President Rodrigo Dutertes extralegal war on drugs, which has so far killed more than 7,000 people there. (The person who asked the question was none other than Rubio.) Duterte, for his part, has repeatedly expressed delight at Trumps election, claiming this means that the new Washington thoroughly approves of how hes running his country. (And why not? So far no one at State or in the White House has troubled to dispute Dutertes assertion.) Or look at this recent article from DemocracyPosts own Brian Klaas on Thailand, where the military junta is treating the resounding silence from the Trump White House as tacit permission to continue dismantling the remains of democratic procedure in that country In Malaysia, the election of Trump has nonplussed those who have been taking to the streets in huge demonstrations to call for Prime Minster Najib Razak to step down over corruption allegations. Trump has referred to Najib as his favorite prime minister, prompting many Malaysians to wonder if the Justice Department will continue its own investigation into the scandal surrounding their leader. In Turkey, where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been staging a vast crackdown on his own opponents in the wake of last years attempted coup, Trumps ascent to power has also prompted a sense of relief among those who might otherwise have expected periodic scoldings from Washington. In an interview in December, the Turkish foreign minister expressed his fond hope that, under the Trump administration, Turkey and the U.S. can once again become two allies motivated by a common vision. (Translation: Now we wont have to listen to any of those sermons from the Americans about how were mistreating our own people.) And then, of course, there are those remarkable moments in which Trump has seen fit to praise Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, both of whom earned rebukes from the Obama administration for their treatment of domestic opponents. Just to make matters worse, some regimes are even echoing Trumps criticisms of the media to justify their own crackdowns on journalism. As this Post editorial points out, Cambodian leaders have warned Voice of America and Radio Free Asia to watch their step, citing as precedent the U.S. presidents recent banning of certain press outlets from briefings. The Kremlin has even started a website to heap scorn on media it accuses of engaging in fake news. For the Russians, needless to say, thats a category that also includes the New York Times. In the past, the influence of the United States has often served to check or moderate the nasty behavior of authoritarian leaders around the world. Now we are finally getting a chance to see what happens when Washington abdicates that role. The results are not pretty. We are not even two months into the new administration. Yet this newfound American tolerance for dictators, strongmen and human rights abusers is already having a notably destructive effect. Will the White House and the State Department ever come to their senses? Mirroring similar rallies around the country, and mostly wearing red, about 150 people gathered to march through the University of New Mexico campus Wednesday evening in honor of International Womens Day. The march and rally began at the campus bookstore and participants listened to several speakers before marching through the western half of campus chanting in support of women, immigrant and minority rights. The group traveled north to Lomas NE before looping back south on University, as cars honked their support or dissent. James Friedman, an organizer with the Albuquerque branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, said the group put out a call for the rally in order to voice their support for women, the LGTBQ communities, and other disenfranchised people. He said the party is opposed to Donald Trumps presidency but it would have held the rally regardless of who was elected president. We will still be in the streets year after year until we see equality for women, transgender women, and the LGTBQ community, Friedman said. The event on UNMs campus is just one of many rallies and marches throughout the country held to commemorate International Womens Day. Womens rights activists also called a national strike, A Day Without a Woman. Organizers suggested that those who wanted to strike could do so by taking the day off from paid or unpaid labor, avoid shopping except for at businesses owned by women and other minorities, and wearing red. Vicky Lester and her daughter Andrea Young joined the march after a full day of following those guidelines. Lester said she closed her business, Eternal Youth Medical Spa, early Wednesday in honor of the strike. And she and Young made sure to have lunch at a women-owned business. Wearing red, they joined the march across campus, falling into step with a new friend, Gerri Warner. The women said they all joined the march, and similar previous events, in opposition to the current presidential administration. Lester said she joined the days events in order to speak in support of rights for her daughters, and granddaughters, as well as women all over the country and the world. I think its really critical right now for all of us to step up and stand together, Lester said. If we dont, all the things weve worked for will just take 10 steps back. The strike and rally come a month and a half after millions of people worldwide took to the streets for the Womens March on Jan. 21, the day after Trumps inauguration. Thousands of women, men and children showed their solidarity for that event by gathering at Civic Plaza for the Womens March in Albuquerque. Lester said they attended the Womens March as well as a protest against Trumps immigration plan in late February. She said these events give her hope for the future. Tonight Ill leave and feel hope, and right now we need all the hope and faith we can get, Lester said. I owe it to my daughter and my three granddaughters. Its so important that they all know they can do all the things they want in life. COLUMBUS To commemorate the 1916 raid by Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa on Columbus, N.M., Pancho Villa State Park will have its annual Camp Furlong Day event Saturday to inform guests of the history of the attack on the border town. While the annual event is held in conjunction with the Cabalgata celebration of unity between the two countries, Camp Furlong Day is scheduled to give visitors the history of the raid and to bring guests back to 1916 by means of artifacts and accounts at the Exhibition Hall, 400 N.M. Highway 9. The Cabalgata Binacional has been celebrated for almost 20 years and has become a tradition, with riders on horseback from the deep regions of Mexico crossing the border near Columbus and joining with American riders in a show of goodwill and friendship between two nations. The two groups will ride into Columbus at 11 a.m. Saturday for the Fiesta de Amistad. Starting at 1 p.m. Saturday, Pancho Villa State Park will have lectures and historical lessons from several historians and will allow visitors to tour the museum for the 14th anniversary of Camp Furlong Day. The function of the park is to provide the public with education about what happened here, Park Manager John Read said. Our guest speakers will talk about different incidents that occurred here during the raid. Guest speakers for the Camp Furlong Day commemoration include Robert Bouilly, Ric Lambart and Florian Waitl, all of whom will be giving historic insights as to the before, during and after time frames of the raid. With the centennial of the raid passing in 2016, the events were much larger, even including grandchildren of Pancho Villa and General John Black Jack Pershing, who led the U.S. punitive expedition into Mexico after Villas raid. Saturdays celebration has scheduled the annual festival happenings in the Exhibition Hall, as well as lectures in the multipurpose room after the Cabalgata riders enters town. The times are set so as to allow visitors to the historic border town the opportunity to view both events. Guest speakers will begin at 1 p.m. and continue until 4 p.m. while delivering presentations on the history of the events of the raid, as well as the implications following. The event is free to those who wish to attend. Surprisingly, there are a large number of history buffs around town, and its nice because the happenings give people an opportunity to go into town and enjoy the food vendors, the dancing and the music, Read said. Pancho Villa State Park and parts of Columbus were once part of Camp Furlong, which was used as a base for Pershings expedition after the March 9, 1916, raid on Columbus. During the raid, Villas forces sustained heavy losses and were pushed back into Mexico by the 13th Cavalry regiment stationed at the camp. For many years, the village of Columbus has recognized the memory of the raid and the lives of the soldiers lost in the battle. For information, call Pancho Villa State Park, 575-531-2711. A mid-level drug dealer who authorities said sold heroin to users and other dealers in the Albuquerque for years pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic heroin in a case that left one of his customers dead. Rosendo Flores Angulos plea agreement calls for him to be sentenced to 14 to 17 years, though his sentencing hearing hasnt been scheduled. He pleaded guilty Wednesday morning before federal Magistrate Judge William Lynch to conspiracy to distribute heroin. A Mexican national, Flores Angulo, 39, will face deportation after he serves his prison sentence. Prosecutors said in court Wednesday that Flores Angulo, who used several aliases, sold small balls of heroin wrapped in aluminum foil throughout Albuquerque. David Hutchinson, 31, a low-level dealer whom Flores Angulo supplied, was also charged in the case. According to an indictment, Flores Angulo sold Hutchinson heroin and Hutchinson then sold $20 of that heroin on April 29, 2015, to a user identified in court documents as DJ. DJ used the heroin at his parents home that night, and collapsed and died, prosecutors said. A medical toxicologist was expected to testify at Flores Angulos trial that DJ died from the heroin, prosecutors said in court. New Mexico has one of the highest rates for deaths caused by opioid overdoses. U.S. Attorney Damon Martinez said in a statement that, even though the man used a small amount of heroin, it was lethal. Hundreds of people die each year in New Mexico from heroin and opioid overdoses. As the facts of this case demonstrate, there is no safe threshold for heroin use and even a very small dose of heroin just one-quarter of a gram in this case can be lethal, Martinez said. Heroin users and distributors need to understand that they are playing Russian roulette and every dose of heroin is another round in the cylinder. Hutchinson has also pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge, according to court documents. SANTA FE Rep. Jim Trujillo a Santa Fe Democrat who has missed much of the session with heart problems returned to the House floor late Wednesday to help ensure passage of a proposed constitutional amendment that would tap into New Mexicos permanent fund, mostly to pay for early childhood services. His vote gave Democrats a little extra breathing room as the measure won approval on a 37-32 vote one vote more than the 36 required to send it on to the Senate, where similar efforts have died in the past. Supporters of the bill described it as a chance to interrupt the cycle of poverty in New Mexico, where 82 percent of children are born to Medicaid-eligible families. Opponents said the proposal would damage the financial health of the Land Grant Permanent Fund, which already provides hundreds of millions of dollars for the state government, or about 11 percent of the budget. They also questioned whether the money would be spent effectively. The resolution would amend the state Constitution to increase annual distributions from the fund to 6 percent, up from 5 percent now. The extra percentage point would generate about $150 million a year in new revenue. About 85 percent of the new revenue would go toward services aimed at helping young children before theyre old enough to go to school, such as home-visiting programs to help new parents. Reps. Antonio Moe Maestas and Javier Martinez, both Albuquerque Democrats, said early childhood programs are a cost-effective way to help lift kids out of poverty. Preparing a child for school has benefits that last long after they enter school, they said. This is proven as a strategy to help a childs reading levels, said Rep. Bill McCamley, D-Mesilla Park. Investment in kids investment in our most valuable resource pays dividends down the road. This works. Republicans agreed that early childhood development is important. But they said the proposal offers no assurance the money will be well spent and, furthermore, the permanent fund isnt the right place to find the money. Were just going to say, Heres the money,' said Rep. Jim Dines, R-Albuquerque. I think thats totally irresponsible. He pointed out that 15 percent of the money would go to the standard beneficiaries who already receive revenue from the fund, such as universities and hospitals, not early childhood services. Under the proposal, the early childhood money would be sent to New Mexicos 89 school districts to oversee the programs. Theres also a phase-in period where some of the money would go to general public education, not necessarily early childhood programs. The proposal advanced mostly along party lines. Republican Yvette Herrell voted yes, and Democrats Bobby Gonzales and Candie Sweetser voted no. If approved by the Senate, the constitutional amendment would go to voters in 2018. The amendment also would have to be approved by Congress. New Mexicos Roman Catholic bishops this week issued a written admonishment advising state lawmakers not to publicly invoke their Catholic faith and to present their personal opinions as official Church teaching, particularly to justify their votes against anti-abortion measures favored by the church. The statement was prompted by comments made by a state representative on Sunday who said her Catholic faith informed her decision to oppose a bill supported by the Catholic Church that would have banned abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero, D-Albuquerque, spoke during a five-hour, often-emotional, legislative committee hearing. She began by describing her Roman Catholic upbringing and education. Thank you for reminding me that our Catholic faith teaches that women and men have the right to make their own decisions their own moral decisions based on the dictates of their own consciences, she then told bill supporters. Roybal Caballeros opposition helped block House Bill 220 by a 3-2 party-line vote in the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee. She also voted with the same 3-2 majority Sunday to block House Bill 221, which would have required a doctor to notify a childs parents if a minor seeks an abortion. I firmly believe that these personal, complex decisions must remain with the woman, her doctors, her family and her faith, and certainly not in the chambers of government, she said. Shortly after, her statement generated a strong response from the House floor by Allen Sanchez, executive director of the New Mexico Conference of Catholic Bishops. He was at the hearing as a registered lobbyist to speak on behalf of the bishops in favor of both bills. Sanchez said Archbishop of Santa Fe John C. Wester was watching the live-streamed committee hearing and spoke with Sanchez by phone after hearing the comments. Sanchez told the committee that contrary to Roybal Caballeros statement, Catholics must use a formed conscience based on the teachings of the church, especially when a public or elected person identifies themselves as Catholic, and uses that to justify a vote for abortion. Roybal Caballero said through a spokesman Wednesday that her schedule would not allow her to respond to the Journals request for comment about the apparent rebuke and referred a reporter to a recording of her comments on Sunday. Wester and other bishops followed up Sanchezs comments with a written statement saying that elected officials who identify as Catholic should make it clear that they speak for themselves and do not speak for the Catholic Church. Diocese of Gallup Bishop James Wall and Diocese of Las Cruces Bishop Oscar Cantu also signed the statement posted Monday on the dioceses websites. Support for abortion or doctor-assisted suicide is not in accord with the teachings of the church, the bishops wrote. Individuals and groups do not speak for the Catholic Church. As bishops, we do. The statement doesnt identify Roybal Caballero or any other elected officials. But it goes on to say: It is not appropriate for elected officials to publicly invoke their Catholic faith and to present their personal opinions as official church teaching. Furthermore, this action publicly separates a person from communion with the Catholic faith. Sanchez said that the statement regarding communion with the Catholic faith does not imply that legislators who vote against church-favored bills will be denied the Eucharist or other sacraments. Were not talking about the Eucharist when we talk about communion, he said Wednesday. The bishops in this statement arent excommunicating anybody. Sanchez said that when Catholic lawmakers cite the church in making statements contrary to church teachings, they are separating themselves. What somebody has to do to repair that, theyve got to be contrite, he said. It could be a public correction of the statement, and possibly confession to a priest. The bishops are not seeking a public statement from Roybal Caballero, he said. for the taking of life, thats contrary to the teaching, he said.When you say that the church has formed you, and that causes you to vote against life and A bill to prohibit New Mexico law enforcement agencies from enforcing federal immigration law survived its last House committee on a party-line vote and is now headed to the floor for a vote. A similar sanctuary state proposal is also pending on the Senate floor, with just 10 days left in the session. House Bill 116 sponsored by Democratic Reps. Patricia Roybal Caballero of Albuquerque and Angelica Rubio of Las Cruces won a recommendation of passage Wednesday on a 6-5 vote of the House Judiciary Committee, with Democrats in support. Republicans questioned whether it would interfere with joint task forces operated by local agencies and the federal government or damage the work of federal training centers in southeastern New Mexico. Supporters say the bill would ensure immigrants can report crimes and cooperate with local police without fearing deportation. Dan McKay, dmckay@abqjournal.com LOTTERY: A bill that would lift a requirement that the New Mexico Lottery Authority funnel a percentage of its revenue into a popular scholarship fund passed a House committee Wednesday but only by the narrowest of margins. The House Education Committee voted 7-5 to advance the bill without recommendation, after a previous motion to table it had failed on a tie vote. It now advances to another House panel. Backers of the legislation, Senate Bill 192, say removing the mandate that at least 30 percent of the lotterys revenue go toward the legislative lottery scholarship program could actually lead to more scholarship dollars. They argue that with bigger prizes, more New Mexicans would purchase tickets. But skeptics said they werent convinced, with some noting that gambling vendors with state contracts have hired high-profile lobbyists to push the bill. If Im going to gamble, Im going to gamble on a sure thing, said House Majority Leader Sheryl Williams Stapleton, D-Albuquerque. Dan Boyd, dboyd@abqjournal.com CONVERSION THERAPY: A proposal to limit gay conversion therapy a questionable practice condemned by major medical groups is moving through the House after clearing the Senate. The bill cleared a House committee Wednesday morning and must clear one more before reaching the House floor. Its sponsored by two Albuquerque Democrats Sen. Jacob Candelaria and Rep. G. Andres Romero. The Senate has approved the bill 32-6, so it will head to Gov. Susana Martinez for consideration if the House endorses it. Senate Bill 121 would make it illegal to be paid for providing conversion therapy to someone under 18 years old. The American Medical Association opposes the practice, and the American Psychological Association describes it as based on a view of homosexuality that has been rejected by all the major mental health professions. Dan McKay BULLYING: Another Senate-approved bill is also advancing through the House. A proposal by Sen. William Soules, D-Las Cruces, that would require New Mexico school districts to develop anti-bullying policies cleared one committee and must make it past another before hitting the House floor. Senate Bill 115 passed the Senate on a 32-10 vote. Dan McKay Two men were detained after a police standoff in Artesia that caused two schools to be placed on lockdown Wednesday. The standoff, lasting from about 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the 400 block of Cleveland Avenue, was connected to the Sunday homicide investigation that began after a man was found dead that day in the middle of Haystack Road, said Lt. Matt Hutchinson with the Eddy County Sheriffs Office. Hutchinson said two people were detained for questioning during the incident, but no formal charges were brought. Hutchinson said the Eddy County Sheriffs Office received an anonymous tip as to the whereabouts of a person of interest in the original homicide investigation. Based on the tip, detectives obtained a warrant to search the house, he said. The people came out willfully in the beginning, Hutchinson said. This how we want it to happen: no one got hurt on both sides. Danny Mendes, 49, was found dead Sunday on Haystack Road, and Eddy County Sheriff Office investigators were called in to investigate a potential murder, according to a news release. Investigators labeled his death a possible homicide due to the nature of Mendes injuries, said Hutchinson. The injuries are just not consistent with a natural death, he said. So were treating it as a homicide. Artesia Police were called to the scene at Cleveland Avenue at about 11:15 a.m. to assist with the standoff led by the Sheriffs Office, with assistance from New Mexico State Police and the Pecos Valley Drug Task Force. Artesia Police Cmdr. Lindell Smith said the two nearby schools, Roselawn Elementary and Artesia Headstart, locked down to protect the safety of the students. An official at Artesia Headstart said the school had been on lockdown from about 11:30 a.m. and remained so through the afternoon under the superintendents direction. Students were allowed to be picked up by their parents from a back exit at the normal 2 p.m. dismissal time. Carmen Reyes, Family and Community Partnership Manager at Head Start, said the school was ordered to go on lockdown by the superintendent at about 11:30 due to the potential danger posed to students at the preschool. She said all the doors and windows were locked, and no one was allowed in or out of the building at 615 W. Kemp Ave. Were making sure everyone is aware, she said. The most important thing is keeping the kids safe. Reyes said multiple parents called the school as information on the standoff and lockdown circulated in the media. The lockdown was the third in about two years at the school, Reyes said. She said students and staff are trained on how to act during the situation. They know exactly what to do, she said. Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter. 2017 the Carlsbad Current-Argus (Carlsbad, N.M.) Visit the Carlsbad Current-Argus (Carlsbad, N.M.) at www.currentargus.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. _____ From the new Republican health-care proposal to President Donald Trumps speech to Congress, Full Frontal host Samantha Bee had a lot to cover on Wednesday during her first episode in weeks. As for Trumps claim with no evidence that President Barack Obama wiretapped phones at Trump Tower during the 2016 campaign, the TBS late-night host compared it to white guy shoots himself tries to pin it on a black guy. When has that ever happened? The news cycle has offered plenty of fodder for late-night comedians to work on their political barbs, but its still unclear which of them, if any, will headline the White House Correspondents Association dinner. We do know that Bee will be in Washington that weekend for her alternative event, which she has described as intended for journalists and non-irritating celebrities from around the world. On Wednesday, she pointed to claims that Obama is behind a silent coup previously put forth by conservative radio host Mark Levin, and picked up by Breitbart News in an article that made the rounds at the White House last week. Just one of those classic coups where the president uses the might of the government to spy on an opponent, then doesnt release any of the information he found, lets the other guy win and then isnt president anymore, Bee exclaimed. Classic coup. Exactly what the word means! She added: If theres no one brave enough on his staff to tell their boss theres only one p in tap, there certainly isnt anyone brave enough to tell him Obama isnt running a coup. Bee then flashed pictures of a smiling, post-White House Obama. I mean, I get why youd think Obama would tap your phone. Just look how angry he is and obsessed with you. He can barely stay up on that surfboard from all the rage and hatred for your administration, Bee said. While Trump is flipping out on a daily basis, every picture of Obama looks like hes about to sip a pina colada, laugh and paraglide off to a photo shoot for Essence magazine. Bee also suggested that Trump made the wiretapping claims after coverage of his speech to Congress was eclipsed by stories about Attorney General Jeff Sessions, forcing professional journalists to spend the next 72 hours talking to Mike Huckabees daughter about whether the most scandal-free president in living memory is a bigger criminal than Nixon. Its bananas! The TBS host contrasted the wiretapping claims with pundits praising Trumps speech, who lauded the performance as his most presidential moment yet. She then cut to a black woman at a post-speech town hall gathering, who said of the speech, thats not the Donald Trump that Ive seen for the past 30 days. Im going to look for him on Twitter tomorrow, and see what he really thinks. Great job to the speechwriter, but I will see Donald Trump at 12 a.m. Bee responded, Shh! Dont tell the truth, it sounds biased, and implored cable news to hire more black women. In response to a question about his partys plan to increase the cost of health insurance, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, suggested that people should invest in their own health care instead of getting that new iPhone. He doubled-down on the point in a later interview: People need to make a conscious choice, and I believe in self-reliance. Of course, Chaffetz is wrong. But he isnt alone. He has been met with justifiable derision for the comparison (The Washington Posts Christopher Ingraham did the math, pointing out that a years worth of health care would equal 23 iPhone 7 Pluses in price.) But the claim he is making is hardly new. Chaffetz was articulating a commonly held belief that poverty in the United States is, by and large, the result of laziness, immorality and irresponsibility. If only people made better choices if they worked harder, stayed in school, got married, didnt have children they couldnt afford, spent what money they had more wisely and saved more then they wouldnt be poor, or so the reasoning goes. This insistence that people would not be poor if only they would try harder defines the thinking behind the signature welfare restructuring law of the Clinton era, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. Its the logic at the heart of efforts to impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients, to drug-test people collecting unemployment insurance or to forbid food stamp recipients to buy steak and lobster. Since the invention of the mythic welfare queen in the 1960s, this has been the story we most reliably tell about why people are poor. Never mind that research from across the social sciences shows us, over and again, that its a lie. Never mind low wages or lack of jobs, the poor quality of too many schools, the dearth of marriageable males in poor black communities (thanks to a racialized criminal justice system and ongoing discrimination in the labor market), or the high cost of birth control and day care. Never mind the fact that the largest group of poor people in the United States are children. Never mind the grim reality that most American adults who are poor are not poor from lack of effort but despite it. This deep denial serves a few functions, however. To accept this as reality is to confront the unpleasant fact that myths of American exceptionalism are just that myths and many of us would fare better economically (and live longer, healthier lives, too) had we been born elsewhere. That cognitive dissonance is too much for too many of us, so we believe instead that people can overcome any obstacle if they would simply work hard enough. Second, to believe that poverty is a result of immorality or irresponsibility helps people believe it cant happen to them. But it can happen to them (and to me and to you). Poverty in the United States is common, and according to the Census Bureau, over a three-year period, about one-third of all U.S. residents slip below the poverty line at least once for two months or more. Third and conveniently, perhaps, for people like Chaffetz or House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wisconsin this stubborn insistence that people could have more money or more health care if only they wanted them more absolves the government of having to intervene and use its power on their behalf. In this way of thinking, reducing access to subsidized health insurance isnt cruel, its responsible, a form of tough love in which people are forced to make good choices instead of bad ones. This is both patronizing and, of course, a gross misreading of the actual outcome of laws like these. Theres one final problem with these kinds of arguments, and that is the implication that we should be worried by the possibility of poor people buying the occasional steak, lottery ticket or, yes, even an iPhone. Set aside the fact that a better cut of meat may be more nutritious than a meal Chaffetz would approve of, or the fact that a smartphone may be your only access to email, job notices, benefit applications, school work and so on. Why do we begrudge people struggling to get by the occasional indulgence? Why do we so little value pleasure and joy? Why do we insist that if you are poor, you should also be miserable? Why do we require penitence? Just because what Chaffetz is saying isnt novel doesnt mean it isnt uninformed and dangerous. Chaffetz, Ryan and their compatriots offer us tough love without the love, made possible through their willful ignorance of (or utter disregard for) what life is actually like for so many Americans who do their very best against great odds and still, nonetheless, have little to show for it. Sometimes not even an iPhone. Pimpare is the author of A Peoples History of Poverty in America and the forthcoming Ghettos, Tramps, and Welfare Queens: Down and Out on the Silver Screen. He teaches American politics and public policy at the University of New Hampshire. [March 09, 2017] HuHot Turns Focus to Employees with New Learning Platform MISSOULA, Mont., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- HuHot Mongolian Grills, LLC is excited to announce the rollout of their new Learning Management System (LMS) called HuHub. The platform is powered by Wisetail, a Bozeman, MT based technology company. Goals behind the implementation of HuHub are numerous, but first and foremost HuHot hopes it culminates with an improved guest experience in their restaurants. The HuHub LMS includes all of the standard LMS features, such as online learning, testing and certifications, but differentiates itself from other standard systems with the additional capability to upload videos by restaurant staff thus allowing HuHot to elevate their ability to monitor, engage and validate great training practices in the restaurants. Jeff Martin, COO, is just as excited about the social component as he is the ability for HuHot to communicate directly with all of our employees. He states, "Whether it's our CEO giving a shout out to a deserving server or a dishwasher asking a question about the company, HuHub will go a long way in makingour people a big part of the whole company each and every day. This level of engagement will provide a boost to job satisfaction, retention and ultimately, better operational execution." HuHub was fully developed in late 2016 and has been implemented in all of the company-owned locations for testing and vetting. The task of implementing HuHub into all of the franchised locations will kick off at the beginning of the 2nd quarter of 2017. Our franchise ownership groups have expressed great interest and excitement to come on board! HuHub is going to support our efforts to continue to take great care of our guests and introduce our concept into new markets across the country. Happy people make for happy dining! About HuHot Mongolian Grills, LLC HuHot is a national create-your-own stir-fry concept offering a wide variety of meats, seafood, noodles, fresh veggies, and signature sauces to suit your tastes. Select your favorite ingredients then be entertained as your meal is cooked to perfection by our grill warriors on a 6-foot, scorching hot grill. It's always all-you-can-eat, so you can create a different meal every time. HuHot Mongolian Grills, LLC opened its first restaurant in Missoula, Montana in 1999 focusing on fresh food, signature sauces and great service. Over the past 18 years, the concept has grown to almost 60 locations in 16 states and that focus has remained unchanged. In 2017 HuHot was ranked for the sixth consecutive year in Franchise 500 by Entrepreneur and on Technomic's Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report. HuHot has been ranked as one of Franchise Times Next 300 Franchise Chains 4 years in a row, and named as one of Nation Restaurant News' Next 20 Chains of 2014. To learn more, visit the website at www.huhot.com To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/huhot-turns-focus-to-employees-with-new-learning-platform-300420919.html SOURCE HuHot Mongolian Grill [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Leaving behind his drivers license likely made it easier for cops to catch a man who they said stole a Lexus from a parking lot in Rockville, Maryland, that had a high-priced violin inside. The events leading to his arrest began March 1 about 5 p.m. in the parking lot outside a Barnes and Noble bookstore. Police said Michael Gainer Rothenberg, 27, of Bethesda, Maryland, walked up to a woman, pulled out a gun and demanded her keys and bag. He then fled in her 2004 Lexus, they said. Three days later, authorities said, Rothenberg robbed at gunpoint a clerk at a 7-Eleven store in Glen Echo, Maryland. And Monday, he robbed a gas station in Howard County, Maryland, and fled the scene in the stolen Lexus, police said. He then tried to carjack a woman in a red Mini Cooper to get away, Howard police said. Detectives in Howard County said they found a telling clue Rothenbergs drivers license, which they said he left in the stolen Lexus. And they said he left a receipt showing a musical instrument had been sold to a pawn shop. On Monday, Rothenberg was arrested in Frederick, Maryland. He faces several charges, including armed carjacking and armed robbery. NBC 4, which was the first to report on the incident, said the violin that was inside the stolen Lexus was worth $6,000 and made in 1891 in France. The victim said she was on her way to a music lesson when she was carjacked. A Montgomery County, Maryland, police detective said the violin had been sold to a pawn shop for $200. Police said the victims violin has since been returned to her. I received a text message from my wife saying shed been detained by police in China. Were both American correspondents in Beijing, and weve become accustomed to this sort of harassment. In late 2015, she was reporting a story that nearly anywhere else in the world would be pretty innocuous the downsizing of steel mills in an industrial town not far from the capital. But in China, almost nothing the foreign media does is considered harmless. While she was interviewing a laid-off steelworker, the mans mother complained to the police, who rounded up my wife and her colleagues and whisked them off to a nearby station. The officers demanded to know who she had spoken to; my wife protested she had violated no regulations. This is life for foreign correspondents in China. Like many of our colleagues around the world, reporting from war zones and authoritarian states, weve always put ourselves at risk simply doing our jobs. Now that risk is being increased by our own president. Donald Trumps campaign to discredit American journalists at home is rendering us more vulnerable to abuses by governments abroad. My wifes story ended as well as it could have. As she was detained, I was in South Korea, stuck in Seouls traffic, while she was texting me updates. The texts suddenly stopped and I furiously sent message after message asking her to respond. I got nothing. Then I called. Her mobile phone rang and rang with no answer. About 1 1/2 hours went by with no word and I frantically began trying to contact her editor. Finally, a text appeared: After several hours, the police let her and her crew go. Crisis was, in that instance, averted, but in a country that pays only lip service to rule of law, where human-rights abuses are commonplace and where many citizens have been conditioned to distrust foreign reporters, anything can happen. (Just days ago, a BBC correspondent and his camera crew were assaulted by a group of unidentified men while reporting in central China and, after authorities arrived, reportedly forced to apologize and sign a confession to diffuse the situation.) Now that an American president is routinely launching anti-media tirades, Beijing is taking advantage. Cribbing from President Trump, the Peoples Daily, run by the Communist Party, tweeted last week that recent stories in foreign media accusing police of torturing a detained lawyer were FAKE NEWS. For Chinese officials, this approach is nothing new. In 2012, after the New York Times reported on the fortune amassed by Chinas then-premier, a foreign ministry spokesman blasted the story, saying it smears Chinas name and has ulterior motives. Since we print stories that deviate from official propaganda, they consider us enemies of the people, as Trump calls us. The upshot: the websites of the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Time, Reuters and Bloomberg are all blocked from Chinese readers by the Great Firewall. Were constantly hampered by onerous and time-consuming visa procedures. I spent close to a year separated from my wife after she relocated to Beijing because the government took that long to grant me a proper accreditation to live in the country. Occasionally, journalists are expelled, including Melissa Chan, an American working for Al Jazeera, in 2012. My wife, who is especially conspicuous as a TV correspondent with a camera crew, is confronted regularly by police or other security officials. A survey released last year by the Foreign Correspondents Club of China found that 57 percent of respondents had been subjected to some form of interference, harassment or violence while attempting to report in China. In the past, the U.S. government has been a source of support and protection for American correspondents. One reason my wife went silent while at that police station was because she was on the phone with the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, informing officials there about her detention. The Chinese government tolerates us here, in part, since it has been fearful of State Department disapproval. The problems American journalists face in the country have been a talking point for senior U.S. officials with their Chinese counterparts. No less a figure than Vice President Joe Biden, for instance, warned Chinas top leaders about ousting American reporters during a 2013 Beijing visit. Innovation thrives where people breathe freely, speak freely, are able to challenge orthodoxy, Biden publicly lectured in a speech. Trump, though, hasnt advocated those values at home hes done the opposite which makes it nearly impossible for his administration to effectively promote them abroad. Since he now routinely derides negative coverage as fake news and belittles dishonest reporters as conspiratorial liars, Washingtons moral standing to back American journalists criticizing foreign regimes has been considerably eroded. How, exactly, can the U.S. government protest expulsions of American reporters from China when the White House itself is selectively barring them from its own press briefings? The president is undermining the core mission of U.S. media around the world. American journalists regularly invite danger by defending civil liberties, exposing wrongdoing and upholding American values overseas. With his attempt to destroy our credibility, hes granting tacit permission to the corrupt, the dictatorial and the violent to dismiss our stories as false and take their revenge on the journalists who produce them. Perhaps some Americans are willing to sacrifice our basic values in exchange for Trumps nebulous promise to make America great again. But Im not, even if my own government is devoid of the will or desire to support long-held American values that, until now, didnt seem to be up for debate. My colleagues and I could perform our jobs with greater confidence with a president who upheld the Constitution and the principles enshrined within it. Until that happens, Ill have more reason to worry next time my wife doesnt respond to a text. Schuman is a Beijing-based journalist and author of Confucius and the World He Created. The absence of sufficient and sustained community interest was cited this week as the reason the Air Force will not establish a Restoration Advisory Board, or RAB, to provide additional community input on a host of environmental issues on Kirtland Air Force Base. The memorandum from Kirtland Commander Col. Eric Froehlich says that a town hall meeting was held Jan. 26 to outline the scope and responsibilities associated with forming and serving on a RAB, and where the public was invited to share their opinion regarding establishment of a RAB. Thirty people representing various local and state government agencies attended, most of whom indicated that a RAB was not necessary at this time, according to the memorandum. Also in attendance were 21 members of the public, of whom eight indicated theyd be interested in serving on the RAB and three of them were affiliated with the nonprofit environmental watchdog group Citizen Action New Mexico. Jim Fisher of KAFBs public affairs office said a RAB would be ineffective unless it had broad representation from all stakeholder constituencies. Of 57 environmental restoration projects at Kirtland, the only one that extends beyond the boundaries of the sprawling base is the much publicized underground plume of jet fuel that leaked from a fuel storage facility. Public meetings are held twice a year, during which time updates are provided on all restoration projects and public comment is sought, Fisher said. We strongly feel that the publics interest is better served via the current dedicated public information and feedback processes, he said. Dave McCoy, executive director of Citizen Action New Mexico, wasnt buying any of it. Triggered by the publics sustained interest in the jet fuel spill, his organization in March 2016 submitted the petition to establish a Restoration Advisory Board. They kept postponing meetings and sat on this thing for months after they got the petition, he said. The recent town hall meeting was held on one of the coldest nights of the year and the community was not given adequate advance notice or adequate explanation of what the RAB was intended to do, he maintained. The memorandum, however, says that, in October 2016, interest surveys were sent out to 1,000 email addresses for various government stakeholder agencies and personnel, and hundreds of homes in neighborhoods north of the base were part of a door-to-door survey. The subsequent town hall meeting was widely publicized via the same survey channels, social media and local newspaper stories, according to the memorandum. Only 46 survey respondents said theyd be willing to serve on a RAB and provided their contact information, but only five of them showed up at the town hall meeting, the memorandum said. If the Air Force were truly committed to establishing the RAB, said McCoy, it could have assembled the board from among the 46 names provided during the survey, regardless of their attendance at the town hall meeting. Fuel spill meeting A quarterly meeting to update the public on the jet fuel spill remediation project and to seek public comment will be held today, 5:30 p.m., at the African American Performing Arts Center, 310 San Pedro NE, on the state fairgrounds. TUCSON, Ariz. The next presumed president of the University of Arizona said he is expecting a significant pay cut when he is hired for the job. Dr. Robert Robbins, the only finalist for the position, currently heads the worlds biggest medical center in Houston and makes more than $1.2 million. The UA president position currently pays about half that at $670,000. I would be shocked if I dont take a major pay cut, said Robbins during a public forum on campus Wednesday. But he told the group of students and faculty that he is not motivated by money. Im motivated by the vision and passion I have to return to academia, Robbins said. The Arizona Board of Regents selected the CEO of Texas Medical Center as its top pick for president on Tuesday. The board is expected to begin negotiations on Robbins contract Monday. Robbins said he is looking to serve as UA president for 10 to 15 years and has plans to build partnerships with major corporations to bring in more research funding and help grow the regions economy. This is a special place with special opportunities, Robbins said. Were accessible to the West Coast, to venture capital money. Another one of Robbins goals is to have UA focus more on its students. He said he will work to ensure he is available for students and visible on campus. I will be involved, I will be accessible, Robbins said. Now can I get to know all 40,000 students personally? No. But I can be accessible and hope to learn their hopes and dreams. If his contract is finalized, Robbins will replace UA President Ann Weaver Hart, who is serving out the remainder of her contract that expires in June 2018. Last June, Hart announced that she would not seek a contract extension, but would remain at the helm until a replacement is named. DENVER The Colorado Senate on Thursday passed a first-in-the-nation bill expressly permitting marijuana clubs. But Gov. John Hickenlooper is hinting that hell veto the measure unless it bans indoor smoking. The bill allows local jurisdictions to permit bring-your-own pot clubs, as long as those establishments dont serve alcohol or any food beyond light snacks. The bill doesnt say whether those clubs could allow people to smoke pot indoors. That means it would be possible for a membership club that is closed to the public and has no more than three employees to permit indoor pot smoking. Sponsors say the bill is necessary because Colorado already has a network of underground, unregulated pot clubs, and towns arent sure how to treat them. Pot clubs could help alleviate complaints that Colorados sidewalks and public parks have been inundated with pot smokers since the state legalized recreational weed in 2012. We have a lot of problems throughout this state of people publicly using marijuana, said Sen. Bob Gardner, a Colorado Springs Republican and sponsor of the club bill. The measure sets up a showdown with the Democratic governor, who has told reporters that clubs could invite federal intervention in Colorados pot market. Colorado is in violation of federal drug law for not making it a crime to smoke pot, and U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and other members of the Trump administration have said states should not be able to legalize pot. I do think given the uncertainty in Washington that this is not the year to be out there carving off new turf and expand markets and make dramatic statements about marijuana, Hickenlooper told reporters Wednesday. Further, the governor seemed to chafe at the fact that the club bill doesnt expressly ban indoor smoking. A separate pot-club measure going into effect in Denver limits smoking marijuana to special patios, meaning people could eat or vaporize pot indoors but not burn it. Smoking is bad for you, Hickenlooper said. Im not sure thats a great thing to be encouraging. Lawmakers who support clubs disagree that the bill encourages indoor smoking. These marijuana membership clubs are so private thats theyre more akin to being in your living room than to being in a restaurant, Gardner said. Ten Republicans voted against the pot club bill. Some of them said they fear itll be impossible to stop people from sharing or selling weed inside the clubs, even though marijuana sales in clubs are banned under the bill. How are we supposed to stop that? asked Sen. John Cooke, R-Greeley. The bill passed on a 25-10 vote and now heads to the House, where its prospects are strong. One possible sticking point is that the bill bars food service in the clubs but allows them to sell light snacks that arent defined. State liquor regulations already bar the sale of alcohol and marijuana at the same place, so the clubs would look more like Amsterdam coffee shops than pot bars. Im sure you can drink coffee and smoke marijuana, you just cant drink whiskey and smoke marijuana, Gardner said. ___ AP writer James Anderson contributed to this report. ___ This story has been corrected to show that Colorados governor says clubs should not allow indoor smoking. AMARILLO, Texas State agriculture officials and ranchers are scrambling to secure feed and other supplies for approximately 10,000 cattle and horses that fled this week from wildfires in the Texas Panhandle. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension said Thursday about 4,200 large bales of hay are needed to feed displaced animals over the next two weeks. Trucks to shuttle animals from one location to another and fencing are among the needs as ranchers recover from the fires that killed four people and burned about 750 square miles in the state. Wildfires also ravaged parts of Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma. Jayce Winters, spokeswoman for the Texas Cattle Feeders Association, said preliminary counts indicate about 1,500 cattle were killed in the fires, but a more precise accounting could be days or weeks away. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday suspended some permit requirements and transportation restrictions so supplies of hay could more quickly get to ranchers in the eight Texas Panhandle counties hit by the wildfires. His order covers transport of round hay bales and also includes waivers for shipments coming into the disaster area from other counties in the state. The governor said in a letter to Raymond Palacios Jr., chairman of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, that he wanted to ensure that state regulation is not an unnecessary barrier to the emergency transport of hay to ranchers in Carson, Gray, Hemphill, Lipscomb, Ochiltree, Potter, Roberts and Wheeler counties. The Department of Motor Vehicles is asking shippers to contact the agency if their loads top 14 feet in height. A key environmental justice leader at the Environmental Protection Agency has resigned, saying that a recent budget proposal to defund such work would harm the people who most rely on the EPA. Mustafa Ali, a senior advisor and assistant associate administrator for environmental justice, has served more than two decades at the agency, working to ease the burden of air and water pollution in hundreds of poor, minority communities nationwide. He helped found the EPAs environmental justice office during the early 1990s and became a key adviser to agency administrators under Republican and Democratic presidents. Alis departure, initially reported Thursday by InsideClimate, comes as the White House is seeking to close the agencys Office of Environmental Justice. A budget proposal reviewed last week by The Washington Post would cut the agencys overall budget by a quarter, leading to a 20 percent reduction in the workforce. It also listed the environmental justice program as among several dozen slated to lose all funding. The document stated that the new administration supports the idea of environmental justice but would eliminate that EPA office and assumes any future EJ specific policy work can be transferred to the Office of Policy. Ali explained his departure in an interview Thursday, saying, I never saw in the past a concerted effort to roll back the positive steps that many, many people have worked on though all the previous administrations. . . . I cant be a part of anything that would hurt those [disadvantaged] communities. I just couldnt sign off on those types of things. He added that it remains early in the Trump era and noted that each new administration sets its own priorities. Still, he said, I hadnt seen any positive movement in relationship to vulnerable communities. . . . I hadnt seen yet any engagement with communities with environmental justice concerns. In his resignation letter, Ali implored the agencys administrator, former Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt, to think twice before slashing EPA programs aimed at helping disadvantaged areas. When I hear we are considering making cuts to grant programs like the EJ small grants or Collaborative Problem Solving programs, which have assisted over 1,400 communities, I wonder if our new leadership has had the opportunity to converse with those who need our help the most, Ali wrote. I strongly encourage you and your team to continue promoting agency efforts to validate these communities concerns, and value their lives. Environmental justice leaders have been skeptical of Pruitt from the start. The longtime EPA adversary has repeatedly sued the agency in tandem with fossil fuel companies and other corporate interests, often arguing that the agencys efforts to regulate pollution went beyond its legal authority. During his Senate confirmation process, Pruitt answered written questions from Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.). One of them read: How do you define environmental justice? Do you think its a serious issue? I am familiar with the concept of environmental justice, Pruitt answered. As I testified, the administrator plays an important role regarding environmental justice. I agree that it is important that all Americans be treated equally under the law, including the environmental laws. But Pruitts critics note that he received hundreds of thousands of dollars from oil and gas companies during his political campaigns over the years. He also led the Republican Attorneys General Association, which received substantial sums of money from Koch Industries, ExxonMobil, Murray Energy and other firms. Since arriving at the EPA last month, he has taken early steps to beginning rolling back Obama-era regulations on everything from methane emissions to vehicle fuel standards. The future aint what it used to be at the EPA, Pruitt recently told an audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Thats a future Ali decided not to stick around for at the agency. Ive seen too much over the years to allow there to be any rolling back, he said. Sometimes people forget that were talking about folks lives. If we do our job properly, it can be a huge benefit. If not, it can have big [negative] impacts. Michelle Roberts, national co-coordinator of the Environmental Justice Health Alliance, said Thursday that Ali played a significant role on the issue of environmental justice by advocating within the EPA on behalf of low-income Americans and those of color. People were able to have a seat at the table though Alis work, Roberts said, noting that he also helped provide the grants and technical resources that allowed communities to show how they were being disproportionately affected by pollution. Ali pressed for President Barack Obama to issue a 2013 executive order that improved chemical plant safety, Roberts noted, and served as a crucial intermediary between the town of Mossville, Louisiana, and the company building a major plant nearby. It is unclear whether the proposed cuts will remain in place when the White House releases its budget blueprint in mid-March, and any reductions would have to be approved by Congress through the appropriations process. Ali also helped shape one of the last major EPA initiatives under the Obama administration an EJ 2020 Action Agenda that would direct more enforcement resources to pollution-affected communities, focus on eliminating disparities in drinking water and air quality around the country and consider environmental justice issues in the agencys rulemaking and permitting approaches. There have been few indications that the new administration intends to follow through on that plan. Ali has taken a job as senior vice president at the Hip Hop Caucus, a nonprofit civil and human rights group that tries to foster grass-roots activism among younger Americans through hip-hop music and cultural events. As one of the leading voices in the social justice movement, he has shown himself to be an extraordinary leader throughout his career and has a proven track record, the groups president, the Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr., said in a statement. On Thursday, Ali made his first public appearance for the group at an environmental justice conference in Flint, Michigan, home to a poor community nearly three years into a crippling water contamination crisis. Juliet Eilperin contributed to this report. Talk to a supporter of President Donald Trump and, at some point in the conversation, you are likely to hear some version of this riff: The mainstream media is fake news. They ignore all the good things Trump is doing because they hate him and wanted Hillary to win. Thats why they spend so much time on this ridiculous Russia story and not enough time investigating whether Trump Tower was actually wire-tapped! Talk to an opponent of President Trump and, at some point in the conversation, you are likely to hear some version of this riff: Russia has something on Trump. Michael Flynn, Jeff Sessions, Paul Manafort and the presidents own unwillingness to badmouth Vladimir Putin and Russia all make clear that he is being secretly controlled by a foreign power. He needs to be impeached! We live in X-Files time now; conspiracy theories arent dismissed, instead they are taking as something close to fact. Prove that the conspiracy theory is wrong! is now our default position as a society. Conspiracy theories have always been with us there was a second shooter in the JFK assassination, 9/11 was an inside job but have almost always existed on the fringes of political dialogue. Not anymore. We are all conspiracy theorists. Heres what Paul Musgrave, an assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, wrote in a piece for The Washington Post website: Less than two months into the administration, the danger is no longer that Trump will make conspiracy thinking mainstream. That has already come to pass. Conspiracy theories, rumor and outright lies now drive the news cycle, as the weekend demonstrated once again. (Earlier examples included Trumps false claim about widespread voter fraud and his misrepresentations about a Navy SEAL raid in Yemen.) Far worse, such untruths may now be driving government policy in realms as disparate as immigration policy and civil rights. In the long term, the damage done to trust by the normalization of untruth may threaten the social contract on which democracy itself rests. Its important to remember how closely Trumps roots in politics are tied to his willingness to embrace conspiracy theories. His candidacy was made possible by his embrace of the disproven idea that former President Barack Obama wasnt born in the United States. During the course of the 2016 campaign, he regularly brought conspiracy theories to the center of the conversation. He sat down with noted conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and promised he would do so more as president (he hasnt yet). He suggested that Ted Cruzs father was part of the plot to assassinate John Kennedy. That conspiracy flirtation has continued as president with the wire-tapping tweets as the most prominent example. Trump seems entirely comfortable taking a conspiracy theory and, with scant evidence it is anything more than that, push it into the mainstream. Trumps assertion that he had evidence to prove the claims made by conservative talk show host Mark Levin and championed by Breitbart News turned out to not be true or at least not true yet. And, the Trump White House is now trying to claim victory and move on, insisting that Trumps only goal was to get congressional committees to look into the allegations in search of evidence evidence he insisted he already had. What Trump knows is that for many of the people who support him, the fact that he has not offered any actual evidence of the wire-tapping is besides the point. Of course the evidence isnt readily available the political establishment is doing everything it can to cover it up and make Trump look bad! So severe is the distrust directed at the media that if the media says there is not factual basis for Trumps claims that functions for his supporters as a sort of testimonial that he must be right. On the other side of the political spectrum, there is the growing sense among Democrats that Trump is, in some serious way, in hock to the Russian government. That Trumps former National Security Adviser and current Attorney General both misremembered conversations they had with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak is taken as certain evidence of this fact. As is the fact that Trump refuses to issue a stern condemnation of Putin and Russian. Or call for an independent investigation into the ties between Trumps campaign and Russia. As always, conspiracy theories could be true! The most prominent example is the reporting the National Enquirer did in the 2008 presidential campaign about a child then Sen. John Edwards, D, had fathered out of wedlock. But, for every one conspiracy theory that winds up being right, there are a thousand or a million that are totally without merit. That used to be a sentence that 98 percent of the population could agree on. No longer. Our retreat into partisan camps, the rising dislike and distrust of elites, the surge in partisan media outlets and the collapse of trust in the mainstream media has created a toxic environment in which conspiracy theories not only can bloom but are nurtured. We all now see the hidden hand of government/media/corporations/foreign entities behind everything everyone does. And, whats worse, theres no trusted source of facts that we all agree can be used to debunk conspiracies. Conspiracies grow and grow. And we believe them in ways weve never done before. SEATTLE Legal challenges against President Donald Trumps revised travel ban mounted Thursday as Washington state said it would renew its request to block the executive order and a judge granted Oregons request to join the case. The events happened a day after Hawaii launched its own lawsuit, and Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson said New York state also asked to join his states legal effort. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said the state is joining fellow states in challenging the revised travel ban. Washington was the first state to sue over the original ban, which resulted in Judge James Robart in Seattle halting its implementation around the country. Ferguson said the state would ask Robart to rule that his temporary restraining order against the first ban applies to Trumps revised action. My message to President Trump is not so fast, Ferguson told reporters. After spending more than a month to fix a broken order that he rushed out the door, the Presidents new order reinstates several of the same provisions and has the same illegal motivations as the original. Robart on Thursday granted Oregons request to join Washington and Minnesota in the case opposing the travel ban. Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said the executive order has hurt Oregon, its residents, employers, agencies, educational institutions, health care system and economy. Trumps revised ban bars new visas for people from six predominantly Muslim countries: Somalia, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Libya and Yemen. It also temporarily shuts down the U.S. refugee program. Unlike the initial order, the new one says current visa holders wont be affected, and removes language that would give priority to religious minorities. Hawaii Attorney General Douglas Chin said that the state could not stay silent on Trumps travel ban because of Hawaiis unique culture and history. Hawaii depends heavily on tourism, and the revised ban would hurt the states economy, he said. The courts need to hear that theres a state where ethnic diversity is the norm, where people are welcomed with aloha and respect, Chin said. He noted that the new travel ban order comes just after the 75th anniversary of the Feb. 19, 1942, executive order by President Franklin Roosevelt that sent Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps during World War II. That order was put in place after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Hawaii had an internment camp. Ferguson said its not the government, but the court, that gets to decide whether the revised order is different enough that it would not be covered by previous temporary restraining order. It cannot be a game of whack-a-mole for the court, he said. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Thursday the administration believed the revised travel ban will stand up to legal scrutiny. We feel very confident with how that was crafted and the input that was given, Spicer said. Ferguson said he was pleased that attorneys general from New York and Oregon had sought to take part in the legal action. We have a strong case and they are willing to join our efforts, he said of his fellow Democrats. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman in a statement called the executive order a Muslim ban by another name. Other states that have filed briefs supporting Washingtons initial lawsuit include California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia. In his initial lawsuit Ferguson said the original ban was unconstitutional and hurt the states businesses and universities. A federal appellate court later upheld a temporary restraining order issued against the first travel ban. The Trump administration says the old order will be revoked once the new one goes into effect on March 16. In filing a lawsuit Wednesday night, Hawaii said the revised order would harm its Muslim population, tourism and foreign students Attorneys for Hawaii filed the lawsuit against the U.S. government in federal court in Honolulu. The state had previously sued over Trumps initial travel ban, but that lawsuit was put on hold while other cases played out across the country. Hawaiis complaint says it is suing to protect its residents, businesses and schools, as well as its sovereignty against illegal actions of President Donald J. Trump and the federal government. Imam Ismail Elshikh of the Muslim Association of Hawaii is a plaintiff in the states challenge. The ban will prevent his Syrian mother-in-law from visiting him, he said. The mam is a U.S. citizen, has rights and would be prevented from seeing his mother-in-law, Chin said. The mother-in-law is awaiting approval of a visa to see her relatives in Hawaii. The woman and others have become victims because of the bans standardless set of waivers and exceptions that werent set by Congress, Chin said. Hawaiis lawsuit challenging the travel ban focuses on damage to the states economy and mainly tourism. Chin says the tourism angle is unique because the state relies heavily on visitors and Hawaii officials have a right to defend the economy. He said people may fear traveling even within Hawaii because they would be forced to encounter a federal agent every time they get on a plane to visit a neighboring island. ___ Sinco Kelleher reported from Honolulu. Associated Press writers Tarek Hamada in Phoenix and Gene Johnson in Seattle contributed to this report. ___ This version corrects the spelling of Robart on the first reference. WASHINGTON A Republican proposal to revise the Affordable Care Act claimed its first major victories Thursday amid a backlash that both Republican leaders and President Donald Trump spent the day trying to tamp down. Trump met with several conservative critics of the plan, signaling both a willingness to negotiate its details and that it does not yet have enough votes to emerge from the House. More acknowledgment of the proposals problems came from Senate Republicans, who suggested Thursday that the measure is moving too quickly through the House and in a form unlikely to succeed once it moves to the upper chamber. Yet the plan emerged from two key House committees Thursday, and House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., its top booster, insisted that the pending legislation represents the only chance were going to get to fulfill the GOPs longstanding promise to undo the Affordable Care Act. The GOP proposal cleared the Ways and Means and the Energy and Commerce committees on party-line votes after marathon sessions that lasted through Wednesday night and into Thursday. It now heads to yet another panel, the Budget Committee, and it remains on track to land on the House floor by months end. But the proposal faces challenges with both GOP conservatives and moderates, in addition to Democrats, many of whom questioned the lightning-fast process and raising dueling qualms about its policy provisions. Even Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., appeared to echo a Democratic attack on the House legislation, saying lawmakers need to see the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimate of how the bill will affect the federal deficit and the number of insured Americans. I think we need to know that, McConnell said at a breakfast sponsored by Politico, adding that the report could be released by Monday. Trump and Ryan have adopted diverging approaches to critics of the overhaul. While Trump has endorsed the legislation, he has expressed a willingness to make deals with its critics in recent days, while Ryan has emphasized the precarious nature of the legislation House leaders have drafted, all but ruling out substantial changes to the bill before it comes up for a final vote. At an unusual Thursday news conference carried live on cable news channels, a shirt-sleeved Ryan gave a 23-minute presentation. Republicans, he said, face a binary choice vote for the House bill, or let the ACA survive. We as Republicans have been waiting seven years to do this, Ryan said. This is the closest we will ever get to repealing and replacing Obamacare. The time is here. The time is now. This is the moment. Hours later, leaders of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus visited the White House and made a personal case to Trump to modify the legislation changes that Ryan and other House leaders believe would imperil it by alienating more moderate Republicans. I didnt hear anything that said its a binary choice at the White House today, said Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., the Freedom Caucus chairman, who met with Trump and other lawmakers at the White House. Meadows declined to detail the changes he and other conservatives are seeking, but they have leveled three broad objections to the Ryan-backed bill: that the system of tax credits it creates constitutes a new government entitlement, that it does not do enough to curtail the ACAs Medicaid expansion and that it largely leaves the ACAs insurance coverage mandates in place. Trump and his deputies have spent the past several days carefully wooing members of the Freedom Caucus with lengthy lunches with the president, calls with staff and friendly meetings with White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, himself a founding member of the Freedom Caucus. Yet it remains unclear when or how any tweaks to the measure would occur. Trump and Ryan have both sent strong signals this week that they consider the tax credit issue settled, and several Freedom Caucus members said they were now focused on beefing up the GOP bills attack on the ACA insurance mandates. House leaders involved in drafting the bill largely steered clear of the insurance mandates, having concluded that more significant changes would be more difficult to get through the Senate. But conservatives said they were not interested in watering down the House bill preemptively. I think we can probably be more aggressive, said Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla. So I think thats what [Meadows and Jordan] were talking to the president about, saying, Mr. President, if you want to reduce costs, this may not do it. Another influential House conservative group, the Republican Study Committee, proposed amendments to the Medicaid portion of the GOP plan that would wind down the ACA Medicaid expansion beginning in 2018 rather than 2020, and also require able-bodied, childless adults to seek work in exchange for Medicaid benefits. Trumps willingness to negotiate expressed in a Wednesday evening meeting with leaders of conservative activist groups in addition to Thursdays session with Freedom Caucus leaders came amid a barrage of attacks from Democrats and criticism from health-care industry groups. Trump sought to calm fears about the process in an afternoon tweet: Despite what you hear in the press, healthcare is coming along great. We are talking to many groups and it will end in a beautiful picture! The accelerated pace has drawn criticism from Democrats, who contrasted it with the lengthy deliberations that took place before passage of the Affordable Care Act, as well as from some Republicans. One of those Republicans, Sen. Tom Cotton (Ark.), tweeted early Thursday morning that the House should start over. Get it right, dont get it fast, Cotton wrote from his political account. In a Thursday afternoon interview with The Washington Post, Cotton threw more cold water on the House legislation, including the proposed tax credits to help people pay for insurance. The bill that was introduced Monday night cannot pass the Senate, he said. And I dont think it will be brought to the Senate for a vote. Cotton said many of his colleagues hold similar views: They might not have spoken publicly about it, but I can tell you a number if not a majority of Republican senators think that this process has been too breakneck, too slapdash and they do not see a good solution for the American people coming out of the House bill as drafted. Four other GOP senators in states that accepted Medicaid expansion under the ACA, also known as Obamacare, have expressed concerns about changing the way the program is administered. One of those senators, Rob Portman, R-Ohio, reiterated his concerns Thursday after meeting with Vice President Mike Pence and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price. That concerns me if it provides less certainty for the expanded Medicaid, Portman said. Well see. The immediate challenge for Trump, however, is getting the legislation through the House, and lawmakers said his meeting Thursday with its most vocal conservative critics showed he is taking a hands-on approach. Were appealing to a president who likes to negotiate, who likes to win, and who likes to keep his promises, said Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, a Freedom Caucus member. The Freedom Caucus huddled for more than an hour at the Capitol Thursday after Meadows and the other lawmakers returned from their White House lunch to whittle down a final list of demands. Meanwhile, the American Action Network, a group with close ties to Ryan, said it would launch television ads in more than two dozen media markets urging intransigent conservatives to support the plan. Many House conservatives said they have yet to be swayed. Several said they worry that the White House and Ryan are sending completely different messages about how much influence rank-and-file members will have over the final health care law. What we hear from the White House is, this is a work in progress, said Rep. Mark Sanford, R-S.C. Then we hear from leadership, take it or leave it. Several members said theyre concerned that promised administrative actions to scale back expensive essential health benefits mandated by the ACA such as birth control, maternity care and free preventative care will never materialize if voters balk at the changes. Given his sensitivity to public opinion, youre telling me hes going to make that tough call? Sanford said. And, if not, were going to own it. The Washington Posts Elise Viebeck and David Weigel contributed to this report. [March 09, 2017] ECI Introduces the First Layer 1 Optical Encryption as a Service Solution With Line Rates up to 200Gbps PETACH TIKVA, Israel, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ECI, a global provider of ELASTIC Network solutions for service providers, critical infrastructures and data center operators, announced today the introduction of its first optical encryption as a service solution. The solution supports per-service encryption up to 100Gbps, with line rates up to 200Gbps, without sacrificing interoperability, scalability, or flexibility. This makes it particularly suitable for service providers, financial, medical and government institutions. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141117/158923LOGO ) Jimmy Mizrahi, EVP Global Portfolio at ECI said, "In today's world, information security is a critical business imperative for any institution. Communications traffic can be intercepted at any point in the network, via fiber taps for example, thus necessitating encryption to guarantee the integrity of the data being transmitted. As such, optical-layer encryption has become key to a sound security strategy. For financial and government institutions, where livelihoods depend o the transfer of extremely sensitive information, this is even more important." ECI's solution offers a unique encryption on a per-service basis up to 200Gbps, making it one of the fastest in the market. Moreover, the solution enables service providers and other institutions to offer Layer 1 encryption as a service for additional revenue streams. This reinforces ECI's tailored security offering targeted at service providers launched earlier this year. ECI's encryption method is certified FIPS 140-2 Security Level 2. The L1 encryption can also run as alien lambda over other optical networks offering a much more flexible and economical solution. Contrary to Layer 2 (or higher layer) encryption, optical encryption provides no information about the underlying services to a potential hacker. It adds almost no latency and can be used to encrypt any service - not just Ethernet-based services. As such, optical encryption is preferred in situations where latency is crucial such as healthcare, smart cities and intelligent transportation. ECI will be exhibiting its cloud and security offerings at Cloud Expo Europe 2017 to be held in London ExCel, March 15-16, 2017 at Booth #825. About ECI ECI is a global provider of ELASTIC network solutions to CSPs, critical infrastructures as well as data center operators. Along with its long-standing, industry-proven packet-optical transport, ECI offers a variety of SDN/NFV applications, end-to-end network management, a comprehensive cyber security solution, and a range of professional services. ECI's ELASTIC solutions ensure open, future-proof, and secure communications. With ECI, customers have the luxury of choosing a network that can be tailor-made to their needs today while being flexible enough to evolve with the changing needs of tomorrow. For more information, visit us at http://www.ecitele.com. Press contact: Marjie Hadad - MH Communications On behalf of ECI +972-54-536-5220 [email protected] SOURCE ECI [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] BRUSSELS In the days after rogue soldiers tried to take over Turkey last year, the fax machine in the Turkish delegations offices at NATO headquarters started spitting out lists of names. The lists from armed forces headquarters in Ankara often arrived on Friday evenings as personnel were packing up for the weekend. At first, each carried 20 or 30 names. But the one that came through more than two months after the July coup attempt made even seasoned Turkish officers in Brussels anxious. It gave 221 colonels, majors and other mid-ranking officers at NATO facilities around the world three days to get back to Turkey. Normally you would be told where you are going on your next assignment, get an allowance to move your family, have some time for your children to leave school, one major who appeared on the Sept. 27 list told The Associated Press. It didnt make any sense. The lives of the individuals named were about to be turned upside down. Considered suspects in the coup, dozens of Turkish officers assigned to NATO are refusing orders from the country they spent their adult lives serving and no longer trust. Instead, they are seeking asylum abroad or have gone into hiding, fearing they could be arrested and imprisoned as terrorists if they return. More than 150,000 people have been taken into custody, fired or forced to retire from Turkeys armed forces, judiciary, education system and other public institutions since the thwarted July 15 coup. Yet few first-person accounts have emerged from those caught up in the unprecedented purge, in part because the crackdown has extended to journalists and news outlets in Turkey. Three officers, each with more than 20 years experience in the armed forces and at least a year at NATO, shared their experiences as well as lists, documents and photographs with an AP reporter. Assigned to posts in Belgium while the failed power grab played out, they believe they have water-tight alibis. When the big list came in, men gathered around the fax machine trying to grasp what the order meant, how badly the failed coup had shaken up the armed forces. They compared notes in offices, at the cafeteria, and later in the homes of some 150 Turkish officers whose careers and paychecks were about to end. People came together to understand why and what to do. Was it legal? How would it affect our lives? What was next? the major said. He spoke on condition of confidentiality during a cautiously arranged interview, expressing fear for his safety and the welfare of his family. Three days after the officers were ordered back to Turkey, another fax arrived. It contained 19 more names and a new order: Return immediately. No explanation. No instructions for the city or military base where they were expected to show up. It gave us only a few hours to return. We were told to buy a ticket and come back, the major recalled. We couldnt work out what was going on, what it meant. But from that letter, we could understand that we had already been purged. The army long has been the guarantor of secularism in predominantly Muslim Turkey. Past military coups were conducted to remove leaders considered too Islamist and to uphold the republican ideals of modern Turkey. Over the years, though, a series of trials involving army officers accused of anti-government conspiracies many based on disputed evidence has weakened the armys political influence. The officers being excised, particularly the ones at NATO, are bright, western-educated men including West Point graduates whose experience they say was vital to building and running one of the biggest armies in the Western military alliance. With little help apart from the bond of solidarity the officers have formed, the specter of deportation and arrest seems all too near. I have a brilliant military career, and Im not new to the armed forces, one colonel said, producing a glowing recommendation letter from a non-Turkish superior officer at NATO. We are good people, we are good officers. We are not terrorists. We are trying to understand why we were targeted. In a decree handed down on Nov. 22, the officers who spoke to AP, along with many others, were branded as members or contacts of terrorist groups or structures that Turkeys National Security Council accused of activities against the national security of the state. At first, they were determined to return and prove their innocence. As a precaution, the major went to a doctor to establish a current health record. The doctor, a man of North African origin warned him: We have seen this kind of thing before in my country. Dont go back. It was probably good advice. Amnesty International has reported cases of prisoners being severely mistreated since the coup attempt, subjected to beatings and sometimes even sexual assault. Food, water, legal counsel and medical treatment are routinely denied. Some of the worst reported physical abuse was linked to military personnel and senior military personnel, Amnesty researcher Andrew Gardner told the AP. Its fair to assume that they were among the people targeted for the most extreme abuse. The colonel and his family, along with about 100 other Turkish personnel, have applied for asylum in Belgium. Scores of other officers are seeking asylum in Germany, the Netherlands and Norway. I dont want to be a refugee, he said. For now, it is the only guarantee of safety he and his family have, he said. The Turkish government alleges that the failed military power grab was plotted and directed from the United States by Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic cleric and former ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan says vast numbers of Gulens followers have infiltrated the army and much of Turkish society like a virus. On that summer night, rebel officers launched simultaneous attacks in Ankara and Istanbul, striking at police stations and killing dozens. Fighter jets bombed the Turkish parliament while lawmakers were in session. Top military commanders, including the chief of military staff, were kidnapped. The hastily arranged coup ended up crushed amid a popular uprising by Turks frightened at the prospect of a military takeover. From southwest Turkey, the vacationing Erdogan used a smartphone to urge supporters into the streets. In the weeks that followed, thousands of people were taken into custody under sweeping emergency laws allowing 30 days detention. I was surprised and angry. From the very first moments it looked unreal, the major said. Generals were beaten and treated like dogs in front of the cameras. Many of our friends and the people we knew of the highest caliber were being arrested. Defense officials say Gulen supporters who did not participate in the coup can still be threats, given past examples of officers ignoring their commanders to take instructions from high-ranking people in the movement. The officers in Belgium insist they are not Gulenists; they agree that Gulen supporters have infiltrated Turkish life. They also argue that the governments purge has been arbitrary and ill-conceived. European intelligence officials were surprised by the speed with which the coup suspect lists were drawn up, according to a report by the EU Intelligence Analysis Center. Turkey is trying to join the European Union, and must bring its laws and human rights practices in line with the blocs standards. The Intcen report, which was reviewed by the Times of London newspaper, concluded that the huge wave of arrests that followed the aborted coup was already previously prepared. Erdogan exploited the failed coup and the state of emergency to launch an extensive repressive campaign against the opponents of the (governing Justice and Development Party) establishment, the Times quoted the report as saying. The purged officers think the plot was exploited by the Turkish authorities. Other Erdogan critics say the president has used the coup as a pretext to seize control of the judiciary and the armed forces, two of the countrys most independent institutions. The officers who havent requested asylum hang on as exiles, living in virtual hiding and without salaries, scared they are being watched and with no idea when or if they will be able to go home. The legal limbo is unnerving for the men, who have been refused consular assistance to help fight charges for crimes they say they did not commit. Turkish authorities say the charges must remain a state secret, and the officers have neither seen nor heard the evidence against them. They struggle to find lawyers to represent them. An official at the Turkish embassy in Brussels declined to say how purged officers would be treated if they came for help or documents, saying only We dont deal with that kind of thing. A further AP request for information went unanswered. The accused men speak highly of NATO and have been moved by private gestures of support. One German colleague invited the colonel for Christmas. As he was leaving, he was handed an envelope with money inside. I said that I could not accept it, the colonel said. But his lady hugged me and cried. We want to wholeheartedly give you this, she said. At NATO, the official position is that this is all a matter for the Turkish government. Only NATOs top general, Curtis Scaparrotti, has spoken publicly of a degradation on my staff due to the loss of about 150 talented, capable people from Turkey. He said he had no indication they were coup-plotters. Despite the risks, some former colleagues in Turkey ask why the men havent come back if they have not committed crimes against the state as they claim. Relatives and friends also wonder why the men dont take a chance and return. Under pressure, deprived of their work routines and in some cases afraid for families in Turkey, these officers are also wary that Turkeys military attache or the countrys the MIT intelligence agency might be tracking them. The strain shows. My wifes family are having a hard time understanding why we are not going back. The whole society is divided, a second colonel, visibly more restless and tense than his colleagues, said. He has chosen not to apply for asylum in Belgium. Im just keeping a low profile, he said. We are waiting for a change to happen in Turkey because this just isnt sustainable. The signal this colonel hopes to see may not materialize for a while. Last month, the Turkish armed forces removed a ban on Islamic-style head coverings, allowing female officers to wear them. In a country where Erdogan and his Islam-rooted party are working to consolidate power, the move represented a symbolic neutering of the armys role as the guardian of secularism. Meanwhile, with a state of emergency still in place almost eight months after the coup attempt, new lists have trickled off the fax at Turkeys NATO delegation in recent months. More officers have joined the ranks of those seeking international protection. NEW YORK President Donald Trumps unsupported charge that predecessor Barack Obama had ordered wiretapping at Trump Tower has prompted Trumps supporters to search for other examples under Obama. What they came up with falls short of doing that. In press briefing Wednesday, Trump spokesman Sean Spicer offered as an example that Fox News Channel reporter James Rosen had his phones, multiple phones, tapped. Spicers assertion echoed a story on the Glenn Beck-founded conservative web site theblaze.com that said its widely known that Obamas Justice Department targeted journalists with wiretaps in 2013, most famous Fox News James Rosen. The Associated Press was also a target of the surveillance, the web site said. Fox News Channel also said that former Attorney General Eric Holder had ordered Rosens personal phones and email tapped. But Rosen, during a Fox appearance Sunday, corrected his own anchor, saying phones he used for reporting were not eavesdropped upon. Rather, Holder sought and got a judges permission to look through records of Rosens phone calls and emails from 2009 as the government sought to identify the leaker for a Rosen story about North Korea. In a subpoena, the government labeled Rosen an aider and abettor and/or co-conspirator. Records from Rosens government-issued security badge were examined to track his comings and goings from the State Department. Rosen, and the rest of the world, didnt learn hed been targeted until four years later when The Washington Post reported it. Similarly, the AP strenuously objected when the Justice Department in 2012 secretly obtained two months worth of telephone records of some AP reporters and editors. The government was seeking sources for an AP story about a CIA operation in Yemen that stopped a terrorist plot to detonate a bomb on an airplane bound for the United States. Following the Posts reports about the surveillance efforts, Obama ordered the Justice Department to make changes. In an interview later, Holder said the way he went after Rosen was a decision he wished he could do over. ___ Find all AP Fact Checks here: http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd EDITORS NOTE A look at the veracity of statements by public officials. Alexander Acosta, the law school dean President Donald Trump tapped to run the Labor Department, would face an uncomplicated process for separating himself from his investments and his current job if confirmed for the position, according to ethics documents and financial disclosures made public by the Office of Government Ethics on Thursday. With less than $1 million in stock funds in brokerage and retirement accounts, Acosta, 48, laid out a simple financial situation that puts him in stark contrast to some of the multi-millionaires Trump has named to his Cabinet. The documents were released ahead of his confirmation hearing on March 15. Acosta said in the ethics agreement that he would step down from his position as dean at the Florida International Universitys law school and resign from the board of U.S. Century Bank, a community bank headquartered in Miami, if confirmed. The nominee also said he may have to give up a bonus from U.S. Century Bank, which he estimated would be worth between $50,000 and $150,000, if he does not receive it before taking on the role of labor secretary. He would also have to give up some assets from the bank that he would have earned over the next couple of years. Acosta earned about $380,000 from Florida International University last year and $170,000 from U.S. Century Bank, according to the documents. Some of Trumps other Cabinet picks have faced hiccups throughout their confirmation process because of their vast wealth and complex business holdings. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, a former executive at Goldman Sachs, caused a stir the day of his confirmation hearing when it came out that he forgot to disclose more than $100 million in financial assets. And Trumps first pick to head the Labor Department, fast-food CEO Andrew Puzder, faced complications with creating a plan for separating himself from CKE Restaurants, a privately held burger franchise. Puzder disclosed in his lengthy ethics agreement that he would have had to divest from a broad portfolio of more than 200 investments if confirmed to the job. He eventually withdrew his nomination amid wavering support from Republicans concerned about issues relating to his views and his personal life, including the admission that he had previously hired an undocumented immigrant in his home. When Trump named Acosta as his new nominee for running the Labor Department in mid-February, he touted that Acosta had been confirmed by the Senate at least three times for various positions. Acosta has made minor political contributions in the past several years, according to a questionnaire filed with the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, which must approve his nomination before it can be voted on by the full Senate. He contributed $2,000 to Trumps presidential campaign in 2016 and $2,700 to back Jeb Bushs presidential bid. If confirmed, Acosta would become the first Hispanic member of Trumps Cabinet. For many overscheduled families, dining has been reduced in recent years to grabbing a plate of food at a kitchen island or on an ottoman in front of a screen. Even in homes that have a separate dining room, the table is regularly commandeered for homework or, at this time of year, as a tax-prep command center. But there are signs that we are heading back to the dinner table, designers say. Their clients are tiring of grabbing meals in the great room, a more informal, open space that often accommodates drive-by eating and lounging. Or theyre annoyed with noisy restaurants and want to do more entertaining at home. Many young families are looking for a more structured family dinner hour around a real table. Everything is so casual these days, its nice to be a bit more formal in a room where you entertain or gather your family, said designer Erica Burns of Bethesda, Maryland. The room sets the tone, since theres no TV in there and hopefully no cellphones. Its a space focused on conversation and eating. A separate dining room is on many homeowners wish lists. In the January 2017 Home Buyer Reference survey, 73 percent of those who responded said the dining room was essential or desirable, according to a spokeswoman for the National Association of Home Builders. But how do families turn the dining room from a stiff backdrop for elaborate Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations into a warmer and more approachable space? Dining rooms sometimes give people the chills with memories of their parents dining rooms filled with brown furniture, Washington designer Josh Hildreth said. If you want to bring a room like this back, you have to make it useful and fun. Lots of memorable moments occur in the dining room, yet its a space thats often at the bottom of the list for refreshing or redecorating. We asked designers to share some of their strategies on making this somewhat formal room, often full of inherited furniture, come alive. Go for drama. A dining room is a good place to do something dramatic, if thats your style. If a client said, I want glazed turquoise walls, Id say we probably should not do that in a room youre in all the time, Hildreth said. If you want to be wild or crazy, a dining room or powder room is a good place to do it. Break up your dining room set. Many dining rooms have too much furniture. Why not put your buffet or server in a different room? Hildreth moved his sideboard to the living room to use when entertaining. He arranges appetizers on it before dinner, then serves dessert and coffee on it afterward. Its nice not to be tethered to your dining room table and to move into another room after dinner to talk with other guests, Hildreth said. And now my sideboard has found a new life. Soften it up. New York designer Katie Ridder said window treatments and carpets are important in a dining room: There are usually brown tables, chairs and sideboards. Thats a lot of hardwood surfaces, so its nice to soften it with carpeting, curtains and maybe a wallpaper. Pay attention to light fixture height. Chandeliers are often hung too high in dining rooms. Washington designer Thomas Pheasant said he likes lighting 30 to 36 inches above the table: You want to sit across the table and not have the fixture in the way, but you want to bring the light and attention down to everyones faces. Install sturdy seat covers. On traditional dining chairs, it pays to use indoor/outdoor fabrics. Burns said she often uses Sunbrella or Perennials for young families. There are so many great options now that are soft and dont feel like the slippery outdoor fabric of days past, she said. Additionally, you can take any fabric and get stain treatment applied before upholstering chairs. Up your chair count. If your dining room is small but you want additional matching chairs available, you can display the chairs in other rooms. Ridder said: Buy extra chairs and if you want, do different seat covers for them so you can use them for the living room, family room or bedroom yet still bring them in for a large dinner around your table. Liven up brown furniture. Hildreth updated the traditional mahogany china cabinet at his moms house by lining the back with a neutral grass cloth that has a bit of coral in it. It lightened the whole look up, he said. Because china cabinets are going for very affordable prices in auctions and vintage markets, he suggested buying one and lacquering it with a bold paint color. Supplement lighting. Ridder said she advises clients who are renovating a dining room to add down-lights around the chandelier. Its nice to have light pointing down on the table as well as chandelier light and candlelight, she said. Mix it up. Dont be so matchy-matchy. A different look for the host chairs at either end of the table can make a statement., Burns suggested. Instead of the usual chandelier over the center of the table, try two pendants. Make it pull double duty. Urban clients like having separate dining rooms but are sometimes short on space, Pheasant said. What do we do if someone will only use their dining room two or three times a month? Pheasant said. We might create a library there using a center table and lining shelves with books and photographs. Rethink your china. If you have a glass china cabinet or hutch crammed with porcelain and crystal, separate what you really use from what you might want to de-accession. Display only a few special pieces; it will give the room a cleaner look and feel more modern. And dont be afraid to set a nice table with your best china and cloth napkins, even if its just for a weeknight family dinner. Pheasant said, Use your good stuff and enjoy it. DENVER Colorado could owe the federal government as much as $43 million for miscalculating Medicaid costs eligible for support from Washington. The Legislatures Joint Budget Committee learned of the computer error on Wednesday, The Denver Post reported Thursday (http://dpo.st/2n4JiDy ). Colorados Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, which oversees Medicaid insurance for the needy, estimates the state could owe between $22 million to $43 million. The department said a computer system erroneously determined that thousands of Coloradans qualified for an enhanced federal match for those who enrolled in Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. A programming update should correct the system error this month, said department spokesman Marc Williams. The federal government has yet to request a repayment, but Gov. John Hickenloopers office has asked the budget committee to create a $25 million cash fund for possible repayment. The committee hasnt acted as it awaits more information. In 2016, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services inspector generals office determined that Colorado erroneously received $38 million for enrolling children in Medicaid who did not qualify. ___ Information from: The Denver Post, http://www.denverpost.com Everything written for women seems to fall into just three categories: ingenues, mothers, or gorgons. Thus spake Joan Crawford in Feud: Bette and Joan, Ryan Murphys juicy FX miniseries that revisits the notorious and probably overhyped rivalry between Crawford and Bette Davis, and their joint effort, when they were both in their mid-50s, to make a comeback in the horror classic What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Feud, which stars Jessica Lange as Crawford and Susan Sarandon as Davis, promises to be a delicious dive into Hollywood during the interregnum between its Golden Age and the arrival of the generation personified by Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Martin Scorsese. Through Murphys sensitive lens, it will also cast into bold relief how little has changed from those eras into this one, when female actresses are still punished for aging, either by the industry tossing them aside once theyve passed peak pulchritude, or relegating them to roles as mommies or monsters. Of course, in an industry built on images, not to mention the audiences wish-fulfillment fantasies, men arent immune to ageism: Witness Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway at this years Oscars, gamely trying to salvage the best picture mix-up while most viewers assumed they were befuddled and maybe even senile. (Throwing them onstage with no immediate support was a clear act of elder abuse, as my colleague, Washington Post TV critic Hank Stuever, put it.) Still, theres no doubt that women are far more affected by the movie industrys obsession with sex appeal and physical beauty, resulting in a giant absence in female roles once actresses reach their 50s and 60s. Forget a Day Without a Woman; in Hollywood, its a Groundhog Day Without a Woman, at least when it comes to the portrayal of recognizable, fully-realized, flawed and compelling human beings of which great female characters are made. And the slide can start disconcertingly early. Consider, if you will, Brie Larson, who co-stars in Kong: Skull Island and serves as a cautionary poster girl for aspiring actresses everywhere: One year youre winning an Oscar for a sensitive, skillfully layered performance in an emotionally demanding drama; the next, youre widening your eyes and gasping your way through a great big monkey movie. Meanwhile, Larsons Kong director, Jordan Vogt-Roberts, offers just as textbook an example, of what dudes can accomplish in this case, getting an enormous studio franchise-builder after making one well-received coming-of-age indie (The Kings of Summer). Somehow, success for men is defined as increasing the degree of technical difficulty of their projects, while women may get bigger movies, but with far less to actually do. Feud makes an oblique point very eloquently, which is how rare it has become to find movies centered on fascinating grown-up female characters: The kinds of movies that made Crawford and Davis into legendary divas Mildred Pierce,Johnny Guitar, Now, Voyager,All About Eve have been supplanted by comic-book adaptations and superhero spectacles that the studios once made to appeal to teenage boys, and now make to appeal to audiences in Latin America and China who dont want to bother with too many subtitles. The films that Crawford and Davis made once went under the slightly condescending sobriquet of womens pictures, suggesting weepy melodramas and mushy romance. In the fullness of time, though, the term has come to mean movies in which adult women are allowed to be smart (or crafty), sensitive (or manipulative), strong (or bullying) and sexy (if only incidentally). Whats more, the womens pictures of yore now seem exceptionally sophisticated, even prescient, when it comes to understanding audiences, which are at least half female, with the other halfs choices being strongly influenced by wives, mothers, friends and lovers. The purveyors of womens pictures understood womens economic power long before the term was codified in focus groups and market research. Interestingly enough, womens pictures are still being made just not at the studios. Over the past few years, a slew of independent films have come out featuring mature women that have become sleeper hits and not incidentally impressively profitable, from Grandma and Ill See You in My Dreams, with Lily Tomlin and Blythe Danner, respectively, to Woman in Gold and Eye in the Sky, both starring Helen Mirren. Shirley MacLaine has found a new indie career in her 80s with films like Richard Linklaters Bernie and the new release The Last Word. Beholding the 60-ish Isabelle Huppert in the French psychological thriller Elle has permanently tabled the notion that actresses of a certain age cant be supremely seductive, as well as maddeningly contradictory and complex. In a way, todays seasoned actresses are living out what Feud presents almost as a proof of concept: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, after all, wasnt a studio film. Instead, it came into being through the efforts of director Robert Aldrich and Crawford, who really did approach Davis in her Broadway dressing room during her run in The Night of the Iguana to persuade her to play the title role. The gamble paid off, reigniting both actresses careers. Feminism the simple belief in the political, economic and social equality of the sexes has always been interwoven with womens independence. What Crawford and Davis found out, and what their successors still discover once the roles for ingenues, mothers and gorgons run out, is that for actresses, equality is just as firmly rooted in independents. A Honolulu-bound Hawaiian Airlines flight was diverted to Los Angeles International Airport when an unruly passenger threatened to take somebody behind the woodshed over the cost of an in-flight blanket, according to officials. The 66-year-old man had gotten into an argument with the crew over the blankets price tag aboard the flight from Las Vegas to Honolulu on Wednesday, said Rob Pedregon, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Airport Police Department. Authorities said the blanket cost $12, though it is listed for $10 on Hawaiians website. Pedregon said airport police and FBI agents met the flight at LAX and escorted the passenger off the plane. But he was released to find another flight after authorities determined it was simply a business dispute, Pedregon said. The passenger was not a threat, Pedregon said, joking that there was no woodshed on board. The man has not been identified because, Pedregon said, he was not charged with a crime. The airport police spokesman told the Los Angeles Times that the passenger asked crew members for a blanket because he was chilly. When he was told what it would cost him, Pedregon said, he became irate and argued he should not have to pay for it because the plane was too cold. The man asked to speak with Hawaiians corporate headquarters and, during that call, he told a company representative, I would like to take somebody behind the woodshed for this, Pedregon told The Post. Another passenger, George Enriques, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that the man told him: Theyre not treating me right. Im going to call the president. Pedregon said airline staffers felt threatened, so the pilot diverted the plane. Hawaiian Airlines spokeswoman Alison Croyle said, We dont know the demeanor of the passenger, what was said, or the tone. But, she said, I think its important to put ourselves in the position of the captain, who is in the cockpit about to begin a five-hour flight over the Pacific, when he or she is informed of an issue in the back of the plane. Based on the information they are provided, the call has to be made immediately: What is best for the crew and the passengers on board? In a statement provided earlier to the media, Hawaiian Airlines said: Our flight crews are responsible for the safety and comfort of all passengers on board our flights and the Captain in charge of the aircraft is entrusted with determining when its best to deplane an anxious or unruly passenger. Diverting a fight is clearly not our first choice, but our crew felt it was necessary in this case to divert to Los Angeles and deplane the passenger before beginning to fly over the Pacific Ocean. Croyle said the airline offers complimentary blankets in all cabins on international flights and on certain red-eye flights. But during daytime flights between the West Coast and Hawaii, blankets are complimentary only in first class and extra comfort cabins, she said. In economy, they are available for purchase. I thought it was ridiculous, Eileen Berstrom, another passenger, told CBS News. First of all, it costs $12,000 for them to land here, and its a $12 blanket. In-flight dust-ups are hardly uncommon but they have increasingly centered on politics, not price tags. Following the contentious presidential election, Americas divisions have been on full display in a staggering array of situations and spaces including airplanes. Late last year, Delta banned a passenger after he went on a pro-Trump rant. In January, an Alaska Airlines traveler verbally bashed a Trump supporter and was bounced from the plane. That same month, prosecutors said a traveler attacked a Muslim airline employee, warning her that Trump will get rid of all of you. On a United Airlines flight just last month, a pilot gave a bizarre speech before takeoff prompting dozens of concerned passengers to flee the plane. Days later, passengers rejoiced when a man was kicked off a Houston-bound United flight for causing a disturbance that was blamed on racist comments. Cellphone footage of the incident showed the man saying that all the illegals should be kicked off the plane, moments before he and a woman were asked to collect their belongings and exit the aircraft. Get out of here, a passenger said. Racists arent welcome in America! This is not Trumps America! Most recently, a celebrity dentist said he was booted from an American Airlines flight after he made a wisecrack about Trumps immigration policies. A groundbreaking climate lawsuit, brought against the federal government by 21 children, has been hailed by environmentalists as a bold new strategy to press for climate action in the United States. But the Trump administration, which has pledged to undo Barack Obamas climate regulations, is doing its best to make sure the case doesnt get far. The Trump administration this week filed a motion to overturn a ruling by a federal judge back in November that cleared the lawsuit for trial and filed a separate motion to delay trial preparation until that appeal is considered. The lawsuit the first of its kind argues the federal government has violated the constitutional right of the 21 plaintiffs to a healthy climate system. Environmental groups say the case if its successful could force even a reluctant government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and take other measures to counter warming. It would be huge, said Pat Gallagher, legal director at the Sierra Club, who is not involved in the case. It would upend climate litigation, climate law, as we know it. The landmark lawsuit was originally filed during the Obama administration. The 21 plaintiffs, now between the ages of 9 and 20, claim the federal government has consistently engaged in activity that promotes fossil fuel production and greenhouse gas emissions, thereby worsening climate change. They argue this violates their constitutional right to life, liberty and property, as well the public trust doctrine, while holds that the government is responsible for the preservation of certain vital resources in this case, a healthy climate system for public use. While legal experts are uncertain as to the lawsuits likelihood of success, few have disputed its pioneering nature. Similar cases have been brought on the state level, but this is the first against the federal government in the United States. And in November, the case cleared a major early hurdle when U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken denied motions filed by the Obama administration, as well as the fossil fuel industry, to have the lawsuit dismissed, ordering that it should proceed to trial. The move allowed the case to join the ranks of climate lawsuits filed in other nations, which could upend the way environmental advocacy is conducted around the world. Just last year, a court in the Netherlands ordered the Dutch government to cut carbon emissions by a quarter within five years. Similar climate-related suits have been brought and won in Austria, Pakistan and South Africa. Shortly after President Donald Trumps inauguration, the plaintiffs submitted a request that the Department of Justice preserve all documents that could be relevant to the lawsuit, including information on climate change, energy and emissions, and cease any destruction of such documents that may otherwise occur during the presidential transition. The request came just days after reports began to surface of climate information disappearing from White House and certain federal agency websites. We are concerned with the new administrations immediate maneuver to remove important climate change information from the public domain and, based on recent media reports, we are concerned about how deep the scrubbing effort will go, Julia Olson , chief legal counsel for the plaintiffs and executive director of the advocacy group Our Childrens Trust, said in a statement at the time. Destroying evidence is illegal and we just put these new U.S. Defendants and the Industry Defendants on notice that they are barred from doing so. The Trump administration is combating this request in its motion to stay litigation , along with its motion to appeal. The administration charges that the United States could be irreparably harmed if the cases proceedings are not halted pending consideration of its appeal, claiming that the extraordinary scope of this litigation and the concomitant scope of discovery that Plaintiffs appear to be seeking set this case apart. One of the things that the government argues is that the preservation of documents itself represents a burden on the government, said Michael Burger , executive director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School. What theyre arguing is that theyll be irreparably injured by having to go through discovery here. This, he added, sends kind of the wrong signal, or at least a very dangerous signal, in terms of what the governments priorities are or what its thinking of doing. It shouldnt be any kind of burden for the government to preserve documents that are already in existence. But given the broad implications of the case for U.S. climate action, especially if the plaintiffs prevail, its not surprising that the Trump administration would want to quash it, said Gallagher, the Sierra Club legal director. If the case were successful, the federal government would be obligated to take meaningful action against climate change, probably through a planned reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. This type of order would run counter to the current administrations priorities. On Thursday, Scott Pruitt, the EPA chief, rejected the underlying science of climate change, and the administration has indicated its intent to cancel a number of Obama-era climate and environmental regulations, including the Clean Power Plan, and withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. Whether either of the federal governments most recent motions will hold up remains to be decided. According to Burger, this largely depends on Aiken, the federal judge who ordered that the case proceed to trial, who essentially must sign off in order for the appeal to take place. In order to do that, the judge needs to basically agree that there are issues of law that could be determinative that the case would be better served if the Ninth Circuit [Court of Appeals] heard it now, Burger said. Appeals most typically occur after a final opinion on a case has been reached through trial, he noted, pointing out that although its common enough for parties to seek interlocutory appeal, its the exception rather than the rule that it be granted. A stay of the proceedings, pending appeal, is also subject to Aikens decision. This means there are multiple combinations of outcomes that could occur for the cases proceedings. Its conceivable that Judge Aiken could certify her order on the motion to dismiss for interlocutory appeal and not grant a stay on the proceedings, Burger noted. In this situation, the case would be heard in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which would essentially decide whether it should proceed on the basis of the claims the plaintiffs have already set forth, while at the same time continuing through discovery at the district court level, he said. Regardless of the final outcome, legal experts have highlighted the lawsuits importance as a novel approach to the climate issue in the United States. It could spawn a whole new universe of litigation at both the state and the federal levels, Gallagher said. BERLIN German police swarmed the main train station in the city of Dusseldorf after an ax attack left several people injured, authorities said. Dusseldorf police spokeswoman Anja Kynast said several people had been injured and one arrest had been made. Police were investigating the motive for the attack, she said. Another police spokesman, Andreas Czogalla, said that at least one of the victims had been seriously injured, and that there were no indications of other attackers. Special units for serious crimes have been dispatched to the scene, he said. An amateur video apparently shot from the scene showed a shell-shocked eye-witness walking around blood stained floors as police tended to a wounded person on the ground. The guy just started striking at people with an ax, the unidentified man in the video says. Ive never seen anything like that in my life, directly next to me he started hitting people with an ax. A passenger on a Dusseldorf bound train, Bruno Macedo, tweeted: Breaking: Man with axe chased by police in Dusseldorf. Station closed. I am in the train things look bad #police #terror Noack reported from London. Stephanie Kircher in Berlin contributed to this report. A bill that would prevent local governments from adopting certain kinds of labor laws has passed one Senate committee and is awaiting a hearing before a second one. The measure, Senate Bill 415, would prohibit city and counties from adopting their own standards regarding employee scheduling, paid or unpaid leave, or other benefits that would be required of an employer. Supporters say the measure would avoid a patchwork of regulations that would be difficult to enforce, while opponents say its an attack on local control. I dont think we live in a one-size-fits-all state, said Diane Gibson, Albuquerque city councilor and board member of the New Mexico Municipal League. This bill certainly is not good for the cities and the towns of New Mexico, nor is it beneficial at all for the people who work here. A similar bill was introduced last year, but the House failed to act on it before the session ended, said Jason Espinoza, president of the New Mexico Association of Commerce and Industry. That bill was a show of concern about last years failed effort to pass the Fair Workweek Act in Albuquerque, which contained requirements regarding work schedules and sick leave. This year, Albuquerque voters will decide on a ballot measure covering sick leave benefits. Espinoza said businesses, particularly in the construction industry, would have a hard time dealing with regulations that are different in different parts of the state. Employees of construction-related businesses work wherever a particular project is, so having to follow a variety of regulations would be a complex nightmare, he said. [March 09, 2017] American National Bank Selects Skyport Systems to Secure Their Critical Infrastructure Skyport Systems, a leading secure hyper-converged infrastructure provider for the hybrid enterprise, today announced that it has been selected by American National Bank to secure its critical server infrastructure and improve compliance with the latest cybersecurity guidelines. As a national bank, American National Bank is subject to regular examinations by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), a division of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. These examinations follow the guidelines set forth by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC), which closely monitors security infrastructure to ensure that banks are poised to mitigate risks. American National Bank realized the need to better protect its critical infrastructure from cyber threats and partnered with Skyport Systems to deploy Skyport's flagship product, SkySecure-a cloud-managed, hyper-converged appliance with security built in. "When we needed to comply with the strictest cybersecurity guidelines, we looked at building our own solution. However, I quickly realized how much time, resources, and expertise it would require to create a secure system," said Richard Kalin, Senior Vice President, Technology Officer for American National Bank. "When I came across Skyport Systems, I found that SkySecure could give American National Bank a complete solution with all the hardware, software, analytics, and services to help me meet cybersecurity requirements and guidelines. Deploying SkySecure mde it easy for us to manage our network while improving our security posture." Using Skyport System's SkySecure, American National Bank was able to easily comply with industry-mandated security regulations and adhere to industry best-practices for securing their infrastructure. Since deploying the Skyport SkySecure system, American National Bank can isolate and secure its critical infrastructure, making its network not only more secure but also more cost-effective and easy to manage compared to traditional solutions. "We are honored that American National Bank has entrusted Skyport Systems with their needs," said Art Gilliand, Chief Executive Officer of Skyport Systems. "Skyport's unique offering provides a cloud-managed, hyper-converged appliance with security built in to make networks more secure, more cost-effective and easier to manage compared with traditional solutions." About American National Bank American National Bank is a locally owned and operated community bank serving Fort Lauderdale and southern Florida. Established in 1985, American National Bank has over $280 million in assets and delivers a comprehensive portfolio of up-to-date banking products and services designed with a personal touch to meet the financial needs of business owners and professionals in the local region. For more information, visit www.americannationalbank.com. About Skyport Systems Skyport Systems helps innovative companies gain the control and confidence to securely run their critical applications. The company offers the award-winning SkySecure, the industry's first hyper-converged system that simplifies the deployment, management and security of today's complex data center. With security built-in from the ground up, SkySecure offers assurance protection of an on-premises solution with the flexibility and agility of a fully managed cloud-based infrastructure. By combining compute, virtualization, networking and storage onto a single platform, IT departments can streamline and automate their daily operations and maintenance that saves time and resources, without sacrificing security or performance. Headquartered in Mountain View, Calif, Skyport is funded by Cisco (News - Alert) Ventures, Index Ventures, Intel Capital, Google Ventures, and Sutter Hill Ventures. For more information, visit www.skyportsystems.com Skyport and SkySecure are registered trademark of Skyport Systems, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170309005166/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The slaughter of a white rhinoceros at a zoo near Paris this week was a brazen escalation for a global wildlife trafficking industry behind a poaching crisis in Africa. The incident made clear that possession of a rhino horn which is desired in parts of Asia as an investment or as medicine, despite no scientific evidence of its medicinal efficacy can be so lucrative that poachers were willing to break through a gate and two locked doors, as security cameras rolled, to shoot a caged rhino and saw off its horn. European zoo officials and authorities have since said that they suspected that zoos would eventually become targets. Traffickers, after all, have pilfered rhino horns from several European auction houses, private art collections and museums, many of which have replaced previously displayed horns with replicas. Europol, the European Unions law enforcement agency, warned in 2011 that zoos might also be hit, Agence France-Press reported. The killing, the first of its kind at a zoo, was a devastating new development in the rhino poaching crisis, Mark Pilgrim, chief executive of the Chester Zoo in England, told the Guardian. But he said the zoo had sadly been aware of this threat for some time. That is not so much the case in the United States, where 91 accredited zoos have rhinoceroses. Dan Ashe, president and chief executive of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), said such a crime was not something that we were anticipating. Surprise is a good word. But could it happen here? Maybe, for two reasons: Zoos arent impenetrable, and rhino-horn trafficking networks exist here, too. Were confident that our facilities are very safe and the animals are safe, Ashe said. But he added: These are bad guys. These are criminals. And theyre very sophisticated. We all need to be sobered that this could generate copycat-type crimes. Ashe said AZA accreditation depends in part on having round-the-clock guards and other site-adequate security measures, which are reviewed in drills four times a year, often with law enforcement officials. Michael Hutchins, a former AZA director and former executive director of the Wildlife Conservation Society, which manages the Bronx Zoo, said U.S. zoos usually bring large mammals such as rhinos inside at night to protect against intruders but also against raccoons, cats or the occasional black bear or mountain lion. But zoo break-ins happen. In 2012, a man entered the primate building at the Boise Zoo in Idaho and beat a monkey to death with a stick an act his defense attorneys said was a drunken escapade that went wrong when the monkey bit him. In 2000, teenagers stole two koalas from the San Francisco Zoo; they wanted to give the animals as gifts to their girlfriends. The year before that, a man burglarized the Central Park Zoo, taking a parrot that he intended to use as payment for a debt. Hutchins said a raptor at the Bronx Zoo, which he said has police stationed on its premises, once went missing, and authorities think it was stolen for use in Santeria rituals. We and I think most, if not all U.S.-accredited zoos have 24-hour security, said Detroit Zoo Ececutive Director Ron Kagan, who added that his zoos two white rhinos stay inside a locked building at night. That doesnt necessarily stop someone from coming with a gun and doing horrible things. . . . Obviously, theres a lot of motivation for bad characters. When it comes to rhinos, that motivation is the horn, a 10-to-15-pound hunk of keratin, the same protein toenails are made of. Its value has skyrocketed in recent years, driven mainly by increasing demand in China and Vietnam, where the horn is prized for supposed curative powers that have no basis in science. In China, rhino-horn art is also viewed as a good investment. The rhino horns that exist in the United States are mostly owned by people who purchased them or hunted and mounted rhinos as trophies years ago, before laws prohibited those activities, said Ed Grace, deputy assistant director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services law enforcement office. Not too many years ago, undercover Fish and Wildlife agents could buy a black-market horn in the United States for $10,000 to $15,000, Grace said. Now horns are sold illegally for 20 to 30 times that much. Its more valuable, pound for pound, than cocaine or heroin, Grace said. By the time it gets to Vietnam or China or somewhere in Southeast Asia, a full horn will go for anywhere from $500,000 to $1 million. Rhino horn is illicitly traded by international networks in the same way drugs and weapons are, Grace said. Traffickers locate and buy horns, ship them to buyers and bribe customs officials to allow their export and import. It is a bloody enterprise mostly for the rhinos, more than 1,000 of which were poached last year in South Africa, but also for the wildlife rangers who protect them. And as in the drug trade, there are gangs. The most prominent is the Rathkeale Rovers, an Ireland-based organization linked to dozens of rhino-horn thefts from European museums and other facilities between 2011 and 2014. In 2010, U.S. officials arrested two of its members attempting to buy rhino horn in Colorado. Though there have been no brazen museum break-ins here, the Irish gangs existence in the United States and spiking rhino-horn prices prompted Fish and Wildlife Services to launch a rhino-horn investigation five years ago. The investigation is ongoing and has led to more than three dozen convictions, Grace said, including that of a father and son in California who exported rhino horns to Vietnam. The value of rhino horn and the global span of its trade means that there are people in the United States who would have incentive to target zoos. But Ashe said he thinks the U.S. prosecutions, as well as the United States role as more of a transshipment spot in trafficking, make a rhino killing at a U.S. zoo less likely. Hutchins said: Theyre taking some major chances here by breaking into a zoo and killing an animal for its horn. So its a relatively new risk for zoos, but something theyre going to have to start thinking more seriously about. CARSON CITY, Nev. A Las Vegas Democrat argued before his colleagues Thursday that Nevadas history of promoting vices and the states lax laws on smoking indoors make it prime to legalize the nations first public sites to use marijuana. Cities and counties in Nevada would have the authority to license public places or events where adults could legally use marijuana under state Sen. Tick Segerbloms proposal. State law currently confines the marijuana use to private homes. Segerblom said Nevada should give local governments the discretion to designate businesses, festivals, casino bars, clubs, outdoor events, massage parlors or other public spaces where the tens of millions of tourists who visit Nevada every year could smoke or consume pot. Segerblom urged his colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee, of which he is chairman, to acknowledge that many tourists will buy recreational marijuana and, as far as the state knows, have nowhere to legally use it. My thought is, rather than not knowing and making it a hazard for the police and everybody else, lets provide them a venue, Segerblom said. We dont want them, I dont think, just out there in the park with your kids or walking up and down the Strip smoking marijuana. Senate Bill 236 would prohibit local governments from issuing the licenses to locations within 1,000 feet of a school or community facility and state regulations already bar marijuana from being used around gambling activities. Casinos could request to allow marijuana at a bar, but not at card tables or slot machines. Details would largely be left to cities and counties. They could grant pot licenses a short- or long-term basis, require licensing fees and attach a special set of penalties for any misuse of marijuana at the venue. The history of Nevada is, when we were low on revenue, we would authorize things like gambling that no other state would do, Segerblom said, adding Nevada was one of the first states to sanction and tax early divorces. The question is: Will marijuana become another one of these vices or pleasures? Nevada is one of eight states with legalized recreational marijuana. None currently allows its use in public. Maine and Massachusetts will allow the licensing of pot social clubs or consumption at dispensaries once their recreational marijuana industries are fully implemented, which is not expected until 2018. No such licenses have yet been issued in those states and they would not allow marijuana use outdoors, at festivals or many other settings that could be certified under Segerbloms proposal. State senators in Colorado on Thursday advanced a measure that would legalize pot social clubs in that state. Connecting Brands, Technology & Consumers. Todays evolved consumers communicate with brands via several touch points - both online as well as offline. Moreover, they are adapting technology, digital innovations at a much faster rate. This has posed a challenge for the brands to be able to connect with and provide unique experiences to these omni-channel consumers. HyperCollective, founded by Pops aka KV Sridhar, aims to bridge this gap. With agility and modularity built into its core DNA, Pops believes that HyperCollective's game-changing business model will enable clients to forge seamless connection between brand, technology, and consumers. It has built a collaborative ecosystem where its bringing together skills set required to deliver brand experiences and provide solutions to connect with todays consumers. Sharing his vision during the launch, Pops said, The need of the hour is cocreation, collaboration with swiftness and agility. There is no single agency that excels in all four areas of content, communication, technology, and strategy. Through HyperCollective we have got on board some of the sharpest minds in these areas who have been pushing the envelope through their work. Our clients will have full access to all our collaborators at all times. As required, collaborators can be on-boarded in short span of time. Furthermore, we can add newer competencies in a blink of an eye. Collectively, we will orchestrate brand story seamlessly across platforms to cater to todays always on world. Based in Mumbai, a strategic team at HyperCollective, helmed by Pops, will team up with its collaborators to offer services to brands, institutions, and government organisations. As of today, HyperCollective has 21 collaborators on board, additionally, it has support of brand gurus, independent marketing consultants, media buying agency, PR agency, and celebrated filmmakers. Over the coming months, it aims to further strengthen the collective by onboarding collaborators offering niche, disruptive services. HyperCollective has been in 'stealth mode' for the past several months, working for iconic global brands and a handful of large Indian companies. Acting up on Nestle Indias vision, it has helped set-up first of its kind Live Content Studio in Nestles office in Gurugram. Its for the first time ever in India that a FMCG brand has attempted such a progressive, future facing endeavour to create content. It took HyperCollective four weeks to set up the model for Nestle. HyperCollective alongwith with its collaborators - PING Digital Broadcast Network and WindChimes Communications, and Nestle Indias brand team has been churning out original branded content, social campaigns, as well as experiential content. Indias No.1 English News Channel is all set to redefine election coverage with Mandate 2017. With extremely accurate predictions in exit polls over the last few years, the channel known as India's Election News Headquarters will once again be at the forefront of Election News Coverage. The channel plans to make this coverage more exciting and engaging for its viewers with some unique and engaging properties under Mandate 2017. The biggest show by TIMES NOW Result Day Live for the forthcoming elections results will be aired on 11th March from 6:00am onwards. Result Day Live will feature a new-age look at Election Result analysis along with several unique properties that help viewers understand what is the impact of their opinions on election day. Moving away from Traditional Analysis like Swing and Vote patterns, TIMES NOW will use Big Data Analytics and Mathematical Models to bring the viewer a holistic News Watching Experience this along with a stellar panel of former Journalists and Political Analysts. The counting for these votes and results of Five Indian states including Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand will be declared on 11th March 2017. As the battle for the hot seat intensifies, TIMES NOW promises to be at the forefront of the battle and will ensure viewers, get an up-close and personal view on one of the most anticipated assembly elections to take place in Indian politics. Rahul Shivshankar, Chief Editor of TIMES NOW and Navika Kumar Managing Editor - Politics will host this special show and will be joined by a panel of eminent experts likeNeerja Chowdhury - Senior Journalist, R Rajagopalan - Senior Journalist, Sanjeev Srivastava - Founder Edit Platter.com, Saba Naqvi - Senior Journalist, Shahid Siddiqui Editor, Nayi Duniya, Rajeev Desai - Public Affairs Analyst, Kumar Ketkar - Senior Journalist, Alok Mehta - Senior Journalist and Nalin Mehta - Consulting Editor Times of India. Will Modi Magic hold sway? Can Rahul & Akhilesh change the script in UP? Will Mayawati make a comeback? Can Badals hold on to their bastion Tune in to TIMES NOW as we bring you the most exhaustive and unparalleled election coverage on 11th March,2017 from 6:00am onwards Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Bern, 09.03.2017 - The Swiss federal services responsible for security consider that the visit by the Turkish foreign minister to Zurich on Sunday does not currently pose a particularly high security threat to Switzerlands internal security. There are no grounds for forbidding the visit. The Federal Council security delegation (FDFA/FDJP/DDPS) has taken note of this additional analysis, which was undertaken in response to requests from the Canton of Zurich. The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) replied to this effect to the president of the Zurich Council of State, following his letter expressing concerns about the wisdom of the visit. The federal services will continue to monitor the situation closely and are ready to revise their recommendations if need be. A meeting between an FDFA representative and the Turkish ambassador to discuss the arrangements for the visit took place in Bern on Thursday. The federal government also remains in close contact with the Zurich authorities. The federal government wishes to reiterate the importance of the principle of freedom of expression in Switzerland. It expects the authorities of other countries, including Turkey, to accord this principle the same importance. Address for enquiries FDFA Communication Federal Palace West Wing CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland Tel. Communication service: +41 58 462 31 53 Tel. Press service: +41 58 460 55 55 E-mail: kommunikation@eda.admin.ch Twitter: @SwissMFA Publisher Federal Department of Foreign Affairs https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html City Soundtracks is an original podcast by Google Play Music and is the first original content that Google has created for the platform. It was created with the intention of helping listeners learn more about their favorite artists by allowing them to receive a guided audio tour of sorts through the city that shaped each artist. Like any podcast City Soundtracks will have a continuation of episodes with each episode focusing on a particular band or solo music artist, and there are already three episodes to listen to, all of which were just posted this morning, and there will of course be more on the way. The first episode in the list centers around Spoon from Austin, Texas, which seems fitting considering that Austin will be hosting SXSW this week, while the second and third episodes on the list center around Big Freedia from New Orleans, Louisiana, and Khelani from Oakland, California. While the podcast episodes themselves will go into much more detail about each particular artist or band, you can click on (or tap if youre viewing the podcast in the Play Music app on your mobile device) the small information button to get a snippet of detail about the episode with a very brief description of the band. There doesnt seem to be any rhyme or reason to the length of each episode but the three that are currently available range from a little over 11 minutes to just over 15 minutes. City Soundtracks can simply be streamed if youre generally always around an internet connection, but you can also download the episodes if you know youll be losing connectivity at some point during your day and want to be prepared with something to listen to. While most of the podcast will just be conversation and talking, there will also be some music laced in between everything else, and some episodes will have an Explicit label as theyll have content that might not be appropriate for all ages. Google hasnt mentioned how often theyll put out new episodes, so if you like what you hear and are wanting more of it, youll want to hit the subscribe button on the podcast so you can be notified when new episodes pop up. Facebook started pushing out the Messenger Day feature of its popular instant messaging (IM) app worldwide, the Menlo Park-based social media giant announced on Thursday. The Snapchat-inspired feature allows people to share small moments from their everyday lives and enhance them with a variety of filters, stickers, and live masks. The feature is an extension of Messengers built-in Camera functionality that Facebook says has already been used for sending billions of photos and videos all around the world. To build on this functionality, the company started working on Messenger Day, an in-app platform that allows users to temporarily share their recordings with other people on Messenger. All content shared using Messenger Day disappears after 24 hours, meaning the feature works as an in-app version of Snapchat. Facebook said that millions of users around the globe have already embraced Messenger Day, which apparently prompted the company to roll out the functionality worldwide. The firm initially started testing Messenger Day in Poland last fall and expanded its availability to Australia and a number of other countries in recent months. The new functionality is being rolled out as an update to Messenger so it may be a while before its available for download in your territory. Once the app downloads the update from the Google Play Store, youll be able to access Messenger Day by tapping on the camera icon that Facebook highlighted with a small sun to commemorate this release. This will activate the in-app camera functionality and let you record and share ephemeral photos and videos. Alternatively, you can tap the button located on the top of your inbox to access the same feature. The global availability of Messenger Day marks another step in Facebooks endeavor to turn its popular IM app into a fully fledged social network that people can use even if theyre not on Facebook. The company recently introduced a number of new Messenger additions ranging from chatbots and mini-games to social features and in-app shopping. As Facebooks push to make Messenger more than just a messaging app continues, more similar features are expected to be integrated into the app in the future. Advertisement https://www.facebook.com/messenger/videos/1227636360689375/ Three new images depicting whats said to be the Galaxy S8 and its screen protector have surfaced online earlier this week. The real life pictures of the device originated from a Twitter user going by the nickname Ice universe, but the source didnt clarify on whether the images are meant to depict the Galaxy S8 or the Galaxy S8 Plus, a larger variant of Samsungs upcoming Android flagship. Regardless, the newly uncovered images show a black version of Samsungs next high-end smartphone but dont reveal anything that previous leaks havent already suggested. The images indicate that the Galaxy S8 will be a rather slim device that looks somewhat taller than its competitors, features a curved screen, and ships without a physical home button. While the screen of the device depicted in the images below isnt powered on, previously uncovered renders and images, as well as recent reports and common sense suggest that the Galaxy S8 will feature on-screen buttons for navigation. The screen protector shown in the final image is cut in a way that doesnt obscure the camera and the iris scanner of the device that the Galaxy S8 is rumored to inherit from the discontinued Galaxy Note 7, Samsungs first smartphone that featured an iris scanner. Finally, the leaks show a physical button located on the left side of the device, immediately under its volume controls. Latest reports suggest that the button in question will be used to activate Bixby, Samsungs new voiced-enabled artificial intelligence (AI) assistant thats supposed to debut on the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus. Most industry insiders suggest that the Galaxy S8 will feature a 5.7-inch or a 5.8-inch screen, while the Galaxy S8 Plus will sport a 6.2-inch one. The actual display sizes of both devices are expected to be somewhat smaller due to the fact that Samsungs 2017 flagship duo is said to feature rounded display corners. Furthermore, the handsets are expected to be powered by the Exynos 8895 and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chip in certain territories, as well as 4GB of RAM. The base model of both variants is also said to sport 64GB of internal storage. The Seoul-based consumer electronics manufacturer already confirmed it will announce its next-generation flagship on March 29 while previous rumors indicate that the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus will hit the market in the second half of April. Googles Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai said that Google Cloud is incredibly important to the company and its future plans. While speaking at the Google Cloud Next conference on Wednesday, the CEO of the Mountain View-based tech giant clearly stated that the companys cloud unit isnt a side project, but a part of its core business that will play a key role in how Google operates going forward. During his speech, Pichai said that he sees Google Cloud as a natural extension of the companys ambitious goal of organizing and managing all of the information in the world. Pichai noted how Google Cloud was designed for businesses as modern companies are generating more information than they can manage on their own, which is where Googles cloud platform comes into play. By offering a scalable, pay-as-you-go business model, Google Cloud is suitable for businesses of all sizes, Pichai said, implying how that approach is an important part of the reason behind the popularity of the service. The CEO of the Alphabet-owned company was also quick to point out that Google Cloud isnt just a simple hosting service. Instead, Google ennobled it with artificial intelligence (AI) solutions that provide clients with more options for efficiently managing their information. Pichai is apparently rather pleased with how Googles initial investment into AI has been panning out so far and has signaled that the company will stick to the same approach in the future. Googles CEO wasnt the only top executive of the company that recently praised the capabilities of Google Cloud. The firms Senior Vice President of Technical Infrastructure Urs Holzle stated that Googles cloud-related revenue may one day surpass that of its advertising business, signaling that the Mountain View-based company is looking to make more significant investments into its cloud unit in the future. Additionally, Alphabets Chairman Eric Schmidt also appeared on stage at the Google Cloud Next conference yesterday and spent a good while talking about how Google Cloud directly enabled Snapchats success. Given this latest turn of events, it seems likely that the Alphabet-owned company will commit even more resources to growing its cloud business in the future. [March 09, 2017] Trend Micro Expands Presence in the Lone Star State For Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), a global leader in cybersecurity solutions, the saying is true, "everything is bigger in Texas." Today, the company announces the opening of the newest Trend Micro (News - Alert) office in Austin for its Trend Micro TippingPoint team members. Located in The Domain in northwest Austin, the 75,000-square-foot, three-story office will contain a state-of-the-art laboratory facility. In addition, the building is situated within Austin's technology corridor and provides employees with access to nearby retailers, hotels, apartments and restaurants. The property also sits adjacent to a nine-acre central park. "As U.S. News & World Report's 2017 Best Place to Live, Austin was a natural choice for a new office," said Don Closser, vice president and general manager for Trend Micro TippingPoint. "Opening the new office almost a year to the day after closing the TippingPoint acquisition shows the momentum we have achieved in the past year. With our expanded presence in Austin, we are eager o contribute to this booming technology city." Throughout the past year with the acquisition of TippingPoint from Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), Trend Micro has not only added the best-in-class intrusion prevention technology to the Trend Micro portfolio, but also industry-leading security intelligence and vulnerability research with Digital Vaccine Labs (DVLabs) and the Zero Day Initiative (ZDI) bug bounty program. These strategic investments by Trend Micro have strengthened its network security solutions in the marketplace and propelled year over year growth. "The Austin Chamber, through Opportunity Austin, welcomes Trend Micro to its newly expanded operations in north Austin. As a global leader in security software and solutions, the digital firm fits well into Austin's vibrant and growing tech community which will add to the continued economic growth and diversification for our region," said Kerry Hall, 2017 chair for Opportunity Austin. Trend Micro will be an exhibitor at the 2017 SXSW Job Market on March 11 and 12 at booth 412 at the Austin Convention Center. To learn more about careers at Trend Micro, please visit https://www.trendmicro.com/careers. About Trend Micro Trend Micro Incorporated, a global leader in cybersecurity solutions, helps to make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Our innovative solutions for consumers, businesses, and governments provide layered security for data centers, cloud environments, networks and endpoints. All our products work together to seamlessly share threat intelligence and provide a connected threat defense with centralized visibility and control, enabling better, faster protection. With more than 5,000 employees in over 50 countries and the world's most advanced global threat intelligence, Trend Micro enables organizations to secure their journey to the cloud. For more information, visit www.trendmicro.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170309005176/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Google is having a Jacquard jacket party with Levis at SXSW on March 11th to celebrate the Levis Commuter Trucker Jacket with Jacquard. There isnt much detail about the party itself or the reason for the celebration, but its suspected that the celebration may be about the launch of the new jacket, which is expected to hit the shelves of Levis store sometime this Spring. Although Spring may indeed be the time frame for the jackets release, there is still no exact date for when consumers will be able to purchase it. The party that Google and Levis will be holding is a three-hour event and things kick off at 7 PM local time and continue on until 11 PM in Austin, Texas where SXSW is taking place, should anyone thats attending SXSW want to go, though it should be noted that its also listed as a special event and there are certain badge types that will be needed to actually gain entry. Other than the time that the event starts and what badges youll need to attend it, the schedule states that the event will have DJ sets from LCD Soundsystems Nancy Whang as well as Neon Indian, and Levis will also have various things at their SXSW outpost for people to check out, such as DIY customization, exclusive products, panels, and workshops. While March 11th is a little early to be a Springtime launch of the Levis Commuter Trucker Jacket with Jacquard, its possible that Googles party will be a launchpad for the announcement of the price and actual launch date as this is information that Google and Levis have yet to share with the public. If youre going to be at SXSW this weekend and are planning to attend this celebration party, youll need either a platinum badge, a film badge, and interactive badge, or a music badge, according to the schedule. The party is also held at the Levis Outpost which itself is located in the 606 Courtyard on 606 E 3rd St. This is also a 21+ only event so you wont be able to attend if you dont meet the age requirement. Google and enterprise resource planning company SAP announced a new cloud-oriented partnership at the latest iteration of the Google Cloud Next conference on Wednesday. The partnership revolves around SAPs in-memory database SAP HANA that the German firm will integrate into the Google Cloud Platform, the two parties revealed. The goal of this strategic partnership is to assist large companies in running their day-to-day operations and manage their data using a public cloud solution thats protected with contemporary cyber security measures, SAPs board member Bernd Leukert revealed on Wednesday. Apart from creating a highly secure service, the partnership will also allow Google and SAP to continue developing a cloud solution thats perfectly scalable and suitable for all businesses. Not only will SAPs products now run on the Google Cloud Platform, but the company will also take advantage of the Google Cloud Launcher Marketplace for enterprise products and services, i.e. it will start retailing its applications on Googles platform. The first SAP-made addition to the Google Cloud Launcher Marketplace is SAP HANA, Leukert said. SAPs in-memory database ships with a fully fledged app development environment that developers can use to create applications prior to deploying them to the cloud. With the announcement of this deal, Google scored a massive enterprise client for Google Cloud, a service that the Mountain View-based tech giant has been aggressively promoting in recent years. Additionally, the newly announced strategic partnership provides the Alphabet-owned company with access to SAPs clients. In other words, this is a significant deal for Google as it could allow it to rapidly expand the adoption of the Google Cloud Platform. The partnership also allows SAP to evolve from being an enterprise software company that physically delivers its solutions to a cloud-based business. While SAP already started integrating cloud technologies into its portfolio in recent years, its new partnership with Google will provide the company with a way to do so in a rapid manner. One unusual detail pertaining to this deal is that SAP will remain responsible for data running on the Google Cloud Platform as the companies are hoping that move will be beneficial to the adoption rate of their cloud services. Google addressed the contents of the documents that were recently unveiled by WikiLeaks and gave a lot of alarming insights into the hacking methods of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Heather Adkins, Director of Information Security and Privacy at Google provided Recode with a brief statement reflecting on the recent controversy. Adkins said that she and everyone else at Google believe that the security updates and other protection mechanisms that the Mountain View-based tech giant introduced to Android, Chrome, and its other offerings over the years are sufficient to already protect their users from many exploits and vulnerabilities outlined in the documents that WikiLeaks published. Googles executive also said that the Alphabet-owned company is still conducting a thorough inspection of the leak and is trying to identify whether it needs to start working on any additional preventive measures and precautions against the CIAs hacks. Adkins concluded her statement by saying that Google always prioritized the security of its users above everything else and said that the firms priorities werent affected by the leak, adding that the Mountain View-based company will continue committing significant resources to improving the security of its products and services. While the aforementioned statement was obviously intended to provide Googles users with some ease of mind, its vague wording and the fact that Adkins herself admitted that the companys security measures are only sufficient to protect people against many, but not all of the vulnerabilities uncovered by WikiLeaks still warrant some concern. The contents of WikiLeaks latest data dump contain over 8,000 documents, some of which are over three years old. The leaked documents uncovered numerous controversial hacking methods that the CIA has been using in recent years and caused a lot of backlash from privacy advocacy groups, as well as other organizations and individuals. Regardless, the contents of the documents are still being inspected by both journalists and security experts, while cyber security professionals are asking people to not jump to conclusions like some media outlets did by reporting that the CIA managed to compromise a number of popular messaging apps like Signal, WhatsApp, and Telegram. An update on the situation is expected to follow shortly. Google Store just debuted a Country Picker feature that allows users to make purchases from any version of the companys online marketplace. The feature is available globally and provides consumers with an option to access any currently available version of the Google Store. Note that this doesnt mean you can get a product delivered to a country that the Google Store doesnt support, but can instead only order products from a country that the companys digital marketplace doesnt support. For example, you can use the newly added Country Picker to access the U.S. version of the Google Store and order something like the Google Pixel XL, but youll only be able to ship it to a U.S. address. In a short announcement posted on Google+ earlier today, the Alphabet-owned tech giant implied that this feature was mostly designed for gifting purposes and convenience. So, while this doesnt mean you can use the Country Picker to do something like ship the Daydream View headset to Argentina from the Canadian version of Googles digital marketplace, you can at least use it to pay for the headset and send it to someone you know in Canada wholl then proceed to mail you the gadget. Its not an ideal solution, but its better than nothing, especially since the new addition to the Google Store wasnt designed to allow users from unsupported countries to have their orders shipped home in the first place. As of right now, the Google Store isnt available here yet message that greeted users who accessed the Google Store from an unsupported country was replaced with a we arent in your country yet message that appears on top of the new Country Picker. Likewise, all versions of the Google Store now allow you to pay for products as long as you have a local address where you want to ship them. While users were already able to access the companys online marketplace, they werent able to actually order products as all prices and Buy buttons were grayed out. The gallery below shows some screenshots of the new feature. You can access the Country Picker by following this link or simply opening any version of the Google Store from an officially unsupported country. Any compatible smartphone running Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) or Android 7.0 (Nougat) now has the ability to make use of the Google Assistant, following Googles confirmation of the rolling out of Google Assistant support to more devices. As to be expected, this will replace Google Now on Tap with the Google Assistant. However, if you would prefer to revert back to Google Now on Tap, then it seems there is a way you can, thanks to a thread on Reddit which spotted the method on how to do it. Curiously, the method also seems to work with the Google Pixel and the Pixel XL in the US. So if you own either of the Pixels (which come with the Google Assistant activated at startup), then you can also change the settings to start using Google Now on Tap instead. Heres how to do it. To change from the Google Assistant to Google Now on Tap, head into the smartphone settings menu. At which point you will need to head down and click on Languages & input. Once here, click on Language and then on Add a language. Of course, what you click on from this point onwards is totally up to you as it will alter the displayed language on your smartphone. So click on whatever language you are able to read/use to ensure that the smartphone remains in a usable state. If you are an English-speaking user, then you can simply click on English and you will be presented with a list of English-relevant regions. The key is to select one of the regions which the Google Assistant has not widely rolled out in yet. In the images below, you will see the British Virgin Islands as an example of one of the workable regions. Once the new language is added, you will then need to remove the old (current) language by heading back to the Language submenu, hitting the three button options icon (top left), clicking on Remove, selecting the original language option, and hitting the trash can. At which point you will receive a warning that you are about to change the language. After which, the Google Assistant will have been replaced with Google Now on Tap. Of course, you can undo all of this by going through the same motions above and reinstalling the original language once again. The list of OEMs stepping up to partner with Google and make a watch or two designed around Android Wear 2.0 is slowly growing and the latest addition to that list is the well-known watch maker Movado. As the company has now announced its intention to release a new smartwatch collection, the Movado Connect. Movado will be revealing the first of the new collection to the public at the upcoming Baselworld jewelry trade show, which kicks off on March 23, with an expected release set for some time in fall of this year. Initially, there will be five different mens styles available, all inspired by the Movado Museum dial, and all coming with customizable elements. In terms of price, the only confirmed details so far is that the collection will have a starting price of $495. While Movado is not a complete stranger to the world of smartwatches, they are far more famous for their exploits in traditional watchmaking. The companys previous forays into the smartwatch world were made alongside HP, rather than with Googles direct blessing and collaboration. This means that the Movado Connect is very likely to be the first dedicated Android Wear 2.0 device thats made to take advantage of all of the platforms new features, while also putting fashion first. Powerful new features like dial controls, Android Pay, and Google Assistant will all be on board with the Movado Connect. While Movado has not yet unveiled exactly what the design of the Movado Connect will be like, the company did say that it will be inspired by Movados Museum design. This design is a fairly simple one, with one-piece, all-round dials that also tie into the band hooks. The press release regarding the Movado Connect also states that the new smartwatch would sport some of these design elements. Previous Movado smartwatches, made in collaboration with HP, have a similar look. With five customizable styles slated to come out, its anybodys guess as to how they will vary from the base design conventions pulled from the Museum lineup. Since NFC will be on board, and likely a decent processor and battery to accommodate Android Wear 2.0, the watch will likely be thicker than previous entries. A rotary dial will also likely be included, since that seems to be a key feature of Android Wear 2.0. Samsung Electronics maintained its position of the number one phone seller on the planet in 2016, according to the latest market report conducted by Strategy Analytics, as reported by the Yonhap News Agency. The South Korean tech giant reportedly sold 308.5 million Galaxy-branded smartphones over the course last year, significantly more than both Apple and Huawei who came in second and third, respectively. During the same period, Apple sold approximately 215.5 million iPhones, while Huawei managed to sell around 72.2 million Honor smartphones and 65.7 million Ascend-branded phones. Xiaomi was the fifth most successful phone vendor in 2016 as the Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer sold over 46 million units last year, the report reveals. Xiaomi was followed by OPPO and Vivo who sold 38.4 million and 33.7 million phones in 2016, respectively. The report also reiterated some information that was unveiled in early February as it uncovered additional evidence that Chinese original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are gradually increasing the average selling price (ASP) of their devices. Theyre doing so by manufacturing a larger number of premium devices and industry watchers believe that decision makes perfect sense seeing how the only way Chinese OEMs can catch up with Samsung and Apple is to improve their high-end lineups. Focusing on flagship devices is also a sensible business choice in general seeing how premium smartphones are also directly linked with premium profit margins, which is why Apple is by far the most profitable phone maker in the industry. Last year, the Cupertino-based consumer electronics manufacturer recorded $44.9 billion in operating profit which amounts to almost four-fifths of total smartphone profits worldwide, the report revealed. While the high-end phone market is extremely competitive, thats where OEMs stand to make the most money which is why theyre willing to commit more resources to developing flagship devices, industry sources say. Regardless, as things stand right now, its unlikely that Huawei will be able to overtake either Apple or Samsung over the course of this year. However, the Chinese tech giant is still on course to become an even bigger player in the industry than it already is, analysts believe. Overall, the high-end smartphone market will apparently become even more competitive over the course of this year. Samsung has filed for a trademark in the EU for the U Flex brand as of yesterday, as the application date notes that it was filed on March 7th. There isnt any detail in the trademark application about what U Flex will be, but current speculation is that it may be the name of a new pair of headphones that Samsung could be developing and is looking to bring to market in the future. More specifically its thought that U Flex may be a new pair of wireless headphones from Samsungs Level series, though there is still no actual detail that can confirm this just yet. With that said, the U may be referring to the series model of headphones just as the U does in Samsungs Level U headphones, while Flex may be referring to a specific trait of the headphones themselves, perhaps detailing that they have a flexible build quality to them. If this is the case then the U Flex could be aimed at fitness enthusiasts, though they could really just be for the general consumer as well. Truthfully, without much information other than the name of the brand its mostly impossible to tell what the headphones will be like, but with Unpacked coming up at the end of this month there is always a chance that Samsung may announce more details during the event alongside the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus. What is known is that these are a pair of headphones, its just not clear what sorts of features they will have or if they will even be part of the Level series. The trademark application also lists that they will have Bluetooth technology inside of them so they will be wireless, although there is no information on which version of Bluetooth Samsung will be planning to use with the U Flex headphones. Its also unclear if U Flex will end up as part of the name once these reach production and are ready to hit store shelves. If Samsung ends up announcing these later on this month, then at that time they may also share information on pricing and availability. The trial of Samsung Groups Vice Chairman and heir Jay Y. Lee started on Thursday and his lawyer said that the defendant denies all charges against him after the Supreme Prosecutors Office (SPO) accused him of bribery and embezzlement of corporate funds, as well as several other violations related to an influence-peddling scandal that shook South Korea last fall. Lee didnt attend the first trial personally as hes still under arrest at Seoul Detention Center where he ended up in February after the SPO managed to get an arrest warrant for him approved. As a defendant, Lee wasnt required to attend the preparatory hearing that was held on Thursday as the purpose of the initial hearing was to organize evidence, manage schedules, and agree to dates for testimonies. The court will decide the date of the second hearing in Lees trial next week and the Vice Chairman of Samsung Group is expected to attend that one. Lees lawyers are basing their legal defense on the fact that the prosecution doesnt have a perfectly solid case against him. During the trial, the defense will try to prove how the evidence that the prosecution is going to present is either circumstantial or wasnt obtained in a legitimate manner. One of Lees lawyers implied that the prosecutors cannot prove Lee gave the order for $37 million to be donated to several organizations linked to the South Korean President Park and her confidante Choi Soon-sil. The prosecution alleges that the donations were used as bribes to facilitate a 2015 merger between Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries. The merger streamlined the succession proceedings within Samsung Group and gave more power to the part of the conglomerate controlled by the founding Lee family, the prosecutors said. The aforementioned bribe was allegedly paid in exchange for the National Pension Services support of the deal. The largest pension fund in the country held a significant stake in Cheil Industries and was set to lose millions if the merger occurred, but still voted for the deal following Lees alleged bribe. The current legal framework indicates that Lees lower court trial should be finished by late May, though Samsung Groups heir is bound to appeal to any decision that doesnt result in him walking free. An update on the situation is expected to follow next week. Recent information from WikiLeaks detailed how the CIA can snoop on us via our smartphones and that they can even read our encrypted messages, but the latest revelation is that the CIA is also targeting Samsung Smart TVs. The technic is known as the Weeping Angel and allows the TVs to be put into a fake-off mode while it is actually recording our conversations. This technic is the result of a supposedly joint effort by the CIA and UKs MI5 reminiscent of a James Bond spy thriller. Some think that the information that Edward Snowden leaked via is a Godsend while others call it treason, but it has opened our eyes and made manufacturers aware of vulnerabilities in their software. What is so disheartening is that the CIA has the responsibility to spy overseas while the FBI is to monitor domestic matters, so it seems like the guidelines are disappearing. Samsung has long held its Smart TVs in high esteem and seemed rather startled by the news, and a spokesperson said, Protecting consumers privacy and the security of our devices is a top priority at Samsung. We are aware of the report in question and are urgently looking into the matter. The group, Privacy International, which champions its commitment to human rights and their privacy jumped into the situation and voiced their desire for more regulation into government hacking. They believe that if the CIA knew about the vulnerabilities that smartphones and Smart TVs possess, then the CIA should have been working with the manufacturers to fix those issues to protect us from foreign spying. The problem stems from the fact that newer electronics, in an effort to be more convenient for us to use, are hooked to the internet which is one of the places hackers relentlessly target. Smartphones can automatically connect to WiFi when it can find a signal to save on data usage. As soon as people make that connection, they might be more likely to get hacked. The same goes with the new Smart TVs by hooking up to the internet, people can enjoy Netflix, Pandora, and other apps on the big screen rather than on a smaller smartphone, tablet, or computer screen. By leaving the internet connected 24/7 it makes the camera on things like laptops ready to send pictures of what it sees. The speakers on a Smart TV can turn into microphones, and newer Smart TVs have their own microphone built in for voice capable commands. This could potentially open up TVs to hackers, and worse, government hackers, to have a seat in the private living room, den, or bedroom of peoples homes. It is no surprise that Apple, Inc. was the winner in global smartphone profits this year with a 79.2-percent haul of the estimated worldwide total operating profits available for 2016 of $53.7 billion. Second place was held by Samsungs 14.6-percent of global profits or an operating profit of $8.3 billion. The Chinese companies work on a much smaller profit scale, although sales are growing. Huawei accounted for 1.6-percent or $929 million in profit, followed by OPPO, which took in 1.5-percent, and Vivo grabbed 1.3 percent according to Yonhap research. Apple customers are so loyal that they are willing to pay a high price giving Apple a much higher profit margin. This loyalty allows Apple to bring in more money per smartphone sale than other manufacturers. Apples high sales figures give them negotiating power to pay as little as possible for parts and labor, which again adds to their profit margins. Samsung produces many of their own parts that help them in keeping some costs down, but while their devices sell for a premium price, there is less room for profit per device. Certainly, the demise of their Galaxy Note 7 hurt their profits significantly in 2016. Between the launch, recall, revised devices, and then the final recall, it is estimated there were losses as high as $10 billion not only from the actual costs involved but also from customers that jumped from Samsung to other devices. The Chinese companies always have operated at a lower profit margin in the quest to increase sales by offering a quality product at a lower price. With this type of corporate policy, profits are expected to be lower. Each company has their own ideology on how to make profits Apple will charge whatever the market will handle and how much it costs them to make their iPhone has little bearing of how much they charge. Samsung, while they have many other divisions in which to make profits, base their pricing of how much it costs them to produce the device and then adds a little extra to sell larger quantities. The Chinese companies are looking for a smaller profit and higher sales volume, and it seems to be working as sales are increasing for those companies. However, Apple and Samsung are the leading players and will continue to battle for supremacy. Virtual reality (VR) continues to be a big talking point in the tech industry, in spite of what seems to be a continued level of limited hardware sales. However, one of the likely contributing factors to the limited sales is the total dichotomy on pricing. On the one side you have very expensive headsets which offer the best in class experience. While on the other hand, there are the more affordable options, which although are priced better, offer a reduced overall experience in comparison. However, there are some products starting to come through that look to bridge this price chasm and the PIMAX 4K UHD virtual reality 3D PC headset is one of those products. Unlike some of the more affordable options, the PIMAX 4K UHD virtual reality 3D PC headset is designed to work with your PC, in much the same way as the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. Which does mean that you will need a PC running on either Windows 7, 8, or 10, which also comes with an Intel i5 CPU (as a minimum), and either a DirectX 3D10, NVIDIA GTX 960, or AMD R9 290 (as as minimum). In return you will be getting a serious piece of hardware though, as the PIMAX 4K virtual reality 3D headset offers a 4K (3840 x 2160) resolution. In addition to an auto light adjustment system and auto demisting system. Add to that a 110-degree FOV, dual 53 mm large aspherical optical lenses, a 1000 Hz dual gyroscope, as well as an acceleration sensor, magnetometer, range sensor and light sensor. It is also worth noting that this system also comes with its own pair of headphones, adding to its all-in price. These are detachable headphones so they can be removed at any time and replaced by you own, if wanted. Although the headphones do come with 40 mm drivers and support for virtual 5.1 so they certainly will be worth checking out first. For those considering picking up a new PC VR headset, the PIMAX 4K UHD virtual reality 3D PC headset is currently available to buy through GearBest and is priced at only $375 which is significantly less than what you will pay for this level of VR engagement from other manufacturers. To further sweeten the deal, you can lower that price even more with the help of a coupon code. Regardless of whether you opt to have the headset shipped from the China or EU warehouse, coupon code LHPIMAX will bring the price down to only $349.99. Essentially, taking nearly 10-percent off the already highly-competitive price. You can find out more about the PIMAX 4K UHD virtual reality 3D PC headset or order one by heading through the link below and again, using coupon code LHPIMAX during checkout. Advertisement Coupon code LHPIMAX Coupon code LHPIMAX T-Mobile, as the Un-carrier, likes to take jabs at their competitors, especially the larger two or as CEO John Legere has called them, the duopoly. Legere has been taking jabs at Verizons Go90, and how it hasnt exactly worked the way Big Red was hoping it would. Verizon has already done multiple things to help make Go90 a success, like buying tech companies like AOL and Yahoo, theyve paid celebrities to help promote it, spent big money on ads, buy exclusive people, and even hire some Hollywood execs. Now Legere believes the next step is to rebrand, which he wants to help. This contest is due to the fact that today is National Panic Day, and Legere believes that Verizon is indeed panicking. And they probably should after the amount of money they spent on AOL and Yahoo. So T-Mobiles CEO is asking for the best rebranding ideas for Go90, and the ones he likes the best will win a year of Hulu Plus for free. Thats a pretty good prize, and pretty ironic, seeing as Go90 is a direct competitor to Hulu Plus and others like Netflix, YouTube, Sling TV and even DIRECTV NOW. Verizon initially launched Go90 as a way to continue to expand their business. Seeing as the wireless industry was plateauing, and like AT&T, they have been losing customers left and right. Verizon figured that by owning the content on Go90, they could rake in some more money from their users. Which is why they bought AOL and Yahoo, largely for their ad businesses, and not for their video content, seeing as Go90 is free, and ad-supported. This is where T-Mobile and Sprint had differed, when it comes to video. The two smaller carriers decided to optimize video so that users can watch more video without having to worry about their data cap. T-Mobile has been open to just about every video operator working with them for Binge On (which isnt really a thing now due to T-Mobile ONE). Which means that T-Mobile doesnt own the content, but they are keeping their customers, which is something they need to do, especially if they are going to compete with Verizon and AT&T. MATTOON -- Ernie Drummond took a job at Mattoon's Burger King in 1977 right out of high school and ended up working there on and off for a total of approximately 25 years, much of the time as manager. Drummond said he met his wife, Jodi, while working at Burger King and eventually two of their children, Katie and Sarah, worked there. He said the crew at Burger King also has included his sister Polly Bennett, nieces and nephews, and children of family friends over the years. "Burger King has always been part of our life," Drummond said. "It made sense to jump back in." Drummond said these strong ties to the restaurant led him to purchase the Burger King property, 1508 Charleston Ave., from local businessman Cory Sanders. He officially assumed ownership on March 3. The return of Drummond to Burger King has been a frequent topic of conversation on the Facebook pages of many Mattoon residents since then. Drummond said he has been happy to see a large number of his former customers visit the restaurant during the last week. "I expected it to be like a homecoming there, but I didn't expect it to be this much," Drummond said. "The community has really supported it." Burger King's roots in the community go back to 1952. Founding owners Gene and Betty Hoots retired in early 2015 and sold the restaurant to Sanders. This restaurant is known as the "original" Burger King because it predates the arrival of the burger chain with this same name in Illinois. Drummond said he has maintained the Mattoon Burger King's fresh-made burgers, crispy french fries, vanilla Cokes and other fan favorites, while streamlining the menu. He said every sandwich can now be incorporated into a combo meal with fries and a drink, or a milkshake for an extra charge. In addition, Drummond said he has revived his tradition of calling out customer order numbers in the distinctive nasally style originated by former longtime Burger King employee Bill Douglas. Sanders remodeled the dining room and made other needed facility improvements, Drummond said. The new owner said he plans to continue making improvements to Burger King, including upgrading the drive through and sending employees out to take orders from motorists in line there. "The employees here have been fantastic. They have had a lot of changes thrown at them all at once, but they have stuck in there," Drummond said. He added that his sister Polly has been helping him in his new role at Burger King and that his son, Evan, has been handling the bookkeeping. Burger King is open 9 a.m.-9 p.m. seven days a week and is set to stay open until 10 p.m. starting next month. Drummond said Burger King has a longstanding practice of being open in the morning while the employees there are doing prep work. YEREVAN, MARCH 7, ARMENPRESS. President of Kirgizstan Almazbek Atambayev held a meeting with Prime Minister of Armenia Karen Karapetyan and other PMs of EEU member states in Bishkek, ahead of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Councils (EIC) session, the governments press service told ARMENPRESS. Kirgizstans President welcomes the delegates in Bishkek and mentioned the EIC is a productive platform for developing dialogue between EEU states, deepening integration and discussion of issues of mutual interest. Atambayev assured that Kirgizstan, within the framework of chairmanship in EEU structures in 2017, will put maximum efforts for progress in the abovementioned directions. Prime Minister Karapetyan thanked the President on behalf of the Armenian governmental delegation for the warm reception and organizing the session on high level. In PM Karapetyans words, this session marks the launch of events of the Kirgizstan chairmanship in EEU, which will boost the further deepening of Eurasian integration processes. Several issues of the EEU agenda were discussed during the meeting. YEREVAN, MARCH 8, ARMENPRESS. Within the framework of the state visit of President Sargsyan to France, today a meeting was held in the prestigious business union Movement of the Enterprises of France (MEDEF) organization with its members. The Union is a linking circle between the French enterprises and high level leaders of different states, as well as the private sector. The Presidents Office told ARMENPRESS, this structure, which is responsible for international cooperation, assists and contributes the activities of French enterprises and due to similar meetings, it creates opportunities to get acquainted and provide conditions for their programs, and for French enterprises operating abroad to raise their questions and issues before the guests in order to find solutions. President Sargsyan delivered a speech during the meeting with top executives of French enterprises. At the end of the meeting, the signing ceremony of a memorandum between Tashir Group of Companies, ENA CJSC and Schneider Electric took place. Statement of President Serzh Sargsyan at the meeting with the heads of French enterprises Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, I cordially salute the participants and organizers of this traditional event, aimed at the expansion of cooperation between our two countries. The historically formed Armenian-French friendly relations form the base not only for our political but also economic relations. This inspires us with confidence that the parties are able to provide for the implementation of pretty large and ambitious economic programs. Distinguished Entrepreneurs, In 25 years of her independence, Armenia has registered impressive results. Today we have a sustainably developing Armenia which withstands the often unpredictable changes of the global economy efficiently. Recent developments in the region, which were accompanied by the decline of economic indices and steep depreciation of national currencies, proved the vitality of Armenias tax, credit, and financial policies. These policies are constantly praised by our international partners and thanks to these policies our country is able to maintain a stable and predictable macro-environment. Success of the economic policy implemented in the country is proved by the reputable international indicators, and on this Armenia is registering a steady advancement each year. Thus, according to the World Banks Doing Business report, Armenia occupies the 38th place in the world in terms of simple terms for starting business, while according to the Heritage Foundations economic freedom indicator we are at 33th position which means this year alone we moved up by 21 points. Understandably, there are cases when unfavorable positions prompted by different indicators do not play a decisive role in making investments. For instance, it looks like in case of the neighboring Azerbaijan, which is rich with energy resources, the anticipation of getting super profits, is pushing into the background the indicators which reflect the true situation with the countrys economy. Macroeconomic stability alone is certainly not enough for sustainable economic growth. From the viewpoint of increasing our countrys competitiveness, the most important thing for us is the constant improvement of the business and investment climate in Armenia, development of human capital, and modernization of the relevant institutions. We were guided by the same philosophy when undertook constitutional changes in Armenia, which were adopted in December 2015. With the new Constitution we made pivotal changes to our state governance system, switching from the semi-presidential to a fully parliamentary system of governance. It is our deep conviction that these changes will also have their positive impact on the vivacity of the economic life in the country. The new Constitution underscores free economic competition, improvement of business environment, and has provision aimed at boosting up the entrepreneurship. Being a land-locked country with scarce energy resources, under blockade from two neighboring states, we have never bent to difficulties. On the contrary, these factors became a locomotive to move forward with the creative ideas and ingenuity of our people. Thanks to a highly skilled labor force and human capital, today Armenia has become an innovative country which offers high technology solutions. Efforts aimed at the development of information and telecommunication technologies today yield results. In recent years, Armenia has been registering a 20-25% growth in this area, while its share in the GDP is close to 4%. Ladies and Gentlemen, Even though the trade and economic indicators in our country are not gratifying at all, considering the entire of the Armenian-French agenda, potential existing in our bilateral economic relations should not be used to promote the commercial ties only. We want the French capital to increase its share in Armenia and are ready to provide favorable investment conditions for French businesses. With this regard, I would like to highlight the consistent works carried out towards the encouragement of investments and their increased protection. For instance, in the framework of the implemented reforms it is envisaged to secure by law national and most favorable regimes, to define more precisely the guarantees provided to foreign investors, to allow the entrepreneurs to use the existing and future privileges in Armenia and take advantage of the improved mechanisms for the resolution of investment related disputes. Conditions are being created for the expansion of the state-private sector cooperation. To help the businesses and improve the business climate, consistent steps are being taken to reduce paperwork and simplify procedures, including in the tax and customs areas. Serious steps are made to develop the export policy. Strategy developed by us stresses the importance of increasing exports because it could become the driving force behind the future sustainable growth. In recent years, considerable steps have been made also aimed at the increase of Armenias limited internal market. Its been two years that Armenia is a member to the Eurasian Economic Union. The Eurasian integration project has widened the economic borders of its members up to almost 1/7 of the world. It has created a large, almost 170 million strong market with no tax borders. Days ago, in Brussels together with the President of the European Council Mr. Tusk we announced the conclusion of the negotiations on the new framework agreement with the European Union. The presence in the legal document of the economic component opens new opportunities for the economic activities not only for the Armenian but also European entrepreneurs. Moreover, if used properly and fully, opportunities provided by the agreement allow the economic potentials of the EU and EAEU to be used to mutual benefit. Our traditionally good-neighborly relations with Iran and economic ties create a good opportunity for the European entrepreneurs to enter via Armenia the 80 million strong Iranian market. The shortest route linking together the seaports of the Persian Gulf and Black Sea also runs through Armenia. Distinguished Entrepreneurs, The representative audience present at the conference inspires with confidence that it will be instrumental in opening new opportunities for our countries and for the creation of the best formula to utilize the existing formats of cooperation. I invite French companies to make investments in Armenia. I assure you that we are ready to show an individual approach to each investment project, certainly taking into consideration the needs of the investor. Our Minister of Economic Development and Investments will make a more detailed presentation with regard to the possible areas and directions of cooperation. He will also present concrete programs. I wish you productive work. Thank you. YEREVAN, MARCH 8, ARMENPRESS. All roads in Armenia are passable on March 8 by 19:00. As Armenpress was informed from the press service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Armenia, Sotk-Karvachar highway is difficult to pass. According to the information received from the Department of Emergency Situations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia Stepantsminda-Lars highway is open for all types of vehicles. Clark County Inter-Agency Group sets meeting CASEY -- The Clark County Interagency Group will meet at noon today at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Casey Brittney Johns from the Sarah Bush Lincoln CORD Program will be the featured speaker. For more information, contact Amy Corbin Triple C Coordinator, SAIL, at 217-345-7245. Neoga development screenings scheduled NEOGA -- Each year, the Neoga school district and Project H.E.L.P. (Helping Educate Little People) conduct Preschool Round Up for children birth to 5 years old. Children who will enter kindergarten in the fall are also encouraged to attend the free developmental screening. The developmental screening gives parents information on how their child is developing in the areas of concepts, motor, speech and language skills. A vision and hearing screening is also provided. Preschool Round Up will be held at Grace United Methodist Church, 752 Walnut, on March 15 and 16. Parents should call Julie Altman at 217-895-2200 for an appointment or more information. To pre-register your child for kindergarten, please bring a certified copy of your child's birth certificate. The screening will last approximately one hour and a signed parent/guardian permission is required. Walk-ins are always welcome. Sullivan Art Club to hold acrylic workshop SULLIVAN -- The Sullivan Art Club will be hosting an acrylic painting workshop led by Mattoon artist and instructor Tom David from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, March 18, at the St. Columcille Church Hall at the corner of west Jackson and McClellan Streets in Sullivan. Participants are responsible for bringing their own materials and supplies. This workshop is open to any adult interested in painting regardless of experience. A $50 fee is payable at the door for non-members which will allow the participant to attend two more workshops led by other artists throughout the year at no additional cost. There will be an hour break for lunch. For more information, contact Ron Bartanen at 217-728-7280. Almost the same car as its European counterpart , the U.S-spec C-HR is an amalgam of sharp lines and unconventional motifs for the crossover segment. It oozes character unlike anything else of this shape and size, which is exactly what you would expect from a $22,500 car before taxes.Slated to arrive at dealers in April for the 2018 model year , the C-HR is available in two trim levels for the time being: XLE ($22,500) and XLE Premium ($24,350). Both of them are propelled by Toyotas 3ZR-FAE engine, which supplies 144 hp at 6,100 rpm and 139 lb-ft at 3,900 rpm.Only one transmission is available, the CVTi-S, and compared to CVTs from not that long ago, its programmed to simulate seven gear ratios. This feature is only available once the driver selects Sport Mode. Gas mileage-minded buyers that arent interested in that have a reason to rejoice as well. With an expected EPA-estimated 27 mpg city, 31 mpg highway, and 29 mpg combined, the C-HR is also pretty fuel efficient.As standard, Toyota s smallest crossover gets 18-inch alloy wheels, bucket seats, dual-zone climate control, 7.0-inch audio display, and Safety Sense P with Full-Speed Dynamic Radar Cruise Control. Pre-Collision System with Active Braking is on the menu as well, as are a backup camera, Hill-Start Assist Control, and 10 airbags.Toyota also makes a case of the C-HRs handling, highlighting that years were spent developing on-road nimbleness and ride quality on some of the worlds most curvaceous and pitted roads, including the Nurburgring Nordschleife. Essentially the compact take on Toyotas TNGA platform , the backbone of the C-HR prides itself on an inherent low center of gravity.Toyota has yet to confirm or deny if all-wheel-drive and a hybrid will be made available during the models lifecycle, but thats a story for another time. Till then, lets wait and see how well the C-HR will sell in the U.S. SUV From a design standpoint, some might be tempted to call the Stelvio a Giulia on stilts. Looking at it up close and personal reveals exactly the opposite. Sure the front grille, air intakes, and taillights are pretty close between one another, but the headlights give the Stelvio a completely different look. Then theres the profile of the thing, which is giving the impression of an elongated hatchback with added Italian styling cues.And thats the thing about how Alfa Romeos SUV looks in real life. It attracts the beholder with its prettiness instead of demanding respect through off-road innuendos like other sport utility vehicles do. Anotherthat can pull the same trick is the Maserati Levante, which is one segment above the Stelvio and round about 20 grand more expensive.An area where the Stelvio fails to differentiate itself from the Giulia is, drum roll please, the interior. Its not bad at all in terms of ergonomics, quality, and design, but the truth of the matter is its too similar to the Stelvios sedan counterpart. Heck, even the air vents have the same motif, but once again, thats not exactly a problem if you think about it.Then theres the trunk. Hows this for a comparison: Giulia boasts 480 liters of cargo capacity, the Stelvio ups the ante to 525 liters. If youre curious about how it fares against the Porsche Macan , that would be a 25-liter difference in the Stelvios favor. Speaking of Porsches smallest SUV, can the Stelvio hold its own as far as performance is concerned?To put it bluntly, yes! Be it the 2.0-liter turbo with 280 PS or the 2.2-liter diesel with 210 PS, Alfas ticket to the sport utility vehicle realm impresses on paper. Less powerful versions of the 2.0- and 2.2-liter four-bangers will follow in due time, as well as a RWD 2.2 variant.The party piece of the Stelvio, however, is the Quadrifoglio model . 510 PS rampaging Italian stallions and 600 Nm of torque are only the start, though. The 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 powerhouse also sounds as good as a V6 can in this day and age, and its no wonder why. After all, the six-cylinder engine is closely related to Ferraris F154 V8. BEV All we have until the world debut, which is set for the 2017 New York Auto Show in April, is a blurry and not exactly telling teaser photo. From it, we can tell that the Clarity Fuel Cell is flanked by its two siblings on either of its sides, though theres not much in the way of visual changes between them. Same headlights, same bumper design, same everything basically.Considering how Hyundai differentiates the Ioniq Hybrid from the plug-in hybrid and electric derivates , it shouldnt come as a surprise if Honda is pulling the same trick with the Clarity range. Still, the Japanese company is suggesting that unique design elements are in the offing, as is a fun-to-drive DNA one expects from a Honda and seating for five occupants.The Clarity Plug-In Hybrid is confirmed to launch in all 50 states later this year for MY 2018, with Honda expecting it to become the volume leader in the Clarity family. The automaker further teases us with some details regarding the inner workings of the Clarity Plug-In Hybrid. These are the hyper-efficient gasoline-hybrid extended range mode, and in excess of 40 miles or 64 kilometers in all-electric mode. Pretty good stats, Id say.As for the Clarity Electric, Honda revealed the following thing about its upcoming: it will be the first affordable, mid-size, five-passenger battery electric vehicle. This line corroborates with a recent report on what to expect from the Clarity Electric, and that is a range of 80 miles (129 kilometers). The report also suggests a starting price in the ballpark of $35k before incentives.In related news, Honda and Hitachi have joined forces to develop and sell electric motors. The joint ventures name will be revealed this month. Now that the South Korean automotive producer has revealed the second body style in the new i30 line-up, namely the Wagon that made its public debut in Geneva, we can look forward to the already-confirmed fastback.It's worth noting that the five-door incarnation of the i30 could land in North America as the 2018 Elantra Fastback.The carmaker is expected to release the model at this fall's Frankfurt Motor Show and we are now looking at the freshest spyshots of the compact vehicle.For one thing, you shouldn't allow the heavy camouflage trick you. For instance, the sloping roofline is considerably sexier than the rear window camo suggests.In Europe, the gas line-up will kick off with a 1.0-liter T-GDI three-cylinder mill delivering 118 hp (120 PS), followed by a 1.4-liter turbo-four producing 138 hp (140 PS). On the diesel front, Hyundai offers three power levels for its 1.6-liter mill, with power ranging between 94 and 131 hp (95-136 PS).Nevertheless, the US market could receive a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder powerplant.Hyundai now packs an impressive amount of features into the i30, from full-LED headlights that offer high beam assist technology, to adaptive cruise control that works up to 112 mph (120 km/h) and a driver attention monitoring system. Note that the latter is a first for the company.The carmaker's updated design language should turn the fastback incarnation of the i30 into a looker, so we're eager to see that camouflage disappearing. Its models are not the most popular on the Old Continent, and their price had nothing to do with that. The company continues its European offensive with the Tigor, a subcompact automobile. While it may appear to be a hatchback, its rear window is not raised with the trunk lid, which makes this model a fastback.Essentially, this is a shortened sedan, initially designed for the Indian market, which has a tax restriction for the models sold there. The results were not always attractive, especially since the original cars were longer, and they were roughly cut to fit the rule.That restriction involves higher taxes on automobiles that are longer than four meters (13,12 feet), which made many automakers adapt their cars for that requirement.Tata has designed the Tigor from scratch to be shorter than four meters, and the result is acceptable when the design is concerned. We are not saying we like the look of this car, but it is better than we expected from something like the Tigor.While it may be launched to become the cheapest model in its class, that will not ensure its success on the Old Continent. Tatas Tigor will have to obtain a good rating in the EuroNCAP tests, and their result will have to be backed by a carefully planned marketing campaign First of all, people will have to learn about the existence of Tata Motors. Secondly, potential clients will then have to get to trust the brand with their hard-earned money.Customers in this part of the market are very frugal, and they like to know that what they buy is a solid product, capable of withstanding many years of use without costly repairs and maintenance.We hope that this car gets a chance on the European market, but they will have to work for that opportunity. They bought two just in case one gets crashed or burns its clutch. Those things happened a lot with the old reasonably priced cars. God knows the MINI Cooper featured last year suffered a fate worse than death on the improvised rallycross track.We're pleased to announce season 24 will have a standard race track. Toyota UK also made a few safety modifications to the coupes. The pointless back seats were replaced with scaffolding, and bucket seats with racing harnesses were installed.The one thing I don't get is the manual gearbox when the photos I've seen suggested an automatic model. Considering how many rich celebs didn't know how to drive stick, it would have been better to with an auto. But considering it's heavier and less powerful, the auto model would have a lap time handicap.This official video from Top Gear is presented by Jack Rix, the guy who's seen a fair share of criticism last year on YouTube for messing up drag races. Fortunately, the people who come on the show will get plenty of tuition from the Stig and Chris Harris, the reviewer who showered the GT 86 with plenty of attention over the years. In fact, why don't we share a few of his old reviews?It seems hard to believe, but the GT 86 has been with us since 2012. The mid-life update introduces a new front-end design that's full of LEDs. Behind that sits a slightly revised 2.0-liter boxer engine with 5 more horsepower.The manual models have a new intake and exhaust manifolds, while all versions get a stiffer strut brace. The shocks have been reworked, while the springs are 10% firmer at the front and 15% softer in the rear. A couple hundred of Marines deployed to Syria with heavy artillery guns in preparation to force ISIS out of Raqqa, according to an AP report. The Marines will establish an outpost from which they can fire artillery guns, the Washington Post reports. The deployment is temporary but notable since the Pentagon has hesitated to use such conventional forces in Syria in the past. This might also indicate the White House plans to give the Pentagon more leeway in making decisions about combat without consulting the White House first. (Under Obama, military commanders report they often felt micromanaged having to ask permission to make daily decisions on fighting ISIS.) However, it is worth noting that two U.S. officials told the Washington Post this plan has been in the works for some time. What's Next: The Pentagon would not publicly confirm the move due to security reasons, per Fox, but the U.S. Central Command chief Gen. Joe Votel will likely testify before Congress Thursday about it. 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 CHARLESTON -- Kevin Oakley's 10 years on the Charleston school board ended when the board voted to accept his resignation Wednesday. Oakley submitted his resignation because of a change in his residence that meant he was no longer eligible for the seat he held. No timeline has been announced for appointing someone to complete the last two years of Oakley's term. The school district first must advertise the vacancy and conduct an interview process of perspective members. Oakley's board seat was one representing the part of the district outside an area roughly equal to the city limits of Charleston. He's moving into the city and would no longer be eligible for a seat from that part of the district. He first served two terms on the board before not running for re-election in 2011, citing job duties. He said that changed and led to his decision to run for the board again two years ago. Other board votes Wednesday, which addressed staffing for the 2017-18 school year, included: Appointing Jim Wood as assistant principal at Charleston High School. Wood is currently a CHS science teacher and the school's athletic director. Current CHS Assistant Principal Tim Keefe will be the Charleston Middle School principal next year, when current CMS Principal Chad Burgett becomes the district's assistant superintendent. Appointing Robert Lynn as assistant principal of Jefferson Elementary School and the district's special education coordinator. Lynn is currently a special education teacher at CMS. Current Jefferson Assistant Principal Patti Murphy now splits time at Carl Sandurg Elementary School but will be at Carl Sandburg full time next year. Cathy Chaplin, the current special education coordinator, is retiring. Transferring CMS Assistant Principal Brad Oakley, also Ashmore Elementary School principal, to a physical education teaching position at CMS. Oakley requested the change. Eliminating an elementary teacher and speech pathologist position as cost saving measures by not filling retirement vacancies. CHARLESTON -- The Charleston school board Wednesday opted for a change in the district's school bus service by hiring a company that submitted the lower of two bids for the service. The moved ended a relationship of more than 30 years between the district and the company is uses now. But while a representative of that company claimed its proposal was actually lower, a district official said there were some differences in the the proposals the district received. Financial consultant Dean Keller said he was confident the cost figures he provided were accurate. "The only information I gave you came right off the bids," he said. The board voted 5-1 to award the contract to Illinois Central School Bus, which submitted a proposal that was nearly $150,000 less than the one from the current provider, First Student Transportation. Board member Jason Coe voted against awarding the contract to Illinois Central and member Scott Clarke didn't attend the meeting. For each of the three years of the proposal, Illinois Central's bid was lower than First Student's by about a $49,000 average, totaling about $6.47 million to $6.62 million. "Neither one of these is a bargain," Keller said. "Both are going to be a significant increase in your transportation costs." Joseph Eversole, First Student area general manager, asked the board to postpone the vote on the contract. He said "I firmly believe" that the company's proposal would actually cost about $58,000 less over the three years of the agreement. Keller said the difference in the two bids, the only proposals the district received, was in the area of bus aides, who help with students on buses in some cases. Illinois Central followed the district's bid request but First Student did not, he explained Eversole also told the board that First Student planned to increase driver pay from $11 to $15 per hour, which he said would be a benefit to local bus company employees. In response, Coe said he was concerned about the expense to the district's taxpayers. Eversole said there's a "severe driver shortage" in the area and some drivers travel from different parts of the state to work in the Charleston area. The higher wages could attract more local drivers and "may actually save the district in the long run" because of lower travel expense reimbursements, he said. Superintendent Jim Littleford said he thought it was likely that Illinois Central would use drivers from the same pool as First Student uses. Keller said the district sought bids when it did so if a new company were hired it would have time to prepare. First Student has a bus garage in Charleston but Illinois Central doesn't have a local facility. He also said a second bidding process might bring only one bid without a competing proposal to help lower costs. Board President Ron Miller said that move would send "an interesting message" to companies who might submit bids to the district. He also said the lower cost of Illinois Central's proposal was enough to cover a teacher's salary. Coe said he voted against giving Illinois Central the contract because he thought the board "should have discussed rebidding." The following companies are subsidiares of Procter & Gamble: "Petersburg Products International" LLC, "Procter & Gamble Services" LLC, "Procter & Gamble" LLC, 1837 LLC, Agile Pursuits Franchising Inc., Agile Pursuits Inc., Ambi Pur, Arbora & Ausonia, Arbora & Ausonia S.L.U., Avon - Giorgio Beverly Hills, Billie, Braun GmbH, Braun Shanghai Co. Ltd., Celtic Insurance Company Inc., Charlie Banana USA LLC, Corporativo Procter & Gamble S. de R.L. de C.V., DDFSkincare, Detergent Products B.V., Detergent Products SARL, Detergenti S.A., FPG Oleochemicals Sdn. Bhd., Fameccanica Data S.p.A., Fameccanica Industria e Comercio Do Brasil LTDA., Fameccanica Machinery Shanghai Co. Ltd., Fameccanica North America Inc., Farmacy Beauty, Fater Central Europe SRL, Fater Eastern Europe LLC, Fater Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Fater S.p.A., Fater Temizlik Urunleri Ltd STI, First Aid Beauty, First Aid Beauty Limited, Folgers Coffee, Fountain Square Music Publishing Co. Inc., Gillette Australia Pty. Ltd., Gillette China Limited, Gillette Commercial Operations North America, Gillette Diversified Operations Pvt. Ltd., Gillette Egypt S.A.E., Gillette Group UK Ltd, Gillette Holding Company LLC, Gillette Holding GmbH, Gillette India Limited, Gillette Industries Ltd., Gillette International B.V., Gillette Latin America Holding B.V., Gillette Management LLC, Gillette Pakistan Limited, Gillette Poland International Sp. z.o.o., Gillette Shanghai Ltd., Gillette U.K. Limited, Gillette del Uruguay S.A., Hyginett KFT, Industries Marocaines Modernes SA, Inversiones Plaza LLC, LLC "Procter & Gamble - Novomoskovsk", LLC "Procter & Gamble Distributorskaya Compania", LLC Procter & and Gamble Ukraine, Laboratoire Mediflor S.A.S., Laboratorios Vicks S.L.U., Lamberts Healthcare Ltd., Liberty Street Music Publishing Company Inc., Limited Liability Company 'Procter & Gamble Trading Ukraine', MDVIP, MERCK KGAA NPV, Marcvenca Inversiones C.A., Merck Consumer Healthcare, Modern Industries Company - Dammam, Modern Products Company - Jeddah, Native, Nature's Best Health Products Ltd., New Chapter Canada Inc., New Chapter Inc., Nioxin Research Laboratories, Noxell Corporation, OUAI, Olay LLC, Oral-B Laboratories, P&G Consumer Health Germany GmbH, P&G Distribution East Africa Limited, P&G Distribution Morocco SAS, P&G Hair Care Holding Inc., P&G Health Austria GmbH & Co. OG, P&G Health France S.A.S., P&G Health Germany GmbH, P&G Healthcare Zhejiang Limited, P&G Industrial Peru S.R.L., P&G Innovation Godo Kaisha, P&G Investment Management Ltd., P&G Israel M.D.O. Ltd., P&G Japan G.K., P&G K.K., P&G Northeast Asia Pte. Ltd., P&G Prestige Godo Kaisha, P&G South African Trading Pty. Ltd., P&G-Clairol, PG13 Launchpad Alpha Inc., PG13 Launchpad Beta Inc., PG13 Launchpad Gamma Inc., PGT Healthcare LLP, PT Procter & Gamble Home Products Indonesia, PT Procter & Gamble Operations Indonesia, Phase II Holdings Corporation, Pressbox, Procter & Gamble Algeria EURL, Procter & Gamble Amazon Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Amiens S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Argentina SRL, Procter & Gamble Asia Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Australia Proprietary Limited, Procter & Gamble Azerbaijan Services LLC, Procter & Gamble Bangladesh Private Ltd., Procter & Gamble Blois S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Brazil Holdings B.V., Procter & Gamble Bulgaria EOOD, Procter & Gamble Business Services Canada Company, Procter & Gamble Canada Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Chengdu Ltd., Procter & Gamble Chile Limitada, Procter & Gamble China Ltd., Procter & Gamble China Sales Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Colombia Ltda., Procter & Gamble Commercial LLC, Procter & Gamble Czech Republic s.r.o., Procter & Gamble DS Polska Sp. z o.o., Procter & Gamble Danmark ApS, Procter & Gamble Detergent Beijing Ltd., Procter & Gamble Deutschland GmbH, Procter & Gamble Distributing New Zealand Limited, Procter & Gamble Distributing Philippines Inc., Procter & Gamble Distribution Company Europe BV, Procter & Gamble Distribution S.R.L., Procter & Gamble Eastern Europe LLC, Procter & Gamble Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Procter & Gamble Egypt, Procter & Gamble Egypt Distribution, Procter & Gamble Egypt Holding, Procter & Gamble Egypt Manufacturing Company, Procter & Gamble Egypt Supplies, Procter & Gamble Energy Company LLC, Procter & Gamble Espana S.A.U., Procter & Gamble Far East Inc., Procter & Gamble Finance Holding Ltd., Procter & Gamble Finance Management S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Finance U.K. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Financial Investments LLP, Procter & Gamble Financial Services Ltd., Procter & Gamble Financial Services S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Finland OY, Procter & Gamble France S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Germany GmbH, Procter & Gamble Germany GmbH & Co. Operations oHG, Procter & Gamble Ghana Trading Limited, Procter & Gamble GmbH, Procter & Gamble Grundstucks-und Vermogensverwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG, Procter & Gamble Guangzhou Consumer Products Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Guangzhou Enterprise Management Service Company Limited, Procter & Gamble Guangzhou Ltd., Procter & Gamble Guangzhou Technology Innovation Co. LTD., Procter & Gamble Gulf FZE, Procter & Gamble Hair Care LLC, Procter & Gamble Health & Beauty Care Limited, Procter & Gamble Health Belgium BV, Procter & Gamble Health Limited, Procter & Gamble Health Ltd., Procter & Gamble Health Poland Sp. z o.o., Procter & Gamble Hellas Single Member Ltd., Procter & Gamble Holding France S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Holding GmbH, Procter & Gamble Holding S.r.l., Procter & Gamble Holding Thailand Limited, Procter & Gamble Holdings UK Ltd., Procter & Gamble Home Products Private Limited, Procter & Gamble Honduras S de RL, Procter & Gamble Hong Kong Limited, Procter & Gamble Hungary Wholesale Trading Partnership KKT, Procter & Gamble Hygiene & Health Care Limited, Procter & Gamble Inc., Procter & Gamble India Holdings Inc., Procter & Gamble Indochina Company Limited, Procter & Gamble Industrial - 2012 C.A., Procter & Gamble Industrial S.C.A., Procter & Gamble Industrial e Comercial Ltda., Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Costa Rica Limitada, Procter & Gamble Interamericas de El Salvador Limitada de Capital Variable, Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Guatemala Limitada, Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Panama S. de R.L., Procter & Gamble International Operations SA, Procter & Gamble International Operations SA-ROHQ, Procter & Gamble International Sarl, Procter & Gamble Investment Company UK Ltd., Procter & Gamble Investment Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Italia S.p.A., Procter & Gamble Jiangsu Ltd., Procter & Gamble Kazakhstan Distribution LLP, Procter & Gamble Korea Inc., Procter & Gamble Korea S&D Co., Procter & Gamble L&CP Limited, Procter & Gamble Leasing LLC, Procter & Gamble Levant S.A.L., Procter & Gamble Limited, Procter & Gamble Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Belgium N.V., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Berlin GmbH, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing GmbH, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Ireland Limited, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing SA Pty Ltd, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Thailand Limited, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Tianjin Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Marketing Romania SRL, Procter & Gamble Mataro S.L.U., Procter & Gamble Mexico Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Mexico Inc., Procter & Gamble Middle East FZE, Procter & Gamble Nederland B.V., Procter & Gamble Netherlands Services B.V., Procter & Gamble Nigeria Limited, Procter & Gamble Norge AS, Procter & Gamble Operations Polska Sp. z o.o., Procter & Gamble Overseas India B.V., Procter & Gamble Overseas Ltd., Procter & Gamble Pakistan Private Limited, Procter & Gamble Peru S.R.L., Procter & Gamble Philippines Business Services Inc., Procter & Gamble Philippines Inc., Procter & Gamble Polska Sp. z o.o, Procter & Gamble Portugal - Produtos De Consumo Higiene e Saude S.A., Procter & Gamble Product Supply U.K. Limited, Procter & Gamble Productions Inc., Procter & Gamble RHD Inc., Procter & Gamble RSC Regional Service Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble Retail Services Sarl, Procter & Gamble S.r.l., Procter & Gamble Service GmbH, Procter & Gamble Services Company N.V., Procter & Gamble Services Switzerland SA, Procter & Gamble Singapore Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Spol. s.r.o. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Sverige AB, Procter & Gamble Switzerland SARL, Procter & Gamble Taiwan Limited, Procter & Gamble Taiwan Sales Company Limited, Procter & Gamble Technical Centres Limited, Procter & Gamble Technology Beijing Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Trading Thailand Limited, Procter & Gamble Tuketim Mallari Sanayii A.S., Procter & Gamble UK, Procter & Gamble UK Group Holdings Ltd, Procter & Gamble UK Parent Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble Universal Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Vietnam Company Limited, Procter & Gamble d.o.o. za trgovinu, Procter & Gamble de Venezuela S.C.A., Procter & Gamble de Venezuela S.R.L., Procter & Gamble do Brasil Ltda., Procter & Gamble do Brazil LLC, Procter & Gamble do Nordeste S/A, Procter & Gamble doo Beograd, Procter & Gamble-Rakona s.r.o., Procter and Gamble Lanka Private Limited, Procter and Gamble SA Pty Ltd., Progam Realty & Development Corporation, Recovery Engineering, Redmond Products Inc., Richardson-Vicks, Richardson-Vicks Real Estate Inc., Riverfront Music Publishing Co. Inc., Rosemount LLC, SPD Development Company Limited, SPD Swiss Precision Diagnostics GmbH, Series Acquisition B.V., Seven Seas Limited, Shulton Inc., Snowberry, Snowberry New Zealand Limited, Sunflower Distributing LLC, TAOS - FL LLC, TAOS Retail LLC, THIS IS L, TULA, Tambrands, Tambrands Inc., Temple Trees Impex & Investment Private Limited, The Art of Shaving, The Art of Shaving - FL LLC, The Dover Wipes Company, The Gillette Company, The Gillette Company LLC, The Gillette co., The Iams Company Inc., The Procter & Gamble Distributing LLC, The Procter & Gamble Global Finance Company LLC, The Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Company, The Procter & Gamble Paper Products Company, The Procter & Gamble U.S. Business Services Company, This is L., This is L. Inc., Thomas Hedley Co, US CD LLC, Vidal Sassoon Shanghai Academy, VitaminHaus Pty Ltd, Walker & Co. Brands Inc., Walker & Company Brands, Wella AG, Zenlen Inc., Zirh, and iMFLUX Inc.. Read More Derwent London plc owns 83 buildings in a commercial real estate portfolio predominantly in central London valued at 5.4 billion (including joint ventures) as at 30 June 2020, making it the largest London-focused real estate investment trust (REIT). Our experienced team has a long track record of creating value throughout the property cycle by regenerating our buildings via development or refurbishment, effective asset management and capital recycling. We typically acquire central London properties off-market with low capital values and modest rents in improving locations, most of which are either in the West End or the Tech Belt. We capitalise on the unique qualities of each of our properties - taking a fresh approach to the regeneration of every building with a focus on anticipating tenant requirements and an emphasis on design. Reflecting and supporting our long-term success, the business has a strong balance sheet with modest leverage, a robust income stream and flexible financing. As part of our commitment to lead the industry in mitigating climate change, in October 2019, Derwent London became the first UK REIT to sign a Green Revolving Credit Facility. At the same time, we also launched our Green Finance Framework and signed the Better Buildings Partnership's climate change commitment. The Group is a member of the 'RE100' which recognises Derwent London as an influential company, committed to 100% renewable power by purchasing renewable energy, a key step in becoming a net zero carbon business. Derwent London is one of only a few property companies worldwide to have science-based carbon targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Landmark schemes in our 5.6 million sq ft portfolio include 80 Charlotte Street W1, Brunel Building W2, White Collar Factory EC1, Angel Building EC1, 1-2 Stephen Street W1, Horseferry House SW1 and Tea Building E1. In 2019, the Group won several awards including EG Offices Company of the Year, the CoStar West End Deal of the Year for Brunel Building, Westminster Business Council's Best Achievement in Sustainability award and topped the real estate sector and was placed ninth overall in the Management Today 2019 awards for 'Britain's Most Admired Companies'. In 2013 the Company launched a voluntary Community Fund and has to date supported over 100 community projects in the West End and the Tech Belt. The Company is a public limited company, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange and incorporated and domiciled in the UK. The address of its registered office is 25 Savile Row, London, CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Browns have effectively replaced Terrelle Pryor with former Rams receiver Kenny Britt, and now it appears Pryor might not be back. They Browns signed Britt, 28, to a four-year deal worth $32.5 million, including $17 milion guaranteed. His $8.1 million a year is close to the $8 million to $9 million a year that the Browns offered Pryor. Sources told cleveland.com that Pryor was seeking elite receiver money -- in the $15 million a year range. He hit the market at 4 p.m. and visited the Redskins last night. The Eagles, who hoped to sign Britt (6-3, 223), signed former 49ers receiver Torrey Smith, and former Bear Alshon Jeffery, meaning Pryor is not an option for them. Britt, 28, caught 68 passes for 1,002 yards and five TDs with the Rams last season. He was in Los Angeles last season with Browns defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who undoubtedly helped recruit him to Cleveland. "Kenny's been a proven playmaker in the National Football League," coach Hue Jackson said in a release. "Obviously, he brings credentials to the position and to the Cleveland Browns. He's a big guy. He's fast, tough. He's made plays in his career, and we're looking forward to him doing the same thing here." A first-round pick of the Titans in 2009 out of Rutgers, Britt had production very similar to Pryor's last season (77 catches, 1,007 yards, 4 TDs). At this point, it's uncertain if the Browns' original offer to Pryor still stands. Last year, right tackle Mitchell Schwartz came back to the Browns to accept their original offer and it was no longer the same. The Eagles, Vikings, Redskins, Patriots and Giants all expressed interested in Britt. "Kenny is really excited to play for Hue,'' his agent, Fadde Mikhail told cleveland.com. "Hue runs an explosive offense and that was important to Kenny. Hue was a key figure in this whole thing.'' Holland America Lines Oosterdam has earned a perfect score of 100 on a routine United States Public Health (USPH) inspection conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), according to a statement from the Seattle-based cruise line. Oosterdams unannounced USPH inspection was held March 3, 2017, during a turnaround at Tampa, Florida, at the start of a seven-day Caribbean cruise. As a company we strive for the highest standards in all areas of operation across the fleet, and our recent public health inspections are a testament to how hard everyone is working to achieve these perfect scores, said Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line. Congratulations to everyone onboard Oosterdam and all of our employees who worked endlessly to make it happen once again. Along with Eurodam in 2017, six Holland America Line ships previously earned perfect scores in 2016, including Koningsdam, ms Maasdam, ms Veendam, ms Noordam and ms Westerdam. The year prior seven ships received 10 perfect scores: Eurodam, Noordam, Veendam, ms Zuiderdam, ms Nieuw Amsterdam, ms Ryndam and ms Statendam. Jamaica is seeing its numbers improve as a cruise destination in the Caribbean with 518 cruise ship port calls in 2016 and more than two million passengers expected in 2017, according to a statement. Recently, Jamaica welcomed nine ships on the same day. Jamaicas Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Edmund Bartlett and Director of Tourism Paul Pennicook will lead discussions on the islands new Cruise Jamaica initiative at an upcoming cruise trade event. Jamaica is experiencing monumental growth as a cruise destination and this is an invaluable opportunity for us to meet with key industry influencers, thought leaders and spokespersons. Together we will discuss issues faced by the industry as a whole and how Jamaica can continue to promote the growth of the cruise sector," said Minister Bartlett. A proposed settlement was submitted to the court for approval Wednesday which would conclude the data breach lawsuit brought against Home Depot stemming from a 2014 data breach. CUNA, state leagues and a number of credit unions are among the plaintiffs. Credit unions and their members have unfortunately borne the brunt of lax merchant data security standards. This settlement would be a step toward making them whole again. We believe this settlement represents one of the better outcomes in data breach litigation, said CUNA President/CEO Jim Nussle. Were hopeful credit unions will see more victories in data breach suits going forward. In the meantime, CUNA will continue pursuing a legislative solution that will result in stricter merchant data security standards, making it much harder for merchants to compromise payment card information. Home Depot acknowledged that the September 2014 data breach compromised 56 million credit and debit cards. CUNAs research into the data breach found that it cost credit unions around $60 million. Each year, Credit Union Magazine honors some of the credit union movements heroesthose individuals who relentlessly promote credit union philosophy, dedicate themselves to credit union principles, and make a difference in their communities. Its time to select Credit Union Magazines 2017 Credit Union Hero of the Year, sponsored by CSCU. This years nominees are: Amy Nelson, Point West Credit Union, Portland, Ore.; Dan Newberry, TTCU The Credit Union, Tulsa, Okla.; Karen Reams, Millstream Area Credit Union, Findlay, Ohio; and James Schenck, Pentagon Federal Credit Union, Tysons, Va. Voting will take place through April 15. Well honor this years winner (or a representative) at CUNAs Americas Credit Union Conference in Las Vegas, June 25-28. Click here to read profiles of the candidates and cast your vote. Serviciile SUA au penetrat Rusia la cel mai inalt nivel. Gosu: Ce s-a intamplat inainte de invadarea Ucrainei, fara precedent in istorie BETHESDA, MD - The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) applauds yesterday's passage of S-201, the Genetic Non-Discrimination Act, in a 222-60 vote by the Parliament of Canada's House of Commons. Because of minor technical changes, the bill must still be passed by the Senate. "At a time when genetic testing is increasingly being incorporated into clinical care and researchers are performing analyses of human genomes on an unprecedented scale, it is critical that the genetic information of patients and research participants alike is not misused," said Nancy J. Cox, PhD, president of ASHG. "If approved by the Parliament of Canada, S-201 will help ensure that all Canadians can benefit from genetics-based clinical advances without fear of genetic discrimination." If it becomes law, the legislation will protect individuals from being required to undergo a genetic test, or disclose the results of a test, as a condition of acquiring a good or service or entering into a contractual agreement. In addition, it will prohibit employers from requiring employees to undergo genetic testing or disclose testing results, or from taking discriminatory action against employees who refuse to undergo testing or reveal results. It will also amend the Canadian Human Rights Act to prohibit discrimination on the ground of genetic characteristics. "Passage of S-201 will help ensure not only that an individual's genetic information remains private, but also that this information cannot be used in a way that harms them," explained Derek Scholes, PhD, ASHG's director of science policy. "Such protections will reassure the public that they can participate in genetic research or undergo a genetic test without worrying that the findings will be used to discriminate against them." ASHG has long supported S-201 and other measures protecting against genetic discrimination. In November 2016, nearly 200 Canadian members and their colleagues signed on to a letter to Parliament supporting the bill. Earlier in the year, the Society awarded its 2016 Advocacy Award to the Canadian Coalition for Genetic Fairness and former Senator James Cowan, LLM, QC, for their efforts to prevent genetic discrimination. And in the United States, ASHG spent 13 years advocating for the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, which was enacted in 2008. "I'm very grateful to the genetics community for their support of S-201," said former Senator Cowan. "They were critical in helping to explain to Canadians the need for such a law, and their vocal support throughout the process was instrumental in showing the public and Parliament why it was so important," he said. "As an international society that represents genetics professionals in many countries, we recognize the need for protections against genetic discrimination worldwide, and we welcome the establishment of such protections in Canada," said Dr. Cox. ### A new model of healthcare that focuses on a stronger role for nurses in primary care has been associated with a higher uptake of insulin treatment among patients with type 2 diabetes, reports a study published in The BMJ today. By 2030, almost 600 million people will have type 2 diabetes, therefore, innovation in delivering effective clinical care to patients with type 2 diabetes is an urgent global priority. Guidelines in the UK, US and Europe recommend early adoption of insulin treatment to improve long term outcomes. However, insulin initiation is often delayed, particularly in primary care, because of barriers in clinical practice. A team of researchers, led by John Furler from the University of Melbourne, assessed the outcomes of implementing "The Stepping Up" model of care that focuses on addressing some of the barriers seen in clinical practice, by enabling nurses to lead on insulin treatment initiation among patients within the practice as a part of routine care. By focusing on an enhanced role for the practice nurse, who is trained and mentored by a registered nurse with diabetes educator credentials, the model uses existing resources within the practice in a bid to improve outcomes. The study compared patients enrolled in an intervention group where they had consultations with the practice nurse as part of the Stepping Up Model, with a control group where patients received usual healthcare. In total, 266 patients took part and were based across 74 practices in Australia. Results show the model was associated with significantly higher rates of insulin initiation 105/151 (70%) patients starting insulin, compared with 25/115 (22%) in control practices. After 12 months, patients had significantly better HbA1c levels (an important measure of glucose in the blood), which is associated with better long term outcomes, such as reduced rates of kidney and eye disease, compared to the control group. The authors note the study may be subject to selection bias, and the patients in the study may not be representative of all people with diabetes. Nevertheless, they say "our results indicate that, with appropriate support and redesign of the practice system, insulin initiation can become part of routine diabetes management in primary care, obviating the need to refer to specialist services with geographical, cost, and accessibility barriers." "Our pragmatic, translational study has important implications for policymakers, funders, and practitioners seeking innovative ways to provide the best care for people with type 2 diabetes in primary care," they conclude. ### Research: Supporting insulin initiation in type 2 diabetes in primary care: results of the Stepping Up pragmatic cluster randomised controlled clinical trial About the journal The BMJ has been at the forefront of innovative thinking and practice in healthcare since 1840 and is now the fourth most cited general medical journal in the world. For more information, visit the website. Boston - Pregnancy and the time after giving birth can be particularly emotional for many women. In fact, when screened in their doctor's office, approximately 13 percent of women respond that they experience depression during those times. Low-income women are particularly vulnerable. A study in 2010 showed that more than half of urban, low-income women would meet the criteria for a depression diagnosis when screened between two weeks to 14 months postpartum. In 2016, the United States Preventive Services Task Force concluded that screening certain patients for depression, including pregnant and postpartum women, in their primary care physician office could improve their health outcomes. However, while these women are being screened, many do not receive appropriate follow up care or a referral for treatment when they screen positive. Boston Medical Center (BMC) researchers are working to address the gap in treatment for these women and improve their health outcomes by comparing two interventions that take place in the patient's primary care physician offices. The study, funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), will evaluate whether providing initial depression treatment in a primary care setting will result in fewer disparities for low-income women, as well as when during the pregnancy and postpartum period is the most accurate time to screen for depression. For women who screen positive, one group will meet with peer (non-MD) providers for one or two sessions to help engage them and process the results of their screen to determine appropriate next steps. This approach, called Engagement-Focused Care Coordination, helps providers motivate these women to explore treatment options and connect them with mental health services outside of their primary care office when necessary. The second group of women will meet with a peer provider, again in their primary care physician's office, for six sessions. This approach, called Problem Solving Education, provides immediate cognitive-behavioral health services, as well as a referral to additional treatment if their symptoms persist. "This study will allow us to better understand the when and the how of getting these women access to critical behavioral health services," said Michael Silverstein, MD, MPH, a pediatrician at BMC. In order to increase access to behavioral health services, many health practices and systems are integrating these services into primary care practices, creating a more holistic approach to patient care. However, this is not yet widespread, leaving many barriers to accessing behavioral health services for many patients. "Depression is a serious health issue and we need to do a better job getting these women access to treatment for the health and safety of these patients and their families," added Silverstein, who also is associate professor of pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine. "We will work to identify best practices and guidelines that can be replicated in practices across the country to greatly benefit patients' mental health outcomes." ### The three-year, $2.1 million study was selected through a highly competitive review process in which patients, clinicians, and other stakeholders joined clinical scientists to evaluate the proposals. Applications were assessed for scientific merit, how well they will engage patients and other stakeholders, and their methodological rigor, among other criteria. Silverstein's award has been approved pending completion of a business and programmatic review by PCORI staff and issuance of a formal award contract. PORI is an independent, nonprofit organization authorized by Congress in 2010. Its mission is to fund research that will provide patients, their caregivers, and clinicians with the evidence-based information needed to make better-informed healthcare decisions. For more information about PCORI's funding, visit http://www.pcori.org. About Boston Medical Center Boston Medical Center is a private, not-for-profit, 487-bed, academic medical center that is the primary teaching affiliate of Boston University School of Medicine. It is the largest and busiest provider of trauma and emergency services in New England. It offers specialized care for complex health problems and is a leading research institution, receiving more than $119 million in sponsored research funding in fiscal year 2015. In 1997, BMC founded Boston Medical Center Health Plan, Inc., now one of the top ranked Medicaid MCOs in the country, as a non-profit managed care organization serving Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine are partners in the Boston HealthNet - 14 community health centers focused on providing exceptional health care to residents of Boston. For more information, please visit http://www.bmc.org. You might expect that the miniature brains and eyes of tiny robber flies would limit their ability to launch sophisticated in-flight predatory attacks on their prey. But, according to researchers reporting in Current Biology on March 9 who've captured the rice-sized predators' tactics on film, that's not so. Their movies show that robber flies sit and wait for a tempting prey item (or a bead) to fly past. Once they do, the flies take off using an interception strategy known as constant bearing angle (CBA), keeping their prey at a constant angle to ensure that they'll eventually meet. That's impressive, but there's more. Once the robber fly reaches a distance of about 30 centimeters from its target, it "locks on," slowing down and curving its flight path to make a successful catch even more likely. Their secret to pulling it off is all in the eyes. "We knew that these flies likely had an improved vision compared to other true flies, but we never imagined that they would give dragonflies, which are ten times larger, a run for their money with regards to spatial resolution of the retina," says Paloma Gonzalez-Bellido of the University of Cambridge. "Likewise, although we expected these flies to employ CBA, we were surprised by their use of a lock-on phase to ease the capture." The researchers, including Gonzalez-Bellido and Trevor Wardill, made their discovery by presenting flies in their natural habitats with beads ranging from about 1 to 4 millimeters in diameter on a fishing line. They recorded the flies' reaction to seeing one of those beads zoom past using two high-speed video cameras. The films allowed them to reconstruct the insects' precise flight trajectories in three dimensions. The films revealed the flies' unexpectedly sophisticated flight paths. The evidence also showed that the flies, with a body only about 6 millimeters long, have eyes capable of detecting prey items smaller than 2 millimeters up to 100 body lengths away. To further explore the flies' visual abilities, the researchers investigated the internal anatomy of their eyes. Their studies revealed a series of adaptations in essential structures of the eye that optimize the spatial resolution, creating an area of remarkably high acuity, known as a fovea. "We have shown that when such a miniature nervous system is under strong pressure, the resulting adaptions allow the animal to find solutions that we often think pertaining to much larger animals," Gonzalez-Bellido says. "For example, an acute fovea and the use of CBA are known from large predators, including humans." In other words, even the littlest creatures can have impressive sensory and cognitive abilities. The researchers say they're still working to understand how the insects know when to lock on and shift their path and speed. They're also exploring how the behavior is driven at the cellular level. ### This work was funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, an Isaac Newton Trust/Wellcome Trust ISSF/University of Cambridge Joint Research Grant, a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council David Phillips Fellowship, a Royal Society International Exchange Scheme grant, a Swedish Research Council grant, and a Shared Equipment Grant from the School of Biological Sciences (University of Cambridge). Current Biology, Wardill and Fabian et al.: "A Novel Interception Strategy in a Miniature Robber Fly with Extreme Visual Acuity" http://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(17)30085-4 Current Biology (@CurrentBiologyCurrent Biology strives to foster communication across fields of biology, both by publishing important findings of general interest and through highly accessible front matter for non-specialists. Visit: http://www.cell.com/current-biology. To receive Cell Press media alerts, contact press@cell.com. March 9, 2017--Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) scientists have released a new global, centralized database of plant root traits, or identifying characteristics, that can advance our understanding of how the hidden structure of plants belowground may interact with and relate to life aboveground. The Fine-Root Ecology Database (FRED) brings together information from observations and experiments around the world into one accessible online resource, available publicly at no charge. Version 1 of FRED contains more than 70,000 observations of some 300 different types of root traits as well as associated data such as soil temperature, moisture, and sunlight, from about 800 data sources. The Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science funds the work. "We think a lot about what's happening beneath our feet, how roots are entangled with the surrounding soil environment, and we're trying to predict what might happen to plants and soils in the future as the environment changes," said principal investigator Colleen Iversen, senior scientist in ORNL's Environmental Sciences Division and Climate Change Science Institute (CCSI). "We're interested in root responses to the environment, and in the interactions between roots and the above-ground portion of a plant, but it's been difficult to find the data to inform our thinking or to represent roots in models. FRED helps to solve this problem." FRED Version 1 is detailed in a newly published article in New Phytologist, "A global Fine-Root Ecology Database to address belowground challenges in plant ecology." Luke McCormack, a plant ecologist at the University of Minnesota who helped design and build FRED, said, "One of our biggest goals is to develop an understanding of how a root trait would change when you go from a cold ecosystem to a hot, tropical one, or from a really fertile soil to a nutrient-poor soil." Studying the entire matrix of plant ecology can lead to discoveries regarding general plant health, carbon storage, crop survival under drought conditions, and even how best to engineer plants for nutrient or water uptake, Iversen explained. FRED works to bring that data together and to let researchers see where gaps need to be filled. Although ORNL leads the project, Iversen notes that FRED is the result of collaboration across the United States and internationally. The researchers hope that FRED's release will encourage plant scientists to submit even more data. "We still have gaps in our understanding of processes happening in our own backyard," McCormack said. "We have measurements of white oaks in Tennessee, for instance, but we don't have the data to know how that particular species may respond in a different environment like Southern Georgia, Minnesota, or Maine." More data = better predictions Gathering and disseminating the data is essential to efforts to predict how plants may change under various conditions. Whereas a species likely will not disappear if it is stressed by a couple of seasonal droughts or a change in temperature, it will change and respond to those stresses, McCormack noted. "Without more data we can't make a good prediction as to what those changes might be--for instance, whether roots might change to be slower or faster in nutrient uptake," he said. Collaboration within ORNL has been essential to FRED, with researchers using the expertise within the Data theme of the CCSI to help assemble the database, including user guidance documents and website presentation. Iversen is lead for the Integrated Ecosystem Sciences theme at CCSI. The FRED team relied on post-Baccalaureate intern Shafer Powell, who works at the lab through a program sponsored by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), for much of the data input task. Powell recently celebrated filling in the one-millionth data cell in FRED, Iversen said. FRED was initially named the "Fantastic Root Ecology Database" by an enthusiastic Powell and another researcher helping with the project, Holly Vander Stel. The name was changed to reflect the project's emphasis on narrow-diameter, short-lived "fine" roots that help plants take up needed water and nutrients. But that enthusiasm for the database is contagious and fueled by the collaboration the researchers have appreciated with colleagues around the world. FRED a 'critical step' "While fine roots play an important role in ecosystem functions, fine-root traits are underrepresented in global trait databases," the New Phytologist article notes. "This has hindered efforts to analyze fine-root trait variation and link it with plant function and environmental conditions at a global scale. "FRED represents a critical step towards quantifying variation in fine-root traits within the root branching hierarchy, as well as across species, biomes, and environmental gradients while also building a platform for future assessments of trade-offs among root, leaf, and wood traits, and their role in ecosystem functioning," the researchers added in the journal article. Iversen and her fellow scientists have also submitted the FRED data to the existing TRY global plant trait databasehosted by the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Germany, which catalogs mostly aboveground characteristics of plants. "If you can analyze root, wood, and leaf traits together, you can potentially understand the entire plant or, in a perfect world, could even predict what a root will do based on a leaf or wood characteristic," Iversen said. The scientists expect to release a second version of FRED in 2018, with additional measurements, traits, and some analysis tools. ### ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle for DOE's Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. DOE's Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov. Anti-cancer drugs blocking the PD-1 pathway - known as checkpoint inhibitors - are now FDA-approved for melanoma, lung cancer and several other types of cancer. These drugs are often described as "releasing the brakes" on dysfunctional T cells. A new study from Emory Vaccine Center and Winship Cancer Institute researchers shows that even if the PD-1-imposed brakes are released, the tumor-specific T cells still need "fuel" to expand in numbers and restore effective immune responses. That fuel comes from co-stimulation through a molecule called CD28. The results will be published online by the journal Science on Thursday, March 9, 2017. Despite the success of PD-1-targeting drugs, many patients' tumors do not respond to them. The study's findings indicate that CD28's presence on T cells could be a clinical biomarker capable of predicting whether drugs targeting PD-1 will be effective. In addition, the requirement for CD28 suggests that co-stimulation may be missing for some patients, which could guide the design of combination therapies. "Many studies have assessed expression of inhibitory receptors on exhausted CD8 T cells, but positive co-stimulatory molecules have not been a major focus," says senior author Rafi Ahmed, PhD, director of Emory Vaccine Center and a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar. Ahmed adds: "We have recently defined the stem-cell-like subpopulation of T cells that can be reinvigorated by PD-1 targeted therapy. Now we demonstrate that in addition to PD-1 blockade, these cells also require co-stimulatory signals through CD28 to proliferate and differentiate into killer cells. We believe this increase in the number of killer cells is important for successful immunotherapy." In the Science paper, Emory Vaccine Center scientists conducted experiments in mice in which they showed that antibodies blocking CD28's interactions with its partner B7, or genetic deletion of CD28, prevented the proliferation of T cells in response to anti-PD-1 agents. To assess the importance of those findings for cancer immunotherapy, the researchers teamed up with physicians from Winship Cancer Institute, led by Winship's deputy director Suresh Ramalingam, MD, to analyze samples from lung cancer patients being treated with PD-1-blocking drugs. They monitored T cell responses in patients' blood and found that most of the CD8 T cells proliferating after PD-1 blockade expressed CD28. Yet, in biopsy samples from early stage lung cancer patients, the proportion of CD28-positive cells among tumor-infiltrating CD8 T cells was variable, ranging from 20 to 90 percent. These results suggest that only a subset of tumor-specific CD8 T cells will proliferate after PD-1-directed therapy, Ahmed says. "We observed that in tumors from lung cancer patients, many of the infiltrating PD-1+ CD8 T cells do not express CD28, and thus according to our data from experiments in mice, those CD28-negative cells may not proliferate when the PD-1 pathway is blocked," says lead author Alice Kamphorst, PhD, a research associate in Ahmed's lab. She adds that the requirement for CD28 co-stimulation points to the importance of nearby antigen-presenting cells providing CD28's partner molecule B7, which is not present on most tumor cells. The research team is now studying whether CD28 levels on tumor-specific T cells can predict the strength of lung cancer patients' response to PD-1-based drugs or their survival. "Our study sets the stage to evaluate CD28 as a predictive biomarker for patient selection for immune checkpoint inhibition in patients with cancer, and also paves the way for combination therapy approaches that might result in enhanced effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibition," says Ramalingam. "We are conducting clinical studies at Winship Cancer Institute to confirm our findings in patients with lung and other cancers." ### Other Emory and Winship co-authors include associate professor Taofeek Owonikoko, MD, assistant professor Rathi Pillai, MD, research associate Andreas Wieland, PhD and assistant professor Koichi Araki, PhD. Collaborators from NIAID (the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the University of Minnesota contributed to the paper. The research was supported by NIAID (R01AI30048, P01AI056299, P01AI080192) and by a preclinical grant from Merck. The search for extraterrestrial intelligence has looked for many different signs of alien life, from radio broadcasts to laser flashes, without success. However, newly published research suggests that mysterious phenomena called fast radio bursts could be evidence of advanced alien technology. Specifically, these bursts might be leakage from planet-sized transmitters powering interstellar probes in distant galaxies. "Fast radio bursts are exceedingly bright given their short duration and origin at great distances, and we haven't identified a possible natural source with any confidence," said theorist Avi Loeb of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. "An artificial origin is worth contemplating and checking." As the name implies, fast radio bursts are millisecond-long flashes of radio emission. First discovered in 2007, fewer than two dozen have been detected by gigantic radio telescopes like the Parkes Observatory in Australia or the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. They are inferred to originate from distant galaxies, billions of light-years away. Loeb and his co-author Manasvi Lingam (Harvard University) examined the feasibility of creating a radio transmitter strong enough for it to be detectable across such immense distances. They found that, if the transmitter were solar powered, the sunlight falling on an area of a planet twice the size of the Earth would be enough to generate the needed energy. Such a vast construction project is well beyond our technology, but within the realm of possibility according to the laws of physics. Lingam and Loeb also considered whether such a transmitter would be viable from an engineering perspective, or whether the tremendous energies involved would melt any underlying structure. Again, they found that a water-cooled device twice the size of Earth could withstand the heat. They then asked, why build such an instrument in the first place? They argue that the most plausible use of such power is driving interstellar light sails. The amount of power involved would be sufficient to push a payload of a million tons, or about 20 times the largest cruise ships on Earth. "That's big enough to carry living passengers across interstellar or even intergalactic distances," added Lingam. To power a light sail, the transmitter would need to focus a beam on it continuously. Observers on Earth would see a brief flash because the sail and its host planet, star and galaxy are all moving relative to us. As a result, the beam sweeps across the sky and only points in our direction for a moment. Repeated appearances of the beam, which were observed but cannot be explained by cataclysmic astrophysical events, might provide important clues about its artificial origin. Loeb admits that this work is speculative. When asked whether he really believes that any fast radio bursts are due to aliens, he replied, "Science isn't a matter of belief, it's a matter of evidence. Deciding what's likely ahead of time limits the possibilities. It's worth putting ideas out there and letting the data be the judge." The paper reporting this work has been accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letters and is available online. ### Headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) is a joint collaboration between the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Harvard College Observatory. CfA scientists, organized into six research divisions, study the origin, evolution and ultimate fate of the universe. Physicists from MIPT have predicted the existence of transparent composite media with unusual optical properties. Using graphics card based simulations, scientists studied regular volume structures composed of two dielectrics with close parameters, and found that the optical properties of these structures differ from both those of natural crystals and artificial periodic composites, which are currently attracting a lot of interest. The theoretical study conducted by senior researcher Alexey Shcherbakov and sixth-year student Andrey Ushkov, who both work in the Laboratory of Nanooptics and Plasmonics, is devoted to specific composite media that were simulated by means of an approach elaborated by the group. These media allow for the existence of an effect called birefringence -- when illuminated by a light beam, the original beam splits in two inside the medium. In their article published in Optics Express, the physicists predicted the existence of composite crystal structures of a new type, in which birefringence occurs in a rather different manner to the way it does in natural crystals. The splitting of a beam in two in birefringent materials is on the one hand due to the dependence of the properties of a crystal on the direction of light wave propagation, and on the other hand due to the presence of polarization of light waves. Polarization is the direction of the electromagnetic field oscillations in the wave, and ordinary light (e.g. from the sun or a lamp, but not from a laser) is a chaotic mixture of waves with different polarizations. To understand what polarization is, imagine a long rope attached at one end to a wall. If someone stretches the rope and starts to periodically move the free end of the rope, waves will appear. The free end can be moved either horizontally or vertically. The whole rope would then move either in a horizontal or vertical plane respectively, and these are the two different polarizations of waves in the rope. When the light propagates through a birefringent crystal, some of the waves with one polarization shift in one direction, whereas the others, with another polarization, shift in a different direction. Using this property, one can use the crystal to filter partly or fully polarized light depending on the polarization state of the initial incident beam. This phenomenon could have been used by Vikings, who detected the position of the sun in a cloudy sky with Iceland spar. Nowadays, birefringent crystals are widely used in laser techniques. The theory of birefringence operates with two important concepts: optical axis and isofrequency surface. The first term refers to a direction in the crystal in which the incident wave does not split in two. For example, Iceland spar has a single optical axis, and salt crystals have none as they do not possess birefringence. There are materials with two optical axes, such as Glauber's salt, the basic constituent of which (sodium sulfate) is widely used in the glass industry and detergent manufacture. Within classical crystal optics, excluding magnetic and gyrotropic (related to polarization rotation) effects, all crystals are divided into three types: isotropic, and anisotropic with one or two optical axes. The second concept, namely isofrequency surface, illustrates the dependence of the speed of light in a crystal on spatial direction. This surface is drawn in such a way that the length of a vector starting from the coordinate frame origin and ending at a surface point equals the ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to the speed of light in the crystal in the direction indicated by the vector. The isofrequency surface of an isotropic crystal is a sphere whose radius is equal to the crystal refractive index since the light propagates in an isotropic medium at the same speed in any direction. The refractive index of transparent materials is always greater than unity. For birefringent media, the shape of the isofrequency surface differs from the sphere. Moreover, the surface itself looks as if it consists of two parts, an inner and an outer part. These two parts illustrate how slower the light propagates in the crystal than in a vacuum in each direction for two different light polarizations. Points where the parts of the surface intersect indicate the optical axes, directions in which the speed of light does not depend on the polarization. The figure below shows isofrequency surfaces for salt, Iceland spar and Glauber's salt. Beyond classical crystal optics, the basics of which are commonly taught to physics students, it appears that even crystals with a simple cubic lattice, such as salt, are optically anisotropic, i.e., the light there propagates in different directions differently. In the simplest case, this anisotropy was described by Hendrik Lorentz in the early 20th century. As many as seven optical axes were found in such crystals. This effect was confirmed experimentally in the late 20th century when scientists began to widely use lasers in research. However, the two parts of the isofrequency surface appeared to be almost indistinguishable (a relative difference of an order of 10-5-10-6), so that such anisotropy practically vanishes. In modern technologies it is only taken into account in ultra-high-precision optical projection mountings for deep ultraviolet nanolithography, which is used in modern microelectronic fabrication. In addition to natural crystals, such as birefringent Iceland spar, scientists are able to manipulate the crystal structure using artificial materials. Advances in micro and nanofabrication during the last two decades pushed studies of these artificial materials, including metamaterials and photonic crystals, toward the edge of optical science. The regular atomic or molecular arrangement is replaced by a regular geometric pattern in these structures. This pattern can be compared with an ornamental design on a wooden jewel box, but in three dimensions and with a scale from dozens of nanometers to hundreds of micrometers. Artificial regular structures, photonic crystals and metamaterials can exhibit rather unusual optical properties, which dramatically differ from the properties of natural crystals. For example, periodical structuring at micro and nano scales enables scientists to overcome the diffraction limit on microscope resolution, and create flat lenses. Metamaterials can have a negative refractive index and be strongly optically anisotropic. The new article by Alexey Shcherbakov and Andrey Ushkov bridges the gap between natural crystals and the mentioned artificial photonic materials, and describes optical composites which on the one hand cannot be described within the scope of classical crystallography, and on the other hand are not traditional photonic crystals or metamaterials. The authors of the newly published research used their own model and method, which they ran on NVidia graphics processing units, to simulate composite dielectrics periodically structured in three dimensions, i.e., a 3D lattice of two transparent materials. In contrast to metamaterials and photonic crystals, where the optical contrast between lattice constituents is strong, MIPT physicists studied a combination of low refractive index and low optical contrast media with a relatively small period, about one tenth of the wavelength. Despite the fact that this combination was not commonly implicitly assumed to yield any interesting effects, the research demonstrated that some interesting physical phenomena were overlooked. For low values of periods of investigated structures their optical properties are indeed indistinguishable from the optical behavior of natural crystals: composites with a cubic lattice are practically isotropic, whereas composites with, for example, tetragonal and orthorhombic lattices display uniaxial and biaxial properties. However, increasing the period while keeping valid the description of the composite as an effective medium, as the authors demonstrated, can cause very unusual behavior. First, there appear new optical axes (up to ten axes in an orthorhombic crystal). Moreover, while the directions of optical axes are fixed within classical crystallography, the directions of some of the new optical axes turn out to be dependent on the period to wavelength ratio. Second, in the direction where the maximum difference of the speed of the light for two polarizations occurs for small periods (the maximum distance between the two parts of the isofrequency surface), this difference can practically go to zero, or, in other words, the direction can become an optical axis, at a certain relatively large period. Besides, owing to the use of the rigorous method, the authors obtained quantitative assessments on the validity of the effective medium approximation. "Scientists actually mentioned that it may be possible for a crystal to possess numerous optical axes in the mid-20th century - this was stated, for example, by the Russian Nobel prize winner Vitaly Ginzburg. However, in natural crystals such effects are impossible due to the smallness of the period, and there were no technologies to fabricate a good quality composite. Additionally, the power of computing machines was also insufficient to estimate the necessary corrections to anisotropic dielectric permittivity coming from lattice anisotropy. Our result is based on the joint use of modern methods of computational physics together with the high computing power provided by graphics cards. In our work we also developed an approach which allows us to calculate an effective optical response of a complex composite with controlled precision by virtue of so called first principle calculations (in our case a rigorous solution of Maxwell's equations)," said Alexey Shcherbakov describing the results. Possibilities for practical applications may come after experimental validation of the theoretical predictions. Modern technologies allow in principle the fabrication of composites of interest for operation in various optical bands. For example, 3D high resolution multiphoton lithography can be used for the infrared band, whereas for the terahertz band one can apply microstereolithography. The discovered effects make artificial crystal anisotropy strongly dependent on the radiation wavelength, which in not the case for transparent natural crystals. This may enable scientists to develop new types of optical polarization control elements. ### WASHINGTON -- A profusion of biotechnology products is expected over the next five to 10 years, and the number and diversity of new products has the potential to overwhelm the U.S. regulatory system, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and other agencies involved in regulating biotechnology products should increase their scientific capabilities, tools, and expertise in key areas of expected growth, said the committee that conducted the study and wrote the report. "The rate at which biotechnology products are introduced -- and the types of products -- are expected to significantly increase in the next five to 10 years, and federal agencies need to prepare for this growth," said committee chair Richard Murray, Thomas E. and Doris Everhart Professor of Control and Dynamical Systems and Bioengineering, California Institute of Technology. "We hope this report will support agency efforts to effectively evaluate these future products in ways that ensure public safety, protect the environment, build public confidence, and support innovation." The U.S. biotechnology economy is growing rapidly, with the scale, scope, and complexity of products increasing. More types of organisms will likely be engineered, the report notes, and the kinds of traits introduced with biotechnology will also increase. Some future biotechnology products are likely to use genome-editing techniques such as CRISPR for familiar applications, such as modifying agricultural crops. Other future products are expected to be entirely new -- plants that can serve as sentinels of environmental contamination, for example, and collections of microorganisms that can produce chemical compounds efficiently. Engineered microbes, plants, and insects designed to live in the environment with little or no human management are likely to be more common. With few exceptions, products such as these have not yet been evaluated by the current regulatory system. Current staffing levels, expertise, and resources available at EPA, FDA, USDA and other agencies may not be sufficient to address the expected scope and scale of future biotechnology products, the report says. It is critical that the agencies involved in regulation develop and maintain scientific capabilities, tools, and expertise in key evolving areas. Examples of such areas include understanding relationships between intended genetic changes and an organism's observable traits, the unintended effects of genetic changes on target and non-target organisms, predicting and monitoring ecosystem responses, and quantifying the economic and social costs and benefits of biotechnologies. To respond to the expected increase and diversity of products, the agencies should develop risk-analysis approaches tailored to the familiarity of products and the complexity of their uses, the report says. For biotechnology products that are similar to products already in use, established risk-analysis methods can be applied or modified, and a more expedited process could be used. For products that have less-familiar characteristics or more complex risk pathways, new risk-analysis methods may need to be developed. Regulatory agencies should build their capacity to rapidly determine the type of risk-analysis approaches most appropriate for new products entering the regulatory system. EPA, FDA, and USDA should identify products that could serve as pilot projects to develop new approaches to assess risks and benefits and to inform regulatory decisions, the report says. Pilot projects could also be used by the agencies to evaluate future products as they move from laboratory scale, to field- or prototype-scale, to full-scale operation. One challenge regulators will face is finding jurisdiction under existing statutes to regulate the diverse range of anticipated biotech products, the report says. The current collection of statutes and regulations that provide the basis for agencies' oversight, known as the Coordinated Framework for Regulation of Biotechnology, appears to have considerable flexibility to cover a wide range of biotechnology products, but in some cases the agencies' jurisdiction has been defined in ways that could leave gaps or overlaps in regulatory oversight. At times, FDA, EPA, and USDA may need to make use of the flexibility under their statutes to minimize gaps in jurisdiction. Even when statutes do allow agencies to regulate products, the current statutes may not adequately equip regulators with the tools to regulate the products effectively, the committee said. For example, the statutes may not empower regulators to require product sponsors to share in the burden of generating information about product safety, and may place the burden of proof on regulators to demonstrate that a product is unsafe before they can take action to protect the public. This implies that adequate federal support for research will be crucial to protect consumer and occupational safety and the environment. Biotechnology products on the horizon are likely to generate substantial public debate, the report notes. Many members of society have concerns over the safety and ethics of various biotechnologies, while others see prospects for biotechnology addressing social or environmental problems. The U.S. regulatory system will need to achieve a balance among competing interests, risks, and benefits when considering how to manage development and use of new biotech products. In addition, more research may be needed to develop methods for governance systems that integrate ethical, cultural, and social implications into risk assessments in ways that are meaningful. This may not be feasible or even justified for all new biotechnology products -- such as products with which there is already familiarity or products that will not be released into the environment. For example, genetically engineered organisms used in the research laboratory to develop new chemical synthesis methods are not likely to require the same level of public dialogue as products that have more uncertainty associated with them, such as organisms with gene drives, which enhance organisms' ability to pass certain genetic traits on to their offspring. Overall, the federal government should develop a strategy that scans the horizon for new biotechnology products, identifying and prioritizing those products that are less familiar or that present a need for more complex risk analysis, the report says. The federal government should also work to establish appropriate federal funding levels for sustained, multiyear research to develop the necessary advances in regulatory science. To this end, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Institutes of Standards and Technology, and other agencies that fund biotechnology research should increase their investments in regulatory science. ### The study was sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Food and Drug Administration, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are private, nonprofit institutions that provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions related to science, technology, and medicine. They operate under an 1863 congressional charter to the National Academy of Sciences, signed by President Lincoln. For more information, visit http://national-academies.org. A roster follows. Contacts: Riya V. Anandwala, Media Officer Joshua Blatt, Media Assistant Office of News and Public Information 202-334-2138; e-mail news@nas.edu national-academies.org/newsroom Follow us on Twitter at @theNASEM Copies of Preparing for Future Products of Biotechnology are available from the National Academies Press on the Internet at http://www.nap.edu or by calling 202-334-3313 or 1-800-624-6242. Reporters may obtain a copy from the Office of News and Public Information (contacts listed above). THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES, ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE Division on Earth and Life Studies Board on Life Sciences, Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology Committee on Future Biotechnology Products and Opportunities to Enhance Capabilities of the Biotechnology Regulatory System Richard M. Murray1 (chair) Thomas E. and Doris Everhart Professor of Control and Dynamical Systems and Bioengineering California Institute of Technology Pasadena Richard M. Amasino2 Professor Department of Biochemistry University of Wisconsin Madison Steven P. Bradbury Professor Departments of Natural Resource Ecology and Management and Entomology Iowa State University Ames Barbara J. Evans Professor Department of Law, and Director Center on Biotechnology University of Houston Houston Steven L. Evans Scientist Dow AgroSciences Indianapolis Farren Isaacs Assistant Professor Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Yale University New Haven, Conn. Martha A. Krebs Senior Scientist College of Engineering Pennsylvania State University Philadelphia Jennifer Kuzma Goodnight/NC GSK Foundation Distinguished Professor; Co-Director and Professor Genetic Engineering and Society Center North Carolina State University Raleigh Mary E. Maxon Biosciences Area Principal Deputy Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Berkeley, Calif. Raul F. Medina Associate Professor Department of Entomology Texas A&M University College Station David Rejeski Director Science, Technology, and Innovation Program Environmental Law Institute Washington, D.C. Jeffrey D. Wolt Professor of Agronomy and Toxicology Biosafety Institute for Genetically Modified Agricultural Products Iowa State University Ames STAFF Kara Laney Study Director 1 Member, National Academy of Engineering 2 Member, National Academy of Sciences For the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy, it's been a long time between dinners. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has found that the black hole ate its last big meal about 6 million years ago, when it consumed a large clump of infalling gas. After the meal, the engorged black hole burped out a colossal bubble of gas weighing the equivalent of millions of suns, which now billows above and below our galaxy's center. The immense structures, dubbed the Fermi Bubbles, were first discovered in 2010 by NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. But recent Hubble observations of the northern bubble have helped astronomers determine a more accurate age for the bubbles and how they came to be. "For the first time, we have traced the motion of cool gas throughout one of the bubbles, which allowed us to map the velocity of the gas and calculate when the bubbles formed," said lead researcher Rongmon Bordoloi of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. "What we find is that a very strong, energetic event happened 6 million to 9 million years ago. It may have been a cloud of gas flowing into the black hole, which fired off jets of matter, forming the twin lobes of hot gas seen in X-ray and gamma-ray observations. Ever since then, the black hole has just been eating snacks." The new study is a follow-on to previous Hubble observations that placed the age of the bubbles at 2 million years old. A black hole is a dense, compact region of space with a gravitational field so intense that neither matter nor light can escape. The supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy has compressed the mass of 4.5 million sun-like stars into a very small region of space. Material that gets too close to a black hole is caught in its powerful gravity and swirls around the compact powerhouse until it eventually falls in. Some of the matter, however, gets so hot it escapes along the black hole's spin axis, creating an outflow that extends far above and below the plane of a galaxy. The team's conclusions are based on observations by Hubble's Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS), which analyzed ultraviolet light from 47 distant quasars. Quasars are bright cores of distant active galaxies. Imprinted on the quasars' light as it passes through the Milky Way bubble is information about the speed, composition, and temperature of the gas inside the expanding bubble. The COS observations measured the temperature of the gas in the bubble at approximately 17,700 degrees Fahrenheit. Even at those sizzling temperatures, this gas is much cooler than most of the super-hot gas in the outflow, which is 18 million degrees Fahrenheit, seen in gamma rays. The cooler gas seen by COS could be interstellar gas from our galaxy's disk that is being swept up and entrained into the super-hot outflow. COS also identified silicon and carbon as two of the elements being swept up in the gaseous cloud. These common elements are found in most galaxies and represent the fossil remnants of stellar evolution. The cool gas is racing through the bubble at 2 million miles per hour. By mapping the motion of the gas throughout the structure, the astronomers estimated that the minimum mass of the entrained cool gas in both bubbles is equivalent to 2 million suns. The edge of the northern bubble extends 23,000 light-years above the galaxy. "We have traced the outflows of other galaxies, but we have never been able to actually map the motion of the gas," Bordoloi said. "The only reason we could do it here is because we are inside the Milky Way. This vantage point gives us a front-row seat to map out the kinematic structure of the Milky Way outflow." The new COS observations build and expand on the findings of a 2015 Hubble study by the same team, in which astronomers analyzed the light from one quasar that pierced the base of the bubble. "The Hubble data open a whole new window on the Fermi Bubbles," said study co-author Andrew Fox of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. "Before, we knew how big they were and how much radiation they emitted; now we know how fast they are moving and which chemical elements they contain. That's an important step forward." The Hubble study also provides an independent verification of the bubbles and their origin, as detected by X-ray and gamma-ray observations. "This observation would be almost impossible to do from the ground because you need ultraviolet spectroscopy to detect the fingerprints of these elements, which can only be done from space," Bordoloi said. "Only with COS do you have the wavelength coverage, the sensitivity, and the spectral resolution coverage to make this observation." The Hubble results appeared in the January 10, 2017, edition of The Astrophysical Journal. ### The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy in Washington, D.C. For the related feature, Hubble Discovers Milky Way Core Drives Wind at 2 Million Miles per hour: https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/hubble-discovers-that-milky-way-core-drives-wind-at-2-million-miles-per-hour For images and more information about the Fermi Bubbles and Hubble, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/hubble http://hubblesite.org/news_release/news/2017-10 Felicia Chou NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. felicia.chou@nasa.gov 202-358-0257 Donna Weaver / Ray Villard Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Maryland 410-338-4493 / 410-338-4514 dweaver@stsci.edu / villard@stsci.edu Rongmon Bordoloi Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 617-252-1736 bordoloi@mit.edu Toronto (March 9, 2017) - OICR researchers, together with international collaborators, have invented a technique to avoid a major problem with common laboratory techniques and improve the sensitivity of important cancer tests. The findings, recently published in the journal Nature Protocols, describe a process by which the sensitivity of DNA sequencing can be improved. The technology, called SiMSen-Seq, could aid in detecting the recurrence of cancers, catching possible disease relapses faster than current methods and improving patient outcomes. To sequence DNA, scientists often use a technique called polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to increase the amount of DNA available from a sample. However, PCR can introduce mistakes that can limit researchers' ability to detect real mutations in the original DNA molecules. To track the original molecules in a sample, molecular tags called DNA barcodes are added. This technique is essential for sensitive detection of mutations but can lead to other errors, as components of the tags can interfere with each other and affect the final results. "We created a DNA barcode with a hairpin structure that opens up to be read when heated and contracts when cooled. This allows us to 'hide' the barcode and analyze more patient DNA fragments in a single reaction," said Dr. Paul Krzyzanowski, Program Manager of OICR's Genome Technologies Program. Krzyzanowski led the development of analysis pipeline software used in SiMSen-Seq. This software flags errors in sequencing results and corrects them computationally. Current genome sequencing technologies return results with error rates of about one per cent, meaning that for researchers to be certain that a mutation exists it has to be detected in a sample at a rate of greater than one per cent. SimSen-Seq technology has lowered this error rate 100-fold, meaning that the recurrence of cancers could be detected at lower levels and earlier than before, allowing patients to receive additional treatment sooner. The team has patented their technique, and while it can conceivably be performed in any molecular biology lab, the group also hopes to make their expertise in using the method available to the research community. "Our paper describes how this process can be carried out, but we think that our experience in using the technique could be leveraged by other research groups and save them the trial and error of instituting a new process," said Krzyzanowski. Those interested in accessing this service can do so through OICR's Collaborative Research Resources directory. "Ontario is pleased to support this collaborative research project through the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research," said Reza Moridi, Ontario's Minister of Research, Innovation and Science. "This innovative technique that increases the sensitivity of DNA sequencing is a remarkable breakthrough and one that could improve patient outcomes in Ontario and around the world by detecting the reoccurrence of cancers earlier." ### About the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research OICR is an innovative cancer research and development institute dedicated to prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The Institute is an independent, not-for-profit corporation, supported by the Government of Ontario. OICR's research supports more than 1,700 investigators, clinician scientists, research staff and trainees located at its headquarters and in research institutes and academia across the Province of Ontario. OICR has key research efforts underway in small molecules, biologics, stem cells, imaging, genomics, informatics and bio-computing. For more information, please visit the website at http://www.oicr.on.ca. For more information, please contact: Hal Costie Senior Communications Officer Ontario Institute for Cancer Research 647-260-7921 hal.costie@oicr.on.ca @OICR_news CORVALLIS, Ore. - Among women of childbearing age in the U.S., fish consumption has increased in recent years while blood mercury concentrations have decreased, suggesting improved health for women and their babies, a new study shows. The research at Oregon State University also indicates fish consumption advisories tailored to specific regions and ethnic groups would help women of childbearing age to eat in even more healthy ways, including better monitoring of mercury intake. Food from the ocean has a unique and valuable nutritional profile. Among seafood's many benefits are the omega-3 fatty acids that promote neurodevelopment, and the nutrients in seafood are especially important for pregnant women to pass on to developing fetuses. But the main way people are exposed to toxic methylmercury -- a mercury atom with a methyl group, CH3, attached to it -- is through eating seafood. Thus the need for precise, nuanced fish consumption advisories, said Leanne Cusack of Oregon State University, the corresponding author on the study. Comparatively less-toxic elemental mercury enters the ocean from natural sources such as volcanic eruptions and also from human activities like the burning of fossil fuels, which accounts for about two-thirds of the mercury that goes into the water. Once in the ocean, the mercury is methylated, diffuses into phytoplankton and passes up the food chain, accumulating along the way. A scallop or a shrimp, for example, can have a mercury concentration of less than 0.003 parts per million. A large predator like a tuna, on the other hand, can contain roughly 10 million times as much methylmercury as the water that surrounds it and have a concentration of many parts per million. Exactly how the mercury in the ocean becomes methylated, scientists don't know. Fish advisories are usually aimed at women of childbearing age because a developing fetus has greater sensitivity to the neurotoxic effects of methylmercury. Jointly, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration recommend women in that group eat two meals of low-mercury fish per week. Using data from the ongoing National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Cusack's research group looked at fish consumption patterns with regard to blood mercury levels in U.S. women of childbearing age from 1999 to 2010. Findings were recently published in the journal Environmental Health. Women in the coastal regions, particularly the Northeast, were found to have the highest blood mercury concentrations; women living away from the sea, especially in the inland Midwest, had the lowest. Coastal residents also ate fish the most frequently, with the species consumed varying by region. The type of fish most often consumed was shellfish in every part of the U.S. except for the inland West and inland Midwest. As women's age and household income increased, so did their fish consumption frequency and blood mercury concentrations. Among ethnic groups, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, Alaska Natives and Native Americans ate fish the most often and showed the most mercury, and Mexican Americans consumed fish the least often and showed the smallest concentration of mercury. "We also found total monthly fish consumption by women of reproductive age was higher than it had been in recent years, with women consuming more marine fish and shellfish but with no appreciable difference in the mean consumption of freshwater fish, tuna, swordfish and shark," said Cusack, a postdoctoral scholar in OSU's College of Public Health and Human Sciences. "That's encouraging because marine and shellfish are associated with smaller increases in blood mercury. And also encouragingly, an average women who'd eaten fish nine or more times in the previous month had lower blood mercury levels than women who'd had fish at the same rate in 1999-2000." The differences in consumption and mercury levels by race and region illustrate the need for tailored fish advisories, she said. "They need to have information about fish types and quantities you can safely eat," Cusack said. "The more detailed they can be, the better. "The main thing is we do need to increase fish consumption in this demographic," Cusack added. "It has been increasing since 1999, but it's still not at the level where we want to see it. People need to start consuming fish, and advisories need to focus on the benefits of consumption and not just the risks by providing a broad range of fish that are low in methylmercury and high in omega-3's." ### The vigors of youth and the greener pastures of yesteryears. Some might refer to these and other similar cliches as nothing more than rose-tinted literations of the past; a cognitive side effect of life. Romanticizing collective memories aside, however, it would be a challenge to find anyone who could argue against the physical degradations that accompany aging. One needs only to search for 'photos of aging' to realize that such yearnings are perhaps nothing more than ourselves giving form to the personal struggle with the byproducts of life. What if, though, human beings could harness the power to control aging? Scientists have long strived to understand the aging process in order to combat age-related diseases and attain longevity. However, a complete picture of the inherently complex underpinnings remains ever elusive. Research conducted by Professor Seung-Jae V. Lee's team from the Department of Life Sciences at Pohang University of Science and Technology in collaboration with Professor Hong Gil Nam from the Center for Plant Aging Research at Institute for Basic Science has made great contributions to solving this mystery by showing that RNA quality control affects aging. This achievement has been published in the world-renowned Nature Communications. DNA, RNA, and proteins carry the genetic instructions within all known living organisms. Existing research has collectively shown that organisms with long lifespans tend to have more stringent DNA and protein quality control. In other words, deterioration of DNA and protein quality control is centrally correlated with aging and age-related diseases. However, the role of the RNA quality control in aging remained almost unexplored. The research team concentrated on a specific RNA quality control mechanism called nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD), a key pathway which degrades both abnormal as well as some normal RNAs. The team has successfully shown that NMD is crucial for longevity in the roundworm called C. elegans, a popularly used animal for aging research. They first discovered that NMD activity decreases during aging. The team then discovered that enhanced NMD underlies the longevity of famous C. elegans strains called daf-2 mutants, which have reduced insulin hormone signaling. Since the main role of NMD is degradation of its target mRNAs, the team focused on mRNAs that were downregulated in daf-2 mutants. Their research showed substantially decreased levels of a gene yars-2, an NMD target, are at least partially responsible for long lifespan in daf-2 mutants. In other words, research data collectively suggest that NMD-mediated RNA quality control is critical for longevity in C. elegans. Professor Lee anticipates that the research team's leading discovery of the causal relationship between RNA quality control and longevity will play a significant role in shedding light on the mechanisms behind aging and eventually contribute to curing and even preventing age-related diseases. ### This work was supported by a grant of the Korean Health Technology R&D Project, Ministry of Health and Welfare (HI14C2337) and by POSCO Green Science Project to S.-J.V.L., by Institute for Basic Science (IBS-R013-D1) to H.G.N. and by Korea Brain Research basic research program funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning to C.M.H. A research team consisting of members from Japan's National Institute of Polar Research, the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), and other organizations conducted forecasting simulations of the cold waves that hit Japan and the North American East Coast in February 2015. Results showed that additional data collected that year through more frequent observation of meteorological conditions in the Arctic's upper atmosphere from both land-based research stations and the research vessel Lance plying winter Arctic waters improved the accuracy of cold wave forecasts. In recent years, extreme winter weather events such as heavy snowfalls and severe winters have been occurring frequently in regions such as East Asia, North America and Europe. For example, Japan was experiencing a mild 2014/2015 winter when in February the winter pressure pattern strengthened. With it came record level snowfalls, to the Hokuriku region in particular. Memories are still fresh of the extreme record-setting -15C cold wave that hit the North American East Coast a week later, which brought with it significant impacts on the region's people, transportation systems and economy. To minimize the destructive effects of these extreme winter weather events, accurate forecasting of cold waves flowing in from the Arctic as early as possible is imperative. To that end, it is vastly preferable to have as much meteorological observation data as possible. However, as acquiring such data involves significant personnel and economic cost, its effectiveness needs to be ascertained. An international research group led by Dr. Kazutoshi Sato and Dr. Jun Inoue of NIPR, and Dr. Akira Yamazaki of JAMSTEC, conducted experimental simulated forecasts of the 2015 cold waves that hit Japan on February 9 and the North American East Coast on February 16. The collection of larger than usual amounts of Arctic winter weather data in 2015 was due to two reasons: the Norwegian research vessel Lance was in the Arctic Ocean observing and collecting upper atmosphere meteorological data, and the frequency of observation and data collection was increased at some of the land-based observation stations around the Arctic. Using JAMSTEC's supercomputer, the Earth Simulator, the research team recreated cold wave forecasts for two cases: 1) when there is more frequent observation and more data available than usual (as in 2015) and 2) a "normal" year with less data collection from land-based stations and no additional research resources available. Results of the simulations clearly showed that the additional data collected by the Lance and more frequent collection at land-based stations significantly improved the accuracy of cold wave forecasts. The additional data collected in 2015 allowed for a significantly more accurate understanding of the dynamics occurring in the center of the cold winter air masses that develop in the upper atmosphere above the Arctic Ocean (the polar vortex), and the initial conditions in the atmosphere from which extreme winter weather events arise. More precise assessment of the initial conditions preceding extreme weather events is indispensable in making accurate forecast calculations. Associate Professor Inoue of the research team states "This indicates that meteorological observation in the Arctic can help reduce the impact of extreme winter weather events in mid-latitude areas with concentrated populations. It is anticipated that Japan will continue to contribute actively to meteorological observation in the Arctic." ### Source: National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR), Research Organization of Information and Systems, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The University of Alabama at Birmingham -- Alabama's leading provider of genomic and personalized medicine -- has launched the Alabama Genomic Health Initiative in partnership with HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology to better meet health needs across the state. The project, funded by a $2 million appropriation from the Alabama legislature to UAB, supports one of the nation's first statewide efforts to harness the power of genomic analysis to help identify those at high risk for a genetic disease, and provide a basis for continuing research into genetic contributors to health and disease. "This initiative could be transformative for the state of Alabama," said Selwyn M. Vickers, M.D., senior vice president for Medicine and dean of the UAB School of Medicine. "We will use the knowledge gained from the AGHI to begin to uncover more undiagnosed diseases, and will potentially rewrite our understanding of the burden of disease on our population. This project can have tremendous impact on the residents of Alabama and stimulate economic development in the state." The AGHI will recruit a diverse group of participants from every county in Alabama and provide genomic analysis and interpretation to this group free of charge. For some, the results will indicate an increased risk of a disease for which preventive or treatment strategies exist. Those participants will receive genetic counseling and be linked to appropriate medical care. The initiative will also feature a public education campaign about genomic medicine and create a DNA biobank for research. In the first year, the initiative plans on recruiting 2,000 individuals who will provide a DNA sample from a simple blood draw. Over a five-year period, the goal will be to increase the database to include genetic information from more than 10,000 persons. "Since the Human Genome Project was completed in 2003, we've learned a tremendous amount about the roles of genes in disease," said Bruce R. Korf, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the UAB Department of Genetics and co-director of the AGHI. "This project will result in immediate health benefits to some participants, and in the long term will help to address problems of chronic disease and rising health care costs in the state. It will also position Alabama as a leader at the forefront of 21st century medicine." The AGHI will engage citizens throughout the state and their health providers in the use of genomic information to guide medical care. "This initiative advances the tremendous work already being done in genomics at HudsonAlpha and at UAB," said Richard M. Myers, Ph.D., president and science director of HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. "Genomics is dependent on several factors, data being one of them. Undoubtedly, individuals will benefit from the AGHI; additionally, the initiative could lead to identification of new genetic diseases and new treatments for those conditions that will benefit Alabamians and the rest of the world. Through the AGHI, we can help make our citizens healthier, and demonstrate the value and power of genomic medicine in creating a new paradigm for health care. HudsonAlpha is proud to partner with UAB for this groundbreaking initiative." Korf anticipates that those who choose to participate will fall into one of two major categories. Most will be generally healthy, or will be receiving medical care for one or more conditions not recognized to have a genetic cause. The other group will be those with a recognized genetic issue whose origin is undetermined. Both groups will provide blood samples that will undergo genomic analysis at HudsonAlpha in Huntsville. The blood samples from the larger group -- those not known to be affected by a genetic condition -- will undergo a genotyping array test, assessing some 650,000 identified genomic biomarkers. The genotyping test will look for the presence of variants in 59 specific genes, referred to as actionable genes by the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics. An ACMG committee, of which Korf is a member, compiled the list in 2013 after an exhaustive search of medical literature. The 59 genes are those that are known to contribute to disease and for which the potential for prevention or treatment exists. "Perhaps the best-known genes on the list of 59 are BRCA1 and BRCA2, which are associated with a genetic risk of breast and ovarian cancer," Korf said. "Other genes on the list are known to contribute to the risk of other types of cancers, as well as some cardiac diseases and other conditions." Participants who test positive for one of the 59 genes on the ACMG list will, along with their primary medical provider, receive that information coupled with genetic counseling to provide interpretation of the results. Referral to appropriate prevention strategies or treatment will be provided through the primary care physician or a specialized provider. "Individuals receiving a report that they have one of the 59 actionable genes will, with help from medical professionals, be able to develop a treatment plan going forward," Myers said. "Potential interventions include increased surveillance, surgery or medications to reduce the risk." Korf estimates 1 to 3 percent of those who undergo testing will show a positive result for one of the 59 actionable genes. The list is continuously being reviewed, and it is likely that, as it evolves, those changes will be incorporated into the AGHI. In addition, a committee within AGHI may decide to add genes to the list for return of results to AGHI participants based on medical priorities important in our state. "The number of individuals likely to get a positive report will be small; but the results will be life-changing, possibly lifesaving, for those persons," Korf said. "And there is a multiplying effect. If one person discovers they have a genetic risk for a disease of which they were unaware, that potential risk can then be relayed to others in the family, so that they may also take appropriate action." Participants with a genetic condition of undetermined origin will receive a more extensive evaluation, known as whole genome sequencing, conducted at HudsonAlpha. Analysis and interpretation of those results will also be communicated to the patient/parents and his or her primary medical provider, and participants will be linked to appropriate medical care, potentially including the UAB Undiagnosed Diseases Program or the Smith Family Clinic for Genomic Medicine on the HudsonAlpha campus. "Both HudsonAlpha and UAB have extensive genomics experience in both the research and clinical arenas," said Greg Cooper, Ph.D., faculty investigator at HudsonAlpha and co-leader of the sequencing workgroup for the AGHI. "What we know already about the human genome will immediately benefit participants, and what we learn throughout the duration of the initiative will help transform the landscape, not only for participants, but for their families -- in the short term -- and all of society long term." Recruitment of subjects will begin this spring at UAB, followed by recruitment efforts at Cooper Green in Birmingham, as well as at UAB clinical operations in Huntsville, Montgomery and Selma, and eventually other sites in Alabama. The blood samples and extracted DNA collected from all participants will be retained in a biobank for future research purposes. "Our goal is to develop a representative cross sample of Alabama residents, broadly representative of ethnic, racial and socioeconomic groups throughout the state," said Matthew Might, Ph.D., director of the UAB Hugh Kaul Personalized Medicine Institute and co-director of the AGHI. Might, newly recruited to UAB, was appointed by former President Barack Obama to serve as a strategic adviser to the White House Precision Medicine Initiative in 2015. He has a personal interest in the power of genomic medicine, as his son was diagnosed in 2012 as the first case of NGLY1 deficiency, an ultra-rare genetic disorder. Might says the combined resources of the UAB-HudsonAlpha Center for Genomic Medicine, UAB Informatics Institute and the Personalized Medicine Institute will drive groundbreaking research based on the genomic information garnered by the AGHI. "Such a database will be an unparalleled tool for understanding the health risks across different demographics in the state," Might said. "It will give researchers working on finding cures to conditions ranging from diabetes to heart disease to epilepsy the knowledge to identify genetic factors that predispose individuals to rare or common disorders, with the hope of developing new approaches to prevention, diagnosis and treatment." Ethical, legal and social issues will also be addressed by the AGHI, which has formed a bioethics working group to ensure the initiative conforms to the highest ethical principles. Bioethicists, two from HudsonAlpha, one from Tuskegee University and one from UAB, will review all plans and procedures to ensure that appropriate safeguards and protections are in place and guide the initiative on matters such as privacy, security and informed consent. The AGHI will establish an ethics review panel to investigate and respond to potential issues. ### The AGHI will have a steering committee to provide oversight on procedures and policies. Edward Partridge, M.D., the director of the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center, will lead that committee along with Rick Myers, Ph.D., president and science director at HudsonAlpha, and three leaders in the UAB School of Medicine: Etty Benveniste, Ph.D., senior associate dean for Research Administration and Development; Robert Kimberly, M.D., senior associate dean for Clinical and Translational Research; and Toni Leeth, MPH, associate dean for Strategic Planning and Administration. Greg Barsh, M.D., Ph.D., HudsonAlpha faculty investigator and faculty chair, is also a co-director along with Korf and Might. The AGHI consists of four working groups. The genomics working group is led by Greg Cooper, Ph.D., a faculty investigator at HudsonAlpha; and Anna Hurst, M.D., assistant professor, UAB Department of Genetics. The recruitment working group is led by Mona Fouad, M.D., UAB senior associate dean for Diversity and Inclusion; and William Curry, M.D., UAB associate dean for Rural Health and Primary Care. The bioethics working group is led by Mariko Nakano, Ph.D., assistant professor, UAB Department of Medical Education; Kim Strong, Ph.D., faculty investigator and director of the ethics and genomics program, HudsonAlpha; Tom May, Ph.D., research faculty investigator, HudsonAlpha; and Stephen Sodeke, Ph.D., bioethicist and professor of allied health, National Center for Bioethics in Research and Healthcare, Tuskegee University. The data and bio banking working group is headed by Jim Cimino, M.D., director of the UAB Informatics Institute; and Jeff Edberg, Ph.D., professor in the UAB Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology. About UAB Medicine UAB Medicine comprises the School of Medicine and the $3 billion UAB Health System that includes all of the University of Alabama at Birmingham's patient-care activities and 2,300 licensed beds in six hospitals, one of which is UAB Hospital -- the third-largest public hospital in the United States, winner of the Women's Choice award, and one of U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals. UAB is the state of Alabama's largest single employer and an internationally renowned research university and academic health center; its professional schools and specialty patient-care programs are consistently ranked among the nation's top 50. UAB is the largest academic medical center in Alabama and one of the top four largest academic medical centers in the United States. UAB's Center for Clinical and Translational Science is advancing innovative discoveries for better health as a two-time recipient of the prestigious Center for Translational Science Award. Find more information at http://www.uab.edu and http://www.uabmedicine.org. About Institute for Biotechnology HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is a nonprofit institute dedicated to innovating in the field of genomic technology and sciences across a spectrum of biological challenges. Opened in 2008, its mission is four-fold: sparking scientific discoveries that can impact human health and well-being; bringing genomic medicine into clinical care; fostering life sciences entrepreneurship and business growth; and encouraging the creation of a genomics-literate workforce and society. The HudsonAlpha biotechnology campus consists of 152 acres nestled within Cummings Research Park, the nation's second largest research park. Designed to be a hothouse of biotech economic development, HudsonAlpha's state-of-the-art facilities co-locate nonprofit scientific researchers with entrepreneurs and educators. The relationships formed on the HudsonAlpha campus encourage collaborations that produce advances in medicine and agriculture. Under the leadership of Dr. Richard M. Myers, a key collaborator on the Human Genome Project, HudsonAlpha has become a national and international leader in genetics and genomics research and biotech education, and includes more than 30 diverse biotech companies on campus. To learn more about HudsonAlpha, visit: http://hudsonalpha.org/. EDITOR'S NOTE: The University of Alabama at Birmingham is a separate, independent institution from the University of Alabama, which is located in Tuscaloosa. Please use University of Alabama at Birmingham on first reference and UAB on subsequent references. VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/uabnews TEXT: http://www.uab.edu/news TWEETS: http://www.twitter.com/uabnews Academic leaders at the University of Leicester have hailed the Government's announcement of multi-million pound investment in space science and Earth observation technologies - following a bid led by the University of Leicester together with the City and the LLEP - as launching Leicester as an important UK Space City and addressing key elements of the Government's Industrial Strategy. Leicester already houses the National Space Centre, the Millennium Commission-funded project that was the brainchild of the University of Leicester. Now the Government has announced funding to kick start the development of the National Space Park next to the National Space Centre. This is a project spearheaded by the partnerships between the University of Leicester, Leicester City Council, Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Zone (LLEP) and the National Space Centre. This follows the announcement last month of Enterprise Zone status at sites in Loughborough and Leicester. At Leicester Waterside, the enterprise zone provides a focus on space and space enabled technologies: The National Space Park is an ambitious project of global significance that is backed by national and regional authorities recognising the strategic importance of science, high-tech manufacturing, and space-enabled industry to UK growth. The key aims of the National Space Park directly address priorities in the Government's recently announced Industrial Strategy. These are: Research and development supporting world-leading UK capability in satellite manufacture and use, provision of low-cost access to space, and recognising the status of satellites as one of the eight emerging technology sectors identified as supporting UK global science and commercial leadership Access to, and analysis of space-enabled data, including 'Big Data', the ability to 'combine vast sets of data in new ways to create new linkages, patterns and ultimately new knowledge [...to] address the major challenges facing society including food security, climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.' (UK National Space Policy, 2015). Today, space is regarded as critical to delivering on ambitions for UK Plc. From scientific understanding to rebuilding the Midlands manufactories with a new high-tech focus, space-enabled research, to the strategic importance of the work that space research delivers for vital services including communications, disaster relief and transport, we recognise the importance of space for our economy as never before. Skills for UK industry in the form of education and training for the space and related high technology sectors, including traditional University undergraduate and postgraduate courses, but also provision of apprenticeships, and continuing professional development. Professor Paul Boyle, President & Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester said: "It's great to hear that the government is again backing Leicestershire's success by investing in our world-class research and development clusters. "From the life sciences to R&D supporting investment in energy, space and satellite technologies, Leicestershire is emerging at the forefront of UK research. The National Space Park is going to have a huge impact on the city and region - and it will be nationally important. "Our new project, with a working title of National Space Park, will be a true game changer. It will help us deliver against at least three of the challenges that Government has articulated in their Industrial and Midlands Engine strategies. "First, drawing on our expertise in space engineering, we will be able to focus on lowering the cost of access to space for satellite systems and improve their instrumentation and potential. "Second, we will better harness earth observation and other space enabled data for our own challenges here on own our planet, such as supply chain resilience, air quality and of course managing the traffic! "And, third, with our friends here in the National Space Centre, we will specifically address skills shortages through apprenticeships, professional training and business-focused degrees and internships. Our new venture will create new firms and an estimated 500 jobs for the local economy." Professor Iain Gillespie, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research & Enterprise said: "No project has brought together so many people from across the University, working in concert to deliver a project which is truly important not just to us, or to regional partners, but for the UK's research ambitions in future. Our work in space science and Earth observation is world-renowned and this announcement demonstrates the importance of our research capability to the world. It will enable us to build new partnerships, explore the commercial and transformative aspects of our research and help us to create opportunities for training future generations of researchers. "In Leicester we have a fantastic heritage in manufacturing. But we need to make it more high-tech and we have a great opportunity to do that using an old industrial site where- at one point- Leicester was leading the world. We want to lead the world again in high-tech, this time around space, space engineering and space data. It is an amazing opportunity to build not just new high-tech facilities here in Leicester at the National Space Park but to build jobs, to create spin-outs and, with the Dock scheme, to build new businesses and locate them here at the hub of the UK in Leicester. "For us here in the University of Leicester, this project provide fantastic opportunities, allowing us to take our research expertise, and indeed our teaching expertise, and push that into a skills economy and into the service of economic growth here in our community. This project is an extension of our science, an extension of our educational prowess and, at the same time, the work that is done will be picked up by industry and feed back in there. It will be a virtuous cycle for this university - it really allows us to have even more punch above our weight." The National Space Park builds on the University of Leicester's 50-year-plus record of delivering the science and engineering which has enabled exploration of space to Jupiter and beyond. Working with commercial and research partners, the University will push satellite development and space-enabled data sciences further; opening up new possibilities in global satellite imaging and detection. The National Space Park will complement government investment in other space clusters including the UK Space Gateway at Harwell, and the newly announced Spaceport opportunities around the UK. In line with government policy, the aim is to replicate the "Harwell effect", creating new centres of expertise in the downstream space sciences aligned to local "smart specialisations." In Leicester, our specialisation is in space-enabled data and Earth observation based at the newly opened Leicester Institute of Space and Earth Observation (LISEO). LISEO brings together the University of Leicester's space research including astronomy and the planetary sciences with the multidisciplinary work underpinning our Earth observation practice, including researchers working Mathematics, Engineering, Physics, Geology, Geography, Chemistry, Informatics and other subject areas. Professor Martin Barstow, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Strategic Science Projects and Director of the Leicester Institute of Space & Earth Observation, said: "The National Space Park is a tremendously exciting project for the University, City and region. Building on our 57-year track record of space exploration, it will create a nationally and internationally important space facility that will support a cluster of space businesses alongside research and teaching facilities, making Leicester an important "space city". It will be an important part of Leicester's regeneration and contribute to the economic growth of the region with the new, high value jobs that will be created. With its world-leading Institute of Space & Earth Observation, the National Space Park will address the skills gap to support this rapidly growing sector and make Leicester an important force in the future of space exploration." Space technology is not simply a thing of the future - it's the here and now and will be at the heart of the successful economies of the future. Every time we go to work, turn on the television, make a mobile phone call or engage satnav systems, space technology is behind it. It connects our armed forces and our humanitarian agencies and delivers the essential intelligence needed to keep peace in an increasingly fragmented world. ### Government announcement of the Midlands Engine Strategy: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/midlands-engine-to-roar-ahead-with-ambitious-new-strategy LLEP press release: http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/press/press-releases/2017/march/over-ps25-million-growth-money-for-local-economy More information and multimedia for National Space Park: http://www.le.ac.uk/media-nationalspacepark National Space Park Website: http://www2.le.ac.uk/institution/spacepark Video interview on the National Space Park: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Kam6u2tak4 The field of metamaterials, an intersection of materials science, physics, nanotechnology and electrical engineering, aims to produce structures with unusual electromagnetic properties. Through the careful combination of multiple materials in a precise periodic arrangement, the resulting metamaterials exhibit properties that otherwise couldn't exist, such as a negative index of refraction. Some metamaterials can even channel electromagnetic waves around their surfaces, rendering them invisible for certain wavelengths of light. The precision needed for arranging a metamaterial's constitutive parts, also known as inclusions, has been a challenging step in their development and application. Now, University of Pennsylvania engineers have shown a way to make metamaterials with a single inclusion, providing easier fabrication, among other useful features. Analogous to electronic "doping," where adding a small amount of atomic impurities to a "pure" material gives it electronic properties necessary for many computational and sensing devices, this "photonic doping" would allow for new ways of sculpting and tailoring light-matter interactions, with future impact on optical technology, such as flexible photonics. The study, published in the journal Science, was led by Nader Engheta, H. Nedwill Ramsey Professor of Electrical and Systems Engineering, together with members of his group, Inigo Liberal, Ahmed M. Mahmoud, Yue Li and Brian Edwards. "Just as in electronic doping, when adding a set of foreign atoms in an otherwise pure material can significantly alter the electronic and optical properties of the host," Engheta said, "'photonic doping' means adding a foreign photonic object in a specialized photonic host structure can change the optical scattering of the original structure in a major way." The phenomenon works with a specific class of materials that have permittivity, a parameter that has to do with the electric response of the material, mathematically represented by the Greek letter epsilon, that is nearly zero. The key quality of these epsilon-near-zero, or ENZ, materials is that the wave's magnetic field is distributed uniformly throughout the two-dimensional ENZ hosts, regardless of their cross-sectional shape. Such ENZ materials occur either naturally or can be made by traditional metamaterial means. Rather than engineer complicated periodic structures that significantly alter the optical and magnetic properties of such materials, Engheta and his group devised a way for a single inclusion in a 2-D ENZ structure to accomplish the same task: changing which wavelengths of light that will reflect or pass through, or altering the magnetic response of the structure "If I want to change the way a piece of material interacts with light, I normally have to change all of it," Engheta said, "Not here. If I place a single dielectric rod anywhere within this ENZ material, the entire structure will look different from the perspective of an external wave." The dielectric rod is a cylindrical structure made out of an insulating material that can be polarized. When inserted in a 2-D ENZ host, it can affect the magnetic field within this host and consequently can notably change the optical properties of the host ENZ material. Because the wave's magnetic field in the 2-D ENZ host has a uniform spatial distribution, the dielectric rod can be placed anywhere within the material. Incoming waves thus behave as if the host material has a significantly different set of optical properties. Since the rod does not need to be placed at a precise location, construction of such photonically doped structures may be achieved with relative ease. Applying these metamaterial concepts via "photonic doping" has implications for information processing systems and applications within telecommunications. "When we're working with a wave, this photonic doping can be a new way for us to determine the path this wave takes from A to B within a device," Engheta said. "With a relatively small change in the dielectric rod, we can make waves 'go this way' and 'don't go that way.' That we only need to make a change to the rod, which is a tiny part of the host material, should help with the speed of the device, and, because the effect is the same for the ENZ host with arbitrary shape while keeping its cross-sectional area fixed, this property may be very useful for flexible photonics." Further research demonstrates more complicated ways of applying photonic doping to ENZ materials, such as adding multiple rods with different diameters. "The dielectric property of the rod can be responsive to thermal, optical or electrical changes," Engheta said. "That means we could use the host ENZ material as the read-out of a sensor, as it would transmit or reflect light due to changes in that rod. Adding more rods would allow for even finer tuning of the material's response." ### The research was supported partially by the Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellow Award through Office of Naval Research grant N00014-16-1-2029, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research through Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative awards FA9550-12-1-0488 and FA9550-14-1-0389 and the National Natural Science Foundation of China through grant 61301001. PHILADELPHIA -- The potential repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) threatens to eliminate critical mental and behavioral health services for people living with autism and other disabilities. Several public health insurance programs and mandates that were protected or extended by the ACA, including Medicaid, the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA), and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), are now at risk of being negatively altered or removed, posing a serious threat to the health and well-being of children and adults with disabilities according to a new perspective paper published by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Medicaid is the single largest health care payer for people with autism or developmental disabilities, covering services for approximately 250,000 children with autism in 2013 alone. A repeal of the ACA would eliminate the recent Medicaid expansion, thereby limiting paid services for millions of individuals, many of whom have disabilities. The paper, authored by David S. Mandell, ScD, a professor of mental health services in the department of Psychiatry and director of the Center for Mental Health Policy and Services Research in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Colleen L. Barry, PhD, MPP, Fred and Julie Soper Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, is published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine. "We believe it is essential that the scientific community and autism advocates call for the use of evidence to guide policy in this area," the researchers wrote. "Such a principle would bring needed resources where they are most important, strengthening efforts to support people with autism and other disabilities." Mandell and Barry also draw attention to the threats posed to children with autism and other disabilities by defunding the traditional public school system and not enforcing the Individuals with Disabilities Act, which guarantees children with disabilities the right to a free and appropriate public education. They note that Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos both have made statements indicating their intent to change or not enforce these programs and associated regulations. The authors also point to recent events in which political figures used their platforms to give credence to disproven theories about autism. Mandell and Barry suggest that public comments from President Trump and others about the connection between vaccines and autism are distractions from the real events that are putting children with disabilities in peril. "Talking about the thoroughly disproven connection between vaccines and autism is a red herring." Mandell said. "If the current administration really cares about children with disabilities, they will strengthen the programs that safeguard their health and well-being, not tear them apart." ### Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $5.3 billion enterprise. The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top five medical schools in the United States for the past 18 years, according to U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $373 million awarded in the 2015 fiscal year. The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center -- which are recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report -- Chester County Hospital; Lancaster General Health; Penn Wissahickon Hospice; and Pennsylvania Hospital -- the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional affiliated inpatient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region include Chestnut Hill Hospital and Good Shepherd Penn Partners, a partnership between Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network and Penn Medicine. Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2015, Penn Medicine provided $253.3 million to benefit our community. No one knows for certain why the Clovis people and iconic beasts -- mastodon, mammoth and saber-toothed tiger - living some 12,800 years ago suddenly disappeared. However, a discovery of widespread platinum at archaeological sites across the United States by three University of South Carolina archaeologists has provided an important clue in solving this enduring mystery. The research findings are outlined in a new study released Thursday (March 9) in Scientific Reports, a publication of Nature. The study, authored by 10 researchers, builds on similar findings of platinum - an element associated with cosmic objects like asteroids or comets - found by Harvard University researchers in an ice-core from Greenland in 2013. The South Carolina researchers found an abundance of platinum in soil layers that coincided with the "Younger-Dryas," a climatic period of extreme cooling that began around 12,800 ago and lasted about 1,400 years. While the brief return to ice-age conditions during the Younger-Dryas has been well-documented by scientists, the reasons for it and the demise of the Clovis people and animals have remained unclear. "Platinum is very rare in the Earth's crust, but it is common in asteroids and comets," says Christopher Moore, the study's lead author. He calls the presence of platinum found in the soil layers at 11 archaeological sites in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina an anomaly. "The presence of elevated platinum in archaeological sites is a confirmation of data previously reported for the Younger-Dryas onset several years ago in a Greenland ice-core. The authors for that study concluded that the most likely source of such platinum enrichment was from the impact of an extraterrestrial object," Moore says. "Our data show that this anomaly is present in sediments from U.S. archaeological sites that date to the start of the Younger-Dryas event. It is continental in scale -- possibly global -- and it's consistent with the hypothesis that an extraterrestrial impact took place." He says the Younger-Dryas coincides with the end of Clovis culture and the extinction of more than 35 species of ice-age animals. Moore says while evidence has shown that some of the animals were on the decline before Younger-Dryas, virtually none are found after it. Moore says that would indicate an extinction event for North America. He also says the platinum anomaly is similar to the well-documented finding of iridium, another element associated with cosmic objects, that scientists have found in the rock layers dated 65 million years ago from an impact that caused dinosaur extinction. That event is commonly known as Cretaceous-Tertiary or K-Pg by scientists. "In both cases, the anomalies represent the atmospheric fallout of rare elements resulting from an extraterrestrial impact," Moore says. He says the K-Pg dinosaur extinction was the result of a very large asteroid impact while the Younger-Dryas onset impact is likely the result of being hit by fragments of a much smaller sized comet or asteroid, possibly measuring up to two-thirds a mile in diameter. "Another difference is that the Younger-Dryas impact event is not yet associated with any known impact crater," Moore says. "This may be because the fragments of the large object struck the glacial ice-sheet or exploded in the atmosphere. Several candidate craters are under investigation but have not been confirmed." Moore says while his team's data does not contradict the Young-Dryas impact hypothesis, it also does not explain the likely effects that such an impact could have had on the environment, Paleoindians or ice-age animals. Contributing to the study is Moore's university colleagues Mark Brooks, a geo-archaeologist who conducts research and excavations at the Savannah River Site, and archaeologist Albert Goodyear, who has spent decades documenting Clovis culture at the famed Topper site. Topper, located in Allendale County, South Carolina, along the banks of the Savannah River, is considered one of the most pristine U.S. sites for research on Clovis, one of the earliest ancient people. Goodyear's work with Moore builds on research in which he found traces of extraterrestrial elements, including iridium, at the Younger-Dryas layer at Topper that was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2012. Moore, Goodyear and Brooks conduct research through the South Carolina Institute of Anthropology and Archaeology in the university's College of Arts and Sciences. In addition to Topper, the remaining 10 archaeological sites that Moore, Goodyear and others on their team conducted research in 2016 included Arlington Canyon on Santa Rosa Island, California; Murray Springs, Arizona; Blackwater Draw, New Mexico; Sheriden Cave, Ohio; Squires Ridge and Barber Creek, North Carolina; and Kolb, Flamingo Bay, John Bay and Pen Point, South Carolina. Moore says the bottom line of the study and paper in the journal Scientific Reports is the presence of an easily identifiable hemispheric marker (platinum) in sediment layers for the start of Younger-Dryas. That discovery contributes to the body of evidence that a potential cosmic impact event occurred and warrants further scientific investigation. ### AUSTIN, Texas -- Because innovation is part of the American culture, adults in the United States may be less likely to associate children's conformity with intelligence than adults from other populations, according to research from developmental psychologists at The University of Texas at Austin. U.S. children are often encouraged to engage in non-conformist and creative behavior. But researchers say this stands in contrast to populations in which child socialization is based on fostering collective and cooperative values that emphasize social conformity. In a study appearing in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, UT Austin researchers examined how adults view children's behavioral conformity as an indication of their intelligence and good behavior, comparing the U.S. and Vanuatu, a Melanesian archipelago in the South Pacific. "Cross-cultural comparisons provide critical insight into variation in reasoning about intelligence. Examining variation in adults' beliefs about children's intelligence provides insight into the kinds of behavior adults value and encourage children to engage in," said Cristine Legare, an associate professor of psychology at UT Austin. The study combined methodologies from experimental psychology and comparative anthropology to examine the kinds of behaviors adults associated with intelligence in each population. Rather than describing what makes a child intelligent, participants watched videos of an adult demonstrating a task, followed by two videos: one of a child imitating the actions exactly as they had been demonstrated; and another of a child deviating from the modeled task. Participants then indicated which child was smartest and which child was most well-behaved. Ni-Vanuatu adults were more likely to identify the high-conforming child as both smart and well-behaved, particularly when the child was from the same population as them; whereas U.S. adults were less likely to endorse the high-conforming child as intelligent. "Conformity is interpreted in different ways in each population -- adults from Vanuatu interpret conformity as evidence of children's competency and adults from the U.S. interpret non-conformity as evidence of children's creativity," Legare said. Additionally, the researchers examined potential differences in adults' judgments across socioeconomic status groups within the U.S. to determine the extent to which education level influenced U.S. adult's judgments of children's conformity. Results indicated that adults with no college experience were more likely to endorse the high-conforming child on both measures than adults with higher levels of education, but still less likely than Ni-Vanuatu adults to select the high-conforming child as intelligent. "Children's learning environments can differ significantly between high and low socioeconomic families, including parents' beliefs about how children should behave and the extent to which children should be self-directed and independent," said Jennifer Clegg, the study's lead author and UT Austin psychology alumna who is now a post-doctoral researcher at Boston University. "Examining variation in adults' beliefs about children's intelligence provides insight into the kinds of behavior children are encouraged to engage in diverse populations with distinct childrearing goals and values." ### SALEM, Ohio An independent survey of producers found 69 percent continue to approve of the Beef Checkoff program. According to the survey, the more producers know about the program, the more supportive they are. The survey also found that producers are generally more optimistic about the cattle industry than they were a year ago. Weve all experienced a very challenging year, both within the industry and in other aspects of our lives, said Jo Stanko, Investor Relations Working Group (IRWG) co-chair. Thats why were not surprised by a decline in support for the checkoff, said the Steamboat Springs, Colorado, producer. But it is heartening to see producers becoming more optimistic about the future. The random survey of 1,252 beef and dairy producers nationwide was conducted by the independent firm Aspen Media & Market Research in late December 2016. Survey results The survey found that while support of the checkoff is down from a year ago, a substantial majority of beef and dairy producers continue to say their beef checkoff is a good value: Seventy-six percent of producers say the beef checkoff has contributed to a positive trend in beef demand, 73 percent of producers say the beef checkoff has value even when the economy is weak, 66 percent of producers say the beef checkoff contributes to the profitability of their operations, 67 percent say the checkoff represents their interests, 58 percent believe the checkoff is well-managed. Although most indicators have declined in the past year, 76 percent say if producers dont promote beef through the checkoff, nobody else is going to pay to promote it, said Stanko. This tells me producers believe in what our checkoff is accomplishing, believe in the programs their investments support, and believe that they have control over their own future through the Beef Checkoff Program. Are you ready to USE your TALENTS to make the world a better place for Children? If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the worlds leading childrens rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote childrens survival, protection and development. The worlds largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. WOOSTER, Ohio Reviewing the numbers probably isnt the most exciting thing at your dairy farm. But if you want to be around next year, and the year after, you better know where you stand. That was part of the message delivered by Gary Sipiorski, dairy development manager with Vita Plus, and Dianne Shoemaker, Ohio State University dairy field specialist, during the Northeast Ohio Regional Dairy Conference March 1 at the OARDC. Sipiorski told dairy farmers how to manage budgets, feed and operating costs, if they want to be in the top third of dairy producers. The financial clock is ticking, he said. If you dont like numbers, its time to start liking them. Its time to start knowing whats going on, because top-third dairy producers know how to manage money. Managing debt One of the biggest factors is managing debt. Sipiorski said top-third producers keep debt at 20 percent of their income or less. Put another way, they dont carry more than $20 of debt for every 100 pounds of milk they sell. He said its OK to borrow money and borrowing can lead to a good investment, as long as you can pay it back in a reasonable amount of time. Shoemaker, who also dairy farms in Mahoning County, said having no debt is fine, but sometimes producers who have no debt should look at the next best area to invest. If there is no debt, a good question is are there some things I could do, to do better, she said. She also cautioned producers about taking too short of a loan term, especially when the term is much shorter than the usable life of the product. She said its usually better to take the longer term debt, and pay it off more aggressively, than limit yourself to too short of a term. Balance sheets Sipiorski told producers they need to keep accurate balance sheets, and do their budgeting three months before end of year. They also need to be reviewing their cash flow on a quarterly basis, monitoring key financial ratios like debt-to-asset and return-on-investment, and they need to be risk managers. Youve got to educate yourself on risk, and if you dont want to educate yourself on risk, stay away from it (dairy farming), because you will get smucked, he said. On the milk production side, Sipiorski said top dairy farmers know how to maximize cow comfort and feed efficiency. They limit calf loss to less than 1 percent, their heifers freshen at 22-24 months, somatic cell count is kept to 100,000 or less, and top producers think about cow comfort on a daily basis. On the feed side, top-third producers are working with crop advisors, planning for the growing season in winter, and they also know when to harvest, store and transport their feed in a way that maximize energy and protein, while reducing shrink and loss. Improving relations On the social side, the best producers also spend time improving their relations with farm employees, family members, and the different people they interact with. Sipiorski said its a good idea to attend at least two or three educational events each year, and to look for ways to improve as an employer. Some important steps are keeping current on your OSHA paperwork, hiring people who share the same values, and providing opportunities for your employees to advance and grow within the industry. Shoemaker said dairy farms also need mission statements, and everyone involved with the operation needs to be on the same page. Do the people involved agree with the mission, she asked. You have to know and agree on why you are in business. By the numbers Shoemaker reminded farmers that the number of dairy farms in Ohio are rapidly decreasing, and if they want to be in it for the future they need to be among the top. In 2007, there were 2,517 licensed Grade A milk producers in Ohio, and in January 2017, the number dropped to below 2,000 for a decrease of nearly 600 producers. She said managing your numbers is important, if you dont want to be part of that next group that leaves the industry in the next 10 years. She also reviewed the results of OSUs Ohio Farm Business Analysis program, which tracked the performance data of 40 Ohio dairy herds. The top 20 percent of producers kept feed costs to just $10.42 per cwt. (100 pounds), compared to $11.88 for the average of all farms. The top 20 percent sold nearly 2,000 pounds more milk per cow, and the top 20, on average, kept total costs per 100 pounds of milk to about $3 less ($15.28) than the average of all farms ($18.21). The net return per cow, before labor and management, showed producers in the top 20 netting $905 per cow, compared to only $36 per cow for the average of all farms. Looking at everything Like Sipiorski, she reminded farmers to review the critical benchmarks and ratios of their business, but reminded them that they need to look at more than just one number. One number will not give you the whole picture, and if you calculate one number and its excellent, that doesnt mean you dont keep looking at what the other numbers are, she said. Sipiorski said there isnt necessarily a magical herd number, or size of farm that is most profitable. Ive seen all the different size dairies that are out there, I see them on a regular basis. And it isnt a number, its the bottom line number, he said. He said they should keep an open and honest communication line with their lender. Lenders should visit the farm, and be kept in the light. The best lender is one thats real honest with you, and the best customer is the customer thats honest with the lender, he said. A farmer has been attacked and robbed of his 6,000 quad bike by a gang of teenagers in West Lothian. The incident happened around 3.30pm Tuesday March 7. Police said three men assaulted the farmer while he was working, took the keys to his green Honda 420cc quad bike and made off on the vehicle towards Blackburn. The farmer was not seriously injured but police described it as a 'despicable attack'. The thieves were described as male, white and about 18 or 19, with local accents. 'Despicable attack' PC Craig Ireland, of Police Scotland, said: "This was a despicable attack on a farmer going about his business for the purpose of stealing his quad bike. "Thankfully he was not seriously injured in this robbery, but he has been deprived of a vehicle he needs to do the day-to-day work on the farm. "We are keen to speak to anyone with information that can assist us with this investigation." One suspect was about 6ft, he was thin and wearing a dark hooded top and bottoms with the hood pulled tight around his face. The second man was about 5ft 10in, of stocky build and tanned. The third attacker was about 5ft 11in and thin. Police Officers are now appealing for anyone with information who can assist them with their enquiries to get in contact on 101. Chancellor Philip Hammond has defended plans for a two per cent rise in National Insurance for self-employed workers - arguing it makes the system more "fair". The main rate of National Insurance contributions for the self-employed is to increase from 9% to 10% in April 2018 and 11% in April 2019. The increases, which will apply to earnings under 43,000, will raise 145m a year by 2021-22 at an average cost of 60p a week to those affected. All Class 4 earnings above 43,000 will continue to be taxed at 2%. Class 2 National Insurance, a separate flat rate contribution paid by self-employed workers making a profit of more than 5,965 a year, is to be scrapped as planned in April 2018. Taken together, millions of self-employed workers could pay an average of 240 a year more but ministers say those earning 16,250 will pay less. Most damagingly for Mr Hammond, the 2015 Conservative manifesto explicitly ruled out rises in National Insurance, VAT and income tax during the lifetime of the current Parliament. 'Further financial burden' However, farmers and rural businesses have heavily criticised the plans. This is an attempt to deter businesses from incorporating to gain a tax advantage, said Victoria Paley, manager at accountants Old Mill. Phillip Hammond wants to level the playing field between employees, self-employed and companies and we therefore expect there to be more significant changes in the future. Sean McCann, Chartered Financial Planner at leading rural insurer, NFU Mutual said: This will add a further financial burden to the thousands of farmers, contractors and rural service providers who have self-employed status. National Farmers Union (NFU) has said that there were 'few measures' in yesterday's Budget to help create an environment that supports profitable, progressive and competitive farm businesses. NFU President Meurig Raymond said: The rise in National Insurance Contributions for the self-employed by 1% next year and a further 1% the year after will have a detrimental impact for farmers. The NFU is striving to make Government aware of the implications this will have on the sector. Sarah Dodds, Head of Agricultural & Rural Business at MHA MacIntyre Hudson, says there was little for the farming community to cheer about from this Spring Budget. With these two measures, the Chancellor wants to level the playing field upwards between employees and those running their own businesses, but small business owners could see this as an attack on their livelihoods. On-farm best practice from across the major pig producing countries in Europe will be captured and disseminated via a new producer-led knowledge-sharing project. The EU PiG Innovation Group (EU PiG) aims to support the competitiveness of the European pig industry through identifying and sharing ground breaking innovations and validated best practices. The project is funded by the European Commission, building an expert network of 19 organisations representing 13 European member states. Over four years, EU PiG will focus on innovation and best practice in four broad thematic areas, identified as the main challenges currently facing the industry; health management, precision production, welfare and meat quality. Best practice will be identified through a novel EU PiG Grand Prix. These annual, local contests will identify best practice in each thematic area, with producers going on to compete at a European level for the coveted title of EU PiG Ambassador. Ambassadors will be selected via an evaluation of their best practice, taking into consideration current state of art and economic benefits. The resulting award winning best practice will be celebrated and shared with other producers. Each year, the contest will focus on different topics under each of the four themes, selected through consultation with the industry and with input from technical experts, to take into account industry trends and emerging issues. This year the topics are; bio-security, reduction of antimicrobial medication, reduction of boar taint, innovation in short food supply chain, castration methods, tail docking, smart water usage and feeding management. A British cattle breeding company has exported a consignment of native British bull semen to Tristan da Cunha one of the most remote islands in the world. The British overseas territory, a tiny and remote volcanic island in the South Atlantic, will receive the consignment from UK Sire Services. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying 1,200 miles from the nearest inhabited land, Saint Helena, and 1,500 miles from the nearest continental land, South Africa. The consignment left Manchester late last year to embark on this epic journey. Location of Tristan da Cunha (Photo: Google Maps) It was received in Capetown, South Africa en route, and made the final 2,400km (1,500 miles) leg of the journey by boat. From the islands tiny harbour, it was taken by tractor into secure storage. The semen straws included were from the bulls, Albany Ludlow, a pure English Hereford, owned by Les Cook and family from Cambridge; Fedw Stig, a Red Poll owned by John Williams, a farmer and undertaker from Shropshire; Gear Blue Moon, an Aberdeen Angus owned by Mark Pilcher, Director of UK Sire Services and son of celebrated writer, Rosamunde Pilcher; and Morlais Dewi Sant, a Welsh Black owned by Hywel Davies from near Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales. The eclectic mix of genetics has been chosen for use on Tristans own mostly Hereford and Angus cattle where it is hoped they will improve their productivity for both beef and milk. Red Poll bull, Fedw Stig, whose semen has been exported to Tristan da Cunha The native British breeds have been selected for their ability to thrive on limited supplies of grazed grass and for their ease of management in sometimes challenging situations. 'Eight years' Neil Swain, who works for Tristans agriculture department, formerly studied at Harper Adams University in Shropshire and instigated the shipment, says: We havent had a change of breed for about eight years, so this will bring in some new blood, and we can keep some bulls from our best cows for breeding. Mr Swain works with the islands only veterinary surgeon, and the two have been inseminating the islands cattle during the breeding season through January and February. He became an insemination technician during his study trip to the UK and says he is delighted to have received the semen shipment after a complex and tortuous trip of over 10,000km (over 6,000 miles). The advice I was given by UK Sire Services about handling and storage of the straws was invaluable, and I would particularly like to thank Tim Brook, Store Manager at UK Sire Services, who kept me up-to-date on the shipments progress, he says. The insemination period for our cattle has now come to an end, so we await the confirmed pregnancies with interest, he says. The island's unique social and economic organisation has evolved over the years, but is based on the principles set out by William Glass in 1817, when he established a settlement based on equality. All Tristan families are farmers, owning their own stock and/or fishing. Northern Irish farmers are dishing out more than 700,000 due to poor quality ear tags for cattle. The Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) estimates the figure at over 700,000 a year, because replacements have to be bought when tags are lost. This is down to the poor quality and durability of identification tags currently approved for Northern Ireland, the UFU President, Barclay Bell, said. The UFU believes that the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) needs to look into a metal tag option. The Union has called the poor quality tags as unacceptable. Farmers are looking at the introduction of a metal tag option, which could prove to be a a win-win outcome for both farmers and DAERA, according to the UFU. Analysis by the UFU was carried out off the back of a DAERA-commissioned study, that was undertaken by the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), to investigate cattle identification tag retention. The study, which looked at the tag retention of 379,479 cattle born in 2007, indicated that on average 18% of the cattle had lost at least one identification tag over a six-year period. Between 2013 and 2015, each year 11-12% of cattle had at least one ear tag replaced and over the three years 663,000 replacement tags were ordered, the study showed. The farming sector has rallied around agricultural workers to be more careful, as February saw ten fatalities, including one child, recorded on farms. The National Farmers Union (NFU) has pressed farmers to mitigate the risks on farms, and to be more safety conscious. NFU Vice President and Farm Safety Partnership Chair Guy Smith said: Accidents involving vehicles are the most common cause of fatal injury in agriculture and in February were the cause of the majority of recorded farm deaths. Accidents include a farmer from Devon who died after his tractor overturned and a farmer from Denbighshire who died after being crushed by his Land Rover. In particular, the death of a three year old boy from Fife brought home the need to make safety a priority on farms in the UK. 'Make safety a priority' Mr Smith continued: We urge farmers to take some time to make safety a priority. It just might save you more time and money than you think - but more importantly keep you alive. Farmers can protect themselves by planning to keep people separate from tractors and other farm vehicles whenever possible. Following the Safe Stop procedure of hand brake on, controls in neutral, engine off and keys out is vital when working on machinery. Check, check and check again that vehicles are properly maintained. Something as simple as topping up brake fluid or repairing a load indicator light could mean the difference between life and death. As many farms are multi-purpose homes, businesses and leisure destinations, keeping a farm as safe as possible will safeguard everyones wellbeing. Marts to donate Scotch Lamb for St Andrew's Day campaign Telco giant Spark New Zealandhas made a formal takeover offer to acquire its smaller competitor TeamTalk.Sparks plan is to acquire all the shares in TeamTalk at NZ$0.80 per share in total, that is NZ$22.7 million for control of the entire company.This deal, if it proceeds, will give Spark, ownership of a fibre network in Wellington and a wireless rural internet service provider.Spark says its share offer is a 78% premium on the price of TeamTalk shares in February (before Spark announced its acquisition intentions). The company also says NZ$0.80 cents per share is an 82% premium on TeamTalk's three-month volume weighted average price.However, TeamTalks chairman, Roger Sowry, is opposed to Sparks takeover, and says the offer is "opportunistic, hostile, "undervalues the company and is not "fair value for TeamTalks shareholders.This morning, shares in Spark New Zealand have dipped 0.3% to $3.27. Northern Dynasty Minerals (NAK -0.12%) is sitting on one of the largest undeveloped gold and copper reserves in the world. On paper, that makes it a stock with plenty of potential if the asset can be developed in a shareholder-friendly manner. When Donald Trump was elected president, and promised to enact an agenda focused on deregulation, investors assumed the odds for that occurring had significantly improved. Of course, things aren't going to be that easy, and investors have exited the stock en masse in the past month. While the rapid sell-off could be explained by several short-term factors, there are several long-term factors that don't bode well for Northern Dynasty Minerals' success. Here are two red flags on the company's balance sheet that should make you think twice about the stock. Cash balance Admittedly, there isn't much to the company's balance sheet. That's because Northern Dynasty Minerals is a pre-revenue and pre-commercial company that is simply holding onto the asset known as the Pebble Project. The major obstacle to development: environmental regulations. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had previously blocked the company's attempts to obtain the permits required for the expansive site to be prepared for decades of resource extraction. But even if the permitting process becomes a little easier thanks to an administration change, Northern Dynasty Minerals is still looking at a relatively large upfront expense. The company estimates that the permitting process alone will take up to four years and $150 million to complete. That could be a problem considering that it reported just $7.9 million in cash on its balance sheet at the end of September. While the company closed a share offering that grossed $37.4 million in late January, it also reported $33.5 million in operating expenses in the 12 months prior to the most recent quarter -- and that was before the permitting process even began. Management was wise to take advantage of a sky-high stock price to raise funds, but it seems likely that the latest share offering will be far from the last. That leads to a second major red flag on the balance sheet for investors to consider: dilution. Shares outstanding In the span of just one year, from September 2015 to September 2016, investors saw the number of shares outstanding more than double from 131 million to 265 million. To be fair, without any operations to speak of, Northern Dynasty Minerals only really had two options for raising funds to keep the lights on: debt offerings or share offerings. The latter has the advantage of being relatively cheap, specifically since share offerings avoid interest payments. They are, however, devastating to shareholders. That's especially true considering a stock price hovering near $0.50 per share for the last several years required a lot of shares to be sold each quarter. If the latest offering is included, then the number of shares outstanding today is at least 285 million. With its star seemingly rising, Northern Dynasty Minerals could potentially shun future share offerings and instead raise debt or find a development and production partner, as it says it intends to do, to help keep pace with what is expected to be an increasingly higher level of operating expenses. While the latter would help to de-risk the company's future, investors must also consider that it will come at the cost of reduced ownership in the Pebble Project -- another form of dilution. Furthermore, there's no guarantee that the permitting process will proceed or end favorably, which could have existential consequences for the company. And even if the permitting process goes smoothly from start to finish, the company is still facing hundreds of millions of dollars (or more) in development expenses, which may never lead to profitable operations. What does it mean for investors? I simply don't see a way for Northern Dynasty Minerals to overcome the red flags on its balance sheet while prioritizing value creation for shareholders. There's a large gap between its current financial situation and the funding required to successfully complete the permitting process. There's an even larger funding gap between where the company is today and the day it executes its first commercial sale of minerals. Put another way: This is not a long-term investment worth making. Free Clinics, jail cooperate to help inmates At a time of precious few successes in mental health delivery, Judy Long is celebrating one. Related Stories The Free Clinics just received a new report showing that the nonprofit agency provided $277,000 worth of medication to Henderson County jail inmates last year. Capt. Jim Player, the jail administrator, quantified the value of medication. Weve done it for a while but its been gradually growing and this is the first time they have given us a number, Long said. I think it was because he realizes now much were a benefit to them and he asked his staff to come up with a number that could help tell our story. By partnering with The Free Clinics, the jail saved that much money. As important, the drugs, which are predominantly for mental health reasons, help stabilize jail inmates who might otherwise harm themselves or others. The jail, like hospital emergency rooms, ends up with homeless people and others with untreated mental health challenges. Because of the relationship we have, we do lot of referrals back and forth for services, Long said. The social services worker whos based in the jail uses our team a lot and he knows it makes a difference when they have their proper medication. It also demonstrates the volume of the number of folks with mental health challenges that end up in our jail because theres so much fragility in the system and theres been so many changes and they end up in the services of our detention center. Sheriffs Maj. Frank Stout confirmed Longs account of the value of the partnership and the need for it at a time when publicly funded mental health delivery has been slashed. Really and truly we could not operate without The Free Clinics, Stout said. That money would have come directly out of the taxpayers pockets and we dont have that kind of money in the budget. The Free Clinics has been a saving grace for us here in substance abuse and mental health issues. They have been an incredible partner and a life saver for us. Some of these medications could cost a couple thousand dollars a month. No pain meds Both Long and Stout emphasized that medications for physical pain such as highly addictive opioids are not prescribed or even available. The Free Clinics is not licensed to dispense those, Long said. Absolutely not, Stout added. This is substance abuse and mental health medications. Theyre not handing out pain meds. These are psychotropic drugs to be able to stabilize them while theyre here. A physicians assistant and a mental health counselor see inmates and recommend prescriptions to a doctor. We are not a mental health facility but far too often with things the way they are in todays society, budget cuts and reductions, they end up in jail, Stout said. That is where The Free Clinics helps us be able to stabilize them while theyre here and keep them safe and keep them from harming themselves or harming others. The Free Clinics and law officers cooperate when inmates are released to help them get on a treatment program for substance abuse. Probably 60 percent of all our inmates here have substance abuse issues and closer to 80 percent are mental health and substance abuse issues, he said. Any time that we have ever needed anything they have truly gone above and beyond to try and help us meet our needs her at the facility. Theyre just an incredible partner. Working together Not every inmate stabilized by medications dispensed in jail gets better, Long said, but some do. Most are not necessarily able to access appropriate care, she said. Ironically, by being in the detention center, they get set up with some care. Medical personnel make referrals and try and establish that care. They get to choose whether to follow up but this gives them the tools to get them in a more stable position. The Free Clinics is served by more than 270 volunteers and more than 170 health and community partners to provide medical, mental health, pharmaceutical and specialty care and to address barriers to health. During the 2016-17 program year, TFC provided $9,078,321 worth of care to the community, a return on investment of $8.33-to-1. Long said she has been grateful to see the clinics partnership work, especially when mental health delivery in North Carolina is riddled by dysfunction and gaps. Henderson County I would say works very intentionally to make the best use of our varied resources, to find the right partner at the right time and to provide as comprehensive care as we can," she said. "This is the most collaborative and best place Ive ever worked. People really do work together here. Fremont : A civil rights lawsuit filed in federal court this week charges that schools in the state discriminate in their portrayal of Hinduism. The California Parents for the Equalization of Educational Materials, also known as CAPEEM, and three Bay Area residents filed the lawsuit to challenge Californias history-social science curriculum. They say the curriculum appears to highlight the positive aspects of other religions, such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and Confucianism, but does not provide the same treatment of Hinduism. The lawsuit was filed against the state Department of Education, state Board of Education and several school districts throughout the Bay Area. It also names the San Ramon Valley, Cupertino, Milpitas and San Francisco school districts, at which the CAPEEM has members with children attending. Although Hindu-American groups declared victory in their campaign to get the Board of Education to use the term Ancient India instead of South Asia this summer, more work needs to be done in making the states social science framework and curriculum less discriminatory toward Hinduism, said Glenn Katon, an attorney who filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Hindu-American group. The state boards adopted curriculum still devotes almost half the discussion of Hinduism to the caste system, he said. But for every other religion, the board has followed a policy of refusing to include negative examples that would instill prejudice, he alleged. For instance, there is no mention of negative interpretations of Christianity that supported slavery or condemned same-sex relationships, he said. Hinduism is portrayed from a critical perspective, so I guess really what were asking for, is just be consistent, he said. Also, the adopted framework says that the caste system is a religious belief of Hinduism, but thats highly debatable, he said. And its obviously highly negative and would embarrass and shame people who hold that religion. The complaint further alleges other ways the California curriculum treats Hinduism unfairly and differently from all other religions. As a mother of two children in California public schools and a member of the Hindu community, I have seen the pain and embarrassment the current curriculum causes our families, said Arti Kapoor of San Ramon in a statement issued by CAPEEM. I hope this lawsuit will force the Department of Education to correct the discrimination we now face. The state Department of Education declined to comment. And San Ramon Valley school district spokeswoman Elizabeth Graswich said her district could not comment either because it hadnt had time to review the lawsuit. The complaint can be found at www.capeem.org/docs/Complaint2017.pdf. Source : Mercury News For the week ending 4 March, the Canadian hotel industry reported occupancy increased 4.5% to 58.6%, while ADR increased 4.7% to CA$141.72 ($104.92) and RevPAR jumped 9.4% to CA$83.03 ($61.47). The Canadian hotel industry reported positive results in the three key performance metrics during the week of 26 February through 4 March 2017, according to data from STR. Year-over-year comparison with the week of 28 February through 5 March 2016: Occupancy: +4.5% to 58.6% Average daily rate (ADR): +4.7% to CAD141.72 Revenue per available room (RevPAR): +9.4% to CAD83.03 Among the provinces, Prince Edward Island recorded the largest year-over-year increases across the three key performance metrics. Occupancy in the province rose 17.9% to 33.9%, ADR was up 7.7% to CAD105.43 and RevPAR grew 27.0% to CAD35.69. Two additional provinces saw a double-digit lift in RevPAR for the week: Ontario (+14.3% to CAD91.44) and British Columbia (+11.9% to CAD103.73). Saskatchewan reported the largest declines in ADR (-5.7% to CAD119.25) and RevPAR (-6.9% to CAD59.08). New Brunswick experienced the largest decrease in occupancy (-3.0% to 42.6%). STR provides clients from multiple market sectors with premium, global data benchmarking, analytics and marketplace insights. Founded in 1985, STR maintains a presence in 10 countries around the world with a corporate North American headquarters in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and an international headquarters in London, England. For more information, please visit str.com. Hotels in the North West recorded a 12.2% increase in profit per room in January, led by a 9.2% increase in RevPAR, as the region enjoyed a great start to 2017 according to the latest data from HotStats. Hotels in the North West recorded a 12.2% increase in profit per room in January, led by a 9.2% increase in RevPAR, as the region enjoyed a great start to 2017 according to the latest data from HotStats. Growth in both room occupancy (+4.1 percentage points) and achieved average room rate (+2.4%) contributed to the ongoing increase in RevPAR (Revenue per Available Room), which has now grown by 20.5% over the last 36 months, to 61.58 in the 12 months to January 2017. The year-on-year increase in achieved average room rate was driven by growth recorded in residential conference (+6.5%) and corporate (+5.3%) segment rates, as strong midweek demand levels have allowed commercial rates to be leveraged in the key North West cities of Manchester and Liverpool. The strong performance at hotels in the North West contributed to the 6.2% RevPAR increase at hotels in the Provincial UK in January, as well as the 6.5% GOPPAR (Gross Operating Profit per Available Room) increase to 15.06 per available room during the same period. Aberdeen Facing Fresh Challenges as Profit Continues to Tumble Following declines in profit per room in 2015 (-33.3%) and 2016 (- 51.5%), a 41.0% year-on-year decline in profit per room in January suggests there is further woe to come for hotels in Aberdeen, as supply increase provide fresh challenges to trading performance. Many hotel projects in the city were already underway when the oil crisis hit Aberdeen in 2014, and have come to fruition within the last 24 months, including the 165-bedroom Crowne Plaza, 155-bedroom Hampton by Hilton, 200-bedroom Moxy and 193- bedroom Holiday Inn Express. Although these schemes are all clustered at the airport, and in proximity to the AECC, the impact on performance will undoubtedly be felt across the city. Whilst hotels in Aberdeen were able to claw back occupancy this month, increasing by 1.5 percentage points year-on-year, to a lowly 54.4%, RevPAR at hotels in the city fell by 14.9% as a result of a 17.2% drop in achieved average room rate, to 63.52. Once the lifeblood of hotels in Aberdeen, commercial demand now comprises just 32.1% of total demand in the 12 months to January 2017, having dropped from 46.2% in the 12 months to January 2016. For the average hotel in Aberdeen, this is equivalent to a drop of approximately 7,800 accommodated commercial roomnights per annum. RevPAR Grows But Profit Drops in Bristol Hotels in Bristol recorded a 12.5% decline in profit per room in January 2017, which was in spite of a 2.0% increase in RevPAR led by a 1.3 percentage point increase in room occupancy. Hotels in the South West city have performed well in recent years, illustrated by the 2.6% increase in GOPPAR in the 12 months to January 2017, which was on the back of a 1.0% increase in RevPAR, suggesting that astute hoteliers are converting revenue to profit effectively. However, this month hotels in Bristol suffered declines in Non- Rooms Revenues, including Food and Beverage (-12.1%) and Conference and Banqueting (-19.2%) on a per available room basis. In addition, an increase was also recorded in Payroll (+1.7 percentage points) to 37.4% of total revenue, which contributed to a 6.7% decline in Departmental Operating Profit, to 39.57, equivalent to 50.6% of total revenue. Whilst high operational costs are undoubtedly a challenge to manage at this time of year due to lower occupancy levels, evidence suggests there is also a widening chasm between RevPAR and other key metrics lending further weight to the argument that the industrys key performance indicator is no longer the best, single measure of the health of the hotel sector. Click here ( Adobe Acrobat PDF file) to download the complete article. Services For an inside view of a local or regional market place in the hotel sector, bespoke HotStats reports are available. Terms and conditions apply. Visit www.hotstats.com to view a sample report. HotStats provides two reporting tools to hoteliers: Our unique profit and loss benchmarking service which enables monthly comparison of hotels performance against their competitors. It is distinguished by the fact that it provides in excess of 100 performance metric comparisons covering 70 areas of hotel revenue, cost, profit and statistics providing far deeper insight into the hotel operation than any other tool. Our latest innovation in daily revenue intelligence, MORSE. Amongst its reporting are daily and highly granular market segmentation metrics as well as distribution channel and source of booking analysis. It takes daily market intelligence to a whole new level. For more information contact: Enquiries +44 (0) 20 7892 2241 enquiries@hotstats.com European Companies Will Plan Significantly Less Meetings & Events in United States The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) polled its U.S. and European members this week to assess the business travel impact of President Trumps revised executive order on travel. Nearly 4 in 10 (37 percent) U.S. business travel professionals expect some level of reduction in their companys travel because of the revised executive order. Even more European travel professionals felt this way with 47 percent expecting some level of reduction in business travel for their company. Additionally, 17 percent of European travel professionals reported that their company has already cancelled business travel to the United States because of the executive orders issued. Thirty-eight percent of European business travel professionals said their companys would be less willing to send business travelers to the United States in the future because of the executive order and 45 percent indicated their company will be less willing to plan future meetings and events in the United States. There is always the risk that closing our borders sends the message that the United States is closed for business, and the results of this poll show the perception of the United States as a welcoming destination for business travel has been altered, said Michael W. McCormick. As we always say, security is paramount, but GBTA continues to be a proponent for expanding proven security programs and developing new technology to facilitate information-sharing among governments to ensure travelers are always vetted properly, making us all more safe and secure. Additional Findings from the Polls 44 percent of European travel professionals reported their organization currently has employees traveling abroad who might be or are affected by the current travel ban. 20 percent of European travel professionals reported there are directives within their organization to cancel or delay travel of employees who are nationals of countries included in the ban. U.S. travel professionals cited potential for countries to respond to this ban, making travel more difficult for U.S. travelers (51 percent), complications in travel to the United States (44 percent) and increased threats against U.S. travelers abroad (41 percent) as their top concerns for lasting impacts of the travel ban. These numbers were all marginally down from our poll following the announcement of the first travel ban in January where they were at 63 percent, 56 percent and 54 percent respectively. U.S. travel professionals expressed similar levels of support and opposition for the revised travel ban as they did for the original one. Just over half (52 percent) of the travel professionals surveyed strongly or somewhat oppose this action, while 35 percent strongly or somewhat support it, compared to 50 percent and 38 percent, respectively, in our initial poll. When asked about top concerns regarding the immigration ban on your travelers, increased traveler harassment in general (41 percent), uncertainty regarding green card and approved visa credibility to enter the United States (34 percent), and harassment of U.S. travelers to and from the Middle East (34 percent) topped the list. More than one-third (34 percent), however, didnt share any of the concerns listed. Methodology The poll of European members was conducted online between March 7-8, 2017. The respondents are comprised of 148 European travel managers, 51 of whom reside in Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, or Sweden). The poll of U.S. members was also conducted online between March 7-8, 2017 and is comprised of 176 travel managers. The Hotel Brokers International members have elected their 2017-18 Board of Directors during their 58th Annual Meeting held in Las Vegas. Tony DeGeorge, president of Clearwater, Florida-based Greene, Canfield, DeGeorge, LLC, and Jennifer Church, president of Milmark Hotel/Motel Investments, LLC, were chosen by their peers to serve as the organizations President and Vice President, respectively. Hotel Brokers International, the real estate industrys oldest, most experienced network of hotel broker specialist, announces the election of their 2017-18 Board of Directors. The HBI Board, comprised of eleven officers/directors, was elected from the general membership during the 58th Annual Meeting of the organization held last month in Las Vegas. The following begin their Board Terms immediately: President: Tony DeGeorge, CHB President, founding partner and principal broker of Greene, Canfield, DeGeorge, LLC in Clearwater, Florida, Tony has been actively involved in hotel brokerage since 1981 and has been directly involved in the listing, marketing and sale of hundreds of hotels including dispositions for corporations and REITs as well as individuals. His impressive transaction resume includes the sale of an array of hotel property types including everything from select-service airport hotels to beach-front resorts. As a former hotel owner-operator, Tony has first-hand knowledge of hotel operations, cash flow management and marketing. He earned his Certified Hotel Broker (CHB) designation in 2000 and is a three-time past president of Hotel Brokers International; serving on the organizations Board of Directors for more than 20 years. Vice President: Jennifer B. Church, CHB Jennifer Church is president of Milmark Hotel/Motel Investments, LLC a full-service hospitality real estate investment and consulting firm, licensed in Wisconsin. Jennifer has nearly 13 years of professional experience in hospitality real estate sales, and she has continuously been recognized for outstanding hotel sales performance named Rookie of the Year in her first year and most recently Top Sales Producer in her region. Prior to serving as President of Milmark, she served as the firms Director of Sales when she earned designation as a Certified Hotel Broker and was awarded three of the four top honors in her CHB Class. Jennifer previously worked as Director of Operations & Services at the Wisconsin Hotel & Lodging Association (WH&LA) one of the largest lodging associations in the country. Jennifer received her undergraduate degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management at the University of Wisconsin Stout and earned her Masters in Public Administration from the University of North Michigan. Treasurer: Steven B. Blue, CHB Steve Blue is the sole owner of Scoggin Blue LLC a real estate brokerage company with offices in New Mexico and Texas specializing exclusively in selling hospitality real estate since 1959. Steve has been in hotel/motel asset value assessments and direct marketing of hotel/motel properties since 1979. Prior to joining the firm, Steve received a Bachelor of Accountancy Degree from New Mexico State University in 1976, and subsequently managed several Texas-based hotels. Since 1979, he has personally generated direct sales in excess of $200 million. Steves strengths include asset value assessment, sales, management and operations. Secretary: Michelle L. Kennedy Michelle Kennedy is a partner and principal/designated broker of Crystal Investment Property, LLC a boutique specialty brokerage solely focused on serving the needs of hotel owners and investors in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Michelle has a 20-year background in administration, real estate and legal education, contracts, and operations management for regional commercial real estate firms. Michelles focus with Crystal Investment Property, is primarily on operations oversight, transaction management, marketing coordination and general back-office systems. Directors: Steve Quintana is president of HawksView Hospitality, a full service brokerage firm based in the Denver suburb of Lone Tree. Steve specializes in hotel asset investment, valuation, marketing and transaction. Prior to founding HawksView Hospitality, Steve worked with a national commercial brokerage firm. He holds an undergraduate degree in business management and is an entrepreneur who owns businesses and real estate. Richard Ehmer is president and principal broker of The Ehmer Group a full-service hospitality real estate investment and consulting firm located in San Francisco, California. Richard has more than 30 years of experience in the marketing and negotiating of commercial real estate transactions including the closing of more than $1,500,000,000 in hospitality transactions. Richard currently owns and operates several hospitality assets in San Francisco. Richard has served on the HBI Board of Directors since 2014. Errol DSouza is president and principal broker of Laurel Real Estate Company, a full service real estate brokerage and advisory firm located in the Columbus, Ohio area. Errol began his real estate career in 1997 and has consistently been a top producer in hospitality real estate sales and was recognized in 2015 as Broker of the Year. Errol has a diverse business background having worked in, invested in, or owned, businesses in accounting, hotels, real estate, restaurants, retail, and technology companies. Errol earned his MBA in Accounting and Finance from Ohio University and in 2002 earned professional designation as a Certified Hotel Broker (CHB). Kathryn Seo, vice president of Lodging Brokers Network, Inc., has more than ten years of experience in the hotel and real estate industries. Her career in hospitality real estate includes working for an international hotel brokerage firm and holding acquisition and development roles at two of the major boutique hotel companies, most recently Kimpton Hotels. For the five years prior to joining LBN, Kathryn led due diligence efforts on acquiring boutique hotels, and has valued hundreds of hotels and inns across the country. In each of the most recent three years, Kathryn has earned and been awarded HBIs top individual sales achievement award Salesperson of the Year. Kathryn holds a degree in Real Estate Finance from Cornell University. Darin C. Brock serves as vice president of Dallas-based Brock Hotel Group and joined the firm in 1998 representing hotel sellers throughout the South Central United States. During his tenure with the firm, Brock has achieved and been recognized nine times as regional Top Salesperson. Brock is a graduate of the University of Denver and has earned the professional designation of Certified Hotel Broker (CHB). Diana Alt is an associate broker with Las Cruces, New Mexico-based Scoggin Blue LLC, and has managed the brokerage firms Dallas office since 2002. She has been involved in the hospitality industry since 1989. Prior to Scoggin Blue, Diana was with Hotel Management magazine. With her years of professional experience in the hospitality industry, Diana easily makes contact with top executives and decision-makers of hotel companies, hotel owners, franchise, financial and management companies as well as REITs and others interested in buying and selling hotels. Diana has her B.B.A. in Marketing from the University of Texas in Arlington. H. Brandt Niehaus, CHB, is president and principal broker of Huff, Niehaus & Associates, Inc., a full-service hotel real estate brokerage located in Louisville, Kentucky. Brandt began his career in commercial real estate in 1983 and has focused exclusively on hotel real estate investment since 1988. He has successfully transacted the sales of hundreds of hotel properties from limited-service independents through full-service luxury hotels representing sellers in conventional sales as well as lender-owned transactions for banks and institutions. A consistent top sales producer, Brandt was named Broker of the Year in recognition of his record-setting sales performance in 2014. Brandt, a three-time Past President of HBI, holds the professional designations of Certified Hotel Broker (CHB), Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) and Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM). Brandt earned his Bachelors and MBA in Marketing from the University of Kentucky. Founded in 1959, Hotel Brokers International members lead the industry in hotel real estate sales. HBI hotel brokerage specialists have successfully negotiated more than 10,500 hotel real estate transactions and consistently account for the largest share of all select-service and economy hotel sales in the United States. The organizations database currently comprises more than 100 property listings and the HBI website attracts site visitors from around the world. Founder and host of the popular Hotel Investors Marketplace Webcast, HBI also developed the Certified Hotel Broker professional designation program. In addition to hospitality real estate advisory services, HBI offers affiliate membership to professionals in allied fields, including franchising, lending, appraisals and investment services. For more information about HBIs hotel listings or to become a broker or affiliate member, visit www.hbihotels.com. Contact: Glenda J. Webb Managing Director Hotel Brokers International +1.816.505.4315 gwebb@hbihotels.com The gig economy is growing and bringing a host of new challenges. One such challenge centers around how organizations can maintain engagement when it is increasingly difficult for employees and managers to build relationships, team ethics, and stronger cultures with so many giggers entering and then leaving the workforce. What is Gigging? The gig economy is a working environment where contingent work and temporary positions are common. The term is often been used in the context of some lower paid roles think Uber or pizza delivery drivers but they dont exclusively dominate this rapidly emerging sector. Someone who works in the gig economy a gigger is any kind of independent worker whos used for short-term engagements on a non-permanent basis and that includes highly skilled workers. The gig economy has been slowly evolving over the past two to three decades as increasing numbers of these kinds of workers entered the workplace. Up until now, they went by other names: Contractors, interim managers, freelancers, independent professionals, temporary contract workers, independent contractors, consultants. A combination of factors the rise of technology, customers expecting goods and services to arrive quickly and flexibly, the global recession, workers seeking work opportunities that offer greater flexibility and variety has led to its acceleration. Traditionally, gig workers ... L Magazine PUBLISHER EDITOR DESIGNER SALES SUPERVISOR CONTRIBUTING WRITERS COLUMNISTS COVER PHOTOGRAPHY Our cover features Regan Anson, executive director of the Nebraska 150 Celebration. Anson says the states year-long activities reach out to every corner and group to bridge communities, connect Nebraskans and enhance state pride. For details, see Jodi Fusons cover story on pages 28-29. Cover photo by John F. Keller L Magazine welcomes your submissions of photographs and feature ideas. Organizations must notify us of upcoming events at least six weeks in advance. All submissions will be considered for publication. We reserve the right to edit submitted material. Views expressed are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect our publishing policies. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, for any purpose without the express written consent of L Magazine, 926 P St., Lincoln, NE 68508. Evolve from employee appreciation games to an employee appreciation culture You know staff appreciation is important to your organization's success -- there's really no debate or controversy on that point anymore. So, you decided to implement some employee appreciation ideas you found in a guide. Maybe you brought the team some donuts one day with a deliciously clever note about how you "donut" know what you'd do without them, or announced an employee of the month during an all-hands meeting. Despite all that effort, you're still not seeing the cornucopia of benefits you were promised, and only a handful of employees even seem like they want to participate. Why is that? In most cases, the staff appreciation initiatives we put in place feel like initiatives, and that's why they're less effective than we hope they'll be. Even if they are well-intentioned, many of these initiatives are just another thing you're asking everyone to do at work. However, it doesn't have to be that way. We've teamed up with hundreds of companies of all sizes over the years to help build sustainable, naturally recognition-rich cultures. We've designed tools and strategies based on psychological research, and successful real-world implementations. Along the way, a few things stood out -- things you can do in any or... We work towards an equitable, gender-just, self-reliant and sustainable fisheries, particularly in the small-scale, artisanal sector We work towards an equitable, gender-just, self-reliant and sustainable fisheries, particularly in the small-scale, artisanal sector We work towards an equitable, gender-just, self-reliant and sustainable fisheries, particularly in the small-scale, artisanal sector We work towards an equitable, gender-just, self-reliant and sustainable fisheries, particularly in the small-scale, artisanal sector Their view would appear to be that employees in the bus sector should be covered by a binding overall deal covering both pay and conditions. Where do they get this from? It appears that neither the ability of a company to pay nor its profitability has ever to enter the equation. The thinking is simple: Private sector competitors should have to pick up Bus Eireanns excess payroll costs. Sinn Fein apparently went even further and suggested that licenses to private operators be further restricted. The mind boggles. Lets restrict services that have to be profitable to survive and that deliver services that people want and use. That makes sense to nobody and certainly not to the customers of the bus services. It only makes sense to those employed in Bus Eireann, Iarnrod Eireann and CIE in general. Unfortunately, thats the way it is with many of the commercial semi-states firms. Rather than focus on the customers and how best to serve their needs and do it properly, their priority is to sort out the employees first. Transport Minister Shane Ross has taken quite a bit of a drubbing for not intervening directly to solve the issue. After all, thats the way it was always done. The net result would be that the taxpayers would once again be asked to pick up the tab and it would be business as usual for the unions, but on better pay and perhaps conditions. Much of the terms and conditions and the work practises come from a different time. That was a time when customers took what they were given and were grateful for it. That is no longer the case, by and large. Unless a customer is satisfied with the product offered, he or she will go elsewhere. Its as simple as that. The airline industry is a case in point. Aer Lingus enjoyed a virtual monopoly and could charge what the market could bear. Its unions blocked change at every chance they could get, supported by the Department of Transport, euphemistically known as the downtown office of Aer Lingus. Aer Lingus had two options: Collapse or change. Change it did and its now in a totally different and profitable place. Aer Lingus had no choice when upstart Ryanair came along with its brash CEO taking passengers to where they wanted to go. Its now one of the biggest airlines in Europe. An Post has said it will have a problem honouring its payroll next month without an increase in postal charges. This Government in succumbing to the pay demands of the gardai and their tactics have guaranteed that a litany of pay demands will continue. Unions have been emboldened by the fragile nature of the Coalition. Our politicians and unions seem to believe that the uncertain economic times will not affect their livelihoods. Little has been learnt from the economic collapse of 2008. Such ostrich-like behaviour is not in anyones interest. Perhaps they all also need to read the same advice as Minister Ross and try a new way? Perhaps, abolishing companies and services that can no longer pay their way might be a good place to start. Business PTTEP Partners with Total in Burmas MD-7 Deep-water Block PTTEP partners with Total in MD-7 project. / Reuters PTT Exploration and Production Plc (PTTEP), the only upstream petroleum company listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand, has secured a partner with which to invest in the MD-7 project in Burma. President and chief executive Somporn Vongvuthipornchai said PTTEP agreed to partner with Total E&P Myanmar, which will hold a 50 percent participating interest in MD-7, while PTTEP remains the operator of the project. He said PTTEP will collaborate with Total in exploration and development activity in the block, which is in the Gulf of Martaban off the coast of Burma. The transaction has been approved by the Burmese government, Mr. Somporn said. The plan to seek a strategic partner on the project is in line with PTTEPs risk management policy to join with local firms with extensive experience in deep-water operations, enhancing overall capacity. The Myanmar MD-7 project is located in a deep-water area, he said. Having a partner with expertise and experience in exploration and development for many deep-water projects will help us to carry out activity in the project more effectively. The MD-7 block spans 7,798 square kilometers. PTTEP South Asia Ltd, a subsidiary of PTTEP, was awarded the exploration rights in 2013. The project is undergoing 3D seismic evaluation to assess the blocks resource potential. PTTEP is involved in eight exploration and production projects in Burma. The company is also accelerating its exploration and production plan for Australias Montara offshore block to capitalize on rising oil prices. It expects to commence work in the block by the third quarter this year, earlier than the previous plan that pegged 2018 as the start date. PTTEP shares closed yesterday on the Stock Exchange of Thailand at 91.50 baht (US$2.50), up 50 satang, in trade worth 686 million baht ($19 million). From the Archive A Radically Different Dhamma The 969 logo. / Reuters Before Ma Ba Tha came to prominence, a Buddhist nationalist movement called 969 shook Burma to its core with its anti-Muslim sentiment and instigation of communal violence in 2012. After attracting local and international criticism for its radicalism, 969 members rebranded the group in 2014 as The Patriotic Association of Myanmar, more commonly known as The Association to Protect Race and Religion (known by its Burmese acronym Ma Ba Tha), with nationalist monks in leadership positions. Since then, the association has continued to spread anti-Muslim hate speech across the country. The following story that appeared in the June 2013 issue of The Irrawaddy magazine reflects the then situation on the ground in Mon States capital Mawlamyine, a stronghold of the 969 movement. MAWLAMYINE, Mon State Its around 8 pm on a recent evening in Mawlamyine, the capital of Mon State, and U Wimala Biwuntha, a Buddhist monk, is about to arrive to deliver a sermon at a temple in the citys Aut Kyin Quarter. Despite his reputation as a charismatic speaker, however, there are barely a hundred people inside the main religious hall, and perhaps another hundredmostly childrenoutside. Please go in, some women tell me and a few others who are standing outside. There are not so many people here tonight, so the Sayadaw might be upset. A few minutes later, U Wimala, who looks much younger than his 40 years, makes his appearance. After chanting a short Buddhist prayer, he begins his sermon with an ominous warning: We Buddhists are like people in a boat that is sinking. If this does not change, our race and religion will soon vanish. And so, he adds, tonights sermon will be about 969. He pauses briefly, then asks, What is tonights sermon about? 969, his audience replies. What is it about? he repeats through his microphone, raising his voice. 969! Louder! You have to shout it louder. Even if you make this Dhamma Yone [religious assembly hall] collapse, we can rebuild it. It was a strange scene, more reminiscent of a political rally than a Buddhist sermon. But it didnt come as a surprise: U Wimala was well known as a firebrand monk and a leading exponent of the 969 movement that has in recent months attracted a great deal of attention in the country and, indeed, around the world. Regarded as a brand of extreme Buddhist nationalism, it has been linked to recent outbreaks of anti-Muslim violence in central Myanmar that many worry could turn into a nationwide conflagration. The women who had guided us into the building also handed us pamphlets spelling out what 969 stands for. We Buddhists must protect our race and religion by worshiping and applying 969, the tracts say. Meanwhile, loudspeakers blare out a song with a similar message: We Buddhists shouldnt stay calm. If we are calm, our race and religion will vanish. U Wimala explains in his sermon that the numbers in 969 refer to the nine special attributes of the Buddha, the six special attributes of his Dhamma, or teachings, and the nine special attributes of the Sangha, or community of monks. While most regard 969 as a relatively new movement, for U Wimala it is as old as Buddhism itself. You must remember, he says in a booming voice, that 969 has existed for 2,600 years. Christianity emerged 620 years after 969, and Islam more than a thousand years after 969. At the same time, however, he acknowledges the movements newfound notoriety. Some people ask, Is it legal? I dont even know how to answer that question. Isnt the Buddha legal? We monks are legal, arent we? He also insists that the movement is non-violent, relying only on boycotts of Muslim-owned businesses bearing the number 786, which is used by Muslims in Myanmar to mark halal restaurants and shops, to achieve its goals. We have never spoken of beating or killing people of different religions, he insists. Our Buddha taught us never to kill any creature, let alone people or members of different religions. But if these words were intended to reassure Muslims, who make up roughly half the population of Mawlamyines Aut Kyin Quarter, they failed. Its scary, the way he speaks, U Tin Aung, a 68-year-old Muslim man, told me outside the temple after the sermon. It wasnt so much the words, he said, but the intensity with which they were delivered. Distorting the Dhamma Muslims are not alone in feeling that theres something distinctly unnerving about the way the 969 movement seeks to instill fear in the hearts of Buddhists about a supposed Muslim conspiracy to drive their faith out of Myanmar, where it has taken firm root over the past two millennia. This is the first and last time, said one of the organizers of the evenings sermon. We intended this for young people and kids. We didnt know he would talk about all this 969 stuff. Others I spoke to were also less than impressed by U Wimalas fiery rhetoric. He sounds like Hitler, U Htun Than, a 57-year-old Buddhist and former political candidate in Myanmars 1990 elections, told me bluntly after we sat through the sermon. It will be a big problem if his group becomes stronger. U Kyaw Kyaw, another local politician from the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), agreed. You heard the song: We shouldnt stay calm. If we stay calm, our race and religion will vanish. What is that supposed to mean? They are just agitating people. It has to stop. During our conversation, U Kyaw Kyaw reminds me that the 969 movement has its roots in Mawlamyine, a city long known as a bastion of the Buddhist faith. It was here, nearly two centuries ago, that local protests forced the closure of a missionary school after a Buddhist student converted to Christianity. Since that incident, which occurred just 12 years after the British assumed control of the southern part of Myanmar in 1824, Mawlamyine has had a well-earned reputation for being staunchly Buddhist, even as British rule brought with it an influx of mostly Muslim migrants from India, whose descendants now make up roughly a fifth of the citys population. The 969 movement itself goes back to 1997, when a 40-page booklet titled 969 first appeared in Mawlamyine. Published by Hna Phet Hla (literally, the beauty of both sides) and penned under the name U Kyaw Lwin, this short manifesto urged Buddhists to openly display the numbers 969 on their homes, businesses and vehicles. It didnt, however, single out any other religion for criticism. Instead, it merely called on Buddhists to be good people and support each other. A few years later, however, another booklet started circulating that carried an overtly anti-Islamic message. Called Worrying about the Vanishing of the Race, it also emphasized the need to behave properly, but among its 17 prescriptions for protecting the Buddhist religion were some that encouraged active discrimination against Muslims. The book, which first appeared around 2000 and was never legally published (meaning that anyone found in possession of it faced a seven-year jail sentence under Section 5 (j) of the 1950 Emergency Act), said that Buddhists should employ a three cuts strategy against Muslims. This entailed cutting off all business ties; not allowing Buddhists to marry Muslims; and severing all social relations with Muslims, including even casual conversation. It stopped short, however, of advocating violence. Even now, the 969 movement disavows violence, even as it is increasingly seen as playing a key role in stirring up anti-Muslim sentiment. Ostensibly, at least, its activities are peaceful. U Wimala, for instance, has instituted Sunday schools to teach Buddhist children the basics of the Buddhas teachings and social ethics. Some parents have been wary of sending their children to these schools, however, fearing they will be exposed to hate speech. But some of these schools attract as many as a hundred students, attesting to their popularity in some communities. Buddhist Backlash Proponents of the 969 movement insist that their goal is merely to protect their own religion, not attack the beliefs of others. But when asked why they urge Buddhists to boycott Muslim businesses, U Yaywata, the vice abbot of Mawlamyines Mya Zaydi Nan Oo Monastery, tells me that it is no more than a reaction to a Muslims discrimination against Buddhists. I want to ask, who started this practice? For years, Muslims have refused to buy anything from Buddhist shops, even from betel nut sellers. They use 786 to support each other, so we have to do the same thing. Sitting next to a bag full of 969 stickersthe most visible symbol of the movement, and an increasingly common sight in many parts of Myanmarthe 38-year-old monk continues: Why doesnt Islam allow Buddhists to keep their religion if they marry Muslims? Their kids also have to become Muslims. Their religion doesnt allow freedom of belief and worship. They are violating basic human rights. By adopting methods that they accuse Muslims of using against Buddhists, the followers of 969 are indeed having an impact. U Tin Aung, the Muslim man who spoke to me after U Wimalas sermon, said that his sons motorcycle spare parts shop has lost almost half its business in recent months. However, because his sons shop has a reputation for offering fair prices and good service, many customers are returning, he added. Meanwhile, some Buddhists who pasted 969 stickers on their vehicles and houses have started taking them off. A motorcycle taxi driver said that after he put a 969 sticker on his bike, he started losing Muslim customers. So he removed itnot just because it was costing him money, he said, but also because he realized that the 969 movement was fundamentally racist. U Tin Aung said he believed the worst of the 969 movements misguided campaign to vilify Muslims had passed. You know, people are interested in new things. Its just human nature, but it doesnt last, he said. The essence of any religion is peace, sympathy and beauty, he added. The Politics of Religion The 969 movement may be a relatively recent phenomenon in Myanmar, but intolerance is, unfortunately, nothing new to the country. While religion is occasionally seen as contributing to this problem, many observers would point a finger elsewhere, at state policies that have long exploited religious and ethnic differences to cement the militarys hold on power. Ne Win is the real culprit, not 969, said U Htun Than, the politician who ran for election in 1990. Recalling that Muslims enjoyed equal status in Myanmar until Gen Ne Win seized power in a bloody coup in 1962, paving the way for half a century of military rule, U Htun Aung blamed the policies of the former ruling Burma Socialist Programme Party for deepening mistrust among Myanmars different religious groups. The BSPP made religious discrimination official policy, forcing Muslims to increasingly rely on each other for support, he said. This, he added, resulted in growing resentment among Buddhists, who came to see Muslims as a people apart. Despite decades of being treated with disdain, however, Muslims say they dont mind social attitudes toward them so much as the failure of the countrys leaders to treat them as full Myanmar citizens. We dont care about being called dogs or kalar [a derogatory term for people of South Asian descent], we just want our basic human rights, said U Myint Lwin, a teacher at the Moree Mosque in Mawlamyines Swan Gyi Quarter. Although Myanmar has recently undertaken reforms and President U Thein Sein has promised to protect the rights of Muslims in the wake of the latest outbreak of anti-Muslim violence that began in Meikhtila in late March, U Myint Lwin said that it is still far from clear where the government stands on this issue. Look at how quick the authorities were to crack down on protests against the Letpadaung copper mine, he said, referring to a controversial Chinese-backed project in Sagaing Region. Why were they so slow to take action in Meikhtila and other cities? If they had done their job there, the casualties and the loss of property would not have been so bad. Asked if he felt disappointed that NLD leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has not been more vocal about attacks on Muslims, he said it was probably for the best that she hasnt spoken out on their behalf. We want her to be quiet on this issue. But we know that she feels sad for us, he said, adding that he believed the situation would improve if Daw Aung San Suu Kyi became president. A Community on High Alert In the meantime, Myanmars Muslims are bracing for more attacks. Since the anti-Muslim riots in Meikhtila claimed 43 lives, there have been other attacks elsewhere in the country, most recently in Okkan Township, Bago Region, in early May. Since the Meikhtila riots, we havent been able to sleep well, said U Zaw Naing, another Muslim man at the Moree Mosque. In Swan Gyi Quarter, where the mosque is located, roughly 80 percent of the 1,400 or so households are Muslim, making it a likely target if the recent wave of violence spreads to the birthplace of the 969 movement. There have been few incidents so far, but tensions are rising. A number of mosques, including Mawlamyines largest, have had stones thrown at them, and when strangers show up in Swan Gyi, local residents become nervous. I dont want to blame anybody, because we dont know who threw the stones, but these things only started after the 969 DVDs started circulating, said U Myint Lwin. Actually, it doesnt matter who threw the stones. What we care about is the instigators, the ones spreading hate speech, he said. And we know who they are: the 969 group. In the end, he added, if this conflict gets out of hand, it will hurt everybody. Both the winners and the losers will suffer great losses, he said. This story appeared in the June 2013 print issue of The Irrawaddy magazine. Burma Burma set to Dodge Full UN Probe on Arakan State A Burma Air Force helicopter arrives in Maungdaw Township, Arakan State. / Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy GENEVA, Switzerland Burma looks set to escape an international investigation into alleged atrocities in Arakan State, after the European Union decided not to seek one at the UN Human Rights Council, a draft resolution seen by Reuters showed on Wednesday. The UN said in a report last month that the army and police had committed mass killings and gang rapes of Rohingya Muslims in northern Arakan state and burned villages in a campaign that may amount to crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing. Setting up a full international commission of inquiry into the findingssimilar to those for Syria and North Koreahas been seen as a test of international resolve at the main annual session of the Council that ends on March 24. The draft resolution from the European Union suggests it may fail that test. The European Union, which has historically taken the lead on issues relating to Burma on the Council, takes note of the very serious nature of the allegations and current investigations conducted at the domestic level. But it stops short of the probe sought by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad al-Hussein. Zeid, in a renewed appeal on Wednesday, told the Council that the severe violations follow longstanding persecution of the stateless Rohingya minority in majority-Buddhist Burma and warranted a review by the International Criminal Court. I therefore urge the Council, at minimum, to establish a Commission of Inquiry into the violence against the Rohingya, particularly during security operations since 9 October 2016, he said. Some 70,000 people have fled Arakan state to Bangladesh since the Burma Army began a security operation last October in response to what it says was an attack by Rohingya insurgents on border posts in which nine police officers were killed. The EU draft calls for the UN special rapporteur on Burma, Yanghee Lee, backed by Zeids office, to investigate allegations of gross human rights violations by military and security forces and try to ensure full accountability for perpetrators. EU diplomats told a meeting on Tuesday that they preferred using an existing mechanism that had received good cooperation and access from Burmas government, rather than a new approach, and to give more time to the domestic process. But human rights monitors have voiced serious doubts that several investigative commissions set up by the Daw Aung San Suu Kyi government and its security forces had the tools and independence needed for an impartial probe. Activists said that security forces continued to carry out serious crimes demanding an international probe. Our research indicates that it [the abuse] is systematic, and the idea that the government could or would be able to participate in a proper investigation of what is going on simply isnt realistic, said Louis Charbonneau of Human Rights Watch. An investigation needs to be independent, credible and international. Burma China Says More Than 20,000 from Burma Seek Refuge Across Border Displaced persons from the recent Kokang conflict in a monastery in Lashio. / State Counselors Office / Facebook BEIJING More than 20,000 people from northern Shan State have flooded into border camps in neighboring China, seeking refuge from bitter fighting between ethnic groups and security forces, China said on Thursday. Thousands of people have crossed Chinas border in recent months to escape the conflict, which threatens Burma leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyis top goal of reaching peace with minorities. This week, about 30 people were killed in an attack by ethnic Chinese insurgents in Laukkai, a town 800 kilometers (500 miles) northeast of Burmas commercial hub Rangoon. China is providing humanitarian assistance while taking steps to ensure peace and tranquility in the border region, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said. He reiterated a call for all sides involved to exercise restraint and immediately cease fire to keep clashes from escalating. China supports Myanmars peace process and hopes all sides can use peaceful means to resolve their differences via dialogue and consultation, Geng told a regular news briefing. Stray shells and bullets had fallen into China territory, injuring one Chinese person living there and causing some other damage, he added, but did not elaborate. The attack came after Daw Aung San Suu Kyi met a delegation of ethnic armed groups last week to convince them to take part in a major peace conference. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi swept to power in 2015 on promises of national reconciliation and the meeting was aimed at giving fresh impetus to the stuttering peace process. In this weeks attack, fighters of the predominantly ethnic Chinese Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) launched a pre-dawn raid on police, military and government sites in Laukkai, the capital of the northeastern Kokang region. MNDAA is a part of the Northern Alliance coalition of rebel groups comprising one of Burmas most powerful militias, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), and two smaller groups caught in a standoff with the military since 2015 clashes in the region. Many died and tens of thousands fled during that fighting, which also spilled into China and led to the death of five of its people, angering Beijing. Burma Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Encourages Women to Participate in Peace Process Daw Aung San Suu Kyi addresses participants at International Womens Day in Naypyidaw. / Htet Naing Zaw / The Irrawaddy NAYPYIDAW Speaking at an International Womens Day celebration on Wednesday in Naypyidaw, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said she hoped for 50 percent participation for women in the countrys peace process. There are ongoing movements calling for 30 percent participation in the peace process. I want more than that; I want 50 percent, she said, adding that participation did not necessarily mean sitting in on the conference. Peace does not start at the meeting. It starts in the hearts of citizens. It concerns all citizens and women should take an active part in this process, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said. As the State Counselor attended the opening forum of the countrys Womens Week celebrations, she held talks with prominent businesswomen and urged their participation in the peace process. Our women can make powerful contributions. If they use their business-minded brains toward peace, it will be a great help to our country, she said, calling on women to consider how they can offer support to the process. Daw May Sabe Phyu, a prominent womens rights activist, said she welcomed the official invitation but that in reality, women were still not afforded the opportunity to take important positions. Women have been behind the scenes for a long time. Why arent they allowed to take decision-making roles? she asked. Although government guidelines call for 30 percent participation, women still cannot participate to that extent in reality, she added. The chairman of the Legislature's Appropriations Committee filed an amendment Tuesday to lower the state budget's required minimum reserve from 3 percent to 2 percent. Chairman John Stinner said it's a significant change that would require a public hearing, which is scheduled for March 15 at 1:30, in Room 1003 at the Capitol. By state law, the Legislature sets tax rates so that revenue is not less than 3 percent or more than 7 percent in excess of spending in the two-year budget. It does so to ensure adequate money and cash flow in the state treasury to meet obligations. Stinner's amendment to the budget bill (LB331) would lower the required minimum reserve to 2 percent for the 2017-19 biennium. If backup funds would be needed, they could be pulled from the state's rainy day fund, Stinner said. He has analyzed three years of data on the state's cash flow to make sure the change would work. It was lowered before -- to 2 percent -- in 1993, he said. "This will give us the flexibility to move it up and down," he said, which is needed because of all the bills that are sitting in committees and must come through the appropriations process. Also, the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board will meet again April 26 and could change the amount of money with which the committee has to work, he said. Burma Locals Vow to Continue to Protest Mon State Bridge Name Construction of the bridge on the Salween River between Chaungzon and Moulmein townships on March 8. / Nyein Nyein / The Irrawaddy MOULMEIN, Mon State Local residents vowed to continue protesting the naming of a new bridge across the Salween River in Mon State after Burmas independence hero Gen Aung San on Thursday. The organizing committee lobbying the government to change the proposed name of the bridge linking Moulmein (Mawlamyine) and Chaungzon townships said they sent a letter to the Union government on Thursday urging them to quickly change the bridges name to reflect local opinion, according to community leader and committee member Mi Kun Chan Nom. If the government does not plan to change the name, as we said in the letter we will continue our protests, she said. Over 3,000 people protested last Thursday near the bridge construction area after the Union parliaments lower house agreed Mon States Paung Township lawmaker Mi Kon Chans motion to name the bridge after Burmas independence hero on Feb. 28 . The lower house lawmaker said that local people should not be narrow-minded, regarding the naming of the bridge, when referring to the public outcry. Although still under construction, the bridge was supposed to open last month to coincide with Gen Aung Sans birthday on Feb. 13. Locals complaints have heated up since then. Using a local name had been decided by the Mon State government under the ex chief minister U Min Min Oo, said U Aung Naing Oo, deputy speaker of the Mon State parliament, who represents constituency one of Chaungzon Township. He told The Irrawaddy on Thursday that locals are worried about the Union enforcing a name that locals have already objected to. U Aung Naing Oo confirmed that he did not accept the title of General Aung San Bridge and said that the name was not considered at the beginning of the project. He said that last weeks protestwhich he also took part indid not mean the local Mons do not admire the national hero, they simply demand reasonable action and for the government to respect the desires of locals. The Union parliament should have asked the opinions of the state parliament, but they did not. They are making decisions themselves, said the deputy state speaker. If the bridge is named as Yamanya [Mon State in Mon Language] bridge, we wont object as it reflects the locality, Mi Kun Chan Nom said. It is important to have a title which is relevant to our area. Burma Myanmar Now Journalist Suspects Authorities Involved in Lawsuit Ko Swe Win talks to the media at the Myanmar Now office in Rangoon on Wednesday. / Pyay Kyaw / The Irrawaddy RANGOONThe journalist who has been sued by a follower of nationalist monk U Wirathu said he was suspicious of authorities involvement in filing the case against him. Ko Swe Win, the chief correspondent of Myanmar Now news agency, had a case filed against him under Article 66(d) of Burmas Telecommunications Law on Tuesday at a police station in Mandalays Maha Aungmyay Township, accusing the reporter of insulting U Wirathu. During a press conference held by the journalist on Wednesday in Rangoon, he said he was doubtful that the plaintiff U Kyaw Myo Shwe who lives in Mandalay would have been able to include detailed personal information about him on the complaint form that he submitted to the police without assistance. He included my National Registration Card number. Plus, the address I have just recently moved intoeven the floor number. Where did he get that? Ko Swe Win asked. He may not have had access to the information without some help from the Ministry of Home Affairs, he said. Ko Swe Win suggested that U Kyaw Myo Shwe might have collaborated with the authorities in order to send him to prison. He said that although it might be possible to find the details of his home address, it would be much harder to find his National Registration Card number. Apart from the holder, the number is only available to the immigration department, the township and the quarter administration offices. They are under the control of the Ministry of Home Affairs. This act not only breaches our journalistic rights but also our citizens rights to freedom of expression, he added. Ko Swe Win and Myanmar Now have extensively covered the killing of National League for Democracy legal advisor U Ko Ni. The government was forced to release the name of one of the suspects involved in the case after Ko Swe Win identified him in his investigation. Burma Peoples Tribunal Emphasizes Solidarity Across Ethnic, Religious Lines Screen grab of the Permanent Peoples Tribunal on Myanmar State Crimes, London, UK, March 6, 2017. In proceedings described by witnesses, prosecutors and jurists as a historic moment, the Rome-based Permanent Peoples Tribunal (PPT) launched a session this week exploring allegations of state crimes against Kachin and Rohingya communities in Burma. The first objective is to give visibility, said the PPTs permanent secretary Dr. Gianni Tognoni, on the purpose of the opinion tribunal opening held in London from March 6-7 and webcast live. Representatives from the Burmese government were invited but did not attend the sessionin an act of symbolism, an empty chair labeled Myanmar Government was placed in the room for the duration of the launch. Witnesses from the Kachin National Organization (KNO), the Center for Human Rights Research and Advocacy in Malaysia, the Burmese Rohingya Organization UK (BROUK) and professors from Queen Mary University and the School for Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) testified before a panel of three juristsinternational experts on genocide and international law; the Dalai Lama also sent a statement in support of the proceedings. Through both live and videotaped testimony provided by activists and lawyers, Rohingya refugees and internally displaced Kachin described suffering a range of abuses, from sexual violence to military air strikes and shellings of their homes. Dr. Mandy Sadan, SOAS professor, historian and author, spoke on the historical context in which the current violence in Burma has unfolded. She was the first at the event to emphasize the significance of the Kachin and the Rohingya presenting testimony togetheran observation echoed by members of the prosecution team and the jurists. This is one of the first occasions in which one of the largest non-Burmese groups have chosen to ally themselves with the Rohingya, Dr. Sadan said of the Kachin. This is a vitally important aspect of this tribunal. With regard to the joint participation with the Rohingya, the KNOs Kai Htang Lashi said: Their suffering is our suffering. We share the same perpetratorthe state, the military institution. One community is not more important than another community. We all suffer. After a hearing a full day of testimony, the panel of jurists presented a joint statement declaring that the charges put forward demand adjudication by the Permanent Peoples Tribunal. Dr. Helen Jarvis, who once served as a public affairs officer on the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, described the abuses as fitting into three categories: identity framing through the exclusion of ethnic and religious minorities, allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity against the Kachin, and allegations of war crimes and genocide against the Rohingya. Of particular concern, she explained, were demographic shifts linked to these patterns, noting that, according to testimony, 10 percent of the Kachin population was now internally displaced, and that the Rohingya population in Burma had been halved in less than 40 years. Member of the panel of jurists and former UN Assistant Secretary-General Denis Halliday urged for greater political leadership from Asean in encouraging the Burmese government to address allegations of human rights violations, and described what he sees as the impotence of the United Nations Security Council and the International Criminal Court in prosecuting crimeslike those described to the tribunalunder international law. Upcoming Sessions A full and broader session of the PPT concerning Burma will be convened within six months, likely in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to produce a reasoned judgment. The jurists and conveners of the tribunal have extended an open invitation to other groups in Burma who wish to bring their experiences before the panel in future sessions. PPT President Dr. Tognoni described the evidence presented in the opening session as compelling, but noted that it needs, in order to be really evaluated and assessed, further documentation and systematization. In the next session, jurist Denis Halliday recommended that the PPT look into issues of complicity by international investors, agencies and countries such as the UK, US, China, France, and Israel, for promoting security and investment instead of confronting allegations of abuses by the state. Peoples tribunalsof which there have been 42 sessions convened globally since 1979are not necessarily directed at the powerful, said Daniel Feierstein, a genocide scholar and jurist on the current tribunal. Those in power he explained, not only know what happens, but they [may] be the indirect or direct perpetrators or accomplices in what is happening. Therefore, opinion tribunals are more of a call to the people, to take care of the suffering of others, even if they are suffering too. And I feel thats what happened yesterday and today, Feierstein said in his closing comments. Burma Rangoon Court Hears Plaintiff, Witness in M150 Bomb Blasts Rangoon Western District Court. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy RANGOON A Rangoon court on Wednesday heard the plaintiff and a witness regarding serial bombings in the commercial capital in November. U Thike Soe, administrator of Pyay Road Eastern Ward in Dagon Township gave testimony regarding a Nov. 25 bomb blast at the immigration department of the Rangoon divisional government. Police officer Bo Htin Kyaw of Mayangone Township, the plaintiff in an explosion at an Ocean Shopping Center, also testified. Rangoon was rocked by a series of minor explosions during the second and third weeks of November. The first incident involved two small explosions at the Ocean Shopping Center in Mayangone Township on Nov. 17. Another two devices detonated at the Capital Hypermarket in Dawbon Township on Nov. 20. A later incident involved four minor explosions at the office of the immigration and population department of Rangoons South Dagon Myothit Township on Nov. 24. The last blast took place in the Rangoon divisional government compound. Homemade explosives, made from M150 energy drink bottles filled with chemical liquids, caused the detonations. There were no casualties and no reported injuries in the blasts, according to police sources. Police have arrested four suspects: Khin Maung Shwe, Soe Min Zaw, Kyaw Thu, and Soe Win. Khin Maung Shwe has been facing trial regarding the blast at Ocean Shopping Center but the others are still awaiting trial, said U Aung Than, one of the suspects lawyers. Commentary Ma Ba Tha Takes Aim at the Media Ko Swe Win and U Wirathu / The Irrawaddy RANGOON When infamous hardline nationalist monk U Wirathu took to Facebook last month to thank suspects behind the assassination of prominent Muslim lawyer U Ko Ni for their actions, no oneincluding authoritiesdid much to stop him. In fact, over the last few years, U Wirathu and ultra-nationalist Buddhist Association for the Protection of Race and Religionbetter known by its Burmese acronym Ma Ba Thahave faced little resistance in their inflammatory hate speech against the countrys Muslim minority. On Wednesday, a member of Ma Ba Tha filed charges against chief correspondent of Myanmar Now Ko Swe Win under Burmas controversial Article 66(d) of the Telecommunications Law, accusing him of defaming U Wirathu. According to the prosecutors statement, plaintiff U Kyaw Myo Shwe said U Wirathu was a respected monk and Ko Swe Win should apologize for writing on his Facebook that U Wirathu committed a cardinal sin and his monkhood was over. Late last month, Ko Swe Win shared a Myanmar Now story that quoted a senior abbot who said that thanking and encouraging murder was an unforgivable offense in the monastic practice. In other Facebook posts, Ko Swe Win said Ma Ba Tha had become more vocal since the election of Daw Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy (NLD)-led government. Significantly, Ko Swe Win was actively investigating the perpetrators behind the assassination of U Ko Ni and was the first reporter to reveal possible suspects behind the case. Ko Swe Win spoke to Aung Soea fellow inmate of suspected shooter Kyi Winwho said that he was originally asked to commit the assassination, but refused. The Ministry of Home Affairs met with Ko Swe Win following the publication of his findings. Police investigations led to four people being arrested on suspicion of involvement. It appears that U Wirathu and members of Ma Ba Tha were unhappy to see Ko Swe Win actively investigate the case. Some of the accused are suspected of being Ma Ba Tha supporters and donors, and photos have surfaced online of them with Ma Ba Tha monks. As a tool to threaten and disrupt Ko Swe Win, a member of Ma Ba Tha used Article 66(d)a controversial and broad piece of legislation that has been increasingly used to stifle political dissent. Human rights activists have appealed to the government to abolish it. Ma Ba Tha may have chosen to charge Ko Swe Win not just to punish him for speaking badly of U Wirathu, but also to stop him from uncovering further possible Ma Ba Tha involvement in the U Ko Ni assassination case. Ko Swe Win has acted boldly and bravely. On Wednesday, he refused to back down and apologize, saying that he would fight for justice and face trial in accordance with the law. I have to question the rule of law in a country where people who support an assassination and spread hate speech over the internet go unpunished while people like me are being sued, he said. U Wirathu and Ma Ba Tha are known for vitriolic hate speech against the countrys Muslim minority. They may have quieted down since the NLD took power, but U Wirathu once again asserted his voice to speak out in support of the prime suspect in the cold-blooded killing in broad daylight of a prominent lawyer. The time has come to ask how a person spreading hate speech and thanking suspected killers for their actions goes unchecked and unpunished, but a renowned journalist simply covering a crime story can so easily be charged. Council for IWU Women Awards Four Scholarships Scholarship recipients (from left) Clare ODonnell 18, Yesenia Martinez Calderon 20, Kenzie Berggren 19 and Nubari Kanee 17. March 8, 2017 By Vi Kakares 20 BLOOMINGTON, Ill.At the 2017 Council for IWU Women Summit, four scholarships were awarded to students who exhibit personal and professional passion, communication skills, empowerment, leadership, and the influence and change that an individual brings upon others. This years winners were Nubari Gloria Kanee 17, a nursing major from St. Louis, Mo.; Clare ODonnell 18, a psychology major from Lemont, Ill.; Kenzie Berggren 19, a double major in music and psychology from Chebanse, Ill.; and Yesenia Martinez Calderon 20, a double major in Hispanic Studies and secondary education from Chicago. Each year, four scholarships are presented at the summit to a woman in each class at Illinois Wesleyan. The scholarships reflect the values, passion and relationships the applicants have garnered from their experiences both inside the classroom, as well as through civic activities, volunteer services, and leadership positions. Since 2006, the Council for IWU Women has been providing guidance and mentorship to support the personal and professional development of the talented young women of IWU. The councils annual summit features a variety of events that allows students to connect with successful alumnae in a variety of fields and professions. Many of the events from the summit are recorded in this photo gallery: Reddit Email 299 Shares TeleSur | The African-American intellectual is one of the BDS movements most prominent figures and therefore could be denied entry into Israel under the new law. The new Israeli law banning foreigners who call for a boycott against the country over its treatment of Palestinians and the occupation of their land suggests that the Israeli right-wing government is in a state of panic and hysteria, Cornel West, one of the U.S.s most prominent intellectuals, said in an interview Tuesday. lts a sign of panic, a sign of hysteria, a very sad response to an intense situation, West told the left-leaning Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel would turn in his grave thinking about the spiritual blackout that is occurring in Israel. Einstein turns over in his grave, too. West said that if Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, a Jewish theologian who marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma, and renowned Jewish Scientist Albert Einstein were alive today they would likely approve of the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, BDS, movement. Both Rabbi Heschel and Einstein had deep commitment to Jewish self-determination, Jewish self-respect, but always had a universal vision, and embraced Arabs, Palestinians and others, he argued. Israels Parliament passed a law Monday barring foreigners who publicly support boycotts on Israel and its illegal Jewish settlements in occupied Palestinian lands from entering the country. West questioned if this new law meant that Israel was ready to turn its back on some of its prophetic figures, who themselves were Jewish? Its a sad moment when an Einstein would not be able to get into the country of his own people. The African-American intellectual is one of the BDS movements most prominent figures and therefore could be denied entry into Israel under the new law. He argued that the BDS movement is one of the few peaceful actions against the very ugly occupation and contains diverse opinions and views. The BDS is getting stronger West argued, saying that the law casts doubt over the future of the Israeli democracy. What about the people inside the country? he wondered. Are you going to have internal aliens? Critics of the occupation, people who live right there, in Tel Aviv, are you going to say they dont have the right to be inside their own country? That is what authoritarian regimes do. But West struck an optimistic tone as he argued that the backlash against the ban from within Israel as well as abroad has the potential to bring out all the best in Israelis who care about democracy and human rights in a similar fashion to what is happening in the United States after the election of Donald Trump. Trump is actually bringing out the best of America, those who want to oppose these neo-fascist laws. The kinds of laws passed by the Knesset are going to bring out the best in Israelis. They may not be able to win at the moment, but there is going to be a round two, West told the newspaper. via TeleSur Reddit Email 42 Shares Maan News Agency | BETHLEHEM (Maan) The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the UN agency responsible for providing services to some five million Palestinian refugees, released a statement on Wednesday expressing concern over the escalation of violence in the city of Deraa in southern Syria. Fighting among parties to the conflict in the area is causing the displacement of Palestine refugees, impeding humanitarian access to critical aid and has resulted in the deaths of Palestine refugees in recent weeks, the statement said. According to UNRWA, the agency has been providing assistance to over 200 Palestinian refugee families who have escaped violence in the village of Jilin, located 25 km west of Deraa, over the past three days. UNRWA estimates that over 90 percent of the Palestine refugee families from Jilin have fled as a result of the escalation of armed violence reported to have started on February 20. The two UNRWA schools in the village are now closed, the statement said. UNRWA said it was gravely concerned about families who have fled from Deraa north to the town of Muzayrib, expressing that the town was located in a hard to reach area and that in order to receive humanitarian assistance in the form of cash for food, supplementary food parcels and non-food items, Palestinian refugees have to travel to Deraa a 15-kilometer journey on a dangerous road, subject to sporadic closure, that can take up to eight hours to cover. The events which have taken place in Jilin are part of a larger pattern of population displacement caused by increased fighting in the south. The escalation of violence, in Deraa and the western countryside amongst the parties to the conflict exposes Palestine refugees to the risk of death and serious injury, the statement said. UNRWA cited sources as saying that in February up to four Palestinian refugees, including an elderly man and a child, were killed as a result of the fighting. Additionally, the agency estimated that estimated 2,500 UNRWA students have missed an average of two weeks of schooling with intermittent school closures as of Feb. 12. As an imperative to protect lives, UNRWA repeats its demand that all parties to the Syria conflict comply with their obligations under international law and desist from conducting conflict in civilian areas. Armed groups and other parties must comply with their legal obligations to protect civilians and facilitate safe and uninterrupted humanitarian access to life-saving services and relief assistance, the statement concluded. The Syrian conflict began in the form of peaceful protests in March 2011 and quickly morphed into a civil war that has so far left more than 400,000 people dead and millions displaced according to UN estimates. Over half a million Palestinians lived across nine refugee camps in Syria prior to the war, the descendants of some of the 750,000 Palestinians expelled from their homes during the establishment of Israel in 1948. Syrias civil war has seen many of these families displaced a second time, with up to 280,000 displaced inside Syria, a further 110,000 displaced to neighboring countries, including Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, and increasingly, to Europe. Via Maan News Agency Related video added by Juan Cole: International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from last year: Palestinian refugees from Syria now refugees in Lebanon Reddit Email 215 Shares By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | Americans have become deeply concerned about Russia. Some 75% of them see it as a very or moderately serious threat. This, according to an ORC/ CNN opinion poll. They are ranking it just after North Korea and Iran. This level of anxiety about Moscow is irrational, but likely it has to do with fears of Russian interference in the presidential election. Some 55% are somewhat or very concerned that people associated with Donald Trumps campaign had contact with suspected Russian operatives during last years campaign. 72% of Americans view Russian president Vladimir Putin unfavorably. As news broke that Attorney General Jeff Sessions likely had a third previously unreported meeting with the Russian ambassador during the presidential campaign, when Sessions was a Trump surrogate, opinion polling shows that a majority of Americans want Sessions to resign because, they say, he lied under oath. A plurality, of 43 percent of Americans, have a negative view of him versus 23 percent who are positive. I cant think of a moment in my lifetime when scandal erupted in a new administration with this ferocity. Most Americans probably never even knew who most of the attorneys general were, much less wanted them gone within a month of their swearing in. The scandal over contacts between Russia and Trump and his cronies during the campaign season is not going away, with 62 percent of Americans saying it is a somewhat or very serious issue. Moreover, two-thirds of Americans polled want a special prosecutor to look into it. Even among Republicans, 43% say they want a special prosecutor! While Trump came into office bashing China and cozying up to Russia, the American public has the opposite point of view. While 75% have apprehensions about Russia, some 50% view China favorably. There is just as big a divide on many domestic issues, according to Quinnipiac. Some 63% of Americans want undocumented immigrants to have a path to citizenship rather than be summarily deported. Some 82% of Americans think it is very important that everyone have health care (as opposed to the plutocrats behind Trumps health care policies, who think it is very important that they pay less taxes and that poor people take responsibility for their own deaths if they get sick.) Related video added by Juan Cole: David Pakman Show Reddit Email 33 Shares David Glance | (The Conversation) | WikiLeaks today released what it claims is the largest leak of intelligence documents in history. It contains 8,761 documents from the CIA detailing some of its hacking arsenal. The release, code-named Vault 7 by WikiLeaks, covers documents from 2013 to 2016 obtained from the CIAs Centre for Cyber Intelligence. They cover information about the CIAs operations as well as code and other details of its hacking tools including malware, viruses, trojans, weaponized zero day exploits and malware remote control systems. One attack detailed by WikiLeaks turns a Samsung Smart TV into a listening device, fooling the owner to believe the device is switched off using a Fake-Off mode. The CIA apparently was also looking at infecting vehicle control systems as a way of potentially enabling undetectable assassinations, according to WikiLeaks. One of the greatest focus areas of the hacking tools was getting access to both Apple and Android phones and tablets using zero-day exploits. These are vulnerabilities that are unknown to the vendor, and have yet to be patched. This would allow the CIA to remotely infect a phone and listen in or capture information from the screen, including what a user was typing for example. This, and other techniques, would allow the CIA to bypass the security in apps like WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, Wiebo, Confide and Cloackman by collecting the messages before they had been encrypted. If it is true that the CIA is exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities, then it may be in contravention of an Obama administration policy from 2014 that made it government policy to disclose any zero-day exploits it discovered, unless there was a a clear national security or law enforcement reason to keep it secret. Another potentially alarming revelation is the alleged existence of a group within the CIA called UMBRAGE that collects malware developed by other groups and governments around the world. It can then use this malware, or its fingerprint, to conduct attacks and direct suspicion elsewhere. Year Zero According to WikiLeaks, this is only the first part of the leak, titled Year Zero, with more to come. WikiLeaks press release gives an overview on the range of the hacking tools and software, and the organisational structure of the groups responsible for producing them. WikiLeaks hasnt released any code, saying that it has avoided the distribution of armed cyberweapons until a consensus emerges on the technical and political nature of the CIAs program and how such weapons should [be] analyzed, disarmed and published. WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, made a statement warning of the proliferation risk posted by cyber weapons: There is an extreme proliferation risk in the development of cyber weapons. Comparisons can be drawn between the uncontrolled proliferation of such weapons, which results from the inability to contain them combined with their high market value, and the global arms trade. But the significance of Year Zero goes well beyond the choice between cyberwar and cyberpeace. The disclosure is also exceptional from a political, legal and forensic perspective. There hasnt been time for there to be any validation that what WikiLeaks has published is actually from the CIA. But given the scale of the leak, it seems likely to be the case. WikiLeaks has indicated that its source wants there to be a public debate about the nature of the CIAs operations and the fact that it had, in effect, created its own NSA with less accountability regarding its actions and budgets. This release of documents from the CIA follows on from a much smaller release of some of the NSAs cyber weapons last year. In that case, the hackers, calling themselves the Shadow Brokers, tried to sell the information that they had stolen. At the time, it was thought that this hack was likely to be the work of an insider but could have also been the work of the Russian secret services as part of a general cyber campaign aimed at disrupting the US elections. This release also follows the much larger release of NSA documents by Edward Snowden in 2013. While WikiLeaks may have a point in trying to engender a debate around the development, hoarding and proliferation of cyber weapons of this type, it is also running a very real risk of itself acting as a vector for their dissemination. It is not known how securely this information is stored by WikiLeaks or who has access to it, nor how WikiLeaks intends to publish the software itself. WikiLeaks has redacted a large amount of information from the documents 70,875 redactions in total including the names of CIA employees, contractors, targets and tens of thousands of IP addresses of possible targets and CIA servers. Damage done The damage that this release is likely to do to the CIA and its operations is likely to be substantial. WikiLeaks has stated that this leak is the first of several. How the CIA chooses to respond is yet to be seen, but it is likely to have made Julian Assanges chance of freedom outside the walls of the Ecuadorian Embassy even less likely than it already was. The fact that the CIA would have an arsenal of this type or be engaging in cyber espionage is hardly a revelation. WikiLeaks attempts to make the fact that the CIA was involved in this activity a topic of debate will be difficult simply because this is not surprising, nor is it news. The fact that an insider leaked this information is more of an issue, as is the possibility of it being another example of a foreign state using WikiLeaks to undermine and discredit the US secret services. US intelligence officials have declined to comment on the disclosure by WikiLeaks, in all probability because they would need to analyse what information has actually been posted and assess the resulting damage it may have caused. David Glance, Director of UWA Centre for Software Practice, University of Western Australia This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. - Related video added by Juan Cole: Al Jazeera English: WikiLeaks exposes alleged CIA hacking programme Breast density notification bill The Legislature gave first-round approval to a bill (LB195) that would mandate all health care facilities that perform mammograms to include the patient's individual breast tissue classification in the summary of the mammography report. If the health care facility determines the patient has heterogeneously dense or extremely dense breast tissue, the patient must be notified. The bill was introduced by Omaha Sen. Joni Craighead. Coming Thursday First up will be debate on a bill (LB407) that would create the Whiteclay Public Health Emergency Task Force. The task force would examine public health implications of alcohol sales in Whiteclay and surrounding areas, including the neighboring Pine Ridge Reservation. It would also make recommendations to the Legislature on how the state should act to solve issues related to the public health emergency and the economic and related social issues. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pure Energy Minerals Limited (TSX-V:PE) (FRANKFURT:A111EG) (OTCQB:PEMIF) (the Company or Pure Energy) is pleased to announce that it has closed its acquisition of a purchase option on lithium brine mining concessions in Salta, Argentina that was announced on January 10, 2017. The Company has executed a definitive property purchase agreement under Argentine law (the Agreement) with the private owners of more than 13,000 hectares (32,000 acres) on the Pocitos Salar in Salta, Argentina (the Properties). Designated as the Terra Cotta Project, the Company has commenced the technical evaluation and design of its exploration program for the first half of 2017. The new project is located in the heart of Argentinas lithium-rich Puna Region. Significant proven deposits of lithium in brine occur approximately 32 km (20 miles) north at Rincon Salar and approximately 90km (56 miles) south at Salar del Hombre Muerto. The Pocitos Salar is directly accessible by Salta Provincial Highway 17 and enjoys excellent infrastructure, including a gas pipeline and rail line on the eastern edge of the salar and a high voltage power line only 30km to the north. The Fraser Institute Annual Survey of Mining Companies 2016 has just identified Salta province as the third most attractive jurisdiction in South America for investment. Ranking first in Argentina and 43rd in the world overall for investment attractiveness, the province has moved up substantially from 2015. Having operated in Salta while managing Lithium Ones discovery and development program at the Sal de Vida Lithium Project until 2012, Pure Energys Chief Executive Officer is keen to re-launch lithium exploration activities at the Terra Cotta Project. Patrick Highsmith commented on the next steps at the Terra Cotta Project, Our partners in Argentina moved quickly to close our agreement on the terms to which we all agreed. This is typical of mining industry players in Salta, and it sets the stage for us to move quickly on our surface exploration program and expected drilling program before mid-year. Our independent QP is well underway with the preparation of the 43-101 Technical Report, and our work has already enhanced our knowledge of the geology and geophysics of the Pocitos Basin. We see attractive targets for lithium brine and look forward to reporting our first sampling results in the near future. The Agreement The material terms of the Agreement include payments of US $4.0 million and the issuance of up to 6 million common shares of Pure Energy as follows: Number of Common Shares Amount of payment (US $) Date / Event -- $25,000 Paid -- $175,000 Within 5 days of the Agreement (the Agreement Date) 600,000 $200,000 Within 5 days of TSX Venture Exchange approval or within 120 days of the Agreement Date 900,000 $600,000 Within 180 days of the Agreement Date 1,500,000 $1,000,000 Within 12 months of the Agreement Date 3,000,000 $2,000,000 Within 24 months of the Agreement Date 6,000,000 US $4,000,000 Upon full execution of the option, the Company will obtain a 100% beneficial interest in the Properties. Should the option be fully executed and the Company elect to proceed with a feasibility study or to commence production, an additional cash bonus payment of US $1,000,000 will be due to the vendors. The Properties are not subject to any royalties in favour of the vendors. The Agreement was negotiated at arms length. The Company expects to pay a finders fee in conjunction with this transaction. The Agreement is subject to approval by the TSX Venture Exchange. The Company has commissioned a Technical Report, to be prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101, which will document various details of the Terra Cotta Project and demonstrate it status as a project of merit. Historical Technical Data These data are historical in nature and the Company is not treating the historical sample results as its own, but the results are summarized here to provide historical context for some of the previous lithium exploration work conducted at Pocitos Salar. During 2010, a non-Canadian reporting issuer announced the results of a surface exploration program on its optioned concessions on Pocitos Salar, portions of which now comprise the Properties. The samples were collected by the technical team of Lacus Minerals, Inc., the optionor of the property. It was reported that the samplers collected the fluid samples on a GPS controlled grid, with sample intervals and line spacings of approximately 1km. Small sampling pits were excavated at each sample site and following a period of recharge and settling, the samplers collected the resulting groundwater at a depth ranging from 20 to 30 cm below the water table. The samplers shipped the samples to Alex Stewart Laboratories in Mendoza, Argentina, an internationally accredited laboratory, for analysis by a standard EPA method for the determination of metals in waters. A total of 46 samples were collected in the first pass program. The sampling program, as reported, resulted in the delineation of an East Anomaly and a West Anomaly. The East Anomaly, the heart of which lies within the Properties that are the subject of this Option, returned lithium concentrations ranging from 100 ppm to 300 ppm and having a magnesium to lithium ratio (Mg:Li) of 3. The potassium concentration on the East Anomaly ranged from 1,000 ppm to 7,000 ppm. The parties reported that while the known extent of the East Anomaly as determined by their sampling program was approximately 6 kilometres (3.6 miles) long by 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) wide, the full areal extent of the anomaly was unknown and could be larger. The West Anomaly, of which only a small portion lies on the Properties that are the subject of this Option, included lithium concentrations ranging from 100 ppm to 200 ppm and having Mg:Li of 10. The potassium concentration of the West Anomaly ranged from 1,000 ppm to 5,000 ppm. The West Anomaly was described as having a similar scale as the East Anomaly, but its full areal extent was unknown. These initial reports from a previous explorer of these Pocitos concessions were approved by Mr. David G. Wahl, P.Eng., P.Geo., a qualified person as defined by Canadian National Instrument 43-101. Based on those news releases and other summaries of the previous work, the Company believes these data to have been collected according to professional standards. However, again, the reader is cautioned that the data are considered historical in nature and the Company is not treating the data as its own. The Company has already commenced technical due diligence on the Properties, which will include field visits. Quality Assurance Patrick Highsmith, Certified Professional Geologist (AIPG CPG # 11702), is a qualified person as defined by NI 43-101, and has supervised the preparation of the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for this news release. Mr. Highsmith is not independent of the Company as he is an officer and director. About Pure Energy Minerals Ltd. Pure Energy is a lithium resource developer that is driven to become a low-cost supplier for the burgeoning lithium battery industry. The Company is currently focused on the development of the CVS Lithium Brine Project and the adjoining Glory Lithium Clay Project in Clayton Valley, Nevada. Pure Energy also recently announced the acquisition of a purchase option on a major new lithium brine project in the Lithium Triangle of South America, the Terra Cotta Project (TCP). The TCP is located on Pocitos Salar in Salta, Argentina, where it enjoys some of the best infrastructure and access of any lithium brine exploration project in the country. Pure Energy has developed core strengths in innovative development and processing technologies for lithium brines and lithium mineral deposits. The Companys key attributes and activities include: VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - March 9, 2017) - Candente Copper Corp. (TSX:DNT)(LMA:DNT)(US:CCOXF) ("Candente Copper", "Company") is pleased to announce that Compania Minera Zahena S.A.C. ("Zahena") has advised the Company that, in February 2017, they completed six holes on the Company's Arikepay project in southern Peru. Drill logs have been received by the Company for six diamond drill holes totalling approximately 3,813 metres (m) and geochemical results have also been received for four of the six drill holes (Appendix 1 at end of this News Release). The holes were all drilled vertically to depths ranging from 500m to 706m and distance between holes ranges from 300m to 800m. Strongly anomalous copper, gold and silver mineralization was intersected over the entire length of each hole with values ranging from <0.1 to >0.2% copper, <0.1 to >0.5 g/t gold and <1 to >4 g/t silver. Mineralization is associated with moderate to strongly silicified and potassic altered porphyrytic tonalite and diorite intrusive rocks, and includes from 1 to >10% pyrite in disseminations and veins, trace to >0.5% chalcopyrite and trace molybdenite. Bornite mineralization was observed in one hole. Depth of oxidation varies but can exceed 100m and various copper oxide minerals were observed. Drilling continues on the property. "While we were certainly hoping for better grades, results to date clearly demonstrate the large and robust nature of the porphyry system at depths greatly exceeding those from our own reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at Arikepay in 2012. A significant area of the system is still to be tested and the potential for higher grade intercepts remains. We look forward to the results from ongoing drilling," commented Joanne Freeze, P.Geo., Candente Copper's CEO. In 2012, Candente Copper identified a mineralized porphyry system measuring at least 2,200m by 700m to 1,200m laterally and extending at least to a depth of 300m. Candente Copper had drilled 3,630m in 14 widely spaced RC holes most of which terminated at 300m due to machine capacity. Within the mineralized porphyry system, Candente Copper identified a zone of significant copper, gold and silver mineralization measuring 1,200m by 800m laterally and open at depth. Approximately two-thirds of the mineralized porphyry system is covered by recent gravel cover deposits. In accordance with an option agreement entered into in 2013, Zahena has the right to earn up to 100% interest in the Arikepay property from Candente Copper by completing the following terms: Zahena can earn a 75% interest in Arikepay by making USD$5 million (M) in exploration expenditures and USD$4M in payments to Candente within 4 years ("First Option"). To date, the Company has received payments of: USD$50,000 on November 28, 2013, and USD$200,000 in March, 2016. Payments of $750,000, $1,000,000 and $2,000,000 are due on March 13 of 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. Upon completion of the First Option, Zahena can earn an additional 25% interest, by completing a bankable feasibility study and by paying Candente Copper USD$10M within 5 years of earning its initial 75% interest ("Second Option"). Completion of the Second Option would result in Zahena earning 100% interest in Arikepay subject to a 2% Net Smelter Return ("NSR") to Candente Copper. Zahena would retain the right to purchase 1% of the NSR for USD$5M at any time up to 60 days from the start of commercial production, leaving Candente Copper with a 1% NSR. A final payment of USD$5M would be made to Candente Copper 60 days from the start of commercial production or within 4 years of completion of the bankable feasibility study, whichever happens first. About Candente Copper Candente Copper is a mineral exploration company engaged in acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties. The Company is currently focused on its 100% owned Canariaco project, which includes the Feasibility stage Canariaco Norte deposit as well as the Canariaco Sur deposit and Quebrada Verde prospect, located within the western Cordillera of the Peruvian Andes in the Department of Lambayeque in Northern Peru. Joanne C. Freeze, P.Geo., CEO, and Michael Thicke, P.Geo., VP Exploration, are the Qualified Persons as defined by National Instrument 43-101 for the projects discussed above. They have reviewed and approved the contents of this release. VIRGINIA CITY, Nev., March 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Comstock Mining Inc. (the Company) (NYSE:LODE) today announced selected strategic and financial highlights for the year ended December 31, 2016. 2016 Selected Strategic Highlights Annualized cost reduction exceeds $8 million target in 2016, versus 2015, positioning the Company among the lowest operating cost structures in its peer group. Refinanced the Companys obligations, extended maturities, improved liquidity and positioned the Company to resume drilling and development. Nevada Supreme Court positively affirmed the Companys zoning for the Dayton, prompting the exploration drilling and development of entire southern portion of the District. Completed the exploration and permitting plans for the Dayton Mine, toward goals of resource expansion, reserve feasibility and preparation of mine plans in the next two years. Expanded permits for future leaching and exclusive Right-of-Way for increased hauling. Commenced column testing, with federally funded research grants through Cycladex Inc., a strategic investee, for, faster, cheaper, safer leaching solutions and processes. Received 2016 first place for Mine Operation Safety from Nevada Mining Association. Completed strategic land and water rights acquisition, permitting and zoning in the immediate vicinity of the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center and the new USA Parkway. Continued non-mining asset sales with expected cash proceeds in excess of $14 million. Corrado De Gasperis, Executive Chairman and CEO of the Company stated: Our completion of these dramatic cost reductions puts us among, if not at, the lowest cost in our peer group, including sustainable reductions of G&A by two-thirds. Our non-mining land sales are designed to deliver a debt-free balance sheet and accelerate our resource growth. We are now planning to commence drilling in the second quarter. 2016 Selected Financial Highlights Mining revenue was $4.9 million for 2016, as compared to $18.2 million for 2015. Successfully concluded leaching operations in December, 2016, with final metallurgical recoveries yielding almost 90% for gold and 60% for silver. Completed annualized cost reductions of over $8 million, including 48% G&A reductions for 2016, and projected 65% reductions for 2017, both as compared to 2015, Exploration and mine development expense was $4.6 million for the full year 2016, primarily for the Lucerne underground exploration and development and Dayton pre-feasibility activities. General and administrative expenses were $3.5 million for full year 2016, a 48% reduction driven by reductions in payroll and administrative expenses. Net cash used in operations was $2.6 million for 2016, resulting primarily from increased exploration and mine development expenditures. Net cash provided by investing activities was $2.6 million for the year ended, resulting primarily from equipment sales. Net loss was $12.9 million for the year ended 2016, resulting from lower mining revenues and increased exploration and mine development expenses for Lucerne. Total debt obligations at December 31, 2016, were $9.5 million, ($6.2 million excluding the $3.3 million borrowed to purchase strategic land and water rights) a 53% reduction as compared to $13.3 million at December 31, 2015, before the land and water purchase. Corrado De Gasperis, Executive Chairman and CEO of the Company stated: Our completed streamlining will result in lower 2017 costs in all categories, especially in G&A, where we have already effected more than a $1 million decrease from 2016. This allows us to maximize our investment capital in exploration drilling and development, for maximum resource growth. We now have the properties, the zoning and the permits to efficiently expand the resource. Exploration and Development The Company expanded its exploration planning to include longer-term exploration targets across the broader Comstock District where multiple miles of additional mineralized strike zones have been identified and added to the Companys exploration planning activities. This includes the southern portion of the Dayton Resource Area, extending further south into the Spring Valley Group (refer to Figure 1), the Companys Northern properties referred to as the Gold Hill Group and also northeastern properties within the Occidental Group. Dayton Resource Area The Dayton Resource area is southwest of Silver City in Lyon County, Nevada. It generally includes the Dayton, Kossuth and Alhambra claims, including the old Dayton Consolidated mine workings, south to where the Kossuth claim crosses State Route 341. The Dayton Resource area ranks as one of the Companys top exploration and potential mine production targets. In January 2014, the Lyon County Board of Commissioners approved a strategic master plan and zoning changes on the Dayton, Kossuth and Alhambra mining claims and other properties located in the Dayton Resource Area, enabling a more practical, comprehensive feasibility study for mining. Although this decision was appealed, on December 2, 2016, the Nevada Supreme Court entered an order affirming all three of the District Courts decisions associated with 1) the Commissioners discretion and authority for changing master plans and zoning, 2) their compliance with Nevadas Open Meeting Law and 3) their compliance with Nevada statutory provisions. The positive Supreme Court decision now enables the Company to progress its exploration and development plans toward full feasibility and production planning. The Company plans to advance the Dayton Resource Area to full feasibility, with a production ready mine plan within the next two years. A draft plan has now been designed for an expanded drilling program that would include Reverse Circulation (RC) and diamond core drill holes to place the Dayton Resource into a mine planning stage. The mine planning would incorporate the existing data and would be expanded by the additional infill, geotechnical and definition drilling. A Reverse Circulation (RC) drill program was designed to initially test the hydrologic regime within the proposed mine and process facility. The diamond hole locations would be specifically selected to define the hydrological, geotechnical and metallurgical properties during 2017, drilling programs. The geological and geophysical characteristics of the mineralization defined for the Dayton Resource Area are also projected south into Spring Valley. Economic gold mineralization has been intercepted in several wide spaced drill holes conducted during numerous prior Spring Valley drilling programs. Over the past several months, the technical staff has identified multiple drill targets within several specific locations that encompass the Dayton Resource area and Spring Valley. The new targets are based on the Company's latest review of previous geophysical studies and current interpretation of the geology. Non-Mining Asset Sales During 2016, the Company completed an industrial land and water rights acquisition, for $3.3 million, including the completion of permitting and zoning in the immediate vicinity of the Tahoe-Reno Industrial (TRI) Center and the new USA Parkway. The Company anticipates these properties will be certified as shovel ready during April 2017. The TRI Center is just nine miles from Reno, Nevada with local access to the Reno Tahoe International Airport. Exit 32, the new USA Parkway (aka, State Route 439), is now becoming the main thoroughfare and crosses the heart of the TRI Center for 16 miles, eventually extending all the way to U.S. 50, within immediate proximity of our recently purchased industrial land and water rights. Current industrial park residents include Tesla, Switch, FedEx Supply Chain Services, PetSmart, Toys R Us, US Ordinance and Wal-Mart Distribution Center. Tesla began battery cell production this year. By 2018, the Gigafactory will reach full capacity and produce more lithium ion batteries annually than were produced worldwide in 2013. Tesla and its partners will invest up to $5 billion in the Gigafactory through 2020. Switch, a global technology solutions provider, announced the opening of the Citadel Campus in February, 2017. The facility is the largest, most advanced data center campus in the world and is also located in the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center. The opening of Switchs super-scale data center (aka, The Citadel Campus), is expected to provide up to 7.2 million sq. ft. of data center space in the 2,000 acre campus. Most recently, local media has reported the upcoming announcement of a third anchor company, potentially bigger than Tesla or Switch, committing to the industrial park, amongst dozens of ancillary businesses, four hotels and related infrastructure. The USA Parkway extension is scheduled to be open this summer to traffic, two years earlier than originally expected, attracting an estimated 16,000 workers to the area, according to the Nevada Department of Transportation. The $75.9 million project will extend the roadway by more than 12 miles through Storey and Lyon counties and connect Interstate 80 to U.S. 50, NDOT officials said. That means it will link the greater Reno-Sparks area with the U.S. 50 corridor in Silver Springs, which could attract more people, businesses and commerce to the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center. It could also help improve the economy, especially in Lyon County, Gov. Brian Sandoval said at the ground-breaking ceremony this past summer. These industrial assets and water rights sit on the U.S. 50 corridor, at the USA parkway intersection, coupled with other properties on the U.S. 50 corridor, are expected to bring $14 million in proceeds. Outlook The Company plans to sell non-mining related lands, buildings and water rights, for expected net cash proceeds of more than $14 million during the next twelve to eighteen months resulting in net profit of more than $8 million. These proceeds will be free of income taxes, eliminate current debt obligations and strengthen the financial position of the Company. During the second quarter of 2017, the Company also plans on commencing Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling in Dayton sufficient to finalize the parameters of a mine plan and commence the permitting for the Dayton Mine. Infill drilling is expected to significantly expand the reserve potential for the Dayton mine plans. The Company has developed grade shells with higher average grades and believes the Dayton to have economically feasible potential and plans on developing those mine plans toward full feasibility during 2017, and production within the next two years. The Lucerne mine is fully permitted and requires additional drilling and development for advancing feasibility and establishing reserves for the next phase of mining. The Company expects to operate with approximately 10 employees, including expert land, permitting, geology, engineering and metallurgical professionals. Total operating expenses for 2017, are expected to be $3.5 million, including exploration and mine development, mine claims, environmental and reclamation, and general and administrative cost but excluding depreciation and amortization. Interest expense is expected to be $1.3 million. The Company will report the results of the Dayton exploration and development programs as they become available. Corporate On January 13, 2017, the Company, issued an aggregate principal amount of $10,723,000, 11% Senior Secured Debenture (the Debenture) due 2021. This refinancing eliminated substantially all of the Companys current and longer terms obligations, extended maturities and enhanced liquidity The Debenture has a term of four years. For the first two years following the initial issue date, interest on the Debenture will be payable in cash or in the form of additional Debentures to be issued by the Company (valued at face value) or a combination of the two, at the Companys option. Conference Call The Company will host a conference call today, March 9, 2017, at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time/11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The live call will include a moderated Q&A, after the prepared comments by the Company. The dial-in telephone numbers for the live audio are as follows: North American Toll Free: 888-287-5529; confirmation code 2506277 International: +1 416-849-4292; confirmation code 2506277 The audio will be available, usually within 24 hours of the call, on the Company website: http://www.comstockmining.com/investors/investor-library About Comstock Mining Inc. Comstock Mining Inc. is a producing, Nevada-based, gold and silver mining company with extensive, contiguous property in the Comstock District and is an emerging leader in sustainable, responsible mining, including concurrent and accelerated reclamations, soil sampling, voluntary air monitoring, cultural asset protection and historical restorations. The Company began acquiring properties in the Comstock District in 2003. Since then, the Company has consolidated a significant portion of the Comstock District, amassed the single largest known repository of historical and current geological data on the Comstock region, secured permits, built an infrastructure and commenced production in 2012. The Company continues acquiring additional properties in the district, expanding its footprint and creating opportunities for further exploration, development and mining. The near term goal of our business plan is to maximize intrinsic stockholder value realized, per share, by validating qualified resources and reserves (proven and probable) from our first two resource areas, Lucerne and Dayton, and significantly grow the commercial development of our operations through extended, long-lived mine plans that are economically feasible and socially responsible. TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - March 9, 2017) - Ascendant Resources Inc. (TSX VENTURE:ASND) ("Ascendant" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Neil Ringdahl as Chief Operating Officer effective immediately. Mr. Ringdahl is a senior mining executive with over 23 years of international mining, development, and executive management experience. Mr. Ringdahl has a strong technical and project background in a career that has been primarily focussed in Latin America and Africa. Previously, Mr. Ringdahl held the role of Chief Operating Officer at Orvana Minerals Corp., a multi-mine gold and copper producer where he oversaw operations, exploration initiatives and executive/corporate activities. While at Orvana he was successful in implementing programs to improve safety and profitability as well as increasing the life of mine. At Apogee Silver, he held the position of Chief Executive Officer where he significantly de-risked the rehabilitation project and initiated construction at the Pulacayo mine in Bolivia while fostering proactive community relations improvements and agreements. Mr. Ringdahl has also held senior positions with Volcan Compania Minera in Peru, Golden Star Resources in West Africa and Anglo Platinum in South Africa. Mr. Ringdahl holds a bachelor's degree with Honors in mining engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. President and CEO, Chris Buncic stated, "Our key challenges at the El Mochito Mine are increasing production volumes via daily throughput and reducing operating costs in a sustainable manner while managing the negotiations of the collective bargaining agreement with the union and the mine's workers. Neil's extensive experience with turnaround situations in Latin America will be invaluable to Ascendant. His experience with labour negotiations in Bolivia during his tenure at Apogee Silver will be highly beneficial as Ascendant continues to negotiate with the Union at El Mochito. Neil is Spanish speaking and has a proven track record of operating mines safely and efficiently in challenging political, social and operating environments. I very much look forward to his contributions as we further improve our operations." Ascendant also announces today that it has changed its financial year-end from July 31 to December 31. This change is being implemented to allow the Corporation to align its financial year-end with the financial year-end of its subsidiary, American Pacific Honduras SA de CV. A Notice of Change in Year-End will be available for review shortly under the Corporation's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. About Ascendant Resources Ascendant Resources Inc. (formerly known as Morumbi Resources Inc.) is a mining issuer focused on its flagship operating asset, the producing El Mochito zinc, silver and lead mine in west-central Honduras in which the Company has a 100% interest. El Mochito has been in almost continuous production since 1948. More broadly, the Company evaluates producing and advanced development stage mineral resource acquisition opportunities in North, South and Central America, on an ongoing basis. The Company's common shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "ASND". For more information on Ascendant Resources, please visit our website at www.ascendantresources.com. TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - March 9, 2017) - White Gold Corp. (TSX VENTURE:WGO) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement pursuant to which a syndicate of agents, co-led by GMP Securities L.P. and Clarus Securities Inc. and including Primary Capital Inc. (collectively, the "Agents") have agreed to sell, on a "best efforts" private placement basis, up to 5,555,500 flow-through common shares (the "Flow-Through Shares") at a price of C$1.80 per Flow-Through Share, for aggregate gross proceeds of up to approximately C$10.0 million (the "Offering"). The gross proceeds of the Offering will be used by the Company to incur Canadian exploration expenses (the "Qualifying Expenditures") on its properties in the White Gold District of the Yukon Territory prior to December 31, 2018. The Company will renounce the Qualifying Expenditures to subscribers of Flow-Through Shares for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017. The Agents will receive a cash commission equal to 5.5% of the gross proceeds of the Offering. The Agents will also receive compensation options equal to 5.5% of the number of Flow-Through Shares sold under the Offering (each a "Compensation Option"). Each Compensation Option will entitle the Agents to purchase one common share of the Company at a price of C$1.70 per common share for a period of two years from the Closing Date (as defined below). Pursuant to the Investor Rights Agreement between the Company and Agnico Eagle Mines Limited ("Agnico") dated December 13, 2016, Agnico has the right to participate in the Offering in order to maintain its 19.93% interest in the Company. The Offering is scheduled to close on or about March 21, 2017 (the "Closing Date") and is subject to certain conditions, including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV"). About White Gold Corp. White Gold Corp. owns a portfolio of 14,648 quartz claims across 23 properties covering approximately 297,000 hectares representing approximately 30% of the Yukon's White Gold District. Preliminary exploration work has produced several highly prospective targets. The claim packages are bordered by sizable gold discoveries owned by majors including Kinross, Goldcorp and Western Copper & Gold. The Company has outlined an aggressive exploration plan to further explore its properties. For more information, visit www.whitegoldcorp.ca. A special committee investigating a challenge to the residency of Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers decided Thursday it has jurisdiction to decide its validity. The committee, which is made up of most of the members of the Executive Board, and chaired by Sen. Dan Watermeier of Syracuse, met over the noon hour to talk about the jurisdiction question. Special legal counsel and retired Supreme Court Judge William Connolly was also at the meeting. John Sciara's challenge is based on allegations that Chambers was living in Bellevue rather than his north Omaha District 11 during the election. Chambers has countered that his north Omaha home is his residence. He sent information to his fellow senators in November showing evidence of that, including notices of premium payments to insurance carriers and utility and other bills sent to that address. The committee asked for and received last month affidavits from both Chambers and challenger John Sciara, who was Chambers' opponent in 2016 in the district election. Chambers bested Sciara by a wide margin: 7,763 votes for Chambers to 1,726 for Sciara. Connolly said Sciara complied with all statutory requirements, but missed following a procedural rule. The procedural rule does not disqualify the challenge from the committee's jurisdiction, he said. "Summed up, that's why I came to the opinion that the committee had jurisdiction to hear the challenger's petition," he said. The committee decided it had jurisdiction on a 7-0 vote. Watermeier said after the meeting he was surprised it was a unanimous vote. He thought it could have gone either way. "There were people asking a lot of questions. ... I thought it was a good deliberation," he said. "For us, trying to do this out in the public as best we can, be completely transparent, we're not making any decisions or assuming any outcomes." Lincoln Sen. Kate Bolz clarified the finding of jurisdiction did not make any statement regarding the underlying validity of the claim. "We're not making a decision today on whether or not the basis of the claim is valid in any way, shape or form," she said. Chambers had argued that the special committee lacked the power to determine the merits of the challenge and it should be dismissed. Sciara did not comply strictly with the procedural rules, and that was not merely a slight deviation but a fatal jurisdictional flaw, he said. Sciara said after the vote he had been concerned, since the committee took no testimony, that it was just going to dismiss it. "I'm pleased that they're moving forward," he said. The committee will meet Tuesday at noon to set a date for a hearing on the merits of the case, and to decide what information must be provided by Chambers and Sciara. At the hearing, which could last at least a half day, Watermeier said, the committee will decide the outcome of the challenge. The two men will probably have about 30 days to prepare. The committee is made up of Watermeier, Bolz, Sens. John Kuehn of Heartwell, Sue Crawford of Bellevue, Dan Hughes of Venango, John McCollister of Omaha, and Jim Scheer of Norfolk. In Defence of Marxism is committed to safeguarding your privacy. At all times we aim to respect any personal data you share with us, or that we receive from other organisations, and keep it safe. This Privacy Policy (Policy) sets out our data collection and processing practices and your options regarding the ways in which your personal information is used. This Policy contains important information about your personal rights to privacy. Please read it carefully to understand how we use your personal data. We may update this Policy from time to time without notice to you, so please check it regularly. The provision of your personal data to us is voluntary. However, without providing us with your personal data, you will be unable to (as appropriate): contact us; subscribe to our mailing list; subscribe to any of our publications; or receive information about In Defence of Marxism. We collect information about you: (1) When you give it to us DIRECTLY You may give us your personal data in order to subscribe to a newsletter or publication, when you contact us by phone, email or post, when you sign a petition / statement, and/or when you donate money to us. (2) When you give it to us INDIRECTLY Your information will also be provided to us when you follow us or otherwise interact with on or via Twitter, when you like and/or join our page on Facebook or interact with us in other ways on or via Facebook. 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Please let us know if you have any queries or concerns whatsoever about the way in which your data is being processed by emailing the Data Protection Manager at webmaster@marxist.com President Donald Trumps proposed plan to make cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would place Montanas environmental cleanup projects in jeopardy. The White Houses proposal would decrease budget and staff by 20 percent, costing 3,000 employees their jobs and resulting in a budget decrease of $2 billion. If the measure passes through Congress, projects like the Libby Asbestos Superfund site, the proposed Superfund site at the Smurfit-Stone Mill in Frenchtown, the Old Sawmill districts Brownfields grants program in Missoula, and polluted industrial areas along the Clark Fork River would lose 44 percent of their funding. When they start talking about cutting 20 percent of the EPAs budget and closing offices, we need to be pretty wary in Montana, said Peter Nielsen, director of the Water Quality District with the Missoula City-County Health Department. Montana is the only state in Region 8 (an area including Colorado, Wyoming, the Dakotas) that has a separate office in addition to its regional headquarters. There are 17 Superfund sites in the state where the EPA is assisting with various cleanup efforts. In Libby, W.R. Grace & Company was the primary cause for the area becoming an asbestos Superfund site. The company was well-known for illegally dumping industrial waste containing large amounts of asbestos at several of their Libby facilities. The EPA included Libby as part of the Superfund Cleanup Plan of 1980, which addressed the immediate need for cleaning and securing the most dangerously polluted areas in the U.S. Despite Trumps statements about asbestos being 100 percent safe, once applied, exposure to the known carcinogen can lead to a range of health problems, including mesothelioma and asbestosis. Unfortunately, symptoms for these serious and often aggressive diseases dont typically appear until 20-50 years after exposure, making treatment difficult. In 2009 the EPA declared a public health emergency in Libby due to an increasingly large amount of asbestos-related health problems. This was a historical moment because a public health emergency was never before related to a Superfund site. From our perspective, this budget is a full-on retreat from common sense, said Karen Knudsen, Executive Director of the Clark Fork Coalition. Its reckless and a retreat from the history that led to the formation of the EPA in the first place. It forgets the lessons of a contaminated landscape. Even without the EPA budget cuts Trump is proposing, these projects are already an extremely large undertaking. With these potential changes, officials fear all the progress made will come to an abrupt halt. Aviva plc provides various insurance, retirement, investment, and savings products in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and internationally. The company offers life insurance, long-term health and accident insurance, savings, pension, and annuity products, as well as pension fund business and lifetime mortgage products. It also provides insurance cover to individuals, small and medium-sized businesses for risks associated with motor vehicles and medical expenses, as well as property and liability, such as employers' and professional indemnity liabilities. In addition, the company provides investment management services for institutional pension fund mandates; and manages various retail investment products, including investment funds, unit trusts, open-ended investment companies, and individual savings accounts for third-party financial institutions, pension funds, public sector organizations, investment professionals, and private investors. It markets its products through a network of insurance brokers, as well as MyAviva platform. The company was formerly known as CGNU plc and changed its name to Aviva plc in July 2002. Aviva plc was founded in 1696 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. The Legislature signaled strong interest Thursday in addressing the ravaging effects of beer sales in the tiny northwest Nebraska village of Whiteclay. Lawmakers voted 42-0 in support of forming a Whiteclay public health task force, which would seek solutions to the impacts of beer sales on vagrants in Whiteclay and on people living across the state line on South Dakota's Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The measure creating the task force is cosponsored by Lincoln Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks and Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon, a member of Pine Ridge's Oglala Sioux Tribe, whose legislative district includes Whiteclay. "I'm really pleased, and it's wonderful to have this broad coalition of people who see that it's important to do," Pansing Brooks said after Thursday's vote. The bill (LB407) must still advance through two rounds of voting before it becomes law. Whiteclay, an unincorporated village with about a dozen permanent residents, is home to four beer stores selling millions of cans of beer each year. Much of that beer goes to Pine Ridge, where alcohol is banned, contributing to public health problems such as rampant fetal-alcohol syndrome. Lawmakers reluctantly agreed Thursday to remove representatives from two state executive agencies Economic Development and Health and Human Services from the task force. Gov. Pete Ricketts' administration argued that including them, even as nonvoting members, would violate constitutional separation of powers. Some senators disagreed, citing past state government task forces that included members of the executive and legislative branches. "To solve this problem will take more than just the Legislature," said Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers. As amended, the task force will include five members of the Legislature as voting members, along with two nonvoting members from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and another from the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs. Pansing Brooks said she believes the task force will nonetheless rally interest from around the state: "It will be necessary for the governor to jump on and be supportive." In a letter, Health and Human Services CEO Courtney Phillips and Economic Development Director Courtney Dentlinger said they are still willing to provide whatever help is needed. "Our agencies, like you, are dedicated to doing what we can to solve the issues surrounding Whiteclay." Two other ongoing efforts are attempting to address Whiteclay alcohol issues. A group called Whiteclay Redo hopes to raise $6.3 million to buy out the beer stores and kick-start a larger redevelopment of Whiteclay. And next month, the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission will consider whether to deny the beer stores their liquor licenses altogether. The following companies are subsidiares of Tenneco: A.E. Group Machines Limited, AE International Limited, Anand I-Power Limited, Anqing TP Goetze Liner Co. Ltd., Anqing TP Goetze Piston Ring Co. Ltd., Anqing TP Powder Metallurgy Co. Ltd., Armstrong Properties (Pty.) Ltd., Ateliers Juliette Adam SAS, Autopartes Walker S. de R.L. de C.V., Beck Arnley Holdings LLC, CATAI s.r.l., CEDS Inc., Carter Automotive Company LLC, Clevite Industries Inc., Componentes Venezolanos de Direccion S.A., Cooperatief Federal-Mogul Dutch Investments B.A., Coventry Assurance Ltd., DRiV Automotive Inc., DRiV IP LLC, DRiV Incorporated, Dongsuh Federal-Mogul Co. Ltd., F-M Holding Daros AB, F-M Holding Goteborg AB, F-M Holding Mexico S.A. de C.V., F-M Motorparts Limited, F-M Motorparts TSC LLC, F-M TSC Real Estate Holdings LLC, F-M Trademarks Limited, FDML Holdings Limited, FM International LLC, FM PBW Bearings Private Limited, FM Participacoes e Investimentos LTDA, Farloc Argentina S.A.I.C. y F., Federal Mogul (Thailand) Ltd., Federal Mogul Aftermarket Egypt Ltd., Federal Mogul Argentina S.A., Federal Mogul Dis Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Federal Mogul Hungary Kft., Federal Mogul Powertrain Otomotiv Anonim Sirketi, Federal Mogul SAS, Federal Mogul Services Sarl, Federal Mogul Systems Protection SAS, Federal-Mogul, Federal-Mogul (Anqing) Powder Metallurgy Co. Ltd., Federal-Mogul (Changshu) Automotive Parts Co. Ltd., Federal-Mogul (China) Co. Ltd., Federal-Mogul (Chongqing) Friction Materials Co. Ltd., Federal-Mogul (Dalian) Co. Ltd., Federal-Mogul (Langfang) Automotive Components Co. Ltd., Federal-Mogul (Proprietary) Limited, Federal-Mogul (Shanghai) Automotive Parts Co. Ltd., Federal-Mogul (T&N) Hong Kong Limited, Federal-Mogul (Tianjin) Surface Treatment Co. Ltd., Federal-Mogul (Vietnam) Ltd., Federal-Mogul Aftermarket Espana S.A., Federal-Mogul Aftermarket France SAS, Federal-Mogul Aftermarket GmbH, Federal-Mogul Aftermarket Southern Africa (Pty) Limited, Federal-Mogul Aftermarket UK Limited, Federal-Mogul Anand Bearings India Limited, Federal-Mogul Anand Sealings India Limited, Federal-Mogul Asia Investments Holding Korea Ltd., Federal-Mogul Asia Investments Limited, Federal-Mogul Automotive GmbH & Co. KG, Federal-Mogul Automotive Pty Ltd, Federal-Mogul Automotive Verwaltungs GmbH, Federal-Mogul Betriebsgrundstucke Burscheid GmbH, Federal-Mogul Bimet Spolka Akcyjna, Federal-Mogul Bradford Limited, Federal-Mogul Bremsbelag GmbH, Federal-Mogul Burscheid Beteiligungs GmbH, Federal-Mogul Burscheid GmbH, Federal-Mogul Canada Limited, Federal-Mogul Chassis LLC, Federal-Mogul Componentes de Motores Ltda., Federal-Mogul Controlled Power Limited, Federal-Mogul Coventry Limited, Federal-Mogul Deva (Qingdao) Automotive Parts Co. Ltd., Federal-Mogul Deva GmbH, Federal-Mogul Dimitrovgrad LLC, Federal-Mogul Distribucion de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Federal-Mogul Dong Feng (Shiyan) Engine Components Co. Ltd., Federal-Mogul EMEA Distribution Services, Federal-Mogul Employee Trust Administration Limited, Federal-Mogul Engineering Limited, Federal-Mogul FIL-P43 S. de R.L. de C.V., Federal-Mogul FIL-S43 S. de R.L. de C.V., Federal-Mogul Filtration LLC, Federal-Mogul Finance 1 LLC, Federal-Mogul Finance 2 LLC, Federal-Mogul Financial Services Poland Sp.z.o.o., Federal-Mogul Financial Services S.A.S., Federal-Mogul Financing Corporation, Federal-Mogul Friction Products Barcelona S.L., Federal-Mogul Friction Products Co. Ltd., Federal-Mogul Friction Products GmbH, Federal-Mogul Friction Products International GmbH, Federal-Mogul Friction Products Limited, Federal-Mogul Friction Products Ploiesti SRL, Federal-Mogul Friction Products S.A., Federal-Mogul Friction Products a.s., Federal-Mogul Friction Spain S.L., Federal-Mogul Friedberg GmbH, Federal-Mogul Garennes SAS, Federal-Mogul Germany Investments Holding GmbH, Federal-Mogul Global Aftermarket EMEA, Federal-Mogul Global Growth Limited, Federal-Mogul GmbH, Federal-Mogul Goetze (India) Limited, Federal-Mogul Gorzyce Sp. z o.o., Federal-Mogul Holding Deutschland GmbH, Federal-Mogul Holding Sweden AB, Federal-Mogul Holdings Ltd., Federal-Mogul Iberica S.L., Federal-Mogul Ignition GmbH, Federal-Mogul Ignition LLC, Federal-Mogul Ignition Products India Limited, Federal-Mogul Ignition Products SAS, Federal-Mogul Industria de Autopecas Ltda., Federal-Mogul Investment Ltd., Federal-Mogul Investments B.V., Federal-Mogul Italy S.r.l., Federal-Mogul Izmit Piston ve Pim Uretim Tesisleri A.S., Federal-Mogul Japan K.K., Federal-Mogul Juarez S. de R.L. de C.V., Federal-Mogul Lighting S. de R.L. de C.V., Federal-Mogul Limited, Federal-Mogul Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Federal-Mogul MP US LLC, Federal-Mogul Motorparts (India) Limited, Federal-Mogul Motorparts (Netherlands) B.V., Federal-Mogul Motorparts (Pinghu) Trading Limited, Federal-Mogul Motorparts (Qingdao) Co. Ltd., Federal-Mogul Motorparts (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Federal-Mogul Motorparts (Thailand) Limited, Federal-Mogul Motorparts (Zhejiang) Co. Ltd., Federal-Mogul Motorparts Colombia S.A.S., Federal-Mogul Motorparts Holding B.V., Federal-Mogul Motorparts Holding GmbH, Federal-Mogul Motorparts LLC, Federal-Mogul Motorparts Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Federal-Mogul Motorparts Minority Holding B.V., Federal-Mogul Motorparts Philippines Inc., Federal-Mogul Motorparts Ploiesti SRL, Federal-Mogul Motorparts Poland Sp.z.o.o., Federal-Mogul Motorparts Pty Ltd, Federal-Mogul Motorparts Services SRL, Federal-Mogul Naberezhnye Chelny, Federal-Mogul Nurnberg GmbH, Federal-Mogul Operations France S.A.S., Federal-Mogul Piston Rings LLC, Federal-Mogul Plasticos Puntanos S.A., Federal-Mogul Powertrain (Netherlands) B.V., Federal-Mogul Powertrain Eastern Europe B.V., Federal-Mogul Powertrain IP LLC, Federal-Mogul Powertrain Italy S.R.L, Federal-Mogul Powertrain LLC, Federal-Mogul Powertrain Mexico Distribucion S. de R.L. de C.V., Federal-Mogul Powertrain Russia GmbH, Federal-Mogul Powertrain Solutions India Private Limited, Federal-Mogul Powertrain Systems S A (Proprietary) Limited, Federal-Mogul Powertrain Vostok OOO, Federal-Mogul Products US LLC, Federal-Mogul Pty Ltd, Federal-Mogul R&L Friedberg Casting GmbH & Co. KG, Federal-Mogul Risk Advisory Services LLC, Federal-Mogul S. de R.L. de C.V., Federal-Mogul S.A., Federal-Mogul SP Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Federal-Mogul Sealing System (Nanchang) Co. Ltd., Federal-Mogul Sealing Systems GmbH, Federal-Mogul Sejong Co. Ltd, Federal-Mogul Sejong Tech Ltd, Federal-Mogul Serina Co. Ltd., Federal-Mogul Sevierville LLC, Federal-Mogul Shanghai Bearing Co. Ltd., Federal-Mogul Shanghai Compound Material Co. Ltd., Federal-Mogul Singapore Investments Pte. Ltd., Federal-Mogul Sistemas Automotivos Ltda., Federal-Mogul Sistemas de Limpadores de Para-Brisas Ltda, Federal-Mogul Sorocaba-Holding Ltda, Federal-Mogul Systems Protection Hungary Kft., Federal-Mogul Systems Protection Morocco SARL AU, Federal-Mogul TP Europe GmbH & Co KG, Federal-Mogul TP Liner Europe Otomotiv Ltd. Sti, Federal-Mogul TP Liners Inc., Federal-Mogul TP Piston Rings GmbH, Federal-Mogul TPR (India) Limited, Federal-Mogul Technology Limited, Federal-Mogul Transaction LLC, Federal-Mogul UK Investments Limited, Federal-Mogul UK Powertrain Limited, Federal-Mogul VCS Holding B.V., Federal-Mogul VCS LLC, Federal-Mogul Valve Train International LLC, Federal-Mogul Valve Train S. de R.L. de C.V., Federal-Mogul Valvetrain GmbH, Federal-Mogul Valvetrain La Source SAS, Federal-Mogul Valvetrain Limited, Federal-Mogul Valvetrain Schirmeck SAS, Federal-Mogul Valvetrain s.r.o., Federal-Mogul Vermogensverwaltungs GmbH, Federal-Mogul Verwaltungs-und Beteiligungs-GmbH, Federal-Mogul Wiesbaden GmbH, Federal-Mogul World Trade (Asia) Limited, Federal-Mogul World Wide LLC, Federal-Mogul Yura (Qingdao) Ignition Co. Ltd., Federal-Mogul Zhengsheng (Changsha) Piston Ring Co. Ltd., Federal-Mogul de Costa Rica S.A., Federal-Mogul de Guatemala Sociedad Anonima, Federal-Mogul de Matamoros S. de R.L. de C.V., Federal-Mogul de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Federal-Mogul de Venezuela C.A., Federal-Mogul of South Africa (Proprietary) Limited, Felt Products MFG. CO. LLC, Ferodo America LLC, Ferodo Limited, Fonciere de Liberation, Forjas y Maquinas S. de R.L. de C.V., Frenos Hidraulicos Automotrices S.A. de C.V., Fric-Rot S.A.I.C., Gabilan Manufacturing, Gasket Holdings LLC, Gillet Exhaust Manufacturing Limited, Gillet Pressings Cardiff Limited, Goetze Wohnungsbau GmbH, ISA Installations Steuerungs und Automatislerungs GmbH, J.W. Hartley (Motor Trade) Limited, Jurid do Brasil Sistemas Automotivos Ltda., KB Autosys (Zhangjiagang) Co. Ltd., KB Autosys Co. Ltd., KB Autosys India Private Ltd., Kinetic Pty. Ltd., Kontich, Leeds Piston Ring & Engineering Co. Limited, Maco Inversiones S.A., McCord Payen de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., McPherson Strut Company LLC, Monroe Amortisor Imalat Ve Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Monroe Australia Pty. Limited, Monroe Czechia s.r.o., Monroe Holding S. de R.L. de C.V., Monroe Manufacturing (Proprietary) Ltd., Monroe Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Monroe Packaging BVBA, Monroe Ride Performance Sweden AB, Monroe Springs (Australia) Pty. Ltd., Montagewerk Abgastechnik Emden GmbH, Motocare India Private Limited, Muzzy-Lyon Auto Parts LLC, Parts Zone (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Payen International Limited, Piston Rings (UK) Limited, Precision Modular Assembly Corp., Productos de Frenos Automotrices de Calidad S.A. de C.V., Proveedora Walker S. de R.L. de C.V., Pullman, Pullman Standard Inc., Qingdao Tenneco FAWSN Automobile Parts Co. Ltd., Raimsa S. de R.L. de C.V., Ride Performance Canada Inc., Ride Performance Japan Ltd., Ride Performance Korea Limited, Ride Performance Mexico Holding LLC, SAXID Limited, Sapav Marketing Ltd, Saxid, Saxid s.r.l., Servicio de Componentes Automotrices S. de R.L. de C.V., Servicios Administrativos Industriales S. de R.L. de C.V., Shanghai Tenneco Exhaust System Co. Ltd., Sibirica Energy Limited, Sintration Limited, Speyside Real Estate LLC, Subensambles Internacionales S. de R.L. de C.V., T&N Industries LLC, T&N de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., TA (Australia) Group Pty. Ltd., TM S.r.l, TMC Texas Inc., TPR Federal-Mogul Tennessee Inc., Taiwan Federal-Mogul Motorparts Co. Limited, TecCom GmbH, Tenneco (Beijing) Exhaust System Co. Ltd., Tenneco (Beijing) Ride Control System Co. Ltd., Tenneco (Changzhou) Ride Performance Co. Ltd., Tenneco (China) Co. Ltd., Tenneco (Dalian) Exhaust System Co. Ltd., Tenneco (Guangzhou) Co. Ltd., Tenneco (Jingzhou) Ride Performance Co. Ltd., Tenneco (MSCan) Operations Inc., Tenneco (MUSA), Tenneco (Mauritius) Limited, Tenneco (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Tenneco (Suzhou) Emission System Co. Ltd., Tenneco (Suzhou) Ride Control Co. Ltd., Tenneco (TM Asia) Ltd., Tenneco (TM Belgium) BVBA, Tenneco (Tianjin) Ride Performance Co. Ltd., Tenneco Asheville Inc., Tenneco Asia Inc., Tenneco Automotie Nederland B.V., Tenneco Automotive (Thailand) Limited, Tenneco Automotive Brasil Ltda., Tenneco Automotive Deutschland GmbH, Tenneco Automotive Eastern Europe Sp. z.o.o., Tenneco Automotive Europe BVBA, Tenneco Automotive Europe Coordination Center BVBA, Tenneco Automotive Foreign Sales Corporation Limited, Tenneco Automotive France S.A.S., Tenneco Automotive Holdings South Africa Pty. Limited, Tenneco Automotive Iberica S.A., Tenneco Automotive Inc. Nevada, Tenneco Automotive India Private Limited, Tenneco Automotive Italia S.r.l., Tenneco Automotive Operating Company Inc., Tenneco Automotive Polska Sp. z.o.o., Tenneco Automotive Port Elizabeth (Proprietary) Limited, Tenneco Automotive Portugal Componentes Para Automovel Unipessoal LDA., Tenneco Automotive RSA Company, Tenneco Automotive Second RSA Company, Tenneco Automotive Services Societe Par Actions Simplifiee, Tenneco Automotive Servicios Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Tenneco Automotive Trading Company, Tenneco Automotive UK Limited, Tenneco Automotive Volga LLC, Tenneco Automotive Walker Inc., Tenneco Brake Inc., Tenneco CA Czech Republic s.r.o., Tenneco CA Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Tenneco CA Netherlands BV, Tenneco Canada Inc., Tenneco Clean Air Argentina S.A.I.C., Tenneco Clean Air India Private Limited, Tenneco Clean Air Spain S.L.U., Tenneco Clean Air US Inc., Tenneco Deutschland Holdinggesellschaft mbH, Tenneco Eastern European Holdings S.a.r.l., Tenneco Eberspaecher (Beijing) Exhaust System Co. Ltd., Tenneco Emission Control (Pty) Ltd, Tenneco Etain Societe Par Actions Simplifiee, Tenneco Europe Limited, Tenneco FAWSN (Changchun) Automobile Parts Co. Ltd., Tenneco FAWSN (Foshan) Automobile Parts Co. Ltd., Tenneco FAWSN (Tianjin) Automobile Parts Co. Ltd., Tenneco Fusheng (Chengdu) Automobile Parts Co. Ltd., Tenneco Global Holdings Inc., Tenneco GmbH, Tenneco Holdings Danmark ApS, Tenneco Hong Kong Holdings Limited, Tenneco Hungary Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Tenneco Industria de Autopecas Ltda., Tenneco Innovacion S.L., Tenneco International Holding Corp., Tenneco International Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Tenneco International Manufacturing S.a.r.l., Tenneco Japan Ltd., Tenneco Korea Limited, Tenneco Lingchuan (Chongqing) Exhaust System Co. Ltd., Tenneco Management (Europe) Limited, Tenneco Mauritius China Holdings Ltd., Tenneco Mauritius Holdings Limited, Tenneco Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Tenneco RP Germany GmbH, Tenneco Ride Control South Africa (Pty) Ltd., Tenneco Ride Performance US 4 LLC, Tenneco Ride Performance US 5 LLC, Tenneco Silesia spolka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Tenneco SpinCo Incorporated, Tenneco Sverige AB, Tenneco Walker (Tianjin) Exhaust System Co. Ltd., Tenneco Zwickau GmbH, Tenneco-Eberspaecher (Dalian) Exhaust System Co. Ltd., Tenneco-Walker (U.K.) Limited, The Pullman Company, The Tenneco Automotive (UK) Pension Scheme Trustee Limited, Thompson and Stammers (Dunmow) Number 6 Limited, Thompson and Stammers (Dunmow) Number 7 Limited, United Piston Ring Inc., VTD Vakuumtechnik Dresden GmbH, Walker Australia Pty. Limited, Walker Danmark ApS, Walker Electronic Silencing Inc., Walker Europe Inc., Walker Exhaust (Thailand) Company Limited, Walker Gillet (Europe) GmbH, Walker Limited, Walker Manufacturing Company, Walker UK Ltd, Wellworthy Limited, Wimetal Societe Par Actions Simplifiee, and Wuhan Tenneco Exhaust System Co. Ltd.. Read More Great-West Lifeco Inc., a financial services holding company, engages in the life and health insurance, retirement and investment services, asset management, and reinsurance businesses in Canada, the United States, and Europe. The company offers a portfolio of financial and benefit plan solutions for individuals, families, businesses, and organizations; life, disability, critical illness, accidental death, dismemberment, health and dental protection, and creditor insurance products; and retirement savings and income, annuity, and other specialty products. It also provides employer-sponsored retirement savings plans, individual retirement and taxable brokerage accounts, enrollment services, communication materials, investment options, and education services; and fund management, investment, and advisory services. In addition, the company offers private-label recordkeeping and administrative services; and investment products, including equity, fixed income, absolute return, and alternative strategies. Further, it provides protection and wealth management products, including payout annuity products; pension products; and life, annuity/longevity, mortgage surety, and property catastrophe reinsurance products. The company offers its products under the Canada Life, Irish Life, Empower, Putnam Investments, and PanAgora brand names. It distributes its products through a network of advisors, dealers, brokers, managing general agencies, financial institutions, consultants, third-party administrators, sales force, financial planners, employee benefit consultants, banks, and multi-tied agents. The company was founded in 1891 and is based in Winnipeg, Canada. Great-West Lifeco Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Power Financial Corporation. Plains GP Holdings, L.P., through its subsidiary, Plains All American Pipeline, L.P., owns and operates midstream energy infrastructure in the United States and Canada. The company operates in two segments, Crude Oil and Natural Gas Liquids (NGLs). The company engages in the transportation of crude oil and NGLs on pipelines, gathering systems, and trucks. As of December 31, 2021, this segment owned and leased assets comprising 18,300 miles of crude oil and NGL pipelines and gathering systems; 38 million barrels of above-ground tank capacity; and 1,275 trailers. It engages in the provision of storage, terminalling, and throughput services primarily for crude oil, NGLs, and natural gas; NGL fractionation and isomerization services; and natural gas and condensate processing services. As of December 31, 2021, this segment owned and operated approximately 74 million barrels of crude oil storage capacity; 28 million barrels of NGL storage capacity; four natural gas processing plants; a condensate processing facility; nine fractionation plants; 16 NGL rail terminals; four marine facilities; and 110 miles of pipelines. As of December 31, 2021, this segment owned 15 million barrels of crude oil and 2 NGL linefill; 3 million barrels of crude oil and 1 NGL linefill in pipelines owned by third parties and other inventory; 640 trucks and 1,275 trailers; and 3,900 NGL railcars. The company offers logistics services to producers, refiners, and other customers. PAA GP Holdings LLC operates as a general partner of the company. Plains GP Holdings, L.P. was incorporated in 2013 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas. BT Group plc provides communications services worldwide. Its Consumer segment sells telephones, baby monitors, and Wi-Fi extenders through high street retailers, online BT Shop, and Website BT.com; and offers home phone, copper and fiber broadband, TV, and mobile services in various packages. The company's EE segment offers 2G, 3G, and 4G mobile network services; broadband, fixed-voice, and TV services; and postpaid and prepaid plans, and emergency services network. This segment also sells 4G mobile phones, tablets, connected devices, and mobile broadband devices from various manufacturers. Its Business and Public Sector segment provides fixed voice, mobility, fiber and connectivity, and networked IT services to retailers, utilities, public sector, healthcare, sports, construction, finance, and educational sectors. The company's Global Services segment offers business communications and ICT services comprising BT Connect, BT Security, BT One, BT Contact, BT Compute, BT Advise, and BT for financial markets. This segment serves approximately 5,500 customers in 180 countries. Its Wholesale and Ventures segment enables communications providers and other organizations to provide fixed or mobile phone services. Its ventures provide mass-market services, such as directory enquiries and payphones; and enterprise services comprising BT Fleet and BT Redcare. This segment also provides broadband and Ethernet, voice, hosted communication, mobile virtual network operator, managed solutions, machine-to-machine, roaming, and media services. The company's Openreach segment engages in the provision of services over the local access network; and installation and maintenance of fiber and copper communications networks that connect homes and businesses. The company was formerly known as Newgate Telecommunications Limited and changed its name to BT Group plc in September 2001. BT Group plc was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. A 22-year-old man accused of a felony escaped the Lincoln Regional Center Thursday but was apprehended by police in southwest Lincoln minutes later. The patient, identified by dispatchers as Christopher Torres Jr., hopped the fence at Building 5 and fled the center at 12:45 p.m., according to a Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman. Lincoln police and Nebraska State Patrol troopers responded to the area. Lincoln police took him into custody in the area of First Street and Pioneers Boulevard at 1:02 p.m., according to scanner traffic. He was returned to the Regional Center at 1:15 p.m. Regional Center staff kept Torres in sight the entire time and relayed his location to authorities, spokeswoman Julie Naughton said. No one was injured. State officials will conduct a critical incident review, Naughton said. A district judge committed Torres to the Regional Center's Forensic Unit after finding him incompetent to stand trial in November. Torres is accused of threatening a man with a knife after taking the man's bike in an early morning encounter in September. The judge has ordered Torres' mental competency be reviewed in May. Regions Financial Corporation, a financial holding company, provides banking and bank-related services to individual and corporate customers. It operates through three segments: Corporate Bank, Consumer Bank, and Wealth Management. The Corporate Bank segment offers commercial banking services, such as commercial and industrial, commercial real estate, and investor real estate lending; equipment lease financing; deposit products; and securities underwriting and placement, loan syndication and placement, foreign exchange, derivatives, merger and acquisition, and other advisory services. It serves corporate, middle market, and commercial real estate developers and investors. The Consumer Bank segment provides consumer banking products and services related to residential first mortgages, home equity lines and loans, consumer credit cards, and other consumer loans, as well as deposits. The Wealth Management segment offers credit related products, and retirement and savings solutions; and trust and investment management, asset management, and estate planning services to individuals, businesses, governmental institutions, and non-profit entities. The company also provides investment and insurance products; low-income housing tax credit corporate fund syndication services; and other specialty financing services. As of March 01, 2022, it operated through a network of 1,300 banking offices and 2,000 automated teller machines across the South, Midwest, and Texas. Regions Financial Corporation was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. After a protracted battle with diabetes and kidney ailment, veteran Nollywood actor, James Uche, is dead. The actor died on Wednesday, two days to his scheduled trip to India for surgery. The actors fund raising team confirmed that his death on Wednesday evening was due to complications from diabetes and a kidney-related ailment. A member of the team, actress Chioma Okoye, broke the news on Instagram on Wednesday evening. He had been experiencing fever, strange blood infections and blisters on his legs for the past three days just before he secured his Visa to India for more treatment. He passed on in the ambulance on the way for his Dialysis at about 2PM.He was scheduled to travel on Saturday, March 11th, Chioma wrote. The Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, and his wife had in January donated N3 million to offset the medical bills of the actor. The actor has been bedridden for several months and was in dire need of an urgent kidney transplant and eye surgery. He had been ill for eight years. He was down with high blood pressure, diabetes and kidney failure. He also needed to undergo an urgent kidney transplant and eye surgery in India, which cost about N15 million. The actor was recently evicted from Godspower Hospital in Festac Town, Lagos State, having owed the hospital about N2.5 million. Entrepreneurship is a hot feature of the youth culture and that is what Sarkodie (arguably the best rapper in Ghana) and Kofi Amoabeng (3 times CEO of the Year) are betting on. The X-MEN TOUR, an initiative by Vodafone X and UT Bank is geared to help mentor and groom young business leaders understand the practices and systems that have built and sustained their businesses. From the best of both worlds, music meets business in a 360 setting where they trade secrets, stories and philosophies among others to inspire and help students aspire to start their own businesses. The tour has seen stops at KNUST where the journey started about a year ago and continued to UCC under the moderation of Anita Erskine (a media giant). At previous events, the 3 have produced a symbiotic chemistry that is fun, interesting and entertaining on all fronts. Knowing how to tease answers from Sarkodie and Prince Kofi Amoabeng, Anita Erskine provides a warm and exciting twist to every moment and that is something students always look out for. Powered by EchoHouse, the event promises nothing short of fireworks from start to end. Plus a special performance, after all is said and done. Miss Pink 2016 Perpetual Konadu Webana has urged Ghanaian women to examine their breast frequently to avoid contracting breast cancer. She stated that husbands must also help their wives to examine their breast and report to the nearest hospital for check-up any time they suspect any unusual pain, lump or discoloration on their breast. In a press release issued by the breast cancer ambassador on the occasion of the International World Women's Day which was held yesterday, Ms Konadu stated that many women think breast cancer is a spiritual sickness which cannot be cured medically and, therefore, most women go to spiritual centres, churches, 'mallams' and traditionalists to seek cure instead of going for proper medical care. She, therefore, urged women to work harder at safeguarding their breast against cancer by engaging in frequent exercises, periodic medical check-ups, whilst maintaining a healthy lifestyle to live longer and contribute their quota towards national development. Ms Konadu, a student to JAYEE University, was crowned Miss Pink Ambassador in September 2016 after a keen contest with a bevy of eight ladies who were vying for the breast cancer ambassadorial title. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of RAM Media Concepts, Augustine Mark, added that women need to be encouraged to conduct self breast examination and regular medical check-ups to safeguard the loss of their breast to the breast cancer disease. The Miss Pink beauty pageant is organised by RAM Media Concepts and supported by the Ministry of Health, World Health Organisation (WHO), Breast Care International, Kenpong Travel and Tours and Woman Rising. A team of United Nations Agencies working in Ghana and its Gender Team has called on government to intervene on the unequal treatment of women in the informal sector. Realising their potential is the key to sustainable development, research has shown that womens full participation in the labour force creates opportunities and growth that could add some USD 12 trillion to global GDP by 2025. As the world marks this important day, our attention is being drawn to the rapidly changing environment in the world of work, the different jobs, roles and business opportunities women encounter in their work life, and the need to enhance their economic empowerment hence the theme Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50:50 by 2030. The team of United Nations Agencies working in Ghana and its Gender Team take this opportunity to recognise womens contributions to national development through all manner of work, including in the informal economy. As UN Secretary-General, Mr. Antonio Guterres said in his message for International Womens Day 2017: Empowering women and girls is the only way to protect their rights and make sure they can realise their full potential. He indicated that empowering women economically helps to reduce poverty and hunger, improve child health and education, and build resilience to disaster and climate change. Mr. Guterres added that increasing the share of household income controlled by women changes spending in ways that benefit their children, and thus drives future growth. World Bank statistics from 2010 estimate that four out of every five Ghanaian women that work are in vulnerable employment, meaning unpaid family work or self-employment. It added that lack of education, discrimination, inability to save and borrow money to grow their businesses, balancing home responsibilities and income-earning activities are among the barriers to better, more productive, and higher-paid work. The team of United Nations Agencies working in Ghana and its Gender Team noted that women need a level playing field in the world of work. They deserve to have access to training, markets, credit, financial services, infrastructure, public procurement opportunities and social protection programmes. UN Resident Coordinator for Ghana, Christine Evans-Klock said the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) sector accounts for the bulk of Ghanas economy, and is dominated by women. She intimated that this sector constitutes part of the informal economy, such as small trading and unpaid family work, which is characterised by lack of coverage under employment law and regulations that govern hours of work or wages, by low productivity, and by inadequate representation and voice in political and business affairs. When we talk about women at work, we often leave out women in the informal sector, says UN Resident Coordinator for Ghana, Christine Evans-Klock. She added that Today, as we mark International Womens Day, we would like to particularly recognise the hard work and the economic contributions of women in the informal economy. We need to support their efforts to transform their farms, learn new skills, and grow their businesses. According to her, the theme, Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50:50 by 2030 reminds us of the goal of gender parity and how this is a cornerstone of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that was adopted by nearly 200 national leaders in 2015. Sustainable Development Goal 5 specifically calls for gender equality and womens empowerment, but it is central to the achievement of all 17 Goals for economic, social and environmental development, for leaving no one behind and ensuring access to justice for all. Womens rights are human rights and Around the world, tradition, cultural values and religion are being misused to curtail womens rights, to entrench sexism, and defend misogynistic practices, says UN Secretary-General. As Ghana celebrates its 60th anniversary of independence, cultural traditions and respect for diversity of religious beliefs can instead be a powerful force for respecting womens rights, for removing barriers to productive work, and for more fully unleashing womens creativity, talents, and determination to propel forward national development. She emphasised that empowering women economically requires removing structural and cultural barriers that are holding them back from achieving their full potential. Banjul (Gambia) (AFP) - Gambian police have launched an investigation into a violent public assault of a reporter by supporters of President Adama Barrow, a police source told AFP Wednesday. Journalist Kebba Jeffang was hit, scratched and insulted at a press conference on Sunday held by ministers from three parties who joined together to form Barrow's new coalition government. Barrow has made press freedom a pillar of his reforms since taking power this year from Yahya Jammeh, whose authoritarian 22-year rule was marked by arrests and intimidation of reporters. "We have received a criminal complaint from Kebba Jeffang and a file is opened for the case," the police source said. "His witnesses who accompanied him to the station have written down their statements. We will look into the matter." Witnesses said Jeffang was attacked for asking questions about whether the parties would maintain their coalition in upcoming legislative polls, a thorny topic just a month before the vote. Video footage of the attack on Jeffang, who works for the Foroyaa newspaper, went viral. Press union leaders called on interior minister Mai Fatty, one of those present, to help the police in identifying the perpetrators. Barrow had been a member of the United Democratic Party (UDP) until he resigned to stand in a December election that unseated President Jammeh from power. He won largely because the broad backing of every Gambian opposition party except one, but it is now unclear whether the parties who joined him will run again as a coalition on April 6. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemned the attack in a statement Wednesday. "The attack, perpetuated by parties who form part of the government that promised a new dawn of freedom for the press corps in The Gambia, is a violation of constitutional provisions that guarantee the freedom and independence of the media," it said. Government has launched a new project aimed at curbing illegal mining activities in the country at least within the next five years. To this end, it has commenced a multi-lateral mining integrated project which will regulate the activities of illegal miners and reduce the impact of destruction to the environment. The project among others seeks to regulate the activities of the illicit miners or galamsey operators by allowing them access to mining sites, moving equipment, among others. Speaking at the first stakeholders meeting on the multi-lateral mining integrated project, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, John Peter Amewu told Citi Business News the plan should bring sanity in the mining industry. Another difficulty is the inability of the small scale miners to make their activities bankable if the illicit miners are given the conditions such as explored fields to give them reliable sites to mine, plus plant pool from which they will be able to get equipment and pay back subsequently, they will gradually move away from all the areas that they are currently working which is destroying the environment, he said. Galamsey activities have been blamed for the destruction of major water bodies and forest reserves in areas where the operations are rife. This notwithstanding, some of the illegal miners have lost their lives while residents in some affected areas have also lost their agricultural farmlands to the illicit act. A recent altercation between security officials and galamsey operators has led to a temporary shutdown of activities at Anglogold Ashanti's Obuasi mine. There has therefore been growing concern on the need for the government and relevant stakeholders to find a lasting solution to the canker. But Lands and Natural Resources Minister, John-Peter Amewu further explained to Citi Business News he is highly confident the new approach will allow the government to duly sanction perpetrators of galamsey. We will make sure that gradually we take out galamsey out from the systemwithin a five year period, I think we should be able to minimize the impact of galamsey in Ghana, he said. The stakeholders' meeting was attended by traditional authorities, officials from the Minerals Commission, representatives from the Chinese Embassy in Ghana, among others. By: Pius Amihere Eduku/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana A Lincoln man's case alleging the city violated his right to free speech by arresting him for handing out religious pamphlets in 2013 outside Pinnacle Bank Arena landed before a federal appeals court Wednesday. Larry Ball's attorney, Thomas White, asked a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to give new life to the lawsuit, dismissed by a federal judge in Omaha last summer. Ball, 79, sued after he was found guilty of two misdemeanor trespassing counts and fined $100 in 2015. The city argued the area is quasi-public, because it's contracted to private tenants. In July, Chief U.S. District Judge Laurie Smith Camp granted the city of Lincoln's request for summary judgment. Ball appealed, setting up Wednesday's oral arguments in St. Louis. "What's clear here is Mr. Ball, at no time, was impeding traffic. He hadn't gathered a crowd," White said. "He was simply delivering a message that he believed in." He argued that what Ball was doing in front of the Pinnacle Bank Arena entrance caused less congestion than T-shirt sales and booths allowed in the same space during concerts. "A man was arrested for handing out Christian literature without warning. That to me at least is a serious concern," White said. Attorney Leslie Stryker, who represents SMG, which manages the arena, argued that just because people can come and go through the area, it doesn't make it a public forum. "The First Amendment does not guarantee access to property for all forms of speech simply because it is owned or controlled by a government," she said. Judge Roger L. Wollman of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, said he thinks the issue goes back to whether it's a public forum or not and whether the public and nonpublic spaces are clear. Stryker said the policy is posted online and staff provide copies to anyone with questions. Jocelyn Golden, an assistant Lincoln City Attorney, said this is a case "about a reasonable, consistently applied and clearly defined exterior-use policy." Wollman asked if the regulation was both over- and under-inclusive, considering Ball could stand in the same spot and preach, just not hand out leaflets. Golden argued that such restrictions are accepted in nonpublic forums like this and said Ball was told he could move to the public area just 10 or 20 feet away. He was arrested only after he refused to leave the area directly in front of the entrance. White got the last word, telling the judges that when the public pays for a place like this and is told it's going to be public, it's a far cry from being told you can be arrested for trespassing, like Ball was. The judges took the case under advisement. 08.03.2017 LISTEN The Progressive People's Party (PPP) wishes to reaffirm its commitment to ensuring that the rights of women in Ghana are upheld. We aim to put our words into action with the knowledge that women when given equal opportunity all over the world have proven themselves able beyond doubt. In Ghana, the rights of women as widows, in old age, at the work place and in society in general are more often than not trampled upon. We have been observing with keen interest two most disheartening events that has happened to some women in the country in the past few weeks. The Molestation and stripping naked of an alleged thief in Ashanti Region and the mistreatment meted out to a young woman who worked in Marwako restaurant are but a few examples of the trampled rights of our women. To say the least, we have not been happy with the way government and the police have handled these two incidences. We expect swifter and stricter enforcement of laws when it comes to the infringement of the rights of our women who are mostly described as the weaker sex, yet not weaker in mental and intellectual capabilities. The PPP's Political Platform includes job creation, education and healthcare initiatives that will seek to lighten the burden our women carry in our society. We wish to encourage the women of Ghana to embrace the progressive, humanistic and common sense attitude of this new party and help grow the party stronger. We want women to join not just as members and supporters, but to move to the front there is plenty of room as leaders. As the saying goes, the early bird catches the worm. We call on all Ghanaians to work harder and more diligently to implement affirmative action policies and programmes to give our women opportunities to develop their potentials in life. It is a well-known fact that Ghana as a country has been quick to approve and give its assent to international conventions and treaties that purport to promote women, their well-being and affirmative action. Yet, we have very few women in leadership positions in business, politics, religious organisations, etc. Very little is done to make sure that the treaties we sign are implemented to the core. The rights of women are routinely trampled upon by families and communities across the country in the name of tradition and culture. The PPP calls on President Nana Addo Dankwa who has been a great human right activist, to work to change this reality. Awake Ghanaian Women! Signed Mrs. Vivian Tetteh National Women Coordinator The International Womens Day is a good day to reflect on the state of the Ghanaian women. How far have we come in regard to gender equality and what are the current efforts of affirmative action to wipe out existing gender inequalities? In the past six decades of our existence as a nation, the country has seen many powerful women who cultivated the land of gender equality and it is time that the change towards gender equality is being driven forward. When considering legislation, a lot has changed for Ghanaian women in the past 60 years. Ghana has adopted and developed various conventions and acts, and established frameworks that push for the equality of women. Even before adapting international conventions, Ghana revised the Criminal Code of 1960, criminalizing harmful traditional practices, such as FGM, and Ghana enacted the Matrimonial Causes Act, (Act 367) in 1971, regulating gender equality in the situation of divorce. In 1986, Ghana ratified the international Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination (CEDAW) against Women. CEDAW is based on the idea that every State party should take measures to modify the social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women, with a view to achieving the elimination of prejudices and customary and all other practices which are based on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men and women, Article 5(a), and includes rights to political and public life, representation, nationality, education, employment, health, economic and social benefits, marriage and family life and particular regulations for rural women. The Constitution of the Republic of Ghana of 1992 provides in Article 17 that everyone should be equal before the law without discrimination on grounds of gender. However, it took 9 years before an institutional framework was established in 2001, the Ministry of Women and Childrens Affairs. Its mandate is to monitor and evaluate execution of policies to promote, among others, gender mainstreaming and women empowerment. In 2005, the Human Trafficking Act (Act 694) was enacted, and in 2007, the Domestic Violence Act (Act 732); both Acts pushed the national legislation towards gender equality further, promoting the welfare of women. In 2009, the Government implemented a gender responsive budgeting piloting in three sectors of economy, education, health and agriculture, to better focus the attention on gender issues. In 2014, the Government set up Domestic Violence Secretariat of the Ministry of Women and Childrens Affairs, in collaboration with Domestic Violence Victims Support Services Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, to facilitate prosecution of domestic violence cases. And in 2015, a Gender Policy was passed. Although an Affirmative Action Bill has been drafted and finally approved in June 2016, it has not yet been implemented. The Bill seeks to rectify discrimination on the basis of gender by redressing social, economic and educational gender imbalances by setting a 40 percent representation and participation of women in governance, public positions of power and decision-making. The purpose and aim of the Affirmative Action Bill is to encompass both direct and indirect discrimination in the private spheres, but also to promote the full and active participation of women in public life by providing a more equitable system of representation in electoral politics and governance structures. Despite these legislative developments, Ghanaian women still face gender inequality. Notwithstanding the passing of the Acts, domestic violence persists in the country. The Ghana DHS statistics of 2008 showed that almost 50% of women in Ghana are being or have been beaten, although the number is slowly decreasing. Gender based violence largely goes unpunished by the law, numbers from 2012 show that only 0.67% of the reported cases led to a conviction. The Government also struggles to combat human trafficking. In 2015, the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Ghana Police Service reported 238 investigations and referred 21 individuals for prosecution for trafficking-related crimes. However, the government reported no convictions. When considering economical participation and development, women have less access to and control over social services and productive resources. Only 3.7% of employers are female. Our economy thrives on medium and small enterprises and these enterprises are dominated by women. Data from the World Bank of 2010 shows that 84 percent of the active Ghanaian female population are engaged in vulnerable employment. Females constitute 92% of the labour force in the informal sector. Although women are more vulnerable in their economic participation, data shows that female-headed households actually have a lower poverty rate than male-headed households (19.1% against 25.9%), proving how well women can take care of their economical situation. In the educational sector, the gender gap decreased significantly over the past 60 years. After gaining independence, only around 36% of primary students were female, and only 22% of the secondary students. Nowadays, there is almost full gender parity at the primary level (Gender Parity Index for female students of 0.99; meaning 49.7% of the students are female). In secondary education, the gender gap is still more visible. The Gender Parity Index for female students in Junior High School is 0.95 (meaning that 48,7% of the students are female), and in Senior High School only around 45% of the students are female. Although there is still a lower percentage of women in the legislature and in Government, the latest election shows an upward trend. In 2016, women were elected into 35 seats (out of a total of 275) of Parliament, 6 more than in the election in 2012. Despite the increase, some gender activists express critically that with such a slight increase, it will take very long to reach gender parity in Ghanas Government. As already mentioned, the adoption of the Affirmative Action Bill could speed up that progress. Having more women represented in Government would eventually lead to focus more on gender inequalities and how to address them in order to reach gender equality in different sectors in Ghana. But even without establishing more frameworks and adopting more legislation in support of gender equality, the Government has to assure that all its citizens, women and men, but also the police and government officials, are aware of and respect the current laws on gender equality, and that these provisions are followed and enforced according to the law. Somehow, the Ghana Minerals Commission (the sector regulator) is struggling to curb the activities of the illegal Chinese and their Ghanaian minions in the small-scale mining sector. There is no denying the fact that the small-scale mining may have its benefits if it is properly regulated. For, if anything at all, it may generate employment in Ghana, but the way it is being carried out at the moment, it does not look promising, it is simply ill-favoured. Indeed, the sector can bring huge economic returns. Take, for example, in 2011, 30 percent of the countrys 3.6 million ounces of gold production came from small-scale mines, up from less than 25 percent in 2010, according to Ghana Chamber of Mines. Nevertheless, the small-scale mining sector is being messed up. Take, for instance, although by law, only Ghanaians are allowed to obtain mining licenses for small-scale operations, thousands of Chinese and other immigrants are working in the small scale mining sector in Ghana. Apparently, the foreign infiltrators have illimitable liberty to undertake illegal mining. Take, for instance, even though the small scale mining laws prohibit the use of large explosives, the Chinese illegal miners are using unstructured methods and at the same time supplying large explosive, rock crushers and other machines to local illegal miners. Sadly, though, the activities of the illegal miners have culminated in environmental degradation. The worrying aspect, though, is our water bodies have been dangerously polluted with mercury and cyanide. Disappointingly, however, the illegal Chinese miners are being encouraged and assisted by some greedy and unpatriotic Ghanaians. The Chinese never give up. They will never give up their pursuits. Whatever they pursue, they become experts and innovators in that field. They are never bogged down by failure. For them, failure simply means another shot to be successful, said a social commentator. They wield guns and would fire at anyone who dares to confront them to stop mining. Per the illegal miners stubbornness, I shudder to think it would take a massive leadership in order to curb the illegal mining activities in our countryside. I will thus venture to suggest that we may have to take a cue from the United States of America, who put in place punitive measures in their attempt to halt the Chinese illegal miners invasion in the19th and 20th centuries. In the mid 1800s, the Americans were confronted with similar predicament -the invasion of the illegal Chinese miners. In their desperate attempt to halt the seemingly pernicious onslaughts by the incompliant illegal Chinese miners, the American authorities were forced to promulgate draconian immigration laws which targeted the illegal Chinese miners. Large-scale Chinese immigration began in the mid 1800's due to the California Gold Rush. Despite the flood of Chinese immigrants during that time, their population began to fall drastically, because of laws such as the Chinese Exclusion Act and the highly imbalanced male to female ratio. Miners in the area often used violence to drive the Chinese out of various mines. While impatient gold-seekers would abandon prospective rivers, the Chinese would remain, painstakingly panning through the dust to find bits of gold. The Chinese have an eye for gold. As time passed the resentment against the Chinese immigrants in America increased, and eventually, the laws such as Naturalization Act of 1870 and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 came into force to restrict immigration of Chinese immigrants into the United States of America. The Naturalization Act of 1870 restricted immigration into America to only "white persons and persons of African descent," meaning that all Chinese were placed in a different category, a category that placed them as ineligible for citizenship from that time till 1943. Of course, the stance taken by the Americans to circumscribe the influx of the illegal Chinese miners was extremely punitive. Nevertheless, to them the apparent harsh decision helped in their efforts to curb the illegal Chinese miners invasion. In any case, we may not be able to go the way of the Americans. However, we can still manage to thwart the activities of the Chinese illegal miners. We can achieve this through a collaborative effort, involving the central government; the Ghana Embassy in China; Ghana Immigration Service; the Police Service; Ghana Minerals Commission; the National House of Chiefs and all discerning Ghanaians. Let us come together to uphold and defend the good name of Ghana! K. Badu, UK. (This article on Fufu Eating in Ghana will benefit those doing studies in Crop Science, Home Economics, Food Science, Cultural Studies, among others) Fufu eating among the Akans of Ghana is a kind of ritual whereby fufu is eaten in a communal way, and all the members of the family partake in it at the same time. It is deemed cruel not to leave some of it for a family member who is late in coming home. The continued eating of fufu brings tourists to Ghana because Ghanaians in the Diaspora introduce their friends to fufu and they get hooked on to it so much so that they come to Ghana to pay homage to Akwaaba (Welcome) country, or fufu country to see for real the dexterous and creative wood carvers who make the mortars and pestles for fufu pounding, and the earthen-ware pot weavers who make the various shapes and sizes of fired black pots and hemispherical Asanka bowls or receptacles for the soups and fufu. Some families in the urban areas eat fufu at the weekends whilst families in farming communities eat fufu every day, normally in the late evenings when they come back from their farms after an arduous days work. Some well- to -do men ask their wives to prepare them fufu early in the morning or sometimes at mid-day during lunch time. This writers father preferred to eat fufu around 4 p.m when the writer had knocked off and had come home from elementary school. That was in the 60s. His father believed that fufu should be eaten early in the day for it to digest. Sometimes, eating that early would make the writer and his siblings to become hungry again in the night, and they would resort to eating some bread with tea or having roasted corn and groundnuts as a delicacy. This writer has lived outside Ghana continuously for the past 47 years (of course with visits home as often as possible), and has not had many fufu-eating opportunities as much as he would have wished, but then humans adapt to their environments, dont they? Retailers, restaurateurs, and many marketeers in Ghana make a living out of selling fufu-making ingredients and accoutrements. Fufu is big business in Ghana; no wonder Unilever and other manufacturers have cashed in big on the situation by selling Royco, Maggi cubes and other ingredients because they know that Ghanaians like titillating their palates with sweet, palatable, appetizing, delectable, and sumptuous meals. However, many Ghanaian women spoil their soups by the overuse of imported tinned tomatoes which make the soups lose their natural flavour as they taste sugary, artificial, and insipid. They are better advised to use these tomato pastes in moderation for rich colour. Women entrepreneurs in Ghana play a big role in driving the fufu business in Ghana. They retail all the ingredients in big and small markets throughout Ghana as well as in small corner shops. We should doff off our hats to them especially during this International Womens Day which falls on 8th March, 2017. Cassava output 2014 Nigeria 54.8 million tonnes Congo DR 14.7 million tonnes Ghana 2012-Output of some crops Cassava 14,547,000 million tonnes Yam 6,639,000 million tonnes Plantain 3,556,000 million tonnes (Source: https://agriknowledge.org/downloads/dr26xx473 ) Output of Plantains 2012 Ghana 3.6 million tonnes Cameroons 3.5 million tonnes Nigeria 2.8 million tonnes Ivory Coast 1.6 million tonnes (Source: FAO, 2014) Output of Yams 2012 Nigeria 32,318,900 tonnes Ghana 6,638,867 tonnes Ivory Coast 5,674,696 tonnes Benin 2,810,745 tonnes Togo 864,408 tonnes Cameroons 537,802 tonnes (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/yam-vegetables ) The output of crop statistics displayed above shows that Ghana is the largest producer of plantains in the world followed by the Cameroons. In Ghana, the Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Eastern, and Western Regions are the leading producers of plantain. Plantain is also common in Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya where they call it Matoke. Nigeria is by far the largest producer of yams and cassava, so they are naturally also big fufu eaters. There are special grand market days in Mankessim, Kasoa, Asesewa, Asamankese, Bawjiase, Begoro, Salaga, Mampong, Kejetia, Agogo, Nkawkaw, among other ones in several parts of Ghana, during which occasions one can find almost every type of crop grown in Ghana, plus all types of protein sources such as snails, crabs, fishes, meat, chicken, mushrooms, and all types of beans. Farmers in many parts of Ghana survive by selling their farm produce to these market mammies in the supply chain. Without their input, there will be no food security. Agriculture in general is to subject to wide fluctuations or upswings and downswings in output due to the exploding and divergent cobweb theorem and the hog cycle, resulting in buffer stock management, government subsidies, and many forms of intervention to avoid market failure and negative externalities. The EU have their Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to support farmers with subsidies and guaranteed markets. Many times in the 80s, 90s, and at the beginning of this millennium, this writer would return to Ghana from the Diaspora only to find that everyone in Ghana was looking plump and obese, and he would wonder what they had been doing to themselves. You can guess; digging in hard into their fufus whilst the writer was living outside Ghana eating unpalatable foreign dishes! Be that as it may, Fufu-sophy is the ancient wisdom of the Akans handed down to children by the elders after eating a healthy bowl of fufu. Fufu, unmistakingly, features prominently in Akan folktales with Ananse always weaving cobwebs around fufu-gastronomies to ensure that he apportions to himself the best part of fufu meals, to the exclusion of his family members, but inexorably, he is often the victim of his own greed, avarice and devious scheming and machinations. Chinua Achebe in Things Fall Apart wrote that sometimes when in-laws and their daughters- and sons-in-law were at chop bars, they would not see each other at first because of the heaps of Fufu Mountains between them. It was when they had eaten huge portions of fufu before they would realise they were sitting opposite each other and then they would shake hands over the remaining portion of fufu to their own discomfiture and embarrassment, because in-laws are not supposed by custom and tradition to meet in communal places as they should give each other space as a sign of respect. Hmmm, Ghanaians also love their mountains of fufu just as the Ibos and Yoruba of Nigeria do, and this writer wonders what prevails among them when observing culture space. Guys who love their meat, whether goat, dog, cat, chicken, beef meat, among others, will buy their meat through contributions made by them and they will task their ladies to cook them fufu and light soup so that after soaking themselves in their favourite drinks, they will come home to roost and do justice to their fufu and delectable soups. (Guys who drink heavily always prefer hot pepper soup or light soup). Guys like banding around at the week-ends such as Independence Day ([email protected] 60), or the usual Easter and Christmas festive periods for their drink-ups. Some will go for local beers such as Club, Star, Guilder, ABC, Guinness, Becks, among others. Others will fall for the popular local gin made from the palm tree or the raffia palm and called differently as Akpeteshie, Akpio, Ogogoro, Agbaa, Ohyew, VC 10, Kill-me-quick, Kasapreko, Mandingo, Kalahari, Tot, Quarter, Bramsco, Lawyer, Fa bi nantsew, Fa me y3, Ambodzin, Ab3, Schnapps, Mola, among others. Drunks or drunkards after downing many skeins of such hard local stuff cannot go without looking for fufu and delicious soup as respite. Fufu comes with a lot of symbolism and rich folklore, and as such, it should feature prominently in our tourism calendar circuit with a fufu-eating competition or fufu fair. The enjoyment of fufu is directly proportional to the type of soup which accompanies it, and inversely proportional to the physical exertion which is expended in its preparation. Gas will say, Fufu, ewaaa d3nky3, whilst Hausas will say, Fufu abinci, y3waaa. The Yoruba will say, Fufu odumi goo ni. The Ewe will say, Fiti d3 ekyi, lom na va. Va mi di nu. The Nzemas will intone, Fufu, 3y3 bue3! The Sefwis will say, Beeli ali3. Fufu, 3mbodii nkaan One would ask, Is eating fufu healthy? Well, it depends. Too much of everything is bad. Cassava is said to be poisonous as it contains cyanide which can cause blindness. Not all cassava species contain the same amount of cyanide as it depends on the variety of cassava, the type of soil where the cassava is planted, and the preparation of the fufu. The cyanide is the reason why some people peel the cassava and soak it in water for some days to remove some portions of the cyanide. That is how the Yoruba do it in Western Nigeria prior to pounding their cassava fufu. Not so with their yam fufu or iyan and ob3 nla (big soup). Few Ghanaians these days know the Akan names of trees which are used in carving fufu mortars and pestles. This writer does not know them himself. However, the Akan tree names he knows are Osina (Dialium Guineensis), Odum (Iroko/Chlorophora Excelsia), S3s3, Odom (Erythrophleum Guineensis), Wawa (Triplochiton Scleroxylon), Asene, Odanta (Nesogo Gordonia Papaverifera), Onyankyer3n (Ficus Exasperata), Ofram (Terminalia Superba), Takorowa (Hymenostegia Afzelii), Adubiya (Manilkara Multinervis), Esa (Celtis Mildbraedii), Opapaa (Afzelia Africana), Kyenkyen, Twenedua (Cordia Millenii), Onyaa (Ceiba Pentandra), Katakyi (Microdesmis Puberula), Opepea (Bridelia Grandis), Okoro (Albizia Zygia, Odwen (Baphia Nitida), among others. We should continue eating fufu in Ghana to preserve aspects of our culture such as knowing the local names of trees in our culture which are fit for certain purposes such as making pestles, mortars, canoes, stools, furniture, for construction, for charcoal, for firewood, among others. Our mothers know a lot of hygiene and we should continue patronising our indigenous Ghanaian cuisines such as fufu eating culture, as the Indians and Chinese do of their own food cultures. Without culture, we perish. That is fufusophy for you or fufu-semantics. Fufu prepared and eaten the local natural way is the best and not the pseudo-fufu powders which are bagged and sold in the Diaspora as substitutes. Some of them are potato powders which lack the vintage elasticity and viscosity of naturally-prepared fufu. Contrary views are welcome. (The author is Head of Research at ZCAS University in Zambia) Email: [email protected] References Google (n.d.) Ghana Place Names-Trees [Online] Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/site/ghanaplacenames/tools/trees Kurian, J.C. (2010). Healing Wonders of Plants Volumes 1 and 2 Zambia: Zambia Adventist Press Kurian, J.C. 2010 Healing Wonders of Plants [Online] Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books/about/Healing_Wonders_of_Plants/html?id www.ghanatimber.org/species.php https/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/yam-vegetables https://agriknowledge.org/downloads/dr26xx473 I must say our Minister of Energy Hon. Agyarko's announcement to reduce tariffs for consumers constitutes both bad politics and bad public policy. In political terms, the reduction in electricity tariffs was a crass political response. It literally means long-term indebtedness for Ghanaians. In policy terms, it means the reduction in tariffs as stated by the Minister of Energy Hon. Agyarko was a cave-in to political pressure. How do we recover the 1.6 billion Ghana Cedis customers owe to Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG)? How can the government limit the high Value Added Tax (VAT) returns (approximately 17.5%) for industrial customers? Ghana's electricity costs are very high. The truth is that our leaders have failed to blend our energy sector with renewable energy that could aid in bringing down costs for consumers. The initial investment into solar energy is capital intensive but its long term purpose will be paid off. Ghanas dependency on fuel to power the energy sector depletes financing resources. My suggestion is as follows: why cant thermal plants run on natural gas since its cheaper than fuel? The reasoning for this is that in terms of pollution, the impact of natural gas on the environment is lesser compared to fuel which has high emissions. The 2017 budget did mention a 3% increase in renewable energy. This can be seen as a way forward for Ghanaians to address their National Climate Change Strategy. Solar energy should be the new energy reform that will sweep the entire land surface or every roof top in Ghana because it is easy to democratize and decentralize. If the government fails to achieve their 3% target, energy poverty among Ghanaians may increase. Ghana must spearhead and develop more solar energy technologies. Ghana's high rate of electricity tariffs is attributed to its aging generating and transmission infrastructure. The maintenance of transmission and distribution infrastructure seems to be expensive in some parts of rural and urban areas due to longer distances over which wires and poles must travel per customer. The 2017 budget seeks a reduction in the National Electrification Levy from 5% to 3% and the Public Lighting Levy from 5% to 2%. Reducing tariffs hides the true cost of producing electricity from consumers. The government should ensure that future changes to electricity bills are presented to customers in a way which provides enough information and transparency to enable them to make better decisions about electricity usage. This will reduce electricity cost and reduce further electricity cost increases. Reducing tariffs also weakens incentives to invest in energy conservation (i.e., a cost-effective way of meeting energy needs) and demand management programs. The penultimate issue is that on 23 January, 2017 on myjoyonline.com, Hon. Agyarko did mention why our neighbouring country Cote d'Ivoire has lower tariffs compared to Ghanaians. I must say, they generate so much electricity to the extent that they supply five countries including Ghana. In the year 2010, Cote d'Ivoire experienced a power debacle and that was when Ghana assisted them with 55MW. Electricity is cheaper in Cote d'Ivoire due to the strong pragmatic measures they have put in place to make them the best supplier of electricity in the Sub-Saharan continent. For Ghana to have lower tariffs like Cote d'Ivoire, we must embark on a course of action that implements our long-term liquefied natural gas, as it appears to be a dream on paper and adds zero to the national grid. In conclusion, I must say that Ghana has more sunshine than its electricity and very little effort has been implemented to do something about that. The most realistic and cost-effective solution to Ghana's energy crisis is to transition to 100% renewable energy sources, and that fact has been with us for a long time. 09.03.2017 LISTEN Modern Women of Wisdom Organization (MWOW), an all-female social advocacy Group on Wednesday, 8th March, 2017 donated mosquito nets, bread, assorted drinks, toiletries, etc, to some beggars on the streets of Accra to commemorate this year's International Women's Day. The program, dubbed "Bread for Beggars" was aimed at putting smiles on the faces of the downtrodden and the unemployed homeless beggars on the streets. Speaking to the media, the Chief Executive Officer of the Group, Nana Ama Asantewaa Kwarkoh said although most people enjoy the essentials of luxury, there are others, who through no fault of theirs, cannot even afford the basic necessities of life. She said there are people who lack shelter, food and clothing. "Although these beggars lack the vitals of human existence, they strive each day for survival as they keep failing to obtain basic life necessities. These people ache and suffer for basic necessities", she reiterated. The Organization pledged to continuously seek the welfare of beggars in the society by constantly caring for them, as charity work, to them is a noble endeavour. Receiving the items, the beneficiaries, some of whom have physical and visual disabilities thanked MWOW for their gesture. The Director of Operations of the Group, Mrs Yvonne Asomani Darko reminded the beneficiaries of the need to sleep in the mosquito nets always in order to prevent malaria and other insect-borne diseases. International Women's Day, celebrated on 8th March each year, is a global celebration to commemorate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. On this day, a global web of distinct activities connects women from all over the world. Programmes and activities organized to mark the day include political rallies, business conferences, government activities, networking events, theatric performances, and fashion parades. Img-20170308-wa0017 Img-20170308-wa0024 Img-20170308-wa0031 Img-20170308-wa0032 Img-20170308-wa0033 The Zhaoqing Municipal Government of Guangdong Province has indicated its commitment to support the "one district, one factory policy of the Government of Ghana. Vice Mayor to the Zhaoqing Municipal Government, Madam Xuanqun Chen in a meeting with Ghanaian representatives of the ruling Party, NPP on Monday , shared the Municipal Government willingness in the areas investors mobilization, Industrial development, technical and operational assistance to boost the policy and Ghana's economy. The Ghanaian representatives who honored the Municipal Government Invitation was Dr Charles Dwamena, Director of Finance and Administration (HQ NPP), Nana Kyei Baffour (NPP China Organizer and one, Mr Daniel Dwamena who reside in the USA. Dr Charles Dwamena who also doubles as the Former Chairman of NPP China, commended the Municipal for the invitation and commitment towards Ghana's economic growth. He further disclosed the details of the policy and why it is necessary for Chinese private businesses to join to boost the two countries economy and strengthen the China-Ghana (Twins) relationship which diplomatic ties was established by Chairman Mao Zedong and Dr Kwame Nkrumah far back in 1959. Speaking to a group of Entrepreneurs and leadership of the Zhaoqing Entrepreneurs Management Association, Nana Kyei Baffour highlighted on ease of doing business in Ghana and the numerous ongoing infrastructural development, market linkages and access as well as Government readiness for a guarantee sales for businesses. He stressed on Ghana, being the safest destination for doing business on the African soil, low Labour cost compared to China, businesses access to water, electricity , effective transport system, and robust market. Mr Li Wen Jian, Deputy Director of Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Bureau of Zhaoqing Municipal People's Government and also HongKong and Macao Affairs Bureau of Zhaoqing Municipality described the meetings as successful and looking forward to the first Investment Fair early this year in partnership with the government of Ghana. Zhaoqing Municipality of Guangdong province is one of the most important cities in Southern China which primary and secondary industries include Paddy rice, sugar cane, aquatic products, food and beverages, building materials, chemicals, equipment and machinery and a major area for the production of Sulfur and iron. 09.03.2017 LISTEN A political youth group called Ghana Youth for Change and Development (GYFD) which was formed to campaign for change during to the 2016 election has petitioned the president of the republic of Ghana , Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo to consider one of it members Dr.Adomako Kissi as Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Anyaa-Sowutuom. According to the group president, Mr. Fred Quainoo , Dr Kissi is an accomplished economist and an astute Doctor by profession who helped in the struggle for change during the 2016 election and if appointed as MCE for Anyaa-Sowutuom, he is going to bring a lot of experience and development to help build his constituency. It is alleged that the constituency secretary of Anyaa-Sowutuom, Mr Bashiru Mohammed dumped Dr.Kissi's forms into a dustbin when he submitted to their constituency chairman, Mr. Sam, which has led to series of agitation from the youth in the constituency. Below is the full statement from the group; PETITION TO CONSIDER DR. DICKSON KISSI IN THE MCE SELECTION PROCESS We the members of Ghana Youth for Change and Development (GYCD) respectfully request that Dr. Dickson Kissi be considered for the position of Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Anyaa-Sowutuom. Dr. Kissi is a medical doctor and an accomplished economist by profession and has been a staunch member of the NPP in the Anyaa-Sowutuom constituency since 2005. He has been a rallying point for the youth in that constituency over the years. Dr. Kissi contested the 2015 NPP Parliamentary Primaries for the 2016 General Elections but lost to the incumbent member of Parliament Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botwe. Even though Dr. Kissi lost the primaries, he devoted all his time, resources and energy to the NPP campaign in the constituency and around the country. He organized numerous health screening in the Anyaa-Sowutuom constituency. He participated in all campaign programmes in the constituency and was always on a stand-by even if called upon in midnight by the constituency executives and the constituents. We believe he has contributed his quota to the party in the constituency and should be given a fair chance in the MCE selection process. He submitted his application for the position of MCE to the constituency executives as demanded by the partys internal communication. But our enquiries suggest that his application was never acted upon. Several calls have been made to the constituency executives for his application to be given the necessary consideration but to no avail. As a youth group with membership across the length and breadth of the country; and Dr. Kissi being a member of this group, we believe his early elimination from the process is a huge disincentive to the youth whose blood and toil delivered victory unto the party. We have contributed our quota to this great party and we seek a fair chance. We believe and therefore aver that Dr. Kissi has the qualification, competence and commitment required to become the MCE of Anyaa-Sowutuom. Wherefore, we respectfully request that Dr. Kissi be reconsidered in the selection for MCE of Anyaa-Sowutuom. Respectfully submitted, Signed Fred Quainoo - President (0244443890- Weija/Gbawe Const.) Godfred Amu Newton -Secretary (0541371840- Subin Const.) Nana Darkwa- Director of Operations (0249651155- Okaikwei South Const.) Nii Lakai -Organiser (0260531389 - Odododiodio Const.) Yaw Barimah- Coordinator (0276911715 - Fanteakwa South Const.) Collins Agyarko PRO (0246682013- Tema West Const.) Local Textile workers have put on hold, their planned protest over pirated goods which was slated for today. According to the textile workers, the move has been prompted by the Ministry's readiness to engage them in addressing their concerns. But the Chairman of the Concerned Workers of the Textile Industry, Ebenezer Asumadu on Wednesday told Citi Business News a scheduled meeting with the trade minister is expected to settle the issue amicably. We had a letter from the ministry indicating that the minister is prepared to meet us to discuss the issues we raised concerning the textiles industry. So we decided to postpone the intended demonstration and meet the minister first. He added, The problem we have concerns the industry so if the sector minister is prepared to sit us down for us to iron it then what is the meaning of us going to demonstrate? With the Ministry's preparedness to meet with us, we have to accept it and look at the way forward. The local textile workers on Tuesday had expressed their displeasure over what they say is the Trade Ministry's inability to stop the smuggling of pirated goods onto the local markets. The workers which comprise staff of GTP, ATL and Printex argued that their respective companies have been rendered uncompetitive due to the smuggling of pirated goods onto the local markets. The textile workers among others blamed the task force for failing to rid the market of pirated products. Earlier the Deputy Communications Manager at the Trades Ministry, Nasir Ahmed Yartey says the Ministry is developing new ideas to eliminate the pirated goods on the local market. The issue of the piracy is what we are fighting through the task force and members of the textiles industry form the bulk of the membership of this task force. They know the industry, they know what people are doing to harm the industry so it is their expertise that the ministry relies on to try to fight this menace and so we are working with them. By: Jessica Ayorkor Aryee/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana Just before his torturers pushed him out of the van, barely conscious, on to the Nairobi pavement, Abdi was told he was one of the lucky ones: You were supposed to die tonight. The security operatives who picked him up were Kenyan, but new research from the Angaza Foundation for African Reporting suggests they are part of a US-funded counter-terrorism strategy across Africa that is leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Since Kenya invaded Somalia in 2011 in an effort to dislodge the Islamist militant group al-Shabaab, thousands of ethnic Somalis like Abdi living in Kenya have been detained, many on dubious grounds. The security forces , in particular the Kenyan Defence Force, which continues to receive significant US funding, and the anti-terrorism police unit, have been accused of torture and summary executions. Though the nature of Abdis account makes it difficult to independently verify, the details are similar to those of other accounts collected by local NGOs, including the Independent Medico-Legal Unit, which documents incidents of torture and political violence in Kenya. Abdi said he was walking out of the university where he studied in 2015 when a car, modified to operate as a mobile torture unit, pulled up next to him, and a gun with a silencer was pointed at his face. As Abdi was restrained he was told by men who identified themselves as police that he had been under surveillance for years. His interrogators were suspicious because he was living in a house outside Eastleigh, Nairobis predominantly Somali suburb. They kept asking: Are you trying to recruit for al-Shabaab? Whenever they did not like an answer they shocked him with an industrial cattle prod, he says, estimating that the whole ordeal lasted for seven hours. Abdi now suffers chronic back pain from the shocks. But still, he considers himself one of the lucky ones. Out of 10 [people] taken, maybe one comes back, he says. Dr Abdallah Waititu was less fortunate. He left work on the afternoon of 4 April last year and has not been seen since . The 33-year-old pharmacist of Somali origin, known as Duktur (doctor), was a pillar of the Eastleigh community until he vanished. Our friends tell us not to worry, that hes still alive. But I cant believe it until I see him, said his brother Imran. For Waititus grieving family, life has changed drastically. His three wives and five young children have had to move into a smaller apartment, and his brothers work overtime to cover rent and food. Every week, they do the rounds of local police stations and morgues. The family are also trying to sue the government to get it to reveal where Waitutu is. The government says it does not know. In June, Abdul Mwangi Karuri, another senior figure at the mosque and a budding politician, also disappeared. His colleagues at the Democratic party blame the authorities. Kenyan officials, including the National Counter-terrorism Centre, did not respond to repeated requests to comment on either case. Stories of intimidation, arrests, torture and disappearances have become the norm in Eastleigh, but Imran believes Kenya is just doing this to please the outside world. Every abduction is proof to donors that their money is being spent, he said. US anti-terror efforts For years the US has propped up some of the worst human rights violators on the continent, a trend that experts warn may get worse under President Donald Trump , who has reiterated his support for torture against terror suspects , and has already started making good on his campaign promises to aggressively crack down on terror groups. Examples of the tension between fighting terror and protecting human rights span the continent: in Nigeria, the US is spending $40m to fight Boko Haram, despite the State Departments own findings that Nigerias security services perpetrated extrajudicial killings, and engaged in torture [and] rape. In South Sudan, US funding before the outbreak of civil war in 2013 helped to train and modernise the national army, despite the widespread use of child soldiers. There is also the Trans-Saharan Counter-terrorism Partnership , a flagship initiative that since 2005 has given between $90m and $160m from the US government a year to security forces and judicial services across 10 countries in the Sahel and Maghreb: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Tunisia many with dubious respect for democracy and freedom. Kenya is a particularly striking example of this schism. In 2016 the US gave $120m worth of support to the Kenyan military and $8m to the police. The same year, Human Rights Watch documented 34 enforced disappearances in Nairobi and north-east Kenya linked to counter-terrorism operations. Constitutionally, the US is not supposed to fund human rights abusers. According to the Leahy law , pushed through by the senator Patrick Leahy in the late 1990s, no assistance shall be furnished to any unit of the security forces of a foreign country if the secretary of state has credible information that such unit has committed a gross violation of human rights. The wording is the downfall. By specifying assistance by unit it presumes that the good cops can be separated, and funded separately, from bad cops. Human Rights Watch says this loophole is being exploited in countries such as Kenya. Requests for specific information about how the US funds Kenyas security services were made to the Department of State, Department of Defence, and the US embassy in Kenya , but were all rebuffed or ignored. The US Africa Command , responsible for military relations on the continent, said that funding assistance is generally denied in those cases where there is determined to be credible information that such members or units of a foreign security force have committed a gross violation of human rights. Meanwhile, it is unclear whether the war on terror in Africa is working. Attacks have quadrupled since 2009, and fatalities are up by 850% . While the collapse of Libya has played a major role in the sharp rise in numbers, as has the expansion of Islamic State, failings by national security agencies may also shoulder some blame. In 2014 the Institute for Security Studies spoke to 95 members of militant Islamist groups in Kenya to ask why they had become radicalised. The majority of members, from al-Shabaab and the Mombasa Republican Council (MRC), referred to injustices at the hands of Kenyan security forces, explains Anneli Botha, the researcher on the project. Some complained that all Muslims are treated as terrorists, while others pointed to specific failings by the Kenyan police. A year after his interrogation Abdi says he no longer walks around in fear, but feels angry and betrayed. The people Im supposed to run to for protection, they are the ones attacking me. They are supposed to fight terror, but they are the terrorists, he says. A dozen or so red-clad, socially conscientious customers sought out Leslie Huerta's Francie & Finch Bookstore to mark International Women's Day on Wednesday. Huerta's store near 13th and O streets greeted them with quotes about women and equality on a sandwich board outside. She gave patrons red-wrapped Baker's chocolates and white calla lilies for their solidarity on a day Huerta said recognizes the value of women and their contributions. "It (also) underscores the importance that women are still not represented as much as they should be," said Huerta, who co-owns the bookstore with her husband Mike. Huerta was encouraged by local women who came specifically to her store to support a local businesswoman on the day dedicated to celebrating the achievements of women around the world and advocating for gender equality. On social media, politicians such as Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts honored First Lady Susanne Shore and various women in the Legislature. Across the country, women took the day off of work in a demonstration called A Day Without a Woman, meant to highlight the economic contributions of women in the U.S. Organizers encouraged women who couldn't take off work to wear red in solidarity. Valerie Jones, who went to work Wednesday, marked the day by distributing binders full of stories illustrating why Nebraska women and men participated in the local Women's March on Jan. 21. The 38-year-old and her twin sister, Andrea Riley, delivered a binder containing more than 130 stories to Ricketts' office, she said. Binders were also taken to the offices of U.S. Sens. Deb Fischer and Ben Sasse and Congressmen Jeff Fortenberry and Adrian Smith. "Today was a target day for us to take these (and) hopefully create a little more understanding for the issues and challenges that women and men in Nebraska face and are passionate about," Jones said. Jones said she felt called to march because of President Donald Trump's comments about grabbing women by the genitals, among other remarks, she said. "Personally, Ive never felt devalued or dehumanized (than) when I heard President Trumps recorded comments, Jones said. Jones had never been politically active before she marched downtown to the state Capitol on Jan. 21, she said. Since then, she's contacted lawmakers about everything from proposed state laws to now U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. The value of the march may not manifest in immediate policy change, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln assistant professor of advertising said. But it accelerated activism among people like her who hadn't been politically active, she said. The issues of this movement are many and varied, Jones said. And the work required to enact change can seem overwhelming, she said. "Ive got a full-time job, and Im getting a Ph.D., and Ive got two little kids at home, and Im trying to also participate politically, to try to push things in the direction that I think would be better," she said. She hopes more women and men use their newfound activism to push lawmakers to show respect for women through their words and their actions, she said. Her 7-year-old daughter has talked about running for president someday. "The only thing shes excited about with Hillary (Clinton) losing is that she can be the first woman president. Jones supports her daughter's ambitions, but hopes the first woman president is elected a little bit sooner. Members of the diplomatic corps, friends of Ghana and Ghanaians in the New York tri-state area were treated to a festive and colorful reception at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Monday evening (March 6, 2017) to mark Ghanas 60th independence anniversary. Among the dignitaries were the Deputy United Nations Secretary General, Ms. Amina Mohammed, senior staff of the UN as well as representatives of the various Ghanaian professional groups, some of whom were in their rich kente clothes and other traditional outfits. The evening was interspersed with lively and soothing Ghanaian music and cultural dance performances. The invited guests were treated to sumptuous and delicious Ghanaian dishes, made in Ghana drinks and the much touted Golden Tree chocolate. Addressing the gathering, Ambassador Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Ghanas Permanent Representative to the United Nations, noted that the historical context of Ghanas independence and the international environment 60 years ago, made it urgent for the young nation at that time to establish herself as a worthy and respected member of the international community. The founding fathers of Ghana, led by the late Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, believed that the United Nations was the appropriate forum to achieve this objective and most importantly, the platform to leapfrog the pace of decolonization of the African content. It was also borne out of our desire for peaceful co-existence and the creation of an international economic order in which the economic, social and political development of all peoples irrespective of colour, creed or race could be advanced, she stated. Ambassador Pobee maintained that the UN has proved to be a dependable partner and therefore Ghana is pleased with what had been achieved in the last 60 years. Reiterating Ghanas commitment to the values of democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law, the Permanent Representative assured Member States and international organisations of her countrys desire to maintain and deepen the existing alliances and bonds of her friendship. The Ambassador and Permanent Representative expressed Ghanas readiness to work closely with other member states to make the UN fit for purpose and to meet todays challenges. She mentioned in this regard, Ghanas support for a reform of the Security Council in line with the common African position adopted in Ezulwini, the revitalization of the General Assembly, more effective application of preventive diplomacy in the peacebuilding architecture of the organization and the promotion of international financial and trade environment that are supportive of national development. Ambassador Pobee repeated the call by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the 60th Independence Day parade at the Black Star Square in Accra to all Ghanaians to mobilize for a prosperous future, in which all nationals, including our youth, our women and vulnerable in society, will have equal opportunities to realize their potentials. Again, she harped on the Presidents concern about the state of Ghanas environment and the need to protect the forests, rivers and lakes by building a sustainable economy that would generate prosperity and dignified life for the masses of the people. On the Presidents broad policy vision, she re-echoed government's commitment to build an educated, skilled and skillful society in which the creative juices of innovators will be stimulated to create wealth and compete in the global economy. She intimated that the Presidents vision and call for hard work, enterprise, creativity and consistent fight against corruption in public life, clearly spoke to and provided the framework for Ghanas national implementation of Agenda 2030. Maintaining that one of the most significant contributions of Ghana to the United Nations was in the area of human resource, Ambassador Martha Pobee paid glowing tribute to the late Ambassador Alex Quaison-Sackey, the first black African to be appointed President of the UN General Assembly, Madam Mary Chinery Hesse, the first African woman resident coordinator of the UN system, Mr. Kofi Annan, seventh UN Secretary General and the first to emerge from the ranks of the UN staff as well as many other Ghanaians on the staff of the Organization for their impressive contribution. She expressed her countrys appreciation for the UNs technical and other assistance to support Ghanas development programmes. Prince Kumi aka 'Maxi' 09.03.2017 LISTEN Prince Kumi, a popular car dealer at Bekwai Roundabout in Kumasi, has revealed that the prices of second-hand vehicles would go down significantly owing to the removal of taxes on the importation of automobile spare parts into Ghana. Mr. Kumi, aka 'Maxi,' explained that Ghanaian car dealers usually buy auction vehicles, which have been involved in accidents from US and other countries. He said the car dealers buy spare parts, which are very expensive, to decorate the cars that have been shipped to Ghana. Maxi said the prices of cars will go down, because we will no longer buy spare parts at exorbitant prices as we used to do. The car dealer therefore showered praises on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his government for addressing the concerns of the citizenry. According to him, it takes a president who has the wellbeing of his people at heart to abolish taxes on spare parts. Maxi observed that President Akufo-Addo has good intentions of developing Ghana to make the people comfortable. In this regard, he charged the citizenry to wholeheartedly support the NPP administration to implement its policies to effectively develop the country. He stated that President Akufo-Addo has almost fulfilled all his campaign promises in his maiden budget and that shows he is determined to lead Ghana into affluence. Maxi was part of the people who used their resources to support the NPP to defeat the NDC during the 2016 elections in the Ashanti region. From I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi THE THREE suspected robbers, including a woman, who were apprehended by the Community One District police in Tema for specializing in robbing unsuspecting bank customers, have been incarcerated to serve six months in prison with hard labour. Tema magistrate court presided over by Akosua Amankwah Agyepong, slapped the jail term on each of them. The accused persons, Prince Oware, 32; Aziz Mohammed, 30 and Afia Serwaa, 36 all residents of Pokuase near Accra pleaded guilty when they were arraigned before the court for trial. Furthermore, a fine of GH1,200 was slapped on Prince and Serwaa whilst Mohammed was asked to pay an amount of GH1,800. The court also advised the convicts to be of good behaviour after serving their imprisonment terms. On Friday, February 24, 2017 the three persons were onboard a Hyundai i10 salon car with registration number GX 9524-13. Serwaa was said to have posed as a customer of the bank while Aziz Mohammed and Prince Oware reportedly posed as a passenger and taxi driver respectively and purportedly attempted robbing one Paulina Mensah when she joined the vehicle after transacting business at the Omini Bank in Tema. The lady, who had withdrawn an unspecified amount of money from the bank, stood by the roadside looking for a vehicle when the taxi reportedly surfaced and she flagged down the vehicle which had Aziz at the steering wheel with Oware occupying the front passenger seat. Paulina sat beside Serwaa in the back seat. Paulina was said to have become suspicious and told the driver that she would alight at the Community Police Station but he branched unto an unusual route with the explanation that he wanted to dodge some police officers on road checks ahead. The driver finally stopped the taxi behind the police station for Paulina to alight, but she (Paulina) realised that she could not get out of the vehicle as the door was locked. While she laboured to open it, Serwaa took advantage of the situation and pulled the envelope containing the money Paulina had withdrawn at the bank from her bag. In Serwaa's attempt to replace the envelope with another in her possession which only contained pieces of paper back into the bag the money fell onto the floor of the taxi, attracting the attention of Paulina. She quickly raised an alarm for help and the accused persons were busted and after investigations, were arraigned before the Tema magistrate court where they were eventually slapped with the sentences. From Vincent Kubi, Tema An Accra circuit court on Tuesday sentenced two men who posed as police officers to various terms of imprisonment in hard labour. They had earlier pleaded guilty to some charges. Michael Asare, unemployed and Ernest Kofi Baah, taxi driver, were charged with dressing in police uniform, conspiring and robbing one Louis Farouk of his bag containing an amount of GH2,500. Michael pleaded guilty to the charges of possessing police accoutrement and defrauding by false pretences and was sentenced to two years' imprisonment on each count in hard labour to run concurrently. He is also to pay a fine of GH1,200 or in default serve six months in addition. Ernest, on the other hand, pleaded guilty to the charge of robbery and was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment in hard labour. Michael, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit crime and robbery, while Ernest pleaded not guilty to the charges of conspiracy, possessing police accoutrement and defrauding by false pretence. The court adjourned the matter to March 21 for commencement of trial for the other charges they denied. The prosecutor, Chief Inspector Kwabena Adu, told the court that the first complainant Louis is a mason and resident of Ablekuma in the Ga West municipality of the Greater Accra Region. The second, third and fourth complainants are Frank Ansah Sekyi, Ofori Atta, Shadrack Ofosu respectively all farmers residing at Aburi in the Eastern Region and the fifth complainant, Emmanuel Kumi, businessman, lives at Odorkor in Accra. Chief Inspector Adu said Michael and Ernest both reside at Ablekuma. On January 23, this year at about 1630 hours, the convicts dressed in police uniform on board a taxi with registration number GT 2162 W and attacked the first complainant with police shocker, subjected him to severe beatings, robbed him of his bag containing the GH2,500 and bolted. Louis made a report to the police and the convicts were subsequently arrested for further investigations. The prosecutor said when a search was conducted on them, one fake police identity card bearing the name Michael, three black police T-shirts, two pairs of police boots, one police helmet, one police long baton, two pairs of police trousers, two reflectors and one shocker allegedly used to perpetrate the crime were retrieved. Chief Inspector Kwabena Adu told the court that while investigation was ongoing, Frank, Ofori, Shadrack and Emmanuel, came to the station and reported that the convicts claimed they were police commanders from the National Police Headquarters in-charge of enlistment into the Service. Police Chief Inspector Adu said they told the police that they could help recruit their (victims') wards into the Service. The two therefore demanded and collected an amount of GH42,000 and another GH8,500.00 under the pretext of recruiting their wards into the Ghana Police Service, but after collecting the money, they vanished into thin air. He said the convicts admitted the offence upon interrogation. GNA Otiko Afisah Djaba, (L) Minister of Women, Children and Social Protecting taking President Akufo-Addo through a photo exibition of Influential Women in children advocates Gender, Children and Social Protection Minister, Otiko Afisa Djaba, is concerned about the timid nature of some Ghanaian women, and has therefore entreated them to be bold. She believes this does not help in the development of their potential. At an event to mark World Women's Day which fell yesterday and attended by President Akufo-Addo, the Minister threw an open challenge to women, especially in Ghana, to muster courage to take their place where they belong. Charge At 60, nobody is going to give you your right; you must be bold to take it, she charged. That, she said, was because we have earned the right to be respected in this country by our sons and daughters; we must be fearless and we must cherish our role as mothers, as women. We are the vessels of creation; we are the nurturers of the whole of society and there is no reason why we must be silent. We must be bold in our quest for the development, in our involvement, it is not enough to say 'give me my right,' Ms Otiko Djaba charged Ghanaian women. While expressing concern about the fact that the enforcement of the rights of women and children is still lacking, the minister assured, This is what the Ministry of Gender is going to undertake to have dialogue and as a rural development practitioner and as a victim of discrimination myself, we will go down to the villages, to the communities, to the hamlets across the country, wherever there are Ghanaians, to ensure that our destinies are going to be handled by ourselves. Madam Djaba insisted, You must ensure that those rights are fulfilled. I celebrate all the women in this blessed country and promise my undying commitment to the cause and wellbeing of women, the disabled, the vulnerable, the aged, the kayayei [head porters], the commercial sex workers across the country and those in 'galamsey' in the rural areas. President's Address On his part, President Akufo-Addo congratulated Ghanaian women and women the world over on their immense contribution to the development of every human endeavour. Without them, he was sure the world would not have been a better place to live in. If the country should develop, it will be partly dependent on your efforts and goodwill because you form a bulk majority of the population, President Akufo-Addo noted, while asking women to put their efforts together for government to support their cause. He further reiterated his government's commitment to assisting women in the areas of trade, education and various sectors of the economy, stressing the hope and belief that a year by now we would have fulfilled lots of the promises we made to you the Ghanaian women. By Charles Takyi-Boadu Jihad Chaaban, the 26-year-old manager who allegedly dipped the head of Evelyn Boakye, an employee of Marwako Restaurant at Abelemkpe in Accra, into blended pepper on February 26, 2017, has been hauled before the Abeka District Court for assault. According to the prosecution, led by Chief Inspector H.A. Hanson, the accused offensively conducted himself when he angrily called the complainant a prostitute. Jihad is facing an additional charge of intentionally and unlawfully causing harm to Evelyn. Jihad was the cynosure of all eyes when he was ushered into the court at exactly 8:30 am closely marked by stern-looking weapon-wielding police officers. The formal charge of the accused yesterday followed a botched attempt to arraign him before the court on Tuesday. Before trial magistrate Victoria Akua Ghansah, Jihad, who was represented by Lawyer Augustine Asafo Adjei, vehemently denied all the three charges. Bail In an attempt at bail, Augustine stated that his client had denied the charges preferred against him by the prosecution, indicative of the fact that Jihad had a defence which would be before the court at the appropriate time. He said Jihad is a Ghanaian, who has a fixed place of abode and that the company he works for is also a Ghanaian entity. According to Augustine, Jihad did not do what he has been alleged to have done, adding that the court has an unfettered jurisdiction to grant bail to the accused. He urged the court to admit Jihad to bail in flexible terms so that meeting the conditions of the bail would not be difficult. Opposing the bail application, Chief Inspector Hanson, argued that the witnesses in the case are workers of the eatery where the accused is still a manager. He said the witnesses would be scared to testify in the trial for fear of being dismissed, insisting that Jihad would interfere with further investigations of the prosecution. But Augustine disagreed, claiming that Jihad had been suspended as the manager of the branch awaiting disciplinary action from the company. He said Evelyn had also been granted paid leave, adding that the complainant was also being supported by the company. The lawyer stated that the accused was in the custody of the police and that there was no interference. Rigmarole Chief Inspector Hanson, in a rebuttal, contended that the police had bailed Jihad but upon realizing that he was interfering with the investigation of the police, he was re-arrested to be brought before court. When asked whether or not the grant of bail would hamper police investigation, the case investigator, Inspector Eunice Ashiagbor, said no, making nonsense of the prosecutor's objection to bail. Chief Inspector Hanson, as a result, said the District Commander under whom the investigator worked was the one to speak to the issue. DSP Edward Tetteh, the Tesano District Commander, said it was so early to grant the bail to Jihad. He stated that the case had been a public interest one and that the security of the accused was at stake. He opined that it was necessary the court refused the bail. Augustine said it was sad the prosecution was twisting the law to suit its interest. The judge, in a ruling, refused the bail, citing the safety of the accused as the reason. The police yesterday averted a reprisal attack on the management of the Abelemkpe Branch of Marwako Restaurant. The attack was an apparent response to the supposed inhumane treatment meted out to Evelyn Boakye by Jihad Chaaban. DAILY GUIDE 'S sources say the manager had made a distress call to his friends who also in turn mobilized some young men from Mamobi, New Town and Pig Farm to rescue the management from the attacks of the mob. According to the source, it took the intervention of some Islamic clerics and opinion leaders in the locality to disperse the bellicose mob. As at 2:25 pm when this paper visited the place, there were over 10 armed policemen guarding the place. The restaurant had also suspended its operations and recalled its staff from the other branches to the Abelemkpe branch. [email protected] By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson 09.03.2017 LISTEN The Young African Womens Summit, an Accra based N.G.O in partnership with Lexta Ghana Ltd , producers of Yazz sanitary pads, educated Junior High School girls on career guidance, exploring available opportunities after school, choosing a suitable chose in S.H.S, depression and the proper way of handling themselves during their menstruation period as part of the International Womenss Day activities yesterday under the theme, BE BOLD FOR CHANGE: Embrace Your Dreams, Your Gender Shouldn't be a Hindrance. The executives of Y.A.W.S educated girls from Rahamaniya J.H.S and Community 8. No3 on the options they had to choose from after completing junior high. Ms. Shanni Mahama Asana, in her speech advised the girls to consider other career paths besides going to secondary school and to focus on choosing courses that are best suited to ensure their success in future rather than select courses because their friends are doing same. Dr. Emmanuella Kwakewaa, a gynaecologist at the Okomfo Anokye Teaching Hospital- Kumasi, also spoke to the girls on how to maintain their hygiene during their menstruation and answered several questions on the topic. Others also led in presentations on depression and exploring available opportunities after JHS. The group gave out a total of six boxes of Yazz sanitary pad, two boxes of panty liners, five hundred exercise books, aprons and Yazz calenders to both schools. Efua Idan Osam, the Media, Communications and Sponsorship Specialist of Lexta Ghana Ltd. who spoke on behalf of the company told Daily Graphic the company is engaging in a national teen care campaign to educate students on oral care, menstral hygiene, cervical cancer among others hence their decision to partner Y.A.W.S on this special day for women. Madam Frances Aku Afeku, the Girls Educaton facilitator for Community 8 No.3 expressed her gratitude to both organisations and called on them to organise such educative programs regularly. Founder of Y.A.W.S , Mercy Asamani, in an interview said that the group will extend its reach to young girls in the Central Region where teenage pregnancy is on the rise. Maputo, Mozambique, March 9, 2017 The Government of the Republic of Mozambique and the African Water Facility (AWF) has entered into a grant agreement for a feasibility study on Urban Sanitation, Drainage and Solid Waste Management in Chimoio and Inhambane. The grant agreement was signed on January 27, 2017 by the Minister of Economy and Finance Adriano Afonso Maleiane and the Country Manager for the African Development Bank Joseph M. Ribeiro. The project was launched in workshops in Maputo on March 8, in Chimoio on March 9 and another one will be held in Inhambane on March 14. This AWF 1.6-million grant project will contribute to improve livelihood conditions and climate change resilience for the 310,000 citizens of the Municipalities of Chimoio and Inhambane. This will be achieved by reducing the risk of flooding and improving the public health. Recurring floods. Mozambique is regularly affected by severe floods. Recently, the Inhambane Provinces local population was severely impacted by the strong winds and flooding brought about by the Tropical Storm Dineo. Such event, reinforces the need to mitigate the impacts of climatic disasters. The effects are aggravated by a combination of insufficient storm water drainage, sea intrusion and old and collapsed sanitation systems. Further, Sanitation coverage is low in Mozambique. In urban areas only 55-60% of the population has access to sanitation services. In recent years, this has been aggravated by declining support allocated to sanitation services. Commenting on the project, the AWF Acting coordinator, Jean-Michel Ossete, said, The AWF Development Plan and Feasibility Study for Urban Sanitation, Drainage and Solid Waste Management project will pave the way for investments aimed at improving climate resilience and health in the two municipalities. This will be achieved through improved services in sanitation, drainage and solid waste management. Not only will we reduce the risk of flooding but we will also improve peoples health. The Development Plan covering the next 20-25 years will lead to increased investments in climate change adaptation, specifically in sanitation, drainage and solid waste management infrastructure and services, to the tune of 30 million by 2020. Optimizing the project implementation for better results. The project launching events in Maputo and Chimoio involved the main stakeholders of the project, including representatives from Mozambiques National Directorate for Water and Sanitation, the AWF and the African Development Bank, the projects executing agency, Chimoio municipal authorities and other selected ministries. The launch workshops were organised to ensure an efficient and smooth implementation of the project. The 7th UNWTO Silk Road Ministers Meeting held at ITB Berlin on 8 March 2017 focused on how to foster sustainable tourism development along the Silk Road. Held within the framework of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017, 31 countries from the Silk Road and beyond exchanged best-practice on how to advance the contribution of tourism to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Addressing the meeting and setting the tone for the ministerial debate, UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, said 2015 was a landmark year with the approval of the universal SDGs by the international community. Tourism can contribute to all 17 Goals. Indeed, if properly managed, tourism can positively help address all the interconnected challenges facing people and planet including ending poverty, promoting gender equality, fostering jobs and inclusive growth and fighting climate change. Moderated by Christa Larwood from the BBC, ministers and high level officials shared their views and experiences in promoting sustainable tourism, in areas of heritage protection, community participation, sustainable business practices and the development of niche tourism itineraries and products. Two presentations, the celebration of the World Nomad Games in Kyrgyzstan and community integration in West Bengal (India), highlighted the potential and multiple benefits to be derived from a sustainable tourism path. Important input was also contributed by UNWTO Affiliate Member, TripAdvisor, who presented the findings of the TripAdvisor Travel Trends for the Silk Road 2017. For the second consecutive year, TripAdvisor conducted a specialised consumer survey assessing travel preferences, habits and interests along the Silk Road. Research higlights that among top interest areas while travelling along the Silk Road are visiting UNESCO World Heritage Sites, experiencing local gastronomy and attending local festivals and events. On the occasion, Greeces Minister of Tourism, Elena Kountoura, announced the hosting of the First Western Silk Road Workshop in Alexandroupolis, Greece, on 26-27 April 2017. The UNWTO Silk Road Programme is a collaborative initiative designed to enhance sustainable tourism development along the historic Silk Road routes. It aims to maximize the benefits of tourism development for local Silk Road communities, while stimulating investment and promoting the conservation of the route's natural and cultural heritage. Currently the Silk Road Programme engages 33 UNWTO Members States, UN agencies, UNWTO Affiliate Members, as well as an extensive network of private sector stakeholders. The 7th UNWTO Silk Road Task Force meeting will be held in Valencia, Spain on 30-31 March 2017. 09.03.2017 LISTEN Let's call him Kofi. He trod the path of suicide because his mother could not accept his failure in the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE). This was in 1998, he narrated his story on Joy FM's Super Morning Show Thursday which extensively discussed the subject of suicide. A number of university students have recently reportedly committed suicide in school. Kofi's mother badmouthed him to her friends so much, the constant refrain at home was that her son was a failure who would have to pull off a miracle to succeed. He tried to move on and revealed his intention to join the military. His father supported, his mother discounted the idea, leaving him increasingly frustrated with life. She told him, she regretted giving birth to him - words that had to his soul, the same value of a bullet. For the teenager, failure was bad enough, mentioning it was depressing it, demonizing him for failing was a trigger for suicide. 'Enough of the embarrassment', he said and clinched a mental deal to end his life. He bought some cheap pills in enough quantity to choke the life out of him - and it did - well nearly. His next moment was an exciting disappointment. He did not see angels. He saw a policeman, a reminder that he failed at the suicide, too, but this was a failure for which he is now grateful. His father who had accepted his grades as okay but he was shocked that his son could contemplate a self-inflicted death because he did not meet his mother's expectations in an exam. The policeman was there to warn him that unsuccessful suicide attempts make successful jail time if the state prosecutes. If he tried it next time and fails, the state will try him and jail him. Alive again, Kofi was eager to oblige to the policeman's warning to him to live. The scandal of a suicidal teenager changed things at home. And his father brought him to Accra to put the pieces of his life together. There was so much ahead of him, that failure ought not to haunt him even if his mother taunted him. He was encouraged. Putting his act together, Kofi now is gainfully employed but nothing fills him with joy than to hear the endorsing words of his father, 'son I am proud of you', he remembers his now late father's words. If his mother is proud, then it is the world's best-kept secret, he suggested because she has never said it. In truth, things have never been the same since the suicidal move many years ago. The relationship between mother and son is estranged. No 'thank yous' from her if he offers her money or other gifts and no intimate conversations typical of a mother and son. He is not sure if this will ever change but he acknowledges the reality that "I can't take another woman to be my mum". He remembers the more exam-successful students in his neighbourhood who were made poster boys. Well, the story has not been as predictable as the exam scores would like to make it look. Some of his mates are unemployed - for years. He has not declined to help those who are struggling, he said. But bottomline, parents play an important role in their children's inclination to commit suicide. They may not, of course, buy the rope or the pills but their unmitigated expectations and pressures, their posture and standards and utterances, help sell the thought - 'why not end my life?'. In the past 36 hours, media reports of two young people who have committed suicide have renewed public shock at what exactly is happening in the minds of the youth. A 16-year old girl committed suicide at New Tafo in the Eastern Region. Her lifeless body was found by her mother in their kitchen last Tuesday afternoon. Jennifer Nyarko, a Consumer Science student at the University of Ghana, allegedly jumped from the fourth floor of her Akuafo Hall. The final year female student was found lying in a pool of blood Wednesday morning. Last month, a first-year Chemical Engineering student of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) also hanged herself . According to sources, Adwoa Agyarka Anyimadu-Antwi, 18, took her life at the early hours of Friday in her room with a rope. A clinical psychologist, Dr. Ama Edwin points to the words Kofi's mother used to describe him as seeds of suicide that germinated over time. 'Death and life are in the power of the tongue and those who love it will eat its fruits' she said. In her experience with suicides, women used softer methods like pills or slitting. Men often jump. She said there are books that teach methods of suicide and depressed youth could find this lethal information to sort themselves out permanently from temporary problems. She warned relatives not to brush off concerns raised by a relative who appears unusually quiet or depressed. 'Give them the opportunity to open up... the more they externalise it, the less likely they are to commit suicide' she advised. Story by Ghana|myjoyonline.com|[email protected] A hypothetical narrative for your consideration: A man climbs through the window of a sleeping girl. She stirs awake and starts to scream, but he punches her with a closed fist. Brandishing a gun, he vows to kill her parents, asleep in the next room, if she makes another sound. She nods in tearful comprehension and he is upon her, tearing at her night clothes. Then he violently makes love to her. It could be argued that theres nothing wrong with the foregoing description. After all, the basic mechanics of love making and rape are the same: sexual intercourse. But if you understand why that argument would be specious and offensive, please explain it to Ben Carson. The new secretary of Housing and Urban Development just described slaves as immigrants. This happened Monday in a speech before HUD staff. Carson waxed eloquent about America as a nation built by people from other places, then said, There were other immigrants who came here in the bottom of slave ships, worked even longer, even harder for less. But they, too, had a dream that one day their sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, great-grandsons, great-granddaughters, might pursue prosperity and happiness in this land. But the slaves were no more immigrants than rape is making love. Nor is it difficult to tell the difference. Immigrants booked passage and came to these shores in steerage, enduring heat, stench and cramped conditions in hopes of better lives in America. Slaves were kidnapped and came to these shores shackled, lying cheek to cheek in their own body waste. Immigrants disembarked at Ellis Island where they endured questioning and health inspections before being allowed to enter the country. Slaves disembarked at places like Annapolis, Charleston and Savannah, where they were snatched away from one another, had their bodies probed by foreign fingers, then were sold at auction, sometimes on credit. Immigrants stood staring up at the towers of New York City and were daunted and inspired by the universe of possibilities they represented. Slaves stood staring down at fields of cotton or tobacco, at an overseers whip, at a thin mattress of corn shucks in a tiny cabin where winters icy breath came slicing through the cracks, and tried to understand that this was life now, and that death would be their only freedom. Immigrants relocated. Slaves were relocated. They had no more say in the matter than a chair moved from one side of a room to the other. After being excoriated for his apparent ignorance of this, Carson issued a statement on Facebook that said that the immigrant and slave experiences were different and should never be intertwined. Which doesnt explain why he did exactly that. Its hard not to see this as part of an ongoing campaign by the political right to arrogate or neuter entirely the language of politics and social grievance. Consider how, in the last 25 years, liberal and feminist became curse words and racism was redefined as speaking about race. Now its becoming sadly common to hear enslaved Africans described as workers, settlers and, yes, immigrants. Words, you must understand, have weight and effect. So this campaign is neither incidental nor accidental. No, like Holocaust denial, it is an attempt to minimize and trivialize a crucible of agony, to rob it of pathos, to render it unworthy of reverence. Its heartbreaking to have to explain to anyone why this is wrong. Its pathetic to have to explain it to a 65-year-old African-American man. Sefwi Ntrentrenso 9th March, 2017: Vivo Energy Ghana (the official Shell licensee and recipient of the Excellence in CSR award at the 2016 Ghana Oil and Gas Awards), in partnership with Chirano Gold Mines, has commissioned a mechanised borehole for the Sefwi Ntrentrenso community within its operational area in the Western Region. The borehole will provide potable water for the day-to-day activities of community members within the catchment area. Speaking at the event, the Managing Director of Vivo Energy Ghana, Mr. Ebenezer Faulkner said Vivo Energy Ghana has the vision of becoming Africas most respected energy business. In order to make this a reality, the company has gone beyond simply running a business to serving its communities not just through providing high quality Shell products and services, but also through the critical areas of road safety, education and the environment. By bringing this borehole to the Sefwi Ntrentrenso community, we are optimistic that the members of this community will enjoy a free-flowing supply of safe, refreshing water and we are honoured to have the privilege of helping to improve the lives of the people of Ntrentrenso says Mr. Faulkner. The Vice President and General Manager of Chirano Gold Mines, Mr. Kenneth Norris reiterated Vivo Energys long standing support to Chiranos mining communities which included the distribution of solar lamps and energy efficient cook stoves to school children and women within its catchment area. He also expressed his appreciation to Vivo Energy Ghana for the collaboration with Chirano Gold Mines on the construction of the borehole. The Municipal Coordinating Director of Sefwi Wiawso Municipal Assembly, Mr. Joshua Addae commended Vivo Energy Ghana and Chirano Gold Mines for their continued support to the communities and urged other contractors of the mines to emulate the example. The Chief of Sefwi Ntrentrenso, Nana Agyei Duku Ababio II lauded Vivo Energy and Chirano Gold Mines for the gesture and encouraged all members of the community to make good use of the borehole and ensure it is well maintained to serve not only them, but also generations to come. Love of freedom from foreign control has always been in our blood. 870 years ago we struck against the attempt of the Arabs to impose a religious slavery on us in Ghana. We left our homes in Ghana and came down here to build a new home. But there is one thing we brought with us from our ancient Ghana. We brought with us our ancient freedom. Today, the safety of that freedom is threatenedwe must fight with the weapons of today, constitutional, determined, persistent, unflinching, unceasing, until the goal of freedom is attained. J.B. Danquah: 4th August, 1947. Speech at the launch of the UGCC, the first political party in the Gold Coast (Ghana) K. GYASI IS A HOUSEHOLD NAME that does not need any introduction, except to say that our paths met at the University of Ghana, and I had the privilege of drawing on his inspiration and his authorship to write my Long Essay on 'Vandalism' in Commonwealth Hall. Our paths met again when as the Headmaster of Ahmadiyya Senior High School, Kumasi, and a tutor of English, we would huddle together at the Examiners' Conferences to discuss the 'Marking Schemes' for English. Did I add that our paths met again as contributors to the newspapers: Daily Graphic, The Mirror, The Chronicle and Daily Guide? Sometimes he would call me for convivialities; at other times, it could be on serious issuesso that, admittedly, I get haunted when he calls; he has a calm way of chastising me, especially when I go wrong grammatically. He would chastise me for writing 'tempering' instead of 'tampering' with a vehicle's chassis number. He would call 'Peace FM' and advise them to say: 'lying in state' NOT 'laying in state', despite someone else's query over whether the dead body 'lies' there himself or is 'laid' by someone else. That person thinks: The dead body cannot lie downsomeone has to lay them somewhere. From where cometh the 'lie-in state'. I am still researching. (You know; an idiom is an idiom. We say 'More grease to your elbow'. We cannot alter it to read 'More grease to your elbows' because a person has two elbows. I.K. has retired from active service, but he is not retarded. Thus when immediately after the Presidential speech at the Independence Square Mr. Gyasi called me, I was thinking aloud: had I.K. detected any wrong line, be it anomia or paraphasias (phonemic or verbal) or agrammatism. Had the President plagiarized? Rather, he asked me the adjectives I would find fit to describe the Presidential speech. Antithetically, I asked him for his and he offered: noble, comprehensive, conciliatory, articulate. In my trepidation, I offered only one word, 'great' just because I remembered the great orators like Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. He doubted whether anybody could fault the speech for any reason, but quickly added: Well, as for the Opposition, they are always a check on the government, even if their action is seen as mischief. The winsome orator, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, delivered a speech which was at once punchy and crisp, fluent and flowery, succinct and learned; it was speechful. It was history and political science correctly re told. He retraced our journey from ancient Ghana Empire about a thousand years ago and the various processes of colonization. He talked of the Bond of 1844 and stated: If the signing of the Bond of 1844 marks the formal start of the Gold Coast colony, then the formation of the Aborigines Rights Protection Society on 4th August, 1897 in Cape Coast marks the start of the struggle for political independence. The President did not fail to mention the notable personalities around the time, including John Mensah Sarbah, Joseph Casely Hayford, J.W. Sey and J.P. Brown. The President recalled the launch of the UGCC in Saltpond on 4th August, 1947, with the contribution of George Pa Grant, J.B. Danquah, R.S. Blay, Cobinna Kessie, J.W. de Graft Johnson, Francis Awoonor Williams. He recalled Danquah captured the mood of the time and set our country on the path to independence 4th August is truly a sacred and seminal day in the annals of the Ghanaian people the UGCC leaders decided they needed a full time person to run the party's affairs; they set for the dynamic Kwame Nkrumah and he came to join them in December, 1947 in 1949, on June 12th, Kwame Nkrumah broke away from UGCC and formed his own party, CPP. Even as he broke away, Kwame Nkrumah remembered from whence he came and retained the word 'convention' in the new name of his new party the CPP. The President recalled the chivalrous role of the ex servicemen, particularly, Sergeant Adjetey Corporal Attipoe and Private Odartey Lamptey, among the 29 who died and the 300 who were injured in the Christiansborg Crossroads Massacre. Names which had long escaped some historians and political scientists were mentioned and these included: veteran Yaa Asantewaa, heroic Otumfuo Prempeh I, education minded Nana Ofori Atta I, composer Ephraim Amu, Kwagyir Aggrey, Philip Gbeho, composer of the National Anthem, Theodosia Okoh, the designer of our National Flag, Kofi Antubam, the artist who put Ghanaian art on the world map, Saka Acquaye the poet writer who wrote the first African folklore 'The Lost Fishermen', J.A. Braimah, the Gonja scholar who wrote insightful publications about the Gonja people, Apaloo, the poet, E.T. Mensah, King Bruce, Jerry Hansen, three musicologists with J.H. Nketia, the authority on African music He did not fail to mention Professor Adum Kwapong, the first Ghanaian Vice Chancellor, Oko Ampofo, the sculptor and physician who promoted herbal medicine, Dede Ashikishan and Akua Shorshorshor who contributed money to keep CPP afloat. The 93 year old Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwean President described the speech as 'deep', and that Nana Akufo Addo's speech was set to re-ignite Africa and Pan-Africanism. Yao Graham, the Executive Director of the Third World Network describes the speech as 'revisionist' especially, the part that discusses the independence struggle. Elements in the CPP find little consolation in the President's quoting Kwame Nkrumah's famous speeches: The independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked with the total liberation of the African continent. So, no consolation from: We are grateful for his (Nkrumah's) leadership, and that of his principal colleagues, Komla Agbeli Gbedemah, the organisational genius of the Convention Peoples Party, Kojo Botsio, as theoretician and strategist and the others who occupy pride of place in the history of the nationalist movement. No consolation in the use of the word 'dynamic' to describe Nkrumah. The UPists (the 'dommo' people) will be comforted to hear: We are equally grateful for those in the Opposition at independence, who, at great personal cost and in defiance of the infamous Preventive Detention Act of 1958, were determined to hold aloft the banner of freedom and who insisted that the multiparty democratic state was the best form of governance for our nation. Joseph Boakye Danquah, Emmanuel Obetsebi Lamptey, William Ofori Atta, Simon Diedong Dombo, Kofi Abrefa Busia, Baffour Osei Akoto, Victor Owusu, R.R. Amponsah, Joe Appiah, S.G. Antor, Modesto Apaloo, Ashie Nikoi, Attoh Okine and others. Our generation of Ghanaians have vindicated their stance. True or False? 60 years of nationhood is no mean achievement. The road has been rough and bumpy. We are proud that Nana Addo has three surviving Presidents: Flt Lt J.J. Rawlings, J.A. Kufuor, John Dramani Mahama. People like Kweku Baako, Bonfrey (Kabila) and Freddie Blay have made such colossal contributions to the success of the NPP that any criticism of the CPP as a party can only be seen as a sign of ingratitude. But let us all say things that will bring all of us together: Ghana has had 'founders' NOT 'a founder'. Africanus Owusu-Ansah [email protected] Over 9,000 schoolchildren suffer from hearing disability, statistics from the National Assessment Resource Centre For Children with Special Needs & Disabilities attached to the Ghana Education Service (GES) has revealed. According to Hajia Ramatu Alhassan, assessment officer at the centre, the number could be greater, as the statistics covered only those in schools that have been screened and registered at the centre for assistance. In statistics, we have over 9,000 children because in my centre we register and per our registration book, we have passed 9,000 children with hearing impairment, so you can imagine Korle-Bu when they also bring their records together, she said. Hajia Alhassan disclosed this during a free ear screening exercise for schoolchildren at the Kotobabi 3 Cluster of Schools as part of activities to commemorate the World Hearing Day themed: 'Action For Hearing Loss: Make A Sound Investment' on March 3. The children were taken through the basic steps of screening for hearing disability which mostly go unnoticed. When we screen, we will be able to sort out and then identify the children who really need intervention so that we provide early intervention, she added. She further mentioned that the screening was in line with government's inclusive education policy, where children with some level of special needs are allowed to join the main stream schools with some interventions like providing hearing aid for those with hearing problem. Hajia Alhassan, however, called for increased government support in terms of human resources and hearing aid for children. She advised the public to avoid putting cotton buds, broomsticks, feathers, pins and other materials in the ear. When I go to screen, sometimes we see stones in the ears so they should protect their children, any child who complains of hearing problem should be referred to the hospital, she added. By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri Dr Akwasi Osei, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Mental Health Authority (GHA), has expressed worry over the poor attention given to mental healthcare in the country and called for stakeholders' intervention. Dr Osei said most mental health facilities are in poor state, making the delivery of services very difficult for both patients and health practitioners. He was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra on the sidelines of the inauguration of the 'Acute Ward 3' of the Pantang Hospital, which had been rehabilitated through the efforts of Dr Michael Brennan, a Scottish-Irish philanthropist. He stated, We have infrastructure challenges in terms of deficit; the few we have are also challenged in terms of rehabilitation. We do not have money to be running the services and to be doing the rehabilitation ourselves. Dr Osei who scored the mental health situation in Ghana 'two out of 10' added that all the provisions for quality mental healthcare are virtually non-existent in the country even though he admitted there have been few major improvements over the years. He said, When we talk of quality mental healthcare, we are talking about the adequate human resources, the state-of-the-art facilities, the equitability in the spread of services all over the country so that anybody can easily access mental healthcare. We are talking about financial resources, thus, money to run the services; adequate medications throughout the year, the reduction of stigma that goes with mental health, and the reduction of human right abuses, he added. The mental health boss indicated that services being provided by the psychiatric hospitals currently were skewed in terms of distribution, saying, They are not spread nationwide and, therefore, called for the establishment of additional mental health facilities, especially in the northern belt to deal with cases from that zone. All the three mental health hospitals in the country Accra, Pantang, and Ankaful Psychiatric Hospitals are located in the southern belt. Dr Osei underscored that mental healthcare in Ghana needs immediate intervention of the government and benevolent individuals and organisations to help fix the challenges. The mental health boss said the ultimate solution to the mental health problems in the country was the passage of a Legislative Instrument on Mental Health, as it has provisions for raising funds to support the facilities. Dr Osei stated that the government was to procure medications every two years, adding, Unfortunately the last time government provided for the mental health facilities was in 2011, meaning we were left on our own to fend for ourselves so we are in serious deficit. He said when they run into deficits, it only takes some benevolent individuals, philanthropist, and non-governmental organisations to come in and bail us out, or we write for the patients to get the expensive drugs themselves. Reports reaching DAILY GUIDE indicate that the Yendi Hospital in the Northern Region risks closure over shortage of water at the facility. Investigations conducted revealed that the hospital buys water five times daily from tanker drivers. The hospital pays GH750 daily for water supply because a tanker of water is sold at GH50 to the facility. A staff who spoke to DAILY GUIDE on condition of anonymity said the situation is a very big challenge to the hospital because they spend a lot on buying water. A visit to the Yendi Hospital by the paper revealed that family members of patients on admission at the facility carry water from their various homes to the hospital for their patients. In recent times, the Yendi Municipality has been hit with water shortage in the area, thereby, affecting business activities of residents. The only source of water in the area which is the Dakar dam is slowly drying up day in day out, hence creating panic among residents. The Yendi Hospital Public Relations Officer (PRO), Alhassan Wemah, told DAILY GUIDE that the hospital is a referral point for 12 districts in the Eastern Corridor and so the water situation is worrying. According to him, the facility uses water more than any other thing simply because the entire department at the hospital demands water. Mr Wemah disclosed that some relatives of patients who do not come from Yendi normally use water at the facility to bathe and wash the clothing of their relatives on admission. He said even though Tamale Teaching Hospital is a referral point, Yendi Hospital receives more referral cases because of the number of district surrounding it. The PRO appealed to the authorities in charge of the water situation to, as a matter of urgency, speed up the process to find a lasting solution to the problem in Yendi. FROM Eric Kombat, Yendi An Accra High Court (General Jurisdiction Division) has set March 16 to deliver its ruling in the case in which Odeopeor Martey Kodjoe Awah IV, Paramount Chief of the Shai Traditional Area, has sued the Shai Traditional Council for contempt of court. The court, presided over by Justice Afua Norvisi Aryine, fixed the date yesterday after lawyer for three of the respondents had prayed the court to dismiss the application with cost. According to Ankmah Mensah, the application seeks to commit the respondents for contempt on account of their membership of the Council. He stated that per the applicant's own recollection and deposition, the act was to be carried out by the Council and not the respondents. Mr. Mensah argued that it was wrong for Odeopeor Awah IV to cite the respondents merely because they were members of the council and not because they had willfully disobeyed a court order. The lawyer indicated the Shai Paramount Chief ought to have served the respondents in their personal capacities. A-G Boadu, lawyer for the chief, wants the court to commit Nene Nornor Sordji V, Acting President of the Council, to prison for disobeying an order of the court instructing him to place the applicants' name on the Register of the National House of Chiefs. He stressed that the President of the Council, in doing so, demoted his client, who is the Paramount chief of the area, to the level of a Divisional chief. The chief, known in private life as Solomon Akwetey, Nene Sordji V, also sued Nene Agyeman Kukubour V, member of the Standing Committee of the Council; Nene Aku Djagbletey V; Nene Paddy Narh Wayo I; Mankralo Okopor Tesa IV, [members] and Jessey Okpoti, Registrar. Mr. Boadu, as a result, wants the court to commit the respondents for contempt and sentence them to long prison terms and to process the application to the National House of Chiefs. Odeopeor's Case Odeopeor Awah IV said after his installation, he made an application to the Shai Traditional Council for his name to be placed on the register of chiefs. He stated that he obtained a Mandamus order from the High Court compelling the council to process his application within 10 days. The Shai Paramount Chief said although the respondents had been served with the order from the court, they flatly refused to respect the court's order. The applicant disclosed that the action of the applicants was calculated to undermine the authority of the court. Opposition Nii Akwei, in the affidavit in opposition, admitted that his clients had been served with the committal for contempt, adding that we have filed and sent to the Regional House of Chiefs Chieftaincy declaration forms concerning the applicant. He stated that the contempt application was misconceived and that Odeopeor Awah IV should have conducted a search instead of taking this cavalier step. [email protected] By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson The Ashanti and Brong Ahafo (ASHBA) Zone of the Ghana Nurse - Midwife Trainee's Association (GNMTA) has boycotted the electoral proceedings of its National Delegates Congress held over the weekend at Tamale. The decision follows the gross disregard of the laid down procedures by the National Executive Council (NEC) and the violation of some clauses of the constitution by the vetting Committee. The President of ASHBA Samuel Adoma said, Article 27 of the GNMTA Constitution which does not permit members who have completed their training to contest for specific positions has been infringe upon. The President who has been speaking with Maxwell Attah of Cape FM on the issue said, NEC has failed to address their concerns but rather slapped the face of the constitution and allowed some illegalities to hold the helm of the peaceful congress, which stinks in the nostrils of public policy. "The Vetting Committee chairman Emmanuel Geyevo explained to us that, some of the aspirants were not qualified to contest the election meanwhile the outgoing President (Godwin Akaze) autocratically took the microphone from the Vetting Committee chairman and in his own power organised the election with an unqualified candidates.That is why we took ourselves out of the election" He explained ASHBA Zone is therefore calling on College of Health Training Institutions (COHETI), Health Training Institutions Secretariate,Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) and all related stakeholders as a matter of urgency to intervene in the impasse. "we're an association affiliated to certain higher offices of which we want them to come and intervene but if the intervention is not up to our expections then we've to consider legal action". He stated. But the President elect, Batiah Semi-Ulah Santi, has denied the allegations leveled against his candidature. Batiah Santi, a former student of Lawra Health Assistance Training School went unopposed after Ebenezer Esuman of Sunyani Nursing Training College and Ali Sumaila of Seikwa Nursing Training College who were contesting for President and veep respectively and several others withdrew from the race due to the illegalities surrounding the election. Mr. Batiah who doubles as Northern Zonal President had the approval of the 85 Delegates out of the 148 Delegates. The Financial Secretary Rafiatu Adda, General Secretary Deladem Woyi and International Relations Officer (IRO) Mohammed Saeed Awal were elected unopposed. Others elected unopposed were Registration and Education Secretary Osman Christopher, Press and Information Secretary Isaac Achin and Co-ordination Secretary Henodzi Bismark. Gli Foster Kwaku won the vice Presidential race with 61 votes to beat his contender Hakeem Enyan, who had 29 votes in the election. The incumbent Women Commissioner Mercy Yaa Boatemaa who was seeking re-election lost to Anastasia Atimbila, a student of Zuarungu Nursing Training college. Miss.Boatemaa failed her bid after she secured 37 votes while the Novice Atimbila pooled 55 votes. A deep-throat Source at the association has revealed that there might be prevalent faction in the current administration. The despondent members from Health Assistance Training School's has threatened a breakaway from GNMTA should their candidate is disqualified. The source further added that Batiah Santi is likely to face stiff opposition from ASHBA and other Zones in his administration. The 26th Annual National Delegates Congress held at Tamale GNAT Hall over the weekend dubbed "Empowering GNMTA for a stronger GRNMA" had a total of 149 delegates including Ex-officio and National Executive Board members. The leader of the Volta region separatist group, Homeland study group foundation Charles Kormi Kudjordji has accused the Volta regional Minister Dr. Archibald Letsa of plotting to kill him. 78-year-old Kudjordji and two others were on Wednesday arrested and charged with treason by the Volta Regional Police command for campaigning for the secession of the Volta region as an independent State. The Homeland Study group Foundation has in the last one year been campaigning for the separation of the Volta region and parts of Northern and Upper East region to form the Western Togoland state, which they claim existed before independence in 1957. However, speaking in an interview on Ultimate FM in Kumasi Thursday, Mr. Kudjordji said the regional minister during his vetting by the Appointments Committee of Parliament suggested that he should be charged with treason for calling for a secession of the Volta region to Western Togoland State. He also alleged that his arrest was based on the orders of the ministers pronouncement. We dont invite politicians to our meetings. Ghanaians must not suspect that its the National Democratic Congress (NDC) which is pushing us, no, no politician has been giving us money, we dont have a pesewa. That man (Archibald) is not a matured politician at all. If he were to be matured, he wouldnt have been losing elections persistently. The New Patriotic Party (NPP) made a mistake by appointing him [Letsa] the regional ministerhe will not be a profitable minister. If he could organise people to kill me in my house, he could do so, if he doesnt wish me death, would he say they should charge me for treason and be killed. In Ewe land if you tell somebody that I will show you, its an offence and its not good, that is what it means, he said kill him, that is what he said during the vetting, and that is what the police are doing, the police are acting on his advice, Mr. Kudjordji said. Accra, GHANAOn March 7, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Sustainable Fisheries Management Project (SFMP), in collaboration with the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development and Ghanas Fisheries Commission, hosted an awards ceremony at Nungua beach to honor fishing communities and associations for their exemplary work to protect Ghanas marine ecosystems and fish stocks. The Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Honorable Elizabeth Afoley Quaye, and USAID/Ghana Private Sector Team Lead Richard Chen attended and delivered remarks. A total of18 fishing communities, associations and individuals residing along Ghanas coastline were rewarded and honored for adopting responsible fishing practices. The awards ceremony aims to recognize women and men who support sustainable post-harvest practices and the preservation of Ghanas marine ecosystems. SMFP, under Feed the Future, the U.S. governments global hunger and food security initiative, works to rebuild fish stocks in Ghana and to curb overfishing. USAID is committed to working with the Government of Ghana to encourage the adoption of responsible fishing practices to prevent the depletion of Ghanas fish stocks, remarked Mr. Chen. The purpose of this awards program is to spotlight outstanding leadership and dedication among individuals, communities and associations in the fishing sector, demonstrating good fishing management and practice. The awards ceremony, which is being held for the first time this year, will be held annually and will celebrate heroes of change in Ghanas fisheries sector. The awards target institutions, associations, individuals and communities. Over 60 applications were received from Ghanas four coastal regions. This event was organized by Feed the Future. In Ghana, Feed the Future works to increase the competitiveness of the fisheries, maize, rice and soy value chains to generate economic growth and market opportunities for vulnerable populations. The Ghana Revenue Authority says it is prepared to raise the needed revenue to finance governments projects many of which have been described by political opponents as ambitious. New GRA boss, Emmanuel Kofi Nti, said the Authority will adopt a mix of different strategies that will help them to increase their revenue base as well as to halt revenue leakages in the system. He told Joy News Raymond Acquah Thursday the strategies will include an improved customer relations profile that will enable tax collectors to go to taxpayers rather than allowing them to come to their office. We want to be able to walk to the taxpayer and reduce the number of hours he has to spend interacting with us, he said. The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has itemised seven projects it intends to commence in 2017. Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta who disclosed this when he presented governments first budget to Parliament last week said they will raise the needed funds to finance them. The programmes include; (a) Establishment of the Infrastructure for poverty eradication each constituency to receive the cedi equivalent of million dollars to combat poverty; (b) Implementation of the one district one factory initiating industrialisation as promised during the 2016 election campaigns; (c) Establishment of the Zongo Development Fund to support the development of Zongo communities; (d) Roll out of the National Identification System to help formalise the economy; (e) Roll out the free senior high school to ensure equal opportunities for students; (f) Roll out the national digital addressing system; (g) Restoration of the teachers and nursing trainee allowance; He also announced the abolishment of eight (8) taxes including duties paid on the importation of spare parts. Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu Spokespersons of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) have expressed skepticism about the programmes, saying they are mere charade to deceive Ghanaians. NDC Members of Parliament (MP) led by Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu said the government will not get the needed funds given the abolishment of some of the taxes. But the Revenue Authority said it will be able to raise the requisite funds for governments programmes. Mr Kofi Nti said he will bolster the performance of staff by rewarding those who increase their client base. Asked how the Authority will handle workers who aid companies to evade tax, he said they are drafting a policy that will weed them out of the system. We are adopting a policy such that such people are weeded out of the system and we scheming out strategies to make sure we get such people on camera, he said. He also said they will increase the award given informants such that anyone who provides information about such arrangement will get 25 percent of the money involved. Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Austin Brako-Powers | [email protected] The $900 million-plus gap in Nebraskas budget is creating some serious problems for our legislators in the unicameral this year. Budget crunches are not unusual, even in a state that generally makes better fiscal decisions than most. And while Nebraskans may have to fix it, much of the blame should be directed toward Washington and structural flaws in our government, rather than toward our legislators. The situation has deep roots, and while it is unlikely to improve in the near future, it requires attention. As the federal government shifts the financial responsibility of its own policymaking to the state level, Nebraska is left with less flexibility to meet the needs of its own residents and local governments. In a paper released by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, I call this phenomenon the Fiscal Squeeze, because its leaving us without the ability to truly set our own states priorities. Historically Nebraska has been in a relatively good fiscal position compared to states like Illinois and New Jersey, with their crushing levels of debt and unfunded pension liabilities. We have opportunities for growth and relatively healthy state finances. But when coupled with our own priorities, the Fiscal Squeeze has simply left us with too many new and expanding policy commitments. The state gasoline taxs scheduled rise, passed in 2015 to increase revenue, will only cover some of these costs (not to mention road maintenance). On top of this, Nebraskas demographics have changed. In 2015, persons over 65 years of age comprised 14.7 percent of the population, up from 13.5 percent in 2010. With this comes an increase in medical expenses due to expanding commitments to citizens over the past decades. This portion of the budget is growing rapidly, even as Nebraska refused Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. Medicaid alone accounts for 16.7 percent of the states budget and is growing by nearly 2 percent a year. The growth of school spending in Nebraska helps illustrate the dynamic. Originally, schools were a locally funded priority. In the 1960s, budget surpluses and momentum from federal Great Society programs led to a shift from local funding to state funding. This was motivated by a desire to increase funding per student, and that part was successful. But the change in school funding led to a disconnect. While the state is now footing the bill, local communities continue to decide school policy. When decision-making and financial responsibilities are separated, programs have a tendency to expand beyond whats financially sustainable. To fix this disconnect, education decision-makers and the lawmakers holding the purse need to participate in one process. Parental choice, while not purely a budget issue, is a surprisingly effective way to align their incentives. Programs like Omahas Tax Credit Scholarship, or changes to the law that accommodate charter schools, increase the efficiency of school finance while helping parents express their own priorities for their children. What can be done about the Fiscal Squeeze? For starters, Nebraskans need to be assertive about prioritizing the programs that are most important. Making too many promises sometimes under federal pressure means some tough budget choices are inevitable. Rather than continuing with this first-come, first-served race to see who gets the resources before they run out, lets make deliberate choices about how we want to spend our tax dollars. Focusing on the things we need the most for example, schools and health care before those very things wind up on the chopping block. The Islamic Council for Development and Humanitarian Services of Ghana [ICODEHS} has intensified the construction of wells, boreholes and modern mosques in support of the less privileged people in Ghana. The projects were financed by the red crescent of United Arab Emirates and donors in Saudi Arabia. The wells, equipped with hand pumps were built in Sawaba, Asokore, Pawaaso and Akaakrom and Kenyase near Kumasi in Ashanti Region and Kantanka Aflao in the Volta Region. The Mosques were constructed in Yandi in the Northern Region, Bongo and Apataa in the Upper East Region and Sukura in the Greater Accra Region. The supervisor of the projects Mohammed Tahiru said ICODEHS which has built and commissioned many such projects to alleviate the suffering of the people would continue to do so in all parts of Ghana and beyond. Sheikh Mustapha Ibrahim Chairman of ICODEHS revealed that many communities have been identified to benefit from mosques, wells, schools and orphanages. He commended the donors of the projects the Red Crescent of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia and praised the beneficiary communities of the projects for their support and cooperation. Tunis (AFP) - Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who has rarely appeared in public since a crippling stroke in 2013, is doing "very well", the country's prime minister said on Thursday. Speculation has mounted about the veteran president's health since he suffered a bout of bronchitis in February, forcing German Chancellor Angela Merkel to cancel a scheduled visit to Algiers at the last minute. But asked about it during a visit to Tunis, Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal said: "He sends you his greetings and is doing very well." Bouteflika, who turned 80 on March 2, has been in power since 1999. He was elected to a fourth term in 2014 but attended his inauguration in a wheelchair and was barely able to mumble through a few paragraphs of his speech and his oath of office. Since then, he has rarely appeared in public, receiving foreign heads of state or government in private at his official residence in Zeralda, west of the capital. On his visit to Tunis, Sellal met President Beji Caid Essebsi and Prime Minister Youssef Chahed and signed several agreements, including on security cooperation. Chahed welcomed the deal, saying the countries "face common threats" including terrorism. "Algeria has extensive experience in the security field and the fight against terrorist groups," he said. He and Sellal also discussed the situation in their common neighbour Libya, which has been wracked by chaos since the ouster and killing of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. Libya has become a transit country for jihadist groups, arms traffickers and clandestine migrants heading for Europe. Sellal said Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria were coordinating their efforts on Libya and had extended their cooperation to include Libya's other neighbours -- Sudan, Chad and Niger. "There are relations between terrorist groups from the Sahel, which has negative consequences for the Libyan problem," he added. He said the only solution to the Libyan conflict was a political deal agreed between Libyans themselves. Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria are working to reboot diplomatic efforts to solve the conflict. They have emphasised their rejection of "any military solution or foreign interference" in Libya. LAGOS, Nigeria, 9 March 2017,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), a leading pan-African multilateral development finance institution and project developer, has announced it is to invest US$25 million in Egyptian petrochemicals company Carbon Holdings Ltd. Carbon Holdings primarily operates in the Suez Special Economic Zone. As well as exporting raw materials and end products, the company aims to develop an integrated large scale petrochemicals platform in Egypt to take advantage of the country's strategic geographic location along the Suez Canal. Subsidiary companies of Carbon Holdings include Oriental Petrochemicals Company, Egypt Hydrocarbon Corporation and Tahrir Petrochemicals Corporation. In addition to AFC, the International Finance Corporation and Gulf Capital are providing capital to support the expansion of Carbon Holdings' operations. The Company's investment strategy will support the establishment of a robust raw materials base and ultimately the development of Egypt's manufacturing sector, delivering long term jobs to Egypt and helping to boost Africa's overall economic growth. Commenting on the investment, Andrew Alli, CEO of AFC, said: "AFC prioritises investing in projects and businesses that can make a tangible impact on the people, their communities and the economy, and we believe that key to the next chapter in Africa's growth story is investing in companies such as Carbon Holdings which deliver industrial products across a broad reaching value chain. "The government of Egypt is pursuing policies to diversify the economy and is supporting the private sector to develop new industries, including manufacturing, to create high value-add jobs for Egyptians. AFC is proud to be able to support Carbon Holdings to expand its operations and drive local employment." Basil El-Baz, Chairman and CEO, Carbon Holdings said: "Carbon Holdings is at a very exciting stage in the development of its Egyptian petrochemicals business and relationships with our investors have been integral to our growth. I am delighted that through this investment we can now welcome AFC into this prestigious investor group. The addition of such a pre-eminent African institution is extremely important to Carbon Holdings and will further emphasise our strategic commitment to the industrial development of not only Egypt, but to our future industrial plans in Africa." AFC was formed to provide specific project structuring expertise and risk capital for large-scale infrastructure projects that are needed across Africa to develop economies. In November 2016, AFC launched AfIDA, a think tank and network to promote and advance the development of more bankable infrastructure projects across Africa. AfIDA will work to develop market norms, conduct independent research and act as a policy advocacy forum for the industry. The deal was arranged by Investbridge Capital, a Dubai-based privately-owned DFSA regulated independent provider of alternative asset management and corporate advisory services. Abidjan, Cote dIvoire, March 9, 2017 The Independent Development Evaluation (IDEV) of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has published a report which evaluates the impact of US $739 million of AfDB support for development in Burundi. Evaluators manoeuvred within a difficult context marked by five years of political and economic turmoil. The Burundi Country Strategy and Program Evaluation by IDEV seeks to ascertain the effectiveness of the African Development Banks strategy and program in the country during the 20042015 period. Burundi was one of the 14 countries selected for assessment of the performance of AfDB interventions in IDEVs Comprehensive Evaluation of Development Results, the largest evaluation undertaken in the 50-year history of the AfDB. Special attention was paid to Burundis context of fragility and the impact of this on AfDB strategies. On economic performance, the IDEV report finds that the main contribution of AfDB operations to growth was through infrastructure projects. Additionally, there was positive evolution in mobility, transport costs and access to electricity. However, their impacts on economic growth and poverty reduction remained limited in a context marked by severe internal and external constraints. The low diversification of the economy limited the countrys export capacity and hindered domestic and cross-border trade. Internal constraints, especially those related to fiscal, legal, economic and political instability, posed serious threats. At the outcome, the signs of a sustainable increase in economic activity and incomes in the long term are barely visible. The evaluation presents a series of recommendations for the future AfDB engagement strategy in Burundi. Focus, according to IDEV, should be on the development of economic activities which promote integrated markets within the East African Community. An economic growth strategy should be accompanied by actions aiming at reducing vulnerability through inclusion and resilience to climate change. The AfDB should provide budget support, ensuring the economic and financial viability of investment policies implemented by the Government, and coordinate investment projects financed with internal and external resources. Finally, IDEV recommends that the AfDB revive dialogue with the Burundian government on governance and public finance management as well as private sector development issues, and advises the setting up of a monitoring and evaluation system. AfDB Management welcomes the recommendations by IDEV, affirming that the Bank will apply a fragility lens to the ongoing Country Strategy Paper and the new 201822 CSP, in order to better respond to fragility situations and fight against the socio-economic impact of the crisis. The Bank does not intervene directly on political issues, but can contribute to the peace building process and reconstruction through strategic dialogue, partnership and advocacy on issues of fragility, and through the deployment of resources from Pillar III of the Transition Support Facility and Trust Funds. Responding to IDEV findings, AfDB management vows to Continue the dialogue on maintaining macroeconomic and especially macro-fiscal stability, as well as on the sustainability of policies and the reform of public financial management and of strengthening economic governance. The evaluation context. The AfDB is one of Burundis key partners. According to OECD data, the AfDB occupied the fourth position among the top donors (excluding the IMF) in terms of volume of assistance given to Burundi during the period, behind the World Bank Group, the European Union and Belgium. It played a significant role in reviving cooperation and normalizing relations with international partners, particularly by mobilizing the Second Pillar of the Fragile States Facility, clearing the arrears owed to the Bank, and paving the way for debt relief by the HIPC (Heavily Indebted Poor Countries) Initiative in August 2005. Between 2005 and 2010, the country had undertaken social and economic reforms and succeeded in strengthening the framework for international assistance. Progress had also been made in public finance management, and there were attempts to define strategies for infrastructure, private sector development, education and health. After 2010, the pace of reforms slowed down, strategies were not fully implemented, and coordination weakened. Corruption significantly hindered development programs and projects in Burundi. The Worldwide Governance Indicators of 2012 ranked Burundi 51st out of 54 countries in Africa on its performance to curtail corruption. Rakesh Nangia, Evaluator General at the AfDB, said, The context of fragility in Burundi presented numerous challenges for an evaluation team. IDEV is committed to achieving reliable and comprehensive reports on development progress and is mandated to deploy any innovative process necessary to achieve their goals. The IDEV approach in Burundi The evaluation team was faced with three major challenges in collecting reliable data at country level. Firstly, the political crisis and ensuing violence impeded scheduled field visits, making it difficult to collect data and documents and meet program stakeholders. Secondly, the team progressively discovered grey areas in the implementation of programs, where data on development outcomes was either unavailable or where an under-current of self-interest biased the responses. Finally, the prevalence of fragility challenged the evaluators in predicting the sustainability of development outcomes, which will largely depend on the Governments capacity to maintain stability. The IDEV evaluation team responded to the challenges by finding alternative ways of obtaining the quantity and quality of data required to produce the report. A preliminary country visit by evaluators took place in April 2015 with the primary aim of gaining buy-in from the Burundi government stakeholders. During the mission, the team collected as much data as possible from files stored locally on computers in the offices of government departments. They also conducted face to face interviews with government ministers, local authorities, private sector organisations and development partners. IDEV evaluators deemed it necessary to return to Burundi, but the violent demonstrations in the capital ensuing from election campaigns prevented a second scheduled visit. They continued to pursue their information gathering remotely, organizing video-conferencing and telephone interviews with Burundi project leaders during a three-day intensive workshop in Abidjan in November 2015. Towards the end of the year, the evaluators had compiled sufficient data, complemented by the study of evaluations by partners and other institutions, in order to analyse the fifteen selected AfDB projects, with the exception of the agriculture and water infrastructure sectors. Burundian independent evaluation experts were recruited to visit two operations in these domains in December 2015. Triangulation of the findings of these multiple sources of information produced the project results assessment reports on which the evaluation, the conclusion and recommendations of the report are based. Sustainability calculations were however based on predictions, due to the weak resources and capacity of Burundian maintenance structures noted by the mission. President Akufo-Addo's key policy initiatives which includes the much touted one-district one-factory, one-village one-dam, free Senior High School (SHS) among others, will cost the country over GHc2 billion. The President prior to the December 2016 election, promised to establish a factory each in all District, Metropolitan, Municipal areas, and also provide the 275 constituencies with one million dollars each to boost development. He further promised in the New Patriotic Party's 2016 manifesto that he will set up a Zongo Development fund, and also provide villages in the northern part of the country with irrigation dams. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo also promised to restore the nursing and teacher trainee allowances scrapped by the Mahama government if he is elected into office. It has been revealed in the 2017 budget statement presented by the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, last week, that government is hoping to spend the sum of GHc400 million to fund the much talked-about free SHS policy. Under the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme in the budget, GHc 456,247,495 is expected to be used for the one-district one-factory policy, GHc94, 446,132 for one-village one-dam, and GHc219, 500,000 is to be injected into the Zongo Development Fund. Other initiatives which have been captured under the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme includes small business development, agric input, water for all projects, and sanitation projects, which will cost, GHc110,301,592, GHc70,191,922, GHc47,223,066 and GHc47,223,066 respectively. On the restoration of nursing and teacher trainee allowances, it is expected that a total of GHc252,143,727 will be used. Other initiatives which form part of governments key policy initiatives include: National entrepreneurship and innovation programme GHc43, 900,000 National Identification Scheme GHc100, 000,000 National Address System GHc11, 000,000 National Asset Protection Programme GHc8, 000,000 Venture Capital Trust Fund GHc219, 500,000 Parliament debates budget Meanwhile Ghanaian parliamentarians have begun debating the 2017 budget presented to the House by the Finance Minister. Parliament is supposed to approve the budget as a working document after the debate. Click here to download the full budget statement. By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana Follow @AlloteyGodwin President of JHR AUCC Chapter, Niibi Nii Martey Botchway Benjamin 09.03.2017 LISTEN Journalists for Human Rights, African University College of Communications (JHR AUCC) Chapter has backed calls for a full scale investigation into the alleged abuse of an employee of fast food joint, Marwako which occurred on 26th February 2017. Adding their voice to several calls for a full scale investigation into the matter, JHR AUCC Chapter has expressed shock and disappointment at the alleged assault describing it as disgusting. President of JHR AUCC Chapter, Niibi Nii Martey Botchway Benjamin has cautioned that due process be followed in dealing with the issue. "Even though we back calls for a thorough investigation, we also wish to state that the suspect should be given a fair hearing to the matter" he said. He added that if after investigations and there is sufficient evidence to suggest that there was a clear act of assault and violation of the right of the woman then, the suspect should be made to face the full rigours of the law. A supervisor at the restaurant Jihad Thaabn who happens to be the brother-in-law of the owner of Marwako Restaurant, is alleged to have dipped the face of the victim, Evelyn Boakye into blended pepper for working slowly. The incident has generated huge public interest with a section of Ghanaians calling for a boycott and possible closure of the facility. The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection has strongly indicated that justice will be served the 25-year-old Evelyn Boakye following the assault on her. Sorry, we can't find the content you're looking for at this URL. The Ghana Institute of Governance and Security (GIGS) has lauded the quest by Morocco, the North African economic giant, to join the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS), saying its offers a good investment opportunity. According to the GIGS, the admission of Morocco into the ECOWAS would help the spur economic growth in the sub-region as member countries would be effectively partner Morocco in undertaking massive development projects in the sub-region. This is a good opportunity for ECOWAS to advance promote regional integration and economic development, and south-south cooperation, said Mr. David Agbee, Executive Director of GIGS. During a media interaction in Accra on regional developments, Mr. Agbee described as a bold decision and commitment by Morocco to support the advancement of ECOWAS in the spirit of south-south cooperation. Morocco, a north African country, has officially requested to join ECOWAS as a full member. In a statement issued by the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation on the plan to join the 15-member West African bloc, the kingdom of Morocco said the request is in line with provisions of ECOWAS founding treaty and in full satisfaction of its membership criteria. According to Morocco, its move is intended "to crown the strong political, human, historical, religious and economic ties at all levels with ECOWAS member countries." The request follows the country King Mohammed VIs 23 visits to 11 countries in the region which were crowned by the signing of numerous agreements, which has given strong impetus to bilateral cooperation with the member countries of the regional bloc. Among the agreements, Morocco and Nigeria signed a bilateral cooperative agreement for a landmark gas pipeline project. In Ghana, the two countries signed 25 governmental and public-private partnership agreements in different sectors. Morocco was recently re-admitted into the African Union (AU) after decades of voluntary withdrawal from the continental body. Mr. Agbee believes that the involvement of Morocco in ECOWAS would bring dynamism in the sub-regional bloc adding that members countries need to be ready to explore the development and investment opportunities from Morocco. Asked about the geo-political effect of the admission of Morocco into ECOWAS, he said the rapid expansion of Moroccos diplomacy into the rest of the African continent and into ECOWAS, could culminate in a new North-West Africa geographical bloc that would promote regional integration. He urged the leadership of ECOWAS to endorse the admission of Morocco, saying the West African countries need to tap into the huge resources of Morocco for the benefit of their citizens. Abuja (AFP) - Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari will return home on Friday after nearly two months in Britain on medical leave, his office said in a statement. The 74-year-old has been in London since January 19, officially on vacation and to have what the presidency said was "routine medical check-ups". But aides have had to counter persistent rumours online that he was seriously ill or even dead, despite the publication of a series of photographs showing him meeting senior Nigerian politicians. Buhari had previously travelled to the British capital in June last year to receive treatment for what was described as a persistent inner ear infection. The nature of his latest treatment was not disclosed. His planned return was announced in a statement Thursday. Earlier in the day the presidency tweeted two photographs of the former military ruler with the most senior cleric of the world Anglican congregation, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. Buhari, dressed in a brown Muslim robe and skullcap, looked painfully thin as he was seen shaking hands with Welby, a former oil executive who worked in Nigeria before he was ordained. Welby's office at Lambeth Palace told AFP it was a private meeting that lasted about 30 minutes, without elaborating. It is understood Buhari will fly into Kaduna, 190 kilometres (120 miles) north of Abuja, as the capital's airport is closed for at least six weeks for runway repairs. 09.03.2017 LISTEN As some of you may be aware of now, my heritage is of British Ghanaian. Growing up in London to Ghanaian parents, I have always been fascinated by my roots. An individual that likes to travel back home at any given opportunity, I absolutely adore Ghana and everything it has to offer. A country that has an abundance of potential to give to the world, as we have entered 60 years of independence the following post will be focusing on What Ghana means to me and how I see the country developing in the next couple of years. Ghana is a relatively small country in comparison to their other neighbours, the country gained independence in 1957. The first African country in the Sub-Sahara to obtain independence from a colonial rule. Ghana was once known as the Gold Coast and independence was orchestrated by the former leader Dr Kwame Nkrumah who has been categorised as one of the most influential leaders in Africa. His poignant and passion led speech which he delivered on 6th March 1957 at the independence square to thousands of exhilarated Ghanaians; your country is free forever, we are prepared to pick it up and make it a nation that will be respected by every nation in the world. Nkrumah was extremely instrumental in implementing his ideologies of communism and socialism. The former leader was also assisted by the big six including William Ofori-Atta (my great uncle-founding member of the UGCC.) Fast forward 60 years later, now a developing economy with some of the best natural resources in the world. The reality is the country is still perceived as being young in terms of its development. However, the country is under a new government who are in the framework of implementing an influx of positive changes. Born and bred in the UK to Ghanaian parents, my parents originate from the Eastern region. My mother comes from the renowned Ofori-Atta family, she is the cousin of the current president Nana Akufo Addo. The head of the Ofori-Atta family who was Nana Sir Ofori-Atta was king of the Akyem region one of the largest and wealthiest kingdoms of what was formerly known as Gold coast. As an individual that has always had a keen interest in my cultural background and has had the opportunity to visit several regions in Ghana such as the Ashanti region, beautiful and scenic Cape coast and the Volta region. The country has a lot to offer from warm hospitality to delicious and fresh delicacies. Most importantly it is a county that has potential to grow and develop, blessed with natural resources such as Gold and Oil and one of the largest producers of Cocoa. I recently read on www.resourcegovenance.org that Ghana is the second largest gold producer in Africa, while it also produces bauxite and manganese. The gold industry contributes more than 90% of total mineral revenues. With a vast amount of potential to be one of the best countries in Africa; Ghana which I affectionately call home. As soon as you step off the plane at Kotoka airport you are suddenly hit with the hot air, it really is utterly indescribable. You certainly must experience it for yourself. Ghana in the next 5 years, well I foresee growth, more jobs with several expats working in Ghana to provide their expertise. A refined and tighter structure to implement effective change and most importantly better health care. Recently I have come across several young Ghanaians in the diaspora that are flying the nest or considering to take their expertise back home with the aim of helping the country grow. Also in Ghana, itself there is great talent in sectors such as Media and Telecommunications and many more. Entrepreneurship in Ghana is on the rise with young entrepreneurs such as Sangu Delle who graduated from the Harvard Business school is founder of Golden Palm Investments, he was once voted in the top 30 most promising entrepreneurs in Africa in Africa in 2014. Several British Ghanaian entrepreneurs such as the Dapaah Group who are social entrepreneurs on a mission to promote and empower Africa especially Ghana and the diaspora. They have created Dapaah chocolates which they describe as on a journey to hand-craft luxury vegan chocolates from the finest cocoa beans across Africa and the diaspora. They can be found on social media as Dapaah Group. Borley Quaye the American native born to a Ghanaian father and American mother, the young female entrepreneur who has a keen passion for Ghana who I discussed in an earlier post. Her aim is to introduce Ghana to the diaspora and create awareness. I also love the fact female empowerment is picking up in Ghana, the beautiful Samira Bawumia the second lady of Ghana. The epitome of sheer class and beauty, she has become a leading member of the NPP party. Samira has often commented that she strives to create female empowerment in Ghana. Last year she said; I take the privilege of serving the people of our country very seriously. Therefore, I will not relent in my modest efforts to champion the cause of the under-privileged, poor and needy in society. Let us respect the contributions of women to the development of our dear nation. You can see why she has required an abundance of fans over the last couple of months. Ghana is certainly a country with rich heritage that will develop into the nation it wants it to be, with amazing talent in the country and outside. However, this may take a couple of years, hopefully we can bring Nkrumahs speech into fruition making it into a nation that will be respected by every nation in the world. A country that has so much to offer to the world, I would love to hear how you see Ghana developing in the next couple of years. Thanks for reading. For a piece of legislation that Republicans supposedly have been working on for seven years, the American Health Care Act has generated a stupendous amount of opposition. The outrage came from everywhere -- the Republican Freedom Caucus, Democrats, conservative and liberal think tanks, and mainstream groups like the American Medical Association, the nations largest physician organization. While we agree that there are problems with the ACA that must be addressed, we cannot support the AHCA as drafted because of the expected decline in health insurance coverage and the potential harm it would cause to vulnerable patient populations, AMA chief executive James Madara said in a letter to Congress. Those concerns certainly apply locally. In Nebraska one out of every three children receives health care coverage through Medicaid. One in every two nursing home residents in the state is covered by Medicaid. Its startling that opposition flared up so fiercely before the legislation had even been scored by the Congressional Budget Office. That report will be the official guide on how many people would be covered under the plan and how much it would cost taxpayers. If House Speaker Paul Ryan thought the strategy of making the bill public and moving it through the legislative process before the scoring report came out would soften reaction, he miscalculated. One quick reading of the 123-page bill makes clear that health care coverage would be rolled back significantly by the AHCA. As Voices for Children in Nebraska put it, the bill would end Medicaid as we know it. The tax credits that the bill would provide are considerably lower than those available under current law. For example, according to an analysis by the Kaiser Foundation, a 40-year-old Nebraskan with an annual income of $30,000 would get a tax credit of about $3,000, compared to $4,280 under the current Affordable Care Act. It doesnt even come close to matching President Donald Trumps promise to come up with a new plan thats going to be better health care for more people at a lesser cost. In marked contrast to the rollback in health coverage for vulnerable Americans was the breaks the AHCA provides wealthy Americans. The bill would eliminate more than 20 taxes, such as a 3.8 percent tax on investment income for high-income households. Theres even a tax break for health insurance executives who make more than $500,000. Congressmen Adrian Smith and Don Bacon wasted no time in declaring their support for the measure. The rest of the Nebraska delegation was more circumspect. One thing is certain. Republicans control the House, the Senate and the White House. Whatever happens, the elected Republicans now in Washington are the ones who are responsible. Theres no shifting the blame this time. A world renowned consultant and a visiting Senior Fellow at the Manchester Business School, Dr. Pikay Richardson last Monday, February 27, 2017 donated books worth over 2,000 USD to the Sam E. Jonah School of Business (SJSB) at the African University College of Communications (AUCC) in Accra. Speaking at the event, Dr. Richardson who is also a Board member of the esteemed SJSB said that the donation is in support of the founders vision of projecting the institution to become a centre of excellence in communication, business and related areas. He added that the gesture is part of his resolve to give back to society after similar donations to institutions like the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) and University of Ghana, Legon. The Dean of the Sam E. Jonah School of Business, Prof. Margaret Crabbe on receiving the donation expressed gratitude to Dr. Richardson for his generosity and assured him that the books will be made available to students. The books donated covered areas such as business management, accounting, business communication, financial accounting and many more. Having travelled and lectured in over 31 countries around the world, Dr. Richardson took the opportunity to advice the youth to work diligently with honesty and integrity in order to earn money ethically, adding that hard work pays. He further stated that doing the right thing brings the right response. Advising young entrepreneurs on how to thrive in todays competitive business environment, he said strategic thinking, customer care and visibility are key components of building a successful business. He reminded them to progressively work on achieving these attributes. He encouraged the youth not to lose hope in the midst of the economic challenges bedeviling the African continent, but rather should strive to become agents of change who will turn Africas fortunes around. Ranked as a centre of excellence in communications by UNESCO, the African University College of Communications (AUCC) is one of the most vibrant private tertiary institutions in Ghana offering degree programmes in Communication Studies and Business Administration. MTN Ghana, the leading telecommunications service provider celebrated women on International Womens Day by organizing different fora to motivate women under the theme Be Bold for Change. MTN organized a forum for its female staff, scholarship beneficiaries and some students at the MTN House, Accra. The MTN Foundation also sponsored a mentorship programme for a group of women entrepreneurs in the Greater Accra Region. The in-house program brought together facilitators such as Dorothy Gordon, a Technology Consultant and Derek Oppong a Psychologist. There was also a session on personal grooming for the women. In her presentation, Ms. Dorothy Gordon urged women to employ effective use of ICT services to promote their businesses and enhance their livelihood. Addressing a group of women entrepreneurs, Communications Senior Manager for MTN, Mrs Georgina A. Fiagbenu shared details on initiatives MTN has undertaken to empower it female employees and to make them more efficient. She highlighted initiatives and policies such as the flexible working hours and the provision of a creche at MTN House to enable nursing mothers bring their babies to work as examples. She used the opportunity to encourage women in decision making roles to take bold decisions that will bring change and positively impact the lives of females in their respective organisations. In a related development Ms. Adwoa Arthur, MTN Regulatory Manager interacted with level 400 female students of the Pentecost University on the topic Who is an Effective Female Leader. Participants at the forum were encouraged to adopt values and skills that will make them effective leaders in the future. Over the years, MTN has continued to demonstrate its commitment to empowering women in various ways and has consistently embarked on projects which promote female empowerment. Out of its total workforce, MTN has over 40% women in its employment with some of them occupying Executive and Senior Managerial roles. In addition to direct employment, MTN Ghana through its Foundations Economic Empowerment portfolio, has embarked on initiatives aimed at improving the wellbeing of women in many communities across Ghana. The Foundation has provided support for several women groups including Women in Palm Production at Juaso in the Ashanti Region, Tizaa Dini Women in Shea Butter and the Sung Suma Women in Shea Butter in Upper West region. The MTN Ghana Foundation also places particular focus on maternal healthcare and the general wellbeing of women. The Foundation has commissioned several projects aimed at improving maternal and child mortality. Some of the projects include the construction of a 40 bed maternity block for the Tema General Hospital which is currently underway at a total cost of GH4m; the establishment of a Neonatal Center for the Tamale Teaching Hospital in the Northern Region, and the provision of a20-bed maternity block for the Ejisu Government Hospital in the Ashanti Region. Another area of equal importance to MTN is increasing access to ICT education and facilities for girls. On the occasion of International Womens Day, MTN Ghana congratulated all women who have committed their service to drive Ghanas development. MTN Ghana pledges to continue to foster a better working environment which creates a platform for gender inclusiveness. On 7th march 2017, police in the Volta Region arrested leaders of a group called Homeland Study Group Foundation (HSFG) based in Ho in the Volta Region of Ghana " agitating for the restoration of so called Western Togoland as a state to declare independence for western Togoland on 9th May 2017. According to the leader of the group..... The Western Togoland were plebiscite citizens in Ghana and not until a declaration was on 9th May 2017, the people will remain appendix to the former Gold coast (now Ghana). They also claim that " ...... World historical documents had revealed that western Togoland was a state and not a territory of Ghana. Based on their argument and As a concern citizen not a spectator, I present my take to make the Good people of Ghana know that their argument doesn't hold. First of all I will throw highlight on the history of Trans-Volta Togoland British Togoland, officially the Mandate Territory of Togoland and later officially the Trust Territory of Togoland, was a territory in West Africa , under the administration of the United Kingdom. It was effectively formed in 1916 by the splitting of the German protectorate of Togoland into two territories, French Togoland and British Togoland, during the First World War . In 1922, British Togoland was formally placed under British rule while French Togoland, now Togo , was placed under French rule . However, with the advent of independence in the Gold Coast, some of the Ewe leaders including Daniel Chapman and Gerald Awumah expressed the view that the best hope for the Ewe people lay in the integration of British Togoland with the Gold Coast. Despite the pro-unification Togoland congress claiming to be acting on behalf of all, the historical records show that it really spoke only on behalf of the Ewes in the South - i.e. between Ho and Keta. In 1954, a United Nations Visiting Team to British Togoland recommended a plebiscite to be held to decide on wishes of the Togoland people on the issues of whether the Trust Territory should be integrated into or secede from the Gold Coast. The plebiscite came about because the British government, having granted internal self-government to the Gold Coast in 1954, informed the UN it could no longer administer British Togoland separately after the Gold Coast had achieved full independence (Bening, 1983; p205). The future of the Togoland territory was decided based on majority votes of the plebiscite from these four areas: 1. Northern Section of British Togoland 2. Kpando and Ho Districts 3. Buem-Krachi District north of the southern 4. Buem-Krachi District On 9 May 1956, the poll was held with an 83% voter turnout estimated at 160,587 persons. A resounding 58% of the population backed the union with the Gold Coast with the remaining 42% voting against it. The same plebiscite in French Togoland, showed a majority of the people voting in favour of the territory becoming an autonomous republic within the French Union (Prescott, 1963). Interestingly, the results showed that there was an overwhelming support for the union in the Northern Togoland region whereas the Ewe-speaking areas of the south namely in Ho and Kpando voted strongly in favour of seceding from the new Ghana. To put this into context, Ho and Kpando regions comprised only about 15% of the territory in terms of landmass. On this basis, the British government therefore recommended that the Trans Volta Togoland should be integrated into the Gold Coast. This suggestion, however, did not go down well with a portion of those from the Ewe speaking regions as they had opted to join the French Togo in the plebiscite which had then attained the status of an autonomous republic. There was even an armed rebellion by the people of Alavanyo against integration with the Gold Coast. Following the recommendation by the British government on the basis of the poll results, the Fourth Committee of the Eleventh Session of the General Assembly of the UN approved the union . and their recommendation was adopted by the General Assembly and on 6 March, 1957 the British trust territory of Togoland and the Gold Coast became the independent and unitary state of Ghana. The new Parliament of Ghana after independence adopted the UN resolution to merge and integrate the Trans-Volta Togoland with Ghana which was then given the name Volta Region. From the above historical exposition, their claim does not hold and the union of Trans- Volta Togoland and Gold coast followed the requisite protocols. The process adopted and the results of the plebiscite were clear. The vote was not for federal union but rather it was to join a new unitary state called Ghana. This issue of secession did not start today. Indeed, some people publicly demanded secession from Ghana at a 1975 durbar attended by Gen. I.K Acheampong at Ho. The time to close the book of this issue is now, now and now than later..... It could go along way to distract our development as a nation. Those arrested must be charged for treason and should be a sign of warning to others. "Azay ..... Should we give them independence". Hahaha ... You want to take their (NDC) world bank away. The thought of a concern citizen NOT a spectator. Yeboah Benjamin Associate Member Health Economist +233243068206 yebenjamin.blogspot. com 09.03.2017 LISTEN By Iddi Yire, GNA Accra, March 9, GNA - The Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC), has urged government to continue to focus on basic education because of the numerous challenges relating to both access and quality. According to the Coalition, there were still more than 400,000 children out of school, high attrition rate for girls, lack of accessibility for learners with special needs, inadequate textbooks, and lack of teaching and learning materials, which were among the numerous educational problems that needed urgent attention from government. Speaking at a news conference in Accra, Mr Bright Appiah, Chairman of the GNECC, noted that in the budget statement kindergartens (KGs) would be provided in 1,171 primary schools without KGs nationwide, hence, 200 KGs would be constructed in 2017. He said the measures outlined showed that primary and junior education would continue to receive considerable attention from government; 'notable were the improvement and expansion of school buildings and increase of capitation grant from GHE4.50 to GHE9.00 per annum per child.' Mr Appiah said these initiatives were commendable, particularly the increase of the capitation grant and base grant for schools, however, GHE9.00 per annum per child was not enough to cover the full cost of educating a child. He said the introduction of the base grant to shore up resources for effective administration was commendable; however, the coalition's research in 2015 indicated that the capitation grant was often in arrears. He said these arrears in some cases were as much as one year, whereas, the amount that got to the schools was reduced as a result of bank charges and deductions done at the district level, which could erode any gains expected by the increase. Mr Appiah said GNECC recommended the release of the capitation grant on timely basis, which should be key, and also provision must be made for bank charges and other deductions made at the district level so that the amount allocated to the schools would not reduce. 'We also welcome the restructuring of the Ghana School Feeding Programme and scholarship schemes to increase access for children from deprived backgrounds,' he said. Mr Appiah explained that with regard to the curriculum, GNECC believes that the basic level curriculum should not be loaded as it overburdened the children, and made it difficult for teachers to cover the full content, encouraging rote learning in order to pass exams. He said the introduction of new subjects should therefore, take into consideration the existing load on pupils; adding that the GNECC would propose that content of the existing curriculum be reduced and graduated. The GNECC Chair noted that the importance of developing literacy and numeracy skills in the early years cannot be overemphasized; with these skills the child could explore and easily acquire knowledge with just a little guidance. He explained that due to this, the coalition supported the use of the mother tongue as a medium of instruction for children especially those who lived in areas where they were not exposed to the English language, to help them get a strong foundation for learning. Mr Appiah was therefore, hopeful that government would give full support to the policy, for the use of the mother tongue for instruction at the early grade. As part of its education governance and accountability thematic strategy, GNECC had been involved in reviewing the implementation of education plans and policies in Ghana over the years. One of such exercises was the review of political party manifestoes in 2016 to ascertain the extent to which the promises made by the parties met the current educational needs of the country and how they responded to Ghana's current challenges with the development frameworks. As a follow-up GNECC monitoring the policies of the elected government to ensure that it does what it promised the citizens. GNA 09.03.2017 LISTEN By Prosper K. Kuorsoh, GNA Wa, Mar. 9, GNA - Unconfirmed information reaching the Ghana News Agency (GNA) from Wa indicates that traces of the chemical used by the AngloGold Ashanti Malaria (AGAMal) Control Programme has been found in Shea butter and groundnuts coming from the Upper West Region. Traces of the chemical in the products according to the information picked up by the GNA was discovered in Germany and the Netherlands through traceability studies and if confirmed could have serious international trade implications as well as dire consequences on the health of local consumers. International buyers of the product have since refused to come and buy the product since the discovery about two weeks ago. Mr. Kweku Minka Fordjour, Upper West Regional Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) when contacted, said the information got to him last Thursday and said it was too early to say whether it was true or not until some further investigations were made. He said he could however confirm that through MOFA's market price survey, there had been about 60 per cent reduction in the prices of the two products in the local market. The Upper West MoFA Director said the malaria programme by Anglogold Ashanti in the region was with good intent but that if the discovery was found to be true then as a good corporate body, it should be able to implement measures that would ameliorate the sufferings of the people. Mr. Daniel Banuoku, Deputy Executive Director of the Center for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisational Development (CIKOD) which is also the lead CSO for the Northern Ghana CSO Platform on Agriculture said they were alarmed and concerned by the recent discovery regarding AGAMal's mosquito spraying activities in the region. He said Shea butter and groundnuts were two key products that had high value in the market and were both of competitive advantage to the Upper West Region in particular. 'There is no other Shea butter in the world that could compete with what was produced in the Upper West Region', Mr. Banuoku said. 'You cannot also find groundnuts anywhere in the world that was as healthy and more useful than what were produced from the region', he added. The CIKOD Deputy Executive Director said the two products actually employed a lot of women and households and constituted a big margin of livelihoods of rural population in the region. He called for a full investigation into the issue and that if found to be true, then Anglogold Ashantin and its subsidiary company AGAMal should be held responsible to look at ways they could help ameliorate the impact of the recent discovery on the livelihoods of the people. Mr Banuoku said this was going to have a long lasting effect if found to be true as it would take not less than five years coupled with research to be able to prove and convince the international buyers to restore any lost confidence that might have been caused by the discovery. He urged MOFA, the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and all stakeholders in the agriculture value chain to take the issue important because livelihoods of millions of people were going to be affected. GNA 09.03.2017 LISTEN By Deborah Apetorgbor, GNA Accra, March 9, GNA - WomanRising, a female-centred social enterprise, together with MTN Ghana Foundation on Thursday marked the 2017 International Women's Day which was on the theme: 'Be Bold for Change' to celebrate outstanding Ghanaian women, in Accra. Speaking at the 2017 International Women's day celebration in Accra, Mrs Evita Joseph Asare, Chief Executive Officer of Evita Joseph admonished women to ensure that they enforced the change they so desired from their homes before spreading it out to the rest of the world. She said globally, statistics were against women as 50 per cent of women compared to 76 per cent of their male counterparts were represented in the global labour force with majority of the women in the informal economy and concentrated in lower-paid jobs. Mrs Asare said since the home was where both males and females socialised with unequal division of labour, especially experiences and exposure that reinforced gender disparity, the home should be where the change for gender parity begins. 'If the fundamentals are to change, we the women have to change,' she said and added that the bold change women were seeking would have to start from them. Mrs Georgina Fiagbenu, Senior Manager of Corporate Communications, MTN Ghana, said the company recognised and appreciated the efforts of women in development and as such, partnered WomanRising to acknowledge and celebrate women on the International Women's Day. She said one powerful tool for women to elevate themselves from male chauvinism was for them to get education, be bold in whatever they did and not allow themselves to be relegated to the background. Additionally, she asked women to take advantage of technological advancements to study, broaden their scope of knowledge and develop themselves to impact meaningfully to societies. The International Women's Day has, since 1911, been a global day for celebrating the social, economic, political and cultural achievements of women and is also a call to action for accelerating gender parity. The annual International Women's Day was first organised by a German Socialist and theorist Clara Zetkin with other delegates in March 1911. Since then, the day has been celebrated by women the world over to put forward the idea of advancing women's suffrage to mark their enormous contribution to humanity. The United Nations began celebrating the day on 8th March 1975 and has annually given focus to women's status around the globe. GNA By Mildred Siabi-Mensah GNA Kwesimintsim (W/R), March 9, GNA - Dr. Conrad Deckor, a Cardiologist at the Kwesimintsim Hospital in the Western Region on Thursday asked Ghanaians not to take disease conditions for granted but report early warning signs for prompt medical attention. He has also warned against the wrong usage of drugs, abuse of herbal medicine and alcohol indulgence which he said put lots of strain on the kidney and therefore affects its proper functioning. Dr. Deckor who is also the Ghanaian Representative for the Alpha and Omega Heart Foundation in New York, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that kidney diseases were increasing in the country due to the sedentary lifestyle of most Ghanaians, coupled with other bad health care practices. He mentioned that hypertension and diabetes if not well managed could also result in kidney problems, adding that heart related conditions also present kidney diseases. Dr. Deckor explained that infection was a major cause of the disease and that urinal tract infections if not properly taken care of could also result in the condition. The Cardiologist mentioned some signs of the kidney diseases as pains in the rib which corresponds with the kidney, general pains and prostate enlargement. There are other laboratory diagnoses which may be conducted but usually at the end stage of the disease dialysis was needed, he added. Dr. Deckor advised people with hypertension and diabetes to control their pressure and sugar levels adding, "Don't go to any quack facilities to check your pressure... Do you know if the machine is calibrated or working well." GNA By Hafsa Obeng, GNA Accra, March 9, GNA - The Golden Tulip Hotel was on Thursday convicted to a fine of GHE600.00 for failing to register with the Data Protection Commission (DPC) by an Accra Circuit Court. The company is said to have failed to register with the DPC even though it processes personal data of customers and staff of the company. Under the law all organisations that collect data of persons and entities are to register with the DPC. In sentencing the court presided over by Mr Aboagye Tandoh said the fine is to serve as a deterrent to other companies who also processes personal data of customers and staff. He said the court took into consideration the fact that, the company assisted the police throughout their investigations into the case and also the fact that they have filed all the processes to the court as directed by the court at the last adjourned date which indicates that, the company has now registered with the DPC. The company represented by its General Manager at the last adjourned date pleaded guilty and was granted bail in the sum of GHE4, 000.00 with one surety. Counsel for the company, Nana Adjei Baffour Awuah told the court that the company was in the process of registering with the DPC, and that just that morning they had paid some monies at ECOBANK to commence the process. He said the only challenge was that they did not finish the process before the summons was served. He prayed the court to tamper justice with mercy as his client was innocent and also because the processes were still ongoing. The court presided over by Mr Aboagye Tandoh after the conviction directed that the company to complete the process in a week's time. Prosecuting, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Stephen Adjei told the court that complainant is the Executive Director of the DPC in Accra, while the culprit is the Golden Tulip Hotel represented by its General Manager. He said during the month of October 2016, a report was made to the police that some institutions and organisations identified as data collectors have failed to register with the Commission as required of them by law but are processing personal data. He said investigations were carried out and the culprit being Golden Tulip, a data controlling institution, was identified as the defaulter. The prosecution said, the company was subsequently summoned to appear before the court. GNA By Joyce Danso, GNA Accra, March 9, GNA - The Police say they are waiting for the Attorney General's advice on three persons, allegedly involved in the robbery of a GCB Bank bullion van at Mame Krobo in the Eastern Region. Prosecuting Detective Chief Inspector Simon Apiorsornu told the court that the Attorney General was working on the case docket and the Police was waiting for the advice. Prosecution therefore prayed for a date. The Court presided over by Mr Stephen Owusu adjourned the matter to March 23. The three accused persons include; General Corporal Solomon Elvis Mensah; General Lance Corporal Daniel Kissi Abrokwa; and Hafisu Mohammed, aka Danjuma, a mechanic. The two Police officers are being held on the charges of attempted robbery, conspiracy and murder while Mohammed has been charged with conspiracy. The pleas of the accused persons have been reserved by the court. The facts, as presented by prosecution earlier stated that the police officers were stationed at Donkorkrom. The officers hatched a plan of robbing the bullion van and on August 16 last year. The police officers, who were on duty at the GN Bank and GCB Bank, discussed the robbery with Mohammed, who was a friend to the two and a taxi driver. They then armed themselves with AK 47 rifles and laid ambush at a spot between Tease and Mame Krobo at about 1030 hours on that fateful day. Mohammed drove his taxi towards Ekye Amanfrom to monitor the arrival of the bullion van. The prosecution said 20 minutes after the bullion van arrived, Mohammed signalled the police officers who then opened fire, killing the driver. Prosecution said a police officer on board the van who got injured managed to return fire compelling the two robbers to take cover in the bush. The attackers called Mohammed who picked them with his car in their bid to escape. The Police Command at Donkorkrom got wind of the robbery incident and mobilised men who arrested the three accused persons on board the cab. The prosecution said two AK 47 rifles, 23 rounds of ammunitions, a cutlass, and two metal bars were retrieved from the taxi. The deceased's body had since been deposited at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital awaiting autopsy. Three other occupants of the bullion van, however, escaped unhurt while the policeman on guard was treated and discharged at the Donkorkrom Presbyterian Hospital. GNA Accra March 9, GNA - A District Court in Accra has turned down bail application by three persons allegedly involved in the Bimbilla clashes which resulted in fatalities and destruction of properties. The court presided over by Mr. Ebenezer Kweku Ansah asked defence counsel, Mr Abu Juan to seek bail at a superior court. This was after Mohammed Kadri, a Casual worker, Sulemana Mohammed Sheriff, a Store Keeper and Yakubu Zubieru a Tractor Operator had made their second appearance at the Court in Accra. Defence Counsel, Mr Juan prayed the court for bail for the accused persons. The three accused persons are being held on the charges of conspiracy to commit crime to wit murder and murder. The accused persons who pleas were not taken were remanded into police custody to reappear on March 22. Prosecuting Detective Chief Inspector Simon Apiorsornu said the Police were in court to plead for extension of time pending further investigations into the matter. The case as presented by prosecution was that the accused persons are natives of Bimbilla in the Northern Region. According to the prosecutor after the death of Naa Abariga, the overlord of the Naumba Traditional Area in 2003, there had been series of clashes resulting in several deaths. Prosecution said on February 9, this year, the regent of Bimbilla was enskined as a Warrior Chief. After the ceremony, the three accused persons together with others, now at large armed themselves with offensive weapons and petrol and set 21 houses ablaze. According to prosecution, they also attacked the household of the three persons, namely Nangtomah Awadu, Taiba Alhassan and Mariam Mohammed. Prosecution said Awabu and Taiba who were fired at, died instantly. Mariam who also sustained gunshot wounds was rushed to the Bimbilla Government Hospital where she was admitted but died the following day after being referred to the Tamale Teaching Hospital. The prosecutor said the accused persons were 'positively identified' by witnesses by a combined team of Police and Military personnel stationed at Bimbilla and brought to the Criminal Investigation Department headquarters. Prosecution however mentioned that the deceased have since been buried. GNA Kudos to the people who took time out of their busy schedules to protest at Sen. Deb Fischer's office recently ("ACA supporters voice concerns," Feb. 26). Fischer is not representing the people of Nebraska and only supporting the Republican Party. The repeal of the Affordable Care Act would have devastating consequences for the people in America. Health care is a human right and should not be something for only the privileged people who can afford it. It really angers me that Deb Fischer refuses to have a town meeting and even listen to the people who she represents. We must all demand that Fischer listens to and represents the people who elected her. The Affordable Care Act has benefited so many people and to leave these people without health insurance is inhumane and cruel. Health care is a human right and we need to fight for it not to be taken away. Ghanaians have been charged to continue the good fight their forebears put in for Ghanas independence from British Colonial rule by giving of their best to the country. If you fail to do the right things, eschew corruption, laziness and all the negatives that retard a nation, accelerated growth, we would not be honouring their images. Rev. Canon Prof. Emeritus John S. Pobee, former Head of the Department of Religion, University of Ghana, gave the charge in his sermon at an inter-denominational church service at the Fordham University Chapel, Bronx, to mark Ghanas 60th independence anniversary. There was a powerful song ministration by the Mass Choir made up of the Ghana United Methodist Church Choir, St. Lukes Ghanaian Community Catholic Church Choir, Bronx Emmanuel Presbyterian Reformed Church Choir, Presbyterian Church of Ghana, New York Church Choir, Ghana United Methodist Church Junior Choir and the Praise and Worship Team from the Ghanaian Pentecostal Council in Bronx, New York. The service attended by the leadership of the various Ghanaian churches was characterized by prayers for the nation and its leaders and dancing to the glory of God. A special attraction was the mastery skills displayed by Brother Ekow Ortsin in conducting the songs by the mass choir. Rev. Pobee reminded Ghanaians that Our forebears, like Dr. Kwegyir Aggrey, Sir Alex Quayson-Sackey, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Sgt. Adjetey and the rest defended the land of Ghana with their lives; it is our turn to do the same. To run the battle and win the race. The independence of Ghana wasnt won by one person but a stream of persons. Did they labour in vain? They left a legacy for us to follow. We have to act to sustain our country, Rev. Pobee stated. He lamented the ruins that certain properties that were bequeathed to Ghanaians have been allowed to deteriorate. Considering the situation, the retired theologian urged Ghanaians to let their spirituality go to the market place and let Gods spirit be evident to all, saying that our nation building is about tranquility of order. In her message, Ambassador Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee charged Ghanaians, as they celebrate the anniversary, to show their patriotism, to renew their pledge and commitment to Ghana, the land of their birth. On the theme for the celebration, Mobilizing for Ghanas Future, she said it was a clarion call for all to help build the nation. The Ambassador indicated that the Mission will work tirelessly to offer consular assistance to the Ghanaian community in matters affecting their welfare. We shall continue to engage the Ghanaian community on matters affecting your welfare in national development she stated. She re-echoed President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's message to the diplomatic corps, in which he gave a commitment to restructure the Ghana economy, which had remained the same since Governor Guggisbergs time by exporting raw materials without added value. Adding that the government will boost agriculture, integrate industrialization, give incentives to encourage small scale enterprises, introduce free Senior High school education, apart from adding value to national human capital. 2017-03-09 223643 2017-03-09 223712 Islamic prayers were said for Ghanas accelerated development, continuous peace and security at the Yankasa Mosque at Bronx in New York on Friday, March 2, as part of activities to mark the countrys 60th independence anniversary. The prayers were led by the Imam Salley of the Yankasa Mosque, at Bronx. It was attended by the various tribal heads and Magajias (leaders of the women groups). Among the many Muslims who attended was Mr.Gariba Fuseini, a former Assemblyman in Accra, who was born on March 6, 1957, the day of Ghanas independence. Ambassador Ama Akyaa Pobee, the Permanent Representative to the United Nations, in a message said Ghanaians have a lot to be thankful to God for. For example, she noted that looking at the way the deadly Ebola disease killed many people in our neighbouring countries, we are very lucky that not a single person contracted it in Ghana. For all these mercies, we need to constantly thank God for his marvelous works and unending protection. She noted that the 60th anniversary was very significant and therefore urged them to remember those who fought for Ghanas independence. The Ambassador informed the gathering that the Mission and Consulate General were fully aware of the challenges confronting the Ghanaian community and was taking steps within the laws of the host country to provide them with consular assistance. We are ready to work with you to address your problems so do contact us in times of need, she stated. On his part, Imam Salley stressed that the only way God can give more to Ghanaians is when they show gratitude for all that God has bestowed on them over the years. Whereas others are fighting religious and political wars, Ghanaians are living in peace and unity, devoid of any such bitter rivalries. The Consul General of the Ghana in New York, Mr. Bernard K. Quantson urged them to be continuously law abiding in order to enjoy their stay. He assured them of the necessary consular support when the need arises, but encouraged them to always live in unity and peace and most importantly to take their work very seriously as was expected of them as Ghanas goodwill ambassadors. Earlier, Mr. Abdul Sallam, president of Yankasa said Ghanas independence from British colonial domination is something that we should be grateful for. He praised the Ghana Mission for organizing the Independence prayers for the second time at the Yankasa Mosque in Bronx. Yankasa is a non-fit organization offering humanitarian services to the Ghanaian and American community. 2017-03-09 224302 Ambassador Pobee in a group picture with some of the women Are you looking for a new job? Do you want to build you successful career in a company, which in 2015 was included to the list the Africa Employer of Choice 2015 Top 100? Salary is one the most important criteria in job hunting. We would propose to your attention Nigerian Breweries salary. You will be positively surprised. Nigerian Breweries salary Nigerian Breweries has become one of the highest paying companies in Nigeria. The company produces alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. It is a rather old company, the first name of the company, founded in 1946, was Nigerian Brewery Limited. To get a job in the company is a dream of many Nigerians due to the worldclass atmosphere, confidence in career development and competitive salaries. Nowadays, even on the entry level, salaries are high, so it is obvious that the recruitment process is very difficult and the requirements to the potential employees are high, but nothing is impossible. The company proposes employment in the following divisions: Supply Chain, Marketing, Human Resources, Finance, IT, Sales, Logistics. Nigerian Breweries salary READ ALSO: Is it right for companies to move to where their employees are? Nigeria Breweries salary grades On the example of the following monthly salaries, you will have a general idea of the salaries in the company. According to GlassDoor.com site data, current Nigeria Breweries salaries are the following: N122,000 N146,000 Sales representative Nigerian Breweries salary N288,000 N314,000 Management trainee Nigerian Breweries salary N145,00 N157,000 Associate Nigerian Breweries salary N128,000 - N139,000 - Sales executive Nigerian Breweries salary Note that this salary scale can be subject to change due to a plenty of factors that might influence it. These figures are salaries, the employees also get housing allowances and fringe benefits in addition to their basic salaries. Nigerian Breweries Plc as well provides the employees with a pension scheme, cars, free medical coverage (including for family), paid annual leave. Nigerian Breweries salary A position of a Management trainee at the very beginning will include experience in local and international operational projects, it is a great opportunity to get valuable experience and acquire precious skills, which will help you in your career development. One more thing that shows the high level of the company is an existence of a mentorship program experienced professional help the new-entries to integrate smoothly into the companys culture and internal rules. Nigerian Breweries salary Of course, the salaries are not so high if to compare with oil companies, but it is times higher than an average salary in Nigeria, even higher than salaries in some Nigerian banks. If you want to build a brilliant career and have a decent salary, then you should think over about taking a chance to become a part of Nigerian Breweries staff. Good luck! No risk, no gain! READ ALSO: Nigerian Breweries launches Go Places campaign Source: Legit.ng Plenty of manufacturing giants works in Nigeria. Below you will find companies, which have always proven their strength on both international and local markets. What are top companies in Nigeria? Continue reading to get more information. Today Legit.ng offers the list of top companies in Nigeria according to the following criteria: income, products and services, innovations, the number of employees, increase in turnover, consumer loyalty. READ ALSO: Nigerian Police salary structure 1. Nigerian Breweries Nigerian Breweries is one of the largest brewery companies in Africa. Moreover, it is the first and the oldest brewery firm in Nigeria. It is included in the top 10 list of the best manufacturing companies in the country. It was formed on November 16, 1946. Nigerian Breweries produces such prominent alcoholic beverages as: Gulder Lager Heineken Ace Passion Apple Spark Legend Extra Stout Goldberg Lager Star Lite Lager Life Continental Lager Strongbow cider Among others, the line of non-alcoholic drinks is represented by such names as: Maltina Malta Gold Amstel Malta Climax Energy Drink Fayrouz 2. Flour Mills of Nigeria Flour Mills of Nigeria is a privately owned Nigerian LLC. It was created at the beginning of 1962. The company produces Golden Penny flours. It is a very popular among millions of Nigerian consumers, bakeries, and confectioneries. 3. Nestle Nigeria Nestle is indeed considered one of the eldest companies on the planet. It is the largest food company on the globe. Two leading Swiss enterprises founded Nestle in 1866. Nestle Nigeria is the major FMCG company in Nigeria. It is always included in the list of top companies in Nigeria according to all possible ratings. In particular, Nestle Nigeria produces: Infant foods Seasonings Performance and Healthcare Nutrition Frozen and refrigerated food Soup and sauces Bottled water Breakfast cereals Pet food Milkshakes 4. Unilever Nigeria Top companies in Nigeria Unilever Nigeria was created in 1923. It is the biggest producer of various categories of products. The most popular of them are: Royco Lipton Lux Omo Knorr Lifebuoy Vaseline Pears Blue Band Sunlight Close Up Pepsodent By the way, every year Unilever directly affects the lives of more than two billion people on the planet through their quality range of products. 5. Dangote Group Dangote Group is the major industrial conglomerate in West Africa. The richest black man on the planet, Aliko Dangote, owns the company. He founded his company in 1981. It manufactures various categories of goods. These are flour, sugar, salt, cement, steel, packaging materials, oil and gas, etc. The most well-known subsidiaries of Dangote Group are: Dangote Transport Dangote Textiles Dangote Cement Dansa Foods Limited Kura Holdings Limited Dancom Technologies Dangote Tomato plantation By 2019, Dangote group will have created first private oil refinery in Nigeria. 6. DUFIL Prima Foods The abbreviation DUFIL stands for De United Foods Industrial Limited. DUFIL Prima Foods is the larger producer of Indomie in Nigeria. It is quite a young company for a fast-growing Nigerian market. It was formed in 1995. DUFIL Prima Foods manufactures the most consumed foods in Nigeria Indomie Instant Noodles. 7. PZ Cussons PZ Cussons is another company, which takes the place of honor on our list of the best companies in Nigeria. It is one of the biggest manufacturers of plenty of various household products in Nigeria. Among others, the most prominent titles are: Venus Cussons Baby Joy soap Robb Nunu Zip Morning Fresh Nutricima 8. Nexans Nigeria Nexans Nigeria produces wire cables. It is the largest company in this field in Nigeria. The company has already created hundreds of thousands of jobs. In particular, the company produces: Industrial cables Instrumentation cables Power network cables Telecom network cables Indoor cables. The company`s offices reside in Kaduna, Lagos, and Ogun State. 9. Lafarge Cement Lafarge Cement is another company in our list of top companies in Nigeria. It is the largest cement producer in Nigeria. The headquarters of this company is located in France. Lafarge Cement arrived in Nigerian market with the vision of subsidising to the development of Nigeria through the construction of better cities. 10. British American Tobacco Since 1912, British American Tobacco (BAT) has been working in Nigeria. It has the operational office in Lagos. This company proposes the highest payments in our country. At that time, the Group owned a 60% shareholding value in the Nigerian Tobacco Company, and the Nigerian Government held 40%. In 1978, three operating factories worked in Zaria Port-Harcourt and Ibadan. On July 11, 2000, British American Tobacco Nigeria was incorporated. In several months, it joined with the Nigerian Tobacco Company. Presently, the British American Tobacco Group fully operates and owns this company. Presently, British American Tobacco Nigeria produces such international brands as: St. Moritz Royal Standard Consulate Rothmans Benson and Hedges London Pall Mall Conclusion Of course, this is not the full list of the best companies in Nigeria. However, the names mentioned above are one of the most prominent ones with fast-growing revenues. Is your company A List? And you want it featured on Legit.ng? Just email us info@corp.legit.ng Source: Legit.ng Emerging reports suggest that about 30 people have been killed, following a deadly terrorist attack against a military hospital in Afghanistan's capital of Kabul. BREAKING: 30 killed, 50 injured as terrorists attack hospital in Kabul (Photo) The attack for which the Islamic State (IS) outfit claimed responsibility, has drawn wide condemnation. About 50 other persons were wounded after four human-bombers struck Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan Hospital in fortified Wazir Akbar Khan diplomatic district Wednesday morning, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. Xinhuanet reports that President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani denounced the bloody attack as a coward terrorist act and vowed that Afghan government won't talk to terrorists, who are killing the innocent people of Afghanistan. "According to international humanitarian laws, hospitals are immune from attacks. The Wednesday's terrorist attack clearly evinces that terrorists don't follow any rules and laws," the president said in a statement. Among the casualties were doctors, patients and civilian staff of the 400-bed hospital, according to the defense ministry statement. President Ghani also ordered concerned security entities to bring to justice all those involved in the heinous crime besides instructing the health authorities to provide best medical treatment for the wounded. Afghan government's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) also condemned the deadly attack in its strongest terms. "This morning, attackers reportedly disguised as medical doctors detonated a human-bomber body-borne IED at the entrance gate to the hospital, after which several attackers armed with AK-47s, grenades and human-bomber vests entered the facility. The armed attackers proceeded to target patients and medical workers before Afghan security forces ended the assault. "Islamic State operatives claimed responsibility for the attack. The UNAMA continues to verify the number of civilian casualties, which are reportedly high," UNAMA said in a statement. "This egregious and morally reprehensible attack targeted people at their most vulnerable, while they were receiving treatment in the hospital, and also targeted the medical staff caring for them," Pernille Kardel, the Secretary-General's deputy special representative for Afghanistan and acting head of UNAMA, was quoted in the statement. "This cowardly attack reflects a fundamental rejection of the most basic principles of humanity," she said. "Without question, it amounts to an atrocity, and the perpetrators must be held accountable." "Attacks on hospitals are a heinous crime against humanity and humanitarian law. No justification possible," the Afghanistan ICRC twitted. "The attack on the Kabul military hospital is reprehensible and we condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms. Once again insurgents show complete disrespect for humanity by attacking a hospital. We stand with Afghan people against terrorism," NATO-led Resolute Support Mission said in a statement. Several injured remained in critical conditions. And many women were among the victims. The attack came as the country was marking the International Women's Day, which falls on March 8. More than 3,490 civilians were killed and over 7,920 others injured in conflict-related incidents across Afghanistan last year, according to figures released by the UNAMA. It will be recalled that 7months ago, two human bombers struck a peaceful protest by a Shia minority group in the Afghan capital, Kabul, killing at least 80 and injuring 231 demonstrators. The attack, the worst in months in terms of casualties, was claimed by terrorist group Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. They confirmed that two of its fighters detonated explosive belts at a gathering of Shiites. According to presidential spokesman Haroon Chakhansuri, one of the human bombers was shot by the police. The march was organized by ethnic Hazaras to demand the government to pass a major power transmission line through their province where electricity is a luxury. The Hazaras mainly live in central Afghanistan, Hazara Town in Balochistan, Pakistan and Karachi. They are overwhelmingly Twelver Shia Muslims and make up the third largest ethnic group in Afghanistan. Although Afghanistan has been historically one of the poorest countries in the world, the Hazarajat region has been kept even more poor from development by past governments. Source: Legit.ng A Nebraska rancher found guilty of trespassing on a national wildlife refuge has been ordered to pay nearly $7,000 of restitution and a $100 fine. After a two-day bench trial last month in North Platte, Senior U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf found Paul Kenner, of Wood Lake, guilty of four petty crimes for negligently allowing 300 head of his cattle to graze on the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge without paying the fee and using a vehicle in the process. Kenner's land borders the refuge on three sides. Kenner admitted that the cattle got into the refuge and probably were there for about 10 days, but he and his son removed them Oct. 8, 2015, after the refuge manager called him. He said he wasn't aware they were there until he checked that day and found them there. Kenner said his cattle entered the refuge through a faulty fence that should've been maintained by the refuge. In his order Feb. 28, Kopf said he believed the cattle, driven by flies, ducked under a barbed-wire fence that ran through a little lake. He ordered Kenner to pay restitution that included $4,000 for the costs of the investigation and $2,911 for the cost Kenner would've paid for the cattle to graze on the land. The Fist Lady of Lagos, Mrs Bolanle Ambode, joined the rest of the world in celebrating the International Women's Day. First Lady of Lagos celebrates women's day in great fashion (Photos) Mrs Bolanle Ambode was joined by Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. (Mrs) Idiat Oluranti Adebule, Ambassador of Finland, Pirlo Suomela-Chowdhury and Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Hon. Lola Akande, at the celebration which held at the Police College ground, Ikeja. The Womens Day celebration with the theme Be Bold for Change, organised by the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation. Below are more photos from the well attended ceremony. First Lady, Bolanle Ambode (2nd right); Dr (Mrs) Idiat Oluranti Adebule (2nd left); Amb of Finland, Pirlo Suomela-Chowdhury (left) and Hon Lola Akande (right) PAY ATTENTION: Get the latest news on Legit.ng News App First Lady of Lagos celebrates women's day in great fashion (Photos) First Lady of Lagos celebrates women's day in great fashion (Photos) READ ALSO: Revealed! Top 6 African women you should never mess with (Photos) First Lady of Lagos celebrates women's day in great fashion (Photos) Source: Legit.ng - President Buhari calls Nigeria once again, this time he called Niyi Adebayo in Ekiti state - The call was to commiserate with the former governor on the loss of his father - Femi Adesina, revealed the call on his Facebook page Niyi Adebayo received a call from President Buhari The Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity, Femi Adesina has announced on his official Facebook page that President Buhari made a call from London to former Ekiti state governor, Niyi Adebayo. The former governor had recently lost his father, the former governor of the defunct Western Region, Major-General Adeyinka Adebayo. READ ALSO: Stop deceiving Nigerians with phone calls, group tells President Buhari Below is the message as posted by Adesina: "President Muhammadu Buhari Wednesday described the late former governor of the defunct Western Region, Major-General Adeyinka Adebayo, as a true patriot. "In a telephone call from London to the son of the late general and former governor of Ekiti State, Niyi Adebayo, the President lamented that Nigeria will surely miss the uncommon patriotism and nationalism which General Adebayo typified. "The President also commiserated with the people of Ekiti State and the entire Yoruba race, noting that the late octogenarian while standing firmly for the unity of the country, also fought for the interest of his people as the President of the Yoruba Council of Elders. "President Buhari prayed that Almighty God will console the Adebayo family and grant the soul of the departed elder statesman eternal rest. "Mr Niyi Adebayo, while thanking President Buhari for the call and commiserations, also wished the President good health." Only 3 days ago, President Muhammadu Buhari reportedly called Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state from London where he is on medical vacation. He promised the governor that he would return to Nigeria soon to continue from where his deputy, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, would stop. READ ALSO: 11 things we know about Buhari's phone calls from London Buhari reportedly told the governor that he was still observing his rest as advised by doctors, but that he was eager to return to the country. A statement by the governors spokesperson, Kingsley Fanwo, said Buhari called Bello while the latter was in Lagos for an official engagement. Watch a video of Nigerians speaking on Buhari's absence here: Source: Legit.ng - Senators under the umbrella of the PDP have rejected Ali Modu Sheriff's invitation - Led by Godswill Akpabio they intend instead to sue for peace within the party - Akpabio said they would instead seek for broad consultation Godswill Akpabio The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus in the Senate has rejected an invitation by the party chairman, Ali Modu Sherrif. The caucus said it would instead support broad consultation to resolve the leadership crisis in the party. According to Premium Times, Godswill Akpabio, the Senate Minority Leader, announced the decision after the opposition lawmakers met at the National Assembly on Wednesday, March 8. READ ALSO: Finally, Makarfi surrenders, recognises Modu Sheriff as PDP national chairman The former governor of Akwa Ibom state said Mr Sherrif extended invitation to the caucus on March 6, but that honoring the request would amount to sectionalism. Although, Sherrif was affirmed authentic chairman of the PDP in February by the Port Harcourt division of the Court of Appeal, the Ahmed Makarfi section has refused his leadership. Subsequently, the Makarfi faction are headed to the Supreme Court for redress. Akpabio however, said the caucus preferred a resolution of the matter out of court. In order to achieve that, they would meet with both factions and the Board of Trustees. We held this meeting because there was a letter from Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff to the caucus and we had to meet first to know whether this is the right time. Whether the meeting is right or not, what we agreed is that the leadership meets first and thereafter we meet with the Sheriff group, the Makarfi group and the BOT. When this happens, we will then see whether all can come to a consensus and not just the caucus running to the party office to meet Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff. That will look like sectionalism. As a caucus, we believe strongly in peace and we believe in the unity of the Peoples Democratic Party so that Nigeria can have a robust democracy. READ ALSO: I did not create Boko Haram - Ali Modu Sheriff We believe that without the PDP being strong and united, Nigeria may slide into a one party state and democracy may be in peril, he said. In conclusion, he was of the opinion that the plan of the caucus could even be a major way out, instead of continuous processes in court. Meanwhile, Sheriff made a shocking announcement after the long battle. He described the judgement by the Port Harcourt Court of Appeal on Friday, February 17, as a victory for the party also revealed that he could relinquish the chairmanship. Sheriff said that the interest of the party supplants his office as the national chairman, then he proclaimed: "I am willing to relinquish the position for the party to move forward into achieve its goals." Watch a video of Nigerians speaking on APC and 2019: Source: Legit.ng OMAHA Omaha leaders are discussing the possibility of reconnecting a street that was split nearly 50 years ago. City officials closed off 16th Street in the late 1960s to make room for a hotel they thought would spur downtown development. Instead, the now Doubletree Hotel became a barrier between downtown and north Omaha, stifling the commercial district of 16th Street. "To his dying day, blocking the main artery of Omaha commerce, 16th Street, was one of Peter Kiewit's abiding regrets," Peter Kiewit Foundation director Lyn Wallin Ziegenbein said of the late city leader who pushed for the street closing. Many black residents in Omaha have also seen the hotel, which was built on the heels of the 1960s race riots, as a wall between north Omaha and downtown. North Omaha resident and community activist Preston Love Jr. said the building symbolizes physical and psychological barriers between the neighborhood and the rest of the city. "It's absolutely a sore spot," Love said. "It is like the Confederate flag. It is what it is, but as long as you're waving it, it's a reminder of things, the way they were." Mayor Jean Stothert said there is no specific proposal for how to reopen the street, but some ideas include creating a tunnel under the hotel or demolishing it altogether. "Opening up 16th Street would make a lot more sense to encourage downtown development and jobs," Stothert said. "It's all about bringing jobs back to the urban core and adjacent neighborhoods." A spokesman for First National Bank, which owns the land, said it's too early to comment on the idea. Doubletree general manager Sandy Buonanni said he hasn't participated in any discussions related to the street's reconnecting. "It's one of the things we should have never done," former Congressman Brad Ashford said. "What's neat is that we can rewrite history here." - The crisis rocking Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) if far from abate as its Chairman of the sacked Caretaker Committee, Ahmed Makarfi Makarfi rejected Modu Sheriff as the party's national chairman - Makarfi also rejected the proposal by the Standing Committee on Reconciliation of the PDP, headed by Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa state - He, however, noted that he met with Dickson on Tuesday March 7, where the content of the proposal was discussed There seems to be no end to the crisis rocking Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as its Chairman of the sacked Caretaker Committee, Ahmed Makarfi, has rejected the proposal by the Standing Committee on Reconciliation of the PDP, headed by Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa state. Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and Senator Ahmed Makarfi Punch reports that the former Kaduna state governor said he never endorsed the proposals as claimed by Dickson. READ ALSO: PDP Senators caucus reject Ali Modu Sheriff's invitation The Dickson-led committee, which submitted its report to the National Chairman of the party, Ali Modu Sheriff, on Tuesday March 7, recommended that the party should hold its national convention on June 30. The committee had claimed that all stakeholders, including the Makarfi faction, were consulted before arriving at the recommendation. Part of the committees proposal, which Makarfi faulted, is that the National Convention Planning Committee should consist of seven governors and seven senators, which must include the Deputy Senate President and 12 members of the House of Representatives. The others, as recommended by the committee, are six members of the Board of Trustees, six national vice-chairmen with one coming from each of the six geopolitical zones, three state chairmen per zone (making 18), six serving speakers of the state Houses of Assembly and six former governors. Others include former presiding officers of the National Assembly, who are still members of the party, six prominent women leaders, six youth leaders, six former ministers and 12 others to be nominated by Sheriff in consultation with the stakeholders. The convention committee shall be responsible for the conduct of the elections to all the national offices of the party, including the zoning of such offices, the proposal partly read. But Makarfi, in a statement on Wednesday March 8, said Dicksons claim that he and other stakeholders of the party accepted the proposal was not true. The former Kaduna state governor, however, noted that he met with Dickson on Tuesday March 7, where the content of the proposal was discussed, adding that he pointed out the problems with the proposal. The former governor stated that the report that he accepted Sheriff as the national chairman of the party was false. The statement partly read: This is to debunk a report presented by Governor Seriake Dickson that I accepted Ali Modu Sheriff as the national chairman of the PDP and the convention scheduled for June 30. I am shocked and disappointed that the governor of Bayelsa state made a public presentation of a purported report approved or endorsed by us and other stakeholders as reported. He met me yesterday (Tuesday) and I pointed out the problems with his proposals. I specifically told him that it (the proposal) would go against even the Court of Appeal judgment. PAY ATTENTION: Nigeria News Legit.ng - Android Apps on Google Play At the end (of the meeting), I told him as the caretaker committee chairman that whatever is approved by the organs of the party that we represent, we will work with. I advised him to revert to his colleagues and other organs. But what we are seeing now is that we endorsed his proposal, which is completely false. So, this is coming to debunk the insinuation that we accepted Sheriff as the national chairman to conduct the convention or that we accepted Governor Dicksons proposals. Source: Legit.ng - The Enugu state governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi on Wednesday announced the abolition of 'Osu', an out cast practice in the state - The governor who described the practice as satanic said the abolition is will take effect immediately Governor Ugwuanyi said the practice of 'Osu' is satanic The Enugu state governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi on Wednesday announced the abolition of 'Osu', an out cast practice in the state. The governor who described the practice as satanic said the abolition is will take effect immediately. Ugwuanyi during a protest by some indigenes of Obuno Ndi Uno community in Nkanu West local government area said on no account should anybody be described as a slave in the community. Osu is a practice in some part of Igbo land which proscribes some individuals as out cast. READ ALSO: Igbo governors meet with Ohanaeze Ndigbo, discuss South-East future (photos) Such individuals who are also indigenes are referred to as slaves in the communities and do not associate with other members of the community. In some cases, the Osus have their own market spaces and do not buy or sell goods to other residents who are seen as true blood of the community. PAY ATTENTION: Get the latest News on Legit.ng News App They are also not allowed to marry other individuals who are not Osus. Also, condemning the practice, Ugwuanyi said Nigeria's Constitution has placed all Nigerians on the same level. He added that the Enugu state laws also abolished the system. Slavery and segregation have been abolished and as far as the state government is concerned, we do not recognize Osu Caste system. READ ALSO: JUST IN: Ohanaeze Ndigbo elect new President-general as Nnamdi Kanu remains behind bars We operate the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The governor further decried challenges residents face following such dehumanizing treatments. He called on community members to embrace Christianity and treat their fellow humans as one. Ugwuanyi said: If you know you are holding anybody down in the name of whatever belief that is not godly please release such person and let them be free. Alos speaking at the protest, the president general of the town union Austin Okoye said the seat of the traditional ruler in the state has been vacant. READ ALSO: See how Sultans visit to Enugu brings unity among Christians and Muslims in South-east Okoye called on the state government to intervene by conducting an election which would produce a traditional ruler. We want the state government to come and conduct the election using option A4," Okoye said. We are ready to support anybody who wins but we do not want imposition. Our community is in trouble. There is high rate of crime because we do not have a traditional ruler. We want the governor to call the commissioner to order and for him to come and conduct the election. Source: Legit.ng - President Muhammadu Buhari's medical vacation is still a trending topic in Nigeria - There is still no date for the president's retun as at the time of writing this report - Today, March 9 makes it 50 days that the president has been away from the country Legit.ng checks reveals that President Muhammadu Buhari has now spent 50 days in the United Kingdom as at Thursday, March 9. President Buhari has been away from Nigeria for 50 days President Buhari has been in London since January 19. The presidency had first announced that he was there for a 10-day leave. But he has since extended the leave on medical grounds. It should be noted that President Buhari has not breached any constitutional provision so far, as he handed over to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to act on his behalf while he is away. Human rights activist and lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa said Buhari can stay away from office for 60 days because he is entitled to it. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa says Buhari can stay away from office for 60 days because he is entitled to it According to Adegboruwa, the president is entitled to 60 days annual leave from 2015 to 2016, adding that if he has not exhausted this leave prior to this time, he is entitled to his annual vacation. He however added that If the illness of the president is of such a nature as to make it impossible for him to perform the functions of his office, then there cannot be a vacuum in that office. The fact that there is an Acting president will not suffice. READ ALSO: Nigeria proves a missing president isnt necessarily a bad thing - Foreign Policy writer Nigerians have been kept in the dark as to the nature of Buhari's illness, with his aides insisting that the president is hale and hearty. The president has however kept in touch with Nigeria since he departed the shores of the country. He has received senior members of his party, the All Progressives Congress, principal officers of the National Assembly, his loyalists and some members of his family. President Buhari received principal officers of the National Assembly in London last month President Buhari has also called some prominent Nigerians at different times from London to either felicitate with them or condone with them. Similarly, the president has spoken with United States of America president, Donald Trump and received a call from African Union president, Alpha Conde who is also the president of Guinea. Some Nigerians have likened the present situation to that of Late President Umaru Musa Yar'adua who died in office in 2010 after his close associates kept his illness secret. But the minister of information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said that the comparison being made about Buhari and late YarAdua was baseless as there were no similarities. Minister of information, Lai Mohammed says the comparison between the Buhari and Yar'adua's case is not right He described the comparison as akin to comparing apple and oranges and said the situations were different. The National Assembly had at the time invoked the doctrine of necessity to empower then vice president, Goodluck Jonathan to act as president following the illness of late President Umaru YarAdua. READ ALSO: Nigerian man writes open letter to President Buhari Meanwhile, while the mainstream media in Nigeria has carried on with its duties without making an efforts to unravel Buhari's sickness, the international media has beamed its searchlight on Nigeria in the past few weeks. Popular international business website, CNBC in an article published on Sunday, March 5 described Nigeria as a major oil producer and African economic powerhouse whose economy appears to be as stricken as its ailing leader. A report by Reuters indicates that President Buharis absence has energised an otherwise slow and static presidency. British weekly magazine, The Economist stated that Nigerias best chance of reform in the short run is for Buhari to stay longer in London. On its part, the BBC compared President Buharis absence in Nigeria to the filming of reality show, Big Brother Naija in South Africa. While we pray that President Buhari returns to the country hale and hearty to continue his job as Nigeria's number one citizen, we can only hope he doesn't spend another 50 days in London. Source: Legit.ng Editors note: Its a known fact that President Muhammdu Buharis health has continued to generate reactions since he left the country for London on January 19. While most Nigerians believe they have right to know the presidents health status, others have faulted the way and manner his aides handled information about his health status. In this article, Samuel Ogundipe, x-rays the crisis that followed non-declaration of the late former President Umar YarAdua's health status by his handlers and situates it with the issues being generated by President Muhammadu Buhari. While running for president in 2007, former President Umar YarAdua looked clearly weak. But former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who tapped Mr YarAdua to succeed him, said he threw his support behind the late president because he understood he was medically fit to govern Nigeria. President Muhammadu Buhari with APC Chieftains, Bisi Akande and Bola Tinubu in London Mr Obasanjo said he became confident of Mr YarAduas ability to govern Nigeria after he pored through his health records and sought the opinion of medical experts. Mr Obasanjo said he believed Mr YarAdua had a clean bill of health report when he tapped him as his replacement in 2007. READ ALSO: Buhari, death rumour and the scuttled protests But during the campaign, Mr YarAdua gave Nigerians a hint of his health crisis when he suddenly dashed out to Germany, fuelling rumours of his death. The rumour ushered in the infamous Umaru! Are you dead? question on the campaign trail, when Mr Obasanjo placed a call through to Mr YarAdua in Germany to ask about his situation. Mr YarAdua won the election, albeit hugely disputed. But three years into his tenure, he passed on in office. In his 2014 book, My Watch, Mr Obasanjo criticised Mr YarAduas handling of his health crisis, accusing him of deceiving Nigerians by keeping details of his illness secret. In the book, Mr Obasanjo described the manner with which Mr YarAdua and his administration officials handled the situation as shoddy, tardy, unpatriotic, selfish, and reckless. No nation should be left hanging in such a manner, he added. In contrast to Mr YarAduas early signs of ailment, President Muhammadu Buhari, as a candidate, seemed agile and alerted, even though he was way older. But the lingering anxiety over the presidents health less than two years in office has left many pondering how information on a presidents health status should be managed. Also, unlike when the late President YarAdua was sick, Mr Buhari constitutionally transferred power to his deputy, Yemi Osinbajo, who now leads the country as acting president; a factor his supporters say distinguishes the two scenarios. However, for nearly 50 days, Buhari administration officials have provided different versions of the presidents true health situation, even as a cloud of anxiety hangs over the country. Mr Buhari wrote to the Nigerian Senate on January 19, disclosing his intention to travel abroad on a 10-day vacation and that hed handed over to his vice-president. Although the letter said he will commence the vacation on January 23, Mr Buhari departed Nigeria on the same day he wrote the lawmakers, an indication all may not have been well with the president. No sooner had Mr Buhari left the country than his aides came under attack for their alleged refusal to disclose the true state of the presidents health. President not sick The presidential aides and officials then released statements assuring Nigerians the president was not sick. PAY ATTENTION: Nigeria News Legit.ng - Android Apps on Google Play On January 22, barely two days after the president left, presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, declared the president fit on Twitter, and even mocked former President Goodluck Jonathan while at it. At some point, senior media aide, Femi Adesina, quoted a passage from the Holy Bible to forestall raging insinuations around the presidents health. On February 5, a day before M Buhari was due back in the country, his media aides again put out statements to quell rumours of his critical health situation, or worse. Mr Shehu said of the president: He and his delegation were ready to come home today but for the delayed test result which came in today which necessitated that he delays his return. There is nothing to worry about as far as his condition is concerned. This was hours after the president was said to have written to the National Assembly to extend his vacation. Also on February 6, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo declared Mr Buhari hale and hearty following a telephone discussion. Let me first say the President is hale and hearty. I spoke to him just this afternoon and we had a fairly long conversation, he is in good shape and very chatty, Mr Osinbajo said. Three days later following a Federal Executive Council meeting, Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, slammed Nigerians for fuelling rumours about Mr Buharis health. I can say it without any equivocation, Mr President is well, he is hale and he is hearty; no question about that, Mr Mohammed said. I want to assure you, Mr President is well and he is in absolutely no danger. The minister said the president was a victim of his own transparency, adding that Nigerians should not judge him by the standards he applied when he was in opposition and Mr YarAdua took ill. Mr President, like I said elsewhere, is probably a victim of his own transparency, the minister added. Mr President is not ill, he is not in hospital and there is no reason to give anybody any bulletin about his health, pure and simple. On the same day, Mr Buharis sister, Rakiya Adamu, implored Nigerians to keep her brother in serious prayers. On February 9, Christian and Muslim leaders urged their respective fellows to pray for the president. The Sultan of Sokoto reiterated the need to pray for Mr. Buhari on March 1. On February 14, Mr Shehu said: Nigerians should be getting ready to see the president in flesh, as soon as possible. On February 15, the president received principal officers from the National Assembly, who immediately declared him healthy, witty and himself. On February 16, senior media aide, Femi Adesina, said on TVCs This Morning that Mr. President will not speak to Nigerians because he has the right to his vacation, we dont need to intrude. At different media appearances between February 16 and March 1, Mr. Buharis administration officials maintained the president was in good health. Officials admit Buhari is sick On March 2, officials admitted for the first time that the president told the King of Morocco that his health was improving during a telephone discussion. Two days later, the president took a call from Alpha Conde, the chairperson of the AU and president on Guinea. Mr Adesina said in a statement after the call that Mr Conde wished Mr Buhari good health and speedy recovery. Within the last two weeks, Mr Buhari had placed calls to a wide array of personalities within the country, including Mr Obasanjo who he called on March 5. Two weeks after Mr Buhari left the country and speculations about his health raged, Mr Obasanjo castigated the rumour mongers as abnormal. If you dont like him, wait for another election, not going about to say he is dead. No matter his health situation, we should pray for him to recover quick and come back stronger and better, the former leader said. While speaking on a Channels Television programme, radical lawyer Femi Falana, blamed presidential aides for the controversy surrounding the presidents health. READ ALSO: Presidency did well by not disclosing the nature of Buharis ailment Reuben Abati Mr Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, questioned how Nigerians were supposed to pray for the president when they did not know if he was truly sick or the nature of the illness. While the presidency continues to keep mum on the presidents true health status and the nature of his illness, Nigerians remain divided on his continued absence from office. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily represent the editorial policy of Legit.ng. Your own opinion articles are welcome at info@corp.legit.ng drop an email telling us what you want to write about and why. More details in Legit.ngs step-by-step guide for guest contributors. Were ready to trade your news for our money: submit news and photo reports from your area using our Citizen Journalism App. Contact us if you have any feedback, suggestions, complaints or compliments. We are also available on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to Legit.ng Opinion page! Source: Legit.ng It is amazing that a lot of things could happen in Lagos with a single day of rainfall. This does not mean that the rainfall in Lagos is different from that of any other place; however, the events that unfold after the rainfall changes the environment and the behavior of the people in it. File photo of a typical rainy day in Lagos city. Lagos is known as a happening city in Nigeria; this is the city where no one ever gets some written codes of conduct. No one throws a grand party for you if you decide to be a part of the people living here. It is the city where millions of people explore in order to be liberated. As a matter of fact, dreams are actualized in the lively city. Like every other city, it is possible for you to get distracted and lose focus when you see some interesting events. Focus is a key word for people who are hell bent on going back home with the riches of this city. As a highly populated city, heat is something many of the inhabitants are familiar with. The congested city is always oozing with activities that can reduce the available fresh air in the environment. The need to expand and build structures is also affecting the natural resources that should be wind breakers for the people. As a city surrounded by port, this may not be a cause of worry for Lagosians. It should be noted that the principles of land and see breeze may not be so effective because of the over twenty million people living in the state. Like most people, the rainy season is always loved and looked forward to because of the things that accompany it. Lagos state experiences rainfall in virtually all the months of the year. The regularity is the only thing that makes it different. Check out the remarkable things that happen in Lagos whenever it rains 1. The weather becomes cooler On a normal day, Lagosians complain about the hot weather. With everyone breathing in the same exhaled air from others, it is possible for one to pass out if found in a crowded space. Lagosians are used to hustling and would not rest until they have achieved their aim for that day. When it rains, the heat disappears and everyone feels good. The deafening noise of generation could rob one of sanity while allowing depression to set in. You either choose the noise or allow the heat to get a better hold of you. READ ALSO: Serious problems contributing to the overpopulation of Lagos city 2. The traffic doubles Lagos is known particularly for the standstill traffic that rocks the megacity. Imagine what it feels like sitting in the traffic for hours on a sunny day, things could even be worse when you have it rains. The rain messes up the road and can make you spend a longer time than you would on a normal day. The moment the clouds gather and you are done with your business for the day, do not slack. The bus fare would increase because of the rain and the traffic will build within a very short time. Be warned. 3. Flooded roads The roads are most likely to get flooded in some parts of the city whenever it rains. This is something you are most likely to experience when it rains in Lagos. Some areas will definitely get flooded with long hours of rainfall. If this happens, the roads will become inaccessible and the bus drivers may have to take alternative routes. The alternative routes will eventually get blogged if the rain does not stop. The drainage system made by the government is somewhat ineffective because of the actions of some people who keep dumping wastes in them. 4. Danfo drivers become more sensible If you are a Lagosian, you will know better than to start a fight with a Danfo driver or Agbero in this city. They would have the last laugh by ridiculing you and embarrassing you. They are roughians like Nigerians would say because of their recklessness. Those drivers do know how to swerve and overtake on congested roads. As ill-mannered as some of these people are, they become more rational when it rains. They drive with care because they do not want their buses to get stuck in some pothole; they also avoid splashing water on people who are walking. 5. No power supply The PHCN officials do not supply power when it rains most times. They probably do this to prevent the poorly maintained transformers from blowing. This reason is not exclusive to Lagos alone. Some states record worse treatments when it comes to power supply. Some states literally have to wait for the electric poles to get dried before restoring the light. PAY ATTENTION: Get the latest news on Legit.ng app 6. The streets become deserted later A rainy day in Lagos means the roads will get deserted quickly. On a day that it rains in Lagos, businesses are most likely to close up faster. The fear of sleeping in traffic would make most vendors close early. Women want to get home and get cozy with their partners. Even the Danfo drivers would retire early and find their partners. If you do not lose early, you will be forced to order Uber. Source: Legit.ng FMCG companies every day worldwide gain more popularity. Our country is not an exception, so we propose to your attention list of Top FMCG companies in Nigeria. Top FMCG companies in Nigeria Before we will list FMCG companies in Nigeria it is wise to clarify some notions and give a general information. FMCG stands for Fast Moving Consumer Goods and is a general name for consumer goods. These include a diversity of products of light and food manufacturing industries. Among the FMCG-products are the following: durable goods; products for cleaning and washing; beauty aids; plates and dishes, light bulbs and batteries; tobacco and beverages; medicines. Such goods are less likely to fall in sales during crisis periods. Top FMCG companies in Nigeria Fast moving consumer goods in Nigeria deviate from durable goods. For instance, electronics and equipment, as a rule such goods are not changed more than once in several years. These products should also be differentiated from basic food products. The distinguishing properties of FMCG goods are the low price and inventory turnover. The goods of this kind are used for a short period, consistently, the frequency of their purchases is higher. The relative profit from the sale of goods of daily demand is low, but due to the mass character, they guarantee the sellers a high turnover. Not surprisingly, FMCG industry in Nigeria has such popularity in the consumer market and job market. FMCG market is characterized by a high level of competition, as well as a frequent occurrence of new products and brands. The main factors supporting the marketability of manufacturing companies in Nigeria are the breadth of the range, attractive prices, and regional coverage. To hold the place in the market, companies need to continuously replace brands of products, create and present new products to the market. Top FMCG companies in Nigeria The marketing policy of the manufacturers is aimed at working with the target audience to form the requirements for the goods, the constant increase in turnover, as well as ensuring customer loyalty to the trademark. Effective merchandising has become an important factor in sale uplift. Companies do it in many ways, the place and location of the goods in the sales place determines their sales. Top FMCG companies in Nigeria All FMCG companies in Nigeria and in general can be divided into several groups, depending on the number of represented brands in the product portfolio: monobrand - representing products, from one category (for example, Coca-Cola); offering 2-3 products - for example, juices and dairy products, drinks and confectionery (Cadbury Schweppes); multi-product - Procter & Gamble, Nestle, Unilever. This Top list is based on real, operating companies, marked by their partners as successful players in the distribution market. For the sake of objectivity, only companies engaged in trading activities were included in the rating, and representatives of manufacturers engaged exclusively in advertising and promotion of brands did not enter. Top FMCG companies in Nigeria Top FMCG companies in Nigeria Nigerian Breweries the biggest and best beverages manufacturing company in Nigeria. READ ALSO: Nigerian Breweries salary Nestle Nigeria Plc one of the oldest and having people trust manufacturer of baby foods, chocolate, coffee, drinks, cereals, dairy, confectionery and other. Flour Mills in Nigeria production of very popular Golden Penny flours. Dangote Group the hugest manufacturing group of businesses in Nigeria, producing starting with salt, flour and sugar and ending with steel, cement, oil and gas. Unilever Nigeria production of such well-known products as Knorr, Royco, Lipton, Vaseline, Pears, Blue Band, Omo, and other. Beloxxi group manufactures cream crackers and biscuits. PZ Cussons manufacturing of different household goods: soaps, Robb, Venus, Cussons Baby, Zip, Morning Freash etc. DUFIL Prima Foods production of the most consumed foods. Nexans Nigeria production of cables. British American Tobacco the leader in tobacco manufacturing in Nigeria. Chi Limited refreshing fruit drinks and juices, milk products, snacks, muffins, Vital products the company manufactures fruit juices, tomato products, and non-alcoholic beverages. OK foods production of biscuits, chocolates, beverages and processed foods. Fareast Mercantile Company an electrical equipment dealer. Bimzy Super Stores Ventures production of biscuits and beverages. Dis and Dat Mart making and selling of goods for kids and babies. Dansa Foods Limited - drinks and beverages. Deli Foods produce high-quality crackers and biscuits in Nigeria. Honeyland foods production of fresh natural juices and drinks. Nutri C production of Nutri C of different flavors. Now you are aware of FMCG in Nigeria, share this useful info with friends. READ ALSO: Multinational companies in Nigeria Source: Legit.ng Two former police officers have been sentenced to death by a Federal Capital Territory Court for their involvement in the killing of six Igbo traders in 2005. The infamous incident caused outrage in the country when the six Igbo traders were reportedly killed when they were returning from a night party in Abuja. Court sentences killers of Apo Six to death Justice Ishaq Bello found both Ezekiel Acheneje and Baba Emmanuel guilty of the murder and sentenced them to death. It was reported that the case has been hindered by institutional challenges ranging from series of adjournments, conveyance of defendants from the prison to court and difficulty in getting witnesses to testify. The suspects are: 1. Danjuma Ibrahim 2. Nicholas Zakaria 3. Ezekiel Acheneje 4. Baba Emmanuel 5. Sadiq Salami 6. Othman Abdulsalami (still at large). Eight policemen testified that Ibrahim ordered the killing of the traders. They allegedly killed in Apo, a satellite town in Abuja. The victims, Ifeanyi Ozo, Chinedu Meniru, Isaac Ekene, Paulinus Ogbonna, Anthony Nwokike and Augustina Arebun aged between 21 and 25 were returning from a a night party in 2005 when they were killed. The defendants claimed that the five men and one woman were robbers who had first opened fire on them and had pleaded not guilty to the charges. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who was president at the time had set up a panel of inquiry to look into the issue and the result indicated that victims were at a nightclub located at Gimbiya Street, Area 11 in Abuja on the night of the incident. The most senior officer, Ibrahim had made advances towards Augustina but she refused prompting him to move a police checkpoint and inform the officers that a group of robbers were in the area. The officers reportedly cornered them and ordered the police to shoot. Ifeanyi and Augustina had initially survived the attack as the rest died immediately and Ifeanyi still managed to call his friends but they were taken outside the Abuja metropolis where they were killed. Source: Legit.ng The Apo 6 killing has captured the attention of the public for the long time now, as the nation on June 7, 2005, woke up to the horrific news of 6 Igbo traders death. Unaware of the terrible fate that lay ahead, these victims set out for a night of fun and merry making before they were killed. Victims of the Apo 6 killing The defendants had pleaded not guilty to the allegations, making the trial to go through full stretch of adjudication from 2005 to date. Until, today March 8, the Federal Capital Territory Court sentenced two former police officers involved to death. Former police officer sentenced to death over Apo 6 killing Here are 9 facts you should know about the 2005 Apo 6 killing 1. Who were the culprits? The culprits were the Abuja policemen. The 5 policemen were accused of extrajudicial killings of the six Apo traders, on their way home in 2005. 2. The culprits names The policemen involved in the killing are Danjuma Ibrahim, and Othman Abdulsalami, are still at large, Nicholas Zakaria, Ezekiel Acheneje, Baba Emmanuel, and Sadiq Salami were arrested. 3. The location of the victims The victims, Ifeanyi Ozo, Chinedu Meniru, Isaac Ekene, Paulinus Ogbonna, Anthony Nwokike and Augustina Arebun were at a nightclub located at Gimbiya street, Area 11 in Abuja on the night of the incident. They were returning from a night party in 2005 when they were killed. READ ALSO: Apo 6: Set us free, police officers accused of killing begs court 4. The reason for their death There was a disagreement between the group and one of the police officer, Ibrahim when the female victim, Augustina turned down the senior officers love advances at the club. 5. The age of the victims The deceased were between 21 years and 25 years of age when they were killed by the police officers. 6. The accusation on the victims The police officers claimed that the five men and the woman were gunned down because they were armed robbers. READ ALSO: Profile Of Extrajudicial killings By Some Nigerian Police Officers 7. Those involved in the killing The five officers accused of the killings and eight other police witnesses eventually testified that a senior officer involved, Ibrahim, allegedly ordered the killings. 8. What prompted the police officer The police officer, Ibrahim due to his pride and ego was bruised by late Augustinas refusal to accept his love proposal he made at club. He then set out for revenge on the female Igbo indigene. 9. The officer's killing motive In order to carry out his revenge, Ibrahim went to a police checkpoint at the end of the street and told officers on duty that they were a group of armed robbers in the area. Source: Legit.ng Some residents of Ejigbo in Lagos State have decried what they described as outrageous bills often issued to them by Ikeja Electricity Company (IEC). The Spokesman of the group, Mr Ugochukwu Agwunwa, made their position known in an interview on Thursday. He said the area had been neglected by the company for so long. Agwunwa said that poor services were also their lots after several complaints. He alleged that IEC only distributed outrageous bills and deliberately refused to supply the residents with prepaid meters. PAY ATTENTION: Get the latest news on Legit.ng News App Agwunwa appealed to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to wade into the problem, saying that some of the staff were feeding fat on their customers. He also alleged that some members of the Community Development Association conspired with IEC staff to rip-off over 19,000 residents of houses in the area. The community is begging for prepaid meters and the Ikeja Electric Company does not want to answer the people, because they created the problem due to the gains they make from estimated bills. They bring huge bills every month. When residents fail to pay, they come with their ladder to disconnect. The people are tired and they demand that their prepaid meters be installed so that they could pay for what they consume. We have written to all the companys offices in Oke-Afa, Okota, Ikeja but they have failed to intervene. We are tired of estimated bills, Agwunwa said. According to him, there are 19,000 customers in our community. They have provided prepaid meters for communities in the interior and skipped our area. We are no longer going to tolerate this. We are ready to fight until our areas are flooded with prepaid meters, he said. Agwunwa said the group had also petitioned the Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni, over questionable activities. When contacted, the office of the Business Manager of Oke-Afa Unit of IEC through his mobile phone number; an unidentified fellow denied all the allegations. The fellow who did not disclose his identity, said the residents of Ejigbo had yet to get prepaid meters because it was not their turn. READ ALSO: Happy Birthday, Professor! Buhari congratulates Osinbajo @ 60 The houses we disconnected were those owing the company three months and above. We do not disconnect houses based on estimated bills. The supply of the prepaid meters is an ongoing exercise. We cannot supply the meters to all the areas at the same time. It is not the turn of the people complaining to have their prepaid meters, the unidentified fellow said. Ikeja electric however on March 3 announced a massive disruption to power supply from March 6 to April 4 in some key areas of Lagos state. Meanwhile, in the video below, acting President Osinbajo flags off Lagos-Ibadan railway line. Source: Legit.ng Social and economic activities were paralysed in Ile-Ife on Thursday due to the crisis that erupted between Hausa and Yoruba community in the town on Wednesday. Hausa and Yoruba clash leaves economic and social activities paralysed in Ile-Ife (photos) The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that banks, public and private schools as well as government offices were under lock and key in the ancient town. PAY ATTENTION: Get the latest News on Legit.ng News App Majority of the civil servants who went to work were sent back home by security personnel as most of the roads leading to their offices were blocked. NAN also reports that men of the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigerian Army as well as vigilance groups were seen at strategic locations in the town. Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) were also stationed in strategic places to secure lives and property. Although, the situation remained calm in Sabo and Lagere areas of the town where the crisis erupted, but majority of the residents stayed indoors as many major roads in the town looked deserted. The Osun Government on Wednesday announced a two-day curfew in the town from 6p.m. to 7a.m. The government said it was compelled to impose the curfew following the breach of the peace in the area that led to avoidable destruction of lives and properties. Meanwhile, the Chairman of Nigeria Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Ile-Ife, Mr Isiaka Olatunbosun, has condemned the crisis in the town. READ ALSO: Osun state government imposes 2 day curfew after 10 die in Ile-Ife clash Olatunbosun in a telephone interview with NAN blamed the crisis on impatience on both sides. He said due to the crisis, all the commercial drivers in the town had been instructed to stay at home. Source: Legit.ng Eminent Nigerian lawyer Femi Falana has written to South African President Jacob Zuma and urged him to urgently identify and prosecute persons and groups behind the xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in that country. Falana says he is ready to sue South Africa at AU human rights commission is his letter is ignore me. Daily Sun reports that Falana also wants the victims of the attacks to be compensated by the South African government. READ ALSO: Shiites massacre: Pressure continues to build up as Zakzaky's wife writes open letter to Buhari In the letter written on Thursday, March 9 and titled Re: Request to identify perpetrators of xenophobic attacks against Nigerians, bring them to justice and provide adequate compensation to victims, Falana warned that should the South African government fail to stop the attacks, he would drag the country to the AU Human Rights Commission. Falanas letter read: We are writing to request you to use your leadership position to urgently identify suspected perpetrators of criminal acts and xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other Africans living in South Africa and to bring them to justice promptly. We also urge you to promote and ensure access to justice and the right to effective remedy and reparations to victims. Since 2008, the xenophobic violence and other criminal acts have continued to occur across South Africa claiming lives, displacing tens of thousands of people and leaving countless victims injured and robbing them of their property. Although some arrests have reportedly been made, many perpetrators are yet to be brought to justice while the victims continue to be denied access to justice and their internationally recognised right to an effective remedy and reparations. We believe that it is the failure of your government to bring perpetrators to justice and protect the victims of the xenophobic attacks that has resulted in a vicious cycle of attacks and impunity. These xenophobic attacks and violence are not only human rights violations but also criminal acts, and the persistent failure to proactively address the problems is a serious affront to the rule of law, and directly breaches your governments international human rights obligations including under the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, particularly Article 12 on the right to movement. We contend that free movement is crucial for the protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Freedom of movement and residence are two sides of the same coin. Article 12 of the Charter guarantees freedom of movement in the broadest sense, and also expressly prohibits mass expulsion, a recurring problem in South Africa under your watch. We also argue that the exercise of sovereign power by a State to expel non-nationals who are legally admitted into its territory must follow due process, and be manifestly legal and comply with international standards. The African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights has in fact stated in Rencontre africaine pour la Defense des Droits de lHomme v Zambia (Communication 71/92) that, those who drafted the Charter considered large scale expulsion as a special threat to human rights. In consequence, the action of a State targeting specific national, racial, ethnic or religious groups is generally qualified as discriminatory in this sense as it has no legal basis. Similarly, the Commission has stated in John K Modise v Botswana (Communication 97/93) that, [W]hile the decision as to who is permitted to remain in a country is a function of the competent authorities of that country, this decision should always be made according to careful and just legal procedures, and with due regard to the acceptable international norms and standards. PAY ATTENTION: Get the latest news on Legit.ng News App Therefore, Article 12 imposes an obligation on your government to secure the rights protected in the Charter to all persons including Nigerians and other Africans within your countrys jurisdiction. Such obligation is breached when victims are denied the opportunity to be heard regarding the decision to expel them, either prior to or after their expulsion. We therefore urge you to move swiftly to address the debilitating situation by identifying and arresting the perpetrators and bringing them to justice promptly. We also urge you to publicly commit to providing access to justice and effective remedy to victims. Effectively prosecuting the perpetrators and providing reparations to victims would serve as a deterrent to future attacks. We also urge you to put measures in place to proactively protect non-nationals including Nigerians living in South Africa. Legit.ng recalls that South Africa's national police chief Khomotso Phahlane said 156 people were arrested in various incidents during the anti-foreigner march in Pretoria in late February. According to Phahlane, random acts of violence, looting and destruction of property had occurred during the protest. Source: Legit.ng President Muhammadu Buhari has received the iconic Archbishop of Canterbury Most Reverend Justin Welby at the Abuja House in London on Thursday, March 9. Buhari shaking hands with the iconic Christian leader The President himself confirmed the meeting in a post on his social media pages on Thursday afternoon just after the meeting. READ ALSO: Democracy offers opportunity for good governance, nation building - Aregbesola He wrote: "Very pleased to welcome my friend the Most Revd and Rt Hon Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, to Abuja House this afternoon." Both men pose for a picture at the Abuja House in London where President Muhammadu Buhari is staying Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England. He is also the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. PAY ATTENTION: Get the latest news on Legit.ng News App The visit comes just hours after the president called Nigeria to commiserate with former Ekiti state governor Niyi Adebayo on the death of his father. The last publicized visit President Buhari got was from his daughter Hadiza. Before then, some political chieftains from the ruling All Progressives Congress also visited him, so did the leadership of the National Assembly in the persons of Senate president Bukola Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara. Source: Legit.ng MADISON The Wisconsin State Assembly welcomed the newest consulate office to the state at the beginning of its legislative session Tuesday. Mexican Consul Julian Adem came to the Capitol at the invitation of Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and state Rep. Jessie Rodriguez, R-Oak Creek. With the consulate office opening in Milwaukee just last year, we wanted to give the consul the opportunity to meet with state lawmakers at the Capitol, Rodriguez said. Mexico is an important trade partner to the state and continuing a good relationship is vital to our economy and our citizens. According to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, Mexico is the states second-largest trading partner, accounting for 15 percent of total exported goods and more than $3 billion in exported value in 2016. Last year, exports to Mexico increased nearly 3 percent, more than any other international trading partner. The idea of a Mexican consulate in Wisconsin began four years ago when Gov. Scott Walker responded to a growing Mexican population in Wisconsin by reaching out to the Mexican government for assistance. With support from U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Ashland, the Mexican president agreed to send Adem to Milwaukee. The consul previously spent three years running an office in Las Vegas. This is the first step toward developing a stronger partnership between Mexico and our state, Vos said in thanking Adem for visiting with legislators. At the beginning of the legislative session Tuesday, Rodriguez and the Assembly presented a citation to Adem as a demonstration of the willingness to reach across borders to benefit both of the countries. - The House of Representatives wants the FG to give Kogi, Enugu, Anambra oil producing states status - Representatives of the three states say the government is aware that oil and gas deposits have been found in commercial quantities in Anambra Basin - The call by the House comes barely four months after the Kogi state House of Assembly urged the FG to accord Kogi the status of an oil producing state The House of Reps adopted the motion to make Kogi, Enugu, Anambra oil producing states on Thursday, March 9. The House of Representatives has adopted a resolution calling on the federal government to declare Kogi, Enugu and Anambra as oil producing states. READ ALSO: ND militants warn Osinbajo for favouring only Ijaw people The resolution was adopted on Thursday, March 9, following of a motion jointly moved by Emmanuel Egwu, Tony Nwoye and Patrick Asadu from the three states respectively. According to Premium times, Egwu who spoke on the behalf of the three states said the government was aware that oil and gas deposits have been found in commercial quantities in Anambra Basin. He said: We are aware that the failure to optimally explore this already established huge deposits in the Anambra Basin which would generate social and economic activities in the Basin has caused disaffection and crisis across those bordering States and occasionally led to bloodshed amongst citizens in the border corridors, where this oil is in high commercial quantity. READ ALSO: BREAKING: Senate threatens to sack Customs boss for flouting its order on duties for old vehicles Between 1952 and 1986, three companies, namely; Shell BP (now Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Elf (now Total Fina Elf) and Agip Energy had dug 25 exploration wells in this Basin but abandoned them due to the Government policy then that these deposits are to be for strategic reserve. Egwu said the lawmakers believe that the declaration of these states as oil producing states will not in any way jeopardise the on-going field tracing and provisional boundary demarcation being carried out by National Boundary Commission among Anambra, Enugu and Kogi States, but will rather aid in determining the percentage of derivation accruable to the three states. The call by the House is coming barely four months after the Kogi State House of Assembly urged the Federal Government to accord Kogi the status of an oil producing state. Meanwhile, Nigeria's ailing economy might receive a much needed boon as a new oil reserve which after being estimated is said to be able to generate upwards of N3 trillion for the country. The ExxonMobil Corporation discovered the oil reserve in last October. With about one billion barrels of oil in the Owowo field, offshore Nigeria, the reserve is capable of solving some of Nigeria's financial troubles. According to Leadership, barely a week after ExxonMobil sold its downstream subsidiary, it announced the discovery of the oil field. The Owowo oil field is located in southern Bayelsa state and energy experts say it will boost Nigerias efforts in increasing her crude oil reserves from the current 36 billion barrels to 40 billion barrels. Source: Legit.ng The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed February 16, 2019, as the date for the next presidential election in the country. Solomon Soyebi announcing the date for the 2019 presidential election. The INEC national commissioner in charge of the south-west, Solomon Soyebi, made the announcement at a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, March 9. READ ALSO: FG lists names of 23 INEC officials who allegedly collected N350m bribe from Governor Wike Soyebi disclosed that the commission also fixed the governorship/state assembly/Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections for Saturday, March 2, 2019. Below is the press release by INEC: You are all welcome to yet another briefing, which is in fulfillment of our pledge to regularly brief the public on the Commissions activities. 1. Our democracy is maturing and the Commission believes that there should be certainty with regard to the timetable for elections. For instance, in the United States, general elections always hold on the second Tuesday of November in the election year. In Ghana, its the 7th of December of the election year, while in other places like Mexico, Norway, Sweden, Costa Rica and Switzerland, the dates are also known in advance. In Nigeria, the constitution provides for elections to hold not earlier than 150 days and not later than 30 days to the end of the incumbents tenure. In order to ensure certainty in our dates for elections, and to allow for proper planning by the Commission, political parties, security agencies, candidates and all stakeholders, the Commission has decided to fix the date for the National Elections for the third Saturday in February of the election year, followed by State elections two weeks later. To that extent, the 2019 Presidential and National Assembly elections will hold on Saturday, 16th February 2019, while the Governorship/State Assembly/Federal Capital Territory Area Council Elections will hold on Saturday 2nd March 2019. READ ALSO: Sheriff lashes Makarfi for encouraging members to leave party 2. The Commission has also received a Report from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) of the Federation, informing us that 23 Electoral Officers indicted over the investigation into the 10th December Rivers Re-run elections have been charged to court. The Commission has repeatedly said that it will cooperate with security agencies for the prosecution of any of our staff found to have violated the integrity of the electoral process. Accordingly, at our meeting today, the Commission decided to apply the provisions of the INEC Terms and Conditions of Service to all those charged to court, since it constitutes gross misconduct. The penalty for this is interdiction. All the 23 Electoral Officers will be placed on half salary and will not report for duty pending the determination of their respective cases by the court. 3. Ladies and gentlemen, you will recall that last week, we informed you that a decision would be taken this week on the recommendation by the Disciplinary Committee on staff members indicted by the EFCC Report for misconduct during the 2015 General Elections. However, in view of the fact that some of the staff are also among those being prosecuted by the DPP, the Commission has decided to defer its decision on the EFCC Report to enable us reconcile the EFCC/DPP reports. READ ALSO: Date of 2023 election and 7 other facts INEC wants Nigerians to know 4. And as part of our routine consultations with our stakeholders, the Commission has decided to hold the next regular quarterly meetings with stakeholders as follows: A. Tuesday 14th March Meeting with Political Parties B. Wednesday 15th March Meeting with Civil Society Organizations C. Friday 17th March Meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES). D. Monday March 21 Meeting with Media organizations. Our invitations have been sent to the respective stakeholders 5. We wish to assure all Nigerians that the Commission will remain fully committed to the sanctity of the electoral process and will never protect any of its staff, no matter highly placed, found to have violated the provisions of the Electoral Act and our guidelines." Meanwhile, the INEC has been asked to review and amen the 2010 Electoral Act before the 2019 polls. A conglomeration of 25 Nigerian political parties acting on the platform of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), made the demand on Wednesday, March 8. The parties also commended the Independent National Electoral Commission in its recent step to discipline erring officials involved in irregularities, corruption and malpractices in the Rivers State rerun elections. The parties include the Labour Party, Progressive Peoples Alliance, Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, Accord Party, African Democratic Congress, Democratic Peoples Congress, National Conscience Party and Progressive Peoples Alliance. The commission has also announced dates for 2023, 2027, 2031 and 2035 general elections. According to the commission, over 7.8 million Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) are yet to be collected since 2015. Source: Legit.ng SOMERS A former Sturtevant village trustee, banished from the state in 2012 for illegal possession of an assault rifle and alleged misconduct with teenage girls, is facing accusations that he sexually assaulted an 8-year-old neighbor. John H. Thillemann, of the 1100 block of 87th Avenue in Somers, was charged Wednesday with repeated sexual assault of a child, a felony punishable by up to 40 years in prison. The manager of the apartment complex where the assaults allegedly took place said Thillemann has lived at the building since 2012, Kenosha County Sheriffs Department spokesman Erick Klinkhammer stated Thursday. Allegations According to the criminal complaint, a Sheriffs Department deputy was dispatched to the apartment complex for a sexual assault complaint. When the deputy arrived at the building, he was flagged down by Thillemann, who reportedly asked to get in the back of the squad car and said youre looking for me. Thillemann, 72, then said he was accused of touching a girl, the complaint states. The deputy then met with the mother of the alleged victim who said a friend told her he thought Thilleman a family friend who lived across the hall was being inappropriate with her two daughters, an 8-year-old and a toddler. The mother then spoke with her 8-year-old daughter, who reportedly curled into a ball and started crying when asked if Thillemann had ever touched her private parts. The girl said Thillemann touched her over her clothes a few times, the complaint states, but she didnt say anything because she didnt want to get into trouble and because Thillemann told her it wasnt a big deal. Later, during a separate interview with the deputy, the victim reported Thillemann touched her vaginal area four or five times, according to the complaint. Thilleman eventually admitted to touching the girls genitals during an interview with the deputy, the complaint states. He said the molestations had occurred over the last several months in his apartment and that he had also touched the childs breasts. He denied touching the toddler. A search of Thillemans apartment reportedly turned up a brand new childs bikini, as well as two pairs of child-size underwear hidden in a cigar box. Previous case The sexual assault charge comes about five years after Thillemann was banished from the state for alleged misconduct with teenage girls and a weapons charge. Under the unusual plea deal reached by Thillemanns attorney and the Racine County District Attorneys Office in July 2012 Racine County Circuit Court Judge Allan Pat Torhorst ordered Thillemann to put his house up for sale and move out of Wisconsin within 60 days. Thillemann, then 67 and still living in Sturtevant, had been charged with a felony and several misdemeanors in December 2011 after Racine County sheriffs deputies began investigating an allegation of misconduct with underage girls and discovered an AK-47 assault rifle beneath a bed in his home. He was initially charged in 2011 with possession of a machine gun, a felony; theft, and two counts of intentionally contributing to the delinquency of a child. He was accused of paying for motel rooms so two girls, who were age 16 and 17 at the time, could party with friends, and of supplying them with liquor, the complaint stated. Investigators who searched Thillemanns home in 2011 reportedly found a wooden cigar box that contained five pairs of bikini underwear. Also inside the cigar box was a Christmas card, signed by one of the teens, and containing two unopened condoms, according to the complaint. Thillemann later told the court he was moving to Texas, and in exchange for pleading guilty to a new misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct, Thillemann was required to leave Wisconsin and pay a $1,000 fine plus court costs. Attorneys hammered out the unique agreement after a psychological evaluation of Thillemann indicated his behavior was the result of post-traumatic stress stemming from his time serving on a military fire base. In November 2012, attorneys reported to the court that Thillemann had not moved to Texas, but rather to Illinois, and the state moved to dismiss the felony weapon charge. Thillemann made his initial appearance on Wednesday in Kenosha County Circuit Court, where his bond was set at $100,000. He remains at the Kenosha County Jail. A preliminary hearing in the case has been set for 8:30 a.m. March 16. In continuation with the clearance operations of the remnants and fleeing members of Boko Haram terrorists group, troops involved in Operations LAFIYA DOLE and HARBIN KUNAMA II have intensified the tempo of their operations in their various areas of operations. This was disclosed in a statement by Brigadier General Sani Kukasheka Usman, the director Army Public Relations on Thursday, March 9. A statement from Usman read: The troops of 232 Battalion yesterday carried out patrols to Muchalla, Lade and Bodeno villages in order to prevent Boko Haram terrorists infiltration. Similarly, troops in blocking position at Garkida carried out similar exercise to Dzangwalla general area where they neutralized fleeing Boko Haram terrorists. On their part, troops of 23 Brigade Support Battalion conducted patrol to Kolkol village with the aim of dominating the area and preventing elements of Boko Haram terrorists infiltrating the area through borders with neighbouring Cameroon. Whereas the troops stationed at Forward Operation Base at Hong have assumed blocking positions in Mararrabar Pella, Kalaa and Shangui to dominate the area and fix any Boko Haram terrorists that venture that way. Troops intensify operations against fleeing Boko Haram terrorists According to Usman, Alhassan Garba, a suspected Boko Haram terrorists informant was arrested by troops of 27 Task Force Brigade. He said: The troops of 27 Task Force Brigade on the other hand, following tip off from well meaning Nigerians, yesterday arrested a suspected Boko Haram terrorists informant and collaborator, Alhassan Garba, at Azare village, Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State. Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects daughter, Lami Alhassan Garba is married to a confirmed Boko Haram terrorist, Musa Isah, who fled from the village to Kano and was subsequently tracked and apprehended in Kano city. Both are currently being held for further investigation. Troops intensify operations against fleeing terrorists Usman continued: Troops of 233 Battalion in conjunction with elements of 29 Task Force Brigade and 212 Battalion have also conducted clearance operations where they successfully rid Lawanti village of Boko Haram terrorists. Similarly, troops of 154 Task Force Battalion, 29 Task Force Brigade, have also conducted fighting patrol along Mauli-Alagarno road with a view to dominate the area against infiltration by fleeing Boko Haram terrorists. The unit has also carried out patrol to Sansan village and Bulabulin to prevent Boko Haram terrorists infiltration. "Troops of 156 Task Force Battalion of the same Brigade have also carried out patrols along Ngula-Jayiwa and Kukuram-Abalam axis to deny fleeing Boko Haram terrorists from crossing over to other areas. He added: The 29 Task Force Brigade Defence Company and Quick Response Force carried out massive joint clearance operations with troops of 27 Task Force Brigade and 212 Battalion. The troops of the various units and Forward Operating Bases of 33 Brigade Nigerian Army have also been carrying out patrols to Lame, Bingel, Gumau, Toro, Panshanu, Tashan Kaji and Tashan Durumi. Others include Sabon Gari, Yelwan Duguri, Darazo, Soro, Wailo, Drum, Bukutumbe, Dogon Ruwa, Dingis, Dabar Baga and Gomo, among others. Similarly, the Brigade is involved in Operation HARBIN KUNAMA II in some forests within Bauchi and Gombe States with tremendous success. The troops of 231 and 331 Battalions stationed in southern Borno have also been maintaining blocking positions, carrying out patrols, raids and ambushes within their areas of responsibility. Source: Legit.ng Harvard Law School, moving to open its doors to a larger, more diverse pool of applicants, said on Wednesday that it would accept the graduate record examination, known as the GRE, for the admission of students entering its fall 2018 class. The law school, whose alumni include senators, chief executives, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and President Barack Obama, is the second accredited law school in the United States to accept the GRE for admission. It follows the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, which made the change a year ago. At the time, Arizonas decision provoked a heated debate in the legal profession, which has long supported the Law School Admissions Test, or LSAT, over whether that test should be relied on as a single valid predictor of law school success. Since Arizonas move, around 150 law school deans, including Martha Minow of Harvard Law, have expressed support for the change. Now Harvard Law is taking the same step. The school said it would start a pilot program in the fall, when students begin submitting applications for the three-year juris doctor program that begins in 2018. At just over four feet tall, she appears ready to take the bull by its horns. A bronze statue of a girl, fists on her hips, staring down the famous 7,000-pound Charging Bull sculpture near Wall Street, captivated passers-by on Wednesday and drew an overwhelming response online, where many viewed it as a powerful symbol for International Womens Day. Stories and images of the statue, called Fearless Girl and placed on behalf of the investment firm State Street Global Advisors, trended on Facebook and appeared thousands of times on Instagram and Twitter, garnering praise from women including Chelsea Clinton and the actress Jessica Chastain, who called for it to remain in Lower Manhattan beyond its one-week permit. The statue already has its own Wikipedia page. It was a hit as a marketing stunt, initiated by the advertising agency McCann New York and State Street Global Advisors, which is the asset management arm of State Street. State Street Global Advisors, which is based in Boston, has been a vocal advocate for gender diversity at companies, pushing for more women on boards and in leadership roles, and was looking for a unique way to highlight that message, said Stephen Tisdalle, its chief marketing officer. The agency has three women on its 11-member board, according to its website. SAN FRANCISCO The ride-hailing service Uber said on Wednesday that it would prohibit employees from using a program called Greyball to thwart regulators. Ubers new policy pertaining to the use of Greyball, a tool the company developed to show individual riders different versions of its app, comes in the aftermath of a New York Times article that outlined how the company had used the tool to identify and avoid local regulators who were investigating the service. The article, which cited four former and current Uber employees, said the company had used Greyball to thwart authorities in various cities in the United States and other countries. In a statement on Wednesday, Joe Sullivan, Ubers chief security officer, said the company was conducting a review of how the technology had been used. Residents remain doubtful. The nearby Bedford-Atlantic Armory Mens Shelter, the largest shelter for single men in the city, with capacity for 350 residents, has been notorious for crime, loitering and panhandling, a reputation exacerbated by its ominous appearance inside a turreted castle. In an interview, Steven Banks, the commissioner for the Department of Social Services, said homeless services would begin to engage the men with more activities during the day at Bedford-Atlantic. The agency has also raised the minimum age requirement for the new shelter managed by CORE to 62, from 50, after hearing the concerns at the community meeting on Saturday, he said. Gail Muhammad, president of the 1200 Dean Street Block Association, has lived in her home in Crown Heights North for 18 years. She and her neighbor, Ken Baron, 69, who has lived in the neighborhood for about five years, lamented the mayors plan in an interview on Saturday at a coffee shop. Ms. Muhammad, 66, questioned how the city could know where a person lived previously. Were they born there? Did they just recently move from there? What qualifies them as being from Crown Heights? she said. Mr. Baron chimed in, calling the mayors plan specious. As Ms. Muhammad and Mr. Baron were making a case against the new mens shelter, Robert Grant, 65, walked in. Can I borrow a little change, please? he said. Im homeless. Im hungry. Im not trying to be rude. God bless. The New York media company Gothamist, which runs local news websites in five cities across the United States, has been purchased by DNAinfo, a local news media company owned by the conservative billionaire Joe Ricketts. Gothamist.com, its flagship site in New York City, will serve as the official blog for DNAinfo, the company said covering food, arts and viral stories while serving to promote the news stories churned out by DNAinfos network of neighborhood reporters. Its sister site, Chicagoist, will do the same for DNAinfos Chicago site. The three other websites in the Gothamist network in Washington, San Francisco and Los Angeles will include DNAinfo stories when relevant and may be used as launchpads for future DNAinfo sites, according to a statement from Gothamist. By joining forces with Gothamist, DNAinfo will be able to do an even better job of fulfilling its longstanding mission, which is to bring people the most relevant and interesting news and information about their neighborhoods, Mr. Ricketts said in a statement. There has been a sit-in and a rally, an allegation of fake news, a petition that garnered thousands of signatures and a chorus of outcry from elected officials. What is causing so much outrage? Townsend Harris High School, a high-performing school in Queens, is getting a new principal. For several months, students, teachers and parents have made a forceful and public case against the schools interim acting principal, Rosemarie Jahoda, who has held the position since the beginning of the school year. They have criticized her management style and interactions with students, and called for her to be replaced. In the past week, the conflict has only intensified. On Tuesday, the Queens borough president, Melinda Katz, sent a letter to the New York City schools chancellor, Carmen Farina, calling for changes in the long-established principal-hiring process, which she described as entirely shrouded under a veil of silence and secrecy. This was her third letter to Ms. Farina on the hiring process and its impact on Townsend Harris. CALEDONIA The REAL School is closed to students Thursday due to a power outage, said Stacy Tapp, Racine Unified School District spokeswoman. Parents received an automated call shortly before 6 a.m. Thursday alerting them to the school's closure. Wednesday's heavy winds played a part in the power outage, prompting early releases from Mitchell Middle School and Case High School. Parents also received a call Wednesday shortly before 2 p.m. stating a power outage had occurred, caused by heavy winds in the area, but the school still had backup generators in place to allow school to run. Shortly before school was dismissed for the day, students reported the backup generator also failed, but school buses were already en route to the school. I have never had a problem speaking truth to power, said John Kelly, the retired general, in January. I firmly believe that those in power deserve full candor and my honest assessment and recommendations. Well, then. If Mr. Kelly was speaking honestly under oath, at the hearing on his nomination to be homeland security secretary what has he been waiting for? Why is he not out there reminding all who will listen, but particularly his boss, President Trump, of the sensible things he told senators barely two months ago, explaining what a reasonable border and immigration policy might look like? Instead, Mr. Kelly is giving every indication that he and his vast department are fully on board with executing Mr. Trumps fixation on protecting the nation from an imaginary siege at the southern border, while waging an all-out deportation campaign against millions of unauthorized immigrant workers and families who pose no threat to the nation. Its a misguided, self-destructive direction to take the country. Mr. Kelly should be stepping on the brakes, not the gas. The latest evidence, first reported by Politico, is a draft Department of Homeland Security budget that would bulk up border spending at the expense of the Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Coast Guard would be cut 14 percent, from $9.1 billion to $7.8 billion. Cuts to the T.S.A. and FEMA would be about 11 percent, to $4.5 billion and $3.6 billion, respectively. INTERNATIONAL An article on Feb. 28 about the release of a video showing the beheading of a German sailor kidnapped in the Philippines by Abu Sayyaf, an Islamist group, misstated the day that Abu Sayyaf had set as the deadline for the German and Philippine governments to comply with its demand for $600,000 in ransom. The deadline was Sunday, Feb. 26 not Monday, Feb. 27. BUSINESS DAY A picture caption on Friday with an article about Apple devices that are losing ground in American classrooms to Chromebooks, inexpensive laptops that run on the Chrome operating system from Google, misspelled part of the name of place in Maryland where children were shown using Chromebooks. It is Glen Burnie, not Glenn Burnie. THE ARTS An article on Feb. 21 about the Claremont Institute described incorrectly an event at which Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. accepted a statesmanship award. It was a dinner gala, not a fund-raising gala. The article also misidentified the position Thomas D. Klingenstein holds with the institute. He is the chairman of the board, not the president. OBITUARIES An obituary on Feb. 21 about the movie critic Richard Schickel misstated the date of his first movie review and the name of the movie. The review was published in 1965, not 1963, and the movie was titled A Boy Ten Feet Tall not Sammy Going South, the name under which it had been released two years earlier in Britain. We cant remain in the same place. We got a call last weekend telling us that theyd find us under whatever rock we were hiding. REINA, who is seeking refugee status for her two nieces, witnesses to the killing of their grandparents in El Salvador. Some AT&T cellphone users in at least 14 states and Washington, D.C., were unable to call 911 for a few hours on Wednesday night, officials said. City, county, law enforcement and emergency response officials took to social media over the course of almost five hours to warn people across the country of the disruption. AT&T said at 10:30 p.m. that the problem had had been fixed. Service has been restored for wireless customers affected by an issue connecting to 911, AT&T said in a statement around 10:30 p.m. We apologize to those affected. The telecommunications giant did not say when and how the problem began, or how many customers were affected. The warnings began no later than 5:49 p.m., when the Monongalia County Homeland Security Emergency Management Agency in West Virginia reported the problem on Facebook. Officials continued issuing warnings until at least 10:25 p.m. Some of Massachusettss top politicians said on Wednesday that they would not attend the St. Patricks Day Parade in South Boston after organizers told a group of gay and transgender military veterans that they would not be allowed to march on March 19 after two years of L.G.B.T. inclusion in the event. The governor, Charlie Baker, and the mayor of Boston, Martin J. Walsh, both announced their decision to skip the parade over its decision to bar the group, OutVets. In a statement, the mayor encouraged the public to do the same. I will not tolerate discrimination in our city of any form, Mr. Walsh said. I will not be marching in the parade unless this is resolved. Anyone who values what our city stands for should do the same. Mr. Baker said it doesnt make any sense to exclude the group. If veterans groups arent allowed to march in that parade for whatever reason, then Ill probably do something else, he told reporters on Wednesday. Clayton Yeutter, a lawyer who oversaw negotiations with Canada under President Ronald Reagan that became the basis for the North American Free Trade Agreement, died on Saturday at his home in Potomac, Md. He was 86. His wife, Cristena Bach Yeutter, said the cause was metastatic colon cancer. A farmer from birth, Mr. Yeutter, who was secretary of agriculture under President George Bush and, earlier, the United States trade representative under Reagan, negotiated complex economic deals with a bluntness more common in pastures than in politics. Before he was confirmed as agriculture secretary in 1989, a profile in The New York Times called him a burly, back-thumping, 58-year-old official with the voice of a hog caller. Mr. Yeutter often employed that voice to argue for reduced restrictions on trade. Reagan appointed him trade representative in 1985, to succeed William E. Brock, who became secretary of labor. The Trump administration has invoked executive powers in a bid to block the testimony of several top C.I.A. officials in a federal lawsuit against two psychologists who helped run the agencys harsh interrogation program, along with portions of 172 internal agency documents. Hoping to prevent the officials, including Gina Haspel, the agencys new deputy director, from being forced to testify, the administration is using the state secrets privilege, which means the executive branch is asking the judge in the case to keep information out of court by asserting that its disclosure would damage national security. The government rarely tries to use the extraordinary power, and this is among the first assertions of it by the Trump administration. At an earlier phase of the case in Federal District Court in Spokane, Wash., the Obama administration did not invoke the privilege although in court filings last year, it did leave the door open to doing so at a later stage. The lawsuit was filed in 2015 by two former detainees at C.I.A. secret prisons overseas and the representative of a third man who died in custody. If they prevail in the suit against the former military psychologists, James E. Mitchell and Bruce Jessen, who helped devise and run the interrogation program, it would be the first time an American civilian court has held anyone accountable for a role in developing counterterrorism policies after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. WASHINGTON White House officials declared on Wednesday that President Trump was not the target of an investigation, five days after Mr. Trump himself raised the prospect with an unsubstantiated claim that his predecessor ordered the wiretapping of Trump Tower. After first refusing to disavow Mr. Trumps allegations, made in a series of Twitter posts, and instead calling for Congress to investigate them, the press secretary, Sean Spicer, told reporters, There is no reason that we have to think the president is the target of any investigation whatsoever. Mr. Spicers statement, which he read from a sheet of paper that was handed to him at the end of his briefing, reinforced the conundrum Mr. Trumps tweets have created for the White House: Either the presidents assertions are baseless, or he may have implicated himself in a government investigation of contacts between his presidential campaign and Russia. Until Wednesday, Mr. Spicer had steadfastly declined to discuss Mr. Trumps assertion that former President Barack Obama ordered wiretap surveillance of Trump Tower an act that Mr. Trump condemned as a scandal comparable in scale to McCarthyism or Watergate. The number of undocumented immigrants caught along the southwest United States border fell significantly last month, which the Trump administration said Wednesday was a sign that its hard line on illegal immigration might already be discouraging border crossers. Roughly 840 people a day were caught or stopped from entering the United States from Mexico in February, according to Customs and Border Protection, a drop of about 36 percent from the previous February. Just as significant, the number was down about 39 percent from January, a reversal of a yearslong trend of apprehensions increasing in February as the temperature begins to rise and more people try to cross the border. WASHINGTON The C.I.A. scrambled on Wednesday to assess and contain the damage from the release by WikiLeaks of thousands of documents that cataloged the agencys cyberspying capabilities, temporarily halting work on some projects while the F.B.I. turned to finding who was responsible for the leak. Investigators say that the leak was the work not of a hostile foreign power like Russia but of a disaffected insider, as WikiLeaks suggested when it released the documents Tuesday. The F.B.I. was preparing to interview anyone who had access to the information, a group likely to include at least a few hundred people, and possibly more than a thousand. An intelligence official said the information, much of which appeared to be technical documents, may have come from a server outside the C.I.A. managed by a contractor. But neither he nor a former senior intelligence official ruled out the possibility that the leaker was a C.I.A. employee. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation into classified information. The C.I.A. has refused to explicitly confirm the authenticity of the documents, but it all but said they were genuine Wednesday when it took the unusual step of putting out a statement to defend its work and chastise WikiLeaks. RACINE COUNTY Heavy winds wreaked havoc across the county Wednesday, with multiple semis overturned on Interstate 94, many power lines and trees knocked down and power outages throughout the area. The winds also forced Case High School and Mitchell Middle School to dismiss early due to power outages. Winds blew at more than 50 mph throughout much of day, according to the National Weather Service in Sullivan, with some gusts as high as 56 mph recorded at Batten International Airport. Semis overturned At least four semis overturned in Racine County, including one that closed Interstate 94 at Highway K for 11 hours. That crash occurred around 3:45 a.m., according to the State Patrol. The single-vehicle semi crash involved a tanker truck tipping on its side on the middle median near Highway K, Wisconsin State Patrol Sgt. Scott Gouin said. All northbound lanes of the interstate reopened at 3 p.m. However, another overturned semi crash occurred shortly before 3 p.m. on southbound I-94, closing all southbound lanes on the interstate at Highway 11. Other rollovers were reported just north of Highway KR and on the Burlington bypass near the Highway 11 exit. Power outages The winds also did damage to power lines, with numerous reports of lines down across the county. About 2,800 We Energies customers in Racine County were without power late Wednesday morning, spokeswoman Cathy Schulze said. Most of the outages were likely due to tree limbs falling on power lines, she said, though there were police scanner reports Wednesday morning of entire poles blown over, and at least one report of an electrical pole that snapped in half at 15515 Spring St., west of Highway 20. Downed trees also caused problems for motorists. At about 12:40 p.m. a tree was reportedly blocking both lanes in the 300 block of West Boulevard. School dismissals Students at Case, 7345 Washington Ave., Mount Pleasant, were dismissed at about 12:45 p.m., and students at Mitchell, 2701 Drexel Ave., Racine, at about 1 p.m. due to power outages, district spokeswoman Stacy Tapp said. Although both schools have backup generators, Tapp said they do not provide enough light to all parts of the buildings. The REAL School, 5915 Erie St., Caledonia, also lost power, Tapp said, but the lighting provided by the generator there, coupled with the sunlight provided by windows in the building, was enough to keep students there through the end of the normal school day. UNITED NATIONS Faced with persistent allegations of sexual abuse by United Nations peacekeepers, the new head of the world body is proposing to stop paying countries that fail to investigate claims against their soldiers in a timely manner, and to put that money instead into a trust fund to assist survivors. In what he calls a new approach, the secretary general, Antonio Guterres, also wants all United Nations personnel to attest, in writing, that they understand the policy against sexual exploitation and abuse, which includes paying for sex. In addition, he intends to develop a new set of rules to prevent sexual abuse by peacekeepers possibly including prohibitions on the consumption of alcohol. The proposals, contained in a draft report obtained by The New York Times, are scheduled to be publicly released Thursday. Allegations of sexual abuse, including against children and other vulnerable civilians in some of the worlds most troubled spots, have long dogged the world body, and have come under increased scrutiny over the last few years. Probably more important than RT, Mr. Pszczel said, are Sputnik and local language outlets sponsored by Russia, like the Slovak magazine Zem a Vek, known for its conspiracy theories. Sputnik is the largest source of raw news in the Balkans, he said, because its a free product in local languages. And then they set up some friendly association, at some small university, which holds seminars, and then a number of strange websites start promoting the product, like an industrial marketing operation. But RT is also helpful in another traditional Moscow effort: making friends with useful people, and not just Mr. Assange, Mr. Pomerantsev said. RT made Mike Flynn feel good after losing his job as head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, he said, paying him a reported $40,000 to come to RTs anniversary celebration in Moscow and sit near Mr. Putin. And Mr. Flynn, for a time, was national security adviser of the United States. Mr. Nimmo of the Atlantic Council noted RTs small reach in Germany, where Angela Merkel, a Putin critic, is facing a tough re-election fight, and where there are up to 3.5 million Russian speakers. I strongly suspect that RT Deutsch has a trivial effect compared to Russian-speaking Germans watching Russian television, he said. Stefan Meister, who studies Russia and Central Europe for the German Council on Foreign Relations, agreed that we shouldnt overestimate RT. The main success of the Russians is the link to social media through bots and a network of different sources. That network, he said, is increasingly well organized, with more strategic and explicit links between sources and actors Russian domestic media, troll factories, RT, people in social networks and maybe also the security services. Open societies are very vulnerable, Mr. Meister said, and its cheaper than buying a new rocket. RT is part of the reality of the 21st century, Mr. Pomerantsev said. Everyone will do it soon. Its the world we have to live in. Hacks and leaks are much more disruptive, he said. If you can take out the electrical grid in Ukraine, thats scary. Its hard to get too scared about Larry King on RT. Mr. Pomerantsev agrees with Ms. Belkina that RT is not inventing popular mistrust about Western democracy. The Russians are about sowing mistrust about institutions that is there already, feeding it, he said. How do we make our institutions more trustworthy? But Mr. Trump has made clear that he will not pay what he says amounts to ransom, which the Obama administration was accused of doing after the Iranians released five Americans in January 2016, when the nuclear agreement entered into force. Image Baquer Namazi, in a photograph provided by his family. Mr. Namazi, 80, a former Unicef official, is being held in Iran. Credit... Reuters President Barack Obamas aides described the payment made to Iran, which totaled roughly $1.7 billion, as the coincidental settling of an old, unresolved debt, an explanation widely regarded by critics and even some administration supporters with cynicism. Their suspicions were reinforced when Iranian Revolutionary Guards officers were later quoted in Irans state press as having bragged about the payment. The boasting suggested that some powerful Iranians believed a precedent had been set to demand more money for further prisoner releases. Whatever Obama administration officials wish to call it, their de facto ransom payment has encouraged Iran to double down on efforts to target U.S. citizens traveling there, Saeed Ghasseminejad, an associate fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based group critical of the Iran nuclear deal, wrote in a recent policy brief. The Americans seized since the deal was completed, he wrote, are testament to that disconcerting trend. In a widely quoted Twitter message in October, after Siamak and Baquer Namazi were sentenced to 10 years in prison on unexplained charges of having aided a hostile foreign power meaning the United States Mr. Trump denounced Iran over what he called its demand for a fortune in prisoner exchanges. This doesnt happen if Im president, he stated. Irans use of American prisoners for negotiation leverage has been a recurrent theme in the four-decade history of its enmity with the United States. The prisoners released after the successful nuclear diplomacy were widely seen as pawns in that effort. It remains unclear precisely why Iran has continued what appears to be an arbitrary pattern of arresting Americans of Iranian descent, with no obvious evidence of wrongdoing. But many hard-line advocates of anti-American views in Iran, including Ayatollah Khamenei, see Iranian-Americans as particularly dangerous spreaders of seditious ideas. A bill that would regulate the traditional use of loudspeakers for the Muslim call to prayer passed its first legislative hurdle in Israels Parliament on Wednesday, provoking frustration and anger among some Arab lawmakers. One version of the bill would prohibit places of worship from using loudspeakers between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., while another would ban any broadcast over such speakers regardless of the time of day if it is deemed unreasonably loud, the BBC reported. The first daily prayer is traditionally performed before sunrise. Both versions passed with slim majorities, but a final draft requires further approval from Parliament before becoming law. Opponents describe the legislation as an attack on religious freedom that targets the five daily calls to prayer. Supporters describe it as something closer to a noise ordinance. WASHINGTON As Syrian fighters backed by the United States close in on Raqqa, some of the Islamic States leaders have fled their self-declared capital and are planning to carry on the fight from other sanctuaries in Syria and Iraq, an American defense official said on Wednesday. The departure of some of the groups leadership does not mean that the battle to take Raqqa will be easy, the official said. An estimated 3,000 to 4,000 fighters remain in the city. To provide more firepower for the looming battle, a United States Marine artillery unit is being deployed in Syria, mimicking the approach the United States has taken to support Iraqi troops fighting to reclaim Mosul from the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. But the flight of some Islamic State leaders indicates that their loss of Raqqa would not signal the end of their struggle to preserve their pseudo-state. The groups fighters are expected to fight on in Deir al-Zour, a Syrian province south of Raqqa, and in Iraqi towns along the Euphrates River, as well as to try to administer their self-proclaimed caliphate from those places. Mercy Corps, a leading American charity that uses Turkey as a base to aid hundreds of thousands of civilians upended by the war in neighboring Syria, was forced to curtail its work on Wednesday after the Turkish government abruptly revoked its registration to operate. Our hearts are broken by this turn of events, which comes after five years of cooperation with the government of Turkey and other local partners, Mercy Corps said in a statement. It said Turkish officials had provided no explanation for the move, which forced Mercy Corps to shut down our operations in Turkey, effective immediately. Mercy Corps, a global organization with programs in more than 40 countries, has run one of the largest humanitarian operations in the Syrian conflict. Since 2012, it has been delivering lifesaving assistance to as many as 500,000 civilians in Syria each month, much of it through Turkey. In 2016, the charity also provided emergency help to 100,000 Syrian and Turkish civilians on Turkeys side of the border. If you happened to see Werner Herzogs video installation Hearsay of the Soul in the 2012 Whitney Biennial, you have already caught sight of the startlingly experimental etched vistas of the 17th-century Dutch master of the Golden Age, Hercules Segers. Greatly magnified details of his strangely barren, slightly unreal landscapes dominated Mr. Herzogs five-channel video installation, which paid homage to Dutch artistry. In The Mysterious Landscapes of Hercules Segers, a large, mesmerizing exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, we experience Segerss epic prints whole, at full force. Segers used printmaking as it had never been used before, primarily to improvise unique artworks. If Mr. Herzog is a fan of his wonderlands, so was Rembrandt, who was influenced by Segerss working methods and owned at least eight of his paintings, one printing plate and probably some prints. But much of Segerss work was subsequently lost and biographical information is scant. As a result, his audaciousness has yet to receive its due. This is the biggest Segers show staged anywhere, and the first held in the United States. It originated last fall at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, which has the worlds largest holdings in Segers, and has been overseen at the Met by Nadine M. Orenstein, who leads its department of prints and drawings. The show represents nearly all 53 of Segerss known prints and contains more than half of his 182 surviving impressions, six of his 16 paintings and his two extant oil studies. The Vermeer exhibition, which runs through May 22 and will travel to the National Gallery of Art in Washington this fall, argues that the Dutch master may not have been the solitary genius that some believe him to have been. Media attention, a small viewing space and the steady allure of Vermeer have resulted in crowds twice as large as those for several of the Louvres recent exhibitions, including ones devoted to Raphael and Ingres. The Vermeer show is one of three temporary exhibitions that opened at the same time, along with Masterpieces of the Leiden Collection: The Age of Rembrandt and Valentin de Boulogne: Beyond Caravaggio, which was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art last year. The shows have helped lift attendance at the Louvre, which had seen a striking drop in visitors since a spate of terrorist attacks in France. The Louvre had 7.4 million visitors in 2016, down from 8.6 million in 2015. The Vermeer exhibition is on view in one of the underground spaces where many temporary exhibitions are held and that can accommodate only 250 people at a time, the Louvre said. After the crowds of the first week, attendance has dropped to around 4,000 people per week, the museum said. LONDON Does London still have its mojo as a place to buy and sell blue-chip contemporary art? Uncertainty hangs like smog over the city after Britains decision to leave the European Union. Yet three major contemporary art auctions this week brought a total of 229 million pounds, or about $280 million a sharp increase over the 152.2 million raised by equivalent events in February 2016. The sales at Christies, Sothebys and Phillips suggested the worlds wealthiest collectors were eager enough to spend money in London. The weakening of the pound since the British referendum has made items being auctioned in the currency more attractive. Telephone bidding was dominant. Im surprised, but at the same time not, Thaddaeus Ropac, an international dealer with galleries in London, Paris, and Salzburg, Austria, said Tuesday night after a Christies sale at which 95 percent of the works found buyers. Theres so much creation of wealth, and that wealth is getting more concentrated, Mr. Ropac said. The art market always gets a fraction of it. The buyers just need a sense of trust. Listen to our Spotify playlist of Kurt Weills music. DESSAU, Germany Tourists in this sleepy town would be hard-pressed to find any trace of Kurt Weill, the composer of The Threepenny Opera and other acclaimed concert and stage works, who grew up here. The synagogue where his father worked as a cantor was destroyed during Kristallnacht in 1938; the theater that employed Weill as a conductor burned down and was replaced with a Nazi-designed one christened by Hitler; and much of the urban landscape as Weill knew it was leveled by air raids in World War II. It hasnt been difficult for Germany to neglect one of its most significant and innovative composers: Weill, born in 1900, left the country in 1933 and vehemently rejected the idea of returning. He had a full life and career after settling in the United States, becoming an ambitious Broadway composer until his death in 1950. The German critic Theodor Adorno dismissed Weills American music as the work of a tunesmith and sellout, and much German thought followed in that vein. For decades, Germans performed almost solely a small fraction of his pre-1933 works, his collaborations with the brash poet and playwright Bertolt Brecht. In the United States, though, his early symphonic and stage works remained largely unknown. Slowly but surely, Germany has played catch-up with Weills music in particular through the Kurt Weill Festival in Dessau, currently celebrating its 25th anniversary. The festival, which ends this year on Sunday, March 12, began as a fantasy and has since grown into a microcosm of the work Germany has done to restore the legacy of a musical hero. Where is Paul? Representative Paul Ryan was elected to represent the First District of Wisconsin, but we have not seen much of him in Wisconsin lately. Congressman Ryan has time to go to Rhode Island and other states, but not time to have a town hall meeting with his constituents here. Many different groups in Wisconsin have been asking Paul Ryan to hold a town hall meeting and he was refused to schedule one. Representative Sensenbrenner still holds town hall meetings after 40 years in Congress. Ryan should follow his example. The first responsibility of a congressman is to listen to the people of his district. Ryan has been avoiding that responsibility. If he does not agree to meet with the people of the First District, we should elect a new member of congress who will. The TBS comedy program Full Frontal With Samantha Bee apologized on Thursday for broadcasting a segment in which a writer who has talked about his cancer diagnosis was mocked for having what the program called Nazi hair. Full Frontal, a topical satire hosted by Ms. Bee, ran the segment on Wednesday. It featured Michael Rubens, a correspondent for the show, attending the Conservative Political Action Conference in February. Talking about how the conference had changed over time, a narrator for the segment said, Just last year, CPAC was dominated by Ted Cruz supporters and chirpy little [expletive] with bow ties. The narrator added: This year, the bow ties were gone and replaced by Nazi hair. Nazi hair. Nazi hair. Each time the phrase was spoken, an image was shown of conference attendees with short haircuts. NATURAL OPIUM Some Travelers Tales By Diane Johnson Out of print Great writing, in its most official forms, comes to us in novels or book-length works of nonfiction. Some readers, myself among them, find as much pleasure in the distinctive offcuts, literatures offal: books of letters and essays, diaries, collections of food and travel writing, volumes of criticism. Diane Johnson is best known as a novelist (Persian Nights, Le Divorce); she has published just one book of travel writing. Its called Natural Opium: Some Travelers Tales, and it appeared in 1993, when the author was in her late 50s. Its not just my favorite work in her estimable and varied oeuvre; its a misanthropic masterpiece of the genre. What makes Johnson such a lively travel companion is that, for the most part, she detests traveling. She is alert to every fraud, insult, cliche and bleach-whitened smile. She is in touch, as we all are when traveling, with her inner troglodyte. Why was I not, like a nice person, simply content to be, to enjoy beauty and inner peace? she asks on a dismal boat trip to the Great Barrier Reef. Instead I must suffer, review, quiver with fears and rages the fault, I saw, was in myself, I was a restless, peevish, flawed person. After leaving the office of secretary of state in January, John Kerry has a new, slightly less stressful task ahead of him: writing his memoir. Mr. Kerry, the former Massachusetts senator and Democratic presidential nominee, has signed a book deal with Simon & Schuster, the publisher told The Associated Press on Thursday. The work, which does not yet have a title or release date, will cover his life from his childhood through his role as secretary of state. Mr. Kerry, 73, has written several books, including the 2007 work This Moment on Earth: Todays New Environmentalists and Their Vision for the Future. In 2004, he collaborated with the biographer Douglas Brinkley on Tour of Duty, a chronicle of his service in the Vietnam War, during which he earned a Silver Star and Bronze Star. Yet the memoir will be his first comprehensive account of his personal and professional life. This is the first opportunity Ive had in a long time to pause and look back, with an eye toward looking forward, Mr. Kerry said in a statement. I hope we can produce a good book that captures for readers not so much my story, but some of the lessons learned along the way, including lessons learned the hard way. Two Hollywood classics released just a decade apart, two superlative poets joined in friendship and legacy how often do books about cultural pillars of the American 20th century arrive so neatly paired? Our selections this week feature satisfying studies of High Noon and Casablanca, and innovative biographies of Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell. Fiction lovers will welcome new work by Jim Shepard, David Grossman and Mohsin Hamid. When youve finished reading, go out and take a walk: in the city (Flaneuse: Women Walk the City in Paris, New York, Tokyo, Venice and London) or in the country (The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier and More Creative). Itll do you good, we promise. Radhika Jones Editorial Director, Books EXIT WEST, by Mohsin Hamid. (Riverhead, $26.) The new novel by the author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist and How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia mixes global unrest with a bit of the fantastic. Saeed and Nadia leave an unnamed country in the midst of a civil war and journey through magical doorways to Greece, England and eventually the United States. Our critic Michiko Kakutani said that Hamid does a harrowing job of conveying what it is like to leave behind family members, and what it means to leave home, which, however dangerous or oppressive its become, still represents everything that is familiar and known. A HORSE WALKS INTO A BAR, by David Grossman. Translated by Jessica Cohen. (Knopf, $29.95.) Grossmans magnificently funny, sucker-punch- tragic novel about a tormented stand-up comedian combines comic dexterity with a Portnoyish level of detail. It offers a rich and complete portrayal of Israeli society through an exploration of humor from the edge of the grave. ELIZABETH BISHOP: A Miracle for Breakfast, by Megan Marshall. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $30.) This smooth and brisk presentation by a Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer of one of Americas most accomplished poets is enriched by recently discovered documents. Interweaving her own experience as a student of Bishops in the 1970s, Marshall skillfully discerns echoes between Bishops public and private writing. Before best-seller lists and well-stocked bookstores, the Book of the Month Club tried to steer a growing middle class to the right books. Having such titles in the home became a sign of status. In March 1926, Lolly Willowes by the British author Sylvia Townsend Warner was gaining acclaim, and a month later it became the clubs inaugural pick. Famously, a panel of literary experts made the choices over lunch and sherry around an oak table. Their credibility built the fledgling clubs membership. They had hits like Gone With the Wind and The Catcher in the Rye. One miss was The Grapes of Wrath. While critics viewed the club as middlebrow, it became a powerful literary institution in the U.S. Its influence diminished with the spread of bookstore chains in the 1980s, and further declined with online bookselling. But some of us still want to be guided by their judges. As an early club brochure said, What a deprivation it is to miss reading an important new book at a time when everyone else is reading and discussing it. Adeel Hassan contributed reporting. _____ Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings and updated online. What would you like to see here? Contact us at asiabriefing@nytimes.com. LONDON Akzo Nobel, the Dutch paint and chemicals company, said on Thursday that it had rejected an unsolicited takeover offer from PPG Industries that valued it at $22 billion and that would have created an industry giant in a rapidly consolidating sector. Akzo Nobel, which makes Dulux paint, Eka bleaching solutions and Interpon powder coatings, said that the offer from PPG, based in Pittsburgh, substantially undervalues the company and its long-term prospects. The firm, which is based in Amsterdam, said it was studying the possibility of spinning off its specialty chemicals business. There has been growing concern in the Netherlands over foreign entities seeking to buy some of the countrys largest companies. General elections will be held next week, and politicians have expressed worries about the vulnerability of Dutch companies to foreign takeovers. Kraft Heinz, another American conglomerate, made and then quickly withdrew a $143 billion offer last month for Unilever, the British-Dutch maker of Dove soap, Axe body spray, Ben & Jerrys ice cream and Hellmanns mayonnaise. The invitation suggests your run-of-the-mill weekday evening of drinks, canapes and networking for the hedge fund crowd. Except for one thing. Its at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla. In case anyone missed the significance of the site, the invitation offers a helpful clue: Should the president be in residence, another letter will follow explaining the upgraded entry/security procedures. Thats right, President Trumps members-only club, which has been called the winter White House, is the location of a meet and greet hedge fund event organized by the Palm Beach Hedge Fund Association. David S. Goodboy, the associations founder and the event organizer, is hoping that Mr. Trump will stop by. Five executives at Samsung, including the conglomerates de facto leader, Lee Jae-yong, formally denied bribery charges against them on Thursday, in a preliminary hearing for a trial with the potential to shake South Korea. Mr. Lee, who also goes by the name Jay Y. Lee, and the other executives face charges that strike at the heart of the deep ties between the South Korean government and powerful family-controlled businesses, a source of growing public resentment. Parliament voted in December to impeach President Park Geun-hye over accusations of corruption and other abuses of power, and she could be formally removed from office soon. But the related arrest of Mr. Lee, scion of the countrys biggest and most profitable conglomerate, or chaebol, is a momentous turn. Chaebol bosses, including Mr. Lees father, have been convicted in corruption cases, but punishments have usually been light or commuted. Many see Mr. Lees trial as a test of whether South Korea can change by abandoning longstanding deference to the business clans that have dominated the countrys glittering economic rise. The chief prosecutor has said it could be the trial of the century. Its that time of year again, when St. Patricks Day approaches and the thoughts of beverage writers across the land turn to Irish whiskey. But for American spirits drinkers, Irish whiskey is clearly no longer a once-a-year fling. Irish whiskey has been the fastest-growing spirit in the country, with sales soaring over the last 15 years. Consider that in 2002, just 434,000 cases were sold in the United States, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, a trade group. By 2016, that number had reached more than 3.8 million cases, growing by almost 19 percent in that year alone, an astounding growth rate that was nearly three times that of the next highest category, American whiskey, at 6.8 percent, according to the council. I have to admit that the spirits panel may not have been paying close enough attention to this surge. Its been more than 10 years since we last tasted Irish whiskeys, and though many of the whiskeys available now are familiar names, the selection has expanded greatly. Famous but underappreciated has become a foolproof template for documentary subjects in recent years, used in films as disparate as Searching for Sugar Man, 20 Feet From Stardom and My Architect. Add to the trope a cinematic fascination with fashion and you have the basis for a poetic documentary about a tempestuous and imposingly gifted Tunisian-born French designer who, while exalted among cognoscenti, is all but unknown to the wider world. The designer is Azzedine Alaia, a septuagenarian best known for the figure-enhancing designs he has created for some of worlds more exceptional women, including Marion Cotillard, Greta Garbo, Grace Jones and Michelle Obama. The film is a self-financed labor of love created with the rare cooperation of Mr. Alaia by the fashion stylist Joe McKenna, himself the quiet force behind campaigns for Balmain, Giorgio Armani, Jil Sander, Miu Miu and Versace, and formerly the fashion director at large for The New York Timess T magazine. In 2013, Mr. McKenna first asked himself how no one had thought to record the life and working process of an award-winning master at times as much feared as revered. Id been asked to guest-edit an issue of Self Service magazine, he said by telephone from Paris. And I thought there was sort of restlessness in fashion, so I interviewed a lot of designers and C.E.O.s and asked them what was wrong. Wisconsin voters will have the chance to eliminate the office of the state treasurer under a resolution approved Wednesday by the Assembly. Vvoters will decide in the April 2018 election whether they want to amend the state constitution to scrap the office, which has been stripped of nearly all responsibilities and powers. Constitutional amendments must be approved in two consecutive legislative sessions, then approved by voters. The Assembly voted 68-31 on Wednesday to approve the proposal, introduced by Rep. Michael Schraa, R-Oshkosh. Reps. Joan Ballweg, R-Markesan, and Kathleen Bernier, R-Chippewa Falls, joined Democrats in opposing the resolution. "I think were going to see overwhelming support," Schraa told reporters before the vote. "I'll make a prediction now its probably a 65 percent issue. I say let the people decide. If they decide not to eliminate his position Ill be the first legislator to step forward and to put responsibility back into that elected position." The goal of the bill is to make state government more "efficient and effective," Schraa said. State Treasurer Matt Adamczyk ran for office on a pledge to support the position's elimination. The previous treasurer, Kurt Schuller, did the same, but later changed his mind. The office's last major responsibility, overseeing the state's unclaimed property program, was transferred to the Department of Revenue in 2014. The treasurer's only role now is to serve on the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands. Under the bill, the treasurer's place on the board would be filled by the lieutenant governor. The BCPL operates a trust which provides aid for public school libraries and offers loans to municipalities and school districts. Opponents of the effort warned it would eliminate a check on the executive branch, and argued responsibilities should be returned to the office. Democrats offered an amendment that would put the state superintendent of public instruction on the BCPL, which failed. Gov. Scott Walker has said he supports eliminating the position if voters approve it. The Senate passed the bill earlier this week, with Sens. Sheila Harsdorf, R-River Falls, and Chris Kapenga, R-Delafield, joining Democrats in opposing it. With federal arts funding in jeopardy, arts groups large and small held fund-raisers within the past week. The School of American Ballet held its winter ball on March 6 at Lincoln Center. The Anthology Film Archives had a gala at Capitale on March 2. The Atlantic Theater Company hosted a gala at the Pierre on March 6. And the dance and arts collective MoveOpolis held a benefit at New York Live Arts on March 8. When writing for the weddings pages of The New York Times which I have done since 1992, at first on a weekly basis and now occasionally the job is to walk into a room full of well-dressed strangers and collect the best descriptions you can find about love and marriage, mostly love. It isnt easy. For one thing, people sense a stranger in their midst as acutely as a herd of gazelles might, and they tend to scatter, or stare from a distance in a menacing way. Over the years, I have filled many spiral notebooks with quotations. On the subject of love, cliches are hard to avoid. I have heard, They/we are like two pieces of a puzzle, or It was fate/bashert/kismet/meant to be thousands of times, or thats how it feels anyway. Occasionally, though, people say something original and sparkly about love, and as a reporter, I want to hug them. Its like finding a diamond in the sand. As a sort of thank-you to all of those whom I have written about, and those whom I have written for, here are 10 of those jewels: 1. In a sense, the person we marry is a stranger about whom we have a magnificent hunch. This is my all-time favorite quotation about marriage, spoken during a 1992 wedding in a small, unheated chapel in Cold Spring, N.Y., and sourced from the 1991 book Weddings From the Heart by Daphne Rose Kingma. In its own way, the quotation also explains a lot about divorce. 2. This remark, from a Vows column about the 1995 wedding of Elizabeth Burbank and LaMott Britto, describes how it feels to finally find a partner: Ive always felt like a fish out of water, and when I met LaMott it was like he was the same fish. 3. According to Stacy Cor, who became engaged to Dan Polner 10 days after they met on an airplane in 1993, examination should not be necessary to determine if love is real. When you know you know, and dont believe it any other way, she said. When someone asks you to marry them, you shouldnt have to make a list of pros and cons. You just know. You jump into their arms and say, Yeah! If one looks like a duck, walks like a duck, associates only with ducks and quacks like a duck, he is probably a duck, was how he explained his rule of thumb for identifying homosexuals. That was all the incitement that alliance members needed. Off they trooped on Jan. 18 to the Fidelifacts office at 135 West 41st Street, choosing to picket on the 42nd Street side of the building for greater visibility. Their protests, called zaps, were equal measure outrage and engaging street theater. One alliance member, Marty Robinson, donned a full-body duck suit, in fluffy white, complete with a large yellow bill. Its less clear what ostriches were doing on the Times placards. The newspaper itself was no champion of gay civil rights in those days. Perhaps we were being taken to task for burying our heads in the sand about the damaging effects of the Fidelifacts dossiers. What an avian show, said Arnie Kantrowitz, a member of the Gay Activists Alliance who was at the protest 46 years ago, carrying a placard saying, Fidelifacts spies on homosexuals. Mr. Kantrowitz said he remembered neither the ostrich signs nor the location shoot. We probably thought the Shaft film crew was about us, he said Tuesday. Richard C. Wandel, who was once president of the alliance, was also at the protest. He took photographs that are now at the New York Public Library and in the L.G.B.T. Community Center National History Archive. At one point that day, Mr. Wandel said, he was upstairs in the Fidelifacts office. This might explain why he had not known about the filming of Shaft outside. He offered another theory in an email on Tuesday: Since I would not have recognized either Roundtree or Parks, I simply took them for a news crew. Article: The Parts of Obamacare Republicans Will Keep, Change or Discard Before Reading Listen to the first 5 minutes and 15 seconds of The Daily podcast from March 8. Were you aware of the history of health care in the United States? Have you been following the news about the Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare? What did you learn from the podcast, and what did you already know? Questions for Comprehension and Analysis 1. How would the new legislation fundamentally change how health care is financed for people who do not have insurance through work? The First Amendment to the United States Constitution protects speech no matter how offensive its content. What happens when the speech is hateful or bigoted, racist or sexist? If academic freedom is a bedrock of education in a free society, what is the responsibility of higher education when it comes to wildly unpopular speech? Should controversial speakers what the Times editorial board calls despised dissenters be allowed to present their ideas to students and faculty? Is there any benefit to hearing the thoughts and views of those with whom you vehemently disagree? Why or why not? In the news article headlined Protesters Disrupt Speech by Bell Curve Author at Vermont College, Katherine Q. Seelye writes: Hundreds of students at Middlebury College in Vermont shouted down a controversial speaker on Thursday night, disrupting a program and confronting the speaker in an encounter that turned violent and left a faculty member injured. Laurie L. Patton, the president of the college, issued an apology on Friday to all who attended the event and to the speaker, Charles Murray, 74, whose book The Bell Curve, published in 1994, was an explosive treatise arguing that blacks were intellectually inferior to whites because of their genetic makeup. Today our community begins the process of addressing the deep and troubling divisions that were on display last night, Ms. Patton said in her statement, adding that the Middlebury community had failed to live up to our core values. She said that some of the protesters appeared to be from elsewhere but that Middlebury students had also been involved. The chaotic scene at the small liberal arts college in Vermont drew sharp criticism from the right. Conservatives said that the students were intolerant, had engaged in mob mentality and were quashing free speech, while those on the left maintained that the speaker was racist and hateful and had no place on their campus. Students: Read the entire article, then tell us: Should despised dissenters be allowed to speak on college campuses? Why or why not? Does the aggression against Mr. Murray and the professor who invited him to Middlebury College promote, inhibit or complicate free speech? Why do you think so? Do colleges, universities, faculties and students have a duty to exemplify how to debate unpopular ideas with civility? Why or why not? LONDON The actor Samuel L. Jackson has sidled into a debate about the roles for black actors on both sides of the Atlantic. In an interview with the radio station Hot 97 posted online on Monday, Mr. Jackson questioned the casting of the black British actor Daniel Kaluuya in the comedy-horror film Get Out, about a black Americans encounter with his white girlfriends creepy family. Mr. Jackson suggested that an American brother might have brought a deeper perspective to the role, and suggested that black Britons had endured less racism than African-Americans. He noted that British actors often secured American roles because they are less well known and therefore paid less, and because many of them are valued for their classical training. Jordan Peele, the writer and director of Get Out, has acknowledged that he was hesitant to cast a British actor, given that the film focuses on the African-American experience. Mr. Jackson said on Wednesday that his intention had been to comment on Hollywood, not to slam Mr. Kaluuya. And while his comments have been criticized by many black commentators American and British some British performers do seem to find it easier to get roles in the United States than at home. Four years ago, while reporting on the difficulties of life in Brownsville, Brooklyn, one of the poorest neighborhoods in New York, I met a school administrator named Marsha Gadsden who worked for the Ascend Public Charter Schools network. Ms. Gadsden had grown up not far away, attended prep school on a scholarship and later went to Georgetown and Harvard, and she told me she worried about the unforgiving disciplinary codes used by her employer and so many urban charter schools around the country. Despite a culture that emphasized aspiration pennants from Stanford, Vanderbilt and Louisiana State lined the walls at Ascend opportunities for failure abounded. The schools held to a no excuses philosophy, the notion that poor children are best taught in highly regulated environments. A child could accrue demerits and suspensions for a wide range of infractions; there were strict protocols for speaking and walking in the hallways. What if you were so excited by a discussion of Animal Farm in your English class that you wanted to continue talking about it on your way to science? You couldnt, because certain transition periods demanded silence. A 6-year-old could be dinged for failing to wear a part of her school uniform or arriving late, mishaps that are nearly always the fault of a harried parent who has misplaced the keys or forgotten about the laundry. White, privileged children are, for the most part, groomed for self-expression, and Ms. Gadsden feared that a generation of poor black children would be shaped for something different: a reflexive compliance that would leave them unable to question authority. In 2015, two separate studies were released that put the problems of no excuses education in high relief. One, from the University of Pennsylvanias Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education, tallied the disproportionate severity of school suspension and expulsion on black students in 13 Southern states. In 132 districts, black children were suspended at a rate at least five times as high as that for others in the student population. A second study by Joanne Golann, a sociologist, argued that no excuses schools produced worker-learners, children who might do well on tests but who were constantly self monitoring, held back their opinions and had, in effect, little chance of becoming the next Steve Jobs. Of the 10 men who have presided over the New York Archdiocese, two were born in Ireland and the rest were not more than second-generation Irish. (Cardinal John OConnor, while a proud son of St. Patrick, was actually half-Irish: His sister learned after his death in 2000 that their mother was a rabbis daughter who had converted to Catholicism.) The authors, who approach the subject with solid canonical and conservative credentials, note that Catholicism started inauspiciously in New Amsterdam a French Jesuit missionary, who was later tomahawked by Native Americans, counted three Catholics there, including himself, in 1643. By the middle of the 19th century in New York, though, Catholicism went from being a minority Christian denomination to Americas largest, thanks mainly to Irish immigration. Anyone who has seen the film Gangs of New York knows that Catholics werent greeted with open arms by Protestants who had arrived even earlier. But they met their match in the first archbishop, John Hughes (Dagger John, named so for both his unbreakable spirit and for the symbol that was part of his signature, which could be taken for a cross or a cutlass). But for now the drug is still legal, and last month the Supreme Court declined to review the last of the Arkansas cases, paving the way for the state to set new execution dates. Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he would prefer to spread the executions over a longer period, but thats not the circumstances that I find myself in. In other words, hes justifying a state-sanctioned killing spree driven by the use-by date stamped on a bottle. Arkansas has also run out of potassium chloride, another drug in the three-drug lethal cocktail, but says it expects to be able to get more by April. The paradox is that its not hard to kill people if youre willing to tolerate some gore. Arkansas could change its law to allow the use of a firing squad, for instance, which is faster and more reliable than lethal injection. Instead, like almost all other states, it has opted for a medically sterile aura of peace, as Justice Sotomayor wrote in February, dissenting from the courts decision not to hear a challenge to Alabamas use of midazolam. More bluntly, Americans want to indulge their bloodlust without having to think about the blood. Lethal-injection protocols indulge this squeamishness, and in the process disregard a condemned persons constitutional right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. But killing in the governments name is a brutal business, no matter the method used. The American death-penalty debate would be more honest if the public were forced to face that fact. States that kill their citizens, Justice Sotomayor wrote, should not be permitted to shield the true horror of executions from official and public view. I enjoyed the show House of Cards but always felt that it went a bit too far, that its plot wasnt plausible. After seven weeks of President Trump, I owe House of Cards an apology. Nothing seems impossible any more. That includes the most towering suspicion of all: that Trumps team colluded in some way with Russia to interfere with the U.S. election. This is the central issue that we must remain focused on. There are a lot of dots here, and the challenge is how to connect them. Be careful: Democrats should avoid descending into the kind of conspiratorial mind-set that led some Republicans to assume Hillary Clinton was a criminal about to be indicted or to conjure sex slaves belonging to her in a Washington pizza restaurant. Coincidences happen, and I think there has been too much focus on Attorney General Jeff Sessions, not enough on Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign manager. Here are 10 crucial dots: 1. President Trump and his aides have repeatedly and falsely denied ties to Russia. USA Today counted at least 20 denials. In fact, we now know that there were contacts by at least a half-dozen people in the Trump circle with senior Russian officials. Most Americans won't be affected by the Congressional effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker told reporters Wednesday. Walker also did not pledge support for the bill in its current form, noting it is a "work in progress." "Most people hear about health care and they think their health care is going to be affected. And most people arent going to be affected with this, no matter what happens, because if you get your health insurance from your employer, which is almost everybody in this state, nothing changes," Walker told reporters after an event in Madison. "Its a whole lot of attention that people are paying to, understandably, but its not going to affect most people, because they get their health insurance right from their job that they have." The Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, former President Barack Obama's signature health care law, was released Monday night. The plan retains several popular elements of Obamacare, including allowing children to stay on their parents' insurance plans until age 26 and requiring insurance companies to cover people with preexisting conditions. It would remove the individual mandate, which penalizes people who don't purchase insurance, and would phase out the Medicaid expansion, along with other changes. Some Republican governors have raised concerns that the overhaul plan could bump nearly 11 million low-income earners covered by the Medicaid expansion from their insurance, or force states to pick up the cost of coverage. Meanwhile, Wisconsin Democrats in Congress have pledged to oppose the bill. "The people of Wisconsin did not send me to Washington to take peoples health care away and I will not support repealing the guaranteed health insurance protections and care that people have today. I will not support higher costs, fewer people with health care coverage and more economic insecurity for Wisconsin families," said Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin in a statement. State Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse, said the overhaul bill would affect "every single person in our state." "We all pay more when people lose coverage, can't access preventive care and wind up in the emergency room," Shilling said in a statement. "Unfortunately, this Republican plan looks like another massive giveaway to millionaires and insurance company executives at the expense of hardworking Wisconsin families." Walker, who is chairman of the Republican Governors Association, said House Speaker Paul Ryan told him on Wednesday there will be "at least some changes" made to the bill. "I still think its a work in progress," Walker said. "I appreciate their commitment to repealing Obamacare and their interest in both replacing it and reforming the system, I just still think theres some more work to be done." Governors want to have "as much flexibility as possible," Walker said, adding that he could support converting Medicaid to a block grant program or a per capita allotment. Ryan joined Vice President Mike Pence, Republican Sen. Ron Johnson and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price in Janesville last week, where they promised to repeal and replace Obamacare in this session of Congress. "Let me make you a promise: the Obamacare nightmare is about to end, Pence said. "Despite the best efforts of some activists at town hall meetings around the country, the truth of the matter is the American people know Obamacare has failed and Obamacare must go." Asked whether the health care overhaul could affect premiums for people who aren't currently covered under the Affordable Care Act, Walker said any number of variables could have an effect one way or another. "If done right, I think arguably, if more people came into the market because the mandate was gone and some of the taxes were gone, and more people are in the marketplace, and that potentially, if you have more people participating, that could actually, theoretically, could lower premiums," Walker said, adding that the Congressional Budget Office has not yet scored the bill. Walker said it is "unconventional" to consider such a bill without a cost estimate, adding that lawmakers should not take a final vote without one. In Ideological Heterogeneity and the Rise of Donald Trump, Carmines, Ensley and Wagner make the case that in addition to the classic division of the electorate into three categories liberal, moderate and conservative at least two more are needed, populist and libertarian, and perhaps a sixth, nationalist: Trumps support among Republican primary voters, and probably in the broader electorate, only makes sense once we recognize that the political choices offered by a conservative Republican Party and a liberal Democratic Party do not reflect the full extent of the ideological heterogeneity found in the American public. The three argue that by strategic design or dumb luck, the Trump candidacy was able to activate a segment of the electorate that has historically not been part of the GOP electoral coalition. These voters, white populists, are citizens with heterodox policy preferences, those who have liberal positions on economic issues and conservative preferences on social issues. They cut across the traditional left-right divide. These voters stand out in two important ways. First, they hold what the authors call stronger nationalist views, which helps explain their attraction to Trump. These views include the belief that immigration takes jobs, opposition to outsourcing, support for torture and the belief that blacks have too much influence. The three conclude that the ability of the Republicans to mobilize and keep a grip on these voters is a crucial question looking toward future elections: Trumps message may have appealed to populists in a way that could have fundamentally altered the electorate in states where white populists reside states like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan. We look forward to finding out. There are those who see the developments in the American electorate in more evolutionary, less abrupt, terms. Gary Jacobson, a political scientist at the University of California-San Diego, for example, wrote in an email: As for Trump reshaping the Republican electorate, its more a matter of continuing trends that go back to the 1960s (remember Nixons hard hats, the white working class Reagan Democrats?). As Democrats have become the party of younger, secular, urban, minority, highly educated voters, Republicans have become the party of lower educated whites, religious, conservatives, xenophobes, etc. Larry Sabato, a political scientist at the University of Virginia, wrote in an email: Trump reshaped the Republican electorate in 2016, but his performance will determine whether this was a one-shot reshuffling or something more lasting. The key constituency, Sabato said, is the slice of non-college-educated white blue-collar workers from cities and older suburbs who are the Obama-Trump voters. In 2016, 209 of the 676 counties that cast majorities for Obama in both 2008 and 2012 backed Trump, many in the Midwest. Sabato noted that it was these voters who put Trump over the top in Michigan and possibly Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Those ex-Obama supporters? Sabato asked: If Trump produces, theyll reward him with a second term. If he doesnt and he needs to create lots of high-paying jobs in the face of automation and a global economy moving in other directions then theyll be ripe for a return to their former home, the Democratic Party if Democrats give them an appealing nominee. Alan Abramowitz, a political scientist at Emory, emphasized to me that white working-class voters have been trending Republican for a long time and white voters with college degrees or post-college education have been trending Democratic as well. These developments, according to Abramowitz, reflect an ideological divide over cultural issues and racial issues that has been there for many years. What Trump has done, I think, is put more weight on the racial issues than we have seen before. Abramowitz emphasizes a key point: Republican voters are much more conservative on racial issues than in the past while Democratic voters are more liberal on those issues than in the past. In fact, Trumps impact on voting patterns was not to increase the share of the white vote won by the Republican presidential candidate. Both Trump and Mitt Romney carried whites by the same 20-point margin. The big shift Trump wrought was to change the type of whites who voted Republican. From 1948, when American National Election Studies began polling, to 1964, college-educated voters were decisively Republican and those with high school degrees or less were reliably Democratic. In 1960, for example, voters with high school degrees or less voted 54-46 for John F. Kennedy while those with college and postgraduate degrees voted 62-38 for Richard Nixon. Our new health and human services secretary, Tom Price, is very big on the freedom of doctor-patient relations. Price, a surgeon, talks constantly about keeping the government from stepping in the middle. (You need to know that what your doctor is recommending for you is exactly what he or she believes is right for you based upon education and science, not based upon what Washington is telling them he or she must do.) Unless, of course, the doctor and patient are deciding whether or not she wants to terminate a pregnancy. Price is a longtime opponent of abortion in all shapes and forms. He twice co-sponsored bills to establish that the Constitution protects the rights of zygotes from the moment of fertilization. That would ban not only abortion but also morning-after pills and, according to some advocates, birth control methods like IUDs. He is also the person who could resolve any questions about a Trumpcare law, like that change in coverage for maternal health. To what extent will he use regulation to try to even worsen the situation? asked Representative Pallone in a phone interview. The Obamacare repeal bill makes it much less attractive for insurance companies to cover abortions in their policies, and includes a ban on federal funds for Planned Parenthood. Lately, it seems as if everything the House of Representatives touches includes a ban on funds for Planned Parenthood. Someday soon you will learn that there was a Planned Parenthood amendment attached to a measure renaming a post office in Nebraska after a recently deceased World War II veteran. You wouldnt think getting rid of an organization that provides crucial services like breast exams, family planning and checks for cervical cancer would be a major fixture of a health bill. But this is an administration that wants to fight terrorism by defunding the Coast Guard to pay for a wall. What can I tell you? JERUSALEM After much national hand-wringing, four new judges were appointed to Israels 15-member highest court late last month. Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, who comes from a right-wing religious party and has long championed changes to the court, considered the appointments a victory: One of the new judges is a settler; another is an Orthodox Jewish woman; a third is also considered a conservative. (The fourth judge is an Arab Israeli.) The new judicial appointments, Ms. Shaked argued, reflect the human and legal diversity that she said had until now has been so lacking on our highest court. After decades dominating politics, the Israeli right had finally broken through into this bastion of unapologetic liberalism. Now the right has the opportunity to prove that it can run the country effectively without being fettered by a liberal court. Engineering this political earthquake required some serious politicking. A nine-member committee selects the judges for the High Court of Justice. Four members are politicians, two of them ministers and two members of the Knesset. Three are sitting judges on the court. Two are representatives of the Bar Association. To get the conservative judges added, Ms. Shaked cunningly forged a coalition between the politicians and the lawyers. When the judges on the committee tried to block most of the new appointees, she made them back down by threatening to pass legislation that would in effect cancel their power to veto candidates they highly dislike. The High Court had been a target of right-wing complaints for more than two decades. In the 1990s, a liberal-minded court began interpreting Basic Laws Israels partial substitute for a constitution more expansively. The court also became more aggressive in inhibiting government actions. The new approach, labeled a constitutional revolution by Aharon Barak, then the chief justice, aimed to fill a void left by Israels lack of a constitution. The relationship between a new president and the intelligence agencies that serve him can be difficult in the best of times. But its hard to imagine a more turbulent transition than the current one, which has been marred by assertions that the administration has tried to both politicize and marginalize intelligence gathering. No White House likes it when intelligence agencies such as the National Security Agency, the Central Intelligence Agency or the Defense Intelligence Agency deliver bad news, or when that information undercuts the executives preferred policies or political positions. But I cant remember another White House so quick to dismiss those agencies judgments or so willing to discredit them as dishonest or incompetent. Weve seen presidential tweets with intelligence in accusatory quotation marks, a kind of dog whistle that equates intelligence assessments with news reporting that the president condemns as fake. In addition to lumping the intelligence agencies in with the dishonest mainstream media, the president has compared his espionage services to Russians, Nazis and WikiLeaks. Last weekend, Mr. Trump accused President Barack Obama of ordering phones at Trump Tower tapped during the 2016 campaign, a claim so outrageous that James Clapper, the former director of national intelligence, denied it a day later. (So did the F.B.I. director, James Comey, according to this paper.) And last month, Mr. Trump blamed the intelligence community, along with the press, for the downfall of his first national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, saying on Twitter that information is being illegally given to the failing @nytimes and @washingtonpost by the intelligence community (N.S.A. and F.B.I.?). In fact, the occupation has been a source of passionate debate within Israel itself and in the Jewish diaspora from the time Israel first took control of the territories in the Arab-Israeli War of 1967. Many Israelis who are fully devoted to their country believe the occupation, and the settlement construction on it, undermine the democratic ideals on which Israel was founded and thus pose a threat to the state. As for foreign critics, one of Israels most compelling responses has always been to urge them to come see the land for themselves. Visiting the country, witnessing the challenge of ensuring its security, traveling in Israel and the Palestinian territories and participating in open and impassioned debates may not persuade visitors to support the settlements, but it will demonstrate that Israel is not afraid of allowing people to see the problems and conflicts firsthand. The new law, by contrast, proclaims, Youre with us or against us. The United States, Israels strongest military supporter, has consistently criticized the building of settlements in the occupied territories as detrimental to seeking a lasting peace. Even President Trump publicly asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the Israeli leaders visit to Washington last month to hold back on the settlements. Unfortunately, the Israelis who called for barring advocates of B.D.S. seem emboldened by the Trump administration. An American president who has closed doors to Muslim refugees may not be in a position to question the Israeli law. But it should be condemned by all who value Israels tradition of debate and dissent and who support the search for a lasting peace. Rics film, and the moving discussion it generated, were made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Reports suggest that the Trump administrations coming budget will defund the endowment. I would wager that few readers of this newspaper, and probably few Americans anywhere, are untouched by an N.E.H.-sponsored project or program. In 1990, for example, Ric Burns and his brother Ken produced an 11-and-a-half-hour documentary on the Civil War that was broadcast over five consecutive nights and seen by more than 40 million viewers. For much of the nation, it was an early form of binge-watching. The humanities endowment made that film possible. Like its sibling the National Endowment for the Arts, the endowment brings the humanities into parts of the country that might otherwise never get to see a world-class museum exhibition or hear a lecture by a Pulitzer-Prize winner. Last year, the endowment marked the 400th anniversary of Shakespeares death by sponsoring a 50-state tour of his First Folio, published in 1623, the first collected edition of 36 of his plays. It was a best seller in its own time, and its 2016 travels provided the occasion for performances, workshops, lectures and student field trips in places as different as Vermillion, S.D.; Manhattan, Kan.; and Juneau, Alaska. Five years earlier, the endowment sponsored a similar tour and 230 programs nationwide to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible. The endowment has funded projects that have made some eight million pages of rare, crumbling historic newspapers available to anyone with a computer. It sponsors seminars that enable 2,500 high school and college teachers each summer to enrich their curriculum on topics ranging from Appalachian culture to Muslim identities to the poetry of Emily Dickinson. It has given resources for nearly four decades for National History Day, which has directly engaged more than eight million middle and high school students with records of the past. Faced with an American president who has shown higher regard for President Vladimir Putin of Russia than for NATO or the European Union, European leaders are drawing up defense plans that rely more on themselves, in case they cant rely on the United States. President Francois Hollande of France warned on Sunday that Mr. Trumps ignorance of Europe means we must prove to him the E.U.s political cohesion, its economic weight and its strategic autonomy. Mr. Hollande invited Britain, despite its departure from the bloc, to join Europes defense. On Monday, European Union ministers agreed that military training operations underway in Africa should have a headquarters in Brussels, a cost-saving move that is also a step toward the permanent European command structure called for in the unions 2009 Lisbon Treaty. More troubling, though, is talk of nuclear expansion. After Mr. Trumps election in November, Roderich Kiesewetter, a foreign policy spokesman in Germanys ruling party, warned that, in the absence of nuclear protection by the United States, Europe still needs nuclear protection for deterrent purposes, and that he would look to nuclear powers France and Britain to provide it. And Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the chairman of Polands ruling Law and Justice Party, said in interview published last month that strategic autonomy means Europe would have to be able to keep up with Russia on the nuclear front, raising the prospect of a nuclear arms race between Europe and Russia. In other words, the cache reminds us that if your phone is hacked, the Signal or WhatsApp messages on it are not secure. This should not come as a surprise. If an intelligence agency, or a nosy sibling, can get you to install, say, a key logger on your phone, either one can bypass the encrypted communication app. But so can someone looking over your shoulder while you use your phone. That is about the vulnerability of your device. It has nothing to do with the security of the apps. If anything in the WikiLeaks revelations is a bombshell, it is just how strong these encrypted apps appear to be. Since it doesnt have a means of easy mass surveillance of such apps, the C.I.A. seems to have had to turn its attention to the harder and often high-risk task of breaking into individual devices one by one. Which brings us to WikiLeaks misinformation campaign. An accurate tweet accompanying the cache would have said something like, If the C.I.A. goes after your specific phone and hacks it, the agency can look at its content. But that, of course, wouldnt have caused alarm and defeatism about the prospects of secure conversations. Weve seen WikiLeaks do this before. Last July, right after the attempted coup in Turkey, WikiLeaks promised, with much fanfare, to release emails belonging to Turkeys ruling Justice and Development Party. What WikiLeaks ultimately released, however, was nothing but mundane mailing lists of tens of thousands of ordinary people who discussed politics online. Back then, too, the ruse worked: Many Western journalists had hyped these non-leaks. WikiLeaks seems to have a playbook for its disinformation campaigns. The first step is to dump many documents at once rather than allowing journalists to scrutinize them and absorb their significance before publication. The second step is to sensationalize the material with misleading news releases and tweets. The third step is to sit back and watch as the news media unwittingly promotes the WikiLeaks agenda under the auspices of independent reporting. The media, to its credit, eventually sorts things out as it has belatedly started to do with the supposed C.I.A. cache. But by then, the initial burst of misinformation has spread. On social media in particular, the spin and distortion continues unabated. This time around, for example, there are widespread claims on social media that these leaked documents show that it was the C.I.A. that hacked the Democratic National Committee, and that it framed Russia for the hack. (The documents in the cache reveal nothing of the sort.) As with most misinformation campaigns, the dust that is kicked up obscures concerns over a real issue. Device and information insecurity, overzealous surveillance by governments these are real concerns that call for real attention. Yes, we need to have extensive and thoughtful discussion of these topics. But thats not what the WikiLeaks misinformation campaign has given us. This Week in Hate highlights hate crimes and harassment around the country since the election of President Trump. On the day the threat arrived, the congregation of Masjid Bilal Ibn Rabah had planned a potluck dinner. Earlier that afternoon March 4 the president of the mosque in Lexington, Ky., found an envelope in the mail from Sheffield, England. Inside was a green index card that read, An explosive device will be placed at your mosque very soon. Waheedah Muhammad, who worships at the mosque, was shocked when she heard about the threat. The congregation is not used to threats and has a strong relationship with the surrounding community. Prior to the threat, neighbors and others had sent the mosque notes of support and donations a Sunday school class even sent the mosque love notes. It was just so bizarre that this would happen here where we have a sense maybe a false sense of security, said Ms. Muhammad, who is also the Kentucky chairwoman of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. We are joined by Scott Michels, a producer at Retro Report, a nonprofit organization that tells the stories behind the news. He dug into the history of sanctuary cities. The story starts in 1985 with a group of refugees in search of safety. Background reading (and viewing): The Retro Report video on sanctuary cities, and Clyde Habermans accompanying article. An short graphic explainer on sanctuary cities. Tune in, and tell us what you think. Email us at thedaily@nytimes.com. Tweet me at @mikiebarb. And if that isnt enough, we can even text. How do I listen? If you dont see an audio player on this page or to subscribe to The Daily for free, follow the instructions below. On your iPhone or iPad: Open the preloaded app called Podcasts; it has a purple icon. If youre reading this from your phone, tap this link, which will take you straight there. (You can also use the magnifying glass icon to search; type The Daily.) Constitutional Carry Passes Committee in AL & SD By Dean Weingarten. March 3rd, 2017 Article Source The South Dakota Senate Judiciary Committee passed the current permitless or Constitutional carry bill, HB 1072 on March 1, 2017. The next stop for the bill is in the full Senate. The bill has already passed the House of Representatives on February 23. From volanteonline.com: House Bill 1072 passed the state House of Representatives last Thursday by a vote of 37 to 30. In South Dakota, no state permits are required to possess a gun. According to the South Dakota Firearm Laws, A person does not need a permit to own a pistol, keep it in his home, business, or property, or visibly carry it. A permit is currently required, however, to carry a firearm hidden by a coat or in a purse. Concealed carry permits can be obtained from the sheriff in the county a resident lives in. Supporters of the bill say its a Constitutional right to carry a gun even if concealed, while those opposed believe it provides too much freedom and could pose a safety risk. At the end of February, 2017, South Dakota has 92,850 active carry permits. From sunherald.com: At the end of February, there were 92,850 active regular and enhanced permits in South Dakota, according to the Secretary of States office. In 2016, 1,460 new enhanced permits were issued. South Dakota has a population of 868,799 in early 2017. Permit holders are about 10.7% of the total population, and over 25% of the number of people who voted in 2016. Constitutional or permitless carry will likely pass the senate. The senate has 27 Republicans and 8 Democrats. But Governor Dennis Daugaard has said that he will veto the bill. In Alabama SB 24, the permitless or Constitutional carry bill, cleared another hurdle on the first of March, 2017. It passed the Senate Judiciary committee. From thenewstribune.com: A bill that would add Alabama to the list of states that allow people to carry a concealed handgun without a permit advanced through the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. The committee voted 6-3 for the bill after a fiery public hearing with law enforcement officers largely opposing it and gun rights groups speaking in favor of it. The bill now moves to the Senate floor. There were numerous Second Amendment supporters speaking in favor of the bill. Many said the should not have to pay or ask for government permission to exercise a Constitutional right. Those speaking against the bill were a faction of law enforcement, mainly Sheriffs. They claimed the bill would remove an important tool of law enforcement. Not all sheriffs were against the bill. Some spoke for it, claiming that it only supported Second Amendment rights. Some supporters of the bill say that Sheriffs oppose it because they are the recipients of the concealed carry permit fees. From comments at legiscan.com: Pistol permits have been the sacred cash cow for Alabama Sheriffs for too long. Their opposition is not public safety, but loss of the almost unchecked use of the funds these permits generate. NO one person should have the power to take away a right guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States. That power allows Sheriffs to not issue a permit to a person based on personal, political, or many other issues that have nothing to do with public safety. Alabama is on track to be the second state to pass Constitutional carry this year. New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu signed a bill that brought New Hampshire into the Constitutional carry club on 22 February, 2017. North Dakota and Kentucky are in the race to be the second state to join the Constitutional carry club as well. There are 12 current members. They are Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, Vermont, Wyoming, and West Virginia. Several other states have legislation introduced or in process. Indiana, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, North Dakota, Texas, Virgina, Utah, and Wisconsin are all considering Constitutional carry. That list may increase as the year progresses. Montana passed a permitless carry bill for the third time this year. The bill would have extended permitless carry to the 1% of the state where a permit is required, but it was vetoed for a second time by Governor Bullock. 2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included. Link to Gun Watch. On paper this is very encouraging, except for "the Governor factor". Alabama has a 2A friendly Governor in Robert Bentley (R) who should sign, however, gun-hating South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard (R) has made it plain he will veto any Constitutional Carry bill. It can only be hoped that a veto can find enough votes to achieve nullification. Progress nationwide these days is encouraging and there are now all but 25% of states doing the right thing -- it is hoped momentum can be maintained if not increased. Back to Top Ms. Di Palma liked a new condo building on Union Street, where a one-bedroom with a balcony cost $760,000. Again, Mr. Reischel thought it was too small. One Saturday morning, while picking up trash on their block, as they often do, they chatted with a neighbor, Tyson Lewis, an associate broker at Halstead Property. He told them of a listing in the co-op next door to them, which was soon to hit the market at $749,000. Maintenance was around $900. The one-bedroom had a spiral staircase leading to a solarium, and a huge private roof deck. We had seen lots of things but nothing like this, Ms. Di Palma said. It was one of the few apartments I could actually buy. The apartment is like Miami Beach. Its really, really bright. She bid the asking price. At Mr. Lewiss suggestion, she also wrote a letter to the seller. It read, in part: I have never taken any risks. My entire life has been carefully planned and executed. Im not sure if I should be proud or ashamed of this. What I do know is that it has led me to this very decision and moment. One that I am sure of. She explained in her letter that she travels a lot for work. But I always look forward to coming home, she wrote, to a home where I can spend time with the people I love. The table was shrouded in white linen, and the slice of chocolate cake came on a bone china saucer. A few minutes later, just as the pianist switched from Schubert to Haydn, an effete, penguin-suited waiter presented the sparkling riesling with a bow. Next to me sat a woman in a fur coat; at her feet was a poodle. It was 11 a.m. in February, and I could think of a no less appropriate place to be than Austria, and no stranger activity to engage in than the solitary consumption of Viennese pastry and wine. There wasnt snow on the ground, but everything else was white the palaces, the ponies, the pedestrians. It was ball season, and in the velvet-lined windows of jewelry stores sat tiaras, twinkling without irony. If Austria is best-known for schmaltzy sentimentalism and a refusal to acknowledge its Nazi heritage, the capital city of Vienna is celebrated for its Habsburg-era decadence. The city looks and feels like a monument to itself. It seemed odd to indulge in cultural nostalgia for a city whose main asset is undeniably its imperial past. Odd or not, here I was. Eating cake. And since it was Vienna, many of the cakes were based on recipes originally devised for various members of the royal family. There was chocolate and apricot Sacher torte, shocking pink punschkrapferl filled with nougat, kardinalschnitte made from genoise sponge and meringue. There was apfelstrudel mit schlag and round waffles topped with extruded worms of maroni cream. Liquor and buttercream Esterhazy torte was on offer, as was rehrucken, a dome spiced with ginger and decorated to look explicitly like a slab of venison. Marzipan made frequent appearances in my selections and so did poppy seeds, pistachios and glace cherries. Airbnb has raised an additional $1 billion, expanding its war chest at a time of increased investor interest in fast-growing businesses. The company, which disclosed the funding in a securities filing on Thursday, raised the money in a financing round that began last summer and that valued the business at $30 billion. The filing did not name the investors. Over the years, Airbnb, a short-term lodging rental company founded in 2008, has raised more than $3 billion, and secured a $1 billion line of credit, according to the research firm CB Insights. Airbnb, based in San Francisco, is the No. 2 most valuable private company in the United States behind Uber, the ride-hailing business, according to CB Insights. CNBC earlier reported that Airbnb had closed the funding round. An Airbnb spokesman declined to comment further on the filing. The M.I.T. Media Labs proposition is simple: Break the rules or shake up the status quo, and you might win $250,000 in cash no strings attached. No, its not a joke. Nominations for the labs new Disobedience Award are open. There are people doing really important things, breaking either the rules or sticking to their principles with knowledge that they will be hurt or punished in some way, Joi Ito, the director of the Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said in a telephone interview on Thursday. There are a number of really amazing people who just dont get attention we hope it will be someone who gives us courage like Malala, he added of the eventual recipient, referring to the Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai. The lab created the award after realizing that in a lot of large institutions theres really two ways you make progress, Ethan Zuckerman, the director of M.I.T.s Center for Civic Media, said in a telephone interview on Thursday. You make progress when people follow the rules and work their way through the processes, and then sometimes you make very radical progress by someone who essentially says, Look, these processes dont work anymore, and I need to have a radical shift in what Im doing. The documents revealed by WikiLeaks that indicate the Central Intelligence Agency has been sitting on a collection of spy-friendly software vulnerabilities are certainly intriguing. More worrisome, perhaps, is the question of who else knows about these security weaknesses. Hackings are rarely discovered in a secure facility accessed only by spooks. They are more often than not found in the online bazaar of hackers and cyberweapons dealers trading security information for fun and profit. And the C.I.A. is hardly the only intelligence agency looking to acquire that information. It is safe to say that intelligence and law enforcement authorities from most countries not to mention a wide array of hackers are on the lookout for ways to break into smartphones and other security devices. Stephan Wolfert was drunk when he hopped off an Amtrak train somewhere in Montana, toting a rucksack of clothes and a cooler stocked with ice, peanut butter, bread and Miller High Life bottles, not cans. It was 1991, he was 24, and he had recently seen his best friend fatally wounded in a military training exercise. His mind in need of a salve, he went to a play: Richard III, the story of a king who was also a soldier. In Shakespeares words, he heard an echo of his own experience, and though he had been raised to believe that being a tough guy was the only way to be a man, something cracked open inside him. I was sobbing, Mr. Wolfert, now 50 and an actor, said recently over coffee in Chelsea. I didnt know you could have emotions out loud. That road-to-Damascus moment not coming to Jesus, but coming to Shakespeare is part of the story that Mr. Wolfert tells in his solo show, Cry Havoc!, which starts performances Wednesday, March 15, at the New Ohio Theater. Taking its title from Mark Antonys speech over the slain Caesar in Julius Caesar, it intercuts Mr. Wolferts own memories with text borrowed from Shakespeare. Decoupling those lines from their plays, Mr. Wolfert uses them to explore strength and duty, bravery and trauma, examining what it is to be in the military and what it is to carry that experience back into civilian life. I made my trip with Abhishek Honawar, a co-founder of the ardently healthy Inday, a New York City restaurant at odds with the often heavy and oily Indian restaurants found in the Oak Tree Road area. Mr. Honawar is an expert in Indian food but, unlike me, not a man prone to gluttony. On the 45-minute drive from New York, Mr. Honawar explained to me that Indians consider most other cuisines bland, so theyve created their own amped up version of Chinese food with added chile and garlic and prepared in thick gravies that give the dishes the consistency of Indian curries. Indo-Chinese is a relatively new cuisine, but now everyone in Bombay is familiar with these flavors, said Mr. Honowar, a Mumbai native, referring to his hometowns former name. We thought it fitting to start our crawl with the most popular Indo-Chinese dish, Manchurian chicken, which we found at Calcutta Chinese Food, a restaurant tucked in one of Oak Tree Roads countless strip malls. It is the kind of Chinese takeout joint where you order at the counter by pointing at photos of food on the wall. Posters of the Taj Mahal hung in the tiny dining space, next to red banners featuring the Cantonese symbol for wealth. Chinese customers mixed with Indians. Manchurian chicken employs Chinese techniques, but its red gravy, heavy on ginger, chilies and garlic, has the consistency of an Indian curry. A vegetarian version is made with cauliflower. By narrating the raw aftermath of a police shooting in a widely shared Facebook Live video last year, Diamond Reynolds turned the death of her boyfriend, Philando Castile, into a nationwide call for racial justice. Now Ms. Reynolds, who was widely praised for her poise during the video, is facing legal troubles. Ms. Reynolds, of West St. Paul, Minn., was charged with felony assault last week, stemming from accusations that she attacked a woman with a hammer. The police said Ms. Reynolds, 27, was among a group of women who jumped a woman at 10:30 a.m. in St. Paul. She was freed on bail after a court appearance on Monday. Her lawyer, Michael Padden, said she intended to plead not guilty at her next court appearance on April 3. The woman, who is 24 but whose name was not included in the criminal complaint, told the police that while waiting at a stop sign, she saw a white S.U.V. make a U-turn to follow her. She said she drove to a parking lot and got out of her car, at which point Ms. Reynolds ran up and punched her in the head while another woman, Chnika Blair, 18, grabbed her by the hair, the police said. Under the Every Student Succeeds Act, children still have to take standardized tests in math, reading and science, and schools still need to report on the progress of at-risk groups, like disabled students, nonwhite students and those learning English. But fewer consequences are now tied to low test scores and more emphasis is placed on holding schools accountable for providing access to advanced classes and for reducing student suspension rates. In addition, states are now able to come up with their own plans for how to intervene in failing schools. Mr. Obama called the bill a bipartisan Christmas miracle. The National Council of La Raza, a Latino-rights organization, gave ESSAs two Senate co-sponsors, Patty Murray of Washington, a Democrat, and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, a Republican, an award for their work on behalf of students learning English. The two appeared together to accept the honor, each praising the others collaboration. It took less than a year for that bipartisan consensus to fall apart. It is customary for federal agencies to issue detailed regulations on how new laws should be put into effect, and Mr. Obamas Department of Education did so in November. But some lawmakers from both parties saw the regulations as unusually aggressive and far-reaching, and said they could subvert ESSAs intent of re-establishing local control over education and decreasing the emphasis on testing. Last month, the House of Representatives overturned a broad swath of the rules using the Congressional Review Act, which allows lawmakers to spike federal regulations. The Senate passed a similar resolution on Thursday, and President Trump has indicated that he will sign it. That would leave ESSA on the books, but Ms. DeVos would have more flexibility in how to apply it. The Obama regulations pushed states to weight student achievement measures, such as test scores and graduation rates, more heavily than other factors in labeling schools as underperforming. The regulations also required schools to provide parents and the public with a more detailed annual report card on schoolwide student achievement data and other indicators of success. In San Francisco, the city attorney, Dennis Herrera, and the state attorney general at the time, Kamala Harris, declined to defend against the lawsuit, saying the bail system was unfair. In Houston the district attorney, Kim Ogg, weighed in with an impassioned friend-of-the-court brief, writing, It makes no sense to spend public funds to house misdemeanor offenders in a high-security penal facility when the crimes themselves may not merit jail time. Like Sheriff Gonzalez, Ms. Ogg is newly elected. Those left to defend the system have had a lonely uphill fight. James Munisteri, a private lawyer hired by Harris County, faced calls for his removal after he told the court at an earlier hearing that misdemeanor defendants might be in jail not because they couldnt afford to post bond, but because they want to be there. If its a cold week, he added. The judge, Lee H. Rosenthal of Federal District Court, was skeptical of that contention, calling it uncomfortably reminiscent of the historical argument that used to be made that people enjoyed slavery, because they were afraid of the alternative. The case was filed last May on behalf of Maranda Lynn ODonnell, who was arrested on charges of driving with an invalid license. She spent over two days in jail because she couldnt afford to pay her $2,500 bond. Civil Rights Corps, the organization whose director, Alec Karakatsanis, has led the legal attacks on unaffordable bail across the country, joined with the Texas Fair Defense Project, a nonprofit legal defense organization, and Susman Godfrey, a law firm, to bring the case. So far, the county has spent $1.2 million on outside lawyers to defend itself. The Supreme Court has held that liberty before trial should be the norm, and that bail conditions must be set based on the individuals circumstances. Bail is not meant to be punitive; it is intended simply to ensure that defendants return to court. Texas law requires consideration of the ability to make bail. But the videos made it clear that bail was routinely set with no inquiry into defendants ability to pay or with the full knowledge that they could not. When suspects are first booked, their bail is set using a fee schedule based on the charge and on criminal history. At the probable cause hearing, where typically no lawyer is present, the hearing officer can raise or lower the bond, or grant a personal bond, which allows the defendant to go without an upfront payment. The county argued that it began reforming its pretrial release system before the lawsuit was filed. It recently issued guidelines recommending the use of personal bonds for people accused of 12 low-level misdemeanors. Beginning on July 1, it plans to make public defenders available at the probable cause hearing. The bail fee schedule will disappear, to be replaced by a risk assessment, a more sophisticated method of determining an arrestees likelihood of fleeing or of committing a new crime. WASHINGTON President Trump, after a halting start, is now marshaling the full power of his office to win over holdout conservatives and waffling senators to support the House Republicans replacement for the Affordable Care Act. There are East Room meetings, evening dinners and sumptuous lunches even a White House bowling soiree. Mr. Trump is deploying the salesman tactics he sharpened over several decades in New York real estate. His pitch: He is fully behind the bill to scotch President Barack Obamas signature domestic achievement, but he is open to negotiations on the details. In so doing, Mr. Trump is plunging personally into his first major legislative fight, getting behind a bill that has been denounced by many health care providers and scorned by his base on the right. If it fails, Mr. Trump will find it difficult not to shoulder some of the blame. WASHINGTON The Trump administration is considering deep cuts in the budgets of the Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency as it looks for money to ratchet up security along the southern border, according to a person familiar with the administrations draft budget request. The goal is to shift about $5 billion toward hiring scores of additional agents for Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as toward infrastructure to support a crackdown on illegal immigration at the border. A significant portion of the money would go toward erecting a wall along the border with Mexico, one of President Trumps signature campaign promises. To fund those efforts, though, the plan would seek significant reductions in other areas, including a 14 percent cut to the Coast Guards $9.1 billion budget and 11 percent cuts to both the T.S.A. and FEMA. The three agencies have played high-profile roles in the Department of Homeland Securitys post-Sept. 11 security architecture. All told, the plan would increase the departments budget by 6.4 percent, to $43.8 billion, for the 2018 fiscal year, also using savings from other executive branch departments to fund it. WASHINGTON Republicans are rarely as exercised as when they are fighting with themselves. And as the House debates how to best dismantle the Affordable Care Act, a familiar array of interest groups with deep pockets, incensed talk radio hosts and online agitators is again assuming its posture of aggression toward the House Republican leadership. Swampcare, the writer and radio personality Erick Erickson scoffed at the new American Health Care Act, the culmination of seven years of promises to repeal and replace President Barack Obamas signature domestic achievement. Obamacare 2.0, declared Breitbart.com. RINOCARE, Mark Levin wrote on Twitter, using the acronym for Republican in Name Only. Political groups backed by the billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch and other powerful players on the right, such as Club for Growth and Heritage Action for America, have come out quickly and strongly against the bill. Some have threatened to punish lawmakers by docking their conservative ratings on the influential scorecards they distribute to voters. Activists are already swarming Capitol Hill and demanding that Congress take a harder line and pass a repeal measure that would leave no trace of the Affordable Care Act. I feel lied to, said Anna Beavon Gravely, the deputy state director of the North Carolina chapter of Americans for Prosperity, a Koch-backed group that is funding a grass-roots push against Republicans in Congress who want to stop short of an outright repeal. St. Patricks Day will soon be upon us, and Team Trump would like you to know that for just $50 you can purchase a green Make America Great Again hat embroidered with a symbol that has nothing to do with St. Patricks Day. The hats went on sale last week in advance of the holiday, celebrated on March 17, and had a four-leaf clover instead of a three-leaf shamrock stitched on the back. A four-leaf clover is not a symbol of Ireland. It is just a plant. On Wednesday afternoon the hats disappeared from Mr. Trumps online store. A spokeswoman for Mr. Trump did not respond to questions about why the hats were taken off the website. WASHINGTON For years, Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, has been derided as an anti-American anarchist, indiscriminate in publishing leaks and far too cozy with Russia. For more than four years, he has been hiding out in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London to avoid sexual assault investigators in Sweden. But on Thursday, fresh from revealing the largest leak of classified documents in C.I.A. history, Mr. Assange tried to turn the tables on his critics, presenting himself as a defender of the United States top technology companies from overreaching, double-dealing American spies. The 8,000 C.I.A. documents that WikiLeaks made public this week the first installment in a far larger collection, Mr. Assange said showed that the agency had found flaws in the most popular products of the internet age: iPhones, Android phones, software used in every office and even internet-connected televisions. But instead of alerting the companies so they could plug the security holes, the agency exploited the weaknesses to carry out cyberspying around the world. So Mr. Assange, speaking by video in an online news conference, offered a lifeline to the companies, saying the antisecrecy organization was prepared to share leaked computer code that it has not yet published with Apple, Google and other technology companies to help them fix the flaws described in the leaked C.I.A. documents. Some 26,000 women in the United States give birth to a stillborn child each year. Its a harrowing experience for parents, and many eventually want to know what went wrong, in part to avoid going through a similar experience in the future. But in the days after delivery, when tests to search for a cause must be conducted, doctors are often hesitant to suggest them, and grief-stricken parents often reluctant to permit them. A rigorous study released on Thursday found that two tests are particularly effective in determining the cause of a stillbirth, a death of a fetus at or after 20 weeks of gestation. An examination of the placenta helped find a cause in about two-thirds of stillbirths, and a fetal autopsy helped in roughly 40 percent of cases, researchers reported. Genetic testing was the third most useful test, helping to pinpoint a cause 12 percent of the time. These tests have an impact, and now theres more of a scientific rationale for their use, said Dr. Emily S. Miller, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University who was not involved with the study. She predicted that this critical new data would not only persuade more obstetrician-gynecologists that placental testing is something we really need to recommend, but also help convince bereaved parents that follow-up testing is worthwhile. In some cases, knowing the cause of a stillbirth can help to guide management of subsequent pregnancies. But Ms. Riveros, the mother who trims marijuana plants, says the profits of the illegal trade have fallen since the FARC stood down, by more than half. Experts say the peacetime market has been flooded with cannabis that can move out of rebel territory more easily now that the rebels do not control it. Her hopes now rest with PharmaCielo. It would be a miracle for us, she said. But for now she still cuts cannabis for the mafia groups that come by Corinto. She pulled out a half-filled sack and started trimming, using scissors with an index finger that had grown crooked after years of the same work. Her son, 8, sat next to her, watching Colombian show horses on YouTube, using a wireless router they had bought with the marijuana money. At one point, prospective clients pulled up in a car to her small adobe home. Ms. Riveros pulled out a plastic bag with trimmed cannabis. It will be much more technical with the company, she said, referring to PharmaCielo. It was getting to be evening. Ms. Riveros strolled through a field of her own plants, then wandered over to an oven in a shed where long cannabis branches were hanging to dry from the ceiling. As the sun set, the growers in the village were beginning to turn on the lights above their plants, plot by plot. Before long, the entire hillside seemed lit up. The other mountains were, too. The lights of the high-rises of Cali shimmered in the far distance. Isnt it all just beautiful? Ms. Riveros asked. BANGKOK Two Malaysian workers with the United Nations World Food Program were allowed to leave North Korea on Thursday, two days after the unpredictable Pyongyang government barred all Malaysians from leaving the country. With their departure, nine Malaysian embassy workers and family members remain in North Korea as the countries wrangle over the assassination of Kim Jong-nam, the half brother of North Koreas ruler, who was killed last month in Malaysias largest airport. Prime Minister Najib Razak said that those nine remained safe and were continuing with their daily routines. The two countries will negotiate privately to end their diplomatic standoff over the killing, he said. Our strong focus on resolving this issue will not change, he said in a statement. I pledge that the government will do everything possible to ensure that our citizens continue to be safe and will be able to return to Malaysia. They descend on towns and villages, plundering crops and rampaging through homes. They occasionally attack humans. But perhaps most dangerous of all, the marauders carry with them highly radioactive material. Hundreds of toxic wild boars have been roaming across northern Japan, where the meltdown of the Fukushima nuclear plant six years ago forced thousands of residents to desert their homes, pets and livestock. Some animals, like cattle, were left to rot in their pens. As Japan prepares to lift some evacuation orders on four towns within the more than 12-mile exclusion zone around the Fukushima plant later this month, officials are struggling to clear out the contaminated boars. Wild boar meat is a delicacy in northern Japan, but animals slaughtered since the disaster are too contaminated to eat. According to tests conducted by the Japanese government, some of the boars have shown levels of radioactive element cesium-137 that are 300 times higher than safety standards. YOUNG, Australia On a rural road about two hours drive from the nearest major city, the small Australian town of Young has long been known for cherries and little else. But in recent years, the once largely white, working-class community has seen a steady influx of Lebanese Muslim families, many who say they have relocated from Sydney for a better and safer life. Among them are members of the Zahab family. Now one of them, Haisem Zahab, a 42-year-old electrician, is accused of using the internet to try to help the Islamic State develop a guided missile. Officials suspect that some of his relatives traveled to Syria to join the extremist group, which is also known as ISIS or ISIL. The allegations about the Zahab family have rattled many residents of this town, who have long taken pride in its peaceful multiculturalism. They have also stoked some of the worst fears about homegrown links to terrorism in a country that is grappling with immigration policy and labor shortages. One argument developing is that Muslims cannot be trusted, they are all bad, and with so many in our town, it was only a matter of time before trouble raised its head, Craig Thomson, editor of The Young Witness, the local newspaper, wrote in an opinion column after Mr. Zahabs arrest. The other point put forward is that hatred is not the way to handle this situation and one mans actions should not condemn the entire towns Muslim population. He also suggested on Thursday that the government would extend a state of emergency during which tens of thousands of teachers, police officers, judges and opposition politicians have been jailed without charges or trials by three months. But Mr. Yildirim later appeared to backtrack, telling journalists that the governments National Security Council, of which he is a member, will have to take up the matter. At a second news conference, Ibrahim Kalin, a powerful assistant to Mr. Erdogan, said a decision had yet to be reached on whether to extend the emergency period. Mr. Kalin said Turkeys European and American allies had unfairly criticized Turkeys crackdown that came after last years coup attempt. The Turkish public in general is disappointed that Turkey has not received the kind of support it expected after this coup, Mr. Kalin said. In a third briefing on Thursday for foreign journalists, Bekir Bozdag, Turkeys justice minister, blamed a smear campaign by terrorist organizations for tricking American and European journalists into holding critical views of Turkeys crackdown. For instance, when you have a look at the emails of nearly all journalists in the U.S. and Europe, you can see that they have received propaganda messages from terrorist organizations, Mr. Bozdag said. In further comments, Mr. Yildirim condemned President Trumps decision to use the phrase radical Islamic terrorism in his speeches and other public remarks, calling the phrase divisive language that alienates the vast majority of peaceful Muslims. If you mention a religion in the same sentence as terrorism, then the followers of that religion in this case two billion people will be offended, Mr. Yildirim said. When you use the phrase Islamic terrorism, all Muslims are offended. Mr. Yildirim, Mr. Kalin and Mr. Bozdag all warned the Trump administration that relations between Turkey and the United States could worsen significantly if the United States failed to extradite Fethullah Gulen, the leader of a religious organization who lives in Pennsylvania and whom the Turkish authorities accused of masterminding the failed coup attempt in July. Turkey has provided documentation to the Justice Department that it claims proves Mr. Gulens guilt, the three said. So far, the American authorities have yet to agree. I can clearly say that whatever Osama bin Laden means for American citizens, Fethullah Gulen means for the Turkish people, Mr. Bozdag said. He said he expected to have a phone conversation soon with the United States attorney general, Jeff Sessions, to discuss his countrys extradition request. Scores of journalists have been arrested in recent months in Turkey, but Mr. Bozdag said none had been detained because of their journalism. Mr. Yildirim and Mr. Kalin also said relations could suffer if the United States chose to attack the Syrian city of Raqqa, the headquarters of the Islamic State, with Kurdish forces whom Turkey views as allied with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party. The Trump administration needs to win the hearts and minds of Turkish public opinion, Mr. Yildirim said. And at the moment, the Turkish public has a very negative opinion of the United States. LONDON Theresa May, Britains accidental prime minister, seems unassailable, with her opposition in disorder. But there are increasing uncertainties around Britains decision to leave the European Union and an inevitable gathering of opposition to her decision to go for a hard break with the bloc, particularly in Scotland and Northern Ireland but also, increasingly, in England. A bill to allow the government to start its formal notice of resignation from the European Union, known as Brexit, is wending its way through Parliament. With noisy bouts of disagreement from the House of Lords, pressure is growing on Mrs. May, of the Conservative Party, to call an early general election to solidify her narrow majority in the House of Commons while the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats remain in disarray. Mrs. May has vowed that she will invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty by the end of March, beginning the two-year process of withdrawing from the European Union. She may do it even sooner, before the other 27 nations of the European Union gather in Rome on March 25 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome that led to the founding of the bloc. Some are urging her to call for an election at the same time. BRUSSELS Donald Tusk was appointed on Thursday to a second term as president of the European Council, one of the European Unions governing bodies, despite objections from the government of his own country, Poland, that had created an unprecedented confrontation in Brussels. Poland was overruled by leaders of the 27 other European Union member countries as they gathered for their spring summit meeting. It was the first time such a decision was made without unanimity since the job was created in 2009. The council sets the leaders agenda, and Mr. Tusk will be expected to forge compromise among its fractious membership during a two-and-a-half-year term, during which the countries will debate, and possibly decide, whether the European Union even survives in its current form. Mr. Tusk acknowledged the unusual circumstances created by the opposition of his own nation and offered the government in Warsaw an olive branch by pledging to work with all members without any exceptions. WASHINGTON Jon M. Huntsman Jr. has accepted President Trumps offer to be ambassador to Russia, people with knowledge of the matter said on Thursday, taking on a diplomatic assignment that would be challenging in the best of times but is more so now, given the questions swirling around the Trump campaign and its links to Russia. Mr. Huntsman, a former Republican governor of Utah, served as former President Barack Obamas ambassador to China from 2009 to 2011. Experts said he will need his political dexterity to navigate Moscow at a time when Mr. Trump has called for better ties even as Russias role in the 2016 presidential election remains under intense scrutiny. Not only is there this mess with the investigation that will complicate his assignment, theres a lot of incoherence within the Trump administration regarding its policy toward Russia, said Michael A. McFaul, who was ambassador to Russia in the Obama administration. The F.B.I. is known to have examined possible contacts between Russia and Trump advisers. Congress also has opened an inquiry. CAIRO Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that has governed the Gaza Strip for a decade, is drafting a new platform to present a more pragmatic and cooperative face to the world, Hamas officials confirmed on Thursday. The document would represent a departure from the groups contentious 1988 charter, in which it promised to obliterate Israel and characterized its struggle as specifically against Jews. The new document defines Hamass enemies as occupiers. It means that we dont fight Jews because they are Jews, said Taher el-Nounou, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza. Our struggle is only against those who occupied our lands. The new document would accept borders of the territory captured by Israel in the 1967 war as the basis for a Palestinian state. It would not recognize Israel, however, nor would it give up future claims to all of what Hamas considers Palestinian lands. BAGHDAD Suicide bombers struck a village north of Baghdad as a wedding party gathered in the evening, killing at least 26 people and wounding scores, a government spokesman said on Thursday. The assault began late Wednesday when an assailant wearing an explosives-laden belt walked into the wedding party at an open area in Hajaj, near the city of Tikrit, about 120 miles north of Baghdad. After the bomber detonated his explosives and people scrambled to help the wounded, a second assailant blew himself up at the scene, Ali al-Hamdani, a provincial spokesman, told The Associated Press. WASHINGTON The United States is sending an additional 400 troops to Syria to help prepare for the looming fight for Raqqa, the capital of the Islamic States self-proclaimed caliphate, American officials said on Thursday. The increase, which includes a team of Army Rangers and a Marine artillery unit that have already arrived in Syria, represents a near-doubling of the number of American troops there. The United States military has declined to say how many troops it has deployed in Syria. The formal troop cap is 503, but commanders have the authority to temporarily exceed that limit. The Rangers presence became apparent last weekend when they were seen driving around the northern Syrian town of Manbij in Stryker vehicles and armored Humvees. The Washington Post earlier reported the deployment of the Marine artillery battery. Saturday 4) 10 A.M. Outdoor Art Start the day south of the city center at the Sapporo Art Park, a theme park for art lovers: ateliers and genre-specific studios for learning crafts, exhibition spaces, seasonal festivals and even a museum. But the biggest draw is the outdoor Sapporo Sculpture Garden, a wooded tract where over 70 sculptures have been installed along meandering trails (open from April). Works range from minimalist rusted-metal panels by Lee Ufan and somber Nordic figures from Gustav Vigeland to a contemporary conga line of canary-yellow silhouettes by the Japanese sculptor Shigeo Fukuda. Admission, 700 yen. 5) 12:30 P.M. Waiting for Miso There is a Swedish proverb that says, The one who waits for something good never waits too long, which is a worthwhile mantra to repeat while standing in line outside the ramen shop Menya Saimi. Lunch at this modest spot invariably involves a wait because the beautiful bowls of miso ramen (750 yen), the mellow style native to Sapporo, are considered the best in the city. And for good reason: The noodles are perfectly chewy, the aromatic broth is subtle yet complex, and the toppings form a colorful medley of bamboo shoots, green scallions, roast pork and bright yellow fresh-grated ginger. The work of Hokkaidos designers at the Museum Store. Credit Andrew Faulk for The New York Times 6) 2:30 P.M. Local Labor A three-story Taisho-era wooden building near the Nijo fish market became the unlikely epicenter of a growing creative scene when a cutting-edge retail-and-gallery complex opened there in 2014. Visit the first-floor Museum Store to browse boxy knits from the Sapporo-based label Esther, handcrafted Hokkaido-deerskin bags from 24K and leggings printed with wacky designs like tall stacks of pancakes dripping with syrup. Then climb the staircase to the second-floor Clark Gallery & Shift, a white-walled space where contemporary art from emerging local artists is showcased in a collaborative project with the online magazine Shift, whose offices are also on-site. 7) 4 P.M. Sweet Snack Instead of parsing the flavor nuances of different single-origin coffees, try distinguishing the characteristics of single-origin cacao beans from around the globe at Saturdays Chocolate Factory Cafe, a two-year-old artisan chocolate producer with a cool on-site shop and cafe. Watch the production of small-batch chocolates in the glass-enclosed back-room factory, shop for bars in pretty patterned wrappers or indulge in a frozen chocolate shake, a sinfully rich refreshment topped with a few frozen berries and served in half-pint glass jars (480 yen). A recent exhibition at Clark Gallery & Shift. Credit Andrew Faulk for The New York Times 8) 5:30 P.M. Underground Galleries A creative repurposing of unused space has turned two underground sites into free art galleries. The first, in a subway passageway, is the Sapporo Odori 500-m Underground Walkway Gallery, which spans a third of a mile of corridor where protective glass is the only barrier separating harried commuters from contemporary paintings and sculptures from young Japanese artists. Another unlikely gallery nearby, called CAI02, is beneath a food court in a subbasement. Small in size but not ambition, this pioneering gallery recently hosted a kinetic installation by the sound artist Junichi Oguro involving fans that buoyed a crinkly golden sheet midair. 9) 7 P.M. Fine Frying Hokkaido is a seafood paradise whose bounty surfaces in more places than just high-end sushi bars. One excellent example is Tempura Kobashi, a refined tempura restaurant hidden on the third floor of a nondescript high-rise. Duck under the white noren (curtains) and take one of the nine seats along the smooth, L-shape counter, behind which the cheerful chef deftly prepares tempura sourced mainly from the sea. The omakase meal (from 4,500 yen) includes a series of delicately fried pieces, presented one at a time, which recently included crisp shrimp heads, tender fillets of local kisu fish and seasonal Hokkaido asparagus. A rice bowl with tempura-fried crab, a Sapporo specialty, signals the impending end of the meal that culminates with a sensational plate of vanilla ice cream nestled against a steaming sweet potato with candylike flesh and flash-fried skin. 10) 9 P.M. Night Lights Evening entertainment doesnt get much more dazzling than the unobstructed panoramic views from atop Mount Moiwa, a small mountain southwest of the city center. To reach the newly renovated observation complex at the summit, the Mount Moiwa Ropeway ferries visitors in large gondolas to a midstation, from which small cable cars complete the journey (1,700 yen round trip). The outdoor viewing platform boasts daytime vistas spanning the surrounding mountains, but more impressive is the twilight version when the city sparkle stretches for miles toward the Sea of Japan. Seniors Watching Tv And Reading A Newspaper Stock Photo - Image ... (Image by dreamstime.com) Details DMCA Are your job skills ossifying? Would you like to learn some updated new technologies? Unfortunately, our educational system is horribly confining in terms of age. It is an outdated system which discriminates based on age. Older folks are institutionally rejected from formal education by statutes and policies which explicitly state that academic admission is for those under 30; or that scholarships are available for folks only up to the age of 25, etc" If an older person wishes to refresh their knowledge by returning to school, they are discouraged by countless cultural and economic forces. On a system-wide level this policy of ageism results in an ossification of most people's skill-sets such that they seem to become more and more irrelevant as they age. What a dreadful cultural result. We soon learn to view our elders as relatively worthless and unproductive as members of the workforce. How many people would gladly switch jobs at some point during their lives if they knew there was no economic penalty for doing so? How many more would choose to enhance their education and re-enter the workforce with better, more updated skills if they knew there was an economic reward? How much quicker could civilization progress if all age groups were encouraged to continue their education, increase their responsibilities, and actively participate in the management and governance of our society? Why is management and governance largely left to the elite, the wealthy, the inheritance class and their friends and associates? It is natural for most workers who do repetitive tasks to become bored and unmotivated at their jobs. Whether the job task is manual or cerebral in nature does not matter much. What destroys our motivation and drive is the repetitiveness and lack of meaningful stimulation. Moreover, it is natural for us to want to understand the way in which we can productively fit into our civilization. As we mature and grow in life experience and wisdom, it becomes more and more obvious to many of us that our job function is not fundamentally contributing to civilization in a way which we feel positive about. When we are young, this seems to be less consequential because we do not yet have a comprehensive understanding of the cultural and political context in which we live out our lives. However, as we mature and our understanding grows, we often hear an uncomfortable voice inside us rebelling against our jobs, reminding us that our work does not contribute to civilization in a way that makes us feel good. This quashes our self image leaving many of us in a state of arrested development, or quasi-depression where motivation to participate in the process of civilization is dramatically diminished. To a large extent this languishing of interest occurs because the current economic and political system cannot provide us with appropriate opportunities to participate in the management and governance of our society. What amplifies this even more is the cognitive dissonance we experience when told that our democratic system is working wonderfully and that we all have equal opportunity to participate. Hogwash. What is needed is a system-wide, broadly ranging feeder system which encourages participation and enhances our skill-sets as we get older and wiser. One possible solution would be to equip our economic system with across-the-board incentives for re-educating, retraining and empowering our maturing workers, deliberately placing them in influential positions within both the private and public sectors. To avoid any potential problem with anyone becoming too powerful in any one position, perhaps it would be best to have the positions filled on a rotating basis, but fleshing out the details of this new system is well beyond the scope of this short article. The untapped power of older folks lies in the simple fact that they have witnessed history and seen how civilization unfolds. They have been able to privately and individually form and test theories about power structures and governance, and are able to contextualize what they are doing and what is being done by others around them. Therefore, they are naturally in a position to take an authoritative role, and are in position to put powerful skills to use in our economic and political communities. There are, however, many forces which conspire to hold many of them back; among them are lack of encouragement, lack of training and lack of economic opportunity. Although some may rise to satisfying positions of influence, the consolidating tendency of our current hierarchical system dramatically reduces the number of such positions made available. Instead, our political economy creates incentives which focus power and influence in the hands of as few folks as possible. This is highly unfortunate and exasperatingly inefficient. Our civilization sacrifices a great deal as it continues to march along this archaic, hierarchical ageist road. For example, consider one of our most highly prized human accomplishments -- innovation. It is common knowledge that innovators are folks who can see across the boundaries of various disciplines, people who can combine concepts from various fields in order to accomplish something unique, something innovative. It is unusual for anyone, young or old, to get the opportunity to develop this skill as we are generally pigeon-holed and forced into narrow paths where our skill-sets remain confined to one specific discipline; and this selection process deposits us, more-or-less, for the duration of our working lives. So, very few can break out of this handicapped field and achieve innovative results. Oh, certainly there are a handful of young people who are passionate enough about learning to acquire some of the necessary skills to become innovators early on. Some may possess talent and genius which cannot be explained, and to its merit, our present educational system is reasonably adept at detecting these exceptional folks at a young age and does, indeed, have mechanisms to help them reach their potential. But, the current system does nothing at all to try and encourage innovation in older folks or even in regular, non-superhuman folks. On a general basis, the system of political economy provides no navigable path which can broaden and update our knowledge, no path giving us the opportunity to apply formidable sets of accumulated wisdom, and this is largely because the bulk of our education must be completed before we are 25 years of age. Instead of being incentivized to learn new skill-sets, we are forced into positions which ossify our skills to the point of irrelevancy. As technology moves along at its swift pace, best-in-field knowledge changes almost daily and folks fresh out of college are most likely to have the necessary training to make a go of it. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Article Not Found Sometimes, authors delete their articles after publishing them. To see if the article was renamed or re-published, please click here. From Consortium News WikiLeaks' disclosure of documents revealing CIA cyber-spying capabilities underscores why much more skepticism should have been applied to the U.S. intelligence community's allegations about Russia "hacking" last year's American presidential election. It turns out that the CIA maintains a library of foreign malware that could be used to pin the blame for a "hack" on another intelligence service. That revelation emerged from documents that WikiLeaks published on Tuesday from a CIA archive that WikiLeaks said had apparently been passed around within a community of former U.S. government hackers and contractors before one of them gave WikiLeaks some of the material. The documents revealed that the CIA can capture the content of encrypted Internet and cell-phone messages by grabbing the material in the fraction of a second before the words are put through encryption. Another program called "Weeping Angel" can hack Samsung "smart" TVs with built-in Internet connections, allowing the CIA and British intelligence to covertly use the TVs as listening devices even when they appear to be turned off. Besides the 1984-ish aspects of these reported capabilities -- Orwell's dystopia also envisioned TVs being used to spy on people in their homes -- the WikiLeaks' disclosures add a new layer of mystery to whether the Russians were behind the "hacks" of the Democratic Party or whether Moscow was framed. For instance, the widely cited Russian fingerprints on the "hacking" attacks -- such as malware associated with the suspected Russian cyber-attackers APT 28 (also known as "Fancy Bear"); some Cyrillic letters: and the phrase "Felix Edmundovich," a reference to Dzerzhinsky, the founder of a Bolsheviks' secret police -- look less like proof of Russian guilt than they did earlier. Or put differently -- based on the newly available CIA material -- the possibility that these telltale signs were planted to incriminate Moscow doesn't sound as farfetched as it might have earlier. A former U.S. intelligence officer, cited by The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, acknowledged that the CIA's "Umbrage" library of foreign hacking tools could "be used to mask a U.S. operation and make it appear that it was carried out by another country... That could be accomplished by inserting malware components from, say, a known Chinese, Russian or Iranian hacking operation into a U.S. one." While that possibility in no way clears Moscow in the case of the Democratic "hack," it does inject new uncertainty into the "high confidence" that President Obama's intelligence community expressed in its assessment of Russian culpability. If the CIA had this capability to plant false leads in the data, so too would other actors, both government and private, to cover their own tracks. Dubious Forensics Another problem with the U.S. intelligence community's assessment is that the forensics were left to private contractors working for the Democrats, not conducted independently by U.S. government experts. That gap in the evidentiary trail widens when one notes that CrowdStrike, the Democratic Party's consultant, offered contradictory commentary about the skills of the hackers. CrowdStrike praised the hackers' tradecraft as "superb, operational security second to none" and added: "we identified advanced methods consistent with nation-state level capabilities including deliberate targeting and 'access management' tradecraft -- both groups were constantly going back into the environment to change out their implants, modify persistent methods, move to new Command & Control channels and perform other tasks to try to stay ahead of being detected." In other words, CrowdStrike cited the sophistication of the tradecraft as proof of a state-sponsored cyber-attack, yet it was the sloppiness of the tradecraft that supposedly revealed the Russian links, i.e., the old malware connections, the Cyrillic letters and the Dzerzhinsky reference. 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). From Dispatches From The Edge A Foreign Policy of Delusion In trying to unravel the debates over U.S. foreign policy currently being fought out in the editorial pages of the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the magazine Foreign Policy, one might consider starting in late December on a bitter cold ridge in northern Wyoming, where 81 men of the U.S. Army's 18th Infantry Regiment were pursuing some Indians over a rocky ridge. The year was 1866 and the U.S. was at war with the local tribes -- Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapaho -- in an attempt to open a trail into the Montana gold fields. The fighting was going badly for an army fresh from the battlefields of the Civil War. Oglala Sioux leader Red Cloud and his savvy lieutenant Crazy Horse did not fight like Robert E. Lee, but rather like General Vo Nguyen Giap a hundred years in the future: an ambush by attackers who quickly vanished, isolated posts overrun, supply wagons looted and burned. The time and place was vastly different, but the men who designed the war against Native Americans would be comfortable with the rationale that currently impel U.S. foreign policy. In their view, the Army was not fighting for gold in 1866, but was embarked on a moral crusade to civilize the savages, to build a shining "city on a hill," to be that "exceptional" nation that stands above all others. The fact that this holy war would kill hundreds of thousands of the continent's original owners and sentence the survivors to grinding poverty was irrelevant. Is that very much different than the way the butcher bills for the U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, the overthrow of Libya's government and the Syrian civil war is excused as unfortunate collateral damage in America's campaign to spread freedom and democracy to the rest of the world? "We came, we saw, he died," bragged then U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about the murder of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Libya is now a failed state, wracked by civil war and a major jumping-off place for refugees fleeing U.S. wars in Yemen, Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan. In his book "The True Flag: Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain, and the Birth of American Empire," author and former New York Times reporter Stephen Kinzer traces the roots of this millennium view that America's mission was to "regenerate the world." That this crusade was many times accompanied by stupendous violence is a detail that left unexamined by the people who designed those campaigns. Kinzer argues that this sense of exceptionalism was developed during the Spanish-American War (1898) that gave the U.S. colonies in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Guam and the Philippines. But, as John Dower demonstrates in his brilliant book on WW II in the Pacific, "War Without Mercy," that sentiment originated in the campaigns against Native Americans. Indeed, some of the same soldiers who tracked down Apaches in the Southwest and massacred Sioux Ghost Dancers at Wounded Knee would go on to fight insurgents in the Philippines. The language has shifted from the unvarnished imperial rhetoric of men like Roosevelt, Henry Cabot Lodge and Senator Albert Beveridge, who firmly believed in "the white man's burden" -- a line from a poem by Rudyard Kipling about the American conquest of the Philippines. Today's humanitarian interventionists have substituted the words "international" and "global" for "imperial," though the recipients of "globalism" sometimes have difficulty discerning the difference. At the ideological core of exceptionalism is the idea that American, in the words of former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright -- and repeated by presidential candidate Hillary Clinton -- is the "one essential nation" whose duty it is to spread the gospel of free markets and democracy. On the surface there appear to be sharp differences between what could call "establishment" foreign policy mavens like Zbigniew Brzezinski, Paul Wasserman, Jonathan Stevenson, and Robert Kagan, from the brick tossers like Stephen Bannon, Sebastian Gorka, and Stephen Miller. To a certain extent there are. Bannon, for instance, predicts a major land war in the Middle East and a war over the South China Sea. Next to those fulminations, liberal interventionists like Kagan, and even neoconservatives like Max Boot, seem reasoned. But the "old hands" and sober thinkers are, in many ways, just as deluded as the Trump bomb throwers. A case in point is a recent article by the Brookings Institute's Kagan entitled "Backing Into World War III," in which he argues the U.S. must challenge Russia and China "before it is too late," and that "accepting spheres of influence is a recipe for disaster." Kagan has generally been lumped in with neo-cons like Boot, Paul Wolfowitz, Elliot Abrams, and Richard Perle -- the latter three helped design the invasion of Iraq -- but he calls himself a liberal interventionist and supported Hillary Clinton in the last election. Clinton is a leading interventionist, along with former UN representative Samantha Power and President Obama's natural Security Adviser, Susan Rice. Kagan posits, "China and Russia are classic revisionist powers. Although both have never enjoyed greater security from foreign powers than they do today -- Russia from its traditional enemies to the west, China from its traditional enemy in the east -- they are dissatisfied with the current global configuration of power. Both seek to restore hegemonic dominance they once enjoyed in their respective regions." Those "regions" include Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia for Russia, and essentially everything west of the Hawaiian Islands for China. For Kagan this is less about real estate than "The mere existence of democracies on their borders, the global free flow of information they cannot control, the dangerous connection between free market capitalism and political freedom -- all pose a threat to rulers who depend on keeping restive forces in their own countries in check." There are times when one wonders what world people like Kagan live in. As Anatol Lieven, foreign policy researcher, journalist and currently a professor at Georgetown University in Qatar, points out concerning Russia, "A child with a map can look at where the strategic border was in 1988 and where it is today, and work out which side has advanced in which direction." The 1999 Yugoslav War served as an excuse for President Bill Clinton to break a decade-old agreement with the then Soviet Union not to recruit former members of the Warsaw Pact into NATO. In the war's aftermath, the western coalition signed up Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Romania. For the first time in modern history, Russia has a hostile military alliance on its borders, including American soldiers. Exactly how this gives Russia "greater security" from her enemies in the West is not clear. Of course, in a way, Kagan has a dog in this fight. His wife, former Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasian Affairs, Victoria Nuland, helped organize the 2014 coup that overthrew Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych. Prior to the coup, Nuland was caught on tape using a vulgar term to dismiss peace efforts by the European Union and discussing who would replace Yanukovych. Nuland also admitted that the U.S. had spent $5 billion trying to influence Ukraine's political development. As Lieven argues, "Russia's intervention in Ukraine is about Ukraine, a country of supreme historical, ethnic, cultural, strategic, and economic importance to Russia. It implies nothing for the rest of Eastern Europe." Kagan gives no evidence of Russia's designs on Central Asia, although one assumes he is talking about the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Since that trade and security grouping includes China, India and Pakistan, as well as Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan -- Iran has applied for membership -- exactly how Russia would "dominate" those countries is not clear. Kagan's argument that "accommodation" with Russia only encourages further aggression is, according to Lieven, a "view based upon self-deception on the part of western elites who are interested in maintaining confrontation with Russia as a distraction from more important, painful problems at home, like migration, industrial decline and anger over globalization." As for "free market capitalism," the fallout from the ravages that American style capital has wrought on its own people is one of the major reasons Donald Trump sits in the Oval Office. According to Kagan, U.S. allies in Asia -- he presents no evidence of this -- are "wondering how reliable" the U.S. is given its "mostly rhetoric" pivot to Asia, its "inadequate defense spending," its "premature" and "unnecessary" withdrawal from Iraq, and its "accommodating agreement with Iran on its nuclear program." One wonders through what looking glass the Brookings Institute views the world. The U.S. has more than 400 military bases in Asia, has turned Guam into a fortress, deployed Marines and nuclear capable aircraft in Australia and sent six of its 10 aircraft carriers to the region. It spends more on defense than the rest of the world combined. The illegal invasion of Iraq was an unmitigated disaster, and Iran has given up its nuclear enrichment program and its stockpile of enhanced uranium. But in a world of "alternative facts," the only thing that counts is that the U.S. no longer dominates the world as it did in the decades after World War II. "Only the United States has the capacity and unique geographical advantages to provide global security and relative stability," writes Kagan, "there is no stable balance of power in Europe or Asia without the United States." The fact that the "security" and "stability" that Kagan yearns for has generated dozens of wars, a frightening nuclear arms race, growing economic inequality and decades of support for dictators and monarchs on five continents never seems to figure into the equation. Where the politics of Trump fits into all this is by no means clear. If the President goes with Bannon's paranoid hate of Islam -- and given conspiracy theorist and Islamophobe Frank Gaffney has just been appointed special adviser to the President that is not a bad bet -- then things will go sharply south in the Middle East. If he pushes China and follows Bannon's prediction that there will be a war between the two powers, maybe its time to look at real estate in New Zealand, like a number of billionaires -- 40 percent of whom are Americans -- are already doing. But no matter which foreign policy current one talks about, the "indispensible nation" concept -- born out of the Indian and Spanish-American wars "weighs like a nightmare on the brain of the living," as Karl Marx wrote in the "18th Brumaire." A century and a half ago on a snowy Wyoming ridge, a company of the 18th Infantry Regiment discovered that not everyone wanted that "shining city on a hill." From out of a shallow creek bed and the surrounding cottonwoods and box elders, the people whose land the U.S. was in the process of stealing struck back. The battle of Lodge Pine Ridge did not last long, and none of the Regiment survived. It was a stunning blow in the only war against the U.S. that Native Americans won. Within less than two years the Army would admit defeat and retreat. In the end the Indians were no match for the numbers, technology, and firepower of the U.S. Within a little more than three decades they were "civilized" into sterile, poverty-ridden reservations where the only "exceptionalism" they experience is the lowest life expectancy of any ethnic group in the United States. From Alternet Don't be fooled by the watercolors; he's still responsible for the death of a million Iraqis. George W. Bush (Image by garciamedialife.com) Details DMCA So, he's back. George W. Bush leaves his Dallas attic and his paintbrushes to visit the television studios. He has a book to flog -- Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief's Tribute to America's Warriors. Since he left the White House, Bush has taken refuge in his canvases, on which he has painted the faces of about 100 of the veterans he sent to war. "I was thinking of their stories, their troubles, their joys," he told Sandra Sobieraj Westfall of People magazine in one of the many fluff pieces that have come out on his book tour. On Ellen DeGeneres' television show, Bush spoke with evident sentimentality about his close relationship with Michelle Obama. "She likes my sense of humor," said the ex-president. Pictures of Obama hugging Bush are not uncommon on social media. It is as if her hug is a sign of his rehabilitation. Bush has been reticent to talk politics, but seems to have made an exception in the Trump years. This is personal. Trump not only belittled Bush's brother, Jeb, but also his mother, Barbara, and Trump suggested that Bush's war on Iraq was a fiasco. George W. Bush came out of retirement to stump for Jeb in South Carolina. He intimated that he would not vote for Trump. During his book tour, Bush made critical noises about Trump's immigration policies and his attack on the press. "We need an independent media to hold people like me to account," Bush told Matt Lauer with a smirk. Dismay at Trump's presidency is allowing for the rehabilitation of George W. Bush. It is now a cliche' for people to say that they look back longingly at the Bush years as an antidote to the harshness of Trump. In November 2016, Mehdi Hasan of al-Jazeera wrote an op-ed in the New York Times called "Why I miss George W. Bush." Hasan considered Bush's statements after 9/11 where he distinguished between Islam and terrorism. The "miasma of anti-Muslim hate and fear-mongering" of the present, Hasan suggested, made Bush admirable. Certainly, Bush made favorable noises after 9/11 about the difference between Islam and terrorism. But Bush's policies of war in West Asia, notably Iraq, and his rhetoric of warfare collapsed any possible distinctions. One forgets that on October 6, 2005, Bush gave a speech to the National Endowment for Democracy where he discussed the "murderous ideology of the Islamic radicals," which he called the "greatest challenge of our century." Such language dovetailed with the gurgle in the sewers of American fascism, which had incubated the term "radical Islamic extremism" (preferred by Donald Trump), and with the snarls in the Republican Party, which used the term "radical Islam" as an explanation for all the world's ills. Bush's Iraq War It is one thing to curl one's lip in disgust at ISIS and to sneer at the Eastern maladies of dictatorship and religion that seem to curdle the social worlds of West Asia. It is another to acknowledge the authorship of the United States in the destruction of nations in the region, and its role in the incubation of groups like ISIS. How does one even begin to consider that Bush -- the instigator of the destruction of Iraq -- is now considered to be an avuncular figure among liberals? It is a sign of his own anxiety that Bush decided to paint veterans. Perched in his study, he must ponder the cost of the war on those who wear the uniform of the United States. But there are no paintings of Iraqis, civilians, or soldiers. There is no mention of the million Iraqis who died as a consequence of Bush's decision to conduct what the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan called an "illegal war." Not one of the profiles in courage includes the Iraqis who collaborated with the U.S. occupation and now find themselves unable to enter the United States as a consequence of Trump's Muslim ban. Illegal war: On 15 February 2003, 15 million people marched across the countries of the world to protest the anticipated U.S. war against Iraq. This was the largest known protest in world history. Our slogans warned not only that the war was illegal, but that it would have a catastrophic impact on West Asia. We were ignored. When asked about this protest on March 6 by Fox News' Jim Angle, Bush brushed aside any warnings. "We will respect innocent life in Iraq," he said with a straight face. At that time, UN Secretary General Annan was silent about the illegality of the war. A year later, on BBC, Annan said, "I have indicated that it was not in conformity with the UN charter from our point of view, from the charter point of view, it was illegal." Horrendous war: The U.S. opening salvo against Iraq followed the "shock and awe" doctrine. Harlan K. Uliman, who developed the theory, told CBS' David Martin, "You take the city down. You get rid of their power, water. In two, three, four, five days, they are physically, emotionally and psychologically exhausted." A Pentagon official said at that time, "There will not be a safe place in Baghdad. The sheer size of this has never been seen before, never been contemplated before." Hundreds of cruise missiles rained on Baghdad and other Iraqi cities, 400 on the first day and a comparable number on the second. UN Assistant Secretary General Denis Halliday said at the time, "The United States and Britain are proceeding with plans to annihilate Iraqi society, a catastrophe that would be heightened by the threatened use of tactical nuclear weaponry." In fact, the U.S. used depleted uranium shells, which in Fallujah produced cancer rates higher than in Hiroshima after the nuclear bomb. Destruction of the State: When the United States occupied Iraq, it systematically -- and against the Geneva Conventions -- dismantled the state. Bureaucrats of the ministries and officers of the military were fired, and U.S. officials arrived to privatize Iraq to the benefit of multinational corporations. On May 27, 2003, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfled wrote in the Wall Street Journal that Bush wanted to "favor market systems" and "encourage moves to privatize state-owned enterprises." There was to be no Iraqi vote on these moves. They were to be dictated by the United States, which would also deliver a Constitution for Iraq. As Rajiv Chandrasekharan's Imperial Life in the Emerald City documents, the White House sent "loyalists" from the Republican Party to help privatize Iraq and hand it over for profit. The country was to be gutted. And it was. Torture Occupation: When the Iraqi insurgency broke out against the occupation, the United States found itself ill-prepared to tackle the rise of Iraqi patriotism. Harsh torture, as at Abu Ghraib, and massive violence, as against the city of Fallujah, defined the U.S. reaction. A defeated and captured Saddam asked to negotiate. If he had been treated with some dignity and allowed to bring in his followers, the insurgency might have been quelled. It would have been possible, at that time in December 2003, to allow the various sections of Iraq to come together. But instead the U.S. occupation used sectarian divisions to consolidate its fading power, breaking Muqtada al-Sadr's attempt at Shia-Sunni unity, building up the most sectarian forces against each other and delivering Saddam's loyalists to the more hardened extremists who would appear (such as later, ISIS). Iraqi society, fragile during the sanctions years of the 1990s, broke under the pressure of the U.S. occupation. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To receive TomDispatch in your inbox three times a week, click here. Every now and then, I think back to the millions of people who turned out in this country and across the globe in early 2003 to protest the coming invasion of Iraq. Until the recent Women's March against Donald Trump, that may have been the largest set of demonstrations in American history or, at the very least, the largest against a war that had yet to be launched. Those who participated will remember that the protests were also a sea of homemade signs, some sardonic ("Remember when presidents were smart and bombs were dumb?"), some blunt ("Contain Saddam -- and Bush"), some pointed indeed ("Pre-emptive war is terrorism"). In one of those demonstrations, I was carrying a sign which read "The Bush administration is a material breach" (a reference to that crew's insistence that Saddam Hussein's Iraq was in "material breach" of a U.N. resolution for not fully disclosing its efforts to produce weapons of mass destruction... you know, those non-existent nukes that were slated to create future mushroom clouds over American cities). There was even one humorous sign I noted then that seems relevant to our Dystrumpian moment and the president's stated wishes to "keep" Iraqi oil: "How did USA's oil get under Iraq's sand?" But here's the essential thing: the invasion to come had disaster written all over it and millions of people saw that perfectly clearly. They were, of course, the ones who weren't consulted then and would never be remembered when what they feared actually occurred and played out so catastrophically. Unlike those who got us into the Iraq nightmare, one of the great blunders of modern times, or those who later prosecuted the ongoing war there, they would never be asked for their reflections on it. They are now largely forgotten, as is the thought that, then as now, it didn't necessarily take an expert to tell you the obvious: that America's never-ending wars in the Middle East would come to no good; that all the promises about "winning," whether then or today, have been or will prove so much hogwash. It didn't take an expert, then or now, to know that Washington's military-first efforts to "win" across the Greater Middle East were fated to end badly, whether we're talking about the famed "surge" of 2007 in Iraq, President Obama's "surge" in Afghanistan in 2009, or, in the age of Trump, the sudden surge of American air strikes in Yemen in the wake of a failed and now-controversial raid in which a Navy SEAL and possibly 10 children died. It seems that those included the most intensive day of drone strikes ever ordered and, more generally, an intensification of the Obama era campaign in that country. (This from a president who was supposed to be a noninterventionist!) From 2003 on, it hasn't been all that difficult to see just how poorly all of this would play out even as it happened. Of the surge in Iraq, for example, I wrote in 2008: "If you want a prediction, here it is and it couldn't be simpler: This cannot end well. Not for Washington. Not for the U.S. military. Not for Americans. And, above all, not for Iraqis." And I was hardly alone in my "insight." Nonetheless, no matter what I or others outside the American mainstream media wrote at the time (and since), the surge's cachet remained -- and remains -- strong indeed. That's why it couldn't be more useful to hear from an actual expert on just what went wrong and why. On the 10th anniversary of the original "surge" in Iraq, Major Danny Sjursen, TomDispatchregular, former history instructor at West Point, and the author of Ghost Riders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of the Surge, offers a personal look at the building of a legend, which helped make careers, including those of Trump's top generals, and kept a disastrous war going. Tom The Surge Delusion An Iraq War Anniversary to Forget By Danny Sjursen The other day, I found myself flipping through old photos from my time in Iraq. One in particular from October 2006 stood out. I see my 23-year-old self, along with my platoon. We're still at Camp Buerhing in Kuwait, posing in front of our squadron logo splashed across a huge concrete barrier. It was a tradition by then, three and a half years after the invasion of neighboring Iraq, for every Army, Marine, and even Air Force battalion at that camp to proudly paint its unit emblem on one of those large, ubiquitous barricades. 2nd Platoon, B Troop, 3-61 Cavalry, Kuwait, October 2006. The author is standing on the far left. Gazing at that photo, it's hard for me to believe that it was taken a decade ago. Those were Iraq's bad old days, just before General David Petraeus's fabled "surge" campaign that has since become the stuff of legend, a defining event for American military professionals. The term has permanently entered the martial lexicon and now it's everywhere. We soldiers stay late at work because we need to "surge" on the latest PowerPoint presentation. To inject extra effort into anything (no matter how mundane) is to "surge." Nor is the term's use limited to the military vernacular. Within the first few weeks of the Trump administration, the Wall Street Journal, for instance, reported on a deportation "surge." For many career soldiers, the surge era (2007-2011) provides a kind of vindication for all those years of effort and seeming failure, a brief window into what might have been and a proof certain of the enduring utility of force. When it comes to that long-gone surge, senior leaders still talk the talk on its alleged success as though reciting scripture. Take retired general, surge architect, and former CIA Director Petraeus. As recently as 2013, he wrote a Foreign Policy piece entitled "How We Won in Iraq." Now "win" is a bold word indeed. Yet few in our American world would think to question its accuracy. After all, Petraeus was a general, and in an era when Americans have little or no faith in other public institutions, polls show nearly everyone trusts the military. Of course, no one asks whether this is healthy for the republic. No matter, the surge's success is, by now, a given among Washington's policy elite. Recently, for instance, I listened to a podcast of a Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) panel discussion that promoted a common set of myths about the glories of the surge. What I heard should be shocking, but it's not. The group peddled a common myth about the surge's inherent wisdom that may soon become far more dangerous in the "go big" military era of Donald Trump. CFR's three guests -- retired General Raymond Odierno, former commander of Multinational Forces in Iraq and now a senior adviser to JPMorgan Chase; Meghan O'Sullivan, former deputy national security adviser under President George W. Bush; and Christopher Kojm, former senior adviser to the Iraq Study Group -- had remarkably similar views. No dissenting voices were included. All three had been enthusiastic promoters of the surge in 2006-2007 and continue to market the myth of its success. While recognizing the unmistakable failure of the post-surge American effort in Iraq, each still firmly believes in the inherent validity of that "strategy." I listened for more than an hour waiting for a single dissenting thought. The silence was deafening. Establishing the Bona Fides of Victory in Washington, If Not Iraq With the madness of the 24-hour news cycle pin-balling us from one Trump "crisis" to another, who has time for honest reflection about that surge on its 10th anniversary? Few even remember the controversy, turmoil, and drama of those days, but believe me, it's something I'll never forget. I led a scout platoon in Baghdad and my unit was a few months into a nasty deployment when we first heard the term "surge." Iraq was by then falling apart and violence was at an all-time high with insurgents killing scores of Americans each month. The nascent central government, supported by the Bush administration,was in turmoil and, to top it all off, the Sunni and Shia were already fighting a civil war in the streets. In November 2006, just a month into our deployment, Democrats won control over both houses of Congress in what was interpreted as a negative referendum on that war. A humbler, more reticent or reflective president might have backed off, cut his losses, and begun a withdrawal from that country, but not George W. Bush. He doubled down, announcing in January 2007 an infusion of 30,000 additional troops and a new "strategy" for victory, a temporary surge that would provide time, space, and security for the new Iraqi government to reconcile the country's warring ethnic groups and factions, while incorporating minority groups into the largely Shiite, Baghdad-based power structure. 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). Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121 "Kall's well-researched book integrates knowledge from philosophy to economics and ecology. He shows us how, all over the world and across many fields of endeavor, we humans are organizing new and rewarding ways of acting for the common good. His book is both idealistic and realistic and gives us a vision of what we all most need -- hope for the future" Mary Pipher, psychologist, and #1 New York Times best-selling author of Reviving Ophelia and Writing to Change the World Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121 "Rob Kall is tapping in, exploring, assessing, and clarifying this important new way of thinking that has been influenced by the civil rights movement; women's movement; and new, more effective ways of doing business. This will be an important book that can make changes in our world." Dr. Linda Seger, author of twelve books, including the best-selling Making a Good Script Great, Spiritual Steps on the Road to Success and The Better Way to Win. From Consortium News Drone Killing: Murder Without Trial for Victims and Perpetrators (Image by 21stcenturywire.com) Details DMCA In the new anti-drone film, National Bird , you meet courageous military drone resisters speaking out against America's forward-fighting drone program and the civilian killing and devastation it is causing all over the Middle East and North Africa. National Bird "gives rare insight into the U.S. drone program through the eyes of veterans and survivors," says its director, Sonia Kennebeck, "connecting their stories as never before in a documentary. Its images haunt the audience and bring a faraway issue close to home." You see these soldier technicians struggling to balance their secret lives as long distance assassins with their everyday lives as parents and spouses. Talk of suicide is rampant among these drone workers. And several have already taken their own lives. Dennis Bernstein: Welcome Sonia Kennebeck. ... Why did you decide to do this film? Sonia Kennebeck: Well, when I started out with my research, and that was in early 2013, there was really not much public information out there. And there were a lot of people commenting about the drone war, you know, pundits, experts, journalists. But we didn't have a lot of information and that's what I wanted to provide with the film. I wanted to bring information out about the drone war, transparency, accountability. But, also, really bring the humanity back into this technological war. My film is really about the people, the people who... the veterans ... who had been fighting this war. But also the people in the target countries, who are most affected by the drones. DB: Was [there a] moment in this process where you decided, "Wow, this is definitely the right film at the right time"? Talk a little bit about that process of discovery. SK: Well, the more access I got to people, to the veterans who worked in the drone program, the more I realized how important this film was, and is. One of my first characters, or actually the first protagonist, who I found for my film was my subject Heather. In our very first talk, in our very first conversation (and she had just left the military), she told me that she lost three of her fellow airmen -- three of her friends -- to suicide. And that was something that I had not heard before. The people who worked in the drone war, or part of the drone program, would be so distressed by their experiences that they would commit suicide. So, this was really one of the first things... one of the first information that I heard about that. DB: ... And are you sure ... that these suicides occurred in the context of the drone program? Were they talking with these soldiers who ended up committing suicide? How do they know it's that direct link? SK: Well, Heather, one of the subjects of my film, she actually talks about how she herself was on a suicide watch list. And how her psychologist at that time recommended that she should do a different job. And [the psychologist] said something that did not involve seeing people die all the time. And she was kept in her job because they were undermanned. Heather was really good in her position. And so she actually had that experience herself. She had it and she's sharing it with us. And so, let me just explain what she was doing. Heather was an imagery analyst, meaning that she was analyzing the live video feed coming from the drones. And she had to make a call, judging the video feed and saying, "What I see on this video is this person is either a terrorist or a civilian"... and that is a very responsible position. And ... a decision that could eventually lead to the killing of a group of people. And that experience, for her, was very traumatizing. DB: And ... does Lisa [another subject of the film] or Heather know if they actually killed people? Do they have any idea what people they might have helped to murder? SK: They all participated in killing people. The problem is that it's not exactly clear how many. And that's what all of the three whistleblowers, in my film, are criticizing. They rarely got any feedback. And also, when you drop a bomb... and these military drones, they are large enough to carry 300 - 500 pound bombs. And so, when you drop a bomb on a building, do you really know who's inside? And that's one of the things they are all criticizing about the program, that it's not exactly clear who is being killed, and how many people are being killed. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Two hundred thousand workers, about half the industrial labor force, are on strike in Petrograd. Among others, students joined them. The slogans cried for bread, but also against tsarist autocracy and the war. On the first day of strikes, only police were sent to control the crowds. But on the second day, the authorities took the second step in a long-planned escalation: they sent Cossacks to drive the workers back with horses and whips. But the plan of the tsar's Council of Ministers failed. The Cossacks, instead of driving away the workers, in some cases simply filed through them, or let them pass under their horses. Nor did they fire on the workers, but some of them broke up police formations that were. Trotsky says, ""one of them gave the workers a good wink." In a recent Pew Research poll, 76% of 1,502 adult respondents said the nation's highest priority should be to "defend the country from terrorism." That concern polled higher even than obvious real needs such as "strengthening the economy," "improving the educational system," "improving the job situation," and "reducing healthcare costs." How does "defending the country from terrorism" stack up against reality? Well, actual terrorism from abroad has a near-negligible existence here in the United States. In the 15+ years since 9-11, only some 14 Americans have been killed by foreign-born terrorists in the US. That works out to less than 1 American fatality per year. It is a phantom threat. When people fear being the target of a virtually non-existent danger, they can be described as paranoid. In this case, our entire country merits that label. You are less likely to be killed by a foreign-engineered terrorist attack here in the United States than you are to be killed by lightning, a dog bite, or fireworks. Where does this paranoia come from? Although it may start with an actual event, it's fed by both the mainstream news media and government politicians. The terrorist attacks of 9-11 and loss of 2,996 lives shocked the American public like never before. Now more than 15 years later, the haunting memories of that day are still kept alive by a news industry insatiable for attention and profits and by two political parties ever hungry for power. Recently a Muslim terrorist was captured outside the Louvre in Paris. Although armed with two machetes he did not kill anyone. Muslim terrorism is a real menace in France and even an uneventful incident like this one deserves coverage -- there. But why here in the US? The US is separated from France by a vast ocean and a very different history. Yet this incident was turned into a headline story on the CBS national news and even in my local paper here in Salt Lake City, 5000 miles away from Paris. This is fearmongering, pure and simple. It's a venerable form of propaganda going back to the First World War and the Hearst newspapers' alarms about Germany ("the Hun is coming!!"). It was used extensively during the Cold War, with US soldiers being shown training films depicting a planet being inundated by the Red Menace. As a schoolchild in the 1950s I remember air-raid drills where we practiced getting under our desks in case of a nuclear attack by the Soviets. In the Reagan era Americans were told that Nicaragua (!) posed a dire threat to our security. In 2002-03, the Bush administration whipped up support for its invasion of Iraq by fabricating stories about "Iraqi weapons of mass destruction" and "mushroom clouds." Now Donald Trump falls in line by claiming that "Radical Islamic terrorists are determined to strike our homeland, as they did on 9/11." For no apparent reason other than fulfilling a jingoistic pledge he made on the campaign trail, he orders a ban on all visitors from six Muslim countries -- despite the fact that no one from any of these countries has ever perpetrated a single terrorist killing in the United States. He claims it's a "national security emergency." Although every federal judge who has heard the case and virtually every foreign policy expert disagree with Trump, polls show that close to half of the American people support such a ban. Fearmongering is a powerful force in society for several reasons. It plays on people's natural insecurities, insecurities that are magnified by incessant coverage of terrorism, war, crime, natural disasters, terrible accidents, etc. in the national and local news media and by zombie flicks, alien invader movies, crime shows, hospital dramas, and so on. Because fearmongering draws attention, it is exploited by the news media for increased profits. And it is used by government leaders and political parties to create a nervous citizenry willing to depend on those same leaders and parties for "protection" and thus easily controlled. For all these reasons, fearmongering has become S.O.P. in this country. Donald Trump clearly understands this and took full advantage of it during the election campaign. His signature vow was to wall off our entire southern border to prevent "criminals and rapists" from flooding the country. At the Republican National Convention he said, "The first task for our new administration will be to liberate our citizens from the crime and terrorism and lawlessness that threatens our communities." More recently he claimed, contrary to fact, that crime in America is "at an all-time high." How long will Trump's wild claims about an invasion of radical Muslim terrorists continue to have traction? What new bogeymen will he and his Svengali, Steve Bannon, come up with next? Anything seems possible -- and they're guaranteed to have a receptive audience in this paranoid, easily-manipulated nation of ours. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). By Dave Lindorff (Image by ThisCantBeHappening!) Details DMCA The so-called Deep State and Democratic Party campaign to demonize Russia for allegedly "hacking the US election," and delivering the country into the hands of Donald Trump suffered a huge and probably mortal blow this week with the release by WikiLeaks of over 7000 secret CIA documents disclosing secret CIA hacking technologies. The case being made against Russia as being the source of leaked emails of the Democratic National Committee and of Clinton Campaign Chair John Podesta -- documents that proved that the DNC had been corrupting the primary process in favor of corporatist candidate Hillary Clinton and undermining the campaign of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, and that also revealed the embarrassing contents of Clinton's highly paid secret speeches to a number of giant Wall Street banks -- had always been tenuous, with no hard evidence ever presented. All the intelligence agencies would say was that they had a "high degree of certainty," or "strong reason to believe" that the Russians were the source of the deeply damaging documents late in the campaign season. Adding to doubts that Russia had actually hacked the DNC was WikiLeaks itself, which insisted that it had obtained the DNC and Podesta emails not from a hack of computers, but from an internal DNC staffer who actually pulled them off computers with a thumb drive and provided them to the organization -- a person later identified as Seth Rich, who was mysteriously murdered on his way home from DNC headquarters in Washington, shot in the back at night in an unsolved case that the local police quickly labeled a "botched burglary," although nothing was taken from his body by his assailant -- not his wallet or watch even. (Wikileaks has offered a $20,000 reward for information that helps solve that uninvestigated case.) But one thing the blame-Russia conspiracy theorists did have going for them was their assertion that the leaked DNC documents contained routing information and ISPs that pointed to Russia as the source of the hacks. Now, however, the new CIA documents released by WikiLeaks -- the first of a much larger trove of such documents that are reportedly going to be released as WikiLeaks goes through them to remove information that might jeopardize agents or national security -- show that among the technologies and hacking tools that the CIA has been using to attack targeted computers, internet servers and even so-called "smart" appliances in people's homes, like Samsung TV sets, are a number of Russian-developed hacking programs. As the New York Times wrote in its article on the latest Wikileaks document release, which it is calling "Vault 7" : Another program described in the documents, named Umbrage, is a voluminous library of cyber-attack techniques that the CIA has collected from malware produced by other countries, including Russia. According to the WikiLeaks release, the large number of techniques allows the CIA to mask the origin of some of its attack and confuse forensic investigators. The WikiLeaks material includes lists of software tools that the CIA uses to create exploits and malware to carry out hacking. Many of the tools are those used by developers around the world: coding languages, such as Python, and tools like Sublime Text, a program used to write code, and Git, a tool that helps developers collaborate." What this means is that current efforts by Democratic Party leaders and Deep State leakers in the government intelligence sector to pin the blame on Russia for hacking the election or for trying to help elect Trump as president, now must confront the counter-argument that the Deep State itself, in the form of the CIA, may have been behind the hacks, but is making it look like the Russians did it. As fellow investigative reporter Robert Parry puts it on his site, Consortium News: The WikiLeaks' disclosures add a new layer of mystery to whether the Russians were behind the "hacks" of the Democratic Party or whether Moscow was framed. 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). Remember the late 80s? I do! There was wine in boxes, probably some unforgivable saignee White Zinfandel that gave you a hangover just looking at it. No one drank it. At least, no one admitted that they did. Except your in-laws in Buffalo, who also stuck ice cubes in it. Uh, no thanks, I already had a, um, spritzer. Once upon a time, there was no such thing as high-quality wine with a screwcap instead of a cork, too. Sometimes snobby prejudice dies a slow, rattly-breath, agonizing death in the wine world. The shocking reality is that there are now real, actual, serious, non-swill wines appearing in box-format, and, like the once-verboten screw-cap, they even have some advantages. They have a smaller ecological footprint. They stay fresh for weeks versus days. They cost less than their bottled equivalents. And, like Monsieur LeScrewcap, they completely eliminate the potential for cork taint. However, there are still plenty of swilltastic wines that only your auntie-in-law in Buffalo wants to drink, so it can be a difficult field to navigate. Here are our picks for 10 Vins de Box that are dependably tasty. These arent ranked in any particular order, except that impartially listing these guys from lightest-bodied white to feistiest full-figured red. $20 A white blend from Portugal, this is an ephemeral wine made from grapes you have probably never heard of and that arent seen much outside of Portugal and Spain. Bright, fresh and balanced with apple and apricot notes, a bit of spice, and marine notes. Portuguese wine is under-recognized in the US, making it even more of a steal. $20 A blend-and-then-some of California-sourced varietals (Gruner Veltliner, Sauvignon blanc, Malvasia Bianca, Viognier and other uncredited cast members). Light, tropical-floral, dinner friendly and a slam dunk for a warm day. This wine is at its best chilled, preferably not with ice cubes in your glass, because cmon. Once a Bonny Doon release, the Big House torch was passed to Georgetta Dane in 2006, and it remains delicious and intelligent. $30 This is a seriously tasty wine. Picpoul is a tart, high-acid grape not unlike Albarino. This ones got a big personality, with lots of lemon, lime and nectarine upfront and a long, dry finish. Your new best friend for seafood. $22 The Pacific Northwest, having basically conquered Pinot Noir, is really coming into its own on the Riesling front, and, being the Pac Northwest, experimentation and a maverick attitude are givens so theres lots of diversity. (Except where ironic facial hair is concerned: Thats almost as consistent as Champagne-making.) House Wine Riesling is juicy and pleasant, with a strong honeysuckle and pineapple nose and good acidity. Rieslings are sometimes sugarbombs; this ones quite balanced. A good friend to spicy foods. $18 South African whites kick a significant amount of ass. This unoaked Chardonnay is blended from cool-climate and warm-climate fruit from two of the most highly regarded Cape growing regions. The result is a smooth and quite tasty wine with a predominantly peach and vanilla character. Aromatic and pleasant. Also, its kind of a juice box format here. $20 Spanish Garnacha is a peppery red that tends toward cherry and blueberry notes. This one highlights blackberry, blueberry licorice and spice with an earthy finish. Playful. $28 A classic Rhone red (Grenache, Syrah, Carignan and Cinsault) and a great value. Plummy approach with an array of intriguing herbaceous notes. Earthy and dry, with spice and fruit notes alternating on the palate. Lingering finish. $16 Italys Piemonte region is home to much highly tasty wine, including this one. Deeply colored and robust. Dominant notes are black cherry spices, black cherry, plums, and black cherry (did I mention theres a strong cherry component to this stuff?) Smooth, silky tannins. Your pal if youre on grill-tending detail. $23 Medium-bodied and very juicy. California Shiraz with a lot of dark fruit at the center, blackberry, fig and peppercorn nose, blueberry jam on the palate. Dense aromatics and supple texture. $30 Yep, even California Cabs can box it. Central Coast fruit, oaky and plum-forward. Pleasant aromatics (spices and tobacco, a little leathery). Blackberry-driven palate with a little vanilla on the finish. In ancient civilizations, politics was a part of daily life. Famously, the Greeks invented direct democracya system in which the entire voting population took part in discussions and habitual voting on legislative issues directly affecting them. Even the brutal and uncompromising Romans who invented the Republicthe political system utilized by the United Statessaw the poor and unrepresented plebeians rise in influence to take up power in the government. Today, the state of American representative democracy is at a stand-still, a vicious cycle in which the narrative of politics is manufactured by the few to benefit the few, depriving the vast majority of citizens genuine representation in their government or influence with their tax dollars. At the current moment in history, the American political system is more reminiscent of an aristocratic republic than a republican democracy. The following are the four pillars of American power that need to be completely reconstructed to erect a genuinely representative democracy elevating the people in a country we all call home. American politics is bursting with extraneous wealth. Public office should not be monetarily beneficial, civic servants should be just thatnot those of fame or affluence. A job in politics should not require that candidates have superfluous wealth to be elected, nor should they be able to attain wealth through the occupation. Instead, the financial lives of public officials should be simple and stable. As constituents, we are obliged to demand equality between us and the people who are supposed to represent us. Senators salaries are $174,000 a year for working three or four days a week, a stark contrast to the American average of around $50,000 than three times less the senatorial salary. This wouldnt be as much of a problem if wealth wasnt directly used to sustain and gain more power through the relationship American politicians have to big business. Curbing hefty salaries, imposing smaller election spending limits and equal funding, implementing tighter restrictions to prohibit representatives from being bought by corporate interests, as well as establishing term limits on Senators will facilitate the process of getting wealth out of politics and put power into the hands of American civilians. First and foremost, corporate entities should not have the same rights as tangible human beings. The U.S. Supreme Court continues to rule that the 14th amendment, which was originally drafted to guarantee slaves citizenship after they were freed, mandates corporations are people when the casual observer can determine this is illogical, untrue, and should be overruled immediately. We can attempt to fix this inaccuracy by ferociously voicing our discontent to our representatives in Congress and practicing civil disobedience. Personhood allows companies to lobby for their benefit and donate as if they were constituents. Consistently, the process favors the wealthy while we fund corporate bailouts with taxes, and deprives regular people of their rights to a fair and equal chance at life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Overturning the ruling in favor of Citizens United, the law that allows corporations and unions to spend an unlimited amount of money on a candidate running for office, should also be overturned. One candidate having an advantage because they were donated more money for their alleged corruption is already immoral, but it should also be illegal because its a basic threat to the democratic process. Prohibiting political nonprofit corporations from donating so-called dark money to campaigns for office, and therefore keeping lawmakers accountable for their actions, will create a more equitable political climate for a wider range or ideas and interests, eliminating the rich and powerful from sustaining influence at the American peoples expense. To fully expunge money out of politics, citizens need to demand campaign spending from political parties on elections be modest and equitably funded. There needs to be an adequate limit to the amount of money spent in both national and state public elections respectively. By first prohibiting excessive corporate donations, we can further this cause by capping the campaign spending overall. The national limit for spending in federally funded candidates in general Presidential elections was over $96 million in 2016. The Republican and Democratic Parties both received federal funding of $20 million plus the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), but the other parties do not get any funding if they didnt receive five percent of the vote in a prior election. Additionally, the federal government will match every contribution up to $250, but that monetary restriction is easily circumvented by multiple donations. This deliberate attempt to concentrate wealth leads to the vicious cycle, the churn of power in the Presidential election that keeps the same group of insiders in office and sets the bar much too high for money in lower positions of representation. Some gubernatorial races do not have a spending limit and campaigns have gone over $150,000,000. Campaign spending restrictions should be reasonable in order to create opportunities for regular, caring people desiring to make real changes in their federal and local governments. After limiting the amount of money that can be donated and spent in campaigns for public office, we then need to petition against corporate interests ability to lobby representatives in support of the policies benefitting their businesses by investing in candidates who will comply with their needs. This keeps the cash rolling in the cyclical wheels crushing the American public. A bill should be drafted to limit lobbying privileges to grassroots community organizers and private citizens, crippling the undemocratic power of big banks, corporations, and Super PAC investors. Limiting the transfer of wealth is also necessary for media outlets shaping the public consciousness about politics with their donations to party campaigns and biased slants. An anti-lobbying law should include spending from media on campaigns for public office. Wealthy media conglomerates allot millions of dollars to lobbying for what will influence policy in their favor while the majority lose their say on issues affecting the whole population and the rest of the world. Politics and the media should not be in bed together in any way, shape, or form. In addition, unionizing and reallocating profit from media conglomerates to the journalists themselves could reduce sensational headlines and biased reporting. A free, fair, and independent press is essential to democracy and should be neither attacked nor supported by politicians. Instead, it is only an agent of truth and democracy. Corporations are not people and should not be allowed to spend money in political campaigns to undermine democracy. As an individual or a nonprofit grassroots organization, donations would be sourced from the people who believe in an un-bought candidate. In an effort to vary the amount of influence in the American political playing field, limiting wealth in both campaigns and overall influence on policy will support the second pillar to prop up our democracy: the diversity of viewpoints and the end of bipartisan rule. Limiting capital in political elections as well as altering federal funding equally to all parties will assist the eradication of the bipartisan rule were entrenched in. The American people have clearly had enough of lesser-evil voting; we need to terminate the two-party system of elites and bring equality to funding of all political affiliations, ideologies, and persuasions. If federal funding is to continue, it should be equal for each party in every race for public office, not ideas shaped by dollar signs. This way, we can open up to new concepts and candidates we align with. To fix the broken republic that doesnt accurately represent its constituents, we need to make an equitable playing field for every candidate who runs for elections and promotes change in policy. We have seen time and time again that the bipartisan scheme binds us to binary thinking and a sense of powerlessness pervading the illegitimate structure. Even when we do match up with a candidate, the empty promises are often pipe dreams extinguished by greed and the demand for funding. In addition, having a wide variety of voices will open our minds to alternate solutions leading us away from carrying out the everlasting status quo, solutions that will take into account the actual values of the people and will reveal the extremities and tepid solutions of both the Republican and Democratic platforms to those who support the policies the elite wish to implement. Not only will the American people open their minds to an increased number of perspectives, there will be a bolstered sense of democracy with possible change that can combat the polarization of flawed, divisive, and skewed bipartisanship. All this progress would be in vain if we didnt hold government officials accountable for representing us properly and honestly. Eliminating monetary influences on policy is already a crucial aspect of ensuring legislators do what they say, but there are a few norms that need to change in order to further aid accurate representation. Including both the way we elect civic servants as well as guaranteeing they represent their constituents accurately and earnestly with engagement, the obvious next step to accomplishing commensurate representation is to end the Electoral College for the Presidency. To ensure the American people are fairly represented by the federal government and the numerous bureaucrats appointed by the Executive Branchthose who dictate government agencies and help create lawswe must elect the President we actually vote for. By no means will reforming presidential voting solve all the problems within the American republic, but it is a necessary step towards equitable democracy and a government that will not just preach populism but will enact its citizens inclinations. We have had two of the last three Presidents initially elected while losing the popular vote, meaning the majority of voters wanted someone else, anyone else, and got who they didnt want to represent the country. Not to mention the people who were suppressed from voting at all. This is in no way democratic. By counting one vote as one vote in all elections, we can achieve the government voters desire. Therefore, the federal policies, positions of bureaucracies formed by appointments from the President, and the shifting current down the totem pole will reflect the American publics principles and values, not the priorities of people the majority voted against. Reasonable term limits for Congress will also facilitate representation and institute a flow of ideas while avoiding career politicians. With the constantly changing of times and norms, it is mandatory the individuals and ideas representing us are not jaded and out-of-touch with their districts. Nobody should be able to stay in Congress for their whole career. This also forces the perspective that a lawmakers life in Congress is not a profitable path, but is simply the public service we elected them to carry out or they will lose their job. Another way to change the voting arrangement is to install Ranked Voting Choice such as the system currently used in Maine). Allowing voters to rank top candidates as well as choosing stipulations to propositions with percentage points, we can craft a more accurate, more democratic system where you dont have to choose the lesser evilinstead you will show your ranked support for ballot measuresand be without anxiety that the candidate you perceive as the greatest evil will get into office. Once the peoples legitimately chosen theoretical President is elected, he or she will appoint people to positions who just might have in mind the interest of the American people, our country, and our planet. Elected officials should then be subject to strict anti-lobbying laws. When legislators make honest decisions with their constituents in mind, those people who are directly affected by policy can truly influence their government. Finally, the last pivotal pillar to establish a genuinely representative American democracyand synthesize the other components into a stabilized structureis the participation of its people. Erecting a truly republican democracy is only possible through vehemently taking part in this new, more equitable democracy. It goes without saying a direct democracy or an alternate form of government would be more beneficial for the people but to make possible alterations to the impenetrable rigged structure is the first step to revolutionizing the government of the United States. Americans are despondent about politics because they have no real say in what happens in the regime. We need to encourage participation in ways including accessible voter reform, creative ways of resistance such as sit-ins and boycotts, and attendance of events including Town Hall meetings to communicate with representatives what constituents desire, and demand that lawmakers pursue those policies. Just as politics was a part of everyday life in ancient Greece and Rome, Americans should take part in the deliberation and process of politics daily. Keeping up with various outlets for unbiased news, attending community events, voicing their opinions by calling representatives, organizing demonstrations, understanding theory, and therefore implementing the agenda of the American public will surely result in furthered economic, social, and racial equality under the law. Democracy is not a spectator sport, and we need to demand that we have our say. Participation in politics during the day-to-day should return as a viable resource to change our lives. It requires your participation, my participation, and the participation of anyone and everyone who yearns for their voice to be heard. Michigan, Pennsylvania Committees Approve Online Gambling Bill March 09, 2017 Katie Callahan Michigan and Pennsylvania committees pushed bills through that would legalize online gambling in those states, reported Online Poker Report. Michigans Senate Regulatory Reform Committee reviewed S 203 and made a predictable 7-1 vote. The bill got this far last year but never reached a vote. With most of the bills sponsors on the committee, the bill easily made it through but will require more action from the Senate and House as time goes on. While the Michigan vote didnt have the attendance that the Pennsylvania hearing did - with Amaya (parent company of PokerStars), the Poker Players Alliance and the Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling most of the gaming tribes came out against the bill, while the MGM Grand Detroit was neutral. In Pennsylvania March 7, the hearing brought a host of issues to the forefront, namely that casino operators could move away from land-based operations and have an effect on their revenues. Over five years, the revenue from online gambling in Pennsylvania could be substantial. Regulation in Pennsylvania could make sense in a state that already has players participating in online gambling and poker, regardless of the state capitalizing on that. According to Online Poker Report, gambling regulation as a form of consumer protection got out of hand in Pennsylvania. This was not the case in Michigan where Poker Players Alliance Executive Director John Pappas and Sen. Mike Kowall, who introduced a set of online gambling bills this week, reiterated how the state is not capturing the revenue it could be with regulation. Data from New Jersey was also released showing positive impact from iGaming in the state. The first day of the 5,300 King's High Roller is on the books! The priciest event of the PokerStars Festival Rozvadov in the popular King's Casino attracted a total of 33 players (including reentries), of which 15 survived the first day. Vladimir Troyanovskiy ended the day with 203,300 in chips and was the one to top them all. The most expensive event of the PokerStars Festival in 'RozVegas' started off at 6 p.m. with 10 runners but quickly saw more players pony up 5,300 to play. Unlimited reentries were allowed, but with the hefty price tag in mind, no player fired more than two bullets. Viliyan Petleshkov and Albert Daher were among those to try their luck two times, but they failed to end the day with chips in the bag. They were joined on the rail by [Removed:197], Mantas Bagocius, Jonas Lauck and David Urban. Eyecatcher on Day 1 was, as he often is, Martin Kabrhel. The enigmatic Czech pro, who'd give Will Kassouf a run for his money when it comes to speech play, shot around the leaderboard like a pinball. Chipleader, short stack, reentry, down again and eventually back up summed up Kabrhel's day. He ended his rollercoaster on a high note by putting 148,300 chips in the bag, enough for fourth place. Martin Staszko finished Day 1 with 187,300 in chips and sits in second. Staszko scored a near full double-up during the twilight hours of the day when his pair of kings outkicked JL's pair of kings in a massive pot. But one man topped them all at the end of the day: Vladimir Troyanovskiy. The Russian won a huge hand with a flopped straight against Kabrhel's middle set to claim the chip lead, then busted Viliyan Petleshkov to solidify his lead. Other notables to survive Day 1 were Eugene Katchalov (111,000), Pierre Neuville (50,400) and Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier (21,500). Player Country Chip Count 1 Vladimir Troyanovskiy Russia 203,300 2 Martin Staszko Czech Republic 187,300 3 Aviv Meiri Israel 173,200 4 Martin Kabrhel Czech Republic 148,300 5 Tomas Soderstrom Sweden 148,200 Day 2 will commence on Thursday at 5 p.m. local time. Blinds will start at 1,000/2,000 with a running ante of 300 and levels will be 40 minutes. Reentries are allowed up until the start of Day 2 and those ultra late registrants will receive 25 big blinds to play with. The winner will be crowned on the same day. The first starting day of the 1,100 Main Event will also be played on Thursday and will start at 4 p.m. The Main Event features a staggering guarantee of 500,000 and will be one to watch. Follow PokerNews throughout the week for updates on all the major events of the PokerStars Festival as the tension rises in King's Casino. Life is Dulce We call it the dolce far niente. It means the sweetness of doing nothing. You may have heard this while scrolling through Instagram or T Read moreThe benefits of doing nothing Star Asia Group and GSA create joint venture targeting 20,000 student beds Supporting Japanese Government's Higher Education Growth Strategy First property with 364 student accommodation beds opens in 2018 By: GSA Contact Deon Dlima ***@gsa-gp.com Deon Dlima End -- GSA, a global leader in purpose-built student accommodation, has formed a partnership with Star Asia Group, a boutique investment management group focused on Japanese real estate opportunities, to create the next generation of student accommodation in Japan. GSA Star Asia KK, a wholly-owend subsidiary of GSA Star Asia Japan Limited, has its headquarters in Tokyo and has been formed to create 20,000 beds for university students studying in Japan.Japan is one of the most attractive higher education markets globally, with almost three million university students, one million of whom are in Tokyo and the surrounding area, making it the single largest University city in the world. The Japanese government is building on its world-class status by attracting international students and has a strategic plan to significantly increase the number of international students studying in the country to grow revenues and encourage internationalisation between students.At present, about 80 per cent of students in Tokyo live in the private rented sector. With a global reputation for a high quality university education, growing student numbers, combined with some of the toughest market conditions for real estate, Tokyo faces a mounting challenge to address the accommodation requirements of its student population.GSA brings its significant sector experience and management expertise alongside Star Asia Group's strong track record in Japan and together the partnership will launch a totally new accommodation product to the market, targeting Japanese and international university students.The first property in the portfolio will be developed in Hakusan 4-chome, in Tokyo's Bunkyo-ku district, comprising 364 purpose built student accommodation beds and a total floor area of approximately 4,500m2. This project was funded with a combination of equity from Star Asia Group, GSA and two global institutional investors along with financing from a Japanese bank. The project in Hakusan will introduce GSA's global student brand "Uninest" into the market, creating a new community for Japanese and international students.Unlike existing student dormitories, the property will feature high quality, specially designed student apartments as well as a lounge, theatre room, study space, barbecue space and other areas shared by all of the building's occupants. There will also be a communal kitchen with the whole space designed to foster community and a collaborative environment for students.said: "We're delighted to partner with Star Asia to bring a new generation of student accommodation to Japan. We have been operating student accommodation in Tokyo for several years and also provide homes for Japanese students in other parts of the world. Japanese students are ready for this new concept in student communal living, built on high quality design and aimed at building a strong community of local and international students. With Star Asia Group's track record in Japan and our 25 years' global experience in this sector, we are strongly positioned to build real scale across the Japanese market."commented: "I originally met Nick Porter, the founder of GSA Group, over 12 years ago when I invested in his student accommodation company. Since that time, we have closely watched the exciting growth of the GSA business globally and have been impressed by what they have accomplished and how they have executed. We are now delighted to have partnered with GSA in Japan and look forward to building a highly successful business together in this market."further commented:The Hakusan project is well located with its proximity to several premier universities, and is an excellent example of Star Asia's and GSA's combined effort to build this unique purpose built student accommodation platform in Japan."GSASpace to Grow eProseed will co-organize the 2017 edition of Oracle's Integration & API Cloud CAB Summit that will take place in Melbourne, Australia. The event will gather Oracle product managers, eProseed's leading experts, and selected customers from Japan and Asia-Pacific (JAPAC), a region in which eProseed has just set up its 9th subsidiary. 1 2 Geoffroy de Lamalle, CEO, eProseed Jeroen Bolluijt, Managing Partner, eproseed Australia and New-Zeeland End -- eProseed is proud to announce its participation as an exclusive sponsor in the Oracle Integration & API Cloud Customer Advisory Board Summit for the JAPAC region to be held on March 15 & 16, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia.The goal of the summit is to create a forum for the exchange of ideas with the Oracle Product Management and Engineering teams in order to provide feedback and help shape the future direction for Oracle Integration & API products both in the Cloud and on-premises. Participants will have a unique opportunity to share ideas, best practices, business use cases and solutions as well as learn from the experience of other Oracle customers drawn from multiple industries.eProseed's ACE Directors and members of Oracle's Product Management and Engineering teams will discuss, with a group of hand-picked participants, the transformation now taking place in the market as organizations are moving their business models to the cloud."This event is an invaluable opportunity to foster direct relationships with Oracle product teams and actively influence Oracle product development lifecycle by providing feedback, validating strategies, or testing and evaluating beta releases. It is also a place of choice for sharing our hands-on experience with customers from throughout the JAPAC region," comments, eProseed's CEO.The Oracle Integration & API Cloud CAB Summit in Melbourne comes as eProseed expands its products and services to a growing number of customers in the JAPAC area. "In particular, contacts have been established with central banks and regulators in the region and a strong interest was confirmed for, our supervision and insights platform, along with Oracle Fusion Middleware and Oracle Cloud Integration Services offered by eProseed," explains Geoffroy de Lamalle."Asia is now home to the world's fastest-growing economies, which contribute about 40 percent of global output and one-fourth of world trade. With growth come challenges. eProseed will continue to support customers in solving their hardest challenges,"adds, eProseed's Managing Partner for Australia & New Zealand.The Oracle Integration & API Cloud CAB Summit will explore the new Oracle iPaaS integration services that enable users to quickly integrate on-premises and cloud, mobile or IoT applications, including Oracle Integration Cloud, Oracle SOA Cloud Service and Oracle API Manager Cloud Service.eProseed is an ICT services provider and a software publisher. Honored with 8 Oracle ACE Directors and 14 Oracle Excellence Awards in the last 7 years, eProseed is an Oracle Platinum Partner with in-depth expertise in Oracle Database, Oracle Fusion Middleware and Oracle Engineered Systems. eProseed is also the publisher of FSIP, a comprehensive financial supervision solution dedicated to Central Banks, Financial Regulators and Supervisory Authorities.eProseed's portfolio of business applications and business accelerators is built on state-of-the-art, reliable technologies and sound knowledge of today's challenges, developed and maintained with the highest standards in mind. Comprehensive training and support are provided by eProseed's experts for both applications and underlying technologies.Headquartered in Luxembourg, in the heart of Europe, eProseed has offices in Beirut (LB), Brussels (BE), Dubai (AE), London (UK), New York (USA), Porto (PT), Riyadh (SAU), Sydney (AU), and Utrecht (NL). End -- Meridian IT Canada Open for BusinessMeridian Group International to offer IT Solutions, Services and Equipment Leasing in CanadaDeerfield, IL USA March 8, 2017 Meridian Group International Inc. today announced the opening of Meridian IT Canada inToronto combining technology solutions and services with equipment leasing.The Canadian market presents the opportunity for Meridian Group International to build strong client relationships and grow a local team. Ian Pye, Chairman of Meridian Group, said, "With an established office in Toronto, we can better serve international clients in Canada while growing a new base of local customers." Meridian's proven financing capabilities in Canada with current customers provides the foundation for continued growth across multiple asset categories, new or refurbished. Meridian IT Canada will offer a broad portfolio of IT solutions with leading vendors, global support, and managed services.Meridian appointed John Keast as the Country Manager for the Canadian operation. With over 25 years of experience in the business, John's focus is on full-service solutions including Meridian's extensive array of managed services and global support. He has established relationships with leading technology vendors to facilitate international cross-sell deals and promote niche solutions to the local market.A Canadian-based equipment leasing and IT solutions company is a natural progression to support the region's international competitiveness and strength in multiple business sectors. Toronto is Canada's finance and business capital, generating $286B annually and representing approximately 20 percent of Canada's GDP, according to Invest Toronto. The new office location is 130 King Street West, Suite 1800, Toronto, ON MXS 1E3.For more information on Meridian IT Canada, visit http://www.meridianitcanada.com Meridian IT Canada located in Toronto is part of Meridian Group International, providing equipment leasing, technology, and global support services. Vendor-neutral, customer-driven, and results focused, Meridian has extensive knowledge and opportunities for helping businesses innovate and grow while managing costs. Learn more at http://www.meridianitcanada.comMeridian Group International is a highly regarded independent organization known for expertise in leasing healthcare, industrial and IT equipment, and as a top provider of technology solutions and global support services. Vendor-neutral, customer-driven, and results focused, Meridian has extensive knowledge and opportunities for helping businesses innovate and grow while managing costs. Offering local touch with global reach and operating since 1979 with over 700 employees in locations across Europe, North America, Australia and Asia. Discover more at http://www.onlinemeridian.com Fran BlumenfeldVice President CommunicationsMeridian Group International, USA1.847.964.2772fblumenfeld@onlinemeridian.comJohn KeastCountry ManagerMeridian IT Canada1.416.662.5181jkeast@meridianitcanada.com Contact Mayra Monteiro de Oliveira ***@languagesystems.com Mayra Monteiro de Oliveira End -- Empowering girls and woman through education is a priority for Language Systems International (LSI). The teachers and staff are making a coordinated and collaborative effort to diminish the gender gap in education abroad. According to recent reports, the major number of inquiries received by accredited institution came from Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil, and 60% of them were women. Social media follows the same pattern. On the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/LSIUSA/ 54% of the followers are women and 46% are men. Institutions benefit greatly from students with different cultural, educational, and economic backgrounds.International inclusive education is crucial in building relationships between people and communities. Language Systems knows that these relationships can solve global challenges like strong cultural norms favoring boys' education and negative classroom environments that create a lack of confidence among girls. "When we are developing a new marketing campaign, we tried to be the most inclusive as possible. Women are an increasingly dominant economic force and our goal is to help them to reach their dreams by developing the ability to think, read, and write in English," said Karla Solorzano, Marketing Supervisor at Language Systems.On International Women's Day, Language Systems will dedicate a special place for women through its posts online. "Social media is a place where people can come together, share experiences and develop mutual understanding. Also, the possibility for cultural exchange with other countries through Instagram, for example, can built a bridge to women from different parts of the globe, encouraging them to study abroad," said Mayra Oliveira, Marketing Assistant at Language Systems. The use of different social media by the school is turning into an effective lever to amplify women's voices and identify strategies to better facilitate their impact on the decision-making process.Language Systems International has four well-established campuses (Downtown LA, Orange County, South Bay LA, and Northeast LA) committed to intercultural growth, beginning with a variety of programs for non-native English Speakers, including basic ESL courses, as well as test preparation programs such as TOEFL and TOEIC. Furthermore, specialized LSI classes focusing on pronunciation, conversation and writing skills motivate students to express themselves through English. Each campus provides a safe environment for students, especially for women and girls. Language Systems' goal is to encourage them to feel safe in the process of learning, providing them with a remarkable and empowering experience.For more information please visit www.languagesystems.edu By: Direct Federal Credit Union End -- Direct Federal Credit Union (www.direct.com)will host a free First Time Home Buyer educational seminar Wednesday, April 5, from 6 to 9 p.m. at its Needham office, 50 Cabot Street.The seminar will provide first-time homebuyers with a complete review of the home buying process walking them through every step of the process from finding their dream home to buying their dream home. Finding your perfect home Apply for and getting your first mortgage Why your credit score matters Why you need an Attorney Getting your home inspectedAll attendees may apply for a mortgage pre-approval prior to the event and have the option to review their letter with a Direct Federal Mortgage Specialists that evening. Every attendee will receive a voucher for $350 off closing costs at Direct Federal and be entered into a drawing for a $300 Visa gift card.Amy Horan Corda, Vice President of Lending for Direct Federal said: "over the last two years, Direct Federal's First Time Home Buyer seminars have been well attended with many local first time home buyers. We are excited to present tools, insights, and resources to our community of new home buyers."Anyone interested can register by calling 781-455-6500 during business hours or visit www.direct.com/ seminar Recently named the fastest growing credit union in Massachusetts by the Boston Business Journal, Direct Federal Credit Union offers great rates, easy access and remarkable service. Voted one of the 200 healthiest credit unions in the country, the progressive not-for-profit credit union re-invests their earnings in their membership. From mortgages, home equity lines, and auto loans to checking, savings, and CDs, Direct Federal provides an integrated array of products and services, all enhanced with the simplicity and convenience of the latest online and mobile technologies. Direct Federal Credit Union is located at 50 Cabot Street, Needham, MA. For more information, please call 781-455-6500 or visit www.direct.com SuperGIS Youth Award is a competition aims to encourage students solving problems with GIS. This year, the winner is Shih Hsin University's crime mapping. Contact Eugene Tseng ***@supergeo.com.tw Eugene Tseng End -- Held by Supergeo for years, SuperGIS Youth Award is an annual competition that aims to encourage college students solving problems with geospatial technologies. Also, this event not only provides opportunities for students and teachers to discuss their ideas on GIS but also offers a platform for sharing their results. Succeeding the great performance in 2016, the team from Shih Hsin University wins the champion again in 2017.This year, SuperGIS Youth Award also attracted students with different professions to participate, including tourism, Leisure management, and logistics management. Inspired by crime mapping, the champion team introduced a project called "Safe Taipei," aiming to analyze the spatial relationship between crime hotspots and the factors that might reduce the crime rate like police stations, CCTV cameras, street lamps, convenience stores. These data are accessible on open data platforms like Data.Taipei and DATA.GOV.TW . After calculating the buffer and overlaying maps together, they find the best factors to reduce the crime rate in Taipei are police stations and CCTV cameras. This project utilizes open data effectively and finds useful results that can contribute to the crime prevention policy in the future, winning the credits from the jury. Through the power of GIS, even a simple idea can lead to an insightful conclusion. In the future, Supergeo will continuously hold competitions to provoke geospatial thinking and promote the capability of GIS.Start your research with the free trial of SuperGIS Desktop 10:Learn more about Supergeo's applications in various industries: Media Contact Tanya Deakin tanya.deakin@ acquirebpo.com +61 3 9956 0000 Tanya Deakin+61 3 9956 0000 End -- Acquire BPO has been honored as one of the world's best outsourcing service providers by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals(IAOP). Acquire was named in the Leader Size category based on its global presence, employees and revenue. IAOP judged the industry on five critical characteristics:size and growth, customer references, awards & certifications, programs for innovation and Corporate Social Responsibility."We are thrilled to receive this recognition from IAOP," says Scott Stavretis, Acquire CEO. "Being named as one of the world's best outsourcing providers demonstrates our ongoing commitment to provide an offshore advantage to our clients by connecting them with skilled people globally."The judging cemented Acquire BPO on the 2017 Global Outsourcing100 list of companies that involved a rigorous scoring methodology, including an independent review by a panel of IAOP customer members with extensive experience in selecting outsourcing service providers."Buyers understand there are hundreds of qualified service providers and advisors out there, but what they really need to understand is what makes each one exceptional,"says Debi Hamill, IAOP CEO. "The Global Outsourcing 100 and World's Best Advisors lists have done just that. We are proud to recognize Acquire BPO for being among the highest rated companies in size and growth."Check out the full list here: https://www.iaop.org/ Content/19/165/ 4701 Acquire BPO is a global business outsourcer with 12 locations in Australia, the United States, the Philippines and the Dominican Republic. With a workforce of 7,000 people, Acquire provides a suite of contact center and back office services for clients across many industries including telecommunications, banking and financial services, insurance, media, education and retail. With a strong focus on culture, Acquire has built a team that is passionate about service excellence and innovationdeveloping and leveraging some of the latest technologies to ensure its clients are at the forefront of their industries.IAOP is the goto association leading the way to improve outsourcing outcomes by bringing together customers, providers and advisors in a collaborative, knowledgebased environment that promotes professional development, recognition, certification and excellence. With over 120,000 members and affiliates worldwide, IAOP is not only on top of the latest trends but in front of them. Through its expansive global chapter network, premier training and certification programs, knowledge center, member community and more, IAOP helps members learn, grow and succeed. For more information and how you can become involved, visit www.IAOP.com.Follow us at facebook/AcquireBPO and twitter.com/AcquireBPO.Taj Chail+61 3 9956 0000taj.chail@acquirebpo.com Jumpstart your IoT application with IBM Bluemix Ready Edge I/O By: Artila Contact Sherman Lee ***@artila.com Sherman Lee End -- Artila (http://www.artila.com/en/index.html)Electronics, a leading designer and manufacturer of embedded device networking and computing, releases the new FreeRTOS based, IBM Bluemix ready remote I/O module, RIO-2010BM, which is powered by a 32-bit NXP LPC1768 100MHz ARM Cortex M3 processor and equipped with 64KB SRAM 512KB Flash. The low-power ARM cortex M3 plus the high-efficient FreeRTOS make RIO-2010BM an ideal lightweight computing platform for device networking and remote monitoring. RIO-2010BM also provides alarm setting and local logic to trigger the on-board relay once the alarm event occurred.RIO-2010BM is designed with FreeRTOS+lwIP (lightweight version of TCP/IP), which can automatically connect to Bluemix with verified instructions and push sensor data to cloud with Transport Layer Security (TLS) and MQTT Protocol. Applying on a Watson IoT platform, users can easily create a web-based application to monitor and analyze data. As for a more complex application, RIO-2010BM supports Node-RED, a powerful visual wiring tool for the Internet of Things which is easy to wire together events and devices for the Internet of Things. With it, customers can take their IoT innovation to market faster and create new business value.The industrial I/O of RIO-2010BM features one 10/100 MHz Ethernet port, one full modem RS-232, one isolated RS-485, eight channels of relay, 16 photo-isolated digital inputs and 1-wire interface for temperature and humidity sensors.5 Simple Steps to Manage Your Project through RIO-BM Series! Go! ( http://www.artila.com/ enewsletter/ RIO_BM/index.html Roof Grip has reciently completed the installation of roof access walkways at the Eco Crane Mall in Springs. Contact Sean Daly ***@ampliform.co.za 0333869291 Sean Daly0333869291 End -- ROOF GRIP ACCESS WALKWAYS was awarded the contract to supply roof access walkways to the Eco Crane Mall in Springs.The 600mm wide walkways were selected because of their suitability for the application. The 600mm wide walkway is the ideal width of walkway access. The elevated bracket system, that is approved by the roof sheet manufacturer, Global Roofing Systems, ensures there will be no damage to the roof sheets when the roof area is accessed for maintenance and cleaning of plant and equipment. The system design ensures it complies with the requirements of the national building regulations for maintenance walkways.The walkway is manufactured from light weight aluminium so as to ensure a minimum imposed load on the roof structure and it is corrosion resistant with a design life span in excess of 25 years. These attributes make ROOF GRIP ideal for these types of applications. ROOF GRIP ACCESS WALKWAYS offer a complete integrated walkway system that works, for roof top access.For more information please visit our website at www.roofgrip.co.za or call us at 033 386 9291 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. Photo 1 Contact Ms Helen Hsu, PolyUs School of Nursing (852) 2766-4129 / helen.hsu@polyu.edu.hk ***@polyu.edu.hk Ms Helen Hsu, PolyUs School of Nursing(852) 2766-4129 / helen.hsu@polyu.edu.hk End -- The School of Nursing (SN) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) hosted the 20th East Asian Forum of Nursing Scholars (EAFONS) on 9 10 March 2017. With a theme "Globalization and Research in Doctoral Nursing Education", the EAFONS serves as an international platform for participants to share their experiences, stimulate ideas and establish collaborations in the area of doctoral nursing education.The EAFONS aims to promote the development of doctoral nursing education and research by providing a regular regional forum for doctoral prepared nurse academics and their students. Since its formation in 1997, forums have been held annually in East Asia, including Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Taiwan and Japan. The forum this year was co-organised by the Nethersole School of Nursing, The Chinese University of Hong Kong; The School of Nursing of The University of Hong Kong; Hong Kong Society for Nursing Education Limited; Pi Iota Chapter, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing; The Hong Kong Academy of Nursing; and the Hong Kong College of Education & Research in Nursing.The opening ceremony of 20th EAFONS were officiated by Prof. Sophia Chan, JP, Under Secretary for Food and Health, HKSAR Government, and Prof. Alex Molasiotis, Head of SN, PolyU. Over 700 professionals and doctoral students from 14 countries/places, including Australia, Finland, the UK, the USA, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand, attended the forum this year to share the latest knowledge and practices, as well as to collaborate and develop synergies for promoting the development of doctoral nursing education and research.Prof. Alex Molasiotis, organizer of the forum and Head of PolyU's SN, said, "The significance and size of EAFONS have grown noticeably over the years. The high participation rate of this forum indicates that there is an increasing recognition of EAFONS by nursing scholars and doctoral students. It shows the success of EAFONS over the two decades."The renowned keynote speakers of the forum were Prof. Azita Emami, Prof. and Dean, School of Nursing, University of Washington, the USA; and Prof. Sonja Mcllfatrick, Professor of Nursing, School of Nursing, University of Ulster, the UK, and President of the International Network for Doctoral Education in Nursing.The 20th EAFONS is also the first event in celebration of SN's 40th Anniversary.Details of the forum are available online ( http://sn.polyu.edu.hk/ eafons2017 ) while update of the SN's 40th Anniversary activities is available at http://sn.polyu.edu.hk/sn_40th_anniversary.*****Press Contact : Ms Helen HsuCommunications Manager, School of NursingTelephone : (852) 2766-4129Email : helen.hsu@polyu.edu.hk In less than a year, kids' app publisher TutoTOONS doubles the results, celebrates 200M game downloads and competes with the global kids' brands. Contact TutoTOONS support@tutotoons.com TutoTOONS End -- Since launch in January 2014, a young startup then, TutoTOONS proved to be a serious player in the mobile gaming industry. Now a 3 year-old company has three offices in Lithuania and Spain, a team of 35 members and more than 300 games on the biggest app stores.The company built its own success by following the dream to make game creation open for anyone creative. TutoTOONS offers a free and easy-to-use game builder for artists with no coding experience. Once the artist creates a game with TutoTOONS platform, the team publishes it on Google Play, App Store and Amazon, promotes to 7.7M monthly active players and shares revenue with the creator, fifty-fifty. The young company counts that more than 18K people have tried the platform, and over 300 build games with TutoTOONS daily.Creating content for kids is a huge challenge. TutoTOONS games focus on encouraging kids' creativity and art skills, building useful habits, improving life skills and developing emotionally on their screen time. With two new games released every week, TutoTOONS reveals that its biggest market is US. In Google Play Educational and Family categories, the company has at least 20 games in the Top 100 lists and competes with global brands like LEGO, Toca Boca and Peppa Pig.Interestingly, no one predicted such a boost - company's CEO and co-founder Mantas Kavaliauskas set a goal to reach 100M downloads by the end of 2016. Exponential growth doubled the results and it seems that TutoTOONS will announce a new milestone pretty soon.Visit http://tutotoons.com/ for more information. The CERATIZIT group will be showcasing its wide product portfolio at INDUSTRIE Lyon 2017. Media Contact CERATIZIT S.A. ***@ceratizit.com +352 31 20 85-1 CERATIZIT S.A.+352 31 20 85-1 End -- A trade fair for production technology, INDUSTRIE Lyon expects approx. 900 exhibitors and more than 20,000 visitors on an exhibition area of 50,000 square metres.For the first time we will be taking part in the INDUSTRIE Lyon as an exhibitor, presenting our competence brands Toolmaker Solutions by CERATIZIT and Hard Material Solutions by CERATIZIT with a wide variety of products, including rods with helical coolant holes in grade CTS12D as well as ZBE PRO knives.We are pleased to showcase our comprehensive product range for manufacturers of solid carbide tools as well as wear protection solutions:- Rods with helical coolant holes (http://www.ceratizit.com/products/rods-preforms/list/detail/?product=49) for the machining of composite materials, available from stock- New products for metal forming, including the improved product line of ZBE PRO knives showing longer tool life and visibly improved cutting quality- Drawing tools ( http://www.ceratizit.com/ products/wear- protection/list/ de... - Corrosion-resistant CF+ grades for tool and die construction- Economical solutions for precise and burr-free water-jet cutting of a wide range of materials- Customised blanksWe look forward to meeting you at our By: EHFG End --- In the run-up to the 20European Health Forum Gastein (EHFG), this year themed "", which will take place in Austrias Gastein Valley from 4to 6October 2017, the EHFG is welcoming applications for the European Health Award 2017. The award ofwill be sponsored by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Health and FOPI, the Association of the Research & Development based Pharmaceutical Industry in Austria.Designed to honour initiatives aiming to improve public health or healthcare in Europe, the European Health Award promotesand the development ofandwhich address current challenges such asand thewithin Europe."The purpose of the European Health Award is to promote cross-border working and celebrate European initiatives that tackle todays health challenges which are more complex and multi-faceted than ever," says EHFG President Professor Helmut Brand. "Promoting multi-country working and the development of innovative and sustainable initiatives will help us to meet our vision of a healthy, social and prosperous Europe."Submitted applications will be evaluated over the summer by a renowned jury panel of European representatives from academia, policy, industry and civil society.Applications for the European Health Award 2017 must be submitted by midnight on. Further information and an application form can be found on our homepage ( http://www.ehfg.org/ award.html ).Follow the EHFG here:Twitter: https://twitter.com/ GasteinForum Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gasteinforumEuropean Health Forum GasteinJosef.Wenninger(at)ehfg.orgPress OfficeEuropean Health Forum GasteinPress(at)ehfg.org | +32 2 321 90 16 Media Contact Siim Ounap siim@openledger.info siim@openledger.info Siim Ounapsiim@openledger.info End -- OpenLedger's Apptrade (www.apptrade.io), the platform creating "Kickstarter for Apps on the Blockchain", launched its Initial Token Offering (ITO) on February 28 2017, and has attracted applications from all over the world.Powered by the digital token APPX, Apptrade creates portfolios, or groups, of apps, where if one of those apps becomes the next Instagram or Angry Birds, then the value of the portfolio rises.The ITO allows a 25% discount at Stage 2 and can be purchased in most cryptocurrencies including BTC, ETH, WAWES, USDT, DASH and fiat currencies like USD, EUR and JPY.The US-based company Apptrade LLC is part of the OpenLedger Decentralized Conglomerate (DC), the world's first blockchain powered conglomerate, allowing multiple platforms to benefit fromcross-promotion throughout its entire network. Apptrade will be offered as a platform on OpenLedger, and create its own Denmark based company, Apptrade ApS.Each app portfolio is designed to ensure that every app included within it is supporting all the others through regularly scheduled updates, highly visible cross promotion, and a high standard of quality.App creators can launch a portfolio of their own, or join an existing portfolio, raising awaresness and revenue for their applications. Apptrade will bring a diverse group of app developers together to create a mutually beneficial arrangement.For investors, or sponsors, who wish to invest in a portfolio's success, they will receive exclusive access to revenue sharing opportunities whilst diversifying risk. When linked, a portfolio of apps has the potential to become a robust asset. The app portfolio marketplace exists on the OpenLedger DEX where all activity is recorded on a public ledger. Sponsors purchase the APPX tokens, giving them access to the cash flow generated from app revenues.Early stage investors ( http://earlybird.apptrade.io/ ) stand to receive a limited amount of stake options (warrants) as an added benefit for investments on OpenLedger's Apptrade ApS at a fixed price throughout the year. The collaboration between Apptrade and OpenLedger is a mutually beneficial one, and investors can benefit from both platforms, simultaneously.Apptrade provides a set of market analytics tools to help sponsors analyze trends, including the portfolio's economic trajectory, to help them make an informed decision on whether to buy.OpenLedger's Apptrade ITO (http://earlybird.apptrade.io/)will enable the platform to raise required funds for further development, marketing, and promotional activities."With the transparency and security of the OpenLedger, Apptrade can fully embrace this new form of collaborative marketing and funding. If one or a few of the brands go viral and become hits, it should put eyes on the rest of the brands in the group. Our mission is to improve access to value for content creators worldwide.", said Daniel Pineda, founder of ApptradeLLC."Apptrade's venture is an innovation in investment finance, one that could have fascinating results for the future of fundraising in general. As crowdsales and their ITOs have transformed cryptocurrency investing, Apptrade FPOs and digitally shared reserves will transform the app investment market in a spectacular fashion.", stated Ronny Boesing, the CEO of OpenLedger.Media ContactSiim Ounapsiim@openledger.infoPhone: +372 556 07 289OpenLedger ApSCCEDK ApS / Crypto Coins Enterprise Denmark ApSTyttebrvej 6, Hune, DK-9492 Blokhus, Denmarkwww.openledger.infoLINKS:Learn more about Apptrade on https://www.apptrade.io Watch Daniel Pineda introduce Apptrade: https://youtu.be/w-A1cY7OV2cWatch Apptrade Video on https://youtu.be/ONdsuOvzqDkApptradeInterview on Blocktalk https://youtu.be/7R5bvj5POxQGet in early on Apptrade offers on - http://earlybird.apptrade.ioLearn more about OpenLedger at - http://openledger.infoOpenLedger is the source of this content. Virtual currency is not legal tender, is not backed by the government, and accounts and value balances are not subject to consumer protections. This press release is for informational purposes only. The information does not constitute investment advice or an offer to invest. Birmingham Airport joins UK Airports Bristol, Edinburgh and Manchester airports, by implementing BlipTrack queue management technology from BLIP Systems, to improve resource planning and to ease travelers minds with accurate line wait times. By: BLIP Systems Immigration- Border- Force- Wait- Time- Sign Contact Christian Bugislaus Carstens ***@blipsystems.com Christian Bugislaus Carstens End --Birmingham Airport engaged with BLIP Systems, following a competitive tender process. During the evaluation of technological solutions, we met with a number of existing BLIP Systems customers, who had implemented BlipTrack in similar successful projects", says Chris Wilson, Head of Terminal Operations at Birmingham.Operationally, the airport uses, among other things, the data to monitor line density in real-time, which allows management to respond promptly and effectively to irregular operations and disruptions, such as opening additional lines. It enables the airport to comply with service-level agreements, and to evaluate and challenge key performance indicators with great accuracy. In addition, the live wait time information is shared with passengers on screens, to improve the travel experience, with hopefully more satisfied and recurring passengers as a result."The solution is used at the north immigration hall to measure and predict the wait time at the UK Border. The data really helps to understand the actual wait time for the border, and helps discussion with the UKBF (United Kingdom Border Force) planning team and resourcing plans for the future. By sharing the information on screens, we help reduce passenger frustration by creating realistic wait time expectations. It makes the passengers feel more relaxed and helps them to better plan the final elements of their journey as well as onward travel," continues Chris Wilson."Today, many airports display wait times to their passengers. Typically, this is done by measuring dwell times of people leaving the line. However, these "historic" times may not be accurate for those entering the line, especially if the number of people suddenly changes or more lines open up. BlipTrack combines and analyses both the number of people in line and the average throughput of the area. With these two measurements, accurate wait times can be displayed," explains Christian Bugislaus Carstens, Marketing Manager at BLIP Systems.The solution works by placing dedicated Bluetooth/WiFi sensors. The sensors detect mobiles devices, such as smartphones and tablets. By identifying the devices at multiple sensors, specific and accurate statistical information, such as travel times, dwell times and movement patterns become available, without interaction from the travellers."Its been an excellent project with great support from the design, installation and technical team. The BLIP Systems team are a credit to the organisation and have helped the airport immensely, with data analysis and reporting. Moving forward, we have plans to continue the project to incorporate other areas, such as the southbound security and immigration,"ends Chris Wilson.Internationally, more than 25 international airports use the technology, including Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, JFK Airport in New York, Copenhagen, Dublin, Oslo, Geneva, Brussels, Cincinnati and Auckland. BlipTrack is also implemented in optimization efforts in road traffic in Portsmouth, Bangkok, Zurich and Stockholm. In recent years, the solution has been rolled out in train stations, ports, ski resorts, amusement parks, and at events all over the world. Book From Westbow Press Slated To Release This Spring Offers Disruptive Answers To The Gap Between Belief And Behavior! By: Jacob William Jacob William releases Crossruption: The Disruption Of Life Contact Hoganson Media Relations ***@prodigy.net Hoganson Media Relations End -- Many of those who call themselves Christians today would likely check most of the following:Pray to your God?Believe in an after-life?Attend services to worship?Listen to teaching?Read the scriptures?Give your money?Meet with fellow "believers"?Express your faith?A Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist can check these same boxes so what is the real differentiator in 21century Christianity?Authorproposes that, from the extremes of Islamic terrorists to right-wing Christian activists, the basic formula of any religion is to believe and then behave to provide evidence of the belief. He presents a case for how today's brand of Christianity has become just like the many religions of the world and answers the question: "Is there anydifference?"In his book, slated to release in May from Westbow Press, William invites readers to discover the disruptive differentiator that happens when one believes in Jesus Christ's saving work on the cross; a literal spiritual re-birth that results in the mind being transformed to become cognitively aware of the spiritual dimension of God.William shares, "There is an incredible interplay where the Spirit of God supernaturally transforms the mind of man to the mind of Christ. The Word of God is the 'raw material' that the Spirit of God uses in this transformational journey, bringing about an actual new creation that becomes aware of and partakes in the divine nature of God."Born into humble beginnings in India, William's own journey went from experiencing the extremes of financial crisis to incredible success, insignificance to influence, the depths of self-destruction to the heights of affluence. His life became the quintessential "American dream," and yet experienced an inner emptiness he aptly named "the cosmic vacuum." He sought to fill this inner void through various actions and achievements, only to realize they were just sinking sand pulling him farther down. He began to see that all humanity longs inwardly for "something" that we desperately try to fill with fame, power, wealth and religion. This relentless pursuit for inner fulfillment is what he calls the "mirage of life," a state we all seek but can never seem to find.Through in-depth study of the Christian scriptures, William realized there is a dimension beyond the mind and body in all humanity where identity is defined as a, with the Father making our adoption a reality that our minds then experience and our bodies express. From defining who we are by what we do, we then become beings who define who we are by who we have become.Clearly presenting his case, William states, "This transformational inner journey of becoming like Jesus results in expressing His lifestyle! Becoming love, we love those who hate, extend peace in the midst of hate, and bring unity to division and discrimination. We become people who extend compassion. Having a supernatural and spiritual citizenship without influencing natural relationships is a contradiction, which is as divisive as darkness and light, as death and life."Thejourney is for those who have grown tired of religion and are weary of "acting like a Christian," working to "please God," trying to find a bridge between the emotional highs of Sunday and the depressive and oppressive lows of Monday. Comparing today's religion called Christianity with biblical Christianity, the book offers a unique differentiator that humanity longs to experience."By the end of, my hope and prayer is that readers will truly understand and experience God as much as they can feel the wind, finding communion, communication and companionship with the supernatural in the natural!" exclaims William. "People today do not want more instructions of what to do, but rather inspiration to transform them to who they can become!"The journey begins at www.Crossruption.com , as well as on Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/ Crossruption/ ), Twitter (https://twitter.com/Crossruption)and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/Crossruption/)Jacob William is the President and Group CEO of Flatworld Solutions, a global corporation excelling in Information Technology and Business Consulting Services. Founded in 2002, Flatworld now has over 9,000 clients and 2000 employees in India, Colombia, the Philippines, Kenya, the United Kingdom and the United States. Jacob grew up in India's diverse religious landscape, living among Hindus, Muslims and Christians. Suffering from severe asthma throughout school, he became addicted to alcohol and was hospitalized at only 18. Facing a life-or-death crossroads, his older brother asked him: "If you died tonight, where would you go?" After much soul searching, Jacob decided he needed a life reset.is what he came to call his now on-going journey.Thomas Nelson (http://www.thomasnelson.com/), the largest Christian publishing company in the world and the seventh-largest trade book publishing company in the U.S., partnered with Author Solutions LLC (http://www.authorsolutions.com/)to create WestBow Press in 2009. In 2014, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc. aligned with Author Solutions, LLC, to also service the Zondervan publishing group. Yesterday, whilst all eyes were on the budget in the UK, an interesting piece of legislation known now as the "flat tax" was being introduced in Italy. End -- The Italian government is offering the super-rich the possibility of paying an annual "forfeit" or a flat tax of 100,000 on their earnings outside of Italy, should they become resident in Italy. For the super wealthy this is mostly likely to be an considerable tax saving on paying income tax at the usual rates of tax in Italy, and depending on income, potentially in most of Europe. The option is only open to individuals who have not been resident in Italy for nine out of the last ten years, although a tax consultant will be able to advise on all the detail. This fiscal advantage is intended to attract ultra-wealthy individuals, possibly those considering leave the UK following the Brexit vote, with the idea that with their wealth and status will in turn promote and generate investment in Italy.Here atwe believe that this will be yet another incentive for ultra high net worth individuals to make Lake Como their home. Lake Como has proved itself to be a place where the rich and famous can live easily - it is a very glamorous yet an extremely safe area and has all the convenience of Milan just over 30 minutes away.If you would like to discuss breath-taking lakefront real estate on Lake Como or magnificent castles and stunning 100 room Liberty villas in nearby Brianza, please contact us in complete confidence. Most of our opportunities over 10m are off market or pocket listings and do not appear on our or any website. We offer objective and impartial advice, whilst providing complete discretion and anonymity.Please contact us at http://www.lakecomoconcepts.com The French have traditionally been a force to be reckoned with in terms of cosmetics, the 91 exhibitors on the French Pavilion are keen to live up to their reputation and will be showcasing their expertise at In-Cosmetics 2017 By: Business France End -- France is an internationally recognised supplier of raw materials for the cosmetics industry. Certified for their quality and purity, these raw materials comply with the strictest regulations and respect social ethics.Rich in a range of plant, marine and mineral ingredients as well as chemically derived ones, they appeal to the largest international luxury brands. The French Touch will be represented by 91 French companies on the France Pavilion organised by Business France, at the In-Cosmetics Global trade fair to be held from 4th to 6th April 2017 at London's ExCel Center.These companies will be demonstrating their know-how in the Ingredients, Fragrances and Testing Zones of this year's fair.In 2015, the global market for cosmetics ingredients was estimated at US$ 9 billion (around 7.39 billion) in the key regions of Europe, the US, Brazil, China, Japan, Southeast Asia and India.The market is constantly growing and benefits from innovative R&D that enables high-value added active ingredients to be developed. However, companies in the industry must also adapt to continually changing regulations.Many French companies will be launching new products, improved formulas or responding to new trends at In-Cosmetics. We note particular growing interest in protecting the skin from the effects of pollution.French ingredients suppliers offer solutions that form a screen against pollution by means of a film acting as a second skin. Others rely on active ingredients that are powerful antioxidants and anti-lipoperoxidants, or have anti-glycation or anti-free radical properties, which decrease inflammation, moisturise the skin and act against pigmentation marks caused by pollution. Detox programmes have been developed to counteract urban stress.Creating new active ingredients requires the development of customised in vivo, in vitro and ex vivo biological tests. French laboratories specialised in toxicity testing look for evidence of endocrine disruptors in volunteers (both men and women). They will be exhibiting in the Testing zone.For the first time, the Fragrances Zone is exhibiting perfumed ceramics made of Limoges porcelain (stand Q50).While the French offering includes a wide range of natural and organic plant, marine and mineral (clay type) ingredients of certified origin, it also bases its offer on their absence of residues, which is greatly appreciated by large brands.The French build their reputation on very pleasing, light and fluffy textures, the reflective effects of pigments and on colour control thanks to the use of very specialised software. These ingredients are not only intended for the cosmetics industry, but also for the pharmaceutical and food industries.Being environmentally conscientious, some French laboratories use living plant cells by 'milking' their roots up to six times per year, which preserves the parent plant; others use renewable and biodegradable ingredients.With the help of regional partners such as Bretagne Commerce International, Cosmetic Valley, DEV-UP and CCI Aquitaine, the Business France Pavilion (National Agency promoting internationalisation of the French economy) will be displaying the latest French innovations at the 2017 edition of In-Cosmetics Global.All of the participants will be present in three blocks in the South Hall:- stands C10 CC10 C30 CC30 C50 and CC50 for Ingredients- stands P52 to PP57 and on pods PP50 Q50 Q51 and QQ55 for Fragrances- stands D30 and D50 for TestingFor further information please see the catalogue or please contact:Christiane PeslherbeProject Manager Business France ParisTel: +33 1 40 73 36 90christiane.peslherbe@businessfrance.frPress contact UK :Catherine Ryallcatherine.ryall@businessfrance.fr Colin Quinn End -- Join us as the tradition continues with great music, food, drink and dancing while celebrating the philanthropic work of The Ireland Funds.The Irish Spirit Award honoree is Colin Quinn.VIP Guests Include:Colin Quinn, Irish Spirit Award honoreeDavid Diehl, 2X Super Bowl Champion, NY GiantsDean Winters, actorJared Jeffries, former New York Knicks forward/centerJohn Duddy, former IBF World Champion and actorColin Broderick, author, Orangutan and writer of the feature film Emerald CityPaul Costsbile, writer of The Hollywood Reporter and iHeartRadio.comDate: Thursday, March 9th, 2017Location: Espace 635 W. 42nd St. (Between 11th and 12th Avenues)Time: 7PM-11PM Open bar Buffet dinner Live music by The Dane Wright BandCocktail AttireLive Auction Check out our great auction items. Bidding is now open.Buy at https://irelandfunds.org/event/new-york-young-leaders-st-patricks-celebration-2017/Young Leader member individual ticket: $160Non-member individual ticket: $185Circle of Friends group package of ten (10) tickets: $1,500Sponsorship packages available. Please contact Pat Tully at 212.689.3100 or ptully@irelandfunds.orgColin Quinn is a stand up comedian from Brooklyn (okay park slope). From MTV's "Remote Control" to "SNL" to Comedy Central's "Tough Crowd," Mr. Quinn is not one to take a hint and bow out gracefully. He's been on Broadway with "Irish Wake" and "Colin Quinn Long Story Short" and off-Broadway with "Colin Quinn Unconstitutional"and "Colin Quinn The New York Story." Colin can be seen as 'Hermie' on HBO's "Girls", opposite Amy Schumer in Judd Apatow's "Trainwreck"and later this year in "Sandy Wexler" with Adam Sandler. "Colin Quinn The New York Story" (directed by Jerry Seinfeld) and "Colin Quinn Unconstitutional"are now streaming on Netflix, and his web series "Cop Show" can seen on LStudio.com. His first and last book "The Coloring Book" is available on Amazon.About the Ireland Funds:The Ireland Funds is a global philanthropic network established in 1976 to promote and support peace, culture, education and community development throughout the island of Ireland, and Irish-related causes around the world. With chapters in 12 countries, The Ireland Funds has raised over $550 million for deserving causes in Ireland and beyond, benefiting more than 3,000 different organizations.The Ireland Funds' vision is of peace, equality and opportunity across the island of Ireland and among Irish communities worldwide. We invite you to contact the chapter closest to you to learn more about opportunities to give back to the land you love."This party is not only one of the best parties of the St. Patrick's 'season' as we call it, but it is one with a real purpose. The money raised at the event will touch the lives of people across Ireland and here in New York as we will have a special pledge drive for the Irish Arts Center's capital campaign." Building an Intelligent Digital Enterprise Contact Spencer Bisgaard Event Director ***@ngagevents.com Photo: https://www.prlog.org/ 12625460/1 Spencer BisgaardEvent Director End --will keynote thediscussing digital transformation for the enterprise. Formerly M6 Mobility Exchange, the ET6 Exchange Summit is focused on building an intelligent digital enterprise for innovative and forward thinking organizations. Lucas will bring a unique perspective to IT Executives who recognize that enterprise transformation will be critical to their success."Enterprise transformation is based on cloud computing, analytic, mobile and IoT. Steve is an industry expert and former President of Enterprise Platforms and Analytics at SAP Between SAP, and in his current role as CEO of Marketo, Steve has focused on helping enterprises transform their businesses with better data and analytics. I'm looking forward to listening to him deliver an impactful message to the entire group this coming May," said Maribel Lopez, President of Lopez Research and ET6 Exchange Conference Chair."Transformation is inevitable for enterprises to survive in today's digitally connected world it's transform or die," said Lucas. "I look forward to being part of the discussion at this year's ET6 Exchange and sharing how enterprises can implement an infrastructure that enables them to deliver personalized and authentic experiences that align to business outcomes."ET6 Exchange is an invitation-only hosted model that helps facilitate dialogue between IT executives, leading solution providers and industry experts over 2.5 days of focused content and small group discussions. The unique and proven format will help showcase how companies are combining various technologies allowing their businesses to be successful in a digital age."M6 Mobility Exchange underwent a name change to ET6 Exchange this past year as nGage Events and our Advisory Board recognized that enterprise transformation is now an integral part of every organization and discussion on mobility must be inclusive of cloud, big data, analytics, security, etc. to develop a comprehensive Digital Transformation strategy. We must evolve and continue to deliver relevant content, industry analysis and leading solution providers as IT Executives develop the strategy for their organization and navigate their own digital journey," commented Paul Samargedlis, SVP/Partner, nGage Events.If you are interested in attending either as a hosted IT Executive or joining us as a sponsor, please contact Spencer Bisgaard, Event Director, for additional information or visit http://et6exchange.com Tami Weber brings diverse background to Candle Light Cove community By: IntegraCare Tami Weber, Director of Sales & Marketing Media Contact Cissy Nickel, Executive Director ***@integracare.com 410.770.9707 Cissy Nickel, Executive Director410.770.9707 End -- Tami Weber feels right at home at Candle Light Cove, a senior living community on the Eastern Shore.After all, Weber returned to her native Maryland after spending 17 years in South Carolina, where she established herself as an award-winning television and radio broadcaster."I love the family that we are as a management team, as a workforce and the camaraderie that we have as a community at Candle Light Cove," said Weber, director of sales and marketing. "I feel like I'm at home. I love coming to work every day. This is my extended family, whether they're my co-workers or the residents."Weber has settled into her administrative role at Candle Light Cove since joining the community's team in May 2016. Recently, Weber was named to the Class of 2017 in the Shore Leadership Program, which offers executives, managers and leaders on Maryland's Eastern Shore the opportunity to deepen their understanding of issues and challenges facing the region."Tami Weber is an exceptionally talented professional who brings unique experiences and perspective to her role at Candle Light Cove," said Eric Walker, director of sales and marketing of Pittsburgh-based IntegraCare, which operates Candle Light Cove. "Her expertise, empathy and understanding are pivotal to helping families make challenging decisions when it comes to choosing a senior living community."From 1993 to 2006, Weber was a broadcast journalist. During her eight years at WHNS FOX in Greenville, South Carolina, she was nominated for four Emmy Awards. Weber earned South Carolina Reporter of the Year from the state's broadcasters association and the MATRIX Award for Women in Communications as well as Associated Press Broadcasters Association Awards."One of the things I loved about being a journalist is I felt like I was making a difference, especially in my role as an investigative reporter," Weber said. "That's one of the reasons I got into health care, to make a difference."Weber made the move to the senior living arena in 2010 and eventually held marketing, community relations and community outreach positions at communities in Greenville and Spartanburg, South Carolina. She is a certified dementia specialist."I started out in hospice care. I was working a lot with the families," she said. "When I made the transition into senior living it was clear from the start that it was the right decision. I've really had an opportunity to get to know the families and the residents. I absolutely love working with seniors and their families."Weber and her husband, Bob, and their three children reside in Easton, where she is active in numerous community organizations.Information: End -- The parent company to leading staffing & recruitment agency Aureus Group has been named the #1 Employment Agency in Omaha, Nebraska by. C&A Industries, Inc., a national leader in staffing with four affiliate firms under its umbrella, has been recognized by public vote as the "Best of B2B" for the ninth consecutive year. The announcement is featured in the March 2017 issue of the magazine.Aureus Group specializes in staffing within the areas of finance & accounting, information technology & information systems, healthcare leadership, and executive search. Other affiliated C&A firms include Aureus Medical Group, AurStaff, and Celebrity Staff. Aureus Group holds a market leading position in the Omaha metropolitan area and has a well established regional presence.is a quarterly magazine featuring profiles of business leaders, local corporations, and stories pertaining to the latest business developments in the Omaha metropolitan area. The publication's annual "Best of B2B" Awards recognize the top businesses and service providers based on readers' votes."The most successful organizations are those which hire and retain great people," said Scot Thompson, President & CEO, C&A Industries, Inc. "We believe that our ability to consistently provide our customers with an outstanding level of service rests with our team of employees who are truly the very best in our industry. We are proud to have been named the top employment agency in Omaha for an impressive nine consecutive years and we thank each of our employees for being part of it."For more information about Aureus Group's services, visit https://www.aureusgroup.com Aureus Group is a leader in staffing and recruiting, offering a full range of hiring options for organizations ranging from small and mid-sized firms to Fortune 500 companies. Aureus Group specializes in the areas of accounting and finance, information systems and information technology, and executive search. Staffing solutions include direct hire, Match Hire, contract/project staffing, and interim executive. Headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, Aureus Group has regional offices located in Kansas City, Missouri and Des Moines, Iowa. Aureus Group is an affiliate of Omaha-based C&A Industries, a leading provider of human capital management solutions for more than 45 years.C&A is a national leader in staffing and recruiting. Through its affiliate firms, Aureus Group, Aureus Medical Group, AurStaff, and Celebrity Staff, C&A has provided Human Capital Management Solutions to a wide variety of industries for more than 45 years, including supplemental, contract-hire, and direct hire programs. Non-staffing divisions of C&A include AurTravel, a full service travel agency; AurHomes, specializing in corporate housing; and its philanthropic arm, The Kim Foundation. C&A is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, with subsidiary offices located in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska; Kansas City, Missouri; and Des Moines, Iowa. Armed Conflict, Mystery, Suspense, Heroism, Romance, Corruption and Moral Fortitude I-16-tou's lower torpedo, of the two shown, sunk the Oklahoma Contact Marchri Productions ***@aol.com Marchri Productions End --opens by placing the reader inside of the steaming hot and poorly lighted control room of a Japanese midget submarine as it lies in wait on the muddy bottom of Pearl Harbor. The date is December 7, 1941. The commander and his engineer, both covered in sweat, sleep restlessly as they await the commencement of the surprise Japanese air raid to come that morning.Awakened by the shock waves of aerial torpedo strikes and bomb blasts the two men jump into action. In a matter of moments the commander of the midget sub lines up the battleshipsand, intending to strike each of them with one of his two, one thousand pound torpedoes. He gives the command to "Fire one!" Shortly thereafter he orders, "Fire two!" His deadly venom is in the water and he has nothing more to do except wait for the results.Fortunately for the crew of the, his torpedo bounces off her iron hull and sinks to the harbor floor without exploding. However, theis not as fortunate for torpedo number two tears a thirty eight foot wide chasm right through the proud battleship's armored torpedo belt. Until that moment the battleship was sinking from aerial torpedo hits with a slight list to port. However, thousands of gallons of water begin pouring into her port side causing her to roll over before anyone can even think about counter-flooding. Sailors crawl over the side and onto the bottom of the hull as one of the ship's propellers pokes through the water's surface, glistening in the bright Hawaiian sun.After suffering irreparable damage from a depth-charging destroyer, the midget sub's commander decides to seek refuge in an out-of-the-way part of the harbor known as West Loch. It is there they scuttle their sub and swim ashore to seek out pre-arranged safe contacts among the Japanese/Hawaiian population.The midget sub's engineer dies from a bullet wound and is quietly and very discreetly buried in the back yard of an oceanfront home. The Commander buries his ship's log, sidearm and sword with his engineer, assuming they would never be discovered. He is subsequently provided an entirely new identity, assumes the name Ken Kida, and is provided a job on a pineapple plantation with the belief it would be temporary. When he is rounded up with the other Japanese/Americans on the plantation and sent to California for internment, he begins to see the United States in a different light while also realizing the dictum he was taught when growing up in Japan was not true.As any good Samurai would, when the opportunity to join the U.S. Army Nisei Brigade arises, he literally adopts a different battle on behalf of a new master, the United States. His service will take him deep into Burma where he is seriously wounded and sent back to a hospital in Honolulu. Upon discharge he purchases a small air conditioning company, but is interrupted when he is activated from the reserves and sent to Korea. While in a field hospital after being seriously wounded he meets the woman he would marry, Nurse-Lieutenant Sun Jin-Ho. He eventually takes her back to Honolulu where they wed and start a family.More than seventy years pass when a pair of Hawaiian excavators uncover the grave of Kida's engineer. The local police quickly recognize there is something different about the grave's contents which leads to calling in a special investigative team from the U.S. Navy.Lt. Commander Christopher Pastwa and Lt. Karen Yamura spearhead the Navy's efforts to translate the long-buried ship's log. Once learning Kida survived and likely melded into the local population as if a human chameleon, their admiral, Roman Reardon, gives them a clear mandate to determine what became of the midget submarine's commander. The navy is intent on bringing him in, if he is alive, or, in the alternative, retrieving his death certificate.Before they can make much headway a local and very unscrupulous newspaper reporter, Lani Gale, obtains a copy of the ship's log. Though illegally sourced, her newspaper begins to run a series of Front Page headlines dramatizing the story and offering a $100,000 reward for information leading them to Ken Kida. A race is on between the navy team and Gale to discover what became of the midget sub's commander.Kida and his Korean wife are anxiously reading the front page story when their grandson, Gary, drives up. Suspecting he may soon be arrested, Ken relates his life story to Gary through a series of flash-backs and narratives which are interspersed with the present-day progress of the Navy and Lani Gale, as they relentlessly hunt him down.When Pastwa and Yamura turn up at Ken's front door, he, Sun and Gary believe their world is about to be shattered. A series of events rapidly unfold over the following twenty four hours which create a surprise ending as myriad loose ends fall into place. The two primary antagonists featured in the subsequent novels in the series,and, are also introduced late in, alerting the reader there is more to come.Be sure to look for Marcus Nannini's WW II non-fiction book:, and his WW II nonfiction stories inandmagazines. Expanding opportunity for Colorado entrepreneurs and companies End -- Creating a tighter association and alliance, Blackstone Entrepreneur's Network (BEN), Colorado Companies to Watch (CCTW), and Colorado Thought Leaders Forum (CTLF) are pleased to announce the formation of the Entrepreneurs Consortium of Colorado (ECC). ECC is a consortium with the mission to foster a robust Colorado economic environment through the growth and support of entrepreneurial companies and their leaders."By working together to do fewer higher-impact events and programs, we believe we can deliver more value while giving back time to the leaders we serve," said Sara van Rensburg, President of the Colorado Thought Leaders Forum. "We know the power of our combined communities of leaders is far greater than the sum of the parts."ECC is dedicated to convening successful, generous, influential entrepreneurs and leaders who are moving the marketplace forward, and to creating a resource and content-rich, relationship-oriented environment that enables business leaders and their companies to grow and flourish in the State of Colorado. It will focus on topics, programs and resources viewed as new, innovative, or unique to help move the community forward as thought leaders."CCTW is excited for the opportunity provided by ECC to bring more value to the 2stage companies and their leaders that we serve," said Rick Ninneman, Chair of Colorado Companies to Watch. "Second stage companies are the growth engines and job creators, and with ECC, our Winners become part of a more robust community.""The impact of ECC comes from aligning industry, business and community leaders to make Colorado a premier ecosystem for business," said Greg Greenwood, Executive Director of the Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network.ECC held its first event last week: Kent Thiry, CEO DaVita keynote at the Four Seasons, Wednesday, March 1, 2017. This event was attended by over 300 senior executives from companies throughout Colorado. Kent presented his journey building DaVita's dynamic transparent culture from bankruptcy to a thriving Fortune 200 enterprise featuring the company as a village and him as mayor. He included how his own personal 360-degree Evaluation has shaped his own growth and leadership development.ECC will work to provide access to more statewide resources as well as new, innovative programs and awards. "ECC is founded on authentic collaboration and a collective purpose of generosity that makes Colorado a thriving place to build a business," added Greg Greenwood.Colorado Companies to Watch is an awards program honoring 2nd-stage companies headquartered in the state of Colorado. The 400 companies that have been honored since the program's inception demonstrate high performance in the marketplace or exhibit innovative products or processes. The program is designed to seek businesses from a wide range of industries throughout the state, not just the major metropolitan areas. The 50 companies selected each year make an astounding impact on Colorado's economy by collectively providing thousands of jobs and contributing millions of dollars in revenue. The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) launched the program in 2009 in conjunction with the Edward Lowe Foundation and valuable community partners from across Colorado. | Visit ColoradoCompaniestoWatch.org ( http://www.coloradocompaniestowatch.org/ ), facebook.com/ColoradoCompaniestoWatch and Twitter @coloradoCTWThe Colorado Thought Leaders Forum (CTLF) was founded in 2009 to bring actionable, timely, value-rich content to the Colorado business community. Regardless of the format, all CTLF events and programs have in common two things helping thought leaders, senior executives, and proven leaders grow themselves and their companies, and creating strong, giving relationships. | Visit www.ctlf.org The Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network ("BEN" or "the Network") in Colorado is funded by a $3 million gift from the Blackstone Charitable Foundation to the State of Colorado and is administered by the University of Colorado's Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship. In parallel with other Silicon Flatirons projects, like Startup Colorado and the CU-Boulder campus entrepreneurship initiative, BEN identifies promising Colorado-based companies across industries (namely, technology, health, aerospace, energy, and natural products) and geographies, and provides guidance and meaningful connections to help these companies scale. | Visit www.bencolorado.org The Swedish property company Estancia Bostad AB has purchased an asset of Note AB. A multi-year lease contract is being signed with Note Lund as tenant simultaneous with the sale. This transaction has a positive effect on Notes operating profit in the first quarter, of approximately 2.09m (SEK [] Hines, in a joint-venture with a group of German pension funds, has completed the purchase of a trophy building on Via Orefici adjacent to Piazza Cordusio, Milan's prime office and high street retail destination for 100 million. The 12,000 square-metre building is located in the very heart of the... [] If you are new to iQ you can schedule a demo and learn more about this opportunity. PSFK iQ - Where Innovators Turn for Research. Our professional-grade research platform is designed specifically for Retail and CX leaders who want to know whats next. Whether youre staying current on trends or need a real-time research partner to help you get ahead, count on PSFK iQ to deliver the info you need to make your next move. Rabobank: the next cabinet must make visionary investments in the economic structure The fact that the Dutch economy will perform so well both in 2017 and 2018 does not mean that the next cabinet can lean back and relax. Economic growth is expected to drop back after 2018. That is why the next cabinet must invest in strengthening the Netherlands economic structure, for example in order to maintain purchasing power. It would also be unwise to reverse economically smart reforms that have already been implemented, such as the increase in the retirement age. This is the message from Rabobank economists in their Economic Quarterly Report published today. The Dutch economy recorded its highest rate of growth last year since the crisis; this year, growth will speed up even more, with the economy expected to expand by 2.3 per cent. In 2018, economic growth in the Netherlands will drop slightly to 2.0 per cent due to less buoyant growth in consumption. Unemployment will fall further, causing the unemployment rate to decrease to as little as 4.6 per cent in 2018. Rabobank economist Martijn Badir: Despite this good economic performance, we see no reason for the next cabinet to lean back and relax. That is because in the longer term, economic growth in the Netherlands will be significantly lower due to pressure on both the supply of labour and productivity growth. Indeed, the current high growth figures should be seen as catch-up growth, making up for the economic lost ground since the crisis. Make hay while the sun shines According to the economist, additional measures are needed to structurally bolster the economy. Badir: The mantra is and remains: lets make hay while the sun shines. Which is now. The next cabinet should make visionary investments in R&D, innovation and human capital in order to increase structural labour productivity. It is extremely important for serious action to be taken in investing in the long-term employability of workers. Human capital must be pushed much higher up the policy agenda, especially now that the labour market is becoming ever more flexible and technological developments are causing knowledge and skills to quickly become outdated. At the same time, the cabinet should beware of reversing economically sensible reforms. For example, a reduction in the state pension (AOW) retirement age would not only hit government finances, it would also damage the economy. Badir: Under the current policy, the AOW retirement age will rise in tandem with life expectancy. If the next cabinet reduces the AOW retirement age to 65 again, that will not only mean less sustainable government finances, it will also result in fewer people offering their services in the labour market. In that case, the Dutch economys potential growth rate will fall further at a time when it is already under pressure, due in part to the ageing population. Rabobank economists are also advocating thorough reform of the tax system. Badir: A new tax system must put an end to the economically distorting jumble of allowances and tax-deductible items. The current tax system is so complex mainly because allowances and new taxes have been added year in, year out, principally for short-term political ends. A lot of money is leaking out as a result, which is at the expense of our prosperity. Given the fragmented political landscape, it is to be hoped that the next cabinet will adopt simplicity as a necessary precondition for a properly functioning tax system. Now that the economy is performing better and the government is expected to have a budget surplus in 2017, there is a danger of losing a sense of urgency about the need to keep health costs under control. Badir: The debate about abolishing the insurance deductible is one example of this. However if healthcare costs spiral out of control again, households disposable income will probably barely rise in the next ten years, as taxes and premiums will need to increase to cover the costs." The Dutch economy suffers more than its neighbours when there is a headwind but also experiences more of an upturn when there is a tailwind. This vulnerability is undesirable, if only because it leads to uncertainty and undermines confidence, says Badir. The next cabinet can tackle this economic vulnerability by dismantling the barriers that currently exist, for example between pensions and the housing market. In this way, households would be able to use part of the money they have saved for their pension to reduce their debt on their own home, especially if they are paying off the mortgage in regular instalments anyway. They should also be able to use the capital tied up in their pensions or own home to finance education. Trumps policy is having a negative effect on growth in world trade The Rabobank economists are once again expecting moderate global economic growth in 2017 and 2018 of around 3 per cent. Rabobank economist Maartje Wijffelaars: Our forecasts are subject to uncertainty, mainly due to political developments, including elections in a number of key eurozone member states. It is also difficult to assess the effects of the Brexit negotiations. In our forecasts, we are assuming that the protectionist measures President Trump is expected to take will have a negative effect on the growth in world trade. Even if no concrete measures materialise, the threat of such measures could still have a negative impact. The Economic Quartlery Report is available at: www.rabobank.com/economics. After years without progressing its DTT plan, Guatemala is ready to get back on track towards a switch-off that will happen in 2022 at the earliest. The countrys telecom authority, Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones (SIT), has drafted a document with regulatory guidelines for DTT implementation, which now has to be sanctioned by the Government.The document aims to harmonise the new frequencies and spectrum bands which are already being used, in particular those for new mobile technologies, which will be awarded this year.The move is the first step forward since Guatemala established an initial roadmap in 2012, deciding it would use the ISDB-T broadcasting standard, as most of Latin America has done. But the country is still at the very beginning of its DTT switchover.We are talking five years at best, said Jose Raul Solares Chiu, head of SIT, referring to how soon Guatemala will be able to switch off analogue TV. According to Solares, speaking during the Seminario de Seguimiento para la Implementacion de la Television Digital Terrestre en Guatemala, the process wont be complete before 2022, and that is if there are no delays.No Central American country has completed the digital TV switchover so far, but most territories are ahead of Guatemala in terms of implementation. In fact, Costa Rica plans to complete its switch off by December 2017, becoming the second LATAM country to do so. AMC Networks International Iberia will start broadcasting Canal Cocina and Canal Decasa in 4K resolution from June 2017 in Spain. Both pay-TV networks will be joining documentary channel Odisea 4K , the first signal owned by AMC Network International Iberia to be available in 4K UHD resolution.Committed to creating original content, Canal Cocina, the only television channel in Spain which specialises in gastronomy, and Canal Decasa will premiere their first programmes filmed in Ultra HD throughout 2017. Some of the best international gastronomic and lifestyle shows being produced in 4K UHD quality will also be added to both channels schedules at the same time.Gastronomical and lifestyle content takes on a new perspective with 4K UHD. The user experience will be fantastic for fans, said Eduardo Zulueta, president of AMC Networks International Iberia and Latin America On top of this, AMC Networks International Iberia will start producing branded content in 4K UHD, making it the first television network to enable advertisers to generate content with this technology. Over 3.3 million unique viewers followed the Brazilian Carnival in Rio through Globos streaming and online video platforms. According to figures released by Convergecoms TelaViva , Globos G1 and Globo Play registered 6.8 million videos watched during the Carnival, averaging over two videos played by each unique user.In addition, the Globo Play app doubled its average downloads during the main week of the Carnival, which was also the first edition to be broadcast through the new HD DTT signals As to screens, most viewers chose computers to stream the live content, being selected as main device by 55% of users, with smartphones (39%) the second most used screen.As for video-on-demand (VOD) content, smartphones were the preferred devices for almost seven in ten viewers.Through both G1 and Globo Play, the Brazilian media giant delivered live broadcasts of the parades in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Salvador and Recife, which were available nationwide for free.The Brazilian broadcaster has lately been focusing on over-the-top (OTT) content distribution, both by launching new platforms and by adding latest video technologies , such as 4K. There is a lot of life yet in the European cable industry, with IHS statistics released by the industrys trade association, Cable Europe, showing total revenues up 4.6% year-on-year. The figures show that revenue growth remains solid across all cable services, with broadband Internet the star performer, rising 7.5% annually, followed by TV (3.7%) and then telephony (2.1%). More than 2.7 million revenue-generating units (RGUs) - the industry metric for the total sum of TV, Internet and telephony subscriptions - were added in 2016, and the total across Europe is now 118.24 million.Even though broadband represents an increasing share of revenue at 32.8%, and the number of broadband subscribers rose 5.9%, the TV sector continues to be the largest source of profit for the industry, accounting for 46.5% of the 23.45 billion of revenue. Cable Europe said that digital transition continues to be an important driver for TV services, with revenue growth for TV driven by a strong appetite for digital subscriptions and video-on-demand (VOD). Digital TV subscribers rose 6.3%, accounting for 66.3% of all TV subscriptions and generating four-fifths of TV revenue.The effect of many of the continents leading cablcos bundling Netflix within their EPG also began to show, with overall digital VOD revenue increasing by 14.1% year-on-year.Commenting on the results, Cable Europe executive chairman Matthias Kurth said: Continued investment in infrastructure and content shows cable is providing consumers with the content they want in a digital age. As cable continues to convert analogue homes to digital, giving consumers more choice and content will result in them taking up more services. This trend should continue with the digital revolution across cable. A review into the governance of South Africas community broadcasting sector is now underway, the countrys communications regulator has announced. The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) says that through the review it will address shortcomings in the regulatory and operational environment of the community broadcasting sector.The expected outcomes of the review include streamlined community broadcasting related regulations, a review of the community broadcasting licensing framework, as well as operational guidelines for the community broadcasting sector. The review will also identify policy and/or legislative challenges and make recommendations to the Minister of Communications in this regard, ICASA said in a statement.Written submissions from stakeholders are due by 10 May 2017, and will be followed by public consultations. A new regulatory framework for the sector will be the end result of the process. A total of 892 functional privately-owned television channels are now broadcasting in India, according to Government figures ending 28 February. Permission was granted for a total of 1,061 privately-owned channels to operate in India, however 169 licences were cancelled. Another 11 are subject to a stay order by the court after their broadcast permission was cancelled by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry due to security denial by Home Ministry. These 11 channels are included in the overall figure of 892. India uplinks 20 TV channels seven of which are news channels that are downlinked in other countries.The overall figure has increased by 23 on the 869 channels broadcasting in India as of the end of February 2016.In February the channels History TV18 HD and Telugu Hindu Dharmam were given permission to uplink in India, while Sony BBC Earth HD was granted downlinking approval. The rate of mortality from breast cancer has fallen by one third over the last 30 years. This is due to improvements in early detection, the refinement of treatment concepts and the development of new ones. Nowadays, an important issue for breast cancer experts is also how they can improve the quality of life of their patients. This is one of the main focuses of the Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC) of MedUni Vienna and Vienna General Hospital -- as is the issue of "overtreatment." Together with the development of new treatment guidelines, these two topics are central themes at the 15th St. Gallen Breast Cancer Conference and the 3rd Vienna Breast Surgery Day, which will take place in Vienna from 14 to 18 March 2017. In Austria, there are around 5,200 new cases of breast cancer every year. As a result of the developments in breast cancer treatment, more and more patients are now surviving the disease. Interdisciplinary treatment concepts and molecular-biological approaches have played an important part in this. Michael Gnant, Head of the Department of Surgery at MedUni Vienna and Vienna General Hospital, President of the Austrian Breast & Colorectal Cancer Study Group (ABCSG) and Deputy Head of the CCC comments: "Nowadays, we believe that successful treatment is only possible by taking a more interdisciplinary approach. We are able to provide this at the CCC of MedUni Vienna and Vienna General Hospital, because we have combined all the disciplines under one roof. These include fundamental cancer research, the specialist areas involved and clinical research and this enables us to keep our finger on the pulse of medical progress." Florian Fitzal, Department of Surgery and Head of the MedUni Vienna/Vienna General Hospital surgical Breast Health Center (CCC BGZ) since April 2016 says: "The collaboration that Prof. Gnant referred to between basic research and clinical practice is of major importance for us." Around 5,000 leading breast cancer experts are attending the conference in the Austria Center Vienna. The interdisciplinary treatment approach is also the central topic of the 15th St. Gallen Breast Cancer Conference, which is being held in the Austria Center Vienna from 15 to 18 March 2017 and is one of the largest breast cancer conferences in the world. "We are very proud to have been able to bring the conference to Vienna two years ago. The fact that we were able to do so shows that our expertise is also recognised on an international level," says Michael Gnant, who is also one of the conference chairmen. The St. Gallen Breast Cancer Conference is known as the venue where top international experts agree on treatment recommendations, which are then applied as guidelines for breast cancer treatment in everyday clinical practice throughout the world. Says Gnant: "During the time of the conference, Vienna is truly "the centre of the world" in terms of breast cancer treatment." Quality of life is an important aim Despite the interdisciplinary treatment approach, surgery continues to play a central role in the treatment of breast cancer: in 96% of cases, surgery forms part of the overall interdisciplinary treatment plan. However, the quality of life of our patients is likewise an important consideration. Hence, the breast cancer experts at CCC are also addressing the question of overtreatment. The term "overtreatment" refers to a treatment that does not benefit the individual patient but could adversely affect their quality of life due to the related side-effects. Potential overtreatment In 30% of all breast cancer patients, a so-called "Ductal carcinoma in situ" (DCIS) is diagnosed. This is where the tumour has not yet spread outside the milk ducts so that it is easy to remove surgically. The probability of the tumour recurring is approximately 10 -- 30%. Nevertheless, all patients are given further treatment after the operation (radiotherapy and/or anti-hormone therapy), which is probably not beneficial to all of them. Says Florian Fitzal, with Michael Gnant and Farid Moinfar, one of the conference chairmen: "Overtreatment often has huge side-effects for patients without providing any therapeutic benefit. At the conference, we are therefore going to discuss the question with international experts and thrash out the optimum strategy for treating DCIS. The long-term aim is to make a more accurate distinction between DCIS cases and divide them into biological subtypes, so that we are able to filter out those that do not require any further treatment following surgery." Chemical computers are becoming ever more of a reality -- this is being demonstrated by scientists from the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw. It turns out that after an appropriate teaching procedure even a relatively simple chemical system can perform non-trivial operations. In their most recent computer simulations researchers have shown that correctly programmed chemical matrices of oscillating droplets can recognize the shape of a sphere with great accuracy. Modern computers use electronic signals for their calculations, that is, physical phenomena related to the movement of electric charges. Information can, however, be processed in many ways. For some time now efforts have been underway worldwide to use chemical signals for this purpose. For the time being, however, the resulting chemical systems perform only the simplest logic operations. Meanwhile, researchers from the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IPC PAS) in Warsaw have demonstrated that even uncomplicated and easy-to-produce collections of droplets, in which oscillating chemical reactions proceed, can process information in a useful way, e.g. recognizing the shape of a specified three-dimensional object with great accuracy or correctly classifying cancer cells into benign or malignant. "A lot of work being currently carried out in laboratories focuses on building chemical equivalents of standard logic gates. We took a different approach to the problem," says Dr. Konrad Gizynski (IPC PAS) and explains: "We investigate systems of a dozen-or-so to a few dozen drops in which chemical signals propagate, and treat each one as a whole, as a kind of neuronal network. It turns out that such networks, even very simple ones, after a short teaching procedure manage well with fairly sophisticated problems. For instance, our newest system has ability to recognize the shape of a sphere in a set of x, y, z spatial coordinates." The systems being studied at the IPC PAS work thanks to the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction proceeding in individual drops. This reaction is oscillatory: after the completion of one oscillation cycle the reagents necessary to begin the next cycle are regenerated in the solution. A droplet is a batch reactor. Before reagents are depleted a droplet has usually performed from a few dozen to a few hundred oscillations. The time evolution of a droplet is easy to observe, since its catalyst, ferroin, changes colour during the cycle. In a thin layer of solution the effect is spectacular: colourful strips -- chemical fronts -- traveling in all directions appear in the liquid. Fronts can also be seen in the droplets, but in practice the phase of the cycle is indicated just by the colour of the droplet: when the cycle begins, the droplet rapidly turns blue (excites), after which it gradually returns to its initial state, which is red. "Our systems basically work by mutual communication between droplets: when the droplets are in contact, the chemical excitation can be transmitted from droplet to droplet. In other words, one droplet can trigger the reaction in the next! It is also important that an excited droplet cannot be immediately excited once again. Speaking somewhat colloquially, before the next excitation it has to 'have a rest', in order to return to its original state," explains Dr. Gizynski. For the system to process information, the latter has to be introduced into it, and after processing it has to be read out. It is also important to have the ability to modify the way the system processes information in a controlled manner. To meet these challenges, researchers from the IPC PAS used light and an additional (apart from ferroin) catalyst, ruthenium. The Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction catalyzed by ruthenium has an important feature: it is inhibited by blue light, which means that with intensive illumination the droplets cease to oscillate. By changing the illumination of a specific droplet it is therefore possible to decide whether it is to be involved in the processing of information or not, and to excite it according to any selected pattern. In the case of droplets used to input information, a longer illumination time means a greater value of the spatial coordinate to be entered. advertisement "In practice, the illumination of droplets can be controlled individually by attaching a separate optical fiber to each droplet," says Dr. Gizynski and stresses that all the simulation parameters -- transitions between droplet states, the propagation of chemical fronts between droplets, stopping and resuming the reactions by the light brought in by the fiber as well as the production of networks of droplets -- were selected on the basis of previously performed experiments. In their simulations, researchers from Warsaw looked for methods of detecting the shape of a sphere, considering networks composed of 2x2, 3x3, 4x4 and 5x5 droplets. To map the actual rates of the chemical reactions it was assumed that a droplet spends one second in the excited state and next returns to a state in which it can be activated again within the time of ten seconds. Before starting the teaching procedure, the researchers also had to create the right 'textbook' with a description of the sphere. For this purpose, they generated a random set of points which were assigned a value of 1 when the given point belonged to the sphere or 0 when the point lay beyond it. A database prepared in this manner became the basis of the teaching process, in which each of the components of the point (x, y, z) determined the time of illumination of different input droplets. To teach the system of droplets to detect the shape of a sphere, researchers from the IPC PAS used evolutionary algorithms. The teaching procedure began with the random generation of 30 patterns of illumination of the system, in which some droplets were treated as the input, while the others remained inactive for the time which was the subject of the optimization. After the droplet system had processed the entire database, the droplet which time evolution was best correlated with the expected result was treated as the output. From the first generation of systems thus obtained a few of the best were selected, multiplied by on the way introducing small changes ('mutations') in the manners of illumination and the teaching cycle started again from the beginning. The teaching procedure continued for 500 generations. "We achieved the best results for the 4x4 droplet network. It showed the greatest accuracy in detecting the shape of a sphere, at a level of 85%. In addition, it acquired this ability the most rapidly, in just 150 generations. The 5x5 system could perhaps be better, but in order to check this, the teaching process should be extended to more than 500 generations," says Dr. Gizynski. Droplet systems do not interpret the incoming data, they just look for correlations ('shapes') among them similar to the one they have been taught to find. Instead of the spatial coordinates of points with the shape of a sphere they can thus be fed with data with a different meaning, e.g. associated with the different characteristics of tumour cells. The system would then be able to seek the 'shape' of the data corresponding to, for example, benign or malignant tumours. "Indeed, in one of our recent publications, carried out in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Jena, we showed that the 5x5 droplet system could classify cancer cells from a machine learning dataset, Wisconsin Breast Cancer Dataset, with a precision of up to 97%. Better results are achieved using conventional computers, but these also include classifiers acting less effectively. Thus, the chemical processing of information, although still heavily flawed, is beginning to offer more and more interesting and more useful possibilities," concludes Dr. Gizynski. Because innovation is part of the American culture, adults in the United States may be less likely to associate children's conformity with intelligence than adults from other populations, according to research from developmental psychologists at The University of Texas at Austin. U.S. children are often encouraged to engage in non-conformist and creative behavior. But researchers say this stands in contrast to populations in which child socialization is based on fostering collective and cooperative values that emphasize social conformity. In a study appearing in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, UT Austin researchers examined how adults view children's behavioral conformity as an indication of their intelligence and good behavior, comparing the U.S. and Vanuatu, a Melanesian archipelago in the South Pacific. "Cross-cultural comparisons provide critical insight into variation in reasoning about intelligence. Examining variation in adults' beliefs about children's intelligence provides insight into the kinds of behavior adults value and encourage children to engage in," said Cristine Legare, an associate professor of psychology at UT Austin. The study combined methodologies from experimental psychology and comparative anthropology to examine the kinds of behaviors adults associated with intelligence in each population. Rather than describing what makes a child intelligent, participants watched videos of an adult demonstrating a task, followed by two videos: one of a child imitating the actions exactly as they had been demonstrated; and another of a child deviating from the modeled task. Participants then indicated which child was smartest and which child was most well-behaved. Ni-Vanuatu adults were more likely to identify the high-conforming child as both smart and well-behaved, particularly when the child was from the same population as them; whereas U.S. adults were less likely to endorse the high-conforming child as intelligent. "Conformity is interpreted in different ways in each population -- adults from Vanuatu interpret conformity as evidence of children's competency and adults from the U.S. interpret non-conformity as evidence of children's creativity," Legare said. Additionally, the researchers examined potential differences in adults' judgments across socioeconomic status groups within the U.S. to determine the extent to which education level influenced U.S. adult's judgments of children's conformity. Results indicated that adults with no college experience were more likely to endorse the high-conforming child on both measures than adults with higher levels of education, but still less likely than Ni-Vanuatu adults to select the high-conforming child as intelligent. "Children's learning environments can differ significantly between high and low socioeconomic families, including parents' beliefs about how children should behave and the extent to which children should be self-directed and independent," said Jennifer Clegg, the study's lead author and UT Austin psychology alumna who is now a post-doctoral researcher at Boston University. "Examining variation in adults' beliefs about children's intelligence provides insight into the kinds of behavior children are encouraged to engage in diverse populations with distinct childrearing goals and values." A global research team has built five new synthetic yeast chromosomes, meaning that 30 percent of a key organism's genetic material has now been swapped out for engineered replacements. This is one of several findings of a package of seven papers published March 10 as the cover story for Science. Led by NYU Langone geneticist Jef Boeke, PhD, and a team of more than 200 authors, the publications are the latest from the Synthetic Yeast Project (Sc2.0). By the end of this year, this international consortium hopes to have designed and built synthetic versions of all 16 chromosomes -- the structures that contain DNA -- for the one-celled microorganism, Baker's yeast (S. cerevisiae). Like computer programmers, scientists add swaths of synthetic DNA to -- or remove stretches from -- human, plant, bacterial or yeast chromosomes in hopes of averting disease, manufacturing medicines, or making food more nutritious. Baker's yeast have long served as an important research model because their cells share many features with human cells, but are simpler and easier to study. "This work sets the stage for completion of designer, synthetic genomes to address unmet needs in medicine and industry," says Boeke, director of NYU Langone's Institute for Systems Genetics. "Beyond any one application, the papers confirm that newly created systems and software can answer basic questions about the nature of genetic machinery by reprogramming chromosomes in living cells." In March 2014, Sc2.0 successfully assembled the first synthetic yeast chromosome (synthetic chromosome 3 or synIII) comprising 272,871 base pairs, the chemical units that make up the DNA code. The new round of papers consists of an overview and five papers describing the first assembly of synthetic yeast chromosomes synII, synV, synVI, synX, and synXII. A seventh paper provides a first look at the 3D structures of synthetic chromosomes in the cell nucleus. Many technologies developed in Sc2.0 serve as the foundation for GP-write, a related initiative aiming to synthesize complete sets of human and plant chromosomes (genomes) in the next ten years. GP-write will hold its next meeting in New York City on May 9-10, 2017. advertisement Global Production To begin synthesizing a yeast chromosome, researchers must first plan thousands of changes, some of which empower them to move around pieces of chromosomes in a kind of fast, high-powered evolution. Other changes remove stretches of DNA code found to be unlikely to have a functional role by past efforts. Libraries of altered yeast strains can then be screened to see which have the most useful features. With the edits made, the team starts to assemble edited, synthetic DNA sequences into ever larger chunks, which are finally introduced into yeast cells, where cellular machinery finishes building the chromosome. A major innovation captured in the current round of papers involves this last step. Previously, researchers were required to finish building one piece of a chromosome before they could start work on the next. Sequential requirements are bottlenecks, says Boeke, which slow processes and increase cost. The current round of papers features several efforts to "parallelize" the assembly of synthetic chromosomes. Labs around the globe each synthesized different pieces in strains of yeast that were then mated (crossed) to quickly yield thriving yeast, not just with an entire synthetic chromosome, but in some instances with more than one. Specifically, a paper led by author Leslie Mitchell, PhD, a post-doctoral fellow from Boeke's lab at NYU Langone, described the construction of a strain containing three synthetic chromosomes. advertisement "Steps can be accomplished at the same time in many locales and then assembled at the end, like networking laptops to create a global super computer," says Mitchell. Along the way, the global team honed a number of innovations and came to understand yeast biology better. A team at Tsinghua University, for instance, led an effort where six teams built in pieces synthetic chromosome XII (synXII), which was then assembled into a final molecule more than a million base pairs (a megabase) in length. This largest synthetic chromosome to date is still 1/3,000 of what would be needed to build a human genome molecule, so new techniques will be needed. In addition, experiments demonstrated that drastic changes can be made to the genomes of yeast without killing them, says Boeke. Yeast strains, for instance, survived experiments where sections of DNA code were moved from one chromosome to another, or even swapped between yeast species, with little effect. Genetically pliable (plastic) organisms make good platforms for the dramatic engineering that may be needed for future applications. The package of seven newly published had authors from ten universities in several countries, including the US (NYU Langone, Johns Hopkins), China (Tianjin, Tsinghua), France (Institut Pasteur, Sorbonne Universites), and Scotland (Edinburgh); along with authors from key industry partners: BGI, the leading Chinese genomics organization, US/China-based Genescript, and WuXi Qinglan Biotechnology, Inc. Led by the School of Chemical Engineering and Technology at Tianjin University in China, the paper describing the synthesis of SynV is noteworthy in that is was done by undergraduate students as part of "Build-a-Genome China," a class first taught in the United States at Johns Hopkins, where Boeke worked before coming to NYU Langone. This is part of an emerging global network of "chromosome foundries," says Boeke, "which is building the next generation of synthetic biologists along with chromosomes." In addition to Boeke and Mitchell, lead organizers for the current studies included Ying-Jin Yuan of Tianjin University, Junbiao Dai of Tsinghua University, Joel Bader from Johns Hopkins, Romain Koszul at the Institut Pasteur, Yizhi Cai at the University of Edinburgh, and Huanming Yang at BGI. The US studies were supported principally by the National Science Foundation. Other key funding sources were the China National High Technology Research and Development Program, Ministry of Science and Technology of the People' Republic of China, National Natural Science Foundation of China, the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, and ERASynBio. Countries & Areas Search for country or area A Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan B Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi C Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Cote dIvoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czechia D Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic E Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia F Fiji Finland France G Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana H Haiti Holy See Honduras Hungary I Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy J Jamaica Japan Jordan K Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan L Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg M Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique N Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Norway O Oman P Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Q Qatar R Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda S Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria T Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu U Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan V Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Y Yemen Z Zambia Zimbabwe One of the most popular American ground support aircraft are army and marine helicopter gunships. Yet because the army did not maintain a record of all the sorties its attack helicopters carried out it is difficult to put the contribution of these effective and popular ground support aircraft into perspective. Combat troops say they overwhelmingly prefer the A-10 or attack helicopter (especially the AH-64) for air support. Smart bombs are appreciated but not as much as a low, slow heavily armed aircraft that can hit targets promptly with autocannon or missiles. The troops appear to see the AH-64 as the first choice in most situations. But the ground troops are not the only ones making the decision about what will be used. The most important factor is which ground support aircraft are available when air support is called for. When there is more than one aircraft type available it is up to the JTAC (Joint Terminal Attack Controllers) and JFO (Joint Fires Observers) teams on the ground to make the final decision. There are stats on that. A 2015 survey of Marine, Army, and Air Force JTACs and JFOs 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. 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 of ground controllers and even fewer of the troops being supported. 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. What this survey did not take into account was the fact that the army and marines allow a wider number of people on the ground to call in air support from a helicopter gunship and the troops and controllers just assume there will always be some of these helicopters around. Such is not the case with jets and multi-engine gunships. Basically complete data on the number of ground support sorties carried out by AH-64s and armed UAVs are not available while the air force data is. The army is regretting not maintaining complete sortie data over the last decade because it would give them a much stronger argument for getting more money for the attack helicopters. This would help the army deal with another persistent problem; the services view ground combat differently. This has always been a problem and it got worse after World War II when the U.S. Air Force became a separate service instead of part of the army. In their eagerness to assert their independence the air force leaders developed new doctrine and tactics based on an unrealistic view of how wars were fought on the ground. This has caused the army decades of problems, and endless disputes with the air force over air support for the troops on the ground. Taiwan has finally begun upgrading its force of 144 elderly F-16A Block 20 fighters. These are some of the oldest F-16s still in service. The upgrades will cost about $38 million per aircraft. Taiwan has on order 66 F-16 block 50/52 fighters, a sale which has been blocked by local politics, and Chinese protests, for years may now be happening because the new U.S. government has expressed interest in dealing with Chinese threats. The F-16As are 1980s technology but the F-16 is a very upgradable aircraft. That is largely because the F-16 has been popular enough to keep the production lines going strong until 2016. The U.S. still has about 1,200 F-16s in service (about half with reserve units). The 16 ton F-16 also has an admirable combat record, and is very popular with pilots. It has been successful at ground support as well. When equipped with 4-6 smart bombs it is an effective bomber. The U.S. F-16 is one of the most modified jet fighters in service. While most are still called the F-16C, there are actually six major mods, identified by block number (32, 40, 42, 50, 52, 60), plus the Israeli F-16I, which is a major modification of the Block 52. The F-16D is a two seat trainer version of F-16Cs. The various block mods included a large variety of new components (five engines, four sets of avionics, five generations of electronic warfare gear, five radars and many other mechanical, software, cockpit and electrical mods.) The most advanced F-16 is the F-16 Block 60. The best example of this is a special version of the Block 60 developed for the UAE (United Arab Emirates). The UAE bought 80 "Desert Falcons" (the F-16E) which is optimized for air combat. It is a 22 ton aircraft based on the Block 52 model (which the KF-16 was originally), but with an AESA radar and lots of other additional goodies. Because of Chinese political and economic pressure, Taiwan is using a lot of locally manufactured components to upgrade its F-16s. But some tech can only be obtained from the United States and most of the requested items have been made available along with technical assistance from the American manufacturers. The Taiwanese upgrade center will turn out 24 upgraded aircraft a year. Meanwhile Taiwan has completed upgrades of its own locally manufactured jet fighter. In 2011 Taiwan rolled out the first of its upgraded IDF (F-CK) jet fighters. The improvements include better electronics, largely from the United States and the ability to carry four, instead of two, radar guided air-to-air missiles. The upgrades also include the ability to use smart bombs. It will cost about $8.3 million for each IDF upgrade. The 12 ton IDF is sort of a mini-F-16 that can benefit greatly from upgrades like this. Only 71 of 130 IDF (Indigenous Defense Fighter) jets will be upgraded. This will make these 1990s era IDFs more of a match for China's Su-27s and Su-30s. Taiwan needs all the help it can get at the moment. Having learned from all this Taiwan is relying more on local resources for new weapons, especially for warships and missiles. Taiwan is less concerned about defense-related deals with the United States which were kept quiet, partly to keep the Chinese from making an issue of it. One such example was made public in 2016 when revealed that it had an F-16 training squadron in the United States. This sort of foreign assistance is normally kept quiet by Taiwan and the United States as part of an unofficial American agreement to not sell Taiwan new jet fighters in return for China not trying to take Taiwan by force. The recent revelation was caused by a training accident that left a Taiwanese F-16 dead and there was no way to hide that. The Taiwanese F-16 squadron has been in Arizona since 1997 and that was known to the Chinese. This training arrangement came a few years after Taiwan bought 150 F-16s and the uproar from the Chinese led to an arrangement. The way this arrangement works, if no one publicizes the presence of Taiwanese F-16s in Arizona China pretends that there is nothing to complain about. China has also not made a big deal out of American firms helping Taiwan upgrade its F-16s, which will make these aircraft competitive with the latest fighters China has. Aggreko Plc supplies modular, mobile power, heating, cooling, and related services in North America, the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, Eurasia, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia Pacific, and Latin America. The company operates in three segments: Rental Solutions, Power Solutions Industrial, and Power Solutions Utility. It offers power generation products, including diesel generators, G3+ generators, and gas generators, as well as heavy fuel oil and hybrid power plants; cooling systems, such as cooling towers, chillers, heat exchangers, and air handlers and conditioners; and desiccant and refrigerated dehumidifiers to prevent metal corrosion, aid processes, preserve equipment on cold stacked offshore rigs, reduce mold and mildew growth during production processes, and dry out water-damaged buildings, as well as to reduce drying times for concrete, insulation, and fireproofing. The company also provides electric heaters, indirect fired heaters, and heat exchangers; and load banks that are used to test generators and turbines, uninterrupted power systems, electrical distribution panels and systems, data center power systems, combined heat and power systems, and simulation of heat loads. In addition, it offers battery storage solutions; and power to national utility customers. The company operates 182 sales and service centers. It serves the agriculture, construction, contracting, data centers, event power, facilities management, food and beverage, government, manufacturing, mining, oil and gas, petrochemical and refining, pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, shipping, telecommunications, and utility power sectors. Aggreko Plc was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Glasgow, the United Kingdom. When a bald eagle was brought to a wildlife rehabilitation center late last month, he was paralyzed and couldn't even hold his head up. People had to carry the motionless bird. His head rested on his wing. Rescuers rushed to cleanse his blood of the poison that was slowly strangling the life out of him. Blue Mountain Wildlife This happens to bald eagles all the time. And Lynn Tompkins, executive director of Blue Mountain Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center in Oregon, has been trying to save them for 30 years. "His head was upside down when we got him," Tompkins told The Dodo. "Lead affects the nerves, so that's your brain, your use of muscles, all parts of the body. The birds often cannot stand ... They usually have difficulty breathing. They cannot even open their beaks." Dodo Shows Odd Couples Dog Is So Gentle And Patient With Her Foster Kittens Blue Mountain Wildlife The lead gets into the bodies of bald eagles - as well as owls and other kinds of raptors - after they've eaten dead animals shot by hunters who use lead bullets. "Raptors are quite willing to be scavengers, so they scavenge," she said. "They eat things that have been shot. Lead ammunition is the biggest source." U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) researchers examining 58 dead bald eagles in 2012. Sixty percent had detectable concentrations of lead; 38 percent had lethal lead concentrations. | USFWS Birds with more severe poisoning who manage to survive take months to treat and fully rehabilitate. "We had one eagle whose lead level was relatively low, but she was paralyzed, she couldn't stand, she couldn't unclench her feet," Tomkins said. "It took several treatments to get the lead level down. It took several months for her to fly normally again. It took six months. That was a long time." Even when bald eagles suffer from lower levels of lead exposure, their coordination and decision-making can be compromised. "This can put him in more dangerous positions, like scavenging along the road for roadkill and then he can be hit by a car," Tompkins explained. As Tompkins' latest patient was struggling for his life, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Ryan Zinke, was overturning a ban on the use of lead ammunition in wildlife refuges. A radiograph of a coyote carcass shows how far a bullet's lead can disperse. | Blue Mountain Wildlife The ban aimed to help save animals, including the iconic American bald eagle, from dying slow deaths from lead. Zinke argued that the interests of hunters were not sufficiently represented in the ban. Sadly, the latest bald eagle who came into the center never had a chance to fly freely again. After four days of treatments to clean the lead out of his bloodstream, the bird's body finally succumbed to the poison that had already reached his tissue. "This particular bird, every once in a while, he'd get startled and flap his wing out of fear, and then he'd stop," Tompkins remembered. "The treatment cannot reach the lead that's already gotten into other tissues." Blue Mountain Wildlife Blue Mountain Wildlife Because lead poisoning is so prevalent, it's hard to even tally how many bald eagles and other raptors are impacted by it each year. Last year, Tompkins tested 160 birds, almost all raptors, for traces of lead. "We're finding it in more and more species," she said. "We started off with eagles but now we're also testing hawks, owls and other birds." Tompkins found that 80 percent of eagles, 30 percent of hawks and 25 percent of great horned owls had lead in their blood. Subscribe to The Daily Dodo Start your day with heartwarming and hilarious animal stories that will make you fall in love. Subscribe When Amanda Denes came home from work one day three years ago, she immediately knew something was off. "I walked into my apartment and noticed things were kind of awry," Denes, who teaches at the University of Connecticut, told The Dodo. The apartment was on the second floor of a three-floor house in Hartford, Connecticut. Denes entered that evening by the back door. "I went into the bedroom and I could see the room had just been torn apart," she said. At first, Denes thought that her two beloved dogs, Burton and Zuzu, had just gone nuts and torn everything up while playing around the house - until she realized she couldn't find them. Amanda Denes "It still didn't really hit me what had happened until I saw the TV was knocked over, there was shattered glass everywhere and the front door was left open," Denes said. And Burton and Zuzu, a brother and sister pair who were 3 years old at the time, were gone. Amanda Denes "Panic set in," she said. Denes rushed outside. It was a very cold winter and she was worried the dogs were out wandering in the frigid cold. Denes knocked on neighbors' doors to see if they had seen anything. Friends came over to help Denes look for the dogs. Dodo Shows Foster Diaries Guy Falls In Love With His Little Meatball Of A Foster Dog Amanda Denes The police came and took the report. They investigated everything anyone could think of. "Every ex, students who had gotten bad grades - we tried everything," Denes said. Amanda Denes Amanda Denes None of her possessions were taken. There was even a $10 bill lying on a table that hadn't been touched. But as the hours passed, it became clear that the dogs were long gone. Amanda Denes Denes and her friends hung flyers all over the city. She went on the radio to ask for help. She raised money for a reward - $5,000 and no questions asked, so that people would have no reason not to come forward. Amanda Denes Someone even donated an electronic billboard on the highway showing the dogs and asking for help. Six months passed. Denes had been searching almost every day within the city and then she searched the outskirts of the city. Then she expanded the search to basically the whole East Coast, contacting shelters, veterinarians and every animal-related service. The dogs were microchipped. Still nothing. Amanda Denes Instead, Denes got what turned out to be false alarms, prank calls and even some scary messages. "I got a number of calls like, 'I have your dogs, I'm going to kill them if you don't wire me the money.'" She even started getting some advertising brochures in the mail addressed to "Amanda Dead Dogs." Denes started to get scared that someone was trying to send her a message. But she never stopped looking. Amanda Denes "We never to this day got answers to what happened. I don't know if someone I knew tried to break in; I don't know if it was a complete stranger," Denes said. "It's just a weird choice to break into the second floor, into a home that has dogs. It's all the things everyone says will never happen - and it happened." February 27, 2017 marked three years since the break-in. Amanda Denes Amanda Denes "It's been several years and it's just crazy that we've heard nothing," Denes said. "I still go back and forth in my head about what happened ... The one thing to take away is just to love every moment you have with your pets, because you just never know." Amanda Denes Even if the news is bad, Denes still just wants to know what happened, so she can mourn her dogs and be at peace. As it is, she is haunted by the sight of any dog who resembles Burton and Zuzu. "I love them so much, like they're my kids," Denes said. "I will never stop looking for them." Amanda Denes If you have information that could lead to the recovery of these dogs, you can contact Denes through this Facebook page. This elephant's life is defined by concrete - the floors are concrete, the walls are concrete and even the "trees" are concrete. Mali, a 43-year-old Asian elephant, was actually born in the wild in Sri Lanka. But when she was just a baby, people ripped her away from her family and transported her to the Manila Zoo in the Philippines, where she's lived for the past 40 years. PETA Asia Since Mali's arrival at the zoo in 1997, she's lived in the same, barren concrete enclosure. Initially, two other elephants lived with her, but they died not long after Mali arrived, Jason Baker, vice president of PETA Asia, told The Dodo. Very little is known about those other elephants or how they died. Now Mali lives alone, just like she has for decades. Dodo Shows Cat Crazy Fluffy Cat Wants To Sit On His Dad At All Times PETA Asia Inside her concrete enclosure, Mali has a few balls, a tire, running water and paintings of trees. But in general, Mali has very little enrichment, Ashley Fruno, a senior campaigner for PETA Asia, explained to The Dodo. "When you see Mali, you can't help but imagine what the last four decades have been like for her, and the misery, boredom and loneliness she has endured," Fruno said. "Mali had already been at the zoo for nearly 10 years by the time I was born. Through everything I've done in my life, Mali has been alone, staring at the same cement walls of her enclosure." PETA Asia This kind of existence has taken a huge toll on Mali's mental health, according to Baker. In fact, she's been observed displaying some questionable behaviors. "In a truly heartbreaking display of the impact the Manila Zoo has had on Mali, she's been observed walking to the edge of her pen and reaching out her foot in the hope of taking one more step," Baker said in a statement. "When she realizes that she has reached the end, Mali steps back and tries again ... and again." PETA Asia "Finally realizing that there is nowhere to go, a dejected Mali walks aimlessly around her enclosure, picking debris off the ground," Baker added. "Other times Mali paces incessantly or merely stands in one spot with her trunk to the ground. It is painfully clear that Mali is profoundly despondent. Her keen mind is a great, blank slate that cannot be filled by anything at the Manila Zoo." Mali's physical health is also suffering. In 2012, elephant expert Dr. Henry Richardson suggested that Mali has several different foot ailments - which are common among captive elephants - including cracked nails, overgrown cuticles and cracked foot pads. They likely come from living on a concrete floor, instead of natural terrain. PETA Asia Since 2009, PETA Asia has been trying to convince the Manila Zoo, which is a government-run facility, to retire Mali and allow her to be transported to a sanctuary, but the zoo has yet to move her. The zoo has previously argued that Mali is too old to be transferred to a sanctuary and that she wouldn't survive the trip, but Fruno has a different opinion. PETA Asia "Around the world every year, elephants of all ages are successfully transported from zoo to zoo, from location to location by circuses, and from zoos to sanctuaries by truck, plane and train," Fruno said in a statement. "Transporting elephants is a common practice, and if it's done carefully, it can be done without causing significant stress to the animal." "Mali is currently 43, but that's not too old for a new lease on life," Fruno said. "[We have] a detailed plan to successfully move Mali to a sanctuary, where she will be able to move about freely in wide-open spaces, swim and take dust baths, explore and, most importantly, share the company and companionship of other elephants. Mali deserves no less." PETA Asia When Poppy was very young, she sustained a terrible injury that crushed her spine and left her back legs unusable. It's likely she was trampled by an animal, or perhaps kicked by someone cruel. She dealt with her injury for weeks, maybe even months, before she dragged herself to a remote research camp, desperately seeking help. Susanne Vogel works at an elephant research camp in the northern Okavango region of Botswana, and was shocked when she and her coworkers spotted Poppy, slowly making her way into their camp. Amanda Stronza "She came crawling - literally crawling, because her back legs were completely immobilized - into our research camp," Vogel told The Dodo. "She was unable to walk, but full of love and seeking help." Vogel and her coworkers immediately took Poppy in and cared for her the best they could. The nearest veterinarian was an eight-hour drive away, and they watched over her for a few days until they had time to make the drive, still shocked that she had survived her injuries and the journey to their camp. Dodo Shows Little But Fierce Pocket-Sized Kitten Grows Up To Be A Wild Woman Amanda Stronza "The camp is in a remote region, filled with elephants, but also lions, hyenas and other predators," Vogel said. "Poppy had somehow made it to us, emaciated and soaking wet from the rain." After she battled her way there, avoiding predators and further injury, her rescuers knew they had to help her heal as best they could. Amanda Stronza Finally, Poppy and one of her new friends, Graham McCulloch, made the eight-hour drive over dangerous roads and then took a ferry across a river to the nearest veterinary clinic. The vet determined that Poppy was around 7 months old, and would eventually need surgery to fix her injured spine. A member of the team, Amanda Stronza, set up a GoFundMe to raise the money needed, while Poppy continued to grow stronger every single day. Amanda Stronza "He said the chances were 'slim' she could make it through the surgery or recovery afterward," Stronza said. "But she had so much life in her, and I knew we needed to honor her will to live and the hard fight she had already fought to find us and stay alive. I couldn't agree to euthanize her." Amanda Stronza After a few days of good food, lots of water and anti-inflammatory medicine, Poppy's condition improved greatly, and the vet decided it would be best to let her continue regaining her strength for a while before attempting the risky surgery. Poppy shocks her rescuers every day with her progress, including being able to put the tiniest bit of weight on her back legs. They knew from the moment they met her she was special, but they never imagined just how far she'd come. Amanda Stronza "Her eyes pulled us in immediately," Stronza said. "They are huge, imploring, and sparkling with life. She bursts with the sweetest spirit, and we could see that clearly, despite the desperate condition she was in." Amanda Stronza Poppy is now staying with her friends in Botswana while she gains back her health and strength, and, in a month, her rescuers will assess how she's doing, see what makes the most sense and go from there. Regardless, they have high hopes for Poppy, the tiny dog who simply refuses to give up. Amanda Stronza When Mayor Gord Wauchope moved to Innisfil in 1986, there were 12,000 people in the Lake Simcoe-area town. "We didn't have any pizza parlours, we didn't have any Chinese food restaurants. We had a TD bank in a trailer," said the former Toronto police officer. Since then, the population has tripled and, by 2041, it is expected to nearly double again to about 60,000. But a policy gap in Ontario's growth plan is putting much of that population in the wrong places, says new research from the non-profit Neptis Foundation. It wants the province to clarify where municipalities should be intensifying. But drafts of an amended growth plan show ambiguous language being entrenched in the update that is supposed to be released in the first part of this year. The linguistic loophole is really a contradiction between the 2006 growth plan and a subsequent supporting policy document published two years later. It has allowed municipalities to attach development to remote villages and hamlets. The result is precisely what the 2006 plan was designed to discourage urban sprawl, says Neptis executive director Marcy Burchfield. Some municipalities are building subdivisions far from existing water and wastewater services while land closer to more built-up communities remains vacant, she said. Burchfield warns that municipalities and taxpayers from Kawartha Lakes to the Niagara Region could be stuck with hundreds of millions of dollars in costs to extend water and sewer pipes right past already built-up areas into subdivisions attached to towns that still aren't hooked up to municipal water and wastewater. Ontario's growth plan prescribes greater population densities in places with services such as transit throughout the Toronto region and beyond in the Greater Golden Horseshoe. The plan distinguished urban settlements with full municipal water and wastewater from rural settlements. The latter are also called "undelineated built-up areas" in government documents. These tiny communities appear only as dots on the map about 400 of them. The province didn't even draw boundaries around them and hasn't monitored them because they were never expected to be the focus of development, said Burchfield. But then in a 2008 supplementary policy document, a footnote appeared, contradicting the idea of developing only built-up areas. It said that areas designated for development could consist of "delineated and undelineated built-up areas." Municipalities interpreted that to mean that they could put new housing in the rural settlement areas and count those subdivisions toward their intensification targets. Neptis says that 26,100 hectares in those rural settlement areas are already being built on. In the area known as the "outer ring" land outside the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area but inside the Greater Golden Horseshoe places that still rely in whole or in part on well water and septic waste systems are being targeted for development. Simcoe County, which has planned for 40 per cent of its growth to be in intensification, has approved 65 per cent of that intensified housing for rural settlement areas. Eighty-three per cent of those new homes are single-family, detached houses rather than denser forms such as townhouses and apartments. "Development going in there on unbuilt land being counted as intensification is just a mockery of the (growth) plan," said Burchfield. She cites a plan to grow Bond Head, west of Bradford, from about 500 to 4,400 people by linking it to water treatment in Alcona about 50 kilometres to the east. "Extending services to this rural community of 500 people while the urban settlement of Bradford has more than 1,700 acres of land designated for development that is potentially serviceable does not make good planning sense," she said. The mayor of Innisfil acknowledges that Simcoe County has caught the eye of home buyers lured by the relative affordability of single-family homes. In a Lormel-built development outside the tiny community of Lefroy, a four-bedroom home sold for $683,000 in January; a two-bedroom bungalow recently went for $595,000. The price of a detached house in the Greater Toronto Area averaged over $1 million last month. Even condos were going for $481,194 on average. But Wauchope says he wants to keep Innisfil a town. "I don't want urban sprawl all over the place. We need jobs there more than we need homes. I'd sooner have some employment on the lands that we have at (Highway) 400," he said, adding that people who move up from the city expect urban amenities, including transit, they get in Toronto, Brampton or Mississauga. "It will come but it takes time," said Wauchope. Neptis has briefed the province's Growth Secretariat on its findings and its concerns about a lack of provincial monitoring of the growth plan that has led to leapfrog development. Read more:Ontario urged to get ahead of coming population boom The ministry of municipal affairs and housing told the Star that the Neptis research will be taken into consideration as the province drafts new amendments to the growth plan due out in the first part of this year. But in a statement to the Star, the ministry said, "The Proposed Growth Plan that was released for consultation continued to direct that the majority of growth should go to areas that are already built up and to settlement areas that offer municipal water and wastewater systems while limiting growth in other settlement areas. It also included enhanced policies on integrating growth and infrastructure planning, as well as new policies that would reduce the ability of municipalities to expand Great Lakes based servicing." High cost of hooking up The new homes outside the Simcoe County village of Lefroy are on municipal water and wastewater. But not all the communities in Innisfil are as fortunate. Guildford and Stroud, for example, aren't fully serviced and even Mayor Gord Wauchope's Innisfil Heights neighbourhood is on a septic system. There is a plan to connect all those places to municipal water and wastewater But that takes time, he said. The pipes come with the builders, said Wauchope. There's a $50,000 development charge on average for each house built in Innisfil. If you build a subdivision of 500 houses, that's roughly $25 million. It will cost about $57.7 million to run water and waste water out to the Innisfil employment lands near Highway 400. Wauchope said he expects to announce in June or July that the county has loaned the town the money "at a very reasonable rate." "Right now we've got a three-year loan. But hopefully they will extend it to 10 or 15," he said. But having developers pay the upfront costs of servicing land doesn't solve the problem, said Neptis Foundation executive director Marcy Burchfield. Unlike Peel or Halton regions, many smaller municipalities don't necessarily have the capacity to calculate lifecycle costs of big infrastructure, she said. "The energy required to pump water and wastewater back and forth to those places . . . it costs a lot in terms of maintenance and life cycle decisions down the road. That's not being factored into the decisions when the developers are offering to pay the fronting costs. Municipalities are having to pay back those costs as well," she said. Lefroy is not the only undelineated built-up area that will be connected to water treatment in Alcona, says Neptis. In a brief published Thursday, the foundation says that areas scattered across Innisfil and Bradford West Gwillimbury, including Big Bay Point/Friday Harbour to the northeast, the employment lands near Highway 400 and Bond Head will all be linked to the shores of Lake Simcoe. SHARE: OTTAWACanadian aid and foreign affairs officials have made repeated visits to Mali including one visit just last week as politicians continue to consider a long-awaited peace operation, the Star has learned. While cabinet ministers insist that no location has been picked for the coming deployment, Mali has been the destination of choice for bureaucrats attempting to scout locations and determine how personnel, combined with millions of dollars in aid and development funding, can be best put to use. Those non-stop visits to the African country over recent months have involved personnel from the Defence Department, Foreign Affairs, Aid and Development, a source told the Star. The most recent visit came last week when officials attached to the newly formed Peace and Stabilization Operations Program in Global Affairs Canada spent several days in the Malian capital of Bamako. Read more: Ottawa delays decision on military deployment to Africa Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defends Canadas delayed peace deployment Prime Minister Justin Trudeau preaches patience: Paul Wells Another team had travelled to the country just a few weeks before that. Theres been so many assessment missions, the source said. Details of the visits were provided by an official familiar with the governments work on the file, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information. Seven months after first pledging personnel for the peace mission, the federal cabinet has yet to take a formal decision on the deployment and the ongoing visits suggest that the government is still scoping out the exact role. But the harsh realities and potential dangers of a mission in Mali could be one reason for the protracted decision amidst fears that Canada could get stuck in a quagmire. Its not a peacekeeping mission. Its a counter-insurgency mission, the source said. Indeed, the peace mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA, is the UNs most dangerous: 114 soldiers have died, 72 the result of malicious acts. Their foes are Islamist radicals tied to Al Qaeda who have put UN forces in the crosshairs of direct attacks, roadside bombs and deadly ambushes. The Liberal government came into office in November, 2015 and committed a swift return to peacekeeping, a role Trudeau has said was neglected during 10 years of Conservative rule. Last August, the Liberals announced that they would commit 600 soldiers and 150 police officers to the initiative. At the same time, they also announced the creation of the peace and stabilization operations program, backed by the promise of $450 million over three years, to fund projects that help to promote peace and security, according to the government. But launching that peace mission has taken longer than expected. The Liberals have publicized the fact-finding visits by cabinet ministers. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and then-Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion all made fact-finding trips to Africa last year. A January cabinet shuffle that saw Chrystia Freeland take over as Foreign Affairs minister and the election of Donald Trump have also contributed to the drawn-out decision-making. The government has not revealed the more frequent travels of bureaucrats who have been doing their own fact-finding. While Canadas delayed peace mission may ultimately be deployed to several spots, Mali has been a site of great interest for federal officials, the source told the Star. The Foreign Affairs department did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday on whether these visits are tied to the peace mission or related to a different project altogether. But the growing delay in deciding where and how the Liberals will make good on the peacekeeping pledges is causing frustration. A decision was expected before Christmas but weeks have passed since then with no word of an announcement. Trudeau and his cabinet ministers have given no reason for the delay, saying only that the government is taking the time it needs. We know we have to make the right decision for Canada, Trudeau said last week. This week, Sajjan and Freeland justified the lengthy deliberations. It is a very big decision for Canada and for our government, and I think all Canadians understand that it is important for us to work together, to work with all our allies to make the right decision, Freeland told reporters. But NDP MP Helene Laverdiere, her partys foreign affairs critics, said its been months and still nothing has come out. Its not only that it hasnt been decided. Its that we have no information. Theres been no debate . . . Were completely in the dark about where the government wants to go, and sometimes it gives the impression that the government itself is in the dark, said Laverdiere, herself a former Canadian foreign service officer with postings that included Dakar and Washington. But the delay has apparently cost Canada a chance to lead the mission. Several days ago, the United Nations announced that Maj.-Gen. Jean-Paul Deconinck of Belgium would take command of the stabilization mission, a post that was being held for a Canadian. Read more about: SHARE: VANCOUVERImmigration Minister Ahmed Hussen is facing calls to reverse the deportation of a 59-year-old man with bipolar disorder who lived in Canada since he was eight months old. Len Van Heest of Courtney, B.C., was deported to the Netherlands this week after a string of criminal convictions for uttering threats, mischief and assault that his lawyer says were linked to his mental illness. His brother Daniel Van Heest expressed his anger at judges and immigration officials who allowed the deportation to happen. He said his brother is now in the care of family in the Netherlands with the help of the Salvation Army. Needless to say his mental faculties have been stressed to the max, he said. The system is skewed. Mentally ill people should never be deported. It is wrong. Lawyer Peter Golden said Van Heests parents didnt seek citizenship for him. The last time he was in the Netherlands he was in diapers, he doesnt speak Dutch and doesnt know his relatives there. However kind and well-meaning they are, the stresses of this whole process of removal will be difficult for him. He hasnt made connections with people very easily in the past. Van Heest was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when he was 16, said Golden. By the time he was old enough to seek citizenship for himself, he had a criminal record and could not apply. His last conviction was in 2012. He has been ordered removed from Canada in the past but has previously won stays on deportation, Golden said. In January, a Federal Court judge rejected Van Heests challenge of a Canada Border Services Agency officer refusing to defer his removal order. Last week he lost a last-ditch attempt for a stay, and on Monday he was deported to Amsterdam. Its really an example of criminalization of mental illness, said Golden. The criminal justice system isnt designed to deal with people like Len. He said Van Heest was ensnared by legislation introduced by the former Conservative government in 2012, which banned non-citizens from appealing deportation after being sentenced to six months in jail. Previously, people could appeal if they were sentenced to less than two years. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada was unable to respond to questions Wednesday. The mans 81-year-old mother, Trixie Van Heest, who Golden said has a very close relationship with her son, sounded distraught when reached by phone. She said she could not talk about the matter anymore and hung up. Former British Columbia premier Ujjal Dosanjh, who also previously served in a federal Liberal cabinet, has written two open letters to the immigration minister about the case. Its one of the most mind-boggling things Ive seen this government do totally heartless, without compassion and mercy, Dosanjh said in an interview. We can talk about how compassionate we are to refugees. Weve now made one of our own a refugee in a different country. Green party Leader Elizabeth May has also urged the immigration and public safety ministers to take action. Shes calling on them to repeal the Conservative legislation. This is just a heartbreaking case of harsh, rigid laws that did not allow for a sensible decision, she said. I do think the ministers should have intervened and I will continue to press them to do something to redress this injustice. The United Nations human-rights committee criticized Canada in 2015 over a similar case. A 52-year-old Jamaican man with schizophrenia, who had immigrated to Canada as a teenager, was deported in 2011 over criminal convictions. Wendy Richardson, executive director of the John Howard Society of North Island, which represents northern Vancouver Island, said many people the society works with are involved in the criminal justice system as a result of trauma or mental illness. I believe we measure the quality of a society, the value of a society, by how we treat those who are vulnerable, she said. I think it speaks poorly of our society that we would send away into a strange world with no supports a man who has lived his entire life here and who has suffered illnesses that were not his fault. Read more about: SHARE: The accident victim at the centre of a case into alleged double-dipping by a prominent Toronto law firm is in a class by herself and what happened in her case didnt happen to any other former clients, an appeal court has been told. Cassie Hodge, 45, who is alleged to have ended up with a fraction of her insurance settlement after hiring personal injury lawyer Gary Neinstein and his firm, was the only former client of the firm to have more fees taken from her than Ontario law allows, lawyers for the Neinstein firm argued Wednesday before a panel of the Ontario Court of Appeal. The three judges have been asked to determine whether the case should be certified as a class-action lawsuit, which would potentially involve up to 6,000 former clients of the Neinstein firm. Neinstein lawyer Chris Paliare told an Osgoode Hall courtroom that Hodge, a mother of two from Brooklin, Ont., is the only person identified among former clients of Neinstein who appears to have paid a slightly greater portion of costs and that her case is arguably the exception. In simple terms, lawyers working on contingency you dont pay unless we win cannot take a sum of money called costs in addition to a percentage of the settlement, according to the Solicitors Act, legislation governing how lawyers behave. An ongoing Star investigation found personal injury lawyers in Ontario routinely take this second payment, which critics call double-dipping. Originally, a Superior Court judge refused to certify the Neinstein case as a class action. Then a Divisional Court reversed that decision. Class counsel Peter Waldmann will argue Thursday in favour of keeping the class certification. If the court of appeal panel decides to keep the class certification, it will proceed to trial or a settlement, barring any further appeal. The case could have wide-ranging ramifications for other personal injury cases in Ontario. Meanwhile, at Queens Park, Liberal MPP Mike Colle (Eglinton-Lawrence), inspired in part by the Stars investigation, tabled a private members bill calling for all contingency fees to be capped at 15 per cent of the settlements awarded to accident victims. Titled the Personal Injury and Accident Victims Protection Act, the bill requires contingency fee agreements to state clearly how lawyers will get paid, calls for a ban on lawyer referral fees, and makes all advertising by personal injury lawyers subject to pre-approval by the Law Society of Upper Canada. In addition, clients who have signed up with a personal injury lawyer would be granted a 10-day cooling-off period in which to cancel their agreement. The Law Society of Upper Canada recently made a series of recommendations regarding the same subject. Private members bills rarely become law but Colle said the idea is to raise awareness of issues he is hearing about from accident victims and put heat on the government to do something in this area. For these accident victims who have been essentially hit twice, Im trying to protect them, Colle said. On Wednesday, Hodge sat motionless, listening calmly while lawyers for the Neinstein firm made their arguments. Paliare told the court that Hodge, who still suffers from chronic pain after her 2002 accident, is in a class of one and that the cost-taking in her case was because of issues with the case including the length of litigation that spanned eight years. There was no court approval for the cost-taking, the court heard. Paliare and lawyer Odette Soriano argued that Hodges case should not be a class action for a variety of reasons, including a lack of common issues among the potential class members. The Neinstein firm has a variety of retainers and not all clients used the same one, Paliare said. As well, he said, the actual dollar amount charged at the end of the case is typically less than the percentage fee of the agreement without any costs. For those reasons and others the cases are highly individualized, Soriano said and should each be evaluated on their own. SHARE: Conservative Senator Lynn Beyak has drawn criticism over her comments about Indigenous residential schools, in which she said their good deeds were overshadowed by negative reports outlined by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. I speak partly for the record, but mostly in memory of the kindly and well-intentioned men and women and their descendants perhaps some of us here in this chamber whose remarkable works, good deeds and historical tales in the residential schools go unacknowledged for the most part, Beyak said Tuesday in the Senate. Beyak, who lives in Dryden, Ont., is a member of the Senate committee of Aboriginal Peoples. She was appointed to the Senate in 2013 by former prime minister Stephen Harper. I am a bit shocked, senator, that you still hold some views that have been proven to be incorrect over the years, said Sen. Murray Sinclair. But, nonetheless, I accept that you have the right to hold them. Sinclair was the chief commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. A six-year study by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission found rampant physical and sexual abuse in residential schools. Other than physical, sexual and mental abuse, the Commission found about 6,000 children died while in care because of malnourishment or disease. Mistakes were made at residential schools, said Beyak on Tuesday. In many instances, horrible mistakes that overshadowed some good things that also happened at those schools. At a January meeting of the committee, Beyak said the schools were run with the best of intentions. They didnt mean to hurt anybody, she said. The fathers and sons and family members of the nuns and priests, to this day, have to bear the reputation as well, and nobody meant to hurt anybody. The little smiles in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission are real, the clothes are clean and the meals are good. There were many people who came from residential schools with good training and good language skills, and of course there were the atrocities as well. Beyak said she was disappointed the commissions report didnt focus on the good. The people I talk to are Christians, she said. While the commission report did talk about the staff at the residential schools, and did say some positive things about them for some people, University of Saskatchewan history professor Jim Miller said his own research found there is a very small minority of students who had a good experience. There were some good things . . . but many more difficult things, such as emotional deprivation; poor care; inadequate instruction; overwork; aggressive and hostile proselytization by missionaries and so forth, he said. SHARE: Airport project completion date put off to 2019 The completion date for the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) improvement project has been pushed back to 2019 due to the tardiness of the previous contractor. A number of Canadian mayors are sounding alarm bells over proposed budget cuts in the United States that would gut programs designed to help protect the Great Lakes. Budget proposals drafted by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump include slashing funding for the Environmental Protection Agency by 25 per cent. The potential cuts would see the $300-million budget for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative decimated by 97 per cent. The project, which has been combating invasive species, cleaning up pollution and otherwise preserving the lakes since 2010 would receive just $10 million in funding in 2017. Mayors in Canadian communities located along the Great Lakes say the funding cuts would be devastating and have long-lasting impacts. They say lack of American action on lakes preservation projects would almost certainly be felt in Canada. Read more: Will Trump administrations proposal to slash EPA budget harm Canadas water quality? Canada must work with states to protect Great Lakes: Editorial John Paterson, mayor of the southwestern Ontario town of Leamington, said the Restoration Initiative was an American-run program targeting only projects originating south of the U.S.-Canadian border. He said he does not know how much Canadian governments have spent on lake preservation projects, but added that even an equivalent amount spent here would not mitigate the effects of neglect in the U.S. It would be like pushing a boulder up a hill if it was just the Canadians doing this, Paterson said in a telephone interview. The Americans are always clear to state that the majority of the pollution and the problems that are in the Great Lakes are coming from specific areas in the U.S. Paterson said its impossible to estimate where the impact of the proposed budget cuts would be most evident, since the drastic reduction would mean that all programs planned for the coming years would have to be severely scaled back or eliminated altogether. On its action plan covering 2015 to 2019, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative identified four major areas of concern cleaning up problem areas, controlling invasive plant and animal species, protecting native species and reducing nutrient runoff. Randy Hope, mayor of Chatham-Kent, Ont., along the north shore of Lake Erie, said much of this work has gotten underway, along with numerous local efforts to improve the Great Lakes ecosystem around individual communities. He said the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, a coalition of 127 communities across the U.S., Ontario and Quebec, has helped raise awareness of the need to protect the worlds largest system of fresh water. But the potential cuts to American funding risk not only undoing that work but eroding peoples motivation to continue in their preservation efforts. People are being more proactive around it, and now all of a sudden youre just going to say, Thank you for all that work, now were going to yank the carpet out from underneath your feet ... well just see what happens, Hope said. Its like rolling the dice with something thats so essential to us all as water. Hope said hes particularly concerned about future pollutants, since his municipality is home to a significant drainage network. Impacts to tourism and the local commercial freshwater fishery would also be significant, he added, particularly if aggressive species such as the Asian carp are allowed to proliferate the Great Lakes system. Its a concern shared by Sandra Cooper, mayor of the Georgian Bay city of Collingwood, Ont. Cooper said her community is already struggling with the invasion of sea lamprey, blood-sucking predators that have laid waste to native fish populations over the years. If the voracious Asian carp are allowed to enter the system, Cooper said she fears the effects on local economy and recreation could be devastating. Were hoping to have a better barrier in the Chicago area to ensure that Asian carp do not make their way up into the Great Lakes, Cooper said, adding proposed cuts would almost certainly quosh that hope. Paterson said he holds out hope that the cuts may not go through, adding the current budget is still only at the draft stage. Im hoping between all the groups that are out there trying to protect the Great Lakes, were able to convince the administration that any kind of cuts like that would be extremely wrong-headed. The Environmental Protection Agency declined to comment. Read more about: SHARE: OTTAWAWhile America closes the door, Canada could open a window for high-tech workers and start-up entrepreneurs hit by President Donald Trumps travel ban, internal federal government documents suggest. Documents prepared for former Immigration Minister John McCallum suggest the Trumps election could lead to increased immigration from entrepreneurs and workers in the high-tech sector. In certain sectors in the U.S., there is a large pool of temporary residents (including start-up entrepreneurs) who historically have had difficulty securing permanent residency in the U.S., the documents, obtained under access to information law, read. Any proposed measures to ease the immigration process for temporary residents in the U.S., such as start-up entrepreneurs, are unlikely to proceed under the Trump administration. Canadas Start-Up Visa could provide an attractive alternative for these applications. Email records show that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship analysts began work on the briefing on Nov. 9 the day after Trump stunned the world by winning the presidential election. One analyst notes that it was early to speculate on how a Trump administration would actually change immigration policy. But the documents show an urgent request for a briefing was made that morning, examining: -Potential benefits that may be realized from the election results (e.g. economic immigration, Express Entry, etc. Potential ramifications for Mexico and visa work, and the strong security agenda/focus on border security and info-sharing with the U.S. While much of the discussion on Canada-U.S. immigration over the past number of weeks has focused on migrants illegally entering Canada, there are signs the Liberal government is indeed interested in treating Trumps policies as a potential to land economic immigrants. Canada?s public safety minister said on Monday the government was examining a revised order that halts new U.S. visas for people from six Muslim-majority countries. Ralph Goodale said it appears that Canadian citizens will be unaffected. On Thursday, Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains announced a new Global Skills Strategy, which aims to faster process visas and work permits for low-risk, high-skill talent. According to Bains department, the visas and work permits will be processed within two weeks of receiving the request. According to the government backgrounder, the program will be aimed at high-growth companies hoping to increase investments or create Canadian jobs. Michelle Rempel, the opposition Conservatives immigration critic, said its crucial that the government focuses on the actual needs of the labour market when setting Canadas annual immigration targets. If Im evaluating their plan, its going to be okay, what is the labour market data in each region of the country? What are the provinces saying? What are different industry associations saying? And then, how much is the projected cost associated with integration support services, Rempel said Thursday. Thats where weve had some problems with the government over the last year. Emails to a spokesperson for Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen were not immediately returned Thursday. The Liberals immigration levels for 2017, released last October, increased the total of economic immigrants to 172,500, a 7.4 per cent increase over the previous years targets. Refugee and humanitarian immigration levels, meanwhile, dropped 26.7 per cent to 43,500 although that partially reflects a slow down after the Liberals push to bring in 25,000 Syrian refugees. The overall target of 300,000 new immigrants to Canada remained the same in the 2017 levels. In late January, over 150 Canadian tech community leaders signed an open letter advocating for a targeted visa to assist those affected by the U.S. travel ban to take up residence in Canada. In choosing to hire, train, and mentor the best people in the world, we can build global companies that grow our economy, they wrote. Read more about: SHARE: OTTAWAA judge who asked a sexual assault complainant in a trial why she couldnt keep her knees together quit Thursday after a scathing rebuke from the body that oversees the Canadian judiciary. In a statement distributed by his lawyer, Justice Robin Camp said he would step down as a member of the Federal Court effective Friday. I would like to express my sincere apology to everyone who was hurt by my comments, Camp said in the statement. I thank everyone who was generous and kind to me and my family in the last 15 months, particularly my legal team. The move came after the Canadian Judicial Council recommended that Camp be removed from the bench, because his conduct was manifestly and profoundly destructive to the impartiality and integrity of the judiciary. The councils decision supported a recommendation in November by a disciplinary panel that was reviewing the original sexual assault trial of Alexander Wagar. Court transcripts from the 2014 trial in Calgary show that Camp, who was a provincial court judge at the time, called the complainant the accused numerous times and told her pain and sex sometimes go together. In February, an Alberta man who was retried for sexual assault after a judge made controversial comments about the complainant was found not guilty again. Alexander Wagar?s lawyer says his client is very happy about the acquittal. Read more: Judicial council recommends removal of knees together judge Robin Camp Calgary judge apologizes for asking complainant why she didnt keep her knees together He questioned the complainants morals and suggested her attempts to fight off the man were feeble. Camp found Wagar not guilty, but the Alberta Court of Appeal ordered a new trial. In January, Wagar was acquitted again. The council said Canadians expect their judges to know the law, have empathy, and recognize and question any past personal attitudes that might prevent them from acting fairly. Judges are expected to demonstrate knowledge of social issues, and awareness of changes in social values, humility, tolerance and respect for others, the council said in its report. Those are the very qualities that sustain public confidence in the judiciary. Council decided that the judges conduct was so manifestly and profoundly destructive of the concept of impartiality, integrity and independence of the judicial role that the judge was rendered incapable of executing the judicial office. Federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould said the government planned to have Camp removed had he not quit. It is and was the governments intention to move on the recommendation to ensure the integrity and public confidence in the justice system, she said. Kim Stanton of the Womens Legal Education and Action Fund welcomed Camps resignation. It is simply appropriate that Justice Camp should resign, she said in an email. Alberta Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley made the formal complaint against Camp that triggered the hearing. Obviously I felt strongly about it, she said in Edmonton. It is really important to send a message to victims that we do want them to come forward and that they should be safe and respected in the justice system, so I am glad to see that he has taken this step. The complainant, who was 19 at the time of the first trial, told the disciplinary hearing that Camps comments had made her hate herself. She said she had contemplated suicide as a result of her experience. He made me feel like I should have done something that I was some kind of slut, she said. A Manitoba judge who worked with Camp after his remarks also appeared before the panel and testified that she found him to be teachable. Deborah McCawley said she was appalled by what Camp had said, but found him to be fair-minded, and neither a racist nor a misogynist. McCawley said Camp received counselling, did a lot of reading and research, and attended a conference that included a course on how to conduct a sexual assault trial. Camps lawyer, Frank Addario, had argued that his client should be allowed to keep his current job. Removal is not necessary to preserve public confidence in this case. Justice Camps misconduct was the product of ignorance, not animus. He has worked hard to correct his knowledge deficit, Addario wrote in a rebuttal submission to the judicial council. The council, however, said Camps efforts could not make up for his earlier behaviour. Having regard to the totality of the judges conduct and all of its consequences, his apologies and efforts at remediation do not adequately repair the damage caused to public confidence, it said. Four of the councils 23 members did not support the decision. The report said they agreed that Camps comments amounted to judicial misconduct, but were in favour of recommending a sanction short of removal. Camp, who was born in South Africa, originally had a legal aid practice that included some criminal law. As he became more senior, he took on mostly litigation cases. An agreed statement of facts said he was involved in the anti-apartheid movement and represented members of the African National Congress. After he moved to Calgary in 1998, his practice focused mainly on contractual, bankruptcy and trust law, as well as oil and gas litigation. He was named an Alberta provincial court judge in 2012, but did not receive training or judicial education on sexual assault law or how to conduct sex assault trials. On Wednesday, the House of Commons unanimously agreed to fast-track a bill introduced by interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose requiring would-be judges to take courses in sexual assault law. Camps case came up last week in another sexual assault trial in Halifax, in which the judge acquitted a taxi driver charged with sexually assaulting an intoxicated young woman in his cab. Judge Gregory Lenehan ruled that the Crown failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the woman did not consent to sexual activity. A drunk can consent, the judge said. There have been calls for the judicial council to review Lenehans remarks. SHARE: Organizers of an event celebrating the history of women in aviation this weekend in Quebec say they have agreed in writing not to mention or show images of the first woman to fly a helicopter following backlash over her Nazi connections. The event, taking place Saturday in Lachute, Que., is part of Women of Aviation Worldwide Week, an annual celebration honouring womens contributions to the aviation industry. The Institute for Women of Aviation Worldwide, which organizes the annual week, is highlighting helicopter flight this year in honour of the 80th anniversary of Hanna Reitsch becoming the first woman to fly a helicopter. But the choice was criticized due to Reitschs close association with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime. Event organizer Marguerite Varin said the City of Lachute requested confirmation in writing Thursday that Reitschs name or imagery wouldnt be used. This came after backlash from groups such as Bnai Brith, which was informed by the city on Thursday an agreement was made with organizers to prevent Reitsch from being mentioned at the event. Attempts to reach Lachute city officials Thursday evening were unsuccessful. I confirmed in writing with the city because they wanted something in writing because of all the bad publicity, Varin said. We were never going to do anything about Hanna Reitsch at that event. I dont know why the journalists in the beginning went and said that. It was the plan all along not to mention Hanna Reitsch. But Reitschs photo and bio are used prominently on the organizations webpage describing the theme of this years Women of Aviation Worldwide Week, which runs Mar. 6-12. It announced in November that the seventh annual edition of the week would be Lets whirl! 80 years of female helicopter pilots, in celebration of Reitsch making history in 1937. Aviation history is what we highlight. It is impossible to speak helicopters and women without speaking of Hanna, Mireille Goyer, founder and president of the Institute for Women of Aviation Worldwide, stated in an email Thursday morning. The Institute will not rewrite aviation history to satisfy bullies. We are proud to celebrate 80 years of female helicopter pilots, starting with the very first one. The institute made no mention online of Reitschs Nazi affiliations. Reitsch, who died in 1979, was a test pilot in the Luftwaffe, the Nazi air force. In 1942, she became the only woman awarded the Iron Cross First Class by Hitler, in recognition of her work developing German planes. Reitschs bio page on the Women of Aviation Worldwide Week website links to an external page that states Reitschs flying skill, desire for publicity and photogenic qualities made her a star of Nazi party propaganda. Goyer noted that in 2013, the organization highlighted flight in space by honouring Valentina Tereshkova, a devoted Communist party partisan. Every year, our theme highlights a sector of the industry. Our theme is designed to provide a historical perspective and allow girls to realize that aviation is nothing new for women, she stated. Amanda Hohmann, national director of Bnai Briths League for Human Rights, called it shocking and confusing to honour Reitsch. There are many women aviators that they could have chosen that would have been much more appropriate, she said. Its completely inappropriate to choose someone who was like a Nazi hero, to honour in this way. Hohmann dismissed the notion Reitschs legacy could be summarized without including her Nazi affiliation. I dont think the people that died at the hands of the Nazis can separate that, said Hohmann. I think its very insensitive . . . to suggest that being a Nazi is an irrelevant part of ones past . . . especially an unrepentant Nazi. Rabbi Reuben Poupko, Quebec co-chair of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said Reitschs Nazi connections are impossible to ignore. Certain things become defining, and service to the Nazis is defining, Poupko said. To allow someone who served the worst regime in the history of mankind to be honoured is an affront to that memory. The annual week is meant to coincide with the anniversary of the granting of the first license to a female pilot, which took place Mar. 8, 1910, according to Goyer. Saturdays event is designed to help girls discover aviation through flight-simulation and meeting female helicopter pilots. SHARE: Ingrid Newkirk, president of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) which she founded in 1980, is in Toronto on Thursday on her Unstoppable tour. Newkirk, 67, spoke to the Star ahead of the event at Trinity College: Q. How did you become a champion for animals? I grew up caring about animals but, like most people of my generation, that meant you loved dogs and horses and you didnt hunt, but you still ate animals. I bought my first fur coat when I was 19. I didnt think about animals feeling pain, hunger or thirst, and certainly (our generation) didnt think animals were not ours to use and abuse as we pleased. I learned gradually. Then I rescued a pig from a farm when I was a law enforcement officer. The sheer cruelty in the way they treated this pig made me reconsider my options. In 1980, I thought, well, if I care about animals and its taken me this long maybe I should start a group and do the work to show what animals go through to become our things and show people other options. Q: Can you tell us a bit more about the Unstoppable speaking tour? Theres an enormous interest from young people for animal rights in the same way we saw interest in civil rights, the environmental movement or the womens movement. There is momentum to be captured here. A lot of it is telling people that you dont necessarily have to stand in front of a slaughterhouse but when you go shopping or for dinner or do things to entertain yourself, you can choose an animal-friendly option and be excited about it. Im mostly talking to an older audience saying, lets follow the lead of young people and not go to our graves not being the kind of people we could be; lets make kinder choices. I want people to be excited about the victories that are coming, fast and furiously, to end animal cruelty; to be talking about vegan recipes, to be excited at all the things that theyve learned they can do so easily to reduce suffering for animals because (animals) need all the friends they can get. I hope to empower people. How have you seen animal activism change throughout your 35 years at the helm of PETA? Last year we had over one billion views of our videos on the Internet. In 1980 when we started, there was no Internet. There wasnt even a fax machine. You had to stand on the street and hand out leaflets one at a time to people. I am an antique but we have seen people change. You used to have to sit down, write a letter with a pen, find an envelope and a stamp and go to the post office. Its like day and night; its changed exponentially. We have a whole tech department that works to find the most up-to-the-minute ways of reaching people. We try to make things really accessible today and our actions easy. We have a cruelty-free app where, if youre shopping for a shampoo, you can look it up to see if its tested in animals eyes or synthetically. Another tactic is well send members a text and they can reply with the letter Y and with that we can send a letter to a company that you agree they should stop renting their venues to the circus. Those kinds of things are so accessible. Your base has also grown, is that part of it? Yes. For every unkind person there is a kind person and then theres the in-between person who doesnt realize the potential they have to change the world for animals, to do good. We work to move the fence-sitters from being cruel by showing them how they can do it. The other thing is that demand for faux fur or vegan leather and vegan foods and computer-program alternatives to dissection and testing are a huge business now. Major companies are seeing that the marketplace has changed and continues to change so they are now more interested in how they can supply cruelty-free, animal-friendly goods, clothing, foods, lab equipment and everything. PETA is provocative but also gets results. What do you attribute to this success? Well, were not timid (laughs). Were not afraid to make fun of ourselves or have a laugh. We brainstorm gimmicks to get a serious story in the news and, lets face it: people are interested in sex and controversy. So our job is to get the information out there, even if we have to take our clothes off when its below freezing or climb up a pole somewhere. Well do what we can. SHARE: Prominent pot crusaders Marc and Jodie Emery will appear in a Toronto court for a bail hearing Friday after police raided the couples seven marijuana dispensaries in Toronto, Vancouver and Hamilton. The Emerys, purportedly en route to a cannabis expo in Spain, were arrested at Pearson airport Wednesday evening and charged with several drug-related offences, including trafficking and possession for the purpose. They made a brief court appearance Thursday. Marc, of course, plans to fight as hard as he can and as he always has for the true legalization of cannabis and the end of all arrests in Canada, as does Jodie, B.C. lawyer Kirk Tousaw said in a TV interview from Vancouver. Three others were also charged as part of the Toronto police-led pot offensive called Project Gator. The Emerys arrest came hours before police raided five Cannabis Culture locations in Toronto, one each in Vancouver and Hamilton, as well as private residences in Toronto, Stoney Creek and Vancouver. LIVE: Police raid Cannabis Culture shops across Canada Jodie and Marc Emery, as seen in a 2015 photo, are scheduled to appear in court Thursday. At the busy Cannabis Culture location on Church St. in Toronto, staff and supporters gathered outside, shouting at police through the windows and livestreaming the 11 a.m. raid from their cellphones. Manager Mark Harrison said police took all of the stores inventory, cash as well as employee cellphones. At the time, there were eight employees in the store and about two dozen customers, he said. Employees received verbal warnings but were not charged nor ticketed. The number of pot dispensaries exploded across Toronto last year after the federal government promised to make good on its election promise to legalize marijuana. Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott said Thursday the government remains committed to introducing legislation this spring though it will still be subject to a rigorous parliamentary and regulatory process. In the meantime, authorities, including Toronto city officials, insist only Health Canada approved patients are legally allowed to buy pot from federally regulated distributors, via mail or courier. After a series of high-profile raids, and mass arrests, last year in Toronto, the city appears to be ramping up its enforcement efforts again. On Wednesday, city lawyers filed an application in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to try and shut down another chain of dispensaries operating as Canna Clinics. The city is seeking an injunction to restrain the corporate operators, related companies, directors, officers and others, from using locations throughout the city to sell, store or distribute marijuana and restraining the carrying on of any other non-permitted use. The application, which names the property owners, says the pot dispensaries are not a permitted use on the identified properties or on any city property. These operations are illegal under federal law and also operate in contravention of the citys zoning by-laws, said a statement from Tracey Cook, executive director of the citys licensing and standards division. Toronto lawyer and cannabis advocate Paul Lewin said Thursday police have previously raided some of the clinics, but charges were dropped after employees signed peace bonds. He was dismayed the city is taking this step. Its a terrible idea for so many reasons . . . were using legal resources to try to shut down dispensaries when its going to be legal soon, he said. He predicted the application will ultimately fail because of the legal grey area surrounding marijuana laws. Lewin also suggested the Cana Clinics will remain defiant and stay open. The Emerys Toronto lawyer, Jack Lloyd, said he expects the couple will be granted bail and released. They are no strangers to the court system. In 2014, Marc Emery, 59 was released from U.S. prison after serving a four-and-a-half year sentence for selling marijuana seeds to American customers from his Vancouver-based dispensary. In December, he was arrested at a Cannabis Culture dispensary in Montreal and charged with drug trafficking. Jodie Emery, 32, was first arrested in Montreal last December along with Marc and eight other people the day after Cannabis Culture officially opened six new dispensaries in the city. With files from Jesse Winter, Evelyn Kwong, Laura Beeston, Brennan Doherty and The Canadian Press SHARE: Born in Toronto to undocumented parents, Anthony Harford was deported with them to Grenada in 1995 at age 5. When he finished high school, he did some heavy jobs including loading cement trucks to save up enough money to return to his birth place, with one goal: help bring his parents back to Canada for a better future. Then only 16, on his own, Harford found a job at a factory in Scarborough making window shades and eventually earned enough money to meet the income threshold set out by the federal government to sponsor one of his parents his father to Canada in 2009. It was hard to start a new life from scratch. I stayed with an uncle for three months before I went on my own. I was trying hard to survive. My life would have turned out different if I had grown up here, said Harford, now 26. I was born here. I am a Canadian but Im still an outsider. A bureaucratic immigration backlog delayed the processing of his sponsorship application, which was not opened until 2013. After a long wait, it was rejected because of his fathers checkered immigration history and the decision-makers ruling that the family was separated by choice. The familys subsequent appeal was recently denied. A decision was made for the appellant to come to Canada when he was 16 years old, which has resulted in an ongoing separation from his father since 2006, wrote Teresa Cheung, an adjudicator with the immigration appeal tribunal, in rejecting Harfords appeal. The overall circumstances . . . do not call for special relief on humanitarian and compassionate grounds, after taking into consideration the severity of the applicants immigration breaches and the public interest that non-citizens are required to adhere to immigration laws. Harford said his father, Joseph Harford came to Canada twice and stayed illegally to support his family back home because of the high unemployment and dire economic prospects in Grenada. His parents are subsistence farmers on family land in Grenada. My father only returned and broke the law again so he could support me and my mother. We were struggling. He came up to work and send us money every month and provided for us, said Harford, who graduated from an apprenticeship program in 2015 and works as a welder. I was deprived of the opportunity available to others in Canada. I have worked hard to establish myself and be independent. All Im asking for is to have my family join me with a better life here. According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Joseph Harford, 51, first came to Canada in 1988 on a visitors visa but overstayed his time in the country and was deported in 1995 on the taxpayers tab, along with his son. He returned in 1998 and was detained at Pearson airport before he was released. However, he did not show up for his removal and faced an arrest warrant. He claimed he left Canada in 2002 but did not inform immigration authorities. It wasnt until his sponsorship application was received that officials realized he had left the country. The older Harford was advised to apply for authorization to return to Canada and the family scraped together the money to pay back the airfare from his 1995 deportation. The application was rejected and he was deemed ineligible to be sponsored by his son. While we understand that negative decisions on a particular case can be disappointing, ensuring that all applicants meet the requirements, as set out in Canadas immigration laws, is a responsibility that (the Immigration Department) takes seriously to maintain the integrity of Canadas immigration system, said department spokesperson Lindsay Wemp. In rejecting the familys appeal, the immigration appeal tribunal said the father and son had been separated by choice in the past, and the humanitarian plea was not justified. The objective of family reunification was already compromised in 1998 when the applicant chose to separate from his son, when he left Grenada for Canada, wrote adjudicator Cheung. Cheung also wrote that Anthony Harfords life in Canada is not one of adversity and that he has a good relationship with his uncle here. Anthony Harford said he has decided not to appeal the tribunal decision to the Federal Court because his family cant afford to spend more money on lawyers. They are saying that we are separated by choice, so am I supposed to move to Grenada to live with my parents? asked Anthony Harford, who financially supports his parents. I am an only child and I only requested one parent to live with me in Canada because Ive been living alone since I was 17. It is brutal that they dont understand or even care. SHARE: OPSEUs president is accused of asking a community college president to fire a professor an elected vice-chair of the local bargaining unit who dared criticize the unions top leadership, according to allegations in a complaint to the Ontario Labour Relations Board. In his submission to the OLRB, the professor accuses union president Warren Smokey Thomas of unfair labour practice for allegedly trying to have him terminated by his own employer. Social sciences professor Kevin MacKay says he was tipped off by Mohawk College president Ron McKerlie that Smokey called me and asked me to fire you. The allegation emerged after MacKay and local OPSEU leaders finished a routine meeting with the colleges senior management last month. The longtime professor describes, in his submission, how Mohawks head asked him into his office for a private chat to give him a heads up: You need to watch your back, he says the college president cautioned him. Hes out to get you... hes on the warpath. In an emailed statement, Thomas dismissed the complaints against him as president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union. I, and our union, emphatically deny ever having asked anyone to fire or otherwise discipline Mr. MacKay, the OPSEU president said. If Mr. MacKay were to be fired or disciplined by his employer, I can assure you that he would have OPSEUs full support. The complaint has not been proven, but at any future OLRB hearing witnesses would testify under oath and be subject to cross-examination. That could pit the OPSEU president against the Mohawk College president who is cited as the source of the allegation. Asked for confirmation, Mohawk sent a statement saying it would not comment in advance of a formal hearing: It would be inappropriate for the president to comment as the college is an intervener in the matter before the Ontario Labour Relations Board. But MacKays submission includes a copy of email correspondence with the president that appears to corroborate their initial conversation: The professor thanks McKerlie for being a man of integrity, and for telling me what you did. Mohawks president replies that he shared the information in confidence. I was hoping you would simply keep your eyes and ears open... MacKays OLRB complaints include both unfair labour practice intimidation and coercion and failure in the duty of fair representation by his union. He seeks a finding that Thomas and OPSEU violated the Labour Relations Act, an order to cease and desist from further targetting and intimidation, and a written apology. If borne out, the accusations raise serious questions about whether Thomas, by allegedly seeking the favour of a firing, was willing to put himself in the debt of management potentially at the expense of rank and file members at contract time. Whats the quid pro quo? MacKay asked in an interview. To me, it just undermines the essence of what a trade union is supposed to be doing, he said. Ninety-nine per cent of people within that organization are ethical and trying to do the work of the union and are horrified when they hear something like this. As a social activist and lifelong trade unionist, the professor said he agonized over whether to raise the matter with the OLRB. But as an elected vice-chair of his local, MacKay feels entrusted with a fiduciary duty to stand up to what he believes to be bullying by Thomas after more than a year of struggle at one of Ontarios biggest public sector unions. The bad blood started when senior managers at OPSEU headquarters filed a notice of libel against MacKay and other elected leaders and activists from the same union last year over their allegations of a toxic work environment, sexual harassment and sexual assault at union headquarters. After a Toronto Star story detailing the unusual libel action against its own members, an OPSEU convention voted to pay the legal fees of MacKay and the other unionists, and the suit was dropped by top brass. The OPSEU convention also voted for an outside consultant to investigate the workplace environment. But tensions rose again last year after OPSEUs staff union representing about 375 organizers and campaign staff at headquarters and regional offices filed a sweeping complaint of unfair labour practices by Thomas and the top leadership during and after a bitter contract dispute. The complaint cited at least four firings and 12 suspensions, plus surveillance and retaliation. The complaint was settled last December after OPSEU made undisclosed payments to some of the terminated staff, and agreed to rehire others. Thomas said he could not reveal how much the union spent in payouts because of confidentiality provisions, so I cant help you there. Pati Habermann, president of the staff union, told me her members were stunned to see labour peace unravel again in recent weeks, after the firing without prior notice of a 26-year employee who chaired the pay equity committee. These actions by our employer (OPSEU) have a devastating and negative impact on staff, she wrote in an email to members of the staff union (OPSSU). Thomas said OPSEU would have no comment on internal staffing matters. But the unrest at his union, whose 130,000 members work in community colleges, correctional institutions, nursing homes and the LCBO, shows no signs of abating. As president, Thomas has long been a maverick, popular among the rank and file for his populist antics that cast him as the Donald Trump of trade unions badmouthing fellow labour leaders and pushing back hard against opponents. But fratricide is forbidden for union brothers, because solidarity not civil war is a cardinal rule of the labour movement. Martin Regg Cohns political column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. mcohn@thestar.ca , Twitter: @reggcohn SHARE: With a white bow in her fine blond hair, Edith Fuller, 5, walked up to the microphone, letting out a deep breath before receiving her 37th word. After more than four hours of competing against children almost three times her age, she had advanced to the final round at the Scripps Green Country Regional Spelling Bee in Tulsa. Juh-nah-nuh, emphasis on the second syllable, was the pronunciation of the word the announcer gave her. Juh-nah-nuh, she replied. Will you please give me the language of origin? Edith asked, with the quiet but confident voice of someone far beyond her years. Its a Sanskrit word, the voice on the microphone said. Edith raised her eyebrows, asking for the definition. Knowledge, used in Hinduism. Juh-nah-nuh, Edith repeated. J-N-A-N-A. Jnana. Edith just barely let out a smile as the announcer declared her the champion. The 5-year-old beat about 50 other contestants from across eastern Oklahoma at Saturday nights regional competition, becoming the youngest person to ever qualify for the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., Scripps confirmed. The miniature spelling master has become an Internet celebrity, impressing people with her ability to crack words that would stump most adults, such as Panglossian, Baedeker, nisei, and Croesus. She will take an expenses-paid trip to compete in the event scheduled for May 30 through June 1 in Washington, D.C. The National Spelling Bee is open to contestants who havent passed Grade 8. There is no minimum age to compete. Last years youngest contestant was 6-year-old Akash Vukoti from San Angelo, Texas, who lost after misspelling the word bacteriolytic in the early rounds. Before even competing in the national bee, he became a YouTube star and earned guest spots on Jimmy Kimmel Live and Steve Harveys Little Big Shots. He lost at his regional bee in Texas last week and wont be back to Washington this year. Like Akash, Edith is home-schooled, her parents said in an interview with local television station KJRH. We have the freedom to answer her questions, to help her advance at her own pace, her father said. Her family first discovered Ediths skill in spelling last summer, as they sat around the table for dinner one night. The parents were quizzing her on spelling, and asked her to spell restaurant, a word she hadnt been taught. She nailed it. She is very bright, Annie Fuller told KJRH. We were amazed to find that she really has a knack for spelling and can remember words that shes seen or heard very easily. She then showed Edith a video of a spelling bee on YouTube, and Edith was intrigued. We knew there was something special there, Fuller told the Tulsa World. Its fun to share her with everyone, she added. I knew shed be a novelty, so Im proud she held her own. To practise, Edith said, Mommy asked me words, and each time I would misspell one, I would look at it. Her mother said that learning new words not only prepared her for the contest, but exposed her to foreign cultures and exotic food. While she has a great deal of practising to do before travelling to Washington, Edith said she plans to make time for fun, too. Maybe like play outside or play piano, maybe study animals, she said. Throughout Saturday nights competition, Edith maintained a quiet, serious composure, occasionally playing with the laminated number sign around her neck and swirling side to side in her long, flowery skirt. She likes to move around, her mother said. Im surprised she sat still for so long. Closing her eyes in concentration, and occasionally scrunching up her nose or eyebrows, she correctly spelled word after word. Then she returned to her chair, giving high fives to the contestant to her right, a tall girl who appeared to be at least twice her age. Im going to D.C.! she said after winning. After receiving her trophy, which was nearly her height, she whispered to the man who gave it to her, asking if it was all right to hold it up. By all means, he insisted, hold it up high. According to the Tulsa World, the 5-year-old with the knack for words used few to express how she felt that day: I feel thankful, Edith said. SHARE: BEIJINGChinas foreign minister said Wednesday that North Korea could suspend its nuclear and missile activities in exchange for a halt in joint U.S.-South Korea military drills, in an unusually public proposal that analysts said showed Beijings growing alarm over the tensions. Foreign Minister Wang Yi said frictions between the North and Washington and Seoul were like two accelerating trains headed at each other, with neither side willing to give way. The question is: Are the two sides really ready for a head-on collision? Wang told reporters. Our priority now is to flash the red light and apply the brakes on both trains. Read more: North Korea launches 4 banned ballistic missiles, South Korea, Japan say U.S. angers China and Russia by moving missile defence system to South Korea Wang said China has proposed that as a first step to defusing the looming crisis, the North might halt its nuclear program development and missile testing if the U.S. and South Korea suspended their military drills. This suspension-for-suspension can help us break out of the security dilemma and bring the parties back to the negotiating table, Wang said, describing the approach as trying to address all parties concerns in a synchronized and reciprocal manner. North Korea first floated the proposal in 2015, but it was swiftly dismissed by Washington and Seoul, who say the two issues are unrelated. Their view is that North Koreas nuclear and missile program is in violation of UN resolutions, whereas the joint U.S.-South Korea drills are a long-standing practice, analysts say. Chinese scholars said Beijing has privately discussed this proposal with the countries involved but Wangs move to make it public could be a sign that China plans to take a more aggressive approach to the issue to prevent it from spinning out of control. China is becoming an utterly important victim of the turbulent situation on the Korean Peninsula, therefore it has unprecedentedly expressed its views in public, said Guo Rui, international relations expert at Jilin University. China has been stepping up pressure on North Korea, its once-close Communist ally, to give up its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Last month, Beijing suspended all coal imports from North Korea for the rest of the year, a move that deprives the North of an important source of foreign currency. Beijing wants the U.S., in return, to restart long-stalled negotiations with North Korea. Wangs move to publicize Beijings proposal could also be directed at Washington ahead of U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillersons visit to China later this month. Raising such a proposal without seeking the views from the U.S. and South Korea will likely bring pressure to Tillersons upcoming visit to China, said Cheng Xiaohe, an international relations expert at Renmin University in Beijing. Talking about it publicly also indicates that China is hoping to have some achievement. A White House official downplayed Wangs suggestion, saying China has made similar proposals in the past. The official was not authorized to discuss the policy publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The South Korean government had no immediate response to Wangs comments Wednesday. Wang likely renewed the dual-suspension proposal in the hopes that U.S. President Donald Trump might see it as an alternative approach, said John Delury, a North Korea expert at Yonsei Universitys Graduate School of International Studies in Seoul. Wang Yi is putting it out there for Trump, saying heres an off-ramp to the current tensions, Delury said in a telephone interview from Seoul. With tensions rising again, attitudes among officials and North Korea watchers are now diverging over how to approach the North, Delury said. While some want greater engagement, others are calling for stronger measures, possibly including military action, he said. Trump, meanwhile, has yet to articulate a clear policy toward the North, other than to tweet that he wouldnt let it obtain nuclear weapons to attack America. The proposal is the same, but the context is different, Delury said. Wang, who answered a range of questions at a briefing on the sidelines of Chinas annual national legislative sessions, also urged South Korea to suspend deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system, saying Seoul had made a wrong choice. Washington and Seoul say the system is defensive and not meant to be a threat to Beijing. China is opposed to the system, saying it would allow U.S. radar to peer deep into its territory and monitor its flights and missile launches. We urge some forces in South Korea not to keep insisting on taking this path, otherwise the result can only be damage to others and harm to yourself, Wang said. The Associated Press researcher Yu Bing contributed to this report. Read more about: SHARE: Amnesty calls for prompt probe into police killings An international rights body on Wednesday demanded that Nepal launch a quick investigation into killings of three persons by police at Maleth of Saptari district on Monday. Googles reputation is built on its algorithms, which are increasingly being used to give answers out of the search engines index of results. But what used to be a list the first page of results has become simpler over the past couple of years: Sometimes, Google extracts one result that it thinks will best answer whatever it is youre asking, and puts that answer in a featured section right at the top of your results. That section is called a snippet, and its not always getting the answer right. Here are a few of the questions that the Outlines weekend report on Google snippets identified, along with the answers Google provided at the time: Is Obama Planning a Coup? According to details exposed in Western Center for Journalisms exclusive video, not only could Obama be in bed with communist Chinese, but Obama may in fact be planning a communist coup detat at the end of his term in 2016! Who is the King of the United States? Barack Obama. Which, interestingly, was sourced to an article criticizing Google for initially pulling this answer from Breitbart. Presidents in the Klan. Google listed four presidents citing a dubious article whose headline indicated there were five for this snippet. To be clear, there is no credible evidence to suggest that any of the listed presidents were Klan members. The first of these three examples has since been corrected. However, we were able to replicate the results for Who is king of the United States? on Tuesday evening, and Presidents in the Klan pulled a similar answer but from a different source. These snippets are Googles attempt to directly answer whatever question you might be asking, without making you search through results. Its mostly great for, say, the date of a holiday or basic information although sometimes even that can get really messed up. Overall, though, Googles algorithms have a reputation for being reliable. Its what made it successful as a search engine, which is perhaps why it has felt so jarring when would-be researchers discover that Google is capable of being very wrong. One place where Google has a lot of trouble is when bad information on a topic is more widely discussed and shared than good information. For instance: In the last weeks of the election, the idea that Hillary Clinton was secretly a drunk became an extremely popular right-wing meme. If you ask Google, is Hillary Clinton an alcoholic, the answer is a link that goes to a Gateway Pundit article that quotes a tweet that reads, Sick Hillary Clinton is an Alcoholic. Source of health problems and falls? To be clear, the claim that Clinton has a drinking problem is completely unproven. The evidence cited in support of this meme merely indicates that Clinton likes to have a drink, which is a really different thing to speculate. There are lots of articles in Googles search results about Clintons relationship to alcohol, however, that either nod to or explicitly spread the unproven claim about a problem drinking habit. There are relatively few articles we did one, for instance that discuss this question critically. So when Google looks for answers to this question, it gets a lot of bad ones. If youre wondering why these snippets are so crucial, imagine that youre accessing Google not through a browser search, but through your voice assistant. Based on the Outlines reporting, a BBC journalist asked Google to verbally tell him the answer to, Is Obama planning a coup? It read that inaccurate snippet we quoted above, verbatim. Googles search results have long been subject to quirks and manipulation. But like Facebooks long-standing hoax problem, Googles role in spreading misinformation became a bigger story after the 2016 election, based on speculation that fake news played a role in influencing how Americans voted. The company told news outlet Quartz that it removes incorrect snippet results manually, when they feature a site with inappropriate or misleading content. But the process of selecting these snippets in the first place is automatic and algorithmic. Automatic and algorithmic are supposed to convey neutrality: Its out of the hands of the flawed humans, in other words. Except, as we have written before, thats not exactly true. Algorithms are written by humans, and they depend upon the input of humans to get better. In other words, they can have a bias, too. Read more about: SHARE: For more than a decade, Canadian Mohamed El Attar has been locked inside the notorious Tora Prison on bizarre and seemingly false charges of being an Israeli spy while few have fought for his freedom. A high-powered delegation of politicians, human rights advocates and a former senior member of Canadas spy service are trying to change that. On Thursday morning at a Parliament Hill press conference, they will call on the Liberal government to press Egypt for his release. I hope this will revive the case, bring it more attention, will put pressure on this Canadian government, Rev. Majed El Shafie, founder of the humanitarian organization One Free World International, said in an interview with the Star. The case is personal for El Shafie. He has never met El Attar but he was once held and tortured in Egypt for converting from Islam to Christianity and he believes that El Attar is also being punished for his religion. El Attar, who was born in Egypt into a Muslim family, converted to Christianity and fled the country in 2002. He was given refuge in Canada, arguing that he was persecuted not just for his religion but also because he was gay. El Shafie alleges that 46-year-old El Attar has been tortured in custody and that his case is based solely on a false confession. During his trial in 2007, El Attar yelled from the prisoners pen that he had been forced to drink his own urine, before he was taken away. El Shafie was tortured in a different Egyptian jail, and visited Tora Prison as a law student. I can feel the pain. I know how the Egyptian authorities torture a person it breaks your soul, he said. Standing with El Shafie Thursday will be Andy Ellis, a former assistant director for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. The Security Information Act precludes me from providing specific details on what I know and what I dont know and when I knew it, Ellis, now a private security consultant, said in an interview this week. But I wouldnt be part of this if I didnt think he was innocent. Hes a victim By all accounts, he was a nice, smart, hard-working Canadian who has been put through a horrendous experience. Conservative public safety critic Tony Clement, Conservative MP Peter Kent, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, NDP MP Helene Laverdiere, and former Liberal justice minister Irwin Cotler are also scheduled to attend the Ottawa press conference. The case against El Attar, who worked as a CIBC bank teller in Toronto, began when he flew to Cairo to visit friends and family in 2007. It was the first time he had returned to his country of birth since leaving five years earlier. The Canadian citizen was arrested as soon as he landed on New Years Day. The Stars former Middle East correspondent Oakland Ross attended his trial in Cairo and described the hearing as lurid and even chaotic. The judge of the national security court issued a terse, one-sentence ruling, a 15-year sentence with no chance of appeal. El Attars alleged crime was spying for Israel for several years. I was convinced he would be acquitted, Ibrahim Bassiouni, the Egyptian lawyer who represented El Attar, told Ross. Only a pardon from former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak would have secured his release. Then foreign affairs minister Peter MacKay said after the trial that the Canadian government remains concerned about a number of aspects of this case. The allegations of mistreatment and torture made by Mr. Attar during his trial are of particular concern. But the case soon fell off the political and media agenda and El Attar was left to languish. While still at CSIS, Ellis took the rare step of writing a letter for Amnesty International saying El Attar was wrongfully imprisoned and that he had found nothing to suggest that while he was in Canada he was a spy for Israel. And yet, in contrast to other high profile cases of Canadians imprisoned abroad including journalist Mohamed Fahmy, who was also held in Egypt El Attars case has been rarely mentioned. I wasnt privy to consular issues but you know Im certainly willing to say this should be a priority, if it wasnt a priority under our government, under the Harper government, said Clement in a telephone interview last week from Ukraine, where he was travelling with El Shafie. It takes a lot of bandwidth, a lot of effort and a lot of energy and you never know if youre going to be successful or not, Clement said on why some cases seem to be given greater attention. I just think on a case-by-case basis, sometimes the effort from inside the bowels of the bureaucracy isnt there and then what it takes is a real push from the minister or the parliamentary secretary responsible for consular affairs or whomever to say, Look this is a priority, put this on your radar screen and get going. I think thats what were asking for the Liberals to do. Update: This article has been updated to reflect the fact that NDP MP Helene Laverdiere was scheduled to attend Thursdays press conference, not former NDP MP Helene LeBlanc. Read more about: SHARE: WASHINGTONA first-term congressman who spent three decades as a physician and is now part of a group of Republican doctors who have a major role in replacing Obamacare is facing backlash after saying that poor people just dont want health care and arent going to take care of themselves. Republican Rep. Roger Marshall, a member of the Republican Doctors Caucus, said comments he made to Stat News were not meant to suggest that poor people take health care for granted. The comments were published in a story last week about his burgeoning role in the fight to replace the Affordable Care Act. Just like Jesus said, The poor will always be with us, Marshall said in response to a question about Medicaid, which expanded under Obamacare to more than 30 states. There is a group of people that just dont want health care and arent going to take care of themselves. He added that morally, spiritually, socially, the poor, including the homeless, just dont want health care. Read the latest news on U.S. President Donald Trump The Medicaid population, which is a free credit card as a group, do probably the least preventive medicine and taking care of themselves and eating healthy and exercising. And Im not judging; Im just saying socially thats where they are, he told Stat News, a website focused on health care coverage. So theres a group of people that even with unlimited access to health care are only going to use the emergency room when their arm is chopped off or when their pneumonia is so bad they get brought the ER. The comments immediately drew criticism from Medicaid advocates in Kansas, with some saying that Marshall mischaracterized and misunderstood people who are on the program. These are people who are out there, working hard, paying their bills, and to have their elected member of Congress pointing their finger at them Im sure is disappointing, David Jordan, executive director of the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas, told the Kansas City Star. In response to the backlash, Marshall, who was elected in November, said he was trying to explain that a national health care policy around one segment of the population does not work because groups of people have varying medical needs and use different health care resources. I was also saying that Obamacare has increased premiums on working, middle-class families by almost 200 per cent in some places, and with deductibles of over $10,000, many dont actually have access to health care, Marshall said in a statement. Coverage means nothing if you cant afford access. He added: When I said, the poor will always be with us, it was actually in the context of supporting the obligation we have to always take care of people, but we cannot completely craft a larger, affordable health care policy around a comparatively small segment of the population who will get care no matter what. He also brought up his years in the medical field. Before he was elected, Marshall was an OB/GYN in Great Bend, Kan., helping to deliver more than 5,000 babies throughout his career, according to a brief biography. Many patients drove over a hundred miles to see us as I was the only OB clinic to accept Medicaid, and others who could not afford prenatal care. My career gives testimony to my personal watchfulness to those who need help, and to allude otherwise is simply not judicious, Marshall said in his statement. I am a physician, not a politician. While I dont perfectly rehearse talking points, my agenda is driven my two realities: That Obamacare has been detrimental to patients and that we must care for all in need, no matter what. Read more: Several U.S. states join legal action against Trumps revised travel ban U.S. environment chief says CO2 not main cause of global warming White House spokesman Sean Spicer said on Tuesday the president is committed to the new House Republican health care legislation, "it is the plan that will ultimately save the system." Canadian mayors alarmed over proposed 97-per-cent cut to Great Lakes protection funding The political newcomer unseated former Rep. Tim Huelskamp to represent the 1st Congressional District of Kansas. Hes a new member of the GOP Doctors Caucus, co-chaired by Rep. Phil Roe, of Tennessee, one of the leading ergative voices in the health care debate. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, who was confirmed last month, is a former member of the caucus. Marshall is not the only House member whos had to clarify his comments about health care and the poor. Americans have choices, and theyve got to make a choice, Rep. Jason Chaffetz said on CNN Tuesday morning. And so maybe rather than getting that new iPhone that they just love and they want to go spend hundreds of dollars on that, maybe they should invest in their own health care. Later that day, Chaffetz was on Fox News clarifying his remarks. Maybe I didnt say it as smoothly as I possibly could, but people need to make a conscious choice, he said. I believe in self-reliance, and theyre going to have to make those decisions. We want people to have access to an affordable health care product. A new health care bill unveiled by Republicans as a replacement for Obamacare is now making its way through Congress. The American Health Care Act replaces federal insurance subsidies with individual tax credits and grants to help states shape their own policies. It also preserves two of the most popular features of the ACA: Allowing young adults to stay on their parents insurance until theyre 26 and forbidding insurers from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. After 18 hours of debate, the bill passed 23 to 16 in the House ways and means committee before dawn on Thursday. Read more about: SHARE: BERLINPope Francis says the church must study whether its possible to ordain married men to minister in remote communities facing priest shortages. In an interview published Thursday with Germanys Die Zeit, Francis stressed that removing the celibacy rule is not the answer to the Catholic Churchs priest shortage. But he expressed an openness to studying whether so-called viri probati or married men of proven faith could be ordained. We must consider if viri probati is a possibility. Then we must determine what tasks they can perform, for example, in remote communities, he was quoted as saying. The viri probati proposal has been around for decades, but it has drawn fresh attention under historys first Latin American pope thanks in part to his appreciation of the challenges facing the church in places like Brazil, a huge Catholic country with an acute shortage of priests. Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes, a longtime friend of Francis and former head of the Vaticans office for clergy, is reportedly pressing to allow viri probati in the Amazon, where the church counts around one priest for every 10,000 Catholics. Francis has shown particular openness to receiving concrete proposals for ordaining married men as well as his own pastoral concern for men who have left ministry to marry. Read more: Pope Francis says its better to be an atheist than a Catholic living a double life Pope Francis tells bishops to maintain zero tolerance for child abuse He has maintained friendship with the Argentine widow of a friend who left the priesthood to marry, and he spent one of his Friday mercy missions last year visiting with men who had left ministry to start families. He has also said that while he favours a celibate priesthood, celibacy technically can be up for discussion since its a discipline of the church, not a dogma. The church allows some exceptions to the rule. Priests in the eastern rite Catholic Church are allowed to be married, as are married Anglican priests who convert to Catholicism. In the first major interview that Francis has given a German newspaper, the pope was asked whether he experienced moments in which he doubted the existence of God. He responded: I, too, know moments of emptiness. But, he pointed out that periods of crisis are an opportunity to grow, saying a believer who doesnt experience that remains infantile. Francis also repeated his warning of the dangers of rising populism in western democracies, saying populism is evil and ends badly as the past century showed. In the interview, Francis also confirmed Colombia was on his travel itinerary for 2017, as well as India and Bangladesh. He ruled out Congo, which had been rumoured, but mentioned Egypt as a possibility. Francis also recently said he hoped to visit South Sudan. SHARE: BEIRUTA Kurdish-led force fighting Daesh with the support of U.S. troops will close in on the extremists de facto capital Raqqa within a few weeks, but the battle will be difficult, a U.S. military official said Thursday. Air Force Col. John Dorrian said the U.S. force consisting of a couple of hundred Marines that arrived in the region south of the Syrian-Turkish border on Wednesday will not have any frontline roles but will provide artillery fire to support the advance of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. The intent of their presence is to provide all-weather fire support, artillery fire to support their advance as they continue the isolation of Raqqa, he said. This is just some added fire power that will be very difficult for the enemy to deal with. Read more: U.S.-backed Syrian fighters cut main road linking to Daesh-held areas Daesh strategies ordered by Trump could deepen U.S. involvement in Syria Daesh in Mosul and Raqqa will be defeated within the next six months, says U.S. official The deployment reflects Washingtons deeper involvement in Syria under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump and thrusts the U.S. further into a difficult diplomatic entanglement. Dorrian told The Associated Press by telephone that the U.S.-backed force will close in on Raqqa within a few weeks and warned that the battle for the city will likely be difficult as the extremists are well dug in. He said a complicating factor is that the U.S. does not have a partner government to work with in Syria as is the case in Iraq. The U.S. already had some 500 advisers working with the Syrian Democratic Forces in addition to a force of 400 that arrived more recently, Dorrian said. He said the troops include U.S. Army Rangers already in Syria. The SDF, a coalition of Kurdish, Arab and Christian fighters, has been the most effective force fighting Daesh in Syria. The SDF has been on the offensive in the Raqqa area since November under the cover of airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition with the aim of eventually besieging the city before storming it. Dorian said the SDF made excellent progress and the enemy hasnt been able to stop them from doing the things that they set out to do. He added that SDF fighters have so far captured about 6,400 square kilometres of terrain from Daesh. Thats excellent progress, Dorrian said, adding that SDF fighters have also cut many supply lines used by Daesh to try to either escape from the city or to have fighters leave the area and conduct terrorist operations elsewhere away from Iraq and Syria. Dorrian said the SDF will need a few more weeks to completely isolate Raqqa and a decision will be made about the timing of the liberation battle to begin. The SDF recently withdrew from areas near its bastion Manbij, west of Raqqa, to make room for the Syrian military to deploy last week. Manbij lies 113 kilometres northwest of Raqqa. There is a clear co-ordination between the Syrian army and Kurdish forces, Syrian lawmaker Omar Osse told the AP Thursday. But the Syrian government is a pariah to Western states, and Damascus has never approved the presence of their militaries on Syrian soil. Any presence of U.S. forces or other forces on the Syrian land, without co-ordination with the Syrian state, is considered a flagrant violation of the Syrian sovereignty, said Osse. The Marine deployment also risks antagonizing U.S.-NATO ally Turkey. The SDF is led by the main Kurdish militia the YPG, which Turkey says is a terrorist organization. Late on Thursday night, Syrias state news agency SANA quoted an unnamed military official as saying that Turkish troops shelled Syrian army positions near Manbij killing and wounding several troops. The report gave no further details and there was no immediate comment from Turkey. The incident is likely to increase tensions between Damascus and Ankara, which has been a main backer of opposition forces against the government. Earlier on Thursday at least 20 civilians, including some children, were killed in suspected U.S.-coalition airstrikes on a village east of Raqqa, activists said. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, however, said the strikes occurred before dawn Thursday and killed 23 people, including eight children. The activist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently said at least 20 people were killed. It was not possible to reconcile the two accounts Daesh maintains a tight grip on communications from its territory. The Observatory and RBSS get their information from closely guarded local contacts. Russian and Syrian aircraft are not known to operate in the area, according to the Observatory. The group said U.S.-led coalition aircraft were believed to behind the attack. The coalition did not confirm the strikes and there was no immediate indication which nations aircraft were involved. Read more about: SHARE: Memories of Afghanistan haunt Canadas Liberal government as it searches for a politically saleable United Nations peacekeeping mission. So does Donald Trump. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is caught between the two. On the one hand he knows public opinion will not countenance another open-ended war that produces hundreds of Canadian casualties. On the other, he wants to show the new U.S. president that Canada is a robust military partner in the fight against terrorism and thus deserves special treatment in any renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. If Canada were limiting its military engagement to the faceoff against Russia in Europe and the fight against Daesh (ISIS) in Iraq, neither of these would be problems. The Russian gambit, which involves sending Canadian troops to both Latvia and Ukraine, is merely a revival of the old Cold War. Unless it escalates into an all-out nuclear conflict, it is unlikely to produce any battlefield casualties. Canadas role in the Iraq War concentrates on air reconnaissance and training. Both are dangerous but also unlikely to produce the number of casualties suffered in Afghanistan where, over the course of the war, 158 soldiers were killed and more than 2,000 wounded. But Canada isnt limiting its military operations to these two theatres. It has also pledged to commit 600 soldiers and 150 police officers to an as yet unspecified UN peacekeeping mission. That would be fine if peacekeeping were still relatively peaceful. But it is not. In Mali, an African country in the midst of a war against Islamic radicals tied to Al Qaeda, 114 UN peacekeepers have been killed. In South Sudan, which is suffering from a bitter civil war, UN peacekeepers have not suffered as many casualties. But the cost of this has been their inability to prevent either side from committing atrocities against civilians. As my colleague Bruce Campion-Smith has reported, Mali is the destination of choice for bureaucrats trying to figure out the contours of any Canadian deployment. It is also the one most like Afghanistan, featuring an elusive enemy, a weak central government and foreign forces attempting, with mixed success, to engage in counter-insurgency operations. If Trudeaus government were picking a UN peacekeeping operation solely on the basis of political acceptability at home, it would not choose Mali. But then there is the Trump factor. The U.S. president is not a fan of the UN. But he is a fan of fighting what he calls radical Islamic terrorism. He would almost certainly look with approval on any Canadian counter-insurgency effort against Islamic radicals. This matters. Trudeaus government is desperate to have Trumps approval. Ottawa is terrified the U.S. president might follow through on his threat to tear up NAFTA and impose stiff new border taxes, either of which could savage the Canadian economy. Ministers, including Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, have been dispatched to Washington to make nice with their U.S. counterparts. Among other things, Ottawa seems keen to get the Trump administrations imprimatur before embarking on any military mission anywhere. None of this is new. In 2005, a previous Liberal government committed Canadian soldiers to a major fighting role in Afghanistan, largely to mollify then U.S. President George W. Bush. Then, as now, Ottawas main aim was to keep goods flowing freely across the Canada-U.S. border even if that required Canadian soldiers to sacrifice their lives and limbs in a far-off and ultimately pointless war. Sajjan, a veteran of the Afghan War, understands that military counter-insurgency can go wrong. He has said it is complicated business that nations should get into only when they understand the full ramifications. Think of this as the reasonableness factor. But reasonableness accounts for only part of Ottawas thinking. On Wednesday, Trumps new Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross, told reporters the U.S. wants substantive changes to NAFTA and expects Canada and Mexico, the other parties to the pact, to make concessions. Thats the Trump factor. It too will inform the Trudeau governments final decision on where to send Canadian peacemakers. If recent history is any guide, it will be paramount. Thomas Walkom appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Read more about: SHARE: The sharia bogeyman lurks persistently around conversations about Muslims in North America. In Canada, alarms about the menace of creeping sharia are sounded regularly. For instance, M-103, a non-binding parliamentary motion condemning Islamophobia, has been demonized on the website of anti-Islam activist Pamela Geller as an attempt to enact Islamic Blasphemy Laws in Canada creating a de facto Sharia compliant state. This is an allegation widely echoed in other fear-mongering about the motion. Never mind that M-103 does not enact any laws, let alone Islamic Blasphemy ones. And it does not denounce blasphemy but anti-Muslim discrimination in the spirit of principles of racial and religious equality enshrined in Canadian law. In the U.S., 10 states (one-fifth of the country) have passed anti-sharia legislation, and 81 anti-sharia bills or amendments were put forward between 2013 and 2015. In July, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich proposed that all Muslims in the U.S. should be tested and if they believe in sharia, they should be deported. Harvard law professor Noah Feldman has observed that one reason for the divergence between Western and Muslim views of sharia is that we are not all using the word to mean the same thing. In fact, many of the most committed fomenters of the anti-sharia hysteria seem to have no idea what the word sharia means at all. Senator Gerald Allen, for example, who introduced a bill in Alabama banning sharia from state courts in 2011, was stymied when he was asked to explain what sharia is (I dont have my file in front of me. I wish I could answer you better, he responded). Contrary to popular stereotype, sharia is not a rigid set of laws that Muslims are compelled to impose on the world. Far from it one well-established principle of the Islamic legal tradition is that Muslims should obey the laws of the land in which they live. There is no legal code or collection of rules called sharia law. Sharia is a body of Divine guidance, communicated through scripture and prophetic example, about how to live a righteous life; the human effort to derive legal rules from this guidance is referred to as fiqh (jurisprudence). Since the early years of Islam, there have been many different coexisting schools of fiqh, encompassing a broad diversity of legal opinions: a reflection of jurists understanding that all human reasoning is fallible, and so cannot be considered absolute. Also contrary to stereotype, Islamic law is not primarily about harsh criminal punishments, such as stoning and hand-chopping which, in any case, demanded such high standards of proof that historically they were hardly ever carried out. (The main purpose of these penalties was deterrence as in the British common law, which until the early 19th century prescribed death for more than 200 crimes, such as poaching and pickpocketing and stealing letters from the post office.) Conviction for adultery in Islamic law, for example, requires four eyewitnesses to the act; there is only one recorded instance of stoning for adultery in the 600-year history of the Ottoman Empire. The enthusiasm for capital punishment by states that claim to be applying sharia, such as Saudi Arabia and Iran, is not a manifestation of the Islamic legal tradition but a departure from its limits. The fearsome sharia of phobic imaginations is a figment. It bears no correspondence to what sharia means for Muslims in North America: precepts about things like how to pray correctly, eat wholesomely, dress modestly, invest ethically, and behave equitably for themselves. Where exactly is the existential threat to universal freedom that the movement against sharia projects? In their determination to represent Muslims as a barbaric fifth column in Western society, anti-sharia ideologues have lost connection with reality. There is no evidence that Islamic law is encroaching on our courts ... Courts treat lawsuits that are brought by Muslims or that address the Islamic faith in the same way that they deal with similar claims brought by people of other faiths, the American Civil Liberties Union points out. The true aim of the recently proposed sharia bans [is] to denigrate an entire faith system and to deny its followers the same access to the judicial system enjoyed by citizens of other creeds. There is no creeping sharia, only a creepy campaign to incite fear and loathing of Muslims. Azeezah Kanji has a Masters of Law specializing in Islamic Law from the School of Oriental and African Studies. She writes every other Thursday in the Star. SHARE: Links between the Trump administration and the Russians are an explosive political issue. But what draws U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin together? As it happens they do have one major common target in their sights. Though this may surprise many, that target is the European Union and more narrowly the power of Germany. The reasons for their enmity toward the EU and Berlin are not obscure. Even after the United Kingdom exits, the European Union will have a population of more than 440 million people spread across 27 member states. Number one in the EU is Germany, home to just over 80 million people and the continents dominant economy. During the post war decades, a major goal of American foreign and defence policy was to bolster the reconstruction of the West German and European economies and to support the progress toward the creation of todays European Union. Western Europe was to serve as a bulwark against the Soviet Union. Much has changed. Germany is united and economically dominates the continent. The Soviet Union and its Eastern European empire have collapsed. Todays autocratic Russia is capitalist, brimming with nuclear missiles and has a Gross Domestic Product that is smaller than Canadas. The Trump administration reckons that the further evolution of the European Unions political and economic project poses far more of a threat to American power than does Russia. Today, with the open support of both Trump and Putin, far right populist movements across Europe have launched political assaults against the EU. Last June, the leave forces triumphed in the referendum to pull the U.K. out of the EU. A crucial presidential election in France will further test the viability of the EU. Marine Le Pen, who is pro Putin and pro Trump, leads the far right Front National. Polls point to her coming first in the initial round of voting in Frances presidential election in April and going on to lose in the second round to a more moderate candidate. If Le Pen were to win, unlikely but far from impossible, it would constitute a body blow to the EU. The hostility to the EU among far right parties in Europe, as well as in Trumps Washington and Putins Moscow, is deeply ideological. The EU is the worlds leading experiment in creating a nascent federal state to which countries voluntarily give up some of their sovereignty. If it works, the EU will create a post-nationalist European identity. This is anathema to Trump, Putin and Le Pen. The EU displays the vulnerabilities of a half-constructed edifice. Most of it has a common currency, the Euro and free movement of citizens. But rates of unemployment vary enormously from Spain and Greece where huge numbers of young adults cannot find jobs to Germany with a current jobless rate of only 5.9 per cent. The generally cautious policies of the German government and the European Central Bank have long been blamed for sluggish growth and high unemployment in many parts of the continent. As Europe confronts the fraught politics of managing the flight of refugees to the continent from the Syrian war, and from African countries torn by drought and civil conflict, far right parties see this as their great opportunity. Last month, when I was in Menton on the French Mediterranean border with Italy, I saw French police squads rounding up African migrants who had walked into France along the railway tracks or who had arrived on trains. The migrants were questioned, placed in police vans and driven to the border where they were dropped off to fend for themselves in Italy. So far, the German political centre is holding under the leadership of Chancellor Angela Merkel, who heads up a coalition government of Christian Democrats and Social Democrats. But she is under fire from right wing populists for admitting over one million asylum seekers into Germany over the past two years. Her government faces national elections later this year. The EU can either move forward to more complete economic, social and political union, or it can fragment into its constituent parts. Trump and Putin would welcome the latter, which would enfeeble a potent rival. For Europeans who have enjoyed peace and relative prosperity for decades, rather than the terrible wars that came before, it would be an entirely different matter. James Laxer is a professor of political science at York University. He is the author of Inventing Europe and The Perils of Empire. Read more about: SHARE: My dad used to tell me the hardest part of parenting is that your key role is to teach your kids the skills required to leave the house and make their own decisions, but your primal instinct is to keep them close and protect them. You can see this play out in every coming of age novel ever written. As tensions grows between a parent and their child, the burgeoning adult wants to break free from the shackles of youth, while the parent thinks they are not yet ready to take on new responsibilities. Welcome to the last month (or several decades) of relations between Torontos City Hall and the Province of Ontario. The City of Toronto believes it is ready to shed its short pants and grow beyond the confines of being a creature of the province. Based on the existing City of Toronto Act, Queens Park agrees, sort of. The Act gives Toronto the authority to take on a number of issues in the municipal sphere, including the right to introduce tolls on roads it owns. However, Torontos ability is limited by the amorphous spectre of the provincial interest, as the province retains a veto right and can shut down the citys aspirations if the province deems it necessary. This was the grand bargain struck in 2006 in the absence of the city being able to articulate what specific powers it needed and wanted, it was given a broad authority to be creative and expansive, but the province retained a parental-like authority to rein them in. So hows that working out for us? A duly elected mayor and a duly elected city council decided to bring road tolls on to roads they own, only to be told by the province that they couldnt do so. This, despite a series of initiatives between the city and the province, agreeing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, tackle congestion and build transit to more efficiently move workers and goods across the region. In the face of such a multi-headed policy hydra, if a policy gets killed for political reasons at the provincial level it isnt the citys maturity we should be worried about. Meanwhile, the city has taken little advantage of the powers it was given in the act some 10 years ago, likely because of jittery lawyers and threat of the looming scythe of the provincial veto to cut down municipal hopes and dreams. The political and policy moment for a review and renewal of the act is now. The next provincial election is in the spring of 2018 with the municipal election several months after that. Before going to the polls, all three provincial parties need to take a stand on the relationship between the City of Toronto and the province. And the citizens of Toronto need to be able to vote on a council that can responsibly and effectively use any new powers given. Why update the act now? The city, world class in many ways, is beginning to fray. You can feel it every day. Subway delays are not longer than expected, they are a routine. Public housing and municipal infrastructure are literally on fire and crumbling. The city is tasked with fighting these fights with one hand tied behind its back, and we as citizens get to now watch the typical prebudget posturing where the mayor asks for funding that Toronto requires to keep the lights on. That has to change. The need for a more autonomous Toronto, able to reach its full potential, has never been greater. Perhaps with a greater understanding brought on by 10 years of experience, the city will be able to better articulate its desires, and the province more willing to give it the sole authority to do so. Ten years ago, the act was used as a balm to heal the wounds of amalgamation. The challenge today is fundamentally different, and a renewed act could be used as a platform to create the dialogue and institutions we require to build a true economic region that can compete globally. A City of Toronto Act revision could go beyond moving costs and powers from one column to another and reset the relationship to something approaching more equal orders of government. Lets believe the current hype about Canada generally and Toronto specifically. We are being lauded world wide for our strong social fabric, our openness to immigrants and how attractive we have become to the worlds talent pool. We need to build a city with the governance, funding and infrastructure required to not only welcome the world, but make it want to stay. Its time to let Toronto grow up, leave the provincial house, and see what kind of city it can become. Jamison Steeve is the executive director at Martin Prosperity Institute and the Institute for Competitiveness and Prosperity at the University of Torontos Rotman School of Management. Read more about: SHARE: If someone, especially someone from the government, barged into your home and rifled through your personal papers, youd quite rightly be outraged. Nowadays, theres no need for anyone to physically break in. As the latest leak of thousands of documents from the Central Intelligence Agency shows, spies (and presumably other sophisticated hackers) have the ability to pore through private information stored on home computers and cellphones. They can even hack into Internet-connected televisions and use those as surveillance devices. Theres no physical intrusion and therefore less outrage but the violation of privacy could be just as severe. This weeks document dump, carried out by the anti-secrecy organization WikiLeaks, is not as shocking as the information leaked four years ago by whistle-blower Edward Snowden. He revealed that U.S. intelligence agencies were conducting mass surveillance programs on both American citizens and foreign targets. This weeks revelations simply show that the CIA has developed sophisticated software tools with names like ElderPiggy and AngerQuake to break into smartphones, laptops, TVs and other devices. Its in-house hackers are apparently able to bypass encryption codes and have even left security gaps in devices unreported in order to make spying easier. The documents dont show that the spies have actually done all this either against U.S. citizens or against foreigners. Theyve just developed the ability to do it, if they choose. This is some comfort, but not a lot. Its a pretty good rule of thumb that if something is technically possible, its more likely than not to be done somewhere, sometime. Even more worrisome, the track record of U.S. and other spy agencies hasnt been good when it comes to safeguarding the privacy of ordinary citizens. The drive to build up a robust surveillance state over the past decade and a half has been so strong that countervailing attempts to protect civil liberties are constantly lagging behind. That has been most obvious in the United States, where the lingering trauma of 9/11 fuels a desire for security above all (a trend that is only growing under Donald Trump). But Canada has been part of the same trend, as a ruling last November by a Federal Court judge amply demonstrated. The court found that for a decade the Canadian Security Intelligence Service spied on people who posed no threat to national security. It retained the data illegally, and was able to draw out specific, intimate insights into the lifestyle and personal choices of individuals. Now, through WikiLeaks, we know the CIA has surveillance capabilities that, in theory at least, give it the ability to pry into the details of peoples daily lives without them suspecting a thing. This leads to some worrisome questions. For example: if U.S. spy agencies have those capabilities, do ours? Canada is allied with the Americans in the Five Eyes intelligence network, and its logical to think that such abilities might be shared. Or that Canadian agencies have developed them independently. Also: how commonly are these techniques used? The WikiLeaks documents dont say, but given Snowdens revelations about widespread illegal surveillance of U.S. citizens, their use in questionable contexts cant be ruled out. For too long, Canadian authorities have lagged in making sure that security is balanced with guarantees of civil liberties. In fact, the government is just getting around to establishing independent oversight of our security agencies. This new look at just how intrusive the spying can be makes that all the more urgent. Read more about: SHARE: Death toll in Jajarkot bus accident jumps to 24 [UPDATE] Death toll in Thursdays Jajarkot bus accident has reached 24 after police recovered 17 more bodies from the accident site. Russia has stepped up its military pressure on Ukraine. Fighting between pro-Moscow militias and Ukrainian forces in the eastern part of the country is more intense than its been in months. And Ukrainians worry they may be thrown under the bus by the Trump administration, with its focus on making nice with Moscow. In the face of all this, it was entirely right for the Trudeau government to announce this week that Canada will extend its military deployment in Ukraine for another two years. In strictly military terms, Operation Unifier doesnt amount to a great deal. Some 200 Canadian soldiers based in western Ukraine will train Ukrainian troops in areas like bomb disposal and logistics. But its an important political gesture of support for Ukraine at a time when it can no longer take Washingtons backing for granted. Abandoning the Canadian presence at this point would have sent exactly the wrong signal to the government of Vladimir Putin. Yet instead of focusing on the stakes involved in Ukraine and elsewhere in eastern Europe, what debate there has been on this has been hijacked by an entirely bogus controversy about the tangled family history of Canadas foreign affairs minister, Chrystia Freeland. Various pro-Russian blogs and websites have been pushing stories about Freelands grandfather, Michael Chomiak, who died back in 1984 when the minister was a teenager. Its complicated but the essence is this: Chomiak was a Ukrainian journalist who edited a Ukrainian-language newspaper in the Polish city of Krakow when the Nazis occupied the territory in 1939. The newspaper, Krakivski Visti (or News of Krakow), published all sorts of pro-Nazi and anti-Jewish propaganda. Chomiak emigrated to Canada after the war, and his involvement with the pro-Nazi newspaper was discovered by his family after his death. Freelands uncle, a respected historian of eastern Europe, has written about it at length. Now pro-Russian and conspiracist websites are reviving the story and portraying it as a Nazi skeleton in Freelands family closet. The clear suggestion is that the minister cant be trusted to handle Canadas foreign relations, especially insofar as they involve Ukraine and Russia. The implication is that she is infected, at two generations remove, by some sort of pro-Nazi, Ukrainian nationalist virus that fuels a blind hatred for everything Russian. This is ridiculous on the face of it, the type of misleading dezinformatsiya (disinformation) that Russian sources have trafficked in for years, during and after the Soviet era. Freelands history with Ukraine and Russia is well-known. She was bureau chief for the Financial Times in Moscow in the 1990s and knows the country well. Her support for independent Ukraine is also well-known. In fact, she was one of a dozen Canadians banned from travelling to Russia in 2014 in retaliation for sanctions imposed by the Harper government because of Moscows military pressure against Ukraine. That travel ban is still in effect. More to the point, Freelands strong support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression (including the outright annexation of Crimea in 2015) is entirely in accord with long-standing Canadian policy. Stephen Harper took a hard line with Putin, personally calling him out over the Ukraine issue when the two men met at a conference three years ago. Harper sent Canadian troops there in 2015 as a gesture of solidarity, and the Trudeau governments decision to extend the mission was essentially a continuation of that established policy. Canada is right to stand with Ukraine as it resists military and political pressure from Russia. The country has every right to its independence and territorial integrity, and to fight Russian-sponsored aggression. To portray Canadas policy as a personal vendetta by a minister in thrall to her ethnic background and her grandfathers murky past is an insult both to her and to the intelligence of Canadians. Read more about: SHARE: As Samsung Group watched its senior brass formally deny all charges against them including bribery and embezzlement on Thursday, much will be made of the ripple effect a potential incarceration of the executives, some who have spent more than four decades with the company, would have on the conglomerate. Represented by their lawyers, neither Lee nor the four executives appeared in court for what could be one of the most extraordinary trials in the tech industry. Samsung did not respond to requests for comment. But under the surface of the trial, an even bigger event is rumbling that could have greater implications for the sprawling South Korean conglomerate. On Feb. 28, when vice chairman Jay Y. Lee was indicted on charges including pledging 43 billion won ($37.24 million) in payments to impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye's long-time confidante Choi Soon-sil in exchange for political favors, Samsung announced the immediate dismantling of its corporate strategy office. The little-known office here in the states is an integral part of how the 79-year-old company, and others like it in the country known as chaebols, have operated since the end of the Korean War. Its demise, according to experts, could have a far-reaching impact on Samsung and some of the most powerful South Korean conglomerates in years to come. Editor's pick: This story was originally published on March 9. Established in 1959, Samsung's corporate strategy office counts more than 200 elite staff hand-picked from a variety of Samsung affiliates. The office does not exist as a legal identity and executives at the office were still on the payroll of their distinct affiliates. On paper, Samsung's corporate strategy office is responsible for major initiatives such as investment in new business. In reality, the office has been accused of transgressions from illicit lobbying efforts to tightening family control at the expense of other shareholders. In effect, it acts as a lot of the muscle behind Samsung's rise to prosperity since the 1960s. "These corporate strategy offices are the organizational means through which intra-group relations are managed: appointments, strategy but also controversial things like cross-subsidies. This is a very complex issue, but there has been a long-standing effort to dismantle these offices, with limited success," said Stephan Haggard, professor of Korea-Pacific Studies at University of California San Diego. But in reality, the office has been an important piece of the Samsung engine. Samsung's corporate strategy office has been instrumental in pushing management to pursue semiconductor technology, which has become the lifeblood of Samsung and allowed it to rapidly rise as the world's largest smartphone maker, followed by Action Alerts PLUS portfolio holding Apple (AAPL) , explains Geoffrey Cain, an author and former journalist based in Seoul who is writing a book about Samsung. On a less positive note, the office is said to have adopted extreme measures such as cutting the heat off in the company buildings to help cut back on expenses during the Asian financial crisis in 1997 when Samsung was on the brink of collapse. In 2008, executives at the office were investigated on allegations of helping Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Kun-hee set up slush funds by using fake accounts. The office has also helped the conglomerate stay afloat when its executives have come under fire before, something the company will surely miss as its top executive heads to trial. In 2008, when then-Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee, the father of the indicted Jay Y. Lee, was found guilty on charges of financial wrongdoing and tax evasion, the corporate strategy office was there to guide the company and ensure Kun-hee was able to maintain control and pass the conglomerate to his son. "The people in the strategy office were the ones who made sure that the company ran smoothly when the chairman was gone," said Cain, the Seoul-based author. " So I think the dismantling of the office is temporary. The way that the Samsung Group is set up. It depends on the corporate strategy office to hold it together. If you stop it, the entire system could collapse." Samsung, a group of 78 companies that reportedly brings in about 17% of South Korea's total GDP in 2013., is not the only company in the country to have maintained a healthy strategy office. The chaebol structure originated in South Korea in the 1960s and are products of the Korean War. In an effort to rebuild after the conflict, government officials granted relief funds and cheap loans to businessmen who promised to revive the country's struggling economy. The chaebols, often huge multinationals comprised of interconnected affiliates, quickly rose to power and have since come to play a significant role in Asia's fourth largest economy. Chaebols are usually credited with lifting millions of Koreans out of the ashes and remnants of the World War II. Besides Samsung Group, some of the most prominent chaebols today include the Koo family-controlled LG Corp., Chung family-controlled Hyundai Group and Chey family-controlled SK Group. Since South Korea democratized in the 1990s, chaebols have been increasingly accused of impeding the growth of small and medium-sized businesses and creating massive imbalances in the South Korean economy. Egregious examples of corruption, cronyism and white-collar crimes associated with chaebol families have also steered public opinion against them. But chaebols' stronghold in South Korea persisted and experts say the corporate strategy office is the key to Samsung's success. "You have to think of these corporate strategy offices as the emperor's court. From Samsung to Hyundai to SK, these are courts that consist of elites who have proven themselves over time, they are in line with the vision of the family," said Cain, the author. News of the corporate strategy office's demise came as the de-facto leader of Samsung Group Jay Y. Lee was preparing to go on trial for bribery and embezzlement on Mar. 9 in the midst of a corruption and political scandal that has engulfed the country for months. The turmoil first started with the illegal dealings between President Park Geun-hye and her long-time confidante Choi Soon-sil. It soon escalated into the impeachment of Ms. Park last December and the unprecedented arrest of Samsung heir Lee on Feb.17. Now the same special prosecutor who indicted Lee, Park Young-soo, has asked state prosecutors on Monday to indict former president Ms. Park on bribery charges. The latest development in the scandal claims that Ms. Park and her secretive confidante conspired to take $38 million in bribes from Samsung. And still there's really no telling if the dismantling of the corporate strategy office will be successful this time. Samsung's corporate strategy office has been taken down more than once in the past when scandals broke, but only to resurface later under a new guise. While the unprecedented arrest of Lee shows a glimmer of hope in the possible change of the chaebol system, the jailed Samsung heir might just emerge unscathed from the scandal like his father, who received a presidential pardon in 2009 on concerns that the his fall would negatively affect the South Korean economy. As the only son of the Lee family dynasty, he might also run the conglomerate from behind bars, something not uncommon in South Korea. Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, reportedly cemented his power over the conglomerate while serving a four-year prison sentence for embezzlement. Chey is said to have had 1,778 visitors during the first 17 months of his incarceration and orchestrated a $7.6 billion merger that consolidated his control over SK Group. Lee could face more than 20 years in prison if convicted. A verdict is expected to be delivered within three months. Akzo NobelNV (AKZOY) shares surged in Amsterdam Thursday after it rejected a $22.1 billion takeover bid from PPG Industries (PPG) and said it would look at selling or floating one of its key business units in order to boost investor returns. PPG for its part has vowed to keep pursuing the maker of Dulux, Interpon, Sikkens and Eka paints. Akzo said PPG offered to buy the Dutch chemicals group for around 83 per share, in cash and shares, a 29% premium to Akzo's Wednesday closing price of 64.42 that would value Akzo at around 21 billion ($22.1 billion). Akzo rejected the unsolicited bid, but said it would look at strategic alternatives, including the sale of its Specialty Chemicals business, which had 4.8 billion in sales last year. Akzo Nobel shares rose more than 14% in early trading to change hands at 74.04 each, the highest in nearly two years. The Thursday gains take the three month advance to 21.7%. "Our decision today was brought forward due to recent events," CEO Ton Buchner said. "The unsolicited proposal we received from PPG substantially undervalues our company and contains serious risks and uncertainties. The proposal is not in the interest of Akzo Nobel's stakeholders, including its shareholders, customers and employees, and we have unanimously rejected it." "Along with my colleagues on our boards, our executive team and our thousands of employees, I firmly believe that AkzoNobel is best placed to unlock the value within our company ourselves," he added. Dutch politicians, who are gearing up for a contentious election next week, have voiced concerns about the merger. The minister for economic affairs Henk Kamp said a combination was not in the best interest of the country. Pittsburgh-based PPG said it continued to believe there was a strong strategic rationale for the proposed transaction, adding that it will carefully evaluate how it will proceed with the transaction. "We believe a combination of our two companies is a very compelling strategic opportunity. We are confident that this combination is in the best interests of the stakeholders of both companies as it presents a unique opportunity to build on the successful legacies of our businesses," PPG Chairman and CEO Michael McGarry said in a statement. The combination of would create a stronger competitor in the global market "offering a broader line of products and technologies cost-effectively to a more diverse customer base," PPG said. "PPG, in conjunction with its financial and legal advisors, has devoted significant time and resources to analyzing a potential combination of PPG and Akzo Nobel and is confident in its ability to execute and complete the proposed transaction and to obtain all necessary regulatory approvals," the company said. PPG shares were marginally down 0.78% in Thursday premarket trading. Stock closed at $106.83 in New York Wednesday after rising 6% on the session, taking the three month gain to 7.46%. Stocks traded lower on Thursday afternoon as a sharp decline in crude oil prices weighed on the energy sector. The S&P 500 was down 0.2%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.22%, and the Nasdaq decreased 0.25%. Stocks had declined over the previous three days in a retreat from record highs set a week earlier. Crude oil extended a recent selloff to fall below $50 a barrel for the first time since December. Commodities have been under pressure since a weekly report from the Energy Information Administration on Wednesday showed a much larger build in domestic stockpiles than anticipated. U.S. supplies have risen for the past nine weeks in a row and are now at record highs of 528.4 million barrels. West Texas Intermediate crude was down 2% to $49.28 a barrel on Thursday, its lowest level since late November. A day earlier, crude clocked its sharpest decline in 13 months, falling more than 5%. Energy stocks were the worst performers on markets Thursday. Major energy companies including Chevron (CVX) , PetroChina (PTR) , China Petroleum & Chemical (SNP) and Petrobras (PBR) were sharply lower. The Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) declined 0.9%. Marathon Oil (MRO) was one of the few oil and gas companies in the green, climbing 4% after agreeing to unload its Canadian business to Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A) and Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) . Marathon said the $2.5 billion deal will simplify its portfolio and lead to lower costs. Investors were also looking ahead to Friday's release of the U.S. jobs report for February. The nonfarm payrolls report should be enough for the Fed to determine whether to make a move higher at their meeting next week. Fed members have turned hawkish in recent months, calling the March meeting a "live" one and telegraphing more than one rate hike this year. The Federal Open Market Committee, the group that decides when interest rates will move, next meets March 14-15. The chances of a 25-basis-point hike next week sit at 88%, according to CME Group fed funds futures. A rate hike would put the new fed funds rate at 0.75% to 1%. The European Central Bank said Thursday it now sees full-year consumer prices rising by 1.7%, up from a target of 1.3% set in December. Forecasts for full-year GDP growth were also increased to 1.8% from 1.7%. The ECB opted to leave interest rates unchanged at its meeting on Thursday. The main refinancing rate was held at 0%, while its marginal lending facility rate remained at 0.25%. The ECB said that it anticipates rates to hold "at present or lower levels for an extended period of time" and to remain low "well past the horizon" of its current bond-buying program. The central bank previously said it would reduce its monthly bond purchases to 60 billion euros in April from the current level of 80 billion, though reiterated on Thursday that it would increase its current program if needed. ECB President Mario Draghi maintained a dovish stance in a press conference following the announcement. Draghi said the central bank was monitoring an increase in inflation and that sentiment readings indicated a recovery in the region had begun to pick up speed. European markets ended mixed on Thursday. The CAC 40 in France inched 0.42% higher, the DAX in Germany rose 0.09%, and the FTSE 100 in London decreased 0.27%. U.S. jobless claims rose in the past week, though remained at multi-year lows. The number of new claims for unemployment benefits rose by 20,000 to 243,000. The less-volatile, four-week average increased by 2,250 to 236,500. Import and export prices rose in February, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Import prices increased 0.2%, while exports rose 0.3%. Import prices increased by 4.6% over the past 12 months, the fastest rise in roughly five years. Wall Street celebrates its eighth anniversary in a bull market on Thursday, its second-longest since World War II. On March 9, 2009, less than two months into the Obama presidency, the blue-chip Dow dropped to 6,547, a level not seen since April 1997. The S&P 500 followed suit, plummeting below 700 to a 13-year low. Since then, the Dow has more than tripled in value, and the S&P 500 has gained nearly 250%. "The Dow Industrials are up nearly three-fold from the lows of the financial crisis in 2009, bolstered by Fed-driven liquidity, multiple expansion and, most recently, accelerating earnings growth," U.S. Bank Wealth Management's Terry Sandven told TheStreet. "Low interest rates, benign inflation and higher earnings have resulted in higher stock prices." Staples (SPLS) dropped 4% after reporting a disappointing fourth quarter. The stationery retailer reported a net loss of 94 cents a share after seeing profit of 20 cents a year earlier. Adjusted earnings of 25 cents a share missed consensus by a penny. Revenue of $4.6 billion fell short of an estimated $5 billion. Signet Jewelers (SIG) added 9% despite reporting weaker-than-expected quarterly sales. The owner of Kay Jewelers reported fourth-quarter adjusted earnings of $4.03 a share, 3 cents higher than expected. Same-store sales slid 4.5%, a sharper drop than a targeted 4.2% decline. CEO Mark Light said the company is "adapting to a challenging retail environment and weak mall traffic." Signet anticipates full-year same-store sales to decline in the low-to-mid single digits, falling short of an expected increase of 1.9%. Akzo Nobel (AKZOY) , the Dutch maker of paints and chemicals, rejected an unsolicited $22.1 billion takeover bid from PPG Industries (PPG) . Akzo Nobel said Thursday it would look at selling or floating one of its key business units in order to boost investor returns. Akzo Nobel said PPG offered to buy it for around 83 a share ($87.66) in cash and stock, a 29% premium to Akzo Nobel's closing price on Wednesday. Akzo Nobel rejected the PPG bid, but said it would look at strategic alternatives, including the sale of its specialty chemicals business, which had 4.8 billion in sales last year. AIG (AIG) fell 0.5% after CEO Peter Hancock announced his resignation amid activist investor pressure. Hancock has agreed to remain at the company until a successor is found. The executive assumed the role in September 2014. In a statement, Hancock said, "Without wholehearted shareholder support for my continued leadership, a protracted period of uncertainty could undermine the progress we have made and damage the interests of our policyholders, employees, regulators, debtholders, and shareholders." Sears (SHLD) jumped 5% after closing its deal to sell its Craftsman brand to Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) . Stanley expects the Craftsman brand to increase its fiscal earnings by 8 cents a share. Tailored Brands (TLRD) crumbled 30% on Thursday after reporting a wider-than-expected loss and declining sales over its fourth quarter. Comparable-store sales declined by 5.2% for its K&G brand and 2.2% for its Jos. A Bank locations. CEO Doug Ewert said the retailer suffered from "soft traffic across our retail brands" over the quarter. You're Invited... Wall Street Goes to Washington: In the first of a series of conversations with the President's economic advisors, acclaimed author and columnist Michael Wolff will sit down with Anthony Scaramucci, co-founder of private equity firm Skybridge Capital, to discuss the Trump administration, his thoughts on policies and regulations under debate and his outlook for the next four years. Join us for this cocktail party on Monday, March 27 at The Metropolitan Club in New York. The event is free, but seating is limited and reservations are required. For more information or to RSVP, email events@thestreet.com. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin petitioned Congress to raise the debt limit Thursday, saying that the U.S. would be in danger of defaulting on its obligations if it isn't allowed to borrow more money. To combat the threat of a default until the limit is raised, Mnuchin said that the Treasury will suspend selling special purpose-free securities known as State and Local Government Series securities. This is a current list of the top 250 companies by market capitalization on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX). Learn more . Many investors understand the reasons for having a diversified portfolio. One way to accomplish this is to diversify within an asset class. For equity investors in the United States this can mean investing in both growth and value stocks. It can also mean investing in international stocks. And when investors want to do this, they need look no further than our neighbor to the north. Canada has a range of stocks for investors to consider. This article will focus on strategies that investors can use when looking to invest in Canadian stocks. Why Buy Canadian Stocks? There are a few reasons for investors to consider Canadian stocks as part of their diversification strategy: A Large Natural Resources Sector The sheer size of the country and its location lets investors know that it is an area rich in natural resources. This also means that the country has a source of current and future wealth. An Advanced Skills-Based Economy In this regard, Canada is similar to other western nations. The difference is that it is not as common to find these skill-based professions in a country with so many natural resources. Stability Canada is not exempt from any problems that impact the global economy. However, the country is known for stable financial and business policies that have kept the economy relatively stable. This Goldilocks economy has meant that many Canadian stocks havent enjoyed the outsized growth of some U.S. equities. However, it also comes with a bit of protection against downside risk. How Have Canadian Stocks Performed? According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, there was a time when U.S. stocks and Canadian stocks performed nearly identically. Heres a graph that shows the performance of the S&P 500 Index vs. the TSX Index Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence You can see that with a couple of exceptions, the two indexes performed remarkably similar. That all changed around 2012 and Canadian stocks became less attractive. Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence This disparity is widely due to one sector, technology. However, Canadian technology stocks have been on the rise. And in 2022, the country is benefiting from renewed interest in materials stocks as well as a spike in commodity prices. What Are the Best Sectors of Canadian Stocks? For different reasons finance, materials, and energy stocks are among the best performing stocks as of September 2022. Heres a brief overview of each sector and some of the top names for investors to consider. Financial Similar to the United States, Canada has a strong banking industry. Many Canadian banks have a track record of solid performance that can provide long-term value to a portfolio. And several of these stocks pay dividends with attractive yields for investors. This sector makes up the largest percentage of the TSX at roughly 30%. And the Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY)is the top-weighted constituent in the TSX. Beyond the Royal Bank of Canada some of the other top-performing Canadian financial stocks include: Materials and Mining Canadian stocks can be an ideal choice for investors looking to diversify into gold and precious metals without owning the physical metal. Canada has a large natural resources sector. So, its not surprising that there are a number of gold mining companies with Canadian origins. This sector also gives investors exposure to other components in the mining and agriculture sectors. This sector makes up approximately 11.5% of the TSX. Some of the top Canadian materials and mining stocks include: Energy Canadian stocks offer both traditional fossil fuel-based energy stocks as well as some renewable energy stocks. This sector makes up approximately 18.5% of the TSX. Some of the top Canadian energy stocks include: Technology As mentioned earlier, technology stocks have largely been the domain of the United States. As evidence of this, information technology stocks make up only about 5.5% of the TSX. However, there are a few Canadian companies that have become stars in the new economy being created. Some of the more popular names include: What Are the Risks of Investing in Canadian Stocks? One concern about investing in Canadian stocks is that they can be heavily weighted towards cyclical industries. For example, as of February 2022 financials (33.5%), energy (14.8%) and industrials (11.7%) made up nearly 60% of the index. That may be too much for some investors particularly because those sectors all tend to correlate roughly the same way as the economic cycle. But as a long-term play, Canadian stocks are worth considering with a small part of your portfolio. How to Buy Canadian Stocks Buy Individual Stocks on a Stock Exchange Hundreds of Canadian stocks have dual listings on either the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) or the NASDAQ. This is the most convenient way to get exposure to Canadian stocks because there are no barriers to stock ownership. These shares can be purchased in U.S. dollars directly from the exchange just like purchasing a U.S. stock. However, for a full list of the best Canadian stocks, investors should look at the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX). The TSX is one of the oldest stock exchanges having been founded in 1852. Its also the third largest stock exchange in North America in terms of market capitalization. The Toronto Stock Exchange includes approximately 1,500 companies. It allows investors to trade stocks, investment trusts, exchange-traded products, bonds, commodities, futures, options, and other derivative products. All transactions on the TSX are executed in Canadian dollars. Invest in a Mutual Fund or ETF There are many mutual funds and exchange-traded funds that supply exposure to Canadian stocks. Some funds supply exposure to both U.S. and Canadian stocks. Other funds hold just Canadian stocks. Some examples of those include: BMO S&P/TSX Capped Composite Index ETF Horizons S&P/TSX 60 Index ETF Vanguard FTSE Canada All Cap ETF As with investing in any asset class, investors need to consider their investment objective, time horizon and risk tolerance before choosing a fund that fits their needs. Investors will also want to pay attention to the funds fee structure to ensure youre making the most efficient use of your capital. The Final Word on Investing in Canadian Stocks Investing in Canadian stocks is one way for investors to add diversification to their portfolio. MarketBeat provides a list of the top Canadian stocks that trade on the TSX. This is Canadas version of the NYSE or NASDAQ in the United States and includes many of the same stocks. Thats one advantage of investing in Canadian stocks is that many have a dual listing which removes many of the obstacles that can come with investing in international stocks. However, investors should be aware that many of the best Canadian stocks are in highly cyclical industries which can lead to underperformance when those sectors are out of favor. Still, due to their relative stability and in some cases an impressive dividend, Canadian stocks may have a place in an investors portfolio. Banda affects life in Tarai districts A general strike called by the Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM) in protest of the Saptari incident affected life in various Tarai districts for the second consecutive day on Wednesday. Graco Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets systems and equipment used to move, measure, control, dispense, and spray fluid and powder materials worldwide. The company's Industrial segment offers proportioning systems to spray polyurethane foam and polyurea coatings; equipment that pumps, meters, mixes and dispenses sealant, adhesive, and composite materials; and gel-coat equipment, chop and wet-out systems, resin transfer molding systems and applicators, and precision dispensing solutions. It also provides liquid finishing equipment; paint circulating and supply pumps; paint circulating advanced control systems; plural component coating proportioners; spare parts and accessories; and powder finishing products to coat powder finishing on metals under the Gema and SAT brands. The company's Process segment offers pumps to move and dispense chemicals, water, wastewater, petroleum, food, lubricants, and other fluids; pressure valves used in the oil and natural gas industry, other industrial processes, and research facilities; and chemical injection pumping solutions for injection of chemicals into producing oil wells and pipelines. It also supplies pumps, hose reels, meters, valves, and accessories for fast oil change facilities, service garages, fleet service centers, automobile dealerships, auto parts stores, truck builders, and heavy equipment service centers; and systems, components, and accessories for the automatic lubrication of bearings, gears, and generators in industrial and commercial equipment, compressors, turbines, and on- and off-road vehicles. The company's Contractor segment offers sprayers to apply paint to walls and other structures; and viscous coatings to roofs, as well as markings on roads, parking lots, athletic fields, and floors. It sells its products through distributors, original equipment manufacturers, and home center channels; and directly to end-users. The company was incorporated in 1926 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. #beboldforchange Things are far from ideal for Nepali women, but the fight for equal rights continues Canadian politicians hope for the Parliaments support for the continuation of the UNIIFIER military training mission to Ukraine. Such an opinion was expressed by MP from the ruling Liberal Party Boris Wrzesnewskyi, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "I hope that members of all parties of the Federal Parliament of Canada will lay aside their party affiliation and support the government's decision to continue the UNIFIER operation, the purpose of which is to increase the military capabilities of Ukraine, which continues to defend itself against the Russian military invasion and occupation," Wrzesnewskyi said. He also pointed to a unanimous vote for the ratification of the Ukraine-Canada Free Trade Agreement. ol The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) will impose sanctions on PJSC Sberbank - the subsidiary bank of Sberbank of Russia in Ukraine, if the information that Sberbank (Russia) is ready to serve people who have passports issued by the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) is confirmed, the press service of the central bank reports. "If this information is confirmed, the NBU at a meeting of the NSDC [National Security and Defense Council] will initiate the issue of imposing sanctions on the subsidiary bank of Sberbank of Russia in Ukraine - PJSC Sberbank," reads a report. A reminder that according to Article 5 of the Law of Ukraine "On Sanctions," a decision on imposing sanctions against individual legal entities is approved by the NSDC and is brought into effect by a decree of the President of Ukraine. iy Ukrainian Ecology and Natural Resources Minister Ostap Semerak says that the development of renewable energy companies is a way to the full energy independence of Ukraine. The minister stated this when commenting on the results of his meeting with Lviv-based Optima Company. Ukraine, along with traditional energy, is actively working on the development of renewable energy. The introduction of renewable energy production will give an opportunity for our state to receive full energy independence," Semerak said. In particular, Semerak said that the Ministry of Natural Resources in cooperation with the State Agency for the Management of the Exclusion Zone is initiating the construction of solar power plants in the exclusion zone in Chornobyl. According to the minister, a large number of companies have interested in investing in such construction. iy The bilateral economic turnover between Ukraine and France has increased by 36%. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said this at a joint briefing with French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "If we look at our bilateral economic turnover, we will see that it has increased by 36%. And this means that our businessmen are working together, and in particular, this shows that the free trade zone between Ukraine and the EU is working," he said. Klimkin has stressed that the French investors began to work actively in Ukraine. Thus, according to the minister, most of new jobs in our country have been created with the help of French investments. As reported, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavel Klimkin pays a two-day working visit to France. ish The Board of IMF Directors will hold a meeting on March 20 to complete the third review of Ukraine's implementation of the EFF program and to decide on allocation of the next tranche. Gerry Rice, the Spokesperson for the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said this at a briefing in Washington on Thursday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "The meeting of the Board of Directors [of the IMF] is scheduled for March 20," the IMF representative said. He recalled that last weekend the IMF representatives and the Ukrainian leaders reached an agreement on the third review of the EFF program. The IMF representative also noted that this week Finance Minister of Ukraine Oleksandr Danyliuk held talks at the IMF in Washington. "He met with Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund David Lipton and the IMF representatives to discuss the next steps," Rice said. ish President Petro Poroshenko has signed the law on ratification of the agreement on cooperation between Ukraine and the European Organization for Justice, adopted by the Verkhovna Rada on February 8, 2017. This was reported by the press service of the Head of State. "The agreement on cooperation between Ukraine and the European Organization for Justice was signed in Brussels on June 27, 2016. The aim of the agreement is to strengthen cooperation between Ukraine and the European Organization for Justice in combating serious crimes, in particular organized crime and terrorism," reads a statement. The document's entry into force will improve cooperation between Ukraine and the European Organization for Justice. ish The coal miners of Chervonohrad in Lviv region have stated they will stop shipping coal to consumers and will start picketing the regional Economic Court, where a case on unblocking the account of state-run Lvivvuhillia enterprise will be considered. Mykhailo Volynets, Chairman of the Independent Trade Union of Coal Miners of Ukraine, wrote this on his Facebook page. He also slammed Lviv Regional State Administration Head Oleh Syniutka, who had earlier met with the coal miners, and noted that during this meeting the coal miners heard not a single word about wages, or labor safety from the authorities. As earlier reported on March 2, at 12.46 p.m., a rock collapsed because of an explosion at the Stepova coalmine. A total of 172 miners were on shift, including 34 miners at a depth of 550 meters when the explosion ripped through the mine. According to the National Police, eight coal miners were killed, 23 were taken to a hospital. The investigation into the accident is under way. iy On Thursday, the European Parliaments Committee on Civil Freedoms, Justice and Internal Affairs will consider a draft resolution on including Ukraine on the list of third countries whose nationals are exempt from visa requirements. This issue has been included on the agenda of todays meeting of the committee, own Ukrinform correspondent reports from Brussels. Then, according to the procedure, the draft resolution on abolishing visa requirements for Ukraininian citizens will be considered by the EU legislative body at a meeting on April 5. After the final approval by the EU Council in May, the visa-free regime for Ukraine will come into force 20 days after its publication, what will take place in June. iy President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko says he will soon submit to Parliament a bill on introducing quotas for the Ukrainian-language content on television. He stated this when speaking at the ceremony of awarding Taras Shevchenko National Prizes on Thursday, an Ukrinform correspondent reported. Due to the adopted law [on quotas for the Ukrainian-language content on the radio], weve achieved significant results of distributing Ukrainian songs and the Ukrainian language on the radio... Soon, I will offer that the same procedure be introduced on television, where now the presence of the Ukrainian language is unacceptably small, he said. At the same time, President Poroshenko reminded that last summer he called on representatives of the television industry to "organize themselves on this issue," but according him, "not everyone heard him. Therefore, President Poroshenko said that this issues must be considered in Parliament. iy Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin says that there can be no compromises on the issue of Russias occupation of Crimea. The position regarding the impossibility of any compromises on the issue of temporary occupation of Crimea is very important - it will never be recognized by our friends and partners, Minister Klimkin stressed at a joint briefing with Foreign Minister of France Jean-Marc Ayrault, an Ukrinfom correspondent reported. He also noted that the Minsk agreements must be fully implemented in order to settle peace in Donbas. We must complete the implementation of the Minsk agreements and return peace in Donbas, Klimkin stressed. As reported, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin is on a two-day working visit in France. iy Bird flu detected in Taltalaiya children park The H5N1 influenza virus, commonly known as bird flu, has been detected in birds at a children park in Taltalaiya, Sunsari. European Parliaments Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs has approved the draft legislative resolution on putting Ukraine on the list of third countries whose nationals may travel to the EU countries without visas. The overwhelming majority of the Committee's members supported the resolution (39 voted for, 4 voted against and one abstained) at the meeting on Thursday, an Ukrinform correspondent in Brussels reports. In accordance with the procedure, the European Parliament will finally vote on the draft decision on visa liberalization for Ukraine at the plenary session on April 5. After the resolution is approved by the Council of the European Union in May, the visa-free regime for Ukrainian citizens will come into force on the 21st day after publication in June. Once the visa waiver for Ukrainians enters into force, and provided citizens of Ukraine have biometric passports, they will be able to enter the EU for up to 90 days in any 180-day-period for business, tourist or family purposes. The visa waiver will apply to all EU member states except Ireland and the United Kingdom. It does not confer a right to work in the EU. ol This year the State Labor Service of Ukraine plans to sign a memorandum of cooperation with the State Labor Inspectorate of Poland. Chairman of the State Labor Service Roman Cherneha said this on Thursday at the presentation of the public report on the results of service activities for 2016, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "As for our work with international partners, we have a good result of cooperation with Lithuania after signing of the protocol of cooperation with the State Labor Inspectorate of Lithuania in the end of 2016. And this year we plan to sign a memorandum of cooperation with the Polish State Labor Inspectorate," Cherneha said. ish 03/08/2017 Bright By Holly Korbey In the basement of the North Branch Library in Nashville, Tenn., on a recent Saturday, you could hear alternating murmurs of excitement and exasperation over the soft clicking of needles. A small group of kids were learning how to knit. A 10-year-old carefully knitted a case for his iPod with multicolored fuchsia, green and blue yarn, while a more experienced teenager carefully counted rows to create a raised pattern of the letters H and K. Young knitters racked up rows that one day, with practice, might become something a blanket, a scarf or even, someday, a sweater. A nearby grownup commented on how nice it was to see young people so focused on making something, remembering how her brother once carved beautiful crosses out of a fallen tree in her yard. He was always good with his hands, she said. For many of todays kids, being good with your hands often means texting at lightning speed. While the Maker Movement has increased awareness and participation in building, tinkering and making things, most American students dont learn any kind of formal handwork in school. Home-economics-style sewing and handcrafts classes, as well as shop classes, have been pushed out of most schools to make room for more academic subjects like reading, math and science. But knitting and academics, especially math, are more closely related than they first appear, and theres a growing movement in certain math and science circles to bring the two together not only to teach math concepts also but to address the startlingly wide gender gap in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. As the number of women who choose STEM careers continues to drop, participation in knitting, especially among young women, continues to grow. While the research is only in the beginning phases and no hard data is available yet, researchers are confident that knitting can be used to teach math concepts, and they are using the studies to figure out which concepts work best. They hope their findings will be used in the near future to convince schools that knitting a scarf or crocheting a sweater provides a unique opportunity for students to learn hands-on, problem-solving skills in a way that is fun and interesting. And they are hoping that bringing knitting into math class will alert girls to the career possibilities of STEM. Researcher Melissa Gresalfi, an associate professor of math education at the Peabody College of Education at Vanderbilt University, says that textile arts like knitting can teach rich mathematical ideas that can be difficult for students to understand. Her KnitLab project, which includes afternoon workshops as well as week-long summer camps for kids, is part of a larger exploratory study into the overlap between complex mathematics, problem solving and textile arts like knitting and crochet. Gresalfi expects that the four-year effort, supported by a National Science Foundation grant, will illuminate the usefulness of handcrafts to help students visualize and explore mathematical concepts. Were trying to say that the creation of textile designs becomes a resource that supports mathematical reasoning, she says. Gresalfis work is focused on middle school students ages 10 to 14. But shes most interested in the girls who have the highest math anxiety and lowest workforce participation in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. According to the National Girls Collaborative Project, female achievement in math and science remains strong throughout K-12 education, but drops off in college: though women earned 57 percent of all bachelors degrees in 2013, they only made up about 18 percent of computer science degrees, about 19 percent of engineering degrees and 43 percent of math degrees. And workforce participation by women in STEM fields is decreasing: only 11 percent of all physicists and nearly 8 percent of mechanical engineers, for example, are women. Professor Sarah Kuhn, a psychologist and member of the Social Science Advisory Board for the National Center of Women and Information Technology at University of Massachusetts Lowell, thinks that, in part, women dont flock to STEM careers because activities offered to them early on arent that exciting. I was tired of trying to convince girls that robots were cool, she said, commenting on STEM education trends that focus on robotics or what she called, the ukulele flame-thrower. Last year, Kuhn gathered a group of engineers, professors and textile artists to launch the Lowell Tex project, developing STEM lessons for students using textile crafts like knitting and weaving. The finished curriculum will be taught for the first time this summer at the Lowell National Historical Park as part of their summer camp, in part to honor Lowells history as a textile center. Handcrafts, according to Kuhn, are a STEM opportunity hiding in plain sight. While experts agree that knitting is a good STEM activity for everybody, its no secret that knitting is most popular among adult women according to the Craft Yarn Council 29 million, or nearly one-fifth of, American women knit, and they make up 70 percent of all knitters. Since knitting and its one-hook cousin crochet, are activities inherently filled with rich mathematical thinking and problem solving, according to Gresalfi, one of the objectives of the KnitLab is to raise awareness that knitting is math. At the KnitLab, Gresalfi and her research assistant, Kate Chapman, first teach kids to knit, and once they are proficient ask them to perform a series of knitting challenges that test their problem-solving abilities. One challenge involves having kids figure out how to make a knitted square made up of concentric squares of alternating colors. In another, young knitters design their own bag, and make decisions about how big it will be, an activity that includes important mathematical thinking about ratio and proportion. KnitLab kids wear GoPro digital cameras around their necks to document their thinking. Later, Gresalfi and Chapman watch hours of video of kids hands solving problems, and analyze what they see: how do kids make decisions about the size of their bag? How do they go about predicting where the stripes in the knitted square will be? The researchers have found that once kids master the logistics of basic knitting, they can quickly move on to the more complex skills of problem-solving and designing. At its most expert levels, knitting illustrates in three dimensions math concepts that are often left to college-level abstract thinking. Physicist Richard Feynman once recalled overhearing two college women discussing the properties of analytic geometry, only to discover one was showing the other how to knit a pair of argyle socks. A group of mathematician-crafters, nearly all of them women, has begun to explore the cutting edge and mathematical possibilities of knitting and crochet. Beginning in 2005, determined to raise awareness about the effects of climate change and pollution, sisters Margaret and Christine Wertheim at the Institute for Figuring in Los Angeles, created an entire coral reef made of crocheted organisms that uniquely blended art, science, math and craftwork. And Cornell University math professor Daina Taimina has become somewhat of a handcraft celebrity for her book, Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes, in which she uses the exponential stitching technique available in crochet to create complex mathematical objects that are also beautiful to see and touch. For Taimina, who was raised in Latvia where handwork is still taught in schools, the idea of a separation between crafts and math, or girls and math, seems unnecessary and even silly. She recalled how when she first introduced her crocheted objects to a college-level math class in America, one of her students, a male computer science major, called her Betty Crocker. She admitted she didnt know who Betty Crocker was, but soon understood the reference. She sees mathematics sexism problem to be a uniquely American one. Attending university in Latvia, Taimina said no one considered math and science to be male domains. She was part of an elite math program in which, out of 24 students, only three were men, she said. So for me, when you say girls cant do math, its like, Oh really? Yet Gresalfi has found through interviews that many expert knitters and crocheters often dont know that they are using this kind of high-level math thinking. Its within this mysterious meeting of craft, women and attitudes toward math that Gresalfi sees an opportunity to highlight the work that expert needleworkers do. Were working on a paper right now thats demonstrating the rich mathematical thinking that expert crafters engage in. People dont see it crafters themselves dont often see that math is what theyre doing, she said. But what we want to know is this: what is it about textile crafting that sustains deep, committed participation? And are they the same qualities that could sustain rich mathematical thinking? And why is this kind of mathematical work not part of math classrooms? Gresalfi said it takes three to four hours for a middle-schooler to learn to knit, and because of packed curriculums, most schools simply dont have that kind of time. Megan Schmidt, who teaches high school algebra and statistics in St. Francis, Minn., began crocheting her own hyperbolic planes curving surfaces with no flat areas and bringing them to class, saying they help students visualize math in action, and provide a sensory experience of touching and feeling. Schmidt said shed love to teach her students to crochet, and thinks it would be beneficial to their math thinking. If I had time, I would, she said, but its those darn standards! Gresalfi said knitting not only provides math opportunities for students, but other learning experience as well. Collaboration, multiple ways of thinking about a problem and mistakes are an inherent part of knitting. Mistakes are not just expected they are invited, and handcrafters expertise is determined by how well they can fix mistakes. If you look at how learning works, this is exactly what all the literature says you want in your robust math classroom, she said. Introducing more hands-on learning to math classrooms means we would gain a much richer group of people who are interested in this [math]. And were not dumbing down or watering down mathematics, were doing the things we should be doing. Kuhn said that knitting has also been found to be relaxing, which might do double-duty: teaching math concepts while simultaneously easing math anxiety. Though the study wont be completed until 2018, Gresalfi and Chapman have already taught more than 50 kids how to knit, and hope once this project is done, they can launch a new one in which they can test how knitting might be used in schools. At the North Branch Library KnitLab, the 10-year-old had finished his iPod case. He was asked about his next project. I think Ill knit a case for my Harry Potter magic wand, he said. CEC Yadavs house vandalised The SLMM activists on Wednesday vandalised the house of Chief Election Commissioner Ayodhi Prasad Yadav at Rajbiraj-9. The protesters torched name plate at Yadavs gate and hurled stones at the house. They also vandalised UML central member Suman Raj Pyakurels house. West Seti Hydropower Project: China Three Gorges vows to endorse deal very soon China Three Gorges Corporation (CTGC), the Chinese developer of the West Seti Hydropower Project, has expressed its commitment to endorse the joint venture (JV) agreement signed with the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) last January. PANAMA CITY, 9 March 2017 We are deeply saddened by the tragic deaths of more than 20 girls in the Hogar Seguro Virgen de la Asuncion shelter in Guatemala as a result of a fire in which many others were injured. We extend our deepest sympathies to the families of the victims and to the people of Guatemala. We join the United Nations System in Guatemala in expressing deep sorrow at this terrible event, and in calling for measures to ensure that proper protocols for the protection of children are in place. We trust that the Government of Guatemala will fulfill its duty to investigate the incident, identify those responsible and provide reparations to the victims. As the UN agency responsible for promoting childrens rights around the world, UNICEF reminds the Guatemalan authorities of their obligation to guarantee the life and integrity of all children and adolescents. To that end, we call for the urgent creation of a national system of child protection, and a governing body to ensure its compliance with the best interests of the child, in line with the recommendations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child and with the support of the UNICEF office in the country. We renew our call for the Government of Guatemala and all the governments of the region, as parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to end the institutionalization of children and adolescents. At least 240,000 children still live in institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Convention on the Rights of the Child and the United Nations Guidelines on Alternative Care for Children indicate that sending children to institutions should always be the last option, a temporary measure and always for the shortest possible time. Children have the right to grow up in a family and to have the support of the State so that families can fulfill their responsibilities. The confinement of children and adolescents for their "protection" is inadmissible. ### The European Association of Urology Nurses (EAUN) was founded in 2000 and serves a region which has many thousands of urology nurses, nurses-in-training and other health care professionals in the urological field. The aim is to represent European urology nurses and contribute to the development of higher standards of urological nursing in Europe. The EAUN has over 2,500 members. As a member of the EAUN you receive a series of free publications and benefit from many other membership discounts and privileges. Full membership of the EAUN is open to all certified European nurses and allied health care professionals working in urology. Other membership categories are Corresponding member and Affiliate member. The EAUN organise an annual 3-day meeting for which members pay a highly reduced fee. In 2016, the EAUN meeting was attended by more than 300 nurses from 35 countries.Inspiring three-day meeting on various topical urology nursing subjects in conjunction with the 32nd Annual EAU Congress. The congress takes place at the ExCel London, London, United Kingdom.The topics are presented by specialists and specialist nurses in workshops, panel discussions, state-of-the-art lectures, symposia, poster abstract sessions, etc. Discussions on clinical practices and pre-congress optional visits to a local hospital guarantee you return home completely updated. Share your knowledge with your colleagues and submit an Abstract, Research Plan, Video or your Difficult Case (Deadline 1 December 2016).Check the congress website for more details. Fernando Alonso has assigned the McLaren Formula 1 Team's troubled start to 2017 pre-season testing firmly on Power Unit suppliers, Honda. The 2005 and 2006 World Champion summed up the problems the Woking-based team are currently facing by saying the new engine "has no power and no reliability." Honda's troubles since returning to F1 as the exclusive engine supplier to McLaren in 2015 has been well documented, and Alonso was clear in apportioning the blame. "I don't think we are too far away on the chassis side, but we have only one problem. The Power Unit. "We are 30km/h down on every straight. When you are 30km/h down on every straight it is difficult to have a feeling on the car. "Everything feels good, but when you arrive at normal speed, you don't know what is going to happen." Re-designed Engine still has problems After the disaster of 2015, when McLaren scored 29 points and finished ninth in the constructors', their 2016 Power Unit enabled the team to climb to sixth in the standings. However, the partnership still hasn't claimed a podium finish, and has a best finish of fifth, secured by Alonso in Hungary 2015. Over the winter, Honda opted to re-design the layout of the power unit, opting to follow the route Mercedes did in 2014, by having the turbo and the compressor at opposite ends of the vee-bank of the engine, joined by a crankshaft. The hope is that this will reduce turbo lag, and thus create more power. However, things haven't gone to plan for the Japanese company. So far, in six days of testing, the team have had to change the power unit at least four times, and have completed just 334 laps so far. Alonso described the problem the team had with the shape of the oil tank as "quite an amateur problem." The 35-year-old also gave insight into just how far behind the outfit is, by saying: "We do 40 laps every day, so we are like in day two of testing for everyone else. "When you do more laps, you discover more things, from day one we keep unlocking a little bit, in terms of power and reliability. "We are discovering new things. There is nothing to worry about for Australia. We'll fully be ready to compete in a good level." The only lingering doubt for Alonso and McLaren, is "how much power we will have." Both Alonso and new team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne have often struggled to set competitive times, and have not yet eclipsed the 1:22.000 pole time of Lewis Hamilton in '16, something the other nine teams have done. Not quite GP2 engine Alonso has history in criticising Honda, having infamously done so in the 2015 Japanese Grand Prix. In that race, Alonso, in front of top Honda brass came over the radio to voice his opinion on the power unit. He described the engine as a "GP2 engine, GP2 engine, aarghh", before labeling the situation as "embarrassing, very embarrassing." Earlier in '15, during the Canadian Grand Prix, Alonso, in a request to save more fuel said, "No, I don't want to, I don't want to. Already I have big problems now, looking like amateurs." 2 In Niamey, Nigers President Mahamadou Issoufou told the council that his country is coping with the fight against Boko Haram, but also the effects of climate change, the drop in mineral prices, and lost trade revenue with its biggest trade partner, Niger Sterling Jewelers, the Kay and Jared retail-jewelry conglomerate now facing a massive class-action arbitration case, on Thursday dismissed hundreds of former female employees allegations that the company fostered a culture of sexual harassment and discrimination. Calling those accusations a purported parallel universe, the chairman of Signet Sterlings parent company and other top executives spoke publicly for the first time since The Washington Post reported last week on the allegations. About 69,000 women have claimed in a private arbitration case that Sterling Jewelers discriminated against them in pay and promotion practices. As part of that case, hundreds of former male and female employees submitted sworn statements alleging that they had seen or experienced sexual harassment or discrimination at company events or in Kay Jewelers and Jared the Galleria of Jewelry stores. The portrait of Signet painted in recent media reports is irreconcilable to me with a company that I have served as director and chairman for more than five years, Chairman Todd Stitzer said on a call with analysts Thursday morning. We have taken seriously the allegations of sexual harassment prepared in connection with the pending arbitration matter, many of which go back decades. [Hundreds allege sex harassment, discrimination at Kay and Jared jewelry company] Stitzer said the companys female workforce including 68 percent of its store-management staff and 33 percent of its executives is a direct result of our steadfast commitment to practices that focus on all aspects of the employment experience at our company. This is the portrayal of Signet which our board and management team and our valued team members recognize as their own, he added. Not the purported parallel universe represented by others. Stitzer said 43 class members had alleged in sworn statements that they experienced any form of sexual harassment a small percentage, he noted, of the 69,000 women alleging pay and promotion disparities in the arbitration and many of these allegations pertained to incidents that purportedly occurred from the 1990s to 2005. This is a complex matter that cannot be reduced to a simple sound bite or clever phrase, he said. The case will be determined primarily by statistical analysis, not salacious claims. Joseph M. Sellers, a partner at the Cohen Milstein law firm and lead counsel for the case, told The Post on Thursday said the claim that only 43 women had alleged sexual harassment is simply untrue. Nearly half of the women who have issued (roughly 250) sworn statements have alleged sexually demeaning conduct by executives of the company, and that doesnt even account for the untold number who were intimidated into keeping silent about the treatment they endured, Sellers said. Furthermore, much of this conduct took place at mandatory meetings and in public places where other women became involuntarily aware of it, he added. It seems that Mr. Stitzer is the one living in a parallel universe, one where systemic pay and promotion discrimination and behavior demeaning to women are permissible. Sellers also took issue with the companys description of the ongoing case, which is expected to have a wide-ranging class hearing next year. Sterling knew it was systematically paying women less than men and continues to use the same pay practices today. The company has tolerated conduct profoundly demeaning to women and still refuses to acknowledge its role in this, Sellers said. The fact that Sterling is trying to split hairs over the legal definition of sexual harassment rather than acknowledging the widespread mistreatment of its employees is indicative of the problem. In its Thursday call, Signet did not respond to or refute the specific allegations raised by men and women in hundreds of statements filed since the arbitration began in 2008. But Stitzer said the allegations of sexual harassment focused on leadership were denied under oath. Signet chief executive Mark Light, named as one of the executives accused in arbitration filings of having sex with female employees and promoting women based upon how they responded to sexual demands, spoke about the companys performance Thursday but said nothing about the case. Stitzer said the board had known of the allegations against Light when Signet, based in Akron, Ohio, named him chief executive in 2014. The board, Stitzer added, had reviewed the available information, the time frames involved and the context in which it was offered before agreeing to the promotion for Light, the son of former Sterling chief executive Nate Light. The companys stock climbed 8 percent following the call, although its share price remains near a four-year low. Sales fell 5 percent in the last quarter of 2016 to $2.2 billion, below analysts expectations, executives said. [Sterling discrimination case highlights differences between arbitration, litigation] Stitzer, a former chief executive of the British candy company Cadbury, also said that the board had become much more actively involved with the business during its very challenging year and that it will stay involved. Saying the company had identified areas where we can further improve, Stitzer said the board will form a new committee focused on respect in the workplace, led by the companys female directors. It will focus on programs and policies supporting the advancement and development of female employees. That panel will appoint an independent consultant to review policies regarding equal opportunity and workplace expectations, including non-harassment training, harassment reporting and investigation, and policies aimed at combating retaliation from targets of complaints. The committee, Stitzer said, will also establish an independent ombudsmans office to provide confidential advice to employees, and offer options and strategies to assist them in the resolution of workplace concerns. The company struck out at other scandals plaguing the companys finances, including claims that a risky amount of its jewelry is bought on credit and allegations that the company had swapped out diamonds when jewelry was brought in for cleaning. The company disputed both claims. In a 2015 decision to grant class-action status to the women, the cases arbitrator, Kathleen A. Roberts, wrote that the employees testimony includes references to soliciting sexual relations with women (sometimes as a quid pro quo for employment benefits), and creating an environment at often-mandatory Company events in which women are expected to undress publicly, accede to sexual overtures and refrain from complaining about the treatment to which they have been subjected. For the most part Sterling has not sought to refute this evidence, Roberts wrote. Instead, she wrote, Sterling argues that it is inadmissible, irrelevant and insufficient to establish a corporate culture that demeans women. Donald Trump is the first U.S. president since Richard Nixon to shield his tax returns from public view, despite initially saying he would release them. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Every week seems to bring yet another revelation about possible relationships between Russia and people close to Donald Trump. Combine that with the fact that this is the height of tax preparation season, and you can see why lots of people seem obsessed with finding a supposed Russian connection in Trumps tax returns. Hence the increased demands for Trump to make his returns public the way that presidents and presidential candidates have done since Richard Nixon, but that Trump has refused to do, despite initially saying he would. However, even if Trump has business ties with Russian oligarchs or the Russian government please note the if, because there is nothing suggesting that is the case its highly unlikely that evidence of that would show up in his personal tax returns. Thats the unanimous opinion of three respected tax experts I consulted, none of whom is an apologist for Trump. A primary reason, they told me, is that Trump does business through hundreds of entities, including partnerships, corporations and LLCs (short for limited liability companies). If you could read the relevant documents IRS Forms 1040 and 8938 and Schedules C, E and S you would see that unless the president has a personal Russian bank account or shows a gain or a loss on the sale of a Russian security or property, financial results of Russian dealings (if they exist) would likely be lumped in with hundreds of other dealings rather than being broken out specifically. In fact, searching for a Russian connection in Trumps returns is a diversion from the real reasons the American public has a stake in seeing them. Well get to those. But first, lets see what the experts have to say. Tax forms dont require much specificity, said Steve Rosenthal, a senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. Rosenthal, who has helped news organizations that include The Washington Post and the New York Times parse Trump tax documents, says, Youre not going to see an entry that says, Loan from Russian oligarch. . . . Even if you borrowed money directly from the Russian government, you dont have to say to whom you paid the interest. Trumps income is derived from the business entities LLCs, corporations and partnerships in which he owns interests, says Bob Lord, a tax lawyer and an associate fellow with the Institute for Policy Studies who was an informal adviser on tax matters to Bernie Sanderss campaign. It is possible, albeit unlikely, the tax returns of the business entities in which Trump owns an interest might reveal a relationship with Russia or a Russian oligarch, Lord added. Because Trumps personal tax return will reflect only the income or loss flowing to Trump from those entities, his personal tax return would not be a reliable indicator of whether such a relationship exists. And now, to our third expert: Bob Willens of Robert Willens LLC, who for decades has helped journalists, including me, understand complex tax and accounting issues. Im sure that whatever hes done if hes done anything is through LLCs. It would likely not show up on his returns, Willens said. Even if there arent any mentions of Russia on his return, it doesnt mean that he doesnt have relationships with Russia. Or that he does. If we are highly unlikely to find a Russian connection (should it exist, and again, there is no evidence that one does) in Trumps tax returns, why do we have a stake in seeing them? For the same reason its in our interest to see the tax returns of presidents, vice presidents and candidates for those offices: Its important to see what kind of people they are, and to what extent theyre helping to pay for the country theyre running (or want to run). Thats especially important in Trumps case, given how he and his family are imposing unprecedented costs on taxpayers for travel and security. The partial Trump tax returns that have surfaced show him paying no federal income tax in past years because of highly inventive and aggressive strategies. (Legal, yes, but shocking just the same.) And he may well not be paying significant federal income tax now. During the campaign, Trump excoriated hedge-fund and private-equity managers who use the carried interest loophole to pay only the 23.8 percent capital gains rate on their share of their investors long-term profits rather than the 39.6 percent theyd pay if carried interest were treated as an incentive fee. Given those attacks and given the fact that Trump is proposing to enact major changes in our tax laws it seems only right for us to know what Trumps tax rate is. If anything. Based on what the three experts told me and on my own experience, I think the likely reasons Trump wont release his tax returns are that he may pay little or no income tax; may make few, if any, charitable contributions; and his return might have entries that arent consistent with his claim to be worth more than $10 billion. In addition, although his returns are unlikely to show a Russian connection, they may offer hints of how to dig out information that Trump doesnt want us to see. The risk of obsessing about a Russian connection is that if Trumps tax returns should surface and Russias not in them, Trump will be able to say, See? Russia is fake news, time to move on. So lets remember that we should see Trumps tax returns for the same reason we got to see Barack Obamas or George W. Bushs or Bill Clintons: They tell us a lot that its good for us to know about the person running our country. Derek Kravitz of ProPublica contributed research to this report. For previous columns, visit washingtonpost.com/business John Moran. "Broadheads Creek, Delaware Water Gap," 1863 albumen print. (National Gallery of Art) In 1842, while visiting the United States, Charles Dickens took a train northwest from Boston to the industrial town of Lowell, Mass. He wasnt impressed by the scenery: Mile after mile of stunted trees: Some hewn down by the axe, some blown down by the wind, some half fallen and resting on their neighbors, many mere logs half hidden in the swamp. Everywhere he looked, the English author saw signs of decay, decomposition and neglect. This is not the New England inscribed in popular memory, from the writings of the American Transcendentalists to the paintings of Grandma Moses or Norman Rockwell. But one does see many images reminiscent of Dickenss description in East of the Mississippi: Nineteenth-Century American Landscape Photography, a revelatory and fascinating exhibition of early photography at the National Gallery of Art that opens Sunday. The show has gathered 175 photographs, from early daguerreotypes to mass-market stereoscope cards, including some of the earliest photographic images ever made of the United States. Frederick Langenheim and William Langenheim. "Panorama of the Falls of Niagara," 1845 five daguerreotypes. (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) Visitors primarily interested in history will find here a record of this countrys early infrastructure its canals, railroads and dockyards as well as the calamities of the Civil War, the development of Eastern cityscapes, and a record of American architecture both rural and urban. The opportunity to stare into the reflective abyss of a watery daguerreotype and move about until the light hits at just the right oblique angle to reveal an 1840 image of Niagara Falls, is alone worth the visit. But the larger drama of this exhibition is its restitution of memory. American landscape photography is dominated by photographers who worked in the West, capturing its large vistas and sublimity, and advertising its economic potential. Often, these were photographers who worked directly for commercial or government survey projects, men such as Carlton Watkins (whose work was featured in a 2000 exhibition at the National Gallery) and Alexander Gardner (whose post-Civil War photography was a highlight of a recent exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery). [Dark Fields of the Republic explores Alexander Gardner after the Civil War] George Barker. "Niagara Falls," 1886, albumen print. (George Barker/The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art) But photography arrived in the East well before intrepid photographers began lugging large-format cameras across the Plains. In fact, it arrived with astonishing alacrity. Within a year of Louis Daguerres announcement of his namesake photographic process in 1839, scientists, tinkerers and adventurous amateurs were reproducing the technique in the United States. A British scientist named Hugh Lee Pattinson went to Niagara Falls already a popular subject for painters and printmakers to produce some of the earliest extant daguerreotypes made in America (and the earliest extant images of the falls). They arent in great shape, but its a wonder that they still exist and are still legible. From these first efforts, the exhibition charts the rapid technical and aesthetic evolution of the form. A parallel technology invented by the English scientist Henry Fox Talbot, which used salted paper to produce a negative and then, through contact printing, a positive image, took root quickly, as well, yielding thin but crisp photographs that didnt have the distracting reflective background of the daguerreotype method. Even though both processes were cumbersome, and photography flourished mainly in the urban portrait studio, landscape photographers made images of places that were physically close to the nascent countrys cities, yet still wild, rugged and spiritually remote. The Adirondacks of Upstate New York, the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the Hudson River were popular subjects. Perhaps the most interesting room of the exhibition juxtaposes paintings and photographs made at the same time, in some cases by artists within the same family. The photographers Charles and Edward Bierstadt were brothers to Alfred Bierstadt, the great landscape painter, and photographer John Moran was brother to the great Hudson River School painter Thomas Moran. An 1863 Albert Bierstadt painting, Mountain Brook, makes a fascinating contrast to a similar image, photographed by his brothers at Franconia Notch, N.H., a few years earlier. In both, a stream cuts through a dark patch of forest, with just a glimpse of sky above. The visual focus is on the rhythm and tumult of the forest floor, rocks, leaves, ferns and trees, including fallen trunks at strange angles. Albert Bierstadt. "Mountain Brook," 1863, oil on canvas. (The Art Institute of Chicago) But examine the shadows in the painting, and one sees an image that functions more like a map guiding how one sees rather than mere transcription of visual data. In Alberts painting, readily identifiable objects cast clearly articulated shadows, such as a broken tree stump that leaves a perfect dark shadow on a sunny rock beneath it. In the photograph, the shadows are not nearly so delineated, but appear merely as dark patches. And where Albert paints a tiny patch of sky visible through the trees, a perfect shade of sky blue, in the photograph made by his brothers, the sky appears as a blur of white light. The painter, it seems, used a set of visual cues to orient the eye, to let the viewer know where the light is coming from, which in turn heightens the illusion of verisimilitude. These are signs that refer to visual ideas, rather than a transparent record of the things themselves. Throughout the exhibition, the dialogue between painting and photography is recorded mainly through the development of a specifically photographic aesthetic of photography. But as early as the 1850s, in a magnificent winter landscape by Josiah Johnson Hawes, you see photographs doing things that would spur a small revolution in how painters depicted the world. In this case, a delicate screen of snow-covered branches all but obscures the image of a building in the distance. It would take years of seeing the world in this photographically determined way, and seeing it in a similar form depicted by Japanese printmakers, before this kind of thing would crop up on the painted canvas. [Kennicott on Photography Reinvented at the National Gallery of Art] The emergence of a photographic aesthetic wasnt the same as the adoption of painterly techniques by photographers. An 1880s image of a stream with a water wheel to one side and a picturesque bridge in the distance by J.W. Stewart suggests a photographer with an eye toward the standard genera scene beloved by the more unimaginative painters of the age, and its lovely in a limited, easily grasped and quickly forgotten sort of way. But blue-tinted cyanotype images by Henry Peter Bosse in the late 1880s and 90s, showing bridges, dams and waterways, live in the photographic world, full of detail and incident yet also open to the large, engulfing vista. Bosse is one of many happy discoveries in this exhibition, along with William Rau, Seneca Ray Stoddard and James Ryder. Henry Peter Bosse. Construction of Rock and Brush Dam, L.W., 1891, cyanotype. (National Gallery of Art) By the late 19th century, nostalgia and regret creep into the aesthetic. The Eastern landscape was looking more and more like Dickenss infernal wasteland of the 1840s. Beloved places were being encroached on, and destroyed. Infrastructure that had been lovingly photographed decades earlier no longer read as a light harness or gentle guiding hand on the wilds of nature. Train tracks didnt cut narrow tracks through the primeval forest, but blighted wide swaths of the landscape, and the cleared field was no longer bounded by the infinite wood. Photographers who had popularized the landscape for tourists were increasingly worried about its preservation. The caption of an 1880 heliotype made near Niagara Falls is self-explanatory: Disfigured Banks: Repulsive Scenery around Visitor Approaching Goat Island Bridge for First View of Rapids, from Special Report of New York State Survey on the Preservation of the Scenery of Niagara Falls. Americans who have lived in both the East and West tend to draw sharp distinctions between the landscapes of each. The East is framed and contained, and offers discrete charms. But it takes work to see them, to look past the pervasive despoliation and reconcile the rough hand of man with the fragility of old forests and mountains. The West is more immediate and can still overawe the spectator with substantial remnants of its old annihilating grandeur. This exhibition scrambles these old expectations and prejudices and recalls the memory of wildness in the East. Now, as the country flirts with undoing its environmental protections, unleashing the pure and untrammeled predatory power of capitalism once again on the landscape, and investing in massive new infrastructure projects, the show could not be more timely. The essence of photography, which fixes an image in a matter of moments, is to say: Look what weve lost. Now its time to look again. [Philip Kennicott on artist Theaster Gates ] East of the Mississippi: Nineteenth-Century American Landscape Photography On view March 12-July 16 at the National Gallery of Art, Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Free. 202-737-4215. nga.gov. As Elva Miller butchers one pop hit, church hymn or acid rock song after another, in a voice that sounds like a shrieking cat with whooping cough, the question nags at a listener: Does she have the slightest inkling that shes hideous? Thats the enticing mystery animating Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing, James Lapines pleasantly offbeat new bio-play with music at Signature Theatre. And, in the guise of actress Debra Monk, cheerful cluelessness has never been quite so beguiling. [Whos making that racket? None other than Debra Monk.] The seriocomedy, in its world premiere on Signatures main stage, posits Mrs. Miller a real-life show business novelty whose egregious LPs climbed the charts in the mid-to-late 1960s as a touchstone of a national cultural shift. With a younger generation rising up against discrimination and a war in Asia, expressing its resistance in the music of the counterculture, an older, more conservative one struggled to preserve quickly calcifying norms of the American mainstream. Mrs. Miller, Lapine asserts, was an emblem of the confusion at the intersection of these opposing forces. Plucked by irreverent (and perennially stoned) record producers from the obscurity of white-bread suburbia, she recorded tone-deaf covers of Top 40 hits by the Beatles, Johnny Mercer and Petula Clark. It made her a star, though one who burned out rapidly. Her seeming obliviousness to her own lack of talent is what did the trick: She whistled into the winds of change, blissfully unconcerned that they would soon blow her away. From left: Kimberly Marable as Denise Banfield, Jacob ben Widmar as Bobby Sherin, Debra Monk as Mrs. Elva Miller and Kaitlyn Davidson as Carol Sue Singleton. (Margot Schulman) The achievement in Lapines efficiently staged production revolves chiefly around the performance of the primly coifed and outfitted Monk, who nails the impersonation in a way thats both funny and sad. Mrs. Miller is presented as the kookiest entertainer of her time, expressing a joy that transcends the ridiculousness of her chaotic renditions of Downtown and I Want to Hold Your Hand. The wackiest has her in a hard-rock phase, singing Jefferson Airplanes White Rabbit. The screeching Monk over-enunciating the lyrics And youve just had some kind of mushroom, and your mind is moving low is hilariously far out. A four-member band led by Matt Hinkley supplies fine accompaniment for Monk and the sunny dancing backup trio of Kimberly Marable, Kaitlyn Davidson and Jacob ben Widmar. The task of imbuing this material with specialness presents challenges, one of them out of Lapines control. The story bears strong similarities to another tale of ghastly feminine crooning thats still fresh in the publics mind that of Florence Foster Jenkins, the subject of a 2016 movie by that name about a 1930s American socialite played by Meryl Streep who couldnt carry a tune and insisted on embarrassing herself in public. In that case, though, Jenkinss own financial support for a variety of organizations was the guarantee that she remained happily floating on a cushion of unearned compliments. Mrs. Miller is the butt of a more obvious joke, in a less genteel time, when contempt for American institutions was growing and it was becoming ever cooler to mock anyone who wasnt hip to the revolution. To that end, Lapines Mrs. Miller seems as strangely unaware of the pain in the world around her as she is of the truth about her own gifts. (At a few key moments, Monks singing segues into sweet melodiousness, indicating how it all sounds in her own head.) That pain is embodied by her loyal if morose niece, Joelle (Rebekah Brockman); a failing young record producer (Corey Mach) facing military conscription; and, most sourly, by Elvas husband, John (Boyd Gaines), a miserable old coot uttering anti-Semitic remarks as he lives out his days as a stroke victim in a nursing home. The actors dont have enough to do beyond serving as depressed counterpoints to the eternally vivacious Mrs. Miller, and so their scenes come across monochromatically. The 60s may have been psychedelic, at least as far as designer Jennifer Caprios snazzy costumes suggest, but here the decade is too frequently a downer. Except, of course, for the almost exasperatingly upbeat Mrs. Miller. By the time shes been recruited for a USO tour with Bob Hope in South Vietnam where she sings in a jungle-warfare outfit complete with hand-grenade belt and camouflage heels we have grown a bit weary of her dizzy caterwauling. And our curiosity about how much shes in on the joke is in danger of abating. Perhaps some refinement is needed here, so that an audience understands more incisively what drives Mrs. Miller and doesnt overdose on the terrible vocalizing. Whats also missing is some sense of who the fans were who so ardently embraced her act. Fortunately, Lapine and Monk do suggest a solution to the evenings biggest riddle. It wont be divulged here. But thankfully, we do leave Mrs. Miller with the sense that she may not be as much of a fool as Hollywood was happy to have the public believe. Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing, written and directed by James Lapine. Choreography, Josh Prince; orchestrations, Michael Starobin; set, Heidi Ettinger; music direction, Matt Hinkley; costumes, Jennifer Caprio; lighting, Jeff Croiter; sound, Ryan Hickey; wigs and makeup, J. Jared Janas; production stage manager, Kerry Epstein. With Will LeBow. About 1 hour 45 minutes. Tickets: $40-$99. Through March 26 at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Visit sigtheatre.org or call 703-820-9771. Couple commits suicide by consuming poison in Bardiya A couple has committed suicide in Bardiya district on Thursday. Debra Monk, the Broadway stage and TV actress stars in Signature Theatres world premiere of "Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing," by James Lapine. (Andre Chung/for The Washington Post) Debra Monk possesses a lovely voice. And a not-so-lovely one, as well. I have, she explains, the ability to sing off-key and off-tempo. Its a vocal talent quite apart from a lack of vocal talent. And its not a skill you might think would come in particularly handy for a New York stage and television actress, even one as versatile as Monk, who is far more likely to be required, at a minimum, to sing on-key and on-tempo. Except that in Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing, now in a world-premiere run at Signature Theatre, sounding awful is exactly what the playwright-director, James Lapine, wants to hear from Monk. The show is about one Elva Ruby Miller, whom theatergoers of a certain age might remember as for a brief, unshining moment an unlikely celebrity of the 1960s. Achieving renown simply as Mrs. Miller, she soared to stardom on radio and television by virtue of her LPs and ghastly covers of Top-40 hits such as Petula Clarks Downtown, the Beatles A Hard Days Night and Monday Monday by the Mamas and the Papas. She became a kind of pop sensation in spite of herself, Lapine says, explaining that what made Miller unique was that she was in her 50s and performing excruciating versions of songs associated with a younger, hipper generation. I dont think it was her music, and that was the whole joke, he says. The question was, did she know that people were laughing at her? If the inquiry rings a bell, perhaps its because a similar one was posed in Florence Foster Jenkins, the movie from last year that earned Meryl Streep her 20th Academy Award nomination. In it, she plays a tone-deaf socialite of an earlier age, a Mrs. Miller of the 1920s and 30s, who squeaked out operatic arias so sourly that listeners lips would pucker. Jenkins also was the subject of a 2004 off-Broadway play, Souvenir, starring Judy Kaye, which moved the following year to Broadway, where it quickly fizzled. From Left to Right: Kimberly Marable as Denise Banfield, Jacob ben Widmar as Bobby Sherrin, Kaitlyn Davidson as Carol Sue Singleton and Debra Monk as Mrs. Elva Miller in"Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing. (Margot Schulman) This all might help to explain why Lapine, 68, didnt have the easiest time finding a home for Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing, which he has been working on for the better part of a decade. Two years ago this month, though, Lapine was in Washington to receive Signature Theatres Sondheim Award, given to him for his distinguished collaboration as book writer and director of the Stephen Sondheim musicals Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park With George and Passion. That night, he mentioned Mrs. Miller to Signatures artistic director, Eric Schaeffer, who agreed to produce it. [DC Theater: James Lapine does his thing] Lapine says he had long wanted to write about the music and politics of the late 60s, and he became intrigued with Miller after being introduced to Mark Oliver Everett, a musician with the indie rock group the Eels, who had written a film treatment about her. I looked her up and thought, this is a great way to think about this era, Lapine says, because 66 to 68 was the middle of Vietnam and the cultural revolution, and she started recording in that period, when the music changed. He also long had in mind Monk, who has made a zesty career out of supporting roles: She originated the part, for example, of Sara Jane Moore in Sondheims 1990 musical Assassins and won a Tony three years later for her featured performance in a Lanford Wilson play, Redwood Curtain. She has been nominated for three other Tonys, and, even more impressive, the nods have come for her work in both plays and musicals. (Monk also has done television, most prominently playing the eternally worried wife of Dennis Franzs Andy Sipowicz on NYPD Blue.) Debra Monk. (Andre Chung/for The Washington Post) Born in Ohio, Monk grew up in the Washington area and graduated from Wheaton High School. She never gave acting a moments consideration until after a stint as a secretary in Dupont Circle and a subsequent scholarship to Marylands Frostburg State College. At Frostburg, Monk was required to take a speech class and, as a result, was asked to try out for a production of an avant-garde play, Harold Pinters The Birthday Party. To this day, I dont know what its about, she says. Monk did, however, have some innate belief in herself, because by her own account, she talked her way into a well-regarded graduate acting program at Southern Methodist University in Texas and, upon graduation, went to New York, where she and fellow actress Cass Morgan created a country-music musical for themselves called Pump Boys and Dinettes. The show would transfer in 1982 to Broadway, where it ran for nearly 600 performances. What Monk, now in her mid-60s, hasnt experienced much is a piece built around her. Lapine is happy to have been the supplier of that particular property. She really hasnt been a headliner, he says. Its a thrill to be able to give her a part thats at the center, at this stage of her life. (Another theater heavyweight, Boyd Gaines, is also featured in Mrs. Miller.) Its a part in which Monk gets to sing 60s standard after 60s standard not just Downtown and Monday Monday, but also These Boots Are Made for Walkin, The Ballad of the Green Berets and Moon River. Just not in the standard way. Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing, written and directed by James Lapine. Tickets: $40-$99. Through March 26 at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Call 703-820-9771 or visit sigtheatre.org. Mark my words. There will never be a more screwed-up time in Washington. Thus speaks Bill Randa (John Goodman), a scientist who at the beginning of Kong: Skull Island arrives at the Capitol in 1973 to secure funding for a mission to a mysterious island in the South China Sea, perpetually shrouded in thunderstorms, hitherto un-mapped and unexplored. His mission: to locate one of filmdoms most iconic characters and make him relevant for audiences inured to the usual ho-hum of crashes, car chases and explosions of solar-level size and ferocity. And, against all odds, he succeeds: Kong: Skull Island is a big, noisy B-movie infused with moments of wit and sprightly visual sophistication, anchored by what surely must be the most enormous version of King Kong since the giant ape made his screen debut in 1933. (After being on all fours in Peter Jacksons 2005 King Kong, now the big ape is back up on his feet again.) Liberally borrowing imagery and story points from Francis Ford Coppolas Vietnam War epic Apocalypse Now, this tale of adventure with a less-than-subtle subtext about the perils of heedless human interference in the natural world doesnt necessarily tread new ground. Nor does it revisit the original films famous climax atop the Empire State Building. But theres a commendable level of artfulness to the overheated spectacle, rewarding viewers not just with the expected tableaux of the title character swatting away helicopters and bullets with irritated ferocity, but also with one or two genuinely memorable human characters and some welcome panache. From left, Thomas Mann as Silvko, John Ortiz as Victor Nieves, Tom Hiddleston as James Conrad, Brie Larson as Mason Weaver and Corey Hawkins as Houston Brooks. (Warner Bros. Pictures) The best decision made by the team behind Kong: Skull Island was to set it immediately after President Richard M. Nixons peace with honor speech, when troops in Vietnam are readying to go home. Randa, having secured his funding back in Washington, is in need of a military escort to the island, meaning the presence of a ragtag group of seasoned fighters, led by the bellicose Lt. Col. Packard (Samuel L. Jackson). Also along for the ride: a photographer named Weaver (Brie Larson), a team of Trekkie-looking scientists with a NASA outfit called Landsat and a British tracker pointedly named Conrad. That plummy gentleman is played by Tom Hiddleston, whos always improbably and unnervingly well-groomed, no matter what the occasion. But hes an outlier within an otherwise scruffy team of misfits who make sure to pack a reel-to-reel tape player on one of the several helicopters they take to the cloud-encased redoubt. The Vietnam War setting gives Kong: Skull Island lots of opportunities to evoke the period in pyrotechnic explosions and yellow-tinged clouds of toxic gas. It also, not incidentally, allows for choice cuts from the likes of Jefferson Airplane and Creedence Clearwater Revival; the promiscuous use of machine guns, hand grenades, flamethrowers and napalm; and snippets of macho vocab like two clicks to our north and Roger that, Fox Five. As his legend has grown since 1933, so has his literal stature. The latest version of Kong surely must be the most enormous one since he made his screen debut. (Warner Bros. Pictures) And make no mistake: Kong: Skull Island is a macho enterprise all the way. Larson manages to hold her own with very little to do except take up her camera when bizarre things begin to happen, but a scientist played by Jing Tian barely makes an impact, save as a sop to the Chinese market. When the monstrously huge title character makes his first appearance to the exploratory crew, its both gratifying and terrifying, and as the story deepens we discover that his rage has an altruistic purpose. Whats more, hes not the only scary creature on the island, where Our Heroes soon meet up with supersized versions of a spider, a water buffalo and, in the films gruesome and seemingly endless climactic scene, a screeching, slithery-tongued lizard. Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts, whose previous film was the indie coming-of-age film The Kings of Summer, does a good job of doling out the requisite number of wowsers and whammies, engaging in gratuitous mayhem and destruction, but along the way creating a rich sense of atmosphere and detail. (Theres a lovely shot when a flotilla of helicopters give way to one dragonfly hovering in midair.) As most directors will tell you, casting well is easily 90 percent of the job. Vogt-Roberts has made several good decisions in that regard the supporting cast includes the wonderful Toby Kebbell, Shea Whigham and Corey Hawkins and one flat-out brilliant one: John C. Reilly steals the movie in his funny and poignant portrayal of a Kurtz-like figure living in an exotic redoubt, populated by an ancient tribe called the Iwi. (Reillys character is named Marlow, in another painfully obvious Conradian nod.) If Reillys presence gives Kong: Skull Island its playful, gonzo edge, its the title character himself who gives it soul, morphing from a monster into a brooding symbol of the colossal folly of military belligerence and hegemonic hubris. With its band of interlopers destroying the island to study it, the humans of Kong: Skull Island quickly begin to personify the real heart of darkness, becoming far more frightening than the fearsome, regal, ultimately sympathetic figure at its center. As ape movies go, this ones big, all right. But not necessarily dumb. Feb. 19 Issue Brandon Paulin runs a town by rachel manteuffEL Just a quick note to tell you I thoroughly enjoyed reading every word of your piece about Mayor Brandon Paulin. Thanks! Dory Piccard Dickson, Medford, N.J. What a delightful, inspiring, humorous and hopeful article about a young man with good ambitions, professionally and personally. I love your town, having visited only once, but Ill be back to see how youre doing with the town, the grocery store and the car. ... Kudos, high fives, fist pumps ... whatever is cool these days to say nice going and good luck. Cathy Bergeron, Annandale, Va. Feb. 12 Issue For Backyard chickens, a lot of TLC by Karin Brulliard I enjoyed reading this story. A few things I want to mention that were not in the article: The state of Maryland requires that everyone who owns chickens register their flock with the Maryland Department of Agriculture. All live poultry and hatching egg sales in Maryland require an MDA permit with the exception of sales at auction markets. Permit holders agree to be inspected, meet sanitation and biosecurity standards of the National Poultry Improvement Plan, and their flocks are regularly tested for pullorum-typhoid and avian influenza. The MDA has great concerns about poultry respiratory diseases. ... When we receive reports of illness in chickens, particularly respiratory illness or any instances of increased mortality, we will come out at no charge to the owner to collect samples and perform testing. We encourage backyard flock owners to contact us or the University of Maryland Poultry Extension whenever they have concerns about the health of their birds. We want to make sure our Maryland small-flock owners know we are here to help. Marilyn M. White, D.V.M. Maryland National Poultry Improvement Plan Coordinator, Annapolis, Md. This weeks best travel bargains around the globe. Land The Barnsley Resort, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains north of Atlanta, has a special featuring more than $300 in savings. The Spring Into Fun deal starts at $579, with taxes, and includes two nights in a king manor room ($216 savings on the lowest-priced room), plus a $100 activity credit. Resort adventures include shooting clays, horseback riding and spa treatments. Travel Sunday-Thursday, from Sunday through May 25. Info: 877-773-2447, www.barnsleyresort.com. Port Ferdinand, a luxury resort in Barbados, is offering 45 percent off rates. A one-bedroom harborside room starts at $739, with taxes, down from $1,250. Price includes meet-and-greet at the airport, breakfast food pack, water taxi between Port Ferdinand and its sister resort St. Peters Bay, and more. Book by March 31 using code PF45. Stay through December; blackout dates apply. Info: 855-346-8662, www.portferdinand.com. Perillo Tours has discounted by $250 per person a tour to Italy featuring Easter in Rome. The April 13 departure of the eight-night Vesuvius Tour is now $2,745 per person double. Price includes three nights at Hotel Victoria in Rome, two nights at Parco dei Principi hotel in Sorrento and three nights at Hotel Rivoli in Florence; 16 meals; tour guide; land transportation; tours with entrance fees and papal Easter Mass in St. Peters Square; airport transfers; and taxes. Info: 800-431-1515, www.perillotours.com. Sea Paul Gauguin Cruises is discounting select South Pacific cruises aboard the 332-passenger Paul Gauguin. For example, the 10-night Society Islands & Tuamotus cruise departing Papeete, Tahiti, on Dec. 13 starts at $4,595 per person double a savings of $950. Rate includes round-trip airfare from Los Angeles. Add taxes and fees of $185. Book by March 18. Info: 800-848-6172, www.pgcruises.com. Air On Avianca, fly round trip from Washington Dulles to Guatemala City for $399. The deal applies to flights connecting via San Salvador for travel through June 30. Restrictions include a minimum stay of Sunday night or three nights. Other airlines are matching; fare is typically about $460. Book by March 31 at us.avianca.com/en. Package With Wendy Wu Tours, book a select 2017 package in Asia and receive a $300 air credit. The deal applies to group and private tours in C hina, Japan, Burma and Thailand. For example, with the credit, the 14-day Thailand Highlights tour departing on Nov. 10 starts at $3,460 per person double and includes air from Washington Dulles to Bangkok, with return from Chiang Mai; lodging in Bangkok, Kanchanaburi, Chiang Rai, Mae Kampong and Chiang Mai; ground transportation; all meals; entrance fees; special activities, such as a Thai cooking class; and taxes. Book by March 31. Info: 877-993-6399, www.wendywutours.com. Save up to $1,000 per couple on smarTours new China Highlights & Undiscovered Wuhan tour. The 13-night package starts at $2,599 per person double for select November and December departures. Also, pay by check and receive an additional $100 discount per person. The trip includes round-trip air from New York to Beijing; three flights in China; 10 nights lodging in Shanghai, Wuhan, Xian and Beijing; three-night cruise on the Yangtze River with Victoria Cruises; 27 meals; ground transportation; tour guide; tours with entrance fees; airport transfers; and taxes. Book by March 16. Info: 800-337-7773. www.smartours.com/china. Carol Sottili, Andrea Sachs If youre already bracing for a long airport security line during the spring break travel season, then you must remember last year. You do, dont you? Thats when Transportation Security Administration screening wait times doubled under the weight of tighter security and swelling crowds. On just one day in mid-March, 6,800 American Airlines customers reportedly missed their flights, thanks to the lengthy TSA lines. The agency assigned to protect Americas transportation systems responded with a 10-point plan to speed up airport lines, and the lines abated by the end of the summer. During the winter holidays, the agency estimates that 99 percent of air travelers waited in security lines for less than half an hour and that 95 percent waited less than 15 minutes. But with spring break 2017 in our sights, air travelers are wondering if history will repeat itself. And if theres anything they can do to avoid getting stuck in line. Theyre air travelers like Beverly Byrum, a nurse from Louisville, who got a little preview of a worst-case scenario when she returned from a trip to Mexico through Atlanta in January. The immigration lines were 500 travelers deep, then another long line for TSA, she says. The anger in the crowd was growing. Many people missed connections. Although Byrum doesnt entirely blame the TSA for the slowdown, she says it was a contributing factor. The TSA hasnt announced any new efforts aimed directly at easing lines during the busy spring travel weeks. Then again, this is a different spring and theres a new administration in Washington. Change is definitely in the air. One of the solutions that could be quickly put into place if new lines crop up: private security screeners. That has long been a GOP-backed solution for inefficiency in the security process, says Anthony DeMaio, a lobbyist with ONeill and Associates in Washington. He expects to see a renewed push for increased privatization of TSA screeners. Already, more than 20 airports participate in the TSAs Screening Partnership Program, which allows private companies to conduct airport security screening. Agency observers also expect a renewed push to promote TSA PreCheck, the agencys expedited screening program. And while hyping the pricey program during a busy travel season may seem opportunistic, PreChecks advantages are undeniable. Bryan Cunningham, who owns an aviation services company in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and is a frequent air traveler, says PreCheck membership, which costs $85 for five years, is absolutely, definitely worth the money. TSAs internal metrics indicate that 97 percent of passengers with PreCheck clearance waited less than five minutes in line during the last holiday period. When youre checking in, it cuts the wait time down by 80 percent, compared to a conventional line, Cunningham says. Plus, you dont have to take off your shoes or remove your computer most of the time. The benefits are especially clear to inbound international travelers, who can use a kiosk and bypass the lengthy lines after immigration the same lines Byrum had to contend with in Atlanta. The TSA says it is taking the threat of longer lines seriously. Although its plan to ease congestion, put in place almost a year ago, has worked so far, we continue to expand on some of the initiatives, says Bruce Anderson, a TSA spokesman. For example, the agency plans to utilize overtime and expedite the hiring of screeners this spring. It also plans to deploy more K-9 teams and, over the long term, to invest in research and development in technologies that will speed up screening. Will it be enough? Kevin Mitchell, who runs the Business Travel Coalition, an advocacy group in Radnor, Pa., that represents corporate travel managers, thinks we may be headed for a replay of spring break 2016 unless more is done quickly. In fact, he wants the National Guard deployed during the busy air travel weeks to help move things along. The only thing that would permanently reduce the lines is to remove the clutter specifically, the carry-on bags passengers try to drag through the screening area in an effort to avoid checked-baggage fees. To encourage travelers to check bags and reduce the number of items TSA agents need to inspect, Congress should pass legislation that would require airlines to temporarily reduce baggage fees by 50 percent, Mitchell says. Thats a long shot, but Congress has an opportunity to do just that in the upcoming Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Bill. While it may be too late for this year, theres always spring break 2018. Until then, passengers flying in March and early April should consider arriving at the airport at least a half-hour earlier than they normally would. If you can, fly during nonpeak hours, and check your bags, advises Paul Hudson, the executive director of Flyersrights.org, a nonprofit organization that advocates for air travelers. Unlike last spring break, the TSA, airlines and their passengers are flying into this busy travel period fully aware of what could happen. And if all goes as planned, the screening experience will be the least memorable part of your vacation. Elliott is a consumer advocate, journalist and co-founder of the advocacy group Travelers United. Email him at chris@elliott.org. Alexandria These were among incidents reported by the Alexandria Police Department. For information, call 703-746-4444 or visit alexandriava.gov. SEXUAL ASSAULTS King St., 3600 block, 8:50 p.m. Feb. 23. A sexual assault was reported. Mark Center Dr., 4800 block, 11:21 p.m. Feb. 23. A sexual assault was reported. ASSAULTS Canal Center Pl., unit block, 2:14 p.m. March 1. An assault was reported. Central Ave., 2400 block, 9:10 p.m. Feb. 25. An assault was reported. An arrest was made. Duke St., 5200 block, 4:28 p.m. Feb. 24. An assault was reported. Glebe Rd. W., 200 block, 1:53 a.m. Feb. 26. An assault was reported. An arrest was made. Jefferson Davis Hwy., 2300 block, 11:30 a.m. Feb. 28. An assault was reported. Jefferson Davis Hwy., 3100 block, 4:49 a.m. Feb. 27. An assault was reported and property was damaged. King and West streets, 3:44 a.m. Feb. 25. An assault was reported. King St., 700 block, 1:36 a.m. Feb. 25. An assault was reported and property was damaged. An arrest was made. King St., 3600 block, 1:59 p.m. Feb. 25. An assault was reported. An arrest was made. King St., 4300 block, 8:18 p.m. Feb. 23. An assault was reported and property was damaged. King St., 4500 block, 3:09 p.m. Feb. 27. An assault was reported. Madison and N. Patrick streets, 10:10 p.m. Feb. 26. An assault was reported. An arrest was made. Seminary Rd., 4300 block, 3:27 p.m. Feb. 28. An assault was reported. Seminary Rd., 4900 block, 10:45 p.m. Feb. 23. An assault was reported. An arrest was made. Seminary Rd., 5000 block, 6:30 p.m. Feb. 24. An assault was reported and property was damaged. Seminary Rd., 5000 block, 11:23 p.m. Feb. 23. An assault was reported. Van Dorn St. S., 200 block, 4:28 p.m. Feb. 24. An assault was reported and property was damaged. An arrest was made. Washington St. S., 1100 block, 10:15 a.m. Feb. 28. An assault was reported. Whiting St. S., 200 block, 5:51 p.m. Feb. 25. An assault was reported. ROBBERIES Duke St., 4500 block, 4:57 p.m. Feb. 24. A robbery was reported. An arrest was made. Seminary Rd., 5000 block, 11:23 p.m. Feb. 23. A robbery was reported. THEFTS/BREAK-INS Armistead St. N., 500 block, 12:39 p.m. Feb. 23. A theft was reported. Carpenter Rd., 700 block, 6:21 p.m. Feb. 24. A theft was reported. Century Dr., 100 block, 12:27 p.m. Feb. 28. A theft was reported. Duke St., 4500 block, 11:03 p.m. Feb. 25. A theft was reported. Duke St., 5100 block, 10:05 p.m. March 1. A theft was reported. An arrest was made. Edsall Rd., 6000 block, 8:51 p.m. Feb. 23. Property was entered and an assault was reported. Four Mile Rd., 600 block, 10:35 a.m. Feb. 24. A theft was reported. Franklin St., 600 block, 3:50 p.m. March 1. A shoplifting incident was reported. Holmes Run Pkwy., 5300 block, 11:50 p.m. March 1. A theft was reported and property was damaged. Jefferson Davis Hwy., 3100 block, 10:59 a.m. Feb. 25. A theft was reported. Jefferson Davis Hwy., 3400 block, 7:53 a.m. Feb. 23. A theft was reported. Jefferson Davis Hwy., 3600 block, 12:47 p.m. March 1. A theft was reported. King St., 900 block, 3:50 p.m. Feb. 24. A theft was reported. King St., 3300 block, 12:42 p.m. Feb. 23. A theft was reported. Madison and N. Columbus streets, 2:40 p.m. Feb. 24. A theft was reported. Madison St., 1200 block, 7:36 p.m. Feb. 25. Property was entered. An arrest was made. Patrick St. N., 800 block, 11:22 a.m. Feb. 27. Property was stolen from a vehicle. Ripley St. N., 100 block, 7:45 p.m. Feb. 27. Property was entered and damaged. Royal St. S., 100 block, 6:03 p.m. Feb. 26. A theft was reported. Russell Rd., 500 block, 8:03 a.m. Feb. 25. Property was stolen from a vehicle. Seminary Rd., 4300 block, 5:09 p.m. Feb. 23. A theft was reported. Union St. N., 200 block, 11:26 a.m. March 1. An employee theft was reported. Van Dorn St. S., 500 block, 1:01 a.m. March 1. Property was entered. Van Dorn St. S., 500 block, 2:12 a.m. Feb. 27. A theft was reported. Washington St. S., 1200 block, 12:02 a.m. March 2. A theft was reported. Wythe St., 1200 block, 10:22 p.m. Feb. 25. Property was entered. An arrest was made. MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS Sanger Ave., 5600 block, 11:42 a.m. March 1. A vehicle was stolen. Seminary Rd., 4900 block, 9:42 p.m. Feb. 28. A vehicle was stolen. Swann Ave., 600 block, 6:40 p.m. Feb. 27. A vehicle was stolen. Van Dorn St. S., 100 block, 5:06 p.m. Feb. 23. A vehicle was stolen. Van Dorn St. S., 500 block, 3:07 a.m. Feb. 25. A vehicle was stolen. VANDALISM Cameron Parke Pl. and Eisenhower Ave., 9:24 a.m. Feb. 25. Property was damaged. Duke St., 5200 block, 1:23 p.m. Feb. 25. Property was damaged. Duke St., 5300 block, 11:49 a.m. Feb. 28. Property was damaged. Eisenhower Ave., 4200 block, 1:15 p.m. Feb. 24. Property was damaged. Jefferson Davis Hwy., 3300 block, 11:53 a.m. Feb. 23. Property was damaged. Mount Vernon Ave., 1900 block, 8:02 p.m. Feb. 22. Property was damaged. Notabene Ave., 600 block, 10:33 a.m. Feb. 23. Property was damaged. Pendleton and N. Henry streets, 1:33 p.m. Feb. 26. Property was damaged. Van Dorn St. N., 2500 block, 4:14 p.m. Feb. 25. Property was damaged. An arrest was made., Van Dorn St. S., 500 block, 11:04 p.m. Feb. 24. Property was damaged. Arlington These were among incidents reported Feb. 22-27 by the Arlington County Police Department. For information, call 703-558-2222 or visit newsroom.arlingtonva.us. ASSAULTS Arlington Blvd., 3200 block. An assault was reported. Columbia Pike, 2000 block, 12:55 a.m. Feb. 26. An assault in a garage was reported. Columbia Pike, 5500 block. A harassment incident was reported. Courthouse Rd. N., 1400 block. Threats were reported. Four Mile Run Dr. S., 4500 block. A harassment incident was reported. Glebe Rd. N., 2800 block. An assault was reported. Greenbrier St. S., 800 block. An assault was reported. Highland St. N., 1000 block, 12:08 p.m. Feb. 25. An assault at a restaurant was reported. BOMB THREATS Eads St. S., 1900 block, 8:38 a.m. Feb. 22. A bomb threat was reported. A K9 sweep was conducted, with negative results. An investigation is ongoing. MISSILE TO AN OCCUPIED DWELLING George Mason Dr. S., 1400 block, 5:04 a.m. Feb. 26. A female resident reported that a rock was thrown through a window. ROBBERIES Fourth and N. Glebe Rd., midnight Feb. 26. A robbery was reported. THEFTS/BREAK-INS Arlington Blvd., 4700 block. Identity theft was reported. Army Navy Dr., 900 block. A theft was reported. Ball St. S., 3500 block. Identity theft was reported. Carlin Springs Rd. N., 4300 block, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26. A theft from a residence was reported. Carlin Springs Rd. N., 4500 block, 10 a.m. Feb. 27. Property was entered. Carlin Springs Rd. N., 4500 block, 12:06 p.m. Feb. 27. A resident reported that two men and two women claiming to represent an insurance company entered the residence, checked each room and left. Nothing was reported missing. An investigation is ongoing. Clarendon Blvd., 2700 block, 4:24 p.m. Feb. 24. A theft from a store was reported. Clarendon Blvd., 2900 block. A theft was reported. Columbia Pike, 3000 block. Property was entered. Columbia Pike, 3400 block. Identity theft was reported. Crystal Square, 1600 block, 7 p.m. Feb. 24 to 11 a.m. Feb. 25. Property was stolen from a business entered by force. Fairfax Dr., 2400 block, 9:30 p.m. Feb. 26. Property was stolen from a vehicle. Fairfax Dr., 4200 block, 10:30 a.m. Feb. 26. A theft from a church was reported. Glebe Rd. N., 300 block, 9:10 p.m. Feb. 24. A theft from a grocery was reported. Monroe St. N., 900 block. Property was entered. Nottingham St. N., 2200 block, 1 p.m. Feb. 24. Property was stolen from a vehicle. Nottingham St. N., 2200 block, 10 p.m. Feb. 24. Property was stolen from a vehicle. Ohio St. N., 3500 block. Property was stolen from a vehicle. Queen St. N., 1200 block, 5:30 p.m. Feb. 22. A theft from a garage was reported. First St. N., 5900 block. A theft was reported. Ninth St. N., 3800 block. Identity theft was reported. 15th St. N., 2100 block. A theft was reported. 15th St. N., 2100 block, 3:43 p.m. Feb. 27. A shoplifting incident was reported. 22nd Rd. N., unit block, 1 p.m. Feb. 24 Property was stolen from a vehicle. 22nd St. N., 1700 block. A theft was reported. 22nd St. N., 6000 block, 1 p.m. Feb. 24. Property was stolen from a vehicle. 23rd St. N., 6000 block, 6:11 a.m. Feb. 25. Police responding to a tampering report determined that a man had confronted another man who was found inside a neighbors vehicle. The man then fled from the scene in another vehicle. Property was discovered stolen from about 30 vehicles. 23rd St. N., 6000 block, 1 p.m. Feb. 24. Property was stolen from a vehicle. 23rd St. S., 300 block. Property was stolen from a vehicle. 23rd St. S., 900 block. A theft was reported. 29th Rd. S., 600 block. Property was stolen from a vehicle. MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS Columbia Pike, 1800 block, Oct. 20. A gray 2007 Mazda 3 was stolen. Lowell St. S., 2400 block, Feb. 23. A silver 2006 Land Rover was stolen. VANDALISM Barton St. S., 200 block. Property was damaged. Fairfax Dr., 2400 block. Property was damaged. Fort Myer Dr., 1900 block, 5 p.m. Feb. 24. Graffiti was reported. Joyce St. S., 1400 block, 7:50 a.m. Feb. 24. A residence was damaged. Wilson Blvd., 2100 block. Property was damaged. Fourth St. N., 3100 block, 10 p.m. Feb. 25. Property was damaged. 16th St. S., 2900 block. Property was damaged. 23rd St. S., 500 block. Property was damaged. 23rd St. S., 3500 block. Property was damaged. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the Districts nonvoting delegate in Congress, talks with Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah). Chaffetz wants federal agencies relocated from Washington, an idea Norton called frivolous and laughable. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post) Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) wants to do more than drain the swamp. He wants to dismantle it piece by piece and redistribute it to the rest of America. Chaffetz, who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, proposed a resolution that asserts it is unnecessary for federal agencies to be located in the District. The committee debated the measure Wednesday and voted Friday 21 to 19 to advance the resolution to the full House. The vote fell mostly along party lines. The only Republican to oppose the resolution was Rep. Steve Russell (R-Okla.), who noted James Madison favored consolidating government agencies in the capital. The nonbinding resolution raised the ire of local Democratic lawmakers already fighting efforts by the Republican majority to intervene in the Districts local laws and policies pertaining to gun control, assisted suicide, subsidized abortion and legalized marijuana. Chaffetzs measure which he called Divest D.C. dovetails with President Trumps federal hiring freeze and his calls to drain the swamp. [Chaffetz is becoming the Districts boogeyman] The House would have to pass the resolution for it to become the official position of that chamber. Meanwhile, legislation that would require all federal agencies in the District to relocate their headquarters outside the metropolitan area was introduced last month by Reps. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) and Ted Budd (R-N.C.). It has yet to get a hearing. With Divest D.C., Chaffetz argued that the economic development benefits associated with government jobs should be spread beyond the District. Advances in travel and technology make it easier for agency workers to do their jobs elsewhere, he said. And the government could save money if it didnt have to accommodate the Districts high cost of living, he argued. I do believe conceptually in my heart that if you want a government that is reflective of the people, they need to be closer to the people, he said during the hearing. What would it look like if the Department of Agriculture was maybe based in Oklahoma? he said. What if we had a Department of the Interior that was based in Utah or Colorado? What if the Department of Transportation was based in Los Angeles, for instance? [Jason Chaffetz has a new opponent: A D.C. PAC designed to oust him] Stephen S. Fuller, an economist at George Mason University who has tracked the local economy for decades, said that a relocation of government agencies to outside the D.C. region would have a devastating effect on the metropolitan area. Everybodys here because of Uncle Sam. We have a rich uncle, and thats what drives the economy, he said. In 2010, federal spending in the area peaked at $171 billion, including payments to retired federal workers, he said. Across-the-board federal budget cuts known as sequestration took a toll on the District, halting economic growth in 2012, compared with causing just a slowdown elsewhere in the country, he said. It was more like a bump in the road. Ours was a crater, he said. In the hearing, Eleanor Holmes Norton, the Districts nonvoting delegate, noted that 85 percent of federal workers live outside the D.C. region. She derided the resolution as bordering on frivolous and laughable and befitting a freshman lawmaker not a seasoned committee chairman such as Chaffetz. Im sorry, everybody, the framers decided just like every other part of the world there would be a capital and in the capital would be located the major agencies that run your government, she said. This resolution is unwarranted, and frankly its gratuitous and punitive. Rep. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Md.) called it ironic that Republicans say the city belongs to all of America but at the same time want to strip the seat of government of federal offices. His Montgomery County district is home to the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration, among others. Rep. Rod Blum (R-Iowa), who supports Divest D.C., said the Department of Agriculture might better carry out its mission in the Midwest. Most of its decisions impact farmers, he said. I have yet to see a cow or hog in Washington, D.C., or a corn plant or a soybean plant in D.C. That prompted Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.), who represents a Northern Virginia district home to tens of thousands of federal workers, to say, Maybe the caption on this should be Give me cows! Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) didnt miss a beat: We do see a lot of bull here, maybe not a lot of cows, he said. Connolly pressed ahead, calling the debate a waste of time intended to score political points in Republicans home districts. He facetiously suggested that maybe theres good swampland in Louisiana, where the government could cheaply relocate agencies. Chaffetz bristled at the comments. You better be a little careful about just calling Louisiana a bunch of swampland and disparaging other parts of the country, he said. At that point, Connolly interrupted, and they talked over each other until Chaffetz banged the gavel to retake the floor. . While it makes sense for security agencies, including the Pentagon and the departments of Justice and Homeland Security, to remain in the District, rank-and-file bureaucrats do not need to live in the nations capitol, Chaffetz said. In Chaffetzs home state, the federal government owns 70 percent of the land, and the Obama administration recently designated 1.3 million acres as the Bears Ears National Monument. He said his constituents would be better served if the officials who oversaw those holdings were closer. Its very hard for them to understand why some desk jockey in D.C. gets to make decisions about whats going on in their own back yard, he said. Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described the resolution that was debated. If passed, the resolution would represent the official opinion of the House only, not the House and the Senate. This story has been updated. D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) fields questions from reporters in October. A complaint filed with the Office of Campaign Finance seeks an investigation into some contributions to her 2014 campaign. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) Months before D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser is expected to announce her bid for re-election, her last campaign may be under official review. A division of the nonprofit organization Public Citizen, which aims to limit the influence of money in politics, filed a complaint this week with the Districts Office of Campaign Finance, saying it found more than 20 instances in which individuals or businesses appeared to have given Bowser (D) more than the legal limit of $2,000 apiece. Combined, the contributions could represent $31,500 in illegal funds to Bowsers successful 2014 mayoral campaign, Public Citizen said. Wesley Williams, a spokesman for the Districts campaign office, said the agency has received the complaint but would not comment further. Ben Soto, Bowsers campaign treasurer, said he had found only record-keeping errors among the contributions identified by Public Citizen. In one instance, Soto said, a pair of $2,000 contributions from a developer and his son Franklin Haney Sr. and Franklin Haney Jr. mistakenly lacked the senior and junior that should have delineated the two in records filed with the campaign office. Both contributions were listed as coming from Franklin Haney, and to an address in Tennessee, where the company has an office. Calls to the companys D.C. and Chattanooga offices were not immediately returned. Theres no story here, Soto said. We could have done a better job showing their first name, last name and middle initial, or that there was a senior and junior in the same household, he said. But like any campaign, were all human beings, and mistakes can be made. Bowsers campaign received more than 7,000 individual contributions, totaling more than $3.6 million. By either count, the number in question is a fraction of a percent. But the complaint draws new attention to the money Bowsers team solicited and received from wealthy developers who have sought and in some cases received continued city business or new contracts under her administration. Among them is Sanford Capital. The owner of 19 apartment buildings in the city has received millions annually through housing vouchers used by low-income residents, despite the fact that it owes the city thousands in unpaid fines levied because of housing code violations. In addition, the D.C. attorney general is suing Sanford for substandard conditions in two buildings. The company donated $2,000 to Bowsers campaign in 2013 and then gave another $1,000 about eight months later, according to public records. [City subsidies keep flowing to landlord sued over housing conditions] In all, about 15 of the 23 contributions identified by Public Citizen appear to be cases in which developers or those in real estate, construction or health industries contributed to Bowser multiple times. The practice is common in D.C. campaigns and legal because individuals and companies can each give up to $2,000. A Washington Post survey of the contributions identified by Public Citizen show that in several instances, the campaign attributed donations to a company that, if recorded differently and spread between individual corporate officers, would have fallen within legal limits. Those include contributions from Four Points, which recently won a city subsidy to build an affordable-housing complex in Southeast. Two campaign contributions of $2,000 were listed from the company for a total of $4,000 - twice the legal limit. But if that money was spread among the companys partners, the donations would comply with campaign finance laws. An email to company executives was not immediately returned. In another case, duplicate maximum contributions were attributed to Blue Skye Development. That was one of at least three companies that gave money to Bowsers campaign that were connected to longtime Bowser supporter Bryan Scottie Irving. Some of the companies contributed up to the limit, while others did not. Individually, Irving gave $500, far below the limit. Irving was involved in a potentially lucrative city lease approved by Bowsers administration for a family homeless shelter last year. The D.C. Council later scuttled the plan. Irving did not respond to an email regarding the contributions identified by Public Citizen. [Homeless shelter plan could prove profitable for Bowser backers] In addition to the campaign, Irving, his family members and companies gave more than $15,000 to a political action committee, dubbed Fresh PAC, that Soto and others created after the campaign but later abandoned amid accusations of pay-to-play politics. [Bowser allies reluctantly shut down controversial PAC] The office of campaign finance audited Bowsers campaign at an early stage, but that review occurred before several of the repeat contributions identified by Public Citizen were made. After Bowsers campaign account was closed last year, Soto received a letter from the office saying that its audit division had reviewed all relevant reports and statements filed by the committee and that the committee was found to be in substantial compliance with city election law. Williams, the agency spokesman, declined to elaborate on the extent of any closing audit. He added that campaigns are required to maintain all records for three years after a campaign is closed should some issue arise that must be reviewed. Aquene Freechild, a co-director of Public Citizens Democracy Is For People campaign, called on the campaign office to investigate. If this is due to sloppy reporting, its an egregious failure by the Bowser campaign and the Office of Campaign Finance, she said. If its an abuse of the Districts campaign finance law, Bowser needs to be held accountable. Repealing the regulations is a victory for GOP leaders, including Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), who argued that they amounted to executive overreach. (2015 photo by Susan Walsh/AP) The Senate narrowly approved a measure Thursday to scrap Obama-era regulations outlining how states must carry out a federal law meant to hold schools accountable for student performance. The vote was 50 to 49, mostly along party lines. Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) split with the GOP to vote against the measure. The Republican-led House approved the legislation last month 240 to 181. It now goes to President Trump, who is expected to sign it. The GOP majority argued that the rules, written by President Barack Obamas Education Department, contradicted congressional intent and amounted to executive overreach. Democrats said repealing the rules would remove provisions meant to ensure that schools serve poor children, minorities, English-language learners and students with disabilities. Democrats also argued that a repeal would empower Education Secretary Betsy DeVos in her advocacy for private-school vouchers. It will give Secretary DeVos a blank check to promote her anti-public-school agenda, said Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.), ranking Democrat on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the committee chairman, dismissed that argument. He said repealing the rules does not in any way give DeVos a path to creating a national voucher program, arguing that it in fact restrains her authority by asserting that the executive branch cannot stretch the law to fit its own philosophy. [The popular uprising that threatened Betsy DeVoss nomination] The regulations were meant to give states details on how to comply with the Every Student Succeeds Act, which 85 senators voted for in 2015 as the successor to the No Child Left Behind Act. The rules clarify how states should identify struggling schools, lay out a timeline for state intervention at those schools and explain what information must be included on annual school report cards sent to parents and the public. Without the regulations, states must rely on statutory language that in some cases is less clear or specific. In the Senate debate, Alexander outlined 23 ways in which he said the regulations overstepped or contradicted the law. Democrats disputed him, saying the regulations supported the balance in the bipartisan law between flexibility for states and guardrails to protect vulnerable children. Democrats along with civil rights advocates, the American Federation of Teachers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have said that nullifying the rules would open loopholes for states to shield poorly performing schools from scrutiny. [Republicans poised to overturn Obama-era education regulations] They also argue that repealing the rules would create chaos and uncertainty for states just as they are developing new plans to hold schools accountable. Jillian Balow (R), Wyomings state schools superintendent, rejected that view. The federal education law is such a robust and specific law that it doesnt cause a great deal of consternation without rules and regulations, she said. With or without the regulations, she added, Wyoming is going down the same path. Wyoming and most other states are expected to submit their plans to the department in September. A smaller number of states are expected to submit plans April 3, just a few weeks away. The department has pledged to provide those states with further guidance by Monday on what will be expected of them. We cant allow this to be a distraction, said Chris Minnich, executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers. All the political back-and-forth on this isnt helping the states. But theyre going forward and theyre producing strong plans regardless. Death toll from Kabul hospital attack rises to 49 The death toll from an attack on a military hospital in Kabul by gunmen dressed as medics has risen to 49 with dozens wounded, a senior health official said on Thursday. A 9-week-old girl died Saturday after a car crash in Prince Georges County, authorities said Thursday. About 9:35 p.m on March 2, officers responded to the 9200 block of Landover Road in Landover after a report of a crash involving two cars, county police said in a statement. An investigation showed that a car carrying the baby was traveling on Landover Road and attempting to turn on to Interstate 495 when it was struck by a car traveling in the opposite direction on Landover Road, the statement said. The infant was taken to a hospital, where she died of her injuries Saturday, police said. The driver of the car with the baby who was in a child safety seat suffered injuries that were not life-threatening. The driver of the other vehicle remained at the scene and declined to be taken to a hospital; two other people in that vehicle suffered injuries that were not life-threatening. The infants name was not released at the request of her family, according to police. Police asked that anyone with information about the collision contact them at 301-731-4422 or visit pgcrimesolvers.com. Police in Montgomery County said a man left behind his driver's license after a series of crimes in Maryland. (Montgomery County police) Leaving behind his drivers license probably made it easier for police to catch a man who they said stole a Lexus from a parking lot in Rockville that had a high-priced violin inside. The events leading to his arrest began about 5 p.m. March 1 in the parking lot outside a Barnes& Noble bookstore on Rockville Pike. Police said Michael Gainer Rothenberg, 27, of Bethesda walked up to a woman, pulled out a gun and demanded her keys and bag. He then fled in her 2004 Lexus, they said. Three days later, authorities said, Rothenberg robbed at gunpoint a clerk at a 7-Eleven store on MacArthur Boulevard in Glen Echo. And Monday, he robbed a gas station in Howard County and fled the scene in the stolen Lexus, police said. He then tried to carjack a woman in a red Mini Cooper to get away, authorities said. Detectives in Howard County said they found a telling clue Rothenbergs drivers license, which they said he left in the stolen Lexus. And they said he left a receipt showing that a musical instrument had been sold to a pawnshop. On Monday, Rothenberg was arrested in Frederick, Md. He faces several charges, including armed carjacking and armed robbery. NBC 4, which first reported the incident, said the violin inside the stolen Lexus was worth $6,000 and was made in 1891 in France. The victim said she was on her way to a music lesson when she was carjacked. A Montgomery County police detective said the violin had been sold to a pawnshop for $200. Police said the victims violin has been returned to her. A 21-year-old District man pleaded guilty Wednesday to burglarizing a home and robbing a man in separate incidents in Northwest Washington in 2016 and 2015, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. Robert Lewis could serve five years in prison if a D.C. Superior Court judge accepts the plea agreement at a hearing on June 2, prosecutors said in a statement. Lewis pleaded guilty to charges of second-degree burglary, robbery and contempt of court. The U.S. Attorneys Office said Lewis broke into a home during the daytime hours on Oct. 16, 2015, in the 700 block of Taylor Street NW. Authorities said a laptop computer and other items were taken; they said the laptop was found several weeks later during a search of Lewiss apartment in Northeast Washington. As part of Wednesdays plea agreement, prosecutors said Lewis also admitted robbing a man about 2:45 p.m. on June 24 in the 600 block of Buchanan Street NW. The contempt charge stems from Lewis leaving a halfway house without authorization. He had been ordered to stay there pending trial. Lewis also faces an additional three to five years in prison from a burglary and theft conviction. Earlier this month, a Superior Court jury found Lewis guilty of those charges, which resulted from a break-in at a home in the first block of Gallatin Street NW on April 9, 2015. He is to be sentenced in that case on June 2. An 18-year-old man pleaded guilty Wednesday to robbing two taxi drivers he had hailed on separate days at Union Station and asked both times to drive him to the same street in Northeast Washington, according to the U.S. attorneys office. Johnathan Waddell, who lives in Northwest, is to be sentenced May 15. The first robbery occurred about 6 p.m. on Dec. 12, when prosecutors said Waddell got into a taxi at the station and was taken to the 300 block of Evarts Street NE, near a playground in the Edgewood neighborhood. Prosecutors said Waddell threatened the driver with a handgun and took between $100 and $200. [D.C. police arrest man in taxicab robberies] Six days later on Dec. 18, prosecutors said Waddell again took a taxi from Union Station to Evarts Street, and robbed the driver of $16. Prosecutors said that this time, Waddell had his hands in his pockets and acted as through he aimed a weapon. Waddell was arrested Dec. 21 after police said they had captured his images on surveillance cameras. A nationwide outage of 911 service affected AT&T Wireless customers for about 90 minutes Wednesday night, including service in the District and suburban jurisdictions. Aware of issue affecting some calls to 911 for wireless customers. Working to resolve ASAP. We apologize to those affected, the company said on its Twitter account about 9:45 p.m. About 10:30 p.m., the Twitter account posted: Issue has been resolved that affected some calls to 911 from wireless customers. We apologize to those who were affected. The company did not immediately release any information on what may have caused the outage or how it was restored. It also was unclear how many people in the region were affected by the 911 outage. District officials responded to the outage about 9 p.m. and created an alternate number for AT&T customers, said Alan Etter, a spokesman for the citys Office of Unified Communications. District users were urged dial 202-373-3700 and select option 1 for emergency service, Etter said. Alexandria also reported the outages and urged their residents to call 703-746-4444 or text 9-1-1, city police said on their Twitter account. In Montgomery County, officials said they hadnt gotten any reports of issues, but they asked callers to try to use a different carrier or dial 301.279.8000. And in Prince Georges County, police spokeswoman Jennifer Donelan tweeted Nationwide AT&T outage now affecting Prince Georges County 9-1-1: Residents w/AT&T DIAL 301-352-1243 for emergency assistance. @PGPDNews. Prince William County authorities asked to call their communications number at 703-792-6500. No immediate cause was released for the outage, and it was not clear when 911 service would be restored for AT&T Wireless customers. This story has been updated. A pizza deliveryman was carjacked Thursday afternoon outside a Dominos carryout near the Tenleytown-American University Metro station, according to D.C. police. Police said the assailant pushed the man down and drove away in a purple Toyota Corolla with Maryland license plate 9CT3935. The attack occurred about 12:35 p.m. in the 4500 block of Wisconsin Avenue NW. Authorities said they are searching for a bald man, about 5 feet 4 inches tall and 25 to 30 years old. He was wearing a blue shirt and black pants. Vigil for Deeniquia Dodds on July 16. Dodds was attacked and shot in the neck July 4 just a few blocks from her home. (Petula Dvorak/The Washington Post) Three men face hate-crimes charges in connection with the deadly shooting last summer of a 22-year-old transgender woman and for targeting two other transgender women, according to court papers filed this week. A D.C. grand jury returned an indictment on Wednesday in the July 4 shooting of Deeniquia Dodds that occurred during an alleged robbery. Dodds was found unconscious and bleeding, and died in the hospital nine days later. Three defendants Jalonte Little, Monte T. Johnson and Cyheme Hall are charged in a robbery conspiracy and with first-degree felony murder that prosecutors now say in the indictment was motivated by prejudice because of the gender identity of the victims. The men are accused of committing four other robberies or attempted robberies on the same day, including the robbery of another transgender woman. According to the indictment, the men are also charged with assaulting a third transgender woman. The addition of the hate-crimes charges means that if the men are convicted, a judge could increase their penalties at sentencing. On the charge of first-degree murder while armed, for example, the hate-crimes enhancement increases the maximum sentence from 60 years to 90 years in prison. Earline Budd, an advocate for the local transgender community, praised the decision by the U.S. attorneys office to officially characterize the shooting as a hate crime. It sends a message that its not okay to go around and shoot, harm and kill transgender people, said Budd, who helped organize a vigil in Doddss honor. It sends a message that we are human like anyone else. Halls attorney, Jonathan Zucker, called it a leap to include the hate-crimes element in the indictment. He said nothing in the initial information he reviewed, for example, suggests specific comments were made about the gender identity of the victims. Johnsons attorney declined to comment. Littles attorney was not immediately available. [Violence lurks in the shadows for transgender sex workers] According to the Human Rights Campaign, more transgender people were killed in 2015 than in any other year on record. In the District, six have been killed since 2002. Dodds, whom friends called Dee Dee, was a sex worker, relatives have said. Police found her at about 3 a.m. in the 200 block of Division Street NE with a gunshot wound to the neck. The three men were riding in a white Pontiac when they spotted Dodds, robbed and shot her, according to the 10-page indictment. The alleged robberies netted small items, including cellphones, earphones and Metro cards. Hall, 21, of District Heights, Md.; Johnson, 21, of Fort Washington, Md.; and Little, 26, of the District are scheduled to face formal charges in Superior Court on Friday. A fourth person arrested in the shooting Shareem Hall of District Heights, Md. is not listed in the indictment filed this week. Hall has a hearing scheduled for May. A Virginia man was arrested in Alexandria on Wednesday in connection with the fatal shooting of a D.C. man during a drug-related robbery in Prince Georges County the day before, police said. [Police identify District man fatally shot in Prince Georges County] Officers responded to the 3900 block of Suitland Road in Suitland about 2:10 p.m. Tuesday for a reported shooting, Prince Georges police said in a statement. They found 29-year-old Lafeal Sinclair in a parking lot suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken to a hospital, where he later died, the statement said. Charles Romain, 24, of Alexandria was arrested and charged with first- and second-degree murder in connection with the death, Prince Georges police said. Police asked anyone with information about the shooting to contact them at 301-772-4925 or visit pgcrimesolvers.com to submit a tip online. Fire in school building guts property worth Rs 10 m Property worth around Rs 10 million was destroyed when a fire broke out at the Balmandir Foundation School at Dandakhet in Beni Municipality-14 of Myagdi district on Wednesday. Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, left, addresses a crowd gathered in a restaurant on Feb. 27 in Leesburg, Va. Democratic gubernatorial rival Tom Perriello, right, meets with airport workers on Thursday at Reagan National Airport. (Fenit Nirappil/The Washington Post) Virginias two Democratic gubernatorial candidates stopped by Reagan National Airport this week to meet workers trying to unionize and achieve a $15 minimum wage, a show of solidarity with both a key constituency and a national movement. In separate appearances, Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam and former congressman Tom Perriello told workers they will urge the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority to require contractors to increase wages for baggage handlers, skycaps and other hourly workers. But they are also calling for a statewide $15 minimum wage, a sign of how much strength the national Fight for $15 has gained. Last year, New York became the first to approve gradual increases to $15 per hour for New York City, followed by the District of Columbia and California. Lawmakers in Maryland are debating legislation to bring that states minimum wage to $15 an hour. Virginia abides by the federal minimum wage of $7.25, which has not increased since 2009. Northam broke a tie in the state Senate in 2014 to increase the minimum wage to $10.25, but the measure failed in the overwhelmingly Republican House of Delegates. Virginia Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam talks to Esther Nchom, center, while Rabia Khatoon, right, listens on Wednesday at Reagan National Airport. Nchom and Khatoon work at Dulles International Airport. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post) Perriello backed $15 shortly after announcing his campaign in early January. Northam joined and supported a $15-minimum-wage rally the next day. Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who is prevented from seeking a second term by the state constitution, has not publicly endorsed the $15 minimum wage, but he vetoed legislation last year that would have prohibited cities from setting their own wage floors. [In Va. governors race, Democrats locked in battle to be most progressive] At Reagan National Airport, named for a president who fired thousands of striking air-traffic controllers, several immigrant workers told the gubernatorial candidates how they struggle to raise their families and juggle multiple jobs after years of stagnant low pay. They said their pay ranged from $6.15 plus a tip to $9 an hour, depending on their jobs. Workers at National and Dulles International Airport went on strike for a day in December to press their case for higher wages. More than 2,000 workers at National and as many as 4,200 at Dulles Airport work for contractors who provide services at the airports. I would challenge anyone out there to go try to support themselves and support their families on $7.25 an hour, Northam said Wednesday after his meeting with workers. It is impossible. You cant do it. He said he would push to raise the minimum wage as governor by campaigning to unseat Republican lawmakers opposed to it. Perriello said he would explore ways to use executive action to raise wages through state contracting and grants while the legislative fight continues. We know we have a long way to go, Perriello told a wheelchair handler during his Thursday visit, wearing a purple Fight for $15 scarf. This is about the dignity of work, but its also about economic growth in our community. A spokeswoman for the Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ, which has been organizing airport workers for the past two years, says the group will shortly decide whether to endorse a candidate in the June 13 Democratic primary. Five-year-old becomes youngest ever at National Spelling Bee A five-year-old Oklahoma girl has made history by becoming the youngest person ever to qualify for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. ICELAND Equal-pay bill would seek proof from firms Iceland would be the first country to make employers prove they offer equal pay regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexuality or nationality, the Nordic nations government said Wednesday International Womens Day. It said it will introduce legislation this month that would require all employers with more than 25 staffers to obtain certification to prove they give equal pay for work of equal value. The legislation, which has the support of opposition lawmakers, is expected to be approved by Parliament. The government hopes to implement it by 2020. Other nations, and Minnesota, have equal-salary certificate policies, but Iceland is thought to be the first to make it mandatory for private and public firms. The nation wants to eradicate the gender pay gap by 2022. The World Economic Forum ranks Iceland as the best country for gender equality, but women there still earn, on average, 14 to 18 percent less than men. Associated Press BALKANS NATO, U.S. warn against Kosovo army NATO and the United States warned Wednesday that they could scale back cooperation with Kosovos security services if the government goes ahead with plans to transform its lightly armed security force into an army without the required constitutional changes. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he told Kosovos leaders by telephone that unilateral steps such as these are unhelpful. He warned that if Kosovo goes ahead as planned, NATO will have to review its level of commitment, particularly in terms of capacity-building. A U.S. Embassy statement said, Adoption of the current proposed law would force us to re-evaluate our bilateral cooperation with and longstanding assistance to Kosovos security forces. Kosovo President Hashim Thaci on Tuesday sent a draft law to parliament seeking approval to form a regular army, citing a security threat from Russia. The move was denounced by Serbian leaders, who refuse to recognize Kosovos independence. Constitutional amendments would require voting approval from the ethnic minorities in Kosovos parliament. Serbia, in effect, holds a key say through Kosovo Serbs. Associated Press 19 dead in fire at child shelter in Guatemala: A fire swept through a childrens shelter near Guatemala City, and officials said at least 19 people died. Police said 38 people were injured, and the Health Ministry said 14 were in serious condition. The shelter has been criticized about crowding, alleged abuse and escapes in the past. It was built to house 500 children, but it held an estimated 800 at the time of the fire. Israel gives initial nod to muezzin bill: Israels parliament has passed an initial reading of a bill that would make mosques lower the volume of their call to prayer, amid protests by Arab lawmakers. The muezzin bill still needs to clear more hurdles. Observant Muslims pray five times a day, starting around 5 a.m. In Israel, the call to prayer is often loud enough to wake up residents in Jewish neighborhoods near Muslim communities. 5 Afghan teens who raped boy to be expelled from Sweden: An appeals court in Sweden has overturned a lower courts ruling and ordered that five Afghan teenagers convicted of the aggravated rape of an underage boy be expelled from the country. The lower court had ruled in December that the teens could not be expelled, because they are under 18 and because of the security situation in Afghanistan. The unaccompanied, asylum-seeking minors are said to have dragged another Afghan boy into a forest in October, threatened him with a knife and raped him. South Africas ICC withdrawal revoked: The United Nations said South Africas withdrawal from the International Criminal Court has been revoked, stalling what would have been the first departure from the tribunal that pursues the worlds worst atrocities. The move comes after a court in South Africa ruled last month that the countrys decision to pull out of the ICC was unconstitutional because it was made without parliaments approval. Cyclone kills at least 3 in Madagascar: A cyclone that hit northeast Madagascar killed at least three people and left nearly 500 people homeless, but officials and aid workers warned that the full extent of the devastation was not yet clear, because some access and communications were disrupted. The storm was expected to move south through the country with diminishing strength for several days. Floods and landslides were a concern. From news services THOUGH PRESIDENT TRUMPS opening weeks have been chaotic and dispiriting, the nations new chief executive has still managed to make a few good choices. One of his best was nominating Rod J. Rosenstein to be the No. 2 at the Justice Department. The sooner the Senate confirms him, the sooner the administration will have another adult in its top ranks. So its unfortunate that Mr. Rosenstein faced demands from Democrats at his Tuesday confirmation hearing that no one in his position should accede to. As deputy attorney general, Mr. Rosenstein would oversee the daily operations of a vast, 115,000-person bureaucracy responsible for enforcing laws on everything from hate crimes to antitrust. After nearly three decades in the Justice Department, serving under presidents of both parties, Rod Rosenstein has demonstrated throughout his long career the highest standards of professionalism, Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.) testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The senator praised Mr. Rosensteins nonpartisan approach and noted his wide support among Democratic officials in Maryland, where Mr. Rosenstein serves as U.S. attorney and has had notable success prosecuting gang crime and political corruption. Instead of that record, Mr. Rosensteins hearing was dominated by the recusal of Attorney General Jeff Sessions last week from issues involving Russia and the 2016 presidential election. With Mr. Sessions sidelined, Justice Department decisions regarding any investigation into Russias meddling and contacts between Mr. Trumps circle and Russian officials would fall to Mr. Rosenstein. He assured senators that political affiliation is irrelevant to my work and promised to support any properly predicated investigation related to interference by the Russians or by anybody else in American elections. But that was not enough for Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who told Mr. Rosenstein that I will oppose your nomination if you are unwilling to commit to appoint a special prosecutor. Mr. Rosenstein offered a model reply: I view it as an issue of principle that as a nominee for deputy attorney general I should not be promising to take action on a particular case, he said. And I believe that if I were to do that in this case, some future deputy attorney general nominee would be here. And hed be asked to make a similar commitment. And theyd say, Well, Rosenstein did it, why wont you? If, as was the case with Mr. Sessions, Mr. Rosenstein had been a top official in the Trump campaign, it would have been appropriate for him to prospectively recuse himself, as Mr. Sessions did on all matters relating to Hillary Clinton. But as it is, Mr. Rosenstein would not enter the Justice Departments top ranks with such a clear appearance of a conflict of interest. It is entirely appropriate for Mr. Rosenstein to do what any good prosecutor would refuse to prejudge a law enforcement question before reviewing the full record, including information that is not publicly available. We believe that Russian interference in the election is a matter of such grave public importance that appointing a special counsel would add to the Justice Departments appearance of independence and integrity. But we respect Mr. Rosenstein for refusing to pre-commit. So should the Senate. Patrick Kennedy is a former U.S. representative from Rhode Island and an honorary adviser of Smart Approaches to Marijuana. Kevin Sabet is a former White House drug policy adviser and president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana. Last month, White House press secretary Sean Spicer sent shock waves through the nascent but growing marijuana industry when he indicated that the Trump administration intends to pursue greater enforcement regarding non-medical marijuana. The comments drew quick rebuke from elected officials in several states that have begun experimenting with pot legalization. Certainly, we shouldnt lock people up for marijuana use or low-level offenses, or revert to a Reefer Madness-style war on drugs. But we should also recognize legalization for what it is: the large-scale commercialization and marketing of an addictive and therefore highly profitable substance. Many marijuana advocates have one goal in mind: to get rich. What we need, therefore, is a federal enforcement strategy that not only promotes human rights and social justice, but also actively targets and deters the special interests driving Big Marijuana. Simply put, the current fragmented patchwork of laws governing marijuana in states is unsustainable. Despite the oft-repeated refrain that marijuana enforcement is an issue of states rights, the consequences of legalization are not confined by geographic borders. Since Colorado legalized, marijuana has streamed into neighboring states and emboldened drug trafficking organizations there. In fact, in Nebraska and Oklahoma, the inflow of marijuana trafficking has been so dramatic that the states sued Colorado. Interstate drug tourism is thriving, with companies in states with legal pot advertising across state lines and online. The courts also agree that marijuana is not a states rights question. In 2005, the Supreme Court examined this issue in Gonzales v. Raich, where the federal government had enforced the law concerning marijuana plants in someones yard. The highest court ruled 6 to 3 that federal law supersedes state law when it comes to enforcing drug statutes even in states where marijuana is legal (in this case for medicinal purposes) because marijuana sales affect interstate commerce. If that is true with pot plants in someones yard, then surely large, industrialized pot growers catering to out-of-state tourists also affect interstate commerce. Issues of federalism aside, federal enforcement would serve as a needed check against an exploding for-profit marijuana industry that often prioritizes profits over public health and safety. In states with legal marijuana, special interests have built industrial-scale growing and dangerous THC extraction operations and are looking to advertise the product on television. Theyre targeting minority communities to sell their products and increasingly financing politicians to do their bidding. There are now more pot shops concentrated in poor communities of color in Denver than anywhere else. And while advocates are quick to tout tax revenue as a counterbalance to this arrangement, like with the lottery, the funds are less than expected. In Washington state, more than half of the revenue promised for drug prevention and treatment programs didnt materialize. And in Colorado, bureaucracy to regulate the industry continues to consume a large percentage of the revenue made. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, fatal crashes in Washington state involving drivers who had recently used marijuana more than doubled after legalization. Colorado has seen similar increases. In states that have legalized, youth marijuana use now exceeds the national average, the black market continues to thrive and employers struggle with more drug-impaired workers than before pot was legalized. More heavy users of marijuana are reporting to drug treatment, and there have been more school infractions among kids caught with pot. Worse still, the only statistically representative national survey on marijuana use found last year that Colorado is the No. 1 state for youth marijuana use in the country. Without action, the marijuana industry is poised to become the next Big Tobacco a profit-hungry special-interest group looking after profits, not public health. We need to acknowledge that marijuana comes with its own set of health risks, including a strong link to psychosis and schizophrenia, memory loss and low academic achievement. Meanwhile, the industry is already bringing us back to the bad old days of smoking in restaurants, and the tobacco industry itself has been eyeing marijuana since the 1970s. We cannot forget the century-long fight against cigarettes and the trillions of dollars and millions of lives it cost our country. We need smarter solutions now is the time to find them. THE FIRST thing to say about the archive of cyberhacking tools stolen from the CIA and released by WikiLeaks is that they are not instruments of mass surveillance, but means for spying on individual phones, computers and televisions. There is no evidence they have been used against Americans or otherwise improperly; if there were, we can be sure that WikiLeaks, whose core mission is not transparency but undermining U.S. national security, would have trumpeted it. It follows that the targets of the hacking methods, and the prime beneficiaries of their release, will be Islamic State terrorists, North Korean bombmakers, Iranian, Chinese and Russian spies, and other U.S. adversaries. WikiLeaks claims it obtained the 8,761 documents and files it released Tuesday from a former U.S. government employee or contractor. But given the organizations close ties with Russias intelligence services, a link established by the U.S. intelligence communitys investigation into the hacking of the Democratic National Committee, it wont be a surprise if Moscow again turns out to be the source of the leak. The Kremlin surely will be celebrating the prospect of CIA spying operations around the world going dark, and it could have dictated WikiLeaks faux pious call for a public debate about the agencys powers and external supervision. In addition to losing valuable surveillance tools, the CIA will now be subjected as the leakers intended to disruptive controversy and unreasonable demands for greater cooperation with technology companies. Adherents to the theory that a deep state is attempting to undermine the Trump administration will seize on the revelation that the CIA arsenal included the tools and languages of other countries proof, it will be said, that the DNC hack was a CIA false flag operation after all. Civil libertarians are insisting that U.S. government hackers inform phone- and computer-makers of vulnerabilities, rather than using them for their own vital work. But defending the integrity of devices is the job of the companies, not the CIA. As The Posts Ellen Nakashima reported, U.S. agencies already submit all software vulnerabilities they discover to a governmental review that determines whether they should be disclosed. And do the privacy zealots suppose that the Russian FSB will also inform Apple and Google of the zero-day hacks it has developed? They are, in effect, advocating unilateral U.S. disarmament in cyberspace. The CIA will doubtless recover from this leak and find new tools; some experts say much of what was disclosed was relatively unsophisticated malware. But the agency, like the rest of the intelligence community, still faces the critical challenge of how to operate effectively in cyberspace while safeguarding its own secrets and methods. Procedures for vetting employees and contractors and providing them access to highly classified information must be studied again, and servers hardened against external penetration. One thing the agency must not do, though, is stop trying to develop a qualitative technological edge over U.S. adversaries, including the means to surveil them. Avik Roy is president of the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity and a former policy adviser to Mitt Romney, Rick Perry and Marco Rubio. On Monday evening, House Republican leaders unveiled their long-awaited Obamacare replacement, entitled the American Health Care Act. The plan was swiftly panned by observers from all over the ideological spectrum. But there was one group whose complaints made the least sense: GOP hard-liners who believe that any attempt to provide financial assistance to the uninsured amounts to Obamacare Lite. It was a phrase we heard over and over on Tuesday. This is Obamacare Lite, said Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.). FreedomWorks, a conservative activist group, used the same epithet. Rep. Justin Amash (Mich.) called the AHCA Obamacare 2.0. Strictly speaking, the AHCA is nothing close to Obamacare Lite. The bill would repeal the Affordable Care Acts Medicaid expansion and entirely defund its health insurance exchanges. The bill would transform Medicaid into a modernized, dynamic insurance program: a policy achievement that would be akin to the 1996 welfare reform bill times 10. The bill would dramatically expand health savings accounts, allowing patients to control more of their own health-care dollars, and give those who buy coverage on their own significantly more choice in the kinds of plans they buy: a reform that would have the side benefit of lowering premiums. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post) Each of these provisions, individually, represents a significant advance in free-market health reform. But to the hard-liners such as Paul and FreedomWorks, none of these reforms matter, because the AHCA commits the cardinal sin of offering financial assistance to people who cant afford health insurance. [Republicans wave a white flag on health care] The idea of offering tax credits to the uninsured to buy health insurance has been around since long before Obamacare was even a word. Conservative think tanks have talked about them for decades. In 2008, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was the GOPs choice for president on a platform of offering every American a tax credit to purchase health insurance. The 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney proposed them in his campaign as well. Paul and other hard-liners might respond that none of that history matters, because neither McCain nor Romney is a real conservative. Real conservatives, theyd argue, believe that there is no legitimate role for the federal government in subsidizing health insurance. Except that Paul, Amash and company arent campaigning to repeal Medicare, which provides hundreds of billions of dollars annually to subsidize health insurance for wealthy Americans, such as Warren Buffett, who are older than 65. Indeed, in 2012, Paul introduced a bill that sought to offer seniors generously subsidized private coverage, with richer benefits and lower premiums than Medicare. Like Obamacare, Pauls program would require insurers to charge seniors the same premiums regardless of health status or preexisting conditions and cap total out-of-pocket costs. Paul, apparently, is fine with Obamacare Lite proposals if they benefit older people who vote for him. Furthermore, Paul and those who agree with him dont want to curb the $400 billion annual federal subsidy for employer-based coverage, which disproportionately benefits high earners. Indeed, Paul has been outspoken about preserving that subsidy. Last Friday, Paul cited the fact that the GOP bill contained something similar to the Cadillac tax that was in Obamacare as one of the three key features that qualified the bill as Obamacare Lite. The Cadillac tax was Obamacares attempt at curbing the employer coverage tax expenditure, one of the few ideas for health reform embraced by both liberal and conservative policy experts. Rhetorically, GOP hard-liners such as Paul claim that they are implacably opposed to federal subsidies for health insurance, that theyre taking a brave stand against big government. Operationally, however, they support subsidies for the rich, and only oppose subsidies for the poor and the sick. That comes across not as a principled stand against statism, but as a political stand against Americans whose votes they dont need. Real conservative reformers, who have been studying this problem for years, understand that the way to make our health-care system freer and fairer is to rectify that imbalance between how we subsidize health insurance for the wealthy and how we do it for the poor. That would involve reorienting Medicare away from the wealthy and toward the middle class and the poor. It would involve reforming the tax subsidy for, yes, Cadillac health insurance plans. It would involve helping vulnerable and poor Americans buy private coverage and build health savings accounts. [Trump has a secret backup plan to kill Obamacare. Its actually brilliant.] Paul is right that the American Health Care Act is flawed. But it isnt flawed because it offers financial assistance to the uninsured. Its flawed because it doesnt provide enough assistance to them, making premiums unaffordable for many poor people. Republicans can fix that problem while also reducing the size of government, but only if theyre willing to limit the role of government in subsidizing health insurance for the wealthy. When Paul introduces a bill ending government subsidies for wealthy Americans health care, itll be easier to take seriously his crusade against subsidies for the poor. Until then, few will. Adolf Hitler received glucose injections in the 1930s so he could hold his arm in the Nazi salute for long periods. He later became addicted to cocaine and other drugs. Hermann Georing was a morphine addict. (Associated Press) Timothy R. Smth is on the staff of Book World. In the 1930s, a smitten German could buy his fraulein boxed chocolates spiked with methamphetamine. When Germany invaded France in 1940, its soldiers marched on Pervitin, an early form of crystal meth, which kept them perked for the lightning speed of Blitzkrieg warfare. On the verge of destroying the British forces at Dunkirk, Hermann Goring, the head of the air force, was zonked on morphine when he had a eureka moment. The world lay at his feet, and in his blissfully opium-soaked brain he decided that the glorious victory over the Allies should under no circumstances be left to the arrogant leaders of the army, writes Norman Ohler in Blitzed, his fascinating, engrossing, often dark history of drug use in the Third Reich. Weather interfered, the planes stayed put, and the army watched as the British slipped away. [How the Nazi telegram that helped drive Hitler to suicide was nearly forgotten in a S.C. safe] "Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich," by Norman Ohler (HMH) Reading Blitzed, one gets the impression that the Germans were consuming Pervitin like Goldfish crackers or Skittles, to help with childbirth, to fight seasickness, vertigo, hay fever, schizophrenia, anxiety neuroses, depressions, low drive, disturbances of the brain wherever the German hurt, the blue, white, and red tube was at the ready. During the waning days of the war, the Nazis developed cocaine chewing gum for young sailors to use while piloting single-man submarines on suicide missions. Trust the Germans to concoct some truly awful sh--, the writer William Burroughs commented. Addiction went to the top. Adolf Hitler began taking glucose injections in the 1930s so he could hold his arm in the Nazi salute for impossibly long times, ever the Ubermensch. But as the war advanced, he became dependent on harder stuff. Hitlers doctor gave the Fuhrer daily injections of oxycodone, hormone preparations, a collection of pills and serums, and quack remedies made from pigs liver. In fact it was the immediate high of the injections that allowed Hitler to feel like a world ruler and gave him a sense of strength and unshakable confidence that he needed to make everyone else keep the faith in spite of all the desperate reports coming from every front, Ohler writes. [How Nazis destroyed books in a quest to destroy European culture] Hours after a near-fatal bombing in his bunker, Hitler took an injection of oxycodone to meet with Benito Mussolini, Italys strongman. His appearance at the train depot seemed miraculous. But Hitlers injuries, including two burst eardrums, were worse than expected. The only local anesthetic available was cocaine, and it started a new addiction. By the end of the war, Hitler had the tell-tale signs of an addict: Track marks mottled his forearms, his hands trembled. He stooped. He drooled. His blood was the consistency of strawberry jelly. By the winter of 1945, with Soviet forces closing on Berlin, Hitler ran out of drugs. Now the Fuhrer had irrevocably entered the reality of his lost war, Ohler writes. Everything weighed on him all of a sudden, and as an infinitely heavier burden than before naked as he was without the hormones of happiness. He shot himself on April 30. Out of drugs, he knew full well the reality of his demise. As for his mistress, Eva Braun, his final gift to her wasnt a box of chocolates but a cyanide pill. As technology advances, historian Yuval Noah Harari writes, humanism a belief in the primacy of people is at stake. He envisions a future when connecting to the system becomes the source of all meaning. (Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA) Matthew Hutson is a science and technology writer and the author of The 7 Laws of Magical Thinking. Many people fear that the path of artificial intelligence will eventually lead to a standoff between humans and machines, with humans as the underdogs. Confrontation looms in the forecasts of futurists and in the narratives of science fiction movies such as The Matrix, The Terminator and Westworld. But theres another way our demise could go down. We could begin wondering what makes people so special, anyway, and willingly give up the title of supreme species or even the preservation of humanity altogether. This is the path explored by historian Yuval Noah Harari in his new book, Homo Deus. Theres no need for a Terminator to come after us when, instead of fighting the network in the sky, we assimilate into it. At stake is the religion of humanism. Whereas theists worship gods, humanists worship humans. Harari, whose previous book, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, foreshadows this one, defines religion as any system of thought that sees certain values as having legitimacy independent of people. Thou shalt not kill derives its force from God, not from the mortal Moses. Similarly, humanists believe in human rights as things earned automatically from the universe, whatever anyone else says. The right not to be tortured or enslaved exists outside human convention. (Philosophers call this bit of magical thinking moral realism.) [Will technology allow us to transcend the human condition?] "Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow," by Yuval Noah Harari (Harper / ) We may take for granted the right not to be tortured or enslaved or various other humanist doctrines, such as the idea that were all inherently valuable individuals with the free will to express our authentic selves but we have not always done so. People were seen as property even well after that bit about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness was inked to parchment. As Harari argues, weve lived with alternatives to humanism, and we can again. And ironically, he writes, the rise of humanism also contains the seeds of its downfall. Thats kind of a fudge, one of a few in the book. Its not the humanist revolution per se that planted those poison seeds. Its more the (somewhat symbiotic) scientific revolution. You dont need universal rights to study electricity and invent computers. Or to apply our inventions toward the evergreen pursuits of health, happiness and control over nature (or as Harari calls them, immortality, bliss and divinity). Nevertheless, scientific and technological progress might eventually undermine the humanist ethos. On the scientific front, research is pushing back on the idea of free will (as philosophers have for ages). The more we can explain human behavior with neuroscience and psychology, the less room there is for some magical human soul. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence is rendering us useless, taking the jobs of taxi drivers, factory workers, stock traders, lawyers, teachers, doctors and Jeopardy! contestants. And, Harari argues, liberal humanism rose on the back of human usefulness. It advanced not on moral grounds but on economic and military grounds. Countries such as France offered dignity to all in exchange for service to the nation. Is it a coincidence, Harari asks, that universal rights were proclaimed at the precise historical juncture when universal conscription was decreed? But with robots making and killing things better than we can, who needs people? Intelligence will matter more than consciousness. Whats so sacred about useless bums who pass their days devouring artificial experiences in virtual reality? [Do we love robots because we hate ourselves?] Even if the human species does continue to serve the system meaningfully, we might not matter as individuals. Harari suggests that algorithms might get to know us better than we know ourselves. As they collect data on our Web searches, exercise routines and much more, theyll be able to tell us whom we should date and how we should vote. We may happily take their advice, literally ceding democracy to databases. Once our authentic, enigmatic, indivisible selves are exposed as mere predictable computations not just by philosophers and scientists but by our every interaction with the world the fiction of free will might finally unravel. (Personally, Im not sure our brains will allow this.) Well enlist as mere specialized processors in the global cyborganic network. Harari presents three possible futures. In one, humans are expendable. In a second, the elite upgrade themselves, becoming essentially another species that sees everyone else as expendable. In a third, we join the hive mind, worshiping data over individuals (or God). Connecting to the system becomes the source of all meaning, he writes. In any case, he says convincingly, the most interesting place in the world from a religious perspective is not the Islamic State or the Bible Belt, but Silicon Valley. I enjoyed reading about these topics not from another futurist but from a historian, contextualizing our current ways of thinking amid humanitys long march especially a historian with Hararis ability to capsulize big ideas memorably and mingle them with a light, dry humor. In Homo Deus, Harari offers not just history lessons but a meta-history lesson. In school, history was my least favorite subject. I preferred science, which offered abstract laws useful for predicting new outcomes. History seemed a melange of happenstance and contingency retroactively cobbled into stories. If historys arcs were more Newtonian, wed be better at predicting elections. Harari points to an opposing goal of his field. He writes that studying history aims to loosen the grip of the past, showing that our present situation is neither natural nor eternal. In other words, it emphasizes happenstance. Thats a useful tactic for the oppressed fighting the status quo. Its also a useful exercise for those who see the technological singularity as a given. We have options. Its possible well choose to avoid our loss of values. On the other hand, its possible well choose to accelerate it. Harari, a vegan who disputes humanitys reserved seat atop the great chain of being, briefly ponders this option: Maybe the collapse of humanism will also be beneficial. Indeed, dont we owe a chance to animals and androids, too? Lets hope theres generous funding in Republicans new health-care bill to prevent and cure tone-deafness. Wednesday was International Womens Day, and to observe this annual commemoration House Republicans formally took up their legislation defunding Planned Parenthood, the nations largest provider of health services for women. House Speaker Paul Ryan, at a news conference Wednesday morning, boasted about ending the funding of Planned Parenthood, listing it as one of the things weve been dreaming about doing. And what better time to make this dream come true than on International Womens Day, on the eighth day of Womens History Month? This could be the beginning of a new legislative style in Congress: Bills to build the wall could be marked up on Cinco de Mayo. The Iranian nuclear deal could be scrapped later this month on Nowruz. Plans to cut military assistance to Europe could be rolled out on D-Day. Its enough to give new meaning to National Awkward Moments Day observed on March 18. [The day they disappeared] President Trump, in a morning tweet, marked International Womens Day by hailing women as vital to the fabric of our society. But thats not quite the message his administration and its allies in Congress have been sending. Womens rights activists held a strike and protests Wednesday, declaring it A Day Without a Woman. In the Trump White House, it must often feel like that kind of day and not only because Melania is in New York. A USA Today analysis last month found that men outnumbered women by more than 2 to 1 among top White House aides. Trump named only four women to his Cabinet, the fewest in a generation, and none to the top jobs at the State, Treasury, Defense and Justice Departments. His nominee for labor secretary withdrew as opponents made an issue of the way he and his company treated women, and Trump fired acting attorney general Sally Yates, an Obama administration holdover, after she refused to back his first travel ban. Meeting with the nations governors recently, Trump welcomed the governors and their wives and daughters, as if no women were governors. Trumps vulgar statements about women, caught on tape, were a prominent part of the campaign, and, according to the media outlet Axios, he requires women working for him to dress like women. He has hired as his executive assistant in the White House a 26-year-old barre fitness instructor who served as the elevator greeter at Trump Tower. And it isnt just about appearances, as Emilys List, a Democratic group that supports abortion rights, notes. On Jan. 23, two days after the huge Womens March in the nations capital and other cities, Trump signed an executive order reinstating the global gag rule denying international funding to any organization that discusses abortion, even if the group doesnt perform abortions. A photo of the signing showed Trump surrounded by men. Trump on his first day in office signed an order to ease the burden of Obamacare and has blessed the congressional legislation that could end Obamacares Medicaid expansion and its rule requiring insurance plans to cover maternity care. The bill is silent on the provision in Obamacare requiring contraception to be provided at low cost. Medicaid and other social programs that disproportionately benefit women are facing severe cutbacks in Trumps budget. Trump, who promised to appoint justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade, nominated to the court Neil Gorsuch, who wrote the appellate decision in the Hobby Lobby case exempting employers from providing birth control as part of employer health plans if it conflicts with managements religious beliefs. On immigration, Reuters reported over the weekend that the Trump administration is weighing a new policy to separate women from their children when they are caught entering the United States illegally. [The womens strike has its roots in Poland where women have a lot to be angry about] As of the end of last week, only eight bills had been passed by the new Congress and signed into law by Trump, half of them noncontroversial suspension bills. But it isnt for lack of trying. Republicans in Congress have introduced a variety of abortion bans. The House passed the No Taxpayer Funding of Abortion Act, which opponents charge could block even private insurance from covering abortion. The House passed a bill overturning a rule President Barack Obama signed in December forbidding discrimination against Planned Parenthood and other family planning providers under Title X clearing the way, Democrats say, to reducing access to contraception. The Senate, likewise, used the Congressional Review Act in its vote to overturn Obamas Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces rule, designed to protect against, among other things, sexual harassment in the workplace. Thats quite a bit, and its still early. If this is how Trump and his allies in Congress celebrate International Womens Day, one shudders to think how they will observe April 5: National Go for Broke Day. Twitter: @Milbank Read more from Dana Milbanks archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. Regarding the March 7 editorial He asked for it: President Trump regularly makes false accusations to deflect attention from his failures, most recently regarding President Barack Obamas supposed wiretaps. These are not harmless distractions. When he lied about Muslims celebrating the Sept. 11, 2001, tragedy, he placed some Muslims lives in jeopardy and all Muslims in fear. All of his fake news and alternative facts set us at odds with one another. I live near Philadelphia, where our most famous patriot, Benjamin Franklin, said that we must all hang together or we will all hang separately. Grant Grissom, Media, Pa. The March 6 front-page article Comey asked DOJ to refute claim contained the somewhat remarkable statement that a key question fueling that inquiry is whether Trump associates colluded with Russian officials to help Trump win. This unfortunate statement obscures the real and very troubling truth. The Russians primary reason for such collusion probably had little to do with helping Donald Trump win. Russia most certainly did not like Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, a former secretary of state, and definitely prefers the outcome of the election. It appears that the Trump campaign and Russia likely did not believe Mr. Trump had a chance to win. It is, however, completely clear that Russia is intent on upending and interfering with our democratic process, as it is attempting to do now in many Western democratic elections. Trump officials should have known better, and their interactions with the Russians should be investigated fully. Linda Mooring, Fairfax Despite well-documented protocol for obtaining a wiretap, President Trump continues to assert without evidence that President Barack Obama executed a wiretap during the 2016 presidential campaign. Despite denials by federal agencies that participate in the wiretap protocol, Mr. Trump continues to assert that the deep state exists and is hindering his accomplishments. The March 6 news article A furious Trump rages at leaks and accusations quoted Mr. Trump as saying, It will all come out. I will be proven right. Forty-five, Mr. Trump, should heed the advice of seven, Andrew Jackson: Any man worth his salt will stick up for what he believes right, but it takes a slightly better man to acknowledge instantly and without reservation that he is in error. Carl D. Dunn, Gaithersburg Eight years ago, President Barack Obama refused to prosecute former president George W. Bush and former vice president Dick Cheney for war crimes, especially involving enhanced interrogation, which many considered torture. Indeed, many brutal techniques such as waterboarding were admitted by Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney, and Mr. Cheney said he would do it again. And while many of us wanted charges to be pressed by the International Court of Justice, Mr. Obama, in his first week in office, said our nation would not spend time looking back and should instead move forward. Considering the economic and social precipice we were on, and even though many disagreed at the time, it is comprehensible why he took that action. Mr. Obama knew that to open war-crime inquiries against Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney, who had just departed, would have torn this country apart at the time. Now, a sitting president has tweeted felonious charges against the recently departed president, without a shred of evidence or proof of his accusations, saying that Mr. Obama had Trump Tower bugged last year. Our country is already gravely polarized. The current president might want to follow Mr. Obamas example when he assumed the responsibilities of the executive branch to bring the country together instead of defaming a past executive. Don D. Roose, Germantown Every American should be outraged by the slander President Trump has leveled against former president Barack Obama. Reportedly based on no evidence other than a conspiracy theory advanced by Breitbart News, Mr. Trump accused Mr. Obama of ordering a wiretapping of his New York headquarters. I fully agree with E.J. Dionne Jr., who wrote in his March 6 op-ed, The Trump Experiments early tipping point, that this should be the tipping point in how the country views Mr. Trumps presidency. I find it interesting that Mr. Trump compared Mr. Obama to senator Joseph McCarthy, when it is Mr. Trump who uses McCarthy-like tactics of false accusations and innuendo. Robert Gruber, Annapolis Benjamin Sommers is an associate professor of health policy and economics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a primary care physician at Brigham & Womens Hospital in Boston. From 2011 to 2016, he served as an adviser in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Republican leaders in Congress have at last unveiled their proposal to overhaul the Affordable Care Act. In a nod to a growing number of Republicans concerned that a full repeal would undo coverage gains in their home states, the new plan at first glance appears to protect coverage for those insured under the ACAs Medicaid expansion. This is a shift from prior Republican health-care legislation including a plan from new Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price and the 2015 ACA repeal bill passed by Congress (and vetoed by President Obama), both of which explicitly eliminated the Medicaid expansion. But the fine print of the new proposal instead takes a more insidious approach to gutting the Medicaid expansion. The bill states that anyone experiencing more than a one-month gap in coverage after 2019 would no longer be eligible for the generous 90 percent federal funding the ACA provided to help states expand Medicaid to the working poor. While this may seem like a reasonable way to protect coverage for those who already have it, in practice this means that the Medicaid expansion would wither on the vine and could shrink to nearly nothing in just a few short years. Why? Research over the past decade has documented that coverage in Medicaid is unstable over time. People frequently move in and out of coverage, a phenomenon often called churning. In part, this relates to the programs administrative features that require frequent eligibility reverification and renewal applications for beneficiaries to maintain coverage more on that shortly. But it also relates to the fundamental nature of a health-care safety-net program. Eligibility for Medicaid fluctuates with job losses or new employment, seasonal work or overtime, changes in family circumstances such as marriage or divorce and other factors. One study of Medicaid data found that the average enrollee receives Medicaid coverage for only 78 percent of the year, and this figure drops to 68 percent when focusing just on non-elderly, non-disabled adults, the main beneficiaries of the ACA expansion. Another study of national survey data found that 43 percent of adults in Medicaid had experienced a gap in coverage within the first 12 months of enrolling, and 55 percent had a gap within 23 months. In other words, under the GOP bill, the majority of the Medicaid expansion population under the ACA would likely become ineligible for the current level of federal funding in less than two years. But thats not all. In addition to changes in eligibility, another frequent cause of churning is the Medicaid renewal process. Coverage in Medicaid is time-limited, and beneficiaries must periodically demonstrate their eligibility to stay in the program. The ACA made significant strides in reducing the hassle of applying for and retaining Medicaid coverage, which has produced large enrollment gains even among those already eligible for the program before 2014. But the new GOP bill takes steps in the opposite direction. The bill creates a new requirement that states conduct eligibility re-determinations every six months, rather than annually as under the ACA. It also reduces the ability of states to use presumptive eligibility, which allows hospitals and other entities to temporarily enroll applicants in Medicaid before their eligibility can be verified. Finally, the bill limits retroactive Medicaid coverage to no more than a month, compared with the current practice of 90 days. This grace period is often critical for people who enroll in Medicaid during health emergencies. Every eligibility re-determination or other enrollment obstacle in Medicaid is an added opportunity for people to fall through the cracks. As a primary care physician, I have seen this countless times. Patients show up for their appointments, only to learn that their Medicaid coverage has lapsed. Our office promptly helps them sign up again, which usually minimizes the disruption to their medical care. But under the GOP bill, people who have moved, lost their mail, filled out a form incorrectly or forgot they needed to renew by a certain date would not lose coverage temporarily it would likely be lost forever. Putting the pieces together, the GOP bill says that people who have Medicaid expansion coverage can keep it and by extension, expansion states, hospitals and providers can keep their funding. But in practice, the bill would use churning in Medicaid as a vehicle for dramatically cutting federal support for expansion within just a few years. Worse than that, the bill would make enrollment and renewal of Medicaid coverage even harder, thereby accelerating the expansions demise. As consumer groups, providers and expansion-state policymakers consider the GOPs new repeal and replace bill, they should not be deceived by appearances. The ACAs Medicaid expansion remains squarely in the crosshairs, even if this time the hunters are camouflaged. Prithvi Man Shrestha is a political reporter for The Kathmandu Post, covering the governance-related issues including corruption and irregularities in the government machinery. Before joining The Kathmandu Post in 2009, he worked at nepalnews.com and Rising Nepal primarily covering the issues of political and economic affairs for three years. The progressive mob that disrupted Charles Murrays appearance last week at Middlebury College was protesting a 1994 book read by few if any of the protesters. Some of them denounced eugenics, thereby demonstrating an interesting ignorance: Eugenics controlled breeding to improve the heritable traits of human beings was a progressive cause. In The Bell Curve, Murray, a social scientist at the American Enterprise Institute, and his co-author, Harvard University psychologist Richard J. Herrnstein, found worrisome evidence that American society was becoming cognitively stratified, with an increasingly affluent cognitive elite and a deteriorating quality of life for people at the bottom end of the cognitive ability distribution. They examined the consensus that, controlling for socioeconomic status and possible IQ test bias, cognitive ability is somewhat heritable, the black/white differential had narrowed and millions of blacks have higher IQs than millions of whites. The authors were resolutely agnostic concerning the roles of genes and the social environment. They said that even if there developed unequivocal evidence that genetics are part of the story, there would be no reason to treat individuals differently or to permit government regulation of procreation. [Why Middleburys violent response to Charles Murray reminded me of the Little Rock Nine] Middleburys mob was probably as ignorant of this as of the following: Between 1875 and 1925, when eugenics had many advocates, not all advocates were progressives but advocates were disproportionately progressives because eugenics coincided with progressivisms premises and agenda. Progressives rejected the Founders natural-rights doctrine and conception of freedom. Progressives said freedom is not the natural capacity of individuals whose rights preexist government. Rather, freedom is something achieved, at different rates and to different degrees, by different races. Racialism was then seeking scientific validation, and Darwinian science had given rise to social Darwinism belief in the ascendance of the fittest in the ranking of races. The progressive theologian Walter Rauschenbusch argued that with modern science we can intelligently mold and guide the evolution in which we take part. Progressivisms concept of freedom as something merely latent, and not equally latent, in human beings dictated rethinking the purpose and scope of government. Princeton University scholar Thomas C. Leonard, in his 2016 book Illiberal Reformers: Race, Eugenics & American Economics in the Progressive Era, says progressives believed that scientific experts should be in societys saddle, determining the human hierarchy and appropriate social policies, including eugenics. Economist Richard T. Ely, a founder of the American Economic Association and whose students at Johns Hopkins University included Woodrow Wilson, said God works through the state, which must be stern and not squeamish. Charles Van Hise, president of the University of Wisconsin, epicenter of intellectual progressivism, said: We know enough about eugenics so that if that knowledge were applied, the defective classes would disappear within a generation. Progress, said Ely, then at Wisconsin, depended on recognizing that there are certain human beings who are absolutely unfit, and should be prevented from a continuation of their kind. The mentally and physically disabled were deemed defectives. In 1902, when Wilson became Princetons president, the final volume of his A History of the American People contrasted the sturdy stocks of the north of Europe with Southern and Eastern Europeans who had neither skill nor energy nor any initiative of quick intelligence. In 1907, Indiana became the first of more than 30 states to enact forcible sterilization laws. In 1911, now-Gov. Wilson signed New Jerseys, which applied to the hopelessly defective and criminal classes. In 1927, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Virginias law, with Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. writing in a letter that, in affirming the law requiring the sterilization of imbeciles, he was getting near to the first principle of real reform. At the urging of Robert Yerkes, president of the American Psychological Association, during World War I the Army did intelligence testing of conscripts so that the nation could inventory its human stock as it does livestock. The Armys findings influenced Congresss postwar immigration restrictions and national quotas. Carl Brigham, a Princeton psychologist, said the Armys data demonstrated the intellectual superiority of our Nordic group over the Mediterranean, Alpine and Negro groups. Progressives derided the Founders as unscientific for deriving natural rights from what progressives considered the fiction of a fixed human nature. But they asserted that races had fixed and importantly different natures calling for different social policies. Progressives resolved this contradiction when, like most Americans, they eschewed racialism the belief that the races are tidily distinct, each created independent of all others, each with fixed traits and capacities. Middleburys turbulent progressives should read Leonards book. After they have read Murrays. Read more from George F. Wills archive or follow him on Facebook. David C. Frederick is a lawyer at the firm Kellogg, Hansen, Todd, Figel & Frederick who specializes in Supreme Court and appellate practice. As a longtime supporter of Democratic candidates and progressive causes, I understand the anger at the Republicans mistreatment of Judge Merrick Garland after he was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Barack Obama. Partisan advantage reigned over fairness of process, and an exceptionally fine jurist was treated shabbily. But as Judge Neil Gorsuch President Trumps choice for the court seat that Garland would have filled approaches his confirmation hearings, I fear that the lingering resentments of the past year will cloak a fair consideration of him as a nominee. Gorsuch my former law partner and longtime friend is brilliant, diligent, open-minded and thoughtful. He was the only Supreme Court candidate considered by this administration that I could support. The Senate should confirm him because there is no principled reason to vote no. As a private-sector attorney, Gorsuch could have practiced with any large corporate law firm in the United States, but he instead chose a small firm in its very early days a riskier path, to be sure. Over the course of his career, he has represented both plaintiffs and defendants. He has defended large corporations, but also sued them. He has advocated for the Chamber of Commerce, but also filed (and prevailed with) class actions on behalf of consumers. We should applaud such independence of mind and spirit in Supreme Court nominees. As a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, Gorsuch has not been the reflexive, hard-edged conservative that many depict him to be. He has ruled for plaintiffs and for defendants; for those accused of crimes as well as for law enforcement; for those who entered the country illegally; and for those harmed by environmental damage. Anyone who sees Gorsuch as automatically pro-corporation should talk to the officers at Rockwell International and Dow Chemical, against whom he reinstated a $920 million jury verdict for environmental contamination at the Rocky Flats nuclear facility. Executives at U.S. Tobacco Company might also be wringing their hands at the moment, given that Gorsuch, as an attorney, helped to attain one of the largest antitrust verdicts in history against the company. Gorsuchs approach to resolving legal problems as a lawyer and a judge embodies a reverence for our countrys values and legal system. The facts developed in a case matter to him; the legal rules established by legislatures and through precedent deserve deep respect; and the importance of treating litigants, counsel and colleagues with civility is deeply ingrained in him. Some years ago, he called me about a case he had reviewed on the 10th Circuits motions docket involving an Arab Muslim incarcerated in a state prison. The guards allegedly called the inmate 9/11 and mistreated him during his confinement. The district court had rejected the inmates claim that his constitutional rights had been violated and dismissed his lawsuit. Over the phone, though, Gorsuch explained that he thought the plaintiff prisoner might have a valid claim, but couldnt tell for sure. He asked our law firm to represent the inmate, which I agreed to do so long as a younger colleague could be the principal lawyer on the case and argue under my supervision. Gorsuch agreed and then recused himself from the case to avoid an appearance of conflict. My associate, Janie Nitze, later won a reversal by the 10th Circuit, which reinstated the prisoners claims. That man got his day in court because of Gorsuchs conscientious approach to judging. I have no doubt that I will disagree with some decisions that Gorsuch might render as a Supreme Court justice. Yet, my hope is to have justices on the bench such as Gorsuch and Garland who approach cases with fairness and intellectual rigor, and who care about precedent and the limits of their roles as judges. The Supreme Courts work is complex and varied, and we need those qualities of mind and judicial temperament for all cases. Richard Haass is president of the Council on Foreign Relations and the author of A World in Disarray: American Foreign Policy and the Crisis of the Old Order. President Harry S. Truman once predicted that his successor, Dwight Eisenhower, would have a rough time in the White House. Hell sit here, and hell say, Do this! Do that! And nothing will happen. Poor Ike it wont be a bit like the Army. Hell find it very frustrating. (Adriana Usero/The Washington Post) What Truman was getting at is that all presidents bring to the Oval Office an outlook shaped by their unique personal and professional experiences and that these experiences can become something of a liability if a president assumes that what worked in one context will automatically translate into another. President Trump is no exception. He brings to the White House a lifetime in business and real estate, much of which is described in his book The Art of the Deal. The potential problem for Trump is that a businessman in a field such as real estate has the luxury of approaching deals in isolation. One can choose not to work with the same seller or buyer again. By contrast, a president has to work with members of Congress and foreign leaders repeatedly over the course of years. Governing is about relationships much more than it is about transactions. All of which suggests that Trump may want to reform some of his ways. He is picking a good many fights in a job where it is smart to bank goodwill. President George H.W. Bush frequently picked up the phone and called leaders around the world. Telephone diplomacy was a good way of staying current, but even more it was a good way to develop trust. That way, when Bush needed to ask for something as he did after Saddam Husseins 1990 invasion of Kuwait he was much more likely to get it. A president should sometimes resist the temptation to drive for the best deal possible. Trump writes in his book that I aim very high, and then I just keep pushing and pushing and pushing to get what Im after. This makes great sense in isolated transactions, but, again, few interactions in politics tend to be isolated. It is important to leave enough on the table so the person on the other side can sell the deal back home. Everyone in politics has politics. The alternative is likely to be no deal or one that unravels. It is also wise to leave something on the table for another reason: It may be necessary to deal with that same person or government down the road on a different issue. Indeed, the future is likely to be one in which countries are both competitive and cooperative. Pushing too hard in one situation may preclude working together when it is important to do so. Trump should keep this in mind with respect to his damaged relationship with the president of Mexico. It is important not to threaten or bluff unless you mean it. The biggest error of Barack Obamas presidency arguably occurred after he warned Syrias President Bashar al-Assad that he would face dire consequences if he used chemical weapons. But when Assad crossed this red line repeatedly he paid no direct price. The result emboldened him, sapped his opponents confidence and raised questions worldwide about whether Washington could be taken at its word. Allies everywhere questioned whether the United States would be there for them in a crunch. Similar considerations argue for fidelity to the truth. Trump suggests that, in real estate, a little hyperbole what he describes as truthful hyperbole never hurts. It will, however, hurt him in his current job. The day will come when this president will need others to take him at his word in justifying a particular response to a threat that cannot be proven beyond all doubt. Alliance ties, as well as the ability to deter foes, will depend on it. The bottom line is clear: There is little or no place for exaggeration in the Oval Office, much less for alternative facts. It is essential, too, to understand who has more at stake before laying down a challenge. Trump blundered early on when he threatened to abandon the one-China policy. He wrongly judged that he could derive leverage; predictably, though, there was no give in Chinas position on an issue its leaders judge as existential. As a result, it was Trump who was forced to back down if he wanted Chinese cooperation on other issues, such as doing something about North Koreas nuclear and missile programs. Like it or not, politics and geopolitics alike are all about the art of relationships. President Trump walks down the stairs of Air Force One in West Palm Beach, Fla., on March 3. (Luis M. Alvarez/Associated Press) We shouldnt blithely move on to other matters until we deal with the institutional carnage inflicted upon us by President Trump. The current president of the United States has accused former president Barack Obama of committing a felony by having him wiretapped. But Trump refuses to offer a shred of evidence for perhaps the most incendiary charge one president has ever leveled against another. Trump recklessly set off a mighty explosion and his spokespeople duck and dodge, hoping well pretend nothing happened. If our republic had a responsible Congress, its leaders would accept their duty to demand that a president who shakes his country and the world with such an outlandish allegation either put up proof or apologize. Unfortunately, we have no such Congress. [Republicans wave a white flag on health care] (Monica Akhtar/The Washington Post) Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) modeled what House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) could say. The American people, McCain declared on Monday, have a right to know on what basis the president of the United States said that his predecessor had broken the law. Honestly: Is it so hard for Ryan and McConnell at least to whisper something like this? Instead, Republican leaders think it is time for business as usual, which in their case means figuring out how to deprive low-income people of health insurance while cutting taxes on the rich and increasing the deficit. This is what their replacement of Obamacare would do. Democrats have quickly labeled the bill Trumpcare, and why not? Trump described it as wonderful. Whats interesting about his embrace is that the proposal fails (forgive me) bigly in living up to the joyous health-care future Trump envisioned. Everybodys got to be covered, the magician of Mar-a-Lago said on 60 Minutes in September 2015. I am going to take care of everybody. I dont care if it costs me votes or not. Everybodys going to be taken care of much better than theyre taken care of now. Trumps campaign pledges were so sweeping that Sen. Ted Cruz (Tex.), his then-rival for the Republican presidential nomination, cast Trump as a fan of a single-payer system. Trumps health-care vows are as credible as his assertions against Obama and as reliable as the guarantees he made to students at Trump University. They sued him over how fake his claims were, and he had to settle. No one should act as if Trump didnt warn us about his negotiable relationship with the truth. He laid it out in his 1987 bestseller, The Art of the Deal. Trump wrote: I play to peoples fantasies. . . . People want to believe that something is the biggest and the greatest and the most spectacular. He spoke of truthful hyperbole an oxymoron for the ages which he defined as an innocent form of exaggeration. 1 of 83 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad See what President Trump has been doing since taking office View Photos The beginning of his term has featured controversial executive orders and frequent conflicts with the media. Caption The beginning of the presidents term has featured controversial executive orders and frequent conflicts with the media. March 17, 2017 President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and their son, Barron, walk to Marine One at the White House en route to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue. But exaggeration is not innocent when it means depriving the old, the sick and the poor of health insurance. If there is one beautiful thing about the health-care proposal House Republicans released this week, it is that it exposes how much untruthful hyperbole Republicans engaged in about Obamacare and what they would replace it with. Republicans are badly split over this bill because, like Trump, GOP leaders could never keep all the promises they made. The ultra-conservatives have denounced the spending it authorizes. Well, yes, even inadequate efforts to subsidize health insurance cost a lot of money. [The House Republicans health-care bill is a thicket of bad incentives] And Republicans from states with many Obamacare beneficiaries are wary that this House confection could endanger the coverage of many of their constituents, particularly with its unconscionable long-term federal cuts to Medicaid . Memo to political consultants: Remember all the GOP voters who have been helped by the Affordable Care Act. You know the Republicans are in trouble because Ryan said that all the mysteries would be resolved if citizens would only read the bill. So I did, and my experience confirmed that Ryans invitation was a typical example of obfuscatory Beltway nonsense. The speaker knows that gems such as language calling for amending subsection (d)(1), by striking to which and inserting to which, subject to section 1903A(a), are incomprehensible to anyone but lawyers, policy experts and crack legislative drafters. Reading this thing doesnt make it better. It is sad, to paraphrase the tweeter in chief himself, that Washington is now a city of avoidance, denial and deception. Whether hes talking about policy or his political adversaries, Trump is simply not believable. And his friends in Congress are proving themselves no more trustworthy. Welcome to Fantasyland. Read more from E.J. Dionnes archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. IN AT least two recent shootings, in Kansas and suburban Seattle, it was motive enough for the gunmen that the victims appeared foreign. Get out of my country! yelled the shooter in Kansas, according to witnesses, as he opened fire on a pair of Indian tech workers at a neighborhood bar, after demanding to know their visa status. One was killed and the other injured. Go back to your country! shouted the assailant in suburban Seattle who allegedly shot a U.S. citizen a bearded Sikh man wearing a turban as he worked on his car beside his own home. Intolerance seems ascendant, and foreigners are increasingly fretful. White supremacist groups have become more visible on dozens of college campuses. A report from the Anti-Defamation League details incidents in which anti-Muslim, anti-Semitic and racist fliers have appeared on more than 60 college campuses in 25 states in the past six months. Attacks and threats on mosques are on the rise, and headstones are toppled in Jewish cemeteries. In India, whence tens of thousands of engineers, computer programmers and other skilled workers apply for work visas each year, the shootings in Kansas and Washington state have unleashed tremors of fear. Many younger Indians, who had fervently hoped for jobs and futures as students or professionals in the United States, are relinquishing their American Dream. On Facebook, the grieving widow of the 32-year-old computer engineer killed in the Kansas bar, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, asked: Do we belong here? Is this the same country we dreamed of and is it still secure to raise our families and children here? In India, there was advice issued on social media sites to travelers in the United States to refrain from speaking foreign languages, lest it provoke hostility. The father of the Indian injured in the Kansas shooting, Alok Madasani, appealed to all the parents in India not to send their children to the United States. President Trump, having ridden his America First rhetoric to the Oval Office, condemned the Kansas shootings six days after the fact. Even as he did, his administration was readying an executive order that vilified six mainly Muslim countries by temporarily banning their citizens from travel to the United States, notwithstanding the fact that none had been a particular source of terrorist attacks inside the United States. E xtreme vetting is his watchword. Germany, France, the United Arab Emirates and other nations regarded as allies have issued travel advisories warning their citizens about the perils of travel in the United States, including rising anti-Muslim sentiment. The United States has long enjoyed a competitive advantage as a magnet for the worlds most ambitious, promising and productive immigrants. If it sends a message that those promising Indians and others are no longer welcome, the loss will be immeasurable. President Trump, seated beside House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), left, speaks during a meeting with the House deputy whip team in the East Room at the White House on Tuesday. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) For years, when President Trump pitched a new property that had his name in glittering gold letters above the door, he would throw himself into the sale: showy appearances with an entourage and a rush of boastful television interviews. But the Republican proposal to revise the Affordable Care Act is not a hotel and Trumps salesmanship has been understated by comparison. There is still urgency in his efforts, just markedly less Trump. And the administration is being cagey about its branding. Ill let others provide a description for it. I prefer to call it patient care, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said this week with a slight smile, when asked whether he sees the plan as Trumpcare. Absent, for now, are the skewering tweets, the raging news conferences and the combative speeches. Instead, Trump is quietly courting wary conservatives in private meetings and keeping himself somewhat out of the picture as party leaders and his Cabinet officials defend the plan. (The Washington Post) Trump is spending time listening to critics and on-the-fence lawmakers as they vent, which is what he did Wednesday evening when right-wing leaders stopped by and when Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) and his wife joined Trump later for dinner, White House officials said. The president also may travel to Kentucky on Saturday, shining a spotlight on the bills most dedicated Republican foe, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) though Paul says he is not budging. He has leaned all the way in and has had a deft touch, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said. Weve had an open-arms, olive-branch, politely-nod-your-head mentality. [Daily 202: Trump will use the bully pulpit to counter conservative revolt] Trumps approach is driven by the sensitivities of the moment in his young presidency and on Capitol Hill, where Republican majorities have pledged to repeal and replace President Barack Obamas health-care law but where there is little consensus on how to do it. Attuned to the fact that health care represents his first major political test and knowing that failure on the issue could define his term Trump wants to spend time with key political stakeholders before he mounts an all-out public campaign for final passage, the officials said. They also said Trump is willing to negotiate specifics of the legislation and to tear up parts of it if need be, telling aides and congressional leaders that he views the initial bill as malleable. Hes certainly open to negotiation, Paul said in an interview. Hes genuinely interested in what conservatives have to say, knows there is still room for agreement. But Paul wondered whether Trump would remain an avowed advocate for the proposal in the coming weeks. The leadership is selling him a bill of goods and has mischaracterized to him the amount of opposition, he said. The speaker keeps saying the votes are there and the president could end up being annoyed. View Graphic What the new House Republican plan changes about Obamacare Congressional Republican leaders said Wednesday that they are comfortable with Trumps tactics. They described him as a president who was driven by success more than ideology and who was willing to let others take charge on aspects of the process. Hes all in, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), who met with Trump on Tuesday with his whip team, said in an interview. He said Trump is unwilling to accept a stalemate but is willing to be patient with Congress. His message was how important it is to get a bill to his desk, to make sure it happens, Scalise said. Hes talking to members on a regular basis, and some really important changes were made last week based on those conversations. [Hospital, doctor groups come out against GOP health-care plan] House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who has perhaps the closest friendship of any congressional leader with Trump, said Trumps role is to be the heavyweight presence who comes in late and closes the deal in both chambers. Look at his history, its getting deals done, McCarthy said. He likes people, he doesnt sleep much and works all the time. He asks a lot of questions and as we narrow it all down, hes in the mode of lets find the sweet spot, figure out what works, and lets get this done. McCarthy said he expects Trump to eventually hold more public events or rallies since he can help explain it to the country. But for now, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Wednesday, Trump is focused on meeting with Republicans and conservatives. The president understands as a businessman that if someone has got a really good idea, then hes going to listen to it, Spicer said. Were going to go out and, as I said, in full sell mode, but if theres an idea that comes across, were going to entertain that. One influential bloc that Trump plans to woo in the coming days is the Freedom Caucus, the dozens of hard-liners in the House who often clash with House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and have been critical of the Republican plan. For any health-care legislation to pass the lower chamber, many of them will need to be won over, according to the assessments of most leadership staffers. One of its founders, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), said the White House has reached out, and other members said some of them may end up bowling with White House officials, a classic gesture made by presidents past. But those invitations have not led members of that caucus to fall in line. Like Paul, they see a fluid debate. Rep. Thomas Garrett (R-Va.), a freshman member of the group, argued that the product that gets rolled out first is rarely the product that gets voted on. [What the proposed health-care plan really means for taxes] Vice President Pence has met this week with two top leaders of the Freedom Caucus, and director of the Office of Management and Budget Mick Mulvaney a former caucus member spent more than an hour at a Tuesday night meeting of the group. One member of the House Republican whip team, who was among a group of lawmakers who visited with Trump on Tuesday and spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss tactics, said there is a shared understanding between the White House and House leaders that the bill as currently crafted represents the best chance to pass health-care legislation through the House and for now, the White House and House GOP leaders are offering dissenters carrots, with the sticks to follow if needed. If need be, theyre ready to drop the hammer on some people, the member said. Theres a lot of people enjoying being on cameras, but at the end of the day, you want to be part of the team. You dont want to be on the outside looking in. A White House official echoed the sentiment: If we need to bring in the big gun, well bring in the big gun, meaning Trump. Club for Growth President David McIntosh, who attended the Wednesday evening meeting at the White House, said his group remained opposed to the GOP health-care plan but was heartened by Trumps pitch for a multiphase legislative process in which further reforms would be likely after the first phase was finished. He said, I wish theyd done a better job explaining the three phases; then, maybe youd have realized some of your issues are being taken care of, recalled McIntosh. The president asked us, Dont be all doom and gloom, and against getting this done. Former House speaker Newt Gingrich, a Trump ally, on Wednesday told a lunchtime crowd organized by Americas Health Insurance Plans that the Republican strategy left plenty of room for error. Theyre discovering that there are slightly more absolutely no [votes] than you can afford to have, he said. Something will get signed into law. I dont have a clue what it will look like. I dont think they do either. Trumps plans for a sales trip remain unclear, too. I havent been invited to anything yet, Paul said late Wednesday of Trumps potential stop in Kentucky. Well have to see what ends up happening. Mike Debonis and Elise Viebeck contributed to this report. Nurses, doctors, health advocates and patients rally together in front of the Save My Care Bus near the Jackson Memorial hospital on March 2, 2017 in Miami. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Major associations representing physicians, hospitals, insurers and seniors all leveled sharp attacks against the House GOPs plan to rewrite the Affordable Care Act on Wednesday, as some Republicans publicly questioned whether the measure can clear the House of Representatives. While industry groups warned that the proposal could leave vulnerable Americans with fewer protections than they now have, GOP leaders pressed ahead, bringing legislation before two key committees that are expected to approve the bills by weeks end. They were also working in concert with the White House to win over conservatives, who have complained that the proposal preserves too much of the current law. The flurry of activity including an evening meeting between President Trump and leaders from five skeptical conservative groups created new uncertainty about the viability of Republicans signature promise to repeal and replace Obamacare. The days events also showed the uneasy predicament facing House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), the proposals chief booster, who described the plan Wednesday as a conservative wish list that would deliver on years of GOP campaign promises to change the nations health-care system. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post) Right now I feel confident saying there arent 218 votes for this, said Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus, who was referring to the number of votes needed to pass the measure out of the House. Perry opposes the proposal. The barrage of criticism shows how fraught the terrain of health-care policy is. It also reflects a backlash prompted at least partly by the breakneck speed with which House Republicans are trying to push through their proposal with little upfront effort to work with interest groups or political factions. What were seeing now is that the political prospects for repealing the Affordable Care Act are as daunting as the effort to pass national health reform, Larry Jacobs, a political science professor at the University of Minnesotas Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, said in an interview. House Republican leaders have given little indication that they will make anything but marginal changes to their plan, which would eliminate the requirements that all Americans obtain coverage or pay a tax penalty and that businesses with at least 50 employees provide insurance. The American Health Care Act would replace income-based subsidies with refundable tax credits based on age and income, charge individuals a 30 percent surcharge if they buy a plan after allowing their coverage to lapse and phase out the laws more generous Medicaid funding over time. (The Washington Post) While conservatives complained that these changes dont go far enough, they have sparked criticism not just from Democrats but from moderate Republicans, AARP, the American Medical Association and the American Hospital Association. We cannot support the AHCA as drafted because of the expected decline in health insurance coverage and the potential harm it would cause to vulnerable patient populations, James L. Madara, chief executive of the American Medical Association and a doctor, wrote in a letter to committee leaders overseeing work on the bill. Richard Pollack, CEO of the American Hospital Association, voiced similar fears, saying efforts to restructure the Medicaid program by shifting it from an entitlement program to one based on a per capita allocation will have the effect of making significant reductions in a program that provides services for our most vulnerable populations and already pays providers significantly less than the cost of providing care. Americas Health Insurance Plans, the insurance industrys largest trade association, sent a letter Wednesday saying that while it appreciated several of the proposed changes, the changes to Medicaid could result in unnecessary disruptions in the coverage and care beneficiaries depend on. [Income separates the winners from losers in House GOPs health plan] House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) told reporters Wednesday that critics were exaggerating the proposals potential repercussions. Its tough to do entitlement reform, its tough to make these changes, but I think at the end of day, seniors are going to be fine, Walden said. If youre on Medicaid today, youll be on Medicaid tomorrow. States can intercede here and help out. So theres more to this story. Walden said it was sort of shocking that hospital groups were strongly opposing the plan, because the GOP legislation restores the ACAs cuts to disproportionate share payments to hospitals that serve large numbers of uninsured patients. Theres a pretty big medical-industrial complex in America, he added. And when you touch it, Ive discovered, it touches back. House Republicans determination to deliver on their promise to undo the ACA Ryan said Wednesday that it is the covenant we made with the American people when we ran on a repeal-and-replace plan in 2016 has spurred a legislative drive that is happening at warp speed. A cadre of lawmakers and staffers worked behind closed doors for several weeks to draft the pair of bills, which were designed to move through the annual budget process in order to clear the Senate with a simple majority vote. But that process, which did not involve an extended period of negotiation with interest groups or consultation with Democrats, has produced a furious backlash. Some insurers, including Molina Healthcare and the Alliance of Community Health Plans, said they did not get to offer any input into the House proposal. It doesnt seem like the industry got any heads up or was involved. We definitely were not, Sunny Yu, spokeswoman for Molina Healthcare, which has about a million members in the Affordable Care Act exchanges, said in an email. Democrats threw up procedural obstacles Wednesday in the committee meetings and on the House floor, complaining that it was irresponsible to consider the bills before the Congressional Budget Office offered an analysis that showed the legislations impact on the budget and Americans overall health care coverage. We need to know, what this is going to cost? asked Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-Calif.), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. We need to know, what kind of health insurance is going to be feasible? Both House Republicans and White House budget director Mick Mulvaney have predicted that they will have a CBO score ready by early next week, before the bills are combined and brought before the House Budget Committee. GOP staffers noted that other health-care bills, including the 21st Century Cures Act and the 2015 reauthorization bill for Medicare and the Childrens Health Insurance Program, began their journeys through congressional committees without a CBO score. Democrats on the Energy and Commerce Committee moved to delay the bills consideration for 30 days, while those on Ways and Means moved to delay it for one week to allow for further hearings and to examine the CBO report. Both motions were voted down on a straight party-line vote, and the panels continued working into the evening. Still, the most imminent threat GOP leaders must contend with comes from the far right. The speaker can lose only 21 Republican votes if the American Health Care Act is to pass, and opponents are promising to use that leverage to force changes to the bill. Rep. Thomas Garrett (R-Va.), a freshman member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, said he was confident that his camp could help reshape the legislation. While Trump had endorsed it already, Garrett said, he would probably be willing to accept something else if it were changed in a way conservatives could support. This is a guy who said he wasnt sure that NATO, in its classic role, is necessary and then two months later we saw countries like Germany vow to increase their defense spending to 2 percent of GDP, said Garrett. Whyd they do that? Because Donald Trump wasnt going to accept the status quo. They made a counteroffer. Right now, theres an offer, and hes saying he likes to get people to make counteroffers. Vice President Pence met with two House Freedom Caucus leaders Tuesday, and that same day Mulvaney a former caucus member spent more than an hour at a meeting of the group. Its members have been invited to visit the White House next Tuesday. Wednesday night, Trump met with leaders from Americans for Prosperity, the Club for Growth, FreedomWorks, the Heritage Foundation and its political arm, Heritage Action, and the Tea Party Patriots. But the hard reality for Republicans is that any changes made to appease House conservatives could threaten the bills support among moderates. My fear is that the bill will go backwards, said Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.), a co-chairman of the centrist Tuesday Group who has gotten White House attention of his own: He met Tuesday with Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price. If the bill starts going in the reverse direction in order to satisfy certain members of my party, then Im going to have a problem. I think the federal government has a role to play here, and Im not looking to just see the federal government undermine the health-care needs of the American people. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, a pivotal Republican moderate, said in an interview Wednesday with Yahoo News Katie Couric that the current House measure would not be well received in the Senate and stood no chance of passing as is. I want us to slow down to take more time to be sure we get this right. David Weigel, Carolyn Johnson, Elise Viebeck and Amy Goldstein contributed to this report. Read more at PowerPost KUKL board to elect new chairman next week Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL), the sole water supplier to the Kathmandu Valley, finally held its long overdue annual general meetings for fiscal years 2013-14 and 2014-15 on Tuesday and Wednesday, opening the way for the board of directors to assemble and elect a new chairman. A Republican proposal to revise the Affordable Care Act claimed its first major victories Thursday amid a backlash that both Republican leaders and President Trump spent the day trying to tamp down. Trump met with conservative critics of the plan, signaling both a willingness to negotiate its details and that it does not yet have enough votes to emerge from the House. More acknowledgment of the proposals problems came from Senate Republicans, who suggested Thursday that the measure is moving too quickly through the House and in a form unlikely to succeed if it gets to the upper chamber. Yet the plan emerged from two key House committees Thursday, and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), its top booster, insisted that the pending legislation represents the only chance were going to get to fulfill the GOPs long-standing promise to undo the Affordable Care Act. The GOP proposal cleared the Ways and Means and the Energy and Commerce committees on party-line votes after marathon sessions that lasted through Wednesday night and into Thursday. It now heads to yet another panel, the Budget Committee, and it remains on track to land on the House floor by months end. But the proposal faces challenges with both GOP conservatives and moderates, in addition to Democrats, many of whom questioned the lightning-fast process and raised dueling qualms about its policy provisions. Even Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) appeared to echo a Democratic attack on the House legislation, saying lawmakers need to see the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimate of how the bill will affect the federal deficit and the number of insured Americans. I think we need to know that, McConnell said at a breakfast sponsored by Politico, adding that the report could be released by Monday. [Lawmakers take up Obamacare revision without independent scorekeeper] Trump and Ryan have adopted diverging approaches to critics of the overhaul. While Trump has endorsed the legislation, he has expressed a willingness in recent days to make deals with its critics. But Ryan has emphasized the precarious nature of the legislation House leaders have drafted, all but ruling out substantial changes to the bill before it comes up for a final vote. At an unusual Thursday news conference carried live on cable news channels, a shirt-sleeved Ryan gave a 23-minute presentation. Republicans, he said, face a binary choice vote for the House bill, or let the ACA survive. We as Republicans have been waiting seven years to do this, Ryan said. This is the closest we will ever get to repealing and replacing Obamacare. The time is here. The time is now. This is the moment. Hours later, leaders of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus visited the White House and made a personal case to Trump to modify the legislation changes that Ryan and other House leaders believe would imperil it by alienating more moderate Republicans. I didnt hear anything that said its a binary choice at the White House today, said Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), the Freedom Caucuss chairman. Meadows declined to detail the changes he and other conservatives are seeking, but they have leveled three broad objections to the Ryan-backed bill: that the system of tax credits it creates constitutes a new government entitlement, that it does not do enough to curtail the ACAs Medicaid expansion, and that it largely leaves the ACAs insurance coverage mandates in place. Trump and his deputies have spent the past several days carefully wooing members of the Freedom Caucus with lengthy lunches with the president, calls with staff and friendly meetings with White House budget director Mick Mulvaney, himself a founding member of the Freedom Caucus. (The Washington Post) It remains unclear when or how any tweaks to the measure would occur. Trump and Ryan both sent strong signals this week that they consider the tax-credit issue settled, and several Freedom Caucus members said they were now focused on beefing up the GOP bills attack on the ACA insurance mandates. House leaders involved in drafting the bill largely steered clear of the insurance mandates, having concluded that more significant changes could not get through the Senate. But conservatives said they were not interested in watering down the House bill preemptively. I think we can probably be more aggressive, said Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.). So I think thats what [Meadows and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio] were talking to the president about, saying, Mr. President, if you want to reduce costs, this may not do it. Another influential House conservative group, the Republican Study Committee, proposed amendments to the Medicaid portion of the GOP plan that would wind down the ACA Medicaid expansion beginning in 2018 rather than 2020, and also require able-bodied, childless adults to seek work in exchange for Medicaid benefits. Trumps willingness to negotiate expressed in a Wednesday evening meeting with leaders of conservative activist groups and then in Thursdays session with Freedom Caucus leaders came amid a barrage of attacks from Democrats and criticism from health-care industry groups. Trump sought to calm fears about the process in an afternoon tweet: Despite what you hear in the press, healthcare is coming along great. We are talking to many groups and it will end in a beautiful picture! The accelerated pace has drawn criticism from Democrats, who contrasted it with the lengthy deliberations that took place before passage of the Affordable Care Act. Some Republicans took up that criticism as well. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) tweeted early Thursday that the House should start over. Get it right, dont get it fast, Cotton wrote from his political account. In a Thursday afternoon interview with The Washington Post, Cotton threw more cold water on the House legislation, including the proposed tax credits to help people pay for insurance. The bill that was introduced Monday night cannot pass the Senate, he said. And I dont think it will be brought to the Senate for a vote. Cotton said many of his colleagues hold similar views: They might not have spoken publicly about it, but I can tell you a number if not a majority of Republican senators think that this process has been too breakneck, too slapdash, and they do not see a good solution for the American people coming out of the House bill as drafted. Four other GOP senators in states that accepted Medicaid expansion under the ACA have expressed concerns about changing the way the program is administered. One of them, Rob Portman of Ohio, reiterated his concerns Thursday after meeting with Vice President Pence and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price. That concerns me if it provides less certainty for the expanded Medicaid, Portman said. Well see. The immediate challenge for Trump, however, is getting the legislation through the House, and lawmakers said his meeting Thursday with its most vocal conservative critics showed he is taking a hands-on approach. Were appealing to a president who likes to negotiate, who likes to win, and who likes to keep his promises, said Rep. Raul R. Labrador (R-Idaho), a Freedom Caucus member. After Meadows and the other lawmakers returned from their White House lunch on Thursday, the Freedom Caucus huddled for more than an hour at the Capitol to whittle down a final list of demands. Meanwhile, the American Action Network, a group with close ties to Ryan, said it would launch television ads in more than two dozen media markets urging intransigent conservatives to support the plan. Many House conservatives said they have yet to be swayed. Several said they worry that the White House and Ryan are sending completely different messages about how much influence rank-and-file members will have over the final health care law. What we hear from the White House is, this is a work in progress, said Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.). Then we hear from leadership, take it or leave it. Several members said theyre concerned that promised administrative actions to scale back expensive essential health benefits mandated by the ACA such as birth control, maternity care and free preventive care will never materialize if voters balk at the changes. Given [Trumps] sensitivity to public opinion, youre telling me hes going to make that tough call? Sanford said. And, if not, were going to own it. Elise Viebeck and David Weigel contributed to this report. Read more at PowerPost 1 of 15 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad Where We Live | Crofton in Anne Arundel County, Md. View Photos Residents say the tranquility and ample recreation make up for the traffic associated with rapid growth in this popular community. Caption Residents say the tranquility and ample recreation make up for the traffic associated with rapid growth in this popular community. Founded in the mid-1960s as one of the nations earliest planned communities, Crofton made Money Magazines list of the top 100 places to live in 2011 and remains a draw for families because of its proximity to Washington, downtown Baltimore and other points, such as Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, said Bill Franklin, an agent with Long & Foster Real Estate. Amanda Voisard/For The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue. Sylvia Ramirez has spent the past 20 years running away from noise, in search of a more quiet community. After stints in Washington and Prince Georges County, Ramirez said she recently decided to give Crofton, in Anne Arundel County, Md., a try. While the area has highly rated schools and is generally known as a nice place for families, its too popular, she said. I remember when this area was underdeveloped in the early 1990s, said Ramirez, who moved into a two-bedroom, one-bathroom condominium about two years ago. Now traffic is a nightmare. Id like it a whole lot more if fewer people knew about it, she said with a grin. The secret, it seems, is out of the bag about Crofton, Ramirez said. Founded in the mid-1960s as one of the nations earliest planned communities, Crofton made Money Magazines list of the top 100 places to live in 2011 and remains a draw for families because of its proximity to Washington, downtown Baltimore and other points, such as Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, said Bill Franklin, an agent with Long & Foster Real Estate. [Everything we need is just right at our fingertips in this D.C. neighborhood] The fact that I can get to the airport in 25 minutes, Washingtons Verizon Center in 35 minutes, and Richmond in an hour and 45 minutes is a huge selling point, said Franklin, who lives in Croftons Walden community and has sold real estate in the area for more than 30 years. He agrees with Ramirez that the area has, in a way, been a victim of its own success. Theres been an awful lot of growth, but Croftons amenities more than make up for that, he said. Fan of suburbia: Home to multiple country clubs and the Waugh Chapel Towne Centre, which includes a movie theater, a grocery store, and dozens of other dining and shopping options, Crofton is known as a family-friendly community with excellent schools, said Mark Young, who sends his two children in the fourth and sixth grades to public school in the neighborhood. Young said he moved to a 2,700-square-foot, four-bedroom, four-bathroom traditional house in 2003, before having children, because he knew the importance of living in a good school district. Barry DesRoches, who lives in a 2,400-square-foot, four-bedroom, four-bathroom Colonial, was living in Annapolis in the early 1990s in a house that was too big even for his growing family of four, he said. We got a little bit ahead of ourselves, said DesRoches, who at the time worked in residential construction. They decided to give Crofton a try and fell in love with the community. We moved to a smaller house, which was brand-new back then, and we havent looked back. Steve Cohen said he loves the neighborhood so much that each of the three houses hes moved to over the past 45 years have all been within Croftons borders. Im a rare person who actually likes living in a suburban environment, said Cohen, who lives in a four-bedroom, four-bathroom, 2,250-square-foot house in Croftons Triangle community, which is bounded by Routes 3, 450 and 424. [In this Woodbridge, Va. community, modestly priced houses come with lots of nearby amenities] Living there: Crofton is bordered roughly by Johns Hopkins Road and Conway Road to the north, Underwood Road to the east, Defense Highway to the south and the Little Patuxent River to the west. In the past 12 months, 493 properties have sold in Crofton, ranging from a 945-square-foot, two-bedroom, one-bathroom condominium for $125,000 to a 5,800-square-foot, four-bedroom, five-bathroom Colonial for $653,000, said Franklin, the agent with Long & Foster Real Estate. Longtime Crofton resident Sunhee Kim Jung walks her dogs in Crofton. (Amanda Voisard/For the Washington Post) There are 74 houses for sale in Crofton, ranging from a 945-square-foot, two-bedroom, one-bathroom condominium for $149,900 to a 4,100-square-foot, five-bedroom, four-bathroom Colonial for $598,000, Franklin said. Schools: Students from the neighborhood attend Crofton Elementary, Crofton Woods Elementary, Crofton Meadows Elementary, Nantucket Elementary, Crofton Middle, Arundel High and South River High. The county has plans to build Crofton High School in the coming years. Transit: Crofton is a short distance by car to park-and-ride stations in Davidsonville in Anne Arundel County and Bowie in Prince Georges County. The area is also about six miles from the MARC Odenton Station. Residents can also catch a commuter bus to the Landover station on Metros Orange Line. People mourn at the graves of three polio vaccinators who died in a suicide bombing in Kabul on March 1. (Sayed Salahuddin/for The Washington Post) Behroz Haidary was a skilled surgeon, army captain, environmental activist and father of three. On Wednesday, he was making rounds at Kabuls main military hospital when he was shot dead by gunmen who had infiltrated the facility, disguised as medics. It was his 37th birthday. The attack, claimed by the Islamic State, left at least 49 people dead and 70 wounded. Abdul Qadir, 23, was a laborer from a poor neighborhood, with a part-time job as a government vaccinator. On March 1, he was giving polio drops to a girl outdoors when a suicide bomber rammed a nearby police station. The blast hurled Qadir into a ditch, and his charred body was found hours later. He was one of 23 people who died that day in twin attacks claimed by the Taliban. Haidary and Qadir were among the most recent victims of the urban terror war in Afghanistan, a series of bombings and gun attacks that officials fear will intensify this year, with insurgents gaining territory and civilian deaths reaching a record 3,500 nationwide in 2016. In Kabul alone, such attacks have killed thousands in the past decade and nearly 100 this month. [U.N. says civilian toll in Afghanistan is highest in years] But most of the 16-year war has been fought in far-flung rural provinces, and most civilian victims as well as security forces die there. Often there are few witnesses and no detailed news coverage, so the deaths remain a remote abstraction. Afghans cry after an attack on a military hospital in Kabul on Wednesday. (Rahmat Gul/Associated Press) When a convoy carrying supplies to snowbound villages was ambushed last month in Jowzjan province, leaving six aid workers dead, their names and faces remained unknown to the public. The same was true when a policeman fatally shot 11 of his sleeping fellow officers at a desert checkpoint in Helmand province two weeks ago. But when terrorist violence invades the capital, the impact is more immediate; destruction and death zoom into public view. Television crews quickly reach bombing and shootout scenes. People post constant queries and reactions on social media a mix of worry, relief, anger about the endless war and frustration about the governments inability to protect the public. We are supposed to thank the president for going to visit people in the hospital and condemning a savage act, one resident wrote Thursday on Facebook. But saying sorry and condemning are not enough. Why cant they do more to prevent it? On Thursday, the Ministry of Defense said the military hospital had been sealed shut while investigators try to discover how the attackers entered the hospital after blowing up the main gate. On Wednesday, security officials said they had driven an ambulance into the compound. [Afghan government controls just 57 percent of its territory, U.S. watchdog says] Officials also said they were trying to confirm whether the Islamic State was behind the attack, as its news outlet claimed. The Taliban issued a statement saying it had not been involved, but the group sometimes denies attacks that kill many civilians. A posting on Facebook showed five masked men posing with assault rifles in front of a sign in Arabic naming them as our sacrificers in the killing and maiming of mercenaries at the military hospital. There was no way to tell where and when the photo was taken. When the victims of such fatal attacks are well-known figures, their losses can resonate across social media and Afghan society. On Thursday, the news of Haidarys death sparked an outpouring of condolences on social media, and photos of him with his children and colleagues circulated online. He was buried at the hillside Deh Kapaik cemetery, below a monument to Marshal Mohammad Fahim, the late anti-Soviet militia leader and defense minister, with whom his family had military and ethnic ties. A portrait of Haidary in his army uniform rested among the flowers on his grave. Mourners in military garb raised occasional shouts of Allah is great. But colleagues from medical, environmental and academic circles also testified to his contagious good spirits and desire to help build a modern, professional Afghan society. Behroz was an exceptional person who cared about his country and thought about big issues, said Samim Hoshmand, a friend at the crowded burial ceremony, which Afghan TV crews filmed. He brought five pine saplings to plant nearby. He told me we must all die someday, but we can all keep something alive after us, Hoshmand said. In contrast, the death of Qadir one week earlier was virtually unnoticed in public and mourned quietly by relatives and neighbors. Yet he and his two fellow vaccinators were much more typical of victims of urban terrorism people selling fruit or used clothing, riding buses or praying in mosques, going about daily routines in a dangerous, crowded city. Qadirs body lay for hours in a culvert, alongside those of his two friends, lost in the citywide chaos of a double bombing and gun battle. That night, relatives finally located it in a forensic hospital. For their days work delivering polio drops, the three would have each taken home $23. [Amid Kabul winter, Afghan war refugees shiver in frigid settlements ] Word spread quickly through their community, and the next morning, hundreds of men gathered to carry their pine coffins through the alleys to a prayer ceremony and then a small graveyard, where they were buried side by side in plain earthen mounds. He was a humble, honest, easygoing person. He had dreams for his life, like all of us, said Ahmad Samir, a cousin close to Qadir. He was saving to buy a small flat for his mom, because their house was old and leaked a lot when it rained. These families, too, were angry at the war, at the government, at the fate of these ordinary young men who had done nothing to deserve a horrific death. We are losing our youths every day in this war, said Mohammad Gul, a retired police officer whose son Jalal died with Qadir. Our government leaders have their families abroad and they are safe in expensive villas. America is doing nothing to stop this war. How long do we have to die? Why are they killing us? Who is there to answer our question? The day after Qadir died, Samir and another friend made a poster of his photo. It showed him smiling and handsome, with a fashionable haircut. In the cemetery, they planted the poster next to his grave. Across the top was written one word in Afghan Dari: Martyr. Sayed Salahuddin and Sharif Walid contributed to this report. Read more: Kabul on edge amid standoff between Afghan government and vice president Afghanistans vice president is known for brutality. But he may have gone too far. Finally, Afghanistan is trying to penetrate and purge high-level corruption Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, speaks to the media on March 8 in New York, flanked by Ambassador Koro Bessho, left, of Japan and Ambassador Cho Tae-yul of South Korea. (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AFP/Getty Images) The United States rebuffed a proposal from China to apply the brakes to an escalating standoff with North Korea, saying positive action was required before it would engage with the irresponsible Kim Jong Un. China was trying to mediate the rising tensions in East Asia, which pit its once-close ally North Korea against the United States and its evolving foreign policy under President Trump. The North Koreans have given us enough reason to think how irresponsible they are, with little cause to believe that were dealing with a rational person on this, said Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Speaking to reporters Wednesday after an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting on North Korea, she added, We have to see some sort of positive action by North Korea before we can take them seriously. There has been no official Chinese reaction to the snub. Chinas foreign minister, Wang Yi, urged North Korea earlier Wednesday to suspend missile tests in return for a suspension of U.S.-South Korea military exercises. (Jason Aldag/The Washington Post) Wang compared the United States and North Korea to two accelerating trains coming toward each other with neither side willing to give way. He cast China as a railway worker or signalman trying to keep things on track, though U.S. critics argue that China is not a neutral signalman but Pyongyangs patron. A suspension for suspension deal, Wang argued, was key to preserving peace and getting back to the negotiating table. What he proposed has been pitched before by North Korea and rejected by the United States. But with the Trump administration still fleshing out its foreign policy, some experts wondered whether the proposal had a shot. It did not. Flanked by colleagues from Japan and South Korea, Haley said the administration is still deciding how to proceed. I can tell you were not ruling anything out and were considering every option thats on the table, she said. They may need to move quickly. The early months of the Trump presidency have coincided with a surge of tension in Asia, threatening to precipitate a conflict that could draw in North Korea, China, South Korea and Japan. In February, North Korea tested a solid-fuel rocket that it claimed was part of an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of hitting the United States. Soon after, the country was linked to the killing in Malaysia of Kim Jong Uns half brother, Kim Jong Nam, who had been under Chinese protection. Then, on Monday, as U.S.-South Korean military exercises got underway and China opened its not-to-be-interrupted National Peoples Congress, Pyongyang pulled the trigger again, launching four missiles that landed in waters off the Japanese coast. The same night, the United States and South Korea pushed ahead with the long-planned deployment of an antimissile system, called Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), that China strongly opposes. At the center of this complex and evolving conflict are questions about Chinas ties to North Korea and the U.S. role in East Asian affairs, particularly under Trump. China and North Korea see the presence of U.S. troops in South Korea as the root of regional conflict, and they want the United States to acknowledge or address this by canceling or adapting joint military exercises. The United States and South Korea are focused on the North Korean threat. They say THAAD is a defensive system designed to shoot down North Korean missiles. But China believes that THAAD could be used to spy on Chinese airspace and sees the system as evidence of U.S. military meddling in Asian affairs. After the deployment on Monday, Chinas Foreign Ministry warned of unspecified consequences for the United States and South Korea and has continued to target South Korean business interests. The United States, meanwhile, has pushed for China to play a more assertive role in reining in North Korea. With Chinese leaders outraged over THAAD, the challenge for the Trump administration will be getting them to abandon their patronage of North Korea. Jin Xin contributed to this report. Read more: China wants to avert head-on collision in the Koreas, but will Trump agree? Chinas anger over missile system poses challenge to Trump North Korea tests four more missiles and Chinas patience Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news SLMM cadres torch Saptari Land Reform office The agitating cadres of Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM) torched the Saptari district Land Reform Office on Thursday. However, the fire was contained with the help of police and locals before it could cause major damage. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Moscow on Thursday seeking reassurance from Russian President Vladimir Putin that his countrys presence in Syria would help Israel block arch-nemesis Iran from taking advantage of the chaos to position itself permanently on Israels northern border. Until now, the Israeli government has stayed relatively quiet about developments in the six-year-old conflict raging in neighboring Syria, acting militarily only when it feels its security threatened. But now, as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad receives a boost from the strategic alliance between Russia and Iran, Tehrans expanding influence across the region is causing alarm in Israel. At the start of his meeting with Putin, Netanyahu noted the significant progress made by Russia and other players in the region in fighting Islamist militant groups, including the Islamic State and al-Qaeda. He added, however, that the victory over the terrorism of ISIS cannot lead to an upsurge in terrorism by Iran and its proxies. We will not exchange terrorism for terrorism. ISIS is an alternative acronym for the Islamic State. [Putin, the perpetual spoiler, tries his hand at a peace process] After the meeting, Netanyahu issued a statement in which he said, I made it clear that regarding Syria, while Israel is not opposed that there should be an agreement there, we strongly oppose the possibility that Iran and its proxies will be left with a military presence in Syria under such an agreement. Although Russia is unhappy with some of Irans strategic objectives in a postwar Syria, it is unclear how far Putin would go in supporting Israeli action to prevent Iran from building a sphere of influence from Tehran to Lebanon, via Syria and Iraq. Syria is at a crossroads right now. On one side, there is a cease-fire that seems to be holding and Assad has managed to regain control of parts of his country. Israel is worried that Iran and its proxies will gain a permanent foothold in Syria, said senior Israeli minister Tzachi Hanegbi, a close ally of Netanyahu. Ever since Russia entered Syrian territory two years ago, Israel has repeatedly emphasized to Putin its red lines regarding Iran and the groups it supports Lebanons Hezbollah and other Shiite militias involved in the fighting in Syria. Netanyahu has visited Moscow four times over the past 1 years, and the two sides have struck cooperation agreements aimed at preventing confrontations between their warplanes in Syrian airspace. With rapid changes on the ground, however, Hanegbi said Israel feels it is time to focus on the future. [Trump wants to push back against Iran, but Iran is now more powerful than ever] In its official statements, Moscow has been unwilling to make predictions about what would happen with Irans military buildup after the end of hostilities in Syria. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, in an interview with the newspaper al-Hayat on Sunday that was quoted by the Interfax news agency, said that any decision on the withdrawal of Iranian forces would rest with Syrias leaders. (Ishaan Tharoor and Jason Aldag/The Washington Post) The lawful authorities who will be lawfully chosen in Syria would be the ones with the right to demand the withdrawal of all foreign powers from the country, Bogdanov said. This official stance reflects the reality that Putin has neither the ability nor the intention to exclude Iran from a settlement in Syria, not when Irans role in supporting Assad far exceeds that of Russia, said Vladimir Frolov, a foreign-policy analyst based on Moscow. During the course of Syrias war, Iran has provided billions of dollars to shore up Assads regime and contributed much of the manpower that has sustained the depleted Syrian armys capabilities, in the form of Shiite militias recruited from the region and elsewhere. In the process, Iran has significantly expanded its reach across Syria, giving it new strategic depth in any future conflict with Israel. Members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps are now present along the 1967 cease-fire line with Israel in the Golan Heights, putting them directly opposite Israeli troops for the first time. Hezbollah, which has fought wars with Israel and has an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 fighters in Syria, is also active in the Golan. On Wednesday, an Iranian-allied Shiite militia from Iraq, Hezbollah al-Nujaba, announced that it had established a new unit, the Golan Liberation Brigade, dedicated to liberating the remainder of the Golan Heights occupied by Israel since 1967. If the Syrian government requests, we are ready to take actions to liberate Golan, Irans Tasnim news agency quoted a spokesman as saying. Iran is also thought to have deployed missiles in Syria capable of reaching deep inside Israeli territory. While refraining from commenting on the war in Syria, Israel is believed to have carried out unclaimed airstrikes inside Syria targeting suspected Iranian and Hezbollah weapons storage sites and missile depots in recent years. Russia has turned a blind eye to the strikes. Putin, who has made support for Assad a cornerstone of his policy, would probably be unwilling to go beyond that and support an Israeli incursion. Given all this, it is hard to see what Putin could promise to Netanyahu, Frolov said. He might, and likely will, promise a lot, but is in no position to deliver. Eglash reported from Jerusalem. Liz Sly in Beirut contributed to this report. Read more: First sign of enhanced U.S.-Russia relations under Trump: An invite to Syria talks Iran opposes U.S. participation in Russian-backed Syria talks New anti-Islamic State plan could change U.S. strategy in Syria Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news Attorney General Jeff Sessions: Turning back our nations recent rise in violent crime is a top priority for the Department of Justice and it requires decisive action from our federal prosecutors. (Susan Walsh/Associated Press) Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Wednesday directed federal prosecutors across the country to use every tool we have to investigate and prosecute violent offenders as part of his effort to crack down on recent increases in serious crime. In a memo to the Justice Departments 94 U.S. attorneys offices, Sessions told prosecutors to work closely with federal, state, local and tribal authorities to target the most violent offenders in each district. Turning back our nations recent rise in violent crime is a top priority for the Department of Justice and it requires decisive action from our federal prosecutors, Sessions said in a statement released late Wednesday. Im urging each of them to continue working closely with their counterparts at all levels, and to use every tool we have to put violent offenders behind bars and keep our citizens safe. Sessionss memo to his prosecutors follows a speech he gave last month to state attorneys general in which he said that historically low crime rates might be coming to an end and that recent crime increases could foreshadow a violent new period in the nations history. [Sessions vows crackdown on violent crime in first major speech as attorney general] Unfortunately, the most recent crime data available shows a 10.8 percent increase in the number of murders in this country, while federal prosecutions for violent crimes have been declining, Sessions said in his memo to prosecutors. Sessions encouraged his prosecutors to use laws regarding firearms, robbery, carjacking and drug offenses as tools to bring investigations and prosecutions against suspected criminals. In his memo, Sessions said that prosecutions under the federal Controlled Substances Act can drive violent crime down. It is still unclear how the attorney general, who has long spoken out against marijuana, will enforce the federal laws against its use, which could undercut the growing number of states that have legalized the drug for recreational use. White House press secretary Sean Spicer said last month that he expects states to be subject to greater enforcement of federal marijuana laws. Sessionss tough-on-crime approach is also a key issue for President Trump, who has already signed three executive orders directing the Justice Department to create a crime-reduction task force and take steps to target criminal gangs, reduce violent crime and curb attacks on police. Trump spoke of rising crime in his inaugural address and promised he would end American carnage. Overall crime is at a historical low in the United States. But serious crime, including homicides, has been rising in some major cities, such as Chicago. [Sessions recuses himself from Russia investigation] Sessions has been under fire for testifying to Congress during his confirmation hearings that he did not meet with any Russian officials during the 2016 campaign. He recused himself from any campaign-related investigations after The Washington Post reported that he had met with the Russian ambassador twice during the campaign. At a hearing Tuesday for deputy attorney general nominee Rod Rosenstein, who would oversee the Russia probe, several senators called on Sessions to return to the Senate Judiciary Committee and further explain his testimony. Justice officials say that with this memo, Sessions is trying to move forward with one of his top priorities, a crackdown on violent crime. Read more: The nearly indestructible bond between Jeff Sessions and Donald Trump Jeff Sessions ties increase in violent crime to undermined respect for police Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will lead a two-day gathering of a global coalition focused on fighting the Islamic State militarily and starving it of money, weapons and fighters. (Joshua Roberts/Reuters) The Trump administration has invited more than 60 nations and international organizations to Washington later this month for a strategy session on how to counter the Islamic State after a widely expected U.S.-backed military assault on the extremists home base. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will lead a two-day gathering of a global coalition focused on fighting the group militarily and starving it of money, weapons and fighters. The session is an important signal that the new administration intends to maintain leadership of a sprawling diplomatic effort begun by President Barack Obama in 2014, despite Trumps scathing assessment of Obamas approach to the Islamic State during the presidential campaign. The March 22-23 meeting will be the largest since the inaugural session and comes as the Islamic State appears to be losing ground militarily. We are at an important stage of the fight against ISIS, the State Department said in announcing the session, which it said would accelerate international efforts to defeat ISIS in the remaining areas it holds in Iraq and Syria and maximize pressure on its branches, affiliates, and networks. The Trump administration had said it would retain Obamas top official in charge of what was formerly called the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL but had not spelled out its goals for the group of 68 countries and international organizations. The Trump administration has substituted its preferred acronym, ISIS, in the global coalitions name but left the organizations structure and focus intact. The revised State Department Web page for the coalition also stripped out mention of Obama and former secretary of state John F. Kerry but kept language stressing that there is a role for every country to play in degrading and defeating the militants. The Islamic State is loosely based in Raqqa, Syria, and holds part of the strategic Iraqi city of Mosul but has been routed from other territory. If defeated as an army, however, the Islamic State would retain power to launch attacks and spread its message online. While many challenges remain, ISIS is cornered in Mosul and increasingly isolated in Raqqa, the State Department said. This . . . meeting is a key moment to set ISIS on a lasting and irreversible path to defeat. It is also Tillersons first opportunity to demonstrate commitment to the idea of a collective response to the Islamic State and to ask other nations for help. The coalition includes military partners and nations that support diplomatic and humanitarian efforts through donations of money, expertise and other resources. Its consistent with what the president talked about in terms of burden-sharing and asking other countries to carry their load, said one U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe U.S. goals for the meeting ahead of its announcement. They need to hear that from the new secretary of state and know that this was not on autopilot. He decided to do this. The coalitions future is a question that involves the new politics in Washington and the eroding military power of the Islamic State. Diplomats from some of the countries involved have questioned whether the coalition would be disbanded if the extremist group is routed from Raqqa. One European diplomat said the expected military assault in Raqqa would leave no clear physical battlefield to confront the Islamic State, despite continued humanitarian and political problems in Iraq and Syria. Another official said that although the upcoming meeting is not a fundraising conference, the coalition aims to raise about $1.5 billion for humanitarian and other efforts in the near term. Trump campaigned on a pledge to expand what he called a weak and indecisive fight against the militants in Syria, Iraq and beyond, but his strategy thus far is not markedly different from Obamas. A revised Pentagon plan for Raqqa calls for significant U.S. military participation, including increased Special Operations forces, attack helicopters and artillery, according to U.S. officials. It also would send arms to the main Syrian Kurdish and Arab fighting force on the ground. Although Americans would not be directly involved in ground combat, the proposal would allow them to work closer to the front lines. Russia is not a member of the diplomatic coalition, although it is a dominant military presence in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assads forces. Trump has raised the prospect of the United States and Russia collaborating to fight Islamic State militants in Syria, and he and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed possibilities in a phone call in January, according to the White House. But the issue is complicated by political fallout from Russias alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election, and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has said that discussion of any broad cooperation is premature. Another senior U.S. official said this week that cooperation seemed more likely if a Russian-guaranteed cease-fire proved durable. There was a lot of this talk a few weeks ago, the official said. Now it is in abeyance. When hopes for the cease-fire were high, Tillerson had asked for an economic breakdown of Syria how the oil, water and agriculture resources were divided in the country. The idea was that the Trump administration might be able to work with the Russians to carve out autonomous territories that could survive with little or no connection to Damascus, that official said. You could have regions that would be able to sort of exist, and maybe they would not be in kinetic opposition to the regime. Instead there would be a live-and-let-live scenario. But as the Russians have been unable to deliver on the cease-fire, such hopes have given way to more practical realities that the Obama administration faced, the official said. Greg Jaffe contributed to this report. Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who sued successfully to block President Trumps first entry ban, asked a federal judge Thursday to affirm that the suspension of the initial ban applies to the new one. Ferguson said Trumps new executive order imposes many of the same economic and other harms as the first one in late January, even though it is different in important ways. And he said a federal judge, rather than the administration, should decide whether the original freeze should remain in place. The court decides that, Ferguson said, not the president. Ferguson, a Democrat, made his request to U.S. District Judge James L. Robart, the federal judge in Washington state who first suspended Trumps ban nationwide. After Robart imposed that freeze, Trump lashed out on Twitter and targeted Robart personally. [Revised executive order bans travelers from six Muslim-majority countries from getting new visas] The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned! Trump wrote. The state of Hawaii already has asked a federal judge there to block Trumps new executive order, which bars the issuance of new visas to citizens of six Muslim-majority countries for 90 days and suspends the refugee program for 120 days. A hearing in that case is set for March 15. Robart could presumably act before that, and it is possible that other legal challenges will emerge. Ferguson who sued initially with the state of Minnesota is expected to be joined by other states, including New York, Oregon and Massachusetts. New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman dropped out of a case in that state Thursday to be a part of the effort in Washington. President Trumps latest executive order is a Muslim Ban by another name, imposing policies and protocols that once again violate the Equal Protection Clause and Establishment Clause of the United State Constitution, Schneiderman said in a statement. A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment. [Why Hawaii says Trumps new travel ban is still unconstitutional] The first ban affected seven countries and the refugee program, and the administration implemented it by revoking tens of thousands of visas and detaining people as they landed at U.S. airports. The new ban specifically exempts current visa holders and spells out a robust list of people who could be granted waivers as they apply for new visas. Justice Department lawyers have said that the administration plans to enforce the measure on March 16, unless a court tells them otherwise. Pursuing the case in Washington state might have strategic advantages, as both Robart and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit which is where the case could head after his decision have previously ruled against the administration on the travel ban. Hawaii is also in the 9th Circuit. The Justice Department has asserted the new order differs from the old in critical respects, although before it was inked, White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller said on Fox News that it would have mostly minor technical differences from the iteration frozen by the courts and that Americans would see the same basic policy outcome for the country. Ferguson said previously that the administration capitulated on numerous key provisions that we contested in court. Washington states lawyers said they would continue to try to use as evidence comments by the president and his top advisers endorsing the idea of a Muslim ban, which they will argue violates the Constitution. They said they believe the burden is on the government to convince a judge that the freeze should not be in effect, rather than the other way around. WikiLeaks will release to tech firms the software code of CIA hacking tools that were designed to compromise smartphones and other products, the groups founder said Thursday, attempting to position himself as a defender of cybersecurity and probably further antagonizing the intelligence community. We have decided to work with the firms, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said at a news conference, to give them some exclusive access to the additional technical details we have so that fixes can be developed and pushed out, so that people can be secured. Once the patches are sent out or, as Assange put it, once this material is effectively disarmed by us WikiLeaks will release more details publicly, he said. Assanges remarks come two days after the radical transparency site put up a cache of files describing secret CIA hacking techniques and tools aimed at, for instance, seizing control of iPhones and Googles Android phones, turning some Samsung television sets into bugging devices and getting data from devices not connected to the Internet. The release stopped short of releasing the code itself. Some national security experts wondered why WikiLeaks had not already shared the software flaws. (Dalton Bennett,Greg Miller/The Washington Post) If WikiLeaks were really concerned about user security, they couldve handed these vulnerabilities over to vendors immediately upon receiving this archive, said Adam Klein, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security and an expert on national security and digital surveillance. But we know theyve had it for some time and havent done so. And Alex Rice, chief executive of HackerOne, the start-up that enlists hackers to share security flaws with tech companies for a profit, said, This is a critical step that WikiLeaks should have taken immediately upon receipt of such information. [Exposure of CIA hacking tools renews debate over Americans cybersecurity vs. national security] Others praised Wikileakss vow to share data with tech companies. Its incredibly good news for personal cybersecurity, said Nathan White, senior legislative manager for Access Now, a digital rights group. He noted how WikiLeaks also stands to gain from the move, since it has been criticized for publishing information without vetting it for privacy and security in the past. The CIA continues to have no comment on the authenticity of the documents released, which WikiLeaks said is the first tranche of more to come. Independent experts have said the files appear to describe authentic exploits, or tools that hackers can use to penetrate a device, but many of them are dated and appear to have already been patched by tech firms. And researchers said they have been long aware of a number of the techniques. A CIA spokesman, Jonathan Liu, suggested that WikiLeaks pronouncements of the scale and impact of its Tuesday Vault 7 release are exaggerated. As weve said previously, Julian Assange is not exactly a bastion of truth and integrity, Liu said. Despite the efforts of Assange and his ilk, CIA continues to aggressively collect foreign intelligence overseas to protect America from terrorists, hostile nation states and other adversaries. U.S. laws and policies bar the CIA from conducting electronic surveillance targeting individuals on U.S. soil. And CIA does not do so, Liu said. Within the CIA, officials were aware before the WikiLeaks release of a loss of sensitive information, according to people familiar with the matter. The CIAs internal security personnel, who apparently had not told the FBI, were pursuing the matter, but the scope and severity of the problem was unclear until WikiLeaks posted online the roughly 9,000 documents on Tuesday, these individuals said. An immediate challenge for FBI investigators hunting for a possible mole is to pare down a list of suspects from the pool of people who had access to the information leaked a challenging task, given that hundreds and potentially thousands of people had access to the data. [WikiLeaks disclosure exposes rapid growth of CIA digital operations and agency vulnerabilities] After Assanges news conference Thursday, tech companies deliberated the consequences of taking data from WikiLeaks, according to a person familiar with the discussions. They considered the legal implications of using information from documents obtained illegally and the political fallout from doing so. They questioned whether Assange was attempting to further drive a wedge between the technology industry and the U.S. government. Apple declined to comment on Assanges statements. The company said earlier this week that many of the vulnerabilities identified in the WikiLeaks documents had already been patched, and encouraged customers to download the most recent security update. Roughly 80 percent of customers using Apples iOS software have downloaded the latest update, the company said. Google declined to comment. The CIA dismissed any suggestion that WikiLeaks release served the interests of privacy and security. The American public should be deeply troubled by any WikiLeaks disclosure designed to damage the intelligence communitys ability to protect America against terrorists and other adversaries, Liu said. Such disclosures not only jeopardize U.S. personnel and operations, but also equip our adversaries with tools and information to do us harm. Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), a Judiciary Committee member, on Thursday sent a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions on the issue. He asked if the Justice Department believed that Assange broke the law by releasing the CIA materials. Sasse said he looked forward to a prompt response. Gen. Joseph Votel, head of U.S. Central Command, testifies on Yemen and other issues related to the Middle East before the Senate Armed Services Committee. (Win Mcnamee/Getty Images) A U.S. military investigation has determined that an American-led raid in Yemen killed up to a dozen civilians, a senior official said Thursday, the most specific admission yet that the January operation resulted in unintended loss of life. Gen. Joseph Votel, who heads U.S. Central Command (Centcom), told lawmakers that a probe into the Jan. 29 raid had concluded that between four and 12 civilians died as a result of U.S. actions. Military officials had previously said that noncombatants were likely killed. Yemeni reports have put the civilian death toll as high as about 30. The raid, which also resulted in the death of a Navy SEAL, has become the object of intense scrutiny early in the Trump administration. While the White House has insisted its first major counterterrorism operation was a highly successful maneuver against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), critics have questioned the series of mishaps that befell the Special Operations forces on the ground. Some within the U.S. government have also cast doubt on the value of the intelligence obtained in the operation, which targeted a remote village believed to be inhabited by AQAP militants. According to Yemeni security and tribal officials, an intense firefight and U.S. air attacks were elements of a chaotic nighttime scene in which villagers not connected to AQAP sought to defend their homes and became caught up in the fight. They allege that a large number of women and children were among the dead. Votel, speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee, provided no details of who those killed were believed to include but said that, as the Centcom commander, he took responsibility for what occurred. We lost a lot on this operation, he said. We lost a valued operator; we had people wounded; we caused civilian casualties; lost an expensive aircraft. Maj. Josh Jacques, a Centcom spokesman, said it was not clear whether further information from the investigation would be made public. While Centcom has a system to investigate claims of civilian deaths, its probes often find much smaller civilian death tolls than those identified by activists and advocacy groups. Votel said that a separate investigation into the crash and scuttling of an Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft during the operation was continuing. But he said an after-action review had not found any indication of negligence or poor decision-making that would require yet another investigation that could lead to recommendations for disciplinary action. I think we had a good understanding of exactly what happened . . . and weve been able to pull lessons learned out of that we will apply in future operations, Votel said. Protesters shout slogans during a candlelight vigil in Seoul on Jan. 7, 2017, calling for impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye to step down. (Ahn Young-Joon/AP) South Koreas Constitutional Court will deliver its decision Friday in the sensational impeachment case against President Park Geun-hye, whos at the center of a bribery scandal that has shocked a country all too familiar with corruption. If the court removes Park from office, she will make history again. Not only will she have been South Koreas first female president, she will also become South Koreas first president to be impeached. But if the court reinstates her, it will generate a mass outpouring of anger from a public fed up with the corruption between the political and business elite, a system that is seen as holding ordinary people down. The stakes could hardly be higher. This is the biggest political shock weve experienced since 1987, said Kang Won-taek, a professor of political science at Seoul National University, referring to the huge uprising that brought democracy to South Korea. This is a very symbolic moment for us. Kang expects the court to force the president out of office. South Korean President Park Geun-Hye bows during an address to the nation at the presidential Blue House in Seoul on Nov. 29, 2016. (Pool/Getty Images) The court has been hearing evidence for 10 weeks on the case, considering whether to uphold the motion passed by the National Assembly in December with an overwhelming majority to impeach her. Since then, more explosive allegations have emerged, with special prosecutors this week saying they recommend a total of 13 charges against the president, including abuse of power and receiving bribes. South Korean prosecutors say president colluded in corruption scandal The case revolves around Park and her lifelong friend, Choi Soon-sil, who held no official position but turned out to wield huge influence over the president, much more than her official advisers and ministers. Choi is accused of extracting bribes from big business Samsung alone is accused of giving her $37 million in return for using her relationship with the president to ensure favorable treatment for the companies. Samsungs de facto head, Lee Jae-yong, went on trial Thursday on a range of charges including bribery, embezzlement and perjury, and Choi has been on trial for months. Both strongly deny any wrongdoing. Park has also steadfastly denied any wrongdoing through the whole process, but special counsel investigating the case have paved the way for laying charges against her once she leaves office and loses her immunity from prosecution. In a damning 101-page report released this week, the special counsel said the president colluded with Choi and recommended charges including abuse of power, coercing donations and sharing state secrets. Park refused to be questioned during the investigation and declined to appear before the court. Heres whats involved in impeaching a president in South Korea But even if she is removed from office, this wont be the end of the saga that has seemed straight from the script of a melodramatic Korean soap opera. Protests are likely, and new elections must be held within 60 days. Expectations are that the court will uphold the impeachment, but how will the public respond? said Scott Snyder, a Korea expert at the Council on Foreign relations. Will there be violence? Who takes energy, intensity, and momentum from the decision into a political campaign? How polarizing will the campaign be? Snyder asked. Huge but peaceful demonstrations against Park topping a million protesters, according to organizers helped bring the issue to a head at the end of last year. But after Park was suspended from office in December, large pro-Park demonstrations have also been taking place. Calling themselves Parksamo or people who love Park, a group of mainly older conservatives have set up camp in the central plaza in front of Seoul City Hall, flying a U.S. flag above their tents. So, whatever the outcome on Friday, there will be a large group of unhappy Koreans taking to the streets to protest the decision. The Constitutional Court has been racing against the clock to make its decision. The chief justice retired as scheduled in January, taking the number of judges on the bench down to eight, and the acting chief justice finishes her term on Monday, creating a deadline for their decision. The agreement of six judges is required for a ruling. Samsung scion to be indicted on bribery charges] Park, 65, is the daughter of former military strongman Park Chung-hee, who served as president from 1963 to 1979 and oversaw South Koreas transformation from an agrarian backwater into an economic powerhouse, largely by providing generous government support for conglomerates such as Samsung and Hyundai. She lived in the presidential Blue House where she has been holed up during this scandal from age 11. Park has long been considered a kind of princess figure in South Korea, and one with a traumatic past. While she was still at university, her mother was killed by a bullet meant for her father, shot by a North Korean sympathizer. Even today, Park wears an old-fashioned hairstyle reminiscent of her mothers. Her mothers death meant Park effectively became South Koreas first lady at the age of 22. During this time she became close to Choi Tae-min, the founder of a religious cult that incorporated elements of Christianity and Buddhism, who would deliver messages to Park from her dead mother, according to local reports. A U.S. Embassy cable noted that the local press described Choi as a Korean Rasputin. Park also became close to Chois daughter, Choi Soon-sil, the confidante at the center of this scandal, and their friendship continued after both their fathers died. Parks father, still president, was killed in 1979 by his own spy chief, and she disappeared from public view for almost two decades. In the late 1990s, she became a lawmaker in the conservative party and was elected South Koreas first female president in 2012. Previous South Korean presidents have been embroiled in corruption scandals, usually involving their family members. The never-married Park campaigned on her inability to be corrupted, saying the fact that she had no children and was estranged from her siblings meant there was no one to bribe. Read more Little-known governor runs as the hope and change candidate in South Korea Blaming fake news, Ban Ki-moon drops presidential bid in South Korea Presidential scandal shows that Korean disease of corruption is far from cured Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news Nepal condemns Kabul attack The government of Nepal has condemned Wednesdays brutal attack in the military hospital in Kabul that left scores dead. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA, or T) is rapidly moving toward the privatization of more than 400 bus maintenance jobs as the unelected Financial and Management Control Board continues to blame workers for the systems chronically poor service. The MBTA is the fifth largest mass transit system in the US by ridership and serves a total census area of nearly 5 million people in 176 cities and towns. As many as 200 in-station Customer Service Agent jobs are also included in the current privatization plans and come in the wake of the outsourcing of jobs in the money-counting facility and spare parts warehouses. In December the FMCB and Acting General Manager Brian Shortsleeve used the threat of privatization to impose a wage freeze on thousands of MBTA workers in Local 589 of the Boston Carmens Union even though their contract was not up for renewal. Union leaders agreed to a freeze for this year and reduced raises in future years in return for a promise from management that no existing jobs would be privatized. Because the bus maintenance workers are represented by Machinists Union District 15 rather than the Carmens union, they are not covered by the December agreement and therefore vulnerable to attack. Management is also discussing plans to create new bus routes which would be contracted out to for-profit vendors with the excuse that they didnt exist at the time of the agreement. Opportunities for MBTA workers to make overtime are being slashed, with the FMCB considering the use of private bus companies, such as Peter Pan, to provide shuttle service when subway lines are closed for repairs. In addition, the building of a new public-private facility in Springfield, Massachusetts for the manufacture of hundreds of Orange and Red Line trains will give the FMCB an excuse to privatize subway car maintenance. The FMCB was created after record snowfalls in February 2015 shut down the subway, commuter rail, and bus systems. The enabling legislation also suspended an anti-privatization measure called the Pacheco law after the state senator who had championed it. According to a report presented to the FMCB at its February 13, 2017 meeting, the Pacheco waiver is expected to save less than $400 million over ten years, or less than $40 million per year on average. This amount includes privatization of the parts warehouses and money room, which has already been rammed through, along with the cuts agreed in December. A similar amount would be cut in the next round of privatizations, with spending on bus maintenance decreasing between $30 and $40 million per year and customer service spending $11 million. These cost reductions would not be put toward additional service because the MBTA is trying to close a structural deficit in its operating budget. Management has talked about putting the money toward the systems capital budget but the amounts being cut in the operating budget pale in comparison to the more than $7 billion of deferred maintenance which has caused dangerous fires in subway trains, hundreds of delays blamed on switch problems, dropped bus and commuter rail trips, and the February 2015 crisis. While the Governor and FMCB blame the operating budget deficit on worker salaries and benefits, it in fact stems from a history of inadequate funding. In 2000 the state legislature ended its previous practice of funding the MBTA at the end of each fiscal year based on actual expenses. As part of the new forward funding model, a percentage of state sales tax revenues were dedicated to the MBTA. This law not only makes the transit system reliant on a regressive tax, but resulted in much lower revenues than anticipated after the dot.com bubble burst and the Great Recession hit. The sales tax stream accounted for slightly more than half of the systems revenue in fiscal year 2016, while fares paid about a third. Large employers, including State Street Bank, Fidelity Investments, Partners Healthcare, and as many as 70 universities benefit from public transportation but pay nothing towards its operation. Recent reports from the FMCB boast that workers wages, benefits, and payroll taxes have increased by only 0.2 percent in the current fiscal year because of the Carmens wage freeze and cuts to overtime. Total wages, benefits and payroll taxes in fiscal year 2017 are forecast to be $767 million, or less than one tenth of one percent of the US military budget. A February 13 FMCB Budget Recast presentation for 2017 predicted a structural deficit of $427 million by 2020 if wage and benefit cuts arent extracted from workers. This amount is about equal to the current yearly cost of debt service, which will continue to benefit predatory investors while workers suffer. The FMCB has shaved about $15 million from this years debt service through the cancellation of rate swaps and renegotiation of bonds, but predicts that the cost will increase by more than $50 million next year as principal is paid down. The deferred maintenance crisis will add significantly to future debt service costs because under capitalism the money for capital projects is almost always borrowed. The more than $7 billion needed to bring the system back to a state of good repair cannot be found in the operating budget, which has revenues of less than $2 billion per year. Shortsleeve made a presentation to the FMCB on February 13 in which he promised that $214 million will be spent on capital projects in the current quarter (January, February, and March) and an additional $256 million next quarter. However, the T spent less than $250 million on such projects in the first six months of 2017 and less than $225 million in the last six months of 2016. Brinks Corporation is already profiting from the privatization of the MBTAs money counting facility, and companies like TransDev will line up at the trough. Commuter rail riders have already had bitter experience with Keolis, which was fined a paltry $1.7 million for its role in the February 2015 crisis only to see nearly half of those fines forgiven in a secret deal. A February 2017 report to the FMCB titled FY18 Focus and marked proprietary and confidential proposes that the MBTA continue to own the buses and maintenance facilities while for-profit companies provide bus maintenance service. In other words, money being taken from MBTA workers would turn into profits for vendors which provide less overtime and inferior health insurance to their workers. While MBTA workers are now dragged through an annual ritual of seeing their individual wages published in the Boston Globe and Boston Herald, management is clamoring for more money. The FMCBs second annual report, submitted to the legislature in December, complained that attracting talent is difficult when the general manager makes only $175,000 per year. An annual salary of least $300,000 is needed for the MBTA to be considered competitive with other transit systems. Photo credit: Getty From Redbook Scarlett Johansson has officially filed for divorce from her husband Romain Dauriac. The Avengers actress' attorney, Judith Poller, served Dauriac's lawyer, Harold Mayerson, the divorce papers on Tuesday, Mayerson confirmed to the Associated Press. While the actual divorce isn't surprising the two announced their split back in January and had allegedly been separated since last summer it's the content of Johansson's divorce petition that's got everyone talking. In the divorce filing, the 32-year-old actress called the marriage "irretrievably broken." Whether that has anything to do with ScarJo's recent comments about monogamy who knows? She also requested primary physical custody of the couple's 2-year-old daughter, Rose Dorothy Dauriac, (meaning she would share custody with her ex while the child resides primarily with her). Mayerson, as Dauriac's representative, wasted no time making sure the press was aware that ScarJo's ex would be fighting that request. Photo credit: Getty "[Dauriac] would like to move to France with his daughter and Ms. Johansson does a lot of traveling," the lawyer explained to Page Six. Dauriac, a former journalist who currently works as an art curator, is a Frenchman. The now-estranged couple and their daughter were splitting their time between New York (Johansson's native city) and Paris, where they opened a gourmet popcorn store in 2016. A source also told Page Six that that the pair had adopted an "informal co-parenting agreement" where they were each spending every other week with Rose. According to the anonymous source, the actress later requested a shorter schedule where she'd have Rose for 3 days and Dauriac would have her for 2. Mayerson told the AP that Dauriac has been the "primary parent" while Johansson has been working and that he "is tired of having to run his life and his child's life based on Ms. Johansson's shooting schedule." Story continues Johansson, who was previously married to Ryan Reynolds from 2008 to 2011, began dating her second husband in 2012. They married in a secret 2014 ceremony, after she gave birth to Rose. (h/t Page Six) Follow Redbook on Facebook. You Might Also Like The international trailer for the upcoming drama A Family Man (watch exclusively above) opens with a familiar setup: Gerard Butler is a Dane Jensen, a hotshot headhunter (the purest form of salesman, he boasts) too busy for his wife (Gretchen Mol) and kids. Hes in the running for a promotion, too, though boss (Willem Dafoe) says it will come down to Dane or his rival (Alison Brie). We think we know where this ones heading, but then a tragic twist: Danes young son Ryan (Max Jenkins) is diagnosed with cancer, derailing the self-assured deal-closers corporate ambitions, and far worse, realizing every parents nightmare. Helmed by Mark Williams (a producer on The Accountant and Flawless making his directorial debut) from a script by Bill Dubuque (The Judge, The Accountant), the drama also stars Alfred Molina, Dustin Milligan, and Julia Butters. A Family Man premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival and opens in May as a DirectTV exclusive. Watch our Role Recall interview with Willem Dafoe: Read more: SRINAGAR, India (AP) A 15-year-old boy was killed Thursday during an anti-India protest in disputed Kashmir triggered by a gunbattle in which two suspected rebels died, police and villagers said. Senior police officer S.P. Vaid said the gunbattle began early Thursday after troops cordoned off southern Padgampora village on a tip that militants were hiding in a house. As the fighting raged, villagers tried to march to the area and attacked government forces with rocks to help the militants escape, Vaid said. Villagers said the troops fired live ammunition, tear gas and shotgun pellets at the protesters, killing a 15-year-old boy and wounding three others, one critically. Vaid said the boy was killed by a stray bullet as the villagers ignored repeated calls by the authorities to stay away from the site of the gunbattle. Another police official, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, said one of the two militants was killed in an initial exchange of gunfire. He said government forces brought the other rebel's wife and two children to the site from a neighboring village to plead to him to surrender. The officer said he refused and was also killed in the fighting. The clashes continued in the village and spread to the neighboring town of Pampore, where businesses shuttered their shops and groups of youths hurled rocks at the troops. In recent years, Kashmiris, mainly youths, have protected anti-India rebels by engaging troops in street clashes during military operations against the militants. Indian army's chief warned last month that "tough actions" would be taken against people throwing stones during counterinsurgency operations, but anti-India protests and clashes have continued. Rivals India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety. Most people in the Indian-controlled portion favor independence or a merger with Pakistan. Rebels have been fighting against Indian rule in Kashmir since 1989. More than 68,000 people have been killed in the armed uprising and ensuing Indian military crackdown. ISLAMABAD (AP) Pakistan on Thursday shut its porous border with landlocked Afghanistan after opening it for two days, saying the measure was necessary to save Pakistanis from attacks from militants operating inside Afghanistan. Nafees Zakaria, spokesman for Pakistan's foreign ministry, told reporters the country was forced to close the border because of the threat of terrorism from militant groups like Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, the Islamic State group and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, which are located in Afghanistan and trying to carry out attacks in Pakistan. He spoke hours after Pakistan shut the two main border crossings with Afghanistan after a temporary, two-day opening that enabled more than 35,000 people to cross the border. Pakistan, which shares the 2,200 kilometer (1,375 mile) long border with Afghanistan, initially shut all the border crossings after a string of militant attacks in the country last month killed over 125 people. Islamabad has accused Kabul of failing to take action against Pakistani militant sanctuaries in Afghanistan's border regions. Kabul has denied the allegation. According to border management officials Fayyaz Khan and Irfan Toor, the Torkham and Chaman crossings would be shut indefinitely, despite the pleas of stranded Afghans who want to return to their country. The crossings are also major arteries for trade and commerce between the two neighbors. Businessmen say they are suffering losses because trucks carrying supplies to Afghanistan were not allowed to cross the border during the brief reopening of the crossings. Pakistan and Afghanistan have long accused each other of failing to combat extremists who operate along the porous frontier between the two nations. On Thursday, Zakaria said militants were still launching attacks from Afghanistan that targeted the Pakistan army. "We continue to lose soldiers" as a result of these attacks, he said. "In order to provide some relief to the stranded people on both sides, we opened the border for two days," he said and added that the border management was the most important aspect to control cross border movement of terrorists, which was hurting both sides. Story continues Zakaria said it was in the interest of both Pakistan and Afghanistan to install an effective border management mechanism and he hoped that Kabul will cooperate with Islamabad in managing the border. ___ Associated Press writer Riaz Khan contributed to this report from Peshawar, Pakistan. MEXICO CITY (AP) Authorities in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero say five bodies have been found inside a burned-out vehicle. Guerrero state security spokesman Roberto Alvarez Heredia says local police in the township of Chilapa found one body in the backseat and four in the trunk. In a statement Thursday, Alvarez said investigators were working to identify the victims. The mountain town of Chilapa, about an hour's drive east from the state capital of Chilpancingo, has been the scene of a bloody turf battle between two criminal organizations. On Tuesday, authorities found six dismembered bodies in 13 bags in Chilapa. Alvarez said then that a preliminary investigation suggested those deaths were tied to competition for control of opium poppy cultivation in the area. A real estate transaction can be one of the most overwhelming and stressful processes we go through in our adult life. When on the selling side, we spend countless hours preparing the house, maintaining it in its show-worthy state and worrying about what could go wrong with the appraisal and inspections -- and then there's that constant voice in our heads asking if we'll actually sell it for a price that makes it all worth it. So why, with all that work and worry, would someone want to take on the added burden of overseeing the entire transaction as well? Your guess is as good as mine. With the rise of home prices and a decrease in inventory and typical number of days homes remain on the market, many potential home sellers are once again considering the option of a for-sale-by-owner deal. However, the pros are strongly outweighed by the cons not only financially, but for the sake of your time and sanity when it comes to the entire home selling process. [See: 10 Unorthodox Ways Your Real Estate Agent May Market Your Home.] Guidance Through the Transaction Communication with a skilled real estate agent is key in any transaction, and not just for the homeowner who's unfamiliar with the process. A good real estate agent will not only provide market and status updates, but he or she should impart organization and education into the experience as well. These two principals help create a clear, understandable path through the entire series of events and allow you to focus on the day-to-day tasks of maintaining your house and preparing for your move. Understanding the Paperwork You undoubtedly remember the number of pages involved in the sales contract from when you purchased your house. The contract alone can range from 40 to 70 pages depending on where you live -- not to mention the subsequent addenda following inspections, appraisal and more. Real estate agents spend dozens of hours learning these documents during their certification studies, as well as constantly staying up to date in the latest changes through continuing education classes. By taking on the task of drawing up and managing documents you're unfamiliar with, it could cost you a sale if not handled properly. Story continues While everyone certainly hopes to never do a deal with a deceitful agent, the fact remains they do exist and FSBOs are much easier targets than agent-assisted sales. The idea of someone pulling a quick one that could cost you thousands amidst the myriad of legalese in a sales contract is frightening. But you may ask, "What if I hire a lawyer to review the contract?" The vast majority of sellers who choose to sell on their own do it to save money -- if you think it's expensive to hire an agent, just wait until you talk to a lawyer and discuss hourly fees. [See: The Best Apps for House Hunting.] Your Time One reason some homeowners choose to sell without an agent is because they already have a buyer lined up. If you're one of those people, this section doesn't apply. For those in need of a buyer, it's important to factor in the value of your time, and how much you'll be putting in to marketing your home. Throughout the listing period and after you go under contract, you still pay the mortgage, utilities, taxes and homeowners association fees, among other regular costs. Selling your home as quickly as possible is an important goal. Are you sure there's enough time to learn marketing strategies, negotiation skills and fully understand the contract so you can make educated decisions, all while handling your day job, packing, preparing for your new house and still trying to have some semblance of a life? One of the most important keys to selling a house is making it desirable to the largest amount of people and getting the highest percentage of that potential clientele inside the property. Buyers are looking for a smooth transaction and a a home listed FSBO can be a red flag. By choosing to work without an agent, it can be assumed you are more cost-conscious and less likely to negotiate. You're also lacking guidance which is sure to make things difficult for both the buyers and their agent. These factors add up to a lower exposure rate, and very likely equating to a longer time on market. Access to Other Pros When you work with a real estate agent, one key component you're hiring him for is his experience and the relationships he's formed with other industry professionals including lenders, settlement attorneys, contractors and inspectors. Undoubtedly, the agent did not strike gold with each person he met the first time around. He had the unfortunate experiences of working with less than the best, but through those times was able to recognize and identify what makes each professional great. Sure, there are sites like Angie's List that can help point out individuals you could use. But when it comes down to it, a referrer with first-hand experience and knowledge of your situation can provide you with a recommendation that best fits your needs. Real estate agents are judged not only by their performance, but by those they vouch for, making it that much more important they know and trust those with whom they are aligned. [See: 10 Tips to Sell Your Home Fast.] Higher Sale Price According to the 2016 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, the median agent-assisted property sold for $245,000 in 2015, while the median FSBO sold for $185,000. Now, it's impossible to show whether the same house would actually sell for less because there's no way to do an exact apples-to-apples comparison. That said, you are only looking to overcome a 3 percent difference. In an effort to be conservative, let's assume your listing agent would charge you a 6 percent commission to be split between her and the buyer's agent. You still need to pay the commission due to the buyer's agent, as no buyer will want to pay the sales price, closing costs and an additional (and unplanned for) commission. Therefore, that leaves a difference of 3 percent that would make this all worth it financially. There is a 25 percent difference between the median sales price of agent-assisted property versus FSBOs. Even if you account for various limiting factors, there's no way the math adds up, especially considering all the previous non-monetary aspects covered before. Ray Boss Jr. is a full-time, licensed Realtor for Re/Max Realty Group in Gaithersburg, Maryland, with over 11 years of experience working with clients ranging from first-time homebuyers to investors, sellers and renters. You can learn more about Ray by connecting with him on LinkedIn. Identity theft is the fastest-growing crime in America. A recent study from Javelin Strategy & Research found that $16 billion was stolen from 15.4 million U.S. consumers in 2016, compared to $15.3 billion from 13.1 million victims a year earlier. Over the past six years, identity thieves have stolen over $107 billion. Identity theft has the potential to ruin lives. All a thief really needs is your Social Security number and a few other rudimentary details to drain your bank account, steal your tax return and run up unauthorized card charges, all undetected and in your name. [See: High-Tech Investing: 7 Sectors to Watch.] The rise of the internet has forced us to seek easy-access communications at the expense of personal security. Life has been made easier by replacing physical transactions with digital ones. However, the mass archival of our personal information by the websites we use is leaving our data security in the hands of major businesses and government. There is no better time than now to learn how to keep your intimate data on lockdown. Consider these strategies: File your income tax returns as soon as possible. Tax-related identity theft occurs when someone uses your stolen Social Security number to file a tax return claiming a fraudulent refund. While the IRS and state governments have devoted considerable resources to prevent tax-related identity theft, you can take a step to prevent this type of fraud by filing your tax return as soon as possible. This will prevent someone else from filing a fraudulent return and possibly claiming a refund of your tax payments prior to you filing your actual return. Use strong passwords and change them often. A strong password should be a minimum of 12 characters and should be a combination of uppercase, lowercase, numbers and symbols. The password should not be a standard dictionary word, a family name, familiar dates, such as the year of your birth, or have repetitive characters. Consider using a favorite phase or song lyric. Story continues Furthermore, it is highly recommended that you use a different password for each website that contains or has access to financial information, including your email account. Password management is complex, and we often fail best practices when creating and managing our passwords. However, there are several free or inexpensive password managers such as LastPass and Dashlane that will provide strong protection and ease of use to ensure that you are managing our passwords and data effectively. [Read: How to Avoid Being a Victim of Tax-Time Identity Theft.] Watch what you write in an email. It appears that no one is immune to having their email hacked. Hackers gain access to your account and scour your emails for any information related to your financial activity, including where you bank, where your investment assets are held, who you transact with, and a host of other personal information. From your email account, they can email your banker, your financial advisor and other possible sources of money to request that funds be wired or otherwise forwarded to a third-party account or even your own bank account where it is later intercepted. To the receiver, the email appears legitimate as it came from your email address and is often written in your own style. While strong password practices and security software can greatly minimize an email hack, you are still not immune. Avoid writing about specific financial matters. Notify your banker, financial advisor and CPA to be mindful of what they communicate via email and that any files that they send are thoroughly encrypted. You should also require that they call you and not respond via email before acting on any request that you make via email to transfer funds from your account or send private information. Always use security software with firewall and anti-virus protections. Make sure the security software is always turned on and that you can automatically update it. Encrypt sensitive files, such as tax records and brokerage statements you store on your computer, or use a cloud hosting service to retain these documents. Learn to recognize and avoid phishing emails, threatening calls and texts. Thieves pose as legitimate organizations (bank, brokerage firm and the IRS), which do not communicate via email or text. Do not click on links or download attachments from unknown or suspicious emails. If you do think the email is legitimate, go to the company website and log on directly. Also, pay attention to the URLs of websites you visit as fraudulent websites will sometimes change the domain to .com instead .net to throw off unexpecting visitors. [Read: 10 Ways to Keep Your Phone Safe.] These tips will help prevent you from becoming a victim of cyberthieves. However, as cyberthieves become more sophisticated, so should you in safeguarding your personal information. Leslie Thompson, CFA, CPA, AIF, is a blogger for The Smarter Investor blog. She is managing principal at Spectrum Management Group, an Indianapolis-based independent boutique wealth management firm. You can learn more about Leslie and her team by following them on Twitter. Nepali man shot dead by Indian police in Kanchanpur A Nepali man was killed after an Indian police allegedly opened fire at Nepal-India border on Thursday following a dispute over building a culvert over Sano Khola River in Kanchanpur district. Jamie Dorsey, 34, had long planned to home-school her two young kids. However, as they neared school age, she knew it was a dream that wouldn't happen without a major change in their family. The Charleston, South Carolina, resident was a high school teacher in Michigan three years ago. Her husband was a server at a nearby restaurant. "I brought home two-thirds of the income and all the benefits," Dorsey says. It was a tall order for her to quit her job, but once the Affordable Care Act offered access to health insurance, it seemed like the time was right. [See: 10 Tips for Couples and Young Families to Build Wealth.] While her husband was able to pick up some extra shifts, the family's income dropped by roughly half. Despite earning only $36,000 that first year on one income, Dorsey says it wasn't that hard. "It ended up being a lot easier than I anticipated," she explains. While they didn't dine out much and skipped movie theaters, the family's quality of life remained roughly the same. She is also quick to add that other than buying health insurance on the government marketplace, her family doesn't get any government assistance. "I don't know if maybe we could, but we were determined to make it work on our own." If you, too, want to make the leap from being a dual-income to a single-income household, here are six steps to making it happen. Step 1: Pay off as much debt as possible. Couples who have time to plan and prepare should focus on paying down their debt. Dorsey credits part of their smooth transition to the fact that she and her husband have never had car payments and they purchased their house with only one income in mind. However, there is a caveat to paying down debt. "If there is cash enough to retire debt, be careful not to pay off debt that it may serve you to keep," says John Neyland, president of JCN Financial & Tax Planning Group and author of "How to Live the Life You've Yet to Dream." In particular, he notes a mortgage may be worth keeping since current rates are so low and interest can be deducted on itemized returns. Story continues Step 2: Have a plan for health insurance and other benefits. Paul Jacobs, a certified financial planner with Palisades Hudson Financial Group in Atlanta, has also gone from being a two-income to a one-income family. His wife, formerly a teacher, now stays home with the couple's two young kids. Before making the transition, Jacobs says couples should discuss how they will replace any benefits they lose when a spouse leaves his or her job. "Sometimes it can be a rude awakening to go from having an employer pay for health insurance to paying for it yourself," he says. Retirement funds are another area to consider. Even a non-working spouse should be saving money for the future. So long as one spouse has a job, Jacobs says a spousal IRA can be opened for the non-earning partner. [Read: Retirement Planning for Stay-at-Home Moms.] Step 3: Prepare a budget based on a single income. Before anyone quits a job, couples need to sit down and create a realistic budget based on only one income. While it may seem like a daunting task, couples could be surprised at how easy it is to pare down their expenses. "Many people find that they had been spending money unnecessarily," Neyland says. Dorsey says she was surprised how much money her family had been spending on convenience foods while she was working. Once she quit her job, it was relatively easy to cook from scratch and cut those pricey items out of the food budget. What's more, she and her husband were able to eliminate all the costs associated with her job, such as day care and gas for commuting, which had previously put a significant dent in their budget. Step 4: Be willing to make sacrifices. While some people may find they can easily make the switch to one income, there are often sacrifices involved. Dorsey and her husband dropped to one vehicle for some time while making the transition. Not only did it mean savings on insurance and maintenance, but it also meant the family was more likely to stay close to home and spend less. "I know if I had a vehicle, I would have been driving all over and wasting gas," Dorsey says. Giving up a car -- or even downsizing a house -- can be difficult, but Neyland says couples shouldn't dismiss the idea. "Examine what money means to each of you," he says. "For many people, what's most important can't be bought. Time is our most precious asset." Step 5: Review withholdings. While transitioning to a single income means making due with less, there is one way it could pay off financially. Lower income may mean a lower tax bracket. Plus, couples may find they can claim tax credits for which their previous income made them ineligible. Jacobs encourages couples to investigate how their tax liability will change and adjust the withholdings on the working spouse's paycheck accordingly. [Read: 7 Tax Breaks Every Parent Should Know About.] Step 6: Keep the lines of communication open. Switching to one income isn't only a financial change, but a lifestyle and emotional one as well. Partners need to be open and honest with each other regarding their expectations. "Is it going to be three years or five years or 10 years? Or maybe your partner never plans to go back," Jacobs says. Understanding this in advance and checking in with one another regularly can ensure that not only the family finances are in order, but that both spouses are content with the situation as well. It can be intimidating to make the leap from two incomes to one, but Dorsey says she has no regrets. The kids will only be young once, and having the opportunity to spend her days with them is more valuable in her eyes than any paycheck. Eight women were taken from a man's home in Georgia in what police are calling a case of suspected human trafficking. Police in Sandy Springs responded to a haunting 911 call from a 20-year-old woman who said she was being held against her will on Tuesday. Read: Woman Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison for Forcing Developmentally Disabled Victim Into Sex Work "Im in a really bad situation and I need to get out," said the caller, who told the dispatcher she had met her captor on a website called Seeking Arrangements, which connects women with wealthy men. In a 911 recording released by police, the dispatcher questions the caller, asking, "Wait, did you say that you're in a house full of girls?" "Mmhmm," the caller replied. "And somebody threatened to kill you if you leave?" the shocked dispatcher asked. "Mmhmm," the woman confirmed. The caller went on to tell the dispatcher the man threatening to kill her was her "boss." According to officials, officers from Sandy Springs PD arrived at the home, where they say they found a total of eight women. All the women have been removed from the residence. Four were referred to victim services and the other four are with friends or family, WGCL reports. Arrested at the home was 33-year-old Kenndric Roberts. Police said he's been charged with false imprisonment and trafficking of persons for labor. Police said the current charges are related to the one woman who called with the complaint. Authorities are interviewing the other women and said additional charges could be coming. "What we believe was happening is these women were basically lured there with a promise of either financial help or a modeling career or some kind of career advancement," said Sandy Springs Police Sgt. Sam Worsham. According to police, women in the 6,800-square-foot home were forced to dance for money and even get plastic surgery. Story continues Property records put the value of the 5-bedroom residence at nearly one million dollars. A neighbor said the home was rented. Robert's first appearance in a Fulton County Court is scheduled for Thursday morning. In a statement released late Wednesday, the website SeekingArrangement.com said they are conducting an internal investigation into the matter. Read: 14-Year-Old Girl Overdoses On Drugs After Being Forced Into Prostitution: Cops "At this time, we are conducting our own internal research and currently have no additional information. SeekingArrangement.com is a dating platform intended to be used to connect people interested in mutually beneficial relationships. "We do not condone any illegal activity, and take active measures to protect the integrity of both our site and our members. As always, we intend to cooperate fully with the authorities on any investigation." Watch: Judge: Man Must Refrain from Sex Until Marriage for Rape of 14-Year-Old Girl Related Articles: Bill Murray has debuted a new song, recorded to complement the upcoming album of his long-time friend and former "Late Night With David Letterman" musical director Paul Shaffer. The upbeat track, titled "Happy Street," begins with Shaffer approaching Murray to discuss how he's just "loving the way that I'm walking baby," before celebrating all the simple wonders of the world and looking on the bright side of life. Illustrated via an animated video that shows the pair and the rest of the world living in perfect harmony, the song is the latest in a string of humorous antics from Murray, which have also included a comedic health insurance campaign shot in the Oval Office with former President Barack Obama. "Happy Street" will appear on Paul Shaffer and The World's Most Dangerous Band's self-titled album which is scheduled for release on March 17 (via NME). Watch the music video for "Happy Street" here: https://youtu.be/bSuB4Su6wCM San Francisco (AFP) - Airbnb raised more than a billion dollars in a fresh funding round that valued the home-sharing startup at $31 billion, a source close to the company told AFP Thursday. Airbnb added $448 million to the $555 million in funding it took in last year, according to a filing Thursday with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Airbnb became profitable in the second half of last year before accounting for interest, tax, depreciation and amortization, according to the source. The new funding valued the company at $31 billion, and will give it "operational flexibility," according to the source, who noted that Airbnb has no plans to go public "any time soon." Airbnb, one of the most prominent members of the so-called "sharing economy," has raised more than $3 billion since being founded in 2008. The startup late last year expanded beyond home sharing services to letting travelers dive into local happenings, enhancing security measures in the process. The company has partnered with a restaurant booking platform with the intention of adding an option to book tables from inside the Airbnb application. Another potential revenue-generating feature being added was the ability of local businesses to host events for Airbnb guests to get together. "Airbnb's vision is to ultimately cater for every aspect of a trip," the company said at the time. It is one of the largest venture-backed startups, behind ridesharing giant Uber, which has an estimated value of $68 billion. Sen. Al Franken said Wednesday he thinks Attorney General Jeff Sessions committed perjury during his confirmation hearing by failing to disclose meetings he had with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 presidential campaign. Sessions, who often acted as a surrogate for candidate Donald Trump, has admitted he met with Kislyak during the Republican National Convention in Cleveland and again in his Senate office in September but never mentioned the meetings during his Senate confirmation hearing. Sessions said, however, he was acting in his capacity as a senator, not as a Trump representative. During his confirmation hearing, Sessions flatly denied any communications with Russians in response to a question from Franken. He said during a press conference last week he had focused on the part of the question that dealt with a breaking news story alleging repeated contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian nationals, including intelligence officials. Its hard to come to any other conclusion than he just perjured himself, Franken, D-Minn., said in an interview on CNN. He also said Sessions written explanation, submitted Monday, is inadequate. My answer was correct, Sessions wrote in a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. I was surprised by the allegations in the question, which I had not heard before. I answered the question, which asked about a continuing exchange of information during the campaign between Trumps surrogates and intermediaries for the Russian government, honestly. I did not mention communications I had had with the Russian ambassador over the years because the question did not ask about them." "That's a ridiculous response. It's not a clarification at all," said Franken, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. At Sessions January confirmation hearing, Franken asked: If there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in the course of this campaign, what will you do? Story continues Sessions replied: Senator Franken, Im not aware of any of those activities. I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign, and I did not have communications with the Russians, and Im unable to comment on it. Franken said during Tuesdays confirmation hearing for Rod J. Rosenstein, a career prosecutor, for the deputy attorney general that Sessions should come back before the Judiciary Committee. I think he owes it to this committee to come back and explain himself, Franken said. "He answered a question I didn't ask. And for him to put this in his letter as a response is insulting I've bent over backward not to say that he lied. He needs to come back." Sessions last week recused himself from from any investigation involving the presidential campaign. Related Articles Tunis (AFP) - Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who has rarely appeared in public since a crippling stroke in 2013, is doing "very well", the country's prime minister said on Thursday. Speculation has mounted about the veteran president's health since he suffered a bout of bronchitis in February, forcing German Chancellor Angela Merkel to cancel a scheduled visit to Algiers at the last minute. But asked about it during a visit to Tunis, Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal said: "He sends you his greetings and is doing very well." Bouteflika, who turned 80 on March 2, has been in power since 1999. He was elected to a fourth term in 2014 but attended his inauguration in a wheelchair and was barely able to mumble through a few paragraphs of his speech and his oath of office. Since then, he has rarely appeared in public, receiving foreign heads of state or government in private at his official residence in Zeralda, west of the capital. On his visit to Tunis, Sellal met President Beji Caid Essebsi and Prime Minister Youssef Chahed and signed several agreements, including on security cooperation. Chahed welcomed the deal, saying the countries "face common threats" including terrorism. "Algeria has extensive experience in the security field and the fight against terrorist groups," he said. He and Sellal also discussed the situation in their common neighbour Libya, which has been wracked by chaos since the ouster and killing of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. Libya has become a transit country for jihadist groups, arms traffickers and clandestine migrants heading for Europe. Sellal said Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria were coordinating their efforts on Libya and had extended their cooperation to include Libya's other neighbours -- Sudan, Chad and Niger. "There are relations between terrorist groups from the Sahel, which has negative consequences for the Libyan problem," he added. Story continues He said the only solution to the Libyan conflict was a political deal agreed between Libyans themselves. Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria are working to reboot diplomatic efforts to solve the conflict. They have emphasised their rejection of "any military solution or foreign interference" in Libya. United Nations (United States) (AFP) - Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney on Thursday urged Iraq to agree to a UN investigation of atrocities committed by the Islamic State group and bring those responsible for crimes to justice. Clooney, who represents Yazidi women who escaped from IS enslavement, was addressing UN member-states for the second time in six months to appeal for action to prosecute IS militants. "Why is it that nothing has been done?" Clooney told the gathering. "Mass graves lie unprotected and unexhumed. Witnesses are fleeing and not one ISIS militant has faced trial for international crimes anywhere in the world," she said. The Lebanese-British lawyer said a British-drafted resolution setting up the investigation was ready to be submitted to the Security Council, but that Iraq had yet to give its approval for the measure. Britain is leading a push for accountability for the crimes of IS -- who seized control of large parts of Syria and Iraq in mid-2014 -- declaring its Islamic caliphate and committing widespread atrocities. Clooney called on Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to "send the letter to the Security Council requesting the investigation into ISIS crimes." "Don't let ISIS get away with genocide," she urged. Iraq's Ambassador Mohamed Alhakim said his government was committed to ensuring justice and that Iraqi courts had received 500 cases involving IS crimes. With Iraqi forces beating back IS fighters in Mosul, Alhakim said that the next step would be ensuring a "true reconciliation" among the city's religious and ethnic groups. "We need these communities to be at peace with each other," he said. Iraq launched the offensive in October to retake Mosul, which fell to the Islamic State group amid resentment by the local Sunnis towards Shiite-dominated security forces. Jeff Sessions recused himself of any investigations into President Donald Trumps campaign, its members and their alleged contact with Russians after it was discovered he had also been in contact with a Russian ambassador twice while Trump was campaigning in 2016. However, the American people think the former Alabama senator and current attorney general should have resigned from his new position altogether, according to a Quinnipiac Poll released Wednesday. The poll, which surveyed 1,323 voters across the nation from March 2 to Monday, found 52 percent of voters believed Sessions lied under oath during his confirmation hearings when he told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he hadnt been in contact with any Russian officials. Another 51 percent of voters said that the attorney general should have resigned following his admission instead of recusing himself. "During the course of the confirmation proceedings on my nomination to be attorney general, I advised the Senate Judiciary Committee that [i]f a specific matter arose where I believed my impartiality might reasonably be questioned, I would consult with Department ethics officials regarding the most appropriate way to proceed," Sessions said during news conference. "Having concluded those meetings today, I have decided to recuse myself from any existing or future investigations of any matters related in any way to the campaigns for president of the United States." The majority of voters arent satisfied with the way the president has been handling the controversy surrounding his campaign and cabinet members affiliation with Russia, with 52 percent of voters saying they disapproved it. Sixty-one percent of voters said they were very concerned or somewhat concerned about Trumps ties to Russia while another 62 percent said Russias alleged interference in the 2016 election was a very important or somewhat important topic. As for who should actually investigation the claims regarding Trumps campaign, the election and Russia's involvement, 66 percent of voters said they supported an independent commission investigating potential links between some of Donald Trump's campaign advisors and the Russian government. Republicans, however, were the only listed party, age, gender or racial group that opposed a department other than the FBI or CIA examining the matter with 64 percent opposing an outside department conducting the investigation. Related Articles Panel to probe into Saptari killings The government has decided to form a high-level committee to investigate into Saptari killings. About 2,000 years ago, travelers walked along a wide, stone-paved road, some of them accidently dropping coins that would later be found by modern-day archaeologists in Israel. That road, as well as the coins lost by ancient passersby, was discovered by archaeologists near Highway 375 in Israel in February, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). "The road that we discovered, which 2,000 years ago passed along a route similar to Highway 375 today, was up to 6 meters [20 feet] wide, [and] continued for a distance of approximately 1.5 kilometers [1 mile]," Irina Zilberbod, director of the IAA excavation, said in a statement. "[It] was apparently meant to link the Roman settlement that existed in the vicinity of Beit Natif with the main highway known as the 'Emperor's Road.'" [See Photos of the Ancient, Roman-Era Road and Coins] Archaeologists found the road during a routine survey prior to a construction project by the Mei Shemesh company the laying of a water pipeline to Jerusalem, the nation's capital. The Emperor's Road was the main artery connecting the large settlements of Eleutheropolis (also called Beit Guvrin) and Jerusalem, Zilberbod said. "The construction of the Emperor's Road is thought to have taken place at the time of Emperor Hadrian's visit to the country, circa 130 C.E., or slightly thereafter, during the suppression of the Bar Kokhba revolt in 132 [C.E. to] 135 C.E." (Beit Guvrin was located nearby, and along the same road as, Beit Natif.) This idea is backed by earlier evidence: Researchers found a milestone (a stone that marks distances) near the road with the name of Emperor Hadrian, she said. During the recent excavation, researchers found four coins embedded in the dirtbetween the road's stones. These findings included a coin from the second year of the Great Revolt (A.D. 67); a coin of Pontius Pilate, the prefect of Judea, dating to A.D. 29; a coin of Agrippa I that was minted in Jerusalem in A.D. 41; and a coin from an Arab caliphate known as the Umayyad dynasty (A.D. 661 to 750). Story continues The four ancient coins that volunteers and archaeologists recovered during the excavation. Clara Amit; Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority Before the Romans arrived in Israel, most of the roads in the region were more akin to improvised trails. But once the Romans took charge, they built an international road network in the area, largely to accommodate their military campaigns, the researchers said. Roman government leaders realized that roads helped them run and connect the empire, the IAA said. Main roads, including the Emperor's Road, branched off into secondary routes that led to agricultural settlements. The people who harvested grain and prepared oil and wine in these settlements used the roads to help them transport their goods to nearby villages and large, faraway markets. "The ancient road passed close to the Israel National Trail, and we believe that it will spark interest among the hikers," Amit Shadman, the IAA district archaeologist for Judah, said in the statement. "The Israel Antiquities Authority and Mei Shemesh Corporation have agreed that the road will be conserved in situ [in its natural condition], for the public's benefit." Original article on Live Science. Editor's Recommendations U.S. Olympic Committee officials will consider recommending the ouster of USA Gymnastics president Steve Penny at their board meeting Thursday amid the fallout from a sexual assault scandal surrounding a former team doctor, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. Penny is a co-defendant in a civil lawsuit filed by 2000 Olympian Jamie Dantzscher, who has accused former volunteer team doctor Larry Nassar of sexual abuse. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the USOC's discussions regarding Penny's future have been private. USA Gymnastics has denied wrongdoing. In the wake of the lawsuit, the federation hired a former federal prosecutor to lead an independent review of how the organization deals with allegations of sexual misconduct. The USOC cannot decide Penny's fate, though a recommendation from the committee could go a long way toward forcing the hand of USA Gymnastics. The USA Gymnastics board supports Penny, and late Wednesday, board members Paul Parilla, Jay Binder and Bitsy Kelley, along with 1984 Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton, released a statement calling Penny "among the strongest advocates for our athletes." "He takes their safety seriously, and over the course of his tenure ... has strengthened USA Gymnastics policies and programs to further protect the health and well-being of athletes." The lawsuit claims USA Gymnastics negligently suppressed, concealed or failed to disclose knowledge that Nassar had engaged in sexual conduct with team members. Nassar's attorneys have denied any wrongdoing by the doctor. USA Gymnastics fired Nassar two years ago after going to federal authorities following an investigation into possible abuse by Nassar, leading the FBI to conduct its own investigation of the doctor. Nassar, 53, has been charged with sexually assaulting nine girls, the first criminal cases related to his work at Michigan State University where he was the preferred doctor for gymnasts in the region who had back or hip injuries. Michigan State is conducting an internal investigation of Nassar's work. Besides the criminal cases, Nassar faces charges in two cases that were filed in 2016 and are unrelated to his work as a doctor. He's accused of possessing child pornography and molesting the daughter of family friends. He has been jailed without bond. The Jackson Women's Expo, sponsored by American 1 Credit Union, will be held on Saturday, March 11 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Middle School at Parkside in Jackson. The expo helps women find businesses and organizations that have women's interest in mind. Admission into the expo is free. For more information go to www.american1cu.org/womens-expo. If you have an event to share, send us an email at aroundtown@fox47news.com. MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australian police on Thursday urged fans of Justin Bieber and their parents to stay vigilant on the internet, after they filed charges over more than 900 child sex offences against a man who impersonated the popstar online. Bieber, a 23-year-old Canadian with more than 92 million followers on social network Twitter, ranked among Forbes' most powerful celebrities from 2011 to 2013, is visiting Australia on his Purpose World Tour. Queensland police had already charged the 42-year-old man with serious offences related to possession of child exploitation material and use of the internet and social media to groom those younger than 16. But an examination of his computer led to the filing of an additional 931 charges against the man, who has not been named by police. Police alleged the man used online platforms such as Facebook and Skype to communicate with victims and seek explicit images from young children, in offences dating from 2007. A lot of child exploitation material was found on his computer, they added. "The fact that so many children could believe they were communicating with this particular celebrity highlights the need for a serious rethink about the way we educate our children about online safety," Jon Rouse, an official of a police taskforce to fight child exploitation online, said. The incident highlights both the vulnerability of children using social media and communication applications and the global reach and skill child sex offenders have in luring victims, he said in a statement. A lawyer who represented the man in November, at the time initial charges were filed, did not answer his telephone on Thursday. Bieber will be playing in Melbourne this week before moving to Sydney and Brisbane next week. (Reporting by Melanie Burton; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) By Jonathan Barrett and Colin Packham SYDNEY (Reuters) - Retired policeman John Browner lives in the sort of town that might have voted for U.S. President Donald Trump - a proud place going through tough times that feels ignored by the political establishment. But while the themes may be familiar to U.S. "rust belt" voters, the location is very different: Browner lives on the other side of the world, in the remote Western Australian gold town of Kalgoorlie. The post-boom mining settlements and outback agricultural centers of Western Australia have become important battlegrounds for a state election on Saturday, and populist politician Pauline Hanson's resurgent One Nation party is winning significant support. "One of the main reasons to vote for a party like One Nation is because the establishment just goes to parliament and tells us what to do, when it should be the other way around," Browner told Reuters. "We were riding on gold's back for a long time with money pouring into the state and now it's gone. Where did it go?" The revival of Hanson's One Nation echoes what has been seen in the United States and Europe, where centrist governments are being challenged by right-wing, anti-immigration parties. AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver said while Australia's prosperity and 25 years of uninterrupted economic growth might limit the national appeal of One Nation, there were large parts of the country going through hard times. "There's been job losses and property price collapses in Western Australia," said Oliver. "It's easy for populist politicians to prey on that even though there's no easy solution for the state other than bringing back a mining boom." UNCOMFORTABLE ALLIANCE Facing likely defeat at Saturday's election, the ruling center-right state government in mineral-rich Western Australia ditched its traditional allies to strike a deal with Hanson's party to swap preferences - a measure in Australia's voting system akin to nominating a friend who gets your votes if you bow out of a contest early. So far, the tie-up hasn't appeared to dampen Hanson's anti-establishment appeal. This week she posed for selfies with teenage school kids and chatted with pensioners during campaigning in struggling Western Australian regional centers. A few citizens even cried. Like Trump, Hanson has been promising a return to better times and emphasizing One Nation's hardline immigration and law and order policies. "(There are) a lot of issues in this town," Hanson said in Kalgoorlie on Wednesday in a video published on her Facebook page. "People feel like they have been forgotten by the major political parties. No one wants to address it." A STEP TO THE RIGHT The resurgence of Hanson - she leads a four-person One Nation voting bloc in Australia's delicately balanced federal Senate - has caused a headache for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's Liberal party and its center-right state counterparts. The Liberals have come under heavy criticism in WA for teaming up with a party that is wary of foreign investment and trade, wants to ban new mosques and stop Muslim immigration. Four politicians in Hanson's home state of Queensland have quit the state Liberal National party to join her, unsettling senior members of the federal government. It's unclear whether the Western Australian deal will be enough to save the Liberals, who are trailing the center-left Labor party in polling, or simply put its voting base offside. While established conservative parties work out whether they should embrace or oppose the rise of the right, one thing that has been missing is an effective attack from the left, like the one led by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders. Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon, a prominent left-wing politician, said the movement had trouble cutting through in the current political climate. "The tradition of the left is to work in a collective way. We need people to inspire voters," said Rhiannon. "Partly the conditions haven't thrown up the big name but there is also an issue in getting the message out as we don't have the same megaphone as the conservatives have." In Kalgoorlie, Browner said he was still making up his mind between voting for the traditional rural-based National Party and One Nation. "I know Pauline isn't from around here but she's dealing with the issues that are important like petty crime," said Browner. "She could be from Mars for all I care, I just like her." (Editing by Lincoln Feast) VIENNA (Reuters) - An Austrian opposition lawmaker said on Thursday five Austrian citizens who made critical comments about Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan had been held at Turkish airports and deported. Peter Pilz, from the Austrian Greens, is already leading a campaign against what he calls Erdogan's spy network in Europe operating via religious attaches in Turkish embassies and mosque groups who he says monitor Erdogan critics and report on them. Turkey's foreign ministry has previously rejected Pilz's allegations, but was not immediately available for comment on Thursday. An Austrian Foreign Ministry spokesman said that three Austrian citizens wanting to return to Austria from Turkey are currently being prevented from leaving Turkey on the grounds they might have violated Turkish law. "This obviously has a political background," the spokesman said, adding Austria was in contact with the three people and working towards their return to Austria. Austrian and German authorities are investigating the allegations that Turkey is using religious groups to spy on Erdogan's opponents in Europe. Pilz said he had documented five cases of people holding Austrian citizenship who were detained in Turkey. In one case an official in Turkey told the man there had been complaints against his criticism of Erdogan from Austria. In a second case, an Austrian citizen was confronted at the airport with a text message critical of Erdogan on his phone. In another case a Turkish official at the consulate in Vienna told the man, who admits he was critical of Erdogan, that Turkey's interior ministry had initiated his travel ban. These five Austrians were held between one and three days in Turkey. "If you have made critical statements about Erdogan in Austria, I recommend that you don't go to Turkey," Pilz told a news conference sitting next to two men who had been detained. The German government said on Wednesday there had been a significant increase in Turkish spying in Germany, where tensions within the large Turkish community have escalated ahead of next month's referendum on Turkey's presidency. Erdogan has accused West European countries of failing to condemn a July putsch against him quickly or strongly enough. West European countries have expressed concern about his crackdown on journalists, judiciary, academics and others, often under the suspicion they supported Erdogan's foe, U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. (Reporting By Shadia Nasralla; Editing by Dominic Evans) Brussels (AFP) - A 24-year-old Belgian woman has been charged with terrorism offences on suspicion she helped people plotting an attack in Europe, prosecutors in Brussels said Thursday. Belgium remains on high alert less than two weeks before the first anniversary of last year's Islamic State attacks on the Brussels metro and airport which killed 32 people. European officials also fear further attacks like the ones that have hit places like the French Riviera city of Nice and the German capital Berlin. Identified as Molly B., the woman was arrested during an overnight raid earlier this week on a house in western Belgium, the federal prosecutor's office said in a statement. "The investigation shows indications of assistance being provided by the woman to persons with the intention to commit an attack in Europe," it said without naming any countries. The woman from the Flemish city of Wevelgem was charged with "participation in the activities of a terrorist organisation." No weapons or explosives were found in the raid. The prosecutor's statement said the investigation was completely independent of the probes into the November 2015 attacks in Paris and the March 2016 bombings in Brussels. The prosecutor's office said it would release no further information in order to protect the investigation. Belgium has remained on high alert since March 22 last year when three home-grown suicide bombers attacked Brussels airport and a metro station near EU headquarters, killing 32 people and wounding hundreds more. The Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq claimed responsibility for the bombings that investigators say were carried out by the same cell that slaughtered 130 people in Paris on November 13, 2015. In December, Eric Jacobs, the head of the judicial police in Brussels, said Belgium had prevented six attacks in the previous two years. In January 2015, Belgian police dismantled a cell in Verviers in the east of the country which was later seen as the rough beginnings of the group that later mounted attacks in Paris and Brussels. Prolonged stalemate It is perhaps time to turn to an approach where all major parties agree to work with a common mediator The Daily Beast GettyIt only took a few hours after Russias Vladimir Putin hailed his mobilization as a sparkling success Friday for a torrent of humiliating reports to emerge that suggest the war effort has been more successful in turning the country against him than defeating mythical Nazis in Ukraine.The most staggering contradiction to the Russian presidents boastful claims came perhaps in Kazan, where dozens of drafted troops were captured on video late Friday berating military leadership outside a colle Frankfurt am Main (AFP) - German luxury carmaker BMW said Thursday it had boosted profits in 2016 on the back of record sales, offering an increased dividend and promising further growth this year. Net profit grew 8.0 percent over 2015's figure to reach 6.9 billion euros ($7.3 billion), the group said in a statement, as revenues grew a more modest 2.2. percent to reach 94.1 billion -- both new records for BMW. Operating, or underlying profit fell by 2.2 percent to 9.4 billion euros. Looking ahead to the current year, "we are again targeting a new sales volume record in 2017, with sales slightly up on the previous year," chief executive Harald Krueger said. But "the BMW Group expects the global political and economic environment to remain volatile," as Brexit and potential trade restrictions in the United States loom on the horizon. BMW was attacked by Donald Trump in a January interview before taking office as US president in which he warned the German firm not to go ahead with a planned factory in Mexico or face harsh border taxes. The Munich-based group, which also owns Mini and Rolls-Royce, sold a total of almost 2.4 million vehicles in 2016. Its new unit sales record wasn't enough to outshine Stuttgart rival Daimler, whose Mercedes-Benz flagship outsold BMW's own-brand cars for the first time in more than a decade last year. BMW plans to offer shareholders a dividend of 3.50 euros per share, up from a 3.20-euro payout for the financial year 2015. But investors gave the 2016 results a guarded response, sending BMW's shares lower on the Frankfurt stock exchange. Dealers said they worried about a decline in the automaker's EBIT, or profit before financials, a measure of its operating performance. Group EBIT fell by 2.2 percent in 2016 and by 1.8 percent for the automotive segment alone, outweighing increases in the motorcycles and financial services divisions. BMW shares were down 2.5 percent around midday at 84.12 euros. RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) The Maracana stadium has reopened after almost two months of neglect by owners and authorities in Rio de Janeiro. Local club Flamengo paid about $1 million in bills so it could make its debut in the Copa Libertadores before 70,000 fans on Wednesday. Spectators and organizers marked the stadium's use as Flamengo thrashed San Lorenzo of Argentina 4-0. Two weeks ago Rio's electricity utility turned the power back on at the stadium after it was shut off for almost a month in a dispute over unpaid bills. The Maracana had been vandalized over the last month with seats torn out, televisions stolen and the grass field left untended. Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - Brazil's President Michel Temer tried Thursday to quiet criticism over remarks on International Women's Day, when he praised women's skillfulness at shopping and raising children. Temer, who took over last year after the impeachment of Brazil's first woman leader, triggered a storm of protest on social media after he marked the March 8 events by praising housewives. "No one is better at monitoring the shifts in, let's say, supermarket prices than women," he said Wednesday, also stressing that child rearing "is not done by the man, it's the woman." Temer, who is deeply unpopular, sought to repair the fallout Thursday with tweets supportive of women's wider rights. "We are in the Week of the Woman. My government will do everything for women to be able to play an ever bigger role in society," he said in one tweet. "We won't tolerate prejudice and violence against women," he wrote in another. Temer, 76, was vice president before taking the top job in the wake of Dilma Rousseff's impeachment. His wife, 33-year-old former beauty queen Marcela Temer, rarely speaks in public and was described in a national magazine last year as "beautiful, demure and a housewife." It didn't go unnoticed this award season that Brie Larson presented Casey Affleck his awards at the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards. During the Oscars last month, the staunch advocate for survivors of sexual assault decided not to applaud the Best Actor win for Affleckwho was accused of sexual misconductand her actions were discussed by many. But she recently spoke out about it for the first time. My aesthetic: Brie Larson not clapping for literal trash hole casey affleck pic.twitter.com/Ci5LWXLkCr Tyler Struble (@tyler_struble) February 27, 2017 SEE ALSO: Brie Larson, like everyone else, didn't seem thrilled with Casey Affleck's Oscar win In a comment to Vanity Fair Thursday, Larson gave her brief thoughts about not clapping on stage. I think that whatever it was that I did onstage kind of spoke for itself, Larson told Vanity Fair at the premiere of Kong: Skull Island. Ive said all that I need to say about that topic. All award season Brie Larson, who starred in a movie about sexual assault, had to present Casey Affleck all his awards. pic.twitter.com/L2WbQvSJNv Marnie (@ChrnclsOfMarnia) February 27, 2017 In her Oscar-winning role in Room, Larson played a kidnapped character who was raped and sexual assaulted for seven years. Since then, Larson has been a vocal advocate for women and sexual assault survivorswhether with her social media platforms or with hugs. Brie Larson addressed her decision not to clap for Manchester By the Sea actor Casey Affleck after presenting him with the award for Best Actor at the 2017 Oscars. At the Hollywood premiere of Kong: Skull Island Wednesday, Larson made it clear that her reaction to Afflecks win, which some viewers recognized as a sign of disapproval, should serve as her statement on the matter. I think that whatever it was that I did onstage kind of spoke for itself, she told Vanity Fair. Ive said all that I need to say about that topic. Afflecks nomination and subsequent win were controversial because of two sexual harassment claims made against him in 2010. He denied them, and later settled those lawsuits. Some argued that his victory condoned his alleged behavior and perpetuated sexism in Hollywood. The 41-year-old actor commented on the allegations during the awards season, including after the Oscars. In an interview with The Boston Globe, he said: Theres really nothing I can do about it, other than live my life the way I know I live it and to speak to what my own values are and how I try to live by them all the time. Larsonwho won an Oscar in 2016 for her portrayal of a rape survivor in Roomhas been a longtime advocate for victims of sexual abuse. BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Britain will have to pay up when it leaves the European Union because "when you sign on for a contract you commit yourself to participation", Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny said on Thursday. Asked by reporters whether Britain will have to pay tens of billions of euros to quit the European Union, Kenny said the amount Britain owed had yet to be determined and both sides would hammer out the final cost. "But that, no more than any other problem, will have to be faced, it will have to be dealt with and it will be dealt with," Kenny said on the first day of an EU summit in Brussels. Money is shaping up to be one of the most contentious parts of the upcoming divorce talks. Other EU nations want Britain to pay its share of budget commitments -- estimated informally by EU officials at around 60 billion euros ($63.50 billion). Last week, a committee of members of Britain's upper house of parliament said if Britain left the European Union without agreeing an exit deal it would not be legally obliged to contribute to the bloc's budget post-Brexit. ($1 = 0.9449 euros) (Reporting by Elizabeth Piper) Saptari closed for fourth consecutive day The indefinite strike called by the Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM) at Saptari continues to disturb daily life of the people for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday. The banda had been called after four people were killed in a clash with police on Monday. Denpasar (Indonesia) (AFP) - A British former war correspondent will be released from a Bali prison in a matter of months after being handed a short jail term Thursday for using hashish on the Indonesian resort island. Ex-Reuters journalist David Fox, 55, was found guilty of drug use at a court in the Balinese capital Denpasar after being caught with a few grams of hash, and given a seven-month jail term. His sentence will be reduced by time already served in detention since his arrest in October with an Australian businessman, meaning he should be released in May. Fox, who said he used hashish to relieve stress caused by covering conflict, could have been jailed for several years for breaking Indonesia's tough anti-drugs laws which include the death penalty for traffickers. But prosecutors praised him for politeness and admitting wrongdoing during his trial. Fox admitted he became addicted to the drug to deal with post-traumatic stress from war reporting and vowed never to use it again. He worked for Reuters for over 20 years and covered conflicts and natural disasters in countries including Bosnia, Rwanda, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq. He left the agency in 2011. After the verdict was handed down, Fox said he felt "relieved". "I'm very very grateful, I think the court recognised the circumstances of my peculiar case," he told reporters. Chief judge Erwin Djong told the court that Fox was "legally and convincingly proven guilty of committing... the crime of unlawful use of narcotics" as he handed down the jail term. Djong added the sentence would be reduced by the time that Fox had already served in detention. It was lower than the one year recommended by prosecutors at an earlier hearing. The Briton was detained on the resort island, where he had been living for several years, after the arrest of Australian Giuseppe Serafino, who runs a bar on Bali. Authorities raided the house of Serafino, 49, after a tip-off from local residents that a foreigner living there had been using drugs. Story continues Police found about seven grams (quarter of an ounce) of hashish in the house and Serafino named Fox as someone who helped him buy the drugs. Authorities then detained Fox and found 10 grams of hashish in the Briton's pocket and at his house. Serafino is also on trial and will be sentenced next week. Jakarta has sparked global outrage by hauling an increasing number of foreign drug convicts before the firing squad over the past two years. Foreigners are regularly arrested for drugs offences on Bali, which attracts millions of visitors to its palm-fringed beaches every year. By Heather Somerville SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc is working to mend its relationship with regulators as pressure mounts for the company to improve its business practices and temper Chief Executive Travis Kalanick's aggressive leadership style. Uber on Wednesday obtained the necessary permit to put its self-driving cars back on California streets, conceding to the state's rules after a public spat with regulators last year and initially refusing to apply for the $150 permit. The permit allows Uber back into its home state and the chief testing ground for self-driving cars, where 26 other companies - including Alphabet Inc, Tesla Motors and Ford Motor Co - are competing for a piece of the autonomous vehicle market and have obtained state permits. Also on Wednesday, Uber said it was prohibiting the use of its "Greyball" technology to target local regulators, ending a program that had been critical in helping Uber evade authorities in cities where the service has been banned. The ride-hailing company had for years used Greyball, which effectively changes the app view for specific riders. The technology uses data from the Uber app and other methods to identify and circumvent officials who aimed to ticket or apprehend drivers in cities that opposed Uber's operations. Uber confirmed the existence of Greyball last week. Uber is "expressly prohibiting its use to target action by local regulators going forward," Uber's chief security officer, Joe Sullivan, said in a blog post on Wednesday. Sullivan said Uber had started a review of the program, and "it will take some time to ensure this prohibition is fully enforced." Uber's efforts to repair its relations with regulators come amid a string of missteps that have sparked consumer backlash and raised investor concern. A former Uber employee last month published a blog post describing a workplace where sexual harassment was common and went unpunished. The blog post prompted an internal investigation. Then, Bloomberg released a video that showed Kalanick berating a Uber driver who had complained about cuts to rates paid to drivers, resulting in Kalanick making a public apology. In addition, at least three high level executives have left Uber in the last couple of weeks. Cities including Philadelphia knew about Uber's efforts to circumvent enforcement authorities, by either manipulating the app to show a user that no cars were available or blocking city officials' credit cards and phone numbers on the app. The company on Wednesday said it was granted a permit to test two self-driving cars on California public roads. Uber had defied state regulations last year, arguing that its cars do not meet California's definition of an autonomous vehicle because they require constant monitoring by a person, so they did not require a permit. California Department of Motor Vehicles spokeswoman Jessica Gonzalez confirmed the permit for Uber to test two self-driving cars on public roads. Uber will not make the autonomous cars immediately available to passengers, according to an Uber spokeswoman, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The company needs time to build up its fleet and go through the various regulatory requirements such as getting the vehicles smog tested and registered, the spokeswoman added. Uber's efforts to rebuild its self-driving program come as the company faces a lawsuit from Alphabet Inc's self-driving car unit, Waymo, which accuses Uber of stealing designs for technology for autonomous cars known as Lidar. Uber has said Waymo's claims are false. (Reporting by Heather Somerville; Editing by G Crosse and Leslie Adler) Pont-de-Buis-les-Quimerch (France) (AFP) - Investigators Thursday voiced caution over claims that a dispute over family gold led to the gruesome murder of a couple and their two children in western France. So far "there is no evidence" to support claims by the confessed killer and his 76-year-old mother that Pascal Troadec had helped himself to a trove of gold that his father had found while renovating an apartment, "robbing" his sister Lydie of her share. "It's only an assertion for now," a source close to the probe said. The victim's mother told the daily Le Parisien that her late husband found a cache of gold coins and ingots -- of an unspecified value -- in 2006 in an apartment in the northwestern port of Brest. He took the gold, "perhaps stolen from the Bank of France" during World War II, and hid it in the couple's garage, said the woman, who declined to give her first name. It was the year after her husband died in 2009 that she said Troadec took the gold while she was in hospital, adding that he had "robbed his sister" Lydie. Troadec later told the family he had invested the gold in Monaco and Andorra, tauntingly adding that they "couldn't touch it", his mother said. Soon afterwards, Troadec and his wife Brigitte -- whom Lydie's partner Hubert Caouissin has admitted killing along with their children Charlotte and Sebastien -- began flaunting their new lifestyle, sending postcards from their holiday travels. Eventually it was too much for Caouissin, who later told investigators of his anger over the gold, according to both the confessed killer and his mother. But the lawyer of Brigitte Troadec's family, Cecile de Oliveira, charged that the gold coins and ingots were a figment of Caouissin's imagination and that he had begun "harassing" the Troadecs in 2014. "Pascal Troadec went to the police to complain of being falsely and repeatedly accused over this story of gold ingots that comes out of Hubert Caouissin's imagination," she told AFP. Story continues And Caouissin's mother told Le Parisien that the claims about a gold treasure were "nonsense". So far little evidence has emerged that the Troadecs enjoyed a lavish lifestyle. Nantes prosecutor Pierre Sennes told a press briefing earlier this week that Troadec, who worked at a commercial sign-making firm, and his wife Brigitte, a civil servant, had "good incomes" and were not in debt. - More body parts found - The sudden disappearance of Pascal's family on February 16 left France on tenterhooks as investigators scrambled for clues. Detectives found traces of blood and efforts to clean them up throughout the two-storey house where Pascal and Brigitte, both 49, lived in a suburb of the western city of Nantes. In his confession, Caouissin said he killed the couple, as well as their children Charlotte, 18, and Sebastien, 21, with a crowbar, then cut up the bodies, burning some of the parts in his oven and scattering others around his farm in Brittany. On Thursday, investigators found more body parts at the 32-hectare (80-acre) farm, along with more jewellery and some computers taken from the Troadecs' home in Nantes, Sennes said. Caouissin and Lydie Troadec were quizzed for nearly 21 hours at the start of the probe, when Caouissin told investigators he had fallen out with the family over the dispute. But initial suspicions centred on Sebastien Troadec, who had a history of psychological problems. The focus shifted after traces of Caouissin's DNA were found at the Troadecs' home in suburban Nantes and then in Sebastien's car, abandoned in the port of Saint-Nazaire about an hour's drive to the west. For most British subjects, meeting the Queen of England is kind of a big deal. Theres a protocol to it. You wear your best clothes; you stay on your best behavior. But for two-year-old Alfie, all of that expected proprietary business went out the window when he was confronted with the worlds longest-reigning monarch herself. On Thursday, Queen Elizabeth attended a dedication event to unveil a memorial for civilian and military personnel involved in the engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the Royal Familys Twitter account. The child in question, Alfie, has parents who both served in the military and undertook tours of Afghanistan; their son was intended to bestow a bouquet on his monarch. But in the video captured by CNN, looks like Alfie just wasnt in the mood for all that royal pomp and circumstance, making a break for it when duty called upon him to hand over the flowers in question. His mother eventually wrangled him into position as the queen smiled serenely on the scene. Looks like she understands what Alfies going through. The Queen is presented with a posy by little 2-year-old Alfie. His dad served in Iraq and Afghanistan, his mum served in Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/4L3f7FPujT The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) March 9, 2017 As Twitter commenters have noted, Alfie will forever have to live this one down. Luckily, the gracious Queen didnt seem to mind his understandable antics. Once again, her supreme manners came to the rescue. @CNN @JoshMankiewicz His mother will torture him with this when she shows it to all the girls he dates. MrsB (@corinne_ballard) March 9, 2017 BEIJING (Reuters) - China expressed concern on Thursday over revelations in a trove of data released by Wikileaks purporting to show that the CIA can hack all manner of devices, including those made by Chinese companies. Dozens of firms rushed to contain the damage from possible security weak points following the anti-secrecy organisation's revelations, although some said they needed more details of what the U.S. intelligence agency was up to. Widely-used routers from Silicon Valley-based Cisco were listed as targets, as were those supplied by Chinese vendors Huawei and ZTE and Taiwan supplier Zyxel for their devices used in China and Pakistan. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said China expressed concern about the reports and reiterated its opposition to all forms of hacking. "We urge the U.S. side to stop listening in, monitoring, stealing secrets and internet hacking against China and other countries," Geng told a daily news briefing. China is frequently accused by the United States and other countries of hacking attacks, which it always denies. The Chinese government has its own sophisticated domestic surveillance programme and keeps tight control of the internet at home, saying such measures are needed to protect national security and maintain stability. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) Beijing (AFP) - China warned Thursday that United States ignoring World Trade Organization rulings could trigger a "trade war" after President Donald Trump's administration said it was not bound by the body's decisions. Last week a letter sent from the United States Trade Representative to Congress outlining Trump policy reviewed the terms under which the United States joined the WTO when it was founded in 1995. According to the Trump administration's interpretation, "Congress had made clear that Americans are not directly subject to WTO rulings", said the document. China warned that moves to discredit the WTO would be detrimental to the future of multilateral trade. "If WTO members ignore the organisation's rules for their own sake and refuse to implement its rulings on disputes, the multilateral trade system will exist in name only and there could even be a repetition of the trade war of the 1930s," Sun Jiwen, a Ministry of Commerce spokesman, said at a briefing in Beijing. "We call on major WTO members to live by what they teach, abide by WTO rules and fulfill their duties," he added. President Trump has repeatedly said the United States could accomplish its trade goals by focusing on bilateral talks rather than multilateral negotiations. During his campaign, Trump described WTO's performance as the global trade referee a "disaster" and promised a more aggressive approach to open up foreign markets to US companies, including threatening to unilaterally impose tariffs. Trump has also accused China of being a free-rider in the international system, saying its unfair trade policies have cost the United States tens of thousands of jobs and threatening to slap Beijing with massive tariffs of up to 45 percent. Chinese survey ships have been entering waters recognised by the United Nations as Philippine territory, Manila's defence secretary said Thursday, in a move he described as "very concerning". Delfin Lorenzana said the ships were seen last year near Benham Rise -- a Philippine territory 250 kilometres (155 miles) off the east coast of the main island of Luzon -- as well as Reed Bank in the South China Sea, which is claimed by both Manila and Beijing. "I have ordered the navy that if they see this service ship this year, to start to accost them and drive them away" from Benham Rise, Lorenzana said. "The very concerning thing is they have several service ships plying this area, staying in one area sometimes for a month as if doing nothing. But we believe they are actually surveying the seabed," he told journalists. Lorenzana's statement comes as President Rodrigo Duterte seeks warmer relations with Beijing, after ties soured under the previous administration because of conflicting claims in the South China Sea. Asked why the ships might be surveying in Benham Rise, Lorenzana said he received information the vessels were "looking for a place to put submarines". Benham Rise is an underwater landmass believed to be potentially rich in mineral and natural gas deposits. In 2012, the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf approved the Philippines' undisputed territorial claim to Benham Rise. The Philippines and China, along with Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam, have conflicting claims to the South China Sea. China claims almost all of the vital sealane, including the Reed Bank, which is about 148 kilometres (92 miles) off the Philippine island of Palawan and which Manila considers as its territory. Duterte's predecessor, Benigno Aquino, had pressed the Philippines' claims leading to tensions with China. But Duterte, who took office last year, has focused on boosting relations with Beijing, downplaying the territorial conflict while seeking financial and military aid. SAWDF, ICIMOD sign letter of intent The South Asian Women Development Forum (SAWDF) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) signed a letter of intent on Wednesday to conduct a study on policies for women small and medium entrepreneurs in South Asia. By Tom Miles GENEVA (Reuters) - Revelations about the CIA's use of hacking tools by anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks show the risks of mass surveillance and bolster the case for international regulation, the United Nations' independent expert on privacy said. WikiLeaks published on Tuesday what it said were thousands of pages of internal Central Intelligence Agency discussions about hacking techniques used over several years. The CIA, which is the United States' civilian foreign intelligence service, has declined to comment on the authenticity of the purported intelligence documents. Cyber security experts say the documents appear to be authentic. Joe Cannataci, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy, a job created in 2015 after Edward Snowden's revelations about U.S. surveillance, said he was not surprised by the CIA's capabilities, but that the case highlighted the growing security risks and the need for effective oversight. "Probably the real story here (is) that somebody was able to get into the CIA's supposedly secure spaces, extract and publish this stuff," he told Reuters. Cannataci reported to the U.N. Human Rights Council this week and urged states to work towards an international treaty to protect people's privacy, saying traditional safeguards had become outdated in the digital era. The WikiLeaks release has strengthened the case for evaluating intelligence oversight mechanisms and reinforcing them globally, he said. "The WikiLeaks CIA hacking techniques story is yet more proof, if any were needed, that intelligence agencies and the data they gather are often just as vulnerable as everybody else and that they should not be taking the risk of gathering huge amounts of data about all of us in an indiscriminate manner." Cannataci cited evidence that information collected by states, including through bulk acquisition or mass surveillance, was increasingly vulnerable to hacks by foreign government or organised crime. "The risk created by the collection of such data has nowhere been demonstrated to be proportional to the reduction of risk achieved by bulk acquisition," he said.Surveillance is a legitimate tool to fight crime, but needs to be supervised, targeted and safeguarded, with warrants issued by an independent oversight authority on the basis of reasonable suspicion that somebody may be a threat to national security or has committed, or is about to commit, a crime, Cannataci said. "Targeted surveillance: good. Mass surveillance: bad," he added. (Reporting by Tom Miles) CNN's newest original series Believer With Reza Aslan, which premiered Sunday, has been termed "callous," "reckless," "disgusting" and other such uncharitable things. Social commentators have raised concerns over the show's impact at a time when the U.S. is infested with fears about the "outsider." Here's what happened. SEE ALSO: CNN says the 'future of media' is all male, and the internet responds The first episode of Believer takes host Reza Aslan to Varanasi, also known as the city of dead, in northern India. It explores the Aghori sect of Hinduism which is known for its extreme, almost cannibalistic, rituals. It's known as the city of the dead. Reza Aslan takes you inside on the new CNN series #Believer. Starts Sunday at 10p ET. A post shared by CNN Original Series (@cnnorigseries) on Mar 3, 2017 at 6:40am PST It shows Aslan hanging out with bare-bodied sadhus on the ghats (riverbanks) of Varanasi and attempting to blend in. He allows an Aghori guru to smear the ashes of cremated humans on his face; he even drinks alcohol from a human skull and eats what is likely to be a bit of human brain. At one point in the show, a cannibal threatens Aslan: I will cut off your head if you keep talking so much. The host turns to his director and says: I feel like this may have been a mistake. And when the guru begins to eat his own waste and hurls it at Aslan and his crew, they sprint in the opposite direction. But not before Aslan snarks: I'm pretty sure that's not the Aghori I was looking for." "That's when things got out of hand." Reza Aslan's spiritual curiosity takes him to some unusual places. New series #Believer starts tomorrow. A post shared by CNN Original Series (@cnnorigseries) on Mar 4, 2017 at 5:27am PST Though the episode also sheds light on several non-cannibal Aghori practitioners, CNN has been lambasted for inordinate focus on the flesh-eating sadhus. Story continues It is unbelievably callous and reckless of CNN to be pushing sensational and grotesque images of bearded brown men and their morbid and deathly religion at a time when the United States is living through a period of unprecedented concern and fear, Vamsee Juluri, a media studies professor at the University of San Francisco, wrote in the Huffington Post. Shalab Kumar, an Indian American who is a public speaker and philanthropist, also described the show as a disgusting attack on Hinduism and called for a "boycott" of CNN. Image: TWITTER SCREENGRAB Even the U.S. India Political Action Committee (USINPAC) has said that the show would add more misrepresentation, bias and may lead to more hate crimes. An Indian immigrant was recently shot dead in a Kansas pub. In a statement to The Indian Express, USINPAC chairman, Sanjay Puri, said: In a charged environment, a show like this can create a perception about Indian Americans which could make them more vulnerable to further attacks." Indians on social media teared into Rezlan and CNN. Colonialism was built on racism, which rested on dehumanizing the colonized, to justify itself. CNN & Reza Aslan doing that with Hinduism. Abhinav Agarwal (@AbhinavAgarwal) March 8, 2017 Protests around the world about your culturally tone deaf show is about your bigotry and double standards @rezaaslan not caste. @CNN HindolSengupta (@HindolSengupta) March 9, 2017 @rezaaslan India is diverse, so is the interpretation of Hinduism. Did you travel the rest of the country to find out? #believer Alekhya Mandadi (@alekhyamandadi) March 6, 2017 Big : @TulsiGabbard takes on CNN's believer. Says using power & influence to increase misunder & fear abt Hinduism pic.twitter.com/niR4aqCXgV Ashish Tikoo Rajput (@ashishtikoo31) March 7, 2017 I can now call @rezaaslan "a cannibal," and it will be more accurate than anything he's ever said about me.@SarahTheHaider Sam Harris (@SamHarrisOrg) March 7, 2017 Is @RezaAslan revealing Hindu hatred when he mocks Hinduism on @CNN? This Islamist can respond but he blocks critics https://t.co/ZB8siTVQ6O Tarek Fatah (@TarekFatah) March 6, 2017 Dear @rezaaslan I will fight till my death for your freedom of stupidity. https://t.co/958JrP0hq2 Vivek Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) March 5, 2017 After the backlash, Rezlan put up an elaborate post on Facebook stating: "In the case of the episode on the Aghor which, as I repeatedly state on camera and in voice-over, are not representative of Hinduism..." However, Indian Americans continue to condemn the show. Ajay Shah, Convenor, American Hindus Against Defamation, said in a statement, The six-part CNN series, Believer with Reza Aslan, purports to demystify some of the world religions, however, from the promotional material and review articles about the show, it is clear that the show paints Hindu dharma (spiritual, religion and cultural tradition) by accentuating a lesser understood, tiny sect of a faith that count seventy ascetics among a one and a quarter billion adherents, whose mainstream practices and philosophical underpinnings have flourished for thousands of years. Ouch! Bogota (AFP) - Thousands of Colombians are still suffering rapes, killings and torture and the country will take decades to recover from civil war despite recent peace accords, the Red Cross said Thursday. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it documented countless atrocities last year even as the government closed in on a key peace accord with the FARC rebel force. It "documented 838 possible violations of international humanitarian law and other humanitarian principles that have affected more than 18,600 people," the body said in an annual report. It said 40 percent of the atrocities targeted women and children. The deal signed in December with the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) "will not be enough to end the violence in Colombia," it warned. "Building peace requires an effort by everyone and will take decades." The FARC is starting to disarm under the December deal. The government has also launched formal talks with the last remaining Colombian rebel force, the leftist National Liberation Army (ELN). A major world aid body, the ICRC has been present in Colombia for 40 years and has acted as a neutral mediator in hostage negotiations between the state and rebel groups. It echoed recent warnings by officials and civil groups that despite the peace efforts, remnants of right-wing paramilitary groups remain active in the conflict zones, as well as organized gangs. The ongoing violence is continuing to displace civilians who get caught in the crossfire, said the ICRC chief in Colombia, Christoph Harnisch. He said nearly 86,000 people are currently missing due to the conflict. Colombian authorities say the conflict has killed 260,000 people and displaced 6.9 million since it started with a leftist uprising in 1964. Imagine a President who is convinced that the media, the Washington bureaucracy (led by the State and Defense Departments), and the Washington D.C. establishment are completely against him and must be treated as enemies. When the New York Times or the Washington Post prints a story he does not like, he orders his entire staff to avoid all contacts with their reporters until further notice. He attempts to centralize all power in the White House, particularly with respect to foreign affairs and defense policy, and often keeps his Secretary of State in ignorance of what diplomacy he is conducting. The President also has strong feelings about certain ethnic groups, which he vents in telephone calls to his staff. He does not trust the FBI to carry out critical national security investigations. He also has strong feelings about criminals, and at one point announces, in the middle of a celebrated murder trial, that the accused is guilty. He bluntly attacks judicial decisions with which he disagrees. In the evening, after long days of work, the president often records his feelings, railing again and again at the rich and famous who have always had it in for him. He is obsessed with the adulation showered upon his predecessor, who in the opinion at least of some of his faithful supporters was never rightfully entitled to the White House at all. Late in his first successful campaign for President, this man engaged in secret negotiations with a foreign nation that helped torpedo a diplomatic initiative that might have caused him to lose the election. Six weeks into the Presidency of Donald Trump, readers will not be able to make it through that paragraph without a certain sense of deja vu. For example, Trump routinely attacks key federal agencies, including the FBI and CIA, and rushed through his first Executive Order restricting immigration without consulting key bureaucracies. But it is not about him. The President in question came from Trumps parents generation, not his own. It was Richard Nixon. Story continues Comparisons between Nixon and Trump are already numerous, from commentators ranging from Carl Bernstein to Stephen Colbert. The Late Show has even joked that Trump receives social-media counseling from Nixons ghost. But Nixon came from a different time and governed a very different America. Therefore, until the Watergate scandal really became critical in early 1973, Nixons presidency went very differently from the way Donald Trumps has so far, reflecting key differences between that time and this one. To begin with, despite the controversies over civil rights, urban riots, student revolts and the Vietnam War that dominated the late 1960s and early 70s, the nation was still ruled by a bipartisan political establishment that agreed on the essentials of domestic and foreign policy. Nixon bowed to the views of that establishment when he began de-escalating the Vietnam War about a year into his presidency, and he also went along with big domestic changes with which he personally disagreed, such as the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency. The Congress also blocked some of his moves, such as his two attempts to put conservative white southerners with dubious qualifications onto the Supreme Court. Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter Nixon had some relatively extreme conservative views and prejudices, but he generally governed as a centrist because he really had no choice. And in foreign policy, at least as regards relations with the great Communist powers of the USSR and China, he stood slightly to the left of center, opening up relations with Beijing and reaching arms-control agreements with the USSR. The nature of the times also led Nixon and his staff, critically, to keep his personal behavior under wraps. His staff obviously understood that they had to blow off many of his more extreme requests. For example, on one occasion documented in the HBO documentary Nixon in his Own Words, Nixonusing a religious slur in the processdemanded that an Immigration and Naturalization Service employee be removed from his job after the man announced a raid that had uncovered illegal immigrants in the employ of a Nixon campaign donorbut apparently nothing happened. Nixons orders to shut off major media outlets were often honored in the breach, as well. Even during Watergate, the staffnow reduced to a loyal remnantrefused his requests to leak damaging information about past administrations to the press. Although in secret, Nixons paranoia eventually led to the Watergate break-in and the cover-up that destroyed his presidency, in public, everyone understood that a President simply could not give vent to his deepest, bitterest thoughts. (Lyndon Johnson and his staff had known this too, and Johnsons earlier knee-jerk accusations that reporters who wrote damaging stories were Communists did not come to light for many years either.) For several decades now, however, we have celebrated outrageous behavior, and now anyone from the President to the average citizen can broadcast his spontaneous thoughts and feelings to the entire world with a few keystrokes. It took years for the content of the Nixon tapes to become public but, thanks to Twitter, President Trumps ideas can be conveyed instantaneously. And those tweets, in addition to giving vent to the Presidents thoughts, can also distract the media from other problems in the administration in a way that Nixon might envy. Trump has already expressed contempt for court decisions and raised questions about his conception of executive powers. If he does exceed his constitutional powers, alas, the chances of the other branches of government restraining or removing him, as they did with Nixon, are not as good. Trump, unlike Nixon, is dealing with friendly majorities in both houses of Congress. The Democrats in 1973-4 combined partisan feeling with civic virtue, and enough Republicans eventually joined with them to ensure Nixons removal from office. So far nearly all of todays Congressional Republicans have gone along with the Trump White Houses ideas and oppose broad inquiries into his campaigns possible wrongdoing. Meanwhile, Trumps unrestrained campaign rhetoric has continued apace now that hes in the White House, showing that the U.S. is in a perilous state. The abuse of free speech may be a right, but it is also a grave danger. The Long View Historians explain how the past informs the present David Kaiser, a historian, has taught at Harvard, Carnegie Mellon, Williams College, and the Naval War College. He is the author of seven books, including, most recently, No End Save Victory: How FDR Led the Nation into War. He lives in Watertown, Mass. astronaut thumbs up waving nasa hubble space telescope stsci 103e5248 For the first time in more than six years, both chambers of Congress passed a bill that approves funding for NASA and gives the space agency new mandates. The NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2017 is a bill that the Senate and House collaborated on for months, and it appropriates $19.5 billion to the agency. (NASA received $19.3 billion in 2016, or 0.5% of the total federal budget.) When the Senate brought the bill before the House of Representatives for a vote on March 7, "no members spoke against the bill" and it passed, according to Jeff Foust at Space News. The document asks NASA to create a roadmap for getting humans "near or on the surface of Mars in the 2030s." It also calls on the space agency to continue developing the Space Launch System (SLS) a behemoth rocket and the Orion space capsule in order to eventually go to the moon, Mars, and beyond. space launch system Now it's up to President Trump to sign the bill into law or veto it. Business Insider did not immediately receive a response from Trump administration officials about the president's plans for the new bill. But its passage seems likely. Trump has expressed support for a crewed exploration of Mars, and in his inauguration speech he said he's "ready to unlock the mysteries of space." Administration officials, meanwhile, have said they want NASA to return to the moon in the 2020s but also proposed to end the space agency's 58-year mandate to study the Earth and its climate, details the bill leaves out. Trump also maintains a relatively tight collaboration with the Republican-controlled legislative branch. What's in NASA's proposed budget? nasa journey mars The American Astronomical Society has a convenient breakdown of the $19.5 billion in the bill, including funding for human space exploration, space-station operations, science, and more. Story continues Here are some notable titles, articles, and sections of the 146-page document: NOW WATCH: Astronomers discovered a solar system with 7 Earth-sized planets and its the perfect place to search for alien life More From Business Insider STRONGSVILLE, Ohio (AP) A man driving a van with a woman and three children inside led police on a high-speed chase in Ohio before he was stopped, reached down to light a cigarette and was fatally shot by an officer, according to a police dispatch log. The Tuesday chase began in Strongsville, about 20 miles south of downtown Cleveland, and ended in Medina County after the van went across spike strips laid across Interstate 71. The county coroner identified the driver as 37-year-old Roy Evans Jr. WJW-TV reported that the woman was Evans' girlfriend and that the children belonged to the couple. The woman and children were not injured. Ohio Attorney General's Office spokeswoman Jill Del Greco said Thursday that no weapons were found in the van during a search by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, which is investigating the shooting. "We are still investigating to determine whether or not the van itself was used as a weapon," Del Greco said. The dispatch log indicated that the van rammed one of the Strongsville police cruisers during the 14-minute chase. Few details about the shooting have been released beyond the Strongsville police dispatch log. It lists brief descriptions of radio calls made by officers. The first police radio call was logged shortly before 2:30 a.m. Tuesday and indicated that a Strongsville officer had tried to stop a van traveling north on I-71 and that pursuit speeds quickly reached 100 mph. The van exited the interstate before re-entering the interstate on its southbound lanes. The officer reported that the van was traveling with no headlights on and that its engine was "smoking." Minutes later, an officer said the Ohio State Highway Patrol was setting up spike strips. The dispatch report said the van ran over the spike strips at more than 90 mph. Three minutes later, an officer reported that a "balding" white male was reportedly seen "reaching down below, lighting a cigarette." An entry a minute later said shots were fired. Strongsville has not identified the officer who fired the fatal shot. Del Greco said none of the Strongsville officers was wearing body cameras, but their cruisers were equipped with dashboard cameras. PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czech President Milos Zeman told supporters on Thursday he would seek a second term in 2018, ending speculation over whether he would run again. Zeman, who has pushed for better ties with Russia and backed Donald Trump in the U.S. vote last year, announced his decision at an annual party at Prague Castle to celebrate the anniversary of his election in 2013, two participants who asked not to be named told Reuters. Other media outlets also reported Zeman's comments. "I announce to you that I decided to run again for the office of president," Zeman told the gathering, according to mobile phone video shown on Czech Television. Zeman will hold a news conference on Friday to officially announce his decision to the public. Zeman, 72, won his country's first ever direct presidential election four years ago, remains its most popular politician and is in strong position for the January 2018 election. While governments run domestic and foreign policy, the president can hold leverage over the European Union country's cabinets, as well as appoint central bankers and nominate ambassadors and constitutional court judges. Zeman's first term has been marked by battles with a Social Democrat-led government, sniping at journalists, warnings about Muslim immigration to Europe and efforts to improve relations with Russia and China. He opposes EU sanctions imposed on Russia over its annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its role in a rebellion in eastern Ukraine - measures which the center-left cabinet backs. He was one of the few European leaders to vocally back Trump's campaign last year. ELECTION SEASON Zeman will play a role in naming the next prime minister after a parliamentary election in October in which no party is likely to secure a majority. Some analysts say Zeman may tie this to support for him. A former Social Democrat leader, Zeman split with the party after it failed to completely back him in his first attempt at the presidency in 2003 in a vote among parliamentarians. He ran as an independent four years ago. Zeman so far has only one serious challenger next year: businessman and writer Michal Horacek, who launched his campaign last November with the motto "We can do better". Zeman was out of politics for a decade before his 2013 victory. Instrumental in his comeback were several businessmen with interests in Russia, including the president's top adviser Martin Nejedly, who did business in Moscow and had a joint venture with Russian oil firm Lukoil in the Czech Republic. Zeman was the only EU leader to attend a World War II victory ceremony in Moscow in 2015. He has also helped steer the country toward China and welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to Prague last year. This week, the richest Czech businessman, Petr Kellner, met with Zeman to discuss economic ties with those countries, both of which Zeman aims to visit this year. In April Zeman will meet Trump at the White House. (Reporting by Robert Muller and Jason Hovet; editing by Andrew Roche) UK concerned over Saptari incident The United Kingdom has expressed concern over Saptari incident ahead of the proposed local elections in Nepal. The Chinese Foreign Ministry traded a new round of barbs with the Dalai Lama over the Tibetan spiritual leaders interview with U.S.-based comedian John Oliver. The Dalai Lama said hard-line Chinese officials have parts of their brains missing in an interview with Oliver for his HBO show, Last Week Tonight. The Dalai Lama also reiterated he could be the last Dalai Lama in line, ending the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual succession process that the Chinese government worked to supplant. In his interview with Oliver, the Dalai Lama said in broken English that Chinas plan is a foolish act shortsighted, without using human brain properly. He added common sense was missing from the brains of Chinese officials. The Chinese hard-liners, in their brain, that part of [the brain] is missing, he told Oliver. You can watch the full segment of Olivers interview with the Dalai Lama, which aired Sunday, here: Unsurprisingly, the Chinese government wasnt too thrilled with his remarks. So on Tuesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry fired back. The Dalai Lamas comments in the interview perhaps appeared humorous and funny, but these words are all lies that do not accord with the facts, said foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang. We often say that the 14th Dalai Lama is a political exile who wears religious clothing to engage in anti-China separatist activities, Geng added. Now it seems he is an actor, who is very good at performing, and very deceptively. By tradition, the Dalai Lama chooses another religious figure, the Panchen Lama, to select his spiritual successor. Tibetan Buddhists believe the Dalai Lamas soul is reincarnated in the body of a young boy upon his death. In 1995, the Dalai Lama selected a six-year-old boy to be his Panchen Lama. Three days later, the boy and his family were kidnapped by the Chinese government. The Chinese government then chose another six-year-old as their own replacement, supplanting the Dalai Lamas reincarnation. The boy the Dalai Lama chose hasnt been seen or heard from in the 22 years since his kidnapping. Story continues In 2014, the Dalai Lama suggested he could be the last one, prompting outrage from China, which said ending the reincarnation line betrayed and disrespected Tibetan Buddhism. One Chinese government official said the Dalai Lama was a wolf wrapped in monks robes. The Dalai Lama, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, fled to India in 1959 after a failed Tibetan revolt against Chinese rule. He pushed for full Tibetan independence from China for decades amid harsh crackdowns from Beijing, but has since walked back his stance to autonomy under Chinese rule. Nearly 150 Tibetans have self-immolated to protest heavy-handed Chinese government oppression in the past eight years, according to the International Campaign for Tibet. The spat comes amid an annual meeting of Chinas political elite to hash out new policies and pass legislation. Tibets delegation to the annual meeting is expected to hold a news conference on the Tibet-China dispute this week. Photo credit: SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images What do a legendary late night comedian in retirement and the former leader of a legendary rock band have in common (beside being legendary and retired)? SEE ALSO: David Letterman to Retire From 'Late Show' in 2015 Growing a legendary beard, of course. Enter David Letterman, the beloved late-night host who stepped down in 2015 after 22 years of service, smiling gracefully in the cover of New York magazine: It was fittingly described as "hipster Santa Claus" look or what'd happen if a member of the ZZ Top decided to live in Williamsburg. Now enter Michael Stipe, who since R.E.M. broke up in 2011 has been dutifully growing a full-fur look. Here he is, in all his follicular glory: Image: Mark Von Holden/REX/Shutterstock OMG they're basically the same person! Naturally, he noticed the stunning resemblance to his beard bro: So fucked up A post shared by @michaelstipe on Mar 7, 2017 at 10:38pm PST People on Twitter were pretty pleased about Stipe's remarks: Have they announced who will direct the Stipe/Letterman ZZ Top biopic yet? keyzus (@ThankYouKeyzus) March 8, 2017 It's both weird & makes perfect sense that visually Letterman & Michael Stipe have merged into the same patriarch for me. melissaaw (@mawwahh) March 8, 2017 I assume David Letterman and Michael Stipe share the same beard. Scott D. Southard (@SDSouthard) March 6, 2017 Do you think David Letterman and Michael Stipe get together every once in a while and trade beard grooming tips? Chris Ingalls (@Ingalls1969) March 6, 2017 Would it be too much to ask for David Letterman and Michael Stipe to have a beard-off? james myers (@arsetechnica) March 7, 2017 Michael Stipe and David Letterman are the most hipster off-duty Santas pic.twitter.com/QCj39JOOx7 1p Album Club (@1pAlbumClub) March 8, 2017 Still reeling from the stealthy, state-sponsored demolition of a Revolutionary War-era house in Bellmawr, the Camden County Historical Society met Wednesday to consider its next move. We can't let this happen again, president Chris Perks said, before the board held a closed session to discuss legal and other strategies. The Historical Society had led a spirited grassroots effort to save the Hugg-Harrison-Glover house, which the New Jersey Department of Transportation had long been intent on tearing down. Perks himself was among the defenders of history who donned colonial costumes and marched in Bellmawr's Fourth of July parade last year to galvanize public support for the oldest building in the borough. The mid-18th-century farmhouse had most recently been used for offices and was once owned by a colonial militia commander. It was beloved by many historians but viewed by some Trenton bureaucrats as an inconsequential impediment to the eventual completion of the $900 million I-295, I-76, and Route 42 reconstruction project. An NJDOT evaluation, begun in 2003, found the house lacked historical significance, an inexplicable conclusion given readily available documentation of the role that the building's onetime owner, Capt. William Harrison, played in the war to set the American colonies free from the oppressive rule of a remote and arbitrary government. Last Friday, by the dawn's early light and amid a state police presence, a state contractor quickly reduced the noble old structure on the grounds of New St. Mary's Cemetery to rubble. The pulverized debris was fenced off and state police remained on the scene for hours. The demolition crew did the job without a permit to tear down the house. A legal challenge also was pending; a DOT spokesman later told NJ.com that a notice about the filing of a motion to block the move turned up in a department mailroom Friday after the house had been razed. Story continues The seemingly all-powerful Transportation Department also issued a statement/decree Friday declaring that the house, until recently occupied by cemetery employees, was far too structurally fragile to be moved and had failed to meet federal standards for historical significance anyway. But this airy declaration seemed at best feeble amid media coverage of a priceless piece of New Jersey history tragically lost to make way for a prosaic traffic noise barrier. And the resulting statewide firestorm seems to have taken some in Trenton by surprise. Bellmawr Mayor Frank Filipek said he got a call this week from someone in Gov. Christie's office who wanted to know the whole story. The borough issued a demolition permit March 2 for a garage adjacent to Hugg-Harrison, Filipek said. But my building inspector told them they couldn't touch the house, added the mayor, whose administration had earmarked a nearby municipally owned site as a future home for the structure. Perks noted Wednesday that a 2015 report by Dewberry, a New York engineering firm, said few signs of structural damage or deterioration had been observed by its inspectors, although there was evidence of past water damage due to a since-repaired dormer. The report also concluded that relocation of the house in its current condition is structurally feasible. Citing other documents obtained by the Historical Society, Perks said NJDOT never evaluated the possibility of moving the house and had in fact deceived state and federal agencies into believing it had done so. NJDOT also had suggested that the loss of the structure be mitigated by a $75,000 study of similar vintage structures in South Jersey built with the region's distinctive patterned brick style. But the Hugg-Harrison bricks are now history. All that's left of a house that survived the Revolutionary War are 11 inside doors, with hinges, and a piece of chair rail salvaged by the demolition crew. They're being stored in an unknown location. Most Popular on Philly.com Two groups of people Mexican immigrants, and Muslims have been the subject of much attention lately, and now researchers say they have figured out one psychological process that explains why some people in the United States vilify these groups. The process, called dehumanization, occurs when people view others as less evolved and civilized than they view themselves, according to the study, which was published in January in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. But dehumanization may ultimately lead members of the targeted groups to have greater support for violent action, the researchers found in the study, which was conducted in the U.S. during the 2016 primary elections. The new results show that the extent to which people in the U.S. dehumanize Mexican immigrants and Muslims "is very strongly correlated with support for then-candidate Donald Trump," study co-author Emile Bruneau, a neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania, told Live Science. In other words, the more a person "dehumanized" Mexican immigrants and Muslims, the more likely they were to support Trump. [Understanding the 10 Most Destructive Human Behaviors] Nicholas Haslam, a professor of psychology at the University of Melbourne in Australia who was not involved in the study, said the study's methods and conclusions are sound. "It's high-quality, scrupulous work," he told Live Science. [5 Interesting Facts about Human Cooperation] The study consisted of several experiments, two of which involved the popular "Ascent of Man" diagram, which illustrates the stages of human evolution, from the earliest human ancestor that looked a lot like an ape to the modern human. The people in the study were told to think of the diagram as a scale, with the ape-like human ancestor as 0 and the modern human as 100. In one experiment, the researchers asked 342 non-Hispanic Americans where they would place Mexican immigrants and non-Hispanic Americans on the Ascent of Man scale. In another experiment, the researchers asked 455 non-Muslim Americans to place Muslims and non-Muslim Americans on the same evolutionary scale. Story continues The researchers found that some of the people placed both Mexican immigrants and Muslims lower on the scale (meaning farther away from the modern man) compared with their placement of non-Hispanic or non-Muslim Americans, respectively. The researchers also asked the participants which presidential candidate they supported. They found that the people who supported Trump were more likely to dehumanize Mexican immigrants and Muslims, compared with those who supported any of the other Democratic or Republican candidates. In other parts of the study, the researchers looked at how the perception of being dehumanized might affect Mexican immigrants and Muslims. The participants in this part of the study included 283 Mexican immigrants and 124 Muslims. Mexican immigrants who said they felt dehumanized by Trump were also more likely to dehumanize Trump and support anti-Trump initiatives, such as boycotting his businesses, compared with those who did not feel dehumanized by Trump, the researchers found. In addition, those individuals who felt dehumanized by Trump were more likely to "want to see him personally suffer, and endorse hostile actions such as spitting in his face," according to the study. [6 Politicians Who Got the Science Wrong] Furthermore, Muslims who said they felt dehumanized by non-Muslim Americans were more likely to support violent approaches to supporting civil rights for Muslims in the U.S. compared with supporting nonviolent approaches, the researchers found. The results show that dehumanizing Muslims and Mexican immigrants in the first place may help to establish, and fuel, a vicious cycle of dehumanization, the researchers said. "If we use rhetoric and enact policies that make Muslims feel dehumanized, this may lead them to support exactly the types of aggression that reinforce the perception that they are 'less civilized' than 'us,'" Bruneau said in a statement. "In this way, dehumanization can become self-fulfilling in the minds of the dehumanizers and justify their aggression." The researchers noted that there were some limitations to the study, including the fact that the researchers were not able to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between certain factors in the study based on the data. For example, although the researchers found that some people's tendency to dehumanize Mexican immigrants and Muslims was strongly linked to those people's support for Trump, the findings do not prove that those people supported Trump because of their tendency to dehumanize these groups. However, it is possible that people support Trump not despite this rhetoric, "but in part because of it," the researchers wrote. Originally published on Live Science. Editor's Recommendations Berlin (AFP) - German media group Axel Springer said Thursday its digital publishing empire would bring further increases in sales and profits in 2017, after meeting its forecasts last year. The publisher achieved a net profit of 450 million euros ($474 million) in 2016, up almost 50 percent on the previous year's figure. Operating, or underlying, profit increased 6.5 percent to 595 million euros, on revenues around the same level as in 2015 at 3.3 billion. Axel Springer had lowered its own forecasts in October, blaming the financial effects of a joint venture with Switzerland's Ringier to bring the two groups' publications under one roof. "Thanks to targeted investments in digital business models and complementary acquisitions, the group has consolidated its position as Europe's leading digital publisher," Springer said in a statement. The Berlin-based group was among the first German publishers to make big bets on digital media, offering online subscriptions to tabloid Bild and conservative broadsheet Die Welt. It has also sold off a number of print titles and made big investments in digital-only publications such as Business insider. Digital offerings now account for 67 percent of revenue and 72 percent of profit at the publisher, founded just after the Second World War by journalist Axel Springer and a landmark in German public life. For the current year, Springer expects its digital products to grow further, forecasting revenues around 5.0 percent higher than 2016 and operating profits increased by up to 10 percent. VARANASI, India Saroj Dubey sits by her makeshift stall on the steps leading down to the Ganges, hawking her flower, fruit, and sugar balls to pilgrims coming to the holy city of Varanasi. The stairs to the river, or ghats, are important ritual objects. But she has a different ceremonial spot in mind. This is where Modi spoke in 2014, Dubey said, pointing to a marble platform a few yards from her stall, marking the speech made by Indias new Prime Minister Narendra Modi the day the nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept the general election by a historic margin. Indian law lets candidates contest two constituencies as long as they end up representing only one. Modi ran for office in his home state of Gujarat in western India, where he served as chief minister, as well as Varanasi in the far larger northern province of Uttar Pradesh. He won both but chose to retain the latter. Even with his home ties to Gujarat, it was an easy choice. Not only is Uttar Pradesh Indias largest state, eight out of Indias 13 previous prime ministers ran for office from the state and six were born there. If Uttar Pradesh were a country, it would be the fifth largest in the world in terms of population. With an estimated 220 million people, it is by far the biggest factor in Indias upcoming state elections. Five states are up for grabs, but nearly two-thirds of the contested seats are in Uttar Pradesh. The state is one of the heartlands of Hinduism, but its electorate is deeply fractured along the lines of caste, class, and religion. Varanasi, about 170 miles south of the states capital Lucknow, is steeped in faith and tradition. Philosophers, poets, and performers both Hindu and Muslim have thrived here. For centuries, Hindus have dipped in the holy Ganges to purge their sins. The dead are brought, too, on the promise that their souls will be saved from the constant cycle of rebirth if they are cremated on the rivers bank. For Modis BJP, the election is a critical point. Control of Indian states also determines control of Parliaments upper house, the Rajya Sabha. If the BJP can take Uttar Pradesh, it would get the upper hand in the Rajya Sabha, where its 54 seats put it behind the rival Congress partys 59. Uttar Pradesh alone seats 31 of the upper houses 250 members of Parliament. The state elections factor into the July elections for Indias presidency, a separate position from the prime minister but powerful in its own way. Story continues The elections are widely seen as a referendum on the BJPs economic policies, including the chaotic but popular demonetarization of the past few months in which 500 and 1,000 rupee bills were abruptly removed from circulation. Almost 86 percent of the Indian currency was taken out of circulation, a move that led to an acute cash crunch across India. The BJPs performance in this election will set the tone for the next general election, said Sanjay Kumar, a political analyst at the Center for the Study of Developing Societies, a research group based in Delhi. That means a referendum on Modi himself. Unlike other political parties that have endorsed their chief ministerial candidates, the BJP has chosen the prime minister as the face of its election campaign in Uttar Pradesh, dwarfing the importance of its local candidates. On the hustings, Modi has been using his charisma and powerful oratory to highlight the BJPs achievements since he took office. But the Hindu nationalist party may face a tough road. I dont think Modi is delivering Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Dubey said of Modis election slogan Collective Efforts, Inclusive Growth, one that rings particularly strongly because it comes from a leader who had risen from very humble beginnings He may have subsidized cooking gas cylinders for people in villages, but we didnt receive any benefits here, she said. Running a household of three children and an aging mother on a monthly income of 5,000 rupees ($75) is a struggle for the 33-year-old widow. The sixth-grade dropout fights hard to make sure that her children attend school. I feel we dont matter. I will not vote for anyone, she said. The BJP beat the odds in the national parliamentary elections in Uttar Pradesh. Of the 80 lawmakers the state elected to the 545-member lower house of Parliament, 71 were from the BJP, a rare feat in an era when strong regional parties are playing a crucial role in Indian politics. The right-wing party is trying hard to repeat its success in the multiphased state election, especially after failing to capture the important assembly votes in Delhi and the eastern Indian state of Bihar in 2015. The BJP is fighting off three main political rivals the Samajwadi Party, which runs the state government; the Indian National Congress, the leading national opposition party that has formed a pre-poll alliance with the Samajwadi Party, dividing seats among themselves and not running candidates against one another; and the Bahujan Samaj Party, which largely represents Indias lowest castes. The importance of Uttar Pradesh in the rise of the BJP cannot be understated. It was here in 1992 that Hindu mobs led by the BJP and its affiliates tore down the 16th-century Babri Masjid, the mosque of Babur, in the temple town of Ayodhya, unleashing deadly sectarian clashes between Hindus and Muslims. The movement to build a temple to the Hindu god Ram helped the BJP thrive on the back of a wave of Hindu nationalism. Badri Das, 60, has been a sadhu, an itinerant ascetic holy man, in Varanasi for decades. But during these hard times, he makes ends meet as a rickshaw puller. He belongs to the Yadav community, a backward caste in the pecking order created by the Hindu caste system, which has traditionally supported the Samajwadi Party. Akhilesh has given sops to people. I didnt receive any, but I will still vote for him, Das said of the Samajwadis Akhilesh Yadav, 43, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. It is common practice to woo voters in India with freebies before an election. Smartphones, laptops, spice grinders, and loan waivers have been on the list in recent times. People in my village say the wind is blowing in Akhileshs direction, said the saffron-clad Das. There is a popular misperception among people in Varanasi that the prime minister inks every local policy measure in his home constituency. Modi has done some good things, some bad, Das said. He criticized a ban on the Hindu practice of idol immersion in the Ganges, saying that Modi should not tamper with tradition. He was unaware that a court had ordered the ban to check pollution in the sacred river. The local economy of this pilgrim town is driven by how well Hindu religion and culture can be packaged and sold to the faithful or the curious Westerner. From roadside vendors selling religious souvenirs; astrologers drawing birth charts; god men with dreadlocks and beads around their necks, often posing for cameras; priests performing prayers for some rite of passage; or boatmen offering rides along the ghats, there is always someone trying to share a piece of Varanasis heritage. But even as buffaloes and dogs lurk on the ghats, and humans bathe, defecate, wash clothes, and cremate the dead there, locals say the riverfront is being maintained better since Varanasi voted for Modi. Trash cans, toilets, changing rooms, and drinking water faucets have been installed at some of the 80-plus ghats, which are visited by a steady stream of Indian and international tourists. Men and women in fluorescent green vests can be seen sweeping, removing plastics, garlands, and other pollutants floating along the river. Vinod Bharti and his wife earn 12,000 rupees ($180) a month as sweepers, thanks to the cleanliness drive launched in Varanasi by the prime minister, who wants to develop it into a smart city along the lines of the ancient Japanese capital and popular pilgrimage site Kyoto. Earlier we supported Mayawati. Now I will vote for Modi, said Bharti of the former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh who heads the Bahujan Samaj Party. Mayawati is hailed as a champion of the dalits (once known in the West as the untouchables), the lowest rung in Hindu caste hierarchy and often the subject of fierce discrimination. For the states besieged Muslim minority, however, Modis promises mean little. Haji Zameer, 46, a small-business owner in Varanasi, is one of Indias more than 172 million Muslims. He votes for the Congress party in the general elections and the Samajwadi Party in the state elections because he thinks leaders from these parties listen to Muslims like himself. BJP leaders know Muslims wont vote for them, so they just pay lip service, Zameer said. Muslims and the BJP have never liked each other. Not a single one of BJPs 403 candidates is Muslim. Modi lacks the class that other national leaders have had. He was a tea seller, and his outlook reflects that mentality, he added. The BJP won the popular mandate of the Hindu middle class by offering an alternative to the dynastic rule of the Congress party, which it claimed was corrupt and elitist. But as it conjured up enough Hindu votes to triumph, it left Muslims and other minorities even more fearful of a newly empowered populism. If it can ride the same formula to success in Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere, it may deepen already-bitter communal divides. Photo Credit: RAVEENDRAN/AFP/Getty Image President Donald Trump has accused Barack Obama of another terrible decision to release prisoners from Guantanamo Bay, in a tweet in which he wrongly quoted official figures. Mr Trump said on Tuesday morning that 122 vicious Guantanamo inmates had returned to the battlefield, released by the Obama administration. The Guantanamo statistics Mr Trump cited come from a September report by the Director of National Intelligence. The report did find that 122 of the 693 prisoners transferred out of the Cuban camp had returned to terrorist activities. However, 113 of them were released by George W Bush. Only nine of them were transferred out by Mr Obama. Of the 122, 30 have been killed and 25 captured. The DNI says 67 remain at large. The 17 British Guantanamo detainees - Where are they now? in pics On Monday, the Pentagon confirmed that a former Guantanamo inmate had been killed by an air strike in Yemen. Yasir al-Silmi, who was held at Guantanamo from 2002 to 2009, was killed on Thursday. He was repatriated by Mr Obama in December 2009. Transfers to Yemen have since been banned because of the turmoil in the country. Mr Trump has promised to chart a radically different course on Guantanamo to his predecessor. Mr Obama campaigned on the promise to close Guantanamo, and has stated that his biggest regret is not shutting the detention centre on his first day in office. He signed an executive order on January 22, 2009 to shut the camp, but Congress repeatedly blocked his efforts. He did manage to reduce the population, and fewer than 100 detainees remained at the base when he left office. About | Guantanamo Bay By contrast, Mr Trump has promised to keep Guantanamo Bays detention facility open and stop the release of detainees from it. At one point, the president promised to load it up with some bad dudes. Draft executive orders have circulated that would allow any captured Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) fighters to be sent there, but no order has been signed yet. Amsterdam (AFP) - Dutch left-wing political hopeful Jesse Klaver on Thursday staged one of the largest campaign rallies seen in The Netherlands in recent times, as political parties scramble for last-minute votes ahead of next week's crunch elections. Some 5,000 people packed a concert hall in Amsterdam where Klaver -- at 30 the youngest political party leader ever in the Dutch parliament -- told GreenLeft party supporters he aimed "to give the country the first left-wing government in 40 years." "We have a unique opportunity as left-wing parties to win this election and to be the biggest," Klaver said to thunderous applause. "If you're a leftist at heart, give your vote to our party," he added. Some 12.9 million voters will head to the polls next Wednesday for a general election seen as a key litmus test of the rise of populist and far-right parties ahead of other national elections in Europe this year. Dutch political observers say the youthful Klaver, who is of Moroccan descent, is the antithesis of far-right politician Geert Wilders, who has run his campaign on an anti-immigrant, anti-Islam ticket. Since taking over as party leader in May 2015, Klaver has boosted his party's fortunes and polls now predict it may leap from four MPs in the outgoing parliament to possibly 17. Dutch media said late Thursday that the rally staged by the GreenLeft party was the largest of its kind seen for many years in the Netherlands. "Not since the 1980s in the days of the Dutch Communist Party (CPN) has there been such a large party gathering," Dutch news agency ANP said. Some 28 parties are contesting next week's polls for the 150 seats in the Dutch lower house of parliament. Prime Minister Mark Rutte's Liberal VVD party, at the helm of a ruling coalition, is seeking to fend off a strong challenge from the far-right led by Wilders. But Klaver stood out as another possible contender following a strong showing in a number of nationally televised debates in which Wilders declined to take part. UML rejects PMs call to postpone poll rally Two days after clashes between protesters and police at Maleth of Saptari in which three persons were fatally shot by police, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Wednesday urged the CPN-UML to suspend the partys election campaign but only to receive a response in a no. When Steve Carriere decided to earn his associate degree online at Excelsior College, the 27 years he spent in the military didn't go unnoticed. The 50-year-old Maine resident says he was able to transfer his military and technical training into the program for college credit. He quickly finished his associate degree, graduating last July, and is now pursuing his bachelor's online at the school. "Having a broad variety of those electives and even some of the core classes knocked out is what really helped me have a good plan to go into this bachelor's degree program," he says. For busy students with professional certifications and licenses, technical and vocational training or a military background, an online degree program that awards credit based on what they've already learned and accomplished might be an ideal route to take, often allowing them to save time and money on a degree. [Discover three ways to get academic credit for military training.] In some online programs, students can test out of classes by completing exams -- such as the College-Level Examination Program or competency-based options -- or by creating a portfolio that highlights their skills and achievements based on their backgrounds. But in other cases, experts say, online students might be able to translate their work experience or military education and jobs into credits without completing those extra steps, if it easily aligns with the program's curriculum. That might be determined through reviews conducted by groups such as the American Council on Education or the school itself. At the University of Maryland University College, online students can receive credit toward a degree if they've undergone technical and vocational training in fields such as dental radiography or aircraft maintenance through an organization approved by ACE or an institution approved by UMUC. Degree programs have offered credit for military experience, including through the Joint Services Transcript, for decades, says Kara Gwaltney, who directs corporate credit evaluations for the American Council on Education. Credit for work experience, however, started later, she says, and based on what ACE has seen is today more consistently received and accepted in programs designed for nontraditional learners such as working adults, including many online. Story continues However, it's ultimately "really left up to the discretion of the institution as to how those trainings may align with the students' individual programs," she says. In general, accelerated pathways work well for online students who generally have already started careers and aim to advance professionally as quickly and inexpensively as possible, experts say. [Learn how online degrees can help adults switch careers.] "Thinking about adult students -- they're not blank slates; they're coming to school with real-life experience," says Matthew Prineas, vice provost and dean of the undergraduate school at UMUC. "A big part of that is recognizing that experience and helping the student recognize that experience." Take Felicia Deskins, who earned credit toward her associate degree for military experience at American Military University, part of the for-profit American Public University System. By the time she enrolled a few years ago, half of her degree was already completed due to transferring those credits, and she's now pursuing a bachelor's online. Still, prospective online students with these credits should consider that they might miss out on opportunities to build relationships and network with classmates that they would have been able to in class, Prineas says. Because transfer requirements and policies differ across programs, prospective online students should research their options thoroughly on school websites or contact an admissions officer for details. To translate industry certifications -- such as for Microsoft Corp. or Cisco Systems, Inc. -- into credits at UMUC, for example, the certification must have been completed in the last five years and reviewed by either ACE or the National College Credit Recommendation Service. Otherwise, UMUC online students might instead turn to the test-out or portfolio option, Prineas says. [Explore how portfolio assessments can help online students earn credit.] Some online programs also offer credit to working students through partnerships with employers. In one option, Excelsior translates Pizza Hut's corporate training for its staff into credit hours for those who are enrolled, says Lisa LaVigna, Excelsior's executive director of strategic partnerships and alliances. "It does not behoove them or us to have them sit in a class on something they already know," LaVigna says. Colorado State University--Global Campus also partners with 17 companies to offer employees college credit for approved internal training programs and courses, according to the school's website. Experts say prospective students should research their credit-transfer options and related policies in depth when choosing a best-fit program, including what will transfer and for how many credits, and whether there's a maximum amount of work and military experience that a student can apply to their degree. At the for-profit Kaplan University, which offers many degrees online, students may complete up to 75 percent of an undergraduate online degree using work and military experience, transfer credits and credit by examination. David Starnes, chief academic officer at Kaplan, suggests prospective online students save all documentation they have regarding their prior experience. "Anything like that, when you put the pieces together, can help turn it into credit," he says. Trying to fund your online education? Get tips and more in the U.S. News Paying for Online Education center. Jordan Friedman is an online education editor at U.S. News. You can follow him on Twitter or email him at jfriedman@usnews.com. A luxury resort in the Seychelles, a collection of eco-hotels in Costa Rica and Nicaragua and the country of Slovenia are among some of the winners of National Geographic's annual World Legacy Awards, which aim to spotlight leaders in the sustainable travel and tourism industry. This year, the 2017 edition coincides with the UN's International Year of Sustainable Tourism Development, a designation meant to raise awareness of sustainable travel and mobilize positive, earth-friendly change in the sector. "When planned and managed well, tourism can be a tremendous force for good, from saving endangered species to heritage preservation and poverty alleviation," said Costas Christ, chairman of the legacy awards in a statement. "The World Legacy Award winners and finalists are demonstrating the way forward to a brighter travel future for people and the planet." - Leaders in sustainability - In the category of Earth Changers, the Cayuga Collection hotel group with eight properties in Costa Rica and Nicaragua took the award, which recognizes "cutting-edge leadership in environmentally friendly business practices and green technology." At Cayuga properties, no detail is too small, with even drinking straws made of bamboo. Water treatment plants reuse wastewater to irrigate green areas, biogas is used for cooking, and water is heated with solar panels. Guests can also go on a tour that takes them behind the scenes into the environmentally friendly workings of the hotel. Meanwhile guests of the luxury private island resort North Island, Seychelles, not only sign up for a paradisiacal retreat when they book, but also help protect rare and endangered species. For their innovative "Noah's Ark" project, the eco-resort snagged the award "Conserving the Natural World," which recognizes outstanding support for the preservation of nature. At the resort, on-site biologists monitor the land's ecology and help reintroduce some of the Seychelles' rarest and most endangered species back to nature. Story continues And award Destination Leadership went to the Slovenian Tourist Board. With nearly 60 percent of its land protected, the Central European country is touted as one of the world's most sustainable destinations. To protect and promote this virtue, the tourist board has implemented a tool that sets guidelines and monitors progress throughout the country. "The question before us is not whether sustainable tourism works to help safeguard cultural and natural heritage, advance environmentally-friendly business practices, and deliver meaningful economic and social benefits to local people. It does," said Costas. "Rather, in 2017, let's focus on the most important topic: How far can we take sustainable tourism practices to usher in a brighter travel future?" Find the full list of winners at http://www.nationalgeographic.com/worldlegacyawards/. Dunedin (New Zealand) (AFP) - South Africa made Kane Williamson their number one target as the battling New Zealander ensured his side prospered despite a crippling injury to Ross Taylor on day two of the first Test on Thursday. Williamson led a charmed life at the crease, surviving three edges and a run-out attempt to be 78 not out at stumps with New Zealand 177 for three, 131 runs behind South Africa's first innings total of 308 in Dunedin. While New Zealand were sweating on the fitness of senior batsman Taylor, who was on eight when he limped off with a calf injury, South African bowling coach Charl Langeveldt said Williamson's wicket was their chief concern. "We have to try and contain Kane Williamson, definitely he's the key. I'm not sure if Ross Taylor is going to come back," Langeveldt said while conceding Williamson was winning the battle with South Africa's bowling spearhead Vernon Philander. "I think Kane's on top at the moment but Vernon's a strong character and he will come back." New Zealand's chief destroyer Trent Boult, with four for 64 in unhelpful bowling conditions, said they would not know until Friday if Taylor could resume playing, but the prospects were not good. "It's a shame to see him limp off like that. He's big player for us," Boult said. "He's disappointed as we could all understand but the way he walked off it doesn't look too good." Taylor was injured running a single during a fiery spell by Morne Morkel, who two balls earlier had hit him on the head. In his first Test following in a year after a long-injury lay off, Morkel sent down a lively 10 overs for 26 and showed no sign of discomfort. New Zealand wrapped up the South African innings five overs after lunch, with the last six wickets falling for only 56 runs. It was a rapid end to an innings where the wicket offered little for the bowlers and Dean Elgar, with his 140, had the tourists well placed at 252 for four. Story continues South Africa removed Tom Latham early, caught behind off Vern Philander for 10, before Williamson and Jeet Raval sparked the innings with a 102-run stand before Raval went for 52. - Streaky Williamson - Williamson survived four close calls during his knock. Keshav Maharaj found the edge when he was on 10, and again on 40, but on both occasions the ball fell fractionally short of Hashim Amla at first slip. On 72, Williamson was sent back by Henry Nicholls and he made his ground by the slimmest of margins. Four runs later an edge off Philander failed to carry to the slip cordon. The Maharaj-Amla partnership made no mistake when removing Nicholls for 12, with Amla diving to his left to take a sharp one-handed catch bringing nightwatchman Jeetan Patel to the crease and he was on nine at stumps. South Africa resumed day two on 229 for four and added a cautious 23 in 12 overs before Neil Wagner claimed the crucial wicket of Dean Elgar to end his 104-run partnership with Temba Bavuma. It was the beginning of the end for South Africa as Quinton de Kock fell for 10 to his nemesis Patel, dismissed by the off-spinner for the third time in as many innings on this tour. Patel also bowled Kagiso Rabada while Trent Boult claimed Bavuma for 64, Maharaj for five and finished the innings bowling Philander for 21. Boult was the sharpest of the New Zealand bowlers with four for 64, while Wagner took three for 88 and Patel finished with 2-85. Women and supporters wore red this International Women's Day to show solidarity for strikers participating in "A Day Without A Woman." One very famous landmark, on the other hand, lit up in pinks and purples to celebrate female empowerment, rights and achievements. SEE ALSO: Wall Street's Charging Bull statue has a fearless new opponent for International Women's Day The Empire State Building in New York City turned a beautiful shade of pink Wednesday evening as magenta lights lit up the skyscraper and contrasted with a deep orange sunset. Were pretty in pink tonight! Our lights are shining in magenta, honoring @HeForShe and International @WomensDay. #InternationalWomensDay pic.twitter.com/FmKM0QW2Uy Empire State Bldg (@EmpireStateBldg) March 8, 2017 Everyone noticed the bright pink skyline which seemed to match the pussyhats worn during January's Women's March and at rallies and protests throughout the beginning of the Trump presidency. Love that the Empire State Building is supporting #InternationalWomensDay . I appreciate all the amazing woman in my life. pic.twitter.com/AnlBSMinm4 Doug Jossem (@DougJossem) March 8, 2017 Pink-hat Empire State Building makes a nice backdrop for this march pic.twitter.com/pzIIdbfq0t Naomi Clark (@metasynthie) March 9, 2017 The Empire State Building was reminding everyone who run the world #InternationalWomensDay pic.twitter.com/rlRajNNHgE Shannon Gausepohl (@_ShanG9) March 9, 2017 The dramatic makeover was one last reminder of who, exactly, runs the world. Well, that didn't take long. Soon after moving to slash his agency's budget and staff, Scott Pruitt, the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said on Thursday that he doesn't believe that the human-caused buildup in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations is the primary contributor behind global warming. These statements go beyond his previous expressions of doubt regarding mainstream climate science findings, and indicate that the person responsible for regulating carbon dioxide does not believe that this pollutant is much of a problem after all. SEE ALSO: A man with a nasty habit of suing the EPA now leads it, because why not? In an interview with CNBC's "Squawk Box," Pruitt said: "I think that measuring with precision human activity on the climate is something very challenging to do and there's tremendous disagreement about the degree of impact, so no, I would not agree that it's a primary contributor to the global warming that we see." "But we don't know that yet, as far as... we need to continue the debate and continue the review and the analysis," he said. The question CNBC asked Pruitt was: "Do you believe that it's been proven that [carbon dioxide] is the primary control knob for climate? Do you believe that?" Pruitt's comments put him at odds with the conclusions of his own agency's climate scientists, who have found that carbon dioxide emissions endanger public health and welfare. Surface temperatures in 2016 compared to previous years. Image: nasa giss They also run counter to the findings of climate scientists around the world, who have found that the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas has vaulted the level of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere to the highest levels in all of human history, and likely longer than that. This rise has driven an increase in the planet's surface temperature, studies show, with projections of this connection between carbon emissions and temperature trends dating back to the 18th century. Story continues Carbon dioxide levels are now above 400 parts per million (ppm), up from the preindustrial level of about 280 ppm. Uh, yes it is. https://t.co/19refPKyWH Senator Chris Coons (@ChrisCoons) March 9, 2017 According to the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations has contributed the most to global warming since 1750, when accounting for other greenhouse gases and natural factors that influence the climate, such as volcanoes and solar variability. "The planet's average surface temperature has risen about 2.0 degrees Fahrenheit (1.1 degrees Celsius) since the late 19th century, a change driven largely by increased carbon dioxide and other human-made emissions into the atmosphere," NASA and NOAA said in a joint press release in January. Last year was the warmest on record since 1880, beating out 2015 for the title. In addition, the release of other planet-warming gases such as methane is also increasing, boosting global average temperatures even more and causing certain weather extremes to become more frequent, severe and longer-lasting, among other ill-effects. This is just nuts: EPA chief Scott Pruitt just claimed carbon not causing climate change. We Senate D's will be a check on his crazy views. Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) March 9, 2017 We know that global warming is happening, and that the climate is changing," said Noah Diffenbough, a climate researcher at Stanford University, in a statement. "Its clear that humans are the primary cause. Its clear that we are already being impacted by climate change here in the United States. To deny that reality not only is a denial of scientific evidence but it also threatens the safety and security of Americans who face increasing odds of extreme events like the California drought, the flooding from Superstorm Sandy, and the heat wave that decimated crops in the mid-west in 2012," Diffenbough said. While there is debate within the scientific community about the specific impacts of global warming, there is virtually no controversy over why the world is warming in the first place and carbon dioxides leading role in causing it. Nevertheless, Pruitt is already using his new position to begin rolling back regulations seeking to limit greenhouse gas emissions. For example, he has stalled the process of formulating methane regulations that would have placed limits on emissions of this powerful, short-lived greenhouse gas from the oil and gas industry. Pruitt's statements on Thursday go further than what he told a Senate committee in January, when he made clear he was not yet convinced that human activities were to blame for global warming, though he told senators he disagreed with President Donald Trump, who has called global warming a "hoax." Pruitt also told the Senate that the EPA has a "a very important role to perform in regulating CO2," referring to carbon dioxide by its chemical composition. In response to Pruitt's statement, Jamie Henn of the climate activist group 350.org said he was flat-out lying. "This is like your doctor telling you that cigarettes don't cause cancer," Henn said in a statement. "Pruitts statement isnt just inaccurate, its a lie. He knows CO2 is the leading cause of climate change, but is misleading the public in order to protect the fossil fuel industry." The Pitti Immagine Discovery Foundation is on track to unveil "The Ephemeral Museum of Fashion" an exhibition which will showcase selected pieces from the 19th and 20th centuries included in the archives of Florence's Costume and Fashion Gallery. Curated by Parisian Musee Galliera director Olivier Saillard, the exhibition is part of a three-year program promoted by the Florentine Center for Italian Fashion and Gallerie degli Uffizi, and will debut at Florence's Palazzo Pitti during the 92nd edition of international men's wear trade show Pitti Uomo, running June 13 to 16. Commenting on the exhibition, Saillard - who recently curated the "Balenciaga: Working in Black" exhibition at the Musee Bourdelle in Paris - said: "The Ephemeral Museum' is an occasion, an opportunity to reinvent Palazzo Pitti's Galleria del Costume e della Moda." Supported by the Italian Ministry for Economic Development and ICE, the Italian trade agency, "The Ephemeral Museum of Fashion" will be open until October 22 (via WWD). Across Central and Eastern Europe in Macedonia, Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Serbia, and Hungary governments and political forces are cracking down on nonprofit organizations, and particularly against those groups and movements seen as tied to Hungarian billionaire George Soros. Many of these places have long struggled with civil society and free discourse. And the high-profile, vocal Soros has long been viewed in Hungary not just as a political opponent, but, per Marta Pardavi of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, as an enemy. But now there are efforts afoot to pass laws aimed at undermining NGOs, particularly ones with foreign ties. In Hungary, the government threatened to produce a piece of legislation this week that would require foreign-funded NGOs to register what funding they receive from foreign sources. Since Hungarian NGOs already report on their funding, and since government officials have said NGOs lack democratic legitimacy, the legislation was widely seen in the NGO community as a way to crack down on civil society. The legislation has been tabled, for now. While the government is holding its cards close to the vest, many expect them to hold a national consultation a referendum on the matter, like the kind they held last fall to close the borders to refugees (it passed, but was invalid due to low voter turnout). To a certain extent, this, too, could perhaps be seen as a natural continuation of previous measures. Its kind of been brewing for a time, said Richard Youngs of Carnegie Europe told Foreign Policy. Goran Buldioski, director of Soross Open Society Initiative for Europe, agreed, and said the attack on civil society and organizations funded in part by Soros is not unprecedented. But Youngs also noted that previous measures have been more intermittent and informal. Several countries in the region, theyve been using lets say surreptitious measures, particularly with anything to do with Soros people Now basically its a question of formalizing or making it more explicit, he said. Story continues This raises the question: why now? The answer may be found not in Central or Eastern Europe, but in Brussels and Washington. Perhaps the perpetual anxiety of Central and Eastern Europe the constant feeling that the region is on the edge of backsliding, because its never fully institutionalized good quality democracy is coupling with the so-called global illiberal revolution and backlash against liberal elites that is playing out across Europe. The more we talk about global illiberalism, the more it becomes counterproductive, Youngs said. Regimes feel empowered. Theyre doing what everyones doing, and theyre getting away with it. Another reason theyre getting away with it: those normally charged with making sure theyre not are otherwise occupied. The election of Donald Trump as a president has provided a new opportunity to be seized, Parvadi said. There is now an expectation that there will be less U.S. attention on what other countries are doing to protect human rights, she said. And while the European Parliament is looking at the issue of how to deal with, as Youngs put it, the EUs club of illiberals, those countries argue that for years and years the old member states have not allowed room on the EU agenda for values and social concerns prominent in Eastern Europe. In other words, they claim their illiberal actions are in part the EUs fault. The EU also has its eye off the ball. Its really hard to see what the European Union could do, or will do, when its really debating its very existence, said Stefania Kapronczay of the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, one of the groups the Hungarian government has said should be swept out of the country. It is, of course, possible that Hungary wont have the national consultation, or that it, too, will produce insufficient voter turnout to be valid. Its possible that Macedonias de-Soros-isation campaign will come to naught, and that claims that anti-corruption protests in Romania were paid for by Soros wont stifle efforts to weed out corruption. But its also possible that harm has already been done. Government agencies that work with human rights organizations and media owned by those close to Hungarys ruling party have already received the message that NGOs are not to be considered Hungarian. The irony there, said Pardavi, is that, in a Hungary without these NGOs, the voices and concerns of these groups in society wouldnt be heard at all. While the United States is under Trump and the EU grapples with its existential crises, Its ultimately Hungarian society who would suffer. Photo credit: Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images Brussels (AFP) - EU leaders re-elected Donald Tusk as president Thursday despite opposition from his native Poland, prompting an angry Warsaw to warn that it set a dangerous pattern for bullying by a German-dominated union. The leaders voted by 27 to one at a summit in Brussels to give former Polish premier Tusk a new two-and-a-half-year mandate, with only Poland's current Prime Minister Beata Szydlo voting against. Szydlo, whose right-wing eurosceptic Law and Justice party has nursed a long and bitter enmity with the centrist Tusk, announced that she would block the summit's final communique in revenge. "I wont accept the summit conclusions, so the summit wont be valid," a visibly angry Szydlo told a news conference. Insisting that Tusk should not have been elected when his home country opposed it, she said: "This is a very dangerous precedent. "I told my (EU) colleagues that Poland is faced with such a situation, but that soon enough they might find themselves in the same situation." The decision threatens a deep rift with the largest of the eastern post-Soviet EU states, just weeks before the bloc had hoped to make a show of unity at its 60th birthday celebrations in the wake of Britain's vote to leave. "We know that this is now a Union under Berlin's diktat," Poland's Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski said after the vote, adding it was a "a very toxic union, that could harm many countries". - Burnt bridges - Szydlo was the only one not to raise her hand during the vote, for which Tusk had to leave the summit room, officials said, adding that he was applauded when he returned. Tusk, Poland's prime minister from 2007 to 2014, later rejected the Polish government's criticisms of a lack of neutrality and said he would try to repair the damage from the row. "Be careful of the bridges you burn because once they are gone you can never cross them again," Tusk said, addressing the Polish government. Story continues Tusk thanked the other leaders for their support and vowed that he would "do my best to make the EU better" as it tries to build unity in the wake of last year's Brexit vote. Instead of formal conclusions, Tusk issued a "presidential declaration" backed by the remaining 27 countries without Poland, which covered the economy, defence, and unrest in the Balkans. "I think we achieved a good result on this day though we did not have unanimity," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. "But we extended the mandate of the Council president, with that we are able to work." Poland, which has repeatedly rowed with Brussels in recent months over political reforms, put forward a surprise rival candidate to Tusk, euro-MP Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, at the weekend. Tusk has been a long-term foe of the head of the Law and Justice party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who has accused him of "moral responsibility" for his twin brother's death in a plane crash in Russia in 2010. Tusk however had the overwhelming support not only of Germany but even of Poland's traditional eastern European allies like Hungary which share a similar eurosceptic outlook. - Clouds over Rome - The row threatens to cloud a summit in Rome on March 25th to mark the 60th anniversary of the EU's founding treaty, at which the EU hopes to unveil a declaration of unity in the wake of Brexit. On Friday the 27 EU leaders without Britain's May will look at preparations for the Rome meeting, a ceremonial occasion which will include a meeting with Pope Francis. But that too threatens to highlight the divisions in the EU, already battered by Brexit and the election of an apparently hostile Donald Trump as US president. There is disagreement over whether plans for a major declaration on the bloc's next 10 years, to be made in Rome, should include a mention of plans for a so-called "multi-speed Europe." The leaders of the EU's post-Brexit "big four" -- Germany, France, Italy and Spain -- used a summit in Versailles on Monday to back plans for countries to choose at which speed they integrate on key issues. But eastern countries in particular fear this will lead to a virtual apartheid system where they are left behind on issues like the euro currency, the economy and defence while the major powers push ahead. burs-dk/ar/kb US dismisses China proposal on N Korea military halt US officials have dismissed China's suggestion that North Korea could halt its missile and nuclear test in exchange for a suspension of US military activity in the region. PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega remained in an induced coma in critical condition following two brain surgeries on Tuesday to remove a benign tumor, his lawyer said on Wednesday. "His condition is still critical," Ezra Angel said in a phone interview, adding that internal bleeding following the second surgery had been stopped. Noriega, 83, ruled Panama from 1983 to 1989, spying for the Central Intelligence Agency before the United States invaded in 1989, toppling his repressive government and ending a drug-trafficking career that associated him with Colombian kingpin Pablo Escobar. Noriega was initially sentenced in the United States in 1992 and is currently serving a sentence for murder in Panama. Judicial authorities granted Noriega a period of home arrest until April 28 to undergo the brain surgery after which they will decide whether he can return to prison. (Reporting by Elida Moreno; Editing by Peter Cooney) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Utah Republican Governor Jon Huntsman has accepted President Donald Trump's offer to be ambassador to Russia, an administration official said on Wednesday. The job, which requires Senate confirmation, would put Huntsman in Moscow at a time when U.S.-Russian ties have sunk to a post-Cold War low. Huntsman served as ambassador to China under Democratic President Barack Obama before launching an unsuccessful bid for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. Trump has said he wants to improve relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which deteriorated under Obama over issues including Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea and the two countries' backing of opposing sides in the Syrian civil war. The tensions peaked in December when Obama expelled 35 Russian suspected spies after U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Russia hacked and leaked Democratic emails during the 2016 election campaign as part of an effort to tilt the vote in Trump's favor. The Kremlin has denied the allegations. (Reporting by Steve Holland; Writing by Washington Newsroom; Editing by Peter Cooney) By Karolin Schaps, Christoph Steitz and Vera Eckert LONDON/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Banks ING and Societe Generale are in talks with traders to test liquefied natural gas (LNG) trading based on blockchain, the technology starting to shake up the traditional energy industry. Blockchain, which originates from digital currency bitcoin, works as an electronic transaction-processing and record-keeping system that allows all parties to track information through a secure network, with no need for third-party verification. While established energy suppliers and traders will continue operating as they are for the foreseeable future, blockchain is starting to break into the power market, nudging the status quo in an industry that has been slow to modernise. In February, ING and Societe Generale offered their blockchain platform to trading house Mercuria to sell an African oil cargo to China. The banks said their blockchain platform helped Mercuria reduce some processes from three hours to 25 minutes and make cost savings of up to 30 percent, supporting the case for expansion into LNG, natural gas converted to liquid form for easier storage or transport. "LNG is an area we definitely want to focus on because it's a growing market but at the same time it's controlled by a few very important players," said ING's managing director for trade and commodity finance, Patrick Arnaud. He is already talking to several companies active in the LNG market about testing a blockchain-based deal within months. He declined to name the companies. Mercuria Chief Executive Marco Dunand said last year blockchain payments could slash payment costs in a system stuck in the "17th or 18th century" by some 30 percent. DISRUPTION Omar Rahim, a former energy trader at big utilities, founded Energi Mine in January to develop a blockchain-based trading platform linking big energy users with battery storage to buy electricity at the cheapest times. "For me, it's the disruption that the energy industry has been waiting for. The companies that are going to dominate the energy sector are not the big generators, they will be the ones who understand data," he told Reuters. Wien Energie is still testing the use of blockchain in wholesale gas trading together with start-up BTL and supported by consultancy EY. Big utilities too have started investing in blockchain, exploring the use of the technology in different parts of the sector. Germany's Innogy said it is in talks with European peers Fortum, Enel and Enexis, among others, to apply blockchain technology to their networks of electric car charging stations. "This spring we want to offer charging infrastructure whose payment processes are based on blockchain technology," said Carsten Stoecker, senior manager at Innogy's innovation hub. Blockchain's 'smart contracts', which form the base of two parties making a verified transaction automatically, are a way of enabling consumers to trade spare energy with each other. It still needs to be proven on a wider scale. In the U.S., engineer Siemens is cooperating with start-up LO3 Energy to develop a microgrid for blockchain-based energy trades among neighbours in Brooklyn who can sell spare electricity they produce. "The use of blockchain technology allows individuals and consumers to cancel out the central authorities or brokers as we've seen with bitcoin," said Thierry Mortier, a partner in EY's utilities practice. The replacement of central authorities in energy trading hits at the heart of exchanges that play a role in facilitating trades. But so far, energy exchanges see no threat from the technology. EEX, Europe's largest energy exchange for electricity and gas trading, said its role of linking trading parties with each other would not be compromised. Even if entirely new traders emerge, the bourse's core function to establish benchmark prices and regulate market access would remain its job, said Maximilian Rinck, a strategy and market design expert at EEX. (Editing by Susan Thomas) San Francisco (AFP) - Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday revealed that Facebook's first family is growing, with a baby sister on the way for one-year-old daughter Maxima. "We are all better people because of the strong women in our lives -- sisters, mothers and friends," Zuckerberg said in a post at his Facebook page. "We can't wait to welcome our new little one and do our best to raise another strong woman." Zuckerberg's doctor wife, Priscilla Chan, gave birth to daughter "Max" in late November of 2015. After Max was born, Zuckerberg and his wife said they would give away 99 percent of their Facebook wealth in a philanthropy initiative "to improve the lives of all those coming into this world". A charitable foundation backed by the couple early this year bought a Canadian artificial intelligence startup as part of a mission to eradicate disease. Zuckerberg and Chan last year pledged $3 billion over the next decade to help banish or manage all disease, pouring some of the Facebook founder's fortune into innovative research. South Sudan is wracked by unfettered violence, ethnic cleansing, and famine. But now the government wants to charge aid workers $10,000 to operate in the country. Officials in Juba say its a way for well-off Western and international aid organizations to shore up the cash-starved government. But aid organizations say the unprecedented move will choke off access to those in dire need of aid and could have deadly consequences. Juba plans to charge $10,000 for foreign professionals working in the country, $2,000 for blue collar workers, and $1,000 for casual workers, the labor ministry said in a statement. Work permits for each foreign aid worker were $100 before the massive hike. The increase is absolutely unheard of globally, Julien Schopp, director for Humanitarian Practice at InterAction, told NPR. No organization can afford this, and if NGOs go to their institutional donors to request that extra money, Im pretty sure that [the donors] will be reluctant to pay this because they will see this to some extent as ransom, he said. The ransom fears are well-founded. Aid organizations are increasingly worried government and rebels forces are targeting their workers. In August, South Sudanese military forces stormed a compound popular with foreigners and gang-raped, beat, and murdered foreign aid workers and local journalists. Survivors say the soldiers targeted Americans. A U.N. compound a mile away refused to intervene despite pleas from the foreigners. A subsequent U.N. investigation pinned the blame on the government. In February, the U.N. declared a famine in parts of the war-torn country. Some 100,000 people were already starving and 5 million were at risk of starvation. Our worst fears have been realized, said Serge Tissot, a U.N. spokesman in South Sudan. State Department spokesperson Mark Toner said the crisis was entirely man-made, citing the countrys prolonged and bloody civil war that began in 2013. Story continues The conflict has made it harder for aid workers to distribute food or other forms of relief. The U.N.s resources in the country are stretched thin. Without non-governmental aid organizations, it could become much, much worse. It is the wrong measure at the wrong time. If it does come into effect, its obviously terrible timing, Joel Charny, director of the Norway Refugee Council USA, told the Guardian. In November, 2016, the South Sudanese government booted the NRC director in Juba out of the country without giving any explanation. NRC still works in South Sudan. The finance ministry still needs to sign off on the decree before it goes into effect, so its not a done deal yet. But the proposal itself damaged South Sudans already dismal international reputation. The mere fact that they have put this forward is concerning, Charny said. Photo credit: ALBERT GONZALEZ FARRAN/AFP/Getty Images FBI Director James Comey said there is no such thing as absolute privacy in America, during a cybersecurity conference at Boston College Wednesday. His comments come after Wikileaks dumped a trove of CIA documents revealing various hacking tools the agency reportedly uses to gather data and intelligence, including turning smart devices, such as phones and TVs, into surveillance devices. The data also revealed a special hacking division inside the CIAs Center for Cyber Intelligence dedicated to developing and gathering flaws to manipulate iOS and Android devices. Although Comey did not specifically mention Wikileaks recent release of alleged CIA documents, he did emphasize that absolute privacy is non-existent. We all value privacy. We all value security. We should never have to sacrifice one for the other," said Comey after discussing the spike of encryption use since NSA contractor Edward Snowden revealed the agencys spying practices in 2013. "Our founders struck a bargain that is at the center of this amazing country of ours and has been for over two centuries," adding that the use of encryption shatters that bargain. There is no such thing as absolute privacy in America, there is no place outside of judicial reach," said Comey. Comey added: "Even our communications with our spouses, with our clergy members, with our attorneys are not absolutely private in America. In appropriate circumstances, a judge can compel any one of us to testify in court about those very private communications." Comey said there is something seductive of absolute privacy and said Americans "have a reasonable expectation of privacy in our homes, in our cars, in our devices. "It is a vital part of being an American. The government cannot invade our privacy without good reason, reviewable in court," said the FBI director. Story continues In the conference, Comey said in the last few months of 2016, the FBI lawfully obtained 2,800 devices from criminal, terrorism and counterintelligence investigations. Out of those devices the department was unable to open almost half of them, 43 percent. However, Comey said he loved privacy, revealing that he had a private Instagram account. I dont want anybody looking at my pictures, said Comey who revealed he had a mere nine followers to his account (only for immediate family members who can see pictures of his travels). Snowden responded to Comey's remarks in a tweet saying, "The FBI Director is bothered by the idea you might see his Insta, but his agency demands your data without warrants." Comey Plans To Complete His Term, Even After Controversies Comeys appearance comes after he was accused of costing Hillary Clinton the presidential win last November by making a last-minute announcement about her emails. His comments also come after President Donald Trump accused, without having any proof, President Barack Obama of wiretapping phones at Trump Tower. Comey said he plans to stay on as FBI director, which is a 10-year term. Comey was appointed by President Obama in 2013 and has more than half of his term left. "You're stuck with me for about another six-and-a-half years, he said. Related Articles By Sofia Menchu GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - A fire that ripped through an overcrowded home for abused children in Guatemala killed at least 30 people, mostly girls, and doctors on Thursday described their shock at the severity of the burns suffered by two dozen more hospitalized victims. "I've been doing this for 29 years. What I saw yesterday was a scene from Dante," said Juan Antonio Villeda, director of the San Juan de Dios hospital, where 17 patients with extremely serious first- and second-degree burns were being treated. The fire broke out on Wednesday as some residents allegedly set mattresses ablaze following an escape attempt from the government-run Virgen de Asuncion home for youths aged up to 18, in San Jose Pinula, 25 km (15 miles) southwest of the capital, Guatemala City. Investigators were trying to determine whether the fire was started by a group that authorities had isolated after the escape attempt on Tuesday night. Guatemala has Latin America's worst rates of child malnutrition and street gangs like the Mara Salvatrucha prey on minors, making it an often dangerous place to grow up. The Central American nation's public institutions are underfunded, racked by corruption and widespread overcrowding. Criticism is mounting about conditions in the home, which housed boys and girls. Presidential spokesman Heinz Heimann said victims of abuse were mixed in with juvenile offenders in what he criticized as open living arrangements. Parents alleged abuse at the center, including rape, and said gangs operated there. More than 500 minors were in the home in a wooded area outside the semi-rural town of San Jose Pinula, although Guatemalan media said its capacity was 400. Doctors announced eight deaths overnight of residents of the home who had been treated for injuries at hospitals in Guatemala City, and said some 24 more were in critical condition. "In my 13-year career I have never seen injuries like this. It is tragic," said Carlos Soto, director of the Roosevelt hospital, describing severe burns to their lungs, throats and skin. (Reporting by Sofia Menchu; Writing by Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Bill Trott) By Rod Nickel and Amran Abocar WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - Somali-born Abdulrahman Mohamed was a social worker in Grand Forks, North Dakota, for three years. He had a U.S. work permit and earned a promotion while waiting for his asylum claim to be heard. He had an apartment and was sending $350 a month to family in a Kenyan refugee camp. That changed in January. Mohamed and three friends with pending asylum claims were told to meet with an immigration officer to discuss their cases. When his friends went to their meetings they called him to say they had been detained. He has not heard from them since. I started thinking, if I go in, what will happen to me? said Mohamed, 30, who now lives in a Salvation Army homeless shelter in Winnipeg, Manitoba. "I had everything. I had a life. I never thought about coming to Canada, to be honest with you. U.S. immigration officials told Reuters that without more specific personal details about Mohamed's three friends they were unable to confirm his account. Mohamed crossed illegally into Canada on the night of Feb. 19 after being driven close to the border and then walking six hours across snow-covered open ground with a friend. Mohamed and his friend are not alone in making the journey northward. Since Jan. 1, several hundred people, mainly from Africa and the Middle East, have defied wintry conditions to cross illegally into Canada, fearing they will be ensnared in U.S. President Donald Trump's more aggressive effort to crack down on illegal immigrants. What has not been entirely clear until now is who is among this group going north. Reuters interviews with Mohammed and nearly two dozen others show that some of those crossing into Manitoba, are from East Africa - Somalia, Djibouti and Eritrea. Others, including from Yemen and Syria, are crossing illegally into Canada at other points. Some of those now fleeing the United States originally moved there to escape what they said was persecution in their homelands. Reuters could not independently verify their stories. Story continues Those interviewed typically fit into three categories: some had pending U.S. asylum cases but feared being detained anyway, others had been denied asylum but still had work visas, while a third group flew into the United States on visitor visas and immediately crossed the border into Canada illegally. Three had failed asylum claims and criminal records that virtually guaranteed their removal under U.S. law. Few of those Reuters spoke to were undocumented workers, who are the main focus of Trump's stepped-up efforts. Canadian police say 183 people have crossed illegally into Manitoba since Jan. 1. Hundreds more are believed to have entered Quebec and British Columbia, according to refugee groups and media reports, although there is no firm data on exactly how many. The flow of migrants to Canada from the United States pre-dates Trumps election, and is partly due to Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus welcome of refugees. But the numbers going northward have accelerated since the first week of February, according to Canada's public safety minister. "I CAN'T GO BACK TO SOMALIA" To be sure, former U.S. President Barack Obama also cracked down on illegal immigrants and was dubbed the "deporter in chief" by some dismayed migrant advocates after he expelled more than 400,000 people in 2012, the most by any president in a single year. But under Obama, failed asylum seekers who had no criminal records and were from countries deemed dangerous, like Somalia, were not a priority for deportation. They were allowed to work and had to report regularly to an immigration office. Trump has signaled a much tougher approach - he wants to widen the net to include these asylum seekers, among others. Yussif Abdullaahi, a failed U.S. asylum seeker worked at a manufacturing plant in St. Cloud, Minnesota, before he was told at his check-in to prepare for deportation by April 5 or be detained. "I did not want to abandon my work, but I was worried," he said. After two years in the United States, he left for Canada, giving his car and personal belongings to his brother. Mohamed Daud, 36, left his wife and four step-children - some of whom have green cards making them legally permanent residents, or were born in the United States - and quit his job at a meat-packing factory in Grand Island, Nebraska for Canada, two days ahead of a March 1 check-in with immigration officials. "I cant go back to Somalia and I cant go to jail," said Daud. The asylum seekers interviewed said they feared being killed if they returned to their home countries, either by the government or militant groups like al Shabaab. UNDERGROUND RAILROAD Many of those housed in shelters in Winnipeg have one thing in common: they congregated in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to take advantage of a little reported modern-day Underground Railroad, spread through word of mouth and social media, that lays out the path to Canada. Minneapolis is 650 kilometers (400 miles) from one of the main illegal crossing points into Canada, the town of Emerson in Manitoba. Ibrahim, 27, who said he was afraid to give his last name, lived with his U.S. citizen brother in Seattle and worked as a cleaner. When rumors of raids began to circulate in February, he fled. Instead of making the two-hour car trip to the border with British Columbia, the nearest Canadian province, he bussed halfway across America to Minneapolis. "In Minneapolis, people know how to do it," he said. Those interviewed said the path from Minneapolis typically begins with a connection to drivers, usually Somali friends of friends who have often driven to North Dakota, and know the back roads and unwatched bush trails to Canada. The driver sets a time for departure typically mid-afternoon in order to reach U.S. border towns across from Manitoba under cover of darkness and tells travelers to arrive, cash in hand, at a designated spot. Up to six asylum seekers, often unknown to each other, may pack into a vehicle, each paying between $600 and $1,000, for a silent journey to North Dakota. The drivers typically forbid conversation and give out little information about themselves. Abdullaahi, the St. Cloud manufacturing employee, said his drive to North Dakota was fraught with anxiety. "Every time the driver stopped to pick up someone or slowed down on the highway, my heart jumped. 'What is happening? Why is he stopping, he said. After they have been dropped off, sometimes 20 miles (32 km) from the border, they crunch across snowy fields. Once in Manitoba, asylum seekers phone Canadian police, who take them to the government border office to file claims. Refugee agency staff then take the migrants to Winnipeg to find housing while they await immigration hearings, usually within two months, that will determine if they can stay. Mohamed, the social worker from Grand Forks, is among those now waiting to hear his fate. Despite leaving behind a life that he had built over three years, he has few regrets about his trek north to an uncertain future. What would you do if you knew your family ... is depending on you? Of course you would walk across a field, of course you would walk through snow," he said. (Reporting by Rod Nickel and Amran Abocar in Winnipeg, editing by Ross Colvin) Womens role critical for social advancement: Prez The Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare organised a programme in Kathmandu on Wednesday to mark the 107th International Womens Day. In 1922, the Jamaican-born writer Claude McKay published Harlem Shadows, a landmark book of poetry that helped usher in the Harlem Renaissance. Though McKay was a literary celebrity in the New York neighborhood, his life and art were in many ways defined by a kind of nomadism. His interest in both black diasporas and communism led him to the waterfronts of Marseille and Morocco, and to Moscow. Its this experience that eventually led McKay to write his newly discovered novel Amiable With Big Teeth, which takes on the tensions between black nationalism and more globally minded approaches to solidarity that reached a fever pitch in the 1930s. Written over 70 years ago but published just last month, the novel revolves around the Second Italo-Ethiopian War, in which Benito Mussolinis troops invaded, and went on to occupy, Ethiopia in the mid-1930s. Watching from across the Atlantic, many African Americans saw Italys military campaign as a direct attack on black sovereignty by a white imperial power. But some communist sympathizers in the U.S., most of whom were white, tried to reframe the conflict as not being about race at all. They believed it was instead about the rising threat of global fascism and urged black Americans to align themselves with left-wing movements abroad and with the Soviet Union. This debate about the value of communist internationalism over black nationalism is at the core of Amiable With Big Teeth. Written at a time when most scholars thought that black cultural production had come to a grinding halt as a result of the Great Depression (and the consequent dip in arts patronage), Amiable With Big Teeth provides unparalleled insight into this relatively understudied moment in black American history. But the novel, and the picture of Harlem political culture it offers, came dangerously close to being lost to history altogether. Written in 1941, it was only unearthed in 2009 when a graduate student named Jean-Christophe Cloutier came across the manuscript by accident while doing research at Columbia University. Now an assistant professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania, Cloutier told me that he could assure readers it was worth the wait. Story continues What excites Cloutier about Amiable With Big Teeth is that, despite its focus on global political intrigue, the story operates at a surprisingly compact and hyper-local scale. At its core, McKays text is essentially about fundraising: The novel revolves around a fictional black-led charity called Hands to Ethiopia thats looking to raise money to supply Ethiopian soldiers with more weapons to defend themselves against Mussolinis troops. Some of the familiar haunts of Harlem Renaissance literature are presentnightclubs, brownstones, and black society parties. But most of the drama of Amiable With Big Teeth unfolds in settings more evocative of community organizing than of the lives of uptown literatiin places like church basements, living rooms, and the cramped and chaotic offices of a non-profit. Recommended: Welcome to the Future Range of the Woolly Mammoth The fundraising efforts of Hands to Ethiopia quickly become complicated when a mysterious Russian interlocutor named Maxim Tasan enters the picture. A black member of the charity essentially becomes Tasans mole and encourages the organization to open itself to white members and to expel Trotskyites. At the time, the Russian Communist Leon Trotsky was living in Mexico City to avoid political payback from Stalin; after challenging Stalins rise to head of the Bolshevik Party, Trotsky was perceived by many Communist stalwarts to be a traitor who had made the party vulnerable to fractious dissent. But to the humble leader of Hands to Ethiopia, a fascinating character by the name of Pablo Peixota (an Afro-Brazilian turned Harlem numbers-runner), this anti-Trotskyite campaign is an over-complication of what is essentially a matter of race. For Peixota, the so-called Italo-Abyssinian crisis is about one little black nation, single-handed, almost unarmed, fighting against a mighty white nation. Many African Americans were suspicious of whether the Soviets fully grasped the intricacies of race in the United States. Brent Hayes Edwards, a professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University, who co-edited the manuscript with Cloutier, told me the global dimensions of Amiable With Big Teeth are in many ways a response to how World War I shaped black American consciousness. African American servicemen returned from abroad with a newfound international viewpoint, Edwards said. That global outlook motivated black Americans to become increasingly involved in the issues facing people of African descent worldwide. Of particular focus for black Americans was defending independent black nation-statescountries like Haiti, Liberia, and Ethiopiafrom white Euro-American occupation. As Edwards explained, black sovereignty, or the idea of black people defining their own destinies, was a big deal at the time McKay was writing Amiable With Big Teeth. In the introduction to the novel, Cloutier and Edwards quote McKays 1940 anthropological work, Harlem: Negro Metropolis, in which McKay explains the anxieties that animate much of the story: Harlem [in the late 1930s] was overrun with white communists who promoted themselves as the only leader of the Negroes. They were converting a few Negroes into Bolshevik propagandists, but they were actually doing nothing to help alleviate the social misery of the Negroes. McKay is referring to Soviet Russias propaganda campaign against the United States, which, during the Cold War, was partially directed toward exposing the nature of race relations in America. For instance, the Soviet press extensively covered the case of the Scottsboro Boys, and the Bolsheviks even sent money to aid in their legal defense. Recommended: Is It Better to Be Poor in Bangladesh or the Mississippi Delta? Still, many African Americans, even those who believed in the economic principles of communism, were suspicious of whether the Soviets fully grasped the intricacies of race in the United States. As the author Zora Neale Hurston once put it, What the hen-fire could Russia do for us? This skepticism manifests in Amiable With Big Teeth when Maxim Tasan tries to convert Pablo Peixotas daughter, Seraphine, to his cause by telling her that Russians dont believe in race. He cites the fame of Alexander Pushkin, often called the father of Russian literature, whose maternal great-grandfather was from Eritrea (though Tasan says Ethiopia and indeed, this fact is disputed between the two countries) as proof of Soviet Russias legacy of color-blindness. When Tasan proudly tells Seraphine that Pushkins descendants were known as Russians, not Russafricans, she cant help but interpret what theyre doing as passingpretending not to be black and thus shamefully denying their heritage. The scene speaks to the friction and misunderstandings that McKay and Hurston believed plagued Soviet messaging on race relations. Amiable With Big Teeth is a master key to the intersection of race and global revolutionary politics. McKays critique of Russian communism was especially noteworthy given his earlier commitment to the Soviet cause. In 1922, McKay spoke as an unofficial representative of the American Negro at the Fourth Congress of the Communist International in Moscow, which also coincided with the fifth anniversary of the Russian Revolution. He wrote about his experiences in a 1923 issue of the NAACP magazine The Crisis, in an essay titled Soviet Russia and the Negro. In Moscow, he spoke with hopefulness about the Soviet Unions potential to serve as a global beacon for racial equality, citing Russias own racial makeup as a country whose geopolitical position created a nation where all the races of Europe and Asia meet and mix. McKays eventual disillusionment with the Soviet Union is well documented in his personal correspondence, but Amiable With Big Teeth represents a thorough artistic rendering of black disappointment with Soviet communism. For a work so rooted in international politics and full of non-American characters, Amiable With Big Teeth has the surprising distinction of being the only novel McKay ever wrote on American soil. (He toiled away on it while holed up in a cabin in Maine, up here where it is cold and bracing, he told a friend.) Despite his centrality to the Harlem Renaissance, McKay spent much of the period when that movement flourished abroad, in Western Europe, Morocco, and, of course, in Moscow. McKays contribution to the Harlem Renaissance was his decidedly global pan-African outlook. Recommended: Why Dentistry Is Separate From Medicine From his first book of poems, 1912s Songs to Jamaica (which was written in Jamaican patois) to his 1929 novel Banjo, which chronicled the lives of Senegalese dock workers in Marseille, McKays oeuvre captured a multi-lingual black diaspora interested in forging a global identity beyond the Back to Africa nationalist rhetoric of Marcus Garvey (whose followers are satirized in Amiable With Big Teeth). In that regard, Amiable With Big Teeth is typical of McKays writing style, which was conversational in nature, and conveyed obsession through dialogue and debate. According to Edwards, McKays novels were less about psychological interiority and more about ... black people from around the world arguing about what they have in common. As a creative work and a historical document, Amiable With Big Teeth is nothing short of a master key into a world where the intersection of race and global revolutionary politics plays out in the lives of characters who are as dynamic and fully realized as the novel itself. The story offers a front-row seat to the polemics that drove (and stymied) black radical organizing in the 1930s. Given that the novel lived on the dusty shelves of Columbia Universitys library for decades, well never know how Amiable With Big Teeth would have been received at the time it was written, and if its skepticism regarding Russia would have complicated the reception of Richard Wrights pro-communist 1940 novel Native Son. But for todays audience, McKays last novel should make for fascinating and timely reading as Americans enter an era in which solidarity-building across racial identities and national borders feels more necessary, and perhaps more difficult to achieve, than ever. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. By Brendan Pierson (Reuters) - Financial services firm Oppenheimer & Co Inc was sued on Wednesday by a gay former analyst who claimed he suffered retaliation and was eventually fired for taking parental and medical leave. In the complaint filed in federal court in Manhattan, Hoai Ngo accused the firm, a subsidiary of Oppenheimer Holdings Inc, of violating state and federal anti-discrimination laws. Ngo is seeking reinstatement at the company and unspecified monetary damages. An Oppenheimer spokeswoman had no immediate comment. New York-based Oppenheimer hired Ngo as an analyst in 2009, according to the complaint. He received positive feedback from managers, was consistently the highest-paid analyst in his group and was promoted to a management position in 2013, the complaint said. In May 2014, Ngo told one of his managers that he was gay and that he and his partner were having a baby via surrogacy in California, and asked about taking leave, according to the lawsuit. Ngo claims that Oppenheimer officially offered all employees 12 weeks' parental leave, but that managers discouraged him from taking the full 12 weeks and expected him to work remotely while on leave. He said female employees were allowed to take the full 12 weeks' leave around the same time, and were not expected to work remotely. Ngo began his leave in late June 2014 following the birth of his daughter. He told his managers that July that he would return to work in late August, according to the complaint. Before he could return, however, Ngo suffered a life-threatening brain aneurysm that required emergency surgery, delaying his return until November 2014, the lawsuit said. After he returned to work, Ngo said, he was demoted and his compensation was significantly reduced. In June 2016, Ngo was fired, according to the complaint. Ngo was told that his dismissal was unrelated to performance, and that his position had been eliminated because of budget cuts. Ngo claims the explanation was a "pretext" and that no other employees in his group were laid off at the time. Story continues Ngo is bringing claims for sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, as well as for violations of the federal Family Medical Leave Act, Americans with Disabilities Act and various New York anti-discrimination laws. The case is Ngo v. Oppenheimer & Co Inc, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 17-cv-01727. (Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Jonathan Oatis) Jon Huntsman, former Utah governor and 2012 Republican presidential candidate was selected by President Donald Trump, Wednesday as the U.S. ambassador to Russia. Under former President George H.W. Bush, Huntsman served as ambassador to Singapore from 1992 to 1993 and later during President Barack Obama's administration, he was ambassador to China from 2009 to 2011. Huntsman replaced John Tefft, who held the post as the U.S. ambassador in Moscow. Huntsman served as the Utah governor from 2005 to 2009. He resigned from his post as China's ambassador in 2011 and returned to the United States to run as the Republican nominee for president in 2012. Huntsman retracted himself from the race after he finished third in the New Hampshire primary, seventh in the South Carolina primary and seventh in the Iowa caucuses. Then he went on to support the subsequent nominee Mitt Romney, according to New York Daily News. Read: www.ibtimes.com/jon-huntsman-former-presidential-candidate-joins-fords-board-408402 After his selection, Huntsman became one of the high-profile U.S. ambassadors and his responsibility would be to deal with the diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Russia, which has seen a gradual decline in the recent past. One senior administration official told CNN that Huntsman was chosen because he is a "brilliant guy," "tough" and understands what the president wants. Huntsman supported Trump during the presidential race in 2016 but he had also expressed discontent after the leak of an audio tape in October 2016 where Trump was heard boasting about groping women. After this incident Huntsman suggested that Mike Pence, then vice-presidential nominee should lead the ticket. "In a campaign cycle that has been nothing but a race to the bottom -- at such a critical moment for our nation -- and with so many who have tried to be respectful of a record primary vote, the time has come for Governor Pence to lead the ticket," Huntsman told The Salt Lake Tribune at the time. Story continues Trump's announcement for the selection of Huntsman as the ambassador came amid the ongoing investigations about the U.S.-Russia connections during the president's electoral campaign and also after Russia was alleged to have interfered with the 2016 elections. Related Articles By Ingrid Melander PARIS (Reuters) - Francois Fillon, the beleaguered conservative candidate in France's presidential election, named prominent allies of ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy to his campaign team on Thursday in a bid to broaden his appeal, as opinion polls showed his support had at least stopped eroding. A few days ago, Fillon's campaign was close to ending over a financial scandal. His drop in opinion polls has been huge. An authoritative monthly poll with a sample of over 15,000 showed the number of voters intending to back him fell by more than a third from a 29 percent peak between December and February. But a mass rally in Paris on Sunday and the backing of party leaders on Monday suggested he might recover some ground. In the March issue of the Cevipof poll, published on Thursday, he still lagged far-right Marine Le Pen and centrist Emmanuel Macron. But voting intentions for Fillon crept up one point to 19.5 percent. Fillon's problem is not just the support he has lost since he was accused of using public cash to pay his wife for a ghost job. It is where that support has gone: The Cevipof poll and others show his ex-supporters are split between Macron and Le Pen. Macron is a pro-European independent centrist; Le Pen an anti-EU, anti-immigration far-rightist. "This means the strategy to lure them back will be particularly tricky," said Jerome Fourquet of Ifop pollsters. Fillon has taken a hard line since the start of the campaign on issues such as migration and public spending, and he has toughened his language further over recent weeks with an eye to the right wing of his camp and voters tempted by the far right. That is a line close to Sarkozy's, and on Thursday, Fillon appointed Francois Baroin, a close Sarkozy ally, to the special role of unifying the Republicans party. He named other allies of the ex-president to top roles. He did not appoint any ally of the more moderate Republican heavyweight Alain Juppe, who has harshly criticized his hard line. But he has been making overtures to the smaller, centrist UDI party. "The centrists must come back to us, that's how we will win," said Christian Jacob, head of The Republicans' group in the lower house of parliament. CHALLENGER The UDI, which last week withdrew its support for Fillon and is still officially reserving judgment, seems set to back him once it secures a deal for an alliance in the June parliamentary elections. Fillon is to meet UDI chief Jean-Christophe Lagarde on Friday. At this stage, UDI voters are equally split between Macron and Fillon, Fourquet said. Of those who voted for Sarkozy in the first round of the 2012 presidential election, 15 to 17 percent back Macron and the same number support Le Pen. "It's not at all in the bag for Fillon, he is clearly a challenger, but in a country that has never been more to the right, after five years of (Socialist) Francois Hollande's leadership ... it's not completely excluded either," Fourquet said. One line of attack for the Fillon campaign, already begun by both his campaign and Le Pen's, is to present Macron as a continuation of Hollande's unpopular policies. Though not a Socialist Party member, Macron was Hollande's adviser and then his economy minister. While the pressure has relented since Monday, Fillon faces another big challenge on March 15, when judges are set to put him under formal investigation over the fake jobs allegations. (Editing by Adrian Croft, Larry King) Jerusalem (AFP) - Electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre says he will perform in Israel next month in a concert to publicise the plight of the shrinking Dead Sea. The lowest and saltiest body of water in the world is receding by roughly a metre (three feet) each year and experts have warned it is on course to dry out by 2050. The 68-year-old French composer told AFP in a telephone interview Wednesday that he would play at the ancient clifftop fortress of Massada on April 6 to "make the world aware" of the threat." The Dead Sea's current crisis started in the 1960s when Israel, Jordan and Syria began to divert water from the Jordan River, its main source. Jarre is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO,) which in 2002 designated Massada as a world heritage site. He said he had not been pressured by groups calling for a boycott of Israel "because it is a universal project under the aegis of UNESCO." He says he wants to "sound the alert on the urgency of saving the Dead Sea" which is bordered by Israel, Jordan and the occupied West Bank and overlooked by the Golan Heights. Israel seized 1,200 square kilometres (460 square miles) of the Golan from Syria in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed it in a move never recognised by the international community. The performance at Massada, which looms over the Dead Sea on the Israeli side, was conceived more than 18 months ago and is intended "to be festive but also to contribute to an important cause," Jarre said. Massada was built in the first century BC by biblical King Herod on a rocky outcrop 430 meters (1290 feet) above the Dead Sea and it marks a seminal event in Jewish history. In 73 AD, according to a historian of the period, Flavius Joseph, 960 Jewish Zealots who had rebelled against Roman rule of then Palestine, were besieged there by Roman troops. Instead of allowing themselves falling to fall captive they committed collective suicide. Story continues Jarre said that his Massada concert would be state-of-the art. "We shall be using modern French and Israeli technology to make this show something unique," he said. The eight-hour long nighttime performance will be streamed live through an Israeli smartphone application giving a 360 degree view. Seats at the event will sell for 495 to 2955 shekels ($134 to $801, 130 to 777 euros). "What is important to me is that the world understand that the problems of the Dead Sea concern not only residents of the region but humanity," Jarre said. Jarre has put on several of the biggest concerts ever, including a 1997 show for Moscow's 850th anniversary that drew 3.5 million people and included a message from cosmonauts in space. He remains prolific, releasing three albums in the past 14 months. By Carolyn Crist (Reuters Health) - Women with access to free long-term birth control after an abortion are more likely to use it and avoid future pregnancies, according to a study in Texas. On the other hand, low-income women who were ineligible for free long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), such as an intrauterine device (IUD) or arm implant, were much more likely to use less effective contraception. As a result, these women were more likely to become pregnant again within the year and seek an abortion again, said study author Vinita Goyal of the University of Texas at Austin. The study was conducted at Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas in Austin. In Texas, a waiver program of Medicaid, the federally-funded insurance for the poor that is administered by states, uses a combination of federal and local funds to offer free LARC to low-income uninsured women from Travis County, which includes Austin. In the absence of state family planning funded programs, or in programs that restrict access and leave certain women out, specialized funding can fill in that gap and play an important role for low-income women, she told Reuters Health. Texas legislative policies have cut funding for other abortion clinics in the state, meaning that residents of other counties often seek abortions in Travis County, but if they dont live in the county, they are not eligible for the Medicaid 1115 programs free LARC. Goyal and colleagues recruited more than 500 abortion patients between October 2014 and March 2016 who fell into three groups - low-income uninsured Travis County residents who were eligible for the specialized funding, low-income uninsured non-residents of the county who were ineligible for the funding and high-income insured women who were ineligible for the funding. The women answered questionnaires about their interest in using long-acting contraception after the abortion, and researchers followed the women for the next year to see what kind of contraception they used and whether they had another unwanted pregnancy. The study team found that pre-abortion preference for LARC was high among women in all three groups: 64 percent of eligible low-income women, 44 percent of ineligible low-income women and 55 percent of ineligible high-income women. After abortion, 65 percent of the eligible low-income women received long-term birth control, compared with 5 percent of ineligible low-income women and 24 percent of ineligible high-income women. Among those who received LARC, 90 percent of low-income women still used it a year later. Ineligible low-income women were also more than three times as likely as eligible women to have another unwanted pregnancy, the researchers report in Obstetrics and Gynecology. This highlights what weve been learning the past five years about womens preference for contraception, and access for long-term methods isnt where it needs to be yet, said Dr. Colleen McNicholas of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, who wasnt involved with the study. The (Affordable Care Act) contraceptive mandate was a good step forward, but the implementation by the health insurance companies isnt there, she told Reuters Health. Contraceptives are one of the most important preventive measures for women, and access shouldnt depend on ZIP code or how much you earn. If all U.S. women had full access to LARC, the country could see a 64 percent drop in unintended pregnancies, 63 percent drop in unintended births and 67 percent drop in abortions, according to a February analysis from the nonprofit research organization Child Trends. It was based on a simulation model created by Child Trends and the Brookings Institution think tank using data from a 2015 University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) randomized trial. It is certainly possible that the contraceptive mandate may end with the current governments plan to repeal and replace the ACA, said Corinne Rocca, a researcher on the UCSF trial who was not involved in the current study. This week, we are also learning that the ACA replacement plan will likely cut funding to Planned Parenthood because it provides abortion care, she told Reuters Health by email. It is really important that people understand the effects that cuts to funding are likely to have on womens ability to use birth control they want and prevent unwanted pregnancy. SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2m7ulg0 Obstetrics and Gynecology, April 2017. An Irishman and a French woman on Thursday told of "waves the size of buildings" after being rescued from a terrifying ordeal when their yacht capsized in wild weather off Australia. Nick Dwyer, 55, and Barbara Heftman, 44, were sailing from New Zealand to Sydney as part of a years-long circumnavigation of the globe when disaster struck. Treacherous seas broke their rudder then rolled their 12-metre (40-foot) boat, forcing them to activate an emergency beacon on Tuesday. A New South Wales police vessel responded, battling six-metre swells and gale force winds on a 13-hour voyage to reach the yacht and safely haul the pair on board. "We encountered enormous seas, waves the size of buildings coming at you constantly, winds that you can't stand up in, seas breaking, whiteness everywhere," Dwyer told reporters after abandoning ship and arriving in Sydney late Wednesday. "We weren't sure whether we were going to be rolled again and each time a wave hit, we thought 'is the one that's going to take us?' "It wasn't really until the low (pressure system) hit us and we got capsized that we felt we really couldn't survive this one without assistance." He added that it was the worst weather they had ever encountered on their decade-long global adventure, calling their rescuers "absolute heroes". Police Sergeant Paul Farquharson told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation the couple was overjoyed to see the rescue team. "They'd been bobbing around on a 40-foot boat for the last four days and spent the last 10 years at sea so to hop on board our boat was a bit of a luxury for them," he said. PARIS (Reuters) - Swiss-French cement maker LafargeHolcim should think twice about supplying cement for the wall U.S. President Donald Trump plans to build on the border with Mexico, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said on Thursday. Trump's plan has caused a diplomatic crisis with Mexico, and in an interview with Agence France Presse earlier this week, LafargeHolcim's chief executive Eric Olsen said he was prepared to supply the materials for it. Officials at LafargeHolcim could not be immediately reached for comment regarding Ayrault's remarks. "It (Lafarge) should reflect upon what its interests are. There are other clients who will be stunned by this," Ayrault said on France Info radio. "Lafarge says it doesn't do politics. ... Very well, but I would say companies ... also have social and environmental responsibilities." French President Francois Hollande also urged caution when asked about LafargeHolcim's readiness to supply the wall project. "I think there are markets where one must be cautious before declaring one's candidacy," Hollande told a news conference on the sidelines of a European Union summit in Brussels. Olsen was quoted as saying in the AFP interview: "We are the number-one cement group in the United States. ... We are here to support the construction and development of the country. ... We are not a political organization." LafargeHolcim last week acknowledged that one of its cement plants probably paid protection money to armed groups in Syria to keep the factory running, calling the payments reported by news media "unacceptable" in hindsight. (Reporting by Marine Pennetier in Paris and Jean-Baptiste Vey in Brussels; Writing by Andrew Callus and Adrian Croft; Editing by Jonathan Oatis) New York (AFP) - French-Swiss group LafargeHolcim is ready to sell its cement to build US President Donald Trump's controversial border wall, the company's CEO said in an interview. The wall Trump promised to erect along the US-Mexico border, valued at tens of billions of dollars, is at the center of a diplomatic crisis between Mexico City and Washington and is provoking criticism around the world. "We are prepared to supply our materials to all types of infrastructure projects in the United States," LafargeHolcim chief Eric Olsen told AFP. "We are the leader in cement, so we supply all our customers," he said. "We are here to support the building and development of the United States." Asked about possible consequences for the company's reputation, Olsen stressed that LafargeHolcim is not a political entity. "We are here to supply our customers' needs," he said. "We don't have a political view on things." He refused to comment on a possible victory for the extreme right-wing candidate Marine Le Pen in the French presidential election, a prospect increasingly worrying international business and financial circles. Olsen also declined to comment on the indirect financing by Lafarge in 2013 and 2014 of armed groups in Syria, a country torn by civil war, to keep one of its cement plants active. French President Francois Hollande warned the company to "be cautious before bidding" on the project. There are certain businesses in which "one must be careful before declaring" participation, Hollande said at a press conference in Brussels. The US government late last month posted a preliminary solicitation for companies interested in participating in the wall project, and LaFargeHolcim is on the list, along with nearly 600 other companies. - Boycott risk? - While this apolitical stance risks causing the firm bad publicity, especially in Europe, the material impact on sales likely would be negligible because LafargeHolcim does not sell cement directly to ordinary consumers. Story continues The company is therefore shielded from a potential boycott like the one targeting Uber, which was criticized for its slow reaction to the first travel ban by the Trump administration, blocking travelers from several Muslim-majority countries. Thousands of customers deleted the app from their phones. In contrast to LafargeHolcim, Irish cement manufacturer CRH, also with a presence in the US market, already announced it will not supply its materials for the border wall. - US jobs - The stakes are high for LafargeHolcim, a group created in 2015 by the merger of French cement manufacturer Lafarge and its Swiss counterpart Holcim. The company hopes to be one of the big winners of the $1 trillion infrastructure investment program Trump has promised to renovate bridges, tunnels, roads and airports. Olsen noted "there is going to be a significant increase in infrastructure spending," although the benefits are not likely to be felt this year "because it takes time for these infrastructure projects to get going." But "it will partially affect our business in 2018 and certainly in 2019, 2020 and 2021." The company is "very well positioned to serve that demand," he said. The cement maker, which returned to profitability last year after losses in 2015, is expected to announce the creation of new US jobs in the coming weeks, a topic central to Trump's agenda. "I don't have a specific number," Olsen said, but "we will be creating jobs." Another element that could appeal to Trump, who has been hammering for weeks on his strategy of giving priority to US employees, merchandise and companies: LafargeHolcim has production sites in Texas and operations in New Mexico and Arizona, three of the four US states bordering Mexico. The group has also built two new plants in Maryland and Oklahoma and opened new facilities in New York and Missouri in anticipation of the ongoing recovery in the US construction sector. This strong presence on US soil could tip the balance in favor of LafargeHolcim against Mexican cement maker Cemex. Winter is coming to HBO in summer specifically, on July 16. Game of Thrones Season 7 announced its release date via Facebook Live on the official Game of Thrones page, where the date was in a block of ice and could only be melted down when fans typed "FIRE" in the comments. SEE ALSO: Ian McShane thinks 'Game of Thrones' fans need to 'get a f*cking life' Over 100,000 people tuned into the show's live stream to shoot fire at the ice surrounding that elusive date. Cast members cropped up during the feed to encourage fans to comment and melt this damn ice already among them, Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright), Cersei (Lena Headey) and Brienne (Gwendolyn Christie). Lena Headey told me to type "FIRE" and honestly yes I will do whatever she says. Image: facebook The coolest thing Theon Greyjoy has ever done. Image: twitter/facebook The show's first stream sloooowly zoomed in to reveal the now infamous ice block, but the stream gave out after about 15 minutes. That ended, as did a second stream, but after over an hour, the third stream revealed the release date. Well 15 mins of melting ice later, this happenedwithout a Game of Thrones premiere date: pic.twitter.com/kBVBoMAHmo John Koblin (@koblin) March 9, 2017 The show's official accounts responded immediately, with words of comfort if not actual information: We will be back and ready for more fire soon. #GoTS7 Game Of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) March 9, 2017 On March 7, actor Liam Cunningham who plays Ser Davos Seaworth, told The Independent that the new season would premiere in July. Cunningham also made an appearance at the end of the Facebook stream to assure fans that Season 7 will be worth the wait. Game of Thrones Season 7 will only have seven episodes instead of the usual 10, as discussed last year by HBO programming and the show's producers. Season 6 ended with Cersei famously silencing the haters, Daenerys taking back Meereen and taking to the seas with Tyrion, and Jon and Sansa in the process of unifying the North under what remains of the Stark family. A Game of Thrones concert experience is currently touring the United States until April 2. Everyone knows her magnified flowers and desert bones of New Mexico. But Georgia O'Keeffe also was a pioneer in preening her austere, androgynous image, which helped her become an icon of US art. That extraordinary branding is the focus of a new exhibition, "Georgia O'Keeffe: Living Modern," that just opened at the Brooklyn Museum, one of New York's major museums along with the better-known Metropolitan Museum of Art and Museum of Modern Art. Long before the era of ubiquitous selfies and curated Instagram accounts, O'Keeffe was adept at self-branding, using wardrobe style and photographic portraits to reinforce her artistic message. The exhibition illuminates those correspondences with dozens of garments -- and some shoes, which she preferred flat -- and more than a hundred photographs, including those taken by her famous husband, photographer Alfred Stieglitz, as well as Ansel Adams and fashion master Bruce Weber. The items are juxtaposed with about 30 of her paintings, including the blow-up flowers, arid deserts and stylized views of New York skyscrapers dating from her years with Stieglitz in Manhattan. Born in 1887 on a farm in the Midwest, O'Keeffe stood out during her school years in Virginia as someone who rejected Victorian manners and dresses that restricted the female body. In the high school yearbook from her senior year, in 1905, her classmates wrote: "A girl who would be different in habit, style and dress. A girl who does not give a 2 cent for men and boys still less." - Marketing - Stieglitz, who was her lover before they married in 1924, was the first to market O'Keefe, pushing her from the early 1920s to play off her angular image and holding a near-monopoly on the young artist's photographic portraits, which also fed into his own success. "He would not have used the word 'marketing' but he had a sense that the more we saw or heard from a person, it could help a career as an artist. She learned a lot from him," said Wanda Corn, art professor at Stanford University and guest curator of the "Living Modern" exhibition. Story continues One of the photographs from this period, by Stieglitz, already declares the color, or rather the lack of color, that O'Keeffe preferred in making black and/or white her wardrobe trademark. The artist draped herself majestically in a large black cape, covered her head with a large, mannish black bowler, and gazed into the distance with an ever-so-slight smile. Shot from a low angle, against a neutral background, the entire image gives the impression of a woman -- or a man, because there is no makeup, no jewelry, no other trace of femininity -- ready to face the future with straightforward confidence. O'Keeffe liked to sew, and the exhibition showcases several of her handcrafted garments found after her death in 1986 in the closets of the two homes she owned in New Mexico. There are long dresses and blouses, mostly black or off-white. They are ample and severe and made with natural materials like silk and cotton. - New Mexico - After the death of Stieglitz in 1946, O'Keeffe left New York to live in New Mexico. Under its vast blue skies and in the desert, where stores were miles (kilometers) away on rough roads, the artist strayed from her black-and-white world and indulged in blue denim, notably for her large aprons. It was there, in the middle of these empty southwestern landscapes, that O'Keefe truly became a 20th century icon, as attested by two Andy Warhol portraits in 1980. During the 1970s, Warhol was part of a new generation of artists, feminists, hippies and fashion designers like Calvin Klein who were fascinated by this old woman who painted with the greatest simplicity. "Suddenly, all these people wanted to meet with her," Corn said. "They helped make her iconic... and this helped construct this image of the solitary genius of the American West." The "Living Modern" exhibition closes on July 23. BERLIN (AP) Last summer the nationalist Alternative for Germany party was surging in the polls, on course to become the third-strongest political force in the country at the next general election. But with six months to go before Germans head to the ballot box, the party's luster has faded. Leadership infighting, a secretive trip to Moscow and a new challenger from the left have sapped its support. Add to that a growing wariness among voters about Trump-style politics since the new U.S. president's inauguration in January, and AfD as it is known in Germany is feeling the pinch. A regular poll of German voters, conducted at least once a month since 2000, puts AfD's support at 11 percent down from 16 percent last summer, and other polls have put support as low as 8 percent. The Deutschlandtrend survey for public broadcaster ARD has a margin of error of up to 3.1 percent. The figures are sobering for a party that entered three more state parliaments last year with results that rattled Germany's political establishment. "AfD is in a somewhat dramatic phase," said Werner J. Patzelt, a professor of political science at the University of Dresden. "It expanded very quickly. They couldn't vet everybody in such a short period of time and there are many different movements under one umbrella." Infighting has become most apparent on sensitive issues surrounding ideas of German identity and the country's relationship with its Nazi past. Most recently the party's leadership has been split over how to deal with Bjoern Hoecke, the party's leader in Thuringia state, who suggested that Germany should reverse its tradition of acknowledging and atoning for the Nazis' crimes. The dispute reportedly cost the party a six-figure sum after major donors withheld funds. Meanwhile, the huge influx of migrants Germany experienced in 2015 and 2016 arguably the biggest single issue to boost AfD's vote has largely dropped off the radar as the numbers of new arrivals have declined. Story continues Voters weary of Angela Merkel after 12 years in office, who may have been leaning toward AfD, now have a fresh option in Martin Schulz, who became the Social Democrats' surprise candidate for chancellorship in January, giving the center-left party's poll numbers a fillip it hadn't seen for a decade. Mainstream conservatives drifting toward AfD will have been startled by party co-leader Frauke Petry's admission that she'd attended a meeting in Moscow with members of Vladimir Putin's party as well as the hard-right Russian nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky. Manfred Guellner, head of polling firm Forsa, said the outcome of the American election has also thrown a wild card into German politics. Petry has gushed about Trump's victory, saying it offered "a historic opportunity to address erroneous global economic and social developments of the past decades." Anti-Trump protesters in Germany have carried signs with slogans like "Germany: Don't make the same mistake in 2017, AfD=Trump," and that idea seems to be gaining some traction. "Trump's election in the U.S. has unsettled many Germans and they're afraid that with the many conflicts in the world this could result in big problems," Guellner said. "So they're rallying around a reliable government rather than a party like AfD who can't be relied upon to handle Trump." Patzelt said it was too soon to say whether AfD's collapse in the opinion polls will hold true for the general election, because the party has generally performed better than its poll standings. Elections in three German states this spring will provide a concrete test of how AfD is faring ahead of the national vote on Sept. 24, he said. It needs more than 5 percent of the vote to win seats in Parliament. Party leaders presented a draft election program Thursday that included traditional vote winners such as cutting taxes, giving more money to families, improving health services and reducing noise pollution. But familiar AfD demands to ditch the euro currency and sharply curtail immigration remain central to the program, which needs to be approved at a party convention in Cologne next month. Party activists like Herbert Mohr remain enthusiastic. The 28-year-old physiotherapist was surprised to find himself elected to Berlin's state assembly last year after the party took 14.2 percent of the vote in the traditionally left-leaning German capital. "We had to start from scratch," he said at a recent party event near Berlin. "It's exciting but a lot of work." While concerned about immigration, Mohr wants the party to find strong positions on health care and other issues too. "I hope that the people at the top find a way to cooperate constructively with each other," he said. "People need to be a little bit forgiving because we're not totally streamlined yet, we still have some rough edges." Berlin (AFP) - Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday that Germany wants to patch up frayed ties with Turkey, but without compromising its democratic principles or accepting "Nazi" jibes from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "As difficult as everything is at the moment, as unacceptable as some things are, it can't be in our security and geopolitical interest that Turkey, a NATO partner after all, grows even more distant from us," she told parliament. Merkel vowed to "work for German-Turkish relations, on the basis of our values" -- stressing that these included freedom of speech, assembly and the press. Berlin and Ankara have sparred for the past week after local German authorities cancelled several campaign events by Turkish ministers seeking to drum up support for a "yes" vote in next month's referendum on boosting Erdogan's powers. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that about 30 more rallies were planned and that Ankara had already "informed German authorities of them all". Erdogan's ministers are keen to tap into the diaspora in Germany, which includes 1.4 million people eligible to vote in Turkey -- the fourth-largest electoral base after Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. Although Berlin has insisted that the string of cancellations by local authorities were down to logistical reasons, Turkish officials have repeatedly hit back, with Erdogan angrily comparing such actions to "Nazi practices". Merkel said such rhetoric was "depressing", belittled Holocaust victims and was "so out of place as to be unworthy of serious comment". On future rallies, she said: "We continue to view such appearances by Turkish government representatives as possible as long as they are duly announced, in a timely manner, and in an open way." Cavusoglu said Turkey was "not calling the current administration Nazi" but that the recent bans "unavoidably remind us the practices during that (Nazi) period". Story continues - 'Complicated' ties - The row is the latest to plague relations following spats over a German TV comedian's biting satire targeting Erdogan and, more recently, Ankara's arrest of a journalist with the German daily Die Welt. Merkel vowed that her government would do "everything in its power" to work for the release of the journalist, Deniz Yucel, who is being held on terrorist propaganda charges. Germany is home to a large community of Turks who have settled in Europe's biggest economy, the legacy of a "guest worker" ("Gastarbeiter") programme dating to the 1960s and 70s. Over the past year Germany -- which has taken in about one million refugees and migrants since 2015 -- has also banked on an EU agreement with Turkey that has sharply reduced the influx of newcomers. "There are few countries with which we have ties this complicated but also this varied," said Merkel. - 'Autocratic state' - Those ties have been put to the test since last July's failed coup aimed at ousting Erdogan. Berlin has emerged as a strident critic of Ankara's vast crackdown in the wake of the attempted putsch, which has seen more than 100,000 people arrested, suspended from their jobs or sacked for alleged links to the plotters or to Kurdish militants. Ankara has in turn accused Berlin of harbouring "terrorists" and failing to respond to requests to hand over suspects from the coup as well as Kurdish militants who it believes are members of the outlawed PKK group. "Mrs Merkel is right, we have profound disagreements on some issues. For example the fight against terror," Turkey's presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Thursday. The attempt to further boost Erdogan's powers with the referendum has also alarmed his critics at home and abroad. German parliamentary speaker Norbert Lammert warned it could pave the way for "an increasingly autocratic state that is growing more removed from European values and standards". Elsewhere in Europe, Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern has called for an EU ban on Turkish politicians campaigning for the referendum. There have also been calls in the Netherlands for a ban on such visits there, but families minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya is due to head there to campaign on Friday, public TV station TRT reported. Switzerland on Thursday rejected a request from Zurich authorities to cancel a planned visit by Cavusoglu to a rally on Sunday because of security concerns over potentially "heavy demonstrations". "There is nothing to justify the cancellation of this visit," a government statement said. Berlin (AFP) - The right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party called for closing borders, restricting Islamic practices and fighting the ruling "oligarchy" in its election campaign programme released Thursday. Polling at around 11 percent now, the four-year-old AfD aims to become the first party to the right of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative bloc to enter the national parliament in September elections. The AfD opposes all "mainstream" political parties and what it regards as their allies in the media, arguing that Germany is ruled by a remote elite that is betraying ordinary citizens. "The secret sovereign in Germany is a small, powerful political oligarchy which has emerged from the existing political parties" and has come to dominate the state, public education and media, argues a draft of its programme. The AfD stressed its position that "Islam is not part of Germany" -- directly contradicting the message of its declared enemy, Merkel, to the country's estimated 4.5 million Muslims. It also demanded "the immediate closure of borders to end the chaotic mass immigration," said a party representative, and said it opposes family reunions for those granted refugee status. It demanded an official investigation into Merkel's decision to keep open national borders amid a mass influx of refugees and migrants that has brought one million asylum seekers since 2015. "We want to pass on to coming generations a country that is still recognisable as our Germany," said the AFD, bemoaning that "Germany is losing its cultural identity because of a flawed notion of tolerance". The AfD was founded as a small fringe party in 2013, at the height of the eurozone crisis, to oppose bailouts for indebted economies like Greece and to demand the reintroduction of the deutschmark. But after a leadership coup launched by co-leader Frauke Petry, it has adopted a more strident anti-immigration and law-and-order position, and publicly allied itself with France's far-right National Front. Story continues It has entered a string of state parliaments, but recently dipped in the polls amid infighting and a prominent member's inflammatory comments about Holocaust remembrance. Among its policies is a ban on Islamic head coverings for teachers, students and public servants, which it said would follow "the French model". It also opposes mosque minarets and loudspeakers for calls to prayer, describing them as symbols of "Islamic domination". The party would also reverse Germany's green energy transition away from nuclear power and fossil fuels and toward renewables such as solar and wind, arguing that there is no firm proof for man-made climate change. The programme is set to be adopted at a party congress in the western city of Cologne on April 22-23. Biotech stocks are risky, volatile, and potentially worth a fortune. But are they biblically sound? A group of evangelical investors is betting Christian-friendly stocks can outperform the market, and theyre leaning heavily on biotech to prove them right. A pair of index funds launched last week promises to filter out companies that dont align with biblical values. That means no sin stocks that deal in alcohol, tobacco, or firearms. Instead, theyre exclusively investing in inspiring companies, according to their regulatory filings. In practice, that means the funds largest holdings are cancer drug developers Incyte and Kite Pharma. Theres no top-down preference for biotech, according to Robert Netzly, CEO of Inspire Investing, which introduced the funds. But the quest to treat illness happens to score well on Inspires proprietary metric for picking companies, which Netzly said scours scores of data points including federal records and donor rolls to determine how well companies comport with the firms view of Christian morality. Look at a company like Bluebird Bio, Netzly said. Theyre doing really groundbreaking work to potentially cure genetically caused disease. Those are the kind of companies that our investors really want to support. Biotechs efforts to edit genes and otherwise tinker with creation arent barriers for Inspire, he said, because as long as its not destroying life, were all for it. Read more: How biotech executives profit from legal insider trades Incyte, the largest holding in Inspires index of big companies, said it does not comment on the decisions of its investors. Kite Pharma and Bluebird Bio, indexed in the companys mid-sized fund, didnt respond to request for comment. Inspire is among hundreds of firms selling what are called exchange-traded funds customized indexes that lump together stocks based upon a uniting factor. The ETF industry has boomed in recent years because its offerings are fairly cheap fees tend to fall below 1 percent and allow investors of varying sophistication to diversify their bets. Story continues A lot of financial advisers cant buy individual stocks and risk having them blow up and lead to angry calls from clients, said Brad Loncar, a biotech investor who manages an ETF focused on cancer immunotherapy. ETFs spread the risk and make biotech more accessible to a wider range of investors, and thats good for our industry. The increasing popularity of ETFs has created a market for niches ever narrower, said David Kathman, who tracks socially responsible funds at Morningstar. Funds with a religious bent have come and gone in recent years, including a Shariah-compliant offering that shut down last year and a family of pan-Christian funds that closed its doors in 2011. Read more: Whats behind those billion-dollar biotech deals? Often, a whole lot of hype But Inspires approach stands out thanks to its algorithmic approach to picking stocks. Most ETFs set their investment criteria and then index the most valuable companies that fall within them, relying on the wisdom of the markets to sort things out. Inspire, however, relies solely upon its values-based rating system, called the Inspire Impact Score. The implicit bet is that companies in good biblical standing will outperform the market. Its a fairly bold gamble, especially in biotech, where even dedicated investors who pore over scientific papers and regulatory filings struggle to predict whether clinical trials will come up positive. But Netzly believes in Inspires methodology, pointing to a company-sponsored study concluding that biblically responsible stocks beat the market by 4.7 percent over a five-year period. We say all the time, good values and good returns are not mutually exclusive, Netzly said. Christian-inspired biotech investing extends beyond the world of ETFs. Boston-based Eventide, which has about $1.6 billion under biblically responsible management, has a particular focus on the life sciences and did so well in 2015 that Chief Investment Officer Finny Kuruvilla was profiled in Bloomberg. Last year, however, Eventides biotech fund took a 16 percent loss as the industry swooned. Kuravilla no longer grants interviews, said Rob Moll, the funds director of communication. But Moll said the firm hasnt lost faith in its methods. The best investors always have down years, he said. As for Inspire, its definition of biblical values rules out investing in companies that support the LGBT lifestyle, according to its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. That stipulation would seem to put Inspire out of step with most of its portfolio. More than 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, according to Human Rights Watch, and two-thirds provide benefits to employees domestic partners. In biotech, leading companies including Genentech and Amgen have spoken out in support of LGBT employees, and industry trade group BIO has long promoted a culture of inclusion. But Netzly sees no discordance with Inspires investing ethos. The first thing to understand is that we love our neighbors in the LGBT community, and we encourage our companies to provide tolerant workplaces, he said. Where companies run afoul of Inspires metrics, Netzly said, is when they spend corporate dollars and time promoting something that is not in line with biblical values. What happens when a member of the Inspire portfolio commits a moral infraction? The fund plans to put offending companies on a six-month probation until management addresses the issue, Netzly said. If companies are unwilling to change, they get booted from the fund and Inspire hasnt ruled out shareholder activism to influence corporate leaders. Thats what we call inspiring transformation, Netzly said. In an interview with Yahoo Global News Anchor Katie Couric, Rep. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., expressed why he is fully behind President Trumps healthcare plan. The fact is, were opening the market up and making the market more accessible for the American people to be able to get true, affordable healthcare," says Mullin. When pressed on whether or not President Trumps recent tweets about wiretaps are a distraction, Mullin said Im sure he has information that I dont, but added that his focus is primarily on healthcare right now. Montreal (AFP) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will receive an environmental award from oil companies at a conference in Texas on Thursday, raising the ire of activists back home. Trudeau will accept the energy and environment leadership award and also deliver a keynote address at the CERAWeek by IHS Markit gathering in Houston. The event brings together 3,500 energy and clean technology executives as well as policymakers from around the world. The Canadian leader will have an opportunity to tout a message he has been pushing domestically -- that building the economy and protecting the environment must go hand in hand. But Greenpeace's Patrick Bonin said it's "shocking" that Trudeau is accepting an environment award from oil companies, and noted that the recognition highlights a "dichotomy" of the Trudeau administration on environmental issues. "We can no longer exploit new oil and gas deposits if we want to limit global warming," said Bonin, who was echoed by several activist groups. Trudeau came to power in 2015 promising to curb Canada's greenhouse gas emissions linked to global warming. His government committed to eliminating 2019 megatonnes of CO2 emissions by 2030 -- a 30 percent reduction from 2005 levels. At the same time, Ottawa approved construction of two pipelines connecting the Alberta oil sands to the Pacific Coast and the US oil network. In a statement announcing the Texas trip last week, Trudeau said: "This is about making our economy more competitive and leaving our kids a cleaner environment." By Scott Malone (Reuters) - State legislators in New Hampshire narrowly blocked a bill on Thursday that would have prohibited discrimination against transgender people, including allowing them to use the public bathrooms that match the gender with which they identify. Transgender rights are a politically charged issue in the United States. Supporters say bills like the one blocked on Thursday protect people who do not conform to their birth gender, while opponents say they could give cover to voyeurs and sexual predators. The 187-179 vote by the Republican-controlled New Hampshire House of Representatives to table the bill without debate came one day after Governor Chris Sununu, also a Republican, said he had no position on the matter. Many Democrats had supported the bill. "With Sununu's support, the bill, which was tabled by a slim margin, would be on its way to the corner office," said Ray Buckley, chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party. "His silence and apathy are a tacit endorsement of discrimination, and he will have to live with the fact that he denied many transgender people the freedom that is granted through equality under the law." A spokesman for Sununu whose father, John Sununu, was a New Hampshire governor and later White House chief of staff in the first Bush administration, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. This was the latest in a string of defeats for transgender rights this week. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday threw out a lower court ruling in favor of a Virginia transgender student after President Donald Trump rescinded a policy put in place last year protecting such youths. A Texas Senate committee on Wednesday approved a bill that would require people to use public restrooms that match the gender on their birth certificates. That measure is similar to one passed last year in North Carolina, which sparked boycotts that are estimated to have cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars. Due to economic concerns, analysts do not expect the Texas measure to pass the state House. Despite their dominance in New Hampshire's government, Republicans in the state legislature do not unanimously support the party's national agenda. Last month state legislators blocked a bill that would have allowed employees in union-represented jobs not to pay dues. (Reporting by Scott Malone in Boston; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn) Los Angeles (AFP) - A flight from Las Vegas to Honolulu was diverted to Los Angeles on Wednesday after a passenger refused to pay $12 for a blanket and was accused of being unruly, police said. The incident unfolded after the Hawaiian Airlines flight took off from Las Vegas and the passenger -- a 66-year-old man -- requested a blanket as he was cold, Officer Rob Pedregon, a spokesman for the Los Angeles airport police, told AFP. When told he would have to fork out $12 for the blanket, the unidentified man got upset and demanded to speak to a corporate representative from the airline, Pedregon said. "During the in-flight call he allegedly said 'I would like to take someone behind the woodshed for this' and the pilot deemed that to be threatening behavior and ordered that the plane be diverted to Los Angeles," he said. Police and FBI agents met with the passenger and crew when the plane landed in Los Angeles and determined after questioning both sides that no crime had been committed, Pedregon said. The man voluntarily abandoned his flight and caught another one, he said. Pedregon said the incident may not be the oddest he has handled "but it ranks right up there." "You know, if I was a passenger on board that plane I would have paid the $12 dollars for him," he chuckled. Related: For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android. SEATTLE (AP) Legal challenges against President Donald Trump's revised travel ban mounted Thursday as Washington state said it would renew its request to block the executive order and a judge granted Oregon's request to join the case. The events happened a day after Hawaii launched its own lawsuit, and Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson said New York state also asked to join his state's legal effort. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said the state is joining fellow states in challenging the revised travel ban. Washington was the first state to sue over the original ban, which resulted in Judge James Robart in Seattle halting its implementation around the country. Ferguson said the state would ask Robart to rule that his temporary restraining order against the first ban applies to Trump's revised action. "My message to President Trump is not so fast," Ferguson told reporters. "After spending more than a month to fix a broken order that he rushed out the door, the President's new order reinstates several of the same provisions and has the same illegal motivations as the original." Robart on Thursday granted Oregon's request to join Washington and Minnesota in the case opposing the travel ban. Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said the executive order has hurt Oregon, its residents, employers, agencies, educational institutions, health care system and economy. Trump's revised ban bars new visas for people from six predominantly Muslim countries: Somalia, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Libya and Yemen. It also temporarily shuts down the U.S. refugee program. Unlike the initial order, the new one says current visa holders won't be affected, and removes language that would give priority to religious minorities. Hawaii Attorney General Douglas Chin said that the state could not stay silent on Trump's travel ban because of Hawaii's unique culture and history. Hawaii depends heavily on tourism, and the revised ban would hurt the state's economy, he said. Story continues The courts need to hear "that there's a state where ethnic diversity is the norm, where people are welcomed with aloha and respect," Chin said. He noted that the new travel ban order comes just after the 75th anniversary of the Feb. 19, 1942, executive order by President Franklin Roosevelt that sent Japanese Americans to internment camps during World War II. That order was put in place after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Hawaii had an internment camp. Ferguson said it's not the government, but the court, that gets to decide whether the revised order is different enough that it would not be covered by previous temporary restraining order. "It cannot be a game of whack-a-mole for the court," he said. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Thursday the administration believed the revised travel ban will stand up to legal scrutiny. "We feel very confident with how that was crafted and the input that was given," Spicer said. Ferguson said he was pleased that attorneys general from New York and Oregon had sought to take part in the legal action. "We have a strong case and they are willing to join our efforts," he said of his fellow Democrats. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman in a statement called the executive order "a Muslim ban by another name." Other states that have filed briefs supporting Washington's initial lawsuit include California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia. In his initial lawsuit Ferguson said the original ban was unconstitutional and hurt the state's businesses and universities. A federal appellate court later upheld a temporary restraining order issued against the first travel ban. The Trump administration says the old order will be revoked once the new one goes into effect on March 16. In filing a lawsuit Wednesday night, Hawaii said the revised order would harm its Muslim population, tourism and foreign students. Attorneys for Hawaii filed the lawsuit against the U.S. government in federal court in Honolulu. The state had previously sued over Trump's initial travel ban, but that lawsuit was put on hold while other cases played out across the country. Hawaii's complaint says it is suing to protect its residents, businesses and schools, as well as its "sovereignty against illegal actions of President Donald J. Trump and the federal government." Imam Ismail Elshikh of the Muslim Association of Hawaii is a plaintiff in the state's challenge. The ban will prevent his Syrian mother-in-law from visiting him, he said. The mam is a U.S. citizen, has rights and would be prevented from seeing his mother-in-law, Chin said. The mother-in-law is awaiting approval of a visa to see her relatives in Hawaii. The woman and others have become victims because of the ban's "standardless set of waivers and exceptions that weren't set by Congress," Chin said. Hawaii's lawsuit challenging the travel ban focuses on damage to the state's economy and mainly tourism. Chin says the tourism angle is unique because the state relies heavily on visitors and Hawaii officials have a right to defend the economy. He said people may fear traveling even within Hawaii because they would be forced to encounter a federal agent every time they get on a plane to visit a neighboring island. ___ Sinco Kelleher reported from Honolulu. Associated Press writers Tarek Hamada in Phoenix and Gene Johnson in Seattle contributed to this report. ___ This story has been corrected to show the spelling of Judge Robart's name on the first reference. By Mica Rosenberg and Dan Levine (Reuters) - The state of Hawaii requested emergency court intervention on Wednesday to halt a revised executive order from President Donald Trump placing U.S. entry restrictions on refugees and travelers from six Muslim-majority countries. Arguing that the new travel ban violates the U.S. Constitution, the state asked a Hawaii federal court to grant a temporary restraining order that should apply nationally. U.S. District Court Judge Derrick Watson ruled earlier in the day that the state could sue over Trump's new order, which was signed by the president on Monday. It is the first legal challenge to the revised order. Watson said the state could revise its initial lawsuit, which had challenged Trump's original ban signed in January. A hearing is set for March 15, a day before the new ban is to go into effect. The government has said the president has wide authority to implement immigration policy and that the travel rules are necessary to protect against terrorist attacks. Some legal experts have said court challenges will be more difficult now because changes to the order give exemptions to more people. The revised travel order changed and replaced the original, more sweeping ban issued on Jan. 27 that caused chaos and protests at airports and was challenged in more than two dozen lawsuits around the country. A federal judge in Seattle put the first order on hold, in a decision upheld by an appeals court in San Francisco. The new order is much more narrowly tailored. It keeps a 90-day ban on travel to the United States by citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, but excludes Iraq and applies the restriction only to new visa applicants. It also removed an indefinite ban on all refugees from Syria. The order no longer covers legal residents or existing visa holders, and makes waivers possible for some business, diplomatic and other travelers. Immigration advocates have said the new ban, like the original one, discriminates against Muslims. But the first hurdle in a lawsuit is proving "standing" to sue, which means finding someone who has been harmed by the policy. With so many exemptions, legal experts have said it might be hard to find individuals that a court would rule have a right to sue. STATE CLAIMS HARM Hawaii claims its state universities would be harmed by the order because they would have trouble recruiting students and faculty. It also says the island state's economy would be hit by a decline in tourism. The court papers cite reports that travel to the United States "took a nosedive" after Trump's actions. The state was joined by a new plaintiff named Ismail Elshikh, an American citizen from Egypt who is an Imam at the Muslim Association of Hawaii whose mother-in-law lives in Syria, according to the lawsuit. "This second Executive Order is infected with the same legal problems as the first Order," the state said in court papers filed on Tuesday. The President's order "is subjecting a portion of Hawaii's population, including Dr. Elshikh, his family, and members of his Mosque, to discrimination and second-class treatment," Hawaii said. The lawsuit says that Elshikh fears his mother-in-law will not be able to enter the country under the new order. "The family is devastated," the filing said. One of the groups eligible for waivers under the new ban are those seeking to visit or live with a close relative and who would face hardship if denied entry. Adam Lauridsen, a San Francisco attorney representing students challenging Trump's first order, said the waiver provisions in the new ban are similar to case-by-case exemptions allowed in the first ban. Earlier legal challenges were allowed to move forward despite those waivers, he said. In support of its actions, the Trump administration has cited a section of law that says the president can suspend entry to the United States by "any class" of foreigners if he finds it would be "detrimental to the interests" of the country. (Reporting by Mica Rosenberg in New York and Dan Levine in San Francisco; Editing by Leslie Adler and John Stonestreet) A Hawaiian island is one step closer to getting 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources. Tesla, the clean energy powerhouse run by Elon Musk, has built a 13-megawatt solar farm on Kauai to help reduce the island's dependence on diesel-burning power plants. Unveiled on Wednesday, the Kapaia project features 54,000 solar panels. But that's not what makes it so unique. SEE ALSO: Looking for hope on climate change under Trump? Cities are where the action is. Perhaps most importantly, it includes over 270 of Tesla's Powerpack batteries, which will store some of the solar power created during the day and supply those electrons to the grid in the evening. The project the largest of its kind is expected to displace about 1.6 million gallons of diesel per year, Tesla said in an email. Energy experts say storage is essential for making renewables competitive with fossil fuels. Unlike coal and natural gas plants, which operate on command, solar and wind farms operate intermittently and at different hours. Batteries could also help utilities to harness the collective power of thousands of rooftop solar systems. With "virtual power plants," utilities can digitally aggregate solar-battery systems in an area to utilize their power all at once, simulating the flow from a singular power plant. Tesla's Kapaia project features 272 Powerwall batteries. Image: Tesla Across the Hawaiian islands, utilities are required to get 100 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2045 the most ambitious Renewable Portfolio Standard of any U.S. state. Kauai's main utility says it is well on its way to meeting that target thanks to a growing number of solar, small-scale hydropower and biomass projects. Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) is the lone purchaser of power from Tesla's solar-battery system on the island. The arrangement marks the first time a U.S. utility has contracted out a system that stores and releases solar power after sunset. Story continues Before this week, KIUC could operate using 100 percent of renewables, but only during occasional mid-day periods of high solar generation. The Kapaia project will allow the utility to operate at 100 percent renewables more often, and with greater stability, in the middle of the day, Tesla said. Tesla's Powerpack batteries in Kauai were made at its $5 billion Gigafactory in Nevada. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during the Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards at the the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on March 8, 2017, in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) In a video posted to Snapchat on International Womens Day, Hillary Clinton urged women to resist and assert themselves politically. Theres a lot to fight for: Planned Parenthood, education, health care, jobs, Clinton said in the video, published Wednesday. Every issue is a womens issue. So stand up, resist, run for office. Be a champion. Clinton donned red, the official color of A Day Without a Woman. In honor of International Womens Day, the organizers of Januarys Womens March on Washington promoted the initiative, encouraging women to strike on Wednesday to demonstrate their economic importance. Clinton also wore red Tuesday at a Girls Inc. New York luncheon, where she accepted the 2017 Champion for Girls Award. Clintons words echo a video she released last month, when she called for resistance plus persistence from Democrats as they move forward. Resist, in particular, has become a call to arms for those who oppose the Trump administrations agenda. Since losing the presidential election in November, Clinton has spoken out politically only intermittently, although she has taken to Twitter to praise womens causes, including the massive march on Washington following President Trumps inauguration. Thanks for standing, speaking & marching for our values @womensmarch. Important as ever. I truly believe we're always Stronger Together. Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) January 21, 2017 'Hope Not Fear' Indeed. And what a beautiful piece by Louisa Cannell. #womensmarch ???????????????????????????? pic.twitter.com/7h3Bzx79nB Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) January 21, 2017 I stand w/ Nora Harren, a 17-year from Boise, ID, & every person marching for our values today. Onward! ???????? #WomensMarch pic.twitter.com/02lOuXRHuz Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) January 21, 2017 Scrolling through images of the #womensmarch is awe-inspiring. Hope it brought joy to others as it did to me.https://t.co/29oaMvk3hU Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) January 23, 2017 On Wednesday, she also commemorated International Womens Day by retweeting a childs note inviting a classmate to join a club for female empowerment. Tegucigalpa (AFP) - Honduras's prosecutors said Wednesday they would investigate alleged links between public figures, including an ex-president, and the Los Cachiros drug cartel. "The investigation will formally begin based on what was alleged by the gang member," Prosecutors Office spokesman Yuri Mora said. Devis Leonel Rivera Madariaga -- a former boss of the notorious Los Cachiros cartel who has confessed to killing 78 people -- said Monday he paid former president Porfirio Lobo (2010-2014) and his son Fabio hundreds of thousands of dollars. He was speaking in testimony in a New York court in a case against Fabio Lobo, who is accused of drug trafficking to the United States. Rivera Madariaga, who is being held in the United States, said his group's contacts with the Lobos, other politicians -- some still ongoing -- and the police and military helped the cartel receive tonnes of cocaine in Honduras, a country with one of the world's highest homicide rates. The drug was shipped from Colombia and Venezuela before it was sent on to Guatemala, Mexico and the United States. Former president Lobo appointed his son Fabio as an interlocutor with Los Cachiros, one of the country's largest drug gangs, Rivera Madariaga said, adding that he was put in charge of helping the gang with security. Ex-president Lobo denies all accusations made, saying he never met with drug traffickers or received bribes from them. The US Drug Enforcement Administration arrested Rivera Madariaga in December 2015 on charges of drug trafficking. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison plus 30 years. People are still dissecting and deciding where they come down in response to the recently proposed legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Yesterday, two of the largest groups in the American healthcare business advised lawmakers that they are not thrilled with what theyve seen so far. The American Hospital Association and the American Medical Association each released copies of letters they sent to members of Congress addressing their concerns with the bills collectively the American Health Care Act (ACHA) proposed by the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The AMA, which represents hundreds of thousands of physicians in the U.S., acknowledges in its letter [PDF] that the Affordable Care Act has problems that must be addressed, but that the AMA cannot support the AHCA as drafted because of the expected decline in health insurance coverage and the potential harm it would cause to vulnerable patient populations. One issue raised in the AMA letter is the GOP plan to help Americans afford insurance through tax credits. The organization notes that it supports this idea in general, so long as the actual credits are sufficient to enable one to afford quality coverage. The proposed plan would provide individual tax credits of between $2,000 to $4,000, coming out to between $167 and $333 per month, which may not be enough for some people to afford coverage on their own. Additionally, there is a maximum of $14,000 per family, regardless of the number of family members. The tax credits also get increasingly smaller for individuals who earn more than $75,000 per year ($150,000 for families). The AMA takes particular issue with the GOPs decision to tie tax credit levels to age instead of need, with taxpayers under 30 years old eligible for the lowest levels while those over the age of 60 are eligible for the largest credits. We believe that credits should be inversely related to an individuals income, writes the AMA. This structure provides the greatest chance that those of the least means are able to purchase coverage. We believe credits inversely related to income, rather than age as proposed in the committees legislation, not only result in greater numbers of people insured but are a more efficient use of tax-payer resources. Story continues The doctors group also questions the plan to scale back the Affordable Care Acts expansion of Medicaid programs, which the AMA says has proven highly successful in providing coverage for lower income individuals. Then theres the matter of the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which currently provides funding to a variety of public health concerns, covering everything from diabetes to Alzheimers to anti-smoking efforts. The GOP proposal would halt Congressional financial support of this initiative a mistake, according to the AMA. The Public Health and Prevention Fund has supported many critical projects, including investments in immunization, childhood lead poisoning, and health-care associated infections, explains the letter. Currently the fund comprises approximately 12 percent of the budget of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and should be preserved. In its letter to all members of Congress [PDF], the American Hospital Association which represents some 5,000 healthcare facilities politely raises a big question: How many people will be eligible for coverage? Neither of the AHCA bills put forth by these committees included estimates from the Congressional Budget Office about the number of people that would be affected. Earlier this year, the CBO released a detailed analysis of a previous repeal-and-replace bill and estimated that there would be around 18 million additional people without insurance after the first year. The AHA says it is unable to support a healthcare reform bill that doesnt address the impact on coverage numbers. Lacking that level of analysis and needed transparency, we urge that Congress should wait until an estimate is available before proceeding with formal consideration, says the letter. Like the AMA, the hospital group also raises concerns about paring back of Medicaid expansion, arguing that it could have the effect of making significant reductions in a program that provides services to our most vulnerable populations. The Affordable Care Act slashed disproportionate share payments federal funds provided to certain hospitals to offset some of the cost of caring for patients who can not afford to pay. The idea was that, because the law now requires most people to have some sort of health insurance, hospitals will be treating more paying patients and fewer uninsured patients. However, as the AHA addressed in a letter sent to the White House earlier this year, repeal of this individual coverage requirement coupled with scaling back of Medicaid coverage would put hospitals back on the hook for patients who can no longer obtain insurance. In the letter sent yesterday, the AHA reiterates that these billions of dollars in federal support will need to be restored in order for hospitals to continue treating the uninsured and underinsured. We ask Congress to protect our patients, and find ways to maintain coverage for as many Americans as possible, concludes the AHA. We look forward to continuing to work with the Congress and the Administration on ACA reform, but we cannot support The American Health Care Act in its current form. The two pieces of legislation now enter into the markup process, where the finer points of the bill will be hammered out in committee before going to the full House for a vote. Its important to note that the repeal and replace bills are not traditional pieces of legislation, but are instead parts of a larger budget resolution. That means that, unlike your typical bill, they can be passed by a simple majority in the Senate instead of requiring support from 60 senators. More from Consumer Reports: Top pick tires for 2016 Best used cars for $25,000 and less 7 best mattresses for couples Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright 2006-2017 Consumers Union of U.S. By Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - FBI Director James Comey on Thursday met with senior congressional leaders, including the intelligence committee chiefs, FBI and congressional officials said. The officials declined to discuss the subject of Comey's meeting with the group of leaders known as the "Gang of Eight". U.S. President Donald Trump has alleged that the Obama administration wiretapped his election campaign. The Gang of Eight, who have routine access to highly classified materials, include House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes and its top Democrat, Adam Schiff. Senate members include Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and the top Republican and Democrat on the intelligence committee, Senators Richard Burr and Mark Warner. The House intelligence committee on Wednesday asked the Justice Department in a letter for copies of documents which if they exist could shed light on Trump's allegation. For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android. A law enforcement source said the Federal Bureau of Investigation was in discussions with the National Security Division of the Justice Department as to how to respond to public and congressional inquiries about the existence or non-existence of such eavesdropping. If Trump's campaign or advisers were indeed being wiretapped, the most likely legal path for the Obama administration to do so would be to have the Justice Department ask the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court for permission to eavesdrop. Trump accused predecessor Barack Obama on Saturday of wiretapping him during the late stages of the campaign, but offered no evidence for an allegation which an Obama spokesman said was "simply false". The intelligence committee's letter, addressed to Dana Boente, the acting Deputy U.S. Attorney General, also asks for copies of any such orders actually issued by the court and any electronic surveillance warrants related to Trump or his associates issued last year by a federal judge or magistrate under a wide-ranging anti-crime law. Story continues Reuters saw a copy of the letter, signed by Nunes and Schiff, on Thursday. The letter has not been publicly released. Nunes said on Tuesday he had seen no evidence to support Trump's wiretapping allegation. Law enforcement sources have said that the FBI is pursuing a wide-ranging counter-intelligence investigation of alleged contacts between Trump associates and Russians, as well as two separate investigations into pre-election email hacking linked to Russia which mainly targeted Democratic political operatives. (Reporting by Mark Hosenball; Additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Alistair Bell and James Dalgleish) BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary will support the candidate of the European People's Party (EPP), Donald Tusk, for president of the European Council, the Hungarian prime minister said on Thursday. "Donald Tusk will be it (the president)," Prime Minister Viktor Orban told the state television m1 in Brussels. His chief of staff Janos Lazar told a concurrent news conference that Orban had tried to forge a compromise between Poland and members of the European Council, but this effort has failed. "We honor our obligations stemming from our membership in the EPP even though we understand Poland and their problem regarding the candidacy," Lazar said. Diplomats confidently predict a second term for Tusk, a former premier of Poland who was appointed Council chairman in 2014 before his own centrist Civic Platform party was ousted by the eurosceptic Law and Justice party. (Reporting by Marton Dunai and Krisztina Than; Editing by Alison Williams) Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump has offered former Utah governor Jon Huntsman the position of US Ambassador to Russia, amid investigations into Russian meddling in the US presidential race last year, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday. Trump made the offer this week, the Post said, citing a White House official not authorized to discuss the move for now. Huntsman has indicated that he will accept the post, the official said Wednesday, the report added. But Huntsman, 56, who has served as US ambassador to Singapore and China, did not immediately confirm the offer or his response. During his campaign Trump criticised Huntsman for allowing China to do "a major number on US" while he was in Beijing under former president Barack Obama. Some people close to Huntsman recently hinted that he might seek a Senate seat for Utah. PITTSBURGH (AP) A woman charged with drowning her two youngest sons in a bathtub had days earlier told her husband she wanted to surrender to police for purposely running over the boys the year before, but her husband talked her out of it, he testified at her trial. "Isn't it true she told you she tied them up with twine and ran them over repeatedly?" Allegheny County Assistant District Attorney Lisa Pellegrini asked the husband, Mark Schlemmer. "I remember she told me she tied them up, but I don't remember her saying she ran them over repeatedly," he responded. Schlemmer testified Thursday in the second day of Laurel Schlemmer's trial on charges of criminal homicide in the deaths of their sons Daniel, 6, and Luke, 3. Pellegrini on Wednesday played a video confession in which Laurel Schlemmer acknowledged holding the boys underwater on April 1, 2014, after returning from taking their 7-year-old brother to a school bus stop. Luke died that day, and Daniel died four days later. Defense attorney Michael Machen is arguing Laurel Schlemmer was too mentally ill to know what she was doing. But Pellegrini hopes to convince a judge the 43-year-old McCandless woman was purposely bent on killing the younger boys so she could focus her attention on their older brother and is seeking first-degree murder convictions. If successful, the woman would spend the rest of her life in prison. Should Machen convinced the judge of her mental problems, she could be convicted of a lesser murder or manslaughter charge, found not guilty or found guilty but mentally ill. If that happens, she'd spend time in a state mental hospital and then go to prison for whatever remains of any sentence after she's deemed sane. Pellegrini told Judge Jeffrey Manning in her opening statement Laurel Schlemmer was "fixated" on the idea the younger boys were autistic or otherwise abnormal, even though they were fine, and felt she could be a better mother to her oldest son if the younger boys were "in heaven." Story continues A police officer testified Wednesday that Laurel Schlemmer left Daniel in a parked 112-degree vehicle outside a mall in September 2009 and then ran over both younger boys on April 16, 2013, outside her parents' home. Police and child welfare workers concluded that was an accident. But five days before she drowned the boys, Mark Schlemmer testified she called him at work to say she planned to call police and confess that she purposely ran over the boys. Daniel suffered a broken pelvis, and Luke broke his jaw and an ankle and suffered injuries to his liver and pancreas. Mark Schlemmer testified he sent his wife to a physician, not a psychiatrist, after the vehicle incident to be medicated for depression and didn't leave her alone with the children for several weeks thereafter. By late March 2014, Laurel Schlemmer wanted to confess, but her husband took two days off work and convinced her otherwise. After his wife drowned the boys, Pellegrini asked him whether he "told the police, 'I'm a sinner. My son is dead, and I could have prevented it?'" "I don't remember those exact words," he replied. The trial was scheduled to continue Friday. Remember the first episode of Game of Thrones? The Dothraki wedding between Daenerys Targaryen and Khal Drogo takes place in a stunning location, with a picturesque limestone arch as a backdrop. Image: HBO Here's another scene from that first episode, featuring Ser Jorah Mormont: Image: HBO Sadly that arch, known as the Azure Window or Dwejra Window, is no more. It collapsed into the Mediterranean sea after heavy storms battered Malta's island of Gozo for days. There was a big raging sea beneath the window. Suddenly, the arch collapsed into the sea with a loud whoomph, throwing up a huge spray. By the time the spray had faded, the stack had gone too, Ronald Chessell, a resident of Xagra, a village on Gozo, told the Times of Malta. Just admire the arch in all its past glory: Image: Shutterstock / BARRA LORA And this is how it looks right now: Image: AP/REX/Shutterstock The collapse doesn't exactly come as a surprise to authorities, who have been warning for years about the inevitable erosion of the 92-ft fragile structure. However, a 2013 geological study concluded that there was no imminent danger of collapsing. Authorities recently introduced a 1,500 fine in a bid to stop people from walking across the landmark but it was largely ignored. Joseph Muscat, the Prime Minister of Malta tweeted: Reports commissioned over the years indicated that this landmark would be hard hit by unavoidable natural corrosion. That sad day arrived. Joseph Muscat (@JosephMuscat_JM) March 8, 2017 And this how the national tourism authority mourned the loss: CHICAGO (Reuters) - Illinois' record-breaking budget impasse, which has led to sporadic funding for higher education, is increasingly pressuring the finances and competitiveness of state universities, Moody's Investors Service said on Thursday. The credit rating agency said the lack of complete state funding has forced schools to take "considerable steps," including cutting academic programs and raising tuition, in order to keep operating and preserve financial liquidity. "Material programing reductions and staffing cuts, while necessary to keep the states public universities operational in the short-term, will further impair the universities abilities to sustain their strategic competitiveness and attract students for the upcoming fall 2017 class," Moody's said in a report. It noted Illinois was second only to New Jersey in the net number of their high school graduates who attended colleges in other states in 2014. Illinois is limping through a second-straight fiscal year without a budget due to a stalemate between its Republican governor and Democrats who control the legislature. The political battle has resulted in significant underfunding for universities and state grants that subsidize costs for low-income students. Ratings for seven universities range from an investment grade Aa3 for the University of Illinois to a junk rating of B1 for Eastern Illinois University, according to Moody's, which has a negative outlook on all of the ratings. The credit standing of the universities has weakened as Illinois' rating fell to Baa2, the lowest among the 50 states. (Reporting by Karen Pierog; Editing by Matthew Lewis) Washington (AFP) - Key differences remain in ongoing talks with Greece on a new loan program, and it is too soon to say when an agreement might be reached, an IMF spokesman said Thursday. "What I can say is there has been progress in some important areas. And we welcome that. However, differences remain in important areas," IMF Communications Director Gerry Rice told reporters. He declined to provide any details on the subject of the differences. An IMF team returned to Athens last week to resume talks with the Greek government and European officials in the long-stalled effort to agree on a new aid package. "It's still too early to speculate on when an agreement might be reached," Rice said. "There is still much work to be done." The IMF repeatedly has said Greece's debt is not sustainable, and the country requires debt restructuring, but European governments, especially Germany, have resisted providing more debt relief and dispute the fund's analysis, instead calling for more economic policy steps. The fund has cautioned against imposing further austerity on Greece, although they agree some reforms remain incomplete, including on the tax and pension system. Dr. Mohammad Jaber prepares to visit a patient in Sacramento, Calif. Jaber immigrated from Syria to the United States to pursue a medical degree. (Photo: Max Whittaker/Reuters) President Trumps temporary ban on immigration from six Muslim-majority countries has been billed as an effort to keep the U.S. safe from terrorists. But, in what could be one of the many unintended consequences of the so-called travel ban, the executive order could block thousands of immigrant medical professionals from staying in or entering the country, potentially affecting the health care of millions of Americans, especially those in rural areas that strongly supported Trumps White House bid. American health care relies heavily on foreign-born labor, especially in rural and high-risk urban areas where hospitals and clinics struggle to fill jobs amid what medical associations describe as a catastrophic shortage of doctors. The shortfall is only projected to grow worse in coming years amid the aging of the Baby Boom generation. An estimated 25 percent of roughly 850,000 doctors working in the U.S. were born in another country. Of those, more than 7,000 immigrant doctors currently working in the U.S. hail from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yementhe six countries included in Trumps updated immigration order, which he signed Monday. A new study from a group of Harvard and MIT researchers out this week found many of those doctors work in rural and impoverished parts of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. All told, those 7,000 doctors provide an estimated 14 million medical appointments per year, according to the study. While most foreign-born doctors already in the country are unlikely to be directly affected by the order, which bans immigration from six countries for 90 days starting March 16, medical groups are sounding the alarm about the danger that expiring work visas may be delayed or not renewed at all, forcing physicians to leave the country. And they also say the countrys next generation of doctors could be at risk, amid lingering questions about whether students from the affected countries will be allowed to study and work in the U.S. Story continues After a long application process, thousands of medical students from all over the world applying for residencies and fellowships in the U.S. are set to learn March 17 if they were accepted. Of those, roughly 500 are from the six affected countries, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. While the residents typically start in June, after the 90-day ban is scheduled to expire, officials say many programs are worried about accepting applicants who may be caught up in a long visa application process or, depending on the administrations next directive, blocked from entering the country at all. Theres a lot of uncertainty. Ive talked to program directors who are looking at good applicants from one of the countries, students who are at the top of their classes and would make great doctors, but they dont know what to do, said Atul Grover, a physician and executive vice president of the association. They worry that if they pick someone, they wont be allowed to come, and they need people in those positions. Foreign medical students who come to the U.S. usually are permitted entry under J1 or H1 visitor visas, which are subject to Trumps 90-day ban. After their residencies, many immigrant doctors often continue to stay in the U.S. through a visa waiver that allows them to work in the country if they agree to practice for at least three years in underserved areas, which primarily means rural areas where doctors are few and far between. But last week, a few days before Trump signed the so-called travel ban, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced it would temporarily suspend expedited processing for several categories of visas including the H1-B, which admits highly skilled people including doctors. According to physician groups, that could have a major impact on foreign-born doctors already working in the U.S. and medical students who are seeking to stay in the U.S. when their residencies end this summer, who often depend on expedited visa processing. According to those in touch with immigration officials, the entire process is murky. There have been conflicting answers on whether Trump administration officials will demand in-person interviews for visa applications, which has been something Trump frequently mentioned on the campaign trail as part of his plan for extreme vetting of those entering the U.S. and could delay an already long and rigorous process. In the past, foreign-born medical professionals were guided through the system with help from the Department of Health and Human Services, State Department and Homeland Security Department which worked together to expedite applications because of the need for doctors. But according to Grover, programs are still trying to sort out the rules and have gotten conflicting answers from administration officials who are trying to understand Trumps immigration rules and which agency handles what. Unlike the initial travel ban issued on Jan. 27, Trumps latest executive order on immigration included several waivers including for undue hardship and for foreign nationals who have professional obligations. Some physicians and medical groups are pointing to the language as a hopeful sign the Trump administration might be more flexible about entry for doctors and students from the six affected countries. We are eager to work with anyone and understand the rules. But theres a lot of unknowns, Grover said. The situation is exacerbated by the existing shortage of doctors in the U.S. Grover and other medical officials have expressed fear that international students blocked from entering the U.S. or alienated by Trumps rhetoric will simply go to work in other countries like Canada or Australia, which already compete with American hospitals and research institutions for talent. Bottom line, we need to train more residents. We need doctors desperately. We dont have enough people here in the U.S. to fill these jobs, Grover said. Talented people might be turned away because of this. And then there is the fear among foreign-born doctors who are already practicing here. In a recent letter to the New England Journal of Medicine, two Muslim physicians Muhammad Majeed, a child psychologist at Natchaug Hospital in Mansfield Center, Conn., and Fahad Saeed, a nephrologist and palliative care physician at the University of Rochester Medical Center in upstate New York wrote of hearing concerns from their chronically ill patients about whether their doctors would be able to stay in the U.S. and of their own feeling of insecurity about a country that had once welcomed them that now seemed not so friendly. This uncertainty undermines confidence in the health care system and potentially erodes the trust that physicians have established with their patients, they wrote, likening the environment to past biases like anti-Semitism and anti-Catholicism that caused decades of setbacks in science and marginalized many talented physicians. The American people, they wrote, deserve the best physicians to take care of them, regardless of their country of origin or religious background. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the AAMC oversees the National Resident Matching Program, which links medical students with hospitals and teaching institutions. In addition, the story originally stated roughly 1,000 applicants from the six countries included in Trumps executive order would be affected by the travel ban. A new estimate from the AAMC now says its roughly 500. Read more from Yahoo News: Today is the anniversary of one of the most important decisions in Supreme Court history that affected the civil rights movement and defined the free speech powers of the press: the case of the New York Times v. Sullivan. Justice William Brennan On March 9, 1964, a unanimous Supreme Court said public officials in defamation cases against the press needed to prove actual malice or knowledge that [a statement made] was false or with reckless disregard for the truth. In a world before the New York Times decision, the press had limited legal protections against libel and slander lawsuits, especially those launched by public officials who didnt like negative press coverage. The case began in 1960, when the New York Times ran a full-page advertisement paid for by civil right activists that offered support for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the civil rights struggle in Alabama. The advertisement openly criticized the police department in the city of Montgomery, Alabama for its treatment of civil rights protestors, and it also included several inaccurate statements. The police commissioner, L. B. Sullivan, took offense and sued the New York Times in an Alabama court, as part of an effort launched in Alabama to file numerous suits against the newspaper. Sullivans lawyers argued that the ad damaged his reputation, and he had been libeled. An Alabama court ruled in favor of Sullivan, and after losing an appeal in the Supreme Court of Alabama, the Times took its case to the Supreme Court, saying that the ad was not meant to hurt Sullivans reputation and the newspaper was protected under the First Amendment. A unanimous Court ruled in favor of the Times, saying the right to publish all statements is protected under the First Amendment. In issuing this new standard for defamation lawsuits brought by public officials, the Court and Justice William Brennan effectively shifted the burden of proof from the accused to the accuser. Another decision in 1967, Curtis Publishing, extended the actual malice standard to public figures, in addition to public figures. Story continues Since then, the concept of actual malice has been debated in the courts, but the press enjoys much wider freedoms that in did before the New York Times decision to report on the news without the threat of a lawsuit related to every story. Recent Historical Stories on Constitution Daily On this day, the Boston Massacre lights the fuse of revolution Five unusual amendments that never made it into the Constitution Podcast: Presidential succession and the 25th Amendment at 50 Paul Penzone, Democratic candidate for Maricopa County sheriff, speaks to supporters during an election night party, on Nov. 8, 2016, in Phoenix. Penzone unseated longtime incumbent Joe Arpaio. (Photo: Matt York/AP) PHOENIX, Ariz. Last Friday morning, Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone walked a few blocks from his office in downtown Phoenix to Arizona State Universitys Cronkite School of Journalism, where he patiently took questions from a room full of Latino journalism students from high schools around the county. Predictably, many of their questions concerned immigration: They wanted to know more about Penzones new policy on detaining immigrants at local jails, and about recent immigration arrests, like that of Juan Carlos Fomperosa Garcia, a single father of three who was detained and processed for deportation after he had checked in at an office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) the night before. For several students in attendance, the questions werent just journalistic, but personal. The event was part of Penzones effort to repair the relationships of the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office with the people it serves including the more than 1.2 million residents of Hispanic or Latino origin who were, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, systematically persecuted under the policies of Penzones predecessor, Joe Arpaio. With just over 4 million residents, including Anglo retirees from California and the Midwest, Latino migrants and college students, the sprawling county accounts for 60 percent of the states population. Its biggest city, Phoenix, also has the highest concentration of undocumented immigrants of any major metropolitan area in the country. And last November, Maricopa County gave Donald Trump more votes than any other county in the United States. You know who got more votes than Trump? Penzone asked during a recent interview with Yahoo News, referring to the election results in Maricopa County. I did. Although he was among Trumps earliest and most conspicuous supporters, Arpaio, whose endorsement had become a much-sought-after prize for Republican presidential primary contenders, lost his own bid for re-election after 24 years in office. Story continues Penzone, a veteran of the Phoenix police department who ran as a Democrat, maintains that his victory had less to do with politics which he insists has no place in law enforcement than it did with voters overwhelming fatigue with Americas toughest sheriff. Arpaios controversial crusade against illegal immigration left the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office in financial disarray, with a backlog of unsolved sex crimes. There was also a department-wide pattern of unconstitutional and discriminatory treatment of Latinos that amounted to what an investigator with the U.S. Department of Justice called the most egregious pattern of racial profiling in the United States. In this Feb. 4, 2009, file photo, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, left, orders approximately 200 convicted illegal immigrants handcuffed together and moved into a separate area of Tent City, for incarceration until their sentences were served and they were deported to their home countries. (Photo: Ross D. Franklin, File/AP) The brand of this organization was about things such as pink underwear and tanks, said Penzone. He was referring to signature Arpaio stunts like the emasculating undergarments that are worn by inmates at Maricopa Countys infamous Tent City jail, and to the time he and television Lawman Steven Seagal accompanied several sheriffs deputies on a military-style raid on an alleged cockfighting ring, knocking down the suspects front door with a tank. The tank will go, Penzone said decisively. Tent City, the 24-year-old unventilated facility built from Korean War-era Army surplus tents, whose notoriously dismal conditions have been deemed inadequate and unconstitutional by federal judges in the past, is currently under evaluation by the newly constituted Sheriff Penzones Executive Advisory Review (SPEAR) committee. With the help of advisory committees, including committees for outreach to Hispanic, African-American and LGBTQ communities, and with new leaders both within the department and from outside, Penzone hopes to change his offices reputation to one of professionalism, ethics and integrity. This vision is shared by many in Maricopa County, from the immigrant activists who led a grassroots campaign to unseat Arpaio to the traditionally conservative editorial board of the Arizona Republic, which endorsed Penzone in his campaign, citing his refreshing interest in carrying out the basic duties of law enforcement and public safety. Despite this broad foundation of support, less than two months after Penzone was sworn into office, he got a taste of political backlash, throwing Maricopa County back into the national spotlight with his first major act as sheriff. On the evening of Friday, Feb. 17, Penzone announced that the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office would no longer comply with ICE requests for courtesy holds a past practice under which the countys jails would detain people upon ICEs request for up to 48 hours after a judge had ordered their release. The decision, which Penzone says he made after he was informed by the Maricopa County attorneys office that the practice was unconstitutional, came as a bit of a shock, given the history of the Sheriffs Office, as well as the debate raging over local law enforcements role in immigration. It was immediately applauded by immigrant rights activists and condemned by proponents of strict immigration enforcement, such as the powerful Republican state Sen. John Kavanagh. Penzone says that before announcing the change in policy, he consulted with ICE to seek an alternative, legally viable solution. But the agency responded to the new policy with a statement calling it an immediate, dangerous change. Soon, a suspiciously-sourced statistic claiming that Penzone would now release 400 criminal illegal aliens every 10 days was being circulated across social media and right-wing blogs. As far as I can tell, thats a completely made-up figure like, truly, really fake news said Mark Casey, director of public information at the Sheriffs Office. According to his figures, the number of detainees with ICE hold requests released in the first 10 days of the new policy was 106. But the following Friday, Penzones office announced a revision to its policy to accommodate ICE concerns. While still declining to honor ICE requests for courtesy holds in the countys own jails, the Sheriffs Office would now notify the agency in advance of the pending release of persons flagged for possible immigration violations once when processing for their release began, and again 15 minutes before they were actually freed, allowing ICE agents to take them into custody before they left the building. And Penzone kept in place Maricopa Countys long-standing policy of permitting ICE agents to enter its jails and to interview any people booked there to determine their immigration status. This rankled local immigration activist Jacinta Gonzalez, who sued Arpaio and the Sheriffs Office in December 2016, after she was arrested during a March 2016 protest against then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Gonzalezs suit, which argues that she was unfairly held in jail overnight upon ICEs request, after a judge had ordered her release, appears to have at least partly prompted Penzones decision to end courtesy holds. Although Gonzalez said she was pleased that Penzone has recognized such detentions as unconstitutional, she described the policy now in place as one step forward, two steps back. To repair the departments relationship with the community effectively, Gonzalez argued, Penzone needs to completely eradicate all of the unconstitutional behavior that was happening inside of his jail. As long as ICE agents are allowed inside the jail, she argued, that will not be possible. What we need from Sheriff Penzone is to make sure no one is being profiled or rights violated, she said. Everyone who enters has to have a warrant. That includes ICE agents. On Tuesday she amended her suit to incorporate that demand. The ACLU of Arizona, which has spearheaded a number of major lawsuits against the Sheriffs Office and is tasked with monitoring the departments compliance with certain court orders, is also hopeful about Penzones progress, with some caveats. The Sheriffs Office is implementing reforms more slowly than we had expected and more slowly than the court ordered, and there continues to be agency-wide racial bias in traffic stops, said Kathy Brody, legal director for the ACLU of Arizona, in a statement to Yahoo News. We are hopeful that Sheriff Penzone will take immediate action to address the continued problem of bias in his department and will accelerate his agencys compliance with court orders, which will help protect the rights of Latinos in Maricopa County. Paul Penzone, who defeated Sheriff Joe Arpaio in the November election announced on Feb. 17, 2017, that he was ending a policy that keeps immigrants locked up in his jails past their release date, to give federal authorities extra time to launch deportation proceedings. (Photo: Ross D. Franklin, File/AP) Penzones decision to change the departments ICE detainer policy reflects the challenge that he faces in trying to get rid of the worst elements of Arpaios legacy while federal policy is moving in the opposite direction and directives are being issued at the national level that, in some cases, seem to have been copied straight from his predecessors playbook. Last month, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly issued two memos outlining a plan to implement President Trumps executive orders on immigration. Provisions in those memos included a request for local and county law enforcement agencies to comply with ICE request for courtesy holds the very practice that the Maricopa County attorneys office had just deemed unconstitutional. In a letter to Kelly, Penzone explained his predicament, noting that 43 of the 50 states have counties that cannot enforce courtesy holds due to the illegality of the practice. In the memos, Kelly also called on ICE and U.S. Department of Customs and Border Protection to resume partnerships under the previously dismantled federal 287(g) program, which provides trained state and local law enforcement officers with the authority to identify and detain people believed to be in the country illegally. However, as Penzone pointed out in his letter to Kelly, Maricopa County was previously engaged in such a partnership, but had its 287(g) status revoked by the Department of Homeland Security in 2011. A three-year Justice Department investigation concluded, according to the Associated Press, that Arpaios office committed a wide range of civil rights violations against Latinos, including unjust immigration patrols and jail policies that deprive prisoners of basic constitutional rights. Two years later, federal Judge G. Murray Snow echoed the Justice Departments conclusions about the Sheriffs Offices use of racial profiling in the class-action lawsuit Ortega Melendres v. Arpaio. In his comprehensive decision on the case, Snow stated that Until December 2011, [when the agency lost its 287(g) status, the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office] operated under the erroneous assumption that being an unauthorized alien in this country established a criminal violation of federal immigration law. However, in the absence of additional facts, being in the country without authorization is not, in and of itself, a federal criminal offense. Penzone called on Kelly to provide clearer guidelines of how Homeland Security expects local law enforcement agencies to assist federal immigration enforcement efforts without overstepping legal boundaries. It has always been my position we must be strong on issues of crime, including illegal immigration, he wrote. However, I will not violate the law or the constitution so the ends justify the means. Court orders and other legal ramifications of Arpaios practices are just part of the mess inherited by Penzone. During the height of Arpaios worksite immigration raids, between 2005 and 2007, the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office neglected to investigate hundreds of sex crimes, including many allegations of child molestation. A 2008 report by the conservative Goldwater institute found that under Arpaios watch, violent crime rates recently have soared, both in absolute terms and relative to other jurisdictions, noting a coinciding drop in arrest rates by Maricopa County sheriffs deputies and prolonged response times to 911 calls. (In addition to running the jails, the Sheriffs Office is the first responder in most of the county outside the city of Phoenix, which has its own police department.) A lot of the energy and a lot of the money and a lot of the focus of the agency was around advancing the previous sheriffs profile, said Casey, who joined Penzones administration after 17 years at the local NBC News affiliate, where he covered the department under Arpaio. That kind of got worse over time. In this Nov. 8, 2016, file photo, Paul Penzone addresses supporters at an election party in Phoenix. (Photo: Matt York, File/AP) The sheriff is basically bringing basic principles of operation to the law enforcement agency, getting it focused on law enforcement, said Casey. This includes reassuring members of Maricopa Countys immigrant and even undocumented populations that they, too, are entitled to police protection, as confusion and fear surrounding new federal enforcement policies have driven many into hiding. We as an agency have a lot of baggage in this area, he said, noting that the Sheriffs Office is choosing to handle this problem through outreach. The way you police this is: You are visible and youre nonthreatening. But Gonzalez questions the effectiveness of outreach, arguing that, At the end of the day, the community knows what really matters is what happens inside of his jail. It doesnt really matter if he has advisory committees if you know that if youre Latino, youre going to be profiled in that jail, she said. She pointedly noted that Penzones victory owed much to the votes of Latinos and other immigrants. Penzone was elected on a platform of respect for everyones human rights, she said. People are really watching his leadership. At least some of the students at last weeks journalism school gathering said they were pleasantly surprised to hear Penzone address some of these concerns. Emily Cervantes, a freshman at Mesa High School, in Mesa, Ariz., said that although her father has lived in the United States since he was 20 or so, he hasnt got his working permit, so hes scared, and hes very stressed. The family of Cervantes classmate Veronica Haumann is dealing with similar concerns. Her mother, who is a U.S. citizen, has begun driving her stepfather, who is not, to work every morning. She doesnt want him driving anymore, Haumann told Yahoo News, out of fear, she said, that he might be stopped, checked and wind up in ICE custody. And then my baby brother would grow up without a dad. Washington (AFP) - Entries into the United States by "inadmissible persons" were down 40 percent from January to February, the US government said Wednesday, hailing this as progress on President Donald Trump's southern border security focus. "The drop in apprehensions shows a marked change in trends," said Homeland Security chief John Kelly. Trump took office January 20. "Since the Administrations implementation of Executive Orders to enforce immigration laws, apprehensions and inadmissible activity is trending toward the lowest monthly total in at least the last five years." Kelly said this was key because Customs and Border Protection usually sees a 10-20 percent increase in apprehensions of illegal immigrants from January to February. "Instead, this year we saw a drop from 31,578 to 18,762 persons - a 40 percent decline," he stressed, arguing that this meant fewer people were taking the huge risk of putting their fate in the hands of human traffickers. "Early results show that enforcement matters, deterrence matters, and that comprehensive immigration enforcement can make an impact," said Kelly, one of Trumps' closest allies on tightening US-Mexican border security and the president's controversial pledge to build a wall there. During his campaign, Trump, 70, appalled Mexicans and many Americans by calling Mexicans who crossed the border illegally into the US, drug dealers and criminals. Hispanics or Latinos are the largest US minority; most US Hispanics are of Mexican descent or immigrants from Mexico. DENPASAR, Indonesia (Reuters) - An Indonesian court sentenced former Reuters journalist David Fox to seven months in prison on Thursday for possession of hashish, less than the one-year jail term sought by prosecutors, meaning that he can be released in a few weeks. Fox was found with just over 10 grams (0.35 oz) of hashish when police detained him in a bar and raided his home in Sanur, Bali, in October. The presiding judge, Erwin Djong, said Fox had received a lighter sentence than prosecutors had asked for because he had been cooperative and polite in court and had no prior record. Fox, who worked for Reuters for two decades until March 2011 and has since been working as an independent consultant, had admitted possession and said he used hashish to cope with stress after his work as a journalist, which included covering wars and natural disasters. His lawyer, Haposan Sihombing, said Fox accepted the ruling and that the British national, who was brought up in Zimbabwe, would return to the United Kingdom after serving the remainder of his sentence. Indonesia has strict drug laws and even possession of small amounts of drugs can incur lengthy jail sentences. Indonesian President Joko Widodo has ordered an intensification in the war on drugs in the Southeast Asian country that includes the execution of traffickers. (Reporting by Bali stringer; Writing by Fergus Jensen; Editing by Ed Davies and Nick Macfie) At 6:35 a.m. on March 4, President Donald Trump launched an attack against the government of the United States. Deploying his favorite weapon, Twitter, he wrote, Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my wires tapped in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism! In fewer than 140 characters, he accused a former President of an impeachable offense, suggested that Justice Department agents might have engaged in a felony and gestured at the possibility that federal judges enabled a political outrage. He wasnt finished. Over the next half houras Trumps staff, left behind in Washington, began waking up and unlocking their phones to discover what the boss was up to down at Mar-a-Lagothe President added two more tweets suggesting that Obama and federal investigators had broken the law and should be prosecuted. He capped his indictment with a fourth blurt, comparing the allegation with the worst political crisis of his 70-year lifetime. How low has President Obama gone to tapp [sic] my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy! Trump was right that the government now faces a test of historic dimensions. The FBI is probing a plot by Russia to subvert the core exercise of American democracy in the 2016 presidential election. Revelations of contacts between Trump aides and Russian officials have forced the resignation of the Presidents National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn, and the recusal of his Attorney General, Jeff Sessions. This probe, which may or may not have involved court-approved surveillance, has unleashed an orgy of political exploitation, resulting in a crisis of confidence in the governments ability to play by the rules. But no matter what he tweets from his Palm Beach Xanadu, Trump is more author than victim of this crisis. Neither he nor his White House staff provided any evidence for his extraordinary accusations against what some of them call a deep state. Obama denied Trumps assertions, and was soon joined by former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and, via intermediaries, FBI Director James Comey. Trump is rallying his political base against the federal agencies he oversees, thus partnering his presidency with a radical fringe. Win or lose, the standoff he has engineered will diminish the credibility of the government. Story continues Approaching the halfway point of his first 100 days, this has become a defining aspect of Trumps presidency. His latest Twitter attack, like other actions before it, targeted institutions that stand in his path to what aides say is a larger political purpose: undoing much of what government has become over the past century. Few, if any, Presidents have paid so little deference to the chief executives and legislators who came before them. The extent of Trumps battle plan remains unclear. But at a recent gathering of conservative activists in Washington, Trumps top strategist, Stephen Bannon, said the goal was the deconstruction of the administrative state. The progressives for the last 100 years have set up really a fourth branch of government, he tells TIME. So the deconstruction of that is really a massive project. Its ambitious talk, and difficult to compress into even a storm of tweets. Trumps results so far are mixed. He has embraced a budget that would slash nondefense government-agency spending by $54 billion. He has delayed, suspended or reversed 90 regulations imposing government controls on everything from Wall Street to telecoms to hunters, according to an analysis by the New York Times. He has frozen federal hiring, and his allies on Capitol Hill have proposed reducing federal employees pensions. He says many of the nearly 2,000 open executive federal positions might be unnecessary. On the other hand, Trump has promised to preserve and even bolster many of the federal governments largest programs, such as Social Security, Medicare and the Pentagon, to name a colossal three. His immigration policies are a federal overreach in the eyes of some traditional antigovernment conservatives. And his comments on health care policy suggest he will be happy to sign a bill that leaves Washington neck-deep in the middle of Americas largest industry. It can be difficult to separate his program from his petulance, for nothing moves the mercurial Trump like hearing the word no. When federal courts blocked his Executive Order banning refugees and travelers from seven mostly Muslim countries, Trump attacked. He said the so-called judges opinion was ridiculous and the federal judiciary political. The tantrum moved Trumps own Supreme Court nominee, U.S. Circuit Court Judge Neil Gorsuch, to criticize the Presidents rhetoric. Trumps Twitter backlashes have been interpreted as judo moves against elite power, or a CEOs frustration that government cant work like a business. Yet his senior aides say that every attack feeds into the same Trump strategy to shrink the federal government. Its nothing personal, Bannon says. Hes not doing that because he wants to disrupt the lives of bureaucrats, he says. Its just the natural process of how one looks to dismantle part of a massive bureaucracy. At the same time, a senior official says Trumps Twitter rants are tactical moves designed to build his political strength by going around the media to marshal his supporters. And nothing marshals his supporters like seeing him on the attack against political elites. Strategy and tactics aside, though, this is playing with fire. Where does the so-called deep state or administrative state end, and our beloved 228-year-old constitutional republic begin? Who will ultimately have a say in drawing that line, apart from Trump? When the Presidents advisers talk about a century of government action, they are covering a tremendous amount of ground, ranging from the National Park System to the federal rule that requires disclosure of diced or dried onions in onion rings. So far in his young presidency, Trump has attacked his predecessor, the judicial branch, military commanders (they were to blame for the recent combat death of a Navy SEAL, Trump said), the intelligence agencies and the legacy of a century of legislative actions, executive decisions and court rulings. And he is only getting started, the senior White House official says. There was a time when the kind of domestic spying abuse that Trump charged against Obama was widespread. During the Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon administrations the FBI, CIA and NSA all used lawless investigative techniques to collect and pass along political intelligence to the White House. Robert Kennedys Justice Department received wiretap information on Martin Luther King Jr., while Richard Nixon authorized a program of wiretaps which produced for the White House purely political or personal information unrelated to national security, according to the post-Watergate Church Committee. The FBI passed along information on the social lives of Supreme Court Justices and social contacts with foreign officials by Bernard Baruch, Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt and Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, while the IRS compiled files on more than 11,000 individuals and groups between 1969 and 1973 based on political rather than tax criteria. The motivation for this lawless behavior, according to David Kris and J. Douglas Wilson, who wrote the definitive reference work National Security Investigations & Prosecutions, was a rampant fear of the Soviet Union. Some of the fears were outlandish but terrifying: the CIA believed, for example, in the aftermath of World War II, that the Soviet Union was engaged in a wide-ranging program of testing LSD. It genuinely thought that the Soviets might develop mind-control drugs and turn every American into an obedient, communist zombie. One CIA officer testified that he and his colleagues were literally terrified at the prospect. The excesses led to a series of laws passed in the years after Nixons resignation designed to constrain Americas spies and spy hunters. In 1976 and 1977, Congress created the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, which have broad oversight power over the FBI, CIA and NSA. Congress also passed the Inspector General Act, creating multiple independent watchdogs at the investigative and national-security agencies. Most important, it passed in 1978 the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which governs all spy-targeting electronic surveillance in the U.S. After 1978, if the U.S. government wanted to eavesdrop on a foreign spy in the U.S., an official from the FBI or NSA had to get a warrant from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Courtwhich comprises federal judges selected for the task by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Courtwhose proceedings are generally classified. And getting such a warrant was not easy, especially if the feds risked invading the privacy of Americans as part of the investigation. Multiple Justice Department and White House rules required approval by senior law enforcement and intelligence officials before a warrant application could even be made. FISA itself required that application to include detailed and specific information about who was to be targeted, where, for what purpose, for how long and what exactly the result was likely to be. Any information on Americans caught up in the surveillance had to be set aside and destroyed unless specific conditions were met, like evidence of a crime. Multiple rules set even higher safeguards against accidental snooping against politicians, activists or academics, among others. And the newly formed congressional committees were to be kept fully informed of any FISA court activity. By the summer of 2016, the FBI had plenty of incentives to jump through all those legal hoops. The first hint that Russia had designs on the election came in April, when the spy service of a foreign ally passed along a tip that Russia was funneling money through two banks to fund a political-influence operation in the U.S., according to several published reports. Over the next several months, as Russia hacked into state voting databases and leaked emails stolen from the accounts of leading Democrats, U.S. spy hunters realized they had a growing problem on their hands. In early September, the Washington Post reported that the FBI was investigating a possible Russian operation against the election. That was followed on Oct. 7 by a public assessment from the U.S. intelligence community that Russia was interfering in the November vote. Under those circumstances, it would not be surprising if investigators had sought a FISA warrant to gather documents or authorize surveillance of Russian contacts with American political figures. The first such reporta day before the electionwas by a former member of the British Parliament turned journalist for Rupert Murdochs News Corp., Louise Mensch. She published an article on the website HeatStreet claiming that the FBI had in fact sought and received a FISA warrant against members of Trumps campaign for an investigation of ties to Russian banks. The article went largely unnoticed, but then the FISA warrant issue resurfaced in January, reported by the BBC. Over the following weeks, the allegations merged with stories about the long-standing associations between Trump aides and various members of Russias oligarchy. Trumps refusal to acknowledge the authorship of the Russian influence operation, before and after Election Day, and his often admiring remarks about Russian President Vladimir Putin, lent further credence to the idea of a Russia connection inside Trumpland. By February, Trump was a new President beset with questions about Russian influence and furious at persistent leaks concerning contacts that his aides and advisers had with Putins representatives. Trumps defenders began to speculate that Trumps aides were the actual targets in the probe, rather than being caught up in an investigation of the Russians. Meanwhile, Trumps opponents in the Democratic Party ramped up their charges that Trump officials communicated with Russia about the election interference. The result: Trumps presidency found itself hobbled with each new revelation from the ongoing and intensifying investigation. First National Security Adviser Flynn was forced to step down on Feb. 13 after misleading Vice President Mike Pence about his conversations with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Two weeks later, the Washington Post reported that Attorney General Sessions had met with Kislyak twice in 2016, though he had denied during his confirmation hearings meeting any Russian officials. Under pressure, Sessions recused himself from oversight of the FBIs Russia probe. At first the White House reported that Trump had demanded Flynns resignation. But soon he was complaining on Twitter that information is being illegally given to the failing @nytimes & @washingtonpost by the intelligence community (NSA and FBI?). Just like Russia. He was even more furious at Sessions recusal. After storming out of Washington for another weekend in Palm Beach, Trump read an incendiary mash-up of all the earlier coverage related to a possible FISA warrant assembled by Breitbart News, according to aides. The conclusion of that report: the Obama Administration sought, and eventually obtained, authorization to eavesdrop on the Trump campaign. The article quoted right-wing radio host Mark Levin calling the investigation a silent coup. That was good enough for Trump, who promptly opened his Twitter app. And if his tweets were correctif Obama and federal investigators working for him tapped Trumps lines without legal authorityit would be a felony unlike any since Watergate. But if Trump had gone off half-cocked, he stood to undermine the very system put in place to prevent some of the worst outrages of that earlier era. A FISA warrant issued by a duly appointed judge would normally be a good sign, evidence that the FBI was getting to the heart of the Russian operation. FISA coverage is always hoped for, in a properly run FBI intelligence investigation, the Justice Departments Inspector General observed in a November 2004 report. Trump gave supporters a stark choice: believe me, or believe the government. It would be one thing if Trumps outburst against those investigating the Russia operation was simply an emotional backlash in the face of political woes. But the pattern of Trumps seven-week presidency so far has been to reach for his political base whenever he faces opposition. As a self-declared warrior against the state and drainer of Washingtons swamp, he has opposition on multiple fronts. Trump has taken a number of steps aimed at cutting the government. He has ordered that for every new government rule, two existing ones must be eliminated. He has set in motion an unwinding of Wall Street regulations imposed after the 2008 financial crisis. His Labor Department is under orders to review, and presumably rescind, Obamas regulation of financial advisers who deal with Main Street investors. His proposed budget, which faces an uncertain fate in Congress, contains aggressive cuts totaling $54 billion at nondefense agencies. Cuts proposed at the EPA could shrink Clean Air Act implementation funds granted to states by $68 million, to less than $160 million. Even greater cuts, percentage-wise, would limit funds for fighting water and lead pollution. Trumps denunciation of a slow and burdensome FDA has many in the medical community, not to mention staffers in that agency, fearful that his future pick to lead them could pare back drug- and food-safety measures in place since the early 1960s. Trump has declined to nominate officials below the Cabinet level in many agencies, leaving some effectively paralyzed. Only six departmentsCommerce, Justice, Health and Human Services, Defense, Homeland Security and Transportationhave any Senate-confirmed positions at headquarters nominated below the Secretary level. Agencies accustomed to driving the agenda are sitting idle. At the State Department, diplomats not immediately involved in crises like Russia or North Korea are biding their time reading cables. This, argues the Administration, is all part of the master plan. Rulemakers have supplanted legislators and administrative courts answering to the President have supplanted the judiciary, White House officials say. The result has been a bureaucracy that is larger than all three traditional branches of government combined. Defenders of the administrative state say it exists for a reason: to make sure the laws and policies of the government are implemented fairly and according to the Constitution. Staffed by experts who oversee an open governmental process, they say, the federal bureaucracy exists to protect those who would otherwise be at the mercy of better-organized, better-funded interests. Its not realistic to expect that Congress is going to solve all the policy problems that come up in the modern world, says Susan Rose Ackerman of Yale Law School. The war on the administrative state, she says, is in fact a war on the core responsibility of the bureaucracy to make sure the laws as passed are carried out. For many of Trumps followers, his declared war and the steps he has taken to wage it so far are all part of a job well done, exactly what they asked for. And his credibility with them is on the rise. He was given a mandate with the election to go up there and correct and fix Washington and drain that swamp. That is exactly what I see him doing, says Janice Westmoreland, 69, of Milledgeville, Ga. But patient advocates worry about changes at the FDA, while environmentalists warn of the consequences of loosened regulations. Millions of people around the country will be exposed to unhealthful air, says Bill Becker, executive director of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies. It could literally be the difference between protecting public health and premature death. Trumps greatest foes are among his principal targets: the men and women of the U.S. government. Leaks have sprung all across the Trump Administration. Some, presumably from those alarmed by his foreign-policy agenda, have exposed Trumps gaffe-filled conversations with foreign leaders. Other leaks, perhaps from those angry at Trumps attacks on the intelligence community, have detailed the Russia investigation in ways that make Trump look bad. To combat these, Trump reaches for Twitter. On Feb. 16, at 7:02 a.m., Trump tweeted a warning: low-life leakers will be caught. More damaging confrontations arise when Trump goes after other parts of the government, namely the courts and agencies charged with law enforcement. Its not clear that the President has a thorough understanding of checks and balances, and compared with most Presidents, he doesnt surround himself with people who do. To paraphrase former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Trump went to war against the state with the army he had, business-school ideologues and website provocateurs like Bannon, rather than with the army he should have wanted: experienced, cold-blooded lawyers. No personnel in the White House will ever alter a core fact about Washington: power depends on knowing how to use the law even more than knowing how to change it. Charged with responding to that reality is Trumps White House counsel, Don McGahn. It has already become clear that changing laws on Capitol Hill will be, at best, a slow and partial part of the war. McGahn says he is staffing his office with lawyers experienced both inside and outside the administrative state. In order to increase the power of President Trump to implement his policy preferences, you have to decrease the role of the unelected bureaucracy which has grown accustomed to implementing their policy preferences, McGahn says. The cost of that effort, for Trump and for America, is unclear. Trump is spending at a terrific rate the accumulated credibility capital of the office he occupies, the former head of the Justice Departments National Security Division, David Kris, wrote recently in the Washington Post. There may come a day when he needs to speak seriously, and to be taken seriously, at home or abroad. On his present course and speed, that will be a hard day. In the meantime, the gumshoes at the FBI have their old nemeses, the spies of Moscow, squarely in their sights. And those agents will keep grinding away, using the investigative tools granted them by law, until they make their case. Whatever they prove in court against the Russians and anyone who helped them will be a testament to the institutions that have ensured the survival of American democracy for 241 years. The question is how much lasting damage Americas political leaders will inflict on those institutions in the meantime. With reporting by PHILIP ELLIOTT and ZEKE J. MILLER/WASHINGTON; ALICE PARK, JOSH SANBURN and JUSTIN WORLAND/NEW YORK This appears in the March 20, 2017 issue of TIME. By Esha Vaish (Reuters) - The prospect of Brexit choking off the supply of EU workers is reshaping Britain's homebuilding industry, with big companies increasingly looking to factory-manufacture houses in sections that can be slotted together on-site with minimal labour. Many of Britain's leading housebuilders, including Berkeley, Taylor Wimpey, Persimmon and Your Housing, told Reuters they were either planning new developments of prefabricated homes or considering doing so. This represents something of a turnaround in a country where "prefabs" have borne a strong and lingering stigma dating back to the 1940s when Winston Churchill ordered tens of thousands of cheap, flimsy, ugly units to be built to address a shortage housing after World War Two. The change is being fuelled by fears over a labour shortage in the British construction industry, which relies heavily on European workers like carpenters, joiners and bricklayers. About 12 percent of its 2.1 million employees come from abroad, mainly the EU, according to official figures. The trend is amplified in London where a quarter of the 350,000 construction employees come from other EU countries, particularly eastern Europe. Britain leaving the European Union, with its single market and free movement of workers, threatens the flow of this crucial skilled labour at a time when the country faces another housing shortage and is looking to build 1 million homes by 2020. This is driving a resurgence in so-called offsite construction which allows anything from bathroom pods and chimneys to entire houses to be manufactured in factories before being transported by trucks to the site and bolted together. While this involves a bigger initial investment, it requires a fraction of the labour of traditional construction, which relies on armies of workers to build houses layer by layer from the ground up. The imperative to avoid delays from labour shortages can dramatically push up payroll costs. "Fundamentally, the construction industry has been doing some things the same way for hundreds of years. Historically, we had the labour ... But the challenge is different now," said Berkeley Chairman Tony Pidgley. BIG PLAYERS Berkeley is producing its first ever factory-built homes this year. It is starting small, with 16 prefabs in southeast London, but has another 50 in the pipeline for the capital and plans to gradually expand the programme. The company said it had a target of building 10-15 percent of all its houses using modular construction in the "short to medium term", without giving a more specific timeframe. It added that factory work could be carried out by fewer, and relatively unskilled, workers as most processes were automated. Your Housing, which has a greater focus on social housing, is taking a different approach and partnering with Chinese companies to undertake a far bigger project. It said it was finalising an agreement with China National Building Material and WeLink for a 2.5 billion pound ($3.1 billion) joint venture to build six prefab factories in Britain, one a year to 2022, with the aim of producing thousands of homes. Your Housing executive director Stephen Haigh said Britain's EU withdrawal would challenge traditional building by squeezing labour, allowing factory-based construction to flourish. Mark Farmer, author of a government-commissioned review into the construction sector labour market late last year, said the Brexit vote was forcing companies to look at offsite building techniques, to reduce dependence on traditional labour. "I'm not talking about a few thousand units, I'm talking about investors and developers that control the development of tens of thousands of units," Farmer, who runs the Cast real estate and construction consultancy, told Reuters. PREFAB TECH Britain lags other nations in the adoption of factory-based construction, which accounted for 7 percent of UK housebuilding by value in 2015 versus up to 15 percent in Germany and Japan, according to data from engineering consultancy Arcadis. Today's technology is light years ahead of the low-grade 1940s prefabs, however, and prefabrication can produce homes of the same quality as traditional building techniques, drawing the interest of big construction players ahead of Brexit. Taylor Wimpey is exploring ways to "future proof" its business and considering offsite construction options ranging from modular house sections to prefab timber frames, said divisional managing director John Gainham. "Mindful of skill shortages, which is a big issue within the industry, and the implications of Brexit potentially, we've started to look at all the mainstream alternatives," he said. Its rival Persimmon has for many years had a factory in central England, part of a business called Space4, that makes prefab timber frames for about 40 percent of all its houses. Space4 is looking at proposals to either increase volumes at the existing factory or build another factory elsewhere in Britain, said Persimmon Homes Midlands chief Richard Oldroyd, adding this was being driven by a desire to reduce reliance on traditional labour like bricklayers, partly in light of Brexit. It is also testing the construction of factory-based attic, or loft, rooms as well as various finishes for houses to further shift construction offsite, he added. 'FEEL THE FEAR' A study carried out by the Steel Construction Institute consultancy estimated that prefabrication could reduce traditional on-site labour by 75 percent. Many of these workers come from Poland. Your Housing's Haigh estimates its factories would require a tenth of the workforce required on a traditional project. Berkeley says prefabs will cut on-site production time from about 40 to 10 weeks for a typical house. Such savings could prove important after Brexit, which Arcadis estimates could lead to Britain missing out on 215,000 traditional construction workers coming to the country by 2020, on top of any departures of existing workers. The quality of prefab homes today is equal to those built using traditional techniques. But the big upfront investment to set up factories means they currently cost significantly more, with builders taking the hit as they must still offer homebuyers competitive prices. In years to come, and as the method gains popularity, the production costs are expected to fall sharply. Insurer Legal & General - a big investor in real estate - spent about 55 million pounds last year to set up a prefabs factory in northern England. Only the big names in construction can afford offsite at the moment because of the initial investment required, said Justin Gates of real estate consultant Knight Frank. "Eventually, modular businesses will get better and be available for the small and medium-sized housebuilders to use, but I think, at the moment, it is probably beyond their reach." Supplier Kingspan provides a wide assortment of construction components and services to builders of all types, making it a barometer of shifts in industry techniques. It said it had seen housebuilders demand more and more offsite products since last June's Brexit vote. Companies focused on traditional construction were now asking for offsite supplies, while those already partly building offsite were pushing for more, said Mark Stevenson, managing director of Kingspan's timber solutions business. "We're being pulled in a direction that customers want us to go in, from more work from the building site into the factory," he added. "You can almost feel the fear among the contractors and housebuilders where they've been surviving on labour from outside the country." ($1 = 0.8149 pounds) (Reporting by Esha Vaish in Bengaluru; Editing by Pravin Char) Madrid (AFP) - Around 40,000 protesters took to the streets of Madrid on Wednesday to mark International Women's Day and call for an end to domestic violence. Gathered in the central square, the protesters carried posters reading "Justice" and "We are not all here" -- in reference to victims of violence who have lost their lives. Municipal officials estimated at least 40,000 people had rallied in Madrid, and smaller protests were held in Barcelona and other cities. "Gender violence must end, equality must be attained and the 'glass ceiling' for women in business broken," Marta Garcia, a protester at the Madrid rally, told AFP. But Garcia said she was pleased to see the number of men taking part in the demonstration. Manuela Carmena, the city's mayor, released a video message together with the mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau, advocating to an end to violence against women. In the last three months of 2016 there were 38,402 reports of domestic violence, marking a 14 percent increase compared to the previous year, according to figures provided by a watchdog group. Elsewhere in Europe and around the world marches were held to mark International Women's Day, with rallies taking place in Istanbul, Ukraine, New York and Buenos Aires. By Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Scotland Yard and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating more than a hundred bomb threats made to Jewish groups in the United States and Britain since Jan. 7, U.S. and UK law enforcement and Jewish community officials said. Investigators said there is evidence that some of the U.S. and British bomb threats are linked. According to people in both countries who have listened to recordings of the threats, most of the them have been made over the telephone by men and women with American accents whose voices are distorted by electronic scramblers. Waves of threats against U.S. Jewish groups - including community centers, schools, and offices of national organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) civil rights group - have been followed within hours by similar but smaller waves against Jewish organizations, mainly schools, in Britain, Jewish community representatives in both countries said. FBI officials in Washington confirmed that the agency is investigating the threats against U.S. Jewish organizations. Sources in Britain's Jewish community said London's Metropolitan Police, otherwise known as Scotland Yard, is conducting its own investigation and collaborating with the FBI. Scotland Yard did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment. Some of the most recent threats were called in Tuesday to ADL offices in Atlanta, Boston, New York, and Washington. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said President Donald Trump's administration would "continue to condemn them and look at ways to stop them." NO BOMBS FOUND The threats, 140 of them in the United States alone, according to Jewish community leaders, usually have involved callers claiming that improvised explosive devices have been placed outside the buildings that have been threatened. However, no homemade bombs have been found outside any of the threatened premises in either the United States or the UK, community officials said. Earlier this month, all 100 U.S. senators signed a letter to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and FBI Director James Comey expressing concern that the wave of threats will put innocent people at risk and threaten the finances of Jewish institutions. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan filed charges against Juan Thompson, a former writer for the investigative website The Intercept, earlier this month alleging that he was responsible for at least eight threats emailed to Jewish community centers as "part of a sustained campaign to harass and intimidate" a woman with whom he had a romantic relationship. The Intercept, a news website, had fired Thompson months earlier for allegedly fabricating quotes. Jewish community officials in the United States and Britain said they think the threats that investigators linked to Thompson were not related to the larger campaign against Jewish organizations in their countries. (Reporting By Mark Hosenball; Editing by John Walcott and Jonathan Oatis) Tehran (AFP) - Iran has successfully test-fired a naval missile which hit its target 250 kilometres away, local news agencies reported Thursday. "We have this week tested the Hormuz-2 missile," the Fars and Tasnim agencies quoted the commander of the air wing of the elite Revolutionary Guards, General Amir-Ali Hadjizadeh, as saying "The missile succeeded in destroying its target 250 kilometres (155 miles) away," in the Gulf of Oman, Hadjizadeh added. According to the local news agencies the new Hormuz-2 missile has a maximum range of 300 kilometres. The missile test was carried out at a time of heightened tension between Iran and the United States. On Wednesday a senior Revolutionary Guards official accused the United States of provoking tensions after two separate incidents in the Gulf last week. "A US Navy ship crossing the Strait of Hormuz changed its international route and approached to within 550 metres of Revolutionary Guards' boats in an unprofessional way," Mehdi Hashemi told the Guard's website Sepahnews. He said actions by the United States and the United Kingdom in recent days showed they have "harmful, illegitimate and provocative objectives". The Pentagon on Monday blasted the "unprofessional" behaviour of the Iranian navy. The spike in tensions follows the inauguration of Donald Trump as US president. Washington imposed fresh sanctions on Iran following a missile test in late January. By Ahmed Rasheed and John Davison SULAIMANIYA/MOSUL (Reuters) - Iraqi forces aim to dislodge Islamic State militants from west Mosul within a month, despite grueling urban combat in densely populated terrain, the head of the elite Counter Terrorism Service told Reuters on Thursday. As Iraqi forces advance deeper into west Mosul, they are facing increasingly stiff resistance from Islamic State militants using suicide car bombs and snipers to defend their last major stronghold in Iraq. Their operation to retake the eastern bank of the city, launched in mid-October with support from a U.S.-led coalition, took more than three months. The offensive to recapture west Mosul got underway less than three weeks ago. "Despite the tough fighting... we are moving ahead in persistence to finish the battle for the western side within a month," Lieutenant General Talib Shaghati told Reuters at a conference in Sulaimaniya. The few thousand militants still fighting in west Mosul are overwhelmingly outnumbered by a 100,000-strong array of Iraqi forces, but their ruthless tactics east of the Tigris river late last year enabled them to hold out much longer than the government's initial optimistic predictions. Mosul is by far the largest city which Islamic State has held in its cross-border, self-declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria. It has been losing ground in both countries, with three separate forces, backed by the United States, Turkey and Russia, advancing on its Syrian stronghold of Raqqa. In Mosul, CTS forces recaptured the Moalimin and Silo districts on Thursday, according to the commander of the campaign Lieutenant General Abdul Ameer Rasheed Yarallah. Inside the city, CTS are fighting alongside the Federal Police and the elite interior ministry Rapid Response force, which earlier this week recaptured the provincial government headquarters and the Mosul museum. A federal police colonel said on Thursday there were skirmishes close to the museum, where the militants filmed themselves destroying priceless statues and sculptures in 2015. "The frontline is just beyond it," said Lieutenant Colonel Hammeed Habib of the Rapid Response forces. "There are snipers stationed in tall hotel buildings on a road beyond that line". The Iraqi army's ninth division and Shi'ite paramilitary forces said on Wednesday they had cut the main road between the city and the Islamic State stronghold of Tal Afar to the west, tightening a noose around the city. There is little doubt Iraqi forces will eventually prevail over the militants, who are both outnumbered and overpowered, but even if it loses Mosul, Islamic State is expected to revert to their insurgent tactics of old. On Wednesday, bomb blasts ripped through a wedding party near Tikrit, which was recaptured by Iraqi forces in 2015, killing more than 20 people. The jihadist group has lost most of the cities it captured in northern and western Iraq in 2014 and 2015. In Syria, U.S.-backed Syrian forces said on Thursday they expected to reach the outskirts of Islamic State-held Raqqa city in a few weeks.[nL5N1GM35Q] The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance including the Kurdish YPG militia, is the main U.S. partner in the war against Islamic State in Syria. The U.S.-led coalition said on Thursday a Marines unit had deployed to help the campaign. In Mosul, civilians are fleeing in greater number as the fighting approaches the densely populated old city, causing alarm that the camps for displaced people are nearly full . About 40,000 people have fled the fighting and hardship in the past 10 days, bringing the total number of people displaced from Mosul since campaign started to more than 215,000, according to United Nations estimates. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi called on the population to stay in their homes, at the same time urging humanitarian organizations and government agencies to step up efforts to help the tens of thousands who fled. It was from the Mosul old city's grand al-Nuri Mosque that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared his "caliphate" nearly three years go. Baghdadi, an Iraqi whose real name is Ibrahim al-Samarrai, has left operational commanders to fight in the city, moving in a remote, mostly desert stretch, trying to evade surveillance, according to U.S. and Iraqi official. (Writing by Isabel Coles and Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Dominic Evans) By Isabel Coles and John Davison MOSUL/ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi forces battled Islamic State militants in their stronghold of Mosul on Wednesday and took control of the last major road leading west from the city, before bomb blasts ripped through a wedding party near Tikrit, killing more than 20 people. The blasts in the village of Hajjaj, reported by local officials and medics as suicide attacks, were not immediately claimed, although Islamic State has carried out similar actions as it comes under pressure in Mosul. A police source said two blasts hit the wedding and two more targeted security forces at the scene shortly afterwards. There were ongoing clashes between security forces and militants in the area, he said. Inside Mosul, troops battled the ultra-hardline Sunni Muslim fighters, who hid among the remaining civilian population and deployed snipers and suicide car bombs to defend their last major Iraq stronghold. The U.S.-backed campaign to crush the militants saw Iraqi forces recapture the eastern side of the city in January. They launched their assault on the western half last month. The retreat of Islamic State's self-styled caliphate, which leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared from a mosque in Mosul's old city in 2014, has been accompanied by bomb attacks in areas outside the group's control, including Baghdad and cities in neighboring Syria. The caliphate has spanned large areas in northern Iraq and eastern Syria. Losing Mosul would deal a fatal blow to Islamic State's hold over territory in Iraq. Fighting is expected to get tougher as Iraqi troops push further into the more densely populated areas in the western half of the city, including the old city. Militants used car bombs in their counter-attack on Tuesday night around the Nineveh governorate building, Major General Ali Kadhem al-Lami of the Federal Police's Fifth Division told a Reuters correspondent near the site. "Today we're clearing the area which was liberated," he said. Military officials had said that Rapid Response troops, an elite interior ministry division, recaptured the provincial government headquarters on Tuesday. They also took the central bank branch and a museum where militants had filmed themselves destroying priceless statues in 2015. "The museum is completely empty of all artifacts. They were stolen, possibly smuggled," Lami said. Reuters could not get access to the museum to verify his comments. Lami said most of the fighters that had fought around the governorate building were local, but some were foreigners. "An order was issued for foreign fighters with families to withdraw with them. Those who do not have a family should stay and fight, whether foreign or local," he said. The few families remaining in the nearby Dawasa district said the militants had set some of their homes on fire as security forces advanced and that the militants had fought among themselves. LAST ROAD FROM MOSUL On Wednesday, the Iraqi military said the army and Shi'ite paramilitary forces had taken full control of the last major road leading west out of Mosul towards the town of Tal Afar, state TV reported. The 9th Armoured Division and two Shi'ite fighting groups had "isolated the right bank (western side of Mosul) from Tal Afar", it said. The road links Mosul to Tal Afar, another Islamic State stronghold 60 km (40 miles) to the west, and then to the Syrian border. Shi'ite militias taking part in the Mosul campaign began to close in on Tal Afar late last year, after the offensive was launched. They linked up then with Kurdish fighters to encircle the jihadists. A 100,000-strong force of Iraqi military units, Shi'ite forces and Kurdish fighters, backed by a U.S.-led coalition, has fought since October in the Mosul campaign. The jihadist group has lost most of the cities it captured in northern and western Iraq in 2014 and 2015. In Syria, it still holds Raqqa city as its stronghold, as well as most of Deir al-Zor province. But it is losing ground to an array of separate enemies, including U.S.-backed forces and the Russian-backed Syrian army. It has carried out bombings in Iraqi and Syrian cities as its caliphate has shrunk. The bombings in Hajjaj village, north of Tikrit, late on Wednesday were not immediately claimed, but are similar to attacks carried out in recent months by Islamic State. In November deadly and apparently diversionary bomb attacks by the group hit Tikrit and Samarra, both north of Baghdad. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Iraq would continue hitting Islamic State targets in Syria and in neighboring countries if they give their approval. Abadi on Feb. 24 announced the first Iraqi air strike on Syrian territory, targeting Islamic State positions in retaliation for bomb attacks in Baghdad. "I respect the sovereignty of states, and I have secured the approval of Syria to strike positions (on its territory)," Abadi told a conference in the Iraqi Kurdish city of Sulaimaniya on Wednesday. "I will not hesitate to strike the positions of the terrorists in the neighboring countries," he said. We will keep on fighting them." (Additional reporting by Ahmed Rasheed and Maher Chmaytelli in Baghdad; Writing by John Davison; Editing by Larry King and Catherine Evans) President Trump in the Oval Office in February. (Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) Ive been thinking about Barack Obama lately, and not because I suspect he ordered a tap on my phones, or directed his agents to eavesdrop through my flat-screen, although I like the idea of someone poring through hundreds of pages of transcripts of me ranting about how I cant seem to switch channels without turning on the Xbox. No, Ive been thinking about the former president because of a conversation we had a couple of years ago now. Obama had been saying he didnt consider terrorism an existential threat to the country, the way we once viewed the specter of nuclear war. I asked Obama when, theoretically, he would consider Islamist terrorism to be an existential threat. I expected him to say it would be when al-Qaida or ISIS got its hands on nukes or managed to take down the computers that power our banks. But Obamas answer was different, and immediate clearly hed thought about it. He said terrorism would rise to the level of an elemental threat only when we responded to some eventual attack, as a culture, by turning against each other and betraying our own ideals. I think he used the word overreacting, though I cant be sure. This was well before anyone considered Donald Trump a plausible president of the United States, so Obama wasnt talking about anyone in particular. Rather, he worried about some distant moment when America would surely continue to exist, but when the country as wed known it the worlds most powerful symbol of liberty and tolerance might not. At the time, I will tell you, I didnt necessarily agree. It seemed to me a couple of dirty bombs or some nerve gas on the subway would constitute a pretty existential threat, at least in terms of our ability to go on with our daily lives. It still does. But Obamas warning seems to me sadly prescient now, and more pressing than he might have thought. It turns out we didnt need another catastrophic attack to lose sight of our common convictions; we just needed a leader who would shamelessly exploit our darkest fears, with no regard for repercussions. Story continues I dont think Im being unfair here. Trumps latest attempt at a travel ban from Muslim countries, which exempts legal residents and sidesteps an indefinite hold on Syrian refugees, would almost be a reasonable, cautious policy decision, were it not for two factors. One is that we already vet these potential immigrants more closely than we do anyone else entering the country, and Trump and his team are the only ones who insist that terrorists are flooding the country disguised as refugees. The second is that we know what Trump is really after here, because hes referred to his policy previously if Rudy Giuliani can be believed as a ban on Muslims, period. And heres what else is going on that you may have missed: Over the past few weeks, three Indian men have been shot in separate attacks around the country, two of them fatally, apparently because they could be mistaken for Muslims by ignorant extremists. Trump condemned that brutality, but not before hed created a new office at the Justice Department called VOICE Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement, which is pretty much a bunch of words jumbled together in search of an acronym. His announcement of that entirely unneeded initiative seemed to me a chilling moment in his overrated address to Congress; it called to mind Nazi-era propaganda meant to blame every societal ill on an alien race. Theres a famous short story by Shirley Jackson that I remember reading in school its called The Lottery. Basically, its about a small-town ritual where whoever picks the wrong number in a random lottery gets stoned to death. The point is that a fearful mob can easily be manipulated into turning on one of its own and distorting the norms of civic life. Obama isnt the only president who foresaw the danger of this dynamic. George W. Bush feared exactly this response after the terrorist attacks of 2001. As reactionary as Bush could be in world affairs, he made it a priority in the days after those attacks to visit with American Muslims, to make clear they were not the enemy, to caution the citizenry against rash and hateful reactions. In general, leaving aside the occasional, isolated outburst, the governing establishments of both parties have acquitted themselves well in confronting this new age of terror and resurgent white nationalism. Americans dont all agree on much, but weve generally accepted the idea that the countrys legacy as a nation of immigrants, indifferent to race or religion, is at the bedrock of what we consider to be our singular place in the world. This is probably why weve had so much trouble finding any consensus on what to do about unlawful immigration. At its core, the problem and it is a problem pits two of our seminal ideals against each other: rule of law, on one hand, and compassion for outsiders, on the other. But Trump isnt of the governing class, and he doesnt exist to sort out painful contradictions in public policy. From the moment he entered the political fray, he has breezily, almost thoughtlessly breached the boundaries of what used to be responsible political debate. Hes an entertainer, fueled, rather than repulsed, by the raw emotion of a mob. Trump looks at the fear that defines so much of America in the moment an entirely reasonable fear not only of foreign terrorism, but also of fast-spreading automation, new and destabilizing global markets, substance abuse and a kind of spiritual dislocation and he gives it a name. Otherness. Not only Muslims, but Mexicans. Not only the poor and powerless, but the educated and the politically correct, the news media whom he calls the enemy of the American people. Hell happily lay waste to the granite cornerstones of the democracy tolerance, pluralism, a free press as long as the mob behind him stays loud and true. Hes not alone. If you can believe what you read in the papers, the nationalist backlash Trump embodies is soon to sweep across Europe, too. America is a global beacon, still, but not in a way that should comfort our timid political leadership. Ive heard from a lot of readers in recent weeks, maybe people accustomed to my criticism of ideological dogmas generally over the years, who wonder when Im going to write something affirming about this president. The answer is: when he acts like one. (And reading from a teleprompter for an hour is a mighty low bar.) Its not the agenda that worries me especially; policies come and go, good and bad, and thats why we debate them. Its the cultural virus Trump seems willing to unleash, the meanness seeping across a land where go back to your own country is becoming a common mantra. Its the uncomplicated, unconsidered assault on ideals that really do make America exceptional. And it makes me wonder. What if Obama was right? What if this is the threat, more than any bomb or missile, that leads us down a path from which theres no going back? When does the governing majority in Washington stand up and say: Enough? By Isla Binnie ROME (Reuters) - Parliament approved on Thursday an anti-poverty package aimed at providing financial relief to the growing number of hard-up Italians battered by years of economic stagnation and high unemployment. It is the first such attempt in Italy to set up a permanent safety net for poor families, with the lion's share of the national welfare budget traditionally earmarked for pensions. However, opposition parties say it does not go nearly far enough and the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) has promised a much more ambitious "citizen's wage" should it win power at the next election, which is due by early next year. The government says it will offer up to 480 euros ($506) a month to the needy, favouring couples with young children and jobless people aged over 55. It has put aside 1.6 billion euros for 2017 and promises more funding in the years ahead. The cash will come with strings attached, including demands that dependent children go to school, that they are vaccinated and that the unemployed commit to seeking a job. "It is basically a programme like the ones almost all European Union countries have, aimed at supporting people living in poverty," Raffaele Tangorra, the Labour Ministry's director general for social policies, told Reuters. The rate of severe material deprivation in Italy rose to 11.5 percent in 2015 compared with a fall in the EU average to 8.5 percent, latest EU data shows. Those living in "absolute poverty" rose to 4.6 million people, or 7.6 percent of the population, in 2015, up from 6.8 percent in 2014, national statistics office ISTAT says. Critics of the new law say it barely scratches the surface of the problem, and even the Treasury says that the funds earmarked so far only would only amount to 660 euros per year per family for those classified as worst off by ISTAT. For years, heavily indebted Italy has focused its welfare resources on the elderly, spending 15.8 percent of its gross domestic product on pensions - the highest ratio in the OECD club of developed nations. ISTAT says less than 1 percent of welfare spending goes on tackling poverty and social exclusion. Various unemployment benefit programmes do not run beyond two years, leaving many of Italy's army of jobless struggling to make ends meet. Unemployment has hovered close to or above 12 percent since 2013, while youth unemployment has been stuck around 40 percent. "There is no doubt that today the great emergency in this country is linked to poverty," Tito Boeri, president of welfare agency INPS, told a Senate Commission in January. The government is now committed to activating the law within six months. "BIG MOTHER" The M5S, which heads opinion polls, promises the most comprehensive welfare assistance of any major party, with a pledge to top up a single person's income to 780 euros a month, while a family of four would be guaranteed at least 1,482 euros. The party, founded by the comic Beppe Grillo, has compared its plan with a pilot scheme in Finland, which earlier this year became the first EU country to offer a universal basic income of 560 euros a month for the unemployed. The M5S says the scheme would cost 17 billion euros a year, a heavy burden for a nation with one of the EU's biggest debt mountains, but one the party says is worth shouldering. "A country that isn't able to help the poor isn't ready to take on any challenges whatsoever," said Filippo Nogarin, the M5S mayor of the northern city of Livorno which ran a micro-trial last year in absence of any national programme. One hundred unemployed residents received 500 euros a month for six months in a scheme which will be repeated this April. "There are lots of people like me (living in poverty). It was new for us and I was ashamed," said Tito Saccomani, 61, who received the handouts after his decorating firm folded. "The state should be like a big mother that thinks of everyone as her children and doesn't just act strong with the weak," he told Reuters. Former prime minister Matteo Renzi, locked in a leadership battle within the ruling Democratic Party (PD), has dismissed the M5S plan, saying with a basic safety net now in place, the emphasis should be placed firmly on job creation. "We need to revolutionise our welfare spending, however, the answer is not a universal wage but work for citizens," he said last month following a fact-finding trip to the United States. ($1 = 0.9459 euros) (Reporting by Isla Binnie; Editing by Crispian Balmer and Alison Williams) Kellyanne Conway might have a promising career in infomercials should she ever leave politics. The Ivanka Trump brand claims sales of the first daughter's products have soared since early February, despite a widespread consumer boycott movement and pullback from several retailers. SEE ALSO: Here are the stores that have dumped Trump As it happens, that's around the same time the White House aide turned a Fox & Friends interview into a bizarre sales pitch for the line in what officials say was a clear breach of ethics. Conway's plug also came the day after the president put the brand front and center in the news cycle with an angry Twitter outburst at Nordstrom. Newly installed brand president Abigail Klem revealed the spike in a Refinery 29 profile this week. Klem, a registered Democrat, took over the company in January when its namesake owner left to take an informal role in the White House. Since the beginning of February, they were some of the best performing weeks in the history of the brand, Klem says. For several different retailers Ivanka Trump was a top performer online, and in some of the categories it was the [brands] best performance ever. As a private company, the brand doesn't report sales figures, and Klem wouldn't disclose any to the site. But data from at least one big shopping site does seem to substantiate the claim. Fashion search engine Lyst said the brand shot from its 550th most popular in January to its 11th in February with a 346-percent boost in sales. Coincidentally or not, two pieces of Ivanka jewelry quietly reappeared on the Neiman Marcus website the day after Klem's comments were published. The upscale department store had previously said it would drop the brand because of poor sales. Several other retailers took similar steps as consumers lashed out at stores carrying Trump-related items. Shannon Coulter, who runs the influential boycott campaign #GrabYourWallet, re-added Niemen Marcus to the list of targeted stores on Thursday. TOKYO (Reuters) - Support for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has plunged after questions were raised in parliament about a murky land deal involving an elementary school to which his wife had ties, according to an online poll published on Wednesday. Abe has said neither he nor his wife, Akie, was involved in the deal for state-owned land purchased by Moritomo Gakuen, an educational body in the western city of Osaka that also runs a kindergarten promoting patriotism. But an online survey by Japan's Nikkei business daily found that Abe's support fell to 36.1 percent in a survey conducted from March 4 to 7 from 63.7 percent in the previous week. Of the 2,655 respondents, 70.8 percent said they would like the school principal and other relevant people to answer questions on the issue before parliament as opposition parties have demanded, a request that Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has so far refused. The LDP on Sunday formalized a rule change that will allow party presidents a third consecutive three-year term, allowing Abe, who has been largely untainted by scandal and whose rule is now in its fifth year, to run again after his current tenure as party chief ends in September 2018. If the LDP stays in power, that makes it highly likely that Abe would remain as premier. Japanese markets shrugged off the news, mainly because the school scandal is still viewed as a transient factor, said Hiroaki Hiwada, a strategist at Toyo Securities Co. "Up to now, there haven't been any scandals in which Abe was the main actor, so that even though some foreign investors may be using this as a reason to hold back there are still many expectations for his policies based on the success of the recent Japan-U.S. leaders' summit," he added. (Additional reporting by Marika Tsuji, writing by Elaine Lies; Editing by Richard Pullin) Jerusalem (AFP) - Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has warned that the alternative to a two-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an "apartheid system," in an interview with an Israeli newspaper published Thursday. Johnson had a whistlestop 24-hour visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories Wednesday in which he reaffirmed British support for Israel but criticised settlement building in the occupied West Bank. "What we are saying is that you have to have a two-state solution or else you have a kind of apartheid system," Johnson said in an interview published in the English-language daily The Jerusalem Post Thursday. The two-state solution, meaning the creation of a Palestinian state existing in peace alongside Israel, is a key policy goal of the international community. US President Donald Trump cast uncertainty over his country's commitment to the idea when he met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in February, saying he would be open to a single state if it led to peace. Palestinians fear the prospect of a single state in which Israel would not give the same rights to Jews and Arabs, with senior leaders warning it would constitute "apartheid." In Ramallah on Wednesday, Johnson stressed that his government's policy was "absolutely unchanged" and they remain committed to two states. The international community considers continuing settlement growth in the West Bank a major obstacle to peace. Parts of Netanyahu's government, considered the most right-wing in Israel's history, advocate annexing at least part of the occupied West Bank. When meeting Netanyahu on Wednesday, Johnson stressed Britain's "rock-like" support of Israel, but also touched on settlement building. "Israel has first and foremost an absolute right to live in security, and the people of Israel deserve to be safe from terrorism," Johnson said. But he later added: "Of course we must also try to remove obstacles to peace and progress such as the settlements." Every year millions of people in India, Nepal, and around the world celebrate the Hindu festival of Holi under clouds of technicolored powder. The raucous Festival of Colors a celebration of the vibrancy of spring, fertility, love and the triumph of good over evil has inspired movies , music , and a plethora of whitewashed imitations. Here are some facts behind the ancient festival. When is Holi? Holi takes place on the last full moon of the Hindu lunar month Phalguna. This means it can fall anywhere between late February and late March on the Gregorian calendar this year its March 13 and 14 and coincides with Indian winters transitions into pre-monsoon or summer season. Spring isnt one of the four seasonal designations of the Indian Meteorological Department but Holi celebrates many of its traditional associations: youth, fertility, playfulness and vigor. Its not clear exactly when Holi celebrations first began but theyre reportedly referenced in the Puranas, or ancient Indian texts, in 4th century poetry, and in the 7th century play Ratnaval. Why is it celebrated? Appropriately for a festival of many colors, Holi has no singular significance. Instead its tied to an array of stories from Indian mythology. One of the most popular is that of good overcoming evil in the guises of Prince Prahlad and the demon Holika. Heres the short version: Enraged that his son Prahlad worshiped Lord Vishnu instead of the god he claimed to be, a powerful king named Hiranyakshyap conspired to have his wayward progeny killed by fire. The deal was that Prahlad would sit on the lap of the Kings sister, the demon Holika, who had a boon to protect her from flames in some versions a magic sari. But when the pyre was lit, Prahlad recited the name of Vishnu and emerged unscathed. Holika, on the other hand, was eaten up by the flames. There are cuter stories associated with Holi too, like that of Krishna and his beloved Radha. Krishna whose skin was blue loves Radha. But hes embarrassed by his different skin color. On the advice of his mother, he smears his crushs face with paint so they look alike. And it works: Krishna enchants the world, the saying goes, but Radha enchants even Him. Story continues What actually goes down? Although in some regions the festival is drawn out for longer, Holi is normally spread over two days pretty short by Indian standards where some religious festivals, like the Kumbh Mela, last almost two months. On the evening of the first day, Holika Dahan, wood and dung pyres are burned to symbolize the triumph of good over evil. The second day, known as Rangwali Holi, is the carnival of color. Millions take to the streets to throw fistfuls of colored powder and soak each other with water guns. Traditionally, people were doused with turmeric and flower extracts and smeared with sandalwood paste but these days synthetic powders and dyed water are common: locals recommend you moisturize beforehand so the powder is easy to remove. Leave your iPhone at home. Maybe dont wear your best sari. After ranking as one of the top health stories of 2016, the Zika virus all but disappeared from the headlines once mosquito season came to an end for most of the continental U.S. But warmer days are coming back. And whether you're bracing for the return of mosquito season here in the states or thinking about heading someplace tropical for spring break, it's important to understand where things stand with this strange and troubling virus. Here's our quick update on where Zika is spreading now, what we know about the threat it poses to human health, and what you must do to protect yourself: Is Zika Still Spreading? The World Health Organization lifted the public health emergency of international concern designation for Zika last November. But that status change did not mark the outbreak's end. Between then and January, some 4,000 new cases were reported in just the U.S. and its territories. Still, the news is not all bad: Although every state in the continental U.S. has reported at least one case of Zika virus infection, Florida and Texas remain the only two states to have suffered local outbreaks (meaning they are the only ones where the virus has been transmitted through local mosquito populations); the remaining states cases are all travel-related. What's more, Florida is no longer an active transmission zone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And although the south-Texas city of Brownsville is still under a travel-advisory issued in late November (when locally acquired infections were first reported there), the rest of Texas remains Zika-free. Theres good news in Latin America, too. Several countries that struggled to contain outbreaks in 2016 are reporting lower case numbers than expected so far this season, suggesting that mosquito-control efforts are working and/or population immunity is taking hold and dimming the crisis as epidemiologists hoped it would. "The prevalence of Zika is dropping, certainly in the Americas," Ian Clarke, WHO incident manager for Zika, said recently. "The anticipation was that we would see a second wave, certainly in Brazil, and we haven't. Story continues But this drop in incidence does not mean that we can throw caution to the wind. The WHO and CDC are still urging peoplepregnant women, especiallyto be very careful about traveling to countries where locally acquired infections have been reported. For a list of these countries, see here. How to Protect Yourself For the most part, advice for protecting yourself is the same as it has been throughout the global Zika outbreak: Avoid traveling to affected regions, especially if you are or are trying to become pregnant. If you live in an affected region or must travel to one, wear insect repellent that has been registered with the Environmental Protection Agency. Travelers should wear repellent for at least two weeks after returning because thats how long the virus stays in a persons bloodstream. If a mosquito bites a person who has Zika in their blood, that mosquito can pick up the virus and pass it on to another human when it takes its next blood meal. Travelers should also wait at least six months to have unprotected sex after visiting an endemic region because the virus can persist in semen and in the vaginal tract long after symptoms abate (or even if no symptoms ever emerge). People living in or near affected communities should practice integrated pest management around their homes. Ridding your yard of standing water (removing old tires, planters, and other water collectors) and keeping it free of trash is particularly important for diseases like Zika that are transmitted by the Aedes mosquito, because this bug thrives in human habitats and can breed in just a bottle caps worth of water. The Disease and Its Effects When it comes to Zika infection, scientists are still trying to answer three main questions. The data they have so far is still preliminary, and it will take few more years of monitoring before we have concrete answers. But here's what we know right now: How likely is it that a fetus exposed to the virus will go on to develop birth defects? Some experts previously put the increased risk at 13 percent. But that was an educated guess based on an isolated outbreak in French Polynesia. More recent data (from Brazil and the U.S.) estimates the risk of microcephaly to be between 3 and 4 percent. For other birth defects, the numbers are fuzzier. In one recent analysis of Brazilian cases, 42 percent of babies exposed to the virus in utero went on to develop birth defects; but in the U.S. the incidence was much lower. According to data from the U.S. Zika Pregnancy Registry, just 5 percent of babies born to mothers with suspected Zika virus infection went on to develop birth defects, and just 10 percent of babies born to women with confirmed Zika virus infection did. To be sure, those percentages are not exactly small. As the CDC recently reported, it comes out to a 20- to 30-fold higher risk of microcephaly and other serious birth defects, compared with pre-Zika levels. But the fact remains that far fewer infected fetuses seem to be developing birth defects here compared with Brazil. Scientists are still trying to understand the reasons for the discrepancy. What is the scope of birth defects caused by Zika? For most of the epidemic, focus has been on microcephaly, a birth defect characterized by an abnormally small head and a severely under-developed brain. But health officials now suspect that less severe birth defects such as hearing loss, vision loss, and cognitive deficits (some of which can take years to emerge) may be far more common; in one study published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine, just 4 percent of babies infected with Zika in utero were born with microcephaly, but almost 40 percent had other defects. The CDC has been tracking pregnancy outcomes for infected women through its Zika Pregnancy Registry. If you were infected with the virus during your pregnancy, your doctor may register your case there. The agency will use that information to better understand the types of birth defects that the virus can cause and the relative risk for each. In the meantime, the CDC advises that any babies born to women who showed some evidence of Zika infection during pregnancy (either through confirmed diagnosis, or by virtue of exhibing symptoms after returning from a Zika-affected region) have comprehensive testing done throughout the first few years of life to monitor for developmental delays. That testing includes newborn hearing tests, physical exams andmost importantlybrain imaging studies such as a head ultrasound or CT scan. How great is the risk to infants and young children? We know that the virus prefers to attack developing neurons (thats why its largely asymptomatic in adults but can wreak havoc on a fetus). But because brain development continues after birth and well into childhood, scientists and parents alike have fretted about the risks posed to newborns and young children. So far, the news here is good: There have been very few reports of serious health problems among newborns and toddlers bitten by Zika-infected mosquitoes. In fact, the vast majority of children who test positive for the virus are asymptomatic, just like adults. Scientists have an idea about why this might be the case: The Zika virus "works" by disrupting the process of cell division in a developing brain. This process begins in the first trimester of pregnancy and concludes within the first year and a half of life. After that, they think, the risk of brain damage may be far lower because there are fewer dividing brain cells for the virus to act on. Zika's Technology Buzz Last summer we reported on a number of efforts to thwart Zika through technology. Here's an update on some of the most significant ones: Zika testing: Scientists have struggled to develop accurate and reliable Zika diagnostic tests. Part of the problem is the virus itself: Zika remains in the blood for only the first few days after infection, and if you don't test during that window (called the viremic stage), you can't be completely sure that a positive result is truly positive. In December the Food and Drug Administration issued a safety warning to doctors and consumers about one Zika blood test in particular that appears to produce more false positives than expected. The agency says people who test positive from a doctor-given test must still have their diagnoses confirmed through additional testing at the CDC. That confirmation can take months to arrive, but it's the only way to know for sure if you're infected. Zika vaccines: The news here is much better. Several vaccines are being tested in Phase I trials right now (Phase I means small groups of human subjects), and at least one has already made it to Phase II (large groups of human subjects), with others expected to catch up this calendar year. It could still take several years before a Zika vaccine is commercially available. But given how many prospects reached Phase I so quickly, researchers and public health officials are optimistic. Genetically modified mosquitoes: Last August, the FDA approved a 22-month experimental release of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that have been engineered to kill off their own population. But in November residents of the Florida Keys issued a split decision: The wider community voted in favor of a proposal from the British company Oxitec to conduct that trial in one of their communities. But Key Haven, where the company had set up shop, voted against that same proposal. Oxitec says it's working with federal regulators to identify a new host community (also in the Florida Keys) and still plans to launch the trial sometime this year. More from Consumer Reports: Top pick tires for 2016 Best used cars for $25,000 and less 7 best mattresses for couples Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright 2006-2017 Consumer Reports, Inc. No one goes to a monster movie for the humans, and yet it's hard to imagine a monster movie without them. They're supposed to be the characters that ground us the ones we relate to, root for and fear for, even as the world around them gets wilder and weirder. Those humans are there in Kong: Skull Island, too, serving much the same purpose. It's through their eyes that we first encounter Kong, an unfathomably large ape unbothered by bullets and capable of ripping apart helicopters with his bare hands. But as the movie progresses, it becomes clear this isn't a tale about man versus beast but about beast versus beast with man as the unlucky spectators. In other words, Kong: Skull Island is essentially a superhero movie told from the perspective of the poor civilians in need of rescuing. And while that makes for an exciting, exhilarating experience, it also makes for a curiously weightless one. SEE ALSO: 'Kong: Skull Island' review roundup: This monster mash is a total smash Kong: Skull Island opens in 1943, at the height of World War II. Two pilots one American, one Japanese, are gunned down over a mysterious island in the South Pacific and proceed to continue their battle upon landing. Their fight, however, is quickly interrupted by the appearance of a beast so fearsome, so enormous, that there's nothing for them to do but stare. Kong gives an army helicopter a friendly high-five in Kong: Skull Island. Image: Warner Bros. We then skip ahead a generation to 1973, at the tail end of the Vietnam war. (Lest you forget what time period we're in, Skull Island is packed to the brim with Apocalypse Now references.) A crackpot scientist (John Goodman) and his assistant (Corey Hawkins) have successfully convinced their senator to sign off on a surveying expedition to the mysterious Skull Island. They're escorted by Packard (Samuel L. Jackson), the kind of military officer who not-so-secretly feels more comfortable at war than at peace and his soldiers (Jason Mitchell, Toby Kebbell, Thomas Mann, Shea Whigham, and Eugene Cordero), who are far more eager to get out and go home. Also along for the ride are an ex-SAS tracker (Tom Hiddleston) and an anti-war photojournalist (Brie Larson), and a handful of other assorted scientists (Jing Tian, John Ortiz, Marc Evan Jackson). Story continues If that sounds like way, way, way too many people to keep track of in a two-hour movie, you'd be right. Most get in a good moment or two and the caliber of the cast is such that each actor is able to make the most of their role. Reilly is the definite standout here. As a former soldier who's been stuck on Skull Island for 30 years, he's the human character most likely to make you cry and the human character most likely to make you laugh. Jackson is equally well cast as the Ahab-like Packard, and even manages to deliver a "hold on to your butts" in a way that makes the line feel fresh again. Hiddleston, who's been positioned as the leading man in all the marketing, does a convincing job of looking good in very tight t-shirts and a less convincing job of exuding world-weary tough-guy-ness. Larson mostly seems to be there to remind audiences that female leads have come a long way since Fay Wray in the 1933 King Kong, though that message is somewhat undermined by the fact that she has very little to do. A Skullcrusher plays hide-and-seek with Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson in Kong: Skull Island. Image: Warner Bros. Much more interesting is the non-human cast, starting with Kong himself. Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts never seems to get tired of staring at him in awe, reveling in the sheer size and power of this beast, and ILM's CG wizardry is so convincing that it's easy to forget that what we're looking at isn't actually there. Meanwhile mo-cap actors Kebbell and Terry Notary (both veterans of those Apes prequels) bring warmth and depth to him. He never speaks, except to roar, but his body language shows enough personality to keep Kong from feeling like a generic CG monster. It helps, too, that the script is heavily sympathetic toward Kong. Even though his first big action set piece has him swatting army-issue helicopters out of the air, the film firmly establishes that it's the human intruders who are in the wrong here Kong is king on this island, and he was only defending his turf. In fact, Reilly's Marlow explains, it's Kong who's been protecting all the other animals on this island, including a human tribe, from an even bigger threat: a species of giant lizards that Marlow refers to as Skullcrawlers. ("It sounds stupid now that I say it out loud," he admits.) Kong's grudge with them apparently stems from a Batman-worthy backstory engineered to make us feel even sorrier for the giant lug than we already do. Kong and Samuel L. Jackson have a fun staring contest in Kong: Skull Island. Image: Warner Bros. The Skullcrawlers are a jaw-dropping feat of character design. I gasped the first time I saw one in motion, so creepy and hideous it was. And their fights with Kong account for some of Skull Island's most impressive setpieces. Vogt-Roberts knows it's spectacle we want and it's spectacle he delivers. These giant creatures attack each other with a ferocity that goes beyond simple animal nature to feel personal. Unfortunately, while the emotional foundation is there for an epic showdown, Vogt-Roberts forgets to establish any more immediate stakes for their battle. Skull Island does a shockingly job of demonstrating what it takes to kill Kong or the Skullcrushers, which means it's also impossible to tell who's got the upper hand in their battles at any given time. After a while, you realize you're just watching pixels crash into other pixels until the clock runs out. The humans, meanwhile, are largely left to stare in awe. The good ones make efforts to aid Kong and sometimes they're even helpful but they're the equivalent of those sassy New Yorkers yelling at Green Goblin in the first Sam Raimi Spider-Man movie. Still, our species does get what might be the most purely entertaining scene in the entire movie, when Hiddleston's Conrad picks up a gas mask and a samurai sword to start slicing and dicing his way through a bunch of pterodactyl-like birds. On its own, it's a spectacularly silly moment worthy of groans and cheers in equal measure. Compared to the bigger battles in Kong: Skull Island, though, it can't help but feel like small potatoes. PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) Kosovo Parliament has called on France to immediately release its former prime minister, Ramush Haradinaj, who is wanted by Serbia on war crimes charges. A resolution approved Thursday also called on the government to cancel negotiations with Serbia on normalizing ties until Haradinaj is released. In January Haradinaj was detained in France where now he is on judicial supervision waiting a court decision whether he will be extradited to Serbia. The verdict is expected on April 6. Haradinaj, a guerrilla fighter in Kosovo's 1998-1999 war for independence from Serbia, was cleared of war crimes charges by a U.N. tribunal. By Ahmed Rasheed SULAIMANIYA, Iraq (Reuters) - The Kurdish group that controls Iraq's Kirkuk oilfields has agreed with Baghdad to keep crude flowing from the region through a pipeline to a Turkish export terminal on the Mediterranean, a Kurdish official told Reuters on Wednesday. Kosrat Rasul said the deal was reached on Tuesday between his group, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. The pipeline carries 150,000 barrels per day (bpd) of Kirkuk crude for export to world markets via Ceyhan, in Turkey. The PUK withdrew its threat to shut the pipeline after the Iraqi government decided to increase further the capacity of the Kirkuk oil refinery, a Kurdish source close to the talks said. The oil ministry in Baghdad announced on Wednesday that an additional processing unit of 10,000 bpd had begun operating, boosting the plant's capacity to 40,000 bpd. Another unit, also with a capacity of 10,000 bpd, should come on stream before the year-end, said a ministry statement, citing a message from oil minister Jabar al-Luaibi to Abadi. The source said the additional output would improve fuel distribution in the PUK-held regions of Kirkuk and Sulaimaniya and create jobs for locals. "The agreement ended the problem and there is no deadline anymore" to shut the pipeline, said Rasul, who is the PUK deputy secretary-general, giving no further details. PUK forces last week seized the Kirkuk pumping facilities, operated by Iraq's state-run North Oil Co (NOC), briefly suspending oil flows and threatening further action if their demand to have a share in the revenue were not fulfilled. Some of the reservoirs supplying the pipeline in Kirkuk are operated by NOC. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) exports oil from other reservoirs in Kirkuk, using the same pipeline. A deal to split the export revenue of the NOC-operated fields was agreed last year with the Erbil-based KRG, led by President Massoud Barzani. The agreement was replaced this year by one in which Baghdad's share would be processed by an Erbil-based refiner to help the reconstruction of the nearby region of Mosul when taken back from Islamic State militants. The PUK, a historic rival of Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic Party, had objected to the new deal, demanding that refineries under its control be used instead. Kurdish peshmerga forces took control of the Kirkuk area after Islamic State overran around a third of Iraq and Baghdad's local forces disintegrated. Prior to the signing of the Baghdad-KRG deal last year, local Kirkuk authorities and some executives from Iraqi state oil marketing firm SOMO were suggesting exporting oil from Kirkuk via Iran. (Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed; Writing by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Dale Hudson and Nick Macfie) To say that Uber, the brash ride-hailing upstart, has had a tumultuous 2017 would be an understatement. The still-young year has been wreckage. The companys latest misstep: a dodgy program, dubbed Greyball, with which Uber actively prevented officials in cities that resisted its operation from hailing ridesone in a string of recent controversies that has called into question Ubers aggressive business practices. Since its founding in 2009, Uber has led a vast economic and regulatory disruption in the U.S. and abroad, unlocking the value of peoples untapped automotive resources while making more than a few enemies along the way. But the present spate of problems has the worlds highest valued private companyits appraised at nearly $70 billionrethinking its combative approach. When you have a culture that is as aggressive in all regards as Ubers is, youre going to get people being mistreated and the misuse of company assets, says influential Silicon Valley investor Mitch Kapor, an early Uber backer who, along with his wife and business partner, Freada Kapor Klein, published an open letter last month lamenting Ubers destructive workplace environment. Already this year, Uber has weathered a boycott during which a reported 200,000 people dropped its service, many of whom accused the company of trying to profit from a taxi strike in New York City inspired by President Trumps first immigration order. (CEO Travis Kalanick resigned from a council advising the President after an outcry.) Waymo, a unit of Google parent Alphabet, slapped the firm with a lawsuit for allegedly stealing self-driving car technology. (Uber called the claim baseless.) A former engineer blasted the company for fostering a culture of entrenched sexism. (Uber assigned exU.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and board member Arianna Huffington to investigate.) And late last month, footage leaked of Kalanick hurling profanities at an Uber driver from the backseat of a car. (He apologized.) As if all those scandals werent enough, then Greyball surfaced. Heres how it worked: whenever Uber entered a new market, the firm identified and barred local regulators from hailing rides by tracking their behavior on the Uber app, tracing credit-card numbers back to police credit bureaus, serving up fake versions of the app that featured ghost cars, and adding restrictive geofences near municipal offices, according to the New York Times, which first reported the program. On March 8, Ubers chief security officer Joe Sullivan said Greyball will no longer be used to thwart law enforcement and other officials. We are expressly prohibiting its use to target action by local regulators going forward, Sullivan wrote in a statement, noting that the program had more benign uses, such as in software testing and marketing promotions. Given the way our systems are configured, it will take some time to ensure this prohibition is fully enforced, he said. For critics though, the damage had been done. Greyball confirmed their worst fears about Uber: an unregulated livery business excluding certain people, or classes of people, based on its own prerogatives. (Unlike traditional cabs, Uber has not been bound by common carrier laws, which guarantee service to all comers.) Christian Sandvig, an Internet scholar at the University of Michigan, said he was amazed, for instance, at how much Greyballing reminded him of redlining, a discriminatory technique once employed by banks to deny loans to certain segments of the population, especially minorities. (Federal regulation has since banned the practice.) That the very technologies this company uses to serve its customer base were being used to evade regulations that sought to protect the public is highly disturbing, said Michael Cox, a spokesman for the mayors office of Portland, Ore., one of the cities whose investigators were Greyballed by Uber. Asked whether the city would pursue action against the firm, Cox said its government was still in the information gathering and fact-finding phase, and was speaking with mayoral offices in other cities, including Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and Richmond, Virginia. At a minimum, Greyball makes apparent the lack of oversight governing disruptive new firms like Uber. In an upcoming research paper, Alex Rosenblat, a researcher at the Data & Society Research Institute in New York City who first uncovered evidence of Ubers phantom cars during the course of her research two years ago, and Ryan Calo, an assistant professor at the University of Washington School of Law, argue that deceptions like Greyball indicate a bigger problem: middlemen like Uber, Airbnb, Lyft, and others have a remarkable level of control over every aspect of their marketplaces and user experiences. Thats why Rosenblat and Calo have chosen to paint the so-called sharing economy with a less rosy name: the taking economy, as theyve titled their paper. Greyball is part of much longer pattern of manipulating or fudging variables they control, Rosenblat says, offering examples, such as Ubers classification of drivers as independent contractors rather than employees, of its setting unequal surge prices for different customers, and of its history of disputing ride-cancellation fees that might benefit drivers. In Rosenblat and Calos view, government agencies like the Federal Trade Commission need to more actively step up and investigate possible abuses by peer-to-peer platform operators. Earlier this year, Uber agreed to pay $20 million to the agency, which charged that the companys advertising had misled recruits about how much income they could expect to earn as drivers. Still, they would prefer to see the FTC dig deeper, prying into their digital back-ends rather than relying on publicly posted documentation. So much misleading and unfairness can happen away from view, designed into system, Calo says, comparing Greyball to the emissions-cheating software that got Volkswagen into hot water last year. However disturbing, several legal scholars TIME consulted were hesitant to judge Greyballs legality, saying it occupies something of a, well, grey area. Even if the program doesnt violate the law, that doesnt mean it isnt troubling, says Elizabeth Joh, a law professor at University of California Davis. Its a deliberate attempt to thwartnot just evadelaw enforcement, she says, comparing it to the license plate-obscuring sprays some people use to escape surveillance. Ubers image problem, however, is not open to debate, and the company faces a crucial moment to clean up its act. After Greyball came to light, Kalanick posted a job notice on the companys website. He said his team intended to hire a chief operating officer, a peer who can partner with me to write the next chapter in our journey. If the past is any indication, that journey will be a bumpy one. Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the publication date of researcher Alex Rosenblats paper revealing Ubers phantom cabs. It was July 2015, not 2016. Mosul (Iraq) (AFP) - Iraqi forces advanced on the Islamic State group in west Mosul on Thursday as the United States nearly doubled its troops to help defeat the jihadists in their Syrian stronghold Raqa. The US-led coalition fighting IS said the United States was deploying another 400 troops against the jihadists in their self-proclaimed capital in Syria, joining 500 already on the ground. "They are temporary forces," coalition spokesman US Colonel John Dorrian told reporters in Baghdad, adding the long-term authorised level of American troops in Syria would remain at 500. The announcement came as the State Department said the United States would host a meeting of the 68 members of the coalition fighting IS on March 22. The American military buildup comes amid calls by President Donald Trump for new plans to accelerate the pace of the war against the Sunni Muslim extremists. IS jihadists are facing simultaneous offensives in northern Syria by government forces, Turkish-backed rebels, and a US-supported alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters. In the latest sign they are feeling the squeeze, their chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was reported to have abandoned Mosul, leaving local commanders behind to fight the Iraqi forces. "He was in Mosul at some point before the offensive.... He left before we isolated Mosul and Tal Afar," a town to the west, said a US defence official. "He probably gave broad strategic guidance and has left it to battlefield commanders." Baghdadi, who declared IS's cross-border "caliphate" at a Mosul mosque in 2014, in an audio message in November urged supporters to make a stand in the city rather than "retreating in shame". - New neighbourhood recaptured - Iraq launched the offensive to retake Mosul -- which involves tens of thousands of soldiers, police and allied militia fighters -- in October. After recapturing its eastern side, the forces set their sights on the city's densely populated west. Story continues In recent days Iraqi forces have retaken a series of neighbourhoods and a museum where IS militants filmed themselves destroying priceless artefacts. Iraq's Joint Operations Command announced Thursday the elite Counter-Terrorism Service recaptured the Mualemeen neighbourhood in west Mosul. And forces from the Rapid Response Division, another special forces unit, and the federal police worked to clear roads and buildings in other areas, said the JOC. The area is located on the edge of Mosul's Old City, a warren of narrow streets and closely spaced houses that could see some of the toughest fighting of the battle. "Currently there is no order from the operations command to advance toward the Old City. We will advance when this order is issued," said Lieutenant Colonel Abdulamir al-Mohammedawi of the Rapid Response Division. Hundreds of thousands of civilians are believed to still be trapped under IS rule in Mosul. Those who did manage to escape the city said the jihadists were growing increasingly desperate. "We were used as human shields," said Abdulrazzaq Ahmed, a 25-year-old civil servant, who escaped along with hundreds of other civilians to Iraqi police waiting outside the city. Rayan Mohammed, a frail 18-year-old who was once given 60 lashes for missing prayers, said the jihadists were scrambling in the face of the Iraqi offensive. "They ran away like chickens," he said. - Deadly suspected coalition strike - West Mosul is the most heavily populated area under IS control and one of two major urban centres it still holds, along with Raqa in Syria. In Syria, a US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters known as the Syrian Democratic Forces has been advancing on Raqa. The United States has been leading a coalition since mid-2014 carrying out air strikes against the jihadists in both Syria and Iraq. Strikes on an IS-held northern Syrian village thought to have been conducted by the coalition killed at least 23 civilians on Thursday. Among the dead were at least eight children and six women, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The coalition said this month that its raids had unintentionally killed at least 220 civilians since 2014 in both countries. Elsewhere in Syria, Turkish troops and their rebel allies have pushed south from the Turkish border and driven IS out of the northern town of Al-Bab. Russian-backed government troops have meanwhile swept eastwards from Syria's second city Aleppo and seized a swathe of countryside from the jihadists. The Observatory said Thursday that 17 IS fighters from Morocco were killed in intense Russian strikes in the east of Aleppo province, where the group has lost swathes of territory. The US defence official said IS was now looking beyond the seemingly inevitable losses of Mosul and Raqa. "They... are still making plans to continue to function as a pseudo-state centred in the Euphrates River valley," the official said. burs-dv/par Every Wednesday, my medical school classmates and I swarm the wards and primary care clinics of nearby teaching hospitals, taking histories, fumbling through physicals, and slowly learning to practice the art of medicine. As I talk with a patient and run through my standard list of questions, theres always one section place of birth, nationality, and immigration that I skip. My reasons for not gathering that information are varied: potential embarrassment for the patient, an awkwardness that could disrupt the flow of the interaction, and now the acute anxiety that asking such questions raises. I rationalize that the answer to a question about nationality wont influence the treatment of the patient in front of me, and that information about country of origin will emerge somewhere downstream in his or her care. Last month in Texas, the answer to the question about country of origin ripped Sara Beltran Hernandez out of her hospital bed, her hands and feet bound in restraints. An undocumented asylum seeker who was fleeing gang violence in El Salvador, this mother of two had been held in the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, since late 2015. In February 2017, after collapsing from severe headaches and nosebleeds, she was transported to a local hospital, where doctors found a brain tumor that needed emergency surgery. Just days before the operation, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents removed Beltran Hernandez from the health center against her will. Thankfully, after intense legal efforts, she was released a week later to her family in New York, where she will seek further treatment for her tumor. Read more: Why Ive learned to leave blank spots in some patients medical records The case might be the first where President Trumps newly empowered ICE officers forcefully removed a patient from hospital care. With executive orders that decreased the threshold for deportation and banned migration from six Muslim-majority countries, the new administrations policies have stoked fears within the health care community on whether people affected by these orders will seek the health care they need. In the Boston area, clinics supporting immigrants and refugees have already noticed an uptick in missed appointments, and providers are left wondering how best to advocate for them. Story continues Training to be a physician during this era of xenophobia has been emotional, jarring, confusing, and more. Growing up and watching my Sri Lankan-born mother, a pediatrician, care for patients of all colors, I was drawn to the idea of working in the diversity of this country, to the openness the profession was founded upon, and to the embrace of immigrants as American. Those aspirations are why I am so disheartened by medicines relative ambivalence about todays political agenda. While lawyers and judges have tackled President Trumps executive orders with vehemence, and police forces have vowed not to work with ICE, medicine as an institution has remained largely silent on how it will protect these vulnerable patients. The day after Trump was elected president, my clinic operated in hushed tones, a whispered conversation with my preceptor serving as the only acknowledgment that the reality outside was indeed unbelievable. This mentality has lingered, with physicians personal perspectives subject to HIPAA-like secrecy, and political correctness seen as the antidote for political incorrectness. Read more: Immigrants, fearing Trumps deportation policies, avoid doctor visits Perhaps medicine cloaks itself too tightly in the white coats neutrality waving it like a white flag above the messiness of politics. But the new administrations policies have already attacked American health care. The travel ban affected thousands of immigrant doctors and the ability to see their families. Numerous medical students are unsure of a future in this country. The hallowed Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is struggling to separate itself from the Trump presidency after holding a fundraiser at his Mar-a-Lago resort. And a patient suffering from brain cancer was physically removed from a hospital before she could have an operation to remove her tumor. Many physicians are reacting to these assaults rather than preventing them. Thankfully, some doctors and students have taken up the call, but broader swaths of the medical community need to push back against the administration before it further isolates marginalized patient populations. In Trumps address to Congress last week, he deepened his hard line against immigration while alluding to a national milestone nine years from now. What will America look like as we reach our 250th year? he asked. I hope its exactly how it looked a quarter millennium ago: a nation full of immigrants. Sandhira Wijayaratne is a first-year student at Harvard Medical School. By Aidan Lewis and Ayman al-Warfalli TUNIS/BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Early in the morning, small groups of armed pick-up trucks raced across the desert toward some of Libya's biggest oil export terminals. A previous attempt by the Benghazi Defence Brigades (BDB) to capture the ports had failed. But the attack last Friday caught the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) by surprise. The LNA's withdrawal from the ports of Es Sider and Ras Lanuf has dented its claims to military superiority, dimming the prospects for its leader, Khalifa Haftar, to expand his power. It also opens up a new front between factions battling on and off for power in Libya since 2014, throwing efforts to unite the country and rebuild oil production into deep uncertainty. The North African state is exempt from a recent OPEC deal to limit global supply, and had more than doubled its output in recent months to about 700,000 barrels per day (bpd). The LNA says it is mobilizing for a counter attack, personally overseen by Haftar, against the BDB, the most recent armed faction to contest ports that should account for more than half of the OPEC member's exports. The BDB says it is seeking a route to Benghazi, from where many of its members had fled in the face of LNA advances against Islamists and other opponents over the past two years. It says it is fighting for families trapped or displaced by the LNA's military campaign, and to save Libya from a return to dictatorship and protect the revolution that toppled Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. "Our main goal is to retake our city, we reject injustice and military rule," BDB commander Mustafa al-Sharksi told reporters. "When we rallied against Gaddafi, we wanted freedom, we wanted to build legitimate institutions, and leaders who would rule the country as those in the developed world do." TRIBAL SUPPORT Haftar, a former Gaddafi ally who casts himself as the man to save Libya from the chaos of militia rule, received a big boost in September when he took over Es Sider and Ras Lanuf, as well as Brega and Zueitina, two other terminals on the a strip of coast southwest of Benghazi known as the Oil Crescent. Peeling away tribal support, Haftar ousted Ibrahim Jathran, a commander of Libya's Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) who had become unpopular for demanding money to end a port blockade. The National Oil Corporation (NOC) in Tripoli was quickly invited to reopen the ports, and Libya's production more than doubled to 600,000 bpd. The BDB has also said it will allow the NOC to operate freely, inviting in a PFG head appointed by the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli. Because Es Sider and Ras Lanuf were badly damaged in previous fighting and are operating at far lower levels than Zueitina and Brega, the initial impact on production has been limited. Total output stood at about 620,000 bpd on Thursday, NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanalla told Reuters. But the BDB advance has put oil back at the center of conflict and ambitious NOC plans to revive production may be stalled. The NOC had said it hoped to push output to more than 1 million bpd within months, on the way to pre-conflict output of 1.6 million bpd. It will now require "pretty adroit footwork" by the NOC to sustain such a message, said John Hamilton, a director of Cross Border Information and an expert on Libyan energy. "What this demonstrates is that Haftar is not able to provide security for the terminals," he said. "How can any ship owners or insurers or oil companies be confident of sending vessels to lift crude, even if Haftar regains them?" MERCENARIES After taking the ports seven months ago, the LNA repelled several attempted counter-attacks with air strikes, and carried out what it said were preemptive strikes against BDB mobilization in the central desert region of Jufra. Guards loyal to the LNA said the ports were well secured, and safe for foreign workers to return. But when the BDB advanced again last Friday, LNA defenses were quickly breached. LNA ground forces retreated toward Brega, about 115 km (70 miles) east of Ras Lanuf, and lost more than 30 men, according to medical sources. There have been daily LNA strikes since, but their impact is unclear. Sharksi said the BDB had air defense weaponry, claiming LNA pilots "are scared so they fly at high altitudes". Fawzi Boukatef, a rebel leader in Benghazi in 2011 who is in contact with the BDB, said tribal support for Haftar, uncertain in parts of the east, had eroded in the Oil Crescent, and that mercenaries from southern Libya and sub-Saharan Africa who had been operating for the LNA had been bought off. "Some were paid to leave the area and some were paid to fight on the other side," he told Reuters. BENGHAZI SIEGE The BDB, dismissed as al Qaeda-linked militants by the LNA, in fact have a wide support base, said Anas El Gomati, head of the Sadeq Institute, a Libyan think tank. They are motivated by the desire to get thousands of displaced families back to Benghazi, help those caught in a long siege in the district of Ganfouda, and by recent LNA air strikes in the desert. "The attacks in Jufra certainly galvanized support for the BDB and created a rallying call against Haftar," he said. Some BDB support comes from Misrata, the western port city that has been a source of military opposition to Haftar and where many displaced families from Benghazi have been living. Though moderates in Misrata supported a U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli and have even been open to a deal with Haftar, fighting in the Oil Crescent risks strengthening hardliners on both sides, analysts say. Haftar has shunned efforts to revive the U.N. peace process, while accusing elements within the GNA of supporting the BDB. A group of nearly 40 pro-Haftar members of Libya's eastern parliament voted this week to drop support from the GNA's leadership and withdraw from U.N.-mediated dialogue. "From where we're sitting today, a deal looks highly unlikely," said Gomati. (Writing by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Mark Potter) UPDATE: 6 p.m. EST The death toll has now risen to four in Tuesdays collision of a freight train and charter bus that appeared to be stuck on the tracks in Biloxi, Mississippi. The four were among 43 people on the northbound bus, which had traveled from Austin, Texas. Three people died at the scene and the fourth died later. Two people had to be removed from the wreckage by a Jaws of Life, Incident Cmdr. Joe Boney said. Thirty-five people were hospitalized, several airlifted from the scene. The CSX train was heading east when it collided with the bus, which had become stuck 5 minutes earlier, witnesses said. A nearby car, which was not involved in the crash, was used as a stepladder to get people off the bus. The accident was the second in two months involving a train and a vehicle in Biloxi. A Pepsi-Cola delivery truck was hit by a CSX train Jan. 5 when it became stuck on a steep upgrade. The truck driver managed to escape before the impact and called for help. Ameet Patel, senior vice president of regional operations for Penn National Gaming, owner of Hollywood Gulf Coast Casino and Boomtown Biloxi Casino, said the bus was headed to Boomtown from the Hollywood casino. All train traffic in the area has been halted. UPDATE: 4:48 p.m. EST Amid reports that at least three people were killed in a collision between a charter bus and train in the city, Merit Health hospital in Biloxi, Mississippi has set up a triage area to deal with the flood of injured victims, local newspaper the Sun Herald reported. "It's very chaotic up there," Biloxi spokesman Vincent Creel said to the paper. Images from the scene show folks being taken away in stretchers as emergency personnel worked to help the victims. The Associated Press reported that the train struck, then dragged, the bus. Some 50 people were aboard the bus and many reportedly sustained injuries. UPDATE: 4:32 p.m. EST Amid reports of at least three deaths from a crash in Biloxi, Mississippi involving a train and a bus, witnesses told local station WLOX that the charter bus appeared to be stuck or stopped on the tracks before it was broadsided. Story continues Images and videos of the incident show a dramatic scene, with dozens of emergency personnel working to help folks surrounding a crumpled bus. The bus reportedly came from Austin, Texas. Reporter Victor Williams of WLOX posted to Twitter that victims had already been air-lifted to the hospital as crews worked to free others from the wreckage. Original story: A charter bus and train collided in Biloxi, Mississippi, on Tuesday in a dramatic and deadly crash. The Biloxi police chief said at least three people died in the incident, with dozens more injured, Blake Kaplan, editor of the Biloxi Sun Herald, wrote on Twitter. There were reportedly 50 people on the bus, and most have sustained injuries. The crash occurred in the early afternoon at about 2:30 p.m. local time, the Sun Herald reported. The story is developing. Check back for updates. Related Articles Randie Noell has visited McDonald's restaurants all over the world. Not for the McFlurries or a comforting taste of home while traveling, but for the bathrooms. Her most recent European adventure, for example, included a pit stop marked by Roman golden arches. "McDonald's always has a restroom that is always available," says Noell, a 63-year-old retired elementary school teacher in Yorba Linda, California. Noell ought to know. As someone with interstitial cystitis, aka painful bladder syndrome, the urge to urinate can be an uncomfortable, frequent experience. "You keep having to run to the restroom, you try to urinate, the feeling goes away temporarily, but then you're right back to feelings of pain," explains Noell, who was diagnosed with a moderate case of IC about 20 years ago. [See: What Color Should My Pee Be? A Stream of Urine Questions, Answered.] More than a hassle, IC, which has no known cause, can dominate patients' lives, affecting everything from their sleep schedules to their career choices to their sex lives, says Nicole Cozean, a pelvic floor physical therapist in Laguna Hills, California, and author of "The Interstitial Cystitis Solution." While the severity of Noell's symptoms fluctuate -- often triggered by stress or eating or drinking something irritating -- some women she's met are so constantly debilitated by IC that they're on opioids and in tears. By the time many patients get to Cozean, "they're hopeless and in pain," she says. "Their life is extremely disrupted." Before Noell retired, for example, she had to either ask a teaching partner to watch the students while she ducked out to the bathroom or distract herself from the discomfort of feeling she needed to go. Today, many of her day-to-day decisions revolve around what gives her the most relief. "At some point," she tells other people with IC, "you will find ways to make yourself more comfortable and you will be able to live your life without worrying where the bathroom is every five minutes." Story continues Misdiagnosis Madness Interstitial cystitis is a chronic illness that may affect anywhere from 4 to 12 million people in the U.S., most of them women, according to the Interstitial Cystitis Association. Estimates vary widely in part because the nondescript symptoms of IC -- namely, pelvic-area pain -- are also symptoms of many other conditions, says Dr. Daniel Elliot, a urologic surgeon at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. "Essentially, all the symptoms can be associated [with] or caused by another disease process," he says. "You can have pain with urination that can be due to a bladder infection, it could be due to bladder stones, it could be due to bladder tumors -- and it also can be interstitial cystitis." Symptoms can also be caused by a history of pelvic trauma, sexual abuse or pelvic mesh use; a urinary tract infection; or simply "run-of-the-mill overactive bladder," Elliot says. Accurate diagnoses require clinicians to rule out other possibilities first, according to American Urological Association guidelines. But many urologists, gynecologists and generalists aren't aware of, or otherwise don't follow, such guidelines, experts say. In turn, many people who don't have IC hear they do, receive treatments that don't work and then become disillusioned with the medical system for taking their time and money without providing them relief, Elliot says. At the same time, plenty of people who do have IC are told they have another condition and are also given treatments that don't work. " [Patients] are getting told they're crazy, that symptoms are in their head, 'there's nothing wrong with you' and given rounds of antibiotics for something that's not an infection," says Cozean, who treats Noell and serves on the board of the Interstitial Cystitis Association. [See: 5 Rare Diseases You've Never Heard of (Until Now).] But a correct diagnosis is critical because, left untreated or improperly treated, IC can get worse, since the bladder seems to contract more and more in response to what's believed to be underlying nerve irritation. "If the disease process continues, the bladder can shrink down to a nonfunctional bladder so that [patients] are urinating literally every 15 minutes," Elliot says. "It becomes a horrible process." It doesn't have to be that way. While IC has no cure yet, proper treatments can help patients cope with symptoms. The catch? What works for one patient doesn't always work for another. "Any time in medicine there are multiple different treatments, it's probably because we just don't really know what's causing it," Elliot says. "And that's definitely true with IC." Here's how he and other experts suggest finding out what works for you: 1. See a specialist. In order to ensure appropriate treatment, you first need to make sure you have an accurate diagnosis by a urologist or gynecologist who has experience working with IC patients, is up to date on the AUA's guidelines and enjoys working with IC patients, Elliot says. Many such clinicians are certified in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery. "If you go into someone who specializes in prostate cancer or uterine cancer, and that's what they like doing, you're not going to get the same level of enthusiasm," Elliot says. 2. Know your options. Treatment options for IC range from first-line therapies like stress-management techniques to rare, last-resort procedures like bladder augmentation or removal, says Dr. Lindsey Cox, an assistant professor of urology at the Medical University of South Carolina. Other treatments include pelvic floor physical therapy; drugs like pain relievers, antihistamines or other medications taken orally or inserted into the bladder; and complementary therapies like acupuncture. Since many patients with IC also have other diagnoses like irritable bowel syndrome, allergies, depression and anxiety, seeking help for those conditions can help ease IC symptoms, too. [See: 10 Reasons You Should Try Self-Massage.] To find the optimal treatment or mix of treatments, begin with the least invasive options before trying more drastic measures, the AUA guidelines recommend. For Noell, who has gone through yearlong periods without IC flare-ups, it has taken a combination of medications, abstaining from alcohol and acidic and spicy foods, daily walks and working with Cozean to learn exercises that relax her pelvic floor muscles. "You have to do what works best for you," she says. "It can be as simple as sitting down with a cup of chamomile tea and a heating pad." 3. Seek support. One of the most difficult aspects of living with IC is that people who have it don't look sick. "It's a debilitating and isolating condition," says Jane, a 40-something stay-at-home mom in Florida, who asked to remain anonymous to preserve her identity as the anonymous author behind the social media handle, The Angry Bladder. For her, the internet has served as "a wonderful outlet" and source of support. "The most important thing for [people with IC] to know," she says, "is that they're not alone." YARMOUTH, Maine (AP) Maine Gov. Paul LePage has apologized to a black father for his previous racially charged comments, drawing applause from the crowd at a town hall meeting. Garrett Stewart told the white Republican governor Wednesday in Yarmouth that criticism of civil rights leader John Lewis and comments about black drug dealers coming to Maine were hurtful to his children. LePage responded by saying, "I apologize to you and your children." The self-described straight-talking governor faced widespread criticism last year when he said out-of-state black and Hispanic drug dealers were coming to Maine and impregnating "young, white" girls. He has said he meant to say "Maine women." LePage also insulted Lewis after the Democratic Georgia congressman questioned the legitimacy of Donald Trump's election and rejected a call from the NAACP to apologize. WARREN, Maine (AP) Maine's corrections commissioner has ordered state prison workers to stop making women remove their bras to go through screening to visit inmates. Commissioner Joseph Fitzpatrick says he didn't know that women were being required to remove undergarments after the bras apparently set off metal detectors. The commissioner says he became aware of the complaints through news media reports. He said he had not received any formal complaints. He declined a request for further comment from The Associated Press. In 2015, female lawyers visiting clients at the Cumberland County Jail in Portland lodged complaints after being required to remove their underwire bras before they could meet with their clients. That policy was later rescinded, as well. WASHINGTON When the Food and Drug Administration declared that KIND bars that sticky fusion of fruit, nuts, chocolate, and other treats couldnt use the word healthy on its wrappers in 2015, the KIND company took offense. It filed a petition objecting to the standards the agency used when considering fat content and asked that its tasty bars be permitted to be called healthy, after all. The FDA relented then went on a mission to redefine what that word actually means. That effort will continue Thursday as the FDA convenes a public meeting on the issue, after having asked for broader input. More than 870 individuals and groups have responded so far, among them: food company lobbyists, nutritionists, mothers, consumer groups, and even a grammarian, Holly Frost, who asked the FDA to protect the English language by asking the public to eat healthfully, instead of healthy. Read more: Food fight erupts as top nutritionists gather to define healthy eating Its time to redefine healthy, said Lindsay Moyer, senior nutritionist for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington nonprofit that works on food policy. Wed like to find a way to use the definition of healthy to steer people toward less processed foods like fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, whole grains, fish and poultry. Moyers group would also like sharp limits on sugar, and a rule that any foods that tout themselves as whole grain, be 100 percent whole grain. STATs perusal of the public comments filed with FDA showed that many Americans stood up for healthy fats, such as those found in nuts and salmon, and that most letter-writers were concerned about sugar. Some of the respondents had an obvious financial interest. The International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research & Education Foundation, for instance, filed an eight-page note defending nuts of all kinds, and asked the FDA both for permission to use qualified health claims for nuts and heart disease and also to welcome Brazil nuts, cashews, and macadamias into the healthy fold, since recent research has backed their healthiness. Story continues Not to be outdone, the Egg Nutrition Center proposed that eggs, as a high-protein, nutrient-dense, food, be considered healthy. Kara Shifler, on behalf of the Prevention, Research and Outreach Program at Pennsylvania State University, echoed many respondents in her proposal that all whole plant-based foods without added ingredients should be defined as healthy, as should whole or unrefined grains. Such a definition, Shifler said, would align with the general consensus of the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, and the National Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. There were also those who were concerned with food colorings and chemicals, as well as how the food was cooked. No products that are fried (whether fresh like chips or frozen like chicken nuggets), wrote Laura Albanese. Ideally, no packaged food-like products should be labeled healthy, except for maybe hummus or tomato sauce thats low in sugar. The Grocery Manufacturers Association asked the FDA for more time to weigh in. The scope of the issues related to the use of the implied nutrient content claim healthy is quite complex ad scientific in nature, the group said. And some respondents felt that the FDA should not let any food be identified as healthy. What is considered healthy is constantly changing, said Madeline Skitzki, who identified herself as a consumer. It is impossible for the FDAs definition of healthy to keep pace with changes in nutritional understanding. Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, search for missing plane, 3 year anniversary of Flight 370 Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 disappeared on March 8, 2014, setting off what has turned out to be the most baffling mystery in aviation history a Boeing 777 carrying 226 passengers and 12 crew members on a routine redeye flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing, China, cut off all communications with the ground and simply vanished. Now, three years later and nearly three months after the official, Australian-led search team gave up looking for the missing plane a team of researchers in Australia say that they have found what they call concrete evidence that rivals exactly where Flight MH370 went down, and now lies at the bottom of the sea in a remote region of the Indian Ocean. Click here to continue and read more... Malaysia's Maybank has announced a very generous maternity leave extension of up to a year for new mums. This is significantly longer than the national mandatory 60 days, or two months, that mothers get. SEE ALSO: What does workplace flexibility mean in 2017? But Maybank's maternity leave isn't fully paid. Just the first three months is paid, and employees will have to apply for an extended three months, at half-pay. The final six-month stretch is unpaid. Still, the company's new maternity policy makes it the first bank in the country to offer such a long leave period to employees. A Maybank spokesperson told us only Maybank employees in Malaysia will be eligible for the extended maternity leave benefits, as there are different maternity leave provisions and practices in each country. "[The] policy presents an opportunity for our female employees to cope with the demands of their newborn child and motherhood, while finding the balance to juggle work and life before returning to, and performing effectively, in their roles in the workplace," said Nora Manaf, Maybank's chief human capital officer. Maybank's maternity leave stands out as one of the more generous in Southeast Asia. In Singapore, the leave entitlement is 16 weeks, and in the Philippines it's 9 weeks. The region has quite a ways to go compared with countries like Sweden, which has 56 weeks of maternity leave paid at 80 percent the employee's salary. In 2015, Netflix started allowing both new mothers and fathers to take unlimited paid leave in the first year after their child's birth. UPDATE: March 9, 2017, 4:55 p.m. SGT Updated with Maybank's clarification on eligibility. KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Thursday that ties with North Korea will not be cut, after tensions over an investigation into the murder of the estranged half-brother of the North's leader in Kuala Lumpur led to tit-for-tat travel bans. "Diplomatic relations between Malaysia and North Korea will not be severed, as we need to continue communicating with them to find a solution," Najib said on Thursday in a statement on his blog. Najib said Malaysia will not relent from a firm approach toward North Korea, while adding that all Malaysians still in North Korea were safe. Two Malaysian U.N. employees were allowed to leave North Korea on Thursday, while nine others are stranded at the embassy in Pyongyang. (Reporting by Praveen Menon) From Popular Mechanics Ogg the Exalted, oppressor of Mars, has a problem. You see, his preferred sources of energy, such as explosions and the manual labor of unwilling martian grunts, just won't power his presidential limousine the way he'd like. Good news, though. Ogg's space-traveling subordinate Colonel Cosmic has just returned from planet Earth with news of something that could save his world: precious, precious petroleum. So begins "Destination Earth," a lost classic of corporate propaganda. The American Petroleum Institute, a trade group for the oil industry, put out the cartoon in 1956 to walk viewers through the fundamentals of petroleum and the industry's impact on society, all through the lens of an interplanetary romp. Here's the beginning: You can watch the full video on Archive.org. The 14-minute clip is a bizarre and delightful time capsule of 1950s sci-fi, go-go post-war economic boom thinking, and anti-communism. Ogg, you see, is an autocrat who puts his name on everything and forces people to applaud for him. But when the martians discover the power of not only a reliable fuel source like petroleum but also the entrepreneurial system, it's all over for their dear leader. Small businesses spread across the rust-colored landscape to hunt for oil below. Drill, martians, drill. You Might Also Like Brussels (AFP) - Prime Minister Theresa May warned EU leaders Thursday that Britain would not keep paying "huge sums" into the EU budget after Brexit, as she expressed impatience to start the divorce. At her last Brussels summit before her deadline to trigger the Article 50 withdrawal process by the end of March, May said she wanted to "get on with" leaving the European Union -- and said her fellow EU leaders agreed. The EU has said that settling Britain's financial liabilities will be a priority in the forthcoming negotiations, with EU officials estimating the bill at 60 billion euros. "I'm clear that when people voted on June 23 for us to leave the European Union, they voted for us in the future not paying huge sums of money into the European Union every year," May told a press conference. "And of course when we leave the European Union that will be the case." Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson had earlier urged May to follow the example of former Conservative premier Margaret Thatcher, who secured Britain's EU budget rebate in 1984. "Mrs Thatcher said she wanted her money back and I think that is exactly what we will get," Johnson told the BBC. May quipped that "there's only ever one Margaret Thatcher". A bill empowering May to trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty, starting a two-year divorce process, will return to parliament on Monday. Final approval is expected by the middle of the week, leaving the prime minister's path clear to start the withdrawal. "Our European partners have made clear to me that they want to get on with the negotiations, and so do I," May said. "It's time to get on with leaving the European Union and building the independent self-governing global Britain the British people have called for. "And so, as I have said, we will trigger Article 50 by the end of this month. "This will be a defining moment for the UK as we begin the process of forging a new role for ourselves in the world, as a strong country with control over our borders and over our laws." May will depart after the summit dinner on Thursday, leaving the other 27 EU leaders to discuss their future without Britain on Friday. "We're taking a different path to the 27 and it's only natural that those remaining would want to meet and discuss what this means for them," a Downing Street spokesman said. President Donald Trumps approval ratings may be one of the lowest for any new president but his wife is well-liked by the United States, a new poll shows. Melania Trumps approval rating has seen a significant jump following Trumps inauguration earlier this year. According to a CNN/ORC poll released Wednesday, the first lady is currently viewed favorably by 52 percent of Americans, more than double of the 24 percent in February 2016. It is also a double digit jump from 36 percent before Trump took office in January. Read: Donald Trump Approval Rating: Americans 'Embarrassed' By Most Unpopular POTUS In History, Polls Show The jump in Melania Trumps approval ratings has been credited to more Americans forming an opinion about the first lady, the report showed. Before the inauguration, 23 percent had no opinion about Melania Trump, but the figure now stands at 12 percent. The number for people who viewed the first lady unfavorably stood at 31 percent in the starting of February 2016 and has remained nearly steady with 32 percent maintaining the view in the latest poll. melania trump net worth Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria The opinion was divided on party lines with 86 percent of Republicans viewing Melania Trump favorably, while the figure stood at 22 percent for the Democrats. The divide is sharp, especially when compared to her predecessor Michelle Obama who was viewed favorably by 93 percent of the Democrats and 50 percent of Republicans in April 2009. The CNN/ORC poll, conducted telephonically from March 1 to March 4 with 1,025 adult Americans, also found that Melania Trump had a higher favorability among men than women 58 percent of men and 46 percent of women held a favorable view of her. The first lady, who received a standing ovation during an International Womens Day lunch at the White House on Wednesday, has avoided the limelight even after taking on the very public role. However, she has made a limited number of appearances alongside her husband and also visited a hospital on National Read Across America Day on March 2. Story continues Related Articles Melania Trump is preparing herself to move to Washington, D.C. where she will live with President Donald Trump in the White House, according to a new report Wednesday. The first lady has been living in New York with her son Barron as he continues attending private school in Manhattans upper west side neighborhood. Melania has been juggling between her responsibilities in New York and her role in the White House, but now she may permanently move in with her husband this summer, a source told New York Daily News. She is also focusing on her look as she is set to step in full time for her duties as the first lady. She really cares about entertaining, a source close to the 46-year-old said while talking about Melania's hosting of an elegant party for 46 governors two weeks ago, the announcement about the White House tour and her proactive involvement in the Governors Ball. She didnt want people talking business, sources told Daily News. She had a theme for the Governors dinner Spring Renewal. And shell be in full bloom when she moves into the White House. Read: How Melania Trump Gets Her Perfect Hair Her transition from New York to Washington D.C. will also change her style as Melania plans to sport a "lighter look" while in the White House. She flies in her hairdresser from Beverly Hills, Alen M, who also works in New York City. He's responsible for her color, another source reportedly said. They decided recently that she should go blonder. You can see the highlights. The process is called balayage. Melania also has a different approach in style when she throws parties in the capital. Herve Pierre did her inauguration dress and the two of them are huddling to do more elegant gowns for entertaining in the White House, the Daily News reported. She wants her dresses modern, sleek and form fitting. Related Articles Ideally, David Top would like to move his father, 88-year-old Gabriel Top of Manhattan, into a memory care facility -- that is, if the money were available to do so. After suffering a stroke about a dozen years ago, Gabriel's short-term memory was greatly diminished, and today Gabriel suffers from severe dementia. Memory care is specialized long-term care offered by some nursing homes for residents with dementia -- like that caused by Alzheimer's disease -- and other memory issues. "His dementia is getting worse, and he doesn't get the amount of care that he needs," David says of his father. "Part of the goal was to move him to Las Vegas, where they have a top-notch memory care facility." That's also where David's daughter lives and family often gathers for reunions and vacations. "So he would be part of his family's life, basically, instead of being isolated." Though family travel to see Gabriel in Manhattan, they can't afford to relocate him or put him in memory care, after hundreds of thousands of dollars Gabriel had saved were taken from him by a long-time companion, David says. "He depended on her for everything -- for advice and to get to his medical appointments, and really to manage his life," David says of his father's companion; at one time, Gabriel and the woman had been a couple. But David notes she started to take utter control of Gabriel's life, including alienating him from family -- even convincing him not to get needed medical care. She also became a joint account holder on bank and investment accounts, eventually removing his name from those accounts. "The amount of money the long-term companion took from Gabriel is estimated at close to $750,000, in addition to an unknown amount of interest and dividends," says Jahna Locke, an Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Legal Fellow at the non-profit New York Legal Assistance Group, who is working on Gabriel's case. NYLAG is providing free legal services to try to help recover the money that was taken. "She basically took all his money," David says. Story continues One of the most common forms of elder abuse, financial exploitation is growing in prevalence (along with other forms of abuse) as the population ages. Most commonly committed by a family member, caregiver or trusted individual, financial abuse typically involves taking money, property or other assets -- or withholding those -- without a person's permission. Though in Gabriel's case, David says he didn't yet have dementia when the abuse appears to have started in 2012, he and Locke say his companion took advantage of his dementia as time went on. [See: What Only Your Partner Knows About Your Health.] Even mild cognitive impairment has been shown to inhibit financial-decision-making, studies show, and can make a person more vulnerable to financial exploitation. More than one-third of people 65 and older already have some form of cognitive impairment, notes Dr. Robert Roush, a professor of geriatrics at the Huffington Center on Aging at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Roush is the medical project director for the Elder Investment Fraud and Financial Exploitation Prevention Program, or EIFFE, Prevention Program, which was created by the Baylor College of Medicine and funded by a grant from the Investor Protection Trust. Among other things, as part of continuing medical education EIFFE teaches doctors how to screen older patients for cognitive deficits that could put them at higher risk of being financially exploited. "You've got a lot of people out there at risk, and a lot of people that we know are being scammed," Roush says. "For every one of these cases of financial exploitation that we know about, there is so many more." Frequently, money that's been stolen is spent by perpetrators and never recovered by victims. In Gabriel's case, efforts to recover the money he lost are greatly complicated by the fact that his alleged abuser recently died, following a stroke last fall. Locke declined to release the individual's name, citing concerns that doing so could compromise future legal action taken on behalf of Gabriel, and in light of an ongoing criminal investigation into the matter. "We're looking into the possibilities of working probate with the [late friend's] estate to see if there's any way that we can capture these funds," Locke says. "The thought is that the funds are still within her name." "He was saving his whole life for when he needed it," David says of his father. "He even short-changed himself on some of his quality of life trying to be self-sufficient in his older years." Though his father isn't able to articulate his feelings, David says the exploitation by his long-time friend saddened his father and recast the entire relationship. "Mentally it weighs on him," David says, adding he believes his father has suffered from depression as a result. [See: 6 Ways to Age Well and Save Money Doing It.] Financial abuse not only affects a person's fiscal health, but overall well-being. Research finds it can raise a person's risk of depression, leading people to withdraw and increasing hopelessness. Faced with profound loss, some victims even become suicidal, experts say. Additionally, having money and assets stolen in retirement can make it difficult for some people to afford needed medical care. "When elders lose enough money to have to make choices between paying for out-of-pocket health care costs and routine living expenses, they're going to go with the latter and forgo the former, which can cause all types of conditions to worsen," Roush says. That can range from not being able to get needed drugs that aren't covered by insurance to forgoing treatment due to out-of-pocket costs, or even not going to the dentist or purchasing healthful foods, due to expense. A study published in the Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect in January found financial mistreatment, like having money stolen, is associated with a decline in functional health -- predicting more difficulties doing activities of daily living, such as dressing or bathing or getting in and out of bed without assistance. The reason for the association is not perfectly clear. But, "a lot of older adults are retired and relying on a fixed income to access care and treatment to sustain their health," says Jaclyn Wong, a doctoral candidate in sociology at the University of Chicago who led the research. "So perhaps the financial mistreatment is reducing the monetary resources that older adults need in order to maintain their physical well-being." For older, frail adults, health can spiral down quickly, particularly if they're unable to get the care they need, Roush says. "It's a constellation of things," he adds of the health effects linked to financial abuse. Many who are abused feel embarrassed or ashamed and withdraw, leaving themselves more vulnerable to re-victimization and myriad other health consequences associated with isolation, from further contributing to depression risk to raising the specter of future heart problems. While doctors and others on the front lines seek to prevent and report elder financial abuse, Roush says loved ones and seniors should be aware it can happen to anyone. He advises also taking notice if a loved one experiences changes in cognitive function or appearance -- like self-neglect -- which may leave them more vulnerable to financial abuse. [See: 11 Things Seniors Should Look for in a Health Provider.] What's more, experts say, because of the pernicious nature of financial abuse, it's important to treat victims with compassion and understanding that reflects the profound impact it can have. Wong reiterates that the problem shouldn't be viewed purely through an economic lens: "Your economic situation, your social situation, your health situation -- those are all linked," she says. This article was written with the support of a journalism fellowship from New America Media, the Gerontological Society of America and the John A. Hartford Foundation. Michael Schroeder is a health editor at U.S. News. He covers a wide array of topics ranging from cancer to depression and prevention to overtreatment. He's been reporting on health since 2005. You can follow him on Twitter or email him at mschroeder@usnews.com. By Madeline Chambers and Ralph Boulton BERLIN/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Turkey to stop invoking Berlin's Nazi past in criticizing cancellations of Turkish ministers' rallies in Germany, and said she would do everything possible to keep Turkish domestic conflicts from spilling onto German soil. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who survived an army attempt to topple him in July, is working to win the votes of Turks abroad in an April referendum that would give him sweeping new powers. But unease is spreading in Europe over the dispatch of ministers to communities themselves sometimes deeply divided. "To the many people with Turkish roots who are German citizens or have lived here for a long time, I say: you are part of our country," Merkel said on Thursday. "We want to do everything we can to make sure that possible internal Turkish conflicts are not carried over into this life together (here). "Let us support our way of life together and even improve it where possible. That is a matter of the heart." Some took a harsher line than Merkel. Andreas Scheuer, head of her CSU Bavarian sister party, said the campaigner Erdogan and his henchmen" were not wanted in Germany. The dispute over cancellations has become entangled with other tensions between Turkey and its NATO allies. ROTTERDAM RALLY West European politicians have accused Erdogan of using the coup as a pretext for mass arrests and dismissals that stifle dissent. Erdogan, for his part, accuses European powers of racism, harboring enemies of Turkey, including Kurdish militants, hardline leftists and people linked to the July coup. Scores of Turks, including diplomats and army officers, have applied for political asylum in Germany, Greece, Switzerland and other countries. Merkel spoke unusually bluntly in the Bundestag lower house of parliament, calling for the release of a German-Turkish journalist being held in a Turkish prison. She said she was saddened by deep differences between the allies. Erdogan's references to Germany's Nazi past were, however, "so misplaced that you can't seriously comment on them". "These comparisons of Germany with Nazism must stop. They are unworthy of the close ties between Germany and Turkey and of our peoples," she said. Turkey's Foreign Minister effectively repeated the comparison within hours. "We are not calling the government Nazi. Its practices recall that era," NTV television quoted Mevlut Cavusoglu as saying. Austria has proposed an EU-wide ban on Turkish referendum rallies. Cavusoglu said on Thursday he would not succumb to "fascists and racists" like Dutch nationalist politician Geert Wilders, who has called for a ban on Turkish rallies in the Netherlands. "I will go to the Netherlands, no such obstacle can stop us," Cavusoglu told reporters. His comments contradicted earlier reports that he had canceled a Rotterdam rally. Switzerland declined on Thursday to block the Turkish foreign minister from speaking in Zurich on Sunday, although the Zurich-area hotel where he had planned to appear canceled the event at its facility. "The Swiss federal government authorities responsible for security matters are of the opinion that Sunday's planned visit of the Turkish foreign minister in Zurich does not at the moment pose an elevated threat to internal security," the foreign ministry said. "Consequently, there are no reasons to forbid the visit." City of Zurich officials who had asked for a ban said they were disappointed but would do their best to preserve order, given what they expect will be massive counter-demonstrations. Erdogan, a divisive figure but by far Turkey's most popular leader, says the strong presidency is vital to a country threatened by Islamist and Kurdish militant attacks and dogged by a history of unstable coalition governments. (Reporting by Michelle Martin and Madeline Chambers in Germany, John Miller in Zurich; Writing by Ralph Boulton; Editing by Larry King) Tultepec (Mexico) (AFP) - A Mexican village specializing in making fireworks that was devastated by a deadly pyrotechnic explosion moved to put the tragedy behind it with a spectacular fiery fiesta. Forty-two people died and 70 were injured when tonnes of fireworks ignited at a market in the village Tultepec, north of Mexico City a few days before Christmas last year. But on Wednesday night the village returned to its flamboyant but risky ways, marking the Catholic festival of San Juan de Dios, with thousands of revelers running among exploding fireworks and hundreds of giant burning paper bulls. Rockets screamed and acrid white smoke filled the air as revelers yelled "Fire, fire!" Firefighters, ambulances and security forces were out in force. Known as the "firework capital of Mexico," the village has specialized in making explosive powder since the 19th century. Local authorities say it exports $4 million worth of fireworks a year to Central America and the United States. "It's worth the risk of dying for the beauty of the craft," one local powder maker, Uriel Gonzalez, 18, told AFP. By Timothy Mclaughlin (Reuters) - Missouri's system for providing lawyers to represent poor people accused of crimes is so under-funded that defendants wait months for an attorney and plead guilty in cases they could easily have won, a lawsuit filed Thursday said. The suit by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other organizations is the latest development in the state's long-running feud over how much to spend on legal representation for indigent defendants that has pitted the public defender's office against multiple governors. "I've done everything short of setting myself on fire to draw attention to the situation that the state has put us in," Michael Barrett, director at the Missouri State Public Defender's Office and himself a defendant in the suit, said by email. Last year, Barrett tried to emphasize the severity of the problem by appointing the state's then-governor, attorney Jay Nixon, as a defense lawyer for a poor defendant. In testimony before the state legislature in February, Barrett said that the public defender's office would need an additional 333 lawyers to provide even basic representation. That would nearly double the 349 currently on the staff, according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch newspaper. In the lawsuit filed in state court in the state capital, Jefferson City, the ACLU said state's indigent defense budget is grossly inadequate, with an average of just $356 spent per case. That ranks Missouri 49th out of 50 states in per capita indigent defense funding. People accused of crimes can wait months, often in jail, for representation, the complaint said. In 97 percent of cases public defenders are forced to devote fewer than the minimum hours recommended by the American Bar Association, the civil rights legal organization said. The suit does not seek monetary damages, but is asking the court to order changes in the state's public defender system. Shondell Church, one of five plaintiffs in the case, pleaded guilty in a plea deal - even though a public defender told him he could win his case - because he would have been forced to spend six months in jail simply waiting for an available lawyer, the suit said. Story continues "When the states public defense is short-changed, the entire criminal justice system falters," ACLU attorney Jason Williamson said in a statement. The organization is seeking class action status for the suit. A spokesman for Governor Eric Greitens, also named in the suit, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reporting by Timothy Mclaughlin in Chicago; Editing by Sharon Bernstein and Dan Grebler) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell does not agree with President Donald Trump that Mexico will help pay for a border wall. Uh, no, McConnell said at a Politico Playbook interview on Thursday when asked if that was a possibility. McConnell noted he was in favor of border security, but he said that in some locations, a wall might not be the best option. House Speaker Paul Ryan estimated in January that the wall would cost between $12 and $15 million, and that Congress would pay for it by the fall. Trump repeatedly said on the campaign trail that Mexico will pay for the wall he wants to install along the U.S.-Mexico border. In an interview with ABC News following his inauguration, he reiterated he expected Mexico to pay and said he wanted to start construction within months. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has insisted his country will not comply. Police in New York say they arrested a mother who flew into a rage when an elderly woman suggested she teach her child some manners, attacking the senior citizen with her own cane in a subway station. Breonna Turk, 24, surrendered Wednesday after she allegedly attacked a 71-year-old woman at the Q train station at 86th Street and Second Avenue in Manhattan two days earlier, police said. Read: Elderly Woman Dies, 4 Months After She Was Knocked Out on Sidewalk Outside Deli The senior victim was waiting to enter an elevator when Turk and her young son, who were apparently also wanting to get on, pushed past a crowd getting out at about 2:10 p.m. Monday, a police source told InsideEdition.com. "You should teach your child to wait till people come out of the elevator instead of trying to get in," the septuagenarian said as they stepped onto the elevator, according to a police source. Turk allegedly responded by attacking the elderly woman in full view of the little boy, cops said. She allegedly threw the victim off the elevator, punched her and then snatched the womans cane to continue the attack, the police source said. She then fled with the child in an unknown direction, authorities said. Read: Elderly Woman Gets Knocked Out for Yelling at Man to Stop Fighting Over Beer The victim suffered a cut to her hand and was left with pain throughout her body, the source said. Turk was charged with assault in the second degree. Cops said she lives in a high-rise building about two blocks away from where the incident occurred. Watch: Video Shows Good Samaritan Use Cane to Fight Off Man Who Attacked Bus Driver Related Articles: WHEATON, Md. (AP) A freelance photojournalist will accept $45,000 rather than go to trial this month over his treatment by police in a Washington suburb. Mannie Garcia was photographing officers who were using what he thought was excessive force to make an arrest when they turned on him. He said they put him in a chokehold, seized his camera, made the video card disappear and accused him of disorderly conduct. Garcia is perhaps best known for his Associated Press image of President Barack Obama that artist Shepard Fairey used for his iconic "HOPE" poster. His arrest in 2011 meant his White House credentials were suspended until his acquittal. Obama's Justice Department intervened, saying all citizens have constitutional rights to record police activity in public. Montgomery County, Maryland admitted no liability in the settlement. The top general overseeing Americas wars told Congress Thursday that more U.S. troops will likely be needed in Afghanistan to help train and advise Afghan forces, and left the door open to sending more U.S. forces into Iraq and Syria to fight the Islamic State. The comments by Gen. Joseph Votel, head of U.S. Central Command, come amid rapid changes in the U.S. military posture in the region. Just this week, approximately 400 U.S. Marines deployed to a base near the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa, Syria to assist U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces as they move on the city. Additionally, U.S. Army special operations forces were rushed to northern Syria to act as a buffer between the SDF and Turkish-backed militias who had been threatening their bases around the city of Manbij, and American warplanes unleashed a new wave of bombing runs on al Qaeda in Yemen. Taken together, the deployments and air raids signal a willingness by the Trump administration to escalate American military involvement in fighting the Islamic State and al Qaeda in some of their long-held sanctuaries. The expanding military operations, however, run counter to Trumps campaign rhetoric, in which he scoffed at the idea of nation-building or being drawn into overseas missions. But he has consistently vowed to defeat Islamic State and other extremists. The deployments raise questions about the overall U.S. policy in the Middle East and other jihadist hotspots like Somalia or northern Africa. U.S. military commanders have been careful not to portray the recent moves as a broad change in existing policy, but instead as plans long in the works. One former Obama administration official told FP that the strikes in Yemen and troop increases in Syria are really more of a continuation than a departure from Obama administration counterterrorism policy, albeit significantly accelerated from the ponderous way the Obama team made its decisions. Asked for his recommendations to the Trump administration on next steps in the longest war in American history, Votel told the Senate Armed Services Committee that in Afghanistan, I do believe it will involve additional forces to make the advise-and-assist mission more effective. Story continues Its not just a question of more boots on the ground. Votel said that bringing in more troops would involve rewriting the current strategy that keeps most U.S. soldiers in an advisory role, and in which commandos can only engage in combat if theyre fired on. If the administration follows the militarys advice, it would mark the reversal of a years-long trend in Afghanistan that has seen the U.S. militarys presence steadily decrease to about 8,400 troops from a peak of about 100,000 troops in 2010 and 2011. Votels comments echo those made last month by the Gen. John Nicholson, head of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan, that he would likely need a few thousand more troops to take part in the training mission. The number of Americans in the fight fluctuates from month to month, as Nicholson has the ability to pull in hundreds of troops at a time on a temporary basis to act as what the military calls enablers to buttress the coalitions efforts. Their short-term deployments dont count against the cap on the number of U.S. troops officially acknowledged to be in the country. In January, the Pentagon announced that it was preparing to deploy 300 Marines to the restive Helmand province in Afghanistans south, which saw some of the fiercest fighting during the wars worst days, and is the site of vicious fighting between government forces and a resurgent Taliban. But the former rulers of the country are hardly the only threat. On Wednesday, ISIS militants dressed as doctors entered a military hospital in Kabul and slaughtered 30 doctors, nurses, and patients in the groups bloodiest attack in Afghanistan to date. Votel also said he is open to expanding the U.S. military footprint in Iraq and Syria, where there are already approximately 6,000 troops on the ground. I think as we move more towards the latter part of these operations into more the stability and other aspects of the operations we will see more conventional forces requirements, he said. He declined to offer any numbers but experts and congressional aides say the reinforcements could range from hundreds to thousands of troops. In Syria, in addition to the Marine base near Raqqa, there is also a U.S. Army-run logistics hub dubbed Forward Operating Base Thomas near Kobani in Syrias north, and a Special Operations base closer to Manbij, as well as several U.S.-run training centers for the SDF. In a trip to the region last month, Gen. Votel brought a handful of reporters including FP along to see these outposts. But even outside of Syria, the growing U.S. footprint in key areas of the region was apparent. At one air base the U.S. military would only describe as being located in Southwest Asia due to host nation sensitivities, American F-15s and Belgian F-16s flew round-the-clock missions into Iraq and Syria. One area of the base had recently been given over to the U.S. and its NATO allies to build permanent housing for hundreds of troops and pilots, along with a U.S. Army unit that operated a HIMARS precision rocket system. Were still pouring a lot of concrete in the region more than I would have thought at this point in the war, one former Obama administration official told FP. While touring an air base known as Reaperland for the number of drones it hosts, Votel told reporters traveling with him that as the SDF pushes closer to the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa, U.S. forces may have to take on a larger burden ourselves. We have to look at the variety of things that can be done, there are a variety of forces that we can potentially bring in to do this. FPs Dan De Luce contributed to this report Photo Credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images Washington (AFP) - The top US military commander for the Middle East said Thursday that America would need more troops on the ground in Afghanistan to stave off a resurgent Taliban. General Joseph Votel, who heads US Central Command (Centcom), told the Senate Armed Forces Committee he was currently working on a new strategy to break the war out of a stalemate. "I do believe it will involve additional forces to ensure that we can make the advise-and-assist mission more effective," he said. GLADWYNE, Pa. (AP) Mother Divine, the widow of Father Divine and leader for decades of a religious movement he founded that advocated racial equality and provided free food to thousands of people, has died. Sweet Angel Divine, her legal name, died Saturday at Woodmont, the movement's Gladwyne headquarters, the Emil J. Ciavarelli Family Funeral Homes said in an obituary on its website. The movement doesn't publicize birthdates, but Mother Divine was believed to have been 92 years old, The Philadelphia Inquirer said. An archivist for Father Divine's library and museum, Christopher Stewart, told the newspaper her death was related to old age. Mother Divine was born Edna Rose Ritchings. According to a Time magazine account, she moved from Canada in early 1946 and went to Philadelphia to meet the Rev. Major Jealous Divine at the International Peace Mission Movement, which he founded in New York during the Great Depression to promote racial equality, celibacy and devotion to the Kingdom of Heaven. The two married that year and maintained that they never consummated their marriage, in keeping with Father Divine's devotion to celibacy. Father Divine urged believers not to drink, smoke, swear, gamble or borrow money and to pool their resources and practice communal living. He also barred them from marriage and rejected racial identity, urging people to think of themselves simply as Americans. Critics said those teachings were overshadowed by Father Divine's claim to be God, a declaration Mother Divine insisted was made modestly. The church's key activity was operating dining halls that provided free food to people. Later the mission began charging for the meals, but only a few cents. After Father Divine's death in 1965, Mother Divine led the movement for decades. She sold off many of the landmark properties Father Divine amassed with donations from the faithful in the 1930s, '40s and '50s, including the Divine Lorraine Hotel and Unity Mission Church in Philadelphia. Story continues For a 2003 interview, Mother Divine left Father Divine's big chair empty at their stunning hilltop estate in Gladwyne, pulling a chair alongside it and telling a reporter with a smile, "Father is here with us." At the time, believers, most in their 70s and 80s, still gathered regularly to sing religious and patriotic songs and listen to recordings of Father Divine's sermons. "Basically we have not changed," she said. "We just don't have the people we once had." Musing on the demise of all eight of the mission's cafeterias, she said, "Maybe feeding three generations of people is enough." You cant say Poland didnt try. But despite their best efforts, Donald Tusk was elected to serve a second term as European Council president on Thursday. Tusk, who was once Polish prime minister and who comes from the party Civic Platform, which is the opposition to the ruling Law and Justice Party, was staunchly opposed by Warsaw. Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo had instead asked for all to support Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, a member of the European Parliament. Poland tried to argue that the decision should be delayed, and reportedly hoped that Hungary, its illiberal brother-in-arms, and the United Kingdom, which will need support in impending Brexit negotiations, would join it in voting against Tusk. Warsaw badly wanted Tusks defeat. The power behind the ruling partys throne, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, blames Tusk for the 2010 Smolensk plane crash that killed his twin brother, who was president at the time. So, too, does the Polish government believe Tusk is using his European Council presidency to interfere in Polands domestic politics. What some consider the ruling partys efforts to undermine rule of law by taking over the constitutional court have been debated extensively in Brussels, though without impact in Poland. Szydlo went so far as to say Tusk could not be voted in without Polish support. But no such requirement for unanimity exists, and Tusk won his re-election 27-1 (the one belonging, obviously, to Poland). What Tusk will actually be empowered to do, with Brexit negotiations looming, numerous national elections on the horizon, and the potential of a U.S. ambassador to the EU who has likened the EU to the Soviet Union, is still to be seen. So, too, is the role Poland will play in Brexit negotiations now that UK Prime Minister Theresa May threw her support behind Tusk. And so, at least at the European Council, support for European federalism and liberalism won the day. And Tusk, who openly said he considered U.S. President Donald Trump a threat, will continue to lead the Council for the next two and a half years. Story continues Or, to quote Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaite: Photo credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images The Hague (AFP) - Dutch officials on Thursday urged nations to boost efforts to create a database of alleged war crimes in Syria, using evidence smuggled abroad by refugees and investigators. "We already have millions of pages and gigabytes of evidence," Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders told a conference gathering more than 150 experts, diplomats, rights activists and international lawyers. "And millions more are waiting -- hidden in suitcases and banana crates, buried in caves and pits," he said, voicing the hope that "we can use that evidence to build airtight cases against those guilty of the worst crimes imaginable." The UN General Assembly agreed in December to set up an investigative mechanism to gather evidence on war crimes in Syria, where the civil war between President Bashar al-Assad's regime and rebels fighting to oust him has raged for six years. It would be the first step towards trying to prosecute those responsible for atrocities in the war which has left more than 310,000 dead and forced millions to flee as refugees. The Netherlands, which already hosts top international courts dealing with the world's worst crimes, has offered expertise and a million euros to help get the database up and running. "After six years of conflict in Syria, the evidence of war crimes, human rights violations and crimes against humanity is overwhelming," Koenders said before the experts met behind closed doors. "Syrians are taking enormous risks to bring the truth to light," he added, recalling how one military police officer fled the country with flash drives hidden in his socks containing over 28,000 photos of deaths allegedly in government custody. Another former civil servant escaped with 1,000 pages taped to his body, allegedly containing top-level orders to use indiscriminate violence. Grassroots investigators smuggled what they said was "proof of war crimes" through a dozen checkpoints hidden in banana crates. Story continues - 'In harm's way' - "These brave people know that their actions won't save a single victim" as the crimes had already happened, Koenders said. "They put themselves in harm's way for a different reason: because they believe that one day justice will prevail." Koenders said he wanted to see the perpetrators face justice in The Hague -- dubbed the city of peace and international justice -- and urged nations to help fund the investigations. The database is aimed at furthering the work of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism for Syria based in Geneva, which will work under the UN Commissioner for Human Rights. The mechanism needs some $13 million to fund its the first year of its activities which would involve collecting and analysing any available evidence "that can one day be used to find suspects and bring them to trial." "For the past six years, international diplomacy has failed the Syrian people," Koenders said, adding however that "a political solution still eludes Syria and accountability is out of reach for now." Russia, Syria's main ally, and China in 2014 blocked a request by the council that the International Criminal Court begin investigations of war crimes in Syria. But "if justice is our goal, then we cannot sit back and wait until the war comes to an end," Koenders insisted. TIFTON, Ga. (AP) News organizations are challenging a judge's gag order in a case involving the slaying of a south Georgia high school teacher who vanished nearly 12 years ago. Three groups of newspapers and television stations have filed motions asking Superior Court Judge Melanie B. Cross to lift the order. Ryan Alexander Duke, 33, was charged with murder Feb. 23 in the slaying of Tara Grinstead, an Irwin County High School teacher who disappeared in 2005. A second man, 32-year-old Bo Dukes, was arrested March 3 in Ben Hill County. Arrest warrants showed Dukes was charged with concealing a body, evidence tampering and hindering the apprehension of a criminal in connection with Grinstead's disappearance. Police agencies said they couldn't talk about it, citing the gag order. Grinstead's body hasn't been found, but authorities have been searching for the body at a farm owned by Dukes' uncle in Ben Hill County. The Telegraph of Macon (http://bit.ly/2ngaCe1) reports that Cross barred prosecutors, defense lawyers, police and even family members from commenting on the case. Lawyer Lee Bennett Jr., Grinstead's cousin, says the teacher's family also opposes the gag order. Bennett says Anita Gattis, Grinstead's sister, wants to be able speak publicly. "She feels she should have her First Amendment right of free speech and be able to express her viewpoint and make statements about it," Bennett said. On Monday, Georgia Press Association attorney David Hudson filed a motion on behalf of the Telegraph, Valdosta Daily Times, the Tifton Gazette and the Moultrie Observer. The motion states that the gag order is unnecessary and too broad, and asks Cross to lift it. The Associated Press joined a joint motion filed earlier by The Atlanta Journal Constitution and Atlanta's WSB-TV. WXIA-TV in Atlanta and WMAZ-TV in Macon jointly filed a similar motion. Hudson said even in cases with keen media interest, gag orders are rare and those that are issued are usually overturned. He said courts have determined that as long as prosecutors and law enforcement follow professional guidelines, pre-trial publicity does not impact a defendant's ability to get a fair trial. Story continues "There are many mechanisms available for a judge to ensure a fair trial without curbing information available to the public," Hudson said. ___ Information from: The Macon Telegraph, http://www.macontelegraph.com ___ This story has been corrected to say Valdosta Daily Times, not Valdosta Daily News. ___ Information from: The Macon Telegraph, http://www.macontelegraph.com By Felix Onuah ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari will return to the West African nation on Friday after extended medical leave in Britain, the presidency said on Thursday. Buhari, 74, left Abuja on Jan. 19 for treatment in Britain. He had originally planned to stay 10 days but stayed longer to rest after consulting his doctors. Officials have refused to disclose his illness, triggering fierce speculation in Nigerian media and on social media. "President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to return to the country tomorrow, Friday March 10, 2017," the presidency said in a statement. "President Buhari expresses appreciation to teeming Nigerians from across the country, and beyond, who had prayed fervently for him, and also sent their good wishes," it added. The statement gave no medical details. The presidency had earlier on Thursday published pictures of a smiling Buhari meeting the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, in Abuja House, part of the Nigerian High Commission in London. No official pictures of Buhari's meetings in London had been posted since Feb. 15. The government had sought to allay concerns of a void at the helm of Africa's biggest economy by stressing that Buhari had given Vice President Yemi Osinbajo full powers as acting president during his leave. Osinbajo, a lawyer, held in Buhari's absence cabinet meetings and finished work on an economic reform plan needed to secure a World Bank loan to help plug a deficit caused by low oil revenues. The central bank also devalued the naira for retail customers two weeks ago. (Reporting by Felix Onuah and Ulf Laessing; Editing by Andrew Roche) KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - North Korea has guaranteed the safety of a group of Malaysian citizens stranded there by a travel ban imposed amid a diplomatic spat, Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Thursday. North Korea on Tuesday barred Malaysians from leaving, sparking tit-for-tat action by Malaysia, as tension escalated over police investigations into the murder of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. "The government of North Korea has given a guarantee of safety," Najib said in a message on social network Twitter. "They are free to do their daily activities, but they cannot leave the country." Two Malaysian staffers at the United Nations had left Pyongyang and arrived in Beijing earlier on Thursday, leaving nine stranded in North Korea. (Reporting by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) On Monday morning, North Korea launched four missiles from the northwest corner of the country that traveled 620 miles before landing in the Sea of Japan. While none of the launches were the long-awaited test of an intercontinental-range ballistic missile the sort of weapon that could reach the United States the salvo was a big deal in its own way. Pyongyang very vividly demonstrated the warnings from Thae Yong-ho, a high-ranking North Korean diplomat who defected last year and described how the country was taking the final steps to arm its missile units with nuclear weapons. North Korea is developing an offensive doctrine for the large-scale use of nuclear weapons in the early stages of a conflict. When combined with what we know about U.S. and South Korean war plans, this fact raises troubling questions about whether a crisis on the Korean peninsula might erupt into nuclear war before President Donald Trump has time to tweet about it. In the past, North Korea tested all its No-dong missiles out of a single military test site near a village of the same name. (Why, yes, the U.S. analysts did name the missiles after the town. The emasculating quality was a pure coincidence, I am sure.) These tests were designed to demonstrate that the Scud and No-dong missiles worked. They were tests in the literal sense of the word. In recent years, however, North Korea has started launching Scuds and No-dongs from different locations all over the damn country. These arent missile tests, they are military exercises. North Korea knows the missiles work. What the military units are doing now is practicing practicing for a nuclear war. The North Koreans havent exactly been coy about this. Last year, North Korea tested a No-dong missile. Afterward, North Korea published a map showing that the missile was fired to a point at sea that was the exact range as South Koreas port city of Busan, with an arc running from the target into the ocean, down to Busan. In case you missed the map, the North Koreans spelled it out: The drill was conducted by limiting the firing range under the simulated conditions of making preemptive strikes at ports and airfields in the operational theater in South Korea where the U.S. imperialists nuclear war hardware is to be hurled. Story continues This time, North Korea launched four extended-range Scud missiles that are capable of flying up to 620 miles. The map showed all four missiles landing on an arc that stretched down to the Marine Corps Air Station near Iwakuni, Japan. Once again, the North Korean statement doesnt leave much to the imagination: Involved in the drill were Hwasong artillery units of the KPA (Korean Peoples Army) Strategic Force tasked to strike the bases of the U.S. imperialist aggressor forces in Japan in contingency. So why is North Korea practicing nuking U.S. forces in Japan? The United States and South Korea are conducting their largest annual joint military exercise, known as Foal Eagle. The exercise, which is really a series of exercises, lasts two months and involves tens of thousands of U.S. and South Korean military personnel, as well as an aircraft carrier, bombers, and guess what? F-35 aircraft based out of Iwakuni. Foal Eagle is a rehearsal for the U.S.-Republic of Korea war plan, known as OPLAN 5015, which has been described as a pre-emptive strike against North Korea, including its leadership, as a retaliation for some provocation. Whether thats a fair description or not, the North Koreans certainly think the annual exercise is a dress rehearsal for an invasion. This years menu of fun and games reportedly includes a U.S.-ROK special operations unit practicing an airborne assault on North Koreas nuclear and missile facilities. What North Korea is doing is simply counterprogramming the Foal Eagle with its own exercise. If we are practicing an invasion, they are practicing nuking us to repel that invasion. What is disturbing about the situation, though, is how the war plans of North Korea, South Korea, and the United States might interact. North Koreas military exercises leave little doubt that Pyongyang plans to use large numbers of nuclear weapons against U.S. forces throughout Japan and South Korea to blunt an invasion. In fact, the word that official North Korean statements use is repel. North Korean defectors have claimed that the countrys leaders hope that by inflicting mass casualties and destruction in the early days of a conflict, they can force the United States and South Korea to recoil from their invasion. While U.S. officials usually bluster that Kim would be suicidal to order the large-scale use of nuclear weapons, its obvious that a conventional defense didnt work for Saddam Hussein or Muammar al-Qaddafi when they faced an onslaught of U.S. military power. That was suicide. Of course, thats where those North Korean ICBMs come in: to keep Trump from doing anything regrettable after Kim Jong Un obliterates Seoul and Tokyo. Then there is this: Kims strategy depends on using nuclear weapons early before the United States can kill him or those special forces on display in Foal Eagle can find his missile units. He has to go first, if he is to go at all. But going first is also the U.S. strategy. That means, in a crisis, the pressure will be to escalate. Whatever restraint Kim or Trump might show and lets be honest, our expectations here are not high each will face enormous pressure to start the attack lest his opponent beat him to the punch. Then there is South Korea, which has its own pre-emption plan, separate from OPLAN 5015 and using South Korean ballistic and cruise missiles. Pyongyang, Washington, and Seoul all have plans to go first. Two of them are going to be wrong about that. I understand why the public is fixated on the possibility of a North Korean ICBM. A nuclear-armed ICBM is North Koreas ultimate goal and would be its final deterrent. It would be the last card that Kim would play. But it is equally, if not more, important to think through how such a war might start. It is important to understand whether the military forces and plans both sides are pursuing make war less likely or more. The launch on Monday might not have been an ICBM, but in light of Foal Eagle it was a warning all the same. Not of how a war on the Korean peninsula might end, but of how one might begin. Photo credit: AFP PHOTO/KCNA VIA KNS By Ian Graham BELFAST (Reuters) - Northern Ireland faces another election unless rival parties can agree on a power-sharing arrangement within three weeks, the British government's minister for the region warned on Thursday. Talks to form a new devolved administration in Belfast began on Monday, in the wake of a snap election that catapulted the Irish nationalists Sinn Fein to within a seat of their rivals, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). The main nationalist and unionist parties have until March 27 to form a government to avoid either another quick election or even the threat of having decision-making taken back to London for the first time since 2007, although the minister played down that idea. "If no agreement is reached in the short window following the election, there would be a number of serious consequences," Northern Irish Secretary of State James Brokenshire said in a letter to MPs that was seen by Reuters. "There would be no Executive, no real budget and risks to public services. Ultimately we would be facing a second election with ongoing disruption and uncertainty for businesses and the people of Northern Ireland that would bring." Among its demands, Sinn Fein insists they will not vote DUP leader Arlene Foster back in as First Minister until the scandal that triggered the election - a botched renewable heating scheme she established - is cleared up. Foster has resisted those calls, saying she is not prepared to step aside temporarily while a public inquiry that could take six to 12 months is held. Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams told Reuters on Thursday that there was no reason why, if the will is there, that the talks could not conclude positively. He described the early stages as "very much a work in progress." [nL5N1GM5Q7 In his letter to MPs, Brokenshire sought to soothe concerns that he was not contemplating a reintroduction of direct rule from London. "I am clear that I am not contemplating any other outcome but a resumption of devolved government as soon as possible. This is what the people want and what Northern Ireland needs," he said. (Editing by Padraic Halpin and Hugh Lawson) CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) Police in South Carolina were able to nab a burglary suspect when they linked gelato in his possession to the same Italian-style ice cream that had been stolen from a store. The Post and Courier of Charleston reports (http://bit.ly/2moD5B4) that Charleston police responded to a report of a string of vandalisms at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday. Officers found shattered glass at eight buildings on the street and four more on a street nearby. Around 1 a.m., police found 20-year-old Robert Corbit Hodges nearby. He was drunk, bleeding and carrying a container of gelato. Investigators determined the gelato had been taken from Burbages Grocery, one of the targeted businesses. Hodges was arrested on charges of second-degree burglary and public intoxication. It's unclear if he has an attorney. ___ Information from: The Post and Courier, http://www.postandcourier.com By Daria Sito-Sucic SARAJEVO (Reuters) - Nejra Isaretovic, a 25-year old physiotherapist from Sarajevo, is busy these days studying German and taking driving lessons -- key skills required for her new job in Germany. Isaretovic is among thousands of nurses and physicians from across the Balkans seeking work in Western Europe, causing alarm among health officials that the countries may be left without trained medical staff in the near future. "The state is pushing young people to leave, we get nothing -- no jobs, no future, and most importantly, no security," said Isaretovic, who could not find a job in her field in Bosnia. Last year, 10,000 Bosnians applied for work permits in Germany, according to the Agency for Labour and Employment, which mediates between job applicants and German employers under a 2013 agreement between the two governments. Since then, about 2,700 nurses have left the country of 3.5 million, 1,100 of them last year alone. Around 400 doctors are estimated to have left in 2016 and the same number expected to emigrate this year. "The departures from Bosnia have been gradual so far but once they reach a momentum, it will be en masse, and may cause the health system to collapse," said Meho Kovacevic, a 43-year-old orthopedic surgeon working in the central town of Zenica. The situation is similar in other Western Balkan countries. The certificates that are required for physicians to work abroad have been issued for 1,600 doctors in Serbia over past two years, and nearly 1,300 in Croatia since it joined the European Union in 2013. LOSING BEST EXPERTS With their economies still recovering from a decade of political and economic turmoil in the 1990s, and unemployment in double-digits, the former Yugoslav republics have few funds to spend on healthcare. Working conditions are poor and expensive modern medical equipment scarce. That is why a call by Germany in January last year for foreign workers to come was met with a massive response. Europe's biggest economy has vacancies for 10,000 nurses and 2,000 doctors, with some 40,000 registered doctors due to retire by 2021. According to the German Medical Association, 2,365 doctors from the seven countries that make up former Yugoslavia were registered in Germany last year, including 864 from Serbia. "We are losing our best experts," said Zoran Savic, the president of Serbia's medical workers' trade union. "Younger doctors will fill in their places but it takes a minimum 10 years to educate a specialist physician." Medics complain of unpaid overtime and low wages. Nurses are paid 250-400 euros a month in Bosnia and Serbia, compared with a starting salary in Germany of about 1,500 euros. Surgeon Kovacevic, who is married with two children, said he was not planning to leave Bosnia but was taking German classes all the same. "Why tilt against windmills?" he said. (Additional reporting by Gordana Katana in Banja Luka, Aleksandar Vasovic and Ivana Sekularac in Belgrade, Fatos Bytyci in Pristina, Igor Ilic in Zagreb and Thorsten Severin in Berlin; Editing by Ivana Sekularac and Catherine Evans) NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (AP) More than a dozen old seaside cottages at scenic Crystal Cove State Park will be renovated and made available for coveted overnight rentals, offering visitors a taste of a long-gone era of Southern California beach life. The state Coastal Commission on Wednesday unanimously approved a $30 million development permit to rebuild the wood cottages, the Orange County Register reported (http://bit.ly/2nivaCG ). The plan is to spruce up the 17 remaining, crumbling structures on the north end of the Crystal Cove Historic District, adding to the 29 cottages that have been improved and open for public use in the past decade. The cottages, which sit on the sand along a scenic stretch between Newport Beach and Laguna Beach, were built in the 1930s to 1950s. They were occupied by families until a state lease expired in 2001. "This has been a long, hard journey," Laura Davick, founder and vice president of nonprofit Crystal Cove Alliance, said at the commission meeting. The alliance, a state partner that heads the restoration project, was formed to maintain the history and create unique, low-cost public accommodations along the coast. The group previously helped fight plans for a luxury resort. All 17 cottages will be built into 22 affordable overnight units and will add about 48,000 rental opportunities annually about doubling the current available occupancy, according to the newspaper. A new "open bed" dorm lodge, with 11 beds, will be added at $35 per bed a night. The most expensive cottage, sleeping up to 10 people, will be $245 a night. "This is really an exciting project. I think it's going to be one of the crown jewels in the California State Parks system, if it isn't already the crown jewel," commissioner Gregory Cox said. ___ Information from: The Orange County Register, http://www.ocregister.com Norm Eisen has been one of President Trumps biggest critics on ethics issues, even going so far as to join a lawsuit against him over his business dealings. But theres one area where he backs Trump: His Supreme Court pick. Eisen is one of 57 Harvard Law School Class of 1991 classmates of federal Judge Neil Gorsuch from across the political spectrum to sign a letter supporting his nomination for the Supreme Court. Some of us supported Hillary Clinton, others voted for Donald Trump, while some of us supported thirdparty or write-in candidates, the letter states. What unites us is that we attended law school with Judge Neil Gorsucha man weve known for more than a quarter centuryand we unanimously believe Neil possesses the exemplary character, outstanding intellect, steady temperament, humility and open-mindedness to be an excellent addition to the United States Supreme Court. More than 150 classmates of Gorsuchs at Columbia University, including both Democrats and Republicans, signed a similar letter of support earlier this month. Other signatories on the letter include former Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman. One notable member of the Class of 1991 whos not on the list: Former President Obama. As legislators from Florida gear up to debate the more-than-dozen gun-related bills, including Democratic proposals for banning on assault-style rifles and the Republican's proposal of allowing more concealed guns in public areas, one question stands out How many guns does the sunshine state have? Republican lawmakers such as Sen. Dennis Baxley, of Ocala, and Rep. Don Hahnfeldt, of The Villages, have been pushing for proposals that would allow people to carry concealed weapon with permits everywhere, including local bars, voting booths, courthouses, public schools, colleges and university campuses and airport passenger terminals. Read: How To Buy A Gun: Fewer People Now Buy Guns Without Background Checks, Report Says One of these measures SB 616 that allows concealed-weapons permit holders to carry their weapons to courthouses passed the Senate Judiciary Committee with a 5-4 vote Tuesday, according to the Miami Herald. However, the proposal only allows permit-holders to store the gun at security checkpoints outside the courthouse premises. The proposals advocating for the expansion of gun rights follows the deadly Orlando nightclub and Fort Lauderdale airport shootings. This (proposed gun law proposal) gives these businesses and institutions an opportunity to better protect themselves, their place of business, their employees and their guests in the event of an unfortunate incident. so that maybe the next Pulse, the next Fort Lauderdale ... may not happen, Hahnfeldt had told the Herald while commenting on the set of proposed legislations. Florida has about 1.9 million guns (as of Feb. 28, 2016), the most in the country. The number, which was confirmed by Politifact who fact checked the then presidential hopeful Jeb Bush, speaking at the National Rifle Associations annual convention, last April. Infographic: America Has More Gun Shops Than Grocery Stores | Statista (Florida had) well over 1.3 million law-abiding Floridians with a valid concealed-weapons permit Thats the most in the nation, Bush had said. However, Florida only keeps data on the concealed firearms as firearm purchasing does not require licensing or registration of the weapons. Story continues Licenses of all concealed firearms in the State are issued by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs. They also maintain a database of total concealed-weapons permits. But unlike the district of Columbia and Hawaii, which mandate registration of all weapons, and in the absence of nationwide federal legislation (only 19 states including Nevada, as of Jan. 1 have imposed some regulations on private gun transfers over the past 20 years), central registration of all weapons is not mandatory. Similarly, county sheriffs departments are given information about firearms licenses, acquisitions, and transfers as a copy for local law enforcement, but can only keep this information for about 20 days. After that it must be destroyed. No database is maintained, notes Muckrock, a non-profit investigative news site who filed requests asking for policies and statistics regarding gun acquisition, licensure, and transfer in each of the 67 counties in Florida. Muckrock also noticed major discrepancies in the crime data on incidents involving firearms, which it collected from two sources sheriffs departments data and the Florida Department of Law Enforcements annual Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) on each county. While the sheriffs department said that there were about 440 aggravated assaults involving a firearm in Orange country for the year 2015, UCR tallies the same figure at 1,714. Though no one knows the exact number of guns in Florida, it is no stranger to gun law debates. The Stand Your Ground rule was a major controversy after George Zimmermans fatal shooting of Treyvon Martin. In fact, the deadly shooting at the Fort Lauderdale airport on the afternoon of Jan. 6, 2017 happened a day after a new gun control bill was introduced that sought a ban on assault rifles and ammunition in response to the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando that left 49 people dead in June. Related Articles Uncle Sam provides numerous tax credits and deductions, and while some are well-known, such as deductions for mortgage interest, there are host of other commonly overlooked tax credits and deductions. The tax laws change annually, too, so some tax deductions and credits are being phased out, making the 2016 tax season the last year to take advantage of these savings. Not everyone can take advantage of all deductions. Steve Grove, managing director at CBIZ MHM in Tampa, Florida, says many tax credits and deductions are subject to income limits, so high earners may not qualify. [See: 9 Psychological Biases That Hurt Investors.] However, Brion Collins, managing director and principal at Bronfman E.L. Rothschild near Milwaukee, says tax filers whose income changed substantially in the past year due to job loss or other circumstances should review if they are eligible for these credits. Saver's credit. Just one in three American workers are aware of the saver's credit, a tax credit that the Internal Revenue Service offers to eligible taxpayers who contribute to a 401(k), 403(b) or IRA (including myRA), says Catherine Collinson, president of Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies in Los Angeles. "There's a misconception about the credit, because it's always been referred to as for low-income (filers)," she says. "Some people don't realize they can qualify for it, especially depending on where you live in the country." For 2016, the income limit is $30,750 for a single person, while those who are married and filing jointly must make less than $61,500 or $46,125 for head of household. Depending on earnings, for the first $2,000 contributed into a qualified plan, savers can get up to $1,000, plus there's the tax-deferred savings, Collinson says. Collins also agrees this credit is very often a missed opportunity because it's less known and some people don't realize they qualify for it. Story continues "They could be literally getting free money," he says. Charitable donations. It's easy to account for cash donations, but Collins says people often undervalue non-cash donations. Take the time to itemize donations like clothing or household goods. Websites like Itsdeductible.com can estimate the fair value of those goods, and it can add up to be significant money. "It could be hundreds or even thousands of dollars that if you wouldn't have taken the time to itemize you probably wouldn't have taken more than a couple hundred bucks total," he says. People who drive or take public transit to volunteer at charitable events can write off the cost. "If you bake a casserole for the church, take a deduction for what you spent," he says. Rebecca Walser, a certified financial planner at Walser Wealth in Tampa, says given the rise in the stock market, many people may consider selling equities and donating the proceeds. Instead, she says, if the charity accepts stock, make the appreciated stock the donation. [See: 10 Important Investments Before Having a Baby.] "You avoid the capital gains that you have received if you sold the appreciated stock, but you get the full fair-market deduction when you donate it to the charity," she says. "It's like a double tax benefit." Car donations are also popular, but often cars donated without instructions are sold at wholesale auctions and the donor receives a write-off based on the sale price. But, Walser says, if the car is worth more than $500 and is in working condition, people can donate the vehicle to a charity and specify it's for a needy family. "What that does is it allows you to get the retail fair-market Blue Book value of the donation as opposed to get whatever they (the charity) got for wholesale for cash," she says. Sales tax. In states where there is no income tax, filers can deduct sales tax, says Ivy Chou, marketing and public relations director at a San Jose, California-based consumer website, DealsPlus.com "If you spent a lot of money on a car or jewelry, then it may be worth it," she says. Grove says filers can itemize or use an IRS-provided standard table based on their adjusted gross income, which is an average basket of goods in the IRS's judgement based on big ticket items like, cars, boat or airplanes. Grove says it's usually better to itemize. Even in states where there is income tax, sometimes it makes more sense to take the sales tax deduction, Collins says. "If state income taxes are lower than what you spent on a major purchase, like a car, it can be a significant expense," he says. "We see more people doing home renovations, they might be spending $10,000 or $20,000 in renovations. The sales tax then might exceed the income tax." Chou adds, if the renovations are made for medical purposes -- like adding wheelchair ramps or making the bathtub or shower more accessible, for example -- then filers can deduct the expenses. Job-hunting expenses. Filers who looked for a new job in 2016 can deduct expenses, as long as it's in the same line of work. Expenses include tolls, parking and paying a recruiter, she says. However, career-switchers can't itemize their expenses, she adds. Chou and Al Zdenek, president, chief executive officer and founder of New York-based Traust Sollus Wealth Management, and author of "Master Your Cash Flow: The Key to Grow and Retain Wealth," say people who moved for a new job can deduct the moving expenses, too. Zdenek says people who spread their move into a second calendar year, such as December to January, can deduct costs on two years of tax forms. "People forget that. They may have taken it off for the 2015, but forget for 2016," he says. Last-chance deductions. The 2016 filing season sees a couple of deductions ending, says Grove. Except for solar panels, deductions for most residential energy efficiency improvements like new windows, doors or heating/cooling systems are sun-setting. [See: The 9 Best Municipal Bond Funds for Tax-Free Income.] For people who need to have private mortgage insurance because they didn't have enough of a house down payment, this is the last year they can deduct the premiums on their returns, Grove says. Debbie Carlson has more than 20 years experience as a journalist and has had bylines in Barron's, The Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, The Guardian, and other publications. Follow her on Twitter at @debbiecarlson1. ISLAMABAD (AP) Pakistani police on Thursday opened an investigation into allegations of online "blasphemy" after a court in the country's capital Islamabad asked the government to remove material from social media deemed insulting to Islam's Prophet Muhammad. The step was taken after the Islamabad High Court asked the Ministry of Interior to erase all blasphemous content from social media and track down those who post such content, according to an attorney Tariq Asad. During Thursday's hearing, Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, chief justice of the high court, said he wanted the government to initiate criminal cases against those who commit blasphemy, a sensitive subject in this Islamic nation. Anyone found guilty of insulting Islam can be sentenced to death. Rights groups often oppose Pakistan's blasphemy laws, saying the government should review them. The latest controversy surfaced recently after five Pakistani bloggers mysteriously went missing for several days before returning home. Later, one of them was accused of posting controversial content on social media. Pakistan's Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan in a statement on Thursday promised that his government would leave no stone unturned to effectively block blasphemous content on social media. "We will go to any extent even if we have to go to the extent of permanently blocking all such social media websites if they refuse to cooperate," he said. He added that no content would be allowed on social media that hurts people's religious sentiments. Paris Fashion Week closed Tuesday, March 7, revealing upcoming trends for the fall/winter 2017-2018 season. Fashion journalist Sophie de Champsavin, of Paris Modes TV, gives her take on the key pieces and standout silhouettes from this latest round of shows in the French capital, while also reflecting on the event's general atmosphere. What are the womenswear essentials for the fall/winter 2017-2018 season? The dress, in all its forms, takes the lead this season, from the most delicate gown to the most structured design, finished with prints or in vibrant colors. Big coats and cropped jackets are also very much present, wrapping up women in snug, comforting materials or in leather or shearling, with a mix & match of motifs and textures. Knits come in head-to-toe looks, finished with prints or embroidery and other embellishments, while metallics, lame, sequins and shine light up the winter wardrobe for 2017-2018. Chanel mixed shine with shearling and rocked super-chic quilted space blankets! Almost all designers showed off an updated take on the pant suit, with loose-cut pants and a matching oversized jacket. Which designers stood out at Paris Fashion Week and why? Demna Gvasalia for Balenciaga has been shaking up the codes for several seasons. These shows set the tone for a new way of seeing and wearing fashion. He designed his collection around an attitude, a gesture, resulting in jackets and clothing shifted onto one shoulder, one hip, etc. Nicolas Ghesquiere at Louis Vuitton explored the future while also evoking fashion without borders in a creative and visual blend, presented for the first time at the Louvre museum. Clare Waight Keller showed her final collection for Chloe after having shaped the spirit of Chloe girls for the last six years. She concluded her collaboration with the French fashion house with emotion and discretion. Anthony Vaccarello's eagerly awaited second collection for Saint Laurent kicked off Paris Fashion Week with a sexy and youthful style in a show set under rainy Paris skies. Maria Grazia Chuiri's blue-themed collection for Christian Dior paid homage to one of Monsieur Dior's 1949 shows. Blue was seen in workwear, romantic, arty and celestial shades in a collection that also saw Dior rejuvenated and its offering expanded under the designer's directorship. What was the general atmosphere like at this Paris Fashion Week? This was a dense and cosmopolitan week, in step with its time and with the contemporary world. Women are at the heart of these concerns and the fashion world is changing, seeking to meet consumers' expectations more closely while combining creativity, functionality and desirability. If you had to pick one standout show, which would it be? Chanel put fashion into orbit with its interstellar show, installing a launch pad and a rocket in the heart of the Grand Palais. The rocket then blasted off at the end of the show, enthralling the 2,500 guests. After a supermarket and an airport, Karl Lagerfeld -- the ever fresh and unwavering "Monsieur Chanel" -- managed to surprise the fashion world once again! It was a spectacular conclusion to this Fashion Week, which transported us to the future, an ever-nearer future that is bright and uplifting! As they begin the road to recovery, Democrats are super eager to stress that they will notindeed, cannotsettle for just being anti-Trump. To be sure, say strategists and staffers, the party will fight furiously against Republican policies that conflict with their values. (Resist!) But if President Trump embraces a progressive ideasuch as, say, serious infrastructure reformthe Democrats will be happy to engage. Being a reflexively obstructionist Party of No is not the way to win back voters, they tell me. Democrats must stand for something. They need a compelling governing vision that can be clearly conveyed, preferably in pithy TV ads and bumper-sticker slogans. Which all sounds impressively proactive and high-mindedand in no way relevant to the coming election cycle. Presidential candidates need a vision. Donald Trump certainly had oneno matter how dark, divisive, and fundamentally untethered from reality. (For the 40,000th time: The man has no chance of saving the coal industry. Zero.) But when it comes to midterm elections, the out partys mission is not to spotlight how awesome its ideas are but rather to kick the crap out of the guy in the Oval Office, his ideas, and all of his legislative enablers. Recommended: Two Historians Debate the Significance of Trump's Attacks on Obama Parties like to develop a positive agenda to prepare for their next turn at governing, and this is a good and useful exercise, noted Larry Sabato, who heads the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. But in midterm elections, the voters are usually just reacting to the incumbent presidentand almost always negatively. Sabato ran through a litany of midterm outcomes from the past six decades, including Democratic wins in 1958 (Ikes poor economy), 1974 (anti-Watergate, anti-Nixon pardon), and 1982 (Reagans poor economy), and Republican wins in 1966 (anti-Vietnam War, Great Society backlash), 1994 (Clintons poor economy and controversies), and 2010 (anti-Obamacare, continuing poor economy). In every case, for each party, said Sabato, victory wasnt delivered on account of a terrific positive platform but because of a negative reaction to the policies and actions of the incumbent president and/or Congress. Story continues If anything, this trend has gathered steam in recent years as congressional races have grown ever more nationalized. Certainly, Obama-era Republicans offered a master class in the political efficacy of being anti. The current House majority was explicitly built on fear and loathing of the 44th president. Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, meanwhile, elevated legislative obstructionism to high art, most vividly showcased by his nearly year-long refusal to consider Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland. Recommended: What's the Purpose of Immigration? Democrats busted their humps trying to make Republicans pay for their gridlocking. But, for all voters grousing about congressional dysfunction, they rarely bother punishing lawmakers for not playing nicely. Indeed, the quickest way for a GOP legislator to get booted under Obama was to be labeled a compromising squish. One thing we can take from the past several elections is that political obstructionism does not have the political price many people thought it did, observed a Democratic Senate aide. While nobody does obstructionism like McConnell, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi has a keen appreciation of the value of just saying no. In early 2005, a freshly reelected George W. Bush was hot to overhaul Social Security. Republicans held the White House and both chambers of Congress. They had the vision. They had the numbers. What could possibly go wrong? Everything. Even thinking about messing with entitlements is politically fraught, and Pelosi decided to make Bush bleed for it. For months, she kept her troops focused on beating the bejesus out of Bushs proposal, driving public support for it down, down, down. The negativity became so relentless that some Democratic members began to get twitchy. When would the caucus move beyond slamming Bush and put forth a reform plan of its own? Famously, Pelosis stock response became: Never. Does never work for you? By spring, Bushs plan was deader than discoand stayed dead despite his efforts to revive it, which ran right through the 2006 midterms. That November, Democrats retook both chambers of Congress in a wave election that startled pretty much everyone. Recommended: The Contacts Between Trump Associates and Russia: A Timeline This is not to suggest Bushs Social Security bellyflop prompted the Democrats electoral sweep (though denying the president a key policy win did aid the cause). Broadly, 2006 was a referendum on Bush 43s job approval, which had taken a major hit thanks to his shabby handling of Hurricane Katrina and, more importantly, his Iraq war folly. Democrats beat those drums hard. They also spotlighted a string of nasty scandals plaguing congressional Republicans during that period. (Anyone recall Mark Foleys penchant for teenage House pages?) In midterm politics, as in pain relief, rule No. 1 is to destroy the other guys credibility. You can sort the rest out later. And so Democrats carried the day, despite having put forth nothing remotely approaching a grand governing message, or even a cohesive brand identity. As Time magazine noted at the time: Democrats won't be taking over control of Congress with a blueprint for how to capture the biggest prize, the presidency in 2008. The reason is simple: apart from the fact that they faced an unpopular President and an unpopular ruling party both blamed for a very unpopular war, the Democrats already can't agree on why they won. As it so often the case in such cycles, they did not need to. You always have to tell voters what youre for, said Drew Hammill, deputy chief of staff to Pelosi. That said, he acknowledged that it is a question of priorities. The mid-term is typically a referendum on the president. When youre in the opposition, you want to take his numbers down before you start talking about anything positive. Pelosi has long used a Tylenol versus Advil analogy to explain the imperatives of negative branding, said Hammill. She points out that, when you look at a Tylenol or Advil commercial, they are always attacking each other. There is usually a specific mention of the other brand. Once youve decimated the competition, said Hammill, then you talk about what is good about yourself. So, sure, Democrats will want to work a little on that whole identity crisis. (Not that Republicans dealt with theirs last cycle.) The entirety of the Democratic vision for 2018 and 2020 cannot be simply, We are not Donald Trump, insisted the Senate aide. But, for now at least, the party shouldnt expend too much time or energy fretting about the big picture. Nothing mobilizes voters like an inspirational enemy, and in Trump, Democrats have found themselves a world-class one. In midterm politics, as in pain relief, rule No. 1 is to destroy the other guys credibility. You can sort the rest out later. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. When are we no longer considered alive? When, exactly, do we cross into the land of the dead? The answer may not be as clear-cut as we previously thought, a new paper suggests. Doctors in a Canadian intensive care unit said they witnessed a strange event after withdrawing life support from four critically ill patients. SEE ALSO: Dying author pens heartbreaking dating profile for her beloved husband In three of the patients, their brain activity ceased first, followed by their heartbeat and blood pressure. A person is typically considered "clinically dead" when they stop breathing and their blood circulation ends. But the fourth patient had the opposite experience. The person still showed persistent brain activity for up to 10 minutes after the final heartbeat, researchers wrote in a study published this week in the Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences. A vital signs monitor. Image: Kimmo Mantyla/REX/Shutterstock Patient No. 4's brain continued to fire off bursts of delta waves even after the person was declared dead, Loretta Norton and her colleagues of the University of Western Ontario found. The researchers said they can't really explain what happened. Perhaps there was a human or equipment error that falsely simulated brain activity at the time of recording though there's no sign that either a person or machine messed up. "It is difficult to posit a physiological basis for this EEG [electroencephalographic] activity, given that it occurs after a prolonged loss of circulation," Norton and her team wrote. The study is the latest effort by doctors to better understand what happens to our bodies after life support is withdrawn, which is an important question for organ donation. Without a firm explanation, and given the tiny sample size one patient the doctors couldn't make any definitive conclusions about what their findings mean, except to say that more research is required. "Further study of the [EEG] during the withdrawal of life-sustaining therapies will add clarity to medical, ethical and legal concerns for donation after circulatory determined death," they said. Sir Patrick Stewart was overjoyed Wednesday when he welcomed a new member to his family a dog. Read: Albino Pup Gets Pair of Sunglasses to Protect His Eyes Stewart and his wife, Sunny Ozell, welcomed a pit bull named Ginger that they are fostering for a period of time before a forever home is found for the canine. The X-Men star posted the news on social media and was overcome with emotion as Ginger walked through his door. Thanks to @ASPCA and @WagsandWalks Sunny and I are finally fostering our 1st pitbull! Meet Ginger. I'm in LOVE. #AdoptDontShop pic.twitter.com/VQUBDvZhi9 Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) March 8, 2017 Our foster doggie Ginger is sleeping and snoring on our couch and I can honestly think of no greater compliment. @ASPCA @WagsandTails Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) March 9, 2017 Now promoting his latest film, Logan, Stewart appeared on Conan Wednesday night and couldn't resist bringing Ginger into the conversation. He said the pit bull is his first dog in more than 50 years. He recalled how the last dog he owned had to be "put down" when he was a young man. "I have longed for this moment to come," the 76-year-old actor said. "She is a female and it is [International] Women's Day, so it is very important, and we are going to foster her." The Star Trek: Next Generation actor added that Ginger came from a pit bull fighting ring and was a breeding dog in the savage underworld of dog fighting. Story continues Read: 'Grumpy Dog' Finds Loving Home After His Adorable Photos Go Viral "Now, she is with us, but we are only fostering her," Stewart added. "We are looking for a permanent home for her." Stewart and Conan OBrien then said that anyone interested in adopting the dog can reach out to the actor via social media. Stewart said he will soon be posting instructions on how to adopt Ginger. Watch: Couple Postpones Their Wedding Day to Focus on Finding Missing Dog Related Articles: By Andrew M. Seaman (Reuters Health) - When the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is successfully suppressed by medication, people with HIV can't transmit the virus to others, according to a coalition of community health and HIV/AIDS organizations. Modern drugs for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, can often achieve viral suppression, meaning levels of the virus have been reduced to undetectable levels in the blood. This week, the AIDS United Public Policy Committee issued a statement that said virally suppressed people on treatment can't pass HIV to others, and it recommended that healthcare providers and educators share this message with the public. "We feel that the science is very strong on this and felt comfortable making that statement," said Ronald Johnson, AIDS United's vice president of policy and advocacy in Washington, D.C. An expert not involved in the coalition told Reuters Health she didn't completely agree - but she did say the risk of transmission in such cases would be "negligible." People who start treatment for HIV with so-called antiretroviral therapy (ART) can be virally suppressed within 12 to 24 weeks, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Viral suppression can be lifelong if people stay on their medicine. Over 1.2 million people in the U.S. are currently living with HIV, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those, 86 percent are aware of their diagnosis, 37 percent are on treatment to stop the virus from replicating and 30 percent are virally suppressed. A study published last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association examined the risk of transmission between a person living with well-controlled HIV and their HIV-negative partner. Among 548 opposite-sex and 340 same-sex couples having unprotected sex, only 11 of the HIV-negative partners became positive over about a year and a half of follow up. None of the new infections could be traced back to the partners with HIV. (See Reuters Health story of July 12, 2016 here: http://reut.rs/2aMSuE9.) Those researchers and others, however, did not go so far as to say the risk of transmission is zero. They emphasized that more data is needed - particularly for condomless anal sex. "We felt looking at these studies, there is substantial evidence that we can come to the conclusion that people living with HIV that have sustained and undetectable viral load cannot transmit HIV," Johnson told Reuters Health. Dr. Michelle Cespedes, associate professor of infectious disease at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, said it's impossible to say transmission would never occur with condomless sex. "To say there is absolutely no risk is maybe a little overstating it, but based on the evidence to date its a reasonable conclusion," said Cespedes, who was not involved with the AIDS United statement but described the risk as negligible. She said she always recommends condoms and she offers pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to HIV-negative patients, which also significantly reduces their risk of contracting the virus. The new statement calls for the HHS Antiretroviral Guidelines Committee to examine the issue and update its language. It also calls for laws and policies regarding HIV in the U.S. to be modernized to reflect current science. Johnson said such changes, along with public knowledge that people living with HIV can't transmit the infection while on treatment and virally suppressed, will reduce stigma. AIDS United also endorsed a consensus statement last year issued by the Prevention Access Campaign that made a similar determination about the risk of HIV transmission when the virus is suppressed. SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2lEOxtg AIDS United, online March 6, 2017. Warsaw (AFP) - More than 700,000 people had by Thursday signed a petition demanding the European Parliament suspend a Polish far-right MEP who said women should be paid less because they are weaker and less intelligent than men. Global civic movement Avaaz launched the online petition against MEP Janusz Korwin-Mikke on Wednesday, International Women's Day. "We ask the European Parliament to suspend the Polish MEP Janusz Korwin-Mikke following his hateful remarks about women and migrants, and after making a Nazi salute in the chamber," the petition says. "These acts are in violation of the Parliament's rules and betray the values of the entire EU which our Parliament is elected to defend." The European Parliament on Friday launched a probe against Korwin-Mikke, 74, for "sexist remarks" that could result in a fine or suspension. He has previously been sanctioned by the EU assembly for making racist comments and remarks about the Holocaust. "Of course women must earn less than men, because they are weaker, they are smaller, they are less intelligent, they must earn less, that's all," Korwin-Mikke told parliament on March 1. The bowtie-wearing, moustachioed Korwin-Mikke made the comments after interrupting a speech by a female Spanish MEP, Iratxe Garcia-Perez. He first made remarks about women in sport and added: "Do you know how many women are in the first 100 of chess players. I tell you: no one." Garcia Perez then shot back: "According to what you are saying... I would not have the right to be here. "I think I have to defend European women to men like you." Korwin-Mikke has previously courted controversy by claiming Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was "not aware of the extermination of the Jews", calling refugees "human garbage" and using a racist term to refer to black Americans. By Enrico Dela Cruz and Manolo Serapio Jr MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte could reappoint the environment minister who ordered more than half the country's mines shut down, as Congress appears set to defer a decision on her confirmation. Duterte has backed a mining crackdown by Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Regina Lopez in the world's top supplier of nickel ore, which has angered miners who seek her removal for decisions they have said were baseless. "Definitely she will be bypassed," Senator Manny Pacquiao, the head of the environment committee, told reporters on Thursday at the end of a two-day hearing on the confirmation of Lopez. Bypassing Lopez means Congress is effectively deferring a decision on her appointment. Such a deferral allows Duterte either to reappoint her to his cabinet, or name someone else. "She's leaving tomorrow for America and she can't attend next week so (she's) bypassed," Pacquiao said. "The president can just reappoint, and then that's it, it doesn't need to undergo public hearings." Congress goes into recess from March 18 and will only resume sessions in May. The committee meets again next Tuesday and a mining group hopes its members will be able to vote on Lopez's fate. "We're really hoping they finally resolve this by Tuesday, and that they vote for rejection," Ronald Recidoro, an official of the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines, told Reuters. If Lopez gets reappointed, "we have to fight her again," at another confirmation hearing, Recidoro added. In the Philippines, confirmation hearings can take place long after ministers start work. On Wednesday, lawmakers decided to reject Perfecto Yasay as foreign minister, their first dismissal of a member of Duterte's cabinet. 'EXTREME IDEOLOGY' Lopez's decision last month to shut or suspend 28 of 41 operating mines to protect watersheds has raised concerns of supply disruptions and boosted global nickel prices. An environmental crusader, Lopez defended her actions before lawmakers, saying she was trying to protect the functions of watersheds, where many of the mines she ordered closed are located. During a break from Thursday's session of nearly seven hours, Lopez said she believed she still had Duterte's support in case lawmakers deferred their vote on her appointment. "The president said he had confidence in me and he would just reappoint (me)," Lopez said. More than 20 people spoke against her confirmation since the hearings began on Wednesday, some attacking her lack of technical expertise on mining. Senator Panfilo Lacson said he found Lopez's responses "wanting". At the start of Thursday's hearing he told her, "Bear in mind that you are here to convince us. I don't want you to suffer the fate of Secretary Yasay." Lopez said some of the 13 mines that passed the environment agency's months-long review were also in watershed zones, but had been allowed to stay open, for lack of a negative environmental impact. Officials of mines in watershed areas ordered shut could seek reconsideration and she would look at such cases. "I'm not going to do anything just to get appointed," she said. "I am not going to sacrifice my principles just to get appointed." The closures would affect the livelihoods of 1.2 million people, the chamber of mines has warned. "(Lopez's) extreme ideology and environmental fanaticism will only cause a mess that will hurt many and benefit no one," Recidoro told the hearing. (Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz and Manolo Serapio Jr.; Writing by Manolo Serapio Jr.; Editing by Richard Pullin and Clarence Fernandez) By Gabriela Baczynska and Alastair Macdonald BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The leaders of the European Union delivered a withering snub to Poland's right-wing government on Thursday by steamrolling its objections and reappointing former Polish premier Donald Tusk to chair their summits. Tusk's successor as prime minister Beata Szydlo, acting on orders from her party boss and long-time Tusk adversary Jaroslaw Kaczynski, had vowed to stop him securing a second 30-month term. But the other 27 leaders wasted no time in moving to a cold-blooded vote in which she was the lone objector. Warsaw portrayed the issue as one of fundamental principle, in which vital national interests had been ignored by a Brussels machine dominated by "German diktat". Its crushing defeat showed how far the biggest of the ex-communist states that joined the EU after the Cold War appears isolated, even in Eastern Europe. The row, albeit driven by Polish domestic politics, clouded attempts at the meetings in Brussels on Thursday and Friday to forge a common front as Britain prepares to deliver its formal notice that it will exit the bloc in 2019. Kaczynski said the vote showed the EU was run by Germany and was trampling on national interests: "If the EU does not abandon this road, it will be consigned to history," he said in Warsaw. Hours after the vote on Tusk, Szydlo refused to sign off on the official record of summit "conclusions" -- a routine roundup of endorsements and exhortations on economic, immigration and foreign policies. It was signed by the other 27, however, and EU officials said Poland's rejection did not affect the outcome. Szydlo had first tried to get the other leaders to postpone a decision on Tusk but found no backing. They gave her time to repeat her reasons for withholding her support, citing Tusk's criticism from Brussels of her government's policies - policies many in the EU see as a threat to democracy. But Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who holds the rotating EU chair, moved swiftly to record a 27-1 vote to reappoint the 59-year-old Tusk. Tusk had left the room during the discussion and was clapped back in by all but Szydlo, according to people who were present. He will play a key role over the next two years in overseeing Brexit negotiations with London. Prime Minister Theresa May was attending her last summit before launching the process. Tusk, who led a centrist government for seven years until 2014, offered an olive branch to Szydlo, telling the Council in broadcast comments that he would work with the leaders "without any exceptions - because I am committed to European unity". He urged Warsaw to be "reasonable" and not "burn bridges" with EU allies and said he would work to avoid its "isolation". EAST-WEST DIVIDE The leaders will meet again on Friday, minus May, to prepare for a "unity" summit to be held in Rome on March 25, the 60th anniversary of the treaty that laid the EU's foundation. The row with Poland has highlighted a deepening split between eastern members reluctant to cede new-found national freedoms to Brussels and the richer western states that want to deepen EU integration in the hope it can boost prosperity and security and thus stem the rise of Brexit-inspired euroskeptics. Talk of a "multi-speed" Europe has intensified in recent months. Germany's Angela Merkel and other leaders say allowing willing states to pull closer together is crucial to the EU's survival, but wary easterners fear they could be left behind. Tusk said leaders agreed to press ahead with free trade pacts despite "protectionist tendencies" elsewhere - a reference to concerns about new U.S. President Donald Trump. They also pledged continued support - and possible EU and NATO membership - to Balkan states where they are worried about growing influence from Russia. The leaders also reviewed plans to curb illegal migration from Libya to Italy, as numbers crossing rise. (Additional reporting by Lidia Kelly in Warsaw and Philip Blenkinsop, Waverly Colville, Jan Strupczewski, Francesco Guarascio, Julia Fioretti, Robert-Jan Bartunek, Alissa de Carbonnel, Elizabeth Piper, Jean-Baptiste Vey, Andreas Rinke, Noah Barkin and Farah Salih in Brussels; Editing by Noah Barkin and Mark Trevelyan) Ottawa (AFP) - Canadian police on Thursday raided nearly a dozen stores selling marijuana in several cities, after arresting a prominent pot activist and his wife. Search warrants were executed at 11 Cannabis Culture stores in Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa and Vancouver, according to a statement. On Wednesday night self-proclaimed "Prince of Pot" Marc Emery and his wife Jodie, who own the stores, were arrested as they waited at the Toronto airport to board a flight to Spain to attend a festival. The coordinated police operation came as the government reaffirmed its commitment to legalize recreational use of marijuana, but asked for patience. "We (will be) the first OECD country in the world to do this, so we want to make sure that this is done properly," Health Minister Jane Philpott said. "And people need to recognize it will take some time." Medical marijuana use has been regulated in Canada since 2001. But cannabis remains a controlled drug. Over the last two years, dozens of storefronts have opened in cities across Canada to sell pot, operating in what they call a "grey area" ahead of legalization as they vie for market share. Officials have been cracking down, but the shops often open up mere days after being raided and closed. Marc Emery has been arrested a number of times over his pro-cannabis activism. He was released from a US prison in 2014 after serving a nearly five year sentence for selling marijuana seeds by mail to US customers from his Vancouver dispensary. BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Poland's Prime Minister Beata Szydlo said on Thursday that she would block the joint statement that normally follows a meeting of European Union leaders after they overrode her objections to re-electing the summit chair. She said this would mean the summit was invalid, but EU officials said this was not the case. Szydlo said walking over the Polish opposition deepened divisions in the bloc and undermined key EU principles. "If we fail to rebuild these principles of respect for every member state, the EU will be faced with crises for many years," she told a news conference. Szydlo made the comments after Donald Tusk, her compatriot but political foe, was given a second term to chair the EU summits by all the other 27 EU states despite Poland's objections. Diplomats said that Tusk's reappointment would not be prevented even if Warsaw blocked the summit conclusions. (Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska and Jan Strupczewski; editing by Philip Blenkinsop) Pope Francis has stirred Catholics around the world with his relatively open comments on homosexuality, abortions and climate change, but his latest statement hints he may be looking at moving the Church toward loosening one of its most stringent rules. The Pope said in an interview Thursday that he might consider ordaining married men who could work in rural areas where there are few priests, according to the Associated Press. His remarks came in an interview with the Germany newspaper Die Zeit. Francis is not interested in completely removing the Churchs celibacy rule, but he said married men who are already involved in the church called viri probati could be useful. We must consider if viri probati is a possibility, he said, according to the AP. Then we must determine what tasks they can perform, for example, in remote communities. The idea of viri probati is an old one, but recent strains on the Catholic Church have brought renewed attention to it, the AFP reported. Countries such as Brazil have large Catholic populations but few priests, so some people have been looking for ways to expand the clergys ranks. In particular, the AP reported that Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes, who is a friend of Francis, would like the church to allow viri probati in South America due to the high number of Catholics. President Trumps latest enemy is the federal government he leads. TIMEs cover story this week by Massimo Calabresi chronicles how the presidents tweets and policies amount to an assault on the state. White House aides talk openly about the deep state of the foreign policy and intelligence apparatus that is distrustfulor worseof Trump, and how they are behind negative leaks about the president. Meanwhile, the Administration has launched an aggressive campaign to rein in the growth of the federal governments regulatory system, what Steve Bannon calls the administrative state. And Trumps incendiary tweets raised doubts about the very functioning of the Republic. But the White House believes the drama will pay off in a big way. Their goal is a generational shift in the size and conduct of government, and the mess is an expected side-effect. The GOPs plan to replace Obamacare is in peril, even as it cleared one congressional committee overnight. Industry groups are up in arms, and a growing roster of Republicans are calling on the Republican Party to scrap the House GOP plan pushed by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and the White House. The administration is launching an all-out effort to defend the plan as the last, best effort to replace legislation that Republicans have decried for eight years. If they fail, the consequences for the Trump administration could be massive. Set your Cold War biases aside. The Russians arent just for the left anymore. TIMEs Alex Altman and Elizabeth Dias explore how the Russian government and its allies have been working to build ties with the growing nationalist right in the U.S. Huntsman to Moscow. FBI probes CIA leak. And Hillary Clinton snaps. Here are your must reads: Must Reads Inside Donald Trumps War Against the State Aides explain plan for deconstruction in Massimo Calabresis TIME cover story Story continues Moscow Cozies Up to the Right TIMEs Alex Altman and Elizabeth Dias on the warming of old cold warriors Trump Country Worries About Replacing Obamacare Republicans face a new challenge, TIMEs Sam Frizell reports: Their voters like what the bill provides Trump Begins to Map Out $1 Trillion Infrastructure Plan President suggests 90-day deadline for states to start projects; expresses interest in high-speed rail and spectrum auction [Wall Street Journal] Why Republicans Are Battling Republicans on Obamacare Repeal The conservative movements divide [New York Times] Trump Administration Inviting More Than 60 Countries for Strategy Session on Countering ISIS Test for Trump on global state [Washington Post] Sound Off Every issues a womens issue, so stand up, resist, run for office, be a champion. Hillary Clinton emerging from her post-election hiatus on Snapchat There is no reason to be believe that hes the target of any investigation. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on President Trump Bits and Bites House panel OKs health bill, industry groups say no [Associated Press] FBI Is Probing How WikiLeaks Obtained CIA Spy Tools [Wall Street Journal] As immigration rhetoric heats up, the number of families crossing the border in South Texas has slowed down [San Antonio Express-News] Huntsman offered Russia ambassadorship [Politico] For Trump, its not business, its personnel [Axios] Condemning hatred former President, First Lady honored by Jewish community [Fox Houston] These CEOs Say President Trump Is Actually Really Charming in Person [Reuters] White House Officials Say Trump Isnt Target of Any Investigation [New York Times] Mike Pence Wont Say if He Believes President Trumps Wiretapping Claim [TIME] Congress May Overturn Obama-Era Rules on Internet Privacy [Reuters] FBI Director James Comey: There Is No Such Thing as Absolute Privacy in America [TIME] President Trump has picked former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman to be the next U.S. ambassador to Russia. Thats despite the fact that Huntsman called on Trump to back out of the 2016 presidential race after the release of the vulgar Access Hollywood tape. Huntsman, a 2012 Republican presidential candidate, has held two previous ambassadorships, but given all the attention on Russias reported meddling in the 2016 election and potential ties to the Trump campaign, the job is sure to be under heightened scrutiny. In the border towns of Texas, President Trumps proposed great wall has been greeted with a mixture of indifference and derision. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Democrat whose district includes a stretch of South Texas borderland, calls it a 14th century solution to a 21st century challenge. Construction worker Rolando Almaraz says he doesnt see the need; a fence already splits up his hometown of Brownsville. Jim Darling, the nonpartisan mayor of McAllen, Texas, says hed be in favor of a wallif it were constructed along the citys floodway system. To the average personjust like, the average voter in Wisconsinthe wall is a great idea, Darling told TIME in late January. They ought to ask the people on the border. Trump is moving forward to fulfill one of his signature campaign promises. In one of his first executive orders, the President instructed the Department of Homeland Security to begin construction on the wall. Officials across the federal government have traveled to border towns to examine the terrain. DHS has already identified locations in Texas, Arizona, and California where existing structures need fixing. And Customs and Border Protection officials recently began soliciting plans for the border walls design and construction of a border wall. But residents and officials in the communities that will be most affected by the project would prefer a more nuanced approach. Illegal immigration is a real problem, says Darling. But the mayor notes that recent surges in border crossing have come from Central Americans seeking asyluma problem he says calls for a foreign policy solution rather than a wall. I always thought they should have sent social workers down, he says, as opposed to CBP officers whose job is really to be protecting the border, not processing people seeking asylum. Mayor Peter Saenz of Laredo, Texas, an independent, told NPR the wall would be a disaster for his citys trade relationship with Mexico, which generates . Were a trade town. Thats our backbone, and our bread and butter, frankly, Saenz said. Its very offensive, frankly. Story continues Not everyone is against the idea. Chris Cabrera, the deputy spokesman for the National Border Patrol Council, has said he is 100% in favor of a border wall. Saenz, a Trump supporter, also told NPR hed be in favor of a virtual wall, which would entail more surveillance technology and more border agents. Darling says he believes ranchers in McAllen favor a wall. If anybody faces the brunt of illegal entry at least initially, its probably the ranchers, he says. Im sure theyre in favor of whatever it would take to reduce the amount of illegals coming across. Sergio Sanchez, chair of the Hidalgo County Republican Party, told TIME that the opposition to a wall has been a knee-jerk, emotional response. He sees the proposed structure as a partial solution. Though the Department of Homeland Security has begun identifying where a wall would go, what it will look like is an open question. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly has conceded the wall wont be built all at once, and that parts will be see-through so that border agents can surveil the Mexican side. During his first address before a joint session of Congress last week, President Trump said construction would soon begin. But what soon means is also up for debate. The wall could cost up to $21 billion,and the federal government, according to Reuters, has so far only identified $20 million on hand to pay for it. BRUSSELS (AP) In the days after rogue soldiers tried to take over Turkey last year, the fax machine in the Turkish delegation's offices at NATO headquarters started spitting out lists of names. The lists from armed forces headquarters in Ankara often arrived on Friday evenings as personnel were packing up for the weekend. At first, each carried 20 or 30 names. But the one that came through more than two months after the July coup attempt made even seasoned Turkish officers in Brussels anxious. It gave 221 colonels, majors and other mid-ranking officers at NATO facilities around the world three days to get back to Turkey. "Normally you would be told where you are going on your next assignment, get an allowance to move your family, have some time for your children to leave school," one major who appeared on the Sept. 27 list told The Associated Press. "It didn't make any sense." The lives of the individuals named were about to be turned upside down. Considered suspects in the coup, dozens of Turkish officers assigned to NATO are refusing orders from the country they spent their adult lives serving and no longer trust. Instead, they are seeking asylum abroad or have gone into hiding, fearing they could be arrested and imprisoned as terrorists if they return. More than 150,000 people have been taken into custody, fired or forced to retire from Turkey's armed forces, judiciary, education system and other public institutions since the thwarted July 15 coup. Yet few first-person accounts have emerged from those caught up in the unprecedented purge, in part because the crackdown has extended to journalists and news outlets in Turkey. Three officers, each with more than 20 years' experience in the armed forces and at least a year at NATO, shared their experiences as well as lists, documents and photographs with an AP reporter. Assigned to posts in Belgium while the failed power grab played out, they believe they have water-tight alibis. Story continues When the big list came in, men gathered around the fax machine trying to grasp what the order meant, how badly the failed coup had shaken up the armed forces. They compared notes in offices, at the cafeteria, and later in the homes of some 150 Turkish officers whose careers and paychecks were about to end. "People came together to understand why and what to do. Was it legal? How would it affect our lives? What was next?" the major said. He spoke on condition of confidentiality during a cautiously arranged interview, expressing fear for his safety and the welfare of his family. Three days after the officers were ordered back to Turkey, another fax arrived. It contained 19 more names and a new order: Return immediately. No explanation. No instructions for the city or military base where they were expected to show up. "It gave us only a few hours to return. We were told to buy a ticket and come back," the major recalled. "We couldn't work out what was going on, what it meant. But from that letter, we could understand that we had already been purged." The army long has been the guarantor of secularism in predominantly Muslim Turkey. Past military coups were conducted to remove leaders considered too Islamist and to uphold the republican ideals of modern Turkey. Over the years, though, a series of trials involving army officers accused of anti-government conspiracies many based on disputed evidence has weakened the army's political influence. The officers being excised, particularly the ones at NATO, are bright, western-educated men including West Point graduates whose experience they say was vital to building and running one of the biggest armies in the Western military alliance. With little help apart from the bond of solidarity the officers have formed, the specter of deportation and arrest seems all too near. "I have a brilliant military career, and I'm not new to the armed forces," one colonel said, producing a glowing recommendation letter from a non-Turkish superior officer at NATO. "We are good people, we are good officers. We are not terrorists. We are trying to understand why we were targeted." In a decree handed down on Nov. 22, the officers who spoke to AP, along with many others, were branded as members or contacts of terrorist groups or structures that Turkey's National Security Council accused of "activities against the national security of the state." At first, they were determined to return and prove their innocence. As a precaution, the major went to a doctor to establish a current health record. The doctor, a man of North African origin warned him: "We have seen this kind of thing before in my country. Don't go back." It was probably good advice. Amnesty International has reported cases of prisoners being severely mistreated since the coup attempt, subjected to beatings and sometimes even sexual assault. Food, water, legal counsel and medical treatment are routinely denied. "Some of the worst reported physical abuse was linked to military personnel and senior military personnel," Amnesty researcher Andrew Gardner told the AP. "It's fair to assume that they were among the people targeted for the most extreme abuse." The colonel and his family, along with about 100 other Turkish personnel, have applied for asylum in Belgium. Scores of other officers are seeking asylum in Germany, the Netherlands and Norway. "I don't want to be a refugee," he said. For now, it is the only guarantee of safety he and his family have, he said. The Turkish government alleges that the failed military power grab was plotted and directed from the United States by Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic cleric and former ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan says vast numbers of Gulen's followers have infiltrated the army and much of Turkish society like a virus. On that summer night, rebel officers launched simultaneous attacks in Ankara and Istanbul, striking at police stations and killing dozens. Fighter jets bombed the Turkish parliament while lawmakers were in session. Top military commanders, including the chief of military staff, were kidnapped. The hastily arranged coup ended up crushed amid a popular uprising by Turks frightened at the prospect of a military takeover. From southwest Turkey, the vacationing Erdogan used a smartphone to urge supporters into the streets. In the weeks that followed, thousands of people were taken into custody under sweeping emergency laws allowing 30 days' detention. "I was surprised and angry. From the very first moments it looked unreal," the major said. "Generals were beaten and treated like dogs in front of the cameras. Many of our friends and the people we knew of the highest caliber were being arrested." Defense officials say Gulen supporters who did not participate in the coup can still be threats, given past examples of officers ignoring their commanders to take instructions from high-ranking people in the movement. The officers in Belgium insist they are not Gulenists; they agree that Gulen supporters have infiltrated Turkish life. They also argue that the government's purge has been arbitrary and ill-conceived. European intelligence officials were surprised by the speed with which the coup suspect lists were drawn up, according to a report by the EU Intelligence Analysis Center. Turkey is trying to join the European Union, and must bring its laws and human rights practices in line with the bloc's standards. The Intcen report, which was reviewed by the Times of London newspaper, concluded that the huge wave of arrests that followed the aborted coup "was already previously prepared." "Erdogan exploited the failed coup and the state of emergency to launch an extensive repressive campaign against the opponents of the (governing Justice and Development Party) establishment," the Times quoted the report as saying. The purged officers think the plot was exploited by the Turkish authorities. Other Erdogan critics say the president has used the coup as a pretext to seize control of the judiciary and the armed forces, two of the country's most independent institutions. The officers who haven't requested asylum hang on as exiles, living in virtual hiding and without salaries, scared they are being watched and with no idea when or if they will be able to go home. The legal limbo is unnerving for the men, who have been refused consular assistance to help fight charges for crimes they say they did not commit. Turkish authorities say the charges must remain a state secret, and the officers have neither seen nor heard the evidence against them. They struggle to find lawyers to represent them. An official at the Turkish embassy in Brussels declined to say how purged officers would be treated if they came for help or documents, saying only "We don't deal with that kind of thing." A further AP request for information went unanswered. The accused men speak highly of NATO and have been moved by private gestures of support. One German colleague invited the colonel for Christmas. As he was leaving, he was handed an envelope with money inside. "I said that I could not accept it," the colonel said. "But his lady hugged me and cried. 'We want to wholeheartedly give you this,' she said." At NATO, the official position is that this is all a matter for the Turkish government. Only NATO's top general, Curtis Scaparrotti, has spoken publicly of "a degradation on my staff" due to the loss of about 150 "talented, capable people" from Turkey. He said he had no indication they were coup-plotters. Despite the risks, some former colleagues in Turkey ask why the men haven't come back if they have not committed crimes against the state as they claim. Relatives and friends also wonder why the men don't take a chance and return. Under pressure, deprived of their work routines and in some cases afraid for families in Turkey, these officers are also wary that Turkey's military attache or the country's the MIT intelligence agency might be tracking them. The strain shows. "My wife's family are having a hard time understanding why we are not going back. The whole society is divided," a second colonel, visibly more restless and tense than his colleagues, said. He has chosen not to apply for asylum in Belgium. "I'm just keeping a low profile," he said. "We are waiting for a change to happen in Turkey because this just isn't sustainable." The signal this colonel hopes to see may not materialize for a while. Last month, the Turkish armed forces removed a ban on Islamic-style head coverings, allowing female officers to wear them. In a country where Erdogan and his Islam-rooted party are working to consolidate power, the move represented a symbolic neutering of the army's role as the guardian of secularism. Meanwhile, with a state of emergency still in place almost eight months after the coup attempt, new lists have trickled off the fax at Turkey's NATO delegation in recent months. More officers have joined the ranks of those seeking international protection. Moscow (AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin urged Israel Thursday to focus on today's "different world" after Premier Benjamin Netanyahu evoked age-old tensions with Iran, ahead of a holiday marking an ancient victory. In a meeting with Putin in Moscow, Netanyahu said Persia had made "an attempt to destroy the Jewish people that did not succeed" some 2,500 years ago, an event commemorated through the Jewish holiday of Purim, which Israel will celebrate Sunday and Monday. "Today there is an attempt by Persia's heir, Iran, to destroy the state of the Jews," Netanyahu said. "They say this as clearly as possible and inscribe it on their ballistic missiles." Adopting a more conciliatory tone, Putin said that the events described by Netanyahu had taken place "in the fifth century B.C." "We now live in a different world. Let us talk about that now," Putin said. Putin's comment came after Netanyahu stressed that while Israel was capable of defending itself, the country -- and the whole world -- remained threatened by radical Shiite Islam. "The threat of radical Shiite Islam threatens us no less than it does the region and the peace of the world, and I know that we are partners in the desire to prevent any kind of victory by radical Islam of any sort," Netanyahu said. - 'Wiped off the map' - Ever since the Islamic revolution of 1979, Iran has been implacable in its opposition to Israel and has provided extensive support to some Palestinian militant groups. Hardliner Mahmud Ahmadinejad, who served as president from 2005 to 2013, famously called for Israel to be "wiped off the map", a comment that sparked an international outcry. Iranian officials have said the call refers to the state not the people, and underline that the Islamic republic has its own Jewish community. Russia and Iran are allies and both back the Syrian regime in a conflict that has killed 310,000 people since it erupted in March 2011 with protests against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad. Story continues Israel has expressed concern over whether the civil war will result in Iran increasing its power in nearby Syria. Netanyahu's office quoted him in a statement as saying after the meeting that he had spelled out to Putin his view of a post-war Syria. "I made it clear regarding Syria that Israel has no objection to a new arrangement in Syria but we strongly object to the possibility that in such an arrangement Iran and its proxies will remain with a military presence in Syria," he said. "I think that this was made clear in the best possible way," he added in the statement. "In my experience with President Putin these things are not only important in order to prevent misunderstanding but ultimately they also have an effect on the ground." In a world in which some people are willing to shell out up to $1,300 for tickets to see Hamilton on Broadway, it is perhaps unsurprising that interest in the real Alexander Hamilton is also high. Or at least thats the hope of Seth Kaller, a historical document dealer who is currently offering a collection of original letters, documents and imprints penned by Alexander Hamilton, which Kaller says is valued at $2.7 million. The collection is now online and on display Thursday through Sunday at the New York Antiquarian Book Fair. One document that may particularly interest fans of the Tony Award-winning show is Hamiltons Aug. 8, 1780, letter to his future wife Eliza one of the few love letters between the two that survive from this period. Sparks flew between Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler during the most heated period in U.S. history. As the daughter of Revolutionary War General Philip Schuyler and heir to two of the wealthiest, and most influential families in New York state politics, she was considered one of the most eligible singles. Hamilton, the ultimate social climber, had an in-depth conversation with her in early 1780, in Morristown, N.J. where the army was camped out. (Some say he was so smitten with her that he forgot the password to get back into the encampment.) A month later, they wed. Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter In the note, he says he cant focus on work: You are certainly a little sorceress and have bewitched me. Yet as this sexual tension rose, so did political tensions, as the Culper Spy Ring tipped off General George Washington to a planned attack coming from British General Clinton. At the time, Hamilton was writing an attack plan to recapture Manhattan and Brooklyn from the British, so maybe that was the work he couldnt concentrate on while he was daydreaming about his beloved. Read the full text of the letter here: Story continues Immediately after dinner, I stole from a crowd of company to a solitary walk to be at leisure to think of you, and I have just returned to tell you by an express this moment going off that I have been doing so. You are certainly a little sorceress and have bewitched me, for you have made me disrelish every thing that used to please me, and have rendered me as restless and unsatisfied with all about me, as if I was the inhabitant of another world, and had nothing in common with this. I must in spite of myself become an inconstant to detach myself from you, for as it now stands I love you more than I oughtmore than is consistent with my peace. A new mistress is supposed to be the best cure for an excessive attachment to an old if I was convinced of the success of the scheme, I would be tempted to try it for though it is the pride of my heart to love you it is the torment of it to love you so much, separated as we now are. But I am afraid, I should only go in quest of disquiet, that would make me return to you with redoubled tenderness. You gain by every comparison I make and the more I contrast you with others the more amiable you appear. But why do you not write to me oftener? It is again an age since I have heard from you. I write you at least three letters for your one, though I am immersed in public business and you have nothing to do but to think of me. When I come to Albany, I shall find means to take satisfaction for your neglect. You recollect the mode I threatened to punish you in for all your delinquen[c]ies. I wrote you a long letter by your father. I suppose you will wait his return before you write. If you do I shall chide you severely and if you do not write me a very long and fond one by him, I shall not forgive you at all. I have written you a short letter since that. We are now at Dobbes ferry. I would go on but the General summons me to ride. Adieu My Dear lovely amiable girl. Heaven preserve you and shower its choicest blessings upon you. Love me I conjure you. A Hamilton [Partial Address:] Schuyler / Albany However, Christian Goodwillie, an expert on colonial-era documents and Director and Curator of Special Collections and Archives at Hamilton College, argues that the most illuminating documents in the collection are more about politics than personal feelings. They include Hamiltons infamous Reynolds pamphlet; his first report to Congress as Secretary of the Treasury and his early reports on the public credit, which represent the beginning of his efforts to have the federal government assume states debts; a 1792 letter to President George Washington in which he accused Thomas Jefferson of subverting the administration; and an 1800 letter in which he undermined John Adams, from his own Federalist Party, during an election campaign. The collection also includes a lock of Hamiltons hair, described as 20 auburn strands, with a few graying or whitening, and an issue of a prominent Federalist newspaper that was printed by Henry Croswell, who was famous for publishing a story about how the political journalist who exposed the Reynolds affair to help Jefferson later turned on Jefferson by revealing his relationship with Sally Hemings. Hamilton defended Croswell before the Supreme Court, arguing that if scandalous material is truthful, then it shouldnt be considered defamatoryan argument that ended up becoming legal precedent. As a group, they show how the Founding Fathers were very savvy users of the media to control public perceptions of the parties and their agendas. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., holds up a copy of the original Affordable Care Act during a news conference in Washington on March 8, 2017. (Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/AP) WASHINGTON House Republicans continued to push their controversial bill to repeal and replace Obamacare through two committees Wednesday evening, as angry Democrats sought to delay the votes as long as possible. Republicans on the Committee on Ways and Means voted down Democrats numerous amendments, one by one, and ignored their repeated complaints that the majority was rushing through a vote to change the nations health care system without first receiving an estimate of its cost and impact from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Why are we rushing? Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., demanded. Why mark up this bill before we get a score from the CBO? asked Rep. Sandy Levin, D-Mich. I think the answer may be that youre fearful that the CBO will provide answers to questions that you dont like. Youre afraid of sunshine, Levin added. Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, replied that the CBO score would be out early next week before the full House voted on the legislation. Republicans on the Ways and Means Committee appeared ready to work through the night in order to vote their portion of the bill out of committee, while the process seemed to be moving slightly more slowly in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which was also debating part of the bill Wednesday. The plan is for the Budget Committee to combine the two halves and vote on the complete bill after it passes in the committees. Democrats on Ways and Means attempted to amend the bill to allow states to opt out of it, to ensure that no family with an income under $250,000 would see their taxes increase under the bill, and to delay the bills implementation until after the CBO certified that no one would lose insurance coverage under the plan. Democrats also attempted to amend the bill to require President Trump to release his tax returns. Each amendment was voted down by the committees Republican majority. Republicans on the Energy and Commerce Committee were forced to move more slowly. They read the entire health care replacement bill out loud upon Democrats demand. Story continues A similar gambit started by Rep. Joe Crowley, D-N.Y., failed in the Ways and Means Committee. I think youve had ample time to read these 57 pages over the past 48 hours, Rep. Pat Tiberi, R-Ohio, retorted. Though Republicans were speeding through the bills initial hurdles in the House, their caucus is far from unified on the legislation. The conservative Freedom Caucus objects to the tax credits in the bill, calling them a new entitlement, and is opposed to the temporary continuation of expanded Medicaid coverage. On the Senate side, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has called the House bill Obamacare Lite and said it would be dead on arrival in his chamber. Moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said it would not be received well in the Senate and, in an interview with Yahoo News Katie Couric on Wednesday, urged her counterparts in the House to slow down. Trump, who has called the bill wonderful, said its also open for negotiation. The president invited Republicans skeptical of the bill to a bowling party at the White House this week as part of a blitz he has planned to support the bill. We are out in full sell mode all around the country, talking about how we think this is the best way to solve the problem that the American people face, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Wednesday. A view outside Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C. (Noam Galai/WireImage) D.C. UNCORKED. President Trumps business interests are ruffling feathers in the District of Columbia business community. Cork Wine Bar owners Khalid Pitts and Diane Gross filed an unfair competition lawsuit against Donald Trump and the Trump International Hotel in DC Wednesday night, alleging that the presidents continued affiliation with the government-owned property puts competing businesses at a disadvantage, reports Washingtonian. Scott Rome, one of Cork Wine Bars attorneys, says government officials, lobbyists, foreign dignitaries, and others seeking political influence part of the restaurants clientele now feel pressure or an obligation to frequent the hotel. If they have a party to book, theyre going to book it there first, whether to gain influence with the president, to gain influence with the administration, Rome says. And he shows up there on weekends, so you get personal face time by going there. It seems to us to be a clear situation in which hes using his office of the president to get a financial gain at the expense of local businesses.' Alan Garten, a Trump Organization lawyer, called the lawsuit a wild publicity stunt completely lacking in legal merit, according to NBC News. THE EVOLUTION OF GAG RULE POLITICS. One of the two Wednesday protests in Washington on International Womens Day involved an array of speakers pushing back against one of Trumps earliest presidential memoranda, which banned U.S. funding for any foreign organization that even talks about abortion services. This so-called global gag rule is an expansion of the one that has been U.S. policy off and on since 1984. As Michelle Goldberg noted in Slate after Trump signed the executive order, the administrations new version of the rule represents a massive expansion from earlier versions: In the past, the global gag rule meant that foreign NGOs must disavow any involvement with abortion in order to receive U.S. family planning funding. Trumps version of the global gag rule expands the policy to all global health funding. According to [reproductive health organization PAIs Suzanne] Ehlers, the new rule means that rather than impacting $600 million in U.S. foreign aid, the global gag rule will affect $9.5 billion. Story continues And yet at the rally, the speakers seemed surprisingly optimistic that the rule could be repealed. I asked Serra Sipple, president of Change Global Center for Health Equity, the lead sponsor of the protest, about it after the rally concluded in Lafayette Park. The level of pushback against the rule this year is as novel as the extent of the measure itself, she said. On the global gag rule, the Congress does have the power to repeal it. And I think already we have some 200 members of the House and Senate who have signed onto bills [to repeal it] they signed on, like, two days after the global gag rule was reinstated and thats unprecedented. We have, one, we have data. We have evidence today that we didnt have during the Bush years, during the Bush global gag rule that its failed, that it harms, said Sipple. So thats different and new in what we have here. And our global health programs have changed, frankly. So when the presidential memorandum came out that said it was going to expand to global health programs, I mean, thats huge, because we have integrated health services on the ground. So its not like family planning can be separated out from HIV or maternal health or even malaria. So now we have global health organizations that are really concerned and are also going to fight back. So we have evidence and we have a broader base of support from global health organizations that are going to fight this, so we have a stronger army this time around. So Im hopeful. The protest was co-sponsored by more than 40 other groups, from the National LGBTQ Task Force to the National Abortion Rights Action League. WHY THEY STRUCK. The other big International Womens Day protest in D.C. was sponsored by Eve Enslers One Billion Rising group and focused on the needs and concerns of low-wage women. Starting with a protest outside the U.S. Department of Labor, it continued with a rally in John Marshall Park on Constitution Avenue that mixed speeches, music and spoken word performance. I asked some of the women there if they were striking, and why. This is what they said: Lisa Marie Thalhammer, 35, is a D.C.-based artist who joined the One Billion Rising protest on International Womens Day. (Garance Franke-Ruta/Yahoo News) You know the Guerrilla Girls? In the art world, women are not paid as much as men. And I get asked all the time to do work for free because Im just supposed to help people. It takes a lot to have to stand up for myself and demand to be paid for my work. Lisa Marie Thalhammer Sarko Sarkodie, 26, is an HIV clinical researcher who joined the One Billion Rising protest on International Womens Day. (Garance Franke-Ruta/Yahoo News) Im striking in solidarity. I think its important. Sarko Sarkodie Deborah Press, 35, is a government relations specialist who joined the One Billion Rising protest on International Womens Day. (Garance Franke-Ruta/Yahoo News) I wanted to be here to be counted more as a show of support for other women than a strike. Its getting harder and harder not to show up. I dont think any of us can just show up for our own interests any more. Thats why we have people in power who only care about their own interests. We need to show up for each other. Deborah Press A LOSS FOR BLACK LIVES MATTER IN ST. LOUIS. The Black Lives Matter movement didnt start in Ferguson, Mo., but the situation there put the regions problems in the national spotlight. Translating that activism in the Ferguson-St. Louis area into electoral change has been slow going, however, and in Tuesdays St. Louis Democratic mayoral primary, it was dealt a setback. If there was a nexus between the Black Lives Matter movement and the pussy-hat-wearing, International Day of Women post-Trump-election movement, it should have been the St. Louis Democratic primary for mayor on Tuesday, reports the Root. St. Louis has never had a female mayor, and the top two candidates were Lyda Krewson, a 64-year-old white alderman with the endorsement of the problematic St. Louis Police Department, and Tishaura Jones, a 44-year-old black incumbent city treasurer active with Black Lives Matter since the Ferguson, Mo., uprising. In a city that is majority black, somehow Jones lost to Krewson by a mere 888 votes (30.4 percent to 32 percent), less than a city block. Her loss shines the light on how sexism, racism and incompetence by black political leadership continue to stymie black progress even in this age of resistance.' If any of the trailing male candidates in the race had dropped out, it might have helped Jones consolidate the black vote, the Root reports: When Jones, whose prominence as St. Louis city treasurer skyrocketed because of her outspoken activism post-Ferguson, jumped into the race, conventional wisdom said that the top four black candidates would cancel one another out, allowing Krewson to win. As Jones gained in the polls, especially after ethering the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for systematic racism, and once she got the powerful endorsement of former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander, one of the other black candidates, all of them men, needed to go. It was the only chance for St. Louis black residents to finally get progressive representation. It didnt happen. FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA. The states of Washington and New York are joining the legal battle against the new iteration of Trumps travel ban. Washington Attorney General Robert Ferguson will ask a Seattle federal judge to impose a temporary ban on President Donald Trumps latest executive order barring citizens of six Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. starting March 16, reports Bloomberg News. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, another Democrat, announced in a statement that he will join Fergusons lawsuit against the new travel ban. Is Amazon really the killer everyone says it is? More retailers are on the brink of death than any time since the Great Recession, according to ratings firm Moody's. Hundreds of department stores are closing, and once-chic clothing brands are barely treading water or, in the case of American Apparel and The Limited, recently departed. In that kind of atmosphere, it's easy to point a finger at the 800-pound gorilla the one with a history of eating bookstores for breakfast (and now, ironically, building its own). Amazon has a stranglehold on the e-commerce market, and there's no doubt it's draining a growing portion of real-world sales as consumers take their shopping online. But many experts argue that the go-to narrative of tech disruption alone doesn't always tell the whole story. One is Brendan Witcher, a retail and e-commerce analyst at research firm Forrester. He categorically denies the notion that Amazon can meaningfully explain the flux in the retail space. "It's simply not true," Witcher said. "It doesn't make sense when you look at the numbers." Witcher is referring to the fact that online shopping still makes up less than a tenth of the country's total retail sales, despite doubling in the past five years, an oft-cited stat from the U.S. Census Bureau. The figure can be a bit misleading on its face because it's overly broad for most purposes. For one, it includes gas stations on the retail side, which obviously don't have any online equivalent. It also lumps together everything from groceries to auto parts and furniture, among which the ratio of online to offline sales varies greatly. Point taken though. Those qualifiers withstanding, online shopping still remains a relatively small portion of the total market, despite absorbing most of the industry's overall recent growth. Too small still, Witcher contends, to entirely account for massive industry shifts. Story continues Online's share of total U.S. retail sales. Image: ycharts, u.s. census bureau Kirthi Kalyanam, who directs the retail management institute at the University of Santa Clara's business school, agrees. "Amazon has certainly contributed," he said in an email. "[But it] is only one factor." In other words, online spending is on track to blow up the retail industry, but it's not quite to the point where it actually can. Whether or not companies are anticipating and reacting to the threat by closing stores is another matter. And clearly, even Amazon believes that brick-and-mortar stores of some form will still matter in the brave new world it's envisioned. Either way, the real-world industry might be headed towards a bloodbath, Kalyanam said. "There is a very good possibility of this happening," he said. "Too many negative forces affecting retail." So if Amazon isn't the only thing driving stores to the cliff, what else is there? Problem 1: *yawn* One widely held opinion: A lot of stores are simply too boring. Say you were blindfolded and led into the middle of a Macy's, Witcher proposes. Remove the blindfold, and you probably still wouldn't know where you are; The store is nearly impossible to distinguish from any of dozens of other similar places. That's precisely the problem. Very little sets stores like Macy's, Sears, JC Penny and other vanilla department stores apart from one another. Nothing to see here. Image: wikimedia commons/coolcaesar Has-been or hopelessly-dull clothing brands like Abercrombie & Fitch, J. Crew and The Gap (kept afloat by bargain-bin subsidiary Old Navy) are in a similar boat, though one possibly more tied to changing fashion tastes. And in a market filled with an overwhelming number of online and offline choices, bland can be a death sentence. Success is now less about what's on the shelves and more about the act of shopping itself, retail pundits say Is there a chance you'll discover something new? Do you see a distinct and consistent vibe? Are you actually having fun? "The problem is that companies still think that the products that they carry matter. Consumers know that they can get a power drill...at any one of a hundred places. The products dont matter," Witcher said. "They need to focus on experience." Doug Stephens, a consultant who describes himself as a "retail industry futurist," helpfully takes this idea to logical extremes. In his forward-looking vision, the evolved new iteration of big-box stores will reach a point at which they provide such a rousing good time that both the brands whose products line the shelves and the customers will pay to be there. "Imagine if you will, the Best Buy of the future," he begins, intriguingly. "It's a store where Best Buy doesn't really sell anything. Most of what gets sold is either sold directly from the brand or it's sold online." "But the store is just something that is just absolutely incredible. You walk in, you see products you've never seen before, you're able to see demonstrations and take classes, and you're able to try things out, and it's virtually such a great experience that you would pay a membership fee just to belong to it to be able to go whenever you want." The geek squad has a long way to go in that respect. Problem 2: Too many stores Remember the halcyon pre-recession days of the mid-aughts? The days of McMansions, Hummers and rampant consumerism? That was also the peak of a decades-long expansion of retail real estate that left the industry "overstored," as they put it. Thanks to years of rampant growth, retailers now have one billion square feet more than they need, according to a recent report from CoStar. "Simply put," the firm's director of US research, Suzanne Mulvee, said in a statement, "it all comes down to productivity. Retailers on average are generating fewer sales per square foot than they did during the decade leading up to the recession." The amount of sales made per square foot plummeted for years. Image: costar The amount of new retail real estate construction plunged during the recession, but it's now inching upwards again though not at a rate anywhere near where it was before. Many established companies have significantly more square footage than they are able to fill. Hence, constant waves of store shutterings. Problem 3: Technical issues Sure, most retailers failed to jump on the online shopping train before it left the station years ago. But many struggling stores have also slept on in-store technology that could make them more competitive with data-heavy online outfits. "Everything has changed because of tech," Witcher said. "But the way we shop in a store has been the same for 200 years. So why would people want to shop there?" One of the chief advantages that e-commerce companies currently wield over their real-world counterparts are vast troves of detailed data on purchases and shopping habits. But these sorts of capabilities don't have to be restricted to the internet. Investment in physical technology to match this strength has picked up in recent months. One of the most notable recent pushes came from Intel, which committed $100 million to developing a web of connected gadgets that would help stores more closely track inventory, collect data on consumer preferences and eventually tailor offerings much like their online rivals already do. Simbe Robotics' 'Tally' is a robot designed to roam store aisles and collect inventory data. Image: intel Of course, any in-store tech system will also have to compete with the state-of-the-art one with which Amazon is outfitting its own brick-and-mortar stores. Problem 4: Outpriced Many of the retailers that are actually doing well at the moment are successful for one simple reason: they're cheap. Discount stores TJ Maxx, Marshalls and Home Goods all subsidiaries of parent company TJX have bucked the ennui gripping most of their peers with bargain-bin prices that other stores just aren't willing or able to match. The otherwise-failing clothing brand Gap has also been propped up by the sustained success of its low-price property Old Navy. These stores are successful, according to Witcher, because people know exactly what to expect from them. Customers come in looking to dive into racks full of miscellaneous items and dig up the best deals or discover new products. It's an experience that wouldn't necessarily work in an online setting. Aside from TJ Maxx's cheap deals, people just like rooting around its racks for new things. Image: Paul Morigi/Getty Images This type of model isn't as easy to pull off as it looks, says Richard Passikoff, founder of marketing research firm Brand Keys. When other retailers try to compete with comparable big sales, they oftentimes just dump unsold products into discount piles, neglecting the sort of value more experienced cheap brands are sure to offer. "Everyone has tried to play the value game at one point or another," Passikoff said. "But it's value in terms of what things cost and what I perceive things to be and what I perceive them to be worth." WATCH: A company is building a giant tube in the desert to test hyperloop travel Paris (AFP) - France's biggest retailer Carrefour reported lower profits on Thursday as it struggled in China and in its French home market where cut-throat competition weighed on margins. Its 2016 operating performance improved in the rest of Europe and in Latin America, but not enough to prevent net profit from falling 24 percent to 746 million euros ($785 million). One-off tax changes were to blame for much of the fall, but stripped of exceptional items net earnings were still down 7.4 percent, the retailer said in a statement. Net profit on ordinary operations fell 3.8 percent, in the ballpark of analyst expectations. In Asia, ongoing operations produced a loss of 58 million euros, compared to a profit of 13 million the previous year, mostly due to weakness in China. Carrefour said it is looking to revamp its business model in that market. Carrefour's performance in its French home market, meanwhile, suffered from weak consumer spending and massive competitive pressures from rivals slashing prices to gain market share. Profit on operations fell 13.4 percent in France. Investors were disappointed in Carrefour's French performance, giving the results a "lukewarm reception", analysts at Bryan Garnier said in a note. Carrefour's shares dropped more than four percent to 21.76 euros in early business in Paris. The company's French results translated "a worsening in the competitive environment for French hypers", Bryan Garnier said. But a dynamic Spanish market and rising margins in Italy and Poland helped the rest of its European businesses stack up a 25.5 percent rise in profits on operations. Latin America also did well overall, weathering an ongoing recession in Brazil, Carrefour said. Despite the year's mixed picture, the retailer said it had emerged from 2016 "a stronger company". It expects to expand this year, both in its store operation and online businesses, it said. burs/jh/hmw Seoul (AFP) - The heir to the Samsung business empire denies all charges in connection with a wide-ranging corruption scandal, his lawyers told the first court hearing on his case Thursday. Lee Jae-Yong, 48, was not present at Seoul Central District court for the hearing, and is being held in custody as his giant company -- the world's biggest smartphone maker -- struggles to recover from a recall scandal. Lee, the vice-chairman of Samsung Electronics, faces accusations of bribery, corruption, perjury and other offences stemming from a scandal that has seen President Park Geun-Hye impeached. Four other Samsung executives have also been charged. "Everyone denies all the charges," a defence lawyer told the court at a preliminary hearing which lasted little more than an hour. The prosecutors' formal indictment was sketchy, with some of the accusations lacking clear evidence and only circumstantial, the defence said. The accused paid nearly $40 million to Park's close friend Choi Soon-Sil, allegedly as bribes to secure policy favours. Samsung has insisted that the payments were charitable contributions it was obliged to make under pressure from officials, and not bribes. A Samsung spokeswoman referred requests for comment to a previous statement saying: "We will do our best to ensure the truth is revealed in future court proceedings." The courtroom was about 80 percent full, with dozens of reporters, students and a handful of middle-aged and elderly citizens. When one of Lee's attorneys finished reading his statement, an elderly lady abruptly stood up from her seat and shouted: "Can a member of the public ask a question?" Her request was rejected by the judge, and she was removed by security when she persisted. Lee has effectively been at the helm of Samsung since his father suffered a heart attack in 2014. One of the favours Lee allegedly sought from Park was state approval for a controversial merger of two Samsung units in 2015, seen as a key step to ensure a smooth transfer of power to him. Story continues The deal was opposed by many shareholders who said it had wilfully undervalued one of the two firms. But it eventually went through after the national pension fund -- a major Samsung shareholder -- approved it. Samsung Electronics shares closed flat on Thursday at 2,010,000 won per share. - Family ties - The next court date was not fixed Thursday, and it remained unclear when Lee's formal trial might begin as the judges suggested another preliminary hearing could be necessary to review the "extremely large" amount of evidence submitted by prosecutors. The corruption scandal centres on Choi, who is accused of using her close ties with the president to force local firms to "donate" nearly $70 million to non-profit foundations, which Choi allegedly used for personal gain. Samsung, South Korea's largest business group with revenues equivalent to about a fifth of the country's GDP, was the single biggest donor to the foundations. It is also accused of separately giving millions of euros to Choi to bankroll her daughter's equestrian training in Germany. Lee's arrest, the first for a Samsung chief even though his father was twice convicted of bribery, sent shockwaves through the company and triggered the announcement of a major reform of its top-down management style. The scandal has cast a renewed light on the cosy ties traditionally enjoyed by the government and the family-controlled conglomerates known as "chaebols" that dominate the country's economy. The groups have increasingly become objects of public scorn as criticisms mount over their management practices, including rapid promotions for family members -- some of whose antics have battered the firms' images. An heir to Hanwha Group -- South Korea's eighth-largest conglomerate -- was convicted and given a suspended jail sentence on Wednesday on charges including assault after a drunken brawl at a bar. Millions of South Koreans taking part in weekly street rallies demanding Park's removal have also called for the arrest of the tycoons involved in the scandal, including the leaders of Hyundai, SK and Lotte. Thursday's hearing came a day before the Constitutional Court rules on whether to uphold Park's impeachment by parliament. If it does, Park would become the first-ever South Korean president to be sacked by impeachment, and a presidential election would be held within 60 days. Samuel L. Jackson has landed a new role in the upcoming political drama The Last Full Measure'. The Hollywood star has joined a cast including fellow newcomer Sebastian Stan, as well as Christopher Plummer, William Hurt and Bradley Whitford, Variety reports. The movie will tell the tale of William Pitsenbarger, an Air Force medic who sacrifices his own life to save more than 60 US marines on the battlefield during the Vietnam War. Stan will take on the lead role of a Pentagon official who teams up with veterans to see Pitsenbarger awarded the Medal of Honor 34 years after his death. Todd Robinson is directing the project, which will begin shooting before the end of the month. The city of San Francisco challenged the legality of President Donald Trumps executive order that threatens to cut federal funds from sanctuary cities Wednesday and asked a federal judge to block the order and declare that San Franciscos sanctuary policies are in compliance with federal law. A sanctuary city is any territorial area in which the local law enforcement bodies dont coordinate with federal authorities to deport illegal immigrants. Several areas such as San Francisco, California, Connecticut, New Mexico, Colorado, Connecticut, Rhode Island, North Dakota and Oregon have been identified as sanctuary cities. Following Trump's travel ban, San Francisco became the first city to sue Trump, followed by two Massachusetts cities, Lawrence and Chelsea and Santa Clara County. Read : What Is A Sanctuary City? Chicago Mayor Reiterates Citys Stand On Deportation Of Illegal Immigrants Despite Trumps Election Seeking an injunction in U.S. District Court against the Trump order threatening to cut funding, the City Attorney Dennis Herrera warns that if the defendants strip all federal funds from San Francisco, the result will be catastrophic, according to San Francisco Chronicler. He explained is required to adopt an annual budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2017. However, without ample clarity on how much money San Francisco can loose, which could be up to $2 billion, Hererra says, it puts the city in a fix. It is a question of whether we hold funds back now and place on reserve or spend general fund dollars and make possible cuts later, Mayor Ed Lee said. With a stroke of his pen, President Trump is trying to seize the spending power that our Constitution entrusts to Congress. ... These entitlement programs are not the presidents to take away from those in need, and San Francisco is not one to back down from a bully, Herrera said, according to LA Times. Story continues "We will certainly not stand for sanctuary even cities, let alone states," President Trump had said in an interview with Fox News' Bill O'Reilly. Related Articles Dubai (AFP) - Amnesty International on Thursday accused the Saudi-led Arab coalition battling rebels in Yemen of using banned cluster munitions in raids on residential areas. The Brazilian-manufactured munitions were fired in a February 15 attack on three residential districts and agricultural land in Saada province of northern Yemen, a stronghold of the Shiite Huthi rebels, it said in a statement. Two people were wounded in the attack, said Amnesty, which has also reported that the coalition used cluster munitions in October 2015 and May of last year. The coalition "absurdly justifies its use of cluster munitions by claiming it is in line with international law, despite concrete evidence of the human cost to civilians caught up in the conflict", said Lynn Maalouf, research director at Amnesty's Beirut regional office. "Cluster munitions are inherently indiscriminate weapons that inflict unimaginable harm on civilian lives," she said. Amnesty called for Brazil "to join the Convention on Cluster Munitions and for Saudi Arabia and coalition members to stop all use of cluster munition". Separately, Human Rights Watch in December accused the coalition of firing Brazilian-made rockets containing the outlawed munitions near two schools in Saada, killing two civilians and wounding six including a child. The December 6 came a day after Saudi Arabia joined the US and Brazil in abstaining from a UN General Assembly vote that overwhelmingly endorsed an international ban on cluster bomb use. The weapons can contain dozens of smaller bomblets that disperse over large areas, often continuing to kill and maim civilians long after they are dropped. The Saudi-led coalition, which has come under repeated criticism over civilian casualties in Yemen, acknowledged in December it had made "limited use" of British-made cluster bombs but said it had stopped using them. The conflict in Yemen has left more than 7,400 dead and 40,000 wounded since the coalition intervened on the government's side in March 2015, according to the UN. Using the term "college kids" shows a lack of understanding of the reality of university life these days. Around 40 percent of college students in 2014, the most recent year for which statistics are available, were 25 years or older, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. That means more and more students aren't following the traditional path of starting college after high school graduation and completing the degree in four or five years. [Read advice on paying for college.] More students, even a former presidential daughter, are taking a gap year before starting college or during their time at a university. Some nontraditional students take even longer breaks, attend part time while working full time, have children or dependents other than a spouse, or do not have a high school diploma. Regardless, scholarships are available to help them pay for their education. Here are just a few opportunities that nontraditional student can consider. The Women's Independence Scholarship Program, known as WISP, helps women survivors of intimate partner abuse get an education that will lead to more secure employment and self-sufficiency. Scholarships vary in amounts and are available for full- or part-time students. Preference is given to students at state-supported community colleges, state-supported colleges or universities, technical and vocational schools, private colleges or universities and for-profit schools, in that order. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. Those applying for the scholarship must have been separated from their abuser at least a year but no more than seven years. [Find scholarships for nontraditional students.] The Jeannette Rankin Women's Scholarship Fund provides multiple $2,000 awards for low-income women who are 35 years or older and are pursuing a technical or vocational education, an associate degree or their first bachelor's degree at an accredited U.S. institution. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and can use the funds for tuition, books, living expenses, child care or transportation. Story continues Recipients are selected based on their academic and career goals, their ability to overcome challenges and their knowledge that earning a degree will benefit them, their family and community. The application deadline for this competitive scholarship is March 17. Other organizations also offer scholarships to help adults who want to pursue education to improve their lives. Executive Women International, for example, provides the Adult Students in Scholastic Transition Scholarships to individuals who have faced social, economic or physical challenges and want to improve their situations through education. U.S. and Canadian applicants, age 18 years and older, first compete at the chapter level; those winners then move to the corporate level, where they compete for 13 awards that vary between $2,000 and $10,000. In addition to the application, students must submit financial aid documentation. Each chapter determines the initial application deadline, and applicants can find the contact information for each chapter on the EWI website. [Avoid these three financial aid traps for nontraditional students.] Nontraditional students can also apply for the $2,000 American Legion Auxiliary Scholarship for Non-Traditional Students, which is awarded to five students annually -- one from each geographic division of the organization. Applicants must be current American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary or Sons of the American Legion members in good standing. They must also be starting or resuming their education at a two- or four-year college or at a certified trade, technical or professional program. Applications are due March 1 each year and are judged equally on character and leadership, initiative and goals, financial need and scholarship. Nontraditional students can also look to their employers for financial support for their educational pursuits. The Walmart Associate Scholarship, for example, is open to employees who want to earn a postsecondary degree. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. legal residents who have been employed full or part time at Walmart for at least six consecutive months. Nontraditional student applicants must have a high school or GED diploma; all applicants must demonstrate financial need. Awards are valued at up to $3,000 a year, depending on the type of degree and number of credit hours the applicant is pursuing. Each scholarship is renewable up to a maximum $16,000 value over six years. Applications are accepted quarterly and are due June 1, Sept. 1, Dec. 1 and March 1 annually. In addition to these national scholarships, some individual states offer scholarships for nontraditional students. The Tennessee HOPE Scholarship -- Nontraditional is open to Tennessee residents who have lived in the state at least a year, are 25 years or older and are entering freshmen at an eligible Tennessee university or college. In addition to other eligibility requirements, applicants must not have been enrolled in a postsecondary institutions for at least two years. The scholarship amounts vary depending on the type of degree applicants are seeking. The deadline to apply, which includes completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is Sept. 1 for the fall semester and Feb. 1 for spring and summer semesters. The Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship is a state-funded opportunity for low-income, single custodial parents attending college in Arkansas. Eligibility requirements and deadlines vary by county, with all information available on the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund website. Arthur Murray, a graduate of the University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill, is managing editor of the GoodCall.com newsroom. The organization provides access to information, data, technology and tools, including a scholarship engine, to help visitors make important decisions. When Matt Damons fictional astronaut grew potatoes to keep himself alive on Mars in The Martian, you may have been skeptical. But now real scientists have evidence that his plan wasnt so impossible. Last year, scientists from the International Potato Center set out to discover whether potatoes can grow under Mars atmospheric conditions, hoping to prove the tubers can flourish under extreme climates on Earth. Working with NASA, they planted potatoes in soil from the Pampas de La Joya desert in Southern Peru, the organization said in a statement. This dry, salty environment contains the most Mars-like soils found on Earth, NASA scientist Chris McKay said in the statement. When researchers placed the potatoes in a hermetically sealed CubeSat built by engineers from the University of Engineering and Technology (UTEC) in Lima, the plants started to grow. The CubeSat delivers nutrient-rich water, and controls the temperature, air pressure, oxygen and carbon dioxide levels to mimic Mars. Theres even a live stream of the experiment can be viewed below. If the crops can tolerate the extreme conditions that we are exposing them to in our CubeSat, they have a good chance to grow on Mars, said Julio Valdivia-Silva of UTEC. This is just an initial experiment, and potatoes on the Red Planet would need to be kept in a greenhouse with carefully regulated temperature, water and air quality, just like in the CubeSat. After all, when the side blew off the greenhouse Damons Mark Watney built in The Martian, his potato plants were in bad shape. In the meantime, the scientists are hopeful their discovery could lead to breeding potatoes that could stand up to coming climate changes and help address food insecurity here on Earth. Pope Francis greets the faithful as he arrives to celebrate his weekly general audience in St. Peters Square in Vatican City, Italy. (Photo: Giuseppe Ciccia/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images) Pope Francis warned against the rising tide of populism in an interview with German paper Die Zeit this week, reigniting an ongoing search for subliminal criticism of President Trump in the popes words. Pope Francis issues veiled warning about Donald Trump, proclaimed the headline on British news site the Independent about the interview, though Francis had not mentioned Trump. His statement, however, that populism is evil and ends badly as the past century showed, marks at least the second time in recent months that the pope has warned against the dangers of growing populist movements in the U.S. as well as Europe. His latest words echo similar pontifications made during an interview with Spanish-language paper El Pais on the day of Trumps inauguration. In that case, Francis cited Nazi Germany as the most obvious example of populism in the European sense of the word, pointing to the fact that Hitler didnt steal power, his people voted for him as proof that in times of crisis we lack judgment. He further urged people to resist the tendency to look for a savior who gives us back our identity and [lets] us defend ourselves with walls, barbed-wire, whatever, from other people who may rob us of our identity. In his Inauguration Day interview with El Pais, the pope once again refrained from commenting on the new president directly, choosing instead to wait and see how he acts, what he does before forming an opinion. But his general warning against politicians who emphasize the need for strong border enforcement and other travel restrictions falls in line with other comments the pope has made about arguably Trumpian policies before and after the brash real estate mogul entered the White House. In a weekly address at the Vatican early last month, the pope reportedly issued an appeal to not raise walls but bridges. Though his comments were relatively generic on their own, Francis went on to insist, A Christian can never say: Ill make you pay for that. Many interpreted the statement as a veiled critique of Trumps pledge to not only build a wall along the southern border of the U.S. but also make Mexico pay for it. Story continues In February of last year, the pope offered a more direct assessment of Trumps core campaign promise following a trip to Cuba and Mexico, which included a noteworthy stop in Juarez, a Mexican city near the U.S. border. A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian, Francis told reporters when asked about then-candidate Trump. At the time, Trump fired back at Francis, calling the comments disgraceful. In a lengthy statement, Trump said in part, If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISISs ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been President because this would not have happened. ISIS would have been eradicated unlike what is happening now with our all talk, no action politicians. Both sides soon backed down, insisting that the popes initial words had been misinterpreted as an attack on Trump. Pope Francis celebrates Ash Wednesday Mass at Santa Sabina church in Rome on March 1. (Photo: Vatican Pool/Getty Images) Not entirely unlike the president himself, Francis has developed a penchant for expressing his views on Twitter. A number of observers read his recent posts about embracing migrants and foreigners as a subtle rejection of the restrictive immigration policies of both Trump and right-wing parties in Europe. Despite the fact that Francis has yet to make an explicit statement regarding his views on the U.S. president, experts are also eager to connect the dots. In a piece for the New Yorker earlier last month, former Catholic priest-turned-novelist James Carroll deemed Francis the anti-Trump, arguing that Pope Francis is, at this point, the worlds staunchest defender of migrants, and of Muslim migrants. British journalist and papal biographer Austen Ivereigh offered a similar analysis at the New York Times on March 4, pointing to the popes expressed support for Muslim immigrants and refugees as the biggest conflict between the worlds two most compelling populists. Without having technically derided the president by name, Ivereigh argued, Pope Francis has become the flag-bearer of the global anti-Trump resistance. Read more from Yahoo News: By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee voted overwhelmingly on Thursday in favor of President Donald Trump's nominee to be director of national intelligence, former Republican Senator Dan Coats, sending his nomination to the Senate floor. The vote, which took place in a closed hearing, was 13-2, the committee said. Democratic Senators Ron Wyden and Kamala Harris were the only two members to vote no. Coats must still be confirmed by the full Senate to be the top U.S. intelligence official. The popular former lawmaker, who also served as ambassador to Germany, is expected to be confirmed easily. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence was created after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to oversee all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies and improve communications among them. Coats, 73, replaces James Clapper, who retired as President Barack Obama left office. Coats was a member of the Senate intelligence panel until he retired from the Senate at the end of last year. He pledged during his confirmation hearing on Feb. 28 to support a thorough investigation of any Russian effort to influence the 2016 presidential election. Wyden, one of the Senate's leading privacy advocates, said he voted against his former colleague because he felt that the office of the Director of National Intelligence had not provided the committee with enough information about how many Americans' communication records have been subjected to government surveillance. "Given that there has not been a firm commitment to deliver this critical information, I cannot support any DNI nominee without that material," Wyden said in a statement. Harris said that after consideration of Coats' record on a range of issues, she concluded she could not support his nomination. Senators Richard Burr, the committee's Republican chairman, and Mark Warner, its top Democrat, both said they were pleased the committee had backed Coats. Warner said he was confident that Coats, as a former committee member, had respect for the panel's oversight responsibilities. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by David Gregorio) By Julia Harte WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three U.S. senators asked the secretaries of State, Defense and Homeland Security on Wednesday if they were spending government resources to secure President Donald Trump's properties around the world. In a letter, the three Democrats also asked the cabinet members whether they had been asked by the Trump Organization to protect its properties, and whether extra funding would be requested to cover the costs. Trump's continued ownership of the Trump Organization means the overseas properties are prime targets for terrorist attacks, which could directly impact Trump's net worth and potentially "lead the country into new conflicts around the globe," the senators wrote. A State Department official, speaking on background, said that privately owned U.S. companies, such as the Trump Organization, are responsible for providing their own security for assets overseas. The Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on the questions in the letter. The Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment. Wednesday's letter was the latest in a stream of Congressional correspondence calling for greater transparency and voicing concern about Trump's hundreds of companies and potential conflicts of interest posed by his business empire. The lawmakers who authored Wednesday's letter -- Senators Tom Udall, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Richard Blumenthal -- were among eight Democratic U.S. Senators who urged Trump and Secret Service Deputy Director William Callahan on Monday to release logs of visitors to the White House and Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. (Reporting by Julia Harte; Editing by Tom Brown) It's not every day that you spot two sheep with their heads shoved into both ends of a massive bale of hay. That's why Graham Findlay drove home to grab his camera after spotting the peculiar sight in Aberdeenshire, Scotland last Friday. SEE ALSO: Ponies get matching sweaters for trip to meet their relatives By the time he returned to the bale, there was only one sheep. Findlay snapped the photo and shared it on Facebook. The hilarious picture went viral and the puns came rolling in. Image: Facebook/joe porter Image: facebook/ liz scotchmore Image: facebook/alastair robb Image: fAcebook/Jeanetje Irons Image: facebook/chris krugel Image: facebook/Bobby holmes The sheep was probably just munching away at the bale of straw, but the image resonates on so many different levels. It illustrates the moment the hunger hits. It is a personification of the struggle being real. And this sheep is definitely a spirit animal. By James Pearson and Marius Zaharia SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore's government was "closely studying" a United Nations report that linked a local company to a North Korean firm involved in the sales of arms, the foreign ministry said on Thursday. The U.N. report sent to the Security Council and released this week identified Glocom as a front company run by North Korean intelligence agents that sells battlefield radio equipment in violation of UN sanctions. Glocom is operated by the Pyongyang branch of a Singapore-based company called Pan Systems, said the U.N. report compiled by its panel of experts on compliance with sanctions on North Korea. The panel cited an invoice and other information it obtained. Pan Systems Singapore's Managing Director Louis Low, 79, said he knew about Pan Systems Pyongyang but did not set it up or operate it. In written answers to U.N. questions about its links to North Korea, seen by Reuters, he said he did not know about Pan System Pyongyang's alleged involvement in the arms trade. In an email response to questions from Reuters, a spokesperson for Singapore's ministry of foreign affairs did not say whether any authority was investigating Pan Systems: "I am unable to provide information on our current internal processes." "The Singapore Government will not hesitate to prosecute individuals/entities that fail to comply with Singapore legislation giving effect to measures prescribed by the UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs)," the spokesperson said. The government was "closely studying" the report and will take the necessary steps to ensure Singapore's compliance, said the spokesperson, who did not want to be named. The U.N. panel in its report recommended sanctions against Pan System Pyongyang. For graphic on 'Glocom's connections to North Korea' click: https://tinyurl.com/hlmahtr INTELLIGENCE AGENCY Low told Reuters last week he had not been approached by Singapore authorities about the report and that he copied the foreign ministry into his correspondence with the U.N in December of last year. "How come we are involved in so many things which we do not even know or heard of? Your assumptions are wrong. It is not true. Pan Systems Pyongyang is not a Branch of Pan Systems (S) Pte Ltd," Low wrote to the U.N. sanctions panel. The U.N. report, citing undisclosed information it obtained, said Pan System Pyongyang and Glocom were controlled by members of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, the North Korean intelligence agency tasked with overseas operations and weapons procurement. "This shows how the Bureau enables its key agents to generate revenues for its operations through such networks," the report said. Pan Systems Pyongyang had a network of bank accounts, front companies and agents, mostly located in China and Malaysia, to procure components and sell completed systems, the report said. Pan Systems Pyongyang used Malaysia as a base for its key representative abroad and for the companies that have acted on its behalf, the report said. Low told the U.N. and Reuters that he did not know about the existence of a Pan Systems branch in Malaysia. A joint venture he had in Malaysia went bankrupt 25 years ago and he hasn't had an office there since then, Low told Reuters. Malaysia, which for years has been one of North Korea's few friends outside China, on Saturday rejected any suggestion it may have violated U.N. sanctions on North Korea after Reuters reported that its spy agency had been running an arms sales operation in the country. Malaysian-North Korean ties have soured after the killing of Kim Jong Un's estranged half-brother at the Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb 13. (Reporting by Marius Zaharia. Editing by Bill Tarrant) Wheels down. The U.S. Marines have landed in Syria, and they brought their big guns. An artillery battery from the 1st Battalion, 4th Marine has set up a small base somewhere near Raqqa in Syria from which theyll support U.S.-backed militias moving on the Islamic State stronghold with their M777 howitzers. The Washington Posts Dan Lamothe and Thomas Gibbons-Neff were the first to report the deployment, which was not the byproduct of President Donald Trumps request of a new plan to take on the Islamic State and that it had been in the works for sometime, according to one Defense official. The Marines answer a problem that the [operation] has faced, the official said. He added that the guns provide all-weather fires considering how the weather is this time of year in northern Syria. Spokesman for U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria Col. John Dorrian said that the deployment comprises about 400 troops overall, on top of the roughly 500 which were already in Syria. One more. The base is at least the third American outpost to be opened in northern Syria. FPs Paul McLeary visited two other small bases last month, one Special Operations facility near the city of Manbij, and another larger base that sits astride a U.S.-build airstrip near Kobani which is manned by conventional Army forces that ferry supplies into the country. FP also stopped by one of several other small training camps where Army special operators train Syrian Democratic Forces in preparation for their assault on Raqqa. Even more. A report from Reuters says that the Pentagon is weighing sending another 1,000 troops to Kuwait that could serve as a reserve force in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. An estimated 3,000 to 4,000 ISIS fighters remain in Raqqa, part of a fighting force of about 15,000 in Syria, U.S. defense officials told reporters at the Pentagon on Wednesday. Even after the city falls, the groups fighters are expected to fight on in Deir al-Zour, a Syrian province south of Raqqa, and in Iraqi towns along the Euphrates River, as well as to try to administer their self-proclaimed caliphate from those places, the New York Times Michael Gordon reports. Story continues Missile control. A top American general informed Congress Wednesday that Moscow has fielded a prohibited cruise missile, a significant revelation that confirms for Washington, at least that Russia has violated a key arms control agreement. We believe that the Russians have deployed a land-based cruise missile that violates the spirit and intent of the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty, Gen. Paul Selva, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the House Armed Services Committee. The system itself presents a risk to most of our facilities in Europe, and we believe that the Russians have deliberately deployed it in order to pose a threat to NATO and to facilities within the NATO area of responsibility. The U.S. has issued complaints about the missile before, and the New York Times notes that President Trump said last month he planned to take the issue up with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. To me its a big deal, Trump said. The Russian government rejected the accusation on Thursday. Saudi and Yemen. The Trump administration is considering reopening the spigot on selling precision guided munitions to Saudi Arabia that the Obama team turned off late last year, after Saudi aircraft killed scores of civilians in Yemen, the Washington Post reports. The sale would be part of an attempt to reset relations with Saudi and send a warning to Iran, which the Trump administration said it put on notice last month. The Posts Missy Ryan and Anne Gearan write that an ongoing Yemen policy review is also a chance for Trump to demonstrate a tougher approach to Iran and its activities throughout the Middle East. Trump and some of his top advisers, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, have called Tehran a chief threat to American security. Welcome to SitRep. Send any tips, thoughts or national security events to paul.mcleary@foreignpolicy.com or via Twitter: @paulmcleary or @arawnsley. Whodunnit. So who leaked the CIAs Center for Cyber Intelligence bag of tricks to WikiLeaks? The Wall Street Journal reports that the FBI is on the case to find out but its unclear whether thats necessarily a new development. A source tells the paper that the CIA has suspected since last year that someone may have breached its hacking toolkit. The CIAs exploits and malware are developed by contractors at a facility in Dulles rather than made in-house at Langley, suggesting that the leak could have originated there. Turd on the run. Baghdadi is booking it from Mosul and going into hiding, according to a scoop from Reuters. Anonymous Iraq and American sources tell the wire service that intelligence sources believe a precipitous drop in the amount of high level propaganda coming from the group since the U.S. and Iraq have begun encircling Mosul indicates that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Islamic States proclaimed caliph, has given up trying to direct the fight and fled into hiding somewhere in the desert instead. Baghdadi appears to be trying to evade the mistakes that led the U.S. to find and kill Osama Bin Laden, shifting among a rotating cast of couriers to communicate with the Islamic State instead of relying on a single point of failure. Myths and facts. Errata Securitys Rob Graham took a dive through the WikiLeaks CIA tranche and knocked down some of the myths going around about the tools the CIA has been using. In contrast to its mystique, Graham characterizes the basket of malware as childs play thats on par or below the capabilities of software publicly available and far behind its cousins at the NSA. Documents suggesting that the CIA had found a way around the encrypted texting app Signal sent many reporters and fans of the software into a tailspin. Rather than defeating the app itself, however, the CIA appears to have obtained exploits for the underlying Android and iPhone mobile operating system it runs on. Ammo. The Army has enough munitions to meet its requirements, but Defense News reports that Army Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aundre Piggee told Congress that hes worried about the size of the Armys stockpile in the event of a crisis. Piggee told the House Armed Services Committees subcommittee on subcommittee that budget caps have put a damper on production, leading to fewer Patriot, Hellfire, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, and other missiles. LRSO. Some Congressional Democrats are expressing skepticism about the Air Forces plans for a new cruise missile that could be used to deliver nuclear warheads. Democratic senators led by Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) argue that the Long-Range Stand-Off weapon (LRSO) is an unnecessary replacement for the Air Forces current nuclear cruise missile, the air-launched cruise missile (ALCM). Opponents of the LRSO argue that its ability to carry both nuclear and conventional payloads could lead to potentially dangerous confusion on the part of U.S. adversaries in the event they mistake a conventional cruise missile launch for a nuclear one. Nonetheless, the LRSO maintains strong bipartisan support on Capitol Hill. Real estate. After drawing down in Europe, the Army is back in the real estate market and looking for locations to base troops. Stars and Stripes reports that U.S. Army Europe has been looking at two sites in Germany, reportedly around Fallingbostel and Bergen, in the event that the U.S. expands its military footprint in Europe. But the Army stresses that the review so far is preliminary and the result of any new decisions on troops movements. Hmmmmm. Someone appears to be spreading a fake copy of a monthly Islamic State magazine around jihadi fanboy social media, fooling even some of the faithful. The magazine Rumiyah, translated into several languages, appears to be a forgery, with jihadi media watchers pointing out that Islamic State fans shared the publication only to later declare it a fake and warn of purported malware contained inside. Jihadi propaganda outlets have long been targets for mysterious hacking campaigns to sabotage their wares and spread fear, uncertainty, and doubt. Years ago, British intelligence sabotaged the release of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsulas English language magazine Inspire, blocking the release of the original and replacing it with a version of garbled text from a cupcake recipe. Photo Credit: U.S. Marine Corps BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) Opponents of Colombia's peace process are angry that a city has erected a statue of President Juan Manuel Santos to honor his efforts to end Colombia's half-century armed conflict. The mayor of Belen de los Andaquies dedicated the life-size bronze statue of the Nobel Peace Prize winner last month on the 100th anniversary of the town, which was hard hit by the conflict. Santos appears holding a peace dove and the accord he reached last year with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. "Here the change is felt," Mayor Edilmer Ducuara said. Opponents accuse Ducuara of violating a decree against monuments to sitting public officials. They also point out that 60 percent of the town rejected the peace deal in a referendum. The dispute is, in many ways, a microcosm for the continued friction over the peace deal meant to end Latin America's longest-running dispute. Colombians narrowly rejected the deal in a national referendum in October. A revised agreement was later passed by Congress but the country remains divided and Santos' approval rating has plummeted. Ducuara said no government funds were spent on the monument. Colombians have chimed in on the statue with satire and criticism online. A petition on Change.org demanding the statue be removed garnered more than 400 signatures. Some of the critics poke fun at the statue's awkward appearance, and the dove with oddly oversized wings. "Is it a falcon attacking the president? A stork?" quipped Daniel Samper Ospina, one of the country's most prominent political satirists, in a column. Sculptor Anibal Castillo, a 38-year-old Colombian, said he spent 45 days working on the piece. He said the statue of Santos was a true "homage to peace." Those signing the Change.org petition were less exalting. "The peace Colombians long for does not exist," wrote Alejandrina Ramirez, one of the signers. "It's a joke. We won't let Santos continue to be held up on a pedestal." By Isabel Coles MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - Through the scope of al-Moqdadi al-Saeedi's sniper rifle, Mosul's ruined skyline came into sharp focus, but the Islamic State marksmen he was looking for were nowhere to be seen. It was just hours since Iraqi forces announced they had raised their flag over the Mosul governorate building on Tuesday following a daring night raid part of their push to dislodge Islamic State from the city's western half. But later that day, Islamic State snipers were still active in the area, harassing government troops. On the top floor of a building nearby, Iraqi snipers were in position, surrounded by spent bullet casings and foam mattresses as they waited for their enemy to show itself. "Just like we're hiding from them, they're hiding from us," said Saeedi, commander of a sniper unit that is part of the Iraqi Rapid Response division. As an outnumbered and out gunned Islamic State mount a fierce defense of their last stronghold in Iraq, snipers have been one of their most effective weapons. At times they can pin down advancing Iraqi forces for days. As snipers themselves, the Iraqi unit understand the Islamic State sniper capability better than most. "The sniper's role is more defensive than offensive," said Saeedi. The Iraqi snipers say they are having an impact. Earlier on Tuesday, they had killed four Islamic State snipers, according to one of the unit's members, Taif Tala. The rest of the enemy, however, had since changed position and hidden behind some trees. "They hit that wall a while ago so we figured out which building they were in," said Tala. "We imagine ourselves to be the enemy: if I were the enemy, where would I hide? A member of the Iraqi police forces fighting alongside Rapid Response came to tell the snipers that an Islamic State fighter had been sighted. A member of the unit fired a few rounds, filling the room with the smell of gunpowder, but it was not clear if he hit anybody. Sometimes it proves impossible to deal with an enemy sniper, so the unit calls in heavier weapons or an air strike. WAITING GAME As Iraqi troops move ahead, the sniper unit advances behind them, choosing a position from which to target the enemy without being spotted themselves. "Eighty-five to 90 percent of it is about hiding," said Saeedi. "Hiding and endurance: they complement each other. Some people can hide but they can't endure: that person cannot be a sniper." The building in which they were lying up on Tuesday belongs to the Ministry of Justice and appeared not to have been used during Islamic State's two and a half years in the city. The floors were strewn with ministry files dated before June 2014, when the militants overran Mosul. The papers now bear the boot prints of Iraqi soldiers. "There are high buildings in front of us," said Tala, explaining that even if an Islamic State sniper climbed on top of them, he could not see his Iraqi adversaries. Usually the Iraqi snipers would lie on their stomachs because it is easier to stay still that way, and it makes aiming more accurate. But on Tuesday they rested the barrels of their rifles on cupboards they had dragged in front of the window. Caffeine pills help them stay alert while they wait, Tala said: "Sometimes we don't eat, but you forget your hunger." Islamic State marksmanship is not to be underestimated. Saeedi showed a picture on his mobile phone of the scope of his rifle, shot straight through by an Islamic State sniper in a previous battle. "They say snipers are cowardly fighters because they are always behind the troops and they hide," said Abo Ali, a member of the unit. But he added: "We hide, and we kill." (Reporting by Isabel Coles; editing by Giles Elgood) Contractors likely breached security and handed over documents describing the Central Intelligence Agencys use of hacking tools to anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks, U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials told Reuters on Wednesday. Two officials speaking on condition of anonymity said intelligence agencies have been aware since the end of last year of the breach, which led to WikiLeaks releasing thousands of pages of information on its website on Tuesday. According to the documents, CIA hackers could get into Apple iPhones, devices running Googles Android software and other gadgets in order to capture text and voice messages before they were encrypted with sophisticated software. The White House said on Wednesday that President Donald Trump was extremely concerned about the CIA security breach that led to the WikiLeaks release. Anybody who leaks classified information will be held to the highest degree of law, spokesman Sean Spicer said. The two officials told Reuters they believed the published documents about CIA hacking techniques used between 2013 and 2016 were authentic. One of the officials with knowledge of the investigation said companies that are contractors for the CIA have been checking to see which of their employees had access to the material that WikiLeaks published, and then going over their computer logs, emails and other communications for any evidence of who might be responsible. On Tuesday in a press release, WikiLeaks itself said the CIA had lost control of an archive of hacking methods and it appeared to have been circulated among former U.S. government hackers and contractors in an unauthorized manner, one of whom has provided WikiLeaks with portions of the archive. The CIA, which is the United States civilian foreign intelligence service, declined to comment on the authenticity of purported intelligence documents. The agency said in a statement that its mission was to collect foreign intelligence abroad to protect America from terrorists, hostile nation states and other adversaries and to be innovative, cutting-edge, and the first line of defense in protecting this country from enemies abroad. Story continues The CIA is legally prohibited from surveillance inside the United States and does not do so, the statement added. Contractors Must Be Loyal to America A U.S. government source familiar with the matter said it would be normal for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the CIA both to open investigations into such leaks. U.S. officials previously have confirmed that prosecutors in Alexandria, Virginia for years have been conducting a federal grand jury investigation of WikiLeaks and its personnel. A spokesman for the prosecutors declined to comment on the possibility of that probe being expanded. It is not clear if the investigation of the latest CIA leaks is part of the probe. Contractors have been revealed as the source of sensitive government information leaks in recent years, most notably Edward Snowden and Harold Thomas Martin, both employed by consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton while working for the National Security Agency. U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein of California and a Democrat on the intelligence committee, said the government needed to stop the breaches. I think we really need to take a look at the contractor portion of the employee workforce, because you have to be loyal to America to work for an intelligence agency, otherwise dont do it, Feinstein said. Read More: The Damage Intelligence Leaks Can Cause Both U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives intelligence committees have either opened or are expected to open inquiries into the CIA breach, congressional officials said. Some cyber security experts and technology companies have criticized the government for opting to exploit rather than disclose software vulnerabilities, though an interagency review process set up under former President Barack Obama was intended to err on the side of disclosure. Those concerns would grow if U.S. authorities did not notify companies that CIA documents describing various hacking techniques had been compromised. Apple, Alphabets Google, Cisco Systems and Oracle did not immediately respond when asked if they were notified of a CIA breach before WikiLeaks made its files public. At Apple, none of the vulnerabilities described in the documents provoked a panic, though analysis was continuing, according to a person who spoke with engineers there. Googles director of information security and privacy, Heather Adkins, said in a statement: As weve reviewed the documents, were confident that security updates and protections in both Chrome and Android (operating systems) already shield users from many of these alleged vulnerabilities. Our analysis is ongoing and we will implement any further necessary protections. Larger Number of Contractors One reason the investigation is focused on a potential leak by contractors rather than for example a hack by Russian intelligence, another official said, is that so far there is no evidence that Russian intelligence agencies tried to exploit any of the leaked material before it was published. One European official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the WikiLeaks material could in fact lead to closer cooperation between European intelligence agencies and U.S. counterparts, which share concerns about Russian intelligence operations. U.S. intelligence agencies have accused Russia of seeking to tilt last years U.S. presidential election in Trumps favor, including by hacking into Democratic Party emails. Moscow has denied the allegation. One major security problem was that the number of contractors with access to information with the highest secrecy classification has exploded because of federal budget constraints, the first U.S. official said. U.S. intelligence agencies have been unable to hire additional permanent staff needed to keep pace with technological advances such as the internet of things that connects cars, home security and heating systems and other devices to computer networks, or to pay salaries competitive with the private sector, the official said. Reuters could not immediately verify the contents of the published documents. A person familiar with WikiLeaks activities said the group has had the CIA hacking material for months, and that the release of the material was in the works for a long time. Read More: Heres What Was in the First-Ever Daily CIA Brief to a U.S. President In Germany on Wednesday, the chief federal prosecutors office said that it would review the WikiLeaks documents because some suggested that the CIA ran a hacking hub from the U.S. consulate in Frankfurt. We will initiate an investigation if we see evidence of concrete criminal acts or specific perpetrators, a spokesman for the federal prosecutors office told Reuters. Chancellor Angela Merkel is scheduled to visit Washington on March 14 for her first meeting with Trump, who has sharply criticized Berlin for everything from its trade policy to what he considers inadequate levels of military spending. (Reporting by John Walcott, Mark Hosenball, Dustin Volz, Yara Bayoumy in Washington and Matthias Sobolewski and Andrea Shalal in Berlin; Additional reporting by Joseph Menn in San Francisco; Writing by Grant McCool; Editing by Peter Graff and Bill Rigby) DUNEDIN, New Zealand (AP) Dean Elgar posted his highest test score Thursday before South Africa lost four quick wickets for 72 runs to be 301-8 at lunch on the second day of the first test against New Zealand. In addition to Elgar, South Africa also lost the wickets of Temba Bavuma (64), Quinton de Kock (10) and Keshav Maharaj (5), leaving Vernon Philander (16 not out) and Kagiso Rabada (2 not out) to carry on. Elgar added 12 runs in 50 minutes to his overnight score of 128, passing his previous test best of 129, before falling to his former schoolboy rival Neil Wagner. Wagner, who was born in South Africa and frequently played against Elgar in high school matches, dismissed Elgar with a short ball that caught the edge and flew to New Zealand wicketkeeper B.J. Wagner, breaking a 104 run partnership with Bavuma. Bavuma reached his fifth half century in tests from 143 balls in just over three hours and looked likely to take over the anchor role before falling to Trent Boult in sight of lunch, gloving a legside catch to Watling. De Kock fell to New Zealand off-spinner Patel, bowling with the new ball. The 36-year-old right-armer caused a ball to drift away from de Kock, who was caught by Wagner, diving forward at backward point. Maharaj also fell to Boult just before the end of the morning session, undone by a short delivery which he tried to pull but succeeded only in guiding to James Neesham at mid-wicket. At the break Boult had 3-57 and Wagner 3-88. Seoul (AFP) - South Korea's highest court was deciding Friday whether to uphold or overturn the impeachment of President Park Geun-Hye over wide-ranging corruption allegations, as months of political turmoil reached a climax. Park, the daughter of a late army-backed dictator, became South Korea's first female president when she was elected in 2012, securing the highest vote share of any candidate in the democratic era. But her aloof style and a series of controversies, coupled with mounting economic and social frustrations, saw her ratings plunge and millions take to the streets to demand her removal. She was impeached by parliament in December on charges including bribery and abuse of power, and the Constitutional Court was to issue its decision on whether to confirm the move on Friday. A heavy police presence was deployed in the streets around the building, where thousands of supporters and opponents gathered amid rising tensions. Loudspeakers at an anti-impeachment demonstration blared out military songs and protestors chanted slogans, many waving South Korean and US flags. "I am ready to shed my blood on the road to protect free democracy," said Bae Soo-Rok, 58, a retired soldier wearing a South Korean marine uniform. "President Park is being sacrificed at something like a kangaroo court." Anti-Park demonstrators watching a giant screen set up on the street chanted, "Park Geun-Hye's impeachment will be a victory for all!" Parties on both sides of the political spectrum vowed to respect the decision. Chief justice Lee Jung-Mi started reading the verdict shortly after 11am (0200 GMT) and was expected to take around an hour. Under South Korean law six votes, a two-thirds majority of the full bench, on any one of five issues are needed to uphold Park's removal, even though only eight justices were sitting. "The dice of destiny have now been cast," South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted a presidential aide as saying earlier. "We will calmly wait and see what the result will be." Story continues - 'Wise decision' - The president has repeatedly apologised for the impact of the scandal, but rejected all allegations of wrongdoing when she submitted a written statement to the court's last hearing in February. "I've never sought private gains or abused power as president... I plead with the court to make a wise decision," she said. Parliamentary lawyer Kwon Sung-Dong urged the court to confirm her impeachment and protect South Korea from "enemies of democracy". "We ask the court to declare victory for the people by firing the accused," he said at the same hearing. Ahead of the decision, an overwhelming majority of South Koreans -- around 77 percent -- support Park's removal in opinion polls. Parliamentary lawyer Park Bum-Gye told reporters Thursday the court was "apparently leaning towards verifying" the impeachment. But presidential attorney Lee Chung-Hwan said the justices should overturn the impeachment for lack of evidence. "The court must not approve the impeachment based on suspicions rather than proof," he said. Park has been holed up in the Blue House with her power suspended since she was impeached, leaving the complex only once, to pay tribute at her parents' graves. If her removal is approved, she would be forced out of the palace and deprived of her executive immunity, exposing her to potential criminal charges. Her confidante Choi Soon-Sil, the woman at the centre of the scandal, is already on trial. But if the court does not uphold Park's impeachment she would immediately return to office to see out her five-year term, which ends next February. Depending on the verdict, South Korea will hold its next presidential election in either May or December. The current front-runner, by a distance, is Moon Jae-In, former leader of the opposition Democratic Party, who had the support of 36.1 percent in a Realmeter poll released on Thursday. By Cynthia Kim and Hyunjoo Jin SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean firms have had a torrid time in China since Seoul dismissed Chinese objections and approved a new missile defense system, but for all the discriminatory tactics Korean firms say they are victims of, there is little Seoul can do to retaliate. South Korea sold $124 billion worth of goods and services to its western neighbor last year, about five times the amount exported to its eastern neighbor, Japan, and double that shipped to its second-biggest market, the United States. But the amount could drop this year after China's state media orchestrated a boycott on Korean produce in protest at a missile system designed to thwart any North Korean assault, but whose radar China says is capable of penetrating its territory. Korea's Lotte Group has suffered cyber attacks and said some of its stores in China have been fined or closed by authorities, while some shops have been hit by anti-Korean demonstrations. Korean airlines have been refused permission to increase China-Korea flights, cosmetics firms have reported increased scrutiny at customs, and Chinese travel agents have been ordered to stop tours to South Korea. China's foreign ministry said law-abiding foreign firms were welcome and would be protected. But South Korea's ruling party said the government will actively consider complaining about "unfair retaliation" to the World Trade Organization (WTO). The WTO previously chastised China for restricting exports of rare earth minerals during a 2010 row with Japan over disputed islands, and then curbing global shipments. But the organization would find it far more difficult to penalize more subtle forms of perceived retaliation, current and former South Korean government officials told Reuters. "We need some official proof," Chang Do-hwan, a director at South Korea's finance ministry, told Reuters. "Taking diplomatic action without confirming (that such tactics stemmed from central government) could just spread anger." WEAPONS Conditions for South Korean firms in China have deteriorated since Seoul agreed in July to deploy the U.S.-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. The situation became acute last week after a Lotte Group company decided to supply land for the system. Any means of fighting back could lie in South Korea's biggest shipments to China - semiconductors and displays, which make up over one-third of total exports to the mainland. But any legal means of Korea risking one of its most profitable sectors by restricting such exports is unrealistic, said analyst Piao Ren-Jin at NH Investment & Securities. "Seoul can continue to express its concern, and take this to the WTO, but that's about it at the state-level," Piao said. In a worst case scenario, the spat could reduce the size of South Korea's economy by as much as 0.25 percent, she said. Instead, the government has advised firms to devise countermeasures such as diversifying markets. One company considering such a move is Le Belle Cosmetics, whose sales are "grinding to a halt" at a duty free shop in central Seoul as Chinese tourist numbers fall, said the firm's chief executive, Cathy Lim. "We cannot just look at China," Lim said, highlighting emerging markets such as Vietnam as options for expansion. "But at the same time, no market can replace China." Lee Hang-Koo, a senior research fellow at state-funded Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade, said the government suggesting companies diversify markets to minimize any impact from difficulties in China was "absurd and irresponsible". "China is just too big," he said, adding a WTO complaint was not feasible considering lack of evidence and could take years. "It's better to just talk through diplomatic channels." Any complaint can only worsen relations with South Korea's biggest customer, which bought around a quarter of total exports last year from around 10 percent at the turn of the century, showed data from the Korea International Trade Association. Over the same period, China's exports to South Korea have moved little from about 4.5 percent, according to think tank Hyundai Research Institute. DESIGNER RETALIATION At present, there is little evidence of WTO rule-breaking. Chinese authorities closed stores belonging to Lotte Group and others due to fire-safety concerns, and cosmetics firms have said Chinese market access has been tightened by stricter customs and sanitary approval procedures. "China, which has been lax about imposing rules, are just applying those rules," said former South Korean foreign ministry official Choi Won-Mog. However, Korean authorities have said Chinese tour operators have been given official "verbal" orders to halt Korean tours. "China has carefully designed retaliation against South Korea so that it does not violate international laws," having learnt its lesson from the rare earths restrictions during the Japan dispute, said Choi, a professor at Ewha Law School. One of the most notable victims of the Japan dispute was the automobile industry, with widespread vandalism of Japanese cars. South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co is monitoring the situation, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters. "We have not seen any major impact so far, but we are worried about how the situation will unfold," the person said. "There is not much that individual companies can do." (Reporting by Cynthia Kim and Hyunjoo Jin; Editing by Christopher Cushing) New York (AFP) - Facing the task of summing up his 50 years on Earth through songs, Stephin Merritt has revealed unorthodox living arrangements, disdain for surfing and his knack for catching "weird diseases." And he says almost nothing about The Magnetic Fields, the pop band that made him a counterculture icon. Merritt, known for his bitingly sardonic lyricism sung in a deep, bass voice over music that dips into virtually every genre, has written one track for each year of his life on The Magnetic Fields' latest work, "50 Song Memoir." The songwriter enjoyed his biggest success with another sprawling project -- 1999's "69 Love Songs" -- and quickly took up "50 Song Memoir" when his label chief proposed the idea at the oyster bar of New York's Grand Central Station. Merritt has rarely described his music as autobiographical -- topics for past songs include the depression of a Chinese emperor and the death of Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure -- and sought to revive his memory. His mother charted out his first 25 years and his manager made a timeline for the following 25. Merritt picked out major moments -- and does not even mention The Magnetic Fields. "You could probably listen to the album without realizing it was about a musician," Merritt, who is now 52, told AFP. Merritt, who often crafts songs with a ukulele and without percussion, played more than 100 instruments on "50 Song Memoir" -- at least according to his label, Nonesuch, as Merritt said he hadn't counted. "My next album -- 'Stephin Merritt, the Next 50 Years' -- will have to be entirely instruments I never used before, I guess," he said in a dry deadpan much like his lyrical delivery. - Dive bars and fetishism - "50 Song Memoir," which is out Friday, features accounts of Merritt's itinerant childhood as his free-spirited mother moved him to Hawaii and a Vermont commune and how he wound up in a cramped, insect-infested New York apartment. Story continues He pens a love song to New York, "Have You Seen It In The Snow?," for 2001, the year of the September 11 attack, and relates a furtive attempt by the father he never knew to get in touch. But for an artist whose early albums told bleak tales of unrequited love and whose side bands include The Gothic Archies, Merritt's musical memoir is strikingly upbeat. Merritt paused when presented with that assessment and said: "At least I'm happy to hear that you don't consider it relentlessly downbeat. I have another band for that." The album ends in 2015 when Merritt reveals that, at long last, he has found love -- of a sort. The song is "Somebody's Fetish," in which Merritt announces the discovery that "nothing's so weird that nobody does it." "Everyone tickles somebody's fancy / From 23rd Street down to Delancey," he sings of a prime stretch of Manhattan. On "Weird Diseases," Merritt lists his medical traumas -- "nearly fatal anal cysts, maybe Asperger's if that exists." "Be True to Your Bar" is an ironic torch song in which Merritt exhorts tipplers to keep at it. Merritt, who composes inside dive bars, said he had seen too many watering holes close -- but acknowledged the issue was partially self-selection. "Bars decline all the time; I have to keep changing them. Also, I tend to like bars that are in decline, so they are short-lived." - No fan of online music - Merritt revisits controversy in his song for 2006 when music critic Sasha Frere-Jones, then at The New Yorker, suggested subconscious racism by Merritt over a lack of interest in black artists. Merritt said the track, "'Quotes,'" was more broadly about his frustration at inaccurate citations, especially in the British press, after a friend voiced anger at purported comments by Morrissey. "I have said a tiny fraction of the more interesting things that people have attributed to me," Merritt said. In the nearly two decades since "69 Love Songs," album sales have tumbled as online music takes root. Merritt said he has given no thought to commercial prospects for "50 Song Memoir" which weighs in at five CDs or LPs. "The only way that I know how to listen to music online is YouTube on the phone, which is kind of like asking your neighbors to play a record while you sit at home and listen to the wall," he said. "I have a pop group, and I expect to have some sort of drum sounds on at least half of the tracks on the record. That is enough commercial consideration for me." Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams will join forces to produce a film retelling the real-life survival story of Syrian refugee Doaa Al Zamel. According to TheWrap, Paramount Pictures and Spielberg's Amblin Partners have jointly secured the rights to Melissa Fleming's just-published nonfiction book "A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea: One Refugee's Incredible Story of Love, Loss, and Survival", upon which the film will be based. Fleming, the chief spokeswoman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, researched Al Zamel's story for the tome -- a Syrian fleeing Egypt for a new life in Sweden, who was shipwrecked with two small children and survived for days with them in her arms on an inflatable water ring. Although no writer or director is attached to the project as yet, the adaptation will be co-financed and distributed by both partners, with Amblin set to reportedly release the film under its DreamWorks banner. Mexico City (AFP) - When a gang threatened to kill Rocio, her husband and their two small children, they fled their native Honduras, hoping for asylum in the United States. Now they are stuck in Mexico, too scared to risk being deported from the United States under President Donald Trump's crackdown on migrants. The family fled to Mexico last June and was anxious to move on, fearing the Honduran gang would track them down. "We changed our minds because of that president, the way he is deporting people," she said of Trump, who has vowed stepped up deportation procedures against undocumented immigrants. Now the 25-year-old woman and her family live in a charity shelter in Mexico. She asked to be identified just as Rocio, without her last name, for fear of reprisals. She has applied three times for refugee status, which would protect her from deportation and allow her access to health care and education. But the courts have so far denied it to her family for lack of evidence. - Trump effect - Deadly gang violence in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala is driving hundreds of thousands of desperate migrants to flee north. Officials say nearly 9,000 people applied for refugee status in Mexico last year and the figure may double this year. "The radicalization of certain measures by the new US government makes us expect the number of applications will increase," Mexico's deputy migration minister Humberto Roque Villanueva told AFP. Carlos, a 43-year-old farmer from El Salvador, also risks deportation after failing to get refugee status. He lives in an overcrowded shelter in Mexico City where airplanes flying nearby make a deafening noise. "We would all prefer to go to the United States, but now everyone is staying here" in Mexico, says Carlos, 43. "Trump says he is not going to deport everyone, just the bad people, but that's not certain. If they grab one person in a place, they'll grab everyone there." Story continues Carlos would much rather be back home on his peaceful farm growing sesame and corn, but it is too dangerous. After members of one gang ordered him to feed them, he became a reluctant enemy of their rivals, the notoriously violent Salvatrucha gang. "I was greatly afraid all the time," he said. "Mexico may be dangerous, but at least here you can go out for a walk and make friends." - Refugee applications increasing - Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto last year promised to speed up the refugee applications process. But immigration authorities still only have about 50 staffers assigned to handling all the cases. Of those, 29 are paid by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Mexican officials "don't give residency papers to people who really need them; but they do give them to people who chose to leave home and come here," Rocio complained, clenching her fists. Authorities say more than 400,000 people cross into Mexico via its southern border each year. "Applications keep increasing," says senior UNHCR official Jose Francisco Sieber. "Innovative solutions are needed to allow applications to be processed fairly." Roughly 25 percent of people living in Asia have recently paid bribes to government employees while trying to access public services, Transparency International reported Tuesday. The figure was calculated after the Berlin-based government watchdog surveyed nearly 22,000 people in 16 Asian countries on whether they had ever personally experienced corruption in the last year. From the survey's results, the group estimated that more than 900 million adults living in Asian countries spanning from Pakistan to Australia were forced to give bribes in exchange for public services. The study found that people living in India experienced the most amount of corruption, with 69 percent of respondents saying they'd recently paid a bribe to a government employee. The Asian country with the second highest amount of corruption was Vietnam, where 65 percent of those asked said they'd issued bribes in the last year. The country that saw the least amount of corruption was Japan, where only 0.2 percent of respondents said they'd paid bribes for public services. Police reportedly received the most bribes among government employees, with just under a third of the respondents saying they had paid off a law enforcement officer in the last year. Bribery rates were the highest among poor people in countries like Thailand, India and Pakistan, with 38 percent of respondents from the lowest income level saying they'd recently given bribes. The opposite of this was true in Myanmar, Vietnam and Cambodia, where members of the richest income bracket were asked for bribes the most. Governments must do more to deliver on their anti-corruption commitments, Jose Ugaz, the chair of Transparency International, said in a press release in reference to the 16 countries participation in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The United Nations initiative, which was enacted Jan. 1, 2016, was created to eliminate all forms of corruption and bribery by 2030. Story continues Bribery is not a small crime, it takes food off the table, it prevents education, it impedes proper health care and ultimately it can kill, Ugaz said. Roughly 40 percent of the respondents thought that the level of corruption increased in their own countries in the last year, but 75 percent of those surveyed in China said corruption definitely increased in the last three years. Former South Korea President Park Geun-hyes impeachment by the countrys parliament in December 2016 represented the most recent high-profile corruption scandal in Asia. Park was found to have been involved in a quid pro quo with South Korean megacorporation Samsung Electronics under which the companys Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong paid the country's federal government $35 million in 2015 in return for business favors. This included the government's support of a merger between two Samsung affiliate companies, Cheil Industries and Samsung C&T that year. Related Articles By Elisabeth O'Leary EDINBURGH (Reuters) - Scotland could hold an independence referendum in the autumn of 2018, just months before Britain is due to leave the European Union, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told the BBC, and a second poll in a month suggested rising support for secession. The prospect of an independence vote in Scotland that could rip apart the United Kingdom just months before an EU exit adds to the complexity of negotiations on Britain's departure from the European Union. Scotland's threat of a second independence vote in four years also raises the pressure on Prime Minister Theresa May as she prepares to trigger formal exit negotiations with the other 27 members of the European Union over the UK's divorce terms. Sturgeon said autumn 2018 would be a "common sense time" for Scotland to hold another independence referendum, once there is some outline of a deal to exit the European Union. "Within that window, of when the outline of a UK deal becomes clear and the UK exiting the EU, I think would be a common sense time for Scotland to have that choice, if that is the road we choose to go down," Sturgeon, who heads Edinburgh's pro-independence devolved government, told the BBC. No decision has yet been taken on a vote, she added. Up to now, most polls show support for independence in Scotland has barely shifted from around 45 percent since 2014, and that most Scots do not want another vote on secession. However, a poll by Ipsos MORI on Thursday showed that among those likely to vote, support for independence had risen to 50 percent, a 2 percent increase in support for independence compared to Ipsos Mori's last poll. They surveyed 1,029 people by telephone between Feb. 24 and March 6. On Feb. 8, a BMG survey for Herald Scotland indicated 49 percent of Scots backed independence, up from 45.5 percent a month earlier. Under the UK's constitutional conventions, an independence vote would have to be approved by May's government which on Thursday repeated it saw no need for a second ballot. The results of the June 23 Brexit referendum called the future of the UK into question because England and Wales voted to leave the EU but Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to stay. CLASH OVER BREXIT Sturgeon has said that the Brexit plans of the government in London -- in particular May's decision to prioritise immigration controls over continued preferential access to the single market -- made another vote on independence necessary because circumstances have changed since 2014, when Scots voted 55-45 to stay in the United Kingdom. The EU's chief negotiator for Brexit, Michel Barnier, has said that an exit agreement with the UK should be reached by October 2018 though many diplomats and trade negotiators have expressed concern that a comprehensive Brexit deal would be difficult to strike in such a short time. Wary of secessionists in other EU states, the Union was cool to Scottish pleas to stay in the bloc during the independence referendum in 2014. Brexit would be an added complication and an independent Scotland born through a messy secession battle with London would have to apply for EU membership after the United Kingdom left, according to diplomats and EU officials. Spain, which faces secessionists in its northeastern region of Catalonia, may have little appetite to approve an independent Scotland's application for membership of the EU, which would have to be unanimously approved by EU members states. May is due to trigger formal exit talks by the end of this month though legislation giving her approval to do so is unlikely to clear parliament until mid-March. Sources close to Sturgeon say May's official notification of withdrawal from the EU is a key milestone, and no decision on a referendum would be made before she triggered formal talks. "Common sense would tell you that ... if we are going to become independent, better to do so before we are dragged out of the EU," Stewart Hosie, an SNP lawmaker said. Scotland has a population of around 5.3 million, according to the last census, slightly more than 8 percent of the United Kingdom's population as a whole. It was an independent kingdom until joining England in the Act of Union in 1707. (Additional reporting by Alistair Smout and Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Toby Chopra) Samarra (Iraq) (AFP) - Two suicide bombers attacked a celebration being held the night before a wedding north of Baghdad, killing 26 people, a police officer and a doctor said on Thursday. The bombings in the Al-Hajaj area, north of the city of Tikrit, also wounded 25 people, the sources said. "The first blew himself up at 8:30 pm (1730 GMT on Wednesday) amid men who were dancing during the celebration," while the second attacked a few minutes later, a police lieutenant colonel said. The bombers detonated explosive belts, the officer said. A doctor at a local hospital confirmed the toll. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State jihadist group carries out frequent suicide bombings targeting both civilians and members of the security forces in Iraq. IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad, including swathes of Salaheddin province, where Wednesday's attack occurred, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes and other support have since regained most of the territory they lost. Iraqi forces are now fighting to retake west Mosul, the largest urban bastion still held by the jihadists in Iraq. But recapturing Mosul and the other remaining parts of the country still held by IS will not eliminate its threat, and the group may increasingly turn to bombings such as those in Al-Hajaj if it no longer holds territory. By John Davison MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - Mohammed Fathi sat calmly on a plastic chair, twiddling his prayer beads as machine gun fire erupted from a neighbour's house, incoming bullets crackled overhead and helicopters strafed targets nearby in western Mosul. The 70-year-old grandfather of 10 looked relieved. The day before, death had come much closer. He described how Islamic State fighters had used the top floor of his home to fire sniper rifles and BKC machine guns at advancing Iraqi forces, while Fathi's family and others displaced by the violence cowered downstairs. If the militants had held out a few minutes longer, an air raid would have brought the building down on top of them. "Thank God, they retreated from here and troops arrived to find just us. "One of the soldiers told us they were five minutes away from calling in an air strike because of the resistance coming from our house," he said. Fathi, wearing a red and white headdress, hobbled around his home pointing at damage the Islamic State fighters had done to his property - a children's cupboard smashed up to use as barricades and to rest rifles on, a basket upturned to stand on while they fired at the enemy. The fighters, some of whom spoke Russian, left their posts in the upstairs bedrooms and retreated through the next-door house via holes they had knocked through the walls, Fathi said. "As the soldiers arrived, we weren't sure if Daesh (Islamic State) were still there. My son went up to check, and they'd gone." The Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) entered the home around sunset on Monday, and on Tuesday were stationed outside in armoured vehicles, or firing from adjacent buildings at Islamic State positions along the shifting front line. Fighting to drive Islamic State from western Mosul, its last major stronghold in Iraq, has involved close-quarter street battles, with Iraqi forces advancing block by block as they approach the most densely populated parts of the city. BATTLE POSITIONS Fathi's home is one of many that Islamic State fighters have used as battle positions as they withdraw towards the city centre, taking cover among the 750,000 civilians in western Mosul. U.S.-backed Iraqi forces recaptured eastern Mosul in January, and attacked districts west of the river Tigris on Feb. 19. Advances have sometimes slowed to try to avoid civilian casualties, while Islamic State has used suicide car bombs and snipers. "Daesh are retreating house by house, and they're also using tunnels they've dug to escape," said CTS Corporal Marwan Hashem, stationed in the house next door to Fathi. "They take up rooftop positions on homes to shoot." CTS troops and Federal Police units that joined them later on Tuesday were using holes the militants had knocked through to move back and forth, and huddled in a courtyard as they planned their next attack. Members of Hashem's unit said they were confident the Mansour district would be recaptured from Islamic State in a matter of hours. But the militants were putting up stiff resistance. A CTS gunner standing casually in a doorway overlooking the front line winced and quickly stepped back as a rocket hit a nearby building. The faint stinging smell of gas pervaded the air for a few minutes, and Hashem placed a surgical mask over his mouth. Islamic State has been accused of using chemical weapons in Iraq and Syria, poisoning civilians in the process. None of Fathi's relatives were hurt during the several days the militants had fought from the family home, however. He had also been sheltering several dozen people who fled their own houses nearby. Piles of shoes lay on the floor outside the downstairs rooms, where up to 30 men, women and children from the area were living, unsure if it was safe to go back to their homes. "We all stayed inside the rooms while the Daesh fighters were here. We ate, drank, slept and prayed there," Fathi said, glad at least that his house was among those still standing. (Reporting by John Davison; editing by Giles Elgood) By Jeremy Wagstaff and Tom Bergin HONG KONG/LONDON (Reuters) - Brussels based inter-bank messaging system SWIFT said it had cut off North Korean banks under U.N. sanctions, after Belgium said it would no longer give authorisation for such transactions. The Belgian foreign ministry cited Pyongyangs intensifying provocations, such as missile launches, as motivation for its decision, which will affect three banks. However, the Belgian move also follows a United Nations report last month which said any company trading with a designated North Korean bank would be in violation of UN sanctions - even if the company had received an authorization from a European government to do so. The Feb. 27 report found evidence North Korea was relying on continued access to the international banking system to flout sanctions. The UN position put the Belgian government at odds with UN sanctions as it had given SWIFT exemptions to work with the sanctioned North Korean banks. The UN report said only the United Nations Security Council Committee could determine whether a company could qualify for an exemption to trade with sanctioned banks not individual governments. A spokeswoman for the European Commission (EC) said the EUs system of offering exemptions was consistent with those of the UN. She declined to answer detailed questions about the comments in the panel of experts report. The United Nations panel did not respond to requests for comment. The U.N. Security Council on Tuesday condemned North Korea's recent ballistic missile launches and expressed concern over the country's increasingly destabilising behaviour and defiance of the 15-member body. The three blacklisted banks named by the U.N. panel as being in the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) network were Bank of East Land, Korea Daesong Bank and Korea Kwangson Banking Corp. Bank of East Land was blacklisted in 2013, while the other two were blacklisted last year. SWIFT said it had suspended these banks access to its secure communications system which banks use for sending cross-border payment instructions. It did not say exactly when the services were suspended or how many banks were affected. SWIFTs 2011 annual report, the last year for which it gave details for country-by-country system usage, said 20 financial institutions in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea North Korea's official name - were connected to SWIFT. However, the country was one of the lowest users of the service. SWIFT said it complies with all sanctions regulations but it also believes in being politically independent and keeping the system as open as possible. It has previously pushed back against efforts to have countries like Iran and Russia excluded from the service. Non-designated Korean banks are still not precluded from using SWIFT. Susannah Cogman, partner with law firm Herbert Smith Freehills said the divergence in perspectives between the EU and UN as to the circumstances under which trade with Korean banks could be compliant with UN sanctions may be because the different bodies sanctioned the banks at different times using different exemption rules. The EC and Belgium declined to answer detailed questions on the drafting of their rules. (Additional reporting by Michelle Price in Hong Kong and Robert-Jan Bartunek in Brussels; Editing by Randy Fabi and Andrew Hay) Geneva (AFP) - Switzerland on Thursday rejected a request from Zurich authorities to cancel over security concerns a weekend visit by Turkey's foreign minister, after several German regions blocked rallies to back a Turkish referendum. "There is nothing to justify the cancellation of this visit," a Swiss government statement said, referring to Sunday's scheduled trip to Zurich by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. The visit "does not represent a particularly heightened threat from a security point of view", it added. Zurich on Wednesday asked that the visit be cancelled, with the canton's security spokesman Urs Grob warning of possible "heavy demonstrations" if Cavusoglu were to come. That followed an acrimonious row between Ankara and Berlin over Cavusoglu's planned trip to Switzerland's neighbour Germany. The diplomatic tour is aimed at rallying support ahead of an April 16 referendum in Turkey on whether to strengthen the president's powers. After several German local authorities barred rallies, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Berlin of resorting to tactics "not different from Nazi practices". Zurich said it had stressed the controversy in Germany in its request to the Swiss federal government. Bern said it reserved the right to change its decision if the situation evolved. Cavusoglu said Thursday that his government was still planning around 30 rallies in Germany and that he expected Berlin to "solve this problem." BEIRUT (Reuters) - Turkey's military shelled Syrian government forces and their allies on Thursday, causing deaths and injuries, Syrian state media quoted a military source as saying. State-run SANA news agency quoted the military source as saying that the Turkish bombardment targeted Syrian border guard positions in the countryside near the northern city of Manbij. Turkey intervened in northern Syria in August in support of rebel groups with the twin goals of driving Islamic State from its border and preventing Kurdish groups from building an autonomous zone along the frontier. Ankara is particularly concerned about the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia which it regards as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has fought a three-decade insurgency inside Turkey. The area around Manbij has been controlled since last year by the Manbij Military Council, a local militia that is a part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an umbrella organization of armed groups of which the YPG is also a part. The United States, which supports the SDF in its fight against Islamic State, and is also an ally of Turkey, has said it has taken steps to try to prevent conflict between the two sides. (Reporting by Angus McDowall; editing by Andrew Roche) Tom Hardy will grace your TV again. His series Taboo ha sbeen picked up for another season, FX said Wednesday. The journey has only just begun. #TabooFX has been renewed for season 2 on @FXNetworks. pic.twitter.com/1H8WfVuXRW Taboo (@TabooFX) March 8, 2017 The eight-part first season, set in 1814, follows James Keziah Delaney (Hardy), who was believed to be dead but returns to his former life in London a changed man. His return coincides with the death of his father, whose shipping empire was left to him. SEE ALSO: Tom Hardy is definitely returning to 'Mad Max,' but what about James Bond? The series executive produced by Hardy, Scott and Peaky Blinders Steven Knight debuted on BBC One in the U.K. on Jan. 7, and on FX in the U.S. on Jan. 10. By Waverly Colville BRUSSELS (Reuters) - High-tech crimes, such as document fraud, money laundering and online trading in illegal goods, are at the root of almost all serious criminality, Europe's police agency said on Thursday. "These cross-cutting criminal threats enable and facilitate most, if not all, other types of serious and organised crime," such as drugs and people trafficking, Europol said in a study of organised crime that it publishes every four years. So-called "ransomware", which blocks a person or company's computer until a fee is paid to unlock it, has become a major concern. But traditional crimes also now rely increasingly on new technology, such as the drug trade's use of drones, and burglars using computers to scout neighbourhoods online and track social media posts to see when people are away from home. Europol says there are some 5,000 international crime groups under investigation, with members from more than 180 nationalities. Drug trafficking remained the largest criminal market in the European Union, generating some 24 billion euros ($25 billion) of profit per year. People smuggling has become more lucrative as wars and unrest in the Middle East and Africa have pushed record number of people to try to reach Europe, with 510,000 illegal crossings into the EU in 2016. "Nearly all of the irregular migrants arriving in the EU along these routes use the services offered by criminal networks at some point during their journey," Europol said. ($1 = 0.9482 euros) (Editing by Robert-Jan Bartunek and Robin Pomeroy) (Reuters) - The driver of a school bus that crashed in Tennessee last year, killing six children, was charged with vehicular homicide in an indictment unsealed on Wednesday, local media reported. The indictment contained six counts of vehicular homicide against Johnthony Walker along with other criminal counts, according to a copy of the court papers posted on the website of the Chattanooga Times Free Press. Walker, 24, was arrested last year in connection with the Nov. 21 bus crash in Chattanooga. Authorities have said he was speeding on a winding road while using a cellphone before the bus veered off course, flipped on its side and hit a tree. Walker's attorney could not be reached for comment on Wednesday. Walker has remained in jail since his arrest, according to local media. The charge of vehicular manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in prison. The indictment was filed in Hamilton County criminal court. Walker is due to appear before a judge on March 24, according to the website for the local district attorney's office, which confirmed the indictment was unsealed on Wednesday. The grand jury that handed down the indictment also charged Walker with four counts of reckless aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, reckless driving and use of a cellphone behind the wheel of a school bus, said the court papers posted by the Times Free Press. Over a dozen other children on the bus were injured in the crash. (Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by Peter Cooney) Metro Nashville Police Department in Tennessee announced Wednesday night they arrested a 24-year-old man in the killing of Tiffany Ferguson, a nurse at St. Thomas West Hospital. Christopher Drew McLawhorn was taken into custody and charged with criminal homicide and especially aggravated burglary. Ferguson was stabbed to death in late February after McLawhorn broke into her condominium in Wedgewood-Houston, according to police. McLawhorn, who became a person of interest in the case, was arrested Sunday and was found in possession of marijuana and two bottles of alcohol. During police interrogation, he denied being aware about Fergusons killing. However, police arrested him for the murder based on evidence and witness statements. Police spokesman Don Aaron said McLawhorn tried to break into vehicles and Fergusons condo. He killed the 23-year-old after which her roommate woke up to her screams and found Ferguson injured and called 911, police said. The nurse was rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she died. Read: Indiana Teen Charged In Mother's Stabbing Death According to a surveillance video, a man in a black hoodie is seen walking outside the condo. He is reported to have entered the house through the unlocked front door. Police previously said McLawhorn stole some items from the condo and walked back to the house. He stabbed Ferguson after a confrontation, law enforcement officials said. In September 2015, McLawhorn was arrested for public intoxication and misdemeanor theft in October that year, according to NewsChannel 5. Fergusons killing is the second death of a St. Thomas West nurse within two months. In December, scrub technician Ashley Brown was found dead in a garbage disposal site after an outing with her friends at an apartment near Centennial Park reportedly about 5 miles away from Ferguson's home. The Metro Police have not ruled out her death as a homicide. Related Articles By Kate Murphy The debate over climate change was a hot topic on the campaign trail when candidate Donald Trump promised to cancel the Paris Climate agreement. He has also tweeted on several occasions about how climate change is a hoax. The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 6, 2012 Ice storm rolls from Texas to Tennessee I'm in Los Angeles and it's freezing. Global warming is a total, and very expensive, hoax! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 6, 2013 Snowing in Texas and Louisiana, record setting freezing temperatures throughout the country and beyond. Global warming is an expensive hoax! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2014 During the first presidential debate, Hillary Clinton said, Donald thinks that climate change is a hoax, perpetrated by the Chinese. I think its real. To which Trump argued, I do not say that. The Paris climate agreement was signed by nearly 200 nations, including the United States. Now it looks like President Trump is following through on that campaign promise to withdraw from the deal. So what is the agreement, and what happens if the U.S. does goes cold on its commitment? Lets start with the basics. The Paris Agreement is the biggest effort yet to get the world to reduce the effects of climate change. It began when representatives from nations around the globe gathered in Paris in 2015, and it was signed in 2016. The goal is to limit the increase in global temperatures to no higher than 2 degrees Celsius. Scientists say staying below that rise in temperature helps fight the worst effects of climate change. Story continues To reach that goal, countries have promised to limit or lower the amount of greenhouse gases they emit. Those are the gases put into the air by things like turning on your lights or driving to work. Greenhouse gases trap and hold heat in the atmosphere, causing the temperature to rise. Its something were seeing a lot of, with record high temperatures set over the last three years. The Obama administration pledged to reduce carbon pollution in the U.S. by 26 percent by the year 2025. So what happens if President Trump decides to back out of the deal? Nothing, really, because there are no legal consequences for pulling out. There are no fines, either. Politically speaking, pulling out might help Trump because hed be following through on a campaign promise. The pact wouldnt dissolve, but other countries that dragged their feet to join in the first place could also withdraw or reel in their goals to cut pollution. Diplomatically speaking, though, it would potentially hurt U.S. standing around the world. That explains why Trumps secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, wants in. During his Senate confirmation hearing Tillerson said, I think Its important that the U.S. maintains its seat at the table about how to address the threat of climate change, which does require a global response. So as the debate continues over the Paris climate agreement, at least when it comes to whats in it and what happens if the U.S. leaves, you can say, now I get it. The scene inside Parliament hill was quite optimistic on March 8. Its been a century since the majority of Canadian women received the right to vote and on Wednesday, in celebration of International Womens Day, more than 338 young women representing each federal riding in Canada took a seat in a closed session at the House of Commons to highlight womens suffrage. House of Commons, Parliament Hill | Daughters of the Vote event. (Photo: Canadian Press) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau answers questions at a Daughters of the Vote event at the House of Commons in Parliament Hill. (Photo: The Canadian Press) The Daughters of the Vote delegates were young, between the ages of 18 and 23, and were chosen our of over 1,500 applicants by Equal Voice an organization that pushes for parity in Canadian politics. Shortly before noon, the scene outside Parliament Hill was remarkably subdued. Although womens rights were still on the forefront of minds from the people we spoke to, it didnt draw the anticipated crowds that the marches brought forth in late January (where a reported 120,000 Canadians participated in over 35 sister marches across the globe, included thousands who protested down Laurier Ave. in Ottawa). Snapshot taken outside Parliament Hill | March 8, 2017 10:50 am. We asked visitors to the Hill about their views on Womens Day and what it means to them their outlooks were optimistic and eye-opening. The majority stated that its a day to honour the achievements and victories our female ancestors made and hopefully inspire present and future generations. Its a day to think about all the people who have suffered, but its also a day to be hopeful, and to think about the future, one woman said, as she pointed at her 16-year-old niece. See more responses in the video below. Even if there werent thousands of protesters rallying on the streets, activists were showing their support in other productive areas. The ONE Campaign marked International Womens Day with a massive coordinated push for girls education that included Parliamentary walk-ins, United Nations walk-ins, policy reports and open letters urging leaders to help every girl get a quality education. It was one of the largest (ever) lobby days for girls rights and took place in 107 cities and 12 countries. Story continues Selmor Mtukudzi was a key part of the lobby. Mtukudzi is a musician, a womans activist from Zimbabwe and a major ambassador for the ONE campaign. She believes that one prime way to bring change in this world is through education. Mtukudzi visited Ottawa for International Womens Day and met with MPs to discuss the importance of girls education and the corresponding challenges females face worldwide. According to ONE, a reported 130,000 million females across the globe are denied access to quality education. Girls in poorer countries are less likely to receive education than their male counterparts and young females are being denied the education they need to get a good job and break the cycle of poverty. In Selmors meeting with Bob Nault, Chair of the Foreign Affairs and International Development Committee, Mtukudzi pushed for the federal government to double the development budget toward global education, from 2 cents per Canadian per day to 4 cents per Canadian per day shes more than hopeful that her meetings will bring change. I believe that once a woman is empowered, the whole nation is empowered, therefore having such a day to celebrate that is pretty special, Mtukudzi told Yahoo Canada. Watch Mtukudzis full interview here and check out more of our International Womens Day coverage here. Let us know what you think by tweeting @YahooStyleCA. Mosul (Iraq) (AFP) - Civilians rush down a hillside on the outskirts of Mosul to waiting Iraqi forces, tired but happy after finally being able to flee the clutches of the Islamic State group. Trapped for years inside the jihadist-ruled city, escaping residents say IS fighters are growing increasingly desperate as Iraqi forces advance on their last bastions in west Mosul. Civilians are being forced from their homes, they say, and rounded up by the retreating jihadists. "We were used as human shields," says Abdulrazzaq Ahmed, a 25-year-old civil servant, who managed to escape along with hundreds of other civilians fleeing the recently recaptured neighbourhood of Al-Mansur. The residents descend the hill to buses and police trucks that will take them to camps in the desert near Mosul, joining tens of thousands of others who have fled Iraq's second city. Families carry their meagre belongings in plastic bags. Women in niqabs -- the face veil imposed on them by the jihadists -- walk alongside men with shaggy beards and elderly people carried on carts or pushed in wheelchairs. In the middle of the crowd a young man, a dirty bandage wrapped around his forehead, suddenly collapses. "He was wounded by a shell," his mother shouts. "Give him bread," she begs an officer. "We lived through some terrible times." The wounded man is placed in a waiting van. A young boy holding a black sheep at the end of a rope also hopes to get on board. - 'We were so hungry' - "Where are we going to put this one?" a joking police officer asks, before allowing the boy and his sheep on board, followed by a young girl, her face smudged with dirt, carrying a doll. Iraqi forces launched the offensive to retake Mosul in October and after recapturing its eastern side set their sights on its smaller but more densely populated west last month. During the fighting in west Mosul -- which has forced more than 50,000 people to flee their homes -- the jihadists have lost control of several neighbourhoods and key buildings. Story continues Rayan Mohammed, a frail 18-year-old, says IS fighters are scrambling in the face of the Iraqi offensive. "They ran away like chickens," he says. Mohammed says he was once given 60 lashes for missing prayers and thrown in prison for a week. "If they stopped you with a mobile, with music..." he begins, leaving the sentence unfinished. "I left my phone at home, I was afraid to go out." Another young man, 22-year-old Mohammed, says conditions in the city were dire. "There was nothing left to eat or drink," says Mohammed, who gave up his studies when IS took control of Mosul in 2014, but now hopes to return to university. Ahmed, in his 40s, says he was held for four months in a school in Al-Mansur after being detained by IS fighters along with his wife and nine children. "Life was very difficult, we were so hungry, all we had to eat was bread and tahini," he says. At his side his oldest daughter and his wife, who is carrying their 18-month-old girl, have lifted their veils to show their smiling faces. After North Korea launched four ballistic missiles Monday as part of drills targetting the U.S. military bases in Japan, influential Japanese lawmakers have pointed out that Japan will develop its ability to strike preemptively at the missile facilities of its nuclear-armed neighbor, Reuters reported. For decades, Japan had avoided taking the costly step of acquiring weapons like cruise missiles with the aim of striking other countries and relied on its U.S. ally to fight off its enemies. However, with the increasing Pyongyang missile threats, including Monday's launch of four ballistic missiles, Japan is pushing for a stronger defence mechanism, Reuters reported. Talking about Japan's striking possibilities, Itsunori Onodera , a former defense minister who heads a ruling Liberal Democratic Party committee said: "If bombers attacked us or warships bombarded us, we would fire back. Striking a country lobbing missiles at us is no different." He said: "Technology has advanced and the nature of conflict has changed." Previous administrations have not taken steps for tougher defense policy but Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberation Democratic Party (LDP), has been pressing him to do so. "It is time we acquired the capability," said Hiroshi Imazu, the chairman of the LDP's policy council on security. "I dont know whether that would be with ballistic missiles, cruise missiles or even the F-35 (fighter bomber), but without a deterrence North Korea will see us as weak," he said. For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android. Meanwhile, officials have indicated that Japan has already done the ground work on how it can acquire a strike capability. However, any weapon that Japan acquires to hit North Korea would also put parts of China's eastern seaboard in danger zone, which will likely cause anger to China. "China has missiles that can hit Japan, so any complaints it may have are not likely to garner much sympathy in the international community," said Onodera. Story continues Monday's attack was instantly condemned by all the world leaders. Abe told reporters he and President Donald Trump talked over phone about 8 a.m. Tuesday local time (6 p.m. ET Monday) and agreed that the missile launches were "a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions" and a threat to the international community, CNN reported. This was not the first time North Korea launched ballistic missiles in Japan's territory. It has fired four times before also with the last one in September 2016 when North Korea launched three ballistic missiles about 1,000 kilometers to land in Japan's Air Defense Identification Zone, provoking a strong response. Related Articles Surprise guest at event Action film royalty Tom Cruise was present at a charity event held at Buckingham Palace where he was treated to a meet and greet with British royalty. The Top Gun star had a brief interaction with Prince Philip during the 75th anniversary event for the Outward Bound Trust, at which Cruise was the surprise guest. The Daily Mail shares that Tom was perfectly relaxed at the event on Wednesday evening and chatted animatedly with the husband to Queen Elizabeth II. The publication notes, After being formally presented to the Queens husband the 54-year-old celebrity (whose full name is the very regal Thomas Cruise Mapother IV) kept his hands firmly in his pocket as they chatted animatedly. The event at which Cruise was in attendance was not made public beforehand, and palace reps share that the Hollywood actor was invited because he had supported the trust in the past. Click here to continue and read more... By John O'Donnell and Arno Schuetze FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank's top three investors, who together own almost 20 percent of its stock, are likely to back its latest capital hike, people familiar with the matter said, although smaller shareholders are skeptical about its turnaround plan. John Cryan, Deutsche's CEO, is likely to be able to count on the support of U.S. fund manager Blackrock, a group of Qatari investors and China's HNA Group, people familiar with their thinking said. All three declined to comment. Cryan sought to persuade shareholders this week to spend 8 billion euros ($8.5 billion) to back another revamp, putting the bank on course to have raised more than its 26 billion euro market value in the past seven years. The writing has long been on the wall for investors that Deutsche Bank would seek fresh cash, but it puts them in an awkward position. If they do not take up their rights to buy further shares, their holding shrinks, eroding their influence. However, as far back as October, funds controlled by Qatar's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani, which own the largest stake in Deutsche Bank with nearly 10 percent, have been willing to buy further shares, sources familiar with their policy told Reuters at the time. That stance has not changed since and an official in Sheikh Hamad's office confirmed that the former prime minister had met with Deutsche Bank in recent weeks, but declined to comment. Although low energy prices have pressured Qatar, the world's top liquefied natural gas exporter, its investors continue to buy assets around the world. Meanwhile, China's HNA Group, which has been on an acquisition spree that has seen it expand from its traditional business of aviation and logistics into overseas financial services, owns three percent and is also set to take part, a person familiar with its thinking said. Beijing wants to rebalance China's economy towards consumer driven services, with overseas finance seen as attractive. Story continues Blackrock, which has close ties with Deutsche and nearly six percent of the bank's stock, is likely to take up its rights, partly because many of its funds are bound to do so because of the lender's stock market weighting. GIVE ME THE MONEY? However, Deutsche's finance chief and co-deputy chief executive Marcus Schenck is set to get a cooler reception when he meets smaller investors in the coming days. "Is this just a case of 'give me the money'?" said one investor, who asked not to be named. "This is not a new plan. It's a fallback emergency plan." Deutsche wants to underpin its global investment bank and bolster its German retail business. It bills this as a change of strategy, although many investors said it was the same as before. "The capital raising buys them time," said Moodys' Peter Nerby. "You can go along their plan point by point and the main thing you can tick off is capital and derisking. One of the hardest things to do is to shrink your way to profitability." Cryan has made rebuilding the bank in North America a priority. But investors say this will be difficult after it lost market share and following billions of dollars of penalties for the sale of toxic debt. Investment banks tasked by Deutsche to win over investors said they would argue that the bank's asset management arm will thrive as an independent business after it is listed on the stock market. The bank will, however, forego some earnings. Cryan, who scrapped plans to sell Postbank, has talked up the prospects for its German retail bank but the German market is dominated by state-backed and cooperative banks. While welcoming the capital raise, Lisa Kwasnowski of rating agency DBRS, has doubts about Deutsche's chances of success. "Focusing on client-focused business ... is not really a new philosophy," Kwasnowski, who analyses Wall Street banks, said. "Everyone is doing it and Deutsche is playing catch-up." (Additional reporting by Kathrin Jones in Frankfurt, Tom Finn in Doha and Michelle Price in Hong Kong; writing by John O'Donnell) On Monday, President Donald Trump signed a revised executive order on immigration, designed to correct the deficiencies of the last one that several courts have put on hold. Although it removes some of the red flags planted in his last order, which courts found would likely run afoul of the U.S. Constitutions Establishment Clause, the new order is still basically a Muslim ban. Its no more rationally based on national security than was the previous order. The new order attempts to resolve some of the legal disputes over the last one by removing the previous explicit exemption for religious minorities in the countries targeted by the suspension of the refugee program. It also no longer singles out Syrian refugees for exclusion, but continues to suspend all refugee resettlement in the United States for 120 days. The new order also removes Iraq from the earlier list of banned countries, but it continues to include six majority-Muslim countries: Iran, Somalia, Libya, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, with the justification that the conditions in these countries present heightened threats. Each of these countries, the order states, is a state sponsor of terrorism, has been significantly compromised by terrorist organizations, or contains active conflict zones. The order notably still does not include Pakistan, Afghanistan, or Saudi Arabia. Whats more, it continues to rely on the absurd justification that the situations in those countries affect the foreign governments willingness or ability to share or validate important information about individuals seeking to travel to the United States. In other words, it penalizes refugees fleeing repressive governments because their governments wont help vet their citizens claims of government persecution. More From Our Partners Just Security The new ban ostensibly attempts to resolve the legal issues that led the original executive order to be stayed by several courts, but the new order doesnt solve the central problem of the first one. The order still targets nationals of only Muslim-majority countries, with no reasonable national security justification. Its still a Muslim ban. One need look only to leaked reports from Trumps own Department of Homeland Security to see that the intent of his order has nothing to do with national security. In an internal report leaked in February, DHS analysts concluded that citizens from the six specified countries do not present any particular terrorism threat in the United States. On the contrary, it found that the majority of individuals implicated in terrorist-related activity in the United States have been U.S. citizens, not foreigners. Recommended: 'We've Been in Continuous Crisis for 45 Days' A second DHS report leaked to the Rachel Maddow Show shows that most individuals found to have participated in terrorist plots in the United States became radicalized years after they came to the country. Their radical inclinations therefore could not have been detected at the border, DHS concludes. Indeed, one of the only examples of a refugee involved in an attempted attack in the United States involved a Somali man who came to this country at age two and was caught up in an FBI sting operation, where FBI agents gave him an inert device to detonate at a Christmas tree-lighting in Oregon. The Trump administration relies on this case for justification of its suspension of the refugee program. A Q&A sheet prepared by DHS for the new executive order describes this case but does not mention the boys age when he immigrated to the America, or the sting operation. The governments own data reveal that the attempt to prevent terrorism in the United States by blocking peoples entrance based on nationality is nonsensical. The motive is not national security, but discrimination. Numerous statements by the president himself, and of his most senior advisors, reveal the orders true intent. As the courts have made clear, that sort of context is critical to determining whether the order is constitutional. In December 2015, then-candidate Trumps own website boasted: Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our countrys representatives can figure out what is going on. You can still find that statement on his website today. Recommended: Why Trump Makes Liberals So Depressed On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly scapegoated Muslim immigrants for crimes they had nothing to do with. After a mass shooting that killed 49 people in Orlando, for example, Trump promised hed stop immigration of Muslims to the United States, saying refugees and immigrants could be Americas Trojan horse. He added that his rival, Hillary Clinton, wanted to accept hundreds of thousands of refugees from the Middle East with no system to vet them, or to prevent the radicalization of their children. The Orlando shooting was committed by a 29-year-old American citizen born in New Hyde Park, New York. His father came to the United States in the 1980s from Afghanistan. Meanwhile, refugees entering the United States are subjected to lengthy, intensive screeningthe most stringent security reviews of anyone allowed to enter the country. Trump has also claimed, without basis, that refugees from Syria could be ISIS; claimed in a presidential debate that the United States is admitting tens of thousands of ISIS-aligned Syrian refugees, and tweeted in Nov. 2015: Refugees from Syria are now pouring into our great country. Who knows who they aresome could be ISIS. Is our president insane? And last July, when asked if he was proposing an unconstitutional Muslim ban, Trump complained to Chuck Todd on NBCs Meet the Press that you cant call it Muslim. To achieve the same goal, he would be looking now at territories i.e., the six named countries. Recommended: Many Trump Supporters Are Going to Love This One Part of the GOP Health-Care Bill Of course, the presidents senior advisors, including Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Trumps chief strategist Stephen Bannon, have also warned of grave dangers of allowing Muslims to enter the United States. Sessions has frequently rung alarm bells on refugee admission, warning of frightening consequences of growing levels of foreign born in the United States. He said that the Obama administration had proceeded with plans to admit hundreds of thousands of largely unvettable refugees from areas of the world that are producing terrorists and extremists, and warned that Muslims are the fastest-growing group of migrants. Altogether, we can expect to issue nearly 700,000 green cardsor lifetime residency cardsto migrants from Muslim nations over the next five years (as we did over the last five years), Sessions said, quoted in Breitbart. Terror groups have demonstrated that they will recruit from among this inflow. Bannon, meanwhile, is notorious for fomenting anti-Muslim hysteria. Hes claimed were at the beginning stages of a global war against Islamic fascism, and blamed the turmoil resulting from the refugee crisis in Europe on the fact that the migrants were Muslim. These are not people with thousands of years of understanding democracy in their DNA coming up here, Bannon said. He told his radio audience in December 2015 that over half of Muslims in the Middle East believe in sharia, and added ominously: One of the issues we have in Garland, Texas, is trying to stop these Sharia courts. The claim that anyone was trying to establish Sharia courts in Texas was soon widely debunked, and earned the distinction of The Houston Chronicles 2015 Texas hoax of the year. Of course, Bannon was also a founder and executive chairman of the right-wing extremist Breitbart News, which under his direction regularly published anti-Muslim stories with headlines such as: Political Correctness Protects Muslims Rape Culture; The Huffington Post Whores for the Hijab; Silicon Valleys Startup Culture Explains Why Mass Muslim Immigration Must Stop; and Man Bites Dog: Muslim is Nice to Non-Muslim. He also championed the work of Pamela Geller, a political commentator whos notorious for her anti-Muslim views. She published many of those views on Breitbart, in stories like How Muslim Migrants Devastate a Community. The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks and exposes hate groups, calls Geller the anti-Muslim movements most visible and flamboyant figurehead. Bannon himself has repeatedly publicly opposed admitting refugees from Muslim-majority countries. Why even let em in? he asked on his radio show in 2015, saying vetting would cost money. Cant that money be used in the United States? he said. Should we just take a pause and a hiatus for a number of years on any influx from that area of the world? While supporters of the Muslim ban dismiss such statements as irrelevant to the White Houses current actions, theyre actually central to determining the administrations intent. Bannon himself has repeatedly publicly opposed admitting refugees from Muslim-majority countries. It is well established that evidence of purpose beyond the face of the challenged law may be considered in evaluating Establishment and Equal Protection Clause claims, wrote the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in affirming a district courts stay on the original executive order on immigration. The purpose seems pretty obvious here, especially considering the governments own findings that country of citizenship is unlikely to be a reliable indicator of potential terrorist activity. DHS also concluded that while terrorist groups operating in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, pose a threat to the United States, groups in Iran, Libya, Somalia, and Sudan remain regionally focused. Overall, DHS found that citizens of the countries banned in the original order are rarely implicated in U.S.-based terrorism, and that of the 82 individuals who either died in the pursuit of or were convicted of any terrorist-related offense attempted against the United States, more than half were U.S. citizens. The rest were from 26 different countries, with no one country representing more than 13.5 percent of the total. DHS found that relatively few citizens of the countries impacted by the executive order have access to the United States. The United States already has many controls at its border to prevent threats, and none are stricter than those applying to refugees, who often must wait two years or more to resettle in the United States. There simply is no basis for excluding all travelers from the six specified countries, even temporarily, or for excluding all refugees, most of whom are Muslim, for the purposes of national security. The Trump administration can restrict immigration if it wants to, and indeed, the executive has wide latitude to do so. But the president cannot exclude individuals based on their religion, as this order plainly does, without running afoul of the U.S. Constitution. This post appears courtesy of Just Security. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. A young Florida defense attorney was left looking a little red-faced this week when his pants suddenly burst into flames while he defended an accused arsonist. The ironic twist came at the end of an arson case against Claudy Charles, who cops believe had intentionally set a car on fire. Read: Family's Car Destroyed by Exploding Samsung Phone That Was Recalled 3 Days Earlier While arguing that his client's car had caught fire on its own, 28-year-old attorney Stephen Gutierrez spontaneously combusted. Specifically, smoke started billowing from his pants, witnesses told the AP, after the young lawyer was seen fiddling in his pocket. Gutierrez reportedly fled the courtroom before jurors, too, were escorted out. When he returned, Gutierrez insisted the bizarre incident was not staged and blamed a faulty e-cigarette he had with him. Officials from Miami-Dade Police reportedly took several damaged batteries as part of an investigation. Watch: Man Who Survived E-Cigarette Explosion: 'These Things Are Deadly' Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman may decide to hold Gutierrez in contempt of court. A message left for Mr. Gutierrez was not immediately returned Thursday afternoon. Mr. Charles, meanwhile, was eventually convicted of second-degree arson. E-cigarettes use batteries power to heat a liquid into a vapor when users inhale. In recent years, the increasingly popular cigarette alternative has made headlines as a potential danger to users, some of whom have experienced the spontaneous explosion of their devices. Late last month, a Canada man suffered 3rd degree burns on his leg from one such explosion. The man believes the explosion was triggered when coins in his pocket made contact with the device's batteries. Watch: New Yorkers Run from 'Intentional' Explosion in Dumpster That Injured 29 Related Articles: Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump's administration levelled fresh criticism at the CIA Thursday after WikiLeaks published a trove of documents describing the US spy agency's cyber espionage operations. Hours after WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange accused the Central Intelligence Agency of "devastating incompetence" for failing to protect its hacking secrets, Trump's spokesman echoed that, branding its systems "outdated." Trump has "grave concern... about the release of national security and classified information that threatens and undermines our nation's security," White House press secretary Sean Spicer said. "He believes that the systems at the CIA are outdated and need to be updated." The White House terminology was milder than earlier this year when the president blasted US intelligence agencies over media leaks, and accused them of playing politics with their findings on Russian interference in last year's election. But it added new pressure on the CIA and its incoming chief, Mike Pompeo, as US intelligence agencies continue to suffer losses of top secret materials -- most famously with Edward Snowden's 2013 exposure of NSA spying. - Assange: CIA was 'careless' - On Tuesday, WikiLeaks published nearly 9,000 documents it said were only part of a huge trove leaked from the CIA. WikiLeaks said the leaked archive represented the CIA's entire arsenal of cyber-attack plans, guides and malware programs -- though it held back the programs themselves from release. "This extraordinary collection, which amounts to more than several hundred million lines of code, gives its possessor the entire hacking capacity of the CIA," it said. On Thursday Assange gave a press conference on the leak, which again put the crusading anti-secrets group in the midst of US politics. Speaking via streaming video from Ecuador's embassy in London, where he has been living as a fugitive from justice since 2012, he waved off criticism of WikiLeaks while blasting the CIA for its poor controls. Story continues "This is a historic act of devastating incompetence, to have created such an arsenal and then stored it all in one place," Assange said. "It is impossible to keep effective control of cyber weapons... If you build them, eventually you will lose them." The documents show that, using a tool chest of malware like viruses and trojans, CIA hackers can turn a TV into a listening device, bypass popular encryption apps, and possibly control people's cars. Assange called the CIA "careless" for losing control of its cyber weaponry, which WikiLeaks suggested had reached it via private contractors that the US agency hires to develop hacking tools. He said it might already have circulated into the hands of criminals and US enemies. "It's quite possible numerous people already might have it," Assange said. He claimed that WikiLeaks possesses "a lot more information" about the CIA's hacking, but would refrain from publishing it until it can speak to tech manufacturers affected. Much of the agency's cyber operations focused on exploiting vulnerabilities in popular networking equipment, consumer electronics, and software, including Apple's iPhones and smartphones running the Android operating system. "We have decided to work with them to give them some exclusive access to the additional technical details we have so fixes can be developed and then pushed out," Assange said. "Once this material is effectively disarmed by us we will publish additional details about what has been occurring." - CIA questions Assange 'integrity' - The CIA defended itself while criticizing the WikiLeaks founder. "As we've said previously, Julian Assange is not exactly a bastion of truth and integrity," said spokeswoman Heather Fritz Horniak. "Despite the efforts of Assange and his ilk, CIA continues to aggressively collect foreign intelligence overseas to protect America from terrorists, hostile nation states and other adversaries." She reiterated that cyber operations are an integral part of the CIA's job, rebuffing Assange's suggestion that the agency had quietly gone into competition with the main US signals intelligence body, the National Security Agency. Hacking is a normal part of its mission "to be innovative, cutting-edge, and the first line of defense in protecting this country from enemies abroad," Horniak said. A bill to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices may be put forward in Congress within two or three weeks, legislators said after a closed-door meeting with President Trump. The outcome of the meeting between Trump and Representative Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) solidifies a stated aim for both politicians: lower drug prices by letting Medicare negotiate with drug makers. Read the rest... By David Lawder and Amanda Becker WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump promised in a meeting with community bankers on Thursday to strip away some Dodd-Frank financial regulations and ensure they can continue giving small businesses access to capital. Trump, joined by National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, said community banks play a "vital role" in the U.S. economy. "Nearly half of all private-sector workers are employed by small businesses. We must ensure access to capital to small businesses and for small businesses to grow. Community banks are the backbone of small business in America," Trump said at the beginning of the meeting. Representing the industry were chief executives of nine community banks with assets of around $1 billion or less and the heads of the American Bankers Association and the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA). Bankers who attended the 45-minute meeting said they discussed the role community banks play in rural areas and provided real-world examples about the difficulties smaller banking institutions face. The bankers emphasized the need for "tailoring regulations to fit the size and complexity of banks," said Chesapeake Financial Shares Inc Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Szyperski, one of the bankers in the meeting. Chesapeake is a regional bank headquartered in Kilmarnock, Virginia, that has 14 branches and a separate wealth management division. "We were very focused our message on how do we create a tiered and proportionate regulatory environment for community banks," said Rebeca Romero Rainey, head of Centinel Bank of Taos, a community bank in New Mexico. The idea seemed to resonate with Trump, who asked questions and showed a pre-existing understanding of the community banking landscape, according to those in attendance. ICBA, one of the industry groups at the meeting, has advocated a tiered system of regulations that tailor regulations to a bank's size, business model, complexity and risk. Story continues "The type of regulation that you need for a $700 million bank and the risks they present are very different than those for a $200 billion bank or a $1 trillion bank," a White House official said before the meeting. Larger banks are able to spread their higher compliance costs over much bigger asset and employee bases, while smaller banks struggle with high costs and workloads. One of the institutions participating, Standard Financial Corp of Monroeville, Pennsylvania, has just nine branches with $488 million in assets and earnings of $559,000 in the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2016. It plans to merge with a rival in southwestern Pennsylvania in a deal that will roughly double its size. Trump officials cited a dearth of applications to form new community banks and around a 30 percent drop in the number of small U.S. banks since 2008 as the impetus for the meeting. A smaller bank has gone out of business every day for the past seven years, Szyperski said, citing the Dodd-Frank financial reform law enacted after the 2007-2008 financial crisis as a reason new banks had not formed in their stead. Trump promised the bankers that his February executive order on reducing regulation was "very powerful" and would apply to the community banking sector. Mnuchin, the former CEO of OneWest bank, a regional lender in Southern California, said at his confirmation hearing in January that onerous regulations are "killing community banks." He pledged to ease those burdens while maintaining "proper" regulation, "so that we don't end up with a world where we only have four big banks in this country." Also discussed at the meeting were the compliance costs associated with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a new regulator created under Dodd-Frank. The CFPB is a perennial target for Republicans, who want to shift its funding from the Federal Reserve to annual appropriations by Congress and shift its management, now concentrated in a powerful chairman, to a multi-person commission structure. Separately on Thursday, when asked during a briefing with reporters whether Trump still backs his campaign pledge to restore the Glass-Steagall Act, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said that he did. The law, which separated commercial and investment banking activities, was repealed in 1999 and, if reinstated, would mainly apply to larger banks. The Trump administration has not made any moves thus far to break up big banks. Investors have bid up bank stocks since Trump's election on expectations they would get regulatory relief but not be forced to divest. There is little indication such legislation is an imminent priority that will be taken up by the administration or the U.S. Congress. (Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton and Emily Stephenson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Jonathan Oatis) After a week of punishing airstrikes loosed on al Qaeda in Yemen that saw 40 targets go up in flames and smoke, American pilots took a breather the past two nights, watching the dust settle. The weeklong blitz in Yemen eclipsed the annual bombing total for any year during Obamas presidency. Under the previous administration, approval for strikes came only after slow-moving policy discussions, with senior officials required to sign off on any action. The Trump administration has proven much quicker at green-lighting attacks. More broadly, the expanded bombing in Yemen signals a more aggressive use of military force by the Trump administration against Islamist militants, from Syria to Afghanistan. The White House already has approved the deployment of Marines and special operations forces to Syria and a large-scale commando raid in Yemen. On Thursday, a top commander suggested more troops are headed to Afghanistan. President Donald Trumps readiness to order military action stands in contrast to the previous administration. When Obamas national security advisor Susan Rice ran the policymaking process, stuff moved like molasses through the National Security Council, much to the frustration of military planners at U.S. Central Command, a former senior defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Foreign Policy. The interagency discussions allowed plans to languish for weeks while debates swirled over when and how to act. Throughout 2016, the Pentagon continually briefed the White House on ways to get more aggressive with al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, as they watched the group gain strength in their Yemeni strongholds. Those strikes didnt happen, but just because the clock ran out, the official said. The Obama administration handed over plans for a stepped-up campaign to the incoming Trump team in January. There has been an immediate change in the tempo of operations. This reflects the new administrations apparent preference for prompt military action over policy deliberations, and a more dominant role for the military in decision-making. Story continues Thats due in part to the stripped-down staffs at the White House, State Department, and Pentagon, where dozens of key posts remain empty or held on a temporary basis by more junior civil servants. Those empty desks have allowed commanders to secure a prompt green light for military operations in Yemen, former officials said. By default, everything is going to be quicker from flash to bang than it was during the Obama presidency, another former Pentagon official said. But bolder military action without a clear diplomatic plan can bring unintended consequences. Focusing narrowly on the military objective of counterterrorism strikes without a strategy to resolve the stalemated Yemeni civil war and address Saudi and Iranian involvement there will do little to bring stability to the country, or solve the underlying ethnic and religious tensions that have allowed al Qaedas branch there to flourish, experts said. While the Islamic State has dominated public discussion of terrorism, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has gained strength and territory by exploiting the chaos and sectarianism of the countrys 2-year-old civil war, which pits supporters of President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, backed by a Saudi-led military coalition, against Houthi rebels supported by Iran. The apparent urgency of the latest round of strikes underscores how concerned senior military and intelligence officers are about the threat of AQAP carrying out attacks in the West. The Yemeni branch of al Qaeda is stronger than it has ever been, according to a report last month from the International Crisis Group. AQAP has thrived on the civil war, taking advantage of wartime smuggling, a growing security vacuum, and sectarian fears between the Shiite Houthis and the Sunni supporters of Hadi, it said. The group remains a potent and dangerous enemy, said a U.S. intelligence official, who was not authorized to be quoted by name. Internal turmoil in Yemen has not distracted AQAP from its longstanding interest in attacking the West. The challenge for the new administration is trying to counter AQAP even as the devilishly complicated civil war rages amid a growing humanitarian crisis. The Obama administration tried to help broker a peace settlement in Yemen but got nowhere, as both sides in the conflict appeared to be gambling on winning on the battlefield. Much of the policy discussions in the Obama White House on Yemen were consumed by questions about humanitarian relief, former officials said. The debates frustrated some military planners who felt that gains had to be made in the counterterrorism fight before more humanitarian aid could begin to flow into the country. But opening up a wider bombing campaign against AQAP while ignoring what one Pentagon official called Saudi Arabias incompetently run and tragic campaign against the Houthis carries its own set of risks. More airstrikes, which could cause more civilian casualties, may fuel the resentment of local groups that have forged alliances of convenience with AQAP or other armed groups and harden grievances that have fed the violence. In a sign the administration could be ready to bolster support for the Saudi-led war effort, the State Department has approved the sale of precision-guided munitions to Riyadh, officials said. The White House has yet to make a final decision on the sale. The proposal, first reported by the Washington Post, would reverse the previous administrations policy that had suspended the sales amid concerns about a rising civilian death toll from coalition air raids. If the new administration further expands the U.S. militarys role, including bolstering assistance to Saudi Arabias coalition, which has faced widespread condemnation for its bombing of civilian targets, analysts and former officials said it could find itself drawn into a quagmire. This is not a place where we can have a glorious little war. If we have a war in Yemen, it will be nasty and it will be bloody, a former Pentagon official said. The latest round of U.S. strikes was presaged by a Jan. 29 assault by a Navy SEAL team fighting alongside commandos from the United Arab Emirates on an AQAP compound, during which a furious counterattack by the terrorist group left one SEAL dead, several injured, and led to claims of multiple civilians killed. The Pentagon says it is investigating the reports of civilian casualties. While the raid picked up valuable intelligence on the group, Defense officials have said theyre still poring over the data, and it has not yet informed their operations in any significant way. The precision airstrikes have taken out several key AQAP leaders, including former Guantanamo Bay detainee Yasir al-Silmi, who was repatriated to Yemen in 2009. The pace of the attacks also indicate that they had been in the works for some time. Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters last week, This goes to a plan and a thought process that is developed over many months that goes well back into last year where our commanders on the ground began to develop this proposal to do this. The United States has some help on the ground as well. One major blow for AQAP came last April, when government troops and forces from the United Arab Emirates pushed the militants out of the port city of Mukalla. The group had been making millions of dollars a month controlling the port and taxing citizens. Since then, Emirati commandos have taken the lead in the counterterrorism effort in the country. Forces backed by the United Arab Emirates have pushed forward along the coastline, where they have taken control of the Balhaf natural gas facility. Experts say they could eventually move north in an attempt to push AQAP from areas it controls. That would start to roll back some of the gains AQAP has made since the war began, gains fueled by Saudi Arabias intervention. The Saudi-led coalitions almost single-minded focus on defeating the Houthi rebels has been a boon to AQAP, which has gotten its hands on weapons supplied by the Saudi coalition and cash from robbing banks, the International Crisis Groups report said. Photo credit: MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump took aim at a fellow Republican who opposes his healthcare reform plan, in a bid to squash dissent that presents a major test to his presidential punch. After years of Republican efforts to rip up Barack Obama's emblematic healthcare law, it remains unclear whether Trump has enough support to get his replacement across the finish line, even with Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress. Trump singled out one dissenter -- Kentucky senator and former presidential primary rival Rand Paul -- in a tweet, and he is finalizing plans to travel to the lawmaker's home state on Saturday. "I feel sure that my friend @RandPaul will come along with the new and great health care program because he knows Obamacare is a disaster!" Trump tweeted. Despite the cordial tone, Trump's message is being seen as a clear warning to Republicans who may be thinking about opposing his policies. Republicans on Capitol Hill have long feared Trump's wrath, working on the assumption that presidential opprobrium on Twitter could lead to political headaches. The president -- despite low national approval ratings -- is the most popular Republican in many states and congressional districts. Paul garnered 57 percent of the vote during his re-election last year. Trump won the state with 63 percent of the vote. Paul is up for reelection in 2022. "On a purely ideological level, Donald Trump is probably the better fit with Kentucky than Rand Paul's libertarian republicanism," said Stephen Voss, a professor of political science at the University of Kentucky. - Bully pulpit - Trump had few qualms about bashing fellow Republicans during his bruising presidential campaign -- from "little Marco" Rubio to "Lying Ted" Cruz. Attacks on his rivals only underscored his outsider appeal, one of the key reasons he won last November's election. Now, as president, Trump is using the bully pulpit to press through legislation. Story continues But the author of the "Art of the Deal" is struggling to get his healthcare plan enacted. Conservatives like Paul have dubbed it "Obamacare Lite." But Trump's decision to attack the dissenting senator could prove risky. If Trump cannot change Paul's mind and fails to get enough Senate votes to pass his healthcare plan, it would be a body blow to his presidency. Voss warned the attack on Paul could also backfire, with Kentuckians backing the local politician rather than the man in Washington. "More commonly what you'd see in situations like this is not that the public will pick side with whose policies are closer to their preference, but they are more likely to see this as a distant figure picking on a local political figure," he said. And in Paul, Trump has chosen a difficult target, one who has repeatedly shown a fiercely independent streak. "He's tried to build a career as a person who tweaks if not actively criticizes his own party, it doesn't really do him a lot of harm to have Trump reaffirming his independence," said Voss. "Rand Paul has done a decent job keeping his name in the news through political theater" he said "this is great publicity for him." For Trump the failure to browbeat Paul and the collapse of healthcare reform would be terrible publicity, undermining his self-professed deal making prowess. "Make no mistake the president is very proud of the product produced," said White House press secretary Sean Spicer. "I think he's very much in a sell mode." House Republicans unveiled the American Health Care Act, their replacement for the Affordable Care Act, Monday night, and for many low-income Americans, it will likely be less affordable maybe even less affordable than an iPhone, as Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, suggested Tuesday morning. For starters, Americans making less than $40,000 would receive hundreds of dollars less in tax credits, as non-profit health care organization the Kaiser Family Foundation pointed out. A 60-year-old with a salary of $20,000, for example, would get $4,143 on average under Obamacare. Under Trumpcare, as its come to be known, that person would receive $3,000 on average. A 60-year-old making $100,000, on the other hand, was awarded no tax credit under the Affordable Care Act. The new bill would give that person $1,500. Millions of relatively poor adults covered by Medicaid would also pay more under the Republicans new bill. While Obamacare extended federally funded Medicaid coverage to 14.4 million Americans by raising the maximum income eligibility to 138 percent of the poverty level, or $16,394 per year, the GOP plan would phase this expansion out by 2020. Using a lump sum doled out to the states, it would create a cap for individual federal funding, rather than covering a set percentage of enrollees bills. The new law would also change an Obamacare provision allowing Americans to create tax-exempt savings accounts holding up to $3,400 for individuals or $6,750 for families, bringing those numbers up to $6,550 and $13,100, respectively. Thats good news, but it mainly affects people paying higher income tax rates who arent living paycheck to paycheck. At the same time, the bill would slash taxes for high income earners, including a measure taxing insurance executives who make more than $500,000 annually. Analysis by the Brookings Institute found that would quickly drain a trust fund established by the Affordable Care Act to cover costs of care for elderly and disabled people. Story continues Related Articles Photo credit: Getty From ELLE This week, an ongoing, public list, maintained by the Department of Homeland Security tracking "gender-based violence against women, including so-called 'honor killings,' in the United States by foreign nationals" came to light. This list has actually been part of President Trump's agenda for quite some time. It was originally included in the text of Trump's January 27 travel ban, but it re-surfaced on Monday in a fact sheet sent out by the White House, and nearly identical language has been included in the text of Trump's latest travel ban. The move is classic Trump: appropriating a vital feminist issue and reducing it to cheap theater, all the while pushing an agenda that is anything but woman-friendly. WHOA DHS will issue twice a year reports counting and detailing violence against women, including honor killings, by foreign nationals pic.twitter.com/95bbVVDIfy - Harry Siegel (@harrysiegel) March 6, 2017 Systemic, ongoing gender-based violence is indeed a huge problem in American society, literally a matter of life and death, and there is nothing wrong with keeping good records of these crimes. Domestic violence alone accounts for 15 percent of all violent crime in the United States. In a review of statistics compiled by the Bureau of Justice, the Violence Policy Center, the National Institute of Justice, and the Center for American Progress, the Huffington Post found that 18,000 women between 2003 and 2012 were killed by men. Yet that violence is not coming from immigrants, and will not be solved by a disproportionate focus on their crimes. Most studies indicate that between 1,500 to 1,700 women are killed by men each year. Meanwhile, the number of "honor killings" each year-Muslim women killed by male relatives or parents-is around 23 to 27, according to research corporation Westat. If Trump's executive order somehow prevented every single American honor killing this year, we'd still be looking at something like 1,473 deaths. Story continues Most studies indicate that between 1,500 to 1,700 women are killed by men each year. Indeed, all evidence points to the conclusion that gender-based violence will get worse under the Trump administration. As sobering as our current domestic-violence statistics are, they represent a significant improvement over the historical norm. Since 1994, when President Bill Clinton signed the Violence Against Women Act into law, rates of serious partner violence against women have fallen by 72 percent. As several reports have noted, even as the Trump administration professes its concern for "gender-based violence," it is reportedly also moving to gut VAWA's funding. This will likely result in women's shelters shutting down or turning women away-you can't give every survivor a bed if you can't afford the beds-and will ultimately result in more preventable deaths. Nor is domestic violence the only kind of gender-based violence set to increase during the Trump regime. The 25 potentially endangered VAWA grants are explicitly aimed at "reducing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking," as well as training police on how to handle the above-listed crimes. Even after years of ceaseless, high-profile activism aimed at ending the campus rape epidemic, Trump's education secretary, Betsy DeVos, refused to commit to honoring Title IX protections for sexual assault survivors on campus. When asked about it directly by Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) during her confirmation hearing, the closest she came to an answer was "I know that there's a lot of conflicting ideas and opinions around that guidance, and if confirmed I would look forward to working with you and your colleagues and understand the range of opinions and understand the issues." These are deep, systemic problems, and feminists have long found it maddeningly difficult to publicize the extent of the damage they cause. We are talking millions of women here; one in five women in the U.S. has been sexually assaulted in her lifetime, and one in four will be the victim of severe partner violence. Yet, within a sexist society, no matter how many women come forward about their sexual assaults or their abusive relationships, they can always be brushed aside or disbelieved-accused of blowing bad sex or bad relationships out of proportion, or being vindictive toward some hapless man. Up to a quarter of American women are falling victim to an epidemic that supposedly doesn't exist. The list encourages an understanding of domestic violence and gendered violence as something exotic, a foreign practice committed by menacing Others. The Department of Homeland Security's list won't stop any assaults. Nor will it keep violent men out of the United States; we have extremely strict screening processes that do that already. (Syrian refugees, for example, can go through three background checks and three fingerprint screenings each.) And, just as you'd expect, the result is that immigrants generally are less likely to commit violent crimes than American-born citizens. In one study, when more immigrants moved into a neighborhood, homicide rates went down, not up. Honor killings represent only a tiny fraction of all gender-motivated killings in the U.S., and there's no evidence that immigrant misogyny is linked in any real way to an increase in misogynist crimes against women. The only effect the list has, then, is to publicize a tiny subset of all the gendered violence that takes place on American soil and give it outsized attention. It also makes those American-born abusers look better than they really are, by making their crimes less visible. It encourages an understanding of domestic violence and gendered violence as something exotic, a foreign practice committed by menacing Others, rather than illuminating the deeply entrenched and widespread nature of sexist violence in the United States. By turning foreigners (specifically Muslim, often Muslims of color) into monsters, deflects attention from the monsters we're growing here on American soil. Using gender to needle anxieties about race this way isn't new. Recall Trump's insistence, during the primaries, that Mexico was "sending rapists" to the United States. But white America more broadly has a long and ugly history caring more about sexism when it allows us to target people of color for violence. In the ramp-up to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, for example, reports of those regimes' misogyny were everywhere, with high-level Bush administration officials meeting with groups like Women for a Free Iraq and Laura Bush giving a radio address calling the war "a fight for the rights and dignity of women;" the issue had been ignored by all but a subset of feminist activists until then. "We wrote so many letters and we organized many events: talks, workshops, seminars, demonstrations," London-based Iraqi feminist Amal K. said in 2004. "They did not want to know." We're all ill-served by a formulation of domestic violence that attributes the problem to some nebulous, evil outsiders. This tactic is not only used against Muslim countries. During World War II and the "Yellow Peril," American pop culture was filled with images of "barbaric hordes of heathen Chinaman wanting to rape white women," which probably helped white Americans feel better about all those Japanese internment camps. (Yes, Japanese people and "Chinamen" come from two entirely different countries-but anti-Asian racism was fuzzy on the differences.) White women and men have long stereotyped black men as predatory, and used that stereotype as an excuse for horrendous violence-for example, the murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till, whose accuser recently admitted that he never sexually harassed her. The people hit hardest by these false dichotomies are, invariably, women of color. The Trump administration has seemingly already increased rates of domestic violence in one key way: After an undocumented El Paso woman was arrested for seeking a protective order against her boyfriend, at least four more survivors have refused to testify against their abusers in court for fear of deportation. Meanwhile, Syrian refugees list rape and sexual violence as one of their primary reasons for fleeing the country; they are coming to escape gendered violence, not commit it. We're all ill-served by a formulation of domestic violence that attributes the problem to some nebulous, evil outsiders, rather than encouraging us to look for the problems within our own communities. It's entirely reasonable to be afraid of gender-based violence-but we're being taught to point our fear in exactly the wrong direction. The average woman has more to fear from her own boyfriend than she does from some Muslim immigrant she'll never meet. Trump's executive order, by turning domestic violence and misogyny into a spectacle, only prevents Americans from facing, and dealing with, that unspeakable truth. You Might Also Like ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish authorities on Thursday ordered the detention of 84 people, including employees of Turkey's defense contractor ASELSAN, in an investigation into the network of the U.S.-based cleric blamed for a failed coup, the state-run Anadolu news agency said. Authorities issued the detention warrants in simultaneous operations in 86 locations across four provinces, Anadolu reported, adding that 43 of the suspects had so far been caught. It said the suspects were being sought on charges of "leading or being a member of an armed terrorist organization". Since the July coup attempt, Turkish authorities have detained, dismissed or suspended some 120,000 people including soldiers, police officers, teachers, judges and journalists, and formally arrested nearly 40,000 people. Thousands have since been restored to their posts. Companies with ties to the Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom President Tayyip Erdogan and the government accuse of orchestrating the coup attempt, have also been targeted in the crackdown. Hundreds of companies, for the most part smaller provincial firms, have been seized. The cleric, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999, has denied the accusations against him and condemned the coup. Following reports of the operation, ASELSAN shares initially fell as much as 5.24 percent. They had recovered to around 0.7 percent down by 0830 GMT. ASELSAN was not immediately available to comment. In January, police detained the top legal advisor and a former chief executive of Dogan Holding, one of Turkey's biggest conglomerates. The government has also appointed administrators to several companies through executive decrees following the abortive putsch. Emergency rule declared after the coup attempt enables the government to bypass parliament in enacting new laws through decrees and to limit or suspend rights and freedoms when deemed necessary. (Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; editing by Ralph Boulton and John Stonestreet) By Maria Sheahan and Peter Maushagen BERLIN (Reuters) - Turkey expressed hopes on Friday for a revival of its tourism industry after security concerns caused a 30 percent drop in foreign visitors and revenues last year. "We are seeing some very positive signals. That gives us hope," Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Nabi Avci said at ITB Berlin, the world's biggest tourism fair, on Thursday. The number of foreign visitors to Turkey fell to 25.4 million in 2016, the lowest in nine years, after a spate of bombings and a failed coup discouraged tourists. Bookings from Germany, the source of around 15 percent of Turkey's tourists, are also suffering as security worries are exacerbated by rising tensions over Turkish political rallies in Germany and the detention of a Turkish-German journalist in Istanbul. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu unexpectedly stopped by ITB on Wednesday and lobbied for German tourists to return. "There is no reason for our German friends to be afraid to come to Turkey. Turkey is as safe as Germany," he said. Hotels in Turkey on average filled only 53 percent of rooms last year, and many have slashed prices. Palm World Resort & Spa, a 620-bed hotel near the seaside town of Side, is offering rooms at a discount of 35-40 percent, after a 50 percent price cut last year, owner Mehmet Surucuoglu told Reuters at ITB. So far, though, only 25 percent of its rooms have been booked for the summer season. "It is better to have some people coming at lower prices than to have an empty hotel," said Surucuoglu, who relies on Germany for 90 percent of his guests. The government is trying to prop up the travel sector - which contributes about $30 billion to the economy in a usual year - by expanding fuel subsidies for airlines and helping hotels obtain loans, Avci, the tourism minister, said. Fuel subsidies of $6,000 per flight carrying up to 200 passengers are now available for scheduled flights as well as charter carriers, and the number of eligible airports has been increased to 14 from five, he said. Still, Thomas Cook's Condor has cut capacity to Turkey by 10 percent this summer, after a 30 percent drop in passenger numbers last year, Chief Executive Ralf Teckentrup told Reuters at ITB. Kayihan Suer, sales manager at Peninsula Tours, said his company had managed to keep occupancy rates over 80 percent in eight of its 12 hotels by bringing in guests from many different countries, making it less reliant on any one market. "We've been doing business for 35 years, we've made mistakes and learned our lessons. Now we have over 20 different nationalities in our hotels," he said, adding that there was strong interest from Romanian and Bulgarian tour operators. Murat Sak, who manages the Venosa hotel near Bodrum, said the proportion of Turkish guests had risen since last year and was now at 40 percent, helped along by discounts for early bookings. (Additional reporting by Victoria Bryan; Editing by Robin Pomeroy) ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey is not calling the current German government Nazi, but their practices are reminiscent of that era, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was quoted as saying by broadcaster NTV on Thursday. Already tense relations between the NATO allies deteriorated after the arrest of a German-Turkish journalist in Turkey. Local German authorities have annoyed Ankara by making it difficult for Turkish ministers to hold campaign events in Germany to support President Tayyip Erdogan's bid for new powers in a referendum next month. Erdogan has accused Germany of "fascist actions" reminiscent of the Nazi era. (Reporting by Ece Toksabay and Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Daren Butler) Istanbul (AFP) - Turkey is planning more rallies in Germany ahead of a crunch referendum in April, its foreign minister said Thursday, despite an acrimonious row with Berlin after local authorities banned several campaign events. Mevlut Cavusoglu said he had already handed a list of the planned rallies to his German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel. "We expect Germany to solve this problem. We are planning around 30 rallies. We had informed German authorities of them all," said the minister in quotes carried by private CNN-Turk television. Turkey and Germany have been at loggerheads this week after local authorities blocked several rallies by Turkish ministers. On Sunday, Erdogan poured oil on the fire, telling a rally in Istanbul that the blocking of public appearances by his ministers was "not different from the Nazi practices of the past". Chancellor Angela Merkel hit back earlier Thursday at the Turkish leader's Nazi jibe as "sad" and "depressing." Cavusoglu stressed it was "out of the question" for Turkey to call the German government Nazi. "This is a very sensitive issue. We are not calling the current administration Nazi," he said, clarifying that the current bans "unavoidably remind us the practices during that (Nazi) period." Cavusoglu also said that politicians and the German media had referred to Erdogan as a "dictator." Turkish politicians are keen to harness votes in Germany, home to a massive Turkish community, ahead of an April 16 referendum on whether to create an executive presidency in Turkey. Aside from the recent row, ties between the NATO allies have been strained over Turkey's human rights record, and press freedom since the failed coup in July last year that sought to unseat Erdogan. "Mrs Merkel is right, we have profound disagreements on some issues. For example the fight against terror," presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told reporters in Ankara. Story continues Kalin accused Germany of "opening its door to those leading the 'No' campaign in the referendum including the PKK and other terror organisations," referring to Kurdish militants. - 'Not frightened of fascists' - The spokesman also criticised other European countries like Austria where Chancellor Christian Kern has called for a ban on Turkish politicians from politically campaigning across the EU. "We have a very clear message: don't work in vain, the people will decide, not you," Kalin said. A rally in Rotterdam due to be attended by Cavusoglu was cancelled Wednesday, the city's mayor said, days after Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte condemned the plans as "undesirable". The mayor said the venue's owner in the city would no longer make it available. Far-right MP Geert Wilders also hit back at the rally and demonstrated outside the Turkish embassy in The Hague Wednesday urging Turkish ministers to stay away. However Cavusoglu said on Thursday he would still go to the Netherlands but had earlier said it could be after the elections there on March 15. "No one can stop us from meeting our citizens where they live. We will not be frightened of racists, fascists like Wilders," he said during a press conference in Ankara. Earlier the foreign minister called Wilders a "Nazi", as he asked: "What is the difference between what Wilders does in the Netherlands against foreigners and the Nazis?" Nicosia (AFP) - Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Thursday accused the Greek Cypriot government of adopting an "aggressive attitude" which he said is undermining UN-backed peace negotiations to reunify Cyprus. Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded the island's northern third in response to an Athens-inspired coup seeking union with Greece. The reunification talks between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders collapsed last month in a row over Greek Cypriot schools marking the anniversary of a 1950 referendum in support of union with Greece. "The Greek side is unfortunately continuing to adopt an aggressive attitude by ignoring the sensitive points," of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Yildirim said during a visit to northern Cyprus. The TRNC, where Ankara still has tens of thousands of troops deployed, is a breakaway administration set up after the island's division and only recognised by Turkey. Last month, TRNC head Mustafa Akinci suspended his participation in the talks in protest at the Greek Cypriot parliament's approval of a law on marking the referendum on "Enosis" or union with Greece. The climate of trust has since deteriorated with each side blaming the other over the stalled process. "It is clear that this attitude... will not advance the negotiations process," Yildirim said at a news conference in north Nicosia with Akinci at his side. Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades, who is president of EU member state Cyprus, has said he believes the negotiations will remain stalled until after Turkey's April 16 referendum on presidential powers. UN envoy Espen Barth Eide has said he was confidant the impasse in reunification talks would be overcome. ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday Turkey would strike against U.S.-backed Kurdish YPG militia in Manbij if they advanced into the Syrian city and found them present, according to NTV television. A spokesman for President Tayyip Erdogan said the YPG should move out of Manbij to the eastern side of the Euphrates river, which Turkey is broadly believed to see as the boundary of a safe zone it aims to create. Cavusoglu gave no deadline for any withdrawal of the YPG militia, seen by Ankara as a hostile force allied to PKK Kurdish militants fighting an insurgency on Turkish soil. It considers their presence in Manbij a hindrance to its efforts to create a "save zone" on Turkish borders. "The PYD (YPG) is as dangerous for our security as Daesh," he said, comparing the Kurdish militia to Islamic State fighters. "We will not allow the YPG's canton dreams (to come true). If we go to Manbij and the PYD is there, we will hit them," NTV cited Cavusoglu as saying. The PYD is generally regarded as political wing of the YPG, and the two designations are often used interchangeably. The YPG is the dominant party in a U.S.-backed alliance, the Syrian Democratic Forces, currently controlling Manbij. But it is unclear how large a presence the YPG has in Manbij. The U.S. military has deployed a small number of forces in and around Manbij as part of a new role to ensure the different parties in the area do not attack each other. Cavusoglu said the United States appeared confused in its planning for an attack on the Islamic State's Syrian stronghold of Raqqa. Turkish officials have expressed concern at U.S. plans to enlist the support of YPG fighters in the operation rather than Turkish-backed forces. Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin, in comments suggesting Turkey might still hold out hopes of being involved, said no decision had yet been taken on who carries out the critical Raqqa operation. "Our plan is very clear, but the negotiation process is going on," Kalin said, referring to a trilateral meeting between U.S., Russian and Turkish military chiefs this week. NATO member Turkey sent its forces into northern Syria in August in an operation code named "Euphrates Shield" fighting Islamic State fighters and occasionally clashing with the YPG. Turkey had originally planned, by agreement with Washington, to send its troops into Manbij as part of its drive to a safe zone reaching eastwards up to the Euphrates river. (Writing by Ralph Boulton; Editing by Alison Williams) By Orhan Coskun, Tulay Karadeniz and Tom Perry ANKARA/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Turkey has lost momentum in the war for northern Syria as the United States draws on Kurdish allies in the assault on Islamic State-held Raqqa, but Ankara is still pressing Washington for a deal that allays its fears of Kurdish ascendancy. Syrian Kurdish groups meanwhile sense Washington is now more firmly behind them than before, a shift they hope will eventually aid their ambitions for autonomy after years of persecution by the Syrian government. One of the most complicated theatres in the multi-sided Syrian conflict, the war in the north has played out at lightning pace in the last few weeks with Islamic State fighters either withdrawing or collapsing in swathes of territory. The Russian-backed Syrian army has benefited from this, creating a corridor to the Euphrates River that secures Aleppo's water supplies and suggests at least tacit coordination with U.S.-allied Kurdish militia - at Turkey's expense. In a swipe at Washington, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Tuesday it was unfortunate that some of Turkey's allies had chosen the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia as a partner in the fight against Islamic State in Syria. "The field in Syria at the moment is really very complicated," said a senior Turkish official, stressing the fast-moving nature of events and the urgent need for agreement. "Anything could happen at any moment." "Such a harsh step in completely excluding Turkey there will cause a problem for relations between the countries," the Turkish official said. "Hence a share point must be found. Talks are still continuing." Turkey has seized a swathe of Syrian land on its southern borders since launching its "Euphrates Shield" operation in August. Its main aim was to prevent creation of a contiguous Kurdish-held corridor it fears could threaten its security. The rise of Kurdish power in northern Syria has caused alarm in Ankara, which views the Kurdish groups there as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that has been fighting an insurgency on Turkish soil for over 30 years. Turkey's military chief this week discussed Syria with his U.S. and Russian counterparts. Turkish officials said the first day of talks had focused on ways to guarantee no inadvertent "friendly fire" clashes. CONFLICTING AGENDAS Ankara had hoped to advance its strategy in northern Syria by persuading Washington to abandon its Kurdish allies and switch support to Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebel groups for the final assault on Raqqa - a northern Syrian city that is Islamic State's de facto capital. But any hopes of this have faded in recent days. Conflicting U.S. and Turkish agendas have surfaced clearly over Manbij, a city controlled by Kurdish-allied militia since its capture from Islamic State last year. A deployment of U.S. forces there last week deterred a threatened Turkish attack. Foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu made clear Turkish sensitivities about the presence of Kurdish militia in Manbij, a town Ankara sees as the next stepping stone in creation of a safe zone free of Kurdish influence west of the Euphrates. "We will not allow the YPG's canton dreams (to come true), NTV television cited Cavusoglu as saying. If we go to Manbij and the PYD is there, we will hit them." The YPG says it withdrew from Manbij after helping to capture it last year, leaving it in the control of allied militia of the Syrian Democratic Forces - an alliance that includes the YPG and Arab fighters. Washington has built its strategy around the SDF. The Pentagon said the aim of its Manbij deployment was to ensure different parties in the area did not attack each other. The U.S.-led coalition has also deployed a U.S. Marines artillery unit to Syria in recent days to help defeat Islamic State at Raqqa. It said on Thursday SDF efforts backed by the coalition to isolate the city were going "very, very well". A top U.S. commander last week also gave an unusually robust defence of the YPG, saying he had seen no evidence linking them to attacks on Turkey and signalling some role for them in the final push for Raqqa - a predominantly Arab city. U.S. military ties with the YPG have deepened since the U.S.-led coalition first provided air support to defeat Islamic State in the Kurdish town of Kobani two years ago. With U.S.-led coalition air support and special forces backing on the ground, the SDF has been gradually encircling Raqqa since November. This week, it cut the last main road from Raqqa to the jihadists' stronghold of Deir al-Zor. Apart from the pocket of territory held by Turkey, the YPG and its political affiliate the PYD control areas of northern Syria all the way to the border with Iraq. They also control a corner of northwestern Syria at the Turkish border. Senior Syrian Kurdish official Aldar Xelil told Reuters that recent events showed Washington was telling Ankara: "Look, these are your limits". "It appears that the Americans have made up their minds", he told Reuters in a phone interview from the Kurdish-dominated city of Qamishli in northeastern Syria. "EUPHRATES SHIELD" NOT OVER Xelil foresaw eventual U.S. political engagement with the Syrian Kurdish groups - something Washington has largely avoided so far. In line with Turkish wishes, the PYD has been consistently left out of U.N.-led peace talks on Syria. "Let's say tomorrow Daesh is finished - and it will be - what about the political solution. Won't they ask what is the solution? It needs a plan, and the most reasonable one is a federal one based not on ethnicity or religion but geography." Washington has stated its opposition to the Kurdish-led autonomous zones in northern Syria, even as it backs the YPG militarily. Kurdish groups aim to preserve their autonomy as part of a federal system of government they say is the only way to settle the conflict. They say independence is not their aim. The SDF informed U.S. officials last month of its rejection of any Turkish role in Raqqa, the SDF spokesman told Reuters. Coalition spokesman Colonel John Dorrian told Reuters a possible Turkish role remained "a point of discussion at military leadership and diplomatic levels". The discussion would continue "to whatever logical end there is", he said. Turkey still hopes Washington will be forced to draw on its support in one way or another. A scenario mapped out in the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet saw Turkish special forces deploying alongside U.S. special forces, FSA groups, Arab components of the SDF, and Iraqi Kurdish forces. But such a plan would need to navigate the hostility between the SDF and FSA, which have fought on and off across northern Syria for more than a year, and enmity between the main Syrian and Iraqi Kurdish groups. Away from the battlefield, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan cannot afford to appear to have been pushed aside in his campaign to secure Turkey's frontiers. He faces an April referendum on sweeping new powers he deems vital to a country facing spillover of Islamic State violence from Syria. Erdogan, who has been one of the foremost critics of President Bashar al-Assad, is due to fly to Moscow on Friday for talks with President Vladimir Putin. A senior Turkish official cautioned that Turkey's intervention in Syria was not yet over. "At this stage, the Euphrates Shield operation has not been completed. We are discussing the next step with our allies," the official said. "The U.S. side made some promises for this before and we believe that they will provide this support." (Writing by Ralph Boulton/Tom Perry; additional reporting by Tuvan Gumrucku in Ankara and Laila Bassam in Beirut; Editing by Samia Nakhoul and Giles Elgood) By Rozanna Latiff KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - North Korea guaranteed the safety of Malaysians banned from leaving the country, Malaysia's prime minister said on Thursday, as two Malaysian U.N. employees left the isolated state in a possible sign that diplomatic tensions had begun to settle. North Korea had barred Malaysians from leaving the country on Tuesday, sparking tit-for-tat action by Malaysia as relations soured over its investigation into the murder last month of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. After earlier this week accusing North Korea of assassinating Kim Jong Nam with a banned chemical weapon and of treating Malaysians like hostages, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has taken a softer line to get his citizens out of the secretive, nuclear-armed state. "Diplomatic relations between Malaysia and North Korea will not be severed, as we need to continue communicating with them to find a solution," Najib said in a statement on his blog. But, he added that his government "will not relent from a firm approach" in dealings with North Korea. The departure of two Malaysians working for the U.N.'s World Food Programme (WFP) meant nine still remained at the embassy in Pyongyang. They included three diplomats and six family members. "The government of North Korea has given a guarantee of safety," Najib said in a message on social network Twitter. "They are free to do their daily activities, but they cannot leave the country." Najib confirmed on Twitter that the two WFP staffers, Stella Lim and Nyanaprakash Muniandy, had left North Korea and reached Beijing. It was unclear why the pair, who according to a Malaysian government official held U.N. passports, had been allowed to go. Malaysian sources familiar with the matter said negotiations were underway between the two countries to resolve their issues, including the removal of the ban on Malaysians leaving North Korea, but were not expected to end soon. The United Nations has called for calm between Malaysia and North Korea and urged them to settle their differences through "established diplomatic practice." Najib said any negotiations with Pyongyang would be conducted behind closed doors. "I can only disclose that the government is in the process of establishing the reasons and motives behind the actions of North Korea," he said. NEGOTIATIONS BEGIN South Korean intelligence officers say Kim Jong Un had issued standing orders for the elimination of his elder half-brother who was known to have criticised his family's regime. Malaysian police have identified eight North Koreans in connection with the case. They say are three still in Kuala Lumpur, hiding at the North Korean embassy. Malaysia is one of the few countries that has for decades maintained ties with the isolated state. But as relations plunged in the wake of the murder, Malaysia recalled its envoy from Pyongyang and expelled the North Korean ambassador. A source with direct knowledge of the situation said that no other country was involved in the talks now underway, not even its China, which has friendly relations with both. "Malaysia has not asked China to get involved," the source told Reuters. "Malaysia wants to resolve this bilaterally relying on its existing good relations with North Korea." Najib said he had spoken by telephone to Mohd Nor Azrin Md Zain, the counsellor at the Malaysian embassy in Pyongyang. "Thank God he, his family and the other Malaysians are safe," Najib said on Twitter. Reuters spoke to Nor Azrin earlier in the week. "We are still here. We have been given the assurance that nothing has changed," he said. (Additional reporting by Praveen Menon and A.Ananthalakshmi; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore) By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States supports the U.N.-led Syria peace talks, U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said on Wednesday, saying Syria could no longer be a "safe haven for terrorists" and that it was important "we get Iran and their proxies out." Haley spoke to reporters after U.N. Syria mediator Staffan de Mistura briefed the Security Council behind closed doors on 10 days of talks between the warring parties in Geneva, which ended last week. She did not respond to questions on whether the United States believed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, should step down. All eyes have been on how Washington would approach ending the six-year war in Syria, given pledges by President Donald Trump to build closer ties with Russia, especially in the fight against Islamic State. Trump's Syria policy has been unclear. "The United States absolutely supports Staffan de Mistura and the work that he's doing, we support the U.N. process, we support the talks in Geneva, we want to see them continue," Haley said. "This is very much about a political solution now ... and that basically means that Syria can no longer be a safe haven for terrorists, we've got to make sure we get Iran and their proxies out, we've got to make sure that, as we move forward, we're securing the borders for our allies as well," she said. Iran is backing fighters in Syria from Lebanese Shi'ite Muslim group Hezbollah. A crackdown by Assad on pro-democracy protesters in 2011 led to civil war and Islamic State militants have used the chaos to seize territory in Syria and Iraq. Half of Syria's 22 million people have been uprooted and more than 400,000 killed. De Mistura told reporters after briefing the council that he planned to convene another round of peace talks on March 23. He said the most recent round ended with an agenda and a timeline and "some agreement even on substance." "We did not expect miracles and frankly we did not have miracles, but we achieved much more than many people had imagined we could have. No one left, everybody stayed," de Mistura told reporters. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Peter Cooney) (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said on Wednesday that it intends to expand mental health care to former service members with other-than-honorable (OTH) administrative discharges. As part of the proposal, former OTH service members will be able to seek treatment at a VA emergency department, Vet Center or contact Veterans Crisis Line, the department said in a statement. Veterans who receive do not receive an honorable discharge are not eligible for many Veterans Affairs benefits. Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin said suicide prevention was one of the top priorities for him and U.S. President Donald Trump. At an event with veterans last year in Virginia during the presidential campaign, Trump called for better mental health services for those returning from combat, saying that while many are "strong," others "can't handle" what they have seen on the battlefield. The department said Shulkin will meet with Congress, Veterans Service Organizations and Department of Defense officials before finalizing the plan in early summer. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) (WASHINGTON) A couple hundred Marines have deployed into Syria with heavy artillery guns, as part of the ongoing preparation for the fight to oust the Islamic State group from its self-declared headquarters of Raqqa, a senior U.S. official said Wednesday. The deployment is temporary. But it is likely an early indication that the White House is leaning toward giving the Pentagon greater flexibility to make routine combat decisions in the IS fight. Military commanders frustrated by what they considered micromanagement under the previous administration have argued for greater freedom to make daily decisions on how best to fight the enemy. The Marines moving into Syria are pre-positioning howitzers to be ready to assist local Syrian forces, said the official, who was not authorized to discuss the deployment publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity. In addition, the U.S. is preparing to send hundreds of U.S. troops to Kuwait in order to be ready to join the Islamic State fight if they are needed, the official said. The number would be fewer than 1,000, the official said. The latest troop movements come on the heels of the recent temporary deployment of some dozens of Army forces to the outskirts of Manbij, Syria, in what the Pentagon called a reassure and deter mission. Flying American flags and moving in large, heavily armored vehicles, the troops were there to keep a lid on tensions in the area, the Pentagon said. It appeared the forces were largely there to insure that Turkish fighters and Syrian opposition groups focused on battling IS rather than each other. Under the existing limits put in place by the Obama administration, the military can have up to 503 U.S. forces in Syria. But temporary personnel do not count against the cap. The movement of the Marines to Syria was first reported by The Washington Post. Pentagon leaders sent a new plan to defeat IS to the White House late last month. It outlined a strategy that would likely increase the number of U.S. troops in Syria in order to better advise and enable the U.S.-backed Syrian fighters who will take on the battle for Raqqa. Story continues The military has mapped out a series of options for the Syria fight, including increased artillery support, more Apache helicopters and a more robust training campaign. U.S. officials say the battle for Raqqa will look much like the fight in neighboring Iraq, where local forces are in a fierce battle to retake the northern city of Mosul from IS. As troops were preparing to move into Mosul, the U.S. set up bases outside the city to use as logistical hubs and as locations for heavy artillery. The moves to pre-position U.S. troops closer to the fight, so they can be tapped as needed, are the kinds of decisions that military commanders say they need to be able to make more quickly, without going to the White House every time for approval. (UNITED NATIONS) The United States on Wednesday rejected Chinas proposal for a halt to joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises if North Korea suspends its nuclear and missile activities. It called North Korean leader Kim Jong Un irrational and demanded positive action before the U.S. can take his regime seriously. In Washington, U.S. State Department acting spokesman Mark Toner said, At this point we dont see it as a viable deal. A Pentagon spokesman, Cmdr. Gary Ross, said U.S. activities to defend South Korea cannot be equated to North Koreas repeated violations of its obligations and agreements. The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, told reporters after an emergency Security Council meeting on North Koreas latest ballistic missile launches that the United States must see some sort of positive action by Kims regime before discussing ways to reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Read More: Can North Korea Actually Hit the U.S. With a Nuclear Missile? Theyve given us enough reason to think how irresponsible that they are that we ever try and think that were dealing with a rational person on this, she said. Earlier Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi proposed the freeze-for-freeze, likening escalating tensions between the North and Washington and Seoul to two accelerating trains, coming toward each other with neither side willing to give way. The idea was rejected by South Korea and Japan as well as the U.S. Haley said the military drills are especially needed now after North Korea conducted two nuclear tests and 24 ballistic missile launches last year and two sets of missile launches and the assassination of Kim Jong Uns estranged brother using a chemical weapon this year. She also defended the upcoming deployment of a U.S. missile defense system in South Korea, a move that has been strongly opposed by China. She said America would not leave its ally facing the threat from North Korea without help. Story continues We have not seen any goodwill at all coming from North Korea, Haley said. I appreciate all my counterparts wanting to talk about talks and negotiations, (but) we are not dealing with a rational person. Read More: Kim Jong Nams Murder Likely Means Dangerous Times Ahead for Members of North Koreas Ruling Family With any other country, the United States would be seeking negotiations, she said. This is not a rational person, who has not had rational acts, who is not thinking clearly, Haley said of North Koreas leader. This is someone who is trying to get attention. This is someone who is trying to get a reaction. Haley said the United States is re-evaluating how it is going to deal with North Korea going forward and we are making those decisions now and will act accordingly. Were not ruling anything out and were considering every option thats on the table, she said. South Korean Ambassador Cho Tae-yul also rejected the idea of a North Korean nuclear freeze in exchange for halting U.S.-South Korea military exercises, which he stressed are defensive in nature. Linking this exercise to anything else, which is illegal nuclear and missile provocation by North Korea, is inappropriate and unacceptable, and I think this is just trying to link the unlinkable, he said. All kinds of options have been exhausted so far, Cho said, So the only available means to change the North Korean behavior fundamentally is to continue to keep up the pressure and sanctions on North Korea. Japans U.N. ambassador, Koro Bessho, said that at the starting point we need some assurances they are serious about the denuclearization. So Japans position is that its not freeze-for-freeze but its denuclearization that were looking for, Bessho said. But Chinese Ambassador Liu Jieyi warned that if you look at the development of events now on the Korean Peninsula theres a real danger, theres a real risk. The alternative to Chinas proposal would be escalation of tension, and the situation may get out of control, he told The Associated Press and two other reporters. We should avoid any worsening of the situation, or still any conflict, any sparks triggering a larger-scale conflict or even war on the Korean Peninsula, Liu said. Thats not something thats in the interest of anyone. He said implementing Chinas proposal shouldnt be hard if there is political will, but it would take the agreement of all the sides to get this result. When asked whether China had a commitment from North Korea to freeze testing, he told the AP that we have been talking to various parties concerned about this. Haley said talks are one option on the table for U.S. consideration along with many others that she declined to specify. She said other Security Council members would also all be discussing with their capitals what to do next on North Korea. Read More: Man Claiming to Be Kim Jong Nams Son Posts Video Online Japans Bessho said three of the missiles launched Sunday night landed in his countrys exclusive economic zone where fishermen troll for squid. He said the North Korean military unit that conducted the launches is tasked with striking U.S. military bases in Japan when necessary. This shows us they are serious in these aggressive actions, Bessho said, calling the Norths actions a serious matter for the whole world. He welcomed the Security Councils reaction late Tuesday, which was stronger than after previous launches. The council strongly condemned the Norths missile tests, increasingly destabilizing behavior and defiance of the councils resolutions. It said the missile activity increases tensions in the region and beyond, and risks a regional arms race. The Security Council has already imposed six rounds of increasingly tougher sanctions on North Korea. It urged all countries to redouble efforts to implement them and warned of possible further significant measures. Read More: How North Koreas Nuclear History Began North Koreas Foreign Ministry spokesman on Wednesday categorically rejected the council statement that labeled what he called its routine ballistic missile launches a threat. The spokesman reiterated that the U.S.-South Korean exercises are pushing the situation to the brink of a nuclear war and the North was responding with the self-defensive right of a sovereign state. At the Security Council meeting, British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft, the current council president, said members discussed a potential role for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in pursuing a united council position, but gave no details. Speaking on behalf of Britain, Rycroft backed the U.S. saying its very important that the first step come from North Korea to demonstrate its commitment to denuclearization. Chinas Liu told the AP the Security Council must follow the situation closely but it is key that the main players in the region refrain from doing anything that would exacerbate the current highly tense situation on the Korean Peninsula. ___ Associated Press writer Matthew Pennington in Washington contributed to this report. The U.S. government has invited foreign ministers and senior leaders of the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS to to strategize in Washington, D.C. this month, the State Department announced Thursday. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will host the conference on March 22 so representatives for the 68 member nations and organizations can discuss the military and support efforts against ISIS, as well as the humanitarian crises in Syria and Iraq. It will be the first full meeting of the Global Coalition since 2014, the same year the group formed. The meeting follows reports out of Mosul that U.S.-backed Iraqi forces have gained ground against ISIS in Iraq. The new administration hosting a meeting of the coalition could indicate to some members that the U.S. is still committed to using the coalition to fight ISIS, the Washington Post reports. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was asked Thursday whether Mexico will pay for President Trumps planned wall along the United States southern border a promise Trump repeated countless times during his 2016 presidential campaign. Uh, no, McConnell replied during a Politico Playbook breakfast in Washington, D.C., on Thursday morning. While McConnell said he is in favor of border security, the Kentucky Republican also suggested that in some places, a border wall is probably not the best way to secure the border. Trump has said that due to natural barriers, his wall project would not need to be continuous. Lawmakers in border states have said that a physical wall is not enough to secure the border and that a combination of fencing, technology and patrol officers are needed in many areas. Trump has repeatedly vowed that Mexico would pay for his proposed wall, despite public refusals by Mexican officials. In January, Trump said that the wall would initially be funded by U.S. taxpayers for the sake of speed and that the country would be reimbursed by Mexico at a later date. The dishonest media does not report that any money spent on building the Great Wall (for sake of speed), will be paid back by Mexico later! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2017 Last week during his address to a joint session of Congress, Trump said that construction on the border wall would begin soon. We must restore integrity and the rule of law at our borders, Trump said. For that reason, we will soon begin the construction of a great, great wall along our southern border. The great wall is a key, if symbolic, part of Trumps plan to curb illegal immigration a plan which once called for the deportation of all estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. He has since muddled his position, saying he would treat Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (or DACA) recipients with great heart and focus on criminals. Story continues We are removing gang members, drug dealers and criminals that threaten our communities and prey on our very innocent citizens, he said during his address to Congress. Bad ones are going out as I speak, and as I promised throughout the campaign. To any in Congress who do not believe we should enforce our laws, I would ask you this one question: What would you say to the American family that loses their jobs, their income, or their loved one because America refused to uphold its laws and defend its borders? Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday that illegal border crossings defined as crossings made by people who were detained or rejected at the border fell by nearly 40 percent from January to February compared to the same period last year. The early results show that enforcement matters, deterrence matters, and that comprehensive immigration enforcement can make an impact, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said in a statement. At the breakfast, McConnell praised Kellys leadership. I think Gen. Kelly knows what hes doing, McConnell said. And my suspicion is we will take his advice. Read more from Yahoo News: The Hague (AFP) - The United Nations' top court on Thursday rejected Bosnia's appeal of a ruling that cleared Serbia of genocide during the 1990s civil war. The International Court of Justice, based in The Hague, said it could not take action on the request because "no decision has been taken by the competent authorities, on behalf of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a state". The appeal was lodged on February 23 under a push by Bakir Izetbegovic, the Muslim member of Bosnia's tripartite presidency, despite opposition to the move from the country's ethnic Serbs and Croats. According to the Dayton peace agreement that ended the country's 1992-1995 conflict, key decisions cannot be taken without the consensus of representatives of the three main ethnic groups. Mladen Ivanic, the Serb member of the presidency, argued that the appeal request should have been decided by the presidency as a whole. He welcomed the court's decision as proof that "no one can make any more decisions on behalf of Bosnia except its institutions". But Izetbegovic, at a separate press conference, described the court's decision as "politically motivated". He had claimed there was no need for the presidency to agree on the appeal because the request was made by a lawyer the presidency appointed in 2002. Many officials in Bosnia had said the move could spark a new political crisis in the deeply divided Balkan country. In the original case lodged by the Muslim-dominated government of Bosnia in 1993, Sarajevo accused Belgrade of orchestrating a genocide through widespread "ethnic cleansing" during the war, which claimed more than 100,000 lives. In 2007, the ICJ found only one act of genocide -- the massacre of nearly 8,000 Muslim men and boys by Bosnian Serb forces in Srebrenica -- and said there was not enough evidence to suggest that Belgrade was directly responsible. The ICJ did find, however, that Serbia, which gave political and military backing to Bosnian Serbs, had broken international law by failing to prevent the slaughter. Izetbegovic had said that Bosnia had "new arguments" in its case, notably those presented during the trial of Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb wartime army chief who is awaiting judgement at a UN tribunal. The 10-year deadline for Bosnia to request an appeal of the ruling expired on February 26. Washington (AFP) - The United States turned up the heat on the Islamic State group Thursday, sending an additional 400 US troops into Syria to support an offensive to retake Raqa, the jihadists' de facto capital. The administration also announced a high level meeting on March 22 of the 68 countries in the US-led coalition to discuss plans to accelerate IS's defeat. The announcements in Washington come as US-backed forces tighten their hold around jihadist bastions in Iraq's northern city of Mosul and in Raqa. More than two and a half years after the start of a US air war against IS, the jihadists are under siege in western Mosul, abandoned to their fate by IS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi. And a US-backed coalition of Arab-Kurdish fighters are closing in on Raqa, maneuvering to isolate the city from the rest of Syria's jihadist-controlled territory. But the battle there is not yet won, and the Pentagon wants to make sure that the city of 300,000, a onetime propaganda showcase for IS, falls. Among the additional US troops deployed in Syria is a Marine Corp artillery battery equipped with 155mm howitzers, according to the Pentagon. - Options before Trump - A US military spokesman on Thursday said that the extra troops were "temporary," and their deployment would not lead to a long-term increase in American troop levels in Syria. But the movement comes as President Donald Trump weighs options for an intensified anti-IS campaign. US media reports say the Pentagon is proposing the deployment of additional special operations forces, artillery and attack helicopters in support of an offensive by local ground forces. Complicating the US strategy is the fact that NATO ally Turkey is dead set against Raqa falling to an Arab-Kurdish force grouped under the Syrian Democratic Forces. Trained and advised by US special operations troops, the SDF has proved to be the most reliable US ally on the ground in Syria, and the only local force it considers capable of rapidly taking Raqa. Story continues But Turkey regards the SDF as a cover for the Kurdish YPG militia, branded as a terrorist organization by Ankara. Asked about the impasse at a hearing Thursday of the Senate Armed Services Committee, the top US commander in the region, General Joseph Votel, acknowledged that tensions between Ankara and the Kurds are near breaking point. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford, has made two recent trips to Turkey to sort out the impasse. "We are trying to take actions to prevent that from occurring," Votel told Republican Senator John McCain. - 'Train wreck' - Efforts have been made to address the issue at a military level, "and there has to be an effort at the political level to address this," he added. But McCain questioned whether the Trump administration recognized the seriousness of the situation, or how important Turkish cooperation is to US efforts to retake Raqa. "Unless something changes, I foresee a train wreck here," he said. The Syrian dossier is not the only military issue on the Trump administration's front burner. Votel said US troop levels in Afghanistan need to be increased, after years of a declining US military presence in the country. More American troops were needed to break the stalemate between the Afghan government and the Taliban, he explained. There are 8,400 US troops in the country, including counter-terrorism forces fighting Al-Qaeda and IS outside the NATO mission there. In passing, Votel reaffirmed the US military's support for a key element of Barack Obama's military strategy: relying on indigenous forces to do the fighting, while keeping US troops in an advisory and support role. "While this approach does present some challenges and can be more time consuming, it is proving effective and is likely to pay significant dividends going forward," he said. Miami (AFP) - The incoming head of the US Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday that carbon dioxide is not the main driver of global warming, a position starkly at odds with the scientific consensus on climate change. A known ally of the fossil fuel industry, Scott Pruitt's appointment to head the EPA -- a department he repeatedly sued as a state attorney general -- was deeply contentious. "I think that measuring with precision human activity on the climate is something very challenging to do and there's tremendous disagreement about the degree of impact, so no, I would not agree that it's a primary contributor to the global warming that we see," Pruitt told CNBC. "We need to continue the debate and continue the review and the analysis," he added. Pruitt's stance runs counter to the scientific consensus that underpins last year's landmark Paris Agreement, which saw more than 190 world leaders agree to lower emissions that lead to global warming. It also clashes with the positions of agencies like NASA and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which have concluded that global warming is driven largely by increased carbon dioxide and other manmade emissions. Some 97 percent of scientists worldwide agree that human activity -- primarily the burning of fossils fuels like oil, gas and coal -- has largely contributed to the sharp rise in the planet's temperature in recent decades. The past three years in a row have broken modern records for global heat, a trend scientists say is due to global warming in combination with a strong El Nino weather pattern. - Scientists strike back - Scientists quickly lashed out at Pruitt for his comments, describing his stance as dangerous and flat-out wrong, and calling on him to resign. "Pruitt has demonstrated that he is unqualified to run the EPA or any agency," said Kevin Trenberth, Distinguished Senior Scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Story continues "There is no doubt whatsoever that the planet is warming and it is primarily due to increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from burning of fossil fuels." The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has found that increased carbon dioxide has been the dominant source of global warming, said Kerry Emanuel, professor of atmospheric science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). This is followed by methane, halogenated gases, and nitrous oxide, "all of whose concentrations have increased primarily from human activity," Emanuel said. John Abraham, a professor in the school of engineering at the University of St. Thomas, said "scientists have known since the mid-1800s that carbon dioxide was a major greenhouse gas. "This means Mr. Pruitt's knowledge is close to 200 years out of date." Eric Holthaus, a meteorologist who regularly writes about climate change, wrote on Twitter that Pruitt "should step down" because his position "directly endangers our safety." Carbon dioxide arises from natural causes, like exhaling and decomposition. But it also comes from the burning of fuels and deforestation. A greenhouse gas that traps heat around the Earth, CO2 has spiked in the atmosphere since pre-industrial times, and more than half of that increase has occurred since 1980. "Our burning of coal, oil and gas is the dominant cause of the 45 percent increase in CO2 since the industrial revolution," said Richard Somerville, research professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. "The biggest unknown about future climate is human behavior. Everything depends on what people and their governments do," he added. - Paris accord - President Donald Trump's team is reportedly divided over whether the United States should withdraw from the Paris climate accord, negotiated under Barack Obama. Trump's secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, indicated during his confirmation hearing that it would be worthwhile to stay at the table when it comes to enforcing the deal. In the CNBC interview, Pruitt -- whose agency is tasked with implementing US commitments to lower emissions -- described the Paris accord as a "bad deal." "I happen to think the Paris accord, the Paris treaty, or the Paris agreement, if you will, should have been treated as a treaty, should have gone through Senate confirmation. That's a concern," he said. As attorney general for the state of Oklahoma, the 48-year-old Republican filed or joined in more than a dozen law suits to block key EPA rules, siding with industry executives and activists seeking to roll back various regulations on pollution, clean air and clean water. During his confirmation hearings in January, Pruitt said he did not believe climate change was a "hoax," as Trump has previously alleged, but said "the ability to measure with precision the degree of human activity's impact on the climate is subject to more debate." Washington (AFP) - The United States has sent a Marine Corps artillery battery into Syria to help defeat the Islamic State group in Raqa, the capital of their supposed caliphate, a US official said. The official said troops from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit had deployed a battery of 155mm Howitzers to an outpost in Syria. The Marines "are ready to conduct their mission" to support the offensive on Raqa, the official told AFP, confirming a report in the Washington Post. The move marks a significant step for conventional US forces in Syria. Currently, the United States has limited its ground troops to about 500 special operations fighters whose job has been to train and assist the SDF, a local Arab-Kurdish alliance fighting IS. According to the Post, the artillery deployment had been in the works "for some time" and was not part of President Donald Trump's demand for a new plan to increase the pace of the anti-IS war. The artillery will allow the Marines to help support the SDF offensive, which has been gradually closing in on Raqa since last fall. The Pentagon this week announced that it had also sent extra troops into Manbij to prevent competing factions fighting each other in the former IS stronghold. US officials estimate there to be up to 4,000 jihadists in Raqa, a city of about 300,000 residents. Washington (AFP) - The United States is deploying an additional 400 troops to help defeat the Islamic State group in Raqa, the jihadists' self-proclaimed capital in Syria, a spokesman for the US-led coalition said on Thursday. "They are temporary forces," US Colonel John Dorrian told reporters in Baghdad, confirming a report in the New York Times, adding that the long-term authorized level of US troops in Syria would remain at 500. IS jihadists are facing simultaneous offensives in northern Syria by government forces, Turkish-backed rebels, and a US-supported alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters. The additional US troops include a Marines artillery unit being deployed with 155mm howitzers in support of the Raqa offensive. It also includes US special operations troops equipped with Stryker armored vehicles, which have been sent further north to the Manbij region to deter clashes between Turkish forces and the Americans' Kurdish-Arab allies. US special operations forces have been inside Syria since 2015, advising and training the Kurdish-Arab fighters, who are grouped under the umbrella of the Syrian Democratic Forces. The buildup comes amid calls by US President Donald Trump for new plans to accelerate the pace of the war against the Islamic State group. US media reports say the plan involves the deployment of artillery, attack helicopters and additional special operations forces. The US military estimates that there are 3,000 to 4,000 jihadists entrenched in Raqa, a city of 300,000. Washington (AFP) - US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has called on Congress to raise the government debt limit "at the first opportunity." The government will bump up against the roughly $20 trillion ceiling Wednesday, which will force Treasury to take extraordinary accounting steps to remain within the limit. Congress agreed late last year to suspend the debt limit, but only until March 15, so it will need to either raise the limit or renew the suspension to avoid the risk of a default on US obligations. "Honoring the full faith and credit of our outstanding debt is a critical commitment," Mnuchin said in a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan dated March 8. "I encourage Congress to raise the debt limit at the first opportunity so that we can proceed with our joint priorities." Congress historically has raised the debt ceiling as a matter of course with bipartisan support. But during the presidency of Barack Obama, Republicans used the debt limit as leverage to force other policy changes and limit spending, repeatedly taking the country to the brink. It came to a head in August 2011 when credit rating agencies downgraded US debt from AAA for the first time. Mnuchin said that starting Wednesday Treasury will suspend the sale of state and local government securities which count against the debt limit, and will not resume issuance "until the debt limit is either raised or suspended." Other emergency actions, such as suspending pension payments, typically have given Treasury a couple of months of leeway in its finances. BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European leaders are likely to vote on extending the mandate of European Council President Donald Tusk on Thursday, Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the bloc. "I think so, yes," Muscat said when asked whether a vote would be held on Thursday to confirm Tusk, the former Polish prime minister whose candidacy is opposed by the present Polish government. "One country or a number of countries might be against the decision but one country cannot block the decision, there are very clear rules which we will follow," Muscat added. (Reporting by Robert-Jan Bartunek; editing by Philip Blenkinsop) BEIRUT (Reuters) - Air strikes pounded a town in the eastern Syrian province of Deir al-Zor on Thursday, killing seven civilians and injuring more than 70 others, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The Britain-based war monitoring group said two warplanes, believed to be Russian, dropped nearly two dozen bombs on al-Mayadin in the Islamic State stronghold of Deir al-Zor. The strikes hit a school sheltering displaced people, a bakery and residential areas in the town, which lies along the Euphrates river, the Observatory said. The Syrian government and its Russian ally have repeatedly said they only target militants. Islamic State controls most of Deir al-Zor province, which borders Iraq, including more than half the city of the same name. The ultra-hardline jihadist group has besieged the remaining government-held areas of Deir al-Zor city for nearly two years. Jets also hit the southern outskirts of the city on Thursday, the Observatory said. Islamic State fighters launched their biggest attack in months on the government-held part of the city earlier in January, in a battle that killed dozens. The Syrian and Russian air forces hit back against Islamic State positions, and have regularly struck the city and surrounding rural areas since then, the Observatory said. (Reporting by Ellen Francis; Editing by Toby Davis) (SEATTLE) Washington state is asking a federal judge to block President Donald Trumps revised travel ban. Washington was the first state to sue over the original travel ban, which resulted in a federal judge in Seattle halting its implementation around the country. Attorney General Bob Ferguson on Thursday said the state would ask the judge to extend his temporary restraining order against the first ban to Trumps revised order. Trumps revised ban bars new visas for people from six predominantly Muslim countries: Somalia, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Libya and Yemen. It also temporarily shuts down the U.S. refugee program. Unlike the initial order, the new order says current visa holders will not be affected and removes language that would give priority to religious minorities. Hawaii on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against Trumps revised travel ban, saying the order will harm its Muslim population, tourism and foreign students By Julia Harte and Ian Simpson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Washington restaurant has sued U.S. President Donald Trump and the company that operates his landmark Washington hotel, claiming that patrons have shifted business there to curry favor with his new administration, the owners said on Thursday. The suit, which was filed on Wednesday, does not seek monetary damages but wants Trump to divest from the hotel, resign or close it while he is president. Diane Gross and Khalid Pitts, the husband-and-wife owners of the Cork Wine Bar, claim they and other businesses face unfair competition from the Trump International Hotel, which opened in September a few weeks before Trump was elected. Their suit alleges Trump's ownership of the hotel, located a few blocks from the White House in the historic Old Post Office building owned by the federal government, violates a rule that bars elected officials from being party to the lease or benefiting from it. "We simply want to level the playing field so that all District of Columbia restaurants can compete fairly," Pitts said at a news conference. The hotel is among hundreds of businesses that could create unprecedented conflicts of interest for Trump, a New York real estate developer and reality television star who became president in January. He has said he avoided the conflict issue by transferring control of his businesses to some of his children. In an email, Trump Organization attorney Alan Garten dismissed the lawsuit as "a publicity stunt completely lacking in legal merit." Pitts and Gross said business had fallen off at their restaurant, located about a mile from the hotel, since Trump took office. They cited media reports that foreign dignitaries have "flocked" to the hotel and said many people had increased their use of the hotel and its restaurants to gain political favor. They could not provide numbers or point to any specific client they had lost but said the hotel's increased business has occurred "to the detriment of Cork." Story continues Congressional Democrats also have contended Trump's ownership of the hotel violates its lease with the General Services Administration (GSA), the federal property arm. The GSA did not respond to a request for comment. In January, the agency said it was reviewing information from the Trump business that operates the hotel to assess its compliance with the lease. Pitts and Gross said their lawsuit does not address whether Trump is violating the U.S. Constitution by letting his business accept payments from foreign governments, the central claim of a January suit filed by constitutional and ethics lawyers. (Reporting by Ian Simpson and Julia Harte; Additional reporting by Mark Hosenball; Editing by Nick Tattersall and Bill Trott) By Dan Levine and Mica Rosenberg (Reuters) - Several states said on Thursday they would move forward with legal challenges to a revised executive order signed by President Donald Trump this week that temporarily bars the admission of refugees and some travelers from a group of Muslim-majority countries. The new travel order, which is set to take effect on March 16, changed and replaced a more sweeping ban issued on Jan. 27 that caused chaos and protests at airports. The first order was hit by more than two dozen lawsuits, including a challenge brought by Washington state and joined by Minnesota. In response to Washington's suit, U.S. District Judge James Robart in Seattle ordered an emergency halt to the policy last month. That ruling was upheld by an appeals court in San Francisco. Washington state Attorney General Robert Ferguson said on Thursday he planned to ask Robart to confirm that his ruling would also apply to Trump's revised order, which would halt it from being implemented. Ferguson told a news conference the new order harmed a "smaller group" of individuals but that would not affect the state's ability to challenge it in court. He said the burden was on the Trump administration to show that the court ruling from last month did not apply to its new policy. A U.S. Department of Justice spokeswoman declined to comment on pending litigation. The government has said the president has wide authority to implement immigration policy and that the travel rules are necessary to protect against terrorist attacks. New York's attorney general, Eric Schneiderman, said on Thursday he would be joining Washington's lawsuit against the new ban and the state of Oregon said it would join too. The opposition comes on top of a separate legal challenge to the new ban brought by Hawaii on Wednesday. Hawaii had also sued over the previous order and is seeking to amend its complaint to include the new ban. A hearing in that case is set for next Wednesday, a day before the clock starts on the new order. The states and immigration advocates argue the new ban, like the original one, discriminates against Muslims. MORE EXEMPTIONS Trump's new executive order was designed with the intention of avoiding the legal hurdles. While the new order keeps a 90-day ban on travel to the United States by citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, it excludes Iraq. Refugees are still halted from entering the country for 120 days, but the new order removed an indefinite ban on all refugees from Syria. The revisions include explicit exemptions for legal permanent residents or existing visa holders and waivers are allowed on a case-by-case basis for some business, diplomatic and other travelers. The first hurdle for the lawsuits will be proving "standing," which means finding someone who has been harmed by the policy. With so many exemptions, legal experts have said it might be hard to find individuals a court would rule have a right to sue. (Reporting by Dan Levine in San Francisco and Mica Rosenberg in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Peter Cooney) By Dan Levine and Mica Rosenberg (Reuters) - Several states said on Thursday they would move forward with legal challenges to a revised executive order signed by President Donald Trump this week that temporarily bars the admission of refugees and some travellers from a group of Muslim-majority countries. The new travel order, which is set to take effect on March 16, replaced a more sweeping ban issued on Jan. 27 that caused chaos and protests at airports. The first order was hit by more than two dozen lawsuits, including a challenge brought by Washington state and joined by Minnesota. In response to Washington's lawsuit, U.S. District Judge James Robart in Seattle ordered an emergency halt to the policy last month. That ruling was upheld by an appeals court in San Francisco. Washington state Attorney General Robert Ferguson said on Thursday he planned to ask Robart to confirm that his ruling would also apply to Trump's revised order, which would halt it from being implemented. Ferguson told a news conference the new order harmed a "smaller group" of individuals but that would not affect the state's ability to challenge it in court. He said the burden was on the Trump administration to show that the court ruling from last month did not apply to its new policy. A U.S. Department of Justice spokeswoman declined to comment on pending litigation. The government has said the president has wide authority to implement immigration policy and that the travel rules are necessary to protect against terrorist attacks. The states and immigration advocates argue the new ban, like the original one, discriminates against Muslims. New York's attorney general, Eric Schneiderman, said on Thursday he would be joining Washington's lawsuit against the new ban and the state of Oregon said it would join too. The attorney general for Massachusetts, Maura Healey, said on Twitter she would be joining Washington's challenge to "Trump's unlawful #MuslimBan2." Minnesota is also continuing to pursue the Seattle case alongside Washington. During his presidential campaign, Trump called for "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States." He later toned down that language and said he would implement a policy of "extreme vetting" of foreigners coming to the country. The opposition from the states comes on top of a separate legal challenge to the new ban brought by Hawaii on Wednesday. Hawaii had also sued over the previous order and is seeking to amend its complaint to include the new ban. A hearing in that case is set for next Wednesday, a day before the clock starts on the new order. MORE EXEMPTIONS Trump's new executive order was designed with the intention of avoiding the legal hurdles. While the new order keeps a 90-day ban on travel to the United States by citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, it excludes Iraq. Refugees are still halted from entering the country for 120 days, but the new order removed an indefinite ban on all refugees from Syria. The revisions include explicit exemptions for legal permanent residents or existing visa holders. Waivers are allowed on a case-by-case basis for some business, diplomatic and other travellers. The first hurdle for the lawsuits will be proving "standing," which means finding someone who has been harmed by the policy. With so many exemptions, legal experts have said it might be hard to find individuals who would have a right to sue, in the eyes of a court. (Reporting by Dan Levine in San Francisco and Mica Rosenberg in New York; Editing by Peter Cooney and Matthew Lewis) This attention-seeking panda just can't get enough love from its favorite handler. Cameras at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China captured the 6-month-old cub, named Cheng Shi, being groomed by the handler on Tuesday. Read: Cuteness Overload: Watch this Baby Panda's Series of Attempts to Roll Over But when she decided it was time to leave, Cheng Shi wasn't happy. The footage shows him chasing after her even stumbling off the edge of a platform in a desperate bid to convince her to stay. Eventually realizing that she'd left the enclosure, he retreated to a dark corner to sulk. Read: Tiny Blue Budgie Lays Gentle Kisses on Dog Best Friend His handler apparently agreed he was too cute to resist, and returned to scratch his face. He's not the first panda at the center to capture the world's attention. In February, another clingy cub, Yazhu, refused to let go of her handler's leg. Watch: Baby Panda Looks for Love in All the Wrong Places Related Articles: Today, today is for the indigenous women. Today is for the black women. Today is for the Asian women and the Latina women, writer and poet Jamara Mychelle Wakefield declared in front of a large crowd gathered in New York Citys Washington Square Park Wednesday. On March 8, as the world commemorated International Womens Day, a group of New York activists and community organizers led a rally and a march through the city. An array of speakers addressed topics ranging from President Trumps travel ban to Kurdistans female fighters. Then protesters took to the streets on the chilly March evening. Their route led them from the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, the site of a devastating industrial accident in 1911, to the historic Stonewall Inn, to the Trump Soho hotel, and ended in Zuccotti Park. This 360 video places the viewers in the rally and the streets alongside the protesters. To view this video on your mobile device, download the latest version of the YouTube mobile app. If you already have the YouTube mobile app, click this link to open the video. When using YouTube 360, you can watch the footage from any point of view. Simply, drag your finger on your screen or move your phone in any pattern. President Trump and Republicans in Congress tried to regain the initiative Wednesday in the battle over health care, seeking to recover from the withering criticism of their rollout of a replacement for Obamacare. To that end, they went after the Congressional Budget Office, which is still days away from releasing its analysis of the Republican bill. If youre looking at the CBO for accuracy, youre looking in the wrong place, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said during Wednesdays briefing with reporters. Piling on, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., dismissed the CBO as unelected bureaucrats. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said the CBO was likely to release its report on the bill by early next week. The expectation among many health care experts is that the CBOs score of the GOP plan, the American Health Care Act (AHCA), will forecast high costs and the loss of coverage for millions of Americans. The comments from Spicer and Scalise were echoed in some corners of conservative media. The CBOs score will most likely be wildly off, [and] most Americans dont much care what the CBO thinks, wrote Jeffrey Anderson, a Hudson Institute scholar, for the Weekly Standard. Those who debate and pass legislation should focus on whether it would be good policy that can be communicated to the American people on its own grounds, not on the grounds of the CBOs generally dubious scoring. Spicer based his criticism of the CBO on the fact that the office estimate in 2010 that 24 million people would acquire health insurance in the exchanges created by then-President Obamas health care law. Only 9 million people are covered in the exchanges now, however. Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, said he would give more weight to a CBO analysis of a tax cut than he would to one of how many people would be insured under a bill, because the latter delves into predicting consumer behavior. Ironically, conservatives have long complained that the CBO did not take human behavior into account when scoring tax bills, and in 2015 passed a rule requiring the CBO to use whats known as dynamic scoring on tax legislation. Story continues House Majority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., meets with President Trump at the White House on March 7, 2017. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Norquist said that if the CBO concludes that a large number of people will lose their health insurance as a result of the bill now being debated, Republicans would challenge that finding, but allowed that it might lead to some changes in the legislation. We will say, Show us your assumptions. How do you get to that? If they make a good point, then we could make changes, he said. Avik Roy, the opinion editor for Forbes and a leading conservative critic of the new health bill, wrote Tuesday that there are flaws in the way the CBO models health reform legislation, but the AHCA itself contains enough flaws that there can be little doubt that the plan will price millions out of the health insurance market. Beyond the fact that a bad CBO score would present a political and public relations problem for the bill, it would also contradict Trumps own statements that his replacement of President Barack Obamas health care legislation would provide insurance for everybody. Trump has not clarified since January whether he still wants a bill that provides universal health coverage. Another conservative leader said privately that Trump needed to switch from an emphasis on universal coverage to what many on the right refer to as universal access to care. They say their approach will drive costs down and increase incentives for doctors and health care providers to enter the market. Access to care rather than universal coverage is certainly the traditional conservative position, and it was the message Spicer delivered Tuesday. But Trumps entire candidacy rested on upending conservative orthodoxy, and many in Washington wonder whether the president will stick to that strategy if public opinion and pressure breaks sharply against the new legislation. The GOPs health care bill has already endured a rougher than expected rollout. It has faced resistance from Republican governors who dont want to see Medicaid recipients in their states lose coverage, and on Tuesday, the legislation was savaged by conservative members of Congress and a large number of right-wing organizations, such as Heritage Action and the Club for Growth. Ryan played down the criticism as the inevitable growing pains of being an opposition party to becoming a governing party. And one House Republican leadership aide said that it was sort of anticipated, given the fact that groups like Heritage Action, FreedomWorks and the Club for Growth, not to mention media outlets like Breitbart News, have criticized and opposed Republican leadership on most issues. The difference is they are now trying to go against a Republican president representing districts Id imagine Trump won overwhelmingly, the aide said. But another source close to House Republican leadership said that the scope and ferocity of the blowback, coupled with the conservative media pushback, put the leadership on its heels. Norquist said that one White House aide asked him if they could have done more ahead of time to reduce the criticism from these groups on the right. Did we do something wrong? the Trump aide asked him, according to Norquist. Norquist said no. Of course people react this way. They want to be in the continuing conversation, and they would like the next month to include, Is this group happy yet? he said. In this case, given that Heritage action was going to say, Hell, no, and the establishment press was going to run to them and cover them, you couldnt get around that. Trump met with leaders of these groups Heritage, Freedomworks, Club for Growth, Americans for Prosperity (backed by the Koch brothers) and Tea Party Patriots at the White House in the late afternoon. Norquist said that many of the objections being raised by conservative critics of the bill are over matters that cannot be dealt with in what Trump himself as referred to as the first of three phases in replacing Obamacare. Republicans in Congress are conducting the first phase of whats known as the budget reconciliation process, which only requires a simple majority of 51 votes in the Senate, but which limits the scope of what they can do to parts of the bill that impact spending and budget matters. He also said that the new bill had been vetted with enough senators in the weeks leading up to its rollout Monday night to give the White House enough confidence that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., can get the 51 votes he needs. However, that may be overly optimistic, given the concerns among some senators about how the replacement bill deals with Medicaid, and objections from conservatives like Rand Paul over refundable tax credits for lower-income Americans. Ryan and McConnell have set out an ambitious, late April timetable for the health care bills passage, but numerous Republican senators have expressed misgivings in private conversations about pushing the bill through so quickly. As one aide to a Republican senator said, The idea that we can re-plan one sixth of the economy in just three weeks on one up or down vote is ridiculous. Read more from Yahoo News: Washington (AFP) - The White House on Thursday expressed its "unwavering" commitment to locate and return ex-FBI agent Robert Levinson, who disappeared 10 years ago on Iran's Kish Island. "The Trump Administration remains unwavering in our commitment to locate Mr. Levinson and bring him home. We want him back, and we will spare no effort to achieve that goal," the White House said. The former agent and ex-CIA contractor went missing in March 2007. His whereabouts has been yet another point of friction between Tehran and Washington. Levinson was not part of the 2016 prisoner release deal that saw Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian and four others released by Tehran. President Barack Obama's White House had suggested that Levinson may no longer be in Iran. The Trump White House has taken a more hardline stance against Tehran and on Thursday called for information and plugged a five million dollar reward for his "location and safe return." "The Levinson family has suffered far too much during the last decade due to the absence of Mr. Levinson, a loving father, brother, husband, grandfather, and friend to many." "Each and every day, but especially today, our hearts are with the Levinson family. We will not rest until this case is resolved." The last 48 hours have seen torrents of opposition to the newly proposed health-reform bill, the American Health Care Act. Professional organizations that have spoken against it now include: the American Nurses Association, American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians, Association of American Medical Colleges, American Hospital Association, and Childrens Hospital Association, among other physician groups and all major hospital groups. The doctors of the American Medical Association target their critique on the phasing out of Medicaid expansion and elimination of subsidies for low-income Americans. The new bill replaces the latter with a flat tax credit based on age. The system, the doctors warn, would mean many people are left with inadequate coverage. Influential patient-advocacy groups like the AARP are also adamantly opposed to the bill, concerned that it raises premiums and weakens Medicare, shrinking health-care coverage for the people represented by the organization. Even though the proposed tax credits would grow in old age, they appear to be far from sufficient to cover the cost of many health-insurance plans. Recommended: Why Dentistry Is Separate From Medicine Yet against the lengthening political odds presented by this oppositionand the idea that this opposition means that the bill is indeed seriously flawedPresident Trump has given no indication of pause. According to The New York Times, He said he was prepared to pressure holdout senators by holding the kind of stadium-style rallies he led during his presidential campaign. This stands in contrast to the relatively lengthy deliberation that went into drafting the Affordable Care Act in 2009. At that time, President Obama and his team talked and negotiated extensively with interested partiesamong them care providers, patient groups, and hospitalsto shape and scope the bill in a way that garnered not just the necessary political support, but met the needs of as many of these parties as possible. Support from the American Medical Association, among others, was consequential in the eventual passage of the law. If the new Republican bill has failed in this, applying pressure to senators would do little to rectify the fundamental inadequacies. Story continues Trumps hope for the bills passage may be founded in the idea that other influential industries will lend their support. Though pharmaceutical and insurance corporations stand to lose revenue if people are uninsured, they also stand to save much in tax cuts. Under the AHCA, insurance companies would pay around $145 billion less in taxes over the coming decade. Some of that would come in the form of writing off enormous CEO salaries. In the cases of Aetna and Cigna, for example, annual CEO compensation has soared to over $17 million. Under the ACA, insurance-company executives could be paid whatever the corporation deemed appropriate, but the amount that could be exempt from taxation was capped at $500,000. Recommended: The Biggest Criticism of Paul Ryan's Health-Care Pitch On Wednesday, the insurance-industry group Americas Health Insurance Plans did caution Republicans against paring down Medicaid. Though competition imposed by the ACA has not benefited the bottom lines of some insurers, Medicaid expansion has. Meanwhile pharmaceutical companies would pay some $25 billion less in taxes, and medical-device manufacturers some $20 billion. These losses in revenue for the government do not bode well for federal health programs and consumer-protection oversight. The idea that such tax cuts will incentivize corporations to invest more in innovation is undermined by the already enormous profit margins in these sectorsmeaning that the money for innovation is available should that become a higher priority. As it is, pharmaceutical companies profit enormously from capitalizing on research done at federally subsidized academic medical centers. In these industry sectors, support will be based on profit maximization to shareholders. But sustainable, innovative health-care reform requires collaboration with countrys physicians, nurses, and patient-groups, which are guided also by humanist ethical codes. In this case, those groups have spoken. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. President Donald Trump canned Michael Flynn last month after he misled the White House about his contacts with the Russian ambassador. But now the former national security advisor may be in hot water again. This time, its over his lobbying work before election day. Flynns lawyer filed paperwork to the Justice Department Tuesday retroactively disclosing he lobbied for organizations affiliated with the Turkish government while serving as a top Trumps campaign advisor last fall. Flynns consulting company, Flynn Intel Group Inc., received $530,000 from a Turkish company for work that could be construed to have principally benefited the Republic of Turkey according to the Department of Justices Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filings. Failing to register is a felony, though the Justice Department rarely pursues charges in such cases. Flynn and his firm were hired by Turkish businessman Ekim Alptekin through his Dutch-based company, Inovo BV. The retired Army lieutenant general was hired to perform investigative research over a three month period from August to November, 2016, the FARA filings say. Specifically, Inovo hired Flynn to understand the tumultuous political climate at the time between the United States and Turkey so that Inovo could advise its client regarding its business opportunities and investment in Turkey. Inovos client was a private natural gas export company based in Israel, though the FARA filing did not specify the companys name. Alptekin is a member of a Turkish economic board that one of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans appointees runs. Alptekin acknowledged he helped arrange a meeting between Flynn and Turkish officials, including two cabinet ministers. The ministers of foreign affairs and energy met Flynn in New York in September, when he was Trumps top campaign surrogate. But Alptekin told Associated Press he disagreed with Flynns decision to file the registration documents, saying it was borne out of political pressure from the Department of Justice in recent weeks. He added on Twitter Wednesday he thought the FARA filing was flawed as the meeting wasnt in the context of [his] commercial relationship with FIG, seeming to refer to Flynn Intelligence Group. Story continues On Nov. 8 the same day Trump won the presidential race Flynn published an op-ed in the Hill urging stronger U.S. support for Turkey and calling for the United States to extradite Fethullah Gulen, a Pennsylvania-based exiled Islamic cleric Turkey blames for a botched military coup in July, 2016. The Hill updated the piece with an editors note Wednesday, saying neither General Flynn nor his representatives disclosed this information when the essay was submitted. Flynn stressed in his filings he was neither paid nor instructed to write the op-ed but conceded he relied on research under his Inovo contract to write the op-ed. The update added Inovo reviewed the draft before it was submitted to The Hill, though Alptekin rebuffed that claim. For the record: nobody remotely linked to the Gov. of Turkey knew about Gen. Flynns article in advance and I wasnt consulted either, Alptekin said on Twitter Wednesday. When I engaged Flynn Co. polls showed 85% likelihood of Hillary winning. If intention was to lobby USG I would have hired Podesta like Gulen he added in a follow-up tweet. Federal ethics rules prevent senior officials from lobbying on behalf of foreign governments for one year after they leave the government. Flynn retired in 2014 after serving as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency for two years. He served as Trumps national security advisor for only 24 days, the shortest tenure ever. Adding insult to injury, Alptekin told Associated Press he wanted the the Flynn Intelligence Group to reimburse a portion of his $530,000 in payments because he wasnt satisfied with the companys performance. Photo credit: TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images The cheese supply chain has been melting down amid a massive recall of dairy delicacies from colby to Gouda. There have been more than a dozen recalls related to cheese in the past month due to contamination from listeria, and they continue rolling out. The recall has expanded beyond small brands to encompass Sargento-brand slices and, as of Thursday, cheeses sold at some Whole Foods stores. And almost all of the many recalls can be traced back to one Amish dairy in northern Indiana. The recalled cheeses were produced at Deutsch Kase Haus, a cheese shop and dairy facility in Middlebury, Ind., responsible for processing 400,000 pounds of milk a day. The facility mainly makes colby cheese, with lesser production of colby jack, Monterey Jack, cheddar, pepper jack, and other varieties. There havent been any reports of illness or death tied to the contaminated cheese. Instead, the investigation got underway after agriculture officials in Tennessee randomly tested Amish Classic brand cheese at grocery stores in late January and turned up evidence of listeria. Listeria is a common source of food poisoning that often gets into food supply via soil and water. The infection can cause fever, headache, and nausea in healthy people. In children, the elderly, or people with compromised immune systems, the infection can be serious and, in some cases, fatal. Listeria infection can also lead to stillbirth or miscarriage among pregnant women. Read more: Step away from the cheeseburger: Fast food may expose diners to dangerous chemical First, there was a recall of Amish Classic and Meijer brand cheeses. Then, Sargento recalled seven types of sliced and shredded cheeses also made by the Indiana store. Dairy smorgasbords like the Ultimate Amish Sampler Box soon followed. Then came the stuffed mushrooms, the fruit and cheese snack packs, and the pre-wrapped Ham Sub on Artisan White Baguette. Some of the contaminated products are unidentifiable, sliced off of big blocks at the deli counter and chunked with no bar code, as the FDA gracefully puts it. Story continues Its not the first time Deutsch Kase Haus has run into trouble with the FDA. In 2009, agency officials cited the producer for improper maintenance and sanitation in the facility. FDA representatives swabbed 25 different spots in the facility and found three that tested positive for listeria. Listeria monocytogenes within your manufacturing facility presents an increased risk of pathogenic contamination to your food production operations and sanitation, the FDA warned. The plant was then owned by Guggisberg Cheese Inc., which sold Deutsch Kase Haus in November 2016 to the Michigan Milk Producers Association. The FDA later determined the facility had fixed the concerns laid out in the 2009 letter. Read more: Mayo, wings, butter: Fake milk is the latest food fight The current investigation is still ongoing, and the manufacturer has stopped producing cheese for now. Out of an abundance of caution, we halted production,said Mark Hubbard, a spokesman for Deutsch Kase Haus. We are verifying the believed source before resuming production, which we anticipate will be very soon. Curious about the safety of your cheese collection? Check out the FDAs full list of recalls and sign up for alerts of new recalls here. Vigilance is always a Gouda idea. Cops in Chicago have a charged a woman with first-degree murder after she allegedly forced her boyfriend to drink bleach, which eventually led to his death. Yasmine Elder was arrested after fighting with the man in a parking lot Monday. Read: Student Charged With Attempted Murder After Trying to Abort Girlfriend's Baby With Bleach: Cops Elder had been fighting with 26-year-old Darrius Ellis while in a van. As the spat played out, cops believe Elder overpowered Ellis and forced him to drink the corrosive disinfectant, according to Chicago cops. Cops say Ellis was found lying on the ground by police. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the Chicago Tribune reported. The cause of death was complications of forcible administration of a caustic substance, Cook County medical examiner's office spokeswoman Becky Schlikerman said in a statement to InsideEdition.com. Read: 3 Children Killed by Mother's Ex, Mom Who Fought to Save Them Clings to Life Ellis's death is considered homicide, according to the medical examiner's office. Elder has a bond hearing scheduled for Thursday. It wasn't immediately clear whether she has an attorney. Watch: Teen Pleads Not Guilty to Killing His Rodeo Queen Ex-Girlfriend Related Articles: HOUSTON (AP) A Texas woman is asking for $350 million in damages after alleging in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday that her civil rights were violated when she was wrongfully arrested in the wake of a deadly 2015 gun battle involving bikers at a Waco restaurant. According to the lawsuit, Morgan English, 32, and her husband William were set to attend a meeting in May 2015 of several motorcycle clubs from around the state when they got caught in the shootout. The suit said the couple does not belong to any biker gangs but were wrongly identified as such by police. Nine people were killed and 20 people were injured in an apparent confrontation between the Bandidos and Cossacks motorcycle clubs and police outside of a Twin Peaks restaurant. English and her husband had just arrived at the restaurant when the shooting began and they quickly took cover, according to the lawsuit. Randall Kallinen, one of English's attorneys, described his client as a hard-working bank teller and a "motorcycle enthusiast" who went to the club's meeting to discuss pending motorcycle legislation in Texas on safety and insurance. "She did not know anything about any animosity between (the biker gangs). She didn't have a weapon," he said. "She talked freely with police afterward. She told them everything. She wasn't hiding anything." The lawsuit names McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna, former Waco Police Chief Brent Stroman, Waco police officer Manuel Chavez, the city of Waco and the county of McLennan as defendants. Reyna did not immediately return a call on Wednesday seeking comment. Waco police Sgt. Patrick Swanton, a department spokesman, said his agency does not comment on pending litigation. English and her husband were two of the 177 arrested and were each held on a $1 million bond on charges of engaging in organized criminal activity. The charges against English and her husband lapsed before the case could be presented to a grand jury for indictment, Kallinen said. But the charges could be refiled, he added. There have been at least 155 individuals who've been indicted. Story continues Kallinen said English's husband has not filed a lawsuit but might do so at a later time. At least 10 individuals who were indicted in the case have filed similar lawsuits, while at least 12 individuals who haven't been indicted also filed lawsuits. Last year, a judge denied a motion on behalf of two bikers to have Reyna removed from the case. The bikers' attorneys had argued Reyna had overstepped his authority in having so many individuals arrested. The first trial resulting from the deadly shooting is set for April. ___ Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter at www.twitter.com/juanlozano70 Experts are still debating whether women need a pelvic exam at their yearly visit to a gynecologist, according to a new report. The report comes from a government-appointed expert panel that reviewed hundreds of studies on pelvic exams and concluded that there isn't enough evidence to make a recommendation either for or against pelvic exams for women who don't have symptoms of gynecologic conditions and aren't pregnant. The panel, known as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), said that more studies are needed to better assess the potential benefits and harms of routine pelvic exams. In the meantime, the decision of whether a woman should have a pelvic exam should be shared between the patient and the doctor, the report said. The decision should consider the evidence, the patient's preferences and her risk factors for certain diseases, according to the report, which is published today (March 7) in the journal JAMA. [7 Facts Women (And Men) Should Know About the Vagina] "Women, as patients, should be involved in the decision regarding whether to perform a pelvic examination, and clinicians should not require that the patient undergo this procedure to obtain screening, counseling and age-appropriate health services," Dr. Colleen McNicholas, an obstetrician/gynecologist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and Dr. Jeffrey Peipert, an obstetrician/gynecologist at Indiana University School of Medicine, wrote in an editorial accompanying the recommendations. A pelvic exam can involve a visual exam of the genitals and the inside of the vagina and cervix, as well as a "bimanual examination," in which the doctor places two fingers in the patient's vagina and the other hand on her abdomen to feel for problems in the ovaries, uterus and bladder. During the exam, the doctor looks for signs of certain conditions, such as yeast infections, genital warts, genital herpes, pelvic inflammatory disease, uterine fibroids, cervical polyps and ovarian cysts. However, some women find pelvic exams uncomfortable and embarrassing, and feel fear and anxiety before having one, said McNicholas and Peipert, who were not involved with the USPSTF's report.. Story continues In 2014, the American College of Physicians (ACP) said that women should not undergo annual pelvic exams unless they have symptoms of possible pelvic disease such as abnormal bleeding, pain or urinary problems or are pregnant. At that time, the ACP said that the harms of screening (such as anxiety and discomfort) outweigh the procedure's benefits. However, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists still recommends yearly pelvic exams, although the organization notes that the decision should be shared between the doctor and the patient. For the new report, the USPSTF reviewed more than 300 studies on pelvic exams, but only nine of these studies were rigorous enough to be included in the organization's final review. None of these studies looked at the effectiveness of pelvic exams in reducing women's risk of dying from cancer or other diseases, or their effectiveness in improving women's quality of life. Very few studies have looked at pelvic exams' accuracy in detecting many gynecologic conditions, the report said. Although the USPSTF did find some studies looking at pelvic exams' accuracy in detecting ovarian cancer, these studies generally found that pelvic exams weren't very accurate at detecting ovarian cancer. What's more, none of these studies looked at women's level of anxiety tied to pelvic exams. The USPSTF's conclusion "does not come as a surprise," given that few aspects of annual physicals have been carefully studied, McNicholas and Peipert said. But many doctors would argue that routine physicals provide an opportunity for doctors to counsel their patients and build trust. However, the assessments performed during a physical have varying levels of invasiveness, McNicholas and Peipert said. [5 Things Women Should Know About Ovarian Cancer] A pelvic exam can be "psychologically and physically intrusive," especially for women with a history of abuse or trauma, they said. "Allowing [a woman] to control the decision to undergo an examination will improve the trust she has with her physician or clinician," McNicholas and Peipert said. It's important to note that the new report does not apply to cervical cancer screenings, which are recommended every three to five years. The report also does not apply to screenings for chlamydia and gonorrhea; these screenings are recommended for sexually active women ages 24 and younger, and women older than 24 who have risk factors for these infections. Original article on Live Science. Editor's Recommendations New York (AFP) - For years, Ravi Ragbir has been a prominent New York immigrant rights activist who has helped protect hundreds of undocumented migrants from deportation. But on Thursday it was his turn, a father of one born in Trinidad and Tobago and living in New York more than 25 years, to come perilously close to being kicked out of Donald Trump's America, all because of a past conviction. "We are Ravi," "We stand with Ravi," "Ravi we love you," shouted hundreds of supporters accompanying him to his annual date with an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, which can end in arrest and expulsion. He lives in constant fear of being kicked out, now more than ever with the US president vowing to deport migrants -- who like himself have been convicted of a crime and served with deportation orders. "This is a sea of love that's going to overtake any wall is going to be built," Ragbir told the crowd of rights activists, elected officials, undocumented migrants, priests, rabbis and pastors in Manhattan's Foley Square. Holding hands, raising their fists, singing or praying, they walked to the court behind Ragbir. An hour later, he was released. For 15 years, he has lived under a pending deportation order since a wire fraud conviction. He has so far been saved expulsion thanks to a series of deferrals, the last of which is due to expire in 2018. "I am living in fear," said the tall, thin man in his early 40s with a gray ponytail. "We worry what's going to happen tomorrow," he told AFP. - 'Cried all day' - Ragbir came to the United States on a visitor's visa in February 1991 and went on to acquire a green card, but in 2001 was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud while working for a mortgage lender. Ragbir spent three years under house arrest appealing his sentence and two years in a US federal jail. He was then incarcerated two more years in New Jersey and Alabama, awaiting deportation. His lawyers appealed to the Supreme Court, which declined to intervene but pending their decision he was forced to wear an electronic ankle bracelet and report to an immigration agent three times a week. Story continues Though he has served his time, and has a US wife and daughter, the government does not want to normalize his immigration status. He does not expect that to change under Trump. "My wife cried many, many times since November 8," Ragbir told AFP of last year's US election. "On November 9 she cried all day, because she knew the consequences," he added. She is an immigration attorney. Today he runs the New Sanctuary Coalition of New York, which trains dozens of volunteers to accompany migrants to ICE appointments, which Ragbir says is proven to lower their chances of being deported. The interfaith network of congregations, organizations and people works to resist detention and keep families together. Ragbir works out of an office at the Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village. More than a hundred churches, synagogues and mosques are part of the coalition, a number that has soared since Trump's election. Some are willing to grant sanctuary to immigrants as a last resort in case of raids. "We're religious people and we believe in the power of forgiveness. Our organization was founded to give sanctuary to people with priors," said Reverend Donna Schaper of the Judson Memorial Baptist Church. The organization, founded in 2007 and with branches in other US cities, was inspired by the 1980s sanctuary movement that enlisted churches to transport, shelter and hide refugees fleeing civil wars in El Salvador and Guatemala. Since Trump's election, Schaper says she has felt "devastated." "We're pretty convinced we're going to have to say goodbye to all the people with whom we have been working during all these years," she told AFP. Although Ragbir walked free Thursday, his next appointment with a deportation agent is in 2018. got ahead of the mermaid trend in this holographic sequin Miu Miu dress with a crystal-embellished belt at the Brimstone premiere in 2016. Dakota Fanning has been into high heels for the past 21 of her 23 years since she first got her hands on a pair of her aunts when she was two years old. So its no wonder the star is revealing all of her fashion secrets in a new style diary for Jimmy Choo and weve got a sneak peek. See what she had to say below, and watch the video below for an inside look at her glamorous Los Angeles photo shoot. My earliest fashion memory is clomping around in my aunts heels, while visiting her in Miami, Fanning says in an interview for the brands website. I was probably around two years old, and apparently insisted on wearing them absolutely everywhere the entire trip. For the actress, who was the youngest SAG Awards nominee in history at just 8 years old, fashion seems to have always held an important role in her career so much so that she remembers exactly what she wore to her first major red carpet. My first red carpet memory is the I Am Sam premiere, she says. It was my first film, therefore my first premiere. I wore a satin champagne colored dress with capped sleeves. I had a purse that was black patent and shaped like a present, which I thought was very chic. I am sure I still have it somewhere. I do not really look back and cringe too much. Definitely more of a warm nostalgia. And it took her another 13 years to achieve her ultimate fashion moment last summer. Recently I wore a Miu Miu dress to the Venice Film Festival, she shares. It looked like a mermaids tail, and it was truly my dream dress. I felt absolutely magical in it and taking it off was really hard That dress, combined with such a glamorous location, was a very special moment for me. When shes not walking on a red carpet, however, you can expect to find her strutting around her N.Y.C. neighborhood in a slightly less elevated fashion. I am more a flats girl when I am in New York because there is so much walking involved when you live in the city, she says. There is a grounded agility that a flat can bring that just cannot be accomplished in heels, no matter how well you walk in them! But with that being said, I love heels of all kinds. Chunky platforms in particular. Story continues RELATED PHOTOS: Celeb Style Deja Vu: The Pieces Every Star Seems to Own So when she was asked to name a favorite shoe ranging from sky-high sandals to chic white sneakers from her Jimmy Choo shoot, she chose the sneakers, obviously. FROM COINAGE: When Its Worth It to Buy Organic There was a pristine white sneaker that I absolutely adored. Very practical, and I love a slightly dirty white sneaker so I wouldnt mind if the city stuck to them after a while. There was also a beautiful strappy heel with metallic purples and greens. The straps were like the vines of the flower that unfolded across the toes. She applies that same sense of variation to her own style, loving everything from shredded denim to high couture, and she confirms that t even she cant keep up with her ever-changing sense of style. It really changes all the time, she says. I think I usually have a vibe in mind when I am getting ready and try to execute that as best as I can. I am more traditional than not, but I also like to surprise people, so I try to throw something untraditional into my wardrobe just to keep people on their toes! What do you think of Fannings style? Sound off below. Photo credit: JUSTIN LANE/EPA/REX/Shutterstock From Town & Country State Street, the firm that put up a statue of a young girl facing down Wall Street's bull to call attention to the importance of female leadership, has three women on its 11-person board of directors and five women on its 28-member leadership team. When contacted for comment, State Street spokeswoman Anne McNally offered up the following statistics: Within the asset-management firm's most senior ranks-executive vice-presidents-the company has 18 women, representing 23 percent of the EVPs; at the next level down, senior vice-president, State Street employs 137 women, or 28 percent of that job title. The needle isn't moving as fast as it should for gender diversity. State Street chose International Women's Day to put up the bronze statue and call on the more than 3,500 companies in which it invests to increase the number of women on their boards. (Those companies control $30 trillion in funds-yes, you read that right.) Last year, they launched a gender diversity index called SHE that helps investors find companies with strong female leadership on their boards. The asset manager also contributed $50,000 to Girls Who Invest, a non-profit focused on bringing more women into the finance community. When asked why State Street is taking these actions now, McNally said, "because the needle isn't moving as fast as it should for gender diversity." State Street's three women, who make up 27 percent of the board seats, put the company ahead of the national Fortune 500 numbers. In 2016, 21 percent of Fortune 500 corporate board positions were occupied by women, up from 19.6 percent in 2015. Fortune found that last year 24 of those companies had boards without a single women. On a broader scale, McNally pointed out that one out of every four Russell 3000 companies do not have even one woman on their board. "A lot of companies talk about gender diversity-look no further than 'insert company name X's' Twitter handle today on National Women's Day-but as the world's third-largest asset manager we wanted to do something,"McNally said. "As a long-term investor we have the power of our vote and the power of engagement with those companies to really evaluate how their board is composed, refreshed, and organized." Story continues Susan Colantuono, the CEO of Leading Women, a consulting firm focused on advancing women and closing the leadership gender gap in the workplace, said that while three women on a board may seem like a tiny number (and it is) it's actually an important minimum for these companies to hit. "Research shows that if you have one woman on a management team or board, she's marginalized," Colantuono said. "If you have two, they are pitted against each other. With three, it becomes more normal." "Three is pretty good for the U.S., where we don't have quotas like in Europe," Colantuono said. Across the Atlantic, Norway was the first country to put quotas in place, in 2003, to require that public companies fill at least 40 percent of their board seats with women. Iceland, Spain, and France followed with the same 40-percent requirement, Quartz reports, and Germany added a 30-percent quota in 2015. Hashtags and Instagrams are nice, but they're not a worthy substitute to the hard work that still needs to be done. The new rules are working. Last year in the European Union, women accounted for 21.2 percent of board seats on the largest publicly traded companies. That's up from 11.9 percent in 2010, when the European Commission added the issue of women in leadership positions to the political agenda. While women have been getting the majority of college degrees in America for a few years, the gap between men and women at the top corporate roles is still a canyon. And as State Street itself points out, that's not good business. They quote a study from MSCI, an organization that provides market research to institutional investors, that found that companies with strong female leadership generated a return on equity of 10.1 percent per year versus 7.4 percent for those without a critical mass of women at the top. Here's hoping State Street's efforts add up to more than just a statue on Bowling Green Plaza. Hashtags and Instagrams are nice, but they're not a worthy substitute to the hard work that still needs to be done. You Might Also Like Photo credit: Getty From House Beautiful Happiness is the key to life. And while science says painting your walls green or stocking up on fresh flowers can help your home exude this emotion, other factors (like your neighborhood) determine if you'll feel those good vibes once you leave the house. According to the Gallup-Healthways State of American Well-Being 2016 Community Rankings, if you want to live your happiest and healthiest life, you should move to Naples, Florida. This is the second year in a row the town, along with the nearby communities of Immokalee and Marco Island, took home the top spot. But this title wasn't given lightly: The rankings were based on the physical health, social ties, financial security and sense of purpose of residents across 189 cities in the United States. "Naples does a lot of things right," Dan Witters, research director of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, told TODAY. "[People in] Naples really take care of themselves well." And even though the city's close proximity to the beach might seem like it was a major factor in winning the top spot, Witters says this didn't heavily influence the score. In fact, people maintaining good physical health and feeling proud of their community was much more important. Though, we have to say, the environment certainly makes this town a lot more fun to look at. Photo credit: Getty Photo credit: Getty Photo credit: Getty But Naples isn't the only city where you can find health and happiness. Other high- ranking towns include Barnstable Town, Massachusetts; Santa CruzWatsonville, California; Honolulu, Hawaii; Charlottesville, Virginia and more. [h/t TODAY] You Might Also Like There is no shortage of trench coat styles available on the street (and on celebs). (Photo: From top left clockwise: Rex, Trunk Archive, Getty Images (3)) In a recent informal and unscientific poll of colleagues, the question was asked, How much would you be willing to pay for a really good trench coat? The responses given, from men and women, ranged between $100 and $500, though most settled on a $250 price point. Among those who opted for the pricier end of that range, the trench coats durability and staying power as a closet staple often justified their thinking. Id aim to pay more, trench coats dont go out of style, said one person. Id pay more for the perfect one but would never pay full price, [something from] eBay or Moda Operandi on sale, replied another. All of which raises the question: How much should you pay for a trench coat? And what constitutes a high-quality trench? The question seems to be as timely as ever, not simply because trench coats make for seasonally appropriate, transitional outerwear, but also because khaki and trenches were spotted on all of the major fashion week runways and on street style stars afterwards. Unfortunately, theres no easy answer or clear line of demarcation indicating where you should buy a trench coat or how much you should be spending. The truth is, you can just as easily find a $30 classic trench from Forever 21 as you can a $4,400 Gucci version. By most accounts, Burberry is the standard bearer for trench coats. In 1879, the companys founder, Thomas Burberry, patented the Burberry trenchs gabardine cotton fabric, which is a cloth made from thread that has been waterproofed. Since, the trench has become both a sartorial and cultural staple, as seen on everyone from Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffanys to Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther. And who among us hasnt fantasized about a trench coat surprise? Actors Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard star as Holly Golightly and Paul Varjak in the film Breakfast at Tiffanys, 1961 both in trench coats. (Photo by Paramount Pictures/Archive Photos/Getty Images) But luxury by Burberry is not cheap. The companys Heritage trench starts around $1,700, though variations on the coat say, a cashmere version that celebrities love cost a cool $2,600. That is nearly 10 times what youd pay for a trench coat at a mid-tier retailer like J. Crew. Story continues The garment details on the J. Crew trench, a dry-clean only coat made from Japanese cotton, with slant welt pockets and back vent storm flap, make it seem like a good enough alternative dare I say indistinguishable from a luxury version, right? Wrong, according to what Valerie Steele, director of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology told the Smithsonian Magazine in 2015. I wouldnt underestimate peoples ability to read the differences between a Burberry trench and an H&M trench, Steele said. Well, all right, Ms. Steele. What is the distinction, then? For one, a $70 H&M trench coat was likely made in China, Bangladesh, India, Cambodia, or Turkey, according to the retailers website. Comparatively, assembling a single Burberry trench is a real manufacturing feat. An inside look at the companys facility in Castleford, England where 5,000 Burberry Heritage trench coats are stitched a week offers a glimpse into the kind of craftsmanship that goes into the garments production. According to the Guardian, it takes four hours of intensive work to stitch the Burberry trench coat nearly twice as long as it takes to make a suit. Plus: Each trench coat comprises 80 pieces put together with about 120 processes. The coats collar alone is made up of eight pieces, and its complex design includes traditional D-rings, initially designed to hold hand grenades. Then there is the pork chop, as it is known in the factory, which can be buttoned across the throat to keep out the chill. Above all, trench coats were made to serve a practical purpose, having been named after the coats made for British and French soldiers who fought in the trenches during World War I. And the best ones will protect you from the elements, regardless of price point, as this Daily Mail stunt attested. And if youve got the stomach for a $1,700 price tag, rest assured, knowing your Burberry will last you a lifetime, elements be damned. Read more: Cindy Crawford Stars in Peter Lindbergh-Hosted Supermodel Reunion Did the Kate Middleton Effect Cause the Downfall of This Designer Label? Hot Mugshot Guy Is Now Walking the Runway Lets keep in touch! Follow Yahoo Beauty on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Alexandra Mondalek is a writer for Yahoo Style and Beauty. Follow her on Twitter @amondalek. A fellowship program for women in aerospace pays tribute to space industry pioneer Brooke Owens, shown here during a zero-G airplane flight. (Photo courtesy of the Brooke Owens Fellowship Program) Thirty-six women with a passion for aerospace have been selected to receive the first batch of Brooke Owens Fellowships paid summer internships at a wide range of institutions across the country. One of the women, Chelsey Ballarte, will be spending the summer with us at GeekWire. Others will be joining her in the Seattle area at organizations such as Blue Origin, Planetary Resources, Vulcan Aerospace and the Museum of Flight. These women have the potential not only to contribute to the aerospace industry but to lead it, Lori Garver, a former NASA deputy administrator who is now general manager of the Air Line Pilots Association, said in todays announcement of the fellowships. Garver and two other aerospace executives Virgin Galactics Will Pomerantz and Vulcan Aerospaces Cassie Lee created the program to pay tribute to Brooke Owens, a space policy expert and pilot who died of cancer last year at the age of 35. Owens career included stints at NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration, XPRIZE and the White House. The volunteer-led fellowship program provides internships and mentors for exceptional undergraduate women seeking a career in aviation or space exploration. The organizers say their aim is to create a cohort of industry leaders who can advance a positive future and continue Owens legacy. Chelsey Ballarte (Via LinkedIn) Ballarte, a graduating senior at Arizona State University, will be the only fellow doing her internship at a news organization. Her interests in space exploration and science communications intertwined when she became the webmaster for ASUs chapter of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, or SEDS. While working toward her degree in journalism and mass communications, Ballarte took on extracurricular roles as a public relations manager for the national SEDS organization as well as editor-in-chief of Her Campus ASU. Shes also a videographer for ASUs VisLab graphic design studio. Story continues I believe that everyone can have an appreciation for space and the sciences, if a good communicator can push all the jargon away and explain it in a way they can understand, Ballarte wrote in her application for the fellowship. Ive made it my mission to be the person who does just that. Ballartes host and internal mentor will be Alan Boyle, GeekWires aerospace and science editor. Her external mentor will be Emily Calandrelli, a field correspondent for Bill Nye Saves the World whos also the host and producer of Xploration Outer Space as well as a contributing writer for TechCrunch. Were thrilled to welcome Chelsey to the GeekWire team this summer, and support young women as they start their careers in the fields of space, science and technology, said John Cook, co-founder of GeekWire. The Brooke Owens Fellowship is a unique program, and were excited to participate in the inaugural class. The 35 other fellows and their host institutions are: Sumayya Abukhalil (University of Central Florida, Class of 2018), hosted by Orbital ATK. Diana Alsindy (University of California, San Diego, Class of 2017), hosted by Virgin Orbit. Dawn Andrews (Georgia Tech, Class of 2018), hosted by SpaceX. Dahlia Baker (Coe College, Class of 2018), hosted by Planetary Resources. Pau Pineda Bosque (Purdue University, Class of 2018), hosted by Orbital ATK. Roselin Campos (UCLA, Class of 2017), hosted by SSL. Katherine Carroll (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Class of 2019), hosted by Aerospace Corp. Christine Chappelle (MIT, Class of 2019), hosted by Vulcan Aerospace. Jocelyn Clancy (University of Southern California, Class of 2019), hosted by Aerospace Corp. Amy Comeau (Purdue University, Class of 2018), hosted by Bryce Space and Technology. Kaitlin Englebert (University of Colorado, Boulder, Class of 2019), hosted by Museum of Flight. Makiah Eustice (Texas A&M, Class of 2018), hosted by Aerospace Corp. Maggie Goertzen (University of Utah, Class of 2017), hosted by Made in Space. Maryam Gracias (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Class of 2018), hosted by Air Line Pilots Association. Morgan Irons (Duke University, Class of 2017), hosted by Avascent. Caroline Juang (Harvard University, Class of 2017), hosted by Bryce Space and Technology. Karen Kuhlman (Oregon State University, Class of 2018), hosted by Scaled Composites. Hayley Lewis (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Class of 2018), hosted by Mojave Air and Space Port. Ninoshka Llontop Lozano (University of Illinois at Chicago, Class of 2018), hosted by Virgin Orbit. Rachael McKee (Metropolitan State University of Denver, Class of 2018), hosted by Air Line Pilots Association. Maddie Miller (Union College, Class of 2019), hosted by Planet. Golda Nguyen (Georgia Tech, Class of 2017), hosted by Blue Origin. Christine Reilly (University of Colorado, Boulder, Class of 2018), hosted by Virgin Orbit. Karen Rucker (Texas Tech University, Class of 2018), hosted by HawkEye 360. Mady Sargent (University of Kansas, Class of 2019), hosted by Ball Aerospace. Emily Sheffield (Harding University, Class of 2018), hosted by Commercial Spaceflight Federation. Piper Sigrest (MIT, Class of 2018), hosted by Virgin Orbit. Jasmine Q. Smith (Tuskegee University, Class of 2020), hosted by Mojave Air and Space Port. Michaela Spaulding (Iowa State University, Class of 2018), hosted by Generation Orbit. Becca Thoss (University of Southern California, Class of 2018), hosted by Planetary Resources. Amanda Turk (University of Colorado, Boulder, Class of 2017), hosted by Sierra Nevada Corp. Shreya Udupa (Arizona State University, Class of 2017), hosted by Altius Space Machines. Justine Walker (College of Wooster, Class of 2018), hosted by Sierra Nevada Corp. Sasha Warren (Durham University, UK, Class of 2018), hosted by XPRIZE. Taylor Zedosky (University of South Carolina, Class of 2018), hosted by Ball Aerospace. The Brooke Owens Fellowship Program is operated as a nonprofit initiative under the Future Space Leaders Forum. To learn more, or to donate to the program, visit BrookeOwensFellowship.org. More from GeekWire: (Reuters) - Online room renting service Airbnb Inc said on Thursday it had raised $1 billion in its latest round of funding, valuing the company at $31 billion. Airbnb raised $447.85 million as part of the funding, a source close to the company told Reuters. The company said in September it had raised about $555 million as part of the same round of funding. Airbnb, which operates in more than 65,000 cities, has enjoyed tremendous growth as it pushes ahead with its plans of global expansion. The company turned in a profit on an EBITDA basis in the second half of 2016 and expects to continue to be profitable this year, the source said, adding that Airbnb had no plans to go public anytime soon. The company is locked in an intensifying global battle with regulators who say the service takes affordable housing off the market and drives up rental prices. (Reporting by Anya George Tharakan and Rishika Sadam in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty) HONG KONG (Reuters) - Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd is in talks with banks to raise $5 billion in new funding, sources told Thomson Reuters' Basis Point, amid a flurry of fund-raising by China's tech giants. Alibaba is looking to raises the funds offshore via a bullet loan with a five-year maturity, with the aim of using the proceeds for general corporate purposes including refinancing, the sources said. The plan comes as key rival Tencent Holdings looks to raise up to $2 billion in new debt funding, with competition heating up amongst the country's Internet firms domestically and overseas. Alibaba, best known for its e-commerce platforms Tmall and Taobao, has been expanding into cloud computing, big data and logistics. An Alibaba spokeswoman declined to comment. (Reporting by Carol Zhong; Writing by Adam Jourdan. Editing by Jane Merriman) From Popular Mechanics Maybe the CIA is spying on you through your television set after all. Documents released by WikiLeaks allege a CIA surveillance program that targets everyday gadgets ranging from smart TVs to smartphones to cars. Such snooping, WikiLeaks said, could turn some of these devices into recorders of everyday conversations - and could also circumvent data-scrambling encryption on communications apps such as Facebook's WhatsApp. WikiLeaks is, for now, withholding details on the specific hacks used "until a consensus emerges" on the nature of the CIA's program and how the methods should be "analyzed, disarmed and published." But WikiLeaks - a nonprofit that routinely publishes confidential documents, frequently from government sources - claims that the data and documents it obtained reveal a broad program to bypass security measures on everyday products. If true, the disclosure could spark new privacy tensions between the government and the technology industry. Relations have been fraught since 2013, when former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden disclosed secret NSA surveillance of phone and digital communications. Just last year, the two sides feuded over the FBI's calls for Apple to rewrite its operating system so that agents could break into the locked iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino attackers. The FBI ultimately broke into the phone with the help of an outside party; the agency has neither disclosed the party nor the nature of the vulnerability, preventing Apple from fixing it. According to WikiLeaks, much of the CIA program centered on dozens of vulnerabilities it discovered but didn't disclose to the gadget makers. Common practice calls for government agencies to disclose such flaws to companies privately, so that they could fix them. For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android. Instead, WikiLeaks claims, the CIA held on to the knowledge in order to conduct a variety of attacks. As a result, tech companies such as Apple, Google and Microsoft haven't been able to make the necessary fixes. Story continues "Serious vulnerabilities not disclosed to the manufacturers places huge swathes of the population and critical infrastructure at risk to foreign intelligence or cyber criminals who independently discover or hear rumors of the vulnerability," WikiLeaks wrote in a press release. "If the CIA can discover such vulnerabilities so can others." Not everyone is worried, though. Alan Paller, director of research for the cybersecurity training outfit SANS Institute, said the case boils down to "spies who use their tools to do what they are paid to do." He said criminals already have similar tools - and he's more worried about that. Rich Mogull, CEO of the security research firm Securosis, said that agencies gathering intelligence on other organizations and governments need, by definition, technical exploits that aren't public. If they're authentic, the leaked CIA documents frame a stark reality: It may be that no digital conversation, photo or other slice of life can be shielded from spies and other intruders prying into smartphones, personal computers, tablets or just about device connected to the internet. "It's getting to the point where anything you say, write or electronically transmit on a phone, you have to assume that it is going to be compromised in some way," said Robert Cattanach, a former U.S. Department of Justice attorney who now specializes in cybersecurity and privacy for the law firm Dorsey & Whitney. WikiLeaks claims the hacks allowed the CIA to collect audio and other messages from data-scrambling communication apps such as WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram and Confide by intercepting data before it is encrypted or after it's decoded. The CIA didn't appear to compromise the apps themselves, but rather the phone's underlying operating system. WikiLeaks says the CIA had separate teams looking for vulnerabilities in iPhones and Android phones and also targeted tablets such as iPads. According to WikiLeaks, the vulnerabilities were discovered by the CIA itself or obtained from other government agencies and cyberweapon contractors. WikiLeaks also claims that the CIA worked with U.K. intelligence officials to turn microphones in Samsung smart TVs into listening devices. The microphones are normally there for viewers to make voice commands, such as requests for movie recommendations. If the TV is off, there's no listening being done. But WikiLeaks claims that a CIA hack makes the target TV appear to be off when it's actually on - and listening. WikiLeaks says the audio goes to a covert CIA server rather than a party authorized by Samsung. In such cases, audio isn't limited to TV commands but could include everyday conversations. Other tools in the CIA's arsenal target PCs running Microsoft's Windows system, according to WikiLeaks, which says many of the attacks are in the form of viruses designed to spread through CDs and USB drives. WikiLeaks also says the CIA was also targeting control systems used by cars and trucks. Although WikiLeaks didn't have details on how that might be used, it said the capability might allow the CIA to "engage in nearly undetectable assassinations." Microsoft said it was aware of the reports and was looking into them. Apple said an initial analysis showed many of the security gaps brought up in the leaked documents were already patched in the latest iOS. "We will continue work to rapidly address any identified vulnerabilities," it said. Google and Samsung didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. In a statement, General Motors said it would be premature to comment on the documents, including its authenticity. But GM added that it knew of no injuries or death resulting from the hacking of a vehicle. You Might Also Like The New York Times reported last year that starting in 2010, to the end of 2012, the Chinese killed "at least a dozen" sources the CIA had inside China and imprisoned six or more others (AFP Photo/SAUL LOEB) Washington (AFP) - The Central Intelligence Agency accused WikiLeaks of endangering Americans, helping US rivals and hampering the fight against terror threats by releasing what the anti-secrecy site claimed was a trove of CIA hacking tools. A CIA spokeswoman would not confirm the authenticity of the materials published by WikiLeaks, which said they were leaked from the spy agency's hacking operations. Nevertheless, said spokeswoman Heather Fritz Horniak, "The American public should be deeply troubled by any WikiLeaks disclosure designed to damage the intelligence community's ability to protect America against terrorists and other adversaries." "Such disclosures not only jeopardize US personnel and operations, but also equip our adversaries with tools and information to do us harm," she said. Horniak defended the CIA's cyber operations, which the WikiLeaks materials showed focused heavily on breaking into personal electronics using a wide range of malware systems. "It is CIA's job to be innovative, cutting-edge, and the first line of defense in protecting this country from enemies abroad," she said. - Massive leak - On Tuesday, WikiLeaks published nearly 9,000 documents it said were part of a huge trove leaked from the CIA, describing it as the largest-ever publication of secret intelligence materials. "This extraordinary collection, which amounts to more than several hundred million lines of code, gives its possessor the entire hacking capacity of the CIA," it said. The documents showed that CIA hackers can turn a TV into a listening device, bypass popular encryption apps, and possibly control one's car. Most experts believe the materials to be genuine, and US media said Wednesday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is opening a criminal probe into the leak. The source of the materials remained unclear. The investigation could focus on whether the CIA was sloppy in its controls, or, as The Washington Post reported, it could be "a major mole hunt" for a malicious leaker or turncoat inside the agency. Story continues WikiLeaks itself said the documents, hacking tools and code came from an archive that had circulated among US government hackers and private contractors. An investigation would come as the CIA is already enmeshed in a politically-charged probe into Russia's alleged interference in the US election last year in support of President Donald Trump's campaign. WikiLeaks, which has stunned the US government with a series of publications of top secret political, diplomatic and intelligence materials, said the publication Tuesday was only the first of a series of releases of CIA hacking materials. That raised concerns that the site could release the actual hacking tools it obtained along with the documents. Experts worry those could fall into the hands of anyone, including US enemies and criminals. - Tech sector scrambles for fixes - The WikiLeaks documents detailed the CIA's practice of exploiting vulnerabilities in hardware and software, without ever informing producers of them. The CIA allegedly found ways to hack into personal electronics from leading companies like Apple and Samsung, Android phones, popular Microsoft software, and crucial routers from major manufacturers. The documents suggest it can also infiltrate smartphones in a way that allows it to get around popular messaging encryption apps. The tech sector was scrambling to understand how their products were at risk. "While our initial analysis indicates that many of the issues leaked today were already patched in the latest iOS, we will continue work to rapidly address any identified vulnerabilities," Apple said in an emailed statement. "We're confident that security updates and protections in both Chrome and Android already shield users from many of these alleged vulnerabilities," Google director of information security and privacy Heather Adkins said in a released statement. "Our analysis is ongoing and we will implement any further necessary protections." Samsung and Microsoft both said they were "looking into" what WikiLeaks revealed. - Encryption apps safe- Joseph Hall, a technologist with the Center for Democracy and Technology, a digital rights organization, said the documents raise questions about the US government's pledge last year to disclose vulnerabilities to technology firms. That pledge means "security flaws should get back to the companies so they can get fixed, and not languish for years," he said. The American Civil Liberties Union commented in a tweet: "When the govt finds software security holes, it should help fix them, not hoard them and leave everyone vulnerable." Companies that make encryption programs and apps targeted by the CIA said the revelations show the agency has not been able to break their software. Open Whisper Systems, which developed the technology for the Signal encryption app, said the CIA documents showed that Signal works. "None of the exploits are in Signal or break Signal Protocol encryption," the group said in a tweet. "The existence of these hacking tools is a testimonial to the strength of the encryption," said Steve Bellovin, a Columbia University computer science researcher, in a blog post. NEW YORK (AP) WikiLeaks has offered to help the likes of Google and Apple identify the software holes used by purported CIA hacking tools and that puts the tech industry in something of a bind. While companies have both a responsibility and financial incentive to fix problems in their software, accepting help from WikiLeaks raises legal and ethical questions. And it's not even clear at this point exactly what kind of assistance WikiLeaks can offer. THE PROMISE WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Thursday that the anti-secrecy site will help technology companies find and fix software vulnerabilities in everyday gadgets such as phones and TVs. In an online news conference, Assange said some companies had asked for more details about the purported CIA cyberespionage toolkit that he revealed in a massive disclosure on Tuesday. "We have decided to work with them, to give them some exclusive access to the additional technical details we have, so that fixes can be developed and pushed out," Assange said. The digital blueprints for what he described as "cyberweapons" would be published to the world "once this material is effectively disarmed by us." Any conditions WikiLeaks might set for its cooperation weren't immediately known. Nor was it clear if WikiLeaks holds additional details on specific vulnerabilities, or merely the tools designed to exploit them. Apple declined comment on the WikiLeaks offer, and Google didn't respond to requests for comment. Microsoft said it hopes that anyone with knowledge of software vulnerabilities would report them through the company's usual channels. LEGAL QUESTIONS Tech companies could run into legal difficulties in accepting the offer, especially if they have government contracts or employees with security clearances. "The unauthorized release of classified documents does not mean it's unclassified," said Stewart Baker, a former official at the Department of Homeland Security and former legal counsel for the National Security Agency. "Doing business with WikiLeaks and reviewing classified documents poses a real risk for at least their government contracting arms and their cleared employees." Story continues Other lawyers, however, are convinced that much of the information in the documents is so widely known that they are now part of the public domain. That means tech companies would be unlikely to face any legal liability for digging deeper with WikiLeaks. Alternatively, suppose tech companies don't accept WikiLeaks' offer to help fix any security flaws and are subsequently hacked. At that point, they could face charges of negligence, particularly in Europe where privacy laws are much stricter than in the U.S., said Michael Zweiback, a former assistant U.S. attorney and cybercrime adviser now in private practice. GETTING TOO CLOSE TO WIKILEAKS Public perception might be a bigger problem. "They don't want to be seen as endorsing or supporting an organization with a tainted reputation and an unclear agenda," said Robert Cattanach, a former U.S. Department of Justice attorney. During the 2016 election, WikiLeaks published thousands of emails, some embarrassing, from breached Democratic Party computers and the account of a top aide to Hillary Clinton. U.S. intelligence agencies concluded those emails were stolen by hackers connected to the Russian government in an attempt to help Donald Trump win the presidency. The CIA did not respond directly to Assange's offer, but it appeared to take a dim view of it. "Julian Assange is not exactly a bastion of truth and integrity," CIA spokeswoman Heather Fritz Horniak said. But most tech companies already have digital hotlines to receive tips about security weaknesses, even if they come from unsavory characters. So it wouldn't break new ground for them to consult with a shadowy organization such as WikiLeaks. A BETTER PATH Ideally, the CIA would have shared such vulnerabilities directly with companies, as other government agencies have long done. In that case, companies would not only be dealing with a known entity in an aboveboard fashion, they might also obtain a more nuanced understanding of the problems than their engineers could glean from documents or lines of computer code. And if companies could learn details about how the CIA found these vulnerabilities, they might also find additional holes using the same technique, said Johannes Ullrich, director of the Internet Storm Center at the SANS Institute. And there are risks obtaining actual hacking tools from WikiLeaks. Some might have unadvertised features that could, for instance, start extracting data as soon as they launch. Ullrich said the CIA also might have left some traps to attack people running its exploits. If these aren't detailed in the documents, only the CIA would be able to help tech companies avoid setting them off. If all goes well, WikiLeaks could emerge looking better than some parts of the U.S. government. "I am not a fan of WikiLeaks, but I don't think it is fair to throw rocks at everything they do," said Cindy Cohn, executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a group specializing in online privacy and other digital rights. "What WikiLeaks is demonstrating is that the CIA does not have the best interests of these companies at heart." BETTER THAN NOTHING There's one more unknown, which is just how much help WikiLeaks can actually provide. Apple, Google and Microsoft say they've already rendered many of the alleged CIA cyberespionage tools obsolete with earlier updates that patched related software holes. Still, the companies will probably want to check out what WikiLeaks has, assuming that the organization hasn't set unreasonable conditions on its cooperation. Some privacy and security experts believe the CIA's own refusal to contact the affected companies about the vulnerabilities gives them little choice. "We all should have better security, and certainly at this point, not trying to fixing them makes no sense," Cohn said. ___ Liedtke reported from San Ramon, Calif. Raphael Satter in Paris, Paisley Dodds in London and Deb Riechmann in Washington contributed to this report. ___ This story has been corrected to reflect that purported CIA tools are not aimed at "defeating encryption" but at hijacking computers. Yesterday, those of us already concerned about the amount of personal data being collected by smart TVs and other devices got a bit of a jolt when a dump of new documents by WikiLeaks claimed that the CIA had hacked into Samsung smart TVs, along with other devices. The CIA hasn't said whether the trove of documents, dubbed "Vault 7," is authentic or not, but the material indicates the CIA devised a way to turn these televisions into bugging devices, using the built-in microphones to eavesdrop on any conversation within earshot. During a live-streamed press event the day after the leaks were released, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said the group has decided to work with technology companies so they can fix security issues with their products before more information is released. "We have decided to work with [manufacturers], to give them some exclusive access to some of the technical details we have, so that fixes can be developed and pushed out," Assange said. Security professionals say the smart TV attack probably targeted specific espionage targets. "Nothing in this suggests it would be used for mass surveillance," says Sarah Zatko, a information-security expert and the cofounder of Cyber Independent Testing Lab (CITL), a nonprofit software security-testing organization that has partnered with Consumer Reports to create a new privacy standard. "I highly doubt you're one of the targets unless you have some pretty big secrets." More details on the CIA program may emerge. However, the information in the Vault 7 leak highlights the fact that consumers are inviting more microphones and video cameras into their homes, in devices that are connected to the internet and potentially vulnerable to hacking. The Samsung TVs cited in the leak were outliers when they came on the market and were tested by Consumer Reports in 2012 and 2013. Today, smart TVs are everywhere, and nearly all of them capture and share information about what you're watching and what online sites you're visiting. (We've been offering advice on how to shut off a TV's snooping features since 2015, and updated our instructions just last month.) Story continues Recent data shows consumers have serious concerns about privacy and security. In a nationally representative CR Consumer Voices Survey conducted in January, 65 percent of respondents told us they are either slightly or not at all confident that their personal data is private and not distributed without their knowledge. The CIA news "underscores the urgent need for strong privacy protections in the digital marketplace, and CR will work tirelessly to advance the rights of consumers to safeguard themselves from intrusion and abuse, whatever its source," Marta L. Tellado, President & CEO of Consumer Reports, says. Meet the Hacked Samsung Smart TVs It's not clear how many Samsung smart TV models may have been compromised, but the F8000 series was named in the WikiLeaks material. We remember the F8000 series wellthey were good TVs. We tested the 55-inch 55UNF8000 and the 65-inch UN65F8000 sets back in 2013. Both were top-scoring flagship 1080p models in CR's TV ratings. These sets delivered excellent high-definition picture quality, with razor-sharp detail and excellent color accuracy. More to the point considering the WikiLeaks news, they had some of the most advanced internet features we'd seen at that time. Both televisions could access a WiFi network, but only once the user plugged in a WiFi adapter into one of three USB ports. Most importantly, the TV had an embedded microphone, and another mic in the remote. The TV also included a built-in video camera. These components were part of Samsung's "Smart Interaction," a feature to let users control the TV using hand gestures or voice commands. We didn't think very much of the gesture control, which was clunky, and the TV's trick of using facial recognition to log you into your account bordered on the creepy. But the voice feature was useful, especially when you were searching for content. (Yes, the microphone worked reliably.) We've asked Samsung which other models could be affected by the purported CIA hacks, and are waiting for a response. In the meantime, the company sent this statement: "Protecting consumers privacy and the security of our devices is a top priority at Samsung. We are aware of the report in question and are urgently looking into the matter. The report describes a malicious software installed through a physically connected USB drive which applies to firmwares on TVs sold in 2012 and 2013, most of which have already been patched through a firmware update." What the CIA DidAnd Didn't Do The WikiLeaks documents include engineering notes about the smart TV hacking, which provide some details about what the CIA was allegedly able to pull off. Working with Britain's MI5 secret service, the CIA developed several capabilities. First, the agencies created a "Fake Off" mode that tricked users into thinking their TVs were turned off when they were still secretly recording audio. The documents also claim that CIA hackers managed to prevent a TV from automatically updating its firmware. The malware worked on firmware versions 1111, 1112the firmware on the sets we testedand 1116, but versions 1118 and higher apparently blocked it. The WikiLeaks document states that the CIA's malwaredubbed Weeping Angel, to the consternation of many Dr. Who fanswas delivered by a USB drive plugged directly into a TV. According to Zatko, that's one of several clues that this malware was developed to spy on a specific target. "When your average cyber criminal launches a similar attack, they'd prefer to do it over the wire," she says. "The CIA, on the other hand, wouldn't want a cyber attack to be traced back to the United States. Doing this through a remote exploit might have opened them up to greater chance of attribution, or maybe they were just confident they would have physical access [to the TV]". The documents also included a to-do list. When Fake Off was running, a blue LED light on the back of the set would remain illuminated. It was a telltale sign that the television wasn't completely powered down. According to the documents on WikiLeaks, hackers planned to look for a way to shut that light off. The CIA software team also wanted to devise a method for capturing video and photos from the television's camera. According to the documents, the group wanted to learn whether Samsung could provide technical support to the TV remotely and whether that capability could be hacked. And they intended to investigate whether the TV's web browser or any of the default apps on the set were vulnerable to a "man-in-the-middle" attack, in which data would be intercepted as it passed between the TV and the internet, without tipping off the user. What Consumers Can Do Consumers can follow our advice on how to turn off the snooping features in TVs made by Samsung, LG, and Vizio, leading players in the U.S. market. Those settings may not stop the type of attack the CIA apparently devised, but they should stop the TV from collecting data on behalf of the manufacturer and third parties. When the F8000 was introduced, users had to say "Hi, TV" to activate the TV's microphone. That seemed to protect user privacy. But in 2015 Samsung warned customers, "if your spoken words include personal or other sensitive information, that information will be among the data captured and transmitted" to Samsung and third parties, including the company providing the technology behind voice recognition. TV makers also have methods for tracking what you watch on television; the information is transmitted back to the manufacturers or their partners. But changing the privacy settings on your TV probably won't protect against malware. The alleged CIA documents highlight the fact that our homes are becoming target-rich environments for criminals, filled with connected devices that provide lots of convenience, but very inconsistent security. "Theres such a wide variety of devices that are placed in our homes in positions of trust," Zatko says, "and the vendors generally gave little to no thought in how they could be secured against misuse." One wise move is to keep the firmware up-to-date on all your connected devices. This will ensure that you benefit from security fixes put in place by the manufacturers. On a Samsung television, do this by going to the TV's main menu, finding Support, and selecting Software Update. If your television is too old to accept an update, we advise returning the TV to its factory default settings. You may lose your TV's picture settings, but a reset should wipe out any malware installed on the television. Or, you can follow Zatko's lead and go retro. "I dont have a smart TV or smart thermostat because it's not worth the security risk," she says. "My advice? Buy the smart device if you really need the smart features, but if the dumb one will do, go for that." Note: This article has been updated to include comments from Julian Assange, as well as additional statements from Samsung. More from Consumer Reports: Top pick tires for 2016 Best used cars for $25,000 and less 7 best mattresses for couples Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright 2006-2017 Consumers Union of U.S. Samsung is exploring new ways to get its flagship mobile payments solution in more markets around the worldand its latest attempt involves markets that aren't covered in premium phones. The South Korean technology company plans to bring support for Samsung Pay on their non-premium smartphones lineup, including its budget J series models in India, according to two sources familiar with the matter. SEE ALSO: Samsung Pay to launch in India in first half of 2017 Until now, Samsung Pay has been positioned as a headline feature on the companys premium offering: the Galaxy S series of smartphones and the newly introduced Galaxy A lineup. Sources said the company will explore this opportunity starting in India in the coming months and use the learnings to see if it is viable to replicate this in other markets as well. So how's this going to work? As it turns out, recently-manufactured batches of several budget and mid-level Samsung smartphones have the hardware capability to support Samsung Pay, one of the sources said. We were told that users with a low-end Samsung smartphone will have to enter PIN for Samsung Pay authentication. Samsung Pay uses fingerprint as well as PIN for verification during transactions. Last month, Mashable exclusively reported about Samsungs plan to launch Samsung Pay in India in the first half of this year. Earlier this month, the companys service went live in the country, albeit in limited capacity. Image: screengrab/samsung india Samsung Pay app currently accepts Indian cards powered by MasterCard and Visa. It also supports Paytm, the largest mobile wallet app in the country. Both of our sources say the company's still in talks with other card issuers, and the final rollout could happen as soon as the end of this month. Amid the countrys demonetisation move last year, mobile wallet apps and other epayment solutions have seen an exponential growth in both transactions and app downloads. Samsung began looking into the Indian market amid the countrys fight to survive without cash. Story continues In the months since, other players have also expressed intentions of bringing their mobile payment solutions to India. During his visit to India, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the company was thinking about a mobile payment solution to India. The feature, Pichai said in January, could come baked in Android mobile operating system. Any such service is yet to go live in India. While its other rival Apple remains tight lipped on the matter of expanding mobile payment systems, Samsung's move could give it an instant boost in the nation, several analysts who spoke to Mashable last month said. Furthermore, Samsung Pay supports MST (Magnetic Secure Transmission), a technology that allows it to send a magnetic signal from a compatible device to the payment terminal's card reader. This allows the smartphone to mimic a physical card, enabling the vast majority of existing terminals to support Samsung Pay as well. Most PoS terminals dont support NFC, a hardware requirement needed for Apple Pay to work. In India alone, Samsung has over 85 million smartphones, of which J series lineup phones amount to a 25 million install base, according to Tarun Pathak, senior analyst at marketing research firm Counterpoint. Samsung has over 800 million smartphone users worldwide, more than 60 percent of which are non-premium handsets, Pathak added. And soon, that group of people will have the ability to pay with those handsets in yet another country, as the mobile payments race continues apace. Apple is rumored to release three new iPhone models this year, two of them will be revamped versions of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, along with the highly anticipated iPhone 8, which is expected to commemorate the iPhones 10 year anniversary. However, the iPhone 8 (or iPhone X) could be launched after the other two iPhones, according to iGeneration. The iPhone 8, which is rumored to come with an OLED display, may have a later release date because some key components will not be ready for September. The parts are reportedly being produced by STMicroelectronics in a factory in Crolles, France. Read: iPhone 8 Facial Recognition Technology Detailed In New Apple Patent STMicroelectronics will reportedly make sensors for the front 3D camera on the device, a feature that had been previously rumored. In February, KGI securities analyst Ming Chi-Kuo suggested the iPhone 8 could have a 3D-sensing front camera that may support depth sensing for games and facial recognition. The 3D sensing camera could replace the touch ID feature on current iPhones. The 3D camera could also support augmented reality capabilities, something that Apple CEO Tim Cook has previously shows interest in. In a financial report, STMicroelectronics suggested it would invest $1 billion in 2017 for new products and technologies. The companys CEO said, without mentioning Apple, it expects a contract recently taken [will lead to] substantial revenues expected in the second half of 2017 However, the report suggests the iPhone 8 will be delayed and may not be ready for its September release date. Meanwhile, another report also expects Apple to delay the iPhone 8, which could be called the iPhone Edition, according to Japanese blog Mac Otaka. The report said Apple will reveal the iPhone 8 alongside the iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus in September, however, the 10th anniversary device will launch at a later date. Apple is still testing multiple prototypes, which could be a reason for the delay. Also, its not certain whether the device with the OLED display without the physical home button will make it to the production phase this year, the report said. Story continues Apple iPhone 8 Rumors Apple is expected to release three new iPhones this year, a 4.7-inch model, a 5.5-inch and a 5.8-inch version. Two iPhones that will sport LCD panels this year and the iPhone 8 will come with an OLED panel which could stretch across the entire front of the device, meaning the iPhone might be priced at more than $1,000. Apple is also rumored to ditch the physical home button from the iPhone 8 by placing it underneath the display surface and will be a button to touch not press. Related Articles By Dustin Volz and Joseph Menn WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Wikileaks will provide technology companies with exclusive access to CIA hacking tools that it possesses so they can patch software flaws, founder Julian Assange said on Thursday, presenting Silicon Valley with a potential dilemma on how to deal with the anti-secrecy group. If the offer is legitimate, it would place technology companies in the unusual position of relying on Assange, a man believed by some U.S. officials and lawmakers to be an untrustworthy pawn of Russian President Vladimir Putin, to share cyber vulnerabilities stockpiled by a secretive U.S. spy agency. It was not clear how WikiLeaks intended to cooperate with the companies. The group published documents on Tuesday describing secret Central Intelligence Agency hacking tools and snippets of computer code. It did not publish the full programs that would be needed to actually conduct cyber exploits against phones, computers and Internet-connected televisions. "Considering what we think is the best way to proceed and hearing these calls from some of the manufacturers, we have decided to work with them to give them some exclusive access to the additional technical details that we have so that the fixes can be developed and pushed out, so people can be secure," Assange said during an online press conference from the Ecuadorean embassy in London. Assange took refuge at the embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden over allegations of rape, which he denies. Microsoft Corp and Cisco Systems Inc , whose wares are subject to attacks described in the documents, said in response to Assange that they welcomed submissions of any vulnerabilities through normal reporting channels. "We've seen Julian Assange's statement and have not yet been contacted," a Microsoft representative said. "Our preferred method for anyone with knowledge of security issues, including the CIA or Wikileaks, is to submit details to us at secure@microsoft.com so we can review information and take any necessary steps to protect customers." Representatives of Alphabet Inc's Google , Apple Inc , Samsung Electronics Co Ltd <005930.KS> and Huawei[HWT.UL], whose products were also featured in the CIA catalog, did not answer requests for comment. Responding to Assange, CIA spokesman Jonathan Liu, said in a statement: "As weve said previously, Julian Assange is not exactly a bastion of truth and integrity." "Despite the efforts of Assange and his ilk, CIA continues to aggressively collect foreign intelligence overseas to protect America from terrorists, hostile nation states and other adversaries." WikiLeaks' disclosures this week caused alarmed in the technology world and among consumers because of the potential privacy implications of the cyber espionage tactics that were described. One file described a programme known as Weeping Angel that purportedly could take over a Samsung smart television, making it appear it was off when in fact it was recording conversations in the room. Other documents described ways to hack into Apple iPhones, devices running Google's Android software and other gadgets in a way that could observe communications before they are protected by end-to-end encryption offered by messaging apps like Signal or WhatsApp. Several companies have already said they are confident that their recent security updates have accounted for the purported flaws described in the CIA documents. Apple said in a statement on Tuesday that "many of the issues" leaked had already been patched in the latest version of its operating system. WikiLeaks' publication of the documents reignited a debate about whether U.S. intelligence agencies should hoard serious cyber security vulnerabilities rather than share them with the public. An interagency process created under former President Barack Obama called for erring on the side of disclosure. CIA SECURITY President Donald Trump believes changes are needed to safeguard secrets at the CIA, White House spokesman Sean Spicer told a news briefing on Thursday. "He believes that the systems at the CIA are outdated and need to be updated." Two U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials told Reuters on Wednesday that intelligence agencies have been aware since the end of last year of a breach at the CIA, which led to WikiLeaks releasing thousands of pages of information on its website. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said contractors likely breached security and handed over the documents to WikiLeaks. The CIA has declined to comment on the authenticity of the documents leaked, but the officials said they believed the pages about hacking techniques used between 2013 and 2016 were authentic. Contractors have been revealed as the source of sensitive government information leaks in recent years, most notably Edward Snowden and Harold Martin, both employed by consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton while working for the National Security Agency. Assange said he possessed "a lot more information" about the CIA's cyber arsenal that would be released soon. He criticized the CIA for "devastating incompetence" for not being able to control access to such sensitive material, and asked whether Obama or Trump were made aware of the breaches. Assange's group released Democratic emails during the 2016 presidential campaign that U.S. intelligence agencies say were hacked by Russia to try to tilt the election against Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. He is regarded with distaste by many in Washington, although Trump, then the Republican candidate, supported the group's email releases last year. Ben Sasse, a Republican senator, said in a statement on Thursday that Assange should "spend the rest of his life wearing an orange jumpsuit." He is "an enemy of the American people and an ally to Vladimir Putin" who has "has dedicated his lifes work to endangering innocent lives, abetting despots, and stoking a crisis of confidence in the West," Sasse said. (Reporting by Dustin Volz; Additional reporting by Eric Auchard in Frankfurt, Joseph Menn in San Francisco and Guy Falconbridge in London; Editing by Grant McCool and Frances Kerry) A flag bearing the logo of Samsung Electronics is pictured at its headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, November 29, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji (Reuters) (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd <005930.KS> is planning to expand its U.S. production facilities, shifting some manufacturing from Mexico, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The company is in early talks to open a new home appliance-making facility in the United States, a Samsung spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that Samsung began reviewing manufacturing operations "early last fall." Samsung declined to comment on whether it would move manufacturing from Mexico. Samsung's initial capital investment is expected to be about $300 million, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. An executive at Samsung in Mexico, who asked not to be named, said: "Whatever happens in the future is really a decision made by our headquarters, it's not an internal decision of ours." Reuters reported early in February that Samsung may build a U.S. plant for its home appliances business. The South Korean company's move comes amid criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump about companies manufacturing abroad for U.S. consumers. The Trump administration has threatened an import tax, while Trump has attacked some of the world's biggest companies, prompting some to make promises to invest more in the United States. Samsung's move follows a similar investment from rival LG Electronics Inc <066570.KS>, which said last month it would spend $250 million to build a home appliance factory in the United States. At least five U.S. states are in talks with Samsung, and the move could generate around 500 jobs, the Journal reported. http://on.wsj.com/2lYsAkk (Reporting by Anya George Tharakan in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Diane Bartz in Washington and Anthony Esposito in Mexico City; Editing by Sai Sachin Ravikumar and Peter Cooney) According to the Wall Street Journal, Samsung is planning on investing $300 million in a new home-appliance factory somewhere in the US. The project would initially move 500 jobs to the US, and appears to be an attempt to curry favor with the new administration, as well as a pre-emptive move to minimize the impact of any border tax on Mexican goods. Don't Miss: Googles Pixel copied the iPhone 6, and it looks like the Pixel 2 will copy the iPhone 7 The initial plan is to move production of some oven ranges to the US, according to the WSJs sources. Theres a possibility that in future years, refrigerators and those exploding washing machines could be made in the US, but as with many recent proclamations about sudden investment in the US, theres no firm plans or details for that expansion. Theres also no timeline for when Samsung will be opening its oven factory, although the company is said to be in discussion with different states about the possibility of locating the factory. Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio and South Carolina are reportedly in the running, with South Carolina the strong contender. The report comes at a good time for Samsung, which is fighting a publicity battle after Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong was indicted by South Korean prosecutors on bribery charges last week. Mr Lee is currently being held in a South Korean jail, being forced to watch TV on an LG-produced display, according to nightmarish reports. Trending right now: See the original version of this article on BGR.com By Mathieu Rosemain and Laetitia Volga PARIS (Reuters) - Shares in chipmaker STMicroelectronics slumped on Thursday, making them among the worst performers in Europe, on concerns that it could be late on supplying some components for Apple's next-generation smartphone. STMicro shares were down by 5.6 percent in mid-session trading after French website iGeneration and DigiTimes reported that its 3D image sensors for Apple's next-generation handset - the iPhone 8 - may not be ready for a September debut. A spokesman for STMicro declined to comment on the speculation. STMicro was among the worst-performing shares on both the pan-European STOXX 600 index and Paris' SBF-120 market, although the stock remains up by around 30 percent since the start of 2017. Apple is among the chipmaker's major clients, but the company does not provide details on the nature of components it manufactures for the phone-maker. "According to a report by DigiTimes, there might be a lag of several months for the new iPhone's delivery," said Dorian Terral, an analyst for brokerage Bryan Garnier. "It was the case for the iWatch, the MacBook Pro. It has nothing to do with the quality of (STMicro)'s products but rather with a longer-than-expected ramping up on Apple's side, because of the complexity of their phone," he added. STMicro, Europe's third largest semiconductor company, announced in January a deal with an unnamed customer that can generate "substantial revenues" in the second half of the year, which analysts believe are tied to parts for upcoming Apple iPhones. The next generation iPhone 8 line is expected to be released by Apple later in 2017. (Reporting by Laetitia Volga and Mathieu Rosemain; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta) This image released by HBO shows a scene from the documentary, "Cries From Syria," premiering March 13, on HBO. (HBO via AP) BEIRUT (AP) It has been 18 months since the body of 3-year old Aylan Kurdi washed up on the shore of Turkey, the premature end of a flight from Syria. Nilufer Demir's photo of Kurdi, face down in the morning surf, prompted an outpouring of compassion for refugees around Europe and North America. Now, voters in developed countries are rewarding candidates for smearing refugee resettlement as a cultural and security threat, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Director Evgeny Afineevsky hopes his new documentary, "Cries From Syria," which premieres at 10 p.m. EST Monday on HBO, can revive our collective sympathy. "I tried to show the human side of these people, and their dignity," he said in an interview from Los Angeles. "Their dignity is the essential thing." Its HBO premiere and limited run in Los Angeles and New York movie theaters falls on nearly on the sixth anniversary of Syria's murderous war, one so brutish, the U.N. has lost count of the death toll. Most estimates put it over 400,000. The government is responsible for the bulk of those fatalities. "Cries From Syria" is a difficult film that opens with a shot of little Aylan's body before rewinding to the popular uprising that spiraled into war. The historical context given is thin, but in broad strokes, is factually correct. The Assad family had ruled Syria with an iron fist for four decades, and cracked down on dissent with militaristic violence. However, those hoping for an in-depth history lesson on how President Bashar Assad managed to maintain an indissoluble core of support within the state's various security apparatuses and the air force will need to look elsewhere. Stitching together footage recorded by activists of the events in Syria with moving interviews from people who can only be described as survivors of Assad's desperation to rule, Afineevsky delivers a wrenching expose of the crackdown that sparked the still-raging war. Story continues A lot of the footage is graphic, and will be unfamiliar to those who have not followed Syria closely. Viewers will gaze on the disfigured corpse of a dead 13-year-old who, by opposition accounts, was kidnapped and tortured to death by the government's security services in 2011 to make an example out of protesters. "Without this brutality, you won't understand why these people are looking for shelter, why the take the boats and head for the seas," said Afineevsky, whose 2015 "Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom" was nominated for an Oscar for best documentary. "You want to feel the same thing that mothers feel, to lose their kids." Individual cases are difficult to verify, but prosecutors and human rights watchdogs have accumulated reams of evidence pointing to an industrial scale of torture and extrajudicial killings in the government's shadowy network of detention centers. They have collected evidence of war crimes by the conflicts other parties, too, though at a smaller scale. The film moves through the phases of the war, ending with a chapter called "In Between" that returns to the desperate attempts to flee the war. One of them, of course, belongs to Kurdi's family. The U.N.'s refugee agency says 5 million Syrians nearly one-quarter of the country's pre-war population are refugees. Once citizens, with jobs, belongings, homes, access to education and health care, they are now mired in the camps and the ghettos of Syria's neighbors. They are stateless, and they need onward passage to rich, developed nations, for the sake of their children's futures if for nothing else. But the nature of the subject matter means the film will doubtless raise other questions, as well, chief among them: What could the U.S. and Europe have done? What can they still do? In one of the final clips of the film, Kholoud Helmi, 33, who earlier described the uprising in the most romantic terms, tells viewers she doesn't know what she wishes for anymore. What she wants most dearly a brother who was disappeared by the security forces can never be returned. It is to Afineevsky's credit that he leaves these questions unanswered. The truth is, Syria's future is dark, and any accounting for the realities today reveals there is little room for hope. At its core, "Cries For Syria" is unsparing. But whether it will move American and European viewers to rethink their posture toward refugees is anyone's guess. History suggests that feelings of collective generosity are ephemeral. ___ AP reporter Philip Issa is based in Beirut and has covered Syria's civil war since 2015. MSNBCs Morning Joe has beef with Fox News. On Tuesdays edition of Foxs Outnumbered, the panel mocked Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinskis for emotionally speaking out against actions taken by President Trump, calling her a commentator, not a journalist. Nothing sexist there, Brzezinskis male co-host Joe Scarborough sarcastically noted on Wednesday mornings show, which just so happened to fall on International Womens Day. Brzezinski went on to describe Outnumbered as a program where all these people with long legs and short skirts talk about how people feel about the news. Scarborough continued: They had like 30 women or something and like one guy in the middle and its called Outnumbered. Yesterday it was poor Eric Bolling and he was wonderful. Also Read: Mika Brzezinski Accuses Trump of Knowing 'He Messed Up' on Wiretapping Claims It should be noted that its actually four women and one man on Outnumbered and they presumably refered to Bolling as wonderful because he admitted to watching Morning Joe on a regular basis during Tuesdays episode. They spend a segment talking about Mika Mika was very upset a couple of days ago and as she was signing off said that she was crying. She wasnt crying. I know the emotions of Mika, so do viewers. She wasnt crying, she was pissed off, Scarborough said. Seriously though, people said she was crying and tearing up because she was upset. Outnumbered wasnt the only Fox News program to mock Brzezinski on Tuesday: Sean Hannity also tore into her after playing a clip of her bashing Trump. Brzezinski has fought back against sexism in the past, recently tweeting to a publication that accused her of being tearful on air: Tearfully? Really? Review the tape. All eyes on that set were dry. Is this how you marginalize women who speak up? Interesting. Story continues Related stories from TheWrap: 'The White House Is a Joke': 'Morning Joe' Rips Trump for Obama Wiretapping Claims (Video) 'Morning Joe' Says Timing of Jeff Sessions Bombshell Was Politically Motivated 'Morning Joe' Accuses Kellyanne Conway of Being a 'Leaker Extraordinaire' (Video) 1. Yes. Taxpayers are funding its operation; they should have a voice in the naming process. 2. Yes. The city should operate with a spirit of inclusivity. Residents will be responsive. 3. No. Public input can be problematic; rejection of suggestions can be divisive for residents. 4. No. Residents elect council members to make decisions on their behalf. No input is needed. 5. Unsure. Its hard to say whether public input would be more of a benefit or a hindrance. Vote View Results By Ruth Anderah The Court of Appeal had nullified the election of Moses Walyomu as the Kagoma county MP in Jinja district and ordered the Electoral Commission to conduct fresh elections. Justices Fredrick Engonda -Ntende, Paul Mugamba and Alfonse Owiny-Dollo have today overturned the decision of the Jinja High court that had rejected the evidence of voter bribery against Walyomu. Walyomus political rival Alex Brandon Kintu was also a candidate in the Kagoma county MP race. He petitioned the Court of Appeal after his election petition was dismissed by Justice Godfrey Namundi for lack of evidence. The court of Appeal has however ruled that Kintu brought satisfactory evidence that Walyomu on 3rd/January 2016 bribed a community of voters with 500, 000 shillings through the leaders of Mawoito mosque. Court also found out that there was intimidation of witnesses with arrest and prosecution by MP Walyomu in Jinja court if they had proceeded to testify against him. The judges also directed the Registrar of the court to serve a copy of this judgment to the Law council to have Walyomus lawyers; Ambrose Tebyasa and Evans Ocheinge disciplined for professional misconduct. No Yes, a light case Yes, two or more light cases One serious case Two or more serious bouts Vote View Results We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form ANGOLA Steuben County Commissioners have turned over to its Courthouse Study Committee feasibility study proposals from two engineering firms as the county moves forward on addressing a variety of issues in the Steuben County Courthouse. The proposals, which were taken under advisement Monday, were presented by the Fort Wayne firms American Structurepoint and MartinRiley Architects-Engineers. The Courthouse Committee meets again on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. in the Commissioners Room of the Steuben Community Center, 317 S. Wayne St., Angola. We will start the work toward a resolution on that decision, said Ron Smith, president of the commissioners. Of the proposals, one, from MartinRiley, shows the judicial branch of government expanding into the Masonic Lodge on the east side of the Public Square. Commissioners say lodge officials wanted to be thrown into the mix of possible solutions to space issues of the courts but have not decided on whether they will sell their large three-story building that takes up most of the east side of the southeast quadrant of the Public Square. The building is flanked by the former First National Bank of Angola building on the north and The Herald Republican on the south. The scale model, which features a replica not only of the Steuben County Courthouse, Soldiers Monument and other buildings on the southeast quadrant of the Public Square, shows a tunnel connecting the courthouse and the Masonic Lodge. The tunnel would go beneath The Herald Republican building, which is on a full basement. The Courthouse Study Committee has been working for a few years to find solutions to tight space conditions and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act standards in the courthouse, which was built in 1867. Options discussed have included closing off East Gale Street and expanding the courthouse south. Another twist has been purchasing the Masonic Lodge building on the east side of the Public Square and expanding court facilities there and keeping administrative offices. Yet another option discussed would involve building a new judicial center on the parking lot or lots between Gale Street and South Street along Martha Street, across from the Steuben County Jail and the Steuben County Courthouse Annex. That plan would include a parking garage, which could be a costly option, Smith has acknowledged. Meanwhile, information presented in Courthouse Study Committee meetings indicates the feasibility study could cost between $30,000-$60,000. With no memory of Cold War one third of young Americans support socialism Jaclyn Dahl flashed her trademark smile and sharp wit during the supremely bittersweet moment of her high school graduation Monday, saying, You know Im valedictorian, right, Dad? Her dad, Jack, who is not expected to live long enough to see his 18-year-old graduate with her De Soto High School classmates May 26, was the first to laugh, but was joined quickly by the 60 to 70 people attending the specially arranged early graduation ceremony at Gundersen Health System. The event was a cooperative venture of Gundersen, where Jack has been hospitalized for three weeks after a year of off-and-on treatments there and at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and De Soto School District administrators and staffers. The ceremony, which evoked tears several times and laughter at others, featured a De Soto High School commencement program except that the date was March 6. The De Soto High Wind Ensemble played Pomp and Circumstance as Jaclyn, wearing cap and gown, walked down steps from Gundersens lobby to the lower level. She embraced, kissed and took a seat next to her dad, who is 62 and is suffering from metastatic cholangiocarcinoma, a rare cancer that affects the bile ducts and is known for very low survival rates and short life expectancy after diagnosis. Sitting in a recliner, Jack was tethered by tubes and wires to medication and monitoring devices next to him. Class President Sierra Tully delivered the welcome, declaring that the ceremony was a recognition of the seniors hard work and dedication. Sixteen of Jaclyns 44 classmates attended the event, which included relatives, friends and Gundersen staffers. Vocal music teacher Craig Pierce addressed the commencement crowd, beginning by quoting Sharon Ralls Lemon, author of The Ultimate Horse Book, to acknowledge one of the key bonds between Jack and Jaclyn. The quote The essential joy of being with horses is that it brings us in contact with the rare elements of grace, beauty, spirit and freedom is a reflection of Jaclyns attributes, Pierce said. He chronicled many of her characteristics, as other teachers had passed on to him, including the fashion sense one of the schools cooks mentioned, the perpetual smile a science teacher admires and a gym teachers praise of her sharp wit, with the occasional touch of humorous sarcasm. Other traits include a strong devotion to and defense of her friends, and her own personal strength and thoughtfulness. Jaclyn truly loves her dad, Pierce said. We have all seen Jaclyns care for her dad, which included giving up many of her high school activities to drive him to treatments. Ive learned from Jaclyn that we can all be strong, Pierce said. After the De Soto High School Choir performed Tim McGraws heartwarming Humble and Kind, social studies teacher Tim Fergot and school board member Rick Pedretti presented Jaclyn with her provisional diploma. Stepping to the microphone, Jaclyn choked up bit as she acknowledged that she hadnt planned or prepared to deliver remarks herself. Then followed the joke she aimed at her dad about being valedictorian before she said, emotionally, Thank you all for coming. It means a lot. Its been a tough road and I couldnt have done it without you especially my dad. After a pause, she told Jack, You made me the girl I am today, pausing ever so slightly again before adding with a smile, and I think I turned out pretty awesome. The comment that evoked laughter and applause through the crowd. Superintendent and principal Linzi Gronning also spoke before declaring Jaclyn a graduate and granted her permission to move the tassel from one side of the mortarboard to the other. Jaclyn played the role to the hilt, tossing her cap high into the air. Gronning smiled at Jacklyns valedictory joke, adding that technically, she was, indeed, valedictorian for a day being the only graduate Monday. When Gronning asked whether anyone else wanted to comment, before the two cakes decorated with Congratulations, Jaclyn were cut and the party began, Jack spoke up firmly, saying, I do. He praised school officials, students and Gundersen personnel in particular the nurses, staff and doctors who had worked so quickly to pull off the event since the idea came up last week. Earlier, Gundersen staffer Sue La Crosse had explained during an interview that the event reflected Gundersens slogan: We Practice Love + Medicine. What is best for our patients sometimes goes above and beyond, La Crosse said. This is incredible, Jack said. Ive got a big family, and Jaclyn has a lot of great friends. I hear about them all the time, although I dont know all of them. In the days Ive got left, he said, this will be a good memory. Shell go on with her future. Im not worried about her as long as she keeps her horses. Talk about the luck of the Irish Catholics: The relative rarity that March 17 falls on a Friday this Lenten season has prompted a dispensation from the traditional abstinence from meat on that day, which happens to be St. Patricks Day. The dispensation, which also is good for German, French, Swedish and Catholics of any other ethnic persuasion on a day when many ethnic groups claim to be Irish for the day, comes courtesy of a decree from Wisconsins bishops, including Bishop William Callahan of the Diocese of La Crosse. So those who have are yearnin for the traditional Irish dish of corned beef and cabbage can feel free to partake on the day. But those who opt to adhere to the Friday observance or who dont like to miss a good fish fry still will find some parishes, such as St. Patrick in Onalaska, putting on their Friday fries. Its relatively uncommon for March 17 to fall on a Friday; the most recent time was in 2006 and the next time will be in 2023. Callahans decree, like those from Winona and many other and dioceses and archdioceses in the country, underscores the significance of fasting and abstinence from meat on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and abstinence as penitential practices on Fridays during Lent. Through our penitential practices, both individually and as the Church, we unite ourselves to the sufferings of Our Lord Jesus Christ and renew our lives more closely to Him, according to the decree, which Callahan issued on Feb. 14. With the feast of St. Patrick falling on a Friday, because of the time-honored celebration of this memorial by some parishes, groups and individuals within the Diocese of La Crosse, I hereby dispense (them) from the required observance of abstinence from meat on Friday, March 17, the decree says. The only hitch is that Callahan decreed that those who eat meat on St. Patricks Day choose another day that week to abstain from meat. I also encourage those who are to celebrate this memorial (of St. Patricks Day) to attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on that day or at least to participate in some other pious action, such as the praying of the Rosary, whether individually, as a group or as a family. Bishop John Quinn of the Winona Diocese urged that those who take advantage of the dispensation perform an alternative act of penance or charity that day. Madison Bishop Robert Morlino issued a statement saying that Catholics should exercise due moderation and temperance in festivities and celebrations of the memorial of St. Patrick, in keeping with the solemnity and honor that is due to so great a saint and his tireless efforts to inspire holiness in the Christian faithful, according to Catholic News Service. In Omaha, Neb., Archbishop George Lucas granted a dispensation but decreed that those who eat meat on St. Patricks Day must abstain the next day, according to the CNS report. It is unknown whether any dioceses declined to lift the requirement, but conflicting policies in past years have resulted in spirited disagreements. For example, when one diocese did not lift the ban but the neighboring one did, the debate focused on whether a resident in the banned region should be allowed to cross diocesan lines to eat meat or remain under home rule. In Onalaska, Monsignor Steven Kachel said St. Patrick Parish still will host its weekly Lenten fish fry. Attesting to the popularity of the meal, served from 5 to 7:30 p.m., with carry-outs available, is the fact that it sold 630 dinners on its first Friday in Lent last week, the pastor said. Even though its our feast day, were still going to have the fish fry, Kachel said, laughing heartily. The managers of La Crescents liquor stores are split over the potential benefits that Sunday liquor sales could bring to their local stores. While the leaders at two of the stores are thrilled, the third isnt quite so sure itll be the boom its made out to be. Weve been waiting for this to change for a long time, said Troy Wing, manager at La Crescent Wine and Spirit. Were on the border of Wisconsin, which is open on Sundays. Ive had customers tell me that they wish we were open on Sundays. There are three liquor shops in La Crescent: La Crescent Wine and Spirit, Apple Village Liquor and Southside Liquor. On Tuesday, March 7 Governor Dayton signed a bipartisan law to allow Sunday liquor law sales in the state of Minnesota. Optional liquor sales on Sunday will start on July 2, 2017. Minnesota was one of 12 states that adhered to a blue lawa law which restricts certain sales on Sundays for religions reasonsstating that the sale of liquor on Sunday is illegal. The only alcohol that was allowed to be sold on Sundays in the state is beer; up to 3.2 percent alcohol. It wasnt until there was a change of people in office, Wing said. This didnt have a chance prior to that. The push to update the 159-year-old law has come from all over Minnesota, including Houston County. Local representative Sen. Jeremy Miller, R-Winona, helped lead the reform, while residents like Waing also supported the initiative. He attended a house committee hearing a year ago in St. Paul with Andrew Schmitt of the Minnesota Beer Activists. Theyre estimating a four-and-a-half percent increase in sales for most liquor stores, he said. I think were going to be on the high end of the spectrum of numbers. We are right across the river from a major city. Places like Wabasha, or Winona they dont have that major population. Im expecting a 10 to 15 percent increase in sales. Apple Village Liquors owner does not believe the law will make much difference in terms of sales. Its good that Minnesota is making tax money, but it takes away from peoples families, said Josh Williams of Apple Village Liquor. I dont know that itll change a lot. Maybe well make a little, but we have to pay to keep the lights on. We have to make sure somebody is here. In the winter time no ones going to come out. Theres hardly anyone in here. Williams, whose father George Williams owns Apple Village Liquor, is mostly concerned with scheduling. Located on Walnut Street in La Crescent, the store has only three employees and both Williams men have second and third jobs. In addition to minding the store, Josh works at City Brewery in La Crosse and does landscaping. George works at the brewery and owns a farm in Dakota. Sunday is my day to catch up with stuff at home, Josh said. Itll be a strain to make sure somebody is here ... Everybody is used to not getting alcohol on Sunday, picking it up Saturday or in Wisconsin. We arent a big town. We arent Minneapolis or La Crosse. On the other side of La Crescent, Brady Malone of Southside Liquor was excited about the changing law. I think its great, he said. Well get more business. Were definitely happy about the change. Its fascinating and distressing at the same time how the interweb weaves wickedly, based on the preferences that our cookie crumbs leave as we queue up searches all the better to crush our email trails with junque. A couple of months back, I was shopping for a briefcase, only to see within hours that pop-up ads for such cases were obstructing the view of nearly everything I tried to read. Then a trickle of junk emails from companies selling such satchels turned into a steady stream, then a river, then a tsunami you get the picture; my cookies crumbled my server. Likewise, when I was on the prowl for a bathrobe, the barrage of pop-ups even during a simple thesaurus search flooded my in box. Same story in searches for slippers, jeans, baking dishes you name it, the interweb spiders maimed me. But IKEA was the straw that broke this camels back. I never have bought anything from IKEA, partly because anything labeled some assembly required usually leads to a dark hole that can flummox a guy more than Alice was confused as she tumbled into her rabbit hole. The instructions often land in a place where logic and proportion have fallen sloppy dead, and even a hookah-smoking caterpillar cant clear your head. And even the ones you understand dont do anything at all, so you have to go ask Alice when shes 10 feet tall. All of a sudden, Im getting more emails from IKEA than Amsterdam has marijuana-shilling coffee shops let alone red-lighted storefronts. Two Googles might be to blame for this avalanche: A viral joke pivoted on the idea that IKEA could provide a cheap way to craft a wall from kits with a wall between the southern U.S. border and Mexico specifically in mind. The joke even included IKEA-instruction-like directions to build said wall. So I copied it and shared it and commented on it you know, the typical social media routines. I did a few searches when I mentioned in a column a couple of weeks ago that I have no use for IKEA, although my kids have picked up a few furniture items from the brand. Then an email alert came in over the transom from GuideStar Blog, a philanthropic tip line I get for some reason or another and its not because Im rich enough to be a phabulous philanthropist. The topic was incredibly interesting, though, addressing the impact of a phenomenon it labeled the IKEA Effect has in the social sector. Basically, the blog suggests that nonprofits should not rely on their own gut instincts to make decisions. Rather, they need data to help plot the courses for their initiatives, as well as information to determine whether they have chosen the right path. Three researchers Mochon, Ariely and Norton employed three craft options IKEA, origami and Legos. Participants used the crafts to construct items, at the same time experts also did so. After a flurry of craftiness, the participants were asked whether they would pay more for their own items or the experts. It was found that participants were willing to pay a higher price for their own creations rather than the expert creations, despite their obvious inferiority to outside observers, the blog noted. The researchers determined that people attach more value to items they build themselves than to those that experts construct. They suggested a parallel between those findings and guidelines for nonprofit organizations. Many nonprofits become incredibly attached to their own approaches because they devoted so much time to molding programs to suit their missions, according to the blog. Millions of people have dedicated their lives to the mission of their nonprofit organization they live it, sleep it and breathe it, the blogger noted. When one devotes such an outpouring of effort, love, time and money, it is easy to fall victim to the IKEA Effect I have worked so hard on this program, surely it must be excellent! Your labor has made you love (your program, organization, etc.), but the truth is that it may not be quite as great as you think because you may become blind to other options, according to the blog. The only way for organizations to blunt the IKEA Effect is to use independent data to analyze their actions and results. As the old adage states, The numbers dont lie. Data acts as a mirror, reflecting the realities of what is happening. Passion and a labor of love should not be sacrificed, according to the blog. Rather, these principles should be applied in full force to things you know are actually working. And the only way to truly know is to use data, the blogger advises. Surely, that will warm the cockles of the hearts of data geeks everywhere too many to list, so I wont even try (Brenda Rooney). It makes sense to me to check the data to make sure your plans and projects actually are achieving the results you need for your mission instead of blindly assuming that your dedication proves the merits. Since the researchers used Legos as one of the test options, I hereby proclaim the Lego Effect. In my own experience, the Lego Effect hurts like hell especially when you step on errant pieces all over the house. I dont need data to prove that thesis: Just follow the screams when bare toes and feet go bump in the night. The Onalaska School Board has given one of its own an ultimatum: Change your behavior or be asked to cease and desist. The board publicly rebuked board member Jake Speed on Friday after Speed complained to a radio station the day before about the district spending $3,448 on attorney fees in February. Speed said he thinks the fees are an illegal waste of taxpayer money; however, fellow board members argue they needed advice after Speed said he filed a complaint with the FBI and accused the district of disseminating a computer virus. He throws things out there, expects people to panic, then goes away, board Clerk Brian Haefs said. The district is now spending time, money and resources on following up on false claims and false accusations, and were not doing what our mission says, which is to ensure high levels of learning for all. The attorney fees Speed referred to in his statements March 2 were incurred after Speed told a radio station he filed a complaint with the FBI against the district. He claimed board President Ann Garrity maliciously sent him virus-riddled attachments. Speed has declined multiple opportunities to release a copy of the complaint or the emails in question. This is the second time Speed has publicly complained about legal fees the district has spent because of Speeds actions. Speed successfully challenged the nomination papers of incumbents Garrity and Tim Smaby last April, leaving only his name on the ballot. The board consulted its attorneys about the challenge, and that expense became a chief talking point for Speed in public forums leading up to the election. Speed declined to comment on the issue, despite repeated voice and text messages. Superintendent Fran Finco said consulting lawyers on legal issues is not atypical and that the use of counsel was warranted. When you have an accusation that a claim was filed with the FBI against the district, yeah, Im going to call the attorney. Absolutely, Finco said. Finco also pointed out that Speed voted in October to approve the districts 2017 operating budget, which included $65,000 for attorney fees. When (board members) vote on our budget they approve all of the line items in the budget, Finco said, and one of the line items in our budget is for attorney fees. Speed also voted to approve the consent agenda at the boards Feb. 27, which contained the districts invoices and the attorney fees he is calling illegal. The district released a statement condemning Speeds behavior. Included in its press release were two letters board president Ann Garrity sent to Speed in December, which outline misconduct and menacing behavior by Speed on school grounds and in the closed sessions of school board meetings. Garrity wrote that Speed refused to cooperate in meetings, that he became belligerent and raised his voice, and that he marched out of a closed session just after turning around and saying, Just wait. Ive got more in store for all of you. Further, Garritys letters accuse Speed of berating Northern Hills Elementary School staff and administrators while ostensibly volunteering as a math tutor. Garrity, writing to Speed, outlined one such event: You went into a building administrators office without an appointment or advance notice, and raised your voice to her so loudly after you went into her private office that the staff in the outer office heard you yelling at her and were concerned for her well-being. Northern Hills staff declined to comment. The support staff is reportedly concerned you may fly off the handle and is unnerved by the unpredictability of your behavior, Garrity wrote to Speed on Dec. 9. They are very uncomfortable with these interactions. Asked at the boards Jan. 24 meeting why he refuses to comment on the situation, Speed said he had slipped and fallen on ice, bit his tongue and was unable to talk. Speed refused to speak to any board members in person and insisted they put their concerns in writing. Haefs said of the boards current composition: Theres six people who want to move this district forward and ensure high levels of learning for all. The board has seven members. Respecting Choices, the end-of-life planning program conceived by a La Crosse task force in 1986 and incubated at Gundersen Health System, is striking out on its own an adult of international stature. We reached the point where, because of our mission, we needed to be more nimble and flexible, which separating from Gundersen allows, Executive Director Bud Hammes said during an open house Wednesday at Respecting Choices new offices in Suite 101 at 600 N. Third St., La Crosse. In separating from Gundersen, the not-for-profit Respecting Choices aligned itself with the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care, a national organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. The 140-organization C-TAC is dedicated to improving the care of Americans with serious diseases, said Hammes, one of the key moving forces when La Crosse health systems formed Respecting Choices. The program has evolved from its fledgling status of helping individuals plan for end-of-life care locally to an international resource to help other health systems and organizations develop or improve their own efforts, Hammes said. Weve grown in the scope of our work both in numbers and systems, said Hammes, citing the expansion of Respecting Choices mission to include providing training, information and materials. For example, Respecting Choices staff of 14 compared with eight before splitting off from Gundersen is preparing a new curriculum for physicians and other providers, he said. The ability to do that closes a gap that existed when Respecting Choices was under Gundersens roof, Hammes said. Choices had encouraged other programs to develop their own curriculums, but being a separate entity will allow it to support others in such efforts, he said. One of the challenges for any organization is its just too damn expensive to create a curriculum just for yourself, Hammes said. We now think of ourselves as a catalyst for other national experts to improve. Well be the people who pull the pieces together. Our mission hasnt changed, just expanded, he said, with clients including the national Kaiser Permanente, Upper Midwest Essentia Health, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical System in the Northeast and Adirondack Health in New York. Those groups range from large organizations that include thousands of physicians to an 80-bed community hospital for Adirondack Health. Each curriculum and team is customized, he said. There is no way to pick up what was done in La Crosse and plop it on another system that may have vastly different circumstances. Respecting Choices business model also has changed since 2008, shifting from its original concept of providing two- to three-day courses to long-term contracts of perhaps 18 months and, sometimes, three years. We do the foundational work and take them through the steps so they can be successful and sustain their program, he said. Schools such as the University of Tennessee also are using Respecting Choices curriculums, which can be in person, online or video, to educate not only nurses but also the general population about end-of life planning. When we first did our work in La Crosse, we did basic planning, Hammes said. Weve added another two stages, based on the degree of illness. The Next Step stage is for seriously ill people who take a turn for the worse or encounter complications, and the Last Step is for patients who might have a higher risk of dying, he said. Linda Briggs, who started with Respecting Choices in 1999 when just she and Hammes comprised the staff, voiced her excitement about its independence about 2 miles north of its former location. Today is a cool day, said Briggs, associate director. We started in 99, then went national and international. It shows the systems are achievable and how much they are sustainable. The original concept of Respecting Choices also has developed into forging systems for person-centered care, Hammes said. This is a transformational bucket, not making a little change for a little effect but to change systems, he said. Our real goal is person-centered care to provide better care, at lower costs. Its a change from taking care of illnesses to taking care of people with illnesses, he said. The systems online learning store allows people throughout the world to buy materials and arrange education sessions, Hammes said. He acknowledged the risk in breaking off from Gundersen, noting that if the program had a bad quarter or year before, it had the security of Gundersens providing a financial safety net. That potential peril also provides incentive, he said. From its start in La Crosse helping just a few families with advance planning for end-of-life care, Respecting Choices has ballooned to being used in more than 150 medical centers in the United States, with widespread use also in Singapore, Australia and Germany and a research project in progress in the European Union nations of Belgium, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovakia and the United Kingdom. The Associated Press Walker calls Trump wiretapping accusations serious: MADISON, Wis. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says accusations made by President Donald Trump that his phones were tapped by President Barack Obama are serious claims that should be investigated by Congress and the Justice Department. Trump has offered no evidence to back up the claims that he first made on Twitter last weekend. Walker was asked about the accusations on Wednesday. He says, I think those are appropriate for the Congress to look into and the Department of Justice. But Walker says he has no knowledge about whether any of the claims made by Trump have any merit. Through a spokesman, Obama said neither he nor any White House official had ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen. Most taxpayers will see average $44 cut under Walker budget: MADISON, Wis. A new analysis shows most Wisconsin taxpayers would see a $44 reduction in their income taxes under Gov. Scott Walkers budget. The Legislative Fiscal Bureau released a report Wednesday analyzing the new tax brackets in Walkers budget. It concludes that for tax year 2017 an estimated 2.2 million taxpayers, or 70.3 percent of all tax filers, would see an average decrease of $44. Those making between $100,000 and $1 million would see the largest average decrease at $67. Those making between $30,000 and $40,000 would see an average $32 increase. Those making between $40,000 and $50,000 would see an average $45 decrease. The total tax decrease would ring in at $95 million for the year. Those making more than $100,000 would receive 31 percent of that $95 million reduction. Man gets cease and desist letter from Johnson: MILWAUKEE A Milwaukee man who acknowledges aggressively contacting U.S. Sen. Ron Johnsons office including calling 83 times in one day has received a cease and desist warning. Earl Good says the letter from the Wisconsin Republicans office tells him to communicate only in writing and to stop unwarranted telephone calls and office visits. Johnsons staff members also warn in the Feb. 17 letter that they will contact U.S. Capitol police if Good doesnt comply. Good tells WDJT-TV that hes a Democrat and a concerned citizen. He says he started placing scores of phone calls to Johnson to voice his opinion after President Trumps inauguration. ST. PAUL, Minn. The youngest son of U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, who was Hillary Clintons running mate last year, was one of six people arrested while protesting against a rally in support of President Donald Trump at the Minnesota state Capitol building last weekend. The protesters clashed with hundreds of Trump supporters who gathered at the Capitol rotunda in St. Paul on Saturday for one of several pro-Trump rallies held throughout the country. Linwood Woody Kaine, of Minneapolis, and four other people were suspected of lighting a smoke bomb inside the Capitol, St. Paul police spokesman Steve Linders said Wednesday. He said he didnt know the circumstances surrounding the sixth arrest, which was made by state troopers. Kaine, 24, ran from the scene and was arrested about a block away after he resisted arrest, was sprayed with a chemical irritant and was taken to the ground, according to police. Kaine was booked into the Ramsey County Jail on a recommended second-degree riot charge. The Ramsey County Attorneys Office declined to file criminal charges, finding insufficient evidence to substantiate the charge, spokesman Dennis Gerhardstein said Wednesday. The St. Paul City Attorneys Office was reviewing the case and didnt immediately reply to a message seeking comment. Tim Kaine, a St. Paul native who is now a senator representing Virginia, and his wife, Anne Holton, released a statement following their sons arrest. We love that our three children have their own views and concerns about current political issues. They fully understand the responsibility to express those concerns peacefully, they said. The state Assembly Committee on Local Government will hold a public hearing Wednesday on a bill that would give local governments the option to stop publishing a summary of their actions in your newspaper. Assembly Bill 70 would allow local municipalities to post meeting minutes on their websites instead. This is bad public policy under the guise of saving taxpayer dollars that would create considerable disruption for government transparency. Supporters of Assembly Bill 70 suggest local government websites are sufficient to notify the public of their actions and that publishing meeting minutes in the newspaper limits access only to newspaper subscribers. The fact is, however, that all legal notices published throughout the state since 2005 are already available for free to the public through WisconsinPublicNotices.org. This comprehensive, searchable website hosted by the Wisconsin newspaper industry brings together ink-on-paper notices into one online location. This service is provided at no cost to local municipalities. The goal of WisconsinPublicNotices.org is to enhance governments distribution of public information and assist citizens who want to know more about the actions of their local, county and state representatives. This permanent, third-party documentation unalterable and independent of government itself ensures the protection of your right to know for each and every citizen. For years, this relationship between newspapers, local municipalities and WisconsinPublicNotices.org has successfully provided easy access to government information for all citizens, whether they seek it in print or online. Removing existing publication requirements would create holes in this invaluable statewide database while also neglecting the needs of those who lack adequate computer and internet access. Please tell your legislators to oppose this unnecessary barrier to government transparency. Beth Bennett is executive director of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, of which the Tomah Journal is a longstanding member. 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(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 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(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 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Mar 16 (1) Mar 15 (2) Mar 13 (1) Mar 12 (1) Mar 11 (1) Mar 10 (1) De : peacec akima < peacecakima@hotmail.com > Envoye le : Sa, 24 Dec 2016 13:27 Sujet : help me out by contacting Hello Dearest, Good afternoon , how are you and your day today ? I received the mail below from the bank requesting some documents before they can transfer my late father fund to your account. I have my late father's death certificate and statement account of the fund. What remains now is the power of attorney and affidavit of oath which they said it must be a Senegal lawyer where i stay as a refugee so i can sign for it. l told Reverend father about it, so he helped us to get a lawyer, he is a registered lawyer in the United Nations here and he is also a registered member in Senegalese Bar Association. I contact the lawyer now, he said you have to contact him and send your information to him for him to used proceed for the documents to be authentic as my foreign partner and representative. Please write to this lawyer now also call him on phone, tell him that you are my foreign partner and trustee, That you want him to prepare and get it for us the power of attorney and the Affidavit of oath fromFederal high court here in Dakar (Senegal), that the documents will bear your name to enable the transfer of my late father's fund in Royal Bank Plc Scotland to your account be successful. He said you have to send him your full information such as. . 1.Your full name. . . . . . 2.Your country and state. . . 3.Your occupation. . . 4.Phone No. with code. . . . 5.Your full address. . . 6.Scan your international passport or Driving licence or national IDis ok. This information list is what the lawyer said you have to send to him, that your information must attached with the documents.Please try to do this fast and send it to him for him to proceed for the documents ok. THIS IS THE LAWYER CONTACT. . Barrister Karim Edewor +221-772-846-547 barr.karimedewor@hotmail.com De : peacec akima < peacecakima@hotmail.com > Envoye le : Ve, 6 Jan 2017 11:36 Sujet : RESEND ANOTHER EMAIL TO THE BARRISTER Hello my dear, How are you ?hope you are doing good. My dear, after reading your email, i contacted the BARRISTER to know why they have not replied your email, the BARRISTER informed me that they have not receive any email from you. So it may be that you made a mistake with the BARRISTER email address i gave to you. Please i would like you to resend another email to the BARRISTER, here is the BARRISTER email address i gave to you karimedewor@hotmail.com copy the BARRISTER email as i sent it and resend another email to the BARRISTER. Thank you and have a wonderful weekend. Your beloved friend, Peace. De : peacec akima < peacecakima@hotmail.com > Envoye le : Lu, 9 Jan 2017 18:32 Sujet : Please contact my lawyer How are you today, my dear ? dear among the three documents which the bank requested, I have with me two of them which is the number (1) the Death Certificate of my late father, and the number (2) statement of account which i have giving him to the lawyer So we need him to prepare the remaining one which is number (3) Power of Attorney. Though I went to see this lawyer with Rev. Father he has a big lawyer and he has big office for work he said that he would like to heard from you first before he could carry on with our job. Please try and contact him so that he can get us these documents. Finally here is the contact of the lawyer. . karimedewor@hotmail.com barr.karimedewor@hotmail.com YOUR FULL NAMES CONTACT ADDRESS PHONE NUMBER AGE MARITAL STATUS YOUR OCCUPATION YOUR COUNTRY Have a nice day and hope to hear a good news from you soon Your beloved, Peace. Please contact my lawyer barrister Karim immediately you receive this mail,Have a nice day and hope to hear a good news from you soonYour beloved,Peace. De : anthonyfasho < anthonyfasho@yahoo.com > Envoye le : Sa, 28 Jan 2017 19:50 Sujet : Shipment procedures : $500 fees to claim your box. Attn: Dear sir, I contacted Miss Peace Akima and the security company immediately i got your mail and do confirm the availability of the consignment in their custody. The following are my findings. The box was deposited with a clause attached stating that it will be delivered through a diplomatic shipment to a foreign business partner whose name is not mentioned. But the depositor or the next of kin are the bonafide persons allowed to choose this foreign business partner. Sequel to your mail, i think this is why Miss Peace Akima has chosen you. As requested, to claim the box there are administrative procedures to follow. You will need to send an accurate address you want the box be delivered and a scan copy of your identity card and utility bill to facilitate the delivery of the said consignment by the security company's delivery diplomat to your designated address. Meanwhile, according to the director of operation of the security company, since your name was not documented by the depositor in their database as the beneficiary of the consignment. To carry out the shipment, there is need to normalise all depository documents before the shipment can be carried out to your designated address. This normalisation process attracts a processing fee of US$500 (Five hundred US Dollars) It is legal and understood considering their position. What i did not agree with them as a lawyer is the fact that they will prepare the normalisation in 72 working hours. That is too long. It can be completed within one working day if the fees above is made available. As soon as this is complete and submitted, your consignment will be dispatched within the next 48 working hours to be delivered to your designated address by their delivery diplomat. You are hereby advised to send the same amount US$500 through Western Union money transfer to me through my receiving secretary with the details below as the receiver to begin the work. Receiver: Anabel Ikone Address: 08 BP262 Abidjan 08 Test Question: What colour ? Answer: Orange City: Abidjan Country: Ivory Coast When the payment have been made, send your Address, scan Id & utility bill and the payment receipt you were issued at western union to me through mail. You can contact me on my mobile line 24hrs on should there be any question. Thanks. Yours faithfully, Barrister Anthony Fasho +225.03246299 De : Royal Bank < rbsankuks@scotlandmail.com > Cc: janedabah1 < janedabah1@gmail.com > Envoye le : Sa, 4 Fev 2017 16:11 Sujet : ACKNOWLEDGMENT/PROCEDURE The Royal Bank of Scotland plc, registered in Scotland no. 90312.Registered office:36 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2YB.ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND PLC LONDON rbsankuks@scotlandmail.com Tel: 00 44 741 847 8226 Attention : Sir, From Director of ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND (RBS) Legal Department of Foreign Operation/Wire Transfer to write you regarding our late customer account Dr. Wilson Akima. Actually he deposit fund worth Eight Hundred Million, Six Hundred Thousand US Dollars (US$8.6 million) in our bank. His daughter Peace Wilson Akima had contact us as next of kin of her late father,We told her to go look for a trust foreign partner that can assist her make the transaction base on her status as a refugee. Hence the young lady wishes you to be her trustee/representative for the claim of her late father's fund deposit with account no. 45008901546 substantial amount US$8.6 million however before our bank can transfer her late father's fund to your account, we should like you to send the followings : 1.A Power of Attorney and Affidavit of Oath permitting you to claim and transfer her late father's fund to your Bank account.These document must be prepared by a residence lawyer where she is staying now as a refugee, and she have to sign the document to warranty us transfer her late father's fund to your account. 2.The Death Certificate of late Dr. Wilson Akima 3.A copy of Statement of Account of the Fund. We hope you would understand that our request for the above information is part of our security protocols to avoid fraudulent claims or an unwarranted taking advantage of his absence by some individuals or some other distance relations who might have had access to his privacy. Note that the above are compulsory, and are needed to protect our interest, yours, the next of kin after the claims. These shall also ensure that a smooth, quick and successful transfer of the fund is made. We promise to give our customers the best of our services. Should you have any question please contact us for more directives/clarifications. Regards, Mr. Ross McEwan Chief Executive Officer/Wire Transfer. De : peacec akima < peacecakima@hotmail.com > Envoye le : Lu, 6 Fev 2017 12:03 Sujet : My sweet love, please contact this lawyer Hello Dearest, Good day, how are you and your day today ? I receive the mail below from the bank requesting some documents before they can transfer my late father's fund to your account. I have my late father death certificate and statement account of the fund. What remain now is the power of attorney and affidavit of oath which they said it must be a Senegal lawyer where i stay as a refugee so i can sign for it. l told Reverend father about it, so help us get a lawyer, he is a registered lawyer in the United Nations here and he is also a registered member in Senegalese Bar Association. I contact the lawyer now, he said you have to contact him and send your information to him for him to use toproceed for the documents to be authentic as my foreign partner and representative. Please write to this lawyer now also call him on phone, tell him that you are my foreign partner and trustee, that you want him to prepare and get it for us the power of attorney and the affidavit of oath fromthe Federal high court here in Dakar, Senegal, that the documents will bear your name to enable the transfer of my late father's Fund in Royal Bank ofScotland to your account be successful. He said you have to send him your full information such as. . 1.Your full name. . . . . . 2.Your country and state. . . 3.Your occupation. . . 4.Phone No. with code. . . . 5.Your full address. . . 6.Scan your international passport or driving licence or ID card,any one isok. This information list is what the lawyer said you have to send to him, that your information must attached with the documents. Please try to do this fast and send it to him for him to proceed for the documents. Barrister Karim Edewor +221 - 707 - 366 - 216 De : peacec akima < peacecakima@hotmail.com > Envoye le : Lu, 13 Fev 2017 16:21 Sujet : Please write to this lawyer now Hello Dearest, Good day,how are you and your day today ? I receive the mail below from the bank requesting some documents before they can transfer my late father fund to your account. I have my late father death certificate and statement account of the fund. What remain now is the power of attorney and affidavit of oath which they said it must be a Senegal lawyer where i stay as a refugee so i can sign for it. l told Reverend father about it, so help us get a lawyer, he is a registered lawyer in the United Nations here and he is also a registered member in Senegalese Bar Association. I contact the lawyer now, he said you have to contact him and send your information to him for him to used proceed for the documents to be authentic as my foreign partner and representative. Please write to this lawyer now also call him on phone, tell him that you are my foreign partner and trustee, that you want him to prepare and get it for us the power of attorney and the Affidavit of oath fromFederal high court here in Dakar Senegal, that the documents will bear your name to enable the transfer of my late father's fund in Royal Bank Plc Scotland to your account be successful. He said you have to send him your full information such as. . 1.Your full name. . . . . . 2.Your country and state. . . 3.Your occupation. . . 4.Phone No. with code. . . . 5.Your full address. . . 6.Scan your international passport or Driving licence or National ID any one isok. This information list is what the lawyer said you have to send to him, that your information must attached with the documents. Please try to do this fast and send it to him for him to proceed for the documents ok. Barrister Karim Edewor Office Tel. : +221 - 707 - 366 - 216 De : barr.karim edewor < barr.karimedewor@hotmail.com > Envoye le : Ve, 24 Fev 2017 12:42 Sujet : Barr. KARIM EDEWOR Chambers EQUITY LAW FIRM CHAMBERS. MEMBER ECOWAS BANK ACCREDITED ATTORNEYS. P. O . BOX 280874. DAKAR, SENEGAL. Tel: +221-70 -1032-115 OUR REF; JLC/Vol.19 CASE No.015181/09 YOUR REF: ATTORNEY/AGREEMENT. SUBJECT: POWER OF ATTORNEY/AGREEMENT. RUE 125 ANTA DIOP STREET,DAKAR SENEGAL. February 24 th , 2017. barr.karimedewor@hotmail.com ATTENTION SIR, SEQUEL TO YOUR EMAIL TO MY CHAMBERS ON HOW TO PREPARE A POWER OF ATTORNEY FOR YOU AND YOUR PARTNER MISS PEACE AKIMA : MY NOBLE LAW FIRM WISH TO BRING TO YOUR NOTICE THAT BEFORE WE CAN PROCEED WITH THIS SERVICES WE WILL WANT YOU TO FORWARD TO THIS LAW FIRM IMMEDIATELY YOUR FULL CONTACT DETAILS YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS AND YOUR COUNTRY,JOB INCLUDING YOUR AGE AS SUCH YOU WILL WANT TO APPEAR ON THE POWER OF ATTORNEY BE FAST AND SEND IT TODAY )SO THAT I WILL GO TO THE FEDERAL HIGH COURT HERE IN SENEGAL TO ASCERTAIN THE COST OF THE AUTHENTICATION OF THE POWER OF ATTORNEY BEFORE IT BECOMES VALID.AFTER WHICH MY LAW FIRM WILL CONTACT YOU BACK WITH THE REQUIREMENTS BEFORE ACCEPTING TO RENDER THE REQUIRED LEGAL SERVICES YOURS IN SERVICE, (1) FULL NAMES (2) CONTACT ADDRESS (3) PHONE NUMBER (4) AGE (5) MARITAL STATUS (6) OCCUPATION (7) COUNTRY YOURS IN SERVICE, BARRISTER DR. KARIM EDEWOR (ESQ) De : barr.karim edewor < barr.karimedewor@hotmail.com > Envoye le : Lu, 27 Fev 2017 20:07 Sujet : ABOUT YOUR PARTNER'S TRANSFER MISS PEACE AKIMA ATTENTION SIR, SEQUEL TO YOUR EMAIL TO MY CHAMBERS ON HOW TO PREPARE A POWER OF ATTORNEY FOR YOU AND YOUR PARTNER MISS PEACE AKIMA peacecakima@hotmail.com MY NOBLE LAW FIRM WISH TO BRING TO YOUR NOTICE THAT BEFORE WE CAN PROCEED WITH THIS SERVICES WE WILL WANT YOU TO FORWARD TO THIS LAW FIRM IMMEDIATELY YOUR FULL CONTACT DETAILS YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS AND YOUR COUNTRY, JOB INCLUDING YOUR AGE AS SUCH YOU WILL WANT TO APPEAR ON THE POWER OF ATTORNEY BE FAST AND SEND IT TODAY SO THAT I WILL GO TO THE FEDERAL HIGH COURT HERE IN SENEGAL TO ASCERTAIN THE COST OF THE AUTHENTICATION OF THE POWER OF ATTORNEY BEFORE IT BECOMES VALID. AFTER WHICH MY LAW FIRM WILL CONTACT YOU BACK WITH THE REQUIREMENTS BEFORE ACCEPTING TO RENDER THE REQUIRED LEGAL SERVICES. (1) FULL NAMES (2) CONTACT ADDRESS (3) PHONE NUMBER (4) AGE (5) MARITAL STATUS (6) OCCUPATION (7) COUNTRY YOURS IN SERVICE, BARRISTER DR. KARIM EDEWOR (ESQ) De : peacec akima < peacecakima@hotmail.com > Envoye le : Ma, 28 Fev 2017 16:46 Sujet : My sweet love, please contact my lawyer How are you today, my dear ? dear among the three documents which the bank requested, I have with me two of them which is the number (1) The Death Certificate of my late father, and the (2) statement of account which i have giving him to the lawyer. So we need him to prepare the remaining one which is number (3) Power of Attorney Though I went to see this lawyer with Rev. Father he has a big lawyer and he has big office for work he said that he will like to heard from you first before he could carry on with our job. Please try and contact him so that he can get us this document. Here is the contact of the lawyer. . barr.karimedewor@hotmail.com FULL NAMES ADDRESS PHONE NO. AGE MARITAL STATUS OCCUPATION COUNTRY Please contact my lawyer barrister Karim immediately you receive this mail. I hope to heargood news from you soon Have a nice day Your beloved, Peace. De : barr.karim edewor barr.karimedewor@hotmail.com Envoye le : Je, 9 Mar 2017 11:26 Sujet : BARR. KARIM EDEWOR CHAMBERS EQUITY LAW FIRM CHAMBERS MEMBER ECOWAS BANK ACCREDITED ATTORNEYS. OUR REF; JLC/Vol.19 CASE No.015181/09 YOUR REF: ATTORNEY/AGREEMENT. SUBJECT: POWER OF ATTORNEY/AGREEMENT. ADD: RUE 125 ANTA DIOP STREET, DAKAR SENEGAL. MARCH : 9 TH: 2017 P. O . BOX 280874. DAKAR, SENEGAL. Tel: +221-706 -757-683 barr.karimedewor@hotmail.com ATTENTION SIR, MY NOBLE LAW FIRM WISH TO BRING TO YOUR NOTICE THAT BEFORE WE CAN PROCEED WITH THIS SERVICES WE WILL WANT YOU TO FORWARD TO THIS LAW FIRM IMMEDIATELY YOUR FULL CONTACT DETAILS YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS AND YOUR COUNTRY,JOB INCLUDING YOUR AGE AS SUCH YOU WILL WANT TO APPEAR ON THE POWER OF ATTORNEY BE FAST AND SEND IT TODAY )SO THAT I WILL GO TO THE FEDERAL HIGH COURT HERE IN SENEGAL TO ASCERTAIN THE COST OF THE AUTHENTICATION OF THE POWER OF ATTORNEY BEFORE IT BECOMES VALID.AFTER WHICH MY LAW FIRM WILL CONTACT YOU BACK WITH THE REQUIREMENTS BEFORE ACCEPTING TO RENDER THE REQUIRED LEGAL SERVICES YOURS IN SERVICE, SEQUEL TO YOUR EMAIL TO MY CHAMBERS ON HOW TO PREPARE A POWER OF ATTORNEY FOR YOU AND YOUR PARTNER MISS PEACE AKIMA peacecakima@hotmail.com MY NOBLE LAW FIRM WISH TO BRING TO YOUR NOTICE THAT BEFORE WE CAN PROCEED WITH THIS SERVICES WE WILL WANT YOU TO FORWARD TO THIS LAW FIRM IMMEDIATELY YOUR FULL CONTACT DETAILS YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS AND YOUR COUNTRY,JOB INCLUDING YOUR AGE AS SUCH YOU WILL WANT TO APPEAR ON THE POWER OF ATTORNEY BE FAST AND SEND IT TODAY )SO THAT I WILL GO TO THE FEDERAL HIGH COURT HERE IN SENEGAL TO ASCERTAIN THE COST OF THE AUTHENTICATION OF THE POWER OF ATTORNEY BEFORE IT BECOMES VALID.AFTER WHICH MY LAW FIRM WILL CONTACT YOU BACK WITH THE REQUIREMENTS BEFORE ACCEPTING TO RENDER THE REQUIRED LEGAL SERVICES YOURS IN SERVICE, (1)YOUR FULL NAMES (2)CONTACT ADDRESS (3)PHONE NUMBER (4)AGE (5)MARITAL STATUS (6)YOUR OCCUPATION (7)YOUR COUNTRY YOURS IN SERVICE, BARRISTER DR. KARIM EDEWOR. (ESQ) YOURS IN SERVICE, De : peacec akima < peacecakima@hotmail.com > Envoye le : Ve, 10 Mar 2017 11:00 Sujet : My sweet love, send your details to the lawyer How are you today, my dear ? Dear, among the three documents which the bank requested, I have with me two of them which is the number (1) the Death Certificate of my late father. and the (2) statement of account which i have giving him to the lawyer So we need him to prepare the remaining one which is number (3) Power of Attorney Though I went to see this lawyer with Rev. Father he has a big lawyer and he has big office for work he said that he will like to heard from you first before he could carry on with our job. Please try and contact him so that he can get us these documents. Finally here is the contact of the lawyer. . barr.karimedewor@hotmail.com FULL NAMES CONTACT ADDRESS PHONE NUMBER AGE MARITAL STATUS OCCUPATION COUNTRY Please contact thelawyer Karim immediately you receive this mail, Have a nice day and hope to heargood news from you soon Your beloved, Peace. If you received a similar letter, please ignore it. Do not answer it. If you do, you will end up on more of the mailing lists used by the criminals behind this fraud. Read more.... The Resistance: "FBI Issues Warrant For Obamas Arrest After Confirming Illegal Trump Tower Wiretap...Former president and breaker of laws, Barack Obama, will either surrender himself or be picked up by the FBI sometime today to be booked and charged with unlawful use of authority, wire fraud and conspiracy to interfere with free elections after it was confirmed that he ordered the tapping of the phones at Trump Tower during the presidential election. The proof is undeniable. Obama basically confessed in a private call to one of Hillary Clintons aides that he had the Trump Tower tapped and we cant find any federal order legally authorized by a judge to do so. The order, which isnt something even a president can do without the signature of a federal judge, was to listen in on Trump and his children to try to find a connection to Russia. Nothing came of it since President Trump nor any of his campaign staff have ever been to, spoken with or had anything to do with Russia or its agents." "Stryker is a constitutional conservative who can't stand the lazy, crybaby , fantasy world liberals live in. Knowledge is power. The truth will set you free. May the good Lord bless and keep the United States of America." Courtney O'Brien, Town Hall: "Watch: Trump Surprises White House Tour Group" Dennis Prager, Town Hall: "Why Do American Jews Want Thousands of Jew Haters in America? " Matt Vespa, Town Hall: "There's Pretty Much Nothing Wrong With Any Of The Meetings Trump Aides Had With The Russians" Justin Holcomb, Town Hall: "White House Demands Congressional Investigation Into Obama's Abuse of Power" Susan Wright, Red State: "Rep. Steve King Suggests A Rogue Intel Operation Could Have Wiretapped Trump" A likely culprit. Josh Kimbrell, Red State: "Being Pro-Life is the Prescription for Patient-Centered Healthcare Reform" Debra Heine, PJ Media: "#ObamaGate: Conway Says Trump 'Has Information and Intelligence' We Don't" Ron Radosh, PJ Media: "Is Trump Responsible for Some of His Recent Troubles?" "Turning to the presidents appointments at home, Trump earned high marks for the foreign policy and national security team he has put in place." Roger Kimball, PJ Media: "I believe that Donald Trump has been astonishingly swift and successful during the first 40-odd days of his tenure as president." "Notwithstanding his many successes, however, President Trump is everywhere besieged by a juvenile but implacably hostile and unscrupulous opposition -- the Twitter-wielding Lilliputians." Christina Laila, Gateway Pundit: "Blackmail? Did Comey Let Hillary Off The Hook Because She Knew About FBI Wiretapping? Kristinn Taylor, Gateway Pundit: "President Trump Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize; US Media Ignores" Sher Zieve, Renew America: "Can the Trump administration be successful against the Soros-Obama-Clinton cabal?" Joseph Farah, World Net Daily: "WAS OBAMA'S TAP OF TRUMP LEGAL, AMERICAN?...Exclusive: Joseph Farah reveals why scandal is 'bigger and worse than Watergate' World Net Daily Poll: "Would Ronald Reagan vote for Trump?" Rita Dunaway, World Net Daily: "Why are conservatives in bed with lefties?" World Net Daily: "Hillary haunts Trump during White House tour" Steve McCann, American Thinker: "Since 1989 and the election of George H.W. Bush, the vast majority of Republicans elected to national office have chosen to worship the twin gods of civility and compromise" Monty L. Donohew, American Thinker: "18 questions for Obama on Trump-Russia collusion" Anthony Lentini, American Thinker: "If you read the surveillance denials by Obama and his cohorts regarding Trump Tower, you will find them highly parsed and full of loopholes" A cardinal rule of the Obama administration was that no White House official ever interfered with any independent investigation led by the Department of Justice, said Kevin Lewis. As part of that practice, neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen. Any suggestion otherwise is simply false. Ben Shapiro, National Review Online: "Why We Should Ignore Trumps Rhetoric" "The premise underlying such logic is simple: What the president says matters. But heres an admittedly unconventional theory: What if it shouldnt?" "In the early days of the republic, no one much cared what the president had to say on a day-by-day basis." "All that began to change with Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, both of whom had expansive visions of the role of the president." Jonathan S. Tobin, National Review Online: "Is the GOP a Trumpian Party or a Conservative One?" Well, five weeks in, and here is what we have:A traitorous President in league with a foreign dictatorThe most corrupt President ever, openly using his position for personal profitAn uncontrollable, vicious liarA level of incompetence and disarray in the White House that is almost impossible to comprehendSavaging of the most basic rights of American citizens, such as the right to travel openly without government permission.So, what do the wingnuts have to offer to try to turn people's attention away from these multiple abominations? Let's dive in and take a look. and here is a good place to start. I swear to God this is something I actually read on a right wing website yesterday:Well, it's already tomorrow, and I don't see any stories in the mainstream press about Obama being arrested. I guess they are just supressing the truth. And needless to say, it seems like Trump and everyone else in his administration has been dealing with Russia. So here is how "Stryker," the author of this article describes himself:Whatever, buddy.In the middle of all his disasters, he still can find time for one more pathetic little attempt to pump up his ego. This miserable behavior is portrayed by wingnuts as some sort of magnanimous gesture from a man who really cares about the American people.That would be Syrian refugees, I guess. Funny that Dennis, an American Jew himself, has no problem aligning himself with neo-Nazis who are born and bred right here in this country.As long as you are fine with treason.Ha ha ha.Or, on the other hand, it could have been those interfering lizard people from outer space, up to their old tricks. There is equal evidence for either theory at this point, so I expect Rep. King to be addressing the lizard people question any time now.Stop abortion and everyone will have all the health care they need! See, and who says the Republicans don't have a great health care plan?Ha ha, who are you going to believe, the obvious fact that Trump is lying, or Kellyanne Conway?Maybe, maybe not...I guess we'll just never know. Ron continues with this interesting observation:Ha ha. I guess that would include the Secretary of State whose only foreign policy qualification is his investment in Russia and his friendship with Vladimir Putin, the national security advisor he already had to kick out, and, well, you get the idea.Swift and successful at bringing himself to the edge of impeachment. And Roger continues:Twitter. They are attacking the Democrats for using twitter. These people truly have no shame.And now another high point in fabricated Republican paranoia:Yes, Hillary blackmailed Comey into...well, not into not sabotaging her campaign, which he did, but into something. The evidence for this? Husband Bill had a ten minute conversation once with long time political associate Loretta Lynch, in which they apparently cooked up about six dozen plots against the country, this being one of them."Nominated" by an "unnamed American." Of course, Americans cannot nominate anyone to get a Nobel prize, so maybe that's why the media ignored this jackass. Although, on reflecting on this, I think Kristinn may have made a misprint here. I think what he was nominated for was a Nobel Piss Prize, for actions in Moscow above and beyond the "call of duty," if you get my drift. And he is the odds-on favorite to win that one.Alan Keyes, Renew America: "Brits muzzle Christians"Well, if they haven't had their rabies shots, I think it's just common sense.Let's just wait to see if the Trump administration can be successful against the Trump cabal. Right now, I'm guessing no.Notice the slight fact left out of Joseph's account? I mean, the little thing about that tap never having happened. Oh well, irrelevant, I guess.Before or after he went senile?They want good sex for once in their lives?She can't haunt anybody, because she's not dead yet. Sorry, guys. I know you were getting your hopes up.And now, perhaps the most astoundingly insane political statement I have ever heard:The Democrats, on the other hand, were merciless boors.See, Trump is in treasonous collusion with the Russians, but it's Obama that needs to be the focus of the accusations.Here is the highly parsed and loophole filled comment from the Obama people:Just full of loopholes, huh? Well, you have to admit, Trump's lies are never highly parsed- he just shouts them right out, confident that the people who voted for him are stupid enough to believe anything he says. By the way, the title of this post was "Conditioning America to accept the absurd." Nothing that the Republicans would ever get up to, I'm sure.Because anyone that listened to him would realize that he is a mentally subnormal, ignorant bully without a clue how to do his job, I'd guess. And what does Ben have to say about that?This is what they have sunk to by having to defend Trump. Ben resorts to one of the most pathetic comments about the founding fathers ever heard, to defend this idiotic remark:Hey, I wonder why that might be. I mean, they could have just turned their TV's to Fox News or looked on their i-phones, and been right up to date on everything, right?All that changed when someone invented the telegraph, you moron.Neither, Jonathan. It's a collection of corrupt traitors. Glad to have a chance to get that straight for you. Wednesday, March 8, 2017 The state of Hawaii is challenging the new Trump immigration executive order. As announced on the website of Hogan Lovells, the law firm representing Hawaii, "On March 7, 2017, the State of Hawaii filed a joint motion with the U.S. Government setting out a proposed briefing schedule, whereby it will file its complaint and TRO by March 8, the U.S. Government will file their Opposition on March 13, and oral argument would be held on March 15. The District Court has not yet ruled on this joint request. On March 7, the State of Hawaii moved for leave to file an Amended Complaint that details their allegations against the new Executive Order. Here is the motion and proposed complaint. The latter document details the Plaintiffs grievances with respect to President Trumps 3/6/17 Travel Ban." Neal Katyal, the former acting Solcitor General of the United States, is the partner on the case. As the Washington Post reports, "The action which lawyers for the state hope to file Wednesday in Hawaii would mark the first formal legal challenge to the order, which the president signed Monday. Hawaii also sued over Trumps first travel ban, and lawyers for the state told a judge in a court filing that they want to resume that litigation to ask for a temporary restraining order on the new directive." KJ https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2017/03/state-of-hawaii-first-to-challenge-trumps-latest-executive-order-more-to-follow.html Organizations that study hate crimes in the United States say that the number of hate groups in the country has risen since 2015. Hate groups are organizations that call for hatred or violence against people because of their race, religion, sexual orientation or other characteristics. The Southern Poverty Law Center, or SPLC, is a civil rights organization that researches hate groups, incidents of hate and hate crimes. In a report released last month, the SPLC said the number of hate groups in the United States reached a near-record of 917 in 2016. That is up from 892 in 2015. The SPLC has been counting hate groups for 30 years. The highest number of hate groups was 1,018 in 2011. President Trump began his address to the United States Congress last week by recognizing recent hate crimes in America. Recent threats targeting Jewish Community Centers and vandalism of Jewish cemeteries, as well as last weeks shooting in Kansas City, remind us that while we may be a nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all of its very ugly forms. There have been a number of anti-Jewish incidents in 2017. The Anti-Defamation League is a rights group that seeks fair treatment for Jewish people. It released a security warning to Jewish organizations across the U.S. late last month. The warning comes as a sixth wave of bomb threats targeted 110 Jewish community centers and day schools since January. The latest wave was Tuesday. According to the ADL, bombs threats were made to at least 13 Jewish centers and schools in 10 states. In many places, people had to evacuate buildings while police and dogs searched for bombs. No bombs were found. The FBI arrested Juan Thompson in St. Louis, Missouri in connection with some of the bomb threats. Thompson is suspected of making at least eight bomb threats to Jewish organizations this year. The FBI says that Thompson might have made the threats as part of a campaign to insult a woman who ended a relationship with him. Three crimes in Jewish cemeteries also were reported in recent weeks. Criminals damaged and knocked down at least 154 headstones in St. Louis, Missouri on February 19. A week later, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, about 100 headstones were damaged. And, on March 2, five headstones were found damaged in Rochester, New York. Many of those headstones were over 100 years old. Days after the incident in St. Louis, Vice President Mike Pence visited the cemetery to help clean up the damage. He said there is no place in America for hatred or acts of prejudice, violence or anti-Semitism The SPLC has reported 1,372 hate incidents from November 9, 2016 to February 7. Several incidents being investigated as hate crimes One of the latest incidents of violence happened Friday in the state of Washington near Seattle. The Associated Press, or AP, reported that a U.S. national of Indian origin told police that a man with a gun approached him at his home. The Indian foreign minister identified the victim as Deep Rai who is a member of the Sikh religion. Rai said the gunman shouted go back to your own country and shot him in the arm. Rai is expected to recover. Police are looking for the gunman. AP also reported that Hira Singh, a Sikh community leader near Seattle, said Sikhs have recently been the target of offensive language. Last month in the central state of Kansas, an engineer from India, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, died after being shot in a crowded bar. Another Indian man and an American who tried to help were injured in the incident. The Kansas City Star newspaper reported that a witness heard a man shout get out of my country before shooting at the men. Adam Purinton was arrested hours after the shooting and has been charged with murder and attempted murder. Kuchibhotla and his wounded friend, both from the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, worked at an American technology company in Kansas. Hate groups targeting Muslims increase The SPLC says the largest increase in hate groups were those targeting Muslims. In 2015, there were 34 anti-Muslim hate groups. That number grew to 101 in 2016. In St. Louis, Missouri, Muslims are raising money to help pay for the damaged Jewish cemeteries. Organizers of the campaign want to "send a united message from the Jewish and Muslim communities" and to condemn "hate, desecration, and violence." Professor Steven Goldstein is the national director of the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect. He told VOA that President Trump should hold a televised speech that deals with hate crimes. The president should give a prime-time, televised address outlining specifically what he will do to combat not just anti-Semitism, but all forms of hatred. he said. Goldstein said public figures have an influence on other peoples behavior. He said they have a responsibility to set a good example. Im Dorothy Gundy. Dorothy Gundy adapted this report for VOA Learning English from VOA, Associated Press and other news sources. Mario Ritter was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story sexual orientation - n. a person's sexual identity characteristics n. special qualities or traits that make a person, thing, or group different from others evacuate v. to leave a dangerous place cemeteries n. places where dead people are buried headstone n. a stone that marks the place where a dead person is buried and that usually has the person's name and birth and death dates on it anti-Semitism n. hatred of Jewish people bar n. a building or room where alcoholic drinks and sometimes food are served desecration v. to damage a holy place or object prime-time - n. the time in the evening when the largest number of people are watching television specifically adv. in a definite and exact way combat - v. to try to stop something from happening or getting worse On Nov. 1, Linn Benton Food Shares warehouse in Tangent received two truckloads of food and household supplies arranged by the local branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 2013 a group of adventurers attempted to recreate John Wesley Powell's 1869 trip through the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River. Local companies 4 Corner Film Logistics and Arizona Raft Adventures teamed up with the BBC to execute the 21-day expedition. The resulting documentary, "Operation Grand Canyon," was broadcast on BBC 2 in Great Britain in 2014. A special screening of the film will be held Friday at 7 p.m. at the Orpheum Theater, 15. W. Aspen Ave. A team of nine men, three of whom are Flagstaff locals, set out to navigate, and sustain self-supported out of the custom built 1869 White Hull replica boats. Along the way they discovered what it was like to live without all the modern day luxuries of Grand Canyon river trips. 4 Corner Film Logistics also provided the first ever cable cam footage of the rapids and the maiden voyage of "Cleopatra," the solar support boat that satisfied all the power needs of a full scale film production from the sun. Friday's exclusive screening is a fundraiser for a new 4 Corner Film Logistics project being developed in opposition to the controversial proposed development at the confluence of the Little Colorado and Colorado rivers. Tickets are $8.50. For more information, visit orpheumflagstaff.com. Forum to dig into America's political divide Differing opinions about public affairs are inevitable and potentially healthy in a democracy. But these days, our differences seem perilously wide. We Americans seem as divided as we've ever been. We argue heatedly over politicians, policies and parties. We're often astounded by others' choices and wonder, "Where could they be coming from?" Find out today at 6:30 p.m. at the Sedona Public Library, at "This I Believe: Exploring the Roots of Political Opinions." A panel of four citizens will share the roots of their political opinions, in a program sponsored by the League of Women Voters Greater Verde Valley and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI). The panelists weren't selected for their party affiliation in fact, they've been asked not to refer to themselves as Republican, Democrat, independent, liberal, conservative, right or left. Instead, each will talk about the thoughts that lie underneath their opinions about particular current events about the principles and personal experiences they refer to when deciding whether to support or oppose a specific proposal or a person running for office. They will address fundamental questions, such as what values our community and country should uphold, what government is for, what citizens' rights and responsibilities are, what opportunities and dangers deserve highest priority, etc. The purpose of the forum is to build mutual understanding and respect among people who think differently. The panelists will be: Andrea Houchard, Ph.D., the Director of NAU's Alliance Bank Business Outreach Center who founded and led NAU's Philosophy in the Public Interest program. She lives in Sedona and co-owns SPEX: Sedona Philosophy Experience which combines philosophical exploration with tours of Sedona and the Grand Canyon. Curt Ireland, a graduate of Carleton College and University of Michigan Law School, who was a trial lawyer in South Dakota for 40 years before moving to Cottonwood, where he taught history at Camp Verde Middle School and has been a highly-regarded facilitator of many OLLI classes. Mike Schroeder, an entrepreneur who co-founded Consumer Satellite Systems, which launched the "big dish" satellite TV industry that today serves the 45-plus million households that use DirecTV and DISH Network. He currently is a corporate board member, a pilot, a grandfather, a world traveler and a Sedona resident. Philip Terbell is an associate broker at Century 21 Sexton Realty in Cottonwood. He hails originally from Iowa and has extensive experience in banking and real estate. He's active with the Cottonwood Chamber of Commerce and numerous other community activities. For more information, call Paul Friedman at (928) 282-1541. A St. Petersburg man with more law enforcement gear than an entire detective squad was arrested for illegally posing as a security guard, according to police. Investigation began two months ago, according to police Investigators found weapons, uniforms in suspect's mobile home Possibility exists suspect may have also impersonated police St. Petersburg Police spokesperson Yolanda Fernandez said their investigation into Harry Hoang, 28, began with a tip two months ago. He was trying to pass himself off as a security guard, said police spokeswoman Yolanda Fernandez. He has no license. Armed with a warrant on Tuesday, police searched the mobile home Hoang shares with his parents, and seized bags full of evidence. Police said they found dozens of weapons, both real and fake, as well as police radios, uniforms, K-9 vests, badges, an emergency light, handcuff keys, tasers and a shield. I mean you name it, he looked official, Fernandez said. I had one detective tell me that he probably had more police equipment in his mobile home than our entire detective squad has. Neighbors said they thought Hoang was a security guard because they frequently saw him in uniform and driving a car with lights on it. He runs lights and we dont know what hes doing, said neighbor Peggy Blankenship. Its scary to know hes right here in our park. Fernandez said they believe Hoang may have also impersonated a police officer. Investigators are asking anyone who has come into contact with him to call the St. Petersburg Police Department. Were appealing to the public -- if anyone hired him thinking that he had a legitimate security company, please contact us, she said. We definitely want to speak to you. GET OUR APP Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. Download it here. In celebration of International Womens Day, Albergue SCM held an art exhibition yesterday featuring works of female artists from Macau and lusophone countries. In its second edition and attended by mostly women, the exposition features 28 artworks from 28 female artists. Last year, the exhibition only presented artworks from Chinese artists. President of Albergue SCM, Carlos Marreiros, told the Times that the exhibition aimed to acknowledge the works of women from across the region. Because the ladies are so capable, clever and as good as us men in any kind of jobs, he said. According to Marreiros, they are planning to organize an international womens art exhibition biannually. There are no established womens art biennial [events] therefore it can add value to local culture, identity and tourism of Macau, he said. Meanwhile, local artist Joey Ho is hoping that her artwork will encourage women to be proud of themselves no matter their race, appearance and size. Speaking to the press, she remarked that her artwork is selected from her previous collection titled Fat is Power. Hos painting reflects the attitude of women during the Tang Dynasty. Nowadays we always mind other peoples opinion of us. We are always living in other peoples opinions and being influenced by commercials but in that time, women are living in their own style, she explained. The local artist also recalled that she took part in a collaboration a few years ago which aimed to express the real definition of power which can come in the form of women, gentleness and an equal contribution by men and women. Commenting on the event, Ho cited her belief that Chinese families regard mothers as powerful in a family, citing a mothers tireless contribution to nurture the family. Mothers are powerful because they are the ones to always contribute [to the family]. They really care about others [so] we should bring this back in our mindset, Ho remarked. We need to go back to our humanity, which is the power of women, the power of gentleness and contribution, she concluded. Two of the worlds most intriguing mysteries are in the hands of Malaysian investigators. Will they ever find all the answers to either? One of them the fatal poisoning of the half brother of North Koreas ruler with a banned nerve agent happened long after the other Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which vanished three years ago yesterday. Investigators have far more evidence in the death of Kim Jong Nam, including his body and two suspects in custody, than they do in the disappearance of the plane, whose 239 passengers and crew could be forever lost in the Indian Ocean. Yet there are reasons to wonder whether Kims death may prove just as difficult to solve completely. While seven North Koreans are suspected of involvement in the apparent assassination, Malaysian authorities may be unable to arrest any of them. Heres a look at the challenges investigators face in each case. MALAYSIA AIRLINES FLIGHT 370 Hopes that the worlds greatest aviation mystery would soon be solved crumbled in January, when officials called off the years-long, deep-sea search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. The USD160 million search of a remote stretch of the Indian Ocean off Australias west coast failed to find any trace of the Boeing 777, which vanished on March 8, 2014, on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. For the families of the 239 people on board, the decision to suspend the search was devastating. For the wider aviation industry and the flying public, it was unsettling. Would there ever be a resolution to the tornado of questions about how the plane vanished and why? Still, while the deep-sea search has ended, the wider investigation into the planes disappearance continues. In Australia, an international team of experts is studying whether an area north of the previous search zone could be the planes final resting place. On Saturday, Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said there was an 85 percent chance that the aircraft is in the new 25,000-square kilometer area. An important caveat: Investigators previously expressed confidence that the plane was in the original search area and it wasnt. A search of the area to the north would also require fresh funding. Australia, Malaysia and China the countries that paid for the original search have said they have no plans to fund a new one unless they receive evidence of the planes exact location. So the families of those on board have launched an effort to come up with the money themselves. Some of the victims relatives initially said they had a goal of raising at least $15 million for the search, but others later said they had not agreed on an exact figure. Investigators in Australia are also analyzing the way a recovered wing part known as a flaperon could have drifted through the ocean. The flaperon that washed ashore on Reunion Island off the African coast in July 2015 was the first piece of wreckage to be found. Investigators are conducting drift analysis on a different flaperon, hoping that will help pinpoint where the wing part from the Malaysian plane originated. Malaysia, which is leading the investigation into the planes disappearance, said authorities would also boost efforts to look for parts of the plane along the African coast. More than two dozen pieces of debris believed to have come from Flight 370 have been found so far, including two new pieces found off Africa about two weeks ago. Investigators are clinging to hopes the debris will yield clues to the main wreckages whereabouts. Finding the main wreckage and the all-important black box data recorders is the key to unraveling the mystery of Flight 370. Yet given the limited information available to investigators and the vastness of the Indian Ocean, the prospects of finding the devices without a major breakthrough in data analysis or advancement in underwater search technology are slim. Malaysia expects to release a final technical report on what happened to the plane based on the available data and evidence sometime this year. KILLING OF KIM JONG NAM Kim, the estranged half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, died less than 20 minutes after he was accosted Feb. 13 by two women in the budget terminal of the Kuala Lumpur airport, officials say. Malaysian authorities have learned much since then, but theyve hit a North Korean brick wall that could prevent them from fully solving an apparent assassination by chemical weapon. Two women charged with murder one Vietnamese, one Indonesian are accused of smearing Kim Jong Nams face with the nerve agent VX. No one else is in custody, but police are seeking seven North Koreans. Four left Malaysia the day of the attack, but the other three are believed to still be in the country. They include a North Korean Embassy official and an employee of Air Koryo, North Koreas state airline, and police believe they may be hiding in the embassy. North Korea has scoffed at the VX claims, saying it would be impossible for the women to have poisoned Kim without sickening or killing themselves or others. It opposed the autopsy work the Malaysians have done and has not complied with Malaysian requests to interview suspects. Lawyer Sankara Nair said it would be a tall task for Malaysia to get hold of the four North Koreans who returned to Pyongyang, as well as the North Korean diplomat still in Malaysia. Malaysia has sought Interpols help to put the four men on its wanted list, but they would be vulnerable to arrest only if they leave their homeland, Nair said. The embassy official is protected by diplomatic immunity and is untouchable unless North Korea waives his immunity, the lawyer said. Nair said police can arrest the Air Koryo employee if he is still in Malaysia. If he is hiding in the embassy, police cannot enter the embassy compound and must wait for him to step out, Nair said. In the absence of these suspects, the case against the two women would depend on the evidence that police have. The women have reportedly said they believed they were taking part in a prank. If evidence is lacking and there is a need for further corroborative evidence, then the case could be weak, Nair said. The womens story is simple: prank. You must show that theres motive. You must show beyond reasonable doubt that theres intention to kill. If prosecutors cant prove intent, the charge could be reduced to causing death by a rash or negligent act, which is punishable by a two-year jail term and a fine. Eileen Ng & Kristen Gelineau, Kuala Lumpur, AP Chinas foreign minister said yesterday that North Korea could suspend its nuclear and missile activities in exchange for a halt in joint U.S.-South Korea military drills, in an unusually public proposal that analysts said showed Beijings growing alarm over the tensions. Foreign Minister Wang Yi said frictions between the North and Washington and Seoul were like two accelerating trains headed at each other, with neither side willing to give way. The question is: Are the two sides really ready for a head-on collision? Wang told reporters. Our priority now is to flash the red light and apply the brakes on both trains. Wang said China has proposed that as a first step to defusing the looming crisis, the North might halt its nuclear program development and missile testing if the U.S. and South Korea suspended their military drills. This suspension-for-suspension can help us break out of the security dilemma and bring the parties back to the negotiating table, Wang said, describing the approach as trying to address all parties concerns in a synchronized and reciprocal manner. North Korea first floated the proposal in 2015, but it was swiftly dismissed by Washington and Seoul, who say the two issues are unrelated. Their view is that North Koreas nuclear and missile program is in violation of U.N. resolutions whereas the joint U.S.-South Korea drills are a long-standing practice, analysts say. Chinese scholars said Beijing has privately discussed this proposal with the countries involved but Wangs move to make it public could be a sign that China plans to take a more aggressive approach to the issue to prevent it from spinning out of control. China is becoming an utterly important victim of the turbulent situation on the Korean Peninsula, therefore it has unprecedentedly expressed its views in public, said Guo Rui, international relations expert at Jilin University. China has been stepping up pressure on North Korea, its once-close Communist ally, to give up its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Last month, Beijing suspended all coal imports from North Korea for the rest of the year, a move that deprives the North of an important source of foreign currency. Beijing wants the U.S. in return to restart long-stalled negotiations with North Korea. Wangs move to publicize Beijings proposal could also be directed at Washington ahead of Secretary of State Rex Tillersons visit to China later this month. Raising such a proposal without seeking the views from the U.S. and South Korea will likely bring pressure to Tillersons upcoming visit to China, said Cheng Xiaohe, an international relations expert at Renmin University in Beijing. Talking about it publicly also indicates that China is hoping to have some achievement. A White House official downplayed Wangs suggestion, saying China has made similar proposals in the past. The official was not authorized to discuss the policy publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The South Korean government had no immediate response to Wangs comments. Wang likely renewed the dual suspension proposal in the hopes that President Donald Trump might see it as an alternative approach, said John Delury, a North Korea expert at Yonsei Universitys Graduate School of International Studies in Seoul. Wang Yi is putting it out there for Trump, saying heres an off- ramp to the current tensions, Delury said in a telephone interview from Seoul. With tensions rising again, attitudes among officials and North Korea watchers are now diverging over how to approach the North, Delury said. While some want greater engagement, others are calling for stronger measures, possibly including military action, he said. Trump, meanwhile, has yet to articulate a clear policy toward the North, other than to tweet that he wouldnt let it obtain nuclear weapons to attack America. The proposal is the same, but the context is different, Delury said. Wang, who answered a range of questions at a briefing on the sidelines of Chinas annual national legislative sessions, also urged South Korea to suspend deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system, saying Seoul had made a wrong choice. Washington and Seoul say the system is defensive and not meant to be a threat to Beijing. China is opposed to the system, saying it would allow U.S. radar to peer deep into its territory and monitor its flights and missile launches. We urge some forces in South Korea not to keep insisting on taking this path, otherwise the result can only be damage to others and harm to yourself, Wang said. Christopher Bodeen & Gillian Wong, Beijing, AP China is considered a priority market in the work plan of the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex), said the chairman, Ambassador Roberto Jaguaribe. In this context, exchange with the Pan Pearl River Delta can help to improve the relationship between Brazil and China, the diplomat said during a meeting with a delegation of about 50 representatives of the nine provinces of the region, as well as Macau and Hong Kong, who arrived on Monday in Brasilia. Although China has been Brazils largest trading partner since 2009, and an important investor, there are still many challenges, said the diplomat, who pointed out, for example, the fact that Brazilian exports to China are concentrated on a small group of basic, low value-added products. Brazilian investment in China remains very low, at around USD500 to 600 million, while Chinese investment in Brazil totals over USD15 billion so far. As leaders of trade and investment promotion agencies and as members of the Brazil and China governments it is our duty to seek creative solutions to help put the relationship between the two countries on a new, even higher level than this, said Jaguaribe, adding that it is necessary to expand, diversify and improve the quality of bilateral trade. As part of this strategy, Apex, which works in a similar way to the Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), created Unidade China, which began operating in January 2017. The agencys chief executive Augusto Castro, said that bilateral relations are still in their infancy and that the potential path for growth is exponential. With the creation of the hub, the proposal, according to Castro, is to work towards increasing investments between the two countries in the coming years, and he noted the environment, infrastructure, technological and business innovation, agri-business, image and promotion of culture and e-commerce as priority areas. In the agri-business sector a great bilateral alliance should be created to expand cooperation, said the head of Apex, noting that Brazil is the second largest supplier of products in this segment to China and the biggest meat supplier. The proposal is to expand to other products, given that China, as an increasingly prosperous economy and an ever higher per capita income, will demand more food and drinks and no country in the world is as well positioned to meet that demand as Brazil. In the technological and business innovation area, there is a cooperation program for technology parks in China and Brazil, which may enable the production of goods with higher added value and higher technological content, which are points of interest for the two countries. With regard to environmental issues -this regions biggest focus of interest the director recalled that Brazil has modern environmental legislation and cited the Brazilian Forest Code, which requires farmers to set aside between 20 percent and 80 percent of their property for native vegetation. Brazil has seen great progress in reducing CO emissions by 41 percent between 2005 and 2012, said Castro, recalling that the participation of renewable energy in Brazils energy structure is the highest in the world, or about 42 percent. One of the areas in which Brazil saw major advances in the use of these energies is in transport, with the expanded use of ethanol produced from sugar cane. The representative of the Sugar Cane Industry Association (UNICA), Alfred Szwarc which brings together 136 private companies recalled during the meeting with the Chinese delegation that greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced quite significantly since 1975 due to the launch of the program to incentive national ethanol production. The President of IPIM, Jackson Chang, who leads the mission to Brazil, said the delegation was interested in finding out about the development of green industries and fostering interaction with both the Brazilian government and corporations. The delegation will also have meetings in Brasilia with representatives of the Operations and Management Centre of the Amazonian Protection System (Censipam) with the Ministry of Defense and the Ministries of Environment and Planning, Development and Management. MDT/Macauhub A surprising episode rocked yesterdays trial of former top prosecutor, Ho Chio Meng, when his defense lawyer, Leong Weng Pun, together with Hos entire defense team, decided to exit the case. In the morning, the trial finished earlier than usual. Leong was interrupted several times by the judge when he was questioning a witness. He even hinted that apparently the court was siding with the prosecution. Following those remarks, Leong expressed his desire to discuss with Ho whether his team should keep defending him, since he was constantly being interrupted. In the afternoon, the court remained expectant during the approximately 15 minutes that followed 3 p.m. It was then announced that since the defense lawyer had withdrawn from the case, the afternoon court would be adjourned. After walking out of the Court of Final Appeal (TUI), Leong told the media that discontinuing Hos appointment was not associated with the chances of winning, as he noted he and his team expend all efforts in every case they take on. The lawyer noted that it was the first time in his career that he had to give up a case for not being able to defend a plaintiff. Asked if the court was impartial, Leong remarked: That is a good question. You all saw what happened. We made an effort and gave our best You know the rest, you know the details. It is not me who should comment. I leave that to each persons discretion. Before the session was adjourned yesterday, only one witness, surnamed Chan, was called to the court. Chan serves as top investigator at the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC), and participated in investigations against Ho. During the morning session, Chan said that the alleged shell companies would be quickly awarded Public Prosecutions Office (MP) service contracts upon adding new services to their portfolio. For instance, one shell company registered themselves as a renovation company, listing air conditioning maintenance in their service portfolio shortly before having received the MPs air conditioning maintenance contract. In another instance, one of the shell companies illegitimately received a pest control service contract from the MP. In a proposal written by another defendant, Chan Ka Fai who is department head at the MP, Cha stated that the relevant company possessed the latest machinery to be used for that service. However, after the contract was awarded to this alleged shell company, it outsourced the service to another company, which effectively provided services to the MP. Chan then revealed that the alleged shell companies would alternate with other shell companies to take over the MPs service contracts in order to avoid detection while providing the same range of services to the MP for a long period of time. However, Leong adduced three documents bearing the same fax number as evidence that the companies were not trying to avoid detection. Chan said that some of the contracts given to the shell companies by the MP were not implemented by the companies, because no signs whatsoever indicated that they had provided services to the MP. Chan revealed that the companies would always outsource contracts to another company which would then provide services to the MP. Leong went on to question whether some of the specific services were actually completed. Chan emphasized that the works were not provided by the shell companies. When Leong reiterated that he wanted to know whether these services were completed, the witness replied that the services were indeed completed but that he did not know by whom. In Chans testimony, he said that the shell companies had only four employees. The defense lawyer pointed out that there were part-time employees in addition, namely Wong Kuok Wai (the defendant who is accused of establishing the shelf companies), and Lai Kun Pun (another defendant). Leong also mentioned that one company which provided services to the MP had no employees, and questioned whether Wong Kuok Wai and Lai Kun Pun could be considered employees. However, judge Lai Kin Hong said that it was common knowledge that that company did indeed have employees. In response, Leong remarked that the judge ought to adopt a neutral stance. Later, Chan declared that the alleged shell companies would always provide the Public Prosecutions Office with higher-than-average quotations. However, Leong observed that a document produced by Chan showed that the Prosecution Office had estimated it spent MOP10,000 to purchase computer software, and that these companies in fact offered a cheaper price to the MP that competitors. Leong then told Chan that CCAC only compared offers made by companies if the offers were higher than the market average, not lower. Judge Lai Kin Hong then stated that MPs estimated price could not be compared to the real market price and to the eventual price. Lai also noted that the prosecution was looking for crimes committed by Ho Chio Meng, and he deemed it unnecessary to discuss what Ho did legally. Leong argued that he was simply explaining all the facts to the court, elaborating that he hoped the court could adjudicate the case from the perspective of a neutral and balanced observer. Afterwards, Leong said that he had been confronted with difficulties while defending his client, and notified the judges that his entire team needed to talk to Ho about whether they should continue defending him, requesting ten minutes for this discussion to occur. Five days to get a new lawyer Reacting to Leong Weng Puns withdrawal from the case, TUI issued a statement indicating that Ho Chio Meng had a timeframe of 5 days to find a new lawyer, before the court would appoint a lawyer to defend him. The statement added that the court sessions scheduled for March 10 and 13 were postponed. Leong Weng Pun is obliged to notify the court of the reasons behind his decision to drop the case. Lawyers Association head expresses concern The president of the Macau Lawyers Association, Jorge Neto Valente, reacted to the stepping down of Hos lawyer. Speaking to TDM, Neto Valente said that the incident was regrettable. A case where a lawyer is forced to take such a stance during a trial is not unheard of, but it is uncommon and, certainly regrettable. That leaves me concerned, Neto Valente said. A documentary has been released by Australias ABC network outlining the withdrawal from Macau of Crown Resorts owner James Packer and the downfall of VIP gaming promoters for the company on the mainland. The report, titled Crown Confidential: Packers Losing Hand, recalls the 15 Crown Resorts staff that were arrested in China last year for gambling-related crimes. Fourteen of them remain in detention on the mainland, waiting to find out if they will be charged. The response of mainland authorities was to crackdown on the promoters in the same fashion as it had done previously with VIP promoters for Korean casinos. In the documentary, Steve Vickers, who owns a specialist risk mitigation and security consultation firm, described the Central Governments response using the well- known Chinese idiom: Killing a chicken to scare the money. Speaking at a table with a visible copy of the Times newspaper, Vickers cited government concerns over foreign gaming promoters circumventing Chinese law as well as worryingly large sums of capital leaving China as the two causes behind the crackdown. He also repeated claims that, at the high point in early- to mid-2014, gaming revenues may have been as much as six times higher than that officially reported by Macaus gaming bureau. Starting from last year, James Packer has been partially withdrawing from Crown Resorts international assets to focus on developing his company within the domestic Australian market. The developments include a USD2 billion Barangaroo casino in Sydney that received its final green light in December after a legal bid from a community group was rejected. DB Chinese cellphone equipment maker ZTE Corp. will plead guilty and pay the United States nearly USD900 million for shipping sensitive U.S.- made technology to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions, the Justice Department said yesterday [Macau time]. The corporation violated export controls that are designed that keep sensitive American technology out of the hands of hostile regimes and lied to federal investigators about their actions, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. ZTE pleaded guilty to three felonies and also settled charges with the Commerce and Treasury departments. It has also agreed to pay another $300 million, suspended during a seven-year-period, if it does not meet the terms of the agreement, which includes the appointment of a corporate compliance monitor. The settlement marks the largest civil fine ever imposed in a Commerce Department export control case. An official who requested anonymity to discuss the terms of the agreement said it was also largest Justice Department criminal fine in an export control or sanctions case. The Trump administration sought to portray the settlement as a sign it intended to get tough on those who violate sanctions. Those who flout our economic sanctions and export controls will not go unpunished, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement. But much of the investigation was conducted under the Obama administration. The departments of Justice and Homeland Security started looking into reports of illegal conduct by ZTE in 2012. Its a big deal it sends a really strong message, said Amanda DeBusk, chair of the international department at the law firm Hughes Hubbard & Reed. The U.S. isnt going to be shy about going after companies connected to the Chinese government. Several of ZTEs top shareholders are corporations owned by the Chinese government. According to court documents, ZTE obtained the banned goods, including cellular network equipment, over a six-year period and shipped them to customers in Iran, knowing that the sales violated the sanctions. The company also made 283 shipments of cell phone equipment to North Korea in violation of U.S. embargos in that country, the Commerce Department said. ZTE acknowledges the mistakes it made, takes responsibility for them, and remains committed to positive change in the company [] We are committed to a new ZTE, compliant, healthy and trustworthy, ZTE CEO Zhao Xianming said in a statement. Officials from the departments described an elaborate scheme by the company to ship about $32 million worth of U.S.-made equipment to Iran while lying to federal investigators. ZTE hid the data related to the transactions from a forensic accounting firm. Founded in 1985, ZTE is based in Guangdong. It is one of the worlds biggest telecommunications companies with subsidiaries in the U.S., Asia, Europe and South America. AP United Continental Holdings Inc. has taken a close look at an all-new jetliner that Boeing Co. engineers are developing for trans-Atlantic flying, and the airline likes what it sees. What weve seen so far is very, very interesting to us, Andrew Levy, Uniteds chief financial officer, said in an interview Tuesday. We certainly hope Boeing launches the airplane. We think there is a need for it. An endorsement from United, a large Boeing customer, would go a long way toward making the business case for so-called middle-of-market jetliners. While the airplane concept exists only on paper so far, Boeing has honed the design to seat between 225 and 260 passengers and worked to bring production costs in line with prices that airlines would be willing to pay. I wouldnt be surprised if there is a decision to offer by this year, John Plueger, chief executive officer and co-founder of Air Lease Corp., said of the first step in Boeings process to formally introduce a new plane. That might be a bit early, a bit aggressive. But that would not surprise me. United had been among the skeptics of the jets that Boeing has spent years developing to fill the gap in its product line-up between the largest of the narrow-body 737 models and the smallest 787 Dreamliners. As Boeing is designing a twin-aisle aircraft with the range to fly from London to New York, budget carriers are shifting more mid-range flying to relatively inexpensive narrow-body jets such as Airbus Group SEs A321neo. After delving deeper into the Boeing design, were convinced, we get it. We understand the economics, Levy said in an interview at the ISTAT annual conference in San Diego. We thought a twin made no sense, but we walked through it and had our questions answered. From what weve seen, we like it. But its a paper airplane. Hopefully theyll launch it. Timing and price are two of the critical elements that Boeing must consider in its high-stakes chess match with Airbus for market dominance. Billions of dollars of investment are at stake, and the payoff can be thwarted by factors ranging from cheap oil to supplier stumbles. Boeing has been planning its new family of mid-range aircraft, while Airbus has been marketing upgrades of existing jetliners: the A321, its largest narrow-body, and A330 wide-body jets. Boeings jet, which would probably be known as the 797, may begin flying in 2025, said Steven Udvar- Hazy, who co-founded Air Lease and is influential in shaping product strategy for Boeing and Airbus. The engine technology and break-through design of the new aircraft will be critical since it may fly through 2060, he said. Bloomberg Malaysias prime minister said yesterday that relatives of Kim Jong Nam, the long-exiled half brother of North Koreas ruler, may be too scared to come forward to provide DNA samples following his mysterious poisoning death in a crowded airport terminal in Kuala Lumpur. Prime Minister Najib Razak spoke a day after a stunning breakdown in diplomatic ties between Malaysia and North Korea over the investigation into Kims death on Feb. 13. Najib said his country still wants to negotiate with Pyongyang despite the increasingly bitter dispute. This is sensitive matter, best conducted in secrecy, he said, adding that authorities are still trying to get DNA samples from Kims immediate family to formally identify his body. Maybe they are scared to come forward, Najib said. Two women swiped Kims face with VX nerve agent as he waited for a flight home to Macau last month, Malaysian authorities say. The investigation has infuriated North Korea, which has dismissed the inquiry as politically motivated. Many speculate that North Korea somehow orchestrated the attack, which it denies. Malaysia has never directly accused Pyongyang of being behind the hit. The dispute took a surprising turn on Tuesday, when North Korea announced that it was blocking all Malaysians from leaving the country until a fair settlement of the case. Malaysia responded in kind and barred North Koreans from exiting its soil. Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said yesterday that Malaysia is willing to negotiate. So far, we believe they are going to act rationally, he said. We believe what is important for us is to maintain our diplomatic relationship with them because I think what is important is the safety of our citizens in Pyongyang. Najib has denounced North Koreas order an abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage and a violation of international law. I cant think of anything like this happening for years, said Lalit Mansingh, a New Delhi-based scholar and longtime top Indian diplomat, said of North Koreas directive. This is way out of normal diplomatic practice. But North Korea has a long history of surprising the international community. Its the North Korean way of doing things dramatic intimidating gestures and then waiting for the other side to plead for some concessions, said Leszek Buszynski, a national security scholar at Australian National University who has written extensively on North Korean diplomacy. Officials in Kuala Lumpur say there are 11 Malaysians currently in North Korea: three working at the embassy, two U.N. employees and six family members. About 1,000 North Koreans are believed to be in Malaysia, until recently one of the few countries where North Koreans could travel without a visa. North Koreas surprise order came Tuesday morning, when the official Korean Central News Agency said the country was banning Malaysians from leaving until the safety of the diplomats and citizens of [North Korea] in Malaysia is fully guaranteed through the fair settlement of the case. It was not clear, however, what would constitute a fair settlement. North Korea said Malaysias diplomats and citizens may work and live normally during the temporary exit ban. Malaysia is searching for seven North Korean suspects in connection with Kims assassination, including a North Korean diplomat. Police say three suspects are believed to be in hiding at the North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, a hulking concrete mansion behind a wall streaked with water stains. National police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said Malaysia would not raid the embassy, which is protected under diplomatic law, but would wait for the suspects to emerge. We will wait. We will wait, and if it takes five years we will wait outside. Definitely somebody will come out, Khalid said. Malaysia has said the two women who poisoned Kim were recruited by a team of North Koreans. A Malaysian autopsy found that Kim was killed with VX, a nerve agent and banned chemical weapon that causes convulsions and leaves victims unable to breathe. North Korea is widely believed to possess large quantities of chemical weapons, including VX. The women, one from Vietnam and the other from Indonesia, were quickly caught and have been charged with murder. Both say they were duped into thinking they were playing a harmless prank. Custody of the body has become a flashpoint. Malaysia says it needs to conduct DNA tests to formally identify the body, but North Korea says it has no right to keep the body of a North Korean citizen. Kim, who was in his mid-40s, had lived abroad for years and had reportedly never met younger half brother, North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un. Eileen Ng, Kuala Lumpur, AP A man claiming to be the son of the slain half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has appeared in a YouTube video saying hes safely with his mother and sister. Kim Jong Nam was killed by two women who rubbed a prohibited nerve agent on his face at an airport in Malaysia on Feb. 13, according to Malaysian police. Kim Jong Un was widely suspected to be behind his brothers murder to eliminate a potential challenger to his rule. Subsequently, there have been worries about the safety of Kim Jong Nams son Kim Han Sol, who described his uncle Kim Jong Un as a dictator during a rare 2012 interview with Finnish television. My name is Kim Han Sol from North Korea, part of the Kim family, the man says in English in the 40-second YouTube clip uploaded yesterday. My father has been killed a few days ago. Im currently with my mother and my sister. [] We hope this gets better soon. An official at South Koreas National Intelligence Service said the NIS had determined that the man in the video is Kim Han Sol. The public affairs official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing department rules, didnt explain how his agency confirmed the mans identity. NIS officials gave the same confirmation to the office of a lawmaker who sits on South Koreas intelligence committee without saying how it reached such a conclusion, according to an aide to the lawmaker. The aide requested anonymity for both himself and the lawmaker, saying they werent authorized to give the information to the press. The NIS has a spotty record on reporting developments in North Korea. But a private voice analysis institute in Seoul said there was a high probability that Kim Han Sol in the 2012 interview, which can also be found on YouTube, and the man in the latest video clip were the same speaker. Its right to determine they are the same person, said Lee Cheul-houng, head of the Transcription Analysis Laboratory. The man in the latest video doesnt talk about the whereabouts of his family or how they were being protected. The video was posted on the YouTube channel of Cheollima Civil Defense, which describes itself as a group helping North Korean defectors. The group said on its website that it responded to an emergency request last month by three members of Kim Jong Nams family and relocated them to safety. The group expressed gratitude to the Netherlands, China, the United States and a fourth government to remain unnamed for providing assistance in protecting the three. South Koreas Unification Ministry said it had no knowledge of the Cheollima group. Malaysia has never directly accused North Korea of killing Kim Jong Nam, though it is searching for seven North Korean suspects over the case. North Korea has denied any responsibility and accused South Korea of being behind the accusation. The investigation into Kims death has created a diplomatic battle between Malaysia and North Korea, which have banned each others citizens from leaving their respective countries. Kim Tong-Hyung, Hyung-Jin Kim, AP Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) member, Chi Fulin, said that Guangdong should allow Hong Kong and Macau residents to be admitted into a Guangdong hukou (a record in a government system of household registration required by law in mainland China), according to a report by Wen Wei Po. In doing so, Hong Kong and Macaus people would be given the possibility of enjoying Guangdongs education and healthcare as well as other public services. Chi also called on Guangdong to encourage the SARs innovative people to start entrepreneurship projects in the province. Chi thinks that China should speed up the economic integration of the Guangdong-Hong Kong- Macau area. According to Chi, this specific economic integration consists of implementing an international standard free trade policy, whereby the three regions can achieve free movement of capital, cargo and information. Chi, who serves as head of the China Institute for Reform and Development, voiced these suggestions towards Macau and Hong Kong and towards the country as well. Chinas Hu Kou system has two statuses listed on each persons hukou, specifically rural and urban residency statuses. Chi proposed the country to cancel the two different statuses and replace them with a unified national residency system before 2020. Chi said that China should not just make minor changes over its hukou system. He hopes that by 2020, the Chinese nationals ID card number can become the only necessary identification document. Volunteers Stanton Healthcare Pregnancy Resource Center is looking for that special person who will be facing an empty nest in the near future. The Stanton center offers video based parenting classes and needs a class facilitator. The center will provide training and will offer encouragement as you prepare to send your child out into the world. Stay busy by helping clients improve their parenting skills. Time commitment is two hours per week. Information: stantonmv.org or Kim, 208-734-7472. Volunteers A Volunteer Fair for serving senior needs will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 29 at Twin Falls Senior Center, 530 Shoshone St. S. The event will include volunteer opportunities, information and prizes. Representatives will be available from Idaho Home Health and Hospice, AARP tax-aide, Senior Health Insurance Benefits Advisors, Idaho Food Bank, Interlink Volunteer Caregivers, the Office on Aging, and Twin Falls Senior Center to discuss their services and the need for volunteers. Information: Idaho Home Health and Hospice, 208-734-4064, or Twin Falls Senior Center, 208-734-5084. Volunteers Twin Falls County Board of Community Guardians is seeking volunteer guardians. Anyone interested in volunteering to serve the community is invited to attend an open house from 4 to 7 p.m. April 5 at Twin Falls County West Planning and Zoning Conference Room, 630 Addison Ave. W., Suite 1100, Twin Falls. Refreshments will be provided. Information: Sarah Heck, 208-736-5048, ext. 2222. Volunteers The Senior Companion Program at the CSI Office on Aging needs volunteers, age 55 and older, to assist homebound seniors by providing friendly visits, transportation or other assistance as needed. Senior Companions make positive impacts by helping to improve the mental and emotional status of their clients. Senior Companions receive a stipend per hour of service (to income eligible seniors) and can work between 15 to 40 hours a week. They receive reimbursement for mileage, and training on age-related problems. Information: Dandre, 208-736-2122, or toll free, 800-574-8656. Volunteers Encompass Hospice is looking for volunteers in Burley, Rupert, Eden, Twin Falls, Kimberly and Jerome. Encompass needs your kind heart and willingness to help members of our communities. Information: Cindy Keithley, 208-733-8600 or ckeithley@ehhi.com. Volunteers Idaho Home Health and Hospice needs volunteers who will bring compassion, support and dignity to those facing a serious, life-limiting illness and their families. Volunteers can choose between offering respite to family caregivers or provide support with administrative tasks. Information: Heidi Walker, 208-734-4064 or Heidi.Walker@LHCgroup.com. Volunteers Pomerelle Place Senior Living in Burley is looking for volunteers who want to have fun making new friends and bringing happiness to others. Volunteers can play bingo, games and cards with the residents, complete crafts, cook, or help paint fingernails for the ladies. Information: Carla Thompson at Pomerelle Place, 208-677-8212. Drivers The American Cancer Society is looking for volunteer drivers for its Road to Recovery program in Twin Falls. Volunteers will drive patients to and from medical treatments. Commitment is flexible. Information: 1-800-227-2345. Volunteers The Fifth Judicial District CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) Program is seeking community volunteers to become advocates for abused children. Advocates receive training and support to investigate, report, monitor and advocate for children involved in the child protection system. Advocates are needed in all eight counties of the district, and the program needs volunteers in the Mini Cassia area. Information: Tahna, 208-735-1177. Twin Falls County Tuesday arraignments Jason Allen Harmon, 36, Twin Falls; accident fail to notify, battery on a police officer, driving under the influence, own recognizance release, public defender appointed, pretrial April 11. Mecah Sofia Loya, 19, Twin Falls; possession of a controlled substance, $25,000 bond, public defender appointed, preliminary hearing March 17. Wednesday arraignments Aubrey Elaine Thiemann, 32, Twin Falls; grand theft, $5,000 bond per warrant, public defender appointed, preliminary hearing March 17. Maria Del Carmen Barrios, 25, Twin Falls; eight counts check draft on account without funds or credit, walk-in arraignment, bond previously posted, public defender appointed, preliminary hearing March 17. Benjamin Carlos Miranda, 26, Twin Falls; drug trafficking in heroin, criminal conspiracy, $100,000 bond, public defender appointed, preliminary hearing March 17. Cynthia Marie Emerson, 58, Twin Falls; driving under the influence, own recognizance release, public defender appointed, pretrial May 2. Lawrence J. Castellano, 30, Twin Falls; open container by driver, fail to purchase or invalid drivers license, own recognizance release, public defender appointed, pretrial April 25. Lawrence J. Castellano, 30, Twin Falls; driving under the influence excessive, own recognizance release, public defender appointed, pretrial April 25. TWIN FALLS A man accused of accidentally killing a 20-year-old woman with a shotgun he thought wasnt loaded told a detective he checked his roommates guns every day to make sure they were unloaded and safe when his daughter came to the apartment. Brandon Osiris Scott Smithson, 26, faces a felony charge of involuntary manslaughter in the Jan. 19 shooting death of Katrina D. Budden at the Twin Falls State Apartments, 232 Second Ave. N. Smithson pleaded not guilty to the charge Monday in Twin Falls County District Court. But during a preliminary hearing last month, Twin Falls Police Detective Ken Rivers revealed the cruelly ironic detail that Smithson checked the guns daily to ensure they wouldnt accidentally discharge around his child. He said he had a daughter that came over to the apartment, and he wanted to make sure it was safe, Rivers testified at the Feb. 3 preliminary hearing. He was making sure theyre not loaded and in a position where they can discharge. But on Jan. 19, as Smithson showed an AR-15 rifle and 12-guage shotgun to a neighbor couple, he pulled the trigger on the shotgun, the neighbors testified during the preliminary hearing. Budden was struck in the face and knocked off her chair. I heard a big old loud noise, and we saw that (Budden) (had) blood coming out of her mouth, neighbor Richard Glenn testified. There was a puddle of blood behind the blue chair she was sitting in. Judith Glenn testified that she jolted from her chair asking Smithson, What the hell are you doing? He was like, Oh my God, what just happened? He was panicking, Richard Glenn said. You know, he was ... trying to figure out what happened, why it happened. Judith Glenn and Smithson grabbed a towel to put pressure on the shotgun wound, the couple testified. Doctors pronounced Budden dead at St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center. Smithson quietly sobbed throughout the preliminary hearing. He described Budden as being like a sister to him, Rivers testified. Smithson was calmer at Mondays district court arraignment as District Judge Richard Bevan took his not-guilty plea. Ben Andersen, chief deputy in the Twin Falls County public defenders office, argued last month the killing didnt rise to the level of a felony. Its a tragic accident. Its horrible, but its not a matter for the criminal courts, Andersen argued. This is a situation where Mr. Smithsons actions were not based on disregarding a known risk. He apparently misunderstood how guns worked, thought it was not loaded and it ended up discharging. But there was no waiving a gun around, being reckless and inconsiderate Its simply an accident. Magistrate Judge Thomas Kershaw disagreed, binding the case over to district court and citing testimony from Rivers that Smithson had little experience with firearms. I suppose those of us who grew up with guns were told hundreds of times that you never point a gun at anyone, whether you think its loaded or not, Kershaw said. Perhaps he didnt get those hundreds of warnings, but its sort of common sense, as well, that you dont ever point a gun, whether you think its loaded or not, at anyone, unless you intend to kill them. The judge said Buddens death was undoubtedly an accident and he was sure Smithson didnt mean to kill her. But it ought not to have been pointed in her direction, Kershaw said. I do believe that there is substantial evidence of reckless disregard for her safety by pointing the gun in her direction. Smithson is out of custody on $25,000 bond and scheduled to stand trial June 14. BOISE A Wendell man who sold methamphetamine to an undercover officer in Twin Falls and was later arrested bringing several pounds of the drug to Idaho from California pleaded guilty to a drug conspiracy charge and could face up to life in federal prison. Jose De Jesus Garay-Gonzalez, 29, was indicted by a federal grand jury on four drug charges last year. He pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, a charge punishable by 10 years to life in federal prison and up to a $10-million fine. Garay-Gonzalez and two others conspired to sell large quantities of drugs between June and September of last year in Twin Falls and Boise, acting U.S. Attorney Rafael Gonzalez said in a statement. Investigators ultimately seized more than six pounds of methamphetamine from Garay-Gonzalez and Maria Rosa Arteaga Guzman, 52, of Fruitland after they brought the drugs back from California, court documents said. Guzman, charged with the same four crimes as Garay-Gonzalez, is set for a change of plea hearing in May. Another co-defendant, Oscar Javier Rosas, pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge earlier this year. Court documents in his case detailed how Garay-Gonzalez and Guzman sold a pound of methamphetamine to an undercover officer on July 16 in Twin Falls. Rosas later drove to Boise to collect a second payment for the drugs, and the undercover officer wired a third and final payment to Garay-Gonzalez in August. In September, authorities tracked Garay-Gonzalez and Guzman from California, arresting them in Marsing shortly after they crossed the border into Idaho with a suitcase full of methamphetamine. The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Ada County Sheriffs Office and prosecuted by a special assistant U.S. attorney hired with federal funds from the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program, Gonzalez said in a statement. HIDTA is aimed at helping law enforcement in areas of the U.S. determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions. Rosas is set to be sentenced March 23, while Garay-Gonzalezs sentencing is scheduled for May 24. Guzman is set for a change of plea hearing May 9. BOISE Some of the most conservative Republicans in the Legislature on Wednesday made an attempt to force the House to consider a Boise Democrats proposal. The resolution in question, introduced by Assistant Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, would require a hearing on any bill with five Democratic and five Republican co-sponsors, and would to an extent address a common complaint of Democrats and far-right Republicans alike about being unable to get hearings on their ideas. It was also be a major change to the current system, where committee chairmen have basically unlimited power to decide what is heard and what isnt. Rubels introduced her resolution as a personal bill, bypassing the normal introductory hearing, and House Speaker Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, referred it to the House Ways and Means Committee. Typically, all personal bills are sent there, where nothing more happens with them, and true to the usual pattern Rubels proposal has been sitting in the committee for more than a month. Wednesday morning Rep. Ron Nate, R-Rexburg, made a motion to force the full House to consider it. This bill has been in the committees hands since January, Nate said. Theyve had more than enough time to consider this resolution. Several Republicans joined Rubel to speak in support of hearing her resolution, arguing the current system makes it difficult for them to represent the will of their constituents. Government is supposed to work bottom-up, not top-down, and by having these control mechanisms in these committees our citizens voices are being silenced, and you as legislators are not being allowed to speak for the wishes of your citizens, and this is wrong, said Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard. Ways and Means Chairman Robert Anderst, R-Nampa, defended not hearing the bill, saying it doesnt have the support of the members of the committee, which consists of both the Democratic and Republican leadership plus a chairman from the majority party. Part of the role of a committee chairman is to establish which bills the committee as a whole has before it, Anderst said. Theres a process that we all go through in building support for a particular piece of legislation that starts with the committee process, starts with the committee members. After almost an hour of debate the House voted 57-13 to block consideration of the resolution. Ironically, they would not allow for a discussion or a vote on this bill calling for a discussion and a vote on these bills, Rubel said. Only two of Rubels fellow Democrats joined her on the vote the other eight voted with the majority of Republicans to block it. Minority Leader Mat Erpelding, D-Boise, said after the vote that he supports Rubels bill, but the Democrats have gotten several good bills through this year by working with the committee chairmen, including asset forfeiture reform, invasive species legislation and a bill to reform the handling of rape kits. We didnt get everything that we wanted this year, he said. But the speaker and the chairmen have been more than fair to our caucus. Bedke said a week ago he doesnt support Rubels proposed rules change, and that the practice of referring personal bills to Ways and Means started before he became speaker. That allows members to get their ideas, get their (bills) in the public domain, he said after Wednesdays vote. Unlike the lawmakers who supported hearing Rubels proposal, Bedke said he doesnt view it as a transparency issue. The rule Nate invoked is the check on the power of committee chairmen, and Wednesdays debate was an example of it in action, Bedke said. The members are certainly able to exercise their prerogatives under the rules, and thats what youre seeing here, he said. BOISE Wednesdays fight on the House floor over the power of committee chairmen reflects a longstanding grievance of Democrats and conservative Republicans alike. The House got a bit of a preview of it on Monday, when Rep. Ron Nate, R-Rexburg, proposed amending a bill that expands permitless concealed carry within city limits to armed services members to include non-Idaho residents in general. Several GOP lawmakers countered they should respect the intent of the bills sponsor and not alter it so drastically. Nate said he didnt view what he was doing as a hostile amendment, but there would be no need to do that if all the bills This is where you start getting on thin ice here, said House Speaker Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, and the two men talked over each other for a few seconds. if all bills made it to a committee hearing, Nate ended. But sometimes, ideas with mainstream GOP support can also stall. Last week, a group of lawmakers led by Sen. Cliff Bayer, R-Meridian, held a news conference to pitch the repeal of states sales tax on groceries. Bayer said the bill has 32 House and 16 Senate co-sponsors, including a majority of the Republicans in both chambers. But it remains to be seen if the bill will get a hearing, as it is one of a number of competing ideas surrounding taxes and the states other fiscal needs. Bayer didnt bite when a reporter asked him if the fact that such an apparently popular bill might not be heard pointed to a problem with the system. I have respect for the process, he said. Assistant Majority Leader Brent Crane, R-Nampa, is a co-sponsor of Bayers bill, but he also supports the process and the wide power committee chairmen have in deciding whether to hear a bill. Not every idea is a good idea, he said Wednesday. Crane figures he spends about 80 percent of his time blocking bad ideas. Were the process to change to allow for more hearings, he estimates 95 percent of his time would be spent on bad bills. I dont think thats a wise use of taxpayer dollars, he said. I really dont. Bayer and Crane might support the current system, but not everyone does. As Assistant House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, put it in an interview in late February, the GOP holds about 80 percent of the Legislatures seats but they have 100-percent control over what gets a hearing. The Democrats have some really fantastic policy initiatives, she said. But theyre shielded from the public eye by chairmen who wont let them come forward. Rubel listed off Democratic proposals that will not get a hearing: raising the minimum wage; a motor voter bill to make voter registration easier; a proposal of hers to hold a hearing on the effects of climate change; a bill she introduced with some Republican co-sponsors last month to get rid of mandatory minimum drug sentences. Rubel authored the resolution that would call for a hearing on any bill that gets five Democratic and five Republican co-sponsors that the House shut down Wednesday. And it isnt only lawmakers who sometimes get frustrated. Kathy Peterson has been protesting at the Capitol on and off this session and lobbying lawmakers, hoping to get a hearing on a proposal of hers to require life insurance companies to notify a policyholder by certified mail before canceling a policy for nonpayment. The Meridian woman has been pushing her cause for the past few years her mothers life insurance lapsed for nonpayment before her death. Some lawmakers worry this would drive up the cost of insurance too much. Instead, the House Business Committee passed a bill Tuesday to require notification of an impending lapse by first-class mail, but not certified, a compromise Peterson doesnt view as strong enough to protect people. I was very disappointed and upset, and I felt cheated, Peterson said in late February. It was a rigged deal. She was back protesting at the Capitol on Wednesday, and said she views something like Rubels bill as her only hope. Id like to change the system, she said. Id like to create a more fair way of working with people. Idaho did away with the need for a concealed carry permit within city limits for Idahoans in 2016, but visitors to the state still need one. A bill to expand permitless carry to non-residents has been drafted but hasnt gotten an introductory hearing. Citing the fact that the larger bill has stalled, a few Republican lawmakers tried to make the same amendment as Nate when the bill for armed services carry was in committee last week, but lost. House State Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Loertscher, R-Iona, confirmed Monday he has been given a proposal, and said he was holding it not out of malice but because the supporters havent addressed his concerns. For one, he wants to make sure it wont jeopardize Idahoans reciprocity to carry in other states. It does nothing for the residents of Idaho, Loertscher said. It would mostly just allow any non-resident to carry concealed without a permit. There are probably some issues with that and it hasnt been addressed. For Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star, the current process is the way to prevent total anarchy. During Wednesdays debate, he told a story from his childhood about a man who lost his flock of sheep because one jumped off of a cliff and the rest followed. The process we have here cuts both ways, he said. Sometimes its your friend, sometimes its your enemy, but the rules we have are set up to protect you all. Rep. Bryan Zollinger, R-Idaho Falls, one of a handful of right-wing freshmen who have joined sophomores Nate and Heather Scott in some of their protests against the leadership, said allowing hearings on more bills would increase transparency. And he wasnt a fan of Moyles analogy. This is not a movement of sheep jumping over a cliff, he said. I take exception with being called a sheep, personally. Editors note: This feature ran March 9, 2017, in the Times-News and at Magicvalley.com. An early Clarence E. Bisbee photograph reveals the southwest entrance to Twin Falls, long before the present-day Old Towne Bridge existed and even before the old Singing Bridge hummed its tune. The first Shoshone Street Bridge was a short-lived narrow structure that stretched over Rock Creek from rim to rim. It was the first bridge built over the creek near the new village. The Twin Falls train depot can be seen just east of the bridge. In 1912, Twin Falls County asked voters to approve bonds for other bridges over Rock Creek, but the vote, which needed a two-thirds supermajority to win, failed. In March 1916, the city condemned the Shoshone Street Bridge. It was replaced in 1920 by what later became known as the Singing Bridge. The Singing Bridge, which hummed when cars drove over it, was replaced by the Old Towne Bridge in 1992. BURLEY Cassia County 5th District Judge Michael Crabtree will hang up the robe hes worn for nearly two decades on May 31. Ill miss it, Crabtree said. Ill miss the people. Crabtree and his wife Leslie plan to move to Arizona after his retirement. Crabtree served as a Cassia County magistrate judge from July 21, 1999 to Oct. 10, 2007. He took the bench as district judge on Oct. 11, 2007, Shelli Tubbs trial court administrator for the Fifth Judicial District said. Crabtree presided over several Cassia County murder cases including Christopher Cruz, who was convicted of killing Craig Glen Short, Juan Manuel Arellano, who shot his estranged wife on a Burley bars dance floor, James Duane Ambrose, who killed Russell Taft and hid his body in the crawlspace of a Burley motel in May 2012. Most recently, he sentenced Jose Lara to up to life in prison for murdering his wife, Joann Lara. Crabtree also presided over a series of child sex cases involving Cassia County school officials Tara Bagley, Alvin Andrew, Michael Scott Brinkerhoff and Chad Burnett. When you take the oath, you can really feel the weight settle on you, Crabtree said about the level of responsibility a judge feels for making decisions regarding a persons life and living up to the trust a community places in them. Its almost palpable. Its life changing, he said. Any time you are in public service people are relying on you, Crabtree said. Letting someone else take the mantle will feel a bit liberating, he said. It was not uncommon for people to approach him in the dairy aisle at the supermarket and tell him what they thought about a judgement he made. He carefully measured the tenor of a community and its expectations on a case with a fair sentence and chance for rehabilitation for a defendant. He also had many defendants approach him in the community and thank him for turning their lives around. Crabtree came to Idaho in June 1977 to study for the Idaho State bar. His private practice in Twin Falls and his time on the bench will span nearly 40 years on the day he retires. What surprised him most as a judge? The amount of administration it takes to integrate each level of the court system. I gained a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of the court system, he said. I dont think I had an appreciation for that. There is a lot of administration that goes into it. Meshing together the juvenile, misdemeanor, family law, probates and all the different branches of the court and fitting together all the schedules takes a surprising amount of integration, he said. Crabtree said he strove to provide a fair procedure to everyone who entered his courtroom. When people are allowed to participate in the presentation of their side even though everyone knows someone is going to lose and its fair, most are able to accept the outcome, Crabtree said. Crabtrees fairness and good nature also earned the admiration of his co-workers. He has been awesome to work with and for, said Tara Gunderson, Crabtrees district clerk. He has taught me a lot. Gunderson has been his clerk about 10 years. Im very sad to see him go. Ive always looked up to him and been intrigued with the way he looks at things, Gunderson said. The Idaho Judicial Council announced there are six candidates for the position: Cassia County Prosecutor Douglas Abenroth, Cassia County Magistrate Judge Blaine Cannon, Rupert lawyer Michael Tribe, Burley lawyer Clayne Zollinger Jr., Filer lawyer Jeremy Vaughn and Samuel Beus, a Twin Falls County senior deputy public defender. The council will interview the candidates and select two to four candidates to recommend to the governor, Tubbs said. The governor may or may not interview the candidates and will then appoint one as a replacement. The timeline for how long it will take the council to make the recommendations and how long it will take the governor to appoint a judge is unknown, Tubbs said. It is unlikely that someone will step in on June 1, Tubbs said. There is quite a process involved. Steps have already been taken for a coverage plan for the court docket. Other district judges within the area will fill in until the appointment is made along with senior judges throughout the state, she said. Senior judges are judges who have retired but continue to serve part-time or on an as-needed basis. There will not be any disruption of the court docket, Tubbs said. BURLEY Prosecutors say they dont have the evidence to prove their case against a Rupert man accused of raping a blind woman. Charges against Jimmy Jay Voss, 50, were dropped Wednesday. He was set to go to trial on felony charges of rape, forcible sexual penetration by use of a foreign object and battery with the intent to commit a serious felony. Misdemeanor charges of battery to a disabled persons dog, resisting arrest and possession of a controlled substance were remanded to magistrate court. The prosecutors office dismissed the felonies because, after evaluation of the evidence, we didnt feel like we could prove those charges to a jury, Prosecutor Doug Abenroth said. Deputy Prosecutor McCord Larsen, who was handling the case, said Voss will plead guilty to the misdemeanor charges. Details on what sentence the prosecutors office will recommend are not finalized, Larsen said. Voss was charged in October after police said he raped a blind woman and hit a service dog that belonged to another woman who is also blind. Police said they found Voss outside the home sitting in a running vehicle and he refused to answer questions. The case is scheduled for a change of plea and sentencing March 17 in Cassia County magistrate court. Gertrude Rietveld, 95, of Twin Falls, Idaho passed away on Wednesday, March 08, 2017 with loving family by her side. Arrangements are pending under the direction of Parkes Magic Valley Funeral Home of Twin Falls, Idaho. Edward R. Eddie Keyes, Sr., 48, of Twin Falls, died Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center, Twin Falls. Arrangements are pending Serenity Funeral Chapel Life Celebration Center & Cremation Services of Idaho, Twin Falls. Lisa M. Foster, 54, of Twin Falls, died Sunday, March 5, 2017 at home. Arrangements are pending Serenity Funeral Chapel Life Celebration Center & Cremation Services of Idaho, Twin Falls. Richard Charles West, age 51, of Twin Falls passed away Wednesday, March 8, 2017 at St. Lukes Magic Valley Regional Medical Center in Twin Falls, Idaho. Arrangements are pending under the direction of Parkes Magic Valley Funeral Home of Twin Falls, Idaho. Steven Scott WENDELL Steven Scott of Wendell, funeral service at 11 a.m. Thursday, March 9, at the New Life Community Church in Wendell. A viewing will be held from 10 a.m. until service time at the church. Arrangements are under the direction of Demaray Funeral ServiceWendell Chapel. Mary Jo Williams TWIN FALLS Mary Jo Williams of Twin Falls, memorial service at 11 a.m. Thursday, March 9, at Parkes Magic Valley Funeral Home, 2551 Kimberly Road, Twin Falls. Edward (Eddy) Elorrieta TWIN FALLS Edward (Eddy) Elorrieta of Twin Falls, Rosary at 9:45 a.m. Friday, March 10, 2017 at Saint Edward The Confessor Catholic Church, 161 6th Ave. East, Twin Falls, ID. The Memorial Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. at the same location and will conclude with a lunch reception at the Parish Hall. Helen Parrott MOUNTAIN HOME Helen Parrott of Mountain Home, memorial Service at 11 a.m. Friday, March 10, 2017 at the VFW Hall, Post #3646, in Glenns Ferry. Cremation was under the direction of Rost Funeral Home, McMurtrey Chapel, in Mountain Home. Richard Dick L. Larsen WENDELL Richard Dick L. Larsen of Wendell, celebration of his life will be held at Living Waters Evangelical Presbyterian Church at 11:00 am on Friday, March 10, 2017 in Wendell. Arrangements are under the direction of Demaray Funeral Service Wendell Chapel. Ronald Qualls TWIN FALLS Ronald Qualls of Twin Falls, celebration of life memorial service at 11 a.m. Friday, March 10, at Parkes Magic Valley Funeral Home, 2551 Kimberly Road, Twin Falls. Phillys Miller TWIN FALLS Phillys Miller of Twin Falls, funeral service at 11 a.m. Friday, March 10 at the Thousand Springs Ward LDS Church, 1001 Main Street, Buhl. A viewing will be held from 10 until 10:50 a.m. at the church prior to the service. Arrangements are under the direction of Farmer Funeral Home. Genoveva Alvarez PAUL Genoveva Alvarez, Funeral Mass at 1 p.m. Friday, March 10, 2017 at St. Nicholas Catholic Church. Viewing will be held from 6 until 8 p.m. at St. Nicholas Catholic church with a Rosary beginning at 7:00 p.m. and one hour prior to services. Arrangements are under the direction of Joel Heward Hansen Mortuary. Robert Critchfield OAKLEY Robert Critchfield of Oakley, funeral services at 11 a.m. Friday, March 10, at the Oakley Stake Center. Visitation will be held from 6 until 8 p.m. Thursday, March 9 and from 10 until 10:45 a.m. prior to the funeral on Friday. James Buckley Davis HEYBURN-PAUL James Buckley Davis of Heyburn and Paul Idaho, funeral service at 11 a.m. Saturday March 11, 2017 at the Hope Community Church 25 N. 4th St, Paul, Idaho. Visitation will be from 10-10:45 a.m. before the funeral at the church. Arrangements are under the direction of Davis Rose Mortuary. Werner H. Kramer, MD TWIN FALLS Werner H. Kramer, MD memorial service at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 11, at Peace Lutheran Church in Filer. Ralph Somero TWIN FALLS Ralph Somero, informal gathering from 12 p.m until 3 p.m. Saturday, March 11, at Rosenau Funeral Home, 2826 Addison Avenue East, Twin Falls. William Millican GOODING William Millican of Gooding, funeral service at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 11, at Demaray Funeral ServiceGooding Chapel. Bernice Robinson BURLEY Bernice Robinson of Burley, funeral at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 11, at the View LDS Church, 490 East 550 South, Burley, A visitation will be held from 6 until 8 p.m. Friday, March 10, at the Rasmussen Funeral Home, 1350 E 16th St. Burley and from 10 until 10:45 a.m. Saturday preceding the service at the church. Jean (Winkler) Maxwell BUHL Jean Maxwell of Buhl, graveside services at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 11, at the West End Cemetery in Buhl. Arrangements are under the direction of Farmer Funeral Chapel. Joy Tracy BURLEY Joy Tracy of Burley, funeral services at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 11 at the LDS 3rd Ward Building, 2200 Oakley Avenue in Burley. A visitation will be held from 6 until 7 p.m.at the Morrison Payne Funeral Home, 321 East Main Street, Burley and from 10 until 10:45 a.m. at the church prior to the service. Fr. Eugene Esch JEROME Fr. Eugene Esch of Jerome, funeral mass at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 11 at St Jerome Catholic Church in Jerome. James Blevins PAUL James Ottis Blevins of Paul, memorial service at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 11, at the Rasmussen Funeral Home, 1350 East 16th Street, in Burley. Roberta Kiesling RUPERT Roberta Kiesling of Rupert, memorial services at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 11, 2017 at the Jehovahs Witness Kingdom Hall, 233 West 3rd North in Burley. Arrangements are under the direction of Morrison Funeral Home & Crematory. Nicholas Randall WASHINGTON Nicholas Randall formerly of Jerome, funeral services at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 11, at the Jerome LDS Stake Center, 506 N Tiger Drive. A viewing will be held from 6 until 8 p.m. Friday, March 10 at the church. June Rasmussen BURLEY June Rasmussen of Burley, funeral at 11 a.m. Monday, March 13, at the Rasmussen Funeral Home, 1350 E 16th St, Burley. A visitation will be held from 10 until 10:45 a.m. preceding the service. Dorothy L. Howard TWIN FALLS Dorothy Howard of Twin Falls, funeral at 11 a.m. Monday, March 13 at White Mortuary Chapel by the Park 136 4th Avenue East, Twin Falls. Visitation will be held from 6 until 8 p.m. Sunday, March 12 at the funeral home. Edward Keyes, Sr. TWIN FALLS Edward Keyes, Sr. of Twin Falls, open house celebration of life and viewing will be held from 3 until 5 p.m. Monday, March 13 at Serenity Funeral Chapel Life Celebration Center & Cremation Services of Idaho, Twin Falls. Irene Fredrickson PAUL Irene Annie Fredrickson of Paul, funeral at 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 15, at the Rasmussen Funeral Home, 1350 E. 16th St., in Burley, where friends may call from 10 until 10:45 a.m. prior to the service. Comedian Dave Chappelle made a rare public appearance at a village council meeting in Yellow Springs, Ohio, on Monday, where he reflected on his own experiences with law enforcement and urged officials to choose a progressive police chief. News Story not available This story has been published on: 2022-11-07. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. This story is no longer available on our site. The Egyptian governments decision to reduce the amount of state-subsidized bread provided to bakeries for holders of old subsidy cards has ignited protests in several major cities amidst growing fears that authorities are planning to reduce the subsidy. The governorates most affected by the decision are Alexandria, Minya, Al-Wadi Al-Gadid, Gharbiya and Fayoum. The decision, which came into effect on Sunday, caught the population by surprise. Egyptian supply minister Ali Moselhy said the measure was introduced to fight the manipulation of the subsidy program and gave assurances that the government will not touch the share of bread for citizens under any circumstances. The daily quota for Egyptians covered by the subsidy program is five loaves of bread per day. Moselhy explained that only the quota for bakeries has been reduced. The consumers who were not able to get their bread ration began to protest after bakeries explained that they could not supply them because their rations have been reduced by the ministry. The ministry decreased the amount of bread loaves to 500 a day, down from 1,000 to 4,000 allocated for each bakery depending on beneficiaries in the area. Minister Moselhy apologized to those who were not able to have their supply and reassured them that this issue will be resolved within 48 hours as he told reporters at a press conference that every citizen has a right to bread. Authorities want to replace the old temporary subsidy paper cards with smart cards, introduced three years ago, to curb abuse of the system and make sure the product is going to the beneficiaries. There have been claims that bakeries sell the subsidized flour to private bakeries at a profit. Some protesters have claimed that the replacement process of the cards have been slow. Over the past few years, social peace in Egypt has been fragile amid the increasing cost of living. This has increased fears among analysts that another mass public demonstration could be triggered if the governments economic recovery program fails to meet expectations. The ambassadors of the U.S., UK and France to Libya have called on the warring parties in the country to hand over the revenues of the oil ports under their control to the National Oil Corporation (NOC) based in Tripoli. They urged them to recognize the authority of the NOC despite the ongoing clashes, which erupted last week over the ports of Sidra and Ras Lanuf. Mustafa Sharksi, leader of the Benghazi Defense Brigades (BDB), said they are waiting for the NOC to send another force to take control of the two oil ports that they took from the Libyan National Army (LNA) before proceeding to Benghazi. That could however be obstructed as reports emerged that the LNA is mobilizing around 5,000 troops with tanks and artillery around Brega ahead of plans to launch a second attempt to recover the two oil ports. The concentration of LNA units came as the air force continued air strikes against BDB positions in and around Ras Lanuf and Sidra. Amid the increasing tension, UN special envoy for Libya Martin Kobler said, the immediate priority is to de-escalate tensions around the oil crescent region because it could lead to a wider conflict in an already complicated situation. He stressed that preventing further loss of life and ensuring that national infrastructure and resources are under the control of legitimate authorities are also among his immediate priority. The Al Nabaa television channel reported that the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) returned to Sidra and Ras Lanuf under the authorization of the Presidency Council. It added that the leader of the group Idries Bu Khamada has called on the NOC to inform oil companies to return to ports as operations have resumed. Observers have noted that security and safety continue to be main concerns of those working at these ports as the LNA is preparing for its second counteroffensive. Please, dont give us lessons in human rights and democracy. That was the message Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, addressed to German authorities after they banned rallies that were to be held in the European country in support of the Turkish constitutional amendments. Speaking to supporters at the residence of the Turkish counsel in Hamburg on Tuesday, he stressed that the systematic obstruction of the Turkish government by the authorities was not a right attitude. He underlined that nobody has the right to interfere in a referendum and an election in another country as this is not democratic. Cavusoglu accused the German authorities of being biased through double standards as he claimed that those who are in favor of yes in the referendum are obstructed, but those who favor no are supported. Since last week, nine meetings have been cancelled in six cities across Germany. Relations between the two countries, grown tense over the past months, were further strained after President Erdogan likened Germanys actions to Nazi practices. The remarks he made during the weekend irked Berlin and Chancellor Angela Merkel termed them as absurd and out of place. The European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker condemned the Turkish Presidents remarks as unacceptable. EU sources told euractiv.com that Turkish election activism would be discussed by EU leaders at their summit beginning on Thursday. Austria and Holland have also cancelled rallies within their territories. The referendum on the constitutional amendments has been surrounded by controversies. Critics claim that Erdogan wants to use it to increase his grip on power as they accuse him of being an authoritarian. Meanwhile, pro-amendment supporters claim that it will ease the task of the Head of State as he would become an executive president rather than a ceremonial one. Human Right Watch (HRW) has denounced German authorities decision to deport to Tunisia a 24-year old man believed in contact with the Islamic State group (IS) arguing that the man will likely face torture at the hands of Tunisian security forces accused of dirty work. The Tunisian, Charfeddine T., aka Ashraf Al-T, was deported Wednesday to Tunisia after German justice found him guilty of membership with IS. The man is also believed to have had permission to stage an attack in Germany. Charfeddine T. was arrested in November in Berlin for membership with IS, DW reports. After several judicial proceedings, German authorities decided to deport the alleged suspect to his country. The defense lawyer, Jonathan Burmeister, claimed that the accusations were barely genuine adding that they were based on information from the FBI and the German domestic intelligence agency, the Verfassungsschutz. The Tunisian authorities also said that the suspect belonged to Islamist circles, which is why we believe he will be sent directly to prison and can expect to be tortured, because that often happens in Tunisia when there is suspicion of Islamism, Burmeister said. HWR Germanys Wenzel Michalski has voiced concerns pointing out that the alleged IS member will be subject to torture once back home. The activist accused Tunisian security forces of torture practices. From the German point-of-view it is clear you cant deport anyone if this person is in danger of being executed or tortured, or even of not getting a fair trial, Michalski told DW. If that is the case, the person should be tried here. Its as simple as that. Tunisia, though praised for its democracy, came under fire by the UN and other right groups including London-based Amnesty International for massacring suspects rights and subjecting them to inhuman treatments. Head of Libyas internationally recognised parliament Ageela Saleh has informed the High National Electoral Commission about the organization of fresh parliamentary and presidential elections no later than February 2018 in a move to get out of the current political stalemate. Given the difficult conditions the country is going through and the political mess, you are called upon to take necessary steps to prepare for the organization of presidential and parliamentary elections before February 2018, Saleh wrote. The decision of the snap elections has been confirmed by spokesman for the House of Representatives (HoR) Fathi Al-Maryami. Last month, the political crisis protagonists, including Head of UN-backed Presidency Council Faiez Serraj, and HoR-backed military marshal Khalifa Haftar agreed in Cairo to organize new presidential and parliamentary elections, although they did not hold direct talks. The country has been ruled by two different administrations; a HoR-backed government based in the East and the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) installed in Tripoli. The HoR has refused to endorse the GNA, arguing that it is imposed to Libyans to carry out a foreign agenda. The HoR and the GNA have been haggling over the UN-endorsed Libyan Political Agreement LPA signed in December 2015. The HoR contests the LPA article placing the future Libyan national army under the GNAs authority. The HoR also contests the LPA Annexe 1, which names the members of the Presidency Council. The future role of Haftar is also a thorny issue, as he refuses to collaborate with Serraj, whom he describes as a foreign puppet. Chicken will be the best-positioned protein due to its low price position in times of pressure on consumer spending power but rises in production costs and the long-term impact of COVID-19 threaten to disrupt the sector, according to Rabobank. South Africa has revoked its withdrawal from the ICC on Tuesday; weeks after the countrys High court blocked the governments bid to pull out of the international criminal court. According to a document posted on the UN treaties website, South Africa indicated that its latest decision comes as the High Court found the withdrawal unconstitutional and invalid. In order to adhere to the High court judgment, the planned pull-out would be revoked with immediate effect, it said. Nelson Mandela, the former South African president, had promoted the establishment of the Court to avoid new massive crimes in Africa. However, President Jacob Zumas government had lodged a decision to pull out with the United Nations in October, following a dispute over Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir visiting the country in 2015. Bashir has evaded arrest since his ICC indictment in 2009 for alleged war crimes in Sudans Darfur conflict in which 300,000 people were killed and two million forced to flee their homes. As a reminder, the ICC was set up in 2002 in The Hague as a court of last resort to try the worlds worst crimes where national courts are unable or unwilling to act. UN Chief Antonio Gutteres is in Nairobi to meet President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday. The Two leaders will discuss regional issues including hunger, drought, terrorism and security across the region, local media reported. South Sudan conflict and the war in Somalia are also on their agenda according to Nairobi-based news portal, The Nation. The United Nations (UN) has recently praised Kenyas role in seeking lasting regional peace and dealing with the refugee crisis in the Horn of Africa region. Antonio Gutteres visit to Nairobi comes a day after he visited neighbouring Somalia, where 6 million people, or almost half of the countrys population, need humanitarian assistance. The UN chief urged a massive scale up in international support to avert a famine in the drought-stricken Horn of Africa nation. Guterres, who took the UN helm in January, told reporters in the countrys capital, Mogadishu, that Somalias famine crisis requires a massive response. It is exactly because it is tragic and because it is hopeful that it makes sense to make a very strong appeal to the international community to support Somalia at the present moment. We need to make as much noise as possible, Guterres said. In his words, conflict, drought, climate change, disease, cholera. The combination is a nightmare. More than 363,000 acutely malnourished children and 70,000 severely malnourished children are in need of urgent, life-saving support, According to the WHO. Botswana president Seretse Khama Ian Khama on Tuesday held talks with German Chancellor, Angela Merkel in Berlin ahead of the International Tourism Exhibition (Bourse) ITB Berlin 2017. According to the southern African nations Ministry of International Affairs and Cooperation, President Khama has been invited as the guest of honour, and he will thus deliver a keynote address at the global event. A news release from the Ministry stated that the government of Botswana partnered with ITB Berlin 2017 in March 2016, to boost Botswanas international awareness as a tourism destination of choice. As a partner country, this will afford Botswana an invaluable opportunity to share her [Botswana] experience and success in the tourism sector. This further enables Botswana to showcase her cultural heritage, market services and tourism related investment opportunities, including investment opportunities, the release states. Land-locked Botswana has been participating at the International Tourism Exhibition for the past 15 years. The Tourism is an increasingly important industry in Botswana, accounting for almost 12% of GDP. According to the Finance Minister Kenneth Matambo, the countrys $14-billion economy will grow by nearly double in 2017 compared to 2016 as it shakes off a slump in global commodity prices and electricity shortages. The Separatist Polisario front, supposedly fighting for the independence of Western Sahara, has been caught rerouting humanitarian aid destined to the refugees in the Algeria-based Tindouf camps. According to Moroccan newspaper Al Massae, Mauritanian authorities foiled a new attempt to divert humanitarian assistance by the Polisario after they seized on March 6 a shipment of foodstuffs and medicines. The trucks carrying the goods were coming from Tindouf in Algeria and were to be unloaded in northeastern Mauritania. The Polisario has been regularly finger-pointed for the embezzlement of the humanitarian aid supplied by international aid agencies and NGOs. The issue was raised again during the 34th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The Session denounced the diversion by the separatist movement of formula and vaccines destined to children. US-based NGOs including Nancy Hoff have also sounded the alarm. Nancy Hoff, which has been providing aid to the Sahrawi children, has stopped its assistance after it realized that most of the aid was diverted. The NGO also complained before the UNHRC Session that it had been barred from supervising shipments, Al Massae reports. In January 2015, the European Anti-Fraud Office had made public a document report on the organized and systematic embezzlement by the Polisario leaders of the aid destined to Tindouf camps populations, living in dire conditions. The diverted aid is often sold in Nouadhibou and Nouakchott in Mauritania, in Niamey (Niger), Bamako (Mali) and even in Algeria, Al Massae says. Agreement on new program worth 285 million reached with IMF An agreement on a new program worth 285 million has been reached with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Vice Prime Minister and Finance Minister Dimitri Kumsishvili said at a meeting summarizing the IMF mission results.According to him, the two-week talks with the IMF mission were successfully completed. As Kumsishvili noted, the Government, the National Bank and the Fund actively work on the new program within the framework of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF)."The three-year program was initiated to support the government's economic policy. The new program is not only a declaration of full confidence in the government's economic policy, but it is fully based on the government's reform plan. Under the program, the IMF will be our main partner in pursuing the government's economic policy, Kumsishvili said. Almost 25 percent more tourists visit Georgia this year Georgias attractiveness as a tourist destination is increasing, suggest data from January and February of this year.In the first two months of 2017 alone, 294,000 tourists* spent time in the country, making for a 24.3 percent increase year-over-year (y/y).Overall, 755,080 international travellers (tourists, transit, other) visited Georgia in the first two months of 2017 10.5 percent more compared to the same period in 2016.Tourism is one of our countrys main priorities and a number of governmental agencies are involved in its development process, said Georgias Deputy Economy Minister Ketevan Bochorishvili today, while summarising the January-February tourism statistics.Every single tourist who comes to our country makes a positive impact on the development of the private sector, employment and revenue growth. Our goal is for Georgia to become a four-season tourism destination. Taking into account the tourism data of January-February, we should consider that tourists are actively interested in Georgias winter resorts, she added.The highest number of visitors who came to Georgia in January-February 2017 were from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, Russia and Ukraine.A positive trend was also maintained by visitors from the European Union: Germany - 35 percent increase Poland - 30 percent increase Bulgaria - 29 percent increase France - 19 percent increaseAlso, a higher number (26 percent increase) of tourists came to Georgia from the United Kingdom, mentioned Bochorishvili.Exceptional growth in visitor numbers was recorded from the following countries: Iran 438 percent increase Uzbekistan - 211 percent increase India - 129 percent increase Israel - 65 percent increase China - 38 percent increase Russia 36 percent increaseThe deputy minister also said that in February of 2017 alone Georgia hosted 368,010 international travellers (2.1 percent growth y/y) and 139,918 tourists (16.4 percent growth y/y).[The high number of tourists] is a result of a well-guided marketing campaign which our country has been actively implementing during the past several years. The government strives to raise awareness of Georgia abroad and make the country a popular tourism destination. As a result international tourism revenue reached $1.7 billion in the first three quarters (Q3) of 2016, which was $177 million or 11.7 percent more than in the same period of 2015, said Bochorishvili. @PatriciaMazzei Alex Acosta, the Florida International University law school dean nominated by President Trump to serve as labor secretary, has confirmed he'd step down from his job if confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Acosta would also resign from the board of U.S. Century Bank, according to an ethics agreement released Thursday by the Office of Government Ethics. The document is dated March 6. Leaving the bank might mean giving up a 2016 bonus, which Acosta estimated could range between $50,000 and $150,000, if he doesn't get it before becoming labor secretary. There are other bank assets Acosta acknowledged he would also have to forfeit to join the Cabinet. In addition, Acosta would leave posts with Breakthrough Miami, Gulliver Schools, and the American Bar Association Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities. In his financial disclosure, which was also made public Thursday, Acosta, 48, listed less than $1 million in investments. He made about $380,000 from FIU last year, and $170,000 from U.S. Century Bank. Photo credit: Steve Nesius, Associated Press @ByKristenMClark A complicated and controversial measure to change how Floridas 4,300 public schools get taxpayer money for construction and maintenance projects is limping through the Florida Senate, advancing even as lawmakers agree it needs a lot more work before it might become law. Senators behind the measure (SB 376) envision the final bill would have two main elements: It would require school districts to share local tax dollars with charter schools and it would give school boards the freedom to raise local tax rates back to pre-recession levels, so that they could collect more revenue to address the backlog of maintenance needs in traditional public schools. Senate education leaders say the first part is not possible without the second, but efforts to restore the school districts tax-rate cap might not have the votes to pass because it could be construed as a tax increase. While that debate lingers, its not the only issue now. The ideal bill some senators want could also carry another consequence that Republican Senate leaders revealed this week but that lawmakers have not yet discussed in public committee hearings. Sen. David Simmons, an Altamonte Springs Republican who chairs the chambers Pre-K-12 education budget committee, told reporters if SB 376 is implemented with both crucial parts, there wont be a need for the state to provide its current share of capital outlay funding an annual moving target that has dwindled over the years but nonetheless still accounted for $150 million this year for charter and traditional public schools. More here. Photo credit: Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, talks with reporters in Tallahassee during a media availability on the opening day of the 2017 legislative session on Tuesday, March 7. Kristen M. Clark / Herald/Times Tallahassee bureau State Rep. Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, answers questions about his plan to kill Enterprise Florida during a debate on the floor of the Florida House of Representatives on Thursday. State Rep. Joe Gruters, a Sarasota Republican and ardent defender of the agency, watches on. (Photo: Scott Keeler/Tampa Bay Times) @JeremySWallace Despite unusual political pressure from Gov. Rick Scott over a period of weeks, Florida House Republicans shrugged off his stinging attacks and took a big step toward destroying his No. 1 legislative priority. On Thursday the Florida House started debate on a bill that would kill Enterprise Florida, the economic development agency Scott has relied on to hand out tax breaks to companies in exchange for them creating jobs in Florida. The bill is now almost certain to pass the Republican-led Florida House on Friday, a stunning act of defiance of the sitting Republican governor and his top legislative priority. State Rep. Paul Renner, a Republican from Flagler County in northeast Florida, offered no apologies as he rolled out his plan that would kill 24 difference economic development and tax credit programs in Florida in a quest to rid government of what House leaders have called corporate welfare. Renner said Enterprise Florida is selective in picking companies to get subsidies, often over competitors. These incentives violate principles of fairness and they also pick winners and losers, Renner said. To hammer home his point, Renner took a subtle jab at Scott, proposing a scenario in which a doughnut shop, which gets no incentives, watches another one open across the street with the help of government incentives paid for by taxpayers. Scott famously touts his days of running a doughnut shop in the 1970s as his start to becoming a businessman. Better than handing out tax breaks to a few companies, Renner said the government should use that money to improve education, infrastructure or cut taxes more broadly. Former state Rep. Dwayne Taylor, a Daytona Beach Democrat, was indicted Thursday by federal prosecutors for falsely claiming thousands of dollars in campaign expenditures in order to conceal cash withdrawals and checks written to himself in violation of state law. Download Taylor Indictment Taylor, 49, was charged with 9 counts of wire fraud. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each count, according to a statement released by U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, of the the U.S. Attorney in the Third District. According to the grand jury indictment unsealed Thursday, Taylor appointed himself his campaign treasurer on 2012 and 2014, withdrew $2,440 in his petty cash fund in 8 different instances between June 2012 and August 2016 and one check valued at $400. He then deposited the funds into his personal bank account. The indictment claims that Taylor also wrote checks to himself and write on the memo line that the funds were for petty cash. He fraudulently obtained $62,834 in campaign funds, exceeding the state law that allows for $100 a week in petty cash expenses that must include only office supplies, transportation and other necessities, the indictment claims. Taylor served on the Daytona Beach City Commission from 2003 to 2008 and served in the Florida House from 2008 to 2016, when he sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 6th Congressional District. He was defeated in the primary. State law prevents a candidate his or her spouse from using campaign funds to defray normal living expenses for the candidate or the candidates family, other than expenses actually incurred for transportation, meals, and lodging during travel in the course of the campaign. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Embry J. Kidd and Roger B. Handberg, according to the statement. @amysherman1 A conservative group misfired in its attack on U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., for being inconsistent on the use of the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees. America Rising Squared, the policy arm of the conservative America Rising PAC, said in an online post that Nelson, up for re-election in 2018, committed a "filibuster flip-flop" on President Donald Trump nominee Neil Gorsuch. "In 2006, Nelson opposed the use of a filibuster for the nomination of Justice (Samuel) Alito, but now has adopted a different stance," said America Rising Squared, a group advocating for senators to support Gorsuch. We decided to look at whether Nelson flip-flopped on using the filibuster for a Supreme Court nominee on our Flip-O-Meter, which examines whether a politician has been consistent on an issue. Experts told us America Rising mischaracterized Nelsons record. Keep reading from PolitiFact Florida. @MichaelAuslen Despite pending cuts to the state budget, a bipartisan group of lawmakers on Thursday called on the Legislature to dramatically increase spending on mental health and substance abuse treatment in Florida. The state ranks at or near the very bottom in the country in terms of mental health spending. And after passing a sweeping set of changes to the state's mental health system in 2016, lawmakers say the only thing standing in the way of significant improvement in treatment is funding. "We're on our way, but the missing piece is the funding," state Rep. Kathleen Peters, R-South Pasadena, said. "The governor's right that we have to increase the funding, but it's not enough. It's not enough." Scott has proposed a $25 million increase to the annually recurring base budget for mental health and substance abuse. His budget proposal cuts the total spending by about $5 million, however, largely in one-time equipment and building expenses built into last year's budget. Peters and others called for even more money. But the Legislature is under tough pressure to cut spending across the board to cope with a projected revenue shortfall, a desire to do tax cuts and other prioritites of the legislative leadership. "At the end of the day we're 49th (in spending nationally)," said Sen. Rene Garcia, R-Hialeah. "It means we've neglected this for too long." A lack of funding generally means families cannot find help for their loved ones when they realize they need help. That's what happened to Rick and Kathleen Marquis of St. Augustine, whose adult son is diagnosed with schizophrenia. The Marquis family has had to care for their son because hospitals are unable to take him when he has a psychotic break. "The terrifying question we and other families like us fear is: Who will be there for our children when we have passed on?" Rick Marquis said. Peters says there are savings to be found down the road if the state addresses the mental health crisis head-on. Because more people with mental illness and substance abuse disorders are in the state prisons than in hospitals, there are ways to cut back criminal justice spending, as well as emergency mental health spending by focusing instead on treatment and prevention. "It's past time, and if we we'd just address this, the return on investment in every other system would come," Peters said. "We did it for heart disease, we did it for cancer. We know prevention works, but we are not talking about prevention. ... We're not even encouraging prevention." Photo: Flanked by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, Candy Crawford, president of the Mental Health Association of Central Florida, calls for more state funding to address a mental health and substance abuse crisis. (Michael Auslen | Times/Herald) @JeremySWallace U.S. Sugar Corporation officials are leaving little doubt that they support Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, a Republican most expect to run for governor in 2018. U.S. Sugar and a railroad the company runs called South Central Florida Express, Inc. sent $200,000 in donations in late February to a political committee that Putnam runs called Florida Grown. U.S. Sugar has now given Florida Grown $465,000 since 2015, making it among the top 5 givers to Putnams committee. His top donor is The Voice of Florida Business, a political action committee run by Associated Industries of Florida. They have given $605,000. That doesnt count $525,000 that AIF has given Putnams committee through another committee called Associated Industries of Florida PAC. Yet another committee with ties to AIF called Floridians for a Stronger Democracy gave $150,000 to Putnams committee since 2015. Each of those AIF PACs get lots of support from the sugar industries. Since the start of 2016 those three PACs have raised a total of $4.2 million. But nearly $1.3 million of that comes from donations by U.S. Sugar, based in Clewiston, and Florida Crystals, a sugar producer based in Palm Beach County. Since the start of February, Florida Grown has raised over $2 million, and since it was created in early 2015 it has raised over $9 million. Putnam has not announced if he is running for governor yet in 2018, when Gov. Rick Scott will not be able to seek re-election. Here are the top donors to Putnams Florida Grown PC: $605,000 - The Voice of Florida Business $587,060 - Florida Power & Light $550,000 - Florida Jobs PAC, a committee run by the Florida Chamber of Commerce $525,000 - Associated Industries of Florida PAC $465,000 - U.S. Sugar Corporation and South Central Florida Express Inc. $385,647 - Disney World Wide Services and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts $200,000 - Florida Chamber of Commerce $160,000 - Publix $160,000 - Florida Retail Federation PAC $150,746 - Florida Phosphate Political Committee (Source Florida Division of Elections) Meanwhile On Wednesday, Putnam delivered a speech at the Florida Capitol Complex stressing the importance of farming in Florida and reminding people about the challenges the industry has faced in the last year with crop killing diseases and pests. Check out what Putnam had to say here: @MichaelAuslen The Florida Senate unanimously passed legislation requiring juries to vote unanimously on death sentences Thursday, paving the way for the House to do the same After the Florida Supreme Court ruled the state's death sentencing laws unconstitutional last fall, the Legislature was tasked with passing the fix (SB 280). Legislative leaders made it a priority, lining it up for passage in the first week of the legislative session to allow prosecutors to pursue new death cases. "I strongly believe if we're going to give someone the ultimate penalty ... that we need to require a unanimous jury," Sen. Randolph Bracy, D-Ocoee, said. "I just believe that it speaks to who we are as Floridians that if we're gonna send someone to death that they should have a fair trial and I believe unanimity speaks to that." Current law requires murderers be convicted on a unanimous vote but that a sentence of death only requires 10-2 vote of the jury. That was passed last year after the U.S. Supreme Court threw out the death sentencing scheme in the case Hurst vs. Florida. Prior to that, juries gave a recommendation of a death sentence on a simple majority vote and a judge had the final say in sentencing. The Senate's 37-0 vote Thursday came with two words of caution from Democrats: Sen. Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth, warned lawmakers could soon have to address other problems with the death penalty. Sen. Gary Farmer, D-Lighthouse Point, said the state should stop the death penalty altogether. The House prepared its death penalty legislation Thursday for a final vote, which could come later in the afternoon or Friday morning. (Photo: Florida Department of Corrections.) @PatriciaMazzei The White House on Thursday marked the 10-year anniversary of the disappearance of Robert Levinson, the former FBI agent from Coral Springs who went missing from Kish Island, Iran, while working on an unauthorized mission for the CIA. In a statement, Press Secretary Sean Spicer said President Trump's administration "remains unwavering in our commitment to locate Mr. Levinson and bring him home." "We want him back, and we will spare no effort to achieve that goal," said Spicer, who repeated his statement from the briefing room podium Thursday afternoon. He asked for any tips to be directed to the FBI. In a tweet Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio also noted the decade since Levinson's disappearance. We cant give up seeking answers on the whereabouts of @helpboblevinson. Admin must hold #Iran accountablehttps://t.co/ZSMvaqtJ1J Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) March 8, 2017 And U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson remembered Levinson in remarks on the Senate floor. Nelson, Rubio and U.S. Reps. Ted Deutch of Boca Raton and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Miami also filed a resolution calling on Iran to assist in finding Levinson. "Since Bob's detention, American officials have sought Iran's cooperation in locating and returning Bob to his family," Nelson said. "And, of course, Iranian officials have promised over and over their assistance, but after ten long years, those promises have amounted to nothing. Bob still is not home." This post has been updated. Photo credit: Levinson family via Associated Press The Watershed Education Network (WEN) in western Montana will offer seasonal training on water monitoring activities. WEN leads a weekend citizen science group, Stream Team, collecting data on rivers and streams. And on weekdays, WEN staff and volunteers lead river education programs for more than 2,500 students annually featuring class sessions and field trips to local streams and rivers. WEN is hosting three upcoming water monitoring trainings open to the public and free of charge. All trainings incorporate the same water monitoring protocols (biological, chemical and physical parameters). If you are interested in attending one or more of the training times listed below, please RSVP to Becca Paquette, by emailing water@montanawatershed.org or calling 406-541-9287. All trainings are held at Greenough Park at the covered pavilion. Come learn about water monitoring techniques and WENs School Stream Monitoring Programs and weekend monitoring with the Stream Team on Saturday, March 11, from 2 to 5 p.m.; Wednesday, March 15, from 4 to 7 p.m., Saturday, March 18, from 2 to 5 p.m. For more information, visit: montanawatershed.org. The Watershed Education Network (WEN) is a local nonprofit organization whose mission is to, foster knowledge, understanding and appreciation of watershed healthy through science and outreach. For the past 21 years, WEN has been growing the next generation of watershed stewards. HELENA A bill that would require teens to have parental permission to use tanning beds received tepid support in the House after legislators questioned the bills merits with comparisons to teen abortions, smoking and ballot counting. House Bill 478 as amended Wednesday would require anyone younger than 16 to have their parent provide an in-person signature of permission before using a tanning bed and would limit visits to 12 times per year. Similar laws exist in 41 other states, although they all set the bar at age 18. Most ban the use of tanning beds by minors outright, while 10 allow the use with parental sign-off. Melanoma now is the most deadly form of cancer for women. In the last 40 years, its touched more women than breast, colon, ovarian, uterine and pancreatic cancers combined. Two million teenagers now use tanning beds every year. Seventy percent of the people who use these tanning beds are white women between the ages of 15 and 29 years old. Melanoma is now the most common cancer for 25-29 year olds and the second leading cause of cancer for 15 year olds, Rep. Ellie Hill Smith, D-Missoula, said. It would require kids to get permission from their parents before they give themselves cancer in a tanning bed. A similar measure passed the House on an 88-12 vote in 2015 but died in the Senate amid hopes for a tougher law that never advanced. This session, Senate Bill 133, carried by Billings Republican Sen. Roger Webb, would have banned tanning for anyone younger than 18. It died last month after a 25-25 vote killed a motion made in the full Senate to blast it out of committee. Webbs measure is preferred by the American Cancer Association but opposed by the American Suntanning Association. Smiths measure to allow tanning with parental permission is opposed by the cancer group, but supported by the tanning organization and the American Medical Association. Rep. Theresa Manzella, R-Hamilton, introduced a successful amendment to Smiths bill that lowered the age limit from 18 to 16 years old. She cited a 2012 legislative referendum that a majority of voters later approved, which requires doctors to notify parents if their child younger than 16 years old is receiving an abortion as well as state law that sets the age of sexual consent at 16. I cant for the life of me see myself voting for a bill that creates a higher threshold for parental consent on tanning beds than we do on abortions, she said. Republican Reps. Brad Tschida of Missoula and Kerry White of Bozeman argued the bill was unenforceable. Rep. Mike Hopkins of Missoula also questioned the penalties provision of the bill. The age limit for tanning is in the same section of state law as bans on underage smoking and drinking, which allow adults to be fined up to $500 and sentenced to six months in jail for providing those substances anyway. Really? Seems slightly harsh to me for a tanning bed, Hopkins said. Read through the things already prohibited in this section and ask yourself how were doing on that, like teen smoking, drinking. It doesnt seem to me like its going to work out very well. Smith noted that because the tanning industry supports the measure and is willing to enforce the law she thinks there would be little need to use those provisions. She said she would be open to amendments in the Senate to remove the possibility of jail. Rep. Derek Skees, R-Kalispell, also opposed the bill. Just a few short weeks ago we said someone older than the age of 16 and younger than the age of 18 should be able to count our votes and be judges in elections, he said. I wanted to point out that hypocrisy and I cant wait to see the vote total on this one. Rep. Tom Woods, D-Bozeman, argued Skees comparison was flawed. Counting votes doesnt give you cancer, he said. Rep. Peggy Webb, R-Billings, was one of several women from both parties who urged legislators to approve the bill. Im usually about freedom, but we just spoke to a group of nurses on Monday, she said, recalling one in her early 20s who has had cancer three times, likely a result of frequent tanning as a teen. We need to protect our kids. We try not to let them smoke. I dont think they should be drinking. I dont think we need to be encouraging and making it easier for them to get cancer. Smith emphasized Wednesday was International Womens Day and that cases of skin cancer resulting from tanning disproportionately affect women. Were telling you this would make a difference for women and girls, she said. The House endorsed Smiths bill 51-49, with 38 Democrats and 13 Republicans supporting it while 4 Democrats and 45 Republicans opposed it. The final House vote will be Thursday. With a little luck, Marvin Strombos good luck flag is on the first leg of its journey home to Japan. Its been in Strombos possession for more than 70 years, since the day the Marine private from Dixon claimed the distinctive flag and a saber off a Japanese officer killed in the Battle of Saipan in 1944. The saber was stolen in the 1970s from Strombos home on Fairview Avenue, where Marvin still lives at age 93. One of his biggest fans, Joe Tachovsky of Wisconsin, came through town on Tuesday to take Strombo to lunch and pick up the flag. On Thursday, Tachovsky will deliver it to representatives of the Obon Society at the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, Oregon. Rex and Keiko Ziak founded the Obon Society in 2009 to help repatriate such war keepsakes with relatives in Japan. I hope the family gets it, Strombo said. I think it would be some comfort to them. The hinomaru yosegaki flags were traditionally signed with well-wising messages by family and friends and presented to a Japanese man before he went to war. University of Montana assistant professor Rob Tuck identified the probable bearer of Strombo's flag as Yasue Sadao when Strombo visited Tucks class in November. As Strombo sees it, that information and the fact that Yasue carried a saber and was therefore an officer should help locate descendants. Tachovsky, an author and restaurateur based in Minneapolis, is the son of Lt. Frank Tachovsky, the commander of Strombos scout-sniper platoon in the 6th U.S. Marine Regiment that operated behind enemy lines on Saipan. Hes seeking an agent and publisher for his book 40 Thieves: Saipan, which he researched, wrote and reworked after his fathers death. Strombo is the oldest of three surviving thieves left from his fathers platoon, so nicknamed because they were masters of covert operations and because, as Strombo explained, "every time we needed a bottle of something we somehow got it." Roscoe Mullins of Culloden, West Virginia, and and Bob Smotts of Dahlonega, Georgia, are the others. Tachovsky has befriended all three and tapped their memories for his book. He's extremely fond of Strombo, and made this stop as part of a cross-country road trip thatll take him down the West Coast and to Las Vegas, visiting grave sites and families of the men from his fathers platoon. He too will be gratified if the flag can be returned to its rightful family. Anything I can do for Marvin, Tachovsky said. The Ziaks and the Obon Society got a boost last Memorial Day when CBS News highlighted their efforts in a feature called The Flags of Their Fathers. The program focused on a successful repatriation of a hinamaru initiated by Terry Stockdale, son of the late Glenn Stockdale of Billings. It generated an overwhelming number of requests that the Ziaks and their network of researchers and legal assistants on both sides of the Pacific are scrambling to fulfill. Their most recent success was capped last weekend in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, when Cynthia Kester, granddaughter of a U.S. Marine in World War II, presented a good-luck flag to the grand nephew of a Japanese soldier killed in 1945. We were enemies then. We are friends now, Kester, 60, told Eisuke Oniike, 58, who traveled from his home in Japan to receive the flag. The exchanges are good for the souls of both giver and receivers. "Our first thought was it's purely for the benefit of Japanese families, but we overlooked the fact that this is so enormously important for the Americans," Rex Ziak said. With the help of his daughter, Sandy Williamson, Strombo composed a short letter that will accompany his flag to Japan if Yasue Sadaos family is found. In it, Strombo introduces himself and says he was born, raised and continues to live in Montana. I have wanted to return this flag for a very long time, but we did not know how to do it, Strombos letter says. I hope the return of this flag brings your family some comfort. He writes that he's always had respect for the Japanese soldiers because they fought so hard. We were all just trying to survive and fight for what we believed in, Strombo says. Your loved one was already passed when I found him on the outskirts of Garapan, Saipan. After I brought the flag home, I felt bad. "I have always believed that it did not belong to me, it belonged to you. I pray this flag finds its way home and, if you are reading this, it has. The owner of Montana Buds, the statewide medical marijuana dispensary network, pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking charges in Missoula on Wednesday. Charlton Victor Campbell faces a minimum 10 years in federal prison when he is sentenced June 16. He could also be fined up to $10 million and will be on supervised release for at least five years after his prison term ends. At the start of the year, 40-year-old Campbell signed a plea agreement with federal prosecutors under which he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana in exchange for three other charges being dismissed. As part of the agreement, Campbell agreed to forfeit $30,000 in cash and will give up all the Montana Buds properties in Bozeman to the federal government. He remains released on supervision pending sentencing. Jesse Walter Campbell and Michael James Mason have also been charged in the case, but are fighting the federal governments right to prosecute them. They cite a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that upheld a federal regulation and found that the Department of Justice cant pursue criminal cases against people who are obeying their states medical marijuana laws. An evidence hearing to determine whether Mason and Jesse Campbell were in compliance with Montana law was held in February, with the second half scheduled for March 20. An offer of proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan McCarthy said Charlton Campbell had prior felony convictions from Gallatin County in 1995, and therefore should not have been able to be a provider under the Montana Medical Marijuana Act. While the initial medical marijuana program voted in by statewide referendum in 2004 only barred those with felony drug convictions from being providers, the Legislature expanded the ban in 2011 to include all felons. Campbell's attorney Josh Van de Wetering said after the change, Campbell stopped being a provider, but continued to work with Montana Buds by leasing it property and conducting marketing for the company. Van de Wetering agreed that doesn't change his client's involvement in terms of the federal conspiracy charge. The prosecutor also wrote that if the case went to trial, he was prepared to show Campbell sold more marijuana than the state program allowed and that marijuana grown at Montana Buds was shipped out of the state. They don't look like much, but its hard to overstate the threat posed by aquatic invasive species like zebra and quagga mussels to Montana's public waterways - and all the waterways downstream in other states. Its terrifying, explained Heidi Sedivy, the program manager for the Flathead Basin Protection Fund. During an informational talk at the nonprofit Clark Fork Coalition Wednesday, Sedivy said the Columbia River watershed is the last watershed in the lower 48 states that is currently free from nonnative zebra and quagga mussels, which originated in Eastern Europe. Western Montana represents the headwaters of the Columbia watershed, and alarm bells all over the state were raised when mussels were detected in the Tiber Reservoir in north-central Montana late last year meaning the entire Missouri River watershed is essentially doomed. The incident led Montana Gov. Steve Bullock to declare an environmental disaster emergency and form a special advisory council. Almost overnight, Glacier National Park and the Blackfeet Reservation closed lakes off to boaters. But experts say there is still time to protect the western half of the state, where water flows to the Pacific. Once Eastern European mussels invade a large waterway in North America, they are impossible to eradicate completely with current technology. In the absence of natural predators, a female zebra or quagga mussel can lay up to a million eggs per year. The mussels are filter feeders and quickly reproduce to occupy every substrate under the water, then strip the entire water body of the microorganisms that form the building blocks of the entire food chain. When invasive mussels take over, they kill off native mussels, native crayfish, frogs and fish and therefore the birds that feed in the lakes. Its devastation that leads to a loss of property values and kills off the outdoor recreation industry, as seen in lakes in the Midwest where invasive mussels have established themselves for a long time. Sedivy showed a picture of an unfortunate lake in the Midwest where managers had drawn down the water level expecting to find a small population of mussels, but were shocked to see the entire bed of the lake every rock, log and patch of mud covered. The mussels will clog irrigation pipes and intakes. Its estimated that billions of dollars of damage would be done if they were to establish in the Columbia River Basin, of which the Clark Fork River is a major contributor. They create a huge problem for the whole ecosystem, Sedivy said. Fish cannot spawn and they drastically alter the food chain. They are knocking on the door. Theyre right around the corner. Just last week, game wardens in Idaho intercepted two people hauling boats towards Montana that were infected with mussels. Because places like Lake Havasu in Arizona and the Great Lakes are filthy with mussels, out-of-state boaters present a considerable risk. But Sedivy is just as concerned with people jumping from one waterbody to another waterbody just within Montana. Mussels attach to almost any surface including fishing waders and can survive without water for up to a month. Sedivys organization, along with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and numerous other nonprofits and government agencies, are planning on attacking the problem head-on this summer. There will be 34 inspection stations, and boaters can view a map to see the nearest one. Dogs are adept at detecting the presence of mussels, so they'll be deployed at checkpoints. There will be inspection officials at many lakes in Montana, and boaters will need to have an inspection permit or face a fine. Sedivy said people who think they may have been on mussel-infected waters can call her office or FWP and get a free inspection or decontamination. Essentially, mussels are killed by being submerged in 140-degree water for at least 10 seconds, so even a hot car wash may not do the trick. People should make sure their boating and fishing gear is always cleaned and bone dry between moving from waterways, and boats that are moored overnight in mussel waters pose the greatest risk. Montana lawmakers are evaluating a series of recommendations for preventing, detecting and containing mussels and other invasive species. As weve seen in other states, mussels and other invasive aquatic species have the potential to wreak havoc once theyre established both ecologically and economically, said Karen Knudsen, executive director of the Clark Fork Coalition. For more information, visit the Montana Mussel Response Facebook page. The Montana Legislature had a golden opportunity to create new high-wage jobs and clear the way for more Montanans to meet growing energy needs from the sun. Instead, the House energy committee voted to do the bidding of Montanas largest regulated energy monopoly and stop the Solar Jobs and Energy Freedom Act in its tracks. At first glance, it doesnt make sense. Demand to grow Montanas solar energy industry is full-throated, bipartisan and well documented. The Solar Jobs and Energy Freedom Act, or House Bill 504, was co-sponsored by Republicans and Democrats alike. In an unprecedented show of support, more than 5,000 Montanans from every corner of the state sent messages to the Legislature in support of this crucial legislation. Last month, hundreds of Montanans traveled to the Capitol and shook the dome with chants of Solar jobs! and Energy freedom! But public support from thousands of regular farmers, small-business owners, low-income housing advocates and energy customers was not enough. The House Energy Committee chose to ignore us and work for a small army of NorthWestern Energy lobbyists instead. So why did NorthWestern squash the Solar Jobs and Energy Freedom Act? The lobbyists will tell you House Bill 504 is premature. They say net-metered customers somehow impose additional costs on the entire system. This argument falls flat when you look at the facts. After six years of debate, theres no evidence of a cost shift because rooftop solar in Montana accounts for less than one fifth of 1 percent of average load on the grid. Regardless of the validity of their concern, the legislature is advancing legislation to yet again study impacts on the grid instead of taking steps to grow the industry. Posturing aside, the real reason NorthWestern killed HB 504 is they dont like to compete with energy sources and technologies they dont control. This is a classic David versus Goliath story and the Legislature voted to keep Montanans under Goliaths shadow. Its a dangerous game when our legislators allow the power company to dictate energy policy. In 1997, the Legislature rammed through deregulation legislation at the 11th hour at the request of the Montana Power Company. The loss of jobs, pensions and the retirement savings of Montanans who had invested in Montana Power Company is a dark spot in Montanas history. Last year, the solar industry accounted for one out of every 50 new jobs in our nation. Solar was the single largest energy source added in the United States in 2016. The opportunities for job creation, lower energy bills and personal freedom abound and HB 504 would have allowed Montanans to tap into that opportunity by removing arbitrary regulations limiting our burgeoning solar industry. If Northwestern Energy continues to stifle progress, we stand to fall further behind the rest of the nation and continue to lose out on real high-wage, small business job growth and innovation. Solar energy is ready for prime time under the Big Sky and its clear we cant wait for Northwestern to understand this. They are a regulated monopoly with a guaranteed rate of return and have no incentive to innovate or look towards our future. No, it will need to be the people of Montana who drag NorthWestern into the future. We may not have an army of lobbyists but we do have the strength of thousands of everyday Montanans and I like those odds. Together we can move mountains. As a student attending the University of Montana to continue my education, I am appalled at the proposed cuts to higher education funds by our Montana Legislature. The Montana University System is facing $25 million in cuts, resulting in an estimated thousand-dollar increase to semesterly tuition for every Montana student. I am studying political science and womens, gender, and sexuality studies as a double major and I will be graduating next year as a junior, and then hopefully continuing on to law school at the university. As a middle-class Montanan, I rely on loans to pay my tuition, but I also work 25 hours a week to pay my living expenses. I went to college in Montana because, among its other qualities, it's an incredibly affordable university. I know that a rise in tuition would be an immense financial burden on myself and my education, just as it will be for the numerous students just like myself across the state. Bailey Durnell, Missoula My state senator, Diane Sands, introduced Senate Joint Resolution 17 to oppose the transfer or sell-off of public lands in Montana. As someone who was involved in the management of our public lands for over 30 years, I was excited to see representation for this important resource in Montana. Senator Sands brought the bill to the Senate Natural Resources Committee, and the hearing had a great deal of support from all across the state. Unfortunately, they wanted to play politics with our public lands and voted it down on the Senate floor on a party-line vote. The thought that somehow, 1 million Montana taxpayers can afford to manage 27 million acres of additional lands, a cost that currently is covered by all American taxpayers, is ridiculous. Our state taxes would either have to increase to cover management after a transfer, or more likely, the state would be faced with no choice but to sell off or industrialize some lands that make our outdoor way of life possible. I encourage the full Senate to reconsider Sands joint resolution as reflecting the values for recreation opportunities of all Montanans, of all political parties. Fred Stewart, Missoula Nicht Ihr Computer? Dann konnen Sie fur die Anmeldung ein Fenster zum privaten Surfen offnen. Weitere Informationen After nearly 20 years of service, Northwest Noodles N Wraps owners Helen and John Reynolds say its time to retire. The business served its last noodle and rice bowls at its location at 563 S. Arizona St. Wednesday. In a Tuesday phone interview, Helen said the business was doing well and that she and her husband simply wanted to retire. She added that they are in the process of selling the building to a developer and have received at least one call from someone interested in potentially purchasing the restaurant and opening it elsewhere in Butte. The Reynoldses have over 35 years of service experience under their belts. The couple started their entrepreneurial careers by opening Partly Pizza in the Butte Plaza Mall. But, as they told The Standard in 2006, in the mid-1990s they were looking to serve something unique when they stumbled across Northwest Noodle N Wraps in Missoula, which had a menu unlike anything else in Butte at the time. The couple purchased the restaurants name and recipes and launched their own independent operation in 1997 on Park Street. John told The Standard in 2006 when the restaurant moved to its midtown location that testing uncharted waters felt like a risk at the time, but that the noodle and wrap concept worked, and the business thrived. People say if you can sell noodles in a meat-and-potato town, youre doing well, Helen said in 2006. Today Helen says the idea behind Noodles N Wraps which served noodle and rice bowls and wrapped sandwiches was to cater to a niche. She said what shell miss most is interacting with customers and meeting new people. Weve had a lot of amazing customers over the years. John agreed, citing customer interaction and partaking in friendly competition with other businesses as perks of the job. John said it feels surreal to be closing shop after 20 years but that he looks forward to traveling, enjoying his grandchildren and spending time with family. He added that the Arizona Street building has served him and his wife well with its parking lot, drive-through and central location between Uptown and the Flat. (Location is) probably one of the most important factors, said John when asked about the role of location when operating a successful business. As for Helen, she said becoming an entrepreneur isnt for the faint of heart and that the most important ingredients are passion and an industrious mindset. Be prepared to work hard and love what you do, she said. Because its a lot of hard work. COYOTE SHOOTER ARRESTED FOR DUI A Melrose citizen called police late Friday to report several people spotlighting and shooting cat coyotes nearby. When the people left the caller followed them to Divide. Police found their truck pulled off the road near Interstate 15's mile marker 119 at 1:20 a.m. Police said the passengers were puking out their windows, and that the driver, Cameren Struble, failed field sobriety tests and blew over the legal driving limit. Struble, 24, was arrested for DUI. Police said the people did have permission to be on the property in Melrose and shoot at coyotes. CHEESE THIEF CAUGHT IN BATHROOM Police were called to the Town Pump in Rocker at 1:15 a.m. Monday after a worker reported they thought someone had shoplifted a pair of sunglasses. Sean Walker, 30, was located in the bathroom, where police said he was found to have stolen not sunglasses, but $1.99 worth of cheese. Walker was arrested for theft. MAN ARRESTED AT DRIVE-IN BANK Employees of the US Bank on Main Street called police around 1 p.m. Monday to report a suspicious man who had been sitting in the drive-through lane for 20 minutes. When asked what he was doing, police said the man told them he was filling out a job application, and then gave them a fake name. Police determined the man to be Phillip Brown, 36, an absconded probationer who was driving without insurance. Brown was arrested for violating probation, obstruction and driving without insurance. BILLINGS The video starts on James Newman standing behind a vehicle in the Rimrock Mall parking lot confronting two suspected shoplifters as they sit in their vehicle. Boxed into a parking space but wanting to escape, the suspect yells to Newman from the driver's seat. Newman responds with a warning. "If you hit me now, I will f open fire," he yells back. He's legally and openly carrying a handgun. There are onlookers at the scene, including a young girl, who moves back and forth through the video frame at times. Then the car lurches backward. Newman, who's off to the rear driver's side but close, steps back as the car lurches back again. The first shot comes as the Buick moves forward a couple feet. It appears to stop at the first "POP" of Newman's gun. He's aiming downward at the tires. Newman fires three more times as the Buick takes off forward again, this time to leave the lot. The last bullet kicks up a small snowbank as the Buick rounds a corner onto the main stretch of road in the lot, spilling items from the open rear hatch. After police arrive, Newman is questioned and released at the scene. A week and a half after that Feb. 25 incident, police and the Yellowstone County Attorney's Office are still investigating the incident. It's up to them to determine whether Newman was justified to open fire or whether he will be charged for what he saw as a good Samaritan act. The legal questions at play are not only statutory. The case could also shed light on a more social view of firearm use and its limits. "Do we want to use a gun to prevent a misdemeanor?" said Andrew King-Ries, associate dean and law professor at the University of Montana. Citizen's arrest, self defense, or both? At its core, the situation looks like an attempted citizen's arrest. Montana has a law for that, but it's brief. A private person may arrest someone when there's "probable cause" of a crime and that "the existing circumstances require the person's immediate arrest." The citizen may use "reasonable force" to detain the suspect so long as the citizen notifies law enforcement. Reports indicate that Newman contacted Billings police and complied without issue. The law's lack of language specifying what kind of force may be used leaves it up to the justice system. "Do we want people, who may be licensed or in other words be responsible gun owners but are not trained in law enforcement do you want them to be using a gun in that situation?" said King-Ries, who focuses on criminal law, among other things, at UM's Alexander Blewett III School of Law. Newman told KULR-8 television in an interview that he'd been through firearms training as part of a military career with the Marines. He also said he pulled his weapon because he and the onlookers could have been in danger from the moving vehicle. That's where more legal questions arise. Not only does the justice system have to determine firing a gun is reasonable in this citizen's arrest scenario but also whether it was reasonable in a self-defense situation. "A lot of law that guides us as far as reasonableness is sort of couched in self-defense," said Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito. Montana's use-of-force statute allows for deadly force only if the person believes he or she is under serious threat. A moving vehicle can be considered a deadly weapon, King-Ries said. But there are other factors in the case. The car was moving away from Newman when he fired his first shot. The last shot pierced the snowbank as the car was clearly leaving. King-Ries said the immediacy of the threat disappeared when the car began leaving. If Newman was charged and the case reaches trial, this might play a large role in determining a self-defense claim. Others agreed with that assessment of the threat to Newman. Frank Odermann, a former Navy SEAL and firearms instructor, said this was not a victim in need of self-defense. "Responding to someone who's placing you in danger, I think, is very different than pursuing someone who is not placing you in danger," Odermann said. That could involve another Montana statute, which limits the use of force by someone who's deemed an "aggressor" in a situation. Those factors might explain why the investigation continues into both the suspected shoplifting and Newman's actions. Lt. Neil Lawrence of the Billings Police Department declined to comment on the ongoing case. Twito said that his office is trying to get all the information possible, including witness statements, videos, and photos. He even mentioned an inquiry into "ricochet factors." It's what he called "the totality of circumstances." "Really the test is reasonable force used to deter the threat," Twito said. There are other use-of-force cases, but every one has its own set of circumstances. A man was not charged in a 2009 incident under the "castle doctrine" after he shot another man in the head during a fight. Another man was charged with a felony in 2016 for allegedly firing his gun straight up into the air while intoxicated. There have been multiple citizen's arrests that involved firearms as well. The Montana Supreme Court ruled in 2014 that an off-duty police officer used reasonable force to detain a suspected DUI driver. In its ruling, the court judged the officer's actions on the citizen's arrest statute because he wasn't on the job. The officer threatened to use his gun but didn't. "(The officer) did not draw his weapon and we are not confronted with a scenario where a citizen has elected to '(take) the law into his own hands,'" the court's opinion stated. In at least two cases since October, citizens have used but not fired guns to apprehend suspects prior to law enforcement's arrival. On Feb. 7, a road rage incident in Billings Heights ended with the driver of a commercial truck running over another man twice after a confrontation. A passenger in the victim's pickup then held the commercial driver at gunpoint until police arrived. The driver was detained, and at the time, police said the man with the gun appeared to be the legal owner of the firearm and that the circumstances would allow for his actions. In an October incident downtown, a volunteer firefighter held a man who ran from a rollover crash at gunpoint until law enforcement arrived. A Montana Highway Patrol sergeant at the time said the help from citizens in the arrest was "greatly appreciated." Emergency responders were able to reopen Little Basin Creek Road around 9 p.m. Wednesday night after spending a hazardous day dealing with a crashed propane tanker truck, Sheriff Ed Lester said. Firefighters remained at the scene monitoring the damaged tanker to make sure the situation remains safe, Lester said. "It's still leaking, but the levels are low enough that it's safe for traffic," the sheriff said. "If something changes, they'll stop traffic again." During the evening before the road reopened, residents were being escorted in their cars through the blockaded area 15 minutes after the top of every hour. A shuttle escort running the opposite direction from the Little Basin Creek area was set every 20 minutes after the hour. Two homes were evacuated earlier in the afternoon as a precautionary measure. Evacuees were able to return to their homes Wednesday night. The propane delivery truck rolled about 11 a.m. Wednesday, 1.6 miles south of the intersection with Beef Trail Road, authorities said. Details on what caused the accident were still not clear Wednesday night. The road block was set up a half-mile north of the crash. Lester said the driver was uninjured and no other injuries have been reported. Little Basin Creek Road feeds a number of homes in subdivisions south of Butte. It is the main and only access road to the area. Aaron Carter, the singer-rapper who began performing as a child and had hit albums starting in his teen years, was found dead at his home in Southern California. He was 34. Representatives for Carters family confirmed the singers death Saturday. They did not provide any immediate further comment. A sheriff's official says deputies responding to reports of a medical emergency found a person deceased at the home in Lancaster. Aaron Carter, the younger brother of Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys, performed as an opening act for Britney Spears as well as his brothers boy band, and appeared on the familys reality series, House of Carters. Former Utah governor and 2012 Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman has accepted President Donald Trump's offer to serve as the next ambassador to Russia, several senior administration officials told CNN. If confirmed, Huntsman would become one of the highest-profile US ambassadors, helming the diplomatic mission to a country that has seen its relationship with the US sink to new lows in recent years. Huntsman would also take on the post amid ongoing questions about connections between Russians known to US intelligence and Trump campaign advisers -- and just months after Russia's meddling in the 2016 election. The post would be the third ambassadorship for Huntsman, who previously served as US ambassador to Singapore and China. Huntsman was the ambassador to China during President Barack Obama's administration. Huntsman's selection comes two weeks after the Utah Republican was first floated as a contender for a top diplomatic post. One senior administration official said Huntsman was tapped because he is a "brilliant guy," "tough" and understands what Trump wants. CNN's Dylan Byers contributed to this report. The great danger to American civil rights is not President Trump, per se. Instead it is a Congress and Supreme Court that fall in line with Trumpism. There are precedents in American history for the arbitrary denial of civil rights to aliens. Everyone knows about American citizens of Japanese ancestry imprisoned in concentration camps during World War II. And of course there was the seizure of Hispanic citizens private property after 1848. The unfair treatment of Chinese immigrants in the late 1800s and early 1900s is another example that ought to be better known, especially here in Butte where we had a sizable Chinese population during that time. Anti-Chinese discrimination at the Federal level began with the Exclusion Act of 1882, which generally closed the borders to Chinese who sought refuge and freedom. Even this law , however, made many exceptions for merchants, teachers, and others. The U.S. Supreme Court fell in line with the anti-Chinese sentiment in 1905, when it ruled that Chinese-Americans citizens could not appeal citizenship decisions in the courts. Instead, the Court granted immigration officials full jurisdiction in deciding who was and who was not a citizen. The rank and file citizens of China, the Chinese government, and overseas Chinese in the U.S. and other countries were unified in their outrage. Americas anti-Chinese political policies brought serious economic repercussions. Chinese boycotted American products and refused to work for American companies. American companies exporting oil, tobacco, and cotton all suffered major losses. Fortunately for Chinese-Americans and the American economy, President Roosevelt helped curb the worst abuses of anti-Chinese discrimination after his 1904 election. Though Teddy was biased against Chinese laborers, he recognized the bigger economic picture and argued, We must treat the Chinese student, trader and businessman in a spirit of broadest justice and courtesy if we expect similar treatment to be accorded to our own people ... Like the Americans who elected Roosevelt, we will have an opportunity to correct Trumpism in 2020. President Elizabeth Warren? Maybe. What do you think, Senator Daines, would you tell a President Warren to sit down and shut up? Thursday, March 9, 2017, has been designated by Gov. Steve Bullock as Montana Retired Educators Day. This day is set aside annually by the Governor to show appreciation to Montana Retired Educators for the dedicated work they have done educating children and preparing them for the 21st Century. On this day, retired educators from throughout Montana will travel to Helena and meet with their legislators at the Capitol. In addition, they will listen to presentations from AARP, the Governors Office, Teachers Retirement System, and National Retired Teachers Association. Educators believe working with children to help develop their God-given talents is one of lifes highest professional callings. Although retired, educators support the efforts of practicing teachers to improve the lives of students. Professional educators strive to instill in children a love of learning that will continue throughout their lives. Teachers have great empathy for their students and parents for whom they work. There is no greater satisfaction to a teacher than seeing the eyes of children light up when they have mastered difficult concepts that become building blocks for more advanced learning. On this special day, parents and students are asked to show their appreciation to Montanas retired educators by helping them celebrate. You may do this by thanking your favorite teachers who inspired you to become a success in life. The mission of every professional educator, practicing or retired, is to help students become the best people possible, educated to their full academic potential. When this is achieved, a student may quote the poet, William Hensley, ... I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul. In closing, retired educators worked diligently to produce well educated children enabling them to become outstanding Montana citizens. For these reasons, we celebrate the professional work retired educators have done for all Montanans. Please join in helping retired educators celebrate their special day. Jim Keef, Ed.D., president, Southwest Montana Retired Educators, Dillon BILLINGS The bison bull illegally shot and butchered by a Pryor man on a Fort Smith area ranch in 2014 was no ordinary bison. The animal was prized for its bloodlines going back 25 years and a key member of a bison-calf livestock operation on the CH Land and Cattle Company, owned by Brandon and Tricia Siemion. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Susan Watters of Billings sentenced Tyler Dale Medicine Horse Sr., 58, to two years of probation and ordered $8,000 restitution for his guilty pleas to two misdemeanor charges. The bison was more than just a buffalo to the Siemion family, Watters told Medicine Horse. The judge called the bison a magnificent animal with valuable bloodlines from years of breeding. The bull also was valued for the calves he produced in the livestock operation, she said. For the Siemions to find the animal butchered with only its head and ribs remaining would have been a rather shocking discovery, dont you agree? Watters asked Medicine Horse. Yes, he replied. Watters also noted the emotional, physical and financial toll the bisons loss has had on the Siemions. Referring to Medicine Horses American Indian heritage, the judge said she thought he would have respected the buffalo." Yes, Medicine Horse responded. The Siemions, who attended the sentencing hearing said afterward they were grateful the case was prosecuted and that Medicine Horse was held accountable. The Siemions raise bison for the food industry. The bull that was shot was about 7 years old and could have been bred into his 20s, Brandon Siemion said. The bull also was the fourth bison to be shot on his ranch, Siemion said. The three previous shootings several years ago were not prosecuted, he said. Medicine Horse apologized. I know what I did was wrong, he told the judge. I am willing to pay for the animal they lost. I accept responsibility for my actions. In addition to pleading to theft for the bison killing, Medicine Horse pleaded guilty earlier to illegally possessing a bald eagle carcass. He faced a maximum one year in prison and a $100,000 fine on the theft. Prosecutor John Sullivan recommended three years of probation and $8,000 restitution as part of a plea agreement. Assistant Federal Defender David Merchant asked for two years of probation and the restitution. Prosecutors said an investigation beginning in December 2014 led to the law enforcement finding an eagle carcass and bags of meat at the home of Medicine Horses estranged wife. Medicine Horses wife told a game warden that her husband had texted her that his nephew had shot an eagle and that they had shot a bison that had run away from a bison ranch. Two days later, Medicine Horse contacted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He gave a voluntary statement that he had found the bald eagle on the side of the road near Crow Agency and that someone had shot and killed it and removed its tail. Medicine Horse also admitted to shooting a bison near Fort Smith about the same time as when he found the eagle, Sullivan said earlier. Medicine Horse initially said he shot the bison by Wyola with a .243-caliber rifle, butchered it and took the meat to his brothers house for storage. Later, he admitted he lied about the location of the shooing, said he actually shot it near a ranch closer to Fort Smith and took investigators to the kill site. MUSCATINE , Iowa When Iowa's overhaul of collective bargaining went into effect in mid-February, school districts in Muscatine and Louisa Counties were at different stages of their contract negotiations with teachers unions. The immediate implications of the law to each district depends on where they are in the negotiation process. Here's a look at where they are at: Louisa-Muscatine The L-M school district tried to extend its existing contract, which covers next year, for another two years. The district and the teachers began negotiations before the law passed and reached an agreement that the union ratified. But the law passed before the board could vote on the contract, and district officials were not sure if they could then approve it. Superintendent Mike Van Sickle said the district sought legal advice and was initially told the board could not vote on the finished contract. Since then, there have been other people who looked at the law and we might actually be able to vote on what had been ratified by the union," Van Sickle said. "But there are still some differing opinions out there so were waiting on that. Right now, it looks hopeful that we can (vote on it)." Wapello The district has not begun negotiations with its teachers union. Superintendent Mike Peterson said the negotiations will probably begin in mid-March, when the union presents its initial proposal to the district. But really, the ball is in their court to make the first proposal, so Im hoping, but I cant promise anything, Peterson said. The collective bargaining law, he said, will not change much for the district. I dont think it will have a very huge effect. Weve had a good bargaining relationship (with teachers) over the years and thats going to continue, he said. Theyll be far fewer things that we end up talking about, but overall, I dont think theres going to be a huge difference. Peterson said the district will determine the health insurance piece after the negotiations conclude. Well have to wait until after our negotiations are done so we know where we are with that," he said. "Then well have to look at health insurance and those other costs that we can control." Muscatine The district and the union completed negotiations for a three-year contract before the legislation passed. Wilton Superintendent Joe Barnett said negotiations will begin at the end of March or early April. The school board is meeting with our legal counsel on Monday to review the law and review our master contract before we move forward, he said. Barnett said he does not anticipate major changes to teachers health insurance in light of the legislation. West Liberty The district and the union completed its negotiations for a one-year contract before Gov. Terry Branstad signed the collective bargaining bill into law. Columbus Junction Superintendent Gary Benda said negotiations with the teachers union began Monday night. The union's initial proposal sought to preserve the existing contract, which included items the district is no longer allowed to negotiate on by law. It also included the creation of a joint labor-management committee that, according to the union's proposal will collaboratively discuss and make decisions regarding employment matters not referred to in the master contract and other matters mutually agreed upon. Our proposal back to them was that were going to move everything, except base wages into a handbook, he said, adding the handbook is not legally binding. Under this proposal, Benda said, the guidelines in the handbook will be discussed when the joint labor-management committee meets. We can talk about all these items in the handbook, which are permissive, and if theyre not hurting the district, Im not going to touch them," Benda said. "If they are hurting the district, Im willing to talk about it with this group to see what we can do." The two sides plan to continue negotiations on Mar. 20 and Mar. 30. MUSCATINE, Iowa Local author Thomas R. Baker will discuss his book, "The Scared Cause of Union: Iowa in the Civil War," at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 30. The event will take place at the Muscatine Art Center Music Room, 1314 Mulberry Ave. The book is the first survey of Iowas Civil War history, and outlines the contribution of Iowans in reuniting the nation. It is available for sale at bookstores or directly from the University of Iowa Press at 800-621-2736 or online at uipress.uiowa.edu. Baker is the associate dean of students at the University of Iowa, and has been a judicial administrator specializing in Civil War investigations since 1988. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Muscatine Art Center at 563-263-8282. MUSCATINE, Iowa A man says he was stabbed Wednesday at AmericInn Lodge and Suites, 3115 Hwy 61. Robert William Butler, 43, went to the emergency room at UnityPoint Health-Trinity Muscatine Wednesday night with multiple stab wounds, according to a news release from the Muscatine Police Department. The emergency room reported Butler's condition to the police around 9:57 p.m., and he was treated and then transferred to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City. Butler remains at the hospital for further observation. The Muscatine Police Department is asking for the publics help in providing any information by contacting Detective Joe Roseman at 563-263-9922, ext. 614. Callers may remain anonymous. Emily Wenger MUSCATINE, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad issued a disaster proclamation Wednesday for Muscatine County in response to Monday's tornado, which means state resources can be utilized to respond to and recover from the effects of the storm, according to a news release from the governor's office. Residents who qualify may also apply for the Iowa Individual Assistance Program, which provides grants of up to $5,000 for households with incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level. The EF2 tornado that swept through Muscatine Monday night left some roads impassable, threw debris into yards and tore the roofs off homes, and ripped apart Tom Bruner Field. Area agencies, including the Salvation Army, and residents have been assisting those affected. Salvation Army opened a shelter Tuesday, though few used it. Trisha Smith, the Salvation Army regional development directory, said further need for the shelter will be assessed Thursday. More than 500 meals have been served in neighborhoods affected by the tornado and at the Salvation Army, Smith said, and donations of food have helped make that possible. Mercy Waters brought a truckload of water, and donations of food have come in from residents, Buffalo Wild Wings and Hy-Vee, Smith said. "We've had a lot of great community support from both business, as well as private support," she said. Current needs, Smith said, include portable food containers, bags and silverware. "As always just any donations to help us re-fill our supply is really appreciated...that way we'll be prepared for the next event," she said. Nichole Sorgenfrey, United Way of Muscatine program manager, said while about 75 volunteers were scheduled to help with cleanup efforts Thursday and Friday, more are welcome. "If you were affected by these storms on Monday please call us and we can help you get some work done with the volunteers," she said. "We're in need of projects picking stuff out of the yard, putting plastic over the windows, just getting things secure until they are able to fix them." Thursday and Friday will be disaster cleanup volunteer days, with volunteers working from around 9 a.m.-5 p.m. in the areas of Franklin Elementary, Southend, Cedar Street and Third Street. "As people call in and need help at their homes we'll deploy volunteers," Sorgenfrey said. Randy Howe, City of Muscatine street maintenance supervisor, said crews have completed clearing a majority of the streets, but he asked people to continue to avoid areas around Fourth Street Park and Sterneman Boulevard, Oneida Avenue and League Street. "There are still downed power lines there," he said. "All those streets are still closed." Howell said crews still have some brush cleanup to do, but that will wait until downed power lines are cleared. Because Muscatine had a tornado in the area on June 1, 2007, Howell said, the city was prepared for this event. The 2007 tornado traveled almost parallel to Monday's tornado, Howell said from Hershey Avenue at Greenwood Cemetery north to Bypass 61, just west of the path of this year's tornado. "We just learned a lot of valuable things, so that this one just went so much smoother," he said. The 2007 tornado was worse, Howell said, in that communications were down and crews could only communicate via text. "[It helped with] the organizational prioritization of what we tackle first," he said. Howell said he is hopeful that roadways will be cleared by the end of the week. The vacancies created by the dismissal of two members of the Louisa County Board of Health (BOH) should be filled, despite a pending district court lawsuit, the Louisa County Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday. The board unanimously agreed to appoint JoEllen Schantz, Wapello, to fill one of the vacancies created last month when the supervisors dismissed BOH chairman Craig Helmick and vice chairwoman Rita Adam, both of Columbus Junction. The supervisors did not identify which dismissed member Schantz will replace, but both were serving three-year terms scheduled to run until Dec. 31, 2018. The supervisors agreed to fill the second vacancy later this month after posting a notice in local newspapers. Schantz had previously applied to fill the vacancy created when former BOH chairwoman Jeri Bailey decided in December not to seek re-appointment. The supervisors appointed Whitney Howell, Columbus Junction, as Baileys replacement. Helmick and Adam were dismissed after supervisors alleged the pair failed to communicate with them. Helmick and Adam appealed, and also filed suit in district court, challenging the supervisors authority to remove them. In their suit, the two claimed the supervisors failed to follow the proper state code and removed them without cause. On Feb. 27, the supervisors heard the appeal and voted to confirm the dismissals. The pair appeared before District Court Judge Mary Ann Brown Feb. 24, but she opted to suspend the hearing until after the municipal appeal. According to online court records, Steve Ort, New London, who is representing both Helmick and Adam, filed an amended petition last week after the supervisors upheld the dismissals. A new court date has yet to be set. During Tuesdays meeting, board members agreed they felt it was time to move forward. I think we need to move forward. I want to have (BOH) meetings, said supervisor Brad Quigley, who has replaced supervisor Chris Ball as the supervisors' representative on the BOH. Supervisor Randy Griffin agreed, but wondered if the board should delay, pending the district court suit. Im gun-shy, Griffin said, questioning what would happen if the district judge ruled in favor of Helmick and Adam. Quigley said Louisa County Attorney Adam Parsons recommended filling the seats. He told us to move forward, Quigley said. Griffin also wondered if appointing Schantz might create a conflict of interest, because she works for the county. Auditor Sandi Elliott said that would not be a problem, because her work does not involve the Board of Health. Budget approved In other action, the board adopted the countys fiscal year 2018 budget, following a public hearing no member of the public attended. Total expenditures are projected to be $13,408,774, with a revenue forecast of $12,312,616. That will mean the general fund balance of $6,368,326 is estimated to drop to $5,272,170 at the end of the fiscal year. 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 [] By by Wallace Wyss When a Cadillac designed by Pinin Farina (before they were one name) came up at auction, Bonhams said it was one of four Italian Cadillac based styling exercises built by Pinin Farina between 1958 and 1961, but this author has found other Pinin Farina built Caddys such as a Pinin Farina Model 62 Cadillac made in the year 1954. Ironically, while researching this story I came across pictures of other Pinin Farina-built Italian Cadillacs that preceded the Jacqueline, including one called the Starlight. This might have been commissioned by Cadillac, as General Motors introduced it at the Paris Motor Show in October 1959. The story went on to say that before that there was another PF Cadillac prototype called the Skylight, which was an open car of similar styling. The Starlights big innovation was a coupe roof of Plexiglas, which could be covered with four metal plates inside. That in turn was preceded by a coupe version of the same car, which also was shown at the European Auto shows at the same time. Some questions that come to mind are: who was the Italian car nut within GM? Was it Harley Earl? Or his right hand man Bill Mitchell? Was Detroit shoving money at Italy an attempt to counter what Chrysler was doing with Ghia? And, where did these Italian Cadillacs gothe Skylight, the Starlight? Do they still existare they hidden deep within Pininfarinas works? Or GMs? Or were they melted down to make a dozen Fiats? To this writers knowledge, only the Jacqueline and the 53 PF-designed and built three-seater have reappeared on the show/auction circuit. There is a possibility that the Starlight was for sale in New York City for $9,000 at one time as a running car, but their is no confirmed reference yet. Readers? After all their labors, Pininfarina did get a Caddy contract, around 1959. They made some Eldorado Broughams. And decades after that, Cadillac did award a production contract to Pininfarina for the Allante, a two-seater reportedly designed in Italy. Theres no doubt it was bodied in Italy, and that, for a time, fulfilled Cadillacs ambition to have an Italian-connected car to sell in the U.S. Let us know what you think in the Comments. THE AUTHOR: Wallace Wyss Incredible Barn Finds series is now available from Enthusiast Books (715) 381-9755.Each book has 50 such stories. Photos courtesy of Pinin Farina. Comedian Vincent Muasya better known by his stage name Chipuzeeky has left Kiss FM. He leaves the station after three years, having He leaves the station after three years, having co-hosted alongside Caroline Mutoko, Linda Nyangweso, and most recently Jeff Mote. Chipukeezy made the announcement on social media on Tuesday as he bid adieu to the Radio Africa owned station in a love letter. A love letter to my dear kiss fm. .. Babe!!.we have been together for the last 3 years,we have grown in love and friendship,we have bonded through laughter and hardships, daily sharing our lives with Kenyans and each other. You.. my love helped me grow in ways that you can never imagine and i can never explain . In his love letter, the comedian revealed he was leaving to tackle new challenges. He also paid homage to Caroline Mutoko for giving him a shot. Moved by the letter, Caroline responded: Awwww. My friend. Fly. Spread your wings and fly. I told you youre destined for greatness. Dont get comfortable. Dont believe the hype and never, ever arrive. Read his full post below: A love letter to my dear kiss fm. .. Babe!!.we have been together for the last 3 years,we have grown in love and friendship,we have bonded through laughter and hardships, daily sharing our lives with Kenyans and each other. You.. my love helped me grow in ways that you can never imagine and i can never explain .ALL i want to say is THANK YOU. By the way CaroIine Mutoko i hope you do realize that when i say my love its not just kiss fm but niwewe nakuongelesha .ulinitoa mulolongo na slippers ukanipeleka westlands kwa muzungu (Lynda Nyangweso)akanifunza kutumia computer na kutweet thanks for giving me an opportunity of a life time. YOU CHANGED MY LIFE . Jeff mote by the way haukujua but I was the bestman at your wedding tutaftane broPlease take care of that Yummy Mummy Nyangweso. Life has introduced me to new challenges. MY LOVE just like you taught me allow me to go tackle them.Allow me to go and share with the WORLD what i have shared with you.. Your love chipukeezy. Kiberas finest rapper, Octopizzo presents his newest project dubbed Tergat Gang. According to the rapper, the track is a street anthem whose video has been shot in the sprawling slums of Kibera. In his quest to promote news stars in the making, Octo has featured his affiliates Barak Jazuzzi and Boutross. The track also comes after his mega-album project titled Refugeenius featuring refugees living in Kakuma and Dadaab camps. Tergat Gang is a trap anthem as the rappers look set to introduce the new wave of Americas trap music into the Kenyan airwaves. Check it out below: BRUSSELS European Union leaders confirmed Donald Tusk for a second term as council president Thursday, overcoming weeks of strong opposition from his native Poland. Tusk immediately centered on the momentous task ahead: turning the crisis-prone bloc faced with the painful departure of Britain into a solid alliance of nations again. I will do my best to make EU better, he said in a tweet. Poland had argued that the decision should be delayed because of its displeasure with Tusk, a bitter political rival. But Warsaws government was totally isolated at the vote, a meeting participant said. The participant did not want to be identified because the summit was conducted privately. The quick resolution of the issue left the two-day summit which ends Friday without a major stumbling block. The spokeswoman for Polands ruling Law and Justice party, Beata Mazurek, said that this will influence the way that the union will function in the future. It will no longer be a union of unity. But other leaders won out, insisting there was no reason for a delay. I dont see how one country could oppose this solution when all the others are in favor, said French President Francois Hollande, echoing comment from many of the blocs 28 leaders. The job is one of the blocs most prestigious. It involves chairing summits, coordinating the work of the member countries and making sure the 28 nations speak as much as possible with one voice on the international stage. The EU is facing a plethora of challenges, not least the imminent divorce proceedings as Britain leaves the bloc, and does not want to be caught in an institutional quagmire over the position of a leader. Polands nationalist government had proposed little-known Polish EU lawmaker Jacek Saryusz-Wolski to replace Tusk, whose current term ends May 31. Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo said it was unheard of to confirm a president without the consent of his home nation. Nothing without us, without our consent, she said upon arrival for the summit. This is a matter of principles. Tusk is a former prime minister who has a long and bitter rivalry with the leader of Polands current governing party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski. The government argues that Tusk supports the domestic opposition in Poland and has failed to protect the countrys interests in the EU. German Chancellor Angela Merkel offered Tusk public support in a pre-summit speech to lawmakers in Berlin. I see his re-election as a sign of stability for the entire European Union and I look forward to continuing working with him, Merkel said. Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who chaired the election, acknowledged that several member nations are unhappy that all major EU posts are held by members of the center-right European Peoples Party. But he said they dont want to sacrifice President Tusk because of that, because they think he has done a good job. Apart from Tusk, EPP politicians Jean-Claude Juncker and Antonio Tajani head the EUs executive Commission and the European Parliament, respectively. Muscat said a more equitable spreading of posts would need to be addressed some time over the coming months. WASHINGTON President Donald Trump was not aware that his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, had worked to further the interests of the government of Turkey before appointing him, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Thursday. Spicer's comments came two days after Flynn and his firm, Flynn Intel Group Inc., filed paperwork with the Justice Department formally identifying himself as a foreign agent and acknowledging that his work for a company owned by a Turkish businessman could have aided Turkey's government. Asked whether Trump knew about Flynn's work before he appointed him as national security adviser, Spicer said, "I don't believe that that was known." Flynn and his company filed the registration paperwork describing $530,000 worth of lobbying before Election Day for Inovo BV, a Dutch-based company owned by Turkish businessman Ekim Alptekin. In an interview with The Associated Press, Alptekin said Flynn did so after pressure from Justice Department officials. Flynn was fired from his job as national security adviser by Trump last month. The filing this week was the retired U.S. Army lieutenant general's first acknowledgement that his consulting business furthered the interests of a foreign government while he was working as a top adviser to Trump's presidential campaign. Flynn's disclosure that his lobbying may have benefited Turkey's authoritarian government led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan comes as Flynn has drawn scrutiny from the FBI for his contacts with Russian officials. In paperwork filed with the Justice Department's Foreign Agent Registration Unit, Flynn and his firm acknowledged that lobbying from August through November "could be construed to have principally benefited the Republic of Turkey." According to the filings, the lobbying contract ended after Trump's election in November. After Flynn joined the Trump administration, he agreed not to lobby for five years after leaving government service and never to represent foreign governments. Flynn's newly disclosed lobbying would not have violated that pledge because it occurred before he joined the Trump administration in January, but the pledge would preclude Flynn from ever doing the same type of work again in his lifetime. Under the Foreign Agent Registration Act, U.S. citizens who lobby on behalf of foreign governments or political entities must disclose their work to the Justice Department. Willfully failing to register is a felony, though the Justice Department rarely files criminal charges in such cases. It routinely works with lobbying firms to get back in compliance with the law by registering and disclosing their work. On Wednesday, Alptekin told The AP that Justice Department officials had pushed for Flynn and his firm to register as foreign agents in recent weeks. Alptekin said in a phone call from Istanbul that the changes were a response to "political pressure" and he did not agree with Flynn's decision to file the registration documents with the Justice Department. "I disagree with the filing," he said. "It would be different if I was working for the government of Turkey, but I am not taking directions from anyone in the government." Calls to phone numbers associated with Flynn and his firm weren't answered Wednesday or Thursday. Flynn's attorney, Robert Kelner, did not respond to questions about whether the Justice Department or FBI had contacted Flynn about his lobbying activities. Kelner declined to comment through a spokesman for his law firm, Covington & Burling. Reached Wednesday afternoon, an official at the Turkish embassy in Washington said he would refer the questions to the embassy spokesman. The spokesman did not respond. Trump fired Flynn last month for misleading Vice President Mike Pence and other administration officials about his contacts with Russia's ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak. As a key member of Trump's transition team last December, Flynn spoke by phone several times with Kislyak during the period when former President Barack Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats from the U.S. and levied new sanctions in response to Russian election-related hacking. The American Canyon Police are asking for help searching for a man suspected of robbing the US Bank on American Canyon Road on Wednesday night. The man made off with some cash after demanding money from the bank via a note he gave to a teller, police said. The note claimed he had a gun and two pipe bombs. The man left the bank and no one was injured. Police described the man as a black male age 30-35 with short or no hair, between 6-feet and 6-feet-4 and weighing between 180 and 190 pounds. He was wearing black clothing with a red flannel shirt underneath, dark sunglasses and a black hat. Anyone with information is being asked to contact Napa County Sheriffs Investigators at 707-253-4591. AMERICAN CANYON Officials at American Canyon High School and local police are trying to put a stop to students bringing BB and airsoft guns on campus before someone gets seriously hurt. Several incidents last month both at ACHS and in the community prompted Principal Damon Wright to email parents and inform them of the problem, and remind them that school was no place for the weapons. It has been brought to my attention that some ACHS students have brought airsoft guns to school, to engage in competitions during lunch and after school, Wright wrote in a Feb. 25 email. Airsoft guns fire plastic projectiles, unlike BB guns that fire metal ones that can cause serious harm. Both kinds have been confiscated from students, some of whom modified their airsoft guns to make them look more realistic and potentially dangerous if confronted by police with them. While these are not lethal weapons and no injuries were reported, this behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated, said Wright. Not only is this behavior dangerous, but it violates the California Education Code, and carries potential consequences up to expulsion. Police Officer Adam LeCount, ACHSs school resource officer, said several students were caught in February bringing either airsoft or BB guns to school. Some of the students recently have been engaging in airsoft BB guns with each other, he said. One of the more alarming incidents was a video posted on Instagram in which an unidentified male teenager filmed himself brandishing a gun while possibly on the ACHS campus and making threats. The footage caused some severe concern for staff and parents who had seen the video, said LeCount. He said he determined after watching the video that the weapon was an airsoft, and that the video contained enough background footage to indicate it was recorded at ACHS. He said Principal Wright figured out who the student was, and disciplined him. Bringing an airsoft gun to school is a violation of ACHS policy, but is not against the law, said LeCount, explaining why Wright handled the matter. Students have reported being shot by airsoft guns on campus and in the school parking lot, said LeCount, who stepped up his presence near the front of the school along with campus supervisors after receiving the reports. A student was also caught carrying a BB gun that fires metal projectiles an act that can be prosecuted as a felony, according to LeCount. The officer said another concern was how students modified their airsoft guns to make them look like real weapons, either by removing their orange cap which manufacturers install to indicate theyre toys or by spray painting the transparent airsoft guns black. LeCount said a student brandishing such a modified airsoft gun could lead to a disaster he would like to avoid. They want to make it look realistic, which has some safety concerns for me, said LeCount. In the heat of the moment, I cant tell [if its real or a toy], and Id hate for some tragedy to happen. In his email to parents, Wright noted: Nationwide, school shootings have staff members and law enforcement agencies on high alert. He also warned that it is very difficult to distinguish a airsoft gun or BB gun from a real firearm. Your student could encounter an aggressive response from school administration or law enforcement if he or she brings a firearm, airsoft, BB gun or replica to school. Wright concluded his message by urging parents to speak with their children to ensure they do not bring firearms or replica firearms to school. Please also reiterate, he added, we will not tolerate this behavior on school grounds or during school hours. American Canyon Police also have reported incidents in the community involving teenagers and BB guns. On Feb. 16, a resident reported their car being hit by BBs. Police subsequently pulled over a carload of kids with BB damage to their car, said Police Chief Tracey Stuart. They claimed no knowledge [of the car being hit], but said there have been BB wars for fun that week, said Stuart. Then, on Saturday, Feb. 25, the same day Wrights email went out, police got a call of a car with kids sporting weapons in the ACHS parking lot. A person had seen one of the kids waiving a rifle out the window, said Stuart. Some airsoft guns are designed to resemble automatic weapons and shotguns. That same day, police received more calls from residents, of 4-7 males all waiving guns around and pointing them at each other near the Vineyard Crossings Apartments on Tapestry Lane, Stuart said. Police caught up with the car at the intersection of Highway 29 and Crawford Way. Officers found four juveniles and several airsoft guns in the trunk. They had been messing around with each other, said Stuart. The driver, oldest of the four, was 16 years old and he was cited for the car having expired registration and possession of marijuana. All were released to their parents. For encouraging its students to be upstanders in their community instead of being bystanders, Harvest Magnet Middle School has been named a winner of Say Something, a national call-to-action week born out of the mass shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Presented by a nonprofit, Sandy Hook Promise, the Say Something program teaches youth and adults the signs of at-risk behavior and how to properly intervene before someone hurts themselves or someone else. Back in October, hundreds of middle schools and high schools in 49 states participated in weeklong activities during Say Something week. Harvest Middle School was honored on Tuesday afternoon for its work in the community reach and sustainability category. It was the only middle school winner selected, and only one of three top award recipients. Youth and teens see and hear things that adults cant, such as in school or on social media, said Nicole Hockley, managing director of Sandy Hook Promise. That is why it is so important for us to train them to look out for one another, be upstanders and to intervene by saying something if they see an individual exhibiting at-risk behaviors, said Hockley. Hockleys life changed completely on Dec. 14, 2012. On that day, a disturbed young man named Adam Lanza shot and killed 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Her son, Dylan Hockley, then 6-years-old, was one of those killed that day. This was the deadliest mass shooting at a high school or grade school in U.S. history. The shooting prompted renewed debate about gun control in the United States. And it spurred Hockley and a group of others to start a nonprofit called Sandy Hook Promise, based in Newtown. Sandy Hook Promise is focused on preventing gun violence and other forms of violence before they happen by educating and mobilizing parents, schools and communities with mental health and wellness programs that identify and help at-risk individuals. During its own celebration of Say Something week, Harvest Middle School not only held events at the school, but also expanded its reach to the community by setting up a table at the schools fall festival where parents and community leaders also learned about Say Something. Leading up to the festival, student leaders planned all of the events and created PowerPoint presentations, videos and activities. Student leaders also created a photo booth for students, as well as took a photo with 75 percent of the student body in the shape a heart that was shared via social media. The Harvest Middle School students focused in part on bullying, a common problem in middle school, said leadership class teacher Marie Zorn. Her leadership class organized the Say Something efforts at the school. Its important to be aware of such behavior, said eighth grader and leadership class student Sophia Kroll. If bullying isnt stopped, It can cause (those being bullied) to do harmful things to themselves or others, she said. When you see a sign of bullying, say something, said Jordan Samatovicz, also a leadership class student. We talk about super powers, said Harvest Middle School Principal Monica Ready at an all-school assembly. You all have a super power, she told the 750 middle school students gathered on Tuesday afternoon. Its your voice. When you use your voice to speak up about something you hear or know about, you might be saying something that saves, a classmate, friend or resident, said the principal. It can be hard to speak up, Hockley acknowledged. Students might think they dont want to get someone else in trouble or get in trouble themselves. But its not about causing trouble, said Hockley. Its about getting help. Its about looking out for each other. Harvest Middle School received a prize of $1,000 from Sandy Hook Promise. Zorn said she was delighted that the students efforts were recognized. I cried, she admitted. The fact that they did it themselves; it means a lot. They really took ownership of the Say Something program. Zorn said the leadership class would use half of the award to continue the program for the rest of the year. They hope to use the other half for a class team-building exercise and visit to a water park. In the past 22 months, Sandy Hook Promise has trained more than 1.3 million youth, teens and adults in at least one of its four programs, including Say Something, said a news release. More than $28,000 has been awarded to groups supporting those efforts. Hockley said she has participated in more than 1,000 speaking engagements about preventing gun violence and other forms of violence before it happens. I love going to the schools more than anything else, she said. During a presentation to all 750 Harvest Middle School Hawks, Hockley urged students to continue to speak up. You have this incredible power to look out for yourselves and others, said Hockley. Keep looking out for yourselves. Keep saying something. While she spoke, Hockley held a tablet device that displayed a photo of her son, Dylan. He would have turned 11 on Wednesday, Hockley said. An art installation proposed for Napas Dwight Murray Plaza is meant to liven up a quiet and long-outdated public square. But will it be fully appreciated by those who will pass by it, or underneath it? That question divided city advisers who reviewed the artwork offered by Ned Kahn a 48-foot-wide circular canopy strung with thousands of metal squares to create water-like ripples with each passing wind. After much debate on Wednesday, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission barely passed an endorsement of Veil of Water as the centerpiece of a modernized Dwight Murray Plaza on First Street downtown. While expressing widespread admiration for the artworks design, the board mustered only a 4-3 vote for support, amid concerns that only the few people able to see it from above could appreciate it in full and that it would consume too much of a public square that city officials have pledged to make friendlier to large public gatherings. Despite such misgivings, the art design will go before the City Council for final approval as the keystone to Dwight Murray Plazas boldest makeover since its opening in 1974. Suspended 15 feet off the plaza floor atop four slanted poles, Veil of Water would form a ring around the heart of the square. Strung across its circle would be metal cables hung with numerous squares, easily stirred in even a light breeze into constantly shifting reflections above and shadows below like the surface of a pond. Commissioner Mark Lucas argued that a creation of such originality as Kahns would make a strong design statement for both Napa and the plaza, whose original adornments fell victim to ridicule and changing fashions. A waterfall fountain because the target of soap-dumping vandals and later was turned into a planter box, while the squares 70-foot-tall clock tower a concoction of wooden beams and light bulbs was dismantled after residents barbs about its design and timekeeping. We really want something thats truly world-class in the plaza, he said before the vote. We lived through having a clock tower that we realized was a mistake, but this is not that. This is something thats very unique, that can continue to put us on the map. Kahn, who has built art installations across the U.S. and as far away as Australia and China, has used the simulated-water effect in previous pieces, including a vertically mounted one outside the AT&T building in Santa Rosa. The piece being designed for Napa, however, is meant to double as a shade protector for plaza visitors and some city advisers feared that turning the sheet of metal tiles 90 degrees would rob the artwork of its effect for those closest to it. Im concerned that it wont look as nice from below as it does from above unless youre in the (future) Bounty Hunter building, said Liz Alessio, who cast one of the three dissenting votes. I think (Kahns) artwork is amazing; I just dont think its the right piece in this public place. City staff also urged paying close attention to the sculptures size to avoid cutting too deeply into Dwight Murray Plazas floor space for fairs, concerts and other gatherings and to avoid conflicting with other additions that also are meant to increase shading, such as London planetrees and parasol-topped tables. Its a small plaza with a large piece of art, and we just want to be careful not to overwhelm that small space, said Rick Tooker, community development director. A committee including Lucas and three local artists chose Kahns design from several that were offered to the city after it canceled the Napa squares intended centerpiece, a flush-mounted sprayground fountain where children could have played in its bubbling flumes. Changes in the states public pool regulations, made in 2013 but not discovered by the city until last year, would have required the water feature to include public restrooms and meet water-quality standards. The $1.5 million overhaul of Dwight Murray Plaza which will include filling in its pit seating and laying down a light-toned surface is intended to bring more visitors to a square that has become increasingly ignored as public events have gravitated to Veterans Memorial Park along the Napa River. Construction is being timed to allow the plazas reopening at about the same time as the expected completion of the six-story Archer hotel and First Street Napa shopping arcade, a short walk west, later this year. VALLEJO A few seconds of stunned silence elapsed in the council chambers Monday night before those opposed to a marine terminal and cement facility in south Vallejo erupted into a joyful cheer after the citys planning commission voted 6-1 to deny the project. Several of the commissioners cited quality of life concerns with the Vallejo Marine Terminal (VMT) and Orcem project which sought to re-establish industrial uses on the site through the removal of a deteriorated timber wharf and construction of a modern deep-water terminal, while Orcem wants to open an industrial facility producing cement. At the end of the day, I have to vote my conscience, always, said Chair Landis Graden. I dont worry about what people say or do because as long as I can sleep at night, Im okay with that. Graden said that every real estate deal he works on, he asks himself if he would want his mother to live in that location. I dont think I would, because of the quality of life, Graden said about having his mom live near the 32-acre site at 790 and 800 Derr Ave., in southwest Vallejo, on the Mare Island Strait. Meanwhile, Commissioner Chris Platzer, the lone vote in support of the VMT/Orcem application, read a prepared statement stating staff attempted to persuade the commission to agree with the recommendation to reject the project. I would rather not so much be persuaded but rather be informed, Platzer said. City staff recommended the commission reject the project for numerous reasons, including it having a negative effect on the neighborhood, impacting traffic around the area, being inconsistent with the citys waterfront development policy, and degrading visual appearance of the waterfront. He further added the draft Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) does not have complete information needed to make a decision. City staff and the applicants have gone back and forth regarding if the project needs a FEIR. Orcem and VMT say certification of the FEIR would allow the city to have full information about the project. While the city contends such a certification is not needed if a recommendation to reject the project is being offered by staff. Im not surprised for the denial, I am surprised for the 6-1 vote, said Orcem President Steve Bryan shortly after the vote. He confirmed a appeal of the commission decision would be submitted to the city council, which can overturn Mondays vote. Bryan said the commissions decision sterilizes the project site. The people who want mixed-use, that would add thousands of cars, would that not impact the life of people in that area, he asked. Many opposed to the project have suggested a mixed-use approach to the site, which might include housing, artist spaces, and other retail businesses. Representatives with Fresh Air Vallejo, a group opposed to the project, issued a statement shortly after the vote, stating Mondays decision is a vote for the future of Vallejo. A vote that demonstrates trust between staff, the commission, and the public, the statement reads. Theres optimism in the air which most certainly is better than cement dust in the air. The city staffs recommendation against the project and the planning commissions vote against the project are based on the facts that Orcem/VMT can no longer hide from the truth, the group added. A cement factory on Vallejos waterfront was always a bad idea. Freemark Abbey in St. Helena honored its female-led heritage on International Womens Day Wednesday and throughout National Womens History Month with a donation to Astia, a Silicon Valley-founded nonprofit organization dedicated to identifying and promoting best-in-class women high-growth entrepreneurs. We at Freemark Abbey feel a special connection to Astias mission of uplifting and empowering women to meet their full potential, said Ted Edwards, Freemark Abbeys winemaker since 1985. Our winery would not exist today if not for Josephine Tychson, an enterprising young widow who refused to let unfortunate circumstances or gender stereotypes stop her from achieving her dream. In 1886, Tychson and her husband purchased 187 acres of land in St. Helena with the dream of building a prosperous winery. Her husband died soon thereafter, making his widow the sole proprietor of their winery, as well as provider and caretaker of their two children. Tychson forged ahead alone and single-handedly oversaw the completion of the estates original redwood cellar and managed the cultivation of 65 acres of vines. By 1890, Tychson Winery was successfully producing zinfandel, riesling and Burgundy-style wines. Tychson became the first female grapegrower and winemaker recognized by the Napa-Sonoma County Directory. To honor Tychsons legacy, Freemark Abbey will offer a special Josephine Tasting throughout March. Highlights include the 2015 Napa Valley Chardonnay, the 2013 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2013 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon, and the 2012 vintage of the single-vineyard cabernet sauvignon from the Sycamore Vineyard, which rests on the celebrated Rutherford Bench in the heart of Napa Valley. The tasting will be available in the estates tasting room where visitors can learn more about Tychsons life, Freemark Abbeys history and the estates recent renovation. For more information about the Josephine Tasting, call 707-302-3717. Obamagate: List reveals more than a dozen victims of Obama wiretapping The Main Stream Media and other enemies of the current President are challenging the proposition that President Obama wire tapped President Donald Trump during the 2016 Presidential race. President Trump started this discussion with his tweets over the weekend. (Article by Joe Hoft republished from TheGatewayPundit.com) In his first tweet President Trump tweeted: He next tweeted: Next the President tweeted: The final for four tweets concerning the wire tapping: This is now being referred to as Obamagate! It is not unfounded that former President Obama would wire tap President Trump during the election process. This is because he has done this before. Here is a list of individuals who were wire tapped by the Obama Administration. WikiLeaks released the following list on February 23rd (see link here) of Obama Administration wire taps: * The US National Security Agency bugged a private climate change strategy meeting ; between UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin; * Obama bugged Chief of Staff of UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for long term interception targetting his Swiss phone ; * Obama singled out the Director of the Rules Division of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Johann Human, and targetted his Swiss phone for long term interception ; * Obama stole sensitive Italian diplomatic cables detailing how Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu implored Italys Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to help patch up his relationship with US President Barack Obama, who was refusing to talk to Netanyahu; * Obama intercepted top EU and Japanese trade ministers discussing their secret strategy and red lines to stop the US extort[ing] them at the WTO Doha arounds (the talks subsequently collapsed); * Obama explicitly targeted five other top EU economic officials for long term interception, including their French, Austrian and Belgium phone numbers ; * Obama explicitly targetted the phones of Italys ambassador to NATO and other top Italian officials for long term interception; and * Obama intercepted details of a critical private meeting between then French president Nicolas Sarkozy, Merkel and Berluscon, where the latter was told the Italian banking system was ready to pop like a cork. In addition to the above list we also know now that Obama wire tapped various individuals in the US media that were reporting information not flattering to the Obama Administration. It is widely known that Obamas Justice Department targeted journalists with wiretaps in 2013: * In 2013 the liberal Washington Post expressed outrage after the revelation that the Justice Department had investigated the newsgathering activities of a Fox News reporter as a potential crime in a probe of classified leaks. The reporter, Fox News James Rosen and his family, were part of an investigation into government officials anonymously leaking information to journalists. Rosen was not charged but his movements and actions were tracked. * Also in 2013, members of the Associated Press were also a target of the surveillance. The ultra liberal New Yorker even noted that In moderate and liberal circles, at least, the phone-records scandal, partly because it involves the dear old A.P. and partly because it raises anew the specter of Big Brother, may well present the most serious threat to Obamas reputation. * Reporter Sharyl Attkisson said in 2014 that her personal computer and CBS laptop were hacked after she began filing stories about Benghazi that were unflattering to the Obama administration . A source who checked her laptop said the hacker used spyware proprietary to a government agency, according to an article in the New York Post . Update WikiLeaks tweeted overnight that the Obama Administration spied on their journalists as well: Obama is no stranger to wire tapping. His administration tapped phones and computers of friends and foe alike. Read more at: TheGatewayPundit.com Yes, your smart TV really is spying on you: Leaked docs reveal CIA secretly turned Samsung TVs into microphones that spy on your conversations For years Deep State insiders and others familiar with the federal governments spy agencies have been sounding the alarm about the development of technology that enables constant, real-time electronic surveillance of anyone, anywhere, anytime (President Donald Trump, something to consider as you delve into who ordered it against you and why.) Now, thanks to another whistleblower following in the footsteps for former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, WikiLeaks has provided the proof that these insiders werent kooks or conspiracy theorists they were spot-on. (RELATED: Is Your TV Spying On You? For Millions Of Viewers, The Answer Is YES!) According to a treasure trove of newly released documents known collectively as Vault 7 in the Year Zero series, not only does the CIA conduct improper electronic surveillance, it does through using technology that can tap into smart TVs, iPhones, Android devices, and other wireless handheld technology. Jointly developed CIA+MI5 malware infests Samsung smart TVs to turn them into covert microphones #Vault7 pic.twitter.com/Ki0wRlgjPP WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) March 7, 2017 The increasing sophistication of surveillance techniques has drawn comparisons with George Orwells 1984, but Weeping Angel, developed by the CIAs Embedded Devices Branch (EDB), which infests smart TVs, transforming them into covert microphones, is surely its most emblematic realization, said a press release from WikiLeaks. The attack against Samsung smart TVs was developed in cooperation with the United Kingdoms MI5/BTSS. After infestation, Weeping Angel places the target TV in a Fake-Off mode, so that the owner falsely believes the TV is off when it is on. In Fake-Off mode the TV operates as a bug, recording conversations in the room and sending them over the Internet to a covert CIA server, it added. So in other words, even if youve turned your TV and devices off, the CIAs technology, via wireless connections, can still transform them into listening devices, which records conversations and data and sends them to a remote CIA server for later downloading and analysis. The governments spy agencies, then, can literally steal any and all data they want, thereby giving them the power to create false narratives, phony email traffic, fake communiques and anything else they want in an effort to blackmail or destroy anyone they choose. A journalist getting too close to Deep State activities? No problem the CIA has the ability to bug their homes remotely, through smart devices, or steal their data and other information that may incriminate them, forcing them into silence. A politician who opposes expansion of the Deep States power? No problem just a few months worth of bugging his or her devices, and the nations premier spy agency has all it needs to coerce said problematic politician into playing ball. The CIAs Mobile Devices Branch (MDB) developed numerous attacks to remotely hack and control popular smart phones, said the Wikileaks press release. Infected phones can be instructed to send the CIA the users geolocation, audio and text communications, as well as covertly activate the phones camera and microphone. (RELATED: Amazon Echo devices spy on you in your own home police are now trying to acquire those recordings.) And even though iPhone held a minority share (14.5 percent) of the global market, a specialized CIA unit within the agencys Mobile Development Branch produced malware that infects, controls and then extracts data from iPhones and other Apple products that are running iOS, like iPads and, presumably, iMacs and Macbook Pro laptops. A similar unit is said to have targeted Googles Android devices, which runs the vast majority of the worlds smart phones (about 85 percent, roughly). Year Zero shows that as of 2016 the CIA had 24 weaponized Android zero days which it has developed itself and obtained from GCHQ, NSA and cyber arms contractors, said the press release. These techniques permit the CIA to bypass the encryption of WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, Wiebo, Confide and Cloackman by hacking the smart phones that they run on and collecting audio and message traffic before encryption is applied. Feel violated yet? You should. J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel. Sources: WikiLeaks.org NaturalNews.com Newstarget.com So Prime Minister Ratas, welcome to NATO headquarters. I know that you have been here before but this is your first visit to NATO HQ as Prime Minister. It is really a great pleasure to welcome you here and to meet with you and to discuss a wide range of different issues. Estonia is really a steadfast Ally, contributing in so many different ways to NATO. You are in Afghanistan, helping to keep Afghanistan a stable country and preventing Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for international terrorists. You also play a key role in strengthening NATOs cyber-defences. Your Cyber Centre of Excellence is of great importance for the whole Alliance and we think that its extremely important that we continue to strengthen our cyber-defences very much based on the work that takes place in Estonia. also leads by example on defence spending. Then we also of course welcome the leadership that you have shown for so many years on defence spending. You spend more than 2% of GDP on defence. That is something I welcome very much and it also show that you are leading through example, helping me to also convince other Allies to increase their defence spending. We also think its a very important role that Estonia plays when it comes to strengthening NATO-EU cooperation. I believe we need to work even closer together and later on this year Estonia will have the Presidency of the EU and I look forward to working even closer with you, then also in the capacity of the Presidency of the EU. We of course welcome Estonias strong support to NATO, Estonias support for NATO is strong, and NATOs support for Estonia is just as strong. We are air-policing, our jets keep your skies safe. We have increased naval patrols in the Baltic Sea and NATO exercises on land. And next month, a multi-national battlegroup led by the UK will arrive in Estonia and I thank you for Estonias pro-active engagement as a host nation. All NATO Allies agree that we need to increase our presence in the Baltic countries and in Poland and we are doing that by the deployment of four battlegroups to the three Baltic countries and to Poland. This sends a clear signal of NATO unity, credible deterrence. At the same time our response is measured, its proportionate, and we continue to strive for a more constructive relationship with Russia. I welcome the fact that weve been able to convene three meetings of the NATO-Russia Council, underlining that we keep channels for political dialogue open and we also think that we need to develop our military lines of communications to avoid miscalculation, to increase predictability and to reduce risks. So once again, Prime Minister Ratas, welcome, its great to have you here, welcome, and thank you for being such a steadfast and staunch Ally. OANA LUNGESCU (Moderator): Okay, well go to Estonian television. Q: Thank you. Johann Stralla (sic) from Estonian Public Broadcasting, I have two questions. First of all a question to the Secretary General, has NATO already received or are you hoping to receive an invitation to observe the ZAPAD exercise that is going to take place in the autumn? And a question for Prime Minister Ratas, the Lithuanian President has pressed NATO to take additional security measures in the region ahead of the exercise, do you see a necessity for that? Do you see, are you seeking for more support from NATO? And then my second question for both of you, should NATO react to the announcement from Russias Minister of Defense that Russias creating a dedicated propaganda division in the Army, is that a challenge for the E.U. is that a challenge for NATO or is that a challenge for each and every member State individually? JENS STOLTENBERG (NATO Secretary General): First on the ZAPAD exercise. Every nation has the right to exercise its forces as long as its done within the agreed international obligations and relations. We would welcome an invitation to observe the ZAPAD exercise. NATO strongly believes in transparency, predictability related to military activities like exercises. We will also welcome an advanced briefing on the exercise. One of the reasons why we believe it is important to keep channels for political dialogue open to maintain the NATO Russia Council as a platform for dialogue with Russia is that that provides a platform also for advanced briefing, reciprocal briefings from NATO and from Russia on exercises. We invited Russia to observe ten of our exercises last year and of course we would very much welcome an invitation to observe the ZAPAD exercises. Oh, I can do perhaps JURI RATAS (Prime Minister of Estonia): Okay, thank you. We also know that ZAPAD will take place in the second half of this year or in the end of summer. Also Estonia at the same time holding the Presidency in the European Union and it is a very important period and time for us. How to say, we are monitoring ZAPAD every day and if it is necessary Im sure that we are together with NATO and reacting very strongly. JENS STOLTENBERG: When it comes to the question of propaganda I will just say that we are concerned about what we see as more propaganda, more disinformation. This has been a pattern over a long time. At the same time I think its important to underscore that NATOs response to propaganda is not propaganda. The way to counter propaganda is not by more propaganda. We strongly believe in providing facts, the truth, because in the long run the truth will prevail over propaganda. So what NATO is doing is that we provide facts, we help allies to be able to answer questions and to provide the truth, the facts to counter propaganda. At the same time I think its also important to remember that an independent press, journalists that ask the hard questions, check the facts and are part of an open democratic society, has always been important but its perhaps even more important know when we see that we see more propaganda more disinformation. Independent press is part of a democratic society and NATO is supporting and protecting democratic open societies. JURI RATAS: We know quite well what means Russian propaganda in Estonia and what it could do is important that we also building our strategic communication every day and we discuss it I can say every Cabinet meeting how to increase, how to build our strategic communication and I think its one thing what we could do against a Russian propaganda. OANA LUNGESCU: BNS BNS: Ill follow up on what Johann has asked. The President of Lithuania has said that the allied battalions that have not yet been sent to the Baltic States that they are no longer sufficient even though they are not yet there and NATO should consider additional security measures before this ZAPAD exercise in September. Do you think thats necessary and is it a topic that could come up on this, next Summit in May? Thank you. JENS STOLTENBERG: I will answer that in a moment but just let me add one more thing about propaganda. And that is that of course cyber and cyber defense is also a way of countering propaganda and misinformation. And to and there Estonia plays a key role. You are really a leader when it comes to developing cyber defenses. The Cyber Centre of Excellence, which is an important platform for sharing best practices, having exercises, developing technology is really something I appreciate very much and Estonia plays a key role. Then on the battle groups, I think its important to remember that the battle groups is not the only thing that NATO does. We have tripled the size of the NATO response force so we can reinforce if needed and part of that is that we have established a new spearhead force where the lead elements are able to move within a couple of days. So we can if needed reinforce quickly the Baltic countries, Poland and also other parts of the Alliance. We have also established eight new small headquarters in the three Baltic countries and some other allies in the Eastern part of the Alliance. Those headquarters, the NATO force integration units, are important to link the national forces of Estonia with NATO forces to prepare exercises but also to help to reinforce if needed. We are also increasing our investments in infrastructure, there would be more pre-positioned in supplies, equipment in the Eastern part of the Alliance, so we are doing much more than only the four battle groups. Thats one very important element, but only one element. Let me add that for NATO it is important that we respond in that measured, proportionate way. What we do is defensive, we dont want a new Cold War, we dont seek confrontation with Russia and we dont want a new arms race. And thats exactly why we are looking for the balance between sending a clear signal on NATO solidarity, providing credible deterrence with a multi-national presence and at the same time being proportionate and measured to avoid escalating tensions. JURI RATAS: If I may to add that for our opinion is important that in this spring time we could see Estonia, the battle groups from United Kingdom, the battle groups from France and they rotating (inaudible) and these are I think where its important that we are strongly, our national forces on the boots of, the boots on the ground, and also our partners, also our allies is in Estonia if another side of the border will be Zapad. OANA LUNGESCU: Thank you very much. This concludes this press point. Thank you. "The Zvezda shipyard is carrying out profound modernization of Project 949A nuclear submarines, including the replacement of armament with the Kalibr missile complex and also the replacement of navigation, life support and other systems," Borisov said. Overall, Russia has built 11 Project 949A Antey submarines. Eight of them have remained operational with the Russian Navy. Each submarine has a displacement of 24,000 tonnes and is armed with 24 Granit cruise missile launchers and six torpedo tubes. CEO of Russias Rubin Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering Igor Vilnit told TASS that all the submarines of this type operational with the Navy would undergo upgrade. Copyright 2017 TASS. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Comments by Navy Recognition The Project 949A nuclear-powered submarines have a length of 155 meters, a displacement of 24,000 tons, a depth of submersion of 600 meters and an underwater speed of 32 knots. Its crew totals 107. The Project 949A nuclear-powered submarine are armed with six torpedo tubes and 24 launchers to fire Granit cruise missiles with a range of about 500 kilometers (311 miles). Eleven Project 949A Antey submarines were completed at Severodvinsk. To date, two have been retired (K-148 Krasnodar and K-173 Krasnoyarsk) and one was lost (the famous K-141 Kursk). Meaning 8x Oscar-II SSNs would be upgraded. The Kalibr family of subsonic cruise missiles includes 3M-54 anti-ship (ASM) and 3M-14 land-attack missiles, as well as PT91 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) torpedoes. The export variants of the aforementioned munitions are designated 3M-54E, 3M-14E, and PT91E, respectively [E stands for Export-Oriented, Eksportny]. The 3M-14E land-attack missile has a length of 6.2 m, a diameter of 533 mm, a full weight of 1,770 kg, a warhead of 450 kg, a firing range of 300 km, a cruise speed of Mach 0.8, and a trajectory of 20-150 m. The PT91E ASW torpedo has a length of 7.65 m, a diameter of 533 mm, a full weight of 2,100 kg, a firing range of 50 km, and a speed of Mach 2.5. The PT91E2 ASW torpedo has a length of 6.2 m, a diameter of 533 mm, a full weight of 1,200 kg, a firing range of 40 km, and a speed of Mach 2. The number of Kalibr missiles aboard Oscar-II will likely be the same as Granit: 24x units. Participation in Colombiamar At Colombiamar in Cartagena from 15th to 17th March, the Group showcases its state-of-theart products and solutions on its booth (61). The GOWIND 2500 represents a new generation of multi-mission surface vessel, robust and well equipped, both in terms of electronics, weapons and projection capacities. Integrating DCNS SETIS Combat Management System, she has a comprehensive Combat System for full-scale multi-threat missions, including a complete Anti-Submarine Warfare, Anti-Air Warfare, and Anti- Surface Warfare suites. GOWIND 2500 has already enjoyed a significant commercial success as 10 units were sold in 2013 and 2014 for the Malaysian Navy and the Egyptian Navy. Belh@rra, the new 4,000t frigate by DCNS is the new innovative and digital vessel imagined by DCNS. She benefits from the French Navys feedbacks and the FREMM frigate developments. She gets high-performances meeting the requirements of the French customer. Meanwhile, she will fit the needs of international Navies clients. SCORPENE class submarines, already chosen by the Chilean, Royal Malaysian, Indian and Brazilian Navies, represent the state-of-the-art in submarine design and construction. Its new generation Fuel Cell Air Independent Propulsion allows ability to operate underwater for several weeks in safety and exceptional acoustic discretion. The MU90 lightweight torpedo is the sole new lightweight torpedo in the world. Designed and built with the most advanced technologies, the MU90 torpedo is capable to counter any type of submarine even acoustically coated, deep diving, fast evasive, deploying anti-torpedo effectors or bottomed in littoral areas. The F21 heavyweight torpedo is being developed in response to new and emerging operational challenges to offer the host submarine unrivalled dominance. The F21 has been selected for the next-generation Barracuda-type SSN fleet. DCNS offers CANTO for submarines and surface ships, the latest anti-torpedo based on confusion/dilution principle. Last but not least, DCNS offers a wide range services, including assistance in the design of facilities, from naval base to shipyards, and in-support services during the entire lifecycle of both surface ships and submarines. These services stretch from the simplest order of spare parts to the in-service support of complete fleet. On top of current support operations, DCNS can carry out modernization and life extension programs to maintain fleet availability at optimal cost. DCNS also offers a complete set of courses and solutions designed to train all levels of naval and industrial personnel, from the start of a project through decommissioning and/or dismantling. Finally, DCNS proposes services in naval bases and shipyards from the Design, Engineering, Construction, and Operation to the maintenance of these infrastructures. This global offer is designed to help navies to maintain and expand their self-sufficiency within technology transfer programs. In a significantly changing operational context, naval forces are assigned new missions. DCNS meets this need and offers upgrade programmes for any vessel, designed by DCNS or not. These upgrades cover every aspect, platform, equipment, systems but also combat systems such as SETIS and SUBTICS. Having built more than 160 submarines over the last 60 years, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems is the world-leading supplier of conventional submarines. KONGSBERG has significant experience delivering combat systems. Atlas Elektronik is a leading supplier of sonar systems, weapon control and other key components in submarine combat systems. Four important success factors are key to our concept in Norway: cooperation with Norwegian industry, proven technology, predictability on costs and schedule, and long term partnership. The agreement signed today is the first important step that brings all these factors together. KONGSBERG and Atlas Elektroniks expertise in combat systems for submarines is internationally recognized, and we are very glad that our submarines will be delivered with world class systems on board going forward, says Dr. Peter Feldhaus, CEO of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. Atlas Elektronik has extensive experience from deliveries of sensors, combat systems and effectors for submarines. KONGSBERG is our preferred partner in Europe. The teaming agreement is an important first step in a long and fruitful cooperation. The upcoming Norwegian submarine program will pave the way for further cooperation. We also see many opportunities outside the submarine business and were looking forward to this, says Dr. Rolf Wirtz, CEO of Atlas Elektronik. ROCKLEDGE, Florida An Assistant State Attorney for the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit which encompasses Brevard and Seminole counties was arrested and charged for alleged illegal purchase of prescription pills. On Wednesday March 8, at 6:30 p.m., 29-year-old John Toppa III of Melbourne, Florida, was arrested by the Brevard County Sheriffs Office Special Investigations Unit after he allegedly purchased Roxicodone pills valued at $200 during an undercover operation in Rockledge, Florida. Officers also allegedly recovered additional suspected drugs from Toppas vehicle. After his arrest, Toppas employment with the State Attorneys Office was terminated as of 8 a.m. on Thursday, State Attorney Phil Archer said in a release. Our office is fully cooperating with the Brevard County Sheriffs Office in the continuing investigation into these allegations including an immediate internal audit of all criminal cases assigned to Toppa, said Archer.In addition, Archer has requested Governor Scott appoint another State Attorney to handle the prosecution of this case. As we have seen in countless cases, the pill epidemic affects all families and all professions.However, as public servants sworn to uphold the rule of law, every member of my office has a responsibility to perform their duties with honesty and integrity. By taking the oath of office, assistant state attorneys are trusted to faithfully represent the values of this office. When that trust is violated there must be an immediate and transparent effort to fully identify the wrong doing, hold those responsible to account, and restore the trust and confidence of the public, Archer said. Toppa was assigned to a felony trial division and was hired in 2013. PORT CANAVERAL, Florida On the morning of Wednesday, March 1, 2017, Brevard County Sheriffs Office Corporal Evan Hightower responded to a report of a sea turtle in distress near the rocks at Jetty Park in Port Canaveral, Florida. When he arrived, Cpl. Hightower observed a green sea turtle that was tangled in fishing line and appeared to be hooked. The sea turtle was in need of immediate assistance so Cpl. Hightower maneuvered his assigned Brevard County Sheriffs Office boat near the Port Canaveral entrance to the jetties, where he was able to safely bring the turtle onboard. Once the sea turtle was aboard, the animal was carefully transported to the Port Canaveral boat ramp where it was turned over to a staff member from the Sea Turtle Preservation Society. The sea turtle, which is estimated to be between three and five years of age, was then transported to the Brevard Sea Turtle Healing Center where it was determined it had ingested a fishing hook. Surgery was subsequently conducted to remove the hook and the turtle is now recovering. Once fully recovered, the turtle will be released back into its natural habitat by members of the Healing Center Team. Ironically, Cpl. Hightower had just attended the Sea Turtle Preservation Society, Sea Turtle and Wildlife Rescue Training the day before the rescue, said Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey in a statement. There is no doubt that the training Cpl. Hightower received gave him the needed skills and knowledge to successfully conduct the rescue. Image Credit: BCSO COCOA BEACH, Florida A pedestrian did not survive the injuries that he sustained after being struck by a vehicle early Thursday morning on South Orlando Avenue (State Road A1A) between Second Street South and Third Street South in Cocoa Beach, Florida. The Cocoa Beach Police Department, Cocoa Beach Fire Department, and Brevard County Fire Rescue were called to the scene at 4:15 a.m. on March 9, 2017, following a report of a white male being struck by a vehicle that had fled the scene. Police have identified the victim as 37-year-old Brian Holley of Cocoa Beach, Florida. Investigators are searching for a vehicle of interest described as a large 4-door, white pick-up truck (Dually), towing a center-console boat with a dark hull. There is also a large cooler located in the bed of the truck. Investigators are continuing to interview witnesses and gather evidence. The Brevard County Sheriffs Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit also assisted in the traffic homicide investigation. The southbound lanes of South Orlando Avenue were closed to traffic for several hours this morning while investigators processed the crime scene. Anyone who may have information pertaining to this case is asked to contact the Cocoa Beach Police Department at 321-868-3251. TITUSVILLE, Florida Titusville police have arrested a woman for allegedly committing aggravated abuse of a two-month-old infant. Treasure Lee Coffman, 19, of Titusville, was arrested Wednesday, March 8th, 2017 around 6:30 p.m. and charged with two counts of aggravated child abuse and one count of child neglect. Around midnight this morning, police responded Parrish Medical Center regarding a report of child abuse of an infant. The investigation revealed that the infant had new and healing fractures of the ribs, both legs, and an arm. Treasure Lee Coffman is currently being held at the Brevard County Jail with no bond. Image credit: BCSO The Emory Climate Organization celebrates its third annual Climate Week with panel discussions, a film screening and a climate art exhibit. The events, set for March 14-17, are free and open to the public. Climate Week explores "the intersections between climate change and a variety of fields that make the crisis so complex and interdisciplinary from social justice, to education, to art," organizers note. The first event is a panel discussion, "COP22 and U.S. Climate Policy," on Tuesday, March 14, at 5 p.m. in Environmental Sciences, Room W502. Learn about the 22nd Conference of Parties, the main annual meeting of all nations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to build and strengthen intergovernmental climate policy, attended by Emory delegates. This meeting was held in Marrakesh, Morocco, in November. Dinner will be served. On Wednesday, March 15, the second Environmental Justice Panel, Environmental Justice Under Trump, will be held at 6 p.m. in Candler School of Theologys Rita Anne Rollins Room. Hear panelists from the Atlanta area discuss justice under the new presidential administration; dinner will be provided. Wonderful Wednesday, held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Asbury Circle, will include a climate learning experience. Come learn (and unlearn) at Debunking Climate Myths. Chasing Ice will be screened Thursday, March 16, at 7:30 p.m. in Harland Cinema. Enjoy kettle corn and take an in-depth look at how climate change is affecting glaciers in Iceland. On Friday, March 17, view an exhibition of climate-centered art from Emory community members, including those who attended the UN meeting. Enjoy the exhibit, along with snacks and live music, in the Math & Science Lobby from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Emory Climate Organization is a student-led organization dedicated to increasing climate literacy and collaborating with others towards climate action, both at Emory University and abroad. For more information, follow Emory Climate Organization on Facebook @EmoryClimateOrganization and Twitter @EmoryClimateOrg Fermentation science degree program earns recognition by Tim Crosby CARBONDALE, Ill. A leading brewers association has given its stamp of approval to the new bachelors degree program in fermentation science at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The Master Brewers Association of the Americas conferred its full recognition upon the program, which came into existence about a year ago at SIU. The recognition follows a full and careful review of the program and its facilities by MBAA officials. We have determined that your program has much to offer and does meet the requirements outlined in our Guidelines and Learning Outcomes, said Susan Welch, chair of the MBAA Higher Education Committees Review Board, in a letter to SIU. We are pleased to award full MBAA Recognition to Southern Illinois Universitys Bachelor of Science in Fermentation Science program at this time. Matt McCarroll, professor of chemistry and biochemistry and director of SIUs Fermentation Science Institute, said the recognition is an important step because it signals the high quality of the program to students. With the significant growth in the number of breweries over the past five years there are a number of universities that are trying to incorporate brewing-related programs, McCarroll said. Inclusion of SIU in this inaugural recognition is not only an indication that our program is designed and supported in a way that is desired by the industry, but also provides an external validation of the program to prospective students. On March 1, 2016, the Illinois Board of Higher Education gave SIU the go-ahead to create a new Bachelor of Science degree in fermentation science. Students were able to declare fermentation science as their major beginning last summer semester. The IBHE approval was the capstone of an effort that began at least three years previous to that, when university faculty and administration envisioned locating such a program at McLafferty Annex on the campus far west side. That facility, now finished and outfitted with scientific instrumentation, classroom technology and naturally brewing and fermentation equipment, is the epicenter for the highly interdisciplinary program. Students who sign up for the new program will spend much of their first two years heavily immersed in science, chemistry and mathematics, though they also will have the opportunity to take some foundation courses that touch more directly on the art of brewing, wine-making and distilling. Faculty from several disciplines, including various agriculture and horticulture areas, microbiology, hospitality, chemistry and others, all will teach classes aimed at creating highly trained, well-rounded professionals to work in and lead the fermentation industry. Demand in fermentation-related industries drove the effort, McCarroll said. While fewer than 100 breweries existed nationally in the mid-1970s, that number exploded to more than 1,500 by the turn of the century, with about 95 percent of that growth occurring over a 15-year period. By the end of 2015 there were more than 4,000 breweries nationwide, McCarroll said, and such breweries need brewers who are highly trained in fermentation science. In addition, many breweries are establishing quality control laboratories that will be staffed by highly trained fermentation scientists. The market needs new brewers and advanced training for existing brewers, McCarroll said, and the new SIU fermentation science program can meet both of those needs, especially considering the strong chemistry, biochemistry and microbiology foundation students will develop in the program. The MBAA recognition will help students in several ways, McCarroll said. Fundamentally, it is an outside assurance that we are training students in a way that will enable them to succeed in their careers, he said. In addition, prospective employees can rely on it as something of a validation of skills and background our students will possess as they begin their professional careers, which will help open doors to our students. The MBAA review process began in October and was managed by volunteer professionals from the brewing industry and academia. The recognition is valid for three years and is renewable. As a result of the MBAA recognition, a major brewery has approached the program to explore establishing a recruiting relationship, McCarroll said. The MBAA requirements were very rigorous in terms of the facilities, the qualifications of the instructors and the content of the coursework, so it is a strong testament to the commitment SIU has made in developing the program, McCarroll said. New Delhi [India], Mar 9 (ANI-NewsVoir): Veeam Software, the innovative provider of solutions that deliver Availability for the Always-On Enterprise, has expanded its work with Cisco by launching the direct snapshot integration with the Cisco HyperFlex hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) platform. The integration of Veeam Availability SuiteTM with the software-defined networking and computing power of Cisco UCS with the Cisco HyperFlex HX Data Platform is designed to deliver simplicity and enhance efficiency in the modern hybrid cloud era, with Veeam enabling enterprises to reduce backup and recovery times and improve overall operational performance. Enabling Digital Transformation via the Hybrid Cloud It is increasingly understood that digital transformation is a critical imperative for enterprises worldwide, irrespective of size or vertical market. Organizations that fail to create value, growth and competitive advantage through new digital offerings and business models risk major consequences including long-term business irrelevance. At the heart of this transformation is the hybrid cloud. IDC forecasts that public IT cloud services revenue will exceed USD 203.4 billion by 2020, recording a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.5 percent - almost seven times the rate of overall IT market growth. In 2019, public IT cloud services will drive a fifth of the USD 716 billion aggregate revenue generated by the need for applications, development and deployment tools, infrastructure software, storage and servers. By 2018, more than half of enterprises' IT infrastructure and software investments will be cloud based (private and public), reaching 60 to 70 percent of IT spend by 2020. Organizations are now reassessing their data centers and embracing a hybrid cloud strategy to meet the challenge of digital transformation. However, maintaining Availability across a hybrid cloud environment is not easy. Which is why today's news, seeing Veeam operate deeper on the Cisco HyperFlex platform, means businesses can realize not only the increased efficiency and adaptability benefits of Cisco HyperFlex and the computing power of Cisco UCS, but with the integration of Veeam, ensure data remains available 24.7.365 across a multi-cloud environment. Achieve Advanced Availability with Veeam and Cisco HyperFlex "Reducing recovery time for data and applications is paramount for businesses, that's why today's announcement is so important for the market," said Peter McKay, President and Chief Operating Officer, Veeam. "By combining Veeam's proven Availability solutions with Cisco's next-generation HyperFlex platform, we can offer customers unmatched data and application availability. This means a business can realize its investment in IT, without the production downtime that stifles its ability to execute and deliver innovative products and services to customers." Today's news builds on a successful collaboration between Veeam and Cisco, which began in 2013 with joint solutions based on Cisco UCS server technology and Veeam Availability Suite. Now, as businesses place more critical data and systems online to reap the benefits of digital transformation and utilize data to make better, more informed business decisions, management of that data has become more critical. "Digital transformation is driving explosive growth for Cisco HyperFlex," said Kaustubh Das, Cisco VP, Product Management, Storage. "Veeam's data protection solution is now deeply integrated with HyperFlex. This integration helps our customers realize the full potential of a next-gen, hyperconverged infrastructure while allowing for rapid business adaptability, minimizing risk, and decreasing downtime for today's 24.7.365 operations." Key benefits of Veeam direct integration with Cisco HyperFlex include Improved Recovery Point Objectives - Using Backups from Storage Snapshots enables the user to run a backup at any time and any frequency, reducing a business' exposure to data loss. Minimized Impact on Production - Not using VMware VM snapshots means the high impact of snapshot create and delete operations are eliminated. This dramatically reduces the performance impact on production VMs during the copy process. Accelerated Backups - Potentially improves copy speed up to twice as much compared to the standard VMware vSphere APIs, through the unique ability to backup data directly from the file system with asynchronous reads when using Veeam Availability Suite 9.5. Agentless Application Aware Backup - Across multiple applications, such as Microsoft Active Directory, Exchange, SharePoint, SQL Server and Oracle. Storage Replication - Customers can now replicate Cisco HyperFlex workloads to another HyperFlex System or to any other VMware vSphere environment including Veeam Cloud & Service Providers by using Veeam's VM Replication functionality. Veeam's direct integration with Cisco HyperFlex will be available globally in Q2 CY2017. Supporting Quotes "Enterprises leveraging Cisco Hyperflex got a nice win today with the announcement that Veeam can now do direct snapshots of their infrastructure," said Dan Thompson, Senior Analyst, 451 Research. "With this new, tighter integration, backups take place lower in stack, freeing up resources and saving precious time in those ever-shrinking windows. This improvement brings with it the possibility of a shorter RPO (recovery point objective), which gives organizations more options within their backup and disaster recovery plans." "Veeam has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with Cisco and I am delighted that we are further deepening this relationship with native snapshot integration for Cisco HyperFlex", said Andy Vandeveld, VP of Alliances at Veeam. "This is another example of Veeam working tightly with best of breed storage and server vendors to deliver greater performance to ensure data availability. Customers have made it clear they want us to partner with the major storage and server vendors to deliver flexible solutions that work and meet their growing demands for Availability. That's what we've done here. Cisco's HyperFlex offers a significant differentiation for customers looking to scale storage and compute capacity. Now those same customers can benefit from our new direct integration, which delivers market-leading Availability." "Akris is an International fashion brand with store locations worldwide," said Thomas Kaeser, CIO, Akris, a leading fashion retailer based in Switzerland. "When we needed a flexible, scalable and secure infrastructure to support our operations we chose, together with our partner Ceruno AG, Cisco HyperFlex and Veeam Availability Suite. Now with deep snapshot integration with HyperFlex, our backups and recoveries will be even faster helping us deliver 24x7 operations." "Betta Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. is undergoing dramatic growth and the variety of applications used is rapidly increasing. Traditional backup solutions are not scalable and hence are not able to meet the growing needs of the business," said Chao WANG, IT Manager at Betta Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., a high-tech pharmaceutical firm in China. "Veeam's integration with Cisco HyperFlex solution is highly flexible, scalable and easy to implement. The Veeam snapshot integration makes backups much faster so there is less impact to the production workloads (VMs) when the backups are taken. It only requires the addition of nodes to increase performance and capacity, reducing total cost of ownership (TCO) which meets the demands of our growing business, and showcases the development trend of industries." "Our goal is to help customers take full advantage of technology and our customers are looking to us to provide them guidance as they navigate the digital transformation", said Costa Diamandis, Uplinx Advanced Services, a business partner based in Perth, Australia. "Cisco HyperFlex based on UCS servers and Veeam combine to help us fulfill that promise by offering best in class hyperconverged and availability solutions." (ANI-NewsVoir) HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company Ltd. has not revised to the insurance regulator the proposed merger structure of Max Life Insurance Company Ltd. with itself, a top official of the former company said on Thursday. He said the private life insurer company is hoping to get a positive reply to the merger proposal from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) in 30 to 40 days. In an interview to BTVi, Amitabh Chaudhary, Managing Director, HDFC Standard Life, said there is no change in the merger structure proposed to IRDAI. He said the objection to the original merger proposal was that an insurance company can merge with another insurance company but in the case of HDFC Standard Life and Max Life Insurance two other entities are involved. "We have represented to the IRDAI and they have given us a patient hearing," Chaudhary said. He did not agree that the merger proposal has got stuck with the IRDAI as the file has to be seen by several people and is taking slightly more time than it was anticipated, he observed. Earlier, it was announced that the insurance business of HDFC Standard Life and Max Life Insurance will be merged through a composite scheme of arrangement involving three entities. First Max Life will be merged into Max Financial Services. The shareholders of Max Life will get one share of Max Financial Services for approximately five shares of Max Life. "For the demerger of the life insurance undertaking from Max Financial Services into HDFC Life, shareholders of Max Financial Services (post the amalgamation with Max Life), will get 2.33 shares of HDFC Life for each share of Max Financial Services," HDFC Standard Life said in a statement earlier. According to HDFC Standard Life, the merged life insurance company will pay a non-compete fee to the promoter group of Max Financial Services. HDFC Standard Life has also entered into a Trademark License Agreement to use the Max brand as part of life products that will transition from Max Life, for seven years post completion of the proposed transaction. HDFC Ltd and Standard Life (Mauritius Holdings) 2006 Ltd will be the promoters of HDFC Standard Life the merged entity, post completion of the proposed transaction. Upon obtaining all approvals, when the scheme becomes effective, the following steps will occur in that order: - Max Life will merge into Max Financial Services - Demerger of the life insurance undertaking from Max Financial Services into HDFC Standard Life (ie, the merged insurance entity) - Merger of Max Financial Services (holding the residual business) into Max India. --IANS vj/tsb/dg ( 443 Words) 2017-03-09-18:18:09 (IANS) Former Miss India Manasvi Mamgai, who campaigned for US President Donald Trump and even performed at his inaugural welcome celebrations, says he is the only President who has stuck to his words. "Always, politicians say something else before the elections, and they do something else after their election. Trump is the only President ever... He's doing exactly what he said," Mamgai told IANS on the sidelines of the just concluded India Beach Fashion Week, where she was a showstopper for label Karleo. Mamgai, who featured in Bollywood film "Action Jackson", is the 'god-daughter' of Shalabh Kumar, an Indian-American Republican leader and the founder of the Republican Hindu Coalition (RHC). She says during the election campaign, Trump said he wanted to fight against "radical Islamic terrorism and build a wall" to stop illegal immigrants from entering the US, and he's doing just that. "The stock markets have gone up 10 percent, the taxes are getting reduced, so he's doing exactly what was being said," Mamgai said. "And now the thing is that not everybody is happy with his success, so people are coming up everyday with new controversies, which half of them are true and half of them are not even true. So I think, he's the only president in the history, who is doing what she said. "I don't understand why people are upset about it," said the New Delhi born girl, who represented India at the Miss World 2010 pageant. Last month, Hyderabad-based engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla was killed in a shooting in a Kansas City bar, an attack that some eyewitnesses said could be racially motivated. Kuchibhotla died at a hospital and his colleague, also an Indian, sustained bullet injuries after a white man opened fire in the crowded suburban bar. Asked about the racial attacks taking place in the US, Mamgai said: "He (Trump) actually mentioned about the Kansas attacks in his joint address to the Congress... He's sure in his love for India. He has always proclaimed 'I love India' and 'I love Hindus'." "He spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on number five priority in the world before any other Prime Minister or President." Trump also came up with an immigration order banning citizens from seven Muslim majority countries including Iran, Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Libya and Yemen from from entering the US. In an amended order, Iraq was dropped from the list. Mamgai says it's fair for Trump to demand legal immigration. "There is no bill that has been introduced that is against immigration. He wants legal immigration. I don't think anything in the world is wrong with it to want legal immigration. He says, 'America first'. Why should it not be America first?" "If in my country, somebody else is given preference over me, I'll be pretty pissed off," Mamgai said. (The writer's trip was on the invitation of India Beach Fashion Week 2017 organisers. Durga Chakravarty can be contacted at durga.c@ians.in.) --IANS dc/rb/vt ( 505 Words) 2017-03-09-18:10:09 (IANS) College students who are looking to score in top levels must restrain from smoking marijuana and consuming alcohol, as a study finds that medium-to-high consumption of both substances is linked to poor academic performance. The findings suggested that despite no differences in pre-college scores, the students who were medium-to-high users of both substances not only had a lower predicted college GPA on average by the end of the first semester, but continued to achieve lower GPAs throughout the two years of the study. The research, published in the journal of PLOS ONE, states that college students who consume medium-to-high levels of alcohol and marijuana have a consistently lower GPA. Alcohol and marijuana are the two most abused substances in US colleges, but little is known about the effect of consuming both on students' academic performance. Lead study author Shashwath Meda from Hartford Hospital/Institute of Living in the USA and his colleagues examined the association between college students' alcohol and marijuana consumption and their grade point average (GPA) in each semester. "Doing a lot of both drugs had a significant impact, in terms of lower grades in our study and in other studies, with number of leaves of absences and those who dropped out of school," said senior study author Godfrey Pearlson. They tracked 1,142 students for two years after they began college and using self-reported data they clustered them into groups of low users or medium-to-high users of alcohol or both substances. Those students who consumed medium-to-high levels of alcohol but little marijuana started out with a lower predicted GPA, but there was no difference compared to low users at the end of the study. The researchers' further suggested that some students decreased their substance use over time, and their GPA increased relative to their peers who remained consistent in their drug use patterns. (ANI) There was a minor disruption at 'Swachh Shakti' event in Gandhinagar as a woman sarpanch from Uttar Pradesh, who tried to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was stopped by the security. Shalini Rajput, sarpanch of the village in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Budh Nagar, said she wanted to tell the Prime Minister about the difficulties faced by her village. "I'm sarpanch from a village in Gautam Budh Nagar and I wanted to apprise our Prime Minister of difficulties that my village faces as even the state government is not showing concern," Rajput told ANI. She added that she even sent an application to the state government regarding this issue but no action has been taken as of now. "I came to meet Prime Minister Modi to convey my message and I did not have any idea about the security. I just want them to let me meet the Prime Minister so that I can put forward my points in order to do improve the condition my village," she asserted. She further said health facilities are deteriorating, sewage system seems to be degrading, and infrastructure is not promising as well. "Our village has so much potential but people do not get a platform to showcase. With 12,000 people living in the village, there is only one government school for the past 10 years, which is a very major issue," Rajput said. On the occasion of International Women's Day, Prime Minister Modi on Wednesday raised the social evil of female foeticide still prevalent in the Indian society and urged the woman sarpanchs to play a key role in ending this vicious act. Honouring the women, who have succeeded in shattering various myths, the Prime Minister said he can see determination to make a positive difference when he meets these women Sarpanchs. "They (Women sarpanchs) have shown how a positive change has begun in rural India," he said while addressing the delegates of Women Sarpanchs conclave. Batting for gender equality, he said both, boys and girls should get equal access to education. "A discriminatory mindset cannot be accepted. We are seeing how girls are shining in the board exams and in other areas as well," he said. Congratulating the women who were honoured on the occasion, Prime Minister Modi said they are a source of inspiration for the entire nation. (ANI) Earlier on March 4, Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar, on a visit to the United States, expressed confidence about President Donald Trump administration's endeavour to bring the perpetrator of the Kansas shooting to justice. "It is a very tragic event which took place in Kansas, which obviously featured in many of our discussions. What we heard from very high levels, cabinet levels, was that one, we should regard this as an act of an individual, two, the American justice system was at work to bring the perpetrator of this act to justice. It is being prosecuted as a hate crime," Jaishankar said during a media conference at the Indian Embassy in Washington. Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla was shot to death in Kansas in an alleged racial attack, after the gunman was heard shouting "get out of my country". According to local media, the gunman, Adam Purinton, 51 who is a Navy veteran was arrested after fleeing the spot of incident, after he allegedly blasted off several rounds on Thursday. The Police say Purinton shot and killed Kuchibhotla, an engineer at GPS maker Garmin International and wounded his colleague Alok Madasani. He was reportedly taken into custody by the police at Applebee's in Clinton, Missouri, about 82 miles southeast of Olathe. Purinton was working as a desktop support specialist for an information technology company in the Kansas City area. (ANI) Union Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre, Telangana IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao and other dignitaries from the defence attended the event. Dr. Tessy Thomas, chairperson of MUDRA, inaugurated the event. A book was also launched at the event. Bhamre said, "Due to women participation in work and education, India has become one of the strongest countries in the world. Women scientists of our country play a major role in science and technology, an important contributor for national development." Meanwhile, Rao said, "My mother has made me what I am as an individual and the credit also goes to my sister, wife and daughter. I agree with all the mainstream terminology used for women and also they are worshipped in India. But I feel women in our country today want to be treated with respect more than being worshipped. He further said real issues pertaining to women should be addressed. A panel discussion on challenges faced by women in Research areas was also conducted. (ANI) Tandon's bail was denied earlier on the grounds of him possibly influencing other prosecution witnesses pertaining to this case. Besides Tandon, Kolkata-based businessman Paras M Lodha and Kotak Mahindra bank manager Ashish Kumar, were also arrested in separate Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) cases. Last month, the Enforcement Directorate issued a provisional attachment order attaching movable and immovable properties worth Rs. 6,84,26,500 of Lodha, Tandon and others in the money laundering case. The Investigation also revealed that post demonetisation, Lodha along with others illegally exchanged demonetised currency of Rohit Tandon and others into monetized form on commission basis with the help of Suman, Amranjay Kumar, Atul Kumar Aggarwal, Manoj Kumar Aggarwal and others including Hawala operators. In this process of illegal exchange, Amranjay Kumar, Atul Kumar Aggarwal and Manoj Kumar Aggarwal have been the direct beneficiaries and knowingly assisted in the offence of money laundering by the possession and acquisition of the properties involved in money laundering. Since the active role of Lodha surfaced during the investigation, he was arrested under section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 on December 2 last year. He is now under judicial custody. Lodha was held in Mumbai by the Enforcement Directorate after they recovered huge cache of new currency notes of Rs. 500 and Rs. 2,000 from a Delhi law firm which belonged to advocate Rohit Tandon and Chennai based businessman Sekhar Reddy. Income Tax officials also claimed that they seized Rs. 132 crore in currency notes including Rs. 34 crore in 2,000 notes, and 177 kilograms gold from fourteen of Reddy's premises. Tandon was arrested last year in December, after the Crime Branch and Delhi Police had carried out raids at the office of his firm T&T Law and seized nearly Rs 13.5 crore, of which Rs 2.6 crore was in new banknotes released after demonetization. (ANI) After refusing to extend the deadline for the surrender of Gopal Ansal in connection with the 1997 Uphaar cinema tragedy, the Supreme Court today will hear the application by the real estate mogul, who is seeking to extend the time to surrender for serving the one-year jail term. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court had ordered Gopal to surrender on March 9th. The apex court will also hear Gopal's plea, where he is seeking relief similar to the one given to his elder brother Sushil, whose jail term was waived off due to advanced age-related complications. However, the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) has moved the top court seeking modification of the order sentencing Sushil to the period already undergone by him in jail. Founder of the AVUT Neelam Krishnamoorthy, asserted that Gopal has been trying to delay the process of surrendering from a very long time. "For the last ten days, Ansal has been trying to delay and derail the process of surrendering. Whenever his date comes for surrendering, he makes an excuse to seek extension. Today also, it was another attempt by his counsel to make sure that this matter is posted after Holi break, but thankfully the court has refused it and has posted for tomorrow morning 10:30," Neelam told ANI after the hearing. "As parents we have fought to get justice and after doing so much we have to face such hurdles. People like them with power and money can easily take advantage and change dates every time," she added while expressing anguish over the matter. The AVUT has also claimed that the Ansal brothers were healthy and in a good condition to travel abroad, suggesting that they are not suffering from any medical complications to warrant any indulgence from the top court. At least 59 people died of asphyxia and over 100 others were injured in the stampede after fire broke out in Uphaar cinema on June 13, 1997, during the screening of J.P. Dutta's film "Border. (ANI) Two cubs belonging to the Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus) family, also known as the moon bear, were recently rescued in the jungles of Sendenyu village under this district. According to a release issued by the Sendenyu Community Biodiversity and Wildlife Conservation Committee the Asiatic black bear is classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), mostly because of deforestation and hunting for its body parts. The rescued cubs, weighing around 3 to 4 kg each, were said to have been found by woodcutters during the first week of March. Upon hearing the news, youth volunteers of reportedly took over custody of the cubs. The release said, "for two nights we left them where they were found in the jungle, but the mother bear did not return, so we are taking care of them for now. The cubs are being fed with goat milk as they are very young. Once they grow bigger, we plan to let them go in the reserve forest." Stating that the nearby jungles have been a habitat for the Asian black bears for a long time, the volunteer expressed concern that deforestation is chasing the species away. The Sendenyu village, under Kohima district, conserves about 22 sq km of the forest around the village and is gaining popularity with environmentalists with the village's community conservation efforts. In 2015, the Sendenyu Community Biodiversity and Wildlife Conservation Committee called a public meeting with its three associate villages wherein it was decided that an indefinite ban on hunting in the village land would be imposed. The village's avid efforts in conservation which spans for the last 15 years or so, reportedly saw a visible migration and increase in wildlife population in the neighbouring village areas where, until the recent past, were almost thought to have gone extinct. The Asian black bear species is morphologically considered very similar to some prehistoric bears, and is thought by some scientists to be the ancestor of other extant bear species (aside from pandas and spectacled bears). Adult Asiatic males weigh 60200 kg (130440 lb) with an average weight of about 135 kg (298 lb). Adult females weigh 40125 kg (88276 lb), and large ones up to 140 kg (310 lb). Although the black bear is protected in India, after being listed as vulnerable in the Red Data Book in Appendix I of CITES in India and in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act and its 1991 amendment, it has been difficult to prosecute those accused of poaching black bears due to lack of witnesses and lack of Wildlife Forensic Labs to detect the originality of confiscated animal parts or products. Moreover, due to India's wide stretching boundaries with other nations such as Pakistan, Tibet, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar, it is reportedly difficult to guard such borders, which are often in mountainous terrains, the release said. UNI AS BM -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0214-1180785.Xml Earlier in the day, the NIA special court filed a chargesheet against two accused for indoctrination of Keralite youth to join the ISIS. The NIA special court ordered framing of charges against arrested accused Areeb Ejaz Majeed for having conspired to carry out terrorist acts. The case was registered on the basis of credible source information that four youth from Kalyan, Maharashtra, had gone to Iraq with a group on May 25, 2014, under the guise of performing Ziyarat (religious) tour. Subsequently, they left the group without intimating the tour guide and the other pilgrims and went to Syria to join the ISIL, a banned terrorist organisation. The family members of these youth had filed missing complaints as they had left without intimating anyone. Out of the four youth, Majeed returned to India on November 28, 2014, but was apprehended by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). He was later arrested by the NIA on November 29, 2014, after registration of the case. The NIA probe has established that Majeed and his three associates had joined the proscribed terrorist organisation ISIL and had undergone training in guerrilla warfare. After joining the ISIL, Majeed had participated in various terrorist acts in Iraq and Syria. He was injured on two occasions while performing Fidayeen attacks. (ANI) Over 1000 live tortoises, meant for smuggled out to Bangladesh from India's heartland of Uttar Pradesh, have been seized by a joint raid by the CID and West Bengal police in this border district of Nadia, CID today said. The live land dwelling reptiles, upside down, were packed in containers which were concealed under vegetables in the truck. The contraband from UP was heading towards Bangladesh, when the CID and police seized them following regular frisking on NH 34 near Chakdha, an Indian border town with Bangladesh. Police seized the truck and arrested three persons in this connection.UNI XC-PC BM -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0214-1180919.Xml The Trinamool Congress on Thursday questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the killings of Indians in the US and called upon the government to take a firm stand on the issue. While Trinamool MPs from both houses demonstrated outside Parliament House over the issue, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh asserted in the Lok Sabha that the Centre had taken "serious note" of the hate crimes and said the government will come out with a statement on the issue next week. Speaking on the issue in the Lok Sabha, Trinamool veteran Saugata Roy said racist attacks including the killings of Indian techie Srinivas Kuchibhotla and businessman Harnish Patel were a result of a "persistent hate campaign against Indians especially after the new (Donald Trump's) government came to power in the US". "The central government, especially our very voluble, vocal and articulate Prime Minister is keeping a strange silence on the issue. Shouldn't the interests of the Indians working in the US be protected by the Indian government," said Roy. "Are we not going to take proper steps to ensure that the hate campaign carried out by certain misguided section of the American society is stopped," asked Roy. "We hope the government will show the gumption and guts to stand up against the bullies in the US so that no more attacks take place on Indians and they are not deprived of their right to work there," he added. Holding placards that read: "All Indians are our brothers and sisters, stop attacking them in USA," Trinamool MPs staged a demonstration condemning the attacks. Earlier on Monday, Trinamool chairperson and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj urging her to take the matter up with the highest US authorities to prevent recurrences of such incidents. The TMC leader was voicing concern over the killing of Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla in Kansas on February 22 in an apparent hate crime. A Sikh man, Deep Rai, who is an American citizen, was also fired at in a racial attack last week. He is out of danger. The US President has condemned the Kansas shooting in his first Union of State address. --IANS and/in/vm/dg ( 380 Words) 2017-03-09-14:10:08 (IANS) Members in the Lok Sabha on Thursday raised the issue of the killing of an Indian fisherman allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy, and sought action from the government. Raising the issue in the lower house, AIADMK leader M. Thambidurai said the fishermen community was in "shock" over the killing. He also said that Indian fishermen are regularly troubled by the Sri Lankan Navy who at times also take away their fishing equipment. The AIADMK member also urged the central government to resolve the issue around the Katchatheevu island, which was ceded to Sri Lanka. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said urgent action needed to be taken for the fishermen community who are losing their livelihood as the fish catch close to the shore was depleted, and the fishermen are forced to go into deep waters. Tharoor said that Indian fishermen were also being arrested by Pakistan's Navy and recently, Indian fishermen were taken in custody in the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) of Diego Garcia, an archipelago of 55 islands in the Indian Ocean south of India. "Fish stock near the shore has depleted, so fishermen go into deep waters. Modernisation of fishing infrastructure is urgently required," he said. Six fishermen from Thangachimadam in Ramanathapuram district were fishing near the Katchatheevu islet in the narrow sea dividing the two countries when they were fired at on Monday night, Indian officials said. One fisherman, K. Britjo, was killed. Another who was injured was warded in a hospital in Tamil Nadu. The others escaped without injuries. Colombo has denied that the Sri Lankan Navy was involved in the killing and promised a thorough probe in the incident. --IANS ao/rn ( 289 Words) 2017-03-09-15:12:11 (IANS) Racial discrimination against Indians and the recent killings in the US figured in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, with Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge saying it has started happening after Donald Trump took over as President of the US. As opposition members across party lines accused the government of inaction and failure in taking care of its diaspora, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh assured the members that the government is taking the issue very seriously and also promised that a statement would be made in Parliament in the coming week. Kharge, raising the issue, said: "Indians in the US are being killed, threatened, asked to leave the country while our government remains silent." "This has started after (Donald) Trump became the President (of the US). The Indian government has failed to ensure the safety of its diaspora," he said. The Congress leader said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should speak on the issue. "Why is the government silent on this issue. Around 1.70 lakh Indian students are there for studies. Lakhs of Indians are there for work purposes. They are being targeted. Their parents in India are worried," Kharge said. "Prime Minister reacts on tweets on every issue. But why is he silent on this. He must answer and should share the details of its plan to stop such attacks," he said. Expressing his deep concern over the killing of Indians, Biju Janata Dal leader Bhartruhari Mahtab sought to know from the government why Indians are getting killed there. "The Indian government should force the US government to take action," he said. Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) member A.P. Jithender Reddy blamed the "America for Americans" call given by Trump for the rise in such incidents. Shiromani Akali Dal leader Prem Singh Chandumajra said that such incidents of killings of Indians in the US and other parts of world are not new. "There have been racial attacks on Indians in US in the past. Government should take it seriously," he said. He also alleged that when France banned turbans, they had met then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, but he told them India would not make France an enemy for a turban. The statement led to a brief protest from the Congress benches, with MPs voicing opposition to the statement. CPI-M leader Mohammad Salim blamed it on the atmosphere of hatred created during the US elections. "We should understand, when we create an atmosphere of hate it remains there." Salim also called it a failure of diplomacy. Responding to the issue, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the government has taken the issue very seriously. "We want to clarify that the government is taking all of this very seriously. It is sad and unfortunate, and we condemn it," Rajnath Singh said. "The government will take all steps so that Indian feel safe there," he added. Rajnath Singh also said that as External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is unwell, a detailed statement will be given in the House next week. The members were voicing concern over the killing of Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla in Kansas on February 22 in an apparent hate crime, and of another Indian Harnish Patel a week later. A Sikh man, Deep Rai, who was an American citizen, was fired at in a racial attack last week, and is out of danger. US President has condemned the Kansas shooting. --IANS ao/rn ( 576 Words) 2017-03-09-15:26:08 (IANS) Voting in the Legislative Council polls for the Mahabubnagar-Ranga Reddy-Hyderabad Teachers' constituency in Telangana involving an electorate of about 24,000 to decide the fate of 12 candidates is in progress,today.The voting which began at 0800 hours will continue up to 1800 hours.The polling was marred when two candidates complained to the election authorities that their photos were wrongly printed against their names on the ballot papers. However the polling continued despite the complaint.UNI SM JW BL1536 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0364-1181087.Xml The Centre has written to the UK Government for deportation of liquor baron and businessman, Vijay Mallya, Attorney General of India, Mukul Rohatgi, said today in response to a query by the Supreme Court. The Apex Court bench, headed by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, was hearing the plea filed by State Bank of India (SBI) led consortium of banks seeking recovery of its dues to the tune of more than Rs 8,000 crore and initiation of contempt proceedings against the liquor baron. During the first half of the arguments, the Apex Court enquired from the AG about bringing Mr Mallya back to India. The bench also asked whether Mr Mallya had truthfully disclosed his assets to the Supreme Court..The Apex Court also inquired whether Mr Mallya had violated the Karnataka High Court order which had restrained him from alienating or transferring his assets to his family members without the approval of the court.The SBI led consortium of banks had knocked the doors of the Apex Court seeking a direction from it to Mr Mallya to bring 40 million USD to this court before he is heard.Mr Mallya had received 40 million USD from UK-based company Diageo in lieu of sailing his shares in United Breweries group.UNI XC RP1515 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0364-1181099.Xml Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Uttar Pradesh Police has arrested two terrorists, absconding after the Lucknow encounter on Tuesday.ATS sources here today said gang kingpin Muhammad Gaus Khan and his accomplice Azhar were nabbed here.With this, now five terrorists have been arrested so far and one Saifullah was killed in the encounter. Earlier two terrorists were arrested from Kanpur and one from Etawah.UNI MB SW SNU 1603 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0364-1181182.Xml President Donald Trump will meet with Main Street community bankers on Thursday to learn more about their difficulties in complying with the tougher Dodd-Frank financial regulations enacted after the 2007-2009 financial crisis.The listening session is aimed at helping the Trump administration craft a legislative plan to ease the regulatory burdens on small banks to try to unlock more small business lending and fuel economic growth, a senior White House official told Reuters.The meeting will include chief executives of nine community banks with assets of around $1 billion or less, along with the heads of the American Bankers Association and the Independent Community Bankers of America.ICBA has advocated for a tiered system of regulations that treat smaller banks differently than global financial behemoths, tailoring regulations to a bank's size, business model, complexity and risk.The Trump White House largely shares that view."The type of regulation that you need for a $700 million bank and the risks they present are very different than those for a $200 billion bank or a $1 trillion bank," the White House official said."Right now we have a lot of these rules that apply one-size-fits-all. And if you're the small community bank trying to comply with rules that are also applied to much larger institutions, it's very hard to remain competitive."Larger banks are able to spread their higher compliance costs over much bigger asset and employee bases, while smaller banks struggle with high costs and workloads.One of the institutions represented in the meeting, Standard Financial Corp of Monroeville, Pennsylvania, has just nine branches with $488 million in assets and earnings of $559,000 in the quarter ended December 31, 2016. It plans to merge with a rival in southwestern Pennsylvania in a deal that will roughly double its size.Trump officials cited a dearth of applications to form new community banks and around a 30 percent drop in the number of small US banks since 2008.US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who is expected to attend the meeting with Trump, along with National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn, said at his confirmation hearing in January that onerous regulations are "killing community banks."Mnuchin, the former CEO of OneWest bank, a regional lender in Southern California, pledged to ease those burdens while maintaining "proper" regulation, "so that we don't end up with a world where we only have four big banks in this country."The bankers are expected to highlight compliance costs associated with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a new regulator created under the Dodd-Frank law.The CFPB is a perennial target for Republicans, who want to shift its funding from the Federal Reserve to annual appropriations by Congress and shift its management, now concentrated in a powerful chairman, to a multi-person commission structure.Another problem to be aired by the bankers, the White House official said, will be post-crisis mortgage regulations that hamper home loans to small business owners who may have irregular income streams.REUTERS JW BL1548 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-1181198.Xml He left an indelible mark with his portrayal of Poplu, the cute and bubbly friend of Humpty Sharma (Varun Dhawan) in 'Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhanian ' who tickled the funny bone of the audience.Upcoming actor Sahil vaid, who plays a key role in 'Badrinath Ki Dulhanian ', a sequel to 'Humty Sharma Ki Dulhanian ', says that after fabulous response to his portrayal of Poplu in the earlier film, the film industry has started taking him seriously as an actor.Talking to UNI in an interview, Sahil said life in the film industry has changed a lot for him after the success of 'Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhanian '. ''Life has changed quite a lot for me after HSKD. After the film, people have been going crazy for my character. Though I wouldn't say that I have arrived as an actor as I have a long way to go."However, I would say that people in the industry have started taking me seriously as an actor. People have started giving me offers and started considering me for roles. Now they know that this guy knows his job,'' Sahil said.Asked if his character in 'Badrinath Ki Dulhanian ' was similar to the one played by him in 'HSKD', Sahil said, ''in Badrinath Ki Dulhanian, my character's arc is completely different from that in 'HSKD '. In this film, I play Badri's childhood friend Somdev. Both Badri and Somdev have grown up together.''Asked if it was a comic character like poplu in 'HSKD ', sahil said, ''I would not call it a comic character. In HSKD ', Varun and I were playing characters who were totally naive. In contrast, my character in 'Badrinath Ki Dulhanian ' has various shades to it. The film will reveal to the audience a different side to me.''On the experience of working with Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan for the second time in 'Badrinath Ki Dulhanian ', the actor said, ''it was fabulous working with Alia and Varun. Both of them are bonfire actors today. But they do not behave like stars. Both of them are so down to earth and comfortable to work with.Intact, they are actors first and stars later. They have been such a charm to work with in 'HSKD ' and 'Badrinath Ki Dulhanian '. If I had my way, I would be working only with Alia and Varun for the rest of my life.''Sahil said he shared an excellent comfort level with the director of 'HSKD ' and 'Badrinath Ki Dulhanian ' Shashank Khaitan, who was his senior in film school and also worked with him in theatre.''Shashank was my senior in film school and we both worked together in a theatre group by senior actor Naseeruddin Shah. Naturally, I and Shashank had a good comfort level on the sets."He did not have to sit with me for hours to help me understand a scene He just had to pick up from our common experiences and I would know what to do,'' he said.Among his forthcoming projects are Yash raj films' 'Bank Chor', Nandita Das' 'Manto' and a guest appearance in the forthcoming Manjari Fadnis starrer 'Aapa Dhapi'.UNI AR SNU 1613 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0343-1181264.Xml India and Belgium have signed a Protocol amending the existing Agreement and Protocol between the two countries for Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income today in New Delhi. The Protocol was signed by Sushil Chandra, Chairman Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on behalf of India and Jan Luykx, Ambassador of Belgium to India, on behalf of Belgium.The Protocol will broaden the scope of the existing framework of exchange of tax related information. This in turn will help curb tax evasion and tax avoidance between the two countries and will also enable mutual assistance in collection of taxes.Fighting the menace of Black Money stashed in offshore accounts has been a key priority area for the Government. To further this goal, India has either signed or amended international agreements, declarations or conventions for the Avoidance of Double Taxation & Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income and for the Exchange of Information with Switzerland, Mauritius, Cyprus, Japan, Republic of Korea, Kazakhstan, Singapore and Austria during the financial year 2016-17.UNI ADP SHK 1817 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0429-1181482.Xml "Because of the Shiv Sena activists' unruly act, we had boycotted the session for the day. In the assembly, we raised our voices, against the Shiv Sena for taking the law into their own hands on Marine Drive yesterday," Chennithala told ANI. This shameful act, the Congress asserted indicated the state government's failure to stop moral policing. (ANI) A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed today by the Andhra Pradesh Government with Singapore-based FinTech major, LATTICE 80, for setting up of a fintech incubation centre in the Smart city. The MoU was inked at the two-day Fintech Startup Challenge which began here today. Speaking after MOU here on the Occasion ,Special Chief Secretary and Adviser to the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister on IT JA Chowdary said that the state Government was not merely trying to create the right eco-system for promoting fintech, but also aimed to develop a whole fintech culture. "It wants to conduct a series of events to promote fintech in the city and the State.LATTICE 80 will help the Government in the Endeavor," he said. He also said the two mega events are planned for the city. A major conference on October 9 and 10 on block chain technology and another mega event on February 19 and 20 in 2018 would be held. The latter would see one-million dollar challenge for global companies and Rs one-crore challenge for the Indian companies in the fintech sector. Mr. Chowdary was glad that 150 startups, several of them from abroad, were participating in the FinTech Startup Challenge. A 20-member Singapore team arrived here and two more teams from Switzerland and Japan are also participating in the event. He said that 15 more MoUs were being signed by the AP Government with different fintech companies to launch operations in the State. "We have already signed pacts with Visa, Thomson Reuters and other major companies to launch operations in the Fintech Valley here. PayTM has already started operations," he added. The CEO of LATTICE 80 Joe Senughyun Cho said the AP State Government had rightly identified fintech as the most promising area and his company was happy to partner with AP Government in developing Vizag Smart City as a major fintech hub. The startups have registered matured product solutions as well as innovative prototypes, appointed by the State Government as the consultant for fintech promotion in the city and the State. According to KPMG officials, the State Government has collaborated with banking and financial institutions such as ICICI Bank, ICICI Lombard, HDFC Life, Bharti AXA Life and Angel Broking to launch the AP fintech Valley Startup Challenge-2017. The event conducted to power Visakhapatnam as a national and global hub for fintech. "We want startups, entrepreneurs, innovators and developers around the globe to view Vizag as the hot destination for fintech," he said. He also said the main objective for launching the challenge is "to get the best minds across the globe associated with AP fintech Valley and set the platform to create a self-sustainable global fintech ecosystem in Visakhapatnam Smart City to focus on converging finance and technology to create large avenues of growth." Prize money A sum of Rs. 15 lakh will be awarded to three winners across banking, capital markets and insurance categories (Rs. 5 lakh per winner) for the best entries. The winner in each category will be given an opportunity to open the development centre in the city. They will also get access to free space for at least a period of six months. KPMG officials say the fin tech Spring Conference will be a stepping stone towards creating a robust ecosystem in the city. The event will focus on financial inclusion, cashless economy, rise of emerging technologies, digital India, access to skills and business support to fintech startups. Around 100 companies from within the country and abroad participated in the event. UNI BSR JW 1907 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0364-1181629.Xml In a successful operation conducted by the Assam Rifles (AR), Khonsa Battalion under the aegis of Dao division in Kunsa village of Longding District has apprehended KCP (Manipur based group) cadre Noaba Metei. Metei, a self-styled private of KCP, was apprehended based on specific intelligence about the presence of one cadre at Kunsa village trying to infiltrate into the Indian Territory from Myanmar, official sources informed here today. The battalion swiftly launched an operation and apprehended Naoba who was donning combats. During on the spot interrogation, he admitted allegiance to KCP and divulged that he has been with the banned outfit since July 2016 and underwent basic training at Taga camp. He further admitted to being forcibly recruited by the banned outfit which highlights the evil of forced recruitment carried out by these factions where the youths are forced and threatened into joining these terrorist groups crushing their dreams and further prospects. The parents of Metei had filed an FIR at Lamlai, Manipur after he was forcibly taken by KCP. He was barely 16 years of age then and shows the cruelty of insurgents, who forcibly recruited him and pushed to lead a life of an insurgent rather than letting him pursue education and lead a peaceful life.UNI PB AD2058 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0108-1181923.Xml China's statement comes in the wake of North Korea launching four ballistic missiles and the US deploying the first components of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile system (THAAD) in South Korea. According to CNN, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi cautioned the U.S. against the deployment of a controversial missile defense system in South Korea, which is strongly opposed by Beijing. However, he did not mince words in rebuking North Korea, saying that Pyonyang should suspend its nuclear weapons program. "The two sides are like two accelerating trains coming towards each other. The question is, are the two sides really ready for a head-on collision? Nuclear weapons will not bring security. The use of force is no solution. Talks deserve another chance and peace is still within our grasp," Wang told reporters in Beijing. Wang's remarks came a day after the US military revealed the controversial missile defense system had finally arrived in South Korea. Pictures released by the United States showed the first pieces of the ballistic missile defense technology being unloaded at Osan Air Base in South Korea Monday night. (ANI) In a sharp contrast to what the world actually thinks, first lady Melania Trump''s likeability ratio has taken quite a spike, indicating that the more Americans learn about her, the more they seem to favour her. According to a CNN/ORC poll, her favorability rating is up 16 points since her husband Donald Trump was sworn-in as President. Interviews for the CNN / ORC poll were conducted on March 1-4, 2017 over the telephone with 1,025 adult Americans. The results say that about 52 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of Melania Trump, which is a major increase from the 36 percent during the pre-inauguration. In February 2016, the former model''s favorable rating was a meager 24 percent; her unfavorable was 31 percent while 23 percent had never even heard of her. However, the current numbers show that only 3 percent say they don''t know who the first lady is, and her unfavorable rate has held steady at 32 percent. An astute point to observe is that the margin is a lot wider for Melania than it was for Michelle Obama, who in April 2009 had a favorable rating of 93 percent among Democrats and 50 percent among Republicans. Another interesting note on Melania''s new poll numbers are than men seem to appreciate her more than women do, as fifty-eight percent of men view her positively, and 46 percent of women. However, Michelle Obama''s numbers in that category were the opposite with 78 percent women and 68 percent men. But it appears that majority of college-educated women are not in favour of Melania Trump, as only 46 percent of women with degrees view her favorably, 34 percent unfavorably, while women without degrees have a 55 percent favorability, and 28 percent unfavorable. (ANI) According to a report in Pioneer Press, Linwood Michael Kaine, Tim Kaine's youngest son, was released on Tuesday from the Ramsey County Jail where he was kept after he was arrested on Saturday. The group allegedly invaded a pro-Trump demonstration at the Minnesota state capitol. The group set off a smoke bomb, blew air horns, chanted and whistled. The five were arrested on suspicion of second-degree rioting. Linwood Kaine said that an officer chased him down but was unsuccessful. He was later sprayed with a chemical irritant and struck by an officer's knee before finally being apprehended and arrested. The senator later issued a statement: "We love that our children have their own views and concerns about current political issues. They fully understand the responsibility to express those concerns peacefully." Tim Kaine served as Hillary Clinton's running mate in the 2016 presidential election, chosen for his moderate appeal and experience as Virginia's governor, lieutenant governor and mayor of Richmond, Virginia. --IANS sku/ ( 202 Words) 2017-03-09-02:20:08 (IANS) Supporters of a lawsuit filed in the United States today against a unit of the World Bank alleging complicity in deadly land disputes in Honduras said they hope the litigation will help recover lost territory.The lawsuit was filed by Earth Rights International (ERI) against the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group that focuses on the private sector in developing countries. It relates to an IFC project in Honduras' northern Bajo Aguan region.The project provided $30 million worth of credits to agro-industrial firm Dinant, which has faced accusations of human rights violations and other crimes by local peasant groups.More than 100 peasants have been killed over the past five years in land disputes in Bajo Aguan, where frequent conflicts have played out with guards, soldiers and police who protect Dinant's palm plantations."What we want is to recover the lands that have been taken away from us," said Vitalino Alvarez, spokesman for a local peasants group."We want to be able to live without the terror imposed on us," he said.In a statement posted on its website, Dinant rejected all allegations of human rights violations and any complicity in the mounting death toll in Bajo Aguan, where drug cartels also operate."It is absurd that Earth Rights International links Dinant to high levels of insecurity in (Bajo Aguan), based on the fact that several tragic deaths have occurred in the same region where we own land," the statement said.Dinant also operates in Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Costa Rica.Reuters cj NS1121 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-1180749.Xml According to the Dawn, the contracts are for the main dam, appurtenant structures and hydraulic steel structures (MW-01) worth Rs.115 billion and construction of underground power complex, tunnels and hydraulic structures (MW-02) worth Rs.64 billion. The Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) and the CGGC signed the two agreements. Dasu Project Director Javed Akhtar and CGGC representative Tan Bixuan signed the contracts in the presence of Water and Power Minister Khwaja Mohammad Asif. Once completed in 2021, the project is expected to generate over 2,100 megawatts of power. Minister Asif described the agreement as a new era of cheap electricity generation. (ANI) The two have arrived in Beijing but no further details were disclosed, The Star daily reported. "The staff members are international civil servants and not representatives of their national government," the WFP spokesman said. "They work on WFP's programmes in North Korea". North Korea on Tuesday barred Malaysians from leaving the country, which led to Malaysia doing the same to North Korean citizens. A diplomatic row is brewing between Malaysia and North Korea after the assassination of Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 on February 13, the daily said. North Korea has condemned Malaysia's handling of the case, and accused Malaysia of colluding with South Korea in the investigation. Malaysia later recalled its ambassador to the hermit kingdom, and expelled North Korean ambassador Kang Chol. --IANS ksk/dg ( 179 Words) 2017-03-09-14:26:08 (IANS) Reacting to the shutting down of the American Christian NGO Compassion International, the U.S. State Department said that for the past couple of years several foreign-funded NGOs in India have encountered challenges to the continuance of their operations, and urged all parties to respect Indian laws, and encourage a transparent process. "The closure of Compassion International for specifics about this action, we of course are committed to the health and vibrancy of civil society, and we strongly advocate for a strong civil society and organizations that are working in that sphere around the world. I think, unfortunately, we've seen over the past couple of years a number of foreign-funded NGOs in India that have encountered significant challenges in continuing their operations. And we believe it's imperative that all parties work transparently and cooperatively in a way that, obviously, respects India's laws but also encourages a transparent process, and these are views that we've made clear to the Indian Government," said Mark Toner, Deputy Spokesman of the U.S. State Department. Compassion International is expelled to shut down its operations in India next week after New Delhi stopped transfer of its funds into the country. Compassion International has been active in India for almost 48 years but was forced to close its doors after by Hindu extremist groups accused it of converting people to Christianity. The government on Wednesday dismissed a statement by American Christian NGO Compassion International that it is being forced to shut down its operations in India next week because of "ideological" reasons. In March 2016, the Ministry of Home Affairs had put Compassion International on a "prior permission" watchlist, effectively curtailing its ability to bring in funds for NGOs in India, some of which were accused of carrying out religious conversions. After several appeals, Compassion International announced that it is shutting down its India operations on March 15 this year. (ANI) Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd will remove visits to South Korean ports from its China cruises, the firm said in a statement, amid rising tension between the two countries over Seoul's deployment of a US missile defence system.In a post on its Chinese website, the US cruise operator, one of the world's biggest, said it had changed its China-based cruises to remove visits to popular South Korean resorts because of "recent developments regarding the situation in South Korea".The move makes Royal Caribbean one of the first major travel firms to publicly stop or restrict trips to South Korea after media reports last week that Beijing had given guidance to tour operators in China to stop selling trips to the country.A South Korean government document seen by Reuters said China gave a "7-point" verbal instruction to travel firms regarding a ban on trips to South Korea. One point blocked China-based cruise ships from docking in South Korean ports.In a notice posted on Thursday, Royal Caribbean detailed changes to itineraries for cruises leaving from Chinese ports. These removed visits to South Korean destinations such as Busan, Jeju and Seoul, replacing them with visits to sites in Japan.The firm did not respond to requests for further comment today. Rival cruise operators including Carnival Corp did not immediately respond to requests for comment.The squeeze on Korean firms underlines Beijing's anger over a joint plan by South Korea and the United States to set up the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) missile system in South Korea. Seoul and Washington say it will defend against nuclear-armed North Korean missiles, but Beijing says its far-reaching radar is targeted at China.The crackdown has sent a chill across South Korea's retail and tourism sectors, which rely heavily on China trade. Chinese shoppers are big consumers of South Korean products from cosmetics and television dramas to vacations and music.The number of Chinese tourists to South Korea has nearly quadrupled to 8 million over the past five years, accounting for nearly half of foreign visitors, Korean government data showed.South Korea has said it will consider filing a complaint against China to the World Trade Organization over what it described as trade retaliation over the THAAD deployment issue.REUTERS JW BL1550 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-1181196.Xml A former executive at oil company BP in Singapore was charged today with obtaining 3.95 million dollars in bribes in what the city-state's anti-corruption agency called one of the largest corruption cases in the country.Clarence Chang Peng Hong, a former regional director for marine fuels with BP, was charged with taking bribes from an executive at a petroleum products supplier in order to advance the company's business interests with BP, according to the charge sheet from Singapore's Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).The 51-year-old faces a total of 47 charges, which include transferring money that "were benefits of corrupt proceeds" to local Singaporean bank accounts from Hong Kong and "converting property" that "were direct or indirect benefits of corrupt proceeds" to buy three houses and two condominiums, the statement said."Those who abuse their position in the company to manipulate deals for personal gains will face dire consequences", the CPIB said.The alleged offences took place between July 2006 and November 2012."We understand charges have been filed against Clarence Chang. His employment with BP ended July 2010," a BP spokeswoman said in a statement. "We became aware of some concerning activities in 2010 which we reported to the authorities. These charges have been filed by the Singapore authorities, we cannot comment on them."Singapore, known for its tough laws, was ranked sixth in Transparency International's latest Corruption Perceptions Index.If found guilty, Chang faces imprisonment for up to seven years, a fine of up to 500,000 Singapore dollars (352,485 dollars) or both, according to the CPIB statement.Chang's lawyer, Alfonso Ang, said that he has only received word of the case and is discussing it with his client. He added that the court has adjourned the case until April 6.Last year, Singapore's financial service sector was hit by corruption and money laundering investigations tied to Malaysian state fund 1MDB. Singapore authorities then took the unprecedented steps of ordering the closure of the local operations of Swiss bank BSI and Falcon Bank because of their involvement with 1MDB.REUTERS JW BL1553 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-1181208.Xml In a strong-worded statement, India has asserted that Pakistan continues to illegally occupy a part of their territory, referring to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, at the 34th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, Switzerland. "The whole state of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. Pakistan remains in illegal occupation of a part of our territory. The two cannot and should not be equated. The neutrality of the phrase 'Indian Administered Kashmir' is, therefore, artificial. Furthermore, the state of Jammu and Kashmir has an elected democratic government that represents all sections of the people unlike the situation in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir," a statement by Ajit Kumar, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to UN offices and other International Organisations, said. The statement also said that states were the primary bearers of responsibility when it came to promotion of human rights, adding countries had unique national circumstances and it was important to invest trust in their efforts. The statement also asserted that the robust and mature Indian democracy had proved once again that it had sufficiently strong and adequate mechanisms to redress any internal difficulties even if they were incited from outside. "Normalcy has returned as 99 percent of the students of Jammu and Kashmir have taken their high school examinations and schools have re-opened," it said. India also expressed surprise over the silence of United Nations Human Rights Commissioner in a debate regarding Pakistan "that uses terrorism as an instrument of state policy". "The central problem in Jammu and Kashmir is cross-border terrorism and hence we are a little surprised that the High Commissioner was silent regarding Pakistan that uses terrorism as an instrument of state policy," the statement added. The 34th session of the UNHRC began on February 27 with Pakistan's Law Minister Zahid Hamid's address. Hamid called on the UNHRC to remain "seized" of the "grave systematic violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Jammu and Kashmir" while describing India as the "occupying power" which is "brutalising" the Kashmiri people "so that they can give up their just struggle for the inherent right to self-determination". India's to reply was delivered by the Indian embassy's counsellor (political), Alok Ranjan Jha, who underlined it was "unfortunate that Pakistan's trust in the methods of terror were so deep that it did not hesitate from "using air power against its own people". (ANI) The Torkham and Chaman borders in Balochistan province were reopened on Monday and Tuesday, as they are most popular routes to travel to Afghanistan. At Torkham, the Frontier Corps in collaboration with the political administration made elaborate security and immigration arrangements in order to facilitate swift and speedy return of Afghans. Female paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were also deputed at the border to help guide returning Afghan women and their children. The border has since been closed indefinitely. (ANI) The spokesman for Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan today echoed German Chancellor Angela Merkel's comments that the two countries shared deep-seated differences.Speaking at a news conference in Ankara, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said differences between Turkey and Germany included the fight against terrorism, adding that Kurdish militants roamed freely in Germany.Tensions have been running high between the two NATO allies after the arrest of a German-Turkish journalist in Turkey and the cancellation of rallies by Turkish ministers aimed at drumming up support for an April 16 referendum to expand Erdogan's powers. REUTERS JW BL1642 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-1181295.Xml No decision on who carries out an operation to capture Syria's Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa has yet been made, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman said today."Our plan is very clear, but the negotiation process is going on," Ibrahim Kalin said, referring to a trilateral meeting between US, Russia and Turkey military chiefs this week."There is no final decision on by whom and how the offensive on Raqqa will be carried out. Kurdish militants should move out of Syria's Manbij to the east of the Euphrates (river) as we were promised," Kalin told reporters in Ankara.REUTERS JW BL1642 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-1181296.Xml Hawaii has become the first state in the US to file a lawsuit against President Donald Trump's revised travel ban, saying the order will harm its Muslim population, tourism and foreign students. Attorneys for the state filed the lawsuit against the US government on Wednesday in the federal court in Honolulu. The state had sued over Trump's initial travel ban, but that lawsuit was put on hold while other cases played out across the country, CNN reported. Hawaii Attorney General Douglas Chin said the new version is fundamentally the same as the first, calling it "Muslim Ban 2.0". The revised order, which takes effect on March 16, places a 90-day ban on people from six mainly Muslim nations and a 120-day ban on all refugees. It replaces an initial order issued in January, which sparked confusion at airports and mass protests in the US. The previous order was subsequently halted by a federal court following legal challenges across the country. Chin said that despite changes Trump made to his first executive order, the new one amounted to the same policy "dressed up differently", the New York Times reported. "Any time you have an executive order or some government decision that's calling out people by their nation of origin or by religion, we've got to be a check against that," he said. "Nothing of substance has changed: There is the same blanket ban on entry from Muslim-majority countries (minus one)," Chin said. The new order will bar entry of citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen for 90 days. Iraq, which was included in the first ban, has been taken off the list. The Justice Department declined to comment on the filing, but will have an opportunity to respond to the state's amended complaint against the travel ban on March 13, CNN report said. "The entire history and culture of Hawaii is based upon non-discrimination either in its constitution as well as its laws," Chin told CNN affiliate KHON. "Hawaii has 20 per cent foreign-born residents and 100,000 people who are not citizens as well as 20 per cent of our workforce that are not foreign born," he said. Hawaii is also joined in the lawsuit by an American who is the imam of the Muslim Association of Hawaii and says he has lived in the state for over a decade with his wife and children, but now his Syrian mother-in-law cannot visit them because she does not currently hold a visa to enter the US, according to the report. Trump has not yet commented on Hawaii's latest legal bid, but had previously insisted he has the right to enact such an executive order and hit out at "so political" courts. --IANS soni/dg ( 465 Words) 2017-03-09-17:16:09 (IANS) A US Marines artillery unit has deployed to Syria in recent days to help local forces speed up efforts to defeat Islamic State at Raqqa and the campaign to isolate the city is going "very, very well", the US-led coalition said today.Coalition spokesman US Air Force Colonel John Dorrian said the additional US forces would be working with local partners in Syria - the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian Arab Coalition - and would not have a front line role.The additional deployment comprises a total of 400 US forces - both Marines and Army Rangers. It adds to around 500 US military personnel already in Syria, Dorrian said.The SDF, which includes the Kurdish YPG militia, is the main US partner in the war against Islamic State insurgents in Syria. Since November it has been working with the US-led coalition to encircle Raqqa, IS's main urban bastion in Syria.This week, the SDF cut the road between Raqqa and the jihadists' stronghold of Deir al-Zor province - the last main road out of the city.Islamic State is also being fought in Syria by the Russian-backed Syrian military, and by Syrian rebel groups fighting under the Free Syrian Army banner with Turkish backing in northern Syria and Jordanian backing in southern Syria.Dorrian said the effort to isolate Raqqa was "going very very well" and could be completed in a few weeks. "Then the decision to move in can be made," he said.The additional forces had arrived in "the last few days", he told Reuters by telephone.The artillery will help "expedite the defeat of ISIS in Raqqa", he said, using another acronym for Islamic State. The Marines were armed with 155-millimetre artillery guns. Asked if they had been used yet, Dorrian said he did not believe so."We have had what I would describe as a pretty relentless air campaign to destroy enemy capabilities and to kill enemy fighters in that area already. That is something that we are going to continue and intensify with this new capability.""We are talking about an additional 400 or so forces in total, and they will be there for a temporary period," he said.A Kurdish military source told Reuters the extra US forces were deployed as part of a joint plan between the SDF and US-led coalition to capture Raqqa, and further US reinforcements were expected to arrive in the coming few days.Dorrian said the Army Rangers were on a different mission to the Marines in a previously announced deployment near the city of Manbij to "create some reassurance" for US-allied Turkey and US partners in Syria - a reference to the SDF.Turkey views the YPG as a threat to its national security and says the Kurdish militia maintains a presence in Manbij. The YPG denies this. Fearing deepening Kurdish influence in northern Syria, Turkey has been pressing Washington for a role in the final assault on Raqqa.Dorrian said a possible role for Turkey "remains a point of discussion at military leadership and diplomatic levels"."We have always said we are open to a role for Turkey in the liberation of Raqqa and will continue that discussion to whatever logical end there is."REUTERS SHS AN1856 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-1181557.Xml Pakistan has indefinitely closed two border crossings with Afghanistan after opening them for two days to let through Afghans with visas, officials said today.The official border crossings were abruptly ordered closed last month after a series of attacks Pakistan blames on militants sheltered in Afghanistan, heightening tension between the neighbours.But Pakistan temporarily reopened the crossings on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, to allow the return home of stranded citizens of both countries holding valid travel documents.Two men, a woman and a child were trampled to death in the resulting surge of more than 20,000 Afghans passing through the crossings, said Attahullah Khogyani, the government spokesman for Afghanistan's border province of Nangarhar.Pakistani official Niaz Mohammad, based in the border town of Torkham, said 24,000 Afghans had returned to Afghanistan on foot, while 700 Pakistanis returned home, before the border was closed again at 9.30 p.m. yesterday."There is no clarity on when the border will be reopened," Mohammad said.The closure chokes off a key trading route for landlocked Afghanistan, although it has been working to build trade ties with other neighbours, such as Iran. It also cuts off Pakistani traders from a steady market.On Thursday, about 200 traders and transporters held a protest at Torkham, complaining that cargo on 800 stranded trucks was rotting, particularly meat and fruit."People have suffered billions of rupees of losses in the past three or four weeks," said one protester, Ali Jan, a transporter."Their loaded vehicles have been standing by the road and there is no indication when the border will be opened."A Pakistani government official, who asked not to be named, said the border would stay closed until Afghanistan took action against a list of 76 "most-wanted terrorists" whose capture and handover by Kabul the Pakistani military demanded last month.Relations between the two countries are tense, with each routinely accusing the other of doing too little to stop Taliban fighters and other militants from operating in its territory.Pakistan has blamed several attacks last month, in which more than 130 people were killed, on Pakistani militants taking shelter in Afghanistan. Afghanistan denies the charges.Last year, Pakistan started building a barrier at Torkham, angering Afghanistan, which rejects a colonial-era boundary line dating from 1893. REUTERS SHS AN1857 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-1181566.Xml According to the Radio Pakistan, a senior military officer telephoned the Afghan Ambassador and on behalf of COAS, expressed grief over the attack. "Senior Military Officer telephones Afghan Ambassador and on behalf of COAS, expressed deep grief over attack on military hospital in Kabul," tweeted Radio Pakistan. On Wednesday, gunmen disguised as medical personnel stormed a military hospital near the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, killing at least 30 people in a six-hour siege before Afghan security forces killed the attackers. The ISIS-affiliated news agency Amaq said the terror group claimed responsibility for attacking the Sardar Daud Khan Hospital also known as "the 400-bed hospital," the country's biggest and best-equipped medical facility. More than 50 people were also wounded in the attack. (ANI) Sudan's foreign ministry summoned the United States Charge d'Affairs in Khartoum today to protest President Donald Trump's revised executive order banning citizens from six Muslim-majority nations from travelling to the US."The United States Charge d'Affairs in Khartoum was summoned this afternoon and met the Deputy Foreign Minister who once again expressed Sudan's disappointment at the order banning Sudanese citizens and those of other countries from travelling to the United States," the foreign ministry said in a statement. REUTERS SHS PR2225 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-1181968.Xml "The government's position in this regard has been consistent," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said during a media briefing here. "He is a revered religious figure, who is treated as such by the government and the people of India. The government has no say in his travel within India and no political meaning should be attached to them as such," he added. The Chinese Foreign Ministry had last week objected to the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, saying it will cause serious damage to the India-China ties and warned New Delhi not to provide him a platform for "anti-China activities". According to reports, the Dalai Lama will be visiting the Tawang monastery in Arunachal Pradesh after a gap of eight years. Fearing Chinese military takeover in Tibet, the Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 through Arunachal Pradesh. The Tibetan government-in-exile is functioning from McLeodganj in Himachal Pradesh. --IANS rs/tsb/vt ( 200 Words) 2017-03-09-22:38:07 (IANS) European Union leaders will discuss the party political balance in top EU appointments this year, Malta's prime minister said today, after overseeing the reappointment of the centre-right's Donald Tusk as chairman of the European Council.Tusk's reappointment, which follows the election in January of a conservative to head the European Parliament, means all three main political institutions are run by the centre-right. Jean-Claude Juncker heads the executive European Commission.That lock on jobs has drawn calls from the left for balance."I congratulate Donald Tusk on being confirmed as European Council president. The European Council will later this year discuss balance in EU appointments," Joseph Muscat of Malta, holder of the EU's rotating presidency, said on Twitter.The European Council represents the national governments of the 28 member states.However, since Juncker, Tusk and European Parliament President Antonio Tajani now have mandates running until late 2019, it is not clear how change might come about any time soon.The most senior centre-left officials are Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who heads the Eurogroup of euro zone finance ministers, Juncker's Dutch deputy at the European Commission, First Vice President Frans Timmermans, and foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini from Italy.The centre-right EPP group has 217 members of the 751 seat European Parliament while Socialists have 189 deputies. REUTERS SHS RK2314 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-1181994.Xml Reports that Jon Huntsman will become the next US ambassador to Russia stirred anxiety in Moscow today, with one politician calling him a hawk and pro-Kremlin media recalling what they said was his worrying history of hostile rhetoric.An official in US President Donald Trump's administration said yesterday that Huntsman, a one-time Republican presidential candidate and ambassador to China and Singapore, had accepted Trump's offer to represent the United States in Moscow, a move that needs Senate confirmation.With US-Russia relations at their worst since the Cold War and Russia a politically toxic issue in Washington as hacking and influence-peddling scandals threaten to erupt, Russian officials are looking for clues as to where the troubled relationship might be going."The choice of nominee for US ambassador in Moscow says a lot," said Alexei Pushkov, a Senator who has in the past said he hoped that Trump could deliver better US-Russia ties."Huntsman used to be the head of the Atlantic Council, where harsh criticism of Russia has become the norm. He is definitely not a dove."Trump was mainly surrounding himself with people who did not want to improve relations, Pushkov complained. "It will make the search for common ground harder," he said.Russian officials watched with dismay last month as Trump replaced his national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who they saw as a possible ally, after a Russia-related scandal. He was replaced by Army Lieutenant General HR McMaster, who is more hawkish on Russia.In another move likely to disappoint Moscow, two officials told Reuters the administration has offered the job of top Russia adviser at the National Security Council to Russia scholar Fiona Hill, a leading critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.Huntsman, in Russian eyes, was therefore the latest in a series of setbacks.Communist party leader Gennady Zyuganov, in lock-step with the Kremlin on most foreign policy issues, steered his social media followers to an article describing Huntsman as someone who hated Russia.The article quoted Huntsman as having once said that forging better ties with Moscow would require Washington to turn a blind eye to Russia's patchy record on rights and democracy.That was a reference to a comment Huntsman made in 2012 when he likened Barack Obama's efforts to reboot ties with Russia to "a Potemkin village."The Kremlin was more circumspect. Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, said Moscow would welcome any US ambassador who was "a convinced proponent" of the idea of establishing a dialogue with Russia.His caution reflects how far the Kremlin has had to scale down its expectations of a rapprochement. The Russian parliament erupted in applause when it learned Trump had won the US election, amid hopes he might ease sanctions imposed over the Ukraine crisis.The mood has changed dramatically since, with state television scaling back its Trump coverage and the Kremlin, which cannot get clarity on when Putin might meet Trump, adopting a wait-and-see approach. REUTERS SHS RK2316 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-1181996.Xml Citing Korean Central News Agency, Xinhua reported that a spokesman for the Strategic Force of the Korean People's Army (KPA) said, "There is no country in the world whose army responsible for the defence of the state takes into account the approval of the UN or article of the international convention when staging exercises." "We have never acknowledged the illegal 'resolution' cooked up by the US and its vassal forces," said the KPA. The "largest-ever nuclear war drills against the north" held by Washington and Seoul "are finding fault with the regular and just drill of the KPA for defending sovereignty," said the statement. The UN Security Council on Tuesday called on Pyongyang to "refrain from further actions, including nuclear tests, in violation of the relevant Security Council resolutions and comply fully with its obligations under these resolutions." The 15-nation UN body said the March 5 missile launches "are in grave violation of the North Korea's international obligations" under relevant Security Council resolutions. The United States and South Korea are holding the two-month joint military exercises "the Foal Eagle," which Pyongyang said were the largest ever drills in preparation for war on the Korean Peninsula. --IANS sku/ ( 232 Words) 2017-03-10-03:44:08 (IANS) MADRID, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Huawei, China Mobile, Deutsche Telecom and Volkswagen on Wednesday gave their vision of the future of 5G networks with the publication of the book "5G Service Guaranteed Network Slicing", Huawei Spain informed in a statement. In the book, the main network providers, operators and their partners explore new business models made possible by the evolution of the current mobile network into the 5G era. The arrival of 5G ultra-wide broadband will allow progress in the world of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the "generation of new industry on an unprecedented scale", the statement said. It will also allow for the growth of other services, such as mobile health services, internet of vehicles, intelligent homes and industries, and better environmental control. The arrival of 5G will bring connectivity to billions of new mobile devices, requiring greater flexibility in network management to cope with the new range of services, with many cloud-based services, using a technique called "network slicing" which allows a network to be segmented to support various different services and business needs. "Huawei is making an effort to build a totally connected and 'cloudified' world through 5G," explained Yang Chaobin, president of Huawei's 5G product line. "5G network slicing allows us to have a logical isolated network based on mobile networks to give different services in the future. Operators, providers, and vertical industries will have to cooperate and open the way for the commercialization of this technology," he said. GENEVA, March 8 (Xinhua) -- UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein on Wednesday said he was concerned by the new U.S. administration's handling of a number of human rights issues, namely the recent surge in discrimination, anti-Semitism and violence against ethnic and religious minorities. Addressing the ongoing Human Rights Council's 34th session Wednesday, the UN rights chief said that he was worried about new U.S. immigration policies that banned the admission of people from six predominantly Muslim countries for 90 days, as well as policies which greatly expanded the number of immigrants at immediate risk of deportation. "Greater and more consistent leadership is needed to address the recent surge in discrimination, anti-Semitism, and violence against ethnic and religious minorities," he said. "Vilification of entire groups such as Mexicans and Muslims, and false claims that migrants commit more crimes than U.S. citizens, are harmful and fuel xenophobic abuses," he added. Zeid told the council that he was "dismayed" at attempts by the U.S. president to intimidate or undermine journalists and judges, and he was concerned about new immigration policies that ban admission of people from six predominantly Muslim countries for 90 days, as well as policies which greatly expand the number of migrants at immediate risk of deportation, "without regard for years spent in the US or family roots". "These threaten to vastly increase use of detention, including of children," he noted. He pointed out that expedited deportations could amount to collective expulsions and refoulement, in breach of international law, if undertaken without due process guarantees, including individual assessment. "I am especially disturbed by the potential impact of these changes on children, who face being detained, or may see their families torn apart," he concluded. Chinese envoy on key achievements along Belt and Road in 2016 Chinese Ambassador to Turkey Yu Hongyang delivers a speech in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 8, 2017. The year 2016 saw an increase in China's imports and exports and new contracts Chinese companies signed with countries along the Belt and Road, Chinese Ambassador to Turkey Yu Hongyang said on Wednesday evening. (Xinhua/He Canling) ISTANBUL, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The year 2016 saw an increase in China's imports and exports and new contracts Chinese companies signed with countries along the Belt and Road, Chinese Ambassador to Turkey Yu Hongyang said on Wednesday evening. Addressing a gathering of Turkish and Chinese entrepreneurs in Istanbul, Yu noted that his country's combined imports and exports with countries along the Belt and Road last year topped 6.3 trillion RMB yuan (916 billion U.S. dollars), up 0.6 percent from the previous year. Meanwhile, Chinese companies signed new contracts worth 126 billion dollars with countries along the routes, or 36 percent higher year-on-year, and made direct investments valued at 14.5 billion dollars, accounting for 8.5 percent of China's total outbound investments, the Chinese envoy said. In addition, in 2016, Chinese businesses helped build 56 economic and trade cooperation zones in 20 countries along the Belt and Road, with a combined investment surpassing 18.5 billion dollars, generating nearly 1.1 billion dollars in tax revenues and about 180,000 jobs in those countries, Yu said. "The initiative came from China, while the outcomes benefit the world," he remarked. Ever since President Xi Jinping put forward the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, China has signed cooperation agreements with more than 40 countries and international organizations. A Belt and Road forum for international cooperation is slated for May in Beijing, with a view to thoroughly reviewing the progress made under the initiative, discussing major cooperation measures going forward and advancing international cooperation. As Turkey is an important country along the Belt and Road, Yu said the Chinese side welcomes the participation of the Turkish side in the Belt and Road development and supports all-round cooperation between the enterprises from both countries under the framework of the initiative. Erol Bilecik, president of the Turkish Industry and Business Association, the country's top business organization, said Turkey considers its Middle Corridor Initiative should be part of the giant Belt and Road project. Turkey signed with China, its second biggest trading partner, a memorandum of understanding in November 2015 on aligning their respective development projects. QUITO, March 8 (Xinhua) -- At least 12 people were killed after a passenger bus crashed with a car, veered off the road and plummeted into a ravine in northern Ecuador, local media reported on Wednesday. The twelveth and latest victim died at the hospital around dawn on Wednesday, as rescue workers returned to the scene to ensure no one else was trapped under the wreckage. Another 25 passengers were injured in the accident, which took place Tuesday afternoon on a stretch of highway near Town of Guayllabamba, in Pichincha province, 29 kilometers northeast of the capital Quito. At least two of the wounded were airlifted to hospitals, due to the gravity of their injuries. "Most of the passengers were students, workers and merchants," the daily El Universo said. The bus driver, "who caused the accident, fled the scene, while the driver of the car ... died instantly, as did his two-year-old daughter," the daily said, adding the man's wife is in critical condition. According to the daily, the vice president of the bus company said the driver had to take responsibility for the tragedy. ROME, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Leaders from the three Rome-based UN agencies marked International Women's Day on Wednesday by reinforcing their commitments to step up efforts to invest in the capacities of rural women as key agents to eradicating hunger worldwide. In developing countries, women make up 45 percent of the agricultural labor force, ranging from 20 percent in Latin America to up to 60 percent in parts of Africa and Asia. However, they do significantly more unpaid work than men which limited their capacity to earn incomes and advance their skills. Due to gender-biased social norms, laws and practices, women's potential and influence on decision-making in economic, social and political spheres are seriously undermined. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Program (WFP) reminded the world that women and girls play a crucial role in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular, the goal of eradicating hunger and extreme poverty. FAO Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva said that women play a critical role in agriculture and food systems. However, women still face major constraints in rural labor markets and in agricultural value chains. Women are more likely to be in poorly paid jobs, without legal or social protection. This limits women's capacity to advance their skills, earn incomes and access employment opportunities, the FAO Director-General added. "Achieving gender equality and empowering women are crucial ingredients in the fight against extreme poverty, hunger and malnutrition which is strongly recognized by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," he said. IFAD President Kanayo F. Nwanze said the world will never overcome poverty and hunger without empowering rural women. He called for reducing rural women's workloads by improving access to technologies that save time and labor, transforming gender relations within the family and enabling them to make decisions about their lives. WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin said, empowering women economically is one of the key steps to realizing gender equality and achieving Zero Hunger. The changing world of work -- as patterns of economic activity shift -- provides the opportunity to achieve these goals. Enabling women to seize these opportunities will transform lives and help bring the Sustainable Development Goals within reach, she added. British Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond holds the budget box as he leaves 11 Downing Street to announce the spending budget in the House of Commons, in London, Britain, on March 8, 2017. Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond's spending budget will be announced in the House of Commons. (Xinhua/Tim Ireland) LONDON, March 8 (Xinhua) -- British Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond on Wednesday unveiled his spring budget, raising taxes and revealing that Britain's public debt had fallen. Hammond also said that the British economy is expected to grow 2 percent this year, and that public borrowing will be 16.4 billion pounds (20 billion U.S. dollars) lower than expected at the time of the last economic statement, in the autumn. The Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR), the official independent statistics body, expects the economy to be the same size in 2021 as before, but the growth will be better in the near-term, and worse later on. In addition, the expected budget deficit of 16.8 billion pounds in 2021/22 is little changed from the previously anticipated 17.2 billion pounds. The stronger nature of growth in the wake of the Brexit vote and its continuance into 2017 is also reflected in the public sector borrowing figures, with borrowing for this financial year (2016/17) forecast to be 51.7 billion pounds (down from 68.2 billion pounds previously forecast). Hammond said the British economy "continues to confound the commentators". He added: "As we start our negotiations to exit the European Union, this budget takes forward our plan to prepare Britain for a brighter future. It provides a strong and stable platform for those negotiations." Hammond hit self-employed workers with a tax blow, increasing their health insurance tax by 2 percent for low middle income earners and above. This will affect 2.5 million workers. Improvements in tax collection would yield an extra 820 million pounds, said Hammond, including a tax on roaming telecom charges outside the European Union (EU) and, from July, a new financial penalty from professionals who use tax avoidance arrangements which are later unravelled by the government tax inspectors. Hammond also announced that he would provide financial support to small businesses, setting aside 300 million pounds to help with business rates, and supporting 90 percent of pubs with a 1000 pound payment to help with rates. Hammond's predecessor as chancellor George Osborne had launched the Northern Powerhouse, an initiative to rebuild the cities of northern England, and Hammond in his budget announced that he would launch a Midlands Engine Strategy, to support growth and development in the English midland cities, but further details were not announced. Hammond said the government put increasing productivity "at the very heart of its economic plan" and put investment funding aside for research in science and technology. This is Hammond's first and last spring budget. From now on, there will be one budget each year instead of the budget and autumn financial statement which has been the norm for some years. The next budget will be in the autumn. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi answers questions on China's foreign policy and foreign relations at a press conference for the fifth session of the 12th National People's Congress in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2017. (Xinhua/Cui Xinyu) BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The world is watching closely whether China and the United States are able to open a new chapter of their relationship. No one can deny how different the two countries are and how many ups and downs they have been through, but Washington and Beijing have an unprecedented opportunity to deepen their collaboration if the will is there. As Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi put it on Wednesday, "As long as we act on the consensus reached between our presidents, follow the principle of no conflicts and confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, there is no reason why China and the United States cannot become excellent partners." Wang made the remarks at a press conference on the sidelines of China's annual parliamentary session. Last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump had a very important telephone conversation, during which they reaffirmed the importance of following the one-China principle. They also pledged to push China-U.S. relationship to greater heights from a new starting point. Confrontation will surely be bad for both, and win-win cooperation between the world's two largest economies will benefit the anemic global economic recovery. Some U.S. politicians have accused China of stealing jobs from the United States, claiming that trading with China was harmful to U.S. workers. This is simply not true. A sound China-U.S. economic relationship is good for U.S. workers, exports and the economy in general, supporting roughly 2.6 million jobs in the United States in 2015, according to the U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC). China and the United States have substantial stakes in nearly all of each other's important economic areas. China-U.S. trade volume grew from 2.5 billion U.S. dollars in 1979 to about 520 billion dollars in 2016, official data have shown. Generally speaking, China and the United States occupy different stages of the global value chain. The Sino-U.S. trade deficit is overstated, if judged from the perspective of the global supply chain. Headline figures suggest that China accounted for about half of U.S. trade deficit in 2015, but Deutsche Bank's economists have found that on a value-added basis, only 16 percent of that deficit came directly from China, slightly higher than the 13 percent which originated from Japan. U.S. service exports to China are often overlooked when calculating the balance of trade. In this area, the United States has a surplus, not a deficit, with China. Furthermore, the U.S. edge in service trade has huge potential to grow bigger in China as the world's fastest-growing consumer market is poised to open its service sector wider to the United States. Jack Ma, the founder of e-commerce giant Alibaba, said earlier this year that his company would help one million U.S. small businesses sell U.S. goods on Alibaba's marketplaces. This is an example of how the two countries can work together for jobs, development and growth. Mutually beneficial trade, investment and economic ties can deepen bilateral relations. Confrontations between the world's two largest economies have negative spillover effects and are the last thing the weak global economic recovery needs. Many analysts have observed, Asia would suffer slower growth if the U.S. administration takes an unilateral stance that would undermine the existing global economic order. Investment bank Nomura has projected that the Republic of Korea and Singapore were among the economies most exposed to risks while China had policy response room. It is encouraging to see that during Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi's recent visit to the United States, the two countries expressed the willingness to enhance dialogues and exchanges on all levels with an aim to broaden cooperation in regional and global affairs. No country can develop by itself. Preserving and developing the China-U.S. relationship is in the interest of people of both countries and the expectation of the international community. CANBERRA, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg Thursday warned of a critical national gas shortage unless state governments lift controversial moratoriums on gas exploration. Speaking in response to a report by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), which said gas-powered energy stations would be unable to meet demands from 2018, Frydenberg said there was plenty of gas in Australia, it just wasn't being explored due to state government policy. "We have a real challenge in Australia's gas market and that's coming from a confluence of factors, particularly the state based moratoriums on gas exploration. This is drying up production and exploration," Frydenberg told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Thursday. He said an additional issue was that Australian gas companies were getting better value in exporting gas to other nations. "But we're also now exporting two thirds of what we produce and that has led to higher parity pricing in a very tight gas market," he said. "So what we need is more gas supply and more gas suppliers. "And that's why we as the federal government are imploring these state governments to lift their moratoriums and get more gas out of the ground." The energy minister said that to avoid a critical gas shortage, other states should follow the lead of Queensland, which has backed gas investment so long as it isn't exported and stays in Australia. "I've recently seen what has happened in Queensland where that state government has offered a tenement for companies to invest in on the condition that gas is supplied domestically," Frydenberg told the ABC. Frydenberg's comments were backed up by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull later on Thursday; he told a conference in Sydney that Australia was "facing an energy crisis because of these restrictions on gas." File photo taken on March 3, 2016 shows Joao de Abreu, director of the National Civil Aviation Institute of Mozambique, displaying a piece of an airplane during a news conference in Maputo, capital of Mozambique. (Xinhua/Li Xiaopeng) CANBERRA, March 9 (Xinhua) -- A permanent memorial to honor the 239 passengers and crew who were on board missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 will be built in Perth as soon as possible, Australia's Transport Minister Darren Chester revealed overnight. After attending a remembrance service on Wednesday afternoon -- the third anniversary of the disappearance of the Boeing 777 jet, Chester announced the permanent memorial would be built in Perth, the closest major city to where the stricken jetliner is thought to be, somewhere in the Southern Indian Ocean. Chester said that while there was still much "sadness, frustration and disappointment" surrounding the circumstances of the plane's disappearance, he hopes the memorial - to be built as soon as possible - will help families continue to move on with their lives. "It's a hollow feeling for the families today, but it's important we gather and pay our respects," Chester said in comments published Wednesday night. "We're still hopeful there may be a breakthrough in weeks or months to come that leads us to the location of MH370." Earlier this year, it was announced that the Australian-led ocean search for the plane would be suspended indefinitely, until fresh new evidence which points to the jet's location is uncovered. He added that while the ocean search had been suspended, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau was continuing work in the fields of drift modeling and satellite imagery. "There's been pieces of debris located over the past couple of years, some far more significant than others and they've given investigators more information, but in terms of credible new evidence leading to a location of MH370 we don't have that yet," he said. Meanwhile one of the Australian victim's relatives, Amanda Lawton, said Chester's announcement of the permanent memorial was a welcome surprise. WELLINGTON, March 9 (Xinhua) -- About seven in every 10 New Zealanders want to know where their food comes from through mandatory country of origin labelling (CoOL), according to a survey out Thursday. The survey was commissioned by consumer advocate group Consumer NZ and the Horticulture New Zealand industry group, and has been picked up by opposition lawmakers to support a law change. "Seventy-one percent of New Zealanders want to know where their fresh, tinned and frozen fruit and vegetables come from, and 70 percent also want to buy New Zealand-grown," Horticulture New Zealand chief executive Mike Chapman said in a statement. The survey showed only 9 percent disagreed with mandatory CoOL. "New Zealand law does not require the country of origin for fruit and vegetables to be disclosed to shoppers at the point of purchase. We want that to change," said Chapman. He said the industry hoped Parliament would vote the Consumers' Right to Know (Country of Origin of Food) Bill through to select committee, where the public could voice their opinions directly to the government. Consumer NZ chief executive Sue Chetwin said the survey showed the current voluntary system was not working. "Of the 65 percent of people who looked for labelling information on fresh fruit, less than a third found it at all times. The numbers were similar for vegetable buyers," Chetwin said in the statement. "The results send a clear message to political parties that the law needs to change," she said. The opposition Green Party, which is pushing the bill, said it would introduce mandatory country of origin labelling for meat, fruit, vegetables and nuts. Green Member of Parliament Steffan Browning said the Bill was awaiting its first reading in Parliament, likely to be in mid-April. "New Zealanders have a right to know where their food comes from and to make an informed choice when they buy. It's time to make that a reality," Browning said in a statement. "Many other countries, including most of our trading partners, have mandatory country of origin labelling for at least some foods. Australia has had a strong mandatory labelling system for many years. We are behind the times in continuing to deny consumers this basic right." MANILA, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte named on Thursday a new acting foreign minister, barely a day after the Commission on Appointment (CA) rejected the appointment of Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay over his citizenship issue. Duterte named Foreign Undersecretary Enrique Manalo, an experienced career diplomat, according to a text message by Duterte's spokesman Ernesto Abella. Abella said Manalo will hold the position until Duterte names a new foreign secretary. "Manalo is an excellent transition man, and has been on top of many crucial issues together with (Yasay)," Abella said. In a memorandum sent to Manalo, acting Executive Secretary Menardo Guevara said: "Upon the instruction of the President and for the purpose of ensuring the continuous and effective delivery of public service, you are hereby designated as Acting Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs until a permanent replacement is appointed or until otherwise directed by the Office." PHNOM PENH, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's national flag carrier Cambodia Angkor Air (CAA) commenced its direct flights between southwestern Cambodia's Preah Sihanouk province and China's Macao on Wednesday, local media reported Thursday, citing an airline official. Macao becomes the flagship carrier's second international destination from Preah Sihanouk province and the eighth from Cambodia, after Bangkok, Da Nang, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Ho Chi Minh City and Shanghai Pudong. The new route will operate two weekly flights on Wednesdays and Sundays. CAA's marketing manager Eng Molina said that the airline added the route because of an increase in passengers wanting to travel between the destinations. He said the airline has a partner to sell tickets in Macao, which makes the route a good business opportunity. He added the majority of passengers are expected to fly from Macao to Preah Sihanouk province rather than the opposite direction. "There is high demand for seats from Macao to Preah Sihanouk province, so we will depend on customers from the Macao market," Molina was quoted as saying by the Khmer Times. "We are also studying the possibility of a route from Phnom Penh to Macao." About 830,000 Chinese tourists visited Cambodia last year, representing a 19.5-percent rise year-on-year, according to a Tourism Ministry report. The total number of international tourists to visit Cambodia was more than 5 million, the report said. Chinese people made up the second largest group of visitors to Cambodia, after Vietnamese. Cambodia is hoping to attract 2 million Chinese tourists by 2020. MANILA, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte named on Thursday a new acting foreign minister, barely a day after the Commission on Appointment (CA) rejected the appointment of Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay over his citizenship issue. Duterte named Foreign Undersecretary Enrique Manalo, an experienced career diplomat, according to a text message by Duterte's spokesman Ernesto Abella. Abella said Manalo will hold the position until Duterte names a new foreign secretary. "Manalo is an excellent transition man, and has been on top of many crucial issues together with (Yasay)," Abella said. In a memorandum sent to Manalo, acting Executive Secretary Menardo Guevara said: "Upon the instruction of the President and for the purpose of ensuring the continuous and effective delivery of public service, you are hereby designated as Acting Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs until a permanent replacement is appointed or until otherwise directed by the Office." Manalo is one of the most experienced diplomats of the Philippine foreign service. He served as deputy foreign secretary for policy in the Department of Foreign Affairs from 2007 to 2010. Yasay failed to get the nod of the powerful commission whose members questioned the top diplomat's eligibility following reports he was a U.S. citizen in possession of a U.S. passport. Yasay has denied legally applying for a U.S. citizenship in past hearings. But during Wednesday's final committee hearing, Yasay apologized for "having inadvertently misled the commission" on the citizenship issue. "It has never been my intention to deceive this commission about this citizenship status. Simply put, I did not lose my status as a Filipino," Yasay told the commission. CA Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Panfilo Lacson said the commission's "unanimous" decision on Yasay is final, and that the top diplomat needs to immediately vacate his post. Manalo will remain acting foreign minister until May or June. Duterte is expected to appoint his former running mate in the last presidential election, Sen. Peter Cayetano, as permanent foreign secretary. Duterte has promised Cayetano the post even before he appointed Yasay to the post shortly after assuming office in June last year. A side event at the ongoing 34th session of the UN Human Rights Council, which is jointly organized by the China Society for Human Rights Studies and China's Permanent Mission to the United Nations at Geneva, is held in Geneva, Switzerland, March 8, 2017. A group of Chinese human rights scholars on Wednesday elaborated the idea of a community of shared future for mankind in the context of human rights governance, saying interpretation of human rights ideas cannot be taken out of their cultural contexts. (Xinhua/Shi Jianguo) GENEVA, March 9 (Xinhua) -- A group of Chinese human rights scholars on Wednesday elaborated the idea of a community of shared future for mankind in the context of human rights governance, saying interpretation of human rights ideas cannot be taken out of their cultural contexts. Speaking during a side event at the ongoing 34th session of the UN Human Rights Council, the Chinese scholars highlighted that the protection and guarantee of human rights do not mean sharing burdens, but sharing responsibilities. The side event, which was jointly organized by the China Society for Human Rights Studies and China's Permanent Mission to the United Nations at Geneva, centered around the theme of "Building a Community of Shared Future for Mankind: a New Approach to Global Human Rights Governance." During the event, the Chinese experts, from various universities and research centers, also discussed such topics as human rights challenges faced by the community of a shared future, diversified approaches to human rights, the protection of human rights in the process of building a community of shared future, China's contribution to global human rights governance, China's stance on and practice in religion, and the common pursuit of all members of the community of a shared future. About 50 people from over 20 countries attended the side event, including representatives from other NGOs, members of government delegations and journalists. The ongoing 34th Session of the UN Human Rights Council is being held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva from Feb. 27 to March 24, 2017. Earlier on March 1, Ma Zhaoxu, head of the Chinese mission to the United Nations at Geneva, delivered a joint statement on behalf of a cross-regional group of 140 countries during a high-level meeting of the session, stressing that in order to promote and protect human rights, all countries should join hands to build a community of a shared future for mankind, and to work together for the realization of peace, development and win-win cooperation for all. The senior Chinese diplomat said in the statement that politicization of the human rights agenda should be avoided, and countries should be committed to multilateralism, not unilateralism, in addressing global challenges. "All countries should work together like passengers in the same boat," he said. HANOI, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Over 20 travel agencies in Vietnam's south central coastal Nha Trang city have planned to gather into a "welcome club" for Chinese tourists in order to better deal with the influx of visitors from China. Nha Trang in Vietnam's Khanh Hoa province has emerged as a favorable destination for Chinese holidaymakers, who bring revenue to the Vietnamese city, surpassing Russian travelers, reported local VNExpress online newspaper on Thursday. The travel agencies have discussed plans to form the welcome club for Chinese tourists to ensure tourism quality, prevent price hike and unfavorable behavior towards tourists. Nguyen Van Thanh, vice chairman of Nha Trang Tourism Association, said on VNExpress on Thursday that the establishment of the club will ensure a healthy competition environment among local travel agencies, increasing business efficiency, stability and preventing price hikes levied on foreign tourists. In January 2017, Khanh Hoa's international tourist arrivals rose 180 percent year-on-year to hit 163,000 person-times. Among the figure, more than 102,000 Chinese visitors spent their holidays in Khanh Hoa in January, presenting a massive 374 percent increase over the same period last year. UNITED NATIONS, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Wednesday "condemned in the strongest terms the heinous and cowardly terrorist attack" in the Afghan capital of Kabul earlier in the day. "Terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security," said the 15-nation UN body in a press statement. "The members of the Security Council underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice," the statement said. More than 120 people were killed or injured after gunmen disguised as medical personnel stormed a military hospital near Kabul's heavily fortified diplomatic quarter on Wednesday. The Amaq news agency affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) said the terror group claimed responsibility for the attack. MANAGUA, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Nicaragua celebrated International Women's Day on Wednesday by highlighting its advances in closing the gender gap. Local media spotlighted the fact that Nicaragua is among the world's top 10 leading gender-equal countries, according to a study released late last year by the World Economic Forum (WEF). Nicaragua ranks 10th among 144 countries in the WEF's list, topped by Iceland, Finland, Norway, Sweden and others. Nicaragua is also the only Latin American country to enter the WEF's top 20, while larger regional economies trail far behind, including Argentina in 33rd place, Mexico 66th, Chile 70th and Brazil 79th. Nicaragua "remains the best performer in the Latin American and Caribbean region for the fifth year running," the study points out. The capital city Managua also witnessed colorful rallies on the International Women's Day. "With this government, we are equal to men," Katherine Lopez, who was taking part in one of the marches, told local media. WASHINGTON, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Former Governor of Utah Jon Huntsman was President Donald Trump's pick for U.S. ambassador to Russia, local media reported on Wednesday. Huntsman, a moderate Republican who served as ambassador to Singapore in early 1990s and to China from 2009 to 2011, had already accepted Trump's offer, according to U.S. TV networks including CNN, ABC News, and NBC News. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Huntsman would take on the diplomatic post of increasing importance to a country whose relationship with the United States has sunk to new lows in recent years after the Ukrainian crisis. The reported nomination also came when it was revealed that several senior administration officials, including Attorney General Jeff Sessions, senior White House adviser Jared Kushner and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, met or made contacts last year with Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak. The U.S. administration under former President Barack Obama last year claimed that Russia meddled with the U.S. presidential election in Trump's favor, an accusation strongly denied by Moscow. SEOUL, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The most powerful presidential contender in South Korea's opposition bloc solidified his support scores ahead of the constitutional court's final ruling on the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye, an opinion survey showed on Thursday. Moon Jae-in, former head of the biggest opposition Minjoo Party, kept a top post in recent opinion poll with 36.1 percent in approval scores, according to a Realmeter poll. It was slightly down from the previous week, but Moon ranked 1st for 10 straight weeks through this week. The result is based on a poll of 1,530 voters conducted between Monday and Wednesday. It has 2.5 percentage points in a margin of error. Moon widened a gap in approval rating with Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, whose approval scores declined 0.7 percentage points from the previous week to 14.2 percent. Hwang, who is serving as acting president following Park's impeachment on Dec. 9, emerged recently as the best hope among conservative voters because there is no outstanding rival coming from the conservative camp. The ruling Liberty Korea Party lost public support as President Park was being implicated in a corruption scandal that led to her impeachment. The constitutional court announced its plan to make a final ruling Friday about whether to permanently remove Park from office or reinstate her. If six out of eight justices uphold the impeachment motion, Park will be forced out office. If over three judges reject the motion, she will be reinstated immediately. Governor Ahn Hee-jeong of South Chungcheong province, who is affiliated with the Minjoo Party, ranked third in approval scores with 12.9 percent, followed by Mayor Lee Jae-myung of Seongnam city near Seoul who gained 10.5 percent in support scores. LONDON, March 8 (Xinhua) -- British Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond on Wednesday announced a hike in tax rates for the self-employed in his first budget, receiving broad support from businesses, but coming under fire from opposition politicians, unions and the self-employed. Hammond's budget increases heath tax, or called national insurance, by 2 percentage points for lower middle income self-employed workers. This move will affect 2.5 million workers. A reduction in the tax-free allowance for dividends was also seen as a way of raising more revenue from those in self-employment. As the incomes of the self-employed have been less taxed than those of employees, some praised the government for making the system more fair on one hand. On the other hand, the budget was criticized for breaking a pre-election pledge. Terry Scouler, chief executive of EEF, the manufacturers' organization, said: "Current economic indicators offer the chancellor confidence about the resilience of the UK economy, but we remain some way off from possible Brexit uncertainty." "As such, the chancellor is right to be pragmatic, recognizing the need to avoid jam today and saving the fiscal jam tomorrow to use wisely if the economy encounters turbulence during the process of exit from the EU," he said. Adam Marshall, director general of the business representative organization British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said: "Short-term support for firms hardest-hit by business rates rises will be welcomed, along with commitments to technical education, digital connectivity, easier R&D tax credits, and a one-year delay to digital tax reporting for the very smallest firms. Conversely, hikes to dividend taxes and national insurance for the self-employed will be viewed far less positively by entrepreneurs." Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, said: "We have long argued for a clampdown on bogus self-employment, but today the chancellor seemed to put the burden on the self-employed worker instead. There has to be a something for something deal. So I hope the chancellor will bring forward extra social security in return." Simon McVicker of the trade body Ipse, which represents freelancers and independent professionals, said: "When you look at the additional support offered for business rates it appears as if the chancellor is supporting SMEs (small and medium-sized businesses) by hitting entrepreneurs and the smallest of businesses." Tim Roache, leader of one of Britain's biggest trade unions, the GMB, said: "The squeeze on living standards continues to put an unbearable strain on workers around the country. With wage growth predicted to fall, even more people face being dragged onto the bread line. This should have been a budget to provide a plan for fair pay and support for all workers... Instead, the Tories showed how out of touch they are by failing to help... all the while giving tax breaks to big business." Jonathan Loynes, chief economist at Capital Economics, an economic data analysis consultancy, said the budget was "something of a non-event from a macro-economic perspective." Forecast GDP growth for this year was revised up from 1.4 percent to 2 percent, but Loynes pointed out that "the forecasts for later years were revised down as the OBR (the Office of Budget Responsibility, the official independent statistics body) judged that the negative economic impact of Brexit has merely been delayed." "Meanwhile, although the OBR pulled its forecast for public borrowing this year down sharply from 68 billion pounds (82.96 billion U.S. dollars) to just 52 billion pounds (63 billion dollars), this partly reflects temporary factors which are expected to be unwound next year. As such, the borrowing projections in the later years of the forecast period are largely unchanged from November," Loynes added. by Will Koulouris SYDNEY, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Australian government and business leaders have expressed optimistism about China's future development and pledged concerted efforts to tap on all possible opportunities for trade with China. "China" is the word on everyone's lips as dignitaries, experts and international economists gather in Sydnesy Thursday for a business forum to discuss the 2017 plan for Australian business both domestically and globally. In a keynote address, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull spoke about Australia's need to ensure all possible opportunities for trade with China are capitalized on, with Australia being located in the fastest growing region in the world. "In the 21st century, geographic proximity is less of an edge all the time, and in any event, London and Paris are closer to Beijing than Sydney and Melbourne," Turnbull said. "Do we sit on our hands and let other countries take these opportunities?" "Or, will we take charge of our economic destiny and tap into the dynamic economies of the region for jobs and investment?" In order for Australia to navigate the Asian market, a solid understanding of the changing nature of the Chinese economy is required, with the shift to a supply-side economic model driven by domestic consumption being a key aspect of China's economic strategy moving forward, experts at the forum pointed out. Former Goldman Sachs chief executive, and coiner of the term "BRIC" (Brazil, Russia, China and India) Jim O'Neill , who also attended the two-day event, said that one of the key issues to consider in relation to China's direction was that of consumption. "For many years since 2008, the key issue going forward for this decade is how much China consumes relative to what it produces," O'Neill said. O'Neill believes that the truest indicator of China's success may not be the GDP growth rate, but rather, domestic consumption of produced goods and services. "In terms of the interaction of China with the rest of the world, it's this that really matters," O'Neill said. The renowned economist said that the metrics that others have used to gauge the progress that China has made are built on what he sees as fallacious arguments. "China is the only one of the four BRIC countries that has grown more than I assumed it would at the start of the decade," O'Neill said." "Over the past few years, I watched with amusement a lot of people talking about the supposed collapse of the Chinese economy." Analysts have long speculated that the housing market in China is set to take a tumble, with concerns that prices are overinflated in some of the major cities. But O'Neill disagrees, and says he is "very suspicious" of any insinuations that there is a real estate bubble within China, and rather, the growth that is being achieved serves as a means for causation of the higher prices across the board. "They (China) are doing much better as they adjust to a new stage of growth, the new China, than people are focused on," O'Neill said. The former Australian Ambassador to China, Geoff Raby also attended the event, and agreed that there are many opportunities for Australia to take advantage of the growth that is present in China, and believes China will achieve even further economic success through its consumption driven economic strategy. Raby also doubled down on the other statements made by O'Neill, and said that any talk of a "China crisis" was just that, talk. "I've been looking at the Chinese economy for 30 years. I'm a China optimist...I'm running with the bulls and for the last 30 years I haven't been wrong," Raby said. The changing economy of China is driven primarily by rapid growth in per capita income, Raby said, with per capita GDP sitting at "something like 8,300 U.S. dollars", an amount he calls "astonishing". It is this steady income growth that is driving the burgeoning middle class in China, and creating the demand for goods and services that can be taken advantage of by Australian firms looking to not only sell their premium goods and services, but create partnerships for the long term in what is set to become the world's largest economy, China. The former ambassador was also insistent that Australia needs to change its diplomatic structure, become more independent of the United States, and look at the possibility of joining the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with hopes this will improve outcomes for Australian business. "It gives us a louder voice in China. That gives us real weight in China," Raby said. "We need to be activists." SEOUL, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Private consumption in South Korea kept falling despite the recovery in exports, which take up about half of the export-driven economy, a government report showed on Thursday. The financial ministry said in its monthly economic report, called Green Book, that consumption slump continued though export recovery positively affected production and corporate investment. The country's exports jumped 20.2 percent in February from a year ago, posting the highest growth in five years amid strong demand for chips used in smartphones and higher export prices of oil products. Production in mining and manufacturing industries grew 3.3 percent in January from a month ago due to export recovery, rebounding from a 0.5 percent reduction in the previous month. Facility investment rose 2.6 percent in January, keeping a growth momentum for three months in a row thanks to demand for semiconductor equipments. Retail sales, however, declined 2.2 percent in January from the previous month amid lackluster domestic demand. In February, revenue in discount outlets tumbled 14.6 percent compared with a year earlier. Sales in department stores fell 1.1 percent, turning downward from the previous month's increase. The falling retail sales can be attributable to the lower number of Chinese tourists visiting South Korea following the de-facto start of deployment of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in South Korea. Two mobile launchers and a part of the THAAD battery arrived here at Monday night and were transported to an unknown place in South Korea. The fast deployment process kindled backlashes from China and Russia, which have continued to oppose the U.S. missile shield deployment in South Korea as it breaks regional strategic balance and damages security interests of the two countries. BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The United States had the second highest prisoner rate, with 693 prisoners per 100,000 of the national population, according to the Human Rights Record of the United States in 2016 released by China on Thursday. "Roughly 2.2 million people were incarcerated in the United States in 2014," the report cites data released by a U.S. market research firm as saying. There had been 70 million Americans incarcerated - that's almost one in three adults - with some form of criminal record, it says. Occurrence of gun-related crimes also sustained a high level, according to the report. According to data released by the FBI on Sept. 26, 2016, firearms were used in 71.5 percent of the nation's murders, 40.8 percent of robberies, and 24.2 percent of aggravated assaults in 2015, it says. There were a total of 58,125 gun violence incidents, including 385 mass shootings, in the United States in 2016, leaving 15,039 killed and 30,589 injured, the report cites a toll report by the Gun Violence Archive as saying. BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The United States continued to trample on human rights in other countries, causing tremendous civilian casualties, according to a report on U.S. human rights released Thursday. The report, titled "Human Rights Record of the United States in 2016" published by China's State Council Information Office, says that the United States had repeatedly organized coalition forces to launch air strikes against military forces in Iraq and Syria. From Aug. 8, 2014 to Dec. 19, 2016, the United States launched 7,258 air strikes in Iraq and 5,828 in Syria, causing 733 incidents with an estimated number of civilian deaths between 4,568 and 6,127, says the report. The issue of illegal detention and torturing prisoners of other countries remained unsolved. The U.S. government promised to close Guantanamo Bay detention camp in 2009, but as of Dec. 4, 2016, there were 59 detainees at Guantanamo Bay, it says. A declassified report revealed that in prison of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) prison in Afghanistan known as the Salt Pit, militant Gul Rahman was placed in an "extremely cold" cell, suffered from pouring water to his body, and was determined to have died of hypothermia while in detention, says the report. In a document titled "Description of Physical Pressures," the CIA tortured detainees including a facial slap, use of diapers, "insects," and "mock burial." In November 2016, the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor said in a report that the U.S. armed forces and the CIA may have committed war crimes by torturing detainees in Afghanistan. According to the report, the United States continued overseas monitoring projects in a large scale. The U.S. intelligence agencies placed long-term monitoring of head and leaders of other states, diplomatic institutions and common people.@ In 2016, the CIA invested in firms to mine Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other social media. The NSA surveillance program targeted not only domestic communication but also the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and at least 38 countries, it says. Low-income and poverty population lives deteriorated. One in seven Americans, or at least 45 million people, lived in poverty (www.dailymail.co.uk, September 10, 2016). A Pew survey showed 49 percent of Americans said they could not make ends meet; 42 percent said they managed to strike a balance between incomes and expenditures (www.pewsocialtrends.org, February 4, 2016). By the end of 2015, homeless people stood at about 500,000 (www.theatlantic.com, February 11, 2016). The number of homeless people surged in large cities. There were more than 60,000 homeless people in Wisconsin (www.usatoday.com, October 16, 2016). Thousands of low-income people in industries including fast food, home care and airport went on strike repeatedly for the minimum wage standard of 15-U.S.-dollar per hour (www.theguardian.com, November 21, 2016). Life expectancy dropped. Life expectancy in the United States in 2015 declined for the first time in more than two decades, according to data released by the National Center for Health Statistics on December 8, 2016. Life expectancy for men fell from 76.5 years in 2014 to 76.3 in 2015, while that for women decreased from 81.3 to 81.2. Overall life expectancy dropped from 78.9 to 78.8 years (www.bbc.co.uk, December 8, 2016). At the same time, suicide rate in the United States rose. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that there were 41,149 suicides in the United States in 2013, up by about 41 percent from 1999. Suicide was the tenth leading cause of all deaths in the United States in 2013, claiming twice as many lives than homicide (www.bls.gov, December 2016). In 2015, the suicide rate in the United States surged to its highest level in almost three decades (www.bbc.co.uk, April 22, 2016). Health conditions declined. For U.S. residents, self-reported health status had fallen among each age group between 25 and 59 since 1990, according to a report from Gallup. The share of the working-age population suffering from a disability that prevented them from working rose from 4.4 percent in 1980 to 6.8 percent in 2015, adjusting for age. That situation was related to the exorbitant costs and weak efficiency of the U.S. health system (www.gallup.com, December 15, 2016). The convoluted and opaque system of paying for prescription drugs enabled executives of drug companies to set extraordinary prices on modest medicines that had been around for years, and some companies even used free coupons for patients to raise drug prices by 10 times, the Chicago Tribune reported on December 6 (www.chicagotribune.com, December 6, 2016). Social security system was seriously flawed. The Des Moines Register reported that there were 1,136,849 applicants of federal disability benefits on the waiting list, which meant they could wait up to 26 months to get an administrative-law hearing on their claim for benefits (www.desmoinesregister.com, December 25, 2016). Statistics released by the singlemotherguide.com showed only 22.4 percent of the single mothers who had been laid off or looking for work received unemployment benefits in the United States (singlemotherguide.com, September 17, 2016). CNN reported that 16 state prison systems in the United States had no formal procedure to enroll prisoners in Medicaid as they reentered the community. The story said nine states had only small programs in select facilities or for limited groups of prisoners. It went on to say that these 25 states collectively release some 375,000 inmates each year. The CNN report also said two-thirds of the 9,000 chronically ill prisoners released each year by Philadelphia' s jails were not getting enrolled as they left (edition.cnn.com, December 12, 2016). IV. Racial Discrimination Worsened In 2016, racial relations in the United States continued to deteriorate. There were repeated incidents of African Americans being shot by white police. Racial discrimination heavily influenced law enforcement and justice fields. There were systematic gaps between minority races and white people in employment and income. Minority people endured various discriminative treatments in schools and social lives. The USA Today website reported on July 14, 2016 that a poll found 52 percent of Americans believed racism against black people was an "extremely" or "very" serious problem. According to a New York Times-CBS News survey, 69 percent of poll respondents said race relations in the United States were generally bad. Six in ten Americans said race relations were growing worse, up from 38 percent a year ago (www.usatoday.com, July 14, 2016). Incidents of police killing African-Americans happened repeatedly. According to the Mapping Police Violence website, American police killed at least 303 African-Americans in 2016 (mappingpoliceviolence.org, December 2016). On July 5, 2016, Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old African-American man, entered into clashes with others outside a convenience store in Baton Rouge, Indiana. After police arrived, they held him to the ground, straddled over his body and killed him with multiple gunshots (edition.cnn.com, July 8, 2016). On July 6, 2016, police in Minnesota stopped a car with mal-functioning rear light and shot an African-American man Philando Castile when he was getting his license and registration. Castile's mother said her son was "black in the wrong place" and said there was "a silent war against African-American people." The U.S. government admitted that the two fatal shootings were not isolated incidents, but symptomatic of the broader challenges within the U.S. criminal justice system (www.bbc.com, July 7, 2016). Two consecutive police killings of African Americans triggered violent protests nationwide. On July 7, 2016, during the protests in Dallas, Texas, five police officers were shot and killed and nine more were injured by an African-American veteran, who said he wanted to kill white police officers to protest against police brutality (www.usatoday.com, July 14, 2016). A Washington Post website report on police shootings in 2015 found that black Americans were 2.5 times as likely to be shot and killed by police as white Americans. Unarmed black men were five times as likely to be shot and killed by police as unarmed white men (www.washingtonpost.com, December 6, 2016). On February 17, 2016, Paul Gaston, a 37-year-old Cincinnati man, had just been in a serious car accident before he was shot and killed by three police officers. Police claimed Gaston appeared to reach for a gun in his waistband, but it turned out to be a fake one. A day before, a white man pointed a similar fake gun at the police in Cincinnati, but the police did not fire a shot, only peacefully arrested the man and charged him with menacing. The New York Daily News website commented that the two incidents and their differing outcomes highlighted the different police attitudes towards black and white men and the racial double standards in America were real (www.nydailynews.com, February 19, 2016). The Washington Post website reported on December 6, 2016, that Edgar Maddison Welch, 28 years old, entered a restaurant in northwest Washington while carrying a semiautomatic rifle. Welch walked backward out of the restaurant unarmed and with his hands up, and the police did not shoot him (www.washingtonpost.com, December 6, 2016). In sharp contrast, on September 16, 2016, Terence Crutcher was shot and killed by police in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Crutcher had his hands up and back turned. Police officer also deployed Taser gun on him (www.cbsnews.com, September 19, 2016). MARCH March 2 The Los Angeles Times reported that there were over 100 colleges and universities under federal investigation for cases of sexual misconduct in the United States by the beginning of March 2016. The story said that Gabriel Piterberg, a history professor with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), paid a fine of 3,000 U.S. dollars and was suspended without pay for 11 weeks over sexual harassment. It said 38 faculty members wrote a letter to UCLA's chancellor in protest of the light punishment. In the letter, the teachers said allowing Piterberg's return to campus would make students feel unsafe and serve as a sign of tolerance for sexual harassment. In a separate protest letter, more than 65 graduate students criticized the secrecy surrounding the case and said the administration was perpetuating the unsafe and hostile climate of their department by allowing Piterberg to return. The Los Angeles Times story said a poll of 200 graduate students at University of California, Santa Cruz showed 32.6 percent of the respondents had either been sexually harassed before or known other victims. March 3 The Washington Post website reported that Sergio Ochoa, a 27-year-old Hispanic American, was shot and killed by police in the backyard of a Gilbert home, Arizona. March 4 The Guardian website reported that the U.S. economy added 242,000 jobs in February, but Americans' wages declined 0.1 percent from the prior month. Unemployment rates remained far higher for minorities: African and Hispanic Americans were jobless at rates of 8.8 percent and 5.4 percent respectively. March 5 The Washington Post website reported that in a Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll published in 2015, one in five young women who had attended a residential college in the past four years reported being sexually assaulted. March 8 The Washington Post website reported that in 2016, U.S. women still made less for doing the same work as men and predicted the U.S. women wouldn't reach pay parity with men until 2058. According to the National Women's Law Center, mothers in the United States who work full time, year round, make an average of 40,000 U.S. dollars, compared to 56,999 dollars paid to fathers. March 10 The Washington Post website reported that German Gonzalez, a 23-year-old Hispanic American man, was shot dead by police in Colorado City, Colorado. March 12 The Washington Post website reported that Peter Gaines, an unarmed 37-year-old African American man, was struck with stun gun and then shot dead by police in Houston, Texas. March 13 The Washington Post website reported that unarmed Jose Raul Cruz, a 16-year-old Hispanic American man, was shot dead by police in Addison, Texas. March 16 The Washington Post website reported that unarmed Cristina Rene Medina, a 23-year-old Hispanic American man, was shot dead by police in Florence, California. Medina's family said he suffered from depression. March 27 The Washington Post website reported that Loreal Tsingine, a 27-year-old woman, was shot dead by police in Winslow, Arizona, for having a pair of scissors in her hand. March 30 The BBC reported that Chicago saw 575 shooting cases and 125 murder cases by March 20, 2016. (more) FEBRUARY Feb. 1 The Washington Post website reported that Peter John, a 36-year-old black man, was shot by police on a street in Washington, D.C.. Feb. 4 The Washington Post website reported that Antronie Scott, an unarmed 36-year-old black man, was shot by police in San Antonio, Texas. On the same day, Pew Research Center published a national survey conducted December 8-13 2015, among 1,500 adults. The survey finds that 62 percent say the federal government does not do enough for middle-class people, 59 percent say the government does not do enough for poor people or for children, 66 percent say the government doesn't do enough to help older people, 49 percent say their family's income is falling behind the cost of living and 62 percent say that good jobs are hard to find in their community. Feb. 5 The Guardian reported that after the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) had forced the Pentagon to release nearly 200 photos of Bush-era torture in Iraq and Afghanistan after a court battle that has lasted more than a decade. Those pictures featured bruises, reddened marks and bandaged body parts. The ACLU called the release insufficient, selective and indicative of a cover-up of detainee abuse stretching across the Bush and Obama administrations. It also pledged to keep fighting for approximately 1,800 more images the Pentagon continues to withhold, which it believes documents far more graphic detainee torture. Feb. 8 The Washington Post website reported that David Joseph, an unarmed 17-year-old black male, was shot by police in Austin, Texas. Feb. 9 The Washington Post website reported that Gustavo Najera, an unarmed 22-year-old Hispanic man, was shot by police in a park in Anaheim, California. Feb. 11 The Atlantic reported that more than 500,000 people were homeless in the United States at the end of 2015, citing a report by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. "You have to understand this: We people as homeless have lives, just like you all have lives. We don't want to be out on the street but we don't have an alternative. People have no other place to go," said Owen Makel, 65, who has been homeless for nearly 14 years in Washington, D.C. On November 20, 2015, the residents of Makel's camp were evicted from the area, according to local reports. On the same day, the Washington Post website reported that Mohamed Barry, a 30-year-old black man was shot by police in a restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. Feb. 13 The Washington Post website reported that Calin Roquemore, an unarmed 24-year-old black man, was shot by police in Beckville, Texas. Feb. 17 New York Daily News reported that Paul Gaston, a 36-year-old black man, was shot by Cincinnati police officers. Before that, Gaston had just been in a serious car accident. Witnesses called 911 after witnessing Gaston "stumble" out of a pickup truck he had been driving before crashing into a telephone pole. When police found him 650 feet from the crash scene and ordered him to the ground, he followed their initial orders, but appeared to be confused. After lying on the ground for a moment, he comes back to his knees and is immediately killed in a hail of gunfire from three different officers. Police claim Gaston appeared to reach for a gun in his waistband -- but it was a fake one. However, things were totally different just one day before. Cincinnati police on Feb. 16 were called to a home to investigate an assault. When they arrived to investigate they were met by 26-year-old Christopher Laugle (a white man), who pulled a gun out and pointed it at police, who have since openly admitted that they "felt threatened" and "did not know the gun was fake." Police peacefully arrested Laugle after he resisted and in his mug shot, he doesn't appear to have a scratch. Simply charged with "menacing," his bond was set at the low price of 2,000 dollars. The report says that the two incidents and their differing outcomes highlight the different police attitudes towards black and white men. Feb. 21 The Washington Post website reported that Marquintan Sandlin, a 32-year-old black man, was shot by police in Inglewood, California. The man was a passenger in a car stopped at an intersection. Inglewood police approached the car and noticed that the woman who was driving had a gun. Officers shot and killed Sandlin and the woman, Kisha Michael. Feb. 23 The Washington Post website reported that Travis Stevenson, a 48-year-old black man driving a vehicle, was shot by police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. On the same day, the Daily Mail reported that Dana Ericson, 59, of Nashiville, Indiana, allegedly attacked Chinese exchange student Zhang Yue with a hatchet as she was taking photos for a school project. Zhang survived the alleged attack thanks to her thick coat but still suffers from lacerations in her back that are two-inches deep. Ericon told police he is a white supremacist and that he wanted to kill Zhang as an act of "ethnic cleansing." Feb. 24 The Washington Post website reported that Victor Rivera, a 27-year-old Hispanic man, was shot by police in Phoenix, Arizona. On the same day, Francisco Garcia, a 26-year-old Hispanic man driving a vehicle, was shot by police in a gas station in Cerritos, California and Christopher J. Davis, an unarmed 21-year-old black man, was shot by police in East Troy, Wisconsin, according to the Washington Post website. Feb. 25 The Washington Post website reported that Greg Gunn, a 56-year-old black man armed with a pole, was shot by police in a yard in Montgomery, Alabama. (more) JULY July 7 The BBC reported live that on July 7, as hundreds of people in Louisiana continued protesting over the police killing of African American man Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, police in Minnesota stopped a car with a broken rear light and found a gun inside. As African American man Philando Castile was reaching for his driving license, police suspected he was reaching for the gun and shot him. Castile's girlfriend live-streamed the incident, which showed he looked painful after being shot and his right chest was covered in blood. About 200 people protested and requested a federal investigation into the shooting. U.S. President Barack Obama said these shootings were not isolated incidents, but "symptomatic of the broader challenges within our criminal justice system." The man's mother said that her son was just "black in the wrong place" and that there was "a silent war against African-American people." Data show that U.S. police shot 1,152 people in 2015 and 30 percent of the victims are African Americans. 97 percent of the deaths were not followed by any charges against police officers. July 8 The Washington Post website reported, a total of 509 citizens in the United States had been killed by police since 2016 and 123 of those shot were African Americans, a relatively high percentage given that they only accounts for about 13 percent of the population. Of the 509 killed so far this year, at least 124 were thought to be suffering from mental illnesses. In at least 22 cases, police officers mistook toy guns for real ones. July 10 The Chicago Tribune website reported, women tend to earn less than mean during their working years and they are more likely to live in poverty during retirement. The National Institute on Retirement Security reports, women are 80 percent more likely than men to be impoverished at age 65 and older. Women aged 75 to 79 are three times more likely to be impoverished than men of the same age group. According to the Census Bureau, over a 40-year career, the pay gap between men and women adds up to an average of 430,480 U.S. dollars. For minorities and women of color, the number is much higher. July 14 The USA Today website reported, police killings of African Americans Alton Sterling and Philando Castile had prompted public outrage after videos of the incidents went viral. On the night of July 7, a gunman named Micah Johnson shot five white police officers in downtown Dallas and injured nine others. The man said he did so to protest against police brutality. In a New York Times/CBS News survey, 69 percent of poll respondents said race relations are generally bad, 31 percentage points higher than a year earlier. The Times noted, it was the most discord since the 1992 riots in Los Angeles during the Rodney King case. On the same day, the New York Post reported, an investigation found Tennessee State Representative Jeremy Durham had used his position to sexually harass at least 22 female interns, lobbyists, staff and political workers. July 20 The Guardian website reported that U.S. air strikes on a Syrian village have killed at least 73 civilians, including 35 children and 20 women. The rest of the dead bodies were charred or had been reduced to shreds. July 26 According to the Daily Mail website, the Major Cities Chiefs Association released their mid-year report for 2016, which shows that violent crime overall in major cities was up by two percent in the first half of 2016 compared with the same period of 2015. Among that, homicide cases have seen particularly dramatic increases, with 307 more cases reported than the same period of the previous year, a rise of up to 15 percent. Chicago reported 316 homicide cases, up by 48 percent. July 27 According to the Washington Post website, Dalvin Hollins, an unarmed 19-year-old black man, was shot by police on a street in Tempe, Arizona. Hollins' family told police he had been struggling with mental illness. AUGUST Aug. 7 Data released by the U.S. Public Religious Research Institute show, a chasm separates black and white Americans' attitudes toward the police: 64 percent of African Americans and 17 percent of white Americans say that police mistreatment is a major problem in their community. 65 percent of whites say recent killings of African American men by police are isolated incidents, while only 15 percent of black Americans say the same. Eighty-one percent of black Americans and 34 percent of whites say recent police killings of African American men are part of a broader pattern of how police treat African Americans in the country. Aug. 10 The New York Times website reported, Baltimore's zero-tolerance policing approach had spread from New York to many departments big and small. It encouraged police officers to make large numbers of stops, searches and arrests for minor, highly discretionary offenses. The approach led to a breakdown in police-community relations in Baltimore and prompted a frenzy of unconstitutional policing aimed at African Americans that was more about racking up statistics than reducing violent crime. Data from police departments around the country show, officers using the zero-tolerance strategy focused their arrests on African-American men in poor neighborhoods, while ignoring the same offenses in wealthier white neighborhoods. For example, from 2008 to 2011, New York police officers issued eight citations for riding bicycles on sidewalks in Park Slope, a predominantly white Brooklyn neighborhood, but 2,050 in nearby Bedford-Stuyvesant, which is primarily African-American and Latino. In June 2015, an American Civil Liberties Union report showed, African Americans and native Americans were nearly nine times more likely than whites to be arrested on minor offenses. Aug. 14 The San Diego Union-Tribune website reported, women who worked for San Diego County' s five supervisors were paid 62 cents for every dollar earned by the men who worked alongside them, which amounts, on average, to a difference of 37,380 U.S. dollars in pre-tax pay per year. In cases where two people have similar job descriptions, women, on average, earn less than men. In the case of legislative analysts, women with this job earn, on average, 21,400 U.S. dollars less than men. Aug. 15 The Washington Post website reported, Jovany Martinez, a 29-year-old Hispanic man armed with a metal pole, was shot by police in Falls Church, Virginia. Aug. 16 According to the Guardian website, report released by the U.S. National Women's Law Center (NWLC) showed, Latino women earn as little as 54 cents for every dollar white men make. Black and Latino women will lose more than 877,000 and one million dollars respectively over a 40-year career compared to their white male counterparts. The report also shows, even black women with a high level of education still experience a wage gap. Emily Martin, vice president of NWLC, said, "If we don't act now to ensure equal pay, for many women of color, the cost of the lifetime wage gap will surpass a million dollars." There are six states, including the District of Columbia, where the lifetime wage gap has already surpassed one million U.S. dollars: 1,595,200 for the District of Columbia; 1,231,600 for New Jersey; 1,140,400 for Connecticut; 1,134,880 for Louisiana; 1,046,960 for California; 1,022,440 for Massachusetts. On the same day, the Washington Post website reported, Marcos Antonio Gastelum, an unarmed 25-year-old Hispanic man, was shot by police in Tucson, Arizona. Aug. 17 The Washington Post website reported, Omer Ismail Ali, a 27-year-old black man armed with a piece of wood, was shot by police in a gas station in Kelso, Washington. Aug. 25 According to the International Business Times website, the public schools of Richmond, Virginia, have allegedly discriminated against black and disabled students for a long time. On August 24, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People filed an indictment to the U.S. Department of Education, alleging that the Richmond public schools practiced inconsistent punishment regarding student code of conduct between black and disabled students and their peers (black or disabled students received more punishments like suspension and expulsion). An analysis of 2014-15 school year data from the Virginia Department of Education show, black and disabled students in Richmond were suspended almost 13 times the rate of white students without disabilities. Aug. 30 According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, a 10-year-old girl named Victoria Martens was murdered in Albuquerque, the largest city of New Mexico. A week later, police said they had found the dismembered body of Martens in her mother's apartment. The girl's mother, the mother's boyfriend and his cousin face charges of child abuse resulting in death, kidnapping and tampering with evidence. Local law enforcement and school district officials said drug abuse and poverty are at the root of much of the violence that children might face at home. (more) JUNE June 7 The Washington Post website reported that Omar Villagomez, a 21-year-old Hispanic man driving a vehicle, was shot and killed by police in a parking lot in Turlock, California. June 12 The Washington Post website reported that on June 12, a gunman opened fire inside a crowded nightclub in Orlando, killing 50 people and injuring 53 others in a rampage that was the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. history. June 14 The Washington Post website reported that the CIA released 50 previously classified documents, exposing details of the agency's treatment of terrorism suspects after the September 11, 2001, attacks. Among the newly released files was a detailed internal investigation of the interrogation and death of Gul Rahman, a militant suspected of ties to al-Qaeda. He was locked at a CIA prison in Afghanistan known as the Salt Pit and was regarded as a defiant adversary who was unlikely to "break" unless being subjected to increasingly severe measures. He was "shackled in a sitting position on bare concrete while nude from the waist down," repeatedly doused with cold water and was "showing early signs of hypothermia." Patrollers noticed him shaking one morning. Two hours later, he was found "lying motionless on his right sid... a small amount of blood coming from his nose and mouth." An autopsy concluded that Rahman had died of exposure to severe cold. According to the documents, at Salt Pit, prisoners were routinely kept in diapers and then stripped of them when they failed to cooperate. The CIA acknowledged the mistaken arrest in 2004 of Khalid al-Masri, a German citizen. He was transferred by the CIA to the Salt Pit, where interrogators "quickly concluded he was not a terrorist and had no al-Qaeda connections." However, the two Agency officers primarily involved in al-Masri's rendition justified his continued detention, despite the diminishing rationale, by insisting they knew he was "bad." June 15 The Christian Science Monitor website reported that according to the National Center on Elder Abuse, five million older adults were abused each year and 90 percent were abused by their family members, and half were the person's children. Abuse can be verbal, financial, physical, or sexual. June 16 The Washington Post website reported that Nicholas Damon, a 30-year-old Hispanic man driving a vehicle, was shot by police in Westminster, Colorado. June 22 The FOX News website reported that the American Civil Liberties Union sued former Air Force psychologists James E. Mitchell and John "Bruce" Jessen for helping design CIA interrogation techniques in October 2015 on behalf of three former CIA prisoners. The lawsuit contended the psychologists condoned waterboarding, loud music, confinement, slapping and other harsh tactics. Lawyers for the pair filed documents in federal court, denying that they committed torture or war crimes. But Mitchell and Jessen declined to respond to many of the allegations, saying much of the information was classified. They asked a judge to throw out the lawsuit and award them court costs. On the same day, the Washington Post website reported that Isaiah Core, a 20-year-old black man driving a vehicle, was shot by police in Birmingham, Alabama. On the same day, the Washington Post website reported that Deravis Caine Rogers, an unarmed 22-year-old black man, was shot by police in Atlanta, Georgia. June 25 The Washington Post website reported that Rodrigo Guardiola, an unarmed 36-year-old Hispanic man, was shot by the police in Gainesville, Georgia. June 27 A survey by the Pew Research Center found profound differences between black and white adults in their views on racial discrimination, barriers to black progress and the prospects for change. Eighty-eight percent of blacks said the country needed to continue making changes for blacks to have equal rights with whites, but 43 percent were skeptical that such changes will ever occur. Fifty-three percent of whites said the country needed make changes for blacks to achieve equal rights with whites, and only 11 percent expressed doubt that these changes would come. Blacks were more likely than whites to say black people were treated less fairly in the workplace (a difference of 42 percentage points), when applying for a loan or mortgage (41 points), in dealing with the police (34 points), in the courts (32 points), in stores or restaurants (28 points), and when voting in elections (23 points). Blacks were also more likely than whites to say racial discrimination (70% vs. 36%), lower quality schools (75% vs. 53%) and lack of jobs (66% vs. 45%) were major reasons that blacks may have a harder time getting ahead than whites. A majority of blacks (71%) said that they had experienced discrimination or been treated unfairly because of their race or ethnicity. Only 5 percent of whites said their race or ethnicity made it harder for them to succeed in life. (more) SEPTEMBER Sept. 11 The Urban Institute released a report noting that an estimated 6.8 million people ages 10 to 17 are food insecure, meaning they don't have reliable access to enough affordable, nutritious food. Another 2.9 million are very food insecure, and roughly 4 million live in marginally food secure households, where the threat of running out of food is real. Food-insecure teens who don't get enough to eat sometimes resort to extreme measures to cope with hunger. Such measures may include engaging in criminal behavior, ranging from shoplifting food directly to selling drugs and stealing items to resell for cash. Some traded sex for money to buy food. Sept. 12 A Washington Post website report said that Christian Vargas, a 25-year-old Hispanic man, was shot dead in a parking lot in Colton, Calif. by police. Sept. 16 Mapping Police Violence website revealed that police have killed at least 263 black people in the United States as of September 16, 2016. Sept. 19 The Guardian website reported that a new survey showed that Americans own an estimated 265 million guns and there are an estimated 55 million American gun owners. There are America's gun super-owners - an estimated 7.7 million Americans who own between eight and 140 guns. Since 1994, America' s estimated total number of gun owners has grown by 10 million. More than 30,000 gun deaths take place annually. On the same day, the CBS reported on the same day that an African-American man Terence Crutcher was fatally shot by a white Tulsa, Oklahoma, police officer responding to a stalled vehicle. Crutcher had no weapon on him or in his SUV. Sept. 20 An article at the Gallup website said that the percentage of Americans who say they are in the middle or upper-middle class has fallen 10 percentage points, from a 61 percent average between 2000 and 2008 to 51 percent today. That could means that 25 million people whose economic lives have crashed. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the percentage of the total U.S. adult population that has a full-time job has been hovering around 48 percent since 2010 -- this is the lowest full-time employment level since 1983. Sept. 21 The Guardian website reported that on September 20, Keith Scott, 43, was shot and killed in Charlotte, North Carolina by Charlotte-Mecklenburg officer Brentley Vinson, who is also black, after being mistaken for a wanted man. Police said officers went to a Charlotte apartment complex looking for a suspect with an outstanding warrant when they encountered Scott, who was not the suspect they were looking for, inside a car. According to the police, officers saw the man get out of the car with a gun and then get back in. When officers approached the car, the man got out of the car with the gun again. At that point, officers deemed the man a threat and at least one fired a weapon. A weapon was recovered by detectives at the scene. However, the police version is at odds with that of Scott's family. Scott's sister insisted that Scott, a father of seven, was disabled, sitting in the shade reading a book, waiting on his kids to get off the bus. She said Scott had no gun and wasn't messing with nobody. Protesters took to the streets after the fatal police shooting. As protests swelled on, police used teargas in an attempt to disperse crowds heard yelling "Black lives matter" and "Hands up, don't shoot!" One person held up a sign saying "Stop killing us;" another sign said: "It was a book." On the same day, the Miami Herald website reported that a 16-year-old girl in Georgia told her high school she was sexually assaulted by a boy at the school's newsroom, but was suspended for multiple times for the case. In the course of the school' s investigation, officials forced her to participate in questioning in the same room as her alleged assaulter, act out what had happened. Sept. 26 The FBI released its annual compilation of crimes noting that there were an estimated 1,197,704 violent crimes committed around the nation in 2015 and the estimated rate of violent crime was 372.6 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants, about 4 percent and 3.1 percent increases respectively when compared with 2014 data. Aggravated assaults accounted for 63.8 percent of violent crimes reported to law enforcement in 2015. Robbery offenses accounted for 27.3 percent of violent crime offenses; rape accounted for 7.5 percent; and murder accounted for 1.3 percent. There were an estimated 7,993,631 property crimes, resulting in losses estimated at 14.3 billion U.S. dollars. Nationwide, law enforcement made an estimated 10,797,088 arrests in 2015. Of these arrests, 505,681 were for violent crimes. The estimated arrest rate for the United States in 2015 was 3,363.0 arrests per 100,000 inhabitants. On the same day, the U.S. State Statista website revealed statistics that in 2015, an estimated 15,696 cases of murder and non-negligent manslaughter occurred nationwide. Sept. 27 The website of Washington Post reported that Alfred Olango, an unarmed 38-year-old black man, was shot in El Cajon, California by police. Sept. 30 Chicago Tribune website said in an article that the Chicago State University reported that only 86 new students enrolled in its freshman class in September 2016. The total enrollment of 3,578 that year is less than half the 7,362 students who attended CSU in 2010. Other state universities also reported significant declines in freshman enrollment. Eastern Illinois University in Charleston said its freshman class was 25 percent smaller than a year ago. It is believed that the situation is "a result of the ongoing Illinois budget crisis." The per-student funding for Illinois' public colleges and universities is 54 percent below 2008 levels. Arizona has cut education funding by 56 percent. (more) BRASILIA, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian President Michel Temer came under criticism Wednesday for his choice of words on the role of women in a speech he made on International Women's Day. "In the economy, women have great participation. Nobody else is capable of identifying pricing changes in the supermarket. Nobody identifies possible economic fluctuations better than women, for the larger or smaller domestic budget," said Temer in his speech. Temer also praised his wife in the speech for leading him to appreciate what "all women do for the house ... for the children." His statement led to rapid criticism on social media and by the Brazilian press, with netizens believing that Temer was propagating an old-fashioned way of viewing women as housewives. Manuela d'Avila, a lawmaker from the Brazilian Communist Party, took to Twitter to say: "I wanted to write about my beautiful tenure as the Prosecutor for Women in the Legislative Assembly. But then Michel Temer says that the role of women in the economy is to know supermarket prices and to want children. This is not true!" Twitter user Aline Abreu also wrote: "I cannot believe Temer just gave this speech. It's not possible. In what year are we?" At a press conference, Brazil's Secretary for Policies for Women, Fatima Pelaes, was asked if Temer's comments could be interpreted as sexist. Pelaes defended the president, saying he was actually referring to how women juggle professional and domestic duties. Upon coming to power last year during the impeachment of former president Dilma Rousseff, Temer had already faced criticism for naming an all-male cabinet. BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- China published a report on the United States' human rights situation on Thursday. The report, titled "The Human Rights Record of the United States in 2016," was released by the Information Office of the State Council, China's cabinet, in response to "the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2016" issued by the U.S. State Department on March 3 local time. China's report says that the United States poses once again as "the judge of human rights". "Wielding 'the baton of human rights,' it pointed fingers and cast blame on the human rights situation in many countries while paying no attention to its own terrible human rights problems," it says. "With the gunshots lingering in people's ears behind the Statue of Liberty, worsening racial discrimination and the election farce dominated by money politics, the self-proclaimed human rights defender has exposed its human rights 'myth' with its own deeds," it added. Concrete facts show that the United States saw continued deterioration in some key aspects of its existent human rights issues last year, according to the report. The United States had the second highest prisoner rate, with 693 prisoners per 100,000 of the national population, the report says. Roughly 2.2 million people were incarcerated in the United States in 2014. And there had been 70 million Americans incarcerated - that's almost one in three adults - with some form of criminal record, the report cites media reports as saying. Occurrence of gun-related crimes also sustained a high level, according to the report. There were a total of 58,125 gun violence incidents, including 385 mass shootings, in the United States in 2016, leaving 15,039 killed and 30,589 injured, says the report, citing figures from a toll report by the Gun Violence Archive. In 2016, the U.S. social polarization became more serious, with the proportion of adults who had full-time jobs hitting a new low since 1983, income gaps continuing to widen, the size of middle class reaching a turning point and beginning to shrink, and living conditions of the lower class deteriorating, the report says. According to consulting firm Gallup, the percentage of Americans who said they were in the middle or upper-middle class had fallen by 10 percentage points, from an average of 61 percent between 2000 and 2008 to 51 percent in 2016. "That drop meant 25 million people in the United States fared much worse in economic terms," it says. Besides, one in seven Americans, or at least 45 million people, lived in poverty, the report quotes the Daily Mail as saying. In 2016, racial relations in the United States continued to deteriorate, the report says. A Washington Post website report on police shootings in 2015 found that black Americans were 2.5 times as likely to be shot and killed by police as white Americans. Unarmed black men were five times as likely to be shot and killed by police as unarmed white men. Wage gap between blacks and whites was the worst in nearly four decades, according to the report. It notes that racial discrimination is strongly condemned by the United Nations (UN). In 2016, the UN's Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent reported to the UN Human Rights Council that racial problems were severe in the United States, saying the colonial history, enslavement, racial subordination and segregation, racial terrorism and racial inequality in the United States remained a serious challenge. "The situation of protection of rights of women, children and elders in the United States was worrisome in 2016," the report says. Women were paid much less compared to their male colleagues who do the same work, and they frequently fell victims to sexual harassment and assault. Poverty rate among children remained high and cases of elder abuse happened from time to time, according to the report. It quotes a USA Today website report as saying that roughly one in four women say they have been harassed on the job. An estimated 6.8 million people aged 10 to 17 in the United States are food insecure, according to the report. In addition, "the United States repeatedly trampled on human rights in other countries and willfully slaughtered innocent victims," the report says. From Aug. 8, 2014 to Dec. 19, 2016, the United States launched 7,258 air strikes in Iraq and 5,828 in Syria, causing 733 incidents with an estimated number of civilian deaths between 4,568 and 6,127. Related: Full text: Chronology of Human Rights Violations of the United States in 2016 BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of China published a document titled "Chronology of Human Rights Violations of the United States in 2016" on Thursday. Full story Full text: Human Rights Record of the United States in 2016 OCTOBER Oct. 4 The Washington Post website reported that Isaias Salgado, a 31-year-old Hispanic man armed with a brick, was shot dead by police in Riverview, Florida. Oct. 5 The USA Today website said in an article that more than 160,000 children in 19 states are the victims of corporal punishment in schools each year, according to a new research released by the Society for Research in Child Development. African-American children in a few southern school districts are more likely than white students to be smacked or paddled by a school worker. Black children in more than half of school districts in Alabama and Mississippi, for instance, are at least 51 percent more likely to receive corporal punished than white children, while in one-fifth of districts in both states, black children are more than 500 percent, or five times as likely, to be spanked or paddled. Using data issued periodically by the federal government's Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), researchers found that black students in several other southern states -- Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Tennessee -- are also more likely to get corporal punishment. On the same day, the USA Today website reported that a coalition of community activists and parents of students in the Indian River School District is suing the district in federal court, contending its leaders operate one special-education school as a "dumping ground" for African-American students who would be treated better if they were white. The lawsuit alleges George Washington Carver Academy is effectively a segregated school within the district, a "punitive dumping ground for African-American students." White students who bring cellphones to district schools, the lawsuit claims, usually see them confiscated for a day. But when an African-American student was seen with a phone in her backpack, a referral to Carver followed, the lawsuit says. Indian River, the lawsuit alleges, makes a habit out of "removing them [black students] from its mainstream schools and sending them to Carver in disproportionate numbers on flimsy pretexts, segregating them at Carver on arbitrary grounds and for arbitrary periods of time, and neglecting their educational needs." Oct. 11 A CNN report said that the U.S. Supreme Court grappled with a case concerning racial bias in jury deliberations, as the justices considered the case of a juror in Colorado who urged other jurors to find a man guilty "because he's Mexican and Mexicans take whatever they want." The case pits secrecy rules in jury deliberations against the Sixth Amendment's guarantee of a fair and impartial jury. Justice Elena Kagan noted there was "screaming race bias" in the jury room. Lawyer Jeffrey Fisher called racial bias a "stain" on the entire judicial system. Oct. 14 The Associated Press and the USA Today website reported that during the first six months of 2016, minors died from accidental shootings -- at their own hands, or at the hands of other children or adults -- at a pace of one every other day, far more than limited federal statistics indicate. Oct. 16 USA Today website said in an article that homelessness is everywhere in the United States, but there are often no enough shelters for them. Lorraine Yarbrough, executive director of Day By Day Warming Shelter, said that there are more than 60,000 people who are homeless in Wisconsin but lack of transitional housing hinders anti-homelessness efforts. Oct. 19 The Washington Post reported that police officers who kill civilians rarely face criminal charges. About 1,000 civilians are killed by police each year, but since 2005 only 77 officers have been charged with manslaughter or murder in connection with those deaths. And criminal investigations in these cases usually drag on for months or years before the community and the victims' family members know whether charges will be filed. Oct. 28 The New York Times website reported that the Justice Department has branded the Baltimore Police Department's response to sexual assault cases "grossly inadequate." Baltimore officers often disregarded some complaints filed by sexual assault victims and sometimes humiliated women who tried to report sexual assault. There were even complaints that some officers target members of a vulnerable population -- people involved in the sex trade -- to coerce sexual favors from them in exchange for avoiding arrest, or for cash or narcotics. On the same day, the Los Angeles Times website reported that one in three homeless people in Los Angeles County are women, according to government figures released in 2016. The total of more than 14,000 women is a 55 percent increase from 2013. The number of women camped out in RVs, tents and lean-tos doubled in the last three years. Homeless women face staggering levels of violence. A survey released by the Downtown Women's Action Coalition found that nearly half of skid row women had been attacked in the previous 12 months; more than a quarter of them were sexually assaulted. NOVEMBER Nov. 6 The Washington Post website reported that David Contreras, a 33-year-old Hispanic man, was shocked with a stun gun and shot dead by police on November 6, 2016, in Santa Ana, California. Nov. 8 The CBS website reported that Americans who were running for federal elective offices spent about 6.8 billion U.S. dollars, more than what consumers spent on cereal (six billion). The nonprofit Center for Responsive Politics estimated spending on the Clinton-Trump contest at more than 2.65 billion U.S. dollars. Nov. 9 According to the website of the Los Angeles Times, U.S.-led coalition airstrike killed eight civilians, including three children, in the Iraqi village of Faziliya, north of Mosul, late last month. Nov. 14 The FBI National Press Office released the Hate Crime Statistics 2015, saying that law enforcement agencies submitted incident reports involving 5,850 criminal incidents and 6,885 related offenses as being motivated by bias toward race, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender and gender identity in 2015. There were 5,818 single-bias incidents involving 7,121 victims and 32 multiple-bias hate crime incidents involving 52 victims. Nov. 15 According to the website of the Christian Science Monitor, the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor said in a report that U.S. armed forces and the CIA may committed war crimes by torturing detainees in Afghanistan. The report added that "the victims were deliberately subjected to physical and psychological violence, and that crimes were allegedly committed with particular cruelty and in a manner that debased the basic human dignity of the victims." Nov. 16 The Independent website reported that a spy base named Titanpointe located in a windowless Manhattan skyscraper with sheer concrete walls that could reportedly survive an atomic explosion appeared to be a secrete location used for NSA surveillance program, using equipment of the company AT&T and spying on phone calls, fax messages and internet data. The NSA took advantages of satellite antenna of the skyscraper to intercept satellite data including emails, chats, Skype calls, passwords, and internet browsing histories. It targeted at least 38 countries including U.S. allies, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank. (more) A bird rests on a branch in Fengtai District of Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 20, 2017. Spring returns to the land as temperature rises in recent days. (Xinghua/Feng Xiaodong) Hi, here is what you need to know about China: China to give more seats to workers, women in 13th NPC China will give more seats in its national legislature to workers, farmers, professionals and women, said a draft decision submitted to lawmakers for review on Wednesday. According to the draft decision on the quota and election of deputies to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), the election of deputies shall be completed in January 2018. The total number of the NPC deputies shall be kept no more than 3,000, it said. xhne.ws/AqnGD ---- China launches "Sky Net 2017" to hunt down corrupt suspects abroad BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- China has launched operation "Sky Net 2017" to hunt down corruption suspects who have fled abroad and recover their ill-gotten gains, authorities said in a meeting Tuesday. According to the meeting, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) will take charge of the campaign to nab suspects in duty-related crimes and recover their assets. xhne.ws/CX49c ---- China issues report on U.S. human rights BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- China published a report on the United States' human rights situation on Thursday. The report, titled "The Human Rights Record of the United States in 2016," was released by the Information Office of the State Council, China's cabinet, in response to "the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2016" issued by the U.S. State Department on March 3 local time. China's report says that the United States poses once again as "the judge of human rights". xhne.ws/bPqT6 ---- Huawei, China Mobile, Deutsche Telecom, Volkswagen share their vision for 5G MADRID, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Huawei, China Mobile, Deutsche Telecom and Volkswagen on Wednesday gave their vision of the future of 5G networks with the publication of the book "5G Service Guaranteed Network Slicing", Huawei Spain informed in a statement. In the book, the main network providers, operators and their partners explore new business models made possible by the evolution of the current mobile network into the 5G era. xhne.ws/STwGu ISLAMABAD, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan confirmed Thursday that India has ended investigations against two Pakistani teenagers who were suspected of helping in an attack on an army camp in India-controlled Kashmir last September. The attack which left 19 Indian soldiers dead was initially blamed on Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammad but later Indian investigators said Lashkar-e-Taiba was behind the deadly attack. Foreign Ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria said in Islamabad that Indian officials have informed Pakistan that the Indian National Investigation Agency has ended investigations. The spokesman told Geo television that it would be clear later on Thursday or Friday when the youth would be freed and handed over to Pakistan. "Things are moving in right direction," Zakaria said, adding that the Pakistani diplomatic mission in New Delhi had "actively been involved to pursue the case." Faisal Hussain Awan and Ahsan Khursheed, who belong to Pakistan-administered Kashmir, had mistakenly crossed the Line of Control (LoC) into India-controlled Kashmir on Sept. 21, just three days after the attack. It was reportedly that the National Investigation Agency has not found evidence to indicate the two Pakistani youths were linked to the attack. ISLAMABAD, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan army said Thursday that a woman was injured in Indian overnight firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in disputed Kashmir region. An army statement said "unprovoked firing by Indian troops targeting civil population along the LoC in Bhimber sector late last night." "Pakistan Army troops effectively responded," the army said. The latest incident happened as escalation along the LoC, which divides the two neighbors in the disputed Kashmir, has been seen since militants attack on an army center in the Indian-controlled Kashmir on Sept.18, killing 19 soldiers. The Indian military blamed the Pakistan-based "Jaish-e-Mohammad" group and also pointed fingers at Pakistan. Islamabad rejected the charges and suggested independent investigation. Pakistan and India had declared ceasefire in 2003 that had silenced the guns. However, firing exchanges do take place time to time and the cross-LoC firing and shelling has increased in recent days. Gangbu Glacier in Tibet (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi) Tucked away in Nakarts County in Tibet, Gangbu Glacier stands solitarily near the border between China and Bhutan. The glacier builds a maze of ice and snow that is various in shape and magnificent in figure. Gangbu Glacier in Tibet (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi) Gangbu Glacier is only more than 250 kilometers from Lhasa, but tourists to Tibet seldom set foot on this land of ice due to its high altitude at around 5,500 meters and other adverse natural conditions. Most of the land here remains untouched. Gangbu Glacier in Tibet (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi) To true nature lovers, however, the landscape itself is worthy of all the troubles. Gangbu Glacier in Tibet (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi) The crystal clear ice and snow here form a fairy land on earth. Stand on the glacier of thousands of years old, and you will feel as if you were living in the glacial period. Gangbu Glacier in Tibet (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi) The best season to visit Gangbu is winter, as the glacier and ice-covered rivers are well-frozen, making it safer to exploit deeper in the arrays of small icebergs. Gangbu Glacier in Tibet (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi) Gangbu Glacier in Tibet (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi) (Translation by Lu Huilan) by Alessandra Cardone ROME, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of women in Italy on Wednesday went on strike and staged rallies across the country to mark the International Women's Day. Supported by most unions in the private and public sectors, many left work to join the protest against gender and family violence, calling for more equality in the society. The move was part of an international "Day Without Women" campaign involving some 40 countries, and is considered a tradition in Italy. In most of Italian cities, thousands of women and hundreds of men as well took to the streets. In the capital, the public transport network was heavily disrupted for most of the day, and many schools and health facilities halted or reduced their services. In Rome, they gathered around the Colosseum, bearing pink symbols everywhere. "This March 8 is quite different for me, because we have prepared this demonstration since November," Patrizia, a volunteer with Differenza Donna (Different Woman) association, told Xinhua at the rally. "Our specific goal is to bring forward a new national plan against gender violence, since we do not like the current situation, nor the proposals submitted by our lawmakers so far," Patrizia said. The association manages three free centers in Rome for victims of gender violence, trafficking, and for women in deprived conditions respectively. "Italy pays little attention to the issue, and especially lacks adequate funds to support centers like ours, which assist a high number of women and mothers with very poor means," Patrizia added. A younger woman, Irene, saw the issue in a wider perspective: gender violence -- whether in family or society -- comes from a general lack of a "culture of respect," she said. "Discriminations against women occur every day in Italy, both in the working environment and in private life." The result is that Italian women would have a feeble influence on their country's life. A new law targeting perpetrators and assisting victims with larger tools was approved in mid 2013. Yet, data show that gender violence remains an issue for Italy. Some 108 women were killed by husbands, male partners or male relatives in the country in 2016, following 111 victims of "femicide" in 2015, and 117 in 2014, according to the Interior Ministry. At least 11,400 cases of "persecutory acts" against women were also registered last year. Yet, the country made some improvements as well. It ranked first, along with Luxembourg, in terms of gender wage gap in the European Union (EU), according to statistics office Eurostat. Based on the latest data available (2015), Eurostat said Italy's average pay gap was 5.5 percent, well below other major European partners such as Germany with 22 percent, France with 15.8 percent, Spain with 14.9 percent, Britain with 20.8 percent, and Sweden with 14 percent. The average gap was 16.3 percent in the EU, and 16.8 percent in the euro-zone. On the other hand, the participation of Italian women in the job market remains among the lowest in the EU, as well as the number of women in managerial positions. TIKRIT, Iraq, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Up to 26 people were killed and 24 others wounded in an overnight attack by two suicide bombers at a wedding in Iraq's northern central province of Salahudin, a provincial security source said on Thursday. The attacks occurred on Wednesday night when two suicide bombers wearing explosive vests detonated themselves at a crowded wedding party in a village in Hajjaj area, some 185 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. A third suicide bomber tried to enter the scene of the two explosions, but he was killed after his explosive vest prematurely detonated, the source said, adding that many of wounded people are in critical condition. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attacks, but the Islamic State (IS) militant group, in most cases, had been behind such deadly suicide attacks targeting crowded markets, cafes and mosques, across Iraq. The predominately Sunni Arab province of Salahudin has been the scene of a major offensive by Iraqi security forces and allied paramilitary Hashd Shaabi units, which managed to retake control of the province from the hands of IS militants who seized large part of it in June 2014. The attacks came as Iraqi security forces, backed by an international anti-IS coalition, are carrying out a major offensive to drive out IS militants from their major stronghold in the western side of Mosul in northern Iraq. LHASA, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The government of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region plans to allocate 30 billion yuan (4.3 billion U.S. dollars) in 2017 to improve the lives of local residents. According to the regional finance department on Thursday, nearly half of the funds will be channeled to eradicate poverty and subsidize residents in border areas. About 6 billion yuan will be used to boost development in border areas and residents in border areas will see their living subsidies rise to up to 2,700 yuan. Additionally, the standards for the minimum living allowance for urban and rural residents in the region have been raised to 700 yuan and 3,311 yuan a month, respectively, said Jiang Guojie, deputy head of the department. The rest of the funds will also be used to improve financial aid in areas such as education, medical care, and social insurance. Over the past four years, the regional government has earmarked over 70 percent of its revenue to improve people's livelihood, leading the country in providing 15 years of free education, collective support of poor senior citizens and orphans, and full and equal coverage of endowment insurance in urban and rural areas, Jiang said. BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- China on Thursday urged the United States to act properly for the healthy development of bilateral trade relations. Sun Jiwen, a spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce, made the remarks at a press conference, responding to ZTE having reached a settlement with U.S. authorities over U.S. export controls and sanctions charges. China has always resolutely opposed U.S. sanctions on Chinese companies using its domestic laws, and required Chinese companies to operate in compliance with local laws and regulations on overseas market, Sun said. "We hope the U.S. side will properly handle the issue within the larger picture of Sino-U.S. economic and trade relations, so as to create a good atmosphere for the stable and healthy development of bilateral economic and trade relations," he said. China's largest listed telecom equipment maker ZTE said Tuesday night that it had reached a settlement with U.S. authorities over U.S. export controls and sanctions charges" in order to clear unstable factors in the global communications market." The Chinese company has agreed to pay a criminal and civil penalty of about 892 million U.S. dollars and an additional penalty of 300 million dollars, which will be suspended for a seven-year probationary period to deter future violations. U.S. authorities claimed that ZTE and its affiliated entities had illegally shipped telecommunications equipment to certain countries in violation of U.S. regulations. The U.S. Commerce Department added ZTE on the Entity List under the Export Administration Regulations in March 2016. This made it difficult for ZTE to acquire U.S. products such as chips and software. Following the settlement, the Bureau of Industry and Security under the U.S. Commerce Department will recommend that ZTE be removed from the list, according to a ZTE statement Tuesday. ZTE currently holds about 7 percent of the U.S. smartphone market, the fourth largest after Apple, Samsung and LG. It currently has 14 offices and six research centers in the United States, with 80 percent of the total 350 staff being Americans. Photo taken on March 9, 2017 shows the flower parterre during the preview of the Hong Kong Flower Show at Victoria Park in Hong Kong, south China. The flower show will be held from 10 to 19 this March. (Xinhua/Li Peng) HONG KONG, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Flower Show 2017 will be held at Victoria Park from March 10 to March 19 as one of the events celebrating the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland. This year's flower show is themed "Blossoms of Love" and rose is the theme flower. During the event, Victoria Park will be decorated by more than 350,000 flowers, including 40,000 roses. The flower show will also feature a light and music display at the central axis of the park every night and a mega-sized floral birthday cake to embrace the 20th anniversary. Various educational and recreational activities will be held at the park for visitors of all ages. JERUSALEM, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed Thursday morning for a one-day visit to Moscow to meet President Vladimir Putin amidst speculations of an agreement to end the war in Syria. Netanyahu said he would urge Putin to prevent Iranian presence in Syria, in case such a peace deal will be signed. "The Prime Minister will express Israel's strong opposition to the presence of Iranian forces, and those of its proxies, on our northern border and in the Mediterranean Sea in the context of the talks on a settlement of any kind," a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office said. Netanyahu also intends to reiterate to Putin "the fact that the Golan Heights is not part of the discussion on any outline," the statement added. Israel occupied the Golan Heights in the 1967 Middle East War and later annexed it, in a move not recognized internationally. Israel said that Iran had significantly aided its close ally, Syria, in the seven-year civil war, including by reportedly sending in thousands of troops and lending intelligence assistance. Israel has been formally neutral in the war but has reportedly carried out several airstrikes in the neighboring Syria. In April, Netanyahu acknowledged for the first time that Israel had launched "dozens" of airstrikes in Syria in the past years to prevent the transfer of weapons to the Hezbollah organization in Lebanon. MOGADISHU, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Leader of Somali militant group al-Shabaab has surrendered to government forces in Baidoa town in southern Somalia, the AU mission confirmed. The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) said on Wednesday evening that Hussein Salad Mukhtar surrendered to the Somali National Army (SNA) on Tuesday following a government amnesty offer for militants to surrender. "AMISOM calls on Al-Shabaab fighters to heed the government's amnesty," AMISOM said. It called on al-Shabaab militants to lay down their weapons and join the Somali people to rebuild their county. "AMISON hopes that other sons and daughters of Somalia who have been misled into terrorist acts will emulate the courageous action of Mukhtar," it said. The Somali government announced an amnesty offer in 2014 to members of the al-Qaida linked group al-Shabaab, which had been launching attacks on government forces and AMISOM. PHNOM PENH, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen will attend the "Belt and Road" summit in Beijing in May, Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said Thursday. Hun Sen's forthcoming trip is both to attend the summit and to pay an official visit to China, Prak Sokhonn said during a receiving ceremony of office equipment and a bus from the Chinese Embassy to Cambodia. Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Xiong Bo said the Cambodian prime minister's upcoming visit would further enhance pragmatic cooperation in all fields between the two countries. The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiative, known as the "Belt and Road" initiative, was proposed by China in 2013 with the aim of building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes. To back the initiative, China has established the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the Silk Road Fund. BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese lawmakers have started compiling the individual books of a planned civil code since late last year, a legislative official said Thursday. Work on the books is under way, Zhang Rongshun, vice chairman of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual NPC session. China has designed a two-step approach to developing a civil code of its own: formulating general provisions to lay down basic principles and compiling individual books to regulate different types of civil activities and relations. National lawmakers are deliberating the draft general provisions, which went through three readings at bi-monthly sessions of the NPC Standing Committee last year. It is rare for a draft law not to be passed after three readings. According to the current legislative plan, there will be five books on property, contract, tort liability, marriage and inheritance. A complete civil code, consisting of the general provisions and individual books, will be enacted in 2020. The individual books are expected to be submitted as a whole for a first reading at a bi-monthly session of the NPC Standing Committee in 2018, Zhang said. The NPC Standing Committee will organize separate reviews of the books. "Quality trumps speed, so the schedule is also subject to change," Zhang added. HANOI, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam targeted to support 2,500 women's start-ups each year, said Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, President of Vietnam Women's Union (VWU) on Thursday. Ha made the remarks at a press conference held in capital Hanoi on outcomes of Vietnam's 12th National Women's Congress which concluded on Thursday. According to Ha, the target is mentioned in the VWU's proposal on supporting women's start-ups during 2017-2027 period. In the next five years, all the union's levels and vocational training facilities will train and introduce jobs for 75,000 female workers each year. Meanwhile, at least 60 cooperatives managed by women will be established annually, said the president. SHANGHAI, March 9 (Xinhua) -- China's two leading search engine operators, Baidu and Sogou, were fined on Thursday for their negligence in publishing unchecked advertising for unlicensed medical services and private companies. The fines were issued by the Shanghai Industrial and Commercial Bureau on charges of publishing false and illegal advertisements. Baidu was fined 28,000 yuan (about 4,000 U.S. dollars) as it linked commercial ads of private hospital groups with certain key word searches, which pointed to medical services that the hospitals are not qualified for. The hospitals were also given fines of up to 46,000 yuan. Sogou was fined 10,300 yuan for carrying an advertisement containing false messages and for a company whose business license had been revoked. The regulator said the fines were issued in line with a provisional regulation on Internet advertisements that took effect on September 1, 2016. The regulation holds search engines responsible for censoring online ads they publish. Ying Jun, advertisement supervision official with the bureau, said the administrative fines can negatively affect the credit of the advertisers. The bureau will tighten supervision of Internet ads, including those on personal social media accounts. The search engine operators have long faced accusations over their online ad business. A 21-year-old student died in May 2016 after spending a fortune on an ineffective treatment for his illness, which he learned about from a Baidu-promoted link to an unqualified hospital. Advertisers often spend billions of yuan to have their ads placed on top of search results via the search engines. BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese banks extended 1.17 trillion yuan (about 169.2 billion U.S. dollars) of new yuan loans in February, down from 2.03 trillion yuan a month ago, central bank data showed Thursday. The M2, a broad measure of the money supply that covers cash in circulation and all deposits, grew 11.1 percent from a year earlier to about 158.29 trillion yuan, according to an online People's Bank of China statement. The M1, a narrow measure of the money supply which covers cash in circulation plus demand deposits, rose 21.4 percent year on year to 47.65 trillion yuan. KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Two Malaysians working for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) who were stranded in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) amid a diplomatic fallout had left the country, a WFP spokesperson said Thursday. "WFP confirms that two WFP staff of Malaysian nationality have left the DPRK and arrived in Beijing today," a WFP spokesperson confirmed to Xinhua in a written reply. "The staff members are international civil servants and not representatives of their national government. They work on WFP's programs in the DPRK," the spokesperson said. Malaysian Deputy Foreign Minister Reezal Merican said earlier there were 11 Malaysian citizens stranded in the DPRK. With the two leaving the DPRK, a total of nine Malaysian citizens are still left behind. In a statement posted on his facebook page, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said all remaining Malaysians in the DPRK are safe after he had a phone call with the counsellor at the embassy in the DPRK. "I have given him my assurance that the government will do everything we can to ensure that they return home safely soon. The whole of Malaysia is praying for them," Najib said, adding he was assured by the DPRK government of their safety in the DPRK though they are not allow to leave. "The government will continue to work on reaching the best solution on this issue. Let us all pray for the best," he said. In tit-for-tat moves following the death of a DPRK man at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia and DPRK have both expelled the ambassador of the other's side and banned each other's citizens from leaving, as investigations into the case strained bilateral relations. HANOI, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) will soon contact Chinese authorities, asking them to send an expert delegation to Vietnam to assess more businesses which could be eligible for exporting rice to China, according to Tran Thanh Nam, MARD deputy minister on Thursday. Nam made the remarks after China decided to authorize 22 Vietnamese businesses to export rice into the country, reported local Vietnam News online newspaper on Thursday. Specifically, any businesses not listed by China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine were banned from exporting to the Chinese market from January 1, 2017. According to MARD, China topped the list of Vietnam's rice export markets with 29 percent of market share in the first month of 2017. HONG KONG, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government needs to take more measures to support the development of reinsurance business in Hong Kong, an expert said here Thursday. As a major Asian insurance center, Hong Kong is facing challenges from other competitors in the region, mainly in the areas of reinsurance, marine insurance and captives, Winnie Wong, member of the Financial Services Development Council (FSDC), told a press conference. She said the reinsurance industry has huge potentials of growth and the HKSAR government should provide more supporting measures, such as tax incentives, talent development or preferential rental prices. Wong also said that following the implementation of China Risk Oriented Solvency System (C-ROSS) in January 2016, reinsurance placement has started to be diverted to on-shore reinsurance companies on the Chinese mainland. For example, insurers and brokers are diverting reinsurance businesses away from Hong Kong to Shanghai or Singapore to enjoy economics of scale and tax benefits offered by these hubs, Wong said. Hong Kong is currently grouped "offshore" under C-ROSS and the HKSAR government is suggested to sign an agreement with the China Insurance Regulatory Commission to apply a "SAR" status under the scheme, Wong said. Through the "SAR" status, some preferential treatments can be extended to Hong Kong so that Hong Kong can develop the reinsurance business together with the Chinese mainland, while mainland companies can also enjoy the comprehensive insurance products and risk transfer solutions offered by Hong Kong insurers. Founded in 2013 by the HKSAR government, the FSDC is a high-level cross-sectoral advisory body to help develop Hong Kong's financial services industry. BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The fifth session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) will hold a plenary meeting Friday morning to deliberate the draft general provisions of the civil law. Other documents to be deliberated at the plenary include the draft decision on the quota and election of deputies to the 13th NPC, the draft methods for electing deputies to the 13th NPC from Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions. Three press conference are planned at the NPC media center. -- Officials of the 12th NPC special committees on the NPC's supervisory work at 9 a.m., -- Governor of the People's Bank of China Zhou Xiaochuan and his deputies on financial reforms and development at 10:45 a.m., -- Zhang Mao, head of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, on deepening reforms to commerce affairs administration at 3:00 p.m. YANGON, March 9 (Xinhua) -- A total of 1,774 local residents have fled Laukkai, a main town of Myanmar's Kokang region in northeastern Shan state, to other nearby towns following the renewed outbreak of armed clashes between the government forces and the Kokang ethnic armed groups. According to the Information Committee of the State Counselor's Office Thursday, the 1,774 refugees of 593 households are taking refuge in 11 relief camps opened in Lashio, Thibaw, Namthu, Kutkai and Muse. They are being taken care by the regional government, local people, civil societies and charity organizations, the committee said. Renewed clashes broke out in the Kokang region Monday before dawn with Kokang's Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) launching offensive on Laukkai, resulting in dozens of casualties including civilians. At least five Kokang traffic police and five civilians were killed when the MNDAA attacked police posts and residential area in Laukkai with four other Kokang traffic police being also taken away by the MNDAA as hostages, according to the government's release. MNDAA attacked Laukkai with small and heavy weapons , destroying some residential buildings, hotels and military camps with vehicles burned. The government's security forces found 20 charred corpses and 10 pieces of weapons after the attack. The Myanmar government troops are making area clearance operation following the incident. The National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC), headed by State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, has issued an announcement later on the day in response to the attack, calling on the MNDAA to abandon armed attacks and sit down for peace talks. NEW DELHI, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Indian and Pakistani military commanders on Thursday exchanged views over phone on concerns about the movement of terrorists along the Line of Control (LoC) in India-controlled Kashmir. "During the conversation, Indian Director General of Military Operations Lieutenant General AK Bhatt told the Pakistani commander clearly about terrorists from across the border trying to sneak into his country," a defense source said. He also assured his Pakistani counterpart that two men from Pakistan-controlled Kashmir arrested by Indian security forces last year will be sent back through land border Friday, the source said. The duo were arrested by Indian security forces in September 2016 after terrorists attacked an army base in Uri in India-controlled Kashmir, in which 19 soldiers were killed. "However, as security agencies did not find any link between the two men -- Faisal Hussain Awan and Ahsan Khursheed -- and the terror attack, they decided to free them," the source said. The two men had reportedly crossed the LoC after an altercation with their parents over studies. Indian and Pakistani militaries often keep in touch with each other through a hotline between the directors general of military operations, a channel they use to raise each other's concerns and try to resolve them. DHAKA, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh has been a country that has had a female head of state since the 1990s. In the country of about 160 million people, girls' education has improved the lives of women to a large extent although they still face various forms of discrimination within the family, the community and in institutional settings. Hundreds of women took to the streets of Bangladesh's capital city of Dhaka and elsewhere in the country on Wednesday, calling for equal treatment to women in the country. To foster more women rights, the Bangladeshi government and various organizations arranged a series of programs on Wednesday, International Women's Day. The national flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines operated a special all-female crewed flight to mark the day. The day's program began with many rallies in parts of Dhaka and elsewhere in the country that saw both females and males taking part. Bangladesh's national dailies published special supplements while television and radio broadcast various programs to mark the day. Bangladeshi State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroz Chumki addressed a meeting in Dhaka, saying the country has achieved significant progress in the field of female empowerment. "It's time for us to change our patriarchal mindset toward women in all spheres of our society," she said. Hundreds of women who joined the rallies in parts of Dhaka stressed the need for more economic empowerment of women and urged women to be self-reliant, which would lead to greater dignity and elevate their quest to gain equal status in society. They also stressed the need for further upholding the dignity and honor of the country's women by creating favorable opportunities for them. Shanta Kabir, an entrepreneur, said: "I think every single second of the year is very important. As humans, we have a lot of things to do. We observe Father's Day, Mother's Day, Women's Day, and Friend's Day. I don't think it is culturally bad to observe one special day for women." "Many Bangladeshi women are still neglected. In almost every house there is a girl. We would expect that at least on this day males in the home should take more care of their female family members and show them more importance." Shahnaj Sharmin, a local TV journalist, said one day of the year set aside for women is not a big deal. "Actually we observe the day in a symbolic sense. This is the day when we encourage women and boost up their morale. And finally the day comes to us every year as a reminder of women's rights," she said. It is really good that there is at least one day specially for women, she added. International Women's Day was on March 8 this year and the 2017 campaign theme was "Be Bold For Change." Since 1975, the United Nations has celebrated International Women's Day which commemorates the struggle for women's rights. The file photo shows police officials stand in front of the fence outside the Union Buildings, the official seat of the South African government, in Pretoria, on Oct. 20, 2016. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan) CAPE TOWN, March 9 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's opposition party has called for an independent investigation into suspected involvement of corrupt cops in an airport heist of a large amount of cash. This came after an astounding 24 million rand (about 1.9 million U.S. dollars) in cash was reportedly stolen from a South African Airways plane at the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. A group of armed suspects posing as police in a marked police vehicle allegedly intercepted security guards as they were transporting money to a waiting aircraft. No shots were fired and no injuries have been reported. "The use of a police vehicle in this incident is extremely concerning and could point to the involvement of corrupt cops," the Democratic Alliance (DA) said in a statement on Wednesday. The DA said it will write to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) to request that it conduct a thorough investigation into whether or not South African Police Services (SAPS) members or assets were involved in the heist. The DA will also submit parliamentary questions to find out how many SAPS vehicles and firearms have been found to have been used for criminal activity, as well as how many SAPS members have been found guilty of criminal offences, DA Shadow Minister of Police Zakhele Mbhele said in Cape Town. Furthermore, the DA will also be submitting questions to the Ministers of Police and Transport to determine the state of security at the country's airports, said Mbhele. "The SAPS should be protecting the lives and property of South Africa's people and we should not be seeing the use of official resources by corrupt cops to enrich themselves," Mbhele said. Meanwhile, the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) said it is working closely with law enforcement agencies to arrest those behind the armed robbery. "South African Police Service and Airports Company South Africa is working closely with other law enforcement agencies to apprehend the suspects. The investigation is at an early stage," the ACSA said. The SAPS said involvement of corrupt cops could not be ruled out. The boldness of the criminals as well as their ability to gain access to a secure area highlights the severity of crime in South Africa. It is not the first time that large amount of cash was stolen at Johannesburg's central airport. by David Musyoka NAIROBI, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Delegates from more than 18 African countries are due to meet in Nairobi from Monday to review Africa's progress on implementation of Single Window System, an online cargo clearing system, organizers said on Thursday. The Kenya Trade Network Agency (KenTrade) which is implementing an online cargo clearance system in the country, said the 14th Executive Committee and 8th General Assembly meeting of the African Alliance for E-Commerce (AAEC) will be held in Nairobi from March 13-15. KenTrade's CEO Amos Wangora said the decision by the continental organization to hold the AAEC meetings in Nairobi for the first time was a big honour not only to Kenya but to the East African Community region as a whole, noting that other EAC member states had also been invited to attend. "Successful implementation of the Single Window System in Kenya has positioned Kenya as a strong logistics platform in the East Africa region in addition to providing opportunity for sharing best practices on implementation of Single Window System among peers," Wangora said. Kenya TradeNet or single window system is a web based portal and is accessible 24/7 nationwide to stakeholders in trade logistics industry and will facilitate the flow of goods in and out of Kenya's borders. The initiative is also expected to facilitate international and domestic trade at the port of Mombasa, and has been touted as the solution to the persistent delays at the port. It reduces the time it takes to process goods through customs at the port by half, from seven days to three days. The AAEC is a grouping of countries implementing the Electronic Single Window System in Africa. Currently, the AAEC has 18 member countries and seeks to promote the Single Window (SW) concept, in compliance with recommendations of international institutions. Kenya, through KenTrade is a member and Vice-President of the AAEC. The main objective of the AACE is to strengthen and promote the Single Window as a trade facilitation tool in Africa. "This aims to intensify cooperation and bring common projects beneficial to each individual country, but further to all economic regions," Wangora said. AAEC which is headquartered in Dakar, Senegal brings together African economies keen on promoting the concept of national and regional single windows in compliance with recommendations of international institutions. The continental body current membership is drawn from West, North, Central, East and Southern Africa. BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Environment authorities in China meted out 124,000 punishments to businesses for environment-related wrongdoings last year, with fines totaling 6.63 billion yuan (959.5 million U.S. dollars), Minister of Environmental Protection Chen Jining disclosed Thursday. The fines marked a 56-percent surge from a year earlier, Chen said at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual parliamentary session. He struck an optimistic tone on the country's efforts to tackle pollution, citing improvements in air quality over the past three years. Compared with the 2013 level, the PM2.5 density in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta all dropped by more than 30 percent in 2016, according to Chen. "The improvement shows that China is on the right path of addressing air pollution," Chen noted. However, the campaign against air pollution cannot be completed in a short period of two or three years, but will need a relatively long time, he added. In 2017, the ministry will carry out environmental inspections in another 15 provincial regions to check their pollution control efforts. China will step up law enforcement to maintain a tough stance on illegal practices, Chen said, promising "zero tolerance" on such offenses. China's revised Environmental Protection Law took effect in January 2015. The law is considered the strictest ever, imposing harsh punishment on polluters and highlighting the government's duties. ABUJA, March 9 (Xinhua) -- A Nigerian soldier died and 13 other soldiers were injured during recent anti-terrorism operations in the country's northeast region, an army spokesman confirmed on Thursday. Two other soldiers have also been declared missing by the authorities, following the operations aimed at getting rid of remnants of terrorists from their hideouts in the northern Borno State and the country's entire northeast region, Sani Usman, the army spokesman wrote in a statement. "The operations involved ambushes, cordon and search of the suspected remnants hiding places in the remote areas," he said. Efforts are underway to locate the missing soldiers, he added. The Boko Haram insurgency has been blamed for more than 20,000 deaths and displacement of 2.3 million people since 2009. Nigeria has made a considerable gain on the Boko Haram front, with its security forces operating in the restive region dislodging the Boko Haram fighters from the Sambisa Forest, the group's largest training camp in the country, last December. The security forces are intensifying aerial and ground patrol in the country's northeast, extending their offensive mission around the Green Belt Region near Niger and Chad. NEW DELHI, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Indian doctors Thursday said they have successfully operated upon an Egyptian woman, believed to be the world's heaviest at 500 kgs, at a private hospital in Mumbai. A spokesperson for Mumbai's Saifee Hospital said that 36-year-old Eman Ahmed Abd El Aty, who had lost 100 kgs since arriving in India in January, has successfully undergone the weight-loss surgery. "Eman successfully underwent a Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy. She had an uneventful surgery and anaesthesia course," said a hospital statement. It added: "She is now on oral fluids and accepting them well. We are trying to get her fit enough to fly back to Egypt as soon as possible." Eman's family says that she hasn't been able to leave home for 25 years. Eman flew in to Mumbai in February on a chartered plane. The Indian Embassy in Cairo had at first denied her visa request as she was unable to travel there in person. But the surgeon tweeted to India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj that changed. The Minister was quick to respond with an offer of help. ISLAMABAD, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Japan has announced a contribution of 7 million U.S. dollars to UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and World Food Programme (WFP) to support the Afghan Refugees and host communities in Pakistan, officials said Thursday. Pakistan has been home to millions of Afghans for more than 37 years and continues to host the world's largest protracted refugee population, the UNHCR says. Japan has allocated 3 million dollars to UNHCR for implementation of its priority interventions to provide legal assistance to refugees in the country and its programmes in education, healthcare and vocational training, a WFP statement said in Islamabad. It will, in addition to providing legal assistance to an estimated 22,500 refugees in Pakistan, support an estimated 50,000 persons from the refugee population and the communities hosting them in accessing health care and education, as well as some 210 youths who will be undergoing vocational training courses throughout Pakistan. The official announcement was made by Pakistan's Minister for States and Frontier Regions Lt. Gen. (Rtd) Abdul Qadir Baloch and the Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan Takashi Kurai during a press event held in Islamabad. The remaining 4 million dollars to WFP to support 82,389 beneficiaries including 42,874 children of 6-59 months of age and 39,515 pregnant and lactating women over the period of six months. BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- China may be about to give some civil rights to fetuses. Draft General Provisions of the Civil Law submitted to the ongoing annual session of National People's Congress (NPC) Wednesday describe the fetus as being entitled to some civil rights in terms of inheritance or gifts. If the fetus is stillborn, the capacity shall be deemed non-existent. China's civil law currently recognizes the capacity for civil rights from birth to death, effectively excluding fetuses. Some argue that recognition of a fetus can be found in Chinese tradition, where a "nominal age," still popular in rural areas and smaller cities, counts the new born as one year old. Nominal age is therefore one year more than actual age. But the draft "marks the first time for the Chinese civil law to make clear stipulations on a fetus' capacity for certain civil rights," according to Yang Lixin, a leading jurist in civil law with Renmin University of China. There is also growing consensus among legal experts that the law should afford some recognition and protection to an unborn child. "In practice, we have seen cases where a fetus' civil rights are under-protected," said Yao Jianlong, a law professor with Shanghai University of Political Science and Law. The capacity clause, however, does not mean that China will legally recognize a fetus as a human being. A fetus being regarded as having the capacity for civil rights is different from granting the fetus a right to life, said Hou Xinyi, a law professor with Tianjin University of Finance and Economics and member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Granting a fetus the right to life may impact on women's rights, said Hou. Last year, the draft went through three readings at bi-monthly sessions of the NPC Standing Committee. It is rare for a draft law not to be passed after three readings. BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- A report on human rights in the United States in 2016 was published Thursday, once again uncovering the contradictory and hypocritical nature of a nation that styles itself as a "judge of human rights." Wielding "the baton of human rights," the United States has long-busied itself casting blame for human rights abuses on any number of countries, while seemingly refusing to take a minute to reflect on the horrific human rights situation in its own country. The nation's human rights problems are a litany of high crime rates, widening income gaps, deteriorating race relations and corporate money polluting its political process. With 693 prisoners per 100,000 of the national population, the United States had the second highest incarceration rate in the world. Last year saw a total of 58,125 gun incidents of violence nationwide, including 385 mass shootings, leaving 15,039 dead and 30,589 injured. The proportion of adults who have full-time jobs in the country is at its lowest since 1983, while one in seven Americans, at least 45 million people, live in poverty. Not only has it not got its own house in order, worse still, the United States's has repeatedly and aggressively trampled on the human rights in other countries, particularly the Middle East. From Aug. 8, 2014 to Dec. 19, 2016, it launched 7,258 air strikes in Iraq and 5,828 in Syria, causing 733 incidents with an estimated number of civilian deaths between 4,568 and 6,127. It seems the old adage that those who live in glass houses should not throw stones, means little to America. It is not only the skeletons in its own cupboards that make Washington's portrayal of itself as a vehement human rights watchdog ridiculous and hypocritical. Its selective ignorance of real and continual human rights progress by a host of countries throughout the world, as well its flagrantly biased view on human rights, are equally risible. On March 3, the U.S. State Department grandly rolled out its annual report on global human rights, as ever, pointing the finger at China and a number of other countries. Not surprisingly the United States, again, sees it fit to meddle in the internal affairs of other countries in the name of human rights. Making unfounded and irresponsible accusations about human rights in China, the United States turns a blind eye to the fact that China, as the world's most populous country, has fulfilled the basic living needs of its 1.3 billion-plus people and lifted over 700 million people out of poverty. Protection of the right to development for all citizens has always been the top priority for the Chinese government. Among other efforts, China has implemented a series of laws and regulations to protect its people, especially for ethnic minorities, women, children, senior citizens and people with disabilities. China's view on human rights -- attaching great importance to the right to development -- goes in line with requirements by the United Nations. Addressing a session of the UN Human Rights Council in late February, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for more to be done to ensure equal attention to economic, social and cultural rights. The 2030 Agenda provided an ideal platform to demonstrate the commitment to all human rights, and at its core was the right to development, Guterres said. However, to serve its own political agenda, a certain long-time human rights preacher denies that the right to development is an inalienable human right, and instead unilaterally stresses political rights while ignoring economic, social and cultural rights. As a community of shared future, countries around the world should remember that human rights for all can only be improved through dialogue and cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, equality and trust, not boorish confrontation, prejudice and finger pointing. BUCHAREST, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Romania's President Klaus Iohannis said Thursday that his country believes in a strong and united European Union (EU). "What we want is a strong and united Europe," Iohannis told a press conference at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace, adding "that was and will continue to be presented as Romania's stand." "We have to achieve such consolidation together, all 27 members. That is why we have not agreed on alternatives such as a multi-speed Europe, a two-speed Europe or a Europe of concentric circles," the president said. According to him, as far as the EU future is concerned, the debates started from a white paper that provides details of five scenarios unveiled by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker "We have not reached the decision-making stage, and we cannot be sure that we will choose any of these five scenarios," said Iohannis, expecting that another scenario may emerge as more adequate, more convenient and more feasible as discussions advance. "Consolidating the European Union can only happen if cohesion among member states is strengthened instead of weakened," Iohannis told the press before he left for Brussels for a summit of the European Council on Thursday and Friday. Iohannis has several times expressed Romania's stance on the EU future in the context of Brexit. Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu also stressed that the country opposes multi-speed Europe and supports the strengthening of the European project in its current form. Last week, Juncker outlined five scenarios regarding the future of the EU post-Brexit in his White Paper, one of which envisages a two-gear Europe allowing individual member states to cooperate in specific policy areas depending on the level of progress. BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- China seriously questions the anti-dumping survey methods and decision of the European Union (EU), which announced exorbitant tariffs on steel products from China, said a commerce official on Thursday. The European Commission, the EU's executive body, announced Chinese exports of steel plate will be taxed with anti-dumping duties ranging from 65.1 percent to 73.7 percent for a five-year period on February 28. China urges the EU to fully comply with international treaty obligations under the WTO, drop the surrogate country approach and treat Chinese enterprises in a fair, impartial and non-discriminatory manner, said Sun Jiwen, a spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce at a press conference. Sun reiterated China's serious concerns over the EU's slide into trade protectionism as well as the country's firm stance on safeguarding Chinese exporters' rights. An anemic economic recovery and shrinking demand are the root causes of the plight facing global steelmakers, he said. "It is groundless to blame Chinese exports for the current difficulties in the steel industry, and protective measures will not be conducive to the development of EU industry," he said. Sun said Sino-EU steel trade is mutually beneficial as Chinese steel products facilitate the EU's infrastructure construction in times of crisis and benefit consumers and some companies. China hopes the EU can conduct trade remedy investigations and apply trade restrictions in a prudent, restrained and normal way, strictly abide by the WTO rules, and implement trade-restricting measures in a fair, impartial and transparent manner, said Sun. XI'AN, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Final preparation for the launch of China's first cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-1 has begun as the team responsible for the power system arrived at the launch center in Wenchang, south China's Hainan province on Thursday. The team will prepare the Long March-7 carrier rocket that will carry Tianzhou-1 into space. According to Liu Zhirang, head of the Sixth Research Institute of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, the difficulty lies in refueling in space. Tianzhou-1, to be launched in April, is expected to dock with the orbiting Tiangong-2 space lab three times before falling back to earth, while the latter will remain in orbit and continue its work. The Tianzhou-1 mission will complete the second phase of China's manned space program and is a crucial step for China in establishing a space station around 2022. : , , , , - 28 . KATHMANDU, March 9 (Xinhua) -- More than seven people have been killed and dozens injured in a passenger bus accident in mid-western district of Jajarkot in Nepal on Thursday evening, local media reported. The local police said the bus, carrying over 50 passengers, veered off the mountainous highway and fell some 200 meters down the road in Bherimalika Municipality. The number of deaths is yet to be ascertained as rescue efforts are underway. The ill-fated bus was heading to a local town Khara from the district headquarters Khalanga, some 580 kilometers away from the capital city. The team comprising Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and Nepal Army are involved in search and rescue in the accident site. The cause of the accident is still unclear. Road accidents are common in Nepal mostly due to poor and weak highways, syndicate in public transport system and outdated vehicles carrying maximum number of passengers. In the last Nepalese fiscal year that ended in mid-July, 5,668 accidents were reported in total by the Traffic Police. KATHMANDU, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Yu Hong on Thursday said that the Chinese government attaches great importance to upholding women's rights and interests, keeping gender equity in center. The ambassador made such remarks while addressing the reception organized by Chinese Embassy in Nepal on the occasion of International Women's Day. She claimed that development of China-Nepal relations cannot be achieved without the support from women of both countries. "We look forward to make concerted efforts with women and representatives of all walks of life in Nepal to promote the development of women's cause around the world and to promote economic and social development of our two countries", Yu said. Appreciating the role of women in social and economic progress of the country, Chinese Ambassador appreciated the participation of women in the key posts of Nepal. Hong said, "Women have occupied important positions in Nepal including the Head of the State, Chief Justice and Speaker of Parliament. This is not only the pride of women in Nepal. It is the pride of women around the world." Yu claimed that Chinese government is committed to women's development worldwide, saying as part of building 100 health projects in various countries, China has been assisting Nepal in health projects for women and children. RABAT, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) condemned on Thursday the suicide attack that targeted a wedding ceremony in Iraq's northern central province of Salahudin. Up to 26 people were killed and 24 others wounded in an overnight attack by two suicide bombers at a wedding in Iraq's northern central province of Salahudin, a provincial security source said on Thursday. ISESCO deemed in a statement the suicide terrorist attacks targeting innocent civilians as a "crime against humanity." The Islamic organ called on the Iraqi people to join hands against terrorism and foreign interference seeking to fish in troubled waters and plunge the country into a state of self-destructive anarchy, the statement added. HANOI, March 9 (Xinhua) -- People's Procuracy in Vietnam's northern Hoa Binh province on Thursday proposed 11 death penalties and eight life sentences for those involved in a transnational drug trafficking ring. The case included 23 defendants who illegally traded 1,415 heroin cakes, reported Vietnam's state-run news agency VNA on Thursday, adding that their charges are "illegal trade and storage of drugs," "illegal storage of military weapons," and "failure to report a crime." In addition to 19 death and life sentences, other defedants faced sentences of 2-20 years imprisonment. CHENGDU, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Sichuan Province, home to most of China's giant panda, is planning to relocate 172,200 people to build a panda national park, the provincial forestry department said on Thursday. The 27,134-square-kilometer park that covers parts of Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi provinces, was approved by central government earlier this year. The area in Sichuan will cover around 20,000-square-kilometer, 74 percent of the park. Seven cities and prefectures, and 19 counties are involved. About 32,300 workers and retirees in more than 1,900 mines and forests in the area will be affected, the department said. According to latest nationwide survey, China has 1,864 wild pandas and 471 in captivity. BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- China on Thursday urged parties in northern Myanmar clashes to exercise restraint and immediately cease fire in order to maintain peace and stability near the China-Myanmar border. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said China had settled and offered help to over 20,000 border area residents who fled Myanmar seeking shelter. China has taken effective measures to maintain stability in the China-Myanmar border area, he told a routine press briefing. China condemns the harming of innocent civilians in the armed clashes in northern Myanmar, he said. China is seriously concerned over the conflict and urges parties to be restrained, cease fire, avoid escalation of conflicts and take effective measures to resume peace and stability in the border area, Geng said. China supports the peace process in Myanmar, he said, calling for parties to solve disputes through dialogue and peaceful means. Armed clashes broke out Monday before dawn in Laukkai, a main town of the Kokang region in Myanmar's northern Shan state, with Kokang's Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army launching an offensive on Laukkai, resulting in dozens of casualties, including civilians. A pickup truck, filled with a family's belongings, leaves the border area in northern Sinai, where authorities are battling insurgents on the high way between Al-Arish and the border town of Rafah, Egypt, May 25, 2015.(REUTERS Photo) CAIRO, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The Egyptian military and security forces arrested 70 suspects during raids over the past two days in restive North Sinai province bordering Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip, a military spokesman said Thursday. "The forces also killed an extremist during his attempt to plant an explosive device on one of the patrol roads and found and destroyed six other explosive devices prepared to target our forces during their movement," the spokesman, Tamer al-Refaay, said in the statement. During the raids, two main smuggling tunnels, two hideouts of terrorist elements and three motorbikes were also destroyed, he said. On Sunday, security forces killed 11 militants and arrested 34 others in a similar campaign in Central Sinai, the southern part of North Sinai province. In mid-February, at least three Egyptian soldiers were killed in Central Sinai's Mount Halal area when their armored vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb. Three militants were killed and three others arrested in subsequent fighting. Anti-government terror attacks in Egypt have killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since the mid-2013 military removal of former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in response to mass protests against his one-year rule. Later, security crackdown on Morsi's supporters killed about 1,000 of them. Thousands others were arrested and Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood group was designated as a "terrorist organization." Most of the terrorist attacks nationwide, particularly those in Sinai, have been claimed by a Sinai-based outfit that pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group. Security campaigns in Sinai have killed hundreds of militants and arrested a similar number of suspects over the past few years as part of the country's anti-terror war declared by former army chief and current President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi following Morsi's ouster. Egypt's military intelligence chief, Gen. Mohamed Farag al-Shahhat, said during a military-held symposium in earlier February that at least 500 extremely dangerous terrorists have been killed since a massive anti-terror campaign, known as "The Martyr's Right," started in September 2015. by Christine Lagat NAIROBI, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Countries in East Africa in conjunction with their multilateral partners must invest in vibrant early warning systems to enhance their response to recurrent droughts, a senior UN environment official said. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Deputy Executive Director Ibrahim Thiaw also blamed climate change for the current drought that poses new threats to regional stability, peace and development. "Droughts have always existed in this part of the world and what is new is their frequency and severity. Countries must build strong early warning systems to boost their preparedness to drought," Thiaw told Xinhua in an interview in Nairobi on Wednesday. The UNEP contends that an estimated 17 million people are staring at starvation in the East and Horn of Africa region due to a prolonged dry spell that escalated early this year. "Both East Africa and the Sahel region are vulnerable to climate change impacts like floods and droughts. It is difficult to predict them and their damage to the economy is huge," Thiaw said. He underscored the role of climate resilient farming systems to cushion East African communities from hunger and malnutrition. "We can put in place systems to alert farmers on impending droughts in order to enhance their preparedness and reduce damage," said Thiaw, adding that policy reforms are key to strengthening climate resilience in the eastern Africa region. The Eastern African region must brace itself for ecological, health and economic devastation occasioned by rising temperatures. Thiaw stressed that a pragmatic approach is required to minimize impacts of droughts in a region where vast majority of people depend on nature based assets to survive. "If people are aware of looming droughts, they will take mitigation measures," Thiaw remarked, adding timely alerts will enable communities and humanitarian agencies to respond better to famine UNEP has championed adoption of new innovations revolving around weather prediction, green farming and clean energy to strengthen resilience of local communities in the eastern African region in the face of climate change. Thiaw urged governments in the region to invest in climate resilient infrastructure and industries to prevent losses that are linked to severe droughts and flooding. "We need to ask ourselves what kind of roads and ports that we can build in the light of sea level rise," said Thiaw, adding that climate resilient cities will withstand challenges like flooding and spread of communicable diseases. Thiaw noted that China has technology and expertise that countries in the region can harness to enhance their drought responses. He singled out Chinese expertise in reclamation of deserts alongside satellite technology as areas that East African nations could tap and boost their capacity to respond to droughts. BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The building of China's second aircraft carrier is in good shape as the hull blocks have been joined in the dock, said a senior navy official. Wang Weiming, deputy chief of staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy, told Xinhua on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC) that the carrier is now awaiting fitting. China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, is a refitted former Soviet Union-made carrier. The second carrier, with a displacement of 50,000 tonnes, will be a base for J-15 fighters and other aircraft, according to a Defense Ministry spokesperson who confirmed its building -- completely on China's own -- in a press briefing in December 2015. Wang, an NPC deputy, said the development of the marines is being accelerated, while the fleet of naval destroyers and frigates is growing bigger and stronger, and the navy will step up air and sea patrols. "We will intercept any intruding aircraft and follow every military vessel in areas under our responsibility," Wang said. "Our sailors should stay vigilant and be able to deal with emergencies at all times." Another NPC deputy Li Yanming, political commissar of the Navy's armaments department, said a first-class navy should be equipped with first-class armaments. He vowed better quantity, quality, scope, and functionality of naval armament manufacturing in 2017. A third NPC deputy Wang Huayong, deputy political commissar of the Eastern Theater Command, allayed fears surrounding China's increasing naval power. "Our entire forces are for defense purposes," Wang said. "The aircraft carrier is still in training and trial stage. The marines remain weak, and the number and quality of long-distance vessels do not meet expectations." He said China's navy is not seeking to be a bully or trying to build a force beyond a level compatible with the country's development. In fact, the military still lags behind China's current power and status, he said. "We have never gone to the doorstep of others to show off our military power," he said. "The construction on the South China Sea islands are mostly civilian in nature, a right bestowed by the international law." China's navy development contributes to a peaceful and stable world, he added. GUANGZHOU, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese divers swept all four synchronized event titles on the opening day of the FINA/NVC Diving World Series 2017 here on Thursday. Ren Qian/Chang Yani claimed victory in the women's 10m synchro platform with 347.82 points, followed by Kim Kuk Hyang/Kim Mi Rae of DPR Korea 339.72 and Pandelela Pamg/Jun Hoong Cheong of Malaysia 332.46, respectively. "Our synchronization is better than the first time we performed in Beijing leg, but we also made some mistakes on our individual side. For me, the most important thing is to try to make clean entry," said the 16-year-old Ren, Rio Olympic champion in women's platform. Olympic champion Chen Aisen and his new partner Yang Hao dominated the men's 10m synchro platform in 463.71 though had some mistakes in two dives. Patrick Hausding/Sascha Klein of Germany, took the silver 437.94 and Viktor Minibaev/Aleksandr Bondar of Russia came to third 429.03. As a native from Guangzhou, Chen admitted he felt nervous to compete at home turf. "It is my first time to compete in an event, an international event at home. I felt nervous in front of the local fans. But I enjoy the feeling as the real 'host' diver," Chen said. Two-time Olympic champion Shi Tingmao showed her supremacy in the women's 3m synchro springboard with her new partner Xu Zhihuan, winning 345.00 points. Maddison Keeney/Anabelle Smith of Australia came to second 318.66 and Jennifer Abel/Melissa Citrini Beaulieu of Canada finished third 311.34. "I am very glad that I come back to this venue again for the second time. Seven years ago, I competed my first international event - Asian Games - and won my first gold medal. It brings me sweet memory and just like a new start to compete here again. The total score today is very high that closes to what we did in Rio Olympic Games when veteran Wu Minxia and I won the event. However, I did not show my best. I should make my entry cleaner, "Shi said. The men's 3m synchro springboard title went to Cao Yuan/Xie Siyi for a total of 466.02. Jack Laugher/Chris Mears of Britain took the silver 450.60 and Illia Zakharov/Evgenii Kuznetsov of Russia third 430.86. The Russian pair also collected the day-high 93.48 points for their last dive 109C and helped them to the podium. "We improved in some detailed techniques here from the faults we did in Beijing. We are always learning and improving. For me, I am not afraid of failure since there are many competitive divers in the world. I want to take the challenges and become tougher and tougher through hard battles," Olympic champion Cao said. FINA/NVC Diving World Series include four meets, as Beijing (China, Mar 3-5), Guangzhou(China, March 9-11), Kazan (Russia, March 31 - April 2) and Windsor (Canada, April 21-23). DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian President John Magufuli on Thursday appealed to the United Nations to continue its support in bringing about peace and political stability in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). Magufuli made the appeal to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres when he made a stopover on his way from Kenya to New York, the headquarters of the UN. The president said the recent instability in the two countries has created refugees' influx in Tanzania and its neighbors, calling for the need to restore political stability. The message to the UN chief was delivered by the east African nation's Minister for Foreign Affairs Augustine Mahiga. Mahiga said as the chair the East African Community (EAC), Tanzania was hopeful with the progress made in the mediation process in Burundi under the leadership of President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and facilitated by former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa. Mahiga also told Guterres that the forthcoming EAC Summit was expected to receive a progress report on the mediation process. With regards to the DR Congo, Mahiga revealed that the Southern African Development Community (SADC) was intending to include the agenda of political transition in DR Congo, whereby SADC member states were expecting positive deliberations. Tanzania is the current chair of the SADC organ of political, defense and security with the mandate to support the achievement and maintenance of peace and security as well as the rule of law in the SADC region. For his part, Guterres praised Tanzania for its ability to uphold principles of good governance in the country as well as maintaining peace and creating a peaceful environment in the EAC and SADC regions. Guterres commended President Magufuli's efforts in the Burundi peace process, and his readiness to host refugees from Burundi, emphasizing the role played by regional communities in Africa in resolving leadership crisis in African countries. "The United Nations appreciates the work done by President Mkapa in Burundi under the EAC and its leadership. If the region come together the way EAC has done in the case of Burundi, I am sure together they will be able to establish lasting solutions," said the former UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Magufuli met Guterres during the AU Summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa early this year, where the two leaders exchanged cordial discussions about various issues concerning the region. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang joins a panel discussion with deputies to the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) from Shaanxi Province at the annual session of the NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 9, 2017. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Premier Li Keqiang and other leaders on Thursday discussed economic upgrading, Belt and Road Initiative, people's congress system, poverty alleviation, anti-corruption campaign and other topics with national lawmakers. They joined deputies to the National People's Congress (NPC) in separate panel discussions at the NPC annual session. Joining NPC deputies from Shaanxi Province, Premier Li called for developing high-end equipment manufacturing, information industry, modern logistics and rural e-commerce. Tourism and culture should also be boosted to create more jobs. The provincial government should further streamline administration, delegate power to lower levels, improve services, play well the province's role as a key junction in implementing the Belt and Road Initiative, and take a lead in the development of China's western region. Joining lawmakers from Jiangsu Province, Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, said people's congresses at various levels should implement the decisions made by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee to ensure effective state governance under the Party's leadership. He called for innovation in theory and practice of the people's congress system, which is China's fundamental political system. Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, joined NPC deputies from Guizhou Province in a panel discussion. Yu urged the province to continue optimizing the environment for developing private businesses, invigorating the private economy, and supporting private businesses' efforts to speed up transformation and upgrading. Yu also highlighted targeted poverty alleviation, stressing more effective measures, enhanced implementation of policies and mobilization of all resources to win the battle against poverty. Wang Qishan, secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, joined NPC deputies from Yunnan Province, calling for advancing the anti-corruption campaign, which accords with the aspirations of the Party and the people. Calling inspections a kind of "political checkup," Wang said undesirable working styles including formalism and bureaucratism during the implementation of CPC Central Committee decisions must be rooted out. Senior officials at key positions must guard against perfunctory working style and endeavor in a pragmatic way to live up to the people's expectations, he said. Joining lawmakers from Chongqing Municipality, Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli highlighted the city's role as a strategic pivot in China's "Go West" strategy and asked the municipal government to actively fit into the Belt and Road Initiative and the Yangtze River Economic Belt. He also urged Chongqing to push forward the supply-side structural reform, promote innovation-driven development and high-end manufacturing, coordinate rural and urban development, and protect the Three Gorges Reservoir and the Yangtze River. Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli are all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. HANGZHOU, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Construction of a new high-speed rail link between east China's cities of Hangzhou and Wenzhou began on Thursday and is expected to be complete by 2021. The Hangzhou-Wenzhou line stretches about 331 km and is China's first public-private partnership PPP funded high-speed railway project by the National Development and Reform Commission, with the private sector having holding status. Upon completion, travel time between two cities will be more than halved from 2.5 hours to about one hour. Passengers can also transfer to Beijing and south China's Guangdong Province via the the new line. The Wenzhou-Hangzhou high-speed railway is part of a national initiative to establish a modern, integrated transportation system laid out in the country's 13th five-year plan (2016-2020). China has the world's largest high-speed rail network, stretching more than 22,000 km, while its total rail network is over 124,000 km. By 2020, the length of high-speed railways in operation is expected to be around 30,000 km, connecting more than 80 percent big cities. NAIROBI, March 9 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan said Thursday said the upcoming national prayers initiated by President Salva Kiir geared toward achieving forgiveness and reconciliation in the war-torn country is genuine and devoid of partisan politics. The minister of information Michael Makuei told journalists in the capital Juba, that the national prayer slated for March 10, and to be preceded by the much touted national dialogue is open to all South Sudanese with divergent views on condition they denounced violence. "President Kiir has declared that before we launch our national dialogue let us repent, forgive one another and ask God for forgiveness because we have sinned," he said. "Without us repenting, definitely this national dialogue will be meaningless. So we need to repent, forgive one another so that we enter the national dialogue in peace," he added. Makuei disclosed that national dialogue initiated in December 2016 will be open, inclusive and seeks to collect views from all South Sudanese that will be forwarded to the president for implementation. "All the categories (South Sudanese) are welcome to attend. This is inclusive of those who have decided to take up arms and fight the government. But for those who have taken up arms they need to lay down their arms and denounce violence," he said. The armed opposition (SPLA-IO) led by the exiled former First Vice President Riek Machar criticized the dialogue as political decoy geared at consolidating the Kiir regime, and instead called for resuscitation of the fragile 2015 peace agreement to end the more than three years of conflict. Kiir replaced Machar as First Vice President with his former chief negotiator Taban Deng. And the two partners have since formed the transitional unity government, despite defection of top officials recently vowing to topple the Kiir regime from power. "We are not saying we are negotiating with rebels, but we the people of South Sudan are the ones who will sit and dialogue among ourselves. And any outlaw (rebel) who accepts dialogue should put down his arms and join us," Makuei said. South Sudan descended into violence in December 2013, following political dispute between president Salva Kiir and former vice president Riek Machar resulting in killing of tens of thousands and displacement of more than two million. However, renewed July fighting in 2016 threatened to tear apart the fragile 2015 peace agreement to end the conflict. Visitors ride camels in the Crescent Spring and Singing Sand Dune scenic site of Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, on Feb. 1, 2017.(Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoliang) BERLIN, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese travel agencies on Wednesday charmed tourism dealers at a key travel trade show in Berlin, featuring the Silk Road destinations. Chinese provincial tourism administrations from Shanghai, Hunan, Inner Mongolia and Shandong, as well as Chinese airliners participated in the Internationale Tourismus Boerse (ITB), which will last from March 8 to March 12 with an expected 180,000 attendees. Destinations in West China's regions of Shaanxi and Xinjiang are drawing extra attention, as tourists can enjoy the convenience in the modern cities while traversing moments in history. Although modern big cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, still stay on top of the holiday destinations, the Silk Road spots like Lanzhou, Dunhuang, Xi'an have become increasingly heated in recent years, said Shi Xiang, Frankfurt-based regional director of China National Tourism Administration (CNTA). Some selected travel routes are along the historical Silk Road, an ancient network of trade routes connecting East and West, offering a similar experience as "the early explorers". People can ride horses, camels and accommodate in gers just like the local herdsmen. Viktoria Arneson, a 28-year-old travel expert, said the cities on promotion might well suit the taste of western travelers, since lots of them are "adventurous". "For me, I like grand landscapes, for example sea, steppe, desert. The Silk Road route have those landscapes and seems to be exotic," Arneson said. For many German exhibitors and dealers, taking a trip along the ancient trade route is even more luring, since the term Silk Road itself is coined by German geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen, who made seven expeditions to China from 1,868 to 1,872. According to a preliminary report by CNTA, foreign travelers made more than 28 million visits into China in 2016, with a year-on-year growth of 8.3 percent. BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- A graft fugitive returned to China from the United States Thursday to turn himself in, according to the Communist Party of China's disciplinary watchdog. Wang Jiazhe, born in December 1961, was a former employee of "Liaoning Daily" in northeast China's Liaoning Province. He fled to the United States in January 2000 after being accused of contract fraud, according to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. He was number 40 on China's top 100 fugitives listed in an Interpol "red notice" and the 39th to be returned so far. China launched its "Sky Net" campaign in April 2015, aiming to bring back 100 suspects accused of economic crimes who have fled overseas. With the space for graft and power abuse considerably narrowed at home after years of anti-corruption efforts, China is increasingly looking for international cooperation in apprehending suspects overseas. GAZA, March 9 (Xinhua) -- A senior Islamic Hamas movement official said on Thursday that his movement is seeking to self-manage the various Palestinian ministries responsible for daily affairs in the Gaza Strip. The move came "after the current Palestinian consensus government of Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah is shunning Gaza Strip and marginalize it," Sala el-Bardaweel, a senior Hamas leader, told reporters. Mohamed al-Ghoul, a Hamas lawmaker in the Hamas-controlled Palestinian Legislative Council, which has been inoperative since 2007, said the parliament will convene soon to discuss the issue. Hamas is the only group that convenes the parliament in Gaza, while other factions, mainly Fatah of President Mahmoud Abbas, boycott the sessions. Meanwhile, another senior Hamas official, who asked to remain anonymous, told Xinhua that a relevant administrative committee has been formed. Hamas violently seized control of the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2007, after weeks of fighting with Abbas' security forces. Since then, an internal political and geographical division over administrative, financial and security issues has remained between the two sides despite a series of Arab and international mediations. ADDIS ABABA, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Marking the International Women's Day, spouses at the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia on Thursday provided donation to a children center in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa. The donation has been made to Kebebe Tsehay Center (girls' center), one of the four children centers under the watch of the Addis Ababa City Administration Women and Children Affairs Bureau (AACAWCAB), which provide holistic services to orphanages and vulnerable children in the city. The donation from the spouses of Chinese diplomatic mission includes among others washing machines, schoolbags, foods, sanitary materials, balls, pens and pencils. Speaking on the occasion, Alemtsehay Elias, Head of the Addis Ababa City Administration Women and Children Affairs Bureau, noted that many developing countries are unable to invest resources in sufficient manner due to various reasons. Cognizant of all the complicated problems of children in the country, the government of Ethiopia has been taking various measures, including the establishment of a responsible institution to lead, follow, and coordinate stakeholders to ensure Ethiopian children's rights and welfare. Reiterating that remarkable achievements have been attained by the Ethiopian government in the endeavor to ensure sustainable development in the country, the Head underlined the need to do more towards ensuring the rights and welfare of children. She called for contribution from partners like China to support the country's endeavors in addressing problems with vulnerable children. Alemtsehay has also thanked the Chinese Embassy for the material support to the children center. "I express my heartfelt gratitude for your material support. This shows as you (China) are our true partner in achieving our development endeavor," she said, adding "I hope this event will be the beginning for our further continued partnership on vulnerable children and other issues." Speaking on the occasion, Lin Zhimin, Counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia, said the government of Ethiopia and its people have done a lot to help vulnerable children in the country. Stating that it is traditional Chinese virtue to help and support those who are in need, Lin said the Chinese would do everything they can do to bring their warm heart to children. She said the Chinese would always stand with the Ethiopian people to support their endeavors in addressing and overcoming difficulties with vulnerable children. "The government of Ethiopia and its people have done a lot to help the children here. And many Ethiopians are helping them. As brothers and sisters, we will be with you hand in hand, shoulder by shoulder to help these children; we would like to overcome difficulties together with you. We are always behind you," she said. According to Yonas Tesfaye, Director for Children's Care, Support and Rehabilitation Service Delivery at AACAWCAB, the children centers under the watch of the Bureau provide holistic services and basic needs like food, shelter, clothes, health, education and psychological support. "This is the compound for girls. About 250 children of ages between 8 and 18 are here; and these children are vulnerable to various problems. They are orphans; or even if they have parents, they have difficulties due to parents' health problem or other reasons," said Yonas. by Peter Mertz LAS VEGAS, the United States, March 9 (Xinhua) -- A decade ago, China's Sany Heavy Equipment Company was barely on the radar as a global construction equipment manufacturer. In 2004, the Changsha-based company was ranked the 43rd in the world in equipment sales, according to China Construction Business website. And despite the construction boom of the 1990s, China's heavy equipment manufacturers had a mere 1.6 percent global market share, worth just 841 million U.S. dollars by the end of the millennium. But by 2011, that market share climbed to 16 percent and was worth 30.6 billion U.S. dollars, according to ForConstructionPros.com. Sany had nudged its way into the No. 6 spot past American giants John Deere and Terex, and right behind were Chinese companies Zoomlion and XCMG. The Chinese were on a roll. "Our projections for 2017 show us doubling U.S. sales from 50 million U.S. dollars to 100 million," Wan Chun Zhou, Sany's General Manager, told Xinhua Wednesday here at the 2017 ConExpo show, the world largest equipment show of the year. During the past weak years due to global economic stagnation, Chinese construction heavyweights turned to Plan B. The first to anticipate the market drop was Zoomlion, which bought Italy's concrete giant CIFA in 2008 for 422 million dollars. In 2012, China's other two equipment leaders followed suit: Sany bought Germany's Putzmeister for 472 million U.S. dollars, and XCMG acquired German equipment manufacturer Schwing. "There was still a technological gap between China and Europe, and the CIFA acquisition was a key development for Chinese industry," Zoomlion Vice-President Yanming Xiong told Xinhua. Zoomlion's move solidified the company's long-term goal "to enter the high-end markets of the U.S. and Europe," Xiong said. Meanwhile, Sany was busy with an alternative approach toward penetrating lucrative western markets. In 2007, Sany broke ground on a 400,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in Peachtree City, Georgia, that today not only assembles excavators, but also supports the 60 distributorships and dealers it had recruited to sell its machines. Most importantly, Sany is employing 100 American workers, and not outsourcing the labor back to China. "They are smart to copy the Japanese model," said Benjamin Austin, 65, a 40-year veteran of the construction equipment industry. Austin, who runs a heavy equipment company in Draper, Utah, thought the key to Japan's success in the American market was basing plants on U.S. soil that hire Americans. "That diminishes the appearance of outsourcing American jobs, that has never been more critical toward business success than it is now," Austin added. Beneath the hot sun and Nevada desert heat, Austin pointed to the thousands of pieces of heavy equipment covering 2,500,000 square feet of space and said, "it all boils down to one thing: dependability." Both Zoomlion and Sany follow one, same roadmap carefully -- the need to follow and adopt local laws and technical standards, including emissions controls. "For this market, many strict standards could be a barrier to Chinese companies, but they are catching up with them, very fast," Doug Peyton, a dealer from California told Xinhua. BRUSSELS, March 9 (Xinhua) -- French President Francois Hollande said upon his arrival at the European Council spring summit on Thursday that Donald Tusk should be re-elected in the interest of continuity and stability at a time when the European Union (EU) was under pressure. German Chancellor Angela Merkel also supported Tusk's bid for a second term. She said that the re-election of Tusk was a sign of stability for the entire EU. At the beginning of the meeting which will start later on Thursday, Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, representing the Maltese presidency of the Council of EU, will chair the election process of the President of the European Council for the period from June 1, 2017 to November 30, 2019. Tusk's home country Poland proposed Polish Member of European Parliament Jacek Saryusz-Wolski for the position. Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo said on his arrival at the summit that his country strongly opposes the re-election of Tusk. BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Economic relations with China have brought substantial benefits to the United States, creating jobs and profits for U.S. businesses, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Thursday. China is not the sole beneficiary of Sino-U.S. economic ties, which are win-win by nature, MOC spokesperson Sun Jiwen told a press briefing. He noted that exports of goods from the United States to China had risen by an annual average of 11 percent in the past decade, making China its fastest-growing export market outside North America. From 2001 to 2016, U.S. exports of services to China increased 15 fold, with the U.S. service trade surplus rising 29 fold, he said. In addition, trade and investment with China supported roughly 2.6 million jobs in the United States in 2015, said Sun, citing statistics from the US-China Business Council. As of the end of 2016, non-financial investment in the United States by Chinese enterprises amounted to around 50 billion U.S. dollars, which provided nearly 100,000 jobs across 44 states, according to Sun. U.S. investment in China has also benefited American firms, 90 percent of which were profitable, as shown by a US-China Business Council survey last year. Sino-U.S. trade volume grew from 2.5 billion dollars in 1979 to about 520 billion dollars in 2016, while mutual investment exceeded 170 billion dollars by the end of 2016. People pass by the Huawei stand during the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, Nov. 15, 2016. (Xinhua/Pau Barrena) MADRID, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Huawei, China Mobile, Deutsche Telecom and Volkswagen on Wednesday gave their vision of the future of 5G networks with the publication of the book "5G Service Guaranteed Network Slicing", Huawei Spain informed in a statement. In the book, the main network providers, operators and their partners explore new business models made possible by the evolution of the current mobile network into the 5G era. The arrival of 5G ultra-wide broadband will allow progress in the world of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the "generation of new industry on an unprecedented scale", the statement said. It will also allow for the growth of other services, such as mobile health services, internet of vehicles, intelligent homes and industries, and better environmental control. The arrival of 5G will bring connectivity to billions of new mobile devices, requiring greater flexibility in network management to cope with the new range of services, with many cloud-based services, using a technique called "network slicing" which allows a network to be segmented to support various different services and business needs. "Huawei is making an effort to build a totally connected and 'cloudified' world through 5G," explained Yang Chaobin, president of Huawei's 5G product line. "5G network slicing allows us to have a logical isolated network based on mobile networks to give different services in the future. Operators, providers, and vertical industries will have to cooperate and open the way for the commercialization of this technology," he said. ANTANANARIVO, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Cyclone Enawo has killed six people and displaced 12,321 others in Madagascar since it hit the northern coast on Tuesday, said a government office on Thursday. Some 305 houses were flooded throughout the Madagascar, according to provisional data published by the national office of risk and disaster management (BNGRC). Analanjirofo, the eastern region of the country, was the most affected with more than 7,000 people removed from their houses. All schools were closed on Wednesday and Thursday in the country but students will resume courses on Friday, the communication office of the Ministry of Education said. Data from the Ministry of Education said that three students were killed, two schools were damaged while 11 others were flooded. Sixty-five classrooms were completely destroyed, 50 were severely damaged, and 54 others were dismantled following the passage of cyclone Enawo in Madagascar, the website of the Ministry of Education said. National roads number 2 linking the capital to Toamasina northeast of the country, and the national road 25 southeast of the country, were cut amid the rise of water, the BNGRC said. The capital Antananarivo was in red alert, especially for the plain crossed by the main rivers of Ikopa, Sisaony and Mamba. Several dozen localities were flooded. In Maroantsetra, in the north of the country, where Enawo brought gusts of 300 km per hour and winds of 205 km per hour on Tuesday, three others, including two children, were killed, BNGRC added. Madagascar's government held a special meeting Thursday morning, according to a communication from the presidency. More than 50 common sites have been installed to host more than 10,000 homeless. Cyclone Enawo continue to weaken and causes gusts of 60 km per hour and winds reaching 50 km per hour. It is expected to go out to sea in the Anosy region, southeast of the country Thursday evening around 10:00 p.m. local time. Enawo is the sixth cyclone of the current cyclonic season of Madagascar between Nov. 1, 2016 and May 31, 2017. Enditem EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker addresses a press conference at the end of the first day of the EU spring summit in Brussels, Belgium, on March 9, 2017. The European Council kicked off its spring summit on Thursday afternoon. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan) BRUSSELS, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The European Council kicked off its spring summit on Thursday afternoon. This is the first European Council summit held in the Europa building and the European Union (EU) leaders are gathering in the two-day summit to look at a number of the most pressing issues, including economy, security, migration and the situation in Western Balkans. At the beginning of the meeting on Thursday, Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, representing the Maltese presidency of the Council of EU, will chair the election process of the President of the European Council for the period from June 1, 2017 to November 30, 2019. The incumbent President Tusk's first mandate will end on May 31, 2017. His home country Poland proposed Polish Member of European Parliament Jacek Saryusz-Wolski for the position. As EU now is facing increasing challenges, the Council will focus on the future path of the bloc. The leaders will debate the European Commission's Future of Europe White Paper, which was unveiled last week by its president Jean-Claude Juncker. As usual, the summit will focus on jobs, growth and competitiveness. The leaders will discuss the economic situation in Europe, trade policy and progress on deepening the single market. They will also discuss migration issues and reaffirm the bloc's commitment to strengthening its external security and defence. Besides, the council will review the current situation in the Western Balkans and recall its support to the European perspective of the region. Later on Friday, the 27 leaders will hold an informal meeting to prepare for the 60th anniversary of the Rome Treaties. The aim of the meeting is to discuss the content of the Rome declaration on the future of the EU that they are expected to adopt in Rome. VIENTIANE, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Lao Asia-Pacific Satellite Co., Ltd. has signed agreements with the Kanboon Sompraingarm Co., Ltd. of Thailand to broadcast its Lamkhong television channel through the Lao Sat-1 satellite as well as distribute Laosat HD satellite receivers. Kanboon Sompraingarm Co., Ltd., one of several companies interested in the television broadcasting service offered through the Lao Sat-1 satellite, has signed an agreement to transmit the Lamkhong TV channel for one year, reported Lao state-run media Vientiane Times on Thursday. The Thai company also agreed to cooperate in distributing their satellite receivers. The Laosat HD satellite receivers will facilitate television broadcasting through DTH satellite communication where 60 television channels, including six Lao channels, are already housed. The satellite receivers are also serving many television programs being broadcast from foreign countries including those channels produced in-country. After the Lao Sat-1 was launched in 2015, its operations were trialled for two months before it officially began commercial services in March 2016. So far, companies from Indonesia, Thailand, and China have signed agreements to rent space on the country's first telecommunications satellite while others have expressed interest and will monitor the future operation of the satellite. The satellite was designed, developed and delivered into orbit by China. The total project amounted to 259 million U.S. dollars and is expected to have a working life of 15 years. The satellite is helping to drive Laos' economy by providing internet and television programmes, especially to families in more remote mountainous regions, according to Vientiane Times. Enditem RABAT, March 9 (Xinhua) -- the Moroccan police arrested on Thursday two people with links to the Islamic State (IS) group in the city of Casablanca, the Interior ministry said in a statement. According to the statement, the suspects planned to carry out terrorist operations in Morocco and had begun to acquire devices used in making explosives. This operation has allowed the seizure of copper cables, a thermometer, electric batteries, a bottle containing a suspect liquid, a bag of powder and other equipment suspected of being used in manufacturing explosives, the statement pointed out. The arrested people will be brought to justice once the investigation is completed, it noted. The north African kingdom has seen a growing threat from terror groups, especially IS. According to official figures, Morocco busted 19 terrorist cells and arrested 273 suspects in 2016, most of them linked to the group, which control large swaths of Syria and Iraq. MOSCOW, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Russia is committed to its obligations under the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty), Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday. His remarks came after the Vice Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Paul Selva told Congress Wednesday that Russia violated the "spirit and intent" of the INF pact by deploying a banned land-based cruise missile. The treaty, signed by American and Soviet leaders in 1987, prohibits both countries from testing, producing and possessing land-based intermediate-range missiles. It was deemed as a corner stone of global arms control and helped end the Cold War. "Russia fully complies with the INF treaty, although it does not totally meet our interests," Peskov was quoted by RIA Novosti as saying. Also on Thursday, Viktor Ozerov, chairman of the defense committee of Russia's upper house of parliament, said Russia strictly observes the arms control treaty and called the repeated U.S. accusations groundless. "Let them present the facts of these violations. We have heard enough baseless conversations lately," Ozerov said. Worries about a new arms race between Russia and the United States have risen after U.S. President Donald Trump proposed last month to raise its 2018 military and security spending by 54 billion U.S. dollars. In December last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his annual year-end press conference that Russia would continue to boost its nuclear triad, a set of advanced armaments consisting of land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, strategic bombers and submarine-launched ballistic missiles. "There is concern over the possibility of a new arms race unfolding in Europe," German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said at a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Thursday. ADEN, Yemen, March 9 (Xinhua) -- A mid-level commander from the Yemen-based al-Qaida branch was killed on Thursday during a U.S. drone strike in the country's southern province of Abyan, a military official told Xinhua. The unmanned U.S. aircraft bombed a four-wheel drive vehicle on a road by the Wadia district of southern Abyan province, killing the group's mid-level commander on the spot, the military source said on condition of anonymity. The al-Qaida commander was identified as Qassim Khalil and according to the source he masterminded several terrorist attacks in the war-torn Arab country in the past few months. The mountainous areas in Shabwa and Abyan provinces have been the scene of U.S. drone attacks and clashes between Yemeni security forces and militants from the Yemen-based al-Qaida branch since the terrorist group emerged in the country eight years ago. The militant group has yet to comment or confirm the death of one of its local leaders the latest U.S. drone strike targeted. The impoverished Arab country of Yemen has been gripped by one of the most active regional Al-Qaida insurgencies in the Middle East. The Yemen-based Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), also known locally as "Ansar al-Sharia," emerged in Jan. 2009, claiming responsibility for a number of terrorist attacks against Yemen's army and governmental institutions. The AQAP and the IS-linked terrorists took advantage of the security vacuum and ongoing civil war to further their influence and seize more territories in southern Yemen. Security in Yemen has deteriorated since March 2015, when war broke out between the Shiite Houthi group, supported by former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, and government forces backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition. Over 10,000 people have been killed in ground battles and airstrikes since then, many of them civilians. PYONGYANG, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) late Thursday rejected a statement by the United Nations Security Council that condemned the nation's ballistic missile launch earlier this week. In a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency, a spokesman for the Strategic Force of the Korean People's Army (KPA) said, "there is no country in the world whose army responsible for the defense of the state takes into account the approval of the UN or article of the international convention when staging exercises." "We have never acknowledged the illegal 'resolution' cooked up by the U.S. and its vassal forces," said the KPA. The "largest-ever nuclear war drills against the north" held by Washington and Seoul "are finding fault with the regular and just drill of the KPA for defending sovereignty," said the statement. The UN Security Council Tuesday called on the DPRK to "refrain from further actions, including nuclear tests, in violation of the relevant Security Council resolutions, and comply fully with its obligations under these resolutions." The 15-nation UN body said the March 5 missile launches "are in grave violation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's international obligations" under relevant Security Council resolutions. The United States and South Korea are holding the two-month joint military exercises "the Foal Eagle," which Pyongyang says are the largest ever drills in preparation for war on the Korean Peninsula. RABAT, March 9 (Xinhua) -- A Moroccan appeals court sentenced on Wednesday nine people to a maximum of 20 years in prison for terror-related crimes. The nine people, arrested in anti-terrorism raids last year, were convicted for "forming a gang to commit terrorist attacks within the framework of a collective plot to seriously undermine public order, possessing arms and praising terrorist acts," the court said. Among the culprits is French national Thomas Gallay, a 37-year-old IT engineer, who was found guilty of providing technical support to the cell and sentenced to four years in prison in the final verdict. Enditem VIENTIANE, March 9 (Xinhua) -- As many as 21 photos shot by Lao students are being exhibited to mark the International Women's Day. The exhibition opened Thursday in Lao capital Vientiane with the participation of students in an awareness raising campaign themed "All Women Are Working Women". The project is supported by UNWOMEN and the International Labor Organization. The resulting images show the full bandwidth of female labor in Laos including mothers, nurses, street vendors and weavers. "The students understand the importance of International Women's Day. They are aware that their lives are intertwined," Principal of Vientiane High School Viengsouvanh Phaxaysombath was quoted by Lao state-run news agency KPL as saying on Thursday. In Laos, female participation in work life is very high, with women representing half of the total labor force. However, more than 64 percent of economically active women and girls are identified as "unpaid family workers", according to KPL. Mothers often carry a double burden, working long hours during the day and caring for their family and managing household chores at night. On average, women earn only two-thirds of what men do, and are underrepresented in decision making processes and leading positions, said the report. "We have made good progress in gender equality, but not yet enough. Women deserve to have equal share in pay and decision making," said UN Resident Coordinator Ferderika Meijer. "The high proportion of women in the workforce needs to be matched with equal access to rights in the workplace, fair pay and adequate working hours for women partaking in the informal sector," said Vice President of the Lao Women's Union Bundith Prathoumvanh. The exhibition is scheduled to last till March 15. KIEV, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine has received a total of 400 million euros (about 423 million U.S. dollars) in humanitarian aid from the European Union (EU) since the conflict in its eastern regions erupted, local media reported Thursday. The assistance was divided equally between people living on both sides of the contact line in east Ukraine, Jean-Louis de Brouwer, director of operations of the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department, told reporters during his visit to the Donetsk region. The money was channeled through international humanitarian agencies, including the UN Refugee Agency, the International Committee of Red Cross and non-government organization People in Need, he said. The EU assistance, which is often distributed in the form of cash and vouchers, is designed to cover urgent needs of the most vulnerable groups of conflict-affected people, including medicines, water and shelter. According to the UN estimations, the conflict between government troops and pro-independence insurgents, which has raged in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions since April 2014, left some 3.8 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. People visit the 87th Geneva International Motor Show in Geneva, Switzerland, on the first public day, March 9, 2017. (Xinhua/Xu Jinquan) GENEVA, March 9 (Xinhua) -- As the 87th Geneva International Motor Show prepares to kick off, representatives from top global car firms reaffirmed on Wednesday their faith in the Chinese market while also highlighting the growing expertise of Chinese carmakers in the highly lucrative automotive business. "We still see growing demand and more and more people in China becoming more wealthy and who are willing to spend money on premium cars, and this segment is still growing," BMW spokesperson Kai Lichte told Xinhua ahead of the opening of the show on March 9. "A little more than one quarter of all sales are in China, it's the biggest market, bigger than the U.S and Germany," he added. Volkswagen marketing manager Jurgen Stackmann, who reminded that 50 percent of the group's cars are sold in China, also highlighted similar benefits. "The power of the Chinese people is enormous, there is no other place so vibrant, so full of energy, so full of entrepreneurship globally," he noted. While the purchasing power of China's market remains enormous, representatives also lauded the growing expertise of Chinese firms in the car making industry. This valuable partnership was perhaps most tangible with Volvo Cars, almost seven years after Chinese car maker Geely Holdings Group Co. Ltd. completed its 1.8 billion U.S. dollar-buyout of Ford Motor Co.'s Volvo unit, in a landmark foreign acquisition by a Chinese company. "I think it has been a very successful acquisition. If you look at it for Volvo, I think we would not have been where we are today without the support and the ownership of Geely," Volvo Cars CEO Hakan Samuelsson explained. Describing what he called a "win-win" situation, Samuelsson said that while Volvo has gained facilitated access to the Chinese market, Geely has stood to gain on the acquisition of new technologies, enabling the Hangzhou-based multinational company to upgrade its products. Similarly, co-ventures and partnerships between Volkswagen and Chinese firms are also increasing, with the German automaker setting a series of ambitious targets, amongst which is becoming the leader of the electric car market in coming years. The firms also lauded their growing presence in China on the manufacturing front, with all three car making giants boasting factories there. According to Stackmann, this shows that "made in China" is becoming more and more synonymous with quality, since all its cars intended for the Chinese market are produced in Asia's economic powerhouse. "All of ours cars are fully made and sourced in China, this shows that China has reached a quality of products comparable to Europe," he said, adding that he is "absolutely confident" in the Chinese market which is still posting enormous growth. This year's Geneva International Motor Show hosts some 180 exhibitors showcasing about 900 models including 148 world or European premieres. BRUSSELS, March. 9 (Xinhua) -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday thanked Estonia for its strong contribution to NATO at a press conference. Welcoming Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas at NATO headquarters, Stoltenberg praised Estonia's contribution to NATO's mission in Afghanistan. He said Estonia also played a key role in strengthening NATO's cyber defenses and led by example on defence spending. They talked about the current security situation in Europe. "We also think it's a very important role that Estonia plays when it comes to strengthening NATO-EU cooperation," Stoltenberg said, referring to Estonia's presidency of the Council of EU later this year. Stoltenberg voiced NATO's commitment to securing Estonia, saying that NATO allies have decided to enhance its forward presence in the three Baltic countries and Poland. NEW DELHI, Mar. 9 (Xinhua) -- Indian police Thursday claimed to have arrested the leader of a self-proclaimed Islamic State cell that was said to be behind Tuesday's explosion on a train -- a former defense personnel. "Ghaus Mohammad Khan was picked up from Kanpur by the Anti-Terrorist Squad of the Uttar Pradesh Police, and he revealed vital information during interrogation," Additional Director General of UP Police, Daljit Chaudhary, told the media. Police said that Ghaus Mohammad Khan worked in the Indian Air Force for 15 years and he used his technical expertise to assemble and supply arms and plan attacks, including the blast on the train in the central state of Madhya Pradesh in which 10 people were injured. The 22-year-old terror suspect, Saifullah, who was killed at a hideout in Lucknow after a 12-hour gun battle on Wednesday morning, was part of Khan's terror module. Sources said the police managed to identify some of the suspects from closed-circuit television footage from near the train explosion site. "However, there is no direct evidence to link the terror suspects to the Islamic State. They appeared to be self proclaimed. Moreover, there is no evidence of any outside funding or external support. They were self reliant," Chaudhary said. Sources said the terror module complied with the pattern of Islamic State cells busted in the southern states of Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, who were indoctrinated online, largely self funded, and told to organise weapons on their own to attack local targets. TEHRAN, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Iran refuted a new report by the UN special rapporteur about the human rights situation in Iran as "unjust" and "politically motivated," Press TV reported on Thursday. Many of the countries initiating and supporting the approach at the Human Rights Council are grappling with "countless human rights problems and they have a dark and inhumane rights record," Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi said. He made the remarks in respond to the report, saying that those countries' own flaws regarding rights record is a compelling reason for the invalidity of the approach adopted against Iran. The UN rapporteur, Asma Jahangir, criticizes Iran over a range of allegations, including execution of juveniles, imprisonment of religious minorities, and torture of political prisoners. Qasemi criticized her for turning a blind eye to Iran's achievements in the area of human rights, adding that before the official release of the report, Tehran had provided comprehensive explanations in response to the allegations, none of which has been considered in the released document. Still, Iran will have "constructive interaction" with the new UN human rights rapporteur, Qasemi said. AMMAN, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Jordan on Thursday condemned the terrorist attacks that hit Iraq's Tikrit and Afghan's Kabul, the state-run Petra news agency reported. Jordan's Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani condemned the attack that targeted a wedding in Tikrit in Iraq and killed and injured tens of Iraqis. These attacks seek to cause chaos and instability in the Middle East. Jordan, he said, stands fully with Iraq and supports its efforts to fight terrorism. He also voiced solidarity with the Iraqi government. The minister also condemned the terrorist attack that targeted a hospital in Afghanistan's Kabul. The minister called for increased international efforts to face terrorist organisations. AMMAN, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Jordanian Prime Minister Hani Mulki on Thursday called for more support from the World Bank to Jordan, the state-run Petra news agency reported. Mulki made the remarks at a meeting with World Bank's vice president for the Middle East and North Africa, Hafez Ghanem, where he said Jordan is seeking more technical and financial support for the government's development programs and reform efforts. The premiere said that his government values the reform of the public sector and enhancement of firm governance against bureaucracy. He added that the government is also promoting public private partnerships to implement several projects. The Jordanian government is upgrading the education sector and is focused on vocational training to meet labor market needs. The World Bank official said that the bank is keen on enhancing its partnership with Jordan. He also commended the partnership between the public and the private sectors in the country. BISHKEK, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Kyrgyzstan's State Committee for National Security detained a citizen who had been recruiting his countrymen to Syria, the Committee's press service reported on Thursday. During a counterterrorism operation aimed at underground terrorist cells, the Committee detained a resident in the southern Kara-Suu region M.M. The suspect is an active member of the Jamaat Tawhid wa Jihad international radical organization, the report said. The security committee said the detained suspect had recruited and sent Kyrgyz citizens to Syria for terrorist training and participation in the ongoing civil war there. According to official data, about 600 Kyrgyz citizens have left for Syria and Iraq. Ankazotoho, a slum in Antananarivo, was flooded following the passage of cyclone Enawo in Madagascar since March 7, 2017. (Xinhua/Eric Laperozy) ANTANANARIVO, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Cyclone Enawo has killed six people and displaced 12,321 others in Madagascar since it hit the northern coast on Tuesday, said a government office Thursday. Some 305 houses were flooded throughout the Madagascar, according to provisional data published by the national office of risk and disaster management (BNGRC). Analanjirofo, the eastern region of the country, was the most affected with more than 7,000 people removed from their houses. All schools were closed on Wednesday and Thursday in the country but students will resume courses on Friday, the communication office of the Ministry of Education said. Data from the Ministry of Education said that three students were killed, two schools were damaged while 11 others were flooded. Sixty-five classrooms were completely destroyed, 50 were severely damaged, and 54 others were dismantled following the passage of cyclone Enawo in Madagascar, the website of the Ministry of Education said. National roads number 2 linking the capital to Toamasina northeast of the country, and the national road 25 southeast of the country, were cut amid the rise of water, the BNGRC said. The capital Antananarivo was in red alert, especially for the plain crossed by the main rivers of Ikopa, Sisaony and Mamba. Several dozen localities were flooded. In Maroantsetra, in the north of the country, where Enawo brought gusts of 300 km per hour and winds of 205 km per hour on Tuesday, three others, including two children, were killed, BNGRC added. Madagascar's government held a special meeting Thursday morning, according to a communication from the presidency. More than 50 common sites have been installed to host more than 10,000 homeless. Cyclone Enawo continue to weaken and causes gusts of 60 km per hour and winds reaching 50 km per hour. It is expected to go out to sea in the Anosy region, southeast of the country Thursday evening around 10:00 p.m. local time. Enawo is the sixth cyclone of the current cyclonic season of Madagascar between Nov. 1, 2016 and May 31, 2017. KATHMANDU, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The Nepalese government, on Thursday, condemned the killing of a Nepali national when the Indian security forces opened fire into a crowd at Anandabazar town of Nepal along the Nepal-India border. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal stated that the government has already taken up this matter with serious concern at highest diplomatic level of India with a demand to investigate into the incident and bring the guilty to justice. The ministry said that the government has also called for taking necessary steps to bring the situation under control so that no further untoward incident takes place in the aforementioned bordering area. The Nepalese government's response has come following killing of Govinda Gautam, a Nepali national when the Indian border security forces opened fire into a crowd at Anandabazar town of Kanchanpur District Thursday afternoon, following a scuffle over building a culvert over a local river. Chief District Officer of Kanchanpur Manohar Prasad Khanal told that local Nepali people had resorted to a demonstration since 12 p.m. Thursday after Indian authorities objected to the construction of a culvert in the locality claiming that was the no man's land, the Himalayan Times Online said in its latest report. The construction of the culvert over the river was started on Wednesday after an agreement was reached following a dispute that ran for over a month, media reports said. Meanwhile, Nepal's ruling party Nepali Congress and major opposition party Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist) have condemned the incident demanding immediate investigation into the case. Enditem ISLAMABAD, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Two Pakistani teenagers who were suspected of helping in an attack on an army camp in India-controlled Kashmir last September will be repatriated on Friday after Indian ended investigations against them, the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. The attack which left 19 Indian soldiers dead was initially blamed on Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammad but later Indian investigators said Lashkar-e-Taiba was behind the deadly attack. Foreign Ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria told his weekly briefing in Islamabad that the boys will be handed over to Pakistan on Friday. "I have been informed that they will be repatriated tomorrow (Friday 10th March 2017) through Attari/Wagah border," Zakaria said. According to Indian Ministry of External Affairs, the Indian investigators have "completed investigations and not found anything against them." Faisal Hussain Awan and Ahsan Khursheed, who belong to Pakistan-administered Kashmir, had mistakenly crossed the Line of Control (LoC) into India-controlled Kashmir on Sept. 21, just three days after the attack. It was reportedly that the Indian National Investigation Agency has not found evidence to indicate the two Pakistani youths were linked to the attack. European Council President Donald Tusk addresses a press conference at the end of the first day of the European Council spring summit in Brussels, Belgium, on March 9, 2017. Donald Tusk on Thursday won another term as president of the European Council at a summit here despite opposition from his home country Poland. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan) BRUSSELS, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Donald Tusk on Thursday won another term as president of the European Council at a summit here despite opposition from his home country Poland. "Grateful for trust and positive assessment #EUCO (European Council). I will do my best to make the EU better," Tusk wrote in a tweet. "The European Council today reelected Donald Tusk as its president for a second term of two-and-a-half years, from June 1, 2017 to Nov. 30, 2019," the Council later confirmed in a statement, adding that Tusk was also reappointed as president of the Euro Summit for the same period. The Polish national, whose 30-month mandate is due to end on May 31, was reelected by heads of EU member state who gathered here for a two-day summit. Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, representing the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, chaired the election process. Poland had earlier proposed Polish member of European Parliament (MEP) Jacek Saryusz-Wolski for the position instead. But it's reported that Hungary later made a sudden turnaround, backing off its support to Saryusz-Wolski. Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo earlier this week wrote a letter to MEPs underling the lack of Poland's support for Tusk. According to Szydlo, Tusk abused his authority and interfered with Polish internal affairs, therefore showing lack of neutrality. She alleged he overstepped his European powers and used his authority as the head of the European Council to muscle into national disputes. In contrast, Szydlo heaped praise on Saryusz-Wolski, stressing that he possessed the required qualities and had more than 40 years of experience in European integration. Poland's ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party last week barred the Polish government from backing Tusk's candidacy, after party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski called Tusk a "German candidate." Meanwhile, Saryusz-Wolski, who is also from Tusk's Civic Platform party, and a member of the European People's Party (EPP), took the unusual step of accepting the nomination of Poland's ruling party to run against Tusk. But his acceptance of the nomination has caused bitterness in the EPP, the largest political group in the European Parliament currently monopolizing top posts of the three main EU institutions. Manfred Weber, leader of the EPP, said: "Tusk is the only EPP candidate for president of European Council. He enjoys unanimous support from the entire party." Earlier in January, Kaczynski said that Tusk "was in favor of solutions that are extremely harmful to Poland," referring to, among others, financial penalties for EU member states that do not accept a quota of refugees. Kaczynski argued that such a person cannot obtain Poland's support. Tusk was last elected European Council president unanimously on Aug. 30, 2014, after serving for seven years as prime minister of his homeland. He took office on Dec. 1, 2014. According to the Treaty on European Union, the European Council shall elect its president by a qualified majority -- at least 72 percent of member states vote in favor, representing at least 65 percent of the EU population -- for a period of two and a half years, renewable once. The president's role is to chair European Council meetings and drive forward its work, as well as represent the EU externally at his level on issues concerning the bloc's common foreign and security policy. ASTANA, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The next high-level international meeting on Syria will be held March 14-15 in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, and Russia, Turkey and Iran have confirmed their participation, Kazakh Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday. The peace talks will be attended by high-ranking officials from Russia, Turkey and Iran, the foreign ministry said in a press statement. Invitations are also sent to the representatives of the UN, the U.S. and Jordan. It is expected that Syrian government delegation and the delegation of Syrian armed opposition will also attend the meeting, the statement added. Two rounds of international meeting took place on Jan. 23-24 and Feb. 15-16 in Astana. A technical meeting of experts was held on Feb. 6. Delegations of Russia, Iran and Turkey, representatives of Syrian government and the opposition parties, as well as representatives of the U.N., the U.S. and Jordan took part in the events. The coordination of efforts on monitoring the ceasefire in Syria, which allowed the parties to discuss the issues of the political agenda, has become the main result of these meetings. The Astana peace talks are held in addition to the Geneva Process and in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolution 2254 in 2015. by Zhao Xiaona, Martin Banks BRUSSELS, March 9 (Xinhua) -- After Britain's decision to leave the European Union (EU), Europe's trajectory -- even its destiny -- has again become a matter of fierce debate. Brexit marks both a major constitutional change for Britain and a significant rupture for the EU. Fears that the bloc itself could implode is why its leaders need a new plan to reinvigorate the European project ahead its 60th birthday, and make it fit for future challenges. EUROPE OF MANY GEARS Recently, the leaders of the euro zone's four biggest economies threw their weight behind the idea of a multi-speed Europe as the EU ponders over a future without Britain. That's the idea that "coalitions of the willing" can move forward on big projects even if others want to linger on the starting line. It is already happening with the euro and with the passport-free Schengen area -- not all EU countries are members of everything. French President Francois Hollande, during his meeting with leaders of Germany, Italy and Spain at the palace of Versailles on March 6, called for unity among the remaining 27 EU members in the wake of Britain's vote to leave, but said this did not mean uniformity. He called for new forms of cooperation to allow some EU countries to push ahead more quickly in areas such as defense, deepening of economic and monetary union or tax harmonization. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the EU risks running into trouble unless it allowed members to participate at varying levels of intensity. "We need to have the courage for some countries to go ahead if not everyone wants to participate," she said. France and Germany have called for greater fiscal and social harmonization in the eurozone, saying other EU countries like Poland should be allowed to settle for a less integrated union based on the single market. The idea of a multi-speed Europe is also backed by Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, or the so-called Benelux, a group of the EU's founding members. Of all five scenarios recently proposed by EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker for the way forward after Brexit, the real scenario is No 3: "Those who want more do more," which is another way of saying that the EU will be multi-speed. EASTERN OPPOSITION But some governments, especially in the east, fear this approach could entrench divisions to their disadvantage. A multi-speed union would threaten the development of eastern members outside the euro area and potentially ignite social unrest, fears Hungarian Economy Minister Mihaly Varga. The threat, he said, is that the gap between developed and less-developed EU member states "won't narrow significantly" in a multi-speed, post-Brexit Europe and this may carry with it "the potential to generate social unrest." His fears are shared by the head of Poland's ruling party who warns that any moves toward a two-speed European Union would lead to the bloc falling apart. Jaroslaw Kaczynski from the Law and Justice party (PiS) said a so-called two-speed Europe would lead to the "breakdown, and in fact the liquidation, of the European Union in its current sense." The possibility of a multi-speed Europe should not be an objective, but a warning to all of Europe, a senior EU official said as leaders gather in Brussels to discuss which way the bloc should be headed after the Brexit. "After Brexit, Rome should be not a message of disunity, but the unity of 27," he told journalists. CONTINENTAL PARTNERSHIP A possible solution might lie in a recently published paper, the outcome of a dialogue among five authors. In "Europe after Brexit: A proposal for a continental partnership," they propose a new form of collaboration after Brexit, a continental partnership. This would result in a Europe with an inner circle, the EU, with deep and political integration, and an outer circle with less integration. Over the long-run this could also serve as a vision for structuring relations with Turkey, Ukraine and other countries, the authors argued. One of the authors, Andre Sapir, professor at the Universite Libre de Bruxelles and senior fellow at Bruegel, a think tank, said: "Our proposal is to turn the rupture into an opportunity to reorganize Europe in two circles. The inner circle constitutes the EU with political aims and supranational constitutional structures. The outer circle, of European cooperation, adding countries not in the EU, would have more flexibility and be based on an intergovernmental structure, the Continental Partnership." On the likelihood of a multi-speed EU, former British member of European Parliament Andrew Duff, a constitutional expert, said: "It's complicated. When people have no idea what to do next they plump for 'multi-speed Europe.' What's needed for it to work is German leadership and a strong Commission -- neither of which we have at the moment." Britain's former Europe minister Denis MacShane said: "There has been a two-speed Europe since day one of Treaty of Rome -- roughly northern modern economies and southern weaker one. The euro and Schengen further divided Europe. But if core EU rules are thrown out, then it will be a no-speed EU." The idea of a multi-speed EU is not particularly new but the process has stalled amid reluctance from some member states and diverging views between Germany and France themselves. No document on the future of Europe is expected to emerge from the meeting of 27 EU leaders on Friday. The picture may become a little clearer later this month when EU's leaders minus Britain are due to make a declaration on Europe's future at the Rome summit marking the 60th anniversary of the bloc. RIGA, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Latvian lawmakers have drafted legislation intended to prevent companies of strategic importance being sold to buyers unfriendly to Latvia, public media website lsm.lv reported on Thursday. Under the draft amendments that have been proposed to the National Security Law and the Commercial Law, selling a stake in a company essential for Latvia's national security will require the government's permission. The new requirement will apply to electronic telecommunications companies commanding a significant share of the market, broadcasting media and energy companies. "Persons who not only pose risks to national security with their actions but also take active steps to harm the interests of Latvia and the European Union or NATO can acquire a controlling interest in essential companies," said Solvita Aboltina, chairperson of the parliament national security committee, which drafted the legislation. The draft amendments would give the cabinet of ministers the authority to suspend such deals in Latvia's strategic enterprises. Aboltina pointed out similar restrictions were already in place in several other EU member states and that their necessity in Latvia had been debated for quite a long time already. Aboltina dismissed speculation that the draft amendments have been drawn up in response to the plan by Sweden's MTG media group to sell its Baltic business, which in Latvia includes TV channels like TV3 and LNT. She explained that the restrictions would also apply to energy companies involved in power generation and gas supply, for instance. Karlis Serzans, a member of the parliament national security committee, did not deny though that the amendments have been written in response to particular acquisition plans, but declined to reveal any details. The draft amendments have been submitted to the parliament defense, interior and corruption prevention committee for review. Enditem ISTANBUL, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Turkish hopes to kick Kurdish militia out of the Syrian city of Manbij seem to have been thwarted as the United States, Russia and the Syrian government cooperate to deter a Turkish advance by deploying troops around the city. The U.S.-backed Kurdish militia forces challenged Turkey's threat to remove them from the city by declaring they will continue to hold the Syrian town. Analysts advised against a Turkish military move to capture Manbij, warning Turkey would find itself confronting all other actors in the Syrian theatre. "Such a move would put Turkey at cross purposes with both Washington and Moscow as well as the Syrian regime," Faruk Logoglu, a former diplomat who held top posts in the Turkish Foreign Ministry, told Xinhua. Some U.S. troops are stationed inside and in rural parts of western Manbij since last week to deter actors from attacking groups other than the Islamic State (IS), Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said on Monday. The Kurdish militia also handed over last week several villages in western Manbij to the Syrian army to serve as a buffer zone with the Turkish troops. Some outposts held by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) with Russian flags in the area were recently published in the Turkish press. "The Syrian conflict would then morph into a much larger conflagration, spelling the end of peace talks and leading to Turkey's further isolation," warned Logoglu. Reuters reported earlier Monday that the Manbij Military Council (MMC) of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said the town and its rural area are protected by the council under the surveillance of the U.S.-led coalition forces. The SDF is largely dominated by the YPG which Turkey sees as the Syrian offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that has been waging an insurgency against Turkey for over 30 years. Top Turkish officials have repeatedly vowed in recent weeks that the Turkish troops will move on to capture Manbij unless the YPG leaves the town. Manbij lies about 30 kilometers to the west of the Euphrates River and is strategically important to unite the two Kurdish cantons in northeastern Syria with the third Afrin canton in the western part of the river. "An attempt to capture Manbij would mean confrontation with three critical actors in Syria, namely the U.S., Russia and Syria as well as Iran," Ilhan Uzgel, a senior analyst in international relations, told Xinhua. "So, it's highly unlikely for Turkey to take such a step now," he added. The U.S. move came after reports last week that the Free Syrian Army (FSA), backed by the Turkish military, had seized some villages in the rural parts of western Manbij from the SDF. The Pentagon spokesman's remarks indicated that the U.S. does not approve of the Turkish plan to drive the Kurdish militia from the town. "There is not a need for others to advance on it in attempts to 'liberate' it," Davis was quoted as telling reporters. The Turkish forces, backed by FSA militants, captured last month al-Bab from the IS. Al-Bab lies to the west of Manbij in northern Syria. Turkey has long tried to convince the United States, so far without success, not to treat the YPG as a partner in the fight against the IS. Washington has also often been criticized by Ankara for providing weapons to the YPG. "Turkey has no national interest nor any legal ground in attacking Manbij," Haldun Solmazturk, chairman of Incek debates with Ankara-based 21st Century Turkey Institute, told Xinhua. "Such a move would create many complications without any benefits," he cautioned. Four Turkish troops in rural al-Bab were slightly wounded on Monday in a mortar shelling believed to be fired by the YPG. Ankara launched a military offensive into Syria in August last year to push the IS away from its border and prevent the emergence of a Kurdish corridor. The attack was retaliated immediately, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said in a live interview on A Haber news channel. Underlining Turkey is insistent that Manbij should be cleared of the YPG, Yildirim described the presence of U.S. and Russian flags suddenly in the area as a sort of competition for raising flags. "It's quite natural for Syrian troops to be there, because that's Syrian territory. The U.S. and Russia can also be present there (with troops)," he added, however. Ankara has many times expressed willingness to be part of the coalition campaign against the IS stronghold of Raqqa as long as the United States agrees to keep the Kurdish militia off it. In January, the SDF was provided by the U.S. with armored vehicles for the first time ahead of the planned Raqqa offensive. Raqqa, the de facto IS capital, is currently besieged by the SDF militia. "The cooperation with the SDF and our partners (about Raqqa) is going on at the moment. There is no reason to change that cooperation," Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency quoted an unnamed high-level Pentagon official as saying on Tuesday. The official also reportedly added that it is up to the White House to give the final decision on the issue. "It is unfortunate that some terrorist organizations are being chosen as partners," Yildirim said at a press conference on Tuesday. "Manbij is the prelude to and staging ground for Raqqa. The U.S. and Russia are trying to shun a confrontation between Turkish forces and the YPG to eventually keep both sides in the Raqqa picture," Logoglu observed. According to reports in the Turkish media, U.S. special forces are also stationed in rural parts of northern Manbij, which neighbors the area held by Turkish troops. An AFP report showed pictures of U.S. armored vehicles in the western part of the town. The Syrian government, which Turkey does not recognize as legitimate, considers the presence of Turkish troops on its territory as aggression. Bashar Ja'afari, Syria's ambassador to the United Nations, reportedly said last week that Syria reserves the right to use all the means available to expel the Turkish troops. Turkey insists that the YPG must withdraw to the east of the Euphrates, underlining that Manbij is an Arab-populated city. The YPG captured the city from the IS last August. Turkish officials have often accused the YPG, which has carved out three autonomous cantons along Turkey's border since the Syrian civil war started, of entertaining territorial ambitions in Syria. Chiefs of the Turkish, Russian and U.S. militaries met on Tuesday in Antalya, Turkey, to discuss the developments in Syria and Iraq. The top commanders are working to coordinate moves on the ground in Syria to eliminate the possibility of a confrontation, Yildirim told reporters, noting the risk of an unwanted clash is not to be ignored. The meeting of the top brass came ahead of a visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Russia. Erdogan will meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday. "Turkey's biggest setback in Syria is the fact that it does not have any other ally than the FSA, which is not sufficiently strong," argued Uzgel, who taught at Ankara University for many years. Turkey has often underlined that it respects the territorial integrity of Syria, but it is widely argued that Turkey's moves would serve more to disintegrate its southern neighbor. Top Turkish officials have said time and again that towns the Turkish troops capture on the Syrian soil will be handed over to local people rather than the Syrian government forces. Turkey argues towns in Syria should belong to the people who live there. "Despite the Turkish government's obvious efforts to disintegrate Syria, I believe the country's territorial integrity will be maintained by Syrians," stated Solmazturk, a retired general. Solmazturk is positive that the ongoing Geneva talks will be fruitful in settling the civil war in Syria. "Statements by Turkish officials about ownership of Syrian territory by this or that group in Syria are unprecedented and undermine Syria's territorial integrity and must therefore be stopped," remarked Logoglu. Many believe a federal Syria is on the cards. The Syrian government, with its military being greatly weakened by years of fighting, could settle for a federal Syria to maintain the country's territorial integrity given the U.S. support and Russian tolerance of the YPG. Russia does not recognize either the PKK or the YPG as a terrorist organization. Despite Turkey's strong opposition, it favors the participation of the YPG's political wing in the Geneva peace talks. "The U.S. is working for the formation of a federal Syria," maintained Solmazturk. The U.S. built several military bases in the two Kurdish cantons on the eastern part of the Euphrates during the civil war. Helicopters and transport aircraft carried U.S. special forces as well as weapons for the Kurds thanks to the bases, according to reports in the Turkish media. Recent remarks by Premier Yildirim vaguely imply that the U.S. bases can become permanent, increasing the possibility of the emergence of a federal Kurdish state along Turkey's border. In remarks to journalists last weekend, Yildirim said no foreign forces should be allowed to stay in Syria and Iraq. But he also added that the U.S. and Russian forces could remain if they are given a military base there. "It's quite likely that a Kurdish autonomous region in Syria will emerge, because neither the U.S. nor Russia is categorically opposed to such an entity," Uzgel argued. Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has often been criticized at home for pursuing a sectarian policy in Syria that is neither coherent nor serves the country's interests. Solmazturk feels the Turkish government's willingness to be part of the Raqqa campaign has to do with its aspiration to create its "own" state in Syria which would be under its sway. "Disintegration of states in the Middle East would have disastrous consequences," he warned. SARAJEVO, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The International Court of Justice(ICJ) in The Hague on Thursday rejected a request for a review of the 2007 verdict which cleared Serbia of direct responsibility for genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina(BiH) during the 1992-1995 war, local media reported. BiH's legal counsel Sakib Softic submitted a request to the ICJ last month for a review of the 2007 judgment. The appeal request was supported by the BiH's Bosniak member of the tripartite presidency, Bakir Izetbegovic. However, BiH's Serb politicians strongly oppose the appeal, arguing that it is unconstitutional because it has not been approved by the state-level tripartite presidency. "The court considers that the contents of these letters shows that a decision was not made by the competent body on behalf of BiH as a state in terms of requests for revision of the judgment of February 26, 2007," the Hague court's letter said, according to Fena, BiH's federal news agency. It added that therefore the court can do nothing to review the judgment. In the 2007 verdict, the International Court of Justice held that the 1995 massacre of more than 7,000 Bosnian Muslims from Srebrenica by Bosnian Serb forces was genocide, but that Serbia was not responsible for the killings. The window during which an appeal can be lodged at the ICJ expires on February 26 this year. KHARTOUM, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Sudanese authorities on Thursday released 259 convicts of rebel groups, some of whom were sentenced to death, just one day after a presidential pardon. The decision came as part of the "good will represented in the exchange of prisoners of war between the government and the armed movements," said Gen. Saeed Daihya Bakheet, director of the central prison in Khartoum, at a press conference. A leading member in the rebel Darfur Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), Abdul-Aziz Usher, also expressed hope that his colleagues who have not been included in the pardon would also be released. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Wednesday issued pardons for 259 members of rebel movements "with the aim to enhance the spirit of national accord and prepare the climate for achieving sustainable peace in the country." Enditem ACCRA, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The decision of the Ghana government to remove the 17.5 percent VAT (Valued Added Tax) on domestic aviation industry is good news to players in the aviation industry, local media reported here Thursday. The Chief Operations Officer at Africa World Airlines (AWA), Captain Samuel Thompson, told private daily The Finder that the measure would revamp the industry. "This will bring fares down and stimulate passenger troop which would be good to us and the aviation sector as a whole," he said, in spite of some challenges still facing the aviation industry. Additionally, Thompson said spare parts for carriers were still expensive and could increase the general cost of operations. Ghana's Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta announced some initiatives to boost the aviation sector when he presented the 2017 budget statement to parliament on March 3, 2017. He told the House that as part of measures to improve the business environment through tax exemptions, government would abolish the 17.5 percent VAT/NHIL on domestic airline tickets. Enditem A RS-24 Yars intercontinental ballistic missile system moves on the Red Square during the military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2015. (Xinhua/Jia Yuchen) MOSCOW, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Russia is committed to its obligations under the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty), Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday. His remarks came after the Vice Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Paul Selva told Congress Wednesday that Russia violated the "spirit and intent" of the INF pact by deploying a banned land-based cruise missile. The treaty, signed by American and Soviet leaders in 1987, prohibits both countries from testing, producing and possessing land-based intermediate-range missiles. It was deemed as a corner stone of global arms control and helped end the Cold War. "Russia fully complies with the INF treaty, although it does not totally meet our interests," Peskov was quoted by RIA Novosti as saying. Also on Thursday, Viktor Ozerov, chairman of the defense committee of Russia's upper house of parliament, said Russia strictly observes the arms control treaty and called the repeated U.S. accusations groundless. "Let them present the facts of these violations. We have heard enough baseless conversations lately," Ozerov said. Worries about a new arms race between Russia and the United States have risen after U.S. President Donald Trump proposed last month to raise its 2018 military and security spending by 54 billion U.S. dollars. In December last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his annual year-end press conference that Russia would continue to boost its nuclear triad, a set of advanced armaments consisting of land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, strategic bombers and submarine-launched ballistic missiles. "There is concern over the possibility of a new arms race unfolding in Europe," German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said at a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Thursday. by Xinhua writer Gu Zhenqiu UNITED NATIONS, March 9 (Xinhua) -- China is playing a leading role in promoting South-South cooperation as the world's largest developing country will host two important diplomatic events this year, a senior UN official has said. The two high-level events -- the first international cooperation summit forum on the Belt and Road Initiative and the 9th Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) summit -- are closely associated with South-South cooperation, said Jorge Chediek, the UN secretary-general's envoy on South-South cooperation. "China is now one of the main actors in South-South cooperation," he said in a recent interview with Xinhua. Chediek, who is from Argentina, was appointed as the UN secretary-general's envoy on South-South cooperation in March 2016. Since October 2015, he has been the director of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) leading United Nations system-wide promotion and coordination of South-South cooperation for development. CHINESE INITIATIVE IS A MODEL FOR WORLD The high-level forum on the Belt and Road initiative is to be held in Beijing, the Chinese capital, in May to brainstorm about interconnected development. "We consider the Belt and Road Initiative, one of the most important, a partnership that has been developed in the world in the last few years," said Chediek. The Chinese initiative "is basically attempted to reshape the economic geography of the world and to really integrate the South and also some parts of the North through access of the road into a new economic space that we bring prosperity and friendship throughout that region." "So really it is a model on how the South-South cooperation can be conducted on a massive scale," he said. China proposed in 2013 the initiative of jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, collectively known as the Belt and Road Initiative. The Belt and Road run through the continents of Asia, Europe and Africa, connecting the vibrant East Asia economic circle at one end and developed European economic circle at the other, and encompassing countries with huge potential for economic development. Some 60 countries are along the Belt and Road, accounting for 60 percent of the world population, 30 percent of the world gross product, 40 percent of the world trade, and more than 50 percent of the population under the extreme poverty line. "By definition, the Belt and Road Initiative is a really South-South cooperation initiative," Chediek said. "So we would like to work in partnership with the government of China and other governments in the region to facilitate a mechanism for the South-South cooperation to materialize." At present, UNOSSC has a partnership with the government of cities along the Chinese part of the Silk Road and the Maritime Silk Road to promote their engagement, he said. "This partnership should not be limited to the central government, but to involve the local governments, local authorities, civil society and private sectors because this is an initiative that is decided on the concept that we bring prosperity and sustainable development to a very important part of the world," he said. The Chinese initiative can not only increase trade and investment in the countries along the Belt and Road, which is conducive to economic growth in these nations, but also help these countries expand their trade with other countries far away from the Belt and Road, he said. Meanwhile, the Chinese initiative can also play a very positive role in helping countries along the Belt and Road in their efforts to reduce poverty and boost infrastructure construction. "We really commend the commitment of the government of the People's Republic of China in leading this initiative," he said. "We are very confident that this will offer a lot of opportunities to re-launch and obtain even more commitments of other countries and other partners with this great initiative." CHINESE CONTRIBUTIONS ARE ESSENTIAL "BRICS countries are very important partners in the South," Chediek said. "Their collective work is very important in developing the multiple world that we are aspired to." BRICS represents 40 percent of the world's population and 25 percent of global GDP. China is scheduled to convene the summit of the emerging-market bloc of BRICS in September in eastern China's Xiamen City. China voices its hope that the 9th summit will help BRICS countries forge a stronger partnership for a brighter future. The BRIC cooperative mechanism was established in 2006, with the first BRIC summit held in Russia's Yekaterinburg in 2009. South Africa was admitted in 2010, adding the "S" to the original grouping. "The work that China is doing both in cooperation and economic collaboration with many countries of the South is an example for the world and also becomes a source of prosperity for many countries," Chediek said. "The contributions of China in terms of South-South cooperation are essential, we really welcome the engagement that has been made so far, and we look forward to continuing the engagement and from our part to continue the partnership to show that China has too much to contribute." Apart from resources and technology, China has also provided an alternative vision of development, like different ways of administrating economy and administrating the development process, that it is also helping many countries to bypass different stages of development, he said. "It is really essential that China remains engaged in South-South cooperation," he said. "So we express our gratitude to the people and government of China for engaging in this activity in building a better world." GENEVA, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Swiss authorities said Thursday that this weekend's scheduled visit to Switzerland by Turkey's foreign minister poses "no exceptional security threat justifying restrictions on freedom of expression". "The Swiss federal services responsible for security consider that the visit by the Turkish foreign minister to Zurich on Sunday does not currently pose a particularly high security threat to Switzerland's internal security," the Swiss government said in a statement. "There are no grounds for forbidding the visit," it added. Zurich's cantonal authorities had initially requested that the confederation ban Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu's trip to Switzerland's financial capital amid concerns over the "wisdom of the visit". The Zurich-based Hilton Hotel, where Cavusoglu had booked a room for a planned meeting, told Swiss public television Thursday that it had cancelled the reservation since it couldn't guarantee the safety of both guests and visitors. Cavusoglu is indeed expected to hold a rally seeking to attract support from Switzerland's Turkish diaspora for a mid-April referendum, which if passed will significantly extend the powers of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. According to statistics, some 68,000 Turkish citizens currently reside in Switzerland. Berne revealed that a meeting between a Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) representative and the Turkish ambassador to Switzerland took place Thursday to discuss the arrangements of the visit. "The federal government wishes to reiterate the importance of the principle of freedom of expression in Switzerland," Berne said. KHARTOUM, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Sudan Foreign Ministry on Thursday summoned the U.S. Charge d'Affaires to Khartoum to protest the travel ban, which restricts entry of Sudanese citizens, among six other countries, into the United States. Sudan's foreign ministry Under-Secretary Abdul-Ghani Al-Naeem expressed Sudan's dismay to Steven Koutsis, the U.S. diplomat, over the travel ban, said Sudan's Foreign Ministry in a statement. Sudan is waiting for the removal of its name from the U.S. list of countries sponsoring terrorism, and is calling the United States for partnership in peace, security and development, it added. The statement also said that Sudan would continue its cooperation as a partner in combating terrorism and achieving the regional and international peace and security. Trump issued a new executive order on March 6 which maintained a 90-day ban on nationals of Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya, Iran and Somalia from entering the United States, effective from March 16. Notably missing from the list is Iraq, which has been subject to a similar ban imposed in January. Jorge Chediek, the UN secretary-general's envoy on South-South cooperation, speaks during an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency in New York, the United States, on March 3, 2017. The UN office in charge of promoting South-South cooperation is seeking a stronger partnership with developing countries, including China, Jorge Chediek told Xinhua in a recent interview. (Xinhua/Li Muzi) by Xinhua writer Gu Zhenqiu UNITED NATIONS, March 9 (Xinhua) -- China is playing a leading role in promoting South-South cooperation as the world's largest developing country will host two important diplomatic events this year, a senior UN official has said. The two high-level events -- the first international cooperation summit forum on the Belt and Road Initiative and the 9th Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) summit -- are closely associated with South-South cooperation, said Jorge Chediek, the UN secretary-general's envoy on South-South cooperation. "China is now one of the main actors in South-South cooperation," he said in a recent interview with Xinhua. Chediek, who is from Argentina, was appointed as the UN secretary-general's envoy on South-South cooperation in March 2016. Since October 2015, he has been the director of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) leading United Nations system-wide promotion and coordination of South-South cooperation for development. CHINESE INITIATIVE IS A MODEL FOR WORLD The high-level forum on the Belt and Road initiative is to be held in Beijing, the Chinese capital, in May to brainstorm about interconnected development. "We consider the Belt and Road Initiative, one of the most important, a partnership that has been developed in the world in the last few years," said Chediek. The Chinese initiative "is basically attempted to reshape the economic geography of the world and to really integrate the South and also some parts of the North through access of the road into a new economic space that we bring prosperity and friendship throughout that region." "So really it is a model on how the South-South cooperation can be conducted on a massive scale," he said. China proposed in 2013 the initiative of jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, collectively known as the Belt and Road Initiative. The Belt and Road run through the continents of Asia, Europe and Africa, connecting the vibrant East Asia economic circle at one end and developed European economic circle at the other, and encompassing countries with huge potential for economic development. Some 60 countries are along the Belt and Road, accounting for 60 percent of the world population, 30 percent of the world gross product, 40 percent of the world trade, and more than 50 percent of the population under the extreme poverty line. "By definition, the Belt and Road Initiative is a really South-South cooperation initiative," Chediek said. "So we would like to work in partnership with the government of China and other governments in the region to facilitate a mechanism for the South-South cooperation to materialize." At present, UNOSSC has a partnership with the government of cities along the Chinese part of the Silk Road and the Maritime Silk Road to promote their engagement, he said. "This partnership should not be limited to the central government, but to involve the local governments, local authorities, civil society and private sectors because this is an initiative that is decided on the concept that we bring prosperity and sustainable development to a very important part of the world," he said. The Chinese initiative can not only increase trade and investment in the countries along the Belt and Road, which is conducive to economic growth in these nations, but also help these countries expand their trade with other countries far away from the Belt and Road, he said. Meanwhile, the Chinese initiative can also play a very positive role in helping countries along the Belt and Road in their efforts to reduce poverty and boost infrastructure construction. "We really commend the commitment of the government of the People's Republic of China in leading this initiative," he said. "We are very confident that this will offer a lot of opportunities to re-launch and obtain even more commitments of other countries and other partners with this great initiative." CHINESE CONTRIBUTIONS ARE ESSENTIAL "BRICS countries are very important partners in the South," Chediek said. "Their collective work is very important in developing the multiple world that we are aspired to." BRICS represents 40 percent of the world's population and 25 percent of global GDP. China is scheduled to convene the summit of the emerging-market bloc of BRICS in September in eastern China's Xiamen City. China voices its hope that the 9th summit will help BRICS countries forge a stronger partnership for a brighter future. The BRIC cooperative mechanism was established in 2006, with the first BRIC summit held in Russia's Yekaterinburg in 2009. South Africa was admitted in 2010, adding the "S" to the original grouping. "The work that China is doing both in cooperation and economic collaboration with many countries of the South is an example for the world and also becomes a source of prosperity for many countries," Chediek said. "The contributions of China in terms of South-South cooperation are essential, we really welcome the engagement that has been made so far, and we look forward to continuing the engagement and from our part to continue the partnership to show that China has too much to contribute." Apart from resources and technology, China has also provided an alternative vision of development, like different ways of administrating economy and administrating the development process, that it is also helping many countries to bypass different stages of development, he said. "It is really essential that China remains engaged in South-South cooperation," he said. "So we express our gratitude to the people and government of China for engaging in this activity in building a better world." TEHRAN, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has "successfully" test-fired a naval ballistic missile recently, a senior commander said Thursday, according to Tasnim news agency. The missile, named Hormuz-2, destroyed a floating target from a distance of 250 kilometers after firing, commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, was quoted as saying. Hormuz-2, grown domestically, is a naval ballistic missile capable of hitting floating targets with high accuracy within a range of 300 kilometers. PRAGUE, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The Czech Senate approved on Thursday the strategic partnership agreement between the EU and Canada that endorsed by the European Parliament in February. Under the agreement, both sides of EU and Canada will jointly fight against terrorism, money laundering and proliferation of the arms of mass destruction. This agreement includes the two sides' commitment to help limit the arms of mass destruction. They will apply the system of exports control of goods connected with the arms. Both sides will also exchange information on the lists of terrorists regularly and help other countries to prevent and uncover terrorism. At its next session, Czech senate will debate another agreement about the associated Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) which was also endorsed by the European Parliament and aims to remove most duties and fees between the EU and Canada starting 2018. Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek said that the strategic partnership agreement is a "forerunner" of CETA that is to help Czech businesses on the Canadian market. RABAT, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Morocco has received over 18,000 applications in three months from migrants living illegally in the country, Moroccan Ministry of Expatriates and Migration Affairs said here on Thursday. The applications, filed in 69 prefectures throughout the kingdom, were submitted by migrants from various nationalities, said Anis Birou, the expatriate and migration minister, as he launched the project "Stories without Visas." The project depicts, via digital stories, the experience of eight refugees in search for a better life who have chosen Morocco to settle. Last December, Morocco launched the second phase of the regularization of illegal migrants in the country, especially those belonging to sub-Saharan Africa. Since 2013, the process of regularization of illegal migrants in Morocco has granted some 25,000 migrants legal status in the country. Enditem CAPE TOWN, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Acting National Police Commissioner Khomotso Phahlane said on Thursday that all measures will be taken to ensure the safety of South African airports. The South African Police Service (SAPS) has already embarked on a process to identify security shortcomings and to implement measures to enhance airport safety, Phahlane said at a press briefing in Pretoria. He was speaking after an astounding amount of 24 million rand (about 1.9 million US dollars) in cash was stolen from a South African Airways plane at the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on Tuesday night. A group of armed suspects posing as police officers in a marked police vehicle intercepted security guards as they were transporting money to a waiting aircraft. No shots were fired and no injuries have been reported. The SAPS views the armed robbery and the attendant security breaches "in a serious light," Phahlane said. Although this incident is regrettable and unfortunate, the SAPS and all role players are compelled to continuously review the security measures aimed at curbing the recurrence of incidents of this nature, said Phahlane. "We can assure our communities and visitors to our country that we are doing everything possible to ensure that the robbery and all circumstances surrounding the incident form the subject of an intensive, multi-disciplinary investigation," he said. Phahlane said initial speculation pointed to a police vehicle having been used to commit the crime. However, he said a vehicle which was believed to be used in the heist and was found abandoned in Mamelodi near Pretoria proved to be one with fake police markings. "When the perpetrators are arrested, we would not be surprised to learn that some of them were bogus police officers. However, we will investigate and arrest objectively and should we find evidence of any type of police or other collusion we will take decisive action," he said. If bona fide police uniforms or equipment were used by the suspects, the source of those uniforms/equipment will also form part of the investigations, said Phahlane. The process of the investigation is underway which includes interviewing all role players and personnel charged with duties in and around the airport, according to the police chief. The OR Tambo International Airport is notorious for armed robberies. Reports suggest that up to 10 heists, with the same modus operandi, have occurred at the same airport last year. Many of these heists have been carried out by individuals dressed in police uniforms. The UN rapporteur, Asma Jahangir, criticizes Iran over execution of juveniles, imprisonment of religious minorities, and torture of political prisoners. (Reuters photo) TEHRAN, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Iran refuted a new report by the UN special rapporteur about the human rights situation in Iran as "unjust" and "politically motivated," Press TV reported on Thursday. Many of the countries initiating and supporting the approach at the Human Rights Council are grappling with "countless human rights problems and they have a dark and inhumane rights record," Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi said. He made the remarks in respond to the report, saying that those countries' own flaws regarding rights record is a compelling reason for the invalidity of the approach adopted against Iran. The UN rapporteur, Asma Jahangir, criticizes Iran over a range of allegations, including execution of juveniles, imprisonment of religious minorities, and torture of political prisoners. Qasemi criticized her for turning a blind eye to Iran's achievements in the area of human rights, adding that before the official release of the report, Tehran had provided comprehensive explanations in response to the allegations, none of which has been considered in the released document. Still, Iran will have "constructive interaction" with the new UN human rights rapporteur, Qasemi said. BEIRUT, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon highlighted Thursday the delivery of approximately one million U.S. dollars' worth of equipment to the Lebanon Internal Security Forces (ISF). Elizabeth Richard, the U.S. diplomat, underscored U.S. commitment to Lebanon's state institutions as she attended the ceremony for the delivery. She reiterated U.S. partnership with Lebanon in the fight against terrorism and extremism, saying that the equipment would help the ISF secure Lebanon's borders, "something that is especially critical at this time of instability in the region." The U.S. assistance to the ISF is a vital aspect of the cooperation between the two countries, she said, adding that the United States remains "committed to strengthening the capacity of the ISF to combat terrorism, promote rule of law, ensure human rights and dignity, and maintain stability and safety." The U.S.-backed Kurdish militia forces challenged Turkey's threat to remove them from the city by declaring they will continue to hold the Syrian town. (AFP photo) ISTANBUL, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Turkish hopes to kick Kurdish militia out of the Syrian city of Manbij seem to have been thwarted as the United States, Russia and the Syrian government cooperate to deter a Turkish advance by deploying troops around the city. The U.S.-backed Kurdish militia forces challenged Turkey's threat to remove them from the city by declaring they will continue to hold the Syrian town. Analysts advised against a Turkish military move to capture Manbij, warning Turkey would find itself confronting all other actors in the Syrian theatre. "Such a move would put Turkey at cross purposes with both Washington and Moscow as well as the Syrian regime," Faruk Logoglu, a former diplomat who held top posts in the Turkish Foreign Ministry, told Xinhua. Some U.S. troops are stationed inside and in rural parts of western Manbij since last week to deter actors from attacking groups other than the Islamic State (IS), Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said on Monday. The Kurdish militia also handed over last week several villages in western Manbij to the Syrian army to serve as a buffer zone with the Turkish troops. Some outposts held by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) with Russian flags in the area were recently published in the Turkish press. "The Syrian conflict would then morph into a much larger conflagration, spelling the end of peace talks and leading to Turkey's further isolation," warned Logoglu. Reuters reported earlier Monday that the Manbij Military Council (MMC) of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said the town and its rural area are protected by the council under the surveillance of the U.S.-led coalition forces. The SDF is largely dominated by the YPG which Turkey sees as the Syrian offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that has been waging an insurgency against Turkey for over 30 years. Top Turkish officials have repeatedly vowed in recent weeks that the Turkish troops will move on to capture Manbij unless the YPG leaves the town. Manbij lies about 30 kilometers to the west of the Euphrates River and is strategically important to unite the two Kurdish cantons in northeastern Syria with the third Afrin canton in the western part of the river. "An attempt to capture Manbij would mean confrontation with three critical actors in Syria, namely the U.S., Russia and Syria as well as Iran," Ilhan Uzgel, a senior analyst in international relations, told Xinhua. "So, it's highly unlikely for Turkey to take such a step now," he added. The U.S. move came after reports last week that the Free Syrian Army (FSA), backed by the Turkish military, had seized some villages in the rural parts of western Manbij from the SDF. The Pentagon spokesman's remarks indicated that the U.S. does not approve of the Turkish plan to drive the Kurdish militia from the town. "There is not a need for others to advance on it in attempts to 'liberate' it," Davis was quoted as telling reporters. The Turkish forces, backed by FSA militants, captured last month al-Bab from the IS. Al-Bab lies to the west of Manbij in northern Syria. Turkey has long tried to convince the United States, so far without success, not to treat the YPG as a partner in the fight against the IS. Washington has also often been criticized by Ankara for providing weapons to the YPG. "Turkey has no national interest nor any legal ground in attacking Manbij," Haldun Solmazturk, chairman of Incek debates with Ankara-based 21st Century Turkey Institute, told Xinhua. "Such a move would create many complications without any benefits," he cautioned. Four Turkish troops in rural al-Bab were slightly wounded on Monday in a mortar shelling believed to be fired by the YPG. Ankara launched a military offensive into Syria in August last year to push the IS away from its border and prevent the emergence of a Kurdish corridor. The attack was retaliated immediately, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said in a live interview on A Haber news channel. Underlining Turkey is insistent that Manbij should be cleared of the YPG, Yildirim described the presence of U.S. and Russian flags suddenly in the area as a sort of competition for raising flags. "It's quite natural for Syrian troops to be there, because that's Syrian territory. The U.S. and Russia can also be present there (with troops)," he added, however. Ankara has many times expressed willingness to be part of the coalition campaign against the IS stronghold of Raqqa as long as the United States agrees to keep the Kurdish militia off it. In January, the SDF was provided by the U.S. with armored vehicles for the first time ahead of the planned Raqqa offensive. Raqqa, the de facto IS capital, is currently besieged by the SDF militia. "The cooperation with the SDF and our partners (about Raqqa) is going on at the moment. There is no reason to change that cooperation," Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency quoted an unnamed high-level Pentagon official as saying on Tuesday. The official also reportedly added that it is up to the White House to give the final decision on the issue. "It is unfortunate that some terrorist organizations are being chosen as partners," Yildirim said at a press conference on Tuesday. "Manbij is the prelude to and staging ground for Raqqa. The U.S. and Russia are trying to shun a confrontation between Turkish forces and the YPG to eventually keep both sides in the Raqqa picture," Logoglu observed. According to reports in the Turkish media, U.S. special forces are also stationed in rural parts of northern Manbij, which neighbors the area held by Turkish troops. An AFP report showed pictures of U.S. armored vehicles in the western part of the town. The Syrian government, which Turkey does not recognize as legitimate, considers the presence of Turkish troops on its territory as aggression. Bashar Ja'afari, Syria's ambassador to the United Nations, reportedly said last week that Syria reserves the right to use all the means available to expel the Turkish troops. Turkey insists that the YPG must withdraw to the east of the Euphrates, underlining that Manbij is an Arab-populated city. The YPG captured the city from the IS last August. Turkish officials have often accused the YPG, which has carved out three autonomous cantons along Turkey's border since the Syrian civil war started, of entertaining territorial ambitions in Syria. Chiefs of the Turkish, Russian and U.S. militaries met on Tuesday in Antalya, Turkey, to discuss the developments in Syria and Iraq. The top commanders are working to coordinate moves on the ground in Syria to eliminate the possibility of a confrontation, Yildirim told reporters, noting the risk of an unwanted clash is not to be ignored. The meeting of the top brass came ahead of a visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Russia. Erdogan will meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday. "Turkey's biggest setback in Syria is the fact that it does not have any other ally than the FSA, which is not sufficiently strong," argued Uzgel, who taught at Ankara University for many years. Turkey has often underlined that it respects the territorial integrity of Syria, but it is widely argued that Turkey's moves would serve more to disintegrate its southern neighbor. Top Turkish officials have said time and again that towns the Turkish troops capture on the Syrian soil will be handed over to local people rather than the Syrian government forces. Turkey argues towns in Syria should belong to the people who live there. "Despite the Turkish government's obvious efforts to disintegrate Syria, I believe the country's territorial integrity will be maintained by Syrians," stated Solmazturk, a retired general. Solmazturk is positive that the ongoing Geneva talks will be fruitful in settling the civil war in Syria. "Statements by Turkish officials about ownership of Syrian territory by this or that group in Syria are unprecedented and undermine Syria's territorial integrity and must therefore be stopped," remarked Logoglu. Many believe a federal Syria is on the cards. The Syrian government, with its military being greatly weakened by years of fighting, could settle for a federal Syria to maintain the country's territorial integrity given the U.S. support and Russian tolerance of the YPG. Russia does not recognize either the PKK or the YPG as a terrorist organization. Despite Turkey's strong opposition, it favors the participation of the YPG's political wing in the Geneva peace talks. "The U.S. is working for the formation of a federal Syria," maintained Solmazturk. The U.S. built several military bases in the two Kurdish cantons on the eastern part of the Euphrates during the civil war. Helicopters and transport aircraft carried U.S. special forces as well as weapons for the Kurds thanks to the bases, according to reports in the Turkish media. Recent remarks by Premier Yildirim vaguely imply that the U.S. bases can become permanent, increasing the possibility of the emergence of a federal Kurdish state along Turkey's border. In remarks to journalists last weekend, Yildirim said no foreign forces should be allowed to stay in Syria and Iraq. But he also added that the U.S. and Russian forces could remain if they are given a military base there. "It's quite likely that a Kurdish autonomous region in Syria will emerge, because neither the U.S. nor Russia is categorically opposed to such an entity," Uzgel argued. Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has often been criticized at home for pursuing a sectarian policy in Syria that is neither coherent nor serves the country's interests. Solmazturk feels the Turkish government's willingness to be part of the Raqqa campaign has to do with its aspiration to create its "own" state in Syria which would be under its sway. "Disintegration of states in the Middle East would have disastrous consequences," he warned. People ask for information in front of a hospital after a fire broke out at the Virgen de la Asuncion Shelter, in Guatemala City, capital of Guatemala, on March 9, 2017. The death toll from a tragic fire at a Guatemalan shelter for children and adolescents climbed to 33 on Thursday, local media said. (Xinhua/Gonzalo Perper) GUATEMALA CITY, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a tragic fire at a Guatemalan shelter for children and adolescents climbed to 33 on Thursday, local media said. The daily Prensa Libre reported that another 21 children were in critical condition with second and third degree burns over at least 50 percent of their bodies. "The chances that the minors admitted to the hospitals of San Juan de Dios and Roosevelt will survive are low," the daily said while citing hospital officials. The blaze broke out late Tuesday night at the Virgen de la Asuncion Shelter in San Jose Pinula in the central department of Guatemala. Children rioting at the shelter to protest poor treatment reportedly set fire to mattresses and the flames spread through the facility. The daily said stories of abuse were emerging following the tragedy, including sexual abuse, violence, drugs and general mismanagement. The Guatemalan shelter was designed to house 400 children, mainly girls from broken or abusive homes, but some 600 children and teenagers were living there, according to local media. RABAT, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Three months after the launch of a second operation to regularize the status of illegal migrants in Morocco, over 18,000 people have submitted requests to benefit from this process. Until March 8, some 18,281 migrants have submitted requests to obtain regular status in the country, the minister of Moroccan Expatriates and Migration Affairs Anis Birou said during a meeting on migration here on Thursday. Last December, Morocco launched the second phase of the regularization operation, an approach aimed at achieving the economic and social integration of people in an irregular situation, most of them from sub-Saharan countries. Many have fled violent conflict, whereas others left in search of a brighter economic future in Europe. Due to the restrictive immigration policy of the European Union, the irregular migrants, whose stays in Morocco planned to be transitory, were consequently obliged to settle down in different cities in the country. In early 2014, Morocco launched an exceptional operation to regularize the status of people living illegally in the country. The operations resulted in granting nearly 25,000 migrants a legal status. Morocco announced the new and more liberal immigration policy in 2013, including avenues for regularization of unauthorized immigrants. Figures show that 85.5 percent of the requests submitted by 27,449 people had been accepted. Among the requests made by migrants from some 116 different countries, 23 percent of these unauthorized migrants are Syrians, 21 percent are Senegalese and 19 percent are from Democratic Republic of Congo. Meanwhile, over 21,000 migrants from 36 countries benefitted, from the voluntary return to their countries of origin since 2014, especially from Senegal, Nigeria, Mali and Cameroun, according to data from the Ministry of Moroccan Expatriates and Migration Affairs. In recent years, Morocco has turned from a country of passage for illegal migrants to Europe, to a country of settlement for migrants and refugees from sub-Saharan Africa, Syria and Iraq. Onlookers gather at the site of a bomb attack in Syria's northeastern city of Qamishli on July 27, 2016.(AFP Photo) BISHKEK, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Kyrgyzstan's State Committee for National Security detained a citizen who had been recruiting his countrymen to Syria, the Committee's press service reported on Thursday. During a counterterrorism operation aimed at underground terrorist cells, the Committee detained a resident in the southern Kara-Suu region M.M. The suspect is an active member of the Jamaat Tawhid wa Jihad international radical organization, the report said. The security committee said the detained suspect had recruited and sent Kyrgyz citizens to Syria for terrorist training and participation in the ongoing civil war there. According to official data, about 600 Kyrgyz citizens have left for Syria and Iraq. MADRID, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Spanish police confirmed Thursday that one man has been killed and two others injured in a shootout in the country's southern city of Granada. The incident happened at around midday in the inside patio of a block of flats situated in a neighborhood in the north of the city. The police reported that at least three people, two of whom had been identified as Moroccan men aged 21 and 24 years old, took part in the shootout, with one Moroccan losing his life and the other seriously injured. The area has been sealed off and placed under strict vigilance. Investigations are underway to ascertain the cause of the incident, which came after another fatal shooting in the area on Feb. 22. LA PAZ, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Bolivia will host a World Peoples' Conference in June to discuss "the construction of a universal citizenship with an eye towards a world without walls," the state Bolivian News Agency (ABI) said on Thursday. At a press conference, Bolivian President Evo Morales announced that the event would be held from June 20 to 21 in Tiquipaya, in the central department of Cochabamba. The conference aims to counter "the problem" of rising hostility against migrants, ABI report said. Since U.S. President Donald Trump came to power in January, Washington has campaigned to limit the arrival of migrants from Latin American countries as well as refugees and travelers from majority-Muslim countries. Morales said he floated the idea of the conference at a recent gathering of member nations of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), and it was "well received." The conference hopes to draw some 1,300 delegates from around the world, mainly from organizations in defense of migrants, ABI reported. UNITED NATIONS, March 9 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday appointed Louise Arbor of Canada as his special representative for international migration. Arbor will succeed Peter Sutherland of Ireland who served on this position for over 11 years from January 2006. Arbor will lead the UN advocacy efforts on international migration, provide policy advice and coordinate the engagement of UN entities on migration issues, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told a daily briefing. Arbor served as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2004 to 2008. She was a Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. She is also a former justice of the Supreme Court of Canada and of the Court of Appeal for Ontario. UNITED NATIONS, March 9 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has outlined a new victim-centered approach to prevent and respond to such abuses committed by those serving under the UN flag. "Certainly no person serving with the United Nations in any capacity should be associated with such vile and vicious crimes," said Guterres in a message announcing his report released Thursday on "Special Measures for Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse: A New Approach." "Let us declare in one voice: We will not tolerate anyone committing or condoning sexual exploitation and abuse. We will not let anyone cover up these crimes with the UN flag," he added. Noting that exploitation is also deeply rooted in gender inequality and discrimination, Guterres said that promoting gender equality throughout the UN system, including its missions and peacekeeping forces, would help advance parity and at the same time decrease incidents of abuse. "Let us do so in the name of all who look to the UN for life-saving protection and support, and on behalf of the tens of thousands of UN personnel around the world who deliver that assistance with courage and commitment to the highest ideals," he stressed. The report also emphasizes the need to engage with UN member states and calls for a high-level meeting on sexual exploitation and abuses in 2017 on the margins of the general debate of the 72nd session of the General Assembly. DAMASCUS, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army said in a statement Thursday that the Turkish artillery fire targeted Syrian military positions near the city of Manbij in Aleppo province in northern Syria, state news agency SANA reported. The Turkish shelling targeted the Syrian border corps, recently been deployed in the western countryside of Manbij to be a separation line between the Turkish forces and the Kurdish-led groups, which are in control of the city. Russia and the Kurdish groups in northern Syria agreed recently that the Kurdish-led Manbij Military Council (MMC) should hand over areas in the western countryside of Manbij to the Syrian army, as the Turkish forces and allied rebel groups were closing in on Manbij to dislodge the MMC from that city. Turkey has recently said that it has no problem in having the Syrian army take over Manbij as long as the Kurdish-supported groups are out. Still, the Russian-Kurdish agreement was for giving areas west of Manbij to the Syrian army only, as part of what appeared to be a Russian plan to save the area from Turkish-Kurdish confrontation. Meanwhile, the military statement said that many soldiers were killed in the attack, which was an attempt to undermine the progress of the Syrian army near Manbij in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo. It stressed that the war on terror will continue and the Syrian forces will restore peace and stability to Aleppo countryside and all Syrian territories. The Syrian army is on a crushing offensive against the positions of the Islamic State (IS) group in the eastern countryside of Aleppo, and recently reached the town of Khafseh, where water stations feeding Aleppo with drinking water are located. LONDON, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Northern Ireland could face another election, the third within a year, unless political parties reach a power sharing agreement, a British government official has warned, it was revealed Thursday. James Brokenshire, secretary of state for Northern Ireland, spelled out the possibility of another snap election for the devolved parliament in Belfast, warning of significant consequences if there is no deal to restore the devolved government at Stormont. An election last Thursday led to the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) retaining its position as the leading party in the Northern Ireland Assembly. But gains made by the pro-Irish republican party, Sinn Fein, meant they were just one seat behind. Under the agreement which restored peace to the once troubled region, power in the 90-seat assembly must be shared between the DUP and Sinn Fein. The two parties have fallen out over a controversial heating scheme, which Sinn Fein says will cost taxpayers in Northern Ireland hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars. Brokenshire has written to Westminster MPs, saying if discussions between the political parties fail, there would be no executive or budget, causing "risks to public services". Brokenshire added he was not contemplating any other outcome but a resumption of devolved government in Belfast as soon as possible. But under the agreement if there is ultimately no executive formed, there is a high risk of power could return to Westminster, meaning home rule would be in place for the first time in a decade. A spokeswoman for Brokenshire in Belfast told Xinhua the letter from the minister to MPs had not been made public. But it appears copies have been leaked to media outlets. Talks are continuing between Northern Ireland's political parties and the British and Irish governments to resolve the situation. But a window of just a few weeks is closing. Last week's election was called following the resignation of Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness who was deputy first minister in the assembly. By quitting the post, it meant that first minister Arlene Foster of the DUP also lost her position. The big question for the parties involved in the discussions is whether Sinn Fein, under its new leader in Northern Ireland, Michelle O'Neill, will work alongside a DUP headed by Foster. HAVANA, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Cuba aims to boost Caribbean trade ties as a way to promote regional development, a top trade official said on Thursday. As Cuba hosts a gathering of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), Jose Chaple Hernandez, Director of Trade Policy for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment, said stronger alliances can help spur shared development, while respecting regional culture and history. "For Cuba, ties with ACS member nations is a high priority, based on cooperation, complementarity and the creation of strategic partnerships with an eye towards sustainable development," Chaple said at a press conference. According to the ministry, Cuba's trade with ACS countries represents up to 70 percent of its regional trade. In 2016, exchange between Cuba and the ACS members reached 2.5 billion U.S. dollars, and new trade accords are in the offing with five Caribbean nations, said Chaple. The ministry's Director General of Foreign Investment, Deborah Rivas, said regional countries should focus on cooperating with each other, not competing against one another. "This is about making the most of our shared advantages and creating economic partnerships," said Rivas. ACS delegates were in Havana to prepare for bloc ministerial meetings on Friday and Saturday. By Matthew Rusling WASHINGTON, March 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump just revised the controversial visa ban of citizens from several predominately Muslim nations. But experts said while this may satisfy his supporters, it may hurt him overall. The new travel ban bars entry of some people from six countries- Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen - for 90 days and suspends entry of some refugees for 120 days. Trump's temporary visa ban sparked much controversy in January, as critics condemned it as poorly planned and executed while supporters say he is only fulfilling a campaign promise. It was later overturned by a federal judge in the state of Washington, whose ruling was upheld by an appeals court. This was the first setback that Trump has suffered since January inauguration. Trump has since modified the executive order, relaxing restrictions on permanent residents and removing Iraq from the list, which now includes Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Syria and Libya. "Trump and his staff continue to present them (the visa laws) as a travel ban and the fulfillment of his campaign pledge of a 'Muslim ban.' They are likely to provoke continued overly aggressive enforcement (of) front-line customs and border agents, above and beyond the specific terms of the current orders," Christopher Galdieri, assistant professor at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire, told Xinhua. Politically, the ban appeals to Trump's core supporters who are dissatisfied with demographic change and levels of immigration to the U.S., legal or otherwise, Galdieri said. "But legally they're likely to continue to be a disaster, with new challenges in the courts and the weight of Trump's and his staff's statements about them as strikes against them, and they will probably lead to continued protests," Galdieri said. They also pose a danger to Republicans in Congress, who will be asked whether they support the ban," Galdieri added. Karlyn Bowman, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, told Xinhua the issue will continue to spark controversy. "The country is deeply divided and Democrats and Republicans are split on many issues, including immigration and especially on the ban. All the polls showed it before the revised order. So many Democratic politicians will oppose the President on this one," she said. Brookings Institution's Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua that the visa ban will continue to spark controversy because Democrats are condemning it and Republicans are nervous about defending it. "The new approach still bans people from certain countries even if there is no evidence that those individuals constitute a risk. This means that students, doctors, and scientists from those countries will not be allowed to travel to the United States, West said. Reporters will find those people and highlight their personal stories that show they are not terrorists, West said. Some opponents of the visa ban contend it will not stop terrorism, citing results of studies that show most of the terrorists that launched strikes in the country are radicalized several years after entering the country, and many of them are not from the countries on the Trump's ban list. But Heritage Foundation's analyst James Carafano told Xinhua that the visa ban is not intended to be a panacea. "It is designed for one very particular aspect of the global transnational Islamist terrorist threat. Tens of thousands of foreign fighters flooded into Syria and Iraq. The order is intended to block terrorist travel from those countries to the U.S." he said. "What is good about the order is it is intended to get ahead (of a) threat," he added. BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of China published a report titled "Human Rights Record of the United States in 2016" on Thursday. Following is the full text of the report: Human Rights Record of the United States in 2016 State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of China March 2017 Foreword On March 3 local time, the State Department of the United States released its country reports on human rights practices, posing once again as "the judge of human rights". Wielding "the baton of human rights," it pointed fingers and cast blame on the human rights situation in many countries while paying no attention to its own terrible human rights problems. People cannot help asking about the actual human rights situation of the United States in 2016. Concrete facts show that the United States saw continued deterioration in some key aspects of its existent human rights issues last year. With the gunshots lingering in people's ears behind the Statue of Liberty, worsening racial discrimination and the election farce dominated by money politics, the self-proclaimed human rights defender has exposed its human rights "myth" with its own deeds. -- The frequent occurrence of gun-related crimes led to heavy casualties and the incarceration rate remained high. There were a total of 58,125 gun violence incidents, including 385 mass shootings, in the United States in 2016, leaving 15,039 killed and 30,589 injured (www.gunviolencearchive.org, December 31, 2016). The United States had the second highest prisoner rate, with 693 prisoners per 100,000 of the national population (www.statista.com, April 2016). There had been 70 million Americans incarcerated - that's almost one in three adults - with some form of criminal record (harvardlawreview.org, January 5, 2017). -- Livelihood of middle- and low-income groups was worrisome amid widening income gap. In 2016, the proportion of adult Americans who had a full-time job hit a record low since 1983. Over the last three decades, nearly 70 percent of income ended up in the pockets of the wealthiest 10 percent. The population of U.S. middle-class registered a turning point toward contraction. Besides, one out of seven Americans remained in poverty, with life of 45 million people in strained circumstances. The average life expectancy fell from 78.9 years to 78.8 years as the United States posted a drop in overall life expectancy for the first time in over 20 years. -- Racism continued to exist and racial relations worsened. In 2016, the United Nations' Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent reported to the United Nations Human Rights Council that racial problems were severe in the United States. The colonial history, enslavement, racial subordination and segregation, racial terrorism and racial inequality in the United States remained a serious challenge. Police killings were reminiscent of the past racial terror of lynching. The United States was undergoing a "human rights crisis" (www.un.org, August 18, 2016). -- There was no improvement to the protection of rights of women, children and elders, and the vulnerable groups' rights were seriously violated. Women were paid much less compared to their male colleagues. Women with city government jobs in New York made 18 percent less than men (www.nydailynews.com, April 11, 2016). Women comprised about 60 percent of California workers earning minimum wage or less (www.sandiegouniontribune.com, April 10, 2016). Sexual harassments and assaults took place frequently. Roughly one in four women said they have been harassed on the job (www.usatoday.com, July 7, 2016). A total of 20 percent of young women who attended college during a four-year span said they had been sexually assaulted (www.washingtonpost.com, March 5, 2016). Poverty rate among children remained high and an estimated 6.8 million people aged 10 to 17 are food insecure (www.urban.org, September 11, 2016). Cases of elder abuse happened from time to time and about 5 million older adults were subject to abuse each year (www.csmonitor.com, June 15, 2016). -- The United States repeatedly trampled on human rights in other countries and willfully slaughtered innocent victims. From August 8, 2014 to December 19, 2016, the United States launched 7,258 air strikes in Iraq and 5,828 in Syria, causing 733 incidents with an estimated number of civilian deaths between 4,568 and 6,127 (airwars.org, December 19, 2016). Since 2009, the upper limit of the civilian death toll from U.S. drones stood at more than 800 people in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. (www.theguardian.com, July 1, 2016) The issue of illegal detention and torturing prisoners of other countries remained unsolved. -- The United States refused to approve core international conventions on human rights and did not accept UN draft resolutions related to human rights. It still has not ratified core international human rights conventions, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women; the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. At the 71st General Assembly of the UN, the United States voted against draft resolutions related to human rights including "The right to development," "Human rights and unilateral coercive measures," "Promotion of a democratic and equitable international order," and "Declaration on the right to peace" (www.un.org, December 19, 2016). BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of China published a document titled "Chronology of Human Rights Violations of the United States in 2016" on Thursday. Following is the full text of the document: Chronology of Human Rights Violations of the United States in 2016 JANUARY Jan. 4 The Washington Post website reported that Eric John Senegal, a 27-year-old black man, was shot by police in a house in Ragley, Louisiana.Jan. 5 The Washington Post website reported that Albert Thompson, a 28-year-old Hispanic man armed with a hand torch, was shot by police in an apartment building in Ceres, California. Jan. 12 The Washington Post website reported that Herman Bean, a 49-year-old native American man, was shot by police in an apartment in Spenard, Alaska.Jan. 14 The Washington Post website reported that Miguel Hernandez, a 39-year-old Hispanic man, was shot by police on a street in Santa Clarita, California. Jan. 16 The Washington Post website reported that Kelsey Rose Hauser, an unarmed 25-year-old woman, was shot by police in El Cajon, California. Jan. 17 The Washington Post website reported that the Education Department in fiscal 2015 received 65 civil rights complaints related to K-12 school districts' handling of sexual violence -- triple the number the agency had received the year before. Jan. 27 The Washington Post website reported that Janet Wilson, a 31-year-old black woman driving a vehicle, was shot by police near a shopping center in Dearborn, Michigan. Jan. 29 UN News Center reported on its website that a delegation of the UN Working Group of experts on people of African descent appointed by the UN Human Rights Council visited Washington D.C., Baltimore, the town of Jackson, Mississippi, Chicago, and New York City from 9 to 29 January. The experts expressed serious concerns about the police killings, the presence of police in schools, and violence targeting the African American community with impunity, and racial bias in the criminal justice system, mass incarceration and the criminalization of poverty which disproportionately affects African Americans. The experts' report said that there has been no real commitment to recognition and reparations for people of African descent in the country. Systemic racism continues to negatively impact the civil, political, economic, social, cultural and environmental rights of African Americans. The experts expressed serious concerns about the police violence targeting the African American community and racial bias in the criminal justice system. The working group is concerned about the problem of killings and excessive use of force committed by law enforcement officials while on duty, and it is deeply concerned about the low number of cases in which police officers have been held accountable. The experts found that contemporary police killings and the trauma it creates are reminiscent of the "racial terror and lynching" of the past. Impunity for state violence has resulted in the current human rights crisis and must be addressed as a matter of urgency. The report said that killings of unarmed African Americans by the police is only the tip of the iceberg in what is a pervasive racial bias in the justice system. The incarceration rate for African American males is 5.9 times higher than the rate for white males. African Americans, constituting 14 percent of the U.S. population, accounted for 36 percent of sentenced federal and state prisoners. From an early age African Americans are treated as a dangerous criminal group and face a presumption of guilt. Racial bias and disparities in the criminal justice system and the tough-on-crime polices disproportionately impact African Americans. Race was a significant factor in death penalty cases in the United States. The report also noted the disparities in access to education, health, housing and employment. More than 10 million (26 percent) of African Americans remain mired in poverty, and 12 percent live in "deep poverty." In 2015, of the more than half a million homeless people in the United States, African Americans constituted 40.4 percent. "The persistent gap in almost all the human development indicators, such as life expectancy, income and wealth, level of education, housing, employment and labor, and even food security, among African Americans and the rest of the U.S. population, reflects the level of structural discrimination that creates de facto barriers for people of African descent to fully exercise their human rights," Ms. Mendes France, head of the group, stressed. Jan. 30 The Washington Post website reported that Philip B. Salazar, a 38-year-old Hispanic man armed with a scissors, was shot by police in a house in Fort Collins, Colorado. Jan. 31 The Washington Post website reported that Bruce Kelley, a 37-year-old black man, was shocked with a stun gun and shot by police in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania. Family said that he suffered from mental illness. Senate passes FATCA Bill All Government and Opposition Senators backed the bill, and all Independents present but one. The vote was 29 for, none against and one abstain. Finance Minister, Colm Imbert, in his wind up, justified the bill by saying TT cannot become isolated from the United States and worlds financial systems, or wed end up like North Korea. Addressing Creeses concerns that the bill reeked of US neo-colonialism, Imbert admitted that TT cannot itself legislate any similar law against the US as it would be of no effect. Likewise Imbert rejected the idea of this country trying to impose a tit-for-tat reciprocity against US banks, as he said that it is this country which needs to access US dollars for international transactions, but US firms do not need to buy TT dollars. The Senate resumes next Tuesday at 1.30 pm to debate the Miscellaneous Provisions (Trial by Judge Alone) Bill 2017. $4 million in Carnival revenue for Hasely Crawford Stadium Smith provided this information in response to a question from Independent Senator Ian Roach in the Senate on Tuesday. Smith also reported that, no cost has been incurred to remedy damage to the stadium after hosting Carnival events. In response to a follow- up question from Roach, Smith said all of the caution money was refunded during this period. Earlier in the sitting, acting Leader of Government Business, Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat, said the Education Ministry will monitor, through its school supervisors, any issues as it pertains to compliance with the new registration guidelines at primary schools. Dr Robin Maraj focuses on alternative education I noticed what was being delivered wasnt relevant to the emerging IT environment. Not only at that, you have to remember at that time, you either did a program at The University of the West Indies or you went to the other end of the teaching spectrum into trade and vocational type programs. So, the system was catering to the 15% of the brightest students in the traditional academic sense, but losing all these other very intelligent people due to lack of opportunity simply because they learnt differently, he notes. This year, the SBCS Global Learning Institute celebrates 30 years in the field of education and has become a pinnacle for continued and alternative education due to Dr Marajs ability to predict the needs of the future a school system that catered to that other 85% of learners, but did so not by changing the teaching format, but the learning format. Starting with just a three-month course on Santa Cruz Road in San Juan, the school immediately grew due to what he saw as a combination of the deep recession being experienced at the time and the desire for people to re-tool their education or upskill their existing experience and qualifications. We believed in the know what and the know how so it wasnt just about supplying a theoretical education and approach, but also providing the right learning environment for courses that were practical and industry relevant. In 1990, the school moved to its flagship location, the prominent site in Champs Fleurs and has expanded over the 27 years that followed with three other campuses: at Trincity, San Fernando and Port-of-Spain. The buildings are well-known, sometimes loved and equally derided, but that was also part of the larger vision to be different, set out by Dr Maraj who now serves as Executive Director and Founder for the global learning institute. Its a little bit of controlled chaos, we didnt want grey or white walls with a whiteboard and some desks, we wanted a learning environment that was warm and inviting, one that reflected the reality of the controlled chaos that exists in the real world, that veered away from linear spaces and linear thinking, he points out. We also knew that we couldnt be the largest institution in the country especially marketing budget-wise, so we created buildings that were unique, to attract students who would be graduates that are equally unique. It was a brave step, but we had the confidence to build it and the courage to inhabit it and today its part of our overall aim to be different, to think different and teach in alternate ways that produce higher-quality, work-ready graduates! His overall approach relies heavily on producing life-long learners, as he points out that traditional education systems locally are teacher-centric and not learner-centric and that doesnt work for everyone. In Brazil, there was a social experiment; taking people who sold flowers on the streets; who could calculate totals and derive the figure for change for a customer on-thego, but when presented with the same Maths problems in a traditional classroom setting, could not replicate it as easily. Gardners Theory of Multiple Intelligences points to this, noting seven distinct intelligences, which really points out that everyone learns differently, so we aim to create a space and eco-system that delivers that from the motivational posters you would find across all campuses to the open-door policy and friendliness of our administration staff and right up to the classroom. Its an SBCS community from the moment you set foot in any of our campus locations. As his role expanded, his own learning continued. Formally, he received a Doctorate (HC) in 2008 from Heriot Watt University, but his learning never ceases, as demonstrated by his offices bookshelf, filled with trade magazines in business and the business of education along with a dozen or so heavier tomes. His transition from teacher to his role as Founder and Executive Director was one he found easier with two guiding principles: Communication and collaboration! You cant accomplish a thing without getting your vision out to a whole lot of good people and then working with them to get that collaboration going. You also have to have the full construct when youre at the top of any organization; even if you do not understand all aspects of the organisation, say accounting and finance, it does not mean you are not responsible for these areas. It is total responsibility and not everyone understands that responsibility. As the school continues to grow, it has expanded not only in terms of locations, facilities and program offerings (such as their expanded engineering field offerings and the new engineering labs), but also in their number for international affiliations with global university partners including the University of Leicester, University of Greenwich and University of London among others. We are continuing to improve and invest, adding programs that are digging deeper into the needs of our society. Education is one of the keys to building a civil society and we see ourselves as having a big role in contributing to that. We need engineers yes, but we also need facilities managers to upkeep these buildings and persons that can work or even start a business in the smallest aspects of a building, such as maintaining an elevator or escalator system, he notes. Though not slated to be as large a celebration as their 25th Anniversary, SBCS Global Learning Institute will be focusing on the hosting of a Teaching and Learning Conference in early April, which will be looking at the very nature of education and learning, making use of a number of local graduates who completed the Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education. A fantastic take-away from the story of the SBCS is that it was founded in the middle of quite possibly, this countrys worst recession and no doubt, the next 30 years are equally assured a measure of success, given Dr Marajs prescient vision. Dr Robin Maraj, Founder and Executive Director of SBCS Global Learning Institute. SBCS Founder and Executive Director Dr Robin Maraj describes the institutions physical environment as one that reflected the reality of the controlled chaos that exists in the real world, that veered away from linear spaces and linear thinking. The new Engineering Lab at SBCS, Champs Fleurs. Surveyor body launches Property Tax position paper The institute launched its position paper on the issue on Tuesday, and in a time of waning energy earnings their approach is that the taxs reintroduction is inevitable. Property tax is coming, there is no doubt about it, Dr Sunil Lalloo, the bodys assistant secretary told Business Day. We would like to suggest the best way forward. One of the institutes proposals is that government could be more communicative about its plans for the roll out of the tax. Lalloo said that as one of the bodies best poised to advise on property issues in the country, the IST was in the dark about how government planned to implement the tax. He said this lack of clarification extended to the public, whom the government should be educating about the tax, particularly since no one has had to pay the tax since 2009. We want to see education drives for the public, so that the public is kept up to date, said Lalloo. Part of this would be to re-orient how people see the tax. The IST assistant secretary said the taxs image was not helped by the People Partnerships Axe the Tax campaign and that the public was likely to view it as an additional burden, especially if the rate they were previously paying increased. He told Business Day, however, that if people saw property tax revenues at work in their communities, they were less likely to view the tax negatively. This is why he said the IST was supporting use of property tax revenues in Local Government. The assumption we have had to make is that the revenue will just be going into the Consolidated Fund. This is will not have public buy in and people are not going to like if the money is just lumped into the public purse, with the government having ultimate discretion on what happens to it. We would strongly suggest that the revenues are not consolidated, but used specifically for local government and community development. If people in an area were paying $50 and then they are asked to pay $500, it is reasonable that they would expect to see improvements. They would want to see their roads paved faster, they would want to see better garbage collection. They would to see better water supply. If people know that they are going to get better service delivery then they will not have a problem paying, said Lalloo. Noting that the Finance Ministrys valuation division had already started recruiting property assessors, Lalloo also expressed concerns about data collection and security. With the current crime situation, people have a lot of anxiety about people coming to their homes to collect information and do assessments. We want to know what security measures the government is going to put into place, he said. Beyond this, Lalloo told Business Day that the rates charged needed to be equitable and transparent to all. When they send out assessors, who collect information on the properties and property owners get a notice of assessment, our question is, will this be publicised. Will property owners be able to go online and see what they versus what others are required to pay? He illustrated: You are telling me to pay $500 a year, but my neighbor is paying $200 and their property is in much better condition than mine. Lalloo said people should be able to query their level of taxation as is done in other countries. The IST assistant secretary said that the body is satisfied with the current taxation percentages of three percent for residential properties, five percent for commercial properties and one percent on agricultural lands. These are based on the Annual Rental Value of the properties involved, which remains relatively static, as opposed to the capital value of the properties, which tends to change with the market value of the properties In comparison to other jurisdictions, it is somewhat smaller than in other Caribbean countries, with the exception of Jamaica. We think it is reasonable, said Lalloo. The IST is also asking that the re-introduction of the tax be scaled so that the public does not feel it all at once in the pocket. They also want concessions for senior citizens. In the current governments first budget in September 2016, it was announced that there would be a return of property tax in January 2017. However, this was delayed as it was realised that several properties throughout the country were not on the Ministry of Finances assessors roll and full collection of the tax has been halted until this exercise is complete, with property tax being implemented at a flat rate of three percent. The assessment exercise is expected to be completed this year. In last years budget statement, government said it expected to collect $503 million in revenues from the reintroduced property tax. Business Day attempted to reach Finance Minister Colm Imbert for an update on how the property tax would be implemented, but up to press time, was unable to do so. Dr Sunil Lalloo, Chartered Valuation Surveyor and Assistant Secretary, Institute of Surveyors of Trinidad and Tobago delivers his presentation at the Institutes launch of its Position Paper on Property Tax. Innovation and commercial banking A conversation about commercial banking, however, cannot occur without a discussion on the issue of technological innovation, and moreso since commercial banks are becoming increasingly computerised and digitalised in this modern age. In fact, technology has taken on an ever more significant role in the delivery of banking services as well as in the ways that banks conduct business and general operations. A separate conversation has to take place, however, regarding whether the technological advances of the commercial banks are reflective of the technological literacy of the population, or whether those of us who are not as technologically savvy are being forced to pay fees and charges to enter into banking halls versus using automated teller machines (ATMs) and online banking. The assumption can be made that banks are investing in technology to ultimately increase efficiencies and therefore reduce costs, and also increase their own profitability. In fact, in an era of such dynamic technological change, commercial banks and other financial institutions must constantly innovate in systems, products and services in order to remain competitive. However, one must consider that no matter how compelling an innovation might be, it is the consumer who will ultimately determine its success. As one writer puts it the process of technological diffusion is driven by the needs of the market place rather than by the inventions of engineers. Another consideration for technological innovations in the commercial banking sector is the reduction in demand to hold money, especially since the use of ATMs now affords the consumers access to funds at any time. Consequently, there may be the need for larger level of balances. It becomes clear, therefore, the introduction of new technologies in the banking process must be reflected in monetary policy particularly in such issues as liquidity ratios and the demand for money. It can also be said to benefit national productivity as customers may not require as much time-off from work to conduct banking transactions. Generally speaking, technology is changing the banking industry from brick and mortar branches to the reliance on digitized and networked banking services. It has fundamentally changed the mechanism by which banks interact with their customers by using more web-based applications and computer terminals and reducing the need for customers to visit branches. Ironically, the key to survival for commercial banks is customer service since in Trinidad and Tobago the banking sector has been described as oligopolistic much to the annoyance of the banking sector. Customer loyalty will be determined by the banks ability to innovate and deliver products and services at arms-length in a manner that still feels personal to the consumer. Personal service and convenience are still very critical factors one considers in their banking relationships, but these are now defined differently. To achieve this, banks may consider taking a more involved role in the technological education of their customers rather than the use of perverse disincentives as a tool to discourage persons from transacting business within the branch network. The question now arises whether technological innovation in the banking sector has satisfied the needs of the customers in Trinidad and Tobago. It can be argued that while there might be a significant relationship between customer satisfaction and technological innovations, the associated increase in transaction costs have proven disadvantageous to customers. This increase in cost could be attributed to the high cost of investment made by the banks in these technological innovations. It is apparent that banks need to properly identify the needs of their customers in the development and introduction of any new technologies to ensure that these products and services actually meet the needs of consumers. The return that banks expect as a result of their investment in technology should also consider the impact of the change the investment creates. Banks should recognize that the benefits associated with technological innovation will not be realised if that innovation does not originate from customer needs and will in fact lead to a more dissatisfied customer. Perhaps what we may see soon enough in Trinidad and Tobago is the appearance of digital competition in our local banking industry, in the form of technological giants such as Google and Amazon and other forms of competition such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. The financial services industry will become a banking, information, and technology industry. The question is not whether the banking industry will transform, the question is really how. Does Trinidad and Tobago have the enabling legislation to ensure that we are able to allow these innovations and financial technology companies? The challenge here for policy-makers is to create an environment whereby the banking industry is allowed to evolve whilst simultaneously ensuring safety and soundness of the banking sector. Venezuelan woman shot in chest According to reports, Patricia Achong was seated in a white car which was proceeding along the North Coast Road on Tuesday night. The driver of the vehicle told police that at 9 pm, when he reached the three quarter mile mark in the vicinity of the look-out, another vehicle, a beige coloured Toyota Yaris pulled alongside and a man pointed a gun at Achong who was seated in the back seat behind the driver. When a shot was fired, Achong slumped in the backseat while the gunman sped off. A report was made to police and the semi-conscious woman was rushed to hospital for treatment. No motive has been established for the shooting and investigations are continuing. No arrest has been made. Fined for stealing from uncle Magistrate Forde-John granted Ali, who was represented by attorney Ainsley Lucky, bail in the sum of $35,000 and adjourned the case to March 31. Prosecutor Cleyon Sedan told the court that on Monday at about 7.30 am, Ravi Rampersad of Union Hall, San Fernando, last saw the cash and jewelry on a dresser in a bedroom. Seedan added that Rampersad made a check in the bedroom and discovered the items missing. The items included a watch valued $2,500 and gold bracelet and chain together valued $15,000. He contacted the San Fernando Police Station and PC Ramdhanie and others went to a house at Union Hall and met Gokool and another person. Gokool admitted to stealing the items from his uncle and selling them to someone on High Street in San Fernando. The court heard that police proceeded to Edan Centre, High Street, where someone handed over one of the stolen items. Police also found 1.4 grammes of marijuana. PC Ramdhanie charged him with both offences. Forde-John fined him $2,000 and ordered that he pay his uncle $7,800 in compensation. She reprimanded and discharged Gokool on the marijuana possession charge. Cop investigating cops ASP Roberts was mandated on Tuesday by Senior Superintendent Joanne Archie, who is the head of the Tobago Division, to begin a probe into the leak and yesterday he began interviewing several police officers. According to Snr Supt Archie, the probe will continue until the perpetrator or perpetrators are found. She said all resources will be made available to the investigator to bring closure to this probe. The Police Cyber Crime Unit is involved in the probe. Archie said this type of action will not be tolerated in the police service. She maintained that to expose the police report into rape and the subsequent medical report of the victim on social media was a low blow. Archie added that she was contacted by her seniors on Monday asking her to ensure a probe is started and every effort made to prosecute the guilty. In the Senate on Tuesday, Minister of National Security Edmund Dillon also condemned the action of the person or persons involved in such a leak. On Carnival Monday night, a 27-year-old woman alleged she was raped at her Plymouth apartment by a policeman. The matter was reported to the Scarborough police and the woman was taken for medical examination. A 22-year-old police officer was arrested, charged and has since appeared in court. However, late Friday the police report on the rape and the medical report of the victim was plastered on Whatsapp which prompted responses from persons in Tobago and widespread speculation about the rape act. This is the second investigation in Tobago Division for alleged misconduct with respect to leakage of sensitive and/or classified information from within the Service. Surrender to cops then ask questions says magistrate Christian Young, 21, of Old Train Line in St Margarets Village, Claxton Bay pleaded guilty yesterday in the San Fernando Magistrates Court to the two charges. He has two previous convictions, one for resisting arrest and the other for obstructing police. The magistrate further remarked that it appears Young, just does not like to get arrested. Court prosecutor Cleyon Sedan told the court that at 3 pm last Friday, PCs Rampersad and Buchoon of St Margarets Police Station were on mobile patrol along Southern Main Road in Claxton Bay. On reaching St Margarets Junction, the officers observed Young, who was a suspect of a serious crime, walking along the roadway. The court heard that the officers approached Young and asked him to accompany them to the police station. As the officers began searching him, Young pushed PC Buchoon to the ground. PC Rampersad was also assaulted by Young who then ran away. Both officers sought medical treatment at the Couva District Health Facility. At about midday on Tuesday, Cpl Suliman met Young at the police station and subsequently charged him. In his defence, Young who was unrepresented, said he had intended to go to the police station. Magistrate Forde- John remarked that in 2015, he appeared in court charged with obstructing police and resisting arrest. Before she fined him $3,000 to cover both charges, Forde-John suggested that when next he sees the police coming, surrender to them and ask questions later. She further ordered that he pay the officers a total of $1,300 in compensation. Williams: Cops will get backpay The Tobago East MP pressed Williams to assure that all officers would be paid by monthend, lamenting the plight of a female constituent who remains unpaid. However, Williams replied, I must only give honest assurance, prompting all present to chuckle. He continued to say he could not assure that every officer would be paid because some had administrative issues, but he declared, The majority will get by the end of March. In the committees role of checking on each public agencys internal audit processes, acting chairman, Fyzabad MP Dr Lackran Boddoe, asked about a system for keeping track of the TT Police Services firearms. There is a very good system in place. I get reports on a monthly basis regarding the status of firearms. Williams said he has appointed one officer to visit every police station to keep an account of their firearms, while another officer has a similar responsibility over police vehicles. The PAAC yesterday also examined the Equal Opportunities Tribunal, Election and Boundaries Commission, Ministry of Works and Transport, Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Energy. Personalised health care The genetic revolution created an exciting field of laboratory medicine based on analysing human genes to better understand diseases, how they develop, and the most effective ways to treat them. Today molecular diagnostics is a game changer for clinical laboratories of all sizes, offering more powerful tools for earlier and more accurate detection of disease and giving laboratories a key role in the emerging field of personalised medicine, it said, (http://www.mlo-online.com/) Fast forward years later and molecular diagnostics has become an integral part of modern medicine. It is said that this branch of medical science assists physicians with more precise treatment for patients. In TT, one such laboratory leading the way in more personal health care is NexGen Pathology located at the Eastern Main Road, San Juan. The medical diagnostic laboratory was founded in 2012 by Dr Wesley Greaves who in turn has put together a core team to assist him in more accurate diagnoses here in TT. The companys scientific director, Dr Christina Pierre discussed the labs origins and the role it hopes to play in health care development in TT. One of its core mission is to make world-class medical diagnostics available to TT and the wider region. The PhD molecular biologist said the labs overall goal is to raise the standard of diagnostics in TT. The PhD holder-who holds an undergraduate degree in Biomedical Sciences from University of Waterloo, Ontario Canada and then a PhD from McMaster University, Ontario, Canada in molecular and cell biology. While this country has the expertise, she said, it lacked the capacity needed to truly get the field up and running. It was, she said, fairly nascent in TT. However, its importance to the development of medicine in TT and beyond was integral. She said, You would find that, often times, when people become ill, particularly with cancer, they seek to go abroad so they get the best in care and the most advanced testing there is available. We would really like to bring that testing to TT and make it widely available and accessible. We offer it at a price that is not prohibitive so people dont feel the need to leave TT to go and have this testing done. She defined diagnostic as the ability to detect diseases but also the ability to classify the disease and guide a particular course of treatment. A lot of what we do also involves screening. Having an accurate diagnosis and a very fast diagnosis, depending on how critical the case is can make a difference between life and death, so it is important that we have accurate diagnostics but when it comes to cancer treatment sometimes diagnostic or prognostic tests can determine the course of treatment for the patient or whether or not they will respond to a particular drug or not, she added. She said that it was important because, Having the ability to do that type of diagnostic testing and a lot of cancers are driven by mutations in particular genes and then those mutations, or the presence or absence, of those mutations would dictate whether or not a patient would respond to particular medication or a particular course of treatment. The lab, while it is for profit, she said, also did a lot of work at a reduced cost or pro-bono. It is not that we are a not-forprofit organisation but we believe in being fair and we try to put people before profit as much as possible. That is one of our core values. There are instances where we would heavily discount a test for a patient that comes from the public sector but needs a test done urgently and may not be able to afford it through the private sector and cant afford to wait on the public sector to get the results. So we have many cases whereby patients would come in and say you know this is prohibitive for us and we would either discount it heavily or do it pro-bono depending on the case. The idea is not that we are a not-for-profit but we dont want anyone who really needs testing not to be able to get it in the time that they need it done because of cost. The lab, she said, has reduced the cost of HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) testing for $600 whereas if it had to be done abroad it would have cost upwards of $2,000. Molecular diagnostic testing, Pierre said, could also be an economic earner for the country. The lab has already had regional clients with patients from Guyana coming over for testing. The lab plans to keep abreast of the latest development in its field. We are also bringing on another platform and we are going to be establishing it so that we can do a lot more of the genetic testing or looking for mutations in genes or looking for the presence or absence of other pathogens that are disease causing such as Zika, dengue, Chick V, that kind of thing, she said. The lab is currently attempting to get accreditation from the College of American Pathologists, to ensure [we] keep in line with international best practices. The monkeys of Trinidad Even those who know about them may have never actually seen one in real life. While Tobago does not have monkeys in present times, Trinidad is home to two native monkeys the red howler monkey and the white-fronted capuchin. The red howler monkey (Alouatta macconnelli) is a large primate with reddish brown fur and a long tail. It inhabits forests throughout from Chaguaramas in the north to Matura in the east, down to Guayaguayare in the south east and Cedros in the south west. While they once inhabited the central parts of the northern range, troops (which is how a group of monkeys are collectively referred to) are no longer found there, possibly killed off by disease (more on that later). They are called howler monkeys because of the loud but low-pitched, rumbling cry that they make. These vocalisations are used for communicating both for keeping the troop together and for ensuring rival troops keep their distance. The low frequency cries travel far in their forest environments and is an effective tool in the leafy canopy where visual communication is less effective. Red howler troops are particularly vocal during or immediately after rain has fallen during the daytime and observation of this collective chorus lends support to the Trinidadian saying, sun shining, rain falling, monkey marrying. Like most monkeys, red howlers eat a variety of plant material including fruits and leaves. They must eat large quantities of plant material to get the nutrition they need. As a result, they must spend a lot of time digesting meals and it is not uncommon to find a troop lounging quietly in the trees overhead. Being a primate, the red howlers have a close genetic relationship to human beings. Yet despite this, they are targeted by poachers for the wild meat trade. This is, of course, an illegal act but sadly it continues today. The close genetic relationship also enables some viruses to affect both monkeys and humans. In Trinidad, the link between red howlers and yellow fever has been well documented. The monkeys serve as a natural reservoir for the yellow fever virus, and every ten years or so the viral load in the monkey population reaches a critical threshold and large numbers of monkeys may die or get sick. Outbreaks like this may explain why red howlers no longer inhabit the central parts of the Northern Range. The virus is typically spread by certain mosquitoes (Haemagogus and Sabethes sp.) found in our forests and so would not normally find its way into urban centres. However, if humans (be it naturalists, woodcutters or hunters) happen to be in the forest during one of these peak viral periods, they stand a chance of being bitten by one of these mosquitoes carrying the virus. The now infected human returns to the urban areas where that most maligned of mosquitoes, the aedes aegypti, just so happens to be a suitable vector for the yellow fever virus. The aedes aegypti then spreads the yellow fever in the human population. As a result of this, reports of deaths of red howlers in our forests are monitored by health officials and serve as a useful warning of a possible yellow fever peak period. The other native primate is the white-fronted capuchin (Cebus albifrons trinitatis). The capuchin is a much smaller monkey than the red howler. It has creamy white or yellowish fur and long, slender arms and legs. These features make the capuchin a much more agile monkey that the howler. They also allow the capuchin to access a more diverse food range and they will eat insects, eggs and small reptiles. Unlike the howlers, the capuchin is found in only a few areas, being limited primarily to Nariva and the Trinity Hills. Smaller troops may still be found in the north-west Northern Range. The subspecies of white-fronted capuchin is endemic to our island (found nowhere else) and is classified as critically endangered. While not hunted for meat, the capuchin is sometimes captured for the pet trade. Sadly, as monkeys destined to be pets are raised from infancy, the usual way to acquire a baby monkey involves killing the adult. A baby monkey will cling to its mother for a long time after they are born to be able to suckle and for protection and mothers, understandably, will not willingly part with their offspring. As a result, poachers will shoot females with young in order to capture the baby. By shooting a monkey in a tree there is a good chance that the fall will either kill or cripple the baby monkey, not to mention the risk of shooting the baby as well as the mother. The practice of keeping monkeys (of any species) as pets should not be tolerated. There is a third species of monkey to be found here. However, it is not native to our island. The tufted capuchin was introduced to the Chaguaramas peninsula many years ago. Reports of these capuchins in the area have been documented as early as the 1960s and are believed to be the result of the thriving illegal wildlife trade between Trinidad and Venezuela. Larger and more aggressive, these monkeys are slowly but surely making their way east through the Northern Range. Like the native capuchins, they are omnivorous. It is possible that their presence will eventually pose a threat to the ecosystem or compete with native capuchins when they arrive further east. However, this possibility is yet to be studied in any detail. Our monkeys are a very special part of Trinidads fauna. The excitement of seeing a troop of monkeys in the wild is rivalled by few other sights, and as intelligent creatures that are as closely related to human beings as they are, we are inclined to form a special bond with them. We should not see them as entertaining pets to be put in a cage or as exotic meat for the pot. Rather they should be left free to live in our forests. We all have a duty to protect them and ensure that they inhabit our forests for a long time to come. For more info on our natural environment: contact the Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists Club at admin@ttfnc. org or at www.ttfnc. org and our Facebook or YouTube pages. The clubs monthly meeting will be held today at St Marys College, Port-of- Spain. Lecture: The Biodiversity and Conservation of the Aripo Savannas by Lisa James. GRADE As FOR RACHAEL An autopsy would later reveal she was manually strangled. To date, her killer remains at large. Yesterday __ International Womens Day - the teens relatives revealed to Newsday, that Rachael secured three passes with distinctions as CSEC results were released by the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC). Last May, Rachael who was a student of Northern Eastern College in Sangre Grande, sat her Math and English A exams, for which she obtained Grades I with distinctions. On January 10, the Form Four student sat her Principles of Business (POB) and Social Studies exams, for which she obtained Grade I (with distinction) and Grade II respectively. Tragically, Rachael did not live to bask with her family, in the joy and pride on seeing the fruits of her hard scholastic work. Grandmother Kamla Ramkissoon said the teen wrote the Social Studies exam three days before she was murdered. On January 13, a hunter stumbled upon Rachaels body at Balata Trace in San Raphael. Ramkissoon sobbed as she read the CSEC results for Newsday. She added that her granddaughter had a bright future ahead of her and was working towards acquiring a scholarship at CAPE (Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination), to further her studies. Rachael was such a brilliant girl. She was always in her books. She was the bright star and great hope of our family. I knew she would have done well in all her examinations, Ramkissoon said. She told us she wanted to sign up to write four more subjects in January which were PoB, Social Studies , Human and Social Biology and Office Administration. Anything Rachael put her mind to, she succeeded at, Ramkissoon said. She would study night and day and put in the work. My little girl got another distinction in POB, but she was robbed of the opportunity to write the HSB and Office Administration examinations because someone squeezed the life out of her, the elderly woman cried. And as the nation observed International Womens Day yesterday, Ramkissoon said the day is meaningless as too many women in this country, too many girls, too many innocent people are at risk of being kidnapped, raped, assaulted or murdered. Women can no longer walk the streets without fear. Girls cant walk to school anymore. I cant celebrate Womens Day knowing this is the state my country has reached, knowing that for the rest of my life I have to live with the pain of Rachaels murder, when she should have been protected. Imagine she missed her school bus and ended up dead, the woman cried. Rachael would have celebrated her 17th birthday on August 23. Grieving father Toba Ramkisson told Newsday his daughters CSEC results did not come as a shock to him. Rachael was a brilliant girl and I only expected excellence from her. She always placed first in test from since primary school and into secondary school. I wish she was here to see the results of her work, he said. The father of two said he remains confident there would be justice for his daughters murder. On the morning of her death, Rachael missed the school bus and contacted a relative who also attends North Eastern to ask the bus driver if he could wait for her as she had studied late into the night and got up late. The driver reportedly refused to wait and the teen had to seek public transportation. The girls relative claimed she only travelled with drivers she knew prompting police to believe that the person who murdered Rachael may have known her. Senior police officers said the case remains open as they continue to pursue all leads. Sgt Maraj of the Homicide Investigations Bureau Region II is leading investigations. Road work for Sou Sou Lands and Fishing Pond They will now benefit from a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Works and Transport (MOWT) and the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA). On Tuesday, a press release from the MOWT indicated that its minister, Rohan Sinanan, visited both areas on Sunday with officials from WASA to assess the rehabilitation work needed in both areas. The release said the joint visit, which coincided with the continuation of paving of six kilometres of road in Sou Sou Lands, was arranged by Sinanan to address years of neglect and outcry from residents. Sinanan expressed his concern that resources were not being maximised in a holistic approach, and that minor road re-patches were being done following WASA operations without attention to major roads in its entirety. During the tour of the north-eastern communities, Sinanan also indicated that the MOWT and WASA have begun to coordinate projects to reduce the level of repetition by both organisations, noting that there are still a lot of improvements to be done. Accompanying the minister on the tour were Ag Director of Highways (MOWT) Navin Ramsingh, Hayden Phillip, Programme Director-PURE (MOWT) Alan Poon King - Ag CEO (WASA), and Romney Thomas, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners (WASA). TTUTA Garcia should know peaceful protest is legal Garcia said on Tuesday that his ministrys legal department is looking into whether the actions of teachers who took part in the protest outside the St Madeleine Secondary School on Monday, were calculated to bring the school into disrepute. In response to Garcias statement, Doodhai said Garcia should know better. He would have led picket demonstrations and he should know that they are allowed under the law and that is the right of the worker to picket the employer on issues affecting terms and conditions. But if the minster wants to go down that road, we are standing thoroughly behind the teachers and we will defend them against any possible disciplinary charges. Doodhai also said, That is their right to explore their legal options, but I want to point out that the teachers were picketing during their lunch period - 11:35am to 12:35pm. They were not on duty and did not abscond from duty to come and picket. The last time I checked the laws of Trinidad and Tobago, peaceful picketing is allowed and the general council of TTUTA and teachers at the school were engaged in peaceful picketing. TTUTA officials and approximately ten of the schools teachers protested outside the school gates on Monday calling for the temporary removal of its Principal Joy Arjoon- Singh pending an investigation into several allegations against her. Garcias answer was that the power to remove the Principal was in the hands of the Teaching Service Commission. To this, Doodhai said Garcia was engaging in a game of semantics because he had the power to make a recommendation for her removal to the commission through his permanent secretary. Speaking briefly with Newsday yesterday, Garcia said I am not going to recommend that someone is removed unless there are grounds for their removal, and that can only come through an investigation. Asked whether he intends to take legal action against the protesting teachers, Garcia said he had not yet received the report from his legal department. Gopeesingh blames Garcia for crisis at Ste Madeleine Some of the student skirmishes have been captured on camera and remain posted on social media - a dark illustration of the serious challenges facing the school. Gopeesingh said that for months Garcia would have known of the schools problems but did nothing to avert Mondays incident. The ministers indifference to the agitation and upheaval at (the school) is replicated with respect to other institutions of learning where there are similar disciplinary crises. Mr Garcias apathy contrasts sharply with the response to schools violence of the Peoples Partnership administration which had increased the number of professionals in the Student Support Services Division. Additional guidance counsellors, social workers, clinical, behavioural and educational psychologists were employed. Many teachers were trained in Alternative Dispute Resolution. Learning Enhancement Centres were established to provide counselling to suspended students. There was collaboration with the Minister of National Security. Saying the PP government had begun several targeted initiatives, he said under Garcia many of these were dismantled or starved of resources. Mr Garcias ineptitude on this urgent and crucial issue compounds the sharp decline in the education sector under his leadership. There has been a reversal in the historic academic achievements in SE A and CAPE and the schools and Early Childhood Care and Education Centres construction programme has been discontinued. Imbert: Petrotrin owes Govt $1.3 billion in taxes This information is contained in a statement issued yesterday by the Finance Ministry in the wake of figures on Petrotrins debt which Finance Minister Colm Imbert outlined in the House of Representatives on Monday and in the Senate on Tuesday. The ministry explained this statement was issued because Imbert wished to clarify the net amount of taxes and royalties which Petrotrin owes the Government at this time. The ministry indicated that for the year to date 2017, Petrotrin has confirmed that it owes the Government a total of $2.044 billion in unpaid taxes. These taxes are made up of Petroleum Profits Tax, Supplementary Petroleum Tax, Value Added Tax, Royalties, Production Levy and licenses. The ministry also said Petrotrin has indicated that its computation of the fuel subsidy owed by the Government to the company is $775 million. The ministry said when the figures of $775 million and $2.044 billion are reconciled, the figure of $1.269 billion is the result. The ministry further stated that this figure of $1.269 billion is separate and apart from the $4.2 billion in losses in the refinery over the period 2011 to 2016 which must now be properly shown in Petrotrins books as a loss rather than as a deferred tax asset. However in a separate statement, former energy minister Kevin Ramnarine claimed the statement Imbert made in the House about Petrotrin is misleading. According to Ramnarine, Petrotrins external auditor, KPMG, signs off annually on the companys audited accounts, the accounts are laid in Parliament and made public. Nothing was hidden, Ramnarine said. He noted that prior to 2010, when the Peoples Partnership (PP) assumed office, KPMG approved the carry forward of losses stemming from large investments in the refinery upgrades such as the Gasoline Optimization Programme, the World GTL and the Ultra-Low Sulphur Diesel projects. Lobbyist meets with Govt ministers Senior government officials told Newsday, He (Collins) was here and he met with a number of key ministers. He has since left the country. The officials declined to indicate who were the government ministers or what were the specific areas of discussion that they had with Collins during his brief visit. Speaking in the House of Representatives on Monday, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said he knew Collins, who was one of the signatories on the October 2016 agreement which outlined the American consultancy firms engagement as Governments lobbyist in Washington DC. The prime minister said the decision to hire The Group DC was taken shortly after the Peoples National Movement (PNM) assumed office in September 2015. Rowley added the firm was hired at a cost of $14.7 million over a two-year period. He dismissed claims from Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal that Collins worked for the PNM in the 2015 general elections. In choosing a lobbyist, one of the reasons why we chose Art Collins group is because we know them and we are satisfied that they can do the job. Deyalsingh gets checked for prostate cancer He then disclosed, I myself had my annual psa and test done last week. Identifying prostate, colo-rectal, breast, cervical and lung cancer as some of the forms of cancer the ministry is looking at, Deyalsingh said there is also an effort to educate young girls about modifying their sexual behaviour before the age of 18 years. He explained that sexual promiscuity before the age of 18, unprotected sex and multiple partners, tend to lead to an increase in cervical cancer. Deyalsingh said cigarette smoking is linked to lung, oesophagus, larynx, mouth, throat, kidney, bladder, liver, stomach, cervical, colon and rectal cancers. He added this was part of the rationale behind the decision to increase the price of cigarettes in the 2016/2017 budget. Deyalsingh also said obesity has a connection with breast, colon and rectal cancers. The minister explained this was why the sale of soft drinks in schools will be stopped from the beginning of the next school term. Noting that information on cancer has not been collected from 2008 to now, Deyalsingh said the ministry is upgrading the National Cancer Registry since you cannot manage what you cannot measure. MP: Chalkie should apologise Criticising Liverpools composition Learn from Arithmetic, which addressed child marriage, Khan said in a media release, Not only has he failed as a calypsonian but also an academic, as even basic arithmetic will teach anyone that 75 into 14 will produce a result of 0.18667. The San Juan/Barataria MP said he was not surprised though disappointed to learn that Liverpool has no intention of apologising to the Hindu community or others who have criticised his song. Liverpool has told Newsday he does not sing calypsoes for groups but for intelligent people. Despite this claim, Khan said, His song demonstrates very little intelligence. As a performer, Khan said, Chalkdust has often been accused of using the calypso forum to advocate PNM policies, especially after winning the partys Buy Local Calypso competition a record eight times in the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, it was not difficult, Khan said, to find similarities between Chalkies latest composition and Governments position on child marriage. No one has asked Liverpool, Khan said, why it took him such a long time to compose and perform Learn From Arithmetic and the significance of its coming on the heels of legislative reform. Noting when Liverpool won the Calypso Monarch competition in 1976, he performed a song entitled No Smut for Me, in which he resisted singing about sex when there were more pressing issues facing the country, Khan said, It is therefore an embarrassment to witness him eat his own words in 2017, when a song describing the lubrication of a copybook with margarine for sexual depravities would secure him his ninth win in the competition. California ordered to release suppressed information about the dangers of cell phones According to Pew Research Center, 92% of American adults owned a cellphone in 2015, a significant jump from 65% in 2004. This increasing reliance on technology has made our lives easier and more convenient in many ways, but its also lead to some unfortunate consequences. Perhaps most significantly, excessive cellphone use can hinder the development of social skills in all Americans but particularly in young adults. Now, its believed that cellphones can cause physical harm as well, prompting a Superior Court Judge to order the state of California to release crucial information on the matter. Documents from Californias Environmental Health Investigations branch are believed to contain information regarding cellphone radiation risks and other potentially harmful effects. California has now been ordered to release those documents to the public. (RELATED: The natural extract from this plant could prevent brain tumors.) Initially, the state refused to release the information after a request was made by a director at University of California Berkeley School of Public Health. This prompted Joel Moskowitz, PH.D., to sue under the California Public Records Act. I would like this document to see the light of day because it will inform the public that there is concern within the California Department of Public Health that cellphone radiation is a risk, and it will provide them with some information about how to reduce those risks, explained Moskowitz, who is the Director at the Center for Family and Community Health at UC Berkeleys School of Public Health. Moskowitz also offered his opinion as to why the state of California would be trying to hide the information from the public. They claim that this would lead to chaos and confusion among the public, I suspect that they were afraid of the reaction from the telecommunications industry should they publish this document. In fact, they even argued that in their brief, he explained. In the lawsuit, Moskowitz cites research that found a correlation between years of cellphone usage and an increased risk of brain tumors. (RELATED: Read about the top seven causes of cancer and learn what you can do to prevent it.) The Superior Court judge ruled on Friday that the Department of Public Healths investigation into the harmful effects of cellphone usage is in the interest of the public. Although the FCC says that there is no definitive link between wireless devices and cancer or other illnesses, Moskowitz believes very strongly that there are serious health risks associated with cellphone usage. He encourages the public to do their best to limit the amount of time spent talking on the phone, and hopes that the judges ruling will make people more aware of the health risks and potential consequences. Sources: SanFrancisco.CBSlocal.com PewInternet.org Submit a correction >> CIA deployed air-gap jumping viruses that could infect and monitor PCs even if they werent connected to the internet In the trove of information published on Tuesday by Wikileaks involving the CIAs ability to breach smart TVs, iPhones, Android products, and other Internet of Things personal devices was the revelation that the agency is also able to remotely monitor devices that arent online. The technique is called air-gap jumping, and it can be a way for the agency to spread malware or monitor devices without leaving an electronic trail. Truly, these are scary times. (RELATED: Vault 7 Bombshell Just Vindicated Every Conspiracy Theorist: The CIA Can Spy On Anyone Through TVs, IPhones, Smart Phones And Windows PCs.) WikiLeaks #Vault7 reveals CIA 'zero days' vulnerabilities Windows, CIA air-gap jumping viruses pic.twitter.com/Wy2yiBE83P WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) March 7, 2017 Wikileaks, in a statement released to the press and the public, noted that the CIAs malware targets Windows users but also those who utilize Linux and OSx: The CIA also runs a very substantial effort to infect and control Microsoft Windows users with its malware. This includes multiple local and remote weaponized zero days, air gap jumping viruses such as Hammer Drill which infects software distributed on CD/DVDs, infectors for removable media such as USBs, systems to hide data in images or in covert disk areas (Brutal Kangaroo) and to keep its malware infestations going. Many of these infection efforts are pulled together by the CIAs Automated Implant Branch (AIB), which has developed several attack systems for automated infestation and control of CIA malware, such as Assassin and Medusa. Attacks against Internet infrastructure and webservers are developed by the CIAs Network Devices Branch (NDB). The CIA has developed automated multi-platform malware attack and control systems covering Windows, Mac OS X, Solaris, Linux and more, such as EDBs HIVE and the related Cutthroat and Swindle tools So in other words, the CIA has developed ways to infect and monitor electronically, even without having to use the Internet. This information dovetails with recently published details regarding how smart devices like Amazons Echo, which are constantly on and therefore capturing voice data and any other information its users ask of it. In fact, local police are even getting in on the collection of said data, so you know if thats happening, the federal government has been doing it for some time. The Wikileaks data dump is part of a new series of CIA-related releases code-named Vault 7. The first full part of the series, Year Zero, comprises 8,761 documents and files from an isolated, high-security network situated inside the CIAs Center for Cyber Intelligence in Langley, Virginia, the Wikileaks press release noted. It follows an introductory disclosure last month of CIA targeting French political parties and candidates in the lead up to the 2012 presidential election (and the Alt-Left is concerned that Russia is trying to influence our elections?). Wikileaks editor Julian Assange said one of the major concerns about the CIAs operations is the risk of proliferation of its malware programs. (RELATED: New dump of CIA snooping data said to be more significant the Snowden leaks.) There is an extreme proliferation risk in the development of cyber weapons, he said. Comparisons can be drawn between the uncontrolled proliferation of such weapons, which results from the inability to contain them combined with their high market value, and the global arms trade. But the significance of Year Zero goes well beyond the choice between cyberwar and cyberpeace. The disclosure is also exceptional from a political, legal and forensic perspective. The problem is that once the hacking tools are out there, the CIA can no longer control how they are used or by whom. So in essence, the agency is making it easier for our enemies and adversaries to develop and employ malware against the United States. Cyber weapons are not possible to keep under effective control, said the public release. While nuclear proliferation has been restrained by the enormous costs and visible infrastructure involved in assembling enough fissile material to produce a critical nuclear mass, cyber weapons, once developed, are very hard to retain. J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel. Sources: Wikileaks.org NaturalNews.com Submit a correction >> If California secedes, will it open its Southern border to a flood of Mexican drug cartels while stripping its own citizens of gun rights? Politically speaking, the state of California is like an experiment that has gone terribly wrong. It is a petri dish for big government liberalism, and is a shining example of what the entire country will one day look like if people like Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders get their way. Immediately following the tragedy in San Bernardino, Governor Jerry Brown and other California democrats were quick to exploit the tragedy to advance their hard left, anti-gun agenda. The Governor signed six bills into law, including one that requires ammunition purchasers to undergo background checks, and another that further restricts access to semi-automatic rifles. My goal in signing these bills is to enhance public safety by tightening our existing laws in a responsible and focused manner, while protecting the rights of law-abiding gun owners, Brown wrote in a statement. Of course, just a quick trip to Chicago or Detroit would be enough to prove that more gun laws dont enhance public safety, and often dont respect the rights of law-abiding gun owners. On the contrary, because of the fact that criminals, by their very nature, dont follow the law, the only thing that more gun restrictions do is put good, decent gun owners at a disadvantage. The very criminals that the laws are supposed to effect the most are actually affected the least. Strict gun regulations arent the only thing that liberal California is known for. Each year, the state takes in hundreds of illegal aliens from south of the border. In many cases, these foreigners are treated better than Californias own American citizens, as they are given unprecedented rights, benefits, entitlements and protections. Some of these rights and benefits include access to in-state tuition, government funded healthcare, unemployment benefits, and drivers licenses. According to a recent study, more undocumented immigrants live in Southern California than in any other part of the United States. Roughly 60% of the 11 million illegal aliens in the country live in one of 20 metro areas. Three of these areas are located in Southern California, where an estimated 1.4 million illegals live between the southern Ventura County border and the U.S. Mexico border. This is the highest concentration of illegal immigrants in the entire country. It wouldnt be a stretch to say that California is like an entirely separate country, which actually may become a reality if people like Louis Marinelli are successful. Marinelli is the co-founder of the Calexit movement, a multinational effort to get California to secede from the United States. I envision a California much like the country that our Founding Fathers envisioned, Marinelli explained. A country where all are treated equally under the law; a country that provides for the common defense, promotes the general welfare of its people, and a country that secures our liberty from foreign and domestic threats. But given its radical gun laws and open borders policy when it comes to illegal immigration, what exactly would happen to California if it actually did withdraw from the union? For one thing, the continued influx of illegal aliens would fundamentally alter the nationality of the new nation over time. If illegal immigrants from Mexico were to come in at a higher rate than whites and non-Mexicans, at some point you would have to identify California more closely with Mexico than the United States. Additionally, Californias strict gun laws would hinder the ability of their citizens to defend themselves against criminals and drug cartels, setting the new nation on a path towards societal unrest and dislocation. In other words, if the state were to secede, liberal California would essentially become Mexico City. Sources TheBlaze.com LAtimes.com OCregister.com Breitbart.com Submit a correction >> Obama Admin set up Jeff Sessions meeting with Russian ambassador One of two meeting that U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions had with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak was orchestrated by the Obama State Department. In another tedious example of faux outrage, unhinged Democrats started calling for Sessions to step down after the purveyor of fake news, the Washington Post, breathlessly published a misleading report that the former Alabama GOP senator met twice last year with the Russian envoy. Taking a cue from entrenched, Deep State federal bureaucrats, the Post and other globalist, anti-Trump fake news outlets have been working overtime to connect the president and his team with the narrative of alleged Russian meddling in the campaign to the detriment of Democrat Hillary Clinton. During his Senate confirmation hearing, Sessions told TV clown Stuart Smalley (aka Minnesota Democrat Al Franken) in response to a question that he never discussed the election with Russian officials. Franken is one of those shameless grandstanders now accusing Sessions of perjury. According to former Justice Department official Hans von Spakovsky, Sessions encountered the Russian ambassador, and other foreign dignitaries, at an event sponsored by the U.S. State Department and other groups called Global Partners in Diplomacy. Sessions keynoted the event which was held at the July 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. As noted by Fox News: The conference was an educational program for ambassadors invited by the Obama State Department to observe the convention. The Obama State Department handled all of the coordination with ambassadors and their staff, of which there were about 100 at the conference. Apparently, after Sessions finished speaking, a small group of ambassadors including the Russian ambassador approached the senator as he left the stage and thanked him for his remarks. Thats the first meeting. And its hardly an occasion much less a venue in when a conspiracy to interfere with the November election could be hatched. Breitbart News suggested that the Post story downplayed the circumstances surrounding the Ohio meeting by alluding to it in paragraphs 32 and 33 of the article while omitting the State Department angle. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sessions met with the Russian ambassador in his office a few months later as he routinely did with many other diplomats. Sessions has since recused himself from any Justice Department investigations into the 2016 presidential campaign, which leaves career DOJ lawyers and Obama holdovers in charge of the inquiry for now. AG Sessions has since acknowledged that he should have mentioned that he met with the ambassador on two occasions unrelated to the election. Reports have since emerged that prominent Democrat lawmakers also met with the Russian ambassador, and Kislyak reportedly visited the Obama White House at least 22 times. As NewsTarget insisted several days ago, there is no evidence of any Trump-Russia collusion or cooperation, adding that if such evidence existed, the Deep State and the ever-compliant media would have leaked it before the election, especially if they thought Trump was going to win. The whole Democrat-media political complex, as well as many never-Trump Republicans who are part of what has been called the globalist, establishment Uni-party, were exposed on Election Day as being completely out of touch with facts on the ground. Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton claims that the Sessions recusal was unnecessary. The real Russian scandal is that President Barack Obamas team used the pretext of Russian interference in the election to justify wiretaps and illegal leaks of the Trump team, including a U.S. senator, now attorney general, he told The Daily Signal. Judicial Watch is suing the government to obtain records relating to the surveillance of the conversation between Gen. Michael Flynn and the Russian ambassador that led to Flynns resignation as National Security Adviser after just about three weeks on the job. President Trump has accused Obama of wiretapping Trump Tower, and Congress plans to look into those allegations. (RELATED: Read more about the Trump administration at Trump.news.) Sources: FoxNews.com Breitbart.com NewsTarget.com Breitbart.com DailySignal.com Submit a correction >> 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. A group of Canadian business people and officials are expected in Morocco for a week-long visit (March 11-18) to explore partnership opportunities with Moroccan counterparts, Al Maghreb Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIMC) based in Canada says. The strong Canadian delegation, representing various sectors of industrial and economic activity, will also attend the fifth edition of the International Africa Development Forum, sponsored by Attijariwafa bank. The Forum is held in Casablanca March 16-17. You are Canadian entrepreneur and you wish to explore the Moroccan market, please know that Morocco, thanks to its geographical situation, is a gate to Africa, Europe and Arab countries, the CCIMC said on its facebook account. Headed by Abderrahim Khouibaba, the CCIMC was established in 2001 to promote economy and trade between Morocco and Canada. The Moroccan Palmeraie Industries & Services group has launched the construction of a foam producing plant in the industrial zone of Ivorian capital city Abidjan. The future plant, named Uni Confort Cote dIvoire Dolidol, is situated in Yopougon and requires an investment of $125,000 (125 million MAD), Moroccan media LEconomiste reports. The plant to cover 17,000 m2 will have an annual output of 6,000 tons of polyurethane foams. Daily production will hit 1,500 mattresses. Launching the plant in Cote dIvoire falls in line with Moroccos investment strategy in the African continent, the groups President Saad Berrada Sounni noted. King Mohammed VI who is currently visiting the West African country has placed Africa at the heart of his foreign policy and has been promoting mutually beneficial partnerships with several African countries, with the ultimate goal to upgrade South-South investment and cooperation. The project is part of the groups 2020 new strategy, seeking to consolidate its presence on the continent, Sounni said. Palmeraie Industries & Services intervenes in four other areas namely agriculture, education, and mines and quarries. In 2015, the group notched a turnover put at 1.5 billion MAD and boasts 3,000 employees. An Appeals court in Morocco upheld a guilty verdict for French national, Thomas Gallay, on charges of funding a terrorist cell based in the Moroccan Atlantic city of Essaouira. Gallay, 36, saw his prison term reduced to four years in prison after a lower court had initially handed him a six-year sentence. He was found guilty of giving money to two Moroccan members of a terrorist cell. Gallay, a French convert, appealed the lower court verdict claiming that he signed confessions in Arabic language that he ignores. His mother, who claims that he only gave 70 to an acquaintance, and his lawyer launched a campaign in France to demand his liberation. He was arrested in a raid in 2016 by the Moroccan security services. Investigations showed that he maintained close links with the head of the Essaouira terrorist cell who was in possession of dangerous arsenal. The arsenal, found in his place, included firearms and ammunitions as well as equipment to make explosives. Gallay signed confessions saying that he hosted indoctrination meetings of the terrorist cell and admitted loyalty to the terrorist organization Daech. Several Jihadist propaganda videos were seized in his place. His lawyer purports that he was not aware of the Arabic content of these confessions. These claims were refuted by the fact that a translator was present during interrogations. Morocco undertook a reform of its penal code in line with international law and human rights as they are universally recognized. Several measures were taken to criminalize justifications of terrorism and to fight money laundering. The creation of the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ), known as Moroccos FBI, came to reinforce the legal and security anti-terrorism efforts. Since its creation in 2015, the BCIJ dismantled no less than 45 terrorist cells and arrested at least 548 terrorists who were brought before justice (275 in 2015 and 273 in 2016.) Despite the call by the UN Secretary General Antonio Gueteres for the need to maintain the flow of commercial traffic between Morocco and its southern neighbors unhindered, the Polisario obstinately harasses and blocks the movement of Moroccan trucks in the buffer strip of Guerguarat. The Polisario is thus blatantly violating the 1991 ceasefire agreement, which stipulates that the buffer strip should stay a demilitarised zone under the supervision of the UN mission in the Sahara, MINURSO. Moroccan news websites are awash with videos taken by truck drivers complaining against the harassment by Polisario militias in Guerguarat. Polisario armed men moved in to set up checkpoints forcing Moroccan drivers to remove signs such as Moroccan maps or registration plates and threatening to fire on those who refuse to abide. Special envoys of the Spanish news agency EFE dispatched to cover the showdown between Morocco and the Polisario militiamen in the Guerguarat buffer strip, confirmed in a reporting that Morocco has withdrawn the elements of its Gendarmerie from the buffer zone, and also all the heavy machinery it was using to asphalt a road linking Guerguarat to the Mauritanian border. There are no signs of the Moroccan presence, neither military or civilian, EFE said, adding that Polisario militiamen are standing in the way of any vehicle displaying Moroccan symbols such as flags, maps, car tags etc Actually, Morocco withdrew from the buffer strip of Guerguarat on the borders with Mauritania in response to the UN Secretary Generals call, showing its commitment to regional peace and stability. But, the Polisario refused to follow suit, ignoring the calls of the UN Chief and of his Special Representative for the Sahara and Head of the MINURSO, Kim Bolduc, who visited Tindouf and urged the Polisario leadership to withdraw troops from the buffer zone. According to Moroccan press, Bolduc warned that the presence of the Polisario in the area represents an act of aggression that may trigger a military response from Morocco. The Polisario, which acts upon directives from its mentors in Algiers, sees in setting up the checkpoints in the buffer strip an act to galvanize support amid the disenchanted population held against their will in Tindouf camps. The Tindouf-based militia are also attempting to divert attention from Moroccos recent diplomatic breakthrough in Africa, notably after it gained support of countries that were until recently aligning with the Algerian-sponsored separatist thesis. By pulling the strings of the Polisario to provoke Morocco into a military response, the Algerian military junta is also seeking to divert attention from its economic and social crisis that bears the seeds of an imminent implosion. Having recently received military equipment from the Algerian regime, the Polisario is becoming more than ever a tool used by Algiers to destabilize Morocco and sap all efforts seeking to find a lasting, political and mutually acceptable solution based on the Moroccan autonomy initiative. The withdrawal of Moroccan troops took the Polisario militias and their Algerian sponsors by surprise at a moment they were waiting for the Moroccan army to fall in the trap of provocation. Now that it has withdrawn its troops beyond its security walls, Morocco has scored a major point and evidenced its sincere willingness to safeguard the regions peace and security. Meanwhile, the Polisarios hostile acts and its obstinacy to maintain its armed men within the buffer zone in an utter disregard for the cease fire agreement are threatening with a casus belli the whole region. Self-defense is guaranteed by the UN charter and any slight mistake by the Polisario would trigger a commensurate response. By retreating from Guerguarat, Morocco showed that the Polisario and its paymasters in Algiers are the parties kindling chaos in the region. Octopuses and philosophers have a lot in common: They are both given to exploring their worlds, they both have a reputation for peculiarity, they both handle multiple subjects with ease. Peter Godfrey-Smith, a philosopher bred of Sydney, Australia, has long been a scuba diver; his Instagram is populated with starfish, nudibranches, and cowries shot in Nelson Bay and elsewhere off the coast of New South Wales. Now with joint appointments at the CUNY Graduate Center and the University of Sydney, he earned his Ph.D. at the University of California, San Diego, taught at Stanford for more than a decade, and authored four books at the intersection of philosophy and biology, with weighty titles like Complexity and the Function of Mind in Nature, published in 1996, and Darwinian Populations and Natural Selection, released in 2009. His latest book, though thoroughly rigorous, is also readily digestible, and has found itself a fair bit of popular interest as indicated by Godfrey-Smiths recent Insta caption: An octo reacts to the news that Other Minds is a New York Times Editors Choice. The full title, on its own, prompts a nerd swoon: Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness. (The cover aint bad, either.) Godfrey-Smith tells Science of Us that the insights hidden in his friends the cuttlefish and octopuses were not immediately obvious, but they alighted on him over time. The octopus, he says, is the many-tentacled extension of his earlier work on philosophy of mind, and his studies on the evolution of the mind. Consciousness didnt just appear in the world in the form of humans; its got degrees of expression all over the place. And the octopus, whose last common ancestor with humans was some worm thing from 600 million years ago, has got quite the different mind from ours. If we can make contact with cephalopods as sentient beings, it is not because of a shared history, not because of kinship, but because evolution built minds twice over, he has said. With their quick intelligence, penchant for exploration, and strong personalities, theres something doglike or humanlike about these cephalopods, yet they are so different from mammals in so many other ways. To study them is to expand ones sense of what consciousness is and can be though it requires rigorous imagination. Looking back on his earlier work, Godfrey-Smith realized he hadnt thought carefully enough about relationships in what people call the tree of life and the patterns of common ancestry. I think a lot of questions about the biological basis of the mind look quite different when you consider carefully the evolution of animal bodies and ways of life, he explained in an email. I began meeting cephalopods in the sea before I knew much about them. As soon as I started reading about them, especially about their place in the tree of life, I realized there were important themes here that had not been covered well before. The octopus provides another view of consciousness; fittingly, their eyes are a lot like ours. Photo: Peter Godfrey-Smith But thats where the similarities largely stop. After all, these are creatures that, according to Hawaiian creation myth, were the only beings left over from the earth previous to this one, making them, as weve noted before, more more proto-terrestrials than extraterrestrials. The anatomy that enables their consciousness is structured way differently than mammals (or people). In Other Minds, Godfrey-Smith contends that the body-brain dualisms so familiar to cognitive scientists dont make a lick of sense, cephalopod-wise. In an octopus, the nervous system as a whole is a more relevant object than the brain: its not clear where the brain itself begins and ends, and the nervous system runs all through the body, he writes.The octopus is suffused with nervousness; the body is not a separate thing that is controlled by the brain or the nervous system. Its easy enough to wrap your mind around the fact that your standard octopus is going to have 500 million neurons or so, about that of a marmoset; whats more unwieldy is that over half of those neurons are distributed through the tentacles. This, to me, gets to the wildest thing of all about the octopus. While not exhaustive, experiments indicate that octopus arms are semi-autonomous. (Yours might be too; consider the widely reported phenomenon of pianist fingers knowing the music without the player reporting they do, or knowing how to type without explicitly knowing where keys on a QWERTY keyboard are.) That partial autonomy probably results from several factors, Godfrey-Smith explains: Those arms, which can stretch so readily and can bend so freely, would be very hard things to control in a top-down and fine-grained way, he says. It seems possible that this very difficulty was part of what led to a partial delegation of control to the arms: Let them make some of their own decisions about where to go. Rather than the head being the micromanaging chief executive telling the rest of the body what to do, the octopus is organized more like a chill start-up, with the appendages of the organization employing emergent strategies for exploring their worlds; one might even call it agile design. No matter how much scuba divers talk about meeting octopuses in the way you meet a dog or a cat, the animals are immensely foreign. In her book about the creatures, Sy Montgomery wrote that she wanted to meet them because she wanted to touch an alternate reality. Godfrey-Smith contends that with the autonomy of the arms and the suffusion of nervousness, the octopus may have a more distributed sense of self, and a lived reality quite different from the phenomenological movie that humans refer to as the experience of consciousness. I think of this as the most difficult aspect of octopus experience to imagine, Godfrey-Smith writes. In the case of some of their other unusual features their modes of sensing, for example I think our imaginations can get some purchase on the differences between them and us. (I think I can imagine what it is like to have light-sensitive skin, and to taste everything I touch.) In the case of their sense of self, I think its very difficult. The octopus, more than anything else were likely to meet, is an intelligent alien, and an ancient one at that. Photo: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images Depending on who you ask, this weeks WikiLeaks leaks the Vault 7 files said to describe the CIAs hacking arsenal are either an unprecedentedly dangerous breach of national security, or no big deal. One intelligence official told BuzzFeed that the leak was, if you look at the big picture, worse than Snowden. Senator John McCain seems to have concurred. You are now looking at ways our intelligence agencies do business being revealed. It has all kinds of ramifications, he this week, later adding, I cant tell you how serious this is. Of course, it is currently in no politicians best interest to try to downplay any news concerning a foreign powers hypothetical ability to meddle in U.S. affairs through technology, but Buzzfeeds anonymous intelligence official agrees: What we have here could potentially put thousands of people in danger in countries around the world. Its like handing our biggest cyber guns over to anyone with an internet connection. On the other hand, Leonid Bershidsky at Bloomberg calls the leaks a dud, and Kelsey Atherton at Popular Science says they dont live up to the hype. The thrust of this argument tends to be that it would be naive to be surprised at these supposed revelations: Obviously, the CIA is trying to infiltrate the communications tools of high-value targets. You think any enemies of America dont already assume the CIA is cracking smartphones? (Furthermore, as Atherton points out, the salacious claims in Wikileakss original announcement such as that the encrypted messaging app Signal had been compromised have not been borne out by the leaks themselves.) So which is it? Dud, or, uh, biggest cyber gun? At the center of the dispute is the cyberweapons that allowed the CIA to compromise security mechanisms on smartphones, computers, and Samsung smart TVs. The cache confirms that these weapons exist, and details them, but the organization is currently declining to release the source code (i.e., the actual software). In its own, characteristically dramatic words, WikiLeaks is avoiding the distribution of armed cyber weapons until a consensus emerges on the technical and political nature of the CIAs program and how such weapons should [sic] analyzed, disarmed and published. The idea of these programs being armed and disarmed is weird language, but thats neither here nor there. Still, if we consider hacking programs as weapons, then we should also recognize that WikiLeaks is not actively proliferating these weapons, and is outspokenly against such action. This is where comparisons to the Snowden leaks begin to fall apart. Both leaks revealed how the intelligence community uses consumer technology to surveil its targets. But the specifics of each reveal are different. Snowdens biggest revelation was that the NSA was essentially dredging for terrorists by collecting private data on a huge number of Americans, by using man-in-the-middle attacks (this is why end-to-end encryption is still very important). The CIAs hacking tools require specific targeting which is much riskier, but yields much greater gains. Its the difference between having a backdoor into a major internet company, and having the ability to crack an individual iPhone. This type of narrow focus on one person, or one device, sounds like typical CIA stuff; and according to security experts Tarah Wheeler and Sandy Clark, it wouldnt scale to widespread NSA-style collection. To strain the cyberweapon analogy to its breaking point, Snowden revealed that the NSA was indiscriminately carpet-bombing the United States; Vault 7 reveals that the CIA owns an arsenal of high-powered sniper rifles that most experts had already assumed existed. The question, then, is what happens to those sniper rifles. As Bershidsky explains, the cache contains all sorts of publicly available malware, as well as samples tentatively attributed to foreign intelligence services; all that does is confirm that hackers, including CIA ones, arent picky about the origins of the products they use. WikiLeakss source claims that the material had been circulating among former U.S.-government hackers and contractors, so all Assanges organization did was bring leaks that were already happening into the spotlight. That dangerous hardware and software exploits were being circulated on an open market is much more concerning than the expected eventuality that the CIA will put them to use. In other words, whats not in the leaks is much more important than what is. Giving public comment yesterday, Senator McCain called for a significant reevaluation of how the intelligence community handles sensitive materials like its cybersecurity arsenal. Significantly, he had less to say about WikiLeaks than he did about the path the leaks took to their servers. American Vintage Starland Trench For these springtime-in-winter days, when picking a coat to wear feels like a daunting exercise, wouldnt it be nice to have an in-between jacket that can be made warmer with a cardigan, or be just fine layered over a T-shirt? This slouchy trench from American Vintage (which, you might already know, is actually a French brand) is a nice option. Its made from stretchy cotton, and comes with a removable belt. (Note: It also comes in a blushlike color thats even cheaper, at $88.) Original Price: $250 Sale Price: $125 (50 percent off) at Revolve Buy The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best womens jeans, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, ultra-flattering pants, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change. Every editorial product is independently selected. If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission. Expand Photo Leena, law student from Brooklyn (my family is from Palestine) "Im at the womens strike to represent the women of the world who persevere ... more Leena, law student from Brooklyn (my family is from Palestine) "Im at the womens strike to represent the women of the world who persevere every day in the face of U.S. imperialism and misogyny. I am here for the women of Palestine who lead the struggle for liberation of our motherland. I hope it will bring attention to the intersectional struggle that women around the world deal with." Photo: Ruvan Wijesooriya Expand Photo LaTonya Staubs, stylist from Brooklyn "I'm here because Im a woman and mother. I hope this strike will show men and women how important wom... more LaTonya Staubs, stylist from Brooklyn "I'm here because Im a woman and mother. I hope this strike will show men and women how important women are today and everyday." Photo: Ruvan Wijesooriya Expand Photo Kit, dancer from Florida "I'm here for the volume of the voice. For womens equality. For a peaceful tomorrow." Photo: Ruvan Wijesoori... more Kit, dancer from Florida "I'm here for the volume of the voice. For womens equality. For a peaceful tomorrow." Photo: Ruvan Wijesooriya Expand Photo Judy Lo, from Brooklyn "My husband took over my duties today. I hope this strike will bring more awareness to issues that affect women on a ... more Judy Lo, from Brooklyn "My husband took over my duties today. I hope this strike will bring more awareness to issues that affect women on a daily basis, such as wage inequality, violence against women, inadequate health care, etc." Photo: Ruvan Wijesooriya Expand Photo JM Kirby, human-rights activist from D.C. "Womens rights are human rights. I wish to stand in solidarity with transgender women, gender non... more JM Kirby, human-rights activist from D.C. "Womens rights are human rights. I wish to stand in solidarity with transgender women, gender non-conforming people, women of color, [and] sex workers." Photo: Ruvan Wijesooriya Expand Photo Jenny McClary, digital strategist and Allie Leepson, photographer, both from Brooklyn "I went unpaid from work. I hope the strike will cause... more Jenny McClary, digital strategist and Allie Leepson, photographer, both from Brooklyn "I went unpaid from work. I hope the strike will cause employers to audit their employment practices and salary discrepancies." -- Jenny "I also went unpaid today." -- Allie Photo: Ruvan Wijesooriya Expand Photo Guillermina Rivera, cake designer from Mexico "I am here to really hear women's needs as human beings. The need to equal pay for example.&qu... more Guillermina Rivera, cake designer from Mexico "I am here to really hear women's needs as human beings. The need to equal pay for example." Photo: Ruvan Wijesooriya Expand Photo Garth Schilling, drag queen/actor/socialite from Oregon "I fucking love and support women. Im working tonight, but at a feminist show calle... more Garth Schilling, drag queen/actor/socialite from Oregon "I fucking love and support women. Im working tonight, but at a feminist show called Dead Darlings." Photo: Ruvan Wijesooriya Expand Photo Ganchimeg, student from Mongolia "I had the day off today, but I am here to support fellow women in our fight to equality, from equal pay to... more Ganchimeg, student from Mongolia "I had the day off today, but I am here to support fellow women in our fight to equality, from equal pay to right to abortion. I want the current administration [to] take action to protect womens rights." Photo: Ruvan Wijesooriya Expand Photo Gaby Wilson, MTV News correspondent from Brooklyn "I'm here covering for MTV News, elevating the stories of women participating in the strik... more Gaby Wilson, MTV News correspondent from Brooklyn "I'm here covering for MTV News, elevating the stories of women participating in the strike." Photo: Ruvan Wijesooriya Expand Photo Erin Boyle, blogger from Brooklyn "Im a woman and a mother. I run my own business so any day off is a potential loss in revenue and any k... more Erin Boyle, blogger from Brooklyn "Im a woman and a mother. I run my own business so any day off is a potential loss in revenue and any kind of political talk runs the risk of being misconstrued a risk Im not afraid to take." Photo: Ruvan Wijesooriya Expand Photo Dinetta Gilmore, small-business owner from Brooklyn "I am a 58-year-old woman [who] refuses to allow us to be set back 50 years." Phot... more Dinetta Gilmore, small-business owner from Brooklyn "I am a 58-year-old woman [who] refuses to allow us to be set back 50 years." Photo: Ruvan Wijesooriya Expand Photo Desmond Cadogan, health professional from New York "I support equal rights for women. I hope that D.C. is watching. We wont be ignored.&quo... more Desmond Cadogan, health professional from New York "I support equal rights for women. I hope that D.C. is watching. We wont be ignored." Photo: Ruvan Wijesooriya Expand Photo Arya Ghavamian, filmmaker and photographer from Tehran, Iran "I stand in solidarity with the revolutionary Iranian women fighting patriarchy... more Arya Ghavamian, filmmaker and photographer from Tehran, Iran "I stand in solidarity with the revolutionary Iranian women fighting patriarchy and imperialism! Fortunately, compared to my compatriots, I dont risk much, yet. Profiling is getting worse and being from Iran does not help. I hope a strike like this gets us closer to basic human values. A life without fear, oppression, and abuse of power. A fleeting glimpse at equality and freedom." Photo: Ruvan Wijesooriya Expand Photo Rosa Haire, librarian from Staten island, with mother, Kate Lombardi, retired RN from Staten Island "I want an increase [in] solidarity acro... more Rosa Haire, librarian from Staten island, with mother, Kate Lombardi, retired RN from Staten Island "I want an increase [in] solidarity across all factions (in opposition to whats always been going on)." -- Kate "I'm here to fight against this administration's racist, misogynistic politics." -- Rosa Photo: Ruvan Wijesooriya Expand Photo Alisa Kuzmina, exchange student from Russia, Vladivostok/Birobidzhan "I am a feminist who believes in peace in the world and international l... more Alisa Kuzmina, exchange student from Russia, Vladivostok/Birobidzhan "I am a feminist who believes in peace in the world and international love. Also because Russian women love American women!" Photo: Ruvan Wijesooriya Expand Photo Michael, photographer, and Chelsea, social worker, both from Brooklyn "We didn't risk anything by being on strike, but we hope that being he... more Michael, photographer, and Chelsea, social worker, both from Brooklyn "We didn't risk anything by being on strike, but we hope that being here is a sign of support for women and the global issues they face." Photo: Ruvan Wijesooriya Expand Photo Melina, social worker from Argentina "I'm here to protest for equal rights. To take down imperialism. A strike like this is a risk in Argent... more Melina, social worker from Argentina "I'm here to protest for equal rights. To take down imperialism. A strike like this is a risk in Argentina. Here it is not." Photo: Ruvan Wijesooriya Expand Photo Lynn Chandhok, teacher from Brooklyn "I'm here because numbers matter. Individuals matter. We are the majority. I went to work and taught to... more Lynn Chandhok, teacher from Brooklyn "I'm here because numbers matter. Individuals matter. We are the majority. I went to work and taught to the day theres a small risk in that, but I knew I have a lot of relative privilege. But we need to keep up the pressure! Keep resisting." Photo: Ruvan Wijesooriya Expand Photo Pam Sporn (with friend), filmmaker from the Bronx "I came as part of Jewish Voice for Peace to oppose the oppression of all women, particula... more Pam Sporn (with friend), filmmaker from the Bronx "I came as part of Jewish Voice for Peace to oppose the oppression of all women, particularly the most marginalized by racism, anti-immigrant ideas." Photo: Ruvan Wijesooriya Expand Photo Mona Fastvold (and Ada Fastvold Cordet), film director/writer from Norway "I came for my daughter. I hope it will make a small economical im... more Mona Fastvold (and Ada Fastvold Cordet), film director/writer from Norway "I came for my daughter. I hope it will make a small economical impact." Photo: Ruvan Wijesooriya Expand Photo Rama Ndiaye, Ttacher from NYC "I came to support minority groups that [are] targeted by the new administration. We have the privilege of job... more Rama Ndiaye, Ttacher from NYC "I came to support minority groups that [are] targeted by the new administration. We have the privilege of job security. We march for those who do not." Photo: Ruvan Wijesooriya Expand Photo Raquiyah Mays, author, journalist, radio personality, activist from New Jersey "I believe in womens rights. Trump is sexist. Im concerned ... more Raquiyah Mays, author, journalist, radio personality, activist from New Jersey "I believe in womens rights. Trump is sexist. Im concerned about the future. I hope we show the power of women unified and the power of the women of color who organized this strike, rally, and the march." Photo: Ruvan Wijesooriya Expand Photo Salvatore Principato, from New York "I'm here in solidarity with #NastyWomen worldwide. I'm here to shed any toxic masculinity that remains ... more Salvatore Principato, from New York "I'm here in solidarity with #NastyWomen worldwide. I'm here to shed any toxic masculinity that remains in me." Photo: Ruvan Wijesooriya Expand Photo Shahid Comrade, from Brooklyn "I'm here to be part of the struggle." Photo: Ruvan Wijesooriya Expand Photo Tansy, designer from Queens "I skipped work to be here and support womens issues including support for Planned Parenthood, extended materni... more Tansy, designer from Queens "I skipped work to be here and support womens issues including support for Planned Parenthood, extended maternity leave, and equal pay between genders. If we yell loud enough, for long enough, eventually they will have to listen." Photo: Ruvan Wijesooriya Expand Photo Tina Dupuy, communications director from NYC "We need a special prosecutor and a select committee. Trump needs to be held accountable for hi... more Tina Dupuy, communications director from NYC "We need a special prosecutor and a select committee. Trump needs to be held accountable for his actions." Photo: Ruvan Wijesooriya Expand Photo Travis S., adjunct professor from the Bronx "Striking is the best way for the majority to take the power from the rich and powerful. Its ac... more Travis S., adjunct professor from the Bronx "Striking is the best way for the majority to take the power from the rich and powerful. Its actually technically illegal for me to be on strike because of the Taylor Law. But I'm here in hopes that people will feel empowered that they can create change." Photo: Ruvan Wijesooriya A mysterious company called Novye Proekty has been awarded an oil and gas exploration license for the Crimean Black Sea shelf, and the Kremlins spokesman is directing questions about it to the cabinet. The news about Novye Proekty was published by Kommersant earlier this week, sparking speculation, since according to some sources cited by the daily, the company was linked to fugitive Ukrainian energy and media businessman Serhiy Kurchenko, who is wanted by the Ukrainian authorities for the so-called Kurchenko scheme, which included fake oil deliveries and a number of other dubious enterprises. Kurchenko, according to Kommersant, currently lives in Moscow. Whats more interesting, however, is that Novye Proekty is a private company, and private companies are not allowed to explore for oil and gas in the Crimean shelf, TASS notes. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev opened the door for license-issuing for Crimea last year, but only state-owned companies were to be allowed through it. Yet, here this company is, awarded a 30-year license with the obligation to drill a well within the next eight years. The license is for the Glubokaya block, which holds reserves estimated in 2011 at 8.3 million tons of crude and 1.4 billion cu m of natural gas. Indeed, the Crimean shelf is believed to be quite rich in hydrocarbons, which is one logical reason for the annexation of the peninsula in the first place. Related: Saudi Arabias Secret Meetings With The Worlds Largest Oil Traders An EU Observer article from 2014 discussed this in some depth, suggesting that Gazprom will be put in charge of the newly acquired oil and gas reserves. This does not seem to be the case in light of the Novye Proekty report. Coupled with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskovs reluctance to discuss the license, the plot thickens. In fact, Novye Proekty already had a license for the development of Glubokaya, it turns out. The license was issued in 2012 by the Ukrainian authorities. Could it be that the company proved a suitable figurehead for the launch of Russian exploration for oil and gas in the Crimean shelf? Its possible. EU and U.S. sanctions against Russia have targeted entities and individuals from the energy industry, restricting their freedom of movement, access to funding, and generally making their life difficult. Yet, nobody seems to have heard about Novye Proekty. The company has no assets to its name and no activity. Its owner, with 99 percent, is Glavneftservis, a company run by entrepreneur Anton Dornostup, who is close not just to Kurchenko but also to the former head of Russias federal subsoil resources management agency Rosnedra. Related: Is This Argentinian Shale Play The Next Permian? By the look of it, Novye Proekty is a classic shell company and maybe the time to get it into action has come. It would make sense for Moscow to be wary of putting Rosneft or Gazprom on the line in Crimea, especially when it became clear that the thawing in U.S.-Russian relations will not happen overnight and it wont involve an acceptance by the Trump administration of the Crimea annexation. A shell company would be the more appropriate vehicle for tapping the Black Sea oil and gas resources of the peninsula. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: U.S. oil refiners are going global. Thats the message that has been coming from the industry over the past year when a lot of refining capacity abroad was shut down for various reasons, making way for imports from the U.S. Bloomberg reports that in 2016, American companies exported 3 million barrels of refined petroleum products daily a record high and sector players seem determined to continue expanding their export capacity. Exxon, for example, recently announced a $20-billion investment program for the Gulf coast, to consist of refining and petrochemical production facilities and infrastructure. The output is planned to be exported. Exxon is far from alone in this. According to Bloomberg, many are looking abroad for new markets to take advantage of the cheap supply of crude and gas domestically, which makes the product more competitive internationally. For now, however, refiners seem to be focusing mainly on Mexico, where refining infrastructure is in dire need of repairs and upgrades, so the country last year relied on U.S. fuel imports for half of its consumption. However, this is a temporary market in all likelihood, as Mexico works to liberalize its energy sector and new players take over the refining capacity from former monopoly Pemex. Whats more, Bloomberg notes, Mexicos fuel demand is not growing. U.S. refiners are also exporting to Latin America and Africa, as well as to Asia, and have plans to start exporting to Europe. Asia is perhaps the most sought after regional market in the world as it contains all the major so-called emerging economies, which are the drivers of global fuel demand growth, led by India. Europe is a riskier undertaking American fuels and other oil products have to be really competitive to establish a solid presence there, where Russia, Nigeria, and Gulf producers have dominated the picture for decades. Whats more, imports of oil and products to Europe are falling the green drive in the European Union is bearing fruit, and that fruit is not good for the energy industry. So, Asia is the key market, along with Latin America and Africa. This sounds like a solid enough global market, and its not just about oil. The U.S. could become the worlds top supplier of liquefied natural gas over the next 20 years, according to Canadas Enbridge and U.S. Tellurian Inc. Currently, capacity totaling around 70 million tons annually is being built around the country, and low LNG prices are not deterring the companies behind these projects. LNG is largely considered the fuel of the future, or a bridge between fossil fuels and renewable energy, so its prospects are brighter than oils. Reorienting themselves to exports is certainly a smart move on the part of U.S. energy companies with a view to the future, and its not just about taking advantage of suitable circumstances in various regional markets. Its also about avoiding another slump like the one that started in 2014. Shale boomers have been building production at a fast pace ever since OPEC announced its production cut deal that pushed prices up to the mid-$50-a-barrel range. Now this breakneck production boost is being viewed as the main headwind for prices. Again. Some believe another price crisis is looming unless the shale producers slow down. Indeed, even their very own Harold Hamm of Continental Resources warned against expanding production too fast. So, exports are the natural choice: combining the advantages of cheap raw materials with growing demand. Competition will be tough because there are many vying for the same markets, but there seems to be no better alternative for the long term. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The United Arab Emirates which has, so far, failed to bring its production below the level required in OPECs production cut deal - is committed to the agreement and will be cutting this month and next more than the 139,000 bpd it had pledged, UAEs Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei has said. Under OPECs production cut deal, UAE agreed to cut 139,000 bpd from the October 2016 reference production level of 3.013 million bpd, and to keep output capped at 2.874 million bpd between January and June. According to OPECs secondary sources, UAEs production in January was 2.931 million bpd, while the country self-reported production of 3.060 million bpd. According to an S&P Global Platts OPEC survey, UAEs oil production in February stood at 2.90 million bpd, and the January and February average of 2.916 million bpd was 42,000 bpd above its quota of 2.874 million bpd. Its energy minister al-Mazrouei said in a series of tweets yesterday that UAE is committed to its share of the production cut and the compliance to cut 139,000 bopd for the first six months is happening. He further specified that UAE production cut for March and April will be more than 139,000 bopd due to the maintenance activities which means more than 100% compliance. Further confounding industry analysts, Al-Mazrouei also tweeted We are at a continuous discussion with some Secondary Sources to demonstrate/correct the compliance reporting on UAE required cut by OPEC. Related: OPEC Offers Olive Branch To U.S. Shale So far, surveys and figures suggest that UAE has not been fully complying with the cuts in the first two months of the year. The ministers tweets may suggest that its also possible that UAE views 100% compliance as cutting those 139,000 bpd (or more) -- regardless of baseline levels and the production cap as per OPECs deal. Some analysts have been really surprised that the country has not followed close Gulf Arab allies Saudi Arabia in cutting deeper and leading by example. The UAE's output stands out, a Paris-based commodities analyst told Platts. Before the deal began, I would have bet my house on full compliance with the output cuts from Abu Dhabi. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Whether you love it or hate it the Motor Voter program is the new reality in Oregon politics. So in an effort to better understand the political effects of the program lets dig into some of the statistics. For those of you unfamiliar with the program, Motor Voter is the program that automatically registers Oregonians to vote when they apply for or renew a drivers permit, license, or ID card in the state. The idea is that because those interactions provide the State with all the information that would be necessary to register a voter, they should automatically do so in order to enfranchise more voter and keep voter registration as up to date as possible. After the State registers an individual to vote in this way, the person is sent a postcard. This card gives the individual the opportunity to opt out and become unregistered to vote or register with the political party of their choice. Should the individual do nothing they will be automatically registered as a Non-Affiliated Voter. Since the program went into effect at the beginning of January 2016 Oregon has added 291,938 new voters. 36,204 of whom selected a political party and 255,734 were registered as Non-Affiliates. In a state with 2,577,778 total voters, the Motor Voter population makes up just over 11% of the total voters. The program has produced 16,141 new Democratic Party voters, or about 45% of the folks who chose to join a political party. Comparatively 12,044 people joined the Republican Party or 33% of those who chose a political party. There are just over 10% more Democratic voters in Oregon than Republican and these numbers seem in line with that. Make no mistake though the vast majority of those signed up to vote, around 88%, were registered as Non-Affiliated Voters. Politically speaking there is no way to deny that Democrats benefit from the implementation of the Motor Voter program. Not only has the program produced more Democratic voters than Republican (Its a blue state, so we cant be surprised), but the Democratic infrastructure in Oregon for contacting and mobilizing voters statewide is superior to the Republican efforts. This means the Democrats have more resources and ability to win over the new 11% of voters. The three counties where the most voters were signed up were Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas. While Multnomah is a Democratic stronghold, Washington and Clackamas Counties have been real battleground at different points over the last decade. This program may be a boon to the Democratic establishment here in Oregon, but it doesnt have to be. It is tough to get information on the vast majority of the Motor Voter population who were signed up as Non-Affiliates, but if Oregon Republicans could find a way to message to these voters and mobilize them to turn out, it could mitigate the gains received by Democrats. We can choose to be victims of circumstance and blame our electoral woes on things like Motor Voter and vote by mail, or we can find a way to win the hearts and minds of more of the Oregon people, including those in the Motor Voter population. India will organise its first mobile congress in September with a special focus on reaching out to the South East Asian markets. "There is Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and an edition in Shanghai. There is nothing in between for South East Asia. India is emerging as one of the global leaders in telecom which we will also showcase in the Indian Mobile Congress," COAI Director General Rajan S Mathews told PTI. He said that the Department of Telecom and the Ministry of Electronics and IT have laid their emphasis on Indian Mobile Congress and Cellular Operators Association of India will drive it. The GSM Association, which organises annual global event of Mobile World Congress (MWC) here, has agreed to associate with the three-day event that will be held at Pragati Maidan starting September 27, he said. Mathews said he along with Indian government delegation had held discussion with British and Swedish Trade Ministers for their engagement in IMC. "We have held meeting with official representatives of other governments as well," Mathews said. He said that all Indian mobile operators, Facebook, Huawei, Ericsson, Cisco etc are likely to participate in the mobile congress. "We have asked other Indian business association to come together and be part of it. The event will focus on knowledge sharing, exhibition, start ups, skill development and all pillars of Digital India including Make in India," Mathews said. 10 terrorist killed in Swabi PESHAWAR: At least 10 militants have been killed in a gun battle in a relatively peaceful Swabi district, just northwest of the capital Islamabad, officials said Wednesday. The shootout comes after a recent resurgence in militant violence, with 130 people killed nationwide in the month of February, ending a lull in Pakistan's long battle against terrorists. The two raids took place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Swabi district, which is just 100 kilometres northwest Islamabad and far from the border tribal areas that have been the main battlefront over the course of the insurgency. Soldiers on Tuesday conducted a raid on a village in the district, triggering a gunfight. "During exchange of fire Capt Junaid and Sepoy Amjad embraced martyrdom," said a military statement, adding: "Five terrorists [were] killed during the operation." Security forces stormed a second compound in a nearby village on Wednesday, killing 10 militants, a senior security official told AFP. The bodies of militants were recovered from Pehur High Level Canal at Baja village. District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Shoaib said the militants were planning to stage attacks in Swabi, but the security forces foiled their nefarious designs. He said the bodies were taken to the Bacha Khan Hospital Complex for autopsies. According to Online news agency, three of their accomplices fled. The security forces also destroyed hideouts of terrorists during the search operation. They also recovered hate literature and modern weapon from hideouts. Separately, the military said that five Taliban militants who had been sentenced to death were executed on Wednesday at a prison in northwestern garrison town of Kohat. The terrorists, all of them being active members of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), were executed in Kohat District Jail. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the militants, tried by military courts, confessed to their crimes. Shoukat Ali, son of Abdul Jabbar, was involved in attacking law enforcement agencies and armed forces, which resulted in death and injuries to soldiers. He was tried on five charges and awarded death sentence. Imdadullah, son of Abdul Wajid, was involved in destruction of an educational institution in Buner district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and attacking LEAs, which resulted in death and injuries to soldiers. He was tried on five charges and awarded death sentence. Sabir Shah, son of Syed Ahmed Shah, was involved in attacking armed forces, which resulted in death of soldiers. He was tried on three charges and awarded death sentence. Khandan, son of Dost Muhammad Khan, was also involved in attacking armed forces, which resulted in death and injuries to soldiers. He was also tried on three charges and awarded death sentence. Anwar Ali, son of Fazal Ghani attacked armed forces, which resulted in death and injuries to soldiers. He was tried on three charges and awarded death sentence. Pakistan created special military courts by constitutional amendment after the country's deadliest-ever extremist attack in 2014. The assault on a school in northwestern Peshawar, in which gunmen killed more than 150 people - mostly children - traumatised the country already grimly accustomed to atrocities. The law allowing secret military courts to try civilians on terror charges expired in January, after the controversial tribunals hanged 12 people and ordered the executions of 149 more amid sharp criticism from rights groups. The government is mulling resuming military courts after a fresh constitutional amendment. Pakistan's military announced the launch of a nationwide anti-terrorist operation in the wake of the violence last month. 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... Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper has described as unfortunate reports that the Homeland Study Group Foundation, is considering seceding from Ghana. According to Kwesi Pratt Jnr. the decision would be useless if it is not fully supported and backed by the President of Togo. The secessionist groups decision will not see any light if they do not have the support of Togo and its President. I know that the current President of Togo, Faure Gnassingbe will not even entertain such decisions not even to talk of supporting them and so it is important that they abort their decision, he said on Adom FMs Morning Show Dwaso Nsem Thursday. The group, according to sources has been operating for decades now, calling for the restoration of the Western Togoland which stretched from Northern Region through the Upper East and Volta regions to the Gulf of Guinea. Meanwhile, the Volta Regional Police Command has picked leaders of the Homeland Study Group Foundation for interrogation. Mr Kormi Kudzordzi, 90, popularly known as Papa Hogbedetor, Chairman of the Group, Divine Odonkor, 65, member and Martin Asiana Agbenu, 57, member, were all picked Tuesday afternoon. Agbenu and Odonkor are in police custody but Kudzordzi was released on bail on grounds of old age. Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the Volta Region, Nana Asomah Hinneh, said the three persons were arrested for actualizing their plans of declaring independence of the Volta Region as Western Togoland. He said Agbenu was picked on Ghanas Independence Day at Tokokoe, near Ho, distributing T shirts with the inscription, 9th May 2017 is our day-Western Togoland. Mr Hinneh said the leaders would be charged for treason and that the case would be referred to the Attorney General for advice. But Mr Pratt reacting to the issue indicated that though there are problems with the Ghana-Togo border, it does not call for what he describes as the aggressive nature portrayed by the group. It is a wrong move by this group; there is no way they would not be arrested because what they are doing is illegal and violation of the law. These borders are unreasonable, they dont make sense. The Europeans did that because of their own selfish reasons. There are problems with the borders but they cant use that style to divide a country. Ghana is not big country like others. In fact, we are struggling for a union government of the continent, how then can we divide it? We have 10 regions and if all the people rise up to seek for division, which one would survive? he quizzed. But Mr Pratt however lauded the security for tracing this issue in the early stages leading to the arrest. Source: adomonline 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 A Benin-based housewife Tricia Oterneghoro has bathed her 13-year old daughter, Joyce Emmanuel, with hot soup for allegedly sleeping in a neighbours room. The incident occurred at 9, James Watt Street, New Benin area, in Benin. The soup burnt the girls chest. According to a report monitored on a local television station, residents in the area rushed to the scene of the incident to administer first aid on the victim. Some of them told the reporter that they had cautioned the victims mother on several occasions to stop maltreating her daughter but their pleas fell on deaf ears. According to one of the neighbours, A woman in her normal sense will not do this to her daughter. I have warned her not to beat the girl again. Her father called yesterday and the girl said she was interested in going to nursing school. Narrating her ordeal, the victim, Joyce said she wanted to go out and take her bath on Monday night but her mother refused. Joyce said she went out to take her bath and her mother locked her outside which made her to sleep in her friends room. She said she was shocked when her mother stormed the room the next day and pour hot soup on her. It was in the evening and I said I wanted to take my bath but my mummy said no. I went out to take my bath and my mummy locked the door. After knocking many times, I went to sleep in my friends house. In the morning, my mummy came and pour hot soup on my body. In her reaction, the victims mother, Mrs. Oterneghoro, said she did not know what came over her to make her poured the hot soup on her daughter. She said she had warned her neighbors not to allow her daughter sleep in their room and when she saw her the following morning, she poured the hot soup on her. Unconfirmed sources revealed that the suspect had been invited by policemen for questioning. Source: Nigeriafilms.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video ANN ARBOR, MI -- A 21-year-old Ann Arbor woman pleaded guilty as charged to one count of false report of a misdemeanor in 15th District Court on Monday, March 6. Halley Bass admitted in court that she fabricated a story about a strange man scratching her face in downtown Ann Arbor on Nov. 15. "I was suffering from depression at the time," Bass told Judge Elizabeth Pollard Hines. "I made a superficial scratch on my face. It was visible and I was embarrassed about what I'd done. So I made up a story and told a friend that a stranger had done it while I was walking. I was encouraged to report it to the police. I made the mistake of doing that." At the time, Bass claimed her attack was part of the surge in hate crimes following the election of Donald Trump a week earlier. She told police she was targeted for wearing a solidarity pin connected to Great Great Britain's "Brexit" vote. Bass admitted to scratching her own face with the pin after becoming upset during a Woman's Literature class at the University of Michigan, according to the Ann Arbor Police Department report. Bass and her Ann Arbor-based attorney, Douglas Mullkoff, requested that she be sentenced through the 15th District's mental health court. Hines said if court officials determine Bass is eligible... More likely is: this was a deliberate, politically-motivated act. It's a part of a pattern on the left about which generalizations (and even some predictions) can be made. Perhaps something like depression played a role, but Bass seems to be trying to claim that there was little or no political motive--her action is to be explained mostly or entirely in terms of psychological problems. I do think it's complicated because I do think that political correctness (or whatever we want to call this extremist phenomenon on the left; 'alt-left' is another suggestion in the air) is basically a kind of political cult. So it involves a lot of beliefs and actions that seem to be somewhere in the twilight zone between sanity and insanity. Bass's action obviously raises questions about irrationality...but the strategic, political purpose of the action can't be ignored. Bass's action was a token of a type: people, often students, on the far left, fabricating "hate crimes," allegedly perpetrated by people on the right. The goal is, without a doubt, to trick people into thinking that the right is hateful, bigoted, violent, etc. (A more neutral formulation would be: ...that hate, bigotry and violence are more prevalent on the right than they actually are.) I usually crankily refuse to add: obviously none of this suggests that there aren't actual problems with hatred, bigotry and violence in politics, nor that no so-called hate-crimes are actually being committed, nor even that there is not an "epidemic" of them currently. (I doubt the latter, but only tentatively.) But the PC left has a problem with hate-crime hoaxes. And, IMO, this problem confirms something important about that movement--though something that will not seem surprising to anyone who's familiar with it. So...nobody believes that story about depression and whatnot, right? I have been thinking about gift giving in Shakespeare. There doesn't seem to be too much of it if I remember rightly. What there is tends to be more insult... I have been thinking about gift giving in Shakespeare. There doesn't seem to be too much of it if I remember rightly. What there is tends to be more insult... Man plans, God laughs. Or so the saying goes. My intention was to send out this post so last evening, but "the internets" in my home has been unavailable,... Man plans, God laughs. Or so the saying goes. My intention was to send out this post so last evening, but "the internets" in my home has been unavailable,... I've been wanting to write something up about how at Mass we worship God just as Homer described his guys doing 3000 years ago, and how this is essentially... I've been wanting to write something up about how at Mass we worship God just as Homer described his guys doing 3000 years ago, and how this is essentially... By the end of 2016, this part of the internets will be no more. The blog posts are being moved to the new home of *A Good Beer Blog* but this place, this... By the end of 2016, this part of the internets will be no more. The blog posts are being moved to the new home of *A Good Beer Blog* but this place, this... There are tons of specials everyday as most of you know, and you'll always see the various types linked on the Reference column at the right of this bl... There are tons of specials everyday as most of you know, and you'll always see the various types linked on the Reference column at the right of this bl... Well, for this site anyway. This page is going dark. I simply dont post enough to warrant paying for it any longer. Any future posts will appear at my old... Well, for this site anyway. This page is going dark. I simply dont post enough to warrant paying for it any longer. Any future posts will appear at my old... My latest post on Catholicmom.com is up here! An excerpt: So while I can no longer shield my adult children, or forbid or prevent them from doing whatever ... My latest post on Catholicmom.com is up here! An excerpt: So while I can no longer shield my adult children, or forbid or prevent them from doing whatever ... Kate Spade I never once set foot in one of the stores, passing by never saw a thing Id buy for myself or anyone I know. But when I walk by now a sense... Kate Spade I never once set foot in one of the stores, passing by never saw a thing Id buy for myself or anyone I know. But when I walk by now a sense... FROM *THE BOOK OF MIRACLES* Hi people, for current subscribers, or for those who may wish to become new subscribers, please go to the Subscribe to Blog via... FROM *THE BOOK OF MIRACLES* Hi people, for current subscribers, or for those who may wish to become new subscribers, please go to the Subscribe to Blog via... In one of her letters, St. Catherine of Siena said -- well, she said basically the same thing in more than one letter, but I'm quoting Letter T5/G225 to... In one of her letters, St. Catherine of Siena said -- well, she said basically the same thing in more than one letter, but I'm quoting Letter T5/G225 to... We went to the SC State Fair on Sunday. I headed to the livestock shows - just to look. But I came away with a new Boar from Kewanee Farms out of Georgia... We went to the SC State Fair on Sunday. I headed to the livestock shows - just to look. But I came away with a new Boar from Kewanee Farms out of Georgia... Quick Quotes "Christianity brought reverence for what is below us." - Goethe ____ "Your salvation is in the hands of God...There is no purely human knowledge of one's eternal destiny that can contain the infinitely greater certainty contained in your faith and hope through Christ our Lord." - EWTN Q&A ____ "It is a truism in the interpretation of Scripture that its spiritual message is disclosed only to those who bring to their reading a consciousness of their need for God and his mercy. Only they get it and appreciate the urgency of the message. The others are all bewildered. - Msgr. Herron One of the more fascinating cases we have seen around here over the years was that of the man who lived in the woods near Brant Lake for years, committing dozens of burglaries to set up a makeshift camp in the Pharoah Lake Wilderness Area. Alan G. Como served a state prison sentence for the spate of burglaries that ended with his capture by Warren County sheriff's officers in 2007. Como never said much about why he chose to spend decades in the woods of New Hampshire and the Adirondacks, but an article in February's Adirondack Life magazine takes an interesting new look at the case. It seems that Como has disappeared once again, and many believe he is probably in the woods somewhere, having resumed his reclusive life. To the east in Maine, a shockingly similar story informed in the remote woods of central Maine in recent years, and somehow this guy -- dubbed the "North Pond Hermit" -- lasted an estimated 27 years in the woods of a climate that is colder and rougher than ours. The hermit, though, cooperated with a writer who is telling his story. Como never wanted to tell his story. -- Don Lehman SCHROON LAKE Louise Marie (Deldin) DAmico, 97, a resident of Schroon Lake, passed away peacefully on March 5, 2017 at the Pines of Glens Falls. She was born on Jan. 7, 1920 in New York City and was the daughter of the late John and Adele (Bevalaqua) Deldin. Louise had many careers in her life, but the one she was most proud of was her service during World War II, working in a war plant as a true Rosie the Riveter. She was an excellent seamstress who made customized lamp shades. Louise was actively involved as a volunteer in various activities at Sacred Heart Church in Lake George and enjoyed delivering Meals on Wheels for a number of years. She was a life-long animal lover and loved bowling, which she did until she was 90. She joined the Schroon Lake Senior Citizens Club after moving there in her later years and made many friends. Besides her parents, Louise was predeceased by her husband, Samuel DAmico. Survivors include her son, Dennis (Diane) DAmico of Schroon Lake; her grandson, DJ (Jennie) DAmico and great grandson, Nicholas DAmico of Hebron, Connecticut; granddaughter, Dara DAmico (Bill Hunsicker) of Schroon Lake and numerous nieces and nephews. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 11, at Sacred Heart Church on Mohican Street in Lake George. Spring burial will take place at Evergreen Cemetery in Lake George. Calling hours are scheduled from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday, March 11, at Sacred Heart Church prior to the service. The family would like to sincerely thank the staff on the fourth floor of the Pines in Glens Falls for the love and care they gave Louise during the past year. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Louises memory to the Schroon Lake Emergency Squad, 28 Industrial Dr., Schroon Lake, NY 12870. For those who wish, a special remembrance may be made to the family by visiting sbfuneralhome.com. Arrangements are under the direction of the Regan Denny Stafford Funeral Home, 53 Quaker Road in Queensbury. Thursday Ameranouche plays gypsy flamenco swing GLENS FALLS The award-winning Ameranouche will bring their gypsy flamenco swing music to Crandall Public Library, 251 Glen St., at 7 p.m. Thursday. The group, veterans of the Newport Jazz Festival, Djangofest Northwest, Muzikfest Bethlehem, PA and the National Press Club, offer up acoustic gypsy-inspired music mixing flamenco, bebop and jazz swing. Played on traditional French jazz guitars, the music is rhythmic, vigorous and elegant. This event, part of the spring season of concerts, is produced by the Folklife Center at Crandall Public Library and funded in part by the Friends of Crandall Public Library and the New York State Council on the Arts' Folk Arts Program. Thursday The McKrells play Irish folk music HUDSON FALLS Start the St. Patrick's Day celebrations early with The McKrells at the Hudson River Music Hall, 10 Maple St., from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday. Tickets are $12 general admission, $10 seniors and students and are available at the door. Onsite parking is available. For more information, call 832-3484. Friday International guitar duo to perform INDIAN LAKE International guitar duo Loren & Mark will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Indian Lake Theater, 13 W. Main Street. Check out the guitar artistry of Loren Barrigar and Mark Mazengarb and their unique brand of Americana, jazz, gypsy jazz and bluegrass-inspired music. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Tickets are available at the theater and online at www.indianlaketheater.org. Saturday Big & Fat Tire Bike Race NOTE: THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED. QUEENSBURY West Mountain Ski Area, 59 West Mountain Road, will host a Big & Fat Tire Race for riders of all levels Saturday morning. Kids and beginner riders start at 10 a.m. at the base area. Riders will complete one loop (not including the uphill terrain) for a total of 2 1/2 miles. The intermediate and advanced riders start around 10:30 a.m. and complete the entire course three times (three laps), which is a 7.5-mile route. Register online at Active.com, or on the day of the race in the Main Lodge from 8 to 9:15 a.m. Cost is $15 to $25. Complimentary Fat Tire beer will be available in the East Slope Bar & Eatery for competitors 21 and older following the race, as well as a $5 off coupon. Prizes: 7- to 12-year-olds: The first-place winner wins a full-privilege youth pass; second-place wins 15 tubing tickets; and third-place wins 10 anytime two-hour tubing tickets. 13- to 18-year-olds: First-place wins a full-privilege teen pass; second-place wins 15 tubing tickets; and third-place wins 10 anytime two-hour tubing tickets. 19- to 30-year-olds: First-place wins one adult full-privilege season pass; second-place wins one full-privilege midweek pass; and third-place wins 10 anytime two-hour tubing tickets. 31- to 45-year-olds: First-place wins one adult full-privilege season pass; second-place wins one full-privilege midweek pass; and third-place wins 10 anytime two-hour tubing tickets. 46 and older: First-place wins one adult full-privilege season pass; second-place wins one full-privilege midweek pass; and third-place wins 10 anytime two-hour tubing tickets. Saturday Adirondack Brewery Barrel Fest LAKE GEORGE Adirondack Pub & Brewery, 1 Canada St., will host its sixth annual Adirondack Brewery Barrel Fest from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday. The brewery will be tapping its one-off, barrel-aged ales along with rare barrel-aged offerings from many other breweries (see a list in the go calendar entry on Page 5 or go to barrelfestlg.com). There will be blazing bonfires, live music from The Schmooze, cigars provided by Queensbury Cigar & Pipe and more. Tickets include entrance into Barrel Fest, a free souvenir sampling glass, four hours of sampling barrel-aged goodness, live music and free snacks. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 the day of. Designated drivers are encouraged and receive free entry. For more information, go to www.barrelfestlg.com. Saturday Thurman Maple Days: Weekend One THURMAN This weekend marks the first of three weekends of Thurman Maple Days from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Attend open houses at four sugarhouses (Adirondack Gold, Valley Road, Hidden Hollow and Toad Hill), visit a certified tree farm to enjoy demonstrations, talks and a display of old tools, check out a goat farm with cheese tasting and bring the kids to a llama farm. Admission to the festival is free. Valley Road Maple Farm opens an hour early each day, serving pancakes from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The annual Thurman Maple Sugar Party will take place at 4 p.m. Saturday at Thurman Town Hall. This is an all-you-can-eat buffet featuring live music and old-fashioned maple jackwax (also known as "sugar on snow"). The cost is $10 for adults, $5 for kids (6 to 11), and free for children 5 and younger. For more information, call Randy Galusha, 623-4744 or email toadhill@hughes.net. Saturday Adirondacker's Log Jam NORTH CREEK Adirondacker's Log Jam at Gore Mountain, 793 Peaceful Valley Road, will offer an opportunity for freestyle fun and prizes on Saturday. Adirondack attire flannels, beards, overalls is welcomed. Registration at the base lodge starts at 9 a.m.; a mandatory safety meeting at the bottom of the course will be held at 11:30 a.m.; and the jam begins at noon. Competitors will be judged on their overall performance, with scoring based on a total of the three best runs from each of the three judges. Helmets are required. All competitors must have a valid lift ticket. Saturday Maple Sugaring Sap to Syrup BOLTON LANDING Discover the craft that has become a legend in the Northeast on Saturday at Up Yonda Farm, 5239 Lake Shore Drive. As the sun warms the trunks of sugar maple trees, sap begins to flow, marking the start of the sugaring season in the Adirondacks. Take part, tap trees and collect and boil the sap of the sugar maple trees on the property. You will learn all the steps to get from sap to syrup. Cost is $4 for non-members. For more information, call 518-644-9767. Sunday Benefit to help local mother QUEENSBURY A benefit will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Carl Rs Cafe on Main Street in Queensbury to help a local woman who has been battling cancer, working and raising her two sons. Originally scheduled for Feb. 12, the fundraiser was postponed due to a heavy snowstorm. Amy Ledford-Austin is a single mom who has been battling breast cancer for four years. Her doctor recently said she could no longer work and continue her chemotherapy. There is no cost to attend the benefit, but 10 percent of all restaurant sales will be donated. DJ Luny Tunz donated the music for the event. There will be opportunities to purchase wristbands, 50/50 raffle tickets and raffle tickets to try and win baskets and gift cards from local merchants. Unable to attend but want to help? Stop by Carl Rs and drop off any donation, purchase tickets or a wristband, or call 796-1854 for information. There is also a GoFundMe page set up at www.gofundme.com/2muk8x0 if you want to make a donation. BOLTON A proposed $9 million project to construct an addition onto Bolton Central School for an auditorium and music space hit a sour note with voters, as it was narrowly rejected. The vote was 273 in opposition to 240 in favor of a proposal to construct a 17,000-square-foot addition onto the 1974-era wing of the building to create a 300-student auditorium, music room, two practice rooms and a lobby that the community could use. The proposed wing was dubbed the C.A.M.P, which stands for Community Arts Music and Performance Space. Superintendent Michael Graney was not available for comment, but District Clerk Christina Dunalewicz provided a statement from him. While we are certainly disappointed with the result, we appreciate the efforts of all involved. The Board of Education will meet in the near future to determine a course of action moving forward, the statement said. School officials had said the project would enhance their focus on STEAM, which stands for science, technology, engineering, the arts and math. The addition would have allowed the current technology room to be expanded by removing the wall. Resident Joan Beers voted no. Theyre going to want to raise our taxes. I get only $600 a month in Social Security. Theyre not thinking of the elderly people in town, she said. The project would have been mostly bonded. The $7,248,000 bond would have added about 26 cents per $1,000 of assessed value to residents tax bills. For a home assessed at $300,000, that was $78 per year to the tax rate. The district also had planned to tap $608,500 from the Uhl family endowment, use $895,000 from fund balance and $318,500 from capital reserve funds. A resident who did not wish to give his name said he voted no because enrollment has gone down over the last 10 years, so there should be more available space in the building. If the district, which has about 200 students in prekindergarten through 12th grade, were to merge, Bolton could be left with an unused auditorium. Also, he believes that a building with an auditorium that community groups can use should be located off campus and not at the school. The project had its share of supporters. I think it would be good for the community because theyre opening it up to the community, said Laura Chapman. Harry Caldwell also voted yes, because he said it will be great for the town. Other organizations will be able to use the auditorium space. Other aspects of the project included replacing the elevator, making stormwater improvements to reduce runoff into Lake George, replacing roofing in select areas of the building, repairing sections of brick mortar and replacing some paneling on the bus garage. The district also wanted to add a small prefabricated maintenance storage building so it can store more equipment inside and construct 28 new parking spaces, using land purchased at 22 First St. FORT EDWARD A Glens Falls man who was arrested last fall on felony charges in Washington and Warren counties for theft-related crimes is headed to state prison for up to 4 years for his Washington County offenses. Stephen R. Stout, 30, pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, a felony, for using a stolen credit card in Washington County to make $885 in fraudulent charges He agreed to a plea deal that will include a 2- to 4-year state prison term when he is sentenced by Washington County Judge Kelly McKeighan. He also faces charges in Warren County for a burglary at a medical office in Glens Falls last summer, and the use of a stolen credit card to run up nearly $7,500 charges in Glens Falls and Queensbury. Stout has a prior felony conviction for a 2009 burglary in Warren County, which requires he serve a state prison term for any subsequent Penal Law felony within 10 years. QUEENSBURY -- A Glens Falls man who police said burglarized a home last fall where he formerly lived has pleaded guilty Wednesday to a felony criminal mischief charge. Robert C. Jarvis, 41, admitted damaging a door by kicking it in at the McDonald Street home last November, causing an estimated $850 damage. Glens Falls Police found him in the home when they arrived after a neighbor reported the break-in. He pleased guilty to third-degree criminal mischief and Warren County Judge John Hall put him on interim probation for a year to participate in Warren County's felony drug treatment court. If he does well, he will be sentenced to 5 years on probation. If not, he faces up to 4 years in state prison. GRANVILLE A parking complaint on Route 149 on Tuesday led to a Vermont man's arrest on numerous drug charges and a charge that alleges he drove under the influence of drugs. Christian E. Thompson, 23, of Stockbridge, Vermont, was arrested after State Police responded to a report of a car off the road near the Route 22 intersection, officials said. State Police found the driver to be heavily impaired, and he fought with officers who tried to take him into custody. No injuries were reported, but Thompson was taken to Glens Falls Hospital because of his impairment, authorities said. A search of his vehicle turned up a pound of marijuana and a quantity of cocaine, leading to felony charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminal possession of marijuana, police records show. Thompson was also charged with misdemeanor driving while ability impaired by drugs, resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration and criminal possession of marijuana, police said. He was arraigned Thursday night in Whitehall Town Court after his release from the hospital and sent to Washington County Jail for lack of bail. A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a federal civil rights lawsuit that a Queensbury man filed against two former local police officers and the departments for which they worked. U.S. District Judge Mae DAgostino found that the officers involved had probable cause to arrest David J. Lanning in 2012, which renders his claims of false arrest and malicious prosecution moot. Lanning sued last year over a series of arrests that he claimed stemmed from the fact his estranged wife was dating a Glens Falls Police patrol officer. Lanning alleged that the officer, Ryan Ashe, and his former partner, Kevin Conine Jr., conspired with Lannings former wife to have him charged with felony criminal contempt and misdemeanor aggravated harassment for allegedly violating an order of protection. The criminal charges against Lanning were dismissed in 2014, which prompted the lawsuit that names the officers as well as Warren County and Glens Falls and the municipalities police agencies. The defendants filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit last year, and DAgostino found in their favor, a ruling that ends the lawsuit unless Lanning successfully appeals. The judge concluded the facts showed that Conine had probable cause to arrest Lanning, and probable cause was a complete defense to a malicious prosecution claim. The allegations of an order of protection violation made by Lannings estranged wife, Jamie Lanning, together with the police knowledge of the couples marital strife was enough for police to have probable cause, the judge opined. That there was probable cause was backed up by the fact a Warren County grand jury ultimately indicted Lanning, DAgostino wrote. That Conine and Ashe had been partners with the Glens Falls Police Department is insufficient to rebut the presumption of probable cause. Plaintiff has failed to plead factual allegations sufficient to state a plausible claim that defendant Conine had reasons to doubt Ms. Lannings credibility, the judge wrote. The fact that Ashe wrote several traffic tickets to Lanning did not rise to the level of false arrest, the judge added. Ashe now works for the Rutland, Vermont Police Department, while Conine works for the FBI. Lanning said Thursday that he was disappointed, but an appeal was likely. Were not at a dead end. There are avenues for appeal, he said. The indictment didnt hold up. Facts dont change. Lanning has also sued his former lawyers, William Montgomery and Glens Falls city attorney Ronald Newell, and that lawsuit is still pending in state Supreme Court in Warren County. SOUTH GLENS FALLS The Moreau town supervisor had to be escorted out of the South Glens Falls mayoral debate on Wednesday after he tried to take the microphone to make a speech. Supervisor Gardner Congdon was infuriated when Mayor Joe Orlow blamed Congdon for some of the villages budget problems last year. Congdon went up to the microphone, where people were taking turns asking questions of the candidates, and tried to put his objection in the form of a question. You said you know I never offered $250,000 to you, Congdon said, as the League of Women Voters moderator warned him he was running out of time to ask a question. Fifteen seconds left? Well, I was going to be nice but Ill just put it to you straight, he said. No, Ill just tell you. And then time was up. Congdon refused to relinquish the microphone, so the League of Women Voters turned it off. Congdon was undeterred. Ill talk without a mic, he said as League of Women Voters volunteer Steve Koebrich took the microphone away from him. People booed and he said, You want to hear me or not? Several people shouted, No! which seemed to give him pause. You dont want to know the truth? he said. Koebrich was at Congdons shoulder, urging him to leave. Congdon left peaceably. It was the first time Koebrich had to escort anyone out. Hes volunteered at 10 candidate forums, he said. Im the bouncer. But thats unofficial, he said, adding that he had no concerns about managing the crowd because he spent 38 years in the Army infantry. He is a retired lieutenant colonel. This is nothing, he said. At issue between Orlow and Congdon was an offer Congdon made a year ago during a village budget hearing. Congdon came to the hearing to propose that the Village Board meet with his board to find ways to share expenses so that the village could avoid a huge tax increase. Orlow refused to consider a meeting, saying there wasnt time to work out an equitable cost-sharing proposal before the budget deadline. At the boards next meeting, Congdon came again and proposed several ideas, laying out how much he felt the village could save. Those were not promises but ideas to be discussed by the two boards, he said. Village Board members had differing perspectives, appearing to be confused about exactly what had happened. They said they thought Congdon offered $6,000 for summer concerts and funds for other ventures as well, but Congdon said everyone should know hed need board approval for those items. He said he left feeling disgusted because his request for a joint board meeting to hash out savings was rejected. Worries about continuing health care coverage for herself, her two daughters and her 83-year-old father did not go away for Keene business owner Katie Wilson when the Republicans introduced an alternative to the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, on Monday. Im uninsured, she explained in an interview on Thursday, adding that her daughters were covered under their fathers plan at work and are now covered through their stepmothers plan. At times due to a miscommunication, the insurance lapsed. With the new 63-day lapse (clause), I realized that there would be a 30 percent increase in the premium and that is one huge concern for me. The Republican alternative to the Affordable Care Act, the American Health Care Act, currently in Congressional mark-up sessions, is facing opposition by individuals like Wilson, some Democratic and Republican lawmakers and major players like the American Medical Association, the American College of Physicians, the American Hospital Association and AARP. Healthcare experts across the country have rejected the Republican plan outright citing the devastating impact on patients ... Health care is a human right, not a luxury, said Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a Thursday afternoon statement. After seven years of progress under the Affordable Care Act, the Republican Congress has proposed an inadequate, ill-conceived and unacceptable plan that places the coverage of more than one million New Yorkers in jeopardy. The Governor continued. Once fully phased in, (the plan) would shift more than $2.4 billion in costs onto taxpayers and hospitals each year, he said. In a Thursday afternoon press briefing, Nancy LeaMond, AARP executive vice president, said that the proposed plan weakens Medicare, increases insurance premiums and does nothing to lower drug costs. We are in opposition to the American Health Care Act because it makes health care less secure for older Americans, especially those aged 50 to 64 years old, LeaMond said. Right now Wilsons fathers Social Security pays his living expenses, but after paying those bills, hes left with only $250 to cover everything else. With the AHCA, a fee that went to Medicare under ACA would be repealed, leaving Medicare more fragile. LeaMond said losing that fee means there would be less years of Medicare solvency, paving the way for potential voucher programs. With Medicare (changes), it could run out really quickly, Wilson said, referring to so many older Americans needing care. My father could never pay additional expenses. He would have to move in with me. In a letter to Congress, the American Medical Association predicts that Americans will lose coverage with the Republican alternative. More than 20 million Americans currently have health care coverage due to the Affordable Care Act, and among the AMAs highest priorities for ongoing health system reform efforts is to ensure that these individuals maintain that coverage, wrote Dr. James Madara, executive vice president and CEO. While we agree that there are problems with the ACA that must be addressed, we cannot support the AHCA as drafted because of the expected decline in health insurance coverage and the potential harm it would cause to vulnerable patient populations. Tax credits and funding cuts At issue between the two plans are the way tax credits are calculated and increasing premiums as individuals age, as well as cuts to Planned Parenthood, tax credits to drug companies and subsidy cuts. This plan is a direct assault on New York values (by) defunding Planned Parenthood, restricting access to abortion and reproductive health services, and eliminating $400 million in means tested credits that lowered insurance costs for low-income New Yorkers, Cuomo said. Both the AHA and AHCA offer tax credits. An individual tax credit, different from a tax deduction, is the amount a taxpayer can reduce the amount they owe in federal income tax. For example, if a person owed the IRS $3,000 and were eligible for a $2,000 tax credit, that person would only owe $1,000 after taking the credit. Currently, the ACA tax credits, which can be taken upfront to help pay premiums or at the end of the year on tax returns, help those with lower incomes the most. ACA tax credits are based on a complex algorithm taking into account income, region of the country to account for higher premiums in certain areas, and age. That means people with lower incomes earn a higher tax credit, while those with incomes over 400 percent of the poverty level receive no tax credit under the existing ACA. If the proposed AHCA is adopted, starting in 2020, it would replace ACA income-based tax credits with a flat tax credit adjusted for age with no income consideration up to incomes starting at $75,000. When incomes reach $75,000, the credits begin phasing out, and for a 29-year-old, they stop at incomes of $96,000; for someone age 60 or older, credits stop at $115,000. Annually, the flat tax credit for the AHCA would be $2,000 per individual up to age 29; $2,500 per individual age 30-39; $3,000 per individual age 40-49; $3,500 per individual age 50-59; and $4,000 per individual age 60 and older. Additionally, with the AHCA, families could claim tax credits for up to the five oldest members of the household, up to limit of $14,000 a year. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation policy analyst, the current ACA also helps with out-of-pocket expenses through subsidies. Those benefiting the most from the ACA are not necessarily the ones who will benefit from the AHCA, said Michelle Long in an interview Wednesday evening. Older folks look great with a $4,000 credit, but they will be paying so much more for premiums. Without subsidies to help, it may become unaffordable. Long continued. Younger folks may see a lower premium, but they need to look at it down the line, she said. More locals insured under ACA Currently, under ACA, many more Americans have health insurance coverage, despite its detractors. Locally, Hudson Headwaters Health Network founder and CEO Dr. John Rugge said that since the ACA went into effect, they have seen a real difference in the number of uninsured patients they treat. We had a two-thirds reduction. In 2010 it was 14 percent, Rugge said in a Wednesday interview. Currently, it is 5 percent. Rugge said when patients are insured they show up for care. We are seeing people with pent-up needs now being treated, he said. And they are still working and caring for their families. And Rugge also pointed out that this region has a disproportionate number of older individuals. We are the second oldest area to the Gold Coast of Florida, he said. We have a disproportionate number of older people and a disproportionate number of self-employed and small employers who dont have health insurance provided by big corporations. For older individuals in other states, the AHCA proposes a premium cap for older individuals at five times that of a younger person. For someone currently paying $3,000 a year, their premium could increase up to $15,000. But in New York state, that will not happen, said Long. In New York and Vermont, they have to charge the same premium for all ages, she said. I dont see anything in the AHCA that pre-empts that. So it wont have as big an impact on people living in New York. Take a deep breath Rugge said that right now is too soon to know the ramifications of the proposed plan. The immediate response is to take a deep breath to understand the ramifications and the Congressional Budget Office to run the numbers to help us understand them, he said. And we have to engage one another and ask What does this mean for me? For my family? My budget? We need to make sure our voices are heard. And he credits Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Willsboro, with paying attention to what area providers are concerned about. Congresswoman Stefanik has been speaking with us and is really looking at how this affects the area, he said. She has been very receptive. Stefanik, through a spokesman, said Thursday afternoon that Obamacare needs to be repealed and replaced, but she is reaching out to constituents and stakeholders across her district to gather their input about the new legislation. And the Governor is urging New Yorks lawmakers to take a stand. As bad as this bill is, it may get worse. Far-right opponents of the bill in Congress are demanding changes. As disturbing and devastating as the proposed cuts would be, the final result could be downright bone chilling, he said. New Yorks entire delegation democrats and republicans need to stand up and they need to fight, stand against this regressive plan, and protect the people they are sworn to represent. There is no going back. According to Tom Flanagin, a spokesman, Stefanik is already talking with local stakeholders including local hospitals and elected officials regarding the new legislation to hear their thoughts and get feedback. There is much more outreach planned as this legislation is amended through the committee process, Flanagin said. We encourage everyone to read the plan at readthebill.gop and to contact our office with their thoughts. ARLINGTON, Vt. A Vermont man was charged with first-degree murder Wednesday for the January stabbing death of an 81-year-old woman. Timothy Butler, 31, of Sunderland, was charged in connection with the Jan. 4 killing of Helen Jones in her Buck Hill Road home, according to Vermont State Police. Butler was taken to Marble Valley Correctional Facility pending arraignment in Vermont District Court on Thursday. Police believe Jones, who lived alone, was attacked by a burglar who entered her home and surprised her, stabbing her an estimated 17 times. No motive was released Wednesday, but police said more details will be released on Thursday after Butler's court appearance. Arlington and Sunderland are just east of Washington County. On a frigid night a few days after Christmas 2012, Trish Khan drove back to the Milwaukee County Zoo to check on the star attraction, a playful, wildly popular 5-year-old orangutan named Mahal. It was almost 11 p.m. Khan, the zoos primary orangutan keeper, was off on medical leave. Yet shed come in earlier in the day, as soon as she heard something was wrong with Mahal. Raised on a horse farm in Wisconsin, Khan has a passion for animals, especially primates and most especially orangutans, a great ape found in Asian rainforests and admired for its intelligence. Even so, her deep affection for Mahal was unique. She had flown to Colorado to pick him up from the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo after the orangutan had been rejected by his mother. Khan had accompanied Mahal to Milwaukee, and when he settled in at the county zoo, she bottle-fed him for the first year. When Mahal was sick, she would move a mattress into the enclosure and stay with him, allowing him to nest beside her and sleep until morning. Four years later, as she examined the orangutan on that winter evening, Khan noted how much he resembled a sick human child: no energy, no appetite. After an unsuccessful attempt to administer antibiotics, Khan and one of the zoo veterinarians decided to move the orangutan into a smaller room and wait until morning to anesthetize him and take blood samples. The next morning, a zookeeper found Mahal lying motionless on the floor. He was dead at just 5 years of age; the typical orangutan lives 35 or 40 years in the wild and sometimes more than 50 in captivity. In his short life, Mahal had been the subject of a newspaper series and a childrens book. Stunned as they were by the loss, Khan and her colleagues now faced a mystery with implications for both animals and humans: What killed Mahal? Milwaukee Journal Sentinel files Mahal, an orangutan, is pictured in March 2010 with his surrogate mother, MJ, at the Milwaukee County Zoo. The young orangutan, 3 years old in the photo, was transferred to Milwaukee from a zoo in Colorado after his birth mother rejected him. 2007 Series: Ambassador Mahal Part One: Holding on to life Part Two: A nature-nurture divide Part Three: At last, a sight to behold Milwaukee Journal Sentinel files Mahal, an orangutan, is pictured in March 2010 with his surrogate mother, MJ, at the Milwaukee County Zoo. The young orangutan, 3 years old in the photo, was transferred to Milwaukee from a zoo in Colorado after his birth mother rejected him. Is it something that could affect our other orangutans or other animals? Khan remembers wondering. Is it something that could affect our keepers? The similarities between humans and other primates are well-known. It is the reason monkeys have long been used in medical tests as proxies for humans. Its also the reason the zoo regularly consults with doctors at Froedtert Hospital on health problems involving its great apes. But the close biological relationship between the two species takes another form as well. Lethal diseases, including Ebola and HIV, have jumped from apes to humans. Others, such as influenza and polio, have gone the opposite route, passing from humans to apes. When youre dealing with the great apes, says Khan, pretty much anything they get, we can get. And therein lies the problem. The zoo could not simply mourn the loss of Mahal and dispose of his remains. Other lives were at stake, including those of the zoos 45 other primates and the seven employees who cared for them. Of the 400 or so emerging infectious diseases identified since 1940, more than 60% have been zoonotic, meaning they have passed from animals to humans. A 2012 report by researchers in Britain, Kenya and Vietnam found that each year zoonotic diseases account for 2.5 billion cases of human illness and about 2.7 million deaths. A separate study published the same year put the direct costs from these diseases at more than $20 billion over the previous decade. Zoo officials in Milwaukee were not taking any chances. Within hours of his death, Mahals body lay in a cooler packed in ice, bound for a pathologists lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. So began an investigation that would span more than three years and lead to the discovery of a new species of pathogen. The search for Mahals killer also would illustrate the links between diseases and some of the most powerful forces on the planet: evolution, glacial periods and the Earths orbital patterns, known as Milankovitch cycles. The fact that we share so many diseases with primates tells us about evolution, explains Tony Goldberg, the UW professor of epidemiology who led the investigation into Mahals death. There are an awful lot of primate pathogens that dont really care whether theyre in a human or a chimpanzee or an orangutan. * * * Like all great apes, orangutans face health challenges in captivity. Males are more susceptible to urinary tract infections than they are in the wild; its uncertain why. Many great apes also suffer from heart disease. Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Annette Gendron, who performed the necropsy on Mahal, at UW-Madison. She is director of pathology and laboratory services for the university's Research Animal Resources Center and is the senior pathologist for the Milwaukee County Zoo. Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Annette Gendron, who performed the necropsy on Mahal, at UW-Madison. She is director of pathology and laboratory services for the university's Research Animal Resources Center and is the senior pathologist for the Milwaukee County Zoo. Neither illness seemed likely given Mahals youth. The orangutans body arrived at the UW lab of Annette Gendron, a veterinary pathologist whod worked in Kenya for a year and later at the Fresno Zoo before coming to Madison in 1983. In more than 30 years as a pathologist, shed performed necropsies on everything from great apes and elephants to snakes and giraffes, almost anything you can think of. Following protocol, Gendron and zoo pathology resident Kathleen Deering each dressed in a protective gown, a double set of gloves, a mask and face shield. Necropsies autopsies performed on animals take hours and it is all too easy for pathologists to spatter themselves with material from the dead animal. Once, 40 years ago, Gendron was accidentally exposed to the fungal lung infection Valley fever, while helping veterinarians try to resuscitate an orangutan before it died. On another occasion, one of her gloves leaked while examining the intestines of an antelope and she wound up with an infection under her fingernail. Although she never became seriously ill, these incidents reinforced her cautious nature. Gendron began her examination of Mahal by taking measurements, noting the size of the orangutans pupils and searching for skin lesions, evidence of trauma and discoloration of the membranes of the mouth. Then she cut open the orangutans body. There was no fluid in the abdomen. Fluid is often a sign of inflammation, which in turn raises a host of possibilities, from tumors to liver or kidney failure. Provided by Research Animal Resource Center, UW-Madison This 10x magnification image shows parasitic larval cysts of a tapeworm found on the liver of Mahal, the Milwaukee County Zoo's famous orangatan that died in 2012. The large and small white areas are the larval cysts. Provided by Research Animal Resource Center, UW-Madison This 10x magnification image shows parasitic larval cysts of a tapeworm found on the liver of Mahal, the Milwaukee County Zoo's famous orangatan that died in 2012. The large and small white areas are the larval cysts. One by one, Gendron looked at the organs. First the spleen, then the liver, kidneys, adrenal glands, heart, lungs and trachea. She removed and weighed each organ and looked for scarring and abnormalities. She placed tissues from all of the organs in formalin, a preservative that would allow her to view them later under the microscope. Although the pathologist worked methodically, she had noticed something strange from the very beginning. Mahal had an enlarged spleen and liver. Both organs were overrun with cysts, small gray bubbles. There were enormous numbers inside the liver, Gendron says. Wed never seen anything like this. Whatever it was, the pathogen had also clogged Mahals lungs. The official cause of death was acute respiratory distress syndrome; what it meant was that the orangutan had essentially drowned in his own blood. The necropsy took between four and five hours. When she was finished, Gendron made microscope slides of tissue from the nerves, heart, lungs, brain and other organs. Over the next few weeks she sent zoo pathologists around the country a digital photo of one of the cysts from Mahals liver. She hoped specialists whod examined great apes might have run into something similar. No one had. * * * Aedes aegypti mosquito 4 to 7 millimeters Diseases carried Yellow fever, dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika virus. Geographic distribution One of the most widespread mosquito species. Found in Africa and Asia and more recently reported in South America, Europe and the southern half of the United States. Transmission method Bites victims for blood meals. Source: World Health Organization Aedes aegypti mosquito 4 to 7 millimeters Diseases carried Yellow fever, dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika virus. Geographic distribution One of the most widespread mosquito species. Found in Africa and Asia and more recently reported in South America, Europe and the southern half of the United States. Transmission method Bites victims for blood meals. Source: World Health Organization One of the colleagues Gendron contacted was Goldberg, a fellow member of UWs faculty of veterinary medicine. Goldberg, who had started out studying hummingbird behavior at Amherst College in Massachusetts, had gone on to focus on primates while earning his PhD at Harvard. He joined the UW faculty in 2008. Over the last decade, Goldberg had flown to Uganda twice a year for up to a month of fieldwork examining the interactions of people, primates and other animals in and around Kibale National Park. The fieldwork often reminds him how much the world is changing, and how quickly new health threats can cross from species to species, continent to continent. For much of the world, the Zika virus, named for the forest in Uganda where it was discovered, stands as the prime example. Spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito and first discovered in a rhesus macaque in 1947, the virus appeared in humans in Uganda and Tanzania in 1952. However, in the last two years, the virus suddenly spread through large sections of Central and South America. In July, the U.S. recorded its first homegrown cases of the virus in Florida. By December, Zika had been identified in 75 countries and territories. But Goldberg can point to a more personal example of todays rapid-transit pathogens. In the summer of 2012, just six months before Mahal died, Goldberg had returned to Madison after working in western Uganda. Hed been home only three days when the dull ache hed detected in his nose flared into a searing pain, impossible to ignore. By angling a mirror and contorting his body, the scientist was able to peer inside his nostrils. There it was, just as hed suspected: the pale, fat back end of a fully engorged tick. It took all of my willpower not to claw off my face, he would recall. Instead, Goldberg gently extended a pair of forceps until they surrounded the ticks mouth, then he pulled firmly, but carefully. Out came a creature about the diameter of a pencil eraser, he recalls, really nothing more than a distended stomach. DNA testing revealed it was a new species of tick, a discovery that, in the scientists view, far outweighed his discomfort. Somehow the tick had crawled onto Goldbergs body in the Ugandan forest and stowed away inside his nostril through the plane trip to the U.S. The scientists reward was a paper he co-authored entitled, Coincident Tick Infestations in the Nostrils of Wild Chimpanzees and a Human in Uganda, published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. But it wasnt Goldbergs tick discovery that made Gendron think of him for the Mahal investigation. She recalled his recent paper on hepatocystis, a single-cell parasite transmitted by midges. Could the cysts inside Mahal be hepatocystis? Major outbreaks Zoonotic diseases, those that go from animals to people, cause an estimated 2.5 billion cases of human illness and 2.7 million deaths each year. It is hard to quantify the number of outbreaks in a given year, but the World Health Organization tracks a few dozen each year. The following are some of the worst outbreaks of the last century: 2016 Zika virus Zika virus, first isolated from a rhesus macaque in Uganda. Between Jan. 3 and April 2 alone, Brazil reported more than 91,000 suspected cases of the mosquito-borne virus which has been linked to severe birth defects. Through March 1, 2017, the United States has reported 5,074 cases of Zika, 221 from local mosquitoes. Puerto Rico has reported more than 36,000 cases. While many experience mild or no symptoms, the virus has been linked to microcephaly, a birth defect in which a babys brain stops growing or does not grow properly. 2014 to 2016 Ebola Ebola, passed to humans from wild animals, possibly infected monkeys or fruit bats. West Africa recorded 28,652 suspected, probable and confirmed cases resulting in 11,325 deaths. The U.S. saw four Ebola patients; the lone fatality was a man who traveled from Liberia to Dallas, developed symptoms four days after arrival, was treated and subsequently died. 2010 to 2013 Cholera Cholera, an often fatal bacterial disease transmitted through water or food. In coastal areas, the disease often follows algal blooms. Ten months after a Haitian earthquake, an outbreak infected 665,000 people, killing 8,183. A November 2011 study determined the U.S. saw 23 cholera cases, all but one were travelers from Hispaniola, the island that includes Haiti. The other reportedly resulted from consumption of seafood from Haiti. 2009 Swine flu, or H1N1 The pandemic of a respiratory disease found in pigs began in Mexico and is estimated to have killed some 284,500 people worldwide. The CDC estimated that 59 million Americans contracted swine flu, 265,000 were hospitalized and 12,000 died. 2008 to 2009 Cholera An outbreak in Zimbabwe killed 4,293. 2002 to 2003 SARS An outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, a viral respiratory disease believed to have originated in bats, killed 774 people and sickened 8,098 worldwide. The outbreak began in Guangdong Province, China. The disease is spread person to person, largely by droplets when a person coughs or sneezes. 1981 to 2011 HIV/AIDS HIV/AIDS, which is closely related to a disease in monkeys called simian immunodeficiency. HIV may have crossed from monkeys to humans as a result of a human killing and eating a chimp. At least 60 million people were infected by AIDS, resulting in 25 million deaths. In 2008, about 1.2 million Americans had HIV, while sub-Saharan Africa had almost 23 million cases. The virus is spread through blood and bodily fluids. 1968 to 1969 Hong Kong flu Hong Kong flu, an influenza A virus. Aquatic birds are a natural reservoir, or long-term host, for this kind of virus. This influenza is believed to have killed about 1 million people. Scientists suspect that it evolved from a strain of the 1957 Asian flu. 1957 to 1958 Asian flu This influenza killed about 2 million people. 1918 Spanish flu As many as 50 million people worldwide are believed to have died. Major outbreaks Zoonotic diseases, those that go from animals to people, cause an estimated 2.5 billion cases of human illness and 2.7 million deaths each year. It is hard to quantify the number of outbreaks in a given year, but the World Health Organization tracks a few dozen each year. The following are some of the worst outbreaks of the last century: 2016 Zika virus Zika virus, first isolated from a rhesus macaque in Uganda. Between Jan. 3 and April 2 alone, Brazil reported more than 91,000 suspected cases of the mosquito-borne virus which has been linked to severe birth defects. Through March 1, 2017, the United States has reported 5,074 cases of Zika, 221 from local mosquitoes. Puerto Rico has reported more than 36,000 cases. While many experience mild or no symptoms, the virus has been linked to microcephaly, a birth defect in which a babys brain stops growing or does not grow properly. 2014 to 2016 Ebola Ebola, passed to humans from wild animals, possibly infected monkeys or fruit bats. West Africa recorded 28,652 suspected, probable and confirmed cases resulting in 11,325 deaths. The U.S. saw four Ebola patients; the lone fatality was a man who traveled from Liberia to Dallas, developed symptoms four days after arrival, was treated and subsequently died. 2010 to 2013 Cholera Cholera, an often fatal bacterial disease transmitted through water or food. In coastal areas, the disease often follows algal blooms. Ten months after a Haitian earthquake, an outbreak infected 665,000 people, killing 8,183. A November 2011 study determined the U.S. saw 23 cholera cases, all but one were travelers from Hispaniola, the island that includes Haiti. The other reportedly resulted from consumption of seafood from Haiti. 2009 Swine flu, or H1N1 The pandemic of a respiratory disease found in pigs began in Mexico and is estimated to have killed some 284,500 people worldwide. The CDC estimated that 59 million Americans contracted swine flu, 265,000 were hospitalized and 12,000 died. 2008 to 2009 Cholera An outbreak in Zimbabwe killed 4,293. 2002 to 2003 SARS An outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, a viral respiratory disease believed to have originated in bats, killed 774 people and sickened 8,098 worldwide. The outbreak began in Guangdong Province, China. The disease is spread person to person, largely by droplets when a person coughs or sneezes. 1981 to 2011 HIV/AIDS HIV/AIDS, which is closely related to a disease in monkeys called simian immunodeficiency. HIV may have crossed from monkeys to humans as a result of a human killing and eating a chimp. At least 60 million people were infected by AIDS, resulting in 25 million deaths. In 2008, about 1.2 million Americans had HIV, while sub-Saharan Africa had almost 23 million cases. The virus is spread through blood and bodily fluids. 1968 to 1969 Hong Kong flu Hong Kong flu, an influenza A virus. Aquatic birds are a natural reservoir, or long-term host, for this kind of virus. This influenza is believed to have killed about 1 million people. Scientists suspect that it evolved from a strain of the 1957 Asian flu. 1957 to 1958 Asian flu This influenza killed about 2 million people. 1918 Spanish flu As many as 50 million people worldwide are believed to have died. * * * Theres just no love for the lowly parasite. The shark is more frightening, the naked mole rat uglier, the black mamba snake deadlier. Yet few creatures provoke a more visceral shudder of disgust than lice, tapeworms, mites and the various other organisms known as parasites. After his close encounter with the tick, Goldberg understood why. Still, years of research had tempered his reaction. You wind up having a lot of respect for parasites, he says. They are very clever. They have to be. To keep living, parasites must depend upon another organism, or host. They employ finely-tuned machinery to infect and stay in the host without being detected and killed off by the hosts immune system. Parasites are master survivors. They have been around much longer than humans, likely as long as there have been living organisms, according to Eric Hoberg, former curator of the 120-year-old U.S. National Parasite Collection, among the worlds largest repositories of different parasites. Although its not known how many parasites share the earth with us, one estimate puts the number of different helminths, or intestinal worms, at between 75,000 and 300,000. All told, more than half of the organisms on the planet are parasites, from the microscopic bacterial cell to the multicellular tapeworm. Many have evolved clever tricks to find the right host, survive and spread. Take the wiley Toxoplasma gondii, a single-cell parasite that starts by infecting a mouse but must enter a cat in order to reproduce. To go from mouse to cat, Toxoplasma gondii disables the rodents ability to smell cat urine, essentially leading the mouse into the jaws of its enemy. Of greater concern to humans is the Guinea worm. The worms larvae develop after being consumed by water fleas; they then infect humans who drink the flea-infested water. Once inside the human body, the worms grow to two or three feet in length, until the female worm causes a burning sensation so extreme it drives the human to seek relief by submerging the infected area in water. The worms offspring are then released from a skin blister into the water to continue their life cycle. The sheer number of parasites can make identifying them difficult, and as Mahals death would show, there is still much we dont know. * * * Goldberg crossed busy Campus Drive and proceeded to Gendrons UW lab to collect samples of Mahals liver, lungs and spleen. All were securely stored inside biosafety bags. Goldberg then spent the afternoon performing a series of molecular tests on the tissue samples. He found no sign of hepatocystis. He spent the rest of the week conducting more tests, checking whether something might be interfering with the chemistry and skewing his results. Still negative. In his black lab notebook, he noted that ahead of him lay a huge task. Not that the challenge displeased him. He loved a good mystery. Goldberg and David OConnor, a colleague at UWs Primate Center, compared Mahals genetic sequence with that of another orangutan, obtained from a massive DNA repository known as GenBank. West Nile A mosquito-borne disease capable of causing neurological problems and sometimes death in humans. Transmission Bites from female mosquitoes. Birds are a host for the disease. Geographic Regions Commonly found in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, North America and West Asia. Symptoms Fever, headache, fatigue, muscle pain or aches, nausea, loss of appetite, swollen lymph glands, vomiting, rash. Severe Symptoms Disorientation, coma, tremors, seizures, paralysis. Can cause encephalitis or meningitis. Cases and Death There are no reliable worldwide statistics. Among people who develop severe symptoms, death rates range from 3% to 15% and are highest among the elderly. In the U.S. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 44,000 cases have been reported in the U.S. since 1999, with more than 1,900 deaths. There were 2,175 reported cases in 2015. Treatment No vaccine for humans exists. Most people who are infected receive hospitalization, intravenous fluids, respiratory support and prevention of secondary infections. Source: World Health Organization West Nile A mosquito-borne disease capable of causing neurological problems and sometimes death in humans. Transmission Bites from female mosquitoes. Birds are a host for the disease. Geographic Regions Commonly found in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, North America and West Asia. Symptoms Fever, headache, fatigue, muscle pain or aches, nausea, loss of appetite, swollen lymph glands, vomiting, rash. Severe Symptoms Disorientation, coma, tremors, seizures, paralysis. Can cause encephalitis or meningitis. Cases and Death There are no reliable worldwide statistics. Among people who develop severe symptoms, death rates range from 3% to 15% and are highest among the elderly. In the U.S. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 44,000 cases have been reported in the U.S. since 1999, with more than 1,900 deaths. There were 2,175 reported cases in 2015. Treatment No vaccine for humans exists. Most people who are infected receive hospitalization, intravenous fluids, respiratory support and prevention of secondary infections. Source: World Health Organization The scientists took Mahals sequence, then subtracted the other orangutans. What remained, Goldberg reasoned, would contain the killers genetic signature. They performed the analysis using a technique known as shotgun sequencing. Long strands of DNA are broken into millions of smaller, easier-to-read pieces and then reassembled by computer into the longer sequence. They felt compelled to work quickly. We really rushed it, Goldberg recalls. We were really curious and we were afraid there would be an outbreak at the zoo. He kept thinking about the story of Tracey McNamara, then head pathologist at the Bronx Zoo. In 1999, McNamara noticed that a disturbing number of crows near the zoo were becoming ill and dying. Around the same time, New York City health officials discovered that a small number of people had become deathly ill with what appeared to be St. Louis encephalitis. Mosquitoes pick up the virus from birds, then pass it to humans. Tests showed, however, that the virus making the crows and humans sick wasnt St. Louis encephalitis. It was West Nile virus. The virus had been discovered in Uganda in 1937, but the sick crows at the Bronx Zoo marked its first appearance in the U.S. By the time Goldberg began working on the Mahal case, West Nile had spread across the continental U.S., sickening almost 2,500 people and causing 119 deaths in 2013 alone. Early on in his investigation of the orangutans death, he had no way to know whether he might be dealing with another West Nile virus. A few weeks of genetic testing provided Goldberg with an answer of sorts. The killers DNA appeared to be that of a cestode, or tapeworm. Except the sequence didnt match any known tapeworm. It was something new. * * * A tapeworm would not have topped the list of likely suspects. Although orangutans experience roundworm infections, it is much rarer to find one suffering from tapeworms. Support our investigative journalism Become a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel subscriber today and get unlimited digital access to support stories like this one. In Mahals case, the tapeworms were still in the larval stage; that explained the little gray bubbles. A tapeworms life cycle begins when eggs are excreted in the feces of a host animal, lets say a cat, and wind up in the soil. There, they are ingested by a different animal, a secondary host, such as a mouse. The eggs hatch inside the mouse and wait to be ingested back into the cat, where they reach adulthood and reproduce, so that new generations of eggs can be excreted back into the soil. Mahal appeared to have played the role of accidental mouse. But what species of tapeworm did the larvae come from? How did they get inside an orangutan? And how did they survive the anti-worming medication the Milwaukee zoo administers to its orangutans every three weeks? The puzzle of Mahals death had hooked Goldberg. This is the thing you dream about, he says. An unusual infection caused by something unknown. Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel UW-Madison scientist Tony Goldberg in the Kibale National Park in Uganda. Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel UW-Madison scientist Tony Goldberg in the Kibale National Park in Uganda. Although researchers discover new tapeworm species on a regular basis, Goldberg was dying to run into the offices of his UW colleagues exclaiming: Look what I found! Science, however, demands the opposite response: silence and self-discipline. First come weeks or months of rigorous confirmation work. Only then is a discovery announced. Theres this delicious little time, Goldberg says, when you have it all to yourself. One answer did emerge rather quickly, though it would ultimately raise new questions. On the very day Goldberg received the sequencing information from the machine, a scientific paper appeared in The International Journal for Parasitology naming a new genus, or group, of tapeworms. Scientists discovered the new group inside the bodies of weasels in Japan and Finland. Features that distinguished the new tapeworm from the two previously known groups included a retractable conelike structure armed with hooks used to attach itself to the hosts intestinal wall; a small head, or scolex; and suckers. Because the tapeworms found in Mahal were only larval, they displayed none of these features. Rather, what linked the new group, Versteria, to the larvae inside Mahal was a similar genetic signature. Although the two were not an exact match, they appeared to be different species within the same group. And from what Goldberg could tell, the tapeworms inside Mahal were a long way from home. For one thing, they should not have been inside the body of an orangutan, but rather a vole or some other variety of weasel prey. For another, they had been found previously in Finland and Japan, half a world away from Wisconsin. * * * Where and how Mahal ingested the tapeworm larvae remained a mystery. Still, Goldberg felt a need to write up what he knew so far. You want to publish because it could be important, he says. You want to get it out there and raise the alarm. This could be a threat to orangutans and other apes such as people. There was another reason to publish soon. Khan and the rest of the staff at the Milwaukee County Zoo remained in mourning for Mahal. We needed answers, Khan says, as does anyone suffering a big loss. They needed to know whether what had killed Mahal might pose a threat to the orangutans surrogate mother, MJ, or to any of the zoos other primates. Another question was harder and more personal: Could they have done something to have saved Mahal? The aforementioned trio are the foremost hospitals in Ghana; in fact they are the best the country has to offer. But as it stands now, even these hospitals appear not to be up to standard. A hospital is supposed to be a place where lives are saved, however, the situation in Ghana is gradually appearing otherwise per the recent turn of events. It was one of Ghanas darkest days in the recent times when news broke that five patients of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) had died in the last seven days as a result of oxygen shortage. A letter written by Dr. Michael Leat Chairman of the Komfo Anokye Doctors Association (KADA) to the Chief Executive Officer of the hospital stated that the KATH had become a death trap, and that the doctors are tired of presiding over deaths. The letter further revealed that the hospital lacked several basic things that doctors needed in order to discharge their duties diligently. According to the letter, five patients had been lost in the last seven days as a result of a shortage in oxygen. As one of the top-three hospitals in the country, the KATH should be offering far better. But as it stands, it serves up a recipe for serious thought. More worrying is the fact that the other two hospitals that should be setting the pace the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) and the 37 Military Hospital are also entangled in this sort of deficiency. Last year, there was a shortage of doctors at the KBTH which forced the hospital into attending to only specialized cases, to the detriment of other patients. Earlier in January this year the National Intensive Care Unit of the hospital was again hit by water shortage. The situation was so bad that nurses and other health officials had to walk long distances with plastic barrels (gallons) in search of water. The 37 Military Hospital although better off than the others is also still fazed by petty, avoidable problems. In the end, the story is the same as it has always been. The long speeches, the unending complains and a careless approach to solving issues; that is why Ghanas foremast hospitals are gradually becoming death traps and it leaves much to be desired. For a country looking to improve in the health sector, the maintenance of hospitals should be a priority. However, that has been relegated, and it is the ordinary citizen that faces the consequences. The death trap is not only a faulty, falling bridge on top of a gutter; neither is it a dangerous building waiting to collapse. Any hospital that cannot supply enough oxygen to its patients is a death trap. If a health facility lacks water supply to cater for its intensive units, it immediately becomes a death trap; and if any hospital is short of doctors, then it is also a death trap. Enough has already been said with very little action backing the words. But if five citizens can die in the space of seven days due to a lack of oxygen, then Ghanas hospitals are reaching a point when they will eventually become death traps. Update March 9, 2017 A faulty oxygen producing machine that has reportedly been abandoned at the Tamale Teaching Hospital has resulted in at least seven deaths. Repairs for the oxygen supply point of the health facility requires a little below GHS 30,000. Seven babies at the Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) reportedly died on Monday, March 6, 2017 due to the lack of sufficient oxygen supply to the unit. The Head of the Oxygen Unit, Godwin Nyanyo explained the reason for the constant shortage of oxygen at the health centre to Accra-based Starr FM: The pump has the bearings broken in them and we need to replace the bearings on the pump and the seals and the motor is also a challenge; it heats up after some hours of running so ideally we will need to change the electric motor. The dryer also has some leaking problems so we need to reconfigure the pipelines so we can work on the dryer, take the condenser out and repair the leakage. CNN host Brian Stelter wrote on Twitter that CNN public relations had confirmed the news. Miller served as a senior communications director both for the Trump campaign and for the president's transition team. In December, he accepted the role of White House communications director, but turned the position down two days later, after allegations surfaced that Miller had an affair with another Trump transition official. Miller, whose wife gave birth to their second child in January, said he turned down the position in order to spend more time with his family. Since then, Miller has continued to act as the president's surrogate, making consistent media appearances. In January, he became a managing director of DC consulting firm Teneo Strategy, which was founded by a longtime Bill Clinton aide. This is not the first time CNN has hired a Trump surrogate as a contributor. Controversially, the network hired Corey Lewandowski, Trump's former campaign manager, as a political commentator following his The NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2017 is a bill that the Senate and House collaborated on for months, and it appropriates $19.5 billion to the agency. (NASA received $19.3 billion in 2016, or 0.5% of the total federal budget.) When the Senate brought the bill before the House of Representatives for a vote on March 7, "no members spoke against the bill" and it passed, according to Jeff Foust at Space News. The document asks NASA to create a roadmap for getting humans "near or on the surface of Mars in the 2030s." It also calls on the space agency to continue developing the Space Launch System (SLS) a behemoth rocket and the Orion space capsule in order to eventually go to the moon, Mars, and beyond. Business Insider did not immediately receive a response from Trump administration officials about the president's plans for the new bill. But its passage seems likely. Trump has expressed support for a crewed exploration of Mars, and in his inauguration speech he said he's "ready to unlock the mysteries of space." Administration officials, meanwhile, have said they want NASA to return to the moon in the 2020s but also proposed to end the space agency's 58-year mandate to study the Earth and its climate, details the bill leaves out. Trump also maintains a relatively tight collaboration with the Republican-controlled legislative branch. Whats in NASAs proposed budget? The American Astronomical Society has a convenient breakdown of the $19.5 billion in the bill, including funding for human space exploration, space-station operations, science, and more. Mr. Jackson explains that the unfortunate development has made investment terrain of Ghana become unattractive for US investors. This he believes has compelled US investors to obtain a foothold other markets apart from Ghana. Ghanas aviation is very expensive and it takes a longer period for the Ghanaian embassy in the US to process visa. Mr. Jackson was, however, quick to point out the challenges the US embassy faces. We have our own visa issues but we process our visas within 48 hours. He made these remarks when he paid a courtesy call on the Business Development Minister Ibrahim Mohammed Awal on Thursday, March 9, 2017. According to the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, the Ghana-US trade volume is estimated at 1.2 billion dollars. However, the high cost of doing business has truncated such huge investments. Ambassador Jackson is therefore advising stakeholders to put measures in place to create a business friendly environment to attract investors abroad. Industry players in the mining sector have cautioned authorities over the dire consequences of galamsey on Ghana's mineral revenues. These players believe that, apart from the environmental hazards that galamsey causes, the country also risks losing patronage of its gold by global refineries. A galamsey is a local artisanal miner in Ghana. These people do mining independent of mining companies, digging small pits and tunnels by hand. In Ghana, mining activities in gold-rich regions can be traced to back to the days of colonialism when the nation was called the Gold Coast. Ghanas huge mineral wealth places the country tenth, in the world of gold producers. The mining industry in Ghana accounts for 5% of the country's GDP and minerals make up 37% of total exports, with gold contributing over 90% of the total mineral exports. However, the Minerals Commission of Ghana says the country risks losing such benefits due to menaces like galamsey among others. The Chief Executive Officers of the Minerals Commission, Dr. Toni Aubynn explains that foreign refineries say, the use of children in mining and also unethical standards that pollute the environment will make them boycott the country's gold. The International Labour Organization estimates that about one million Ghanaian children work in artisanal mining. This they say is against international mining regulations Gold refiners hold significant power in the supply chain, as there are few companies who refine most of the worlds gold. Reports show that these refineries have been advised to boycott gold from Ghana as a strong measure to eradicate child labour from the supply chains. READ ALSO: Police officers arrested for robbing miners The Minerals' Commission in Ghana says some refineries have already hinted plans to boycott gold from Ghana. Professor Ali Nakyea, a Taxation Law lecturer at the Ghana School of Law has called on government to consider raking revenue out of property tax. Property tax in Ghana is levied annually by local authorities on the estimated value properties, depending on its location. The rates on property tax ranges between 0.5 to 3.0%. Experts believe this can be an outstanding source of revenue for government. According to the Ghana Revenue Authority, property tax and rent contributed 0.03% to Ghanas GDP in 2014. Comparatively, in 2014, taxes on property in the UK were worth 4.2% of GDP, while the United States recorded a 3% in the same year. Yet most African countries raise relatively little money form taxing property. Professor Ali Nakyea tells Pulse Businessthat, although property tax is more growth friendly, it has been neglected by the country's tax authorities. He explains that, in Ghanas capital city, Accra, the property rate for Residential Class 1A, an area that covers Airport Residential Area, East Legon, Ridge and Roman Ridge, is 0.17 percent But in reality, properties in these areas are often undervalued, and owners of GHC1 million homes either pay lower than expected rate or default payments. He is also urging the Ghanaian government to put in place policies that will generate funds for the country as government has scrapped lot of taxes. Meanwhile economist Dr Baah Boateng at the University of Ghana has also raised concerns about the need for government to prioritize rent tax. Some months ago, aggrieved workers of the airline petitioned the NLC to address issues surrounding their unpaid salaries and other entitlements. Reports show that Antrak Air owes these workers over 12,000 cedis salary arrears and some outstanding entitlements including a 12 month transport allowance. According to the distressed workers, management of Antrak Air served them a memo that it was suspending flight operations for three months to restructure. They were however assured of a call back after the restructuring. Conversely, these workers say, they have not been called, adding that the company has since ceased operations. This development has received a widespread criticism from the aggrieved former workers. The Executive Secretary of the NLC, Charles Adongo Bawa Duah say the commission has already taken steps to deal with the issue to commence hearing on the substantive matter. However, Gilbert McCaurey, the leader of the aggrieved workers, says NLC's pace at resolving the issue is not encouraging. READ ALSO: Antrak Air suspends operation "I was actually screened a few months ago for cancer cells for which I am currently being treated," he wrote. "My life is not in danger today," added the 73-year-old who has been described as the French Elvis. "I'm doing very well and in good physical condition," he added. Hallyday's announcement came ahead of the publication Thursday by Closer magazine of an article which describes his condition as of serious concern. While Hallyday has never achieved widespread fame abroad, he is a musical icon at home and has sold more than 100 million records in his decades-long career. 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! In the book, Abigail tells her own story with truth and passion. She shares her journey of faith, tenacity and triumphs to educate, bless and inspire the general public, especially people suffering from kidney disease. Sharing her surviving story, Abigail, who is currently in her final year at the University, studying Public Health wept, saying "The part that really got me jittery was when trained doctors in Ghana, South Africa and London told me that if I fail to undergo dialysis I could not live to see the 5th year." "It wasnt a joke. I lived each day of the first five years after my diagnosis as if it could be my last day. My nights were like a python in my throat. I woke up everyday night shocked that I was still alive, that my heart was still beating and my blood was still circulating." "Suddenly, I was glum. I stopped caring and was just waiting for death to come for me. I gave out most of my belongings and even wrote a will, knowing very well that my time was up. Many didnt understand why, and I couldnt explain it to them without shedding tears." "So I exempted myself from the family home where I was residing and rented an apartment. I didnt want my mum to feel as though all she had was gone or was going. Tears flooded my eyes anytime I saw her. I never thought I would live to this day, but one word changed my mind. I sensed God telling me, Child of God, you need to wake up from your slumber." Ten years now, and Abigail Ashley walks through the tunnel of death without dying and living as a testimony to the fact that does not only inspire you but will also give you a reason to keep pressing on and trusting God in spite of your challenges. Thinking of living a healthy life? A Decade Of My Life, Behind My Smiles which talks about a "Young Woman's Journey of Surviving Chronic Kidney Disease Stage 4 (CKD ST4)" is a book that will drive you to it. The accused, Ebibi, 23, a cleaner and Hammed, 23, an Aluminium fabricator, are facing a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy and stealing. They reside at No.1/2, Agboyi Road, Alapere-Ketu, and Ogudu area of Lagos respectively. The Prosecutor, Insp. Igonbo Emby, said that on Jan. 30, at 5:00 p.m., at No. 14, Anifowoshe St., Victoria Island, Lagos, one of the accused, Ebibi, stole the sum of $2,300. Emby also said that on March 7, at 9:00 p.m., at the same address, Hammed, received the sum of 400 US dollars, equivalent to N184, 000 from Ebibi. He said that the money belonged to Mr Mina Oforiokuma, their employer. The prosecutor, however, said that the offence contravened Sections 285 (7), 326 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge. Magistrate W. B. Balogun, granted them bail in the sum of N2 million each, with two sureties each in like sum. Balogun said that one of the sureties must be a blood relative of the accused, who must be working in a reputable company, and must show evidence of three years tax payment to the Lagos State Government. He also said that the addresses of the sureties must be verified. The accused is facing a two-count charge of conspiracy and robbery. The Magistrate, Mrs O.A. Salawu, who gave the ruling, said the accused should remain behind the bars pending legal advice from the State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the plea of the accused, who appeared with bullet wounds on his chest and leg, was not taken. Earlier, the Prosecutor, Sgt. Kehinde Olatunde told the court that the accused committed the offences with another man still at large on Feb. 22 on Iponri Road, Surulere. According to him, the accused, armed with a locally made pistol, dispossessed the complainant, Chinedu Dike of his handbag containing some valuables. The offences contravened Sections 286 and 299 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015. 1. I Sing Of A Well (2009) Everyone back in the day really enjoyed watching a historical drama written by Africans for Africans. It offers insights into the dynamics of the slave trade and resistance to the slave trade in West Africa before the arrival of the Europeans. We often do not discuss this aspect of our history and so I commend Djansi for taking the risk of exploring this subject matter. The acting was excellent, although I felt that well-known Ghanaian actress Akofa Asiedu, who also co-produced the film, was miscast as the character of Soraya really should have been younger to make it believable that the Crown Prince would desire her from among all the possible women who he could marry. 2. No Time To Die (2007 No Time To Die portrays love and comedy. The film tells the story of David Dontoh, a hearse driver who will do anything to win the love of a lady who he has fallen in love with, Esi, a beautiful dancer who is planning an elaborate home going celebration for her mother. King Apaw explained that his film was meant to break the jinx of the trend of other African movies. "Most of the African movies we see are either on poverty or HIV/AIDS and so forth." African film makers could also make people laugh, he said. And he sure did break the jinx and set a standard 3. I Told You So (1970) When the film is such that one can see it over and over again and the film seek to spell out the spirit and aura of an era that film has achieve the noir status. A film industry capable of making film noirs is highly respect and rated by authorities of film studies. And surprisingly characters featured in a film noir end up having their status elevated to star noir. I Told You So has succeed in claiming that spot. Today when Bob Cole in mentioned, we are reminded of the film, when Araba Stamp is mentioned, I Told You So comes to mind, Osuabrobuo, Kapoipoi has been elevate to noir, through that film. Todays film makers can emulate the success of I Told You So, it just a matter of going back to the basics. In a recent advice from George Lucas, creator and director of Star wars franchise, to young filmmakers, Lucas stressed that the basics of filmmaking has not changed, it only the technology that has change. 4. Love Brewed In The African Pot (1980) Love Brewed in the African Pot is a Ghanaian classic film released in the 80s. This film reveals some great African tradition and culture. It gained an immediate popularity and was critically acclaimed throughout English-speaking African countries. This is a love story between Aba Appiah and Joe Quansah. Aba is the educated of the two, but instead of going to university, she becomes a dressmaker. She falls in love with Joe Quansah, a semi-illiterate auto mechanic. His love is less courageous than hers and his fisherman father warns him not to play with fire. Their relationship is further compounded by Aba's father who would rather have her married to a lawyer. 5. Kukurantumi Road To Accra (1983) The Synopsis of the film is about a truck driver makes runs between Kukurantumi (a rural town) and Accra (the capital city of Ghana) with few problems until he is forced to replace his truck. In order to raise the money to get a new vehicle, he sells some stolen watches and promises his daughter in marriage to a rich merchant. Rebelling against this fate, the daughter runs off to Accra with her boyfriend. 6. Heritage Africa (1989) "Heritage Africa" a Ghanaian movie was awarded the Golden Stallion at FESPACO. The synopsis of this film talks about Kwesi Atta Bosomefi, the perfect civil servant, rises through the educational and religious regimen of British colonialism, only to humbly rediscover his African heritage. Kwesi Atta Bosomefi's schooling and religious education have assured his social rise. Appointed African District Commissioner, Kwesi identifies himself with the English running his country. He goes as far as changing his name to Quincy Arthur Bosomfield. When the workers protest about their working conditions, Bosomfield sides with the ruling power against them. 7. Babina (2000) If you were a kid in 2000, you dare not watch Babina due to its scary scenes (mostly effects). This particular movie brought the star in Kalsoume Sinare. It also features Emmanuel Armah, Becky Perkins, Helen Omaboe, Nii Saka Brown, Nana Baah Boakye and Prince Yawson (Waakye). 8. Matters Of The Heart Matters Of The Heart is a classic Ghanaian movie also known as Sekina & Nicho (the names of its main characters. Paul Kavanagh reappeared in court on Thursday, March 9 after he was granted bail at the last sitting of the court on March 1 to file all the processes towards registration of the hotel with the Commission. In court on Thursday, Kavanagh told the court that he had finally registered with the Commission, which had dragged to him to court. But the presiding Judge, Justice Aboagye Tandoh, found Kavanagh guilty of the offence and ordered him to pay GHS600, as the total of cost of 50 penalty units taking into consideration his cooperation with the police. He also said this will serve as a deterrent to others. READ ALSO: Cause of death of British citizen yet to be determined The defaulting companies were served with a final notice to register or report to the police, which Golden Tulip failed to comply with. Speaking on Kumasi-based Ultimate FM, Kudjordji said the Volta Regional Minister who ordered the arrest of him and two other members of the group is against their beliefs. He claimed the regional minister during his vetting by the Appointments Committee of Parliament suggested that he should be charged with treason for calling for a secession of the Volta region to Western Togoland State. READ ALSO: Man found dead at Achimota Dr Archibald Letsa earlier said some politicians join the meeting of the separatist group. But Kudjordji said the minister is only causing confusion in the region. We dont invite politicians to our meetings. Ghanaians must not suspect that it's the National Democratic Congress (NDC) which is pushing us, no, no politician has been giving us money, we dont have a pesewa. That man (Archibald) is not a matured politician at all. If he were to be matured, he wouldnt have been losing elections persistently. If he could organise people to kill me in my house, he could do so, if he doesnt wish me death, would he say they should charge me for treason and be killed, he told them that, in Ewe land if you tell somebody that I will show you, its an offence and its not good, that is what it means, he said kill him, that is what he said during the vetting, and that is what the police are doing, the police are acting on his advice," he pointed out. READ ALSO: Three charged with treason for attempting to create Western Togoland State The 78- year old man who is facing treason and possible death if charged refuted claims that they want to break away from Ghana. He said he was ready to die for the cause should it come to that. The most recent one to have hit the country is the case of a middle-aged man believed to be in his early 30s who was found dead near a tree with a rope on Thursday, March 9, 2017 near the Achimota main overpass. Eyewitnesses at the scene, however, suspect it was a case of murder rather than suicide because the rope found around the body was too thin and cant be used to facilitate suicide. READ ALSO: Legon student falls from 4th floor to death Personnel of the Tesano Police command have since barrowed the body of the deceased to the morgue for an autopsy to be conducted, as they launch investigation into the incident. READ ALSO: JHS 2 student commits suicide A level 400 student of the University of Ghana was found dead after falling from a storey building on Wednesday, March 8, 2017. The deceased named Jennifer Nyarko, a Consumer Science student fell from her balcony at dawn at Akuafo Annex A room 407, having reportedly skipped lectures for several days. Unconfirmed reports say she was suffering from Hay Fever which may have caused the fall. In a separate incident, a 16-year-old Junior High School (JHS) pupil, identified as Barbra Asante also committed suicide at Akyem Osiem in the Eastern region. The body of Barbara was found hanging in the kitchen of her parents at Akyem Tafo on Tuesday, March 7, after she had gone missing. The body of the deceased has been deposited at the Akyem Tafo Hospital Morgue. According to her, although many people fought for the attainment of Ghanas independence, her father will forever stand tall when being compared to the rest. Samias comments came after President Akufo-Addos Independence day speech generated controversy, with some quarters accusing him of trying to downplay Dr. Nkrumahs achievements. READ ALSO: Tonaton appoints new managing director The Convention Peoples Party (CPP) the party Dr. Nkrumah led at the time has particularly criticized the president, labeling some of his utterances as skewed facts. In their view, President Akufo-Addo wanted to project his father, Edward Akufo-Addo and J.B. Danquah to the detriment of Dr. Nkrumah. Dr. Nkrumah was Ghanas foremost president, and he is widely credited as the founder of the West African country having led the way to independence. READ ALSO: Legon student falls from 4th floor to death And his daughter Samia Nkrumah believes no one comes close to her father, insisting the former CPP leader was the main catalyst in Ghanas independence struggle. Samia told Accra-based Citi FM: We agree that there were so many other people [in the independence struggle] but his role was significant. Nobody can take that away from him." If I was giving that speech, I would have given Kwame Nkrumah more prominence. READ ALSO: Man found dead at Achimota All the records show who the main catalyst was. Kwame Nkrumah had a vision even though he came to collaborate with UGCC [United Gold Coast Convention], but we know from history he was going to come down anyway." The group was seeking to create a new country from Ghana by declaring the Volta Region and some parts of the Northern and Upper East regions as the Western Togoland State. According to the Volta Regional Police Commander, Nana Asomah Hinneh, it became necessary for the Police to arrest the trio when it emerged that they had printed T-shirts with inscribed messages calling for a breakaway from Ghana. He stressed that the said T-shirts had inscriptions like 9th May 2017 is pour day and A citizen of Western Togoland. HSGF is a group that believes the Volta region and other parts of the North should not be considered as a part of Ghana, and have been fighting for a breakaway for sometime now. They hold that the Western Togoland State the new country they wish to create covers the whole of Volta region, and runs all the way from Bawku East to the Gulf of Guinea. The group therefore set out to declare Western Togoland State an independent country from Ghana on May 9 an act considered as illegal by the West African nation. The Police commander confirmed that two of the charged persons, Asiana Agbenu and Divine Odonkor were currently in Police custody while Charles Kormi Kudjordjie had been granted bail. The call was made by Geoffrey Chaucer Ofori, the executive director of Juvenile Reform Foundation (JRF)-Ghana, an advocacy group aimed at juvenile justice reform. According to Ofori, the unwillingness of parents and families to cater for the educational and personal needs of juvenile offenders who have completed a correctional programme, makes them more susceptible to reoffending and thus leading to a life of crime. Parents deem it too risky to invest their time and monies in these young offenders because they consider them a waste of time and resources, a situation which is worrying, he said. The situation is compounded when the young offender does not have their biological parents around to see to their day to day, according to Geoffrey Ofori. READ ALSO:Three charged with treason for attempting to create Western Togoland State Acceptance by family members is the first step to successful reintegration for young offenders, but mostly when the parents of these young offenders are dead; the extended family members disassociate themselves from their development. Neglecting them will only heighten recidivism. The extended families should take up the responsibilities of young offenders who have lost their biological parents, he added. Speaking on Accra-based Asempa FM Otiko said Mrs Bawa-Mogtari just a week before the December 7 elections, planned with strangers and packed all my things out of my mothers home in Bole. Strangers went and removed my things, so, I called my mum and I told her that: You've evicted me from your house, youve evicted me from your life. And she apologised for allowing that to happen without my knowledge. So people out there, you dont know my story, so, dont use politics to go there. During her vetting for her current position, she was asked by the Minority Leader in Parliament Haruna Iddrisu when was the last time she called her mother. She responded that she spoke to her mother a week before December 7, 2016. Otiko in the interview on Asempa said she would not have brought family issues to the public if the NDC had not started it. I wouldnt have brought this up had the NDC not been pestering me about my relationship with my mother. They packed all my things from my mothers house, so, people must know my story before they get up and be asking me about my relationship with my mother. Otiko lied, Im not responsible for the rift between her and our mother, The Minister of Gender Children and Social Protection Otiko Afisa Djaba earlier said that Bawa-Mogtari is the reason behind the rift between her (Otiko) and their mother. The Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection Otiko Afisa Djaba said Mrs Bawa-Mogtari just a week before the December 7 elections, planned with strangers and packed all my things out of my mothers home in Bole. Strangers went and removed my things, so, I called my mum and I told her that: You've evicted me from your house, youve evicted me from your life. And she apologised for allowing that to happen without my knowledge. So people out there, you dont know my story, so, dont use politics to go there. READ ALSO: Lawra NDC suspends constituency General Secretary However, in an interview with Accra-based Starr FM Bawa-Mogtari said: It is palpably false. I refuse to reduce my public discourse to domestic issues that really have no place in our public lives. Above all, nothing of this sort happened. Ever! Absolutely not! And certainly has nothing to do with" Meanwhile, Otiko said she would not have brought family issues to the public if the NDC had not started it. Three members of the Homeland Study Group Foundation (HSGF), identified as Asiana Agbenu, Divine Odonkor and Charles Kormi Kudjordjie were earlier arrested by the police for seeking to create a new country from Ghana by declaring the Volta Region and some parts of the Northern and Upper East regions as the Western Togoland State. The aforementioned trio were subsequently charged with treason at a Ho Magistrate court. However, having being arraigned before the court on Thursday, the judge decided to strike out the case, admitting it was beyond the jurisdiction. Black Friday sales last year provided the latest proof of changing dynamics in the retail sector as consumers continued to move their shopping online. Commercial mortgage-backed securities, known on Wall Street at CMBS, are securities backed by commercial mortgages on real estate like shopping malls. And when an anchor tent decides to close and leave a real estate complex, it can put the loans backing the entire mall at risk. For example, JCPenney recently outlined plans to close 140 stores. Morningstar Credit Ratings identified 39 locations it thought were likely to close, and found about $7.3 billion in loans securitized in CMBS could be impaired as a result. That's because m The January disposition of the 765,465-square-foot mall in Kingston, New York, resulted in $9.4 million of proceeds, representing an 89.2% discount to the original appraised value and resulting in an 86.1% loss severity," Morningstar said. People close to Obama told The Wall Street Journal in a story published Tuesday night that Obama was "livid" about Trump's unfounded accusations, which came in a series of tweets early Saturday morning. Obama said before he left office that he would not respond to every controversial thing Trump tweeted, but during his last press conference as commander in chief Obama said he would "examine it when it comes" if there were issues that "go to core questions about our values and our ideals." Trump's explosive accusations which he made without providing any evidence appeared to do just that, according to The Journal's Carol E. Lee and Peter Nicholas, who cited people familiar with Obama's thinking who said Trump's tweets about wiretapping undermined "the integrity of the office of the president and Mr. Obama himself." The Journal article was the closest glimpse at Obama's thinking about the allegations after several former members of his administration sought to knock down Trump's claims during interviews on Sunday. The relationship between the 44th and 45th presidents has been tenuous at best following Trump's election victory in November. The two met at the White House and spoke regularly until they parted ways after Trump's inauguration. According to The Journal, they have not spoken since. Trump called Obama to thank him for the letter he left for Trump at the White House, the newspaper said. The call reportedly went unanswered, ostensibly because Obama was on vacation. Both FBI Director James Comey and the former director of national intelligence James Clapper have denied that any order for wiretapping was requested or issued, The Journal said, and several White House staff members have declined to explain what prompted Trump to make the accusations. A Tuesday-night New York Times report said Trump "sounded uncertain" hours after his tweets were published on Saturday about how wiretapping at Trump Tower could actually be done. The newspaper said Trump asked some aides whether an investigator "outside the government" could back up his claims. Trump threw a verifiably false accusation at Obama early Tuesday, claiming the Obama administration released "122 vicious prisoners" from Guantanamo Bay who had returned to the battlefield. A report from the Director of National Intelligence indicated that 113 of those prisoners were actually released under President George W. Bush. The barrage of unfounded claims from Trump come amid a rough month and a half for the Trump administration. Multiple investigations are underway surrounding Russia's meddling in the US election and questions about contacts between the Kremlin and Trump's inner circle. The president's former national security adviser was forced to resign last month, and Trump's attorney general, Jeff Sessions, recused himself from Russia-related inquiries involving the Trump campaign. Much like Republicans shifted the conversation to dub Democrats' healthcare overhaul "Obamacare," opponents of the American Health Care Act are trying to pin the bill on a single politician. The only difference with the AHCA is that there are now two alternatives being thrown out: "Trumpcare" and "Ryancare." Trumpcare seems to be the tag of choice for many Democrats. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the bill "Trumpcare" on the Senate floor Tuesday. The Trump team, however, has pushed back on the name. White House spokesperson Kellyanne Conway pushed for the use of the official name instead of "Trumpcare" during an interview with Fox News on Wednesday. "I'll call it Trumpcare if you want to, but I didn't hear President Trump say to any of us, 'Hey, I want my name on that,'" Conway said. "We're happy it is the American Health Care Act. This is serious stuff. This isn't branding according to someone's name." Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price also deferred when asked whether he would call the bill "Trumpcare" at a White House press briefing on Tuesday, saying he would "let others provide a description for it" and that he liked "Patientcare" better. After his administration discouraged it through much of his first term, President Barack Obama embraced the name Obamacare as far back as 2011, saying it showed he cared about Americans. (Polls have shown Americans dislike the ACA much more when it is called "Obamacare" rather than the "Affordable Care Act," however.) The American Health Care Act's other emerging nickname, "Ryancare" a nod to House Speaker Paul Ryan has popped up in a diverse group of places. Right-leaning websites, including Breitbart, have pinned the "Ryancare" label on the AHCA because of reasons stemming from discontent they do not think the bill goes far enough in repealing Obamacare. At the same time, left-leaning websites like the Daily Kos and Daily Beast have used the "Ryancare" moniker to attack the law for going too far and possibly leading to the loss of health coverage for millions of Americans. The conservative group Club for Growth similarly used the moniker in its rebuke of the healthcare bill. "House health-care bill can't pass Senate w/o major changes," Cotton tweeted. "To my friends in House: pause, start over. Get it right, don't get it fast." Numerous senators have expressed misgivings about the Republican replacement plan for the Affordable Care Act, the healthcare law better known as Obamacare. Some, including Sen. Rand Paul, of Kentucky, have criticized the law as not going far enough in its repeal. Others have worries about the future of Medicaid funding. The opposition has health-policy experts wondering whether the law can make it through the upper chamber. Cotton's state of Arkansas is one of 34 states and the District of Columbia that went ahead with the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion. That has allowed more than 11 million people nationwide to access Medicaid insurance and has become incredibly popular in the states where it has been expanded. The new GOP bill, the American Health Care Act, would end the funding for Medicaid expansion in 2020 and shift to a per capita system of block grants that many experts say would result in less Medicaid funding for states. Additionally, the law would not allow anyone to be added to the expansion rolls after 2019, slowly decreasing the total number of Americans covered by Medicaid. Cotton also said he was opposed to the fast track on which the bill was moving through the House. The AHCA was introduced Monday evening by the GOP leadership and is now being reviewed by committees before it goes to the House floor for a vote. "GOP shouldn't act like Dems did in O'care," Cotton wrote. "No excuse to release bill Mon night, start voting Wed. With no budget estimate!" Cotton was referring to the fact that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has not released a score for the AHCA. The score gives estimates on the budget impact of the bill and how many Americans' health coverage would be affected. Cotton is a longtime supporter of President Donald Trump, who has publicly supported the law and attempted to win over conservatives to get the law through Congress. Despite this, Cotton made his opposition to the bill's existing form known Thursday. Now some restaurants in states that recently raised the minimum wage including Arizona, California, and Colorado are putting the proof in customers' checks. Surcharges of 3% to 4% to pay for higher labor costs are "the emerging new norm," a spokeswoman for the California Restaurant Association told The Wall Street Journal. Restaurateurs say they're adding the surcharge because the alternative of increasing the prices of individual menu items can cause customers to pick a less expensive option or simply ditch the restaurant altogether. The surcharge also allows restaurants that opposed minimum-wage increases to highlight the consequences. "We want people to understand there is a cost," David Cohn, the owner of 15 restaurants in San Diego, told The Journal. "How do we stay in business with margins shrinking and competition increasing?" But many customers don't react well to surcharges especially if they believe them to be politically motivated. In 2015, a Buffalo Wild Wings franchisee dropped a surcharge related to the Affordable Care Act after angry diners protested the fee. People have used social media to protest the rise of surcharges. In February, the W Seattle hotel dropped its minimum-wage surcharge after a tweet complaining about it went viral. The goal of the projection was to raise awareness and money for issues that affect American immigrants. That night at a Brooklyn bar, Ilegal Mezcal also hosted a benefit for Planned Parenthood, the national healthcare provider that Trump has vowed to defund. "We wanted to take this opportunity as a company to make a statement," Ilegal Mezcal's founder and American ex-pat, John Rexer, tells Business Insider. "We are people with ideals first, and we don't check those ideals at the door when we get to work." He launched the campaign because his Oaxaca-based company not only depends financially on good trade relations between US and Mexico, but because Ilegal Mezcal also has Mexican employees. He came up with the guerrilla art campaign in 2015, when he visited his hometown of New York City to see family and friends. A month earlier, Donald Trump declared he would run for president, and kicked off his campaign with a speech in which he called undocumented Mexicans "rapists" and "criminals." While having brunch one day in New York, Rexer started talking to the waiter, who was from Puebla, Mexico, about Trump. After a big sigh, the waiter said, "Donald es un pendejo." Rexer scribbled the phrase on a napkin, and the next day, he and his team designed and posted several thousand posters with the Trump silhouette and slightly modified phrase, "Donald eres (you are) un pendejo," around the city. "'Eres' is much more impactful," Rexer says. "Saying, 'Donald, you are an a**hole' is more directed at him and in his face. It makes more of a statement." On stage at Wednesday's Google Cloud Next conference in San Francisco, Alphabet Chairman Eric Schmidt called Snap "the strongest IPO in tech in a long time" and explained how Google played a key role in Snapchat's growth from its early days. Amid Snapchat's meteoric rise to fame, Schmidt said, "no one could figure out how they could do this with so little capital." The answer, Schmidt said, "is that they used our infrastructure." Google Cloud offers pay-as-you-go access to fundamentally unlimited supercomputing power. With Google Cloud, Snapchat could quickly grow its services to meet demand while simultaneously taking advantage of its tremendous worldwide footprint to quickly roll out to users across the globe, Schmidt said. Plus, Schmidt said, Snapchat was able to use Google's range of cutting-edge technologies to quickly roll out new features, which reinforced its growth. In his only public interview, Snap cofounder Bobby Murphy said Google was key in its growth. "So are you not planning to be like Snapchat?" Schmidt asked the conference crowd. With Google's range of services, he said, "you may as well plan for global success and infinite demand." And even if you're going after a smaller, more regional customer base, "dream big," he said. Schmidt also called out the smartphone smash-hit app Pokemon Go, which was made by Niantic, a former Google subsidiary, and which hosts its services in Google Cloud, too. Schmidt credited Google Cloud with letting Pokemon Go launch globally amid tremendous demand. "I'm quite convinced there was no other way to handle such a global phenomenon," Schmidt said. In general, Schmidt says his message is simple: "Just get to the cloud now. Just go there now. There's no time to waste anymore." " been using a secretive tool to evade authorities for years. Called Greyball, the tool displayed a fake view to certain users of its app, making it appear as if there were no Uber cars driving around the streets. In cities that were trying to ban or curtail Uber from operating, like Boston, Paris and Las Vegas, this tool was an ideal way for Uber to dodge officials seeking to catch the company in the act. After the Times report, Uber did not deny the existence of the tool in a statement it provided to Business Insider. The company said the tool was an important measure to protect drivers by flagging dangerous individuals who might try to harm its drivers. Uber also sought to justify the tool's ability to deceive authorities by calling into question the motives of city officials, who Uber suggested were colluding with unspecified "opponents" of the company. "This program denies ride requests to fraudulent users who are violating our terms of service whether thats people aiming to physically harm drivers, competitors looking to disrupt our operations, or opponents who collude with officials on secret stings meant to entrap drivers," the company said after The Times report revealed its existence. Now, nearly a week later, Uber says that it will be reviewing how Greyball is used in the future, though it is so far only prohibiting its use to target local regulators. Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! Daily Trust reports that the fight which could have turned bloody, was ignited when Ebere who deals on spare parts in the market, decided to name his dog Muhammad after another trader by the name had earlier called his own dog Ebere despite several warnings by the Igbo trader for Muhammad to change the name of his dog. An eyewitness who identified himself as Aminu Ibrahim, said Muhammad was actually the cause of the trouble since he had named his own dog Ebere and the Igbo trader only retaliated to spite Muhammad. Since Muhammad named the dog after the trader (Ebere), the trader had warned him on several occasions to rename the dog, but Muhammad refused. In retaliation, the Igbo trader, Ebere, also bought a dog and named it Muhammad; this is when all hell was let loose, Ibrahim said. He added that the fight that erupted was between the Hausa and Igbo traders in the market famed for being one of the biggest spare parts market in the northern parts of the country, which led to its closure by the police. The General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide is demanding that the popular lawyer who represented Otobo, retract all publications, and tender an apology which will be published on major social media networks. ALSO READ: Stephanie Otobo shares screenshot photo of video chat with man of God Apostle Suleiman is also reportedly demanding the sum of N1 billion naira for damages over the alleged blackmail and injuries inflicted on his reputation, including online video clips, during his alleged sexual relationship with Otobo. Punch reports that failure to comply with the demands on the part of Keyamo would result in a complaint lodged with the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee for infamous conduct. According to earlier reports, Otobo claimed to have suffered emotional stress from Suleman, following their ruined relationship which reportedly included a promise of marriage. However, a letter issued by the cleric's counsel, Osa Director, which was obtained by journalists on Thursday, March 9, 2017, in Abuja, entitled: Allegation of professional misconduct and unethical practices, claimed that Keyamos action were inconsistent with Section 1 of the Rules of Professional Conduct For Legal Practitioners 2007. He said, Sequel to our letter to you dated March 6, 2017, we have observed with shock and dismay your deliberate and relentless efforts to malign and convict our client through media trial. By your relentless media campaign, you are conducting yourself in a manner inconsistent with Section 1 of the Rules of Professional Conduct For Legal Practitioners 2007. The man of God said that, instead of gathering facts and evidence before a court of competent jurisdiction for adjudication, Keyamo reportedly resorted to blackmail and intimidation through the use of the both traditional and social media. In short, you have threatened and indeed executed your threat of conjuring, manufacturing and synthesising bogus and unverifiable exhibits in the social media and newspapers, all with a view to poison public opinion against our client and reduce his esteem and reputation in the eye of any reasonable man. "Your attitude is also to ambush a fair trial while litigation is anticipated. This is contrary to S.33 of the Rules of Professional Conduct For Legal Practitioners 2007. Punch also reports that Keyamo, in a recent newspaper publication, threatened to release more bullets, while Otobo would be organizing a world press conference under his supervision. He said, Furthermore, you grossly and recklessly maligned our client, saying, these men of God are not what they claim to be, we have a duty to protect the public. Many of them are fake and fraudsters. You will see the video very soon in the next few minutes. True to your threat of trial publicity stunts, the video clips have flooded the social media networks. We believe your conduct is inconsistent with the virtues and rules of conduct of the legal profession. It smacks of indiscipline and disdain for the judicial process. Therefore, we demand a retraction of all your press statements and an apology to be published on the major social media networks. Also, we demand a compensation of N1bn for all the injuries inflicted on our client. We expect you to meet our demands within seven days from the date above written. Take notice that we shall drag you before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee for the infamous conduct if you fail to so do. As earlier reported, Otobo was only released today, March 9, 2017, from Kirikiri prisons after she was arrested almost one week ago on a charge of blackmail and terrorism and has remained in prison custody since then for failure to perfect her bail conditions. Theres curated knowledge in there, there are health choices, livelihoods and culture! Delicious Naija is the new series from MAGGI thats exploring food and culture from all parts of Nigeria; right from the Tuwo-eating North to the Periwinkle-crushing South. Its for every foodie, or lover of cooking. Bunmi will be taking us on a taste adventure to meet the women and men who are making a difference with their cooking in their families and communities. Sandra Ekweseli of Cool FM Port-Harcourt gives Bunmi the best Rivers State welcome possible: Bole & Fish. Watching them eat the Port-Harcourt specialty from Bole King is enough to make your mouth water. After a visit to Isaac Boro Memorial Park, Bunmi goes to learn how to make a local dish, Onunu & Fresh Fish Peppersoup, from our MAGGI Star - Judith Udala. The warmth in this family is beautiful to watch and we cant wait to try our hands at making this Port-Harcourt favourite! The food journeys of Delicious Naija can always be watched at 7:30pm Saturday on Africa Magic (Family), at 5pm Sunday on NTA and at 5:30pm Friday on Arewa24. But if you cant get to these, thats okay - theres Facebook, Instagram & Youtube to keep you updated! Go watch! The accused, who resides at Ajiwe in Ajah area of Lagos State, is standing trial on a charge of obtaining under false pretences. The prosecutor, Insp. Ingobo Emby, told the court that the accused committed the offence between November 2013 and March 2014 at Dover Hotel at Lekki Phase 1 in Eti-Osa Local Government Area. He said the accused lodged in the hotel for five months and accumulated bills to the tune of N1.7 million which he refused to pay. The bill was for the services rendered to the accused for the period of five months he lodged in the hotel, Emby said. According to him, the offence contravenes Section 313 (a) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the section stipulates a 15-year jail term for offenders. The accused, however, pleaded innocence of the offence. The Magistrate, Mr Martins Owumi, in his ruling, granted the accused bail in the sum of N300,000 with two sureties in like sum. He said the sureties must be gainfully employed and also show evidence of three years tax payment to the Lagos State Government. The deceased, Taiwo Ariyo, was said to have ingested a powerful insecticide called Sniper on Saturday, March 3, 2017, and later died at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, after suffering from depression. Punch reports that the twin brother, Kehinde, and the pregnant wife of the late Ariyo, said he drank the poison in their presence because he was not happy that his father did not take care of him adequately enough. Ariyo, it was reported, had been expressing his sadness over the alleged uncaring attitude of their father, Clement Ariyo, a pathologist with the Red Cross Society, who is married to two wives. Family sources allege that the father was always sending money to his second wife and her children while neglecting the three children of the first wife which included the deceased. A member of the family allegedly said that the death of Ariyo should be blamed on the father for not caring for him like a father should. The problem is that the father does not care for them. On that day, he said he would sacrifice himself for the other two children. He said maybe if he died, their father would wake up to the reality, a family member said. However, when the father was contacted to state his own side of the story, he wondered why he would be catering to a married man with children, describing the late son as wayward, and had always been giving him problems before his death. I did not take care of him? Care for a 34-year-old person that went to school and got married? A man that had children with different women? And now that he is dead, he has added more to my burden. Did you know that he had his first child 10 years ago? And I have been the one responsible for him? He had another child last year, but he denied the paternity. I am 66 and should be retired ordinarily. He was a controversial son for the 34 years that he lived. I woke up on Saturday to see a suicide note that he sent to me. I immediately called his twin brother to go after him. Many women have called me to say they had relationships with him. One claimed that she had no fewer than 10 abortions for him and he still dumped her for another girl. When I came to Lagos last November, I counseled him to get his act together. Instead, he lied to me that he wanted money to travel to see his son in Ado Ekiti and I gave him N37,500. He didnt visit him. At another time, I bought clothes for that boy, but he didnt deliver them. He said he wanted to get married, buy this and that. He even went ahead to post the same thing on Facebook." Dikko disclosed this at a news conference on Thursday in Nasarawa Prison at the end of his four-day tour of prisons formations across the state. He said that out of the 22 inmates released, 14 were from Lafia prison, 17 in Keffi prison while one was in Nasarawa prison. The chief judge explained that the gesture was part of efforts to decongest the prisons and ensure justice to inmates who were wrongly detained. Dikko attributed the delay in prosecuting cases to inadequate police prosecutors and counsels from the state ministry of justice. He said with the crime rate in the state, particularly in Mararaba-area, only two police counsels and about 24 from the ministry of justice were inadequate to prosecute cases. The police and the state ministry of justice needs to get more hands by employing more counsels in order to effectively prosecute the rising number of cases in the state, he added. He urged the police, prisons authority and other stakeholders to rise up to their responsibilities to ensure speedy administration of justice in the state. Dikko assigned counsels from the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria to inmates awaiting trial who lacked money to engage the services of a counsel. He advised those pardoned to exhibit good character and avoid committing any crime that would bring them back to the prison. Earlier, Mr Ekwere Ekanem, Nasarawa State Controller of Prisons, said that Lafia, Keffi and Wamba prisons were over-stretched. He added that all the prisons in the state have problems of shortage of vehicles, congestion, lack of portable drinking water among others. Vanguard reports that the victim simply identified as Omotunde, was stabbed on the evening of Tuesday, March 7, 2017, by one Ayodele Muyiwa who accused him (Omotunde) of using his position to snatch his girlfriend. It was gathered that Muyiwa who has been arrested by police operatives from the Shomolu Division, carried out the attack on Omotunde alongside one of his friends, James Friday. The two suspects who are now in detention, were said to have waylaid Omotunde at a dark spot on the day of the incident and when he walked into their trap, they pounced on him and attacked him. A member of the union who spoke on the incident said: When Muyiwa came to the park on Tuesday, he engaged Omotunde in a quarrel, accusing him of snatching his girlfriend to spite him because he was rich. They started exchanging words. In the process, Muyiwa carried a plank with which he threatened to hit Omotunde. He bent down and dared Muyiwa to carry out his threat, but he did not. At night, Muyiwa stormed the park in the company of another person to attack Omotunde. They beat him, stabbed him in the stomach and left. It was further learned that some loyalists of the injured Omotunde had been spoiling for a fight and vengeance while those in support of Muyiwa were prevented from collecting toll from motorists at the park. Read her story here: "My name is Lizzy, a 36-year-old married woman with four children. I have been married for 15 years now but as I write this with tears in my eyes, my marriage is about to crash due to no fault of mine. My husband, Fred, is hell bent on taking a new wife now that things have looked up for him. This is the time that his family believes he is man enough to take a new wife to befit his status. Fred has forgotten that I was the one who stood by him when things were so bad and his so called friends and family abandoned him. He has failed to remember how much I suffered shame, disgrace, mockery and degradation just because I stood by him against the advice of my family because I knew that things would be better one day. When I met and fell in love with Fred, he was just a struggling young man who had next to nothing. He worked in a shipping company but the salary was so poor that he could not even afford a decent accommodation. He lived in a boys quarter in a crowded compound in a Lagos suburb but I did not mind because I loved him with all my heart. I was practically fending for Fred with my little salary. I would borrow money from my friends and even my office to take care of Fred. I would even collect money from men who asked me out only to spend on Fred, believing that I was investing in my future husband. Then I got pregnant and we had to get married but Fred did not have any money for us to solemnize our marriage, so I had to take a loan from my office and borrow from my sisters just so that we would cover our shame. After our wedding, I had to source for money for us to get a better apartment and we moved in. I was the one taking care of the home from day one as Fred's office was owing him for so many months. For good eight years, I was the one taking care of the home, paying the rent, school fees, food and gave my husband pocket money as well. Even when I wanted to complain, I had to caution myself, knowing that everyone would blame me if they got to hear what we were going through. Then God smiled on us when Fred got a contract to help clear some good for a manufacturing company and that was when the big break came. He did a very good job of it and the company placed him on a retainership. From there, other jobs came and he set up his own clearing agency and later went into the importation of goods himself. Within a short while, the business flourished and things took a turn for the better. Within five years, we had moved into our own house, our children moved to a better private school and things looked up for us. But just when I was thanking God for enduring with my husband and getting set to eat the fruits of my labour, Fred dealt me a heavy blow by telling me he wanted to take a second wife. He explained that he family and community wanted him to take a title that would require him to take another wife. I was shocked and when I questioned him where those people were when we were passing through hell, my husband just walked out on me. He even had the guts to tell me to calculate how much I spent while he had nothing so that he could pay me off. he has vowed that nothing would stop him from taking the second wife and has told me that I either take the situation as it is or I pack out of his house. I have been crying so much and I keep wondering how treacherous a man can be. I need help fast. Lizzy." The teaser for the day was: How Nigeria voted: She should file for a divorce and claim everything Fred has - 33% She should make sure Fred pays her all she spent on the family - 12% She should never accept a second wife into the home - 15% She should just accept the situation as it is - 40% The complainants Eze Susan, Kemi Soje, Amina Obor, Ojo Jumoke, Abonyi Amalis, Patience Ogede, Abdurazak Isah, Uver Charles, Amos Ebhohen, James Tor, Noel Blessing and Pauline Opeh were all present in court. They averred that they were on monthly salary at the school and they worked for three months, but the proprietor refused to pay them their salaries. They said that they approached Lugundaye in respect of the issue, but he made several promises to the Education Inspectorate Office, Area 1, Masaka. Other bodies, he made promises to pay to were Karu Local Government Area, Social Welfare, Honorable Chairman of Karu Local Government and Masaka Police Station, but failed to pay. They alleged that the accused said that even if the School ran down, he had nothing to lose as he would turn it to a mini estate. The complainants said that all their efforts for the accused to pay them their salaries totaling N579, 000 proved abortive. They prayed the court to help them recover their monies. The complainants counsel, Mr Innocent Maagi, told the court that the offence of criminal breach of contract and cheating contravened Sections 381 and 322 of the Penal Code. Maagi urged the court to use its discretion in the case, stressing that his clients were all family men and women and this was their only source of income. Maagi prayed the court to give them a short date to hear the case. The accused, however, denied the allegation, stressing that they were not telling the truth. The Magistrate, Mr. Victor Manga, admonished Lugundaye to pay them their salaries if really he owed them. There is a saying that the labourer is worthy of his wages; anybody that worked must be paid, if you dont have money, you can negotiate with them as well because we are all humans, the judge said. Manga granted the accused N500, 000 bail with one surety in a like sum who must be a civil servant on grade level 14. He said that the surety must reside within the courts jurisdiction and must deposit his two passports photographs in the court. The Magistrate ordered that if he failed to meet the requirements, he should be reminded in Keffi Prison. The Canada-based Nigerian Stripper accused the General Overseer of the Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide, of impregnating and abandoning her. ALSO READ: Stephanie Otobo shares screenshot photo of video chat with man of God Otobo was remanded in Kirikiri prisons on a charge of blackmail and terrorism and has remained in prison custody since then for failure to perfect her bail conditions. The Sapele, Delta state indigene raised a lot of dust when she came out with the allegations, going a step further to upload screenshot photos of her purported video chat with the man of God. Total Media gathered that the processing of bail conditions for Otobo ran into hitches on Wednesday, March 8, 2017, as Justice Kikelomo Bukola Ayeye, the chief magistrate of the Lagos State Magistrate Court in Tinubu, was not in court to sign some of the required documents. It was further learned that by the time the bail documents were ready, Justice Ayeye had left for an engagement, and Otobo had to be returned to the Kirikiri Medium Prison where she is being remanded. The accused persons have been identified as Terseer Tersoo, Iornegene Jinjingi and Gbanwuan Uhentsev and were brought before Justice Elizabeth Kpojime of High Court 4 Makurdi. The Police Prosecutor, Inspector Peter Baaki, told the court that the accused persons have confessed to committing the crimes in the written statements. Punch reports that lawyers and prosecutors handling the case, adopted and submitted the statements during police investigations as a plea before the court for further hearing. The inspector stressed that the statements were not written under any form of duress and that the environment had been conducive without any form of interference. Inspector Baaki told the court of how a police informant had called on September 21st, 2015 to inform the C divisional Police office North Bank, Makurdi that a gang of armed men had broken into a residence belonging to a lecturer and a medical doctor at Nyion Layout of Makurdi and robbed, raped and abducted a woman from the compound He said, We went into action and thereafter intercepted and apprehended all the suspects in a Peugeot 406 at Keana local government area of Nasarawa state, and rescued the victim and also recovered weapons including guns, Samsung handsets, two mask tape, two pairs of shoes, one iron cutter from the three suspects. The state prosecuting counsel, Simon Egede urged the court to remand the defendants in prison custody with the exception of Terseer Tersoo who was granted bail on health grounds having been operated upon and asked for a date for commencement of trial within trial. The suspects have been identified as Joseph David and Adebayo Olanrewaju. ALSO READ: Fake soldier arrested while trying to arrest man at a hotel According to the state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, the fake officers were arrested following a complaint lodged by a lawyer, Paul Oniyo and one Chima Solomon, Punch reports. The two suspects reportedly garbed in military camouflage accosted them and beat them up, inflicting injuries on them over a minor disagreement. The Divisional Police Officer of Agbado Division, Abioye Shittu, a chief superintendent of police, led detectives to the scene of the incident upon the complaint, where the suspects were arrested and taken to the station. Oyeyemi revealed that upon interrogation, the two suspects were discovered to be mere impostors who made a living on extortion. Amongst the items recovered from the impostors were, various military hard wares, cap, and a camp bed. ALSO READ: Fake army officer arrested in Ondo Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Adegboye Gbolagunte of an Ibadan High Court sentenced Owolabi to death by hanging for causing the death of one Seun Kolawole, two years ago. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Owolabi, of the Physical and Health Education Department caused the death of Kolawole by stabbing him with a bottle. Gbolagunte said the counsel prosecuting the case, Mr A. Olawale, a Deputy Director in the Oyo State Ministry of Justice had proved the case beyond reasonable doubt. The judge said that the evidence before him showed that the accused committed the offence as charged. He ruled that the accused should be sentenced to death by hanging to serve as deterrent to others. Gbolagunte advised parents to always monitor their children to prevent them from misbehahing. Olawale had earlier told court that the convict stabbed Kolawole with a broken bottle in the neck, following a misunderstanding between him and the deceased. He said that the injury sustained as a result of the stabbing resulted to the death of Kolawole. Olawale said that the incident happened on Jan. 12, 2014 at toll-gate area of Ibadan. Ajimobi said the state gain more from the project as it would open it to a new vista of development. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Acting President Yemi Osinbajo had on Tuesday inaugurated the rail project at Yaba, Lagos. The governor said that the project would boost the earning capacity of the government and the people. According to him, agriculture will receive a boost as the rail transport will be cheaper for farmers to get their produce to the market. This project will create employment opportunities for our youths and skilled workers both during and after the execution of the project. Also, the cost of maintaining our roads would reduce drastically as the traffic of long lorries that cause road dilapidation would also be reduced on our roads, he said. Ajimobi added that the state would have enough resources to create and maintain other social services. Similarly, some indigenes of the state also commended the Federal Government for inaugurating the rail project. The indigenes, who spoke in separate interviews with NAN, noted that the road would enhance economic development of the state and the nation in general. Mr Akinyemi Akinlabi, a former Chairman of Ibarapa Central Local Government in the state, said the project was a demonstration that the Federal Government was committed to economic emancipation. ALSO READ:Governor Ajimobi of Oyo talked down on LAUTECH students Akinlabi said that the rail project would aid mass movement of goods and services at a cheaper cost. He also added that the project would no doubt create employment opportunities as well as generate revenue for the government. The National Coordinator of the organisation, Alhaji Yahaya Hammanjulde said the prayer seeking Gods intercession was to enable Buhari return soonest and deliver democracy dividends to Nigerians. In his prayer at the occasion which took at the dome tent of the Taraba Motel in Jalingo, Pastor Anthony Daudu, picked his verses from Timothy Chapter II, which says that followers should pray for their leaders at all times in order to enable them meet their obligations to the people. He added that every right thinking Nigerian should pray and wish the president to come back and continue with the administrations anti-corruption crusade and war against insurgency. Similarly, an Islamic cleric, Khalifa Aminu, also underscored the importance of prayers for leaders to enable them discharge their obligations to the citizenry. Aminu noted that all the religions were from God and had preached peaceful coexistence among people of all callings. He urged all Nigerians to put aside their sentiments of religion, political and social affiliations, and pray for the presidents quick recovery and return. Buhari left Nigeria on January 19, 2017 and sought for an extension of what became a medical vacation on February 5, 2017. What should have been a period of routine medical checkups soon morphed into a drama series of some sort, with Nigerians being treated to one picture or the other of their President meeting up with one dignitary or the other and grinning for the cameras. ALSO READ: President expected back in Nigeria on Friday "President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to return to Nigeria tomorrow, Friday March 10, 2017", the Nigerian Presidency has just confirmed in a statement. The statement added that "the President left Nigeria on January 19, 2017, for a vacation, during which he had routine medical check-ups. "The holiday was extended based on doctors' recommendations for further tests and rest. President Buhari expresses appreciation to all, across Nigeria and beyond, for their prayers and good wishes". We are pleased to have Buhari back. He is after all, the President we voted for and not Prof Yemi Osinbajo who has acquitted himself nicely in an acting capacity, in Buhari's absence. Once he returns home tomorrow, Buhari should seek another extended period of rest. Maybe another month or two. The Doctors who kept him back in the UK for this long are probably aware that this President can't cope with so much work at the moment. Buhari should take a back seat role and allow Osinbajo continue to marshal the affairs of state--at the President's behest of course. As everyone now knows, what Buhari lacks in energy and zip, Osinbajo possesses in spades. The nation's number two man has been visiting States across Nigeria with the energy and exuberance of youth. Should he want to hurry back to his work desk, Buhari should let Osinbajo run the economy while he busies himself with other aspects of governance. With the Naira appreciating in value, the bombings in the oil rich Niger Delta reducing to a trickle and foreign reserves rising since Buhari's sojourn, there are no prizes for guessing who's got a calmer head when it comes to managing a faltering economy, between Buhari and Osinbajo. Buhari is also regarded as a clannish, divisive figure in certain circles. ALSO READ: Hopefully, staying away from Nigeria and having had time to reflect and ponder from a sick bed, he's realised that he needs to be a unifier and pacifier to steer this nation to pastures safe and new. Upon his return, he's got to begin to show empathy, care for optics and speak to the people a lot more. He needs to shed the toga of an aloof, cold and uncaring Commander-in-Chief. The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Femi Adesina on Thursday, March 8, 2017, revealed this to journalist. According to Punch, Adesina did not tell reporters the exact time that the President will arrive. He said President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to return to the country tomorrow, Friday, March 10, 2017. The President left the country on January 19, 2017, for a vacation, during which he had routine medical check-ups. The holiday was extended based on doctors recommendation for further tests and rest. President Buhari expresses appreciation to teeming Nigerians from across the country, and beyond, who had prayed fervently for him, and also sent their good wishes. ALSO READ:President Buhari meets Archbishop of Canterbury in London The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal recently accused Christians of spreading rumours of Buharis death on social media. In a report by SaharaReporters, the aide whose name was given as Nathaniel Adojutelegan, worked as the Special Assistant to the junior minister. In a resignation letter sent to his boss, Adojutelegan said he decided to tendered his resignation letter following the nonpayment of his "remuneration" for the duration of one year. "I appreciate the rare opportunity you offered me to serve our country notwithstanding the personal sacrifice I had to make to work for you without any form of remuneration in the last one year," Adojutelegan wrote. Speaking on his resignation, Adojutelegan said: "I didn't receive any remuneration, and I worked for a year without receiving any allowances and salary although I wasn't complaining about that. "I want the whole world to know that I made a lot of sacrifices and the resignation is for the record that I didn't receive any allowance or payment. "It was a sacrifice for me to leave my law practice in London and come down to Nigeria and got an accommodation for about four million Naira without being given a refund. ALSO READ: FG wants Niger Delta youths to embrace peace - Claudius Daramola "It was a sacrifice for me to stay in a hotel for two months and spent about over a million Naira without being paid for it," he further complained. The workshop, which was organised by Google and Code for Africa in collaboration with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), held at the NAN Media Centre in Iganmu on Thursday. In his opening remark, the Managing Director of NAN, Mr Bayo Onanuga, said that the workshop was aimed at making political office holders accountable to the citizenry. I understand that this lab will challenge participants to find ways of making those in political power accountable for their actions and promises. I find this mission of the lab relevant to our democracy as we strive to deepen our democracy, and we as journalists perform our constitutional roles, he said. Onanuga said journalists could discharge their constitutional roles more effectively with the use of data. Journalism of our age shall surely be driven by facts. Facts will give our stories great value and they will define serious journalism from the mushroom news platforms now in what someone called 'social non-media'. I, therefore, enjoin you to make the best use of this workshop as lessons learnt here will enhance our work, he said. Lilian Nduati, Knowledge and Engagement Lead from Code for Africa, said fostering data literacy in Africa and elsewhere in the world was the objective of the workshop She said that such initiative would enhance citizens ability to hold leadership to account more effectively than ever. Part of the programme we are doing is to foster data literacy in Africa, and around the world. This is because, we believe that the more information people have, the better decisions they are able to make, and the better they are able to hold government accountable, she said. Nduati said that NANs enviable pedigree would make collaboration with the Agency mutually rewarding. NAN is one of our biggest partners in Nigeria, they have a long history working in Nigeria and they are very forward-thinking and open-minded in terms of bringing together a new breed of journalists that align with our objectives, she said. Evangeline De Bourgoing, Director of Programmes, Global Editors Network, said that the workshop would encourage creativity and create a synergy between editorial and technical departments of the newsroom. Our goal is to help newsrooms develop creative news prototypes, and to build a bridge between the editorial and technical departments in the newsroom. We also want to build a bridge between different news organisations to create more collaboration. The overall idea is for newsrooms to develop more innovative ideas which they usually do not have the time for due to tight schedules, she said. This was made known to the general public when the Lagos governor spoke to journalists at the State House on Wednesday, March 8, 2017. Ambode specifically said his administrations plan to carry out a total reconstruction of the International Airport Road from Oshodi was being frustrated by the Federal Ministry of Works. "The road linking Oshodi to the International Airport, you would all agree with me is a national embarrassment. In the spirit of the regeneration and urbanisation that this administration has set out to achieve, we believe strongly that the image that is exhumed by the decadence of that road must be repaired and we took it upon ourselves to appropriate the 2017 budget that the House of Assembly should approve the total reconstruction of the Airport Road from Oshodi to the International Airport," Ambode said. ALSO READ: Gov Ambode to transform Lagos presidential lodge Continuing, the governor said: The state currently has a design of 10 lanes to come from Oshodi to the international airport with interchange and flyover that would drop you towards the local airport. The contractor is already set to go and everything as I said has been completed and we already have the cash, but alas we are having challenges with the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing. This is a federal and not a state road. The Federal Ministry of Works believes that they should do the road, but they have not been able to do it all these years past. In the same vein, the governor also revealed that six months after President Muhammadu Buhari approved the handover of the Presidential Lodge, Marina, the state government was yet to gain access into the premises. He said that the inability of the state government to access the lodge was seriously frustrating the programmes outlined for the Lagos @ 50 celebrations. In his words: "One of the key venues that we need to celebrate the real essence of Lagos, the historic place that we refer to as Presidential Lodge is still more or less being tossed about in terms of being handed over to us. We believe strongly that by May 27, 2017, we should be able to invite Mr. President and other people who have actually made Lagos what is it today to that Presidential Lodge for the final banquet and dinner to mark Lagos at 50. As we speak, we are yet gain entrance into that place and this is frustrating our programme. So I want to use this medium to appeal and say that the approval of Mr. President should be rightly honoured and the agencies concerned, that is the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and the Security Services should honour that promise by Mr. President. We just believe strongly that we must proceed to gain access into that place so that we can roll out our programmes for Lagos at 50, Ambode said. Babatunde Fashola, who was in Lagos on Wednesday, March 8, 2017 to commiserate with the Adebayo family after the passing away of the patriarch, Adeyinka Adebayo, is yet to respond to the allegations. The accused, Toyin Joshua, a resident of Agege area of Lagos, pleaded not guilty to a two-count charge of false pretences and stealing. The Prosecutor, Insp. Mathew Akhaluode told the court that the accused committed the offences sometime in December 2016 at Abattoir Cattle Market, Oko Oba, Agege, a Lagos suburb. He alleged that Joshua bought meat worth N259, 000 from the complainant, Garuba Bello, with a promise to pay back after selling the meat, but failed to do so. Joshua, who had no intention of returning the money after selling the meat, converted the money to personal use and started giving excuses. When the complainant got tired of his excuses, he reported the case to the police and Joshua was arrested, he said. The offences contravened Sections 285 and 312 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 285 stipulates three years, while Section 312 prescribes 15 years imprisonment for offenders. The Magistrate, Mrs Y.R. Pinheiro, in her ruling, granted the accused bail in the sum of N100, 000 with two sureties in like sum. She said the sureties must be gainfully employed and also show evidence of three years tax payment to the Lagos State Government. Aregbesola made this known in a statement by his Media Aide, Mr Semiu Okanlawon, in Osogbo on Thursday. According to the governor, leaders are not just elected to massage their ego, but rather they are responsible for the development of the people. The governor called on political scientists in the country to be more focused on taking assertive positions on issues of national interest as a means of contributing to national development. He described politics as a primal activity which any society that wanted development and progress should do everything possible to get right. Aregbesola, who noted that politics was central to everybody who lived in a community, charged the political scientists to make their voices heard by the leaders of the people. According to the governor, political science researches should not just be done for the purpose of gaining promotion alone, but should be made to develop the society or else such research is useless. On the relationship which should exist between the academic environment and the society, he said the major challenge for Nigerian universities was the need to create a mutual relationship with the larger society so that the people could benefit. The governor explained that democracy remained the best form of governance if supported and backed with the right ingredients, especially by the academic environment. Political science research findings should be made public, not just for obtaining promotion and professorial chairs. Any academic discipline must be relevant and responsible to the society. In the developed world, progress comes from application of knowledge in science and technology, administration and other academic disciplines, the governor said. According to him, political scientists should get more involved in politics and administration in order to enrich their knowledge base. Sound theory added to sound practice equals sound knowledge. Dickson stated this in a message to Mrs Abacha, who turned 70 on March 4. He described the wife of Nigerias late former Head of State, Mrs Abacha as a courageous, peaceful and loving woman. He recalled with satisfaction the events that led to the eventual creation of Bayelsa, which her late husband, Gen. Sani Abacha presided over. Dickson added that the government and people of Bayelsa will remain eternally grateful to the Abacha family for that singular act of love and concern for Bayelsans and the Ijaw nation in general. The governor paid tribute to the matriarch of the Abacha family, stressing that her love, support and wise counsel, are some of the driving forces behind the historic decisions of the late military Head of State. Osinbajo is in Sokoto to launch the Federal Government's Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) clinic in the state. The Acting President is currently visiting the palace of the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Saad-Abubakar III, in Kanwuri. He will also hold interactive sessions with government agencies, financial institutions, operators and stakeholders in the MSMEs sub-sector. Osinbajo made a previous stop in Kaduna where he met with the Prime Minister of Guinea Bissau, General Umoru Sissco Embalo. The Kaduna airport is being used for international arrivals due to the March 8 closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. ALSO READ: APC congratulates Acting President Osinbajo at 60 The Force Spokesman, CSP. Jimoh Moshood, on Thursday in Abuja, said SIF would be led by Commissioner of Police in charge of Police Mobile Force (PMF), Force Headquarters. According to him, the force comprises of five units of PMF, specially trained Anti Riot Policemen, five Cells of Counter Terrorism Unit, and Conventional Policemen. Others are Special Anti Robbery Squad, Intelligence Response Team, Technical Intelligence Unit, SIB, detachment of EOD, Police K9 (Sniffer Dogs Section). He said that the operations of SIF covered entire Ile-Ife and environs, and other flash points spots in the state. Moshood said members of SIF were on ground working in synergy with the Police Command in the state to ensure total peace and normalcy. The Force image maker further that to achieve success in the operations, the Force would be proactive and strict in the enforcement of its mandate. The Force will ensure full enforcement of the curfew imposed on Ile-Ife and environs by the Osun Government,he said. The Force spokesman also said the Force would carry out 24 hours surveillance and patrol, stop and search; continuous raids of identified criminal hideouts and black spots. The deployment of the personnel will equally cover communities, towns, villages, vulnerable points, government and private infrastructure and facilities in Ile-Ife and environs. He said the Joint Investigation Team, made up of Personnel of Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department, FSARS, SIP and Osun Police Command CIID were already in Osun. He added that the team was headed by a Commissioner of Police under the supervision of Deputy Inspector-General of Police (FCIID). Moshood urged traditional rulers, religious leaders, and public office holders, politicians, and opinion leaders, parents to support the personnel of the Police Special Intervention Force. ALSO READ:Osinbajo summons IGP over kidnap of German archaeologists The Force spokesman also urged them to prevail on their subjects, supporters, children and wards to do same. Mosohood quoted Inspector-General of police as assuring law abiding citizens of their safety and enjoined them to cooperate with the police in their localities. Saraki also said that the issue of power supply remains top in the agenda of the Senate. He made the comments on Wednesday, March 8, during a visit to Feldheim, which is an energy self-sufficient village in Germany. "We have to amend the laws to allow communities to generate energy that is more than 10 megawatts and even the laws about power transmission and distribution have to be amended to allow more creativity and involvement from the private sector, Saraki said, according to a statement released by his media aide, Yusuph Olaniyonu. That is why we had a workshop on the sector last month. It is also why we are here to see the experiment and success of the people of Feldheim and see what our people can learn from it, he added. Saraki led a five-man delegation of Nigerian senators to Germany on an official visit. The Embassy said this in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday. It explained that: Nigeria is not named in the Executive Order on Immigration issued on March 6. And there is no prohibition against Nigerian lawful permanent residents or persons with a valid visa or other U.S. Government authorisation from entering the U.S. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, had on Monday advised Nigerians to reconsider their travelling plan to the U.S. Dabiri-Erewa said that Nigerians who have no compelling or urgent reason to travel to the U.S. to postpone their travel plans until the new administrations policy on immigration becomes clearer. She said that her office had in the last few weeks received a few cases of Nigerians with valid multiple-entry U.S. visas being denied entry and sent back home. She said that no reasons were given for the decision by the U.S. immigration authorities. However, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, Foreign Affairs Ministers reaction on Tuesday while fielding questions from newsmen in Abuja, corroborated the embassys claim. Onyeama said that no Nigerian with full valid entry visa had been denied entry to the U.S., adding that Nigerians are free to travel to U.S. as the country was not on the ban list. The minister said he was constantly in touch with the Nigerian Ambassador to the U.S. and the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, adding that there is no report on Nigerians being denied entry into the U.S. I can tell you to ignore any call or advice to reconsider travelling to the U.S. because there is no basis for that. We have absolutely no report whatsoever from the U.S. that people are being turned back from the U.S. or any of our consulate or any Nigerian that any of our people are being turned back, he said. The U.S. Mission to Nigeria had also earlier in February assured Nigerians that the executive order on immigration would not affect Nigerians, noting that visa applicants will continue to get two-year multiple entry visas as before. The mission also clarified that the order would not affect the validity of visas held by Nigerians because its visa policy to Nigeria had not changed. The U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Stuart Symington, and the U.S. Consular Chief, Meghan Moore, had explained to newsmen in Abuja on Feb. 3 that the U.S. visa policy was based on reciprocity. They assured that Nigerians would not be discriminated against. The U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 27, barring people from seven mainly Muslim-majority countries from travelling to the U.S. for 90 days. Oluwawole said the Governors enemies are angry because they have not been able to match up his achievements. The Ekiti House Speaker also said Fayose is hated because of the kind of bitter politics Nigerian politicians play. Oluwawole said during at the International Womens Day celebration celebration organised by Governor Fayose. According to Daily Post, the Speaker said This is one of the reasons some political elites loathe this gentleman governor. They have never been able to match his achievements. He has singled out women for celebration, particularly in 2017. He is committing a lot of resources to the welfare of our women. All these efforts are aimed at banishing poverty from among the womenfolk. No one has done anything of this magnitude before now. I congratulate all women in our dear state and the entire nation, particularly the wife of the governor, Evangelist Feyisetan Fayose; wife of Mr Deputy Governor, Deaconess Janet Olusola; and my wife, Pastor Moji Oluwawole, on this auspicious occasion. As long as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is in government, our women will continue to be celebrated, especially in Ekiti State. We will continue to consolidate on all achievements we have recorded under Fayose. For more than a century, nobody has thought of upgrading our Oja Oba to an international standard market; nobody thought of giving us a flyover. Nobody thought Ekiti roads need to be dualised. Some even said our state does not deserve an airport. Nobody thought our women should be accorded a place of priority. Fayose has thought of all these a long time ago ahead of his traducers. ALSO READ: Governor Fayose accuses DSS of supporting APC I congratulate Mr Governor too for being the leading light; the divinely-ordained architect of modern Ekiti. May our women have a fruitful Womens Day celebration. The governor made the comments via his Commissioner for Information and Communication, Dr Austin Tam-George who spoke to foreign journalists in Lagos. The narrative that Rivers State is unsafe is an ugly slander against the State by a disgruntled political opposition, Tam-George said via a statement. According to him, Wike also invited foreign and local investors to take advantage of the rapid developmental strides of his administration, to invest in all sectors of the State's economy, in order to create jobs. The lawyer also called on the government of South-Africa to investigate the issue and fish out those behind the attacks. According to Falana, the South-African government is to blame for the continued attacks. He said We believe that it is the failure of your government to bring perpetrators to justice and protect the victims of the xenophobic attacks that has resulted in a vicious cycle of attacks and impunity. These xenophobic attacks and violence are not only human rights violations but also criminal acts, and the persistent failure to proactively address the problems is a serious affront to the rule of law, and directly breaches your governments international human rights obligations including under the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, particularly Article 12 on the right to movement. We therefore urge you to move swiftly to address the debilitating situation by identifying and arresting the perpetrators and bringing them to justice promptly. We also urge you to publicly commit to providing access to justice and effective remedy to victims. Effectively prosecuting the perpetrators and providing reparations to victims would serve as a deterrent to future attacks. ALSO READ: House of Reps threatens to frustrate SA businesses We also urge you to put measures in place to proactively protect non-nationals including Nigerians living in South Africa. The National Chairman of the party, Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff, said this at a news conference on Thursday in Abuja. Sheriff said the NWC believed that the recommendations of the committee headed Bayelsa governor, Mr Sariake Dickson, met the requirements for the conduct of national convention and reconciliation procedures. We accept the recommendations in totality and we will start working on the implementation, he said. He added that the recommendation was, however, subject to further approval of the partys National Executive Committee (NEC). Dickson had on Tuesday, submitted the report of the recommendation to Sheriff at PDP National Secretariat, Abuja. Sheriff said that he would commence consultation with all organs of the party in line with the recommendation. He said that he would contact the organs to get their membership lists so as to draw up the nomination for the national convention planning committee members as proposed by the committee. He also said that the commission would soon set up state executive for Anambra chapter of the party as part of preparations for the November, 2017 governorship election in the state. The chairman also disclosed that as part of efforts to reunite the party members, he had contacted all the states governors of the party, including Mr Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti and Chairman of PDP Governors Forum. He said that he had contacted all the governors except Nyesome Wike of Rivers, who was said to be out of the country. He said that Fayose had already made it a point of duty to insult his personality on daily basis, but said I want to tell him that enough is enough. Belonging to political party is by choice. Yes, you may have a right, but your right should not trample on another persons right; political party is a voluntary association. If you are a leader of a political party, we have to allow people to have their choice of leadership. Sheriff, who said he had no personal rift with Fayose or any party member, said that all he was doing was to make PDP attractive to everybody. ALSO READ:Ali Modu Sheriff tells secretariat workers to get back to work We want to reposition the party so that it can win elections, he said. On indefinite medical vacation by President Muhammadu Buhari abroad, Sheriff said the presidents absence did not affect governance as he had transferred power to Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo. Mr David Kajid, leader of the group made the call during a courtesy visit on Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff, National Chairman of the party in Abuja. Kajid said dialogue remained the only means to deflate the anger of the members of the party caught in the crisis net. He said that approach, when properly explored, would help to restore the needed peace required by the party to serve the nation optimally. We have discovered that the accusation leveled against the current NWC under your able leadership is unfounded and baseless. On the contrary, those who desire to sabotage the party from within and abandon it are more deserving of this accusation. However, we urge the leadership to eschew bitterness and explore peaceful resolution through genuine dialogue to bring the crisis to an end forthwith, he said. Kajid, who expressed the groups loyalty to Sheriff, said the NWC had so far demonstrated an uncommon respect for the rule of law and love for the party. The absence of this uncommon virtue could have put our party in greater jeopardy, Kajid said. The National Chairman expressed delight on the groups genuine concern for the party to return to the path of peace and progress. Sheriff, therefore, urged all stakeholders in the party to join him in repositioning the party. I want to make it clear that in the Appeal Courts judgment, there was no winner or loser. We belong to one umbrella, which is the symbol of our great party. I pledge to carry everybody along and I am willing to work with everybody to achieve the needed peace. We are still open to dialogue. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that PDP remains factionalised in spite the decision of the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt which upheld Sheriff as the partys National Chairman. The Ahmed Makarfis Caretaker Committee of the party glues to its mandate to midwife the party, pending the election of a new leadership through the instrumentality of the party National Convention. This group has vowed to challenge the decision of the court at the Supreme Court. Ejembi disclosed this on Thursday at a stakeholders meeting with Chief Security Officers (CSOs) and Deans of Students Affairs of all the tertiary institutions in the state, held at the Oyo State Police Command headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan. CCEF is a non-governmental organisation working in conjunction with the Office of Inspector-General of Police (I-GP) to curb the menace of cultism in tertiary institutions in the country. Ejembi noted that 115 among the 248 persons that want to renounce campus cultism are not students, while the remaining 133 comprises both male and female students. He said that CCEF had earlier taken the anti-cultism campaign to 13 states of the federation before coming to Oyo state. Ejembi said that approximately 14,000 students and non-students have renounced their membership of cultists groups with the support of the I-GP, adding that the renunciation will hold within the next 10 days. Ejembi disclosed that he was a cultist for 13 years and pointed out that non-student cultists are usually used as accomplices for robbery, kidnapping, drug dealing, thuggery and other vices. Cultism is a deadly menace that destroys the lives of innocent Nigerians, either directly or indirectly, rendering them hopeless. It is a threat to any security in a state. Our tertiary institutions have become recruitment ground and barracks for different cult to run their activities. Hundreds die every year as a result of cult related clashes. Hundreds are initiated into cultism every year. So, many are not truly aware of the evil associated with cultism before getting initiated. I will advise leaders of all tertiary institutions in Oyo state to try and assist the police in creating awareness about cultism. Ejembi noted that the heartbeat of any nation is the youth because they are the leaders for tomorrow. Speaking at a pre-convocation news briefing on Thursday in Calabar, the Vice Chancellor said that 13, 347 students, comprising 11,910 undergraduates and 1,437 postgraduates, would graduate at the ceremony. Akpagu said the University would also confer honorary degrees on three eminent Nigerians for their contribution to the socio-economic development of the country.These are Alhaji , Sir and Brig-Gen.(rtd), he said.The Vice Chancellor said that the university would commission some completed projects including, Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Dentistry, during the ceremony.Akpagu decried the high energy cost in the university which stood at N50 million monthly, describing it as a drain-pipe. On Thursday, March 8, 2017, reports of a takeover attempt on Etisalat by a consortium of foreign and Nigerian banks hit the news. Apparently, the banks made the move following the telcos failure to service a N541 billion loan facility it received in 2015. According to information made available to Pulse Tech, Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC Prof. Umar Danbatta met with CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele and his team at the Central Banks headquarters in Abuja. The meeting, which was requested by Emefiele, focused on finding ways around the debacle and proffering a solution that would be beneficial to all parties. Both regulators decided to invite the management of Etisalat and the consortium of banks for a round-table meeting. A takeover of this manner could send the wrong signal to foreign investors something the country cannot afford, especially while it goes through a recession. Arrive's value proposition for its potential investment targets heavily revolves around its experience in brand building - it is unique in terms of its experience with managing and building up artists and athletes. It hopes to leverage that experience into something that is quite different in venture capitalism, according to a Techcrunch report, which could be an interesting angle for consumer-focused startups that ar looking to accelerate their growth. Roc Nation will work with Primary venture Partners and GlassBridge Asset Management to create the new company. Primary will act as a venture advisor to guide its investments, and GlassBridge will offer business infrastructure support. As at the time of writing this story, Arrive itself doesn't yet control a fund but the press release says it's in the plan. It plans to invest in both existing portfolio companies and new ones. We should note though that Arrive is a completely different venture and Jay Z planned VC fund, which we reported earlier, is still it's own thing. The Commission has announced that it will hold a Year of The Nigerian Telecom Consumer campaign on Wednesday, March 17, 2017 to coincide with the 2017 World Consumer Rights Day. The campaign will be themed Building a digital world consumers can trust. A press release made available to Pulse Tech says the campaign will hold at the NCC headquarters in Abuja and two high profile artistes have been named to showcase the face of the consumer. NCC boss Prof. Umar Danbatta, who is the chief host of the campaign, says consumer protection and empowerment is one of the eight pillars of the 8-point agenda of his administration and the Commission is dedicating the year 2017 to the welfare of telecom consumers. High on the NCCs agenda for this campaign will be the creation of greater awareness on Quality of Service (QoS), electromagnetic Fields (EMF), Do Not Disturb (DND) which consumers can use to stop unsolicited text messages, and the NCCs toll free line 622 through which consumers can reach the Commission in cases where service providers fail to resolve their complaints. With the campaign, the NCC hopes to secure the support of telcos in meeting its set targets and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in addition to serving as a launchpad for a new program the Commission is calling NCC Consumer conservation. Leftist president Evo Morales dismissed warnings that an increase in coca crops would fuel the illegal drug trade. The coca leaf is commonly chewed or drunk like tea, but drug gangs make it into cocaine in a chemical process that brings out its narcotic qualities. Morales rolled back a 1988 US-backed law which curbed illegal coca growing by restricting production. He is himself a former coca farmer and current leader of a grouping of coca farmers' unions in the central Chapare region. "We want to guarantee coca supplies for life" for Bolivians who consume the leaves legally, sometimes in ancestral rituals, he said Wednesday in a speech. He signed into law a reform passed by congress last month. It officially recognizes as legal 22,000 hectares of coca crops, raising the limit of 12,000 hectares fixed in the previous law. A European Union study in 2013 estimated demand for legal coca in Bolivia at just 14,700 hectares. Other coca farmers' unions boycotted the launching of the measure, alleging that Chapare supplies coca to the cocaine trade. Bolivia is the third biggest coca producer in the world after Colombiaand Peru. Those two countries are trying to reduce their coca crops to curb drug-trafficking. MDP sources said police had blocked dozens of locals from protesting following reports the land would be sold, and made a handful of arrests. But the government, which in 2015 lifted a ban on foreign ownership of land, denied any such sale had taken place. In a statement it said it was working with "a range of international investors" to develop Faafu and the rest of the country and wanted to construct apartments, tourist resorts and airports. "The administration categorically rebuts allegations that the atoll has been 'sold off' to a foreign entity," it said. Saudi King Salman is on a three-week Asian tour and is expected to visit the Maldives -- home to 340,000 Sunni Muslims -- next week. The Indian Ocean island nation is a popular upmarket holiday destination but its image has been hit by political unrest in recent years. Opposition leader and former president Mohamed Nasheed is currently living in exile in London after he was jailed on terror-related charges widely criticised as politically motivated. The family fled to Mexico last June and was anxious to move on, fearing the Honduran gang would track them down. "We changed our minds because of that president, the way he is deporting people," she said of Trump, who has vowed stepped up deportation procedures against undocumented immigrants. Now the 25-year-old woman and her family live in a charity shelter in Mexico. She asked to be identified just as Rocio, without her last name, for fear of reprisals. She has applied three times for refugee status, which would protect her from deportation and allow her access to health care and education. But the courts have so far denied it to her family for lack of evidence. Trump effect Deadly gang violence in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala is driving hundreds of thousands of desperate migrants to flee north. Officials say nearly 9,000 people applied for refugee status in Mexico last year and the figure may double this year. "The radicalization of certain measures by the new US government makes us expect the number of applications will increase," Mexico's deputy migration minister Humberto Roque Villanueva told AFP. Carlos, a 43-year-old farmer from El Salvador, also risks deportation after failing to get refugee status. He lives in an overcrowded shelter in Mexico City where airplanes flying nearby make a deafening noise. "We would all prefer to go to the United States, but now everyone is staying here" in Mexico, says Carlos, 43. "Trump says he is not going to deport everyone, just the bad people, but that's not certain. If they grab one person in a place, they'll grab everyone there." Carlos would much rather be back home on his peaceful farm growing sesame and corn, but it is too dangerous. After members of one gang ordered him to feed them, he became a reluctant enemy of their rivals, the notoriously violent Salvatrucha gang. "I was greatly afraid all the time," he said. "Mexico may be dangerous, but at least here you can go out for a walk and make friends." Refugee applications increasing Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto last year promised to speed up the refugee applications process. But immigration authorities still only have about 50 staffers assigned to handling all the cases. Of those, 29 are paid by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Mexican officials "don't give residency papers to people who really need them; but they do give them to people who chose to leave home and come here," Rocio complained, clenching her fists. Authorities say more than 400,000 people cross into Mexico via its southern border each year. "Applications keep increasing," says senior UNHCR official Jose Francisco Sieber. The five struck a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty in exchange for light sentences, as another three of their compatriots did last month. "Five citizens of Serbia admitted to being part of a criminal organisation whose plan was to break into the parliament of Montenegro violently," with the aim of seizing it, the prosecutor said in a statement. Montenegro's state prosecutor has alleged that the plot included a plan to assassinate then prime minister Milo Djukanovic on election day on October 16. Authorities have accused "Russian nationalists" of orchestrating the alleged plot, saying pro-Moscow Serbs were hired to carry it out. Montenegrin prosecutors suspect 25 people, mostly Serbian citizens, of links to the alleged coup and have launched a manhunt for two Russians who are on the run. The suspects include two leading pro-Russian lawmakers from the opposition Democratic Front (DF), Andrija Mandic and Milan Knezevic, whose parliamentary immunity was lifted last month so that they could face charges. DF leaders have repeatedly denied involvement in a coup plot, claiming the government set them up. Both Mandic and Knezevic have also denied knowing any of the sentenced Serbs. A prominent Montenegrin lawyer Branislav Lutovac told AFP that "the case of attempted terrorism is full of contradictions". The eight who were convicted were given "light sentences for serious crimes," Lutovac said, adding however that guilty pleas will "enable the prosecutor to use them as evidence against other defendants". The case should make for "a very interesting trial," Lutovac said. Montenegro hopes to become a NATO member later this year, a move considered by Russia to be a "provocation". Moscow opposes the alliance's further enlargement in the Balkans. "Since the Administrations implementation of Executive Orders to enforce immigration laws, apprehensions and inadmissible activity is trending toward the lowest monthly total in at least the last five years." Kelly said this was key because Customs and Border Protection usually sees a 10-20 percent increase in apprehensions of illegal immigrants from January to February. "Instead, this year we saw a drop from 31,578 to 18,762 persons - a 40 percent decline," he stressed, arguing that this meant fewer people were taking the huge risk of putting their fate in the hands of human traffickers. "Early results show that enforcement matters, deterrence matters, and that comprehensive immigration enforcement can make an impact," said Kelly, one of Trumps' closest allies on tightening US-Mexican border security and the president's controversial pledge to build a wall there. During his campaign, Trump, 70, appalled Mexicans and many Americans by calling Mexicans who crossed the border illegally into the US, drug dealers and criminals. European officials also fear further attacks like the ones that have hit places like the French Riviera city of Nice and the German capital Berlin. Identified as Molly B., the woman was arrested during an overnight raid earlier this week on a house in western Belgium, the federal prosecutor's office said in a statement. "The investigation shows indications of assistance being provided by the woman to persons with the intention to commit an attack in Europe," it said without naming any countries. The woman from the Flemish city of Wevelgem was charged with "participation in the activities of a terrorist organisation." No weapons or explosives were found in the raid. The prosecutor's statement said the investigation was completely independent of the probes into the November 2015 attacks in Paris and the March 2016 bombings in Brussels. The prosecutor's office said it would release no further information in order to protect the investigation. Belgium has remained on high alert since March 22 last year when three home-grown suicide bombers attacked Brussels airport and a metro station near EU headquarters, killing 32 people and wounding hundreds more. The Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq claimed responsibility for the bombings that investigators say were carried out by the same cell that slaughtered 130 people in Paris on November 13, 2015. In December, Eric Jacobs, the head of the judicial police in Brussels, said Belgium had prevented six attacks in the previous two years. Fears that the decades-long Nagorny Karabakh dispute could escalate have risen since sporadic firing across the volatile frontline surged last April into the worst violence since a 1994 truce. A ceasefire brokered by Moscow stilled several days of bloodshed but long-standing mediators from Russia, the United States and France have since struggled to restart a stalled peace process. Sarkisian -- who will meet French President Francois Hollande in Paris on Wednesday -- accused his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev of sabotaging any progress by threatening to start fighting unless he gets his way. "He said Azerbaijan will not start a war if Armenia fulfils its demands. I said that this is blackmail, not a compromise," the Armenian leader said. Sarkisian urged Paris, Moscow, and Washington to "show what price one of the sides will pay if it initiates an attack." "That will have a sobering effect," he said. 'A matter of time' Baku and Yerevan have feuded over the Nagorny Karabakh region since Armenian separatists seized the territory from Azerbaijan in a war that claimed some 30,000 lives in the early 1990s. Energy-rich Azerbaijan, whose military spending exceeds Armenia's entire state budget, has repeatedly threatened to take back the breakaway region by force but Moscow-allied Armenia has vowed to crush any military offensive. The war ended in a fragile 1994 truce but the two sides never signed a firm peace deal and Sarkisian warned that fears of a new surge in fighting are growing. "Public opinion in Armenia is that the resumption of hostilities is a matter of time -- maybe weeks or months -- and the commander-in-chief and defence minister must be prepared that a war could start tomorrow," Sarkisian said. "I don't think a fresh war is an immediate threat, but nothing is ruled out when one deals with an unpredictable neighbour." Regional titans Any new war in Karabakh could pitch regional titans Russia and Turkey against each other in the Caucasus region that has historically been an arena of their geopolitical rivalry. Sarkisian also took aim at Armenia's longstanding foe Turkey, blasting Ankara's support for its traditional ally Baku over the Karabakh conflict. There are no diplomatic ties between Yerevan and Ankara, which in 1993 sealed its border with Armenia out of support for Turkic-speaking Azerbaijan. Turkey has also been angered by Yerevan's campaign to have the World War I-era mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire recognised as genocide. "At this point, the process of normalisation (with Turkey) is in an impasse," Sarkisian said. "They link normalisation with the Karabakh issue." Stressing that international pressure and military parity between Yerevan and Baku have so far helped to avoid a new war, Sarkisian also expressed concern over Russia supplying sophisticated weapons to Azerbaijan worth billions of dollars. "We take it painfully because Russia is our strategic partner." The letter, penned by Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) among others, was published on the eve of a meeting of the UN's top decision-making body to discuss the crisis in the Great Lakes nation. "We... write to urge the UN Security Council to impose targeted sanctions against individuals responsible for ongoing serious human rights violations in Burundi," the 19 international and local rights group said. "Such measures, including travel bans and asset freezes, would send an important message to Burundian leaders who have faced little consequence for continuing to perpetrate gross abuses against their own people," the statement added. The United States and the European Union have already imposed sanctions on officials from the Burundian regime. Stalled by a Chinese and Russian veto, however, the UN Security Council has not followed suit. The Burundian authorities "have continued their broader policy of repression against suspected opponents, independent civil society, and media, and they have deliberately obstructed the ability of the UN to document rights violations", the NGOs wrote. They also accused the ruling party's youth militia of having "killed, tortured, raped, and severely beaten scores of people across the country". The UN's special adviser on preventing genocide, Adama Dieng, meanwhile warned of "mass atrocities" in Burundi and called on the UN Security Council to take "robust action" to quell the violence, in a letter to the body's members seen Wednesday by AFP. Burundi's ambassador to the UN Albert Shingiro lashed out at Dieng's letter, branding it in a tweet "a theatrical show aimed at influencing the UN Security Council briefing". He also said his east African country was facing "diplomatic harassment". Hundreds of people have died in violence in Burundi triggered by President Pierre Nkurunziza's decision in April 2015 to stand in elections for a third term in office, which he went on to win. A September report by UN rights experts recounted spine-chilling cases of torture and horrific sexual violence, mass arrests and disappearances and warned that "the crime of genocide also looms large". "WFP confirms that two WFP staff of Malaysian nationality have left DPR Korea and arrived in Beijing today," the UN agency said in a statement. "The staff members are international civil servants and not representatives of their national government. They work on WFPs programmes in DPR Korea," it added. North Korea and Malaysia Tuesday banned each other's citizens from leaving their countries, with Kuala Lumpur saying its nationals were effectively being held "hostage". Pyongyang and Kuala Lumpur had unusually strong links for years, but ties have rapidly deteriorated in the weeks since two women, who have been charged with murder, wiped a deadly chemical on Kim's face. Malaysia's prime minister Najib Razak on Wednesday ruled out severing ties with North Korea and said his government would seek to negotiate to secure the release of Malaysian citizens in North Korea. The Malaysian foreign ministry said 11 of its citizens were currently in North Korea -- three embassy staff, six family members and two who work for the UN's World Food Programme. In a statement posted in both Malay and English, Najib said on Facebook: "Two of our citizens under the UN World Food programme were allowed to leave Pyongyang. Stella Lim and Nyanaprakash Muniandy have both safely arrived in Beijing." Malaysia did not have a hand in securing the release of the two UN staff, a senior government official told AFP. "They carry UN laissez-passer documents," he said. Seoul has blamed Pyongyang for Kim's assassination, and Kuala Lumpur wants to question several North Koreans, although the only one it has arrested so far was released last week for lack of evidence. An autopsy revealed that VX nerve agent, a substance so dangerous it is classed as a weapon of mass destruction by the UN, was used to kill Kim. The diplomatic dispute erupted last month when police rejected North Korean diplomats' demands to hand over Kim's body. The North has never confirmed the identity of the dead man, but has denounced the Malaysian investigation as an attempt to smear it. China, Pyongyang's main ally, earlier called on North Korea to suspend its nuclear and missile activities in exchange for a halt to the annual US-South Korean military drills. Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in Beijing that the proposal could help bring the United States and North Korea back to negotiations and avert what he termed a "head-on collision". After a closed-door meeting of the UN Security Council, US Ambassador Nikki Haley said North Korea's actions called for a different response. "We are not dealing with a rational person," Haley told reporters. "If this were any other country, we would be talking about that and it wouldn't be an issue." She described Kim as a "person who has not had rational acts, who is not thinking clearly." "We are re-evaluating how to handle North Korea going forward," she added. The Security Council met to discuss next steps to address North Korea's missile launches after Pyongyang said the latest tests were for a possible strike on US bases in Japan. The US ambassador said "all the options are on the table" and did not rule out talks completely but she made clear that North Korea must first show a willingness to seek a diplomatic solution. "We have to see some sort of positive action taken by North Korea before we can ever take them seriously," said Haley. Her comments came as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson prepares to visit Japan, South Korea and China starting next week, his first trip to the region, with talks to focus on North Korea. China's proposal mirrored past North Korean offers that were rejected by the United States, which said Pyongyang had no right to demand concessions in return for abiding by UN resolutions. Six sets of UN sanctions since Pyongyang's first nuclear test in 2006 have failed to halt its drive for what it insists are defensive weapons. It held its most recent nuclear test last September. Tensions over US-SKorea missile defense The council on Tuesday strongly condemned North Korea's latest ballistic missile launches in a statement unanimously adopted despite tensions with China over Washington's deployment of an advanced missile defense system in South Korea. In Beijing, Wang continued China's hammering of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, repeating Beijing's "strong opposition" and calling on Seoul to "cease and desist." THAAD is designed to intercept and destroy short and medium-range ballistic missiles. Chinese Ambassador Liu Jieyi stressed the importance of reducing tensions on the Korean peninsula, telling reporters that this must be done "in a negotiated way." "The most important thing of course is to reduce tension and also to get on the track of dialogue to seek progress in denuclearization and also commitment to peace and security on the Korean peninsula," Liu told reporters. Japan's ambassador Koro Bessho said the council should consider further action to build pressure on Pyongyang. jpegMpeg4-1280x720"We have maintained our calm and self-restraint through all of this but we feel that enough is enough," said Bessho. Since the launches, US President Donald Trump has reiterated Washington's "iron-clad commitment" to Japanese and South Korean security and threatened "very dire consequences" for Pyongyang. The legislation will see arriving asylum-seekers, as well as those currently in the country, confined in camps made of shipping containers at Hungary's southern borders while their applications are processed. European commissioners meeting in Brussels "discussed the legal situation regarding Hungary" on Wednesday, said a spokesman for the Commission, the 28-nation EU's executive arm. The commissioners "concluded that Home Affairs Commissioner Avramopoulos will go to Hungary for a serious discussion with the Hungarian authorities". The visit will take place within the next two weeks, the spokesman said. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said the detention plan will make all of Europe safer from terror attacks, calling immigration the "Trojan Horse of terrorism". EU member Hungary previously systematically detained all asylum applicants but suspended the practice in 2013 under pressure from Brussels, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the European Court of Human Rights. Rabat insists the former Spanish colony is an integral part of its kingdom, but the Algeria-based Polisario Front demands a referendum on self-determination there. The two sides fought for control of the Western Sahara from 1974 to 1991, with Rabat gaining control of the territory before a UN-brokered ceasefire took effect. "We are more determined than ever to continue to develop the Sahara region," Hassad told AFP. "Unfortunately there are many people who don't like this, particularly the fact that we are building roads," he said, referring to the Polisario. Hassad spoke after Morocco pulled back from the area of Guerguerat near the Mauritanian border in late February at the request of the United Nations. Tensions flared last year after the Polisario set up a new military post in the same area. That was in response to Morocco starting to build a tarmac road in the area south of the buffer zone separating Moroccan troops from Polisario fighters. Rabat sees the road as key to trade between Morocco and sub-Saharan Africa. Hassad said Morocco has invested around $8.5 billion (8.1 billion euros) in the territory in projects expected to create more than 10,000 jobs by 2021. Walk through the Figge Art Museums newest offering, Jefferson Pinder: Ghost Light, and youll quickly realize this is not the venues typical exhibit. Installations include a stack of 16 TVs, a large-scale wooden sculpture, video projections, audio and, perhaps most striking, a replica of a barbershop chair and mirror, modeled after Joes Barbershop on Harrison Street in Davenport. Its the first of its kind for us, Andrew Wallace, manager of collections and exhibitions, said. And the exhibit as it looks this week is only the beginning. As part of the site-specific mixed-media collection, billed with the goal of exploring race and conditioning in the Midwest, Pinder will present three accompanying live performance events, including one scheduled for Saturday. Pinder, a Chicago-based artist, will document, with audio and video, the live performances and add them to the installations, which means the exhibit will change in several phases during its run, ending June 4. Performance events include: 2 p.m. Saturday, March 11: "Token," featuring Quad-City based figurative artist Dean Kugler leading a public discussion about his personal experience crossing boundaries of race and contemporary definitions of family. 2 p.m. Saturday, April 1: "Joe's Barbershop," highlighting Davenport-based barber Joe McLemore and an effort to demystify "the allure of the black barbershop." 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 5: "The Conversation," a talk-show inspired installation inviting renewed conversation about a race riot that took place at Rock Island High School in the early 1970s. Quad-City community activist Gaye Burnett and actress Pamela Couch will lead the talk. Wallace said theres plenty to see in between these dates. If youre here and theres not a performance happening, youre left to your own devices to think about what might occur here or what mightve occurred here, he said. Its not all that different from standing in front of a still painting." Wallace said Ghost Light as it stands today, before any performances have happened, is akin to a stage set. Its similar to if you walk into a theater where the performance is about to start and theres no curtain and you see the stage all set up, you start thinking about things you might see or hear, he said. If you allow yourself, youre putting yourself in a place where youre open to hear about other peoples stories and people you may have never intersected with. As a result of that, you may be enriched, or you may be disturbed, or you might become more thoughtful. Hidden part of the community Before commissioning a piece with the Figge Art Museum, Jefferson Pinder had made headlines for his artwork inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement and the Birmingham church bombing that killed four African-American girls in 1963. And then Pinder, who teaches at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, visited the Quad-Cities about a year ago in search of the African-American experience. Since then, Pinder has spent several months in the area working on the exhibit. As Wallace said, it took some searching to find Pinders direction. When he first came to the Quad-Cities, the (African-American) community was not immediately visible to him, he said. His task was to meet the community, reach out, talk to people about their experience. When Pinder walked into Joes Barbershop, he immediately knew it was a scene fit for his exhibit. I started out with this big question of How do you unravel the African-American experience in the Quad-Cities? and, you know, theres not a book about it, Pinder told me back in January, during a filming day at Joes Barbershop. I think you have to look at individuals who know the community really well and give them the platform." Along with Joe McLemore at the barbershop, Pinder landed on including Dean Kugler, a figurative artist, and community activist Gay Burnett. These museums tend to ignore people that are right in front of them, Pinder said. The idea is to show a slice of the community thats hidden and that people forget about. In using a variety of voices, Pinder hopes to bring Quad-Citians to the exhibit who have never been to the Figge before. What you go looking for at the museum is part of yourself, he said. I want to provide an experience where people can go and see parts of themselves and also parts of the human experience theyre not familiar with. 'An obligation' The exhibit isnt the norm for the Figge, and thats the point. Theres no one doing work like this around the Quad-Cities, Wallace said. We feel an obligation to bring artists and ideas from elsewhere to the Quad-Cities. If we only focused on art from here or the same kinds of art, wed see the same thing over and over. Ghost Light certainly offers a lot of new things for the Figge. During the Joes Barbershop live performance, McLemore will lead a discussion about his life and community while cutting someones hair. "That's another first for us," Wallace said. Across from the barber chair, a stack of TVs display 16 muted videos of Quad-City men, McLemores customers, fresh from a haircut. You look at them and all you see is their faces, so you dont know where theyre from or what their story is, Wallace said. Those experiences arent my experiences, but if Im open to them as a person, they can help question how I interact with the world. After all, the exhibits description, which Wallace wrote, starts with this question: How often does a community look at itself through the eyes of the other? As a whole, its focused on a part of Davenport that people rarely see, Wallace said. Its giving things new life by shedding light on them." A 40-year-old Milwaukee man is facing charges after Maquoketa police allege he robbed the Fidelity Bank & Trust on Wednesday. According to a news release issued by the Maquoketa Police Department, officers were sent to Fidelity Bank & Trust, 18298 Iowa 64, at 1:46 p.m. after the dispatch center received a holdup alarm. Dispatch informed officers that the person suspected of robbing the bank had left the scene in a silver SUV with no license plates, and headed north on U.S. 61. Officers from Maquoketa Police and the Jackson County Sheriffs Department drove north on U.S. 61 to try and find the vehicle. Other Maquoketa officers went to the bank. At the bank, officers learned that the man approached a teller and handed her a note. He implied a firearm, but did not show a gun. The teller put some money into a bag and the man left. Bank employees also gave officers a better description of the man and the vehicle, which was sent to other agencies. The Dubuque Sheriffs Department saw a vehicle matching the description of the SUV from the bank and attempted to stop it. The vehicle fled and Dubuque Sheriffs deputies pursued. The pursuit ended when the SUV crashed. Charges of bank robbery are pending against Donte Rhodes. Rhodes also is facing charges in Dubuque County in connection with the pursuit. -- Thomas Geyer Much of the content in Gov. Terry Branstad's Condition of the State address to the Quad-Cities mirrored his speech to the Iowa General Assembly nearly two months ago, but his comments took a different tone as he tackled the issues most near and dear to Scott County. Speaking to local government leaders and prominent faces in the business community at Davenport's RiverCenter Thursday, Branstad recognized the progress made and the remaining hurdles on issues such as mental health, school funding and workforce training. "I'm very appreciative of the friendship, support and assistance that I've received here in Scott County and am very honored and pleased we've made progress together," Branstad said. "I want you to know it's going to continue." Facing shortages in the mental health services, Bettendorf Alderwoman Debe LaMar, 3rd Ward, asked Branstad to reintroduce a bill weakening or eliminating the state's certificate of need process. A state panel, the Health Facilities Council, reviews major health care project to determine if the facility is needed before construction is approved. LaMar's comments referred to a plan by Strategic Behavior Health of Memphis, Tennessee, to build a for-profit, in-patient psychiatric hospital in Bettendorf. In the council's meetings involving Strategic's proposal, LaMar said, not all of the five-person panel was in attendance. Twice, the council voted 2-2 on the plan, which meant the project could not go forward. "I agree with you 100 percent," Branstad said. "That bill didn't survive. However, we've got a strategy do get it done by amendment." Branstad said he was hopeful progress could be made by separating hospitals from mental health facilities and removing the certificate-of-need process from mental health facilities. As to the Davenport Community School District's problems with per-pupil school funding, Branstad threw his weight behind Senate File 455, which was co-sponsored by Sen. Roby Smith, R-Davenport, and was approved by the state Senate Thursday on a 47-0 vote. "The bill Roby introduced is a short-term solution, and we're trying to work on that and a more long-term solution," Branstad said. "My biggest concern is I don't want it to be on the backs of property taxpayers. Roby's bill doesn't do that." Branstad said there were still issues with the funding formula, however, and a long-term solution would likely take a few years to arrive at. The bulk of Branstad's speech focused on maintaining a smaller and smarter government, improving education and training, growing the economy and "preparing the young people of today for the jobs of tomorrow." "The result is today that we've reduced the unemployment rate, which was 6.2 percent when I came back, to 3.6 percent, and we've attracted $13.5 billion in private-sector capital investments, which has led to a lot of those construction projects you've heard about," Branstad said. While progress has been made, education from childhood to adulthood still needs to be improved. "We passed legislation in 2012, and we put together a reading research center, providing assistance and helping kids struggling with reading," Branstad said. "It's finally starting to pay off, and the report that came out today shows that most school districts have seen some improvement. I think as much as 4.6 percent improvement." As part of Future Ready Iowa, the state has tripled funding in apprenticeship programs. "That's not just important for building and construction trades," Branstad said. "It's important for IT and other areas as well." The goal, Branstad said, is to have at least 70 percent of Iowans with training or education past high school by 2025. Currently, the state is at 55 percent. "We think this can make a difference to really make sure that we have a workforce," Branstad said. "I hear from businesses all the time, 'We have good jobs, but we just can't find people with the right skill set to fill them.'" During Branstad's visit to the area, he also toured work being done on the City Square project in downtown Davenport, the Kraft Heinz and Sterilite projects at the Eastern Iowa Industrial Center and the Mississippi River Distilling Co. in LeClaire. Last month, nearly 6,000 people in Dallas County were informed their votes in the November election were not counted. Iowas Secretary of State Paul Pate chalked it up to a human error, a human error that disenfranchised thousands of eligible voters. The same secretary of State has now proposed legislation that would suppress voter turnout and make it more difficult for Iowans to vote. Most of the attention on Pates bill has been on the Voter ID requirement, but HF 516 contains a laundry list of voter suppression efforts. In addition to narrowing opportunities for absentee and early voting, the bill also mandates signature verification at the polls. This means that the election day official almost always a temporary employee with minimal training will have the power to refuse a voter if the voters signature doesnt sufficiently match the signature on file. This will only magnify human error and will result in eligible voters being turned away, especially those whose health affects their handwriting. By limiting absentee voting and enforcing signature verification, the bill will disproportionately keep seniors from exercising their fundamental voting rights. Moreover, 15 percent of Iowa seniors dont have a state-issued ID. They will be turned away from the polls under Pates voter ID provision. This is not an accident. After the Branstad/Reynolds administration waged war on Iowas elderly and disabilities community with Medicaid privatization, now Paul Pate wants to silence their voices and make it more difficult for Iowa seniors to vote out incompetent lawmakers. In January, Iowa Republicans passed $60 million in budget cuts that will result in higher tuition rates, layoffs for public employees and less safe communities. Now, Pate is asking taxpayers to fund a voter ID plan that could cost the state up to $300,000. The catalyst behind HF 516 is strictly partisan in nature and intended to drive down voter turnout among college students, minorities and seniors, all voting blocs that traditionally vote Democrat. Think this is an exaggeration? Ask why not a single college ID in the state will be able to satisfy the voter ID requirement. HF 316 has been fast-tracked in the legislature, and will likely become law. When it does, it will be challenged by civil rights activists. This past summer, an appellate court in North Carolina struck down a similar Voter ID law as unconstitutional. As of June, Texas had spent $3.5 million defending its voter ID law in court. If Pates bill passes, Iowans will spend years paying for Pates political vendetta against Iowa voters. Theres a reason county auditors of both parties oppose this bill. Iowa already ranks near the top when it comes to election operation. A non-partisan group rates Iowas system second as it stands today in the country -- for ballot access and integrity. Republicans love to preach the narrative that theyre the party of patriotism. I can think of nothing more unpatriotic than making it more difficult for a disabled World War II veteran to vote. And that is exactly what Pates Election Integrity Bill aims to do. This isnt human error. Its a deliberate attempt by Paul Pate, our secretary of State, to take the right to vote away from his political opponents. We urge all Iowans to contact the secretary of States office and Republican lawmakers and urge them to stop politicizing the voting process. Illinois lawmakers are more interested in winning votes than placing good bets. And the Quad-Cities would lose should six new casinos get green-lit as part of the state Senate's "grand bargain." Stops, starts and politically induced comas have plagued the Senate's proposed end to Illinois' devastating budgetary statement. The dozen-bill package wins over minority Republicans one day, loses a few key Democrats the next. And then it's back to the penny slots for a beer and a quick cry. Senate President John Cullerton and Minority Leader Christine Radogno deserve credit for at least dealing. It's more than can be said for the state House or the governor's office. But simply behaving like fully formed adults doesn't equate to good policy, even if the state stands to benefit from startup fees. For years, lawmakers from across Illinois have wanted to score a shiny, new casino for their home districts. They boost property taxes, sales taxes and provide direct and indirect job creation. Surely, if scoring a few votes is the goal here, which it is, casino expansion is an easy way to win over a few hold-outs. It's the plan's basis in economic reality, however, that should see it fold immediately. Competition in Illinois' gambling market is already stiff. Statewide gross revenues at the 10 existing casinos in Illinois have plunged a half-billion since the peak in 2007, says the Illinois Gaming Board. There's no doubt that the sweeping addition of video gambling in bars throughout the state is hammering the till at established casinos throughout the state. Jumer's Hotel & Casino took in $88 million in 2012, according to state reports. It dropped to $75.6 million last year. The drop directly equates to smaller payments to local governments, tasked with picking up the increased need for law enforcement and social services that pair with gambling. Meanwhile, statewide video gambling revenue jumped almost $4 billion from 2015 to 2016. More machines. More locations. More access. Fact is, the proposal kicking around the Illinois Senate is just another example of Chicago getting a stacked hand. The bully card bill designates locations throughout the Windy City and its collar counties. Southern Illinois also would get dealt in, to a lesser extent. It's no coincidence that the very lawmakers who could sink the "grand bargain" happen to hail from places that stand to gain most from casino expansion. The Quad-Cities can only lose. The result, should the legislation survive, would be more locations catering to a relatively stagnant number of players. More games. Same people. Smaller pots. The bill's "spreading the wealth" provisions simply can't offset that reality. Permitting another 400 gaming seats at Jumer's won't be worth a wooden nickel if there's no one to fill them, as Jumer's spokesman Bill Renk told the Dispatch-Argus. And that's the result here. Quad-City tourism would decline. Its events would diminish. Those tour buses from Chicago would become a thing of the past. And local government would be left with another hole in its budget not of its own making. Excuse the parochialism here. But Chicago, the seat of political and economic power, already benefits from a slew of special exemptions. This giveaway would have a demonstrable negative effect on Rock Island County. Chicago might come up flush if casino expansion gets rammed through. But it would leave the Quad-Cities holding a pair of sixes. CEDAR FALLS, Iowa About a dozen people from the Cedar Valley paid a visit to U.S. Rep. Rod Blums office Thursday in the hopes of getting to talk to the Republican congressman in person. And soon. Like before any repeal of Affordable Care Act passes. I want him as a representative to stand up for all Iowans and for all communities, not a particular interest, (and) hear what the people have to say, Redgie Blanco of Cedar Falls told Blums Cedar Falls staff person Justin Jensen. He might have a gigantic to-do list in Washington, and maybe my little note is not as important for him as the thousands of pages of the new ACA or whatever theyre calling it. That did not stop Blanco, however, from making calls to talk to Jensen about his concerns. And it did not stop him from filling out another form at Blums office on Thursday to relay his concerns to the congressman. But he and the dozen other people there think the congressman has an obligation to greet them face-to-face. We need to know that he sees us as people and Iowans that are his constituents and not just tally marks on a spreadsheet, said Sarah Eastman of Cedar Falls. The crowd was heartened to learn from Jensen that the congressman is planning on holding an in-person town hall in the district but disappointed that a date has yet to be set, especially as Congress is seeming to push through quickly a repeal of the federal health care reform known as Obamacare. Blums staff said they are working to put together a date soon. The ACA repeal legislation was unveiled officially earlier this week and is already making its way through the committee process, although Blum does not sit on the committees that are taking the first steps to pass the bill. Blum has assured on social media he is reading the bill, but he hasnt stated his opinion of the proposed legislation. Congressman Blum is carefully analyzing the bill, and his biggest concern is bringing down the cost of health care, Blum spokesman John Ferland said. Blum is a member of the House Freedom Caucus that has opposed the current proposal and plans to introduce its own legislation. But Blum has always stressed his independence on votes. The people who visited Blums office made clear they had paid attention to what has been proposed, speaking in opposition to provisions that would change Medicaid to block grants to states and in opposition to cutting funding for Planned Parenthood. But mostly they wanted to preserve the law as a whole and improve upon it. Why dont we fix what they consider that is wrong, instead of completely change everything? Blanco asked. I think that might be the biggest concern for the ACA: Why change the whole thing? Julie Robinson of Waterloo said she receives insurance through the ACA and acknowledges that it is not affordable with the out-of-pocket costs that come with actually using the health plan. Dave Deibler, who organized the rally, said he could speak only for himself but he also purchases insurance through the ACA and finds it affordable. But both were united in wanting to preserve what works and, like Blanco, fix the things that dont. I think its insane that the wealthiest country on the planet doesnt provide health care, Robinson said. All the time and energy that those blokes down in Washington have wasted over the last several years, they could have fixed Obamacare, (but) Republicans didnt want anything to do with that. Deibler said he organized the event Thursday with the dual purpose of ensuring that Blum holds a town hall and making sure Blum knows there are people who support the ACA. Theres too many important things going on right now for him to hide in Washington, D.C., Deibler said. Right now, because of the timing of repealing it, its (health care is) huge. EVANSDALE, Iowa Investigators handling the case of two Indiana girls who were killed in February said they dont see anything to link those slayings to the deaths of two Evansdale cousins in 2012. We are comparing our case to their unsolved case. We have done that. We have talked with the investigators in Iowa. At this point in our investigation, it appears merely coincidental, the similarities in this case, but we dont believe they are connected at this point, Indiana State Police Sgt. John Perrine said Thursday. As of right now, there is no connection, said Agent Michael Roehrkasse of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. Lyric Cook-Morrissey, 10, and Elizabeth Collins, 8, disappeared on July 13, 2012, while they were riding their bikes in Evansdale. Their bodies were found in December 2012 in a rural Bremer County wilderness area. Abigail "Abby" Williams, 13, and Liberty Rose Lynn "Libby" German, 14, disappeared Feb. 13, 2017, while hanging out near an abandoned railroad bridge near Delphi, Indiana. Their bodies were found the following day in a wooded area about half a mile away. Both cases are unsolved. Authorities noticed similarities in the crimes. Both involved a pair of young girls, both involved rural, wooded areas, and both happened on the 13th of the month. Beyond that, authorities cant find anything connecting the cases, Perrine said. He did go on to say investigators werent ruling out a connection between the crimes. We just compared notes with the investigators, Perrine said. "Its too early in our case to say they are connected. We dont have any similar evidence. But were not ruling it out. Were not prepared to say yes or no now." He said agents with the Iowa DCI, which is handling the cousins case, began communicating with Indiana investigators shortly after the Delphi incident. One of the elements that drew Iowa officials attention to the Indiana case was that it involved a double abduction. Statistically, they are very rare. And thats one of those reasons that it caught our attention, Roehrkasse said. This case is unique, just like your case is in Iowa is unique, and thats why people are putting them together, Perrine said. Roehrkasse said that although the DCI is talking with Indiana officials to explore possible connections, they also are giving them room to conduct their investigation. We were in that boat four and a half, five years ago, Roehrkasse said. "During that time, there was an abduction in Colorado as well as in Wyoming in the early stages of our case (in Evansdale) ... Other agencies were calling us, and that kind of takes you away from your core mission." Another double abduction caught the attention of investigators in the cousins case in May 2013 when two young girls were kidnapped near Dayton, Iowa. Suspect Michael Klunder killed one of the girls, the other fled, and Klunder took his own life. Ultimately, authorities determined Klunder was likely near his Stratford home at the time the cousins disappeared in Evansdale, and he was ruled out as a suspect. In the Indiana case, investigators have released a grainy photograph of a person walking on the Delphi Historic Trail near where the bodies were found. During the course of the investigation, preliminary evidence has led investigators to believe the person, in the distributed photograph, is a suspect in the investigation of the homicides of Abigail Williams and Liberty German, Indiana State Police said in a prepared statement. Also, authorities released a voice recording of a man saying down the hill that was extracted from a video found on Libertys cellphone. Anyone with information about the Indiana case is asked to call the Delphi Homicide Investigation Tip Line at 844-459-5786. Information also can be reported by calling the Indiana State Police at 800-382-7537 or the Carroll County Sheriffs Department at 765-564-2413. Information also can be emailed to Abbyandlibbytip@cacoshrf.com. Anyone with information on the Evansdale case is asked to call the Evansdale Police tip line at 319-232-6682 or Cedar Valley Crime Stoppers at 855-300-8477. A $150,000 reward, raised privately and by the FBI, is available for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case. Cedar Valley Crime Stoppers has a $20,500 reward for anyone coming forward with information that simply leads to an arrest. DES MOINES Gov. Terry Branstad has been given a chance to move a long-standing provision of the Iowa Code into the 21st century. Members of the Iowa Senate voted 49-0 Wednesday to send the six-term GOP governor a House-passed bill to strike a 103-year-old law that currently makes it illegal to leave a vehicle unattended with its engine running while parked on the street or public property. Iowa law prohibits a person from permitting a vehicle to stand unattended without first stopping the engine or without effectively setting the brake and turning the front wheels to the curb or side of the highway when the vehicle is on any perceptible grade. The statute, which carries a $20 fine upon conviction of a violation, does not apply to vehicles parked on private property. If you have an automatic starter on your car, you violate the law every time you press the starter button, said Sen. Thomas Greene, R-Burlington, floor manager of House File 312. This is a simple bill. It just gets an outdated law off the books. Civil protective order Also Wednesday, senators voted 49-0 to create a civil protective order that courts can issue for victims of sexual abuse, incest and exploitation of a minor. Under current law, a victim may apply for a criminal no-contact order after the defendant has been arrested for sexual abuse or upon the convicted offenders release from jail or prison. A sexual abuse civil protective order would be available through the court on an emergency, temporary or permanent basis, according to provisions of Senate File 401. The order could be obtained before a defendant has been arrested and also could cover members of a victims family with the same protections as currently afforded by a domestic abuse court order. This is a bill a long time coming, said Sen. Dan Dawson, R-Council Bluffs, the bills floor manager. This is not creating a new system. It simply extends the system that currently is built around domestic abuse to those victims of sexual abuse, incest and exploitation of a minor. Sen. Janet Petersen, D-Des Moines, said the Senate previously passed similar protections but past efforts have stalled in the House without making it to the governors desk. Its really hard to believe in our state that a victim of rape cannot get a civil protective order against his or her rapist or sexual abuser if they were not in a prior intimate relationship. But thats the case until this bill goes into effect, Petersen said. These victims need some sense of protection. Other actions In other action Wednesday, senators voted 48-1 to give fairs in Iowa liability protection from damages sought by anyone who claims an injury or death caused by a pathogen transmitted from an event where an animal is kept for more than three hours. Sen. Tony Bisignano, D-Des Moines, registered the lone no vote. Senate File 362, which now goes to the Iowa House for consideration, requires appropriate warning signs to be posted and other precautions to remain in effect. Sen. Dan Zumbach, R-Ryan, said the common-sense legislation expands upon protections already in place to deal with situations in which a spectator may get stepped on or kicked by show animals. Senators also voted 39-10 to approve Senate File 240, which requires the Iowa Department of Education to issue a new request for proposals no later than April 30 for the selection of a statewide assessment to measure student growth and student achievement toward the Iowa core academic standards. The selected assessment will be available for grades three through eight and one high school-level grade and must cover English language arts, math and science, which must be implemented by the department before the 2018-2019 school year. DES MOINES Members of a Senate tax-writing panel expressed concerns Wednesday whether a proposed fee structure for licensing and regulating fireworks businesses and tents is sufficient to cover initial costs, but a majority voted to forge ahead with plans to begin sales and use of consumer fireworks by June. Waterloo Democratic Sen. Bill Dotzler joined nine GOP senators in approving Senate File 236 so it can proceed to floor debate. Five Democrats on the Senate Ways & Means Committee opposed the move in part over the bill taking effect upon enactment with a limited fee and regulatory structure in place. This is not the right thing for our state, said Sen. Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque. However, committee Chairman Sen. Randy Feenstra, R-Hull, said he lives 20 miles from South Dakota, where fireworks are legal, and he recalled a fireworks extravaganza in Okoboji last July 4th he thought would be safer under state regulation than having them go off unregulated. It seems like it is the right thing to do right now, said Feenstra, who was among the senators in favor of setting limited holiday periods when the products could be bought and ignited by adults. SF 236 would allow licensed retailers or community groups to sell consumer fireworks in permanent structures between June 1 and July 8 and between Dec. 10 and Jan. 3. A similar provision would apply to conforming temporary structures, such as tents, from June 13 through July 8 each year. The measure sets a fee structure for various licensure levels; allows counties or cities that do not want to legalize fireworks to opt out of the use but not the sale; and bars the sale or purchase involving anyone under 18. A violation would be punishable by a fine of at least $250 but no more than $625. Iowa law currently classifies the possession, sale or use of consumer fireworks without a permit other than sparklers and snakes as a simple misdemeanor. A fiscal note prepared by the Legislative Services Agency estimated taxable sales of consumer fireworks in Iowa would generate $17.8 million yet this fiscal year and $24.8 million in fiscal 2018, growing to $28.48 million by fiscal 2021. State sales tax collections would total $890,000 yet this fiscal year and top $1.42 million by fiscal 2021. To fully fund the $140,796 in costs for the State Fire Marshal Division to hire and equip two inspectors would require the sale and collection of nearly 800 retail licenses or wholesaler registration fees that range from $400 to $1,000 each, depending on the type fireworks operation. PIERRE | A special legislative panel has reached an agreement on Gov. Dennis Daugaard's public safety bill addressing potential oil pipeline protests in South Dakota. Matt Konenkamp, a policy adviser to the governor, said Thursday that Daugaard is going to invite South Dakota tribal leaders to discuss with public safety officials and others how best to manage possible protests collaboratively. A conference committee voted 4-2 to put an emergency provision back into the bill. That would make it take effect immediately and block voters from referring it to the ballot. It would require a two-thirds majority in both chambers to approve the plan, which would make it a Class 1 misdemeanor for someone to stand in the highway to stop traffic or to trespass in a posted emergency area, among other provisions. CANTON | A judge has ordered a mental health exam for a high school student charged with shooting his principal in Harrisburg, South Dakota. The teen will be evaluated by a psychiatrist at the Human Service Center in Yankton and receive treatment if necessary. Attorneys raised questions about his mental competency during a hearing Wednesday on whether he should be tried as an adult. Investigators say the student was 16 when he confronted Harrisburg High School Principal Kevin Lein with a handgun in his office on Sept. 30, 2015 and fired a single shot, striking Lein in his right arm. The principal has recovered. The Argus Leader says few details have been released about a possible motive. The teen is currently being held at the Juvenile Detention Center in Sioux Falls. WICHITA, Kan. | Kansas rancher Greg Gardiner got into some of his scorched pastures for the first time Wednesday and surveyed what he likened to a battle zone: carcasses of dead cattle everywhere. "It's pretty much a catastrophe," Gardiner said as he looked out on his ranch near Ashland, charred by wildfires that have burned through hundreds of acres in four states. "It's as bad as a mind can make it." Gardiner cries when he talks about how thankful he is that none of his family members were lost in wildfires that that have led to the deaths of six people. Gardiner's brother Mark lost his home like dozens of other people in largely rural areas of Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado but he is safe. Gardiner figures he lost 500 cattle. Any badly burned animals found still alive are mercifully shot. "A lot of people have gone out and run out of shells and come back to get more shells," said Gardiner, speaking by cellphone. "It's pretty grisly work out here right now, to be honest." He saw a coyote's carcass and wryly stated that there's not even coyotes left to clean up the dead. No wildlife is left as far as he can tell. While cattle producers like Gardiner spent much of Wednesday assessing their losses, fire crews were attempting to extinguish the blazes. Most of the burned land is in Kansas, where more than 1,000 square miles has been consumed in a series of blazes, including one believed to be the largest in the state's recorded history. It is too soon to know yet how many animals perished. In Clark County, where Gardiner lives, ranchers so far have lost about 2,500 adult cattle and at least 1,000 calves, said Randall Spare, co-owner of Ashland Veterinary Center. "It is just horrendous," rancher David Clawson said from his home near Englewood, a Kansas town of about 50 residents where a fire destroyed 12 homes. Ranch hands were among those who have been killed in the fires. In the Texas Panhandle, three ranch hands died trying to save cattle from fires that have burned nearly 750 square miles. Gray County Judge Richard Peet said it appears 20-year-old Cody Crockett was on horseback and his girlfriend, 23-year-old Sydney Wallace, was nearby on foot as fire and smoke swirled around them. Peet says Wallace died of smoke inhalation. Crockett suffered burns, as did 35-year-old Sloan Everett who also was on horseback. Their bodies were found near each other. A fourth person who died in Texas 25-year-old Cade Koch was attempting to drive home when smoke from a separate fire to the north enveloped him. His wife, Sierra Koch, who is pregnant, described her husband as a hard-working, friendly man who "treated everybody with the utmost respect." "He was hard-headed and had a huge heart," she said. In Kansas, the Highway Patrol said Corey Holt, of Oklahoma City, died Monday when his tractor-trailer jackknifed as he tried to back up because of poor visibility on a highway, and he succumbed to smoke after getting out of his vehicle. About 545 square miles also has burned in Oklahoma, where a woman had a heart attack while trying to keep her farm and died. No deaths were recorded in Colorado, where more than 45 square miles burned. PIERRE | The South Dakota Senate rejected a resolution Tuesday that praised President Donald Trump for keeping the nation safe from radical Islamic terrorism. Senators voted 20-15 to kill the resolution. It came from Sen. Neal Tapio, R-Watertown, who was Trumps campaign chairman for South Dakota last year. Tapio emphasized freedom in his prepared speech. The press packet he provided to reporters featured a quote he said must be printed in whole or not at all. The first-year legislator choked with emotion at one point as he said it was the honor of his life "to play a small role" in the election of Trump. Sen. Ryan Maher, R-Isabel, immediately called for the resolution to be tabled after Tapio finished his speech. A tabling motion cuts off debate. Maher later voted against his own motion. The Senate as a whole voted 20-15 to table the resolution. Tapio stood ready at his desk as the tally was announced. He immediately declared his intent to reconsider. The presiding officer, Lt. Gov. Matt Michels, told him that would have to be done before the close of business Tuesday. At that point Tapio briefly exited the Senate chamber. There wasnt an attempt later to reconsider. Tapio originally introduced the resolution in a much different form. That first version expressed a lack of confidence in the refugee resettlement program. Lutheran Social Services is the only refugee resettlement agency in South Dakota. Sen. Al Novstrup, R-Aberdeen, offered the Trump and Islamic terrorism language as a replacement during a March 1 committee hearing. He was a co-sponsor of Tapios original version. The House lead sponsor of the original version was Rep. Drew Dennert, R-Aberdeen. Refugees and other people involved with Lutheran Social Services and other organizations, including Presentation Sisters, hosted a lunch of free pizza behind the Senate chamber Tuesday in the hours before the vote. In Acts 18, we see a story of a couple named Aquila and Priscilla. Verse 2 tells us that Aquila and Priscilla were living in Corinth because they had been forced to flee from Rome when Emperor Claudius decreed that all Jews had to leave! So, due to racial discrimination they fled Rome and went to Corinth. It was there that they met the Apostle Paul and became close friends. In fact, verse 3 tells us that Paul actually lived with them for a period of time. Undoubtedly Paul invested in their spiritual well-being and they quickly became trusted ministry partners of his. In verse 19 we see that they accompanied Paul to Ephesus in order to minister there. While in Ephesus, Aquila and Priscilla encountered a man named Apollos. Verse 24 says that Apollos was a Jew who was an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures. However, he had an incomplete understanding of some important truths. So, verse 26 says that Aquila and Priscilla took him aside and explained the way of God more accurately. Apollos went on to be a very powerful preacher and influential New Testament leader. So, consider the way God so beautifully orchestrated this couples story. Aquila and Priscilla were displaced from their home in Rome. They were forced to uproot their lives and move to a new city. It was there that their lives intersected with Pauls. Paul then invested his life into them and took them with him to Ephesus to invest in others. They met Apollos and helped him along spiritually. Apollos goes on to be a powerful leader for the Lord! Im sure this couple was heartbroken when they were forced to leave Rome. Im sure they didnt understand! Im sure they were scared, confused, angry, and uncertain of what the future held for them. However, God was weaving a beautiful story into the tapestry of their lives! God can take a bad situation from our perspective and use it for our good and His glory! Consider Romans 8:28: And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. It is often in our tragedy that God is doing something wonderful! We may not feel that way when we are in the crucible of trial, but often after the trial is concluded we can see Gods hand so clearly! Always remember that no matter what you are going through in your life, God is good! He has purpose in what He does. If you are going through a difficult time, God may very well be preparing to move you to something better. He knows the beginning from the end and everything in between. We can trust Him! He is faithful! Local police are investigating and asking for the public's help in solving the killing of a woman found dead at a Rapid City motel Wednesday. It is the citys fourth known homicide of 2017. The body of Deziree Martinez, 30, of Rapid City, was discovered around 8:30 a.m. in a room at the Price Motel on 401 E. North St., according to the Rapid City Police Department. Responding to a report of an unconscious person at the motel, police found Martinez dead and bearing clear signs of an assault, said Assistant Police Chief Don Hedrick in a Facebook video posted Wednesday. Police have not released information on the exact nature of Martinez's injuries, though police spokesman Brendyn Medina told the Journal there were no preliminary indications of a shooting or stabbing. He described them as trauma injuries, which quickly turned Martinezs death into a homicide investigation. Hedrick said police, who are investigating the homicide with assistance from the Pennington County Sheriffs Office, have potential suspects they are seeking. There were no known arrests in the case as of Wednesday evening. Around 11 a.m. Wednesday, several police vehicles were parked around the motel, which offered weekly rental rooms that faced East North, Waterloo and East Denver streets. Yellow police tape cordoned off a one-story beige building on Waterloo Street, which showed the entrance to room Nos. 14 and 15. A motel resident, who declined to be identified, said he and his girlfriend were awakened by a woman screaming in the motel alley around 3 a.m. Wednesday. He said he heard the woman say: He did something to me. Somebody help me, please. The resident said the commotion lasted about 20 minutes and that his girlfriend stopped him from going outside to see what was happening. He said he had relayed this information to police detectives. Medina could not immediately confirm the mans statement. The police department is asking anyone with information on Martinezs death to contact Detective Rick Arlaud at 394-4134. Anonymous tips can be sent by texting RCPD and the information to 847411. Martinezs death comes on the heels of three fatal stabbings in Rapid City in January, a number that has already surpassed the citys two known homicides in 2016. Three men and a male juvenile are facing murder charges in 7th Circuit Court in connection with this years three previous killings. It's a tragedy for our community, Hedrick said toward the end of his video. South Dakota is one step closer to taking the fight over collection of sales taxes from online purchases to the state Supreme Court. Earlier this week, Judge Mark Barnett ruled in favor of the defendants in South Dakota v. Wayfair Inc. when he said that Senate Bill 106 was unconstitutional. That bill, signed into law last March, requires online retailers that do no have physical addresses in the state to collect and remit sales tax if their annual in-state sales exceed $100,000. The bill was legally challenged by Wayfair and other defendants including online retailers Overstock.com and Newegg Inc. Barnett cited the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Quill Corp. v. North Dakota, which prohibits states from collecting tax on sellers without an in-state physical presence. The South Dakota Legislature enacted SB106 last year to challenge that law. The state is missing out on an estimated $48 million to $58 million annually in state and municipal tax revenues, according to the court complaint filed last year. In Barnett's ruling, he suggests that the ruling in Quill may have a different outcome today, but that it is not the role of the state circuit court to disregard a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court. That state plans to appeal the ruling. For South Dakota, the Barnett ruling was one more legal step taken to try and overturn Quill Corp. v. North Dakota. Tony Venhuizen, Gov. Dennis Daugaard's chief of staff, said this was just "one step in a long process." Venhuizen said he was encouraged that Judge Barnett "acknowledged the problems" with the Quill ruling. Other groups also came out in support of the ruling. For decades, the playing field has been stacked against Main Street and in favor of online merchants, according to a National Governors Association news release. But todays decision moves us one step closer to resolving this longstanding issue with broad bipartisan support. South Dakota is having its share of economic woes, with a notable downturn in the agricultural economy and shortfall in sales tax collections overall. Some lawmakers and officials believe more aggressive collection of online sales taxes could make up the difference. Earlier this year, Daugaard announced online retail giant Amazon would start collecting state and local sales taxes in February. "Their decision to collect sales tax doesn't solve the sales tax issue for online purchases, but it's a big step in the right direction," Daugaard said during his speech to the Republican-held Legislature on the opening day of the 2017 legislative session. A spokesperson for Wayfair said the company has no comment on the lawsuit. At one point Wednesday, as many as 20 homes, cabins and other structures were threatened by a wildfire southeast of Custer. Crews were able to save those structures by battling the fire throughout the night Wednesday and continuing into Thursday. The Whitetail Fire, roughly eight miles southeast of Custer, started Wednesday afternoon when a tree fell on a power line. The fire started near the intersection of Lower French Creek and Whitetail roads not far from a cluster of homes and cabins nestled in a forested valley. The fire started on private land but then moved into Custer State Park. As of Thursday, there were no reports of injuries or accidents as a result of the fire. State Highway 87 between Blue Bell Lodge and state Highway 16A remained closed Thursday afternoon because of the fire. According to Incident Commander Scott Wheeler, fire crews were able to protect the structures Wednesday and by Thursday morning, they were no longer considered threatened. "When resources showed up on scene (Wednesday) the fire was five to 10 acres," Wheeler said. "Due to the alignment off the slope, the dry fuel this time of year and the warm windy weekend that we had, it kind of dried fuels up and the fire made a little run uphill." The fire was just the latest to break out in the greater Black Hills region over the past couple of weeks. Dry, windy conditions have fanned fires near Rockerville and Wall over the past week. As crews battled the blaze through Wednesday night and into Thursday, flames torched roughly 150 acres. By Thursday afternoon officials said the fire was only 15 percent contained. They hoped they would achieve greater containment by Thursday evening as more fire prevention lines were placed. About 80 firefighters and crew members were fighting the fire, including hand crews, bulldozer crews and two helicopters from the South Dakota National Guard. On Thursday, crews were making containment lines in the steep and rocky terrain in preparation for a burnout operation to stop the fire's forward progress. Wheeler said bulldozer crews are able to use old logging roads to reach the isolated area where the fire was burning. Those roads can also be used as containment lines. "Mount Coolidge is directly up the canyon from the fire, so we definitely have a close eye on that," Wheeler said. Mount Coolidge is a peak in central Custer State Park with an old stone fire lookout tower on it. In 1873, Dakota Territory Treasurer Edwin Stanton McCook was shot to death during a meeting at the territorial capitol in Yankton. McCook, described as an imposing figure, likely knew how to handle a gun. He was a Union general during the Civil War before moving west where nearly everyone was armed. But during a heated debate about corruption and politics in a packed meeting room no one could stop a banker named Peter Wintermute from firing his handgun three times and killing one of the territorys most prominent men. Now 143 years later, a majority of South Dakota lawmakers believe they can do what McCook and others at the meeting couldnt do that day shoot someone to save a life. After the Senate voted 19-15 this week to approve a bill that allows lawmakers and others to bring handguns into the state capitol building, Neal Tapio, a Republican from Watertown, said the legislation is needed in this dangerous, dangerous world and that lawmakers need to have some level of protection. House Bill 1156 now awaits Gov. Daugaards signature. It allows those with an enhanced gun permit, which can be obtained after two days of training, to bring concealed weapons to the floor of the Legislature and presumably to the gallery where spectators sit and look down on the lawmaking process. This comes in the wake of complaints about capitol security even though we can't think of any incidents in recent history where it was reported that a lawmaker felt his or her life was threatened. However, that could change if dozens of people are armed in a chamber where passions can run hot as they did on the day when a fight between McCook and Wintermute turned into a deadly affair. Is a place packed with armed lawmakers and spectators any less dangerous than whatever inspires fear in Sen. Tapio? Can any of these lawmakers promise their gun won't accidentally discharge and wound or kill a student, a child, a mother, a father or another innocent bystander? Can they even promise they will hit their intended target? Fortunately, Gov. Daugaard has already stated his intention to veto the bill and it looks like it will be difficult for lawmakers to override it, which no doubt will cause some consternation for legislators who apparently fear for their life while in Pierre. If that is the case and lawmakers like Tapio remain sincerely concerned about their personal safety while working in the state capitol building, we suggest they follow a well-established system that works well at courthouses across the state and nation appropriate funds to purchase metal detectors that are placed at entrances to the capitol and are manned by law enforcement. If they choose to not pursue a security system that history has shown works well, it will become apparent that HB 1156 is about politics rather than public safety. Uniqlo brand owner files appeal in dispute with UTair airline over trademark protection MOSCOW, March 9 (RAPSI) Uniqlo operator Fast Retailing Co. Ltd., which owns Uniqlo brand, has filed an appeal against a ruling made by Russias Intellectual Property Court (IP Court) in litigation with UTair airline over 'UT' trademark, court documents read on Thursday. The appeal will be reviewed on April 17. On December 26, 2016, the court granted a lawsuit filed by Uniqlo against UTair airline in part. The Japan-based Fast Retailing asked the court to terminate legal protection of the trademark regarding all clothing products since it is not used. However, the court granted the lawsuit regarding only some elements of clothing. Earlier, the lawsuit of Japanese company has been put on a halt due to absence of several documents, including one that confirms payment of governments toll. The Federal Service for Intellectual Property was assigned as a third party in this legal dispute. Navalnys associate files complaint with ECHR over his sentence report MOSCOW, March 9 (RAPSI) Russian opposition activist and accomplice of Aleksey Navalny, Leonid Volkov, filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) over the sentence he had received for obstruction of journalists activity, Vedomosti newspaper reported Thursday. Volkov in his application insists that Article 6 (Right to a fair trial) and Article 18 (Limitation on use of restrictions of rights) of the European Convention on Human Rights have been violated. The activist believes that his trial was politically motivated, the newspaper writes citing his lawyer Irina Khrunova. According to investigators, in July 2015, Volkov hindered video recording by LifeNews journalists in Novosibirsk. He also forced one of the journalists to abandon distribution of information. It has been stated that the activist allegedly used violence against a LifeNews reporter and broke his microphone. In August 2016, a court in Novosibirsk found Volkov guilty of obstructing journalists activity and imposed a 30,000-ruble fine ($515) on him. In late October, the sentence was upheld. Russian investigators seek for foreign accounts of Bashneft ex-CEO MOSCOW, March 9 (RAPSI) Russian investigators have sent requests to foreign bank seeking information on presence of accounts belonging to former Bashneft CEO Ural Rakhimov who stands charged with embezzlement upon the companys stock sale, RIA Novosti reported Thursday. According to Rakhimovs lawyer Sergey Makarenko, investigators have already received some information but not from all requested banks. For this reason, investigation into the case has been repeatedly extended, the agency quoted Makarenko as having said. Bashneft was controlled by the government of Russias Bashkortostan region until 2003, when a major stake was sold to companies affiliated with Ural Rakhimov, son of the former head of Bashkortostan Murtaza Rakhimov. The company was privatized in 2009, when Russian oil-to-telecoms conglomerate Sistema gained control of it. A court in Moscow ruled that Bashneft was privatized in violation of law. The Prosecutor General's Office brought a suit to return a 71.6 percent stake in Bashneft to the government. The Moscow Commercial Court ruled on October 30, 2014, in favor of the Prosecutor General's Office. Rakhimov, who has been living in Austria for the past six years, has reportedly received a residence permit there and hopes to get Austrian citizenship soon. The Basmanny District Court of Moscow has issued an arrest warrant for Rakhimov in absentia. In March 2016, the Vienna Regional Criminal Court refused to extradite former Bashneft CEO to Russia. Prosecutor demands 23 years in prison for defendant in 2002 Moscow terror attack case MOSCOW, March 9 (RAPSI, Yevgeniya Sokolova) Military prosecutor has asked to sentence alleged mastermind of the hostage taking at the Dubrovka theater in southeast Moscow in 2002 that left 130 dead, Khasan Zakayev, to 23 years in a penal colony, RAPSI learnt in the Moscow District Military Court on Thursday. There are 912 injured persons in the criminal case. Earlier, injured persons lodged several claims seeking 43 million rubles ($738,000) in compensation from Zakayev. Earlier, the defendant pleaded guilty to transfer of weapons in 2001 and 2002. He received about $4,000 and a mobile phone for weapon delivery. However, he noted that he did not know what he was supplying and for what purposes. Zakayev also denied his complicity in terrorist attacks, killings, and taking hostages. Investigators claim that Zakayev was a member of a criminal gang headed by Chechen separatist leader Shamil Basayev and assisted in organizing the terrorist attack and taking of hostages at the theater. In 2002, he allegedly organized transportation of weapon and homemade explosive devices to Moscow for terrorists. A group of terrorists led by Movsar Barayev took hostage the audience and participants of the Nord-Ost musical on October 23, 2002. Forty attackers were killed. Zakayev is the only one who was arrested, victims lawyer Igor Trunov said earlier. The majority of hostages were released in an operation planned by Russian security services. Shamil Basayev who was reportedly killed in 2006 and Gerikhan Dudayev who is still at large are among the organizers of the attack, according to investigators. Supreme Court upholds termination of MP status for Ilya Ponomaryov once more MOSCOW, March 9 (RAPSI) The Supreme Court of Russia has upheld its previous ruling to preliminary terminate State Duma lawmakers status for Ilya Ponomaryov charged with embezzlement at the Skolkovo Foundation, RAPSI learnt in the courtroom on Thursday. On November 24, the Supreme Court dismissed a civil lawsuit filed by Ponomaryov against the State Dumas ruling on preliminary termination of his MP status. Earlier, the lower houses official website has published a report over a meeting that happened on June 10 that resulted in preliminary termination of Ponomaryovs status. Ex-lawmakers absence during the parliamentary hearings was announced as a reason for such termination. Investigators claim that Ponomaryov assisted former Skolkovo Vice President Alexey Beltyukov in the embezzlement of over 22 million rubles (over $325,100) in foundation money. Beltyukov allegedly paid Ponomaryov $750,000 of the foundation's money, without management approval, for lectures and research projects between February 2011 and February 2012. Investigation was launched into Beltyukov's actions to analyze the subject, the content and the academic value of the lectures that Ponomaryov was contracted to provide for 22 million rubles. On December 7, Russian bailiffs recovered 2.7 million rubles debt (about $40,000) from Ponomaryov. The Investigative Committee reported in May 2015 that it has opened an embezzlement case against Beltyukov. In August 2013, Moscow's Gagarinsky District Court ruled that Ponomaryov must repay 2.7 million rubles to the Skolkovo Foundation, Russia's high-tech development center, for an unreasonably overpriced service. The Moscow City Court upheld the ruling in November. Ponomaryov, who is living abroad, has denied all charges as politically motivated. He has not paid out the debt voluntary and the bailiffs were ordered to enforce the court decision. As previously reported, the bailiffs have seized Ponomaryovs assets. Moreover, the money in payment for the debt was withheld from his salary. Over 3,000 extremist websites blocked in Russia in 2016 MOSCOW, March 9 (RAPSI) Over 3,000 Internet resources of an extremist nature have been blocked in Russia in 2016, Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev announced on Thursday. Monitoring of information distributed by different websites is being conducted in order to find extremist materials and apply legally provided response measures, Kolokoltsev said during the Interior Ministrys annual extended session. As a result, websites distributing calls to racial and religious enmity and recruiting new members of extremist organizations were closed, the minister added. According to Kolokoltsev, Russian law enforcement officers revealed 200 facts of facilitating a terrorist activity in 2016. The blacklist of websites was launched in Russia on November 1, 2012. The respective law envisages that websites may be blacklisted by the Federal Service for Drug Control, the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Protection and Welfare (suicide-related content) and the Federal Agency for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (child pornography). Starting February 1, 2014, the register also includes websites promoting extremism and mass riots. A new small-batch butchery in Missoula aims to connect customers with local, pasture-raised meat from just 40 miles down the road in the Bitterroot Valley. At the Cloven Hoof butcher shop, located at 101 N. Johnson St. near the Westside Lanes bowling alley, the fresh cuts of pork and lamb are processed into a myriad of different products from rosemary and red wine sausages to sirloin chops to brine-cured belly pate that you cant find at the grocery store. And the animals all come from the Tucker Family Farm near Victor, where they roam free, arent given hormones, and feed on grass and spent grains from local breweries and distilleries. Abe Jindrich and Cathrine Walters gained a loyal following with the Cloven Hoof at the Missoula Farmers Market this past summer, but they realized they wanted to expand into a brick-and-mortar home. They were able to lease some space from Paige Pitzer of Riversong Gourmet and remodeled a storage room into their own custom display area. Now you can sip fresh hot bone broth while picking out spare ribs, ginger-sage breakfast sausage or pork liver pate, then take home a bottle of wine, cider or beer and a fresh-baked loaf of bread for dinner. Its a foodies delight, but Jindrich and Walters have a more powerful motivation for what theyre doing than just catering to those who are bored with mass-produced deli meats. We started raising animals and went through the whole process from start to finish and butchering hogs, and at that point it was no longer something we could do to go down to the grocery store and buy meat after having that experience, Jindrich explained. Not to pooh-pooh anybody elses way of living, but for us it became important to know where our meat come from. And they decided that other people were longing for that farm-to-table experience as well. We really want people to have access to good local meat, which is hard to find here in Montana, Walters said. And in this area, theres so many farms here up and down the Bitterroot Valley and everywhere. That was pretty much how we started, was us trying to find local pork chops. Jindrich trained with expert butchers in New York, took a class from a Portland-based butcher cooperative and worked as a wild-game butcher in Ennis. Then, he helped his friend Tyler Tucker butcher some farm-raised hogs for his farmworkers. In talking with Tucker, he realized that the only way people could buy local meat was to pay a big lump sum for a half hog or whole hog up front and store it in their freezer. Jindrich called around to local shops, and realized the only place for people to get locally raised lamb and pork in small portions was the self-serve section at the Good Food Store. Theres a ton of farmers who want to put their product in front of people, and it wasnt being done around here, Jindrich said. So, Jindrich and Walters decided they could buy the whole animals, which gives them the freedom to offer unique cuts. They don't have beef yet, but their pork comes from Berkshire pigs raised on flavor-enhancing annual crops, as are the East Friesian lambs. We have breast of lamb, youre not going to see that in most shops, Jindrich said. Youre probably not going to see pork Denver or lamb neck, and youre generally not going to see the flatirons. Getting the whole animal allows me more freedom in what I cut. Also, the locally raised animals have a flavor that will blow people away if all theyve ever gotten are the pink cutlets that may have been raised in a Chinese-owned feedlot in Iowa. Everybody talks about terroir, which is the French word for food that tastes like where it comes from right? Jindrich said. Every grape variety tastes different according to the soil it grows in. Thats true for meat as well. People dont think of that extending to meat, but a pig from here and a pig from Kalispell or a pig from eastern Montana are all going to taste different depending on what they eat and what soil type it is, which is going to change what grows there. So there is a terroir for meat, which people take for granted. Thats sort of our vision, too, is to expose that. So theyll taste not only the quality of the meat but the added health benefits. Both Walters and Jindrich said theyre trying to educate people about why their meat costs more than mass-produced grocery store meat. Thats another thing that is important to us, he said. The cheapness of meat, which I feel like is artificially cheap. We can get into long discussions about subsidies and that sort of thing. But people see our prices and say, Whoa. "What we have to do is educate them and explain why this is better for you and if youre willing to cut your consumption a little bit, and eat local meat instead of meat from Iowa, youre going to get a product that tastes better and will do more and have more health benefits." Jindrich is quick to say theyre not on a mission to change the world, even though he firmly believes that over-consumption of meat from feedlots has caused a lot of environmental and human-health harm. In our small scale, if we can get 300 or 400 people in Missoula to eat a little bit less meat every week but eating fresher, better local meat, they will be eating healthier and they can feel a little bit better about the life that an animal lived and theyre supporting the local economy and farmers, he said. They use almost every part of the animal, and even the bones and leftover organs are saved for pet treats. The main goal for the couple is to create an atmosphere where they can interact with customers on a more personal level, find out what type of cooking they like and recommend certain meats or recipes. We can talk to people like an old-school butcher shop, Jindrich says. The store is open Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. For more information visit www.theclovenhoofmeat.com. Tax changes are normal. The office of Tompkins & Peters CPAs, P.C., in Hamilton has a framed copy of the first 1040 tax form, dated 1913. It is only four pages, complete with instructions. Beau Johnson, Certified Public Accountant and Certified Valuation Analyst, is the accounting and auditing department manager of the Hamilton branch of Tompkins & Peters CPAs, P.C. Johnson said the biggest tax changes for the 2017 tax season for the year ending December 2016 are deadlines. There are two big ones for this year that will affect people with businesses, he said. For partner return of form 1065 they had an April 15 deadline but that is now March 15, so a whole month earlier. Extensions are allowed. Johnson said the second big change is for C corporations that had a March 15 deadline. They now have a deadline of April 15. S corporation deadlines and individual due dates stayed the same. For individuals holding over $10,000 in foreign assets, investments and cash accounts in other countries, the due date changed from June 30 to April 15 but individuals can apply for an extension until Oct. 15. There are minor changes for trusts, non-profit organizations and employee benefit plans. Refunds from Montana are coming slower in an attempt eliminate identity theft. The state is taking additional steps like lengthening the time to make sure there are no claims and bank account verification for direct deposit. There are new rules. They are trying to make sure there is no identity theft, he said. For us, we really get to know our clientele. This may affect businesses that dont know their customers well. Johnson said the near future of taxation is a mystery. The House GOP has their blueprint for tax reform that they published last year, he said. They have potential tax reform but no one knows where this will all end up. It is a little bit of conjecture. Trump has been tweeting that there are big regulation tax cuts coming down the pipeline. Johnson said the tax changes would come after the Affordable Health Care Act is repealed. He said you cant do the tax changes until they get Affordable Health Care figured out, Johnson said. They are saying March and April are going to be very busy and we dont know if that will be for the 2017 year or the 2018 year at this point. Johnson said regardless of using the GOP blueprint or Trumps plan there will be big changes. It will completely change how we look at everything, he said. In the GOP blueprint they are going down from seven tax rates to three tax rates for individuals and there will potentially be one flat rate for corporations. At this point were just not sure what is going to happen. With the constant change of complicated tax laws Tompkins & Peters CPAs helps businesses with tax planning. Every year there is something that is changing and for 2017 or 2108 it will be even more so, Johnson said. Everybody should be getting ready for that and definitely touching base with their accountants. March to April is what they are currently saying. That is subject to change. People can look at our website and well keep them updated. Johnson said Tompkins & Peters CPAs has a secure client portal that allows clients from all over the United States to upload their information directly. It has the same level of security as any bank, Johnson said. They can upload; I can work on it and publish it back to them. Technology is amazing in how it has helped us. We never email anything because of security but through our portal we know it is all safe. Tompkins & Peters CPAs was started by Dana Tompkins in 1987. Tompkins grew up in Conner, attended the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, started the business then moved the corporate office to Hamilton. There are six employees in Hamilton and branch offices in Helena, Missoula and Las Vegas. Everybody wants to come back here, Johnson said. Its nice because we get to see many different types of businesses and we all do travel. Tompkins & Peters is a full service CPA firm that does audits, reviews, compilations, bookkeeping, business valuations and taxes. The firm works with business owners, executives and independent professionals and values professionalism, responsiveness and quality. The local firm is invested in the community. Im in Rotary, Dana is in Lyons Club, and Elaine Serwacki is in Soroptimists, Johnson said. It is important to us to be part of the community and understand what is going on. It helps us when we do taxes. Weve been around for a while, enjoy being here and definitely enjoy being in Montana. Johnson said his job is exciting with so much change that CPAs are required to take 120 hours of professional education every three years. What you knew last year isnt going to be appropriate for the current year, he said. That is one of the big things - the tax laws are always so complex. I would recommend you touch base with your accountant in the middle of the year to find out what is going on. If it is retroactive for 2017 currently what youre doing could be subject to changes. The Hamilton office of Tompkins & Peters CPAs, P.C., is located at 1659 North First Street, Suite 2. Contact them by phone at 406-363-0097 or online at www.tpcpas.com, Facebook and Twitter. Ray Dunbars first reaction to seeing the vandalism inside Corvallis United Methodist Church was shock. Then I was angry that someone would come in and desecrate a church, Dunbar said. The longer I thought about it, that anger was replaced with sadness that someone would feel so inclined to do this. It indicates that whoever it was did not know the Lord or Jesus, so why would they have any respect for his house. The church was burglarized sometime during the night of March 3. Ravalli County Sheriff Steve Holton said investigators have collected evidence at the scene they hope will confirm the suspects identities. This is particularly low criminal behavior, Holton said. There was a lot of anti-Christian and anti-religion graffiti. Some of it was pretty obscene and profane. Were putting a lot of resources into it. Dunbar is the chair of the churchs trustees. He said the vandals entered through a window. Once inside, they tore up Bibles and hymnals and wrote graffiti on the walls that included a star with a circle around it, a cross, the numbers 666 and profanity. Some electronic and church items were taken. Dunbar said he believes the vandals were looking for money. A church is a poor place to look for money, he said. We dont keep money lying around. After an offering, it goes to the bank. When they didnt find any money they decided to write us messages. We were shocked, angry and feeling violated that someone would come in and do that. The Rev. Debra Wacker has been the pastor of Corvallis United Methodist Church since July of 2015. On Sunday, she said the parishioners saw the markings on walls and windows. They were angry and upset, Wacker said. They felt victimized, persecuted would be the church word, and yet as we talked about it and prayed about it their request was to pray for those who did it, for the pain that had to be in their lives. The congregations concern was for those people. On Monday, a church member painted over the graffiti. They painted bright and early Monday morning because they are ready to move on, she said. They are ready to get back to their focus of worship and serving in the community. Im celebrating them. They are a mighty church and Im pleased to be a part of them. Dunbar said it took three coats of paint to get the church back to normal. We dont need to dwell on this long, he said. We need to fix the damage, restore our church and keep going down the road trying to do Gods work. No estimate has been made on the damage. It is not about the money. Its about the souls and the pain they are going through, so prayers for them, Wacker said. We dont know why. The church just wants to continue the goodness. Well just continue loving and helping people in need, we have a mission in this valley. Corvallis United Methodist is offering a $500 reward for any information that leads to the people or person responsible for the damage. This has to stop, Wacker said. We cant let it happen to other churches. Wacker said she has received community support in the form of offers of help by phone calls and texts. The support of the community has just been incredible, she said. Ravalli County is just great. There has been such a great outreach to us. I appreciate it and thank everybody. Holton said the sheriffs office is asking anyone with information to contact Detective Scott Burlingham at 375-4060 or by using the TIPS button on the Ravalli County Sheriffs mobile app for smart phones. "The fact that someone would victimize a church in the middle of the night is particularly disturbing," Holton said. "The Ravalli County Sheriff's Office will apply whatever resources are necessary to identify and successfully prosecute those responsible for this crime. With the help of the community, we can solve this case and prevent similar crimes from happening in the future." Perry Backus contributed to this report. HELENA Patients considered among the most dangerous at the states publicly run mental hospital were sometimes in the vicinity of people who have developmental disabilities, resulting in assaults on those the facilitys staff viewed as vulnerable. A recently released federal inspection details why the Montana State Hospital at Warm Springs, which is home to civilly and criminally committed patients with mental illness, was at risk of losing its federal certification for 12 days in January. Documents from the Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, which certifies parts of the hospital, say chronic, pervasive staff shortages led to the attacks. They also highlight many ways the facility did not eliminate risks for suicidal people, such as leaving out towels that could be used as ligatures. After the inspection, CMS issued an "immediate jeopardy" notification warning of the potential loss of certification. The hospital made required corrections laid out by CMS quickly enough not to lose its certification. More nurses were hired, existing staff was paid overtime to cover shifts and changes were made to remove suicide risks. The facility, which cannot cap its own census because some patients are criminally committed, has struggled with overcrowding. The opening of a new forensic facility last year has helped relieve the problem, but staffing has continued to be a struggle, documented as far back as 2014 in several reports by the Mental Disabilities Board of Visitors, which cite "chronic staffing issues." In addition to the January inspection, a December visit by surveyors showed many of the same concerns about staffing levels that led to the "immediate jeopardy" notice. In that review, 32 out of the hospital's 127 patients were being treated by a nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist with no physician input into their care. The state hospital, often referred as Warm Springs for the unincorporated community where it's located, sits just off Interstate 90 between the towns of Anaconda and Deer Lodge, from which the hospital draws much of its staff. Hot water comes out of a 40-foot-tall mound behind the campus, thought centuries ago to be curative. It is operated by the Addictive and Mental Services Division of the Department of Public Health and Human Services and has been a home for the mentally ill in some form since the 1870s. The parts of the hospital that receive federal reimbursement for services are subject to inspection from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. In fiscal year 2016, the hospital was reimbursed about $5.8 million by Medicare and $541,000 from Medicaid, making up about 15 percent of the hospitals $40 million budget that year. In fiscal year 2017, the hospital's budget was $44.2 million. January inspection In January, surveyors who reviewed hospital records found numerous patient-to-patient verbal and physical assaults on the E wing, which contains a mix of space that is inspected and certified by the federal government and areas that were removed from federal oversight in 2013. The wing was prone to violence because it contained developmentally disabled patients as well as patients held in isolation in the the Intensive Treatment Unit. At a hearing on an unrelated lawsuit last year, state doctors said two patients in the Intensive Treatment Unit were among the most dangerous people in Montana. The report says some of the patients with developmental disabilities came to Warm Springs after the closure of another state-run facility, possibly the Montana Developmental Center in Boulder. Jon Ebelt, a spokesman for the health department, said he couldn't confirm where patients were from because of privacy issues. The patients viewed as dangerous were allowed to mix with vulnerable ones, often in the wing's day room, because the hospital didnt have enough staff to cover both units separately. One employee told surveyors the Intensive Treatment Unit lacked its own dedicated staff and that E unit staff was responsible for them. Supervision of the Intensive Treatment Unit was seen as an extra load for the E unit staff, another employee told surveyors. Two staff members who are not identified in the report told surveyors Oh yeah the patients from the ITU can get aggressive with patients on the E unit. Another said patients had greater opportunity to assault and harass one another because of staffing shortages. The report shows at least four instances of patient abuse between October and January on E unit. All abuse was instigated by Intensive Treatment Unit patients. Assaults included a patient struck in the back of a head and another punched while standing at the nurse station. On a day surveyors visited in January, they found no psych techs, or hospital employees without specific medical training who work with patients, available for the supervision of five patients in the Intensive Treatment Unit and 21 patients on the E unit. Surveyors also documented shifts in which only one registered nurse was working instead of the recommended two and instances where even though there were enough psych techs on duty, they were assigned to one-on-one patient coverage, leaving a shortage for general patient observation. Other units of the hospital were also found to have staffing shortages. Facility response As a result of the January survey and to remove the immediate jeopardy, the hospital permanently shut down the Intensive Treatment Unit and moved all patients to another part of the hospital. Four patients were on the unit at the time, and they were moved to other areas of the hospital. The facility has observation rooms on each of the treatment units to monitor patients in isolation. The Intensive Treatment Unit was created in 2013, after years of federal surveyors documenting the state failing to meet requirements for the care of people held in isolation. The five-bed unit was decertified, meaning it was no longer subject to federal inspection, only reviews by the state. Also in their response to get re-certified, the hospital said it would increase staffing levels and have nurses services 24 hours a day, seven days a week with at least one registered nurse working at all times on each of the four certified units. Ebelt said Wednesday the hospital has hired two full-time registered nurses and eight traveling agency nurses and paid employees overtime as necessary to improve staffing levels. An additional 24 psych techs were hired in January. In a report dated Feb. 28, the hospital said it had hired one full-time registered nurse and 18 psych techs. Nine nurses from traveling nurse agencies came in February and the hospital has reached out to three agencies to ask for more. Ebelt said the hospital has 36 full-time registered nurses, two per diem nurses, 29 nurses from traveling agencies and 28 licensed practical nurses. A 2006 Board report shows the hospital had 42.75 full-time registered psychiatric nurses and 33 licensed practical nurses. The average daily census in 2016 was 245. The health department is also working to "identify new, creative ways to recruit and retain" employees and coordinating with the Department of Labor to "maximize new hiring possibilities." Facility safety The survey also shows the facility had many places where patients who were suicidal could have hanged or otherwise harmed themselves. Inspectors documented eight patients out of 38 sampled who either had past suicide attempts or talked of suicide and had access to places in the hospital where they were unsupervised and in danger. Shower knobs, hooks, faucets and door knobs could be used as anchor points for hanging, with fixtures extending far enough from the wall and high enough to hang from. Towels that could be used as ligatures were left on bathroom floors. Mirrors could be broken and used for patients to cut themselves. Bathroom doors locked from the inside. Patient room doors open inward, with door stops on the outside, but rooms at the end of each unit could not been seen from the control room. These types of problems were found on all certified units, including A, B and E. They were also found in Spratt building, the activities building, the recreation therapy area and chapel. One patient discussed in the report had recently attempted suicide in his bedroom. He had barricaded himself and his roommate alerted staff that he could not open the bedroom door. Once staff were able to enter the room they found the man lying on the floor with his belt next to him. It was believed he tried to hang himself from the bedroom door. The patient was considered a level green, meaning he was on hourly checks. On Jan. 16 an architect for a private firm, as well as division administrator Zoe Barnard, hospital CEO Jay Pottinger, maintenance manager Alan Glueckert, director of clinical operations Sherri Bell and Tracey Thun, chief financial officer and director of support services, toured the hospital and identified things that could be fixed immediately. A bathtub determined to be a hazard was shut down, and maintenance staff removed all mirrors in areas patients use. They also removed door stops, coat hooks and hangers in patient areas. Staff will now monitor, open and lock bathrooms as needed to reduce and remove risk to patients and make five-minute checks until door locks, shower heads, vents, mirrors, sinks, faucets and hooks are replaced. Patients in their rooms will be checked on every seven to 10 minutes until mirrors, door handles and door stops are removed or replaced. Because of the magnitude of other facility changes needed, the hospitals governing body decided to put the rest of the work out to bid. While that process plays out, the hospital will keep extra staff to monitor areas until they come into compliance. The hospital also had training from Jan. 17-20 in addition to ongoing training to educate staff about monitoring requirements on certified units and re-upped efforts on staff training generally on safety issues The safety officer will audit and monitor two certified units each week to measure compliance of the immediate actions the hospital promised to take. Kathmandu, Nepal: The Government of Japan has decided to extend financial assistance of US Dollars 81,948, equivalent to approximately Nepalese Rupees 8,752,000, to Rural Womens Development and Unity Centre (RUWDUC) under the Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects Scheme. RUWDUC, a Nepali NGO in Dadeldhura District, will work with Triveni Multiple Campus to implement the Project for the Construction of Girls Hostel of Triveni Multiple Campus in Dadeldhura District. A Grant Contract relating to this project is scheduled to be signed and exchanged at the Embassy of Japan to Nepal on 9th March, 2017, between Mr. Masashi OGAWA, Ambassador of Japan to Nepal, and Dr. Madhuri Rana Singh, President of Rural Womens Development and Unity Centre. This grant assistance will be used to implement the project in Parashuram Municipality in Dadeldhura District and aims to promote female students education by constructing a hostel near the Triveni Multiple Campus. Triveni Multiple Campus is a community based campus located about 85 km south-west of Dadeldhura Headquarter. Established in 2007, it has been the sole campus in the area. Currently, 221 students are enrolled. In the Far Western Region, cultural and economic obstacles to female higher education are prominent. RUWDUC, established in 1995, has been working mainly for the empowerment and uplifting of disadvantaged women, youth and children of the Far Western Development Region. Till now, RUWDUC has constructed 16 birthing centers, offered scholarship programs, and has a rehabilitation home in the area. The hostel, which will be constructed with Japanese funds, will be a two-story building and be able to accommodate 48 female students per year. It is expected that the number of female students will increase and the drop-out rate among girls will decreased. The Embassy of Japan in Nepal hopes the success of this project and it will benefit local female students who pursue higher education in this remote area. We also hope this project will enhance the cordial friendship between the peoples of Japan and Nepal. Guwahati, March 9 : Despite of amid protest by several organizations, Assam assembly on Thursday unanimously asked the government to complete the stalled 2000 MW Lower Subansiri Hydro power project soon. The house favoured for stalling the halted hydro power project for greater intest of development of the state after the issue raised by BJP legislator Debananda Hazarika. Assam assembly speaker Hitendra Nath Goswami said that, for the development in the state, the hydro power project should be completed soon. The speaker asked the government to talk to the people of the state and protesting groups to complete the project. "For greater public interest and development, it is necessary to complete the project soon. It is a good news that the all members of the house unanimously agreed to stall the halted project," the Assam assembly speaker said. On the other hand, Assam state power minister Pallab Lochan Das said that, the state government is interested to talk with the all sections of people and the protesting groups to move ahead the project. The state power minister further said that, around 56 percent works of the project constructed by National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) have been completed so far. "Following the agitation against the project, an expert committee was formed and the committee had already submitted its report. Apart from the committee report, NHPC has accepted the recommendations by the protesters to redesign the dam," the minister said. The Assam minister said that, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who also holds the power department will talk with the people of the state and other groups regarding the issue. The Lower Subansiri Hydro power project's construction works at Gerukamukh was halted since December, 2011, following massive protests against the project by All Assam Students Union (AASU), Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) and other several tribal organizations. Initially, the project cost was estimated Rs 6285 crore and later the Union government had raised it to Rs 11,000 crore. The Centre has rescheduled to complete the project by 2018. (Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath) Guwahati : The troops of Border Security Force deployed at Gujangpara, South West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya detected a tunnel near International Border in the area of Gujangpara. The bordering area flanking both the West Garo Hills and South West Garo Hills districts has become very sensitive due to increase of cattle smuggling recently. There has been huge seizures of cattle by the vigilant troops of Border Security force in this particular area. To keep effective check on the trans-border crimes, the BSF has plugged all the gaps and Hume pipes, culverts which were being utilized by the cattle smugglers buy placing iron grills and wire meshes. The intensity of the patrolling has also been increased by the BSF. The area between the International Boundary and Indo Bangladesh Border Fence (IBBF) also being regularly scanned by the Sentinels of Border. During the similar exercise the alert BSF troops detected the newly dug soil near the Indo - Bangladesh Border Fence (IBBF) which was due to digging a tunnel by some miscreants. On thorough search a newly dug tunnel was found on the hilly slope of the area. Ct Amit Kutre and Ct Puneet Kumar who were on duty identified the suspected place, thus foiled the attempt of Anti National Elements. The BSF is exploring to find out the possibilities of such attempt. Though, it appears to be the ill design of smugglers for smuggling of cattle but BSF enquiring the matter with other possibilities also. The detected tunnel was 3X2 in dimension with 20-25 ft depth with dead end. After analyzing the terrain it appears the miscreants needed to dig further 200 more mtrs to reach another end under the Indo-Bangladesh Border Fence (IBBF). Alert BSF troops once again foiled the attempt of miscreants which would have been disastrous if successful. P K Dubey, Inspector General Meghalaya has praised the good work done byh the BSF jawans at the border in detecting the tunnel. As the area is densely vegetated with bamboo growth and terrain is undulating, the visibility is not very clear ahead of the fence. (Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath) Guwahati: At least five persons including three women were injured in a blast in Manipur's capital city Imphal on Wednesday evening, backdrop of the second and final phase poll in the assembly poll in the north eastern Indian state. The blast occurred at around 5-30 pm inside of a medical store at Kashturi bridge Thangal Bazar mid of Imphal. Manipur police said that, at least five people including three women were injured in the blast triggered by suspected Naga militants. The injured persons had rushed to nearest hospital. Top police and army officials had rushed to the blast area and cordoned the capital city of the north eastern Indian state. The blast occurred few minutes after ended the second and final phase assembly poll in the state, which registered a record voter turnout over 86 percent till 5 pm. A total of 98 candidates were in fray for 22 assembly constituencies in the final phase poll spreading across the valley district of Thoubal and hill districts of Chandel, Tamenglong, Ukhrul and Senapati. Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh, Deputy CM M Gaikhangam, human rights activist Irom Chanu Sharmila were contested in the final phase poll. On the other hand, reports said that, miscreants had destroyed an EVM at 41/32 Khambathel booth in Chandel constituency. Local villagers have demanded re-poll at the polling booth. (Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath) Kathmandu, Nepal: Indian Embassy in Kathmandu has denied the accident of firing by SSB in Nepal India border in Kanchanpur district. Govinda Gautam, a local resident of Anandabazar of Kanchanpur succumbed to the bullet injuries fired by the SSB while receiving treatment at Dhangadhi on Thursday. But, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu has not elaborated about the accident except denying the involvement of SSB in the firing. "It is categorically denied that there was any incident of firing by SSB near the border at Aananda Bazaar, Kanchanpur," the Indian embassy in Kathmandu has tweeted. There is a need to maintain calm and let the survey officials of both sides discuss the location of border pillars before any construction work is undertaken. District Officials have been directed to cooperate to defuse the situation, the Indian embassy has stated in the tweet. Dhangadhi, Nepal: Tension run high at Dhangadhi of Kanchanpur district after a Nepali national died after being shot by Seema Surakshya Bal (SSB), Security force of India, on Thursday. According to the reports, the deceased has been identified as Govinda Gautam, a local of Ananda Market of Kanchanpur district. Severely injured breathed his last while undergoing treatment at CP Hospital located in Dhangadhi, Kailali. The SSB open gunshot while Nepali nationals were demonstrating peacefully against the obstruction of the Indian side to construct a culvert at Ananda Market area. SSB had obstructed the construction work while Nepali nationals were constructing the culvert on Wednesday. It is said that the SSB personnel opened fire to disperse the crowd gathered to protest the obstruction. It is said that Gautam received bullet injuries in his chest. Though he was immediately rushed to the CP Hospital of Dhangadhi, he breathed his last while undergoing treatment. KATHMANDU, March 9: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal today appealed to all to help organise the local level elections slated for May 14 successfully. Receiving the annual report presented by the National Information Commission (NIC) for the fiscal year 207273 amid a programme in the Capital, PM Dahal made this statement, referring to the 'plots' being devised to foil the polls and thus fail the enforcement of the new constitution. He also said the government has prioritised taking the country on the path to economic development by implementing the constitution and ending the existing political instability. "The polls are an important step to institutionalise achievements made so far. They are also the need of the hour for the country. So all must share the responsibility to hold them in a free and fair manner," he said. Also on the occasion, NIC Chief Commissioner Krishna Hari Baskota said of the total 678 complaints registered with the commission, 674 have been settled. Likewise, commissioners Yashodha Timilsina and Kiran Kumar Pokharel requested PM Dahal to take the report presented by the Commission to Parliament for deliberation. RSS CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli Kathmandu, Nepal: CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli has claimed that the Saptari incident of Monday was preplanned and motivated to disturb the scheduled local level elections. Speaking at a program organized by the partys Province No. 3 Organization Committee in Kathmandu on Thursday, former Prime Minister Oli also accused the government of trying not to hold the local elections in the scheduled date. During the function he also challenged the agitating United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) to present politically if it was a political organization and doing politics for the welfare of the people and the nation. The act of the government and the UDMF is suspicious, former Prime Minister Oli said asking a question that why the government and the UDMF have remained silent even after the Seema Suraksha Bal (SSB) of India killed a Nepali nationals in Kanchanpur today. During the function, UML Secretary Yogesh Bhattarai, party leader Lal Babu Pandit and Satya Narayan Yadav also spoke in the function. 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Potato cultivation can also be made possible Mars, says the scientists. In a 2015 science fiction movie named, The Martian, the tellers showed that potato cultivation could be made possible on Mars. On the basis of that, the scientists started to do some researches to find out if the tellers are accurate and to their significant notice, they have concluded that, potato cultivation can be made possible on Mars. In earth too, the potato can grow under diverse climatic condition. If you have watched the 2015 film The Martian, you may be familiar with the movies main character, astronaut Mark Watney, who was played by Matt Damon. While standing on Mars, the Watney character deduced that he would need three years worth of food on top of his existing food rations. As Slate described it, Watney was able to do potato cultivation on Mars. He was making use of potatoes from the storeroom and fertilising them with human waste. And while that was a work of fiction, the Inquisitr wrote late in 2015 that NASA was apparently inspired by The Martian, as it teamed up with Perus International Potato Centre to see if it is indeed possible that potatoes can survive on Mars if grown there. Based on these research studies, the scientists made a tuber which was set to a temperature of that of Mars. A CubeSat was introduced inside the tube. The temperature implantation was done by engineers from University of Engineering and technology(UTEC), Peru. The CubeSat houses a container which holds soil and the tuber. Inside this hermetically sealed environment, the CubeSat delivers nutrient-rich water. It is infused to control the temperature for Mars day and night conditions and mimics Mars air pressure, oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. Julio Valdivia-Silva from UTEC said, If the crops can tolerate the extreme conditions that we are exposing them to in our CubeSat, they have a good chance to grow on Mars. We will do several rounds of experiments to find out which potato varieties do best. Hence, we want to know what the minimum conditions are that a potato needs to survive, For the future of Mars missions, the scientists commented that these would necessitate the preparation of loosely-packed soil that is rich in nutrients. It could allow the tubers to get the right amount of air and water. The scientists have also noted that one of the best-performing potato plants in the CIP experiments was an extremely salt-tolerant variety. This type of salty soil was originally designed to thrive in Bangladeshs salty coastal soils. Though positive results are so far seen in the research, scientists are of the opinion that, further procedures and confirmation to grow potatoes on Mars can only be given after experimenting the same on the soils of Red planet. However, Live streaming cameras were installed into the tubers. after few days, sprouts were observed growing out of the soil. The scientists now have positive thoughts about growing potato cultivation on Mars in near future. While Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Smoczynska's killer mermaid musical The Lure may be getting all the press, there was another film from Eastern Europe quietly racking up award after award and stunning festival audiences last year. Tomas Weinreb and Petr Kazda's I, Olga Hepnarova is the true story of the last woman executed in Czechoslovakia, a mass murderer responsible for the deaths of eight people in 1973. The film tells the story of her youth, up to and including her well-planned spree and the resulting trial and conviction in stark black and white. Kurt Halfyard saw the film at Montreal's Fantasia last year and had this to say about it's effect on him. Despite coming right out and having the lead character state her thesis on bullying, the word rendered in German, prugelknabe, is used in the films monologue, the most words Olga ever speaks in the picture, and it is interesting because it means both 'whipping boy' and 'beaten ones'. The experience of the film may be dire, but sometimes we need to be the prugelknabe of a film, if only that a film or piece of art teaches us simply what NOT to do. There are no answers in life, only choices. It is quite the harrowing experience, and the directors do not lighten the mood at all, however, the film does make a long lasting impact, for better or worse. It is worth nothing that Michalina Olszanska who played half of the mermaid sister duo in The Lure takes the lead in I, Olga Hepnarova and her performance is mesmerizing and bold, even as she absolutely oozes a combination of nihilism and malice from every pore of her body. Check out the trailer below, but be aware that you may catch a stray nipple, rendering this one NSFW Kurt Halfyard contributed to this story. French critic-turned-filmmaker Olivier Assayas has always had a knack for combining verite, day-to-day life with stylish genre elements. His previous film, The Clouds of Sils Maria, coaxed a assured performance out of Kristen Stewart as a confident personal assistant to a French movie star; to the point where she almost overshadowed the glamourous lead of the film, Juliette Binoche. Assayas collaborates once again with the young star in Personal Shopper - again in the employ of a famous actress - but here, he places her in practically in every shot. Mixing the abstract with the mundane, Stewart plays Maureen, a budding amateur medium who tries to commune with her recently deceased twin brother. The movie starts almost like a Kurosawa Kiyoshi film, with Maureen attempting to make contact with the beyond by spending the night in a dark old French country manor. Her day-job involves buying insanely expensive clothing and jewelry for a wealthy young movie star. It is clear that Maureen hates this job, she confesses this outright to her employer's sleazy boyfriend, but it pays the bills while she tackles her unfinished spiritual business. Not content with just restless spirits and luxury goods, Assayas also drops in an anonymous sexual stalker and murder-mystery to boot. And yet, Maureen spends nearly the entire film alone, in shops, on her scooter, or on the train between England and France. Her boyfriend is in Morocco and occasional talks to her via skype. Her boss is always in one city or another, for a film shoot or a fashion show, and communicates with Maureen via notes left in her upscale Paris apartment. And the stalker sends copious amounts of anonymous text messages. I mean a LOT of text messages. For a film that has its lead spend a good chunk of its runtime glancing down at her phone, one would think it might get boring, but it not so. Assayas alternates between satirically observing the transactions around five-thousand dollar dresses and handbags in upscale boutiques and the sexual charge and danger from this texting while perhaps being watched. Look for an impressively effective suspense-gag around receiving a string of SMS messages after being coming out of 'Airplane Mode.' All of the busy goings on plot-wise point to a 21st century need to disconnect with a world of endless distraction and do a little bit of collective soul searching. While this idea is not a particularly new one, the way it is approached here certainly is. Personal Shopper at times brushes with unconventionality of an Apichatpong Weerasethakul film, but then it swiftly browses through modes like its lead character, trying on this and that whether it has permission or not. The resulting je ne sais quoi is less a liability than a feature, with Stewart's frantic-in-slow-motion performance augmenting the odd story. The ghost is present in the film, quite manifest in fact, but is also perhaps imagined by her as well. How can she often fail to see her own hallucinations is the unorthodox question at the centre of the film. The answer is surprisingly simple, but profound nonetheless. Review originally published during the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2016. The film opens in select U.S. theaters on Friday, March 10, via IFC Films. It's hard to maintain one's identity when university begins; or perhaps more to the point, find your identity under enormous pressure to do well in school, adapt to life without constant parental supervision, not to mentions the pressures of the first sexual encounters. In her first feature film, writer and directer Julia Ducournau tears down to the bone, the messiness of young adulthood, in a film that owes as much to the exploration of female sexuality in the films of Catherine Breillat, as it does to the earlier body horror films of David Cronenberg. Raw is made by someone who understands deeply the audacity and vulnerability of youth, and finds its expression with such viscerality and raw (pun not intended) power. Justine (Garance Marillier), a smart, tomboyish girl, joins her sister Alexia (Ella Rumpf) at veterinary school, in the footsteps of their parents. The family are also strict vegetarians; but during a freshman hazing ritual, Justine is forced to eat raw meat. Suddenly, she's got a rash and some cravings that go beyond what you might find at the butcher shop, and Alexia is hiding something that hints at a disturbing family secret. Marillier is mesmerizing as Justine, a girl who (at first) fully embraces both her future as a vet, and her identity as a vegetarian. She is not shy, but has no desire for any conformity, prefering the comfort of her own skin. In opposition, Alexia (an equally great performance by Rumpf), is the wild sister, who lacks Justine's natural intelligence, and so makes up for it in wild abandon. Justine's initial reluctance to participate in the hazing rituals is squashed by Alexia, who knows that eventually, Justine will discover her true nature, and it's Alexia's job to teach her how to live with it (or even enjoy it). They are at odds in personality, but bonded by their shared family heritage, and that bond leads to both affection and blows. It is rare that such a strong authorial voice is found in a first feature, but Ducournau goes in head first, taking a harsh look at how society treats the young, how it treats young women, and how young women treat themselves. The hazing rituals are conducted by both men and women of the senior classes, and yet evoke the most terrifying stories of such events perpetrated by male collegiates, including bodily humiliation, drug use, sex, all of which will be ready for audiovisual consumption in the age of phone cameras and easy internet access. Everyone is complicit. In her navigation of this world, and her strange cravings which are almost unstoppable, Justine finds herself not only at odds with her own moral code, but her lack of experience leaves her ill-equiped to fight off control of her own body from those forces and people that seek to put her in her place. And the realization of these cravings is something to behold. Horror film fans might think themselves (as I have) desensitized to violence and gore. But the effects team have done such as remarkable job, with torn flesh, bites, and blood, that I frequently found myself shielding my eyes; if only I could have shielded my ears as well, as the sounds effects team deserves equal credit. Duournau has set up an aesthetic of European low-budget art-house film, a sense of verisimilitude, to further drive home the allegory, and this extends to the effects and sound, with a score by Jim Williams that evokes both the generic French countryside, and the ongoing discord of Justine's mental and emotional state. Certainly, coming-of-age films that use genre semantics are not uncommon, but Raw takes this to another level, in fact questioning the use of the semantic while finding its central power and horror. As an allegory of the discovery of identity, shifting sexuality, the sexual power of women, and the first steps into adulthood, it's a unique and rare film, that will hopefully (and deservedly) find an audience beyond genre film fans. Review originally published during the Cannes Film Festival in May 2016. The film opens in select U.S. theaters on Friday, March 10, via Focus World. It's a big SXSW for Mark Webber. Aside from world premiering his new directorial outing Flesh and Blood, he also stars in Jessica Kaye and Laura E. Davis's Inheritance. We're very excited for the flick and are happy to share an exclusive clip here. A few words from the filmmakers: INHERITANCE chronicles one woman's efforts to reconcile her past with her present. As she returns to her childhood home in Belize, Mara is faced with the death of her estranged father, the ire and instability of her brother, and her increasingly frayed relationship with her new lover. Here it is: Seguin, TX (78155) Today Cloudy this evening with thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 71F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Cloudy this evening with thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 71F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Texas executes paid hit-man ... after Justice Breyer dissents from SCOTUS refusing to consider extended solitary death row stay | Main | Group of Senators revive idea of a National Criminal Justice Commission March 8, 2017 AG Sesssions issue memo directing US Attorneys focus on "drivers of violent crime" ... and indicating change to Holder's charging memos forthcoming As reported via this official DOJ Press release, "Attorney General Jeff Sessions today directed federal prosecutors nationwide to engage in a focused effort to investigate, prosecute and deter the most violent offenders." Here is more from the release: This builds on the announcement last week of the creation of the U.S. Department of Justice Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety, which is central to the Attorney Generals commitment to combatting illegal immigration and violent crime, such as drug trafficking, gang violence and gun crimes, and to restoring public safety to all of the nations communities. Turning back our nations recent rise in violent crime is a top priority for the Department of Justice, and it requires decisive action from our federal prosecutors, said Attorney General Sessions. Im urging each of them to continue working closely with their counterparts at all levels, and to use every tool we have to put violent offenders behind bars and keep our citizens safe. In a memo to federal prosecutors in the departments 94 United States Attorneys Offices, the Attorney General made clear that prosecuting violent criminals is a high priority and prosecutors should work closely with their federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners to target the most violent offenders in each district. Working together, law enforcement at every level should determine which venue federal or state would best get those identified immediately off our streets and punished appropriately for their crimes. The memo states when federal prosecution is determined appropriate, federal prosecutors should ensure the individuals driving violent crime in their district are prosecuted using the tools at their disposal, which may include firearms offenses, including possession and straw purchasing offenses; possession of a firearm during and in relation to a violent crime or drug trafficking offense; Hobbs Act robbery; carjacking; violent crime in aid of racketeering; Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act; and drug offenses under the Controlled Substances Act, among others. The memo is available at this link, and hard-core federal sentencing fans might be most intrigued by a line that appears at the end of the memo which states that "an updated memorandum for charging in all criminal cases will be forthcoming." That line suggests to me that pretty soon we will be seeing a formal new "Sessions Memo" that seeks to remove some of the "play in the joints" that former AG Eric Holder introduced through prior charging memorandum issued back in 2010 and 2013. March 8, 2017 at 06:31 PM | Permalink Comments Will he up the Federal Ante on the Amish Beard Cutting gang?? We should leave no Federal Prosecution behind. Posted by: beth | Mar 8, 2017 7:43:12 PM Is bastardy included in the directive? Will Sessions demand that all federal policies driving the explosion of bastardy in blacks, and now in whites, be reviewed and reversed? The War on Poverty destroyed the black patriarchal family, and a 5 fold victimization to violent crime visited the black community. Bastardy is at 70% plus among blacks. It shot up to 40% among whites in the 2010 Census. This is a major lawyer made catastrophe for our nation. White bastardy rates catch up to black bastardy rates, we are truly fucked. Only the intact families of immigrants will remain. Posted by: David Behar | Mar 8, 2017 8:20:38 PM Yay, more expansion of federal jurisdiction into local law enforcement matters. Posted by: Erik M | Mar 8, 2017 9:39:47 PM Since under current law essentially all robberies affect interstate commerce, we could be seeing essentially all robberies charged under the Hobbs Act in federal court... Posted by: Anon | Mar 8, 2017 9:51:39 PM The memo begins with the sentence "It is the policy of the Department of Justice to reduce crime in America..." Phew, that's a relief! Posted by: Virginia from Virginia | Mar 9, 2017 12:06:48 AM The negative sentiments repeatedly expressed here about how little the Obama Administration did to advance criminal justice makes me wonder how much this will matter. OTOH, I did think that sentiment was probably overblown some. Posted by: Joe | Mar 9, 2017 10:17:42 AM I think Virginia from Virginia was being sarcastic. Could the policy of any Justice Department be to increase crime? Posted by: anon | Mar 9, 2017 1:36:36 PM "Could the policy of any Justice Department be to increase crime?" Can be unintentionally, surely, but intentionally? In small doses, possibly, especially if it involves looking the other way when the police break the law. It can also make it a policy to downplay enforcement of some crimes to focus on others, let's say marijuana down/other enforcement up, which might in a way "increase crime" intentionally. That is a sort of play on words though. Posted by: Joe | Mar 9, 2017 2:09:16 PM It is the unspoken, but immutable policy to maintain crime rates because they generate government jobs. Destroy the black family. Make their crime rates go from 5 or 10% higher than those of whites to 500% higher. Why? To generate worthless, government make work jobs. Posted by: David Behar | Mar 10, 2017 8:35:45 AM I see that once again drug "trafficking" by itself is once again automatically classified a "violent crime" so your neighborhood pot selling teen or a heroin addict selling a few pills will be not only a felon but a VIOLENT felon...great for fake crime statistics that will flood Federal prisons again with minor dealers and their WIVES and GIRLFRIENDS accused of "conspiracy"...now of a "violent" crime even if no one was shot or threatened or even if no one possessed a gun. We will go back to the Feds prosecuting small cases that truly should be State cases, just to "give a good example". Back in the late 1980's the Feds had what was called "Federal Wednesday"...or might have been Thursday, when all the junkies and street dealers caught that day by NYPD became Federal cases subject to Federal Mandatory Minimums, etc. So THAT's what I suspect we'll be returning to. Shit...if I had had money to invest a month before the election, I would have invested in private prison stock.. CoreCivic must be laughing all the way to the bank Posted by: Patricia Williams | Mar 18, 2017 11:11:11 AM Post a comment On 11 September, 19 Islamist aero-Pirates (15 of them Saudi) hijacked 4 planes containing 266 passengers. All of them were killed like 2823 on the twin towers and 125 at the Pentagon. There are more civilians killed by Anglo-American bombs in Afghanistan than by all the attacks made by Al Qaeda in the West. It is estimated that 25% of the bombs that fell on Afghanistan did not blank planned and that another 10% may have been transformed into mine. The twin towers became the tallest building in the world and symbol of the economic strength of the United Nations headquarters city and the Wall Street stock exchange. This was like a city where every day 50,000 people working and visited an average of 140,000. The losses in property and insurance in such an attack exceed $ 21 billion. The losses to the insurance companies can rise to 50 billion dollars. After the attack macro, it is estimated that 100,000 jobs were lost in the lower Manhattan area, first following 5 237.000 months in the North American travel industry, and that by the end of 2002 will come to the 1.8 million jobs lost in the United States. 26 days after September 11, Afghanistan was attacked by the largest war coalition of history. More than one billion dollars a month in military expenditures and 22,000 pumps were deployed by the U.S. in the first six months of the Afghan conflict. Afghan exports amounted to 70-80 million per year. USA, instead exported in the year 2000 $776 billion. THE average annual income of an Afghan was $80 per month, while that of an American was monthly 36.200. Before the bombing of Afghanistan had 24.6 kilometers of railways and 2,793 kilometers of paved roads. In the U.S. There are 225.750 kilometers of railways and 5.733.028 kilometers of asphalt roads. Had 1 provider of internet, 29,000 phones, 100,000 units of TV and 167,000 radios in Afghanistan before September 11. The war against Afghanistan was given to give with leaders accused of organizing the slaughter of September 11. However, Mullah Omar and Bin Laden remain free. It is thought that 25,000 Islamist fighters from some 70 countries were trained in Afghanistan by Al-Qaeda. Some 3 to 10 thousand fighters constituted the central nucleus. The bulk of them has managed to evade capture or has left Afghanistan. Most of the Afghan population survives in misery and in the middle of a country destroyed by 25 years of war and by having been bombed by the great powers. Billionaire restaurateur turned reality TV host Tilman Fertitta, the man behind chains like Rainforest Cafe and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., just gave some of his own quotes to CNBC regarding changes to healthcare mandates and President Trump, saying, "Why should the city of San Francisco be able to do absolutely whatever they want to do?" Fertitta doesn't think the restaurant industry should have to pay for its employees' health insurance, and he's not afraid to complain to a national news outlet about SF's liberal ways. Fertitta, who's now hosting the second season of the CNBC show Billion Dollar Buyer, made his fortune buying up struggling restaurants after growing up peeling shrimp in his father's seafood restaurant in Galveston. He's now CEO and 100 percent owner of Landry's, the restaurant group based in Houston that has also purchased chains like McCormick & Schmick's, and here in SF, McCormick & Kuleto's Seafood Restaurant. After November's election, and amidst the current debates about the GOP's healthcare plan, he's eager to voice his distaste for San Francisco's healthcare law, given how it's affected the multiple bottom lines of his SF restaurants though the healthcare surcharge, which he still keeps as a separate bill item, probably isn't discouraging tourists from eating at his tourist-focused restaurants. And neither is mediocre food. As he told Forbes a couple years back, it's not really about the food. ""You can put the greatest seafood restaurant next to an average steak house in an urban area, and that steak house will do more business than the seafood place. If you go to the water, you can put an average seafood place next to the greatest steak house, and people are going to eat seafood." But it seems like Fertitta may may be behind the times when it comes to the discussions that many restaurateurs have had here about whether or not to keep grumpily pointing out the Healthy SF surcharge something they began doing when the law took effect nearly a decade ago, and which many of said they should stop doing and just roll the costs into their prices as of about seven years ago. "Do you realize, all the restaurants in San Francisco, we all have an added charge?" says Fertitta to CNBC. "We have a 3% or 4% or 5% add-on to the menu because they make us give all our employees full healthcare. We can't afford to do it." All restaurants definitely do not put that added charge on their bills anymore, and the city never required that. And while different corners of the restaurant industry here may be struggling with their margins, the industry has managed not to collapse in the decade since they began having to provide health benefits. As the Business Times notes, Fertitta is hoping the president appoints "the right people to the National Labor Relations Board," though he acknowledges that they can't change mandates made by individual cities and states. Campos out! After two terms as District 9 Supervisor and a successful hand-off to his former aide Hillary Ronen who was elected to replace him in November, David Campos is looking south for his next gig, to sunny Santa Clara County. Bay City News had word that Campos was appointed by county executive Jeffrey Smith to the position of deputy county executive, effective Monday. "I decided a long time ago that I loved public service, that I wanted to continue to work in government," Campos told SFist, adding that according to local conflict law, he's unable to work in San Francisco government for at least a year. As such, he cast a wider geographic net for his next role. After serving for San Francisco on the MTC, the nine-county regional transportation agency, "You learn to think not just about San Francisco the city, but about our region," Campos said. "That role made it easier for me to think about this one." Before he was elected Supervisor in 2008 and reelected in 2012, Campos served from 2005 to 2008 on the San Francisco Police Commission, and from 2004 to 2007 he worked as general counsel for the SF Unified School district. He ran for state assembly in 2014, but lost that race to his Board of Supervisors colleague David Chiu. A staunch progressive with a focus on housing and an adversarial approach to City Hall's power-wielding moderates, Campos proposed the creation of a Public Advocate oversight position modeled on the same roles in NYC and other municipal governments. A ballot measure to create the Public Advocate position, a role it was easy to imagine Campos hoped to occupy, was defeated in November. Finally, Campos emphasizes he won't be decamping to Santa Clara: "I'm committed to San Francisco in that I'm going to continue to live here, but I think there's a lot to be learned from Santa Clara County. Especially in San Francisco City Hall, you think you know everything, and that no one does it better than you. [But] this is a county that's been really well run that can probably teach us a thing or two." All SFist coverage of David Campos Spring is a ways off, but you can conjure it with the flavors of baby artichokes and fresh lemon in this quick pasta dish. Likewise, fresh flavors of citrus, pears, apricot and other stone fruit in these crisp white wines complement the dish and make us think of warmer days. MAKE THIS PASTA SHELLS WITH ARTICHOKES Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat; add 1 clove garlic, chopped. Cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add 1 pound frozen baby artichokes, thawed, and 1/2 cup dry white wine. Season with salt. Cook to reduce wine slightly and heat artichokes through, 5 minutes or so. Stir in 2 to 4 tablespoons cream; cook to thicken slightly, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley; 1/2 cup pitted green olives, coarsely chopped; and finely grated zest of 1 lemon. Toss with 1 pound cooked medium pasta shells and 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese. Makes: 4 servings Recipe by Joe Gray DRINK THIS Pairings by sommelier Aaron McManus of Oriole, as told to Michael Austin: 2013 Jean-Marc Brocard Vau de Vey Premier Cru Chablis, Burgundy, France: This crisp chardonnay smells of golden apples, fresh white flowers, lemons and almonds, plus notes of wet stony minerality. The palate has a mouthwatering freshness to it, with flavors of citrus, pears and a hint of mushrooms. The citrus flavors in the wine will complement the lemon in the pasta while the wines slight nuttiness will pair nicely with the cheese. 2014 Domaine Vacheron Les Romains Sancerre, Loire Valley, France: This sauvignon blanc from the Loire Valley offers aromas of limes and grapefruit, green apple, white flowers, tarragon, green pepper and chalk. Also, a touch of stone fruit comes through on the light and refreshing palate. The green flavors in the wine will complement the green olives and artichokes, and the wines herbal qualities will match well with the parsley. Ca del Bosco Cuvee Prestige Franciacorta, Lombardy, Italy: This sparkling wine is a blend of 75 percent chardonnay, 15 percent pinot nero and 10 percent pinot bianco, which produce aromas of toast, nuts, candied citrus peels, baked apple, lemon curd and apricot. The wine has a creamy quality that will complement the Romano cheese. Plus, its effervescence will help cut through the richness of the cream. NORTH SIOUX CITY -- For some time, Brenna Wilcox had her suspicions that all was not well at the Alorica call center in North Sioux City. Wilcox started working as a customer service representative at the North Sioux City call center in December. She was one of 13 people in her training class. By the next month, she noticed the number of new hires in the training sessions had sharply dwindled. "The next three classes after that starting in January only had three people in each class," she said. On Wednesday, the Irvine, California-based provider of outsourced services notified Wilcox and about 260 other employees the center would close by May 28. The firm complied with the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, Act, which requires employers with more than 100 employees to provide at least 60 days' notice of a workplace closing or mass layoff. Wilcox said she wasnt in the office when Alorica employees found out the bad news, but was notified by one of her managers over the phone. She has been in touch with many of her close co-workers and said that all of them herself included have started looking for new jobs. They want to try and get an application into other employers before they get flooded with applications, she said. I know a woman who left her shift early simply to start applying for other jobs. I know I have already applied for other jobs. In a statement, Alorica explained its motive for shuttering its offices in a former Gateway building in North Sioux City, where the company had operated for more than 10 years. "While it was a difficult decision, were transferring these positions to other U.S.-based Alorica offices where employees serve the same client," the company said in the statement. "By bringing more people together who work for the same client, team members will benefit from greater engagement with each other during training and will collaborate and share best practices with each other more frequently." Just a few weeks ago, Wilcox said the company started offering workers voluntary time off. They were given the option to either leave their shift early or not come in for their shift at all for no pay, something she said had never seen happen before for people working on the same account as hers. This started happening almost every day and a substantial amount of employees were going home/staying home every time they offered this, Wilcox said. So that was a red flag for everyone on the Bank of America contract anyways that something wasn't right. The thing for me and my close co-workers on the Bank of America contract is we did not see the whole site shutting down. That, I don't think, crossed anyone's minds. It certainly didn't cross mine. Last Friday, the company held an Employee Appreciation Day celebration where it handed staffers packages of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups with a card attached that read "Have we told you REESEntly how much we appreciate you?!" Most of the workers handled customer service calls for customers that over the years included AT&T, Bank of America and other Fortune 500 firms. Alorica, which leased space in the black-and-white spotted Argentina building on the former Gateway campus, was once the largest employer in North Sioux City, with as many as 1,000 workers as recently as three years ago. A company spokesperson confirmed that Alorica employed 260 people at the time of this week's announcement. Paige Petersen, economic development director of North Sioux City, commented on the blow to the community. "Alorica has been a major employer for North Sioux City and South Dakota, and we would like to thank them for their time spent here," she said in a statement. "This will be a significant loss for our area, and, while we regret their decision, we will turn our focus to the needs of the employees and their families. "The community of North Sioux City will work with local, state and federal partners to ensure that every resource is made available to assist those affected by this layoff," she said. Alorica said the displaced workers could transfer to another company site. The business, whose clients include communications, financial services, healthcare, retail and tech companies, has more more than 100,000 employees in 150 locations across 16 countries around the globe. In February, Alorica announced plans to add 600 jobs at a center in North Carolina. In response to Alorica's North Sioux City center closing, Mass Markets said it would hire 100 new inside sales agents and account managers at its Dakota Dunes call center. If our facility was larger, we possibly could have done a bit more to help," Mass Markets CEO Anthony Marlowe said in a statement. "We are happy to grow some of our campaigns that have the highest commission opportunities for sales professionals the area has seen in a long time," he added. Mass Markets employs 137 people 120 of which are full-time in the Dunes and plans to increase that number to 250 by June 1, Marlowe said. The company, previously known as TMone, operates in the River View Corporate Centre at 870 Cottonwood Lane. SIOUX CITY | Sioux City is working to fix a months-old sinkhole currently cordoned off in a park area on Sioux City's north side. City utilities director Mark Simms said the city is working with an engineering company to remedy a several-foot-deep sinkhole in a park area in the 800 block of 38th Street, which has been developing for a few months. Simms said the sinkhole formed an aging storm sewer that collapsed in the area. Simms said staff has been monitoring barricades around the sinkhole and re-secured them on Wednesday, with added signage. He said the city anticipates it will hire a contractor in the spring to fix it. SIOUX CITY | Woodbury County has about 300 bridges spanning creeks, rivers and other places, and recent moves to keep them in better condition are paying off, county officials say. The number of deficient bridges in the county has dropped from 126 in 2006 to 71 currently, county Engineer Mark Nahra said. "We are gradually whittling those down," Nahra told the county board of supervisors Tuesday. The board in 2013 held a series of meetings to see if rural residents would be willing to additional extra property taxes to fix 14 aging bridges more quickly than otherwise would have occurred. Hearing a positive response, in March 2013 the supervisors increased the Rural Basic Fund tax levy for five years. Only rural property owners pay the tax, which resulted in $6.5 million for additional repairs over that period. Nahra spoke as the supervisors approved the annual contract to have a firm inspect bridges. The federal government requires most bridges to be inspected every two years, but those in the poorest condition must be reviewed annually. The supervisors again hired West Des Moines-based Calhoun-Burns to perform the inspections in 2017. Calhoun-Burns will be paid $166 per bridge for inspections of 136 bridges. The firm inspected 169 Woodbury County bridges last year. In other business Tuesday, board chairman Matthew Ung announced the fiscal year 2017-18 budget adoption will be pushed back two weeks beyond the normal state deadline of March 15. The supervisors, during the months of January and February in numerous meetings, worked out key details toward setting the budget of about $53 million. Iowa counties must hold a final public hearing before officially adopting their budgets. The hearing had been scheduled for March 14, but state law requires the public be notified 10 to 20 days ahead of time in legal notices published in official newspapers designated by the county. The legal notice was published in time in two other county newspapers. The Journal published the legal notice on March 6, which was two days short of the minimum 10 days. Ung said the budget hearing delay was "because of situations outside our control." He said the delay was unfortunate, and county finance director Dennis Butler has been in contact with state officials to get approval to delay the budget adoption to March 30, via the March 28 board meeting. "Every year there are one or two counties that have this issue," Ung said. SOUTH SIOUX CITY | No one was injured in the fire that severely burned a small home in South Sioux City Wednesday night. Assistant Fire Chief Kody Keefer said the department received a report before 9 p.m. of smoke coming from the house in the 500 block of Fourth Avenue. Firefighters that first entered the home encountered "heavy smoke and heavy fire" in the front of the building, he said. "The small footprint (of the house) led us to believe there could be somebody trapped inside. Our guys made a good push in and got it knocked down to the best of their ability," Keefer said. "We did a search of the building and it was determined no one was in there." The department said Thursday evening that the cause of the fire is still being investigated. The Dakota City Fire Department assisted with the incident. SIOUX CITY | A Sioux City woman has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for using an ex-roommate's identification to make thousands of dollars in purchases and cash advances. Melissa Keene, 48, of Sioux City, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Woodbury County District Court to first-degree theft. Charges of forgery, identity theft and possession of a controlled substance were dismissed as part of a plea agreement. Keene and her boyfriend, Ryan Reedy, 46, of Sioux City, stole personal information from an ex-roommate and from Nov. 10 through Jan. 10 used it to order packages online and ship them to their address under the victim's name. They also completed online advances on the victim's bank account. District Judge Jeffrey Neary also ordered Keene to pay $14,361 in restitution jointly with Reedy, who pleaded guilty in February to first-degree theft with a habitual offender enhancement and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. We understand the essential need for repair of local streets and bridges, but at the same time we sympathize with private businesses negatively impacted by such projects. When an infrastructure project unavoidably affects private businesses, we believe the city is obligated to communicate with owners of those businesses and at least consider reasonable steps aimed at minimizing the damage to bottom lines. In other words, it shouldn't ignore private concerns. In our view, this obligation should apply to planned repair work on the Military Road bridge across the Big Sioux River and reconstruction of Military Road. On Monday, private business owners and employees from both sides of the bridge - in Sioux City and North Sioux City, S.D. - told city officials and a city consultant closing the bridge for five months (one option under consideration) would be devastating to them. "I get business from North Sioux, North Sioux gets business from me, and if you close us down we are all going to die - done - we'll have to find another job," said Perry Antonopoulos, owner of Harvey's, a restaurant at 5307 Military Road. No solution to the dilemma posed by the need for this bridge and road work is perfect because businesses will be affected one way or another, but a 10-month option on the table in which one side of the bridge would remain open while the other side would undergo work strikes us as a potential compromise acceptable to both sides. We do not wish to see either Sioux City businesses or North Sioux City businesses connected to Sioux City by Military Road close as a result of this work. Even though affected North Sioux City businesses are located in another city and state, consideration within Sioux City government of their concerns speaks to the spirit of tri-state cooperation that is a hallmark of this metro region. Even though the 10-month option for this project would increase cost of construction from $2.6 million for the five-month plan to $3.1 million, we believe it's at least worth strong consideration by the City Council. We want to know what you think about the movies. You can Tweet us your reviews @scweekender or share them on Facebook, facebook.com/siouxcityweekender. We'll pick the best comments on Monday before the next Weekender. Here are this week's movies: Logan Starring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart Story: Logan, old and weary, hides from the world alongside Professor X, but plans go awry when a young mutant enters their lives. Rated: R for strong brutal violence and language throughout, and for brief nudity Verdict: Your movie review could go here. Tweet us @scweekender The Shack Starring: Sam Worthington, Octavia Spencer Story: A grieving man is given a mysterious invitation to meet with God at a place called "The Shack." Rated: PG-13 for thematic material including some violence Verdict: Your movie review could go here. Tweet us @scweekender Get Out Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams Story: An African-American man visits his Caucasian girlfriend's family and discovers that other black men has disappeared around the neighborhood. Rated: R for violence, bloody images, and language including sexual references Verdict: Your movie review could go here. Tweet us @scweekender Collide Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Felicity Jones Story: A backpacker gets involved with drug smugglers working as their driver and winds up on the run from them. Rated: PG-13 for violence, frenetic action, some sexuality, language, and drug material Verdict: Your movie review could go here. Tweet us @scweekender Rock Dog Starring: A friggin' dog Story: That friggin' dog wants to chase his dream of becoming a musician, which sets into motion unexpected events. Rated: PG for action and language Verdict: Your movie review could go here. Tweet us @scweekender A Cure for Wellness Starring: Dane DeHaan, Jason Isaacs Story: A young executive must retrieve his company's CEO from a mysterious wellness center with suspicious treatments and methods. Rated: R for disturbing violent content and images, sexual content including an assault, graphic nudity, and language Verdict: Your movie review could go here. Tweet us @scweekender The Great Wall Starring: Matt Damon and CGI Story: Mercenaries from Europe become entangled in the defense of the Great Wall of Chine against monsters. Rated: PG-13 for sequences of fantasy action violence Verdict: Your movie review could go here. Tweet us @scweekender Fist Fight Starring: Ice Cube and Charlie Day Story: A teacher gets another teacher fired. The first teacher challenges the second teacher to a fight after school. Rated: R for language throughout, sexual content/nudity and drug material Verdict: Your movie review could go here. Tweet us @scweekender The LEGO Batman Movie Starring: LEGO Batman, LEGO Joker Story: Bruce Wayne juggles the responsibility of raising a boy he adopted and defeating criminals in Gotham City as Batman. Rated: PG for rude humor and some action Verdict: Your movie review could go here. Tweet us @scweekender John Wick: Chapter 2 Starring: Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane Story: John Wick discovers there's a large bounty on his head after returning to the criminal underworld to pay a debt. Rated: R for strong violence throughout, some language and brief nudity Verdict: Your movie review could go here. Tweet us @scweekender Motion 103 e-411 e-411 Samer Majzoub, President of the Canadian Muslim Forum ( ) and sponsored by Liberal MP Frank Baylis ( PierrefondsDollard, Quebec), Petition e-411 reads among other things the following: Recently an infinitesimally small number of extremist individuals have conducted terrorist activities while claiming to speak for the religion of Islam . Their actions have been used as a pretext for a notable rise of anti-Muslim sentiments in Canada; and These violent individuals do not reflect in any way the values or the teachings of the religion of Islam . In fact, they misrepresent the religion. We categorically reject all their activities. They in no way represent the religion, the beliefs and the desire of Muslims to co-exist in peace with all peoples of the world. We, the undersigned, Citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the House of Commons to join us in recognizing that extremist individuals do not represent the religion of Islam , and in condemning all forms of Islamophobia. Mullah Muhammad Omar used to teach Islam in an Islamic Institute (Dar-ul-Aloom) in Afghanistan and later in Pakistan. Mullah Burhanuddin Rabbani used to teach Sharia (Islamic law) at the University of Kabul. Mullah Muhammad Omar and his soldiers killed thousands of innocent Afghani civilians Muslims while Mullah Burhanuddin Rabbani and his soldiers also killed thousands of civilians Afghani Muslims. Most of the world knows the atrocities and genocide created by both so-called Muslim scholars in order to please Allah (in their opinion). Burhanuddin Rabbani has recently given orders to his forces to kill any Arab or Pakistani if they find them I am not sure how long Muslims of this world will suffer from the hands of these so-called scholars of Islam. For more than ten years Muslims in Pakistan are getting slaughtered by these fanatics. Muslims are getting killed by Muslims while praying inside the mosques. Mosque (Masjid), in Islam is a sanctuary for Muslims and Muslims themselves have disgraced the sanctity of the mosque Last year, I visited my home country, Pakistan. I was in Karachi on a Friday afternoon in a lower middle class neighborhood area. I walked not more than a kilometer in the area and I saw graffiti in Urdu language on one wall saying, Shia Kafir and their punishment is death. I went few steps and I saw on another wall Brelvi Kafir and their punishment is death. After few blocks I saw a wall with graffiti saying Deobandi Kafir and on another wall Wahabi Kafir. I asked myself that Pakistan supposed to be a country of Muslims. If all these sects (Firqahs) are Kafir (non-believers) then who is Muslim in Pakistan? The role of Saudi Arabia is also very important in establishing these Jihadi organizations. The funding and the strategy for most of the Jihadi organizations come from Saudi Arabia We must bring change within ourselves and in our own Muslim countries. We need to remove dictatorships, corruption, poverty, illiteracy, human rights abuses and exploitation of women in the name of Islam. Muslims should stop using USA, India and the West as a scapegoat for the problems of Muslim ummah [nation]. Muslims must see what have they done for their own countries. If the enemies of Islam want to destroy Islam, then it is obvious that Muslims should not expect good things from the enemies of Islam. We should analyze what have we done for Islam? Muslims themselves have damaged Islam more than the enemies of Islam. Within the last two decades the civil wars / sectarian violence in Afghanistan, Somalia, Algeria, Egypt and Pakistan are proof of this unfelt animosity for Islam. all are not Muslims warns of the infiltration of the Wahabi/ Salafi ideology into Canada revealing that the recruitment to ISIS is done inside the mosques which are mainly run by Wahabi/ Salafi imams. The Following are excerpts from Soharwardys postings: ( archive ) December 18, 2014 ( archive ) What opens the gate towards radicalization? The answer is simple. The Wahabi / Salafi and Deobandi beliefs are widely different from those of the overwhelming majority of Muslims. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of Muslims do not have the resources to counter the Wahabi / Deobandi propaganda and brainwashing. The Wahabis / Salafis / Deobandis control an overwhelming majority of mosques due to the huge support from the US, Western and Saudi governments. ( archive ) ( archive ) In a testimony in front of the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence on February 2, 2015, Soharwardy provided further details about the radical Islamic brainwashing in Canadian universities. The following are excerpts from his testimony : The money comes in different ways, in secret ways. Money comes through institutions. There are two organizations in Canada . Basically they are U.S. organizations that are operating in Canada. One is called AlMaghrib Institute , the other is called AlKauthar Institute . Both work in universities, not in mosques. Both give lectures. Both organize seminars. They are the ones who brainwash these young kids in lectures . Their topic is very normal: Were going to talk about the life of Prophet Muhammad. Were going to talk about how to live in a non-Muslim society. When you look on the surface, the topics are very normal No one has a problem. But when you develop an association with them not everybody develops a long-term relationship, only a few then the brainwashing begins . The shoe bomber in the United States attended AlMaghrib Institute lectures. These people are given a very free hand in our universities and colleges. They are organizing lectures and seminars Go after the ideology of Wahhabi Salafi. That is the opening door for recruitment . Yes, not every Wahhabi Salafi imam recruits towards ISIL and ISIS and extremism. I agree with that, but there are a few imams, and they are the only imams who are the opening door for recruitment . Do these three things. Go after the recruitment process. Its not just the recruits. It is the one who brainwashes; it is the one who teaches intolerance, and that intolerance is towards Muslims too, by the way. Look at the intolerance. Systemic racism and religious discrimination, which also known as the anti-Islamophobia motion, demands that the government should recognize the need to quell the increasing public climate of hate and fear condemn Islamophobia and all forms of systemic racism and religious discrimination and take note of House of Commons petitionand the issues raised by it and develop a whole-of-government approach to reducing or eliminating systemic racism and religious discrimination including Islamophobia, in Canada.Petition, which was unanimously endorsed by the Parliament, suggests thatInitiated byImam Syed Soharwardy of Calgary, the head of the Calgary-based Islamic Supreme Council of Canada and the founder of Muslims Against Terrorism, is often invited by CBC as a guest expert to discuss issues related to terrorism and radicalization. He is introduced as a moderate voice in the Muslim community who has worked to prevent the radicalization of youth in Canada.In an earlier article entitled Who Is Trying To Damage Islam?, Syed Soharwardy advises Muslims to stop using USA, India and the West as a scapegoat for the problems of Muslim ummah [nation] and to analyze what have we [Muslims] done for Islam. Soharwardy admits that Muslims themselves have damaged Islam more than the enemies of Islam calling to remove dictatorships, corruption, poverty, illiteracy, human rights abuses and exploitation of women in the name of Islam.The following are excerpts from Soharwardys article Soharwardy also claims that Islam and Muslims are not the cause for terrorist attacks in the name of Islam, but the Salafis, the Wahabis and the Deobandis. He also went on to say that DAESH (ISIS), Al Qaeda, Taliban, Al Shabab, Al Nusra, Lashkar Taiba, Lashkar Jhangwi, etc.. are all followers of Wahabi beliefs and.SoharwardyBeing an ally of Saudi Arabia Canadian government has givento convert Muslims to Wahabism / Salafism. This conversion is thebut the government is not waking up.and elsewhere in the western world. Nothing has been done to stop this recruitment and brainwashing. 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. ANNAPOLIS (March 09, 2017)Bills that would hold accountable those whose products cause lead poisoning, and taking lead out of drinking water, are moving through legislative committees in the Maryland General Assembly this session. The House Judiciary Committee heard testimony Wednesday on a bill that would allow plaintiffsostensibly the city of Baltimore and landlordsto broadly sue manufacturers of lead-based paint for property or economic damages caused by the presence of lead-based paint in residential buildings. Baltimore in particular would be able to recoup any costs the city has committed to abatementfixing actual damages and funding educational programs in particular. Lead exposure in young children is linked to developmental delays, learning difficulties, weight loss, hearing loss and abdominal pain. According to written testimony from Karen Stokes, director of government relations under Baltimore City Mayor Catherine Pugh, Baltimore City has seen a 98 percent increase in children testing positive for elevated blood levels related to lead paint poisoning since 1993. CNS reported in 2015 that exposure to lead was the most significant and widespread environmental threat to children's health in Maryland, according to a report by the Maryland Department of Environment released in July of that year. The Maryland Lead Poisoning Recovery Act would expand the grounds on which a plaintiff could sue a manufacturer of lead paint. Opponents say the bill will compromise due process. "This legislation would bring about an unwarranted, unfair, and unwise change to Maryland's system of justice," attorney Antonio Dias said on behalf of paint manufacturing company Sherwin Williams in a written statement to the committee. "In Maryland, a party may be held liable only for harm that the party caused. (This bill) would obliterate this fundamental principle by forcing liability on a manufacturer, even where there is no evidence (the manufacturer is responsible)." Under the act, a plaintiff would have to prove that damages were caused by lead-based paint, that the manufacturer produced the paint, and that the manufacturer "breached a legally recognized duty" to the plaintiff in the process of "selling, manufacturing, promoting, or distributing" the tainted paint, according to a state fiscal analysis. The bill does not apply to claims of personal injury or death, and can only be applied to the actual manufacters of lead-based paint. Proponents of the bill, like attorney and former Maryland politician John Pica, say the burden of proof to connect a specific manufacturer to a case of lead poisoning is extremely difficult, and defendants aren't often held accountable. "The whole problem with sueing a paint manufacturer is you have to prove your case," Pica told the University of Maryland's Capital News Service. "In order to do that you have to (prove) that the defendant caused the injury. Lead paint wasn't banned until 1978, (if your house is older than that) you have to find out who put the paint on the house (and which manufacturer's paint they were using) and that's impossible to do." This bill takes a different approach at holding paint manufacturers accountable by "relaxing the rules of causation," as Pica put it. "In the past, legislation has always taken a personal injury perspective. This does not," bill sponsor Delegate Nick Mosby, D-Baltimore, told the Baltimore City Delegation on Friday. "What this does is allow the city of Baltimore (and landlords) to sue the manufacturers of the lead-paint poisons so we can finally abate (the problem). We can continue to talk about what we should do and how we should do it, but today a child will be impacted by lead paint poison." If the committee votes favorably, the bill will move on to the House of Delegates. A companion bill, SB 542, sponsored by Sen. Joan Carter Conway, D-Baltimore, is making its way through the state Senate. In other lead-related measures going through the legislature this session, the House Environment and Transportation committee discussed multiple bills on Feb. 24 that would direct the Department of the Environment to begin investigations into the cause of elevated blood lead levels in children across the state by Oct. 1, 2018. According to a report released in 2016 by the Baltimore City Department of Public Works, two out of 52 homes tested contained "action level" amounts of lead in their water, or at least 15 parts per billion, as defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The Department of Public Works defines 1 part per billion as "the same as one drop in 10,000 gallons of water." Baltimore City's water distribution mains are made of either concrete or iron, according to the report, and do not contain lead. However, water can become contaminated if it passes or stands in plumbing fixtures that do contain lead. "Action level" indicates that further treatment efforts and public education initiatives must be taken. Maryland already has programs to educate about lead poisoning, and officially recommends that children born in 2015 or later get tested for elevated blood lead levels at 12 and 24 months old. ANNAPOLIS (March 09, 2017)Democratic lawmakers demonstrated their support Wednesday in Annapolis for legislation to continue funding Planned Parenthood's health care services if the federal government guts its backing of the program. Republicans in two U.S. House of Representatives' committees submitted a draft Monday of their plans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. One key component of the bill would defund Planned Parenthood, which nationwide receives about $500 million of federal money. The organization currently receives grant money under Medicaid and the Title X Family Planning Program. Title X is a federal program dedicated to family planning and preventative health services, including cancer screening, STI testing and contraception. It cannot be used for abortions. Maryland receives about $4 million in Title X funding annually, but Congress could undercut the amount Planned Parenthood receives with the new bill. In response to the Affordable Care Act's unclear future, Maryland lawmakers have cross-filed bills in the state House and Senate that would provide funding to women's health services. The House bill, sponsored by Delegate Shane Pendergrass, D-Howard, aims to put $2 million from the Medicaid budget and $700,000 from the general funds budget to ensure these family planning services are continued for Marylanders. "This is about protecting the citizens of Maryland and keeping them in good health," Pendergrass said. "We will not let the federal government mess up the state of Maryland. It's time we stand up to the the things that are going on in Congress." However, Sen. Michael Hough, R-Carroll and Frederick, called the bill a "total political stunt." Hough called Planned Parenthood a "partisan group" that is among the largest providers of abortions, adding that other health care providers could absorb the group's patient base and ensure they get preventative and family planning care they need, such as mammograms. Amelia Chasse, a spokeswoman for Gov. Larry Hogan, said that health care organizations have been consistently funded in each of the governor's three budgets. Any future budgetary changes or decisions would be announced during the FY 2019 budget process, she added. In 2014, Maryland's Title X program has prevented about 15,000 unintended pregnancies and 1,018 STIs, according to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Under these proposals, nearly 25,000 Maryland women could lose access to reproductive health services at Planned Parenthood, according Karen Nelson, president and CEO of Maryland's Planned Parenthood. "If we were to defund Planned Parenthood, it would be a public health disaster," said Delegate Ariana Kelly, D-Montgomery. "Maryland intends to be there for the health of women. We are not going to fall backwards." COLUMBIA, Md. (March 07, 2017)The fight for a $15 minimum wage went before the House Economic Matters Committee on Tuesdayand not all businesses are opposed to this national push for higher pay. "Valuing workers is the best way to build and sustain our economy," said T.J. Zlotnitsky, chairman and CEO of iControl Data Solution, at a press conference prior to the hearing. "Our economy is 70% consumer driven and can only grow and prosper when ordinary Americans have the means to participate in it. This only happens when workers are motivated, respected and fairly compensated." Zlotnitsky is a member of Patriotic Millionaires, a group of "high-net worth Americans" calling for a higher standard of living for "regular Americans" and an increase in the corporate tax rate. Zlotnitsky said his lowest paid employee earns $17.85 an hour. He and other members of the group were in Annapolis on Tuesday to support HB1416, a bill to phase in the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2023. It is sponsored by Del. Jeff Waldstreicher, D-Montgomery, and 46 other House Democrats. Supporting families, fixing their cars Suzanne Nash of Mom's Organic Market, a chain with stores in four states and D.C., said a minimum wage should be enough to support a family. "There is no reason that a person working full time shouldn't be able to support themselves and their family, but that is what happens with the current state minimum wage." Brian England, president of British American Auto Care in Columbia, said a gradual increase to the minimum wage would have a positive effect on businesses by putting money in the pockets of consumers. "Raising the minimum wage helps businesses and the economy by putting more money in the hands of those most likely to spend it," he told the committee on behalf of Business for Fair Minimum Wage. He said he's had customers forced to choose between replacing a battery or replacing bald tires. England also said a higher minimum wage would reduce the reliance on public assistance. He said public assistance has amounted to a government subsidy for employers "who pay poverty wages." Driving up costs But other businesses testified that a $15 minimum wage would drive up costs. Joe Parsley, owner of Frederick Shell Carwash, said he's been hurt under the 2014 minimum wage law, which will go up again next year to $10.10 from the current $8.75 and $9.25 on July 1. He said his payroll has increased by $80,000 over the last two years and if the bill passes his payroll will increase by nearly $500,000 by 2024. "Where in the world does this money come from," he lamented to the committee. "Do you want to pay an extra 30 cents a gallon for gas, or $70 to get your car washed?" Cailey Locklair Tolle, president of the Maryland Retailers Association, said major retail chains have been hit hard by "rising operational costs" and that keeping doors often meant reduced benefits and layoffs. She said Maryland lost 12,000 retail jobs in the past decade. Caregivers raise cost to state The Maryland Association of Community Services, a group that advocates for caregivers serving Marylanders with developmental disabilities, testified in support of the bill because it mandates an annual 3.5% rate increase to the Developmental Disabilities Administration to cover wage hikes for workers serving the disabled. It ensure wages for caregivers remain above the minimum wage to prevent further erosion of the workforce. Gov. Larry Hogan cut the 3.5% down to 2% in this year's budget that was mandated in the 2014 minimum wage law that brings the minimum to $10.10 by 2018. Laura Howell, executive director for MACS, suggested an amendment would be needed to sustain the increases past fiscal 2023, when the mandate runs out under the bill. Total state expenditures increase $148 million to fund DDA mandatory increases through 2022, according to the fiscal note. Local governments would also need to pay some workers more. The Maryland legislature in 2014 voted to phase in minimum wage hikes over four years. That law included the 3.5% mandatory increase to disability workers to ensure they make more than the minimum wage. Under the bill wage increases depend on the on the size of the company, smaller companies are given an additional year to get to $15. And beginning 2024 minimum wage increases are tied to the Consumer Price Index. The Baltimore City Council took a preliminary vote Monday to raise the minimum wage in the city to $15. The Montgomery County Council voted to raise the minimum wage there to $15 an hour, but County Executive Ike Leggett vetoed the measure. LEONARDTOWN, Md. Calverio Terrill Somerville, a/k/a "40," 28, of Lexington Park and Genesha Lacole Allen, 28, of Great Mills. (Booking photos via SMCSO) Disclaimer: In the U.S.A., all persons accused of a crime by the State are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. See: so.md/presumed-innocence. Additionally, all of the information provided above is solely from the perspective of the respective law enforcement agency and does not provide any direct input from the accused or persons otherwise mentioned. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at so.md/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at so.md/expungeme. (March 09, 2017)The St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office Vice Narcotics Division today released the following incident and arrest reports. The Division is an investigative team comprised of detectives from the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office and Federal Drug Agents (HIDTA Group 34). The Division was established on September 1st, 2007.OXYCODONE, HEROIN, AND COCAINE:, was indicted and subsequently arrested by DFC Potter #255 for the possession of oxycodone, heroin, and cocaine. She was also charged with possession with intent to distribute oxycodone and cocaine.COCAINE:, was indicted and subsequently arrested by Cpl. Foor #235 for possession and distribution of cocaine.COCAINE:, was indicted and subsequently arrested by DFC Potter #255 for possession and distribution of cocaine.In February of 2017, detectives from the Vice Narcotics Division identified, as a distributor of crack cocaine. As a result of the investigation, search, and seizure warrants were obtained for his person and a vehicle. The search and seizure warrants were executed on March 3 in the parking lot of an establishment in Callaway.The search revealed U.S. currency, suspected powder cocaine, suspected crack cocaine, suspected marijuana, and suspected MDMA (ecstasy).Suspect Somerville was arrested, and the vehicle was seized pending asset forfeiture proceedings. Additional charges are pending a review with the State's Attorney.During the execution of the search and seizure warrants,, was called to the scene to recover items out of the vehicle. She became disorderly, hindering the investigation and was subsequently arrested. Florida Governor Rick Scott expressed his heartbreak for the victims and families of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in his State of the State Address on Tuesday. He did not, however, go into specifics on who exactly those victims were, leaving references to LGBT and Latinx communities out of his speech. Since I last stood here to address you, Florida has endured many heartbreaks, Scott said in his address. I have prayed for families around our state who have been impacted by tragedy, and my own heart has been broken for their loss. Our state has been rocked by the gruesome terrorist attack at the Pulse Nightclub, in Orlando. The governor then used the Pulse tragedy alongside the Zika Virus and two major hurricanes to segway into the rest of his speech. While heartbreaking, these tragedies have given me a new perspective, Scott continued. I am now more convinced than ever that the future of our state is even greater than our past accomplishments and that we must be even more resolved to build a society where any child, no matter where they are from, has the opportunity to live their dreams. Hannah Willard, the Public Policy Director of Equality Florida, issued a statement in response to the Governors annual State of the State Address: This morning Governor Rick Scott made the Pulse tragedy a centerpiece in his annual State of the State Address, Willard said. While we are glad the governor spotlighted the Pulse tragedy, we are deeply disappointed that when talking about the worst anti-LGBTQ attack in our nations history, our governor failed to acknowledge the LGBTQ community in any way. Willard continued by calling on Florida elected leaders to honor the victims and families of the Pulse massacre by taking action against the hatred and bigotry that fueled this attack. Willard encouraged the governor in her statement to adopt The Florida Competitive Workforce Act, which adds sexual orientation and gender identity to the Florida Civil Rights Act of 1992. This would enforce LGBT protections from discrimination in employment, housing and public spaces. Unfortunately, under Florida law it remains legal to fire LGBTQ people, evict us from our homes, and deny us service at a public business just because of who we are, Willard said. When our own state government fails to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination, it sends a message that anti-LGBTQ discrimination is acceptable and it plants the seeds for future hate violence against us. Willard also argued that the Florida Competitive Workforce Act would bring millions of dollars in revenue if enacted, as Floridas marketplace would become a more competitive to potential LGBT employees. This was in response to Governor Scotts focus on incentivizing businesses to relocate to Florida and attracting the best and brightest workforce. We urge the Florida Legislature to move equally forward in our state by passing the Florida Competitive Workforce Act, encouraging economic growth, and ensuring that all Floridians have the opportunity to live, work, and play in our state, Willard said. Wed, 26.10.22 - 12:09 Another blast of heat at the end of the month is likely to break the record in Spain With only a few days left in... The essential component of totalitarian propaganda is artifice (het toepassen van kunstgrepen. svh) . The ruling elites, like celebritie... Californias single-payer health care dream should be called single PRAYER, because it doesnt stand a snowballs chance in hell of working For the most part, when the government is put in charge of things, those things tend to get worse and not better. As the late Ronald Reagan once said, government is not the solution to our problems, government is the problem. With respect to healthcare, Reagans words hold true more government is, indeed, the problem. As it turns out, the liberals in California have yet to learn this important lesson. On Friday, State Senator Ricardo Lara introduced legislation that would transition Californias healthcare into a single-payer system. (RELATED: Read what a retired colonel said about the real purpose of Obamacare). The system would be very similar to the healthcare system currently in place in Canada and would cost California taxpayers roughly $40 billion for the first year alone. Given the poor economic climate California has already created for itself, this will no doubt be just one more burden on the people of California, and one step closer towards total bankruptcy. Micah Weinberg, the president of the Economic Institute at the Bay Area Council, raised concerns over the financial consequences of the proposed legislation. Where are they going to come up with the $40 billion? he asked. He went on to suggest that adopting a state level single-payer system is just not feasible to do as a state. The Los Angeles Times has noted that a single-payer healthcare system has been a goal for California liberals for quite some time now. In both 2006 and 2008, bills were introduced to reform the states healthcare system but they were vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Many California Progressives now blame the efforts of Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans to repeal the Affordable Care Act for their renewed push to bring about statewide single-payer healthcare. The problem, of course, is that single-payer healthcare doesnt improve the quality and accessibility of care; it makes it all ten times worse. For proof, look no further than just north of our border, where Canadians have witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of government funded healthcare. Of all 11 industrialized nations, Canada ranks last in its ability to provide citizens with same-day or next-day appointments with doctors. As a result of this harsh reality, many Canadians are increasingly traveling south into America to get the care that they need in a quick, efficient manner. Such was the case with Sharon Shamblaw, a resident of Ontario who was diagnosed in the summer of 2015 with a form of blood cancer. The treatment was available to her at a Toronto hospital 100 miles away from her home, as well as in one of the three facilities inside of her province. The only problem was that each of these facilities had an eight-month waiting period for the particular type of stem cell transplant that Sharon needed. Four months later, she finally decided to travel south to Buffalo, New York for her treatment. Sadly, Sharon was too late. She passed away at the age of 46, leaving behind her three children and her husband. There are countless examples of this from different countries around the world. The long waiting times and poor quality care that occurs as a result of single-payer healthcare have terrible consequences not only for the well-being of the people living in these countries, but for the countries themselves. In a place like California, where the entire state economy is teetering on the brink of collapse, a transition into a single-payer system may very well be the straw that breaks the camels back. Sources: Breitbart.com LAtimes.com TheHill.com USnews.com 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... In what seems to be a giant step for the country towards a cleaner and greener future, the governments top brass will be brainstorming today to come up with a plan for promote electric vehicles (EVs) in the country. It appears to be fresh start considering that there have been plans in the past, which so far have failed to bear any fruit. The meeting according to a PTI report, will see senior ministers like Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Power Ministers Piyush Goyal and Heavy Industry Minister Anant Geete put their heads together to chalk out a new plan that should in all probability help push sales and use of EVs in the country. Obviously, the intent should be an India that is less polluted and greener, but the agenda from the report, seems to be to save fuel worth Rs 60,000 crore. Whatever is the intent behind the move, the challenges however remain the same. Experts have been ranting about it every time Tesla makes an announcement, or Elon Musk puts out a tweet. The bottom line (that will hopefully be addressed in the coming plan) gets clearer with every new announcement. There are plenty of hurdles to overcome, some of which include higher cost of vehicles, lack of charging infrastructure and of course, the lack of facilities that will take care of all those used batteries that result from this push for EVs. What we have accomplished so far We have been here before. Back in 2013, the Government of India launched the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) 2020. Its aim was to achieve national fuel security (again, note the intent) by promoting hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles in the country. In 2015, the government then came up with FAME India or Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles in India. This was a part of National Electric Mobility Mission Plan, a scheme with Rs 795 crore support in the first two fiscals. The same report also states that back in 2012-13 nearly 42,000 electric vehicles were sold in the country. In 2013-14 that number dropped to just 20,000 and this would include both hybrid and electric vehicles sold. If you were imagining fancy hybrid cars with high price tags or the humble all-electric Reva (now the Mahindra Reva) its none of those. The report clearly states that the major chunk out of this small figure (for a country like India) consisted of low speed scooters. It is indeed no wonder that crossover electric bikes like the Volta Motors Zap are picking up in terms of demand today. As per the scheme, depending on technology, battery operated scooters and motorcycles will be eligible to demand incentives ranging between Rs 1,800 to Rs 29,000. Similarly in three-wheelers it is from Rs 3,300 and Rs 61,000. With four-wheelers, the incentives range from Rs 13,000 to Rs 1.38 lakh, while in light commercial vehicles it is from Rs 17,000 to Rs 1.87 lakh, and for buses it is from Rs 34 lakh to Rs 66 lakh. So why isnt anyone buying them? Well, its the broader picture that should be addressed in the upcoming plan, which hurts. How its done elsewhere In the US where electric vehicle adoption in growing (partly thanks to Tesla), the state-wide incentives go far beyond mere rebates. As per Vocativ, individual states not only offer rebates, but other incentives for buyers and owners that drive down the cost of owning these electric and hybrid vehicles even further, making for a good push. The various states have made EV ownership a better deal than the usual gas guzzler. The incentives apart from the (2000 USD) rebate includes exemptions on vehicle inspections, emissions tests and high-occupancy lanes. Owners of electric cars can also avail of utility rate reductions, park in front of parking meters without paying and even receive different financial incentives. Indeed, it makes the higher price of EVs worth the trouble. The intent again seems to be a cleaner environment. Electricity prices Along with these, fuelling up an electric car at a charging station is also a lot less here compared to filling your gas guzzler with gasoline. And here is where it gets a bit embarrassing. According to a 2011 report by Ovo Energy, electricity prices in the US were at 12 cents per kilowatt-hour. Back then, the price of the same in India along with China was the lowest around the globe at 8 cents. A 2016 chart on Wikipedia via an official release (by the Ministry of Power) points out that India is still stuck between 0.1 18 cents with an average of just 7 cents. The USA has gone up a bit and hovers between 8-17 cents. So it is evidently clear, that previous rebate schemes (FAME) is doing no good. More over long range use of electric cars in India is a clear no, due to the severe lack of charging stations, an infrastructure problem, that should hopefully be addressed this time around. Then comes the whole availability problem, as there are indeed a handful of cars in the country to begin with. Without the government support, lack of infrastructure and the complete lack of smart incentives, electric cars indeed become a tough sell. And since there has been no strong or solid initiative from the government so far, manufacturers will not introduce electric cars, but will stick to parallel hybrids (ones that generate their own charge), that offer a mix of both one that provides the consumer some peace of mind for in city driving. Pollution however still remains a problem. And so far, these hybrid cars (Camry Hybrid, Prius etc.) are the only ones that actually benefit from the FAME discount. Electric vehicles along with plug-in hybrids, are greener as they possess larger batteries and can run solely on electricity (Reva, Teslas etc.) over longer distances, which means they are greener. And with the right intent, (which the government has so far gotten wrong) they can reduce Indias pollution along with Indias dependence on fossil fuels. Hopefully, something new comes out of Governments push for electric vehicles at the brainstorming session with incentives that mimic the US at a broader level, than what we currently have in place (hybrids). Something that should focus on cleaner air and greener cities for future generations instead of focussing on saving fuel worth Rs 60,000 crore. hidden By Rohan Naravane In 2012, alongside Windows 8, Microsoft unveiled Windows RT. It was a subset of the good ol Windows operating system made for computers with ARM chips; the kind that are in your smartphone, instead of an Intel inside. The idea was to create thin and light tablet-computers with a longer battery life than your average laptop. Unfortunately, it received a response that was worse than Windows 8 (which itself wasnt well-received), mainly due to the lack of apps. After a rather poor demand with just half a dozen products running the operating system, Windows RT was eventually shelved in 2015. Microsoft hasnt given up on the tablet-computer combo yet. Their most successful take on it is the Surface Pro 4 a tablet that runs traditional Windows, and converts into a computer with a keyboard accessory. Then theres the Microsoft Surface Book, which is a laptop that converts into a tablet, thanks to a detachable screen. For the longest time, Apple has not been a fan of this combo idea. During the introduction of the iPad in 2010, the late Steve Jobs famously dissed touchscreens on computers. In 2012, Tim Cook compared the idea of a laptop/tablet hybrid to that of combining a toaster and refrigerator. Last year, during the launch of the new MacBook Pros with Touch Bar, Apples software head Craig Federighi again drove the point home that a touchscreen on a computer is best-placed where your hands are (i.e. right next to the keyboard and trackpad). However, since the introduction of the iPad Pro, Apple has been contradicting itself for well over a year now. Its recent ad campaigns suggest that the company wants people to replace their computers with an iPad and a keyboard accessory. The official websites literature too suggests how the iPad Pro is as powerful as a computer. And you know what, it might not be too outlandish an idea. (Also read: How about an iPad with macOS?) Of the two million apps available for iOS, fifty percent are reportedly optimised for iPads thats way more than what Microsoft has on its app store. Barring applications that certain professionals like software developers or video editors would use, it has pretty much everything else. It even runs MS Office, which back in the day was a big selling point for Microsoft Surface products. Next, just like a computer, the iPad Pro can run two apps side-by-side, supports keyboard shortcuts like Cmd-C to Copy, Cmd-V to Paste, Cmd-Tab to juggle between apps, etc. All this really begs the question why cant Apple just make a computer that runs on iOS? In fact, the company doesnt even need to make an entirely new product either. By simply adding a trackpad onto the iPad Pro Smart Keyboard accessory, it will have one. Using an iPad Pro as a computer today means lifting up your hand from the keyboard cover every time you interact with the interface. A trackpad, as Apple has repeatedly said, is a more natural interaction method, as it sits right below the keyboard. The Surface Pro 4s keyboard cover, for example, has a touchpad too that makes it more computer-like when it needs to be. Now, you might say that iOS wasnt designed to be operated with a mouse, but if the touch targets are big enough to be operable by a finger, they can certainly be clickable using a mouse. And this is not just any trackpad were talking about Apple MacBooks have big, accurate trackpads that recognize multi-touch gestures like pinch to zoom, two-finger scrolling, four-finger multitasking, etc. Also, none of the iPads to date have 3D Touch, the technology that senses different levels of pressure applied on an iPhones screen. But guess what, since 2015 MacBook trackpads have Force Touch, which, like 3D Touch, recognise different levels of pressure too. With 3D Touch being deeply integrated into iOS since iOS 10, a Force Touch trackpad might just be a neat way to enable this feature on the iPad. The possibility of using a computer running iOS also seems more promising if you were to look at the recent state of the Mac. Since 2011, every version of the macOS operating system has been borrowing features from older iOS versions. Most of the new stuff comes to iOS first, and is brought to the Mac eventually, and many a times not in its entirety. For example, Stickers and Effects, which were the highlight features of iMessage in iOS 10, dont work on the Mac yet. The Mac now has Siri, but third-party app support that came to iOS 10 isnt available yet. This just makes for an inconsistent experience for users of the two operating systems, and it sucks. Apples defocusing from the Mac also can be seen in a report which suggested that macOS doesnt even have a dedicated software team anymore. Despite all this, most of Apples Macs cost upwards of a lakh of rupees and the most affordable model the MacBook Air hasnt been updated for the past two years. On the hardware front, Apple has an advantage with iPads since theyre powered by the companys homemade A series chips, thereby reducing its dependence on Intel to push better performance and efficiency each year. All this talk might also suggest that the company runs a risk of cannibalising sales of entry-level Macs in favour of these iPad Pro + keyboard combos. But Apple hasnt been a company that has shied away from one product competing with the other in the past iPods were effectively killed by iPhones, and iPad minis became almost irrelevant after the Plus-sized iPhones. Using tablets as computers might have seemed like a crazy idea seven years ago, but today it seems feasible. Apps and services that most people need exist, the hardware is powerful enough, and thanks to wireless technologies and the cloud, the usage of peripheral devices like DVDs, pen drives, ethernet, etc., has greatly reduced. In my opinion, the only thing thats stopping an iPad from becoming a computer for many is a mouse. If Im allowed to dream a little, a second-generation iPad Pro Smart Keyboard cover that includes a trackpad, and maybe a USB Type-C port or two, might just make the iPad Pro a really good toaster-refrigerator combo device people actually want. tech2 News Staff Salman Khan is a man that needs no introduction. A star who is as well known and loved as him has a brand name with considerable value. He now wants to leverage this brand name to muscle his way into the highly competitive budget and entry-level smartphone market. Khans venture is called BeingSmart and is a registered trademark now. The BeingSmart brand will be supported by Khans own Being Human clothing brand, which he will also use to push sales of the smartphones, reports The Economic Times. The Bollywood superstar is reportedly looking for investors for the same. He has apparently identified a manufacturer in China for making these phones and ET has learned that the devices will run Android and that they will be priced below Rs 20,000. Its been reported that the profits from the venture will be used to fuel Khans charitable and social work. Khan had apparently approached various Indian firms for a partnership, but they eventually backed out as they felt that the royalty fees were too high. We dont know how successful Salman Khans brand of smartphones will be in a market like India, but his name alone should be enough to draw the masses. We wish him the best of luck. How much would you pay for a Salman Khan-branded smartphone? hidden India's top e-commerce company Flipkart is holding talks with investors to raise up to $1 billion in one of its biggest funding rounds so far, a source familiar with developments said on Wednesday. The source declined to name the potential investors and the exact valuation Flipkart was looking for, but said it hoped the valuation would be in the "double digits", referring to a valuation of $10 billion or more. Earlier on Wednesday, Financial Express newspaper, citing unidentified sources, said the expected fundraising could value Flipkart at up to $8 billion, far lower than the roughly $15 billion in its last funding round. A Flipkart spokesman said the company would not comment on market speculation. Flipkart's latest fundraising comes amid intensifying competition in the e-commerce space from the likes of U.S. internet giant Amazon.com Inc and domestic rival Snapdeal, which is backed by Japan's Softbank Group. The ensuing heavy losses have hit valuations among India's e-commerce players. Some funds that have invested in Flipkart have recently slashed the value of their holdings, media reports have said, citing securities filings. Launched by two former Amazon employees in 2007, Flipkart's biggest investor is U.S. hedge fund Tiger Global. Others include Accel Partners, DST Global and Baillie Gifford. The company has so far raised more than $3 billion in funding, mostly from international investors. Reuters tech2 News Staff The Google Cloud Next '17 has kicked off with a promising start, and a number of new announcements have been made by Google including acquisitions, partnerships, new technological partners and products. More announcements are expected in the course of the three days that the event is going to be run. The measures are intended to solidify Google's prominence in the market as a cloud services provider, directly taking on major cloud service providers such as Amazon and Microsoft. SAP Partnership Google has announced a strategic partnership with SAP, to develop enterprise solutions for customers. The best cloud and machine learning solutions from Google will be integrated into enterprise applications by SAP as a part of the strategic partnership. The in-memory database SAP HANA will be certified on the Google Cloud Platform, new G Suite integrations and Google's machine learning capabilities. Kaggle acquisition Google has acquired Kaggle, a social network for data scientists and machine learning enthusiasts. The Kaggle platform is used to explore the latest breakthroughs in machine learning and data analytics. There are over 800,000 active users on Kaggle, which has emerged as one of the best communities to explore public datasets. Google will be introducing the ability to store and query large datasets. Google announced the Kaggle acquisition through a blog post. Support for engineers working with Google Cloud Google has introduced dedicated support from its engineers to the cloud platform, with pricing models. Google has partnered with Pivotal and Rackspace to deliver this cloud support. There is a flat monthly fees per user per month, and Google engineers will be providing the support. The three choices available are development engineering support with a response in four to eight hours, production engineering support with a response within an hour and on-call engineering support that guarantees a response within fifteen minutes. Cloud Video Intelligence API There have been a number of new product announcements. The Cloud Video Intelligence API is in beta testing with a select group of early customers. The service breaks down a video into shots, and provides a description of the content and action in each shot, along with a confidence score of how accurate the analysis is. Users can search through videos in much the same was as they search through text. Cloud Machine Learning Engine Cloud Machine Learning Engine is a tool to train models for artificial intelligence applications, and deploy them through the cloud. The models are based on the TensorFlow framework, and has been designed to interact with any kind of data at any scale. Cloud Vision API is a tool to analyse the content of images, and has been updated with additional capabilities. The enhanced OCR capabilities of the API can extract text from scans of documents. The Cloud Jobs API now has a Commute Search feature, which allows users to narrow down their job searches according to the amount of time they are willing to invest in daily commutes. The three day event has been sold out, with 10,000 registered attendees, which is more than five times the number of people who attended Google Cloud Next '16. Google will be providing over 200 training and informational sessions to attendees, apart from a series on talks by experts on how best to use enterprise cloud solutions and cutting edge technological solutions. Alison Wagonfeld, VP of Engineering at Google Cloud said "Google's cloud technology and approach to the market is the product of 16 years inventing, developing, and fine tuning tools for a fully connected enterprise." 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. 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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. 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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. ... 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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. 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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. 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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? 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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. 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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. 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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. 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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. 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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. 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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! 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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 tech2 News Staff Instagram has slowly transformed into a social platform rather than a photography platform. The app just got a new update where a new feature has been added and yes, it has been copied from Snapchat. After launching the 'Stories' feature, Instagram has now added its own geostickers. As the name suggests, these are stickers and illustrations that can be added into a story which is relevant to that particular location. Notably, this feature did make Snapchat unique when compared to Instagram and WhatsApp. Users can add more than one geosticker and resize them according to their requirement. However, the feature has only rolled out for two cities, New York and Jakarta, with other cities expected to join in soon. Here is what Instagram had to say about the feature, "Today, were introducing an early version of geostickers in Instagram Stories for New York City and Jakarta. Since introducing stickers in December, weve loved seeing how youve used them to bring your stories to life from hats to Valentines Day fun to customisable location stickers. Now, with more than a dozen new stickers each for New York City and Jakarta, you have another creative option for adding context to your everyday moments." Now since Instagram has copied this feature, we believe it won't be long before this feature hits WhatsApp. Do let us know if you use any of the above mentioned apps and the new features. tech2 News Staff On 22 February, Nasa announced the discovery of seven earth-sized exoplanets in orbit around an ultracool dwarf star just 40 light years away from Earth. Since December 2016, Nasa's Kepler space telescope has been observing the system. The observation period is designated as the K2 Campaign 12 and monitored the region in the sky continuously for almost 72 days. Nasa has now made the unprocessed data available to the scientific community. Geert Barentsen, K2 research scientist at Nasa's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, California said "Scientists and enthusiasts around the world are invested in learning everything they can about these Earth-size worlds. Providing the K2 raw data as quickly as possible was a priority to give investigators an early look so they could best define their follow-up research plans. We're thrilled that this will also allow the public to witness the process of discovery." The raw data will help scientists submit proposals for future earth-based observation campaigns by other telescopes. The Trappist-1 system has piqued the interest of researchers and the general public as three of the planets are in the habitable zone of the star, where conditions are suitable for life. With the right conditions, all the seven systems on the planet can potentially have liquid water on the surface, a prerequisite for life as we know it on Earth. Initially, the telescope was scheduled to study a region of space that would just miss observations of the Trappist-1 system. The campaign was modified and the telescope was turned towards the Trappist-1 system, which is located in the Aquarius constellation. Michael Haas, science office director for the Kepler and K2 missions at Ames says "We were lucky that the K2 mission was able to observe Trappist-1. The observing field for Campaign 12 was set when the discovery of the first planets orbiting Trappist-1 was announced, and the science community had already submitted proposals for specific targets of interest in that field. The unexpected opportunity to further study the Trappist-1 system was quickly recognized and the agility of the K2 team and science community prevailed once again" The discovery of seven earth sized exoplanets is a major step forward in the search for extraterrestrial life forms. While the system cannot be directly imaged from even the most powerful telescopes, future observation campaigns could allow scientists to find signs of ozone, methane, oxygen or carbon dioxide on the planets. The presence of these gases are potential indicators of life on the surface of the planet. The James Webb space telescope that Nasa is preparing for launch is one of the scientific instruments that is going to study the Trappist-1 system for signs of life. tech2 News Staff Getting humans to Mars isnt easy, but it is possible, in theory. And who better to plan a mission to the red planet than the pioneers of space exploration, Nasa. The agency has finally received congressional support for a trip to Mars. The Nasa Transition Authorisation Act of 2017 bill has passed Congress and only awaits US President Donald Trumps approval. The bill ups Nasas annual budget from $19.3 bn to $19.5 bn (Isro rates a budget of around $1.5 bn) and tasks Nasa with sending a human to Mars by 2033. Elon Musk of SpaceX fame does, of course, intend to send humans to Mars from around the year 2023. Business Insider reports that the bill itself was passed with no objections by both houses of Congress. Trump can veto the bill if he chooses to. The American Astronomical Society has explained the distribution of the funding in more detail, and it throws up some interesting highlights. To further a human-crewed Mars mission, Nasas plan of sending another massive rover to Mars in 2020 has been approved, as has a possible manned mission to the moon in 2021. The bill also calls for more research in hypersonic aircraft and supersonic flight. A survey of Jupiters moon Europa is also on the cards, as is a program to find killer asteroids. Lastly, and probably most importantly of all, Congress expects Nasa to deliver a report on how it plans to make Plutonium-238, an essential component for deep-space exploration. Plutonium-238 is a rare nuclear fuel thats very expensive to manufacture. Global supply is extremely limited and the original cache was a by-product of nuclear weapons development. The radiation energy from this radioactive isotope is used to provide energy to Nasas deep space missions and robots, this includes the Voyager missions. Solar energy is only viable up to a certain distance from the Sun. A radioactive isotope can provide power for decades. tech2 News Staff OnePlus is going all in on the promotions of the brand in India. Just days after announcing Bollywood Superstar Amitabh Bachchan as the first OnePlus Star in the country, the company announced the 'Best Smartphone Contest' in partnership with the superstar. Behind the scenes pic.twitter.com/uTSeoliSGa Carl Pei (@getpeid) March 9, 2017 As part of the contest, users who are buying OnePlus 3T will get a chance to win Rs 1 Crore just like in the popular Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) quiz-show. The company released a video where Rohan Joshi, the standup comedian from All India Bhakchod (AIB) is being quizzed by Amitabh Bachchan for the question, "Which is the best-rated smartphone in India?". The question is backed on actual data collected by Nielsen from Amazon.in as of 1 March 2017 where OnePlus 3T is the correct answer out of the flagship smartphones from the competition like Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, Apple iPhone 7 Plus and Google Pixel. OnePlus has also added other prizes for people who will take part in the competition on its website. Other prizes include OnePlus 3T and Amazon Gift Cards. Users can visit the One Crore website to try their luck at winning Rs 1 Crore by competing tasks. One thing to note is that the users need to connect their social media accounts (Facebook or Twitter) in order to proceed with the contest. The users will be required to do weekly tasks which will be added every Wednesday giving users an opportunity to win 200 points on each weekly task. If you want to try your change at winning Rs 1 Crore, you can either buy OnePlus 3T using any of the official OnePlus channels including Amazon, OnePlus India store or OnePlus Experience Store. This will give them a 'Dash Pass' for a lucky draw for the Grand Finale. The lucky draw ticket is valid for one purchase per account. In addition, you can also redeem the points that you win after completing weekly tasks to get a lucky draw ticket and take part in the lucky draw. The lucky draw will choose 10 finalists that will run to win 5 golden tickets just like Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. You can redeem points the points to get the lucky draw ticket or other prizes from the Redemption Shop. The Redemption Shop will open every Wednesday starting 30 March 2017 and the Amazon Gift cards are available on first come first serve basis only. You can visit the side to check other rules and regulations of the competition. hidden Brussels based inter-bank messaging system SWIFT said it had cut off North Korean banks under U.N. sanctions, after Belgium said it would no longer give authorisation for such transactions. The Belgian foreign ministry cited Pyongyangs intensifying provocations, such as missile launches, as motivation for its decision, which will affect three banks. However, the Belgian move also follows a United Nations report last month which said any company trading with a designated North Korean bank would be in violation of UN sanctions - even if the company had received an authorization from a European government to do so. The Feb. 27 report found evidence North Korea was relying on continued access to the international banking system to flout sanctions. The UN position put the Belgian government at odds with UN sanctions as it had given SWIFT exemptions to work with the sanctioned North Korean banks. The UN report said only the United Nations Security Council Committee could determine whether a company could qualify for an exemption to trade with sanctioned banks not individual governments. A spokeswoman for the European Commission (EC) said the EUs system of offering exemptions was consistent with those of the UN. She declined to answer detailed questions about the comments in the panel of experts report. The United Nations panel did not respond to requests for comment. The U.N. Security Council on Tuesday condemned North Korea's recent ballistic missile launches and expressed concern over the country's increasingly destabilising behaviour and defiance of the 15-member body. The three blacklisted banks named by the U.N. panel as being in the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) network were Bank of East Land, Korea Daesong Bank and Korea Kwangson Banking Corp. Bank of East Land was blacklisted in 2013, while the other two were blacklisted last year. SWIFT said it had suspended these banks access to its secure communications system which banks use for sending cross-border payment instructions. It did not say exactly when the services were suspended or how many banks were affected. SWIFTs 2011 annual report, the last year for which it gave details for country-by-country system usage, said 20 financial institutions in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea North Korea's official name - were connected to SWIFT. However, the country was one of the lowest users of the service. SWIFT said it complies with all sanctions regulations but it also believes in being politically independent and keeping the system as open as possible. It has previously pushed back against efforts to have countries like Iran and Russia excluded from the service. Non-designated Korean banks are still not precluded from using SWIFT. Susannah Cogman, partner with law firm Herbert Smith Freehills said the divergence in perspectives between the EU and UN as to the circumstances under which trade with Korean banks could be compliant with UN sanctions may be because the different bodies sanctioned the banks at different times using different exemption rules. The EC and Belgium declined to answer detailed questions on the drafting of their rules. Reuters hidden Uber Technologies Inc is working to mend its relationship with regulators as pressure mounts for the company to improve its business practices and temper Chief Executive Travis Kalanick's aggressive leadership style. Uber on Wednesday obtained the necessary permit to put its self-driving cars back on California streets, conceding to the state's rules after a public spat with regulators last year and initially refusing to apply for the $150 permit. The permit allows Uber back into its home state and the chief testing ground for self-driving cars, where 26 other companies - including Alphabet Inc, Tesla Motors and Ford Motor Co - are competing for a piece of the autonomous vehicle market and have obtained state permits. Also on Wednesday, Uber said it was prohibiting the use of its "Greyball" technology to target local regulators, ending a program that had been critical in helping Uber evade authorities in cities where the service has been banned. The ride-hailing company had for years used Greyball, which effectively changes the app view for specific riders. The technology uses data from the Uber app and other methods to identify and circumvent officials who aimed to ticket or apprehend drivers in cities that opposed Uber's operations. Uber confirmed the existence of Greyball last week. Uber is "expressly prohibiting its use to target action by local regulators going forward," Uber's chief security officer, Joe Sullivan, said in a blog post on Wednesday. Sullivan said Uber had started a review of the program, and "it will take some time to ensure this prohibition is fully enforced." Uber's efforts to repair its relations with regulators come amid a string of missteps that have sparked consumer backlash and raised investor concern. A former Uber employee last month published a blog post describing a workplace where sexual harassment was common and went unpunished. The blog post prompted an internal investigation. Then, Bloomberg released a video that showed Kalanick berating a Uber driver who had complained about cuts to rates paid to drivers, resulting in Kalanick making a public apology. In addition, at least three high level executives have left Uber in the last couple of weeks. Cities including Philadelphia knew about Uber's efforts to circumvent enforcement authorities, by either manipulating the app to show a user that no cars were available or blocking city officials' credit cards and phone numbers on the app. The company on Wednesday said it was granted a permit to test two self-driving cars on California public roads. Uber had defied state regulations last year, arguing that its cars do not meet California's definition of an autonomous vehicle because they require constant monitoring by a person, so they did not require a permit. California Department of Motor Vehicles spokeswoman Jessica Gonzalez confirmed the permit for Uber to test two self-driving cars on public roads. Uber will not make the autonomous cars immediately available to passengers, according to an Uber spokeswoman, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The company needs time to build up its fleet and go through the various regulatory requirements such as getting the vehicles smog tested and registered, the spokeswoman added. Uber's efforts to rebuild its self-driving program come as the company faces a lawsuit from Alphabet Inc's self-driving car unit, Waymo, which accuses Uber of stealing designs for technology for autonomous cars known as Lidar. Uber has said Waymo's claims are false. Reuters hidden The world needs an international treaty to protect people's privacy from unfettered cyber surveillance, which is being pushed by populist politicians preying on fear of terrorism, according to a U.N. report debated on Wednesday. The report, submitted to the U.N. Human Rights Council by the U.N. independent expert on privacy, Joe Cannataci, said traditional privacy safeguards such as rules on phone tapping were outdated in the digital age. "It's time to start reclaiming cyberspace from the menace of over-surveillance," Cannataci told the Council. With governments worldwide demanding data from firms such as Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Apple and Twitter, it did not make sense to rely entirely on U.S. legal safeguards, and creating an "international warrant" for data access or surveillance would unify global standards, he said. "What the world needs is not more state-sponsored shenanigans on the Internet but rational, civilized agreement about appropriate state behavior in cyberspace," the report said. "This is not utopia. This is cold, stark reality." Cannataci was appointed as the first "Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy" in 2015, following the uproar caused by revelations by Edward Snowden, a former U.S. security contractor who once worked at the U.S. mission in Geneva. His report was submitted last week, before the latest publication by anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks of what it said were thousands of pages of internal CIA discussions of hacking techniques of smartphones and other gadgets. The United States did not react to Cannataci's report, but many countries welcomed it and agreed that online privacy standards should be as strong as offline standards. China's diplomat at the Council said rapid technological advances and the "drastic increase worldwide in the violation of privacy" made it urgent to enhance protection, while Russia's representative said Cannataci's report was "extremely topical". Venezuela, Iran and Cuba all welcomed Cannataci's work and criticized international surveillance. A draft legal text was being debated by activists and "some of the larger international corporations" and was expected to be published within a year, Cannataci said. In his report, he criticized populist laws that intruded on privacy in the name of fighting terrorism. He said such sweeping but unproven powers were largely based on fear, and said that their lack of proportionality should be tested in ways similar to those used by a U.S. federal judge when he assessed President Donald Trump's proposed restrictions on migrants from Muslim-majority countries. "The level of the fear prevents the electorate from objectively assessing the effectiveness of the privacy-intrusive measures proposed," he wrote. "Trying to appear tough on security by legitimizing largely useless, hugely expensive and totally disproportionate measures which are intrusive on so many peoples privacy and other rights - is patently not the way governments should go." Reuters The Arctic Council's Senior Arctic Officials (SAOs) and representatives of the indigenous Permanent Participant organizations (PPs) gathered in Juneau, Alaska, on March 8 to discuss environmental issues that affect Arctic nations. This is according to the news agency TASS. The Arctic Council (AC) members are Denmark, Iceland, Canada, Norway, Russia, the United States, Finland and Sweden. According to Tom Fries, who is responsible for communications at the Arctic Council Secretariat, the two-day long meeting will discuss scientific co-operation, telecommunications, health, Arctic economies, renewable energy sources, the creation of protected areas, navigation, protecting the environment from oil and chemical pollution, marine biodiversity and permafrost. US Ambassador David Balton, the current chair of the Senior Arctic Officials, will discuss the results of the SAO meeting at a media briefing due to be held on March 10. Mr. Fries said that the meeting in Juneau would set the stage for the upcoming meeting of the AC states' foreign ministers in Fairbanks, Alaska, on May 11. At the May meeting, the United States will hand over the council chairmanship to Finland, which will present its action plan priorities for 2017-2019. Previous AC ministerial meetings mandated the preparation of two crucial agreements: the Agreement on Cooperation on Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue in the Arctic (2011) and the Agreement on Cooperation on Marine Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response in the Arctic (2013). Des Willie/Redferns 20 years ago today, legendary New York rapper The Notorious B.I.G. was killed by unknown assailants in an L.A. drive-by shooting but his legacy lives on. Chuck Creekmur, founder of Allhiphop.com, believes that the iconic rapper's unique talent helped usher the late star to an exalted position in the industry. "I felt like Biggie was the total package. I felt from a pure hip-hop standpoint, he had the lyrical dexterity...the sound and profound ability to hold his own in any capacity lyrically, which is the foundation for hip hop and rap music," he says. As for his classic 1994 debut album, Ready to Die, Chuck states that its crossover appeal solidified Biggie as a superstar: "He had pop hits that everyone could love and that really made him a legend." Had Biggie not died, Chuck adds, "I think we'd see much more unity in New York hip hop. I think that once he died, it became a scramble for the crown and who could replace him." The motive and shooter behind Biggie's death is still a mystery, leaving some, such as Chuck, to believe that it may never be solved. "I don't think there's any motivation for it to be solved. I don't think there's a value on his life that would cause people to solve it. And...if you really look at some of the people that were involved, including the LAPD, allegedly, it really goes deeper than just a rapper being murdered." The late rapper's daughter, T'yanna Wallace, will be hosting a reception, described as a "tribute" to her late father, this afternoon in New York City. A TV series about the shootings is in production for the USA Network. BET is running a special tribute to Biggie all day today. Copyright 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. The Russian Minister of Energy Alexander Novak has held a meeting with the Indian Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan. This took place on the sidelines of the CERA Week 2017 Energy Conference in Houston, Texas, the United States. They discussed cooperation prospects for implementing Arctic oil and gas projects and liquefied natural gas (LNG) deliveries. This was reported by the new agency TASS, quoting Ministry of Energy sources. "The parties discussed topical aspects of Russian-Indian oil and gas cooperation, including joint hydrocarbon prospecting and production on the Russian Arctic shelf and other similar production projects in Russia," ministry sources said. LNG deliveries from Russia to India are a promising aspect of bilateral cooperation, Novak said. "Considering the Indian market's growing natural gas demand and prospects for expanding new LNG projects, joint LNG trade cooperation is becoming a strategic priority that meets the interests of Russia-India energy cooperation," Novak noted. The company IHS Markit Consulting organizes the annual CERA Week Energy Conference. This is a major event for oil and gas company representatives. The 2017 conference involves 3,000 participants, including top managers from such companies as ExxonMobil, BP, Shell, Total and industry ministers from Russia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iraq and India. 5 to die for killing of tax official Court Correspondent : The Speedy Trial Tribunal-4 of Dhaka on Wednesday sentenced five persons to death for killing a tax commissioner in 2015. Judge Abdur Rahman Sarker of the tribunal pronounced the verdict in his crowded courtroom. The condemned convicts are Nasir and Rassel Talukder from Barisal, Rustam from Rangpur , Amir Hossain from Pirojpur and Sohel Rana from Rajbari. Other two convicts Nur Alam and Masud Miah were sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment. Besides, convicts Selina and Nurjahan were awarded two years' imprisonment. Of the convicts, Rustam is on the run. On March 1, 2015, Nasir along with some others entered into the house of victim Tax Commissioner Abu Taher and killed him, later they looted valuables from the house. Of the 43 prosecution witnesses, the judge recorded the depositions of 23 to pronounce his verdict. Public Prosecutor Mahfuzur Rahman stood on behalf of the state. Secrets behind KSAs plan to expel 5m immigrants Iran Front Page : Political experts believe that Saudi Arabia's plan to expel 5 million foreign residents is a policy to ease the regional crises Riyadh is faced with. While US President Donald Trump's new travel ban is still provoking reactions worldwide, Saudi Arabia's Al-Hayat - a leading daily pan-Arab newspaper - has announced that Riyadh is likely to pass an anti-immigrant law to expatriate 5 million foreign residents. Trump signed an executive order on March 6 blocking citizens of six predominantly Muslim countries, including Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Syria and Libya, from entering the US. According to a report by IFP, the Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia, in its upcoming meeting, will discuss the plan to battle immigration [to Saudi Arabia] with the intention of acquiring illegal citizenship and the possibility of setting up a committee in the Interior Ministry to banish 5 million immigrants, who, as alleged by the Saudi officials, are residing illegally in the country. Although the drafters of the bill say their anti-immigrant law seeks to prevent the entry of those immigrants to Saudi Arabia who intend to reside illegally and permanently in the country, some analysts hold that the move is made in response to the recent regional security and military developments and to address the crisis caused by Saudi Arabia's military intervention in Yemen. These experts maintain that the Saudi move is a strategy to force a major part of the immigrants [currently living in the country] to cooperate with Saudi Arabia in Yemen war and its other intra-regional interventions, vivid examples of which were witnessed during the US invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan in which the White House dispatched and deployed a large number of the immigrants [residing in the country] to and in the Iraqi and Afghan territories. Among the other factors contributing to the Saudi government's adoption of the policy is the increasing tensions between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan caused by the latter's reluctance to aid Riyadh in its regional warmongering. A while ago, Al Akhbar newspaper - a daily Arabic language newspaper published in a semi-tabloid format in Beirut - listed a number of the signs indicating that the relations between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are worsening: First, the reluctance of the retired Pakistani army chief General, Raheel Sharif, to agree to Saudi Arabia's request demanding him to be the supreme commander of the Saudi-led "Islamic military alliance", also known as Muslim NATO, created by Riyadh in 2015, saying he will only accept the position on the condition of including Iran in the Islamic military alliance; Second, an 8.5-percent drop in the value of the monetary transactions conducted by Pakistani residents of the Saudi Arabia, and third, the arrest of 15 Pakistanis by Saudi Arabia on terrorism charges. Thus, Riyadh's threats of exiling the immigrants, a large number of which are Pakistanis, from the country can be perceived as the Saudi government's response to Islamabad's non-cooperation. Germany backs EU chief for second term AP, Brussels : German Chancellor Angela Merkel threw her weight behind Donald Tusk to retain one of the European Union's top jobs ahead of an EU summit Thursday, despite staunch opposition from his home country of Poland. The 28 EU leaders are due to decide as their summit starts in Brussels Thursday on who will be president of the EU Council for the next 2 years. It is one of the bloc's most prestigious jobs, and involves chairing summits and coordinating the work of the member countries. Poland's nationalist government has proposed little-known Polish EU lawmaker Jacek Saryusz-Wolski to replace Tusk - a former prime minister who has a long and bitter rivalry with the leader of Poland's current governing party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski. Diplomats from several member nations say Warsaw has little or no support, while Tusk has strong backing. Merkel offered Tusk public support in a pre-summit speech to lawmakers in Berlin."I see the re-election of Donald Tusk as a sign of stability for the entire EU," she said. Malta, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, will be looking right up to the beginning of the summit for a way to preserve the consensus and have everyone back one candidate. However, it appears likely that the matter will go to a vote, with Tusk being re-elected by an overwhelming majority. Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski said Thursday that Poland will do everything it can to block a vote. BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday that Germany and Turkey had many ties such as NATO membership and their joint fight against Islamic terrorism but differences had come to the fore recently and everything should be done to resolve that. "There are on the one hand many common European-Turkish interests and on the other hand there are profound differences between the European Union and Turkey and between Germany and Turkey - and we're feeling that again these days," Merkel told the Bundestag lower house of parliament. "From our point of view it's worth making every endeavor to advocate for German-Turkish relations but on the basis of our values and our expectations and with clarity," she said. US-North Korea war is inevitable: China Veteran Chinese politician Wang Yi spoke to reporters candidly Wednesday. International Business Times : If the rhetoric and military posturing keeps up, the U.S. and North Korea are destined to collide, a senior Chinese politician reportedly said Wednesday local time. The words seemed to hint that war between the two countries was all but inevitable. "The U.S. and North Korea are like two accelerating trains speeding towards each other with neither side willing to give way," Yang Wi told reporters during a media briefing in China, according to the Guardian's reporter Tom Phillips. Wi touched on a number of topics during the media briefing, including making a case for the U.S. and China to increase cooperation. "There is a compelling reason for China and the US to respect each other," Wang said. "Our interests are intertwined." Wang's comments came just about 24 hours after the U.S. moved an advanced Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD) to South Korea, an action that prompted the Chinese foreign ministry to threaten "consequences" to the American military. "We solemnly object to South Korea and the U.S.' deployment of THAAD and will resolutely take necessary actions in order to safeguard our security interests," the Chinese foreign ministry said Tuesday. "Any consequences to follow the necessary actions should be bore by South Korea and the U.S. We strongly demand that the parties halt the THAAD deployment process immediately and not deviate to the wrong path any further." Wang also reportedly expressed China's solidarity with North Korea, saying the two countries remained as close as "lips and teeth." North Korea test fired five ballistic missiles that landed in the Pacific Ocean near Japan on Monday, prompting the U.S. to move the advanced missile system into the region to Seoul. China and North Korea condemned the move as being a threat to their respective national securities. Confirming what was already suspected, the missiles launched were being tested in preparation for a strike against a U.S. military base in Japan, North Korea said Tuesday. The U.S. has sent an advanced military defense system to South Korea in response to North Korea recently launching a series of missiles, inciting the anger of both China and Russia with each country condemning the move as threatening their respective security. Seoul received the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD) on Tuesday, one day after Pyongyang test-fired four ballistic missiles that landed in the Pacific Ocean near Japan, South Korea news outlet Yonhap reported. China seemed to hint that the deployment could result in a military response. "We solemnly object to South Korea and the U.S.' deployment of THAAD and will resolutely take necessary actions in order to safeguard our security interests," the Chinese foreign ministry said Tuesday. "Any consequences to follow the necessary actions should be bore by South Korea and the U.S. We strongly demand that the parties halt the THAAD deployment process immediately and not deviate to the wrong path any further." Likewise, Russia, which is located nearby, was also impacted by the setting up of THAAD in South Korea, Russian owned news outlet Tass reported. Food testing laboratory gets approval Chittagong Bureau : The food testing laboratory of Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) has got an approval from the government's ministry of food. Deputy secretary of the ministry Ahamed Foisal Imam sent an approval letter to the CCC for food testing laboratory. The chief medical officer of CCC Dr Selim Akter handed over the approval letter to the Mayor of CCC A J M Nasir Uddin on March 6, according to sources. Later, he disclosed it to the media. Dr Selim Akter said deputy secretary Ahamed Foisal Imam sent an approval letter to the CCC for food test laboratory. Indian company keen to buy bandwidth for Bhutan BSS, Dhaka : Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) is keen to buy bandwidth from Bangladesh to provide it to Bhutan, as the landlocked Eastern Himalayan country needs redundancy of internet connectivity. To meet up their interest, Bangladesh has already sent a price quotation to the PGCIL for per megabit (MB) of bandwidth. Talking to BSS, Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited (BSCCL) Managing Director Monwar Hossain said initially they have shown internet to buy 2.5 gbps bandwidth. "We've sent a price quotation to them (PGCIL) which is bit higher than we are providing to BNSL," he said. Replying to a query on pricing, Monwar said: "For 2.5 gbps, we would charge $ 15 for per megabit (MB) of bandwidth while $ 9 if they take 10 gbps." The BSSCL managing director said the PGCIL has wanted to buy bandwidth on Singapore-Cox's Bazar-Dhaka-Comilla-Brahmanbaria-Akhaura-Agartola routes. However, the state-owned (BSCCL), the assigned organization to handle the bandwidth f Bangladesh, had proposed for selling bandwidth on Dhaka-Sylhet-Tamabil-Shillong-Guwahati-Bhutan routes, as it would bring more scope to Bangladesh to share bandwidth with Meghalaya, Guwahati and Arakan. But, the PGCIL wants bandwidth immediately that is why they will go for Singapore-Cox's Bazar-Dhaka-Comilla-Brahmanbaria-Akhaura-Agartola routes, added Monwar. The South Asian landlocked country Bhutan has taken the move to establish a third international link to the internet. It currently has only two links to the internet, one through Gelephu and the other through Phuentsholing. But, both converge in the Indian city of Siliguri, which means Bhutan lacks true redundancy or back up connectivity to the internet. Bangladesh has started exporting 10 gbps bandwidth to India in March last year. Now, India wants to make it double. Bangladesh has now over 200 gbps bandwidth and meeting the domestic demand, it has the capacity to export bandwidth up to 50 gbps. Currently, Bangladesh is consuming only 33 percent of the total bandwidth and the demand for bandwidth may reach at 210 gbps by 2021. Besides, Bangladesh has connected with second undersea cable last month to get another 1500 gbps bandwidth. Since the lifetime of Bangladesh's first submarine cable will end within the next 12 years, there is no other alternative to exporting bandwidth. Swedish company to encourage suppliers to pay workers digitally Economic Reporter : The Swedish fashion company H&M group will now encourage its suppliers to pay their workers through mobile money or other digital forms to improve the livelihoods of its workforce, enhance transparency and cut factory costs. The company has taken the steps as it has officially joined the 'Better Than Cash Alliance', a United Nations-based partnership of governments, companies and international organizations accelerating the transition from cash to digital payments, said a media release. "Digital payments are an efficient and scalable way to improve the lives of the employees of our suppliers. They offer a faster, safer and more transparent way to receive their salary, increase financial inclusion and support women's economic independence," said Gustav Loven, Social Sustainability Manager at H&M group. Sixty-five percent of the 1.6 million people employed along H&M group's supply chain are women, many of them with limited access to the financial services they need to create a better life for themselves and their families. Many factory workers worldwide are paid entirely in cash, which entails cumbersome, expensive and dangerous processes for both factories and workers. Encouraging suppliers to pay wages through digital channels, such as bank accounts, cards or mobile money, will build on H&M group's sustainability commitment to work with its business partners to promote good working conditions, fair living wages and sustainable economic growth. As the majority of the benefits will be realized by female workers, this move is a prime example of a corporation working to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals on Gender Equality (SDG 5) and Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8). "H&M group is taking a bold step in recognizing how cash-heavy supply chains limit efforts to empower workers and prevent companies from increasing transparency. And, it's inefficient," said Dr. Ruth Goodwin-Groen, Managing Director of the Better Than Cash Alliance. "H&M group's leadership will help inspire other companies in the industry, and beyond, to make the shift to digital payments and contribute to inclusive growth, as well as to the Sustainable Development Goals, in emerging markets," Ruth Goodwin-Groen added. Md. Sazedul Islam :Each year around the world, International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8. In many countries, IWD is an occasion to honour and praise women for their accomplishments. IWD is a national observance in many countries. According to UN Women, the original aim is to achieve full gender equality for women the world has still not been realised. A gender pay gap persists across the globe and women are still not present in equal numbers in business or politics. Figures show that globally, women's education, health and violence towards women is still worse than that of men. On IWD, women across the world come together to force the world to recognise these inequalities - while also celebrating the achievements of women who have overcome these barriers.In 1975, during International Women's Year, the United Nations began celebrating 8 March as International Women's Day. Two years later, in December 1977, the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women's Rights and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by Member States, in accordance with their historical and national traditions.In Bangladesh, different programmes are held to mark the day. While the IWD may be a day of global celebration, there is no room for complacency as our women still struggle on many fronts. In our country, women have been subjected to exploitation and negligence for various reasons. The most repressive incidents they face are torture inside house, abduction, trafficking, rape, acid throwing, burning, killing, mental torture, dowry related torture, torture during pregnancy and forceful prostitution as profession.They are also facing problems such as violence at working places, early marriage, forceful abortion, determining gender during pregnancy, suicide, malnutrition and poverty.UNICEF says, Bangladesh's socio-cultural environment contains pervasive gender discrimination, so girls and women face many obstacles to their development. Girls are often considered to be financial burdens on their family, and from the time of birth, they receive less investment in their health, care and education.In the home, women's mobility is greatly limited and their decision-making power is often restricted. For instance, about 48 per cent of Bangladeshi women say that their husbands alone make decisions about their health, while 35 per cent say that their husbands alone make decisions regarding visits to family and friends. Violence against women is another major impediment to women's development."Education is essential to reducing discrimination and violence against girls and women and Bangladesh has made great progress in this area, already achieving gender parity in primary and secondary education. Women's employment rates remain low despite progress, and their wages are roughly 60-65 per cent of male wages", says the UN body.Though many women in our country have become victims of injustice due to various reasons, another section of women, who have different disabilities, are the worst sufferers. The overall condition of female with disabilities (FWDs) is more pathetic in the country. There are about 12 million FWDs in Bangladesh. Issues related to people with disabilities in Bangladesh are still dominated by ignorance, fear and superstition in the community. The direct result of this has been the neglect of the persons with disabilities in all spheres of life. FWDs may be considered to have a double disadvantage, as they are already socially discriminated against their male inmates within this patriarchal society.FWDs, who are mostly poor, face more discrimination in our society. They cannot express their opinion even in their respective families and get less scope to vent their decision. While narrating the condition of FWDs, Ferdousi Begum Rubi, a female with disability in Kushtia, said they (FWDs) face deprivation and discrimination regarding education, employment, marriage and other matters due to wrong perception about them. There are obstacles from the families and society when they (FWDs) try to become self-reliant.As the FWDs are more vulnerable in the country, steps need to be taken for helping them lead their lives smoothly. Ensuring them easy access to employment as per their qualification can help reduce their sufferings. Hence, it is needed to enhance their life skill and bringing them under education. If they get scope to increase their skill and employment, then they can prove their worth contributing to the country's development. If the private organizations and NGOs come forward to supplement the government's efforts, employment problem of the FWDs will be solved easily. Then they can get scope to lead their lives in a decent manner.The FWDs cannot contribute to the country's development only due to negative attitude of people. The negative attitude made their lives more miserable. All concerned should play their due role in eradicating the stigma surrounding FWDs and making an atmosphere, which is conducive to protecting the rights of all, including the FWDs.There is a provision in Bangladesh National Women Development Policy 2011 for taking necessary steps so that women only because of disability are not deprived of any kind of rights, facilities and services endowed under the Policy.Women rights is a highly talked about issue amongst the human civilization for years together. Women comprise about half of our total population and we cannot achieve the goals of our development by showing negligence to them. Hence, it is imperative to ensure their rights. Equal rights of all have also been enshrined in our Constitution.According to experts, it is vital to ensure equal participation of women in every sector in order to achieve gender equality. Males have to change their mindset towards women and stay beside women in establishing their rights. In order to ensure equal participation of women, a woman-friendly atmosphere has to be created at work place.In Bangladesh, women constitute a great majority of the population. Therefore, their development is prerequisite to national development. Taking into consideration the relatively disadvantaged position of women, the government emphasises on ensuring their socio-economic development.Bangladesh is signatories to various charters on advancement of women and committed to implement these. Several existing laws have been amended and a few new ones enacted in Bangladesh for prevention of violence against women and girl child. Although considerable progress has been made, much more still needs to be done. The government hoped to achieve the goals in future with the united efforts of all.(The writer is a journalist. He can reached at [email protected] (PID- Project Feature) No army to be deployed in CCC election Staff Reporter : Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda on Thursday said, no army would be deployed during the Comilla City Corporation (CCC) election scheduled to be held on March 30. "We hope that the CCC election will be held in a peaceful manner. Army will, however, be kept ready for deployment if situation demands," he said. The CEC said this while talking to reporters after a meeting with the law enforcement agencies at the Election Commission Secretariat in the capital on Thursday. This will be the first city corporation election under the new EC. Meanwhile, by-election to Gaibandha-1 and Sunamganj-2 will be held on March 22 and on March 30 respectively. 14-nation cops meet in city from Mar 12 Md Joynal Abedin Khan : Bangladesh for the first time is set to hold a three-day Chiefs of Police Conference of 'South Asia and Neighbouring Countries' in Dhaka on March 12-14 this year. The theme of the conference titled on "Regional Cooperation in Curving Violent Extremism and Transnational Crime", according to sources of Police Headquarters. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal will inaugurate the conference at Sonargaon Hotel, while Foreign Minister AH Mahmud Ali will be the chief guest in the concluding session, they said. A total of 58 officers from police, law enforcement agencies, Interpol and international organizations along with 14 countries from South Asia would join the conference, they said. Members of law enforcement agencies from Afghanistan, Australia, Bhutan, Brunei, China, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, South Korea, Sri-Lanka and Vietnam would join the conference, said the Police Headquarters sources.. Bangladesh also invited the other South Asian nation, Pakistan, to the conference but it didn't give any response, they added. Besides, Interpol Secretary General Jurgen Stock, Facebook Trust and Safety Manager Vikrarm Lengeh, Asian Pole Executive Director Yohanes Agus Mulyono, IGCI (Interpol Global Complex for Innovation) Head of Protocol and Conference Sin Lee Chua, and Gray Barr, director of International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Programme, are supposed to attend the conference. The conference may form a transnational crime unit (TCU) to share information about these issues linked to extremism, according to the concept paper of the conference. Inspector General of Police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Hoque told reporters on Thursday that all types of necessary measures to make the conference successful have been taken. The conference will arrange focusing on how to fight violent extremism, terrorism and organised crimes through cooperation between different nations, the IGP said. It will help the government combat all sorts of crimes including violent extremism and transnational crimes, the police Chief said. "We are expecting to develop a common strategy to combat transnational crime and violent extremism and form a common platform to enhance cooperation between chiefs of police of the region," he said. "The government took up the measure at a time when militancy has become a matter of grave concern with rising militant and terrorist attacks in recent years. Bangladesh faced the worst-ever terrorist attack at the highly secured diplomatic zone in the city's Gulshan last year," the IGP said. "We would seek assistance from Stock in bringing back Lt Col SHMB Noor Chowhdury from Canada and Lt Col AM Rashed Chowdhury from the USA. Also we will request to track down other killers of Bangabandhu-Lt Col Shariful Hoque Dalim, Lt Col Abdur Rashid, Capt Abdul Mazed and Resalder Mosle Uddin-by forming a special taskforce," Home Ministry sources said. Besides, Indian chief of police will be asked to shut down illegal Phensedyl factories in India and Myanmar police chief to stop yaba factories set up near the border between Myanmar and Bangladesh, they said. According to them, during talks with Myanmar, Bangladesh will also raise the issue of 13 Bangladeshis languishing in Myanmar jail from 2014. Myanmar authorities were informed of the matter on October 29 that year and then reminded of it in March next year but no response has yet been received from that side. Bangladesh would also hold bilateral talks with Malaysia, Sri-Lanka and Brunei on the sideline of the conference. Meanwhile, over seven hundred militants told the law enforcers in different custodies that they were involved with militant organizations being misguided by some leaders and activists of the radical outfits though online media mainly Facebook, the Police Headquarters sources said. The law enforcing agencies have already invited the Facebook authorities to take part in the three-day South Asian Police's Chiefs Conference scheduled to be held Dhaka on March 12, they said. They Police had taken a decision they bound the FB authorities to take part in the programme with the help of International Police Organizations (Interpol), according to them. Police will hold a meeting with the Facebook Trust and Safety Manager Vikrarm Lengeh, they said. Bangladesh police will likely to submit some proposals to the FB to take necessary steps to curb militancy at home and abroad, they added. Police will have discussed a way to share information about militants, and financial crime and offences related to terrorist financing, according to them. They claimed that a number of Bangladeshis were radicalized by the FB after they had gone to Malaysia. Some of them are believed to have fled to Syria to join Islamic State. And so I thank Councillor Ingrid Jackson who has kindly agreed to convey these words on my behalf to this wonderful gathering celebrating the publication of My Walk to Equality. I extend my apologies for my absence from this Port Moresby launch of our milestone publication. If there is anything I am more devoted to than reading, writing and praising God Almighty, it is my young family and fulfilling my daily responsibilities to my three children. TO the brilliant 44 Papua New Guinean women writers. To Keith Jackson and Philip Fitzpatrick. Well we did it! The first collection of writing by Papua New Guinean women, My Walk to Equality, was launched last night before 80 people at a high-spirited event at The Stanley Hotel in Port Moresby. The books editor, Rashmii Amoah Bell, could not be there and her speech was delivered by Cr Ingrid Jackson. The launch - which included a number of powerful presentations by leading women - was scheduled to coincide with International Womens Day. The book will also be launched at the Mary Ryan bookshop at Milton in Brisbane next Thursday I think of the book as a tangible form of the dedication of the many people and organisations that brought it into existence or who, through their financial support, are making it available to thousands of Papua New Guineans. Writing is a lone effort. But there are always life experiences from which to mine inspiration and support. There are many influences that have writers take a blank page and transform it into words and lines and pages of creativity, ideas, imaginings, articulating the things that matter to us. There are two people present here tonight that I want to acknowledge as important in my development as a published writer. They are Margo Nugent and Keith Jackson. Lily PNG magazine is where Papua New Guinean readers first read my writing in print publication. And it is Keith Jacksons PNG Attitude blog that I consider the home of my writing and where I am ever grateful to have my imagination and commentary regularly brought to public view. Together with Philip Fitzpatrick and Pukpuk Publications, these people have been phenomenal in encouraging and steering my writing and editing to where it is today. Their support was pivotal in enabling me to embrace the opportunity of assuming the editorial role for this incredible book. This event today also acknowledges those people who have supported the anthology project from the time it commenced in late September last year. I express my heartfelt gratitude to Jo Holman and to Paga Hill Development Company, which provided the initial funding for the book, for believing in our vision for My Walk to Equality. I sincerely hope we have produced a body of work you are proud of. The theme of this International Women's Day 2017 calls for women to be Bold For Change. Writers, editors and publishers understand the power of literature in altering perceptions and in influencing, and even driving, social change. But it takes courage to write for change. It is my hope that in 2017 people in our nation will come to recognise that a home-grown literature more than a hobby; that it is an effective mechanism to encourage and sustain change amongst Papua New Guineans for Papua New Guinea. Jo Holman and Paga Hill Development Company have constantly demonstrated their belief that indigenous writing and especially womens writing - has an important role in contributing to a national conversation about appropriate development and social equality. It is my sincere hope that our country will embrace and provide opportunities for indigenous writers to produce high standard work to that will create a substantial Papua New Guinean national literature. So thanks to the My Walk to Equality collaborative team for providing this great opportunity. It has been an absolute privilege and honour to work alongside you. Keep writing and be ambitious to have your work published. In this international year of women being bold for change, let us walk boldly. Let us walk to equality! US stance over GSP not yet changed: Envoy Sagar Biswas : US ambassador Marcia Bloom Bernicat on Thursday said that her country has not yet changed its stance about withdrawing the suspension on Generalized System of Preferences [GSP] to Bangladesh despite the change of government in her country. "I personally want that Bangladesh would get GSP facility. But it needs more steps forward to implement 16 conditions for sustainable compliance. Of them, transparent database, workers' right and safety and implementation of labour law are very much important," the envoy categorically said. She made the statement while talking to the newsmen after holding a meeting with leaders of ready-made-garment [RMG] sector at Ashulia in the outskirts of Dhaka yesterday. Expressing her optimism, Bernicat said: "Bangladesh has made progress in different sectors. However, if the country wants to get back GSP facility, it will have to fulfil all the 16 conditions given earlier for the compliance." Earlier in the day, the envoy went to different factories at Ashulia's Zirabo and other areas apparently to see the condition of workers' welfare, workers' rights and atmosphere of trade union in the RMG units. It is to be noted that, Bangladesh's US$25 billion garment industry has been suffering from 'alleged safety problems' since the 2013 collapse of a complex, the Rana Plaza, in which more than 1,100 people were killed. After that, the US authorities suspended the GSP facility on the grounds of factory safety and workers' rights concerns. Against this backdrop, thousands of factories have been inspected and dozens closed over safety concerns. At present, more than 7,000 factories in Bangladesh are producing goods for the global fashion business, nearly double the 3,600 exporting factories that the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) operates. Many of those are small- and medium-sized factories, the workers of which indirectly produced goods for foreign brands through larger factories, factory insiders said. Officials said the US is the single largest export market for Bangladesh while Washington exports only about $700 million of the total $6 billion two-way trade. To get back GSP, Bangladesh government had taken strong stance in the last meeting of Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum Agreement [TICFA] held in US capital Washington DC. But the effort went in vain. Drug peddlers attack Feni mobile court Ansar man shot dead, Magistrate among 9 hurt Staff Reporter : An Ansar member was killed and nine others, including the Executive Magistrate, received injuries when a 'shootout' took place between the mobile court and drug peddlers at Badarpur Khanabari in Phulgazi Upazila of Feni district on Wednesday night. The victim has been identified as Mir Naoshad Ali, 40, a lance nayek of Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party (VDP). The injured were admitted to a local hospital, police said. Feni Additional Police Superintendent Kazi Moniruzzaman said, "The incident took place when a team of Ansar and police led by Executive Magistrate Sohel Rana conducted an anti-narcotics drive in the area around 11:00 on Wednesday night." Naoshad died on the spot after he was hit by a bullet around 11:30 pm and others people were injured as chopped by the alleged drug peddlers during the clash, the police official said. The criminals also abducted a police informant, Sumon, and took away the firearms of the dead Ansar member, he said. Later, the district administration informed the matter to Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Border Security Force (BSF) of India as the clash occurred at Badarpur, near the India-Bangladesh border, added the police official. The EU must uphold its fundamental values Juha Sipila : In considering our future direction, there is no room for emotional populism: we must be able to examine matters pragmatically. European cooperation was built over time on three main principles - peace, prosperity and common values. Europe, ravaged by the world war, needed stability. Soon, European cooperation will have succeeded in creating 70 years of this. Economic cooperation led to an understanding of the power of a single market and a common trade policy. Europe is united by common values and belief in the rule of law, and the significance of these fundamental principles should not be called into question today. The European Union's development is now at a critical stage, and this is not mere chance or the result of factors unconnected to us. In the early years of this century, strong support for integration and rapid development still prevailed in the European Union. We deepened the integration through the Economic and Monetary Union and the Lisbon Treaty. At the same time, the Union enlarged rapidly. Preparations took place at a high level and perhaps too quickly, and not all citizens learned to accept the remodelled Union as their own. This is evident in an erosion of trust and in frustration at the Union's capacity to act. The Rome Declaration, piloting the future development of the EU, will be published at the end of March. This has been discussed on several occasions between the leaders of the EU member states. Finland's line is pragmatic - seeking concrete measures and unity. The EU must recognise its own shortcomings. We have not succeeded in creating trust among citizens, nor in implementing the decisions we have made. In this regard, the Union must return to its roots and focus on the essential. Member states have different views on the future direction of the EU. Some want to deepen integration radically, some to return decision-making power to the national level. Some countries want to strengthen the two-speed development of Europe, in which some of the member states would willingly remain outside the core while the others enhance cooperation. Many of the proposed changes would require the re-opening of the EU Treaties. This would mean a multi-year negotiation process with no certainty about its results. The Union cannot afford this. Finland proposes a realistic middle-way solution. No re-opening of the EU Treaties, no new steps towards deeper integration, and no reduction in the Union's powers. Faced with external and internal pressures to change, the Union can be strong only by being united. In EU cooperation, we must find ways of proceeding together at the same pace. The formation of different political cores among the member states is not in Finland's interests. The Community method is a way of guaranteeing the stable and equitable functioning of the Union as well as ensuring democracy in EU decision-making. It is important that the Commission remains independent and effective. The EU must recognise its roots. This means safeguarding the continent's stability, prosperity and common values. We already have the tools to achieve this. We are strengthening European stability through the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the defence dimension. Finland is prominently involved. The member states see clear added value in this. Trust is the basis of everything. Every member state must assume its share of responsibility and adhere to the common rules. Otherwise, we cannot expect others to show solidarity. Prosperity will be created by defending free trade and preventing the rise of protectionism. Developing the single market will play a decisive role. Particularly for Finland, which survives on exports, this is a vital issue and a key European asset. Prosperity will also be created by making structural reforms and following a disciplined fiscal policy. Sound financial management must also be the starting point in future EU multiannual financial framework negotiations. The EU's total budget should not grow. Europe must find a pragmatic course. Citizens do not consider a federal state to be a goal worth striving for. We do not, on the other hand, need to turn inward. We must fight against hate speech. We need a citizens' Europe in which we share our common values and work for the peace and well-being of our continent. (Juha Sipila (Centre Party) has been the prime minister of Finland since May 2015. This opinion-piece was first published in Helsingin Sanomat). Kushtia IU sets good example THE Syndicate of Islamic University in Kushtia has surely taken the appreciable measures punishing three teachers, an administrative officer and two other employees for their involvement in question paper leakage of admission test for 2016-17 session of Mathematics and Statistics Department. It included suspension of a teacher and show cause on two while they have been debarred from taking part in any admission activities in next two years. A student has also been expelled in this connection while admission of over 100 students cancelled, who reportedly bought the leaked question papers at variable cost from Tk 1.0 lakh to 1.5 lakh per set to easily pass the test. The action followed after an investigation headed by a teacher found evidence of their involvement that included stealing of over 68 question papers from a lot and tampering of results to pass some students who paid for the question papers. As per report the question papers were stolen at least two days before the test thus destroying the credibility of a fair admission test. The Varsity Authorities will hold fresh admission test now but who can make sure leakage will not take place again. Admission is a big business involving crore of takas and people are invariably around there to make good of it. What is spectacularly noticeable in this case is that the President and the General Secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra League -- the student wing of Awami League -- made written complaint to Kushtia Islamic University authorities about the question leakage. They blamed some other members of their own organization for the mischief pointing out that only because of internal squabbles, the matter came to the light and was taken to the Varsity Authority to punish them. We suggest since the leakage has taken place, perpetrators must be punished but factional quarrel within the ruling party leaves many thing unanswered raising bigger question over the whole issue. As it appears question leakage of public examinations, such as SSC, HSC and even BCS examination is almost a regular phenomenon and as the Kushtia Islamic University case suggests it is mainly happening with involvement of people politically affiliated to the ruling party. Their involvement is everywhere. Only they can dare to break the security to bring out question papers with confidence that nobody will be able to punish them. They enjoy a kind of impunity in our highly charged political environment. Their network work is in close touch with people dealing with holding admission tests and other public examinations at various levels rendering the government totally incompetent to deal with them. The discovery of leakage at Islamic University is a case by default but nonetheless welcome. We only hope real perpetrators will be punished. The Undead Archives I have finally salvaged my pre-Blogger TDR archives and added them into Blogger. They are almost totally in the form of one giant post for each month. And the formatting strayed from the originals. Sorry. But historians everywhere can rejoice that this treasure trove of my thoughts is restored to the world. Michael Uiari (pictured), head of business development with Oil Search Power Holdings, said it is logical for the company to offer its in-country project management and operating expertise to help find solutions for the government to improve access to electricity. With its new power business, the company aims to deliver financially sustainable power solutions that will strengthen and build the capacity of providers, promote greater energy reliability for industries and deliver cleaner and affordable electricity. Oil Searchs recent focus on the electricity sector in PNG is a strategic response to this challenge. ACCESS to electric power is one of Papua New Guineas most significant development challenges. Mr Uiari said this is complementary to its export business which helps power Asian countries through the countrys sales of liquefied natural gas and it is now venturing into the domestic power sector. "As a PNG company, its the right thing to do, to assist government with providing access to power for the people and the growth of the countrys industry, as well as contributing to our companys profitability, Mr Uiari said. In PNG, government policy has turned to the private sector for power generation, hence the introduction of independent power producers, which marks the start of further liberalisation and subsequent privatisation of electricity. Mr Uiari said Oil Searchs entry into the business is through proposals for generation and use of domestically sourced fuels through its Highlands and Morobe generation projects. Oil Search is also working with PNG Power to understand the costs and issues associated with trying to connect people in remote locations. Mr Uiari said access to power in PNG is very expensive. The high price results from a blend of fuel prices, combined with a very low user base, high system and logistics costs and a significant proportion of electricity that does not derive revenue. But kudos to the BESE for beating back calls to fortify anti-evolution instruction in public school science classes. The state school board for elementary and secondary public schools in Louisiana has signed off new science standards that will be phased in before going into full effect for the 2018-19 school year. The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted 9-0 today (Wednesday) to approve the standards, but not after agreeing to add a reference to the Louisiana Science Education Act, the controversial 2008 state law that allows public school science teachers to supplement the state curriculum with materials that challenge Darwinian evolution. It was an unfortunate nod to creationists, but only a glancing nod: opponents of evolution wanted the board to tweak the standards themselves to raise questions about evolution. As the Associated Press reports: With a 9-0 vote, a panel of nearly all BESE members agreed to the standards revisions. But support came only after language was added to remind educators about a Louisiana law that allows public school science teachers to use supplemental materials in their classrooms. Supporters of the addition wanted the language included as a way to encourage teachers to challenge evolution in their science classrooms. If you really believe we should teach the controversy, why is that not included in the standards? asked Rep. Beryl Amedee, R-Gray. Amedee was among several speakers who wanted the standards tweaked to raise questions about evolution. Gene Mills, president of the conservative Louisiana Family Forum, said evolution is referenced 25 times in the standards, but with no mention of opposing theories. Teachers, like the test, will follow the standards, Mills said. Science teachers urged the education board to adopt the rewritten benchmarks without language challenging evolution. BESE members were no doubt relieved that representatives of the Flat Earth Society werent at the meeting to demand equal treatment of their opposing theory within the geophysics curriculum; that meeting wouldve taken longer than a summer solstice in hell. Read more about the new science standards here. Trivia of note to Lafayette readers: Among the many U.S. Supreme Court cases that have sided with Darwinian evolutionary theory, AKA actual science, over creationism and its lab coat-wearing offspring, Intelligent Design, is the 1987 ruling Edwards v. Aguillard in which justices threw out a Louisiana law, the Creationism Act, that only allowed evolution to be taught in public schools if creation science was taught alongside it. Justices ruled the Louisiana law violated the U.S. Constitutions Establishment Clause barring the preferential treatment of one religion over others in law. The case began in 1982 when a biology teacher at Acadiana High School, with backing of the ACLU and, later, scores of Nobel laureates and scientific groups, filed suit against the creationism law. The case began as Aguillard v. Treen, the latter of whom, David Treen, was the governor of Louisiana at the time. By the time the case got to SCOTUS it was Edwards v. Aguillard Edwin Edwards was governor at that point. The Aguillard who filed the original suit is Dr. Donald Aguillard, current superintendent of the Lafayette Parish School System. Now hows that half-cent sales tax proposition looking? The best bang for your buck! This option enables you to purchase online 24/7 access and receive the Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday print edition at no additional cost * Print edition only available in our carrier delivery area. Allow up to 72 hours for delivery of your print edition to begin. Print edition not available for Day Pass option. The House Democrats' campaign arm and a group of central New York progressives are accusing U.S. Rep. John Katko of misleading constituents about his stance on whether President Donald Trump should release his tax returns. The CNY Solidarity Coalition said Katko, R-Camillus, "reneged" on a promise he made while speaking to 75 protesters outside a Syracuse fundraiser Monday. During that exchange, Katko said he would support efforts to force Trump to disclose his taxes. And on Thursday, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee went further and claimed Katko lied about his position. The accusations stem from a House vote Tuesday. U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo attempted to offer a privileged resolution that would direct the House Ways and Means Committee to request Trump's tax returns. The chair, Speaker Pro Tempore Steve Womack, ruled that Eshoo's resolution wouldn't be considered because it didn't "qualify as a question of the privileges of the House." Eshoo, a California Democrats, appealed Womack's ruling. But House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, quickly filed a motion to table the appeal. A voice vote was initially held before Eshoo requested a record vote. McCarthy's motion to table the appeal passed by a 227-186 vote. Katko was among those who supported the motion to table the appeal. Democrats are now using the vote to suggest that Katko didn't actually support the release of Trump's tax returns, even though Tuesday's vote was on a procedural matter, not Eshoo's resolution. "Rather than admit that he blocked a measure to reveal Donald Trump's tax returns, Representative Katko misled his constituents and made a promise that he had already broken," said Evan Lukaske, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "John Katko is sorely mistaken if he thinks he can lie to his constituents with impunity." On Monday before a fundraiser at the Blarney Stone in Syracuse, Katko said Trump "should disclose his taxes just like everybody else." One of the protesters then asked if he voted to block the release of Trump's tax returns a reference to a similar vote on Feb. 27 that was on a table the appeal motion, not on the original resolution. Katko denied that he voted to prevent the release of Trump's taxes. @RepJohnKatko saying he will vote to require Trump to release his tax returns. Filmed yesterday 3-6-17. Hold him to it! HR 305 pic.twitter.com/mY4z4RZJi6 CNY Solidarity Coal. (@CNYSolidarity) March 7, 2017 When pressed by the protesters, Katko repeated his call for the president to disclose his tax returns something Trump didn't do during the presidential campaign in 2016. He's cited an ongoing audit as an explanation for why he hasn't released the documents. "I'm telling you right now he should disclose his taxes," Katko said. Known as Ho Chi Minh city since the late 70s the city is still often referred to as Saigon by pretty much everyoneeven VC vets weve spoken to! Saigon is a busy, bustling, crazy kind of place, it almost makes you feel like you cant get your breath at times. With the worlds largest number of motorbikes buzzing around, bright propaganda screaming down at you and street selling shouting in every direction it can be a hard city to gel with. But get below the surface, discover the back alleys, street food and unique blends of culture and you will be hooked! Heres our list of things to do in Ho Chi Minh City! Things to do in Ho Chi Minh City: Independence Palace The palace that sits here has been through many eras in the history of Vietnam, or rather the land that surrounds it. The present day construction was built in 1966 on the site of the former Norodom Palace, which was built by the French after they took control of South Vietnam and became their seat of power. A must do on your Vietnam and Cambodia tour is understanding the history of this region. Going through the eras of the Japanese coop, it was finally destroyed when bombing made the building suitable only for demolition during the Vietnamese/ American war. But the palace is most famous for the iconic role it played in the war itself. The site of the end of the war itself during the Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975 when a North Vietnamese tank crashed through its gates! For historical significance this must be top of our things to do in Ho Chi Minh City. Entrance price: 30,000 / 1.07 / $1.32 War Remnants Museum An important and interesting museum this place documents the various stages and stories in the Vietnamese/ American war. Heavily influenced by the communist government and propaganda machine at play in Vietnam it is possibly quite a hard place for Americans especially to visit. But at the same time having grown up in Britain, watching US films and media coverage it was refreshing to hear about the conflict from the side perceived as being the enemy. The differing stories here and moving images make it one of the best things to do in Ho Chi Minh City. Now I am not taking sides, in fact I am still very much learning about the war and what happened passed what I learnt from growing up watching Forrest Gump over and over! But its hard to see passed the idea that America were an invading and occupying force in a land where most didnt want their intervention. Here in the various exhibitions, of course clearly swayed towards North Vietnam, you can really see some of the atrocities perpetrated by the Americans here. Some of the images are quite distressing and upsetting. Piles of innocent people shot dead, villages burnt to the ground, bodies scorched by Napalm and deformed babies as a result of Agent Orange. A really eye opening and sobering place to visit. Entrance price: 15,000 / 0.53 / $0.66 Notre Dame cathedral After the temples and domination of Buddhist culture in Thailand and Cambodia it came as somewhat of a surprise to see so many churches in Vietnam. But considering how long France ruled this region it seems only natural that they left behind some of their culture (see bread and cheese also!!) Notre Dame cathedral is a prime example of this, the church was built by French colonists between 1863 and 1880. All the building materials used were carved in France and transported across the world over to Saigon. The church is one of the most well known and prominent of the remaining colonial architecture that dominates areas of the country as well as being one of the largest and most beautiful examples. Discover the stunning French architecture of the city After discovering the wonderful Notre Dame cathedral your appetite for this beautiful French architecture just might have been whetted. Well never fear, Saigon is full of it and some of the examples here are amongst the best in the country. Some highlights include the Post Office, complete with communist style war memorial statues outside just to complete the typically Vietnamese blend of styles and eras! The bright yellow facade and ornately decorated interior, including several old maps of old Saigon, make it a wonderful building to visit. Also on this list is the city hall which stands behind the state of Ho Chi Minh. Despite being off limits to visitors the exterior of the building still offers a particularly wonderful view! The Municipal Theatre is also one of the cities most ornate examples of French architecture and sits on of the of the cities most beautiful streets. Have a wander around the city and see what you can find! Explore the side streets and back alleys Saigon is busy and often feels a little claustrophobic, dodging bikes, street carts, hawkers and hurtling trucks often people find it hard to fall in love with this mystical city. But take a walk along many of the tiny streets, a reminder of the Hutongs of Beijing in China, where life seems to go at a different pace and normal rules seem not to apply. Even in such a busy and increasingly modern city people still life in quite a traditional way here, but often if you stick to the main streets it can seem hard to find. Some of the things to see in Ho Chi Minh city might not seem obvious at first, but search them out and you will be rewarded with a different city! Here generations live in the same house, tradition states that when a woman is married she moves in with her husbands family and often you have Great Grandparents, Grandparents, Parents, Kids and their kids all living in one small and cramped house! But with tradition comes a unique family bond where everyone shares responsibilities and brings the children up as well as looking after the older generations. Walk down any side street and you will see homes wide open, living rooms, kitchen and even bedrooms on the ground floor and open. Many people even use the front section of their house as some kind of shop! Head out at rush hour and dodge 7.2 million bikes! Want to see something crazy, take life into your own hands and play real life frogger! Well here it is! Ok, maybe dont try to cross the road in rush hour but despite what might seems like a strange inclusion on this list once you do see it you will be amazing, mystified and entranced all at the same time. Thats right, there are an estimated 7.2 million bikes on the streets of Saigon and at rush hour they all descent at once. It might not strike you as one of the things to see in Ho Chi Minh city, but its crazy, trust us! Stand by any one of the many intersections and you wont believe what you are seeing! Somehow people never seem to crash in this city too, they skillfully wear their way through traffic, often carrying the most crazy things on the tops, sides and any other available space with them (just wait until you get out into the country to really see some crazy loads on scooters!). Visit the Ho Chi Minh statue and discover the city covered in Propaganda and capitalist shops! Saigon is an interesting city, named after the communist leader of Ho Chi Minh you cant help but think that decision was mostly to spite the South Vietnamese and America given the importance of this city to them. A once strong hold of the south the city now is covered in propaganda, hammer and sickles and the ultra communist Vietnamese flag. Around almost every corner it appears, in a typically soviet looking style the blocky and bright posters with their loud slogans even in Vietnamese are easy to understand. Another of the more obscure things to see in Ho Chi Minh city but for us one of the most fascinating. But one of the strangest things here is the clash of the communist iconography against the backdrop of the youthful and modern city of Saigon. The consumerism and shops from capitalist society sit side by side with the hammer and sickle. A strange sight at first but the more you delve into the country the more you begin to see how this communist country is moving into the future and might just be the model example of how this ideology can work alongside our modern world?! Getting a visa for Vietnam: A Vietnam Visa is not needed for a stay of 2 weeks or less and can be got on arrival, but do take with you proof of onwards travel. If you plan on staying longer than 2 weeks then you will need a visa before you travel, this is a relatively simple process we did at the embassy in Bangkok a few weeks earlier. However, you can also get your visa for Vietnam online which is probably much more convenient in all honesty and much simpler than queuing up in a tiny room for over an hour just to hand a form in!! One thing to bear in mind is that it is different for everyone!! Our Aussie friend found this out recently when we visited Vietnam for a holiday. Australians need a visa and should apply for one online at least 5 days before travelling. Aussies can get one on arrival but they must buy an approval letter, these can be done at short notice if you pay more but you should still do then at least a couple of days before travelling! Book your transport across Vietnam and Asia here: Powered by 12Go Asia system Book your accommodation here Booking.com Hey, youve got your Travel Insurance sorted havent you? Travelling and especially backpacking is a wild adventure, but make sure you are covered just incase something goes wrong, which if youre living it up to the fullest its always a possibility! Check travel insurance prices with World Nomads here! Have you ever visited Saigon? See more from this country: See more from our backpacking adventures: 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. For the past decade, Tim and Kristen Whiteford have relied on their locally beloved folk three-piece, Bosco & Whiteford, as their musical bread and butter. But lately the married musicians have had a craving for a different type of music entirely: the classic reggae, rocksteady and ska they played together early on in their relationship. Tim Whiteford, an accomplished guitar picker who also plays pedal steel in the country band Uncle Pecos, said he founded Southern Illinois first reggae outfit, Inner Reflections, back in 1999. Forming the Polytricksters, who will play their first gig this weekend, was mostly a matter of rounding up the usual suspects from those days. The second (Tim) mentioned playing reggae again instantly everybody was on board and there was a practice date. It wasnt hard to round people up, Kristen Whiteford said. The Polytricksters feature Tim Whiteford on guitar and vocals, Kristen Whiteford on vocals, Tony Baker on bass, Scott Clough on Saxophone, Brian Plate on piano, Mickey Soltys on guitar and Jimmy Beers on drums. There are seven of us in the band, and everybodys doing very minimal stuff or were trying to, at least. Its easy to overplay, but were trying really consciously to keep it simple, because it could real quickly get cluttered and noisy-sounding. We want to keep it sounding traditional, Tim Whiteford said. Kristen Whiteford, who plays upright bass in Bosco & Whiteford, has also taken on some percussion duties like the vibraslap and cowbell in addition to singing. She is playing them very well, dont let her fool you, Tim Whiteford said. Im not used to just standing there. You start not knowing what to do with your hands, she said. The groups catalog draws from a range of classic and traditional reggae artists, such as Bob Marley (Its hard to avoid it, Kristen Whiteford said), Judy Mowatt, Marcia Griffiths, the Gladiators, the Ethiopians and others. Kristen Whiteford also penned one tune for the group, and they hope to eventually expand their repertoire of originals. Another reason I think that kind of sparked starting another reggae band is, its pretty revolutionary music, and its obviously really heavily against the system, and I feel like the time were living in now is pretty politically charged and theres a lot of political unrest, Tim Whiteford said. Thats also where their name comes from: Polytricksters, a play on politicians, is a word coined by reggae legend Peter Tosh. Theyre songs that are old songs but they sound like they were written yesterday, because theyre so currently topical. I think that was a big part of what inspired us to get going, and thats what I like about reggae, because it has a message, but a lot of its just feel-good music, Tim Whiteford said. As they point out on their Facebook page, the Polytricksters are Southern Illinois newest and perhaps only reggae band. But the genre tends to have near-universal appeal for audiences, they said. Its easy to dance to, and from my experience in the past, a lot of different people like reggae. People who like punk rock like reggae, hippies do, younger kids, Tim Whiteford said. Im a little nervous about it. Which is fun, because I really dont feel nervous about playing anymore after so many years, Kristen Whiteford said. The Polytricksters will play their debut gig on Saturday from 10 p.m-1:30 a.m. at PKs in Carbondale. BENTON The start of a murder trial in the shooting death of Christopher woman Beth Pheasant could still be months away. Pheasants husband, Brian Pheasant, of Christopher, is charged with murder in the first degree in the killing. Complications with DNA testing in Pheasants case have delayed his jury trial. After appearing Tuesday before Judge Thomas Tedeschi, Pheasants attorney, Paula Newcomb, and Franklin County States Attorney Evan Owens both told Tedeschi they had visited the state crime lab in Belleville Feb. 24 to view the testing facility and, more specifically, to see the swab that is to be tested. This trip was the result of a Jan. 10 motion hearing in which Newcomb objected to the states motion calling for the the testing of a swab used to collect DNA from the firearm allegedly used in the murder. The testing would have destroyed the sample one swab that was used to collect DNA from three locations on the weapon. During Thursdays hearing, Owens entered an exhibit, a copy of the Illinois State Police protocol stating that only authorized lab technicians are permitted in the lab during testing. Newcomb had wished to witness the testing, and said she understood her limitations in attending but she still objected to it. Newcomb told Tedeschi Thursday after confirming that there were indeed not three but one swab used to collect DNA, her objection to the testing still stood. Testing will proceed. Tedeschi asked the state how long it would take to get testing started, as it is the primary stumbling block to setting a jury trial date. Owens responded that after receiving word from the court, it would likely be 30 to 45 days until results are reported. Pheasant will appear in court again at 9:30 a.m. April 13. The court did not speculate when the case will go before a jury. MURPHYSBORO A bomb threat called into Murphysboro High School has been labeled false, and investigators are looking for the person or persons responsible for the Thursday afternoon call. Murphysboro High School administrators alerted police around 12:56 p.m. Thursday about the alleged threat, and police officers arrived three minutes later, Police Chief Chad Roberts said in a news release. Students, staff and visitors were evacuated from the school; the school superintendent dismissed classes for the day. Murphysboro police and fire and the Muprhysboro Emergency Management Agency searched the school and grounds and, finding no bomb, turned the building back over to school officials, according to the release. Investigators are encouraging anyone with information about this incident to contact the City of Murphysboro Police Department at 618-684-2121 or the Murphysboro/Jackson County Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at 618-687-2677 or the Carbondale/SIU anonymous tip line at (618) 549-2677. On Feb. 27, 2107, Roman Moore, 22, of Harrisburg pleaded guilty to unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, a class 2 felony Feb. 27, and was sentenced to three years in prison, according to a news release from the Williamson County State's Attorney's Office. On Nov. 26, 2016, an Illinois State Police trooper was on routine patrol and saw a vehicle run a red light. The trooper stopped the vehicle, which was driven by Moore. The officer found a gun when he searched the vehicle. Moore is a felon because of a prior conviction stemming from a robbery at the Smalls Market store in Marion in 2014. He was sentenced to seven years in the Department of Corrections for that robbery offense, but was eventually released after he completed the DOC boot camp program successfully. The Associated Press A memo says Illinois prison officials wanted Drew Peterson transferred to a federal prison because the former suburban Chicago police officer convicted of killing his third wife and plotting to kill the prosecutor posed a danger to the prison. The Chicago Sun-Times reports it obtained a memo in which an official said Peterson was a "threat to safety and security of the department." The official recommended monitoring Peterson's mail and phone calls. Peterson was transferred last month from the Menard Correctional Center in Illinois to a federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana. Peterson was serving a 38-year prison sentence in the 2004 slaying of Kathleen Savio when he was convicted last year of trying to hire someone to kill the prosecutor. He's a suspect though not charged in the 2007 disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson. The Associated Press A group of protesters challenged U.S. Rep. John Katko Monday to support the release of President Donald Trump's tax returns. He said he would. Now the same group is accusing Katko, R-Camillus, of breaking his pledge following a House vote Tuesday. Did Katko break his promise? Was he for Trump releasing his tax returns before he was against it? BACKGROUND Katko, R-Camillus, held a fundraiser Monday at the Blarney Stone in Syracuse. Before he entered the tavern, he met for 15 minutes with a group of protesters that gathered outside. In the exchange that followed, Katko was asked if he thought Trump should release his tax returns. "I'm telling you right now he should disclose his taxes," he said. @RepJohnKatko saying he will vote to require Trump to release his tax returns. Filmed yesterday 3-6-17. Hold him to it! HR 305 pic.twitter.com/mY4z4RZJi6 CNY Solidarity Coal. (@CNYSolidarity) March 7, 2017 The protesters also questioned Katko about his Feb. 27 vote in the House of Representatives on a measure, they say, would force Trump to release his taxes. A similar vote was held Tuesday. On both occasions, Katko voted with nearly all of Republicans colleagues. WHAT DID KATKO VOTE ON? At issue here is really a matter of House rules. U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, a California Democrat, offered a privileged resolution that aimed to direct the House Ways and Means Committee to request Trump's tax returns. After attempting to outline why the House should consider the resolution, Speaker Pro Tempore Steve Womack interrupted and delivered his ruling. "A resolution directing a committee to meet and conduct certain business does not qualify as a question of the privileges of the House," Womack, an Arkansas Republican. Following Womack's announcement, Eshoo appealed the ruling of the chair. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, filed a motion to table the appeal. Womack conducted a voice vote on the motion to table the appeal. Eshoo requested a recorded vote. The motion to table the appeal passed by a 227-186 vote. One Republican U.S. Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina voted against the motion. Katko, as he did Feb. 27, voted in support of the motion. To be clear: Eshoo's resolution wasn't what members, including Katko, were considering. The vote was on the motion to table the appeal, which split along party lines. CONCLUSION Democrats have used these votes as a tool to shame Republicans, as highlighted by the exchange between Katko and the protesters outside of his recent fundraiser. After Tuesday's vote, Katko's critics led by the CNY Solidarity Coalition claimed the congressman reneged on his pledge. They say he voted to table the resolution, which isn't an accurate description of what the House was considering. Yes, the resolution was the starting point. But it was McCarthy's motion to table Eshoo's appeal of the chair's ruling, not the actual resolution, that was before the House. Of course, this is a technicality. It would be comparable to accusing a senator of supporting a Cabinet nominee because they voted for cloture. (Ending the Senate debate and allowing a final vote on the nominee.) As we saw with some of Trump's Cabinet nominees, there were Republican senators who voted for the cloture motion, but ultimately voted against confirmation. This isn't to say the Democratic tactic won't be effective. Jones, the aforementioned Republican who was the lone vote against the motion, previously voted "present" on the Feb. 27 motion. Another Republican, U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford of South Carolina, has voted present on both occasions. The vote to table the motions is the closest Democrats will likely get to having Republicans vote, in an indirect way, on whether Trump should release his taxes. It's probably not the last time they'll attempt to get Republicans on the record. A Steeleville man is dead after a three-vehicle crash Thursday on Illinois 154 in Perry County. Anthony Hagene, 30, of Steeleville, was pronounced dead at the scene by Perry County Coroner Paul Searby. Three others were injured in the crash. According to a news release from Perry County Sheriff Steve Bareis' office, deputies responded to the crash site, near 7305 Illinois 154, around 6:40 a.m. along with Pinckneyville Ambulance Service, Pinckneyville Fire Department and Tamaroa Fire Department. Jamie R. Perry, 36, of Pinckneyville, was airlifted to a St. Louis hospital for treatment. A female juvenile was in the car with Perry, and was also airlifted to a St. Louis hospital for treatment. Edgar A. Pursell, 40, of Du Quoin, was transported by ambulance to an area hospital. Illinois 154 was closed for four and a half hours, the sheriff said. Illinois State Police is still investigating the cause of the crash and are expected to release more information when the investigation is complete. A Pinckneyville man died last week after a head-on crash on Illinois 154 west of Pinckneyville. What would a day without women look like? In our newsroom, we would have one reporter. And no digital editor. Wed have no one to work the obituary desk. Long lines would persist at grocery stores as clerks would be in short supply. Maybe your doctor would be out for the day. Schools would likely close with teachers absent. The state of Illinois would be without an attorney general and comptroller. Illinois would be down a Senator. Congress would be quieter, with nearly 20 percent of its members staying home. What about at home? If women refused to work for just one day (including the vital unpaid work that makes the world go round), what would happen to their children? Who does most of the cooking and cleaning in your household? What happens if she takes a day off? On this International Womens Day, yesterday, Wednesday, March 8, women in Southern Illinois and around the world stayed home; didnt work for free nor for pay; didnt spend money except at local, female-owned businesses; and wore red in solidarity. The general strike was organized by the group behind the highly successful, much-larger-than-expected Womens March on Washington the day after Donald Trumps inauguration. On that day, women and their allies came together in huge numbers to show opposition to the election of a man who had bragged about groping women, insulted women, promised to nominate Supreme Court judges who would overturn Roe v. Wade, and defeated the woman who was the closest wed ever seen to becoming president. On March 8, organizers said women and their allies would come together for equity, justice and human rights of women and gender-oppressed people. In Carbondale, a demonstration at Town Square Pavilion featured female musicians and speakers. An afternoon picket line was planned for the corner of North Illinois Avenue and East Main Street a major thoroughfare during rush hour. Several women gathered outside Rep. Mike Bosts office for a lunchtime pizza party. At least three Carbondale businesses closed to show support for the day, including Cristaudos Bakery, Town Square Market and Jens Joe. Around the country, some school districts closed. The Providence, Rhode Island, municipal court closed because it didnt have enough staff to open. But was Wednesday a day without a woman? Hardly. If you didnt know March 8 was declared Day Without a Woman, you probably didnt even notice a difference, unless you drove past protesters in downtown Carbondale. Business seemeed to continue as usual, for the most part. When women gained the right to vote in 1920, a strong womens voting bloc was supposed to have emerged. It never did. Too few women identify their gender as the thing that dictates the circumstances of their lives. Women are rarely women first. They are rich or poor; they are students or professionals; they are Christians or Jews or Pagans or Muslims; they are Republicans or Democrats; they are professionals and stay-at-home-moms; they are old or young; they are pro-life or pro-choice. We are just too varied in our interests and issues to agree that on Wednesday, March 8, a point needed to made. And not all of us can even agree we are oppressed (exhibit 1: Kellyanne Conway, in February: Its difficult for me to call myself a feminist in a classic sense because it seems to be very anti-male). In order for a general strike to be successful, it must have the strength of numbers behind it. If we all truly felt we were unequal, if we all truly felt threatened, the sacrifice of calling off work one day would be worth it. Lysistrata would have been just one frigid woman without the strength of the other women who took her oath to strike. Until American women can unite under one oath, small demonstrations will pepper our days into the future, and well continue forth with business as usual. An exchange at a congressional hearing Thursday between two upstate New York elected officials highlighted the infrastructure problems plaguing the region. U.S. Rep. John Katko, who serves on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, quizzed Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy on his city's water infrastructure challenges. Katko, R-Camillus, noted that Schenectady is in a similar position as other upstate New York cities. "We've lost tremendous amounts of manufacturing and tremendous amounts of tax base over the last several decades and that's led to profound infrastructure problems, which I'm not quite certain that we've delved into it with enough detail," Katko said. In Katko's district, Syracuse has experienced hundreds of water main breaks over the last few years. Auburn and Owasco are currently determining how to best prevent blue-green algae toxins from contaminating the municipalities' water supplies. A main reason for the problems in Syracuse, he said, is due to aging infrastructure. Many of the water pipes in the city are wooden and more than a century old. Schenectady gets its drinking water from the Great Flats Aquifer. McCarthy, who represented the U.S. Conference of Mayors at Thursday's hearing, said it's a "high quality, really low cost source of water." But like other upstate cities, Schenectady has challenges with its water delivery systems. "We have infrastructure that was put in place 100 years ago, 125 years ago, sometimes longer," McCarthy said. "It just has a realistic life span. You have to be able to manage those resources. You hope that those pipes are going to last another 50 years. The reality is that they're not going to." McCarthy also acknowledged another challenge the randomness of the water main breaks and resources required to fix problems with the delivery system. Getting ahead of the water infrastructure issues, he suggested, can be good for economic development. "You want to have that water and sewer system in place so that we can position the communities for really that next generation of innovation and evolution of urban life," McCarthy said. Katko's line of questioning also focused on what the federal government can do better to fund water infrastructure projects. McCarthy said in Schenectady, the city does receive aid from the federal and state governments. But it funds various infrastructure initiatives with tax revenues. Schenectady's tax rate is one of the highest in the state and in the U.S., McCarthy said. When asked how he would fix the existing funding formula, McCarthy proposed utilizing the method that's currently used to support bridge and highway projects. That formula requires an 80 percent commitment from the federal government, 15 percent from the states and 5 percent from local governments. "I would like a funding formula that has participation at all levels," he said. A New York City assemblyman is speaking out against a proposal that would reduce visitation hours at the state's 17 maximum security prisons, including Auburn Correctional Facility in Cayuga County. Assemblyman David Weprin, chair of the Assembly Committee on Correction, said in a phone interview with The Citizen that he's optimistic the policy won't change. "It seems to be almost unanimous from people we speak to that it's not a cut that makes a lot of sense," Weprin, D-Queens, said. Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed slashing the visitation schedule at maximum security correctional facilities and establish similar hours as medium security prisons. At medium security facilities, visiting hours are on holidays and weekends. Under Cuomo's plan, visitation at maximum security prisons would be reduced from 7 days a week to three. The reduced schedule would allow the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision to eliminate 39 positions and save $2.6 million. Shortly after the proposal was rolled out in January, a Cuomo administration official defended the plan, saying weekend visits were more popular for families, especially those who have to travel long distances to meet with inmates. "This change which comes with the expanded use of video conferencing would be a more efficient use of taxpayer dollars and match the preexisting policy at medium security facilities," said Morris Peters, a spokesman for the state Division of Budget. Several advocacy groups, including the Correctional Association of New York State's Prison Visiting Project, have criticized the proposal. Anthony Annucci, acting commissioner of the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, testified at a budget hearing in February and defended the plan to reduce the visitation schedule. He said visiting rooms at maximum security facilities don't get much use during the week, mainly because families tend to prefer weekend visits. "There's a very limited number of visitors," he said. Weprin said that doesn't match what corrections officers have told him. "They don't find that to be the case," he said. "But it's also more orderly when it's not as crowded. By having it seven days and spreading it out and there are times when it's less crowded than other times, it can make for more meaningful visits. And I think it's a better experience for the inmate, for the family and for the corrections officers." Like advocates, Weprin believes the visits are important for inmates to maintain relationships with their families. The more days the families can visit, he said, the more time they actually spend with the inmate. Orangeburg City Council is considering new tax incentives for owners who restore their historic buildings. One of the big goals for this year has continued to be making incentives for downtown development, Assistant City Administrator John Singh said Tuesday. Singh said the city is working on a toolbox of programs that can help businesses locate in the downtown area. Council discussed Tuesday the possibility of drafting incentives based on the Bailey Bill, which was originally enacted by the state of South Carolina in 1992. It allows local governments to offer a property tax abatement to owners who renovate historic properties. The city already has a facade grant program and downtown business license ordinance designed to encourage downtown development. City Administrator John Yow said the Bailey Bill can also be layered with other state and federal historic preservation incentives. A person could theoretically take advantage of our business license incentive, facade grant, the Bailey Bill if city council adopts that and possibly a state or a federal program, Yow said. To qualify for the Bailey Bills incentives, a building would need to have been built in 1950 or earlier. Yow said the city will be working on providing the incentives for younger buildings as well. We were looking at buildings that may not qualify on a historic perspective but council can set forth an ordinance that says if you invest a certain threshold of dollars, then you could have a property tax break, he said. Singh said the city is looking at what other communities like Sumter, Florence and Hartsville are doing. He added that the city hopes to see similar incentives passed by the county so the incentive can benefit other towns as well. In other business: Members of the Sunnyside Association shared their concerns about the lack of progress on the repaving of their streets. We havent seen those results, Association President Christlo Jordan said. Orangeburg Mayor Michael Butler said the city has done its part and is waiting on word from the S.C. Department of Transportation. The councilmembers and city administrator both have expressed concerns about DOTs starting of the projects, Singh said. DOT representatives will be present at the March 21 council meeting to address concerns and explain any problems they are facing. Concerned citizen Harvey Elwood said the city needs to place young adults on council subcommittees to learn the process of government and provide innovative ideas. We should be able to find at least one 20-something-year-old person on each one of those committees, he said. He also commented on councils need to begin work on Railroad Corner, saying that area is the gateway to the city. Butler assured him that the council has ordered 17 appraisals and work toward the projects completion has been set. Councilman Richard Stroman said he has spent 45 years considering changes to the area and said council is well aware of its needs. He noted that $3 million has been set aside in the Capital Projects Sales Tax proceeds specifically for Railroad Corner. Council reappointed Tara Williamson to another six-year term on the election commission. Williamsons term would have expired on March 31. Council declared Initiative to be the character trait for the month of March. Council entered executive session to discuss the economic development projects currently referred to by the names Project Pillar and Project Columbus. Consider President Donald Trump's downright "Clintonian" non-denial denial during his recent press conference: "I own nothing in Russia, I have no loans in Russia, I don't have any deals in Russia." "Russia," he insisted. "is fake news put out by the media." Ah, but what about deals "with" or loans "from" Russia? Different question. Trump and his family have been up to their eyeballs in Russian cash for decades. The president denying this well-documented fact is the rough equivalent of Bill Clinton denying he'd ever met Monica Lewinsky. Indeed, father and sons used to brag about Russian money. In 2008, Donald Trump Jr. told a real estate conference that "Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets ... We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia." After staging the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow, Trump boasted that most of Russia's financial elite attended a swank party he threw. "Almost all of the oligarchs were in the room," Trump told Real Estate Weekly. It's important to understand that politically independent Russian oligarchs do not exist. One way or another, Putin owns them all. During a Republican debate, Trump even claimed a personal relationship with Vladimir Putin. "I got to know him very well because we were both on '60 Minutes.' We were stablemates," he said. Except oops, Putin's segment was taped in Moscow. Now Trump says the two have never met, which is probably true. Still, there has been the nagging sense for some time that there's something off about the way Trump speaks about Putin," the invaluable blogger Digby explains. "It's obsequious and submissive, which is very uncharacteristic of his normal style and one cannot help but wonder why that is. Trump is not servile toward anyone in this world -- except Vladimir Putin. It would be one thing if we could chalk it up as another one of Trump's weird psychological tics and hope that he isn't so subject to flattery that he decides to help the Russian leader carve up Europe just to keep his approval. But it seems there's more to it than that." It certainly does. Trump was similarly cagey about his campaign's reported contacts with Russian intelligence. Another series of non-denial denials: Not that he personally knows. He, Trump, had no Russian contacts. He's seen people on TV -- people he scarcely knows, maybe he was in the same room with them once -- denying any such liaisons. It's all fake news to him. So now comes yet another guy Trump hardly knows -- a Russian emigre who channeled millions from Moscow investors to various (eventually bankrupt) Trump projects in New York, Fort Lauderdale and Toronto. Felix Sater's name has surfaced in connection with a private "peace initiative" to settle the Ukranian-Russian dispute on terms highly favorable to Russia. According to highly detailed accounts in The New York Times and The Washington Post, the scheme was brokered by Trump's attorney Michael D. Cohen, a pro-Putin Ukranian legislator, and Sater, supposedly through the good offices of fired national security advisor Michael Flynn. The scheme's absurd on its face. But what's truly amazing is Sater's participation, a twice-convicted felon: once for stabbing a guy in a bar fight, and later for a multi-million dollar securities fraud tied to the Genovese and Colombo crime families. While awaiting sentencing, Sater lived two lives: one as a principal in Bayrock, an investment firm located in Trump Tower which funneled millions in Russian capital into several of Trump's characteristically grandiose projects, a second as a CIA informant on international arms smuggling. The dude belongs in a Jason Bourne movie. In a 2013 deposition, Trump said he wasn't sure he'd actually recognize Felix Sater either. Chances are the rest of us will before this astonishing saga ends. WASHINGTON -- The White House is going to get more and more "interesting" as more and more things stand to almost certainly go awry, and probably a-wrong. With Steve Bannon and his "creative" radical deconstructionists whispering into one of the president's ears, Reince Priebus balancing precariously in the center of the tottering political seesaw that is the Oval Office, and the military men standing ramrod straight on the leader's other side, dying to undo the mistakes of the past, we get a picture that rather characterizes, in miniature, the competing interests in the nation today. Of all these groups, by far the most interesting is destined to be the military men, for they are deeply angry inside. They have never gotten past their humiliation over Vietnam, and now they're stuck with Iraq and Afghanistan, and they are, under President Donald Trump, faced with the virtually impossible task of dealing with America at constant war. Take, for instance, the case of Gen. H.R. McMaster, the bald-pated officer with such a serious demeanor that a smile seems like a foreign invasion, who has now been named national security adviser, arguably the most important whisperer in the president's other ear. Gen. McMaster is not the go-along-to-get-along kind of military officer we've been accustomed to since World War II. From all indications, he is a man of unquestioned integrity who says -- and worse, writes! -- exactly what he thinks, to the horror of many. He brings to mind a small dinner of eight or 10 people I attended, given by the respected Marine Gen. James Jones, then supreme allied commander of NATO, at his glorious residence in Mons, Belgium. It must have been about 2003 or '04, and the Iraq and Afghan wars already hung over us. At dinner, I asked Gen. Jones why no one in the Pentagon spoke out against these wars that, like Vietnam, could only be won by utterly destroying the country involved. "It's because, if they speak out, they have to leave the military," he explained, referring to the pattern at the time, "and nobody wants to do that." But H.R. McMaster didn't play by those rules. Instead, 20 years ago, he wrote a penetrating book on Vietnam, analyzing four major decisions between 1963 and 1965 that led the U.S. ever more hopelessly into the war's anti-colonial quagmire. Not only does the book, tellingly titled "Dereliction of Duty," reveal how the military chiefs virtually never raised critical questions about the war's escalation (as Gen. Jones had warned us that night in Belgium), but how American presidents, in particular John Kennedy, but even more so, the thin-skinned Lyndon Johnson, refused any anti-war advice, almost entirely for selfish political reasons. But it is one thing to write critically after a war, and another to be thrown, as McMaster is now, into a new and far more complex cauldron of war, being half-won, half-lost and half God only knows what. His chore is not the relatively easy task of starting a war, as it was for the George W. Bush administration in 2001. His profoundly more difficult chore is trying to placate a president who wants "winning" at any cost, to get us out of Iraq and Afghanistan (and Libya, Yemen, Somalia, etc.) and to do it all with "honor." How is he going to do it? The problem is, he can't. The White House has revealed plans to ask for $54 billion more (a 10 percent raise) in the defense budget. Trump says it is to "protect" us. But the fact is our humongous military spending, and its concomitant use to invade countries from Asia to the Middle East for no rational reason, is endangering us. There is also a lot of talk from the Pentagon about sending American ground troops to Syria and sending more to Iraq. This would complicate the question of what Americans really want from their military even further. Of course, Gen. McMaster is working alongside other military men in the administration, honorable and free-thinking men like Gen. James Mattis, secretary of defense, and Gen. John Kelly, head of Homeland Security. It will be interesting to see what and how they will do, now that they are in powerful positions, but under an obstreperous, win-at-all-cost president like Trump. In the end, the security questions America faces are far deeper than these good men and their original thinking have plumbed. What are America's interests? Why are we in faraway countries like Afghanistan and Yemen, where we have no interests whatsoever? Why do we not have a strategy to lay out and back up American military moves across the globe? If these men can even begin to answer such questions, then they will truly have served their country. A report released Thursday highlights the potential impact Gov. Andrew Cuomo's free public college tuition proposal could have on New York's independent and private colleges. The Commission on Independent Colleges & Universities in New York estimated that 54,079 fewer students would enroll in the state's private institutions if Cuomo's plan is adopted. The organization also estimates that 44,693 jobs would be lost due to the student reductions and communities would lose more than $224 million in tax revenue because of the ensuing job cuts. At private colleges in central New York, enrollment would decline by 4,067 students and 2,269 jobs would be cut. The surrounding communities would lose a projected $9.8 million in tax revenue, according to the study. Mary Beth Labate, a former State University of New York official who once served as Cuomo's budget director, is the president of the commission. She said the negative effects of the free tuition discussion are already being observed. "Words move markets," she said. "Enrollment is in jeopardy, capital projects have been put on hold and campuses are making plans for a series of layoffs in the coming months to close potential gaps." Abbey Fashouer, a spokeswoman for Cuomo, touted the state's support for private colleges more than $2.4 billion in aid since 2011 claimed that the independent institutions haven't agreed to cap "out-of-control tuition costs" at least than $500 a year for state support. "New York leads the nation in providing support to both low-income and private college students through our already robust $1 billion tuition assistance program and loan forgiveness initiatives," Fashouer said. "With private school tuition in New York averaging $34,000 a year compared to $6,400 at SUNY and CUNY the numbers speak for themselves." Private college leaders have expressed concerns about Cuomo's proposal since it was first unveiled in January. The governor wants to provide free tuition at SUNY and City University of New York institutions for students whose families earn no more than $125,000 a year. Jonathan Gibralter, president of Wells College in Aurora, told The Citizen in January that he's worried about how Wells and other private colleges will fare if the free tuition proposal is enacted. "If I lose 25 students because they decide to go to a SUNY college, that is devastating for Wells College," Gibralter said. Cuomo's office estimates that 940,000 households will have college-aged young adults eligible to receive free tuition at SUNY and CUNY institutions. The program, which would be phased in over a three-year period, would cost $163 million annually. Some lawmakers have disputed the projected costs of the program. Cayuga County's state Senate delegation is opposed to Cuomo's proposal. State Sen. John DeFrancisco, a Syracuse Republican, said if every eligible student took advantage of the initiative, then based on the $163 million price tag they would each receive only $350 to cover tuition expenses. "It can't possibly be that little," he said. Legislators also relayed the concerns of private college presidents they've spoken to about the proposal. State Sen. Jim Seward thinks the free SUNY and CUNY tuition program would have a "serious, detrimental impact on a college like Wells College." While the proposal is one of Cuomo's top priorities, its fate is uncertain. It will likely receive support from the Democratic-led Assembly, but Republicans in the state Senate haven't been supportive. They have proposed other ideas for addressing college affordability, including expanding the state's Tuition Assistance Program. TAP aid is available to all students, including those who attend private colleges. New York's junior U.S. senator is calling for an investigation of a nude photo scandal involving current and former Marines. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand sent a letter to Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain and U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, the panel's ranking member, and requested a hearing to discuss the circulation of the nude images on social media. According to the Marine Times, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service is investigating photos of women that were published without their permission in a closed Facebook group by Marines. Some members of the Facebook group have directed others to new pages that were created to share the images. The Marines who posted the images on the Facebook page could face charges. Gillibrand, D-N.Y., noted that the Marines United group where the photos were originally published has more than 30,000 members, including active duty Marines and veterans. "Members of this community built online dossiers on Marine women, and potentially others, without their knowledge or consent, listing dozens of women's names, ranks, social media handles and where they are stationed," said Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. In her letter, Gillibrand described reports of a photo of a woman Marine corporal who was bent over picking up her gear. The photo was taken without the woman's knowledge and published online. Once it was published online, Gillibrand said users posted derogatory comments. Some suggested that she should be raped. "This unacceptable behavior spotlights a culture of disrespect for female service members that undermines good order and discipline in the military and weakens military readiness," she said. Gillibrand urged McCain, R-Arizona, and Reed, D-Rhode Island, to hold a hearing and assess whether the military justice system has the ability to hold the individuals behind the publication of these images accountable. CNN reported Wednesday that there are still nude photos being published on the Marines United group. Some alleged victims are speaking out, including an ex-Marine who believes her former boyfriend posted a sex video they recorded on the Facebook page. The Marine Corps issued a statement Sunday denouncing the conduct. The military branch said the publication of the photos "destroys morale, erodes trust and degrades the individual." Marines who shared photos without the subject's consent could face charges for violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, according to the Marine Corps. 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. Indiana State Police(DELPHI, Ind.) -- More than three weeks after the murder of two Indiana teens, the grandfather of one of the girls pleaded for the public's help to find his granddaughter's killer Thursday. Mike Patty stood with his wife, Becky, who appeared emotional, by his side as he addressed reporters in Delphi, Indiana, for the first time since the girls' deaths Thursday morning, saying the last thing he said to his granddaughter Liberty German before she died was "I love you." "In our house [the last conversation] is always, 'I love you,'" he said. "Before they go to bed, when they get up, drop them off for school ... it's always, 'I love you.'" The trauma in Delphi began on Feb. 13 when German, 14, and her friend Abigail Williams, 13, went for a hike and didn't return. Their families reported them missing, and the next day, the girls' bodies were found in nearby woods. Police have released a photograph of a man who they say is the prime suspect in the investigation, but no arrests have been made. Patty Thursday morning pleaded with the public to study that photo, as well as a brief audio clip recovered from one of the teen's phones and released by police that says three words: "down the hill." "He's someone's neighbor, coworker, family member, friend, husband or acquaintance," Patty said. "Somebody knows something." "Look for someone who has recently changed their appearance ... if you think it could be but then say, 'No, he's not like that,' go with your initial instinct. Let law enforcement ... make that determination. How ever small it may seem ... please, we need your help," he added. Patty also read a statement on behalf of the family of the second slain teenager, Abigail Williams. The Williams family has not spoken publicly. Police said Thursday that 11,000 tips have poured in and a reward has grown to more than $224,000. The community is rallying in support of the girls with fundraisers, and the FBI has joined local and state law enforcement as investigators race to solve the case. Patty said "the pain will always be there," but added that the support from the community is "overwhelming." Sgt. John Perrine of the Indiana State Police Thursday morning said he's confident the investigation will lead them to the person responsible. Carroll County Sheriff Tobe Leazenby agreed, saying, "We will get that justice." People can provide information by calling the tip line at (844) 459-5786. Information can be reported anonymously. Tips can also be emailed to abbyandlibbytip@cacoshrf.com. Copyright 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. AUBURN Nearly 200 corrections officers gathered outside Auburn Correctional Facility Wednesday to picket for prison employee safety. Michael Powers, the president of the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association, was one of several NYSCOPBA members who met officers at Auburn prison to send a message to the governor and the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. "We're here for a unity picket to show our administrations that we're not getting the true recognition that we deserve," Powers said. "A lot of changes are coming and catering toward the pampering of the inmate population. ... It's very difficult for our guys to do our job ... when we are constantly dealing with lawsuits from advocacy groups that truly don't know what's happening inside these walls and fences at our facilities." What's happening is a significant rise in gang violence and inmate assaults both on prison staff and other inmates as well as an increase in dangerous drugs and contraband. According to NYSCOPBA, assaults on staff jumped nearly 60 percent in the last five years, something the association believes is due to a decrease in discipline. "There have been changes in the inmate disciplinary system in which they've actually weakened and watered down the punishment that inmates get," said Joe Miano, Western Region Vice President for NYSCOPBA. "Now inmates know they can get away with stuff. They can assault somebody and they know they'll get a limited time in a disciplinary unit. So the punishment is not what it used to be." The picket came one day after Gov. Andrew Cuomo called on the Senate to raise the age for criminal responsibility in New York, one of two states in the nation that charges 16- and 17-year-olds as adults. "This unfair practice places some of our youngest New Yorkers in a prison system where they are more likely to be assaulted, to be injured by prison staff, and to commit suicide than their peers processed as juveniles," Cuomo said in a press release Tuesday. In addition, DOCCS spokesman Thomas Mailey said the department has "made significant improvements" to enhance the safety and security of staff and inmates, including additional training, de-escalation tactics and a pepper spray program. "To date, that has resulted in a 49 percent decline in assaults on staff and a 68 percent decline in staff-related injuries due to assaults by inmates," Mailey wrote in an email to The Citizen. In response, NYSCOPBA said the governor's statement falsely accused officers of abusing inmates and served as another example of why officers continue to unite for prison staff security. "This is a prime example of why NYSCOPBA has led the fight for more staffing, new equipment and technology, and training opportunities to ensure the safety of those who live and work in our prisons," the association said in a press release Wednesday. "When we deal with our administrations, our concerns are going unheard," Powers added. "That's never more evident than it is here at Auburn. ... But we stand behind our members and the job that they do, now and always." By Azernews By Amina Nazarli Railway delegations of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia met at a tripartite meeting in Moscow on March 7 to sign a memorandum on of cooperation in the field of railway transport. The sides considered general tariff for the railway for 2017. Following the talks, the three parties signed an agreement to reduce the railway transit tariff. When connecting the railways of the three countries bulk of the North-South railway corridor will be activated. The North-South Corridor will connect the railways of Azerbaijan and Iran, which in turn will provide a wider transport connection between India, Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. Due to its location on the corridor and role as a transit country, Azerbaijan stands to gain substantially from the North-South project. Hossein Ashouri, director of the Iranian Transit Transport Committee, said that after Iran, Russia and India agreed on the implementation of the North-South corridor 14 years ago, the first experimental train on the Mumbai - Bandar Abbas - Astara Moscow route was launched in 2016 thanks the cooperation of Iran, Russia and Azerbaijan. North-South, implemented jointly by these three neighboring countries, is important not only for the countries participating in it, but for the entire region. Azerbaijan is particularly interested in the projects implementation, because the country is located at the intersection of two major international transport corridors from north to south and from east to west and strategically plays the role of a bridge between the two civilizations. The project will also provide an important impulse for effective development of the economies of not only the three main participating countries. Other countries will also join the project as participants, which will allow establishing considerable trade turnover between the Northern Europe and Southeast Asia. In particular, Ukraine and Estonia have already expressed interest in joining the corridor. The forecasts are that in case the North-South corridor operates at full capacity, it will create opportunities for Russia, European, Caucasian and Central Asian countries to access the Persian Gulf and India, as well as intensify trade relations between the Caspian littoral countries and Black Sea ports. By Azernews By Rashid Shirinov Diaspora organizations of Azerbaijan held a protest action in Paris against Armenian President Serzh Sargsyans visit to France. The rally started with a minute of silence to honor the memory of martyrs, who died during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Khojaly massacre, Azerbaijans State Committee for Work with Diaspora reported. The participants spoke of the ethnic cleansing policy perpetrated by Armenians against Azerbaijanis, as well as the Khojaly Genocide. Participants of the rally said that the occupation policy of Armenia is a threat to peace and security in the region, and urged the international community to give a fair assessment of the conflict. Speakers noted that Serzh Sargsyan - one of the organizers of the Khojaly Genocide and active participant in the occupation of Azerbaijani lands, must answer to justice. Armenian aggression against its neighboring country resulted in the occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijans internationally recognized territories, death of over 20,000 Azerbaijanis while over 4,000 ethnic Azerbaijanis were taken captive, hostage, or went missing as a result of the war. The Khojaly Genocide on February 25-26, 1992, is regarded as one of the bloodiest and most controversial incidents of the Nagorno-Karabakh War. Some 613 civilians mostly women and children were killed in the massacre, and a total of 1,000 people were disabled. Eight families were exterminated, 25 children lost both parents, and 130 children. Besides, in the years of 1989-1994, Armenian terrorists have blasted passenger busses, passenger trains and blew up electric train at Baku subway to spread horror among the Azerbaijani population during the Karabakh war. The protestors shouted slogans "Justice for Khojaly, Khojaly was and will be our", "Freedom for Karabakh, Sargsyan - the criminal, violate the rights of one million Azerbaijani refugees, Sargsyan is murderer!, Killer Sargsyan, your place is court Armenians, put an end to lies!, ASALA is a terrorist organization! and others. The visit of the murderer, who is involved in the Khojaly Genocide, to Europe is unacceptable. If Europe opens the doors before Sargsyan, then it is impossible to speak about justice here, the protesters said. We demand from Europe to put an end to the injustice. President of the Association of Friends of Azerbaijan, a member of the French National Assembly Jean-Francois Mansel, who was among the protestors, stressed the necessity of recognition of Khojaly Massacre in international arena. He said 20 percent of Azerbaijan`s territories were occupied by Armenian Armed Forces, further noting that France should play a great role in restoring the peace between the two Caucasian people. French lawyer Olivier Pardo, who also participated in the protest action, said that people were killed only for their ethnicity in the Khojaly Genocide, and it is a crime against humanity. The lawyer urged the protesters to join him in a struggle for France's recognition of the Khojaly Genocide. To forget the memory of the killed Khojaly civilians means to kill them once again, said Pardo. He urged the protesters to memorialize the victims and achieve recognition of the genocide. When Thomas de Waal, a senior associate at Washington DC-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, interviewed Sargsyan back in 2000, the then-Armenian Defense Minister Sargsyan confessed that the Armenian army had indeed carried out some ethnic cleansing in the Nagorno-Karabakh region in order to achieve its goals. By Azernews By Rashid Shirinov The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has gone on far too long and needs to be resolved, U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Robert Cekuta said on March 9, APA reports. The conflict has no military solution and needs to be resolved through negotiations, the diplomat said, adding that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs will visit Azerbaijan in the coming days. We will do our utmost for the settlement of the conflict, Cekuta added. OSCE Minsk Group Russian co-chair Igor Popov said earlier that he, along with other co-chairs Richard Hoagland of the U.S. and Stephane Visconti of France will visit Azerbaijan this week. The co-chairs will meet with Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and mull the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement. Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a fragile ceasefire in 1994. Since the war, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. While the OSCE Minsk Group acted as the only mediator in resolution of the conflict, the occupation of the territory of the sovereign State with its internationally recognized boundaries has been left out of due attention of the international community for years. Armenia ignores four UN Security Council resolutions on immediate withdrawal from the occupied territory of Azerbaijan, thus keeping tension high in the region. By Azernews By Kamila Aliyeva Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has named his upcoming visit to Russia as a very important for national security. In Russia, the PM intends to express strong disagreement with the prospect of the presence of Iranian forces and its allies on the Northern borders of the Jewish state and in the Mediterranean Sea, RIA Novosti reported. The office of the Prime Minister called countering Irans efforts to gain a foothold in Syria among the key in objectives of the visit to Moscow, the fourth in the last year and a half. Its very important for Israels security. Victory over terror DAISH (the Arabic name for the banned terrorist organization Islamic state) should not lead to a surge of terrorism in the performance of Iran and its puppets. We wont change terrorism to terrorism, said in a statement ahead of the visit of Netanyahus statement. In the Syrian conflict Iran and its allied forces, including the movement of the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah, supports President Bashar al-Assad. The second objective of Netenyahus visit, is maintaining contacts with Russia in order to avoid tensions in Syria. In the fall of 2015 between Israel and Russia operates the communication mechanism, which is designed to protect troops from both countries from accidental collisions and other dangerous incidents for operations in Syria. Netanyahu will fly to Moscow on March 9 and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the same day. Real-time, cross-channel banking enterprise financial crime management software product company CustomerXPs will showcase its acclaimed product, Clari5, at the upcoming Meftech event in Abu Dhabi. Meftech, the largest financial technology event in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, will be held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec) on March 13 and 14. Featuring industry-leading conferences and a tightly focused trade exhibition, Meftech is the definitive platform where top decision-makers share insights with technology providers and collaborate to rethink financial services. Voted Best Fraud Detection Product by Risk.net and positioned as enterprise solution in Chartis RiskTech Quadrant, Clari5 has the worlds largest implementations and is helping banks in over eight countries manage more than 500 million accounts, said a CustomerXPs statement. Clari5 is a non-invasive, real-time, cross-channel system that cross-pollinates intelligence from across all channels and business-critical systems including core banking, loans, mutual funds, cards, POS, ATM switch, internet banking, mobile banking, SWIFT, trade, HR, etc. Its unique architecture ensures horizontal linear scaling using commodity hardware, said the company. Rivi Varghese, CEO, CustomerXPs said: Banks in Mena are under increasing pressure to quickly detect, prevent and block cross-channel fraud and financial crimes across banking channels, products, and core systems in real-time. The efficacy increases dramatically when the bank unifies all fraud management into a single platform with a 'central-nervous-system approach' which ensures that the massive compute and data management is performed in extreme real-time, across all channels and in-line with the transaction itself. I am excited that we have a platform like Meftech that allows banks in Mena to discover this whole new approach to fraud management. CustomerXPs will be showcasing Clari5 at Adnec D4, Hall 5 along with Finesse, its premier technology partner for Mena. - TradeArabia News Service As much as BD106 million ($281 million) in foreign direct investment was injected into Bahrains economy through the efforts of the Economic Development Board (EDB) during 2016, its head revealed. EDB Chief Executive Khalid Al Rumaihi was speaking at a meeting of entrepreneurs, organised by the Bahrain chapter of the Global Entrepreneurs Organisation (EO). He discussed Bahrains recent economic achievements and it future outlook at the interactive session which was attended by 20 EO members. Al Rumaihi reported that 40 new companies set up shop in the kingdom during the year. The investments are expected to generate more than 1,600 job opportunities in the next three years. Entrepreneurship and start-ups are key areas the EDB is focusing on as part of its strategic plan to attract investments. We have worked closely with other government departments to ensure that Bahrain develops the soft infrastructure and regulatory framework required to create an environment in which entrepreneurs and start-up businesses can thrive. He added: Our meeting with the Entrepreneurs Organization was an incredibly useful experience. I am confident that we can work closely together to ensure that entrepreneurs continue to be supported, creating more investment and employment opportunities in Bahrain as the sector grows. As investors and entrepreneurs, the attending members of Entrepreneurs Organization pledged their support and commitment to representing Bahrain as a key location to international investors notably in the areas of alternative energy, tourism, manufacturing and ICT. EO member Fareed Bader commented: "The session provided some very useful insights into Bahrain's dynamic inward investment strategy, and highlighted the important role we members of EO play in furthering the development of an entrepreneurial culture in Bahrain. We are looking forward to our next meeting and exploring further opportunities to add value to Bahrain, including the launch of an EO Angel Investor group." EO hosted two other inspiring events last week, starting with the EO Accelerator Program awareness session at the Raddison Blu Hotel. The program, in partnership with Tamkeen, is an exciting opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs looking for the mentorship that will catapult their business to the next level. EO also supported Bahrain's first Global Student Entrepreneurship Awards held on March 2 at the Westin Hotel, where four expert judges selected a lucky winner from six student finalists. TradeArabia News Service Abu Dhabi Polymers Company (Borouge) has demonstrated its Borstar technology at the 4th Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) Research and Innovation Summit in Bahrain. The technology enables the company to provide a broad range of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) grades that contribute significantly to the quality of the plastics end products, said a Wam news agency report. Ahmed Omar Abdulla, CEO of the company and Dr Thorsten Loehl, vice president innovation, attended the summit, held under the theme Managing Technology for Growth and Profitability. The company showcased its Research and Development (R&D) capabilities and the role that innovation plays in driving success and sustainability in the plastics industry. Speaking at the summit, Abdulla said: "Innovation is synonymous to Borouge, and due to the state-of-the-art Innovation Centre in Abu Dhabi and our team of UAE national and international researchers and scientists, the company is able to provide the market with innovative and sustainable plastics solutions that create value to our customers benefiting from the many useful properties of our solutions produced using the most advanced proprietary technologies. "With the current global changes and the challenges they impose on the petrochemicals and plastics industries, we shall continue to expand our investments in research and development activities to maintain our competitiveness, reinforce our technology and innovation leadership and strengthen our market positioning in the region as a leading provider of value added innovative solutions that contribute to addressing major global challenges," he added. In his presentation, Dr Loehl highlighted the features of Borstar which Borouge has first introduced into the UAE and Middle East and became a central pillar to company's competitive edge over its competitors. He pointed out that the technology offers the possibility to produce broad range of the PE and the PP grades tailored for specific applications. The technology provides enhanced innovative polymers that combine excellent mechanical strength and product processability and allow material saving of 10 percent and more in selected applications. Borouge successfully started-up in 2001 its first two polyethylene plants in Ruwais, Abu Dhabi, equipped with Borstar bimodal technology. Today, Borouge operates the worlds largest integrated polyolefin complex with 5 Borstar PE plants and 4 Borstar PP plants and supplies value added plastics solutions in Middle East, Africa, Europe and Asian regions. "Key to success has been a seamless collaboration with the Borstar technology licensor, Borealis AG, which has evolved into an ongoing and mutual business and innovation partnership," said Dr Loehl. He gave examples of two of Borouges innovative plastics grades that bring value to customers due to their outstanding properties. RA140E is one of company's PP grades that are used to make hot and cold water pipes. The grade ensures 20 percent higher productivity, lower carbon footprint, product safety and cost efficiency and competitiveness. BorPure MB5568 is another grade from Borouge that is recognised with its high stiffness, good processability and exceptional stress cracking resistance, as well as its weight reduction of up to 10 percent and lower carbon footprint. Its used to make caps and closures. Dubai Ruler has approved the "One Day Misdemeanour Court" initiative which is expected to cut waiting time at Dubai courts by 60 per cent. UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid has approved the penal order law No 1 of 2017 and one day court to speed up the procedures and efficiency of the judicial work, said a Wam news agency report. He stressed that the UAE is a state of institutions and law, and possesses an outstanding judicial system based on standardised mechanisms and systems. One Day Court will save Dh40 million for government, it said. During a meeting held at the Dubai Executive Councils head office at Emirates Towers on Tuesday, Sheikh Mohammad ordered the implementation of the One Day Court initiative at every police station with effect from Wednesday. A pilot project of One Day Court was tried in 2015 involving the Residency and Foreigners Affairs, Al Muraqqabat police station, and the Traffic Department. The initiative aims to curtail time required in investigation and prosecution by implementing a verdict in two phases in less than 24 hours. Twenty-one types of cases would be looked into under this in 24 hours due to the existence of the prosecution and court on site, said a Gulf News report. Types of cases to be handled to be handled by different authorities, according to the Gulf News report, are: By the General Directorate of Residency: Illegal entry into the country; Returning after deportation; Staying in the country illegally; Working after a ban; Absconding By the police station: Possession of alcoholic beverages; Consuming alcoholic beverages; Giving a cheque with malicious intent; Signing on the back of the cheque (without sufficient funds); Failure to pay due fees; Begging; Illegal vendors By the Traffic Prosecution: Involvement in an accident that injured someone; Wrecking properties; Drinking and driving; Possessing alcoholic beverages illegally; Driving a car without a licence Mitsui & Co, one of Japans largest companies, has underlined the importance of a stable liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply in order to fulfil future energy demand in Japan. Chief operating officer of Energy Business Unit II of Mitsui & Co, Hirotatsu Fujiwara, said: LNG and gas will continue to play an important role long-term in a low-carbon global economy. He also stated that regardless of the fact it is forecasted that renewable energy may grow at a steady 2 percent per year, fossil fuels, especially LNG, will continue to be a significant source for meeting energy demand even in 2040. As the worlds largest importer of LNG importing nearly one third of all global supplies Japan relies on stable and trustworthy supplies of LNG. Following liberalisation of its electricity market, which has led to new competition among electric utilities, Japans retail gas market is also planned to be liberalised in 2017, which makes this year one of the most pivotal in the countrys energy market. Major utilities such as Tokyo Gas and JERA (a joint venture between Tokyo Electric and Chubu Electric) are leading the way in driving new international partnerships with Asian customers seeking to drive improved terms and conditions in their fuel procurement. These recent movements in the energy market will be discussed and debated from April 4 to 7 in Tokyo, when the worlds gas and LNG industries descend on Japan for the international Gastech Japan 2017 conference & exhibition of which Mitsui & Co are co-hosts, along with nine other major Japanese energy stakeholders including Tokyo Gas, JERA, Mitsubishi, INPEX, ITOCHU, JAPEX, JX Group, Marubeni and Sumitomo Corporation. The event arrives in Japan for the first time in its 45-year history, during a pivotal period for Japans energy industry and the governments energy policy. It will allow the worlds largest customer of LNG to host the worlds leading suppliers and industry professionals, with more than 20,000 expected to attend the exhibition and around 2,000 to attend the conference. Fujiwara said: We are proud to be one of the hosting companies of Gastech 2017, as it serves as an essential platform for networking among players in the global gas industry including producing countries and customers. We are expecting innovative discussions at Gastech on the production and liquefaction of gas, and were excited to see many of the technology and engineering companies getting involved. - TradeArabia News Service Majid Al Futtaim, a leading shopping mall, communities, retail and leisure pioneer, has launched a new regional marketing campaign designed to inspire people to spend more quality time with loved ones. The campaign is based on an insight confirmed by research commissioned by the company across the region revealing people in the Middle East feel that spending quality time with friends and family is key to their happiness but they dont prioritise it enough. The study revealed that nearly everyone (92 per cent) in the country is happiest when spending quality time with friends and family, however, less than one third (25 per cent) spend just five hours or less a week doing so. The research also showed almost half (42 per cent) of residents recognise that they waste at least two weekends per month by not spending quality time with friends and family, while 43 per cent turn down offers to meet loved ones at least twice a month. Four-fifths (77 per cent) of people surveyed agreed they need to prioritise more time for the people they love. Vino El Khatib, chief marketing officer at Majid Al Futtaim Holding, said: We were inspired to conduct our study into the drivers of happiness, an emotion that is a fundamental pursuit of all people across countries and cultures. When we received the findings, they highlighted a clear need to encourage people to devote more time to doing what they enjoy the most spending quality time with friends and family as in todays fast-paced, hyperconnected world this all too often takes a back seat. We decided to respond to this insight by focusing our new marketing campaign on motivating couples, friends and families to spend time together and celebrate life to its fullest a message that perfectly captures our vision of creating great moments for everyone, everyday. Majid Al Futtaims new campaign, Create Great Moments Together, is a subtle message asking people to do something that will make a difference to their life. It is a little reminder that the greatest moments in life come from experiencing, sharing and discovering life together, and that is what happiness is made of. The campaign achieves its goal by bringing to life the many ways people express their happiness when enjoying special moments with family and friends. It will be highly visible across the region through mediums including outdoor advertising, social media, radio, and a television commercial. The commercial will also be featured on television stations across the Middle east. - TradeArabia News Service AUBURN A 25-year-old man will spend another three to six years in prison for possessing a weapon while incarcerated at Auburn Correctional Facility. Jkendric Agee was convicted of first-degree promoting prison contraband in November 2016 after a jury found him guilty of possessing a razor blade weapon at ACF. Agee was scheduled to be sentenced in January, but Agee's defense attorney, Ryan Muldoon, asked to postpone the matter, filing a motion to vacate the conviction in light of an ongoing investigation at the prison. In December 2016, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision launched an investigation at ACF after a corrections officer allegedly admitted planting a weapon on an inmate. At the time, Cayuga County District Attorney Jon Budelmann said the officer, Matthew Cornell, placed a weapon on an inmate in 2015 in an effort to break up a dangerous prison gang. According to DOCCS, Cornell is one of two corrections officers who have been suspended without pay pending an investigation by the department's Office of Special Investigations. Although Budelmann said Cornell was not involved in Agee's case, Muldoon told Judge Thomas Leone that he was concerned about other officers at the prison. "Mr. Agee has continued to maintain that the weapon was planted on him," Muldoon said in a court proceeding in January, noting that DOCCS would not confirm whether the officers involved in his client's case were under investigation. Leone agreed to adjourn Agee's sentencing on two occasions so he could explore the investigation at the prison. And on Thursday, March 9, the judge said he spoke with investigators and found "no issues" with Agee's case, denying his request to vacate the jury's verdict. A second felony offender previously convicted of second-degree robbery in 2008 in Niagara County Agee faced a maximum of 3 1/2 to seven years in prison. However, Leone sentenced Agee to three to six years in prison. When asked if he had anything to say to the court, Agee maintained his innocence. "Justice is falling on deaf ears," he said. "I'm not even angry. I'm just sad." Also in court: A Cayuga County man has admitted to helping a friend burglarize two homes in the town of Locke. Scott Stockton, 29, of 4566 Demond Road, Locke, pleaded guilty Thursday to two counts of third-degree burglary. According to the District Attorney's Office, Stockton went missing after participating in two Locke burglaries in September 2016. He was later located by authorities in South Carolina and extradited back to Cayuga County in December. A second felony offender, Stockton could face up to seven years in prison on each count. However, Leone has agreed to sentence Stockton to two to four years in prison to be served as parole supervision. Stockton is scheduled to be sentenced May 4. He was returned to Cayuga County Jail in lieu of $5,000 cash, $10,000 bond. Private Jet Charter (PJC), one of the world's largest independent private jet charter brokers, through its recently launched Private Charter Club has signed a new agreement with The Capital Club, Dubais premier private City Club located in Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). The exclusive agreement will allow Capital Club members in DIFC to book private jets and helicopters for their business or personal trips. The agreement also gives members free seats on thousands of empty-leg flights each year. In addition, the deal will enable great flexibility and convenience for The Capital Club members and their guests. It is indeed a pleasure to associate with Capital Club as ease, luxury and prestige of private jet travel is made possible through the agreement. This is a perfect and exciting agreement between two companies, who understand and value superior services and experiences. As pioneers in the business, we understand that the business traveller likes to travel quickly and avoid dreadful security checks, slow boarding procedures and waiting for transfer passengers. The agreement is a reflection of our commitment to provide best-in-class services that will ease travel for The Capital Club members, said Vincent Easton, general manager of Private Jet Charter, Middle East. The private aviation market continues to grow. Increased security concerns and airport time delays have led commercial airlines to follow restrictive policies, which is of concern for corporate groups and multi-national companies who run on deadlines. Our recently launched Private Charter Club combines the benefits of enjoying the most modern fleet of private jets and helicopters with a streamlined service that not only simplifies the booking process but improves the affordability of private travel, added Easton. Globally, the aerospace industry is valued at $1.3 trillion as revealed by the Hindu Business Line newspaper. Global Jet Capital, a provider of financing solutions for large-cabin, long-range private jets, revealed that in the last quarter of 2016 293 jets were delivered, costing between $25 million and $75 million each. It said that the largest number of deliveries were to Turkey (77), followed by the UAE (63) and Saudi Arabia (58), adding that up to 80 per cent of the funding used to purchase these was sourced through external financing. The aviation industry is witnessing a potential revolution in the private aviation sector in the Middle East region, led by social and economic influences. Lighter jets are gaining popularity due to efficient, economy and interior space making them ideal options for short travel. Capital Club Members who book a flight through Private Jet Charter will enjoy a range of benefits including a dedicated personal assistant, the most modern fleet of aircraft, preferential rates and access to a range of deals exclusive to Private Jet Charter. In addition, Private Charter Club Members will also have the privilege to access a Private jet or helicopter within two hours, boarding 15 minutes from departure and bespoke catering. We are always looking at ways to enhance our Capital Club member benefits. We are delighted to work with Private Jet Charter, a company synonymous with luxury and prestige, as our newest partner. The privileges that our members are now entitled to use with Private Jet Charter are wide-reaching and highly rewarding, said Alan Wheatley, Capital Club Director. Connected to over 250 premier private clubs around the world as part of its reciprocal club network, Capital Club was opened in 2008 and has over 1500 Members, drawn from the leading businesses in the region. It is a members-only club offering a contemporary setting for members to network professionally and socially; dine and party; host private meetings; and attend a wealth of social and business events, covering emerging trends in arts, culture, media, social development, cuisine, business and travel. - TradeArabia News Service Helping Others Donations needed The American Legion Post 2 in Casper is asking for donations of garage sale items for a booth at the Super Garage Sale on March 25. Proceeds from the booth help continue to serve veterans and their families in Natrona County. Large items like furniture cannot be accepted because their is no storage space, but sporting goods, camping gear, hunting and fishing gear, any tools and small cooking appliances would be greatly appreciated. All items donated are tax deductible and all funds will stay in Natrona County. For free pick-up of donations, call or text 267-1800. God bless America and all veterans, past and present. Food of the month Wyoming Food for Thought Project has announced its food of the month suggestions for the nearly 1,000 weekend food bags its volunteers prepare for food-insecure school students in Natrona County each week. Often, schools, churches and other groups designate certain collection days for a specific type of food as a donation. The suggested food items may be taken to program headquarters at 900 St. John, but its best to call ahead to make certain someone is there to receive it. March, cereal; April, granola bars; May, tuna; June, peanut butter; July, pork n beans; August, mac n cheese; September, Chef Boyardee products; October, cereal; November, soup; December, chili. For more information, call Cassandra at 337-1703. Thanks for socks and gloves Community Action Partnerships Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) Community Sock and Glove Drive, which ran in December and January, was very successful. The community exceeded the initial goal of 500 donations, and received a total of 1,578 donations, including 882 pairs of socks, 584 pairs of gloves, 73 hats, and 39 scarves. RSVP volunteers sorted and distributed socks and gloves to various locations throughout Casper. Donations helped provide a substantial amount of community members with basic winter essentials to keep warm, including: 35 schools in the Natrona County School District were each provided with a large bag of socks and gloves in the nurses office for students in need 100 home-based senior citizens through Central Wyoming Senior Services Homeless during the Point in Time Count in January Homeless during First Christian Churchs Sandwich Ministry A family who lost their home in a fire and over 100 additional individuals and families in need. Volunteer for new literacy program INGLES!, a non-profit group teaching English as a second language to adult learners, is currently looking for enthusiastic, patient volunteers. Volunteers will help adult students improve their English one-on-one and in small classes. Volunteering requires a commitment of two hours twice a week. No Spanish proficiency or prior teaching experience required. Volunteer application forms are available at the Natrona County Library Reference Desk located on the second floor. English speakers needed CHAT, the English Conversation Club at Casper College Adult Learning Center, needs English speakers to meet international community members and help them speak English. Join us for an international potluck in the Werner Technical Center, Rm. 105: March 22, 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.; April 13, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.; and May 4, 11 a.m. to noon. For more information, call 268-2230 or email mdugan@caspercollege.edu. Blood centers extend hours United Blood Services is expanding hours at its Casper and Cheyenne donor centers in an effort to make blood donation more convenient for more donors. The center at 2801 East 2nd Street in Casper will be open six days a week. Closed only on Tuesday, the Casper center will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, and from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday. The center at 112 E. 8th Ave. in Cheyenne will be open five days a week, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Blood donations can drop as much as 20 percent during the holidays and winter months, but every two seconds, every day of the year a patient in the U.S. needs a blood transfusion. Whole blood donors are eligible to give blood every eight weeks and are encouraged to donate at least three times each year to help UBS meet the needs of patients. Donors can save time and fill out their Fast Track Health History Questionnaire online at unitedbloodservices.org the day of their donation. To donate blood, volunteers must be at least 16 years old (16 and 17-year-old donors need a minor donor permit which is available online) and be in good health. In addition to its community donor centers in Cheyenne and Casper, UBS operates various blood drives across Wyoming. To make an appointment call 877-827-4376 or go to unitedbloodservices.org. Monthly fleece blanket making continues The Fleece Blanket Project meets on the third Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at First Christian Church, 520 CY Ave. Parking is in the back of the building. The group will meet March 18, 2017. Thus far, 289 blankets have been made and given to individuals in need of comfort and warmth and to agencies that serve a vulnerable population. Bring two yards of a print fleece and two yards of a solid fleece for each blanket, or just come and join others who want to make a difference. For more information, call First Christian Church at 234-8964. Disabled vets need volunteer drivers The Disabled American Veterans need volunteer drivers to take veterans to their medical appointment at the VA hospital in Cheyenne. The volunteer driver will transport them in a VA vehicle. If you are interested, please call the DAV transportation office in Cheyenne at 307-778-7577 for further information. Save the date, restorative justice Save the date! Restorative Justice Symposium 2017: Wyomings Introduction to a New Frontier. March 15 and 16, 2017, at the Ramkota Hotel & Conference Center. Hosted by Natrona County Restorative Justice. For additional information and to learn more on what restorative justice is all about, visit and like NCRJs Facebook page. Nurieh Glasgow, a professional nonprofit administrator and volunteer for numerous efforts, was named the 22nd annual Casper Woman of Distinction in luncheon ceremonies on Thursday. The award is bestowed collaboratively by Soroptimist of Central Wyoming, AAUW, International Panhellenic and Accounting & Financial Womens Alliance. Each of the seven finalists receives a monetary donation to her nonprofit of choice, and the winners donation is larger. She also received a flower bouquet, a plaque, and will be the keynote speaker at next years luncheon. Glasgow is the program officer at ServeWyoming, where she manages its grant process and portfolio of AmeriCorps programs. She has served two national service terms with AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps VISTA, coordinates volunteer fairs, collaborates with Food for Thought, works the annual Point in Time Homeless Count, volunteers at food banks, domestic violence shelters, community cleanups and the Boys & Girls Club, and facilitates a successful writers group. In recent years, she has collaborated with the NAACP and other local organizations to make Caspers MLK Day a Day On ... not a day off. Nominator Janet de Vries wrote, Her identity as a bi-racial woman, raised by a white mother, in a Bahai faith that promotes the equity of mankind, provides Nurieh rich context, drive and belief that healing and growth are both possible in our world. Glasgows nonprofit beneficiary is Wyoming Food for Thought. The other finalists and their beneficiaries are: Barbara Crews, who founded the Key Enrichment for Youth program at Casper College in 1986 (Casper College Foundation/Barbara Crews KEY Scholarship Fund); Linda Fittje, early childhood educator and community volunteer (Hunter Lewis Fittje Memorial Scholarship); Tammy Frankland, Ph.D., dean of the School of Health Science at Casper College and program director for the Health Science Simulation Center (Multiple Sclerosis Society); Elizabeth Marshall, nurse and Bible teacher and founder of Sewing to Save, which transforms gently used pillowcases into dresses for little girls (PEO Foundation); Yvonne Wigington, CPA who has worked in health care for 22 years, president of Wyoming Healthcare Financial Management Association (Central Wyoming Rescue Mission); Gretchen Wheeler, director of Casper College Center for Learning through Service, author, actor and director (Wyoming Food for Thought). A Casper man told a jury Wednesday that the sex between him and a teenage girl was consensual and not forced as the two felony charges against him allege. On the third day of his trial, Michael Baird took the stand and said that the girl started touching him and unbuckling his belt while he helped hold back her hair as she vomited into the toilet. The girl, who was 18 at the time, had become sick after drinking with some friends and Baird, who was drunk as well. Prosecutors charged Baird in August with one count of first-degree sexual assault and one count of attempted first-degree sexual assault for allegedly raping the girl in his apartment bathroom in July 2015. The girl told investigators that Baird, who was an acquaintance, forced himself on her as she tried to fight him off. Baird did not deny that the two had sex when he took the stand Wednesday, but he said the sex was consensual and that she initiated it. He said he didnt know she had accused him of raping her until police showed up at his door three days later. I had no idea, he said. I was surprised when officers showed up. I thought they were there to revoke my probation. Baird said he was on probation at the time for a charge of driving under the influence and thought the officers would revoke his probation for drinking alcohol. In an interview with police that day, Baird never said the two had sex. Baird said Wednesday that he didnt tell the detectives about the sex because he was scared and wanted to talk to an attorney before answering more questions. I was trying to be as cooperative as I could, but I had never been in a situation like that, he said. According to court documents and trial testimony, the girl and two friends traveled from Worland to Casper on July 27, 2015. The girl, her friends and Baird started drinking at Bairds apartment that afternoon. The girl started vomiting, and her friend helped her into the bathroom. When the friend left the girl alone to go find her clean clothes, Baird walked into the bathroom. The girl said this is when Baird attempted to force her to give him oral sex before holding her down on the bathroom floor and raping her. She testified Tuesday that she attempted to fight off Baird but was too weak. Baird said he had sex with the girl after she started kissing him and touching his belt buckle. One of the friends who was at the apartment that night said he knocked on the closed bathroom door twice. The first time, Baird told him that everything was OK. The friend knocked the second time after hearing a loud crash come from the bathroom and told them they needed to come out. Baird and the girl came out of the bathroom, and the girl told her friend that she wanted to leave immediately, the friend testified Wednesday. On the car ride back to Worland, the girl told her friend that Baird raped her. The friend then persuaded the girl to report the incident to the police, which she did the next day. Investigators took photos of scratches and bruises on her legs, hands, arm, shoulders and back. In his closing argument, public defender Rob Oldham said that perhaps the girl accused Baird of raping her because she was embarrassed that they had sex. Oldham also criticized the girl for not remembering many of the details of the night. I dont know if she was lying thats for you folks to decide, he told the jury. But I can say she has a terrible memory. Oldham also pointed out that Baird had no record of previous violence and that the prosecution never gave a reason why the man would rape the girl. Why in the world would a young man like this, who has never done anything like this, go in and brutally rape her? he said. Assistant district attorney Brett Johnson answered that question with one of his own. Why did he do it? I dont know! he said. Why does anybody rape anybody? During his closing arguments, Johnson said that the claim that the girl might have accused Baird of rape because she was embarrassed simply didnt make sense. He reminded the jury that in many sexual assault cases, the bulk of the case rests on the word of one person versus the word of another. These crimes dont happen out on Second Street, Johnson said. They happen in places like this like bathrooms. They happen where people arent. The prosecutor also pointed out testimony from the girls friends, who said the girl had acted strange after telling them she had been raped. You have two diametrically opposed stories here its up to you to decide which is true, he said. The jury left the courtroom just after 5 p.m. to deliberate. If found guilty, Baird could face up to 50 years in prison for each charge. Gov. Matt Mead signed the ENDOW Initiative bill into law Friday. The governor announced the long-term effort for economic diversification initiative in November. The bill, Senate File 132, establishes an executive council to oversee the development of a comprehensive strategy, creates an economic diversification account and requires the governor to designate a coordinator for the diversification. Mead appointed Jerimiah Rieman as the coordinator of economic diversification to oversee the initiative. The governor expects to appoint the new council in April. What sets this initiative apart ... is its approach, first establishing a strategy and second sustaining the effort over time through action and evaluation. With the passage of this bill, we must now execute. I am pleased to have the support of the legislature in seeing the need for this initiative and helping to put the plan into action, said Gov. Mead in a statement. The governor and Greg Hill, president and chief operating officer of Hess Corporation, will co-chair the initiative, which was also lauded by the president of the Senate. For years, people in Wyoming have talked about the importance of diversifying our states economy. The time for talk is over, Senate President Eli Bebout, R-Riverton, said in a news release. The ENDOW initiative delivers action and a bold, long-term commitment to Wyomings future. To find out more information on ENDOW, visit www.endowyo.biz. An Auburn duo was charged after allegedly making over $800 worth of unauthorized credit card purchases at GameStop, the Auburn Police Department said. Gary A. Stevens II, 37, and Fawn D. Stevens, 33, 35 Seymour St., Auburn, were picked up on a warrant Tuesday afternoon and charged with second-degree identity theft. Police said the two helped an acquaintance, a 79-year-old woman, move from New York to a different state, and the victim gave them a credit card for expenses related to the trip. Once the woman had successfully moved, she allowed the pair to use the credit card for expenses related to getting back to Auburn. After they returned, however, they used the card to make unauthorized purchases totaling to $882.26 at GameStop on Nov. 21, 2015, police said. Police said the victim at first gave the two time to pay her back, but once they failed to do so she pressed charges. Once the two were informed that warrants for their arrest were authorized, they turned themselves in. Gary A. Stevens II and Fawn D. Stevens were arraigned Tuesday at Auburn City Court and were released on their own recognizance. Their next court appearance is a pre-trial conference on April 5. The Bureau of Indian Affairs won a rare victory this week in the legal dispute over tribal services at the Wind River Reservation in central Wyoming. U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris declined Tuesday to grant a temporary restraining order against the BIA, despite the Northern Arapaho Tribes accusation that the agency was interfering with tribal law enforcement on the reservation. Morris did not rule on the merits of the accusation but rather determined that the request for a restraining order fell outside of the larger case that it was filed as part of. That case deals with whether the BIA improperly negotiated exclusively with the Eastern Shoshone Tribe, which is also located on the Wind River Reservation, for federal funding meant to provide services to both tribes. But Morris also stated he did not want to grant a restraining order that would interfere with ongoing negotiations between the Northern Arapaho and the BIA over the relationship between the tribal court and a federal court established by the BIA in October. Interactions between the courts are, and will be, varied, continual, and context-specific, Morris wrote in his ruling. An order from the Court would prove an undesirable and perhaps unwieldy solution, particularly as opposed to a protocol negotiated by the parties. The Northern Arapaho sought the restraining order after they claimed that the BIA, which operates the police force on the reservation, stopped cooperating with the tribal court. After the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone were unable to reach a compromise on whether to continue using the Shoshone and Arapaho Tribal Court which had been federally funded under a contract that expired in September the Arapaho began paying for the tribal court out of its own funds and the Shoshone requested the the BIA set up a court to preside over cases involving members of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe. While the BIA recognized the right of the Northern Arapaho to operate the tribal court for its own membership, the tribe has accused the BIA of refusing to cooperate with the tribal court and disrupting law enforcement on the reservation. Contrary to the cooperative plan and written assurances... the BIA refused to provide the Tribal Prosecutor with copies of any relevant police/incident reports. Without those reports, she cannot present criminal cases to the Tribal Court, the courts Chief Judge John St. Clair wrote in an October affidavit. Tribal court employees also stated that the BIA had not brought suspects to court for scheduled appearances, failed to execute arrest warrants and released some detainees without hearing. But Morris ruled that the relationship between the BIA and the tribal court went beyond the issue of whether the agency had illegally excluded the Northern Arapaho Tribe from negotiations for shared services on the reservation. Prior to this ruling, Morris been sympathetic to the Northern Arapahos claims. In October, he granted a preliminary injunction requiring the BIA to negotiate with both tribes before providing any shared services. Morris found that while the BIA was barred from issuing contracts for federal services meant to serve both tribes without their joint approval, it appears to have done so anyway. The agency appealed that ruling to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which has yet to issue a ruling. Despite a few hiccups in the Wyoming House, firefighters across the state won a battle last week with the passing of a bill that ensures immediate access to workers compensation for those diagnosed with diseases connected to their job. Gov. Matt Mead signed Senate File 89 into law on March 3. The law grants firefighters automatic access to benefits if they are diagnosed with a number of conditions that are linked to firefighting, like cardiovascular disease or certain cancers. Previously, firefighters had to prove their disease was related to their work an arduous process during an already stressful time. Researchers have found that firefighters are at a higher risk for certain diseases and cancers. A multi-year study of almost 30,000 firefighters by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found firefighters were more at risk for cancer diagnosis and cancer-related deaths than the general population. Another report that analyzed data from 32 individual studies found that firefighters are at more risk of developing testicular cancer, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, skin cancers and prostate cancer. The law essentially flips the burden of proof instead of firefighters proving their illness is related to their job, employers have to demonstrate that it is not. The bill had strong support in the Senate but encountered some headwinds when it moved into the House, said Tim Cortez, who heads the Casper Fire Departments community risk division and helped lobby for the bill. Some legislators were concerned that if the law granted firefighters immediate access to benefits, other groups would want the same, Cortez said. Others were concerned about the potential costs of the bill. The law wont take money out of the states general fund, but cities and counties would bear the cost of any additional claims filed under the new law, according to a fiscal analysis attached to the bill. If enough additional claims are filed, insurers could raise premiums slightly. With the addition of a few amendments, the bill passed the House. Cortez said the firefighters got about 80 percent of what they wanted in the bill but are still very excited about its success. It shouldve been an easier sell than it was, but maybe nothing is an easy sell in the Legislature, he said. One amendment made the law effective immediately, which allowed access to the laws benefits for the family of one Casper firefighter who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. That family applied for workers compensation on Monday, days after the bill was signed into law, Cortez said. Of the 188 Casper firefighters employed by the city in the past 25 years, 13 have been diagnosed with cancer, according to data compiled by the department. Of those 13, six were diagnosed with cancers that researchers say are more prevalent in firefighters. Cortez took seven trips to Cheyenne during the session to lobby for the bill. Casper firefighter Dane Andersen, whose firefighter dad died of cancer, and Kristen Atkinson, the wife of a Casper firefighter who died of cancer, also traveled to the capital in support of the bill. Firefighters from departments around the state also made the trip to convince legislators the bill was important. Cortez said he believes part of the bills success can be attributed to Wyomingites who contacted their legislators in its support. He said that legislators mentioned that they were receiving emails backing the bill. When they see their constituents back home are taking time out of their day to send an email I think that matters, Cortez said. He said people supported the bill because fire departments across the state have fostered good relationships with their communities. Every day, firefighters help keep people safe. Now, when firefighters needed some help of their own, people responded. Its times like these, when youre trying to pass a bill, when you can ask for help, he said. The state answered that call. Just 135 students attend school in Meeteetse, a rural community in northwest Wyoming thats still home to hitching posts, a wooden boardwalk and a watering hole where the owner boasts of the bullet holes in his walls. The school district, Park County 16, consists of just one campus with three buildings off the main drag. The nearest sheriffs office is 30 miles away. Two deputies live in town but theyre not always on duty. And even when they are working, sometimes theyre away from Meeteetse, said Jay Curtis, the school districts superintendent. After the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in Connecticut five years ago, where a man shot and killed 20 students and six adults, Curtis began thinking about how vulnerable students are in Meeteetse if the school was under siege. Its just a situation where you feel helpless, Curtis said. Weve looked at ways we could help ourselves. One of the things we discussed is what it would be like if we could arm a few selective people in our building. The Wyoming Legislature adopted a measure, House Bill 194, that will allow boards of education, such as the one in Meeteetse, to decide whether to allow employees and volunteers to carry guns. The School Safety and Security Act, which the Legislature adopted March 1, allows districts to dictate the circumstances under which employees and volunteers would be armed. For instance, school boards can allow guns in some schools and prohibit them in others. The new law goes into effect July 1. While the law covers all school districts, its authors were primarily concerned about rural ones, which may be far away from police. However, not all rural districts plan to allow staff to arm themselves. Trustees of Fremont County School District 24 in Shoshoni will probably be less inclined to allow guns in school at this time, Superintendent Bruce Thoren said. After years of no police presence in Shoshoni, the town hired an officer. A Fremont County deputy sheriff also lives in town, although his job frequently calls him away, Thoren said. Prior to the town hiring a police officer, Thoren would have supported a local option to arm employees and volunteers. But its not as needed right now, since there is law enforcement close to the school, he said. In Shoshoni, one building houses the elementary, junior high and high schools. I have reservations about having a staff member with a concealed weapon on them from the perspective of Ive been through concealed weapons training class, Ive been through the shoot-dont shoot weapons class, he said. Its a very stressful situation. Its also a situation you must practice on. Ideally, I want law enforcement, they have required training. They have to get re-certified (regularly.) Theyve been through classes. Theyve been through shoot-dont shoot scenarios. Law enforcement view The new law requires boards of education, if they choose to go down the path of arming personnel, to consult with local law enforcement. Byron Oedekoven, executive director of the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police, said local law enforcement want to be involved as school districts craft policies allowing guns in schools. We have raised the concern on that if they choose to arm faculty, (that lawmakers) ensure they have proper training, he said. The law requires personnel have 24 hours of training before they can carry. However, the law also allows district officials to waive training requirements for employees in isolated rural schools. It did not define what constitutes such a school. Other states As Curtis considered the possibility of allowing guns in Meeteetse, he said hes looked at provisions in school districts outside Wyoming, where guns are already in schools. In many states, there are prohibitions around the types of weapons and bullets, he said. For instance, in Texas, district officials have told him they prohibit people from carrying a revolver. Personnel can only carry a semiautomatic with an empty chamber, Curtis said. If for any reason the person and weapon were separated, then the risk of a child firing off the gun would be minimal without a round inside. Curtis said he hopes that the school board in Meeteetse, if it chooses to allow personnel to be armed, will create such stipulations, such as the type of bullets allowed. For example, it might be advisable to only allow bullets that dont penetrate walls. You dont have to worry about that bullet going through and hitting a child on the other side of the wall, he said. Whoever said that a week in politics can be a lifetime was living so far in the past, they probably have a drawer full of sock garters. Now, in the Land of Trump, that time frame has been compressed to an hour. And considering the stormy week we just survived, every one of us ought to have gray hair, be eligible to collect three or four Social Security checks and have all our earthly possessions cataloged in a living will. Instead of luxuriating in the rave reviews following his speech to Congress that the 45th president recited in his newly discovered indoor voice, the administration immediately began reeling from rolling disclosures that various members of his staff met with Russians during the campaign, the transition and in their dreams. The revelations accentuating the perception of collusion between members of Trumps inner circle and our Cold War opponents gained a potency that exceeded peppered vodka spiked with Siberian methamphetamine, and started spilling out like pods of Russian nesting dolls turned upside down. The U.S. attorney general, Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III (meaning there were two other guys named Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, which is frightening enough), recused himself from all investigations, because Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III investigating Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III would look weird and be way too confusing. Turns out when he said under oath in his confirmation hearing that I didnt have any meetings with the Russians, what the former Alabama senator meant to say was he didnt have any meetings with the Russians except a couple, that we really dont need to know about, and should keep our noses out of his personal business. Which is personal. His business, that is. Then a couple more underlings remembered they might have, perhaps, met some folks, nice people, who could have been foreigners, and seemed vaguely Russianish, maybe in Cleveland or one of those other rusting Midwestern cities. Or was it Miami? The big question now is: How high do the Russian connections go? In other words, what did Trump know and when did he know he knew it? To put it another way, what didnt he know and who knows that he knew he didnt know and why? Or does he even know that what he didnt know he knew was unknowable at the time, which is now? And most importantly, who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men. The Shadow knows. Especially curious is the fact that Trump insults everybody: the media, the judiciary, the intelligence community, Meryl Streep, Nordstrom, people who prefer vinegar-based coleslaw, but never Vladimir Putin. Which is as suspicious as an AK-47 with a smoking barrel in your crisper bin. Trump still refuses to admit it was the Russians that hacked the Democratic National Committee. Maybe it was a 400-pound fat guy on a couch. Sad. In order to deflect attention from his Russian connection, Trump then shocked the world by alleging he had just been told that Barack Obama had bugged Trump Tower. Or perhaps we misunderstood. After all, Trump is a child of the 60s. Maybe what he meant to say was Dont you get it, man? Barack Obama is heavy-duty bugging me, man. President Trump has no evidence for his incendiary claim that Barack Obama ordered wiretaps on Trump Tower, and denials have come not just from the former president and his director of national intelligence but from Jim Comey the man Trump has showered with praise and retained as his FBI director. But Trump has something more powerful to him than any evidence, no matter how compelling: He believes. Firmly. The president firmly believes that the Obama administration may have tapped into the phones at Trump Tower, Trump spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared on NBCs Today show Monday morning. But what about all the credible people saying it didnt happen? I think the president firmly believes that it did. ABCs George Stephanopoulos tried a more direct question on Good Morning America on Monday: Does President Trump accept the FBI directors denial? You know, I dont think he does, Huckabee Sanders said. I think he firmly believes that this is a story line that has been reported pretty widely. The reports mostly say that Trump had made a groundless claim, but never mind that. The White House defense isnt that what Trump said was true. The defense is that I think he firmly believes it. The Trump White House is the ultimate faith-based initiative and The Donald is the deity. Things arent true because they can be proven via the scientific method or any other. They are true because Trump believes them to be true. His advisers contacts with the Russians? He doesnt believe it: I saw one story recently where they said nine people have confirmed. There are no nine people. I dont believe there was one or two people. His fabricated claim that 3 million to 5 million people voted illegally, causing him to lose the popular vote? It was a comment that he made on a long-standing belief, White House press secretary Sean Spicer explained. An official White House statement called this a belief he maintains. He maintains beliefs herbs in a garden. Among those attempting to bestow the divine power on Trump to declare absolute truths is Ann Coulter, who last year published the book In Trump We Trust. She tweeted after a meandering media appearance by Trump: Trump is already head of state. After that press conference, in my eyes, hes now head of church. Trump, in this position as head prelate, directs us to believe any number of things: that manufacturers are returning to the United States, there will be a massive military expansion, that he inherited a mess from Obama and that his Supreme Court nominee is a great writer. Trump asked listeners to believe me seven times in a single speech last month, saying, I will never, ever disappoint you. Believe me. The Yemen raid was a success because the president believes it. We are not going to let the fake news tell us what to do, how to live or what to believe, Trump told supporters at a rally last month. Clearly. When Trump expressed his belief that news organizations werent reporting on terrorist attacks, Spicer attempted to document this falsehood with a list of 78 terrorist attacks, most of which had been widely covered. When Trump expressed his belief that 1.5 million people came to his inauguration, he leaned on the National Park Service to find evidence to support the falsehood and dispatched Spicer to furnish what another Trump aide, Kellyanne Conway, called alternative facts. Its not clear, as Ive written, whether Trump knows the difference between fact and fiction as he makes up statistics about crime and jobs, alleges he never feuded with the intelligence community, and claims there was bright sunshine during his rainy inaugural address. Survivors of the Bowling Green Massacre know some Trump aides have the same problem. But look closely and you can sometimes see Trump aides squirm when called upon to defend his beliefs. You said the president believes that there was voter fraud, Spicer was asked at one news briefing. I wonder if you believe that? Spicer explained that saying so wasnt my job and that Trump believes what he believes based on the information that hes provided. That was quite similar to Huckabee Sanders saying on Monday that the president firmly believes that Obama wiretapped Trump without saying (BEG ITAL)she(END ITAL) believed it. Likewise, Huckabee Sanders, pressed by ABCs Martha Raddatz on Sunday about Trumps wiretap claims, attempted to demur. I will let the president speak for himself, she said. Youre his spokesperson, Raddatz reminded her. And that could test anybodys faith. Last month, Jackson Hole citizens planned a town hall meeting for Feb. 24. Invitations were extended to Sens. John Barrasso and Mike Enzi, along with Rep. Liz Cheney. Press secretaries for Barrasso, Enzi and Cheney said our representatives could not attend, due to prior commitments, with Barrassos secretary explaining he would be attending other public events across the state at community meetings, schools, and local businesses. A number of locations he would visit that week were listed, but Jackson Hole was not mentioned. Yet, The Intercept, an investigative news source, reports that, on the very same day the Jackson Hole town hall meeting was to take place, Barrasso had scheduled a ski resort fundraiser in Jackson Hole, at which donors were asked to provide $5,000 per political action committee or $1,500 per individual. At a time in which the citizens of Jackson Hole have a myriad of questions about health care, education, and the economy, Barrassos commitment was elsewhere, coming at the price of financial donations. This has implications for our citizens ability to influence the quality of the healthcare they receive, as those with pre-existing conditions, aging family members, children under age 26, and those who are pregnant are eager to hear the details of the replacement plan Barrasso and the GOP have for the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). The GOPs draft proposal, thus far, provides concessions to insurance agencies, allowing them to limit the services they are required to cover, reduce subsidies and distribute them by age, and create state-based high-risks pools that stand to be disastrous for those with pre-existing conditions. Barrasso should primarily take direction on health care from working Wyoming citizens, not insurance companies with deep pockets. In his political career, Barrasso has accepted $1,782,079 from the pharmaceutical industry, the insurance industry, and other health professionals, of which Blue Cross/Blue Shield was the top individual contributor (Federal Election Commission records). Being accountable to Wyoming citizens, in person, at a town hall meeting, would be the very least he could do to show us he is accountable to us, not just industries with deep pockets. PHOENIX Under yellow tea lights in the backyard of a house-turned-office space in north Phoenix, Latino startup owners discussed a major parallel between being an immigrant and an entrepreneur: taking a risk for a better future. It almost brings me to tears Im so glad to be an American, its a blessing, said Rafael Testai, CEO and co-founder of EventKey, an app he created to help entrepreneurs better network at professional events by displaying attendees background and contact information. My inspiration is that Im not going to waste a chance that was given to me to be an American citizen. When he was 13, Testais family emigrated from Buenos Aires, where he said they could not make a living even on his mothers doctor salary. He launched EventKey 5 months ago and said so far its been well-received by many Latino professionals. Its kind of like its one of us trying to make it, and who doesnt want to support somebody thats from your family basically? he said. Its that whole family mentality that Hispanics have. We want to watch each other succeed and we want to push each other forward. According to a study by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, immigrants are almost twice as likely to start a business in the U.S. compared to native-born citizens. Hispanics own more than 123,000 businesses in Arizona, according to the September 2016 Datos report from the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The March 1 event featured a panel of three Latino startup owners and attracted about 50 attendees. It was organized by Collectivo, a networking group for Latino marketing and communications professionals. Along with Testai, the other two speakers also launched their businesses a few months ago. Vanessa Nielsen created a subscription-based service called Sol Book Box that delivers Spanish-language childrens books monthly to families wishing to teach their children Spanish. German Urrego founded DialDoc, a Skype-like service that aims to inexpensively connect doctors to patients seeking medical advice, even if they dont have insurance. Urrego, an immigrant from Colombia, said the idea was born out of seeing many of his friends go without care when they were sick because they were undocumented immigrants. Thats what really resonated with me throughout my experience in the United States so I said, One day thats what I want to focus everything that I do, he said. When I got done doing this I immediately called my buddies and I said, Dude, your mom can now finally see a doctor! A Hispanic-focused software company, Oye! Business Intelligence, won PHX Startup Week last week. The company developed advanced algorithms to help businesses and government agencies better target Latino audiences by analyzing online conversations surrounding that brand. Eric Diaz, the Chief Financial Officer, is also in Collectivos leadership and attended the March 1 panel. He originally started his business in Columbus, Ohio, but decided to expand to Phoenix five years ago. Its a lot cheaper to start your business. Its a lot cheaper cost of living and you have a lot of talented folks that come from the Arizona State (University) system so thats a big reason why my company is here, he said. Phoenix is 40 percent Hispanic so it really gives us a lot more street credibility than a market at only 4 percent like Ohio. Cesar Cordova, a supervisor at Arizona Public Service utilities company who was in the audience, said before he started at APS he owned his own food business to earn money for graduate school. At some point, even though I work for a company I would like to have enough expertise to set up my own consulting business, he said. For me, its always the perspective of anyone whos speaking up there because theyre dealing with whatever the issue might be, with what theyre facing at the time. The events topic shifted toward political leadership when Noah Dyer, a Democrat running for governor in 2018, told the group in Spanish he wants to be an inclusive governor for Arizonas diverse population. I think politically a lot of Hispanics feel disenfranchised, and its obviously a community thats very important to me, he said. The three entrepreneurs on the panel said they anticipate the future to be wrought with challenges and steep learning curves. But Urrego, of DialDoc, said his community keeps him motivated. Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. We've collected a few front pages from newspapers.com to give you a look at some March 9 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 Sierra Vista residents killed in a two-vehicle, head-on crash on Arizona 90 March 7 were identified as Pedro O. Penalver and Maria del Carmen Rouco-Machin, police said. The third person killed in the crash, Huachuca City resident Timothy David Straight, 49, was identified March 8. Straight was driving a 2005 red Mitsubishi SUV that drifted into oncoming traffic while traveling east on the highway, Sierra Vista Police Department officials said. The SUV crashed into a 2004 black Chevrolet truck that was traveling west on the highway. Penalver, 61, and Rouco-Machin, 73, were traveling in the truck. All three were pronounced dead at the scene. The crash occurred shortly after 1 p.m. just west of North Seventh Street, said Cpl. Tim Wachtel, a Sierra Vista Police Department spokesman. The Arizona Daily Stars Sportsmens Fund Send a Kid to Camp program raises money so children from low-income households and military families can attend overnight YMCA, Boy Scout and Girl Scout camps and Camp Tatiyee, for school-age children and older teens with special needs, at little or no cost to their families. We kicked off our annual fundraiser on Feb. 23 with a donation envelope in the Star. Our goal is to raise $190,000 and send 650 local boys and girls to area camps this summer. Since 1947, the Arizona Daily Star Sportsmens Fund has helped pay for 38,551 children to go to camp. Were one of the oldest 501(c)(3)) charities in Arizona. Your contribution qualifies for the Arizona tax credit of up to $800 for donations to qualifying charitable organizations. That tax credit was increased starting for tax year 2016; donations made through April 18, 2017, qualify. Donations are also welcome throughout the year. Recent donations include: Joseph J. Eigner, $200. Joann Einbecker, $50. Stephen and Rita Eisenman, in Memory of daughter Carla Eisenman, $50. T. Ferronato, $100. Donaldine S. Finegold, $100. Betty M. Fink, $50. Patrick A. Fiorito, $200. Thomas Foust, $200. Susan C. Frank, $200. Robert Franke, $50. John Frazier, $100. Lela Freiman, in honor of little Jenny Freiman, $500. Retired Monsignor R. Frett Jr., $25. Jerry Gamble, $15. Peter Garcia, $100. Jim and Lynn Gardner, $25. V. and M. Gerdes, $25. Floyd and Wanda Ginn, $100. Ellen Glenn, $25. Judith Glock, $100. Elias Gomez, $10. Ralph A. Grant, $50. L. Gratz, $25. Sherry Graves, in honor of Ashlyn Faulkner (who would have turned 6 on Feb. 24), $100. Maxine Gray, $10. Suzanne Gross, $20. Kenneth Hall, $200. Richard Hammel, $100. William J. Hammond, $25. Drusilla Hansen, $25. John Harlow, $100. Robin and Trish Hartman, $50. Noel Hartshorne, $100. Lemar Hauff, $150. E. Hilliard, $50. Alan Howard, $250. Jan Jager, $100. James and Mary Jeffries, $30. William John Jr., $400. More donations will be acknowledged in coming weeks. PHOENIX State legislators are altering state laws to encourage business owners to welcome customers with guns by giving them special protections from lawsuits if something goes wrong and someone gets shot. Legislation approved Wednesday evening by the House Judiciary Committee would spell out that someone injured by another person with a firearm cannot sue a business that allows weapons inside unless there is a proof the business owner intends to cause injury or acts with gross negligence. But if there is a no guns sign at the door, the business can be held liable for simple negligence. Dave Kopp, lobbyist for the Arizona Citizens Defense League said the disparate treatment is justified because business owners are treating their customers different. And he contended that in telling their customers they cannot bring in their own guns businesses are accepting some responsibility for their safety. Sen. Sonny Borrelli, R-Lake Havasu City, the sponsor of SB 1159, had his own justification for the difference. When you post a sign that says 'gun-free zone,' that means a free-fire zone, he said. But activist Alan Korwin said the real goal is to end the reckless policies of businesses that deny customers their Second Amendment rights. This bill is about discrimination, he told members of the House Judiciary Committee. It's about whether or not you can post the sign to say, 'You're not welcome here, we don't want your kind, Korwin continued. It's about civil rights denial. And it goes on statewide. Rep. Maria Syms, R-Paradise Valley, said that ignores the other side of the issue. I think a business owner should be able to decide whether or not they want guns in their establishment, she said. And Syms, who sided with Democrats in voting against the measure, said business owners who exercise that right should be entitled to the same legal protections from lawsuits as others who permit customers to keep their guns. But Rep. David Stringer, R-Prescott, said he sees the issue through a different lens. He said SB 1159 leaves intact the current liability of business owners who want to post signs asking patrons to keep guns out. All it does, said Stringer, is give a new legal shield to those who are OK with customers who are armed. Central to the debate is who gets sued if someone is in a business when a shooting occurs and someone is injured. Kopp said the primary liability starts with the person who fired the weapon. What remains is the question of whether that liability is shared by a business owner who was negligent in allowing the incident to occur in the first place. Under this bill, if the owner lets customers carry their own firearms, that liability for mere negligence disappears. Kopp said that makes sense. One is recognizing the rights of their customers to defend themselves and the other they're not, explained Kopp. When they post that sign they're creating a duty to their customers, he continued. They're saying, 'You can't come in here and defend yourself so I have to do it for you. But Rep. Kirsten Engle, D-Tucson, said the dual-liability standard is based solely on the presence or absence of a sign and not what actually occurred in a given incident. She said that proves the true intent of the legislation. It seems like the purpose of this is to punish businesses that post a gun-free zone, Engle said. But that is completely their right to do. Korwin, in his own testimony, made no secret that his support for the legislation is based on dissuading business owners from posting those no guns signs. It's offensive, it's an affront, said Korwin who is the author of several books on gun rights. Putting up that sign is known to be dangerous, negligent and reckless, he continued. Shootings happen in these make-believe gun-free zones when individuals put up signs that say, 'We don't want your kind in here, we don't believe in your Second Amendment rights. Rep. Daniel Hernandez, D-Tucson, bristled at the suggestions that the signs somehow amount to discrimination. I think it's offensive, said Hernandez of the idea of disparate legal burdens placed on gun victims who file lawsuits based on the presence or absence of a sign where they were injured. It's difficult to understand why we would hold people to two different standards and say, It's OK to be negligent, just don't be grossly negligent. Rep. Mark Finchem, R-Oro Valley, said the disparate legal treatment makes sense. I think it's good public policy to hold people responsible for the decisions that they make, he said, saying that includes depriving a customer of the right of self defense. The measure, which squeaked out of the Senate last month on a 16-14 vote now needs approval of the full House. Help India! New Delhi, (IANS): The All India Students Association on Thursday held a protest march here against hate crimes against Indians in the US and demanded strict action from the government. Members of the left wing student organisation marched from Teen Murti to the US Embassy here to protest rising cases of racist attacks against Indians in the US. Support TwoCircles Engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla was killed on February 22 in a racist attack in Kansas, while his friend Alok Madasani, was injured in the same attack. Deep Rai, a Sikh who is an American citizen, was injured in a racist attack last week. Another Indian, Harnish Patel, was killed in South Carolina 10 days ago, but the killing was not identified as a hate crime. The AISA demanded the government should hold US President Donald Trump accountable for propagating hate against racial minorities. They asked for a tough diplomatic stand by Prime Minister Narendra Modi against increasing cases of hate crimes in the US. The protesters raised slogans like America ki dalali nahi chalegi, Trump ki dalali nahi chalegi (The American and Trump interference will not be tolerated). We will try to make this a civil society protest later. We are raising an initial voice against the deaths of the Indian-Americans in the US. Not only Indian-Americans, there have also been attacks on racial and religious minorities, AISAs National President Sucheta De told IANS. The racist attackers see minorities and shout This is not your country, go back to your country. Very interestingly, the Ministry of External Affairs and the Prime Minister are silent because their own party (the Bharatiya Janata Party) tells religious minorities here to go (back) to their countries, she said. We are here to say that hate makes no country great and that there is a need to be proactive to end hate crimes in the US, she added. Help India! Lucknow, (IANS): Cracks appeared in the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) ahead of the Saturday vote count for the crucial state assembly elections, as a senior minister questioned the benefits of aligning with the Congress. Senior SP leader and a minister in the Akhilesh Yadav cabinet, Ravidas Mehrotra, while questioning the SP-Congress alliance, stitched at the last moment before the polls, said SP would have won on its own and there was no need to have tied up with Congress. He also said that in the final outcome the Congress would have gained from the alliance and not the Samajwadi party. Support TwoCircles While senior party leaders and workers have been questioning the tie-up right from the word go, it had so far been in private. Mehrotra is the first to have expressed his feelings openly in public. In a related development, Urban Development Minister Mohd Adam Khan, said in case the SP lost at the hustings, the blame would not be of Akhilesh Yadav alone. Khuda na kare aisi naubat aaye, gar aisa hua to iski zimmedari sabki hoga aur ye nuksaan poore pradesh ka hoga (God forbid that such a result happens then the responsibility should be shared by all), he told reporters. Asked to comment on the recent interview of Mulayam Singh Yadavs wife Sadhna Gupta, on the eve of the seventh phase, that Akhilesh should not have humiliated his father, Khan said it could have been avoided. At such a crucial hour, such statements should have been avoided, he said as many party leaders said that Sadhnas interview was aimed at hurting the partys prospects in the seventh phase of polling in the Poorvanchal. SP contested the crucial assembly elections in alliance with the Congress which was given 105 seats and the remaining 298 were contested by it. Votes for the 403 seats of the UP assembly will be counted at 75 counting centres across the state from 8 a.m. on Saturday. Help India! New Delhi, (IANS): The JNU administration has demanded stern police action against a group of students who allegedly misbehaved with Vice Chancellor Jagadesh Kumar during a meeting with him, a police officer said on Thursday. Police said a case was registered on Wednesday against 21 students at Vasant Kunj North Police station, after receiving a complaint by Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Registrar Pramod Kumar, as well as on the basis of video footage as evidence. Support TwoCircles The police have registered a case against over a dozen students for wrongful restraint, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace and acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Chinmoy Biswal said. Pramod Kumar in his complaint stated that the VC fears physical assault by such student acts and has been doing official work from his residence since March 1, the complaint said. He also demanded strict action against the students to avoid any such incident in the future. The JNU registrar on March 4 filed a complaint stating that on February 27 after the students removed their blockade, the VC and other staff members went to the administration block. Students again entered the administration block and insisted on meeting the VC, Biswal said. The complaint said that since the VC was unwell and confined inside the Rector 1 office, a doctor was called to examine him. A girl next day threatened to commit suicide if the VC did not meet them and forced him to meet students, he added. It is extremely unlikely that we will see footage of the eagerly anticipated 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' until Star Wars Celebration which will be in Orlando, Florida in April. However, during a recent Disney shareholders meeting, those privileged few who were in attendance were able to watch some footage from the sequel to 'The Force Awakens' which will be directed by Rian Johnson ('Brick', 'Looper'). What was shown? (SPOILERS AHEAD!) One of the people who was in attendance at this meeting was Daniel Miller, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, and he had this to say on Twitter: Miller also confirmed that Chewbacca, Finn and General Leia Organa were shown in the footage which, according to Miller, showcased a variety of different locations and environments. Obviously, this is very exciting stuff to hear and it builds the anticipation for when we, the public, will be able to see the first footage from 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'. The Film itself is scheduled for release in December 2017. Bad Boys 3 loses Director Joe Carnahan Usually, the third film in a franchise as wild as 'Bad Boys' is not something to make the masses excited. Still, the fact that Joe Carnahan, the man behind critically acclaimed films such as 'The Grey' and 'Narc', was going to direct 'Bad Boys 3' was an incredibly exciting prospect. Unfortunately, according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter, Carnahan has left the project due to scheduling conflicts or creative differences. Whatever way this has happened, it is a blow to the production process of the film, especially as whoever comes in to replace Carnahan may have to re-work his script. It is uncertain times for the next instalment in this franchise but Carnahan himself is a very busy man as hes also writing the X-Men spinoff 'X-Force' and he has the intention to write and direct a remake of 'The Raid'. Certainly, 'Bad Boys 3' will miss Joe Carnahan far more than Joe Carnahan will miss 'Bad Boys 3' and whoever does come in as director will have their work cut out as Carnahans departure will leave a void. Donald Trump has become a peddler of lethal lies and is the commander of Fake News - a worrisome problem for which he exclusively blames the media. His administration is in the throes of an all-out war with the mainstream media and integrity of journalism, going so far as to label the press the enemy of the American people. The mainstream media is merely the enemy of conspiracies and misinformation. PolitiFact, the Pulitzer-prize-winning independent fact-checking organisation, awarded Trump the 2015 Lie of the Year accolade. In an assessment of Trump's assertions and claims thus far, PolitiFact scored a mere 4 percent of what he says as true, while 20 percent is mostly false, 33 percent totally false and 17 percent is 'pants on fire'. The era of conspiracies and lies Why are Trump supporters not more concerned with the validity and accuracy of his rhetoric? Here are just a few examples of his callous claims that have been proven to be patently false: Barack Obama faked his birth certificate, thousands of Muslims celebrated the fall of the Twin Towers in New Jersey, celebrated the fall of the Twin Towers in New Jersey, Ted Cruz's father was connected to Lee Harvey Oswald, vaccines cause autism, and three to five million people voted illegally in the 2016 election. None of those claims are true. The day after Trump's inauguration the internet was flooded with pictures of comparisons between this year's crowd size and that of Obama's in 2009. They showed that Trump's audience was significantly smaller than Obama's. For days the comparison bothered the president, so he ordered the National Parks Services (NPS) to release their photographic records of the gathering on 20th January 2017, believing the images would prove his crowd was bigger. His request backfired when the NPS acquiesced and published the records, which showed that the original images used by the media were 100 percent accurate and his crowd was much smaller than the former president. Last week a right-wing political commentator, Mark Levin, put forward a conspiracy theory that former President Barack Obama had ordered a wiretap on Trump's phones in Trump Tower. Levin has subsequently provided no evidence for his claims. If proven to be false, Trump's actions would be impeachable and not protected by the First Amendment which doesn't protect false and defamatory speech. Trump's lies are lethal According to the Southern Poverty Law Centre (SPLC), merely days after Trump won the election hates crimes all over the U.S. spiked dramatically. Since then they have recorded over a thousand cases so far. In New York specifically, hate crimes have increased by 42 percent since the election. From the graffiti of swastikas in public, the desecration of Jewish graves, and random shootings of people suspected of being Muslim, the SPLC directly attributes the rise to Donald Trump's rhetoric. There is no denying that hate-fuelled rhetoric runs the risk of empowering those who have already been looking for reasons to act on their fear and hatred. A scandalous administration One of the most famous and common proverbs in humans history reminds us that the truth hurts. In this case, the truth is hurting the President, often leaving gaping wounds that he has to scramble to cover up lest his easily influenced supporters turn on him. We are not even two months into Trump's presidency, and yet there have been a few game-changing scandals. From the Muslim ban to the inadequate ObamaCare replacement to the potentially devastating revelations about this administration's ties with Russia, the time for critical thought and examination has never been so necessary. Separate Donald Trump's lethal lies and fake news from hard facts. Wait for confirmation of the validity of lies and conspiracy theories before blindly accepting them as truth. For if we don't, these very same lies and conspiracies may very well lead to consequences direr than any of us can imagine. The 8th of march marks International women's day. Although many hate the word Feminism due to the rise in women's equality in recent years international women's day is still Important. It marks how far women's rights have come and what still needs to be done. Why do people hate the word Feminism? The word feminism has almost become a dirty word in recent years due to extreme feminist beliefs and ideals. But as Emma Watson has pointed out feminism by definition is the equality of both men and women, it stops us seeing each other a specific gender of male or female but puts gender on a scale allowing both sides to express their feelings and beliefs equally. Feminism, however, is now seen as an extremist word for women who believe that women should be recognised more than, men. However, feminism is the equality of both sexes and a true feminist recognises how far the advancement of women's rights have come and what still needs to be achieved. Why international women's day is important? This year International Women's Day is marking another women's political protest against new Presenting Donald Trump. Many women across America are choosing to boycott work for the day as well as participating in marches. Many women, however, can not do this and have chosen to wear the colour red to show their support. The weekend will no doubt mark more marches across the world. However, the 8th of march should not solely be a day of protest. It should be a communal coming together to celebrate the achievements of women globally. What can you do The main thing one can do to show support International Women's day is to attend a march or event in your local area. The next is to wear red in recognition for those attending events and protests. However, one other thing is to read an article on important women from history. Use the day as a form of own personal reflection think of any times you have faced discrimination for being women and think back to how you overcame this and used it to become a strong human, not women. Think about how far women's rights, in general, have come and think to those to also face discrimination for more than their gender, but rather race or religion and share a thought for them. PHOENIX Deadbeat parents who don't stay current on their child support won't necessarily end up walking under the terms of legislation approved Tuesday by a Senate panel. Current law requires a judge to suspend the driving privileges of someone who is found to have willfully failed to make payments for at least six months. Only when that person becomes current can he or she seek reinstatement. The problem with that, according to Rep. Regina Cobb, R-Kingman, is it can be self-defeating. Put simply, losing the ability to drive could also mean losing the ability to pay the support. It doesn't really help pay the bills, she explained. Her HB 2192 would permit a judge to give that person a restricted license. They can go to work or to school, she explained to members of the Senate Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. The move has the backing of the state Department of Economic Security which gets involved in these cases of court-ordered child support. It is just another enforcement tool that allows that non-custodial parent to continue working while still having meaningful involvement with their children, with parenting time, while also furthering their education and continuing to work to support those children, said agency lobbyist Katy Ber. That's because the restricted license makes someone eligible to not only go to and from work or school but permit that person to drive for parenting time visits. Ber told lawmakers the law would be enforced by police the same way they handle other situations where someones driving privileges are restricted. She said police, on pulling someone over, would be able to check through a database whether there are limits and then determine if the driver is violating them. And the legislation allows a court to suspend someone's driving privileges entirely for violations, not only of the driving restrictions but failing to stay current with a payment plan. Not everyone will quality. Under the terms of HB 2192, the option of a restricted license versus suspension is available to someone working at least 30 hours a week and has a place of employment or attends school that is at least a mile from the person's residence. Those seeking the restricted license also must show that the employment or education can reasonably be expected to contribute to bringing the obligor into compliance with the support order in a timely manner. The unanimous approval of the panel sends the measure to the full Senate. It already has cleared the House. In his recently delivered budget, Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond touched on two important political issues: women (especially pertinent today of all days, International Womens Day) and Education (which Donald Trump also addressed in his first speech to Congress recently). Women Hammond is admirably funding the fight against violence against girls with 20 million, as well as 5 million towards what is being referred to as returnships, which is when people have taken a break from work and want to get back into it. Another 5 million will be invested into project celebrating the 1918 Representation of the People Act. Education Hammond is yet to publish a white paper on what he intends to do about education, but he has promised to do so. The total number of free schools is being increased by 110 to 500, receiving 320 millions worth of funding from the Government. The budget also allows for free school transport, which includes free school meals for kids at certain schools. School maintenance will receive an investment of 216 million from the government. Most people over-stereotype the idea of terrorism to Middle Eastern and Muslim countries. Yet many forget the horrors and terror alerts since the separation of Ireland and the Anglo-Irish war. The 1970s-1990s were the height of the Irish troubles with the rise of the IRA. Who are Sinn Fein and what do they want? Sinn Fein traditionally is the political catholic unionists: Not to be confused with protestant unionists who want a united Ireland under Brtish and crown control. Sinn Fein wants a United Ireland under its own sovereign rule. Though originally a peaceful party under Michael Collins, they rose to become a strongly activist party with the IRA ( Irish republican army) as their own personal army. This history is often brushed over and most now see Sinn Fein and the IRA as an extremist political party. Why have they risen? Sinn Fein has made a large comeback in the recent election most likely due to Brexit. The majority of northern ireland want to stay in the European Union, especially those who want to be united with the republic of Ireland. The republic of Ireland is still a strong member of the EU and shares its economy including currency. Many of the northern Irish population believe that if they leave the EU alongside with the UK it would make North Ireland to republican Ireland tensions worsen meaning it would be harder to make trade agreements etc. There is also the controversy over the Good Friday Agreement. By enacting article 52 the good Friday agreement could be undone meaning all the 1990s diplomatic relations work between the Uk and Ireland would be for nothing. The fact that the UK conservative government wish to disestablish the human rights act to replace it with a British bill of rights could also under right the good Friday government if not done properly. Is the rise worrying Overall the rise of Sinn Fein simply highlights the still want in Ireland for Ireland to be one united country. Religious divides in Ireland still stand but have declined in recent years due to a postmodern decline in religion. Sinn Fein no longer stands for the catholic unionists who want parliamentary sovereignty. Now Sinn Fein represents a worrying protest vote similar to UKIP and other right wing parties. It is unlikely that with the rise of Sin Fein we would see a reemergence of the IRA. Donald Tusk has secured his re-election as President of the European Council. EU leaders voted overwhelmingly in favour of Mr. Tusk by 27-to-1 to provide him with a two-and-a-half-year term in office. His term will end in November 2019. The 27 leaders who voted in his favour consisted of British Prime Minister Theresa May and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has become an outspoken critic of the EU. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat of Malta, which currently holds the EU presidency, said the former Polish PM 'will work with each and every one of us.' Despite this, his native country of Poland attempted to block his bid for EC President. 'Make the EU better' This challenge comes amidst a dispute with the Polish Government that he exceeded his mandate by intervening in their politics. Their conservative Prime Minister, Beata Szyldo, wrote to May and other EU leaders, pleading with them to oust her former rival. However, the former Polish politician will now play a significant part in the Brexit negotiations. Other challenges that the EU faces include the ongoing refugee crisis and ISIS. He later tweeted: 'I will do my best to make the EU better.' The brawl between the Pole and Ms Szyldo's Law and Justice Party led to his native country providing an opponent to the EC role- Polish MEP Jacek Saryusz-Wolski. But the right-wing Polish party fear that his re-election will contribute towards the end of the EU. 'Destablising the EU' According to the AFP news agency, Szyldo added that countries that fail to comprehend the founding principles of the EU are 'destablising it.' Though she did not reveal her voting intentions beforehand, May's spokesman said she welcomed the appointment and believed that the Pole was doing a good job. This comes amidst suggestions that the UK might abstain from the vote. This is Mrs May's final EU summit before she triggers Article 50 this month. Brexit was excluded from the agenda of the EU Summit. But they will discuss Britain's departure at a meeting on Friday. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is a staunch ally of the former Polish politician, said his re-election will bring a period of stability to the superbloc. Who is Donald Tusk? The former Polish prime minister remained in office during 2007-2014. He led the centre-right Civic Platform when the PiS was in power. But PiS blame him for the death of Polish president Lech Kaczynski during a plane crash in 2010. It is believed Mr. Tusk's government attempted to cover-up the investigation into the crash. The European Council meets two times every year. It consists of the leaders of the 28 EU member states. They discuss issues regarding treaty changes, foreign, justice and home affairs. It is different to the European Council of Ministers, which enables ministers from different EU countries to gather and pass legislation on specific policies. For example, the UK Chancellor will meet with his financial counterparts to legislate new economic policies. Tusk's current term of office will end in May 2017 to coincide with the Brexit talks. PHOENIX The state's business community brings its last-ditch effort to kill a voter-approved minimum wage hike to the Arizona Supreme Court Thursday. But it remains to be seen whether the business groups led by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry can get the relief from having to pay their workers more even if their lawyers actually win. That's because the justices told the attorneys the only issue they want them to debate today is whether Proposition 206 violates a provision of the Arizona Constitution. It says if an initiative forces the state to spend more money it also must include a source for those dollars. Proposition 206 specifically exempts the state from the requirement that workers now be paid at least $10 an hour, a figure that goes up to $12 by 2020. The state also does not have to comply with another provision that mandates employers give workers at least three days a year of paid sick leave. State officials have said, however, they're effectively forced to shell out more money to the private companies that are under contract to provide things like nursing home and in-home care for the indigent, companies that are subject to Proposition 206. Those contracts were built on the basis of the minimum wage being $8.05 an hour. But attorney Jim Barton, who is defending the initiative, contends that even if challengers convince the court there is a constitutional violation, that doesn't help the business community. He reads the constitutional provision to say the only thing the justices can do is relieve the state from any obligation to increase its spending. More to the point, that would leave Proposition 206 in place and in effect for the millions of Arizonans working for private companies and other levels of government. Attorney Tim LaSota, however, is hoping to convince the justices that the failure of Prop 206 supporters to provide the source of revenues for the state voids the entire measure, including the provisions governing private industry. But that is based on the yet-to-be-proved premise that the initiative actually forces the state to spend any money at all. In a ruling in December, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Daniel Kiley said it may be that the state's Medicaid program will increase what it pays to private contractors that offer nursing home and in-home services, but not because it is required to do so. AHCCCS officials have said they are planning to increase payments by close to $50 million to help contractors who say they may go out of business if they have to pay their workers more but the state reimbursement rate remains the same. Those contracts were negotiated based on the $8.05 an hour minimum wage in effect at the time. But Kiley said nothing in the initiative actually mandates the higher expenditure. And he pointed out that both Arizona law and the contracts with Medicaid providers have provisions that say the state does not have to spend money it does not have. Even the amount of money remains in dispute. The Arizona Association of Providers with Disabilities has estimated the state needs to come up with an extra $15 million between now and June 30, when the fiscal year ends, so they can pay their employees that $10 minimum. And for the coming budget year they put the price tag at $58 million. But the Grand Canyon Institute, a nonpartisan research corporation, said in a report earlier this week it found flaws in that analysis. For example, it contends that higher wages will mean less annual turnover and reducing employer costs. And GCI says the requirement in Proposition 206 for at least three days of paid sick leave is not entirely new, with some providers already offering it. The bottom line, according to GCI, would be costs next year between $18.5 million and $21.1 million, about one-third what the disability care providers are asking for. During his entire campaign for president, President Donald Trump made no secret that he wasn't a fan of the media. In recent days, Trump has increased his attacks on the press, most notably the New York Times. Trump on the Times Donald Trump kicked off his candidacy for president in June 2015 at Trump Tower in New York City. Within minutes, Trump labeled illegal immigrants from Mexico as "rapists" and "murderers," leading the media to quickly criticize. From that point forward, the billionaire real estate mogul engaged in a war of words with the press, hitting back at various cable news channels, hosts, and newspapers. One of his main targets has been the New York Times, which he refers to as "failing," despite the paper's subscription numbers increasing following the president's recent criticism. As seen on his Twitter account on February 6, Trump is continuing to lash out at the paper, among other issues. The failing @nytimes was forced to apologize to its subscribers for the poor reporting it did on my election win. Now they are worse! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 7, 2017 In his fourth anti-media tweet of the day, Donald Trump went back to attacking the "failing" New York Times. "The failing @nytimes was forced to apologize to its subscribers for the poor reporting it did on my election win," Trump wrote on Twitter Monday night, before adding, "Now they are worse!" Trump's nighttime tweet was his second shot at the paper within just a few hours. NEW: WH releases list of terror attacks, inaccurately alleging "most" didn't receive media attention they deserved https://t.co/rhRQS88LO9 pic.twitter.com/gfuILfDyK6 CBS News (@CBSNews) February 7, 2017 After starting his morning off by labeling CNN, ABC, and NBC "fake news," the president sent out his first tweet against the New York Times at around 11:30 a.m. on the East Coast. "The failing @nytimes writes total fiction concerning me," the former host of "The Apprentice" sent out on Twitter, while claiming, "They have gotten it wrong for two years, and now are making up stories & sources!" Trump on terrorism In addition to his Twitter tirades against multiple news outlets, Donald Trump also spoke out against the media during a speech at CENTCOM in Florida. The commander in chief took the time to accuse the press of ignoring terrorist attacks around the world, which prompted the White House to release a list of alleged "unreported" incidents. The threat from radical Islamic terrorism is very real, just look at what is happening in Europe and the Middle-East. Courts must act fast! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 7, 2017 Following the release of the list, Trump returned to Twitter again, while calling for the courts to allow his "Muslim ban" to stand. "The threat from radical islamic terrorism is very real, just look at what is happening in Europe and the Middle-East," he tweeted, also noting, "Courts must act fast!" A U.S Government Contractor was on 8th July 2017 convicted of sexually exploiting and trafficking minors while working abroad. The conviction was the result of a month-long jury trial before Robert N. Scola, a U.S. District Judge. Details of the charges The contractor by the name Christopher Rennie Glenn aged 37 was convicted on eight out of ten charges submitted before a federal jury. One of the counts was for conspiring to commit sex trafficking by fraud to a minor which is in violation of Title 18, U.S Code, section 1594. In another account, the convict was found guilty when he traveled overseas so as to engage in illegal sexual conduct in violation of Title 18, U.S Code, section 2423. He was also found guilty of sexually assaulting a minor in violation of Title 18, U.S Code; Section 2243 as well as being in possession of child pornography in violation of Title 18, U.S Code, section 2252. All his conduct occurred outside of the United States in both Iraq and Honduras while he was working as a network administrator for the U.S Department of Defense. Title 18, U.S Code, Sections 1596, 3261, and 3271 sexual offences act, provides for extraterritorial jurisdiction in the sex trafficking and child exploitation offenses. Glenns' series of sexual misconducts According to investigators, Glenn sexually exploited young girls whose ages were between 13 to 16 years. The acts occurred between the year 2010 to 2014. According to evidence presented in court, Glenn recruited young girls living in poor rural areas to work as housekeepers in his house and in return, paid significant amounts of money to the girls' families. Glenn would then sexually assault the girls or attempt to marry the minors and engaged in sexual acts with them. Some girls told investigators that Glenn gave them pills which made them sleepy before engaging in sexual acts with them. Some tablets found in Glenns Honduras residence were determined to be drugs that can are sedatives. Investigators also introduced additional evidence showing how Glenn engaged in sexual acts with a minor female from Mexico in the year 2002 when the minor was only 13-years-old. Glenn also possessed electronic images of these sexual abuses taken while working as a government contract worker. The child pornography images were found in his residence in Honduras in 2014. Glenns' arrest and prosecution The charges are a culmination of a three-year-long investigation led by the FBI Miami Field Offices Violent Crimes Against Children Squad. Glenn was arrested in February 2014 and indicted in the Southern District of Florida. Glenn later pleaded guilty and has now been imprisoned for ten years. Republican efforts to abolish the #affordable care act was well under way on Thursday morning as two House committees approved sweeping legislation to rescind the law. Many Republicans want to substitute what is known as #Obamacare with a system of tax credits that many claim will lead to the poorest having to pay more for their healthcare, and a rise in the uninsured. Also, Medicaid will, if Republicans get their way, be rolled back in most parts of the country. The House Energy and Commerce Committee took 72 hours to pull a party-line vote of 31 to 23 to endorse the new legislation early Thursday morning. The House Budget Committee is expected to give its approval next week before a concluding House vote planned by #Speaker Paul Ryan for the week of March 20. And #Republicans were seen to be fulfilling their political promise to destroy a law that they claimed had relinquished damage on America. Democrats took aim at the Republicans Democrats disagreed, and claimed that the Republican bill would take much-needed and lifesaving insurance away from millions of Americans, increasing costs for people and making healthcare a challenging part of American life. A growing number of senators, medical providers and even some conservatives stepped forward to support the Democratic Point Of View. But the most noticeable disagreement was actually coming from within the Republican party itself, since the health care issue has seen a rise in #Republican in-fighting this week. A swathe of interest groups, jockeying radio hosts and online alt-right agitators have been stepping forward to denounce the Republican leadership on this issue. Some called the healthcare overhaul Swampcare, whilst the Breitbart alt-right publication called it Obamacare 2.0". The powerful billionaire #Koch brothers came out decisively against the bill, with their many special interest and political groups falling into line with the Koch point of view. Some of these groups threatened to punish responsible lawmakers by underscoring them on the influential scorecards that they distribute to voters. Other activists flocked to Capitol Hill and demanded that #Congress take a more aggressive approach and completely destroy the Affordable Care Act. The Party of No keeps shaking in disagreement The conflict growing in the Republican party has many talking about a divisive split in the party that could force an uncomfortable reckoning. Many #conservatives are asking why they are fighting each other when they have near unanimous power in the houses of Congress and the White House. Even President Trump wondered at the in-party outrage and asked leaders of some conservative groups to tone it down on Wednesday at a meeting in the Oval Office. Officials said there was a lot of venting by troubled Republicans who thought the new bill would look like '#Obamacare lite'. Accoring the New York Times, Trump was anticipating trouble in the Senate, where moderate and conservative Republicans are opposing the plan for numerous reasons. He is planning on the sort of stadium-style rallies he had during his campaign to influence hold-out senators and those sitting on the fence. And what's surprising is that a #unified government should actually make it easier for Republicans to get along. Unlike the Obama years, when the more right wing Republicans bought down a House speaker and defeated a majority leader, this was meant to be a time of relative equanimity in the party. But perhaps for a party that has been described as the #Party of No, it seems like getting to Yes is becoming increasingly more difficult. The United States has for years an imbalanced trade policy and is now experiencing the ramifications of such trade agreements, according to President Donald Trump. The United States Trade Deficit has hit the highest amount in five years. Some suspect the high in the deficit is due to increasing oil import prices and a lack of export deals that directly benefit the United States and reliance on foreign oil. President Trump points blame at faulty trade deals One of the platforms President Trump ran on was to make trade deals that would benefit the United States. The current president claims that unequal import and export deals are to blame for slow economic growth and an increasing trade deficit. President Trump seeks to remedy this issue by pulling out of trade organizations he says are biased against the interests of the United States. One such institution is the World Trade Organization. The WTO was established after WWII as an attempt to offer a forum for negotiations and peaceful resolutions to international trading disputes. Treaties proposed and signed during The United States membership of the WTO are some of what President Trumps administration takes issue with. Oil is the culprit Increased international import oil prices are partly to blame for the United States trade deficit. Some experts points, based on oil price increases, as evidence that the United States needs to become more innovative in its approach to energy independence. The Trump administration also believes that access to oil reserve located within the borders of the United States unequal import concerns for the United States. is equally important ventures to invest and capitalize on. Although oil is not the only Cars and phones Cell phones and vehicles are also culprits in the unbalanced trading issues the United States is experiencing. Technology and vehicles are two other major imported products. President Trumps administration seeks to encourage more tech growth as well as re-establish American concept of the Motor City. Plans to stem the import of steel from China and increase steel manufacturing in the United States are in the works. Plans to lower environmental regulations could help increase business interest in technological manufacturing in the United States also. President Trump during his 2016 campaign cited increased environmental regulation for the poor economic growth and a steadily increasing trade deficit. The divisions within the Republican party due to the proposed repeal of Obamacare also raise an issue that is at the heart of politics. The role of a political party and in particular the position of the President of the United States within the Party. Politics It is almost banal to state that Politics is the art or representing the people and for this reason political parties were formed to bring together people with similar ideas to be able to present political agendas in line with shared philosophies and aims. Developments in American Politics make us wonder whether or not the Republican Party still follows this ideal to the full. While divisions within parties are normal, the Republican Party now finds itself with divisions on fundamental issues that will affect the very philosophies that formed it. Some of these divisions may be due to philosophy, others due to the role of lobbyists for major corporations and on some issues even on pressure from various religious groups. This has led to the impression of a Party affected by divisions in a way that is not conducive to smooth government. Added to this confusion is a Presidency that has a direction of its own that in many ways goes against the beliefs of many within the Party. Proof of this is in the various reactions to the allegations of Russian interference in the presidential campaign with some pushing for more investigations and others who believe they may not be necessary. Representation The question that developments over recent months forces us to ask is does the President represent the Party, or does the Party represent the President? Donald Trump ostensibly represents the Republican Party and is it titular head and yet many of his aims are not in line with the Party. Obamacare is one such issue where they agree in wide terms, but the details of the repeal and replacement are still undecided. Paul Ryans proposal on Tuesday has only led to more heated debate within the Party that may risk its approval in the two Houses. At the same time the President demands that the Party works for a beautiful or terrific solution in line with his tweets and declarations. These differences in attitudes must make the country wonder how the decisions are being made and on what basis. In other countries political parties hold national conferences to set up party agendas that become the basis for electoral campaigns, but in the United States this procedure does not occur and effectively the partys official agenda is set every four years by the candidate who wins its primaries. As we are now seeing the results are not necessarily beneficial to the country as a whole. . The real question Yet as the Party squabbles the Republicans seem to have forgotten one vital detail. They are voted to represent their constituents and the town hall protests against the repeal of Obamacare are a sure sign that many constituents are opposed to the Partys proposals. The refusal of some Senators and Congressmen to attend the town hall meetings is not a sign of representation by them. As the Party struggles to resolve its internal differences the real question should not be whether the President represents the Party or vice versa, but simply who does the Party now represent? For many citizens the answer seems to be that they are not relevant to the Partys decisions and it seems unlikely that this was the intentions of its founders. In the midterms the citizens will have the opportunity of reminding their ostensible representatives of the reality that many of them seem to have forgotten. Metro Nashville Police Department (NASHVILLE, Tenn.) -- A man has been arrested in connection with the fatal stabbing of a Nashville nurse, the Metro Nashville Police Department said Wednesday. Christopher Drew McLawhorn, 24, was arrested and charged with criminal homicide and especially aggravated burglary in connection with the murder of Tiffany Ferguson, police said press conference Wednesday. Officials said Ferguson, a 23-year-old nurse, was murdered on February 28th after a man broke into her Nashville apartment and stabbed her to death. Her roommate was awakened by her screams and called 911, according to police. Surveillance video from the apartment building showed a man pulling on the door handles of parked cars around 5 a.m. The footage was a key component of the investigation, police said. Police believe McLawhorn was a part of the burglary that ended in Fergusons death. Possible motives are not being divulged publicly at this time, police said. Authorities said McLawhorn denied involvement when interviewed by detectives. Metro police to hold news conference on young nurse's murder https://t.co/6O05pZQVwZ Nick Caloway WKRN (@NickJCaloway) March 9, 2017 Christopher McLawhorn, 24, being charged tonight with the 2/28 murder of Tiffany Ferguson at her Wedgewood Park apartment. pic.twitter.com/bDh5O32t39 Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) March 9, 2017 Molly Cox, 32, Ferguson's sister, said Ferguson had attended nursing school in Alabama and had lived in the apartment for a little less than a year. Ferguson was a nurse in the intensive-care unit at a local Nashville hospital.Cox said that Ferguson had traveled to Guatemala on a mission trip and would give food and money to the homeless people around her apartment building."I think she had been out with some coworkers and then came home," Cox said about Ferguson. "We understand that she got home and later on that morning her roommate heard a scream and the front door was open and they found her in the bed."Cox said the family did not recognize the man on the video."I just want everyone to know that she [Ferguson] had a good heart and she was young and she was beautiful and she deserved better than what she got," she said. "She just had so many dreams and wanted to do so much."It was unclear if McLawhorn had an attorney.Copyright 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Finsbury Food Group foodservice brand Kara has launched a Gourmet sliced chicken bun as part of its developing brioche range. The company described the bun as an oval carrier that offers premium visual, taste and texture. It added that the oval shape allows chicken burgers not to be lost in a standard round bun, while being visually appealing with its glazed top and finished with sesame seeds. Jane Deegan, marketing manager for Kara, said the launch of the chicken bun has come at a great time. The new addition to the Gourmet range allows for out-of-home vendors to capitalise on this growing market, she said. With burgers and bread carriers accounting for 39% of dishes, and burgers continuing to show growth, the new Kara gourmet chicken bun allows for vendors to stand out from competition by offering a high-quality gourmet bun. In December 2016, Kara expanded its Genius gluten-free foodservice offering, which included pancakes, wheat-free crumpets and English muffins. The report that another Trump nominee may withdraw has highlighted the selection process for Americas top positions. As reported by Huffington Post, Heather Wilson is facing problems with her confirmation as Secretary for the Air Force due to possible conflicts of interest. She is the third candidate to face such problems after the withdrawal of Vincent Viola for the Army and Philip Bilden for the Navy. While they show that the process can be successful in selecting Secretaries, such as process does not occur for the nations highest office Tax returns The United States introduced the system of primaries for the selection of a party candidate for the race to the White House. This process is now copied by parties in other countries. Yet these primaries were unable to find a definite solution for the doubts raised about the man who would eventually become the 45th President of the United States of America. When businessman and reality star Donald Trump announced his run for the presidency few took the attempt seriously, but many did raise the issues of his business activities. These doubts began during the primary campaign and then spread to the presidential campaign where he refused to follow established practice of releasing his tax returns by stating they were under audit and would be released once approved. These returns have never been released with the reply now being that since he won the election the public was obviously not interested in them. Added to this theme were also the rumours of possible Russian interference in the election campaign which are still dogging him and are now subject to investigation by the countrys intelligence community. Press conference The Trump business empire owns many properties around the world and in some politically sensitive countries such as Turkey. For this reason his election victory raised concerns that they may affect Donald Trumps decisions in office. At his first press conference after the election a lawyer presented an apparent plan for the incoming President to distance himself from his business activities while he was in office. Despite the disapproval of many experts on ethics matters these conflicts of interest were never resolved satisfactorily and recent news of business developments in China have once more raised the issue, at least in some of the newspapers. Russia Naturally the issue that has the potential of creating the most disruption to the Trump Administration is the allegations of Russian interference in the election. This matter has already claimed the scalp of National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and is still causing some embarrassment for Attorney General #Jeff Sessions in regards to contacts by both with Sergey Kislyak, Russias Ambassador to Washington. The constant repetition of these themes in the newspapers and media sources is proof that they will never go away until they have been resolved. These matters would have been cleared in the beginning if the candidates for election were to face a confirmation hearing such as that for Secretaries before the beginning of the formal presidential campaign. Failure of the Primaries In the past the primaries managed to weed out uncomfortable candidates, but in the 2016 presidential campaign the Republican primaries and then the campaign proper failed to resolve the issues identified from the very early days of Trumps candidacy. This failing also affected Hillary Clintons candidature as it would have confronted the issues of the emails and even the incident in Benghazi in a manner that would have avoided the many unfounded or exaggerated accusations that haunted her until the eventual defeat on November 8th. There is something wrong when the country has to wait for intelligence investigations to understand what happened in its presidential election. It may be time that possible candidates for the highest office to be subject to close scrutiny to ensure that the current disruptions to government do not happen again. Earlier this week, the Republicans in the House of Representatives finally revealed their plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as "Obamacare." After the details were made public, backlash quickly followed, while some liberal critics used to humor to target the GOP. Daily Show on GOP When Barack Obama was campaigning to become president, he vowed to change the direction of the American health care system. Not long after he was elected, Obama was able to get enough support for the Affordable Care Act, and signed the bill into law in 2010. In the seven years since the law has been on the books, Obamacare has been the number one target for Republicans, who voted over 60 times in Congress to have it repealed. Now that their replacement has been put forward, it's received negative reviews from many, including some Republicans like Sen. Rand Paul. During the March 8 edition of "The Daily Show," host Trevor Noah took a shot at the bill in question. Trevor imagines the GOP's reaction to Paul Ryan's long-awaited health care plan #betweenthescenes pic.twitter.com/XfnK8RK1VG The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) March 9, 2017 "Here's what I find intriguing about this health care debacle," host Trevor Noah said. "Paul Ryan preached this for a very long time," Noah continued, before mocking the Speaker of the House for never providing an actual alternative over the last seven years. Noah even gave his thoughts on what was going on in the mind of former President Barack Obama, who he believes knew all along that Republicans never had a credible alternative to Obamacare. "That was like a slick move," Noah said of Obama teasing Republican's over their potential replacement, before stating, "He's (Obama) like 'you ain't go sh*t." Tonight at 11/10c, Trevor unpacks the GOP healthcare bill. Guess who wins and who loses? pic.twitter.com/JFZZL7ajz9 The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) March 9, 2017 Trevor Noah then played a recent clip from MSNBC where they broke down who the winners and losers were under the GOP-created health care proposal. MSNBC found that the winners in the Repubican bill were "young," "wealthy," and also the "insurers." However, the losers were broken down into three categories; the "elderly," the "poor," and the "sick." "I'm not a medical expert, but I feel like if one of the losers of your health care plan is sick people, you've f**ked up," "The Daily Show" host concluded. Moving forward In addition to Trevor Noah's criticism, others have also been vocal in their opposition. The AARP and the Federation of American Hospitals have publicly come against the bill, as has a wide range of Hollywood celebrities who are using their popularity to spread the word about the potentially damaging results that could occur if the bill became law. SEOUL - The most powerful presidential contender in South Korea's opposition bloc solidified his support scores ahead of the constitutional court's final ruling on the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye, an opinion survey showed on Thursday. Moon Jae-in, former head of the biggest opposition Minjoo Party, kept a top post in recent opinion poll with 36.1 percent in approval scores, according to a Realmeter poll. It was slightly down from the previous week, but Moon ranked 1st for 10 straight weeks through this week. The result is based on a poll of 1,530 voters conducted between Monday and Wednesday. It has 2.5 percentage points in a margin of error. Moon widened a gap in approval rating with Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, whose approval scores declined 0.7 percentage points from the previous week to 14.2 percent. Hwang, who is serving as acting president following Park's impeachment on Dec 9, emerged recently as the best hope among conservative voters because there is no outstanding rival coming from the conservative camp. The ruling Liberty Korea Party lost public support as President Park was being implicated in a corruption scandal that led to her impeachment. The constitutional court announced its plan to make a final ruling Friday about whether to permanently remove Park from office or reinstate her. If six out of eight justices uphold the impeachment motion, Park will be forced out office. If over three judges reject the motion, she will be reinstated immediately. Governor Ahn Hee-jeong of South Chungcheong province, who is affiliated with the Minjoo Party, ranked third in approval scores with 12.9 percent, followed by Mayor Lee Jae-myung of Seongnam city near Seoul who gained 10.5 percent in support scores. Business Council calls for China and US governments to focus on priorities The US business community on Wednesday called on the US and Chinese governments to continue strengthening the commercial relationship between the two countries. A statement of priority actions released by the US-China Business Council (USCBC) focuses on the efforts needed by both governments on the top priorities for US companies that conduct business with China. USCBC represents more than 200 companies doing business there. The four major goals listed are to further solidify the foundation for mutually beneficial commercial relations, reduce trade barriers and enforce globally accepted trade rules, ensure competitive neutrality and improve transparency and strengthen intellectual property rights protection and adhere to mutually beneficial innovation policies. "The United States and China must work to achieve the shared goals of our bilateral relationship to fulfill the potential for growth and success in both countries. The fundamental steps we have outlined form a solid path to guide actions of both governments in the years ahead," USCBC Chairman Mark Fields, who is president and CEO of Ford Motor Co, said in the statement. USCBC President John Frisbie said the US business community is a partner to both governments in achieving the shared goal of tangible progress in the coming year. "Through the declaration of our priorities, American business leaders are highlighting the need for the US and Chinese governments to create a stronger foundation for what is the most important bilateral relationship in the global economy," he said in the statement. The business leaders called on the two governments to quickly resume and complete high-standard Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) negotiations. Under President Barack Obama, China and the US held more than 20 rounds of talks on the BIT. While the two sides had come closer, a final agreement was not reached as the US awaited a much shorter negative list from China. Kenneth Jarrett, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, argued in a recent seminar that Trump should support the BIT because this is a good deal for US companies. Trump has expressed his distaste for multilateral agreements and a preference for bilateral deals, saying there are good deals and bad deals. David Dollar, a senior fellow at the John L. Thornton China Center of the Brookings Institution, believes China should not give up on the BIT but expressed doubt that the Trump administration would react very positively right now. "But certainly talk to them, see if they might be interested," he said. The USCBC statement has also called on the US to accelerate its sensible export control reforms, saying the US should allow greater exports of items that do not present a security risk and are already available on open markets for non-US sources. China has long called for the US to lift its restrictions on high-tech exports to China, believed also to be an effective way to cut the huge bilateral trade deficits now in China's favor. There had been widespread concern that Trump might trigger a trade war with China by imposing high tariffs on Chinese exports and naming China a currency manipulator, as he threatened during the presidential election. But recent developments, including high-level phone calls and meetings, have shown that this is unlikely, even though Trump's China policy is still far from clear. chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com Asia Week New York, the twice-annual art festival that celebrates Asian art and draws collectors from all over the world, kicks off today, the biggest ever with 50 world-renowned international galleries and five auction houses participating. Privately curated exhibitions of Asian art will be presented through March 18 in the city, including Chinese ceramics, paintings, sculptures and bronzes. Thirteen galleries have been added to the roster this year, and US galleries like J.J. Lally & Co, Kaikodo LLC, China 2000 Fine Art will feature ancient and contemporary Chinese art. Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonham's, Doyle and iGavel will be holding auctions. "Asia Week New York is nothing less than an absolute must-attend destination for not only the trade, but for all serious and dedicated collectors, museum curators, interior designers and all Asian art lovers," said Lark Mason, chairman of Asia Week New York, in a statement. At Asia Week last year, sales were affected by the seizure of eight items from dealers who were raided as part of a crackdown on antiquities smuggling. At J.J. Lally & Co in midtown Manhattan, two dozen pieces of Buddhist art from China will be on sale, and a painted sandstone head of Vimalakirti - a central figure of Mahayana Buddhism - is one of the highlights at the gallery specializing in Chinese art. The rare stone head is from the Yungang Buddhist Cave Temples in Shanxi province and dates back to the Northern Wei Dynasty (465-494). James Lally, founder of J.J. Lally & Co and former director of Chinese art at Sotheby's, said that nearly half the gallery's exhibition has been sold ahead of the opening of Asia Week, with interest coming evenly from the Chinese mainland and the US. "Many more [buyers] are expected to come this weekend when people are in town to view the auctions and all the galleries around town," Lally said. "The feedback has been very strong for the gilt bronze pieces, and we also spoke to a couple of museums who have agreed to buy pieces in the exhibition, so we're feeling very confident." Lally said buyers are more selective and careful in light of a slowdown in the art market but that there is still strong demand for items at the top of the market "where you can look someone in the eye and say, 'This is the best of its kind and you're not going to see another one.' There's certainly enough money around to buy these things." But given that Buddhist sculpture is not the segment of the market that draws sales comparable to the higher end of the market, Lally said he's still seeing good response from potential buyers. "However excited we become about the topic of Buddhist sculpture, it's not the kind of money that's being spent on an Impressionist painting. It's a very accessible market and we've had very good response," he said. Carol Conover, director of the Kaikodo gallery on the Upper East Side, said that Chinese paintings - the gallery's focus for Asia Week, in addition to other Asian artworks - are still in high demand despite the slowdown, so she expects her Asia Week selection to sell well, which includes a 9-foot hanging scroll painting from Ye Shuangshi from the later 15th to 16th century. "There are very, very few dealers that sell Chinese paintings, so the interest in that is still very strong," she said. amyhe@chinadailyusa.com The state of Hawaii requested emergency court intervention on Wednesday to halt a revised executive order from President Donald Trump placing US entry restrictions on refugees and travelers from six Muslim-majority countries. Arguing that the new travel ban violates the US Constitution, the state asked a Hawaii federal court to grant a temporary restraining order that should apply nationally. US District Court Judge Derrick Watson ruled earlier in the day that the state could sue over Trump's new order, which was signed by the president on Monday. It is the first legal challenge to the revised order. Watson said the state could revise its initial lawsuit, which had challenged Trump's original ban signed in January. A hearing is set for March 15, a day before the new ban is to go into effect. The government has said the president has wide authority to implement immigration policy and that the travel rules are necessary to protect against terrorist attacks. Some legal experts have said court challenges will be more difficult now because changes to the order give exemptions to more people. The revised travel order changed and replaced the original, more sweeping ban issued on Jan 27 that caused chaos and protests at airports and was challenged in more than two dozen lawsuits around the country. A federal judge in Seattle put the first order on hold, in a decision upheld by an appeals court in San Francisco. The new order is much more narrowly tailored. It keeps a 90-day ban on travel to the United States by citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, but excludes Iraq and applies the restriction only to new visa applicants. It also removed an indefinite ban on all refugees from Syria. The order no longer covers legal residents or existing visa holders, and makes waivers possible for some business, diplomatic and other travelers. Immigration advocates have said the new ban, like the original one, discriminates against Muslims. But the first hurdle in a lawsuit is proving "standing" to sue, which means finding someone who has been harmed by the policy. With so many exemptions, legal experts have said it might be hard to find individuals that a court would rule have a right to sue. Hawaii claims its state universities would be harmed by the order because they would have trouble recruiting students and faculty. It also says the island state's economy would be hit by a decline in tourism. The court papers cite reports that travel to the United States "took a nosedive" after Trump's actions. The state was joined by a new plaintiff named Ismail Elshikh, an American citizen from Egypt who is an Imam at the Muslim Association of Hawaii whose mother-in-law lives in Syria, according to the lawsuit. "This second Executive Order is infected with the same legal problems as the first Order," the state said in court papers filed on Tuesday. The President's order "is subjecting a portion of Hawaii's population, including Dr. Elshikh, his family, and members of his Mosque, to discrimination and second-class treatment," Hawaii said. The lawsuit says that Elshikh fears his mother-in-law will not be able to enter the country under the new order. "The family is devastated," the filing said. One of the groups eligible for waivers under the new ban are those seeking to visit or live with a close relative and who would face hardship if denied entry. Adam Lauridsen, a San Francisco attorney representing students challenging Trump's first order, said the waiver provisions in the new ban are similar to case-by-case exemptions allowed in the first ban. Earlier legal challenges were allowed to move forward despite those waivers, he said. In support of its actions, the Trump administration has cited a section of law that says the president can suspend entry to the United States by "any class" of foreigners if he finds it would be "detrimental to the interests" of the country. Reuters Pret A Manger has said it may struggle to find staff following Brexit. Pret human resources director Andrea Wareham told an economic affairs committee that only one in 50 job applicants to the chain were British and that 65% of its employees were non-EU citizens. If I had to fill all our vacancies with British-only applicants, I would not be able to fill them because of a lack of applications, she told Labour peer Alistair Darling. Darling responded to Wareham, stating the company might have to just pay more to attract British workers. I actually dont think increasing pay would do the trick. I can only talk for Pret on this, but we do pay well above the National Living Wage, we do have great benefits and we offer fantastic careers, Wareham replied. It really is a case of: Do people want to work in our industry? We are not seen always as a desirable place to work and I think thats the trick. Pret A Manger told British Baker it did not wish to comment further on the matter. Earlier this month, Ministry of Cake managing director Chris Ormrod discussed the ramifications for the industry in terms of non-EU workers in the run-up to Brexit. Birthday wishes Call 281-422-8302 or email sunnews@baytownsun.com to wish someone a happy birthday. We will print your birthday wish on Page 2 of The Sun. Happy Birthday Wishes Military veterans of the Pickrell area will be honored in the newest addition to the town, the Pickrell Veterans Memorial. With new playground equipment and a new shelter, Pickrell Park is a heralded landmark of the town. Now, at the corner of the park property at West Pickrell Road and Jefferson Street, the work-in-progress memorial is adding to the acclaim. Twenty-foot flag poles seem to stretch proudly, boasting the flags of each branch of the military: Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. To the east is a sixth flag pole flying the American flag and the POW MIA flag. The flag poles and concrete base were installed in the fall of 2016. Holes for granite walls, benches and landscaping wait to be filled as funds become available. The goal is to create a beautiful memorial worthy of our honored veterans. Black granite walls will be installed and engraved with veterans names. Organizer Melvin Winkle said he has a list of 300 area names. A special section will be dedicated for fall soldiers. A back wall, in front of the flag poles, will be also be black granite and engraved with historical military artwork. Dark gray granite pavers will edge the memorial base, between the concrete and landscaping, and will be available for purchase for families to pay tribute to loved ones who served. Also planned are benches, landscaping and lighting. Its an honor to the Pickrell veterans, Winkle said. Its also to help beautify Pickrell, said Larry Remmers, who is a veteran and helping with the project. You can come in and look at the flags and the memorial and think of the veterans who served in the Pickrell area, Remmers said. The new Pickrell Park playground and shelter were completed last year. Winkle said that was Phase One of the plans for the park, established in a board meeting of the Pickrell Historical and Betterment Association. Phase Two is the veterans memorial. A lot of towns are putting veterans memorials in, Winkle said. We just thought itd be nice to have one in Pickrell. Winkle said the completion goal is Memorial Day of 2018. Its a long time for a fundraiser, he said. But we need money to be able to do everything. Winkle said the granite walls will be imported from Italy. Names engraved on the Wall of Honor cost $200 each. Names of fallen soldiers of Gage County are free. The granite pavers measure 16 inches by 8 inches and can be purchased for $400 with personalized messages engraved. Benches, flag poles and light poles can also be purchased. Donations and purchase orders can be addressed to the Pickrell Historical and Betterment Association and sent to First State Bank, 221 Austin Street, Pickrell, NE., 68422. Brochures and order forms are available at the bank. Questions can be directed to Melvin Winkle at 402-673-3135 or Ross Trauernicht at 402-239-0284. It was nearly 100 years ago since the last time a total solar eclipse passed over Gage County and it could be several hundred years until the next one. Lucky for Gage County, theres a total solar eclipse passing over Beatrice and Gage County this summer, and Beatrice Chamber of Commerce executive director Lora Young and Homestead National Monument superintendent Mark Engler spoke about it Monday at the Beatrice City Council meeting. Total eclipses are a fairly rare event, Young said, but an eclipse passing over Gage County is even more rare. On Aug. 21, 2017, right around 11:30 a.m., the moon will start its pass in front of the sun. The shadow of the moon will start spreading before finally blotting out all but the surrounding corona of the sun at 10 seconds after 1:02 p.m. and will plunge Gage County into darkness for around 160 seconds. The last time an eclipse like this was visible in the United States, World War I was raging, so, for most people, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. For that reason, Young said, people from around the country and around the world will flow into the area. Young said shed been in contact with a couple from Inverness, Scotland who are planning to come in for the eclipse. A Beatrice family is hosting a group of people from Japan, who are flying in specifically for the eclipse. She said she also knew of people from England and Germany planning to make the trip as well. Mark and I have been working on this for a couple of years now, Young said, so it's going to happen. The biggest question we get asked is how many people are going to show up. I don't know, and I'm at the point where I don't even want to give a guess anymore. Their best estimate is thousands, she said, though exactly how many is unclear. A Facebook invitation from the chamber received more than 300 yes, Im coming clicks and 22,400 yes, Im interested clicks, Young said, but the invitation reached more than 106,000 people. With visitors from across the globe streaming into Beatrice and Gage County, she told the city council, its time to put on our best face possible for their arrival. One problem they foresaw was something possibly never faced by Beatrice before, traffic jams. Thousands of people coming to town means thousands of cars and that means parking will be at a premium, Engler said. Theyre planning to park as many cars as possible at the Gage County fairgrounds and busing visitors to the monument. The hot spot in town, he said, will probably be Homestead National Monument. With its prime viewing area, numerous events and even NASA scientists on site, theyre expecting to draw a large crowd. Currently, the only event planned by the chamber is a couple of movie nights at the fairgrounds. The 1950's versions of The Blob and Invasion of the Body Snatchers will be shown Friday and Saturday nights, Young said, as something quirky and fun as a way to keep visitors in town. There are plans to ask downtown businesses and restaurants to remain open on Friday and Saturday evenings as well, she said. Young and Engler said one of the most important components for a successful eclipse is making sure people know how to protect their eyes. The chamber purchased 26,000 pairs of glasses specifically made to watch an eclipse and are available to buy at their office for $1 a pair. If people watch the eclipse without proper eyewear, she said, it can lead to blindness and eye damage, because its still looking directly at the sun. Homestead National Monument will be leading a course in eclipse photography in early August, Engler said, because trying to do so without proper lenses and filters can lead to ultraviolet light damaging electronics. You can ruin your cell phones by trying to take pictures, Young said. It can probably ruin cameras as well. It's not one of those things you can take a lot of pictures of without the right equipment. About a week after the eclipse, Young said, shed like to put together a time capsule. People who witnessed the 1918 eclipse didnt commemorate the occasion, but this time, she said, it would be nice to leave something for the next people. Hopefully we can find a place that will be safe for hundreds of years, Young said. It may never get opened, but I have somebody that said they can make something for us that can last that long. Mayor Stan Wirth thanked Young and Engler for their work and promised the support of the city and the police department to make the event a success. Wirth also said special eclipse welcome signs will be placed out before the event. But the eclipse is more than just a special occasion, Young said, its a way for Beatrice and Gage County to show off what they have to offer. I think it's an opportunity for our guests to see what a great place we have here, Young said. Because you never know who might decide to move here, invest here and be part of our community. dangutsu/iStock/Thinkstock(RAQQA, Syria) -- A contingent of several hundred Marines has arrived in Syria to provide artillery support to U.S.-backed Syrian rebels preparing to retake Raqqa, ISIS's de facto capital in Syria, according to a U.S. military official. The artillery battery from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit has been arriving in Syria over the last couple of weeks to establish a fire base for their howitzer artillery, according to the military official. The battery's M777 howitzers are capable of hitting targets up to 20 miles away. The number of Marines associated with the battery and support elements number "more than several hundred," said the official. The U.S. military is authorized to have up to 503 American troops inside Syria to advise and assist the local Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighting ISIS. The Marines will provide artillery support to the local forces, which are currently working to isolate the city of Raqqa in advance of a full offensive on the city. American military officials have often stated that the SDF will need additional combat power if they are to press into Raqqa, where ISIS has already established elaborate defenses. The Marine artillery would be able to provide additional combat support for SDF fighters in and around Raqqa. The deployment to Syria is similar to one in early 2016, when 200 Marines established a fire base in northern Iraq to support Iraqi troops pushing northward toward Mosul. That Marine unit was subsequently replaced by an Army unit, the military official said. Depending on how the future fight for Raqqa progresses, it may not be necessary to replace the Marine artillery battery, the official added. The Marines' deployment to Syria was first reported Wednesday by The Washington Post. The military official said the deployment to Syria had been long-planned, but that the final decision to send them was only made recently by military commanders at U.S. Central Command. It did not require a presidential authorization since they were already in the Middle East and the movement of troops into Syria was not associated with the proposals presented to President Donald Trump last week to accelerate the fight against ISIS. The Marines now in Syria are part of a larger force of 2,200 Marines deployed to the Middle East aboard the amphibious vessels the USS Makin Island, USS Comstock and USS Somerset. The military official said the Marines will not count toward the troop cap in Syria because they are on a temporary deployment. American troops serving less than 120 days in Iraq and Syria are not counted as part of the force levels authorized by the White House for each country. The Marines' arrival in Syria is the second time this week that additional American forces have arrived in Syria. Over the weekend, a small force of Army Rangers was deployed to the northwest city of Manbij to provide what a Pentagon spokesman called a "visible sign of deterrence." Their presence is intended to prevent the possibility of Turkish troops and U.S.-backed Kurdish forces attacking each other. Copyright 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. In classrooms and lecture halls, education has been evolving since the introduction of computers into the classroom. The digitalization of learning, however, has been a fairly slow transition. Despite new technologies in the classroom, how educators teach and how students learn has largely remained untouched. Like many industries, Education underwent major shifts due to the pandemic. These changes were already underway, but the realities of distance learning forced overnight changes that would have otherwise taken decades to take off. The Covid-19 pandemic also put a spotlight on the areas of Education that have been broken for many years and forced educators around the world to confront them. In an interview with CNN, New York University Professor Scott Galloway claimed higher education tuition rates have increased by 1400% in the past 40 years and there is no other product in the world, even Hermes or Ferrari, that can achieve the extraordinary profit margins for a product that hasnt changed that much in the past 5 decades. At these astronomical prices, one would expect the education sector to have vastly improved but compared to other industries, it has been very much in the dark ages. Almost every industry has thoroughly embraced technology and the benefits it can offer to both the consumer and the industry itself, however, schools and universities have stuck to traditional and outdated methods for years. As a result of this, students are looking for cheaper, safer, and more effective alternatives to highly-priced and packed-together lecture halls. This strive for an alternative source of education is leading more and more students into online environments. The EdTech sector is responding to this rise in demand, with increased opportunities for students to access the information, guidance, and education they need in the comfort of their own homes. In a recent interview, Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy, emphasized the need for change and innovation; Can we support teachers, can we support families with tools so they can do something hybridhybrid means theyre able to use a tool(so) students can work at their own time and pace. There are many more trailblazing companies that are leading the way in facilitating remote learning, enabling students to get help in an endless range of subjects, at their own convenience. Educators simply cannot spend the appropriate amount of time needed to really get to grips with a subject with their students, especially in a one-on-one environment. In years gone by, if students didnt want to spend countless sleepless nights in the library, traditional tutoring was the answer to this problem. However, rapidly rising costs, limited hours, and the proximity issue that has come to the fore over the past several months highlights just how much the tutoring space needed to evolve. This is where platforms like Studypool come in. Studypool offers students tools and opportunities that were simply unavailable to them before. The platform enables students to have access to online tutors, including specialists in over 250 subjects, at the tip of their fingers 24/7. Tutors chat with students via text messages and students pay for the tutoring service on a per-question basis, a model that is much more convenient and affordable for students. Studypool also has a database of user-generated study contentclass notes and study guides that students can search through and download. Other platforms are offering tutoring style help without a tutor. Googles Socratic helps students scan the web and its database for step-by-step solutions and other learning resources. Students simply have to take a photo of what they need help with. We must also acknowledge that we are living in a rapidly evolving world, with new industries and viable career paths appearing almost every day, with more and more companies turning to technology and an increasingly online way of conducting business. This innovation will create a great number of jobs, in areas that dont even exist at the moment, but the question is; will current teaching methods, and indeed traditional subjects, provide students with the education they need in order to excel in these new fields? Google, without a doubt one of the most recognizable companies on the planet, and one that is at the forefront of technological innovation, recognizes the need for change; Theres a growing awareness among educators and families that todays curriculum needs to evolve to meet tomorrows reality. Its understandable that traditional teaching methods along with schools and universities will take time to catch up to this and begin implementing the needed changes, which is where companies such as Khan Academy, Studypool, and Socratic are expertly placed for students to get a head start. Students can work with on-demand tutoring (or tutoring-like resources) to advance their learning in fields such as programming, Photoshop, SEO writing, cryptography, Autocad, and more. University students have to also think of their own future. With the cost of a traditional college experience increasing, there is a greater tradeoff being made by students choosing to stick with traditional learning. According to credit.com, the average student loan debt per person currently stands at $31,172 with the time needed to pay off these debts ranging from 10-30 years. That is an awful burden for the average student to take on, with no guarantee of a stable career afterward. The archetypal experience of a liberal arts degree, with multiple elective classes, maybe a wonderful choice, and in a perfect world something that everyone can experience, but the question remains, is it worth it? A cheaper, more focused, and therefore shorter course in a technologically relevant field would surely appeal to students that have grown up using and utilizing the very technology that is creating jobs and viable career pathways. Higher education has also followed the same format for decades, with classes delivered in large lecture halls and busy seminar groups. While this works for some people, traditional learning styles simply dont work for others. Education needs to evolve and embrace different pedagogical techniques, something that Studypool prides itself on, and is leading the industry in. Customized, individualized learning is something that lectures just cant compete with and allows students to really excel and explore their potential. Indeed, by successfully focusing on specific problem areas, students have more time to learn other subjects or simply enjoy their precious free time more. A more remote learning style, on a students own schedule, also opens the door to countless opportunities instead of turning up at the same outdated venue at 9 am every Monday, all a student learning through Studypool needs to do is open their laptop. This can be done from anywhere; perhaps at home, enabling students to save thousands of dollars on accommodation fees, or from a part of the country or indeed the world that they have always wanted to go to. Education is changing before our very eyes. Deep-rooted industry problems have been exacerbated by the recent pandemic and there looks to be a generational shift in how students are educated. Customized, convenient, bespoke experiences in which the student is put first will be how people learn moving forward. Elon Musk must be pleased to receive a nice little Christmas bonus from the State of California in the form of a tax break worth US$ 34.7 million. Earlier today, SFGate reported that Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) [stockdata ticker=TSLA] will get the tax break to develop and increase production of electric cars as well as powertrains. In the United States, only a number of states impose any tax on the purchase of capital equipment for manufacturing purpose. However, the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority (CAEATFA) granted this tax benefit to Tesla in order to encourage clean technology development in the state. This is indeed a win-win deal for the State of California, as Teslas investment will create additional 112 new jobs at its production facility in Fremont. Furthermore, a greater number of vehicle sales will produce more revenues in terms of sales and income tax in future. Palo Alto based Tesla is planning to invest US$ 415 million in new manufacturing equipment next year. Besides building electric car equipments to build its popular line of cars, such as the Model S, currently the company builds powertrains for other car manufacturers like Toyota and Daimler. During 2014, Tesla was aiming to build 21,500 Model S sedans. However, once the new manufacturing equipment is installed and operational, they will be able to produce another 35,000 units of Model S sedans for the growing market, which will ultimately increase its total production capacity to 56,000 per year. So far, Tesla management didnt comment on any plan to increase the production. While this Holiday gift to Tesla may turn out to be a good encouragement for Tesla in the long-run, Teslas next car, the Model X, will be launched almost after another whole year, by the end of 2014. Hence, there will be hardly any short-term gain from this tax break on Teslas balance sheet. As of today, Teslas (NASDAQ:TSLA) [stockdata ticker=TSLA] stock was trading at US$ 148 per share. However, some experts, including Dr. Aswath Damodaran, a professor at the NYU Stern School of Business, have come up with an intrinsic value of just US$ 67.12 per share for Tesla. I am assuming that Tesla will grow to be as large as Audi, while delivering operating margins closer to Porsches. Even with these assumptions, I cannot see a rationale for buying the company at todays market price, but that is just my personal judgment, Said Dr. Damodaran in a blog post in early September 2013. Teslas Model S is indeed a nice car. However, the infrastructure it requires to be a solid alternative to fossil fuel run cars are yet to be implemented nationwide. Which is hindering Teslas growth prospect. Also, it hardly reached breakeven in 2013, before its EBITDA went negative again last quarter, concerning investors about the efficiency of its business model. 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. Archived Results for Thursday, March 9th, 2017 Older Page 1 Throughout much of the UNC-Chapel Hill athletic-academic scandal, the UNC Board of Governors and then-president Tom Ross were slow to officially scrutinize the school's leadership and athletics department. They continued to support Chancellor Holden Thorp and failed to launch an independent investigation until the situation became too serious to ignore. For their inaction, the Board and the system came under serious criticism from local news outlets and athletics enthusiasts who believed that UNC Chapel Hill was receiving special treatment. What would you have done about UNC Chapel Hill's athletics/academic scandal? In 2015, the Board of Governors closed three campus centers, including UNC's Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity. The Board's action came after a seven-member working group evaluated centers and institutes on factors such as research output and how well they fit with the university's mission. Some of the centers had engaged in partisan political activity, in violation of system standards. Although the group eventually validated 207 of the 240 centers and institutes in the system, it received intense pushback from administrators and faculty. Do you believe it was within the Board's purview to conduct a comprehensive review of centers and institutes in the UNC system? The College Board says that incoming students need to score at least 1030 on the SAT in order to succeed at college-level work. The UNC system's current minimum admission score is 800. As a result, many unqualified students are admitted to UNC schools only to drop out. The six-year graduation rate at some of our schools is less than 50 percent! How should the Board address issues related to academic standards? Over the years, Centennial Campus at NC State has had great success. But other counties lack Wake County's favorable socioeconomic conditions, such as an educated workforce, booming real estate market, etc. Not every campus can turn itself into a successful public-private research hub and create economic prosperity. More often, such ventures cause millions of taxpayer dollars to be wasted and benefit at best a small segment of the campus community or well-connected industries, rather than the overall university or local populations. Should universities invest in public-private research parks? In 2015, the UNC Board of Governors raised chancellor pay in closed session, despite complaints from some members. Many non-instructional staff at UNC campuses engage in activism instead of education. And at most UNC schools, the ratio of administrators to faculty is nearly two to one. The current system is unsustainable. Those who have no real connection to improving academics and student success should not be allowed to live "high on the hog" at the public's expense. How would you deal with administrative bloat in the UNC system? Since 2010, the UNC system's Board of Governors has become somewhat more conservative and more interested in serious educational reforms. Members of the Board have professed interest in decreasing costs, rolling back university mission creep, and improving academic standards. But progress has been slow.Part of the problem can be attributed to the structure of the Board itself. It is large and unwieldy. Because of that, power tends to be concentrated in the Board chair and committee chairs. The General Assembly's plan to shrink the board from 32 to 24 members over the next four years will help to make the board more efficient.However, even with that change, there still exists a natural asymmetry of information between the Board and the UNC system. Board members are part-time volunteers who rely on UNC's professional staff to follow through on their directives and inquiries. Board members necessarily see a distilled and simplified version of the information that is relevant to their decisions.But there are other problems.At a 2009 event for the UNC Board of Governors, Ohio University economist and higher education expert Richard Vedder painted a dismal picture of board governance: "A majority of boards do not fully exercise their fiduciary responsibilities to the broader public, they tend on average to be excessively co-opted by the university administration, and they regard their role more as a cheerleading and administrative and financial support role than a serious outside force helping direct the university in both defining and achieving its mission."As I wrote here , very few members vote "no" on anything. Even controversial policy changes, such as raising tuition and fees and lowering admissions standards, have passed with votes of 22-to-9 and 25-to-4, respectively.That's why, going forward, prospective Board members should show independence and a desire to ask probing questions. And they must be willing to vote "no," even when the universities in the system want them to vote "yes." Finding such people is hard.Although almost everyone who wants to be on the board is qualified "on paper" (with significant business or government experience and a record of volunteer service), it doesn't follow that they are necessarily the right fit to address North Carolina's unique and challenging higher education problems.Therefore, members of the General Assembly who interview candidates need to ask a few hard questions of their own to determine whether nominees possess the tenacity and courage to be real reformers:Ultimately, the General Assembly must look for independent board members. The questions above are a good starting point in terms of identifying the real problems in the system and working toward finding real solutions. Of course, there won't be full agreement on the answers to these questions, or perhaps even their premises. That's healthy. But the worst answer would be,The UNC Board of Governors has an important oversight and governing purpose. It should be more than a rubber stamp. RALEIGH - An order by the U.S. Supreme Court vacating a 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling on a transgender rights issue could affect a North Carolina case related to House Bill 2 , a constitutional law expert said.Greg Wallace, professor of constitutional law at the Campbell University School of Law, said the ruling means U.S. Middle District Judge Thomas Schroeder, the judge handling the lawsuit filed by the ACLU of North Carolina against H.B. 2, will no longer be bound by a previous 4th Circuit's ruling.Wallace said.Last year, the 4th Circuit ruled in a Virginia case that Gavin Grimm, a transgender high school student, should be allowed to use the bathroom of his gender identity at his school. The 4th Circuit based its decision on a guidance letter issued by the U.S. Department of Education under President Obama saying the Title IX anti-discrimination law required schools receiving federal funds to allow transgender students to use facilities consistent with their gender identity.The Trump administration earlier this year rescinded that guidance letter , prompting Monday's U.S. Supreme Court order to vacate last year's 4th Circuit ruling. Also last year, Schroeder had granted an injunction favoring three plaintiffs represented by the ACLU of North Carolina based on the 4th Circuit's previous ruling. That injunction prevented the University of North Carolina system from enforcing the bathroom facilities provision of H.B. 2 for those plaintiffs.A spokesman for the ACLU said the case will proceed, noting that a hearing on H.B. 2 is scheduled at the 4th Circuit in Richmond, Va., on May 10. Mike Meno , the ACLU spokesman, said Monday.That won't be an easy case for the ACLU to make, Wallace said.Wallace said.Wallace said that when Congress passed Title IX in 1972, no one equated the words sex and gender identity. The purpose of the law was to equalize educational opportunities between women and men, he said.Wallace said.Wallace also said the ACLU would have difficulty at the federal District Court level winning its equal protection argument since Schroeder last year refused to block implementation of H.B. 2 based on equal protection grounds.Wallace said the issue of transgender rights is likely to be in the courts for a while. He said the 4th Circuit probably won't have a decision on the case until next year. By then, it's also likely that a ninth justice would be seated on the U.S. Supreme Court, lessening the likelihood that the high court would be deadlocked on the issue. HA NOI Mobile World will open its first store, called BigPhone.com, in Phnom Penh in April. From now until the end of June, Mobile World plans to launch 10-15 stores in neighbouring countries, according to the companys official website. Earlier, Mobile World General Director Tran Kinh Doanh said the company would expand its presence in Cambodia . Names of the stores in the country would be changed for better access to local customers. Mobile World is currently one of the largest mobile phone and electronic product distribution chains in Viet Nam . The group has set a target to earn VND63 trillion (US$2.77 billion) in revenue this year and expressed its ambition to earn VND230 trillion in the next five years. Its net revenue last year reached VND44.6 trillion, while it earned nearly VND1.6 trillion in post-tax profit. This was a growth of 76.7 per cent and 47.6 per cent, respectively, compared with the same period in 2015. VNS HA NOI Viet Nam spent US$927 million on importing 1.66 million tonnes of petroleum products over the past two months, surging 2 per cent in volume against the same period last year. Up to 750,000 tonnes of petroleum products, worth US$433 million, were shipped to Viet Nam in February alone, according to statistics from the Ministry of Industry and Trade. During the two-month period, petroleum shipments from Singapore to Viet Nam hit more than 610,000 tonnes, valued at $304.7 million, making Singapore Viet Nam s leading supplier for petroleum products. South Korea came second with 428,300 tonnes, worth more than $263 million, followed by Malaysia with above 300,000 tonnes, or equivalent to $138 million, and Thailand with 180,000 tonnes, valued at $73 million. In two months, Viet Nam also imported petroleum from China and Russia , amounting to 123,000 tonnes, worth $66.2 million, and 5,300 tonnes, worth $3.24 million, respectively. Earlier this week, local petroleum retailers lowered the price of petroleum by VN76 per litre and E5 bio-fuel by VN58 per litre to VN18,022 (80 US cents) and VN17,760 per litre. This marks the first time this year that the ministries of Industry and Trade and Finance reduced the price of petroleum. VNS HA NOI Many Vietnamese rice exporters are facing difficulties after China authorised only 22 Vietnamese businesses to export rice into the country. The permission was announced by Chinas General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), which allowed 22 firms to export rice and rice products from January 1, counting from the date of departure from the Vietnamese border. Any businesses not listed by AQSIQ were banned from exporting to the Chinese market from January 1. This decision has affected many Vietnamese firms which were not in the list but had already signed rice contracts before the date. One such company is Can Tho Food Company, which had signed a contract to export 18,000 tonnes of rice to China at the end of last year. Nguyen Van Dung, the companys deputy director, said the delivery would have been completed by early February, but following the new order, it was no longer permitted to export and hence was suffering huge losses. Our contract was cancelled and we have to compensate some VN300 billion (US$) for our partner. In addition, we have to bear further costs, Dung told Vietnam Television. Dung said rice was preserved in the store for quite a long time so the company had to re-process 10,000 tonnes of rice, which raised the cost by VN200-300 per kg. I hope the State and relevant sectors create conditions for my company to sell rice, helping us to overcome difficulties. If it is not solved soon, my company will go bankrupt, Dung said. Tran Thanh Nam, deputy minister of agriculture and rural development (MARD), said the ministry would soon contact China authorities, asking them to send an expert delegation to Viet Nam to assess more businesses which could be eligible for exporting rice to China. Chinas permission to 22 Vietnamese rice exporters was given after a group of Chinese experts travelled to Viet Nam to inspect 31 enterprises that had previously applied to the local ministry for export rights to China last year. According to MARD, China tops the list of Viet Nams rice export with 35.4 per cent of market share in the first three quarters of 2016. Total rice export turnover to the Chinese market touched 1.35 million tonnes, amounting to $613.4 million in 2016, down 23 per cent in terms of quantity and 13.9 per cent in terms of value in comparison with the same period in 2015. VNS HA NOI Japans Deloitte and Germanys Roland Berger consulting firms are interested in offering their services to draw up Viet Nams steel sector master plan, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said. The ministrys Department of Heavy Industry said that in the end of February, the two consulting firms had sent letters expressing interest. The two foreign firms are eligible to become consultants who can help with the master plan, it said, adding that it has put in place an advisory team to select the suitable agency based on their capabilities. It will be the selected consulting firms job to determine the development trend of the steel sector in the world and the region. The firm will also have to assess Viet Nams competitiveness in the sector compared to other countries, help choose contractors and technologies and evaluate the environmental impact of implementing the master plan. The department said that before this a foreign consulting firm has not been hired to draw up the master plan. It hopes that an independent overseas company will be able to offer an objective view about the countrys steel sector. On December 28, 2016, Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh approved the departments draft of the master plan for steel production till 2025, with a vision till 2035. VNS The semiconductor industry is a growing sector in Viet Nam and has attracted many foreign investors. Viet Nam News reporter Thu Ngan talks with Ng Kai Fai, president of SEMI Southeast Asia , about the industry and the upcoming 2017 SEMICON Southeast Asia Penang, Malaysia. How do you see the potential of the Vietnamese semi-conductor industry? A lot of people are talking about the potential of the countrys electronics industry, including semiconductors. In think for the next five years everybody is projecting a compounded annual growth rate of almost 15-16 per cent. That is pretty significant. I think there is a lot of potential in Viet Nam in the electronics supply chain. Viet Nams electronic exports are almost 30 per cent of its total exports. That is huge. The foreign direct investment inflow into electronics is significant as well. I think for the next phase of Viet Nams growth, there is a needs to nurture and enhance the talent and capabilities of local indigenous companies. Just now I spoke about the electronic exports from Viet Nam. Close to ninety per cent of the exports comes from foreign direct investment (FDI) companies. Only a very small portion comes from local companies. So I think it is very important that local companies start developing technical capabilities for higher value added services in the electronics sector to fuel this continuous growth sector in future. How is the Vietnamese semi-conductor market compared to those in neighbouring countries? If you look at electronics exports alone, Viet Nam has surpassed Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Thats how incredible the growth of the Vietnamese electronics industry is. Again, of course, if you look at exports, you have to look at the imports. Electronics exports are large but the import of electronic components is also high. So what does that mean? This probably is an indicator that there is still a wide gap between what can be manufactured in Viet Nam in term of electronic component in order to make the final product. So there is a huge opportunity for local companies to start enhancing value addition in terms of manufacturing of electronic components to supplement export growth. What do you think are the strengths of Vietnamese companies? Viet Nam has lots of potential. It has a population of 90 million. Viet Nam has a very young population that is important for every industry. The talented people I met are eager for knowledge, and that is important. You need to be able to demonstrate a continuous learning ability to grow the semi-conductor industry. I think the Vietnamese Government has been greatly encouraging the electronics industry. In fact, it has identified the semiconductor and ICT industry as a major sector. I think it is important for companies. The weaknesses, I think, in Viet Nam is the limitation of deep seated technical capabilities. That is one. I think for the country to continue to grow and reap the fruits of growth, we need to focus on developing local companies capabilities so that they can create higher value and also at the same time increase the talents in different technical branches as semiconductor industry demands talents from multitude of discipline. The second thing I think is infrastructure for the electronics industry in Viet Nam is still in its infancy, still not complete. Again, how does Viet Nam intend to shorten the time to enable the infrastructure to a fully vibrant ecosystem? I think one of the key is for Vietnamese companies to seek partnership and collaboration within regional experienced players; and this is the initiative of HCM City Semiconductor Industry Association (HSIA) leading a delegation to SEMICON Southeast Asia is about. Given that SEMICON Southeast Asia is the largest electronics supply chain event in Southeast Asia, there is no better event to learn, share and hopefully finding the right partners within this region for future collaboration and bringing technical value inside Viet Nam. Semiconductor Southeast Asia is going to be organised in April. Can you tell us about the event? The 2017 Southeast Semiconductor Southeast Asia is one of the premier events for the high-tech electronics exhibition and technical conferences. This event attracts professionals and thoughts leaders, high end suppliers, technical expertise and investors all in one locality for sharing of technology knowhow and business matching. We have professionals from the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam, and also companies from India. We have more than 200 companies exhibiting with excess of projected 300 booths. SEMICON Southeast Asia is one of the eminent platforms amongst activities that SEMI organizes to facilitate the development of the semiconductor and high tech electronics industry within the region. One there will be a forum hosted by HSIA and delegation to talk about the Viet Nams aspiration, Government policies and plans towards growing the semiconductor industry in the country. There will also be potential business matching to match capabilities of local companies in Viet Nam to regional companies such as those from Malaysia or Singapore whom have deep experience on supporting the industry. Talent in the semi-conductor industry is important and so enhancing the Vietnamese talent pool and talent capability is a very important component in developing the electronics and semi-conductor eco-system in Viet Nam. I could not stress more for Viet Nam to take advantage of this platform; SEMICON Southeast Asia, to accelerate the growth in Viet Nam. VNS Despite strong growth in exports, the country's trade was still unbalanced with surge in auto and mobile phone imports. Photo doanhnghiepvn.vn HA NOI Production and business results improved in the first two months of this year, but trade was unbalanced with strong growth in auto and mobile phone imports, the Ministry of Industry and Trade reported. The ministry said in the first two months, export value grew 15.4 per cent to US$27.3 billion, including $7.6 billion from wholly State-owned enterprises, up 12.2 per cent, and $19.7 billion from foreign invested firms, up by 16.8 per cent against the same period last year. Notably, the processing industry achieved a year-on-year surge of 15.5 per cent in export value to $22 billion, accounting for 80.6 per cent of the total national export value. Meanwhile, farming, forestry and fishery export value reached $3.2 billion, 9.9 per cent higher than the same period last year, accounting for 11.4 per cent of the total value. The high export value growth in the first two months of 2017 is particularly significant given the relatively low 2.0 per cent growth during the same period last year and failure to reach a two-digit value growth rate in 2016, the ministry said. Moreover, average export prices increased sharply during the first two months, including cashew (20.3 per cent), coffee (31.9 per cent), crude oil (61.9 per cent), rubber (81 per cent) and coal (115.5 per cent). However, the export prices of farming, forestry and fishery products dropped. The increase in export prices contributed to a surge of $736 million in total export value during the two months against the same period last year, the ministrys representative said. Export value of textiles and garments in the first two months also rose by 12.2 per cent to $3.66 billion year-on-year. Le Tien Truong, general director of Viet Nam Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex), said many Vinatex businesses had obtained stable long-term orders for the second quarter and beyond. Total export value of textile and garments this year was expected to increase by 6.5-7 per cent to $30 billion, Truong said, with US and Japan its major markets. Auto and telephone imports The ministry said the imports of some products experienced strong growth during the first two months of this year. The import growth of products such as under-nine-seater vehicles, mobile phones, vegetables and fruits, could impact the general trade balance. In the first two months, Viet Nam spent $153 million to import 9,500 complete-built-units of under-nine-seater vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 139.6 per cent, while import value surged by 129 per cent for mobile phones and 129.8 per cent for vegetables and fruits. These imports partly contributed to a 20 per cent increase in total import value to $27.4 billion in the two months, the ministry said. The nation had a trade deficit of $46 million in the first two months, it said, $3.5 billion for local enterprises and $3.4 billion for foreign companies. Industry and Trade Minister Tran Tuan Anh praised the high export growth, but urged enterprises to focus on sustainable export development, vietnamplus.vn reported. He said enterprises should focus on diversifying export products and markets to avoid dependence on products which have the advantage of cheap workers and on markets which have the benefit of free trade deals. We must re-organise production to ensure competitive ability, especially competitive ability based on factors adding value, such as technology and labour productivity, Tuan Anh said. To limit the trade deficit and control imports, the ministry said the State should have solutions to control the fast-growing import of such products as mobile phones, scrap steel, under-nine-seater automobiles and precious metals, as well as vegetables and fruits. - VNS HA NOI Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong explained several new regulations regarding agriculture during a working session in Ha Noi on Wednesday with Senior Vice President of the US-ASEAN Business Council Michael Michalak. At the session, a representative from the USs Cargill Corporation said while the company fully supports the removal of antibiotics as growth promoters starting January 2018, Circular 06/2016/TT-BNNPTNT includes a limited list of antibiotics and guidelines for use that under its current form will severely limit the capacity of farmers to prevent, treat and cure diseases. The corporation asked the MARD to provide clarity to the industry with regards to next steps as time is running short, or if needed, a further extension to Circular 26 that delays the implementation of the new antibiotics guidelines from January to July 2017, in consideration of the amount of work that yet remains to be done between MARD and stakeholders in the industry to implement a Risk-based approach framework to support the responsible use of antibiotics in animal feeds. Minister Cuong said the abuse of antibiotics in both human and livestock is posing a rising threat of drug resistance, hence the need for a legal framework to prevent it. He added that Vietnam will work with stakeholders in this matter, with a view to choosing a comprehensive solution for animal husbandry rather than using antibiotics. Discussing the new regulation that requires the spraying of chemicals on distillers dried grains (DDGS) from the US before being exported to Viet Nam as from April 2017, the minister said it is normal that the two sides proposed different chemicals to be used in the procedure. He said he will direct the Plant Protection Department to work closely with related businesses to seek an effective solution accepted by both sides. About the halted registration of imported plant protection drugs, especially those for rice, Cuong said Vietnam is shifting to eco-friendly fertilisers, particularly organic and micro-organic ones, together with technological application in production. Vietnam pays attention to environment protection and needs to review such process for better control, he said. The minister welcomed Microsofts intention to cooperate with the ministrys Department of Science and Technology, especially amid the fourth industrial revolution in the world. He instructed the Department of Science and Technology and Department of International Cooperation to discuss the cooperation in details with the US group. Michael Michalak, for his part, thanked Cuong for his response to the US businesses questions and proposals, noting that the best way to address the problems is to create a framework for Vietnamese and US experts to work together in handling them. VNS HA NOI Ten countries and territories have agreed to protect the "Buon Ma Thuot Coffee" brand name, which hails from the Central Highlands province of ak Lak, its provincial Peoples Committee said. These include Benelux ( Belgium , the Netherlands and Luxemburg), Spain , Germany , Singapore , China , Thailand , Canada and Russia . To protect the brand in the bloc and other countries, the province said it has coordinated with experts from The European Trade Policy and Investment Support Project (EU-MUTRAP) to register Buon Ma Thuot coffee for geographical indication (GI) recognition in the EU. For the past few years, the province has been promoting and advertising its coffee beans with GI certification worldwide, which has led to a rise in its coffee exports. ak Laks 2015-16 coffee bean crop has been exported to 75 countries and territories across the world, with Japan , Switzerland , Germany and the US being its largest importers. During the period, the province sold around 33,000 tonnes of coffee beans to Japan for a turnover of US$57 million, while 23,000 tonnes of coffee beans worth $41 million were shipped to Switzerland . Germany imported around 22,000 tonnes, valued at $37.5 million, while the US consumed around 13,800 tonnes, worth $23 million. The province now has more than 200,00 hectares of coffee plantations, the committee said. Of this, around 193,000 hectares of coffee is under cultivation and the annual production capacity is at least 450,000 tonnes. VNS HA NOI PetroVietnam Oil Corporation (PV Oil), a subsidiary of PetroVietnam, is planning to sell a 40 per cent stake to strategic investors in the upcoming equitisation expected by the end of June this year. The list of five potential bidders will be proposed to the Government this month. There are some 10 strategic investors, including major oil companies from Japan, South Korean, Thailand, Viet Nam and the Middle East, which have expressed interest in acquiring PV Oil stakes. The firm expects to gain US$270 million by selling stock to one to two investors, PV Oils President and CEO Cao Hoai Duong told Bloomberg. The company declinied to comment when contacted by Viet Nam News. PV Oil plans to offer 15 per cent of its shares in its initial public offering (IPO) in the first half of this year before debuting on the HCM Stock Exchange. It is considered one of the largest and most anticipated IPOs of 2017. Saigon Securities Inc has estimated PV Oil as the second largest petroleum retailer in Viet Nam with 22 per cent market share, behind Vietnam National Petroleum Corporation (Petrolimex). The oil firm aims at tripling the number of gas stations to 1,550 outlets by 2020. PV Oil is seeking strategic partners to enter into more successful mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Its retail system has also expanded rapidly thanks to a variety of M&A with local enterprises. The company plans to spend $280 million for acquisitions in the next five years, with some $170 million coming from its cash holdings and the rest from borrowings. PV Oil earned VN34 trillion ($1.5 billion) in revenue and VN530 billion in gross profit last year. Its parent company PetroVietnam has planned to reduce its holdings here to less than 50 per cent by 2020, Phan ang Tuat, head of the Ministry of Industry and Trades Steering Committee for Enterprise Reform and Development, was quoted as saying in Oil Gas Vietnam Forums website oilgas.vn. VNS Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha delivers speech at an International Conference on Environmental Pollution, Restoration, and Management in Quy Nhon City, Binh inh Province. Photo nongnghiep.vn BINH INH Viet Nam is facing the threat of soil, water and air pollution as a consequence of rapid economic growth, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha said yesterday. Addressing an International Conference on Environmental Pollution, Restoration, and Management, he said declining biodiversity, poor environmental management and complicated climate change impacts have badly impacted the nations natural environment and undermined sustainable development. The four-day conference, held in Quy Nhon City, Binh inh Province, has gathered 170 scientists, policy-makers and students from 19 countries and territories including Viet Nam. As many as 150 representations will be made at the conference. The three plenary presentations are: Natural resource damage assessment and restoration for oil and chemical spills by Dr. Lisa Dipinto from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the US; Are harmful algal blooms becoming the greatest global threat to water quality? by Prof. Bryan Brooks of the Baylor University, US; and Plastic pollution from a system perspective: linking sources, transport, distribution, and impacts by Dr. Chris Wilcox from Australias Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). Minister Ha said Viet Nams weak environment management was a result of the lack of a comprehensive legal framework and poor forecasting capability. Limited human and financial resources were also to blame, he said. Meanwhile, climate change impacts have hit faster and in more complicated manner than expected, he said, pointing to unusual natural disasters and extreme weather conditions including fierce drought as evidence. To handle these challenges, Viet Nam has issued many strong policies and is committed to not exchanging the environment for economic development, Ha said. The minister stressed that Viet Nam determined to develop long-term policies to increase international co-operation on coping with environmental issues. He stressed the need to strengthen environmental management and adaptation capacity of both State management agencies and technical and scientific establishments. Minister Ha yesterday held talks with scientists on current environmental issues in Viet Nam and ways to manage them in the coming years. -- VNS Screening patients for risk or presence of opioid use disorder, and connecting them with evidence-based treatment Using secure prescribing software to communicate prescription orders, particularly for drugs that are prone to abuse and diversion Registering with the N.C. Controlled Substance Reporting System to review patient prescription histories and incorporate them into clinical best practices around prescribing Visiting CDC's Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain, which has been adopted by the NC Medical Board. Free training is underway. Cooper's proposed budget calls for directing more than $14 million to address the opioid crisis. His budget proposal would also invest in the N.C. Controlled Substances Reporting System. 2001 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-2001 news@dhhs.nc.gov (919) 855-4840 RALEIGH, N.C. DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen, MD, is calling on thousands of clinicians across North Carolina to join the fight against opioid addiction in North Carolina, a crisis that has seen more than 13,000 North Carolinians die unnecessarily from unintentional overdoses since 1999.Cohen said.In her letter, sent today, she notes that several factors have contributed to the opioid epidemic facing North Carolina and the rest of our country. The roots of this national and state crisis trace back nearly two decades when physicians and other clinicians were encouraged to treat pain more aggressively, and patients were counseled that all pain could be readily and quickly controlled without long-term negative impacts. We now know much more about the highly addictive properties of opioids and the complex social and economic factors that have created the perfect storm resulting in this crisis.Cohen believes North Carolina is uniquely positioned to help end this epidemic. Her letter identifies ways clinicians can take an active role in curbing abuse, including:The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the cost of overdose deaths in North Carolina totaled $1.8 billion in 2015. Overdose death rates are higher among men, whites, and those between the ages of 25-54. Opioid deaths involving prescription pain medications such as oxycodone, hydrocodone and fentanyl are leading causes of all overdose deaths. DHHS has posted to its website a fact sheet detailing these and other helpful statistics.NC Department of Health and Human Services Vietnamese physicist and painter Nguyen inh ang will lead a talk on The Art of Oil Painting: Rise and Fall at The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre on March 11. ang, 59, is working in Japan at the Physics and Chemistry Institute (RIKEN).. He is a member of the Viet Nam Fine Arts Association and has had paintings exhibited in Viet Nam and Japan. The talk will be presented in Vietnamese with translated English documents handed out. The free event will be held from 4-6 pm at 15 Nguyen U Di Street in District 1. Participants can register for the event at https://goo.gl/forms/c4skXqYzhVChqDuz2. VNS HCM CITY The film Da Co Hoai Lang (Night Drumbeats Cause Longing for Absent Husband), a production about traditional Vietnamese culture by director Nguyen Quang Dung, will be released in cinemas this month. The film is adapted from the drama of the same name by theatre director and playwright Thanh Hoang of HCM City. Since it debut in 1994 by the 5B Small Theatre, one of the citys leading drama troupes, the play has been staged more than 1,000 times in HCM City and Ha Noi. The play features the countrys traditional culture and the spirit of different generations. In 1995, it received the Golden Medal at the National Theatre Festival in Ha Noi. Hoang and the films director Dung Hoang worked together on filming. Da Co Hoai Lang tells a story of Tu, an elderly artisan, and his closest friend, who move from their native village in a province in the Cuu Long (Mekong) River Delta to live with their children in the US. They are nostalgic after years living away from Viet Nam. They often sing and dance cai luong (reformed opera), the souths traditional music, together. Our film is targeted to young audiences at home and abroad. Through our work, we hope that youth learn more about Vietnamese culture and lifestyle through theatre, said director Dung, a graduate of the HCM City University of Theatre & Cinematography. Dung invited Vietnamese-American theatre actors Hoai Linh and Chi Tai to play the leading roles. Although Linh and Tai are talented and professional artists, they both worked hard on refining their singing and acting skills to successfully portray the spirit of the Vietnamese, he said. The film also features young actors Trong Khang, Thanh My and Hoang Quan. The film was shot in many locations in Viet Nam and the US. Da Co Hoai Lang was named after the famous vong co (Nostalgic Tunes) song written in 1919 by well-known musician Cao Van Lau of Bac Lieu Province, who is recognised as a guru of cai luong theatre. The song tells of the love, anguish and pride of a young woman watching her husband leave to fight for the country. Vong co songs are sung by southern farmers after working in the fields. The songs feature the feeling, dreams and hopes of people. They are often used in cai luong. In Dungs production, actors spent days to learn singing Da Co Hoai Lang with skilled artists from Tran Huu Trang Theatre, the regions leading cai luong troupe. "Although I really like comedies and pop music, we enjoy getting a taste of what serious film Da Co Hoai Lang is like," said Tran Tu Quynh, a first-year student at HCM City University of Law. Produced by the Thien Ngan (Galaxy) Studio, the film will be in cinemas on March 24. VNS By Le Huong "Flying Away Watch my wings I fly away call me back my name is time. Moving faster growing older look again now Im gone." This is the favorite poem of American poet Thomas Ames, taken from his book "Inside the Circle". At 71 years old, he is always mindful of his past and how he has spent his time. "I started this poem in America and finished in Viet Nam," Ames told Viet Nam News. For the past two years, he has spent much of his time travelling around Viet Nam. Ames retired from the marine industry as a boat captain of offshore oil field boats, carrying supplies to and from the land and oil rigs. He is from a military family and has travelled all his life. His first memories are of Japan when he was 3, 4 and 5 years old. He also lived in Germany twice and attended high school in Taiwan. His living in Thailand before coming to Viet Nam convinced him of his appreciation of Asia. "This traveling and living in other countries has given me a way to compare Viet Nam to other places and I like it here. I see similarities and differences between countries I have lived in, places are like people, they have a personality, countries are created by traditions and culture. I have spent about a third of my time visiting and exploring places in Vietnam and I am trying to see the whole country," he said. "I like what I see here and how Viet Nam makes me feel, this is a country not fashioned by a franchise type lifestyle, there is more than meets the eye, but finding the real Vietnam requires time. Viet Nam has many interesting sights to see, it is more than the UNESCO Heritage sites, waterfalls, caves and beautiful beaches, Viet Nam is the people, too"! His favorite food is "pho" and in the future plans to take Vietnamese lessons to communicate better and build his vocabulary, but finds the language difficult and can only hope to be able to speak in the next couple of years. His goal is, "to read, write and speak Vietnamese with which I can compose poetry in the Vietnam language," Ames said, "you need to live here for awhile to know Viet Nam, I see tourists come, stay in each city for three or four days as they travel the country. I wonder how much they are getting. The coffee is great, the women are beautiful and this peaceful country is an oasis in the middle of a torn world". He started writing poems in high school and has recently published his first poetry collection titled "Inside the Circle" in Viet Nam. His collection of 50 poems in English were translated by seven poets from Ho Chi Minh City. Some of the poems have been put to music by composers/musicians such as Huu Xuan with "Essence of Love"; Kieu Tan on Youtube with "Nha Trang Calling" and "Before Words". About half of the poems in the book were written in Viet Nam, including seven poems about Viet Nams cities. "I write for my own pleasure and like to write "free verse", the feeling of creating a good poem appeals to me, I enjoy this part of writing," he said, "when I retired I decided to take some poetry workshops to learn more about crafting a poem, writing is something I enjoy, so I pursue it". Veteran composer Huu Xuan, has translated some of these poems into Vietnamese and composed a song from one of the poems named "Essence of Love". Xuan did not hide his admiration of the American poet when talking to Viet Nam News on the phone. "I found his poems strange but real. He shares his interesting views on the life, on the god, on the human-to-human relationships. He especially loves Viet Nam in his poems. He has written some on Viet Nams landscapes, I feel as if he were a Vietnamese person writing about his country", Xuan said, "I find Thomas to be an honest and friendly person". VNS HCM CITY This years Assistance Programme for Workers was launched last weekend to provide free employment information for people who are seeking jobs in HCM City and other provinces, including Quang Binh, Quang Nam, Can Tho, Tien Giang, and ak Nong. The programme, which is carried out by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, traditionally lasts from after the Tet holiday until the end of the year. In the programme, workers also are provided occupational counselling in addition introductions to companies looking for workers, said Nguyen Quang Cuong, director of the Youth Employment Service Centre of HCM City, which is a part of the youth union. Workers can come to booths at bus terminals in the city or the centre to be introduced to possible jobs, Cuong said. One difference in this years programme is that the centre is co-operating with nine other employment service centres in Quang Binh, Quang Nam, Can Tho, Tien Giang, Phu Yen and ak Nong provinces to exchange employment information. Local people of these provinces who want to seek jobs in other localities can go to local employment service centres to get information and be provided counselling as well as introductions directly to enterprises for applications and interviews. The co-operation will help reduce the risk of being cheated through illegal employment service providers, he added. During the launching ceremony on Saturday, a job fair also was organised to connect employees and employers. More than 70 companies attended the job fair, seeking to fill 10,000 job positions. These firms are in fields of plastic manufacturing, consultancy, transportation and others. The needed positions are accountants, traders, graphic designers, electronic or mechanic engineers and others. Binh Minh Plastic Joint Stock Company, for instance, is seeking to recruit chemical, electronic, electric or mechanic engineers, traders, accountants, statistician and manual workers for manufacturing in HCM City, Binh Duong Province and Long An Province. Provincial centres provided buses for local people seeking jobs to attend the fair. Le Ngoc Bao Ngan of Can Tho College said that she came to the fair to speak to a job counselor. I will graduate in June. I have applied to many enterprises in Can Tho. Today, I came to the fair to seek more opportunities, Ngan said. Nguyen Thi Hoang Lan, 24, who recently graduated from HCM City Open University, said that the fair provided opportunities to meet with many companies. Vuong Hoang Phong, 36, of HCM Citys District 8, spent around eight months seeking a manual job because he only finished 12th grade. After reading information about the fair in the newspaper, I came to the fair and hope to get a job, Phong said. The Assistance Programme for Workers started six years ago, attracting 14,762 enterprises with more than 135,980 recruitment positions in many fields. The programme has provided employment counseling and introductions for more than 49,210 people. Of them, more than 25 per cent have gotten interviews or jobs. VNS Gia Loc HCM CITY Last year, a couple was killed and their daughter injured after a truck hit their motorbike on Highway 51 in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Provinces Tan Thanh District, which has the highest rate of fatalities in the province. In the first nine months of last year, the province had more than 570 traffic accidents, most of them on Highway 51, according to the provincial traffic police. Though heavier traffic is cited as one cause, drivers lack of awareness of traffic regulations is considered to be the main reason for the increase in accidents, according to local authorities. In recent years, the volume of traffic in the area has worsened because of the development of the Cai Mep-Thi Vai port cluster. The port cluster is the only one in the country that can receive large container vessels travelling directly to Europe and the US without the need to transit through a third country. Over the last five years, cargo volume through the port has risen 16 per cent annually, leading to far more vehicles travelling from the port cluster to other provinces and cities via 965 Road, which connects to Highway 51 and to roads leading to industrial parks near the cluster. Every hour, more than 1,880 trucks and cars, in addition to 3,400 motorbikes and bicycles, travel on Highway 51. Besides the heavy traffic, there are no electric signs that warn drivers to reduce speed at intersections on roads leading to Highway 51 near the port cluster and on streets near industrial parks. Many traffic signs along these streets are hidden by trees, while streets under construction cannot accommodate the increasing number of vehicles. Poor public awareness Despite the growth in traffic, the provincial traffic police and Traffic Safety Committee said that most accidents in the district, including on Highway 51, were caused by drivers lack of awareness about traffic regulations. Last year, the Asia Injury Prevention (AIP) Foundation filmed vehicles travelling on Highway 51 and 965 Road. The films showed that drivers of motorbikes drove the wrong way, in the wrong lanes, and at high speed. Buses parked illegally to pick up passengers. Moreover, truck drivers did not obey the proper right of way before they made a turn and did not make lane changes properly. The AIP Foundation also surveyed 150 truck drivers about their knowledge, behaviour and driving practices. Nearly 91 per cent of them did not clearly understand the regulation about keeping a safe distance from another vehicle while driving. More than 86 per cent had inexact answers about how or when to make way for other vehicles, while at least 80 per cent did not closely observe the road while driving. In addition, more than 60 per cent did not think that running stop signs was unsafe, and more than 79 per cent said that they drove without stopping for a period of more than four hours. ang Van Manh, a 32-year-old truck driver from Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, said that driving for many consecutive hours was common among truck drivers. In the past, I drove for 10 consecutive hours to deliver goods to meet the schedule, Manh said. Nguyen Tien Trung, a truck driver at the Cai Mep International Terminal, said that he had experience driving for many enterprises. Many young drivers do not have experience in solving problems in driving. Some of them do not even have a driving license because the companies cant find drivers of a certain standard, Trung said. Newly recruited drivers should be provided training and drive with experienced drivers for at least one month, he said. Tran Huu Minh, deputy chief of the National Traffic Safety Committee, said the committee had given priority to more training to all drivers, in addition to upgrading transport infrastructure. Last week, the countrys first road-safety training course for truck drivers was held at Cai Mep International Terminal to improve driving skills and defensive driving techniques of licensed drivers. The aim was to reduce traffic accidents in Tan Thanh District. A Master Trainers Guide is being developed along with the driver training course. The course is a part of a road-safety programme called Lifting Safety, carried out by the National Traffic Safety Committee in co-operation with the AIP Foundation. The programme is under the sponsorship of APM Terminal, an international terminal operator based in the Netherlands with facilities in 69 countries. The programme includes targeted education and community engagement activities to enhance road-safety awareness among students and their parents, as well as truck drivers who use the Cai Mep International Terminal. In 2017, many other training courses on road-safety skills will be provided to truck drivers in the Lifting Safety programme. A media awareness campaign and community-based activities in and around the Cai Mep International Terminal port will also be organised. Minh said that training in safe driving skills would be given to truck drivers at other ports in the country and drivers of other vehicles, including motorbikes. Like many of my fellow truck drivers, my family and I live close to the port, Vo Tan Luc, a driver at Cai Mep International Terminal, said. Improving my driving skills is going to help keep me, my wife, children and coworkers families safe in our community. VNS HCM CITY The online portal of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisations Regional Centre for Lifelong Learning (SEAMEO CELL) has been launched. The website, www.SEA-LLLportal.org will be a forum for policy makers, researchers, scholars, teachers and other experts to discuss theories and practices related to lifelong learning in the region. It is part of the ongoing project called Towards an ASEAN Lifelong Learning Agenda by the SEAMEO CELL and UNESCOs Institute for Lifelong Learning to provide assistance to SEAMEO member countries in establishing and implementing comprehensive policies about lifelong learning. Teerakiat Jareonsettasin, the Thai Minister of Education and chairman of SEAMEO, attended the launch ceremony on Monday and visited SEAMEOs regional training centre, which provides training in English, leadership and management. He also met Viet Nams Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha and discussed bilateral co-operation in education.VNS QUANG NINH Severe violations have been uncovered at 13 coal mining projects in the northern province of Quang Ninh, the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment reported. Earlier, the provincial Peoples Committee approved the projects, owned by ong Bac Coal Corporation and local private enterprises, to collect coal that was unearthed following mining activities. By February 8, 315,000 tonnes of coal was collected from the 13 projects. However, the local authority detected violations during the implementation of these projects, including construction deviating from the approved plan, failure to collect all the coal on the ground which led to the risk of landslides in the rainy season, failure to ensure tree planting on the mined ground and lack of financial transparency. Nguyen uc Long, chairman of Quang Ninh Province Peoples Committee, said on Monday those responsible would be penalised, and asked district authorities to strengthen management of coal production and exploitation. The provincial Peoples Committee will also coordinate with the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment and other local agencies to rectify mistakes and halt operations of some projects. Further, management offices will cooperate with inspectors to re-examine the licensing process for coal mining projects. VNS Protecting the interests of female workers and improving the quality of vocational training for women were among the major topics discussed by the 12th National Womens Congress yesterday. VNA/VNS Photo HA NOI Protecting the interests of female workers and improving the quality of vocational training for women were among the major topics discussed by the 12th National Womens Congress yesterday. Speaking at the congresss second session, Nguyen Trong am, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, noted that of the 53.27 million paid workers nationwide, 25.8 million were women, accounting for 48.48 per cent. (The figures were compiled by a General Statistics Office survey in the third quarter of last year.) He said job generation for women has been a priority for the Government in recent years. The National Fund for Job Assistance, which provides credit for job generation, helped create jobs for around 105,000 workers in 2016, about 60 per cent of them women. The fund also earmarked VN62 billion (US$2.69 million) last year to offer job assistance to over 1,000 members of the Viet NamWomens Union (VWU). Since 2011, Viet Nam has been sending 80,000-100,000 workers abroad each year, and 35-40 per cent of them have been women. am also said that his ministry sees improving quality of and access to vocational education as a breakthrough measure in improving the lot of women in the country. He said the ministry will focus on issuing legal documents guiding implementation of the Law on Vocational Education, improving technical standards on the operation and management of vocational education system and improving the capacity of State management agencies in the field. The ministry will improve the efficiency and quality of vocational training, especially for adult women in rural areas. It will also hold mobile job fairs in rural areas, thus increasing womens access to employment opportunities. Trinh Thanh Hang of the Viet Nam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) said protecting the legitimate rights and interests of women was the responsibility of the confederation and the VWU. The VGCL has adopted a resolution on mobilising female workers and an action programme on gender equality with specific goals, she said. The VGCL and the VWU are actively reviewing and offering recommendations on amendments and supplements to legal documents related to female officials, cadres and workers, she added. In the near future, both organisations will continue to perform their roles as advisors in law building and enforcement, especially involving female workers. Gender equality, womens advancement, population, reproductive health, family and children will be other areas that they offer their view and insights on, she said. The VGCL will continue listening to womens aspirations, holding dialogues with employers, and proposing relevant laws and policies, she added. New central committee Later yesterday, delegates at the congress elected 161 members of Central Committee of the VWU for the 2017-2022 tenure. Nguyen Thi Thu Ha was re-elected as chairwoman of the VWU for the new tenure. Earlier, the congress adopted a proposal that the VWU Central Committee will have 171 members. The remaining 10 members of the committee will be elected later. The new central committee convened their first session in the afternoon. Also yesterday, participants contributed ideas for the congresss documents, including a draft political report and the unions charter. Many delegates presented their reports and recommendations on womens affairs, womens movements and the unions operations. The congress is set to conclude today. - VNS HA NOI The Ha Nois Department of Health on Wednesday suspended operations of clinic 168 Ha Noi until further investigations, after a pregnant woman admitted there was rushed to Bach Mai Hospital in coma. The incident took place last Sunday at the general clinic located in Thanh Tri District. The 29-year-old pregnant woman, who hails from northern Quang Ninh Province, was being treated at the clinic for vaginitis when she was believed to have slipped into coma with dead brain. The clinic, located on Ngoc Hoi Road, started operations in 2012 and has registered that it has two Chinese doctors, Dr Zheng Zu Rong and Dr Liu Chun Ming, both of whom have professional licences from the Ministry of Health. Nguyen Duong Trung, deputy chief of the health departments inspectorate, said that 52-year-old Rong was handling the case. He received his professional licence for specialising in obstetrics and gynaecology in 2013. This is not the first time that the clinic has been in trouble. It has been penalised regularly over the years, and in 2016 alone, it committed three violations. In September 2015, Rong had his professional licence suspended for nine months for selling medicine after a health check-up. At the time of inspection on Tuesday, Rong was not at the clinic. VNS HA NOI All lakes in the inner city and 36 of the 140 polluted lakes on the outskirts have been cleaned, the Ha Noi Water Drainage Company said on Wednesday. Of the 36 lakes, 14 are in ong Anh District, six are in Thach That District and six are in Ba Vi District, said Phan Hoai Minh, deputy director of the company. The remaining ones are in Chuong My, Gia Lam, Son Tay, Thanh Oai, Ung Hoa and Me Linh districts. Minh said that in 2016, following proposals submitted by district and town authorities, the company assessed the pollution level of 150 lakes on the outskirts of the capital city. Of these, 140 lakes were severely contaminated and needed urgent clean-ups to protect their bio-systems, safety levels and the surroundings. The lakes have been cleaning using the Redoxy-3C technology from Germany. Experts and local authorities have accessed the cleaned-up lakes and said that they are no longer smelly and animals are no longer dying. After treatment, the lakes have been handed over to local authorities for their management and maintenance. The lakes on the outskirts usually have a lot of water ferns, so we face difficulties in doing the treatment. I hope that local authorities will send cleaners to tidy up the rubbish to facilitate the lake treatment process, Minh said, adding that another 34 lakes in the suburban area are on the clean-up list, and that 12 of them would be fixed this month. VNS Every Teacher Gets a Pay Increase at Every Salary Step Under the Governor's Plan Governor Roy Cooper today released details on his plan to give all North Carolina public school teachers a pay raise, the largest investment in teacher pay in a decade.Governor Cooper said.In his recommended budget for 2017-2019, Common Ground Solutions for NC, Governor Cooper calls for an additional $271 million investment each of the next two years to raise teacher salaries. That equates to a more than 5% average increase for teachers in 2017-18 and again in 2018-19.The Governor's teacher pay plan would raise pay for every teacher at every step of the salary scale , with no more plateaus for experienced teachers.Teachers at every salary step would get a minimum raise of at least 3% and as much as 7% in both years of the Governor's proposed two-year budget. Teachers in years one through 15 of their profession would see their salaries grow by at least 5% each year. Governor Cooper's plan to raise teacher pay puts North Carolina on a path to lead all southeastern states in teacher pay in three years and reach the national average in five years.The Governor's proposed budget makes other critical investments in education including early childhood education, K-12 schools and higher education, with the goal of making North Carolina a Top 10 Educated State by 2025. His budget also includes $20 million for a 6.5% pay raise for principals and assistant principals, an annual school supply stipend of $150 for each classroom teacher, and the Best and Brightest Scholarship to draw talented students into teaching.Governor Cooper said.See highlights of Governor Cooper's budget for education HCM CITY A pregnant woman in HCM City was saved from uterine rupture while in labour by doctors from four hospitals thanks to an inter-hospital alert system. The 36-year-old woman was admitted to Trung Vuong Hospital on Tuesday morning while going into labour with a 38-week-old fetus. It was her third pregnancy. On the evening of the same day, the hospitals doctors decided to perform a Caesarean section after detecting signs of heart failure from the fetus and uterine rupture from the mother. When the mother presented symptoms of excessive vaginal bleeding, doctors safely removed the 3.1kg baby from her womb. The hospitals internal alert system was immediately activated, summoning its heads and the doctors on duty at the four departments of Obstetrics, Intensive Care, Laboratory and Anesthesiology to the operation room for emergency consultation. The medical team decided to remove the patients uterus to stop the bleeding. Three bags of frozen O D+ red blood cells were required during the surgeries. The patients internal iliac vein started bleeding uncontrollably following the surgeries, for which an inter-hospital alert was activated requesting support from Hung Vuong Hospital, Cho Ray Hospital and HCM City Hospital of Hematology and Blood Transfusion. Five doctors from the three hospitals rushed to the Trung Vuong Hospital and collaborated with its medical team to stop the bleeding. The patient is no longer in critical condition. Her condition and the babys health is currently being monitored at Trung Vuong Hospital. They will be released in the next few days. VNS ISTANBUL The top generals of the Turkish, Russian and US military met on Tuesday in a bid to step up co-ordination in Syria and avoid clashes between rival forces in the fight against Islamic State (IS) group jihadists. The meeting between Turkish Chief of Staff Hulusi Akar, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford and Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov appears to be the first of its kind. Their discussions in the southern Turkish city of Antalya came as a US-led coalition made progress in its effort to push IS out of Syria. While Turkey, Russia and the United States are all fighting against IS, they support different camps and tension remains because of Ankaras opposition to the involvement of Syrian Kurdish militia forces. Though it ultimately stepped back from its claim, Turkey had threatened to strike Manbij, a former IS bastion, unless the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) deployed there pulled back. The SDF, seen by the Washington as the most effective anti-jihadist fighting force in Syria, is dominated by Kurdish fighters condemned by Ankara as "terrorists." Both Moscow and Washington confirmed the three-way talks in Antalya. "During the meeting the parties discussed regional security matters in Syria and Iraq with an effort to wage a more effective fight against all terrorist organisations in the future and the importance of additional measures for de-conflicting operations," US joint staff spokesman Greg Hicks said in a statement. Risk of unwanted clashes The Antalya talks are aimed at ensuring better co-ordination to avoid "the risk of unwanted clashes" as many countries are involved in Syria, Turkish premier Binali Yildirim said. Speaking in Ankara, Yildirim said Syria needed to be rid of "all terrorist groups" -- including Syrian Kurdish militia and IS jihadists. "The objective of the meetings today and tomorrow (Wednesday) is how to provide co-ordination in the best way possible and prevent parties from interfering with each others operations and causing unpleasant developments while fighting against terror," Yildirim said. The meeting comes a day after Turkey stepped back from threats to unilaterally strike Kurdish militia deployed in Manbij. "It makes no sense to launch an operation in Manbij without the cooperation of Russia and the United States," Yildirim said on Monday. His announcement stood in stark contrast to previous threats from Ankara that it would strike the Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) unless they withdrew from Manbij. It came after Russian and Syrian regime forces started to move "humanitarian" convoys into Manbij, making it more difficult for Turkish troops to launch the offensive they had threatened. The YPG is a key fighting force in the SDF, which spearheaded the victories against IS in the flashpoint towns of Kobane and Manbij. Ankara believes it is linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which seeks greater rights and autonomy for Turkeys Kurdish minority and has waged a bloody campaign against the Turkish state since 1984. In a thinly veiled criticism of Washington, the Turkish premier on Tuesday lashed out at "some allies unfortunate" choice of Syrian Kurdish militia forces as partners in the fight against IS. Turkey has said it wants to work with its allies to capture the IS de facto capital of Raqa, but has ruled out any operation alongside the Kurdish militia. Clean Raqa together Speaking to a rally of supporters in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in reference to the US: "Now we are discussing and saying that if you put aside those terror groups, we can clean Manbij together, we can clean Raqa together." The Pentagon said on Monday it had sent extra troops into northern Syria to make sure competing forces in and around Manbij remain focused on fighting IS rather than each other. Ankara has conducted a military campaign inside Syria since late August, backing Syrian opposition fighters and recapturing from IS several towns near its border. But the Turkish campaign is also aimed at stopping the advance of the Kurdish militia, which Ankara fears could join up its so-called "cantons" in northern Syria, near its border. Erdogan plans to visit Moscow on Friday, to co-chair with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a meeting of ministers from both countries, the Turkish leaders office said in a statement. AFP DES MOINES Despite some misgivings, a Senate committee voted Wednesday to forge ahead with plans to legalize consumer fireworks by June. Sen. Bill Dotzler, D-Waterloo, joined nine GOP senators in approving Senate File 236 so it can proceed to floor debate. Five Democrats on the Senate Ways and Means Committee opposed the bill, in part because it would take effect upon enactment with a limited fee and regulatory structure in place. This is not the right thing for our state, said Sen. Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque. Committee Chairman Sen. Randy Feenstra, R-Hull, lives 20 miles from South Dakota, where fireworks are legal. He recalled a fireworks extravaganza in Okoboji last July 4 he thought would be safer under state regulation. It seems like it is the right thing to do right now, said Feenstra. He was among senators in favor of setting limited holiday periods when the products could be sold. SF 236 would allow the sale of consumer fireworks to adults between June 1 and July 8 and between Dec. 10 and Jan. 3. The measure sets a fee structure for various licensure levels. Counties or cities could opt out of the use but not the sale. A violation would be punishable by a fine of at least $250 but no more than $625. Iowa law currently classifies the possession, sale or use of consumer fireworks without a permit other than sparklers and snakes as a simple misdemeanor. The Legislative Services Agency estimates taxable sales of fireworks in Iowa would generate about $17.8 million this fiscal year and $24.8 million in fiscal 2018, growing to $28.5 million by fiscal 2021. State sales tax collections would total about $890,000 this fiscal year and top $1.42 million by fiscal 2021. WATERLOO Four people were arrested in connection with a Tuesday morning shooting that injured a Cedar Rapids man. Neighbors reported gunfire in the area of West Fourth Street and Western Avenue about 10:07 a.m. Tuesday and found 20-year-old Jeremiah Taylor with a gunshot wound to the buttocks. He was taken to UnityPoint Health-Allen Hospital for treatment and was listed in stable condition Wednesday. Arrested are: Sahjit Mcyle Phillips, 18, of Waterloo; intimidation with a dangerous weapon, carrying weapons and willful injury. William McNealy, 16, Waterloo; intimidation with a dangerous weapon. Kutarius Northern, 21, of Marion; third-degree theft/possession of a stolen firearm, carrying weapons. KaLeck Travonnious Bolden, 18, of Cedar Rapids; carrying weapons. Authorities said McNealy, who is charged as an adult, drove a silver Chevrolet Impala to the 400 block of Western and pulled into a driveway. Phillips exited the silver Impala, said something to a group of people walking on the sidewalk, pulled a handgun from his waistband, pointed it at Taylor and fired a number of shots, court records state. Phillips then climbed back into a vehicle, which drove to the area of Locust and West Third streets where he was seen knocking on the door of a residence, court records state. Police detained Phillips and found a semi-automatic pistol in a nearby mailbox. McNealy was found walking in the area of West Third and Baltimore streets. Meanwhile, Taylors friends were starting to enter a brown Impala when witnesses alerted police Bolden, who was with Taylors group, was seen holding a gun. Officers searched the brown Impala and found a 9 mm Ruger pistol in Northerns purse, records state. The Ruger had been reported stolen in Davenport, police said. Phillips is awaiting trial for federal firearm charges. He allegedly took a .45-caliber Kahr pistol from Levi Brothers Jewelry and Loan on East Fourth Street in October and was arrested a few blocks away. A grand jury returned an indictment against him in January, and a magistrate ordered he be released pending trial following a Jan. 17 detention hearing. Court records show Bolden also was arrested recently in Waterloo. In February, he allegedly swiped an idling vehicle at a Broadway Street convenience store. A brief chase ensued, followed by a crash, and police found a BB gun during their investigation. C.F. man charged with exposure CEDAR FALLS A Cedar Falls man was arrested after he allegedly meandered into his neighbors apartment with his pants down one night and then declared himself a prophet during a disturbance at a convenience store the following day. Nicholas David Sturtz, 33, of 1129 Maplewood Drive, was arrested Tuesday for indecent exposure, trespassing, disorderly conduct and possession of marijuana. His bond was set at $5,000. According to court records, Sturtz, his pants around his ankles, walked into his neighbors apartment through an unlocked door around 5:15 p.m. Friday, alarming her and her 12-year-old daughter. He was masturbating and refused to leave, records state. The woman chased him around the apartment, and he sat on her couch at one point. He eventually left, and she locked the door, but he began pounding on the door and threw himself against it in an attempt to get back in, records state. The following morning, around 8:44 a.m., Sturtz entered the Hy-Vee Gas Station, 6527 University Ave., where he threw merchandise to the floor, pulled a fire alarm and tried to hug a worker, court records state. When police arrived, he was yelling he was the prophet and talking about the kingdom, and officers found a metal socket with marijuana residue. Filmmaker jailed for sexual assault OSAGE A film producer was sentenced Tuesday to three and a half months in jail for assaulting a 17-year-old female actress and showing her nude photographs. Scott Robert Thompson, 55, Mondovi, Wis., was charged in October 2016 with two misdemeanors, assault with intent to commit sexual abuse and dissemination and exhibition of obscene material to a minor. He pleaded guilty in Mitchell County District Court in February to a lesser misdemeanor charge, simple assault and the original count of dissemination of obscene material. Judge DeDra Schroeder on Tuesday sentenced Thompson to 14 days in jail for the simple assault and 180 days in jail, with 90 days suspended, for dissemination of obscene material. The sentences are to run consecutively. Thompson was fined $1,940 and ordered to pay an unspecified amount of victim restitution. He also was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to register as a sex offender. Investigation began in August 2015 after a report was made to the Cedar Rapids Police Department about sexual abuse that occurred in Osage on Aug. 6, 2015. The abuse involved a 17-year-old actress starring in one of Thompsons film productions, according to a statement from the Osage Police Department. Thompson owns and operates My Town Pictures, an independent film production company with an office in Osage. The teen had received a leading role in June 2015 in a web series being produced by Thompson, according to court documents. She traveled from Cedar Rapids to Osage in July and August 2015 to take acting classes and shoot film. Thompson allegedly showed nude photos of another actress to the teen Aug. 1 or 2, 2015, at his office in Osage. He later rented a single-bed room at the Super 8 motel in Osage where he inappropriately touched the girl. Ackley city clerk charged with fraud ACKLEY An Ackley city employee has been arrested on fraud charges. Cynthia Sue Roskens, of Ackley, was arrested Monday on a charge of second-degree fraudulent practices, according to the Ackley Police Department. Rockens is the city clerk The investigation began when a cell phone bill in the city and Roskenss name with her home address was delivered to City Hall. The investigation determined the citys tax-exempt identification number had been used on the phone account, police said. Arrest made in Hawkeye assault HAWKEYE A Clermont man has been arrested for allegedly attacking a woman while working on an apartment in Hawkeye last week. Fayette County sheriffs deputies arrested 27-year-old Spenser Kedrick Bilden on Tuesday for assault with the intent to commit sexual abuse causing injury, a felony and indecent exposure, a misdemeanor. Bond was set at $20,000. According to court records, Bilden had been hired to install locks and make repairs at an apartment March 1 and allegedly solicited sexual favors from a woman at the building. He allegedly exposed himself, pushed her to the ground and pulled at her clothing. The woman was injured but fought him off and he left, declaring he was the one who installed the locks, court records state. According to the sheriffs office, evidence was collected from the scene and sent to the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation labs for testing. Police chase ends in C.F. CEDAR FALLS A high-speed chase involving a motorcycle wound through Waterloo and Cedar Falls before ending in a mobile home park. Details werent available, but the chase started around 4 p.m. Wednesday in the area of Shaulis Road south of Waterloo when a trooper with the Iowa State Patrol attempted to pull over the motorcycle. The driver refused to stop, and officers from Waterloo and Cedar Falls joined the pursuit, which took U.S. Highway 218, U.S. Highway 63, Ridgeway Avenue, Greenhill Road and University Avenue. The fleeing motorcycle ultimately reached Five Seasons Mobile Home Park where it stopped on Sapphire Road. The driver suffered minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital. One State Patrol vehicle sustained minor damage during the pursuit. CEDAR FALLS The city is looking at switching white-water consultants in midstream. The City Council on Monday voted 4-3 to ask the city staff to look into the possibility of finding a new consultant to plan a white-water rapids downtown between the First and Main Street bridges near Gateway Park. The city had contracted with AECOM of Waterloo for river improvements. AECOM had subcontracted with McLaughlin Whitewater Design Group of Denver, Colo., assisted by HBK Engineering of Chicago to plan the white-water work. Preliminary design work is needed to get a better idea of project costs. Several council members expressed dissatisfaction with McLaughlins work and want to consider bidding out the white-water work separately or ask AECOM to subcontract that work out to a different firm. AECOM was working on shoreline improvements and other aspects of the work. Its no secret Im frustrated with this project, council member Mark Miller said. In a December 2015 meeting, Miller favored retaining Recreation Engineering and Planning of Boulder, Colo., the firm working with local white-water enthusiast Ty Graham, Waterloo Development Corp. and Waterloo city officials on a project in downtown Waterloo. McLaughlin whiffed, and whiffed badly, in its earlier presentations, said council member Nick Taiber. Some council members were frustrated at a lack of specifics on costs. However, council member Dave Wieland said McLaughlin recovered and made a remarkably good presentation later. He also expressed liability concerns if the city forced a switch in firms now. Council member Frank Darrah questioned how much the city could actually afford. Community Development Director Stephanie Houk Sheetz said preliminary design will give a better idea of costs, which parts of the project to pursue and which may be eligible for grant funding. There are certain funding sources that might be more excited about one part of it than another. We want to be thinking about that whole pie, Sheetz said. She asked the council approve pursuing a preliminary design, so we can have a more informed discussion of that. That contract would have to come back to council for approval. Council members Wieland, John Runchey and Susan deBuhr voted in the minority against looking into pursuing another firm to do the white-water design work. If the city cant afford to build the improvements, deBuhr said, the city shouldnt spend the money to design them. She also objected to the use of general obligation bonds, as indicated in the citys capital improvements plan, to do that work. We dont have the finances, so why are we spending the money to engineer it? deBuhr asked. And Im definitely against doing G.O. (general obligation) bonds for it. Larry Wiele of AECOM was present for the discussion but did not comment during the discussion. City officials opted to study downstream river improvement over improvements to the Cedar River dam upstream by the Ice House Museum, in light of substantial improvements made to that facility 10 years ago to extend its life. Jesup Legion to host fish fry JESUP The Jesup American Legion will have a fish fry from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Friday at the Pump-Scheer Post 342 Hall, 931 Sixth St. Cost is $9 for adults or $4 for children younger than 10. The menu also will include scalloped potatoes, coleslaw, baked or green beans and drink. Country jam set Sunday CEDAR FALLS The Country Good Timers will host a country music jam session from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday at the Cedar Falls Senior Center in the 500 block of Main Street. The public is welcome. AMVETS fish fry set for Friday EVANSDALE The Evansdale AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary Post 31 at 706 Colleen Ave. will have a fish fry from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday. Cost for all-you-can-eat fish is $8 for adults or $4 for kids 5 to 12. The menu also will include coleslaw, french fries, salad and dessert. Medicare seminar slated CEDAR VALLEY PDCM Insurance will host an informational Medicare seminar from 4 to 5 p.m. Tuesday in the SMARTER Center inside the PDCM office, 3022 Airport Blvd. Experts have designed an event to help those who are turning 65 to understand Medicare in a simple format. Attendance is free and open to the first 40 participants. RSVPs are requested but not required. Contact Nathan Link at 234-8888 or nlink@pdcm.com. Blood drive set in Cedar Falls CEDAR FALLS There will be an American Red Cross blood drive from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 17 at the University of Northern Iowa Wellness and Recreation Center. To make an appointment, go to redcrossblood.org or call (800) 733-2767. Rough Risers set to meet CEDAR FALLS The Cedar Falls Kiwanis Rough Risers will meet at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Clarion Inn, 5826 University Ave. Angela Widner, CEO of the Blackhawk County YMCA, will share stories about the community importance of the YMCA. Go to kiwanisroughrisers.org for more information. Foreign aid discussion set CEDAR FALLS Andrea Cohen, executive director of the Iowa UNA, a division of the UNA-USA, will be at the Cedar Falls Public Library at 7 p.m. Monday. She will address the impact of the proposal for a 30 percent reduction in U.S. foreign aid. The program is sponsored by the Cedar Valley United Nations Association and Cedar Falls AAUW, free and open to the public. Womans club to host dinner CEDAR FALLS The annual mulligan stew dinner will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. on St. Patricks Day, March 17, at the Cedar Falls Womans Club, 304 Clay St. The menu is all-you-can-eat mulligan stew with Irish fever biscuits, shamrock salad and blarney cake for dessert. Cost is $9 for adults and $4 for children younger than 12 with tickets sold at the door, and beer and wine will be available. EVANSDALE Investigators handling the case of two Indiana girls murdered in February dont see anything to link those slayings to the deaths of two Evansdale cousins in 2012. We are comparing our case to their unsolved case. We have done that. We have talked with the investigators in Iowa. At this point in our investigation it appears merely coincidental, the similarities in this case, but we dont believe they are connected at this point, Sgt. John Perrine with the Indiana State Police said Thursday. As of right now, there is no connection, said Agent Michael Roehrkasse with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. Lyric Cook-Morrissey, 10, and Elizabeth Collins, 8, disappeared July 13, 2012, while they were riding their bikes in Evansdale. Their bodies were found in December 2012 in a rural Bremer County wilderness area. Abigail Abby Williams, 13, and Liberty Rose Lynn Libby German, 14, disappeared Feb. 13, 2017, while hanging out near an abandoned railroad bridge near Delphi, Ind. Their bodies were found the following day in a wooded area about half a mile away. Both cases remain unsolved. Authorities noticed similarities in the crimes. Both involved a pair of young girls, both involved rural, wooded areas and both happened on the 13th of the month. Beyond that, authorities cant find anything connecting the cases, Perrine said. He said investigators werent ruling out a connection between the crimes. We just compared notes with the investigators. Its too early in our case to say they are connected. We dont have any similar evidence. But were not ruling it out. Were not prepared to say yes or no now, Perrine said. He said agents with the Iowa DCI, which is handling the cousins case, began communicating with Indiana investigators shortly after the Delphi incident. One of the elements that drew Iowa officials attention to the Indiana case was the fact it involved a double abduction. Statistically, they are very rare. And thats one of those reasons that it caught our attention, Roehrkasse said. This case is unique, just like your case is in Iowa is unique, and thats why people are putting them together, Perrine said. Roehrkasse said while the DCI is talking with Indiana officials to explore possible connections, they are also giving them room to conduct their investigation. We were in that boat four and a half, five years ago. During that time, there was an abduction in Colorado as well as in Wyoming in the early stages of our case (in Evansdale). ... Other agencies were calling us, and that kind of takes you away from your core mission, Roehrkasse said. Another double abduction caught the attention of investigators in the cousins case in May 2013 when two young girls were kidnapped Near Dayton, Iowa. Suspect Michael Klunder killed one of the girls, the other fled, and Klunder took his own life. Ultimately, authorities determined Klunder was likely near his Stratford home at the time the cousins disappeared in Evansdale, and he was ruled out as a suspect. In the Indiana case, investigators have released a grainy photograph of a person walking on the Delphi Historic Trail near where the bodies were found. During the course of the investigation, preliminary evidence has led investigators to believe the person in the distributed photograph is a suspect in the investigation of the homicides of Abigail Williams and Liberty German, Indiana State Police said in a statement. Also, authorities released a voice recording of a man saying down the hill extracted from a video found on Libertys cell phone. Anyone with information about the Indiana case is asked to call the Delphi Homicide Investigation Tip Line at (844) 459-5786. Information can also be reported by calling the Indiana State Police at (800) 382-7537, or the Carroll County Sheriffs Department at (765) 564-2413. Information can also be emailed to Abbyandlibbytip@cacoshrf.com. Anyone with information on the Evansdale case is asked to call the Evansdale Police tip line at 232-6682 or Cedar Valley Crime Stoppers at (855) 300-8477. A $150,000 reward, raised privately and by the FBI, is offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case. Cedar Valley Crime Stoppers has a $20,500 reward for anyone coming forward with information that simply leads to an arrest. Correction added 03/09/17: The story incorrectly explained the new law. There is no limit on discussing wages during negotiations; but if an agreement is not reached, the arbitrator can only offer a wage increase of the lesser of 3 percent or the consumer price index. CEDAR FALLS University of Northern Iowa faculty will get a 1.1 percent salary increase in each of the next two years under the 2017-19 collective bargaining agreement adopted by the Board of Regents on Wednesday. Negotiations were conducted under a new law that limits public collective bargaining to base wages and other matters mutually agreed upon. The pay raise of 1.1 percent is based on the consumer price index in September. Regents adopted the agreement during a short meeting Wednesday with few comments. It goes into effect July 1. United Faculty President Joe Gorton said after the meeting he understood negotiations would be limited. But he expressed disappointment no other matters mutually agreed upon were discussed. Were going to continue being the best professors in Iowa, but its disappointing that (Regent President Bruce) Rastetter and the governor and (Cedar Falls Republican Rep.) Walt Rogers, by the way did what they did to just make everybodys lives more difficult than they should be, Gorton said. He repeated a phrase common on campus faculty working conditions are student learning conditions. Gorton said United Faculty is still considering a lawsuit against the collective bargaining legislation. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees has filed suit. The UNI faculty is working with the administration on an employee handbook to codify many provisions in the current collective bargaining agreement that runs through July 1. During Wednesdays meeting, Regent Subhash Sahai asked if the salary increase was reasonable. Is that the best we can do in the present environment? he asked. His question was answered not by pointing to the new law but by noting the deal was agreed to by negotiators. United Faculty and the regents began negotiations in November. But negotiations started anew Feb. 20 under the law enacted days earlier by the Republican-led Legislature and Gov. Terry Branstad. That lack of a previous agreement is a source of contention. United Faculty filed a complaint with the Iowa Public Employee Relations Board claiming regents stalled negotiations to wait for the legislation to pass. United Faculty members said they were ready to make a deal in December. The complaint is still pending, its not clear how it will move forward. CEDAR FALLS -- About a dozen people from the Cedar Valley paid a visit to U.S. Rep. Rod Blums office Thursday in hopes of getting to talk to the Republican congressman in person. And soon. Like before any repeal of Affordable Care Act passes. I want him as a representative to stand up for all Iowans and for all communities, not a particular interest, (and) hear what the people have to say, Redgie Blanco, of Cedar Falls, told Blums Cedar Falls staff person Justin Jensen. He might have a gigantic to-do list in Washington and maybe my little note is not as important for him as the thousands of pages of the new ACA, or whatever theyre calling it. That did not stop Blanco, however, from making calls to talk to Jensen about his concerns. And it did not stop him from filling out another form at Blums office Thursday to relay his concerns to the congressman. But he, and the dozen other people there, think the congressman has an obligation to greet them face-to-face. We need to know that he sees us as people and Iowans that are his constituents and not just tally marks on a spreadsheet, said Sarah Eastman, of Cedar Falls. The crowd was heartened to learn from Jensen the congressman is planning to hold an in-person town hall in the district but disappointed a date has yet to be set, especially as Congress is seeming to push through quickly a repeal of the federal health care reform known as Obamacare. Blums staff said they are working to put together a date soon. The ACA repeal legislation was unveiled officially earlier this week and is already making its way through the committee process, though Blum does not sit on the committees that are taking the first steps to pass the bill. Blum has assured on social media he is reading the bill, but he hasnt stated his opinion of the proposed legislation. Congressman Blum is carefully analyzing the bill, and his biggest concern is bringing down the cost of health care, Blum spokesman John Ferland said. Blum is a member of the House Freedom Caucus that has opposed the current proposal and plans to introduce its own legislation. But Blum has always stressed his independence on votes. The people who came to Blums office made clear they had paid attention to what has been proposed, speaking in opposition to provisions that would change Medicaid to block grants to states and in opposition to cutting funding for Planned Parenthood. But mostly they wanted to preserve the law as a whole and improve upon it. Why dont we fix what they consider that is wrong, instead of completely change everything? Blanco asked. I think that might be the biggest concern for the ACA: why change the whole thing? Julie Robinson, of Waterloo, said she is currently on the ACA and acknowledges it is not affordable with the out-of-pocket costs that come with actually using the health plan. Dave Deibler, who organized the rally, said he could only speak for himself but he also uses the ACA and finds it affordable. But both were united in wanting to preserve what works and, like Blanco, fix the things that dont. I think its insane that the wealthiest country on the planet doesnt provide health care, Robinson said. All the time and energy that those blokes down in Washington have wasted over the last several years, they could have fixed Obamacare, (but) Republicans didnt want anything to do with that. Deibler said he organized the event Thursday with the dual purpose of ensuring Blum holds a town hall and making sure Blum knows there are people who support the ACA. Theres too many important things going on right now for him to hide in Washington, D.C., Deibler said. Right now, because of the timing of repealing it, (health care is) huge. DES MOINES With passage of a GOP-backed election integrity bill, the issue of whether such a measure is needed is in the hands of Iowans, the Democratic leader in the House said Thursday. As expected, the House approved House File 516 that would make several changes to state election administration, including voter registration, absentee voting, eliminating straight-ticket voting, conducting post-election audits and requiring voters to present an ID to vote. In voting to make Iowa the 35th state to adopt similar election rules, State Government Committee Chairman Rep. Ken Rizer, R-Cedar Rapids, said passage of the bill will improve voter satisfaction, confidence and security while ensuring access. House Minority Leader Mark Smith, D-Marshalltown, was not pleased with either the outcome or being gagged by the GOP majority despite nearly 12 hours of debate. Republicans approved a time certain, meaning the House set a time for a vote before all amendments were debated. I think of it as being gagged, Smith said after the 58-41 party-line vote, following a debate that ran from about 3 p.m. to midnight Wednesday and resumed Thursday morning. In my memory, this is the first time that twice time certain has been placed in a legislative session. Once again, its too bad the Republicans dont want the people of Iowa to know these issues. The Senate has a companion bill that is eligible for debate in that chamber, or could take up HF 516. Either way, Smith said, the outcome is likely to be the same. So I think now this is in the hands of the people of Iowa, he said. They will now see the implications of this legislation. They will determine that at the ballot box and with possible judicial remedy. A legal challenge would be unnecessary and unfortunate, Rizer said. HF 516 was crafted with the benefit of having seen voter ID laws in 34 other states and previous litigation to pass constitutional muster. If Democrats and their allies want to waste Iowa taxpayer money to defend a constitutional bill that 69 percent of Iowans support, then thats on you, he said. In general, Democrats argued that like other GOP priorities this year, HF 516 was more political dogma than a solution to a real problem. Rep. Mary Mascher, D-Iowa City, argued in an amendment that was debated nearly two hours that a voter impersonation fraud study should be done to determine if there is a problem. Democrats cited GOP Secretary of State Paul Pates comments in October that Iowa has one of the best records nationally for its election operations. The Election Integrity Project, a project of universities and political science groups in the United States and Australia, rated Iowa second only to Vermont in election conduct. In 2016, 1.6 million Iowans 79 percent of active, registered voters cast ballots in the general election. There were 10 votes thought to be irregular. Most of the cases were human error, not voter fraud. Those irregular votes included a felon whose voting rights had not been restored and a person who voted twice. Despite the absence of evidence of widespread voter fraud, Rizer and Pate say there is a perception of voter fraud. That confused Rep. Phyllis Thede, D-Bettendorf, who pointed out that Republicans have won control of the Iowa House, Senate and governors office. Wheres there fraud? she asked. Hello. You won everything. How do you say this is fraud when you won everything from the top down to the local? What confused Rizer was how Democrats attitudes have changed since they approved a photo ID for election-day registrations. Fifteen members of the current House Democratic caucus voted for that bill in 2007 without objecting that it was discriminatory or suppressed the vote, he said. That made their opposition to HF 516, which is not a photo ID requirement, the height of hypocrisy, Rizer said in his closing comments. He also rejected Democratic assertions the bill was a poll tax, a return to Jim Crow laws, racist and representative of white privilege, disgusting and shameful and comparable to government identifiers used by Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Putin. Disagree with me if you will, but to call those who simply disagree with you is itself racist and offensive, Rizer said. Rizer and other supporters repeatedly referred to an Iowa Poll that found that, in general, 69 percent of Iowans favor a voter ID. Smith suggested the polls wording guaranteed the way the question was answered would be the expected the outcome. Smith also suggested Iowa lawmakers might want to follow the lead of their colleagues in Arkansas, who are putting a voter ID constitutional amendment on the ballot. I think there may be some benefit to doing that (because) it gives a chance for Iowans to be fully educated on the pros and cons of the action, he said. Tandric Tyre Lee Anne Hooker Robert Blount Dylan Baker Lieutenant Joshua Shiflett Beaufort County Sheriff's Office On 03-03-2017, Investigators with the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office Drug Unit assisted Probation Officers with conducting a search at Tandric Tyre's residence located at 1085 Peed Town Road in Aurora. Investigators and Probation Officers found three pistols, heroin packaged for resale, cocaine, marijuana, digital scales, snorting straws containing heroin residue, a Fentanyl patch and Suboxone strips.Tandric Tyre was arrested and charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, Possession with Intent to Sell and Deliver Heroin, Possession with Intent to Sell and Deliver Marijuana, Possession of Cocaine and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Tyre was confined in the Beaufort County Detention Center under a $60,000.00 secured bond.Lee Anne Hooker, 30 years of age, of 850 Grace Drive in Aurora was arrested and charged with Possession with Intent to Sell and Deliver Heroin, Possession with Intent to Sell and Deliver Marijuana, Possession of Cocaine and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Hooker was confined in the Beaufort County Detention Center under a $25,000.00 secured bond.Robert Blount, 27 years of age, of 1551 Bonnerton Road in Aurora was arrested and charged with Possession of a Firearm by a convicted Felon, Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Blount was confined in the Beaufort County Detention Center under a $25,000.00 secured bond.Dylan Baker, 18 years of age, of 322 Main Street in Edward was arrested and charges with Possession of Heroin, Possession of Suboxone a Schedule III Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Baker was confined in the Beaufort County Detention Center under a $10,000.00 secured bond. DES MOINES The Iowa Senate voted 49-0 Wednesday to strike a 103-year-old law that makes it illegal to leave a vehicle unattended with its engine running while parked on the street or public property. The bill now goes to the governor for his signature. Iowa law demands motorists stop the engine before leaving a vehicle unattended. The statute, which carries a $20 fine, does not apply to vehicles parked on private property. If you have an automatic starter on your car, you violate the law every time you press the starter button, said Sen. Thomas Greene, R-Burlington, floor manager of House File 312. This is a simple bill. It just gets an outdated law off the books. Protective order Also Wednesday, senators voted 49-0 to create a civil protective order courts can issue for victims of sexual abuse, incest and exploitation of a minor. Under current law, a victim may apply for a criminal no-contact order after a defendant has been arrested for sexual abuse or upon a convicted offenders release from jail or prison. A sexual abuse civil protective order could be obtained before a defendant has been arrested and also could cover members of a victims family with the same protections currently afforded by a domestic abuse court order. This is a bill a long time coming, said Sen. Dan Dawson, R-Council Bluffs, the bills floor manager. This is not creating a new system. It simply extends the system that currently is built around domestic abuse to those victims of sexual abuse, incest and exploitation of a minor. Sen. Janet Petersen, D-Des Moines, said the Senate previously has passed similar protections that stalled in the House. Its really hard to believe in our state that a victim of rape cannot get a civil protective order against his or her rapist or sexual abuser if they were not in a prior intimate relationship. But thats the case until this bill goes into effect, said Petersen. These victims need some sense of protection. Fair liability Senators voted 48-1 to give fairs liability protection from damages sought by anyone who alleges an injury or death caused by a pathogen transmitted from an event where an animal is kept for more than three hours. Sen. Tony Bisignano, D-Des Moines, registered the lone no vote. Senate File 362, which now goes to the House, requires warning signs to be posted and other precautions to remain in effect. Sen. Dan Zumbach, R-Ryan, said the common-sense legislation expands protections already in place to deal with situations where a spectator may get stepped on or kicked by show animals. DES MOINES Lawmakers debated late into the night Wednesday a bill requiring voters to show identification before casting a ballot. The Republican-controlled House is considering several changes to voter registration, absentee voting, eliminating straight-ticket voting, conducting post-election audits and requiring voters to present an ID. Iowa already is one of the top states in conducting elections, floor manager Rep. Ken Rizer, R-Cedar Rapids, said. The Election Modernization and Integrity Act will make us the best, improving voter satisfaction, confidence and security while ensuring access, Rizer said. Democrats argued the proposal would suppress voter turnout. The bill calls for using e-pollbooks with bar scanners and laptops at polling places. It would make voting as easy as using the express lane at a supermarket, Rizer said. It also calls for audit and reporting procedures that prevent mistakes, ensure every vote is counted and hold those who might cheat the system accountable. The Senate is a few weeks away from debating elections legislation. If the plan becomes law, Iowa would be the 35th state with a voter ID law, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Iowans would use drivers licenses as the primary voter ID. Also acceptable would be a state-issued voter registration card, military and veteran IDs, passports and Department of Transportation non-operators IDs. A voter without any of those forms of identification could have an eligible voter vouch for them at the polls. Much of Wednesdays debate centered on Democrats argument voter fraud is vanishingly rare. Certainly nowhere near the numbers necessary to have an effect on any election, said Rep. Amy Nielsen, D-North Liberty. With the exception of Rizer and one other Republican, only Democrats spoke during seven hours of debate. Much of that time was spent talking about the bills requirement a voter show an ID before casting a ballot. Voter ID is a commonsense reform that makes it easier to vote, harder to cheat and nobody is turned away, Rizer said. But Rep. Ras Smith, D-Waterloo, called the bill organized disenfranchisement of minorities, the disabled and the elderly. Those groups are less likely than others to have a required form of identification. He called the voter ID requirement unnecessary. There are zero documented instances of voter impersonation fraud in Iowa, the type of fraud voter identification laws seek to prevent, Smith said. Rizer found the Democratic opposition to the photo ID requirement ironic, noting a Democratic-controlled House 10 years ago required photo IDs for Election Day registration. As lawmakers argued over the legislation, county auditors at the Capitol earlier in the day questioned the available funding. The bill doesnt have a formal price tag, though the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency estimated the measure has a one-time fiscal impact of roughly $200,000 for the secretary of states office. That includes $85,000 for state-issued IDs for people without Iowa drivers licenses. In addition, there would be costs to counties. For example, e-pollbooks cost about $875 a piece. Rizer indicated the Legislature may use general fund money for some of the expenses. I am 100 percent sure that if we pass this bill, we will find the money to fund those new voter registration cards, he said. WATERLOO Construction crews expect to begin rebuilding U.S. Highway 63 through downtown Waterloo on Monday. The Iowa Department of Transportation said work on the first phase of a two-year reconstruction project will begin in the morning, weather permitting, and continue at least through 2018. Langman Construction Inc., of Rock Island, Ill., was awarded the $19.4 million contract to replace pavement on the highway, which utilizes Mullan Avenue and East First Street from Jefferson Street to Franklin Street. Contractors expect to keep one lane open in each direction for local traffic, but through traffic on U.S. 63 will be detoured around the work zone. Southbound U.S. 63 traffic will be routed on Airline Highway for three miles west to Airport Boulevard before taking southbound U.S. Highway 218 back to the U.S. 63 interchange. The detour reverses for northbound traffic. You can still get through the work zone, said Pete Hjelmstad, IDOT District 2 field services coordinator. Were just encouraging through traffic to take a different route because its going to get congested. Ron Loecher, resident construction engineer, said the contractor will originally leave a northbound lane open on First Street and a southbound lane open on Mullan Avenue. Eventually, the local traffic will be either entirely on one street or the other. The project includes storm sewer work to help alleviate street flooding on the west side of downtown and other improvements. It does not replace the two Cedar River bridges. The DOT previously reconstructed U.S. 63 from Newell Street to Donald Street. A final phase, expected to be bid in June, would rebuild the highway from Franklin to Newell street and replace the current flood-prone railroad underpass with an overpass. The Iowa DOT reminds motorists to drive with caution in work zones. More information about this and other Iowa DOT construction projects in Black Hawk and Bremer counties is on the Black Hawk and Bremer County Construction Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BlackHawkBremerCo#!/BlackHawkBremerCo. The latest traveler information is available anytime through the 511 system at www.511ia.org; calling 511 within Iowa or (800) 288-1047 nationwide; or by staying connected with 511 on Facebook or Twitter. Details werent available, but the chase started around 4 p.m. Wednesday in the area of Shaulis Road south of Waterloo when a trooper with the Iowa State Patrol attempted to pull over the motorcycle. The driver refused to stop, and officers from Waterloo and Cedar Falls joined the pursuit, which wound along U.S. Highway 218, U.S. Highway 63, Ridgeway Avenue, Greenhill Road and University Avenue. An old Marine told me Marines guard Marines from the other side. And when one of their brothers is being threatened, the Devil Dogs (aka Marines) will go wild on them for eternity. Yes, but what about the sisters? Do the Devil Dogs protect them, too? What about the female Marines whose nude photos were posted to a Facebook group where comments ranged from raunchy to suggestions of violence? Do women Marines count in the Devil Dogs lore? The questions arise as the Defense Department begins an investigation into recent revelations about the Facebook group, Marines United, which the Associated Press reports was made up of active-duty and retired male Marines along with some Navy Corpsmen and Royal British Marines. Some of the nude shots were grabbed from Instagram, which mostly prohibits nudity. Others were shot surreptitiously. Most were passed along a testosterone-rich grapevine. More than two dozen active-duty women in the photographs were identified by their rank, full name and location. Needless to say, the women were horrified to learn they had been sexually objectified by their peers. One said the scandal ruined her Marine experience and she wouldnt re-enlist. One active corpsman said hed seen the photos on the Facebook page, which also provides news and support, but wasnt interested and skipped over them. He didnt find the collection surprising, however, likely given his generations comfort with nudity in all its forms. The young women who knowingly had their photos taken apparently thought viewers would be of their own choosing. One can imagine, however, a libidinous corpsman (pardon the redundancy) who discovers a picture of a semi-nude or nude female Marine might be inspired to share it. Isnt sharing the operative terms in todays narcissistic, show-and-tell-all culture? The difference and the distinction, however, is the Marines United boys club basically stole the images and used them without the subjects consent. Marines being Marines? Or are they guilty of something more sinister, potentially deserving court martial? To the civilian mind, the answer is rather simple: The Pentagon, now fully infiltrated and indoctrinated by modern feminists, has decided to put women in combat (thank you, President Obama). Therefore, women must be treated as men. But what about the vice-versa? Must men be treated as women? That is, should they be trained to be more sensitive? If so, can you simultaneously create sensitivity in the desensitizing, killing culture that breaks down an 18-year-olds humanity and instills in him an instinct for extreme brutality? Put another way, how stupid are we? Theres a reason we say in times of great peril, Send in the Marines, and its not because of the few brave, committed women among them. But try to find someone in todays military willing to say so. Older vets with nothing to lose will sometimes open up. Two of my regular Marine correspondents, Jack and Russ, both of them Vietnam vets, explained the culture that creates killers and how this environment isnt conducive to civilian norms. Jack, who told me the afterlife story, is my brother. Russ is a retired Methodist minister who counsels veterans navigating post-traumatic stress disorder. Neither they nor I intend to justify the Facebook group but rather aim to illuminate the mindset that might have led to it and the misunderstandings that create havoc. Hollywood makes this (expletive deleted) up, says Jack in his best French. I never saw a Marine shed a tear for lost buddies. Now in the Middle East, these guys have (expletive deleted) breakdowns and unit ceremonies and all that (expletive deleted). In Vietnam, your buddies put you in a body bag, a chopper flew your dead a to Da Nang and off you went on a jet back home. It aint Hollywood. It is stinky, bloody, sweat-soaked, soil-your-britches killing and being killed. You push that cr down so far in your guts that it comes out 50 years after the job is done. Thats PTSD. Russ explains the culture in somewhat more polished terms. Marines embrace the warrior archetype more than other branches. The shadow of this is patriarchy, misogyny and brutality. We are trained to be killing machines, deadening all emotion except anger. Were told we dont have the luxury of sensitivity, so we objectify everything, including women. Still, hes optimistic, saying we need to return to the embodiment of the hero archetype in the medieval knight. Aggressiveness can be coupled with honor, nobility and compassion. Maybe so. But knights typically didnt joust with women, which may be the most salient inference. That said, chivalry has a place here. An apology to the women who exposed themselves to the few, not the proud, would be appropriate both as gesture and punishment. Like many states today, revenue from casinos around Iowa has become a substantial component of the states economy. In 2015, Iowas casinos paid more than $312 million in gambling taxes and contributed nearly $40 million to charities. Thats true around the Cedar Valley, as well. Since 2007, the Black Hawk County Gaming Association has awarded millions of dollars to hundreds of projects across the Cedar Valley. It has been an incredible infusion of funding for a variety of recipients, and we are fortunate to have this supplemental funding source. Voters around the area gave their approval to a casino in the Cedar Valley, and we supported it. We have praised the benefits ever since. That was always with the understanding audit reports from state-licensed casinos were available to the public. Theres a chance that could be changing. Last year, a group of Iowa casinos, including the Isle Casino Hotel Waterloo, filed a lawsuit to keep documents from being released. The action was intended to block their proprietary information from being released to competitors. At that time, Iowa Gaming Association President Wes Ehrecke said the audits include trade secrets that shouldnt be publicly released. However, the reports have been public in Iowa for almost 30 years., and they are relied upon to gauge the health of the industry. A decision is still pending in that case. In the meantime, bills making their way through the Iowa House and Senate would allow audit reports to the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission to be kept confidential. We dont believe thats what we signed up for. Iowa citizens expect and deserve transparency in all areas of government and in all government agency dealings. In 1983, Gov. Terry Branstad signed a law requiring the audits of gambling licensees total gambling operations, including an itemization of all expenses and subsidies. The law also states books and records kept by the licensee are a public record. Currently, the media is able to make a request to the IRGC to obtain an audit report. The IRGC then contacts the casino and it has 20 days to respond by either providing the audit or filing a court injunction. It is our hope our state leaders unite against this potential erosion of transparency at a time when more transparency is needed in all government dealings. Passage of these bills would do away with transparency we have had here for more than three decades. The loss of transparency is not the direction we want to go. BCCC Hosts Business Succession Seminar Press Release: WASHINGTON, NC When a small business owner opens up shop, the last thing they think of is who will take over the business. The reality is that at some point, they will want to retire or start a different business, and the planning to make that happen should have taken place long before then. Beaufort County Community College is hosting "Succession Planning 101" to help area businesses plan for this transition. It is free and will take place on March 15 at 2:00 p.m. in Building 8. This seminar will provide tips, tools and examples of world class succession planning. Dr. Deb Mayo of NC State University's Industry Expansion Solutions will teach how to identify critical positions that will be needed to support business continuity and select the competencies individuals will need to be successful in positions and to meet identified business challenges. Participants will learn how to develop a pool of talent to step into critical positions, review potential position vacancies and capture the knowledge that individuals possess before departing the company. "Unfortunately, many of the small businesses in Beaufort County have not developed succession plans," said Lentz Stowe, director of the Small Business Center at BCCC. "Martyn Johnson [director of economic development for Beaufort County] has told us that there is a need for this training. This kind of planning is important to our local economy as a whole." "You don't have to think of this in a negative light," said Stowe. "If your business is doing well, you will want to pass it on to your children or one of your employees. This kind of planning ensures that the successful company you have built does not crumble when you exit." Interested participants should register by calling 252-940-6375 or emailing continuingeducation@beaufortccc.edu. 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 With technology becoming more and more a part of our lives, it was only a matter of time before it started to impact the way 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) 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(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) Theres been an explosion lately of talented local people coming out of their shells to entertain and enlighten us. With that in mind, two Terpsichore Dance Company dancers, Maribel Schaff and Carly Mann, are branching out with their El's Clay project, Beauty for Ashes, a multi-faceted show around the theme of hope. Founded by Mann and Schaff in 2016, El's Clay is devoted to sharing meaningful messages and to addressing social issues. The production, which features poetry, dance, music, film, culinary art and visual art, will be held March 10 and 11 at 7 p.m. at 2905, located at 2905 Montana Ave. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students ages 15-17. A portion of the profits will go to the Womens Shelter, and donations of clothing and food for the shelter will also be accepted. Mann said the premise for "Beauty for Ashes" is that we all share life struggles and we all search for hope. This is a way to use a creative format to share how we find hope. My main art is dance, but I dont just want to talk to dancers, I want to talk to other artists. Its been cool to get this far and to see how they are thriving off each others art, Mann said. Schaff watched this project grow over the last five months until 20 artists and performers are now involved. During rehearsal sessions, Schaff said she gets emotional, watching and hearing people express their innermost feelings. I cant watch it without tearing up, she said. Schaff will perform surrounded by trays of paint. As she dances, she will apply the different colors of paint to her skin, symbolizing the different aspects of herself. "The background music will include a narrative of my story," Schaff said. Mann will dance live with a projected image of a dancer that she reaches for, but can never get close to, symbolizing our search for human connection in a world where technology often separates us. Women from the Womens Shelter are not part of the performance, but some of the pieces address their plight and several women from the shelter were invited to attend the show free of charge. Six video stations will be set up throughout the venue, presenting peoples testimony on the theme of hope. Bound in red fabric symbolizing depression, Billings actress Caitlin Hart will present the testimony of a girl who is suicidal. As she performs the piece, Hart will break free from the fabric. Billings poet Dave Caserio will recite poetry, some of which was written by students in an Arts Without Boundaries class he has taught. Mann and Schaff hope they can plant a seed with the performances, inspiring others to use their own creativity to express themselves. Staying out of debt is easier said than done, I know. However, its something you can do, and its something you should be practicing everyday. As Christians, we are in this world, but we are Your digital subscription includes access to all content on our agricultural websites across the nation. Access unlimited content and the digital versions of our print editions - This Week's Paper. Reported cases of gonorrhea in Yellowstone County continue their meteoric spike, jumping again in 2016 to 234 cases. Rates of gonorrhea have dramatically increased year over year starting in 2012 when the county saw just 14 cases. The following year in 2013 the number of cases nearly tripled, jumping to 40. Then in 2014 the rate more than doubled, climbing to 104 cases. In 2015 it just about doubled again, hitting 195 cases. The 234 cases last year shows something of a slowdown when compared to the year-over-year growth of the three previous years. The first two months of 2017 have seen 22 reported cases. At the that rate, the county would end the year with 132 cases. Experts aren't expecting to see a drop that dramatic, and they remain vigilant, cautioning county residents to use condoms and talk to a health care provider if they see symptoms. Even if infection rates are slowing down, last year's 234 cases is still a massive increase from just four years ago, and no one's quite sure what caused the rise. "We probably don't know the entire answer," said Chris Baumert, a family medicine doctor at RiverStone Health. "Some of it may have to do with antibiotic resistance." In the past, doctors had five different antibiotics available to treat gonorrhea. Now it can be treated only by a combination of two as the bacteria has grown resistant to the other antibiotics. The county's gonorrhea outbreak also points to a likely increase in high-risk behavior, Baumert said. Unprotected sex, multiple partners and sex while under the influence of substances that inhibit sound judgement are all considered high-risk behaviors. As cases of gonorrhea multiply, the rate at which it spreads increases exponentially, putting pressure on public health officials to contain the outbreak. The public health department has the capability to send alerts to local health care providers when officials see troubling trends, something they did earlier this year, said Donna Healy, a communications projects specialist at RiverStone Health. The public health department also has put together an information campaign to get the word out to the community through ads and other messaging about the gonorrhea outbreak, reminding people to practice safe sex and to get to a clinic if they notice symptoms. Gonorrhea is a bacteria that infects genitals, throat and rectum and, if left untreated, can cause life-threatening infections throughout the body and leave women infertile. Symptoms include burning during urination and discharge. Troubling to public health officials is that in women gonorrhea can be asymptomatic, meaning they have the potential to spread the disease because they never see symptoms. Yellowstone County infection rates mirror what's happening across the state. In 2012 Montana had 108 reported cases of gonorrhea. By 2015, the last year the Department of Public Health and Human Services had accessible data, the rate had grown to 844 cases. Getting the word out and encouraging people to get checked will be the best way to slow the spread, Baumert said. And the best way to do that is talk about sex and high-risk behavior. "We've got to be a little more comfortable talking about these kinds of things," he said. SARASOTA, FL, March 09, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Brenda was hired as the first SVP HR to develop, implement and oversee all human resource, compliance and risk management resources enterprise-wide, to support the overall strategic direction and business plans of the organization. Brenda will build and lead the team that brings life to a servant leadership culture through every corner of the enterprise for superior wellbeing and performance. With an extensive background in Human Resources with Bowie Resource Partners, TSI and EcoWater Systems, Brenda most recently held the position of VP Human Resources with Sloan Appriss. Brenda holds a MBA in Human Resources Management and Personnel Administration from Michigan State University. Kentucky Trailer is a leading manufacturer of custom trailers and truck bodies in a wide variety of market segments, including moving & storage, motorsports, snack foods, mobile marketing, military/government, and oil/gas. Headquartered in Louisville, KY, Kentucky Trailer traces its roots back to 1879 when, as Kentucky Wagon, it was the largest wagon manufacturer in the world. In 2003, Kentucky Manufacturing acquired Trailer Technologies, in Walled Lake, Michigan marking their entry into Specialty Vehicles and today provides products for the Commercial, Government, Vehicle Transporter, Mobile Medical and Mobile Broadcast markets. About Brooke Chase Associates, Inc. Brooke Chase Associates, Inc. is the premier executive search firm specializing in the recruitment of executive management professionals within the building materials and kitchen/bath industries. Established in 1980, Brooke Chase Associates, Inc. is located in Sarasota, FL. For additional information contact Joseph McElmeel, Chairman and CEO of Brooke Chase Associates at 941-479-6382 or [email protected] # # # This event is an invaluable opportunity to foster direct relationship with Oracle product teams, and actively influence Oracle product development lifecycle. CAPELLEN, LUXEMBOURG, March 09, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The event will gather Oracle product managers, eProseed's leading experts, and selected customers from Japan and Asia-Pacific (JAPAC), a region in which eProseed has just set up its 9th subsidiary. eProseed is proud to announce its participation as an exclusive sponsor in the Oracle Integration & API Cloud Customer Advisory Board Summit for the JAPAC region to be held on March 15 & 16, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. The goal of the summit is to create a forum for the exchange of ideas with the Oracle Product Management and Engineering teams in order to provide feedback and help shape the future direction for Oracle Integration & API products both in the Cloud and on-premises. Participants will have a unique opportunity to share ideas, best practices, business use cases and solutions as well as learn from the experience of other Oracle customers drawn from multiple industries. eProseed's ACE Directors and members of Oracle's Product Management and Engineering teams will discuss, with a group of hand-picked participants, the transformation now taking place in the market as organizations are moving their business models to the cloud. "This event is an invaluable opportunity to foster direct relationships with Oracle product teams, and actively influence Oracle product development lifecycle by providing feedback, validating strategies, or testing and evaluating beta releases. It is also a place of choice for sharing our hands-on experience with customers from throughout the JAPAC region," comments Geoffroy de Lamalle, eProseed's CEO. The Oracle Integration & API Cloud CAB Summit in Melbourne comes as eProseed expands its products and services to a growing number of customers in the JAPAC area. "In particular, contacts have been established with central banks and regulators in the region and a strong interest was confirmed for eProseed FSIP, our supervision and insights platform, along with Oracle Fusion Middleware and Oracle Cloud Integration Services offered by eProseed," explains Geoffroy de Lamalle. "Asia is now home to the world's fastest-growing economies, which contribute about 40 percent of global output and one-fourth of world trade. With growth come challenges. eProseed will continue to support customers in solving their hardest challenges," adds Jeroen Bolluijt, eProseed's Managing Partner for Australia & New Zealand. The Oracle Integration & API Cloud CAB Summit will explore the new Oracle iPaaS integration services that enable users to quickly integrate on-premises and cloud, mobile or IoT applications, including Oracle Integration Cloud, Oracle SOA Cloud Service and Oracle API Manager Cloud Service. About eProseed eProseed is an ICT services provider and a software publisher. Honored with 8 Oracle ACE Directors and 14 Oracle Excellence Awards in the last 7 years, eProseed is an Oracle Platinum Partner with in-depth expertise in Oracle Database, Oracle Fusion Middleware and Oracle Engineered Systems. eProseed is also the publisher of FSIP, a comprehensive financial supervision solution dedicated to Central Banks, Financial Regulators and Supervisory Authorities. eProseed's portfolio of business applications and business accelerators is built on state-of-the-art, reliable technologies and sound knowledge of today's challenges, developed and maintained with the highest standards in mind. Comprehensive training and support are provided by eProseed's experts for both applications and underlying technologies. Headquartered in Luxembourg, in the heart of Europe, eProseed has offices in Beirut (LB), Brussels (BE), Dubai (AE), London (UK), New York (USA), Porto (PT), Riyadh (SAU), Sydney (AU), and Utrecht (NL). # # # Mar 9, 2017 | By Tess Last year, multinational company GE acquired a 75% stake in German 3D printing company Concept Laser with the plan to get full ownership in coming years. Now, it seems GE is upping its investment in Concept Laser as it has announced that the latter will undergo some serious expansion. This expansion will include establishing a bigger headquarters for Concept Laser, increasing its employee base and support teams, and investing significantly in next-gen additive manufacturing equipment and materials. In terms of physical growth, GE is preparing a significant expansion to Concept Lasers headquarters in Lichtenfels, Germany. According to GE, the new headquarters will be expanded to include space for manufacturing, product development, testing, and administration. Architectural concepts for the hew HQ are currently being finalized. GE has indicated that it has already increased Concept Lasers employee number from 200 to 244 and is planning to further increase it to between 350 and 400 by early 2018. The company is reportedly looking primarily for more engineers and technicians. As a statement from the companies says: Concept Laser is bolstering its field service operations in the United States and Germany, and adding engineers in such areas as production, quality control, development and test. Concept Laser, which was founded in 2000 by Frank and Kerstin Herzog, is a reputable and pioneering developer of metal 3D printing technologies. The company, which is also known for its innovative LaserCUSING technology, has operations in Grapevine, Texas, as well as China and its home country of Germany. The company also has a wide network of distributors and agents around the globe. Over several years, Concept Laser grew quickly and established a strong reputation with our innovations, said Frank Herzog. GE is enabling us to grow our infrastructure and bring more robust processes and greater resources to our operations. Our immediate focus is to mature our machines and apply the additional resources to improve customer responsiveness and mature, grow, and improve our product offerings. Currently, GE and Concept Laser are working together on a number of projects. For one, Concept Laser is collaborating with the GE Additive Technology Center (ATC) to help identify areas where metal 3D printing can be used to manufacture complex metal components on a mass scale, including parts for GE Aviation jet engines. As Herzog commented: ATC is a critical piece of the puzzle for Concept Laser. Weve been a manufacturer of the machines and materials for years, but ATC is giving us new insights into the process of product and materials qualification because GE is such an important end user of the technology. The learning is tremendous and will accelerate the development process. Both companies are also working together to develop new additive manufacturing technologies which could help advance industries such as aerospace, automotive, and more. Before acquiring 75% of Concept Laser, GE made a failed bid for German AM company SLM. Despite the setback, GE went on to acquire Concept Laser and Swedish additive manufacturing company Arcam AB. Posted in 3D Printer Company Maybe you also like: On Thursday and Friday of last week my wife, Carol, and I took a trip to visit our good friend Father Jim Heiser, who now resides in St. Stephens Mission near Riverton, Wyoming. The four-hour drive was pretty uneventful except for the first half hour or so of white-knuckle driving between Sheridan and Lake DeSmet. The drive over Powder River Pass was quite a treat with the view of snow-covered Meadowlark Lake one of the visual highlights of the trip. Tensleep Canyon provided even more eye candy, as did the multi-hued badlands between Tensleep and Worland. Wind River Canyon was full of visual treats, too: the clear cascading waters of the Wind River were dotted with rafts of mallard and goldeneye ducks. Those big, dark boulder-strewn holes bespoke of monstrous brown and rainbow trout. I purposely did not pack my fishing gear because I knew I would fall prey to the siren call of the river and never reach St. Stephens Mission. When we arrived at St. Stephens, Father Jim provided a full-fledged quarter tour of the grounds and surrounding country. I could go into several paragraphs describing the American Indian motif of the church, but I will summarize it by saying it rivals just about any of the cathedrals I have ever seen. One of the unique features of the lands associated with the mission is a small bison herd of about 20 animals that Ron and Laura Mamot tend. Carol and I were fortunate to ride on the hay wagon that Laura drove as Ron dispensed a large bale of alfalfa. One cow bison actually nuzzled me and then gladly accepted some large alfalfa cubes that Ron fed her from his hand. It was rather heartening to hear that these animals were pure strain and didn't have any mixed genetics nor did they have brucellosis. While we were in the buffalo pasture Mamot pointed out the Little Wind River, which was only 100 yards away. During the spring thaw the Little Wind had been blocked by ice jams and water and ice floes covered much of the buffalo pasture, but the hearty animals took it all in stride. Mamot pointed out that Wyoming Game and Fish has a fisheries crew that comes to the Little Wind River in the spring to collect sauger spawn. He said that the spawning sauger in the Little Wind River have the densest population around. The sauger are raised to fingerling size and then planted back into the river to supplement natural spawning. Sauger have been hampered by low flows, dams, irrigation diversions, and other factors in the past few decades and haven't fared as well as their close cousins, the walleye. Father Jim wanted to show us the Sinks of the Popo Agie River so we hopped into his car and drove to Lander and then upstream to the Sinks. The Sinks gets its name from the river going subterranean for a half mile or more. The river flows into a cave and emerges downstream in an upwelling. Things must be pretty complex in the subterranean scheme, for it takes a much longer time for the water to emerge than one would surmise based on the distance. Suffice it to say that the upwelling is a fairly substantial pool. It is inhabited by a passel of trout ranging in length from 16 to 30 inches. The overlook of the upwelling allows people to view the trout cruising below. There is a coin-operated dispenser of trout feed there so a person can feed the fish. To watch a huge trout come up for a food tidbit is quite a rush for an old dry fly fisher. On the way to and from the Sinks we encountered herds of elk feeding in the pastures alongside the road. There must have been 100 elk in one field. Local folks contend that the wolves have forced the elk down into the flats. It could be true, but the deep snow in the area surely had an effect on the elk, too. They needed to find some food and flatlands had less snow than the higher ridges. We were treated to many sightings of winter hawks that's what the Arapaho call rough-legged hawks. It seemed like there were hawks every quarter mile of road that we drove. All too soon our quarter tour was over and we had to return to Sheridan. I am planning to go back this spring and visit Father Jim, the sauger and hunt for wild asparagus. Mar 9, 2017 | By Tess Taiwan-based machine tool manufacturer Tongtai Machine and Tool Co., Ltd. has announced plans to commercialize its 3D printing technology sometime later this year. The company has also set its annual sales target at NT$200 million (~6.48 million USD). Founded in 1969, Tongtai Machine and Tool Co. has grown to become the worlds second-largest producer of processing systems for printed circuit boards (PCBs). The company, which has clients in the aerospace, automotive, electric, medical, and home appliance industries (to name but a few), will be partnering with American company Optomec Inc. to develop and manufacture metal 3D printing equipment. TIMTOS 2017 Optomec Inc., for its part, supplies additive manufacturing systems for printed electronics and laser metal deposition. Last year, the company made headlines with the release of its Aerosol Jet Technology, a 3D printing process capable of manufacturing electronics out of commercially-available conductive, dielectric, semiconductor and biologic inks. Together Tongtai and Optomec have developed a hybrid 3D printing, vertical milling machine, which integrates the latters LENS Print Engine into Tongtais AMH-350 vertical milling machine. Tongtai is currently demonstrating its new hybrid additive manufacturing system at the Taipei International Machine Tool Show (TIMTOS) in Taiwan. A spokesperson for Tongtai, Lulu Yen, said at the event: 3D metal printing equipment is expected to be Tongtais next sales catalyst. Once it is commercially available, the hybrid 3D printer could have applications in the aerospace and medical sectors, and is expected to bolster Tongtais global reach and impact. TIMTOS 2017 According to Tongtai, its clients in the aerospace industry account for almost 10% of the companys total sales, so having a new product to offer them could be very beneficial. The automotive sector accounts for a whopping 50% of its sales. In addition to the new hybrid 3D printing system, Tongtai is also seeking to increase its business with a new manufacturing plant in Kaohsiungs Lujhu District. The plant, which reportedly cost about NT$600 million (over 19 million USD), will begin production next month and will primarily be turning out large-scale, industrial machines for the aerospace industry. Taiwan, which last year saw a drop in its machine tool industry (due to global economic slowdown, among other factors), is expecting to see a rise this year. Sources expect that Taiwans machinery exports will grow by about 10% this year. As for Tongtai, it sees its sales in the industry continuing to grow, and has laid out a 5% annual sales growth target for the year. Photos: Tongtai Posted in 3D Printer Company Maybe you also like: Lydialyle Gibson in Harvard Magazine: Throughout last Fridays daylong conference at the Radcliffe Institute on slavery and its historical ties to Harvard and other universities, the conversation kept coming back to something that writer Ta-Nehisi Coates had said during the mornings keynote address. We talk about enslavement as if it were a bump in the road. And I tell people: its the road. Its the actual road. Coates was talking about slaverys colossal formative influence on American history, from the founding to the present; but universities, too, have been finding out in recent years just how deep their own roots are sunk into, as Harvard historian Sven Beckert phrased it Friday, the violence of the slave trader, the Middle Passage, the auction block, and the whip. Researchers at Yale, Princeton, Brown, William & Mary, the University of Virginia, Rutgers, Georgetownand Harvardas well as other schools, have uncovered sometimes extensive historical connections to slavery: slave owners among the faculty and administration; significant gifts from slave-owning donors; endowment money and investments in the slave trade; campuses built and subsidized in part by slave labor. University scholars authored many of the racist scientific theories that legitimized slaverys existence. One reminder of that scholarship on Friday was the shirtless man staring out from the conference program. Radcliffe dean Lizabeth Cohen explained that his name was Renty, a Congolese-born slave whose daguerreotype image was taken in 1850 on a South Carolina plantation and commissioned by Harvard professor Louis Agassiz. A biologist and geologist and a student of Earths history, Agassiz developed the theory of polygenesis, which denied the existence of a common human ancestor and held that blacks were inferior to whites. The Renty daguerreotype, along with others from Agassizs tour of Southern plantations, was lost for decades, until archivists at the Peabody Museum rediscovered it in 1976. In his keynote, Coates was unequivocal about what he believes should happen next. I think every single one of these universities needs to make reparations, he said, as the auditorium broke into loud applause. I dont know how you get around that, I just dont. I dont know how you conduct research that shows that your very existence is rooted in a great crime, and just say Well, shrugand maybe at best say Im sorry, and you walk away. And I think you need to use the language of reparation, I think you need to say that word. More here. Annie Lowrey in The Atlantic: Angus Deaton studies the grand questions not just of economics but of life. What makes people happy? How should we measure well-being? Should countries give foreign aid? What can and should experiments do? Is inequality increasing or decreasing? Is the world getting better or worse? Better, he believes, truly better. But not everywhere or for everyone. This week, in a speech at a conference held by the National Association for Business Economics, Deaton, the Nobel laureate and emeritus Princeton economist, pointed out that inequality among countries is decreasing, while inequality within countries is increasing. China and India are making dramatic economic improvements, while parts of sub-Saharan Africa are seeing much more modest gains. In developed countries, the rich have gotten much richer while the middle class has shriveled. A study he coauthored with the famed Princeton economist Anne Case highlights one particularly dire outcome: Mortality is actually increasing for middle-aged white Americans, due in no small part to overdoses and suicidesso-called deaths of despair. (Case also happens to be Deatons wife. More on that later.) Deaton sat down with me after his speech. We talked about whether poor people are better off here or in low-income countries, the moral ambiguities of companies making money off of Medicaid-financed OxyContin prescriptions, which is the nicest conservative think tank in Washington, what is going on with white people and mortality, and the charms of former-President Obama. More here. Mary Beard at the London Review of Books: It is happily the case that in 2017 there are more women in what we would all probably agree are powerful positions than there were ten, let alone fifty years ago. Whether that is as politicians, police commissioners, CEOs, judges or whatever, its still a clear minority but there are more. (If you want some figures, around 4 per cent of UK MPs were women in the 1970s; around 30 per cent are now.) But my basic premise is that our mental, cultural template for a powerful person remains resolutely male. If we close our eyes and try to conjure up the image of a president or (to move into the knowledge economy) a professor, what most of us see isnt a woman. And thats just as true even if you are a woman professor: the cultural stereotype is so strong that, at the level of those close-your-eyes fantasies, it is still hard for me to imagine me, or someone like me, in my role. I put the phrase cartoon professor into Google Images cartoon professor to make sure that I was targeting the imaginary ones, the cultural template, not the real ones. Out of the first hundred that came up, only one, Professor Holly from Pokemon Farm, was female. To put this the other way round, we have no template for what a powerful woman looks like, except that she looks rather like a man. The regulation trouser suits, or at least the trousers, worn by so many Western female political leaders, from Merkel to Clinton, may be convenient and practical; they may be a signal of the refusal to become a clothes horse, which is the fate of so many political wives; but theyre also a simple tactic like lowering the timbre of the voice to make the female appear more male, to fit the part of power. more here. Here's to less fog, longer days, and our favorite Bay Area hikes for the new season. Watch the Sunset Above the Clouds on Mt. Tam At 2,570 feet, the East Peak is the tallest point on Mount Tam and, naturally, the best spot for watching the sunset. You can hike or bike the entire way up, but for a quicker trip and one where you don't need to worry too much about struggling back down in the dark afterward try out the combination of the Verna Dunshee Loop and the Plankwalk Trail. After taking in views of Marin, San Francisco, and the East Bay along the half-mile loop, head up the quarter mile trail to the summit. Learn more. Insider Tip: Looking for a place to eat before or afterward? Grab a burger at the Mountain Home Inn. Hike to a 40-Foot Waterfall You've probably heard lots of talk about this 8.4-mile out-and-back trail, and with good reason how many places can you hike right up to a 40-foot waterfall cascading down onto the beach and into the Pacific? Starting at the Palomarin trailhead, you'll soon find yourself walking along with coast with views of the ocean. Once you reach the coast, take your time walking down the trail can be steep and gravelly but once you reach the beach, it'll all be worth it. Learn more. Insider Tip: Hot day? Cool down on the hike back with a dip in Bass Lake. Check out the Wildflowers in Point Reyes One of the most recognizable landmarks on the Point Reyes National Seashore, Chimney Rock is also one of the Bay's best spots to see some spectacular wildflowers. Even on weekdays, the 1.8-mile out-and-back trail can get crowded, so head there early with your camera in hand to see some amazing views not only of cliffs dropping down into the Pacific, but of goldenfields, blue-eyed grass, and mule-ear sunflowers. Learn more. Insider Tip: Lucky for you, it's still grey whale migration seasons. Bring a pair of binoculars and watch them swimming along the coast. Explore Whaler's Cove in Point Lobos State Reserve A gem along the California Coast, Point Lobos State Reserve is located just south of Monterey along Highway 1. Explore the lush forests and coastal views around Whaler's Cove, a protected inlet that's perfect for a little solitude while watching the sunset. Learn more. Insider Tip: Make a day of checking out the Monterey area and visit the sea otters at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Believe us it's not just for kids. Hike the Marin Trifecta: Matt Davis, Dipsea, and Steep Ravine If you're looking for an adventure that combines three of the quintessential Marin hikes, look no farther than this 7.5-mile loop that gives you waterfalls, redwoods, and open meadows along the Matt Davis Trail, the Dipsea Trail, and dips down to coastal Steep Ravine. Over the course of three or four hours of hiking, you'll get a great workout with 1,600 feet in elevation gain not to mention views of Point Reyes, the Pacific, waterfalls, and wildflowers. Learn more. Insider Tip: Be sure to take the classic Steep Ravine photo once you reach the particularly steep part of the trail's wooden ladder. HMD Global, which has licensed the rights to the Nokia brand name, is rereleasing a $50 version of the classic Finnish old-school phone, which first debuted in 2000. The original 3310 had a funky, low-resolution monochrome screen, and you couldnt do much with it other than make phone calls and send texts. Even so, the 3310s durability and battery life made it so popular that Nokia sold $125 million worth of them before it was discontinued in 2005. The new reimagined version of the 3310, which was unveiled at a trade show in Barcelona, looks pretty much like the original except that it comes in multiple colors. It also has the iconic Nokia ringtone as well as an updated version of the classic phone game Snake. It does incorporate a few technological advances that have become staples in this millennium, such as a camera and a 2.4-inch color screen. A Columbus man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of possessing child pornography. Joseph Wayne Marsh was arrested Tuesday in Columbus for downloading child pornography, according to a news release by the Montana Attorney General's Office. Marsh will make his first court appearance Thursday before Stillwater County District Court Judge Blair Jones. Stillwater County Attorney Nancy Rohde and Assistant Attorney General Ole Olson filed charges against Marsh Wednesday in Stillwater County District Court. Marsh was previously convicted in 2010 for possession of child pornography in federal court and is a registered sex offender. The Montana Department of Justices Division of Criminal Investigation began investigating Marsh in July 2016. He appeared to be downloading child pornography using internet access at his residence, a local library and a local church, according to the release. When DCI executed a search warrant on Marshs residence, the agents found a laptop with a background image of child sex abuse, according to the release. DCI also confirmed the computer had programs installed on it used to download child pornography. A former Molt woman who continued her husbands methamphetamine distribution activities after he died will spend almost four years in federal prison. Charity Leigh Mendonsa, 41, now of Rancho Mirage, Calif., told a federal judge at sentencing on Wednesday that getting convicted was one of the best things that has happened to her. I got my life back. Whatever the outcome is Im OK with it, Mendonsa told U.S. District Judge Susan Watters. Watters held Mendonsa responsible for two and a half pounds of pure meth distributed over about six months. Thats a considerable amount of methamphetamine, she said. A meth user since age 14, Mendonsa pleaded guilty in October to possession with intent to distribute meth as part of plea deal in which conspiracy and other charges were dismissed. Mendonsa also testified against Gary Lee Quigg, a paroled murderer who worked for the states Public Defenders Office in Billings, and Quiggs wife, Dusty Whitehouse, at a jury trial in February. A jury convicted both Quigg and Whitehouse on all counts in a meth trafficking case. The pair are awaiting sentencing. Prosecutors said Mendonsa supplied Quigg and Whitehouse with meth and also sold it twice to undercover agents. A meth user, Mendonsa took up dealing after her husband, Kevin Mendonsa, died in April 2015, while she was away. She was left with no money and no home. Kevin Mendonsa made drug runs to California to supply his wife and also sold to Quiqq, Whitehouse and others, prosecutors said. After Kevin Mendonsa died, his clients came to Charity Mendonsa, who began making drug runs to California to get meth for redistribution. Agents arrested Mendonsa on the second buy in October 2015. Mendonsa faced an initial sentencing range of about seven to nine years. The guideline range was shortened to about four years to five years after a meeting with the judge and attorneys. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus recommended a sentence in the shortened range, noting the quantity of meth Mendonsa distributed. Mendonsas attorney, Jack Sands of Billings, sought probation. Watters continued Mendonsas release and ordered her to surrender to prison when she is assigned to a facility. An update on White Cliff Minerals' recent achievements and ongoing development of the high grade Aucu gold deposit in Central Asia Investor Briefings Invitation Perth, Mar 9, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - White Cliff Minerals Ltd ( ASX:WCN ) is pleased to invite investors to hear Managing Director, Todd Hibberd present for White Cliff Minerals at Proactive Investors CEO Spotlight Investor Sessions in Sydney and Melbourne. A copy of the presentation (see the link below) is attached. Sydney - Tuesday, 14th March 2017 from 12-noon to 2.30pm Radisson Blu Hotel, Marble Room (Cnr. Pitt and O'Connell Street, Sydney) Melbourne - Wednesday, 15th March 2017 from 12-noon to 2.30pm CQ Functions, Events Room 1 (113 Queen Street, Melbourne) To book you seat at the presentation please register by Friday, 10th March 2017: Sydney - http://www.abnnewswire.net/lnk/Y12KRNK2 Melbourne - http://www.abnnewswire.net/lnk/071E95Z8 Aucu Gold Deposit Summary As previously reported (ASX releases 24 Mar 15 and 02 Apr 15), the Company announced a maiden inferred resource for the Aucu gold deposit above a cut-off grade of 1 g/t gold of 1.15 Million tonnes grading 4.2 g/t gold for 156,000 ounces of contained gold. The Company is currently undertaking a new JORC resource estimate based on drilling completed in 2015 and 2016. The new estimate will be completed in March 2017 and followed by a mining optimisation study that will identify the potential amount of economically mineable gold. In 2015, drilling identified exceptional gold mineralisation to the east of the Upper Gold Zone (UGZ) over a strike length of at least 500 metres. Results included: - 8 metres at 55.2 g/t gold from 66 metres including 1 metre at 89.9 g/t gold - 4 metres at 59.9 g/t gold from 66 metres including 1 metre at 189 g/t gold - 2 metres at 43.5 g/t gold from 86 metres - 1 metre at 103.4 g/t gold from 74 metres - 3 metres at 41.4 g/t gold including 1 metre at 71 g/t gold - 4 metres at 23.8 g/t gold from 85 metres - 2 metres at 22 g/t gold from 102 metres - 1 metre at 58 g/t gold In 2016, drilling east of the Upper Gold Zone identified further substantial mineralisation over an additional 300 metres of strike length. Results included: - 11 metres at 15.2 g/t gold from 42 metres including 1 metre at 149 g/t gold - 12 metres at 15.6 g/t gold from 82 metres including 2 metres at 79 g/t gold - 12 metres at 5.1 g/t gold from 34 metres including 2 metres at 26.2 g/t gold - 5 metres at 9.9 g/t gold from 3 metres - 9 metres at 8.3 g/t gold from 96 metres - 4 metres at 12 g/t gold from 49 metres - 3 metres at 11.2 g/t gold from 13 metres - 3 metres at 11.9 g/t gold from 45 metres - 5 metres at 7.6 g/t gold from 93 metres - 3 metres at 9.8 g/t gold from 9 metres Substantial copper intersections include: - 66 metres at 0.91% copper from 33 metres including 18 metres at 1.85% copper - 24 metre at 1.34% copper from 71 metres including 7 metres at 5.1% copper - 19 metres at 0.74% copper from 22 metres including 2 metres at 2.4% copper In addition: - Mineralisation outcrops at surface over an elevation of at least 600 metres, - Mineralisation remains open in all directions and at depth, - Overall metallurgical recovery of all mineralised zones is 99%, and - Gravity recoverable gold averages 88.6% (gold that reports to the gravity concentrate). To view the full release and the presentation, please visit: http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/FD581VWH About White Cliff Minerals Ltd White Cliff Minerals Ltd is a Gold, Copper, Cobalt, Nickel resources and mining company listed in Australia (ASX:WCN). The Company is focused on developing low cost high value mineral deposits that have near term cash flow potential. Major projects include the Aucu gold deposit that contains 484,000 ounces of gold (3mt at 5.1 g/t) starting at surface and Chanach copper deposit that contains 64,000 tonnes of copper (17.2Mt at 0.37% copper). Both projects have substantial blue sky potential with drilling covering only 5% of the known structures. In Australia the company is developing the Coronation Dam cobaltnickel deposit where a maiden resource will be announced in the late 2018. Land Lease Agreement Expands Duncan Production Capacity Perth, Mar 9, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - MMJ PhytoTech Limited ( ASX:MMJ ) ("MMJ" or "the Company") is pleased to advise that its wholly-owned subsidiary United Greeneries Holdings Ltd ("UG") has executed an agreement with Cowichan Tribes ("Cowichan") in respect to the leasing of a 13-acre land package ("Expansion Land") located adjacent to the Company's existing Duncan Facility. - Agreement with Cowichan Tribes secures additional 13 acre land package located directly adjacent to existing Duncan Facility - United Greeneries ready to commence Phase 1 Expansion Strategy targeting cannabis production capacity of approx. 8,500kg p.a. by YE 2017 - Potential to add additional 20 acres of greenhouse space through JV with Cowichan Tribes - further boosting production capacity to approx. 50,000kg p.a. - Land lease agreement fulfills second last escrow requirement for release of CAD$25M Harvest One financing - funds expected to be received during March - Harvest One RTO transaction nearing completion - resulting issuer Harvest One Cannabis (TSX-V: HVST) to commence trading on TSX-V by late March The Expansion Land will underpin UG's Phase 1 Expansion Strategy, initially supporting up to three acres of additional greenhouse production space, increasing production capacity to approx. 8,500kg of dried cannabis buds by the end of calendar year 2017. The agreement also provides scope for a potential Joint Venture ("JV") with Cowichan to further expand UG's landholding with an additional 20 acres of greenhouse production space. This would drive production capacity at the Duncan Facility to approx. 50,000kg p.a. by 2020, potentially establishing UG as one of the largest cannabis producers in Canada. The rapid scaling up of production is a significant near-term catalyst for MMJ, as it will enable the Company to establish a first-mover advantage in the soon to be legalised Canadian recreational market - with conservative estimates forecasting annual sales in the vicinity of ~C$5 billion. Importantly, the execution of the land lease agreement with Cowichan meets one of the final escrow requirements for the release of funds from the recently oversubscribed CAD$25M Harvest One Capital Corp. ( CVE:WON.H ) placement (see announcement dated 23 February 2017). MMJ expects the Reverse-Take-Over ("RTO") of Harvest One to be finalised and the resulting issuer, Harvest One Cannabis (TSX-V: HVST), to commence trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange Venture ("TSX-V") by late March. Post transaction, MMJ shareholders will have a 60% ownership in Harvest One, and exposure to two strategic cannabis brands (United Greeneries and Satipharm AG) operating in one of the fastest growing cannabis markets globally. MMJ PhytoTech's Managing Director, Andreas Gedeon, commented: "The expansion of United Greeneries' landholding at Duncan is a significant milestone that provides the business with the operational flexibility to rapidly scale up cannabis production ahead of the anticipated legalisation of the Canadian recreational market later this year. Importantly, the business is now fully-financed to roll-out its aggressive Phase 1 Expansion Strategy, following the recently oversubscribed CAD$25 million placement executed by Harvest One to finalise the acquisition of both United Greeneries and Satipharm. Cannabis cultivation activities are well-advanced at the Duncan Facility, with the first harvest due this quarter. The Company looks forward to providing shareholders with further corporate and operational updates in the coming weeks." To view tables and figures, please visit: http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/638IU823 About MMJ Group Holdings Ltd MMJ Group Holdings Ltd (ASX:MMJ) is a global cannabis investment company. MMJ owns a portfolio of minority investments and aims to invest across the full range of emerging cannabis-related sectors including healthcare, technology, infrastructure, logistics, processing, cultivation, equipment and retail. For MMJ's latest investor presentation and news, please visit: https://www.mmjphytotech.com.au/investors/ CAPITAL MINING TO ACQUIRE COBALT PROJECT IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA Cobalt Project Acquisition & Placement Perth, Mar 9, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Capital Mining Limited ( ASX:CMY ) ("Capital" or "the Company") is pleased to announce it has entered into a Binding Agreement ("Agreement") with Maincoast Pty Ltd ("Maincoast") to acquire the Scotia Cobalt-Nickel Project ("Acquisition") in the eastern goldfields of Western Australia. Highlights - Capital Mining enters into Option Agreement to acquire 100% of the Scotia Cobalt-Nickel project in the eastern goldfields of Western Australia ? Project has strong Cobalt prospectivity - numerous historic zones of anomalous Cobalt - Historical exploration focused largely on nickel - cobalt potential yet to be fully explored - Cobalt price has risen 100% in 12 months to ~US$50,000 per tonne - Due diligence to commence immediately - Placement completed to fund exploration across Capital's project portfolio Under the Agreement Capital is to acquire a 100% interest in the Scotia Project subject to the satisfactory completion of due diligence by Capital, to be completed by 21st April 2017. Details of key acquisition terms are included in this announcement. Capital views the Scotia Project as a highly prospective cobalt asset located in an established and active mineral province approximately 65 kilometres north-north west of Kalgoorlie. It represents a significant, and potentially highly value accretive, acquisition for Capital which complements its portfolio of technology metals assets. An initial review of historic data has shown that highly anomalous cobalt mineralisation exists across the Project, principally in association with higher grade nickel mineralisation within the project.(1) Capital will now immediately commence due diligence in respect of the Agreement. This will involve interrogation and interpretation of all available historical data, with a view to establishing a fuller assessment of the Project's potential. Capital will report the findings of its due diligence in due course. The Company will also use the due diligence process to generate priority cobalt target areas, and, subject to successful completion of due diligence, will expedite its exploration programs at the Project, including drilling. Background to Scotia Cobalt-Nickel Project The Scotia Project is situated just 20km along strike of the Silver Swan and Black Swan nickel mines (which host approximately 185,000t Ni production and resources) within the Archean Kalgoorlie Greenstone Terrane of Western Australia. Nickel has historically been the key commodity focus at the Project, but Cobalt mineralisation has also been identified within the Project area. The Project has been variously explored for nickel particularly in the late 1960's and 1970's. Two main nickel prospects were identified during this exploration; the Ringlock and GSP prospects, with several other targets also identified. Many of the drill holes completed were scout holes drilled to less than 70 metres. Deeper drilling focused on the GSP prospect. Very limited deeper drilling has been conducted at Ringlock and, whilst several geophysical anomalies were defined and tested (some with associated nickel mineralisation), many anomalies remain untested, including in respect of their cobalt potential. About Cobalt Cobalt has reached a current spot price of ~US$50,000/t representing a 100% increase in price over the past year. The primary drivers for this price increase include: - Recent surge in demand from the energy storage market; - Supply challenges associated with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) producing 60% of global cobalt production; and - Lack of recent exploration discoveries. Increasing Demand for Cobalt Cobalt is a key component of the battery chemistry for lithium ion batteries. There is more cobalt by dollar value and weight being used in the main lithium-ion battery types than lithium. Cobalt has a diverse range of metallurgical and chemical uses ranging from aircraft engines to rechargeable batteries. The demand for cobalt is expected to grow over the next decade. Cobalt is a LME traded commodity and the price of Cobalt has increased over 100% in recent times (currently ?US$50,000/ tonne). As demand increases, investors and traders continue to position themselves to source cobalt for the numerous large scale lithium-ion battery factories that are under construction and expected to be completed from 2016 to 2020, such as the Giga-factory in the US. Cobalt Supply Chain Issues Cobalt is typically mined as a low-grade by-product of copper or nickel. This by-product is an uncertain and reduced source of supply. In addition, over 55% of the cobalt produced comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) - of which 94% makes its way to China - which has a history of supply side disruptions and significant sovereign risk. In 2016, Amnesty International released a report highlighting human rights and child labour abuses at its cobalt mines. Clean supply chain sourcing for battery materials and associated branding issues/customer expectations are expected to become an increasingly important issues for multinationals that source cobalt for their lithium-ion batteries from the DRC. Acquisition Terms Under the Agreement CMY has agreed to acquire the Scotia Cobalt-Nickel Project subject to the satisfactory completion of due diligence by CMY in respect of the Project by 21st April 2017. The consideration for the Acquisition is: (a) 5,000,000 fully paid ordinary CMY shares for the grant of the exclusive due diligence/option period; and (b) 50,000,000 fully paid ordinary CMY shares and 25,000,000 options to subscribe for CMY shares for $0.02 each within 3 years of the date of issue upon completion of the Acquisition. Placement Completed Capital is also pleased to advise that it has successfully completed a Placement to raise $1,000,000 via the issue of 111 million Ordinary Shares in Capital at an issue price of 0.9c per share. The funds raised will be used to fund targeted exploration programs across the Company's project portfolio and also for working capital. The Company would like to acknowledge the support of all investors who participated in the Placement. Note: 1 All exploration contained in this report was conducted by Western Areas N.L, Consolidated Exploration N.L., Fodina Minerals Pty. Ltd., Project investors Pty. Ltd., or Osmere N.L. or associated and prior operators. To view tables and figures, please visit: http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/JG68W2RH About Capital Mining Limited Capital Mining Limited (ASX:CMY) is an active ASX listed junior mineral resources company focused on the acquisition and exploration of key, demand driven commodities. Its project portfolio includes lithium prospective assets in Western Australia and the Republic of Ireland, plus gold and base metals projects in New South Wales. Distribution of company announcements to the professional platforms, finance portals and syndication of important corporate news to a wide variety of news aggregators and financial news systems. U.S. Air Force Gen. Hawk Carlisle commander of Air Combat Command announced the ACC Outstanding Airmen of the Year (OAY), First Sergeant of the Year (FSOY) Annual award Winners today. "Each year, we select one Airman from each category to represent the amazing Airmen of Air Combat Command. My thanks to each of you for taking the time to nominate all of the individuals submitted. The caliber of those nominated was impressive to say the least. It was an extremely close competition....all should be very proud," said Gen. Carlisle. This year, the following personnel have been selected as our winners and will represent the Command at the Air Force level. Outstanding Airmen of the Year: Airman Category: Senior Airman Liae Hess, 355th Fighter Wing air traffic controller, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, is ACCs OAY in the Airman category. Efforts that contributed to her selection include the considerable effort, initiative and attention to detail she puts into her job day-in and day-out, according to her supervisor, Staff Sgt. Alex Donovan. I couldnt ask for a better troop to have, Donavan said. A lot of times, the career field breeds air traffic controllers first and Airmen second. I really feel like Airman Hess has done a good job balancing both of those things. Hess enjoys getting involved and constantly keeping busy, she said, and especially loves the team concept that is intertwined in the daily aspects of her career. It was really humbling for me to be put up for this award and be recognized, Hess said. Seeing the impact Ive had on other people is really what motivated me. I am really grateful for my leadership and for everybody that has helped push me this far. NCO Category: Tech. Sgt. Jose Cruz-Richardson, 15th Air Support Operations Squadron chief of weapons and tactics, is ACCs OAY in the noncommissioned officer category. I think its a privilege to be given such a great opportunity to represent my career field, my community and weapons school, Cruz-Richardson said. Cruz-Richardson has a natural tendency to help others rise and to help Airmen in the unit improve to reach their full potential, according to Capt. Derek Hopkins, 15th ASOS acting director of operations. I had the opportunity to meet Cruz-Richardson before he went to weapons school and even then he was always the go-to JTAC (joint terminal air-traffic controller), Hopkins said. When he got back, he was still all about helping the unit and helping to build a better JTAC corps. for the Air Force. Cruz-Richardson tackles every task with tenacity, passion and sacrifice, said his wife, Stephanie. Other Airmen see his work ethic and it also goes down to the younger Airman who also see him as a role model, she said. Senior Noncommissioned Officer Category: Master Sgt. Josh Malyemezian, 55th Contracting Station assistant chief of the contingency support flight, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, is ACCs OAY in the senior noncommissioned officer category. The leadership role he took in his squadrons contingency support flight was highlighted as one among multiple items that led up to his award. We stood up a contingency contracting officer five-day bare base exercise, Malyemezian said. This has been an unbelievable experience so far, and Im honored to be ACCs nominee for the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year program. Malyemezian and his team also prepared nine contracting officers from the ranks of Airman to first lieutenant to go downrange. As a principle author behind his units $90 million multiple-award construction contract, hes saved the Air Force $11 million through the work hes done throughout the year, according to Lt. Col. Hayes J. Weydman, 55th CS commander. But his performance in the contracting squadron has been much more than just contracts, Weydman said. Hes also been a leader in the squadron and across the wing. The new Airmen that arrive into the 55th Contracting Squadron not only buy into the Air Force heritage and culture, but they also become active in the wing. They do that because they have an outstanding example to follow in Master Sgt. Malyemezian, Weydman said. He is (also) an outstanding example to all of Offutt Air Force Bases Airmen. First Sergeant Category: Master Sgt. Mark Curtis, 379th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron first sergeant, is the ACCs OAY in the first sergeant category. His leadership contributed to the wing providing maintenance in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and Operation Freedom Sentinel. As a three-time squadron commander, I can honestly say that Master Sgt. Mark Curtis is the best first sergeant Ive ever worked with, said Lt. Col. Joshua Pope, 379th EAMXS. His care of 3,000 total force Airmen has enabled a generation of 13,000 combat missions. Curtis supported the first Air Force Central Command deployment of the B-52 in almost 26 years. Hes helped turn aircraft for 441 missions that consisted of 5,570 flight hours and the release of 3,284 munitions on targets in Iraq and Syria. Master Sgt. Curtis is a straight shooter. He cares about his Airman and he is ahead of the curve all of the time, Pope said. He always knows whats going on with them and he does his best to take care of them each and every day. Curtis also epitomizes what it means to be a wingman, according to Brig. Gen. Darren James, commander of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing. Hes constantly focused on ensuring were loyal to our Airmen and were dedicated to their well-being, ensuring they have the tools to conduct the mission each and every day, James said. Curtis credits all of his success to the support of his family. My wifes support in being there for our four children (allows) me to go off and focus on our Airmen and the mission, Curtis said. My wife puts me at ease. Through our texting and phone calls, I know she is taking care of everything. She has supported me for the last 16 years and she is the foundation for what I am able to accomplish day in and day out. Congratulations to the ACC winners. Greg Gianforte had lost a brutal race for governor just days before David Vap bumped into him at a Bozeman dinner party. It was like the Republican had emerged from a car wreck without a scratch. I asked him how he was doing, and he was like Im fine, and I couldnt believe it, Vap said. I dont consider myself a wimpy guy, but I couldnt do it. But it was that way at work, too. Everything would just fall off of him in pursuit of what he was trying to accomplish. There was no legacy molasses, and I dont know how he does it. Vap, as software engineer for the Gianforte-created RightNow Technologies, worked as closely with the entrepreneur as anyone. The two now serve on several boards of directors for companies spawned by employee proceeds from RightNow's $1.8 billion sale to Oracle. He expected his friend to show some political bruising. During the campaign, Gianforte had been attacked for his religious beliefs and his business. The attacks on RightNow hurt even Vap, who helped build the company and thought his own accomplishments were being tarnished. Gianforte was branded an outsider set on denying Montanans access to public land. In the end, he was even accused of wanting to impose a sales tax. The attacks worked. The candidate took a financial hit. Gianforte, 55, spent more than $5.78 million of his own money trying to unseat Gov. Steve Bullock, but trailed the incumbent by 19,818 votes. The Republican lost Gallatin County, his home of 24 years and the place where he employed hundreds of people. Campaigning under the banner Sweep 16, Montanas GOP candidates took every statewide race but one: Gianfortes. But there was Gianforte, chatting up folks at the party seeming concerned only about whether someone would pass the potatoes. Monday, Republicans selected Gianforte as their candidate for the May 25 U.S. House election to replace Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who resigned Montanas lone congressional seat March 1 to lead the Department of the Interior. County precinct committee people from around the state gave Gianforte 74 percent of the vote on the first ballot. Seven other candidates unevenly split the difference. No legacy molasses to be found. Democrats selected Rob Quist as their candidate Sunday. I was really humbled by that victory," Gianforte said. "There were 210 delegate seats; 203 were seated with very short notice, just a couple of days. I was very encouraged. I spent the last couple years traveling the state. I was staying in these peoples homes. I got a chance to get to know them. They got a chance to know me, and that was evident the other night. Its been 21 years since a Democrat won Montanas U.S. House seat. With the exception of 2000, when there was no incumbent and both parties had strong candidates, the race has produced blowouts with Republicans winning by double digit margins. In 2016, Zinke defeated Democrat Denise Juneau by 79,439 votes. However, Gianforte doesnt expect this House race to be easy. Nationally, Democrats were slack-jawed at President Donald Trumps victory over Hillary Clinton last November. There are five House seats to be filled by special election in 2017. If Democrats have any chance of stopping the Republican agenda, they will have to win at least some of those special election races, plus whatever they can pick up in the 2018 general election. The number of House wins Democrats need to take control for the first time since 2009 is 24. Montanas House seat is second up, after Kansas, which votes April 11 to replace Mike Pompeo, Trump's new CIA director. This race in a very real sense is going to be a referendum on the November election, Gianforte said. I believe its the first one in the country. Theres going to be a lot of national attention here. Americans spoke very loudly that theyre not happy with whats going on in Washington D.C. We selected a president who is going to shake it up, drain the swamp. Supporting Trump The early message Gianforte is putting out is that Montanans who gave Trump a 20-point victory margin in Montana where Clinton trailed the president by 101,000 votes need to send someone who supports Trumps agenda to the House. Hes backing up that argument with some populist reforms that play well in the state. Special interests and bureaucrats have taken over Washington. We need to get term limits in place, Gianforte said. We need to bar Congressional members from becoming lobbyists after they leave and give the power back to the people. We need to preserve the Montana way of life, and by that I mean the number one thing Ive heard traveling around the state is that people have issues with all the federal overreach, Gianforte said. They were concerned about Keystone pipeline, the Clean Power Plan, the EPA, the Endangered Species Act. All of those things. All the public lands issues. Im in Montana because of the public lands. In 2016, both Bullock and Gianforte said they were for public lands, while accusing the other side of lying to voters. Bullocks campaign accused Gianforte of suing the state to shut down stream access. The lawsuit centered on Gianforte arguing that the state had put a public easement in the wrong place. He wanted it moved. The state obliged. This election, the public lands debate Gianforte wants to have is about more local control of federal lands. Montana is currently allowed to manage beetle-killed timber harvesting on 5 million acres of federal forest land. Gianforte said he would like to see more management like that. Craig Wilson, Montana State University Billings political science professor emeritus, said Gianforte will have to campaign on the Trump agenda, no matter whether he wants to. Trump is the Republican president. Had Gianforte stood by Trump last year, his chances at the governors office might have been better. The challenge for Gianforte running to drain the swamp is Republicans now own it, Wilson said. The party controls the presidency, the House and the Senate. I dont think Gianforte turned to Trump often enough, Wilson said. Trump won by 100,000 votes. He won big. Zinke turned to Trump. He won by 80,000 votes. Another run In Trump's 20-point Montana win over Clinton last November, the president drew 43,125 voters who didnt continue voting Republican when they got to the circle beside Gianfortes name. Leading up to the Montana GOP nominating convention, Gianforte detractors argued that after an aggressive 2016 campaign, which included 36,000 favorable Gianforte television commercials the most of any gubernatorial candidate in the country voters not only knew Gianforte, but had made up their minds about him. A Lee Montana Newspapers poll last October indicated that more than 90 percent of voters knew who Gianforte is. Thats not how former RightNow employee Brady Wiseman believes his former boss would see the race. Wiseman, a Bozeman Democrat who served in the Montana Legislature, said Gianforte would look at the 19,818 votes by which the candidate trailed Bullock and like the odds. Hes a glass is half full kind of guy, and his attitude is, If I got that this time, and if I could just get this much farther in six months, Id win,' Wiseman said. And Id add this: Greg is not known for being humble. Looking back at 2016, Gianforte said he took a lot of arrows for other Republican candidates who did win. His race was the states most expensive. History was not on his side. I knew going into that race that the last time a Republican beat a sitting Democrat governor in the state of Montana was 65 years ago," Gianforte said. "That was before I was born. When everyone else said taking on a popular incumbent was impossible, I stepped up. Nobody else did. I wasnt afraid of that challenge. And I think Montanans want a strong voice back in Washington to take on the challenges were facing. Thats all about looking forward, not looking back. Air Partner, the global aviation services group, set the wheels in motion for two car launches in January and February this year, flying thousands of guests to Spain for the launches of the new BMW 5 Series and the new MINI Countryman. Courtesy MINI UK Both BMW and MINI needed to fly large numbers of regional CEOs and salespeople from various locations across Europe, while delivering a brand experience in keeping with the premium nature of their product offering. Much like the cars themselves, every aspect of the journey had to run perfectly smoothly no mean feat given that BMW needed to get 6,390 guests to Barcelona from Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium, while 1,280 MINI guests from Germany and the inner regions of Spain were required in Bilbao. It was imperative that the launch experience of both sets of travellers started in advance of the actual events, and even before they set foot on a plane. Air Partners German Commercial Jets team therefore put flawless travel logistics in place and organised different premium services at the airports and on board: these included the prominent display of the BMW and MINI logos on the check-in screens at all the departure airports, and VIP catering for many of the flyers. Every single one of the 52 BMW and 24 MINI flights was then decked out in full brand regalia, with the respective logos on the headrest covers. It was also important to BMW and MINI that all their guests enjoyed a seamless and stress-free journey: consequently Air Partner representatives were on hand at each of the departure airports to answer any queries and flight riders were present on most of the flights. Those who had been in Barcelona for the BMW event were also granted access to the Lounge on their way home, ensuring that the experience did not finish when the launch did. Ishak Mutlu, Head of Commercial Jets & Travel at Air Partner Germany, added: BMW and MINI are extremely valued clients of ours and we were delighted that we were able to get their guests to their respective destinations on time and in a style fitting of their high-end brands. We do a huge amount of work with the automotive industry, and continue to see strong demand for product launches across Europe. Coordinating such a large number of flights within a tight timeframe is never an easy task but our team here in Germany is extremely experienced in pulling together projects of this size and nature. Bombardier Business Aircraft has announced that it is establishing five new line maintenance stations across Europe, including one at Biggin Hill. The facilities provide line maintenance support to Bombardier Business Aircraft customers in Europe, complementing the tip-to-tail heavy maintenance services provided by Bombardiers Service and Support Network in the region and worldwide. This expansion is an integral part of our overall strategy to enhance OEM support for our European operators, including the opening of our brand new heavy maintenance facility at London Biggin Hill Airport, said Jean-Christophe Gallagher, Vice-President and General Manager, Customer Experience, Bombardier Business Aircraft. As a part of our commitment to offering an exceptional customer experience, we are delighted to continue to offer our customers expanded support, more resources and increased flexibility closer to their base of operations. The facilities are located in Linz, Austria; Nice and Cannes, France; and Milan and Olbia, Italy and provide scheduled line maintenance along with unscheduled and AOG maintenance support for Bombardier Learjet, Challenger and Global aircraft in the Europe region. The five stations are connected to Bombardier Business Aircrafts 24/7 Customer Response Centre, as well as Bombardier Business Aircrafts Customer Support Team. The line maintenance facilities join Bombardier Business Aircrafts award-winning network of nine service centres and a total of 17 Customer Response Team mobile units worldwide, all equipped to support Bombardier Learjet, Challenger and Global business aircraft. The networks approximately 1,000 dedicated technicians have completed some 45,000 maintenance events to date and share best practices to provide industry-leading maintenance and care. Bombardier Business Aircraft customers also have access to a broad network of nearly 50 Authorized Service Facilities around the world. Manchester Airport continued its recent spell of double digit growth in February 2017, as the Northern gateway cemented its newly established position in Europe's top 20 airports. Despite there having been one fewer day in February 2017 compared with February 2016, 165,392 more passengers took advantage of the airports connections to long and short haul destinations during the month. The airport also benefitted from staggered half terms across its large catchment area, from Scotland to the Midlands, meaning that the airport spread its peak period over two weeks rather than one. Destinations that experienced the most growth in February 2017 included Poland, Goa, Cyprus and Gibraltar. The airport continues to have ample capacity to grow further on its two full length runways and has recently announced new links to Casablanca with Royal Air Maroc, Riyadh with Saudia Airlines and Frankfurt (Main) with Ryanair. Manchesters expanding long haul network has once again boosted its cargo volumes, with 11.2% more cargo being carried at Manchester than in last February and MAG airports (London Stansted, East Midlands and Bournemouth Airports) imported 70% of all roses for Valentines Day. Calling on the Government to improve links across the North, Charlie Cornish, MAG CEO said Manchester Airport is continuing to show its importance in providing global connectivity to a wider and wider segment of the country. No other airport outside of London can come close to offering the range of global destinations that we offer from our two runways. Now is the time for Government to start making concrete plans to improve access to the airport for the whole of the North. Businesses to the east and the west, particularly in key Northern cities such as Liverpool, Leeds, Bradford and Hull, would benefit from more rapid and convenient rail links to a globally connected airport. The video starts on James Newman standing behind a vehicle in the Rimrock Mall parking lot, confronting two suspected shoplifters as they sit in their vehicle. Boxed into a parking space but wanting to escape, the suspect yells to Newman from the driver's seat. Newman responds with a warning. "If you hit me now, I will f------ open fire," he yells back. He's legally and openly carrying a handgun. There are onlookers at the scene, including a young girl, who move back and forth through the video frame at times. Then the car lurches backward. Newman, who's off to the rear driver's side but close, steps back as the car lurches back again. The first shot comes as the Buick moves forward a couple feet. It appears to stop at the first "POP" of Newman's gun. He's aiming downward at the tires. Newman fires three more times as the Buick takes off forward again, this time to leave the lot. The last bullet kicks up a small snowbank as the Buick rounds a corner onto the main stretch of road in the lot, spilling items from the open rear hatch. After police arrive, Newman is questioned and released at the scene. A week-and-a-half after that Feb. 25 incident, police and the Yellowstone County Attorney's Office are still investigating the incident. It's up to them to determine whether Newman was justified to open fire, or whether he will be charged for what he saw as a good Samaritan act. The legal questions at play are not only statutory. The case could also shed light on a more social view of firearm use and its limits. "Do we want to use a gun to prevent a misdemeanor?" said Andrew King-Ries, associate dean and law professor at the University of Montana. Citizen's arrest, self defense or both? At its core, the situation looks like an attempted citizen's arrest. Montana has a law for that, but it's brief. A private person may arrest someone when there's "probable cause" of a crime and that "the existing circumstances require the person's immediate arrest." The citizen may use "reasonable force" to detain the suspect, so long as the citizen notifies law enforcement. Reports indicate that Newman contacted Billings police and complied without issue. The law's lack of language specifying what kind of force may be used leaves it up to the justice system. "Do we want people, who may be licensed or in other words be responsible gun owners, but are not trained in law enforcement do you want them to be using a gun in that situation?" said King-Ries, who focuses on criminal law, among other things, at UM's Alexander Blewett III School of Law. Newman told KULR-8 television in an interview that he'd been through firearms training as part of a military career with the Marines. He also said he pulled his weapon because he and the onlookers could have been in danger from the moving vehicle. That's where more legal questions arise. Not only does the justice system have to determine firing a gun is reasonable in this citizen's arrest scenario, but also whether it was reasonable in a self-defense situation. "A lot of law that guides us as far as reasonableness is sort of couched in self-defense," said Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito. Montana's use-of-force statute allows for deadly force only if the person believes he or she is under serious threat. A moving vehicle can be considered a deadly weapon, King-Ries said. But there are other factors in the case. The car was moving away from Newman when he fired his first shot. The last shot pierced the snowbank as the car was clearly leaving. King-Ries said the immediacy of the threat disappeared when the car began leaving. If Newman was charged and the case reaches trial, this might play a large role in determining a self-defense claim. Others agreed with that assessment of the threat to Newman. Frank Odermann, a former Navy SEAL and firearms instructor, said this was not a victim in need of self-defense. "Responding to someone who's placing you in danger, I think, is very different than pursuing someone who is not placing you in danger," Odermann said. That could involve another Montana statute, which limits the use of force by someone who's deemed an "aggressor" in a situation. Finding reasonable force Those factors might explain why the investigation continues into both the suspected shoplifting and Newman's actions. Lt. Neil Lawrence of the Billings Police Department declined to comment on the ongoing case. Twito said that his office is trying to get all the information possible, including witness statements, videos and photos. He even mentioned an inquiry into "ricochet factors." It's what he called "the totality of circumstances." "Really the test is reasonable force used to deter the threat," Twito said. There are other use-of-force cases, but every one has its own set of circumstances. A man was not charged in a 2009 incident under the "castle doctrine" after he shot another man in the head during a fight. Another man was charged with a felony in 2016 for allegedly firing his gun straight up into the air while intoxicated. There have been multiple citizen's arrests that involved firearms as well. The Montana Supreme Court ruled in 2014 that an off-duty police officer used reasonable force to detain a suspected DUI driver. In its ruling, the court judged the officer's actions on the citizen's arrest statute because he wasn't on the job. The officer threatened to use his gun but didn't. "(The officer) did not draw his weapon and we are not confronted with a scenario where a citizen has elected to '(take) the law into his own hands,'" the court's opinion stated. In at least two cases since October, citizens have used, but not fired, guns to apprehend suspects prior to law enforcement's arrival. On Feb. 7, a road rage incident in Billings Heights ended with the driver of a commercial truck running over another man twice after a confrontation. A passenger in the victim's pickup then held the commercial driver at gunpoint until police arrived. The driver was detained, and at the time police said the man with the gun appeared to be the legal owner of the firearm and the circumstances would allow for his actions. In an October incident downtown, a volunteer firefighter held a man who ran from a rollover crash at gunpoint until law enforcement arrived. A Montana Highway Patrol sergeant at the time said the help from citizens in the arrest was "greatly appreciated." Orbis' new 'third generation' Flying Eye Hospital, a unique aircraft that plays a vital role in the fight against avoidable blindness, landed in the UK today for the first time in history. Orbis, one of the worlds leading eye charities has reached a major milestone in patient care, delivering over 10 million treatments in a single year, its highest figure in five years. The Flying Eye Hospital stands at the cutting edge of medical innovation. To the eye, it appears as a typical passenger plane; however on the inside there is a state of the art operating theatre, with audio-visual equipment that transmits live operations to trainees in a 46 seat classroom at the front of the plane. The aircraft also features pre and post-op spaces and a laser eye suite. The Flying Eye Hospital enables a global volunteer team of the worlds most highly regarded ophthalmic experts to train local medical professionals, leaving a lasting impact for future generations. HRH The Countess of Wessex, Global Ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) said: Orbiss Flying Eye Hospital is a unique and inspiring instrument in the fight against avoidable blindness. I was able to witness the plane in action in Kolkata in 2013 I observed everything from the most simple cataract surgery using basic cost effective techniques, to a complex prosthetic surgery restoring sight to man who had been blind for fourteen years. These medical interventions, however small, act as a platform to lift communities and countries out of poverty; if you can see you can work, if you can see you can learn." Whilst the plane is in the UK, Orbis will be launching Operation Sight, an extensive new campaign for 2017 that will highlight the stark reality that every minute counts when treating blindness. In 2017, the plane will be undertaking treatment and training programmes in Vietnam, Cameroon and Bangladesh. In the past, the plane has flown to: India, Bangladesh, Nepal, China, Vietnam, Ethiopia, South Africa, Ghana, Zambia, Cameroon, Peru, Mongolia and Indonesia among others. The UK event, taking place between the 11thth and 17th of March, will celebrate the charitys breakthrough work in the fight against avoidable blindness. Blindness takes away so much more than vision. In many countries across the world, a lack of sight can impede your ability to gain an education, prevent you from finding employment and can lead families into a life of poverty. Pacific mission demonstrates C-5M upgrades A C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft from the 22nd Airlift Squadron here flew a Pacific channel mission March 4-5, 2017, to deliver cargo to Yokota Air Base, Japan. The Yokota mission is our proof of the C-5M concept, said Lt. Col. Cory Damon, the 22nd AS commander. The range and capabilities we can provide to the Pacific theater are vast. We are the only ones that can take all this cargo to Yokota without stopping or refueling. According to Damon, the C-5M is now able to cut out a stop at either Joint-Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii or JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska and fly direct to Yokota AB without refueling. This benefits his team and the Air Force by reducing the amount of crew rest required, eliminating potential maintenance or cargo issues at the en-route location, saving time, in addition to cutting overall flight time, thus drastically reducing fuel use. Weve saved 1,680 flight hours, use 34 percent less fuel and cut $4.8 million in fuel costs per year, saving 14 hours in one mission, Damon said. Were able to get up to higher altitudes quicker. Damon added, the advances in technology not only help cut fuel, but allow Air Mobility Command to support a broader area. Its not just the C-5M and the upgrades, its how it's employed. The C-5A, B, and C models underwent the M model upgrade in 2014. The new M model upgrade increases fuel efficiency and allows the aircraft to stay in the air longer, extending its global mobility range and capabilities. We save gas because were flying the M; we save time because we dont need to do it in two days, we can do it in one; we save people because we dont need to send three people, we can send two pilots and fewer loadmasters, we save en-route structure because we dont have to get gas at Hickam, said Lt. Col. Richard Linton, the 22nd AS operations officer. Because of the C-5 upgrades and efficiency of the 22nd AS, mobility Air Force wings globally dont require the extra maintainers to service the C-5M during the Pacific channel missions. This allows the maintenance allocations to be spread to other bases where they are needed. The 22nd AS is routinely flying missions to Yokota AB, around three times per month. We are humbled by the fact that we do this every day," Damon said. "Its normal for us. Its just another mission to most of us, until we step back and look at what we enabled. The C-5 is a strategic asset, projecting strategic power because no one else has a C-5 and the capabilities that it provides. Persian Gulf War POW shares her story at Mildenhall Retired Army Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum visited Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, March 2, 2017, to share her story of resiliency when she was a prisoner of war during the Persian Gulf War in 1991. When I came to, there were five guys with guns pointing at my head, Cornum said. The enemy asked me why I was there, but there was no way I was going to tell him it was for search and rescue. It was pretty obvious what I was doing, so I just said, I had a helicopter wreck. In 1991, Cornum was an Army surgeon deployed to Iraq. Cornum and her team were onboard an Army UH-60A Black Hawk conducting a search and rescue mission for a downed pilot when they were shot down. It was obvious after the first volley of guns that it wasnt going well, she recalled. I thought, Im going to die here. Anyone telling you that their life flashes before their eyes, well Ive got to tell you theyre not flying low-level in a helicopter, because there is no time for your whole life. Theres time for about that one thought and mine was, at least Im dying doing something honorable. After the crash, Cornum awoke to find herself painfully aware of her injuries while encircled by Iraqi soldiers pointing weapons at her. One of the guys reached down and dragged me up, dislocating my already broken arm, the retired brigadier general said, describing how shed lost all feeling and movement in her fingers by that point. All I could do was try to diligently find a way to tolerate this exceptionally unpleasant experience. When my fingers started moving, I was so grateful. It had been hours since I could move them and I realized that if there was blood and I could feel the nerves, then eventually they could probably be fixed. Cornum was then dragged by her hair to a bunker, where she was later interrogated. After hours of questioning she was brought into another area where she was thrown on her knees, surrounded by another group of gunmen. She lifted her head and immediately saw one of her crewmembers. I was never so happy to see another soul in my life, because I thought I was the only survivor, she said. Unfortunately my euphoria didnt last long. Two of the Iraqis had handguns, which they held to the back of our heads. My immediate thought was, oh my goodness, theyre going to execute us right here. My next thought was, How inefficient. Why wouldnt they have just done it when they found me? Why haul me all the way over here? Sure she was going to die, Cornum tried to find the positivity in the situation. I said to myself, Ive really had a great life Ive done almost all of what I wanted to do and Ive accomplished more things than many people do who live twice as long as me. As she waited for her life to end, the gun clicked, but there was no bullet. The Iraqis stood her back up and took her to another room for more interrogation. That really puts things in perspective; whatever else happens to you after that, the thought of someone yelling isnt that bad, Cornum said. She and several other POWs were blindfolded and transported to several locations throughout Iraq. It was then that she finally found the pilot her team initially set out to find. Eventually, all were released to the Red Cross to return home. Once she returned home, she realized nothing had really changed her outlook of how she should be functioning in her everyday life. I guess people thought what I had gone through had changed my plans, she said. But I came back and life went on. I didnt find that this was an inconvenient blip it wasnt like I was going to let it be. I didnt think too much more about it. With being so positive about any road block that came her way, she couldnt understand how anyone could not make it through the hardship she went through. Most people expected her to speak about post-traumatic stress issues, but instead she spoke optimistically about her experience. Many people asked me how I made it. The follow-on statement I got from others after I finished talking would be I dont think I wouldve made it. When I thought about that, I was horrified. I would hate to go through my life thinking I wouldnt be able to deal with any problems I encountered, Cornum said. Once she had the opportunity, she then sought to establish the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program, which teaches people how to deal with adversities more effectively. I felt obligated to take advantage of (creating the program). I wouldnt want people to go through life like that, and certainly not those in the military, she said. She came up with the program by subdividing different core competencies, which people should be proficient in to be resilient, including emotional, social, family, spiritual and physical. A few years later the Air Force implemented the Comprehensive Airman Fitness program. When reflecting on the situation she had been through, Cornum realized she had become a stronger person from having to deal with her experience of being a POW. Bad things happen, so my recommendation is to use them positively, she said. You dont want to get to the end and think that you wish you had done nothing. Scott hosts first jump on new drop zone Scott Air Force Base hosted its first airdrop on a new drop zone here March 1, 2017. Eight Airmen from Scott Air Force Base and Little Rock AFB, Arkansas, jumped from an Air National Guard C-130H Hercules assigned to the 180th Airlift Squadron in St. Joseph, Missouri. This jump provided currency and proficiency for Air Force parachute riggers, jumpers, aircrew, air traffic controllers and a multitude of ancillary personnel. While there have been live jumps at Scott before, this is the first onto the recently certified drop zone. Led by the 375th Operations Support Squadron, this first time use onto this drop zone was the result of a two-year initiative to increase the readiness of Scott Airmen and partners. We are excited for the opportunity to work with the total force, sister services and partner nations who need a place to hone their combat skills, said Lt. Col. Matthew Getty, the 375th OSS commander. He explained that Scott AFB has not been previously considered a viable option for airborne drops because of the 375th Air Mobility Wings relatively small number of active jump personnel, and the numerous restrictions that had been levied on airfield operations throughout the years. We discovered that not only does the need for this type of capability extend well beyond the 375th AMW to many of our installation, regional and international partners, but also that our local procedures and services were not keeping pace with evolving mission sets, Getty said. As a result, operators have overlooked Scott when seeking to meet training requirements which, combined with reduced flying hours across the Defense Department and the reduction of home station aircraft, has eroded the proficiency of personnel who depend on aircraft operations to maintain their combat readiness, Getty said. We found that it was taking our Airmen an inordinate amount of time to get up to speed in the deployed environment which is something we cannot afford, he said. Between 2010 and 2015, the airfield saw roughly a 40 percent drop in aircraft operations. However, with initiatives such as the new drop zone, aircraft hot refueling and the removal of legacy airfield restrictions, the 375th OSS has increased operations by 63 percent in just the past 18 monthsthe number one increase in Air Mobility Command. We plan to continue jump operations in the future and are excited to share this new capability with other organizations, said Maj. Ray Mamuad, the 375th OSS flight commander. In fact we have already scheduled a number of jumps this spring that will include joint and Air Force units. Jumpers included active duty personnel from the 375th OSSs Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape flight and members of Little Rock AFBs 19th OSS, 19th Aerospace Medicine Squadron and the Reserves 913th OSS. Tech. Sgt. Kyle Oler, the 375th NCO in charge of SERE operations, said that the Scott drop zone is perfect for units that need to practice static and freefall jumps. This jump mission was a total force partnership that involved airlift from 180th AS from St. Joseph, Missouri, jump masters and drop zone safety support from Little Rock AFB and organic assets from here at Scott, Oler said. [This jump] gave Scott Airmen great practical, live training. The team from Little Rock was instrumental in instructing our team on how to safely and effectively execute jump operations and Im confident that we, along with our local airlift partners, can continue to provide this great capability to units across the region. Reserve mobility aircrew impacts mission in Baltic region The Air Force Reserves 433rd Airlift Wing C-5M Super Galaxy delivered 207,000 pounds of cargo comprised of three Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, four Army vehicles, and 39 10th Combat Aviation Brigade Soldiers to Latvia Feb. 28 and March 3, in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve. Tasked by Air Mobility Command, the C-5M made two trips from Fort Drum, New York, to Latvia, before returning to its duty station at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. Operation Atlantic Resolve is a nine-month deployment that demonstrates the United States commitment to maintaining peace and stability in the Baltic region, while providing reassurance to NATO allies and regional partners. Through multinational training and exercises, OAR highlights the flexibility of U.S. ground and air forces to rapidly respond to contingencies alongside regional partners. It is critical, one thing we are trying to demonstrate is speed of assembly, said Army Maj. Nathan Colvin, the officer in charge of Task Force Baltic Phoenix officer in charge. From the time the first C-5 left Fort Drum, we were able to rapidly assemble our helicopters and conduct an air assault training mission with Latvian forces on the ground. The Air Forces strategic airlift capability, enabled by AMC, provides global air transportation and enables the U.S. European Command to move the helicopters from their home stations rapidly. On such a long mission, a good attitude is key, said Master Sgt. Eric Mungia, a 68th Airlift Squadron loadmaster. Flying these missions is very diverse, Mungia said. What I tell new (Airmen) is stay flexible, expect the unexpected and keep a positive attitude. Sometimes you work in cold or hot weather, sandstorms, or humidity like Hawaii. You just have to stay flexible. Thats just the way it works flying on the C-5. The worldwide mission and the Airmens capabilities were enhanced during this mission, said Capt. Michael Raggio, a 68th AS C-5M pilot and aircraft commander. It has been a very demanding mission as far as the uploads and odd hours of the mission, he said. The aircrew received an additional mission after making two round-trips between Fort Drum and Latvia. The third mission involved taking Air Force personnel and their vehicle from Riga to their home base at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It was an add-on mission, it was a good opportunity to pick up some cargo and bolster our (relationship) in Europe, Raggio said. This mission has been very rewarding (because we were able) to help out and reaffirm our NATO allies and work with our Army partners. U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Air Force Reserve Command and AMC directly support the joint and multi-national warfighting environment with air superiority, direct air operations, global air transportation and capabilities that are essential to supporting the warfighters on the ground. The (air crew) have been nothing but great to work with, Colvin said. Despite any kind of adversity thrown their way, whether it be maintenance or the weather or uncertainty with an airfield they may be unfamiliar with, they have responded by making sure everything is taken care of to meet mission and make sure we are successful as a joint partner. OAR will include medical transport missions, training, exercise support and various aviation operations throughout Europe to improve interoperability and strengthen relationships with NATO allies, EUCOM officials said. This airlift improved our interoperability and readiness with our host nation and other NATO partners, Colvin said. When the mission happens in real life, we are not going to be able to choose the time and the place. It is good to know we can count on our Air Force partners to be there with us anytime, anywhere to get the job done. More training opportunities are slated in 2017 as Operation Atlantic Resolve will remain in place as long as the need exists to reassure U.S. allies and deter Russia from regional aggression. The joint force puts the U.S. nuclear deterrent at the top of its list for modernization and recapitalization and these no longer can be deferred, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told House Armed Services Committee members this morning. Air Force Gen. Paul J. Selva and Air Force Gen. John Hyten, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, testified before the House panel on the military assessment of nuclear deterrence requirements. Joining them for the hearing were Navy Adm. Bill Moran, vice chief of Naval Operations, and Air Force Gen. Stephen Wilson, vice chief of staff of the Air Force. Selva said that over the past decade considered decisions have been made to defer some nuclear force modernization to address urgent needs while maintaining a safe, reliable and secure arsenal and delivery capability. But in making those decisions we have squeezed about all the life we can out of the systems we currently possess, the general added, so that places an extra premium on a very deliberate long-term investment strategy to replace those systems as existing systems age out of the inventory. Nearing a crossroads The nations nuclear deterrent is nearing a crossroads, Selva told the panel. We are now at a point where we must concurrently recapitalize each component of our nuclear deterrent, he said, the nuclear weapons themselves, the triad of strategic delivery platforms, the indication-and-warning systems to support our decision processes, the command-and-control networks that connect the president to our field forces, and our dual-capable tactical aircraft that can be equipped with nonstrategic nuclear weapons. Nuclear modernization no longer can be deferred, the general said, adding, Any disruption of the current program of record for future acquisition plans will introduce significant risk to our deterrent. In his comments, Hyten said that at a time when other nations continue to modernize and upgrade their nuclear forces, nearly all elements of the U.S. nuclear weapon stockpile, delivery systems and other critical infrastructure are operating well beyond their designed service life. Maintaining strategic deterrence, assurance and escalation control capabilities requires a multifaceted long-term investment approach and a sustained commitment to maintaining a credible nuclear deterrent, the general said, [and] that nuclear deterrent is only as effective as the command and control that enables it to function. Unpredictable challenges posed by today's multi-domain, multi-threat security environment make it increasingly important to optimize the legacy nuclear command, control and communication, or NC3, systems and leverage new technologies and capabilities, Hyten said. We have to realize (nuclear deterrence) is bigger than just the bombers, ICBMs and submarines, said Wilson. It is command and control, its space, its tankers and its a much bigger enterprise than just the three legs of the Triad. NC3 systems are essential for providing early warning and time-critical information to the National Command Authority for decision making, and effectively directing triad forces in response to a strategic crisis, Hyten explained in written testimony, and any delay, deferment or cancellation of NC3 modernization will create a capability gap that potentially degrades the presidents ability to respond appropriately to a strategic threat. Retaining the triad In advance of consultations last year with members of the Obama administration on potential options for how to manage the nuclear triad, Selva said the Joint Chiefs met and affirmed the need to maintain a triad. This was largely to manage strategic risks from Russia and China as potential nuclear adversaries, an increasingly aggressive North Korea and its pursuit of nuclear weapons and a potential future entry of Iran into the nuclear arena, he added. Based on the collection of potential threats and adversaries that exist in the world, Selva said, the Joint Chiefs affirmed the necessity to maintain a triad and to modernize the weapon systems, the indications of warning and the command and control associated with that triad. Hyten also believes the triad is fundamental to deterrence and should be retained and modernized. To deter, he added, you have to have a capability that provides the adversary a calculus that he looks at and decides that his options will fail. If the adversary has capabilities to operate from the sea, from the land [and] from the air, we have to be able to turn all those elements. That's how the triad was developed and that's how we need to go. Qualitative advantage In Selvas remarks, he said the path chosen to modernize and replace the existing nuclear arsenal, particularly the delivery systems, the indications and warning, and command-and-control, potentially puts the United States in a position to retain its qualitative advantage and capitalize on it over time. The advantage comes with continuing to have a triad that gives us a ballistic missile force that confounds Russian and Chinese targeting, a bomber force that is resilient enough and capable enough to penetrate enemy air defenses and respond to a nuclear attack, and a survivable portion of that triad, in the case of our strategic ballistic missile submarines, that gives us an ability to respond even if an adversary were to believe that they could execute a decapitating attack on our nuclear capability, Selva said. For those reasons, the general added, it is our strategy going forward to continue to modernize all three legs of the triad in order to continue to pose unsurvivable targeting challenges to adversaries that match us in number and [are] very close to matching us [in the quality of] delivery systems themselves. (Editors Note: Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs contributed to this article) Members of Shanbhubhakt Sena, an NGO protest against BJP-back MLC Prashant Paricharak, who insulted Army Jawans wives through his comments, at Azad Maidan. Legislative Council has suspended him for one and half years. Buckling under pressure from both the opposition parties and ruling ally Shiv Sena, Maharashtra legislative council Chairman Ramraje Nimbalkar on Thursday suspended Independent member Prashant Paricharak for 18 months from the house for his objectionable remarks on wives of armymen during the civic poll campaign. The state government also set up a high-power nine-member committee comprising legislative council members to probe the incident, call Paricharak for a hearing and recommend its final action in the matter. Council (upper house) Chairman Ramraje Nimbalkar will head the committee of council members from all parties in the house, said Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil, who is also the Bharatiya Janata Party group leader in the council. Nimbalkar made the announcement after the upper house unanimously passed a resolution suspending Paricharak for 18 months from the house. During the campaigning for the civic polls in the state in February, the BJP-backed Independent legislator Paricharak from Solapur allegedly made certain remarks which blew into a huge controversy. He is reported to have commented that soldiers at the borders distribute sweets when they father children even though they had not gone home for a year, indirectly implying that their wives were unfaithful. Following a massive uproar, he backtracked and later apologised for his comments but the damage was done. All the opposition parties in the state and ruling ally Shiv Sena raised the matter in the ongoing Budget session of the state legislature and demanded Paricharaks scalp. Failing that, they threatened the house would not be allowed to function. Though he apologised through the media, his remarks were extremely objectionable and such behaviour does not suit a legislative member, Patil admitted. He added that the panel will give Paricharak an opportunity to defend himself and later he could be either served with a warning, suspended, jailed, expelled or given any other punishment as deemed fit by the council. In view of the vehement opposition and ally Shiv Senas protests against Paricharak, the work of the legislature remained largely disrupted since its opening on Monday. The Nimbalkar-led committee is likely to submit its report before the monsoon session of the legislature scheduled around July. Leader of Opposition in the Council Dhananjay Munde (NCP), Congresss senior legislator and former Chief Minister Narayan Rane, Shiv Sena member Neelam Gorhe and others had severely castigated Paricharak`s remarks and demanded stringent action against him. The Montana House this week took a first step toward reducing the epidemic of child abuse and neglect that plagues our state. Voting 98-2, representatives approved creation of a child death and near-death review commission. This review panel was recommended by the Childrens Justice Bureau in the Montana Department of Justice and the Protect Montana Kids Commission appointed by Gov. Steve Bullock to address the explosion of child abuse and neglect cases and the doubling of the number of Montana kids in protective out-of-home care. The review commissions purpose is to gather facts about the causes and trends in child deaths and serious injuries from abuse and neglect, to propose policies for reducing abuse and neglect and to educate the public. The need for this type of intensive review comes into sharper focus when considering: Last year, Montana child protection services received 35,226 reports that 13,307 children were being abused or neglected. At least 14 Montana children died of abuse or neglect between July 2015 and November 2016. Eleven victims were under age 2 and nine were less under 1. Eleven of the deaths involved adult drug abuse. Six involved domestic violence. Montana must create strategies for preventing more such tragedies. In the 2013 Legislature, a similar child fatality review bill died in committee. But this year, the bill, again sponsored by Rep. Kathy Kelker, D-Billings, received unanimous approval in House Judiciary. A key change is a recent memorandum of understanding between the Department of Justice and the Department of Public Health and Human Services that DPHHS would transfer federal funds to DOJ to cover the commissions costs. That will allow the commission to be created in the Department of Justice at no additional expense to the state treasury. Kelkers bill proposes a 14-member, unpaid commission with half of members appointed by Gov. Steve Bullock and half by Attorney General Tim Fox. Each member would have specific qualifications, such as being a medical professional who cares for abused kids, a law enforcement officer, tribal representative and judge. A similar Montana commission has reviewed adult domestic violence fatalities for years, producing recommendations that spurred good policy changes. We commend Kelker, the DOJ and DPHHS, the entire membership of House Judiciary and the 98 representatives who voted aye for kids. We call on the Senate to approved House Bill 303 and send it to Bullocks desk. Meanwhile, DPHHS needs the resources to serve the 3,400 children now in foster care and additional abused and neglected children who recently have been reunited with their parents. Demand for child protection services has grown much faster than staff and resources for foster care and other services that give kids the best chance of safely returning to their parents homes. Halfway through the legislative session, the state budget bill actually includes a cut in child protection funds that equates to nine caseworkers. This would be a tragic mistake. Caseworkers are already overworked. Montana needs to recruit and retain more highly competent caseworkers, not reduce their ranks. We call on all lawmakers to fully fund the life-saving work of Montana child protection so that the new fatality review commission will have fewer cases of death and serious injury to investigate. Aiken, SC (29801) Today Areas of patchy fog early. Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 81F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mostly clear skies. Low 62F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Syndicated News Kurdish, Assyrian, Arab Women Are Taking Down ISIS in Their Capital Im gravely concerned about President Trumps nominee for the United States Supreme Court, Judge Neil Gorsuch. When it comes to checking extreme politicians overreach into our most personal health care decisions, I hope both of Montanas senators will prioritize women and strongly oppose his confirmation. Gorsuchs record on womens rights is deeply disturbing. Ruling in the original Hobby Lobby decision, the case that undermined the Affordable Care Acts birth control insurance mandate, Gorsuch joined the majority, affirming that corporations are persons who can exercise the freedom of religion for the purposes of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. In Gorsuchs view, corporations have more rights than individual women and can impose their extreme religious views on our bodies. He also sought to uphold Utah Gov. Gary Herberts decision to block Planned Parenthood Association of Utah from receiving state-administered federal funds. This decision came on the heels of misleading smear videos that falsely portrayed Planned Parenthood, and the governor claimed he was not acting on the basis of his opposition to abortion. But Gov. Herberts statements after he issued the ban made it clear that the decision was a punishment for Planned Parenthoods role in providing comprehensive health care for women, including abortion care. In fact, in trial court briefs, Herbert admitted three things: 1) PPAU did nothing illegal; 2) No federal funding administered by the state even went to abortion care; and 3) The videos were totally false. Gorsuchs dissent in Planned Parenthood Association of Utah v. Herbert (2016) illustrates how dangerous he would be when it comes to womens ability to access health care. A Circuit Court panel directed the District Court to issue a preliminary injunction against enforcing the funding ban. Thats when Gorsuch, writing in dissent from the courts decision not to reconsider the panel decision on the ban, displayed his support for taking Gov. Herbert at his word that he was not trying to punish PPAU for providing abortion care. Gorsuch accused the majority in the decision of lacking the sort of comity this court normally seeks to show the states and their elected representatives implying the court should defer to the executive power of the governor. Seeing how Trump has already abused his executive power during his short time in office, such statements fly in the face of an independent judiciary. We must ensure an independent judicial branch willing to stand up for individual rights. Trump promised during the campaign to appoint justices that would overturn Roe v. Wade. According to a recent op-ed in the Kansas City Star, longtime anti-choice activist Kristan Hawkins, who has led Students For Life for the past decade, gushed about Gorsuchs nomination. This is someone who has admitted that she would like to make birth control and IUDs illegal. Also troubling is that the white supremacist website, The Daily Stormer, expressed support for Gorsuch as a hardcore religious right-winger, which is exactly what we wanted. Women in Utah, Montana, and across the U.S. have received life-saving care from Planned Parenthood. Had Gorsuch been in the majority in the PPAU case, women would have had compromised access to health care, gotten sick and likely died. We cant take such a risk with the highest court in the country. Join me in calling Senators Tester and Daines and asking them to strongly oppose Gorsuchs confirmation. You can reach Daines at (406) 453-0148 and Tester at (406) 452-9585. Aersud Elicotteri, Airbus Helicopters distributor for Italy, signed a contract for the purchase of two H125 rotorcrafts during the HAI Heli-Expo air show in Dallas, Texas. On March 8, 2017, Aersud Elicotteri , Airbus Helicopters distributor for Italy, signed a contract for the purchase of two H125 rotorcrafts during the HAI Heli-Expo air show in Dallas, Texas. These helicopters will be tasked for aerial work missions and the deliveries are scheduled for early 2018.With this order, Aersud Elicotteri celebrates the 200th Ecureuil H125 in Italy, a major milestone in the deployment of this helicopter in the country.Todays agreement significantly proves our confidence in the future and reaffirms the relationship of trust we have built up over more than three decades with Italian operators, said Riccardo Aichner, President of Aersud. This 200th Ecureuil in Italy, which we are now celebrating, comes with our commitment to provide our customers with the best solutions to meet their growing needs."We are in an industry where long-standing relationships are paramount," said Olivier Michalon, head of the Europe region for Airbus Helicopters. "Our 40-year partnership with Aersud and its MRO partner Helicopters Italia has allowed us to focus on customer satisfaction. This 200th Ecureuil is proof of that.Aersud has been the sole distributor of Airbus helicopters in Italy since 1973. First air-sea rescue helicopters were delivered in 1984 Aircraft expected to remain in service another two decades with planned upgrades DALLAS, Texas Airbus Helicopters Inc. saluted the U.S. Coast Guard on Wednesday for its recent milestone achievement of reaching 1.5 million flight hours with the services fleet of MH-65 Dolphin patrol and search-and-rescue helicopters. From patrolling the skies over Lake Michigan to performing life-saving rescues in the Gulf of Mexico, the Coast Guards MH-65 Dolphin has become the most recognizable search and rescue aircraft in the world. This is an enormous accomplishment for the U.S. Coast Guard, and for Airbus, said Chris Emerson, President of Airbus Helicopters Inc. We are proud of the great work the men and women of the Coast Guard perform with these aircraft. They have saved countless lives and guarded our nations borders and ports. We look forward to working with the Coast Guard for years to come, supporting their missions by keeping this workhorse helicopter flying and serving the American people. The Coast Guard selected the Dolphin, based on the Airbus AS365 Dauphin product family, in 1979 as its new short-range recovery air-sea rescue helicopter replacing the HH-52A Sea Guard. The aircraft is certified for operation in all-weather and night operations, except icing conditions. Airbus delivered the first Dolphin in 1984. The fleet of 100 helicopters has played a critical role for the Coast Guard, from performing lifesaving missions after Hurricane Katrina and other natural disasters to executing successful rescues at sea and in high-altitude mountainous terrain. In addition to serving at Coast Guard Air Stations throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, the MH-65 is the primary aircraft used aboard sea-going cutters during deployments. The Coast Guards Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron in Florida also uses the helicopters for counter-narcotics missions in high-threat drug trafficking areas. The MH-65 fleet is expected to remain in service through 2035. New engines were installed on the Dolphin fleet in 2007, which significantly enhanced the aircrafts power and mission capabilities. The Coast Guard is expected to introduce the next configuration of the Dolphin, which will include an all-glass cockpit and advanced navigation capabilities, in 2018. Industry-leading Airbus helicopter models are on display at Heli-Expo 2017 Booth 7648. The show runs through Thursday at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in Dallas. Airbus Helicopters Inc., based in Grand Prairie, Texas is an affiliate of Airbus Helicopters and Airbus. About Airbus Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2016, it generated revenues of 67 billion and employed a workforce of around 134,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners from 100 to more than 600 seats. Airbus is also a leader in tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as Europes number one space enterprise and the worlds second largest space business. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide. Medias: Media contacts: Air France KLM Cargo expects the African market to stabilise over the coming year after a year of adjustment. Air France KLM Cargo (AF KLM) director eastern and southern Africa Noud Duyzings said that Seabury figures show that air cargo traffic to and from Africa increased by 9% last year. However, the demand improvement masks market overcapacity as airlines have been adding swathes of widebody aircraft. In fact, IATA figures show that African carriers cargo load factor of 23.3% registered in January is the worst of any region and comes after they increased capacity by 25.5%. Duyzings said that AF KLM saw an improvement in yields thanks to its tight capacity control. During the year AF KLM reduced its African freighter footprint by cutting its Amsterdam-Johannesburg-Nairobi service from six flights per week to four, although Nairobi is also served once a week with an Amsterdam flight via Cairo and there are also a further two freighter flights a week to the city from Paris Charles de Gaulle. In terms of demand, it was a mixed year for AF KLM. Cairo is booming, it is doing well inbound and outbound, said Duyzings. We See Ivory Coast is doing quite well but also Uganda and Rwanda, especially Rwanda. Looking at the powerhouses, South Africa and Kenya, in South Africa we grew our marketshare, even with the capacity reduction, and in Kenya we lost some marketshare but that had everything to do with the freighter reduction. Duyzings said that the reduction in freighter capacity was part of a global move and was not targeted at Africa. He added that the groups strategy in Africa is built on four pillars: customer experience, digitalisation, perishables and partnerships. The customer experience pillar revolves around timely communication, on-time performance and having local teams as opposed to outsourcing to sales agents (GSA). Previously, we had GSAs in Rwanda and Tanzania and we have decided to do the selling ourselves again in those two places. We also opened in Namibia and do the sales ourselves. It doesnt mean we have a full office there, but for example in Namibia we run from Johannesburg, in Kigali we run from Entebbe and Tanzania we run from Nairobi it works very well. We started with that on January 1 and we are already seeing sales going up and that is an important signal that we believe in having a local presence. On the digitalisation front, Duyzings said AF KLM Cargo had recently launched myCargo, a digital platform that allows customers to check the status of their shipment, check schedules, make bookings and find quotes. With perishables, the company aims to build the best cool chain in the market. To this end, AF KLM has been working with one of its customers and consultancy Flower Watch to analyse how it can further improve operations. This has led to the carrier group changing temperature settings on flights and improving the departure process for flowers leaving the warehouse into aircraft. We have now seen after several checks from this independent consulting house that our flowers and vegetables arrive in Amsterdam or Paris two degrees Celsius cooler on average than the competition. With regards to partnerships, Duyzings said AF KLM has developed strategic alliances with Air Cote dIvoire and Kenya Airways, which act as gateways to destinations where the group does not have a presence in Africa. To demonstrate how the partnerships can generate new traffic he pointed out that AF KLM does not have traffic rights between Johannesburg and Nairobi so it did a deal that allows the sales team to sell a Kenya Airways air waybill on a Martinair freighter between the two cities. So we are now doing roughly 400 tonnes a month of traffic between Johannesburg and Nairobi, he said. For us, that is the kind of co-operation and smart deal we want to make to win in Africa, or at least to make operations sustainable. For 2017, the Air France recently launched a three-times-a-week service between Paris and Accra, which is currently utilising an A330 but will be upgraded to a cargo friendly B777 after a month, its seasonal three times a week Cape Town service will become year round and a Cairo service will be upgraded to B787-900s. On the KLM side of the business, it will open three times a week services between Amsterdam and Monrovia in the summer. The Accra addition will help cover vegetable demand, for Cape Town discussions are underway to carry fish and Monrovia will cater for automotive traffic. Duyzings is cautiously optimistic about the year ahead: Im not jumping for joy that we will break records out of Africa but on the other hand I also think it will stabilise. Fuel prices are on the rise again, I dont think they will rise a lot but still, it puts a bit of pressure on margins. The market has got used to decreasing yields over the last few years, so I am happy if we can stop it. It seems we have actually now reached the bottom so I am confident that we wont go further down there, at least not northbound, maybe southbound. Share this story Queen Esther shows us how to overcome our obstacles and move forward, despite our fears. Imagine that you are an orphan who is being raised by your cousin. You are utterly alone in this world, always wondering where you really came from and if youll ever feel like you belong anywhere. Suddenly, you are forced into marriage to a man that you neither like nor respect. You are stuck in a foreign palace where you can only eat fruit and seeds. There is no one for you to speak to and nothing for you to do except wonder how long you will have to remain living this life that someone else has chosen for you. This was Queen Esthers life. She could have been filled with self- pity, thinking how unfair it was that she was born into this world without parents. And how, after all her suffering, she was forced into a role that could have so easily robbed her of her dignity and her faith. She could have given up. She could have sunk into a hole of her own despair. But instead Queen Esther became a heroine. She kept her faith and her dignity. She refused to give up even when everything seemed lost. She took her tragic story and used it to transform her life. Here are five lessons in personal transformation that we can learn from Esthers life: 1. The obstacle is the way. Esther took the suffering that she experienced as an orphan and used it to make her stronger. She knew what it felt like to be lonely. She knew that she had overcome pain as a child, and that she had the resilience within her to face new challenges. When she stepped into the palace, she used these obstacles of her past as stepping stones instead of excuses. She chose to use her pain instead of being suffocated by it. 2. Live for something greater than yourself. The more focused a person is on finding happiness for himself in this world, the more that happiness seems to elude his grasp. This is because we find the greatest happiness in giving to others and living for something greater than our own desires. Esther could have decided to make herself comfortable in the luxuries and pleasures of the palace and ignore the world and her people beyond its walls. But Esther wasnt living for herself. She had grown up in the house of Mordechai, and she knew that she had a responsibility to stand up for her people. 3. Reach out to others for help. We often think that we need to forge our own paths without anyones support. Esther was the queen; she could have decided to use just her own resources to try to save the Jewish people. But she chose instead to reach out to every single person in Am Yisrael, the Jewish nation, and beg them to pray for her. She needed their prayers. She knew in her heart that ultimately, we rise and fall together. She had the humility to be able to say: I need your help. Please fight beside me. 4. Faith is persistence. When Esther risked her life and walked towards the king to beg for her nation, she felt the divine presence begin to leave her. She felt weak and afraid, like she couldnt go on. But faith doesnt mean that we always feel strong and courageous. Faith means that we persist even when we are exhausted and afraid. Esther did not give up when she felt like she couldnt go on. Instead she prayed. She demanded to know: God, God why have you left me? I need You. She found the faith to reach out, to beg for strength and to find a way to make the impossible possible. She kept moving forward until she reached the king. 5. Fight evil by inviting it to the party. We often cant overcome destructive habits and desires by fighting them directly. They are too strong and too deceitful for head-on battles. But we can trick them like Esther did when she invited Haman to one party after another. We can make them feel like they are welcome in our lives, and then we can turn around and channel them into tools for good. Use anger to fight for justice. Use beauty to build a home. Use pleasure to connect to enduring values. Purim is an opportunity to transform our mundane pleasures into spiritual joy. Our fragmented communities into a unified nation. Our despair into redemption. Our stagnation into growth. Lets follow Queen Esthers path as we overcome our obstacles and move forward. March 8, 2017 Congress is greeting the planned March 12 opening of a new Emirates airline route between Athens, Greece, and Newark, New Jersey, by trying to prevent it from getting off the ground. Twenty-five House members from New York and New Jersey almost two-thirds of the total delegation wrote to President Donald Trump on March 7 with a request that he cancel the route until the United Arab Emirates (UAE) stops subsidizing its largest airline. The escalating trade dispute risks roiling US relations with a key counterterrorism ally in the Middle East, but lawmakers say US workers are getting swindled and must be protected. "It is imperative that your Administration take quick and decisive action to defend US interests abroad and ensure that US airlines and their American workers have a fair and equal opportunity to compete," the letter states. "Further, it would be prudent for your Administration to bar the commencement of the Athens to Newark flight until it has had the opportunity to negotiate a meaningful resolution which addresses the ongoing subsidies provided by the United Arab Emirates and Qatar to their flagged carriers." Senators are also looking into the matter. "We have to have a level playing field," Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Cory Booker, D-N.J., told Al-Monitor. "And I have real concerns about how states that are subsidizing their airlines undercut American jobs and American workers." The letter was drafted with input from the Partnership for Open and Fair Skies, a trade group representing America's three largest airlines. The US airlines American, Delta and United persuaded the Barack Obama administration to start a review of the United States' "Open Skies" trade pact with the UAE and Qatar, but no formal action was taken. They are hoping that Obama's successor will prove more attuned to their concerns, particularly given his message of economic nationalism during the presidential campaign. The Athens-Newark route is seen as a particularly important test case, because the Gulf airline would be competing on one of the lucrative European routes that have long been crucial to US airline profits (Emirates has already been flying a Milan-New York route since 2013). "President Trump has made it clear he intends to crack down on trade cheaters who violate our international agreement," Partnership spokeswoman Jill Zuckman said in a statement. "We hope he will side with Congress and bar the new Emirates flight to send a message that the Trump administration will not tolerate rule-breaking that costs American jobs." Trump has offered mixed messages about his intentions. While he has repeatedly railed against alleged trade cheaters, he was more measured when he met with US airline executives last month. Acknowledging that the US carriers are "under pressure from foreign elements and foreign carriers," Trump added that "at the same time, we want to make life good for them also. They come with big investments." The UAE also cautioned against picking a trade fight. "Open Skies has created enormous benefits for both countries and for airline passengers all over the world," a spokesman for the UAE Embassy in Washington told Al-Monitor in an emailed statement. "UAE airlines fly millions of visitors a year into the United States, most on US-made aircraft. This inbound travel, along with the purchases of Boeing airplanes, supports hundreds of thousands of US jobs and makes up an important part of the $19 billion US trade surplus with the UAE." The pushback underscores that US lawmakers are picking a fight over a national priority for the Gulf nation as it seeks to transition away from energy revenue and transform itself into a world-class transportation hub and tourism destination. Public records reviewed by Al-Monitor show that the UAE spent $13.5 million in 2015 lobbying on this and other issues after being badly burned 10 years earlier when Congress scuttled Dubai Port World's bid to take over management of six major US seaports. Karen Young, a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, said Congress is picking a poor target because Emirates is "the most independent and efficiently run of the Gulf carriers." She predicted, however, that the trade fight could "gain traction in the current environment of economic nationalism in the United States." In a testament that US lawmakers know the stakes at hand, the House letter was led by a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Albio Sires, D-N.J. Six other members of the panel signed on, including its top Democrat, Rep. Eliot Engel of New York. "Their being friends on counterterrorism doesn't give them a pass on other things," said Foreign Affairs member Chris Smith, R-N.J., who also signed the letter. "That's my bottom line." March 8, 2017 CAIRO On Feb. 24, hundreds of Christians escaped the city of el-Arish in the northern Sinai Peninsula to Ismailia governorate, 110 kilometers (68 miles) to the east of Cairo, after the Islamic State (IS) and its branch in Egypt, Wilayat Sinai, focused their operations on targeting them. This sparked questions about the change in IS strategy in Sinai, thus confusing the Egyptian authorities that were consequently accused of slackening in protecting the Copts. Between Jan. 30 and Feb. 23, armed men killed seven Christians in el-Arish. IS, which has been launching attacks in the city, claimed responsibility for the killing of these people, five of whom were shot while another was decapitated and the seventh was set on fire. Meanwhile, on Feb. 19, IS published a video of the December attack on St. Peter and St. Paul Coptic Orthodox Church in Cairo, calling for targeting Christians in Egypt. Sources from the Security Directorate in north Sinai told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that el-Arish, which is a crowded urban city, is the Achilles' heel of the security forces as armed men hide between civilians and kill Copts inside their homes and flee before the security forces arrive. According to official estimates by the Egyptian Cabinet operation room, 144 Christian families have left el-Arish since the last killing of a Copt on Feb. 23. The government reacted by welcoming displaced families, and the security forces and army launched military operations to pursue the armed men. An official at the national security department in north Sinai told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that IS is changing its tactics by attacking civilians at times and security officers and policemen at other times, while security is slackening in collecting intelligence information regarding the organizations activities. Many of Sinais citizens are not cooperating with the police and the national security for fear of retaliation by IS. On Dec. 18, IS posted a video titled Slitting Throats showing IS men killing 15 people from Sinai after they confessed to cooperating with the army and security services. Mina Thabet, a researcher on minorities and religious freedoms at the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, a civil society organization, told Al-Monitor that hundreds of people have fled, which indicates how powerful this radical group is. This is the sign of a new phase that began with the attack on St. Peter and St. Paul Coptic Orthodox Church and the video threatening the Copts. In a phone interview, Thabet said, We must take this seriously and adopt a comprehensive security approach. The situation indicates that the adopted strategy to fight terrorism since 2011 has proven to be useless and has not reaped the desired fruits. Therefore, it needs to be reviewed and amended. In a Feb. 28 statement, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said that targeting citizens in el-Arish is a cowardly plot from the evildoers to shake trust in the state, jeopardize national unity and instigate strife. Thabet, who helped welcome many families that arrived in Ismailia by providing food and shelter, added, Terrorists want to send out a message that nobody is safe. Sinai journalist and activist Mustafa Sinjar told Al-Monitor over the phone, IS is using all cards to intimidate the Egyptian regime at different times in order to serve its own interests. He noted that targeting the Copts is a pressure card that has international and sectarian repercussions for the regime as IS is trying to divide Christians and Muslims in Egypt by attacking the Copts and showing that the state cannot defend them. He said, When IS first appeared in 2013, it was not targeting the Copts. But lately the Copts in el-Arish are being increasingly targeted. Sinjar said without further explanation that IS is most active in three cities in Sinai: Sheikh Zuweid, Rafah and el-Arish. Sinjar added, The army is spreading its control more firmly in Rafah and Sheikh Zuweid, because the area is not highly populated. As for el-Arish, it is under the polices watch and its back is not protected due to its agricultural and desert nature and since it is densely populated. IS can easily attack there. The security source said that the Ministry of Interior, in cooperation with the general intelligence and the military intelligence, is working on developing new plans for the deployment of the police, especially in el-Arish. The former leader of Gamaa Islamiya in Egypt, Najeh Ibrahim, said that IS has changed its strategy. It is no longer targeting solid spots such as buildings, and is instead taking aim at loose targets such as individuals. This indicates the organizations relative weakness compared to three years ago. Ibrahim told Al-Monitor that IS militants have been targeting the army and the infrastructure in Sinai, implementing wide-scale operations, clashing with the army and security and killing many soldiers. But in early 2016, they began a new stage of operations by planting explosives in the way of the security forces and army and using snipers. This reflects the stage of solid targets. He said, By the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017, IS realized that solid targets will not do, and the organization moved on to 'loose' operations by launching easy but painful military operations against the Egyptian regime. The targeting of the Copts in el-Arish can be qualified as a loose operation. Ibrahim noted that the army is besieging IS within a tight triangle of three cities: Sheikh Zuweid, Rafah and el-Arish. It is tightening the noose on IS, which was active in all regions in Sinai. As a result, IS militants resorted to loose operations, which foiled the Egyptian regimes plans. In early February, Egypt welcomed Hamas officials to discuss ways to control the borders with the Gaza Strip and eliminate pro-IS extremists in the strategic Sinai. Ibrahim believes that the time has not come yet to defeat IS, despite its weakness and besiegement. According to him, organizations like IS do not give up easily, while the Egyptian army and security forces fail to completely impose its control over the large Sinai Peninsula. The Egyptian regime is holding on to a stereotypical and conventional strategy that needs to be changed. Todays deliberate on a military hospital in Kabul is a war crime the latest incident targeting patients, healthcare personnel, and medical facilities in Afghanistan. An armed group affiliated with the Islamic State (also known as ISIS) for the day-long attack on the Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan hospital, the . Following a on the building, gun battles continued for several hours, and hospital staff reported that patients who could not escape remained in their beds. Some of the gunmen were , according to . At least . The International Committee of the Red Cross in Kabul denounced the attack as a with no justification possible. , or the laws of war, applicable to the armed conflict in Afghanistan protects patients, including wounded soldiers, and all medical personnel from attack. Hospitals and other medical facilities are also protected from attack unless they are being used for offensive military operations. Commanders and combatants who willfully violate these protections are responsible for war crimes. Fighters who may have dressed as doctors would be committing the war crime of perfidy feigning civilian status to carry out an attack. - Read More, HRW Given the ongoing increase in energy costs, it is terribly disappointing my representative, Daniel Zolnikov, from the Heights voted down the Solar Jobs and Energy Freedom Act, HB504, in the House Federal Relations, Energy and Telecommunications Committee. Montanans are investing in rooftop solar to generate their own energy more than ever. The costs have dropped dramatically reducing the payback and locking in low energy bills for decades. Unfortunately, government barriers keep Montanans from investing. First, there is a limit on the size of solar array you can install. For larger commercial, university and government institutions this cap only meets a small fraction of their energy demand. HB504 would increase the cap so businesses could expand. Second, farmers typically have multiple energy meters on their property: a meter at their water pump, a meter on their barn and a meter on their house. Currently you cant connect one solar array to multiple meters. Youre required to install separate solar arrays and pay for expensive connections for each meter, making the investment cost prohibitive. Third, renters and low-income Montanans arent allowed to pool resources for solar. HB504 would allow renters to invest in solar together. The bill also directs unused energy from solar generators yearly cycle to low-income Montanans who need assistance with their energy bills. HB504 brings everyone into the fold: low-income Montanans, renters, farmers and larger commercial, industrial, university and government institutions. Unfortunately, lobbying by NorthWestern Energy killed HB504 and any change for Montanans to make their own energy decisions. Mary Bretz Billings March 7, 2017 CAIRO The convergence of views between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and US President Donald Trump has seemingly led Trump to turn into a facilitator of Sisis dreams. These dreams include banning the Muslim Brotherhood and founding a joint Arab force. On Feb. 15, The Wall Street Journal quoted unnamed Arab officials as saying that the Trump administration is in talks with Arab allies about forming a military alliance that would share intelligence with Israel to help counter their mutual foe, Iran. The US newspaper noted that the alliance consultations are underway with Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Wall Street Journal report also revealed that the Trump administration asked Egypt to host negotiations on an Arab military alliance and that the alliance would have a NATO-style mutual-defense component under which an attack on one member would be treated as an attack on all. The article added that the United States would offer military and intelligence support to the alliance, but neither the United States nor Israel would be part of the mutual-defense pact. In other words, attacks on the United States and Israel would not require an Arab intervention and vice versa. Sisi had raised the idea of the Arab military alliance on Feb. 22, 2015, in a recorded speech broadcast on Egyptian state TV. He said the need to form a joint Arab military force is increasing by the day, at a time when the Arab region is facing the risk of militant groups. Also, the closing statement of the 26th Arab Summit confirmed on March 29, 2015, that the Arab leaders endorsed the formation of a joint Arab military force to meet the challenges and maintain the Arab national security, and that the details of such a force and its creation mechanisms would be agreed upon within four months. As he read the final communique, former Secretary-General of the Arab League Nabil Elaraby confirmed that participation in such a force would be optional for the Arab League states. Based on the closing statement of the Arab League, the first meeting of the Chiefs of Staff of the Arab armies took place at the headquarters of the Arab League in Cairo on April 21-22, 2015, and it was headed by Egyptian Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Hijazi and attended by the Chiefs of Staff of the armies of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Sudan, Libya and Jordan. The group agreed on the formation of a broader working group to discuss the formation, mission and funding sources of the force. Based on the findings of the group, another meeting was held between the Chiefs of Staff on May 24, 2015, to discuss the initial protocol for the establishment of the joint Arab force and subsequently raise it with the defense ministers of the concerned countries in preparation for its adoption in a new meeting in August. The protocol entrusted six essential tasks to the force, namely: intervene militarily to counter terrorist threats; participate in peacekeeping and security operations in the member states; help Arab countries restore, construct and equip their military and security capabilities; participate in securing relief and humanitarian aid operations in conflict zones; protect civilians against emergencies resulting from these conflicts or natural disasters; and protect maritime, land and air transport roads and fight piracy. In a statement on Aug. 26, 2015, the Arab League said that the Arab defense and foreign ministers' meeting to approve the final joint Arab force protocol had been indefinitely postponed upon the request of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar, to further examine the protocol. No new date has been set until this year. Also, the Arab League summit held in Mauritania's capital, Nouakchott, on July 25-26, 2016, settled for tasking the current secretary-general of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, with following up on the implementation of the joint Arab force mechanisms. This task has had no outcome. Tarek Fahmy, a professor of political science at Cairo University, told Al-Monitor that the diverging visions of the Arab countries on the areas that the joint force should intervene in was behind the stalled negotiations. The Gulf states believe the priority is for Yemen, and their vision may change with time to include both Yemen and Syria, while Egypt and Tunisia believe the priority is for Libya, he said. Fahmy added, I would have preferred Sisis joint Arab force project to Trumps Arab version of the NATO. The US support for the alliance is not an advantage because it is likely to be limited to [counter] Iranian influence in the region, and Egypt is no longer the biggest beneficiary of countering the Iranian influence, especially amid Iran's attempts to improve its relationship with Egypt. He further explained, Also, Trumps call included intelligence cooperation with Israel, which I think is out of the question for most Arab regimes, especially Egypt. Even if it seemed to some that there is a political understanding between Egypt and Israel now or a limited intelligence understanding, it is difficult for such an understanding to turn into a permanent cooperation and a basis for an alliance. Mohammed al-Shahawi, the former chief of staff of chemical warfare and adviser to the US Army Command and General Staff College, told Al-Monitor that Trumps idea is similar to Sisis and that he welcomes such an idea because the project of an Arab military alliance moves forward with the support of an international force like the United States. Asked about the fact that Trumps call is limited to countering Iranian influence, Shahawi said, It is the right of Arab countries to develop their own counterterrorism goals in addition to resisting the Iranian influence. Resisting Iran's influence will positively affect the fight against terrorism as Iran is involved in supporting many of the terrorist organizations. Although experts have diverging views on the Arab NATOs usefulness for Egypt and the extent of its conformity with Sisis call for a joint Arab force, the diverging Arab views on the areas of expertise of such a force will probably hinder its formation, at least for the time being. March 8, 2017 The situation appears grim for the Syrian opposition in the wake of the Geneva meeting which ended March 3 with a delegation from President Bashar al-Assads regime. The December loss of Aleppo to the regime followed by Russian-sponsored peace talks in the Kazakh capital of Astana in January have further divided a fragile rebel front and marked a turning point in the Syrian conflict. Yet the major Gulf states (Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates), which have been the Syrian rebels main backers, have remained relatively mum on the significant shift taking place in the war-torn country. Have Gulf countries given up on Syria? Since the war began six years ago, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has been heavily involved in Syria. In October 2015, one month after the launch of Russian military operations backing the regime, Gulf countries beefed up their military support to Syrian rebel groups ranging from the Free Syrian Army (FSA) to the Islamist Jaish al-Fatah. Yet military support has slowly dwindled, as seen in the relative freeze of the southern Syrian front and the fall of Aleppo in December. It seems as if Syria ceased being a priority for Saudi Arabia [after] the beginning of the Yemen conflict. Gulf countries have spent far more resources on Yemen than they have on Syria, because it represents a far greater threat to Gulf national security. The conflict in Syria [in the view of the Gulf] revolves around limiting what Saudi Arabia perceived as Iranian influence, Mohamed Hineidi, a senior analyst at the UAE-based think tank Delma Institute, told Al-Monitor. Gulf countries' rivalry with Iran emerged against the backdrop of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which positioned the mullahs regime as a competitor for Saudi Arabia. The Arab country is considered the center of Islamic legitimacy and leadership, which Iran is vying for. The realization of an Islamist, anti-monarchical, theocratic Shiite revolution in Iran was profoundly alarming to Saudi Arabia and many other Arab countries including most, if not all, of the other Gulf states, Hussein Ibish, a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington (AGSIW), explained in a report published in June 2016 by the think tank. In addition, Irans creation and nurturing of nonstate actors in Arab countries such as Hezbollah and the Islamic Dawa Party in Iraq was viewed as a direct threat by Gulf countries. Hezbollah is perceived by Gulf states as a powerful tool serving Tehran's expansionary policies. King Abdullah of Jordan was one of the first people to warn against the creation of a Shiite crescent spreading from Iran to Lebanon via Iraq and Syria. The beginning of Syrian protests and the unfolding war in 2011 represented a major destabilizing factor in the Arab region, allowing Iran to strengthen its hold in the Levant by shoring up Assads regime with the deployment of 20,000 foreign fighters, mostly Shiites from Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Irans significant investment in Syria estimated by a UN official quoted by Bloomberg at $6 billion annually and Russias military backup paid off starting in 2016. The regime was able to wrestle back from rebels the last major urban center, Aleppo, while sieges and deals also brought the situation under relative control in areas around Damascus such as Zabadani and Madaya. Irans aggressive stance on Syria against the backdrop of a Saudi retreat can be attributed to the various players views of the region and their priorities. Syria is seen as a linchpin of Irans status as a major regional power; the prospect that Tehran could be deprived of this all-important asset due to the rebellion against the Assad regime has made Syria a focal point of the regional rivalry, according to the AGSIW report. However, for Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries, Yemen is perceived as a direct strategic threat. Yemen is seen as an essential battleground, as it lies in the backyard of the GCC states and is especially crucial to Saudi Arabia geographically, culturally, politically and strategically, Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a Dubai-based independent expert, told Al-Monitor. While Syria constitutes a problem for the Gulf, its repercussions at the terrorism level are still manageable. There have been some 18 terror attacks on Saudi Arabia eight of which were executed, the others stopped, Mustafa Alani, a security expert at the Gulf Research Center, told Al-Monitor. Another detriment to the opposition was the shift in the balance of power: The regimes capture of Aleppo was accepted by Gulf states as an irreversible blow to the Syrian opposition, Hineidi, the Delma analyst, explained. The change in Turkeys solid anti-Assad attitude, at least publicly, represented an added challenge for Gulf states. Turkey and Russia reached a deal in August resulting in Ankara assuming a laissez-faire approach to the regime: Moscow gave Turkey the green light to enter northern Syria under the banner of Operation Euphrates Shield. This operation not only pushed into the Islamic State (IS) stronghold, but also landed a serious blow against Kurdish ambitions to unite the three Kurdish cantons of Hasakah, Kobani and Afrin, which could have paved the way for future independence. Without Ankaras full support, GCC countries are unable to increase military support to rebels, as the Turkish border is the only supply route to northern Syria. Nonetheless, there are ongoing talks with Turkey and close coordination, Abdulla said. To Alani, of the Gulf Research Center, Turkeys and the GCCs understanding is solid since both powers face similar threats, namely in the form of Iran, and Iraq's armed Popular Mobilization Units. These nearly concomitant events have left the Syrian opposition isolated and further weakened. Demographic changes occurring in Syria, with rebels pushed out of the Damascus region and Aleppo to the northern areas, has only added pressure on the already-fraying opposition. Increased clashes and fragmentation have taken place within major groups such as Ahrar al-Sham, followed by the emergence of new groups at the behest of Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, under the name Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. The military head of the group, Jabhat Fatah al-Shams Abu Mohammed al-Golani, in late February denounced the opposition's participation in the Geneva talks, calling on rebels instead to launch fresh attacks. Many of the rebel groups fighting each other are extremist organizations," Hineidi explained. "Recently, clashes erupted in the opposition stronghold in Idlib between Liwa al-Aqsa, which espouses an ideology similar to IS, and the Tahrir al-Sham assembly led by Jabhat Fatah al-Sham [formerly the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra]. It is highly unlikely that the Gulf is interested in attempting to resolve the dispute between those two organizations. In short, no country seems to be putting any pressure on opposition groups to cease fighting, unless one of those groups is a direct client of those countries. The GCC countries thus appear to have assumed a backseat position regarding Syria, which is unlikely to change anytime soon. This position also seems to be linked to a wait-and-see approach adopted by Gulf countries with regard to US President Donald Trumps promises on the possible establishment of safe zones in Syria. Arab countries may be banking as well on Russia as an interlocutor, given the internationalization of the conflict. Unlike Iran, Russia is not defending a sectarian cause. Its objective is to establish a secular state, which is also what Gulf countries want. Russia also wants to make sure the regimes structure does not collapse, which converges with Arab interests to guarantee the survival of Syria's security infrastructure, Alani concluded. So for now, Gulf countries appear to favor a wait-and-see approach hinging on two unknowns: Trump's new US policy on Syria, and Russias capability to broker a deal. March 8, 2017 On March 6, The New York Times reported that a Luxembourg court has ordered the freezing of $1.6 billion of Central Bank of Iran (CBI) assets. The move came after a group of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks, who had won a default judgment against Iran in the United States, filed a lawsuit in the European court to try to enforce the ruling. The administration of moderate President Hassan Rouhani, coming under fire from hard-line media, has pinned the new asset freeze on the previous government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. On March 7, Deputy Foreign Minister for European and American Affairs Majid Takht-Ravanchi said, This is not a new development, and the asset freeze took place before negotiations on the nuclear accord began. The nuclear deal was signed between Iran and six world powers in July 2015, following almost two years of talks. Ever since its implementation, Iranian hard-liners have been complaining that the accord is not in the interest of Tehran, with the West not honoring some of its commitments. Takht-Ravanchi added that CBI lawyers are currently consulting Luxembourg lawyers to help Tehran access the funds in question. On the same day, a CBI official announced that the US court ruling is contrary to international law and lacks power of enforcement in Luxembourg. The director general of the CBIs Legal Affairs Department, Ardeshir Fereydouni, said that following the issuing of default judgments against Iran by US courts, certain American plaintiffs have sought to recognize and enforce the rulings in other countries. He said that the assets have not been seized, but rather that the Luxembourg court is busy reviewing the case and addressing the question of whether the ruling issued by the US court can be recognized and enforced in Luxembourg. Absolutely, as long as the investigations are not complete and the court [Luxembourg] ruling has not been issued, Irans assets in Luxembourg cannot be accessed or withdrawn in favor of the plaintiffs, Fereydouni said. CBI chief Valiollah Seif said March 8, "The Luxembourg court hasnt accepted the US court ruling to seize the assets of Iran." He reiterated that CBI lawyers are pursuing the matter. Seif also predicted that the US claimants would likely be unsuccessful in their endeavor. Meanwhile, charging that the asset freeze is a result of mismanagement on the part of the administration of ex-President Ahmadinejad, Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Ali Tayyebnia said March 8, In 2007, the Luxembourg company [bank] warned Iran that it would be better [for Tehran] to transfer its assets, but this wasnt given any attention. However, he added that the US court ruling is contrary to international law, and he expressed hope that the Luxembourg court will rule in favor of Iran. In reaction to the asset freeze, hard-line Kayhan daily has once again railed against the foreign policy of the Rouhani administration. What the deputy foreign minister ignores is that despite the US court ruling's having taken place before the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action], the freezing of Irans $1.6 billion in Luxembourg was done in the past year and even on the same day as the [nuclear deal] was implemented, Kayhan wrote March 8, referring to Takht-Ravanchis abovementioned remarks. Kayhan added, In a synchronized measure to issue an unfair ruling, it is clear that both the United States and Luxembourg took part in a violation of the JCPOA. The hard-line daily, which is a strong opponent of the Rouhani administrations foreign policy and especially the nuclear deal, argued, The policy of silence and passivity of the [incumbent] 11th government in response to the confiscation of Irans $2 billion in the early part of the current [Iranian] year [March 19, 2016-March 20, 2017] by the Americans has caused a country like Luxembourg to join the group of looters of Iranian assets. This is not the first time that Irans assets in Europe and the United States have been frozen over legal claims to do with terrorist attacks. In April 2016, the US Supreme Court ruled that $2 billion of Iranian assets had to be turned over to the American families of the people killed in a 1983 bombing in Beirut and other attacks blamed on Iran. Iran has denied any role in these attacks, and also strongly insists on the principle of state immunity under international law. The $2 billion confiscated under the April 2016 US court ruling also belongs to the CBI. When the funds were frozen, the Rouhani administration similarly pinned the blame on the former Ahmadinejad government, citing poor oversight and management. Vice President Eshag Jahangiri said on April 23, 2016, "Under the previous administration, it was decided that a part of the Central Bank's resources be managed in Europe. Therefore, with complete poor planning, $2 billion of American bonds were purchased and kept in a European bank, so the Americans were able to easily block the bonds and then confiscate them. March 8, 2017 BAGHDAD As elections draw closer, there's a tug of war in Baghdad over the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), a mostly Shiite coalition of militias. Under a law passed in November but not implemented, the PMU was to become an official security body affiliated with the Iraqi armed forces. On one side of the issue, opponents are pulling hard to keep that from happening; the other side wants to expedite the process so PMU members can run for office and otherwise participate in politics. In Iraq, political parties and entities wishing to run for election must abolish their armed wings. The new law would allow the armed factions under the PMU umbrella to be incorporated into one officially recognized body. As a result, the affiliated parties would become purely political entities without actually dissolving the armed groups. Unless the law is enacted soon, it will become more difficult for these entities to participate in the September elections. In the meantime, leaders of the armed groups fear opponents will amend or abolish the law. Opposition groups include the Sunni Union of Nationalist Forces (SUNF), which has explicitly called for implementation of the law to be canceled. Also, Shiite Sadrist Movement leader Muqtada al-Sadr, through his initial solutions initiative announced Feb. 20, urged that, rather than standing separately, the PMU should be dissolved, and then some "disciplined PMU" fighters could be incorporated into the Iraqi army and police. Sadr is a rival of fellow Shiite and former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who is close with the PMU's main groups. A number of parties already have begun to dissociate from their armed wings by changing their names or slogans. They now even refer to their militias only as the PMU. For instance, the PMU faction Asaib Ahl al-Haq removed the term Islamic Resistance from its official name and is now called the Asaib movement, and it also removed the rifle from its official logo. But before officially dissociating from these factions, Shiite parties will want to understand how large their representation will be within the official PMU organization, as well as the military ranks and posts that will be assigned to the fighters and leaders. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, the commander in chief of Iraq's armed forces, met Feb. 15 with the leaders of some factions to coordinate the PMU law's implementation. They each presented a list of their armed brigades and their sizes. The factions included the Badr Organization, Kataib al-Imam Ali, Saraya al-Salam, Kataib Hezbollah, Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada and Saraya al-Jihad. The next day, Abadi spokesman Saad al-Hadithi told Almasalah website that when the law was passed, it granted Abadi "the authority to issue the rules and instructions necessary for the implementation of the law." However, Abadi still faces pressure from some political parties. PMU spokesman Karim al-Nuri explained the delay to Al-Monitor, saying, The process of transforming the PMU into an organization according to the law passed by parliament requires the prime minister to form specialized committees to sort and classify the fighters. Such a process needs time and cannot be finalized before the end of the battle of Mosul. According to Nuri, political disputes aren't affecting the law's implementation. Opposition parties demand the law be amended, rather than completely dismissing the idea or overlooking the factions efforts that led to the countrys liberation" from the Islamic State (IS). "Even though some parties voiced opposition to the PMU law, this should not be construed as a reason for delaying implementation, especially since the prime minister vowed to implement the law." However, the SUNF, in a "document for national settlement" announced March 2, explicitly called for a nationwide reorganization after defeating IS and the abolishment of the PMU. Sunni blocs have expressed their opposition to the PMU since the beginning. They even withdrew from the session that addressed recommendations," SUNF leader Dhafir al-Ani told Al-Monitor. "National partnership requires agreement on important and sensitive issues. We have previously suggested formulation of a mutual stance among all the components with regard to the PMU. The failure to implement the PMU law can be explained by Abadis desire to amend it, or to the success of initiatives advanced by Sadr and Sunni blocs toward abolishing the PMU and incorporating its fighters into Iraqi security forces. That said, the elections commissions and related bodies are faced with the crucial task of ensuring that political parties do not have armed wings. March 9, 2017 GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip During a meeting in Sydney with the Australian foreign minister Feb. 25, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu provoked much anger among Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip with his alleged statements on the Australian proposal to deploy international forces in the Palestinian territories to confront what Netanyahu called terrorism. An anonymous source close to Netanyahu denied that the prime minister made such statements in a Feb. 26 interview with Israeli radio station Reshet Bet. The source said that the proposal to deploy international troops was made by Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, and that Netanyahu rejected such a proposal, especially with regard to the deployment of international forces in the West Bank. The source said, quoting Netanyahu, that the solution to the Palestinian case would lie in Israels full control of the Palestinian areas, granting Palestinians partial sovereignty. Israels Channel 2 reported Feb. 26 that Netanyahu said during his Sydney meeting that it would be a possibility to deploy international forces only to the Gaza Strip. The deployment of international forces in Gaza is not a new idea. Both international officials, such as European Parliament member Luisa Morgantini, and the Palestinian Authority (PA) have suggested such a deployment in past years. The PA requested that the United Nations deploy international troops throughout the Palestinian territories, especially in Gaza, which has witnessed three major Israeli aggressions in less than 10 years. Chief negotiator for the PA, Saeb Erekat, told Al-Monitor, It is the right of the Palestinian people to demand the presence of international forces across the Palestinian territories [the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem] in light of the escalation of the Israeli crimes. Erekat said that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reiterated these demands during his speech before the UN Human Rights Council on Feb. 27. Abbas called for the protection of the Palestinian people and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 904, which was adopted following the 1994 Cave of the Patriarchs massacre in Hebron. Abbas said the PA would carry on with its endeavors through international institutions to provide such protection, including the deployment of international forces. However, armed Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip squarely rejected these demands. Hamas spokesman Abdullatif al-Kanou rejected the deployment of international forces in Gaza in a Feb. 28 statement to the Palestinian Information Center, which is close to Hamas. Kanou said Hamas believes that bringing foreign troops to Gaza would be a serious matter only aimed at protecting Israel. He said that international institutions have to work instead on ending the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. Islamic Jihad spokesman Ahmed al-Modallal also expressed his opposition to the deployment of international forces in Gaza, stressing that this action only seeks to protect Israel. He said that such troops cannot protect the Palestinian people from Israel's continuous attacks. We refuse to have any foreign troops in the Palestinian territories, as their main goal would be to thwart the work of the Palestinian resistance, which defends its people and territories against Israeli crimes, Modallal told Al-Monitor, calling upon other factions to join hands to block the PA's demands for the deployment of international troops. Kayed al-Ghul, a Gaza-based leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, similarly rejected the deployment of international forces in the Gaza Strip. Deploying these troops in accordance with Israels vision seeking to restrict and hamper the work of the resistance in protecting the Palestinian people and in retaliation for the Israeli attacks is totally unacceptable, Ghul noted. At the same time, Ghul said that protecting the Palestinian people is a main responsibility of the international institutions. It is a just demand to provide the Palestinian people with protection, including the deployment of international forces on Palestinian territories, provided that they work on halting Israeli aggression against Palestinians and not to operate according to Israels interests, he told Al-Monitor. Ghul added that this proposal comes within the framework of Israels project to separate Gaza and the West Bank after completing its settlements project in the West Bank. He said Israel sees Gaza as a future Palestinian entity and thus deploying troops would come as part of security arrangements to prevent the Palestinian resistance from carrying out any operations. The Palestinian rejection of the deployment of such troops can be explained in light of the failed multinational mission in the city of Hebron in May 1994, following the Cave of the Patriarchs massacre. Back then, the international forces deployed to Hebron failed to protect the citizens from Israeli attacks. Their work was limited to monitoring and documenting the Israeli aggressions and the conditions of the people in Hebron. The term of this mission is renewed every six months in coordination with participating countries. Abdel Sattar Qassem, a professor of political science at An-Najah National University in Nablus, told Al-Monitor, It is no use to deploy these forces in the Palestinian territories, as Palestinians are totally convinced that they would serve the Israeli agenda and work according to Israeli conditions, which is to monitor the military actions of the Palestinian factions against Israel. Qassem said Israel would not allow the presence of any international force inside the West Bank, where it seeks to tighten its security grip as a way to further expand settlements and confiscate Palestinian land. He added that Israel is, however, ready to have such troops deployed to the Gaza Strip as a means to deter the work of the Palestinian resistance. Mustafa al-Sawaf, a political analyst and former editor-in-chief of Felesteen newspaper, said any international presence in the Palestinian territories will be to the detriment of the Palestinian people and will be seen as part of the Israeli occupation. Sawaf said the Palestinian people need the international parties to deter the Israeli occupation in effective ways instead of these futile methods. Sawaf told Al-Monitor that international forces are usually deployed in sovereign states to resolve conflicts, but the Palestinian people are still under the occupation of Israel and have the right to defend themselves. This proposal remains far-fetched as Palestinian factions continue to oppose it and as the Palestinian people are convinced that these troops would serve as custodians for the occupation instead of protectors of Palestinians. March 9, 2017 In a further blow to Turkeys spotty global image, the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) called March 8 for Turkey to come under its formal scrutiny, a status reserved for members that are deemed to be backsliding on democracy. Nine countries, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Russia are currently on that hook. In a report statement the Strasbourg-based body, of which Turkey is a founding member, said, Eight months after the [July 15] failed coup and the declaration of a state of emergency, the Monitoring Committee is concerned to note that there has been a serious deterioration of the functioning of democratic institutions in the country. A Final decision on Turkey's status is set to be made in April. PACE cited the tidal wave of purges that have engulfed the country, with a quarter of all judges and prosecutors, a tenth of the police force, 30% of diplomats and 5,000 academics sacked without legal recourse. It also expressed alarm over widespread detentions of journalists and the lifting of immunity of 154 members of parliament. The pro-Kurdish Peoples Democractic Party is the worst hit, as practically all of its parliamentarians were stripped of their immunity and at least 10 of them, including co-chairs Figen Yuksekdag (she lost her seat altogether) and Selahattin Demirtas, are in jail. The committee's decision should be a wake-up call for members of the ruling Justice and Development Party to start questioning President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan's heavy-handed tactics and strangling of Turkish democracy and rule of law, said Aykan Erdemir, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former member of parliament for the main opposition Republican Peoples Party. He told Al-Monitor, It took Turkey 24 years to repair the damage of the brutal coup d'etat of 1980, and PACE closed Turkey's earlier monitoring process only in 2004. Thirteen years after that positive decision, it is sad to see Turkey's wasting of more than two decades of democratization efforts and backtracking to the repression of the 1980 junta." The proposed downgrading of Turkeys status came as German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned today that Turkeys approach to democracy and the rule of law are deeply problematic to the countrys future cooperation with the European Union. Since 2005, Turkey has been in formal talks for full membership in the European bloc, but the talks have hit a wall over the divided island of Cyprus, an array of reforms that Turkey has failed to deliver on and, above all, over the EUs own resistance to admitting a large Muslim country. Merkel also took aim at Erdogans weekend salvos that Germany was reliving its "Nazi" past, saying these were completely out of hand. Erdogan's comments were in response to a decision by the German authorities to cancel rallies in Cologne and Gaggenau in support of Erdogans proposed super-presidency due to worries about overcrowding. I thought that Nazism was over in Germany, but it turns out that it is still going on, Erdogan charged. Erdogans drive to formalize the sweeping powers that he already exercises in a planned April 16 referendum are a matter of concern, the PACE Monitoring Committee said. In light of the established violations of human rights under the state of emergency, the committee urged Turkey to lift the state of emergency as soon as possible, halt the publication of decree-laws which bypass parliamentary procedure, and to release all the detained parliamentarians and journalists pending trial, unless convicted." But Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told a group of foreign reporters today that this would be extended beyond its April 19 expiration date. It is certain at this point that it will be extended for another three months, Yildirim said. Of course it will not continue eternally, he added. Weve taken care of the situation to a large extent. Editor's note: This article has been updated since its initial publication. March 8, 2017 During the first years of his meteoric political career, Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan liked to use the phrase win-win. That was when he was seen as an asset for a multitude of leaders around the world, thanks to the image he promulgated: that of a forthcoming political neophyte leading an aspiring nation and an ascendant country in the international system. Today, he is seen as more of a liability with no real friends, increasingly relying on the loyalty and the blind faith of his ever-narrowing and inward-looking, xenophobic power base in Turkey. His last diatribe, where he likened the German administration to Nazis, should be seen and analyzed in a broader perspective. He is coming out of the unprecedented intoxicated climate in relations with Germany as a loser. But he is not the only loser. On the German end of it is Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Western worlds liberal hope probably a misleading term following Donald Trumps presidential election victory in the United States. Erdogan is dragging Merkel down with him. The German chancellor, once the most powerful politician in Europe, is rapidly moving to seal her political fate as a loser thanks to her misguided policies vis-a-vis Erdogan. The Turkish presidents win-win policy has been replaced with a zero-sum game, and this is inevitably producing other losers along with him. The most prominent potential loser is Merkel. The misguided attitude of the German chancellor is not to deny the Turkish presidents and Turkish ministers right to campaign in Germany, as some myopes want to see it. On the contrary, the problem is her appeasement of Erdogan. Even after Erdogans harsh words accusing Germany of repeating Nazi practices a psychological red line in contemporary German politics she gave in. Merkel announced that the Turkish leaders could campaign and hold rallies in Germany for Turkey's April 16 referendum on an executive presidency if they notify the authorities in a timely manner and respect German law. That is no more than taking a step back and displaying weakness in front of a furious and aggressive Erdogan. Turkeys president, rightly, can turn to his own audience within Turkey and claim victory against Germany. In his followers' minds, he will be vindicated. But this may cause Merkel to lose power to Martin Schulz, the new leader of the Social Democratic Party who was an ardent critic of Erdogans policies when he was president of the European Parliament. The latest polls have the Social Democrats leading the Christian Democrats for the first time since Merkel became chancellor in 2005. The once-invincible Merkel will lose because of her appeasement of Erdogan, a winner in terms of leading Turkey into totalitarianism but an eternal loser who most likely will be portrayed in history alongside tyrants. Merkel's appeasement of Erdogan started with the refugee crisis that emerged in 2015 and 2016, which led to a refugee deal in March 2016. The way Merkel dealt with the issue triggered a populist-nationalist white supremacist far-right backlash in Europe. But her ongoing appeasement, despite Erdogans Nazism in Germany accusation, will arouse the outrage of liberal and democratic opinion, albeit somewhat weakened, in the Western world. The synergy that would derive from these two opposing dynamics of left and right might bring about her demise. The influential German weekly Der Spiegel recently showed great acumen by saying in an editorial, The fear that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan might cancel the refugee deal and allow masses of migrants to make their way to Germany has shackled Angela Merkels policies toward the autocratic leader. It is time to come up with a European solution that decreases our dependence on Turkey. This, in other words, is a confession that unless the European Union comes up with a plan B, Merkel will be shackled to Erdogan and thus will be among those contributing to Turkeys drift into the shadows of autocracy. One prominent European appeaser of the Turkish regime, former Swedish Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, tweeted that while the German ban on Turkish ministers' campaigning in Turkey may be questionable, accusing Germany of Nazism is unacceptable. Would Merkel swallow and digest a diatribe that even Bildt finds unacceptable? Der Spiegels editorial legitimately asked the same question in a different manner: Erdogan wants to hold a major speech in Germany soon. He hopes to use it as an opportunity to promote proposed changes to the Turkish Constitution that would be a decisive step in transforming his country from an autocratic, despotic state to a dictatorship. It is the height of chutzpah. The Turkish president wants to take the advantage of our freedom of assembly and expression to promote the elimination of precisely those civil liberties in Turkey. Must we accept this? Erdogans remarks infuriated the German polity. Christian Social Union Secretary-General Andreas Scheuer, Merkel's Bavarian partner, said of Erdogan to the Passauer Neuen Presse newspaper, The despot of the Bosporus got out of control. For German Justice Minister Heiko Mess, a Social Democrat, Erdogans remarks were abstruse, malicious and absurd. For Merkels chief of staff, Peter Altmaier, they were absolutely unacceptable. Merkels top lieutenant in the German parliament, Volker Kauder, also took part in the chorus of reaction to Erdogans accusation, telling the German TV channel ARD, Nobody can outdo Germany in terms of rule of law, tolerance and liberalism. There is no reason whatsoever for us to accept such accusations or advice from anybody. He added, Its an incredible and unacceptable turn of events that a leader of a NATO country talks this way about another NATO country, especially one who has considerable problems with the rule of law. Yet as long as Merkel wavers on how to deal with Erdogan, all these statements cannot go further than being empty talk. This is not enough to stop the way that Erdogan, making his cost-benefit calculations, deals with Germany. That is the way he operates. The co-chairman of German Greens, Cem Ozdemir, of ethnic-Turkish origin, stressed that Germany lacks a common Turkey strategy. He told ARD that Turkey is important for Germany and that keeping it away from Russia, Islamism and ultranationalism is in the interest of Germany. But he differed with other German leaders on what should be done about Turkey. He emphasized that Turkeys democrats should not be abandoned by Germany and that Germany should ask Turkey to make a democratic gesture, freeing jailed opposition politicians and journalists. For allowing the Turkish leaders to campaign on German soil, he proposed that Turkey reciprocate by letting German leaders hold rallies in Turkey, for example, in Taksim Square in Istanbul, calling for the freedom of Turkish intellectuals and opposition politicians. This could be a German-European approach to Turkey that is diametrically opposed to appeasement. In history, appeasement has not brought desired results to its proponents. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain essentially presented the Sudetenland, in then-Czechoslovakia, to Hitler to avert war. It emboldened Hitler, and the German chancellor attacked Poland, triggering World War II. Todays German chancellor and the EU should unchain themselves from a refugee deal emboldening a Turkish leader who is suppressing every iota of opposition in order to consolidate an autocratic regime. The Turkish-German flare-up has an impact on Turkeys relations with the entire EU, which is the most important trade partner for Turkey. In January, almost half of Turkeys exports, 47%, were to the EU. Germany was the No. 1 export destination for Turkey, accounting for 10% of all Turkish exports. Therefore, if Germany stops appeasing Erdogans Turkey, it can have a decisive impact on the fortunes of the quest for an autocratic Turkey. Liberating themselves from being hostages of the refugee deal is in the tactical interest of both the EU and Germany. Blocking Turkeys drift to autocracy is in their strategic interest as well. March 7, 2017 No one can question the centrality of civilian-military relations in Turkeys political life. Early in the last century, a military republic assumed the legacy of a military empire. In the 93 years since, Turkey has experienced four military coups and three abortive attempts. For a third of that time, Turkey was under martial law, and until 2000, practically lived under military tutelage. The coup attempt on the night of July 15, 2016, by a group of pro-Gulenist soldiers while other soldiers passively looked on has of course had various implications. A country pursuing negotiations for accession to the European Union and engaged in demilitarizing since 2003 was showing signs of reverting to interventionist tutelage driven by military mindsets and traditions. In the aftermath of the attempted coup, military-civilian relations have become so sensitive they cannot be publicly debated. One could land in serious trouble if heard to ask, Is there a split in the military? or Are civilian-military relations stable? Such questions are, nevertheless, on the table and are as important as ever. A Feb. 25 report by Turkish journalisms flagship daily, Hurriyet, triggered a crisis among the government, the military and the media highlighting the sensitivity of the issue. The report featured responses by Chief of the General Staff Hulusi Akar to seven criticisms of his actions. No sources were cited by name, but it was clear that they were from inside headquarters, including commanders, and that their comments expressing their displeasure with Akar were published with their consent. Akar's alleged silence in the face of the government's decision to lift the long-established headscarf ban for women in the military was a particular source of discontent, as were his relations with the government and the US military. The political establishment reacted strongly to the report, printed under the banner headline, Headquarters Unease. Government spokesman Numan Kurtulmus said, Everyone must watch they say. It is not possible to steer the Turkish Armed Forces and the government with banner headlines. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with Akar, seated beside him, threatened the media, charging, They will pay heavily for this. Apparently in the wake of the failed coup, the report set nerves on edge over concerns that high-ranking members of the military remained unhappy with the government. The consequences that followed Erdogans threat were immediate. Hurriyet felt sufficiently pressured to fire editor-in-chief Sedat Ergin, and the newspaper printed an apology for the report and promised an investigation. Assessing three elements in this turn of events helps in making sense of it. The first element is the governments reaction, which was justified and understandable. Democratic states do not tolerate anonymous declarations from military authorities pertaining to political life. One cannot ignore Turkeys history. For many years, especially after the military intervention of Feb. 28, 1997, high-ranking officers, frequently the chief of staff, acted as instruments of pressure on the countrys politics through leaks and unsourced statements to the media. Discreet warnings from the military became part and parcel of Turkey's political life. Headquarters disturbed and military uneasy are well-known and understood expressions. The issue is not one only of military-civilian relations but media-military relations as well. The second element involves selective criticism. The government chose to attack the media and ignore the situation among the high command, falling back on the classic charge that they want to spoil political-military relations, without identifying who they is. Nevertheless, nobody should deny that Akar's posture has caused displeasure behind closed doors and probably generated warnings from among the ranks. The third element, perhaps the most critical one, is the background of the report's serving of notice about grumbling in the military ranks. The question that arises is why high-level commanders are discontent, including Akar, who is unhappy with his internal critics. More importantly, who or what has led them to feel that way? The Hurriyet report indicated that the members of the military high command who spoke out were not annoyed solely at the political echelons. The real cause of their irritation was the chief of the General Staff. In other words, the report on headquarters unease reflected actual unrest in the military. The reaction by the military command clearly confirmed the discord within. Three main issues which Hurriyet divided into seven categories have reportedly been disturbing the military command. The first is Akar's close relations with the government, for example, joining Erdogan on trips, and the political role he plays that supports the policies of the government, such as triggering tensions with Greece over the Aegean. The second issue is Akar's attitude toward the US military. Nationalist officers targeted by Gulenists during the coup and who believe that the United States was behind the failed attempt are not happy. These officers resent Akars submissive relations with the US military. The third issue is the lifting of the ban on headscarves for female military personnel. The military, rooted in secularism, had long treated wearing headscarves as a symbol of Islamization, and for decades disallowed them. In late February, the Defense Ministry, at the behest of the political leadership, abolished this prohibition for female officers and noncommissioned officers. To the traditional military, the change in policy on headscarves looks like a direct challenge to the military and reflects a change in military-civilian relations. How should one interpret these developments? The criticisms directed at Akar point to an ongoing debate in the military. The key point of contention appears to be the lifting of the ban on headscarves. Akar, while briefing the Hurriyet writer, felt the need to emphasize, saying, Headquarters was not consulted about the decision to lift the ban on headscarves, and the General Staff had no responsibility and input in the matter. It is therefore reasonable to assume that there was a strong, negative reaction in the military about lifting of the ban, and Akar was accused of simply going along with the government instead of resisting politicians imposing the change. Undoubtedly the chief of the General Staff, while trying to address the trauma the military had suffered with the July 15 coup, is stuck between intense pressure by the government and dissatisfaction among the military ranks. That Akars alliance with the government involves helping to cope with Kurdish issues and purging the army and the state of Gulenists is not effective in convincing the military ranks to give him the benefit of the doubt for the moment. The timing and style of the lifting of the ban on headscarves, which can actually be interpreted as a democratic step, have nevertheless shifted some critical balances and prompted concern in the army about the governments intention to rewrite political-military relations. Denver-based Steele Properties has purchased Valley Brook Apartments for $6.8 million with plans to renovate it this spring. Steele will begin renovated the 240-unit complex in April and expects to finish by spring of 2018. Monroe Group, also headquartered in Denver, will be the property manager. Steele estimates it will invest about $47,000 per unit in rehabilitation, including exterior and interior renovations. The group plans to build a new community center with computer and laundry facilities and a new playground. Steele plans to replace the buildings' roof and vinyl siding. It will also upgrade the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and install a key fob controlled access gate as well as security cameras throughout the complex. The complex was last renovated in 1995. "Steele Properties mission is to preserve and improve affordable housing opportunities," Chad Asarch, Principal of Steele Properties, said in a press release. "We specialize in rehabilitating properties in poor condition and significantly improving them to become safe and quality housing for our residents." The project is being financed with Low Income Housing Tax Credits allocated by the Alabama Housing Finance Authority and tax-exempt bonds. PNC Bank is providing equity and R4 Capital and Tax Credit is underwriting tax-exempt bond proceeds. Valley Brook Apartments is in Center Point off of Highway 75. The complex, built in 1972, is a 88 percent project-based Section 8 complex made up of 18 two-story walk-up buildings. It has one-, two- and three-bedroom units on 16.8 acres. Steele was formed in 2006 and has completed more than $600 million worth of acquisitions. 7:34 p.m.: This story has been corrected to reflect the price of the property. A federal judge on Thursday sentenced to probation an Ashland woman who admitted selling methamphetamine in a case in which her mother and her mothers boyfriend also sold the drug. U.S. District Judge Susan Watters of Billings sentenced Troy Dee Wilson, 21, to five years of probation on two counts of distribution of meth. Prosecutors said the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs drug unit used a confidential source to make three meth buys from residents at an Ashland residence in March 2016. Two of the purchases were from Wilson, who sold two grams of meth for $200 each time. During the execution of a search warrant on the residence agents seized about six grams of meth and money. Wilsons mother, Annie Wilson, pleaded guilty to distribution and possession charges, while Annie Wilsons boyfriend, Joshua Don Ray, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute. Watters earlier sentenced Ray to one year and one day in prison. Annie Wilson is to be sentenced on March 29. OwenBailey_USAHealth_COO_2016 (2).jpg Owen Bailey has been promoted to chief executive officer and senior associate vice president for medical affairs of USA Health, the University of South Alabama has announced. (Courtesy of USA) Here are the top stories in Alabama business for Wednesday, March 8, 2017: Less than a year after being appointed to the newly created position Chief Operating Officer of USA Health, Owen Bailey has been promoted to CEO of the University of South Alabama's health care system. -- Popular Milton, Delaware-based brewer Dogfish Head started selling in Alabama this week. The beer is available in cities from Huntsville to Mobile. It's the 16th largest craft brewer in the United States. -- A series of career readiness workshops will take place leading up to a hiring event later this month in downtown Huntsville. The Alabama Career Center System will offer 3-4 hour training seminars on topics such as resume preparation, interview tips, dressing for success, timeliness and communication skills. -- The American way of producing energy is amazingly successful, but the process is also wasteful, and that's what Auburn University scientists and engineers want to change. -- A record-setting 128 employers will be on hand this Friday for a free public job fair hosted by Alabama State University. The event will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at ASU's Dunn-Oliver Acadome in Montgomery. -- With a House of Representatives vote this week, Congress has now told NASA what it wants the space agency to do in future. But it's still a mystery what President Trump wants and how much money the space agency will get to do the job. -- Follow all of Alabama's business news here anytime. Sarah Cavender's creations are seen and bought in museums from Japan to the United Kingdom, and throughout North America. She maintains a wholesale business selling handcrafted metal jewelry and accessories, and has a retail and Internet business for the earrings, necklaces, belts, handbags, pins and other items she sells. And all of them are made with a staff of five people in a two-floor storefront in Oxford. "It's been good to be here," she said, looking out on Oxford's Main Street. "We've been able to ride out the ups and downs of the business. It's cheaper to be here, cheaper to ship to other places. It's given me time to learn my craft and find new materials and technologies, and look at trends." Sarah Cavender Metalworks fashions pieces from metal, metal mesh, and other materials like wire cloth, using copper, brass, and other materials. Some metal pieces are fashioned and airbrushed to resemble petals and leaves. Others incorporate detailed contemporary designs. Hypoallergenic materials are used. Pieces range from understated to bold, using simple designs or more complex configurations like grids. Others incorporate crystals, riverstones and jaspers. Cavender's background is in sculpture, and she speaks of enjoying the manipulation of metal to make her creations. Her journey to business began when she finished school and realized she had to begin building a life. In the eighties, she graduated from the Philadelphia College of Art and started teaching classes. "It didn't take long before I knew this was not going to be it for me," she recalled. But a professor told Cavender she had a "knack" for making jewelry, and friends often asked about pieces she designed herself. Soon, she began creating her own styles, and was excited with the possibilities. After finding representation for her work, she began building her reputation. When she got married and had children, she came back to Alabama and set up shop in a two-floor storefront in Oxford. Her work has been shown in Vogue, Mademoiselle, In-Style, Glamour, McCalls, and Lucky. She said she has seen at least a 20 percent increase in traffic through her store since the opening of the Oxford Center for Performing Arts. And an ongoing renewal project in the downtown area has also been a boon. Visit her website here. state house mug by julie.JPG (Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com) The Alabama Senate passed a bill today that would restrict the removal of monuments on public property and the renaming of certain streets and buildings. The sponsor, Sen. Gerald Allen, R-Tuscaloosa, said the intent of his bill was to preserve history. He said it was important that the state's history, good and bad, is memorialized for future generations. His bill would set up the Committee on Alabama Monument Protection that could grant waivers to the restrictions. Democratic senators argued at length against the bill. Sen. Hank Sanders, D-Selma, said the bill would protect only selective parts of history to the exclusion of others. "In fact, what it does it says whoever was in power and was able to put their history in monuments, they are protected," Sanders said. The bill passed by a vote of 24-7 after the Senate adopted an amendment by Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, D-Birmingham. Before the amendment, the bill said that monuments and architecturally significant buildings 50 years and older could only be moved or renamed with permission of a court. Coleman-Madison's amendment dropped that 50-year threshold to 20 years. Monuments and buildings less than 20 years old could be moved or renamed by seeking a waiver from the Committee on Alabama Monument Protection. The bill also says memorial streets 15 years or older could not be renamed without a waiver from the committee. The Senate passed a similar bill by Allen last year, but it did not pass the House. The Committee on Alabama Monument Protection would have 12 members, including two House members, one from each party and two senators, one from each party. Appointing one member each would be the directors of Archives and History; Alabama Historical Commission; Alabama Historical Association; Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation and the chair of the Black Heritage Council. The governor would appoint two mayors and one county commissioner. Anthony Ray Hinton isn't on Facebook and doesn't plan to be. But several weeks ago the 60-year-old former Alabama Death Row inmate had a private meeting with the founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, who at the time was touring Alabama with his wife. The post on the billionaire's Facebook page that told Hinton's story of how he was exonerated and released after 30 years on death row generated 255,000 likes, 18,000 shares, and 6,500 comments. "When I heard this (Hinton's story), I apologized to him -- not because I could have helped in his case, but because it is all of our responsibility to make our society one of justice for all," Zuckerberg wrote in his Facebook post. Hinton, in a recent interview with AL.com, talked about his Feb. 20 meeting with Zuckerberg. "I told him my story," Hinton said. "What treated me more than anything was I never thought I would live to see two things, first a billionaire with water in his eyes and never did I think I'd see a billionaire apologize to someone like me." "Here's a man that (is) rich. Here is a man who had nothing to do with me spending 30 years in that hell hole," Hinton said. "He (Zuckerberg) said 'Mr. Hinton I would like to apologize to you.' He will never know how much that meant to me and how much it means to me because he did something the people of Alabama never did." Hinton says he has been surprised by the technological developments that happened while he was in prison three decades. "I know how to dial a (cellphone) number and receive a number ... how to text a little bit... and I can take a picture....I haven't caught up... and I don't ever believe I will catch up," he said. Hinton said he was surprised at the calls and texts - as far away as the UK - from people about his meeting with Zuckerberg. He said he wondered how so many people knew about the meeting, but a friend told him it was because it was on Facebook. Hinton said he doesn't believe he will get a page on Facebook. "I'm really trying to bring an end to the death penalty because it means so much to me. And it means so much to me because I almost was executed," he said. The latest version of the prison-building plan in the Alabama Legislature would allow for borrowing up to $775 million for up to three prisons and for renovation to existing prisons. It would allow counties and cities to set up authorities to acquire property and issue bonds to build prison facilities that the authorities would lease to the Department of Corrections, using the lease payments to pay off the bonds. DOC could enter lease agreements with up to three such authorities. The $775 million bond cap would be reduced by $225 million for each prison facility that DOC leases from an authority. The bill is the latest proposal resulting from negotiations that started with Gov. Robert Bentley's initiative to borrow $800 million to build four new prisons. Bentley's plan called for closing most of the existing men's prisons and replacing them with three, larger regional prisons, as well as replacing Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women. Sen. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, the sponsor of the bill, said Tuesday that the plan might include a continuation of recent renovations to Tutwiler, rather than replacing Tutwiler. The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to discuss the bill at 9:15 Thursday morning. Jeff Sessions Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks at the Justice Department in Washington, Thursday, March 2, 2017. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) (Susan Walsh) A Boston-area attorney filed a complaint Thursday with the Alabama Bar Association against U.S. Attorney Jeff Sessions, alleging the former Alabama senator violated the Bar's code of conduct by engaging in "unethical and criminal conduct" during his confirmation hearing. J. Whitfield Larrabee, the lawyer who filed the complaint, is claiming that Sessions violated several provisions of the Bar's rules of professional conduct when he told the Senate Judiciary Committee in January that he "had no contact with the Russians." Larrabee is asking the association to investigate his claims because Sessions is an attorney licensed in Alabama. A spokeswoman for the Bar association said she could not confirm that the organization received the complaint because filings are confidential. Larrabee, who filed complaints with federal prosecutors in New York and Florida alleging bribery, fraud and conspiracy against then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, provided AL.com with his complaint against Sessions. Penalties for being found in violation of the code of conduct range from probation to disbarment. Larrabee said he hoped his complaint would lead to Sessions' disbarment, although it's unclear whether having his law license revoked would disqualify him from being attorney general. "My concern is I'm an attorney, I'm a citizen, and I'm concerned it's pretty clear he hasn't testified truthfully to the United States Senate," Larrabee, who practices civil rights and trial law, said in a phone interview. "I'd like him to be subject to appropriate discipline." Sessions recused himself last week from any investigations involving communication between the Donald Trump campaign and the Russians after it was revealed that he met twice with Russian ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak during the campaign. The attorney general denied any impropriety, maintaining he met with Kislyak in his capacity as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Sessions was the first sitting senator to endorse Trump and headed the then-candidate's national security advisory committee. In his complaint, Larrabee claimed Sessions violated "adversely on the lawyer's honesty, trustworthiness or fitness as a lawyer in other respects," engaged "in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation" and "conduct that is prejudicial to the administration of justice." "Sessions violated other provisions of the Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct by giving false testimony to a legislative body, by failing to take reasonable and appropriate measures to remedy this misconduct, by affirmatively acting to cover up and conceal his misconduct, and by failing to avoid conflicts of interest in his activities as a lawyer and public official," the complaint states. Larrabee also claimed that Sessions engaged "in a cover-up of his criminal, dishonest and unethical conduct" because he said through a spokeswoman "there was absolutely nothing misleading about his answer" to the Judiciary Committee about his contact with Russian officials. "Because Sessions' testimony denying that he had communications with the Russians was false and misleading, it was dishonest for him to allow [spokeswoman Sarah Isgur] Flores to speak on his behalf and to assert that 'there was absolutely nothing misleading about his answer,'" Larrabee went on to say. When reached for comment, Flores pointed to the letter Sessions' wrote earlier this week to the Judiciary Committee, where he said his answer was "correct" because it was in the context of communications between the Trump campaign and associates of the Russian government. Tracy Dickerson A Birmingham man is charged with capital murder in the death of his girlfriend's young son. Birmingham police on Wednesday announced charges against Tracy Dickerson, 35. He is charged with capital murder in the death of 11-year-old Nassir Battle. Dickerson, who dates Nassir's mother, is being held without bond in the Jefferson County Jail. Police have said Nassir had contusions when he was found unresponsive. Dickerson is not cooperating with the investigation, so a motive has not been confirmed. Birmingham police spokesman Lt. Sean Edwards said police responded about 5 p.m. Friday to a home in the 800 block of 80th Street South. When they arrived on the scene, they found the 11-year-old unresponsive. Nassir was lying on the bed with a shallow pulse. Nassir was taken to Children's of Alabama where he was pronounced dead at 7:36 p.m. Police said he had contusions. Edwards said Nassir was home with an adult male - identified today as Dickerson. Nassir's 8-year-old sister was also at the home, but uninjured. She was taken into protective custody by the Department of Human Resources. Dickerson was taken into custody for questioning Friday evening, and arrested on a previous misdemeanor warrant. He was later released on bond pending the outcome of Nassir's autopsy. On Saturday, Edwards said, the coroner's office ruled Nassir's death a homicide. "Every death is challenging but deaths involving children are extremely delicate,'' Edwards said. "Precise police work is of the utmost importance in this case." Dickerson was booked into the Jefferson County Jail on the capital murder charge at 2:09 p.m. Wednesday. The charge is capital because of Nassir's age. Family members said they are stunned by Nassir's death. "We're handling it very rough,'' said cousin Zena Battle. Nassir's mother, Lavora Battle, was at work Friday night when she received a call that Nassir was unresponsive. She went home, and was told he had fallen in the bathtub and drowned, relatives said. It wasn't until Monday they learned the death had been deemed a homicide. "I'm shocked,'' said family friend Candace Humphries. "I wouldn't expect this to happen to him." Nassir's grandfather said Nassir and his little sister spent five or six days a week with he and his wife until January, when his wife became ill with terminal cancer. He broke down talking about the closeness he shared with his grandson. "He liked to dance and play video games,'' Battle said. He said he never met his daughter's boyfriend, who has not yet been charged with any crime in connection to Nassir's death. "From what I understand, he whooped him,'' Battle said. "He's not even the daddy. Why was he disciplining him? Little kids, you talk to them first. Nobody's 11-year-old deserves this." Nassir attended Ossie Ware Mitchell Middle School Family members said he was on the A-B Honor Roll, and competed in math and spelling tournaments. Nassir was well-loved and will be missed. "He was a sweet little boy,'' Humphries said. "He always smiled, was always joyful." state house mug by julie.JPG (Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com) A proposed state budget for fiscal year 2018 approved by the House Ways and Means General Fund Committee today did not include the 4 percent pay raise for state employees proposed by Gov. Robert Bentley. Committee Chairman Steve Clouse, R-Ozark, said the budget calls for setting aside $97 million to carry into 2019 or as a contingency for possible changes by Congress affecting state funding. Clouse said lawmakers must consider that in 2019 they will not have a $105 million supplement of BP funds for the Alabama Medicaid Agency that will help support the 2018 budget. "We know we're losing that $105 million so we're trying to be able to for the first time ever put a significant amount of money forward into next year to anticipate that loss," Clouse said. The committee tabled, at Clouse's request, an amendment by Rep. John Knight, D-Montgomery, that would have given state employees a one-time, $1,600 bonus. State employees last received a cost of living raise in fiscal year 2009, a 3.5 percent raise. The 4 percent raise proposed by Bentley would have cost $19 million a year. Clouse said the budget includes a $9.6 million increase for insurance for state employees and retirees. Clouse said the intent is to keep employees' insurance rates from going up. Most state agencies would receive about the same amount of money from the General Fund as this year, Clouse said. Overall, the budget calls for spending $1.8 billion from the General Fund, almost exactly the same as this year. The Alabama Medicaid Agency would get $701 million from the General Fund, essentially the same as this year, plus $105 million from a BP oil spill settlement plan lawmakers approved last year. The Medicaid appropriation is $43 million less than what Bentley requested. Clouse noted that Medicaid's General Fund appropriation was $399 million in 2007. "So we have officially now doubled the Medicaid budget in 11 years," Clouse said. The budget moves to the House. Clouse said he hopes the House can vote to send it to the Senate next week, before lawmakers take spring break beginning the week of March 20. He said the spending plan that ultimately passes the Legislature might not be the final word. "I think we may very well be back in a special session later on in the year based on what comes out of Washington," Clouse said. "And if we do, then I would certainly like to have at least $90 million in the bank instead of zero, to try to deal with those problems." The state education budget will start in the Senate this year. A Busby man charged with first-degree murder in the beating and burning death of a Crow Agency woman last year has agreed to admit to lesser crimes. In court records filed on Wednesday In U.S. District Court in Billings, Frank James Sanchez, 19, reached a plea deal with prosecutors to admit to failing to report a felony and to accessory after the fact. New charging documents allege Sanchez knew that his two co-defendants, Dimarzio Swade Sanchez, 19, of Busby, and Angelica Jo Whiteman, 24, of Billings, had killed the victim, Roylynn Rides Horse, 28, with malice aforethought and premeditation and did not report it to authorities. The prosecution also alleges that Frank Sanchez aided his co-defendants to prevent their arrest and prosecution. U.S. District Judge Susan Watters set a plea change hearing for March 14. Frank Sanchez initially faced a mandatory life sentence if convicted of first degree murder. He faces a maximum 15 years in prison and a $125,000 fine on the accessory crime. The murder charge is to be dismissed at sentencing if the judge accepts the plea agreement. Prosecutors allege that on April 17, 2016, Rides Horse left the Kirby Saloon in a vehicle with the defendants and others and that Whiteman and Rides Horse got into an argument. The argument turned physical, and Dimarzio Sanchez drove to an area near Castle Rock Road between Crow Agency and Busby. Whiteman dragged Rides Horse out of the car, beat her and tried to strangle her to death, court records said. Dimarzio Sanchez asked another person, identified by the initials F.S., to get a gas can out of the trunk. Witnesses told investigators that Rides Horse was doused with gasoline, lit on fire and left in the field. Rides Horse was found about 14 hours later and flown to a burn center at University of Utah Healthcare in Salt Lake City. She suffered third-degree burns on 45 percent of her body and died on June 28. HELENA An environmental organization urged Montana officials Wednesday to protect the state financially and ensure that a co-owner of a coal-fired power plant slated for partial closure pays its share of cleanup and decommissioning costs. Montana Environmental Information Center deputy director Anne Hedges asked Gov. Steve Bullock and other state officials to impose bonding on Talen Energy that would cover the actual costs of shutting down and cleaning two of the four units of the Colstrip power plant. Hedges told Bullock, Attorney General Tim Fox and Montana Department of Environmental Quality Director Tom Livers in her letter that her organization is worried Talen could declare bankruptcy and leave state taxpayers with the cost of cleaning up the site. "Montanans have seen companies avoid cleanup obligations in the past using this method," Hedges wrote. "We should learn from past mistakes." Talen officials have not publicly discussed a potential bankruptcy. Company spokesman Todd Martin did not return a call for comment. However, the company is seeking tax relief from state lawmakers this session and a Talen lobbyist has warned that the closure could come as early as this year if the units don't become "economical." "Talen is losing tens of millions of dollars a year," lobbyist John Metropoulos told a legislative committee in January. "It cannot continue to do that and it will not." The two 1970s-era Colstrip units are slated to close by mid-2022 as part of a legal settlement and will put about 200 people out of work. Coal-fired power plants across the nation have come under increasing pressure amid decreasing demand, increasing regulations and lawsuits against their emissions. Last month, the owners of another plant in Arizona announced they would close the Navajo Generating Station in 2019. Talen is one of six co-owners of the entire Colstrip plant, and one of two owners of the two units that are slated to close. The company is also the operator of the plant, though it has given notice to the other co-owners that it wants to exit that role by mid-2018. The company was bought last year by a private equity firm called Riverstone Holdings. The state now holds a surety bond on Talen for $7.5 million for Colstrip cleanup costs, according to DEQ spokeswoman Jeni Flatow. But the total cleanup and decommissioning costs when the units shut down could be between $158 million and $200 million, according to January testimony by Ronald Roberts, an executive for another Colstrip co-owner, Puget Sound Energy. Talen must submit a full-facility closure plan with cost estimates to the state by July 30 and provide financial assurance for those costs, Flatow said. Hedges responded that those closure costs are not the same as the cleanup and remediation costs. The agency is also looking at its legal authority to see what else it can do to ensure that public money is not used to cover the cleanup, Flatow added. Bullock's spokeswoman Ronja Abel said in a statement that Talen has discussed its financial difficulties for years and that the state would work to find a solution that protects the Colstrip workers and economy. As fighting for western Mosul continues, at least 70,000 civilians remain trapped as supplies dwindle. There may not be enough space in camps to accommodate the tens of thousands of internally displaced people (IDP) currently fleeing their homes in western Mosul amid intense fighting in the city, a United Nations official has said. At least 50,000 people have made their way to the camps on the eastern side of the Tigris River, but the UN warns that if the number rapidly increases, they will be hard pressed to find a place for the new arrivals. As the US-led Iraqi army offensive to retake the western half of the city from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/ISIS) continues to push on, at least 700,000 civilians are still trapped inside, with food and fuel supplies fast dwindling. Up to 450,000 are expected to make their way to the camps, Lise Grande, humanitarian coordinator for the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, said. READ MORE: Thousands return to Iraqs Mosul as fighting continues Grande told Al Jazeera that people inside western Mosul who are trying to escape are at extreme risk; they are targeted and occasionally shot by ISIL snipers. Fighting is very intense, she added. Daesh [ISIL] is fighting for everything right now. Supported by the US-led coalition bombing ISIL in Iraq and Syria, Iraqi forces began the operation to retake the western part of Mosul on February 19. West Mosul is the largest remaining urban stronghold in the caliphate declared by ISIL in 2014. East of Mosul has been declared fully liberated in January, three months after the operation to retake the entire city was officially launched. Since November 2016, civilians have had to live with scarce amounts of food and water, while electricity is largely intermittent. The main route [towards western Mosul] has been cut off. Smugglers have been bringing in little amount of supplies. Electricity can be off for days, sometimes weeks, said Grande. US-backed Iraqi forces are now in their fifth day pushing towards western Mosuls old city centre, the area most densely populated with civilian homes. Families attempting to flee usually do so in the middle of the night, said Grande. Still, it is a huge risk, and they often have to run for their lives. Civilians in the heart of the city depend solely on themselves to get their families to various gathering points at the frontlines. The Iraqi army usually takes over at the frontlines, transporting civilians to safety. Civilians are often caught in the crossfire, and the chances of being shot while making the trip are extremely high, according to Grande. Those who miss this opportunity of being transported by the army often end up crossing the desert on foot before reaching one of the camps on the eastern side. OPINION: Time to tackle ISILs millions of sympathisers? The World Health Organization has set up multiple trauma stabilising points (TSP), as close to the frontlines as possible, Grande told Al Jazeera. There, wounded civilians are given emergency care before being transporting to the nearest hospital. What is striking about this crisis is that half of the casualties are civilians, said Grande.TSP areas have had to dramatically expand. We were not expecting this amount of casualties. Out of the entire IDP population at the refugee camps, 56 percent are children under 18. There are about 1,000 unaccompanied children who have been separated from their families while attempting to flee since the offensive on western Mosul began, said Grande. They [unaccompanied children] are the most vulnerable. They require the most intensive care we provide. Field workers, she said, are working around the clock to construct additional emergency tents as quickly as possible. A family reunited Speaking to Al Jazeera, a newly reunited family said fleeing to safety on the eastern side has been fraught with difficulty. Ahmed Shukri, a former Iraqi police officer, had been separated from his family for four months. The 42-year-old fled western Mosul in December last year, fearing persecution. It was extremely difficult to leave. It was so dangerous that my eldest daughter, Aya, insisted to accompany me to ensure I crossed over safely, Shukri said. He added that he had been a target for ISIL fighters who believed he would leak valuable information to the Iraqi army. I would talk to my family every now and then. They were constantly being watched by ISIL, and couldnt phone me as much as I hoped they would, he said. Asked how the family was being watched, Shukri explained that ISIL fighters would reside inside family homes. They smashed concrete walls, creating tunnels to connect each house to the next, Marwa Hassan, Shukris wife, told Al Jazeera by phone. They wanted to hide from Iraqi forces. They would cross entire neighbourhoods walking through the insides of buildings, instead of being exposed in the streets. We saw dark days. The kids wanted their father, and it was so difficult being mother and father at the same time, she said. I had to stop sending my kids to school. READ MORE: Battle for Mosul upends false Iraq narrative The US-led coalition retook Mosul International Airport, located in the south, when the offensive on the western side of the city started. Since, they have claimed gains of main government offices and a Mosul museum in their latest series of assaults against ISIL group fighters. Hassan told Al Jazeera that they had to leave their home, which was destroyed owing to army shelling attacks targeting ISIL fighters. My mother was injured, my brother carried her as we, along with my three other children, walked to reach liberated al-Mansour district, she said, before being assisted by army personnel to leave for the eastern side. The familys journey to reunite with Shukri took nine hours. Were truly in disbelief. We cant sleep because of the excitement of being fully liberated, Hassan said. It feels like being born again. On March 8, thousands in Ireland protested for the right to choose. We spoke to people on different sides of the issue. An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the 1983 amendment allows for abortions if the womans life is in immediate danger and that abortions can legally take place in cases of rape, incest, or ill health of the mother. The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013 allows for abortions only if a womans life is immediately threatened. The article has been updated to include the 2013 act and clarify the legislative circumstances under which abortions can take place. Thousands of people across Ireland went on strike yesterday in solidarity with women who are forced to travel to the UK to access abortions which are banned in their own country. Strike4Repeal campaigners marched in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Kilkenny as well as around the UK, and in New York, Melbourne and Buenos Aires, to demand the Irish government hold a constitutional referendum on Irelands eighth amendment which places the right to life of an unborn child on equal footing with that of the mother. Organisers asked citizens to take the day off work, forgo domestic chores where possible, wear black in solidarity, register support on social media and ask local businesses to close their services. Thousands of people took time off work last year to access abortions we are asking you to show your solidarity with them, said a video message by Strike4Repeal, which asked people to strike if a referendum was not held by March 8. In an act of resistance, demonstrators chanted Get your rosaries off our ovaries and This is what democracy looks like as they halted traffic in the hope that the Irish government would hear their voices. The eighth amendment, which was passed in 1983, recognised the right to life of the unborn child, effectively introducing a ban on abortion. The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013 allows for abortions only if the womans life is immediately threatened, including by suicide. Al Jazeera joined women and men on the streets of Dublin to get their thoughts on abortion rights in Ireland. Larissa Nolan, 40, is a journalist who describes her political views as libertarian. She lives in Dublin with her son. Im pro-life and in Ireland, if you say that openly, youre a social pariah. The so-called pro-choice movement has become increasingly militant and intolerant of views which are different to theirs. Im at the march today as an exercise in social observation. Im curious to see if people at the march understand fully what they are marching for. This campaign has become a bandwagon, which is forcing a one-sided ideology down peoples throats and now they want people to stop work to force the government into ceding to their demands. I dont believe in telling a woman what to do either way. Give them the facts, be non-judgmental and let them figure it out. Im quite outspoken about being pro-life, but other women and there are lots of them feel they are better off keeping their thoughts to themselves for fear of being attacked. But I fear come referendum day, they will let their votes do the talking. I think the movement could see a shock result like Brexit or Trump. I dont think abortions are a black and white issue. By their very nature, abortions require quick decision-making and the repeal movement has absolutely no time for the psychological consequences a woman can suffer after making what could be the wrong decision. Helen Guinane is a 38-year-old mother of two who works in IT. She is part of the group Parents for Choice which marched with the Strike4Repealers. What people dont know is that 54 percent of abortions accessed in the UK are by people who are already parents. People think abortions are exclusive to people in their 20s, but theyre not. Parents access abortions for a number of reasons either they already have a family and cant afford more children or had a situation where contraception didnt work, are lone parents, or victims of abuse. There are endless situations why people have to terminate a pregnancy and whatever people decide, it should be their choice and not that of the government. I genuinely think that if we have abortions in Ireland, people will be able to make a more measured decision. The fear and anxiety women have about travelling consumes their decisions. If they know they can have abortions in their own country, they can actually focus on the issue a lot more. READ MORE: The long road towards acceptance for Irish travellers Bernadette Goulding is a co-ordinator at Rachels Vineyard, which offers support and weekend retreats for women and men suffering from post-abortion trauma. She spoke to Al Jazeera from Cork. The pro-abortion lobby never talk about it the grief and trauma women and men can suffer after having an abortion. My retreats are always booked up. People think an abortion [is] just a temporary thing, but it can affect you for the rest of your life. I have met so many people who have been damaged by it. Sometimes it takes decades for people to acknowledge the pain. Ive had 70-year-old women come to my retreats, who regret abortions they had when they were 20. As a society, we dont understand abortion. I had an abortion and went into denial about it for years. I told myself for years that the circumstances were wrong, but my child is gone forever and will never be replaced. After I went through this horrible grief, I realised there must be other women out there who feel the same way. Thats why I founded the retreat and various other services. Ive been all around the world, helping people who had abortions. I feel sorry for the pro-choice campaigners, because I think they are missing the point. READ MORE: Speaking out for the homeless at Dublins Apollo house Ruth Murphy is a 25-year-old who works in accounts. She took the day off work to strike for the repeal of the 8th amendment. My boss was happy to let me take the time out for an important cause. Ive forgone a days wages, but Im in a privileged position to be able to do that. I think its important for me to be here today. Im angry. I think women should be able to make decisions for themselves. Its not up to the government to interfere. Amongst my close friends, none of us have had abortions, but that doesnt make me feel like I shouldnt get involved. The Catholic Church in Ireland has controlled too many aspects of Irish society, including womens reproductive rights, and I think this generation will try its best to put an end to it. Unfortunately, there is still a stigma attached to having an abortion, but hopefully, that will change soon. Stephen Quinn is a 28-year-old from Dublin who works in theatre. He is galvanised by the mostly youth-driven movement, which is standing up to the establishment. In 2015, the gay marriage referendum was passed in Ireland and there has been so much energy amongst young people who want to see real change. Were going to make significant inroads into changing the way Irish people think and feel about certain aspects of life. Ireland is still a secular place, and we need a separation between church and state. I went to a Catholic secondary school and its teachings affected me deeply. This is a very flamboyant movement, thats why Ive been inspired to dress up. I know lots of men who are pro-choice and resisting the male-dominated culture that we live in. Fern Doonan is a 25-year-old bar worker who originally hails from West Cork in southern Ireland. She wants women to no longer be limited in their lives and choices. The abortion laws in Ireland are draconian. Its your uterus, your decision. Women are powerful, but we are limited in our lives and we shouldnt be. Having an abortion is a really difficult decision for anyone to take, made worse by the fact that they have to travel. Were exporting an issue. Having a pro-life view is outdated. The thing is that not everyone is ready for a child, and its unfair for a child to be born into a world where no one can nourish them and protect them. Its inhumane to expect people to be parents when theyre not equipped to be. This is an incredible movement and one I am proud to be part of. As yet another round of negotiations on the crisis in Syria has failed, the military situation in the northern provinces has continued to evolve rapidly. The Turkey-backed Euphrates Shield Operation in Northern Aleppo province has come to an abrupt stop after progress south and east of Al Bab towards Raqqa was blocked by an offensive southeast of the city by Syrian regime forces. Washington has also stated that it favours allying with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) for the upcoming battle for Raqqa, the symbolic capital of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/ISIS). These developments have come just weeks after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that the Euphrates Shield Operation will advance to ISIL-held Raqqa and SDF-held Manbij. In the past week, the US-backed SDF gave up territory in favour of regime forces west of the city of Manbij, allowing those forces to create a buffer zone between SDF and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions, part of the Euphrates Shield Operation. US troops which, according to Washington, play a mainly advisory role in the conflict, have also moved to Manbij to prevent an FSA offensive on the city. The territorial belt between the regime forces and the SDF will allow the latter to move resources and troops towards the Afarin canton in the west, which until recently was completely isolated from the rest of the SDF-controlled areas. Ahrar al Sham, one of the most powerful Islamist armed groups in Northern Syria, which Russia in December put on its moderate opposition groups list, has been a key player in the latest political and military developments in Northern Syria. Al Jazeera spoke with Ahmad Qara Ali, Ahrar Al Shams official spokesperson, to discuss some of these events and the armed groups vision for the future of Syria. READ MORE: Syrias war, ISILs explosive legacy Al Jazeera: What is the situation like now in the area under the control of the Euphrates Shield Operation forces? Ahmad Qara Ali: The Euphrates Shield Operation continues. Our view is that there is a plan for its continuation. It made a lot of gains in the region, freed the people from ISIL and established some sort of security, and people were able to return to their lives and homes now. Maybe there are some who are convinced that to a certain extent the operation has stopped. But it is continuing. Al Bab was liberated completely and right now the situation is sort of calm. There are no battles or clashes. In Manbij, there is progress, but I dont know where they reached. Clashes continue to take place between Euphrates Shield forces and Syrian Democratic Forces. Al Jazeera: There have been media reports that US forces are present in Manbij. What is your opinion on that? Qara Ali: We havent confirmed the veracity of these reports. But it is well known that SDF is getting support from the international coalition led by the US. However, regarding the actual presence of US forces, Im not sure about that exactly. Al Jazeera: But is the possibility of US forces stopping the progress of Euphrates Shield towards Manbij, in your view, a positive or a negative development ? Qara Ali: Of course its not a positive thing. The goal of the operation is to liberate the area so this barrier is hindering the liberation of the area as well as undermining the battle against ISIL. Al Jazeera: Do you think Euphrates Shield forces will advance towards Raqqa? Qara Ali: It is possible, but I cant confirm that this will definitely happen. Discussions continue between all sides involved, including the international coalition and the Turks. Even yesterday, meetings took place between the Turks, the Americans and the Russians. So discussions are ongoing on the plan for Raqqa theres a plan proposed by the Turks, another one by the Americans. It is still not clear at this point and I cannot confirm whether it will happen. The Raqqa operation is very important and sensitive. It requires consideration, it requires the presence of the Free Syrian Army, the presence of local factions who know the area, and the mindset [of local people], so that no tribal, territorial and legitimacy issues occur. But of course the Raqqa operation is very important and sensitive. It requires consideration, it requires the presence of the Free Syrian Army [FSA], the presence of local factions who know the area, and the mindset [of local people], so that no tribal, territorial and legitimacy issues occur. The situation is very sensitive and it needs studying and planning so that it is successful. In addition to the fact that there is a big number of civilians, so we need to be careful not to have any loss of civilian lives. It would be a difficult and complicated battle but these areas have to be liberated from ISIL. Al Jazeera: Would Ahrar al Sham participate in the battle for Raqqa? Qara Ali: We have presence among the Euphrates Shield forces. We participated in the battle for Al Bab. We would participate in it as well, if such an operation took place Al Jazeera: Ahrar al Sham was part of the forces that captured Raqqa from the regime. How did you lose the city to ISIL? Qara Ali: When ISIL appeared, the factions were not used to this type of fighting. They were not used to infighting. Fighting the enemy meant fighting the regime. ISIL appeared all of a sudden and started attacking some factions. A lot of the fighters could not fathom that other fighters who also fought Bashar [Al Assad] would also fight them. This really affected the fighters and the factions they were not used to raising their weapons against fellow fighters. [ISILs] methods included the use of car bombs to target factions and their headquarters. This, along with the fact that the factions were still engaged in fighting the regime, affected [the situation] a lot. ISIL was not fighting the regime. It dedicated itself to fighting these factions, to dismantling them and wiping them out. They left Idlib and West Aleppo province and focused on the eastern parts of Aleppo province and the other eastern provinces, like Raqqa and Deir al Zor. Al Jazeera: What is your opinion of the Geneva negotiations? Qara Ali: Until now nothing came out of those meetings. Even those attending said they werent seeing any clear results, any serious and effective results from these negotiations. This is not new. It happened so in previous negotiations. They come as a sort of a respite for Assad. During this time he would commit more massacres, he would kill more people, while he is protected by his allies, Russia and Iran. There have been international media reports about the massacres and crimes committed by the Assad regime like that of Amnesty on the executions in Sednaya prison and others on the use of chemical weapons. All of this has gone unnoticed. Even though the chemical weapons were eliminated, nothing changed. So thats why we dont see anything good in those negotiations for the interests of our people. Theres no real talk about political transformation, the changing of the regime or reaching any of the goals of the revolution. READ MORE: How Im still alive Surviving Assads prison cells Al Jazeera: In the future, would you participate in any negotiations? Qara Ali: As a matter of principle, Ahrar Al Shams position is to participate in the political process and we realise that the solution in Syria will be a political one. But we always say that this political solution has to be in the interest of the revolution and it must agree with the principles of the revolution and be in the interest and justice of the people. If this was the case, Ahrar Al Sham doesnt have a problem with participating in the political process, or in any negotiations leading to solutions. But what it comes down to is the essence of these negotiations is it to the benefit of the revolution and the people or is it to the benefit of Bashar al-Assad so that he can commit more crimes and killing? And are we just going to hear some nice words or even denials of Assads crimes? We find that this type of [negotiations] not useful. WATCH: The boy who started the Syrian War Al Jazeera: What would a post-Assad Syria look like in your view? Qara Ali: Of course Ahrar al Sham has an Islamic identity but we consider that the majority of the Syrian people have that same identity without, of course, excluding the others. The other minority/sectarian groups also have their roots in Syria. But we are talking about the identity of the majority of the Syrian population. Ahrar Al Sham believes in political participation and it will not be the only one that will decide on the issues of governance of this country. The big political issues will be decided by the people like the form of government which would reflect their identity, the constitution, the law. All of this will be decided on by the people, by popular referenda, by experts in the legal, political constitutional fields. All this will be done with the participation of all revolutionary entities and factions. Al Jazeera: So are you talking about a democracy? Qara Ali: This will be decided by the Syrian people. I cannot right now say what term will be used to describe what the government will be like. Al Jazeera: In what form would Islamic principles be present in such a government? Qara Ali: The Islamic identity is present among the Syrian people. So when there is a constitution and law, this issue will be taken into account, along with all the other different facets of Syrian society. In what way this will happen will be decided by the Syrian people. Al Jazeera: If the Syrian people chose a democratic system of government without any religious principles, would Ahrar Al Sham participate in it? Ahrar al Sham will not confront or oppose [with force] the decisions of the people. In this case, whether Ahrar al Sham would assume the position of political opposition, or whether its activities will change and be dawa-related, ideological or political, is something I dont know. This will be decided by the leadership when the time comes. Al Jazeera: What do you think about the Russian intervention in Syria? Qara Ali: It is an oppressive intervention. It is supporting a criminal regime and a dictator that has been killing the Syrian people for six years. It has killed hundreds of thousands of innocent people, of women and children. We consider it an occupying power. Al Jazeera: There has been coordination between the Russian and Turkish governments in Syria. What do you think about that? Qara Ali: Turkey is one of the countries supporting the Syrian revolution. It has supported us through logistics, aid and has welcomed a lot of refugees. Of course we value all of these things. However, we dont have to necessarily agree with all its decisions. We may have some differences over how we view some issues. They tried to reach an understanding with the Russians. Our position was that the Russians are not serious and are not honest and that they will continue to support Bashar. And this became clear. Our position was that the Russians are not serious and are not honest and that they will continue to support Bashar. After Astana there were no results, the ceasefire was not observed by the militias in the South, by Hezbollah and others. They didnt honour the ceasefire, or even listen to the Russians. Either the Russians were not serious and honest, or they didnt have the capability to control these militias. This also happened in Aleppo. There was an agreement with the Russians to allow the people to leave. But some Iranian and sectarian militias prevented people from leaving by shooting at them and taking them out of the cars. And Russia didnt do anything about it. Al Jazeera: What is the situation like in the provinces of Idlib and West Aleppo after all the infighting that happened in the past two months? Qara Ali: Fatah al Sham attacked a number of factions. We issued a statement saying that this is not acceptable and we accepted a few factions joining us. We see that unifying is the best way to achieve victory for the revolution. So [six] factions joined us and we told Fatah al Sham that we wont be silent about it. After Hiya Tahrir al Sham was announced and their leader Hashem al Sheikh said that the attacks will stop and that disputes will be resolved through a court. After a short period, we saw that these attacks were renewed. So the movement [Ahrar al Sham] did not stay silent. It recovered all positions and checkpoints that were attacked. There is a general view that Idlib is under the control of Tahrir al Sham and no longer under the control of the revolutionary forces, which is not accurate. Factions continue to be present on the ground. We consider ourselves part of the revolution and therefore we have protect it from attacks. We hope in the coming days with the cessation of infighting, the military operations against the regime will resume. READ MORE: Syrians to opposition No concessions over our blood Al Jazeera: What are your relations now with Hiya Tahrir al Sham? Is there coordination and cooperation? Qara Ali: The relations with them always included military coordination on the ground. But we do not agree with their methods, their way of thinking, or their project. We hope change is indeed happening within [Tahrir al Sham], especially after the merger with the other factions. We hope positive change is happening and that indeed they cut ties with al-Qaeda as they have said. We have insisted so much on this. We hope that positive steps are taken and the group doesnt attack other factions any more. In the recent past, Hiya Tahrir al Sham undertook attacks, and we were not silent about them. There was a response against them, clashes happened. After that, a court was called in and a committee was put together which will resolve the problems. Al Jazeera: Syrian activists have said that recently there has been a lot of pressure on them and on journalists in Idlib and West Aleppo province. What do you say to that? Qara Ali: I dont know where exactly these things happened. When the attacks on the factions started, of course such things have happened. Activists may have been mistaken as members of other factions, which is perhaps why they were attacked. This is unacceptable. But there are still activists present there who continue their activities. For example, recently a protest was organised by women in the city of Mastouma, where Tahrir al Sham attacked Ahrar al Sham. The protest was against Tahrir al Sham and its attacks on the revolution, on other factions and Ahrar al Sham. I know a lot of activists who continue to live in Idlib and West Aleppo province and speak freely. We know that there have been problems, but we are in a revolution. Disagreements have happened between different sides. The behaviour of Tahrir al Sham was not acceptable. They were thinking that perhaps they will unite the factions by force or by oppressing them. So yes, during the attacks on the factions, attacks on activists happened as well. This is not acceptable. When activists face harm or pressure, there are efforts to protect them and help them. Editors note: This interview was translated from Arabic and edited for length. After publication changes were made to the first sentence of the response to the 12th question for clarity. Losing the oil ports could be an attempt to weaken Haftar, and force him to meet political rivals, analysts say. The seizure of key oil ports in Libyas oil crescent by the Benghazi Brigade this week has been a major blow to Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar, Libyan analysts said. They say that losing control over the key oil ports weakens Haftars position as a negotiator in possible future political talks. On Tuesday, the Benghazi Defense Brigade (BDB) handed over the oil refineries to the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA). The balance could shift in GNAs favour and strengthen the position of prime minister Fayez al-Sarraj. Following months of failed attempts to gain ground in the area, the BDB managed to capture the two key oil ports [Ras Lanuf and Es Sidr] on Friday after launching a surprise attack on forces loyal to Haftar. Haftar gained control of the refineries last September after dislodging military units of the Petroleum Facilities Guard and their commander Ibrahim Jadhran, an ally of the GNA. The strategic area, which contains a large concentration of the countrys oil production, has been a point of contention among the rival factions fighting for control of the country. READ MORE: What is Russias endgame in Libya? As of Tuesday, Libyas oil output was on the rise with 673,200 barrels a day, according to Libyas National Oil Corp. However, Es Sidr is the countrys largest oil port, and the clashes could affect the oil output. Haftar, a figurehead for factions in eastern Libya who once fought beside long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi, refuses to acknowledge the political authority of the UN-sponsored Presidential Council led by Prime Minister Al-Sarraj. Sarrajs authority has been progressively eroding when the Tobruk-based House of Representatives (HoR), under Haftars direct influence, has refused twice to endorse Sarrajs proposed list of ministers. Haftar has engaged in a power struggle with Tripoli that has strongly weakened prospects for a unification of the country. Last month, he reportedly refused to meet Sarraj in Cairo in an Egypt-led effort to discuss a plan to end the conflict in Libya. Haftars refusal to meet with Sarraj in Cairo has led his external allies [Egypt/Emirates] to withdraw from the air strikes campaign against rival groups, explained Khair Omar, a Libyan political science professor at Sakarya University. In 2014 Haftar and his allies launched Operation Dignity, which allowed him to gain control of territory in eastern Libya, including Benghazi. According to the BDB, thousands of Benghazi residents were forced to flee as a result. Armed groups such as the BDB viewed Haftars forces, known as the Libyan National Army (LNA), as an Egyptian-backed relic of the old regime with presidential ambitions. Made up of 3,000 men, the BDB includes revolutionaries from Benghazi, former members of the Libyan army and others who joined from different parts of Libya. When the BDB launched an overnight attack that reportedly took the LNA and their allies by surprise, Haftars forces responded with air strikes in an attempt to regain control of the ports. READ MORE: Amid Libyas chaos, human traffickers have free rein Analysts say that this time around LNA war planes were not accompanied by the air power belonging to Haftars international allies, reportedly the UAE, Egypt and France. Previous attempts by the BDB to move into the oil crescent were usually met with a barrage of air strikes that would push back LNAs rival forces. Haftars power card for negotiations was the oil crescent. Without the ports under his control, his possibly weakened state could force him to attend the political talks, explained Naeem Al Shaibi, a Libyan journalist who extensively covered the conflict in the country. These ports represent a fight over resources, Shaibi said as different players in Libya and the world try to assert their control over the countrys resources. For instance, according to Shaibi, Haftars meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last November could have been seen by his western allies as a betrayal. Haftar controlled key oil wells that could have potentially gone to Russia in the future, if he allied with the Russians, Shaibi explained. Whichever reasons led to the decrease in air power support from Haftars allies, the armed groups on the ground were not willing to continue protecting the oil refineries without the warplanes aiding them. With the decrease in air strikes, when the BDB entered the oil ports, armed groups such as the Justice and Equality Movement of Sudan, who are allied with the LNA, were not motivated to hold on to the ports, said Nezar Krikshi, a Libyan researcher and writer. Moreover, internal strife between Haftar and his Libyan allies has further weakened him. An example of the internal disputes manifested when some of his tribal allies, such as the Baraaisi and Maghribi tribe, defected from Haftars camp. Haftar made political mistakes that caused some of his associates to abandon him, Krikshi said. The BDBs stated goal is to return to Benghazi and allow the thousands of the citys residents, displaced by Haftars takeover, to also return to their homes. In a press conference on Saturday, the BDB leader, Mustafa al-Sharksi, announced that they would go to Benghazi and leave the oil ports to the UN-backed government in Tripoli. According to the latest reports, the BDB are currently trying to enter Brega, another of the oil ports that remains under Haftars control. Whether they reach Benghazi or not depends on the air power. If Haftars allies return with their warplanes, analysts say, the BDB could suffer great losses in their attempt to move on to Benghazi. They had previously attempted to reach Benghazi, and were within reach of the city by 80km when air strikes carried out by allies of Haftar pushed them back, Shaibi said. On Monday, Haftar was in Cairo meeting Egyptian and Russian commanders to discuss the situation in the oil crescent, reported the London-based daily al-Araby al-Jadeed. According to the papers website, Haftar could possibly receive new military support from his backers to recapture the ports. Israeli lobby in the US managed to infiltrate all aspects of government, thus formulating US policy directly. Mere days after Donald Trump won the US presidential election, American Zionists moved quickly to ensure that Israeli interests were fully guarded by the new administration. The Zionist Organization of America wasted no time, hobnobbing with notorious racists, also known for their anti-Jewish agendas. ZOAs annual gala on November 20 hosted none other than Steve Bannon, a leader in the so-called alt-right, otherwise known as white supremacy in the United States. Under his leadership, Breitbart, seen as a major platform for the alt-right, fuelled anti-Semitism (needless to say, racisms of all shades) argued Alex Amend and Jonathan Morgan in AlterNet. Watching top Israeli officials and leaders of the Jewish community in the US hosting ever so enthusiastically Bannon at ZOAs annual gala appeared perplexing to some. Others casually explained it as the nature of politics, as Israel needs its US alliance even if it meant accommodating anti-Semites. But it is hardly that simple. WATCH: Occupation of the American mind Bannons ties with Zionists go back well before the rather surprising Trump election victory. In fact, Israel has never had a problem with true anti-Semites. Instead, it merely rebranded any criticism of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land as anti-Semitism. By conflating the term, the Zionists managed to largely silence all debate on Israel in the US, and despite stubborn attempts to break Israels stronghold on Zionist control over the Palestine and Middle East narrative in US media, government and society as a whole, Israel continues to maintain the upper hand, as it has for decades. Speaking in the White Houses East Room on February 15, in a joint press conference with President Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cordially thanked Trump for his hospitality, then uttered these words: Israel has no better ally than the United States. And I want to assure you, the United States has no better ally than Israel. But it was only half true. The US has indeed been a stalwart supporter of Israel, offering it over $3.1bn in financial assistance each year for the last a few decades, an amount that dramatically increased under President Barack Obama to $3.8 bn. In addition to hundreds of millions more in all kinds of financial, military assistance and loans that went mostly unaccounted for. However, Netanyahu lied. His country has not been an equally strong ally to the US; in fact, Israel has been a liability. Let alone the various serious episodes of Israeli spying on Washington and bartering US secrets and technologies with Russia and China, Israel has been the cause of instability in the Middle East region. Since World War II, the US has vied to achieve two main foreign policy objectives in the Middle East: Control the region and its resources and prop-up its allies (often dictators), while maintaining a degree of stability so that the US is able to conduct its business unhindered. Nevertheless, Israel remained on the warpath. Wars that Israel couldnt fight on its own required American intervention on Israels behalf, as was the case in Iraq. The outcome was disastrous for US foreign policy. Even hardened military men began noticing the destructive path their country had chosen in order to defend Israel. In March 2010, General David Petraeus, then head of the US Central Command told the Senate Armed Services Committee during a testimony that Israel had become a liability for the US and that has become a challenge to security and stability, which his country aimed to achieve. He said: Israeli-Palestinian tensions often flare into violence and large-scale armed confrontations. The conflict foments anti-American sentiment, due to a perception of US favouritism for Israel. Arab anger over the Palestinian question limits the strength and depth of US partnerships with governments and peoples in the AOR (Area of Operations) and weakens the legitimacy of moderate regimes in the Arab World. Meanwhile, al-Qaeda and other militant groups exploit that anger to mobilise support. Although speaking strictly from a US military interest, the Israeli lobby attacked Petraeus almost immediately. Abe Foxman, Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which often mischaracterises its role as that of combating racism in the US lashed out at the top American commander calling his conclusions dangerous and counterproductive. That spectacle alone demonstrated that Israels power in the US has grown tremendously through time. In the US, no one is immune to Israeli criticism, including the president himself, who is expected to accommodate Israeli whims, without expecting any Israeli reciprocation. A particularly telling episode revealed the degree of Israeli influence in the US, when then-House Speaker John Boehner plotted with then-Israels ambassador to Washington, Ron Dermer to arrange a visit and a speech before Congress for Netanyahu, in defiance of President Obama. Netanyahu then raged and raved before a united Congress (with a few exceptions) that repeatedly endowed the Israeli prime minister with many standing ovations as he belittled their president and strongly criticised US foreign policy on Iran. Obama felt isolated as if a target of a political coup; a few Democrats fumbled in a disorganised press conference to respond to Netanyahus accusations, but they were certainly the tiny minority. That spectacle alone demonstrated that Israels power in the US has grown tremendously through time from a client regime, to a partner. But how did Israel achieve such commanding influence over US foreign policy? READ MORE: Israel versus America versus Iran In an article entitled: Steve Bannons web of weirdness: Meet the bizarre billionaires behind the president-elects chief strategist, Heather Digby Patron named a few of these bizarre billionaires. They included, Sheldon Adelson, a right-wing billionaire with a gambling empire, who is singularly focused on the state of Israel. Adelsons relations with Bannon (and Trump) has well preceded Trumps victory, and seemed to take little notice of the fact that Bannon and his ilk were viewed by many American Jews as frightening, racist anti-Semites with a menacing agenda. Adelson however, cares little for the true racists. His obsession to shield Israels militant Zionist agenda trumped all other seemingly little irritants. But the gambling mogul is not the exception among powerful Zionists in the US. Writing in Mondoweiss, the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network explained the love affair between Israel and anti-Semites: From Russian Tzars to the Nazis to Mussolini to the colonial British Empire to the Christian Right -Christian Zionists; (The Zionists) embracing of Trump and renowned reactionary political strategist Steve Bannon is no exception. Israeli commentator Gideon Levy agrees. In an article published by Haaretz on November 21, Levy wrote, When friendship for Israel is judged solely on the basis of support for the occupation, Israel has no friends other than racists and nationalists. Thus, it is no surprise that Adelson is funding a massively rich campaign and lavish conferences to combat the influence of the civil society-powered Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS), while plotting with American elements that consider the word Jew a swear word in their own social lexicon to support Zionist Israel. By putting Israel and Zionism first, these rich individuals, powerful lobby groups, hundreds of think-tanks, thousands of networks across the country and their allies among the religious right, are now the main wheelers and dealers in any matter concerning US foreign policy in the Middle East and Israels political and security interests. Zionists often speak of a historical bond between the US and the Jewish people, but nothing could be further from the truth. On May 13, 1939, a boat carrying hundreds of German Jews was not allowed to reach American shores and was eventually sent back to Europe. That was not a foreign policy fluke. Three months earlier, in February 1939, members of Congress rejected a bill that would allow 20,000 German Jewish children to come to the US to escape the war and possible extermination at the hands of the Nazis. The oddity is that the bill was rejected despite the fact that it proposed bringing the children as part of an already existing quota for annual visas allowed to German citizens. Not only did the Congress shoot it down, but the public had no interest in the matter either, as allowing Jews into the US was quite an unpopular affair. While these Jews were not always welcome, Zionists were already forging strong alliances in the government and applying pressure on the White House to establish a Jewish state in Palestine. READ MORE: The Israel lobby All bark but little bite Indeed, the early days of Zionist lobbying go back to the early 20th century, but such lobbying became truly fruitful during the presidency of Harry S Truman to pressure the White House to back the partition of Palestine. Writing in his memoir, Truman noted, The facts were that not only were there pressure movements around the United Nations unlike anything that had been seen there before, but that the White House, too, was subjected to a constant barrage. I do not think I ever had as much pressure and propaganda aimed at the White House as I had in this instance. The persistence of a few of the extreme Zionist leaders actuated by political motives and engaging in political threats disturbed and annoyed me. Since then, those extreme Zionists leaders have grown in numbers and influence beyond anything Truman could have ever imagined. In their seminal article, The Israel Lobby (which served as the thesis of their book) in the London Review of Books, two prominent American scholars John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt took on the painstaking task of deconstructing the power of the formal and informal Israel lobby that has grown exponentially in recent years. They argued that the power of the lobby is now so great to the point that it has largely orchestrated the US war on Iraq in 2003, only to shift following the war fiasco to advocate wars against Iran and Syria; in addition to ensuring that there can never be a balanced US foreign policy on Israel and Palestine. So, if neither strategic nor moral arguments can account for Americas support for Israel, how are we to explain it? they asked in their article, offering only one possible answer: The explanation is the unmatched power of the Israel Lobby. While certainly not all Jewish Americans are part of or even supporters of the lobby, the massive pro-Israel network managed to sell the idea to many US Jews that their fate is linked to supporting Israeli policy, no matter how destructive or self-defeating. Jewish Americans have set up an impressive array of organisations to influence American foreign policy, of which AIPAC is the most powerful and best known, the two American scholars wrote. READ MORE: Critics warn US could adopt pro-settler agenda According to Fortune Magazines 1997 issue, AIPAC is considered the second-most powerful lobby in Washington, an assessment that was upheld by the National Journal Study in March 2005. The Lobby also relies on Christian evangelicals who have long advocated the return of Jews to Palestine as to fulfil some biblical prophecy pertaining to the end of times. Historically, Zionists have had no quarrel working with such hate-peddling preachers as Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and John Hagee. Hagee, in particular, has emerged as possibly the most powerful of these figures. His eagerness for the final battle between East and West Armageddon led him to establish Christians United for Israel (CUFI). While AIPAC boasts over 100,000 members, as of January 2015, CUFIs membership was estimated at two million. When Israel attacked Lebanon in the summer of 2006, thousands of evangelicals descended on Washington to lobby Congress to support Israel unconditionally. They arrived from all 50 states and, in one single day, they reportedly held 280 meetings on Capitol Hill. But unlike the early days of Zionist lobbying, the lobby is no longer standing on the sidelines urging to the Congress and the executive branch to adopt a pro-Israel agenda. In the last two decades, they have managed to infiltrate all aspects of government, thus formulating policy directly. Mearsheimer and Walt, but also others discussed the evolution of the lobby in the form of the neo-conservatives during the presidency of George W Bush which was coupled with the proliferation of think-tanks and policy forums, all with the ultimate aim of backing Israel, no matter the high cost for the US and needless to say for Palestinians and the Middle East. Moreover, the lobby is no longer satisfied with attempting to sway Washington, by pressuring the Congress and the executive branch where being pro-Israel has been the expected natural state of mind for American lawmakers (save the few courageous ones) but It also strives to ensure that public discourse portrays Israel in a positive light, by repeating myths about its founding and by promoting its point of view in policy debates, according to The Israel Lobby. The goal is to prevent critical comments from getting a fair hearing in the political arena. Controlling the debate is essential to guaranteeing US support, because a candid discussion of US-Israeli relations might lead Americans to favour a different policy. This is why the lobby is currently mobilising to stop and even criminalise the BDS movement, for, even if it failed to nudge US foreign policy in a more sensible direction, BDS is relatively succeeding in creating more platforms for open discussions on many university campuses and some media. Several US states have officially launched initiatives to defeat BDS and more are likely to follow. The fear of losing complete control over the narrative is frightening for the pro-Israel lobby. For them, only Israeli myth peddlers and fear-mongering preachers must be allowed to speak to Congress, media and public. Although recent polls have shown that younger Americans especially among Democratic party supporters and young Jewish Americans are losing their enthusiasm for Israel and its Zionist ideology the battle for the US to reclaim its foreign policy and a sense of morality regarding Palestine and the Middle East is likely to be long and arduous. The lobby put down roots decades ago, and is a combination of many forces and backed by bizarre billionaires and infinitely dark agendas. The outcome of this lobbying has played a significant role in a horrendous foreign policy that has killed, wounded and displaced millions, from Palestine to Iraq and elsewhere. Only a better and more honest understanding of the rule of the lobby can serve as a first step towards its dismantlement. Ramzy Baroud has been writing about the Middle East for over 20 years. He is an internationally-syndicated columnist, a media consultant, an author of several books and the founder of PalestineChronicle.com. His books include Searching Jenin, The Second Palestinian Intifada and his latest My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gazas Untold Story. His website is www.ramzybaroud.net. HELENA A budget rift between Democrats and Republicans over health care spending began unfolding Wednesday, as the state's health director urged lawmakers to consider the human consequences of slashing funding from health budgets, especially in services for seniors and people with disabilities. Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee want to roll back Gov. Steve Bullock's requested health budget by $93 million. More than half of that amount about $50 million would be drawn from senior services and long-term care for the disabled. "I am deeply concerned by the legislatively proposed budget," Sheila Hogan, director of the Department of Public Health and Human Services, told the committee, which is holding hearings on the state budget this week. Hogan urged lawmakers to consider the human costs, as she listed examples of how a reduction in outlays could affect families and communities. "The options and consequences of these cuts are real," Hogan said. "The budget will dramatically impair the services we can provide to seniors and those with disabilities in Montana." Committee Chairwoman Rep. Nancy Ballance admonished Hogan for using scare tactics and took umbrage with anyone characterizing spending rollbacks as budget cuts. Ballance said Republicans were just as concerned about the people being served, but tough decisions will have to be made to balance the state budget. Lower-than-expected revenues, including lower receipts from oil and gas taxes, are prompting Montana officials to more deeply scrutinize spending. The budget woes loom as a sticking point in crafting a spending plan and will fuel debate over an infrastructure package. Staving off cuts to health care programs is a top priority among Democrats, said Rep. Jenny Eck of Helena, the House minority leader. "We know it's going to be ugly," said Eck, calling the Republican-drafted budget untenable. Legislators are planning to meet Thursday with state officials and insurance industry representatives to discuss a Republican plan in Washington to replace the federal Affordable Care Act. The possible repeal of major provisions of the act served as a backdrop for Montana Democrats in holding the line on safety net health programs. "It's irresponsible to scare people into thinking that their services are going to be gone," Ballance said. "We are not reducing from what they had before. We should not scare people." Some took issue with Ballance's interpretation. "To be honest, what is happening is scary," said Travis Hoffman, who is physically disabled and works for Summit Independent Living in Missoula. "And not talking about it doesn't make it any less scary or any less real." Services offered by the state health department allow Hoffman "to go to the bathroom, take a shower and put my pants on and get in my chair," he said. Mohammed Rafiq Shah describes the torture he says he endured in prison, but also the hope he discovered there. Delhi, India Visitors and relatives surround Mohammed Rafiq Shah in the hotel room. His mother, Mehmooda, 68, sits close to him, wearing a pheran, a traditional Kashmiri dress, and a green headscarf. Shah sits cross-legged on the bed, observing his mother closely. The 39-year-old had just been reunited with his family after spending 12 years in Delhis high-security Tihar jail for a crime he did not commit. On February 16, a Delhi court acquitted Shah, along with another Kashmiri man, Muhammad Hussain Fazili, of all charges related to a series of explosions that killed 67 people and left 200 wounded in the Indian capital in 2005. A third Kashmiri, Tariq Ahmad Dar, was also absolved of any charges related to the blasts on February 24. READ MORE: India activists seek justice for wrongful convictions Shah had been charged under several sections of the penal code, including murder and waging war against the state, for which the maximum sentence is the death penalty. A day after his acquittal, I meet him at a hotel in south Delhis Nizamuddin West area, with his family, who had travelled from Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-administered Kashmir, for the final hearing in his case. His eyes are red; he wasnt able to sleep the night before. Its the bed, he explains with a smile. I couldnt sleep all night. Its too soft for a person who has slept on concrete for such a long time. The night of his arrest On the night of November 21, 2005, Shah, then 27, was arrested at his house in Alasteng, a suburb of Srinagar. He still remembers the knocks on the door. Loud and persistent, they woke his entire family. It was about midnight. Before anyone could muster the courage to open the door, [a] couple of men with guns had already barged into the house, he recalls. From inside his room, Shah could hear the security forces shouting his name. They grabbed me by my hair. I was beaten. When my parents tried to stop them they also met the same fate. I was blindfolded and pushed into a vehicle, he says. Shah spent the next couple of days at an unknown location that he later found out was the Special Task Forces (STF) camp Haft Chinar known to locals as Cargo an infamous interrogation centre in Srinagar. There, he says, he was beaten and interrogated about the blasts. OPINION: The (in)visible in Indian terrorism STF, a counterinsurgency force, was formed in 1996, with the stated intention of helping to quell the armed rebellion that had erupted in Indian-administered Kashmir in the early 1990s. Since then, it has been accused of killing, raping, and torturing people in different interrogation centres across the disputed Himalayan region. They [the police] wanted me to confess to being one of the executors of blasts. The more I pleaded innocence the more I was beaten, Shah says. He had heard stories of people being taken to interrogation camps and then their bodies turning up in sacks on the banks of Dal Lake in Srinagar. Or worse, of their families never learning what had happened to them and whether they were dead or alive. My trousers were filled with rats But the worst was yet to come. Two days after his arrest, Shah was flown to Delhi, where he says he was again beaten and tortured by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police. Shah says that he was rarely given anything to eat and was forced to sign blank sheets of paper, which he claims officers later filled with his confession, forcibly gained through torture. They [the police] did things to me which cant be said openly, he says, seemingly conscious of his five-year-old niece Sumayah, who is sitting beside him. Despite this, he recounts one particular experience he says he endured while in custody at first speaking softly and then with growing anger. They [Delhi Police] forced me to drink urine which was brought in plastic bottles. When that didnt help them they forced me to suck the genitals of other prisoners. While forcing me to do all this, they laughed, Shah says, his hands shaking and his eyes focused on the ground. He also says that the police stripped him naked and applied electric shocks to his genitals. When that was over, my trousers were filled with rats and my body was smeared with a [live] pig, which is forbidden in our religion, he says. For the next week, Shah says he was deprived of sleep, taken for mock executions, waterboarded with icy water, hung upside down for hours and humiliated. The interrogators, he explains, used to watch in amusement and made video clips on their mobile phones. They would always ask the same questions. I would say, I dont know. They would say, You know. Shah says this continued for a week. He was kept in a cell of around 1010 feet with a small mattress and a bucket for a toilet. I would remove its [steel] lid. The smell of human faeces would fill the room. It was nauseating, he says. Entire lifetimes wasted 101 East: Kashmir Born To Fight After more than 20 days of detention, Shah was transferred to Tihar jail. He would spend the next 12 years there as prosecutors repeatedly delayed his case. I should have been given a chance to prove my innocence much earlier. The burden to prove their case should have been on the prosecution, not on me, he says. Jammu and Kashmir police department declined to comment on the allegations of torture and abuse, while Delhi Police had not replied to our questions, sent via email, by the time of publication. A call and text message sent to Deependra Pathak, the Delhi Joint Commissioner of Police and its spokesperson, also went unanswered. Manisha Sethi, who is an assistant professor at Delhis Jamia Millia Islamia university and a researcher on counterterrorism cases, explained that trials are often deliberately delayed when the prosecution fears it is losing the case. Shahs alibi, that he was attending classes on the day of the blasts, was ignored by the prosecution despite statements from Kashmir University, where Shah was a student at the time of his arrest. The court that acquitted him called the police explanation for not following up on his alibi rather lame to say the least. These are entire lifetimes wasted, said Sethi. A mere acquittal after spending so much time in prison doesnt amount to justice. Justice demands that the state and society make some recompense for the wrongs inflicted on these unfortunate men. Too little, too late Shah says he often imagined spending his entire life in prison. Justice was too little and too late, he reflects. I was given a chance to prove my innocence after 12 years. Not many others will get this chance. They will continue to rot in jails. This is not the first time that a Kashmiri has been acquitted by a court after already spending years behind bars. In 2012, two Kashmiris, Mirza Nissar Hussain and Mohd Ali Bhat, were acquitted in the 1996 Lajpat Nagar bomb blast case. In its judgment on that case, the Delhi High Court criticised the police for serious lapses in the investigation, although no action was taken against those who investigated the case. The two men had already spent 14 years in jail. Sethi, the author of Kafkaland: Prejudice, Law and Counterterrorism in India, says investigating bodies enjoy a culture of carte blanche impunity. She laments the lack of institutional support for victims of police excesses. I dont want to stop hoping But despite his ordeal, Shah describes his incarceration inside Indias maximum-security prison the largest prison complex in South Asia as the most beautiful days of his life. I read a lot of books inside the prison and it shaped the person I am today, he says, opening a bag of the books he read, among them Garrisoned Minds: Women and Armed Conflict in South Asia by Arundhati Roy and John Cusack and Scattered Souls by Kashmiri novelist Shahnaz Bashir. While he was in jail, Shahs two younger sisters got married and his parents fought a relentless legal battle to secure the release of their only son. It pains to think about what my family had to go through because of me but its all in the past now, he says. I just hope nobody gets to face the things I had to go through. Now, he hopes to study and to start a new life. I know it wont be easy, he concludes. But hope is one thing that helped me remain strong for 12 years and I dont want to stop hoping. There are 135 ethnic groups in the country but Rohingya Muslims are rendered stateless and stripped of citizenship. Myanmar officially recognises 135 ethnic groups but Rohingya Muslims have been rendered stateless and stripped of their citizenship. The Rohingya are often said to be the worlds most persecuted minority. They are an ethnic Muslim group in the majority Buddhist country and make up around one million of the total 50 million population. They hail from the countrys northwest and speak a Bengali dialect. Almost all live in Rakhine, one of the poorest states, with a population of three million. About 140,000 Rohingya in the Rakhine state live in ghetto-like camps that they cannot leave without government permission. Below is a map of the country showing where each major ethnic group tends to live. Kim Jong-uns actions may seem irrational on the surface, but he knows what he is doing and his policies are working. Andrei Lankov is professor of Korean Studies at Kookmin University, Seoul. He is the author of "The Real North Korea: Life and Politics in the Failed Stalinist Utopia". In recent months, North Korea has found itself at the centre of international attention. Its policies are once again described as irrational or bizarre, and its hereditary leader Kim Jong-un is presented as an eccentric and irrational creature, fond of killing his relatives and threatening the world with nuclear weapons. But this description is misleading: Kim knows what he is doing. In January, he said that his country came close to testing a long-range weapon delivery system, also known as an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which, as it was implied, will be capable of targeting the United States. Soon after, North Korea indeed conducted a series of missile launches. Recently tested missiles are not capable of hitting the US, but they indicate serious and remarkably fast technological advancement so remarkable that most foreign experts believe that Kim was not bluffing when he talked about North Koreas ability to develop ICBMs in the near future. Shortly after these missile tests, in February, North Korean agents assassinated Kim Jong-nam, Kim Jong-uns elder brother, who lived in self-exile for nearly two decades. He was ambushed and poisoned by the North Korean operatives in Kuala Lumpur airport. Kim Jong-nam never challenged Kim Jong-un openly, and always emphasised that he did not care about politics, but he was the only member of the Kim family who often talked to the foreign media, sometimes with remarkable frankness. Kim Jong-nams assassination coincided with yet another wave of purges inside North Korea, with another bunch of generals disappearing without any trace. Chinese-style economic reforms Meanwhile, inside North Korea, Kim Jong-uns administration continues to implement economic reforms, even though, unlike missile tests and overseas assassinations, these reforms seldom attract the attention of the world media. In essence, these reforms are strikingly similar to what China did in the late 1970s. In North Korea, the Soviet-style command economy is gradually dismantled, while market economy and private entrepreneurship is increasingly accepted and encouraged. For example, the state-run and state-owned farms have been largely disbanded in recent years, and family farms gradually became the countrys major agricultural production units. The results were predictable: a significant increase in food production. These events demonstrate the three major dimensions of Kim Jong-uns policy: he is strengthening his ability to deter a foreign attack, he is eliminating possible rivals in the country elite, and he is speeding up market-oriented and rather successful economic reforms. These three policies serve one overriding goal: to keep Kim in power. The hereditary leader of North Korea wants to stay in power indefinitely, and thus he is trying to deal with the three major threats which he thinks might bring him and his regime down. Three major threats to Kims reign The first of such threats is largely external. Kim is afraid of a US invasion and given what happened in Iraq, a fellow member of the so-called axis of evil, as well as in Libya his fears are by no means paranoid. He believes that the best way to counter a foreign threat is to have a full-scale nuclear force which would be capable of hitting the continental US. He needs ICBMs, perhaps dozens of them, preferably on difficult-to-intercept mobile launchers, ready to be launched at short notice. Such force, Kim and his people hope, will ensure that the US will not attack, and will not intervene in support of some internal revolution, should it erupt inside North Korea like it happened in Libya. If North Korean people learn how much their country is lagging behind its neighbours, they are likely to blame the Kim family, so Kim Jong-un understands that the only way to keep the population docile and obedient is to start economic growth, and the only way to do so is to introduce China-style reforms. by The second threat is internal. When Kim succeeded his father in December 2011, he was in his mid-20s and completely unknown. He had good reasons to be afraid of the countrys ageing generals and dignitaries who saw him as a political lightweight. He could not rule out the possibility that the senior politicians, including some members of his own family, could switch their support to somebody else. The North Korean leader also never forgot that his eldest brother was beyond his reach, living overseas, in Macao and Beijing, under Chinese protection. Kim countered this threat with the purges and executions of all senior officials whose loyalty he does not fully trust including his uncle and aunt who were initially appointed to act as advisers and quasi-regents. Now that his spies have killed Kim Jong-nam, Kim Jong-un remains the only member of the Kim family with political clout. The assassination in Kuala Lumpur also undermined the Chinese ability to intervene in North Korean politics and Kim Jong-un is deeply distrustful of China. OPINION: Kim Jong-nam attack reveals true nature of North Korea The third threat is also internal. North Korea is a very poor country: the per capita income gap between South and North Korea is the worlds largest for two countries sharing a land border. It is estimated that South Koreas per capita income is at least 15 times bigger than the Norths. If North Korean people learn how much their country is lagging behind its neighbours, they are likely to blame the Kim family. Therefore, Kim Jong-un understands that the only way to keep the population docile and obedient is to start economic growth, and the only way to do so is to introduce China-style reforms. All these policies are somewhat risky: the attempts to create a powerful deterrent might provoke a US military strike; excessive purges of the elite might instead of terrifying them bring about a conspiracy and a coup attempt; economic reforms might unleash social movements beyond the governments control. However, given Kims precarious situation, he has few alternatives to what he is doing now and so far his policies have worked well. Andrei Lankov is a professor of Korean Studies at Kookmin University in Seoul. He is the author of The Real North Korea: Life and Politics in the Failed Stalinist Utopia. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. An independent mechanism established by the UNGA is working towards abolishing the reign of criminal impunity in Syria. David Tolbert is the president of the International Center for Transitional Justice. Six years into the carnage in Syria, atrocious crimes run rampant, with savage abuses committed against all groups in the devastated country, and the murderous regime, abetted by powerful allies, is still in power. The United Nations Security Council remains in a deadlock and unable to take any steps towards ensuring accountability for the massive crimes, with the International Criminal Court left on the sidelines. However, amid the terrible loss of life, hope that the slow wheels of justice will finally be put in motion emerged recently from an unlikely source the UN General Assembly. In December 2016, the UNGA, led by Liechtenstein and Qatar, established an Independent Mechanism to assist in the investigation of serious crimes committed in Syria since March 2011. With this step the UNGA, usually associated with administrative and budgetary matters, has asserted itself in a highly welcome if unusual manner, signaling the deep frustration with the failure of other UN organs and the great powers to stop the killing in Syria. The move also demonstrates that small states can galvanise the international community around issues of global significance and catalyse a collective response. The term Mechanism indicates that the powers of this newly established body will not mirror those of a court or a commission of inquiry. Instead, the focus of its mission will be to collect and analyse evidence, which could then be available for courts or tribunals in the future to prosecute these massive crimes. The material collected could also well be of use for other transitional justice processes, including truth commissions, reparations programmes and vetting processes. If successful, this effort may truly be a breakthrough against the reign of impunity for the horrendous crimes committed in Syria. To be successful, however, the Mechanisms work must be planned carefully rather than replicate the work of others. Understanding and analysing evidence My decade-long experience of working on four international tribunals tells me that the Mechanism should not primarily focus on collecting evidence in the first stage of its work. Much of the same ground has already been covered by the courageous and very active Syrian civil society groups working in circumstances of great peril, as well as their international partners and the Commission of Inquiry established by the UN Human Rights Council, which has interviewed 1,400 witnesses. Instead, the first step should be to understand and analyse the evidence that has already been gathered. Surely, the investigations should concentrate on the most serious perpetrators and the most egregious crimes. This approach was learned the hard way in the former Yugoslavia and other places of mass atrocities: with thousands of perpetrators, prosecutions are most effective when they focus on the political and military leaders, not foot soldiers. OPINION: Whitewashing Assad and his allies must be challenged Experience, including in cases against Slobodan Milosevic and Radovan Karadzic, has shown that properly analysing the evidence, and making the key connections between senior leaders and lower-level perpetrators is critical to demonstrating the criminal liability of those most responsible for planning and ordering atrocities. This methodology, utilised in holding Karadzic responsible for genocide in Srebrenica, was also critical for holding Kang Kek Iew, the commander of the notorious S-21 prison camp in Cambodia where all but seven of some 14,000 inmates perished responsible for crimes against humanity. Protecting witnesses Another critical issue is witness protection. I have had the heavy responsibility of ensuring the protection of witnesses at several international courts, and consider this not only essential to successful investigations and criminal trials, but also a profound moral duty to those who put themselves in harms way for the cause of justice. Because each contact with a witness places him or her in greater danger, understanding the evidence that is on hand prevents unnecessary contact with witnesses that may put them at risk and ensures that resources are used wisely. The UNGA's Mechanism is an important innovation in the fight against impunity and potentially a crucial breakthrough for the victims in Syria. by For this and other reasons, the Mechanism needs to engage in its earliest days of operation with the extraordinarily committed civil society groups in Syria and the Syrian diaspora, many of whom have felt left out of the process so far. This can be remedied by the new bodys leadership engaging in consultations with such civil society groups that will go beyond perfunctory outreach efforts. In very important ways, they are the constituency of this effort to obtain justice for mass atrocities in Syria, and the Mechanisms leadership needs to understand this from the outset. A path towards accountability Finally, the choice of the leadership of the Mechanism is critical; indeed, it may well make or break the endeavour. There are a number of relevant experiences to draw from in this regard, and they all point to the critical need to select women and men for leadership positions who have political and diplomatic acumen, and an understanding of how to manage an office focused on investigations in a very difficult terrain. Most importantly, they need good judgment and strong nerves as they will face enormous challenges that exceed those that I experienced in the former Yugoslavia, Cambodia and Lebanon. OPINION: Will Assad ever be tried for his crimes? The UNGAs Mechanism is an important innovation in the fight against impunity and potentially a crucial breakthrough for the victims in Syria. It also has the potential to create a new path towards accountability at a time when justice seems to be on the margins of great powers agendas. Its success will depend on how well it adopts lessons learned from other experiences, but also on the strong support of all of us committed to justice for the atrocities committed in Syria, whomever the perpetrators. David Tolbert is president of the International Center for Transitional Justice. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. Rescue teams search for surviving passengers of overcrowded bus that skid off mountain road in remote Jajarkot district. At least 24 people have been killed and dozens injured after an overcrowded bus veered off a mountain road and crashed into a stream 200m downhill in northwestern Nepal, according to local officials. Suman Kharel, an official at the countrys remote Jajarkot district, told the AFP news agency on Thursday that 16 people were killed instantly, while the other eight died in hospital. The nearest hospital was struggling to cope with the number of casualties and some people were being taken to other districts for treatment, he said. The district hospital is crowded with injured and we are still searching for people at the accident site, Krishna Chandra Paudel, another local official, said. Overcrowded The officials blamed the accident on overcrowding, saying that there were about 50 passengers on the bus. The vehicle, which was travelling down a narrow and windy road from the village of Khalanga in Jajarkot district to Khara in Rukun, was also in a poor state of repair, Paudel said. Poorly maintained vehicles coupled with reckless driving and bad roads lead to numerous fatal road accidents in Nepal every year. Central Intelligence Agency accuses WikiLeaks of jeopardising its mission to protect the American people. The CIA has accused WikiLeaks of endangering the American people and equipping US rivals over the leak of thousands of documents that purportedly show the extent of the CIA hacking programme. In a statement, the intelligence agency said the disclosure by WikiLeaks jeopardised its mission to protect the American people. The American public should be deeply troubled by any WikiLeaks disclosure designed to damage the Intelligence Communitys ability to protect America against terrorists and other adversaries, the statement read. Such disclosures not only jeopardise US personnel and operations, but also equip our adversaries with tools and information to do us harm, it added. WATCH: WikiLeaks: Neutral reporter or political player? The CIA also said it could not confirm the authenticity of the nearly 9,000 documents disclosed by WikiLeaks. The documents, published on Tuesday, showed the wide range of the alleged CIA hacking programme. In what WikiLeaks described as the largest-ever publication of secret intelligence materials, the leak suggested CIA malware targeted iPhones, Android systems, and Microsoft software. It also said the CIA could turn on Samsung smart TVs into covert listening devices. Investigating source of leak The CIA refused to comment on any investigation into the source of the leak, but intelligence and law enforcement officials told Reuters they believed contractors were most likely responsible. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also said they had been aware of a CIA security breach since late last year. WikiLeaks has said the trove of documents came from an archive that had circulated among US government hackers and private contractors. The FBI has turned its attention to questioning those who had access to the information, according US media. Experts who have started to sift through the material said that it appeared to be legitimate. Named Vault 7 by WikiLeaks, the disclosure says the CIA developed a malware to infect mobile phones to allow easier surveillance but lost control of the technology. If the CIA really lost control of the technology, hackers worldwide could use the tools to steal data. Edward McAndrew, a lawyer with a specialty in cyber security, told Al Jazeera the security breach is a major concern for the CIA because its technology could already be in the wrong hands. Once these tools are introduced into the wild of the internet, they cannot be reclaimed. Well then see a race between those who would use these tools to exploit others and those trying to close all these vulnerabilities that have now come to light, he said. The actual hacking tools were not part of the WikiLeaks trove. Both Apple and Samsung have vowed to quickly fix any vulnerabilities in their products. More teenagers die from burns as questions mount over alleged mismanagement and abuse. More teenagers have died from serious burns after a fire at an overcrowded childrens shelter near the capital of Guatemala, raising the death toll to at least 34. Nineteen victims were found dead at the scene, and 15 more succumbed one by one to their grisly injuries at hospitals in Guatemala City. Several more girls were in serious condition on Thursday, some with severe burns over more than half their bodies. The fire at the government-run Virgin of the Assumption Safe Home in San Jose Pinula, 10km east of Guatemala City, focused attention on allegations of sexual and other abuse in the facility. President Jimmy Morales said on national television that he had ordered the dismissal of the shelters director. The blaze was believed to have started during an overnight rebellion in the centre, which holds nearly double the 400 people it was designed to house, against alleged sexual abuse by staff and over poor food and living conditions. On Wednesday morning someone set fire to mattresses in the girls section of the rural campus, authorities said. The blaze quickly spread through two dorms. Some young people tried to escape, according to local media reports. Morales said that before the fire, orders had been given to transfer some of the youths to other facilities because of the overcrowding. They were serving food to the teenagers when some of them started a fire in a mattress and thats how the fire was set, said Abner Paredes, a prosecutor defending childrens rights. A time bomb Guatemala has begun a three-day mourning period. Human rights activists held a vigil on Wednesday night, lighting candles and placing flowers outside the shelter and in the main square in Guatemala City. It was a ticking time bomb. This was to be expected, one of the centres former employees, Angel Cardenas, said at the vigil, adding that he had lodged several warnings about conditions inside. There has been a small protest in front of the presidential palace in Guatemala City where people were taking burned dolls and laying them out at the steps of the building, Al Jazeeras David Mercer, reporting from outside the shelter, said on Thursday. There is a lot of public indignation, suffering and confusion that is continuing in Guatemala, he said, adding that relatives of children at the centre continued arriving at the scene for a second consecutive day on Thursday. On Wednesday, anxious family members had gathered outside the home, while others rushed to hospitals to see if their relatives were there. They dont want to give any information at all, said Rosa Aguirre, who rushed from the capital to see if her two sisters, aged 13 and 15, and her 17-year-old brother were among the casualties. Aguirre said she had lodged complaints about how the centres residents were treated, but received no attention. Brawls broke out inside often, and her brother was sometimes put in a dark isolation cell nicknamed the chicken coop, she said, adding that she had tried in vain to gain custody of her siblings after their mothers death four months ago. The centre hosts children under the age of 18 who are victims of domestic violence or found living on the street. Sent by court order, the residents are under the responsibility of the social welfare ministry. The shelter has been the target of multiple complaints alleging abuse. Dozens of children run away in the past year, reportedly to escape ill treatment. Calls to close shelter A prosecutor for upholding childrens rights, Hilda Morales, told reporters she was requesting the shelter be closed. We are going to ask for the immediate closure of the centre, and attribute administrative and criminal responsibility against those in charge of the centre for not fulfilling their duty, she said. She noted that last year the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights had found in favour of several adolescents who had alleged mistreatment and sexual abuse in the shelter. Another prosecutor tasked with protecting children in the country, Harold Flores, told the radio station Emisoras Unidas that since last year, complaints had surged from minors who fled the shelter alleging sexual abuse. The state of Hawaii has become the first US state to take legal action to halt President Donald Trumps revised travel ban, banning entry of people from six mainly Muslim countries and suspending refugee resettlement. The states attorney general argued late on Wednesday that while the new order features changes to address complaints raised by courts that blocked the first travel ban, the new order is pretty much the same as the first one. The far-flung Pacific state is seeking a nationwide restraining order blocking implementation of the order Trump signed on Monday. The revised executive order bars new visas for people from Syria, Iran, Somalia, Libya, Sudan and Yemen, and temporarily shuts down the US refugee program for 120 days. It does not apply to travelers who already have visas. Nothing of substance has changed: There is the same blanket ban on entry from Muslim-majority countries (minus one), state attorney general Doug Chin said in a statement. The courts did not tolerate the Administrations last attempt to hoodwink the judiciary, and they should not countenance this one, Chin wrote. Hawaii gave notice Tuesday night that it intended to file an amended lawsuit to cover the new ban, which plans to goes into effect March 16. Hawaiis lawsuit says the order will harm Hawaiis Muslim population, tourism and foreign students. The states complaint says it is suing to protect its residents, businesses and schools, as well as its sovereignty against illegal actions of President Donald J. Trump and the federal government. The move came after a federal judge in Honolulu said earlier Wednesday that Hawaii can move forward with the lawsuit. US District Judge Derrick Watson granted the states request to continue with the case and set a hearing for March 15 the day before Trumps revised order is due to go into effect. Officials in heavily Democratic Hawaii previously sued to stop Trumps initial ban but that suit was placed on hold amid legal challenges around the country. A day after Trumps administration announced its new executive order, attorneys for the state filed their proposed revision in federal court Tuesday night, along with a motion asking that it be allowed to proceed. The US Department of Justice declined to comment on the pending litigation. READ MORE: Trumps new travel ban slammed by rights groups The state will argue at the March 15 hearing that the judge should impose a temporary restraining order preventing the ban from taking effect until the lawsuit has been resolved. A federal judge in Seattle issued a temporary restraining order halting the initial ban after Washington state and Minnesota sued. The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals refused to reinstate the order. While Hawaii is the first to sue to stop the revised ban, the restraining order is still in place and could apply to the new one, too, said Peter Lavalee, a spokesman for the Washington attorney generals office. University of Richmond Law School professor Carl Tobias said Hawaiis complaint seemed in many ways similar to Washingtons successful lawsuit, but whether it would prompt a similar result was tough to say. He said he expects the judge, an appointee of President Barack Obama who was a longtime prosecutor, to be receptive to at least some of it. Given that the new executive order spells out more of a national security rationale than the old one and allows for some travelers from the six nations to be admitted on a case-by-case basis, it will be harder to show that the new order is intended to discriminate against Muslims, Tobias said. The administrations cleaned it up, but whether they have cleaned it up enough I dont know, he said. It may be harder to convince a judge theres religious animus here. Tobias also said it is good that Hawaiis lawsuit includes an individual plaintiff, considering that some legal scholars have questioned whether the states themselves have standing to challenge the ban. This new executive order is nothing more than Muslim ban 2.0, Hawaii Attorney General Douglas Chin said in a statement Monday. Under the pretense of national security, it still targets immigrants and refugees. Immigration advocates said the new ban still discriminated against Muslims and failed to address some of their concerns with the previous directive. Noor Zafar, a lawyer with expertise in abusive immigration practices at the Centre for Constitutional Rights, New York, said the new executive order is still a ban designed to keep Muslims out of this country. The Trump administration tweaked the language to take out some of the most blatantly unconstitutional provisions, such as the provision barring green card holders, she said. The discrimination and the anti-Muslim bias is still there and thats evident by statements President Trump and officials from his administration have have made. Camille Mackler, director of legal initiatives at the New York Immigration Coalition, called Trumps new order a backdoor Muslim ban. We still think its as problematic as the first travel ban, she said. As Afghans grieve and funerals are under way, officials assess ISIL claim of hospital assault that killed more than 40. As families and friends mourn the loss of those killed in an attack on a military hospital in Kabul, Afghan officials launched an investigation on those responsible for the assault. Gunmen dressed in white lab coats stormed the Sardar Daud Khan hospital in the centre of the capital on Wednesday, firing shots, detonating explosives and then battling security forces for hours. The assault resulted in the deaths of more than 40 people. The Afghan interior ministry and the defence ministry on Thursday announced a probe into a claim by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) armed group that it was behind the attack. READ MORE: Stop targeting humanitarian workers We are assessing Daesh claims to yesterdays attack, but at this stage we cant make a prejudgment prior to conclusion of investigation, Sediq Sediqqi, the spokesperson of the Afghan ministry of interior said in a tweet, using an Arabic acronym for ISIL, also known as ISIS. Brutal terrorist groups like ISIS (ISIL), Taliban, Haqqani and many other regional terrorist networks with safe havens in Pakistan have been behind many horrific attacks in the past, he added. The Afghan Taliban, which attacked the Sardar Daud Khan hospital in 2013 killing six people, denied responsibility for Wednesdays assault. According to US military officials, ISIL has about 700 fighters in Afghanistan. The group has previously claimed responsibility for a number of attacks that resulted in a large number of casualties, including a twin suicide bombing at a protest march in Kabul last year that left at least 80 people dead. ISIL not strong enough As reports emerged of ISILs claim of responsibility, some analysts said the group does not have the capacity to conduct an attack of this magnitude. [ISIL] is still trying to gain a foothold in the east of the country, Inayatullah Kakar, an Afghan security and political analyst, told Al Jazeera. ISIL does exist in Afghanistan, but for them to conduct an attack like this in an area that is heavily guarded and with this calibre that killed so many people, it doesnt seem possible, as they are still trying to gain territories in eastern Afghanistan, while fighting the Taliban. READ MORE: ISIL expands in Afghan-Pakistan areas, widening attacks Kakar said the attack was carried out at a time of worsening relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, with the two countries accusing each other for assaults within their borders. Pakistan blames Kabul for sheltering Tehreek-e-Taliban [TTP or Pakistani Taliban] elements while the Afghan government accuses Pakistan for supporting the Afghan Taliban, Kakar said. The relationship between the two neighbours soured further following border clashes in recent months, and Pakistan has since tightened entry restrictions. Calling Afghanistans current security situation murky, Kakar said it was hard to determine which armed group was behind Wednesdays attack. This hospital was previously attacked by the Taliban, and some of observers in Kabul believe it could the Taliban this time as well, but now the Taliban is looking into [improving its] political image. So when the civilian casualties are high, they deny involvement as now they are trying to make peace with the Afghan government, Kakar added. Roughly 70 percent of ISIL fighters in Afghanistan are made up of TTP members, an armed group waging a rebellion against the Pakistani state, according to General John Nicholson, a top US commander in Afghanistan. Nicholson said that these fighters were forced out of Pakistan by the Zarb-e-Azb military operation, which started in 2014, in an effort to wipe out armed groups and their bases in the North Waziristan tribal area. He added that many ISIL fighters in Nangarhar province came from Pakistan tribal agencies. My death was near Mohammed Noor, a doctor, was present at the time of the hospital attack, treating his patients on the third floor of the building. He heard gun shots and went downstairs to inquire, coming face-to-face with one of the attackers. He was wearing a white lab coat and was carrying an automatic weapon. He looked me in the eye and I froze, Noor told Al Jazeera. I told him I dont know who you are, but I am a doctor, dont shoot me. That is all I could think of saying and ran. He screamed saying: I am going to shoot you, but I managed to run back to the third floor and took three of my patients with me and hid in a storage room. READ MORE: Afghan Forces should learn from NATOs mistakes Afghan army forces battled the fighters for seven hours, while evacuating survivors from the building. The troops eventually found Noor and his three patients hiding. The member of the security forces assured me that the fighter will kill him first, not me, so I should not worry. At that point, I was broken and messaged my mother to forgive me if Ive ever hurt her, because I felt my death was near, Noor said. Another doctor, who wished to remain anonymous, was evacuated through a window by the security forces. I think the death toll is much higher than 30, he said. The entire building was full of dead bodies and blood. I am still in shock and cannot forget the floor painted with blood. While funerals were under way on Thursday, many Afghans took to Twitter to condemn the attack. #AFG Docter Behroz Bahnam was killed in yesterdays terrorist attack against main military hospital. Huge loss for Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/flBtgCV0yx #AFG Docter Behroz Bahnam was killed in yesterday's terrorist attack against main military hospital. Huge loss for Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/flBtgCV0yx BILAL SARWARY (@bsarwary) March 9, 2017 We strongly condemn the Kabul hospital attack. Humanitarian+medical personnel must be able to work without fear or restriction. #notatarget OCHA Afghanistan (@OCHAAfg) March 8, 2017 #Afghanistan: We condemn the malicious double attack in #Kabul in the strongest terms. Our thoughts are with victims, families and friends. GermanForeignOffice (@GermanyDiplo) January 10, 2017 The UN Security Council denounced the attack in a statement released on Thursday and urged the international community to cooperate with the Afghan government to bring those responsible to justice and to suppress the financing of terrorism. In a statement on Wednesday, Human Rights Watch called the attack a war crime. More than 240 attacks targeting medical facilities and personnel were recorded from 2015 to 2016 in Afghanistan, according to a recent report by the Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict. A total of 3,498 civilians were killed and 7,920 were wounded in 2016, a combined increase of three percent over the previous year, according to a UN report. Several hundred marines sent to prepare for battle to push ISIL out of its de facto capital, Raqqa, in countrys north. Several hundred marines have deployed into Syria with artillery guns, as part of the ongoing preparation for the fight to push ISIL out of its self-declared headquarters of Raqqa, a Pentagon spokesman has confirmed. The marines are pre-positioning howitzers to be ready to assist local Syrian forces, according to US officials. The deployment is temporary. But it could be an indication that the White House is leaning towards giving the Pentagon greater flexibility to make routine combat decisions in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/ISIS). Military commanders frustrated by what they considered micromanagement under the previous administration have argued for greater freedom to make daily decisions on how best to fight the enemy. In addition, the US is preparing to send up to 1,000 troops to Kuwait to be ready to join the ISIL fight if they are needed, officials said. Proponents of the move said it would provide US commanders on the ground with greater flexibility to quickly respond to unforeseen opportunities and challenges on the battlefield. The latest troop movements come on the heels of the recent temporary deployment of some dozens of army forces to the outskirts of Manbij, Syria, in what the Pentagon called a reassure and deter mission. Flying American flags and moving in large, heavily armoured vehicles, the troops were there to keep a lid on tensions in the area, the Pentagon said. READ MORE: Trump vows to demolish and destroy ISIL Under the existing limits put in place by the Obama administration, the military can have up to 500 US forces in Syria, although temporary personnel do not count against the cap. The special operations fighters are ostensibly there to train and assist the Syrian Democratic Forces, an umbrella group of Kurdish and Arab fighters that have proven to be a key ground asset in the US-led coalitions battle against ISIL. Pentagon leaders sent a new plan to defeat ISIL to the White House late last month. It outlined a strategy that would likely increase the number of US troops in Syria in order to better advise and enable the US-backed Syrian fighters who will take on the battle for Raqqa. The military has mapped out a series of options for the Syria fight, including increased artillery support, more Apache helicopters and a more robust training campaign. US officials say the battle for Raqqa will look much like the fight in neighbouring Iraq, where local forces are in a fierce battle to retake the northern city of Mosul ISILs last stronghold in the country. As troops were preparing to move into Mosul, the US set up bases outside the city to use as logistical hubs and as locations for heavy artillery. The moves to pre-position US troops closer to the fight, so they can be tapped as needed, are the kinds of decisions that military commanders say they need to be able to make more quickly, without going to the White House every time for approval. The bison bull illegally shot and butchered by a Pryor man on a Fort Smith area ranch in 2014 was no ordinary bison. The animal was prized for its bloodlines going back 25 years and a key member of a bison-calf livestock operation on the White Buffalo Ranch, owned by Brandon and Tricia Siemion. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Susan Watters of Billings sentenced Tyler Dale Medicine Horse Sr., 58, to two years of probation and ordered $8,000 restitution for his guilty pleas to two misdemeanor charges. The bison was more than just a buffalo to the Siemion family, Watters told Medicine Horse. The judge called the bison a magnificent animal with valuable bloodlines from years of breeding. The bull also was valued for the calves he produced in the livestock operation, she said. For the Siemions to find the animal butchered with only its head and ribs remaining would have been a rather shocking discovery, dont you agree? Watters asked Medicine Horse. Yes, he replied. Watters also noted the emotional, physical and financial toll the bisons loss has had on the Siemions. Referring to Medicine Horses American Indian heritage, the judge said she thought he would have respected the buffalo." Yes, Medicine Horse responded. The Siemions, who attended the sentencing hearing said afterward they were grateful the case was prosecuted and that Medicine Horse was held accountable. The Siemions raise bison for the food industry. The bull that was shot was about 7 years old and could have been bred into his 20s, Brandon Siemion said. The bull also was the fourth bison to be shot on his ranch, Siemion said. The three previous shootings several years ago were not prosecuted, he said. Medicine Horse apologized. I know what I did was wrong, he told the judge. I am willing to pay for the animal they lost. I accept responsibility for my actions. In addition to pleading to theft for the bison killing, Medicine Horse pleaded guilty earlier to illegally possessing a bald eagle carcass. He faced a maximum one year in prison and a $100,000 fine on the theft. Prosecutor John Sullivan recommended three years of probation and $8,000 restitution as part of a plea agreement. Assistant Federal Defender David Merchant asked for two years of probation and the restitution. Prosecutors said an investigation beginning in December 2014 led to the law enforcement finding an eagle carcass and bags of meat at the home of Medicine Horses estranged wife. Medicine Horses wife told a game warden that her husband had texted her that his nephew had shot an eagle and that they had shot a bison that had run away from a bison ranch. Two days later, Medicine Horse contacted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He gave a voluntary statement that he had found the bald eagle on the side of the road near Crow Agency and that someone had shot and killed it and removed its tail. Medicine Horse also admitted to shooting a bison near Fort Smith about the same time as when he found the eagle, Sullivan said earlier. Medicine Horse initially said he shot the bison by Wyola with a .243-caliber rifle, butchered it and took the meat to his brothers house for storage. Later, he admitted he lied about the location of the shooing, said he actually shot it near a ranch closer to Fort Smith and took investigators to the kill site. President recently extended his medical leave, deepening suspicions that his health was far worse than officials admit. Nigerias President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to return to the country on Friday after extended medical leave in the UK, according to a presidency statement. The 74-year-old, who took power in May 2015, left Abuja on January 19 for treatment in Britain. He had originally planned to stay 10 days but stayed longer to rest after consulting his doctors, deepening suspicions that his health was far worse than officials are publicly admitting. President Buhari expresses appreciation to teeming Nigerians from across the country, and beyond, who had prayed fervently for him, and also sent their good wishes, the presidency said on Thursday, adding he extended his UK stay on doctors recommendation for further tests and rest. The statement gave no medical details. Earlier on Thursday, the presidency had published pictures of a smiling Buhari meeting the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, in Abuja House, part of the Nigerian High Commission in London. No official pictures of Buharis meetings in London had been posted since February 15. The government had sought to allay concerns of a void at the helm of Africas biggest economy and most populous country by stressing that Buhari, who was elected to power on a campaign that vowed to root out corruption, had given Vice President Yemi Osinbajo full powers as acting president during his leave. Osinbajo, a lawyer, held in Buharis absence cabinet meetings and finished work on an economic reform plan needed to secure a World Bank loan to help plug a deficit caused by low oil revenues. Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia to patrol common seas against armed group, carrying out kidnappings and beheadings. The Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia will within months launch joint patrols in piracy-plagued waters, after a wave of attacks that saw armed groups affiliated to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) kidnapping and murdering their victims. Philippine defence chief Delfin Lorenzana announced on Thursday that he and his counterparts in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta had agreed to patrol a sea lane where commercial vessels could pass with protection from the three nations navies. We are inaugurating some time in April or May a joint patrol of the three nations in that area, Lorenzana said in a news conference. READ MORE: Inside Abu Sayyaf Blood, drugs and conspiracies (Vessels) cannot stray beyond that lane so that we can help protect them. The Abu Sayyaf, a kidnap-for-ransom network that has pledged allegiance to ISIL (also known as ISIS), has been kidnapping sailors on fishing vessels and cargo barges including an elderly German whom it beheaded last month after ransom demands were not met. The waters between the three nations have become increasingly dangerous in recent years, with maritime officials warning of a Somalia-type situation if the attacks are not addressed. In February, the Abu Sayyaf murdered Jurgen Kantner, 70, five months after his yacht was found drifting off the southern Philippines with the body of his female companion, Sabine Merz, who had been shot. Troubled waters The Abu Sayyaf are holding 31 foreign and local hostages including six Vietnamese seamen attacked on their cargo ship off the southern Philippines last month, according to Lorenzana. Lorenzana said he told the Vietnamese envoy to Manila last week to arm his nations crewmen passing through the waters, or coordinate with Philippine authorities to avoid being kidnapped. He added President Rodrigo Duterte was very interested in ending the kidnapping problem. Duterte had asked China to help patrol the waters, citing Beijings dispatch of a naval convoy to the Gulf of Aden in 2009 to protect Chinese ships from Somali pirates. Duterte had also discussed the possibility of joint patrols when he visited Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and Indonesian President Joko Widodo. Lorenzana said equipment to help fight the Abu Sayyaf like fast boats, drones and radars would be acquired as part of a military modernisation programme. The Abu Sayyaf, established with seed money from Osama bin Ladens al-Qaeda network, have been kidnapping foreigners and locals for decades and holding them for millions of dollars in ransom on its remote island strongholds in the southern Philippines. Lorenzana, who identified the Abu Sayyaf and other armed groups as the Philippines top security threat, said the kidnappings were embarrassing to the whole world. New measures to put victims rights and dignity first as well as end abusers impunity, says UN chief. The United Nations has unveiled a new strategy aimed at stamping out sex abuse by its peacekeepers with measures that include withholding the salaries of the soldiers who are under investigation for such crimes and directing them to a victims trust fund. Antonio Guterres, UN secretary-general, said on Thursday in an annual report that there had been a total of 145 cases of sexual exploitation and abuse involving troops and civilians across all UN peace missions in 2016 up from 99 in 2015. The increase is partly explained by the fact that more victims are coming forward, said the report. Guterres, who took the UN helm in January, said the new strategy was aimed at putting the rights and the dignity of victims first and then to focus on ending the impunity of those guilty of crimes and abuses. Speaking in a video message about the report, he also said it was important to draw on the wisdom and guidance of all those who have been affected, civil society, local communities and others to strengthen and improve our efforts. The strategy also aims at raising awareness and sharing best practices to end this scourge, he said. Al Jazeeras Mike Hanna, reporting from the UN headquarters in New York City, said the new proposals would have to go through the General Assembly for approval. He also said that the changes would boost the degree of command and control in terms of not only investigating allegations of sexual abuse, but also in finding out about them in the first place. READ MORE: Sickening sex abuse alleged in CAR by UN peacekeepers Under UN rules, it is up to soldier-contributing countries to take action against their nationals who face credible allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation while serving under the UN flag. In his report, Guterres proposed that salary payments to countries that fail to investigate allegations involving their troops should be withheld, and that those amounts could be instead directed to a victims trust fund. UN officials said that this measure had already begun to be implemented, with about $49,000 in withheld funds ready to be transferred to the fund. Lack of accountability Guterres also called for appointing a special human rights expert who would report directly to the UN chief to be a victims rights advocate. He also proposed that a victims rights advocate be named as part of UN personnel in the four missions plagued by high incidence of sexual abuse MINUSCA in the Central African Republic, MONUSCO in the Democratic Republic of Congo, MINUSTAH in Haiti, and UNMISS in South Sudan. A team of special investigators should be created to better respond to the allegations, the report said. Human rights groups have complained about the lack of accountability for peacekeepers serving in UN missions. Many have avoided investigation altogether or received light punishment. Police say investigators exhumed body of Solo Sandeng who died in custody during the rule of former President Jammeh. Police in The Gambia say they have discovered the body of opposition activist Solo Sandeng, who died in custody during former President Yahya Jammehs rule last year. Sandeng led a peaceful opposition march for political reform on April 14, 2016, but died in detention shortly after his arrest by state security agents, unleashing a wave of anger among many in the country who voted out Jammeh eight months later. His body was found near the western coastal village of Tanji and will undergo forensic investigation at a hospital in the capital, Banjul, police spokesman Foday Conta said on Thursday, adding that his remains were exhumed on Saturday. The police discovered the burial site based on testimonies by detained national intelligence agency officials, who had worked under Jammeh, according to Conta. Saikou Omar Jeng, who was the former director of operations at the notorious National Intelligence Agency (NIA), led police to a grave in Tanje, a small fishing village around 33km from the capital, Banjul, police said. I can confirm that the remains of Solo Sandeng are currently lying at the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital in Banjul, a source at Banjul police headquarters told the AFP news agency. Jeng led a team comprising police investigators, medical officers and the late Solos family members to the latters grave in Tanje, the source added, specifying that Sandengs father and brother were those present. Last June, Jeng admitted that Sandeng had unfortunately lost his life during the process of arrest and detention, but a new post-mortem will be carried out. Sandengs death sparked protests by his party, the United Democratic Party, and is seen as a key factor in the formation of an unprecedented coalition of opposition parties that ousted Jammeh from power. Jammeh provoked outrage by responding to UN calls for a probe into the cause of Sandengs death with the words: This time, there is only one dead and they want investigations? I will not, speaking to magazine Jeune Afrique. READ MORE: Gambians ready to rebuild their country from scratch Jammeh, who ruled The Gambia for 22 years, is widely accused of human rights violations, including torture and arbitrary arrests. The former president caused weeks of political impasse by refusing to accept the result of a December 2016 presidential election which saw him lose power to Adama Barrow. After weeks of regional pressure and the threat of arrest by West African troops that had entered The Gambia, Jammeh eventually conceded defeat and went into exile in Equatorial Guinea. Barrow took power on January 19. Amir Nazir dies in Indian-administered Padgampora village during protest over raid that left two suspected rebels dead. A 15-year-old boy has been shot dead by security forces in Indian-administered Kashmir during a protest over a raid that left two suspected rebels killed, according to police and eyewitnesses. SP Vaid, a senior police officer, said a gun battle erupted early on Thursday after troops cordoned off southern Padgampora village on a tip that armed rebels were hiding in a house. As the fighting raged, villagers tried to march to the area and attacked government forces with rocks to help the suspects escape, according to Vaid. Eyewitnesses said the troops fired live ammunition, tear gas and shotgun pellets at the protesters, killing 15-year-old Amir Nazir and wounding three others, one critically. Vaid said the teenager was killed by a stray bullet as the villagers ignored repeated calls by the authorities to stay away from the site of the gun battle. READ MORE Shot in the eyes: Kashmiri girl tells her story Another police official, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press news agency that one of the two suspects was killed in an initial exchange of gunfire. He said government forces brought the other rebels wife and two children to the site from a neighbouring village to plead to him to surrender. The officer said he refused and was also killed in the fighting. The clashes continued in the village and spread to the neighbouring town of Pampore, where businesses shuttered their shops and groups of youths hurled rocks at the troops. Tough actions Indian armys chief warned last month that tough actions would be taken against people throwing stones during operations, but protests against the Indian government and clashes have continued. Kashmir is divided between archrivals India and Pakistan, which have fought two wars over control of the Himalayan territory since British colonialists left the subcontinent in 1947. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training Kashmiri rebels who have been fighting for independence or for a merger with Pakistan since 1989. Pakistan denies the charge, saying it only provides moral and political support to Kashmiris. Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have been killed since rebel groups began fighting Indian forces in 1989 and in a subsequent Indian military crackdown. Fighter jets believed to belong to the US-led coalition killed dozens in air raids on ISIL-held village, monitor says. At least 23 civilians, including eight children, have been killed in air raids on an ISIL-held village in northern Syria, according to a monitor. The fighter jets that carried out the strikes were believed to belong to the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/ISIS) armed group, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Thursday. The raids hit the village of al-Matab after midnight and were likely carried out by the coalition, according to Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Observatory. At least six women were also among the dead in al-Matab, which lies near a key road linking Raqqa ISILs de facto capital to Deir Az Zor city, the capital of the adjacent oil-rich province. On Monday, fighters from the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) cut off that route in an effort to encircle the the ISIL fighters in Raqqa. The US-led coalition has been backing the SDFs drive for Raqqa with air power and hundreds of special operations forces as advisers. The SDF, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters, launched its offensive for Raqqa in early November, and has since seized swaths of territory in northern Syria. But its advance has angered Turkey, which sees the umbrella groups dominant YPG militia (Peoples Protection Units) as an extension of Kurdish PKK fighters. The PKK has waged a three-decade conflict in southeastern Turkey. The profusion of forces operating in Syria particularly in its fractured north has led to a deeply complex battlefield and tensions between different parties. READ MORE: Idlibs rebel split A crossroads for Syrian opposition The US-led coalition fighting ISIL in Syria and Iraq said earlier this month that its raids had unintentionally killed at least 220 civilians since 2014 in both countries. Critics say the real number is much higher. Elsewhere in Syria, fighter jets pounded the rebel-held city of Kfranbel in Idlib province, killing at least four people, according to activists at the scene. Media activist Hadi al-Abdullah said four air strikes on civilian areas in Kfranbel left heavy damage and killed at least two children. He said dozens of others were wounded in the early-morning raids. China gives humanitarian assistance to Myanmar residents seeking refuge from clashes between army and rebel groups. More than 20,000 people from northern Myanmar have fled to neighbouring China in recent months, seeking refuge from deadly fighting between ethnic groups and the army, according to government officials in Beijing. Geng Shuang, a spokesman for Chinas foreign ministry, said on Thursday that the Myanmar residents are being offered humanitarian assistance to temporarily avoid the war. The latest clashes are in Shan, a northeastern state which has seen repeated bouts of fighting between the army and ethnic minority groups since November, undercutting a government peace bid. The violence threatens the goal of Myanmars de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, to reach peace with minorities. On Monday, at least 30 people were killed in an attack by ethnic Chinese fighters in Laukkai, the capital of Myanmars region of Kokang, about 800km northeast of the commercial hub Yangon. Fighters of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) launched a pre-dawn raid on police, military and government sites. Late on Tuesday, the MNDAA said they had attacked Laukkai to protest continued military pressure on the Northern Alliance, a coalition of four ethnic minority armies which have yet to join national peace talks. The rebels conceded in their statement that they have temporarily retreated due to the army pushback. Many groups in the border region share close cultural ties with China, speaking Chinese dialects and using the countrys yuan currency. China supports Myanmars peace process and hopes all sides can use peaceful means to resolve their differences via dialogue and consultation, Geng said. Stray shells and bullets had fallen into Chinese territory, wounding at least one person, he added. In addition to grappling with an alliance of ethnic groups in the northwest, Suu Kyis nearly one-year-old government is also challenged by a new armed struggle by Rohingya Muslims rebelling against decades of persecution. Several US states have said they will move forward with legal challenges to President Donald Trumps revised executive order which targets citizens of six Muslim-majority countries and refugees. Washington state, the first to sue over Trumps initial travel ban which created chaos worldwide and was eventually blocked, argued that the revised order violates the constitution by disfavouring Islam. Bob Ferguson, the states attorney general, said a motion by his office calls on an existing injunction against the travel ban issued in January to be applied to the new directive. My message to President Trump is not so fast, Ferguson said. After spending more than a month to fix a broken order that he rushed out the door, the presidents new order reinstates several of the same provisions and has the same illegal motivations as the original. Attorney generals in the states of New York, Massachusetts and Oregon said they had taken steps to join the lawsuit that Washington had filed along with Minnesota. The opposition comes on top of a separate legal challenge to the new ban brought by Hawaii. READ MORE: What makes Trumps revised travel ban different? The revised executive order issued on Monday bars new visas for people from Syria, Iran, Somalia, Libya, Sudan and Yemen, and temporarily shuts down the US refugee programme for 120 days. It is supposed to go into effect on March 16, and does not apply to travellers who already have visas. Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said the executive order has hurt Oregon, its residents, employers, agencies, educational institutions, healthcare system and economy. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman called the executive order a Muslim ban by another name. The attorney general in Hawaii argued that while the new order features changes to address complaints raised by courts that blocked the first travel ban, the new order is pretty much the same as the first one. Nothing of substance has changed: There is the same blanket ban on entry from Muslim-majority countries (minus one), state attorney general Doug Chin said in a statement. Hawaiis lawsuit says the order will harm Hawaiis Muslim population, tourism and foreign students. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Thursday the administration believed the revised travel ban will stand up to legal scrutiny. We feel very confident with how that was crafted and the input that was given, Spicer said. A federal judge in Seattle issued a temporary restraining order halting the initial ban after Washington state and Minnesota sued. The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals refused to reinstate the order. University of Richmond Law School professor Carl Tobias said Hawaiis complaint seemed in many ways similar to Washingtons successful lawsuit, but whether it would prompt a similar result was hard to say. Given that the new executive order spells out more of a national security rationale than the old one and allows for some travellers from the six nations to be admitted on a case-by-case basis, it will be harder to show that the new order is intended to discriminate against Muslims, Tobias said. The administrations cleaned it up, but whether they have cleaned it up enough I dont know, he said. It may be harder to convince a judge theres religious animus here. Tobias also said it is good that Hawaiis lawsuit includes an individual plaintiff, considering that some legal scholars have questioned whether the states themselves have standing to challenge the ban. Imam Ismail Elshikh of the Muslim Association of Hawaii is a plaintiff in the states challenge. He says the ban will prevent his Syrian mother-in-law from visiting him. Mohammed Rafiq Shah describes the torture he says he endured in prison, but also the hope he discovered there. LANDER, Wyo. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information about a July 2007 murder on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. The agency is seeking information about whoever is responsible for the death of 50-year-old Kim Allen Morin of St. Michael, North Dakota, and help in locating the .22 caliber Marlin rifle officials believe was used in the killing. Morin was last seen in the Fort Washakie area the morning of July 27, 2007. He planned to travel to Lander with his friend's son, but there's no indication he ever arrived. Morin's remains were found in October 2007 about eight miles north of Fort Washakie. The agency has a person of interest but the case is still being investigated. Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI in Lander at 307-349-6458. ___ English News China calls for double suspension to ease Korean Peninsula crisis Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 9 Mars 2017 Indeed, China has done its level best to bring the DPRK and the US together and to chair the Six-Party Talks, Wang said, adding that the country has also contributed to the adoption and implementation of Security Council resolutions. By Zhao Cheng from Peoples Daily China proposed "double suspension" to defuse the looming crisis on the Korean Peninsula, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday, suggesting the DPRK suspend its missile and nuclear activities in exchange for a halt of the large-scale US-ROK exercises. This suspension-for-suspension can help us break out of the security dilemma and bring the parties back to the negotiating table, Wang said at a press conference on the sidelines of the ongoing annual session of the National People's Congress in Beijing. Wangs statement came as tensions are rising on the Korean Peninsula once again. The DPRK has ignored international opposition and insisted on advancing its nuclear and missile programs in violation of Security Council resolutions, while the US and the ROK are conducting large-scale military exercises and putting more military pressure on the DPRK. The two sides are like two accelerating trains coming towards each other with neither side willing to give way, Wang said, adding that the current priority is to flash the red light and apply brakes on both trains. The minister stressed that the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula is mainly between the DPRK and the US, but China, as a next-door neighbor with a lips-and-teeth relationship with the peninsula, is indispensable to the resolution of the issue. Indeed, China has done its level best to bring the DPRK and the US together and to chair the Six-Party Talks, Wang said, adding that the country has also contributed to the adoption and implementation of Security Council resolutions. He pledged that China will try to switch the issue back to the track of seeking a negotiated settlement by playing a role like the "switch-man" on railway. China has stressed in a number of occasions that it is a shared responsibility to maintain the peace and stability on Korean Peninsula and the Northeast Asia at large since such a result meets all sides interests. The DPRKs state-run Korean Central News Agency reported that the country fired four ballistic missiles in an exercise on Monday as a response to the military drills by Washington and Seoul. The report did not mention the time and site of the launch. The ROK and the US kicked off their joint springtime war games codenamed "Foal Eagle" on March 1. The two-month-long and "largest-ever" military exercise will also simulate the use of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD). Dans la meme rubrique : < > China's Beidou reaches world-leading level: white paper Silk Road e-commerce promotes trade among Belt and Road countries Irrigation project in Jiangsu gets world heritage designation Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) English News China has woven a global cooperation network against corruption: FM Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 9 Mars 2017 China advocates to give play to the main role of United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in coordinating international anti-corruption cooperation, implement a series of consensus reached within multilateral frameworks such as the G20, and promote global economic growth and sustainable development. By Zhao Cheng from People's Daily China has concluded extradition treaties and mutual judicial assistance treaties with 70 countries, knitting a web that basically covers the major countries on all continents, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday. Fugitives should realize that there is no safe haven abroad and they cannot escape justice wherever they may be, the minister added at a press conference on the sidelines of the ongoing annual session of the National People's Congress in Beijing. International cooperation against corruption and anti-graft work have been high on Chinas agenda. After the 18th National Congress of the CPC in 2012, Chinese government departments, through their concerted efforts, have secured the return of more than 2,500 graft and economic fugitives from about 90 countries and regions. Among them, 38 are on the list of 100 most wanted fugitives." Wang said. For instance, last November, Yang Xiuzhu, named as the most-wanted economic fugitive, returned to turn herself in after 13 years on the run in six countries. China has sought to develop a consensus against corruption in the international community, which can be evident by the APEC Beijing Declaration on Fighting Corruption adopted at the meeting in 2014. It is first of its kind named after the capital of a country. The G20 leaders, during the Hangzhou Summit hosted by China, agreed to adopt the G20 2017-18 Anti-Corruption Advanced Disciplines and Action Plan, calling for a zero-tolerance, zero-loophole and zero-obstacle anti-corruption international cooperation mechanism. They also reached a consensus to establish the group's first anti-graft research center in Beijing. These efforts reflect Chinas tough stance against corruption. In this January, China's top anti-graft body expressed its willingness to enhance pragmatic cooperation with other countries to weave a cooperation network against corruption, when briefing foreign envoys on the country's anti-graft work. China advocates to give play to the main role of United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in coordinating international anti-corruption cooperation, implement a series of consensus reached within multilateral frameworks such as the G20, and promote global economic growth and sustainable development. Dans la meme rubrique : < > China's Beidou reaches world-leading level: white paper Silk Road e-commerce promotes trade among Belt and Road countries Irrigation project in Jiangsu gets world heritage designation Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) English News China opposes all forms of cyber attacks, urges US to stop such actions Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 9 Mars 2017 Documents revealed by former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden in July, 2013 to Der Spiegel showed that the US has conducted mass cyber-attacks on China, targeting Chinese state leaders and Huawei, a leading telecom solutions provider. By Hu Zexi from Peoples Daily China opposes all forms of cyber attacks, and urges the US side to stop eavesdropping, monitoring, spying and launching cyber attacks against China and other countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang stressed at a regular press conference on Thursday. Geng made the remarks when asked about Chinas comments on the reported hacking of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) against Chinese electronic devices. WikiLeaks on Tuesday posted nearly 9,000 documents that exposed the hacking capacity of the CIA, describing it as the biggest ever leak of confidential papers from the latter. According to the trove of data released, CIA has a team of more than 5,000 registered hackers and has produced more than 1,000 malware systems, viruses, trojans, and other software that can infiltrate and take control of target electronics. The agency uses these tools to intercept personal information, hack phone talks, and invade into others daily life. For example, the Samsung smart TVs, as the website said, can be transformed into covert microphones after being hacked. One day after Wikileaks released those purported confidential CIA documents, the US government launched an investigation on the leak. White House press secretary Sean Spicer declined to confirm the veracity of any of the information in the documents, but stressed the leaking "should be a major concern". China will stay firm to safeguard its own cyber security, Geng stressed, adding that it will intensify dialogues and cooperation with international community to reach universally-accepted cyber rules within the UN framework and build a peaceful, secure, open, cooperative and orderly cyberspace. China, on March 1, released its strategy on cyberspace cooperation. The International Strategy of Cooperation on Cyberspace, issued by Foreign Ministry and State Internet Information Office, is the first China has released regarding the virtual domain. The strategic document called for an international cyberspace collaboration based on peace, sovereignty, shared governance and shared benefits. Documents revealed by former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden in July, 2013 to Der Spiegel showed that the US has conducted mass cyber-attacks on China, targeting Chinese state leaders and Huawei, a leading telecom solutions provider. Attacks were also aimed at the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as Chinese banks and telecommunication companies. According to Der Spiegel, the spying operations also covered several former Chinese state leaders and some banks. Subsequently, China's Internet Media Research Center said in a report that the Chinese government, after several months of investigation, has confirmed the veracity of most of Snowdens leaking. Dans la meme rubrique : < > China's Beidou reaches world-leading level: white paper Silk Road e-commerce promotes trade among Belt and Road countries Irrigation project in Jiangsu gets world heritage designation Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) English News China pledges continued support for European integration Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 9 Mars 2017 The EU and China are now closer than ever, said David Gosset, an international relations expert and founder of the Euro-China Forum, adding that China has become the largest trading partner of Germany in 2016. By Sun Tianren from Peoples Daily Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pledged on Wednesday that China will continue to support European integration, in a hope to see a more united, stable and prosperous EU. Experts agreed with Wangs statement, saying that Chinas proposition on European integration is an encouraging news for EU. The EU was the first regional cooperation mechanism established after the end of the World War II, and it's also the one that has developed the fastest, Wang added at a press conference on the sidelines of the ongoing annual session of the National People's Congress in Beijing. Contrary to conventional wisdom, we believe the challenges currently confronting the EU may turn out to be an opportunity for the EU to become more mature, the minister stressed. He made the statement when asked to comment on the EUs future, China-Europe cooperation, Chinese investment in Europe amidest a possible follow suit of other European countries after the Brexit as well as this years more elections in the region. We set store by Europe's strategic position and important role, Wang reassured the concerns, vowing that China will work with Europe to advance the partnerships for peace, growth, reform and civilization. China will, together with Europe, respect and address each other's legitimate concerns and promptly remove obstacles to cooperation, to practice multilateralism and move toward a multi-polar world, and to re-energize the world economy, improve global governance and ensure the healthy development of economic globalization, he added. Scholars said that against the current sluggish world economy and the rising tide of de-globalization, many countries are introspecting their national and global governance. Given the background, an intensified China-Europe collaboration will push the world order towards opener cooperation, they added. Italian geopolitical analyst Fabrizio Franciosi believed that Chinas support on European integration, coming as the process is threatened by ridden crisis, is definitely an encouraging news for the EU. The EU and China are now closer than ever, said David Gosset, an international relations expert and founder of the Euro-China Forum, adding that China has become the largest trading partner of Germany in 2016. The EU and China share extensive common interests as both of them uphold multilateralism, hope to develop a mutually beneficial trade and understand the importance of a boosted global governance, the French expert added. Sun Yanhong, associate researcher of the Institute of European Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that over the past two years, Chinas ties with each European country propelled and drove each other. In this process, China always regards Europe as a whole, and takes its deepened relationship with each member as an organic part of the overall China-Europe ties, the researcher added. Dans la meme rubrique : < > China's Beidou reaches world-leading level: white paper Silk Road e-commerce promotes trade among Belt and Road countries Irrigation project in Jiangsu gets world heritage designation Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) English News China to make a greater contribution to the world: FM Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 9 Mars 2017 China believes in the equality of all countries, large and small, and doesn't believe some countries should "lead" other countries, the minister said, but pointed out at the same time that large countries have more resources and capability, so they should shoulder more responsibilities and make a greater contribution. By Huan Xiang from People's Daily Rather than talking about "leadership", the world should really be talking about "responsibility", Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday when asked about whether China is ready to take on global leadership, promising that the country is willing to contribute more to the world. Wang made the remarks at a press conference on the sidelines of the ongoing annual session of the National People's Congress in Beijing. China believes in the equality of all countries, large and small, and doesn't believe some countries should "lead" other countries, the minister said, but pointed out at the same time that large countries have more resources and capability, so they should shoulder more responsibilities and make a greater contribution. The UN, as the world's most authoritative and credible inter-governmental organization, should play an effective role in coordinating international affairs according to the purposes and principles of its Charter, Wang added. The minister affirmed that as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China will fulfill its obligations for international peace and security. As the second largest economy, China will make its due contribution to global growth. As the largest developing country, China will play an even bigger role in upholding the legitimate rights and interests of fellow developing countries. As the worlds second largest economy, largest manufacturer and largest goods trader, China witnesses an unprecedented close connection with the future of the world. Chinese President Xi Jinping, while giving an interview to media from BRICS countries in March 2013, said that the Chinese people are patriotic, yet they are also a people with a global vision and an international perspective. He vowed that as its strength grows, China will assume more international responsibilities and obligations within its capabilities and make greater contribution to the noble cause of world peace and development. Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi, in an article published on Peoples Daily, said that it is a due responsibility for China to actively shoulder international responsibilities and obligations to build major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics. The article, titled "China actively fulfills its international duties and obligations", believed that with the exploration and advance of the major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, China will give full play to its role as a responsible country. Dans la meme rubrique : < > China's Beidou reaches world-leading level: white paper Silk Road e-commerce promotes trade among Belt and Road countries Irrigation project in Jiangsu gets world heritage designation Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) English News Chinese firm helps Vietnam build its first metro line Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 9 Mars 2017 The public in Hanoi are counting the days before the railway operates. I only saw a metro rail on TV before. When the route opens, I will be the first group of passengers to experience the convenient and green transportation, Bui Hai Nam, who lives around the La Khe Station, told the Peoples Daily. By Liu Gang and Yang Xun from Peoples Daily Hanoi will soon unveil Vietnams first ever metropolitan rail line, a China built and invested project which will link the citys downtown Cat Linh Street and Hadong district. The 13-kilometer-long Cat Linh-Hadong urban train project is constructed by the 6th bureau of the China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC). The first carriage of the test train for the elevated metro line was hoisted onto the tracks at one of the stations. Bidding for communication signals and power supply has ended, and the locomotives will be tested in the second half of the year when the power kicks in. As the first urban railway in Vietnam, the line entirely uses Chinese technology and standards. The hoisting of the first carriages onto the line indicates that this high-profile project is gathering pace. The railway, as a major cooperation program between China and Vietnam, is expected to be the first operational metro rail in the country. There will be 12 elevated stations and one train depot on the line. The project has garnered great interest in Vietnam, and when the initial design was revealed in 2015 to the public, thousands of people offered feedback. The public in Hanoi are counting the days before the railway operates. I only saw a metro rail on TV before. When the route opens, I will be the first group of passengers to experience the convenient and green transportation, Bui Hai Nam, who lives around the La Khe Station, told the Peoples Daily. As the citys urbanization speeds up, Hanoi, with a population of 8 million, faces severe traffic congestion, which has significant influence on its economic development and peoples daily lives. Local people hope that sky train will ease the situation. The diligence and perseverance of Chinese builders have impressed the Vietnamese side. Doan Van Dung, an engineer with the Vietnamese Ministry of Transport, said that the professionalism and fighting spirit of Chinese technicians is admirable. Pic Technicians prepare for the lifting of a China-made train carriage onto the elevated tracks of the first urban rail line in Hanoi, Vietnam. (Photo by Liu Gang from Peoples Daily) Dans la meme rubrique : < > China's Beidou reaches world-leading level: white paper Silk Road e-commerce promotes trade among Belt and Road countries Irrigation project in Jiangsu gets world heritage designation Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) English News Chinese FM: China, Africa a close-knit community with shared future Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 9 Mars 2017 China and Africa are a close-knit community with a shared future, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on March 8, promising that no matter how the international situation or the world economy may evolve, there will be no weakening in China's support for Africa. By Zhang Huizhong from People's Daily China and Africa are a close-knit community with a shared future, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on March 8, promising that no matter how the international situation or the world economy may evolve, there will be no weakening in China's support for Africa. Our cooperation is mutual help between two brothers, he said at a press conference on the sidelines of the ongoing annual session of the National People's Congress in Beijing. Wangs statement came over one year after the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit held in Johannesburg. Presided by Chinese President Xi Jinping, the summit adopted the Johannesburg Declaration and the Johannesburg Action Plan (2016-2018) to boost bilateral cooperation. During the summit held on December 4 and 5, 2015, both sides agreed to upgrade bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership, bringing China-Africa relations to a new historic starting point. He also introduced the swift and all-round implementation on the outcomes from the summit, saying that what distinguishes China-Africa cooperation is that China always keeps its word. Nearly half of the 60-billion-dollar funding support that China promised to Africa has been disbursed or arranged, he said, citing that the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway has been completed, while the Mombasa-Nairobi railway in Kenya will soon be. A special economic zone in the Republic of Congo, an integrated port development project in Tanzania and a number of industrial parks across Africa are under plan or making headway now, according to the diplomat. Responding to Africa's needs, China-Africa cooperation, according to the minister, is undergoing three shifts: from government-driven to market-driven, from trade in goods to cooperation on production capacity, and from engineering contracts to capital investment and operations. These three shifts will provide new momentum and opportunities for Africa's sustainable development, he concluded. Just as China was Africa's most sincere friend in its quest for national independence and liberation, so China will be Africa's most reliable partner in speeding up industrialization and agricultural modernization and boosting its capacity for home-grown development, Wang stressed at last. Dans la meme rubrique : < > China's Beidou reaches world-leading level: white paper Silk Road e-commerce promotes trade among Belt and Road countries Irrigation project in Jiangsu gets world heritage designation Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) English News Chinese leader reemphasizes importance of technological innovation Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 8 Mars 2017 The G20 Blueprint on Innovative Growth and the G20 2016 Innovation Action Plan adopted during the summit also urged all nations to join and coordinate their innovation-related policies, ideas, actions and mechanisms. By Zhao Cheng from Peoples Daily Chinese President Xi Jinping reemphasized the importance of scientific and technological innovation at a recent discussion meeting, indicating that scientific innovation has been placed at a high position in Chinas development agendas. Innovation is key to the "new normal" in economic development and crucial to the supply-side structural reform, Xi said when joining a panel meeting of National People's Congress deputies from Shanghai in their deliberation of the government work report on March 5. He also called for greater advances in basic science and major breakthroughs in key technologies, adding that China should, in line with international standards, improve the concentration on science with global vision. Xi has always put scientific innovation in the first place when it comes to the overall development of China, stressing that innovation is the most powerful engine to drive development. China, in a strategic outline issued in May 2016, has drawn up a top-level and systemic design for innovation-driven development. Three months later, the country released the 13th Five-year Plan on Scientific and Technological Innovation, in which it depicts the national blueprints for the next five years technological innovation, and initiated several scientific plans with generous investment. This years government work report showed that China has made several cutting-edge technological achievements in the previous year. Data showed that in the past year, over 1 million patent applications were filed, and the total amount of business transactions in technology field surpassed 1 trillion yuan in a single year. In addition, technological progress contributed 56.2 percent to economic growth, suggesting its role as a stronger propeller. Thanks to its efforts to encourage innovation, the country has also begun to lead the world in terms of innovation-driven economic development. Xi, at the G20 Hangzhou Summit held last year, called on all countries to build an innovative, invigorated, interconnected and inclusive world economy. The G20 Blueprint on Innovative Growth and the G20 2016 Innovation Action Plan adopted during the summit also urged all nations to join and coordinate their innovation-related policies, ideas, actions and mechanisms. The world economy is now in shortage of driving engines, as the power provided by scientific and industrial revolution has lost its stream, but the new fuels are still in the bud. Amid such backdrop, the international community believes that the innovation-driven development mode advocated by Chinese leaders will effectively bring world economy out of shadow. Dans la meme rubrique : < > China's Beidou reaches world-leading level: white paper Silk Road e-commerce promotes trade among Belt and Road countries Irrigation project in Jiangsu gets world heritage designation Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) Gov. Matt Mead signed the ENDOW Initiative bill into law Friday. The governor announced the long-term effort for economic diversification in November. The bill, Senate File 132, establishes an executive council to oversee the development of a comprehensive strategy, creates an economic diversification account, and requires the governor to designate a coordinator for the diversification. Mead appointed Jerimiah Rieman as the coordinator of economic diversification to oversee the initiative. The governor expects to appoint the new council in April. The governor and Greg Hill, president and chief operating officer of Hess Corporation, will co-chair the ENDOW Initiative. What sets this initiative apart from those efforts is its approach, first establishing a strategy and second sustaining the effort over time through action and evaluation. With the passage of this bill, we must now execute. I am pleased to have the support of the Legislature in seeing the need for this initiative and helping to put the plan into action," said Gov. Mead in a statement. For years, people in Wyoming have talked about the importance of diversifying our states economy. The time for talk is over, Senate President Eli Bebout, R-Riverton, said in a press release. The ENDOW initiative delivers action and a bold, long-term commitment to Wyomings future." To find out more information on ENDOW, visit www.endowyo.biz. English News Eight innovation in Chinas draft general provisions of civil law Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 9 Mars 2017 From the beginning, the draft has drawn strong response from the society. Its release will better improve the basic rules of the socialist market economy and provide the legal base for Chinese peoples civil rights and civil case ruling. By Xu Jun from Peoples Daily The 5th session of the 12th National Peoples Congress (NPC) of China deliberated on the draft general provisions of civil law on Wednesday afternoon. From the beginning, the draft has drawn strong response from the society. Its release will better improve the basic rules of the socialist market economy and provide the legal base for Chinese peoples civil rights and civil case ruling. Su Zelin, Deputy Director of Law Committee of NPC Standing Committee, who participated the entire deliberation process, introduced the eight innovations in the general provisions to Peoples Daily. No.1: More emphasis on public order and good moral The current General Principles of Civil Law, Contract Law and Property Law all stipulate that civil subjects, when conducting civil activities, shall respect social ethnics and avoid damaging public interests and economic order. However, none of them have been mandatorily enforced. The draft specifically listed not violating public order and good moral as a binding article of the civil law. No.2: Requirement of energy conservation and environment protection The general provisions included energy conservation and environment protection as basic requirements for civil subjects. Waste of resource and harming the eco-environment shall be castigated to curb the crude development style, which provides institutional guarantee for the scientific and sustainable development. No. 3: Protection of embryo rights The General Principles do not define embryos as nature persons in the legal sense, thus stripping their civil rights. The draft added clauses to protect the rights of embryos including inheritance and accepting grant. This is an extension of laws on protection of childrens rights, and will build a better environment for childrens healthy development. No.4: Special protection for minors civil rights Given the physical, psychological and mental features of minors, the general provisions stipulated special protection for minors rights. For instance, the statute of limitations of requests for legal representatives for person with none or limited capacity for civil conduct shall be counted from the day of termination of said legal representatives. Also, the statute of limitations for compensation of sexual abuse on minors shall be counted from the day the victim turns 18 years old. No.5: Designated will guardian On the basis of previous guardianship forms, the draft added two new approaches, designated will guardian and guardian appointment through agreements. The provisions also state that the guardian should perform its duties in accordance with the principle that most benefit the person under the guardianship. This is an improvement and development of Chinas civil law supervision system. No. 6: The special legal person system During the first deliberation of the draft, legal persons are divided into profit legal person and non-profit legal person. At the 4th deliberation, based on the features, process and functions for the establishment of legal person, a category of special person is added, which will be regulated by specific chapters. As an innovation of Chinas legal person system, it is widely echoed. No. 7: Civil responsibility priority The draft expanded articles on civil rights. First, specific regulations are made on personal information protection; second, principled regulations are added on data and virtual property protection, leaving development space for institutional protection of such rights; third, the equal protection system is established and fourth, the civil responsibility priority is established. No. 8: Wavier of responsibility for volunteer emergency assistance The general provisions also specified the waiver of responsibility for volunteer emergency assistance. Damage on aided person due to volunteer emergency assistance is not subject to civil responsibility. This offers legal protection for righteous acts and volunteer assistance. Dans la meme rubrique : < > China's Beidou reaches world-leading level: white paper Silk Road e-commerce promotes trade among Belt and Road countries Irrigation project in Jiangsu gets world heritage designation Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) English News Haruki Murakamis acknowledgment of Nanjing Massacre represents voices of justice: expert Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 8 Mars 2017 History should be taken as mirror to enlighten future. In February 2014, Chinas top legislature designated December 13 as National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims. The UNESCO, in October 2015, inscribed documents related to the Nanjing massacre in the Memory of the World Register. By Liu Junguo from Peoples Daily The acknowledgment of Nanjing Massacre by Japanese contemporary best-selling author Haruki Murakami in his new novel represents the voices of justice and conscience, and provides an introspective insight into the historic event from a moral perspective, Chinese expert pointed out. In his latest novel titled "Kishidancho Goroshi", or "Killing Commendatore", Murakam showed his introspection over the war of aggression waged by Japan against China and the Nanjing Massacre by describing the cruel history part. The novel, which was published in Japan on February 24, put him under fire from some ultra-right wing factions in Japan, but earned plaudits from many Chinese citizens. "Yes. It's the Nanjing Massacre. Japan seized the city of Nanjing after fierce battles and killed a lot of people there, both during the battles and after that. The Japanese troops had no time for the captives, so they killed most of the surrendered soldiers and civilians," writes Murakami through the voice of the neighbor in the book. "...for the exact number of civilian victims (of the Nanjing Massacre), debates existed among historians. But generally, it is not in dispute that the majority of residents were embroiled and killed in the war," the novelist continued. He adds that some put the Chinese death toll at 400,000, while others say it was 100,000. "But what difference does it make?" he questioned in the book. The question raised by Murakami, as a world renowned Japanese writer, says the nature of the event and shows a respect to human beings rights to live, Zhu Chengshan, former curator of the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders, told the Peoples Daily, adding that it represents the voices of justice and conscience. Murakamis question touched the nerves of those who attempt to deny the existence of Nanjing Massacre, Zhu said, stressing that they want to do so because of their twisted and sick conception of history. The Nanjing Massacre is a world-acknowledged brutal and inhuman crime committed by Japanese troops against Chinese civilians and soldiers in Nanjing during the World War II. In 1948, The International Military Tribunal for the Far East, also known as the Tokyo Trials, affirmed that the number of murdered Chinese residents and captives was over 200,000, not counting the around 150,000 bodies deserted in Yangtze River, buried in the mass grave or disposed in other ways. Zhu pointed out that the hidden agenda of those who stoked the debate on the exact number of Chinese victims in the mass murder was to deny the existence of Nanjing Massacre, hence further denying the fact that Japan had invaded China. History should be taken as mirror to enlighten future. In February 2014, Chinas top legislature designated December 13 as National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims. The UNESCO, in October 2015, inscribed documents related to the Nanjing massacre in the Memory of the World Register. Other than those efforts, the legislature in the Canadian province of Ontario is considering designating December 13 as Nanjing Massacre Remembrance Day, and the proposal is under final deliberation. Pic: Photo taken shows the exhibition A Human Holocaust: Historical Facts of the Nanjing Massacre held by Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders. The right side of the photo shows words written in Chinese, English and Japanese saying victims 300,000. (Photo: official website of Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders) Dans la meme rubrique : < > China's Beidou reaches world-leading level: white paper Silk Road e-commerce promotes trade among Belt and Road countries Irrigation project in Jiangsu gets world heritage designation Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) English News Melania Trump approves idea of Kashmiri women meeting her for Kashmir solution Alwihda Info | Par Hem Raj Jain - 9 Mars 2017 Bengaluru, India Sub:- Kashmiris cheer-up! At-last the immediate end of seemingly endless sufferings & human-rights-violations of Kashmiris is in sight --- Nothing can be better news for Kashmiris than the approval of US First Lady Melania Trump of idea of Kashmiri Women meeting her for Kashmir solution. This approval has come from Melania Trump in the form of message I got on March, 9 that my following post has been approved and is now visible on Facebook page of First Lady Melania Trump xxxxxxxxxxxx Hemraj Jain to First Lady Melania Trump March 4 at 12.45 PM Sub:- Trumps will readily take interest in finding Kashmir solution if Kashmiris also take interest ---- The way Prez Trump is getting bogged down in domestic controversies (first the defeat in District and Circuit Court in the matter of executive order about immigration then resignation of National Security Adviser Gen Flynn on Russia connection and now controversy over Attorney General Session about Russia connection etc) - it will be difficult for Prez Trump to function properly if he immediately does not start doing something spectacular and admirable on foreign front. Though there are many global problems where millions of people are suffering (life & properties lost, injuries, displacement, sexual harassment etc in NAME region especially in Syria, Ukraine etc) but these problems were during Obama administration also hence any attempt by Prez Trump to solve these problems will invite controversies in this politically surcharged atmosphere in USA. Therefore Prez Trump should keep these problems on second priority. It will go a long way in enhancing the credibility and clout of Prez Trump not only in USA but all over the world if Prez Trump on first priority starts finding solution to gory and chronic Kashmir problem [which has nowadays has become the most important matter especially due to interest China is taking in any dispute between India and Pakistan in view of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) factor] Kashmiris on both side of LOC should grab this opportunity to solve Kashmir problem by contacting Ambassadors of USA in India and Pakistan. Also Kashmiris in USA should contact US Secretary of State and US Permanent Representative in UN and ultimately Prez Trump to solve Kashmir problem so that human rights of tens millions of bleeding and weeping Kashmiris can be restored. Because Kashmiri women have suffered maximum due to gory and chronic Kashmir problem, it will be very helpful if Kashmiris (especially Kashmiri women) contact Prez Trump through First Lady Melania Trump who (as mentioned on her White House Website) cares deeply about issues impacting women & children and cares for human rights of the people. Regards Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Now when Melania has concurred with the idea of Kashmiri Women meeting Melania for Kashmir solution, the Kashmiris (especially Kashmiri women) should waste no time and should prepare (about their passport, visa, appointment first with First Lady Melania Trump and then Prez Donald Trump etc) for going to USA (preferably in April 2017 itself) for meeting Melania. It will go a long way in getting solution to Kashmir problem if Kashmiris (especially Kashmiri women) before going to USA take out marches first in Srinagar, J&K and then in Delhi to US Embassy to thank First Lady Melania for showing interest which is bound to solve gory and chronic Kashmir problem. Regards Hem Raj Jain (Author of Betrayal of Americanism) Bengaluru, India Dans la meme rubrique : < > China's Beidou reaches world-leading level: white paper Silk Road e-commerce promotes trade among Belt and Road countries Irrigation project in Jiangsu gets world heritage designation Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) English News Multilateralism serves as cornerstone of international system: FM Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 9 Mars 2017 Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his important speeches delivered in Davos and Geneva this January, also elaborated Chinas firm support to economic globalization and multilateralism, and pointed out a way to build a community of shared destiny for all the mankind, winning applause from world. By Yang Xun from Peoples Daily Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday declared Chinas commitment to continue to support multilateralism and a UN-centered international system. Analysts said that Chinas stance injects some determinacy into the current uncertain world. The current international system is like a well-designed building with multilateralism being its cornerstone and the UN and other international organizations being its key pillars, Wang said at a press conference on the sidelines of the ongoing annual session of the National People's Congress in Beijing. Stressing the importance of the system, he added that the building now still shields us from wind and rain and still plays an irreplaceable role in promoting world peace and development. What we should be doing is to renovate the building rather than constructing another structure, the diplomat stressed. But he pointed out at the same time that the international system, which cannot stay unchanged, must be reformed so that it can better reflect the new reality, meet countries' needs and catch up with the changing times. Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his important speeches delivered in Davos and Geneva this January, also elaborated Chinas firm support to economic globalization and multilateralism, and pointed out a way to build a community of shared destiny for all the mankind, winning applause from world. Xi's visit to international organizations in Switzerland sent out a clear message of China's strong commitment to multilateralism and strong support for the UN-centered international system, Wang stressed. Against the backdrop of growing backlash against globalization and Trump administrations tendency toward isolationism, analysts believed that Wangs remarks showed Chinas unwavering support for international system and its willingness to adjust to changes, thus giving the uncertain world more certainty. Peter Thomson, President of the 71st Session of the UN General Assembly, suggested that Chinas commitment to globalization and multilateralism will contribute to world peace and development. Dans la meme rubrique : < > China's Beidou reaches world-leading level: white paper Silk Road e-commerce promotes trade among Belt and Road countries Irrigation project in Jiangsu gets world heritage designation Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) English News THAAD deployment to severely threaten ROKs tourism: Chinese media Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 8 Mars 2017 Chinese travel agencies have removed tourism-related services to the ROK. The article believes that, in addition to group tours, the number of individual travelers will also drop. By Wan Yu from People's Daily If the Republic of Korea (ROK) stubbornly stands by its decision to deploy the US-backed missile shield system known as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), the revenue of its tourism industry may be cut in half in the coming year, Xiakedao, a popular Chinese social media account, warned in a commentary. The comments come amid rising anger and criticism from the Chinese government and media against Seoul and the Lotte Group, the ROKs fifth-largest conglomerate. The latter had agreed on a land swap deal to enable an early THAAD deployment. China-ROK ties and cooperation might be further damaged if the latter insists on deploying THAAD, and some punishments on the cultural and tourism industries are just a start, the article said. According to the commentary, Chinese tourists have an impact on the latter's tourism sector and even its economy. Data shows that both nations are largest source of inbound tourists to each others country. A total of 6.1 million Chinese tourists visited the ROK in 2014, and the number increased to 8.268 million in 2016, accounting for 47.5 percent of the latters inbound tourists during the year. The ROK data shows the average per capita consumption of Chinese tourists in the country reached 2,300 dollars in 2015, twice as much as the amount made by travelers from other countries. Chinese visitors contributed 70 percent to ROK's tourism revenue. In 2015, the economic benefits created by Chinese tourists, covering accommodations, transportation and shopping, amounted to $22 billion, which was equivalent to 1.6 percent of the country's GDP. To some extent, the number of Chinese tourists determines the income of ROK's service workers, who account for nearly 70 percent of the country's population, the article pointed out. Chinese travel agencies have removed tourism-related services to the ROK. The article believes that, in addition to group tours, the number of individual travelers will also drop. Some ROK media estimated that the number of Chinese tourists might fall by an unprecedented 50 percent or higher, which suggests a cut of nearly half of the country's tourism revenue. A turnover of 4.3 trillion won ($3.49 billion) would be lost by South Korea's duty free shops if that lasts a year, they predicted, emphasizing that it will definitely worsen the already sluggish South Korean economy. Data released in January showed that the number of unemployed people in South Korea exceeded 1 million in the past seven months, and nearly 10 percent of the countrys young people are jobless. The ROK should feel and understand the anger from both Chinese government and Chinese people, the article said, adding that such anger is not out of a threat from a major country, but China's commitment to peace. Dans la meme rubrique : < > China's Beidou reaches world-leading level: white paper Silk Road e-commerce promotes trade among Belt and Road countries Irrigation project in Jiangsu gets world heritage designation Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) The Sacred Pipe Resource Center offers a program, "Tribal Sovereignty and the Roots of Government," from 9 a.m. to noon March 17 in the board room of the Common Enterprise Development Corp., 400 W. Main St. in Mandan. This workshop examines the evolution and foundations of tribal government and leadership in order to help agencies and organizations work with tribes and tribal programs. The session provides a brief overview of the tribes of North Dakota and a set of protocols that may be helpful in building tribal relations. Registration fee is $50. To register, go to www.sacredpipe.net or e-mail native@sacredpipe.net Every American learns in grade school of the three-part structure of the U.S. government: the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. In The Federalist Papers, No. 47, James Madison, called by many the father of the Constitution, remarked the accumulation of these powers in the hands of one party may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny. The Constitution -- at least, in theory -- forbids any one of the three branches from delegating its powers or duties to another branch. But the Constitution has effectively been amended, albeit quite outside of the prescribed process. Today, a fourth branch of government, nowhere authorized in the Constitution, has, as legal scholar Philip Hamburger observes, transformed American government and society and become the governments primary mode of controlling Americans. How did such an abysmal change to the constitutional edifice come to pass so quietly? The story begins more than a century ago, when new assumptions about the role and configuration of government gradually superseded the classical liberal ideas of the founding generation. A look at the political thought of Woodrow Wilson provides a useful illustration of this new way of thinking about the state, now known as progressivism. Wilson believed the science of administration, which he saw as still in its nonage, must be adapted to accommodate widening new conceptions of state duty. To Wilson, the weightier debates of constitutional principle were passe, increasingly irrelevant to the more-pressing questions of running a large and complex government apparatus. The idea of limited government itself belonged to a simpler time. Wilsons answer to the admittedly poisonous atmosphere of corruption and confusion in government at all levels was an appeal to the impartial scientific method. Here, he was a product of his time. Successive breakthroughs in the natural sciences had convinced Wilsons generation virtually everything, government included, could be understood and restructured in terms of fixed scientific laws; government and human nature were believed to be perfectible through science. Wilson and the progressives accordingly believed bureaucrats were, through an august commitment to the common good, lifted above ordinary greed and self-interest. The federal bureaucracy would be their temple, a thing apart from partisan melees and their raucous debates. It was to be the cloistered, rarified world of trained subject-matter experts, objective and scientific, unmoved by selfish interests and unsoiled by politics. In principle, the modern administrative state, this new fourth branch of government, represents a forthright repudiation of the liberal Enlightenment principles upon which the constitutional order was premised. And the administrative states early exponents readily acknowledged as much. Government, they argued, should not be limited; it should be empowered, maximizing resources and latitude for credentialed experts. Progressivism, once it had subdued the liberalism of old, quietly adopted its name, leading to a lexicographical confusion that still confounds. A consideration of the broad discretionary power of the modern administrative state would not be complete without discussing the Supreme Courts decision in Chevron v. NRDC and the destructive legal doctrine to which it gave birth. The Chevron doctrine has its origin in a legal challenge to the Environmental Protection Agencys chosen means of enforcing the Clean Air Act. The petitioners argued a new regulation enacted in the first year of the Reagan administration was inconsistent with the statute as enacted by Congress. The plaintiffs named as defendant in the suit Anne Gorsuch, then head of the EPA and mother of current Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch (who has been critical of Chevron). Specifically, the lawsuit set forth a challenge to the agencys implementation of the so-called bubble concept, whereby several distinct sources of pollution at a single plant could be grouped together -- treated as under a single bubble -- for the purposes of compliance. The laxity permitted by this bubble rule, the petitioners argued, was at odds with the Clean Air Act, an abuse of the agencys discretion. The D.C. Circuit, in an opinion authored by Ruth Bader-Ginsburg, held the EPAs new rule was impermissible. As an energy company, Chevron had standing to appeal, and the Supreme Court heard arguments in February of 1984. Reversing the D.C. Circuit, the Supreme Court concocted a new test for determining whether a federal agencys rulemaking ought to stand. Confronted with a statute that is silent or ambiguous with respect to the specific question, the proper inquiry is whether the resolution provided by the agency regulation represents a permissible construction of the laws language. Courts must defer to any interpretation that is reasonable -- which is to say, that is not arbitrary, capricious, or manifestly contrary to the law -- an incredibly low bar for the government. Calling up the Wilsonian ideal of a bureaucratic state run by qualified, disinterested professionals, the Court noted, Judges are not experts in the field. As a matter of practice, the Chevron doctrine completely precludes judicial review of an administrative agency rule. The rule thus perverts the constitutional order by allowing the federal government to interpret the meaning of the law for itself, without any material check on its interpretations and, therefore, its power. Such total deference fundamentally undermines the vision of the federal government reflected in the Constitution. Even if one agrees with an agencys interpretation in a given case, this repositioning of authority is a dangerous subversion of the rule of law (the irony, of course, is that in Chevron, deference to the fourth branch happened to result in less bureaucratic meddling). Left free to police itself, the federal bureaucracy has naturally arrogated to itself more power and discretion, its regulatory reach stretching into almost every area of life. It has acted in accordance with its nature. The administrative state is at base the embodiment of ruling-class condescension, contemptuous of its benighted wards and their efforts at self-organization. Ultimately, the Chevron case is much more than a mere curiosity of administrative law; it points to a deeper question about what kind of society and political culture we want to cultivate. In one direction is a country in which a thriving civil society means problems are solved at local levels, through the efforts of free individuals and their voluntary associations. In the other direction, that of the sprawling, nearly omnipotent, administrative statean undemocratic, illiberal society, suffocated under the rules of faraway bureaucrats accountable to no one. David S. DAmato (think@heartland.org) is an attorney, adjunct law professor at DePaul University in Chicago, and a policy advisor at The Heartland Institute, a free-market think tank headquartered in Arlington Heights, Illinois. They must be too a sign of the times - presidential races turning to circuses. The latest twist in the French campaign is the investigation of the leading candidate, former Premier Francois Fillon, prompted by allegations that he paid his wife for years for a fake parliamentary assistant job. When the satirical weekly Canard Enchaine dropped its bombshell on Francois Fillon at the end of January, alleging that between 1998 and 2007 he had remunerated his British-born wife Penelope and two of their five children for fictional jobs, the financial prosecutor lost no time. Within 24 hours, a probe was launched and Fillons office raided. Lawmakers are entitled to employ family members, but the Canard said there was no evidence of actual work. Despite Fillons protestations that his wife Penelope and their children did, in fact, work and all tax returns were duly filed, the media gleefully seized on the story, which nearly monopolized their air time. Viewers were force-fed daily rations of the saga, so much so that even Fillons greatest champions began to doubt his honesty. Many were convinced that the Penelopegate was created to force Fillon, the conservative candidate, out of the presidential race. This would leave the field open to Emmanuel Macron, the socialist candidate of the establishment. In the final weeks before the commencement of the primary, Macron had resigned his ministerial post in the socialist government of Manuel Valls to run as an independent candidate on a platform he described as "liberal, or neoliberal, but definitely not socialist." While he was initially lagging in the polls behind Fillon, he has sprinted ahead and now leaves him far behind. The populist National Front party of Marine Le Pen continues to rank second. The embattled Fillon remained steadfast as each passing day brought more bad news. His house was searched and he was summoned to appear before the examining magistrates on March 15 - two days before the electoral deadline of 500 requisite sponsorships. The dreadful timing reinforced the impression that Fillon was targeted for political assassination. His constituents started to jump ship. The first to bolt were former supporters of his center-right rival, Alain Juppe, who had transferred their votes to him after his landslide victory over Juppe in the primary. Juppe who had initially remained silent, let it be known through his entourage on Friday that he could be persuaded to enter the race again if Fillon withdrew his candidacy. Juppe proved to be a weak candidate in the primary, where he lost to Fillon who had scored twice as many votes. He also was no stranger to prosecution, having been sentenced in 2004 to a suspended 14-month prison term and to one year of political ineligibility in a case offictitious jobs at the Paris City Hall. To better pave the way for Macron, and guard against the victory of the populist candidate, a similar accusation was filed a few days later against Marine Le Pen. Like Fillon, Le Pen was summoned to appear before the financial magistrates. But unlike him, she refused to comply until the electoral process was over. The establishment was obviously trying to present its candidate, Macron, as the only one with clean hands, as the White Horse of the French people. But was he? This former tax inspector had taken a timely sabbatical from public service to do a stint as an investment banker at Rothschild & Cie Banque in 2008, a bank that serves as one of the antechambers of power at the heart of the French establishment. His docility - perhaps due to his young age - brought him the ultimate distinction: first to become an associate, and then a managing partner. At only 39, he was already a millionaire after managing a merger acquisition on behalf of Nestle and Pfizer for more than 11 billion Swiss francs. But he forgot to pay his wealth tax - renovating his wifes house so that his earnings would remain below EUR1.3 million. This is the threshold at which France's notorious 'wealth tax' is triggered. Supreme irony, the story was broken a few years ago by the same Canard Enchaine which is now going after Francois Fillon. In 2012, Macron was appointed Deputy Secretary-General of the Presidency of the Republic. His path just kept moving upward. In June 2014, the Elysee (this is the French equivalent of the White House) announced that Macron was to leave the office of Francois Hollande, where he concurrently held the positions of Economic and Financial Advisor and Deputy Secretary-General of the Elysee, to be appointed Minister of Economy and Industry. He was then barely 36 years old. Macron has refused to reveal the names of his campaign funders, claiming it would be a breach of confidence. It is however clear that he has the backing of many of the heavy hitters in large corporations. With a program that can be described as flimsy at best, he seems little more than a media bubble, albeit a big one in a country where nine billionaires own almost all media outlets, giving financial circles unprecedented control over mainstream media. Marine Le Pen denounced the relationship between Macron and the corporate world in a TV interview yesterday on BFMTV, the media outlet owned by Patrick Drahi, a Moroccan-born multibillionaire media mogul with French and Israeli citizenship who lives in Switzerland. Macron is rumored to be behind the coup staged against Fillon. Insider information made the rounds in early February that the dossier relating to Penelope Fillons employment came from the Ministry of Finance and was handed to the Canard by a close friend of Macron who owes him his current post at the Elysee. It was a typical case of 'you scratch my back, Ill scratch yours. A letter denouncing the scam was sent to the Canard by a former leader of the French Patrol, an elite unit of the French air force comparable to the Blue Angels. The odds were certainly stacked against Fillon. Pressured by his own political family to let go and give them a chance to recover; faced with rearguard attacks from a left clinging to power; placed under investigation by a justice system seemingly complicit with the political and media establishment, he decided to fight back and first, to maintain his speaking engagements in the campaign. At a political rally in Nimes, he was slapped with more bad news just as he was entering the hall, but he bit the bullet and his opening words were My friends, it is a fighter who stands before you." He said that the attacks against him would not have been so fierce had his program been more bland. There was something about his candidature and peoples support that went against the grain of political correctness and thats why the grindstone and the rumor mill were being used against him 24/7. He vowed not to back down and betray those who counted on him to get their country back. He also would not stand to see his legitimacy, conferred on him by his overwhelming victory in the primary, held hostage to an arbitrary judicial timeline. He invited attendees and fans to mobilize in a show of support on Sunday, March 5, at Place du Trocadero in Paris. It was organized by his teams under the banner: The People of the Right Fight Back.' Its stated aim was to counter the judicial coup, which was trying to confiscate the presidential election through an anti-Fillon manhunt, and to get the street to confirm Fillons legitimacy. The news of the rally enraged President Francois Hollande who, from the Elysee Palace, deplored this kind of questioning by the street of Frances laws, institutions, and justice system during an investigation. The socialist mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, joined Hollandes appeal and called for restraint and dignity." After the announcement of the rally, there were more defections - including Fillons campaign manager and spokesman, both uneasy about his showdown with the judiciary, which they deemed inappropriate for an aspiring president who would be called upon to uphold Frances institutions. Despite these defections, his supporters came out by the tens of thousands. The mainstream media tried to downplay the numbers, just as CNN did when it showed pictures - perhaps doctored - of Trumps inauguration versus Obamas. To the cheering crowd, Fillons opening statement was: They think I am alone. They want me to be alone. Are we alone? He was not only defending his honor and that of his wife, but a certain idea of Frances greatness, he said in words reminiscent of Trumps Make America Great Again. It was the France of Victor Hugo, Georges Clemenceau, Albert Camus, and Charles de Gaulle that he had invited to be present at the Trocadero rally. He deplored the sorry state of the nation after five years of disastrous socialist government and lashed out at Hollande for his constant efforts to bring the country down. He predicted that Hollandes towel holder Macron was getting ready to walk in his footsteps. He had particularly scathing words for Macrons demagoguery in going to Algeria to bash Frances colonial past and call it a crime against humanity, in what was an obvious bid to win the Muslim vote. The same Macron, while on a visit to London, had also declared that there was no such thing as a French culture. Fillon mocked his former supporters so prompt in switching allegiance or falling on their wallet, stating that they had acted without shame or pride. Finally, he reminded the crowds that their country was in a state of emergency as a result of a string of terror attacks. Their selection of a candidate should therefore be based on issues - terrorism, immigration, unemployment - not the buzz of the moment, he added, in an indirect reference to the media frenzy surrounding the Penelopegate brouhaha. Some commentators have blamed him for personalizing the election - for the Trumpization of his campaign, as they called it. But Fillon is by nature a low-key, private man, very different from the flamboyant, larger-than-life Donald Trump. It was not his fault that the presidential race should increasingly be focused on personal dramas rather than key issues. Fillon was the candidate who had outlined the best program for Frances recovery during the primary campaign. But the floodgates of a scandal were suddenly flung open and drowned everything. Furthermore, while Trump was from the start an outsider to politics, an anti-establishment candidate, reluctantly endorsed by his own Republican Party, Fillon came from the inside and held public office - as prime minister under Nicolas Sarkozys presidency, and as a member of parliament. Yes, there was certainly a moment where his woes threatened to catapult him into the anti-establishment camp. And yes, at those times he sounded a bit like Trump - when he cast doubt on the judiciarys independence, and denounced the press lack of truthfulness. But France is not the U.S., and the backlash was severe. Several of Fillons close collaborators defected as a result, causing him to soften his stance. The direct line of communication Fillon established with people by inviting them to legitimize his candidacy at the Trocadero, also smacked of Trumps populist discourse. But this episode of marginalization will soon be over as Fillon has just been invested with renewed legitimacy. This happy surprise came recently when Alain Juppe, who had been pressed to accept a nomination transfer, officially and conclusively declined it at a press conference, bringing clarity to a confusing situation. The influential political committee of Les Republicains, a rightwing political party, convened in an emergency session that same evening and unanimously renewed their support for Fillon, thereby rehabilitating him as the officially endorsed candidate. Yet, the storm of the last few weeks has taken its toll. Some defectors did not come back. Fillon also slid back in the polls. He is now in third position behind Macron and Le Pen, after ranking first. He needs to gain at least five points to stand a chance of making it to the second round. Part of his electorate migrated to Macrons camp, the main beneficiary of Fillons woes. He will have to snatch it back. Le Pen remained at the same place as she seems to have her own stable electorate which wont fluctuate much until, of course, the second round when votes get transferred to the finalists and surprises may occur. She presently enjoys 25% in the polls, one point less than Macron, and six more than Fillon. Fillon should regain a bit of strength after the Trocadero success, and this will reflect in the next poll. Further twists are to be expected in this atypical presidential election, with the beginning of Fillons investigation scheduled for March 15, and the first televised debate among candidates planned for March 20. The first round of the election will be held on April 23. With the Jewish holiday of Purim approaching, it is incumbent upon all decent people -- whatever their religious persuasion -- to fully understand that ISIS jihadists are the lineal descendents of the cruel and ancient Amalekites with their bestial destruction of people. In fact, "[i]n rabbinic literature, the reasons for the unusual eternal remembrance of Amalek are the following: (1) Amalek is the irreconcilable enemy and it is forbidden to show mercy foolishly to one wholly dedicated to the destruction of Israel. Moreover, the attack of the Amalekites upon the Israelites encouraged others. All the tragedies which Israel suffered are considered the direct outcome of Amalek's hostile act." Though the evil may begin with the Jews, it will always encompass everyone else. Thus, at Jihad Files, one learns that "ISIS is now apparently instructing its followers on the religious protocols of cannibalism." This follows the nauseating news that 250 children were murdered through bread kneading machinery and men were baked alive. Moreover, jihadists throughout the world offer money to behead Islamic scholars who disagree with them. Yazidi girls are sold as sex slaves and little girls ages 7-9 bleed to death after being raped by ISIS militia multiple times a day. And such abhorrent ideas are promoted in the West when Georgetown University, Professor Jonathan Brown emphatically states that "consent isn't necessary for lawful sex." Thus, "marital-rape is an invalid concept in Islam" and "a male owner of a female slave has the right to sexual access to her." Rape of the infidel certainly does not merit any concern because "her 'consent' would be meaningless since she is his slave." In fact, Brown asserts that "it's not immoral for one human to own another human." Then one learns that "an estimated 49 percent of individuals indicted for carrying out or conspiring to perpetrate a terrorist attack linked to the Islamic State are 'from established Muslim countries.'" Equally disturbing is that "the vast majority (83 percent) of ISIS indictees are naturalized U.S. citizens, and 65 percent are born in this country." That Trump's newest executive order mandates government reports on honor killings committed by migrants is a solid first step in stopping the madness of "gender-based violence against women." Katie McHugh asserts that "like female genital mutilation, [honor killing] is a practice that would not exist in the U.S. without mass immigration bringing its practitioners into U.S. communities." On another front, Yaya J. Fanusie and Alexander Joffee published "Monumental Fight: Countering the Islamic State's Antiquities Trafficking" which was published by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. This November 2015 report highlights that "although the antiquities trade is considerably smaller than other elements of the IS financial portfolios, it offers the group the prospect of high mark-ups, global demand, a low likelihood for military disruption, and a willing pool of civilians who supply labor for the trade." Since 2010 there appears to be a 23% uptick in antiques arriving from the area that the Islamic State controls. IS generates "enough revenue within the territory it controls to cover a payroll of hundreds of millions of dollars in its fighters' annual salaries." Although oil remains the group's most important commodity, "the role of foreign funders directly through cash or indirectly through Islamic charities" aids IS because it avoids a trail of transactions while also exploiting the Qatari and Kuwaiti banking systems." According to Bill Warner, "sharia finance is considered sacred finance and all religious and moral people should invest in Sharia financial instruments." One critical aspect of sharia finance is to fund those fighting in the cause of Allah. In his "Sharia Law for Non-Muslims," replete with chapter and verse where the information originates, Warner writes that "giving zakat money for jihad is not a theory. We saw the practical effects of the zakat with the Holy Land Foundation and other Islamic charities." In fact, "the Islamic State is paying the smugglers fees of child 'refugees' to attract new recruits. Europol has identified as many as 88,300 unaccompanied minors among the illegal alien population overrunning Europe. Both the ISIS and the Islamic State affiliate in Nigeria -- Boko Haram -- have been recruiting in refugee camps using financial incentives, as well as working with the human smugglers. The Islamic State has reportedly offered as much as $2,000 per head in refugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon. Jordanian special forces discovered an Islamic State 'sleeper cell' inside a refugee camp in northern Jordan. The Islamic State has issued warnings that they are infiltrating the refugee population. Jihadist groups have been extremely active in their efforts to influence and recruit in the refugee population." According to Fanusie and Joffe, antiquities trafficking is now even more important to the Islamic State particularly as some of its other revenue sources have become more difficult to manage. Looting by the Islamic State is used for both propaganda and marketing purposes. On the one hand, they claim to be defenders of religious purity yet they also market to a "separate audience of antiquities aficionados concerned by the cultural loss from pillaging. The destruction presents an image of imminent scarcity, thereby raising the value of smuggled goods on the black market." What is less well known is that the videos of IS destroying ninth-century stone reliefs was "aimed at least in part at creating the impression of devastation while concealing the reliefs' removal for subsequent sale." In "2014 IS videotaped members smashing iconic sculptures in Nineveh, [yet] the enormous site contains many items that have yet to be unearthed and eventually find their way to the global antiquities market which is worth hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars." Looted antiquities end up in art centers, including London, Geneva, and even the Far East. Turkey and Lebanon as well as Jordan have served as conduits for the items. In fact, Lebanon is a "known transit point for weapons, drugs, migrants, and antiquities" thanks to the presence of Iran's proxy Hizballah. Fanusie and Joffe recommend that (a) there should be sanctions on artifact smugglers and buyers; (b) antiquities looting and intelligence must be made a law-enforcement priority; (c) threat finance courses need to emphasize the "relevance of antiquities to the funding of jihadist groups;" (d) the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) must hold nations accountable for [their] failure to address enforcement inadequacies in dealing with end-buyers, smugglers, and looters; (e) public awareness must be raised through high profile informational campaigns in much the same way that wildlife trafficking and conflict diamonds made the public more cognizant; (f) newer technologies such as Molecular markers need to be used to more readily determine the identity of an item. In a recent report titled "Islamist Terrorism: Analysis of Offences and Attacks in the UK" one is reminded that " ...organised Islamist attacks in neighbouring countries [involve] ideologically-inspired fanatics [whose aim is] not only to kill, but to strike at the tolerance, pluralism and broad-mindedness on which democracy itself depends. Terrorism uses emotional shock in order to confuse and to divide. An important tool in understanding and defeating it is a reliable and dispassionate account of its perpetrators, their characteristics, their offences and their networks." Furthermore, "it comes as no surprise that most Islamist terrorists in the UK are British men aged 18-34." In addition,"16% of offenders were converts, 76% were known to the authorities prior to their terrorist offences and 26% had prior criminal convictions." Moreover, individual offending and online radicalisation have both increased, [and] this work reveals the extent to which offenders even if convicted alone tend still to be in real-world networks with partners, siblings or long-standing friends." Report author Hannah Stuart, has found that "[a]lthough small in actual numbers, womens involvement nearly tripled in the five years between 2011 and 2015 from the previous 13 years (between 1998 and 2010). In addition, "[a]lmost a third of converts (32%) were linked to the proscribed group al-Muhajiroun -- a higher proportion than overall (25%). Converts came from a variety of backgrounds -- in the majority of cases from Christianity -- and the length of time between conversion and arrest, where known, ranged from four to five months to 14 years. More than half (55%) of Islamist-related offences or IROs were committed by those living with their partner and/or children (28%) [.]" Shockingly, "[t]hree-quarters (75%) of Islamist-related offences were committed by individuals who were previously known to the authorities through one or more of eight identifiable points of contact." It is a multipronged war that must be fought against Islamic terrorism. There is the virtual caliphate where the Islamic State uses the internet to recruit. This is boosted by the sharia financing that abets their heinous crimes. And, of course, the actual acquisition of land to spread their tentacles needs to be permanently halted. We are only as strong as the weakest link in our arsenal but there are little girls and their families who are depending on our knowledge, persistence, fortitude, and power to finally eradicate this loathsome pestilence. Hat Tip: HT Eileen can be reached at middlemarch18@gmail.com The front page of the Washington Post on Wednesday showed a charming picture of a gaggle of school kids on a White House tour excited by a surprise appearance by President Trump. The Post is overtly hostile to Trump, but editors find it hard to resist good photos of happy, bright-eyed children. There is an important lesson for Trump and his staff in that photo, which is to maximize use of his presidential status. This is something Trump is effective at doing when he decides on it. He should decide on it more often. This is something that Barack Obama did effectively, which helped insulate him from otherwise justifiable personal and political attack. Obama came into office more lacking in actual gravitas than any previous occupant of the White House, a man of few real accomplishments or obvious talents, except for self-promotion. To the extent that Obama had successes they were in promoting ideas and agendas that were anti-American in the normal sense of the term. He entered office devoid of any obvious affection for the country he led, as evidenced by his notorious international tour begging forgiveness for his own countrys myriad transgressions, as he saw things. Yet none of this in any way deterred Obama from making full use of his position as American head of state to burnish and enhance his image. Obama and his handlers used the office of the presidency to mitigate not only Obamas politics but his personal flaws -- notably his aloofness and narcissism. Indeed, in some sense they managed to turn the later traits into political assets. Obama seemed to revel in in formal ceremony, the former Choom Gang pothead doing his level best to appear sober, serious, and regal. Mostly he succeeded, helped of course by his historic status as the countrys first black president. The bottom line is that Obama won reelection despite weak economy, a failing health care system, and rising racial and social tensions, largely because he was effective at pretending to be presidential. He managed to turn the slaying of Osama bin Laden by Navy SEALs into a personal accomplishment and an argument for reelection, almost solely on the premise that he was commander-in-chief at the time. Trump seems more diffident about using the presidency in this way, which in some respects is a good thing. However, given the forces arrayed against him in the media, the Democrat caucus, the federal bureaucracy and the judiciary, he needs to employ every asset to prevail. So far, he has not made full use of his presidential status, and arguably does unpresidential things that allow his critics to attack him in ways that they otherwise could not. Trumps use of his Twitter account is a mistake in this regard. Some rationalize away his habit as strategy, using tweets to keep his opponents off balance, raising issues to annoy his enemies or send them down blind alleys. But this confuses means with objectives. If Trump wants to unhinge his opponents, send them on wild goose chases or whatever, he has plenty of means short of 4 a.m. tweets to do so. Twitter is by its very nature an unserious means of communication. Thats a large reason why it is so popular. Trumps use of it reasonably opens him to charges that he is not serious and acting emotionally, whether true or not. Using Twitter might be somewhat advantageous if it really helped humanize Trump or seemed to give him the common touch. But few people on his massive Twitter feed believe that thats going to get them an invite to Mar-a-Lago, or that Trump is anything like one of the guys. On the other hand, every military officer learns at some point that familiarity breeds contempt. Getting a Tweet from the president doesnt make you his buddy, but may well lower his stature in the minds of many, even unconsciously. So for Trump it is likely the worst of both worlds. When Trump wants to act presidential he is good at it. His Congressional address a couple of weeks ago a case in point. Trumps approval ratings improved after that speech, in which Trump not only spoke presidentially, but looked the part too, giving up his baggy suit and too long red tie for a sharper image. That might seem petty, but Trump knows about image and television and he was smart to do it. The result was that the Democrats looked small, and the mainstream media was left to grudgingly acknowledge a Trump victory or gnash their teeth. Trumps tweets gave them a reprieve. It doesnt matter right now whether the allegations of the tweets, that Obama spied on Trumps reelection campaign, are true. For much of the media and the country, the tweets are more important than the allegations they contain. To the extent there is an argument over the substance of the tweets it is not over whether the allegations are true, but whether they are plausible. The person in the best position to find out is Trump. Hes the chief executive, so the people who would have spied on his presidential campaign now work for him. By tweeting the allegation he acted like the outsider he was, rather than the president he is. The president needs to bang some heads together and get to the bottom of things. Yes, by implication Trumps Twitter attack on Obama underscored unseriousness of the lefts allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians. But Trump could have done the same thing without using Twitter. Now we are stuck to a welter of confusing allegations, counterallegations, no facts, and no person in authority settle the matter. Trump can have a successful presidency if he is able to pass through Congress his agendas on tax reform, deregulation, military spending and homeland security. The Democrats cant stop him unless Republicans waver. Trump needs to act presidential to prevent that from happening. When a Republican senator sees the Washington Post every day unrelievedly bashing the president over things avoidable, like sending out tweets, it weakens resolve. When that same senator sees a picture of smiling children greeting their president, it is bound to have the opposite effect. If there is one thing Trump should do in imitation of Obama, it is to use his presidential status to full advantage, which he has yet to do. With each passing day, Iran is experiencing further international and regional isolation, with a growing number of countries voicing concerns about Tehran's policies. Barack Obama leaving office signaled the beginning of the end of a "golden era" for Iran, and a major shift in the balance of power and political tones. One recent example is the joint statement issued by Saudi Arabia and Malaysia strongly condemning Iran's meddling in the Middle East. This lashing left the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman no choice but resorting to a weak reaction showing Tehran's utter regret. "The Islamic Republic's principled policies are based on non-interference in the affairs of other countries and abiding by an approach hinging on good neighborliness," said Bahram Ghasemi, according to Iran's semi-official ISNA news agency. Saudi king Salman's visit to Malaysia followed strong remarks made by Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubair against Iran's meddling in the region, and Riyadh announcing its readiness to dispatch troops to Syria aimed at containing Iran. In yet another such example, the United Arab Emirates' envoy in the United Nations' Human Rights Council also targeted Iran's regional meddling. "Iran's meddling in Arab states and supporting Houthis militias has a role in deepening the current crisis and conflict in Yemen," said Anwar Qarqash, the UAE minister of state for foreign affairs. "Iran directly arms the Houthis, providing them with a variety of weapons, ballistic missiles and drones. The Houthis have to this day launched thousands of missiles received from Iran into Saudi soil." Iran's own media have also published reports vividly depicting Iran's growing concerns in this regard. The latest measures taken by United Against Nuclear Iran has raised eyebrows among senior Iranian regime officials. This groups "intends to go the limits to prevent Iran from going nuclear," according to the Tabnak website, voicing the views of former Revolutionary Guards chief Mohsen Rezaie, currently the secretary of the regime's Expediency Council, which oversees disputes between the parliament and ultraconservative Guardian Council. UANI has recently described an agreement signed between Austria and Iran to cooperate in the oil industry as "terrifying" and "concerning." This international organization has written letters to companies such as Caterpillar, Terex, and Komatsu, asking them to end their economic relations with Iran, and they have responded positively. "This group has formed based on the idea of introducing Iran as a global nuclear threat to public opinion across the globe. On the other hand UANI is continuing its efforts to place pressure on major international firms to literally sanction Iran," according to the semi-official Fars news agency citing Iran's Ministry of Intelligence. Following the election of Donald Trump as the president, a variety of senior American leaders have been voicing strong remarks against Iran. "U.S. President Donald Trump's administration pledged on Tuesday to show 'great strictness' over restrictions on Iran's nuclear activities imposed by a deal with major powers," according to Reuters. Tehran must be prevented from obtaining ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction. Considering the fact that Iran's Revolutionary Guards is behind a wide slate of the regime's illicit activities, this should be the first target of the Trump administration's crosshairs against Tehran. Designating the force as a foreign terrorist organization is a first step in such a blueprint. At a London press conference on Tuesday, the Iranian opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) unveiled the existence of 90 secret docks controlled by the IRGC to distribute arms to a network of proxy militias across the region and annually smuggle $12 billion's worth of goods into and out of the country. Iran has to balance between maintaining a low profile to let the current wave pass and maintaining a straight face for domestic purposes back home. However, with each passing day, the isolation inflicted on Tehran is deepening. The status quo is not the end result of any wave, for it has no specific time limit. The harsh reality Iran must learn to comprehend is that the global balance of power across the globe has changed. To this end, this isolation will only expand considering the fact the fact that all regional countries and correspondents throughout the world are demanding an end to Iran's meddling and support for terrorism. Iran is continuing its blatant belligerence against the international community, especially the Middle East, despite President Donald Trump and his administration threatening to take major action. During the past month alone, Iran has test-launched a number of ballistic missiles enjoying the capability of delivering a nuclear payload. This includes last weekend's pair of ballistic missile launches. Knowing its military capabilities are outdated and limited, Iran is resorting to a range of different terrorist measures in an attempt to maintain the leverage gained through the preposterous concessions they enjoyed during the Obama years. The most recent scenario involves fast-attack vessels approaching a U.S. Navy surveillance ship in the Strait of Hormuz in a threatening manner, described as "unsafe and unprofessional" in a recent statement. Iran's Revolutionary Guards, under major discussion in Washington to be designated as a foreign terrorist organization, has suffered a major blow after the discovery of a terrorist network in Bahrain. This unveils, yet again, further aspects of Iran's unbridled meddling in the region. The IRGC Bahrain network consists of 54 members focusing on planning and executing terrorist plots. To date, 25 such individuals have been arrested. These individuals were coordinating with Tehran to assassinate, terrorize, and target Bahrain security forces. Following their raids, Bahrain authorities announced that a significant cache of arms, explosives, and ammunition were also confiscated. All individuals are reportedly Bahrain natives, further indicating the sophistication of Iran's blueprints in using locals for such plots. Following their arrest, it was revealed that the cells received support from both Iran and Lebanon, procuring arms or coordinates where such logistics were hidden. In the past weeks, Bahrain witnessed two bomb blasts killing and injuring civilians, and, most specifically, Shiite Muslims. This can be assumed as an attempt to instigate Shiite dissent in the small Gulf island. It is crystal-clear how the IRGC commanded this proxy group, as the individual calling the shots is currently in Iran. Other members of this group are even stationed in Iraq and directly involved in the attacks carried out in Bahrain. Iran also has intentions to increase its use of suicidal drone boats in Yemen through the Houthi militias. The U.S. Navy command issued a recent warning over this threat against ships in the Red Sea. This warning follows a recent revelation of the Houthis obtaining drone boats in their attack against a Saudi navy frigate. Vice Adm. Kevin Donegan, commander of the Bahrain-based U.S. Fifth Fleet and head of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, accused Iran of supporting the Houthis in preparing such boats. This new development can pose a major threat to shipping lines in strategic naval routes, Donegan said in an interview with Defense News, adding that terrorist groups can now obtain such lethal boats. It is worth noting that the attack on the Saudi frigate Al-Madinah on January 30 was carried out with a remote-controlled suicide boat drone packed with explosives. This was the first such attack resembling actual suicide attacks in the past. The U.S. has recently issued a warning that the Iran-backed Houthis and forces loyal to former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Salah are placing underwater mines in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait passage near the entrance of Port Mokha. The Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, narrowing to 25 kilometers in width at some points, is of grave importance for global shipping lines, providing access to the Red Sea, the Suez Canal, and the Mediterranean Sea. Much of the world's oil and other goods are transferred through these strategic waterways. More than 60 ships containing commercial goods pass through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait each day, carrying around 3.3 million barrels of crude oil. The U.S. Navy's warning indicates the closing of such a crucial water passage can lead to major financial costs and a significant rise in global oil prices. Further reports also indicate that Iran is having a tough time digesting a series of defeats suffered by the Houthis in Yemen. In response, Iran is weighing the possibility of dispatching Shiite militias from Iraq to Yemen, according to Khalij Online. As the fighting has decreased in Iraq, Tehran may dispatch units of the 140,000-strong Popular Mobilization Front, consisting of 54 different sectarian militia groups, to Yemen. In an international scene undergoing drastic changes, all of them threatening Iran's short- and long-term interests, the mullahs in Tehran are desperately searching for a method to both keep a straight face and maintain their previous leverage across the Middle East. Such developments gain even more importance as we inch closer to Iran's presidential elections in May, when the regime in its entirety will face a major test. There was a time when liberals had a sense of humor, when they enjoyed ironic wordplay, when they recognized that the reality of malice or evil could be suggested subtly but powerfully by a wry expression. Remember that old Randy Newman song, "Sail Away" (featured on an album of the same name in 1972)? Here's Newman's sardonic comment on slavery presented in the form of a sales pitch for leaving Africa and seeking a fresh start in the New World... In America you'll get food to eat Won't have to run through the jungle And scuff up your feet You'll just sing about Jesus and drink wine all day It's great to be an American Newman's benign invitation to sail away encapsulated the essence of slavery satirically, by presenting wickedness as betterment. In a sense, it played on St. Paul's insight about "the glamor of evil." Everybody understood what Newman was trying to say. His humor carried the message. Fast-forward to 2017... "Ben Carson's a disgrace for calling slaves immigrants." So screams the headline on a commentary by Leonard Greene of the New York Daily News. Let's see if I have this straight. When men and women and children were kidnapped from their villages and separated from their families and packed into rickety ships for months at a time to be traded for tobacco and cotton and cloth and grain, that was immigration? When people were branded with hot irons like cattle on a ranch so that ownership of one human being by another human being would not be in dispute, that was immigration? Greene's complaint strikes me as deeply disingenuous. The New York Daily News writer couldn't really have believed that Ben Carson doesn't know the difference between voluntary immigration and being abducted into a life of forced servitude. Of course not. Greene understood perfectly well that Carson wasn't dismissing the cruelty of slavery. And he surely knew that Carson wasn't indulging in the dark humor of Randy Newman's "Sail Away." That's what America is about, a land of dreams and opportunity. There were other immigrants who came here in the bottom of slave ships, worked even longer, even harder for less. But they too had a dream that one day their sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, great-grandsons, great-granddaughters, might pursue prosperity and happiness in this land. In his typically understated way, Carson was describing the far greater disadvantages those brought to America in chains had to overcome in order to pursue their dreams. But understatement is out of fashion in our current hyper-politicized atmosphere. Anything short of a fevered demand for social justice marks Ben Carson as a pawn of malevolent racists and reactionaries. Well, hey he does work for Donald Trump, right? Thus, Leonard Greene impugns one of the most thoughtful and humane individuals on the public scene today. If you can get past the petty nastiness of such political correctness shared by lots of other media beside the Daily News this situation is almost funny. It puts me in mind of those personnel recruiting ads that always end by proclaiming, "XYZ Company is an equal-opportunity employer." It goes without saying that XYZ Company is an equal-opportunity employer. All companies are equal-opportunity employers. It's the law, for cryin' out loud. Any business that isn't an equal-opportunity employer will soon find itself being fined to the point of bankruptcy. But these days, if you don't shout your ideological commitment from the rooftops that is to say, if you don't declare your submission to the prevailing social-political paradigm you must be morally deficient. Wouldn't it be wonderful if a humorist of Randy Newman's stature decided to turn his wit on the stilted and narrow-minded outlook of the left? I don't know anything about Newman's politics. But if he shares the views held by those celebrities who promised to leave the country if Trump won, I won't hold my breath. By the way, how come they're all still here? Sail away, little lefty. Sail away. Bill Kassel is a writer, communications consultant, and media producer. His essays and random rants can be found online at www.billkassel.com. Examining the pedigree of groups helps us understand why they act the way they do today. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) purports to uphold First Amendment freedoms for all Americans, but its seminal doctrines and selective choice of cases reveal something else altogether. The ACLU was founded in 1920 by left-wing activists, including socialists Norman Thomas and Crystal Eastman, lesbian social and peace activist, and Nobel Peace Prize winner Jane Addams, then-radical jurist Felix Frankfurter, and communist Roger Baldwin. Frontpagemag.com, founded by former leftist David Horowitz, often strips bare the liberal front groups and exposes their radical nature. Here are some excerpts from a March 6, 2017 article by Daniel Greenfield that shed some light on the ACLU's lineage: In 1934, Roger Nash Baldwin, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the ACLU, wrote an article for 'Soviet Russia', in which he quite clearly explained why he was fighting for civil liberties. 'I believe in non-violent methods of struggle as most effective in the long run for building up successful working class power. Where they cannot be followed or where they are not even permitted by the ruling class, obviously only violent tactics remain. I champion civil liberty as the best of the non-violent means of building the power on which worker's rule must be based. If I aid the reactionaries to get free speech now and then, if I go outside the class struggle to fight against censorship, it is only because those liberties help to create a more hospitable atmosphere for working class liberties. The class struggle is the central conflict of the world; all others are incidental. When that power of the working class is once achieved, as it has been only in the Soviet Union, I am for maintaining it by any means whatever.' To understand this paragraph is to know why the ACLU is a scam... "The ACLU does not believe in civil liberties. It is not fighting for an America with freedom and civil liberties. Civil liberties are only a tactic that the ACLU uses to undermine and overthrow America, in order to replace it with a totalitarian state that they will maintain 'by any means whatever'. When the ACLU, on rare occasions, defends conservatives, it only does so for the long game in order to maintain a political environment that favors the eventual takeover of America." It was because of the ACLU's radicalism that Ronald Reagan's architect of welfare reform, Bob Carleson, founded the American Civil Rights Union in 1998 as a counterforce. Former attorney general Edwin Meese continues to serve on the ACRU's board of directors and policy board. Mr. Greenfield also turned up a tweet from the national office of the ACLU that he says shows that the organization is "not just constitutionally illiterate. It's just plain illiterate[.]" "I for one believe we need to uphold not just the tenets, but the letter of the Constitution as it was originally intended," Mr. Greenfield writes. "And we need to get rid of the parasite activist tenants, like the ACLU, camped out in our Constitution and fighting to protect the Sharia invaders out to destroy our Constitution." Mr. Greenfield, who has a blog, writes often about dangers posed by radical Islam. Robert Knight is a senior fellow for the American Civil Rights Union. The Department of Homeland Security says apprehensions of illegal aliens at the southern border dropped significantly from January to February. DHS announced that people caught crossing the border illegally had plummeted from 31,578 in January to 18,762 in February. San Antonio Express News: "Since the administration's implementation of executive orders to enforce immigration laws, apprehensions and inadmissible activity is trending toward the lowest monthly total in at least the last five years," Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said in a statement. Earlier this year, immigration officials shut down two emergency processing centers, one in South Texas and one near El Paso, that they had opened in December to handle an influx of families. On Monday, only 194 people were in the 830-bed family detention center in Karnes County, and 439 in the 2,400-bed facility in Dilley, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The agency said it's holding so few people because "fewer apprehensions are being made along the Southern border." The numbers are a big drop from December, when so many families were crossing into the U.S. from Mexico, mostly in South Texas, that ICE released hundreds of people from the Karnes City and Dilley centers in San Antonio, without bus or plane tickets, to create bed space. Apprehension numbers for January show the number of unaccompanied children and families crossing the border fell by about 40 percent from December, then dropped another 40 percent in February. Other apprehensions also decreased, though less dramatically. Officials in the Mexican border city of Reynosa said they've seen a drastic decrease in the number of accompanied children at a government-run shelter there. Mexico's family welfare agency in November housed 168 minors, including 124 non-Mexicans, at its Reynosa shelter. But by February, the number of minors had dropped to just 45, with only 13 from countries other than Mexico. The decrease in apprehensions at the border comes as President Donald Trump and his Cabinet members have directed immigration officials to expand detention space and be more skeptical of asylum seekers. And Kelly has said he'll consider separating children from their parents at the border. The numbers are suggestive, but not proof, that the Trump administration's border policies are having their intended effect. Trying to draw conclusions from one or two months of statistics doesn't take into account other factors that may be at work. But illegal immigrant activists themselves are crediting the president's tough talk on illegal immigration for the dramatic drop in apprehensions: The reasons for the decrease of asylum-seeking families remain a source of speculation, and it's not clear if the total number of people trying to cross the border illegally has slowed as significantly. Trump's tough talk on immigration is one of the reasons activists have suggested is stemming the flow of families crossing the border. American Gateways, which provides immigration legal services in Central and South Texas, offers daily orientations at the detention centers. The week of Trump's inauguration, American Gateways would see about 70 women in each of its orientation sessions, said Brett Goodman, an attorney for the organization who leads its family detention team. "Women in our (orientation) presentations have also expressed concerns of their quality of life in the United States, uncertain of how viable living safely and for an extended period of time in the United States will be for them during the Trump administration," Goodman said. Again, statistics don't lie, but they also don't tell the full story. What seems clear is that if the president's executive orders on illegal immigration have done nothing else, they've forced potential border crossers to think twice about paying a coyote thousands of dollars to cross into the U.S. only to be deported immediately if they're caught. The night-and-day difference between the lax enforcement by the Obama administration and President Trump's determination to confront the illegal immigration problem head on appears to be changing the perspective of border crossers. The soaring morale of border patrol agents and new policies that look to intercept illegals at the border and turn them back may have led to the beginning of a turning of the tide of illegal immigration. The next few months will tell the tale if the "Trump Effect" is real or a mirage. Here's some encouraging news you may not see in the opposition party's reporting. From ChurchMilitant.com: The mainstream media (MSM) has kept silent as President Donald Trump in his first two months of office has overseen the arrests of more than 1,500 pedophiles, almost four times more than the 400 pedophiles arrested under President Obama in all of 2014[.] ... At a press conference on human trafficking in the White House on February 23, Trump laid down the law: 'I want to make it clear today that my administration will focus on ending the absolutely horrific practice of human trafficking. ... A lot of you have been dealing with the federal government and it's been much more focused over the last four weeks I can tell you that.' So far, so good. But there's nothing about it in the press. It's hardly surprising that the majority of media outlets ignore anything that might portray the Trump administration in a positive light. (Kinda the opposite of what transpired at Obama-loving CBS when Sharyl Attkisson worked there.) Interestingly, several years ago, it was determined that hundreds of computers at the Pentagon had downloaded child porn, according to Thomas R. Hampson, founder of the Truth Alliance Foundation, a Christian nonprofit organization dedicated to investigating and exposing networks of child sexual predators. Mr. Hampson said that while there were some arrests and convictions stemming from the Pentagon's child porn scandal, they were "scattered," and the overall case seemed "disjointed." A cover-up of sorts? It should be emphasized that Mr. Hampson is no slouch. In the 1960s, he worked for the U.S. Air Force Security Service as an intelligence analyst. In the '70s and early '80s, he worked for the Illinois Legislative Investigating Commission as a chief investigator. From 1983 to 2004, he served as president of Search International, Inc., a company he established as an international investigation and security agency. And from March 2006 to September 2007, he was hired as a contract employee by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to investigate the sexual exploitation of children by priests. Too bad Mr. Hampson can't oversee the Vatican, too. Gunmen dressed as medical staff stormed a military hospital in Kabul on Wednesday morning, killing at least 30 people and injuring dozens more in a raid that lasted hours. In a statement published on the Islamic State-affiliated Aamaq news agency, the militant group claimed responsibility for the assault in the Afghan capital. The attack on Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan hospital ended midafternoon local time, after several hours of floor-by-floor clashes with Afghan security forces left all four attackers dead, according to Gen. Dawlat Waziri, an Afghan defense ministry spokesman. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said the assault "trampled all human values," , noting that Ghani added: "In all religions, a hospital is regarded as an immune site and attacking it is attacking the whole of Afghanistan." Citing the country's military officials, People will gather for interfaith prayers and songs at 2 p.m. Friday at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 818 E. Divide Ave., to support the people of Standing Rock, many of whom are in Washington, D.C., with other indigenous leaders for the Rise with Standing Rock Native Nations March. The powerful global phenomenon that emerged from Standing Rock is highlighting the necessity to respect Indigenous Nations, and their rights to protect their homelands, environment, and future generations, said the Rev. Karen Van Fossan, of the Bismarck-Mandan Unitarian Universalist Congregation. The Bismarck gathering is one of many solidarity events taking place in communities around the nation. For those of us who couldnt go to Washington, a time of prayerful focus and gratitude for this hard work felt important, said event co-organizer Matthew Lone Bear, enrolled member of Three Affiliated Tribes. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and indigenous grassroots leaders from many nations have been meeting with elected officials in Washington to explain our concerns .... We felt that it was important for people in North Dakota to be part of this global day of prayer and action. By now you've probably seen the illustration that leftists hold up at rallies showing a Muslim woman wearing a red, white, and blue hijab, to show that she is both Muslim and American. The illustration is both ridiculous and offensive ridiculous because not a single hijabi wears a "stars and stripes" hijab, and offensive because the hijab is a symbol of sharia law, which features intolerance for women and non-Muslims. So I started wondering what some realistic "stars and stripes" hijabi illustrations might look like, to truly show what the hijab stands for. Here are some more realistic suggestions I created: In many countries where Islamic law is followed, it is legal to beat your wife. Of course, 100% of suicide bombers are followers of sharia law. When women get raped, they are often the one to get whipped, also under sharia law. And it's not just the hijab, of course: many interpretations of sharia require the burka. Look how happy the red, white, and blue burka lady above looks! I think she's about to burst out in a rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner! But the Islamophiles holding up their hijabi "Made in the USA" signs will never admit the logical extension of their argument. They are either blind to it or purposefully devious. Ed Straker is the senior writer at NewsMachete.com. Error. Page cannot be displayed. Please contact your service provider for more details. (28) A bill to provide a one-time tax exemption for those who have experienced the loss of a child as a stillborn birth enjoyed smooth sailing through the Legislature. House Bill 1239 was approved by the House, 90-0, in January. On Monday the Senate Finance and Taxation Committee sent the bill to the floor with a do pass recommendation and the Senate approved it, 47-0. Gov. Doug Burgum should sign it. The bill allows parents of a stillborn child to qualify for a tax exemption that families file for their living children when they file a fetal death certificate. The tax exemption would be for one year, the year in which the stillbirth occurred. The deduction would be equal to the federal deduction for a qualifying child. When the bill was heard in a House committee, legislators were told the deduction for this year would be $4,050. Federal law doesn't allow for claiming stillborn children on federal taxes but at least five states allow for a one-time tax credit or deduction. The bills primary sponsor, Rep. Kim Koppelman, R-West Fargo, said the measure would help families in difficult situations. Not only are they dealing with the loss of a child, but they face hospital and funeral costs. Many are likely young parents looking forward to their first child. The emotional toll is impossible to describe. HB1239 is a simple way to help parents in a difficult time. No conventions There are two resolutions being considered by the Legislature seeking conventions to amend the U.S. Constitution. It takes 34 states to request a convention on the same topic, so North Dakota cant call a convention on its own. Senate Concurrent Resolution 4006 seeks a convention to approve a "countermand amendment" that would allow a group of states to take action asking the federal government to rescind a law or regulation. Seven states have endorsed the measure, according to the resolutions sponsor, Sen. Oley Larsen, R-Minot. House Concurrent Resolution 3006 cites the federal debt and out-of-control spending by the U.S. government as problems and wants a convention "for the purpose of restraining these and related abuses of power." The House passed HCR3006, 69-18. It is sponsored by Rep. Jim Kasper, R-Fargo, and co-sponsored by Rep. Craig Headland, R-Montpelier, and other legislators. The resolution and the constitutional amendment are an effort to take back control of the federal government, according to Headland. The Tribune Editorial Board supports open government and public involvement. We strongly back the publics right to initiatives and referrals. However, when it comes to amending the U.S. Constitution we urge caution. The document has served our nation well. Efforts to change it could backfire, resulting in more problems than solutions. It isnt easy to call a convention. Article V of the U.S. Constitution allows for a convention to propose amendments when either two-thirds of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate or two-thirds of the states make a request. Any amendment approved by the convention needs to be ratified by three-fourths of the states before becoming part of the Constitution. There arent any established rules for running a convention once it is called. Instead of calling a convention, it makes more sense to work through the system. Voters can still exert their will on Congress and the president. Its best to leave a workable document, the U.S. Constiution, as it was written. It has come to the attention of the Royal Anguilla Police Force (RAPF) that many persons in Anguilla are operating, holding or being concerned with the running of an illegal lottery. The RAPF is hereby warning residents of Anguilla and visitors alike that playing the illegal lottery is gambling as proscribed by section 346 (1) of the Criminal Code, Revised Statutes of Anguilla, Chapter C140. The police wishes to advise persons involved that, if they are caught operating, holding, being concerned or taking part in the illegal lottery, they will be prosecuted for the offence of gambling. Additionally, cash seizure proceedings and forfeiture under the Proceeds of Crime Act, Revised Statutes of Anguilla, Chapter P98 (POCA) will be applied against all money and assets derived from the illegal act. Cases have also been reported where patrons have not been paid their winnings or prize following their participation in the illegal lottery. Commissioner of Police states that: Playing the illegal Spanish Lottery is a lottery in itself. You may lose more than you win. This practice creates a false expectation of success. The monies involved are considered Proceeds of Crime and the RAPF will seek to seize such monies and obtain forfeiture orders. Arrest of 29 Year Old Male for Robbery The Royal Anguilla Police on Wednesday 1st March 2017 arrested 29 yr. old Mendell Richardson of North Hill for Robbery. Richardson, who was later charged with two counts of robbery, appeared before The Magistrates Court on Monday 6th March 2017, where he was offered bail but was unable to meet the conditions. On Wednesday 8th March 2017, he was granted bail in the sum of EC $60,000.00 with two (2) sureties. He is to reappear in Court on Monday 12th June 2017 to answer to the charge. His conditions of bail are as follows: 1) Surrender all travel documents forthwith and not to leave Anguilla by any means without the Courts permission. 2) Report to The Valley Police Station every Monday, Wednesday and Friday between the hours of 6:00AM and 6:00PM commencing Friday 10th March 2017. 3) Be on curfew with immediate effect from 7:00PM to 6:00AM daily and must be within the confines of his father Lorenzo Richardsons home in North Hill, and to answer to the Police at any time during routine curfew checks. 4) Not to go on the premises of The Peoples Bar and Restaurant and Jam Bar and Restaurant. 5) Not knowingly go within 100ft of the virtual complainant. 6) Have no contact whether directly or indirectly, by himself or by means of an agent with the virtual complainant in this matter. The RAPF would like to remind the public that: a) The defendant is entitled to a fair trial; b) There is a presumption of innocence until proven guilty; c) Nothing would be stated or published which would prejudice a fair trial taking place; and d) Section 115(g) of the Criminal Code applies and which provides for an offence in respect of any person who, while a judicial proceeding is pending, makes use of any speech or writing misrepresenting such proceeding or capable of prejudicing any person in favor of or against any parties to such proceeding, or calculated to lower the authority of any person before whom the proceeding is to be held. FARGO Attorneys for Alfonso Rodriguez Jr., the man on death row for the murder of Dru Sjodin, claim prosecutors presented false testimony against the convicted man, arguing test results presented by a medical examiner did not prove she was raped. A motion filed Tuesday seeks to have Drew Wrigley, former North Dakota lieutenant governor and the lead prosecutor during Rodriguezs trial, and his former assistant, Norman Anderson, testify on whether they knowingly presented false information on the case and that they failed to correct it. Rodriguez, 64, is appealing his death sentence after he was found guilty in federal court of the 2003 kidnapping and murder of Sjodin, a 22-year-old UND student who was abducted in Grand Forks. A search party found her body in April 2004 in a ravine near Crookston, five months later. The defense argued in its motion evidence presented in the case doesn't prove that Sjodin was raped before she was killed, according to the motion filed Tuesday. Dr. Michael McGee, a medical examiner for Minnesotas Ramsey County, testified enzyme levels indicated she was sexually assaulted 24 to 36 hours before her death, with him stating elevated levels of acid phosphatase, which has been associated with the presence of semen, was found in her body. Sjodins body decomposed in the elements, but the cold preserved the acid phosphatase inside her body, McGee testified. The defense claims McGees testimony is plainly and indisputably incorrect and led to Rodriguezs death sentence. McGee testified the swabs were never tested for prostate-specific antigen. But the swabs were tested by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension just days after Sjodins body was found, the defense noted in its motion. Those swabs tested negative for male semen, BCA scientist Steven Fischer said in court documents. Those findings were not released until May 8, 2006, or two months after the trial concluded but before sentencing. Other experts in the case came to the same conclusion, according to court documents. To this date, Dr. McGee stands alone in his conclusion, including those about the presence or absence of semen, the defense stated in its motion. The motion also questions whether the levels McGee used to test swabs were standard or arbitrary levels he set for his lab, claiming the doctor all but admitted he did not use a scientific method to determine the levels of acid phosphatase. The defense argued the lack of semen, prostate-specific antigen or male DNA were found on the swabs taken from Sjodins body undermines conclusions that positive tests for acid phosphatase was an indicator of semen. The government knew, or should have known, that Dr. McGees testimony ... was materially false, inaccurate and substantially misleading, the defense argued. An evidentiary hearing is set for March 28, but its unclear if the motion will be discussed then. If a federal judge rules in the defenses favor, Rodriguezs attorneys could question Wrigley, who argued rape as a reason for the death sentence. Anderson also would be questioned on claims he avoided asking Fischer about the swab tests. The motion also asks for any correspondence from law enforcement entities that pertains to the case. A proposal to make equal parenting time the starting point for child custody cases is back on the table. Though voters rejected a version of the "shared parenting" bill twice in the past 12 years, six GOP legislators brought a similar measure to the Capitol this session. A version of HB1392 passed the House in a vote of 71 to 21 in February. The bill establishes 35 to 50 percent of time spent with each parent as the presumptive split for kids in a custody case. That means equal time with each parent is assumed to be what is best for the child. Variation requires parents to show a judge by preponderance of the evidence that something else would be in the child's best interest. The bill also recommends a study to examine how the new law plays out. Proponents of the bill including dads, a grandma, an aunt and a few lawyers said it is necessary to encourage judges to place kids with both parents, a situation some social scientific research indicates is better. They insist the bill is different enough from a rejected 2014 measure, because it is less rigid, with a lower burden of proof. "Measure six was a parents' rights bill. Thirteen-ninety-two is a children's rights bill," said sponsor Rep. Tom Kading, R-Fargo. Opposition came from representatives of the State Bar Association of North Dakota, which opposed the ballot measure in 2014. Fargo family law attorney Jason McLean, co-chair of the association's family law task force, argued the equal presumption would win out too often, because it would take a lot of evidence and a hearing to overturn. Judges would lack appropriate guidance on deciding otherwise and the new law may bring more families back to court, he said. "The presumption will control everything. Presumptions are designed to control everything," McLean said in an interview after the hearing. But in a move that surprised a key opponent, McLean offered an amended version of the bill that would define shared parenting in the statute and spell it out as an option for judges to consider. The amended law also instructs judges to identify the reasons for their custody decisions. McLean said the proposal came out of discussions with experts at the task force, which was created after the 2014 election. He said many judges don't understand that shared parenting is an alternative and resort to standard arrangements, like every other weekend. Arnie Fleck, a Bismarck attorney who strongly supports the bill, sued the bar association for funding advocacy opposing the 2014 measure and recently criticized the task force as stacked with shared parenting opponents, said he was "impressed" the state bar gave a proposal back. "It's the first step that needs to be taken," Fleck said. He still believes the presumption model is best and believes McLean misled the committee about how easy it is to change custody arrangements. Measures related to shared parenting are being considered in 25 other states this year, Fleck said. But no other state has this presumption written into the law, according to McLean. Andy Doll, a middle-aged West Fargo man with long and wild black hair and two daughters, was one of several dads to speak at the hearing about trying to get custody of his kids. He said he spent thousands of dollars on legal fees, to find himself now with just 71 days a year with his kids. He said the current system scares parents and pits them against each other. "I've lost tens of thousands of dollars trying to get some sort of equal parenting time," Doll said. "I'm less than a part-time dad." BERLIN - Chinese travel agencies on Wednesday charmed tourism dealers at a key travel trade show in Berlin, featuring the Silk Road destinations. Chinese provincial tourism administrations from Shanghai, Hunan, Inner Mongolia and Shandong, as well as Chinese airliners participated in the Internationale Tourismus Boerse (ITB), which will last from March 8 to March 12 with an expected 180,000 attendees. Destinations in West China's regions of Shaanxi and Xinjiang are drawing extra attention, as tourists can enjoy the convenience in the modern cities while traversing moments in history. Although modern big cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, still stay on top of the holiday destinations, the Silk Road spots like Lanzhou, Dunhuang, Xi'an have become increasingly heated in recent years, said Shi Xiang, Frankfurt-based regional director of China National Tourism Administration (CNTA). Some selected travel routes are along the historical Silk Road, an ancient network of trade routes connecting East and West, offering a similar experience as "the early explorers". People can ride horses, camels and accommodate in gers just like the local herdsmen. Viktoria Arneson, a 28-year-old travel expert, said the cities on promotion might well suit the taste of western travelers, since lots of them are "adventurous". "For me, I like grand landscapes, for example sea, steppe, desert. The Silk Road route have those landscapes and seems to be exotic," Arneson said. For many German exhibitors and dealers, taking a trip along the ancient trade route is even more luring, since the term Silk Road itself is coined by German geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen, who made seven expeditions to China from 1,868 to 1,872. According to a preliminary report by CNTA, foreign travelers made more than 28 million visits into China in 2016, with a year-on-year growth of 8.3 percent. STRASBOURG - The Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muiznieks, said on Thursday that the European Commission (EC) recommendation to extend and prolong migrant detention "leads to the violation of human rights without obtaining other results, such as facilitating asylum request processing or incentivising dignified repatriations". Muiznieks called on the leaders of the EU, meeting on Thursday in Brussels, to not follow the EC's directions. He urged EU governments to concentrate on "alternative, more humane measures, which don't deprive migrants of their freedom and respect families and minors", calling the EC's new recommendations "worrisome from many points of view". Muiznieks singled out the fact that the new recommendations could encourage EU member states to extend detention past 12 months and to select detention for minors as well. He suggested that EU leaders search for valid alternatives, such as requiring regular check-ins with police and document confiscation. BERLIN - Deaths in the Aegean Sea have "massively decreased" thanks to the migrant agreement with Turkey, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday, highlighting that "accords with third states, migrant transit or migrant origin countries, are essential". "Without these, European solidarity, even at the height of its potential, can't furnish a solution and couldn't help anyone," Merkel said. She said that "on the Greek side" the agreement with Turkey "still isn't put into practice as it should be". Merkel also said that "many people still die on the route to Italy" and "the fight against human traffickers must take absolute priority". Jordan: accord with Italy for financial funds They include 19 mln euro grant and 143.8mln soft loan (ANSAmed) - AMMAN, MARCH 9 - Italy signed with Jordan a financial agreement involving 19 million euro grant and a 143.8 soft loan, to help the kingdom meet financial obligations, officials said. Minister of planning and international cooperation Imad Najib Fakhoury said the deal will help the Jordanian government carry out development programme of 2016-2019 and Jordan's strategic response plan to refugees crisis between 2017-2019. The deal, provided through Italian development cooperation "will help Jordan achieve sustainable development through effective use of local resources and by creating jobs to maintain tourism development," said Fakhoury after the signing ceremony. The funds will be distributed among ministry of finance to support the state budget, development programmes as well as humanitarian assistance, said the minister. (ANSAmed). TEL AVIV - Pushed by a series of political successes, the leader of the nationalist Jewish Home party, Naftali Bennett (currently education minister) has called for party primaries to be moved up to April. Party member Ayelet Shaked (currently Justice Minister) tweeted that Bennett "is our candidate for prime minister, once the Netanyahu era is over". In a radio interview, Shaked said she herself has what it takes to one day become prime minister. In the Knesset, Jewish Home - a party that supports the settlement movement - holds eight seats out of a total 120. Despite this, its leaders (characterised by a notable dynamism) feel their popular support has grown substantially. In recent weeks they managed to force upon the government their view of the controversial "regularisation" bill on settlements, and to accept the nomination of some conservative justices to the Supreme Court. Italy already part of multi-speed Europe, Alfano Goal cd be common defence (ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS, MARCH 9 - Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano said Thursday on arrival at a pre-EU summit session of the European People's Party that Italy was already "part of the multi-speed EU". He said "the important thing is that we have a high level of ambition which can find an assessment point in Rome (at a March 25 summit marking the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome). The goal may be a European defence system". The EU summit on Thursday and Friday is expected to discuss German Chancellor Angela Merkel's recent proposal for a multi-speed Europe, as well as the migrant and asylum-seeker emergency. (ANSAmed). Migrants: Strasbourg rejects EU long-detention proposal Council of Europe says it risks violating rights (ANSAmed) - STRASBOURG, MARCH 9 - The Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muiznieks, said on Thursday that the European Commission (EC) recommendation to extend and prolong migrant detention "leads to the violation of human rights without obtaining other results, such as facilitating asylum request processing or incentivising dignified repatriations". Muiznieks called on the leaders of the EU, meeting on Thursday in Brussels, to not follow the EC's directions. He urged EU governments to concentrate on "alternative, more humane measures, which don't deprive migrants of their freedom and respect families and minors", calling the EC's new recommendations "worrisome from many points of view". Muiznieks singled out the fact that the new recommendations could encourage EU member states to extend detention past 12 months and to select detention for minors as well. He suggested that EU leaders search for valid alternatives, such as requiring regular check-ins with police and document confiscation. (ANSAmed). MOSCOW - New talks on the Syrian crisis are scheduled in Astana on March 14 and 15 the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said Thursday. It said preliminary consultations would take place on the 14th with a plenary session on the 15th. "High level delegations from Russia, Turkey and Iran will participate in the negotiations," the ministry said. "Invitations have been sent to representatives of the United Nations, USA and Jordan". US marines join Raqqa offensive in Syria - CNN Pentagon may send up to 1,000 soldiers against ISIS - Reuters (ANSAmed) - NEW YORK, MARCH 9 - The Trump administration is evaluating whether to send up to 1,000 soldiers to Kuwait as reserve forces in the fight against ISIS in Syria and Iraq, according to Reuters, while CNN reported that a group of US Marines has already arrived in northern Syria to support local forces in an offensive against Raqqa. The Washington Post reported that the US Marines who arrived in Syria were already in the region and their transfer from US ships in the Persian Gulf didn't need approval from President Trump or Defense Secretary James Mattis, but said both the White House and the Pentagon were informed. Reuters said the proposal to send up to 1,000 soldiers to the region "could provide U.S. commanders on the ground greater flexibility to quickly respond to unforeseen opportunities and challenges on the battlefield".(ANSAmed). 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 GCC airports are growing in size to cater for ballooning passenger and freighter volumes and technology is becoming central to improving operations. The largest markets in terms of airport projects are the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and much of the spend in new information technology (IT) will be at airports there. Technology is changing how airports and airlines interact with passengers, affirmed Eliot Lees, vice president at aviation consultancy firm ICF International. We have already seen the impact of e-ticketing, text communication, radio-frequency identification (RFID) bag tracking, social media and push technology on the passenger journey through an airport. Airports increasingly need to integrate technology into their operating strategy, management decision-making process, and service delivery to their users. The use of sensor technology and performance optimisation software is changing the way airports plan new infrastructure capacity, deliver service, and interact with the passenger. For example, Dubai Airports has installed a sensor system that advises passengers on wait times and is using this to improve service to the passenger, said Lees. The UAE will lead Middle East passenger growth with more than 6.3% annual increase, according to new estimates by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Dubai International Airport (DXB) has invested heavily in technology and engaged a staff of experts to manage and implement its IT strategy. Other airports in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are also reviewing potential IT strategies. However, while technology is a key ingredient to improving airport performance, equally important is the organisational and management changes that are needed to use technology to its fullest, Lees cautioned. IATA states that the Middle Easts aviation market is expected to grow significantly and will see an extra 258 million passengers a year on routes to, from and within the region by 2035. The implementation of new IT solutions will enable airports and airlines to introduce new passenger processing procedures, which will improve customer experience, stated Iyad Hindiyeh, head of airport IT business development at Amadeus. New technology will also significantly improve baggage-handling and reconciliation systems and reduce airport running and operation costs, Hindiyeh added. With the three main airlines in the region competing for customer numbers, IT is an important means for airlines to improve and differentiate their airport services for their customers. Middle East airports are both increasing local market demand and transfer traffic. John Grant, senior analyst at air travel intelligence company, OAG, said that coping with such increases in demand not only requires significant infrastructure development but also staying ahead of the competition by delivering operational and passenger service advantage. IT development has been crucial in that growth and will increasingly be of importance in the coming years. Only by embracing IT, in all its various formats through the travel experience from reservation to in-flight service and arrival, can airports continue to meet the needs of the ever-demanding airlines and their passengers. IT advances also bring efficiency of scale to airports and, in an industry where operating margins for all parties are extremely small, those advancements are required daily, Grant said. Self-service and automation have become the buzz words at airport technology exhibitions, with all the solution-providers pushing airport operators not to lag behind in adopting these technologies, or else face a decline in efficiency [and passenger numbers.] There is a clear linkage between technology and airport efficiency, Lees observed. For example, he said, e-ticketing was already feeling the impact of technology in terms of terminal space. Ticketing kiosks reduce the need for airline check-in desks, airline staff and passenger queuing areas. Not only does this upgrade the level of service to the passenger but it reduces the need for, and consequently the construction cost of, additional terminal space. Over the past five years, its evident that the introduction of technology and automation has ramped up significantly, and over the next five its probable that this pace will be even faster. Lees foresees that airports that are slow to adopt technology and automation into their planning and management strategy will face higher throughput costs because todays technology allows for greater throughput, given the same level of infrastructure resources and investment. So there is a direct payback of investment in technology in more efficient infrastructure, reduced need for future capital investment and enhanced service levels, he said. Those airports that do not embrace and adopt new technologies will be left behind. Grant is not entirely convinced that airports are slow to adopt such technology. He said, for every airport, any IT advancement requires a solid business case that looks not only at the cost of development but also the subsequent resource efficiencies achieved, and the improvements offered to their passengers. Research tells us that happy passengers are more disposed to spend in concessions and, with that in mind, airports are always seeking to improve their overall passenger experience and IT is at the core of that objective. The industry in general is moving towards self-service and kiosk bag drop. In Europe, self-service check-in and bag drop has become the norm but, Hindiyeh noted, due to technology constraints and a cultural reticence to adapt to a self-service model, this is not generally the case at Middle East airports. Many airlines still use their own check-in technology, while self-serve kiosks require a multi-airline common use systems. Kiosks also require additional physical space at departures terminals and this poses a challenge for some airports in the region, said Hindiyeh. Beyond these technological and physical challenges, a further challenge for Middle Eastern airports is that passengers expect to be checked in and be given a personalised service by airline ground staff, as Hindiyeh pointed out. Smart boarding gates and remote check-in are all concepts currently trending within the airport community, particularly at the busier gateways. UAE residents, for instance, carrying an Emirates identification document, are able to process through passport control in a matter of seconds. This is after DXB underwent a major upgrade on the airports 127 smart gates, located in arrivals and departures across all three terminals at the airport. Upon inserting the Emirates identification card into the smart gate, the system can quickly confirm the identity, travel plans and eligibility of UAE residents to enter and depart the country. General Mohammad Al Marri, director general at the directorate of residency and foreigners affairs (UAE), said creating a system that enhanced both security and passenger convenience was a breakthrough for managing the borders in the UAE, and responded to calls from his leadership to provide services that made the passenger journey as smooth as possible. Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, added: With a transaction time that averages 10-15 seconds, this is clearly a smarter way to travel. It speeds up the immigration process significantly and shortens queues. Our focus, going forward, is to get more residents using it. Lees said new smart boarding gates and remote check-in systems had proven not only to improve passenger throughput, but also to allow the airport to capture important information about passenger behaviour. This wealth of information can be used to evaluate performance. Lees added that technology was not just about replacing airport or airline manpower, or reducing physical infrastructure, but it is was fundamental in reshaping the future of airports. New airport technologies generate a robust level of information about the passenger behaviour and actions, about how service is delivered, and provides a platform to support continuous process improvement, he said. Through new technology and big data analytics, airports are increasingly able to view the passenger movement through the airports and improve airport performance to enhance the passenger experience. Because of technology, Lees feels the management of airports is undergoing a fundamental shift in how they are organised, how they deliver service, and how they interact with various stakeholders to improve the overall travel experience. He advised that airport management needed to understand what emerging technologies and systems were being introduced around the world. Amadeus technology now allows for remote check-in from anywhere inside or outside the airport terminal, said Hindiyeh. The same common-use technology also allows for gate changes, enabling airports to move airline departures from one gate to another seamlessly. Remote check-in technology permits passengers to check in anywhere from conference centres to cruise ships, and has the ability to track passenger bags from an off-site airport location. Anything that simplifies the required passenger processes without compromising on safety and security requirements should be to everyones benefit, Grant reckoned. Remote check-in has been operational for some years and smart boarding is already close to adoption in some markets. If these advances can streamline waiting times, then everyone will welcome the development. But, perhaps of more interest, is the opportunities that biometric technology and especially micro-chip data can have on the industry over the next few years. This really is an area of huge IT opportunity, he added. Airports are also keeping up with new technologies to streamline every aspect of baggage-handling processes. In August last year, Abu Dhabi Airports installed a new automated tray return system (ATRS) to speed up the process of hand luggage screening at Terminal 3 in Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH). The new system allows more than four times the number of bags to be screened than conventional screening lanes, reducing wait times and congestion. IATA announced a new resolution 753 for its member airlines, which comes into effect in 2018. Nick Gates, portfolio director at SITA, explained in his online blog that, essentially, it requires IATA member airlines to monitor and log the status of its passengers bags through the major stages of the journey. One of the biggest consequences will be that inbound (arrival bags) will need to be more actively tracked/monitored. Clearly, IATAs member airlines will be affected. But, so too, airports and ground handlers. By 2018, airports will need to have the IT systems and infrastructure in place to be ready to support the airlines that need to comply. This means that all airports (existing or new) will need to assess whether they have the appropriate baggage infrastructure to be able to support the requirements of this resolution. Hindiyeh said Amadeus baggage reconciliation system (BRS) was already compliant with the resolution. We already have 100 airlines on the BRS. It is used at Abidjan International Airport (Ivory Coast) and we have had a lot of interest from other Middle Eastern airports, he added. Elsewhere, the now famous Leo, a fully autonomous, self-propelling baggage robot that has the capacity to check-in, print bag tags and transport up to two suitcases, is currently on a globe-trotting tour and has been spotted at airports ranging from Geneva to Marrakech. The robot also has an obstacle avoidance capability and can navigate in a high-traffic environment such as an airport. Leo provides a glimpse into the future of baggage-handling being explored by SITA Lab and is the first step to automating the baggage process from the moment passengers drop their bags to when they collect them. Hani El-Assaad, SITA president, Middle East, India and Africa said: Through the innovative work of the SITA Lab, we are able to tackle some of the key challenges that face airlines and airports today. Leo demonstrates that technologies, such as robotics, can help the air transport industry manage the growth in traffic in a more sustainable way, while offering passengers an unencumbered journey through the airport and on to the aircraft. It is a true honour to be the recipient of the Great Place to Work Institute accolade for the seventh consecutive year, said David Ross, regional president of FedEx Express Middle East, Indian Subcontinent and Africa. Creating a nurturing and inclusive work environment is a top priority at FedEx. We believe in providing our team members with the tools they need to achieve their fullest potential. Our peoples individual and collaborative successes are symbiotic with our companys growth. Every year, the Great Place to Work Institute ranks the UAEs top Great Places to Work based on confidential feedback from employees and a management process audit. A significant part of this result comes from the commitment FedEx makes to its team members. Since joining FedEx in 2005 as a part-time Courier, not only was I surrounded by brilliant, friendly and talented people, but I was also provided many opportunities for personal and professional development, said Asghar Khan, manager of operations at FedEx Express, based in Abu Dhabi. At FedEx, every team member plays a valuable role in ensuring that we hit the right note with our customers through delivery of excellent and on-time solutions. We honour a positive can-do attitude and willingness to think outside the box because we know these vital skills yield innovative solutions. We embrace new team members and provide them with support and opportunities for growth. Debbie DMello, a hub service agent at FedEx Express, based in Dubai added: One can thrive and grow at FedEx. I am learning to work with people of different backgrounds and appreciate this mix of cultures. Throughout my eight years with the company, I have been exposed to many growth opportunities, allowing me to gain so much from my professional experience. The trial builds on Oman Airs promise to scrap high baggage charges. The arrangement will allow guests flying Oman Air to use DHL Express to deliver their baggage to their final destination at extremely affordable rates in line with the new rates introduced by Oman Air in January of this year. The agreement signifies DHL and Oman Airs commitment to strengthen cooperation and deliver better service and value to Oman Airs customers within Sultanate of Oman. The partnership will enable Guests, with confirmed Oman Air tickets to send baggage to any address within Oman Airs network through drop off at any DHL service point in Oman, including Seeb, Al Khuwair, Sohar, Muscat, Qurum and Salalah. Guests will then be able to track their packages on the move via phone, sms, email or online through DHL.com.om Aboudy Nasser, senior vice president, network planning & revenue management for Oman Air, said: Our decision to partner with DHL is part of journey to becoming the best. As with our move to scrap high baggage charges, we want deliver more value for our customers and make their life as easy as possible while travelling. Passengers flying with us can arrive in the Hotel with their Baggage waiting for them relieving them of the hassle of having to carry to and from the Airport. Ali Thabet, country manager for DHL Express in Oman, said: We are pleased to be working closely with Oman Air. This new and strategic partnership with Oman Air reflects the common vision and brand promise of both companies in making sure that customers are offered great service quality that exceed their expectations. It is also a reflection of the strong ties that we have with Oman Air. In a recent article for The Catholic World Report, Actons research director, Samuel Gregg discusses the European Union. He criticizes it for its aggressive secularism and separating itself from its Christian roots; Gregg also addresses the weakness of the Catholic Church in addressing social issues. Gregg is not wholly optimistic about the future of Europe, but nonetheless, calls for European leaders to return to their Christian foundations as the only viable solution in managing their decline. In criticizing the EU, Gregg says: Today, however, the EU is light-years away from the optimism which marked the Rome Treaty. Poll after poll shows profound dissatisfaction with the EU in many member-states. The European Commissions headquarters, Brussels, is now shorthand for unaccountable bureaucrats presided over by out-of-touch career politicians who live in a self-referential bubble. Britains June 2016 decision to exit the EU was simply the most direct expression of how negatively many ordinary Europeans regard the European integration project. Its also true that the EU has long since wandered far from any generically Christian outlook. Symptoms of this range from the EUs upside-down understanding of the principle of subsidiarity, to many EU agencies promotion of gender theory: something contrary to everything that reason and Revelation tell us about the nature of human beings. Concerning the historical fact that Christianity has been the dominant religious force to shape Europe, many European political leaders tiptoe around the subject, preferring to speak of religious and humanist influences. If there is any normative vision that Europeans and non-Europeans alike associate with todays EU, it is surely secularism. This has little to do with a healthy secularity which distinguishes the temporal from the spiritual realm. Rather, its an ideological secularism: one that involves adherence to a plastic view of human nature, the grounding of rights upon subjective feelings, a hostility to natural law, a preferential option for top-down bureaucratic solutions to most problems, and notions of tolerance that seek to crush dissent from secularist claims. Gregg laments Europes overt secularism. He sees the EU as posing a threat to addressing real problems in Europe. One should look to the Church for guidance in times like these when secular governments fail to manage decline. However, Gregg is uncertain about the effectiveness of the Church in Europe as it has adopted many secular values. He says: Secularization in the sense of a drift away from regular religious practice has been happening in Europe for a long time. But theres little question that the decline in Catholic practice throughout Europe accelerated after Vatican II. Nor is Catholicism in Europe growing in the way that it is, for example, in Africa. Its also the case that much of the post-Vatican II Catholic response throughout Europe to these developments has proved ineffective. For many post-Vatican II Western European Catholics, liberal theology seemed the best way to engage the secular European mind. But like all forms of theological liberalism, the effect was to empty much of Catholic life of any distinct content. It also encouraged Catholics to take their primary cues from whatever is happening in the world (here they gravitated towards secular left-liberal preoccupations) rather than the Scriptures and 2000 years of Christian reflection. This left many European Catholics with little to say about anything which cant be said by your average secularist. Gregg concludes his article with a call to action for European religious leaders as well as Christians who are confused in a time when leadership is rather quiet. What Europe needs are religious leaders willing to gently but clearly remind its peoples of some truths they arent likely to hear elsewhere. That, for instance, European civilization existed long before the EU and cant be reduced to modern Europes particularities. Or, that the Wests specifically religious roots are undeniably Jewish and Christian and thus open Europe to the fullness of the truth about God and man. Or, even more provocatively, that the Catholic Church isnt a loosely-religious NGO thats going to limit its commentary about Europe to nebulous references to common values, dialogue, diversity, and other staples of secular discourse. The business of the Church is teach the truth. And that includes speaking the truth about Europe and Christianitys role in shaping Europefor better and for worse. For if Europe isnt to lapse into managed decline amidst a strange mixture of sentimentalism and soft paganism, it desperately needs clear Christian witness to the truth about the decisive turn taken by the continent when Rabbi Saul of Tarsus crossed into mainland Europe sometime around 52 AD. As the successor of another Apostle of Rome, this would a great service which Francis could perform for the continent that is, after all, now his home. To read the full article, click here. Image: CCO Ha'aretz Admits 'Land Grab' Story Unfounded | Main | Where's the Coverage? Iran, #1 Worldwide in Executing Children, Elected to UNICEF Leadership February 06, 2013 Whitewashing BDS Brooklyn College (Flickr) Over at Tablet Magazine, Yair Rosenberg notices a journalistic trend: Misinformation about the radical, anti-Israel BDS movement. After pointing out that MSNBC and the New York Times editorial board have sloppily described BDS as little more than a group seeking to "pressure Israel to end its settlements and occupation" (MSNBC), he explained that "this is not, in fact, the entirety of what the BDS movement advocates." On its Call for BDS? page, the movement outlines three official goals for boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel. The first is the one acknowledged by Hayes and the Times: Ending its [Israels] occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall.? The second: Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality.? And then theres the third: Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.? This radical goal goes completely unmentioned by both Hayes and the Times, giving their audiences the false impression that the BDS movement merely seeks a non-violent way to end Israeli occupation and implement a two-state solution. But in fact, BDSs own materials and proponents oppose the very existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish state, and demand the return of 5 million Palestinians to the country, which would effectively abrogate its Jewish character. A vice chair of Americans for Peace Now a group whose dovishness and failure to take seriously Israeli security concerns puts it outside the American Jewish mainstream, but which can accurately be described as wanting to "pressure Israel to end its settlements and occupation" noted that "BDSs prime motivation, if their messaging is to be believed, is not to end the occupation at all; rather, it is to end Israel." Even Norman Finkelstein, who dedicates most of his time to bashing Israel, felt the need to call out the BDS movement for being coy about the fact that "they don't want Israel." What Rosenberg doesn't mention is that it isn't only the Times editorial board that got it wrong, but also its news reporters. In two news stories, the newspaper described BDS in a way that erases the vast gulf between their views and the views of many of their critics including those critics of BDS who are also critics of Israel. Reporter Jenny Anderson described BDS as an "international group that advocates Israels withdrawal from disputed territories where Palestinians live." Vivian Yee's misreporting was even more striking: Enter B.D.S., an international lobbying movement that advocates Israels withdrawal from Palestinian territories a demand that caused a furor in another unlikely enclave of Brooklyn last year when members of the Park Slope Food Co-op rejected a motion to boycott Israeli products. It's safe to say that the BDS movement's call for Israeli withdrawal is not what "caused a furor." It was those other demands, and the ultimate goal. Posted by GI at February 6, 2013 12:23 PM Why is believing the Palestinians are entitled to a right of return some sort of extreme view only people bent on the destruction of Israel would hold? Posted by: Stephen at February 15, 2013 08:30 PM Guidelines for posting This is a moderated blog. We will not post comments that include racism, bigotry, threats, or factually inaccurate material. Post a comment YEREVAN, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS. UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura plans to start the new round of Syria talks between Damascus and the opposition on March 23, TASS reported. My current intention is to bring the invitees back to Geneva for the 5th round with intended date of the 23 of March, de Mistura saying as quoted by TASS. He said the discussion participants will arrive in Geneva on March 22. Getting into direct talks may take place at the right moment, but we see it's much more productive when we do it through proximity talks, because there is where a mediator can do its job better, he said. ISIS Tells Supporters to Dress Up Like Jews, Carry Out Attacks | Main | NY Times Misleads on David Friedman and Two-State Solution March 09, 2017 Israel's Entry Law, and America's You can love it. You can hate it. But at least be correct, contextual, and consistent when talking about it. While that's a universal best practice, in this case we're talking about Israel's new law restricting access to the country for some of those advocating boycott of the Jewish state. We've already called on The New York Times to correct two errors in its editorial about the Israeli law. The editorial wrongly claims the US has "consistently held that settlement building in the occupied territories is illegal." In fact, since the Carter administration it has consistently avoided such a characterization. The editorial also misleadingly downplays BDS aims, claiming that the movement is merely "against Israel for its occupation of the West Bank." As CAMERA and others (including BDS leaders) have pointed out, a trifecta of BDS goals essentially amount to a call for the elimination of the Jewish state. Finally, the New York Times editorial, and a number of other media outlets, claim that the law bars entry to anyone who "supports" BDS. In fact, the law is worded much more narrowly, and refers not to supporters but rather anyone "who knowingly issues a public call for boycotting Israel that, given the content of the call and the circumstances in which it was issued, has a reasonable possibility of leading to the imposition of a boycott if the issuer was aware of this possibility." One might think from the reaction abroad, including that of The New York Times, that the Israeli law is particularly unusual. What overseas critics of the law don't mention, though, is that the United States has long had similar restrictions. Section 212(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act says that an alien "whose entry or proposed activities in the United States the Secretary of State has reasonable ground to believe would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States is inadmissible." That's much broader than Israel's language. The Immigration and Nationality Act also bars members of the Communist party: "Any immigrant who is or has been a member of or affiliated with the Communist or any other totalitarian party (or subdivision or affiliate thereof), domestic or foreign, is inadmissible." And finally, it bars those who would break laws for the purpose of "opposition to the United States": In general.-Any alien who a consular officer or the Attorney General knows, or has reasonable ground to believe, seeks to enter the United States to engage solely, principally, or incidentally in any activity a purpose of which is the opposition to, or the control or overthrow of, the Government of the United States by force, violence, or other unlawful means, is inadmissible. One wonders if American critics of the new Israeli law have also criticized these laws, which are much closer to home. Posted by GI at March 9, 2017 02:29 PM I don't think you have characterised those US laws correctly. Section 22(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act seems to be aimed at, e.g., the entry of people whose presence in the USA (e.g., the Dalai Lama, or the President of Taiwan in their official capacities) may be diplomatically embarrassing. Someone promoting BDS is annoying, possibly even financially damaging, but it doesn't have substantial foreign policy implications. A similar criticism applies to the last quotation. It is aimed at any activity a purpose of which is the opposition to, or the control or overthrow of, the Government of the United States by force, violence, or other unlawful means The highlighted words are crucial to its intent; it's a prohibition on entry to those who plan to engage in the promotion of particular unlawful conduct, not people who will do stupid and/or embarrassing things. It doesn't even ban people who plan to promote other crimes, just revolutionary ones. The highlighted words are crucial to its intent; it's a prohibition on entry to those who plan to engage in the promotion of particular unlawful conduct, not people who will do stupid and/or embarrassing things. It doesn't even ban people who plan to promote other crimes, just revolutionary ones. Posted by: Joe in Australia at March 9, 2017 07:09 PM Not sure which "characterizations" you refer to. Other than noting a similarity to Israel's law both have language that can be applied, narrowly or broadly, to screen aliens the blog post doesn't characterize the US law at all. It simply quotes it. It's worth noting here, though, that a 2011 Israeli law makes boycott advocacy a civil wrong, and for better or worse the new law appears to build on that. Posted by: gi at March 10, 2017 11:31 AM It is not only certain at best lazy and at worst dishonest journalists and editorialists in the non Jewish media who are misrepresenting the proposed law. See, for example, the Jewish Chronicle https://www.thejc.com/comment/leaders/the-jc-leader-boycott-idiocy-and-sense-prevails-1.434070. Even worse, all too many Jewish communal leaders are condemning this measure without any regard for how it is worded. Why should hardened BDS and lawfare activists and enablers feel able to enter Israel with impunity Posted by: Paul at March 11, 2017 06:43 PM The article says that Israel's anti-BDS law is similar to US immigration law. Of course Israel and the USA each have laws that can be used to exclude aliens, but the cited American laws (with the possible exception of the anti-communist one) are aimed at people whose presence and/or activities in the USA would cause serious problems. I can't imagine that an advocate of BDS could cause similar problems, just because of their advocacy. I think BDS is morally wrong, and many of its advocates probably would support crimes and insurrection within Israel, but to advocate BDS per se is not to advocate anything like the "force, violence, or other unlawful means" that the US language is meant to address. Posted by: Joe in Australia at March 11, 2017 08:21 PM Appreciate your thoughts, Joe. Seems we can agree, at least, that the US law barring communists is similar to the Israeli law barring those who advocate for boycotts on behalf of a movement that seeks to eliminate the Jewish state. (Though the latter is worded to target an action as opposed to mere party membership.) Posted by: gi at March 13, 2017 10:47 AM The example use by "Joe in Australia" is way off target. The Dalai Lama has traveled to the US every year between 2010 and 2016 (I didn't go back further) and met with both Presidents Bush and Obama, despite the objections of the leaders of certain countries and the potential affect on foreign affairs. It is unreasonable to compare the Dalai Lama's relation with the US with activists dedicated to causing disruption and economic or physical harm to the US. Those categories are more similar to Israel and the BDS situation. Posted by: David at March 16, 2017 03:25 PM Guidelines for posting This is a moderated blog. We will not post comments that include racism, bigotry, threats, or factually inaccurate material. Post a comment YEREVAN, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS. Within the framework of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyans official visit in France, Mayor of Yerevan Taron Margaryan had a meeting with Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, press service of the Yerevan Municipality told Armenpress. Welcoming the guest, Mayor of Paris thanked Taron Margaryan for the consistency and readiness aimed at further expanding and developing the ties between Yerevan and Paris. Mr. Mayor, I am very happy to host you in our capital and I am convinced that this visit will give new impetus to the cooperation established between Yerevan and Paris which is really effective and successful. I hope our capital will be able to transfer a part of the warmness I received and felt in Yerevan. Be sure the days spent in Yerevan during my last visit really replenished the range of unforgettable memories of my life and I returned from Yerevan to Paris with pleasant impressions and today I host you as my best friend, Anne Hidalgo said. Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan thanked for the reception and warm words and attached a specific importance to further expanding and developing the practical ties between the two capitals, once again highlighting that wide field of mutual partnership exists between Yerevan and Paris which enables to further expand the joint projects in the fields of local self-governance, economic development, boosting tourism, attracting investments and etc. Dear Mrs. Mayor, Yerevan really attaches importance to strengthening the friendly and partnering ties, development of bilateral programs and program cooperation in various sectors, and I am convinced that we will record new achievements in the upcoming years which are expected and important for the residents of the two capitals. The Yerevan Municipality attaches a great importance to deepening the cooperation with the French partner cities and regions, and be sure that in this context Paris has a unique significance for us, Taron Margaryan said. At the meeting the sides exchanged also views on the process of cooperation programs and implementation of outlined works. YEREVAN, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS. Armenias Parliament Speaker Galust Sahakyan on March 9 held a meeting with Foreign Minister of Greece Nikos Kotzias, press service of the Parliament told Armenpress. Welcoming the guest, Speaker Sahakyan attached importance to the traditional friendly relations between Armenia and Greece and the common historical past. The Parliament Speaker recalled the Armenian Genocide recognition by Greece in 1996 and expressed his gratitude for the adoption of a bill in September, 2014 defining criminal responsibility for denying genocides. Galust Sahakyan said today the Armenian-Greek relations are at the high level, stating that the Armenian-Greek inter-parliamentary relations are effectively developing, and it is expected that the cooperation, as well as the mutual visits of the parliaments will continue. Galust Sahakyan also talked about boosting and expanding the economic cooperation between the two countries, highlighting the prospect of wider development opportunities in the context of Armenia-EU comprehensive cooperation. He said the deepening of cooperation with the EU is one of key directions of Armenias foreign policy. Coming to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Galust Sahakyan said Armenia attaches a specific importance to Greeces balanced stance on the peaceful settlement of NK conflict and its support to the OSCE Minsk Group for peacefully settling the conflict. Speaker Sahakyan said both Armenia and Artsakh are totally against the use of force, they attach importance to peaceful settlement of the conflict through negotiations. The Greek FM thanked for the reception and conveyed the greetings of the Parliament Speaker of Greece. He talked about with pain his impressions received from the visit to the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, stating that history can be repeated if it is not understood correctly. By attaching importance to the existing political dialogue and military cooperation between Armenia and Greece, Nikos Kotzias talked about the economic cooperation as well. As for Armenia-EU cooperation, the FM emphasized the issue of liberalization of visas in this context. Nikos Kotzias expressed hope the new parliament will also cooperate with the Parliament of Greece. YEREVAN, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS. While on an official visit in France, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan visited Lyon where he had a meeting with Mayor of the city Gerard Collomb, press service of the Presidents Office told Armenpress. Before that the delegation led by President Sargsyan visited the Bellecour square of the city where they laid a wreath at the Armenian Genocide memorial, by paying a tribute to the memory of the victims. In a meeting held in the Municipality of Lyon, President Serzh Sargsyan thanked Mayor Gerard Collomb for the warm reception and stated that their meetings become a good tradition which must be served at best for expanding and strengthening the bilateral ties. The President expressed confidence that Lyon is developing year by year which is also the Mayors personal achievement since he devoted major part of his life and activity to the city. Serzh Sargsyan said he is aware of how the Mayor takes care of Armenians issues of concern and expressed his gratitude for that. The President expressed hope Gerard Collomb will continue serving his valuable experience and knowledge for further deepening the cooperation between Yerevan and Lyon. During the meeting the sides discussed issues related to the decentralized cooperation, the deepening of scientific-educational, economic and other fields of cooperation. President Sargsyan also left a note in the Honorary Guest Book in the Lyon Municipality: Every time I return to this familiar city, Lyon, with a great warmness which attracts with its beauty, harmony and creative atmosphere. Features that correspond to the character and description of the Armenian people. I want to thank the authorities of Lyon for the cordiality shown to the Armenian delegation, for hosting our compatriots in the difficult period. I am proud that as much as this city hosted Armenians, as much as Armenians love and develop Lyon. Let the Armenian-French friendship always be as mutually enriching, the President wrote. At the end of the meeting President Sargsyan awarded Lyon Mayor with Honorary Medal for the significant contribution on strengthening and developing the Armenian-French friendly relations. YEREVAN, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS. Armenpress news agency informs that the website will be down for maintenance from 19:30 to 20:30, March 9 and the website will be unavailable for the mentioned period. Subscribers will receive the news feed through E-mail. We beg the pardon of the readers. Op/Ed by: Bob Shead The Philippines is an island nation with a unique geography, a very diverse culture and history. The country is composed of over 7000 islands, of which approximately 2000 are inhabited, and lies in the western Pacific Ocean. The Philippines archipelago is divided into 18 regions, the three main island groupings are Luzon (including Manila) in the north, the Visayas in the center, and Mindanao in the south. The Philippines strategic positioning as a gateway between the Pacific and the rest of Asia, in particular its proximity to the regions two largest economies, China and Japan, provides it with several vital sea routes for trade and commerce. However, to the west is the South China Sea, and the subject of Chinas expanding footprint in the region. This dispute, along with Chinas ongoing maritime disputes with neighboring ASEAN countries, i.e. the 9 Dash Line (Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei) is putting bilateral trade between the Philippines and these other ASEAN nations at risk. Nonetheless, a more recent conciliatory tone from Manila towards Beijing has shown promise that intra-ASEAN and Philippines-China tensions may now be subsiding. As a result, the country is enjoying renewed interest from foreign investors, both in light manufacturing, and service industries such as business process outsourcing. RELATED: Pre-Investment and Market Entry Advisory from Dezan Shira & Associates Climate The climate is predominately hot and humid, marked by a rainy season from June to November which brings plenty of rain and a few typhoons every year. November to February tends to be cool and dry, while March to May tends to be hot and dry. Since 2015, the Philippines has been hit by the El Nino weather phenomenon, that has had a serious effect of water and agriculture issues. The countrys location on the Ring of Fire, along the Pacific Rim, also increases the risk of earthquakes and volcanoes. Generally speaking, the climate is monsoonal with calmer weather during the winter months, being hot and humid in summer. Population The population of the Philippines is currently at 101.6 million (World Bank & Philippine Statistics Authority), and the 12th largest globally. Since 2015, the Philippines has entered the demographic window with 70 percent of the population being of working age, with a current median age of 23.4 years. Population growth currently stands at 1.9 percent, although this is accepted as a rather contentious figure. Additionally, about 12 million Filipinos live and work overseas, and form one of the worlds largest diasporas, that generates an inward remittance flow of approximately US$26 billion annually, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. Religion The Philippines boasts the third largest Catholic population globally, and sharply contrasts with the rest of Southeast Asia. The Spanish Catholic 300 year colonial rule makes the Philippines only one of two countries in the region with a majority Christian population (the other being East Timor). The Muslim population is approximately 5 percent and primarily in and around the southern Mindanao region. Language Although the official language of the Philippines is Tagalog, English is the predominately spoken business language here, due to the US influence over the past 100 years, and this has been an important asset, keenly sought after by multinational companies and other inward investment opportunities, especially in the rapidly increasing BPO industry, that is building up in cities also outside of Manila. Education The Philippines signed into law during 2013 a K+12 Education Programme. This gives students the ability for a total of 12 years education, from kindergarten to senior school. By constitutional decree, education receives the largest portion of budgetary spending. Tertiary education at the countrys 2000 plus higher education institutions, normally consists of a four year program, modeled on the US education system. Natural Resources The Asian Development Bank (ADB) headquartered in Manila, has named the Philippines as the fifth most mineralized country globally, with 30 percent of the land believed to contain metallic mineral deposits, including nickel, cobalt, silver, gold and copper, these deposits are mainly the result of the volcanic geology. This geology also contributes to the significant geothermal resources, making the Philippines the second largest geothermal producer worldwide, after the US. Mining in the Philippines however, remains an undeveloped and frequently a corrupt sector, with the current Philippine Secretary of Environment recently closing or restricting many existing mining operations due to environmental issues. However, mining remains an undeveloped sector with only 1.5 percent of the countrys land area covered by mining permits, and mining only contributes about 3 percent of GDP. There are also believed to be major offshore oil and gas deposits, as yet undetermined, within the Philippines maritime area. Coal remains the dominant energy type, with several coal fired power stations under construction. However, the potential for geothermal energy is enormous. Politics The Philippines gained independence from Spain in 1898, with the help of the US. However, the US then became the new colonial power, until the end of WWII. In 1946, the first Philippine Presidential elections were held and Manuel Roxas became the first President of an independent Philippines. The US retains many military bases in the Philippines, the largest being located within the SUBIC Development Zone, under the joint US Military Agreement (JUSMAG). There is also a joint military agreement between the US, Japan, and the Philippines, plus Taiwan. The current President of Philippines is President Rodrigo Duterte (Digong) was inaugurated on 30 June 2016, replacing President Benigno Aquino III (Noy Noy) who was in office for the previous 6 years. Dutertes rise to the Presidency from his former role for 20 plus years, as mayor of Davao City (capital of southern Mindanao Region) has been a much debated and difficult time for the Philippines, especially in the area of international relations. Duterte has established a reputation as a tough-talking and direct acting President, who does not have much time for diplomatic niceties etc. However, Dutertes popularity ratings in the Philippines remain high, in spite, and some say due to, the increased issues of Extra Judicial Killings (EJK) of alleged drug dealers. However, the President has made some useful economic changes that has recently boosted international business confidence in the Philippines, and has raised the countries business profile within the Southeast Asian region. President Duterte has also raised concerns with its major trading partner, the US with his initial strategy to develop closer ties with China, however, it has become obvious that the President has drawn back from this strategy, and is now improving ties with both Japan and the US. Economics Data published recently by the Philippine Statistics Authority showed the economy grew by 6.8 percent for the year 2016, with a 6.6 percent growth in gross domestic product (GDP) for the October-December quarter. The fourth-quarter saw the slowest pace of growth for the full year, which analysts attributed to weak agricultural production resulting from a series of typhoons and also from the lack of a one-time boost from election spending in the first half of the year. Recently CNBC reported the quarterly growth was higher than the 6.5 percent print from a year earlier, and that key drivers of growth for the quarter were manufacturing, trade, real estate, renting and business activities, while the industrial sector saw the fastest growth at 7.6 percent on-year. The current government has sustained the economic policies that have been responsible for a trend growth of 6.2 percent in the last six years. The new economic team has also developed a good reputation as a solid team with a strong influence on Dutertes economic decisions. Also guiding Dutertes economic decisions is a 10-point economic plan, announced last June, which includes tax reforms, liberalizing foreign direct investments and increasing infrastructure spending to prop up domestic growth and fuel private consumption, which accounts for 70 percent of the economy. Basically, there has been a recent record of a maintained stable high growth, a wider and increased expansion driving major increases in the Business Process Operations (BPO) in the cities of Manila, Cebu and more recently Dumaguete. The IMF has upgraded its forecast for the Philippines for the period 2017 2020 from an average of 6 percent to 6.5 percent, mainly due to an acceleration of infrastructure projects. The IMF has recommended further infrastructure investment projects, as improvement is still needed. These recent years, obviously contrast with the Philippines previous reputation as the sick man of Asia for its consistently underperforming compared to its peer countries during the 80s and 90s. The BPO industry continues to grow rapidly, pulling along other sectors such as construction, retail, real estate and restaurants. The estimated employment figures for the BPO industry are approaching 1.5 million Filipino staff, and increasingly companies based in Bangalore, India are moving their offices to the Philippines. The biggest export from the Philippines is the electronics and electrical goods market. This sector currently accounts for approximately 60 percent of Philippine exports. The country produces a large quantity of integrated circuits and other related components that are primarily exported to other parts of Asia. There is also a stronger demand for these products from US and Europe. In conclusion, the Philippines has, over the past few years, been playing a positive catch up strategy, and is now one of the leading economies within ASEAN. Despite the many problems that still exist within the Philippines, the poverty, the social issues, the natural disasters, the corruption issues, etc. It is accepted, that the economy of the Philippines is on the increase, along with an improved commercial sector, thus adding a general improvement to all sectors of the Philippines. Credit: Bob Shead is the Philippines Correspondent for ASEAN Briefing. He has a career background in the UK Diplomatic Service and has lived and worked in China and the Philippines for 23 years. He is based in Manila. Please contact: bob.shead@asiabriefing.com Dezan Shira & Associates have a Dezan Shira Asian Alliance Office in the Philippines, and can assist with foreign investment legal, tax and operational advisory services into the country. Please contact philippines@dezshira.com or visit www.dezshira.com About Us Asia Briefing Ltd. is a subsidiary of Dezan Shira & Associates. Dezan Shira is a specialist foreign direct investment practice, providing corporate establishment, business advisory, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence and financial review services to multinationals investing in China, Hong Kong, India, Vietnam, Singapore and the rest of ASEAN. For further information, please email asean@dezshira.com or visit www.dezshira.com. Stay up to date with the latest business and investment trends in Asia by subscribing to our complimentary update service featuring news, commentary and regulatory insight. Dezan Shira & Associates Brochure Dezan Shira & Associates is a pan-Asia, multi-disciplinary professional services firm, providing legal, tax and operational advisory to international corporate investors. Operational throughout China, ASEAN and India, our mission is to guide foreign companies through Asias complex regulatory environment and assist them with all aspects of establishing, maintaining and growing their business operations in the region. This brochure provides an overview of the services and expertise Dezan Shira & Associates can provide. An Introduction to Doing Business in ASEAN 2017 An Introduction to Doing Business in ASEAN 2017 introduces the fundamentals of investing in the 10-nation ASEAN bloc, concentrating on economics, trade, corporate establishment, and taxation. We also include the latest development news for each country, with the intent to provide an executive assessment of the varying component parts of ASEAN, assessing each member state and providing the most up-to-date economic and demographic data on each. Human Resources in ASEAN In this issue of ASEAN Briefing, we discuss the prevailing structure of ASEANs labor markets and outline key considerations regarding wages and compliance at all levels of the value chain. We highlight comparative sentiment on labor markets within the region, showcase differences in cost and compliance between markets, and provide insight on the state of statutory social insurance obligations throughout the bloc. China has to a great extent influenced the Muslim countries like Iran, Pakistan, Central Asian Republics. Sharing its borders with eight countries including China, the location of Xinjiang (a provincial-level autonomous region of China) can be categorised as highly geo-strategic. With Mongolia in the northeast, the Central Asian Republics of Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in the west and north, Afghanistan south, Indias Jammu and Kashmir in the southwest, Tibet in the southeast and mainland China in the east, Xinjiangs location is also unenviable. Covering a vast expanse of land amounting to about one-sixth of Chinas total area, Xinjiang is its largest province where Muslims are in majority. Named differently during different periods of history, Juwaini, the noted Persian scholar, described it as Kichik Bukhara or little Bukhara so as to distinguish it from the proper Bukhara; Mirza Haidar Dughlat, the celebrated author of Tarikhi-i-Rashidi, called it Mashriqi Turkestan (East Turkestan); in the Chagatay Khans period it was known as Moghalistan and later, named after its famous city and capital Kashghar to represent the whole of the Tarim Basin. And thus while several European travelers described it as Kashgharia, it was also known as Alty-Shahr, the land of six cities Kashghar, Yangi Hissar, Yarkand, Khotan, Ush Turfan and Aksu. As such, Xinjiang presents a classical example of the synthesis of different cultures Chinese, Indian, Persian and Turkish, and different religions ancient nature worship, Buddhism and Islam. This rich and composite cultural heritage was cemented by the ideological and religious force of Buddhism and Islam, by aristocratic lineages of Chinese, Kushans, Arabs, Turks, Mongols and others, by the high mobility of statesmen, scholars, divines, artisans, craftsman and traders. The movement of trade and ideas and the reciprocal cultural influences enriched the horizons of human development and left a deep imprint on the political, economic and social life in the entire region. It was under the Qings (1644-1911 AD) that Xinjiang was finally absorbed within the Chinese empire, a process that was gradual but continuous. The Qings pursued a calculated policy of military conquest, demographic expansion, political maneuvering and trade concessions as the means to preserve their territorial gains. The Qings not only contributed to the territorial expansion of the Chinese empire but also initiated the process of Sino-ising of the western border region of China. The history of Xianjiang in modern times, particularly the contemporary political and ethnic issues, is better understood by getting an insight into the Qing policies in this region. K. Warikoo, in one of his chapters, attempts to examine Sino-Xinjiang relations under the Qings with particular reference to their policy practiced then. Referred to by noted American scholar Owen Lattimore, as the pivot of Asia, Xinjiang is Chinas declared core strategic area, where it brooks no international interferences in its internal affairs. China has to a great extent influenced the Muslim countries like Iran, Pakistan, Central Asian Republics and in the Middle East by sale of arms and other incentives in return for their dollars and has succeed in securing their political support for its presence in Xinjiang. Several Muslim leaders and high power delegations from Iran, Pakistan and the Central Asian Republics have visited Xinjiang during the past few years. During Iranian President Rafsanjianis visit to Xinjiang it was decided to create a direct trans-Asian railway between Beijing and Iran through Central Asia. During the fourth ministerial meeting of China-Arab League Summit held in May 2010, China pressed its position on Xinjiang, Tibet and Taiwan affairs, seeking Arab support for Chinas stand on these issues. In 2009, Chinese authorities had to use strong-arm methods to put down a serious burst of Islamist militancy among the secessionist Uyghur population of Xinjiang, which abuts Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK). But they did not point the finger at Pakistan. For over a decade, Beijings chosen instruments to cope with the unrest among the Uyghur Muslims have been transplanting the Han population from the rest of the country into Xinjiang with a view to changing the ethnic balance and intensification of diplomacy with Islamic neighbours. Pakistan had an important role in this. A long-time recipient of Chinese largesse in a variety of ways, including the development of civilian and military nuclear facilities, Islamabad is no less than a sort of vassal state to China. Among the implied conditions for the Chinese indulgence was respect for Beijings concern that Pakistani territory not be permitted to be used as a base for those launching terrorist attacks inside Xinjiang. The arrangement worked reasonably well. The Islamic Movement of East Turkestan, which operates out of Pakistan like many other Islamist groups, was evidently persuaded by Islamabad to go easy. But matters appeared to have taken a new turn, discomfiting Beijing. Chinese defence minister Liang Guonglie, who visited Pakistan on May 24, 2010, worked out an intelligence-sharing mechanism with Pakistan to deal with terrorism. When Pakistans former Army Chief, General Ashfaq Kayani, visited Beijing in June 2010, Guonglie pressed him for cutting off links with Uyghur separatists and Islamic fundamentalists groups in Pakistan. China and the Central Asian Republics have taken a common stand against trans-border terrorism, Islamic extremism, ethnic-religious separatism, drugs and arms trafficking. And China has institutionalised this process of cooperation through the setting up of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). On China is seeking Pakistan governments support to fight Uyghur separatists, it remains to be seen how sincere or effective that support will be, given Pakistan armys long-standing linkages leading Pakistani terrorist groups, which are bound to have some contacts/connections with Uyghurs. According to Beijing-datelined media reports in early August 2011, China blamed terrorists trained in Pakistan for an attack on a restaurant in Kashgar, in Chinas far-western Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, that left eight dead and 15 injured. The State-run Xinhua news agency said a group of religious extremists led by culprits trained in overseas terrorist camps were behind the attack on civilians launched on Sunday, July 31, 2011. The initial probe had reportedly revealed that the heads of the group had learned skills of making explosives and firearms in overseas camps of the terror group East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) based on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The report cited Zhiping, a researcher with the Central Asia Studies Institute under the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences, describing the ETIM as the most violent and dangerous among the East Turkistan separatist forces. When terrorist violence erupted in Xinjiangs cities of Kashgar and Khotan, the Chinese once again sought to crush it with an iron hand. But this time around, there was a difference. Local authorities insinuated that the terrorists had been trained in a neighbouring foreign territory. Although Pakistan was not named, there was little doubt who they meant. While China has been consistently opposing efforts by India and even the US in blacklisting Pakistani terrorist leaders, it will be well advised to take a close look at those same leaders links with Uyghur separatists. India too must persist in urging China to do the same and keep bringing up Pakistans role in its dialogues with China and at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation forum. Also, India, in dealing with the deteriorating situation in Kashmir Valley, which amounts to only 15% of Jammu and Kashmir, must learn from Chinas security arrangements for Xinjiang. The books 16 chapters covering various aspects, written by K. Warikoo, Ji Zhen Tu, Qiu Yonghui, K.R. Sharma, Debasish Chaudhuri, Natalia Ablazhe, Kh. Umarov, A.M. Yessengaliyeva, S.B. Kozhirova, Evgney Vodichev, Chen Xi, Wang Jianming, Wang Qinji and Fu Jen Kun, make it valuable for reference. Rick Perry said co-operation between India and the US in energy sector is in mutual interest. Washington: Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan has discussed with new Energy Secretary Rick Perry the possibility of importing LNG from the US and Indian investment in the energy sector there. Pradhan met Perry during an unscheduled trip to the US Capitol and discussed energy cooperation between India and the US, Indian investment in Liquefied natural gas (LNG) and Shale sectors, and the possibility of the US exporting LNG to India from early next year. Perry said co-operation between India and the US in the energy sector is in mutual interest as India's energy need is set to see a rapid increase as the economy expands. Pradhan arrived in Washington DC from Houston, a city located near the Gulf of Mexico, where he attended the influential CERAWeek energy conference and launched the new Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP). On the sidelines of the conference, Pradhan had bilateral meetings with counterparts from Russia, Sri Lanka, Canada and Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih is expected to visit India soon. Pradhan also met the CEO of state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company; Bob Dudley, CEO of British Petroleum; and International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol. In Washington, Perry, who took over the department last week, strongly pushed for a Houston visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this year. He said Modi's meeting with the strong energy community in Houston could add a new dimension to bilateral ties. Dates of Modi's US visit is still being worked out. Pradhan, who invited Perry to India for the next round of India-US Energy Dialogue later this year, said he would convey his message to the prime minister. Pradhan said the US energy secretary believes energy is the next frontier for India-US relationship. On Tuesday, the Union minister met Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who appreciated the Indian-American community and said that he is planning to lead a trade delegation to India soon. During the visit, Oil India signed a MoU with Houston University to work on CO2 injection technology to enhance production in Assam. Pradhan started his US tour from Boston, where he interacted with students and faculty members of MIT, Harvard Kennedy School and Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University. At MIT, he also met former US Energy Secretary Prof Ernest Muniz. Both in Boston and Houston, Pradhan met members from the Indian community, including scientists of Indian origin. Central bank directs public sector banks not to accept Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 notes if they come with colour blots. Mumbai: This Holi, you cannot use your high value currency notes if you have touched them with colour stained hands and left a mark on them. The Reserve Bank of India in its new guidelines for safeguard of new legal tender notes has directed banks not to accept Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 note if they come with colour blots on them. According to a report published in The Economic Times, the central banks latest directions form part of governments efforts towards promoting digital transactions and making country a cashless economy. Besides, the restriction on use of new high value notes could also be attributed to the clean notes policy that the central bank formulated back in 1999. Since then, RBI has taken a number of steps to prevent soiled and mutilated currency notes from coming into circulation. According to a joint study conducted by Google and KPMG, 68 per cent of the 51 million Indian SMBs are offline. Hyderabad: Google India is betting big on imparting IT literacy to hundreds of thousands small entrepreneurs by enabling them to tap online demand. India, the worlds sixth largest economy is being nudged towards adopting cashless payments as the number of smart phone users rise in the country. We believe technology is an incredibly democratising force. For small and medium businesses (SMBs), it can be a powerful enabler to build their voices online, make them discoverable by users and provide insights that lead to real business results, said Kevin OKane, managing director, Google Marketing Solutions, Google Asia Pacific. He was speaking at an event organised here to launch Googles new programme Digital Unlocked an online, offline and mobile training programme for Indian SMBs. According to a joint study conducted by Google and KPMG, 68 per cent of the 51 million Indian SMBs are offline. Citing the benefits of businesses getting online, the study said: Digitally engaged businesses are able to grow their customer base with 52 per cent catering to customers beyond their home city as compared to 29 per cent in offline SMBs. As part of Digital Unlocked, Google will conduct offline training in partnership with FICCI, while online training videos are curated at g.co/digitalunlocked. The mobile training could be imparted through a free mobile app Primer. SMBs were one of the key focus areas of Google CEO Sundar Pichai during his India visit in January. He had launched Primer, for Indian users by providing the content in Hindi. Primer was launched globally in 2014 for imparting online skills to customers across the world. It is planning to provide content in Tamil, Telugu and Marathi soon. The actress says that she relates to her character in the film, who she terms as 'feminist' and 'ambitious.' New Delhi: Alia Bhatt says feminism calls for gender equality but people misunderstand the essence of it and end up associating it with male bashing. The actress says feminism does not demand "special" treatment for women. "Being a feminist is not only limited to girls. Even a man can be a feminist. It is about equality and everyone believes in equality. People usually misunderstand the essence of feminism. It is not about male bashing. "I am not saying women are greater than men. I don't believe it is the right way to put it. I just feel there should be similar treatment (for both)," Alia told PTI. The 23-year-old star says she may not be a part of any women rights campaign, but it does not mean that she is not a feminist. Alia believes enough has been said about women empowerment and people should realise that "equality" is a woman's birth right. "If you are not campaigning for women rights, you are not a feminist, that is also a big confusion. Even if I don't campaign, I am a feminist. As the youth of today, I don't want more conversation on women empowerment because I feel that it is all talk and I don't understand this talk. Equality is our birth right." The actress says she could identify with her character of 'Vaidehi' in her upcoming film 'Badrinath Ki Dulhania'. "I am closer to Vadehi. She is a feminist and very ambitious. I love that about her and I really connected with that. She is very sensitive but at the same time she is more mature." Directed by Shashank Khaitan and also starring Varun Dhawan in the male lead, 'Badrinath Ki Dulhania' will release this Friday. Ranragini filed a complaint with Mapusa police demanding that he should be booked under Cyber laws and section 292 of IPC. Ram Gopal Varma's 'Sarkar 3' is up for release soon. Panaji/Mumbai: Ram Gopal Varma's derogatory tweet on Women's Day has landed him in trouble after a women's organisation filed a police complaint against the filmmaker. Ranragini, which has affiliation to Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, filed a complaint with Mapusa police last evening with its local office-bearer Vishakha Mhambare demanding that Varma should be booked under Cyber laws and section 292 of IPC. Varma, who is not new to social media feuds, tweeted yesterday, "I wish all the women in the world give men as much happiness as Sunny Leone gives." The complaint said Varma has gravely insulted women with his tweet on the International Women's Day. "Such obscene well wishes have caused great insult to all women," reads the complaint filed by the organisation. Police Inspector Rajendra Prabhudesai, who is probing the complaint, said he is examining the case. Varma said he will file a counter suit against Mhambare for "disrespecting 18 lakh followers of @SunnyLeone." He later got into a war of words with NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad on Twitter. Awhad asked Varma to apologise or "face the consequences, we don't mind taking law in hand (sic)." To which, the director replied, "If you don't apologise to threat of taking law into your own hands, will formally register complaint, so let me know. Please note." Varma further shared a screen-shot of Awhad's Twitter bio where he had mentioned "right or wrong, I express what I feel" and tweeted, "Right or wrong @Awhadspeaks expresses his feeling but when others do he will take law into his hands WAHH! God save this country's democracy." Meanwhile, Congress today demanded that the Maharashtra government and State Women's Commission file an FIR against the filmmaker for his "sexist" remarks. Senior Congress leader and former state minister Mohammed Arif Naseem Khan told reporters that Varma had tweeted from Mumbai. "Hence the state government and State Women's Commission should take cognisance of the comments and file an FIR against him," he said. The tweets made on Women's Day were an insult to women and needs to be condemned severely, added Khan. The shooting of the film has commenced with Parineeti Chopra announcing the news on Twitter. 'Golmaal 4' looks likely to be the highest-grossing film for Parineeti Chopra. Mumbai: After the stupendous success of the first three parts, the fourth part of Rohit Shetty's 'Golmaal' is ready to roll. While the film, titled 'Golmaal Again', was announced few months ago, the cast and crew have finally kicked off the shoot on Thursday. Parineeti Chopra, who replaces Kareena Kapoor Khan, the lead actress in the second and third parts, took to Twitter to share a picture of the clapboards of all the four films and added that the madness begins today. Apart from Parineeti, Tabu will be another female lead in the film with Ajay Devgn, Arshad Warsi and Tusshar Kapoor, who were part of all three parts, to spearhead the cast again. It is not clear yet if Shreyas Talpade and Kunal Kemmu will part of the cast yet as Neil Nitin Mukesh has also been signed for the film and it is possible that he would replace either of the two. There is also some confusion over the release date. The makers had earlier announced that the film would be releasing on Diwali but it is also being reported that the release date would be delayed considering that Rajinikanth-Akshay Kumar starrer 2.0 and Amitabh Bachchans Aankhen 2 have also announced the same release date. Polling was largely incident-free except for clashes between SP and BJP supporters in Chandauli district. Women line up at a polling booth in Varanasi during the seventh and final phase of the Uttar Pradesh polls. (Photo: PTI) Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections came to an end on Wednesday with polling in the seventh phase which was recorded at 60.03 per cent. The turnout on these seats in 2012 was 57.92 per cent in 2012 Assembly polls. The highest voter turnout was recorded in Chandauli (64 per cent) and the lowest in Bhadohi (57.9 per cent). Varanasi recorded a turnout of 60.95 per cent. Polling was largely incident-free except for clashes between SP and BJP supporters in Chandauli district. In Mirzapur, some villagers boycotted polling in protest against lack of development in their area. Polling on Wednesday was held on 40 Assembly seats spread across seven districts that include Varanasi, Ghazipur, Jaunpur, Chandauli, Mirzapur, Bhadohi and Sonebhadra in the Purvanchal and Vindhyachal regions of the state. Polling in this phase included the three Naxal-affected districts namely Mirzapur, Chandauli and Sonebhadra where tight security had been ensured. In 2012, in this phase, out of the 40 Assembly seats, the Samajwadi Party had won 23, the BSP had got five and the BJP had won only four seats. The Congress had won three seats and others had got five seats. Meanwhile, the campaign in the last phase of polls was a high-powered one with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with 17 Union ministers, camping in Varanasi, which is also Mr Modis parliamentary constituency. The Prime Minister took out two road shows while chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi also held a road show to muster support. The BJP is banking on its allies, the Apna Dal (Anupriya) and Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP), since both of them have their areas of influence in this phase. Apna Dal MP and Union minister Anupriya Patels parliamentary constituency is Mirzapur while Om Prakash Rajbhar, who heads the SBSP, claims that maximum Rajbhar concentration is in Varanasi, Ghazipur, Jaunpur and Bhadohi. The Samajwadi Party is facing the challenge of maintaining, if not improving, its 2012 tally of 23 seats. The BSP president Mayawati is also confident of increasing her tally in this phase. Prominent candidates in this phase included former UP minister Om Prakash Singh, UP minister Parasnath Yadav, Ajay Rai, former MP Dhananjay Singh, Sigbatullah Ansari, brother of Mukhtar Ansari, and Seema Singh wife of jailed mafia Munna Bajrangi. Former MP and PDA candidate of Chandel also complained that most of the photo voter slips were snatched away by militants. Manipuri people stand in queues to cast their votes in Chandel constituency of Manipur on Wednesday during the last phase of state assembly elections. (Photo: PTI) Guwahati: Amidst the charges of rigging and attempt to intimidate voters and election agents, the second and final phase of polling for Manipur Assembly elections came to an end on Wednesday. Manipur witnessed a record turnout of 86 per cent to decide the fate of 98 candidates in the fray. The polling went off peacefully barring a couple of stray incidents, Election Commission director-general Sudeep Jain told reporters here. Mr Jain said the polling percentage could go up as the figures were available for 75 per cent of the total 1,151 polling stations covering 10 districts of the northeastern state. The number of people who turned up to vote in the remaining 25 per cent polling stations will be known later as these are located in far-flung areas where no means of communication is available, he added. The opposition BJP has lodged complaint with the election commission accusing rigging and proxy polling at various polling stations of Ukhrul district. Informing that NSCN (I-M) rebels were canvasing against BJP, the BJP candidate from Ukhrul in a letter to the district election officer said that his polling agents were not allowed to enter polling stations by some forces. The political wing of the NSCN (I-M) has also summoned BJP activists to appear before them and clarify the reason for violating the dictate of NSCN (I-M)- not to work for BJP during the elections. Former MP and PDA candidate of Chandel also complained that most of the photo voter slips were snatched away by militants. He alleged that militants were in total control of elections. Meanwhile, chief electoral officer Vivek Kumar Dewangan told reporters, There were some incidents of violence in Tamenglong Assembly segment. But the incidents took place outside the polling booths. The police have taken appropriate action. Some cases of damaging of EVMs were reported in Chandel Assembly constituency but those EVMs were replaced with new ones within a short time, he said. The damaging of EVMs will not damage the chips inside the EVMs and the votes polled will not be affected. So there is nothing to worry as we have replaced them with new EVMs, the CEO clarified. All eyes were on Thoubal, where chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh was seeking re-election as a Congress candidate in a five-cornered contest that also featured human rights activist and Peoples Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRAJA) nominee Irom Sharmila and Bharatiya Janata Partys Leitanthem Basanta Singh. The polling was held in Chandel, Imphal East, Senapati, Tamenglong, Thoubal, Ukhrul districts also. Sushma Swaraj said the government did not have enough funds to airlift patients to India from various parts of the world. New Delhi: After reports that the family of an elderly woman in Bangkok, who were waiting to evacuate her through the air ambulance that crashed on Monday before reaching there, is unhappy with Indian authorities for not rendering financial assistance as per a request made earlier in February, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said the government did not have enough funds to airlift patients to India from various parts of the world. Such an exercise in each case would cost the state exchequer lakhs. To prove her point, the minister retweeted various requests for this from Indians from across the world. I wish I had enough funds to airlift all Indian patients from various countries of the world, Ms Swaraj tweeted in response to Rakesh Kumar Aggarwal, who according to reports is the husband of the patient 60 year-old Shashi Aggarwal. In a tweet two days ago to Ms Swaraj, Rakesh Kumar Aggarwal said, Madam if you would have taken any early decision (on financial assistance), one life would have been saved and so many family members ... (would not have been) crying. Ms Swaraj also retweeted a few such requests made to her by other Indians, with one request made on January 30 to evacuate an Indian through air ambulance to India who was lying critical in a Saudi hospital. Another request from a woman on February 16 wanted the Indian governments assistance in evacuating her brother through an air ambulance from Georgia. Yet another request made was a to evacuate an Indian from the US through air ambulance back to India, wherein the cost would have been $2 lakh (Rs 1.40 crore). Among these requests was from the Aggarwal family who wanted one of their family-members to be evacuated from Bangkok and had apparently tweeted Ms Swaraj in February for financial help. According to reports, the family finally entered into an agreement with the Gurgaon-based Medanta Hospital which despatched an air ambulance to Bangkok to air-lift the patient. Unfortunately, the air-ambulance crashed near Bangkok on Monday, before it could arrive, killing the pilot and injuring two doctors on board. Late on Monday night, Ms. Swaraj had tweeted, The Air Ambulance of Medanta Hospital with five member crew caught fire and crashlanded near Bangkok. The injured were shifted to Bangkok Hospital by Army helicopters. Our Mission has just informed me that we have lost pilot of the Air Ambulance Arunaksha Nandy. Dr.Shailendra and Dr.Komal are in the ICU. The other two have sustained minor injuries. Our Mission is extending them all help and assistance. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. Saifullahs father, a teacher in Kanpur, refused to accept his sons body, branding him a traitor. Lucknow: A 12-hour anti-terror operation in a busy Lucknow locality ended early Wednesday when commandos shot dead a suspected terrorist allegedly involved in a train explosion in Madhya Pradesh a day before. The UP police said he was a self-radicalised sympathiser of terror outfit ISIS, while the states anti-terror squad (ATS), involved in the operation, called him an active member of an ISIS module. Television footage showed policemen carrying a body wrapped in a white sheet from a house in the citys thickly populated Thakurganj area where Saifullah, 23, was holed up. Several Indians, mostly from Kerala, have joined ISIS, but he is the first homegrown terror suspect being linked to the outfit that has overran large parts of Syria and Iraq in its quest to establish a caliphate under strict Islamic laws. Saifullahs father, a teacher in Kanpur, refused to accept his sons body, branding him a traitor. The operation got over at around 3 am, hours before people began voting in UPs last phase of Assembly elections. A large quantity of arms and ammunition, some mobile phones and maps, besides an ISIS flag were recovered from the rented house. Six people three each from UP and MP have been arrested in connection with the train blast in which 12 people were injured. Senior UP police official Daljit Singh Chaudhary said there was no evidence that the suspects had any direct connection with ISIS, but had become radicalised online. There is no evidence of any outside funding or any external support. They were self reliant, he said. The module planned to blow up a famous Sufi shrine, Dewa Sharif, in UPs Barabanki on March 27, top sources said. Security at the shrine and in the town has been stepped up. However, top ATS official Aseem Arun said the slain suspect was an active member of ISIS module in Khorasan, a region that includes Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and parts of northwestern and western India. He said Saifullah was given ample opportunities to surrender. We initially tried smoking him out with chili bombs. We began firing only when he shot at us when we tried to enter, he said. Saifullahs father Sartaj Ahmad Khan and brother Khalid told reporters in Kanpur that they were not in touch with him for the past two and a half months. He was not doing any work and was in a bad company. I beat him up and asked him to leave our house. We had no communication with him for a month, but he called up about a week ago and said he was going to Saudi Arabia for work, the father said. We are not taking the body of an anti-national and we approve of police action, he said. The biggest scramble is for UPs 403 seats where campaign saw the bitterest battle of them all. New Delhi: With three of four exit polls projecting a near-majority for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh, the saffron party looks to win the high-stake Assembly elections in the state. Only two exit polls have predicted a close fight between the BJP and the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance. The Times Now-VMR poll gave BJP the maximum seats, between 190 and 200, while consigning the SP-Congress combine to a mere 110-130 seats, and the BSP to a poor third at 57-74. Similarly, India News predicts 185 seats for BJP in UP, 120 for Congress-SP combine and 80 for Mayawati. Chanakya predicted a sweeping victory for the BJP, which is projected to win in 267 to 303 seats, while the SP-Congress alliance is projected to get only 77 to 103 seats. According to Chanakya, BSP will win merely 15 to 39. However, ABP News shows a tough fight between BJP and SP-Congress, with the two winning 169 and 161 seats respectively. The India TV-C Voter poll also showed BJP just ahead at 155-167 seats, while the SP-Congress alliance was placed second at 135-147. BSP was third in this poll as well, with 83 to 95 seats in its kitty. Today's Chanakya, which so accurately predicted the 2014 general elections as a massive win for the BJP, is yet to announce its exit poll predictions for Uttar Pradesh. The majority mark in UP is 202 seats. In Uttarakhand, where Congress is in power, the BJP looks set to sweep to a majority. India Today- Axis survey has predicted that the BJP would win 46 to 53 of the 70 Assembly seats, with the Congress at a distant second of 12-21. Chanakya also predicts a BJP win with 40 to 46 seats. However, Congress is said to be getting 31-37 seats as per this poll. India News survey too, shows BJP getting 38 seats in the state. Only the India TV-C Voter survey claims that Uttarakhand would see a hung Assembly with both parties winning 32 seats each. The BJP is set to lose seats in Goa, but not enough to be unable to form a government. India TV-C Voter and India News both predict 15 to 21 seats for BJP in Goa (it held 21 seats after the 2012 polls), and 12-18 for the Congress. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), a new entrant, will get a maximum of 4 seats. There are 40 seats in the Goa Assembly, with 21 needed for a majority. Punjab, which the AAP has targeted for its next big win after Delhi, is set to see a close contest. Contrary to some expectations, the AAP may not get a majority in the state. However, all exit polls predict that the BJP-SAD alliance is set to lose big time. India Today, India News, India TV-C Voter and Chanakya all predict a single digit score for BJP-SAD in UP. But the exit polls are divided on whether Congress or AAP would be the single largest party. India Today-Axis poll predicts a Congress win at 62 to 71 seats, placing AAP a poor second at 42-51 seats. India TV-C Voter survey, on the other hand, predicts that AAP is certain to gain a majority of the 117 seats in Punjab (59-67) with Congress coming second with 41 to 49 seats. India News exit poll seems to be predicting dead heat, with AAP and Congress both winning 55 seats each. In Manipur, where polling in some constituencies ended only today, India TV-C Voter exit poll predicts a hung Assembly. However, with the results of other exit polls yet to trickle in, the Manipur battle is far from decided. Ghouse Mohammad Khan, a former IAF employee, said to be the brain behind the ISIS Khorasan module, had been absconding. Lucknow: Two people, one of them the alleged mastermind of the ISIS Khorasan module, were arrested by the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) from Kanpur on Thursday. One of them, Ghouse Mohammad Khan, a former IAF employee, is the brain behind the ISIS Khorasan module that is accused of being responsible for the Ujjain train blast. The other was the main arms and ammunition supplier to slain terror suspect Saifullah, said reports. Meanwhile, Saifullahs father Mohammad Sartaj, who earned Home Minister Rajnath Singhs praise for refusing to take back his sons body, responded to the praise by thanking Singh. "This message should be for the whole country. Ordinary people like us are being given respect by ministers," he said in Kanpur. Saifullah, a suspect in the train blast case, was killed while hiding in a building in Lucknow after a 12-hour operation on Wednesday. Security forces who surrounded the building had repeatedly asked him to come out, but to no avail. It is said that he and his group planned to blow up a Sufi shrine within a month. Rajnath Singh on Thursday announced that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) would take over the probe into the terror plot. However, Saifullah's brother Khaled Mohammad, who had tried to persuade him to surrender on Wednesday, demanded that an inquiry must be conducted to examine the charges against his brother. After Saifullah was shot, an ISIS flag and a train timetable were discovered near him. Investigators said he and other members of his group were "self-radicalised" and "self-proclaimed as an ISIS cell" according to the Uttar Pradesh police. However, later in the evening, the UP police backtracked on its assertion that Saifullah was a sympathizer of ISIS. It was for the first time that gunmen chose to barge into a police officials residence to threaten his family. Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir police issued a warning to separatist militants on Wednesday that their families could be harmed too if they try to target those of policemen fighting insurgency in the state. Militants should realise they too have families. Let militants take this as a warning, J&Ks director general of police (DGP) Shesh Paul Vaid said during a TV interview. He said that it was between the police and militants and that families should not be brought into the conflict. If the police starts doing this, what will happen to their families?, he asked. This comes days after militants warned a police officers family to ask their ward to quit or face the consequences. It was for the first time that gunmen chose to barge into a police officials residence to threaten his family. While speaking to this newspaper later in the day, the DGP said, My take is: we should not bring the families into this conflict whether those of terrorists or policemen. Families have nothing to do with this. We must keep them away from this. In August 2016 when the Valley was on the boil in the aftermath of the killing of Hizb-ul-Mujahedins Internet-savvy poster boy Burhan Muzaffar Wani, Kashmirs indigenous militant outfit had asked the J&K policemen to stay at home and not to be part of the measures aimed at containing the unrest. We appeal to police personnel to sit at their homes like the employees of other departments are doing. The fate of the policeman who attends duty will be nothing but death, one of its commanders Riyaz Naik had said in an 11-minute video that surfaced on the social media. He also ahead of a police recruitment rally asked the Kashmiri youth to ignore enticement aimed at breaking their ranks and threatened those who wished to join the police force should also be ready to face the consequences. However, the threat was ignored by, at least, more than 5,000 youth who participated in the rally. In December last year, another Hizb commander Zakir Rashid Bhat had in a video message warned family members of local policemen that they would be targeted if they (policemen) continue to harass relatives of militants. You (police) have committed a big mistake by harassing our families, by involving our families. If you touch our families, we will not spare your families. You think your families are in Jammu so they are safe. Even if your families are in Kanyakumari, we have the capacity to kill them there, he had warned. After Wanis killing, the height of anger against the security forces particularly the J&K police and CRPF was such that there were a few attacks at the families of local policemen by enraged mobs. In another incident, one terrorist killed in a brief shootout near Bandipora Police Station in North Kashmir. Poonch: One soldier lost his life after a ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Poonch area of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. In another incident, one terrorist killed in a brief shootout near Bandipora Police Station in North Kashmir on Thursday. Earlier in February, there was a ceasefire violation along the Indo-Pak border as Pakistan had fired gunshots and grenades at a BSF post in the Samba sector. This was the first ceasefire violation for 2017. Indo-Pak relations have plummeted after the Uri attack which led to a surgical strike by Indian special forces on September 28-29. The two DGMOs had also spoken in September just after the Uri terror attack that claimed the lives of 19 Indian soldiers. (Representational image) New Delhi: The Indian Armys director-general of military operations (DGMO) Lt. Gen A.K. Bhatia on Thursday called up his Pakistani counterpart to convey Indias concerns over the movement of terrorists detected along the Line of Control (LoC). Rejecting the allegation, the Pakistan Army asked India to share evidence. Confirming the hotline contact between the two DGMOs, Pakistan military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor tweeted: Indian concern on terrorists movement along the LoC were strongly rejected during the hotline call. Indian Army asked to look inward, share evidence. The two DGMOs had last established a hotline contact on November 23, when the Pakistan DGMO in a surprise gesture had called up his Indian counterpart to inform the latter about Pakistani civilian casualties in the aftermath of the Indian Armys punitive fire assaults. The then Indian DGMO Lt. Gen. Singh, while expressing grief at the Pak civilian casualties, had emphatically stated that retaliatory firing by Indian troops has only been carried out targeting locations from where Pakistan has initiated ceasefire violations on Indian posts. The two DGMOs had also spoken in September just after the Uri terror attack that claimed the lives of 19 Indian soldiers. The source added that Pakistans DGMO was also informed about the repatriation of two Pakistan nationals apprehended in Kashmirs Uri. Two teenagers-Awan and Ahsan-had accidentally crossed the LoC in September just after militants attacked an Army camp on September 19 in Uri. The duo was initially suspected to be guides of the Militants, and the Army had handed them over to the NIA for proper investigations. On finding no connection between the two teenagers and the terrorist involved in the Uri attack, the NIA on Wednesday handed them over to the Army. The individuals will be repatriated through the Wagah border on Friday, the source added. Indo-Pak relations have plummeted after the Uri attack which led to a surgical strike by Indian special forces on September 28-29. On Thursday, Pakistan reiterated that it will maintain minimum deterrence capability to safeguard its national security. Addressing a weekly media briefing in Islamabad, Pakistan foreign office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said while Indias arms build-up and testing of inter-continental ballistic missiles is a source of concern for the region, Pakistan does not want to indulge in arms race. File photo of former Utah Republican Governor Jon Huntsman. [Photo/VCG] WASHINGTON - Former Utah Republican Governor Jon Huntsman has accepted President Donald Trump's offer to be ambassador to Russia, an administration official said on Wednesday. The job, which requires Senate confirmation, would put Huntsman in Moscow at a time when US-Russian ties have sunk to a post-Cold War low. Huntsman served as ambassador to China under Democratic President Barack Obama before launching an unsuccessful bid for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. Trump has said he wants to improve relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which deteriorated under Obama. The tensions peaked in December when Obama expelled 35 Russian suspected spies after US intelligence agencies concluded that Russia hacked and leaked Democratic emails during the 2016 election campaign as part of an effort to tilt the vote in Trump's favor. The Kremlin has denied the allegations. Reuters Kenny Loggins 010.jpg Legendary singer/songwriter Kenny Loggins is returning to Biloxi for a Friday night show at the Beau Rivage Theater. (Susan Weininger Photography) HOUSTON, Texas -- With multiple Grammy awards/nominations, 12 platinum albums and countless chart-topping hits, including some of pop's most iconic songs, one would think Kenny Loggins would be content to relax, sit back and simply enjoy all he's accomplished. But no. "There's always something cool to do," Loggins told The Mississippi Press in a phone interview from Houston. "It's been a fun ride and continues to be. There's a lot to do still. BMG wants me to to do a record with young songwriters. That's an interesting door to open. I'm excited to do that, because I still write. I've been writing with a band called Blue Sky Riders out of Nashville and we've been writing and recording for nearly seven years now. It's fun to keep at it." Loggins' current U.S. tour will bring him to Biloxi Friday night, when he will perform at the Beau Rivage. Loggins has performed on the Mississippi coast before, has friends on the coast and is fond of the area. "I've always thought it's a beautiful place," he said. "I have friends around there -- Mark and Mary Robicheaux. Mark builds airboats and he's taken me out on the bayou a few times. It's a very beautiful place, very sweet people." Loggins said his experiences on the coast have been "nothing but positive," but he recalled touring the area shortly after 2005's Hurricane Katrina and "to see the level of devastation was pretty horrific." His career began with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in the early 1970s, then graduated to a successful pairing with Jim Messina which resulted in numerous hits before he embarked on a solo career later in the decade. A prolific songwriter as well as performer, Loggins is responsible for some of the most iconic songs in pop music history, including massive hits from movies including Footloose, Top Gun, and Caddyshack. Loggins says that much of what's happened in his career "has come out of nowhere" and his opportunity to record one of his most recognizable hits, "Danger Zone" -- the theme to Top Gun -- was no exception. "I wasn't supposed to be the act that sang that song," he said. "Originally that was going to be Jefferson Starship. But the lawyers couldn't come to an agreement. I was down the street recording "Playing With The Boys" (another hit song from Top Gun) and next thing you know I'm getting a call asking me if I was available, because the song had to be dubbed in the next day." Because of his enormous success writing and performing movie songs, which began when he wrote "I Believe In Love," recorded by Barbra Streisand in 1976's A Star Is Born, and includes the Oscar-nominated "For The First Time" from the George Clooney/Michelle Pfeiffer vehicle One Fine Day, Loggins has sometimes been referred to as the "King of the Soundtracks." It's a title he embraces. "Some of the younger audience, they only know me for 'Danger Zone' and 'Footloose," Loggins said. "So it depends on the age of the audience. The fact they know me at any age is lucky. You can't complain about the fact that twenty-somethings still know my music. I appreciate that." He noted that Blake Shelton's cover of "Footloose" for the movie remake and the use of "Danger Zone" in the television show Archer have brought those songs to a new generation of fans. He said he is anxiously awaiting the sequel to Top Gun, for which he said Tom Cruise is the lead producer. Loggins career also includes hugely successful collaborations with Michael McDonald, with the two co-writing "What A Fool Believes," which went to number one on the pop chart for the Doobie Brothers and earned Loggins and McDonald a Song of the Year Grammy in 1980. The two men also wrote "This Is It," which Loggins recorded and for which he earned a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 1979. Loggins has also had successful duets with Stevie Nicks ("Whenever I Call You Friend") and Steve Perry ("Don't Fight It"). In 1994, Loggins scored one of his many album hits with Return to Pooh Corner, which included a reworking of the song "House at Pooh Corner", originally written for his then-newborn son, Luke. The album is frequently referred to as a "children's album," but Loggins said he looks at it differently. "I call it a parents' record," he said. "People who know it really get it. It's a record for parents to share with their children." Loggins is in the process of releasing a follow-up to House at Pooh Corner, with an eye on making it another "parents' record." "I was trying to do that again with this new album, so I took it to BMG and they loved it," he said, "but they think it's an adult contemporary album. So we're going to release it as an adult contemporary album EP, with the hopes of a crossover into the children's market." A few tickets remain for Friday's Beau Rivage show and are available via phone at 888-566-7469 or online through Ticketmaster. Showtime is 8 p.m. "It's primarily a hits show," Loggins said when asked what fans could expect Friday night. "I've been lucky over the years to have quite a few of those, so I don't necessarily pull out a lot of surprises, because there are lots of hits to pick from. I'll cover a few things from Loggins & Messina, and on in through the solo years, including "Danger Zone" and "Footloose." Although he admits to at times growing weary of the travel involved with touring, Loggins has no intentions of slowing down anytime soon. "I tried retiring when I was 50," he said, "but that didn't work for me. I read a thing by (author) Stephen King and he said he had to write every day or he'd go crazy. I'm one of those people. I have to stay active. I have to write, I have to record. I don't necessarily like to tour, but I still love to perform." Odisha girl accused of stealing mobile phone, thrashed. Bhubaneswar: A 19-year-old tribal girl in Odishas Bolangir district on Thursday filed a police complaint accusing a group of locals upper caste people of inhumanly torturing her on alleged theft of a mobile phone costing as less as Rs 3,000. The victim hailing from Pardihapali under Bolangir Sadar Police limits said the accused surrounded her while she was going to attend her tailoring classes in Bolangir town and beat her up. Not contended with this, they cut her hair to make sure she looked ugly. Although I told them their doubt on me was unfounded, they did not stop beating me. They cut my hair off to put pressure on me to admit in public that I was the culprit. They humiliated me in many other ways, the victim said in her complaint. On March 6 afternoon, when I was on my way to attend tailoring classes, Byasa Pradhan, some his family members and a few other locals nabbed me and alleged I stole a mobile phone. While thrashing me, they cut my hair off and stained black on my face, the girl alleged. As my parents were not at the house on that day, I did not dare to file a complaint with police, she said, adding that after her parents came back, she visited the police station and lodged a complaint with help of a tribal leader, Satya Bhoi. The incident has drawn criticism from various quarters in the state. Bolangiri Zilla Adivasi Sangh has demanded stringent action against the accused. Sub-divisional police officer Saroj Mohapatra said a case is registered and an investigation has been started in the case. China had earlier warned India against allowing the Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh next month. New Delhi: India on Thursday again dismissed Chinese objections to the forthcoming visit of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama to Arunachal Pradesh in April, saying, that the Indian government has no say in his travels within India and that no political meaning should be attached to his visit. New Delhi also described the Dalai Lama as a revered figure. On reports of the Chinese move to have a larger BRICS plus group with the inclusion of Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Mexico, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) adopted a cautious approach, saying it would await details from the Chinese side. China had earlier warned India against allowing the Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh next month, saying it would cause serious damage to the ties. When asked last year about the Dalai Lamas proposed visit to Arunachal in April, the ministry said he is a guest of India and is free to travel across the country. The Dalai Lama is a revered spiritual figure and an honoured guest of India. He is free to travel to any part of the country. He has a sizeable following among the Buddhists in Arunachal Pradesh and has visited the state in the past as well. We see nothing unusual if he visits again, the MEA had said. Mr Singh claimed that so far UP police has arrested six persons in connection with the case from Kanpur, Etawah and Auraiya. New Delhi: Home minister Rajnath Singh showed political acumen on Thursday when, in his statement in Lok Sabha on the recent incidents in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, he avoided mentioning any terror outfit. Though the Madhya Pradesh police has linked the arrested suspects with ISIS, Mr Singh said the train blast was an act of a suspected terrorist gang. According to an intelligence source, the home minister avoided mentioning any terror group so as to not hamper the on-going investigations. He did, however, say that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) would take up the probe into the Lucknow encounter in which an alleged ISIS operative, Saifullah, was killed by the state anti-terror squad. The NIA will also investigate the Tuesday blast on the Bhopal-Ujjain train in MP. In his statement, Mr Singh also applauded Saifullahs father, Sartaj Mohammed, for refusing to accept his sons body, saying, A traitor cannot be my son, straight and simple. If he was not loyal to the country how can be to the family? I express my sympathy on behalf of the government and the House will also express sympathy. He lost his son due to terror activities. The government and the House is proud of people like Sartaj, Mr Singh said. In Kanpur, Sartaj Mohammed offered his thanks to Mr Singh, stating, This message should be for the whole country. Ordinary people like us are being given respect by ministers. The home minister also said in his statement that prompt investigations and co-ordination among state and central agencies into the train blast and subsequent operations in Lucknow had averted a major threat to national security. The home minister informed Parliament that initial investigation into the train blast had revealed that the accused persons had used an IED prepared by using locally available explosives. MP police co-ordinated with central agencies for investigation of the incident. Subsequently, based on intelligence, three suspects were taken into custody during vehicle checking at Pipariya, in Hoshangabad district. Their interrogation indicated their involvement in the incident and they were arrested. Based on their statement and other information available, the UP police initiated action in Lucknow, Etawah, Kanpur and Auraiya. The police recovered a huge cache of arms from the house where Saifullah was eliminated. According to the home ministers statement, the recovery included eight pistols, 630 live cartridges and other material which included cash of `1.5 lakh, about 45 grams gold, three mobile phones, four sim cards, two wireless sets and some foreign currency was recovered. Mr Singh claimed that so far UP police has arrested six persons in connection with the case from Kanpur, Etawah and Auraiya. Sahoo has already informed the cultural department and other officials about the discovery of a Buddha Stupa in the river bed. Bhubaneswar: In a major breakthrough, ruins of Buddhist sculptures have been discovered in the Kelua river bed at Bedipur under Dharmasala tehsil in Odishas Jajpur district, nearly 100 km from here. Eminent Buddhist researcher Mr Nrushingha Charan Sahoo has discovered the century-old sculptures from the river bed during his research conducted in Brahmani-Kelua island area. The ruins of sculptures, including a residential place belonging to 7th or 8th century AD Buddhists and an Arghya stupa, carved out of the Brajagiri and Ratnagiri stones, were discovered, said Mr Sahoo. The sculptures were destroyed as the river water entered into the land during the rainy season before the construction of bridges over the Brahmani river by the British, he said. Bedipur area is surrounded by old Buddhist sites such as Kaima and Langudi. Our search has yielded around ten stone images, bricks and pottery in red colour. The mounds were formed on huge boulders on which a brick-built stupa was raised, said Mr Nrusingh Sahoo. Mr Sahoo has already informed the cultural department and other officials about the discovery of a Buddha Stupa in the river bed. We also found two tanks during our excavation work. We believe the Buddhist monks used to store drinking water in both the tanks. The discovery of some more earthen materials like potsherds and decoration pottery may have given rise to the suspicion that a treasure trove was lying buried under the river bed, added Dr Sahoo. The Buddhist remains yielded in the river show that Buddhism existed from 1st century BC to the 10th century AD, said Mr Sahoo. Party sources said she left on Wednesday night for a routine medical check-up and will return only after Holi on Monday. New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who did not campaign in the Assembly elections in five states, including Uttar Pradesh, will also give the counting on Saturday a miss as she has flown abroad for treatment. Party sources said she left on Wednesday night for a routine medical check-up and will return only after Holi on Monday. Though they did not let in on where she has gone for the check-up, there was speculation that she was in the US where she had undergone treatment for an undisclosed ailment. Mrs Gandhi has not been keeping well for quite some time. She held a closed-door meeting with senior party leaders and her deputy Rahul Gandhi before her departure. The Congress vice-president will discharge the functions of the party president in her absence. Mr Gandhi, tipped to succeed her over time, spearheaded the Congress election campaign in the five states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur. Mrs Gandhi has been out of action much of the time after having taken ill during a roadshow in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modis constituency, on August 2 last year. Death of a 15-year-old schoolboy in Pulwama, hotbed of separatist violence, sparks protests; many hurt. Kashmiri villagers mourn 15-year-old Amir Nazir during his funeral at the village of Kakapora in Pulwama district on. (Photo: AFP) Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmirs southern Pulwama, a hotbed of separatist violence, erupted again on Thursday after a 15-year-old boy and another civilian was killed and two more civilians were injured in clashes with the police near the site of a gunfight between holed up militants and security forces. Both Lashkar-e-Tayyaba militants were killed in the gunbattle. The militant duo, Muhammad Shafi Wagay alias Ehsan and Jahangir Ahmed Ganie alias Saffiullah, officials said, were dreaded terrorists involved in many incidents of violence, including killing of security force and local police personnel and political activists, carrying out grenade attacks on security forces and police installations in south Kashmir. They were also involved in issuing threats to general masses, asking them to refrain from participating in the forthcoming Lok Sabha by-election for Anantnag constituency and local body polls. They were also motivating youth to join militant ranks in the general areas of Awantipora, Pulwama and Shopian, said a police spokesperson in Srinagar. He added that the duo also had a hand in the recent bank robberies and weapon-snatching incidents in south and central Kashmir. However, these officials are concerned that their feat has been overshadowed by the killing of Aamir Nazir, a Class 9 student from Pulwamas Begum Bagh village, although they insist that he, and two other civilians, were hit by stray bullets during the encounter. Another civilian, identified as Jalaluddin, was brought dead to a Pulwama hospital later in the day. Doctors said his body had no external injury and that he died apparently because of blunt trauma in chest. Locals claimed that he collapsed after the security forces used chilly-filled PAVA shells against the ptotesters in the area. Disputing the official line, locals alleged that 15-year-old Aamir was hit by a bullet when the security forces acted against surging crowds, which made repeated attempts to relocate to the encounter site, chanting pro-freedom slogans and hurling rocks at security personnel when they were trying to neutralise the holed up militants. The doctors at a medical facility in neighbouring Kakapora said that the boy was declared dead on arrival. His father Nazir Ahmed Wani was quoted by local news agencies as saying that Aamir left home for school in the morning. He was carrying his school bag with him. They have snatched him from me, and they will have to answer before God for murdering my sweetheart, he said. One of the two civilian protesters wounded in the firing got a bullet in his leg, but their condition in a Srinagar hospital is stated to be stable. The killing of the schoolboy triggered more protests in various parts of Pulwama, leaving scores injured. Many of the protesters sustained bullet and pellet wounds, the hospital sources said. In February, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat had said that the security forces were suffering higher casualties during counterinsurgency operations in Kashmir because the local population was helping militants by hindering these operations. He had warned the people of the Valley that they would be dealt with as anti-nationals and face harsh action unless they desist from creating hurdles during encounters with militants. His statement, however, evoked sharp criticism by local political parties, and many said that they see the warning as an open threat to the people of Kashmir. Kashmirs chief Muslim cleric, and leader of an alliance of separatist parties, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq tweeted that Gen. Rawats threat has only been put into practice in Pulwama on Thursday. However, this is not the first time that civilians were killed or injured in such an incident. On February 14, 2016, two local young residents, Shaista Hameed and Danish Farooq, were killed in security forces firing on protesters at Pulwamas Kakapora village, close to the site of an encounter between a group of holed up militants and security forces. Following the incident, Kashmir Governor NN Vohra had asked the law enforcing authorities to ensure civilians dont relocate to encounter sites in future. Subsequently, the Valleys DCs imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC, banning assembly of five or more people close to encounter sites in their respective districts. They renewed their orders last month for a period of three months and also said that no civilian gathering would be allowed within 3-km radius of an encounter site. But people have ignored this and also repeated appeals and even warnings including the one from the Army Chief have also failed in stopping them from making conscious attempts to help the militants to break security dragnet during cordon-and-search operations. Meanwhile, train services were suspended from Banihal across the Pirpanjal Range in Jammu region and Srinagar as a precautionary measure in view of the encounter in Pulwama. Emphasising on Indias ties with Jordan, the President said India attaches great value to them. New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee called for urgent collective action in order to eliminate the scourge of terrorism from which no country is immune. The President said this while interacting with visiting Chief of Royal Court of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Fayez Al-Tarawneh, who called on him on Wednesday at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Emphasising on Indias ties with Jordan, the President said India attaches great value to them. India appreciates Jordans proactive role under the leadership of King Abdullah on regional issues, especially towards resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and addressing the scourge of terrorism that has affected our regions and the world, he said. Mr Mukherjee added no country is safe from terrorism and urgent collective action is needed to eradicate it. The President said India lauds Jordans exceptional humanitarian assistance in hosting refugees from its war-torn neighbourhood despite the tremendous strain on its socio-economic resources. He said India was happy that it could make a contribution to help mitigate the crisis adding he had warm memories of his recent visit to Jordan, the first-ever visit by an Indian head of state to Jordan. President Mukherjee said India-Jordan bilateral trade which was at $1.35 billion in 2015-16 is expected to touch new heights. India is happy that Jordan is interested in cooperation in security and defence, space, and fertilisers among others, he said. The accused told police that he first strangulated the girl with her 'Chunni' and thereafter choked her nose and mouth to ensure her death. New Delhi: A man, who allegedly killed his 19-year-old cousin sister to get rid of the responsibility of getting her married, has been arrested from east Delhi, police said on Thursday. A PCR call was received at Madhu Vihar police station on Wednesday afternoon about the body of the victim found in her house at Hasanpur village. The policemen found the body of the girl lying on bed of her room. Injury marks on neck and bruises on hand were also found. There was no evidence of forceful entry in the house and nothing was ransacked, Omvir Singh, DCP (east) said, adding that the killer had tried to give the murder the shape of suicide. During investigation, police zeroed in on the suspect Tapas Burman, cousin of the girl, who was thoroughly grilled following which he admitted his involvement in the murder, he said. The accused told police that he first strangulated the girl with her 'Chunni' and thereafter choked her nose and mouth to ensure her death. It was also revealed that she was living with his family in Hasanpur village since 2008 after death of her father when she was just 10-year-old. She was brought up by his parents and the responsibility of her marriage lay on him as he was the sole bread winner of the family. The issue of her marriage had been a cause of worry for him for the last several months and the situation was further aggravated as the victim allegedly fought with his mother and wife over domestic matters, police said. The Pakistani DGMO was informed about the repatriation of two nationals from the other side of the border apprehended in Uri, J&K. New Delhi: Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) AK Bhatt had a telephonic conversation with his Pakistani counterpart Thursday morning regarding the movement of terrorists along the Line of Control (LoC). The Pakistani DGMO was informed about the repatriation of two nationals from the other side of the border apprehended in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir. The duo will be repatriated through the Wagah border on March 10. Earlier in the day, one terrorist was reportedly killed in an encounter which broke out in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama. Saifullah was killed by commandos in a house on the outskirts of Lucknow after an exchange of fire with the police for about a 12-hour. Sartaj, the father of the terror suspect killed in encounter with the police and ATS, in an interview where he refused to accept his son's body. (Photo: Twitter) New Delhi: Appreciating the step taken by the father of Saifullah, the ISIS terror accused killed in an operation in Lucknow, by not accepting his son's body, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday said that extremist elements in Kashmir should take lessons from the former rather than glorifying a terrorist. "I appreciate his father who said I will not accept an anti-national body, it is a lesson for the people of Kashmir who glorify a terrorist body by taking out huge procession for funerals," BJP leader S Prakash said. Prakash further acknowledged the effort of the intelligence agencies and ATS of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh for preventing a major incident before it took place. "He was a terrorist he was attempting to carry out a big terrorist operation in Uttar Pradesh. A blast in Ujjain gave out his plan. Ultimately he has to see his end," he said. Earlier on Wednesday, the father of Saifullah, Sartaj refused to accept his son's body saying "a traitor" is no son of theirs. "A traitor can't be our son. We are Indians, we were born here, our forefathers were born here. One who indulges in anti-national activities can't be our son...we won't accept his body," Sartaj said. Saifullah was killed by commandos in a house on the outskirts of Lucknow earlier on Wednesday morning after an exchange of fire with the police for about a 12-hour. Uttar Pradesh Police (ADG UP) Daljeet Chaudhary said the youth was self-radicalised and was influenced by 'literature'. "These days, people self-radicalise themselves. They read their literature and come under its influence. Also, they follow social media for the same," Chaudhary told the media. The police recovered eight pistols, three passports, more than 600 cartridges, bomb-making instruments, timers, wires, compass etc. OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- Police are searching for a suspect who burglarized an Ocean Springs realty office Thursday morning. According to Ocean Springs Police Capt. Chuck Jackson, police were notified of a commercial burglary shortly after 8 a.m. Thursday. Investigators learned that a black male suspect gained entry to Shoreline Realty at 2806 Government St. through a back door and ransacked the business. Shoreline personnel are still working to determine if anything of value was taken. Police obtained a brief surveillance video of the suspect, which can be seen below. Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact the Ocean Springs Police Department at 228-875-2211 or Crimestoppers at 877-787-5898. Meanwhile, former BJP MLA Kiran Kumar has been arrested in connection to the death of the three students. Bangalore: Expressing grief over the death of three students due to food poisoning, Karnataka Chief Minister K Siddaramaiah on Thursday said he has directed the district authorities to conduct an investigation, determine the cause of death and take action against those responsible. "Extremely pained to hear about the death of 3 students due to food poisoning in a private residential school, Tumkur," Siddaramaiah tweeted. "I have directed district authorities to conduct a swift investigation, determine cause of death & take action against those responsible," he added. Meanwhile, former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Kiran Kumar has been arrested in connection to the death of the three students. The students died due to food poisoning at a boarding school in Karnataka. Kumar is the owner of the Vidhyavaridhi International Boarding school in Tumkur's Chikkanayakana Halli where the three students died due to food poisoning. A case has been registered in Karnataka's Huliyar Police Station in this regard. One more student and a guard are currently undergoing treatment. An investigation into the matter is underway. The CRPF further said that there is unconfirmed presence of four-five terrorists in Pulwama's Padgampora area. CRPF jawans stand as guards as they keep vigil on protesters during an encounter at Nigeen Pora in Tral of Pulwama District of South Kashmir. (Photo: AP) Pulwama: The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on Thursday said two terrorists were reportedly killed in the Pulwama encounter. "A terrorist is reportedly killed in Pulwama encounter. The troops of 130 Bn CRPF, 55 RR and SOG Pulwama are involved in the operation," the CRPF said. According to reports, the two terrorists were engaged in gunfight and were being persuaded to surrender. The CRPF further said that there is unconfirmed presence of four-five terrorists in Pulwama's Padgampora area. The security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have launched a cordon and search operation in the Padgampora area after they suspected the presence of terrorists in the area. Gunshots are also heard in the area. The army and special operation group of Jammu and Kashmir's Awantipora has cordoned off the area. Sisodia said the decision to cut the VAT on ATF will benefit people from the remote areas as fares under RCS will come down significantly. Delhi Dy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia presenting the state budget 2017-18 in the Delhi Assembly in New Delhi. (Photo: AP) New Delhi: Air travel from Delhi to remote areas will be cheaper with the AAP government on Thursday announcing slashing of VAT on Air Turbine Fuel (ATF) from existing 25 per cent to one per cent to compliment the Centre's regional connectivity scheme (RCS). Presenting the Delhi budget for 2017-18, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the cut in VAT on ATF will be applicable for direct flights between Delhi and remote areas identified under the RCS scheme as per prescribed conditions. Sisodia said the decision to cut the VAT on ATF will benefit people from the Northeast and other remote areas as fares under RCS will come down significantly. The regional connectivity scheme UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) is aimed at promoting at connectivity to smaller cities. The scheme was launched last year but flights under it are yet to take off. "We have decided to bring down VAT on ATF from 25 per cent to 1 per cent for flights to remote areas such as North Eastern states to support the Centre's regional connectivity scheme," Sisodia said. An official from the Civil Aviation Ministry said though Delhi's IGI airport is not an RCS airport, the concession has been extended by the Delhi government to support RCS on the ministry's request. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal hailed the government's decision and said it would lead to reduction in airfares of flights to remote areas from Delhi. The airline companies have welcomed the move of Delhi government. "This is a welcome move, which will help reduce costs and, in turn, help bring down fares for flights to smaller airports in the country. We support all initiatives that help reduce fares for our consumers," said Mr Ajay Singh, CMD, SpiceJet. Aditya Ghosh, President and Whole-Time Director, IndiGo, said "while this is a welcome move and it will provide the much needed impetus to the Regional Connectivity Scheme, we do request that this tax break is broadened to all air travel out of Delhi." Sisodia said though Delhi was not a part of the scheme, the Delhi government opted for slashing the VAT so that the national capital can be connected with smaller airports. He said airlines that have opted to operate under RCS and will ply flights airports and helipads on prescribed routes involving Delhi, will be able to avail the benefit. The UP CM addressed 222 rallies in 36 days, which comes to an average of six rallies a day. Lucknow: The Samajwadi family war that left chief minister Akhilesh Yadav almost isolated after his father Mulayam Singh Yadav retreated into a shell, apparently made him work extra hard for the elections. The chief minister addressed 222 rallies in 36 days, which comes to an average of six rallies a day. With no other star campaigner in the party, it was finally his wife and SP MP Dimple Yadav who came to his rescue and started campaigning. She addressed 33 rallies in this election. State BJP president Keshav Maurya comes a close second with 150 rallies while BJP president Amit Shah addressed over a 100 rallies in these elections in UP. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed 23 rallies, often two in a day, and campaigned in Uttar Pradesh every alternate day. The Prime Minister spent the last three days in his constituency Varanasi and held two road shows there. This was the most intensive campaign ever done by a PM in Uttar Pradesh. In the Congress, party vice-president Rahul Gandhi addressed 45 election rallies and three road shows along with alliance partner and SP president Akhilesh Yadav. These road shows were in Lucknow, Agra and Varanasi. UPCC president Raj Babbar, however, topped the chart by addressing 65 rallies. After Mr Rahul Gandhi, he was the most sought after leader in the party by candidates both from Congress and SP. In the BSP, Ms Mayawati addressed 52 rallies while other leaders including Satish Chandra Misra and Naseemuddin Siddiqui also addressed two dozen meetings each. SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, who kept himself away from the Samajwadi party campaign, held only four rallies two for his brother Shivpal in Jaswantnagar in Etawah, one for his daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav and one for his old associate Parasnath Yadav in Jaunpur. Meanwhile, some of the faces who went missing in this election season, despite having been a regular in previous elections, were sorely missed by the people. Congress president Sonia Gandhi could not campaign due to health issue but she sent a video message and a letter for her voters in Rae Bareli. Her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also did not go beyond one rally in Rae Bareli. In the Samajwadi Party, Mr Shivpal Yadav, Mr Beni Prasad, Mr Amar Singh and Ms Jaya Prada were not asked to campaign following their strained relationship with SP president Akhilesh Yadav. In the BJP, senior leaders including L.K. Advani, Varun Gandhi, Maneka Gandhi and Murli Manohar Joshi kept away from the campaign and this had an impact on their respective areas of influence. Another star campaigner who was conspicuous by his absence was BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha, who has been one of the most sought after campaigner in UP over the years. He was not included in the list of star campaigners in the state. The murder and attacks on Indians across the United States fuelled by racism attracted sharp criticism from the Opposition. Congress' Mallikarjun Kharge speaking of the hate crimes that Indians have been subject to over the past few weeks. (Photo: Twitter | ANI) New Delhi: The Budget Session's second leg at Parliament commenced on Thursday while the political parties waited on the outcome of the Assembly election in five states. The session is scheduled to resume on April 12. Here are the live updates: This was Mr Modis 10th visit to his home state and first to the Somnath temple after becoming Prime Minister. New Delhi: On the day his constituency Varanasi went to the polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed jalabhishek at the Somnath temple in Gujarat, his home state. His jalabhishek of Lord Shiva was telecast live by almost all major television channels across the country. The PM was accompanied by BJP president Amit Shah and veteran BJP leader Keshubhai Patel, who is chairman of the temple trust. This was Mr Modis 10th visit to his home state and first to the Somnath temple after becoming Prime Minister. With the going getting tough in UP, the BJP shifted gear and switched from the development plank to mandir and Hindutva politics. The Prime Minister, who had sought blessings at the Kashi Vishwanath temple before his Varanasi roadshow last Saturday, also began his Town Hall speech with the chant of Har Har Mahadev. Talking about the PMs visit to Somnath on the last day of polling, a senior BJP leader said there was nothing wrong in offering prayers at the Somnath temple and it has nothing to do with elections. In a scathing attack, Congress spokesman Sandeep Diskhit said the telecast of the Prime Ministers visit to the Somnath temple was a naked communal appeal on a voting day. Senior Congress leader Manish Tewari said the Prime Minister had denuded the institution by his chicanery and was trying to be cleverer by half in circumventing the model of conduct. Besides the debate over the telecast of his jalabhishek coinciding with voting in UP, Mr Modis visit to Gujarat assumes significance as the state is due to hold Assembly elections next year and reports indicate that all is not well with the BJP there. Over the past few years the BJP has been losing the support of the influential Patidar community. Dalits in the state are also up in arms against the party. The 2015 civic polls were a loud wake-up call for the BJP. While the party won 2,017 taluka panchayat seats, the Congress bounced back with 2,548 taluka seats, and also wrested 20 of the 31 panchayat seats from the BJP. There is some speculation that the Assembly elections in the state could be advanced. The PM is expected to meet all top leaders, including chief minister Vijay Rupani, to discuss preparations for the Assembly polls. That the PM has begun the exercise of mending fences with rivals in the party became evident when former CM Keshubhai Patel was reappointed as chairman of the Somnath temple trust on Wednesday. The Prime Minister is also one of the trustees. Mr Patel had quit the BJP over his simmering differences with Mr Modi, but had later rejoined the party before the Lok Sabha polls. That things are changing in Gujarat became somewhat clear with posters screaming Modi go back coming up in the outskirts of Gandhinagar on Tuesday. There were media reports that a group of youth from the Patel community claiming to have thrown eggs at the BJP presidents cavalcade on Monday night. A lot, however, will depend on the election results, and specially so from Uttar Pradesh. While the satta bazar across India has been predicting a BJP victory in UP, the saffron leaders are not so certain, sources say. A UP electoral victory will again put the BJP in an unassailable position, while a defeat could cast a dark shadow over the coming Gujarat polls and the 2019 general election. The ruling Akali Dal-BJP alliance was reduced to single digit tally in all exit polls. Chandigarh: Punjab, which witnessed a triangular contest in the Assembly polls, could be in for a neck and neck fight between the Congress and the AAP while the ruling SAD-BJP may face a drubbing, according to pollsters. Exit polls released ahead of the March-11 counting predict the SAD-BJP combine, which has been ruling the state for 10 years, could be struggling to get even into double-digits in the 117-member House due to multiple factors including the anti-incumbency. While India Today-Axis exit polls gave 62-71 seats to the Congress and 42-51 to AAP, India TV-C Voter projected 41-49 for the Congress and 59-67 seats for the AAP. India News-MRC and News 24-Chanakya forecast a dead heat giving 55 to the Congress and 54 to the AAP. The ruling Akali Dal-BJP alliance was reduced to single digit tally in all exit polls. Away from the hustle and bustle of the exit polls, the SAD-BJP alliance is confident of defying the pollsters "like in 2012", when it proved the surveys wrong. 89-year-old Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal claimed the combine would would win 72 seats. As for Congress, Amarinder Singh claimed it would win 65 seats and the AAP exuded confidence of bagging close to 100. The state went to polls in single phase on February 4 and recorded 78.60 per cent polling against 78.57 per cent in the 2012 polls. 1,145 candidates are in the fray, 81 of whom are female and one transgender. "The counting of votes will take place on Saturday (March 11) for which all necessary preparations have been made," an election office spokesman said here today. It was a record for the state when the SAD (with BJP) came back to power in 2012 as no party had ever been given two consecutive terms. Since reorganisation of Punjab in 1966, the Congress and the SAD have been ruling the state alternately. The SAD-BJP alliance formed the government for the first time in 2007 and retained majority in 2012. This time around, while the SAD is contesting 94 seats the BJP is 23. The Congress has contested all the seats. The AAP and its ally Lok Insaf Party, led by the Bains brothers of Ludhiana, are fighting 112 and 5 seats respectively. With over 30 per cent of the Dalit population, Punjab also saw BSP supremo Mayawati campaigning for her party candidates. The Apna Punjab Party and the Left parties too are confident of making some inroads. Key constituencies whose results would be keenly watched include the Lambi seat, where the CM is locked in a triangular contest with Amarinder Singh and journalist-turned-politician Jarnail Singh (AAP). Jalalabad, considered a pocket borough of the ruling Badal family, has two sitting MPs-- Ravneet Singh Bittu (Congress) and comedian-turned-politician Bhagwant Mann (AAP)-- up against SAD president and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal. Veteran Congress leader and former chief minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal is fighting it out against Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa (SAD) from her traditional bastion of Lehragagga. AAP's Himmat Singh Shergill is fighting against Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia from Majitha while Gurpreet Singh Ghuggi (AAP) is giving a challenge to Congress stalwart Ashwini Sekhri from Batala. Patiala is another key seat where Amarinder Singh is up against SAD candidate and retired army chief General JJ Singh. Navjot Singh Sidhu, who after several flip-flops had joined the Congress party, contested the Amritsar East seat against Rajesh Kumar Honey of BJP. The CM's estranged nephew Manpreet Singh Badal is trying his fortunes from Bathinda Urban seat on a Congress ticket while Indian Youth Congress chief Raja Amarinder Singh Warring is contesting Gidderbaha seat. The state polls are also a test of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with some dubbing them as referendum on his popularity and on demonetisation. The results are crucial for Congress, which is seeking to wrest power after failing in previous two Assembly elections fought under the leadership of Amarinder Singh. The party's prospects, however, have been hit by infighting. Meanwhile, after witnessing a high-profile battle between political stalwarts-- BJP's Arun Jaitley and Congress' Amarinder Singh in 2014-- the Amritsar Lok Sabha bypoll was overshadowed by the Assembly polls this year. BJP has fielded 66-year-old leader Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina, who is up against Congress' Gurjit Singh Aujla (44) and Aam Aadmi Party's Upkar Singh Sandhu (63). The by-poll to Amritsar seat was necessitated after Amarinder Singh resigned in protest against the Apex court's verdict on the SYL canal issue. Television footage showed police carrying a body wrapped in a white sheet from a house in the Thakurganj area where Saifullah was holed up. Saifullah, who was killed in a stand off with the ATS, in the Thakurganj area of Lucknow. (Photo: ANI Twitter) New Delhi: As second leg of the Budget session began on Thursday, Home Minister Rajnath Singh addressed the Lok Sabha on Lucknow encounter and said the government is proud of terror suspect Saifullahs father for refusing to accept traitors body. Government is proud of Mohammed Sartaj (Saifullahs father) and I am sure the entire House will be proud as he refused to take his body saying he betrayed his country," Rajnath said. Singh further read out Sartaj's comments, "He said Jo desh ka na Huan, woh mera kya hua...(He couldn't belong to the country, how can he be my son?)" The probe in the Lucknow encounter to be conducted by NIA, said the Home Minister. A 12-hour anti-terror operation in a busy Lucknow locality ended early Wednesday when commandos shot dead a suspected terrorist allegedly involved in a train explosion in Madhya Pradesh a day before. The UP police said he was a self-radicalised sympathiser of terror outfit ISIS, while the states anti-terror squad (ATS), involved in the operation, called him an active member of an ISIS module. Television footage showed policemen carrying a body wrapped in a white sheet from a house in the citys thickly populated Thakurganj area where Saifullah, 23, was holed up. Several Indians, mostly from Kerala, have joined ISIS, but he is the first homegrown terror suspect being linked to the outfit that has overran large parts of Syria and Iraq in its quest to establish a caliphate under strict Islamic laws. Saifullahs father, a teacher in Kanpur, refused to accept his sons body, branding him a traitor. The operation got over at around 3 am, hours before people began voting in UPs last phase of Assembly elections. A large quantity of arms and ammunition, some mobile phones and maps, besides an ISIS flag were recovered from the rented house. Six people three each from UP and MP have been arrested in connection with the train blast in which 12 people were injured. Senior UP police official Daljit Singh Chaudhary said there was no evidence that the suspects had any direct connection with ISIS, but had become radicalised online. There is no evidence of any outside funding or any external support. They were self-reliant, he said. The module planned to blow up a famous Sufi shrine, Dewa Sharif, in UPs Barabanki on March 27, top sources said. Security at the shrine and in the town has been stepped up. However, top ATS official Aseem Arun said the slain suspect was an active member of ISIS module in Khurasan, a region that includes Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and parts of northwestern and western India. He said Saifullah was given ample opportunities to surrender. We initially tried smoking him out with chilli bombs. We began firing only when he shot at us when we tried to enter, he said. Saifullahs father Sartaj Ahmad Khan and brother Khalid told reporters in Kanpur that they were not in touch with him for the past two and a half months. He was not doing any work and was in a bad company. I beat him up and asked him to leave our house. We had no communication with him for a month, but he called up about a week ago and said he was going to Saudi Arabia for work, the father said. We are not taking the body of an anti-national and we approve of police action, he said. Meanwhile, Union home minister Rajnath Singh is likely to make a statement in Parliament on Thursday on the killing of a suspected ISIS terrorist in Lucknow and blast in a train at Shajapur in Madhya Pradesh. The home minister is expected to make a detailed statement in Parliament on the two incidents in Lucknow and in Shajapur, official sources said. All exit polls were, however, unanimous in predicting a complete rout of BSP supremo Mayawati in UP and the SAD-BJP combine in Punjab. New Delhi: After the staggering exercise of month-long Assembly polls across five states, the exit poll predictions on Thursday threw up varied outcomes. While VMR, MRC, Axis and Todays Chanakya predicted a saffron surge in the high-stake Uttar Pradesh elections, exit polls conducted by Lokniti and CVoter indicated a hung Assembly, predicting that the BJP and SP-Congress alliance will be neck and neck in the race. All exit polls were, however, unanimous in predicting a complete rout of BSP supremo Mayawati in UP and the SAD-BJP combine in Punjab. With the spectre of a hung Assembly looming large, SP chief and UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav took the first step in proposing an alliance with his partys archrival, Ms Mayawati. In an interview to BBC Hindi radio, Mr Yadav said that if the SP-Congress combine fell short of a majority, they would not mind joining hands with Mayawatis BSP in a bid to keep BJP out of the state, and because nobody wants Presidents rule in the state. He, however, was hopeful of SP-Congress getting majority on their own. The BSP supremo has not yet reacted to SPs overtures. The exit polls also threw up contradictory predictions for Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. While the BJP camp began chest-thumping following the predictions by exit polls, the Congress adopted a policy of wait and watch. If the majority of the exit polls are to be believed, the Modi mania continues to sweep Uttar Pradesh. Of the 403 Assembly berths in UP, India Today-Axis projected 251 to 279 seats to the BJP, 88-112 to SP-Congress and 28-42 seats to BSP. Todays Chanakya toed a similar line and predicted 285 seats to BJP, 88 to SP-Congress and 27 to BSP. Times Now-VMR predicted 190-210 seats for the BJP, 156-169 for SP-Congress and 60-72 for BSP. NewsX-MRC indicated 185 seats for BJP, 120 for SP-Congress and 90 for BSP. The magic figure to form government in UP is 202. As for India Today-Axis, the BJP is forming government in UP, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. Predicting a hung Assembly in UP, ABP-Lokniti projected 164-176 for BJP, 156-169 for SP-Congress, 60-72 for BSP. India TV CVoter gave 155-167 seats to BJP, 135 to 147 for SP-Congress and 81 to 93 for BSP. As for Punjab, with 117 Assembly seats, India Today-Axis predicted a Congress victory with 62-71 seats. It projected 42-51 for AAP and 4-7 for SAD-BJP. Todays Chanakya predicted a tie between Congress and AAP by projecting 54 seats for both the parties. Similarly News X-MRC predicted a tie between Congress and AAP by indicating that theyll get 55 seats each. India TV C-Voter put its money on AAP by giving the party 59-67 seats, while projecting 41-49 seats for the Congress. ABP-Lokniti gave the Congress 46-56 seats and 36-46 to AAP. Sixty seats are needed for simple majority in Punjab Assembly. Majority of the exit polls barring India Today C-Voter predicted a BJP government in Uttarakhand. Of the 71 Assembly berths in Uttarakhand, India Today-Axis predicted a BJP sweep with 46-53 seats, giving 12-21 seats to the Congress. Predicting on similar lines, Todays Chanakya gave the BJP 53 seats and the Congress 15. ABP Lokniti projected 34-42 seats for BJP and 23-29 seats for Congress. India TV C-Voter projected a tie by predicting 29-35 seats for both Congress and BJP. In Goa, with 40 Assembly berths, pollsters predicted BJPs return to power with India Today-Axis giving the ruling party 18-22 seats and the Congress 9-13, the India TV-C Voter projecting 15-21 seats for the BJP and 12-18 for Congress. News X-MRC survey gave the BJP 15, the Congress 10 and the AAP 8 seats. Of the 60 Assembly berths in Manipur, the India Today-Axis predicted Congress government with the party getting between and BJP managing 16-22 seats. India TV-C-Voter, however, predicted a BJP government with 25-31 seats. It said the Congress would get about 17-23 seats. The Opposition MPs also asked the government in Parliament to explain how it plans to deal with the issue. New Delhi: Expressing grave concern over hate crimes against Indians in the US, Opposition parties questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modis silence on the matter while the government said it was being viewed seriously. Leader of Congress Mallikarjun Kharge accused the government of failure in raising the issue with the US, saying the recent spate of racial attacks was deeply disturbing and Mr Modi and his government had failed, as neither have they condemned the incidents, nor taken up the issue with the US at a high level. Why has the Modi government maintained a silence? The Prime Minister tweets on every issue. Why has he kept quiet over such a serious matter, asked Mr Kharge. It is strange that our voluble, articulate Prime Minister is keeping silent, said Saugata Roy of the Trinamul Congress, adding that the government should show gumption and guts to stand up to bullies in the US. The Opposition MPs also asked the government in Parliament to explain how it plans to deal with the issue. Responding to the short discussion during which several members voiced their concern over the issue, Union home minister Rajnath Singh said the government views the concern seriously and all steps will be taken to ensure that Indians abroad feel safe. The home minister also said that the external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj was unwell and that the government will make a statement on the issue in Parliament next week. Mr Singh also said that the government has taken a serious note of these incidents and assured that steps will be taken to ensure that Indians abroad feel safe. In the recent weeks, at least two Indians have been killed in suspected cases of hate crime in the US. After Speaker Sumitra Mahajan disallowed adjournment notices given by several Opposition members to raise the issue, they took up the matter during the Zero Hour. The man was facing issues with his car but wasn't getting help from the dealers Cars frequently have a lot of problems and are known to be high maintenance at all times but it comes back to pristine condition after the service centre works their magic on it. A Ludhiana man however didnt get the service he wanted and so he decided to drive the car around with the help of two donkeys pulling it. According to a media report, the man from Ludhiana drove his Skoda Octavia down the road with the donkeys heads labelled with the name of the car in protest to his problem not being solved. The man had made several attempts to contact the dealer regarding the various issues he faced but they always sent him back with an excuse. The owner said that he has been facing issues with the car ever since he bought the car in 2015 for 25 lakhs. The owner even contacted the company in Czech republic but hasnt received a reply from them and hence frustrated with the response has used the donkeys. Determined not to let circumstances come in her way, the scientist stands as an inspiration to many. Working your way to the top after a 10 year hiatus is no mean achievement. For Shashikala Sinha, Scientist G and Project Director of the Endo Atmospheric Interceptor Missile AAD (Advanced Area Defence) a supersonic ballistic defence missile system that was successfully tested for the second time recently getting back to work proved successful not just for her, but for the country as well. Growing up all over the country, thanks to her fathers posting in the army as a mechanical engineer, Shashikala schooled in Hyderabad when her family decided that she and her siblings needed to focus on their education. Studying at St Anns High School, St Francis College and then Osmania University, Shashikala, 56, says that math was always her favourite subject while growing up. When we were kids, my sisters and brothers would always be top rankers in the house, while I would be in the 85-95 per cent category. But my dad encouraged me a lot; hed say that the others were just sitting and memorising, while youre able to do your math mentally! she recalls. Joining the DRDO for about a year at first, she quit the job to pursue a Masters degree from IIT Kharagpur and then began working at the Society of Microwave Engineering, but had to quit when she was expecting her first daughter, Pavithra, in 1989. In 1997, a tragic accident led to her husbands death (an Indian Navy officer himself). With two daughters to take care of, Shashikala says she had the support of her family, but chose to restart her career to be as self dependent as she could. I didnt want to depend on anybody I wanted to be a self-made person, like my father. Joining the Research Centre Imarat in Hyderabad in 1997 as a contract engineer, Shashikala quickly made up for lost time with her perseverance and was appointed as a full-time scientist in 2001. She began working on the ballistic missile defence systems programme, working on the RF sensors subsystem. At that point of time, we were importing these sensors. Nobody really wanted to venture into it, because everybody was in awe of it, and also the way it was promoted by them. They would demonstrate the stabilisation systems by placing a glass of liquid on the antenna to show that it was steady! she says. Shashikalas team managed to create indigenous ways of working these sensors, delving deep into advanced coding and programming, for which they were awarded the Agni Award for Excellence in 2007. By 2012, when Shashikala was made the project director for the AAD programme, a rehaul of the system was required. We had done about 90 per cent of the job, but we needed to work on the remaining 10 per cent and that called for a whole design change, she explains, adding that they had to overcome challenges such as endoatmospheric (below 100 kilometres above sea level) manoeuvring, kinetic heating and more. Shashikala, who says that her team is now working on a project thats a first of its kind in the world, proudly says, Were the third country to achieve a direct hit with this test after the US and France, so thats a big achievement for us. Shashis mentors and bosses have been her pillars of strength. In 2002, my younger daughter Roshni had to be hospitalised for almost a month. My boss (Project Director, Wing Commander Sharma) would visit me everyday. Dr Saraswat (the BMD programme director) too, would call to make sure everything was okay. Thats the kind of support system we have at the office. An outlay of Rs 20 crore proposed for schemes for issuing of health cards, insurance to people. New Delhi: Seven new hospitals, an increase in number of hospital beds from the present 10,000 to 25,000, five de-addiction centres for juveniles, and an increase in number of mohalla clinics and polyclinics were some of the highlights of the health sector, announced in the Delhi Budget on Wednesday. The AAP government said that the health sector remained its topmost priority after education and that it will strengthen the three-tier system mohalla clinics, polyclinics, and hospitals in the next financial year. One of the main highlights of the sector was announcing setting up of five de-addiction centres for juveniles in Delhi government hospitals. Each centre will have five beds. Announcing a total Budget of Rs 5,048 crore for health, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia reiterated his governments plan to set up 1,000 mohalla clinics in 2017-18. Out of these, 150 will be set up before March 31, 2017. For the third tier, the government plans to doubled and increased from the present 10,000 to 20,000. In addition, seven new hospitals will come up which will have a total of 5,000 beds. Besides, an outlay of Rs 20 crore is proposed for schemes for issuing of health cards and to provide health insurance to all citizens. The Delhi government has already allowed free MRI/CT scans for citizens availing healthcare facilities through government hospitals. It has also partnered with 41 private sector hospitals having NABH accreditation to deliver treatment in 30 critical and life-saving surgeries. Under the scheme, patients who are undergoing medical treatment in Delhi government hospitals and having long waiting period, will be referred to private hospitals and the expenditure will be reimbursed by government. The survivor was raped several times and also forced into prostitution. The team after months received a tip-off that the girl was being held captive in Hisar. (Representational image) New Delhi: The Delhi police has arrested six persons, including three women, from East Delhi for kidnapping a 14-year-old girl, who had come to Delhi for studies from Ghaziabad. The victim was later sold to people in Kanpur, Hisar and Delhi. The cops suspect that the arrested persons are involved in other cases of human trafficking. The accused have been identified as Satvir Singh, Mukesh Thakur, Krishan Kumar, Kavita, Jyoti and Mamta. All the six are residents of Haryana. According to the police, on August 28 last year, a missing complainant was registered in New Ashok Nagar where the father of the girl stated that his 14-year-old daughter was abd-ucted after she didnt ret-urn home from school a day before. The team after months received a tip-off that the girl was being held captive in Hisar. Following the tip-off, the team carried out raids at several places in Hisar and the girl was rescued. During the course of investigation, the survivor revealed that in August last year she was kidnapped by Jyoti and her husband Pradeep. Afterwards, she was held captive at an unknown location in Noida from where she was moved to Kanpur (UP). Whenever she tried to escape, Jyoti tortured her and threatened her with dire consequences. Thereafter, Jyoti and her husband Pradeep sold her to one Krishan in Hisar who assaulted and raped her many times. Krishan further sold her to one Satvir. The accused, Satvir, used one Mukesh Thakur to deliver the girl in different parts of Hisar and raped her. During the investigation, it has also come to notice that two ladies Kavita and Mamta used to call customers at their residences in Hisar and forced the girl into prostitution. While six of the gang members have been arrested, others are still at large. A case under relevant sections of the IPC and Pocso Act has been registered. He was allegedly beaten and denied salary by his employers who also alleged that Mr Kumar owed them money. Mumbai: Indian citizen Pawan Kumar, who has been stuck in Kuwait for last three years, is still waiting for assistance from Indian embassy. Mr Kumar tweeted to Sushma Swaraj seeking help in June 2016, and even after being guided by the minister, he is still waiting for assistance from the Indian embassy in Kuwait. Mr Kumar, a resident of Unnao, has repeatedly approached Indian authorities after his former employer implicated him in an alleged fake criminal case. Mr Kumar who went to Kuwait for a job three years back and was forced to sign a document in the local language. After signing the document, he was beaten up by his employers. After the employer refused to pay the salary, Mr Kumar had expressed his desire to leave the job. However, he was informed that he owed money to the employers and was allegedly brutally beaten up. Mr Kumar rushed to the officials in the Indian embassy in Kuwait to report the incident. After he approached the officials, he was kept in embassys shelter home for around four months. As the employer had registered an absconding and criminal case against him, he wasnt able to return to India. Ms Shaheen Sayyed, an Indian residing in Kuwait said, According to Pawan the employer registered the case only after a gap of few months. If the embassy had helped him, Kumar would have returned to India. Ms Sayyed also added that the embassy officials have stopped replying her. Sushma Swaraj had replied to Mr Pawan on Twitter, assuring him that the embassy would provide a lawyer free of cost and he would receive assistance soon. However, despite the assurance, he had to pay 100 Kuwaiti Dinar to the lawyer. Police officers rush to sections of the media hungry for excitement, but are unable to back up their claims in court. A crudely designed low-intensity bomb blast in the Bhopal-Ujjain Passenger on Tuesday morning, in which nine persons were injured, and the subsequent killing of a terrorist holed up in a Lucknow suburb well after midnight by the anti-terrorism squad, have been highlighted in the media, on the basis of police briefings, as part of a conjoined terrorist operation that points to an Islamic State connection. While investigations will tell us where these two separate incidents come together, if at all, it is surprising the police created so much off-the-cuff drama with a reference to the dreaded ISIS, the international terror outfit that has outdone Al Qaeda in brutality. No proof has, however, been offered. This is hardly surprising. The police, across the country, is known to pack the chargesheet of an arrested person with offences from practically every IPC section in the hope that some will stick. But mostly it doesnt as the police work is bad partly out of sloppiness, but also due to lack of training and proper forensic equipment. Courts have thrown out the prosecutions contention in so many cases involving terrorism that the phenomenon has become an embarrassment and made the police an object of ridicule, which is unfortunate. Police officers rush to sections of the media hungry for excitement, but are unable to back up their claims in court. This has happened even in some high-profile cases, such as in Hyderabad. The downside of this is that in the minority communities Muslims and Sikhs (such as in Punjab) the police is seen as biased, and this is a bad advertisement for anti-terror operations in a country where fighting terrorism should be serious business. Terrorism quite appropriately tops the chart of Indias security priorities, and we do need to be vigilant of new mutations of the virus such as ISIS. The bright spot in Tuesdays developments was the apprehending of half a dozen suspects in the train blast case, based on concealed camera footage in Madhya Pradesh, the advance tracking by the UP police of some terrorism suspects at various places in the state, and the coordination between MP and UP. The outlines of an extremist organisation, of even a rudimentary kind, that was prepared to use violence, is discernible. The way the Lucknow incident was dealt with by the authorities leaves much to be desired, however. A senior police officer was all over television making statements that have been proved to be false. This official is clearly in need of retraining in dealing with terrorism. The entire operation was carried on with hundreds of onlookers mingling happily with the uniformed personnel, many standing on duty with hands in their pockets. Greater professionalism appears to be urgently needed. India also expressed surprise over the silence of United Nations Human Rights Commissioner in a debate regarding Pakistan. Geneva (Switzerland): In a strong-worded statement, India has asserted that Pakistan continues to illegally occupy a part of their territory, referring to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, at the 34th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland. "The whole state of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. Pakistan remains in illegal occupation of a part of our territory. The two cannot and should not be equated. The neutrality of the phrase 'Indian Administered Kashmir' is, therefore, artificial. Furthermore, the state of Jammu and Kashmir has an elected democratic government that represents all sections of the people unlike the situation in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir," a statement by Ajit Kumar, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to UN offices and other International Organisations, said. The statement also said that states were the primary bearers of responsibility when it came to promotion of human rights, adding countries had unique national circumstances and it was important to invest trust in their efforts. The statement also asserted that the robust and mature Indian democracy had proved once again that it had sufficiently strong and adequate mechanisms to redress any internal difficulties even if they were incited from outside. "Normalcy has returned as 99 percent of the students of Jammu and Kashmir have taken their high school examinations and schools have re-opened," it said. India also expressed surprise over the silence of United Nations Human Rights Commissioner in a debate regarding Pakistan "that uses terrorism as an instrument of state policy". "The central problem in Jammu and Kashmir is cross-border terrorism and hence we are a little surprised that the High Commissioner was silent regarding Pakistan that uses terrorism as an instrument of state policy," the statement added. The 34th session of the UNHRC began on February 27 with Pakistan's Law Minister Zahid Hamid's address. Hamid called on the UNHRC to remain "seized" of the "grave systematic violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Jammu and Kashmir" while describing India as the "occupying power" which is "brutalising" the Kashmiri people "so that they can give up their just struggle for the inherent right to self-determination". India's to reply was delivered by the Indian embassy's counsellor (political), Alok Ranjan Jha, who underlined it was "unfortunate that Pakistan's trust in the methods of terror were so deep that it did not hesitate from "using air power against its own people". The refugees say they have been specifically asked about their links to Snowden by Hong Kong authorities. Hong Kong: Refugees who sheltered fugitive whistleblower Edward Snowden in Hong Kong are formally seeking asylum from the Canadian government as their lawyers said Thursday their lives are in danger. The impoverished refugees living hand to mouth in the city took in the former National Security Agency contractor in 2013, helping him to evade authorities by hiding him in their cramped homes after he initiated one of the largest data leaks in US history. Their stories only emerged late last year and lawyers say they are now in the spotlight of Hong Kong and their home countries. The refugees say they have been specifically asked about their links to Snowden by Hong Kong authorities. Their lawyers and some city legislators say two Snowden hosts, from Sri Lanka, have been targeted by agents from their own country who have travelled to Hong Kong. Speaking to reporters Thursday, Canadian lawyer Marc-Andre Seguin said it is a matter of life and death. Seguin is one of a legal team for the refugees trying to raise awareness of their situation in Hong Kong, Canada and around the world. The lawyers say they want Canada to consider taking them in because of their exceptional circumstances, rather than trying to set any kind of precedent. Canada has a track record of accepting refugees. The asylum petition has been lodged with the Canadian government. What were asking is that he (the immigration minister) expedite the process and give priority given the exceptional circumstances, Seguin said. What adds to the exceptional nature of the case is that there are three stateless children who are involved here and affected by that, he added. After leaving his initial Hong Kong hotel bolthole for fear of being discovered, Snowden went underground, fed and looked after by refugees for around two weeks. Hong Kong is not a signatory to the UNs refugee convention and does not grant asylum. However, it is bound by the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT) and considers claims for protection based on those grounds. It also considers claims based on risk of persecution. After government screening, claimants found to be at risk of persecution are referred to the UNs refugee agency, which can try to resettle them to a safe third country. But with fewer than one percent of cases successfully substantiated by city authorities, most refugees live in fear of deportation. Like Snowdens hosts, Hong Kongs 11,000 marginalised refugees spend years in limbo, hoping the government will eventually support their claims. Vanessa Rodel from the Philippines, who has a five-year-old daughter and is one of those seeking asylum in Canada, has said she has no regrets about taking Snowden in. I am hopeful that we can get into Canada and start a new life (with) safety and freedom, she told AFP. The computer gaming enthusiast is said to have been radicalised through his interest in the internet. Mubashir Jamil, described as a gifted student from Luton in the east of England, is on trial on terrorism charges at the Old Bailey Court in London. (Photo: AP/File) London: A 22-year-old Pakistan-born British terror suspect wanted to join Islamic State militant group to exorcise the evil spirits that plagued him, a UK court has been told. Mubashir Jamil, described as a gifted student from Luton in the east of England, is on trial on terrorism charges at the Old Bailey Court in London. The computer gaming enthusiast is said to have been radicalised through his interest in the internet, Luton Today reported. The defence will say the defendant sought to join ISIS as a way of exorcising the various evil spirits that plagued him, that he did not have any intention to commit acts of terrorism anywhere, that he had no intention to engage in violent jihad, Prosecutor Barnaby Jameson said at the ongoing trial this week, the report said. The Crown (Crown Prosecution Service) say there is clear evidence in this case of a radicalised young man who went out of his way to seek assistance online to join IS. He was caught, we say red handed, in the middle of an online conversation with Abu Hasan who turned out to be an undercover officer, the Prosecutor said. Jamil was arrested in April last year and had denied charges of preparing for terrorist acts by travelling to Syria. The court was told that he had become obsessed with the idea of martyrdom after surfing the internet for ISIS propaganda. It was through the internet that the defendant was drawn into a world poles apart from that of a gifted schoolboy with A* in both the arts and the sciences. Through the world wide web the defendant became an extreme jihadist radical and follower of Islamic State, Jameson said. He became a would-be ISIS recruit willing to sacrifice his life for ISIS and indeed the lives of others, he said. Jamil had allegedly offered to put on a suicide vest to execute a terrorist attack in the UK and was arrested by counter-terrorist officers a few days before a planned flight to Turkey. In encrypted chat with an apparent ISIS contact in Syria who in reality was an undercover security official, he allegedly said: I mean if they need someone to do attack from UK I can do it tomorrow... if they can send someone to my house with explosive vest I can be the person to press the button on the same day if they need. Jamil worked at a local Amazon warehouse in Luton and listed his interests as reading fiction, surfing the internet and physical training. The trial is expected to last a few weeks. Hundreds of thousands of civilians are believed to still be trapped under IS rule in Mosul. Mosul: Islamic State group chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is reported to have abandoned Mosul, leaving local commanders behind to lead the battle against Iraqi forces advancing in the city. With Iraqi troops making steady progress in their assault to retake Mosul from the jihadists, a US defence official said Baghdadi had fled to avoid being trapped inside. It was the latest sign that IS is feeling the pressure from twin US-backed offensives that have seen it lose much of the territory it once controlled in Iraq and Syria. Speaking to reporters in Washington, the defence official said Baghdadi had left Mosul before Iraqi forces seized control of a key road at the beginning of this month, isolating the jihadists in the city. "He was in Mosul at some point before the offensive.... He left before we isolated Mosul and Tal Afar," a town to the west, the official said. "He probably gave broad strategic guidance and has left it to battlefield commanders." Baghdadi, who declared IS's cross-border "caliphate" at a Mosul mosque in 2014, in an audio message in November urged supporters to make a stand in the city rather than "retreating in shame". Iraq launched the offensive to retake Mosul -- which involves tens of thousands of soldiers, police and allied militia fighters -- in October. After recapturing its eastern side, the forces set their sights on the city's smaller but more densely populated west. 'Ran away like chickens' In recent days Iraqi forces have retaken a series of neighbourhoods in west Mosul as well as the provincial government headquarters and a museum where IS militants filmed themselves destroying priceless artefacts. The military said Wednesday they had also taken the infamous Badush prison northwest of Mosul where IS reportedly executed hundreds of people and held captured Yazidi women. On Thursday Iraqi forces were "combing the city centre area to defuse (bombs in) homes and shops and buildings," Lieutenant Colonel Abdulamir al-Mohammedawi of Iraq's elite Rapid Response Division told AFP. Forces were also "searching for snipers in the city centre," Mohammedawi said. The area is located on the edge of Mosul's Old City, a warren of narrow streets and closely spaced houses that could see some of the toughest fighting of the battle. "Currently there is no order from the operations command to advance toward the Old City. We will advance when this order is issued," Mohammedawi said. Hundreds of thousands of civilians are believed to still be trapped under IS rule in Mosul. Those who did manage to escape the city said the jihadists were growing increasingly desperate. "We were used as human shields," said Abdulrazzaq Ahmed, a 25-year-old civil servant, who escaped along with hundreds of other civilians to Iraqi police waiting outside the city. Rayan Mohammed, a frail 18-year-old who was once given 60 lashes for missing prayers, said the jihadists were scrambling in the face of the Iraqi offensive. "They ran away like chickens," he said. Marines deployed to Syria West Mosul is the most heavily populated area under IS control and along with Raqa in Syria the last major urban centres it holds. In Syria, a US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has been advancing on Raqa. Earlier this week its forces reached the Euphrates River, cutting the main road to the partly IS-held city of Deir Ezzor downstream. A US official said Wednesday that a Marine Corps artillery battery had been sent into Syria to support the battle for Raqa -- joining some 500 American special operations fighters who have been training and assisting the SDF. The United States has been leading a coalition since mid-2014 carrying out air strikes against the jihadists in both Syria and Iraq. Elsewhere in Syria, Turkish troops and their rebel allies have pushed south from the Turkish border and driven IS out of the northern town of Al-Bab. Russian-backed government troops have meanwhile swept eastwards from Syria's second city Aleppo and seized a swathe of countryside from the jihadists. The US defence official said IS was now looking beyond the seemingly inevitable losses of Mosul and Raqa. "They... are still making plans to continue to function as a pseudo-state centred in the Euphrates River valley," the official said. At least three staffers who are part of the initial Trump administration team at the U.S. Department of Education appear to have, at one point or another, worked for the Foundation for Excellence in Education . Thats the education reform organization started by former Gov. Jeb Bush, a Republican from Florida and President Donald Trumps one-time GOP primary rival. They include: Josh Venable, who has played a key role in the transition, spent almost two years as the national director of advocacy and legislation at the foundation; Andrew Kossack, who did a seven-month stint at the foundation as a deputy policy director; Neil Ruddock, who appears to have served as the foundations regional advocacy director for the past four years. Bushs foundation advocates for school choice, requiring students to demonstrate literacy at the end of 3rd grade, and digital education, among other issues. Weve previously reported that Venable and Kossack were part of the inital beach head team at the department. (Thats Beltway-speak for the first political appointees to arrive at an agency.) Ruddocks name was on a list of Trump political appointees reported by ProPublica . Other names reported by Pro Publica include Laura Rigas, who appears to have worked at the Massachusetts Execuitve Office of Education, according to LinkedIn. The connection between Trumps education team and Bushs organization isnt a shocker. A lot of powerhouse GOP players in education policy are linked to the foundationindeed, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos sat on the board of the foundation, until she was tapped to helm the department. However, DeVos has yet to name folks to top policy and management positions. Some potential appointees have described the hiring process as chaotic, or expressed reservations about working for the Trump administration. More on all that here . Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 . There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack in Hajjaj, 20 km (14 miles) north of Tikrit. Nazim Hamid stands next to his injured son Yasir, 11, a victim of a possible IS chemical attack in a hospital Irbil, Iraq. (Photo: AP) Irbil: Two bomb blasts, from an apparent suicide attack, hit a wedding party in a village near the Iraqi city of Tikrit on Wednesday, killed at least 23 people, a local government official said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack in Hajjaj, 20 km (14 miles) north of Tikrit. In November Islamic State bomb attacks hit Tikrit and Samarra, both north of Baghdad, as an apparent diversionary attacks as Iraqi forces drive back the jihadists in their stronghold of Mosul. The clerics under the banner of Sunni Itehad Council said that honour killing is kufr (infidelity). Hundreds of women are killed every year in Pakistan often by their family members on the pretext of defending what is seen as family honour. (Representational Image) Islamabad: Nearly 5,000 women in Pakistan are killed annually mostly for reasons linked to social issues of honour and harassment, a human rights activist has said. On an average, 5,000 women are murdered every year compared to 1,442 men. While the male casualties are primarily related to terrorism, the womens killings are mostly linked to social issues of honour and harassment, rights activist Sarwar Bari said here yesterday. Speaking at a consultation workshop, Making workplace safe for women, on the eve of the International Womens Day, Bari said Pakistan has deviated from the vision of its founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah as political parties never dared to stand against so-called religious scholars who have been opposing pro-women laws in the country. Bari said that in 1928, women of the subcontinent held a demonstration against early marriages. Jinnah reached the spot to express solidarity with the protesters, he said. Today religious scholars resist all kinds of legislation in favour of women which is a deviation from the vision of the Quaid (Jinnah). Last year, the Punjab government passed a women protection bill but the religious parties did not accept it, he added. Hundreds of women are killed every year in Pakistan often by their family members on the pretext of defending what is seen as family honour. Pakistans National Assembly in October last year passed a much-anticipated new law that mandates a minimum 25-year prison sentence for anyone convicted of carrying out an honour killing, and prohibits families of victims from forgiving the killer, a common occurrence in these tragic crimes. At least 40 clerics of the Barelvi school of thought in Pakistan on June 12 last year issued a fatwa against honour killing, declaring it un-Islamic and unpardonable sin. The clerics under the banner of Sunni Itehad Council said that honour killing is kufr (infidelity). The Conservative Council of Islamic Ideology - an Islamic body that enjoys constitutional status and gives non-binding proposals to Parliament to make laws according to Islam - last year declared killing of women in the name of honour as un-Islamic. The inauguration is set for 22 March in a simple joint ceremony based on unity between Greek Orthodox, Armenians and Latins, this according to Fr Sinisa Srebenovic. The work "brought together even more" the three great communities. Work on the basilica floor is the next step. Jerusalem (AsiaNews) The reopening of the Holy Sepulchre after the restoration work is an invitation to pilgrims from around the world, but especially in Europe and the West, to "come and visit the Holy Land." They are, together with the local community, the "living stones" that make up "a unique land," said Franciscan friar Br Sinisa Srebenovic. The Croatian-born member of the Council of the Custody of the Holy Land, where he has lived for 11 years, spoke to AsiaNews about the forthcoming re-opening of the Holy Sepulchre on 22 March. "It will be a simple function, he said, a shared event in the spirit of unity, in which the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople will also participate." Restoration work on Jesuss tomb began just under a year ago, in May 2016. Ten months later, scaffolding was removed from the aedicule making it visible. Some work is still ongoing in the non-visible part of the tomb, which will be completed in time for the inauguration. The goal is to consolidate the whole structure, and preserve it from damage from quakes, like that of 1927. Both public and private groups are funding the work. Antonia Mariopoulou, scientific coordinator of the restoration work, spoke to the Christian Media Center (CMC), about the "historic moments" that have characterised the work like "the opening of Jesus's tomb last October, The first in 200 years and the third in history." The Holy Sepulchre, she said, is "a living, religious monument in which people pray incessantly [. . .] visited each year by millions of pilgrims. Preserving it is a challenge. With heart and mind, we could see a tomb full of expression. The Holy Sepulchre was built by the Roman Emperor Constantine in 325 AD after his mother Helena found the site. Over the centuries it has been partially destroyed and rebuilt and is one of the most visited and venerated sites in the Holy Land. The last consolidation work of the Anastasis dates back to 1947 by the British; however, it could not be completed because the Orthodox, Armenians and Franciscans failed to agree upon it. The structure covers the site where the remains of Jesus were placed after his death on the cross. For almost a year, a team of Greek researchers worked tirelessly in the holy place, without preventing the faithful from accessing it. According to Br Sinisa Srebenovic, the restoration has brought closer together the three great communities in the Holy Land the Greek Orthodox, Latin and Armenian in the name of a "path started with the work in Bethlehem and continued here at the Holy Sepulchre". This "agreement is the fruit of the work of previous years, in the name of unity promoted by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, the Armenian Patriarchate, and the former Custos Fr Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who today is the apostolic administrator." There is already talk of a future joint project for the basilica floor". It is still in an early stage, Br Srebenovic noted, but "in the near future we will do it." "This work has a deep spiritual value, he explained. It strengthens unity and cooperation in spite of difficulties. Today the Holy Sepulchre is open in all its splendour and the fact that it will be ready just for the celebration of Easter, which this year is the same for the three Christian communities, is also a sign of the spirit." The inauguration will be a "shared moment" with a "shared purpose" in the name of "simplicity." The event is scheduled for 10 am on 22 March in the presence of representatives of the Franciscan, Greek orthodox and Armenian communities. There will be "three chants for each community", Br Srebenovic noted, followed by the address of the Custos of the Holy Land and the Armenian and Greek Orthodox patriarchs. "The Lord's Prayer in each language" will conclude the service. For the Franciscan friar, the "Restoration is also an important message to pilgrims from around the world. Come here, do not be afraid! There are no real dangers and the presence of the faithful from around the world is essential to keep alive the Christian communities of the Holy Land, which is not composed of museums and exhibits, but of living stones." (DS) Xis attitude will lead to the collapse of the Communist regime. He thinks he is stronger than Mao Zedong, but nowadays it is no longer possible to deceive the Chinese with Marxism-Leninism. The great dissident evaluates Xis first five years or rule. Beijing *(AsiaNews) The annual China "Two Conferences" are being held in Beijing now. This year's National People's Congress and The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference mark the end of the last 5 years of rule by Xi Jinping, as well as determining the next term of the Xi administration. They are also a warm up for the 19th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. The media inside China and abroad and many analysts are highly concerned about these "Two Conferences". The Western analysis gave a report card for the first term of Xi Jinping's governing which highlights a) China's reality that must be reformed because its "economy is huge but a serious waste"; b) the bold oath Xi Jinping has on the international stage does not match his performance in the past 5 years; and c) the combination of power and wealth in China is accelerating the disparity between rich and poor in China. So, has the Chinese political ecology and social environment progressed or retreated in the past five years under Xi's ruling? From where comes the greatest risk to Xi's regime? Where is the "legal society" Xi promised to establish? Wei Jingsheng said that the words "Xi Core Leadership" have been mentioned repeatedly by the officials of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which shows that not all voices within the Communist leadership are convinced; thus the need to repeat this phrase of "Xi Core Leadership." After Mao Zedong's era, the word "leader" was rarely mentioned because this word in Chinese is associated with dictators. But now this word has surfaced again, which indicates that Xi Jinping may want to engage a dictatorship, and everyone is forced to call him a leader at his request. Wei Jingsheng said that there is a phrase which goes "where your butt sits decides where your brain is." Xi Jinping once said that he was going to learn from Chiang Ching-kuo (of Republic of China) by opening freedom of speech and lifting the ban on forming political parties, but the results after he took office have departed farther and farther from that claim. Wei Jingsheng said that as the Communist system is different from democratic systems, it needs dictator leadership to gather the people. Therefore, under such a system there will not be too much difference from Mao Zedong's era. Wei Jingsheng said that after Xi Jinping came to power he was brown-nosed by many and thus lost his mind and changed. When a person sits on the seat of a dictator, he will unknowingly become a dictator. Mao Zedong was an example. Xi Jinping also seems to have become corrupted due to the power in his hands. This system decides everything, while the "Two Conferences" are just like pretty vases and rubber stamps, which give no restriction on Xi's function but instead sing praises to him. Wei Jingsheng said that in the early years after the Communist Party was founded, there were many young people joining the party in order to pursue democracy and freedom. But the Communist Party has become an autocratic dictatorial regime, which has made many old communist members think it is worse than KMT. After Xi Jinping came to power, he has not only offended the Chinese people and increased the gap between rich and poor, but also made more enemies within the Communist party and made a mess diplomatically -- these are the reasons for political instability in China. Wei Jingsheng said: "Xi wants to concentrate power to do big things. But we have to see what are the big things he is doing. Now Xi Jinping tightens speech more and more. Not to mention not lifting the forbidden formation of political parties, he even arrested many people when he treated rights defending lawyers as forbidden organizations. This trend proves that he is not like Chiang Ching-kuo at all. Then what will be the big things he is going to do? He will become more dictatorial and more authoritarian, so people will live even worse. This will only lead to the collapse of the Communist regime. Wei Jingsheng said that the so-called "anti-corruption" of Xi Jinping is just to concentrate his personal power. He did not arrest the well-known corrupt officials, but instead arrested his political opponents and put the officials who were disobedient to him in prison. The Chinese people have observed these actions already and are disappointed with his "anti-corruption". Wei Jingsheng said that the increasing tightening of freedom of speech under Xi Jinping is about to surpass what it was during the Cultural Revolution. Xi Jinping frequently blocks people using their own created media, and the Chinese people cannot say anything. In the ideology of the Communist Party, "rule of law" is regarded as a weapon against its enemies, which is the essence of the law according to the Communist regime. This is what everyone should recognize. Wei Jingsheng said that in a healthy society that follows a rule of law the people have supervision over the government, making it not easy for officials to be corruptive. But in China, the people are reprimanded when they report or petition against officials' wrongdoings. The rule of law has become a tool for Xi Jinping to purge the dissidents who disagree with him. Xi Jinping claimed to "rule the country by law", but the Communist Party itself does not have to comply with the law, such as not giving the people freedom of speech which is guaranteed by Chinese law. The law is only a weapon against the people by the Chinese Communist regime. Wei Jingsheng said that Xi Jinping has been keeping "turning left" since he came to power, while the rule of law in China has simply retreated to the level during the Cultural Revolution period. In the past, when Deng Xiaoping "turned right while signalling a turn to the left", China still could be maintained during its economic improvement. But Xi Jinping wants to resume the Mao era by repression, which will for sure result in the eventual collapse of the Communist regime. Xi Jinping may think that he is stronger than Mao Zedong, but in the present day, it is totally impossible for him to fool the Chinese by using Marxism-Leninism. For more content, please watch the full version of the video of VOA "Issues and Opinions" program on March 8, 2017. Two draft laws cause protests from Arab MKs. Joint List leader Ayman Odeh is expelled from the Knesset for tearing up a copy of the bill. Jerusalem (AsiaNews/Agencies) The Israeli parliament gave its initial approval to two bills that would limit public calls to prayers from mosques. The measures were voted yesterday amid protests and heated debates. Both texts will now go to committee as a single bill that must be passed another three times in the full house before it becomes law. The first draft, presented by the Jewish Home party (HaBayit HaYehudi), was voted by 55 votes to 47, and imposes silence between 11 pm and 7 am, effectively banning the night and morning calls to prayer. The second draft, presented by the secularist nationalist party Israel our home (Yisrael Beiteinu), received 55 votes in favour versus 48 against and imposes a total ban on the use of loudspeakers in urban areas. Dubbed the Muezzin law, the legislation would amend a law approved last November that imposed limits on public address announcements, including synagogues, Haaretz reports. The new law would impose a 5,000 to 10,000 shekel fine on houses of worship, mainly mosques, that make public address announcements during banned hours. It would also leave it up to the Environmental Affairs minister, in consultation with the Interior Minister, to determine the times in which it would be permissible to use public address systems. If it comes into effect, it would apply to occupied east Jerusalem, home to 300,000 Palestinians, but it would exclude the al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site of Islam, which has often been a cause of tension between Palestinians and Israelis. The purpose of the law, according to its promoters, is "to reduce the daily suffering of hundreds of thousands of Israelis exposed to the noise of mosque loudspeakers." "Those who wish can use an alarm clock to get up and go to the mosque," said Motti Yogev, a member of Jewish Home. For him, there is no desire to harm "anyone's religious faith," but of allowing Arabs and Jews to relax in the hours of rest. "In this respect, he added, we are all equal." Lawmaker Ayman Odeh, head of the Joint List, a mostly Arab party, slammed the proposal. This bill is not about loud noise and not about the quality of life. It is about incitement and racism against a national minority," he said before he was eventually escorted out of the assembly hall after he stood up and ripped a copy of the bill into pieces. Right-wing lawmaker Oded Forer of the Yisrael Beytenu Party called members of Odeh's party "terrorists" and demanded they all be thrown out of the Knesset plenum. Two Arab lawmakers responded by shouting at Forer "Allahu Akhbar", the Arabic for God is Great. Lawmaker Ahmad Tibi was the only member of the Joint List permitted to speak. He blamed Netanyahu for promoting the legislation. "The voice of a muezzin has never caused any environmental noise, he noted. It is about an important Islamic religious ritual, and we have never in this house intervened in any religious ceremony related to Judaism. Your action is a racist slur. He went on to say, "Your intervention strikes at the very souls of Muslims. God is great is a call to prayer, it isn't an insult". Addressing the Knessets religious members, he urged them to oppose the legislation and not interfere in matters of worship. However, he was eventually forced off the podium when he ignored warnings that his speaking time was up. MK Zuheir Ba'aloul of the Zionist Union said in his remarks that followed, that "this is about a war of light vs. darkness. This is a stain on this building, a mark of Cain on a building that time after time declares war against us. It is simply put, a declaration of war against the country's Arab minority." Prime Minister Netanyahu came out in favour of the law in November when he spoke to the cabinet's law committee and recommended they approve the measure, which already exists in Europe. I cannot count how many times citizens of all faiths have complained to us about this, he said. US troops plan to help the Kurdish-Arab Syrian Democratic Forces. Their deployment has not been authorised by Syrias Assad, but certainly received Russias green light. Washington (AsiaNews/Agencies) US Marines are in Syria on the outskirts of Raqqa, the capital of the Islamic State, a US official said, a report confirmed by the Washington Post. This marks an unprecedented move for US troops in the Mideast country, signalling a radical change in US policy in the Middle East with respect to President Obamas policy of no US troops on the ground. There is no evidence that Syrian President Assad authorised the deployment, but it is safe to assume that Russia, the Syrian dictators main ally, gave it the green light. The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit has deployed a battery of 155mm Howitzers for the final assault against Raqqa. Currently, the United States has limited its ground troops to about 500 special operations fighters whose job has been to train and assist the Syrian Democratic Forces, a local Arab-Kurdish alliance fighting the Islamic State. According to the Post, the artillery deployment is not part of President Donald Trump's demand for a new plan to increase the pace of the anti-IS war. Yangon (AsiaNews / RFA) - The police forces of Myanmar have made public yesterday that Swe Win, a prominent journalist and director of Myanmar Now, is accused of defamation. Last week, the reporter had used his Facebook account to criticize a nationalist Buddhist monk who had praised the January murder of Ko Ni, one of the leading Muslim lawyers of the country. The lawyer was one of the most valued collaborators of Aung San Suu Kyi, the current Councilor of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the President of Myanmar. The complaint was filed by Kyaw Myo Shwe, a follower of Wirathu, vice president of the Buddhist nationalist movement Ma Ba Tha. He states that the journalist defamed the monk with his article published on Facebook "Ba Kaung". On 28 February, Swe Win had used his account to launch a harsh criticism of Wirathu. In his post, the reporter had said that Wirathu was "a grave violation of parajika (the Buddhist monastic code)." The nationalist monk had expressed appreciation for the brutal murder of Ko Ni, critic of the military power in Myanmar, defining the perpetrators "defenders of race and religion of Myanmar". The assassins had been hired by a former military officer, still on the run. Yesterday, Swe Win defended his post and said: "I cannot allow that hateful Ma Ba Tha contine in Myanmar under the cover of religion." "They are committing hate crimes - said the journalist they are distributing material that is not in line with the teachings of the Buddha. Wirathu is supporting and incitement to murder ". The accused has also questioned the opportunities for opening a case for defamation against him. The UN Special Envoy briefed the Security Council on the outcome of the last face to face talks. De Mistura speaks of "positive" note, even if an agreement is still far off. Agenda planned which includes the form of government and terrorism. The US Ambassador to the UN wants to "expel Iran and its acolytes" from Syria. Damascus (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Syrian government and opposition groups have agreed on the resumption of peace talks under the auspices of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. According to reports from the UN special envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, the next meeting - the fifth overall - is scheduled for March 23. The previous round of talks ended last with some "positive" notes on March 3. However, a general agreement between the forces is still far away. De Mistura has revealed the date of the next meeting, after illustrating the findings from the latest meetings to the United Nations Security Council. The goal is to end a war that flared up in March 2011, and has so far caused over 310 thousand deaths and millions of refugees. The previous meetings have ended with the acceptance of the two warring parties of a "precise order of the day", which includes among others the form of government and the fight against terrorism. The other key points on which the discussion focuses are the draft of the new constitution and future elections. The issue of terrorism has been inserted under pressure from the government delegation, which also considers all rebel groups and fighters "terrorists". For the United Nations groups excluded from peace talks: the Islamic state (IS) and the former Nusra Front, the al-Qaeda in the Arab country, are the only terrorist groups. Despite having left more and more space in the years to Russia as a driving force in the diplomatic process - Moscow, along with Tehran and Ankara have sponsored the first face-to-face meeting between the parties in Astana - the United States have pledged their support for a "political solution". "We continue to watch the current process, we support it and we want a solution" said the US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley. The head of the US diplomacy at the United Nations declined to answer questions about the political and personal future of President Bashar al-Assad. However, he did not spare a dig at Tehran, expressing hopes that Syria is no longer "a sanctuary for terrorists" and, more importantly, that "Iran and its acolytes are removed." Participants, Sponsors May Pull Out Of Bostons St. Patricks Day Parade Over Exclusion Of Gay Vets Trending News: Why Sponsors Are Pulling Out Of Boston's St. Paddy's Day Parade Long Story Short Elected officials and corporate sponsors are saying they may withdraw from South Bostons annual St. Patricks Day parade over organizers decision to exclude a group representing LGBT veterans and active service members. Long Story The organizers of Bostons St. Patricks Day parade, the Allied War Veterans Council of South Boston, unexpectedly refused to allow OutVets (a group of openly gay active duty military and veterans) to march in this years parade, despite having welcomed them the two previous years. Now some of the parades sponsors and high-profile participants are warning they might drop their participation in protest. The backlash is beginning at the top, with parade grand Dan Magoon, an Army veteran and firefighter who founded Massachusetts Fallen Heroes, resigning following the Councils 9-4 vote to bar OutVets. In a statement, Magoon wrote that participating in a march that excludes certain veterans does not coincide with the work I do advocating for all veterans." The freedoms that we possess to hold such an event is due to the men and women who have spilled their blood in defense to this great nation, regardless of where they come from, what they look like, or who they share relations with, he continued. We strongly disagree with last night's decision to exclude @OUTVETS from marching. Our statement: pic.twitter.com/PIY2AqSj7a VFW Post 561 (@FitzyVFW561) March 8, 2017 Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said he is reconsidering his participation as well, as are other city council members and elected state and federal representatives. That includes Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker. I will not tolerate discrimination in our city in any form, Walsh said in a statement. We are one Boston, which means we are a fully inclusive city. I will not be marching in the parade unless this is resolved. Anyone who values what our city stands for should do the same. Corporate sponsors are joining suit. Brewing giant Anheuser-Busch is also warning it may withdraw from their Luck of the Irish sponsorship and cancel the appearance of two Budweiser Clydesdales. We are disappointed to learn that the OutVets, who have proudly served this country, have been denied entry, the company said. We are re-evaluating our participation in this event. The Boston Scally hat company is also re-evaluating its participation, and grocery chain Stop & Shop has already announced it wont be a sponsor. The men and women from OutVets, who have bravely served our country, deserve our respect and to be included, said Stop & Shop spokesman Phil Tracey. As a result of the organizers decision, our South Boston store will no longer sponsor the parade. Explaining their decision to exclude OutVets, the parades organizers said open displays of sexuality were prohibited at the parade, and that the rainbow symbol used by OutVets violated that rule. That didnt wash with OutVets director Bryan Bishop. I told them if thats the case, then every picture of a rainbow in the parade that leads to a pot of gold needs to be removed, he told the New York Times. This is my favorite quotation about OUTVETS not being allowed to march in the Southie parade pic.twitter.com/6Ta0ma327N Caroline Holland (@choll12) March 9, 2017 Participating in the parade in the first place was a long and difficult fight. It took over 20 years for gay veterans groups to be allowed to march. The first attempt ended in a Supreme Court defeat, with the court ruling that forcing organizers to accept gay vets violated their First Amendment rights. When OutVets was finally allowed to join in 2015, it was celebrated as a sign of changing times. But warning signs appeared the following year, the organization says, when they were placed at the very rear of the parade, away from all the other veteran groups. Own The Conversation Ask The Big Question Why should a persons sexual orientation matter when it comes to faithfully serving their country? Drop This Fact The Allied War Veterans Council is said to be meeting on Friday to reconsider their vote. Arlington, Va. Jason Botel, a top adviser to President Donald Trump on education issues, sees school choice as a vehicle for furthering educational equity for all students. And he thinks a new pilot program in the Every Student Succeeds Act could help districts expand those student choices. We need to build more robust portfolio of school options, said Botel in a speech Wednesday to the National Parent Teacher Associations legislative conference. The White House and the U.S. Department of Education are working together, Botel, said, on the best ways to ensure that all students have the resources they need, as some choose to attend public schools, some choose to attend public charter, public magnet schools, and some choose private schools, online learning. Botel didnt say this specifically, but a federal tax credit scholarship programlike the one created in a bill introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., seems to be one likely route for furthering choice. In kicking off his remarks, Botel framed school choice as a strategy to make sure all kids get access to an equitable education. Advocates need to collaborate to combat our common adversaries, inequity of opportunity and inequity of outcome, he said. Botel, who served as the president of MarylandCAN, an advocacy organization, before joining the Trump administration and who has taken some heat from Democratic education reformers for working with the Trump administration, gave a quick primer on how he came to embrace private school choice for at-risk students. Botel attended and taught at public schools before helping to bring the KIPP charter network to Baltimore. At first, he tried to prepare his middle school students for admission at Baltimores highly competitive and well-regarded magnet high schools. Those magnets worked for some KIPP graduates, but others continued to struggle and even dropped out, Botel said. Some of our students and parents needed more options, Botel said. So he worked to get some KIPP kids into local private schools, including religious schools. Those turned out to be good options for students who might not have succeeded at Baltimores competitive public magnet schools. To this day, many, not most, but many of our kids graduate from private high schools, Botel said. Botel didnt delve into specifics about why some kids might excel at a private school, but founder at a magnet school. ESSA and Choice Botel also said the Trump administration sees ESSA, which President Barack Obama signed in 2015, as a great vehicle for educational improvement. And he gave a specific shout-out to a provision of the law that allows the department to pick 50 districts to try out weighted student funding pilot programs. Districts that participate in the pilot can combine federal, state, and local dollars into a single funding stream tied to individual students. English-language learners, kids in poverty, students in special educationwho cost more to educatewould carry with them more money than other students. Some districts, including Denver, are already using this type of formula with state and local dollars. Heres why the Trump administration may be interested in the pilot: In theory, adopting a weighted student funding formula could make it easier for districts to operate school choice programs, since money would be tied to individual students and could therefore follow them to charter or virtual public schools. (Its unclear if the money could go to private schools. The mechanics of the law dont appear to be designed that way.) And importantly districts that opt to participate in the pilot dont necessarily have to use it to further school choice. (Back in December, we flagged the pilot as one area of ESSA that DeVos and company might use to push a school choice agenda . Longer explanation of the pilots potential from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute .) How might Trumps Education Department engage families? It sounds like it will continue with some practices that have worked for previous administrations, including Obamas. For instance, Botel mentioned Frances Frost, who serves as the departments family ambassador, a gig she was chosen for last year, before the Trump team came in. And he noted that the Education Department and the Department of Health and Human Services issued a joint policy statement on family engagement . (That statement came out last May, also during the Obama era). He said the department had held several parent camps to reach out to families, and planned to do more this year. How did the speech go over at the PTA, which advocates for public schools? The organization, which is celebrating its 120th birthday, is waiting for more policy details from the Trump administration. But the PTA has some skepticism about going big on vouchers. We are not for private schools that would diminish opportunities for students at large, said Shannon Sevier, the vice-president for the National PTA. We are not for public schools that would recruit and serve students in an unfair or uneven way. So its interesting to pair equity with a voucher or private model. Can a major expansion of school choice help further the goal of educational equity? I have never seen it work in a real community or a state, said Laura Bay, the National PTA president. But shes interested in working with the Trump team on areas of potential common ground, including making sure parents get a say in policy decisions. Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 . The National Education Association issued a report Thursday that is sharply critical of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Neil M. Gorsuchs judicial record in special education cases, saying hard-won protections for students with disabilities could be in peril if he is confirmed. Judge Gorsuchs record on students with disabilities raises serious questions about whether he, as a Supreme Court justice, would understand and stand up for the rights of such students, says the nine-page report from the nations largest teachers union. As a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, in Denver, for the past 10 years, Gorsuch has an extensive record of rulings on education , including several based on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Rehabilitation Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Gorsuch has ruled against students with disabilities in numerous cases and his record, when considered as a whole, shows a lack of regard for the struggles and rights of students with disabilities, the NEA report says. The report in particular discusses two rulings of Gorsuchs that touched on special education issues that the U.S. Supreme Court has taken up this term, though not in the cases in which the nominee had ruled. In A.F. v. Espanola Public Schools , the mother of a New Mexico student with disabilities filed a complaint with a hearing officer alleging that the school district had violated the IDEA. That claim was settled in mediation, but the mother sued the district alleging claims under the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Writing for the majority in a 2-1 decision by a 10th Circuit panel in 2015, Gorsuch held that the mother had failed to exhaust administrative remedies under the IDEA with the mediation, and thus she could not pursue the claims under the other statutes. Gorsuch said the plain text of the IDEA required such a result. The NEA report asserts that Gorsuchs view was effectively repudiated by the Supreme Courts recent decision in Fry v. Napoleon Community Schools . In that Feb. 22 ruling, the high court held that a student or family suing a school district over a disability-related issue does not always have to exhaust all the procedures under the IDEA before going to court over other claims, such as under the ADA. The Supreme Courts Fry decision makes clear that that approach is contrary to the diverse means and ends of the statutes covering persons with disabilities, the report says, quoting language from Justice Elena Kagans majority decision in Fry. In another case discussed in the NEA report, Gorsuch wrote the 2008 opinion for a unanimous three-judge panel of the 10th Circuit that denied reimbursement of private residential school tuition for a boy with autism because the court found that the boy had made progress on the educational goals developed for him by his school district. In Thompson R-2 School District v. Luke P. , Gorsuch relied on a standard that a student must show improvement in an individualized education program under a merely more than de minimis. The proper standard for such cases is a question currently before the Supreme Court in a case argued in January, Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District . The Supreme Courts decision in Endrew F., on the underlying issue of the level of educational benefit that the IDEA requires, is not expected till later this spring but at argument the justices expressed significant skepticism over the very low bar that Judge Gorsuchs opinion espouses, the NEA report says. That is true enough, but the NEA doesnt mention that the merely more than de minimis standard was established as a 10th Circuit precedent in a 1996 case, and Gorsuch discussed it as controlling precedent in the Thompson case. (Another liberal group, the Alliance for Justice, criticized Gorsuch for his Thompson opinion , as well as some other special education rulings.) (A third organization, the Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, also issued a report Thursday critical of Gorsuch and his rulings on disability discrimination.) The NEA report discusses several more of Gorsuchs special education rulings before concluding that it is critical that the Senate review this record and demand that Judge Gorsuch explain how he would respect the rights of students with disabilities on the Supreme Courtin the face of an overwhelming body of cases demonstrating his hostility towards this already vulnerable population. Gorsuchs confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to begin on March 20. Free newsletter Subscribe to our FREE newsletter service and well keep you up-to-date with the latest breaking news, cutting edge opinion, and expert analysis affecting both your business and the industry as whole. Please enter your email address below and click on Sign Up for daily newsletters from Australasian Lawyer. More school districts across the country are implementing four-day weeks. The move usually comes to save money, but many administrators say it has other benefits as well, such as the academic gains that might be achieved through a longer school day and as an enticement for recruiting teachers. Late last month, the Cobre Consolidated School Board in New Mexico voted to go to a four-day academic week starting next school year. Cobre Superintendent Robert Mendoza told the Silver City Sun-News the change was the result of a state budget crunch. The financial strain and all the cuts that have happened prompted us to look outside the box, and this is what we came up with, Mendoza said. In the state of Missouri, nearly 20 districts have gone to this schedule. The Lathrop school district near Kansas City paved the way during the 2010-11 academic year when it adopted a four-day week due to financial strain. We spoke to Lathrop Superintendent Chris Fine about the schedule. He was a middle school principal during the transition to the new calendar and became the districts superintendent in the 2011-12 school year. In his district, students attend class Tuesday through Friday. Theyre in school for 149 days from 8 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Thats nearly 1,100 hours of school time per year. One Monday a month is reserved for a full-day professional development session. Fine estimates that the move saves his district about $125,000 annually. Below is a lightly edited version of our conversation. Your district went to a four-day week during a rough economic time for your state. Things are better now, but youre staying with the shorter week. Why? Some of the benefits that weve seen from the four-day week arent financially related. The improvement in our professional development opportunities has been a big plus. We increased the number of hours of instruction on the course of the year without increasing teacher time. That was a benefit, and we do believe that that is a good selling point for us in recruiting and attracting good teachers. Some of the other benefits far outweighed the financial benefits. I dont think we could go back at this point. What would you say has been the biggest advantage for our district? Before, we did the 13 early-out Wednesdays (for professional development) that we had scheduled for a two-hour time, but the teachers had taught all day and so some of those werent as productive. Then everybody wants to quit a little early, so we werent getting all those hours out of that time. The uninterrupted days of school have been very beneficial from our elementary standpoint. Every time we did those early-outs, they felt like that was a whole wasted day because the kids were all fired up and werent in their best learning mode. Now every day is seven and a half hours, so theres no difference for them. What about the impact of the increased hours of instruction? In Missouri, we are required to go 1,044 hours. Prior to our switch over, we had averaged 1,065. I had done a study in grad school about ACT scores and hours of instruction, and it was obvious that those schools that had more hours of instruction showed an increase in ACT scores. The 1,065 was in the bottom 25 percent of the schools in the state, and 1,100 is closer to the top half of the state. We were able to add 30 hours of instruction a year without increasing teacher time. I think that was a pretty good benefit, too, so those are the three. I dont know if theres any one thats more important than the other. On the flip side, what do you see as being the biggest drawback? Support staff salary cuts. That has to be the most painful part of the whole thing. Some of our best people took a 15 percent pay cut, and according to some of our staff, are just now recovering that amount of money. After working here six or seven years, theyre back to where they were before on the raise side. Thats probably the hardest part of the thing. To save that money, most of that money came from support staff pay cuts. Are you surprised that more and more districts are going to four-day weeks? Im probably surprised that more arent doing it. What would you say is the top thing that districts should consider when theyre thinking about going to a four-day week? Number one is are the teachers going to be on board. Everything you do is about people and not about programs. All of our staff are on board with it. That helped. More than 100 lawyers and staff will be departing Ropes & Gray as the American BigLaw spins off its intellectual property prosecution practice into a new firm.Ropes & Gray chairman Brad Malt said that it is expected no more than three to five partners will join the spinoff, The Boston Globe reported. Partner Joe Guiliano will be heading the new firm. Malt said that Ropes & Gray is still deciding who will depart for the new business.The new firm, which will be based in New York, is expected to establish Silicon Valley and Boston offices. Malt said it is expected that the spinoff will share many clients with Ropes & Gray, the largest law firm headquartered in Boston.We are restructuring our IP practice groups to a configuration that we believe best serves our clients, Malt in a statement The firm which will continue to offer other IP rights management capabilities such as trademark prosecution and patent analysis, strategy, and counselling said the spinoff process will likely take several months. It is understood the firm will no longer do patent prosecution work after the spinoff.Ropes & Gray which also has offices Chicago, Hong Kong, London, New York, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Washington, DC has nearly 1,200 lawyers. Hi All, I have submitted by Australian citizenship application last week but i made a mistake in answering Evidence of first arrival in Australia: I have given the current passport details instead i have arrived first on student visa on old passport . When i called the DIBP they have asked me to submit form 1023 for incorrect answers but i can't update this form as i have already submitted my application . Only options it gives to update If your application has been finalised, only the following forms will be available: Change of address details Change of email address Change of passport details. What are the other ways of notifying about this . Please let me know if anybody has faced similar issues. hello hoping for some advice: I had applied for a visitor visa (subclass 600). I want to visit a friend but they refuse it for lack of evidence (limited evidence to suggest that I have sufficient funds to cover all expenses related to your travel) this time I will try to attach more evidence. The thing is that my trip will be "sponsored" for my friend who is Australian, not by me because I'm just an student (I don't have that much money) and the economic situation of my country is not the best right now, I'm from Venezuela. Obviously he doesn't apply as a sponsor because he is not a relative of mine, but in the application ask who will pay for my expenses, and they only give me 2 options: me or some relative. What should I select in this part? I will attach the invitation letter from my friend saying he will pay for all my stuff and his bank account and everything.I will apply again, but what can I do in the application if I only have those 2 options?. I really want this time they approve it. HELP ME PLEASE Hellblaster said: Hi, I applied for a Tourist visa Tourist stream the 10th of February, it has now been 4 working weeks and my status on the Immiaccount is still on Received. I applied from France. If some people could share their processing time, that would be amazing ! Cheers ! Click to expand... After 5 weeks I followed up with Embassy (emailed at 4.5 weeks, after no reply called at 5 weeks) and got the visa decision same day. Standard processing time was 1 month, as applicant from high risk country. Doesn't hurt to follow up once the standard processing time has passed. Mine sat in received that whole time too until it suddenly switched to finalised. Hello, I got Australian PR last year in June 2016. I have already made my first entry in Australia ( Dec 2016 ) Due to my involvement in current projects i think i will not be able to move to Australia any time soon, I think it will take me another year to finally be ready to move to Australia ( expected date March 2018) I wanted to know, if my current plan would have any negative impact on my PR. Is there any time limit within which i need to enter and start working in Australia or if i am not able to do so my PR visa would be cancelled or revoked? I would appreciate if members of this forum can help me answer this question. Thanks. Speaking exclusively to Autocar India at the Geneva motor show, Ghosn outlines his plans to bring Mitsubishi to India and the vision of Ratan Tata. Edited excerpts. Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and CEO of French automaker Groupe Renault, Chairman of Japanese firm Nissan Motor Co Ltd, and also Chairman of Mitsubishi Motors Corp speaks to exclusively to Autocar India on the Kwids success, his plans to bring Mitsubishi to India and the vision of Ratan Tata. You have kind of relinquished your position as CEO in Nissan and are going to focus on the Renault-Nissan Alliance which Mitsubishi is now a part of. Lets take India. Mitsubishis problem was, there was no scale, no investment and no appropriate product. Suddenly these hurdles arent hurdles anymore because of the benefits of the alliance. Will it be logical to assume that with the Alliance, theres a big market out there for Mitsubishi to tap? Without any doubt because, in India the most important step and our key to success not sufficient but necessary is the product. If you dont have the product, you better not try your chance in India. It takes a lot of time to find a product. With the A-platform (the small car platform of the Common Module Family, or CMF jointly developed by Renault and Nissan, a sort of modular manufacturing system for cars) in particular, the Kwid and all the products that will follow, we think we have found our entry-level (car) in the Indian market. But this is an alliance platform. Today you have a Renault product; tomorrow you will have a Nissan product. This platform will be open to Mitsubishi. So, Mitsubishi could use it and you could go all the way up and bring the Lancer back, for example? Yes, but Mitsubishi has so many opportunities to grow that its management will have to prioritise what they are going to do first, second and third. I cannot tell you in what timeframe this will happen, but undoubtedly this is a very big market for the future for any carmaker and for Mitsubishi in particular. What you are confirming is that its not a question of if but a question of when Mitsubishi will come to India with all guns blazing? We are not limited to the short term; it is going to obviously mean mid or long term. Everybody (expects) India to be in the top 3-4 markets in the future. So, you can expect that what happened in China, where all the carmakers are present, is going to happen in India, with the exception that the Indian market is very tough for the foreign carmaker because of the specificity of the product and the market. Do you have an edge with the Kwid? It is doing well and has already got a lot of deal-making features like the SUVish design and touchscreen. Yes, we do. And we are improving and listening to what the customers are saying in India. This is not only to improve our offer for the Kwid in India but also to improve our offer for the Kwid outside because you know a version of the Kwid is going to be launched in Brazil as a second step of the A platform. For the Indian market, this is very important because it is very competitive, and if you are going to make it in India, you are going to make it in many emerging markets as well. Thats why, for us, testing and being successful in India and having a very strong acceptance of the product a very competitive product in India is a guarantee that these will do well in other markets. Are you making money in India? Have you reached a volume that is a tipping point? We are starting to make money now after selling 100,000 Kwids. We struggled at the beginning because it was a new plant and a new car. When you have so much innovation accommodated, you struggle with profitability. When you are going to a new, emerging market with a new product, you have to be patient for your returns. In the future, is the CMF-B (for cars slightly larger than those on the CMF-A platform) also expected? Obviously the volume that you expect from a car based on that platform is not going to be very big, so it can be an additional product. But you cant have a strategy on this platform. Is there a lesson learnt by Nissan on the performance of its V platform (cars such as the Sunny and Micra did not do well in India) which is, you fundamentally cannot bring a European platform into India because the cost is too high and the customers may not pay for it, so you have to have a tailored platform for emerging markets? You can bring copy-and-paste platform and product but that has to be a niche product. Dont expect big volumes coming out of it. If you want big volumes in India and to contribute to the core market as well, you will have to really tailor it, even the platform. On the Renault strategy in India, you are selling around 10,000 vehicles every month and are the No.1 European carmaker in India. Youve even rattled Suzuki. Were you expecting this level of success? Are you now confident of ramping up? I think this is all due to the attractiveness of the product. We have a lot of improvements that we can make in terms of competitiveness of our plant because, if the plants are filled, we have a much better industrial performance. We are not there yet. Yes, after we have seen that the CMF-A and the CMF-A+ platforms are really adequately addressing the needs of the Indian market, we should be much more ambitious in terms of contribution. You have mentioned in the past that Tata Motors Nano is really an inspiration for the Kwid. What are your thoughts on that and Ratan Tatas vision for the Nano? When Ratan came with the Nano, I congratulated him and he said I was the only one who congratulated him because a lot of people said its a bad idea. No, its a good idea. We came with the Kwid at the end of the day and the Kwid was inspired by the Nano. Also read Tata Nano inspired the Kwid, says Carlos Ghosn SCOOP! Mitsubishi to massively step up the pace in India Renault, Volvo say future of diesel uncertain Days of the Feds Suing Local Police Departments Might Be Over One of the primary rules of independent investigations is you can't investigate yourself. And when it came to investigating state and city police departments, that responsibility often fell to the feds -- the Department of Justice. Under the Obama administration, those investigations often resulted in determinations that local police departments were acting illegally, along with subsequent lawsuits settlements. But that practice appears to be changing under President Trump. Trump's new Attorney General Jeff Sessions said last week that the federal government should not be spending money on lawsuits against local police departments. So what does that mean for DOJ investigations in the future? Either Or? Sessions was speaking before the National Association of Attorneys General in Washington when he said the Justice Department should be more focused on helping local police develop better crime fighting techniques. "We need, so far as we can, in my view, help police departments get better, not diminish their effectiveness," Sessions said. "And I'm afraid we've done some of that. So we're going to try to pull back on this, and I don't think it's wrong or mean or insensitive to civil rights or human rights." Even as nationwide crime rates remain at historic lows and incidents (or at least recorded incidents) of police using deadly force are on the rise, Sessions offered a dark vision of crime in American big cities, "driving a sense that we're in danger." Sessions indicated that investigating police departments for civil rights violations might do more harm than good: "One of the big things out there that's, I think, causing trouble and where you see the greatest increase in violence and murders in cities is somehow, some way, we undermine the respect for our police and made, oftentimes, their job more difficult." Sessions Settling Not only could we see fewer DOJ investigations in the future, Sessions's comments could also indicate changes to past prosecutions. The Justice Department remains in negotiations with the City of Chicago after finding its police department engaged "in a pattern or practice of using force, including deadly force, in violation of the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution." But, as the New York Times points out, Sessions remains skeptical of the report and "prospects for a deal now look doubtful." We may not get a more clear indication of how Sessions's DOJ will handle police department inquiries until the next allegations of police misconduct. Related Resources: ARI was named to Fortune's 2017 100 Best Companies to Work For list for the fifth year in a row, coming in at Number 38. ARI continues to be the only fleet management company, the highest among the companies headquartered in New Jersey of which there are only three, and only one of four companies headquartered in the Philadelphia region named to this annual list that recognizes companies that have exceptional workplace cultures. "Being named to Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For list for a fifth consecutive year is an incredible honor," said Chris Conroy, president and CEO of Holman Business Services and president of ARI. "But make no mistake the credit for this tremendous achievement belongs solely with our people. They are the ones who make ARI such an incredible place to work year after year. It is our people who devote themselves to ensuring our clients are not just happy customers, but rather become raving fans of our organization. It is our people who care for each other, helping when help is needed, celebrating the big achievements and the small victories, investing in themselves through Holman University and other learning opportunities, and remaining focused on creating an atmosphere of teamwork, cooperation and understanding." In addition to being recognized for its collaborative atmosphere and family-like culture, the company was lauded for its internal employee engagement and empowerment program Partners in Excellence, its employee recognition program, its approach to wellness and work/life balance, its focus on employee development and its 100% tuition reimbursement program. "Senior leadership also sees this as a chance to learn about our organization, our employees, and what we can do to evolve and improve," Conroy said. "Whether it is the continued development of our in-house employee learning and development program Holman University, or our effort to allow employees to become directly involved in the challenges facing our business via the Executive Challenges we started in 2016, we never want to assume that we are 'done' or that we can't continue to do better when it comes to our employees. They devote themselves to our organization, and we are just as devoted to helping them build a satisfying and fulfilling career and life with ARI." This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list, and 2017 winners continue to show that a high-trust culture fuels better business results. Great Place to Work research shows that list winners keep outperforming the stock market, beating industry rivals when it comes to talent retention and demonstrating higher levels of productivity than peers. "Congratulations to the 2017 100 Best," said Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work. "These leading companies are at the vanguard of a new business frontier, where organizations know they have to develop the full human potential of all their employees. They are working to build Great Places to Work For All, which are better for business, better for people and better for the world." Just this week, the Honda 10-speed transmission was announced in Georgia which will be installed in the brand new 2018 Honda Odyssey to be released this coming spring. What does the feature improve in the fixed model? Initially, the Honda 10-speed transmission considered as the world's first incorporation of the feature which will be fitted into the front-wheel drive vehicles. Although the 2018 Honda Odyssey was already revealed to the public earlier than the transmission, the incorporation of such would make Honda and Acura brands an advantage on the latest tech features, reported Motor Trend. The project cost the automaker around $150 million in production costs for the feature to be created, establishing two manufacturing plants in the USA alone. In fact, the creation of which paved the way for other automobile brands to incorporate the 10-speed transmission to their models such as the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and the 2018 Ford Mustang which will be available for purchase next year. In other news, Reuters reported that the company would continue to produce $49 million worth of investments in the Honda Transmission Manufacturing of America Inc. in Russels Point, Ohio to establish improved equipment for the feature. Moreover, the production capacity of incoming 2018 Honda Odyssey will likewise increase with the added investments. Moreover, according to a spokesperson for the company, other vehicles that will have the 10-speed automatic feature will be announced simultaneously in the coming months. According to Motor Authority, the feature is usually paired with a four-cylinder and V-6 transverse-mounted engines. Other than the 2018 Honda Odyssey, it is found in models made by Fiat Chrysler and Jaguar Land Rover vehicles as well. However, the shortcoming is a car with too many gears cold creates confusion for the user. Since the launch of the 2018 Honda Odyssey model, the Honda 10-speed automatic also showcased its international debut. Do you think that having the feature will improve the user's driving experience? For the moment, the company is currently working on a Honda 11-Speed transmission which will be incorporated into the latest Honda Civic model. The 2020 Ford Bronco was announced at the 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The new Bronco will shortly follow the return of the 2019 Ford Ranger pickup truck. According to a report by Auto Blog, the new Bronco is coming in 2020. It will be one of four or five new utility vehicles that Ford wants to add to its lineup. It will come right after the 2019 Ranger, which will return to the US market for 2019. The new 2020 Bronco will likely be based on the 2019 Ranger. It will essentially be a four-door and closed Ranger. Both vehicles will be built at Ford's Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan. The last Ford Bronco was a 1996 model. It was based on the F-150 pickup. A Ranger-based Bronco was also made from 1983 to 1990. In another report, Ford Executive Vice President Joe Hinrichs spoke to Road and Track and revealed new details on the new Bronco. The first and most important piece of information was that it will no longer be the full-size 4x4 that the world remembers. Instead, it will be built on the 2019 Ranger's smaller mid-size frame. The report from Road and Track also mentioned that a Reddit poster who claimed to be a designer at Ford's Product Development Center in Dearborn offered some more details. According to the poster, the only Rangers that will come to the United States will be four-door Super Cab and Double Cab versions. Other than that, it will be structurally identical to the current European-Ranger. However, it will have an updated front and rear exterior styling, different interior, and new drivetrain options. This information also coincides with what Hinrichs said at the auto show. The all-new 2020 Ford Bronco will be a welcome addition to Ford's already great lineup. Was it a good idea to use the Ranger or should they have stuck with the F-150 frame? Share your thoughts and comments below! The Dendrobium, which hails from Singapore, has flashy doors and top-notch features that exude the aura of a unique hypercar. Vanda Electrics also claims that the Dendrobium can go from zero to 60 MPH in under 2.7 seconds, all while "pushing out 1,000 horsepower." Built at William's facility in Grove, Vanda Electrics' Dendrobium also serves as a "high-performance halo project" for the latter, per AutoGuide. Because of this, there's a chance that the Dendrobium might not even be produced. However, the hypercar could go into production in 2020 if it garners positive reception at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show during its debut. The Dendrobium does have a "striking design" worthy of a hypercar, especially when all of its doors are opened. The vehicles' name itself, "Dendrobium," is derived from the genus of orchids native to Singapore, which also inspired the design of the hypercar's synchronized door mechanism. While Williams Advanced Engineering helmed the powertrain of the Dendrobium, Vanda Electrics created the hypercar's design and body. The Dendrobium boasts of a composite monocoque chassis, carbon fiber body panels, and carbon ceramic brake discs. The hypercar's lightweight calipers are housed in 20-inch front and 21-inch rear wheels that are wrapped with Michelin tires. Vanda has revealed that the target weight for the Dendrobium was 3,858 pounds, or 1,750 kilograms. Vanda's hypercar can also reach a top speed of at least 200 MPH. "Dendrobium is our interpretation and expression of what pushes the boundaries in the development of an electric performance car," Larissa Tan, Vanda Electrics' CEO said. She continued that the company collaborated with experts who helped them achieve their goals. Tan thanked Williams Advanced Engineering for their contribution to the development of the Dendrobium. Vanda Electrics' CEO also talked about how Williams Advanced Engineering's "skills in electrification, aerodynamics, lightweight structures, vehicle dynamics and integration - and even low-volume build" is more than enough to qualify them as an accomplished partner for the project. Tan also shared that Vanda is excited to see how the rest of the world will receive the Dendrobium. While the electric hypercar remains a concept, Tan concluded that the Singapore-based firm has "every intention of putting it into production." The Dendrobium is a priority for Vanda's range and the production version of the vehicle will be the best example of the company's design and e-technology. According to CAR Magazine, Vanda Electrics' Dendrobium is one of the "most dramatic-looking and oddly-named cars" that debuted this year. It was also deemed a "technologically ambitious electric supercar." Vanda Electrics specializes in battery technology and electric mobility. The company is an off-shoot of Wong Fong Engineering, and Vanda's parent company is one of the biggest names when it comes to "cranes, tailgates, and military equipment." Customers in the United States may have to wait longer than usual to get hold of new Volkswagen vehicle models. This is due to the fairly recent emissions scandal which has been dubbed 'Dieselgate' that the German car manufacturer got embroiled in. New VW vehicle models to the US delayed due to Dieselgate. United States customers will have to wait longer for new vehicle models from the VW Group to arrive this year. Certification for the company's new vehicle models is taking a lot longer than usual according to VW Group CEO Matthias Mueller. Speaking at a company event in Geneva earlier this year, Mueller said that "they are very much against us." One specific vehicle model, the new Porsche Panamera, is expected to enter the United States three months longer than it normally would. This delay is just one of a few but big problems that the German car manufacturer is currently facing. Volkswagen has recently agreed to pay a huge US$4.3 billion in penalties directly related to Dieselgate scandal. In other related news, the VW Group unveiled three new models at this year's Geneva Auto Show. Stealing the show for the car manufacturer is the svelte top-of-the-line Arteon model which is considered to replace the CC. The VW Group also unveiled the new Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo and the Lamborghini Huracan Performante. The company also showcased its fully autonomous vehicle at the yearly auto trade show. This is one of, hopefully, many attempts by the Volkswagen Group to bounce back from the emissions scandal that gripped the world. The 4-passenger self-driving vehicle from the company is called the Sedric. The company claims it to be a level 5 self-driving vehicle capable of full autonomy which can be used in ride-sharing fleets and for individuals. According to CEO Mueller, it will be the basis of similar future models that the company plans to release. Dutch automaker Spyker revealed a beastly surprise to car enthusiast in the 2017 Geneva Motor Show. The company is expected to announce a droptop version of the C8 Preliator. But, what everyone didn't expect is that the C8 Preliator Spyder will be a Koenigsegg-sourced naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 engine. The Dutch and the Swedes joined their automotive forces together to build an avant-garde convertible capable of powering 600 HP and 442 lb-ft of torque. Now, the C8 Preliator coupe and Spyder will utilize Koenigsegg engines. Surprised? Previously, Spyker announced that the C8 Preliator is a supercharged 4.2 -liter V8 from Audi rated at 525 horsepower. The merged between the two big automotive companies is expected to boost the C8 Preliator overall performance. As of the moment, the figures for the Spyder is what has bee laid out to the public. But, the hardtop model will more likely boost its performance thanks to its new engine. According to Car Buzz, the Spyder's 0-62 mph time is rated at 3.6 seconds. It will also receive a slight increase in its top speed going from 200 MPH in the hardtop to 201 MPH in a convertible. Spyker will also incorporate changes from its transmission meaning from automatic to six-speed manual transmission. The company discussed on how ideas were derived from gathering its customer's feedback. Aside from the switch to engine and transmission, the C8 Preliator Spyder will be similar to its hardtop predecessor. With that being said, the C8 Preliator Spyder will exhibit a carbon fiber body and an aluminum hood. The cabin is a blend of leather and brushed aluminum. Judging by its looks, the C8 Preliator Spyder is a luxury finish. Although there is no touchscreen available, the car will display and utilize a gesture control feature. Spyker plans to build 50 C8 Preliator coupes and 100 C8 Preliator Spyder. The production of the hardtop is expected to commence at the end of 2017. The C8 Preliator will cost $429,000. What are your thoughts about the C8 Preliator Spyder new engines and looks? Share it in the comment section below. Electric-powered vehicles are the mainstream of the future. Multiple automotive companies are investing on building full electric cars that serves far way better than the regulars gas or diesel powered vehicles. One of the most iconic brand, Audi, is looking forward to the future of Fully-Powered Crossovers, Coupe, and Mainstream Car. Audi plans to execute the new program by 2020, and the first of its planned creation is a big crossover, then a big coupe, and lastly, a smaller yet more maintreamed cars. Top Gear had an interview with Audi's Boss, Rupert Stadler which confirms the three planned Electric-Powered Vehicles. According to the source, Audi plans to build a VW Group's flat-floor MEB platform which will include motors both from the front and the rear for a quattro drive. Stadler hinted that the coupe sized EV will exhibit an emotional shape. Stadler did not provide further details regarding Audi's upcoming EV coupe such as features and engines. But, Stadler discussed its EV Crossover which is powered by the e-Tron concept unveiled at the Frankfurt show 18 months ago. "It's a long way down the development path, and goes on sale next year. Think Tesla Model X but normal doors," says Stadler via Top Gear. The Audi EV Crossover claims to include a 300-mile approximate range and can be easily recharged from empty to 250 miles range in less than an hour via 350kW chargers. The company's plan to release 250 units in Europe first before the car is ready to go fully on sale by the end of 2018. Next is to create 400 years the year after, says Stadler. When asked about money and profit, Stadler answered the interview with a bold statement saying, "does Tesla make money?" He added that the e-Tron would be a part of Audi's plug-in hybrids and EVs. As always, share us your thoughts in the comment section below. A pickup version of the Jeep Grand Cherokee would be quite something. Thanks to RC Workshop we get to see how a Grand Cherokee SRT Hellcat with a bed would look like. Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT pickup rendered by RC Workshop. American car manufacturer Jeep currently doesn't have any plans for a pickup version of its Grand Cherokee SRT. Some have said that a pickup version of the mid-size luxury SUV wouldn't actually be a bad idea. Jeep needs only to seek approval from the FCA which will not probably be that difficult to get. Getting the go signal to build a Grand Cherokee SRT pickup may be easy. However, converting the SUV to one wouldn't be. For starters, it will most likely be an expensive feat. There's also the concern of what platform or frame the pickup version would be built on and what the public's impression of it would be. Before building the pickup, it is always wise to see how it could actually look like. RC Workshop's render of a Grand Cherokee SRT Hellcat pickup truck is definitely a looker. Although the Grand Cherokee SRT Hellcat is currently being worked, the artist had enough aesthetic information to come up with an image of a pickup version. RC Workshop's render highlights a very bold front fascia, a large hood scoop, and flared arches. Prominent are the big wheels on the truck and red brakes. The two rear doors present on the Grand Cherokee have been completely done away with to make way for a steel-reinforced bed. The Grand Cherokee SRT Hellcat that Jeep is currently working on is said to sport a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine that is expected to have an output of 707 horsepower. The large hood scoop shown on RC Workshop's render will be useful to keep an engine that powerful cool. A Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT Hellcat pickup truck could probably give the Wrangler Pickup a tough time. What do you think about this RC Workshop's image render? Rumors about Uber's plans to hire a Chief Operations Officer (COO) have recently been confirmed. Uber's CEO himself, Travis Kalanick, has announced that the company is now looking for a COO. According to the Chicago Tribune, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick has shared that the company is now looking for a Chief Operations Officer to help him run Uber. The search for Uber's next COO follows a slew of controversy that has plagued the online transportation network company, which has its headquarters in San Francisco, California. Uber has recently been hit by allegations that instances of sexual harassment are "routinely ignore[d]." A video of Kalanick has also surfaced, and the footage shows Uber's CEO losing his temper when a driver talked to him about "steep cuts" in the ride-hailing company's rates for the premium version of its service. When the video leaked, Kalanick asked for forgiveness after admitting that he is in need of "leadership help." The Uber CEO also stated that he must "grow up." The ride-hailing company also admitted that a program dubbed "Greyball" is being used to "thwart authorities" that are trying to restrict or shut down its services in cities worldwide. Kalanick allegedly informed his employees that Uber is on the lookout for a COO that can assist him in running the "troubled" ride-sharing company, per Recode. Uber's CEO formally announced the company's search for a COO during a slide presentation regarding the ride-sharing company's business at its headquarters in San Francisco. Uber also released a statement from Kalanick, which read, "This morning I told the Uber team that we're actively looking for a Chief Operating Officer: a peer who can partner with me to write the next chapter in our journey." The ride-sharing company has reportedly signed up for the services of a search firm to help in the search for its next COO. A lot of names are in the running, but according to sources, Uber's board members prefer a female exec, mimicking Mark Zuckerberg's decision to hire Sheryl Sandberg in 2008 when Facebook was also having issues. Sandberg previously worked for Google. However, due to Uber's recent problems, the company isn't having an easy time with the search. Uber remains hopeful, and the company's dream candidates include former Disney COO Tom Staggs and CV exec Helena Foulkes. Uber is also allegedly looking for female candidates to replace David Drummond. Drummond has recently left his seat on Uber's board. Controversial Confederate Monuments Can Be Taken Down in New Orleans The Federal Appellate Court for the Fifth Circuit rejected the appeal of a few organizations that are trying to protect a controversial, Confederate monuments in New Orleans. Three of the four monuments that are the subjects of this litigation can now be removed and stored pending a more appropriate location (if that even exists). In the short, three-page, court order ruling against those seeking to preserve the Confederate monuments, issued yesterday, the Court of Appeals specifically states that the groups' legal claims "wholly lack legal viability and support." The group asserted arguments that the city did not own the monuments, nor the property where the monuments were located, and that their protectable interest stemmed from the Napoleonic principle of negotiorum gestio, which is a barely recognized principle anywhere but Louisiana. Glorification of Monumental Hate The monuments at the center of this case all revolve around glorifying Confederate leaders and events. The three statutes that this court order cleared for removal include a statute of General Robert E. Lee, General P.G.T. Beauregard, and the Confederacy's president, Jefferson Davis. The fourth monument, named the Battle of Liberty Place, which the city acquiesced that it could not remove, was built in honor of a white supremacist group that attempted to rise up against the post-civil war reconstruction government. Given the subject matter and historical context of these monuments, the city's decision to put new monuments at those sites seems fitting. Symbols of the Confederacy are often used as the symbols for hate groups, and, as the New Orleans government appears to believe, public monuments should be symbols of unification, rather than separation. The Fourth Monument and the Future The white supremacist honoring monument is actually protected by a 25 year old court order preventing the city from removing it. However, along with an announcement praising the court's order, the mayor stated that the city will begin the legal process to end the old court order protecting the fourth monument. Additionally, the mayor explained that the removal of these monuments will provide the city with an opportunity to create new symbols that can be celebrated, rather than create problems. In fact, the monuments at issue here were even declared to be a public nuisance in a public ordinance. Related Resources: Events recognizing the impact of women coincided this week, with the celebration of International Womens Day on Wednesday, Women of Aviation Worldwide Week March 6 to 11 and the wrap-up of Women in Aviation Internationals annual conference, which was held March 2-4 in Florida, drawing some 4,500 attendees. WAI continued its work in matching women with scholarships to advance their aviation careers, awarding 112 scholarships worth more than $600,000. WOAW activities are scheduled around the world this week in an effort to inspire women to get involved in aviation. Events include flight demos, factory and school open-houses and museum special programs. The events dont stop with this week. WAI will offer International Girls in Aviation Day on Sept. 23, with a slate of events around the world for girls ages 8 to 17. Peggy Chabrian, president of WAI, told AVweb industry support for WAIs efforts continues to grow, and she was glad to host speakers from AOPA and FedEx at this years conference. I think they were truly surprised by the number of people and the variety of people from all segments of the industry, she said. It was nice to see the industry coming together, seeing what were all about, and being very supportive of what were doing. Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias called for strategic partnership between Greece and Armenia at the start of an official visit to Yerevan on Thursday. We have always been brotherly nations, Kotzias was reported to tell Prime Minister Karen Karapetian. My visit has a single purpose: we need to establish strategic partnership, he said, according to an Armenian government statement. Our friendly relations are at a very high level, but we are interested in giving them a new quality, Karapetian said, for his part. Armenia and Greece should reinforce their warm political rapport with much closer commercial ties, he said. The two nations have had more advanced cooperation in the area of defense. More than 200 Armenian cadets and army officers have been trained in Greek military academies over the past two decades. The Greek military has also provided assistance to an Armenian army brigade that contributes troops to NATO-led peacekeeping missions abroad. Kotzias discussed bilateral military ties at a separate meeting with Defense Minister Vigen Sargsian. According to the Armenian Defense Ministry, he said the Greek government remains committed to implementing various defense programs with Armenia. A ministry statement said the two men discussed ways of neutralizing challenges in the region and agreed to continue joint efforts to support each others positions on international platforms. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras praised his countrys strong historical, cultural and spiritual bonds with Armenia and called for their further strengthening when he met with President Serzh Sarkisian in Athens a year ago. Tsipras spoke of Greeks and Armenians history of suffering and persecution, saying that both peoples were victims of genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Turks during World War One. Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos likewise told Sarkisian that at the beginning of the 20th century the two peoples endured tragic moments for the same reason. Turkey condemned those statements. Solidarity between Greece and Armenia is built upon a joint hostility and slander language directed against the Turkish identity, a Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman charged in March 2016. The Armenian Foreign Ministry dismissed the Turkish criticism. Making denialism the pivot of state policy does not rid Turkey of the responsibility to face its own history, it said. Greece officially recognized the 1915 Armenian massacres in Ottoman Turkey as genocide in 1999. In 2014, it also enacted a law making it a crime to publicly deny this and other genocides. The Armenian parliament, for its part, unanimously passed in 2015 a resolution condemning the genocide of Greeks and Assyrians perpetrated in the Ottoman Empire in 1915-1923. The opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) accused the authorities on Thursday of doing nothing to stop what it called widespread vote bribes handed out by pro-government candidates in the upcoming parliamentary elections. We get many reports that citizens are told if you vote for us, we will pay your utility bills, said Levon Zurabian, the deputy chairman of the party headed by former President Levon Ter-Petrosian. Zurabian claimed that a group of voters mistakenly visited the HAK headquarters in Yerevan this week to sign up for such payments promised to them. They said, Is this where we should register for having our gas bills paid? It means that in some place near our office such a registration is conducted, he said. The opposition leader went on to complain that law-enforcement authorities are not cracking down on the illegal practice that has also been reported by the Armenian press. The entire [law-enforcement] system protects those who distribute vote bribes against us, he said. The authorities can end vote bribes tomorrow if they make such a decision today. Varuzhan Hoktanian, head of Armenias leading anti-corruption watchdog affiliated with Transparency International, added his voice to the criticism. These reports lead us to conclude that vote bribes are mainly paid by the ruling party, Hoktanian told RFE/RL Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). Given the fact that the law-enforcement system and the courts serve the ruling party, ordinary citizens prefer to steer clear of exposing them, he said. This is a really serious problem. Also alleging vote buying was Artsvik Minasian, Armenias environment minister and a senior member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), President Serzh Sarkisians junior coalition partner. Various candidates or individuals have promised money or services, he said. Minasian was careful not to point the finger at Sarkisians Republican Party (HHK) or any other political group. Let me not name them because if I name names now I will have to come up with proof, he said. Armenias Office of the Prosecutor-General insisted that it is looking into growing media reports about vote buying that primarily implicate the HHK. But it reported no criminal cases opened to date. So far the authorities have only moved to tackle vote buying by businessman Gagik Tsarukian whose alliance is one of the election favorites. The Central Election Commission (CEC) on Wednesday warned him to stop promising money and other material aid to voters on the campaign trail. Tsarukian continued to give such promises as he took his campaign to the Armavir province west of Yerevan on Thursday. But in an apparent response to the CEC warning, he told voters that his donations will be delivered after the April 2 elections. Misha, Tsarukian is promising you in front of so many people: come visit after April 2 and youll get a piece of agricultural equipment for the village from me, the tycoon told a local farmer during a campaign rally. But only after the elections so that there is no connection with the elections, he added to rapturous applause. Tsarukian also told one of his associates to draw up a list of equipment needed by an Armavir school. It too will be donated after the elections, he said. The CEC could not be immediately reached for comment on whether or not Tsarukian is still violating Armenias Electoral Code that explicitly bans provision of money, goods or services to voters. Uber's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad 2 Weeks You don't have to look any further than most PR and marketing materials to see Uber's impact on startup financing and the sharing economy. New companies are constantly touted as "The Uber of ..." and analysts refer to any disruption of an industry as "Uberization." Even when the ridesharing giant isn't announcing further expansion into yet another state or country, it's hard to take your eyes off Uber. But for the past two weeks, all of that media attention has been for all the wrong reasons. Scandal after scandal riddled Uber in late February and early March, leaving the company's image reeling, and that doesn't include the announcement it lost almost $3 billion in 2016. Here's a look: Female former engineer Susan Fowler Rigetti dropped a bombshell blog post on February 19, detailing rampant sexual harassment and discrimination at Uber as well as the company's inadequate responses (if it responded at all) to claims filed by female employees. While Uber appears to be taking a more proactive stance to investigating sexism within the company, its early actions, or lack thereof, bordered on illegal. (It didn't help than just three days later the New York Times published a withering article on Uber's workplace culture, describing not just sexual harassment but sexual assault, homophobic slurs, and threats of physical violence. Not a great look.) Google subsidiary Waymo claims a former engineer absconded with company IP and trade secrets and used them to form his own company. He then sold that company to Uber just seven months after leaving Google, for a mere for $680 million. Uber's driverless tech then leapt ahead of Google's, and the search engine giant claims it was tipped off to the theft after it received an emailed image of an Uber circuit board that looked suspiciously like its own. The lawsuit claims the engineer "downloaded the 14,000 files, representing approximately 9.7 GB of highly confidential data" on his way out the door, and that other former Googlers might've done the same. Uber isn't welcome everywhere. And it turns out Uber had a secret data-collection program called "Greyball" it used "to identify and circumvent officials" that might be involved in sting operations in states and countries where Uber was illegal. Uber's defiant response, while legally sound, served only to create more PR headaches. The company said the program "denies ride requests to users who are violating our terms of service -- whether that's people aiming to physically harm drivers, competitors looking to disrupt our operations, or opponents who collude with officials on secret 'stings' meant to entrap drivers." Maybe next week will be a little better for Uber. Related Resources: 9 March 2017 15:06 (UTC+04:00) By Mabel van Oranje Last week, at the She Decides conference in Brussels, government ministers met with representatives from NGOs, United Nations agencies, and foundations from around the world to talk about an issue that is rarely discussed in such dignified settings: sex. Too many young people especially girls lack access to quality sex education. They do not know what sex is, much less that unprotected sex can lead to pregnancy or put them at risk of sexually transmitted infections, like HIV. Even girls who know about sex often lack the information they need to avoid pregnancy, or dont have access to contraceptives. As a result, millions of girls around the world are disempowered. Gender inequality exacerbates the situation. In most societies, girls are valued less than boys. Often, they are viewed as the property of men. Decisions related to sex, marriage, and reproduction are out of their control. The practice of child marriage is closely linked to sexual autonomy and health. As it stands, 15 million girls per year an average of 28 per minute are married before they reach the age of 18. Girls may be forced to marry because they become pregnant, because of concerns about their security or their familys honor, or because there is a financial transaction involved, such as a dowry or bride price. These child brides are forced into sexual activity when their bodies are still developing, and most lack the knowledge, confidence, and power to negotiate safe sex. I have met many girls and women around the world who have suffered for this lack of education and decision-making power. In Zambia, I met Cynthia, a 12-year-old girl who was shocked when she found out that she was pregnant. Growing up in a community that considers talk about sex taboo, she hadnt known what sex was, let alone that it could lead to pregnancy. When she found out she was going to have a child, while still a child herself, she was devastated. Marriage was now her only option. Unable to continue her education, she had lost any chance of escaping poverty. In India, I met Meera who, in keeping with her villages tradition, had been forced to leave school and marry an older man by the time she was 15. Never having learned about contraception, she had already had multiple pregnancies. Then there was Amal, a Syrian refugee girl whose parents had married her off, in order to protect her (and her familys honor) from becoming a victim of the sexual desires of unknown men. Child brides have an enormous unmet need for contraception. They are vulnerable to the complications of early pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, fistulas, and death in childbirth. Globally, complications related to pregnancy and childbirth are the second leading cause of death among those aged 15 to 19, after suicide. The She Decides conference hosted by the Belgian, Danish, Dutch, and Swedish governments focused on securing financial and political commitments to support the sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and women. There was universal recognition that girls and women should have the right to decide whether, when, and with whom to have children. Participants pledged more than 181 million ($192 million) of new funding to support the provision of contraceptives, sex education, maternal health programs, and other initiatives. With the funding gap growing wider, fulfilling these pledges is crucial. But more than money is needed. We must change the attitudes that make talking about sex taboo. We need to address the power dynamics that limit access to reproductive health services, even when they are available. And we must recognize the damage caused by child marriage, including to girls sexual and reproductive health. Many of the organizations engaged in the Girls Not Brides global partnership to end child marriage are focused on tackling these issues. We know that progress is possible only with the engagement of civil society, which has a huge role to play in changing norms, driving policy reform, and providing services. Small local organizations are often in the best position to understand and respond to the needs of girls and families. To live happier and healthier lives, girls everywhere need to be able to make informed decisions about their bodies, their sexual and reproductive choices, and their future. So lets talk about sex. Copyright: Project Syndicate: Lets Talk About Sex --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 9 March 2017 11:06 (UTC+04:00) By Laman Ismayilova The Arcachon City Municipality of French province Akiten and Association of Friends of Azerbaijan organized series of events within the framework of Days of Azerbaijan dedicated to Novruz festival. A series of events, realized under auspices of the Azerbaijani embassy in France and House of Azerbaijan in Paris started with official meetings of Arcachon Mayor Yves Foulon, Azerbaijani Ambassador Elchin Amirbayov, President of Association of Friends of Azerbaijan, French lawmaker Jean-Francois Mancel and head of House of Azerbaijan in Paris, general secretary of Association of Friends of Azerbaijan Mirvari Fataliyeva. Over 300 residents attended the conference held at city congress. Amirbayov delivered a speech entitled Azerbaijan: country of traditions and modernity at the conference, which started with short movie on Azerbaijans culture, history and tourism. A photo exhibition reflecting the Novruz festivities, ancient and modern memorials of Baku was demonstrated at Olympia Theatre of the City. Then, Mancel informing on arrangements for promotion of Azerbaijan carried out by the organization led by him, stressed that these events are very important for propagation of rich culture and history of Azerbaijan. He also talked about trips to Azerbaijan arranged for French people organized by the Association, along with promotion of Azerbaijan as a cradle of multiculturalism and tolerance. Following, the Baku Stars ensemble of Baku Chorography School performed at the concert hall of the theatre. More than 1000 attendants watched the show. Azerbaijan and France are actively developing their relations in all fields. French companies are actively participating in the petrochemical, food, agricultural, machine engineering, tourism and other spheres in Azerbaijan. The inter-regional cooperation between Azerbaijan and France is also at a high level. Some 12 Azerbaijani cities signed a cooperation agreement with 10 cities and one province in France. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 9 March 2017 13:13 (UTC+04:00) By Laman Ismayilova Baku will host a photo exhibition Hello Portugal! The country seen through the eyes of an Azerbaijani traveller, to be organized by the Portuguese diplomatic mission in Azerbaijan, Trend Life reported. The exhibition, which will be the first Portuguese cultural event of 2017, will be held at gallery Nur Art House on March 10-12. The photographer, Aydin Sadikhov, who visited Portugal extensively, will be showing forty of his favourite works. Sadikhovs photographs cover most of Portugals historical cities. Guests of the event will be able to see images of: Lisbon, the capital, from where sailors departed in the 15th and 16th Centuries, initiating the Discoveries and launching in fact the first globalization wave; Sintra, known for its many 19th Century Romantic architectural palaces; Braga, with its beautiful Good Jesus of the Mount sanctuary; Porto, well known for its Douro river and valleys where the grapes of the famous Port Wine grow; Tomar, the city where in the 12th Century the Christian Knight Templars Order built an incredibly beautiful monastery; Evora, with its Roman Temple dating from the first century A.D. and its Chapel of Bones built in the 16th century, a reminder of how life is ephemeral. This will be the first time that an Azerbaijani artist will show his own vision of Portugal in Baku. Sadikhov will explain why he chose the country as his main destination, what were his impressions, how spending time there made him feel and how he realized that Portugal and Azerbaijan have many similarities, for example, the tolerant, welcoming and warm nature of their people. Last year, the Mission of Portugal in Azerbaijan, together with local partners, organized several successful cultural events in Baku. In April, the works of three Portuguese artists were shown in the I Wanna be Adored exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art; in September, the Portuguese ensemble Fad Nu played three concerts at the Landmark; in December, the Daniel Pereira Trio played with local musicians at the Mugham Centre. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 9 March 2017 14:22 (UTC+04:00) By Laman Ismayilova Baku will host Days of Hungary on March 16-18 to familiarize Azerbaijanis with the country, its history and traditions. The Days will be organized by the Hungarian Embassy in Baku and feature exhibition and concert to showcase both traditional and modern culture of Hungary, Trend reported. A presentation of the book "The Tragedy of Man" by Imre Madach will be held as part of the event. With a wide range of activities to include fashion show, no one will be disappointed! Guests will also be able to enjoy delicious Hungarian cuisine. Hungary recognized Azerbaijan's independence in 1991, and diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in April 1992. The two countries enjoy a huge capacity for the development of trade and economic cooperation. Hungary is also a good platform for Azerbaijani investors. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 9 March 2017 15:30 (UTC+04:00) By Laman Ismayilova The National Art Museum opened its doors for a solo exhibition by artist Asgar Mammadov, Trend Life reported. Entitled "Women's happiness", the expo brought together public and art figures, as well as numerous art lovers. In their remarks, Department head of the Culture and Tourism Ministry's fine arts and decorative art sector Galib Gasimov, Secretary of Azerbaijan`s Union of Artists Agali Ibrahimov, honored art worker, art historian Ziyadkhan Aliyev spoke about the creativity of Asgar, noting that he attributes huge place to landscapes, portraits, and graphics in his works. Further, Galib Gasimov, have read a congratulatory letter of President of the Russian Academy of Arts Zurab Tsereteli addressed to the artist. Asgar Mammadov, in turn, expressed appreciation to the organizers of the exhibition, stressing that the holding of the exhibition in Azerbaijan is very important for him. The exhibition will run until March 10. Asgar Mammadov was born in 1945 in Agdam`s region Merzili village. He graduated from the Baku Art school named after Azim Azimzade (1965-1969), faculty of directing at the Russian state Institute of cinematography named after S. A. Gerasimov (1971-1976). In 1976-1990 he worked at the "Azerbaijanfilm"Studio named after Jafar Jabbarli and made over 15 documentaries, movies and animated films. Engaged in painting since a young age, Agar opened a personal gallery in the Merzili village. However, in 1993 the gallery and over 200 art works were destroyed due the occupation of the village by Armenia. The artist's work was displayed in many countries, including Turkey, Germany, Israel, Spain, Latvia and Russia, where he currently lives. In his works, the artist calls for peace, love and friendship. The artist puts main emphasis on landscapes, portraits and graphics. Asgar Mammadov is the Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, laureate of the gold and silver medals of the Russian Academy of Arts, member of the UNESCO International Federation of Artists. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 9 March 2017 11:40 (UTC+04:00) By Rashid Shirinov Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) inspected 14 houses in the liberated Jojug Marjanli village of Azerbaijans Jabrayil region on March 8. The village was liberated by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces from the Armenian occupation in April 2016. As a result of the check, ANAMA found 1,379 pieces of shrapnel, four units of unexploded ordnance, including a 82-millimeter OF-832 mortar shell and three amplifiers of TM-62P3 mine, and a TM-57 anti-tank mine. By and large, ANAMA checked the area of 50,913 square meters in Jojug Marjanli during the day. Some 11,313 square meters were inspected manually, 15,200 square meters mechanically, and the remaining 24,400 square meters were checked using mine-detecting dogs. During the past 33 days, ANAMA checked 145 houses and the territory of the new road, which will be built in the village soon. As a result, the agency discovered and neutralized 15 units of unexploded ordnance, three anti-tank missiles, the unexploded engine part of a rocket, a hand grenade, an artillery shell and three mine amplifiers, as well as three anti-personnel mines and 29 anti-tank mines. A total of 966,783 square meters was cleared in Jojug Marjanli since the beginning of ANAMA operation. Jojug Marjanli village was fully liberated from the Armenian occupation in April 2016, when Azerbaijani Armed Forces prevented an Armenian provocation on the contact line. To protect civilian population, the Azerbaijani army launched counter attacks and as a result, the Azerbaijani troops retook hills around the village of Talish, as well as Seysulan settlement, and also took over Leletepe hill located in the direction of Fizuli region. In late January, President Ilham Aliyev ordered to restore Jojug Marjanli. Under the order, 4 million manats were allocated for the construction of 50 private houses, a school building and relevant infrastructure at the first stage. Moreover, President Aliyev signed an order on additional measures to construct the road leading to the liberated Jojug Marjanli village and allocated 4.3 million manats from the state budget for the construction of 9 km long highway in the village. --- Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 9 March 2017 13:41 (UTC+04:00) By Rashid Shirinov Diaspora organizations of Azerbaijan held a protest action in Paris against Armenian President Serzh Sargsyans visit to France. The rally started with a minute of silence to honor the memory of martyrs, who died during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Khojaly massacre, Azerbaijans State Committee for Work with Diaspora reported. The participants spoke of the ethnic cleansing policy perpetrated by Armenians against Azerbaijanis, as well as the Khojaly Genocide. Participants of the rally said that the occupation policy of Armenia is a threat to peace and security in the region, and urged the international community to give a fair assessment of the conflict. Speakers noted that Serzh Sargsyan - one of the organizers of the Khojaly Genocide and active participant in the occupation of Azerbaijani lands, must answer to justice. Armenian aggression against its neighboring country resulted in the occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijans internationally recognized territories, death of over 20,000 Azerbaijanis while over 4,000 ethnic Azerbaijanis were taken captive, hostage, or went missing as a result of the war. The Khojaly Genocide on February 25-26, 1992, is regarded as one of the bloodiest and most controversial incidents of the Nagorno-Karabakh War. Some 613 civilians mostly women and children were killed in the massacre, and a total of 1,000 people were disabled. Eight families were exterminated, 25 children lost both parents, and 130 children. Besides, in the years of 1989-1994, Armenian terrorists have blasted passenger busses, passenger trains and blew up electric train at Baku subway to spread horror among the Azerbaijani population during the Karabakh war. The protestors shouted slogans "Justice for Khojaly, Khojaly was and will be our", "Freedom for Karabakh, Sargsyan - the criminal, violate the rights of one million Azerbaijani refugees, Sargsyan is murderer!, Killer Sargsyan, your place is court Armenians, put an end to lies!, ASALA is a terrorist organization! and others. The visit of the murderer, who is involved in the Khojaly Genocide, to Europe is unacceptable. If Europe opens the doors before Sargsyan, then it is impossible to speak about justice here, the protesters said. We demand from Europe to put an end to the injustice. President of the Association of Friends of Azerbaijan, a member of the French National Assembly Jean-Francois Mansel, who was among the protestors, stressed the necessity of recognition of Khojaly Massacre in international arena. He said 20 percent of Azerbaijan`s territories were occupied by Armenian Armed Forces, further noting that France should play a great role in restoring the peace between the two Caucasian people. French lawyer Olivier Pardo, who also participated in the protest action, said that people were killed only for their ethnicity in the Khojaly Genocide, and it is a crime against humanity. The lawyer urged the protesters to join him in a struggle for France's recognition of the Khojaly Genocide. To forget the memory of the killed Khojaly civilians means to kill them once again, said Pardo. He urged the protesters to memorialize the victims and achieve recognition of the genocide. When Thomas de Waal, a senior associate at Washington DC-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, interviewed Sargsyan back in 2000, the then-Armenian Defense Minister Sargsyan confessed that the Armenian army had indeed carried out some ethnic cleansing in the Nagorno-Karabakh region in order to achieve its goals. --- Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 9 March 2017 13:20 (UTC+04:00) By Rashid Shirinov The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has gone on far too long and needs to be resolved, U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Robert Cekuta said on March 9, APA reports. The conflict has no military solution and needs to be resolved through negotiations, the diplomat said, adding that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs will visit Azerbaijan in the coming days. We will do our utmost for the settlement of the conflict, Cekuta added. OSCE Minsk Group Russian co-chair Igor Popov said earlier that he, along with other co-chairs Richard Hoagland of the U.S. and Stephane Visconti of France will visit Azerbaijan this week. The co-chairs will meet with Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and mull the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement. Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a fragile ceasefire in 1994. Since the war, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. While the OSCE Minsk Group acted as the only mediator in resolution of the conflict, the occupation of the territory of the sovereign State with its internationally recognized boundaries has been left out of due attention of the international community for years. Armenia ignores four UN Security Council resolutions on immediate withdrawal from the occupied territory of Azerbaijan, thus keeping tension high in the region. --- Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 9 March 2017 17:34 (UTC+04:00) By Rashid Shirinov A ceremony commemorating the National Hero of Azerbaijan Chingiz Gurbanov was held in the Heydar mosque in Baku on March 9. On behalf of the head of state, Azerbaijans State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons held the ceremony at the instruction of the President of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev as a tribute to the memory of the National Hero. The ceremony was attended by the head of the State Security Service Madat Guliyev, chief of the State Border Service Elchin Guliyev, Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Office Allahshukur Pashazade, head of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations Mubariz Gurbanli, members of the Milli Mejlis (Parliament), employees and officers of the Defence Ministry, Ministry of Emergency Situations and other government agencies, as well as members of the public and relatives of the National Hero. Soldier of the Azerbaijani army Chingiz Gurbanov fell martyr on December 29, 2016. On that day, a reconnaissance group of the Armenian Armed Forces attempted to violate the Azerbaijan-Armenia state border. The Armenian group found itself in the ambush of the Azerbaijani army while violating the borders and suffered heavy losses. During the fighting, Gurbanov went missing. Later, it was clarified that he was killed by the Armenian Armed Forces and his body remained on the territory controlled by the Armenian Armed Forces. After the incident, the Azerbaijani side officially appealed to the Azerbaijani representation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), OSCE Minsk Group, as well as the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk in order to return the body. Despite this, the Armenian side for over a month refused to return the body. Eventually, Gurbanovs body was transferred to Azerbaijan on February 5 as a result of the regular measures undertaken by international organizations and relevant state agencies in accordance with the instructions of the President of Azerbaijan. After a farewell ceremony in Baku, Chingiz Gurbanov was buried in the Alley of Martyrs in Gusar. On February 7, President Ilham Aliyev signed an order conferring the title of National Hero of Azerbaijan upon Chingiz Gurbanov posthumously for his special services in protection of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and bravery shown while performing a combat mission. --- Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 9 March 2017 18:19 (UTC+04:00) By Rashid Shirinov An international scientific-practical conference "The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: origins, peacekeeping and the role of civil society" will be held in Baku on March 14. The issues of history, expansion of international dialogue, peacekeeping initiatives, as well as the Armenian-Azerbaijani dialogue to find the ways to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be the topics of the upcoming conference. The event is organized by the Caucasus History Center. Director of the Center, Rizvan Huseynov, told Day.az on March 9 that the conference will bring together scientists, politicians and public figures from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Canada, Ukraine, Sweden, Uzbekistan, as well as Armenian figures and researchers. In total, the event will involve more than 40 scientists and politicians from different countries, Huseynov said. The conference will also include representatives of the media, state structures of Azerbaijan, diplomatic missions and international organizations accredited in Baku. Huseynov said that the event will be held with the aim of expanding the Baku Peace Platform and attracting the political and scientific community of different countries to it. The Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Platform was founded on December 6 in Baku 2016 by a group of Azerbaijani and Armenian public figures and peacekeepers. It was created to bring together representatives of civil society of the two countries for creating dialogue between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the sides to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. However, this initiative was negatively perceived by the Armenian government, which started persecution of those Armenians who joined the Platform. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia still controls fifth part of Azerbaijan's territory and rejects implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts. --- Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Ethics Rules for White House Employees For White House staffers and even high level officials, there are strict ethical standards that are supposed to be followed. In fact, some of those ethical standards are codified in criminal laws. Among the most well known type of ethics crime occurs when an official accepts a bribe. Generally, the ethics rules seek to prevent government officials and employees from making decisions that they have a personal or financial stake in. This breaks out into two topics: conflicts of interest and personal financial interests. Not surprisingly though, the rules do contain enough leeway, and the executive branch is vested with enough power, that even clear conflicts can sometimes fly under the radar. Additionally, using a public office to garner publicity for private industry, such as by making an endorsement, even if no money is exchanged, is prohibited. Personal Financial Interest If a government official has a personal financial interest in a certain business or industry, there are specific rules requiring the official to disclose their interest. If the personal financial interest is deemed to be significant enough, then, usually, the official will be required to recuse themselves from the decision making process, program, committee, or other activity. However, if an official fails to make a required disclosure, there could be criminal penalties imposed. Conflicts of Interest Similarly to the financial interest rule above, having a personal conflict of interest can also disqualify an official from performing some function, or decision making. For instance, if an official's sibling, significant other, or close friend, has a financial interest, this could present a conflict of interest. Other examples include former employment in private industries, familial ties to private industry, or significant stock holdings by family. It should be noted that not all conflicts of interest will rise to the level of requiring recusal or disqualification. Endorsing Products or Services Government officials are prohibited from using their public office to endorse products or services from private industry. Recently, White House staffer Kellyanne Conway got in some hot water over her allegedly accidental endorsement of Ivanka Trump's product lines. Even if an official isn't paid for, or even asked to make, an endorsement, there are ethical concerns that the official is misusing their office for long-term, future gains. While Conway isn't expected to face any real sanction or criminal charges, the executive branch may want to reconsider the decision to cancel the required ethics course for staffers. Related Resources: 9 March 2017 12:29 (UTC+04:00) By Trend The Main Criminal Investigation Department of Azerbaijans Ministry of Internal Affairs has launched a criminal case under Article 263 (violation of traffic rules and vehicle operation) of the countrys Criminal Code over a road accident Mar. 9 morning on the Baku-Sumqayit highway, the Main Traffic Police Department of Azerbaijan told Trend Mar. 9. Sumqayit resident Namig Huseynov, the Ford Transit Minibus driver, who has caused the road accident, has been detained. The minibus en route from Baku to Sumqayit city collided with a truck, Trends correspondent reported earlier from the accident scene. The minibus was transporting students of the Sumqayit State University. The number of victims in the road accident has increased to five, over 20 people were injured. 12:29 About 17 injured in a road accident on March 9 morning on the Baku-Sumqayit highway were placed in the Sumqayit State Hospital, and four injured were taken to the Baku Clinical Medical Center, two of them are in serious condition, Safaya Ahmadova, head of the press service of Azerbaijans Health Ministry told Trend. One of the injured died right after admission to hospital, she said. Of the number of injured taken to the Sumqayit State Hospital, three were placed in the hospitals traumatology, six in the neurosurgery, three in the surgery department, two in the intensive care unit, and two were rendered outpatient care. Three injured (two from the Sumqayit City Hospital, one from the Baku Clinical Medical Center) were released home. Safaya Ahmadova added that currently, the leading specialists of Azerbaijans Health Ministry have been sent to the hospitals. 11:16 (GMT+4) The number of victims in a road accident Mar. 9 morning on the Baku-Sumqayit highway has increased to five, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Health told Trend. About 20 passengers received injuries and have been taken to hospitals, according to the ministry. The wounded are in fair condition. 10:15 (GMT+4) At least three people died and five received different types of injuries in a road accident Mar. 9 morning on the Baku-Sumqayit highway, Kamran Aliyev, head of the Public Relations Division of the Main Traffic Police Department of Azerbaijan, told Trend. The Ford Transit bus en route from Baku to Sumqayit city collided with a truck, Trends correspondent reported from the accident scene. The bus was transporting students of the Sumqayit State University. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 9 March 2017 11:22 (UTC+04:00) By Trend In an open letter to all members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Azerbaijani MP and PACE member Elkhan Suleymanov, president of the Association for Civil Society Development in Azerbaijan (ACSDA), called for wide-ranging reforms given the current dark atmosphere at the institution, the ACSDA said in a press release. Suleymanov said he felt compelled to write his letter following revelations by the Brussels think tank The European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center (ESISC), which on Monday published a comprehensive report (http://www.esisc.org/publications/analyses/11791) uncovering an Armenian Connection network inside PACE that has led a merciless propaganda campaign against Azerbaijan to benefit Armenia. The report titled The Armenian Connection: How a secret caucus of MPs and NGOs, since 2012, created a network within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to hide violations of international law says that these unilateral and untruthful attacks are the tool of a hidden political agenda: to defend Armenias illegal occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and to place the control of all Council of Europe activities in central and eastern Europe in the hands of a small clique that, despite appearances, hides its private interests behind the purview of the defense of human rights. Presenting facts, figures and photos, the 27-page ESISC investigation links some PACE members to Armenia or organizations associated with Armenians. These dangerous politics that associate MPs and larges NGOs must immediately stop, says the report. My country and I were at the receiving end of these attacks and anti-Azerbaijani collusion, Suleymanov said, detailing in his letter how a patchwork of fact and fantasy spread well-prepared slander all over the international media, unfortunately causing irreparable damage to PACE. In particular, he pointed out a Milan court decision, which decided not to bring any charges against Italian politician Luca Volonte, who had been investigated for allegedly accepting bribes by Azerbaijan. All PACE members without exception should respect the Rule of Law, which includes respecting the clear decision by the Milan court, which dropped all charges of corruption, Suleymanov demanded. Suleymanov concluded by noting that deliberately spreading false rumors of corruption is strongly undermining global credibility of the Assembly towards the outside world and new rules should urgently be adopted. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 9 March 2017 15:38 (UTC+04:00) By Laman Ismayilova Azerbaijani delegation led by Minister of Culture and Tourism Abulfas Garayev participates in the international ITB Berlin tourism exhibition in Germany. The Ministry reported that along with 16 local tourism companies and 5 hotels, the event brings together organizing committee of the Formula 1 Grand Prix to be held in Baku on June 23-25 and "Old City" State Historical-Architectural Reserve-Museum Center. Garayev and Azerbaijani Ambassador to Germany Ramin Hasanov attend the opening ceremony of the event. Azerbaijans 94-square-meter stand showcases the country`s tourism potential. Books, booklets and CDs in the Azerbaijani, German and English languages were distributed among the participants. The exhibition will last until March 12. ITB Berlin is the B2B-Platform for trade visitors an excellent opportunity to meet business partners and to do business. For all other visitors ITB Berlin is a wonderful possibility to discover the whole world within a few hours. Azerbaijans Ministry of Culture and Tourism and local tourism companies attended international ITB Berlin tourism exhibition, since 2004. In 2016, the number of tourists visiting the Land of Fire amounted to 2,242 million people and this is 11.7 percent more than in 2015. The majority of tourists came from Russia, Georgia, Turkey and Iran making up 33 percent, 22.5 percent, 13.9 percent and 10.9 percent, accordingly. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 9 March 2017 10:20 (UTC+04:00) By Laman Ismayilova Azerbaijans state oil fund SOFAZ has allocated more than $1.23 billion or 1.53 million Azerbaijani manats for the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) project in 2014-2016, says a report on the activity of Azerbaijans Cabinet of Ministers in 2016. The report says that in 2016, in order to finance the Azerbaijani governments share in the Southern Gas Corridor CJSC, SOFAZ transferred 797.4 million manats ($495.2 million) to the countrys Economy Ministry. Expenditures for this purpose accounted for 33.9 percent of SOFAZs planned budget. "The incomplete payment of funds, envisaged in the funds budget for the project, is explained by the attraction of $991.1 million in March 2016 by CJSC Southern Gas Corridor through placement of Eurobonds, denominated in foreign currency, on international financial markets on the basis of state guarantees," says the report. The transfer of payment of the second tranche on acquisition of a 10-percent stake in the Shah Deniz project for 2017, as well as the transfer of various payments on the TANAP and TAP projects for subsequent years can be mentioned among other factors that affected the financing of the CJSC share, according to the report. Under the document, as part of the financing of Azerbaijans share in projects of the CJSC Southern Gas Corridor, $1.232 billion or 1.53 billion manats were spent from SOFAZs budget during 2014-2016. The Southern Gas Corridor is one of the priority energy projects for the EU. It envisages the transportation of gas from the Caspian region to the European countries through Georgia and Turkey. At the initial stage, the gas to be produced as part of the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor projects. Other sources can also connect to this project at a later stage. As part of the Stage 2 of the Shah Deniz development, the gas will be exported to Turkey and European markets by expanding the South Caucasus Pipeline and the construction of Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline and Trans Adriatic Pipeline. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 9 March 2017 11:15 (UTC+04:00) By Kamila Aliyeva Top commanders of Turkey, the United States and Russia met in southern Antalya province of Turkey to mull deconfliction measures for their military operations against terror groups in Syria. Parties discussed regional security issues in Syria and Iraq, latest situation in fight against terror organizations primarily in Syria, said a statement issued by Turkish Armed Forces after the meeting. In a bid for more efficient struggle against all terror organizations, they also discussed extra measures to avoid unwanted incidents among three countries, said the statement. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim also said the Antalya meeting is aiming at coordination among militaries of the three countries in Syria. "If coordination cannot be achieved, there is risk of a conflict that we do not desire," Yildirim said at a press conference with his Jordanian counterpart. Turkey, Russia and the United States are all fighting against ISIS, though they support different camps and military tension remains because of Turkish opposition to the involvement of Syrian Kurdish militia. Ankara has conducted a military campaign inside Syria since late August and freed several towns near its border including Jarabulus, Al-Rai, Dabiq and Al-Bab. Armed conflict continues in Syria since March 2011. Government troops are confronted by militants of different armed rebel groups. Russia has begun airstrikes on terrorist facilities in Syria since 30 September 2015. The Russian military involvement follows an official request from President Bashar Assad to President Vladimir Putin. --- Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 9 March 2017 15:43 (UTC+04:00) By Kamila Aliyeva Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yldrm announced that the National Security Council is set to decide as to whether the nationwide state of emergency, implemented after the failed coup attempt in 2016, will be further extended. Yildirim, speaking to foreign media representatives in Ankara on March 9, said that the state of emergency in Turkey may be extended for additional three months. The state of emergency has earlier been extended for the third time in January 2017. The term of the emergency powers was due to expire next month. Yildirim said the state of emergency was declared to oust Gulen's followers from all parts of the state administration and state agencies. The July 15 coup attempt occurred when rogue elements in the Turkish military tried to overthrow the country's democratically elected government. Turkey's government announced that the deadly plot, which martyred at least 246 people and injured more than 2,000 others, was organized by followers of U.S.-based preacher Fetullah Gulen. Gulen is accused of leading a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the parallel state. --- Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 9 March 2017 16:45 (UTC+04:00) By Kamila Aliyeva This year Turkey is planning to perform deepsea drillings and seismic exploration of oil and natural gas resources in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak announced about this at the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston, Daily Sabah reported. ''As from 2017, we are starting to search for energy resources in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. We are planning on dedicating two vessels for the drillings,'' Albayrak said. Albayrak noted that the searches, which are currently operated by the Hayrettin Pasa Seismic Exploration Ship, will be upgraded with another ship. ''With the second ship being launched, Turkey will be actively conducting its exploration activities in multiple dimensions and with more advanced capabilities,'' Albayrak added. The energy minister also said that more than 60 percent of the world's oil and natural gas resources are located in the region close to Turkey. He emphasized that the country is entering a new era to realize new investments by taking significant steps in the energy sector. "Bordering with countries rich in energy resources, Turkey at the same time is the center of strength and stability in the region. Ankara is a responsible player and, taking into account its role in ensuring energy security, will continue active efforts in this direction, "Albayrak said. Turkey imported 46.35 billion cubic meters of gas last year, 38.72 billion cubic meters of which were imported through pipelines, and 7.63 billion cubic meters fell on LNG imports. Turkey imports gas from Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan. LNG suppliers to Turkey are realized from Algeria, Nigeria and other countries. Total oil consumption in Turkey at the end of 2015 was 835 million barrels per day.Compared to 2014, this indicator increased by 14 percent. Turkey's share in world oil consumption, which is 95 billion barrels per day, is 0.9 percent. For comparison, this is almost half of the total UK oil imports. Most of the oil coming to Turkey comes via two main routes - the Iraq-Yumurtalik and Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipelines. Some 42 percent of imported oil comes from Iraq, 20 percent from Iran, and about 10 percent or more from Russia and Saudi Arabia. --- Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 9 March 2017 17:57 (UTC+04:00) By Kamila Aliyeva Russias cooperation in construction of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant will determine the partnership with Turkey in the nuclear sphere for the next hundred years. Kirill Komarov, First Deputy CEO for Corporate Development and International Business of the Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation made the remark while speaking at the Russian-Turkish public forum on March 9, RIA Novosti reported. The Russian side realizes the responsibility for the implementation of this project and it is not just a new source necessary for the development of the country, it is a project that gives impetus to improving the national infrastructure, he said. The Turkish side honored us by entrusting Russia the implementation of the first project in the territory of Turkey. We are perfectly aware that for almost the next hundred years we will be connected by this project, he added. He further noted stressed that the task is not only to build the safest, modern and efficient nuclear power plant, but also to build appropriate relations with the Turkish society. Russian Ambassador at Large Eleonora Mitrofanova, addressing the event, also noted that Moscow is interested in "further promoting strategic energy projects such as the construction of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline and the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Turkey." Moscow and Ankara signed an agreement to construct and operate Turkeys first nuclear power plant at the Akkuyu site in May 2010. As many as 35 billion kWh per year are expected to be produced by the plant. The project of the Turkish first nuclear power plant includes four water-water energetic reactors. The capacity of each energy unit of the nuclear power plant to stand at 1,200 MW. The project's cost is some $20 billion. In December 2014, the Ministry of Environment and Urban Development of Turkey approved a report on environmental impact assessment. The ceremony of laying the foundation for the offshore structures of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant was held in April 2015. The construction of the NPP was frozen after the crisis in relations between Turkey and Russia. The implementation of the Akkuyu and Turkish Stream nuclear power plant projects will also be discussed at a meeting of the presidents of the countries --Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan on March 10. --- Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 9 March 2017 16:09 (UTC+04:00) By Amina Nazarli Regional neighbors- Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan - will launch a joint pilot tourist product Great Silk Road this April. Marat Igaliyev, Director of the Tourism Department at the Kazakh Ministry for Investments and Development announced that the project will be realized within the framework of the Turkic Council. This issue was discussed at the 7th UNWTO Silk Road Ministers' Meeting at ITB in Berlin, he wrote on his Facebook page. The route that will be jointly developed and promoted will take 12 days, according to Igaliyev. The Great Silk Road bringing together two different worlds the East and the West- could not but leave a trace in the history of political, economic and cultural development of the countries through which it passed. Travelers, merchants and missionaries exchanged cultural, scientific, educational and spiritual values. Azerbaijan was on the path of this Road and made a significant contribution to the development of this global transit network. Bilateral land and sea routes linked Azerbaijan with China, Syria, India, Asia Minor, Iran, Egypt, Russia, the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa and Europe. Situated on the Great Silk Road, and divided partially between Eastern Europe and Western Asia, Azerbaijan blended the best from both cultures, forming its own unique rich culture, thats why its people are neither totally Eastern, nor totally Western. The Silk Road in Azerbaijan passes several cities and settlements in the north-western direction, including, Baku, Shamakhi, Basgal, Lagich, Gabala, Sheki and others. Today tourism is developing with high speed in Azerbaijan, with a contribution of 4.5 percent to the national GDP. The country witnesses more than 2 million annual foreign tourist arrivals and thousands of domestic tourism visits. After simplification of the visa procedure and issuing them in the national airports for citizens from Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Japan, China, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore in 2016 the flow of tourists from these directions increased. One of Azerbaijans strongest assets for tourism development is its service culture Azerbaijanis are famous for their hospitality. This culture is best reflected in the hotel and restaurant sectors. There are more than 500 hotels in Azerbaijan, while the capital hosts the worlds leading hotel chains. Last year, 35 hotels were built in the country, while 25 are under construction. -- Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Robbo Mills writes, "Here's the poster for the 1941 film 'Mister V,' directed by and starring Leslie Howard. I love the look of it with his defiant pose and the big red iconic V. Mister V was the title used for the US release of the film. It's best known by the original British title: 'Pimpernel Smith' being a riff on a previous Leslie Howard film 'The Scarlett Pimpernel.' Howard himself is better known as Ashley Wilkes in "Gone With The Wind" but his work as a propagandist for Britain during the war leaves us with much more than faux Hollywood southern charm. Long before Alan Moore's "V For Vendetta" and Ken Johnson's mini-series "V", there was this film that set the stage for inspiring resistance so necessary during WWII. Raoul Wallenberg credited Pimpernel Smith with prompting him to engage in the rescue of tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews during the Nazi Holocaust. Yes, there's a lot that's quaint and dated about any black & white film from the early half of the previous century but the core, the heart, of this film still beats like a drum calling others to action. And Howard's soliloquy near the end when he has been captured and is about to be shot still sends chills running down my spine. The film is in the public domain and freely available all over the interwebs including Archive.org and the YouToobs. Enjoy and resist. Donald Trump's new FCC boss, Ajit Pai, has nuked an Obama-era rule that banned ISPs from selling off your browsing data, location, financial and health information, children's information, Social Security Number and contents of your messages, without your permission. The now-defunct rule also required ISPs to notify you when they got hacked and your sensitive personal information got out into the wild. Just to be sure that this rule never comes back, Senate Republicans have introduced a resolution that invalidates the old FCC rule and bans the FCC from ever imposing a rule of this nature. The resolution was authored by Senator Jeff Flake [R-AZ, Twitter, email, DC office 202-224-4521, Phoenix office 602-840-1891, Tuscon office 520-575-8633] and backed by 23 other Republicans. Senator Flake says that he will "protect consumers from overreaching Internet regulation" and his rule "empowers consumers to make informed choices on if and how their data can be shared." He didn't explain how that would work, though. The privacy order had several major components. The requirement to get the opt-in consent of consumers before sharing information covered geo-location data, financial and health information, children's information, Social Security numbers, Web browsing history, app usage history, and the content of communications. This requirement is supposed to take effect on December 4, 2017. The rulemaking had a data security component that required ISPs to take "reasonable" steps to protect customers' information from theft and data breaches. This was supposed to take effect on March 2, but the FCC under newly appointed Chairman Ajit Pai halted the rule's implementation. Another set of requirements related to data breach notifications is scheduled to take effect on June 2. GOP senators' new bill would let ISPs sell your Web browsing data [Jon Brodkin/Ars Technica] These eyelash-sized bits of minerals found in rock from northern Quebec may be the oldest traces of life ever found. The tubes of hematite are 4.28 billion years old, beating out 3.7 billion year old microbial remains found in Greenland. Nadia Drake tells the story at National Geographic: The microfossils also lend support to the idea that the warm, watery, mineral-rich neighborhoods around submerged vents are prime places for life to emerge, whether on this planet, on the seafloors of icy moons, or elsewhere in the universe. "If indeed their analyses and interpretations are correct, then life arose rapidly on Earth, soon after the planet itself began to stabilize," says astrobiologist Kevin Hand of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "As the froth of geology began to cool, biology established its role as a planetary process." But while the fossils are clad in iron, they might not be iron-clad evidence of ancient life. Some scientists doubt that they are the remains of microbes at all. Others note that the age of the crystals cradling the potential microfossils is controversial, and the structures may be more than a billion years younger than reported. Tropicasa Realty Hosts Open House at Villa Nemi Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - On Saturday, March 11 from 10 am to 12 pm, Tropicasa Realty agent Alfonso Davalos will be hosting an open house at Villa Nemi Eco-Villa, a one-of-a-kind environmentally-responsible living experience, close to the Romantic Zone on the south side of Puerto Vallarta. The creation of Max Living and Design, Villa Nemi uses the natural flow and grade of the property along a jungle-lined hillside in Amapas to accentuate the incredible ocean views from every point. The villa was constructed using re-purposed, local or sustainable materials. Villa Nemi takes green luxury to a higher level with 15 solar panels, which operate all the bedrooms while the entire property is connected to City electricity. The 15 solar panels afford significant savings on electricity bills. Repurposed shipping containers are the building blocks for all of the bedrooms, the bright and open living/dining space and even the swimming pool of Villa Nemi. Given its ideal hillside location, the home was designed to take advantage of the natural air flow for year-round comfort. However, energy-efficient individual air conditioning units cool the bedrooms and the spa room off the pool. The 40-foot swimming pool is a natural ecosystem of plant life along with sand filters and UV pumps, creating a safe, holistic swimming experience. No chemicals or salt are used in the process. An outdoor bar and lounge area as well as expansive decking is an excellent place to gather during the day or the evenings. Additional features of this 7 bedroom, 9 bath, fully-furnished home include parking for 3-4 cars, grey water collection, filtration and distribution throughout the grounds, and the potential for expansion of additional rooms. Villa Nemi is suitable not only as a private residence, but uniquely positioned in the market to be a successful B&B or boutique hotel. This 7 bedroom, 9 bath, fully-furnished, eco-friendly home must be seen to be truly appreciated, so join Alfonso on Saturday, March 11 from 10 am to 12 pm, because there's simply no nicer place to be in PV! For more information and photos, click HERE. For a location map, visit the Open House at Villa Nemi event page on Facebook. The recent barrage of ransomware attacks on businesses and government agencies is increasingly alarming. Over the past couple of years, several prominent organizations have been cut off from their data and forced to pay significant sums to unencrypt it. Unfortunately, the problem appears to be getting worse. One organization thats taking aim at the problem is the Barnstable Police Department in Massachusetts. The agency, which serves the 50,000-plus citizens in the Cape Cod community with about 130 officers and employees, has migrated to a more robust data backup system. Everyone is concerned about infections, and no entity is impervious to attacks, states Craig Hurwitz, IT director for the Barnstable Police Department. The best defense against ransomware is a solid set of backups that render an attack useless. In the past, the police department relied on a basic storage appliance with a backup agent. The previous device was originally intended to expand storage space as data requirements grew, Hurwitz recalls. The system essentially backed up all data, but it didnt provide necessary visibility and controls. It also lacked clear recovery point objectives (RPOs) and recovery time objectives (RTOs). As a result, finding specific data or rolling back a system to a specific time was next to impossible. We had very limited feature sets and capabilities, he says. Improve Recovery Times, Speed Processes, Simplify Access Thats no longer the case. In May 2015, the Barnstable Police Department turned to Reduxios HX550 storage systems with BackDating to improve recovery times, speed processes and simplify access to important applications for patrol officers and staff. The Reduxio device serves as the primary storage solution for hundreds of virtual application servers and desktops, which were migrated from legacy systems. Hurwitz says that the BackDating feature offers one-second recovery intervals, allowing the police department to restore its data to the exact moment before a breach. In fact, a subsequent ransomware attack was rendered useless. After data inside systems began to appear in an encrypted state, the IT staff was able to shut things down and revert to a validated backup set. A full restore process took only about 30 minutes, and the police department was able to avoid paying the ransom. Hurwitz says the system also provides other advantages. If someone accidentally deletes a file or a database, we can find the clone and reinstall it, he explains. The technology offers a great deal of flexibility. We are able to restore entire volumes or go as granular as a single file. Moreover, Hurwitz says that the network-attached storage device is simple to manage and use. There are no command lines and esoteric instructions to enter, he points out. Whats more, the transition from the old system to the new was seamless. We just plugged in the new system, set up the parameters and began using it, Hurwitz says. Once we had a backup set, we unplugged the old device. It was a seamless transition. I returned from my recent trip to Vienna bringing back not only an obsession with Johann Georg Pinsel, but also with Isabella von Parma (1741-1763), who lived at the same time as the mysterious 18th century sculptor. Isabella was one of the most remarkable personalities of the 18th century, admired for her achievements in art, music, and philosophy. The reason I became fascinated with her, however, was an excerpt from a letter she wrote to her sister-in-law, Marie Christine of Austria. I am told that the day begins with God. I, however, begin the day by thinking of the object of my love, for I think of her incessantly. I am once again struck by the narrow lenses through which we see women in history. In many books Isabella is repeatedly described as mad, tragic, or odd. People search for the roots of her melancholy moods in the family tree and discuss at length the mental problems of her father and her mothers cold attitude. What about the fact that princesses in the 18th century were little more than breeding mares, and Isabella had half a dozen miscarriages during her short marriage to Joseph II of Austria? The couple was under enormous pressure to produce a male offspring to the Hapsburgs. In a letter to Marie Christine, she writes, What should the daughter of a great prince expect? Her fate is unquestionably most unhappy. Born the slave of the peoples prejudices, she finds herself subjected to this weight of honours, these innumerable etiquettes attached to greatness In the end the effort is made to establish her. There she is condemned to abandon everything, her family, her countryand for whom? For an unknown person, whose character and manner of thinking she does not know sacrifice to a supposed public good, but in fact rather to the wretched policy of a minister who can find no other way for the two dynasties to form an alliance which he pronounces indissolubleand which, immediately it seems advantageous, is broken off* Joseph, it must be said, experienced similar anxieties on the eve of his marriage, a desire for companionship mixed with the apprehension of marrying someone he hasnt even seen. But Joseph was taken with Isabella, especially with her erudition, wit and learning, even if he remained too immature to fully appreciate her. Remember, he was the same emperor who complained to Mozart that his music had too many notes. By the time she was twenty, she was already impressively accomplished, having had written several treatises on education, philosophy and military strategy. She wrote music and directed plays, painted and created interior designs, some of which can still be seen at the Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna. The complex and rich personality of Isabella comes best of all in the letters she shared with Marie Christine between 1760 and 1763. The confusion which reigns in a certain drawer which lives in my room, where are to be found together and without rhyme or reason a political tract, a pile of letters, a comic opera, a vaudeville, a treatise on education, a clavier part, some moral reflections. A sermon jostles a treatise on all types of foolishness, prayers are mixed up in a paper devoted to declaring my love to you, letters from the emperor muddle up with letters of a hundred persons who are indifferent to me, and with those letters which are so dear to me and constitute the sweetness of my life.* Historians debate whether the relationship between Isabella and Marie Christine was more than platonic, but it seems like an irrelevant discussion to me. Prince Albert, Marie Christines husband, collected and preserved the letters after his wifes death as proof of Marie Christine being friends with such a brilliant personality as Isabella. (Apart from one letter, Marie Christines correspondence didnt survive.) But love can come in many forms and Isabellas letters are full of passion. When I read them, everything around me recedes, and all Im conscious of is the strength of her emotion and longing. I am writing you again, cruel sister, though I have only just left you. I cannot bear waiting to know my fate, and to learn whether you consider me a person worthy of your love, or whether you would like to throw me into the river. I can think of nothing but that I am deeply in love. If I only knew why this is so, for you are so without mercy that one should not love you, but I cannot help myself. My dear angel, my most precious treasure, my consolation, says Isabelle to Marie Christine. I am madly in love with you, virtuously or diabolically, I love you and I will love you to the grave. Isabella lived but for a short time after writing that letter. She contracted smallpox and passed away at the age of twenty two. Realizing that she would soon die, she wrote to Marie Christine offering advice on how to navigate the complicated court life of Vienna and win the confidence of Maria Theresa. Isabellas death left the entire royal family in morning for far longer than etiquette required, and Joseph never fully recovered from losing his wife and companion. As for Marie Christine, she must have followed Isabellas advice, because she was the only one of Maria Theresas daughters to make a love marriage. Her suitor was Prince Albert of Saxony (1738-1822), a handsome and impeccably educated man, but with neither riches nor throne. Their marriage was very happy, and with Marie Christines generous income, the couple amassed an impressive collection of art, now at the Albertina in Vienna, and build a palace in Brussels, where they resided until the revolution in 1792. The Royal Castle of Laeken is the current residence of the Belgian royal family. Unfortunately, Isabellas letters arent translated into English, and the only full version is Je meurs damour pour toi Lettres de Isabelle de Bourbon-Parme a larchiduchesse Marie-Christine 1760-1763. Edition etablie par Elisabeth Badinter. La Lettre et la Plume. Editions Tallandier, 2008. The women like most of the European nobility at the time used French, although a couple of Isabellas letters are written in German. Another source is Hrasky Josef. Die Personlichkeit der Infantin Isabella von Parma, Mittelungen des osterreichischen Straatsarchivs. 12. Wien, 1959, although Hrasky suppressed some of the raunchier letters. The princesses were not above discussing such mundane matters as hemorrhoids and chamber pots. *The translated quotes I used in this article come from the excellent biography of Joseph II by Derek Beales, pp. 72-76. First image: Isabella von Parma by Jean-Marc Nattier. Second: by Anton Raphael Mengs. The Lakeland Police Department said its officers acted appropriately during an arrest captured on video Tuesday evening. Shevanski Green is accused of robbery Officers had to subdue Green, who they say was resisting Green was taken to hospital, expected to be OK Lakeland PD posted video on Facebook Shevanski Green is accused of robbing a Save-A-Lot store on George Jenkins Boulevard and then causing disturbances at several nearby businesses. Green is seen on Lakeland Police dashboard-camera video sitting in a median with an officer standing near him. Then Green is seen trying to take down the officer.That's when a number of officers try to subdue Green, who was resisting. A short time later, Green stopped breathing, and officers can be seen performing CPR. Green was taken to a hospital, and police said he is expected to be OK. "Now he was wrong for even reaching for the policeman. He was wrong for that," said Green's mother, Linda Henry. Henry said Green has several mental health and drug problems. She watched the dash-cam video and was upset an officer had his knee on Green. She thinks that may have led to his medical emergency. "This man is 300 pounds. He got on my child with his knee in his back," she said. Lakeland Police spokesman Gary Gross said the officer did the right thing in the arrest, and he said witnesses back up what is seen on the video. "They heard the verbal commands," Gross said. "They repeatedly said they heard the officers say, 'stop resisting, don't move,' and everything that took place. So we dont see anything on the video that is out of place. Everything matches what the witnesses said." Gross said officers were in a dangerous situation with a man acting out of his mind. "There are two times police officers are usually killed: during a domestic disturbance or dealing with the mentally ill," he said. Like every other driver competing in this weekend's Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Verizon IndyCar series driver Charlie Kimball has his sights set on crossing the finish line first. Unlike other drivers, however, Kimball's race preparation involves a little more planning and equipment, as he suffers from diabetes. Kimball diagnosed with diabetes in 2007 Kimball and pit crew monitor his blood sugar levels while he's racing Team uses specialized equipment to monitor levels from pit lane Kimball was diagnosed with diabetes in 2007. At the time, he wasn't sure he could continue his racing career. Ten years later, he's still behind the wheel, driving the number 83 car for Chip Ganassi Racing. "The mechanics spend so much time making sure the race car is ready to go, and with diabetes its even more important that I spend that same amount of effort and time into my body making that sure my blood sugar is where I want it I have the right nutrition," said Kimball. It starts from the moment I get up in the morning, when Im having breakfast, taking my insulin, managing my blood sugar so that when I get in the car, all Im thinking about is driving and hopefully winning. Kimball has specialized equipment to help him and his pit crew monitor his blood sugar while he's racing at speeds up to 235 miles per hour, all without having to take his hands off the wheel. "I have a sensor on my body and it transmits to a display wall," said Kimball. "The displays plugged into the cars data system so on my dash right here Ive got speed, lap time, oil pressure, blood sugar, water temperature, gear, my car and body data right there together. Not only can I see it in the race car, but my engineers and mechanics can see it in pit lane, as well." Proper hydration is another concern. While most drivers have one drink bottle in their cars. Kimball has two. "One full of water to stay hydrated and a second one is full of orange juice with extra sugar in it," said Kimball. "Those two bottles come together in a valve thats mounted right on my seatbelt. From that valve a tube runs into my helmet, just like a long straw." The green flag for Kimball and all the other Indycar drivers in the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is set to drop at 12:52 p.m. Sunday. Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn will not run for governor in 2018. Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn won't run for Florida governor in 2018 Buckhorn cites family issues for not running More political news Buckhorn, 58, has decided not to seek the Democratic nomination for Florida governor next year. The mayor made the announcement on his social media accounts early Thursday. "I can not tell you how honored I have been by the hundreds of people who have encouraged me to run for Governor," Buckhorn began in a statement posted to his Facebook page. "Your kind words and offers of support inspired me throughout this process and I am forever grateful for your willingness to join me on this journey. "That being said, I am not planning to be a candidate for Governor in 2018. While I absolutely believe that the State of Florida needs a course correction and a new direction, the timing for me and my family would be a challenge." As the father of two daughters who are 15 and 11, the all consuming task of running for Governor would cause me to miss the milestones in their lives that I could never get back." In a news conference Thursday morning, Buckhorn said: "I tried really hard to get to yes, but just couldn't get there." My decision on the Florida Governor's race . . . https://t.co/5viQ4sBBB5 pic.twitter.com/dgURJEI9ip Bob Buckhorn (@BobBuckhorn) March 9, 2017 Buckhorn's name had long been mentioned as a possible candidate for the governor's office. With Buckhorn stepping aside, other names move ahead when discussing the Democratic primary: Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum has already announced his candidacy. Other possible candidates: U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham of Tallahassee, Orlando lawyer John Morgan and Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine. Buckhorn, meanwhile, will focus on finishing his second term as mayor 2019. A special assistant to then Tampa Mayor Sandra Freedman in 1995, Buckhorn also served as a Tampa City Councilman in the late 90s. He also ran a public affairs firm before becoming Tampa mayor in 2011. Mayor Bob Buckhorn's full statement: Friends-- I can not tell you how honored I have been by the hundreds of people who have encouraged me to run for Governor. Your kind words and offers of support inspired me throughout this process and I am forever grateful for your willingness to join me on this journey. That being said, I am not planning to be a candidate for Governor in 2018. While I absolutely believe that the State of Florida needs a course correction and a new direction, the timing for me and my family would be a challenge. As the father of two daughters who are 15 and 11, the all consuming task of running for Governor would cause me to miss the milestones in their lives that I could never get back. Furthermore, I have a job that I love. A job unlike many jobs in politics requires that I show up and do what I was hired to do. As the CEO of 4400 great city employees, we are focused on furthering the amazing transformation of Tampa that has occurred over the last 6 years. It is a job that I trained for, aspired to and am eternally grateful to the citizens of Tampa who gave me this opportunity. For me, finishing Tampa's next chapter is more important than starting mine. Absent extenuating circumstances, I intend to finish the job I was hired to do and prepare Tampa for the great things that are about to occur. I am confident that there will be a number of good candidates on the Democratic side that can speak to the hopes and aspirations of our fellow Floridians. This is a pivotal election for our state and I stand ready to lend my voice to those who would articulate a message that would unite us as a state behind a common vision that ensures that we leave Florida to our children, not a state of diminished possibilities, but a state of unlimited opportunities. Thank you, Bob Smelly 'Globster' of a Dead Whale Will Be Left to Oregon Coast Wildlife Published 03/08/2017 at 7:03 PM PDT By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff (Warrenton, Oregon) A 36-foot sperm whale in a particularly nasty state of decay has hit one north Oregon coast beach this week and plans are for it to stay there and let nature take its course. (Photos courtesy Seaside Aquarium). Commonly known as a globster - a rotting corpse of a whale that is often barely recognizable it came ashore around Warrenton on Monday morning. The body is just north of the wreck of the Peter Iredale in an area where the beach narrows and where there may not be as much sand as there appears to be. This is one reason why the foul-smelling globster won't be buried and will instead be left as food for local wildlife. Crews from the Seaside Aquarium and Oregon State Parks and Recreation (OPRD) responded on Monday once it hit the beach. Aquarium crews part of the Marine Mammal Stranding Network took measurements, gathered other data and removed the jaw for further testing and a necropsy. Above: pools of whale oil in the water around the whale The sperm whale had been dead for some time, and aquarium manager Keith Chandler said its smell was not pleasant. Still, its body was not missing sections as many long-deceased sea mammals do when they strand. As for the rest of the carcass, it is going to remain on the beach for nature to take its course, said the aquarium's Tiffany Boothe. By not burying the carcass shorebirds and raptors will be able to feast on this fatty-rich food. Leaving the carcass on the beach is really good for the beach ecosystem. Chandler said this is a natural approach that OPRD is trying to utilize whenever possible. Since this area is rather isolated, with little foot traffic, and it's a spot where the sand may not be as deep as it looks, Chandler said this approach just made sense. If it was a busier place like on Seaside or Cannon Beach we would bury them, Chandler said. Indeed, Boothe said that while crews were present many birds started feeding on the body of the whale. In the small time we were there we witnessed bald eagles, western gulls, ravens, and even a small fork-tailed storm-petrel scavenging on the carcass, Boothe said. The petrel was actually sipping the whale oil off the top of the water which had pooled up around the head of the animal. Sperm whale carcasses have been quite rare on the Oregon coast in recent years. The last one on the northern part of the coast that the aquarium staff dealt with was in 2012. There were a handful of others between 2006 and 2010. Aquarium crews knew about the whale a couple of days in advance, Boothe said. U.S. Coast Guard crews spotted it last week off Newport. It then began moving northward and was reported on Sunday by the Coast Guard as drifting about four miles off Camp Rilea. Boothe said drift models suggested it would wash up between the camp and the Columbia River, and it did exactly that. Officials urge you not to touch the carcass of the whale as doing so could make you sick. The same warning holds for dogs. It is also illegal to remove any part of a whale. Lodging in Astoria/Seaside - Where to eat - Maps and 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 This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate One of the most fascinating services that the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department offers up to Texas residents is a peek into their game warden field notes. The stories always range from the strange like a family leaving cremated remains at a state park on accident to semi-tragic, like a hunter shooting himself in the foot while unloading a prized deer. FROM SUMMER 2016: Texas game warden field notes never fail to entertain The latest set from the first month and a half of 2017 features hunting braggarts getting taken down via social media, hunters firing from their cars and a guy selling a falcon. The usual. Some of the cases are still pending and the suspects are awaiting their court dates. For now though, you can read about what went down, for better or worse. Many of the stories deal with poaching, which game wardens in this state don't cotton to. Most people don't know that Texas game wardens are allowed to enter public and private property to enforce game laws. They can go any place where animals under state jurisdiction are known to exist. FROM WINTER 2015: Tales from Texas game warden field notes In Texas' wild kingdom, that would be pretty much any property. While on that property they can and may ask to inspect any receptacles where game is known to be stored. They have the same powers, privileges, and immunities as peace officers in Texas, according to state law, and they carry the same authority as a sheriff to arrest suspects. The department should pull together the best stories of the year for a book, or at least a reality show on the Outdoor Channel. You can see some of the most interesting stories in the gallery above and read more about what it's like to be a Texas game warden in this HoustonChronicle.com piece from last summer. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Classes will resume Friday after a the body of a student believed to be enrolled at Atascocita High School was found at Oaks Elementary School, the Humble School District said in a letter to parents on Thursday afternoon. A jogger spotted the body of an unidentified male near a fence line in the back area of the Humble ISD school at about 6:10 a.m. March 9, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office. In the afternoon letter, the school district confirmed the victim is believed to be a student from Atascocita High School. The person appears to have died from suicide, the sheriff's office said. No foul play is suspected. As of mid-morning Thursday, Humble ISD had not confirmed the identity of the male, district spokeswoman Jamie Mount said. Humble ISD officials referred to the person as an adult male in a letter sent to parents of Oaks Elementary students early Thursday morning. The sheriff's office has since released a statement that only referred to the person as a male, not specifying that he was an adult. The following letter was sent to parents of Oaks Elementary students Thursday afternoon: "School will be held tomorrow, Friday, March 10, with all activities continuing as usual. Because children find regular routines comforting, our goal will be to keep the school day as normal as possible. Our school will keep all student holidays and early release days in place for the rest of the year, but will be required by the state to make up for the time that we were closed. We will be lengthening the school day by 10 minutes beginning the Monday after Spring Break. From March 20, and continuing through the end of the year, our regular school hours will be 7:55 a.m. to 3:25 p.m. It saddens us all that our campus was the scene of a tragedy early Thursday morning when a body was found on the campus grounds. Initially, it was believed to be an adult male. It is now believed to be a student enrolled at Atascocita High School. Due to the sensitive nature of this situation, teachers will not be discussing this with classes. If students have questions, they will be addressed on an individual basis. Our school will have additional counselors on hand to provide support as needed. As always, please let school staff know if you have concerns about your child." KHOU reports by the time the body was found at 6 a.m., some staff had already started to arrive for the day. A few parents with children also arrived on campus later in the morning to find law enforcement surrounding the school. Police and authorities will continue their investigation on campus throughout the day. An update and information about resources to help with grief will be provided to parents later this afternoon. Oaks Elementary is expected to be open tomorrow, Mount said. A Dickinson girl's dramatic 1990 abduction survival story will bring this Houston suburb into the spotlight as a "48 Hours" feature on CBS this Saturday. When she was 8 years old, Jennifer Schuett was abducted from her bedroom, raped, and violently dragged through a field. Shuett's attacker, Dennis Earl Bradford, slit her throat and left her for dead in the field, where she lay naked, bleeding and motionless as fire ants crawled all over her. Children playing in the field found Schuett about 14 hours after Bradford left the scene. After the attack, Schuett, who still lives in the area as an adult, was afraid of men and police because Bradford had lied to her and told her he was a police officer, she told CBS. She began taking notes on her kidnapper while she was still in the hospital and provided a detailed description to a forensic sketch artist. "Every day, growing up in the town of Dickinson, was like, I was on a hunt looking for a suspect, thinking it could be anyone," Schuett said as part of Saturday's episode. "This could be our new neighbor. This could be someone at the post office, someone at the grocery store. Is he watching us? Is he going to come back and finish me off?" Nearly two decades after the kidnapping, Dickinson Police Det. Tim Cromie and FBI Special Agent Richard Rennison found DNA evidence that linked Bradford to the attack in October 2009. The suspect, a Dickinson High School graduate, had already been convicted in another kidnapping in Hot Springs, Ark. in 1999. "I really wanted to be part of the solving of my own case," Schuett told CBS. "I wanted to help because I was the only living witness. And I wanted to go to trial and see this through to the end. I wanted to be able to face the person that wanted to silence me, and show them that I came out victorious." Bradford's trial was never completed because he hanged himself in his cell on Dec. 5, 2010 in the Galveston County Jail. The "48 Hours" series typically focuses on victims who are dead, CBS News spokesman Richard Huff said. However, Schuett's story will be part of a segment called "Live to Tell," that highlights victims who escaped their attackers. "Live to Tell: Afraid of the Dark" will air Saturday, March 11 at 9 p.m. Central on CBS. People around the world are celebrating International Women's Day. Some are taking to the streets to march, others are staying home from work as part of a general strike. But just about everyone is tweeting about it. President Donald Trump used his favorite form of social media to honor the role of women in America (which in true Twitter fashion, drew many sarcastic responses). Several "persons of interest" have been identified following an afternoon shooting that sent one man to the hospital, according to information provided by the Orange Police Department. The 24-year-old victim was alert and responsive to officers that were dispatched to the intersection of 10th Street and Rein Avenue around 12:08 P.M. today, the department said. He was taken by ambulance to a Beaumont hospital, where he was treated and released for a gunshot wound to the shoulder. Anyone with information is urged to contact OPD at (409) 833-1026. President Trump's new travel ban is designed to keep terrorists out of the country. Let's hope it doesn't keep doctors out of Southeast Texas. The two issues are more intertwined than most Texans realize. This doesn't just affect New York City or Washington, D.C. The impact could be felt closer to home, in places like Anahuac. That's where Iranian-born Dr. Hossein Yazdan practices, and it's no accident that he works in Chambers County. He chose that option to satisfy the conditions of his J-1 visa waiver, which allows international doctors to remain in the U.S. if they work in medically underserved areas. The commitment was for three years, though Dr. Yazdan has stayed for two decades. Most of his patients don't care about his heritage. They understand - and appreciate - that he is one of only two primary-care physicians in town. It's not an unusual story. In many parts of Texas, the only practicing physicians are foreign-born. Thirty-five of Texas' 254 counties have no doctors. More than half - about 150 - have no critical specialists like general surgeons, psychiatrists or gynecologists. Foreign-born doctors can clearly reduce the social and economic effect of that shortage - if they can get into the U.S. And doctors from the six countries affected by the president's new travel ban provide 14 million appointments nationwide each year, according to one study. Republican members of Congress from Texas need to keep these facts in mind. They can influence the new administration or point out unintended consequences of a complex policy like the travel ban. Texas needs an estimated 13,000 doctors just to bring the state in line with the national average of physicians-per-resident. If foreign medical students can't get into this country to study, or think they aren't welcome, that problem becomes more challenging. Many rural areas like Chambers County voted heavily for Trump in the presidential election. They want the new president to accomplish many things, but making a doctor shortage worse isn't one of them. America's Essential Hospitals, which represents hospitals and health systems caring for disproportionately poor patients, said Republicans' ACA replacement plan could harm safety-net hospitals, according to a March 8 letter to two House committees. In its letter, AEH said it is "disappointed" in the short timeframe from when the bill was released Monday to when the Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means Committees began considering the bill Wednesday. Here are four takeaways from AEH's letter. 1. While AEH said it will continue to collaborate with committee members on the bill, the association asks legislators to "refrain from further action until you have received a score and coverage estimates from the Congressional Budget Office." 2. Last month AEH outlined key provisions it would like to see in an ACA replacement bill, which it included in the letter. They are: Ensuring individuals who can gain healthcare coverage maintain access to that coverage Recognizing "the counter-cyclical nature of Medicaid" and refraining from transferring higher healthcare costs to providers, states and local governments Maintaining safety-net hospitals' "ability to provide essential community service" to uninsured and underinsured patients 3. In regards to the AHCA, the association said the bill does not meet the organization's first two principles of healthcare reform. Specifically, AEH said it is concerned the legislation will cause more individuals to lose Medicaid coverage. However, the association said the AHCA aims to meet its third principle, but falls short because it does not eliminate all Medicaid disproportionate share hospital cuts. 4. Additionally, AEH said proposed tax credits for individual health plans, which range from $2,000 to $4,000 depending on a person's age, are "substantially below the actual costs of purchasing a comprehensive healthcare plan." The association said millions of Americans may no longer be able to purchase coverage and, as a result, its safety-net hospitals will see more uncompensated care. More articles on leadership: Layoffs on the table at Methodist Hospital in Kentucky NorthShore University HealthSystem - Advocate HealthCare merger scrapped: 3 less discussed thoughts House panels to debate ACA replacement, Dems and conservatives hurl criticism By Wednesday, every major hospital entity in the U.S. expressed opposition to the American Health Care Act unveiled by GOP leaders Monday. Here are four things to know. Editor's note: To read 10 key points of the bill, see Becker's breakdown here. To #readthebill in full, as House Republicans are encouraging, download the 123-page document here. 1. In a March 8 letter to Congress, seven major hospital organizations said they "cannot support" the bill as it is currently written. Those organizations include America's Essential Hospitals, the American Hospital Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Catholic Health Association of the United States, Children's Hospital Association, the Federation of American Hospitals and the National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems. 2. Although the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has not yet scored the legislation (which would provide an estimate of the number of uninsured or insured under its provisions), the associations said the AHCA in its current form will create "tremendous instability" for Americans looking to purchase affordable health plans. The associations said based on their assessment, "it is likely [the bill will] result in a substantial reduction in the number of Americans able to buy affordable health insurance or maintain coverage under the Medicaid program." 3. Additionally, the associations said the AHCA's proposed reforms to Medicaid will leave current beneficiaries without coverage and decrease hospitals' funding to treat elderly, pediatric and disabled patients. "Maintaining deep provider reductions while dramatically reducing coverage will reduce our ability to provide essential care to those newly uninsured and those without adequate insurance," the associations said. 4. The organizations added they "look forward working with" Congress as the healthcare reform process continues. More articles on leadership: Layoffs on the table at Methodist Hospital in Kentucky NorthShore University HealthSystem - Advocate HealthCare merger scrapped: 3 less discussed thoughts House panels to debate ACA replacement, Dems and conservatives hurl criticism Mary Hoppa, MD, a senior consultant at The Greeley Company, has helped hundreds of healthcare organizations breathe new life into outdated medical staff bylaws. Dr. Hoppa specializes in medical staff operations, bylaws and peer review consulting, as well as Joint Commission accreditation and CMS compliance services. Prior to joining The Greeley Company, Dr. Hoppa practiced as a family physician for 15 years. She held a number of physician leadership positions, including serving as CMO at MethodistHospital in Merrillville, Ind., and as a member of the Iowa Board of Medical Examiners. As part of an ongoing series, Becker's Hospital Review is speaking with veteran industry leaders to gain insight into healthcare strategy, management and innovation. To learn more about The Greeley Company, click here. Question: What kinds of problems do outdated medical staff bylaws cause in healthcare organizations? Mary Hoppa: When medical staff bylaws are outdated, medical staff may not have the ability to quickly respond to new challenges. This if often because their bylaws involve outmoded and laborious amendment processes. Outdated bylaws also generally fail to take into account other vital practitioners, such as advanced practice professionals, primary care practitioners who may no longer come into the hospital or practitioners providing services in provider-based clinics. If the bylaws haven't been reviewed and updated as a cohesive document, they may contain conflicting documents, as some are revised and others are not. There can also be conflicts between the bylaws and newer practices recently implemented without updating the bylaws to reflect these practices. Q: What are some of the benefits and challenges to redesigning your medical staff bylaws? MH: One challenge is to overcome physician fear that the redesign process will be lengthy, boring and not worth the time spent which is incorrect. Many medical staff members lack knowledge of the full spectrum of possibilities available for those items in the bylaws that can be customized. You also might have to overcome the "we've had these bylaws forever and they have worked for us, so why change them now?!" sentiment. You can address this challenge by educating medical staff as to how healthcare is changing and why it's in their best interest to update bylaws to respond to today's challenges. A few benefits of updating medical staff bylaws include improving clarity on how to address problems and producing more nimble bylaws. Q: Can you recommend tips or best practices for organization's considering overhauling their MS bylaws? MH: First, an organization must decide if it has the appropriate knowledge and time to overhaul the bylaws itself. If not, it may reach out to a reputable organization to assist with bylaws review. The review process should include a wide variety of leaders and influential members of the medical staff who can vet the issues before proposing a final version for approval by the medical staff. The Greenville County Coroner has concluded the cause of death of a patient at Greenville (S.C.) Memorial Hospital on Monday morning was traumatic asphyxiation, according to The Greenville News. The patient, 48-year-old Donald Keith Smith, died after a fight with a hospital security officer. Mr. Smith was admitted to Greenville Memorial with a gunshot wound to the arm. He reportedly became combative while in the hospital, hitting a hospital security guard. After a struggle, hospital security personnel secured Mr. Smith on a gurney. He stopped breathing and was pronounced dead at 10:23 a.m. Monday. Greenville County Coroner Parks Evans told The Greenville News that Mr. Smith's position on the gurney prevented him from breathing. The coroner concluded Mr. Smith's manner of death was homicide one person being killed by another. The security officers who were on duty at the hospital at the time of the incident were from American Security. Company President Randy Harrison told WSPA news that three officers rushed to restrain Mr. Smith after he hit another officer twice. All of the security officers involved in the incident are no longer assigned to the hospital and are currently on paid leave. The incident is being investigated by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. Greenville Health System spokesperson Karen Potter told Becker's on Monday that the system is cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation. More articles on legal and regulatory issues: 79-year-old physician convicted in bribes-for-test-referrals scheme Medicaid Fraud Control Unit recoveries grow to $1.8B in FY 2016 Physician imposter convicted in Medicare fraud scheme A man set himself on fire in the lobby of Beaumont Hospital in Dearborn, Mich., on Wednesday afternoon, according to a WDIV news report. Police said the man entered the hospital from the parking lot and then used an unknown substance to light himself on fire. Hospital security guards reportedly prevented employees and others in Beaumont Hospital's lobby from being injured. The man is being treated in the hospital's trauma unit. Police are investigating the incident. Beaumont Hospital did not immediately respond to Becker's request for comment. More articles on healthcare news: President Dr. Ron DePinho resigns from MD Anderson: 9 things to know Layoffs on the table at Methodist Hospital in Kentucky Dr. George Blackburn, Boston physician and leader in nutrition medicine, dies at 81 Minneapolis-based Children's Minnesota terminated its contract with Eagan-based Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, a decision that could result in more than 70,000 patients losing in-network access to the hospital's services. Children's Minnesota said the change will be effective as early as July 5 for all BCBS health plans including individual and employer-based commercial plans unless the parties put a new agreement in place. If BCBS of Minnesota decides to extend the organizations' current contract, the termination date will move to the end of this year. The hospital said the termination is a result of six months of failed negotiations over reimbursements through Minnesota's Medicaid program, Medical Assistance. Todd Ostendorf, CFO of Children's Minnesota, said BCBS of Minnesota "is demanding an exceptionally large double-digit reduction" in Medicaid payments and "the massive reductions demanded by Blue Cross are unheard of and would be devastating to Children's and impact care provided to all patients." In an interview with the Star Tribune, Eric Hoag, vice president of provider relations at BCBS of Minnesota, said the decreased reimbursements were intended "to bring Children's in line with what other health systems, and what the market really is [like], on Medicaid payment rates." He said the insurer still has offered to pay "a premium to Children's, recognizing the unique services that they provide." Mr. Ostendorf told the Star Tribune the hospital is "hopeful" the two parties can resolve the dispute and reach a new agreement that doesn't interrupt patients' care. Infectious disease experts in the United States suspect the ongoing yellow fever outbreak in Brazil could carve an epidemic path similar to Zika virus, according to The Washington Post. Since December, yellow fever has infected 326 people in Brazil with hundreds more cases under investigation. Among the confirmed cases, 220 people have died, according to the Pan American Health Organization. While viral transmission of yellow fever has been limited to forest dwelling mosquitoes in jungle areas, these regions are close to major urban centers like Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo. In the New England Journal of Medicine, Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Catharine Paules, MD, a third-year infectious disease fellow with the National Institutes of Health, warn that if the virus is picked up by the city-dwelling Aedes aegypti mosquito the insect responsible for spreading Zika the virus could spread to these densely populated city centers where the yellow fever vaccine is not regularly administered. "Although it is highly unlikely that we will see yellow fever outbreaks in the continental United States, where mosquito density is low and risk of exposure is limited, it is possible that travel-related cases of yellow fever could occur, with brief periods of local transmission in warmer regions such as the Gulf Coast states, where A. aegypti mosquitoes are prevalent," wrote the authors. Dr. Fauci and Dr. Paules also warned that U.S. territories like Puerto Rico where more than 37,000 people have contracted Zika since January 2015 could be vulnerable to outbreaks of yellow fever. Both the World Health Organization and the CDC, which issued a travel warning for Brazil in February, are closely monitoring the yellow fever outbreak. Yellow fever symptoms include fever, chills, severe headache, back pain, general body aches, nausea and vomiting. While most of those infected experience no illness or mild illness, approximately 15 percent experience a more serious form of the disease. In these cases, 20 to 50 percent may die, according to the CDC. In an interview with the Post, Dr. Fauci said infectious disease clinicians should be wary of yellow fever moving forward as most have not encountered the virus before. "This is not 'chicken little, the sky is falling,'" he said. "It's a public health heads-up." More articles on infection control: Hep C testing remains low among baby boomers despite health official recommendations Mumps 'cluster' now officially mumps 'outbreak' at Chicagoland high school ACA replacement would cut $1B from CDC infection control funds While drug price transparency legislation may not actually lower drug prices, it could provide valuable insight into whether a drug's price is reasonable, reports The Hill. Here are five things to know. 1. Fifteen states have filed legislation seeking to boost transparency surrounding drug prices this year, according to the report, which cites data from the National Conference of State Legislatures. The bills would require drug companies to share specific information on how they price their drugs and what they spend their money on, according to the report. 2. Aaron Kesselheim, MD, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, believes transparency initiatives are more "palatable" than strategies addressing price limitations or patent protections, according to the report. "Who could be opposed to transparency?" Dr. Kesselheim said in The Hill report. "To the extent that all of them are difficult hills to climb, that one might be easier because we're not changing anything, we just want things to be more open. So that seems more doable in the short term." 3. The drug industry and lobbyists argue transparency on drug prices does not give consumers a complete understanding of drug development and would be bad for competition. They believe consumers would rather know how much they're being charged for a drug and why only some medications are covered by payers, according to the report. "It wouldn't do anything for patients," Kirsten Axelsen, Pfizer's vice president for global policy told The Hill. "It wouldn't do anything to bring down the price of drugs." 4. Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., in 2016 filed a bill that would require drug companies to submit a report containing information on development costs, marketing spending, etc. 20 days prior to increasing the price of a drug by more than 10 percent. 5. While Dr. Kesselheim agrees transparency measures won't lower drug prices, he said they do offer a better understanding of drugmakers' costs associated with producing the drug, which helps state payers and policymakers assess how fair the price is, reports The Hill. More articles on supply chain: 10 drugmakers with highest direct-to-consumer ad spending in 2016 The 'price hikes fuel innovation' argument is invalid, researchers say Trump tweets about plan to lower drug prices, pharma stocks fall Six spine surgeons discuss where they think minimally invasive spine surgery is headed. Ask Spine Surgeons is a weekly series of questions posed to spine surgeons around the country about clinical, business and policy issues affecting spine care. We invite all spine surgeon and specialist responses. Next week's question: What is the best professional investment you have ever made? Please send responses to Anuja Vaidya at avaidya@beckershealthcare.com by Wednesday, March 15, at 5 p.m. CST. Question: What will MIS surgery look like five years from now in terms of innovation & adoption? Alden Milam, MD. Spine Surgeon at OrthoCarolina (Charlotte, N.C.): I expect MIS surgery to continue to grow. With better techniques that allow universal adoption by more spine surgeons, more surgeries will move to outpatient settings, decreasing the costs of care and improving patient outcomes. Brian R. Gantwerker, MD. Founder of the Craniospinal Center of Los Angeles: The face of MIS will look more mature, I think, and we will see more decompressions and arthroplasty being done through smaller corridors. I think MIS will be one of the mainstays of ASCs' book of business. We will see much more MIS in surgery centers and less of it being done in hospitals, which will be doing more of the high-risk, longer, higher-cost operations. Vladimir Sinkov, MD. Spine Surgeon at New Hampshire Orthopaedic Center (Nashua): Five years from now spine surgery will be even less invasive while providing same or better outcomes for surgeries for spinal stenosis, instability and degeneration. This will be achieved through further adoption and expansion of endoscopic and robotic technologies. Advances in neuromonitoring, imaging and navigation will keep the spine surgeries safe and efficient while allowing for less exposure and soft tissue trauma. More spine surgery will be done on an outpatient basis. Kern Singh, MD. Co-Director of Minimally Invasive Spine Institute at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush (Chicago): As the advantages of MIS become more apparent, I think we will have greater emphasis on MIS during training, increasing the adoption of MIS techniques. This, coupled with technological advances in navigation and instrumentation, will make MIS more accessible for spine surgeons and allow it to be more widely used especially in the outpatient setting. Richard Kube, MD. Founder and CEO of Prairie Spine & Pain Institute (Peoria, Ill.): Innovation will continue to flourish especially as more minds adopt these principles and enter the arena. There will be both technique and technology paired to make advances as there always have been. Anything more detailed belongs in a patent application instead of on this page. I do believe there will be wider spread adoption. More surgeons will be trained in the techniques during fellowship and those already in practice will adopt to serve a need and desire held by the patients they treat. It is also an obvious move for anyone wanting to move more of his or her practice into the ambulatory setting. Payam Farjoodi, MD. Spine Surgeon at Center for Spine Health at Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center (Fountain Valley, Calif.): MIS surgery continues to evolve with the development of new technology. Techniques like MIS TLIF, standalone lateral fusions and disc replacement will be more widely adopted, reducing hospital length of stays and allowing for more rapid short-term recovery. The emergence of robot-assisted surgery has also allowed for complex surgeries to be performed more safely. I see this technology advancing and becoming more widely adopted. The sacroiliac joint is being increasingly recognized as a pain generator and there are new, minimally invasive procedures for the treatment of this condition which will continue to be more widely adopted. As these surgeries are more widely performed, more data will be collected, leading to evolution of these procedures to even less invasive techniques. A new study published in Spinal Deformity examines the timing of complications for adult spinal deformity correction. The study authors gathered data from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement database for adults who had scoliosis surgery from 2007 to 2013. There were 1,250 patients who participated. Here are five key findings: 1. The average complication rate was 13.5 percent. 2. The average diagnosis day for the complications was: Myocardial infarction: 3.5 days after surgery Pulmonary embolism: four days Pneumonia: six days Urinary tract infection: 11 days Sepsis: 12 days Deep vein thrombosis: 12 days Deep surgical site infection: 18.5 days Superficial SSI: 19 days Organ space SSI: 21 days 3. Pneumonia, reintubation and myocardial infarction were diagnosed before hospital discharge in more than 70 percent of the cases. 4. Surgical site infection superficial, deep and organ space were diagnosed in less than 40 percent of the cases before the patient exited the hospital. 5. The predictors of complications were: Older age Instrumentation at seven or more levels Warsaw, Ind.-based OrthoPediatrics Corp. sponsored the 3rd International Children's Spine Symposium in Orlando, Fla., from March 3 to 4, 2017. Here are five highlights: 1. The symposium offered pediatric spine lectures as well as cadaveric labs. 2. Twenty-four pediatric orthopedic and spine surgeons attended the event. 3. Jonathan Phillips, MD, of Orlando, Fla.-based Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, served as symposium co-chairman. 4. OrthoPediatrics came about in 2006 as the sole orthopedic company focused exclusively on the pediatric orthopedic market. 5. The company has 19 surgical systems on the market, for applications such as trauma, deformity and complex spine. "Our entire culture as a company is based solidly on the cause of helping children with orthopedic needs and education is such a critically important part of that mission," said OrthoPediatrics CMO Peter F. Armstrong, MD. To continue following the latest news and information for Bedfordshire and surrounding areas, simply enter your full postcode below Chancellor Philip Hammond delivers his first budget in the House of Commons Chancellor Philip Hammond brought "little comfort" to Northern Ireland business in his first Budget, it has been claimed. The CBI in Northern Ireland summed up the Budget and its increases in taxation including national insurance as a means of getting revenue into Treasury coffers "as the UK embarks on its precarious economic journey towards a hard Brexit". Regional director Angela McGowan said: "Given the substantial uncertainties for many sectors across Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the next few years, there was little comfort for the Northern Ireland business community in the Chancellor's speech." The Chancellor used the occasion of his first - and last - Spring Budget to urge Northern Ireland to get its own house in order before earning the power to set its own rate of corporation tax. In written notes accompanying the Budget, Mr Hammond said that if the Executive demonstrated fiscal sustainability, the tax power would be devolved and subsequently cut to 12.5% from April next year. The document, titled Overview of Tax Legislation and Rates, said that Northern Ireland's new tax regime was ready to go "if the Northern Ireland Executive demonstrates its finances are on a sustainable footing". The Chancellor reiterated an earlier plan to cut the overall rate of corporation tax across the UK from 20% to 17% by 2020. He also promised an additional 120m for Northern Ireland as part of the Barnett formula, which sets the level of public spending in the devolved regions. But the funding boost was dismissed by North Down MLA and Green Party leader Steven Agnew as a "waste of opportunity" without an Executive in place and without a Northern Ireland Budget for 2017/18. The CBI hit out at an increase to national insurance contributions for self-employed people from 1% to 10%. Angela McGowan said the policy was a "significant surprise" from a Conservative government. "While there are merits to a simplified tax system, the Government has to be very careful with this change as it could potentially curb entrepreneurship," she added. "The increase in national insurance contributions from 1% to 10% next year could place significant pressure on people running their own businesses. "It could also be considered negative for the Northern Ireland economy, where low levels of entrepreneurship prevail." Jamesina Doble, director of investment management with Belfast wealth management company Johnston Campbell, summed up the Chancellor's approach as "steady as she goes". Most taxation measures remained the same, with the exception of the increase in national insurance contributions for the self-employed. The tax-free dividend allowance was also cut from 5,000 to 2,000. Ms Doble said: "Rather than out-and-out taxation, we are seeing underhand stealth increases carried out by reducing some of the tax relief measures." Dr Esmond Birnie, senior economist at the Ulster University economic policy centre, said the Chancellor had opted for a cautious approach after better than expected growth of around 2% in GDP last year. "He was able to enjoy some of the benefit of the better than expected recent economic growth," he explained. "However, he decided to bank most of his fiscal gains as a safeguard against future uncertainties." Northern Ireland construction giant FP McCann is in negotiations to take on a site in Scotland. The Magherafelt firm is in discussions with UK-headquartered Laing O'Rourke to buy its Bison, Uddingston, facility and assets. It is understood that around 50 staff at the site will be transferred across to FP McCann, and no jobs will be lost. The deal is expected to be completed by the end of this month. The firm said that the offer to Laing O'Rourke "allows for future investment and business growth at Uddingston". FP McCann is the largest maker and supplier of pre-cast concrete in Northern Ireland, and employs around 1,500 staff. In its latest published accounts, the family-owned firm reported a 24.4% growth in turnover to 168.7m for the 11 months to the end of December 2015. Pre-tax profit were up 21.6% to 12.3m. FP McCann has been in business for more than 70 years and is run by the McCann family. The firm has plants in Knockloughrim and Lisnaskea, and 10 locations in England. It is also involved in joint venture operations with Dutch giant BAM for large-scale road and rail projects. In 2015, the company bought over the Co Fermanagh quarry and construction firm P Clarke and Sons after it went into administration. It also added to its pre-cast concrete arm with the acquisition of Buchan Concrete Products, a long-established firm employing 300 people in Cheshire and Staffordshire which was also in administration. Ulster Bank is shutting nine branches across Northern Ireland and cutting around 10 jobs at their brokerage team. It's closing the branches in October this year. They include the Antrim Road, Woodstock Road, Boucher Road and Newtownbreda in Belfast, Kircubbin in Co Down, Garvagh and Monkstown in Co Antrim and Ulster Bank's Londonderry branch close to the Millennium Forum. It comes after the Belfast Telegraph revealed this week that the closure of up to 10 branches was due this month. It's believed senior staff were briefed on the closures on Thursday. Sean Murphy, managing director of personal banking, Ulster Bank in Northern Ireland, said: "Ulster Bank will close nine branches in Northern Ireland in October 2017. Banking has changed radically in recent years. More and more of our customers are using digital technology and fewer are using our branch network. "Closing a branch is never an easy decision and one we do not take lightly. Recognising that customers expect different services from their bank, we continue to invest in a range of channels to improve access in a sustainable way, such as our Bank on Wheels, 24/7 telephone banking and our services available through the Post Office. "Ulster Bank still retains Northern Irelands largest bank branch network and its only Bank on Wheels service, as well providing ongoing education for customers in how to make best use of these services. We will also be introducing additional digital and community support roles to assist with this transition." "In line with the industry-agreed UK protocol on branch closures, we are writing to customers of these branches to inform them of alternative branch locations in their area and the range of banking services available on their mobiles, online, telephone and in post offices. We are also communicating directly with staff in those affected branches." Larry Broderick, general secretary of the Financial Services Union (FSU) said the announcement is another blow for staff, customers and the communities they serve. "The announcement comes hard on the heels of First Trust Banks decision to close half its branches in Northern Ireland. "The fact that in the first three months of the year a total of 24 branch closures have been announced demands a response from all stakeholders. "The FSI has been to the forefront in calling for a long-term strategy for banking and financial services in Northern Ireland. "We urgently need to get financial institutions, customer representatives, business groups, politicians and our union working together on a strategy that looks forward five or 10 years and maps out what type of banking structure Northern Ireland requires. "We are willing to play our part in that task and I hope that others will also show leadership." The union says around six voluntary redundancies across the branches, along with nine job losses at its 'mortgage intermediary unit'. In 2014, Ulster Bank announced it was cutting 10 of its branches, bringing the number from 75 to 65. In April last year it announced it was cutting 50 jobs across Northern Ireland, and shutting some branches on Saturdays. Just last month First Trust revealed it is shutting half of its branch network here. It is understood around 130 staff are facing voluntary redundancy after it announced it was closing 15 branches. Northern Ireland's Wilsons Auctions has won a multimillion-pound contract with the organised crime unit for the north-west of England. The Mallusk firm, now the biggest independent auctioneer in the UK and Ireland, will sell off ill-gotten gains seized by six police forces in Great Britain under a three-year contract. It is the first major tender win for the company so far this year - and puts it in charge of asset sales for more than 40 police forces in the British Isles. In the past year it has auctioned off items including a drug dealer's Cessna plane, a number of luxury cars and a Harley Davidson motorbike. The latest deal will see it selling on goods for Merseyside Police, Cheshire Police, Lancashire Police, Cumbria Police, North Wales Police and Greater Manchester Police. Its work for other police forces and agencies has raised 80m for the public purse in recent years, the company said. Aidan Larkin, Wilsons Auctions' group asset recovery manager, welcomed the new deal. "Wilsons Auctions is delighted to have been awarded the asset realisation service framework for six major police forces in the north-west of England," he said. "Last year we were awarded contracts with a number of law enforcement agencies, so to win this significant contract really highlights the superior standard of service we provide. "Wilsons Auctions is proud to manage the asset recovery of more than 40 law enforcement agencies in the UK and Republic of Ireland. "By providing an online auction facility, we are opening up our business to a worldwide audience on behalf of our clients, as well as accommodating physical bidders in our auction houses." Wilsons was formed in 1936 by William J Wilson. The company is now directed by Mr Wilson's son, Ian. Turnover at the company in 2015 was 11.1m, up from 10.9m in 2014. Pre-tax profits, meanwhile, more than doubled from 292,827 to 768,023. Police work aside, the core of the business remains its regular vehicle auctions. Move over Jamie Dornan... the heartthrob actor from Holywood is vying for the limelight with his musician and composer wife, Amelia Warner, who is moving into movie scores. The English musician Amelia Warner has been somewhat overshadowed lately by her husband, the Holywood-born Fifty Shades actor, Jamie Dornan. He recently dispelled "disgusting" rumours that his marriage was on the rocks after erotic sex sessions with Dakota Johnson in the film Fifty Shades Darker. But Warner (34), who has been with Dornan, also 34, since 2010, and has two young daughters, Dulcie (3) and Elva (10 months), with him, says all the media coverage is overblown and they still manage to enjoy a low-profile existence. "It doesn't impact our life much in a day-to-day way," says Warner, originally from Merseyside, who has reinvented herself as a neo-classical composer. She has since scored the music for the upcoming film, Mary Shelley, which stars Elle Fanning and Douglas Booth. "Nothing has really changed in our lives since Fifty Shades. The biggest change for us was having kids. We now live in the Cotswolds, rather than London. We are very removed from all the hype. I don't see that stuff in the papers," says Warner. While the Fifty Shades movies catapulted Jamie to global super stardom, he has also played serial killer Paul Spector in Allan Cubitt's TV crime drama The Fall, which was set here in Northern Ireland, and also starred Gillian Anderson as DSI Stella Gibson. He has since established his acting credits and is a red carpet regular at all the world's biggest award ceremonies. Warner, who has just returned from attending the Oscars with Dornan - a "fun escape", she calls it - shrugs off all the Fifty Shades Darker gossip in the media as "smoke and mirrors". Although she hasn't watched any of the films in the franchise, because of the graphic scenes he and Johnson appear in, she doesn't rule it out. "I haven't seen them but it's not to say I won't," she says. But while Dornan has been busy playing Christian Grey, Warner has been finding her true niche in the music world. "It's hard to navigate my career around it, and I don't want to exploit the situation, but I'm trying to find my way," she says. "My way so far has been to be silent as I haven't done any press for anything since Fifty Shades of Grey happened, but I now have pressure to promote my work." She has just released the first track from her new EP, Visitors, which has been produced by Fyfe Dangerfield of Guillemots fame. The song Eve is the first of seven new works, each based on a fictional female character, including Heidi, Frances, Mary, Rebecca, Sarah and Dawn, with one track released per month. Warner plays both piano and organ on Visitors, which is also scored for violin, viola, cello, and double bass. "Visitors is about an imaginary house where all these women once lived," she explains, "the energy left there after they have gone. I wanted it to sound like music upstairs floating down a stairwell." Warner is no stranger to press attention, despite having a fear of the limelight. Aged 18, she starred in 2001 as the title character in the BBC period drama, Lorna Doone. Then, a year later, she married actor Colin Farrell in a non-legal ceremony on a Tahitian beach, but it ended four months later. Soon, she ditched acting for singing, under the name of Slow Moving Millie, releasing cover versions of Eighties hits. Her cover of The Smiths' Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want was used by John Lewis for their 2001 Christmas advert. "But I'm terrified of performing," she tells me. "Singing didn't come naturally. I was feeling unsure about what to do when I met Jamie. Then we had our first daughter. I took a year off. Once you have a baby, it slightly changes your perception. I knew I wanted to be in music but I wanted to be happy." She decided to try her luck at scoring music for films, composing for her first film project, Mum's List (2016), starring Rafe Spall and Emilia Fox. She also worked with producer Dangerfield on her first EP, Arms, which was released last April. "Arms is mainly piano and strings based with some synths and atmospherics," she explains. "But I'd say Visitors is more stripped back and minimal in style." Now, Warner is looking forward to spending some time with her two children, having spent the past four months composing the Mary Shelley film soundtrack. "It's full-on. It feels like it should be a team, but it's just one person most of the time," she says about her work. "I gave an otherworldly element to it. They didn't want it to be too staid, but for it to have a contemporary feel, just like the film has." For Warner, it has been all about "finding the right fit" with her music. "I can do what I do anywhere - even when we have to travel for Jamie's films. I can still work. The children are so little, they don't really know where they are, so travelling with them isn't a problem. They are so flexible at that age. They are just happy to be with us." Warner has used her experience in films both on and off screen in her new EP, Visitors. "I love story-telling and responding musically to visual images. I had a vision of the big old house and a clear idea of each of these women, and I enjoyed crafting their individual tales and telling their stories and representing their characters through music." The Duke of Edinburgh meets Tom Cruise during a dinner at Buckingham Palace to mark the 75th anniversary of the Outward Bound Trust. Film star Tom Cruise was introduced to the Duke of Edinburgh during a charity dinner at Buckingham Palace. Cruise, 54, and the Duke were pictured laughing together after the Mission: Impossible actor was presented to the 95-year-old royal on Wednesday evening. The event marked the 75th anniversary of the Outward Bound Trust - supported by Cruise - which helps young people from all walks of life develop and reach their potential through outdoor pursuits. It also offers courses for young people to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Philip has been patron of the Trust since 1999 and was previously the charity's Chairman of Trustees. The dinner was attended by supporters of the charity, including deputy patron Lord Kirkham, the founder and chairman of sofa retailer DFS. Buffy The Vampire Slayer star Eliza Dushku has spoken out about her battle with drug and alcohol abuse, admitting she first tried illegal substances when she was 14. The actress, who played Faith on the hit show, said she got sober eight years ago because of her family. She said of her drug abuse: "It was fun, and I loved it, until it wasn't. Drugs didn't love me. They didn't love my family. They definitely didn't love my friends that died. I have a lot of friends that are dead. "I'm a good person, but when I did drugs and I drank, I didn't make good decisions. "I'm sure some of you can relate to that, but all it takes is one bad decision. You don't have to live like that." Speaking at the New Hampshire Youth Summit on Opioid Awareness, Dushku, 36, said she could relate to the theme of difficult high school experiences in the vampire drama that made her famous. She said: "It can be so scary. I just remember, I loved the first time I took a drug because I loved the way it made me feel. I loved the way it made me not feel. I didn't have to feel. "I got sober at first for my family because I got to the point where I was so sick about myself, I was depressed, I didn't like myself but I love my family." She added: "T oday I'm sober for me, and I'm sober for you. Because drugs and alcohol are powerful, but we are more powerful. "I'm a real bad ass and tough girl, that was part of my big thing. It was the hardest thing in the world to ask for help but it was the most powerful thing I have ever done." All of us have seen his breathtaking pictures on weather reports here now award-winning Ballymena landscape photographer Steven Hanna tells Lee Henry why his Christian belief is part of his drive to get the best shot of the beautiful Northern Ireland countryside. Trudging along the north coast in search of the perfect picture may not be everyone's idea of fun, but for photographer Steven Hanna being surrounded by such breathtaking beauty brings him nothing but joy. "Being out in creation is what makes me come alive,' says Steven, an intrepid, outdoorsy individual who regularly spends his (very) early mornings and (relatively) late nights in pursuit of the ideal image. You may well have seen his stunning work gracing the covers of books on the shelves of Waterstones and Easons, or used as the backdrop to Angie Phillips and Barra Best's weather reports on BBC NI's Newsline. While anyone can submit photos, professional or otherwise, to the Newsline's Weather Watchers feed to help illustrate the types of weather conditions we can all look forward to before hitting the roads of a morning, there is a reason that Steven's are used so often. He is, after all, the very best of the bunch. On Sunday, he was crowned Landscape Photographer of the Year at the prestigious annual Professional Photographers Association of Northern Ireland (PPANI) awards, at a glitzy ceremony at the Galgorm Resort and Spa, near Ballymena. His work has been placed high in previous years, but in 2017 Steven was finally crowned undisputed landscape champion. "I was pretty speechless, to be honest," admits the 36-year-old, who has arguably done more for Northern Ireland tourism than soda bread and taxi tours combined. Expand Close The landscape picture which helped Steven Hanna win the coveted award at Galgorm last Sunday / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The landscape picture which helped Steven Hanna win the coveted award at Galgorm last Sunday Born and raised in Ballymena, but always intrinsically "connected" to the north coast in both a physical and a spiritual sense, the lensman has made a career from capturing dazzling sunsets, brooding incoming weather fronts, dramatic cliff faces at dawn and rolling inland vistas since first picking up a camera in his early 20s. These days shooting landscapes that are recognisable to millions of HBO viewers tuning into Game of Thrones and are the envy of his counterparts world-wide is Steven's bread and butter, along with the requisite wedding photography, for which he has also won awards. "I previously worked in design, but landscape photography was what made me pick up a camera in the first place," he recalls. "A Samsung point and shoot digital camera, as it happens, bought for me by my parents as a gift for Christmas. Expand Close Family man: Steven with wife Lynne and daughter Sofia / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Family man: Steven with wife Lynne and daughter Sofia "Landscape photography has been something that I've really dedicated myself to, over the last couple of years especially, and to take first prize at the PPANI awards was a dream come true. "I love photographing the coast, especially the Causeway coast and the west coast of Ireland. There is something about the ocean that keeps drawing me back. I've also just recently discovered the Scottish Highlands and I've been totally mesmerised by its beauty and wildness." Steven was brought up a Christian and his faith is as strong as ever, a driving force in life as in photography. When considering his own spirituality and relationship with religion, he quotes the American author and Christian lecturer John Eldredge: 'The glory of God is the heart of man fully alive'. Expand Close One of the stunning images captured by Steven Hanna / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp One of the stunning images captured by Steven Hanna "My faith is important to me and my family," adds Steven. "I see the glory of God all around me in creation when I'm out and about taking photographs. I'm a firm believer that God isn't just to be found in a church building, but that He can, and will, be found in the middle of the mountains, at the coast, in the forests. "I always try and channel that into my landscape photography and I think the day that I stop doing that is the day I need to put the camera down and forget all about it." Photography for Steven is much more than a fleeting but creatively rewarding pastime. Over the past decade, it has become a well-paid career, one for which he is "eternally grateful". Talent, of course, has played a massive part in that success - as a quick browse through Steven's wonderful website will illustrate - but luck had a hand also, at least at the beginning. "I had been shooting landscapes and road racing as a hobby in my spare time for a few years when a friend asked if I would be interested in shooting her wedding," he explains. "When I saw her response to the images I produced, I realised that photography was something that I could pursue professionally. "Since then, I've shot over 350 weddings so far and I have to say, it's an honour and a privilege to be invited by a couple to share and document the most important day of their lives. Every wedding is challenging and rewarding, but unlike landscape photography, when shooting a wedding you have to produce amazing images no matter what is happening around you. "But that's what I trained for. To be able to make a living and provide for my family by doing something that I love is ultimately the greatest reward." That family consists of wife Lynne, a primary school teacher, and 16-month-old daughter Sofia. Still buzzing from his PPANI triumph, Steven took to his Facebook page on Sunday to thank Lynne especially. "Extremely grateful to have a very patient, encouraging and understanding wife who puts up with all the early starts and late nights," he wrote below a photo of the two dressed to impress. "It's true," he laughs, a couple of days later and with his award installed in pride of place at home. "Without Lynne, I definitely wouldn't be able to do what I do. She's always been a rock of strength for me, especially when I ventured out into photography full-time. She never doubted that I could do it. "Often, when I need to be out shooting in the best light, it does unfortunately encroach on family time and I'm very blessed to have a wife who understands and supports me in that 100%. "Lynne is also been a major driving force in helping me get my photography books completed." His titles include County Antrim: Chasing the Light, The Glens of Antrim, and A Boot Up The Mourne Mountains, with a fourth set to be published by Halsgrove this spring. Months of planning, research and reccies go into the production of those books, and Steven often spends days on end following the light to capture the ideal shot. "I'm not sure a typical day exists for a landscape photographer," he says, "but it's definitely not a nine to five job. Before any shoot, I research where and when the sun is going to rise or set, as there are certain locations that you can only photograph in good light at certain times of the year. Not only do I follow the weather forecast, but tide times need to be checked regularly also. All this before I even leave the house. "But I think that all of the frustrations and fruitless trips away from home pale into insignificance when you're standing on a cliff edge all by yourself watching something spectacular unfold in front of you. Sometimes these moments of light only last for a few seconds, but you have to put the time and effort in or you will never capture them. "It can be hard to take when you've just driven for three hours to the west coast of Donegal only to be met by thick low-hanging cloud and rain, knowing that you have another three-hour drive back home with no images to show for it. There are some locations along the Causeway coast that I've visited five or six times and still haven't had the right light. Persistence is the key." Coming home to his doting daughter makes all that prep, travel and silent, lonely shooting worthwhile, however. Although little Sofia is too young yet to have caught her daddy's photography bug, she will have the finest of tutors at hand if and when she ever shows an interest. "I have the most amazing little daughter," he beams. "She's full of fun. Even when I've had an unsuccessful trip up to the coast, I'm totally blessed to be coming home to Lynne and Sofia. Sometimes a cuddle is all it takes to keep life in perspective." With the title of Northern Ireland's number one landscape photographer now firmly under his belt, Steven can relax and look forward to the year ahead. Wedding season is, of course, almost upon us, and he will be kept very busy indeed shooting over 50 the length and breadth of Northern Ireland in 2017 alone. Outside of that, passing on his self-taught skills is something that he feels passionately about. "Last year, I made a big leap and started running my own landscape photography workshops and also vlogging a lot of my shoots, often in pretty harsh weather conditions, to give viewers an authentic feel for what I do - shooting in storms, coping with inaccessible terrain and the like. "I would definitely love to expand on both of those avenues and more in the future, and God willing I will be fit and able to do so." A Co Antrim man has appeared in court accused of raping a woman he allegedly kidnapped and held against her will. Albert Nelson is charged with 17 offences, including two counts of rape and false imprisonment. The 30-year-old is also accused of choking his alleged victim in order to render her "insensible, unconscious, or incapable of resistance, with intent thereby to enable yourself or another person to commit" rape. The 17 offences which Nelson, from Low Road in Islandmagee faces, are alleged to have been committed between December 1, 2015, and August 23 last year. They comprise two counts of rape, two of false imprisonment, two of sexually assaulting his victim with his hand and a beard trimmer, causing actual bodily harm, making a threat to kill, criminal damage to her phone, and kidnap. He is also accused of attempting to choke her with intent to commit rape, three counts of common assault and single counts of breaching a non-molestation order, possessing class B cannabis and a prohibited weapon, namely a canister of CS spray. Giving evidence to Newtownards Magistrates Court, a police officer connected Nelson to the offences and asked for numerous conditions to be attached to the alleged rapist's bail. She asked for him to be barred from the area around the alleged victim's home, prohibited from contacting her in any way either directly or indirectly, and for him to report to police once a week, to which defence solicitor Patrick Hunt said he had "no difficulty with that". Released on his own bail of 1,000, District Judge Mark Hamill warned Nelson a "fundamental" condition was not to contact his alleged victim because "any breach and your bail will come to an end". Irish language activist Dominic Sherry walks into a West Belfast polling station dressed in a crocodile costume to cast his vote in the Northern Ireland Assembly elections. PA Irish language activists dressed as crocodiles protest outside the DUP's Nelson MCausland's office on the Ballysillan Road in north Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Arlene Foster has revealed she regrets making her "crocodile" remark about Sinn Fein during the Assembly election campaign - while refusing to state if she will retake the First Minister's position again. Speaking to the Impartial Reporter's Rodney Edwards the DUP leader, who was re-elected as an MLA in Fermanagh and South Tyrone, would not be drawn on if her party would be putting her forward for the post she held until January. She said: We are in the middle of the negotiations at the minute in terms of devolution, thats what we want to see. But it takes two to tango and its whether Sinn Fein want to come back into devolution and make it work. Asked again if she would take the position, she added: "As I have said, I remain the leader of unionism and that will remain the case. Who we nominate is a matter for me and my team at Stormont. We certainly will not be dictated to by Sinn Fein, it is a matter for us to decide. If we allow them to dictate who our nominees should be then we should have a reciprocal role in relation to their nominees." Mrs Foster also revealed she regretted calling Sinn Fein "crocodiles" when addressing their wish to have an Irish Language Act - as it allowed her to be "demonised". She infamously said: "If you feed a crocodile it will keep coming back and looking for more." This was adapted by Sinn Fein and became a key part of their campaign rhetoric. At the time Mrs Foster said if there was to be an Irish language act, there should be a Polish language act because more people in Northern Ireland speak Polish than Irish. Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Irish language activists dressed as crocodiles protest outside the DUP's Nelson MCausland's office on the Ballysillan Road in north Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Irish language activist Dominic Sherry walks into a West Belfast polling station dressed in a crocodile costume to cast his vote in the Northern Ireland Assembly elections. PA PA Sinn Fein candidate for Fermanagh/South Tyrone Sean Lynch celebrates with a friend dressed as a crocodile on Friday night PA An Irish Language Act supporter dressed in crocodile costume celebrates with Sinn Fein politicians yesterday PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Irish language activists dressed as crocodiles protest outside the DUP's Nelson MCausland's office on the Ballysillan Road in north Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Within hours of the comments being made Irish Language supporters were protesting outside former DUP MLA Nelson McCausland's office in Belfast dressed in crocodile costumes. On election day one supporter was pictured dressed as a crocodile casting their vote. Mrs Foster said: I regret in so far as it allowed Sinn Fein to use it against me and to use it to demonise me. "Sinn Fein mounted a campaign of demonisation against me and to a certain extent succeeded in that. I just have to prove to people that I am the same Arlene Foster as I have always been. She continued: The crocodile comment was in relation to Sinn Fein and not in relation to the Irish language act. I have always made it clear that if people want to converse or learn the Irish language then they should be allowed to do so and should be able to do so and indeed we have spent millions of pounds through the Executive. "We spent 171million on Irish language including Irish language education so its entirely wrong to say we dont support the Irish language. Rescuers dig in the rubble of McGurk's bar in North Queen Street, Belfast, where 15 people died in a bomb blast in 1971 Newly-discovered documents show the Army knew the bomb which exploded at McGurk's Bar was placed outside it, a solicitor said. Relatives of the 15 killed when the device exploded in 1971 have applied to attorney general John Larkin QC for a fresh inquest to dismiss rumours an IRA device exploded by mistake inside the crowded Belfast pub in a predominantly nationalist area. Log sheets provide clear evidence that the military technical officer who examined the scene was convinced from the outset that the explosive had been left in the entranceway, their lawyer Padraig O Muirigh said. Mr O Muirigh said : " It is now well established that the rumours of an IRA own goal were entirely untrue." Fifteen people died in the attack, the worst Troubles atrocity prior to the Omagh bomb. A police ombudsman inquiry said the original police investigation had a clear predisposition to the erroneous IRA "own goal" theory. The watchdog found loyalist paramilitaries were responsible. Mr O Muirigh said there remained uncertainty how the dead met their deaths and whether there was collusion between members of the security forces and loyalist paramilitaries. The Ombudsman's report said there was no collusion involving the RUC. Mr O Muirigh added: "The recently discovered HQ NI log sheets of the 4th and 5th December 1971, discovered by Ciaran MacAirt of Papertrail, provide clear evidence that the Army Technical Officer who examined the scene was convinced from the outset that the bomb had been placed in the entranceway of the pub." He said the original inquest, a criminal conviction and the reports of the Historical Enquiries Team and Ombudsman failed to determine the facts or allay rumours and suspicions. "These allegations are so serious as to require proper investigation to establish the facts and circumstances of these deaths despite the passage of time. "The appropriate way to investigate these deaths and to provide a comprehensive public account of these deaths is through a fresh inquest." Mr MacAirt's grandmother, Kathleen Irvine, was one of those murdered. He said: "We have always known our loved ones were innocent and the British state tried to bury the truth along with our dead relatives. "A fresh inquest allows us that chance to finally hear the truth told after 45 years campaigning." The great-niece of a heroic Belfast woman who helped the wounded in two world wars has unveiled an Ulster History Circle blue plaque in her honour. Emma Sylvia Duffin, who served as a nurse in the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) in both the First and Second World War and was the VAD commandant at Stranmillis Military Hospital during the Easter Tuesday Belfast Blitz, received the posthumous honour yesterday on International Women's Day. After the outbreak of the First World War, Emma became a nurse with the VAD in Egypt, where she tended to survivors of the Gallipoli campaign, and from 1916 to 1919 worked in the military hospitals of Le Havre and Calais. There, she looked after the wounded from the western front who were unable to be shipped to Southampton. As the commandant of the VAD nurses at Stranmillis Military Hospital during World War Two, Emma witnessed the impact of the Belfast Blitz, in which over 800 people were killed. Her journals record the aftermath at St George's Market, which was used as a morgue for unidentified bodies, as she aided stricken families searching for their loved ones' remains. Emma also served as honorary secretary of the Belfast Council of Social Welfare from 1933 to 1953, and was instrumental in improving after-care for women who had given birth as well as incorporating the society's social services into the new welfare state. A keen diarist and illustrator, Emma donated her journals to the Public Record Office, and they were recently published thanks to the efforts of former employee Trevor Parkhill. Speaking at the blue plaque unveiling, her great-niece Emma Makin said: "We are all delighted and there is a sense of pride that she is being recognised and honoured, particularly on International Women's Day. "It is amazing to have such an inspirational woman in the family, and I have enjoyed reading the journals Trevor Parkhill published which have allowed me to get to know her. I think there should be more recognition of the role of women in Belfast." Trevor Parkhill said Emma Duffin had been a "witness to history" and that her diaries had left a "good historical source" for future generations. Vice-chair of the Ulster History Circle Myrtle Hill described Emma as "an ordinary woman who did extraordinary things, like so many others." An abandoned border guard hut on the northern side of the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland The Government must resist "siren calls" for Britain to crash out of the European Union on WTO rules, a Tory former foreign minister said, warning it would be "catastrophic" for Northern Ireland. Theresa May has said the UK will leave the EU with no deal rather than be saddled with a bad deal, a move that raises the prospect of tariffs, and the Cabinet is drawing up plans in case Britain fails to strike a deal. Alistair Burt, who sits on the Brexit Select Committee, said the move to World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules would mean a return to hard borders in Northern Ireland which could prove "catastrophic" to the peace process. Speaking in Brexit Questions in the Commons, Mr Burt said: "When the Brexit Select Committee visited Dublin recently it was described to us that a default to WTO by the United Kingdom would be catastrophic, catastrophic for the island of Ireland with the re-imposition of a border. "Could the minister reassure the House that he will continue to resist siren calls to move towards WTO, if for no other reason than the reasons affecting Ireland itself?" His comments come amid political turmoil in Northern Ireland where powersharing at Stormont has collapsed. Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire is in talks with Sinn Fein and Unionist parties to try to restore powersharing, but they have just three weeks to reach a deal. Brexit Minister Robin Walker sought to ease fears direct rule from Westminster could be reimposed, however, telling MPs: "We are not contemplating anything other than the return of devolved government." He also played down fears a hard border could return to the island of Ireland. He said: "The Government has set out a very clear strategy about establishing a partnership with the European Union, that is what we should focus on. "And that partnership includes the concept of frictionless movement across the border." Labour MP Pat McFadden (Wolverhampton South East) also raised fears Brexit could spell an end to peace. He said: "Does the Government appreciate that the Good Friday Agreement was not a single event signed and sealed and put on a shelf 20 years ago, but rather was a process of normalisation of relations and free movement of goods, people and so on? "And if the Government does realise that, will they therefore make sure that they respond to the very real fears in Ireland that Brexit represents a turning back of the clock on the precious new normality that has developed in the last 20 years?" Conservative MP Nigel Mills (Amber Valley) warned of the "very serious impact" a hard border would have "not only on the tens of thousands of people who every day cross the border to work, study or for healthcare, but could even have on the peace process". Mr Walker said: "We are fully committed to ensuring that as we establish our negotiating position the unique interests of Northern Ireland are protected and advanced, and that the UK Government has a clear role in providing political stability in Northern Ireland. "The Northern Ireland Secretary is doing everything he can to secure the resumption of devolved government. "It's important everyone engages constructively to reach a positive conclusion as quickly as possible. "We are not contemplating anything other than the return of devolved government." Sinn Fein has accused the British Government of "holding up" justice for families whose loved ones were killed during the Troubles. The party's Northern Ireland leader Michelle O'Neill said funding for legacy inquests is a key issue for Sinn Fein as part of its negotiations into the restoration of the power-sharing executive. Sinn Fein said it broke off its meeting with Secretary of State James Brokenshire on Tuesday because all he did was "waffle, waffle, and more waffle". Mrs O'Neill claimed he had still not agreed to release funds for legacy inquests and yesterday she led party meetings in Gerry Adams' absence. She said: "We do not want to go through the process of meetings after meetings. We need to see action." Following a meeting with Irish Foreign Minister Charlie Flanagan at Stormont, Mrs O'Neill said: "It is a time for strong political leadership and delivery. "The British Government is holding up access to due process for families. They are key players in this. They need to step up to the plate." The Mid Ulster MLA added: "We raised a wide range of issues with Minister Flanagan, including equality, the Irish Language Act and legacy inquests. "I told him that families, some of whom have waited up to 45 years, were heartened by his support for the Lord Chief Justice's request for funds for legacy inquests. "We made it clear that Sinn Fein is not looking a renegotiation, what we need is implementation of agreements already made. "The Irish Government is a co-equal guarantor of those agreements and they must ensure that the British Government honours its commitments. "If progress is to be made in these discussions then a major change in the approach of the British Government will be required." Philip Hammond has urged Northern Ireland's political leaders to reach a deal on restoring devolution, saying a new Executive and an agreed budget must be a priority. The Chancellor announced an additional 120m for the incoming Executive as he delivered his first Budget yesterday. There will be an extra 90m for day-to-day spending through to 2019/20, while the capital budget will get an additional 30m through to 2020/21. Afterwards Mr Hammond said: "The government's focus at this time is working with the parties in discussions aimed at forming a new Northern Ireland Executive. Read More Read More "We want to see a new Executive setting a budget for 2017-18 as one of its early priorities - and it will have the opportunity to incorporate the new funding being made available today into its planning, when it does so. "My Budget offers a further boost in ensuring that people across Northern Ireland can share the benefits of economic growth across the country." Secretary of State James Brokenshire said it underlines the government's determination to build a country that works for everyone. "The Budget reinforces this government's commitment to strengthening the economy right across the UK," he said. "Northern Ireland will continue to benefit from the stability of being part of a strong UK economy. We are committed to strengthening the economy through investing in skills and increasing prosperity right across the UK." Mr Brokenshire said the extra 120m in funding would give a new Executive the freedom to invest in its priorities. "This underlines the need for a functioning Executive in Northern Ireland, which can make the right decisions for Northern Ireland's economy," he added. "I am determined to continue working intensively with the parties to ensure the resumption of a strong, stable and inclusive Executive in Northern Ireland." After delivering his first Budget as Chancellor, Mr Hammond was accused of breaking a Conservative election promise after hitting almost 2.5 million self-employed people with a 240 National Insurance hike. Labour vowed to oppose what it termed an "unfair 2bn sole-traders' tax on the self-employed low and middle income earners", while Liberal Democrats branded the move a "jobs tax". And the Chancellor also hit savers by cutting tax-free dividend allowances from 5,000 to 2,000, in a move designed to reduce tax incentives for workers to register themselves as companies. The measures helped raise cash for a bid to resolve two of Theresa May's worst political headaches, as Mr Hammond announced 2bn for social care in England and a 345m package to ease the impact of the business rate revaluation. But the Chancellor said that the Budget package was neutral overall, as he stored up a war-chest for expected choppy waters ahead as the UK goes through the process of Brexit. He was buoyed by a short-term boost to official growth forecasts, upgraded from 1.4% to 2% for this year. But the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) took a gloomier outlook for the following period, slashing predicted growth from 1.7% to 1.6% in 2018 and from 2.1% to 1.7% as Brexit takes place in 2019. Borrowing was revised downwards by 16.16bn for 2016/17 to 51.7bn. And the OBR tweaked deficit forecasts down in each of the next five years, reaching 16.8bn in 2021/22. Mr Hammond said the Budget sets out a plan for a "brighter future" as the UK leaves the European Union. With the Prime Minister expected to start the formal Brexit process within days, the Chancellor told the Commons: "As we start our negotiations to exit the European Union, this Budget takes forward our plan to prepare Britain for a brighter future; it provides a strong and stable platform for those negotiations." But shadow chancellor John McDonnell said he was "building our economy on sand", leaving the UK "less prepared for the challenges we face outside of the EU". Despite measures for women, including 20m to tackle domestic violence, 5m to help mothers return to work and 5m for celebrations of the centenary of votes for women, Mr McDonnell said the Budget - which fell on International Women's Day - had "failed the fairness test for women" who are hardest hit by public service cuts. She missed out on a seat at Stormont in the election, but a Belfast councillor in a same-sex relationship has got over her disappointment to reveal she is pregnant with twins. PUP councillor Julie-Anne Corr Johnston (29) and her partner Kerry (28) are celebrating the imminent arrivals following artificial insemination. Although just nine weeks pregnant, her bump is already so prominent that she had to share the news. The north Belfast councillor took to Facebook yesterday to share her ultrasound picture and said she has been overwhelmed by the positive reaction. "It's been incredible, social media has exploded with support. We are really overwhelmed by the response which is really nice especially as an LGBT couple," she told the Belfast Telegraph. "You do panic about what the reaction is going to be like, and you have to confront that reality. "But it has just been incredible." With the twins due in September, Julie-Anne said she and Kerry were stunned to get pregnant so quickly. The couple, who tied the knot in a civil ceremony in 2014, had to save almost 4,000 to go through the intrauterine insemination (IUI) process last December during which Julie-Anne was implanted with semen by GCRM Belfast. She revealed that while they went into it with an open mind, they did not expect it to work on their first attempt. They discovered Julie-Anne was pregnant at the start of February and found out it was twins a couple of weeks later. It came during the election campaign, during which Julie-Anne was running for the PUP, managing her full-time job while canvassing every evening - all while battling morning sickness and exhaustion. "I used up all of my luck, it was IUI we went through, and the chances of success let alone the chances of twins are very small," she added. "I always say good things fall apart to make way for better things and maybe this is it, this is my calling. "Getting elected to the Assembly remains a priority and an ambition." She added: "It was our first time but obviously it took us a while to save the money up - we don't get it free here in Northern Ireland whereas LGBT couples in England, Scotland and Wales do. We had to pay for it." Julie-Anne admitted her mum told her off for not waiting until she was 12 weeks pregnant to share the news, but said: "I told her, 'Look at me, how can I not tell people?' I have got a bump that would make you think I am four or five months pregnant." She says that her main craving is for cheese, but she added that one of the babies seemed to crave it while the other one didn't. "I'm a vegetarian and Kerry's a vegan so doesn't have dairy. It's almost like there is a vegan and a vegetarian fighting in there because one wants me to have cheese," she laughed. "The sickness is starting to ease thankfully but the exhaustion isn't. "Through the campaign, I would be knocking on doors and then having to go back to the car and sit for a while, and being sick in a bag. It was crazy." The sperm donor remains anonymous both to Julie-Anne and Kerry. Only the twins can attempt to contact him after they turn 18. Julie-Anne revealed that while she would not go through this process again, she and Kerry would consider adopting a child. "It was a very easy decision over who would carry the babies. Kerry has always said that she wanted to adopt children and I have always said that I wanted to carry a baby." Archbishop Eamon Martin was one of a group of church leaders to warn that the peace process should be protected Politicians must have the courage to put the most challenging issues at the centre of the negotiations, church leaders warned. Peace process gains of recent years should not be taken for granted, the heads of the Catholic, Church of Ireland, Methodist and Presbyterian congregations urged in a joint-statement. They said the achievements of Northern Ireland's peace process should be protected. "Not everything in this vision has yet been achieved as many of us had hoped, but the current circumstances provide an opportunity for each one of us to ask ourselves what we are doing to make it a reality and whether we have, perhaps, begun to take the progress of recent years for granted," the statement said. "In any process of conflict resolution, we should be prepared to face setbacks and embrace these challenges as an opportunity to continue to learn from our mistakes, while working to put in place the necessary safeguards. "A culture of blame will only trap us in an endless cycle of instability and insecurity." The joint-statement was issued by Archbishop Richard Clarke, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh; Archbishop Eamon Martin, Catholic Archbishop of Armagh; Bishop John McDowell, President of the Irish Council of Churches; Rev. Bill Mullally, President of the Methodist Church in Ireland and Rt. Rev Dr Frank Sellar, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. It added: "Our elected representatives need our support if they are to have the courage to put the most challenging issues at the centre of the current negotiations and take responsibility for finding lasting solutions. "As Christians, we recognise the importance of supporting those in positions of political leadership through prayer and action." A jury has been sworn in at Belfast Crown Court for the trial of a man accused of murdering Eamonn Magee Jnr. Mr Magee - the son of boxer Eamonn Magee Snr - died from knife wounds he sustained in an attack in the Twinbrook area of the city on May 30, 2015. Accused of murdering the 22-year old engineering student and promising boxer is Orhan Koca, a Turkish national of no fixed abode. The 34-year old, who is currently on remand in HMP Maghaberry, has denied the murder charge. A jury consisting of eight men and four women was sworn in court, with the 12 members informed that the trial is expected to last until the end of March. Before the members were sworn, judge Mr Justice Treacy asked them a series of questions to determine whether or not they were suitable to sit on the jury. They were informed that the trial will focus on areas in west Belfast including Twinbrook and Lagmore. This focus, the judge said, would include the Summerhill Drive and Summerhill Park areas of Twinbrook, Mo's Turkish Barbers in Lagmore, and Beckett's Bar on the Stewartstown Road. Although no details about the murder were revealed today, Mr Justice Treacy told the jury that Mr Magee studied engineering at the University of Ulster in 2014 and 2015, and that he also trained and worked part-time at Finaghy's Gymco. Eamonn Magee Senior sat in the public gallery, just yards from where Koca sat in the dock. After the 12 jury members were sworn, they were told to come back next Monday morning for the start of the trial. Before leaving court, they were warned that carrying out their own research on the case was prohibited. Mr Justice Treacy said he would expand on this issue next week, but said seeking any background details about the case was banned and his warning should be heeded. Beeton claimed he had been knocked out, and when he came too he was being raped A 22-year-old Northern Ireland man who claimed he was raped has been jailed for ten months. Judge Patrick Lynch QC told Lisburn man Kevin Beeton that despite his guilty plea and remorse, such false claims could pose problems for, and have an effect on public confidence. The Craigavon Crown Court judge said the courts had always regarded this type of activity as serious, not only for the distress caused to the victim, but also the serious effect it could have on those making genuine claims. Judge Lynch also told Beeton that he had made-up his false allegations against his former boyfriend as an act of "vengeance upon him". Beeton, from Lawnmount Crescent, had pleaded guilty to doing an act with intent to pevert the course of public justice on New Years's Eve, 2015, in reporting to police he was raped by a male, which he knew to be false. Prosecution barrister Joseph Murphy said in the early hours of December 31, 2015, Beeton made an emergency 999 call claiming that he was the victim of a rape. He later told police that he'd been attacked by a former boyfriend. Mr Murphy said that Beeton claimed he had been momentarily knocked out, and when he came too he was being raped. As a result of his allegations his former lover was arrested and detained for 12 hours by police. The court heard that fortunately for him, the man was able to provide an alibi for the time in question, backed-up by two others, including his father. Police investigations also contridicted Beeton's claims of what he was doing before the alleged attack. Mr Murphy said that when the matter was put to him Beeton admitted making up the allegation because he "simply wasn't thinking straight". He also apologised for wasting the 170 hours police had spent on their investigations at a cost just short of 3,000. Defence barrister Peter Coiley said Beeton's guilty plea, at the first opportunity, was an indication "of his genuine remorse, shame and embarrassment". Beeton, said Mr Coiley, had wanted "to get back at the victim" and had made an impulsive call to the police and had "foolishly continued with the lie for four days". The lawyer added later that Beeton now wanted to put "this sorry chapter in his life behind him and to move on". The PSNI has angrily hit out at student revellers from diverting resources from crime prevention to having to police their party. Police Land Rovers and cops in riot gear flooded Belfast's Holyland area on Wednesday evening because of a disturbance. Their vehicles were pelted with missiles. One student described large crowds of people gathered in the Agincourt Avenue area but said he saw no trouble and thought it was mostly noise complaints which had brought the police onto the streets. However, he did admit to it being "bad" compared to the usual, adding: "I've never seen the likes of this before." On social media, users described the disturbance as "mayhem". By the time the Belfast Telegraph arrived on the scene after 9pm there were only signs of a clean-up and small pockets of people outside houses. Both universities have condemned the trouble. Police said they attended the area alongside Belfast City Council, Ulster University and Queen's University officials, gathered evidence and spoke with individuals. There were no arrests. "These are police officers who are much better employed tackling crime on our streets, proactively patrolling our neighbourhoods and responding to emergencies," said Chief Inspector Kellie McMillan. "It is highly likely that what seemed like fun for some people last night could have significant and far reaching consequences for them in the future. Expand Close Police in the Holyland area last night / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Police in the Holyland area last night People have every right to enjoy each others company, but I would remind them in the run up to St Patricks Day next week, that what might initially seem like innocent partying can quickly get out of hand, potentially resulting in a criminal record which can affect travel, education and employment opportunities in the future. The year round residents who live in this area are completely fed up with this type of behaviour and the police and partner response, whilst proportionate and considered, will be visible and robust especially in the lead up to St Patricks Day. Read More Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph on Wednesday night. Ray Farley of the Holyland Regeneration Association said the police presence was a bid to "crackdown" on any potential disturbances before it kicks off. He said: "The police had said they were going to try and make a presence so that if anything did kick off to try and nip it in the bud, although it hadn't been scheduled to start this early. But if they are sitting ready and waiting it's better to be there. "It's to set the agenda that we aren't going to let people get away with this sort of behaviour. Expand Close Holyland area on Wednesday night. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Holyland area on Wednesday night. "It does happen all the time, it's not just St Patrick's Day and it was a reasonable day today weather wise - so that's possibly what happened and it spills on." Queen's University A spokeswoman for Queen's said: "Queens University condemns the anti-social behaviour that took place in the Holyland area of Belfast last night. "University staff were in the area last night and will continue to work with the PSNI and Belfast City Council to support their robust enforcement of legislation in relation to anti-social behaviour. "A strict off-campus disciplinary code is in place, and if any Queens student is found to have brought the University into disrepute, they will be subject to the full rigours of this code. Ulster University A spokeswoman for Ulster University said: "With disturbances and large crowds of young people in the Holylands area of South Belfast last night, Ulster University has urged students to stay away from the area ahead of the annual St Patricks Day holiday. We are working closely with the PSNI and Belfast City Council to support them as they enforce the relevant on-street drinking, noise and anti-social behaviour legislation in the area. "We condemn the behaviour last night which resulted in police being called to the area. Our university representatives active on the ground last night worked closely with the PSNI to support interventions. "Although we are aware of increasing numbers of non-students who travel to the Holylands area each year, we have clearly communicated the risks of engaging in anti-social behaviour to our students. Any reports made to us by the authorities will be subject to robust university disciplinary action. "This is in addition to any action which may be taken by the PSNI or Belfast City Council. "We are proud of our role in the community and the positive contribution our talented students make to society but we will not tolerate any level of anti-social behaviour by a minority who bring their institution into disrepute. By failing to act or drink responsibly, they are placing their future career, safety and the safety and wellbeing of others at risk. Belfast City Council said it had nothing to add other than to say it continued to work in partnership with police and the universities on the matter. Eamonn Holmes has said he felt "humbled and honoured" after meeting patients yesterday at the Cancer Centre in Belfast City Hospital. The Northern Ireland-born TV presenter made the visit as he officially took up his new role as patron of a local charity, Friends of the Cancer Centre. The charity helps local cancer patients and families by supporting work in the areas of clinical care and research, as well as patient comfort and care. In addition, the charity funds an extra 32 members of staff and vital medical equipment. During the visit Mr Holmes took time to see the impact the charity makes for local people by meeting staff, patients and supporters. "For me the most powerful part of today has been talking to patients, as it's then that you really appreciate the impact all of this work is having on their lives and the lives of their families," he said. "We all need friends when times are tough and I feel humbled and honoured to be a friend of this incredible charity. "I would really encourage everyone in Northern Ireland to extend their hand of friendship to the charity as I've seen the incredible difference you can make." Colleen Shaw, chief executive of Friends of the Cancer Centre, welcomed the new patron saying: "To have someone as well-known and respected as Eamonn support our work is very special and it was wonderful to see him talk to our staff." More information can be found at www.friendsofthecancercentre.com James Brokenshire has written to MPs warning of the consequences of a lack of agreement in Northern Ireland The Secretary of State has warned Northern Ireland could be facing another election if the political parties cannot reach agreement within three weeks. In a letter to all MPs James Brokenshire also set out the consequences of the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Fein failing to strike a deal which would include disruption and uncertainty for businesses and the public. The parties are currently locked in talks following last week's snap election which saw Sinn Fein dramatically narrow the gap on its powersharing partners the DUP. But in a letter sent today Mr Brokenshire warned: "If no agreement is reached in the short window following the election, there would be a number of significant consequences. "There would be no Executive, no real budget, no Programme for Government and risks to public services. Ultimately we would also be facing a second election with ongoing disruption and uncertainty for businesses and the people of Northern Ireland that would bring." However Mr Brokenshire added that he was "not contemplating any other outcome but a resumption of devolved government as soon as possible". SDLP MP Margaret Ritchie said both the British and Irish Governments, as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement, "need to be more pro-active in working with the Parties to ensure that a political settlement can be achieved which results in the restoration of political institutions". The recent election in Northern Ireland ended the unionist majority at Stormont with Sinn Fein now just one seat behind the DUP. Sinn Fein and the DUP have just three weeks to reach a deal. If no power-sharing government is formed, power could return to the UK Parliament at Westminster for the first time in a decade. Mr Brokenshire and Irish foreign minister Charlie Flanagan have been meeting with parties in a bid to help resolve the crisis. In his letter to MPs, Mr Brokenshire said while the responsibility for forming a new Executive rests with the DUP and Sinn Fein as the two largest parties, he has offered to work intensively with all parties to secure progress. He added that there is an urgent need to resolve the implementation of the commitments on legacy issues in a former agreement, known as the Stormont House Agreement. Mr Brokenshire concluded: "I am clear that I am not contemplating any other outcome but a resumption of devolved government as soon as possible. This is what the people want and what Northern Ireland needs." Ms Ritchie warned of the urgent need "for a budget and significant policies to be put in place to mitigate and reduce the spiralling health waiting lists for diagnostic and surgical procedures. " She added: "Our children and teachers are suffering in schools awaiting the approval of three-year rolling budgets to allow the delivery of our curriculum to ensure that a first-class education service can be delivered for all within the community. "That is the challenge facing all of us at this important juncture in all our lives". A significant majority of the Assembly elected last week support delivery of same-sex marriage, said LGBT group Love Equality A firm commitment to deliver same-sex marriage must be made before the next Executive in Northern Ireland is formed, campaigners said. A significant majority of the Assembly elected last week support the change, the country's main LGBT organisation said. The Democratic Unionists do not have enough seats to mount a veto but other unionists could join a pact to block the measure. The Love Equality coalition said it would be a litmus test of any new government in Northern Ireland. Declan Meehan said: "All of the people of Northern Ireland must be served by the incoming government - that includes the LGBT community. "Before any new Executive is formed, there must be a firm commitment to deliver equal marriage legislation. "Without that, we know it will be another five years of LGBT people being treated as second-class citizens of Northern Ireland." He represents Cara-Friend, one of Northern Ireland's main LGBT community organisations which provides counselling and befriending. In 2015, a majority of Northern Ireland Assembly members voted for same-sex marriage for the first time. But the motion was blocked after the DUP deployed a petition of concern that required the proposal to achieve a cross-community majority. Following last week's poll, the DUP won 28 seats - two short of the 30 needed to pass a petition of concern by themselves. However, unionists from the Ulster Unionist Party and Traditional Unionist Voice, who believe marriage is solely between a man and a woman, could support the DUP on the issue. Clare Moore of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (NIC-ICTU), the representative body for 34 trade unions with over 215,000 members across Northern Ireland, said: "Any new Executive must be willing to be a government for all the people of Northern Ireland. "A key litmus test of this is whether it is willing to pass equal marriage legislation, as supported by an overwhelming majority of people and now also of Assembly members. "The Love Equality campaign knows that a very significant majority of members of the new Assembly support equal marriage. The will of the people must be respected. "That means there must be no more delay in delivering marriage equality." Michael Lawrence Smith, who is at large after being released by mistake from Maghaberry Prison The authorities have been criticised after waiting 24 hours to alert the public that a "dangerous" murder suspect with an "extensive history of violence" was unlawfully at large. Michael Lawrence Smith was "released erroneously" by the Prison Service on Tuesday, and failed to return to Maghaberry Prison. The 38-year-old, who is charged with the murder of Belfast man Stephen Carson, was last seen in the Finaghy area of south Belfast at around 12.30pm on Tuesday. However, it took police until 1pm yesterday to alert the public to Smith's disappearance. Detective Superintendent Kevin Geddes said the police were made aware that Smith failed to return to Maghaberry Prison on Tuesday night and at that stage immediately started an investigation into his whereabouts. Mr Geddes said yesterday: "Less than 24 hours later was an appropriate stage in the investigation to make the public aware and appeal for information to help us locate him". Alliance MLA Trevor Lunn called for a full investigation into Smith's disappearance - and why it took a day for the public to be informed that he was on the loose. "I'm questioning why the public wasn't told immediately," he said. "How did it happen and why did it take so long for the public to be told that a dangerous suspect charged with murder was on the loose?" Mr Lunn said it appeared even the most basic security arrangements had failed. "It is clear such a fundamental mistake should not have happened, particularly with a noted dangerous individual such as Smith," he added. "This is basic security and a full investigation should take place as to how it occurred. "I would urge anyone with information on his whereabouts to contact police immediately." Smith is accused of murdering Mr Carson, who was shot dead at his home in front of his nine-year-old son and partner in February 2016. He is also awaiting trial on a number of other offences. He had previously applied for High Court bail, but police say that this was refused after they "strenuously objected". Mr Geddes described Smith as "dangerous", saying he had an "extensive history of violence". In a YouTube video appeal, he urged Smith to hand himself in, and warned the public against approaching the murder suspect. He said: "I would make three appeals: the first is to Michael himself - please give yourself up. Next I would talk to his family and friends. Please either persuade him to give himself up or contact the police and tell us where he is. "And thirdly to members of the public: do not approach him, he is dangerous, but if you know where he is phone 999 and get in touch with the police." A Prison Service spokeswoman added: "The matters surrounding the erroneous release of Michael Lawrence Smith are currently under investigation. "The Prison Service would urge anyone with information on his whereabouts to contact the police immediately." Mr Smith is described as being of medium build, 1.87m tall, 106kg in weight, with brown eyes and brown hair. Distinguishing marks include scars on his arms, shoulders, head, neck and right cheek. On the eighth anniversary of Steve's death, I can't help fearing for the youth of today and the impact the actions of our politicians recently will have on them. I urge you to take heed, politicians. Life is too short for bickering over who does what, where and when. Believe me, I know that. Today I will be eight years without my wonderful husband. He loved life but others took that pleasure from him, so live and let live, learn to compromise and at least co-exist. The recent attacks on PSNI officers were cowardly. They are not just uniforms but men out doing a day's work. It just shows that eight years after Steve's murder we are no further on and more resources need to be put into saving peoples' lives. Wise up people on the Hill and allow us the respect and life we deserve. Lead by example, not tribalism. Stop showering us with your stubborn behaviour. Everyone is fed up with it. Try to be impartial and leave the divisions where they belong, in the past. I'm so fed up with today's politics. I can only liken it to listening and watching a show of unruly, spoilt children in a playground. But the fact is that it is our lives and those of our children that you are messing with. For goodness sake put bitterness and bigotry out of politics, leave it where it belongs ... in the past! Take this second chance by the scruff of the neck and lead us wisely. I feel like we are stuck in this big hole and there is no one there to help us out of it. I can't help thinking about my past and my future and what my life should have been - and it should have been so different. We worked hard to ensure a bright future for ourselves. Sadly for us, someone decided that the name of a country and a divided land was more important than a life. I should have been living a happy life with my husband. We had planned to travel and spend six months of the year away and six months at home. That was taken from us and for what? Nothing has changed and our politicians are the only ones who can make things change. At Steve's burial I took comfort from seeing political representatives from every party, including Sinn Fein. Even a representative from the UDA attended. These people sat shoulder to shoulder at a Catholic Mass. I believed at that time that Steve's murder had been the catalyst for change. The public showed their solidarity by protesting with peace marches. They no longer wanted to live in a violent, divided society. I'm proof that life is too short for bickering. Steve was only 48-years-old and lived life to the full. Sadly, because of the unreserved conflict in our beautiful country, others took that pleasure from him. When our bones are stripped of flesh and we are in a skeletal state no one could ever tell at a glance what religious beliefs we followed or the colour of our skin. There is no better time than today for change. No one wants to go back to the violence of the past. You have been afforded a second chance to make a real and lasting difference; instead of keeping us in a deep hole of despair, give us something to pull us out so that we can work for the good of the future generations and make our country a happy place again. My last words are, grab this chance by the scruff of the neck and lead us wisely into a great and better future for all our people. As Buddha said - 'You should respect each other and refrain from disputes. You should not be like water and oil and repel each other, but like milk and water, mingle together'. RIP Steven Carroll. Eight years ago today, PSNI officer Stephen Carroll (48) was shot dead after terrorists lured police to a call-out in Lismore Manor in Craigavon. He was the first police officer to be killed in Northern Ireland since the formation of the PSNI. Today, as she prepares to mark another year without her soulmate, Constable Carroll's widow Kate, from Banbridge, writes an open letter to our politicians Michael Lawrence Smith, who is at large after being released by mistake from Maghaberry Prison The Prison Service has admitted it was hours before officials realised a murder suspect was mistakenly released. Michael Lawrence Smith was "released erroneously" by the Prison Service on Tuesday, and failed to return to Maghaberry Prison. The 38-year-old, who is charged with the murder of Belfast man Stephen Carson, was last seen in the Finaghy area of south Belfast at around 12.30pm on Tuesday. He had applied for compassionate bail on Monday to attend his son's confirmation, which was strenuously objected to by police and subsequently rejected by a judge. Despite the bail refusal Smith was released from Maghaberry high-security jail at lunchtime on Tuesday. Northern Ireland Prison Service head Ronnie Armour said Smith, who police described as "dangerous and with a history of violence," was taken to the confirmation from the prison by a family member. It was only at 4.30pm - the time Smith was supposed to return had he originally got bail - that the error to release him in the first place was discovered and "appropriate action taken". Mr Armour said the release was down to "human error". "This is a very significant mistake, a very serious mistake," he told the BBC. "We have a duty of care to protect the public and in this instance we failed. "It is important we understand how this happened and I have launched an internal investigation. In the mean time I want to ensure the public we have taken steps to strengthen our procedures to make sure this does not happen again." Asked if they were close to tracking the escaped prisoner down, Mr Armour said that given the police investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment. "I deeply regret what has happened, this is a blow to public confidence and I understand the anger among the public. That is why it is important we understand what happened, how it happened and work to ensure it doesn't happen again." Smith is accused of murdering Mr Carson, who was shot dead at his home in front of his nine-year-old son and partner in February 2016. He is also awaiting trial on a number of other offences. Mr Armour apologised to the Carson family for the additional anxiety the release of Smith had caused. Read More Pressure has been mounting on the police to explain why the release was not publicised to the public until 24-hours later. Detective Superintendent Kevin Geddes said the police were made aware that Smith failed to return to Maghaberry Prison on Tuesday night and at that stage immediately started an investigation into his whereabouts. Mr Geddes said: "Less than 24 hours later was an appropriate stage in the investigation to make the public aware and appeal for information to help us locate him". He described Smith as "dangerous", saying he had an "extensive history of violence". Alliance MLA Trevor Lunn called for a full investigation into Smith's disappearance - and why it took a day for the public to be informed that he was on the loose. In a YouTube video appeal, Detective Superintendent Kevin Geddes urged Smith to hand himself in, and warned the public against approaching the murder suspect. He said: "I would make three appeals: the first is to Michael himself - please give yourself up. Next I would talk to his family and friends. Please either persuade him to give himself up or contact the police and tell us where he is. "And thirdly to members of the public: do not approach him, he is dangerous, but if you know where he is phone 999 and get in touch with the police." Mr Smith is described as being of medium build, 1.87m tall, 106kg in weight, with brown eyes and brown hair. Distinguishing marks include scars on his arms, shoulders, head, neck and right cheek. Tributes have been paid to James McCollum (75), who died when his Land Rover left the Curragh Road near Coleraine and hit a tree. Mr McCollum, known as Jim, belonged to a respected farming family from the Blagh townland on the outskirts of Coleraine. It is understood Mr McCollum was returning from Kilrea livestock market when the accident happened at around 3pm on Tuesday. DUP councillor George Duddy described him as "a gentle, unassuming man who just went about his business quietly". He added: "He was dedicated to his family and to his work as a dairy and arable farmer, and I offer them my sincere condolences at this time." UUP councillor William McCandless added: "The McCollum family are well respected throughout the Coleraine area and people from the town will be sorry to hear that James has died so tragically." Police have appealed for witnesses to contact the Collision Investigation Unit on 101, quoting reference number 753 07/03/17. The bullet riddled minibus in South Armagh where 10 Protestant workmen were shot dead in the Kingsmill massacre Ulster Unionists have called on the Irish government to make full disclosure about Troubles killings. Some families are unhappy with the amount of information provided about the 1976 IRA murder of 10 Protestant workmen at Kingsmill in South Armagh. UUP chief negotiator Tom Elliott said the level of Irish transparency had not come close to what the UK was planning to deliver on legacy cases. He said: "It almost gives people the perception that there is this unfair process." He said documents coming forward from Dublin about Kingsmill provided "extremely limited" information. The UUP met officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) at Stormont on Thursday on legacy issues but not internal Northern Ireland matters. The Irish government is heavily involved in efforts to restore power-sharing at Stormont. More detailed discussions are planned about specific cases over the next week. Two years ago, Taoiseach Enda Kenny told the families his government would provide information it held about the Kingsmill attack to a coroner for an inquest into the killings. Mr Elliott said the British seemed to be able to get information about what its soldiers did for a host of inquests and the Irish government should be able to retrieve material about Kingsmill. Mr Elliott added: "They have not come close to what the UK are planning to do. "They have not shown us any willingness to do so. "We are putting a line down at the moment that they are not coming up to what we would expect them to." He said they were players in part of the talks. "They have questions to answer over legacy and we will press them on that and that is the only thing we discussed today." Meanwhile, Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams called for a "progressive consensus" on equality in the next Assembly. He said: "We have to be prepared to set aside party differences and unite for positive change, recognising and valuing the differences that shape our society. "That means progress on Acht na Gaeilge and marriage equality and other matters important to citizens, including anti-poverty measures, and social and economic issues." He added: "There is a need to co-operate with other progressives to create real changes in peoples' lives based on everyone's right to equality." Sinn Fein leader in the North Michelle O'Neill claimed at the end of the first week of negotiations nothing had been put on the table by the British government about delivering on the key issues. "What the public are rightly demanding is action, and that is what we are about here, what we are trying to deliver here. "We need others also committed to that attitude." The SDLP met the British and Irish governments on Thursday. Leader Colum Eastwood said: "We left both governments in no doubt that the legacy element of the talks will require an intense and inclusive effort to reach a resolution. "That means all parties and both governments working together to reach a positive accommodation. But importantly it also means that the experience of victims and survivors must be a part of the discussions. "We are not going back to the politics of exclusion." The judge heading the RHI Inquiry has said its work will take at least six months and has ruled out any early report on its findings saying it would be "inappropriate and unfair". The inquiry - as revealed by the Belfast Telegraph earlier in the week - launched its official website on Thursday. It was established by Sinn Fein's Mairtin O Muilleoir in the wake of allegations surrounding the flawed sustainable energy scheme. It is chaired by retired appeal court judge Sir Patrick Coghlin and will hold hearings in the senate chamber at Stormont. In the wake of revelations surrounding the scheme Sinn Fein called on Arlene Foster to stand aside for four weeks to allow the inquiry to prepare an interim report into the "cash-for-ash" scandal. However, Sir Patrick has ruled this out and said it would be unlikely any report would be available for at least six months. "The RHI Inquiry team is determined that it will get to the truth of the matters it is investigating, and will do so as quickly as it possibly can," he said. Sir Patrick said an interim report would likely cause duplication, delay and additional expense. "Any preliminary conclusions that could be reached would necessarily be based on incomplete information and might well have to be changed. "It would also have the potential to be unfair to those who may be involved before the Inquiry," he said. The inquiry will look at the development and roll-out of the botched green energy scheme set up by the Stormont Executive almost four-and-a-half years ago. Expand Close Sinn Fein's Mairtin O Muilleoir ordered the inquiry into the RHI scandal. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sinn Fein's Mairtin O Muilleoir ordered the inquiry into the RHI scandal. Its team is to be based at Waterfront Plaza in the city and will begin the process of gathering evidence before public hearings begin. A preliminary session will be held in April to outline its work. "This is an independent public inquiry," Sir Patrick said "Although a minister of the Northern Ireland Executive set it up, the inquiry is not under the control of that Minister. When I agreed to take on this complex task I was promised complete independence, and I will insist upon it." Joining his team will be Dame Una OBrien, who previously worked in the Home Civil Service and Dr Keith MacLean OBE, who has extensive experience in the energy industry, as an assessor. The inquiry has also recruited a legal team, headed by David Scoffield QC, as senior counsel to the inquiry. Joseph Aiken BL and Donal Lunny BL, the junior counsel to the inquiry, have joined him. Patrick Butler BL has been appointed solicitor to the inquiry, along with Andrew Browne as secretary of the Inquiry. "These are key appointments, many with experience of public inquiries, secured very quickly in the circumstances," Sir Patrick added. He said it would be impossible to report within six months but said the inquiry would work as "expeditiously" as possible and complete its report within a reasonable time frame, as set out in the terms of reference. The Renewable Heating Incentive has been described as the biggest financial scandal in the history of devolved government. Unlike a similar scheme in England, there was no cap on the payments meaning many businesses profited from the scheme. Flaws in the scheme were identified in June 2015, however, caps were not introduced until the following November, during which period there was a spike in applications. Eventually the scheme was completely closed to new application in February 2016, however, 86,000 a day is paid out to those on the scheme. Government officials as well as serving and former Executive ministers have faced mounting questions to explain how the scheme was allowed to be implemented in the manner it was. The DUP had been at the centre of the storm as it was its members who oversaw the scheme. Arlene Foster was at the time the Minister for Enterprise Trade and Investment which introduced the scheme. The former first minister has pledged to cut the RHI overspend to zero. Legal battles are progressing through the courts to prevent the publication of business names which claimed from the scheme and to ensure their payments are not affected for the next 20 years. Boris Johnson raised concerns about illegal Israeli settlements with Benjamin Netanyahu in "friendly and frank" talks yesterday. The Foreign Secretary and the Israeli Prime Minister discussed the two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Mr Johnson also used the visit to Israel to boost trade as part of the Government's drive to build international links ahead of Brexit. On his first working visit to the area territories, Mr Johnson also met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. In a message on Twitter after his talks with Mr Netanyahu, the Foreign Secretary said they "discussed two states solution, trade and concern over illegal settlements". Staffan de Mistura announced further talks on the Syria conflict will take place on March 23 The United Nations special envoy for Syria has said he intends to bring the government and opposition back to Geneva for a fifth round of talks on March 23 to pursue an agreement to end the six-year war. Staffan de Mistura told reporters after briefing the Security Council behind closed doors that the UN will be promoting substantive talks on four issues - governance, a new constitution, elections and counter-terrorism, "including the security organisation and confidence-building measures". He appealed to participants at a meeting in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana, that will take place ahead of the next Geneva talks, to address the challenges of the ceasefire in Syria. Those talks are organised by the three guarantors of the ceasefire - Russia, Iran and Turkey Russia's military on Tuesday announced a ceasefire until March 20 between rebels and Syria's government in the eastern Ghouta suburbs of the Syrian capital of Damascus, but activists reported a number of air strikes and artillery strikes by government forces and said two civilians were killed. The announcement from Russia came on the same day top generals from Turkey, the United States and Russia met in Turkey to discuss mutual suspicions over military operations in northern Syria. Mr de Mistura said it is very important that military commanders of the three countries invested in a solution in Syria meet to avoid conflicts and focus on counter-terrorism. "Without a strong ceasefire, the talks (in Geneva) will be fragile," he warned. The fourth round of talks ended on March 3. The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said the United States supports Mr de Mistura and the UN-led talks, but added that "we do think there are people missing from the table". She did not elaborate but stressed that the United States wants to see an end to the conflict. "This is very much about a political solution now," Ms Haley said. "That basically means that... Syria can no longer be a safe haven for terrorists." She added: "We've got to make sure that we get Iran and their proxies out. We've got to make sure as we move forward we're securing the borders for our allies as well, so that they can have confidence in the secure borders." British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft, the current Security Council president, said all council members support Mr de Mistura and urged the parties at the next round of talks "to engage constructively". He said Mr de Mistura came across to him during the closed consultations "with some cautious optimism this time - that he had been able to keep all of the different parties at the Geneva talks in the fourth round despite some difficult moments, and there was agreement on these four baskets of issues which will form the agenda for the talks". Mr de Mistura said he asked the council for support in ensuring that the fifth round goes "upwards" from the fourth - not backwards. "Above all, I have appealed to all Syrians and outsiders to abandon the fantasies that still are there of a military victory. One side or the other still sometimes believes that is possible. It is pure fantasy," he said. In the fourth round, Mr de Mistura said, "we did not expect miracles and frankly we didn't have miracles". "But we achieved much more than many people imagined we could have. No one left. Everybody stayed. They were focused. We got an agenda. We got a timeline. We got some agreements even on substance," he said. "There is a lot of common ground" on what a Syria settlement could be - but disagreements remain on how to get there, he said. Mr de Mistura said that in the fifth round, the parties will work in parallel on the four major issues. "What you should see is four cars who are moving," he said, but the parties must determine how to put "the fuel in each car". AP Trucks carrying US missile launchers and other equipment arrive at the Osan air base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea (US Forces Korea/AP) The United States has rejected China's proposal for a halt to joint US-South Korean military exercises if North Korea suspends its nuclear and missile activities. The US called North Korean leader Kim Jong Un irrational and demanded "positive action" before it can take his regime seriously. In Washington, US State Department acting spokesman Mark Toner said: "At this point we don't see it as a viable deal." Pentagon spokesman Cmdr Gary Ross said US activities to defend South Korea "cannot be equated to North Korea's repeated violations of its obligations and agreements". The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, told reporters after an emergency Security Council meeting on North Korea's latest ballistic missile launches that the US must see "some sort of positive action" by Kim's regime before discussing ways to reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Earlier on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi proposed the suspension deal, likening escalating tensions between the North and Washington and Seoul to "two accelerating trains, coming toward each other with neither side willing to give way". The idea was rejected by South Korea and Japan as well as the US. Ms Haley said the military drills are especially needed now after North Korea conducted two nuclear tests and 24 ballistic missile launches last year, and two sets of missile launches and the alleged assassination of Kim Jong Un's estranged brother using a chemical weapon this year. She also defended the upcoming deployment of a US missile defence system in South Korea, a move that has been strongly opposed by China. She said America would not leave its ally facing the threat from North Korea without help. "We have not seen any goodwill at all coming from North Korea," Ms Haley said. "I appreciate all my counterparts wanting to talk about talks and negotiations, (but) we are not dealing with a rational person." With any other country, the US would be seeking negotiations, she said. "This is not a rational person, who has not had rational acts, who is not thinking clearly," Ms Haley said of North Korea's leader. "This is someone who is trying to get attention. This is someone who is trying to get a reaction." Ms Haley said the US is re-evaluating how it is going to deal with North Korea going forward "and we are making those decisions now and will act accordingly". "We're not ruling anything out and we're considering every option that's on the table," she said. South Korean Ambassador Cho Tae-yul also rejected the idea of a North Korean nuclear freeze in exchange for halting US-South Korea military exercises, which he stressed are defensive in nature. "Linking this exercise to anything else, which is illegal nuclear and missile provocation by North Korea, is inappropriate and unacceptable, and I think this is just trying to link the unlinkable," he said. "All kinds of options have been exhausted so far," Mr Cho said. "So the only available means to change the North Korean behaviour fundamentally is to continue to keep up the pressure and sanctions on North Korea." AP Last Thursday was a black day for Ulster and for unionism, and many unionists were shocked by the result of what had been a brutal election. Over the weekend, I spoke to quite a number of unionists, who are not members of any political party, and there was a palpable sense of shock, which was deepened by the triumphalism of Gerry Adams. However, I have detected more than shock: I have also detected anger and determination and that energy needs to be harnessed and channelled. The DUP have returned to a smaller Assembly as the largest party with 28 seats, but Sinn Fein have 27, the SDLP have 12 and the UUP have dropped behind them with just 10. The DUP increased their vote, but there was an unexpected surge in the vote for Sinn Fein and Gerry Adams was able to describe it as a watershed election. Now, it is imperative that the unionist parties and unionist people think carefully about how this happened and what they can do to counter the Sinn Fein surge. One factor was undoubtedly Mike Nesbitts announcement that he intended to vote for the UUP and then transfer to the SDLP and Alliance. That surprised many of his party members and some were so outraged that they distanced themselves from it. However, some unionists followed his lead and that cost the unionist family votes and seats. This had not been thought through by Nesbitt, but it was the natural outworking of his equally ill-considered slogan, Vote Mike, get Colum. Of course, Mike Nesbitt was a relative newcomer to politics, elected to the Assembly in May 2011 and becoming party leader in March 2012. His lack of experience and political acumen damaged both his own party and the unionist family. However, there is no denying that Sinn Fein mounted a cynical and clinical operation. Last year, they were under pressure from their members and they were stung by the criticisms of other nationalists. The centenary of 1916 had not produced a united Ireland, merely a paltry parade up the Falls Road. The outcome of the 2016 election was another blow, with a drop in the Sinn Fein vote and a DUP majority of 10. The position of the SDLP outside the Executive was another destabilising factor for Sinn Fein. Some critics had described them as rollover republicans and Sinn Fein find it hard to cope with such criticism. In the end, they decided that the best way to deal with this situation was to force an election on their terms, at a time of their choosing and after a period of preparation all of it under the radar. Motivation, registration and organisation were the three keys to their success. They had honed their messages and highlighted their perceived grievances. The faux outrage about the crocodile analogy came from a party whose leader described unionists as b******* and whose members have likened the Orange Order to the KKK. It was manufactured outrage, but it gained traction within nationalism and helped to galvanise nationalists to turn out for Sinn Fein. From December onwards, the DUP suffered a sustained assault from other parties, including Mike Nesbitts UUP, and from much of the media over the RHI scheme. Sinn Fein decided that the DUPs difficulty was their opportunity and it was time to strike. The Sinn Fein surge was partly due to a higher turnout and, so, in West Belfast, the turnout increased from 56% to 66%. But it also involved a return of wandering republicans to the Sinn Fein fold and that was reflected in a sharp decline in the vote for People Before Profit. However, this is fixable. Arlene Foster has called for a coming together of unionist parties and that is good, but it is only part of the answer. There are many other things that need to be done if unionism is to reverse the Sinn Fein surge and both the unionist parties and the unionist people have a role to play. Book Review Policy I am very interested in receiving review copies from authors and publishers. Each book I complete will receive an honest review from me. If you would be willing to send me a copy of a book, please contact me at ristaut@gmail.com Indians protest against the extremist group Islamic State in a Muslim dominated area of Ahmedabad, Feb. 18, 2017. Updated at 4:48 p.m. ET on 2017-03-08 Indias top counter terror unit rushed investigators to Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh Wednesday, hours after police shot dead a suspected terrorist and arrested six others following an explosion inside a passenger train that injured 10. The blast appeared to have been carried out by people motivated by the Islamic State terror group, police officials and security experts said. But they did not agree on the extent to which the perpetrators had interacted with members of that group based in the Middle East. A low-intensity blast on Tuesday inside a train at Madhya Pradeshs Jabri Railway Station was the handiwork of the so-called Islamic State, according to the states government and police department. Police in Uttar Pradesh, where a suspect allegedly linked to the blast was shot dead on Wednesday, said the suspects were part of a self-proclaimed IS cell. We have no such evidence yet that the suspect shot dead or those arrested have any link with IS, other than that that they belonged to a self-proclaimed IS cell, Daljit Singh Chawdhary, Uttar Pradeshs additional director general of police, told a press briefing in Lucknow. He confirmed that Mohammad Saifullah, who was killed early Wednesday after a 12-hour gun battle with security forces in Lucknows Thakurganj locality, was part of the group that carried out the blast that injured 10. He also said an IS flag was found near the suspects body. Police claimed to have recovered eight handguns, 600 bullets, bomb-making material, six mobile phones and three passports among documents from the slain suspect. Following the blast, the Madhya Pradesh police arrested three suspects identified as Danish Akhtar, Syed Meer Hussain and Atish Muzaffar while the Uttar Pradesh police arrested three others Mohammad Faisal Khan, Mohammad Imran and Fakre Alam. All are aged between 25 and 35, police said. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan supported claims by his states police that Tuesdays blast was the first-ever IS attack on Indian soil. After planting a time bomb bag in the train, the terrorists clicked pictures and sent photo[s] to their handler in Syria through social media, Chouhan told television news agency ANI. But Uttar Pradesh Polices Chawdhary refuted this statement. These people were self-radicalized and self-financed. They had no aid from outside. They are a self-proclaimed module. The laptops recovered from them show they were regularly involved in such activities, he said, adding that the suspects previously attempted to carry out small-scale attacks but failed. While government officials consistently deny that IS has made any significant inroads in India, about 70 people have been arrested and are facing trial for alleged links with the Middle East-based terror outfit. Intelligence agencies claim that about 50 Indian Muslims have left for the Middle East to fight alongside IS. Among them, at least seven have died in battle. Security experts, too, refrained from describing the attack as a direct IS strike. This is not quite an IS operation. It is highly unlikely these men were directly radicalized by IS. Although they could be part of groups that draw inspiration from IS, retired Maj. Gen. Afsir Karim, a New Delhi-based counter-terrorism analyst, told BenarNews. A.S. Dulat, former chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Indias external intelligence agency, shared Karims views. India has no direct threat from IS. Surely, there may be some youngsters who could have been influenced by the groups ideology, but this doesnt mean IS is directly involved, he told BenarNews. Meanwhile, Saifullahs family refused to accept the commerce graduates body, calling him a traitor. One who indulges in anti-national activities cant be my son. Look, someone whos a traitor cannot be our son. Its that straightforward. We will absolutely not accept a traitors body, Saifullahs father, Sartaj, told Times of India. Former Delhi University professor G.N. Saibaba, who suffers from 90 percent disability owing to post-polio paralysis, was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday for his link to Maoist rebels. An Indian courts decision to sentence a physically handicapped university professor and four other leftwing activists to life in prison for links to Maoist rebels is drawing criticism that the Hindu nationalist government influenced the judiciary. Lawyer Surendra Gadling told BenarNews that his clients would soon challenge the shocking 825-page judgment pronounced Tuesday by Maharashtra states Nagpur District Sessions Court. The court issued life terms to Delhi University professor G.N. Saibaba, who is wheelchair bound and suffers from post-polio paralysis, Prashant Rahi, a former journalist, Hem Mishra, a university student, Mahesh Tirki and Pandu Narote. A sixth accused, Vijay Tirki, was sentenced to a 10 years. They were convicted under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for being active members of a terrorist gang or organization and offenses relating to support given to a terrorist outfit and waging war against the nation, the court said. Saibaba and the others are active members of the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-M) and its frontal organization the revolutionary Democratic Front (RDF), judge Suryakant Shinde ruled. Though he [Saibaba] is physically handicapped, he is mentally fit, Shinde said, while agreeing with the prosecutions argument that the disabled academic deserved no leniency as he used to frequently travel abroad to spread Maoist ideology and would actively recruit youths. Maoists, also known as Naxalites, are a leftwing extremist group fighting Indian security forces since the late 1960s from jungle hideouts in more than a third of central and eastern Indias 600 districts. The rebels have accused successive governments of uprooting poor and landless people to exploit mineral-rich forests scattered throughout the region. Gadling said his team was still studying the judgment, and would appeal the verdict within seven days. Vague, tenuous evidence It will take time to analyze the points raised by the court as this is the first time in Maharashtra that vague and tenuous electronic evidence has been used as evidence to establish guilt, he said. Maharashtra police had based their evidence against the six on a memory chip recovered from Mishra after his arrest from the states Gadchiroli district in August 2013, along with Mahesh Tirki and Narote. While Rahi and Vijay Tirki were arrested a month later, Saibaba was arrested from his Delhi residence in May 2014. Police also claimed that incriminating data recovered from the hard disk of Saibabas computer showed the accused were involved in Maoist activities. Following his arrest, Saibaba was suspended from Delhis Ram Lal Anad College where he taught English literature. He was held in the Nagpur Central Jail for 14 months before being granted bail on grounds of deteriorating health. My imprisonment has changed everything. The laughter in the family is gone, probably for good. My wife and daughter are happy I am out of jail, but there is this constant tension that I will be sent to jail again, Saibaba told BenarNews following his release. Government under fire Vasantha Kumari, Saibabas wife, openly blamed Indias ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for having a hand in the courts verdict. This judgment is shocking. It seems the government has put a lot of pressure on the judiciary to implement anti-people and undemocratic policies at the behest of corporate firms and multinational companies. The government has selectively suppressed the voice of people to plunder the resources of the country, she said in a statement. Indian academics agreed with Kumari. The trend nowadays is quite obvious. Every voice critical or dissenting has to be put behind bars, Ritu Dewan, former head of Mumbai Universitys economics department, told BenarNews. Sentencing a well-known scholar, who is severely disabled, to life imprisonment is like a death sentence to the freedom of thought itself. Teachers are supposed to be the guardians of free speech and free flow of ideas, Dewan said. Those in power feel threatened by a section of intelligentsia that has to the potential to disrupt their political base, P.S. Vivek, a sociology professor at Mumbai University, told BenarNews. The events that have been unfolding since the BJP came to power points to subtle methods being adopted by the government to stifle critical thinking and instill fear in those who dare to speak against it, he said. Meanwhile, prosecutor Prashant Sathianathan was pleased with the verdict. Its a very special verdict, especially to take care of white collared people who are involved in such [Maoist] activities. The accused in this case were high-profile people and this verdict is a message to their organizations, he told The Hindu newspaper. Kashmiri villagers clash with Indian police near the site of a gun battle between security forces and suspected militants in Pulwama district, March 9, 2017. Separatist leaders have called for a complete shutdown across Indian Kashmir on Friday to protest the killing of a teenager following an encounter between security forces and suspected militants in Pulwama district on Thursday. Amir Nazir, 15, was allegedly killed when police opened fire on stone-hurling anti-India protesters who had poured out on the streets of the south Kashmir district after security forces gunned down two suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives during a firefight. Nazir died after being hit by a stray bullet near the site of the encounter, a senior police official told BenarNews on condition of anonymity, while expressing regret over the teenagers death. The two slain suspected LeT operatives were identified as Shafi Shergujri and Jahangir Ahmad Ganie. Jalal Din, 26, another civilian, apparently died of cardiac arrest when protesters started running to escape police firing, a health official said. There was no bullet injury on Jalal Dins body. It appears he may have died of cardiac arrest or chest trauma while running for safety during clashes, Rashid Parra, medical superintendent at the district hospital, told BenarNews. News of the civilian deaths triggered another cycle of violent protests in the district, police said, adding that at least 25 protesters were injured when security forces fired teargas shells and pellets to disburse a mob. Police said they wanted to capture the suspected militants alive and engaged their family members to persuade them to surrender. But Shergujri and Ganie flatly refused to come out of the house in which they were holed up and began firing. Both of them were killed in retaliatory fire, the police official said. Both residents of south Kashmir, Shergujri and Ganie were involved in various terror acts [and] were motivating youths to join militant ranks in south Kashmir, according to a statement released by the police. In a separate incident later on Thursday, a suspected militant identified as Mushtaq Ahmed was shot dead by the Indian Army in north Kashmirs Bandipora district, after he allegedly opened fire on an army check post. One soldier was injured in the firing, officials said. Ahmed was allegedly a member of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), the largest separatist faction in the disputed Himalayan region. Claimed in its entirety by both India and Pakistan, Muslim-majority Kashmir has been grappling with a separatist insurgency that has claimed more than 70,000 lives since the late 1980s. India blames Pakistan for militancy Earlier this week, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Indias top counter terror unit squarely blamed Pakistan-based militant outfits for funding militancy in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) and LeT are raising money through donations to charitable organizations associated with them to fund militancy in Kashmir, Atul Goel, NIAs Superintendent of Police, said while addressing the 19th Asian Security Conference in New Delhi on Monday. Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation, a charity run by LeT and jamaat-ud-Dawa, and the JeM-backed Al-Rehmat Trust collect donations from Pakistan resident and then through their over-ground workers foment terror in Kashmir, Goel said. Earlier this year, Kashmir police blamed Pakistan for backing what it termed as narco-terrorism. The funds generated from sale of narcotics are being used to fund terror activities in Kashmir, Director General of Police (DGP) S.P. Vaid told BenarNews in January. Indian security experts agreed with these claims. There is a well-organized resource flow to Kashmiri separatists [from Pakistan]. This has been documented for many years, Ajai Sahni of the New Delhi-based Institute of Conflict Management told BenarNews. Pakistani terror outfits routinely send mules across the LoC [Line of Control] to pass on funds to separatists in Kashmir, K.R. Rajendra, Kashmirs former DGP, told BenarNews, referring to the de facto border that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan. But by blaming Pakistan for separatism in Kashmir, India was attempting to malign internationally the ongoing freedom movement aimed at liberating Kashmir from Indias oppressive rule said Shabir Shah, a separatist leader. Regardless of the Indian government tactics, the Kashmiri peoples resolve to fight oppression cannot be crushed, he told BenarNews. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak speaks with the counsellor at Malaysias embassy in Pyongyang from his office in parliament, March 9, 2017. Two Malaysians employed by the United Nations in North Korea have arrived in Beijing and Kuala Lumpur is working to secure the safe release of nine other citizens barred from leaving the communist state, Malaysias prime minister said Thursday. The two U.N. World Food Program staffers left North Korea amid a diplomatic row that has escalated after the assassination of Kim Jong Uns half-brother on Malaysian soil last month, and which has seen both countries impose exit bans on each others citizens. Stella Lim and Nyanaprakash Muniandy have both safely arrived in Beijing, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said in a Twitter message Thursday, referring to the two Malaysians working for the United Nations. The World Food Program confirmed that the two had landed in the Chinese capital on Thursday. The staff members are international civil servants and not representatives of their national government. They work on WFPs programs in DPR Korea, the U.N. agency said in a statement sent to BenarNews. The nine Malaysians who are still in North Korea consist of three staffers at Kuala Lumpurs embassy in Pyongyang and their families, according to information from Malaysias foreign ministry earlier this week. Late on Thursday, there was no official word on whether Malaysia would allow any North Korean citizens living or working on its territory to leave the country. The remaining nine Malaysians were fine, Najib said in a Facebook post after he spoke by phone with Mohd Nor Azrin, the counsellor at the Malaysian embassy in Pyongyang. I would like to update that he, his family along with all of the other Malaysians in North Korea are safe, Alhamdulillah, Najib said. I have given him my assurance that the government will do everything we can to ensure that they return home safely soon. The whole of Malaysia is praying for them, he said. The North Korean government has assured the safety of the Malaysians in Pyongyang and said they are free to go about their daily lives, the prime minister said. At loggerheads The Feb. 13 assassination of Kim Jong Nam through poisoning with a banned nerve agent, according to Malaysian police, has rocked bilateral ties dating to 1973. In addition to the mutual exit bans, Malaysia and North Korea this week expelled their respective ambassadors. Malaysia kicked out North Korean envoy Kang Chol because he did not apologize for twice publicly lambasting a Malaysian police probe into Kim Jong Nams murder. Meanwhile, authorities have arrested and charged two Southeast Asian women and identified seven North Korean nationals as suspects. On Tuesday, Najib blamed North Koreas regime for assassinating the half-brother of its dictator marking the first time that a Malaysian official had made such an accusation. Officials in the United States and South Korea have also accused Pyongyang agents of being behind Kims murder. What we are facing now is the result of their action in assassinating their own citizen in Malaysia, on Malaysian soil, using a strictly banned chemical weapon, the prime minister said. The feud has centered on Malaysias refusal to release Kims body until his next-of-kin comes forward to claim the remains and give police a DNA sample needed for a positive identification. Nearly a month after the assassination, no next-of-kin has come forward, according to Malaysian officials. On Wednesday, a video of a young man claiming to be Kims son, emerged when a group calling itself Cheollima Civil Defense posted it online. Cheollima Civil Defense claimed to look after North Korean citizens who seek protection. On its website, the group said it received an emergency request by survivors of the family of Kim Jong Nam for extraction and protection. My name is Kim Han Sol from North Korea, part of the Kim family. My father has been killed a few days ago. I am currently with my mother and my sister, and we are very grateful. We hope this gets better soon, the young man said in the short and undated video clip, which was partly redacted. People in Seoul, South Korea, watch a TV news report showing a video of a man claiming to be Kim Han Sol, the son of the assassinated half-brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, March 8, 2017. Updated at 11:55 a.m. ET on 2017-03-09 The United States on Wednesday joined Malaysia and South Korea in blaming North Korea for assassinating the half-brother of Pyongyang leader Kim Jong Un at a Kuala Lumpur area airport last month. Outgoing U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel openly condemned Pyongyang for the assassination of Kim Jong Nam. His condemnation came a day after Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak became the first official from his government to publicly accuse North Korea of being behind the fatal poisoning with a banned nerve agent. "The hijacking of the territory of a country by a foreign power for the purpose of murder for the purpose of political assassination is reprehensible, Russel said Wednesday during a farewell conference call from Washington with reporters in Asia, referring to Kims murder. Until the phone interview, no American official had made such an on-the-record accusation. Russel also praised Malaysian authorities for what he called an impressive investigation into the case, where diplomatic tensions between Malaysia and North Korea have risen sharply in recent days. We have not taken any negative action against North Korea. What we are facing now is the result of their action in assassinating their own citizen in Malaysia, on Malaysian soil, using a strictly banned chemical weapon, the Malaysian state-run news service Bernama quoted Najib as telling reporters in Jakarta on Tuesday. Malaysian police have charged two Southeast Asian women with Kims murder and have identified at least seven North Korean citizens as suspects in his killing, including a second secretary stationed at Pyongyangs embassy in Kuala Lumpur. Najib was speaking before he flew back to Kuala Lumpur to convene an emergency meeting of Malaysias National Security Council over an escalating diplomatic crisis with North Korea. Amid diplomatic fallout from the case, both countries have expelled their respective ambassadors and, earlier on Tuesday, Pyongyang barred Malaysian citizens from leaving North Korea. Malaysia reciprocated by imposing a similar exit ban on North Korean citizens in Malaysian territory. On Wednesday, 11 Malaysian citizens were said to be stuck in North Korea, while officials in the eastern Malaysian state of Sarawak announced immigration officials the day before had detained 140 North Korean migrants because of expired work permits. The migrants work in the local coal mining and construction industries. The 11 Malaysians in North Korea were safe and able to continue with their daily routines, Najib said in a blog post on his website Wednesday. He pledged that his government would do all it could to bring them home safely. Victims family in hiding? The diplomatic feud between the two Asian countries, which have maintained diplomatic ties for 44 years, stemmed from Malaysias refusal to release Kim Jong Nams body unless his next-of-kin came forward to claim the remains and provide investigators with DNA needed for a positive identification. Najib pointed out Wednesday that no one has come forward, perhaps out of fear, according to Bernama. But on the same day, a video of a young man claiming to be Kim Han Sol, the dead mans son, emerged when a group posted it online. Kim Jong Nam, the older half-sibling of Kim Jong Un, had been living with his family in exile in Macau. My name is Kim Han Sol from North Korea, part of the Kim family. My father has been killed a few days ago. I am currently with my mother and my sister, and we are very grateful. We hope this gets better soon, the young man said in the undated video clip, which was redacted in parts and during which he held up his passport. Cheollima Civil Defense, the group responsible for the video, claimed to look after North Korean citizens who seek protection. On its website, the group said it received an emergency request by survivors of the family of Kim Jong Nam for extraction and protection. The three family members were met quickly and relocated to safety, the group said. It also expressed its gratitude to the governments of the Netherlands, China, the United States and an unidentified fourth country for helping provide Kims family with emergency humanitarian assistance. An official with South Koreas National Intelligence Service which, in the immediate aftermath of Kims murder, alleged North Korean agents had poisoned him fatally confirmed to Reuters news agency the young man in the video was Kim Han Sol. On Wednesday, BenarNews contacted the Dutch, Chinese and U.S. embassies in Kuala Lumpur but their spokesmen declined to comment about the video. Dennis Wong in Kuching, Malaysia, contributed to this report. This version removes an earlier reference to the national origin of Cheollima Civil Defense, which is unclear. A Thai man looks at a portrait photo of then-Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn at a shop in Bangkok, Nov. 30, 2016. After failing to agree to a new long-term contract with Thailands military government, BBC World Service stopped broadcasting shortwave radio programs from a transmitter north of Bangkok at the start of the year. A Thai government spokesman said the BBC decided to drop its effort for a seven-year lease agreement on the transmitter. I would like to inform you that, the Public Relations Department owns the premises and the negotiating counterpart is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. BBC told us a couple of days ago or so that it would not want to have a new contract, Lt. Gen. Sansern Kaewkamnerd told BenarNews in a phone interview. Despite the shutdown, Thai residents have access to BBC News content through the broadcasters Thai Service website that went online in November 2016. The website created controversy shortly after its launch by publishing a profile of King Maha Vajiralongkorn on the day he assumed the throne on Dec. 1 following the death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, in mid-October. Two days after the kings ascension, Jatupat Pai Boonpattararaksa, a student activist from Khon Kaen University, was charged under the nations strict royal defamation law for allegedly sharing the profile on Facebook. Jatupat, the first civilian charged with royal defamation under King Vajiralongkorns reign was indicted on Feb. 10 and will face a closed-door trial. Only people involved in the case will be allowed to attend hearings. BBC officials did not comment on the flap, but Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that the websites coverage of Thailand was an obstacle in discussions around renewing a lease for the transmitter. Despite extensive negotiations, we have been unable to reach an agreement to re-commence transmissions. Given the financial constraints faced by the whole of the BBC, we have reluctantly decided to shut the site, the BBC said in a Wednesday statement about the Jan. 1 shuttering of its Thai transmitter. Layoffs possible The BBC said it might lay off 45 staff members who worked at the transmitter site in Nakhon Sawan, 240 km (150 miles) north of Bangkok for 20 years. It moved the transmitter from Hong Kong to Thailand when Great Britain handed over the territory to China in 1997. The transmitter broadcast local language news into tightly controlled countries such as China and North Korea and into places where many still rely on radio, including Pakistan and Afghanistan, AFP reported. The closure comes even as the BBC plans to increase its output to 40 foreign languages, near its post-World War II peak of 45, AFP reported. The British government announced an additional $352 million for the 2015-2020 period following years of cuts. 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I intend Bowalley Road to be a much quieter, and certainly a more respectful, place. So, if you wish your comments to survive the moderation process, you will have to follow the Bowalley Road Rules. These are based on two very simple principles: Courtesy and Respect. Comments which are defamatory, vituperative, snide or hurtful will be removed, and the commentators responsible permanently banned. Anonymous comments will not be published. Real names are preferred. If this is not possible, however, commentators are asked to use a consistent pseudonym. Comments which are thoughtful, witty, creative and stimulating will be most welcome, becoming a permanent part of the Bowalley Road discourse. However, I do add this warning. If the blog seems in danger of being over-run by the usual far-Right suspects, I reserve the right to simply disable the Comments function, and will keep it that way until the perpetrators find somewhere more appropriate to vent their collective spleen. We are not to blame for the housing shortage Von: Larissa Kruger It is one of the most successful start-ups that came out of Silicon Valley: The home sharing marketplace Airbnb. Now counting more than three million homes in 191 countries, the start-up has rapidly gained popularity and become more successful. Lesen Sie auch Schloss, Flugzeug, Hutte : Das sind die krassesten Airbnbs Ihr wollt in den Sommerurlaub fahren und sucht noch eine Unterkunft? Bei diesen kuriosen Locations ist bestimmt etwas dabei. The idea behind Airbnb is that users can rent out their flats or single rooms when currently not at home themselves on a holiday for example. 95.000 homes in Germany (single rooms, flats, houses, even tree houses) are being offered on the platform, 20.000 of them are in Berlin. An average host makes about 1800 Euro a year on Airbnb. Auch interessant But there is also controversy surrounding the company: Critics say that besides the private hosts, there are also plenty of people that use Airbnb in a commercial manner and therefore contribute to the severe housing shortage in many cities. BILD spoke to Nathan Blecharczyk, one of the founders of Airbnb. Do you stay in hotels when you travel? Blecharczyk: No, I am always staying in an Airbnb. People all over the world offer accommodations on Airbnb, their entire homes, rooms, luxury estates, tree houses, secluded islands, and mobile accommodations, such as caravans. Do those who host you know that you are one of the founders of Airbnb? Blecharczyk: No, they generally do not know. But sometimes they find out. If I tell them straight away, people might become nervous and treat me differently than their other guests. Thats not what I want! What are your best and your worst experiences as an Airbnb guest? Blecharczyk: Uh, Ive had a lot of great experiences! One of my favourite experiences in the last year was when I took my family to Tuscany in October. We stayed in a villa next to a thirteenth-century castle. The villa was surrounded by a vineyard, and it smelled of grapes everywhere, because the vine-growers were just bringing in the harvest. And the worst? Blecharczyk: It is very important to read the reviews before booking an accommodation. This is the only way to learn about what makes a home particularly good or what are the things you should pay attention to. For example cities are noisy, therefore homes in cities also tend to be noisier. A local person might not notice but a visitor might. Thats normal. Lesen Sie auch Wohnungspolitik : Stephan von Dassel: AirBnB unterstutzt Gesetzesbruch Der Bezirksburgermeister von Berlin-Mitte, Stephan von Dassel (Grune), sieht in der Onlineplattform AirBnB einen unseriosen Anbieter. Das Unternehmen Reisen : Airbnb macht Reiseveranstaltern Konkurrenz Airbnb entwickelt sich vom Vermittler von Ferienapartments zum Konkurrenten klassischer Reiseveranstalter. Many cities try to come up with rules to restrict Airbnb. Why? Blecharczyk: Most cities have rules that date back many decades, long before Airbnb existed. But times have changed and the needs of the people have as well. Home sharing, when people occasionally rent out their homes, is not just a fleeting trend. That is why we need new rules. In Berlin, for instance, there are currently no clear rules. Airbnb hosts often dont know whats allowed and what is not allowed. There is a rule in Berlin that you can rent out only 50% percent of your apartment. Blecharczyk: Still, for many Airbnb hosts, the rules are not cleat. What is if someone has a one-room apartment? The law fails to acknowledge all the regular people who simply want to earn some extra income from time to time, for instance to pay for their vacations. For most hosts, the point is not to make a lot of money. Thats why we need rules in Berlin that distinguish between Home Sharers and professional operators on the basis of objective criteria. Only in Berlin? Blecharczyk: Many cities are embracing Airbnb and we have jointly agreed on rules with them. In Amsterdam and London, for example, Airbnb hosts can rent out their homes only a limited number of days a year. So what is your message to German politicians? Blecharczyk: We should sit down together and jointly think about how challenges can be solved. However, this also requires that politicians are willing to have a conversation with us. Many cities in Germany do so already. When we started Airbnb 9 years ago, everyone told us why it would never work. Sometimes, you have to do it to proof that it can work. Lesen Sie auch At the time of Trumps Muslim ban, you offered accommodation for free to travellers who could not enter the US as scheduled. Was there any reaction to this on Trumps part? Blecharczyk: No. But we received a lot of positive reactions, also from thousands of people who had not been on Airbnb before and who then wanted to help and volunteer their homes. It was great to see such big support. Are you worried because Trump is now the new US President? Blecharczyk: Its difficult to predict the future. But in general its important that people stand up for what they believe in and make their voices be heard. I am not concerned about Airbnb as the regulations are made on a local level. What are your next major projects? Blecharczyk: Airbnb Experiences, which will be available in Berlin in May. Experiences are currently being offered in 13 cities. By the end of the year we will be in 51 cities. Experiences offer unique insights into local communities and places who so far had not been accessible to travellers. What is it about? Blecharczyk: Experiences are activities, who are developed and offered by loal experts. They usually take a couple of hours but can also last some days, as for instance truffle hunting with Giulio in Tuscany. Everybody who has a particular passion or knowledge can share this with other people and make some extra money. You dont also have to host your home to become an experience host. People can show their favourite part of town, or organize a canoe trip on the lake, or a bike trip, or they can offer a cooking class. In the future, you can book these experiences. For example, I booked a tour of a fish market in Tokyo. My guide worked at the market and offered me a behind-the-scenes experience. It was great! So will you become a form of travel agency? Blecharczyk: Airbnb is becoming a platform for the entire trip. That means you can rent homes and book experiences. In the future, more things might be added. The main idea is to live like a local, not like a tourist. For Immediate Release, March 9, 2017 Contact: Kieran Suckling, (520) 275-5960 Mati Waiya, Chumash Leader, Joins Center for Biological Diversity Board of Directors TUCSON, Ariz. Mati Waiya, a Chumash tribe ceremonial leader of the Santa Clara River Turtle Clan and founder of the Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation, has joined the Center for Biological Diversity's board of directors. Waiya created the Wishtoyo Foundation in 1997 as a way to connect people and the environment, particularly land, air, water and wildlife. The foundation's goal is to preserve and protect Chumash culture and the natural resources all people depend upon through education, outreach, restoration projects, advocacy and legal action. We're deeply honored to have Mati on our board and helping set the Center's direction for years to come, said Kieran Suckling, executive director of the Center. His passion, knowledge and incredible leadership at the intersection of native and environmental issues will be vital for the Center in meeting some of the most important issues of our time. Mati Waiya (Little Hawk) is a lifelong resident of Ventura County, Calif. A graduate of Buena High School, he attended Ventura College before joining his uncle's contracting business. Driven to succeed, Waiya later started his own construction company, and moved his family to Newbury Park in 1989. Soon thereafter he was identified and called upon by the traditional elders Kote Lotah of the Southern Owl Clan and Choi Slo of the Black Bird Clan, his teachers to begin more than a decade of apprenticeship. Waiya takes seriously the responsibility he holds through that apprenticeship to the Chumash community in carrying on the traditional ceremonies and celebrations from birth through death and to maintain and protect the bioregion that has given birth to the Chumash peoples and their traditional cultural practices some 15,000 years ago. Today it is our responsibility to use our traditional knowledge that is anchored in the natural world, along with the best available science and law, an act that our ancestors would have been killed for, by taking the historical trauma of the past and regenerating strong and sustainable relationships with the natural environment, rebuilding healthy communities, strengthening our language, dance and canoe societies, and protecting the health of the natural cultural resources due to the genocide that almost eliminated our peoples from existence over the last few hundred years, Waiya said. We share this truth to generate awareness about how the impacts and consequences of colonial practices and fossil fuel addiction continue to harm our oceans, waterways and communities. If you protect cultural resources, you protect the environment. The Wishtoyo Foundation launched the Ventura Coastkeeper, which became the 54th member of the international Waterkeeper Alliance, in November 2000, to implement Wishtoyo's environmental work in Ventura County. Waiya, the Ventura Coastkeeper and Ventura Coastkeeper's executive director, was the first Native American to be named a keeper in the international Waterkeeper Alliance. The Center will be launching a campaign later in the year working with Native American tribes and groups to protect culturally important areas on state and federal public lands, but outside of established Native American reservations. Waiya joins the Center's current board members: Marcey Olajos, Board Chair; Matt Frankel, emergency room physician; Peter Galvin, Center co-founder and staff member; Robin Silver, Center co-founder and staff member; Todd Schulke, Center co-founder and staff member; Stephanie Zill, CPA and treasurer; Todd Steiner, oceans advocate, and writer Terry Tempest Williams. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.2 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. Media Advisory, March 9, 2017 Contact: Charles Varni, (805) 459-6698, charles@varni.org Valerie Love, Center for Biological Diversity, (510) 274-9713, vlove@biologicaldiversity.org Ethan Buckner, Stand.earth, (612) 718-3847, ethan@stand.earth Andrew Christie, Sierra Club, (805) 543-8717, sierraclub8@gmail.com Hundreds to Testify, Rally Against Phillips 66 Oil Train Project in San Luis Obispo SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. On Monday, March 13, the San Luis Obispo Board of Supervisors will hear the appeal of the controversial Phillips 66 oil train terminal proposal, which was rejected in a 3-2 vote by the San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission in October. Hundreds of citizens, along with numerous elected officials, will testify at Monday's board meeting and hold a rally to demonstrate the public's overwhelming opposition to the project. The SLO Clean Energy Crossroads Rally will feature speakers including Mayor Heidi Harmon and Rep. Salud Carbajal (District 24) and bring residents together around a positive vision for clean energy development in the county. At the hearings, activists will also deliver more than 25,000 names of people who have sent comments and signed petitions against the project, and present a banner with the logos of more than 50 cities, counties and school boards that have written letters and passed resolutions in opposition. What: SLO Clean Energy Crossroads Rally outside Phillips 66 oil train hearings When: Monday, March 13, hearing starts at 9 a.m., rally at noon. Where: 1055 Monterey Ave, San Luis Obispo Who: Speakers at the rally will include San Luis Obispo Mayor Heidi Harmon, Rep. Salud Carbajal, Benicia City Council member Steve Young and local community leaders. Rally endorsers include the Sierra Club Santa Lucia Chapter, ECOSLO, Stand.earth, California Nurses Association, the Center for Biological Diversity, SLO Surfrider Foundation, Protect Price Canyon, SLO Clean Energy, SLO350.org, SLO County Democratic Party (SLOCDP), and Women's March in San Luis Obispo. Media availability and visuals: Rally speakers and community leaders will be available for interviews before and after the rally. Visuals include a large oil train art installation and activists with signs and banners. Jem's Birding & Ringing Exploits in the Eastern Province and elsewhere in Saudi Arabia A partnership has been struck by General Electric (GE) and The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) for entrepreneurship, to foster economic growth and empowerment in Nigeria by building a skilled workforce and driving entrepreneurship development in the country. 123RF The partnership would allow up to 25 Tony Elumelu EF Entrepreneurs to participate in a dedicated four-week advanced manufacturing training program every year at GEs Lagos Garage a hub for advanced manufacturing-based innovation, strategy development, idea generation and collaboration. Expressing her thoughts on the collaboration, GE director of communications and public affairs, Patricia Obozuwa, said, There is a lot of alignment between TEF and GEs commitment to the development of Nigerian entrepreneurs and we look forward to seeing some great success stories from TEF participants on the training program. Speaking on TEFs commitment to empower Nigerias entrepreneurs, Parminder Vir, CEO, Tony Elumelu Foundation, added, We welcome the collaboration with GE to spur the growth of the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurs, Nigerias new innovators. This program will help them to further develop their products and business models as a follow up to the foundations entrepreneurship programme. Real world problems The training program will, among other things, expose participants to a wide spectrum of topics that are essential for manufacturing and design in the 21st Century: sharpen teamwork, communication, and creativity skills of participants; promote excellence in the practice of design and manufacturing within and across professions; expose selected entrepreneurs to real-world design and manufacturing problems, bring concepts to reality and cultivate the entrepreneurs ability to express, evoke and shape experience through design and manufacturing. GE created the garages program in March 2012 to reinvigorate interest in invention, innovation, and manufacturing in America. This program went global with two workshops in Lagos in 2014 and in December 2016, GE launched a permanent space, co-located with their Lagos offices. It is dedicated to the training of young Nigerians in advanced manufacturing and business development. By playing a role in the development of the advanced manufacturing ecosystem in Nigeria, GE hopes to create jobs, build local knowledge and capability, and encourage technology-based innovation in the manufacturing sector. The entrepreneurs in this class will exclusively come from the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme - its 10-year, $100 million commitment to identify, train, mentor and fund 10,000 entrepreneurs, capable of changing the face of business across Africa. A national programme to address the risk of TB and HIV/Aids in the prison system - where inmates and DCS workers face overcrowded conditions and where the prison design of many facilities can exacerbate the problem - has shown significant results. TB screening of inmates has increased to more than 90% on admission with almost 180,000 screened since the programme began in 2014. And almost 32,000 people were screened for TB using chest x-rays in this financial year after exceeding previous targets. Based on preliminary data available from the Free State/Northern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal regions, 82% of inmates on antiretroviral therapy (ART) are virally suppressed. In line with the National Development Plan 2030, the UN Sustainable Development Goals and UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets of 2020, universal test and treat (UTT) was also implemented from 1 September 2016 within correctional centres. Strategy This strategy aims at ensuring clients testing HIV positive are initiated immediately on ART regardless of CD4 count, increasing health outcomes and reducing the transmission of HIV. Waiting lists for ART initiation has also been reduced due to 105 nurses who have been specifically trained to initiate antiretroviral treatment. In nine months, all supported centres have transitioned onto the National Department of Health electronic patient database. Infection prevention and control activities and support is being implemented across supported facilities by committees and pharmacy therapeutic committees have been established. An increase in peer educators, officials trained in adherence and support groups have also help to improve inmate access to care and treatment adherence. This information was revealed at a five day TB and HIV/AIDS meeting which is currently underway with representation from DCS in three provinces, the National Department of Health Global Fund, Right to Care and various other partners. Right to Care targets Right to Care supports 81 correctional centres in 13 management areas in two of six regions; KwaZulu-Natal, Free State/Northern Cape. Targets achieved by Right to Care include: HIV counselling and testing (HCT) = 133,654 (July 2014 Jan 2017) Comprehensive prevention package = 9,785 (Nov 2016 Jan 2017) TB screened = 430,106 (July 2014 Jan 2017) Initiated on antiretroviral treatment on universal test and treat = 2,445 (Sept 2016 Jan 2017) Initiated on TB treatment = 1,239 (July 2014 Jan 2017) Trained on TB/HIV = 2,644 (April 2016 Jan 2017) On the Department of Healths electronic patient database phase 3 & 4 = 79 facilities (March 2016 Jan 2017) The impetus for this programme is to align with the WHO guidelines and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 which ensures healthy lives and promotes well-being for all and to end the epidemics of Aids, tuberculosis and other communicable diseases by 2030. It also addresses the UNAIDS Fast-Track strategy to end AIDS by 2030 and the 90-90-90 targets for 2020. Activating African journalism with BBC's Komla Dumor Award Francesca Unsworth, director at BBC World Service Group and deputy director of news and current affairs and Didi Akinyelure, and Nancy Kacungira, winners of the first two BBC Komla Dumor Awards, share the importance of the award and the impact of winning it on their careers. The 2017 BBC World News Komla Dumor Award is dubbed the search for Africa's next journalism star. The careers of the awards previous winners Kenyan prime time news presenter Nancy Kacungira and Nigerian journalist Didi Akinyelure, who started out as an investment banker blossomed as expected after the win. Unsworth. Thats because they got to spend time at the BBC honing their journalism skills through training, workshops and mentorship, also undertaking a final project in Africa to report on a story theyve researched. For Kacungira, that involved a report on diaspora Ghanaians who decided to return to their roots while Akinyelure travelled to the Ivory Coast to investigate new opportunities for the local chocolate manufacturing industry. But who was Komla Dumor? Sharing Africas stories Unsworth explains that Dumor was an exceptional journalist, admired by audiences and colleagues alike, so when he died suddenly at the age of 41 in 2014, all felt his loss very keenly. She adds that Dumor was passionate about journalism and encouraging aspiring journalists, so having an award in his honour seemed like a fitting tribute. On the importance of sharing Africas stories with the rest of the world, Unsworth says, As a global news broadcaster, its vital for us to report on Africa. But we want to move beyond the cliches. Thats why we believe its important that African journalists, with the knowledge and understanding of their countries, tell these stories from their perspective not just the good or the bad, but a well-rounded, impartial and balanced story. Now in their third year, the awards celebrate this while also giving the rising stars of African journalism a chance to work at the BBC in London to develop their skills and continue Dumors legacy by helping tell the African story. The two previous winners of the Komla Dumor Award referred to by Unsworth are Nancy Kacungira and Didi Akinyelure. On the importance of the awards for the journalism profession overall, Unsworth says both have made great progress in their careers as they gained the skills, knowledge and confidence at the BBC to report ground-breaking African stories to global audiences. More than this, the award helps the BBC too as they have learnt a lot from Kacungira and Akinyelure, especially about improving engagement with local audiences. 2015 winner Kacungira 2016 winner Akinyelure. 2015 winner Kacungira and 2016 winner Akinyelure share more of what theyve learned below When did you first hear of the BBC World News Komla Dumor Awards? When did you first hear of the BBC World News Komla Dumor Awards? Kacungira: A few weeks to the deadline [much like it is now], one of my friends on Facebook tagged me in a link to the award's application page, saying they thought I should apply so I did! Akinyelure: I applied in the very first round in 2015 but did not get through. My mum sent me the link. In 2016, my mum sent me the link once again. This time around, I was prepared for the opportunity! How did winning the award enhance your career? How did winning the award enhance your career? Kacungira: Its given me a really big boost, as my work has been featured on a global platform, but most importantly I got the chance to learn new things from a pool of incredibly talented and experienced journalists at the BBC. It inspired me to think of different ways to hone my craft and improve my storytelling. Akinyelure: It has given me confidence. I believe in myself a lot more now than I did before. I started my career in investment banking; I made a career switch four years ago and now I know that I chose the right path. I also have a better understanding of journalism as a whole. I improved myself in many ways - from my TV presentation skills, to writing, to editing, to radio presentation. The BBC is without a doubt the best training ground for journalists. I also learnt to keep it simple and be myself which is something a lot of business journalists struggle with. Why is it so important to share Africas stories with the rest of the world? Why is it so important to share Africas stories with the rest of the world? Kacungira: Its important because our worldview and perspectives can only be based on what we know. For a long time, the rest of the world has known little about Africa, and many times the little information there was, was inaccurate or incomplete. Citizens and nations alike make far-reaching political, economic and social decisions based on this knowledge. Telling stories from Africa that reflect the complexity and nuance of a continent with 54 countries and more than 2000 languages will help to deconstruct the damaging tropes and stereotypes that have emerged in the past. Akinyelure: As Africans, we must tell our own stories. We must always be balanced in our portrayal of the continent we call home. We must play a part in changing the perception of the continent globally. Share some advice for this years award entrants. Share some advice for this years award entrants. Kacungira: You hear it so often that it might seem cliche, but be yourself! Ive learnt that the BBC is a place that welcomes and appreciates individuals bursting with new and innovative ideas, so let the real you shine through in your application. Its good to talk about the qualifications and experience that make you fit in, but dont be afraid to talk about what makes you stand out; your values, and what really motivates you and inspires you as a journalist. Akinyelure: Read through the application properly. Do some research on the BBC and Komla Dumor. Let your passion shine through. Be yourself throughout the process. Do not doubt yourself. No better than past winners to guide you Unsworth adds that judges will be looking for an experienced journalist and who embodies the passion, creativity and integrity that Dumor was known for. Theyre effectively looking for a change maker someone who can take the skills and expertise they learn during their three-month placement at the BBC headquarters in New Broadcasting House in London and go on to make waves on the continent. If you feel thats you or if you know just the person, you have until 15 March to enter. For more information on how to apply, entry criteria, and terms and conditions Click here and use the #BBCKomlaAward hashtag for more! Fashion designer Stella McCartney claimed that fake leather was now as good as the real thing on Monday as she charged into the animal cruelty debate that dogs the fashion industry. With fur making a comeback on Paris fashion week catwalks, the British designer known for her label's ethical principles showed coats and suits made with high-quality synthetic suede and leather, which she dubbed "skin-free skin". As activists from animal rights group PETA protested at the Eiffel Tower against fashion's use of animal pelts, McCartney told reporters that imitation skins now "look so good" that they "genuinely pose a question to the industry about why anyone needs to use leather anymore". There is now nowhere to hide, she seemed to gently warn her peers. That did not stop the life-long vegetarian adopting lots of British hunting and shooting style in her show, including a green quilted coat and headscarf borrowed directly from Her Majesty the Queen. Horsey tweeds and high-waisted dressage suits were first out of the starting gate, with dresses and a top emblazoned with English equestrian artist George Stubb's masterpiece, "Horse Frightened by a Lion". McCartney gave fox hunting a wide berth, however, leaving the contested terrain of the countryside for the city with slickly cut grey suits and a series of outfits in chic sandy, biscuity browns. The creator, the daughter of ex-Beatle Paul McCartney, had previously admitted that it was difficult to find substitutes for leather. But you would never know it from the string of faux leather trouser suits, jackets and coats that make up the core of her collection. There was no question, however, of Hermes - part of whose fortune rests on its Kelly and Birkin handbags - giving up leather just yet. Its autumn-winter collection was, nevertheless, a lot more edgily interesting than observers have come to expect. One of the opening wool coats was trimmed in red leather, and herds of cow hide followed in its faintly future gothic look that also had a definite air of the mountains about it. Designer Nadege Vanhee-Cybulski said she wanted to change the perception of Hermes "as stuffy or serious and just show a little bit more vibrations". While McCartney used little touches of tartan and check, Giambattista Valli became the latest designer to hop on the houndstooth bandwagon that has rolled right through Paris fashion week. And like Rochas, which explored the erotic potential of buttoned-up aristos, he finished off his body-hugging frilly dresses in little bows. Source: AFP In Africa, a continent grappling with many social ills, it's critical that universities produce more Computer Science graduates. It's also one that equips students with crucial skills. Computer scientists can make important contributions to fixing societal ills. UNAMID/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND Computer Science graduates are problem solvers and logical thinkers who can apply their technical expertise in a range of ways including to socioeconomic problems. For example, Dr Christopher Chepken used ICT tools to provide interventions for day labourers in a developing countrys context. Maletsabisa Molapo worked on a project that designed a tool to help rural health trainers to create digital training content for low-literate community health workers (CHWs) in Lesotho. But theres a problem: Computer Science is an especially male-dominated university course all over the world. For instance, I was the only girl in an undergraduate class of ten students. Thats not unusual in Kenyan universities, even today. I teach 108 undergraduate computer programming students; just 19% of them are women. The same is true around the country. A 2015 report found that although 41% of students at a sample of Kenyan universities were women, just 17% of them were pursuing degrees in science and technology subjects. Drawing from my own experiences, I have some ideas about how to throw open more doors for women computer scientists. Collaboration, inspiration and mentorship are key. And, in keeping with the tag line for International Womens Day 2017 Be bold for change it will require bold, committed action. My journey Ive always been fascinated by mathematics and other sciences. At school in Kenya I found there was something about maths in particular that tapped into my innate ability to think logically. Once Id finished high school I registered for a degree with majors in Mathematics and Computer Science at Kenya Methodist University. The catch? I had never consistently used a computer before my family, like most in East Africa, didnt have one at home. I had visited cyber cafes to send emails or browse the internet, but that was all. I excelled as an undergraduate and an Honours student, but craved a new challenge that would push my limits. So I applied to Oxford University in the UK. One lost application form, a new form and a gruelling scholarship interview later, I was admitted for an MS.c in Computer Science at Oxfords St Catherines College. I was on cloud nine for several months, but then reality hit: during orientation and the first weeks of class, I had to learn UNIX a multiuser computer operating system from scratch, complete practical lab assignments within short periods, and adapt to a faster and more dynamic learning process than I was accustomed to. My interactions with other friends attending Oxford and similar institutions, who had completed undergraduate degrees in Kenya, revealed that most of us had to work twice as hard to bring ourselves on par with our classmates. It was a big lesson. Many of Kenyas universities simply arent preparing their Computer Science students for the wider world. To many people in Kenya, a computer scientist is someone who knows all the ins and outs of a computer and can fix their friends mobile phones and laptops. To others, computer scientists are the people who build apps. This thinking suggests that computer science involves providing a technical solution to a technical problem. Sadly, this means universities mainly produce technicians not computer scientists who can solve real, complex socioeconomic problems. This knowledge stayed with me while I pursued and completed a Ph.D in Computer Science at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. I was able to do this because of great mentorship and support, and came to realise how vital those elements will be to keep developing and producing computer scientists in Africa, particularly women. Inspirational women The good news is that there are many inspiring female computer scientists in and from Africa. As their public profiles grow, hopefully theyll be able to inspire young women who might otherwise avoid computer science courses or think the field is only suitable for men. Supplied Some of the women who inspire me include Mercy Orangi of Google Kenya. Shes got a stellar track record in mobile development and actively participates in initiatives that empower female computer science students. An amazing quartet of women established the Women in Computer Science Society at the University of Cape Town: Imaculate Mosha, Jorgina Paihama, Maletsabisa Molapo and Omowumni Isafiade are all inspirational. Further afield, Ive had the enviable chance to meet and listen to women at international platforms like the 2014 Grace Hopper Convention. I was among 8000 women in technology who attended. Professor Shafi Goldwasser, who delivered the keynote address, is one of the few women who has received the ACM Turing Award. This is one of the highest honours in Computer Science and technology. All of these women and many others do remarkable work to drive conversation, offer support and mentorship and get more women involved in computing. Their example should be followed by every woman whos travelled the often rocky path to a computer science degree. Now, more than ever, we must be bold and we must become the doorways for young women to pursue their passion and interest in science, technology, engineering and maths. As ISIS Loses Ground in Parts of Iraq, Religious Minorities Join Forces The religious minorities of northern Iraq are joining forces to form their own independent state in a region that was nearly decimated by ISIS. The Assyrian Christians, Yazidis, Turkmen and other religious minorities have jointly made their case to the central government in Baghdad. The group said the only way to regain stability of the region is to establish a semi-autonomous state. The coalition is calling for the creation of the "Al Rafidein" region, which would include the three northern provinces of Sinjar, Tal Afar, and the Nineveh Plain. "For the first time ever, the ethnic and religious minorities of Iraq are banding together to let the world know what they want," Robert Nicholson, executive director of The Philos Project, told Fox News. "And what are they saying? 'We want to stay -- please help us.'" The Al Rafidein coalition was recently formed in an attempt to petition for the new state. ISIS has lost its foothold in the region, triggering a discussion on how to retake it. The coalition is separate from the ongoing call made by the Chaldean community to establish a new state in the Nineveh Plain. While both groups are working independently to create stability in Northern Iraq, they have maintained cordial relations. "A consensus is emerging," Nicholson says. "The minorities of Iraq want to remain in Iraq, but not as victims to be pitied -- they want to be masters of their own fate." On March 3rd, the Al Rafidein made its case to the central government in a letter of intent. "The Turkmen, Assyrians, Yazidi, Shabak and other minorities are considered to be among the original Iraqi societies," reads the opening of the Al Rafidein's declaration. "After all of the genocide, ethnic cleansing, persecution, abuse and injustice that has happened and is happening, we, the organizations, working in the name of the persecuted national societies in Iraq decided to join in a coalition that brings everyone together in order to defend our presence in Iraq." They coalition aims to obtain national, international and regional support in its efforts to create a region with "multiple Iraqi nationalities, religions, and cultures" free of racial and sectarian entrenchment. It also said its acting in accordance with the Iraqi constitution, which allows the formation of new regions and provinces. The coalition strongly believes that the creation of this new state will allow democracy to finally flourish in Iraq. "This is just the beginning of the course. We have a lot of hard work in the future," Dr. Ali Akram Al Bayati, president of the Turkmen Rescue Foundation, which is also a part of the Al Rafidein coalition, told Fox News. "We are trying to have open discussions with all political parties in Iraq. In the end, we will need Parliamentary support." Al Bayati, who is Muslim, said he believes that the best way to stabilize Iraq is to set up a government similar to the United States. "We believe that the fate of Iraq at the end of the day will be federalization," he said. "But the question is on what basis? Sectarian? Ethnic? Geographical?" "We need to establish a new democratic face for Iraq. Away from all extremist ideology." On Tuesday, another coalition, one comprised of the Chaldean, Syriac and Assyrian Christian communities, released a letter also demanding a new state in the region. "Out of a sense of responsibility towards our people, particularly all the dangers they are now faced with," reads a line from the letter obtained by Fox News, "we ask that you use the constitutional powers vested in your position to recognize the following demands." Featured Post Human Rights Tribunals: Excessive force and murder -- San Diego Border, Standing Rock and Tohono O'odham Nation Maria Puga and twins Daniela and Daniel near where Anastacio Hernandez Rojas was murdered by U.S. Border Patrol. He was beaten and tasered a... White Mesa Ute Spiritual March to Shut Down Uranium Mill Mohawk Warrior Society Book Launch Lakota Jean Roach: The True Story of Leonard Peltier Justice for Dad: Taylor Dewey Shares the Harsh Road to Justice Justice Dept Files Lawsuit Against Rapid City Hotel Western Shoshone Ian Zabarte Speaks on Radiation Archive Search This Blog About Censored News Censored News is published by Brenda Norrell. Since 2006, Censored News has received more than 20 million pageviews. As a collective of writers, photographers and broadcasters, we publish news of Indigenous Peoples and human rights. Contact publisher Brenda Norrell: brendanorrell@gmail.com From the publisher Censored News is published by Brenda Norrell, a journalist in Indian country for 40 years. Norrell created Censored News after she was censored and terminated as a staff reporter at Indian Country Today in 2006. She began as a reporter at Navajo Times during the 18 years that she lived on the Navajo Nation. She was a stringer for AP and USA Today and later traveled with the Zapatistas through Mexico. She has been blacklisted by all the mainstream media for 14 years. Contact brendanorrell@gmail.com Translate Could harnessing the power of "resurrection plants" - with the ability to survive severe water shortages for years - hold the secret to feeding a hungry planet? Jill Farrant, a biology professor at Cape Town University, hopes that by putting resurrection plants' survival skills into crops, making them drought-tolerant, the world's population could be better fed. mastensuncana via pixabay Farrant and her team are currently testing the technique on maize, but in theory, it could be applied to any crop, she said. "Give (the plants) water, and they are fully active within 24 to 48 hours," Farrant told the Thomson Reuters Foundation at her office. Nearly 800 million people go to bed hungry each night, according to the United Nations, with drought one of the greatest threats to food production. In Southern Africa, more than 21 million people need emergency assistance due to a food crisis after the region's worst drought in 35 years and an infestation of the crop-damaging fall armyworm. Switching desiccation tolerance on Farrant's research has shown that survival mechanisms found in the 135 varieties of resurrection plants, such as the 'Rose of Jericho' and 'Siempre Viva' desert plants, are similar to the desiccation processes found in crop seeds. During a drought, a resurrection plant behaves like a seed, drying up and appearing to be dead, but then bursts back to life when rain finally falls. "Since all crops produce dry seeds, this implies that the genetic mechanisms for desiccation tolerance exist in crops," said Farrant. The problem is the mechanism is not switched on, she said. By modifying the existing gene composition, Farrant and her team could potentially produce drought-tolerant crops. "By figuring out how they turn on these genes in roots and leaves, we can enable the same processes in leaves and roots of crops under drought conditions," Farrant said. "Most of the genes responsible for desiccation tolerance are controlled by two master switches," she said, comparing the mechanisms to a household electronic circuit. By understanding how these switches are flipped in vegetative tissues of resurrection plants in response to water loss, Farrant is investigating how to enable the same reaction in crops. Her first trial crops are maize, beans and an edible grass called teff, which accounts for two-thirds of the daily protein intake in hunger-stricken Ethiopia. Radim Z via Wikimedia Commons - Teff, Ethiopia Breakthrough Mel Oliver, research leader of the US Department of Agriculture and professor of plant sciences at the University of Missouri, is also trying to find out how resurrection plants tolerate water loss and recover. "The genes are there, they're just not activated. If we understand how it works in resurrection plants, we can do it in crops," he said by phone. David Orr, Southern Africa spokesman for the UN World Food Programme (WFP), said the research could bring benefits to drought-susceptible Southern Africa. "In a region where climate-related shocks are becoming more frequent and more intense, farming communities are having to contend with drought - and occasionally flooding - as a new reality," he said by email. "By having access to drought-resistant seeds and other agricultural technologies such as water harvesting and irrigation, they will be better equipped to face the future." Farrant said the research could cost a total of 20 million euros ($21 million), adding that she needed more funds to continue her work. Nick Vink, chair of the Department of Agricultural Economics at Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, said weighing up the costs versus the benefits of the research was a difficult calculation. "The potential benefit is really very high, while it is not easy to estimate what the probability of success is," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Evidence Chikelu Mba of the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) in Rome was hesitant to evaluate the potential of such technologies before seeing evidence-based testing and the impact of modified crops on the environment. "You have to look at the effects of gene modification," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation via Skype. Small farmers growing maize - a crop that can produce bumper harvests but is susceptible to poor rainfall - may also be persuaded to switch to unmodified crops that are simply better able to resist drought, like beans, the FAO has said. Farrant is confident that in time, she can deliver plants that are resistant to drought. "Five years, and I'll give you a resurrection plant that can provide crops," she said, adding that testing the drought-resistant crops might take a further five years. "Then it is food on your plate, but it might be too long - people need food now." ($1 = 0.9492 euros) Reporting by Peter Lykke Lind, editing by Ros Russell. The Thomson Reuters Foundation is reporting on resilience as part of its work on zilient.org, an online platform building a global network of people interested in resilience, in partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation. Eskom has refused to act on the allegations of corruption in its ranks as contained in the Dentons report , but the electricity supplier has taken legal action against the DA for defamation. Eskom has asked the High Court in Cape Town to find both the DA and MP Natasha Mazzone guilty of defaming the reputation of the organisation and that of its acting CE. Eskom wants the court to award it damages of R50m. The DA published on its website a statement "with the intent to defame the plaintiffs and injure the plaintiffs in their reputation", said Eskom in legal papers filed on 24 February 2017. The summons cites Eskom and acting CE Matshela Koko as the plaintiffs. They are represented by law firm Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr. The DA will defend the motion and is represented by Minde Schapiro & Smith of Cape Town. The DA published the offending statement, alleging "widespread corruption within the top ranks of the entity; extensive corruption implicating ... acting CEO Matshela Koko" and sent it to news organisations. The DA further stated that "yet again Eskom finds itself entangled in a web of lies, contradictions and inaccuracies". This was after Business Day and the Financial Mail published articles in January and February on allegations of a cover-up of corruption by Eskom. The utility had contracted law firm Dentons to investigate the causes of its near collapse up until 2015. It then kept the incriminating report secret, locked in a vault by chairman Ben Ngubane. In January Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown admitted that the report was being hidden from the public because it implicated some Eskom employees in corruption and fraud. As a result of the DA's statement, Eskom and Koko allege they suffered damages of R30m and R20m respectively. Source: BDpro Soon after Topco Media published its first-ever Top 300 South African companies nearly two decades ago, our current Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa put forward the notion of publishing a directory of the top black-empowered companies; this was at a time when our democracy was still only a few years young. Topco set to work, and sought a brand name that would encapsulate Africa and the African firms that had made major advancements in business. The result was Impumelelo, a Xhosa/Zulu term for success through working together. President Nelson Mandela gave the initiative a letter of support and, from that base, Topco began to publish an annual publication that has since listed pre-researched and externally-audited top black businesses year after year; created a legacy of inspiration and built up a repository of the opinions and visions of this era's national icons from business and government. So what can readers expect from the 17th annual edition of Impumelelo: Top Empowerment Companies, released in the same month as the government announced a new push for radical socio-economic transformation? The publication includes insights from Zodwa Ntuli, Acting Commissioner of the B-BBEE Commission, on the state of transformation. Dr Rob Davies, Minister of Trade and Industry is interviewed and speaks about our journey towards an inclusive economy. The iconic Dr Mathews Phosa discusses his passion for education - and the crucial role it plays in materially accelerating transformation. Ms. Naledi Pandor, Minister of Science and Technology, shares her passion for transformation in the science and technology sphere. The publication explores, in depth, South Africa's oceans economy; our country's 3000 km-long coastline is currently riding the crest of a wave of development under the governmental masthead of Operation Phakisa. We examine whether the construction of renewable energy sources - or nuclear power plants - will get the green light in the quest to secure S.A.'s future energy supply. And include the listing of the Top Empowered companies in the country. A year in the making, and a closely-watched barometer for where transformation, and South Africa, is headed, the initial print run of the latest edition of Impumelelo: Top Empowerment Companies is about to be circulated to the top tiers of government at national, local and municipal level, and to key decision makers and thought leaders in the private sector. It will be available for retail purchase at leading newsagents, and at major airports towards the end March 2017. Meanwhile, subscriptions are available at http://topempowerment.co.za. For any queries about the Top Empowerment publication, please contact 086 000 9590 or email az.oc.tnemrewopmepot@gnitekram. WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, Africa has achieved a four-star Green Star rating in Namibia for FNB Namibia Holdings' @Parkside building. Located in Freedom Square, Windhoek, @Parkside, with its environmentally friendly design, and sustainable operational energy management, is said to be the first building in Namibia to achieve a Green Star rating. Construction of the building started in August 2013 with the buildings practical completion achieved in October 2015. During this time, the building was awarded its four-star Green Star Office SA-Namibia 'Design Rating' from the Green Building Council of South Africa in 2014. Since completion and being fully operational, the project is aiming towards an 'As Built Rating' by demonstrating that the sustainability initiatives designed into the building are installed and operating to their full efficiency potential. From conceptualisation to review WSPs Green by Design team has been involved with the project from conceptualisation through every phase of design and construction consulting with the project team on sustainability and Green Star requirements - and now reviewing the operations of the building for the As Built rating submission. Greg Rice, sustainability consultant, WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, Building Services, Africa, says: There are a variety of innovative and sustainable factors evident in the morphology of the building that have all contributed to this building receiving its Green Star rating. We are also confident that the building will receive its As Built rating, as the initial energy modelling has already shown a 40% reduction in operational energy compared to a building constructed according to minimum building regulations. This saving amounts to an estimated 1-million-kWh reduction per year in operational energy. Sustainable features of the building include: The HVAC system that allows vast amounts of fresh outside air into the building so as to reduce the build-up of indoor pollutants. Occupants experience a high level of thermal comfort as a result of the materials selected for the outer skin of the building and the air conditioning system. The building also contains dedicated exhausts to extract printing and photocopy pollutants which have an effect on internal air quality. A combination of water fixtures and fittings which are low flow are installed. The design of the roof and podium levels allow for rainwater harvesting for reuse within the building. With recycling the grey water collection and a magnificent advanced filtration system, the building has been designed to surpass the most water efficient benchmark as set by the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA). The water system is also a contextual response to the water stricken environment. The project comes complete with a full and smart building management system (BMS) which has the ability to identify energy-use trends and monitor any anomalies. The BMS will notify the building manager of any irregularities in terms of power consumption, ensuring that appropriate remedial actions can be initiated if necessary. Challenges on the project However, Rice admits that this journey has not been without challenges: Being the first Green Star rated building in Namibia, the principles of Green Star were new to the context and contractors. Added to this, working remotely across borders, and dealing with; obtaining work permits, paying import duties, delays at customs and, overall, keeping up to speed with the site activities more complex. While these were crucial challenges to the success of the project, overcoming them also offered an important knowledge sharing opportunity that was led by regular teleconferencing and various site visits during the construction phase. Each site visit also included an evaluation of Green Star requirements that assisted in growing the knowledge base of the heavy documentation process. Throughout this project we also placed significant focus on relaying the importance of future proofing the building, for instance, by installing and/or designing initiatives that are likely to account for unknown future energy, water, waste management, environmental and societal changes. Incorporating such initiatives ensures that the design and development of this building is innovatively smart, ergonomic and more sustainable - not only for today, but well into the future lifecycle of the building as well, concludes Rice. You've probably seen George Clooney take on the role Ryan Bingham in Up in The Air in which he travels from one place to another to fire employees on behalf of companies who don't want to get their hands dirty while downsizing. While he revels in his ability to navigate airports and check-ins at hotels, earning a staggering amount of air-miles, few of us would enjoy flying every day and living out of suitcase. For some, however, business travel is a necessity and Sue Petrie, British Airways Commercial Manager for Southern Africa shares a few hints and tips that can make a big difference to business travellers: Make it work for you If you have to travel for work, you may as well get the full benefit of time away. Loyalty programmes like British Airways On Business enable your enterprise to earn points when you travel on BA, Iberia, and American Airlines, and youre entitled to members-only offers and discounts. British Airways Executive Club enables you to graduate to higher tiers where you can, for example, get cabin upgrades and access to business lounges, and use the points to, say, take your family on holiday with you. Sort your paperwork early and go electronic Visa requirements can seem onerous, so the earlier you get yours done, the better, along with any vaccinations you may need if youre travelling internationally, and the documentation to show youve had your shots. Saving all the documents to your smartphone or tablet can also be useful if you mislay the hard copies. Get app-y Apps like ba.com enable you to check in for your flight on your mobile device and save your boarding pass to it. Most seasoned travellers have harnessed the power of technology to some extent, and Petrie suggests the following apps for those who dont already have them. Scannable enables the camera on your smartphone to record documents at a quality similar to those that have been scanned or photocopied. Take a picture of that all-important, game-changing, freshly-signed contract and the app straightens and neatens it so you can email it. Its quick and discreet, and its also a way to keep track of your expenses. Take a shot of your slips and mail them to your accounts department before they fade (the slips, not the accounts staff). Theres no shortage of online project-management tools, but Trello has earned the loyalty of its 10m users through the canny use of colour-codes, to-do lists, and timelines. Its loosely modelled on Kanban, the just-in-time system of supply-chain management originally developed by Toyota and now widely used in many industries. AroundMe uses your mobile devices GPS to find facilities like banks, ATMs, parking-garages, eateries and medical facilities, while Wi-Fi Finder does the same but for Wi-Fi hotspots. Be a little flash Many business travellers will go to great lengths to ensure they only travel with cabin luggage, but if you do have to check luggage into the hold, take a moment to familiarise yourself with bag-drop arrangements and any restrictions on the size of cabin luggage. Also, many travellers find it helpful to mark their luggage with a brightly-coloured tag of some sort that makes it readily recognisable on the conveyor. Stash it all So, you have your boarding pass on your smartphone and youve stashed keys, wallet, and change in your carry-on baggage, to save you time passing through the metal detectors at the security checkpoint. If youre travelling internationally, you may have opted to wear slip-on shoes and to pack your belt in your carry-on luggage to avoid having to take them off and put them back on again at security. Weve all stood behind fellow travellers who arrive at the checkpoint with a locksmiths supply of keys and their lifes savings in coins in their pockets. Theres not much you can do about that, but once youre airside, you can spend some time productively. Find a haven Airport lounges provide a haven from the thrum of departure lounges. The best have space for some work, something to eat, a decent wine list, facilities to shower and freshen up. Sadly some have Wi-Fi so slow that it harks back the days of dial-up internet, but without the fond nostalgia of that rustling sound modems made. At Heathrow's Terminal 5, theres an arrivals lounge and the Elemis Travel Spa helps you get your George (or Amal) Clooney on before heading to your first meeting of the day. Locally, the Slow Lounges at a number of South African airports are a cut above, and theres even one at the Radisson Blu Hotel opposite the Sandton Gautrain station, which provides boardrooms and lounges. Be nice Any of us may forget our manners when were preoccupied with an upcoming meeting or presentation, but air-travel requires that everyone observes some simple decorum so that it can be enjoyable. The basics: be nice about sharing armrests; dont man-spread (pushing your legs apart while sitting and earning the ire of fellow passengers), switch your devices off when asked to, and pay attention to the crew during safety announcements. Other guidelines apply life in general as much as air-travel: dont drink too much and misbehave, and dont insist on talking to people who prefer to be left alone. CAIRO, Egypt - Dozens of Egyptians protested across the country on Tuesday because they were unable to get their share of subsidised bread, police said. 123RF The protests followed a supply ministry decision to limit the number of subsidised loaves bakeries can sell people who do not yet have digital cards introduced under a new distribution system, Supply Minister Ali al-Meselhy said. The new system, which the government launched in 2014, replaces paper documents, and is designed to allow stricter state control and oversight to ensure no subsidised flour is stolen by bakeries. Protests were reported on Tuesday in the provinces of Alexandria, Kafr el-Sheikh, Minya and Assiut, with a small demonstration also taking place in Cairo, officials said, requesting anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to reporters. In Alexandria, angry protesters gathered outside the ministry's offices. Meselhy said at a press conference later in the day that the ministry had limited to 500 the number of loaves that could be distributed by each accredited bakery to non-digital card holders. He said data on people still using paper documents for their subsidised bread will be collected so they can be issued with digital cards within a week. Until then, the minister promised citizens who did not get bread on Tuesday that the problem will be resolved within 48 hours. Source: AFP Business / Companies by Staff reporter Zimbabwe Stock Exchange listed conglomerate, Meikles Limited is currently involved in discussions over a transaction which will culminate in a possible offer to minorities and subsequent delisting from the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange.Well placed sources said that the group was in talks with an international investor over a possible partnership. In a cautionary statement published yesterday, Meikles said it was in discussions over a possible transaction."The directors of Meikles Limited wish to advise shareholders that the company is currently engaged in discussions on a transaction that may have material impact on the value of the company's shares.""The transaction relates to a possible offer to minorities and subsequent delisting of the company from the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange in line with Section 9 of the ZSE Listing requirements," said company secretary Thabani Mpofu in a cautionary statement released yesterday.A source close to the transaction told The Herald Business that the diversified has been approached by an investor with a possible offer to minority shareholders being part of the plan."Meikles Limited has been approached by an investor who has confidence in the Zimbabwean investment landscape. Once the deal goes through, the investor will facilitate the restructuring and financing of the group, which also entails making an offer to minorities," said the source.If the transaction to de-list goes through, Meikles will join other former ZSE counters Radar Holdings, Astra Industries and Phoenix Consolidated Industries who all de-listed due to various reasons.Meikles Limited is a dominant conglomerate with over 100 years of history and has grown strong household brands in the fast moving consumer goods sector and five star-brands in the hospitality sector in South Africa and Zimbabwe.The diversified group boasts of Meikles Hotel, TM/Pick n Pay, Meikles Mega Market, Tanganda and Barbours.Recently, the group said TM/Pick 'n' Pay has started identifying existing TM stores across the country to upgrade them into world class stores following the launch of a $25 million state-of-the- art shopping complex in Borrowdale.Speaking on the sidelines of the official opening of the Borrowdale shopping complex, TM/Pick n Pay managing director Malcom Mycroft said the retail group has just launched a first generation shopping mall which is a first in Zimbabwe."What you see is what we call a first generation Pick 'n' Pay and it is a first in Zimbabwe. It is also part of our new village walk developments in Borrowdale."For us this $25 million development which includes stores and the car park shows the confidence that Pick 'n' Pay has in the country and also in our local partners," said Mr Mycroft.The current relationship with Pick 'n' Pay has been enhanced to encompass the sharing of technical expertise and sourcing of product brands from South Africa to complement the Zimbabwean range in an effort to meet and exceed customer expectations."The retail chain has a footprint of 56 stores and we are going to identify stores that we can convert into Pick 'n' Pay but we want to give you assurance that the TM brand will never disappear,"TM is a core retail brand in Zimbabwe that is why we decided to partner it," said Mr Mycroft. Using the likes of Gmail to communicate with customers can lead to a lack of trust among consumers, found research conducted among 1,000 consumers for the IE Domain Registry (IEDR) by Ignite. While more than three quarters of consumers (77%) said they would trust companies using a website or email address registered to a business name, two-thirds (64%) said they see businesses who use free email account as less trustworthy. Those businesses that are foregoing a website for a social media presence are also risking consumer trust, found the survey. While two-thirds (65%) of consumers said they trust a company with a website, just 17% could say the same of one without. Businesses that only had a Facebook or Twitter presence were seen as less trustworthy by 63% of consumers. Our research reveals that consumers see professional email addresses and websites as indicators of trust and authenticity. For sole traders and SMEs, this is particularly important, said David Curtin, chief executive of IEDR. Anecdotal evidence suggests that first-time customers are far more likely to contact the plumber or electrician who has a web presence, rather than the one who just has a phone listing. Investing in a website that lists contact details, services and prices implies openness, accountability and trustworthiness. News / Africa by Staff Reporter Zimbabweans living in the neighbouring South Africa face an uncertain future following recent attacks and an announcement that their Special Permits (ZSP) will expire in December.Earlier, the South African Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba declared that no foreigners would be chased out saying they contribute to economic growth. He, however, made a surprising u-turn after a few weeks and said that the government would not be renewing the ZSP.His announcement followed continuous vicious attacks on foreign nationals by the City of Johannesburg Mayor, Herman Mashaba, who publicly said immigrants are criminals and they have destroyed Johannesburg."You see, for me, when I call these criminals, I want them to understand that they are criminals. They are holding our country to ransom and I am going to be the last South African to allow it," Mashaba said in a media conference.Soon after Mashaba's utterances, the minister slammed the comments and said they were inciting violence, but he later announced that the permits will not be renewed."Accordingly, we have advised Zimbabwean nationals whose special permits are expiring, to apply for visas we issue under the mainstream immigration. We had started the special dispensation with Zimbabweans, with no intention, as clearly communicated, to confer or create expectations of permanent residence," Gigaba said."South Africa, like other countries in the SADC region, is well aware of challenges of border control, and the concomitant influx of economic migrants into the country, many under the pretext of asylum-seeking, with others breaking South Africa's immigration legislation," he added.Mr Gigaba's announcement could mean that after December 31 at least 200 000 Zimbabweans in South Africa would become illegal immigrants and face deportation. Already, even before the permits expire, South Africa South Africa continued to experience skirmishes which have been deemed xenophobic.Apart from false social media claims of xenophobic attacks, Mashaba and the Johannesburg metropolitan police joined residents who were protesting in Rosettenville. The protest saw dozens houses where foreigners live being burnt. The protest was organised by South Africans who claimed foreigners are drug dealers and fuel prostitution.In another event, Mamelodi residents organised an anti-immigrant march against the employment of foreign nationals and their apparent illegal occupation of RDP houses. Mamelodi Concerned Residents Association in Pretoria believes.Zimbabweans and Pakistanis are taking the most needed jobs from locals and are contributing to social ills. The South Africa law demands that companies and business employ 60% local and 40% foreign workers. South Africans, however, feel that companies prefer foreigners based on claims that they are hard-working. The association embarked in a head on attack and encouraged people to protest."Zimbabweans, Nigerians, Pakistanis etcetera are not our countrymen. (They) bring nothing but destruction, hijack our buildings, sell drugs, inject young South African ladies with drugs and sell them as prostitutes. How is that helping us? They have destroyed our beloved Johannesburg. Now they are destroying Pretoria," the association's pamphlet read.According to statistics, approximately three million Zimbabweans migrated to South Africa due to economic hardships and their left behind families survive on remittances sent back home. In 2014 the South Africa government offered about 200 000 Zimbabweans Special Permits which are due to expire by the end of the year. News / Africa by Staff Reporter Zimbabweans have expressed disappointment with South African authorities over recent xenophobic attacks.There were renewed attacks on foreigners in Johannesburg's Rossetenville suburb and west of Pretoria with property worth hundreds of thousands of Rands destroyed in the skirmishes.Speaking to the Bulawayo Bulletin the Zimbabwe Community in South Africa (ZCSA), an organisation representing Zimbabweans in South Africa, said although they welcome that the Zimbabwe Special Permits (ZSP) are going to expire, they are disillusioned with what the Johannesburg Mayor has done."The Mayor of Johannesburg Mr Herman Mashaba reversed the gains we have achieved since the first xenophobia attacks in 2008. Over the years we have managed to bring communities together through what we call social cohesion," said ZCSA chairperson Ngqabutho Mabhena."In 2015, the Home Affairs Minister, Malusi Gigaba introduced the Migrants Mkhaya Awards' which seek to unite Africans. Unfortunately the Mayor of Johannesburg is taking us back to 2008. We are all committed in fighting crime irrespective of nationality. We must isolate criminals from our communities by reporting them to the police," Mabhena added.ZCSA added that despite what is happening, the organisation is prepared to help fellow Zimbabweans who might find themselves affected by xenophobic attacks."We are going forward with our social cohesion programmes. Part of what we do is to encourage migrants to join trade unions, participate in community initiatives and embark on skills transfer programmes as part of uniting Black people in communities," the organisation's chairperson said.In terms of Zimbabweans' future in South Africa, ZCSA indicated that they will continue to live in the country and more are expected to migrate if the country's economic and political problems are not resolved.Mr Mabhena said the challenges will remain as the migration issue in South Africa is now being used as a political tool."The issue of documentation is a huge challenge. We are likely to see more deportations in the next few months as we move closer to the 2019 elections (South Africa). It is clear to us that the Democratic Alliance wants to use the question of immigrants as an election issue," Mr Mabhena said.Since its establishment, ZCSA has been involved in trials to create a conducive environment for Zimbabweans living in South Africa.Zimbabweans and other foreign nationals have been continuously attacked under claims that they promote prostitution, deal in drugs and take South African jobs.Recently Mamelodi and Rosettenville residents took to the streets to say foreigners must go back to their homelands. News / International by Staff Reporter Teenager left with 'no face' after routine tooth removal goes horribly wrong. https://t.co/LDkzDwFL8s pic.twitter.com/geANXoYpRB TheLADbible (@TheLadBible) 8 March 2017 An 18-year-old woman in Cambodia has reportedly been left with 'no face' after catching a flesh-eating bacteria from routine dental work.According to Daily Mail, Suth Ret developed necrotising fasciitis following a minor procedure in December to have one of her teeth removed.Having not had her wound treated quickly enough, bacteria that existed in her throat found its way into her bloodstream.And this meant the bug started to ravage her, eroding away the skin on right side of her skull and leaving her with 'no face'.Last week she was rushed to hospital in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, weighing just 38kg.She continues to fight for her life, with doctors trying to halt the condition from spreading across her face. In her address, Aung San Suu Kyi said, It is very much important to show the whole world our women are brave and our women do not hesitate to take responsibility. Kanbawza Future Light Myanmar Foundation Chairman Nan Lai Kham said, I believe Myanmar economic development and economic success by women will be achieved by nurturing the capacities of women and giving assistance for the technological development of women. After that, Union Minister of Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Dr. Win Myat Aye and US Charge dAffaires to Myanmar, Ms. Kristen F. Bauer delivered addresses at this function. Kanbawza Future Light Myanmar Foundation led by Nan Lai Kham is carrying out charity works including providing corrective surgery for over 200 children with cleft lips and palates, airlifting over 4,300 stranded Myanmar nationals from Malaysia by chartered MAI commercial airline, digging bore wells in dry zones, digging wells and reservoirs in areas facing water shortage, donating woollen sweaters with caps in cold areas. The foundation has also donated over 114 billion kyats in different sectors of health, social, education, religion and prevention of natural disasters elsewhere in the country. Womens Week-Myanmar continues in Yangon from 7 to 12 March. As a reporter, I shall take responsibility for the news story if it is wrong. But it is nonsense to make an apology without any reason, he said at a press conference held in the Myanmar Now office in Yangon. A man called Kyaw Myo Shwe registered the case under section 66 (d) of Telecommunications Law against Swe Win on March 6 at Mandalay No. 7 Police Station in Mahaaungmyay for a post on Swe Wins Facebook social media account criticizing U Wirathus reaction to the assassination of prominent Muslim lawyer U Ko Ni. According to the First Information Report (FIR) registered at the police station, monk Wirathu ordered Kyaw Myo Shwe to register the case against Swe Win after Swe Win had failed to make a formal apology to Wirathu within seven days. Swe Win was once arrested and sentenced by the then military regime for 21 years imprisonment 18 years ago for his alleged role in disturbing law and order in the nation. We will begin holding weekly meetings on Thursday or Friday. If I am travelling on those days we will reschedule the press conference for the following week, the Minister said. Mon State Chief Minister Dr. Aye Zan meeting with reporters (Photo: Internet) Reporters currently have access to some government meetings, though many are held behind closed doors. While the Chief Ministers announcement will not change that policy, he said it would allow the media more access to the governments plans. According to chapter 3 of the 2014 Media Law, journalists should be given access to government offices and meetings according to individual departmental rules. To many journalists, more press conferences does not make up for continued restrictions. If the government is discussing matters of public relevance, they should allow journalists to observe, but so far they have not agreed to allow the media access. It is good that they will give press conferences to explain what they are doing, but we are really only getting their perspectives, said U Zi Nar, chairperson of Mon State Media Association. Though a far cry from the transparency that Mon State media organizations seek, the Chief Ministers announcement does represent a significant improvement from his predecessors policies. Former Chief Minister U Min Min Oo faced criticism for holding press conferences only once a month and generally restricting access to departmental information. U Min Min Oo resigned his post in February following broad criticism of his conduct, including allegations of corruption and a lack of transparency. His replacement, Dr Aye Zan, was appointed by the President on March 1. According to Lt-Col Sai Nguen, the RCSS/SSA spokesperson, Burmese troops from battalions 502 and 242, which are under command of Military Operations Command (MOC 1) based in Kyaukme Township, opened fire on Tuesday on Shan positions in Oum Mu tract in northern Shan States Hsipaw Township. Heavy fighting took place from 2pm until 6pm, he said. It was a premeditated attack; that is why it was so heavy. He said that since his group signed the NCA in October 2015, it has clashed more than 20 times with the Burmese army. However, he reported that on this occasion no casualties were sustained. The Shan army spokesman speculated that the reason for the assault was part of a plan to push all ethnic armies out of Hsipaw and Kyaukme townships. He added that the RCSS/SSA will report the incident to the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC), a government-backed team formed after the signing of the NCA, whose duty it is to monitor whether all sides follow the terms of the NCA, such as the military code of conduct, and ensure that each armed group stays within their designated areas. From our side, we take steps to control our people. We do not break the terms of the NCA, Lt-Col Sai Nguen said. The Burmese army does not follow it. They have constantly been trying to create problems. I seriously doubt their sincerity with regards the NCA. Or is it that they wish to scupper the upcoming 21CPC peace talks that are due to be held later this month? On Monday, a clash broke out between the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Burmese armed forces in Laukkai in the Kokang-administered region of northern Shan State. Fighting continues in that area, where four ethnic armed groups MNDAA, Arakan Army (AA), Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) launched coordinated offensives against Burmese army positions on November 20 last year. Shan rebel spokesman Lt- Col Sai Nguen reiterated that it must be questioned whether the conflict in the Kokang region is another attempt by the Burmese military to destroy the peace process. By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN) News / National by Stephen Jakes Zimbabweans have petitioned the Sadc over the government's take over of the Biometric kits procurement and the Transform Zimbabwe is taking the responsibility of delivering this petition to Sadc.Transform Zimbabwe said they were urging all citizens to be engaged in the electoral process, issues and actions taken as this will determine our Future."We urge citizens to sign the petition. Circulation has already begin on the ground. We are also urging Citizens to join March 22nd Demonstrations .This is not the time top sit at home, this is the time exhaust every avenue we have to fight for free and fair elections, the future is not for a few its for all of us," said Transform Zimbabwe."As Citizens, we are aware that Sadc is the recognized governing authority in the Southern Region where Zimbabwe is located and is therefore the body we required to appeal to FIRST. We the citizens of Zimbabwe are also aware that Sadchas at times blocked international Action to hold Zanu PF government accountable which has made impossible of bodies like the United Nations to ACT. We are therefore going to follow the necessary protocol hierarchy with the hope and good faith that Sadc will respect and honour their own guidelines."Below we present their petition to SadcThe Robert Mugabe and the ZANU PF government has presided OVER a repressive system which has time and time again failed to preside over FREE and FAIR elections. Elections years have been riddled with violence and many unfair practices. The Zimbabwe government has yet to align the constitution of 2013 with the laws making it extremely difficult to have FREE and FAIR elections. In addition, the ZANU PF led government is yet to institute the SADC Electoral Principles they agreed to and which other SADC nations have already implemented.It is further worrisome that The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC, body in charge of running elections in Zimbabwe) has1.Failed to begin Voter education and Registration2.Has stated they do not have the necessary financial backing to afford FREE and Fair elections for Zimbabweans3.ZEC has stopped engaging Opposition Stakeholders regarding matters affecting elections. ZEC has cancelled the last two meeting with opposition Stakeholders.4.ZEC has gone back on its agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for the UNDP to acquire the Biometric Voter Registration System. Instead ZEC has opted to have ZANU PF government purchase the system.5.ZEC has demonstrated they are NOT A None Partisan independent organisation but rather they are given and follow instructions from the ZANU PF government thus rendering them an unconstitutional BodyWe the Citizens of Zimbabwe are now appealing to1.Hold the ZANU PF government accountable to the SADC electoral principles which all SADC member countries agreed to and that other member countries have already implemented2.We are further appealing to SADC TO NOT block any attempts by other members of the International community to Hold the ZANU PF government accountable.3.We are appealing SADC to intervene to ensure elections are held Freely and Peacefully4.We appealing for SADC to demand AN Electoral Commission in Zimbabwe that is free of State influence, that can afford all Citizens the right to vote and that can conduct Free and Fair Election5.We are appealing to SADC to give the ZANU PF a deadline by which to ensure all SADC principles and constitutional laws are abided by ZEC and the ZANU PF government6.We are appealing to SADC to give the ZANU PF government a deadline by which to provide adequate funding to ZEC so that ZEC can afford ALL citizens FREE and FAIR elections. In the event ZANU PF cannot provide adequate and timely Funding we are then appealing to SADC to ensure that ZANU PF allows an independent body to facilitate elections in Zimbabwe7.We are appealing that SADC ensures that ZEC respects the original agreement with UNDP to purchase the Biometric Voter Registration8.We are appealing that SADC ensures the ZANU PF stops intimidation and violence towards oppositions and citizens supporting opposition.9.ZEC has now announced that some Israeli Companies are now part of the companies who may provide Biometric Kits. NIKUV an Israeli Company that was involved in the rigging of 2013 election. We strongly urge SADC to engage the Israeli government in this matter.The Zimbabwean People Deserve Free and Fair elections and a right to government of their own choosing. The Citizens are asking SADC to respect the standards they have set for ALL member countries and to act or to allow others act to ensure principles are respected. The Citizens of Zimbabwe would like a FREE and FAIR election in 2018 Last month, former Chief Minister U Min Min Oo resigned amid a controversy over alleged misconduct. On March 1, the NLD installed U Aye Zan as the states new chief minister. Hinthar Media reporters Shwe Zin and Khit Min recently sat down with U Aye Zan to discuss what he sees as the challenges of his new role, and how he will work to improve Mon State. Hinthar Media: What challenges do you expect to face as the new chief minister? Chief Minister: There are a lot of challenges. Mon State has drug issues and corruption issues. There are many farmland cases, and in the villages some people who are in power seize the land illegally. The major concern for the state is the quarries. These quarries should be mined in accordance with the law, but now the law is still in the process of being updated. Mining companies must have permits for production. Mining projects that use explosives must also have special permits. But some companies lack permits and are going ahead anyways. This industry must be changed through a legal framework. Mon State is very diverse: there are Mon people, and also Bamar people, Karen people and Pa-O people. So unifying all these ethnic groups is important. As I see it, my role is to develop the state. Summer is drawing to a close. Last year, regular access to drinking water was a very big problem. Making sure everyone has water to drink should be our number one [development] priority and should be completed in one to two years so that those who are now relying on donations for their water can have regular access to their own clean water. As far as state development goes, there are many sectors, such as energy that are in need of improvement in order for business and industries to be able to operate properly. Basic roads and buildings are needed. We must also work hard to provide more job opportunities, creating 200,000 more jobs within the next five years, at least. Hinthar Media: There has been much controversy over the intended name of the bridge connecting Mawlamyine to Chaungzone. What will you do about this problem? [***] Chief Minister: There was some contention regarding the bridge naming. It should be addressed in a sensible and democratic matter. Bogyoke Aung San formed the Pyidaungsu (Union) state in 1947. Under British colonial administration, Myanmar was divided into a [Bamar] lowland and ethnic highlands, which included Shan State, Chin State, and parts of Karen State, up to Kawkareik district. We should be very relieved that Mon State is now part of a unified Union, and not divided between different administrations. But that historical division creates potential conflict between ethnic groups, so we need to be cautious and confirm the majority public opinion. We have only recently been freed from living under a military government. People need to be careful not to threaten unity or abuse democratic processes. Hinthar Media: What are you planning to do to amend the law regarding the formation of municipal committees, which has also come under fire? Chief Minister: On this subject, I was involved in drawing up the law as a [Mon State] Hluttaw representative. There are a few issues remaining to be resolved, but it will be completed soon. Hinthar Media: What are your objectives for improving education in the state? Chief Minister: Mon State stands among the best in Myanmar for our results on the 10th standard exam. We are still working to implement the Union governments five-year program to ensure jobs for students who completed their education from kindergarten through high school. We will appoint more government staff to be able to achieve our goals in education and employment. Hinthar Media: How do you plan to engage with the public in Mon State? Chief Minister: I will hold face-to-face meetings every month with members of the public to answer their questions. There will be representatives from the government, and also from other relevant ministries present. By holding regular discussions, we will gradually change the relationship between government and citizens. As Ive said in the past, the power of public administration should not be held only in the hand of government officials, but shared with the public as well. Hinthar Media: Mon State has two active armed ethnic groups. How do you plan to cooperate and manage a relationship with them? Chief Minister: We have two plans, one for the group [the Karen National Union] that signed the [October 2015] Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), and another [the New Mon State Party] is the non-NCA group. Although it is not a ceasefire signatory, it has signed other peace agreements with the government in the past, so for each group, we will carry out the implementation of their respective agreements. But we will make sure no one abuses the peace process for personal profit. We will adhere to the law in carrying out the agreements. Hinthar Media: Do you have any parting message for the people of Mon State? Chief Minister: I would like to urge the public to be open-minded about future endeavors. The government will only be able to develop and improve the state with the full support and cooperation of the public. [*** Editors note: The Mon State Ministry of Construction had originally intended to name the two-lane, K60 billion (US$44 million) bridge over the Thanlwin (Salween) river after independence hero Bogyoke Aung San, but according to local media reports, authorities faced backlash from Mon groups, which preferred the bridge honor a local historical figure. Mon State Natural Resources and Environment Minister U Min Kyi Win has since said that the state would not name the bridge after Bogyoke Aung San, unless it was supported by the Union government, The Myanmar Times reported on March 7. The bridge was slated for opening on February 13, but it was delayed due to the naming dispute.] Translated by Aong Jaeneh Edited by Laignee Barron for BNI News / National by Stephen Jakes Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe has said there is confuson at school concerning the teaching and learning of the now Family and Religious Studies subject which was changed from Bible or Religious Studies amid concerns that there was now inclusion of Buddhism and Islam, the regions which are most alien in Zimbabwe.Matabeleland South PTUZ Chairman Urgent Moyo said some schools in the province had to abandon teaching the religious education subject due to confusion around it following the introduction of the new curriculum."They had to abandon Religious Education subject at our school beginning of year because the content has drastically changed from being bible knowledge to more bias towards other religions like Buddhism and Islam," he said."It is now called Family and Religious Studies. All religions are covered under new curriculum."He said many teachers were saying they are confused on how to teach the subject because most of the components are new to them.Moyo said even for all subjects teachers are teaching them because its a directive otherwise they do not understand the curriculum itself. News / National by Staff reporter Will Smith in Tanzania Hollywood movie superstar Will Smith made a surprise visit to Zimbabwe's resort town of Victoria Falls on Thursday.It is not clear how he sneaked into the country, but the word on the street is that the Men in Black star is sleeping over in Zambia.Smith, who has been on an African tour in the past days with his family, has already been to Egypt, Tanzania, and Morocco thanks to his private plane.It remains unclear how long he has been in Zimbabwe but he is believed to have taken loads of pictures with excited fans in Victoria Falls before and after he bungee jumped off the Victoria Falls bridge. News / National by Staff Reporter A 24-year old Muzarabani apostolic prophet is in serious trouble with 3 rods which he clams he got from an elderly apostle in 2009 to cast bad spell on others.Panashe Kuwana told Kwayedza that he got three rods from Madzibaba Micho and the rods are killing his genealogy."I got three rods from Madzibaba Micho in 2009 which I used to charm others but I am tired of this magic as my family is dying at an alarming rate.""I was born in a family of seven now we are only two surviving members and anytime from now I can die, so I came here to Harare to seek deliverance before it is too late," he is quoted saying. Opinion / Columnist The unjustified sentence on Masarira is a clear sign that the regime is trying any way possible to hijack all systems including judiciary to work against any fair minded citizens who stand up voicing for the voiceless. This is a sign of total desperation by a failed system which have failed to provide answers to genuinely raised questions on poor health facilities, poor education facilities, poor infrastructure and roads , gross human rights violations etc and now they revert to creating charges against anyone questioning such just like in Masarira's case.Masarira was charged of obstructing free movement of traffic and pedestrians. Honestly who between Linda or Traffic can practically block each other? Has Linda became a mass in the eyes of the regime such that they can see a blockage when they see her ahead! to an extent that a magistrate in a kangaroo court saw it justifiable that Linda's physical body blocked traffic.The only thing our judiciary officials must understand is that they don't own our justice on our behalf, they are not even Justice themselves , they must remain independent ,this is why we are against amendment no. 1 which seeks to marry judiciary and the executive in essence.Judicial officials are simply custodians who administers justice for the people and failure of them to award us justice and on time is a betrayal of the constitution and the people at large..We the people of Zimbabwe will continue to practice our constitutional rights and freedoms irrespective of all these threats fashioned to stop a voice of reason . We will not be stopped by anything to demand good service delivery and respect of the rule of law for as long as we remain citizens of this nation, Zimbabwe. No amount of force will divert us from a common goal of liberating ourselves from the hands of some of our fellow brothers and sisters ,fathers and mothers who have chosen deny us a normal life in our own mother land.Allutah Continua!!!! March 6, 2017 Hojat al-Islam Ahmad Montazeri, the son of late Iranian dissident cleric Ayatollah Hussein Ali Montazeri, was released March 4 from prison, reportedly after the intervention of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The story of Montazeris sentencing by the Special Court of Clergy and subsequent suspension of it days later is full of intrigue allegedly involving a rising and powerful conservative candidate in the upcoming presidential election. In August 2016, Montazeri released an audio file of his late father imploring judicial officials not to execute some prisoners, most of whom belonged to the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK). The recording was made in the late 1980s at a time when Ayatollah Montazeri was deputy supreme leader. His opposition to the executions, which eventually took place, resulted in his losing that position. For releasing the audio file, the Special Court of Clergy charged Ahmad Montazeri with acting against the national security of Iran, attacking the Islamic Republic, insulting and spreading lies about the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and supporting the MEK, which had carried out terrorist attacks in Iran. Montazeri was sentenced to six years in prison and taken into custody Feb. 22. He was reportedly released on furlough for a few days, and then on March 4, Montazeris family said that his sentence had been suspended and that he had returned home. An official from the Special Court of Clergy told Iranian media that after Montazeris sentencing and detention, senior high-ranking clerics (so-called Sources of Emulation) in Qom asked Khamenei to suspend the sentence. According to the official, Khamenei agreed, and Montazeris sentence will remain suspended as long as he refrains from committing acts eliciting charges like those for which he was accused. Gholam Hosseini Mohseni Ejei, the spokesman for Irans judiciary, also told reporters that high-ranking clerics from Qom had intervened, advocating for Montazeris release. He added, however, that he did not know the details of the case, and he did not mention Khameneis position on the matter. The Special Court of Clergy is independent of the state judiciary and answers directly to Khamenei. It was established after the 1979 Islamic Revolution to oversee alleged transgressions among the clerical establishment. One of the individuals heard in the audio file with Montazeri is Ebrahim Raisi, a prosecutor in the late 1980s and currently attorney general for the Special Court of Clergy. Zahra Rabbani, Ahmad Montazeris wife, told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that Raisi had insisted on Montazeris sentence being carried out despite Khamenei's objection. Rabbani also said that the Intelligence Ministry, which answers to President Hassan Rouhani, was opposed to Montazeris sentence being carried out. Mojtaba Lotfi, who had been head of communications for Ayatollah Montazeri's office, gave credence to there having been behind-the-scenes jockeying among influential individuals in Montazeris case. Lotfi said that Ayatollah Mousa Shabiri Zanjani wrote a letter to Khamenei requesting Montazeris release, and Khamenei reportedly responded by agreeing with Zanjani. Describing events prior to Montazeri's release, however, Lotfi also said, Suddenly, for reasons behind the scenes that we do not know, Montazeri was summoned and put in isolation for 24 hours. Raisis involvement in Montazeris sentence certainly makes the case more interesting. Not only was Raisi recently appointed to the powerful and influential Astan Quds Razavi charitable organization, linked to the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad, but he also recently announced his candidacy for the presidency. Some Western media have even speculated that he is one of a few clerics who may seek to succeed Khamenei as supreme leader. Raisi was not a well-known and public figure before being appointed by Khamenei to head Astan Quds Razavi in March 2016. Rather, he was influential behind the scenes. Now, however, conservatives may decide to rally behind him to challenge Rouhans re-election. The late Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a strong Rouhani supporter, had reportedly welcomed the prospect of Raisis candidacy to ratchet up interest in the election, but did not see him as a threat to Rouhanis re-election. Opinion / Columnist One could easily forgive this MP for absolute ignorance. In German language they say if ignorance was painful, how many people were we going to see just crying? We are nearing elections and it is paramount for us in the opposition never to split, condemn each in front of this monster Zanu PF. I am really forced to respond to this outrage from a MDC-T politician. How does a party MDC-T that has a chance of winning the coming election, if they were free and fare of course. How do you afford to display such ignorance in front of the enemy Zanu PF?Just yesterday I wrote an article that was almost attacking some ignorance and backwardness displayed by Chigumbu Warikandwa. Both of you: Keresencia Chabuka and Chigumbu are targeting children's rights. You want to violet their rights that are codified in several international conventions. If you were educated you would know them and respect the dignity of children. Again here is a classical example of how backward Africans can be. The world has become a global village with all its dynamics in embracing change in all levels social, economic, technological and many other levels of development, This MP from MDC-T is moving backward, trying to gain currency by riding into traditions that have no room in the present day exponentially developing world.At best the presidency of MDC-T should recall this woman, she does not deserve a seat in politics of Zimbabwe because she is old-stoneage mentality, and we cannot afford this pulling us backwards all the time. It is wholly in the language of the people to talk in holy-terms about the old traditions that were good to all: stuff and nonsense! Most progressive countries will never for once want to return to those old traditions of yester-year except some elements in our Zimbabwe societies. It's just the power they want to possess by reducing vulnerable niche: our children either by bashing them as meting "honour violence" or physically opening children's legs to see if they are still virgins.We should remember too that our social media is read by millions diverse cultures and races out there and they get their confirmation: "did we not tell you that Africans are still primitive?" I do not know any other primitive way of dealing with growing children than to violet the dignity of the growing child: testing her virg*nity? Virginity and her private parts are her own privacy, and not even the mother has the right to demand to see them if the child did not voluntarily ask her mother for some health assistance.Advice from Tetes and Babakazis and older sister! My foot! Its stuff and nonsense!It did not say that any tete is capable of giving advice good to growing girls. The advice girls should get must be from a professional person and not any tete some of which have no academic and professional knowledge to give profitable and professional counselling. This is where we Africans get it very wrong. We accept advice from people who are themselves so vulnerable and in need of help themselves. It's like going to a Nganga and ask for medicine to get rich. Here is a nganga who is so poor, he is supposed to know the herb that will make another one rich! Just stuff and nonsense! Did he/she get rich with that ntebe on his/her neck? Where ignorance is just bliss its folly to still call yourself you are wise!We know too that the mere mention of the word "tradition" scares all of us to stiffness, submission and inaction. We have become slaves of traditional beliefs and values that are so backward and outdated. It is those traditions that patriarchal women use to oppress other women termed rebels in the social institutions called family. Those backward traditions are the chains that should be made loose. We are going to break them because those traditions violet women's rights and children's rights enshrined in the international conventions. (My services to women and children are my uttermost objects to live for: (Nomazulu Thata)To bring up a child using the "famous rod" just perpetuates violence in homes. It destroys the child completely. On the other hand to violet the privacy of the child by testing her virg*nity: what about those children who are abused by those satanic men out there who want virgin cleansing myth- to cure their HIV/AIDS by sleeping with virgins? We also know too that when a girl, it does not matter how young, is sexually abused, it is the fault of the child again who did not sit properly in front of the "decent" man. The "decent man:" his member has been raised by the "wrong" sitting of the girl; could not help it but sexually demand it right away it did not matter how old the girl-child is? We know too: this silly little MP from MDC-T with a pea-sized-brain, should know that we have babies as old as one year who have been sexually abused by sick men, barbaric men, devilish, Lucifer's, oh my god please help! Are you going to test their virg*nity too? Keresencia Chabuka; you are silly, stupid, noisy gong, primitive and a package of nonsense!Now if a girl was sexually abused and she lost her virg*nity, how are they going to be categorised. Is this cheap MP politician going tell us these girls misbehaved? Who is going to set up the categories? It's just stupid, absolute stupid to come out with such suggestions of virg*nity testing when the rate of abuse on babies, toddlers, children, girls young women is so high, the police cannot even keep correct statistics on how many children are sexually abused every our in Zimbabwe. Previously it was said in Zimbabwe: every 90 minutes a baby, girl or a toddler is sexually abused: you Keresencia Chibaku are talking about virg*nity testing: are you aware of these statistics at all? Do you know how many thousands little girls suffer silently in homes because they cannot come out and tell it that they are systematically abused in those "comfortable and safe homes?" The gray area is a lot bigger than police statistics by the way.If you want our confidence dear MDC-T, please make sure you recall this MP Keresencia Chabuka because she is letting our vulnerable niche down. She is insulting the dignity of the girl-child. She does not tell us how the boys-children will be tested for virg*nity at all. This is a woman who thinks patriarchal, she is saying girls and young women are to blame in any sex encounter with men. This MP is saying men are venerated for demanding sex: its good sign if a man wants sex at any age: it becomes bad if a woman of any age wants sex. We cannot accept such a persona as a formidable politician in the coming dispensation.Not long ago a girl-child of 14 years who was forced into sexual intercourse by some rogue man in Gwanda was forced to wash blankets nak*d. Is this our civilised nation in 2017? The man who abused the girl went scot free. Shame-proneness and guilt-proneness is internalised on the girl-child all the time at an early age. When you test a girl for her virg*nity you are meting absolute shame on her: you are creating a social stigma related to sexual identity on the girl-child. Virginity testing reduces the girl-child's self- esteem; it undermines them as persons and their dignity. Girls do not perform well in schools because of this constant ridicule at homes. Looseness is always redirected to growing girls all the time than growing boys.This MP should know that testing virg*nity on growing children is in itself child abuse: the law should perpetrate such practices even from churches. This woman MP is still deep in adoring patriarchal sets up and she wishes all should fall back to the tradition s and culture of yester-year. Why not take the fight on the rate of rape in our nation: rape is inexcusably high. Dear MP of MDC-T can you please be bold for change: this is our theme of International Women's Day 2017. Please be part of it and be the change we want to see. Opinion / Columnist A lady making cloth pads to give them away for free to poor communities. This plastic bag contains important things (pads) that can help change someome's future affected by menstruation which leads to class absentism "Condoms should be for SALE, sanitary pads should be for FREE. Packets of condoms which you can find anywhere on the streets and any other public place Every time people go to clinics or hospitals for HIV testing and for contraception, before they leave, they are given a packet of condoms, I have experienced that too. This other day, I was sitting in a hall waiting for some important documents to be processed, I noticed so many big boxes being brought in. We were all waiting for some more important documents in this hall. The hall had people from different age groups and different genders. Since we had stayed in that hall for about three to four hours because of long queues and poor services, I thought it was free food. We were all curious and eager to know what was in those boxes or it was me alone who was curious. The guys who had brought the boxes started opening and they gave instruction,"take as much as you need and pass it on". I was sitting in the last row at the back and I could not see what was in the boxes. I could not wait for my turn and there was so much order in that hall that I had no chance to skip the line to get to the front. I even made a short prayer that whatever thing it is, I do not want to miss this free gift and I will take as much as I need before I could even know what really it was. The boxes moved and it was some few lines away from me when I noticed it was condoms. I got very angry and disappointed. What is the point though of giving people condoms for free? Sex is a choice and an act of pleasure. Think of situations whereby some girls in the rural areas or poor communities miss school for about plus or minus a week when they are on their periods. This is because most girls lack sanitary and they would have no choice other than staying at home. Why is life so unfair?. Instead of giving people free condoms everywhere, why not give the girls free sanitary pads, menstrual cups, reusable pads, tampons and cotton as well. I remember of a young lady who died of cancer simply because she used toilet paper (tissues) as sanitaries and did not know the effects until she had cervical cancer and it was now too late for her to be healed. Toilet paper is not very comfortable especially to people with heavy flow and it can not stay in place very well. It is very easy to spoil or stain while using a toilet paper and you can not stay with it for longer unlike a sanitary pad or tampon.To make matters worse, when one stains, it is so embarassing and it brings so much discomfort. Toilet paper will need to be changed every now and then and if one is too sensitive, it can lead to cervical cancer or any type of cancer around that vag*na area. Some girls might even use a sock, washcloths and clean rags by choice but in most cases the reason is that they can not afford proper sanitation.On the other hand, toilet paper can also be expensive because you will have to change every now and then. It does not absorb anywhere near as good as pads or tampons so it is a bit messier during heavier days and more likely to leak and it leaves little pieces of Toilet Paper stuck to you which will contribute to some kind of cancer. If it gets very soaked, it can even fall from the pant because it is not adhered. A toilet paper does not have the adhering properties. A toilet paper may get stuck around your p***y and may be difficult to remove unless when taking a shower. Sexual health clinics should just take the responsibility of providing sanitary as they do condoms. Since the clinics have not yet taken that important step of giving pads for free, a diva cup is the way to go. A diva cup can save up money. A DivaCup is a reusable, bell-shaped menstrual cup that is worn internally and sits low in the vag*nal canal, collecting rather than absorbing your menstrual flow. Menstrual cups have existed since the 1930s when women were searching for an alternative to the choices of the time. Yet, its breakthrough into the feminine hygiene industry is much more recent. A diva cup is eco-friendly and reusable. No chemicals are in it. Pads also got some disadvantages but at the moment, they are important. Girls can not miss important lectures, exams, lessons, classes, tests etc simply because of menstruation which is not even a choice but nature.Pads have got a disadvantage simply because they are non-biodegradable and can not be recycled but that does not mean that they should not be given away for free. Ladies, mothers, girls, brothers and fathers should ring a bell to the government and responsible authorities about this issue. A campaign can be done towards changing the future of young ladies which can be ruined by simple things. A petition can be made too regarding this issue. If the sanitary pads can not be given for free then let them have a very lower price which can easily be afforded by many. Like in the case of Zimbabwe, if 2 packets containing 10 pads each can cost only a dollar/bond, it can be fair enough. Let us work together towards bettering the future of young brilliant gifted ladies who miss class, school, tests, exams, interviews etc simply because they were on their periods and did not have adequate sanitation. Let us ring a bell for a wake up call towards this most significant issue which is being taken lightly, ignored and for granted. Educating a woman is a guarantee for a change in the world. At the moment, I advice all girls not to miss important opportunies or chances because of menstruation. They can be solutions. It might be cheaper to see if you have any old fabric or clothes and use it to sew up some cloth pads. There are many designs on the internet although design is not very much important. These can be washed and used several times. Another solution is saving money for the diva cup, it is worth it. Ladies did not choose to menstruate but nature chose for us. If it is easy to get condoms for free, let it be easy too for girls to get sanitary pads for free. Pads and tampons should be placed in bathrooms at schools, malls and other public places just like they way they do place condoms. Even in clinics and hospitals, pads and tampons should be placed at a very accessible place for everyone who needs them. Tampons and napkins are one in a category of supplies that are so essential, they should be available for free to everyone who needs them everywhere be it at schools, hospitals, clinics, churches and any other public places.NB: If you do not change your pad or tampon in 4 hours, it can cause Toxic shock Syndrome and even death.I also managed to gather some information regarding this issue through interviewing and talking to other students of both sexes from different institutions. Conilious Toga, a male student from the University of Fort Hare said menstruation is a natural process for the vast majority of females. He mentioned that at their Varsity, condoms are given out freely, and with reason. However, why are pads and tampons not being provided to female students in bathrooms. Mr Toga also mentioned that there have been, and will continue to be, many incidents in which a female student needs a pad or a tampon for an emergency and does not have the money to purchase it on the spot. Condoms are free and they are not a necessity. "Pads and tampons are a necessity so it makes sense that they should also be freely given".What happens then? Does she need to go around frantically asking for these items? Does she need to worry about whether or not anything will stain her clothes? Does she need to go back to her dorm room and pick them up herself? Does she need to go to a store and buy them (for that one incident) even though she has them already? What happens to her?. To avoid this problem, Toga said he suggests that pads and tampons should be made accessible to students in all bathrooms across campuses in all countries.However, I do not think it is fair that for something that is natural, women need to be equipped at all times. There will be times when one is not prepared, yet are they supposed to be held accountable because of that? No, I think we people should avoid this problem and allow pads and tampons for free in all bathrooms for students acros campuses in different countries all over the world in case of any situation.Menstruation can catch a woman off guard and render her unable to continue with her day as she would normally. Providing tampons and pads in the bathroom would help eliminate any interruption and allow her to attend classes and do activities she would normally participate in.Tampons and pads are products of necessity, not luxury, and it is unfortunate for a university, school or institution that should serve as a bastion of progress and tolerance, to not promote the idea that all students and faculty equally deserve to have their personal needs met. Menstrual bleeding can be understandably difficult to plan for and can be a factor that could seriously hinder an individual's ability to study amd focus on any given day with comfort, convenience and inclusion in mind, I believe everyone deserves equal access to products of these nature. The cost will be minimal and worth every penny, both in the intentions reflected by such an action and the practical use allowed by its implementation.Another student fron the University of Capetown Chiedza Makoto said,"For many students, menstruation does not adhere to a set schedule"Chiedza mentioned that there have been multiple instances when she did not have sanitary supplies. She saod she does not carry around change on a consistent basis and the other students in the bathroom and building also do not when she actually had the nerve to ask. Since there is a culture of shame regarding menstruation, Chiedza said sometimes she does not feel comfortable asking a fellow student. Instead, she rushes to the Residence/ apartment. Often, she has to leave in the middle of lecture and miss the rest of the lecture because of the trip to get a pad and freshen up.On top of the inherent stress of being a student, students do not have to worry about something they can not prevent. In my own view again, college students are already in need of money often times and this will help to limit the amount of money a woman would have to spend on tampons. Girls are not given an option whether to menstruate or not, it just happens. If it happens during class, it should not affect the learning process whereby a learner has to go home before school knock out just to get a pad or tampon. At a high school I attended, pads were given if it happens as an emergency case during school and class hours but there are cases whereby you would go to the Senior Lady's office only to be told that there are no more pads and in other cases, the Senior Woman would try be stingy with the pads for an unknown reason. You would find many learners being much afraid and uncomfortable to go ask for a pad including myself. The Senior woman would start lecturing you for lacking order and preparedness and label you as someone who is being careless. Yes we were advised to move with pads in our school bags but what if you use it and forget to replace or you do not even have one. We can only choose to have sex and not to mestruate.Another male student Tafadzwa *name changed* from the Midlands State University was in support of this. He said he had many reasons but decided to share with me 2 of his reasons that is a personal and an impersonal reason. First, his impersonal reason, was that gender dysphoria is a very real thing, and anything that can be done to support people struggling with it is positive. His second personal reason was that he is a male and he use pads occasionally. Tafadzwa has pilonidal cyst above his anus that occasionally drains. This is an example of an entirely valid case where even *men* would benefit from making pads freely available on-campus. Tafadzwa said he might not even be the only male with this problem and he might not be the only male using pads. Tafadzwa said he can not speak for tampons but still that does not make them insignificant . Just as water and food is a necessity, so are pads, tampons and any other form of sanitation.Speaking on myself, being without a pad or tampon towards or during mensturation can be so distressing that is why I always buy my sanitaries in bulky. A school, college or university can even organise a fun day, casual day or any other special day to fundraise and raise money for buying pads and tampons for students at that particular school.This can be done on a monthly bases or at every opening or closing day of school. This can be done for the less privileged learners depending on the cases and situations. Donations can also be organised in cash or even with pads in schools to help out some learners. This can help a lot contribute towards this problem. However, people should not be forced to donate or make funds towards making pads and any other form of sanitary readily available for free. This can be done specifically for the financially unstable young ladies and girls. This will help make this world, country a better place.Think of the amount of money the government wastes on condoms that are sometimes neglected and thrown everywhere around the streets. The government does all it can to prevent people get HIV, why not do the same to prevent women getting cancer due to absorbing menstrual blood using newspaper?Condoms are free and they are not a necessity. Pads and tampons are a necessity so it makes sense that they should also be freely given.Sex is a choice, menstruation is not. Some girls are struggling out there" Where to find non-partisan ballot information Thank you for your non-biased bullet points explaining the three state ballot proposals in "A look at the three state... Kautman-Jones endorses Davis Please support Meredith Davis in her re-election to the Genesee County Board of Commissioners - 8th District. I have had... - T. S. Eliot Thoughts After Lambeth "The World is trying the experiment of attempting to form a civilized but non-Christian mentality. The experiment will fail; but we must be very patient in awaiting its collapse; meanwhile redeeming the time: so that the Faith may be preserved alive through the dark ages before us; to renew and rebuild civilization, and save the World from suicide." IBEC is warning that we risk serious long-term problems if we don't invest now in transport, housing, health and education. The business group, which is holding a keynote conference in Dublin today, said that austerity must not be allowed to interfere with economic policy. Lawyers for whistleblower Maurice McCabe have demanded that the Garda Commissioner be removed from her post. They have written to the Justice Minister explaining why Noirin OSullivan shouldnt be working during the Disclosure Tribunal. A national water protest has been announced for Saturday, April 8. Right2Water say they hope it will be the final push in scrapping water charges for good. They plan to gather tens of thousands of people in the capital for the event next month. More information on the event can be found here. Brendan Ogle from Right2Water says the government is not concerned about water conservation, and that it is all about privatising water services: "Could we stop that is it not being privatised all over the world. "And that we are somewhere different. We are somewhere divorced from that "Could we not stop pretending that that water as an asset class, is the most profitable asset class there is apart from financial instruments, "Could we stop pretending that we have householders with swimming pools hidden in their attics." Postmasters are to hold a protest outside the Dublin GPO next Tuesday, March 14. The Irish Postmaster's Union (IPU) is calling on the Government to intervene on An Post stalling the 56m Post Office Plan. The IPU is also demanding the immediate publication and implementation of the completed Post Office Network plan chaired by Bobby Kerr. An Posts Group Chief Executive, David McRedmond, has said that the company wants to stall any decision on planning for future of the Post Office Network until at least next May, while it works on a separate Post Office strategy of its own, and has signalled the potential for significant Post Office closures. IPU General Secretary Ned OHara said the IPU was completely opposed to the approach being taken by An Post and would oppose any closures driven by the company. He said that Postmasters had signed up to the Post Office Network Strategy Board report (Chaired by businessman Bobby Kerr), which was completed before Christmas, and includes a structured plan to sustain and develop the Post Office Network over four years, and includes a Government investment of 56m. Mr OHara said An Post should not be allowed to now ignore this work and a do solo run on the future of the Network and the fate of rural communities, while focusing on its commercial targets. The IPU does not accept An Posts position of abandoning the vast amount of work done over the last two years and developing its own new plan. This is ignoring Government, unfair to Postmasters, damaging to the Network and not representative of community concerns. A man has been arrested during a German police search for a suspect over the killing of a nine-year-old boy. Officers made the arrest after the man called them from a fast food stall in the western German city of Herne on Thursday evening, a police spokesman says. A former gifted student has denied trying to become an Islamic State fighter and told jurors he only wanted to go to Syria to exorcise "jinns". Avid computer gamer and straight A student Mubashir Jamil, 22, was allegedly radicalised from surfing the web and became obsessed with images of "martyrdom". He was snared by an undercover police officer posing as an agent from the so-called 'Islamic State' group as he prepared to leave his home in Luton for Syria, the Old Bailey in London has heard. In encrypted chats via the Telegram app, Jamil allegedly told the officer he would strap on an explosive belt in the UK if he could not be an IS fighter in the war-torn state. But the ex-Amazon warehouse worker told his trial he only said he wanted to be a mujahideen as a way into Syria for an exorcism. Giving evidence, he told jurors he wanted "to get rid of the jinns" and then return to England after about five days. He said: "I wanted to come back after the exorcism but if the exorcism could not be done I would have killed myself." Cross-examining, Barnaby Jameson said: "You are a Muslim. There are certain laws about suicide. It's forbidden. "What you say is nothing about suicide at all, it's about martyrdom." Jamil replied: "No, I wanted them to think I would fight for them so they would let me into Syria." Mr Jameson quizzed the defendant on what he would have told IS members, had he been successful. The lawyer said: "You knew very well who this group was, didn't you? "You knew they are responsible for murder and other atrocities but the jinns are telling you it has to be Isis in Syria?" Jamil agreed he knew about the group but told jurors it was "the angels" telling him to go. He would have told IS "the jinns are telling me to do things", the defendant added. However, Jamil accepted he was "talking entirely coherently" throughout his chats with the officer, as he reported back on buying his luggage and airline ticket in the days before his arrest in April last year. Mr Jameson pointed out he never searched his computer for the word "jinn" but had instead watched a number of YouTube videos featuring someone being killed, Osama Bin Laden and Taliban fighting. Jamil, who was born in Pakistan but brought up in Britain, denies a charge of preparing for terrorist acts. Stephen M. Flatow, a vice president of the Religious Zionists of America, is an attorney in New Jersey. He is the father of Alisa Flatow, who was murdered in an Iranian-sponsored Palestinian terrorist attack in 1995. Updates throughout the day at http://calevbenyefuneh.blog spot.com. If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.Twitter updates at LoveoftheLand as well as our Love of the Land page at Facebook which has additional pieces of interest besides that which is posted on the blog. Also check-out This Ongoing War by Frimet and Arnold Roth. An excellent blog, very important work. . ..JNS.org..08 March '17..For the past 15 years,columnist Thomas Friedman has been promoting the so-called Saudi Initiative, a plan which he says proves that Saudi Arabia sincerely wants peace with Israel. But this week, a senior Palestinian leader revealed that at the very moment the Saudis were launching that plan, they were financing a major wave of terrorism against Israel.Its time for Friedman to publicly admit he was wrong and apologize for the harm he caused to Israel.It all started Feb. 6, 2002, when Friedman devoted hiscolumn to a memo that he wanted President George W. Bush to send to Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah and other Arab leaders. The memo would urge the Arabs to recognize Israel in exchange for an Israeli retreat to the pre-1967 armistice lines (including re-dividing Jerusalem).Friedman then flew to Saudi Arabia, where he was granted a rare interview with Crown Prince Abdullah. And lo and behold, Abdullah proceeded to unveil a Saudi peace plan identical to what Friedman had been pushing. Friedmans Feb. 17, 2002 column then became the vehicle for announcing the Saudi plan. Quite an unusual channel for an international diplomatic announcement! Police had been called to the couple's Gordon home previously and Al-Mdwali approached at least one support service. Credit:Jeffrey Chan Ms Al-Mdwali, 28, was found dead on a bed inside the Knoke Avenue property on March 17 in 2015. A neighbour heard "loud, horrific" screams then gurgling sounds coming from a Gordon house the night Sabah Al-Mdwali's husband allegedly stabbed her to death, a court has heard. Her husband, Maged Mohommed Ahmed Al-Harazi, 36, is accused of her murder, but has pleaded not guilty. The house in Gordon where mother of three Sabah Al-Mdwali was found with critical head injuries and stab wounds in March, 2015. Credit:Jeffrey Chan It's alleged Al-Harazi attacked his wife of 10 years as she breastfed their 10-month-old baby. Al-Harazi's ACT Supreme Court trial this week was told the couple married in Yemen in 2005 before moving to Australia two years later. Their relationship was marred by ongoing tensions about where they would live; Ms Al-Mdwali wanted to stay in the ACT near her family, while Al-Harazi wanted to return to Yemen. Psychologist Justin Coulson says there are two mistakes parents make when building a relationship with their teenagers - and they reach both ends of the spectrum. The first, according to the father of six, is to give up and let the ratbags do what they want. The second is to become an authoritarian. Teenagers can be hard work. "Every single day I talk with parents, often of teenagers, who are tearing their hair out with their kids," Dr Coulson said. "Parents are pretty much frustrated with their teenagers and they're going 'You've got so much potential and right now the way you're choosing to make your decisions you're never going to live up to your potential'." Network Ten is flummoxed by the regulator's finding that a pro-family ad directing viewers to an anti-abortion site should have aired with a political authorisation statement. The decision raises questions about whether advertisements about ideologically controversial issues should always be interpreted as a political ad, which the law defines as "any political matter". A still from the notbornyet ad that ACMA says was political and should have aired with an authorisation statement. Credit:YouTube The television network says the Australian Communications and Media Authority's (ACMA) ruling may draw too many advertisements into the scope of political advertising if it covers any issue that is regulated or not or has ever been the subject of political debate. "The advertisement had been cleared by Commercials Advice [Division of Free TV] partly based on previous ACMA decisions on what does and does not constitute political matter," a network spokesman said on Thursday. After eight years steering Rio Tinto through a series of crises and less than a year since a new chief executive was put in place, the global miner has paved the way for the selection of a new chairman to replace Jan du Plessis later in the year. In a statement late Thursday, Rio said it commenced work to find a replacement for Mr du Plessis as chairman when it appointed a new chief executive in mid-2016. At that time, Mr du Plessis committed to remain chairman for two years although his departure could be brought forward. Rio Tinto chairman Jan du Plessis is expected to step down later this year. Credit:Robert Shakespeare Mr du Plessis has been appointed a director of British telecommunications group BT from mid-2017 and will take over as chairman later in the year. Rio said independent director John Varley is heading the board committee charged with finding a replacement. Mr du Plessis has committed to remain as chairman until the annual meeting in 2018, it said. Teachers and schools have at times done "beautiful things" for her son, and Jane will be forever grateful, but there have also been misunderstandings and bad luck along the way. Lachie was often at high risk of infection and had to be kept apart from other kids. When he could be with his classmates at school, he was also often exhausted and unable to manage full days. "People say, 'just enrol them in distance education', but is an isolated kid who can't function normally really the best kid for distance education? They desperately need some social interaction. I would have loved to be able to Skype into the classroom." An estimated 60,000 kids around Australia are missing out on large blocks of school due to significant illness or injury, (not including kids with mental health issues). For some, hospital visits or time recovering at home mean a block of weeks or months away from the classroom. Others may face regular absences over their whole school life. There is a bureaucratic name for it: "non-negligible school absence", but behind that jargon is kids battling diseases such as cancer, cystic fibrosis and epilepsy, shuttling between hospitals, home and school, and often travelling interstate and between cities for treatment. Parents say these children are slipping through the cracks, with neither disability, health nor education agencies taking full responsibility for keeping them connected to learning and their peers, and poor co-ordination between the services involved. "These poor children are often falling flat onto the pavement because no one is stepping forward to catch them", says Stephen Bartos from the research collective ARACY. Megan Jackson, lead researcher on ARACY's Australian first study into inter-agency collaboration around sick children and education, , says it is telling there is no official statistic for the number of children in this position. Just as different departments fail to categorise or count these kids, many are unsure that it is their job to educate them. "The responsibility for educating children at school lies with schools, the responsibility for determining whether a child is well enough to go to school lies with doctors and the responsibility for getting kids to school lies with parents," Ms Jackson says. While most children's hospitals around Australia have schools for children who stay a long time or must be there for regular treatment, their approach varies hugely and their involvement mostly stops when children leave hospital. And with advances in medicine, many more children are surviving critical and chronic diseases and being sent home to recover after shorter stays for procedures such as bone marrow transplant and chemotherapy. In an added layer of complexity, many critically ill children travel interstate for regular treatment, meaning responsibility for their education crosses not just different departments but also state jurisdictions. Ms Jackson suspects many families of seriously ill children give up trying to keep them educated, overwhelmed by the stress of dealing with the illness, and unable to take on the role of co-ordinating the various bodies who may be able to provide learning support. Her research will look at the model of having a lead worker for families, to co-ordinate their child's learning and keep them in touch with school and peers, for example through Skype calls. Megan Gilmour, whose son missed more than 18 months of school due to a bone marrow transplant, says support for children recovering at home is a matter of good (or bad) luck, depending on the attitude of individual schools and teachers. "We're often not at home, we're in hospitals, we're interstate, we're at appointments and we're under huge stress having a seriously ill child." Ms Gilmour is also frustrated by the resistance from many schools to using technology such as Skype and real time digital connection to keep kids connected to their classrooms, teachers and peers. "This is not at all about bashing up schools or teachers, it's about getting the specific policy and standards in place from education departments so that schools know what they have to do." Ms Gilmour co-founded the parent lobby group Missing School in 2012 after realising that her struggles to keep her son connected to education were not unique. "We had done everything we could to keep him educated through his illness but he was losing hope. We had to show him that he had a future, that he was worth educating". She says seriously ill children who miss a lot of school are "invisible". "One of the first questions we asked was how many kids are missing school because they're seriously ill, that was unclear. We asked what is available to them from education departments and schools, who parents in this position should call, that was unclear. There is no consistent model, no best practice the governance is absent". Parents argue that children are not just missing out on learning, they are also missing out on crucial social and emotional development and the general confidence and wellbeing that comes from staying connected to their peers - everything from rough and tumble in the playground to teens hanging out with mates. Research shows these gaps have short and long term, negative impacts on their development. "When my son returned to school he was a mess. He'd gone from being a high functioning student to someone who could barely function in the school environment. There was the trauma from what he had been through medically but there was also the effect of social isolation and being apart from his school and his peers," Ms Gilmour says. Many children who return to school also struggle with the long-term effects of treatment and side effects of medication and may be easily tired, vulnerable to infection and illness and even have lower cognitive function due to some invasive treatments such as radiation therapy on the brain. Parents who contact Missing School are often grateful for the support of charities such as Ronald MacDonald House, who help with support such as tutoring or transport to school. But Ms Gilmour argues it ought not be the role of charities to ensure children stay educated, a legal responsibility outlined in both state and federal legislation. "We don't want to be talking about one-off programs or charities here and there. This sits with education departments, it has to be stable and scalable, it has to be governed by all the checks and balances." Acting Premier Jackie Trad wants to tell cynical Queenslanders that the government "really" is making Cross River Rail happen. Speaking at a Property Council of Australia breakfast on Thursday, Ms Trad said the project had moved forward considerably in the past 12 months. "I know many of you will be cynical, having seen past incarnations of this project come and go no further than the drawing board, but we are really making it happen," Ms Trad said. Cross River Rail was first announced by then-transport minister Paul Lucas almost a decade ago, and has been, in its various incarnations, in planning stages ever since. Patients have been evacuated from South Brisbane's Mater Hospital due to a fire and heavy smoke. Seven fire crews turned up to the scene about 5.30pm, following reports of heavy smoke on level nine. A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokesman said fire crews used extinguishers to put out the small fire in the plant room. The spokesman said some floors of the hospital were evacuated, and crews remained on scene to ventilate the area. A Queensland Police spokesman said there were no injuries, and a spokeswoman from the Queensland Ambulance Service said no patients required transport to another hospital because of the evacuation. More than half a million dollars linked to the fraudulent activities of Scott Driscoll remains unaccounted for as the former LNP MP awaits sentencing in the Brisbane District Court. The Crime and Corruption Commission initially charged Driscoll in October 2014 with fraud worth $725,000 but the offences to which he admitted relate to just $180,000. As part of a year-long investigation the Crime and Corruption Commission probed the $550,000 sale in September 2011 of an office building in Kelvin Grove belonging to the Queensland Retail Traders and Shopkeepers Association. The sale was organised by Driscoll, who was at the time chief executive of the organisation. CAMEROUN :: The actualization of the Independence and Sovereignty of Southern Cameroons Independence The quest for self-determination and independence of the peoples and territory of the Southern Cameroons is an incontrovertible issue. At the 896th General Assembly meeting in October 6, 1959, speaking for the USA, the UN Ambassador Clement J. Zabloiski said: The USA had voted for resolution 1350 (XIII) and still finds its provisions satisfactorily. The USA congratulates the people of the Southern Cameroons for their accession to auto determination as it constitutes the will of the population who wants to run its affairs democratically. The government and the opposition parties of the Southern Cameroons unfortunately have not come to an agreement, however, there is no reason to deny the population of the Southern Cameroons a brief; the results of a hurried choice imposed on the population of the Trust Territory would be catastrophic for their political future.Ebong Speaking for India Ambassador Krishna Menon; answering Mr. Stravopoulos the Trusteeship Council Legal Adviser said, inter-alia in this regard, my delegation sees no reason why the Southern Cameroons shall not achieve independence on the same date like Nigeria and Northern Cameroons. Hon. G. M. Thompson (M.P Dundee East) addressing the British House of Commons August 1st, 1961 on the poor handling of unification issue said; The problem of uniting these two territories would in any event be difficult. There are two territories of completely different cultures with different political systems there are extremely complex problems in bringing these two countries together within one National State. In 1998, Lord Thompson raised his voice again on the Southern Cameroons issue. This time, the British peer was begging the British and UN to intervene immediately to avert a future conflict. In 2000, the then Secretary General of the UN called for dialogue. I leave Cameroon with the impression that there is only one Cameroon, multilingual and multi-ethnic. I encourage dialogue of these stakeholders. In every country, there are problems of marginalisation. The way it has to be solved is by dialogue and not by walking away, Kofi Annan said. La Republique du Cameroun and the Biya regime continue to spurn dialogue. In fact, we now know that on 3rd May 2000, Kofi Annan was sent to Cameroon by the Security Council to intervene because I was arrested and detained in La Republique du Cameroun. I was held in an underground prison INCOMMUNICADO at SED, the National Gendarmerie in Yaounde. I was arrested for proclaiming the Independence and restoration of Sovereignty of the Southern Cameroons over radio CRTV BUEA in the Territory of the Southern Cameroons on 30th December 1999. Paul Biya spurns dialogues because the British transferred the sovereignty of Southern Cameroons to France and the then French president, Charles De Gaulle, transferred the sovereignty of Southern Cameroons to Biya. On September 30th, 1961, De Gaulle said, On vient d avoir un petit cadeau de la reine (a small gift from the Queen of England). That is why the United Kingdom treats Southern Cameroons as a chattel. Paul Biya should now know that there is legal proof of this illegal transfer of the Southern Cameroons by Britain, the Administrative Authority of the UN Trust Territory of the Southern Cameroons. He should know that the people of the Southern Cameroons are now aware thanks to the Declassification of the Secret files in London in accordance with the British Official Secrets Act. Southern Cameroonians now know that on the 19th April, 1961, at 3.15pm, the United Nations General Assembly took up the case of the separate Independence for the Southern Cameroons and that a total of 50 (fifty) Nations voted yes for Southern Cameroons Independence. The Chairman of that Session was Adam Pachachi (Iraq); Vice Chairman, Miss Silvia Shelton Vilallon (Cuba); Raporteur, Eamon L. Kennedy (Ireland). This was the 15th session of the United Nations General Assembly and they met on Wednesday at 3.15pm where they pronounced the 1st October as the Southern Cameroons Independence Day, not 1st January and certainly not 20th May. May 20 is a provocation. Among the 50 (fifty) countries which voted yes for separate Independence of Southern Cameroons on 19th April 1961 were USA and Nigeria. The approval of the voting was at the 1152nd meeting; same Wednesday, 19th April, 1961 at 9pm New York; page 381 paragraph 110 in the official records of the United Nations General Assembly-Fifteenth Session-Fourth Committee. The United Nations General Assembly voting was 50 yes votes, 2 against and 9 abstentions. This validated the Independence of the Southern Cameroons. This historical fact is un-impeachable. This fact has been kept secret from the people of the Southern Cameroons. The fact also came out thanks to the expiry date of the British Official Secret Acts. The right to self-determination is prescribed by the UN Charter, United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Optional Protocol. The people of the Southern Cameroons are made to toil for the francophone majority to reap the fruits while we fight and blackmail one another for the crumbs. This is totally unacceptable. It is cruel, and is inhuman; it is camouflage slavery at the dawn of the 3rd millennium. The United Nations must ensure that self-determination and independence of the peoples and territory of the Southern Cameroons is rectified and regularized in accordance with Article 76 (b) of the United Nations Charter. The Nigeria/La Republique du Cameroun Mixed Commission on border problems provides an opportunity for the issue to be raised and regularized. The non-implementation of Article 76 (b) and UN resolution 1608 (XV), paragraph 5, of 21 April 1961 means that la Republique du Cameroun had, and has no Legal Right to claim sovereignty over Bakassi Peninsula which is in the Territory of Southern Cameroons. Bakassi Peninsula is in the Territory of the Southern Cameroons, which has been independent since April 19, 1961. This independence was packaged with annexation. This is in accordance with article 102 (2) of the charter of the United Nations, which states: No party to any such treaty or international agreement which has not been registered in accordance with provisions of paragraph 1 of this article may invoke that treaty or agreement before any organ of the United Nations. That is why we are requesting the UN Secretary General through the UN network, to make use of his good offices to bring to the attention of the Security Council and the United Nations General Assembly to the following: The non-implement of UN Resolution 1608 (XV), paragraph 5, of 21 April 1961, on the future of the Southern Cameroons. The urgent rectification and regularization of the self-determination and independence of the Territory of the Southern Cameroons in application of the UN Resolution 1514 (XV) granting of independence to colonial countries. The admission of the Southern Cameroons State into the United Nations Organization as a full member in application of Article 4 of the UN Charter. The SCNC pray the Secretary General to diligently study the application for membership of the UN signed by President Frederick Alobwede Ebong and was forwarded to his office on 8 April, 2000. Southern Cameroonians all six million of them, await one and only one thing from the UN the recognition of its independence. Southern Cameroonians should remain determined to re-assert their independence as proclaimed in December 1999. We point out that UN Resolution 1349 (XIII), paragraph 1, 2, and 3, of March 1959 gave independence to the State of La Republique du Cameroun on 1st January 1960. A separate resolution gave Southern Cameroons independence. No Union Treaty was worked out between, and ratified by the Southern Cameroons and La Republique Du Cameroun in 1961 as required by un resolution 1608 (XV), para 5, of 21 April, 1961, of the 994th plenary session of the UN General Assembly. La Republique du Camerouns Administration in the Southern Cameroons is illegal and illegitimate and ipsu-facto Questionable. The presence of La Republique du Camerouns forces of occupation in the territory is annexation, (the General Assembly Resolution 224 111 - of 18 November 1948). La Republique du Cameroun should immediately release all Southern Cameroonians political prisoners in their maximum-security prisons and/or concentration camps and be prepared to pay compensation to the heirs of those that have died. Fellow Southern Cameroonians, the actualisation of the sovereignty and independence of the Southern Cameroons is a task that must be done. The annexation bridge is down. Annexation in a civilized world is abhorred. The United Nations Security Council, Resolution 497, of 1981, held that the annexation of Kuwait by Iraq is null and void ab initio. The United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2625 (XXV) of 24 October 1970 held that no territory obtained by threat or use of force shall not be recognized as legal. International law acknowledges Southern Cameroons as a state with recognized boundaries (fixed) by the League of Nations. Thousands of protesters have marched through Brisbane's CBD as part of a national action against changes to penalty rates by the Turnbull government. The crowd, dominated by members of several trade unions, gathered on Thursday at Roma Street before marching through the city to the Commonwealth government's offices at Waterfront Place, where they presented a petition. Workers are seen during a protest against the slashing of penalty rates and the federal government's tough new building code in Brisbane. Credit:Dave Hunt The rally coincides with similar actions across the country to show "widespread concern" after the Fair Work Commission decided on a cut to penalty rates across some sectors including retail and hospitality. Queensland Council of Unions general secretary Ros McLennan said up to 180,000 Queenslanders would face a pay cut when the changes come into effect on July 1. A man who is believed to likely be responsible for the murder of Leanne Holland nearly two decades ago was a "friend" of the investigators, the daughter of the man has alleged. Graham Stafford served nearly 15 years for the September 1991 murder of the 12-year-old Goodna schoolgirl, but his conviction was quashed on Christmas Eve last year. Murdered Goodna schoolgirl Leanne Holland. 'Kim', who spoke with Fairfax Radio 4BC under an assumed name this morning, said there was a "very high possibility" that her father had killed Leanne. She said her father, who had served prison time for acts of incest against her, had been a police informant and was in close contact with the investigating officers. Cold calling salespeople who bullied a farming couple with one home printer into buying enough ink to last them nearly 1700 years acted illegally, a tribunal has found. The Melbourne-based office supplies company has been ordered by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal this week to pay more than $90,000 to the Queensland cattle farmers after it sold them more than 2000 printer ink cartridges. James Murray, CEO of Corporate Office Supplies Credit:Facebook The company's jet-setting CEO and owner regularly posts on social media showing how the business has helped fund his glamorous lifestyle, which includes BMW cars and nights out in Las Vegas. Salespeople from Corporate Office Supplies began making multiple cold calls to the home of husband and wife Rod and Charmaine Sharp in mid 2015. The man who sparked the politicians' entitlements scandal in Victoria's Parliament, Telmo Languiller, has taken medical leave to battle depression and high blood pressure. Last month Fairfax Media revealed that Mr Languiller had claimed $40,000 in entitlements to live in Queenscliff, away from his western suburbs electorate. The revelations prompted him to repay the money and step down from the lucrative and prestigious role as Speaker. In a statement, Mr Languiller said he would take one month's leave due to "strong medical advice". Two Victoria Police officers who used a $650,000 counter-terrorism boat to reach a remote surfing spot near Point Nepean last week have been disciplined. The officers are suspected of using the boat to access the surf at Corsair Rock after completing a joint Water Police-Special Operations Group training exercise last Thursday. The almost mythical left-hand break, also called Quarantines or "Quarras", is only accessible by boat. It is hundreds of metres offshore and near the treacherous stretch of water known as "The Rip", at Port Phillip Heads. It is understood the rigid hull inflatable boat, commonly used for counter-terrorism and high-profile exercises, was taken out to the break. Corsair Rock is one of Victoria's most prominent shipwreck spots. Seattle: Legal challenges against President Donald Trump's revised travel ban are mounting as Washington state said it would renew its request to block the executive order. It came a day after Hawaii launched its own lawsuit, and Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson said both Oregon and New York had asked to join his state's legal action on Thursday. Washington was the first state to sue over the original ban, which resulted in Judge James Robart in Seattle halting its implementation around the country. Ferguson said the state would ask Robart to rule that his temporary restraining order against the first ban applies to Trump's revised action. Trump's revised ban bars new visas for people from six predominantly Muslim countries: Somalia, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Libya and Yemen. It also temporarily shuts down the US refugee program. Something went wrong, please try again later. Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. FIND OUT WHAT'S ON NEAR YOU WITH OUR NEWSLETTER Bristol is set to be invaded by life-sized dinosaurs this summer when Jurassic Kingdom visits the city. Castle Park will be overrun with true-to-life dinosaurs, bringing visitors about as close as they are ever likely to come to a real life Jurassic World experience. The new animatronic experience is part of Jurassic Kingdoms When Animals Come to Life tour, which will see 30 dinosaur models and installations tour seven major UK cities, stopping in Bristol between June 17 and 25. They will roar and snarl at those brave enough to get up close to them, and Diplodocus heads will poke 16 metres above the ground. The ear-piercing screeches of the Pterosaurus will alert visitors to the danger in the skies above and guests must be wary of the spitting defence of the Pachycephalousaurus, in case he lurks around the next corner. The most fearful of the Dinosaurs, the Tyrannosaurus Rex, will also be making an appearance, standing at 18 metres tall long from head to tail. Budding archaeologists will also be able to grab a brush and discover the dinosaur bones which lurk beneath the surface. Tickets for the event are set go on sale soon costing 13 for adults and 11 for children on the door, but you will get a discount for booking in advance online. Tickets will be on sale at www.jurassickingdom.uk/bristol Something went wrong, please try again later. Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. Stay in the know. Share your email to get all the latest politics news and headlines from Bristol Live The crisis in social care and pressure to help firms facing business rates hikes forced Chancellor Philip Hammond to promise billions in extra funding as he delivered his first Budget. Some 2 billion was announced for social care in England over three years - below the levels demanded by some campaigners - while a 435 million package will ease the burden on firms facing huge hikes in business rates. But with Mr Hammond ruling out an increase in borrowing and insisting that Britain must get back to "living within its means", he announced a National Insurance increase for higher-earning self-employed workers which will rake in 145 million a year. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn dismissed the Chancellor's statement and accused him of "utter complacency" about the state of the economy, public services and the lives of millions of Britons. Cash-strapped councils have struggled to fund social care, increasing strain on the NHS as hospitals struggle to discharge patients if they cannot be properly looked after in the community. The three-year deal involves 1 billion in 2017/18 as Mr Hammond acknowledged "the system is clearly under pressure and this in turn puts pressure on our NHS". He also said ministers would set out plans for the future financing of the social care system later this year - but stressed this would not include a so-called Death Tax levied on estates. The Chancellor also announced a 100 million plan to help A&E units next winter by funding triage projects in English hospitals. Referring to the Tory victory over Labour in the Copeland by-election, he said: "We are the Government of the NHS." In response to the campaign for measures to ease the impact of the business rates revaluation, Mr Hammond set out a 435 million package - including a 1,000 cut for most pubs. Committing to longer term changes to the system, including better ways to tax online firms, the Chancellor acknowledged that the business rates revaluation had created some "hard cases". Under his package of reforms, he said firms set to lose small business relief would benefit from an additional cap on bill rises, limiting hikes in monthly bills to 50 for a year. Pubs with a rateable value of less than 100,000 - some 90% - will be given a 1,000 discount on their rates in 2017. Councils will also be given a 300 million fund to deliver "discretionary relief" to hard-pressed firms in their areas. Setting out the reforms to National Insurance contributions, Mr Hammond said higher-paid self-employed workers will face rises of around 60p a week, raising an extra 145 million a year for the Exchequer by 2021-22. Mr Hammond said the Budget sets out a plan for a "brighter future" as the UK leaves the European Union. With Prime Minister Theresa May expected to start the formal Brexit process within days, the Chancellor told the Commons: "As we start our negotiations to exit the European Union, this Budget takes forward our plan to prepare Britain for a brighter future; it provides a strong and stable platform for those negotiations." He added: "We are building the foundations of a stronger, fairer, more global Britain." The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts provided him with a short-term boost, sharply upgrading projected growth from 1.4% to 2% for this year. But the fiscal watchdog outlined a more gloomy picture over the coming years - as the UK actually leaves the EU. It downgraded next year's growth from 1.7% to 1.6% and slashed forecasts for 2019 from 2.1% to 1.7%, before predicting 1.9% in 2020 and 2% in 2021. On the public finances, the OBR outlined a brighter picture, with borrowing in 2016/17 expected to be 16.16 billion lower than autumn forecasts at 51.7 billion. It also tweaked deficit forecasts from 59 billion to 58.3 billion for 2017/18, from 46.5 billion to 40.8 billion for 2018/19, from 21.9 billion to 21.4 billion for 2019/20, from 20.7 billion to 20.6 billion in 2020/21 and from 17.2 billion to 16.8 billion in 2021/22. In a speech littered with jokes - despite being nicknamed "Spreadsheet Phil" because of his usual dry style - Mr Hammond announced: Transport spending of 90 million for the North and 23 million for the Midlands to address pinch points on roads, and a new 690 million competition for English councils to tackle urban congestion. The NHS will get 325 million to implement controversial sustainability and transformation plans There was no change to previously planned upratings of duties on alcohol and tobacco, but a new minimum excise duty is introduced on cigarettes based on a packet price of 7.35. The Budget will also mean 350 million for the Scottish Government, 200 million for the Welsh Government and almost 120 million for an incoming Northern Ireland Executive. With Mrs May attempting to see off the potential for a second Scottish independence referendum, Mr Hammond said his package was "demonstrating once again that we are stronger together in this great United Kingdom". Locally, James Durie, Chief Executive of Bristol Chamber & West of England Initiative, part of Business West said: They say that the Budget is more about political theatre than changing economic reality, and this performance would have had business audiences shifting in their seats. This was an underwhelming Budget from the Chancellor, with limited eye catching announcements and a lack of major changes for businesses to welcome, and a few announcements that will make them nervous. In some measure this was forced upon the Chancellor. "With Brexit creating considerable uncertainty over the coming two years, it is not a time to spend freely. However, even the Chancellors limited wiggle room was smaller than expected as the medium term growth projections announced have deteriorated, despite a short term boost to growth this year." Frank Kaye, Interim Region Director in the South West for EEF, the manufacturers organisation said: Current economic indicators offer the Chancellor confidence about the resilience of the UK economy, but we remain some way off from possible Brexit uncertainty. As such, the Chancellor is right to be pragmatic, recognising the need to avoid jam today and saving the fiscal jam tomorrow to use wisely if the economy encounters turbulence during the process of exit from the EU. "This statement shows government sticking with the challenge of raising productivity levels in the UK economy, this alignment with the industrial strategy priorities will be welcomed by businesses as demonstrating signs of much-needed cross-government coherence." David Westgate, chief executive of Andrewss Property Group said: Whilst largely anticipated, the fact that the Chancellor did not address key housing issues is, nonetheless disappointing. The urgency with which new homes are needed across the UK cannot be underestimated. The fact that the Chancellor, by neglecting to address planning durations or introducing a moratorium on Capital Gains Tax on land sales, means that an ideal opportunity to get the house building sector moving has been missed." Rebecca Pritchard, head of business banking at Triodos Bank, said: The current system of business rates places an unfair burden on small and independent businesses on the high street, in favour of large, out-of-town chains. In Bristol, our high streets are our community and economic hubs: their vitality and growth is essential to the health of our cities and communities. "At Triodos, we choose to work with independent retailers in Bristol because we know that when they thrive, we all do. While we are glad that the government has announced 435 million in transitional relief, we believe that this package doesnt address the heart of the problem, which is that business rates should be based on turnover rather than property value. We have more newsletters Something went wrong, please try again later. Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign up to our daily newsletter for the latest local and breaking news in Bristol. Tesco and Poundworld are urgently recalling a number of products over safety fears The supermarket giant is recalling one of its frozen Italian ready meals after fears it could be an allergy risk to customers. All date codes of Tesco Spaghetti Bolognese (400g) are to be returned to the store after low levels of egg were detected in the meal - which are not identified on the packaging. This poses a serious risk to anyone with a diary intolerance. Tesco has apologised issued an apology to customers for any inconvenience. If you have bought the frozen meal and have an allergy or intolerance to egg, the Food Standards Agency recommends you do not eat it. Anyone who needs more information should call Tesco customer services on 0800 505 555 from the UK or 1850 744844 from the Republic of Ireland. Tesco has also recalled a children's toy amid fears it could be a potential hazard. A wooden alphabet toys pull along cord on one batch code of the product may become frayed and unravel, the retailer has said. The recalled item has a batch code of 161101, which can be found on the underside of the toy. The retailer said: "We have been made aware that the pull along cord on one batch code of this product may become frayed and unravel causing a potential hazard." Further details can be obtained from Tesco Customer Services department on 0800 505 555 Poundworld Poundworld has also recalled one item after experts identified a potential safety issue with its Auto Spray Grey Primer Paint. Customers are urged to stop using the product immediately and return the item to any Poundworld or Poundworld Plus store. The store will issue you with a refund or exchange. The company has apologise sincerely for any inconvenience caused. The following notice has been issued by the retailer: Auto Spray Grey Primer Paint 300ml Product Code: F-20523 Barcode: 5050577205235 Batch: 137468 55. Something went wrong, please try again later. Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. FIND OUT WHAT'S ON NEAR YOU WITH OUR NEWSLETTER Film from Hollywood pictures to vintage movies and award-winning documentaries, there is something for everyone at Bristol Film Festival. Theres bound to be a cold chill in the air when Bristol Film Festival screens a deadly selection of childrens classics at Arnos Vale Cemetery. After a hugely popular launch last year, the festival is back, running from Thursday, March 9 to Sunday, March 12, with a host of iconic flicks, guilty pleasures and magical movies lined up. During the events short history, the organisers have built a great reputation for arranging truly immersive events for film fanatics. From The Descent in Radcliffe Caves to Night at the Museum at Bristol Museum, there were some really memorable screenings in 2016. This year the team are pushing things one step further by showing, as they put it, macabre but family-friendly films at Arnos Vale Cemetery. Deep in the heart of one of Bristols most historic locations, festival-goers can work their way through the cemetery to the beautiful Anglican Chapel for movies including Corpse Bride, Coraline, and The Addams Family, all on Sunday, March 12. Aside from the Arnos Vale programme, the festival is packed with a whole host of wonderful films, talks and events. The Harbourside will make a stunning backdrop as Bristols iconic ss Great Britain shows Russell Crowes sea tale Master and Commander: The Far Side of The World on Thursday, March 9, while Redcliffe Caves will be the venue for the rather fittingly titled, Underground Cinema. It will show a host of controversial and previously banned films, each with bespoke introductions from a range of Bristols film industry authorities providing social context. The Caves will be transformed into a Cold War-style bunker, creating a unique, immersive experience. Theres back-to-back Kubrick with Dr Stranglove and A Clockwork Orange on from 6pm on Friday, March 10. Brad Pitts crime thriller, Seven will be shown on Saturday, March 11 and you can see Sharon Stones femme fatale in Basic Instinct on Sunday, March 12. The Arnolfini gallery will host more in-depth talks and workshops concerning the film industry, and the festival is also showcasing upcoming talent from the city and region through a range of events. The festivals Music and The Movies series returns to Bristol Cathedral for an organ-accompanied screening of the 1920s silent classic The Hunchback Of Notre Dame on Saturday, March 11. The next day, Arnolfini will host the documentary Get Better: A Film About Frank Turner, featuring a Q&A introduction with director Ben Morse. Around the festival, there is also a series of spin-off screenings, in partnership with Bristol International Jazz and Blues Festival, as well as vintage screenings. Bristol Film Festival runs from Thursday, March 9 to Sunday, March 12. WHAT'S ON Here are some of the best events you can catch at the film festival. On Location This portion of the festival will feature interesting activities before the films start, including guided tours, with engaging settings to match the films. March 9, Master and Commander: Far Side of the World, 6.15pm-9.15pm, 10-15. Guests will be guaranteed a swashbuckling evening on board the ss Great Britain, with drinks and fitting sea shanty songs. The film stars Russell Crowe and is a historical epic that takes place during the Napoleonic Wars. March 11, Blackmail, 9.30pm-11.10pm, 10-15. Another (yet very different) evening in the Bristol Museum, this time for one of Alfred Hitchcocks first films. It centres on a woman who gets into argument with her boyfriend, and is thrust into a sinister world of intrigue and threat. Starring Anny Ondra. March 12, The Addams Family, 8pm-9.45pm, 8-10. Arnos Vale cemetery is the apt setting for a film that has a gothic visual style. Guests will slowly make their way to the Anglican Chapel where the screening of the film will take place. This comedy film involves a creepy Uncle Fester who has returned home to his family after a 25 year absence. It stars Christina Ricci and Christopher Lloyd. March 12, Corpse Bride, 4pm-5.30pm, 8-10. Continuing the gothic trend, this tour will take guests through Arnos Vale cemetery to the screening of Corpse Bride in the chapel. Tim Burton and Mike Johnson direct this animated film, in which a young man falls in love with a deceased yet beautiful woman. Starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. March 12, Coraline, 5.45pm-7.45pm, 8-10. Again showing in Arnos Vales Anglican Chapel, Coraline is an animated wonder about a girl who stumbles into an alternate universe of her own life and home. Starring Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French. Vintage Screenings Complementary wine and cheese will be offered at these screenings, so guests can savour some very celebrated wines as recommended by Avery wine enthusiasts. March 9, Sideways, (135 mins) 7pm, 25. A quirky comedy featuring two middle-aged men who embark on a wine-tasting trip in California and muse while drinking Santa Barbaras finest. Starring Paul Giamatti and Thomas Hayden Church. March 10, From Russia with Love, (135 mins) 7pm, 25. Suave secret agent James Bond is back with his textbook charm and wit. This time he is in Russia on an escort mission with a beautiful woman and a Russian coding device. Starring Sean Connery. Music and the Movies March 12, Get Better: A Film About Frank Turner With Director Ben Morse, 10-15 3pm-5.15pm. Frank Turner fans rejoice. Theres a screening of his anticipated documentary with director Ben Morse appearing for the introduction of the film and a Q&A with audience members. The film with Frank Turner in the spotlight, tracks his life over the period of a year. March 16, Metropolis with Andy Shepard, 8pm-9.30pm. This event will have composer Andy Sheppard leading a live score to the 1927 film Metropolis. The event will be a world premiere of his score for a film that is quite heavy science fiction. Underground Cinema In the Radcliffe caves there will be an underground cinema bunker, where controversial and formerly banned films will be screened. Bristol film industry officials with introduce the films individually and there will be festival partner Wickwar Brewing beer being sold on site. March 10, Dr Strangelove, 6pm-8pm, 15-18. The plot of Stanley Kubricks dark comedy centres on an accidental nuclear strike on Russia, as US officials in the Pentagon attempt to defuse the situation and avoid all-out war. Starring Petter Sellers. March 10, A Clockwork Orange, 8.15pm-10.45pm, 15-18. Another Kubrick classic, A Clockwork Orange sees a bunch of youths attacking and sexually assaulting innocent people, with the main character Alex leading the gang into violent situations. Starring Malcolm McDowell. March 11, Psycho, 1pm-3pm, 15-18. The iconic Hitchcock horror classic features the infamous setting of the Bates Motel, run by Norman Bates and his mother, but there seems to be more going on than meets the eye. March 11, Natural Born Killers, 3.15pm-5.45pm, 15-18. The film features two serial killers who find themselves in the midst of media frenzy when they get turned into glorified heroes by the public. Starring Woody Harrelson. March 11, American Psycho, 6pm-8pm, 15-18. Patrick Bateman is a Wall Street banker who lives a double life as a sadistic serial killer, but also possesses good fashion tastes and a commendable knowledge of Eighties music. Starring Christian Bale. March 11, Seven, 8.15pm-10.30pm, 15-18. Two detectives try to find a serial killer whose murders are linked to the seven deadly sins. Starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. March 12, Basic Instinct, 3.15pm-5.45pm, 15-18. In light of a recent murder, a detective tries to find answers by investigating the victims girlfriend. However, all is not what it seems Starring Sharon Stone and Michael Douglas. March 12, Reservoir Dogs, 1pm-3pm, 15-18. In Quentin Tarantinos violent thriller, six strangers are assembled to pull off the perfect crime. As they fall foul to a bloody ambush, the ruthless killers realise one of them is an informer. Starring Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi and Quentin Tarantino. March 12, Saw, 6pm-8pm, 15-18. This is the first film in the series that kicked off an entire franchise and a whole sub-genre of violent movies. The film follows two men who are chained in a room where the only way to escape is to violently mutilate themselves. Starring Tobin Bell. March 12, Fight Club, 8.15pm-10.45pm, 15-18. A ticking time-bomb insomniac and a slippery soap salesman attempt to feel manly and relevant in a consumerist world by beating other men to a pulp. Starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. For more information and to book tickets visit Bristol Film Festivals website . Latest News Mortgage stress hits Australian households Learn seven ways to ease the interest rate burden, says broker New investor strengthens Invoice Finance Group Partnership will provide funding, new products for SMEs The Turnbull Government today announced the establishment of the Affordable Housing Implementation Taskforce, which will develop an affordable housing bond aggregator model for consideration by the Commonwealth and the States and Territories.The Turnbull Government recognises that housing affordability remains a concern for many hard working Australians, including the 30 per cent of Australians who live in rented homes, and those who rely on affordable and social housing.An affordable housing bond aggregator would allow a financial intermediary to attract greater private sector investment into affordable housing. This would give community housing providers access to cheaper and longer term debt, freeing up capital for the construction of new affordable housing.An expert panel has been appointed to guide the work of the Taskforce, drawing on their broad experience from the financial, affordable housing and government sectors.The Panel will include Mr Stephen Knight as Chair, Ms Peta Winzar and Mr John Fraser and will also engage with international and domestic experts, including those from the development sector, as necessary.Mr Knight has extensive experience in debt capital markets through his previous roles as CEO of the Treasury Corporation in New South Wales and as a previous member of the Australian Office of Financial Management advisory board.Ms Winzar is the current CEO of the Community Housing Industry Association, the peak body for Australias community housing sector and has 20 years experience at the senior levels of government, working across a broad range of housing issues.Mr Fraser is the Secretary to the Treasury and will be the Government representative on the Panel. Mr Fraser has extensive experience in the financial services sector as Chairman and CEO of UBS Global Asset Management from late 2001 to 2013.The establishment of the Taskforce follows the recommendations of the Affordable Housing Working Groups report which was endorsed by treasurers at the Council on Federal Financial Relations meeting in late 2016.The Affordable Housing Working Group will report back by the middle of the year.The Treasurer will be discussing social housing and housing affordability with the states and territories at the Council on Federal Financial Relations Affordable Housing Working Group later this month. Latest News Mortgage stress hits Australian households Learn seven ways to ease the interest rate burden, says broker New investor strengthens Invoice Finance Group Partnership will provide funding, new products for SMEs Non-bank finance group Chifley Securities has recorded $1.1bn of loan applications across the 2016 calendar year its highest ever levels.Dominic Lambrinos, co-founder of Chifley Securities, told Australian Broker that around 98% of the total number of loan applications originated through the third party channel.In the second half of 2016, the firm increased its lending to property developers and investors by 140% from the same period the year before.Chifley now has $880m in current loan applications for projects with loan sizes ranging from $5m to $60m.The increased demand has emerged because brokers are finding it harder to help commercial and residential property developers fit with tighter lending criteria demanded by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA).Basel I and Basel II were monitored by APRA but not strongly regulated. By about April last year, Basel III came in, APRA said banks had to comply with it, and then a lot of brokers in the country were finding the banks werent able to emphasise one particular area over another, Lambrinos said.This meant that banks could not have too many loans in one particular area or locality. Instead they were forced to have a smoothed out investment portfolio without any peaks, he added.The brokers cant get things financed for reasons which are not going to be cleared up anytime soon, he said. Basel III isnt going to be reversed so theres going to be a greater emphasis for people who were normally banking customers coming to the non-bank sector.This current lending environment is why such a large proportion of Chifleys business comes from brokers, Lambrinos said.However, he expected broker originated loans to decrease to 95% in the coming year as the number of direct clients to the firm increases.With around 10,000 brokers currently on its mailing list, Lambrinos noted that approximately 110 brokers had written loans with Chifley in the 2016 calendar year. This increased from around 60 at beginning of January last year.Chifley Securities will be targeting between $1.5bn and $2bn of loans throughout this year.Weve got the capacity to do it, he said. We spend a lot of money here on systems and were pretty much all paperless now so its quite a unique office to work in. Weve also had a lot of programs written for us to work in our environment. So I think its a doable goal. Counterpoint, hosted by Scott Harris, is heard every Monday night on WPKN 89.5 FM, Bridgeport, CT between 8:00 9:30 pm ET. Webstreaming and audio archive at http://wpkn.org 1) Professor Jason Stanley, Jacob Urowsky professor of philosophy at Yale University and author of How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them, talks about the Republican Party's embrace of "white replacement theory," WRTs fascist origins, why Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has become a role model for much of the GOP -- and the dangerous rise of rightwing extremist political violence in the US.2) Cody Hounanian, Executive Director of the Student Debt Crisis Center discusses his group's response to President Biden's announced plan to address student loan debt, which includes forgiving up to $20,000 for millions of borrowers and extending the payment freeze one final time until the end of the year.3) Jenna Grande, Press Secretary with Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) discuss CREW's recent article, "Big Oil Has Given $1 Million to Fuel Seditionists," and related issues of Big Oil's influence on US energy, environment and climate policy.4) Liz Dupont-Diehl, Associate Director of the Connecticut Citizen Action Group discusses her group's recent reporting on CT based health insurance companies that are requesting double-digit premium increases for individuals and small businesses, as they spend billions on stock buybacks and excessive executive salaries, and lobbying.Some segments featured on Counterpoint are edited for re-broadcast on the syndicated Between The Lines radio news magazine. Visit their web site at http://www.btlonline.org for free subscriptions to mp3 - podcast audio files, program summaries and interview transcripts. An archive of current and past Counterpoint interviews are accessible for free at our Counterpoint Radio web site: http://counterpointradio.org The full 2-hour unedited program can be accessed for a 2 week period after the show, at the WPKN Radio archives: http://archives.wpkn.org/bookmarks/search/counterpoint Lethal Weapons penultimate episode, A Problem Like Maria, is a rollercoaster of a ride with a whiplash twist at the end laying the ground for an outstanding finale when we return for Commencement next week. Throughout, Riggs and Karen Palmer share a love for firearms and an equal astonishment for each others skills. They seem very well suited. Now, can they just survive till the end of the episode? Lethal Weapon Recap: A Distracted Riggs and an Ambitious Murtaugh Pursue a Killer-For-Hire>>> Lethal Weapon Hits the Ground Running With Sex, Murder, and Offers Too Hard to Refuse Lethal Weapon stuffs its first five minutes of screen time with more guts than some shows have in their full 44 minutes. Lets see. First weve got a young woman with a baby in a parking lot being stalked by a big beefy guy with tattoos on his face. He tries to capture her, but she ducks between the cars. When the baby cries and he pulls his gun, she whips out her own Sig Sauer and pops a cap in her pursuers ginormous gut. Riggs is finally getting some romance, Trish is fielding alluring job offers, and Murtaugh is actually volunteering to help Riggs go completely rogue in order to protect and serve. Per usual, Riggs delivers some herculean efforts to save a young woman and protect her baby from the cartel. Unfortunately, the young mother makes it exceedingly difficult for her team of protectors to do their jobs. Lets get to it. Then weve got Riggs in Palmers hotel room pulling his boots back on while he smartly banters with her about robbing a bank to afford a mess of breakfast eggs at this spendy hotel. When Palmers bat phone rings things get only slightly serious, but then she secures plans with Riggs to repeat last nights performance at the same-bat-time, same-bat-channel. Things are getting steamy with these two, but he still isnt ready for an outdoor date. Damn. Then weve got Trish 30,000 feet up in the air being courted by a billionaire who was so upset that she left her former firm that he fired the firm. This man offers her carte blanche to come work for him and its clear hes gotta be some wicked kind of dirty if hes willing to go this far to secure her as his attorney. For the rest of the episode, we see Trish trying to get Roger to fly to Paris with her in the jet the billionaire left at her disposal for the day. He never does make it, but Trish is understanding and takes their daughter shopping instead. A Word About Trishs Boobs Indeed, Trish Murtaugh is a beautiful woman. And an extraordinarily smart one. Yes, this is a testosteroni television show, but how is it in character for her to wear a low cut lacy tank top baring six inches of cleavage? No female attorney who wants to be taken seriously would ever wear that to a job interview. Certainly not Trish Murtaugh. Ive said my piece. Lets move on. Dead Guy Number Two Is a Swinger Before the first commercial we cut to an arial view of a bridge from which dangles the grotesquely hooded and bloodied corpse of some beefy guy who you think has got to be the nasty tattooed man chasing the mother and her baby through the grocery store parking lot. But its not. Its a man Riggs saw talking to Palmer outside the hotel that morning. Was he the one who made the call on the bat phone? Apparently so. Dang, that was fast. Palmer Goes Completely Missing and Riggs Quietly Freaks Out Right after the dead guy is found, Palmers phone is turned off and shes missing. Riggs and Murtaugh find their way to her safe house despite getting stonewalled every which way by the dicks at the DEA. The safe house is nasty, but Riggs finds her cell phone in the kitchen. On the bathroom Murtaugh finds suspended shackles dripping with a ton of crimson goo which also runs all over the side of the tub. Sh*t just got real. The Victim Was a Snitch From Inside the Mexican Cartel The victim is Carlos Gonzales, a DEA informant and foot soldier for the Tito Flores cartel. Who did the killing? The bathtub blood points to Gideon Lyon, a CIA man sent to train the Mexicans to fight the cartels. However, he went rogue and sold himself to Tito Flores and is now the head of Flores cartel security wing. Apparently hes one of Titos most brutal enforcers. (Or does he still work for the CIA? That was a bit confusing.) Riggs gets radical on DEA Agent Dickhead Chappel who shows up at the precinct to play nice now that its clear Palmer is missing. Riggs gets himself kicked off the case by the City Attorney Delgado, his father-in-law, and now the secret is out that Riggs and Delgado are related. Cahill covertly directs Riggs back to Murtaugh who spills about everything hes earned about the case so far. He and Riggs bust into a crappy hotel room to find the young mother from the grocery store parking lot. Maria is being protected by guess who? Right Palmer. Whew! And the stressful black doom of the previous couple of hours is replaced by (giddy) relief on Riggs face. Thank God. I knew there was no way theyd kill her off and put Riggs through that hell all over again, but it was looking seriously dismal there for a while. If Tito Cant Have the Baby, Nobody Can Gideon is trying to retrieve Tito Flores son, Marias baby. She was Flores mistress for four years. She wants out of the life, but Tito wants his kid back or dead. Instead of the DEA arriving at the hotel to take Maria and the baby to safety, Gideon Lyon shows up. Maria and the baby fly out the back window with Murtaugh while Palmer and Riggs shoot the crap out of Gideons team. Gideon blows up the hotel just as Palmer and Riggs fly out the back window. Freeform Sets Summer 2017 Premiere Dates for Shadowhunters, Fosters and More>>> Maria Has a Change of Heart Back at the Murtaugh home where Palmer and Maria are hiding out, Maria pulls a gun on Palmer and takes off to turn the baby over to Tito so he can live rather than running his whole life or being killed by Titos men. Maria gets to the convention center where shes supposed to turn the baby over, but Riggs and Murtaugh are also there ready to find and stop her. Riggs figures out that Gideons sniper perch is in the rafters and he intends to assassinate Maria immediately after she turns the baby over to his henchman. All kinds of shenanigans ensue including some impossible stunts that involve Gideons bullets being stopped by a dangling marquise that Riggs shoots off the ceiling. The stroller carrying the baby rolls unattended across the floor toward the top of a down escalator. Riggs slides across the floor just in time to catch the stroller by the wheel, and of course the baby sleeps through the entire ordeal. Riggs Get His Man with Help From Palmer As the dust settles, Riggs spies Gideon escaping and runs after him out into the road where Palmer appears in Murtaughs neighbors cherry red 66 Mustang convertible to mow him down. They cuff him and carry him off. Back at the precinct Avery and Bailey figured out that DEA Agent Dickhead Chappel was the leak feeding information to Tito and Gideon and they cuff the bastard. Once the case is finished, Palmer drives off with Maria, presumable to a safer safe house this time, and Riggs meets with Avery who tells him all is well that ends well. Then Father-in-law gives Riggs back his badge, clip and gun, and tells him he hopes Riggs does get involved with Palmer because life goes in only one direction. Riggs isn;t sure that he;s ready to care for anyone yet, but he does have a good think about Delgados advice and calls Palmer to make an actual sit-down dinner date with the blond gun-slinger. Palmers Research May Put An End to Her Budding Romance Before meeting Riggs for dinner, Palmer looks through the DEA file on Miranda Riggs. When she shows up at the restaurant where Martin is waiting, she tells him that Miranda was murdered by Delgado and hands over the file. Riggs is visibly shaken. Hes so pissed you can almost hear the train whistles and see the steam flying out of his ears. After delivering the file, Palmer leaves Riggs to himself. The preview for the finale, Commencement, shows Rigs confronting Gideon. I cant wait to see how that plays out . . . and then to find out when the premiere of season two will air. What will happen to the young relationship between Riggs and Palmer in light of this new information? Why did Gideon target Riggs wife? How, if at all, was Miranda of interest to the Tito Flores cartel? Hilarie Burton who portrays Agent Karen Palmer isnt listed as appearing in the finale, but Jordana Brewster as Dr. Cahill is. What significance, if any, does this hold in regard to Riggs love life? Lethal Weapon airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on FOX. Want more news? Like BuddyTVs Lethal Weapon Facebook Page. (Image courtesy of FOX) latest news October 31, 2022 Buddy TV In November, there are hundreds of new and returning TV showsit can be overwhelming to try and choose what to watch. That's why we've selected some of the best options... Higher taxes, trash pickup? Many special questions await voters Nov. 8 They're sometimes easy to miss, but many South Jersey communities have special questions before voters on their Nov. 8 ballots. Australian natural resources minister Matthew Canavan has said the Adani group's integrated coal project in his country has about 70-80% support of the local community. Work on the would start within 2017. H D Kumaraswamy, president of the Janata Dal (Secular) party in Karnataka, has taken up the cause to help drivers on cab hailing platforms Uber and Ola in the state build a competing app, as the party eyes building a large vote bank ahead of the state elections next year. Drivers attached to the two platforms have stepped up their protests against the two over the past few weeks, over falling earnings as both Uber and Ola have cut incentives. There are over 100,000 cabs on both platforms in Bengaluru alone, with the number of drivers being even higher. In its move to secure steady coking supply for the steel sector which is stressed with price volatility, world's largest company, India, is likely to face challenges in valuation of the assets it wants to either acquire or opt for an offtake commitment. According to analysts, coking coal prices have doubled at $160 a tonne since the last year resulting in the existing assets being overvalued. A division bench of the Delhi High Court on Thursday upheld a single judge order restraining Cipla from selling its respiratory disease drug Indaflo. Cipla had launched the drug in the Indian market in 2014 under the name Unibrez, while also calling for the revocation of five Novartis patents on Indacaterol, the generic version of the respiratory medicine. Cipla later had to change the name Unibrez to Indaflo, after a court order held the earlier name as infringing on the trademark of Novartiss own variant Onbrez. After winning the first round in court, Novartis filed a separate suit for permanent injunction claiming the infringement of its patent on Indacaterol by Cipla. Novartiss bid to stop Cipla from selling Indacaterol in its entirety became a reality after a single judge bench in January 2015, restrained Cipla from selling their version of the drug, until otherwise allowed a compulsory license to sell the medicine from a competent authority. Following this order, both companies filed cross appeals before a division bench of the Delhi High Court. Cipla lawyers Abhishek Singhvi and Pratibha Singh had argued that Novartis ought to grant a license for making the product to ensure its sufficient availability in India at an affordable price. Cipla had priced Indaflo, its version of the drug, at Rs 130 per pack of ten tablets, compared with Rs 677 for Onbrez. The counsels had also highlighted that Novartis imported the drug, which they claimed made it unaffordable to local patients and violated one of the key grounds to keep a drug's patents valid. Rejecting these contentions, and others pleas on grounds of public interest, Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva sided with Novartis while pronouncing Thursdays judgment. No interference with the impugned order is merited. The appeal is dismissed, said Justice Ahmed while pronouncing the order in open court. Novartis commends the steps being taken by the Government to create an environment that fosters and promotes investments in innovation. Patents are the foundation of innovative drug discovery and essential to advancing medical science and treatments for patients, said Jawed Zia, country president, Novartis in response to the verdict. In another setback to drug major Dr Reddys Laboratories (DRLs) remediation effort, its oncology formulations facility at Duvvada in Visakhapatnam has got a long and adverse rap from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 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. US auto major Ford has decided to export made-in-India Ecosport to the North American markets. The move reiterates the fact that the country continues to be a cost competitive for the global OEMs. Speaking to Business Standard on the sidelines of CII's Conference on Automotive R&D Trends, Balasundaram Radhakrishnan, executive director - manufacturing, Pvt Ltd said that India is going to be a major hub for Ford. Moving from just aiding non-government organisations (NGO) to funding 'socially relevant' startups, in association with Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Lockheed Martin would invest around $20 million over a period of 10 years in new . The partners intend to invest $2 million annually through the India Innovation Growth Programme (IIGP) 2.0, including provisions for seed money, for the entrepreneurs to develop technology-based solutions for the betterment of the society. The next EnVision Bus Read more [...] South Korean automaker Hyundai has decided to phase out its popular hatchback i10 in India as it shifts focus to more premium and modern products. Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company, has stopped production of the small car, which was first introduced in 2007. Till date, Hyundai has sold a total of 16.95 lakh units of the model in domestic as well as global markets. It is one of the products that helped Hyundai cement its place in India. "We have stopped manufacturing the model," a company official told PTI. The South Korean firm already has a successful replacement for the model in Grand i10, which continues to rake in great monthly numbers since its launch in the middle of 2013. Although Grand i10 was supposed to replace i10, the company continued to sell i10 for a few more years as demand continued to pour in for the model from various quarters, including fleet operators. Hyundai, which is the second-largest carmaker in India, is shifting its focus towards more premium products in the country. It plans to introduce a total of eight products in the country in 2017-20, of which three will be completely fresh while the rest will be new versions of the existing ones. Hyundai is also looking for a big play in the hybrid segment with plans to introduce its model Ioniq in 2018, besides mild-hybrids in its compact cars and SUVs. With pollution becoming a major issue, the company plans to explore alternative fuel technologies and avail of benefits from government incentives for such vehicles. HMIL does not have a hybrid vehicle in its portfolio in India. Wockhardt, which has received warning letters from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on four of its plants, has now fallen foul of Irelands drug regulator. The Irish drug regulator did not recommend the renewal of the certificate of good manufacturing practices (GMP) for the companys Shendra plant in Maharashtra and has advised the drug-maker to take corrective actions following an inspection. This is contrary to the claim made by in its notification to the stock exchange on Tuesday, when it said the Irish regulator had recommended renewing the GMP certificate. The development comes within a week of the FDA issuing a warning letter to Wockhardt's manufacturing unit in the US. In an emailed response, Ireland's Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) said an inspection was done at Shendra for five days till March 3, covering some non-sterile dosage forms. Injectable dosage forms were not within the scope of the inspection. The company (Wockhardt) was advised that corrective actions/preventative actions (CAPAs) are required in relation to the inspection findings. As is the norm for the inspection process, a decision regarding renewal of the GMP certificate (only for those non-sterile dosage forms) will be taken following receipt and review of the CAPAs proposed in order to address the inspection findings, the drug regulator said. It did not comment on Wockhardt's notification to the exchange. has not said anything on the issue. However, in its notification to the stock exchange it had said that the Irish regulator had recommended the renewal of certificate based on the general compliance with the principles and guidelines of good manufacturing practice of our Shendra manufacturing unit. Wockhardt's manufacturing facility in Shendra is new and serves the UK, Irish and domestic markets. Last January the FDA had made nine adverse observations following an inspection at the plant. The company does not disclose its sales in Ireland. It had acquired Irish drug maker Pinewood Laboratories in 2006 and runs a manufacturing unit there. Wockhardt's two plants in Aurangabad and the active pharmaceutical ingredients manufacturing unit in Ankleshwar have import alerts against them. At present, the company is able to export two products from an Aurangabad plant to the US. Other than this, serves the US market from its manufacturing plant in Morton Grove, near Chicago. Non-compliance has resulted in a 66 per cent fall in its US revenues over the last four years. After two days protest, a section of drivers of cab aggregators and Uber marched to the Transport Commissioners office in Chennai to submit their demands. Around 60 drivers were present but they were stopped by the police. The representatives of the unions were allowed to meet the Joint Commissioner. One demand was fixing the standard meter cost for trips at Rs 100 for the first four kilometres and Rs 17 for every one kilometre thereafter for five-seater cars. For Sedans, the tariff has to be Rs 19 for every additional kilometre. For SUVs, they want the price to be fixed at Rs 150 for the first 4 kilometres and Rs 22 for every additional kilometre. The other demand s include a Rs 2 waiting charge for every minute and 25 per cent extra charge during night times. Dr Reddy's Laboratories stock fell five per cent on Thursday and hit its 52-week low on worries that resolution of US regulatory issues could get pushed out to FY19. The Street was expecting issues to get resolved in FY18 after the US had issued warning letter in November 2015 to Dr Reddy's three facilities at Miryalaguda, (Telangana), Srikakulam, and Visakhapatnam (the last two in Andhra Pradesh). After more than one and half months of high-pitched campaigning by all parties, the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls finally came to a close on Wednesday. After seven gruelling phases, journalists, analysts and politicians alike are continuously shifting their positions, as fortunes of different parties were perceived to be swinging. Attacks on Indians in the US and the anti-terror operation in Lucknow will be raised in Parliament on the first day of the second-half of Budget Session starting on Thursday, the Congress said on Wednesday. Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge told IANS that on Thursday, the party will raise the issues of attack on Indians in the US and the anti-terror operation of Lucknow, in which a youth was killed, as well as the bomb blast in a train near Bhopal. "On Thursday, these two issues will be raised. We will decide on other issues to be raised in rest of the session later," Kharge told IANS. Home Minister Rajnath Singh is expected to make a statement on both issues on Thursday, according to informed sources in the Home Ministry. Meanwhile, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has said that the government is prepared to take up any discussion opposition parties want. "The government is prepared to discuss all issues raised by the opposition subject to permission of the presiding officers," Naqvi said. The minister told IANS that pending bills, including the ones relating to Goods and Services Tax and Enemy Property, are among those on the government's agenda. "There are 20 new bills on the agenda of the government," Naqvi told IANS. Leaders from different parties felt that the mood of the session will depend on the results of assembly elections in five states -- Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur. Asked about it, Naqvi did not deny the possible impact of the results of assembly polls to five states on the session. Union Agriculture Minister on Thursday skipped an event organised by the newly formed Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII), a conglomeration of more than 32 multinational and domestic seed companies including Bayer, Dow Agro, Dupont Poineer, Mahyco, Metahelix, Monsanto and Namdhari. Though official explanation was that the minister had to attend an important meeting in Parliament, but even prior to that, there were murmurs of dissent against his attendance. Indias fears over the impact of Donald Trump being US president the country accounts for the lions share of Indian IT services exports became a reality this week. US Citizenship & Immigration Services (UCIS) has announced a suspension of premium processing of from April 3. In a setback to Naveen Jindal-controlled Jindal Power (JPL), the Delhi High Court (HC) on Thursday declared the company as the unsuccessful bidder for two coal blocks. The order has come as a legal endorsement of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) governments auctioning of coal mining rights. There were two other breakthrough orders associated with the coal block e-auction held in 2015-16. U.S. Senators Ben Sasse (R-NE) and Lamar Alexander issued the following statement after the Senate passed H.J.Res. 58, a resolution to overturn the Obama Administration Department of Educations rule regulating teacher preparation programs. "This is a win for kids because Washingtons good intentions cant excuse garbage rules, said Senator Sasse. Every single member of the Senate wants good teachers for our kids, but thats not what the rule was about. Nearly 700 pages were written around the crazy idea that Washington bureaucrats are competent to micromanage thousands of teacher training programs across the country. Our schools, teachers, kids, and communities will have some space to breath and room to succeed when weve reversed this absurd micromanaging." Overturning this regulation says that states not a distant department in Washington, D.C.are responsible for evaluating whether a colleges program gives teachers the skills they need to help their students learn, said Senator Alexander. The departments regulation also would force states to evaluate teachers in a way that Congress specifically prohibited in the bill to fix No Child Left Behind that got 85 votes in the Senate. I look forward to President Trumps signature. The U.S. Department of Education published a final rule in the Federal Register on Oct. 31 that establishes new requirements for teacher preparation programs. The new rule hits states with new federal mandates for how states judge teachers. Like No Child Left Behind, these new mandates override state and local responsibility with Washington-based systems that rely heavily on student test scores. Some education advocates worry that the rules increased burden hits schools who are already feeling the impact of teacher shortages and creates a disincentive for talented teachers to go to the very schools that need them most. Todays legislation, which already passed the House of Representatives on Feb. 7, overturns the rule. Senator Sasse was the lead sponsor in the Senate. The resolution passed by a bipartisan vote of 59-40 and now heads to the Presidents desk. UP DGP Javeed Ahmed coming out from the house where a suspected ISIS terrorist was killed in an encounter with the ATS personnel at Thakurganj outskirts of Lucknow "A traitor cannot be my son, straight and simple," said Sartaj about Saifullah, a suspected ISIS terrorist who was killed in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh police today. Feeling ashamed of his son's activities, Sartaj refused to take Saifullah's body, saying, "A traitor cannot be related to me, let alone be my son." He said he would have handed over his son to the police if he had even "an iota of inkling" about his activities. Saifullah, suspected to be self-proclaimed ISIS activist, was killed in Lucknow this morning in an exchange of fire with the police after a 12-hour stand-off. He was allegedly linked to the blast in the Bhopal-Ujjain train yesterday, police said. "My child has done a wrong thing and I have regrets for it...I would have handed him over to the police had I even an iota of inkling about it...The entire world would have seen and noticed how a father could put his own son in police hands," Sartaj told reporters. "There is no need to hide a disease, else it becomes an incurable wound," Sartaj told reporters. "We are Indian citizens. I was born here, my ancestors were born here," he said, adding, "Almost everyone in the family is sad. But it is more shame than sadness for what he has done." He said even his neighbours are wondering as to how this could have happened to a son belonging to a decent family. On his decision not to take the body, he said he was not concerned about what relatives would say. Sartaj said he had heard this morning about the death of his son in the encounter. He said Saifullah had left home about two-and-a-half months back after he beat him up for not finding work and not listening to him. Since then, he was not aware of his son's whereabouts, he said. "On Monday, I got a call from Saifullah, who told me that he had got a visa to visit Saudi (Arabia) and he was preparing to go there. I told him go ahead," the father said. When asked whether he had any regret for not taking proper care of his son, Sartaj said he feels he could have kept a better watch and saved him from all this. Sartaj said after Saifullah left home, he was concerned but felt that he will return on his own as he was angry with him. On Saifullah's mother, who is not alive, Sartaj said she would have been really pained. "It seems that she is not alive to see this bad day...If she had stopped him from moving out of the house he would not have left," he added. On police seeking mediation of his other son Khalid to make Saifullah surrender, Sartaj said he has been told about it and that the conversation lasted for one hour but the voice on the other side was not clear. Confirming that Sartaj had refused to take the body, Superintendent of Police (Kanpur City) Somen Verma said the police may again make an attempt to convince the family about it. Meanwhile, the father of two other men, who have been arrested on terror-related charges, has claimed that they were innocent and has sought a fair probe. plans to set up an airline in India along with the Gulf nation's sovereign wealth fund, its chief executive Akbar Al Baker said today. This will be the first of its kind airline venture in India that would be fully-owned by overseas entities and the proposal comes nearly nine months after the Indian government allowed 100 per cent foreign direct investment in the airlines segment. Qatar Airways, which is among the top three Gulf carriers, has been exploring investment opportunities in the fast- growing Indian aviation market. "We are joining hands with the investment arm of State of Qatar to start a domestic airline in India with a 100 per cent investment," Al Baker said at a press meet in Berlin. "We are doing this because Indian government has opened up the foreign direct investment in (setting up) an airline in India," he added. While announcing the plan, Al Baker said it is yet to apply to the Indian government. Last June, India allowed foreign investors barring overseas airlines to own up to 100 per cent stake in local carriers by liberalising FDI regulations. Currently, foreign airlines are allowed to invest only up to 49 per cent in Indian carriers. However, the revised norms provide room for overseas airlines to partner with a foreign non-airline player to set up a 100 per cent foreign-owned carrier in India. While the FDI norms have been relaxed, the government is yet to amend the regulations with respect to Air Operator Permit (AOP). At present, AOP is granted only to an airline where substantial ownership is with Indian entities. On several occasions earlier, which operates a significant number of flights from India to Qatar's capital city Doha had explored the possibility of buying stake in Indian budget carrier IndiGo. The consortium led by State Bank of India, represented by Attorney General Mukul Rohtagi, told the Supreme Court that the government is pursuing its effort to extradite beleagured industrialist and till he appears before the court, none of his application should be entertained. The majesty of the court is involved, he said on the concluding day of the hearing of contempt of court petition against Mallya who is now in England. The court reserved its order on the petition moved by the consortium, but it did not give any date for the delivery of the decision. In a renewed show of bonhomie after the bitter fight, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday voted for Shiv Sena nominee Vishwanath Mahadeshwar as Mumbai mayor and Hemangi Waralikar as deputy mayor. Mahadeshwar, who is the 76th mayor of the city, got 171 votes. He defeated Congress nominee Vithal Lokare, who anyway had very little chances of winning, as his party won only 31 out of 227 seats in the BMC elections. The Samajwadi Party with six corporators, NCP with nine and MIM with one corporator abstained from voting while the MNS' seven corporators chose to remain absent. I have been flaunting a pair of handmade red earrings all day long. I bought it from a young girl in a tiny village in India, who fought against her familys objection to being a working woman, and learned the ropes of the internet. After failing to get relief from cab-aggregating companies and the Transport Department, Ola and Uber drivers in Bengaluru are now mulling launch of their own app. According to a report of iGyaan, some drivers have extended their full-fledged backing to the idea, while others are still apprehensive about the move. Nearly 8,000 cabbies are supposedly supporting the move. Ola and Uber are now planning to reach directly to the consumers for taxi bookings and others. As the high-skilled Indian IT workers brace for tough legislation for H1B visa-holders at Donald Trump's regime in the US, revoking work authorisation for their spouses may impact availability talent there, say analysts. Trump Administration has sought 60 days to respond to a court case that challenges the decision of the previous Obama Administration to authorise spouses of H1B holders, who are awaiting green card, to work in the US. Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi on Thursday told the Supreme Court (SC) that the government was trying its best to extradite liquor baron Vijay Mallya, and till he appeared in court, none of his petitions should be entertained. With the resumption of the Budget session of Parliament, Prime Minister on Thursday hoped for a breakthrough on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill. "The budget session is resuming and I believe the level of the debate, the level of discussions will go very high and the focus will be on the welfare of the country's poor," Modi said addressing the media here. "I also hope there will be a breakthrough on the GST Bill. There is a possibility of that because there has been very positive response from the states as well as all political parties," he said. "Debating and discussing democratically, we are moving ahead and I hope the process of GST is completed in this session," Modi added. The Senate Education Committee on Wednesday unanimously approved legislation, sponsored by Senator Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown) and Senator Reginald Tate (D-Memphis), calling for a five-year pilot program to offer Opportunity Scholarships to students eligible for free and reduced lunch that are currently enrolled in a public school that is identified as being in the bottom five percent of academic achievement. Senate Bill 161 creates the pilot program only in the school district with the most schools in the bottom five percent of the state in academic achievement. I would not be the person I am today without having received a scholarship to attend a private school, said Senator Kelsey. I desperately hope to provide that same opportunity to others. Opportunity Scholarships would provide the parents of students in the lowest performing schools with hope for a better education for their child. Children should not be forced to attend a failing school just because they live in a certain neighborhood. The program would take effect in the 2018-2019 school year and would be capped at no more than 2,500 students for the first year, and 5,000 thereafter. In addition to requiring assessments to measure student achievement growth, the program would be monitored and evaluated by the Tennessee Comptrollers Office of Research and Education Accountability for its effectiveness. If a participating school demonstrates achievement growth for scholarship students at a level of significantly below expectations for two years in a row, the State Commissioner of Education would suspend or terminate the schools participation. Pastor LaShundra Richmond, a Memphis educator and mother of a fourth grader who transferred her daughter to a private school, testified in favor of the bill. She said, So often we hear the narrative around low performing schools and low performing students, but it really boils down to what best fits the needs of the individual student, and I believe Senate Bill 161 is an opportunity to empower parents to receive access to an option they wouldnt ordinarily be able to afford. Pastor Richmond has worked with the Achievement School District in advocacy with the Black Alliance for Educational Options. Some people are for this legislation and some are against it, Senator Kelsey added. It is time to learn once and for all whether this program can work for Tennessee. House Education Administration and Planning Committee Chairman Harry Brooks (R-Knoxville) and Rep. John DeBerry (D-Memphis) are sponsoring the legislation in the House of Representatives where the bill received unanimous subcommittee approval on Tuesday. State governments stepped up their capital spending in 2016-17. At the aggregate level, project completion rates for all states is up 104 per cent in the April-December period of the current financial year, compared to the same period in the previous financial year, estimates Deutsche Bank. The Centre has released a set of draft guidelines for digital wallet companies as part of its efforts to promote electronic payments while ensuring the security of transactions. "There will be detailed discussion on the Budget and I am sure the level of debate and discussion will be of good quality. It will be focused on the issues pertaining to the welfare of the poor," Modi told the media.Prime Minister Narendra Modi has exuded confidence on the passage of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill in the Budget session of Parliament which resumed on Thursday. Citing positive response from the states and other political parties, Modi said he hoped the GST, the country's biggest tax reform, would be in place by this session itself. "We are hopeful of a breakthrough in the . One of the reasons for our optimism is that all the states have cooperated in a positive manner. All the political parties have also been extremely positive and cooperative in their response," he added. "We have been able to move forward in this direction after arriving at a consensus on certain decisions subsequent to detailed discussion on this issue in a democratic manner," the Prime Minister said. "The efforts are on to enlist the cooperation of all to ensure that the is in place by this session," added Modi. IT industry body Nasscom on Wednesday said any move to restrict work rights for spouses of H-1B visa holders may dampen the enthusiasm of tech professionals to go on such visas, but will not directly impact the industry. With the finance ministry starting the process for listing of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) and Ircon International (Ircon), the loss of service charge for IRCTC has become a cause for concern for railway officials. The Delhi government has reduced the tax on fuel to 1 per cent from 25 per cent for flights operating to smaller towns and cities, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said, in a move to reduce costs for airlines flying to remote areas from the Indian capital. Life Corporation of India (LIC), the countrys largest life insurer, will step up sale of non-single premium policies to about 25 per cent in 2017-18 to bring balance in its business growth profile. Chairman V K Sharma said the state-owned insurer has already met its FY17 target for new business premiums and was concentrating on efforts to grow income from non-single premiums for this financial year. The thrust would be maintained in 2017-18 and he expects growth for the non-single premiums stream (individual as well as the group segments) of over 25 per cent, Sharma said on the sidelines of an summit organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci). Income from the non-single premium segment saw 8.16 per cent growth at Rs 13,646 crore in April-December 2016, against Rs 12,617 crore in April-December 2015. The pace of expansion in group non-single premiums was better at 53.34 per cent in April-December 2016. It garnered premium of Rs 3,220 crore in nine months of FY17, from Rs 2,100 crore in April-December 2015, according to Life Council data. Australian Minister for Resources, Mr Matthew Canavan, currently on a three-day visit to India, met the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh here yesterday and discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interest between the two countries, particularly those pertaining to the growth and expansion of the nuclear programme. . . During his meeting with Dr Jitendra Singh, the Australian Minister was assisted by an expert delegation including Mr. James Martin, Chief of Staff in the Ministry of Resources, Government of Australia and Mr. Paul Trotman, Senior Advisor in the Ministry of Resources in Australia. The Australian High Commissioner Ms. Harinder Sidhu was also present. Dr Jitendra Singh shared with his Australian counterpart, the progress made under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for implementing the India-Australia Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement. He said, this will further boost the expansion of nuclear programme and would be of mutual advantage to both the nations. . . Dwelling on the traditional friendly ties between the two nations, Dr Jitendra Singh said, India has always shared a consistently uniform harmony with Australia, which makes it far more easier for the two nations to strike a common chord for mutual collaboration in every other field of bilateral interest. He said, under Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, India has made a fast-track headway in scientific areas, including Atomic Energy and Space Technology, and at the same time, there has been a more inclusive approach, which has resulted in placing India as a front-line nation in both its nuclear energy capabilities as well as Space technology achievements. . . Dr Jitendra Singh informed the Australian delegation that, in the last two-and-a-half years of the present government, Indias nuclear programme, which was hitherto mostly confined to Southern and Western parts of the country, has now made itself visible with important installations coming up in other parts of the country, including in the National Capitals neighbourhood at Haryanas Gorakhpur town. At the same time, he said, the Indian nuclear planners have set a target of increasing the available Uranium reserve to twice or thrice the present quantity, because in the years to come, nuclear energy is going to be the most important as well as cost effective source for growing energy needs of India. . . Mr. Canavan spoke about his experience in setting up credible nuclear programme in Australia. He also spoke of the Australian governments earnest desire to expand its own nuclear programme and at the same time also referred to Australias capability to provide reliable Uranium supplies. . . Chief of Royal Court of Jordan calls on President His Excellency Dr. Fayez Al-Tarawneh, Chief of Royal Court of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan called on President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee at RashtrapatiBhavan yesterday (March 8, 2017). Welcoming Dr. Al-Tarawneh to India, the President said he had warm memories of his recent visit to Jordan, the first ever State Visit by a Head of State of India to Jordan. The President said India attaches great value to its ties with Jordan. India appreciates Jordans proactive role, under the leadership of King Abdullah on regional issues, especially towards resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and addressing the scourge of terrorism that has affected our regions and the world. The President said no country is safe from terrorism. Urgent collective action is needed to eradicate it. The President said India lauds Jordans exceptional humanitarian assistance in hosting refugees from its war torn neighbourhood despite the tremendous strain on its socio-economic resources. He was happy that India could make a contribution to help mitigate the crisis. The President said India-Jordan bilateral trade which was US $1.35 billion in 2015-16 is expected to touch new heights. India is happy that Jordan is interested in cooperation in security and defence cooperation, space, fertilizers etc. India and Belgium have signed a Protocol amending the existing Agreement and Protocol between the two countries for Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income today in New Delhi. The Protocol was signed by Shri Sushil Chandra, Chairman Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on behalf of India and Mr. Jan Luykx, Ambassador of Belgium to India, on behalf of Belgium. . . The Protocol will broaden the scope of the existing framework of exchange of tax related information. This in turn will help curb tax evasion and tax avoidance between the two countries and will also enable mutual assistance in collection of taxes. . . Fighting the menace of Black Money stashed in offshore accounts has been a key priority area for the Government. To further this goal, India has either signed or amended international agreements, declarations or conventions for the Avoidance of Double Taxation & Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income and for the Exchange of Information with Switzerland, Mauritius, Cyprus, Japan, Republic of Korea, Kazakhstan, Singapore and Austria during the financial year 2016-17. . . Senate education committee Chairman Lamar Alexander on Wednesday said that the Senate is poised to overturn an Obama administration education regulation that is in direct violation of the law that 85 senators voted for just 15 months ago. In a speech on the Senate floor, Senator Alexander said, In 2015, 85 United States senators voted for the law fixing No Child Left Behind that reversed the trend to a National School Board and restored decisions to classroom teachers, local school boards, and states. The Wall Street Journal said it was the largest devolution of federal control to the states in a quarter-century. The Department of Education regulation that this resolution seeks to overturn does exactly the reverse it begins to restore the National School Board and takes away responsibility from classroom teachers and local school boards. It does this in direct violation of the law that 85 senators voted for just 15 month ago. So the question before us today is not only whether we believe in a National School Board or we believe in local school boards. But more important perhaps is the question of who writes the law: Does Congress write the law, or does the Department of Education? Article 1 of the United States Constitution says that Congress writes the law. The purpose of this resolution is to overturn a regulation that in 7 cases directly violates the Every Student Succeeds Act law passed just 15 months ago. And in 16 cases exceeds the authority allowed by that law. This regulation says to states: Ignore the law that 85 senators just passed 15 months ago and listen instead to unelected bureaucrats at the U.S. Department of Education. This regulation issued by the Department of Education specifically does things or requires states to do things that Congress said in our law fixing No Child Left Behind that the Department cannot do. It violates the law. Senator Alexanders full prepared remarks are here. Inter-State River Water sharing Disputes On the complaint made by the State Governments, the Central Government has, so far, set up eight tribunals to settle water disputes among the States under the Inter-State River Water Disputes (ISRWD) Act, 1956 which includes Ravi and Beas Water Tribunal set up for dispute among basin states including Haryana and Rajasthan. Government of Bihar has sent a request on November 27, 2013 under provision of ISRWD Act, 1956 to the Ministry of Water Resources for constitution of a Tribunal for adjudication of river water disputes related to Sone basin. Negotiations were carried out by Chairman, GFCC and Chairman, CWC with the States of U. P. and Bihar. It has been agreed that the two States of U. P. and Bihar would meet periodically and try to solve the issue bilaterally. The dispute has since been settled. State of Odisha has also filed complaint under Section 3 of ISRWD Act, 1956 in 2016 with respect to Mahanadi basin and the Central Government has constituted a Negotiation Committee for settlement of the dispute through negotiation. The first meeting of the Committee was held on February 28, 2017 which was attended by all basin States except State of Odisha. In the meeting it was felt that there is a need for proper and scientific assessment of the yield of the basin and accordingly decided to collect the relevant data in a time bound manner. As per information available in Central Water Commission (CWC) publication 2015 Agreements on Inter-State Rivers, Vol. III of Legal Instruments on Rivers in India, a number of inter-state agreements have been reached so far. Shares of Rajasthan and Haryana in Ravi-Beas, Satluj, and Upper Yamuna basin are determined by Agreements of 1981, 1959 and 1994 reached inter-alia between the two States. Parties to Agreements/decision of Tribunals are entitled to their share of water in concerned river basin as per provisions of such Agreements/decision of Tribunals. This Ministry does not maintain such records. However, supply of water to concerned States varies on year to year basis depending mainly on availability of water in the basin/reservoirs in a particular year and other relevant factors and is monitored by the concerned Board/Authority/regulatory body functioning in a particular river basin project. The mechanism for settlement of water disputes is already available in the form of ISRWD Act, 1956. The ISRWD Act, 1956 has been last amended in 2002 whereby adjudication of the water disputes by tribunals has been made time bound after consultation with all State Governments. Further, Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation adopted a revised National Water Policy (NWP) in 2012. As per Clause 12.2 of the Policy, a permanent Water Disputes Tribunal at the Centre should be established to resolve the disputes expeditiously in an equitable manner. The proposal to set up a standing tribunal to adjudicate interstate river water disputes has been approved by the Cabinet and Notice for introduction of Bill for the same has been sent. This information was given by Union Minister of State for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Balyan in a written reply in Lok Sabha today. Samir/jk The International Yoga Fest ended on an enthusiastic note in New Delhi today. The Yoga Fest was a Curtain Raiser for this years International Day of Yoga celebrations. Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH Shri Shripad Yesso Naik presided over the valedictory function and Member of Parliament, Smt. Meenakshi Lekhi was the Chief Guest. . . Addressing the gathering, Shri Naik said that Yoga is a sadhana and this festival has provided ample opportunity for all the Yoga aspirants to have a glimpse of the great Yoga Masters and also to practice Yoga under their able guidance. He said that the different streams of Yoga are the foundations of Yoga practices, discharging true integration of the traditional as well as its contemporary schools. Shri Naik said that Yoga is being practiced by people from all over the world for health and harmony. . . Speaking on this occasion, Smt. Meenakshi Lekhi said that Yoga was being practised since the pre-Vedic period (2700 B.C.). She said that Yoga has earned the global recognition for its holistic health potentials and therapeutic credentials. . . The International Yoga Fest witnessed the presence and discourses by eminent yoga Gurus like Swami Ramdev, Dr. H.R. Nagendra, Swami Chidananda Saraswati, Sh. O.P. Tiwari, Smt. Hamsa Jayadeva, Brhmkumari Asha, Swami Bharat Bhushan, Swami Ritawan Bharati, Sister BK Asha, Sh. S.Sridharan, Swami Darshak, Swami Ullasa Dr. Jaideep Arya, Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, Swami Atma-priyananda, Dr. M.V. Bhole, Dr. Anand Balyogi and Dr. Chandra Singh Jhala. . . Post Fest Yoga Workshops will be conducted by Leading Yoga Masters of different Schools of Yoga tomorrow at Talkatora Stadium and MDNIY, New Delhi. . . The three days event was organised by Ministry of AYUSH, Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY) in association with Indian Yoga Association (IYA) and New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) to sensitize the masses regarding celebration of International Day of Yoga held every year. . . NB/SK The Bill seeks to increase maternity leave available to working women from the current 12 weeks to 26 weeks for the first two children . The Lok Sabha has passed the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016 today. The Bill had already been passed by the Rajya Sabha during the Winter Session. With this, the Bill stands passed in the Parliament. . . The Bill seeks to amend the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 to provide for the following:- . . (i) Maternity leave available to the working women to be increased from 12 weeks to 26 weeks for the first two children. . . (ii) Maternity leave for children beyond the first two will continue to be 12 weeks. . . (iii) Maternity leave of 12 weeks to be available to mothers adopting a child below the age of three months as well as to the commissioning mothers". The commissioning mother has been defined as biological mother who uses her egg to create an embryo planted in any other woman. . . (iv) Every establishment with more than 50 employees to provide for creche facilities for working mothers and such mothers will be permitted to make four visits during working hours to look after and feed the child in the creche. . . (v) The employer may permit a woman to work from home if it is possible to do so. . . (vi) Every establishment will be required to make these benefits available to the women from the time of her appointment. . . The Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt. Maneka Gandhi thanked the Minister for Labour and Employment, Shri Bandaru Dattatreya for taking up the demand of lakhs of women across the country and for having steered the Bill through Rajya Sabha as well as the Lok Sabha. In her message to the working women, Smt. Gandhi congratulated the women who are planning to have a child and has stated that the Ministry of Women and Child Development will continue to work for the empowerment of women. . . The amendments in the Bill were taken up following the request by the WCD Minister to the Honble Labour Minister to bring about these changes so that a working woman gets time to exclusively breast-feed her child for 6 months after the birth. This period also enables the working mother to recuperate herself before she goes to back to work. In her communication to the Labour Ministry, the WCD Minister had also highlighted the concerns of commissioning and adopting mothers who also require maternity leave. . . Pilot Project for improving Water Table A pilot scheme, the National Groundwater Management Improvement Scheme (NGMIS), supported by the World Bank, is under active consideration of the Government. The Scheme envisages sustainable ground water management through suitable supply/demand side interventions with stakeholder participation in identified priority areas of seven States viz. Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The estimated cost of the Scheme is Rs. 6,000 crore and it will be implemented over a period of six years. This information was given by Union Minister of State for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Balyan in a written reply in Lok Sabha today. Samir/jk Text of statement of Union Home Minister regarding incidents in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh Following is the text of statement of the Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh in Lok Sabha today regarding incidents in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh on March 7-8, 2017: As per the available information, on 7th March, 2017 at 09.41 hours a blast took place in the general compartment of train no. 59320 Bhopal-Ujjain Passenger near railway station Jabdi, district Shajapur, Madhya Pradesh. 10 passengers got injuries in this blast and railway property was also damaged. The injured were immediately rushed to the hospital. All the injured are presently out of danger. With regard to the above incident, a case crime number 47/17 u/s 3/4 Explosive Substances Act was registered against unknown accused in police station GRP, Ujjain for investigation on the report of train guard. As soon as the information about the incident was received, DGP, Madhya Pradesh rushed to the spot along with other senior officers of Police and Administration and initiated necessary action with regard to the investigation of the incident. Initial inspection of the scene of crime indicated that the accused had used an IED prepared by using locally available explosives for the blast. Madhya Pradesh Police coordinated with central agencies for the investigation of the incident. Subsequently, based on available intelligence, three suspects were taken into custody by Madhya Pradesh Police during vehicle checking at a place Pipariya in district Hoshangabad. Interrogation of these suspects indicated their involvement in the aforesaid incident and they were arrested. Further investigation of the case is being done in coordination with central agencies and information is being collected about other accomplices of the accused. Based on the interrogation of the above suspects and other available information, Uttar Pradesh Police initiated action at different places in Lucknow, Etawah, Kanpur and Auraiya. In Lucknow, information was received about one Mohammad Saifullah alias Ali, resident of Kanpur, renting an accommodation in Haji Colony, Police Station Kakori. ATS Uttar Pradesh laid a siege of the house and made vigorous attempts to arrest the suspect Saifullah. However, he refused to surrender and started firing on ATS team. Ultimately, after 12 hours of efforts, the ATS team entered the room in which Saifullah was holed up and in the ensuing encounter, this suspected terrorist was killed. From the room of the deceased, 8 pistols, 630 live cartridges and other material which included cash of Rs. 1.5 lakh, about 45 grams gold, 3 mobile phones, 4 sim cards, 2 wireless sets and some foreign currency was recovered. A case crime number 2/2017 u/s 307/121A/122/123/124-A IPC, 3/4/25/27 Arms Act and 16/18/23 UAPA has been registered at Police Station ATS, Lucknow with regard to the incident. ATS Kanpur Unit has arrested one more suspect from Jajmau Police Station area against whom a case crime number 3/2017 u/s 121/121A/123/124A IPC and 16/18/23/38 of UAPA has been registered. Apart from the above, two more accused, one from Etawah and one from Auraiya have been arrested by Uttar Pradesh Police on the charge of supplying weapons to the above gang of suspected terrorists. Thus, total 06 arrests have been made in these incidents so far. The above sequence of events presents an excellent example of coordination amongst the State Police and Central Agencies. Due to the prompt action taken by the police of both the States, a possible threat to the national security was successfully averted. Further investigations will be handed over to NIA." The Finance Secretary Shri Ashok Lavasa receives today a cheque of Rs 25 crores towards the Swachh Bharat Kosh (SBK) by the CMD of Rural Electric Corporation (REC) Limited The Finance Secretary Shri Ashok Lavasa, who is also the Chairperson of the Swachh Bharat Kosh (SBK), received today a cheque of Rs 25 crores towards the SBK by Shri P. V. Ramesh Babu, CMD of Rural Electric Corporation (REC) Limited as part of RECs Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Shri Parmeshwaran Iyer, Secretary, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation and Shri Vivek Joshi, Administrator, SBK and senior officers of REC were also present on this occasion. REC has also contributed Rs. 25 Crore towards this noble cause earlier in August 2016, thus making a total contribution of Rs. 50 Crore to the Kosh. Apart from this, the Corporation has also constructed 194 toilets during the current fiscal. REC is committed to supporting the Government of Indias mission for Swachh Bharat. As a responsible Corporate Citizen, the cause of nation building has always been high on RECs priorities. As a step in this direction, REC had, during the FY 2014-15 and 2015-16, constructed a total of 12,292 toilets. These toilets are spread across 33 districts in 6 states. The SBK was set up to attract CSR funds from corporate sector and contribution from individual philanthropists to achieve the objective of Clean India (Swachh Bharat) through Swachh Bharat Abhiyan by the year 2019, the 150th year of birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The SBK is to be used to achieve the objective of improving cleanliness levels in rural and urban areas, including in schools. The allocation from the SBK is being used to supplement departmental resources for such activities. All donations towards Swachh Bharat Kosh are eligible for deduction of 100% from the total Income Tax. The contributions to SBK can also be included by companies towards CSR under the Companies Act, 2013. Rural Electric Corporation (REC) Limited is an enterprise of the Government of India under the Ministry of Power, mandated to provide financing for the power sector development across the value chain in the field of generation, transmission, distribution and above all, renewable energy development. REC is the coordinating agency for implementing flagship programs of the government in power sector that include Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana scheme, the Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) programme and several other initiatives of the government to ensure Power for All. Last week, New Yorks famed Waldorf Astoria hotel closed for two years of renovations amid ongoing concerns that the Chinese government could be spying on guests. For decades, US government officials stayed at the hotel during the United Nations General Assembly. But in 2015, after the Waldorf was sold to the Chinese Anbang Insurance Group Ltd, President Obama and State Department officials moved elsewhere, citing security concerns. Last month, New York Post gossip columnist Cindy Adams speculated that the reason for the renovations is that the hotel is getting hardwired. US President met with the widow of Apple founder Steve Jobs, Laurene Powell Jobs, to discuss "immigration and education policy", the media reported. The meeting was held on Wednesday in the Oval Office, Efe news reported. Powell Jobs, an activist, is the founder and president of an organisation called Emerson Collective that focuses on "removing barriers" to "education, immigration reform (and) the environment". The contents of the meeting was not immediately clear but, according to White House spokesperson Lindsay Walters, she was slated to speak with Trump about "education and immigration". The California activist for years has supported the Dream Act, a bill that failed in the Senate and that would have legalised the status of tens of thousands of undocumented migrants who came to the US as young children - the group known as "Dreamers". Besides bringing pressure to bear for immigration reform and the rights of the Dreamers via her organisation, Powell Jobs made clear her opinions on recent immigration measures adopted by Trump on her Twitter account. "We cannot be silent. Too much suffering already. America wants common-sense immigration reform, not mass deportation," Powell Jobs had said earlier about Trump's executive orders to toughen US immigration policy. "This action against immigration and refugees will go down in history as a source of national shame. Speak up, speak out. Do not accept hate," she tweeted after Trump signed an executive order to create more detention centres for undocumented migrants and to accelerate deportations. Indo-US ties will touch new heights under the Trump administration as the two countries are "natural partners" and have common interests amid China's assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region, an Indian-American entrepreneur considered close to Vice President Mike Pence has said. With Indian-Americans playing the role of an umbilical cord between the two counties, India and the United States have common interests in balancing the increasing economic and military influence of China in the Asia-Pacific region and fighting together the menace of terrorism in South and Central Asia, said Indiana-based Gurinder Singh Khalsa. Founder and chairman of Sikhs Political Action Committee or SikhsPAC, Khalsa has emerged as one of the vocal leader of the Indian-American Sikhs in particular in the Midwest region. "India and the United States are natural partners at this time. Both have an interest in balancing growing Chinese economic and military influence in southeast Asian. Both have an interest in fighting terrorism originating in central Asian areas like Pakistan and Afghanistan," Khalsa said in an interview. "It is to India's long-term benefit to continue improving relations with the US. We also have many shared business priorities, particularly in IT and tech industries," he said. China has been assertive in the disputed South China Sea region, building artificial islands which could potentially be used for military purposes. It is also building a number of ports in South Asian countries. The US has called for freedom of navigation to be respected amid the South China Sea actions by Beijing. Khalsa, an accomplished businessman from Indiana, is a friend of Pence from the days the US vice president was not even elected the Governor of Indiana. Khalsa says he wants to focus on strengthening India-US relationship and be the voice of Indian-Americans and other such ethnic communities in the US. "(Pence) has been very outspoken about the need for more economic cooperation between India and Indiana. Prior to his selection as Vice President, he spoke to us about his intention to travel to India after the election. He wanted to be the first Indiana Governor to visit India after the election," Khalsa said recollecting his meetings with Pence. "To be clear, his interests are very definitely in the United States. He is an American and he will be advocating for Americans. But, I don't think that necessarily conflicts with his desire to improve economic and political ties with India. It simply means, he'll be a tough, but fair negotiator," he said sharing his impression about Pence. A deal to build six nuclear reactors in India is still alive, but to be viable must be ring-fenced from a financial crisis at the US reactor maker and its Japanese parent Toshiba Corp, people with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Steven Sconzo has been named Executive General Manager of Chattanooga Auto Square, which comprises four luxury automotive brands: Jaguar, Porsche, Land Rover and Infiniti. Mr. Sconzo comes to Chattanooga from Hilton Head Island, S.C., where he was Luxury Platform Manager for Coastal States Automotive Group. He has more than 25 years of experience working in the luxury automotive space, including three of the brands he will manage at Chattanooga Auto Square: Jaguar, Porsche and Land Rover.Sconzo says he is excited to work with the Infiniti brand. Mr. Sconzo says his customer service philosophy is simple: every guest is family. I learned a long time ago to treat every customer like they are a guest in your home, he says. The main thing is making everyone feel they are part of our family from the moment they walk into our doors until they find the right vehicle for them or have their service needs met. Sconzo and his wife, Brandi, have been married for 12 years. They have two children, Lilliana, 10, and Vincent, 7. He says he looks forward to his family joining him in Chattanooga after the school year ends. We are excited to be in a city with a strong culture and a history of innovation, he says. Chattanooga Auto Square, located on Lee Highway near the I-75 Bonny Oaks Drive exit, is a division of Furrow Automotive, which has served the luxury automotive needs of East Tennesseans for more than 100 years. Dr Reddy's Laboratories has fallen to its 52-week low of Rs 2,751, down 3.5% on BSE in early morning trade after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made 13 observations at the companys formulations facility at Duvvada in Visakhapatnam. Reacting to the shutting down of the American Christian NGO Compassion International, the U.S. State Department said that for the past couple of years several foreign-funded NGOs in India have encountered challenges to the continuance of their operations, and urged all parties to respect Indian laws, and encourage a transparent process. "The closure of Compassion International for specifics about this action, we of course are committed to the health and vibrancy of civil society, and we strongly advocate for a strong civil society and organizations that are working in that sphere around the . I think, unfortunately, we've seen over the past couple of years a number of foreign-funded NGOs in India that have encountered significant challenges in continuing their operations. And we believe it's imperative that all parties work transparently and cooperatively in a way that, obviously, respects India's laws but also encourages a transparent process, and these are views that we've made clear to the Indian Government," said Mark Toner, Deputy Spokesman of the U.S. State Department. Compassion International is expelled to shut down its operations in India next week after New Delhi stopped transfer of its funds into the country. Compassion International has been active in India for almost 48 years but was forced to close its doors after by Hindu extremist groups accused it of converting people to Christianity. The government on Wednesday dismissed a statement by American Christian NGO Compassion International that it is being forced to shut down its operations in India next week because of "ideological" reasons. In March 2016, the Ministry of Home Affairs had put Compassion International on a "prior permission" watchlist, effectively curtailing its ability to bring in funds for NGOs in India, some of which were accused of carrying out religious conversions. After several appeals, Compassion International announced that it is shutting down its India operations on March 15 this year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) To conduct more research and studies in homeopathy and its advancement, the Amity Institute of Homeopathy Research was launched today. Dr. Ashok K Chauhan, Founder President Amity Group launched the institute in the presence of Dr. R.K. Manchanda, Director General, Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy; Mr. Peter Braun, Head, Homoeopathic Business Schwabe Group, Germany; Mr. Ashish Kumar , Managing Director, Dr Willmar Schwabe, Noida; Ms. Julia Peterle , Area Manager - Affiliated Companies Worldwide, DHU Homoeopathic Business Unit of Schwabe Group, Germany; Dr. Naval Kumar Verma , Lotus Holistic Centre and Institute, Khalifa City A, Abu Dhabi, UAE; Dr. Rajeev Kr. Sharma, Director, Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy, Ministry of AYUSH; Dr. SPS Bakshi, Chairman cum Managing Director of Bakson Drugs & Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd. and Dr. Alok Kumar, Sr Consultant, Safdarjung Hospital. A panel discussion on "Recent Advances and Emerging Trends in Homeopathy" was organised. Dr.Chauhan described homeopathy as an underexplored and under-utilized system of medicine which is now undergoing a phase of transformation globally. He stressed that there is a need for enhance scientific approach and research in the field so that the real potential of homeopathy is brought to its use for better healthcare. Dr. R.K. Manchanda said that homeopathy is practiced in 18 countries and has been used as medical treatment for various issues. He acknowledged that right from its inception, homeopathy has faced strong opposition from the conventional medical community and has not received its due recognition. He said that with growth of biomedical system, homeopathy is facing different kinds of challenges like how to improve the clinical practice of average homeopathic doctor even though research in homeopathy is using all modern parameters in both clinical and fundamental research to develop tools and processes to document clinical experiences. He highlighted that today, homeopathy has advanced to a stage where it has treated patients of chikungunya and finding cure for malaria. Mr. Peter Braun said that apart of Europe, the Indian subcontinent is an important base for homeopathy. To explore potential areas of collaboration in homeopathy, Amity University signed a MoU with Dr Willmar Schwabe India Pvt Ltd. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Expressing confidence of a favourable mandate in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday said that it would form the government in the state with overwhelming majority. Witnessing a wave of change with the people of Uttar Pradesh inclining towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP MP Jagdambika Pal said the strategy that the saffron party followed garnered support and would help in getting a clear majority. "There was enthusiasm among the people during the election campaigns," Pal told ANI. Resonating similar sentiments, another BJP MP Hema Malini hoped that the party registers a landslide win in the assembly polls. "As a member of the BJP, I would always want my party to win. Everybody feels the same for their respective parties," she said. Meanwhile, the Congress Party also maintained that it would form the government in Uttar Pradesh. "Samajwadi Party-Congress would form the government in UP under the leadership of Akhilesh Yadav. Punjab, Uttarakhand will also see the Congress winning. Goa and Manipur will also see startling results," Congress MP Rajeev Shukla told ANI. Spreading over a span of more than a month starting from February 11 to March 8, the Uttar Pradesh elections were held in seven phases. The counting of votes will take place on March 11. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Sector Commander level meeting between the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Paksitan Rangers took place at the international boundary in R.S. Pura sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. The BSF team was led by Deputy Inspector General (DIG) P.S. Dhiman and Brigadier Amjad Hussain led the Pakistan Rangers. The meeting was held in cordial atmosphere and both commanders committed to each other to ensure peace and tranquility at the border. The meeting took place after Indian Director-General of Military Operations (DGMO) A.K. Bhatt had a telephonic conversation with his Pakistani counterpart regarding the movement of terrorists along the Line of Control (LoC). During the conversation, the Pakistani DGMO was informed about the repatriation of two nationals from the other side of the border apprehended in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir. However, Pakistan rejected Indian concerns asking the Indian army to share evidence regarding the same. The duo will be repatriated through the Wagah border on March 10. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With all eyes set on the second leg of the Budget Session beginning today, the government while looking forward to a healthy debate has urged the opposition to help the Parliament function in a systematic manner. "Finance, appropriation bill, maternity and many other bills will be discussed. We request all to help the Parliament function," Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar told ANI. Echoing similar sentiments, Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu urged all political parties to focus on the budget, adding it would be the government's priority to pass the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill besides other important bills. "I want all political parties to focus on the budget. They should indulge in a healthy debate because that will benefit the nation. I urge the political parties to maintain peace in discussing issues. There should be good debate. The government is ready to discuss issues related to the budget. The government is ready to answer any question," he said. The first part of the session began on January 31 and concluded on February 9 after presentation of the Union Budget and passage of motion of thanks to the President's address to the joint sitting of both Houses. The Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Act, 2017, was also passed by Parliament last month to eliminate the possibility of running a parallel economy using the old demonetised notes of Rs. 500 and 1,000. Apart from the passage of Finance Bill, the government is keen to pass the much-awaited legislations related to the GST during the month-long session which will continue till April 12. In the Lok Sabha, the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016, and The Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims), 2016, are slated for consideration and passage today. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Exiled Tibetan Prime Minister Dr. Lobsang Sangay held a joint conference with President of South Tyrol, an autonomous province of Italy, Dr. Arno Kompatscher on the occasion of 58th Tibetan National Uprising Day on Thursday. President Kompatscher was accompanied by a delegation team including, Domink Holzer, Chief of the Cabinet of the Autonomous Province of South Tyrol, Dr. Elisabeth spergser, Head of the Office of Cabinet Affairs, responsible for funding all development projects, Dr. Gunther Cologna, head of Education and Training at European Academy Bolzano (EURAC Research), Prof. Roland Psenner, President of EURAC Research, Dr. Stephan Ortner, Director of EURAC Research and Dr. Hermann Brugger, Head of the EURAC Institute of Mountain Emergency Medicine Addressing the media, the exiled Prime Minister Sangay said, "South Tyrol and central Tibetan administration have a very close relationship in fact a long-term relationship. It goes back to twenty years where there were discussions about middle way approach based genuine autonomy." "So, we wanted to study how autonomous regions are actually practicing and how autonomy is actually implemented in various places around the world," Sangay added. On his part, the President of South Tyrol said, "We are here not to give any advice to anybody because we cannot and I won't do it. We just only can tell you what's our story. How the things where in Italy in South Tyrol once and how they are now and may our situation could be one example not a model because things are always different but its one example that how the things could go in a positive way." Kompatscher said that South Tyrol was a part of Austria until the War I and most of the people were German speaking. But after WWI this region came to Italy. He added, "Now, we have our own parliament we make our own laws. We have to observe the Italian constitution. We have our own school, we have teaching in our languages and we have our own income by the taxes which people pay... Maybe, we are one of the most convincing examples how genius autonomy can preserve culture, tradition and at the same time we live peacefully together." "This autonomy is not autonomy only for German speaking or Latin speaking people, but, even for the Italian-speaking people of the region now are happy with it.. We have an Italian teaching school, German, Latin. We have a multicultural situation and we consider us 'rich' for that. This is the middle-way approach just in reality that we have it. So, I think it should be like this for Tibet and I hope it will be." said Kompatscher. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Lauding the Lucknow terror operation, Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir on Thursday asserted the government is capable enough to protect the country from terrorists. "We have to say to the people that we are capable enough to protect the country. We are serious about the country. We are protecting the country from terrorists," Ahir told ANI. Ahir further said the government is taking up responsibility for helping the police in every state. Earlier in the day, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the Investigation Agency (NIA) will probe the Lucknow terror operation. The terrorist holed up inside a house in the outskirts of Lucknow at Thakurganj locality under Kakori police station, was killed by security forces on Wednesday night following a 12-hour long anti-terror operation. ADG (Law and Order) Daljit Chaudhary said the force went inside the house and found the suspect dead along with weapons. IG Anti Terror Squad (ATS) Aseem Arun confirmed that the slain terror suspect was an active member of the Islamic State terror group. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hawaii has become the first state to sue against a revised travel ban introduced by the Donald Trump administration. According to local media reports, Attorneys for the state filed the lawsuit in federal court, Honolulu. Hawaii had previously sued the Trump administration's initial travel ban, but the lawsuit was put on hold while other cases played out across the country. Hawaii gave notice that it intended to file an amended lawsuit to cover the new ban, which will be effective on March 16. The revised executive order bars new visas for the people from six predominantly Muslim countries and temporarily shuts down the US refugee program. It doesn't apply to travellers, who already have visas. Hawaii's lawsuit says the order will harm the Muslim population, tourism and foreign students. Earlier, Trump signed a revised executive order banning immigration from six Muslim-majority countries, dropping Iraq from January's previous order. The ban covers Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) College students who are looking to score in top levels must restrain from smoking marijuana and consuming alcohol, as a study finds that medium-to-high consumption of both substances is linked to poor academic performance. The findings suggested that despite no differences in pre-college scores, the students who were medium-to-high users of both substances not only had a lower predicted college GPA on average by the end of the first semester, but continued to achieve lower GPAs throughout the two years of the study. The research, published in the journal of PLOS ONE, states that college students who consume medium-to-high levels of alcohol and marijuana have a consistently lower GPA. Alcohol and marijuana are the two most abused substances in US colleges, but little is known about the effect of consuming both on students' academic performance. Lead study author Shashwath Meda from Hartford Hospital/Institute of Living in the USA and his colleagues examined the association between college students' alcohol and marijuana consumption and their grade point average (GPA) in each semester. "Doing a lot of both drugs had a significant impact, in terms of lower grades in our study and in other studies, with number of leaves of absences and those who dropped out of school," said senior study author Godfrey Pearlson. They tracked 1,142 students for two years after they began college and using self-reported data they clustered them into groups of low users or medium-to-high users of alcohol or both substances. Those students who consumed medium-to-high levels of alcohol but little marijuana started out with a lower predicted GPA, but there was no difference compared to low users at the end of the study. The researchers' further suggested that some students decreased their substance use over time, and their GPA increased relative to their peers who remained consistent in their drug use patterns. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) TUES/14 Hixson Chamber Council Community Coffee 8-9 a.m. Casual Pint: 5550 TN-153 in Hixson Co-hosted by Vista Points. TUES/14 What Your Small Business Needs to Know about Commercial Real Estate (Free) 10-11 a.m. BrightBridge Womens Business Center: 535 Chestnut St. Christi Doll, Principal Broker EXIT Realty Scenic City and BrightBridge Womens Business Center. This session will address the many questions your small business has regarding commercial real estate. How do I find what locations are available? Do I lease or purchase? If I lease, what items need to be included in my commercial lease? Am I allowed to make renovations? Who pays for the renovation? To reserve your free seat visit brightbridgewbc.org/event/real-estate/. TUES/14 Diversity Series Seminar (Free) 12:30-4:30 p.m. The INCubator: 100 Cherokee Blvd. Residential and small commercial building construction. Free. WED/15 Ooltewah/Collegedale Chamber Council Meeting (Free) 9:15-10:30 a.m. Collegedale City Hall: 4910 Swinyar Dr. Speaker: Jeff Rector Free. WED/15 Facebook Advertising Workshop 101 (Free) 10:30-Noon BrightBridge Womens Business Center: 535 Chestnut St. Learn how to target your ads, who your customer is and how to fine-tune your page info. Required materials: active Facebook business page and laptop. Laptops and assistance setting up a Facebook page available with 3 days notice. Workshop developed and delivered by an e-commerce seller, not a Facebook employee. As such the views or opinions expressed are those of the instructor. To reserve your free seat visit brightbridgewbc.org/event/facebook3-15/. WED/15 Hixson Chamber Council Meeting 11:45a-1 p.m. North River Civic Center: 1009 Executive Dr. $10 WED/15 Ribbon Cutting for Chattanooga Allergy Clinic 12:30-1 p.m. Chattanooga Allergy Clinic: 325 Market St. THUR/16 Reality Check - Brainerd High School 7:15-Noon Brainerd High School: 1020 North Moore Rd. Reality Check teaches 9th graders budgeting and emphasizes the connection between education and income by having roleplay as heads of household with a set budget. To volunteer for this Chattanooga Chamber career readiness program, contact Cathy Humble at 423.763.4321 or chumble@chattanoogachamber.com. THUR/16 North Hamilton County Chamber Council Meeting 11:45-1 p.m. Budweiser: 200 Shearer St. Speaker: STARS-Rescue Team $10 THUR/16 Find Your Funding (Free) 1:303 p.m. INCubator: 100 Cherokee Blvd. Explore funding opportunities that range from traditional loans to bootstrapping, crowd funding and angel and venture capital funding. A representative from SBA and TSBDC will discuss the variety of options, including the SBA 504, SBA 7a and others for small business start-ups. Speaker: Jackie Merritt, SBA; Lynn Chesnutt, TSBDC. Find this free seminar and register at tsbdc.org/search-for-training/. THUR/16 Business After Hours Sponsored by The Chattanoogan (Free) 5-7 p.m. The Chattanoogan: 1201 Broad St. Business After Hours brings an average of 100+ business people together for networking and refreshments. Business After Hours in March is sponsored by The Chattanoogan. THUR/16 Small Business Orientation (Free) 5:307 p.m. INCubator: 100 Cherokee Blvd. This seminar will address key topics of interest for individuals considering starting a business such as business entity options and tax registration, the importance of business planning, financing options and the resources available through the TSBDC. Find this free seminar and register at tsbdc.org/search-for-training/. The Central Board of Direct Taxation on Thursday announced signing of a protocol between India and Belgium amending the existing Agreement and Protocol between the two countries for avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income. The signing of the protocol witnessed Sushil Chandra, Chairman CBDT on behalf of India and Jan Luykx, Ambassador of Belgium to India, on behalf of Belgium in attendance. The protocol will broaden the scope of the existing framework of exchange of tax related information which will help curb tax evasion and tax avoidance between the two countries and will also enable mutual assistance in collection of taxes. Fighting the menace of black money stashed in offshore accounts has been a key priority area for the Government. Earlier, to further this goal, international agreements or declarations or conventions for the avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income and for exchange of information were signed by India with Switzerland, Mauritius, Cyprus, Japan, Republic of Korea, Kazakhstan, Singapore and Austria during the financial year 2016-17. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Pranab Mukherjee has lauded Jordan's exceptional humanitarian assistance in hosting refugees from its war torn neighbourhood despite the tremendous strain on its socio-economic resources. Chief of Royal Court of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Dr. Fayez Al-Tarawneh called on President Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Bhavan yesterday. Welcoming Dr. Al-Tarawneh to India, the President said he had warm memories of his recent visit to Jordan, the first ever state visit by a Head of State of India to Jordan. The President said India attaches great value to its ties with Jordan. The President said India appreciates Jordan's proactive role under the leadership of King Abdullah on regional issues, especially towards resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and addressing the scourge of terrorism that has affected our regions and the world. President Mukherjee also said India-Jordan bilateral trade which was US $1.35 billion in 2015-16 is expected to touch new heights. He further said India is happy that Jordan is interested in cooperation in security and defence cooperation, space, fertilizers etc. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The security forces in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday launched a cordon and search operation in Padgampora area of Pulwama district as they suspect the presence of two-three terrorists in the area. Gunshots are also heard in the area. The army and special operation group of Jammu and Kashmir's Awantipora has cordoned off the area. Further details are awaited. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Another terrorist was gunned down by the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama on Thursday. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) says the slain terrorist was identified as LeT's Mohammad Shafi Shergujari. A total of two militants were killed in the encounter that broke out in Pulwama's Padgampora area. The security forces in Jammu and Kashmir launched a cordon and search operation in the Padgampora area after they suspected the presence of terrorists in the area. Gunshots were also heard in the area. The army and special operation group of Jammu and Kashmir's Awantipora has cordoned off the area. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Appreciating the step taken by the father of Saifullah, the ISIS terror accused killed in an operation in Lucknow, by not accepting his son's body, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday said that extremist elements in Kashmir should take lessons from the former rather than glorifying a terrorist. "I appreciate his father who said I will not accept an anti- body, it is a lesson for the people of Kashmir who glorify a terrorist body by taking out huge procession for funerals," BJP leader S. Prakash told ANI. Prakash further acknowledged the effort of the intelligence agencies and ATS of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh for preventing a major incident before it took place. "He was a terrorist he was attempting to carry out a big terrorist operation in Uttar Pradesh. A blast in Ujjain gave out his plan. Ultimately he has to see his end," he said. Earlier on Wednesday, the father of Saifullah, Sartaj refused to accept his son's body saying "a traitor" is no son of theirs. "A traitor can't be our son. We are Indians, we were born here, our forefathers were born here. One who indulges in anti- activities can't be our son... we won't accept his body," Sartaj said. Saifullah was killed by commandos in a house on the outskirts of Lucknow earlier on Wednesday morning after an exchange of fire with the police for about a 12-hour. Uttar Pradesh Police (ADG UP) Daljeet Chaudhary said the youth was self-radicalised and was influenced by 'literature'. "These days, people self-radicalise themselves. They read their literature and come under its influence. Also, they follow social media for the same," Chaudhary told the media. The police recovered eight pistols, three passports, more than 600 cartridges, bomb-making instruments, timers, wires, compass etc. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Kannur Mandal vice-president Sushil was attacked by bike-borne assailants last night. The incident took place at Olachery Kavu, Kerala. Sushil is admitted to Kozhikode medical college and his condition is stable. Meanwhile, the BJP blamed the CPI (M) behind the attack. However, the CPM denied the allegation saying that it was a result of feud inside the BJP. The police is investigating the matter. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) All 85 fishermen, who are in custody of the Sri Lankan Government, would be released soon, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday. "The Government of Sri Lanka has informed the High Commission of India in Colombo that all 85 Indian fishermen, currently in custody, will be released. We understand that the instructions in this regard to the concerned authorities in Sri Lanka have been issued. We are awaiting further orders within Sri Lanka in this regard," MEA official spokesperson Gopal Bagley told the media here. With regards to the killing of an Indian fishermen allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy, Bagley said that the High Commission has reached to "the highest possible levels in Colombo" and was assured of "thorough investigation" into the matter. Responding to the claims of suspected shooting by the Sri Lankan Navy, Bagley said, "The Sri Lankan Government and the navy have maintained that there has been no firing from their side. However, they have agreed to thoroughly investigate the matter. We should await the result of the investigation." A group of Indian fishermen, who were fishing between Danushkodi and Katchatheevu off the Tamil Nadu coast, were allegedly fired upon by the Sri Lankan Navy in which one fisherman was killed. As per reports, around 500 boats went for fishing on Friday evening from Rameshwaram. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Fintech platform delivering flexible EMI-free loan products to salaried professionals LoanTap participated in an esteemed '3rd Festival of Innovation' at the office of the President of India to recognize, respect and reward grassroots innovations and foster a supportive eco-system for them. The event which was held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, witnessed Vikas Kumar, Founder and CTO of LoanTap leveraged the opportunity to pitch his innovative idea in front of venture capital investors and accelerators. Held in the month of March at The President's House, 'Festival of Innovation' is an annual event to promote creativity and innovation in India. Its various editions have witnessed participation of multiple global innovation leaders, noble laureates, and visionaries, along with budding entrepreneurs and promising innovators from the country. The initiative is widely hailed as an ingenious solution to promote innovation and create an inclusive social development ecosystem in the country. A part of the week-long program, Pitch@RB observed the involvement of multiple venture capitalists, start-ups, and Indian market leaders, besides 9 grassroots innovators in the event. The program witnessed unconventional innovations that tackled key problems within the society by various participants. The program was concluded with the closing speech by The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee and it was preceded by Gopalakrishnan, Co-founder, Infosys and Axilor Ventures. "It is fascinating to see how people from diverse fields have come up with vibrant and out-of-the-box innovations to address a multitude of problems faced by our society. Being offered the chance to present our start-up idea on such a prestigious platform has been an honour and a result of tireless determination by the entire team at LoanTap,' said founder and CTO LoanTap, Vikas Kumar. "We would like to express our gratitude to India Quotient, CII, and above all to our President Shri Pranab Mukherjee for offering us the dais to pitch our start-up. Witnessing the sheer brilliance of the program, we are confident that the Festival of Innovation will herald the advent of a completely new generation of entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders of tomorrow," added Kumar. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Russian spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Kremlin will welcome the appointment of any U.S. ambassador who will be committed to the idea of establishing a dialogue between the two countries. According to TASS, Peskov made the remarks in the wake of media reports that Utah's former governor Jon Huntsman may become the head of the U.S. diplomatic mission in Moscow. "We will welcome any new head of the U.S. embassy in Moscow who will display firm commitment to the idea of establishing a dialogue between the two countries," Peskov said, adding the decision on who will head the U.S. embassy in Russia was entirely Washington's internal affair. "We have no intention to meddle in these internal affairs," he said. Some recent media reports suggested that Huntsman has indicated that he would accept the role of U.S. ambassador to Russia. Huntsman has twice served as an ambassador, first under George H.W. Bush in Singapore and later under Barack Obama in China. He also ran for President in 2012 as a Republican candidate and was briefly considered by Trump as a nominee for the Secretary of State. Presently, the Trump administration is beleaguered by controversy over Russia links of its officials. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is being accused of misleading the Congress by failing to disclose pre-election meetings with the Russian ambassador to Washington Sergey Kislyak. Earlier, former national security advisor Michael Flynn had to resign following similar allegations. During the 2016 election campaign, it was alleged that Democratic National Committee servers were hacked by Russia to benefit Trump. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said the Investigation Agency (NIA) will probe the Lucknow terror operation. Singh applauded the father of terror suspect Saifullah, for refusing to accept a 'traitor's' body. "The government is proud of Mohammed Sartaj (Saifullah's father) and I am sure the entire House will be proud as he refused to take his body saying he betrayed his country," he said while addressing the second leg of the Budget Session. Earlier on Wednesday, the father of Saifullah, Sartaj refused to accept his son's body saying "a traitor" is no son of theirs. "A traitor can't be our son. We are Indians, we were born here, our forefathers were born here. One who indulges in anti- activities can't be our son... we won't accept his body," Sartaj said. Saifullah was killed by commandos in a house on the outskirts of Lucknow yesterday morning after an exchange of fire with the police for about 12 hours. Uttar Pradesh Police (ADG UP) Daljeet Chaudhary said the youth was self-radicalised and was influenced by 'literature'. "These days, people self-radicalise themselves. They read their literature and come under its influence. Also, they follow social media for the same," Chaudhary told the media. The police recovered eight pistols, three passports, more than 600 cartridges, bomb-making instruments, timers, wires, compass etc. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senator David Perdue and Congressman Doug Collins on Wednesday introduced legislation to improve management of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest by creating a more cohesive park boundary, which would also improve opportunities for hunting, fishing, and hiking. The Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest is an important economic generator, said Senator Perdue, a member of the Agriculture Committee. The Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest Land Adjustment Act represents a commonsense approach to better conserve federal forest lands in northeast Georgia while also eliminating federal waste and providing more recreation opportunities for hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts, said Congressman Collins. Im proud to reintroduce this legislation with Senator David Perdue to ensure that our beautiful natural resourcesincluding the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forestcan better be enjoyed by Georgians. Senator Perdue and Congressman Collins were joined by U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Congressmen Rick Allen (R-GA-12), Buddy Carter (R-GA-01), Drew Ferguson (R-GA-03), and Barry Loudermilk (R-GA-11) in this effort, which has earned praise from The Nature Conservancy. Updating the boundaries of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest will improve the efficiency of management and is a win for the community, a win for visitors and a win for taxpayers, said Senator Johnny Isakson. Im pleased to once again support these efforts. Senator Perdue and Representative Collins clearly understand that this legislation will allow the U.S. Forest Service, in collaboration with partners like The Nature Conservancy and The Conservation Fund, to better steward northeast Georgias natural resources and provide more benefits to all Georgians, said Deron Davis, Executive Director of The Nature Conservancy in Georgia. Currently, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) owns a substantial number of small, isolated tracts of land disconnected from the core lands of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest. Encroachment from growth and development has caused these tracts to lose their principle value for National Forest purposes, as they are outliers from the core forest block. This legislation outlines a solution, authorizing the sale of 30 isolated parcels identified as desired disposal by the USFS. All proceeds from land sales will go directly to USFS and may only be used to buy inholding properties of high-value for conservation, recreation, and management from sellers within the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest boundary. Additionally, selling isolated parcels puts this land back on county tax rolls and revenue generated can be used to buy inholdings from willing sellers. Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Thursday expressed grief over the recent attack on a military hospital in Kabul. According to the Radio Pakistan, a senior military officer telephoned the Afghan Ambassador and on behalf of COAS, expressed grief over the attack. "Senior Military Officer telephones Afghan Ambassador and on behalf of COAS, expressed deep grief over attack on military hospital in Kabul," tweeted Radio Pakistan. On Wednesday, gunmen disguised as medical personnel stormed a military hospital near the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, killing at least 30 people in a six-hour siege before Afghan security forces killed the attackers. The ISIS-affiliated news agency Amaq said the terror group claimed responsibility for attacking the Sardar Daud Khan Hospital also known as "the 400-bed hospital," the country's biggest and best-equipped medical facility. More than 50 people were also wounded in the attack. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Government of Pakistan has awarded the China Gezhouba Group Company (CGGC) two civil engineering contracts in the first stage of the Dasu hydropower project worth Rs.180 billion. According to the Dawn, the contracts are for the main dam, appurtenant structures and hydraulic steel structures (MW-01) worth Rs.115 billion and construction of underground power complex, tunnels and hydraulic structures (MW-02) worth Rs.64 billion. The Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) and the CGGC signed the two agreements. Dasu Project Director Javed Akhtar and CGGC representative Tan Bixuan signed the contracts in the presence of Water and Power Minister Khwaja Mohammad Asif. Once completed in 2021, the project is expected to generate over 2,100 megawatts of power. Minister Asif described the agreement as a new era of cheap electricity generation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan on Thursday rejected Indian concerns regarding movement of terrorists along the Line of Control (LoC) while saying that the Indian army should share evidence regarding the same. "Indian concerns on terrorists' movement along LOC were strongly rejected during the hotline. Indian Army asked to look inward, share evidence," tweeted Pakistan Army's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations' (ISPR) Director General Major General Asif Ghafoor. His remarks followed a telephonic conversation on Thursday between Indian Director-General of Military Operations (DGMO) A.K. Bhatt with his Pakistani counterpart regarding the movement of terrorists along the Line of Control (LoC). During the conversation, the Pakistani DGMO was informed about the repatriation of two nationals from the other side of the border apprehended in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir. The duo will be repatriated through the Wagah border on March 10. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) That Priyanka Chopra shares a close bond with her 'Quantico' girls can be often seen on social media. To mark International Women's Day, co-star Yasmine Al Massri shared another picture where we can see her posing with the Powerpuff girls Johanna Braddy, and Priyanka along with their DP Tony. Yasmine shared another picture of Desi girl from last year Emmy's with an adorable message. On a related not, Priyanka is also gearing up for her Hollywood debut 'Baywatch' starring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron which is slated to release on May 26, 2017 in the US. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) conceded its support to reinstating military courts on Thursday, saying it would now support a two-year reinstatement. The PPP had earlier said they would only agree to a one-year extension. The party also announced nine recommendations regarding military courts and how they should be handled moving forward, according to the Dawn. In the second session of parliamentary discussions on the issue, held today, the PPP sought to push these recommendations, but an agreement could be reached on only two of the nine points raised before the session concluded. The points agreed to include the recommendation that the provisions of the Qanoon-i-Shahadat, 1984 (Law of Evidence) apply to military courts and that the accused be granted the right to appeal. Military courts had been disbanded this year in JAnuary after a sunset clause included in the legal provisions under which the tribunals were established, expired. Pakistan had legalised military court trials of terror suspects for a period of two years in January 2015 - soon after the terror attack on Peshawar's Army Public School in Dec 2014, in which 144 people, most of them children, were killed by Taliban militants. These courts were given a two-year constitutional cover that ended in January. The controversial special powers empower military courts to try civilian terror suspects. Military courts do not grant convicts the essential components of a fair and free trial, as they lack in transparency and do not allow convicts the option to appeal to civilian courts. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) To mark this year's International Women's Day, Emma Watson hit the streets of New York City dressed as "a red-striking ninja book-fairy" and hid feminist books at the statues of iconic women. The 'Beauty and the Beast' star, in partnership with Book Fairies, marked the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women through the power of literature. Documenting her day on Twitter, the 26-year-old gender rights activist wrote, "Today I'm a red-striking ninja book-fairy out to spread some wise women's words" before heading out to the Harriet Tubman Memorial, the Joan of Arc Memorial, the Gertrude Stein statue and the Eleanor Roosevelt Monument. Each of the books that the 'Harry Potter' star shared, had personal messages and one such lucky recipient posted a photo of Emma's handwritten note on Twitter, which read in part, "Congratulations on finding one! I hope you enjoy this book, and I'd encourage you, when finished to leave it somewhere for the next person to find." The perfect read for #IWD2017 Thank you @the_bookfairies&@EmmaWatson for making my District line commute better! pic.twitter.com/x8pi3wOfmP Beth Ferguson (@bethferguson92) March 8, 2017 Kathmandu [Nepal], Mar. 9: As the protest intensifies in Nepal's Terai region, the three major political parties have engaged in talks to proceed ahead with election campaign. Leaders of the Nepali Congress, Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN-UML) and Maoist Center held talks over the ongoing situation in the southern plains post the incident on Monday where four people lost their lives. "We informed Prime Minister about the true events that occurred in Saptari. A group named Madhesi Morcha are vandalizing the CPN UML offices in Terai, misbehaving with the leaders and inciting violence. This shows government less behavior. Where has the government gone? Why has the terrifying situation occurred? It should be stopped immediately, should we rely on the Government of Nepal for security or not? Our security will be ensured or not? And, if the leaders and cadres of CPN UML cannot go to some places inside the same country? Can't others demand for the same?" former home minister and Opposition leader Bamdev Gautam said. During the tri- party talks the opposition demanded complete security for the election campaign. With the tension high in the Terai region, there are doubt about holding the election. An agitating UDMF has demanded the cancellation of May 14 local election as well. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The U.S. sanctions against Russian defense contractors will not affect arms contracts between Moscow and New Delhi as a final decision will be made by India's top leadership, according to Director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies Ruslan Pukhov. Earlier, an India-based daily had reported that the agreements between Russia and India on frigates and S-400 antiaircraft missile systems were endangered over U.S. sanctions. The article said that any foreign supplier of military equipment is required under India's legislation to get a guarantee from an Indian bank to get a possibility to participate in the purchase process. However, the U.S. sanctions against Russia's United Ship-Building Corporation and its subsidiaries, as well as against Almaz-Antey defense contractor ban Indian banks from issuing such guarantees. However, giving his view over the issue, Pukhov told Russian news agency TASS, "As for the situation with banks, India, indeed, fears that the Americans might impose sanctions on them, [banks] but, I don't have the slightest doubt that this obstacle can be overcome. Surely, parallel procedures exist that will allow the deal to go through under any conditions. If the Indian highest political leadership wants the deal to go ahead, the U.S. sanctions are not an obstacle." In his opinion, there are not so many arms markets, where Russia really confronts the United States and, although India is among them, the share of Russian armaments supplied to Delhi is growing all the same. As the expert said, Russia is not only supplying armaments to India, but, is also helping Indian partners develop their own weapons. "We have not only transferred a nuclear-powered submarine to them for lease, but, have helped the Indians build their own nuclear submarine. At the same time, Americans do not transfer even their far less sensitive technologies to anyone, even to their closest NATO allies," said Pukhov. Meanwhile, a source in the system of Russia's military and technical cooperation explained to TASS that India will hardly give up Russian armament purchases over the U.S. sanctions as the projects with Russia in this sphere are very significant for Delhi, while citing financial problems can be solved through ruble-rupee settlements. According to the source, the sanctions against defence contractors engaged in military and technical cooperation, many of which are operating actively in India, have been in effect for several years now, but, nonetheless, the contracts with Delhi are being successfully implemented and also new deals are concluded. Russia and India signed a number of agreements of military and technical cooperation in October last year, including a deal for the delivery of S-400 Triumf anti aircraft missile systems, and also a deal for the construction of Project 11356 frigates in the interests of the Indian Navy. The Indian Air Force is also expected to be the customer for this aircraft FGFA (Fifth-Generation Fighting Aircraft) at the initial stage and later on the new fighter jet will be supplied to third countries. Apart from this, Russia will take part in the project to develop India's fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), and also in a tender for the delivery of 400 fighter jets for the Indian Air Force. The two sides have also signed an agreement on the delivery of two A-50EI long-range radar detection and control aircraft, and also an agreement on organising the licensed production of T-90S tanks on the territory of India. Russia and India have also signed an inter-governmental agreement on producing Kamov Ka-226T light multipurpose helicopters on the territory of that country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United States has deployed its marines in northern Syria with artillery to support the local forces fighting there. According to CNN, the US-backed fighters are preparing to move in the coming weeks to assault the city of Raqqa, ISIS' self-declared capital, according to the officials. The Pentagon and the Marine Corps have declined to confirm the deployment because of security concerns in the region. They have also declined to specify the exact location or strength of the forces. The deployment marks a new escalation in the U.S. war in Syria and puts more conventional U.S. troops in the battle. Several hundred Special Operations troops have advised local forces there for months, but the Pentagon has mostly shied away from using conventional forces in Syria. The new mission comes as the Donald Trump administration weighs a plan to take back Raqqa, the so-called capital of the Islamic State, that also includes more Special Operations troops and attack helicopters. The force is part of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which left San Diego on Navy ships in October. The marines on the ground include part of an artillery battery that can fire powerful 155-millimeter shells from M777 Howitzers, two officials said while speaking on the condition of anonymity. The ISIS could have as many as 4,000 fighters in Raqqa, according to very rough US estimates, the official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Condemning the attack on couples in Kochi on Wednesday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said that he would not allow "goondaism" in his state, adding police sticks should be used against such people. He added the government will take strict action against those involved in moral policing. Calling the incident a shame for Kerala, the Chief Minister said the attackers would be charged and punished. The unruly incident in Kochi involving the Shiv Sena activists took the Kerala Assembly by storm on Thursday with the MLAs of the ruling LDF and the Opposition UDF slamming each other over the issue. Congress leader Hibi Eden later boycotted the assembly proceedings for the day to protest Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's controversial statement linking the Shiv Sena with the UDF. Even as the ruckus continued, the Chief Minister rose to speak and wondered whether there was a larger conspiracy behind the moral policing drama or whether the Shiv Sena activists were hired by the Opposition. In an alleged incident of moral policing, the Shiv Sena activists threatened couples sitting at Kochi's Marine Drive Wednesday evening. The entire incident took place in the presence of policemen. The activists also marched with banners that read 'Stop crime against girls' and 'love under umbrellas must be stopped'. Following the incident, six men belonging to the Shiv Sena were arrested under non-bailable offences as the group had not taken permission to hold the protest at Marine Drive. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Whenever a murder, an act of terror, or some other heinous crime is committed, we hear law enforcement authorities are investigating to determine the motives for the act. If people do bad things, we want to know why. But when was the last time (if at all) you heard of an act of extravagant kindness, and someone in authority said, Were conducting an investigation seeking to ascertain their motives?It seems when evil is committed, there must be some nefarious cause, and we itch to learn what it was.But when good things are done, we typically assume theyre performed magnanimously, with hearts of purest gold. Why is that?Maybe its a belief that when we do good, thats normal. Whether helping an elderly person across the street, volunteering to assist children, the sick or other people with specific needs, serving the homeless, or making a charitable donation, we presume such things is intrinsic to human nature. Why should we question underlying motivations, asking, Why did he (or she) do that?However, even the most generous gestures might be birthed out of ulterior motives. We see this in politics, of course, where people make large campaign donations with expectations they will receive favors or special considerations in the future. The old I scratch your back, you scratch mine scenario. Employees sometimes go beyond the call of duty, smoozing the boss, thinking that will help them gain a promotion or pay raise or both.Academic institutions are littered with educational buildings and dormitories proudly bearing the names of mega-donors. Salespeople bring special gifts to customers, technically not bribery, intended to enhance business relationships.We see it in families, where a relative responds to a pressing need and then proceeds to make that person feeling obligated beholdin for a long time afterward. It occurs in churches, where affluent members contribute to major fund campaigns, then humbly bask in the adulation for their largesse. Even children quickly learn that one way to gain friends is to do something special so they will like them.This isnt to say we shouldnt seek out situations where we can do good to others. After all, as followers of Jesus were instructed to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39). Also, to do to others as you would have them do to you (Luke 6:31). Were commanded to love even our enemies and be willing to do good to them.The problem surrounds not what we do, but why. What are our motives for doing good? The Scriptures tell us, The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9). In Romans 3:10 were told, There is no one righteous, not even one.Were also told God, the only true judge of the heart and its motives, is very attentive not just to what good we do, but also to why. All a mans ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord (Proverbs 16:3). Similarly, Proverbs 17:3 tells us, The crucible for silver and the crucible for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.The book of Proverbs seems especially concerned with our hearts, our motives, being in the right place. It offers this denouncement: A malicious man disguises himself with his lips, but in his heart he harbors deceit. Though his speech is charming, do not believe him, for seven abominations fill his heart (Proverbs 26:24-25).Whats the solution? Should we simply resign ourselves to the conclusion of the prophet Isaiah, who said, Woe to me! I cried. I am ruined (undone)! For I am a man of unclean lips (Isaiah 6:5)?No, the book of Proverbs offers a better alternative: Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life (Proverbs 4:23). We can also pray as did the psalmist, who wrote, Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me (Proverbs 51:10).The Word of God tells us we all are afflicted with a heart problem, although for many it doesnt involve the physical muscle in the chest that beats 100,000 times a day.Without question, the Lord is calling for us to do good. As much good as possible, as often as possible. That should be part of a believers spiritual DNA. But as were doing it, we should be diligent to guard our hearts. If we suspect our motives are less than noble, we should ask the Lord to create in each of us a pure heart.Then, if someone were to ask, after weve done good to others, Why did you do that? we can know we did it out of love for God the greatest commandment and love for our neighbor, the second greatest commandment.---- One militant was killed on Thursday in a gunfight with security forces in south Kashmir's Pulwama district, police said. As soon as the security forces cordoned off Padgampora village following information about the presence of the militants, they were fired at, triggering the fighting. The gunfight is still ongoing and one other holed-up militant has refused to surrender despite appeals, intelligence sources told IANS. "Some of his family members were also asked to motivate him to surrender, but to no avail," the sources added. The Bannihal-Baramulla train service was suspended for the day as the railway track moves close to Padgampora village. --IANS sq/ksk/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The archaeologists who are assessing the damage caused by Islamic State (IS) terrorists to the tomb of the prophet of Jonah have found a palace which dates back to 600BC, a media report said. The previously untouched palace buried under the ruins of the Nebi Yunus shrine -- containing what Muslims and Christians believe to be the tomb of Jonah -- was destroyed by IS terrorist in July 2014. The shrine is located on top of a hill in eastern Mosul, a city in northern Iraq was retaken from IS control by Iraqi army forces last month. According to The Telegraph, IS terrorists dug tunnels deep under the shrine. These tunnels were not professionally built, leaving them unstable and at risk of collapse within the next few weeks, burying the ancient palace. "We fear it could all collapse at any time. There are cave-ins in the tunnels every day," archaeologist Layla Salih, was quoted as saying. The palace was renovated and expanded by King Esarhaddon after it was built for his father Sennacherib. It was partly destroyed during a ransacking as part of the Battle of Nineveh in 612 BC. --IANS sku/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Twenty-one girls died and 37 others were injured in a fire at a children's shelter home in central Guatemala. The fire broke out at the Virgen de Asuncion home in San Jose Pinula on Wednesday when the residents were protesting sexual and physical abuse at the shelter, Efe news reported. Although the staff attempted to extinguish the flames, the fire spread rapidly. Guatemala official Mayra Veliz said that of the first 19 deaths, 17 were caused by severe burns. According to preliminary investigation, the fire started after the girls set the mattresses alight during the protest, said the ombudsman for Human Rights, Abde Paredes. Some 100 people gathered around the area, crying and demanding that authorities identify the deceased and wounded girls. A witness at the shelter home said authorities "didn't help" the girls on Wednesday and took a long time to react. Outside the care home, families of some of the children demanded answers and complained about conditions at the centre. --IANS soni/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least 23 civilians were killed in airstrikes by the US-led international coalition near the Syrian city of al-Raqqa, a British war monitor reported on Thursday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that six children and four women were among those killed, reported Efe news. SOHR added that most of the victims were members of the same family. Many were also wounded, but the NGO was not able to specify the numbers, although it said that some of them are in serious condition. Since the start of international coalition operations in September 2014, at least 890 civilians, including 212 children, have been killed in bombings, according to the observatory count. The NGO reiterated its request to the international coalition to take caution in airstrikes in urban areas like al-Raqqa, because there is no justification for killing civilians, according to the report. --IANS soni/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least 26 people were killed and 24 others injured in an attack by two suicide bombers at a wedding in Iraq's Salahudin province, a security source said on Thursday. The attacks occurred on Wednesday night when two suicide bombers wearing explosive vests blew themselves up at the wedding party, the source told Xinhua news agency. A third suicide bomber tried to enter the scene of the two explosions, but he was killed after his explosive vest prematurely detonated, the source said, adding that many of the wounded were in critical condition. --IANS ksk/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Egyptian woman Eman Ahmed Abdelaly, admitted in Saifee Hospital here since a month, underwent a successful weight reduction surgery on March 7, a medical bulletin said on Thursday. Eman, 37, weighing nearly 500 kgs and billed as the heaviest woman in the world, was brought from Alexandria on February 11 for a weight-loss programme which includes surgery. The surgery was conducted under the supervision of well-known bariatric surgeon Muffazal Lakdawala, Chairman of Saifee Hospital's Institute of Minimal Access Surgical Sciences & Research Centre. Since her arrival in Mumbai, Eman has already lost over 100 kg and presents a different picture -- the surgery will help her shed more weight. Though the hospital authorities declined to give details of the actual weight loss accrued till date, it is believed to be another 100 kgs or so. "The medical team of Saifee Hospital successfully performed a Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy surgery on Eman on March 7. She had an uneventful surgery and anaesthesia course," a hospital medical bulletin said on Thursday. She is now on oral fluids and is accepting them well as the weight-reduction course progresses. "The future course of action for the medical team working on her will be to correct all her associated medical problems, to get her fit enough to fly back to Egypt as soon as possible. The patient is now in post-op care and we will share more updates in due course," the hospital said. Earlier, Lakdawala had said that they planned to reduce another around 150-200 kgs and bring her around to 100 kgs or less. Eman's condition will now be monitored before the next surgery is fixed to bring her down to a lean and trim 100 kgs or so. The hospital has already announced that all the treatment for the high-profile patient would be free of cost. --IANS qn/vd/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) FBI Director James Comey warned that Americans should not have expectations of "absolute privacy" after the disclosure of a range of hacking tools used by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). "There is no such thing as absolute privacy in America; there is no place outside of judicial reach," Comey said at a Boston College conference on cyber security on Wednesday. He made the remark as he discussed the rise of encryption since 2013 disclosures by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden about sensitive US spy practices, CNN reported. The Federal Bureau of Investigation chief also said that he planned to finish his term leading the agency, CNN reported. "Even our communications with our spouses, with our clergy members, with our attorneys are not absolutely private in America... In appropriate circumstances, a judge can compel any one of us to testify in court about those very private communications," Comey said. But, he also said Americans "have a reasonable expectation of privacy in our homes, in our cars, in our devices". "It is a vital part of being an American. The government cannot invade our privacy without good reason, reviewable in court," Comey said. Fresh concerns over personal privacy arose after WikiLeaks published what it called the first tranche of a larger body of data about CIA hacking, which it says was provided to the organisation by a whistleblower seeking to trigger a debate on the issue. The CIA said it would not comment on the authenticity of the WikiLeaks material but issued a statement pointing out it was legally prohibited from using such surveillance tools in the US. "The CIA's mission is to aggressively collect foreign intelligence overseas to protect America from terrorists, hostile nation states and other adversaries. It is CIA's job to be innovative, cutting-edge, and the first line of defence in protecting this country from enemies abroad. America deserves nothing less," the statement said. There is anxiety in Washington that the WikiLeaks release of what it called its "Vault 7" trove of data would make the hacking tools available to criminal or terrorist organisations, or foreign governments, according to reports. Comey said that in the last four months of 2016, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) lawfully gained access to 2,800 devices recovered in criminal, terrorism and counter-intelligence investigations and the agency was unable to open 43 per cent of those devices. Americans' desire for privacy and security should never be viewed as incompatible, he said. "We all value privacy. We all value security. We should never have to sacrifice one for the other," Comey said. "Our founders struck a bargain that is at the center of this amazing country of ours and has been for over two centuries." --IANS soni/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Punjab could be on the verge of turning over a new leaf in its political history on Saturday when counting of votes cast for 117 assembly seats takes place. The counting day, this time, is different from such earlier occasions as the state witnessed triangular contests for the first time. While the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the latest entrant in Punjab's political scene, the Congress and the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (SAD-BJP) alliance are all claiming victory for their respective parties, the anxiety factor for candidates is higher than usual this time. For all three parties the biggest fear is that the assembly election results will throw up a hung house, as the prospects of any of these parties allying with the others are remote, as of today. "It is a different feeling this time as all seats witnessed triangular contests. While the Akali-BJP and Congress vote-banks are known, the inroads or dent made by the AAP will be known only on March 11," a senior Congress legislator, looking forward to his fifth victory, said here. While the "satta" (betting) market has given a clear majority to the AAP, the Congress and the SAD-BJP have not given up hope. Some poll surveys and intelligence inputs have put the Congress, led by former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, ahead of the AAP and the Akali Dal-BJP combine. "From all the available information, the Congress is definitely forming the next government in Punjab. We should get around 65 seats," Amarinder Singh said. But Akali Dal president and Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal is upbeat about the alliance returning to power for a third consecutive term. "Everyone will be proven wrong on March 11 and we will win comfortably. The surveys will fall flat," Badal said in Ludhiana on Tuesday. Of the 117 assembly seats, the fate of the next government will be decided in the agricultural Malwa belt, the region south of the river Sutlej, which alone accounts for 69 seats. The Malwa belt has been a stronghold of the Akali Dal but it lost ground to the Congress in this area in the 2012 assembly polls. It is in this very belt that the AAP has made deep inroads and is expecting its biggest numbers in the assembly. It was in the Malwa belt that the AAP won four Lok Sabha seats in the 2014 parliamentary elections, even though no one was ready to give it an outside chance. AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been enthusiastic about the "overwhelming support" by the people in Punjab. "The AAP will create a history by scoring a record number of seats in the assembly elections. The people of Punjab deserve all the credit for being part of a revolution for building a new Punjab and against family rule," Kejriwal said recently, following the February 4 voting in the state. All the three major parties in Uttar Pradesh expressed confidence of emerging victorious from the recent assembly polls, the BJP even ordering 'laddoos' and bands ahead of Saturday's vote count. But many contestants had anxiety writ large on their faces and prayer on their lips, and sought divine benevolence after a hectic, two-month campaign. Preparations for ballot counting have been completed at the 75 centres across the state, said poll officials. At first, postal ballots will be counted as counting begins at 8 a.m. After that the seals of the electronic voting machines (EVM) will be broken in front of agents of various parties and contestants and the Election Commission officials. Ahead of the D-Day, even the most optimistic of candidates are keeping their fingers crossed and many have taken to praying to their favourite gods or undertaking pilgrimages with their families. Anurag Bhadouria, the Congress candidate from Lucknow East, said he had gone to the Sai Baba temple in Maharashtra's Shirdi and is hopeful that "my Guru would see me through". Archana Dixit, wife of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Yogesh Dixit, says she is all set for the vote counting day and the family plans to visit the famous Hanuman Setu temple here after victory. "We have done a lot of hard work and am sure that victory will be ours," she said, adding the family flew to Nepal after the polling in Lucknow and visited the famous Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu to seek blessings of Lord Shiva. Former Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi, who switched loyalties to the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the polls and re-contested from Lucknow Cantt, says she has full faith in the people of her constituency and is relaxed about her win. "I have been meeting people, visiting my favourite temple and am confident that with the track record as a legislator and the charisma of Prime Minister Modi, I will emerge victorious," she said. BJP's state women's wing chief Swati Singh, who contested the election from Sarojiningar constituency in the state capital, said she had undertaken a pilgrimage of Banke Bihari temple in Mathura. "I have been travelling a lot, campaigned for the party and have also visited the Bhrigu temple in Ballia, praying for my victory," she said. BSP candidate Shankari Singh is busy with 'hawans' and is hopeful of a "good victory, God willing", while Aparna Yadav, the younger daughter-in-law of Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav who is contesting her first elections from Lucknow Cantt, has just returned from Patna Saheb and is optimistic about her win. "I have worked hard in my constituency and am sure people will reward me with a victory," she said. Owing to the high-voltage campaign spearhead by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP workers and leaders are confident of getting a "majority" in the state assembly. Laddos have been ordered and music bands requisitioned for the vote counting day. BJP state General Secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak said the leadership has already said it would be a "vijay ki Holi" so they are all geared up for March 11, while Samajwadi Party legislator Udayveer Singh, a close associate of chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, expressed similar sentiments. But he said the celebration part is for the candidates to take care of. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, known for her low profile style of celebrating victories, will stay at her sprawling Mall Avenue residence and has asked cadres and leaders to first focus on counting and to ensure that there is no problem there. "We will celebrate in style once we romp home safe and with good lead," said a senior party leader. The Uttar Pradesh assembly has 403 seats and the ruling Samajwadi Party had 224 in the outgoing house. The BSP had 80, the BJP 48, and the Congress 28 members. (Mohit Dubey can be contacted at mohit.d@ians.in) --IANS md/vd/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Indian Army on Thursday conveyed its concerns to Pakistan on the movement of terrorists along the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan-held Kashmir, informed sources said. The Director General of Military Operations (DGMO), Lt. Gen. A.K. Bhat, spoke to his Pakistani counterpart to share his concerns, the sources said. The LoC divides Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan. The two DGMOs also discussed the repatriation of two Pakistani teenagers apprehended in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir last year. The two will be handed over to Pakistani authorities at the Attari-Wagah border near Amritsar in Punjab on March 10. The National Investigation Agency on Wednesday released Faisal Hussain Awan and Ahsan Khursheed, who were arrested on September 21 after a terror attack on an Indian Army base in Uri town that left 19 soldiers dead. --IANS rs/tsb/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) NOTICE: The Hamilton County Registers Office did not publish this data. All information in the Registers Office is public information as set out in T.C.A. 10-7-503. For questions regarding this report, please call Chattanoogan.com at 423 266-2325. GI numbers, listed when street addresses are not available, refer to the location of transactions (book number and page number) in Hamilton County Register Office records. Bodo groups in Assam, including the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) and Bodo People's Front (BPF), are up in arms against the Centre and the state government for being "soft" on illegal migrants from Bangladesh, who they say are swarming Bodo-dominated areas. ABSU, which has revived its agitation for a separate Bodoland state in October 2016, accuses the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Assam government of adopting a "careless and mild approach" to the fast-rising population of illegal Bangladeshi migrants in their areas. The BPF, a party in coalition with the state government, maintains that the central leaders are not willing to solve the issue as they do not understand the gravity of the problem. "Today the situation is such that illegal migrants have encroached not just on our forest lands but also other areas. The BJP state government is extremely careless on the issue. Assam is going to lose everything, as the indigenous Bodo people are facing the threat of major illegal migrants influx," Pramod Bodo, President of ABSU, told IANS. He said that only Bodos have rights to areas belonging to the community in Assam, and they won't accept any government decision to give land to illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, irrespective of whether they are Muslims or Hindus. He said the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) have been witnessing a constant rise in the number of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants for several years, with the population now standing at nearly 250,000. In 2012, a major riot broke out between the Bodos and Bengali Muslims in BTAD which left over 70 people dead and rendered 400,000 homeless. BPF, which operates the BTAD, feels that the issue of illegal migrants has turned grave. BTAD areas include Kokrajhar, Chirang, Udalguri and Baksha -- a total of 8,969.98 sq km. "In Assam the problem of illegal immigrants is turning grave. Whichever government has come till now has not shown any interest in dealing with the issue. Our Indian national leaders are not interested. If they were keen then the problem would have been solved much earlier," Biswajit Daimary, a senior leader of BPF and a Rajya Sabha MP from Assam, told IANS. According to Daimary, the central government "does not understand" the problem that rising population of illegal migrants poses in tribal areas of Assam. "If the central leaders, either the BJP or the former government, had cared to understand the problems of Bodos, then solving them would have become very easy," said Daimary. According to Assam Police, Bangladeshi immigrants have encroached on the land of Bodos, including reserve forest land. "There is a huge influx of illegal immigrants in the BTAD areas. In fact, large sections of them have started encroaching on the reserve forest situated in BTAD areas," said a senior Assam Police officer, who did not want to be identified. Asked why the Police were not evicting illegal migrants from the forest land, the officer said, "There needs to be an order by the government. Until there is an order nothing can be done." The BJP has, however, denied that it is "soft" on the issue of rising illegal Bangladeshi migrants in Bodo areas or the rest of Assam. "The Assam government is certainly taking stringent initiatives against illegal immigrants in Assam. There is a legal procedure to identify them and we are doing it. The BJP is not at all soft on the issue of illegal immigrants," Bhabesh Kalita, General Secretary of BJP Assam Pradesh, told IANS. (Rupesh Dutta can be contacted at Rupesh.d@ians.in) --IANS rup/rn/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China on Thursday urged the US to stop tapping phones, monitoring, spying and launching cyber attacks on China and other countries, after WikiLeaks released what it called data on hacking carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said during a press conference that China is concerned about the situation and warned that Beijing will firmly safeguard its own cyber security, reported Efe news. China "is ready to enhance dialogue and cooperation with the international community to formulate a set of international rules on cyberspace acceptable to all parties under the UN framework", said Geng. Wikileaks, led by Australia's Julian Assange, said that its "Vault 7" series, released with the chapter "Year Zero" covering the period 2013 to 2016 with 8,761 documents, is the biggest intelligence data leak in history. The documents explain how the CIA is capable of intercepting WhatsApp or Sina Weibo -- Chinese equivalent of Twitter -- messages and use methods to blame other countries for digital spying, according to the report. The Chinese response to the WikiLeaks release coincided with Beijing's reaction to the latest global human rights report published annually by the US in which Washington criticised the situation in China. China, in its counter-report, accused the US of considering itself to be the human rights judge while ignoring its own domestic issues. The Beijing report was released a week after the US report, in which Chinese authorities are accused of serious human rights violations, including the suppression of dissent, forced confessions by detainees, and the torture and harassment of media, dissidents, activists and lawyers. The Chinese document, according to the report, also denounced America's "discriminatory behaviour towards minorities", the worst wage gap between the blacks and the whites in four decades alongside the growing marginalisation of Muslim communities. --IANS soni/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ancona (Italy), March 9 (IANS/AKI) A husband and wife were killed when a bridge collapsed on the A14 motorway near the eastern Italian coastal city of Ancona on Thursday. Three highways construction workers were injured when the bridge collapsed on the A14 highway. The victims were named as Emidio Diomedi, 60, and his wife Antonella Viviani, 54, from Spinetoli near Ascoli Piceno in the Marche region. The highway was closed to traffic in both directions after the collapse. Italian Transport Minister Graziano Delrio was due to appoint a team of inspectors to report on the incident. The bridge was a temporary structure to support an overpass that had been closed to traffic, Highway company Autostrade per l'Italia said. The collapse took place during work to broaden the A14 to three lanes between its South Ancona and Loreto exits. --IANS/AKI vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel on Thursday summoned the commissioners of the capital's three municipal corporations to appear in his office on March 14, after several AAP legislators complained that they refused public works funded by MLA Fund. Goel's action came after the assembly held a short-duration discussion on the city's civic corporations ahead of the municipal polls slated for April. The Speaker said he had already asked the commissioner of the East Delhi Municipal Corporation to meet him next Tuesday but after various issues raised by the members, he asked the commissioners of North and South Municipal Corporations of Delhi (MCDs) as well to join. Delhi Urban Development Minister Satyendar Jain said the municipal bodies were taking credit of works done by the Delhi government by installing plaques bearing names of former MLAs instead of the incumbent Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) lawmakers. Goel seconded Jain and said even he faced the same problem in his constituency. Attacking the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Jain said the people of Delhi were suffering for the last 20 years when both these parties ruled the civic corporations. "Both BJP and Congress are two sides of the same coin. Neither did they work for the people, nor do they let us work," Jain said. AAP legislator from Chandni Chowk Alka Lamba said the MCDs take money from the MLA Fund for development works but do not carry out the work. "I gave them Rs 2 crore for improving the condition of narrow streets near Jama Masjid last year and they have still not started the work," Lamba said. MLA from Model Town Akhilesh Pati Tripathi said the MCDs "keep the money from MLA Fund and earn interest from it but don't carry out the assigned work". Malviya Nagar MLA Somnath Bharti said the municipal corporations often refuse work funded by MLA Fund. "And when we want to get that work through some other agency, they don't issue the No Objection Certificate." Goel asked the MLAs to submit details of pending works in their constituency and assured them of taking up the issue with the municipal commissioners. --IANS am-vv/vgu/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actress Vidya Balan says "Begum Jaan" has been a great experience, and she is looking forward to its release. "I am coming back from Kolkata after promoting the film. It was a great experience. Right now, I am feeling very excited about 'Begum Jaan' and loving the reactions of people. I am looking forward to the release now," Vidya said here at the airport. The first poster of the Srijit Mukherji directorial has a tagline that reads: "My Body, My House, My Country, My Rules". The poster has Vidya sitting with dishevelled hair, holding a hookah pipe in her hand, and she is dressed in a maroon lehenga and an embroidered blouse. Asked if "Begum Jaan" can be tagged as the boldest film of this year, Vidya said: "That I won't be able to tell." The film, which is the Hindi adaptation of Bengali movie "Rajkahini", will see "The Dirty Picture" actress portraying the role of brothel's madam during the partition of India. The film also features Naseeruddin Shah and Gauahar Khan in key roles and is slated to release on April 14. -*- Akshay Kumar's ruminations on speed Actor Akshay Kumar, known for his mastery of action scenes, pondered upon how the definition of speed has changed through the year. Akshay, a trained martial arts expert, posted an old video of one of his performances at an award function in the 1990s. "Throwback to when speed was about how fast you could punch, not how fast you could type. Thursday motivation," Akshay captioned the post on his Twitter account. The one-minute-long video has Akshay showing off his martial art moves with the help of other professional martial artists. On the work front, Akshay is currently filming "Toilet: Ek Prem Katha" and "2.0". -*- Ajay Devgn wraps up Rajasthan shooting schedule Actor Ajay Devgan has wrapped up his shooting schedule in Rajasthan for "Baadshaho". Ajay posted an image on his Twitter account on Thursday, captioning it: "Rajasthan schedule wraps. Goodbye blue skies". The image captures a parapet of an old fort of Rajasthan with a clear blue sky in the backdrop. "Baadhsaho" will also feature actress Emraan Hashmi, Esha Gupta, Ileana D'Cruz and Vidyut Jammwal in lead roles. Directed by Milan Luthria, the film is slated to release on September 1. --IANS iv/ks/rb/sac (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Exit polls by various news channels and survey agencies have indicated a rout for the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance in Punjab, with most projecting single-digit seats for the ruling combine. Counting of votes for 117 Punjab assembly seats -- voting for which was held on February 4 -- will be taken up on March 11. A party needs 59 seats to gain a simple majority in the assembly. The Aaj Tak-Axis survey gave the SAD-BJP combine four to seven seats. It predicted a clear majority for the Congress with 62-71 seats and AAP in second position with 42-51 seats. The India News-MRC survey gave seven seats to the Akali Dal-BJP combine and put the Congress and the AAP neck and neck at 55 seats each. The News24-Chanakya survey gave nine seats to the ruling alliance and put the Congress and AAP neck and neck at 54 seats each. The India TV-C Voter survey gave 5-13 seats to the SAD-BJP alliance and projected the AAP as a winner with 59 to 67 seats. The Congress was projected to get 41-49 seats. The ABP-CSDS survey gave the Akali Dal-BJP combine 19-27 seats, with the Congress emerging as the single largest party with 46-56 seats. It gave 36-46 seats to the AAP. Some surveys gave 2-3 seats to other parties and Independent candidates. Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh on Thursday expressed confidence of his party forming the next government in the state "with a clear majority". Reacting to the exit polls, Amarinder said: "I am optimistic that our party will attain a clear majority with 62-65 seats. The exit polls are merely indicative of the positive trend in favour of the Congress but the actual results will be completely in favour of the party." The Akali Dal-BJP alliance has been in power in Punjab since 2007. The alliance won the 2007 and 2012 assembly elections in straight contests with the Congress. In the 2017 elections, the AAP emerged as a third force on most seats. Punjab recorded a high of 77.4 per cent voter turnout. --IANS js/tsb/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Federal authorities have launched a criminal investigation into the public release of a document cache believed to detail CIA hacking tools designed to breach computers, web servers, smartphones and televisions, a US official said. The official, speaking on anonymity, told USA Today on Wednesday that the inquiry is being coordinated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), following disclosure by WikiLeaks that the CIA Centre for Cyber Intelligence "lost control of the majority of its hacking arsenal". The inquiry, the official said, will seek to determine whether the disclosure represented a breach from the outside or a leak from inside the spy agency. A separate review will attempt to assess the damage caused by such a disclosure, the official said. CIA spokesman Dean Boyd declined to comment on the status of any investigation, though he defended the agency's mission to "aggressively collect foreign intelligence overseas to protect America from terrorists, hostile nation states and other adversaries". "The American public should be deeply troubled by any WikiLeaks disclosure designed to damage the intelligence community's ability to protect America against terrorists and other adversaries," Boyd said. CIA spokeswoman Heather F. Horniak said: "Such disclosures not only jeopardise US personnel and operations, but also equip our adversaries with tools and information to do us harm." White House spokesman Sean Spicer declined to confirm the authenticity of the documents, but he said such breaches "should be a major concern", according to the report. Only weeks before the November election, President Donald Trump lauded WikiLeaks following its publication of correspondence from John Podesta, then campaign chairman for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. On Wednesday, however, Spicer suggested there was a "difference" between Podesta's hacked emails and the disclosure of classified information, though the theft of both represent possible criminal offences. WikiLeaks, headed by whistleblower Julian Assange, on Tuesday posted a series of seven batches of leaks, called "Vault 7" and of which the group entitled "Year Zero", including 7,818 pages with 943 attached files, had already been published. It published the huge batch of secret alleged CIA files, in which hacking tools the government uses to crack users' computers, mobile phones and other devices are discussed in detail. Meanwhile, Beijing on Thursday urged the US to stop tapping phones, monitoring, spying and launching cyber attacks on China and other countries. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said during a press conference that China is concerned about the situation and warned that Beijing will firmly safeguard its own cyber security, reported Efe news. China "is ready to enhance dialogue and cooperation with the international community to formulate a set of international rules on cyberspace acceptable to all parties under the UN framework", said Geng. The whistleblowing organisation claimed on Twitter that the data dump accounted for less than one per cent of "Vault 7". However, it did not give further information on when more leaks would occur. --IANS soni/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dismissing allegations of political ideology behind the funding restrictions on US-based charity Compassion International, India on Thursday said that a fully transparent process was followed in the case and the organisation will have to follow local laws. "Any NGO -- foreign or Indian, has to operate in India -- or for that matter anywhere else in the world -- within the laws of the country. The process regarding the matter you mentioned has been very transparent," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Gopal Baglay said during his weekly media briefing. "There is a well-established legal framework for NGOs to conduct their operations in India. India has one of the largest NGO networks in the world," he added. The CI, that has been operating in India since 1968 and allegedly involved in conversion, has announced that it will end its programme in India on March 15. The Ministry of Home Affairs has placed the American NGO in the Prior Reference Category of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, which requires foreign donor to get prior clearance of the ministry before transfering money to any organisation in India. To a query on the involvement of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in this matter, Baglay said: "Any such suppositions are completely extraneous to the matter." "I do not think the activities or views of private bodies, views may, can or do influence government's policies or actions." The US State Department on Wednesday expressed concern over the closure of the operations of CI in India and sought "fairer process" for foreign NGOs in the country. --IANS rs/vd/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The outlawed Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) suffered a major setback when its so-called "Foreign Secretary" surrendered on Thursday, police said. Briyan R. Marak alias Milliam crossed over to India from Bangladesh on Wednesday night between Gausapara and Sibbari in Meghalaya's South Garo Hills district and surrendered to Abraham Sangma, the district police chief of South Garo Hill. "It is a huge setback for the GNLA leadership (Sohan D. Shira). We were caught by surprise," Sangma told IANS. Marak was arrested on December 15, 2012 by the Rapid Action Battalion for illegally entering Bangladesh without valid travel documents. Ten months after being released from jail, Marak continue to stay in Bangladesh illegally besides criss-crossing the India-Bangladesh border to meet GNLA cadres in Garo Hills region in Meghalaya. "Marak told us he decided to give up after realizing that the GNLA fight for a separate Garoland will not succeed besides growing dictatorial attitude of Sohan towards the cadres besides unwanted killings," Sangma said. However, the police officer said Marak came overground in the wake of the intensified combing operation launched by Meghalaya Police in Garo Hills. "They have been under intense pressure and the only option for them was to surrender. We are hopeful more of them will follow suit," one officer said. The GNLA, which claims to be fighting for a Garoland in western Meghalaya, is headed by police officer-turned-rebel Champion R. Sangma, who is now in a Shillong jail after being arrested near the India-Bangladesh border in 2012. The GNLA has forged an alliance with the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent. --IANS rrk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After a wait of more than a month, the fate of 251 candidates who contested the February 4 assembly election in Goa will finally be known when the ballots polled in over 2,500 EVMs are counted on Saturday. The Congress, the BJP and the AAP ran the most high-octane campaigns, along with regional parties like Goa Forward and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, which contested in alliance with Shiv Sena and the Goa Suraksha Manch, mentored by former state RSS chief Subhash Velingkar. When Goa went to polls on February 4 along with Punjab, there was 83 per cent voting, which equalled the polling percentage of 2012. A majority of the 15,590 postal ballots have been accounted for, according to Election Commission officials. But opposition parties have accused the BJP of trying to badger bearers of the postal ballots, mostly government servants who were engaged in the electioneering process, to vote for it, a charge Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar has rejected. For the 40 assembly seats, the BJP fielded candidates in 36, the AAP in 39, the Congress in 37, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) in 25 and the NCP also in 37 seats. While the AAP, Congress, the BJP and the MGP had initially claimed victories with a comfortable majority, top leaders from the Congress as well as the MGP over the last few days have said that they were open to support from like-minded legislators. "If other candidates believe in the Congress ideology, programme and manifesto, they're free to support us," state Congress President Luizinho Faleiro said on Wednesday. While the Congress contested the election on its own, it did have a strategic alliance with United Goans for two seats. The Chief Ministerial face of the MGP, Sudin Dhavalikar, also said that his party was open to an alliance, if such a situation arose, while also insisting that the MGP, one of the state's oldest regional parties, could come to power on its own. Some of the key issues which were hotly debated during the month-long campaign were a ban on casinos, proposed by the Congress, AAP and GSM in their election manifestos, along with bringing down of prices of essential commodities and promises of doles. The opposition also focussed on corruption by the BJP-led coalition regime even as the BJP banked on the development executed during its five-year tenure. The BJP did not name a Chief Ministerial candidate, ignoring incumbent Parsekar. Its leaders hinted that Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar could be brought back to state . The February 4 election also saw Goa earn the credential of being the first state in the country to fully implement the electronically transmitted postal ballot system and the VVPAT technology, which allows voters to verify whether they have voted correctly. --IANS maya/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In 1904, Joseph Cadek founded the Cadek Conservatory of Music on Walnut Street in downtown Chattanooga. For more than a century, his original vision to develop the communitys interest in music through outstanding music education has remained the focus of the conservatory. Cadek Conservatory first became affiliated with the University of Chattanooga in 1935, and a 1978 subsequent agreement was implemented with UTC. Throughout this relationship, the conservatory has continued to provide high-quality private music lessons for youth and adults. Generations of Chattanoogans have learned to play string and wind instruments, piano, and percussion at Cadek. They have also engaged in voice lessons, learned music theory, joined music ensembles, and participated in the Kindermusik program. Cadek Conservatory of Music will begin a new era this summer through a partnership with Girls Preparatory School. Cadek will continue offering a program of musical instruction, but on the GPS campus. GPSs commitment to the performing arts, in addition to its reputation for academic excellence, ensures a high-quality instructional program that will continue to enhance the musical landscape of Chattanooga, said Chris Smith, GPS Board chair and director of UTC School of Nursing. We are very excited to work with GPS to expand access to the music lessons offered by the Cadek Conservatory,' said UTC Chancellor Dr. Steve Angle, in making the joint announcement with GPS Head of School Dr. Autumn A. Graves. "UTC values and promotes cultural programming in our community, and this partnership allows us to further that commitment. UTC is an active member in the arts community in Chattanooga, and we believe this new partnership will bring new opportunities to enhance that participation." Since being approached by UTC about partnering in a transition of the Cadek Conservatory to the campus of GPS, our goal has been to honor the conservatorys historic significance and tradition of excellence while increasing its value to the community, said Dr. Graves. The alignment of Cadek with GPS will allow a broader range of families in the community to take advantage of Cadeks services and for the Cadek legacy to continue and thrive in Chattanooga. Work on the Cadek Conservatorys new home is already under way as GPS converts a historic structure on its campus for a new purpose. The conservatory will be located in a building that was designed and built by noted modernist architect Mario Bianculli for use as his own residence. It features light-filled spaces and a unique design complemented by views of the Tennessee River an ideal location for music instruction, said officials. Cadek will open its doors for lessons on the GPS campus beginning July 1, for the second summer term. Families and individuals interested in lessons on strings, winds and brass, keyboard, percussion, harp, voice, Kindermusik or Suzuki instruction this summer are encouraged to email Cadek@UTC.edu. Registration for the fall term will take place on the GPS website at cadek@gps.edu. A women's group here on Thursday filed a complaint against filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma with the Goa State Women's Commission, accusing him of making derogatory statements against women on social media. In the complaint filed against Varma, Prateeksha Korgaonkar, state convenor of Ranaragini, the women's wing of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, has also demanded action against the director. "The tweet exposes his perverse mentality. The statement is an insult to all women. The tweet of Varma shows that his lust-filled (eyes) only see Sunny Leone in every woman. RGV is a blot on society. Varma's tweet shattered hopes that women may get some respect at least on 'International Women's Day'," the complaint to the Commission states. Varma on International Women's Day had tweeted: "I wish all the women in the world give men as much happiness as Sunny Leone gives." A spokesperson for the Commission confirmed the receipt of the complaint. "We are examining the contents of the complaint. If need be, we will be issuing notice to the concerned parties," the commission spokesperson told reporters in Panaji. On Wednesday, a complaint was also filed at the Mapusa police station in North Goa district, seeking action against Varma for his tweet which has triggered controversy. No FIR has been registered against the director yet. --IANS maya/rb/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed Uphaar theatre owner Gopal Ansal's plea not to send him to jail to serve the remaining sentence for the 1997 fire tragedy, but extended his date of surrender by 10 days. A bench of Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice A.K. Goel asked Gopal Ansal to surrender on March 20 to serve the nearly seven months in jail. "Appeal dismissed. Accused Gopal Ansal will surrender to serve (the) remaining sentence...," said the bench. The bench refused to accept Gopal Ansal's plea seeking parity with elder brother Sushil Ansal, who was let off with the sentence he has already served. Senior advocate Ram Jethmalani appearing for Gopal Ansal even told the court that his "cinema hall has gone" and he was "practically living on some people's help and charity". Gopal Ansal was to surrender by March 9 to serve the remaining sentence in jail. He had earlier served four months of his one-year sentence. Gopal Ansal is co-accused along with his brother Sushil Ansal in the Uphaar cinema fire tragedy case in which 59 persons were killed. The apex court on February 9 sentenced the builder to one year in jail. He said the court could not deny him the same relief extended to Sushil Ansal because his medical condition too was "equally precarious". Sushil Ansal's age and ailments were taken into consideration while not sending him to prison. Gopal Ansal sought modification of the order which asked him to serve the remaining sentence, citing his hearing impairment due to which he claimed he has fainted several times. The apex court also dismissed the plea of the Association for Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT), which opposed Gopal Ansal's plea. The court accepted contentions of senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), that review pleas of the CBI and the association have already been decided and there cannot be a review of the review judgement. Expressing "genuine remorse" for those who died in the "unfortunate tragedy", Gopal Ansal contended that he had borne the punishment more than he deserved. The court had said that since Gopal Ansal, 69, did not suffer any age-related complications, as was the case with Sushil Ansal, 77, there could be no principle of parity and he must spend one year in prison. The Ansals, who co-owned the Uphaar cinema in south Delhi, were held guilty of "criminal negligence" but escaped jail terms beyond a few months after the top court's 2015 order. A huge fire broke out at the Uphaar when Hindi movie "Border" was being screened on June 13, 1997. Trapped inside, 59 persons died of asphyxia and over 100 were injured in a stampede. --IANS gt/in/rn (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The central government on Thursday said it has collected a little more than Rs 1.15 crore to fund its regional air connectivity scheme. According to Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati, the scheduled airlines are required to pay a regional connectivity fund (RCF) levy on certain flights operated within India. "Till date an amount of Rs 1,15,42,000 has been received," the minister said in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. However, the minister said that Federation of Indian Airlines has filed a court case on this issue and that the matter is sub-judice. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said the government and the Lok Sabha sympathises with Sartaj, the father of a slain terror suspect who refused to accept the body of his "traitor" son. Making a statement in the Lok Sabha on the blast in a Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train and subsequent anti-terror operations in Lucknow, Rajnath Singh also said that the anti-terror operations had helped "successfully avert" a possible threat to national security and that further probe would be handed over to the National Investigation Agency. Referring to the shootout in Lucknow in which Saifullah was killed after nearly 12-hours long gun battle with police, the Home Minister spoke about the youth's father who on Wednesday said he did not want to take the body. So far six arrests have been made related to the train blast, the Minister informed Lok Sabha. "When the Uttar Pradesh police met his father to hand over the body, Sartaj said one who could not be faithful to his country, was no one for him," Rajnath Singh said in the House. "He said I have worked hard all my life for my family, but this boy has shamed me. I sympathise with the father of Saifullah, I am sure the whole House sympathises with him," the Minister said. "He (Sartaj) had to lose a son. The government is proud of such people, the whole House is proud of such people," the Minister said, as members from both treasury and opposition benches joined him by thumping their desks. Saifullah, who was killed in the wee hours of Wednesday in Lucknow, was according to police "self radicalised" and he along with others including five who have been arrested were trying to build an Islamic State Khorasan module in the city. Saifullah hailed from Kanpur. His father Sartaj said on Wednesday that Saifullah had left home around two and a half months back after being scolded and beaten by his father for not working. "What he has done is not in national interest. We will not take the dead body of such a traitor," Sartaj had said on Wednesday in Kanpur. Giving details of the train blast and the anti-terror operations, the Home Minister said it was an example of good coordination between state police forces and central agencies. "The events present an excellent example of coordination amongst the state police and central agencies. Due to the prompt action taken by the police of both the states, a possible threat to national security was successfully averted. Further investigations will be handed over to NIA," Singh said. --IANS ao/rn (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed the city police to ensure safe passage for the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Vice Chancellor and other officials to the Administrative Block without being obstructed by the protesters. Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva also directed the protesters to hold peaceful demonstrations at the university but not within 100 metres of the Administrative Block. The court also issued a notice to the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) on the issue. The court directed the JNUSU's office-bearers to be present personally on the next date of hearing and explain the cause of agitation. The court observed that problem can be resolved through dialogues, counselling and mediation. The court was hearing a plea of the JNU administration against the blocking of its Administrative Block by the agitating students. The students had "occupied" the Administrative Block of the university on February 9 against a University Grants Commission (UGC) notification that could alter the university's admission policy, leading to cut in seats for the M.Phil and Ph.D programmes. However, the protesters cleared the area around a week back without any formal announcement to this effect. The court has also told the JNU administration to preserve 30 days' CCTV footage and make it available to the local police, if required. --IANS gt-akk/nir/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India on Thursday said the contribution of the Indian technical professionals helps the US economy become competitive, and added that currently, illegal immigration is the priority of the US administration and not the H1B visa. "It is widely agreed that the presence of Indian technical professionals makes the United States more competitive and helps its economy. You would have seen that senior US officials have stated that illegal immigration and not H1B is their priority," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said in a briefing. Speaking on the discussions held between Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar with his interlocutors in the US last week, Baglay said: "There was a wide-ranging and strong recognition as well as respect for Indian skills and contribution of the Indian technological manpower to the US economy." Giving Indian perspective on the Indian professionals working in the US, the spokesperson said they were positive for the US economy. Calling the H1B a trade and business issue, he said: "Our views have been clearly conveyed to the concerned US interlocutors. We believe that the plans of the US administration for the US economy present an opportunity for the two countries to further consolidate their strong economic partnership." Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar, during his visit to the US last week, said that H1B visas should be considered a trade and services issue and not purely an immigration issue. Jaishankar acknowledged that Trump's administration had a new perspective on the world and that India had to "adapt to it and look at new possibilities". --IANS rs/nir/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Even if the US pulls out of the Paris Agreement, as President Donald Trump has threatened to do, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will bank on India, China and the European Union (EU) and India for the success of the accord, which aims to limit global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius, if now below 1.5 degrees Celsius, above pre-industrial levels by 2100 its top administrator has said. "I am optimistic of whatever happens in the White House. India, China and European Union and other major players have decided they will move (go ahead). They are long past from the point of return. The idea is now to provide global leadership," UNEP Executive Director Erik Solheim told IANS in an interview during a visit here for meetings with the Indian Railways and NABARD. He further said that the US private sectors will also participate in the efforts to climate change."The private sector also will move whatever happens in the White House. Companies such as Apple, Google and Microsoft will participate. Also, companies like WalMart will do it for customers and for their own benefit," Solheim maintained. Solheim said a US pull out would seriously dent the country. "The US has already lost 400,000 jobs and its withdrawal (from the Paris Pact) will take away jobs to China, India and other places," Solheim said. Terming the Kigali Agreement -- where 197 countries struck a new landmark deal last October to phase out by the 2040s the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) -- a "breakthrough", Solheim said: "The process has just started and I am confident that it will happen. It will be implemented the same way, we implemented the Montreal Protocol, that is 100 per cent." The Kigali Agreement went one step ahead of the 1987 Montreal Protocol on phasing out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances (ODS). Solheim said UNEP had plans to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Railways for green procurement to promote use of clean energy on larger scale. The green procurement focuses on procuring or buying things from vendors, which are environment compliant, clean energy efficient and do not use HFCs. "The Indian Railways is not a backyard company. If it starts procuring or buying environmental friendly things, it will have huge impact on market," Solehim said, adding that similar MoU was planned to be signed with an industry lobby to engage the private sector. Similarly, the UNEP has started working with the National Bank For Agriculture And Rural Development (NABARD) to finance a solar revolution in India, Solheim said. He said investment in solar and wind energy has helped in repidly bringing down the environmental crisis. Solheim said that the UNEP had its focus on the major Indian cities which are among most polluted in the world. Although road traffic was source of pollution everywhere, burning of agricultural waste also added to pollution at some places, he said. "We are ready to support the governments with measuring equipment to monitor pollution or to see source, and how pollution can be controlled. We assist them to switch to electric buses and vehicles," he said. "The government must come up with policies but we can provide best expertise, technology, contacts with other governments working on this." (Saurabh Katkurwar can be contacted at saurabh.k@ians.in) --IANS spk/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday left for a one-day visit to Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin amidst speculations of an agreement to end the war in Syria. Netanyahu said he would urge Putin to prevent Iranian presence in Syria, in case such a peace deal is signed, Xinhua news agency reported. "The Prime Minister will express Israel's strong opposition to the presence of Iranian forces, and those of its proxies, on our northern border and in the Mediterranean Sea in the context of the talks on a settlement of any kind," a statement released by Netanyahu's Office said. Netanyahu also intends to reiterate to Putin "the fact that the Golan Heights is not part of the discussion on any outline", the statement added. Israel occupied the Golan Heights in the 1967 Middle East War and later annexed it, in a move not recognised internationally. Israel said Iran had significantly aided its close ally, Syria, in the seven-year civil war, including by reportedly sending in thousands of troops and lending intelligence assistance. Israel has been formally neutral in the war but has reportedly carried out several airstrikes in the neighbouring Syria. In April, Netanyahu acknowledged for the first time that Israel had launched "dozens" of airstrikes in Syria in the past years to prevent the transfer of weapons to the Hezbollah organisation in Lebanon. --IANS ksk/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The JNU administration has demanded stern police action against a group of students who allegedly misbehaved with Vice Chancellor Jagadesh Kumar during a meeting with him, a police officer said on Thursday. Police said a case was registered on Wednesday against 21 students at Vasant Kunj North Police station, after receiving a complaint by Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Registrar Pramod Kumar, as well as on the basis of video footage as evidence. "The police have registered a case against over a dozen students for wrongful restraint, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace and acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Chinmoy Biswal said. Pramod Kumar in his complaint stated that the VC fears physical assault by such student acts and has been doing official work from his residence since March 1, the complaint said. He also demanded strict action against the students to avoid any such incident in the future. "The JNU registrar on March 4 filed a complaint stating that on February 27 after the students removed their blockade, the VC and other staff members went to the administration block. Students again entered the administration block and insisted on meeting the VC," Biswal said. The complaint said that since the VC was unwell and confined inside the Rector 1 office, a doctor was called to examine him. A girl next day threatened to commit suicide if the VC did not meet them and forced him to meet students, he added. --IANS sp/vgu/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Racial discrimination against Indians and the recent killings in the US figured in the on Thursday, with Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge saying it has started happening after Donald Trump took over as President of the US. As opposition members across party lines accused the government of inaction and failure in taking care of its diaspora, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh assured the members that the government is taking the issue very seriously and also promised that a statement would be made in Parliament in the coming week. Kharge, raising the issue, said: "Indians in the US are being killed, threatened, asked to leave the country while our government remains silent." "This has started after (Donald) Trump became the President (of the US). The Indian government has failed to ensure the safety of its diaspora," he said. The Congress leader said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should speak on the issue. "Why is the government silent on this issue. Around 1.70 lakh Indian students are there for studies. Lakhs of Indians are there for work purposes. They are being targeted. Their parents in India are worried," Kharge said. "Prime Minister reacts on tweets on every issue. But why is he silent on this. He must answer and should share the details of its plan to stop such attacks," he said. Expressing his deep concern over the killing of Indians, Biju Janata Dal leader Bhartruhari Mahtab sought to know from the government why Indians are getting killed there. "The Indian government should force the US government to take action," he said. Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) member A.P. Jithender Reddy blamed the "America for Americans" call given by Trump for the rise in such incidents. Shiromani Akali Dal leader Prem Singh Chandumajra said that such incidents of killings of Indians in the US and other parts of world are not new. "There have been racial attacks on Indians in US in the past. Government should take it seriously," he said. He also alleged that when France banned turbans, they had met then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, but he told them India would not make France an enemy for a turban. The statement led to a brief protest from the Congress benches, with MPs voicing opposition to the statement. CPI-M leader Mohammad Salim blamed it on the atmosphere of hatred created during the US elections. "We should understand, when we create an atmosphere of hate it remains there." Salim also called it a failure of diplomacy. Responding to the issue, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the government has taken the issue very seriously. "We want to clarify that the government is taking all of this very seriously. It is sad and unfortunate, and we condemn it," Rajnath Singh said. "The government will take all steps so that Indian feel safe there," he added. Rajnath Singh also said that as External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is unwell, a detailed statement will be given in the House next week. The members were voicing concern over the killing of Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla in Kansas on February 22 in an apparent hate crime, and of another Indian Harnish Patel a week later. A Sikh man, Deep Rai, who was an American citizen, was fired at in a racial attack last week, and is out of danger. US President has condemned the Kansas shooting. Baker Donelson has once again been named one of FORTUNE magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For". In its eighth consecutive year to be included, the law firm is ranked 95th in this prestigious list recognizing companies with exceptional workplace cultures. The FORTUNE "100 Best Companies to Work For" list is based on employee ratings of their workplace culture, including the level of trust they feel towards leaders, the pride they take in their jobs and the camaraderie they experience with co-workers. Qualities such as the Firm's team mentality and a spirit of cooperation contributed to Baker Donelson's inclusion in this year's list. "It is immensely rewarding to continue to be recognized by FORTUNE among the country's best workplaces," said Baker Donelson Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ben C. Adams. "This honor is an acknowledgement of the outstanding culture at Baker Donelson, a culture that everyone across the Firm contributes to every day through their exceptional service to our clients, giving back to our communities and being there for each other in times of need or crisis. That culture of teamwork and caring is what drives our success and what makes Baker Donelson such a great place to work." In this and other workplace surveys, Baker Donelson employees often mention a family atmosphere, a service-driven culture and a strong sense of camaraderie not usually found at professional services firms among the reasons they feel the law firm is a great place to work. Baker Donelson has maintained this culture while experiencing significant growth in recent years, including its combination earlier this year with Ober|Kaler, resulting in the Firm becoming one of the 50 largest law firms in the country, with more than 800 attorneys and advisors in 24 offices across ten states and Washington, D.C. Benefits and perks such as paid volunteer time, an industry-leading parental leave policy for both male and female attorneys, and wellness activities such as yoga sessions and "recess" at work are also regularly cited by employees as what makes Baker Donelson an exceptional workplace. Employees also highlight transparency, frequent and open communication from Firm leadership, and numerous recognition programs that reward members of the Firm for their hard work. The FORTUNE "100 Best Companies to Work For" list and related stories are online now and will be featured in the FORTUNE magazine on newsstands March 13. A majority or eight out of 10 South Koreans support the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye ahead of the constitutional court's final ruling, a survey showed on Thursday. According to the Realmeter survey, 76.9 per cent of respondents said the impeachment motion must be upheld by the court, while 20.3 per cent favoured its rejection, Xinhua news agency reported. It was based on a poll of 508 voters conducted on Wednesday. It had 4.3 percentage points as a margin of error. The court announced its plan on Wednesday to make a final ruling on the impeachment motion on Friday. If six out of eight justices uphold the motion, President Park will be permanently removed from office immediately. If over three judges reject the bill, Park will be reinstated and regain presidential power. Around 90 per cent of liberal and moderate voters favoured Park's impeachment, while the conservative voters were divided by half towards whether to oust the president or reinstate her. Over 90 per cent of those in their 20s and 30s favoured the impeachment. Nearly 90 per cent of those in their 40s favoured it, with the figures among those in their 50s and 60s reaching 73.8 per cent and 48.3 per cent each. Special prosecutors, who had investigated the corruption scandal embroiling Park for 70 days, identified the impeached President as an accomplice to her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil for multiple charges, including bribery. Choi is now in custody for meddling in state affairs behind the scenes and peddling undue influence for personal gains. She was also accused of neglecting her duty to protect citizens' lives during a 2014 ferry sinking that killed more than 300. Park is the second South Korean president to be impeached. In 2004, then President Roh Moo-hyun was impeached on charges including of illegal electioneering, but he was reinstated by the court two months later. --IANS ksk/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A consortium of banks, led by the State Bank of India, on Thursday told the Supreme Court that liquor baron Vijay Mallya had "taken it for a ride" and urged it to initiate contempt proceedings against him for "willfully" breaching the court's orders. The banks also sought that the apex court direct him to bring back $40 million, which Mallya had allegedly transferred to his children. Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the banks, told the bench of Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice and U.U. Lalit that Mallya has been mocking the Indian judicial system by "willful, contumacious conduct" and has taken the Supreme Court "for a ride". "Apart from the public dues, he siphoned $40 million. It was willful, contumacious conduct, trying not only to breach the court orders but to put it out of reach (of Indian courts)," the banks submitted. Mallya received $40 million from British firm Diageo Plc in February last year and transferred the money to his children in flagrant violation of various judicial orders, including those passed by the Debt Recovery Tribunal and the Karnataka High Court, Rohtagi told the court. Mallya concealed the fact of receiving $40 million and diverting the money to his son Siddharth Mallya and daughters Leanna Mallya and Tanya Mallya, said Rohatgi and senior advocate Shyam Divan, who too appeared for banks. The banks accused Mallya of contempt of court as he did not disclose this $40 million among the assets the Supreme Court had ordered him to reveal so that the banks could recover the loan amount. Senior advocate C.S. Vaidyanathan, appearing for Mallya, opposed the plea of banks, saying all his properties are attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and he is entitled for an equal and fair treatment. After a daylong hearing, the bench reserved the order on plea by a consortium of 13 banks, which had lent thousands of crores of rupees to Mallya over a period. Mallya's lawyer also submitted that he has no property of which he has any control as "everything has been attached". Opposing the initiation of contempt of court proceedings against Mallya, Vaidyanathan also accused the judiciary of targetting him, of treating him worse than a "terrorist" with no access to the rule of law. "Why is this case so unique?" he asked, seeking to know why Mallya was being targetted when banks have seven lakh crore rupees worth of non-performing assets. Why was Mallya made "the poster boy of loan defaulters?", he asked. During the hearing, Rohatgi told the court that the government is taking steps to get Mallya back. "We have requested the British government to deport him back." Now believed to be in Britain, Mallya owes Rs 9,200 crore to these banks. While Rs 8,000 crore worth of his properties have been attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, he also has income tax dues of about Rs 2,000 crore. --IANS gt/vd/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Celebrated cartoonist, the late Mario Miranda's unblemished legacy needs no introduction in Goa. But his colourful signature murals painted across the walls of the Panaji municipal market, which were streaked with the ubiquitous paan-streaks and grime collected over the years, did make one wonder whether Goa really cared about the few legends it has given birth to. However, there were some young folks who did care and perhaps in the right spirit of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, a group of seven volunteers armed with scrubbers, sponge-wipers, buckets and water cleaned the murals over the weekend, drawing much applause for their effort on social media. The seven volunteers, who call themselves Revolutionary Goans, believe that art exhibits in public space are meant to inspire, and the work of a great master like Miranda, a recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian honour, deserves better care. "Mario Miranda is a Goan and is world famous as a cartoonist. It was sad that his paintings were not kept clean in his own homeland. Being Goans, we are proud of every artiste the state has produced and Mario is a gem among them," 28-year-old Manoj Parab, who led the clean-up operation, told IANS. Built around 15 years ago, the Panaji municipal market is known for its quaint architecture, as well as for mismanagement and a general lack of upkeep. The one aspect which stood out vis-a-vis the market's optics however, were the murals of Mario Miranda on its walls, two each on the upper and lower levels of the marketplace. The murals are trademark Mario Miranda, with typically, curvaceous, eccentric and casually over-the-top, colourful characters selling their ware or just passing through the market place, as rendered by the great artiste, who died at the ripe old age of 85 in 2011. There was no doubt, Parab explained, that the murals breathed life into the daily drudgery of those customers who frequented the market place or of those who sold their wares, but time as well as lack of cleanliness, and, of course, the unending dribbles of paan-spit, were taking a toll of the masterpieces. "We took up the cleaning chore on the same day that we saw a few tourists from the UK taking photographs of the paan streaks on the murals. We really felt bad and that we had let down Mario Miranda," he explained. Miranda hailed from the South Goan village of Loutolim and has worked as a cartoonist for top newspapers and magazines in India, apart from compiling several celebrated volumes of his work. "The mural was lined with red, from paan-spit all over. The municipality could not have missed it, but they never thought about cleaning it," Parab lamented. Incidentally, last week, the Panaji Mayor banned the selling of paan in the state capital, claiming it was not in sync with the city's culture. "Art in public spaces is a good concept. It inspires and motivates many, but proper care needs to be taken to protect it from such damage. Public awareness is important. We can have paintings or art in public places only if proper care is taken by the concerned authorities," Parab concluded. (Mayabhushan Nagvenkar can be contacted at mayabhushan.n@ians.in) --IANS maya/vm/sac (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rome, March 9 (IANS/AKI) While threats have targeted Italy, especially its capital, Rome, the victims of most terrorist attacks are Muslims, Italian President Sergio Mattarella said on Thursday. "Threats have been made against Italy, particularly Rome. "But we often forget that most of the victims of these cruel attacks around the world are Muslims," Mattarella told fortnightly Italian Jesuit magazine "Civilta Cattolica". For this reason it is mistaken to reduce terrorism in our times to "a war of religion", he said. Mattarella praised the anti-terror role being played by Italian police and intelligence services. "They are working with great ability and commitment. "Their preventive action is unknown to the public, unseen and untold but it is the most important and precious," he said. --IANS/AKI vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Nepali national was killed when Indian border guards Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) allegedly opened fire at the Nepal-India border on Thursday following a dispute over building a culvert over Sano Khola river in Kanchanpur district of Nepal. Kanchanpur shares the border with India's Uttarakhand state. Govinda Gautam, 20, of Punarbas Municipality-8 in Kanchanpur district, died after he was injured when an SSB Inspector from Sampurnanagar station allegedly opened fire, locals said. The incident took place in Ananda Bazar along the Nepal-India border. The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, however, categorically denied any firing by the SSB personnel. "In response to queries by the local media regarding disturbances near the border at Aananda Bazaar, Kanchanpur, it is categorically denied that there was any incident of firing by the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)," the embassy said in a statement. "There is a need to maintain calm and let the survey officials of both sides discuss the location of border pillars before any construction work is undertaken," it stated. District officials have been directed to cooperate to defuse the situation, said the statement. A dispute erupted in the border area after Nepal-India pillar number 200 went missing and both sides staked claim and counter-claim over the piece of land in the No-man's Land. The Nepali side was constructing the culvert in an area that is claimed by the Indian side. The situation became tense on Thursday after the SSB personnel, who were accompanied by residents of the Indian border town of Basahi, allegedly fired in the air. Nepali residents said the SSB personnel contended that certain Indian territory was transgressed while digging for the construction. Chief District Officer of Kanchanpur Manohar Prasad Khanal told the local media that Nepali nationals in border areas had been protesting since morning after the Indian authorities objected to the construction of a culvert in the locality claiming that was No-man's Land. Gautam sustained a bullet injury when the Indian police Inspector allegedly fired during the altercation. Gautam succumbed to the bullet injury while being taken to hospital. Security personnel from the Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force have been deployed in the area to bring the situation under control. After the death of Gautam, hundreds of Nepalis demonstrated outside the hospital where his body was kept. Locals in Ananda Bazar also accused the SSB of manhandling Nepali nationals living in the border areas and blocking the Nepal-India border since Thursday morning. --IANS giri/soni/nir/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a clear instance of adversity being turned into an opportunity, mango varieties from northern India, which arrive in the market much after those from western and southern India have satiated the appetites of aficionados, could now get a leg-up with the government promoting their export -- and the first lot could be headed for Iran later this year. "When the mango season starts in March, varieties such as alphonso, badami and banganapalle hit the market and they get attractive rates and export opportunities. However, when mangoes from the northern parts arrive by late June and July, there is no demand, which results in poor returns to farmers," Agricultural and Processed Food and Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) Chairman D.K. Singh told IANS. "So we have decided to promote these varieties (daseri, chausa, langda) globally and locally. If everything goes as per plan, mangoes from Malihabad (in Uttar Padesh) will set off to Iran this year," Singh added. This follows the Food and Drug Administration Department of Iran accepting the Indian Embassy's invitation to examine local mango varieties in Malihabad, the core area of mango production in north India. The promotion of these mangoes will also result in better prices in local markets as well, APEDA officials hoped. After a decline in exports in 2015-16, there was a surge in 2016-17. As per APEDA data, India exported 45,563 tonnes of mangoes in 2016-17 (April-November) -- a hike of 20 per cent over the 36,329 tonnes exported in 2015-16. However, exports from north India were found to be very low. "At present, daseri from Uttar Pradesh is being exported but the quantity is less. Now, the demand for mangoes abroad, including the US, has seen a steady increase in the past few years. So we want to promote the late-arriving varieties as well," APEDA Deputy General Manager Sudhanshu told IANS. Meanwhile, mango growers welcomed the APEDA's efforts but also demanded the necessary facilities to ensure their success. Malihabad grower Kaleem Ullah Khan, who was in 2008 awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour, for developing innovative varieties of mangoes, sought a subsidy in air-freight charges to flourish in the global market. "During exhibitions in Gulf countries, our mangoes fared well, defeating those from Pakistan in quality. However, our rates are higher than those from Pakistan since our government does not give any subsidy in air-transport charges," Khan told IANS. Echoing Khan, Insram Ali, President of the Mango Grower's Association of India, said the government should provide better transport facilities, including an increase in the subsidy for brand promotion and air-freight of up to 50 per cent. "While alphonso in Maharashtra reaches Rs 1,200 per dozen, Malihabad mangoes fetch a maximum Rs 80-90 per kg. If we effectively succeed in promoting these mangoes abroad, especially in the Gulf countries, we will get a fair price," Ali told IANS. The government, however, will have to take measures for preserving Malihabad mangoes while exporting them since their shelf life is of just 4-5 days as against 12-15 days for alphonsos, Ali cautioned. (Saurabh Katkurwar can be contacted at saurabk.k@ians.in) --IANS spk/vm/sac (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) conceded ground on military courts on Thursday, saying it would now support a two-year extension for the controversial judicial system. The PPP had earlier said it would only agree to a one-year extension. The party also announced nine recommendations regarding military courts and how they should be handled moving forward, Dawn news reported. In the second session of parliamentary discussions on the issue on Thursday, the PPP sought to push these recommendations, but an agreement could be reached on only two of the nine points raised before the session concluded. The points agreed to include the recommendation that the provisions of the Qanoon-i-Shahadat, 1984, (Law of Evidence) apply to military courts and that the accused be granted the right to appeal. Military courts had been disbanded this year on January 7 after the expiry of a sunset clause included in the legal provisions under which the tribunals were established. Though a revival of the controversial system seems closer now than before, the government and the opposition have struggled to reach a consensus on the issue despite frequent discussions. The primary concern of critics is the mystery surrounding military court trials: No one knows who the convicts are, what charges have been brought against them, or what the accused's defence is against the allegations levelled. --IANS sm/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United Kingdom's Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday unveiled a memorial in central London to honour the veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. In an official event with some 2,500 guests in attendance, the Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, presented the new memorial designed by sculptor Paul Day. The memorial comprised of two white monoliths and a central bronze medallion to commemorate those who served in both armed conflicts, Efe news reported. The unveiling ceremony took place at the Horse Guards Parade in London. While not focusing specifically on those who died, the piece aims to honour the service of those who protected Britain's borders and helped citizens of other nations who were in danger. There was a brief religious ceremony, a military parade, and a military orchestra during the event. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and his wife Catherine; Prince Harry, Prince Charles as well as Prime Minister Theresa May attended the ceremony. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and Liberal Democratic Party leader Tim Farron were also present at the event along with former Prime Ministers John Major, Tony Blair and David Cameron. The Queen thanked the soldiers and civilians who took part in the conflicts for bringing "peace and stability" to war zones in a foreword for the event's programme. More than 800 British citizens, among them soldiers and civilians, died in the two wars. --IANS soni/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian researchers have for the first time reported milk theft in pups from surrogate mother dogs, a finding that could aid in responsible training and breeding programmes. "Milk theft has never been reported in any canid (dog family), and for that matter, in any carnivore. So this is a novel finding. We find that the pups try to take advantage of any available lactating female to get nutrition, which obviously is a good strategy for them, especially at the time when they are being refused by their own mothers," Anindita Bhadra, Behavioural Biologist from the Department of Biological Sciences at IISER Kolkata, told IANS. In a competitive and disturbed environment with limited resources and high mortality, this ability to snatch milk would be highly adaptive for the pups in stray communities, Bhadra explained. Shedding light on crucial developmental stages in the parent-offspring interaction in stray dogs, Bhadra and research scholar Manabi Paul tracked as many as 22 mother-litter units (having 22 mothers and 78 pups) from the 15 dog groups they studied over a span of five years in West Bengal. The study identified the 7th - 13th week period of pup age as the zone of conflict between the mother and her pups. "Weaning conflict, which was first proposed for humans, occurs when the mother wishes to stop nursing but the infant wishes to continue. This is the first study that identifies weaning conflict and the exact period of pup development in which it occurs for dogs," Bhadra said. Before the 7th week, the mother encourages suckling solicitations and also initiates nursing, and beyond the 13th week, neither the mother nor the pups are interested in nursing/suckling, leading to the resolution of conflict, the researchers said in the study published in February in PLOS ONE. While it is a common practice among breeders to disallow puppies to nurse after the third or fourth week, Bhadra says it is advisable to leave the pups with their mothers a little longer (till the onset of the seventh week) for better growth and development. The study also notes that allonursing, the nursing of another female's offspring, though "apparently maladaptive" for the mothers, might indeed be an evolutionarily stable strategy if related females tend to den close to each other. "Our observations provide support for this idea, as most of the observed allomothers (surrogate mothers) were related to the pups," she said, adding that this nursing behaviour is more common in primates and ungulates than in carnivores. --IANS sgh/sm/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park invites the public to participate in a 90-minute, 1.2-mile walking tour focusing on the history of trade and commerce around Moccasin Bend on Sunday, March 19, at 2 p.m. This program will take place along the Browns Ferry Federal Road Trace on Moccasin Bend National Archeological District. Look for and follow the Special Program signs beginning on Manufacturers Road, west of US 27. For thousands of years, people utilized the waterways around Chattanooga as a vital means of transporting goods and people through present-day Chattanooga. Over time, American Indian groups, including the Cherokee, developed a series of roadways throughout the region. These roads became part of the federal road system that facilitated the nations economic growth in the early nineteenth century. Then, in the mid-twentieth century, the construction of Interstate 24 once again placed Moccasin Bend at the center of national trade and commerce. Organizers said, "Join us on the Browns Ferry Federal Road Trace as we examine how the unique geography of Chattanooga affected the movement of people and goods around Moccasin Bend and how these waterways and highways shaped the geography of Moccasin Bend." As a reminder, people should wear comfortable shoes and dress appropriately for the conditions. Lightweight, portable chairs are permitted and bringing water is encouraged. For more information about programs at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, contact the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center at 706 866-9241, the Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center at 423 821-7786, or visit the parks website at www.nps.gov/chch. A soldier posted in Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir was found dead on Thursday with gun shot wounds, the Defence Ministry said. The Army has ordered an investigation into the death of Sepoy Balraj Singh at Daraba in Poonch sector, the ministry said. Balraj Singh, 24, was a resident of Punjab and is survived by his wife and daughter. --IANS mr/rn (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress President Sonia Gandhi has gone abroad for a routine check up and will not be in the country when results of the crucial assembly elections to five states come in on March 11. According to sources, Sonia Gandhi held a meeting with senior Congress leaders including her son and party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi before she left. In her absence, Rahul Gandhi, who is slated to take over the reins of the party, will be leading the party. According to Congress sources, Gandhi has gone abroad for routine a check up as advised by her doctors. "She will be back after 3-4 days," said a party source. In August last year, the Congress chief was taken ill during a road show in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency. Gandhi had on February 27 visited the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital here for a routine medical check up. Earlier, Gandhi was twice admitted to the SGRH for her ill-health, during which she underwent a minor shoulder surgery. Sonia Gandhi has not addressed any election campaign in Uttar Pradesh and instead issued appeal to voters through a statement and video. The five states where elections were held are Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur. --IANS sid/rn (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Cracks appeared in the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) ahead of the Saturday vote count for the crucial state assembly elections, as a senior minister questioned the benefits of aligning with the Congress. Senior SP leader and a minister in the Akhilesh Yadav cabinet, Ravidas Mehrotra, while questioning the SP-Congress alliance, stitched at the last moment before the polls, said SP would have won on its own and there was no need to have tied up with Congress. He also said that in the final outcome the Congress would have gained from the alliance and not the Samajwadi party. While senior party leaders and workers have been questioning the tie-up right from the word go, it had so far been in private. Mehrotra is the first to have expressed his feelings openly in public. In a related development, Urban Development Minister Mohd Adam Khan, said in case the SP lost at the hustings, the blame would not be of Akhilesh Yadav alone. "Khuda na kare aisi naubat aaye, gar aisa hua to iski zimmedari sabki hoga aur ye nuksaan poore pradesh ka hoga (God forbid that such a result happens then the responsibility should be shared by all)," he told reporters. Asked to comment on the recent interview of Mulayam Singh Yadav's wife Sadhna Gupta, on the eve of the seventh phase, that Akhilesh should not have humiliated his father, Khan said it "could have been avoided". "At such a crucial hour, such statements should have been avoided," he said as many party leaders said that Sadhna's interview was aimed at hurting the party's prospects in the seventh phase of polling in the Poorvanchal. SP contested the crucial assembly elections in alliance with the Congress which was given 105 seats and the remaining 298 were contested by it. Votes for the 403 seats of the UP assembly will be counted at 75 counting centres across the state from 8 a.m. on Saturday. --IANS md/rn (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday accused the Congress of running a "shop of secularism" and asked the party to end this. Reacting to Congress leader Digvijay Singh's comments that Indian Muslims felt alienated with the Modi government, the MP said Muslims often suffered hardships under Congress rule too. "I am not a terrorist expert, he (Digvijay Singh) may be one. But I know for a fact that when Congress was in power in Maharashtra for 15 years, 28 Muslim undertrials were languishing in jails," Owaisi told TimesNow news channel. "Also, the Aurangabad arms haul case, the Malegaon case and the 7/11 train blasts occurred during Congress rule. There are numerous other cases, I need not mention them all," he added. Owaisi said that should not be done in the name of terror. "All I would say is that the Congress should stop running this shop of secularism and the BJP should stop its shop of nationalism," the All India Majlise Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader said. --IANS mak/in/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer slammed the "double standard" in the level of interest over CIA documents purportedly posted by WikiLeaks this week and a batch of emails taken from the inbox of a prominent Democrat and posted last year. Spicer on Wednesday connected the latest WikiLeaks document dump to surveillance efforts under the Obama administration, days after President Donald Trump levelled his unsubstantiated claim that Obama tapped the GOP candidate's phones during the 2016 campaign, CNN reported. And then he took to arguing forcefully that there was a "double standard" when it comes to the level of outrage elicited by different leaks. "It's interesting how there's sort of a double standard with when the leaks occur, how much outrage there is," Spicer said. His comments came as he relayed Trump's "concern" about the leaks and said Americans should be "outraged" by the release of classified information. "This is the kind of disclosure that undermines our country, our security and our well-being,"Spicer said. Spicer's claims came as he faced questions about a double standard on the President's part in condemning this leak while he praised WikiLeaks' publication of emails related to his rival Hillary Clinton during the 2016 campaign. "I love WikiLeaks!" Trump proclaimed on the stump last year as he took to reading before crowds of cheering supporters hacked emails that the site released. Spicer said that there is a "massive, massive difference" between the two disclosures. "There is a big difference between disclosing Podesta -- John Podesta's Gmail accounts about a back-and-forth and his undermining of Hillary Clinton and his thoughts on her on a personal nature, and the leaking of classified information," Spicer said. During the campaign, Trump repeatedly lauded WikiLeaks for releasing emails hacked from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta's email account, several of which portrayed Clinton in an unfavourable light. The US intelligence community concluded those emails were hacked and released to WikiLeaks by Russian sources as part of a campaign to hurt Clinton. WikiLeaks posted more than 8,700 documents on Tuesday that it claimed were taken from the CIA's high-security network. The records contained details of the intelligence agency's hacking capabilities. Spicer declined to confirm or deny that the documents originated in the CIA. Meanwhile, Senator John McCain raised an alarm about the WikiLeaks' dump. The Senate Armed Services chairman said the situation is "really serious" and requires a wholesale evaluation of who is allowed to have access to such classified materials, reported Politico. "You are now looking at ways our intelligence agencies do business being revealed. It has all kind of ramifications. It's going to cause a real fundamental evaluation of everything we do, including FISA," McCain said, referring to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. "The first priority is: Who's getting this information? Who's able to reveal this kind of information?" McCain said either the CIA has been hacked or a contractor is leaking documents again, reminiscent of when Edward Snowden distributed documents to news organisations revealing the extent of the sweeping National Security Agency data-mining programmes. The Arizona senator said that either way, the government must tighten access to classified programmes. --IANS soni/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US-based edutech institution Udacity on Thursday announcement the launch of two new innovative nanodegree programmes in robotics and digital marketing for the students across the globe. The company also announced a series of partnerships with leading players in various sectors like China's ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing, digital payment platform Paytm, online pharmacy 1mg, Zomato and others. "Worldwide spending on robotics is set to hit $135.4 billion in 2019. In a scenario like this, we are excited to collaborate with industry leaders as our hiring partners, providing our students an opportunity to fast track their carriers," said Shernaz Daver, Chief Marketing Officer, Udacity International. Udacity's partnership with Didi Chuxing is to encourage students to build codes for self-driving cars and provide them an opportunity to meet the experts in the industry. The industry hiring partners for robotics programme include X, Megabots, iRobot, Bosch, Kuka, Lockheed Martin and Uber ATG. Google, Facebook, Hootsuite, Hubspot, MailChimp and Moz have contributed to develop content for the digital marketing nanodegree programme. --IANS na/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Uttar Pradesh is likely to get a hung assembly with the BJP at the head of a splintered verdict while the AAP may finish on top of a three-way fight in Punjab, most exit polls said on Thursday. The BJP was predicted to get a majority in Congress-ruled Uttarakhand, according to four of the five exit polls following balloting in five states between February 4 and March 8. The vote count is due on Saturday. In Goa, the ruling BJP had an edge, with some exit polls predicting a simple majority and others projecting it to emerge as the single largest group in the 40-member house. The average exit poll results -- which in the past have proven to be unreliable -- gave 180 seats for the BJP in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh assembly, way short of the 202-mark needed to form a government. According to NewsX-MRC poll, the BJP and its allies may win 185 seats, the Congress-Samajwadi Party combine 120 and the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) 90. The India TV-CVoter exit poll predicted 155-167 seats for the BJP, 135-147 for the Samajwadi-Congress alliance and 81-93 for the BSP. But TimesNow-VMR predicted the BJP could win 190-210 seats, the Samajwadi-Congress 110-130 and the BSP 57-74. CNN-News18-Gramener said the BJP could win 164 seats, the Samajwadi-Congress 147 and the BSP 81. The IndiaToday-Axis poll, however, gave the BJP a comfortable majority of 251-279 seats. The Samajwadi-Congress could win 88-112 seats and the BSP 28-42 seats. Punjab, according to three of the four exit polls, was likely to go the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) way. India TV-CVoter exit poll gave the AAP 59 to 67 seats. The half-way mark in the Punjab assembly is 59 seats. IndiaToday-Axis, NewsX-MRC, News24-Chanakya showed the latest entrant in national winning 51-55 seats in Punjab. But IndiaToday-Axis predicted a Congress win with 62-71 seats. All these polls forecast a BJP-Akali rout after 10 years in office. In Goa, the average polls predicted a hung assembly. IndiaToday-Axis predicted 18-22 seats for the BJP and 9-13 for the Congress. The India TV-CVoter poll said the BJP was expected to win 15-21 seats, the Congress and its allies 12-18 and the AAP 0-4 seats. The NewsX-MRC survey said the BJP may get 15, the Congress 10 and the AAP seven. Uttarakhand, according to exit poll average, is likely to swing in favour of the BJP. IndiaToday-Axis gave the BJP 46-53 seats and the ruling Congress 12-21 in the state. News24-Chanakya also gave the BJP 53 seats and the Congress 15. The India TV-CVoter poll findings said both the BJP and Congress were neck and neck -- 29-35 seats -- but short of majority in the 70-member house. NewsX-MRC said the BJP may get 38 and the Congress 30 in Uttarakhand. In Congress-ruled Manipur, the BJP is expected to win 25 to 31 in the 60-member house, as predicted by the India TV-CVoter survey. The Congress may finish second with 17 to 23 seats. The IndiaToday-Axis poll, however, showed the Congress winning 30-36 and the BJP 16-22. CNN-News18-Gramener projected 25 seats for the BJP and 24 for the Congress. --IANS and-sar/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US officials have dismissed China's suggestion that North Korea could halt its missile and nuclear test in exchange for a suspension of US military activity in the region, a media report said. The US State Department said on Wednesday that it was not "a viable deal" while its UN Ambassador said North Korea was not "rational", the BBC reported. China's suggestion came after North Korea launched four ballistic missiles, breaking international sanctions. Meanwhile the US too, begun deploying a missile defence shield Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) in South Korea. It is also conducting its annual large-scale drills with the South Korean military, which routinely infuriate Pyongyang, the BBC report added. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday that the security situation on the Korean peninsula was like "two accelerating trains, coming toward each other with neither side willing to give way". A mutual halt of military operations by all parties would be the first step towards easing tensions and reopening negotiations, he said. But US state department spokesman Mark Toner said this was like comparing "apples and oranges", the BBC said in its report. "What we're doing in terms of our defence co-operation with South Korea is in no way comparable to the blatant disregard that North Korea has shown with respect to international law." However, he added the US needed to look for new strategies on North Korea. "All of the efforts we have taken thus far to attempt to persuade North Korea to engage in meaningful negotiations have fallen short, to be honest," he said. "So we need to look at new ways to convince them, to persuade them, that it's in their interests," Toner added. The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on Wednesday, having issued a stronger than usual condemnation of the latest North Korean test. It accused North Korea of "increasingly destabilising behaviour" which risked sparking a regional arms race. The US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley later told reporters that "all options were on the table" regarding North Korea. But she said that the world was "not dealing with a rational person" when it came to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Immediately after the Security Council consultations on North Korea on Wednesday morning, Haley joined a joint stakeout with her counter parts from Japan Koro Bessho and South Korea Cho Tae-yul. --IANS in/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An employee of Visva-Bharati University was arrested from West Bengal's Birbhum district on Thursday for allegedly running a fake social media profile using morphed photographs of an NRI woman based in Canada, the police said. "Sujoy Munshi, 46, a computer assistant at Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan, was arrested by the Cyber cell of Kolkata Police on Thursday for allegedly creating a fake Facebook account using the picture of a Bengali woman based in Canada," said Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Vishal Gurg. The officer said the victim's mother, who stays in Kolkata, lodged a complaint about the fake account last September. "After assembling all the leads, a special team of Kolkata Police visited the university on Thursday and arrested Munshi. Three laptops, hard drives, mobile phone and several documents were seized from his house in Birbhum," the officer said. "According to the complainant, there are no connections between the victim woman and the accused. We are investigating the motive of the crime," he added. --IANS mgr/ssp/vd/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dr. Blaise Baxter with the Erlanger Stroke Center spoke to the Hamilton Place Rotary Club this week. "He explained the techniques the stroke center uses and the results they are able to achieve that make the Erlanger Stroke Center second in the nation," officials said. Dr. Baxter shared videos of patients entering the center unable to speak and move limbs and videos of those patients speaking freely 24 hours later. Dr. Baxter emphasized that when it comes to strokes, beating the clock and getting appropriate care quickly is key. If you are planning to apply online to get your name included in the electoral rolls for a Voter ID Card, hold on -- chances are your efforts may come to naught since the Election Commission (EC) says it is not accepting applications online, at least for now. This digital disconnect of the top election body of the country comes at a time when the Narendra Modi government at the Centre is betting big on its "Digital India" programme by putting more and more people-centric services online. An RTI application filed by me to know the fate of two online applications, including my own, threw up the startling revelation about one of the premier institutions of India, which claims to provide several citizen services at their doorstep. I had applied online for inclusion of my name about six month ago -- on September 2, 2016, precisely -- through the National Voters' Services Portal (www.nvsp.in), touted as the "One-Stop Services" portal, designed and maintained by C-DAC GIST, Pune, for the EC. Using the "Apply Online for Registration of New Voter" link, I filled up the application form and duly submitted all requisite documents in digital format through the built-in facility in the website. I also received an acknowledgement SMS from the EC, stating that my application had been "successfully submitted" and a reference ID was provided to check my application status in future. After an agonising wait of three months, during which the website kept showing the application status as "under process", I filed an RTI application on November 25 last year. Finally, the EC Secretariat replied to the RTI application on February 9 -- more than two months after I had filed the plea and exactly two days before voting for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls was to begin, with balloting due in my area -- Ghaziabad -- on February 11, informing that the facility was "not available" at present. "You are... informed that at present the facility for receiving of application online is not available in the Election Commission of India. Hence, it seems that your application has not been received at this end," read the RTI reply, signed by EC Under Secretary and Central Public Information Officer Soumyajit Ghosh. I was shocked to find that after waiting for over five months, I was back to square one. Neither could I get my name included in the electoral rolls nor get a Voter ID Card. Voting day came and went by, and I, a bystander, simply watched people queuing up and voting. I wondered if the online application facility is not available then why is the site operational at all? They could have at least mentioned in the website that online application facility is not available now. In the last five months, I could have applied through the traditional route and got my name included in the voters list. Also, if "not available at present" was intended to convey their being occupied with the election process, it must not have been the case in early September, when I had submitted my application. Unhappy and frustrated over having missed the chance to cast my vote, I decided to contact Ghosh. He, however, failed to come up with a satisfactory response. He, instead, advised me to contact Santosh Kumar Dubey, the RTI Section Officer in the EC. "He would be able to throw more light on your case." Dubey had an interesting take on the situation: "We have been assigned the task to handle EC queries by the DoPT (Department of Personnel and Training) without any formal training. We also do not have access to the EC websites... We have written to the DoPT to impart us proper training on how to address queries reaching the Commission." By now, more than pursuing my own case, I was interested in knowing the fate of online applications. Do they really work, or is it just an ineffective tool provided under pressure from the "Digital India" push of the government? I decided to reach out to the Uttar Pradesh State Election Commission in Lucknow. Its Officer on Special Duty Rakesh Kumar Singh told me on February 13 that making the Voter ID Card is a centralised process and is done only at the EC headquarters in Delhi. However, he also asked me to check out with the Ghaziabad office of the EC. Instead of talking over the phone, I chose to lodge a complaint with the Ghaziabad office through their website, also to check whether anything online works in our Digital India. To my surprise, the very next morning (February 14) I received a phone call from that office. I was told that my query has been addressed and name included in the electoral rolls. In case of any issues, I was asked to visit the local tehsil office. Excited, I immediately checked the electoral roll of my assembly constituency -- Ghaziabad 56 -- and my excitement proved to be short-lived. My name was not there. And even after the passage of almost a month, my name is still not there, not to talk about the Voter ID card. The entire episode points to just one thing: Instead of being taken in by the "Digital India" claim of the government, it was better if I had opted to go for paper work to get the needful done. "Pass the buck" appears to be the tendency of some government institutions, as my experience showed. A survey that I conducted among my friends and followers on Facebook and LinkedIn suggested that while online voter registration facility has worked for some in the national capital, it did not work for many of those living outside Delhi. Now I intend to visit the local tehsil office to apply afresh for the Voter ID card. (Nirmal Anshu Ranjan is Senior Assistant Editor at IANS. He can be reached at nirmal.r@ians.in) --IANS nir/tsb/rn (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Indian Commodity Exchange Ltd (ICEX) on Thursday said it has achieved the prescribed capital adequacy norms following a successful rights issue. In a statement, the company said ICEX now meets all the norms prescribed by the markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), including the Rs 100 crore net worth criteria, to start trading. ICEX, a screen-based online derivatives exchange for commodities, has already received in-principle approval from SEBI for commencement of business and trade operations for diamond, crude and Brent oil contracts. ICEX will be the first exchange in the world to launch diamond futures contracts, and plans to initially launch three diamond contracts -- 30 cents, 50 cents, and 1 carat. The exchange has in place all necessary infrastructure to handle deliveries of diamonds and facilitate settlement of trades. "With the successful completion of Rights, the exchange is now all geared for launch. The response for the on-going Mock trading has been very encouraging, particularly from the Diamond physical market participants," Sanjit Prasad, MD and CEO was quoted as saying in the statement. ICEX expects to go live and commence trading operations by the end of March 2017, subject to final approval from SEBI. Reliance Capital Ltd, a part of Anil Ambani led Reliance Group, is the largest investor in ICEX, along with a wider and diverse set of institutional, corporate and high net worth shareholders. --IANS vj/in/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) While visiting heads of states are always received with pomp, King Mswati III of Swaziland (pictured) raised the bar to another level. In India to attend a conclave of African nations, the monarch of the southern African nation is accompanied by a full retinue of staff proudly sporting their national dress. There was a bit of alarm among the audience and security personnel when a tall Swazi national suddenly stood up shouting in his language as the King got up to speak. After a full minute of bewilderment, the audience finally realised that the man was a state announcer, introducing His Majesty along with his full royal title. Mswati III clarified that the announcer wasnt a disgruntled protester. The Congress is spreading on social media an appeal made by a woman lawmaker of the party urging the Centre to exempt sanitary napkins from the goods and services tax (GST). Congress lawmaker from Assam, Sushmita Dev, daughter of former Union minister Santosh Mohan Dev, has written to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley that taxing the personal hygiene article at 14 per cent under GST would be a move against millions of women in the country. Party spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi, too, has highlighted the issue while trying to reach out to half of Indias electorate. The online campaign is aimed at mobilising the youth. As the pitch for the local body polls hots up in Delhi, the Congress is eagerly awaiting an Election Commission verdict, which may disqualify 21 lawmakers of the ruling in an office of profit case. The final hearing in the case is to be held on March 16 and the verdict could come by end of the month. If the AAP legislators are disqualified, the development could mean a huge setback for the party ahead of the municipal corporation polls slated for next month. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday was forced to demand loan waiver for distressed farmers in the state legislature after its partner Shiv Sena and opposition Congress and Nationalist Congress Party stepped up pressure on the government for the same. Fearing an isolation on the issue, BJP legislators in the absence of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in the state assembly, entered into the well and also climbed on the podium in front of the speaker's chair to press their demand. Arunachal Pradesh Home Minister Kumar Waii today said the state government has appointed 1,570 police personnel out of 1,949 sanctioned posts under the Centre's special package for insurgency-hit Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts. Responding to a question raised in the state Assembly by BJP member Wanglin Lowangdong, Waii said recruitment for the remaining 379 vacant posts would be made soon. A total of 36 sub-inspectors, 1,530 constables, three head constables (traffic) and one carrier were appointed under the special package, he said. "These posts were sanctioned for opening 11 new police stations and upgradation of nine existing police stations in the districts," he said. To a supplementary, the minister said the Centre had withdrawn an amount of Rs 58 crore sanctioned for maintenance of police stations in March last year, but the state government has sent a proposal of Rs 156.2 crore on January 5. "Construction and upgradation of police stations could not be started as approval from the Home Ministry is pending," the minister said, adding the state government has sanctioned Rs 501.7 lakh for construction of buildings at 11 new police stations in Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts. "Construction work for 11 new police stations and upgradation of nine existing police stations can be initiated only after receiving the Home Ministry approval," Waii added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants and a civilian were killed during a nine-hour gunbattle between the ultras and the security forces in Awantipora area of south Kashmir's Pulwama district today. The encounter broke out in Padgampora village after security forces launched a cordon and search operation at around 2.30 AM following information about presence of militants there, a police official said. The militants, holed up in two adjacent houses, opened fire at security personnel at around 4.40 AM and the troops retaliated, triggering a fierce gunbattle which lasted nine hours. The security officials had brought the mother of one of the militants to the site to persuade him to surrender but he refused, he said. The slain ultras were affiliated to LeT outfit and have been identified as Jehangir Ganai and Mohammad Shafi Shergujri, the official said. A 15-year-old civilian -- Amir Nazir Wani -- was also killed after he suffered a bullet wound in the neck during the cross-firing, he said. While local residents claimed security forces fired at the protesters near the encounter site, leading to Wani's death, police officials said the teenager was fatally injured by a "stray bullet". Another youth -- Sajad Ahmad Bhat -- was injured after he was hit by a bullet in the hip. He has been referred to Bone and Joint Hospital here for treatment. Train services from Banihal to Srinagar have been suspended temporarily as authorities apprehend that miscreants might target the trains along the south Kashmir tracks. Meanwhile, Army's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt Gen AK Bhatia today spoke to his Pakistani counterpart and conveyed India's concerns over movement of terrorists along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. "The DGMO spoke to the Pakistan Army DGMO this morning. He expressed concern regarding the movement of terrorists noticed along the Line of Control (LoC)," Army sources said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) France's education minister today called for firm action against a mob of school children in a Paris suburb who smashed public property and assaulted police, leading to 54 arrests. Chaotic images of tear gas being fired outside a secondary school in the tough northern suburb of Saint-Denis on Tuesday quickly became a political issue less than seven weeks from presidential elections. "These are very serious acts by vandals that we need to punish severely," Education Minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem told reporters at a meeting of cabinet ministers. Clashes broke out after the school was evacuated on Tuesday afternoon when students let off smoke bombs inside the premises. As the school emptied, a group of 80 to 100 pupils began throwing stones at police, setting fire to bins and breaking public property, police sources told AFP. Secondary schools in Paris have been repeatedly disrupted amid anger over police brutality following the alleged assault of a young black man in early February who says he was anally raped with a baton during his arrest. France goes to the polls to elect a new president on April 23 and May 7, with immigration, security and worries about defiance of France's state among the key issues. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen has made crime and immigration a core part of her campaign and sought to capitalise on the incident in a statement today. "It's unacceptable that vandals threatened the future of our country and put teachers and other pupils in danger," Le Pen said, criticising the Socialist government for failing to react. "We need to reimpose order in the republic and win back the lost territories of our country," Le Pen added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Seven jawans of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and some civilians were today injured when a group of Nepalese citizens pelted stones at them at a place near India-Nepal border. "The Nepalese citizens pelted stones after the SSB jawans deployed there objected to permanent construction work on a disputed land near Pillar No. 200," SSB Commandant Dilbag Singh said. The incident took place near Basahi village in Sampurnanagar area here, he said, adding the injuries were not of serious nature. Lakhimpur Kheri District Magistrate Akashdeep and police officials rushed to the spot to take up the matter with the Nepalese authorities. The dispute first arose on February 18 when some Nepalese citizens started constructing a culvert near the Pillar No. 200 which is reported to be missing. Pallia SDM Shadab Aslam had then visited the spot and discussed the matter with Nepalese authorities. It was agreed then that no permanent construction would be carried out till the survey officers of both the countries decided the boundary. However, yesterday, construction work was started and when it came to notice, SSB jawans objected to it following which the group of Nepalese citizens indulged in stone pelting injuring seven jawans of the border guarding force and some civilians. SSB, which is under the administrative control of the Union Home Ministry, is assigned the duties of manning the Nepal and Bhutan borders. Uttar Pradesh shares a 599.3 km long porous border with Nepal touching seven districts - Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Kheri, Bahraich, Sravasti, Balrampur, Sidhharthnagar and Maharajganj. Lakhimpur Kheri was in the this week after curfew was imposed in the city on March 2 following clashes over an objectionable video which was allegedly circulated by two students. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tennessees 56 State Parks are hosting free guided hikes statewide on Saturday, March 18, to celebrate the coming of spring and the bounty of recreation opportunities state parks offer. Park staff who can speak to the natural, cultural and historical treasures that all Tennessee State Parks have to offer will guide free hikes throughout the day. From the cypress swamps of the Mississippi River in West Tennessee to the rugged ridge tops and waterfalls in the middle of the state to the majestic mountains in the East, every park showcases a unique piece of Tennessees outdoor beauty. For 80 years our state park system has created outdoor adventures and recreational opportunities for all Tennesseans, said Deputy Commissioner of Parks and Conservation Brock Hill. We are always excited to highlight our states beauty and special stories. The wide selection of events across the state ensures that everyone can find a hike suitable for them. Hikes will range in distance, degree of skill, accessibility, and time of day in an effort to accommodate the needs of anyone who seeks to enjoy a day outdoors. Planned activities along the trails include wildlife viewing, spring clean-ups, scavenger hunts, historical interpretive programs and more. The Gujarat Government today revealed on the floor of the Assembly that as many as 747 Gujarat-based fishermen have been apprehended by Pakistani authorities during the last two years. Replying to a question raised by BJP MLA from Bharuch Dushyant Patel during the Question Hour, Gujarat Fisheries Minister Babu Bokhiria informed the House that 747 fishermen from Gujarat were apprehended by the neighbouring country during the last two years (as on December 2016). Bokhiria in his written reply stated that the state government has made 23 written representations to the Centre for the release of these fishermen, captured by Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) near International Maritime Border Line (IMBL) in the Arabian Sea. The minister also informed the members of the House that 858 fishermen were also released by Pakistan during last two years. Raising concern over the recent incidents of apprehension by PMSA, Congress MLA Punja Vansh gave a short call notice to seek reply from the government. In his response, Bokhiria stated that as per the latest government records, PMSA has apprehended only 10 fishermen on board 2 boats on March 1. He also informed the House that state government is taking various steps to prevent such incidents in the high seas, such as awareness drives in coastal areas and financial assistance for fishermen to buy GPS devices and Distress Alert Transmitters (DAT). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) About 77 per cent electorate cast their votes at the end of the repolling in 34 polling stations in three districts of Manipur today, an election office official said. The poll percentage might be changed subject to correction, Chief Electoral Officer Vivek Kumar Dewangan said. The repolling in 34 polling stations in three districts in eight Assembly segments was conducted peacefully, he said. Polling in these booths in Imphal, Churachandpur and Kangpoki districts was held in the first phase of the elections on March 4. The repoll was ordered on Tuesday following electoral malpractices in these polling stations. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi government has set aside Rs 1,600 crore for its flagship subsidy scheme for power consumers. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, presenting the budget for 2017-18 in the Delhi Assembly, proposed Rs 2,194 crore expenditure in the energy sector, including Rs 1,600 crore for subsidy to power consumers. Under the subsidy programme, in the last two years domestic consumers using up to 400 units of electricity per month are charged at half the rate. The scheme will continue to benefit over 36 lakh domestic consumers in the national capital who come under the prescribed limit of electricity use. The budget also highlighted the government's steps towards harnessing solar energy and waste energy to meet the need of consumers. The solar policy of the government was notified in September 2016. The government proposed installation of solar photo-voltaic cells generating 1000 MW power in the next five years and double it by 2025. The government has approved setting up of three waste-to-energy plants in Okhla, Gazipur and Bawana. These plants will have a combined capacity of 52 MW. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Teen model Shonali Khatun strutted the catwalk as the audience cheered and clapped for a fashion show held in the capital of Bangladesh. But Khatun is no ordinary model, and this was no ordinary show. She and the 14 other models are survivors of acid attacks, common in this South Asian country where spurned lovers or disgruntled family members will resort to hurling skin-burning acid at their victims. The unusual fashion show held yesterday night in Dhaka, and attended by fashion lovers as well as diplomats including the U.S. Envoy, aimed to redefine the notion of beauty while calling attention to the menace of such attacks. For 14-year-old Khatun, the event was nothing short of empowering. Khatun was attacked just days after she was born amid a property dispute involving her parents, and was left with burn scars on her face and arms. She spent nearly three years in a hospital and underwent eight operations. Her attacker has never been caught. "I am so happy to be here. One day I want to be a physician," she said. The models, including three men, walked the catwalk, dancing and singing and showcasing woven handloom Bangladeshi designs by local designer Bibi Russel. Organizers said they hoped to highlight the fact that acid victims, too often overlooked, are a vital part of society. They deliberately chose to hold the event on the eve of International Women's Day. "We are here today to show their inner, their inner strength as they have come a long way," said Farah Kabir, country director of the ActionAid Bangladesh that organized the show to spread awareness about the violence. "I often take inspiration from them. Their courage is huge." Bangladesh has struggled to deal with acid attacks in recent decades, instituting harsh punishments for perpetrators including the death sentence. The country has also trained doctors to treat such sensitive cases and attempted to control the sale of acid, but has failed to eliminate the scourge entirely. In 2016, some 44 people were attacked with acid in Bangladesh an annual number that has remained relatively stable. "I am ashamed of having such things in the country," Kabir said. "Unfortunately in Bangladesh we do have acid victims because of either gender discrimination or violence, or because of greed. And we want to remind everyone the kind of injustice that has been meted out to them." The fashion designer whose work was showcased in the event said she was happy to participate, hoping the show would redefine beauty and prompt people to see acid victims for their strength. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Following criticism, the AIIMS today closed a counter set up exclusively to facilitate treatment for "VIPs" and the patients recommended by the Union Health Minister's office. The move comes after Union Health Minister J P Nadda expressed displeasure over the initiative taken by the AIIMS administration, hospital sources said. The Faculty Association of AIIMS (FAIIMS) yesterday had condemned the move alleging it was an "brazen attempt" on part of the administration to "promote VIP culture" in the institute's premises. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took to Twitter to blame the Modi government of working "for only VIPs". "Modi govt works for only VIPs, AAP govt works for only aam admi," he tweeted. "In supersession of a earlier office circular dated February 23, it has been decided to close down the counter opened in the Rajkumari Amrit Kaur OPD to handle OPD registration of VIP references and the status quo ante shall be restored with immediate effect," read an AIIMS circular accessed by PTI. AIIMS had opened the exclusive counter to facilitate the registration for treatment of patients recommended by the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Union Health Minister and VIP references from Members of Parliament. The faculty members claimed the practice was prevalent even before and was being dealt by the Media and Protocol division, but not in such an open manner. At present, AIIMS witnesses an overwhelming footfall of around 11,000 patients across all OPDs daily. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The AAP-led Delhi government today allocated a whopping Rs 7,571 crore to the three municipal corporations in the budget for 2017-18, with an eye on the upcoming civic polls. The AAP had staged a stunning performance in the last Assembly polls in which the BJP was reduced to just three seats in the 70-member House, and it is hoping to replicate its performance in the municipal elections due in April. "Our government will provide financial support of Rs 7,571 crore to the local bodies in 2017-18 which is 15.8 per cent of the total budget and 14.9 per cent higher than the funds given in the Revised Estimates of 2016," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said. Presenting the government's annual budget in the Assembly, he said that in view of the poor financial conditions of North and East Delhi Municipal Corporations, "we have not recovered principal and interest amount of the outstanding loan liabilities during the years 2015-16 and 2016-17 from the grants being released." The AAP government and the three corporations have been at loggerheads for the past several months over the issue of municipal funding, with the Kejriwal-led party accusing the civic bodies of "being corrupt" and not properly using the funds given by the city government. The alleged mismanagement in the civic bodies is one of the poll planks of the AAP. It had asserted that "people are eager to vote for the AAP to clean the city of garbage and the MCD of corruption." Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, when asked by reporters if the high allocation was timed with the civic polls, said, "We have done a lot of work in education, health and social sectors and if we seek votes based on our work, there is nothing wrong in it." "We are not seeking votes in the name of 'kabristan'," Kejriwal said, in a veiled dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The financial support to local bodies includes Rs 3,343 crore as share in tax collection in 2017-18, Rs 1,810 crore as share in stamps and registration fee and one-time parking charges and Rs 700 crore as 'ways and means' advance to North and East Delhi Municipal Corporations, Sisodia said. The government also said that for the implementation of various developmental works under the urban development, health, transport and education sectors, it has proposed to allocate Rs 1,718 crore to the local bodies. "Our government is committed to support the municipal corporations in every possible way. We are in constant dialogue with corporations to encourage them to increase their resources and to rationalise their ever burgeoning expenditures," he said. The erstwhile unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi was trifurcated in 2012 into North, South and East Municipal Corporations. Barring SDMC, both NDMC and EDMC are severely cash-strapped. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The two Medanta hospital doctors, who suffered burn injuries in the air ambulance mishap in Bangkok, continue to remain critical at a hospital in the Thai capital. Dr Shailendra Kumar Arya, from department of critical care, and Dr Komal Bharti, from the department of anaesthesia, suffered burn and smoke related injuries ranging between 25 to 40 per cent, said a senior doctor from Medanta hospital. Medanta Chairman Dr Naresh Trehan visited the doctors, who are admitted in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Bangkok hospital on Tuesday to ensure proper treatment for them. He also met their family members who are currently in Bangkok. Meanwhile, the nurse and the senior pilot of the chartered plane who suffered minor injuries are in the process of being discharged. A team of doctors from the hospital are already in the Thai capital assisting with the treatment of the injured staff. The plane took off from New Delhi for Bangkok on March 5 en route to Bangkok and took a refuelling stop at Kolkata in the afternoon. It later crash landed at Nakhon Pathom airport. The plane was carrying the two doctors and the nurse apart from the two pilots, one of whom was killed in the mishap. The team was on its way to ferry a patient, who was to be shifted to Medanta for treatment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav today asserted that Akhilesh Yadav will get a second consecutive term as chief minister in Uttar Pradesh. Yadav said the party along with the Congress will get "absolute majority" in the state Assembly as he ruled out possibility of a hung verdict. "The Samajwadi Party-Congress combine is set to get absolute majority. We will win 236-240 seats...There is no question of hung assembly," the party general secretary told reporters on Parliament premises. To a question on the BJP forming a government in Uttar Pradesh, Yadav said it is "not aware" of ground realities. On the other hand, expelled SP leader Amar Singh said BJP has got an "advantage" over its rivals in bitterly-fought Assembly elections. With "opposition parties using expletives" against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Singh said the BJP stands to benefit from it electorally. Asserting that the BJP will have an edge over all other parties in the polls, Singh claimed that the BSP too will surpass the SP's tally. On whether the BJP and the BSP will come together if the elections throw up a hung verdict, the Rajya Sabha member said "UP is a wonderful state and politics a game of possibilities". Singh also dodged questions over the possibility of him joining the BJP, saying such issues are "not to be discussed before camera". The results of polls in the politically crucial state will be out on March 11. The Assembly polls were held in seven phases stretching between February 11 and March 8 in the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Assam police today sounded an alert across the state to prevent violence following the attack on the office of All Assam Students Union (AASU) in Dhemaji district and set up a SIT to investigate the incident. "We have sounded an alert and are determined to strictly stop any violence following the incident. If required, we will do it ruthlessly," Assam Director General of Police Mukesh Sahay told reporters here. The attack was allegedly carried out by Nikhil Bharat Bengali Udbastu Samanvay Samiti (NBBUSS) on March 6 and protests by various organisations erupted across the state following the incident. The special investigating team (SIT) is headed by CID Senior Superintendent of Police Raja Martandan and will investigate the incident, he said adding anyone found guilty will be firmly dealt with as per law. "We will ensure a thorough and impartial investigation into all aspects of the incident, particularly the antecedents of the organisation that held the meeting at Silapathar which led to the violence," Sahay said. The situation, he said, has been brought under control by senior officials camping at the site and additional security reinforcements who were rushed there. Fourteen companies of Assam Police battalion along with 80 additional constables have been deployed in Silapathar, where the AASU office is located, while some companies of paramilitary forces have been shifted from Jorhat and North Lakhimpur to Silapathar. "The army too has been kept on standby and their help will be sought in case of need," the DGP said. Sahay said deputy commissioners have been directed to cancel all meetings and rallies of NBBUSS scheduled to be held in their respective districts. "Deputy Commissioners of all districts have been directed to ensure that no untoward incidents take place and if required additional security reinforcements will be rushed if tense situation prevails in any place," he added. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has already announced an inquiry by Additional Chief Secretary V B Pyarelal and directed him to submit the report within a month. NBBUSS members and supporters had on March 6 organised a meeting at Silapathar demanding Indian citizenship for Hindu migrants from Bangladesh. After the meeting its members took out a procession and then allegedly attacked an AASU office near NH15(B), ransacked and damaged its furniture and injured three members of the students union. Protests by different organisations have erupted across the state following the attack, the AASU and Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad being in the forefront. A bandh was also called in Upper Assam's Dibrugarh district. The DGP said that protests against such an incident are natural but the situation is being "monitored closely". A few stray incidents of violence have been reported from some places but these were immediately brought under control, he said and appealed to the people to maintain calm and not give credence to rumour mongering. "I thank people for not being swayed by provocation. People and organisations irrespective of their linguistic, religious and political affiliations have condemned the incident," he said. A 31-year-old Pakistani man went on trial today in Berlin on allegations he operated as a spy for Iran in Europe, collecting information on possible Israeli and Jewish targets for attack in Germany and France. Haider Syed Mustafa is accused of having collected extensive information for an elite unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guard on Reinhold Robbe, the former head of the German-Israeli Association in Berlin, and Daniel Rouach, a French-Israeli professor from the Ecole Superieure de Commerce de Paris university. No pleas are entered in the German system and Mustafa refused to make a statement as the trial opened. According to prosecutors, Mustafa collected large amounts of information including photos and video of the two men, and details of their workplaces, homes, families and acquaintances as well as the neighborhoods and public transportation they frequented. He then allegedly sent the information to a contact called "Mahmud" who passed it on to the Iranian Quds Force unit. Prosecutor Michael Greven told the Berlin state court that Mustafa, who came to Germany in 2012 to study for an engineering degree at the University of Bremen, collected the information on Robbe and Rouach between July 2015 and July 2016 on trips to both Berlin and Paris. He spent several days in both cities and "apparently clandestinely" shot more than 900 photos and dozens of videos with a digital camera and with his iPhone. Separately, he also collected information on the Jewish newspaper Juedische Allgemeine in Berlin. "The al Quds unit has its own agents ... And it considers Israel its arch enemy," Greven said as he read out the indictment. There was no indication how far along the Iranians were in the alleged planning when Mustafa was arrested in Germany in July 2016. No attacks were carried out. Among the reports Mustafa provided were power point presentations highlighting the individuals' security situations, with details of surveillance cameras, security personnel and police details, prosecutors said. Greven said Mustafa received at least 2,052 euros ($2,170) for his spying activities. He also traveled to Pakistan in October 2015 and February 2016 and from there allegedly continued his travels to Iran where he very likely met with his contact Mahmud, Greven said. Mustafa faces a possible five years in prison if convicted. The trial is scheduled to resume Monday and the court has scheduled eight days of hearings. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Hill Missionary Baptist Church, 1800 N. Chamberlain Ave., will hold their inaugural "Girlfriends" Conference on Saturday, March 25 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m."Girlfriends is biblically based and designed to strengthen women of all ages spiritually, emotionally, and educationally," officials said. "The conference will address questions like: What is a girlfriend?, What are the qualities of a girlfriend?, Do you now what your spiritual gifts are?, and more."The conference is free.Register to attend by March 18 at www.EventBrite.com The autobiography of former Congress leader Margaret Alva, titled 'Courage and Commitment,' will be released at a function to be held at St Agnes college under the auspices of Catholic Association of South Kanara (CASK) and Agnesian Alumnae Association here on March 11. Alva, who had also served as Governor of Rajasthan and Uttarakhand, details her triumphs, trials and tribulations during her 40-year career under four Prime Ministers-Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, P V Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh-- and her transition from a politician to Governor in the 'unflinchingly honest' biography, former CASK president Derek Lobo told reporters here. Alva reveals the controversies that rocked her career, her spats with Sanjay Gandhi, her role in framing Rajiv Gandhi's last campaign tour, her involvement with the Jain Hawala investigation when in charge of the CBI and her denunciation of the manipulation of seats by her own party. The book also chronicles the events leading to her resignation in 2008 from the post of AICC general secretary in charge of eight states. She also offers rare insights into the lives of national and international political luminaries and sheds light on her experiences with family, friends and foes. While detailing politics and policies, manipulations and machinations, the book is story of a simple life made remarkable, Lobo said. Margaret Alva herself will release the book at the function which would be followed by a panel discussion. Thepanelists are Bharati Shevgoor, editor, AdSyndicate, Captain Ramprasad, director, Call for Safety and Quality Solutions, Urmila Shetty, trustee, M V Shetty Charitable Trust, Gulobi Fernandes, former chairperson, YWCA, Mumbai and John B Monteiro, author and journalist. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Allahabad High Court today granted bail to expelled Samajwadi Party leader Amanmani Tripathi, charged by the CBI with the murder of his wife. Justice Vipin Sinha ordered that Tripathi, son of controversial Uttar Pradesh politician Amarmani Tripathi, "be released on bail on furnishing a personal bond and two heavy local sureties each of the like amount to the satisfaction of the court concerned". The court also directed that he "shall not tamper with the prosecution evidence", "shall not pressurise the prosecution witnesses" and "shall appear on the date fixed by the trial court". It also told Tripathi that he "shall not commit an offence similar to the one of which he is accused" and "shall not directly or indirectly make any inducement, threat or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the case so as to dissuade him from disclosing facts to the court or to any police officer". Tripathi's wife Sara was killed in July 2015, in what was initially believed to be a road accident. However, her parents alleged that she was murdered by her husband of two years. The matter was thereafter handed over the the CBI and Tripathi was arrested and sent to jail on November 25, 2016 and slapped with a charge sheet on February 18 last. While allowing his bail plea, the court also directed Tripathi to"surrender his passport within a period of two weeks from the date of his release before the concerned court" and "cooperate with the investigation" and ruled that he "shall present himself before the court concerned on each and every date" and "not seek any adjournment whatsoever and in case any adjournment is sought on any exceptional circumstances, the court concerned shall specify the reasons in the order itself while granting such adjournment". "Liberty is also being given to the learned counsel for the complainant to file a bail cancellation application before the court concerned itself, in case, there is any violation on the part of the applicant (Tripathi) of the aforesaid conditions", the court added. Tripathi, who has contested from Nautanwa assembly segment as an Independent candidate, was expelled from the ruling Samajwadi Party on February 23 last for "anti-party activities". He was initially given the party ticket when Mulayam Singh Yadav was its national president but his candidature was cancelled when Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav took over the reins of the party. Tripathi's father Amarmani had been associated with SP, BSP, Congress and BSP at various points in his chequered political career and had occupied a ministerial berth on more than one occasion. Both Amarmani and his wife, (Amanmani's mother) Madhumani, were awarded life sentence in 2007 by a CBI court for the murder of budding poetess Madhumita Shukla. The former minister and Shukla were believed to be having an affair. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least 19 people died in a fire at a shelter for abused children in Guatemala today, firefighters said. The cause of the blaze was not immediately known, nor was the number of children among those killed. Commanders have "informed us that they have already counted 19 people deceased" in the Virgin of the Assumption Safe Home located in San Jose Pinula, a village just to the east of the capital, the fire services spokesman, Mario Cruz, told reporters. Another 25 people were injured, suffering burns of various degrees. They were taken to state hospitals in Guatemala City. Initial reports suggested that some of the children and teenagers in the shelter had protested overnight against poor food and treatment by staff. The center, supervised by state social welfare authorities, hosts minors under age 18 who are victims of family maltreatment or found living on the street. It has been the target of multiple complaints alleging abuse, and several children have run away. The country office of the UN children's fund UNICEF said on its Twitter feed it "condemns the tragedy" and emphasized: "These children and adolescents must be protected. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Anti-graft activist Prashant Bhushan today alleged that the Centre was making attempts to "severely compromise" anti-corruption institutions to "protect" the influential. "The current government came to power on the plank of anti-corruption and promises of bringing back black money. "But what happened to that black money crusade? Now, from Lokpal to CBI and CVC (Central Vigilance Commission), attempts are being made to destroy these anti-graft institutions so that no probe can be done against the accused, including a few big corporates," the senior Supreme Court lawyer alleged. Bhushan was answering questions from reporters during an anti-corruption rally -- 'Bhrastachaar se Azadi' organised from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar. Addressing a crowd at Jantar Mantar later, Bhushan said, "Our demand is that the Lokpal be immediately appointed and the Whistleblower Act implemented at the earliest. We also seek an independent probe in (former Arunachal Chief Minister) Kalikho Pul's suicide case." Raking up the issue of Sahara and Birla papers, on behalf the activists, he also demanded that "a probe be held into the alleged payoff cases connected with the two corporate houses." In January, the Supreme Court had rejected a plea for a court-monitored SIT probe into bribery allegations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the basis of documents seized during the raids in business houses-- Sahara and Birla-- on the ground they had no evidentiary value. He also hit out at Arvind Kejriwal and his AAP government for "just capitalising" on the anti-graft movement led by Anna Hazare six years ago. "The party which is in power in Delhi also was born out of the anti-graft movement but Kejriwal and the AAP just benefited themselves, so we are starting this fresh anti- corruption movement, which will fan out to the corners of this country," he said. The rally was jointly organised by several activist groups, including Anti-corruption Team (Swaraj Abhiyan), National Alliance for People's Movement, SFI, CITU and AIDWA. Pul's wife also took part in the rally and demanded constitution of a separate SIT to probe his suicide case and the allegations made in his long suicide note. "Modi government has failed to operationalise the Lokpal an Lokayuktas Act. Three years after the Lokpal Act was passed by Parliament, no Lokpal has been appointed," Bhushan said. "The Prevention of Corruption Act is also being severely compromised. The Whistleblower Act which was passed in 2014 has not been operationalised has not been operationalised till date," he claimed. Bhushan also alleged that the Rafale defence deal was an "exorbitant" one and that prices were "later ramped up". Activist Aruna Roy alleged that a "conspiracy" is being hatched to "suppress" the voices of whistleblowers and activists, who speak against corruption. A 'ghotala rath' with a man, personified as corruption, riding it, was also taken out during the rally. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An avalanche warning was issued today for hilly and vulnerable areas of Kashmir valley and Kargil district after these places received fresh snowfall. "Medium danger avalanche warning valid for next 24 hours from March 8 to March 9 (1700 hrs) exists for avalanche-prone slopes in Kupwara, Bandipora, Anantnag, Baramulla, Ganderbal, Kulgam, Budgam and Kargil districts of Kashmir Division," an official spokesman said quoting a statement issued by the Divisional Administration. Accordingly, the spokesman said, all the Deputy Commissioners concerned have been asked to take precautionary measures in their respective districts and advise people not to venture in avalanche-prone areas during the aforementioned period and monitor the situation regularly to avert any untoward incident. The high altitude areas of Kashmir valley and Kargil experienced snowfall since yesterday under the influence of western disturbance which is expected to remain active in the region till the weekend. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A day after China, the current chair of the BRICS, indicated "widening" of the five-nation grouping during its summit later this year, India today said it awaits details of the Chinese suggestion. Maintaining that BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China) is an important platform, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Gopal Baglay said, "We await details of the Chinese suggestion." He was replying to a query on Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's comments in Beijing yesterday that the grouping will build a platform for "south-south" cooperation, exploring a 'BRICS-plus' model by holding talks with other developing countries to establish a more extensive partnership. "We will widen the circle of friends and turn BRICS into the most-influential platform for south-south cooperation in the world," Wang had said. Baglay also noted that every BRICS Chair in its turn has arranged outreach alongside BRICS events and brought a flavor of its geography to the participants. India had chaired the BRICS summit last year in Goa and also held BIMSTEC meet as part of its outreach event. This year's summit is scheduled to be held in September in the southeastern Xiamen city of China. Asked about China's warning to India against visit of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama to Arunachal Pradesh, the spokesperson said India's position on the issue is consistent. "He is a revered religious figure who is treated as such by the government and the people of India. The government has no say in his travels within India and no political meaning should be attached to them as such," Baglay said. During a briefing in Beijing last week, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang had warned India against allowing the visit, saying it would cause "serious damage" to the bilateral ties and peace in the "disputed" border region. "China is gravely concerned over information that India has granted permission to the Dalai to visit Arunachal Pradesh," Geng had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad today saluted the father of suspected ISIS terrorist Saifullah for not accepting his son's body and branding him as a "traitor". Saifullah was killed in an encounter with Uttar Pradesh Police yesterday. Azad described as "courageous" the stand of Sartaj, Saifullah's father, of not accepting his slain son's body saying a traitor cannot be related to him. "A father has rejected a son for the sake of the nation...My salute. This shows there is no dearth of nationalist Muslims in India," the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha told reporters. Sartaj had yesterday told journalists, "A traitor cannot be my son, straight and simple...We are Indian citizens. I was born here, my ancestors were born here." Saifullah was killed in Lucknow yesterday in an exchange of fire with the state police after a 12-hour stand-off. He was suspected to be linked with the blast in the Bhopal-Ujjain train, police said. (REOPENS DES 23) Meanwhile, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi wondered why was "politics" being done on the issue when the terror suspect's father himself had refused to accept his son's body. "Why should politics be done on this? I need not say further when his father has clearly said that they will not accept his body. What else can I or the community say," he told reporters outside Parliament. A group of uniformed personnel from Bangladesh allegedly entered Muslimpara area in the district and threatened villagers leading to a clash in which a Bangladeshi paramilitary personnel was killed and six Indian villagers injured, a BSF official said today. Brajesh Kumar, DIG-BSF, who is camping in the area, told reporters that group of 12-14 armed uniformed personnel from Badarpur village of Bangladesh's Feni district had allegedly entered Muslimpara at about 9 PM last night. They broke doors of several village houses, hurled slangs and threatened them, he said. When the locals put up a resistance, the armed personnel fired rubber bullets injuring six Indian villagers. Soon a mob attacked them with machetes and lathis leaving an ANSAR Bahini Lance Naik, identified as Nawsad Ali, dead, Kumar said. Bangladesh Ansar also known as Ansar Bahini is a paramilitary force of Bangladesh. The villagers also caught one Suman Miah (20) in plain clothes. BSF personnel rushed to the spot and recovered the body along with one assault rifle with five live cartridges. The body along with the arms and ammunition and Suman Miah were handed over to police, he said. The Commandant of 68 battalion of BSF guarding the areas have contacted their counterpart of BGB, 10 battalion and sought clarification on how the armed and uniformed personnel of Bangladesh entered Indian territory without permission, he said. The body of the deceased would be handed over to BGB after post-mortem today. The SP of South Tripura Tapan Debbarma is at the spot along with a heavy contingent of forces. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 24-year-old Belgian woman has been charged with terrorism offences on suspicion she helped people plotting an attack in Europe, prosecutors in Brussels said today. Identified as Molly B, the woman was arrested during an overnight raid on a house in western Belgium which took place between Tuesday and yesterday, the federal prosecutor's office said in a statement. "The investigation shows indications of assistance being provided by the woman to persons with the intention to commit an attack in Europe," it said. She was charged with "participation in the activities of a terrorist organisation." It said the investigation was completely independent of the probes into the November 2015 attacks in Paris and the March 2016 bombings in Brussels. No weapons nor explosives were found in the raid. Belgium has remained on high alert since March 22 last year when three home-grown suicide bombers attacked Brussels airport and a metro station near EU headquarters, killing 32 people and wounding hundreds more. The Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq claimed responsibility for the bombings that investigators say were carried out by the same cell that slaughtered 130 people in Paris on November 13, 2015. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vaccine maker Bharat Biotech today said it has recalled a single batch of 40,000 vials as a precautionary and safety measure due to wrong detailing on the carton printing. According to the company, the recall was made only because of printing error and not due to any quality issue. The recalled vaccine is a combopack of (Comvac 3 plus BioHib) with two distinct component vaccine batches, a company release said. After a swift investigation the company informed the state and central drug authorities, marketing agents, vaccine administrators and doctors about the recall, it added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Executive Director Darlene Kemp, MPH, MBA, announced that Vista Points Special Needs Trusts & Resource Center will be hosting three specialized workshops for people living with a disability and their caregivers. Loretta Leda, public relations manager, is coordinating these workshops. She said, Many caregivers and people with disabilities are often looking for services available to them that can offer a social outlet, or calming therapies, giving them all a better quality of life. These are a unique blend of therapies and resources to offer support and quality of life for the caregiver and the person with special needs, or a disability. The speakers are professionals in their field who are passionate and dedicated to achieving a healthier community, from children to seniors. Margaret (Maggie) Bailey, 200RYT, will be speaking about the benefits of yoga for people living with a disability. Bailey works with people with special needs, cancer survivors and is studying to work with Veterans and others who experience PTSD. Mandy Sutton, MS, NCC, will offer an interactive session of laughter yoga and is a counselor for seniors. She will give a brief overview about the benefits of laughter yoga for anyone, anytime. Katherine Goforth is a music therapist, board certified, MM, MT-BC, NICU MT, works with all populations utilizing music for calming, memory and other benefits. Blythe Mayfield is a registered art therapist and will be sharing the benefits of art therapy as a calming, uplifting and fun social activity. Sarah Hathcock, ASID, will speak about the spatial footprint for children and for seniors. If you have a child with special needs she will give you tips and techniques to create a calming room and to keep them safe. If you have a loved one with dementia, she can help with functionality for their movement and comfort. Jeannie Harrison, RN, will be sharing about essential oils and the plethora of health benefits for all ages. Case studies have demonstrated the life-enhancing benefits offering a new level of wellness through a mainstream approach which is naturally safe for the whole family as well as pets. Essential oils can lift the mood, calm the senses, help someone focus and/or elicit powerful emotions, as well as the memory. Workshop Dates, Times & Locations: Friday, March 31, 8:30 am 12 pm, The Walden Club, 633 Chestnut Street, Chattanooga, will be the Childrens Special Care Needs Workshop (sorry no daycare). This event is for parents of children with special needs and/or disabilities. Tuesday, April 4, 5:30 pm 8:30 pm, Trinity Lutheran Church, 5001 Hixson Pike, Hixson, will be the Special Needs Care Workshop for people with Mental Health issues and/or their caregivers. Friday, April 7, 8:30 am 12 pm, Concord Baptist Church, 7025 E. Brainerd Road, Chattanooga, will be for Seniors with Special Needs and/or their caregivers. R.S.V.P- by calling: 1.888.422.4076, or visit their website, www.VistaPoints.org/events or emailing: events@vistapoints.org Please leave your name, phone number, which workshop you will be attending and if you are a caregiver or have a disability. We will contact everyone to confirm. For more information contact: Loretta Lynn Leda, public relations manager, 423 605-4719, lorettalynnleda@vistapoints.org or 888 422-4076. Mukta Tilak, a four-time Corporator of BJP and a descendant of freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak, today filed papers for Mayor's polls and is set to get the post given her party's majority in the new civic body. Tilak (52) filed nomination form for the post of Mayor after BJP cleared her candidature. The election is scheduled for March 15. The BJP won 98 of the 162 seats in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in the last month's elections, enough for Tilak to get the prestigious post. Tilak completed her graduation in psychology from Fergusson College and later did MBA (marketing) from IMDR, Pune. She also holds a diploma in journalism from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. She worked as a market research analyst in MNCs before entering politics and had been elected Corporator four times. Navnath Kamble of RPI (A), an ally of BJP, has filed nomination for the Deputy Mayor's post. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A bomb went off in Al-Arish city of Egypt's restive North Sinai, killing a high-ranking Army officer and injuring three others, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. The explosion took place late yesterday targeting a security patrol which was passing through Assiut street in Al-Arish city. While Colonel Yasser El-Hadidi was killed in the explosion, a conscript and a civilian sustained injuries. Security forces rushed to the incident spot, cordoned and combed the area, the statement said. Egypt's North Sinai has witnessed several terror attacks after the January 2011 revolution that toppled ex-president Hosni Mubarak. The attacks, mainly targeting police and military, increased after the ouster of Islamist ex-president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 by military following massive protests against his rule. The military has launched security campaigns in the area, in which some terrorists are based. The security forces have arrested suspects and demolished houses that belong to terrorists, including those facilitating tunnels leading to the Gaza Strip. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The BSF and Pakistan Rangers today held the first sectoral commander-level meet, after last year's heavy cross-border shelling, at a border outpost here and decided to re-energise communication between field commanders. "On the request of Pakistan Rangers, a sector commander-level flag meeting was held between the Border Security Force and Pakistan Rangers today from 1130 hours to 1320 hours on the IB (International Border) at Suchetgarh in Jammu district," a senior BSF officer said. The BSF delegation comprising 18 officers was led by DIG P S Dhiman of Jammu sector, while Chenab Rangers' Sector Commander Brig. Amjad Hussain of Sialkot, Punjab led the Pakistani delegation of 18 officers, including three wing commanders. It was the first sector commander-level meeting between the two border guarding forces after the heavy shelling and fire exchanges at the border areas in October-November 2016, with the Indian forces foiling several infiltration bids by Pakistani militants. Firing from the Indian side to foil infiltration bids had also resulted in three terrorists being killed. The terrorists were attempting to sneak into India through a tunnel on November 29, 2016. The tunnel was also found by BSF personnel on February 13, 2017 in the Chamliyal area of Ramgarh sector, the officer said. During the flag meeting, the commanders of both the forces discussed various issues, including the infiltration bids on October 18-19, 2016 in Bobiya sector, the killing of late constable Gurnam Singh by Pakistani forces and the detection of the tunnel. They also discussed infiltration bids by terrorists from the Pakistani soil, firing in Ramgarh sector, the return to India of Constable Sohan Lal of Jammu and Kashmir Police, who had inadvertently strayed into Pakistan in 2014, besides other routine issues related to border management, the officer said. "It was also decided to re-energise instant communication between field commanders, whenever required, to resolve petty matters," he added. The officer said the meeting was held in a "cordial, positive and constructive" atmosphere and both the sides agreed for an expeditious implementation of the decisions taken during earlier meetings and committed to each other to maintain peace and tranquillity at the border. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) State-run telecom firm BSNL today launched an email service, offering 100GB storage space, in partnership with Datamail provider Data Xgen. The email service will be free for BSNL's broadband customers on select plans. "BSNL inaugurated 100GB email storage services and the demonstration on Data Radio Service," BSNL Chairman and Managing Director Anupam Shrivastava tweeted. Datamail is linguistic email service that offers creation of email address in Hindi, Gujarati, Urdu, Punjabi, Tamil, Telegu, Bengali and Marathi scripts. In a separate statement, he said that 100GB storage space is introduced with BSNL's two pan-India plans in free of cost. "Plans offered are BBG Combo ULD 680 and BBG Combo ULD 950 to the customers on their bundled email service. Anyone availing these two plans are going to get free email address with 100 GB storage space," Shrivastava said. The current storage space limit offered to the BSNL broadband customer is 1GB which is less than the storage space being offered by Gmail, Yahoo Mail and Hotmail etc. Customers having BSNL broadband connection can use linguistic email address service offered by BSNL and Data XGen jointly on DataMail app. The linguistic email service offered by BSNL provides email addresses on dataone.Bharat (in devnagri or hindi letters) domain using Datamail service. The email addresses can be created in devnagri (Hindi) scripts and in eight regional languages including Gujarati, Urdu, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and Marathi. Which means that a person having dataone.Bharat (in devnagri) email address will get 100GB space. "BSNL offering 100 GB storage space is a historical moment for the country. A made in India, DataMail app has empowered Indian citizens to interact in their own language through linguistic email address service," Data XGen Technologies founder and CEO Ajay Data said. BSNL broadband users can open an email ID in DataMail app in their own languages. The mail service will also come with voice-based social media service DataRadio which allows its user to send voice message to the subscribers or follower of their DataRadio channels. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A special court here today extended the judicial custody of senior IAS officer and chairman of Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC) Sudhir Kumar till March 16 in a case of leak of examination papers. The case relates to leak of question papers in recruitment examinations for clerks held on February 5. Along with Sudhir Kumar, the vigilance court of Brij Mohan Singh extended the judicial custody of eight others, including relatives of the IAS officer, till March 16. Sudhir Kumar, who is a 1987-batch IAS officer, was brought to the court from Phulwarisharif jail. The case against him has been transferred to the vigilance court from that of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Patna City Khyati Singh on prayer of the investigating officer after addition of Prevention of Corruption Act against the officer. The custody of other accused, including BSSC Secretary Parmeshwar Ram, has already been extended till March 16, the next date of hearing. Sudhir Kumar was arrested on February 24 by Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the state government to probe the question paper leak in two consecutive phases of the examinations. The state government has already suspended the IAS officer. Question and answer of the BSSC examination held on February 5 for recruitment of clerks in various state government departments had been circulated online before the exam begun. On the basis of probe report of state police chief P K Thakur and recommendation of Chief Secretary Anjani Kumar Singh, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had announced cancellation of the exam. He had also ordered a thorough probe by SIT headed by Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj in the case. The state unit of IAS Association had protested the way Sudhir Kumar was arrested from his father's home in Hazaribagh in neighbouring Jharkhand. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Aam Aadmi Party today hailed the Delhi budget as "pro-poor" and "pro-middle class", even as the Opposition slammed the finance bill as "disappointing". Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the AAP government has not imposed any new tax for the third consecutive year. Finance Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said every section of the society was in his mind while preparing the budget. Picking holes, the BJP said the budget is "disappointing" and has remained silent on several key projects like setting up of CCTVs, free wifi and women's safety while the Congress said, contrary to the government's claim, the economy of Delhi is slowing. "It is a wonderful budget for poor and middle class people. Delhi government has tabled zero-tax budget. No new tax has been introduced in this budget. "Earlier, a major part of public money went into corruption, but since we have come to power, public money is being saved due to which we are investing more money in education, health and infrastructure projects," Kejriwal said. Hitting out at the Kejriwal government, Delhi BJP President Manoj Tiwari said the budget is mum on key projects like the mohalla clinics and increasing the number of buses on the city roads. Tiwari also slammed the government on its "insensitivity towards legislative proceedings" over the delay in presenting the budget by 15 minutes due to lack of quorum in the House. Sharmistha Mukherjee, chief spokesperson of Delhi Congress termed the budget as "anti-development". She said, according to the Economic Survey, Delhi's economic growth has slowed down for the first time in five years from 8.82 per cent in 2015-16 to 8.26 per cent in 2016-17. "The revenue receipts have fallen short by Rs 4,468.93 crore than the estimate and the fiscal surplus of Delhi has come down from 1.9 per cent of GSDP in 2013-14, the last year of the Congress government, to 0.24 per cent of GSDP in 2015-16. "We fear that from a fiscal surplus state, Delhi might even become a fiscal deficit state," Mukherjee said. Slamming the budget, Swaraj India president Yogendra Yadav said it obfuscates more than it reveals with selective presentation of favourable statistics and non-acknowledgment of limits and challenges. Taking a jibe at Sisodia, Yadav said the budget appears to have borrowed the language and practice of Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and his predecessor P Chidambaram. (Reopens DES86) Dubbing the Kejriwal government's budget as "disappointing", Tiwari said the budget has disappointed all sections of people but today on the International Women's Day, it has been "most disappointing" for women, also for the youths as it "lacked attention" on their welfare. "The government has not made any provision for women safety including installation of CCTV cameras," he said, adding even after two years in power the government is "avoiding" talking about free wi-fi service and opening of new colleges and schools have become a "distant dream". Tiwari said the budget presented before the MCD elections scheduled in April, made no mention of implementation of recommendations of the 4th Delhi Finance Commission indicating no change in poor financial condition of the civic bodies in the future. "There is no provision or indication for implementing the recommendations of Fourth Delhi Finance Commission, meaning thereby the financial condition of the municipal corporations will not improve and there is no possibility of improvement in sanitation work in near future," he said. Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta termed the budget as "vague" and "lacking any time frame" for the implementation of various measures. "Kejriwal government's much publicised outcome budget turns out to be a vague concept. It is doomed to be a failure as it has no time-frame for step-by-step implementation of the various measures proposed by the government," he said. He alleged that the budget speech by Deputy CM and Finance minister Manish Sisodia was delayed by 10 minutes as the quorum of the House could not be completed as only 25 out of 67 AAP MLAs were present in the Assembly. "Sisodia's speech was nothing but an ambitious and clever exercise to hide failure and inability of the Delhi Government to achieve the targets set in previous budget," he charged. Meanwhile, Delhi Congress hit out at the AAP government for dishing out "false hopes and promises" in its budget. "AAP's Third Budget out of five. Still false hopes, promises and Pilot projects First at least match Congress performance!," Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken said in his tweet. He also slammed the government on different fronts including education, purchase of new buses, delay in metro rail projects among others. "Prove if you have purchased a single Bus, If you have stared&finished single new flyover-A new hospital! Why is Metro delayed by 2yrs?," he tweeted. Mukherjee also said it is aimed to "hide failures" of the AAP government's two years in power. "The Kejriwal government too has turned into a 'Jumla Sarkar' like the Narendra Modi government," she said. The Delhi government has allocated around Rs 1,070 crore for setting up modern markets in the city. Of this amount, around Rs 800 crore has been earmarked for construction of 70-acre market at Tikri Khampur to decongest the "overcrowded" Azadpur Mandi. "Asia's biggest market Azadpur mandi has become overcrowded. The proposed 70-acre market, expected to be completed by 2019 end, at Tikri Khampur will be able to reduce the congestion," said Delhi Finance minister Sisodia in his budget speech today. He also announced a modern flower market-cum-exhibition centre at a cost of Rs 150 crore and a modern fish and poultry market at cost of 120 crore at Gazipur. "A Waste-to-Energy plant at Gazipur has also been proposed and will be complete by end of this fiscal," he said. An e-mandi project in all markets is also in the pipeline in order to ensure transparency in transactions. "In order to fetch better prices to farmers and to shorten payment cycle, e-mandi project will be implemented by joining the e-portal of National Agriculture Market in a phased manner," the deputy chief minister said. Besides, the government has earmarked Rs 600 crore for the Delhi Rural Development Board, a four-fold increase from Rs 132 crore last year. Sisodia said the board will now include both rural and urban villages of Delhi. "Outlay of the board will be increased to Rs 600 crore, a four-fold increase from Rs 132 crore last year. Rs two crore from the fund will be allocated to each rural or urban village in proportion to its population," he said. The Delhi government has allocated Rs 925 crore for rural development and flood irrigation for the fiscal 2017-18. An amount of Rs 704 has also been allocated for implementation of various schemes under the sector. Construction of Chhath Ghats across Delhi at a cost of Rs 20 crore has also been proposed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Lauding the Delhi government's budget, the AAP today said it reflects "transparent and progressive policies" being pursued by the Arvind Kejriwal dispensation with a series of pro-people measures. The AAP's Delhi unit convenor Dilip Pandey said the Delhi government has presented a tax-free budget for the third consecutive year. He said that the continued focus on education, health and transport sectors in this year's budget as well is a "welcome indicator" for the residents of the national capital. It is "a matter of pride" that the government could keep its promises of slashing electricity tariffs for domestic consumers by 50 per cent for consumption of 400 units per month and providing 20,000 litres of water per household with metered connections for three years. This has proved the critics "completely wrong", he said. "A lot of path-breaking work has already been done in these sectors critical for the future and lives of the people, and higher allocation will lead to further improvement in all three areas," Pandey said. He said the work undertaken and accomplished by the Kejriwal government in its two-year tenure is satisfactory, despite all "hurdles" by "obstructionist and extreme opportunistic politics" displayed by rival parties. "Manish Sisodia's third budget is a tribute to the honest, transparent and progressive policies being pursued by the AAP government," Pandey said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A special CBI court today granted 21 days interim bail to Kolkata-based businessman Paras Mal Lodha, arrested in connection with the alleged illegal conversion of over Rs 25 crore in old currency for mining baron J Sekhar Reddy. Lodha was arrested in connection with the case in Mumbai in December last by Enforcement Directorate. Later, he was lodged in Delhi. On January 5, Lodha was produced before Additional CBI Court Judge K Venkatasamy, relating to bank fraud cases on a prisoners transit warrant from Tihar Jail in Delhi. Lodha had sought interim bail as he had to participate in the last rites of his mother. In his bail petition, he submitted that he is the only son and already the Delhi CBI court had granted 21 days of interim bail in the case before that court. He filed the present bail petition in the case before the Chennai CBI court, which today granted 21 days interim bail to him. In the case pertaining to the seizure of Rs 34 crore in new currency notes, Lodha was cited as the sixth accused after Sekhar Reddy, V Srinivasalu, Dindigul Rathinam, Muthupettai Ramachandran and auditor Prem Kumar. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Haryana's main opposition party INLD today demanded a CBI probe into the Gwal Pahari "land scam" in Gurugram district. "The land scam is said to involve around Rs 4,500 crore. Without any further delay, the chief minister should give a reply on the issue in the House and hand over the probe to the CBI or any other independent agency," Opposition Leader Abhay Chautala told reporters on the sidelines of the ongoing Budget Session of the state Assembly here. The Gurugram Municipal Corporation had recently issued notices to individuals to vacate its over 450 acres of land in Gwal Pahari. The land is currently in the hands of various individuals, private developers and farmhouse owners. The entitlement of the land and mutation have been in dispute for over three decades. Gwal Pahari is part of the Aravalli range with the Gurugram-Faridabad road passing through it. Due to its prime location and scope for development, it is much sought-after by developers and realtors. Even the BJP MLA from Gurugram, Umesh Aggarwal, had recently attacked the state government, led by his party, raising questions about the ownership of the Gwal Pahari land. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 11/6/2022 Chattanooga Elks Lodge will honor area veterans with a complimentary breakfast and program next Saturday. This Veterans Day event is open to the public and will be held from 9-11 a.m. at the ... more The CBI has arrested a Superintendent of Central Excise posted here for allegedly receiving a bribe of Rs 10 lakh for favouring a company. Representative of the company, who is the bribe giver in the case, has also been arrested, the agency said. "CBI Hyderabad unit registered a case yesterday against S Gopala Krishna Murthy, Superintendent of Central Excise, Anti-Evasion, Hyderabad-II Commissionerate, Kendriya Shulk Bhavan, and unknown others on receipt of reliable information about demand and acceptance of illegal gratification of Rs 10 lakh for showing undue official favour after conducting inspection at M/s KM Plastics at Katedan here," an official release said today. Murthy had made a demand amount of Rs 10 lakh from representative of the company to cover up the irregularities found during the visit of the factory premises by the Anti Evasion Team on March 1, the CBI said. "Out of Rs 10 lakh, the first instalment of Rs 6 lakh was delivered yesterday morning and the second instalment of Rs 4 lakhs was to be delivered in the afternoon to the accused," it said. "The accused was caught red handed while accepting this second instalment of Rs 4 lakh. Immediately both the bribe giver and the bribe taker have been arrested and thoroughly interrogated, it said. "Searches were conducted at the residential premises of the accused and the Office of the Anti Evasion Unit, Central Excise here. During these searches, an amount of Rs. 5.6 lakh was recovered along with several other incriminating documents," the release added. Both the arrested accused are being produced before court of the Special Judge for CBI cases here. The case is under active investigation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In an effort to raise awareness about good cinema among students in urban and rural areas, the Children Film Society of India is arranging special screening of selected classics in government-aided institutions. A CFSI spokesman said that as part of the initiative, 2,500 students had already attended such special screenings in Hindu School, Kamala Girls School, Jadavpur Vidyapith, Hare School, Tirthapati Institution among others in the city. "Now we are aiming at rural pockets of West Bengal where a vast majority of students live and who are not introduced to classics," he told PTI. "The purpose is to give children, aged 8 to 12 years, exposure to good cinema as we must keep in mind that there are many underprivileged children who don't get to see such works," the spokesman said at a CFSI-sponsored programme here. Arindam Sil, maker of such films as 'Egoler Chokh' and 'Har Har Byomkesh' and who also doubles up as a consultant for Bollywood films, asked a group of 300 children, who attended the programme, if they had heard the names of film-makers like Rituparno Ghosh, to which only a few said they did. Interestingly, when they were asked if they had heard the name of Bengali movie superstar Dev, more known for mainstream films, most of them lustily cheered. "I think the way children are being encouraged to read books, there should be similar encouragement from schools and guardians for cultivating the habit of watching good films," Sil said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China says more than 20,000 people from neighboring Myanmar have fled across the border into China after months of violence between ethnic rebel groups and government forces, including fighting this week that killed at least 30 people. Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said today that China condemns the fighting in northern Myanmar and calls for an immediate cease-fire. Geng said Chinese authorities in the border area have offered shelter and assistance to the refugees from Myanmar. This week, the Myanmar government said at least 30 people were killed in fighting triggered by a pre-dawn attack by an ethnic rebel group. It said the attack on the government-controlled town of Laukkai killed five policemen and five civilians. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma today told the assembly that there was "cold war" among the bureaucrats in the state which was responsible for spreading false information about the government. "I assure this august House that the government will investigate because unhealthy trend is happening in the state and I warned through you (Mr Speaker) there seems to be some cold war among bureaucrats," Sangma said, while responding to a call attention notice on a media report which alleged that the Forest department gave undue favour to a cement plant. He said, "The privilege space available for government officers to serve the people should not be misused to settle personal scores." The Chief Minister also warned, "Anything which goes against the interest of the state the government will take note of this and take measures to ensure there is a system created as a deterrent." A report in a daily had alleged that there was "irregularity" and "favouritism" to one cement plant which was refuted by Mukul Sangma saying the government has nothing to do with one cement plant and to remain hostile with the other. Stating that the allegation of irregularities was very serious, he said, "The intent behind (the report) is something which the government will look into seriously. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress today accused the Central Government of deliberately delaying construction of the cable-stayed bridge on Narmada river in Bharuch, proposed by erstwhile UPA dispensation, for taking political credit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday unveiled a plaque to dedicate to nation the cable-stayed (extradosed) bridge which is the longest (1.3 km) in country. The bridge is expected to ease traffic on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai National Highway. Rebutting the Congress' claim, the BJP said the demand for the bridge was in fact raised time and again by Modi when he was chief minister of Gujarat. The state unit Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki said then UPA government had awarded the contract for construction of the bridge to L&T in December 2013. "The foundation stone for the bridge was laid by then Union Minister CP Joshi and former state revenue minister Anandiben Patel on May 1, 2012," he claimed. Solanki said former Bharuch MP Ahmed Patel had appealed to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to construct the bridge. "(As) the company which was supposed to construct the bridge did not do it on BOT basis, the UPA govt declared it as a project of national importance and on February 25, 2014, allowed its construction on EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) basis. It had allotted Rs 8.3 crore on March 6, 2014," the Congress leader said. He alleged the Narendra Modi government delayed the construction of the bridge by six months to derive a political mileage out of the project, causing hardship to public. Solanki said he appealed to Union minister Nitin Gadkari "to reveal the truth." Gadkari had said the bridge was constructed in record 34 months with expenditure of Rs 380 crore after the NDA government issued a fresh tender in 2014. The minister had said the previous UPA government had approved the project in 2012 at the cost of Rs 475 crore. BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya said, "During its ten-year rule, the erstwhile UPA government draw the bridge only on paper whereas the NDA constructed it in the last 2.5 years. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Main Opposition Congress today staged a walkout in the Chhattisgarh Assembly over alleged corruption in paddy procurement in the state. Raising the issue, Bhupesh Baghel (Congress) sought to know the target fixed for paddy procurement under minimum support price (MSP) by the state government in kharif marketing years 2013-14 to 2016-17. He said the government should reveal how much paddy had been procured and details of payments made to farmers. Cooperative Minister Dayaldas Baghel said the state doesn't fix any target for paddy procurement under MSP. He also gave figures of paddy procurment and amounts paid to farmers from 2013-14 to 2016-17. Countering his reply, Congress member Baghel asked how the government provides budget for paddy procurement, its transportation, milling and labour payment when it doesn't fixes any target. There have been irregularities to the tune of Rs 684 crore in paddy procurement and the government is trying to hide this, he alleged. The Minister said action is being taken against the guilty wherever irregularities have come to light. So far, 18 employees have been sacked and employees suspended. Besides, process of lodging FIRs against 13 employees had been initiated, the Minister added. Interrupting him, Congress MLAs alleged massive irregularity in paddy procurement and demanded a CBI probe. Not satisfied with the Minsiter's reply, Congress members a staged a walkout. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An special court dealing with the cases pertaining to chit fund scam today ordered the sale of seized assets of a ponzi scheme firm through public auction. The court of Additional District Judge (ADJ) also directed the competent authority to distribute the money realised through auction, equitably among the poor investors of M/s Sri Bhumi Group of Companies. This is the eighth such order passed by the special court during last two years for public auction of seized properties of eight tainted companies that collected money from public luring them with promise to high interest. At least two dozen more such cases are now pending disposal in the same court. The company Bhubaneswar-headquartered had collected more than Rs five crore from public by opening branch offices in Angul, Rourkela, Balasore and Jaleswar. At least 550 investors in the company have so far complained of cheating and the number is still counting, sources said. On the basis of cases registered by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of State crime branch, police have arrested Subhransu Singh, one of the directors of the company. The other director Chaturanan Majhi is still absconding. Police have also seized documents of at least 64 acres of land belonging to the company and cash over Rs 3 lakh. Soon after filing of the charge sheet against Singh, the state government in July 2015 had issued ad-interim order to attach the properties of the company. Accordingly, the Cuttack, Additional District Magistrate (ADM), who has been appointed as the competent authority in these matters, approached the designated court seeking permission for public auction of the attached properties. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The border with Bangladesh in West Bengal, infamous for smuggling of fake currency notes and cattle and infiltration of ISI agents, has gained notoriety on another count - entry of a deadly fungus which has caused devastation to the wheat crop. The "wheat blast" disease, which first struck Brazil in 1985 and some other Latin American countries destroying three million hectares of cultivation, has now invaded India, affecting wheat crop in two bordering districts of West Bengal - Murshidabad and Nadia. "Around 800 hectares in eight blocks of the two districts of Murshidabad and Nadia have been affected by the Wheat Blast disease," state agriculture minister Purnendu Basu confirmed. Another official in the department said that around 1,000 hectares had been affected by the disease, which was first noticed at the Jalangi block of Murshidabad district in the last week of February. From Jalangi, it has spread to the blocks of Domkal, Raninagar-I, Nawda and Hariharpara so far and affected wheat production in more than 509 hectares of land in Murshidabad district, the official said. "In Nadia, the disease has affected wheat production in more than 500 hectares in blocks of Tehatta-II and II, Karimpur I and II and Chapra," he said. Basu said that the state government was burning standing crops to prevent the disease from spreading to the rest of the country. A team from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) scientists visited the two districts and was conducting a survey jointly with state government representatives. Last year, the fungus entered Asia for the first time through Bangladesh where in six districts wheat crop in over 15,000 hectares had to be destroyed. In fact, after the outbreak in the southern districts of Bangladesh, the ICAR had cautioned the Centre, describing the matter as "quite serious" and suggested adoption of a strategy to fight it, Dr Jeet Singh Sandhu, Deputy Director General (Crop Science) Division of Crop Science, Krishi Bhavan, ICAR told PTI from Delhi. A letter to the state government was also sent last year warning it about the possibility of the fungi entering the state through its border with Bangladesh. Dr Sandhu said, "Because of the fact that the fungus floats in the air, it is difficult to contain it since cattle can also act as a carrier. This is quite a serious matter and we need to check this anyhow because if it spreads to other states then the entire wheat cultivation will be affected." Apart from asking the West Bengal government to destroy or burn the wheat grains immediately, the ICAR has constituted a team to check the spread of the fungus, he said. "As burning the affected crop is the best possible way to contain the spread of the fungal infection as of now... the vigilance must be continued for the next two to three years as it may have gone to host plants," Dr Sandhu said. The ICAR has also asked the Ministry of External Affairs to hold a diplomatic discussion with the Bangladesh government on the issue and devise research strategies for the same, Dr Sandhu said. It is learnt that a team of scientists from the Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research in Karnal will soon undertake surveillance in Bihar and Jharkhand on the spread of the fungus. The agriculture minister has put the blame on the BSF for the outbreak of the disease in the state, claiming that the government had cautioned the farmers about the disease last year itself. "We had cautioned the farmers last year itself, but they must have mistakenly bought seeds from agents from across the border which contained the fungus. The BSF also has some role in this because it allowed these agents to enter India," Basu said. On compensating farmers who have lost their cultivation, Basu said that the state government has decided to write to the Centre. "As per the Centre's rule, farmers are supposed to get Rs 1,625 for each quintal of wheat grains. As per the rule, the average production of each farmer for the last five years will be calculated for the compensation," he said. The state government was also thinking of compensating the farmers from its fund, he added. The of Rs 2.81 lakh crore for the next financial year is woefully inadequate for modernisation of the armed forces and may affect military preparedness, a parliamentary panel said on Thursday, strongly pitching for boosting the allocation. Coming down hard on the government for meagre increase in allocation for armed forces in the last few years, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence said the outlay cannot even fulfill the basic requirements of the armed forces. The Committee said it was in agreement with the Defence Ministry that the marginal growth of budgetary allocation is not at all sufficient and the Finance Ministry must consider increasing the funds for modernisation of the services. "The Committee are distressed to note that no positive response has been received from the Ministry of Finance regarding augmentation of budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Defence," the panel said in its report, which was tabled in Lok Sabha. Although Defence Ministry has been assuring the panel that funds crunch will not suffer critical requirements of services, the Committee asserted that there is no way in which inadequate allocations do not adversely defence preparedness. "The Committee are concerned to note that the Army is operating with large scale 'vintage' equipment," it said expressing concern over lack of adequate critical weapons and surveillance systems. The panel headed by B C Khanduri also said the Navy has a huge requirement for capital induction as it is short of vessels, aircraft and helicopters. "Reduction in share of Naval Budget is not desirable, especially in view of the fact that India's larger chunk of trade takes place through sea routes. Besides this, the new challenges of Navy are enormous, as the hostilities in sea by neighbouring countries have increased over the years," the panel said. About Indian Air Force, it talked about pending contracts relating to Rafale fighter aircraft, Medium Lift Helicopter Upgrade,Transport Aircraft along with Associated Equipment as Avro Replacement, Additional Mi-17 V5, Manoeuvrable Expendable Aerial Targets (MEAT) and Weapons for Advance Light Helicopters etc. The report said during the last two financial years, 108 contracts with a total value of Rs 1,12,736 crore have been signed for capital procurement of defence equipment including ships, missiles, frigates, rockets, aircraft, helicopters and radars. In addition, in the last two financial years, the Defence Acquisition Council has accorded in principle approval for 114 proposals with a total value of Rs 2,25,022 crore. On allocation of funds for armed forces, the report said the allocation has gone down from 2.36 per cent of the GDP in year 2000-2001 to 1.56 per cent in 2017-18. The Committee was told by the Defence Secretary that Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had written to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley regarding requirement of more funds for capital acquisition. The Ministry said the matter was even taken up with the PMO. Referring to long-pending proposal to create a post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), the committee said it should be finalised at the earliest as he may also be helpful in avoiding duplication in purchase of equipment common to all the three services. "War cannot be fought by any individual service on its own strength and has to be a multi-service endeavour, in synchronization with each other. To achieve this goal, permanent CDS, who has the bird's eye view and objectivity may integrate the Services for a common cause better," said the panel. The Delhi government has brought out a comprehensive "Outcome Budget" to fix accountability in expenditure of public money, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said today. While presenting the budget for the 2017-18, Sisodisa said Delhi would be the first among the state governments in India to adopt such a practice. "This year, we are bringing out a comprehensive Outcome Budget. Budget accountability is often talked about but an outcome budget goes much further. Delhi will be first state in the country to introduce Outcome Budget," he said. Sisodia said for instance, Rs 20 lakh is spent to build a mohalla clinic and government then monitors if or not the building was constructed. "This is budget accountability, but through the Outcome Budget we will also monitor how many people were benefited after the building was constructed. This will its outcome, which will then be monitored every quarter," the Finance Minister said. As per the plan, government will set up monitor cell under Planning Department. A senior government official said the 'outcome budget' besides ensuring transparency and accountability on expenditure, will also help in "assessing the performance of officials, which will be included in their annual confidential report (ACR). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A record number of physicians and other healthcare advocates took part in the Tennessee Medical Associations Day on the Hill on Tuesday in support of better state healthcare policies. TMAs biggest advocacy event of the year drew more than 300 people to meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, far surpassing the number of participants in previous years. TMA President Keith G. Anderson, MD, said physician engagement in state policy is good for doctors and for patients. Physicians get involved in TMA to help improve healthcare for all Tennesseans, he said. This year, we are promoting policies to make reimbursement more predictable for providers and remove unnecessary hassles in order to protect access to care across the state. Physicians have unique insight into the healthcare system, and our goal is to share that insight with lawmakers to improve care for everyone. Record participation in Day on the Hill shows that physicians know how much policies made in Nashville impact their patients and practices, said TMA Legislative Chairman Ronald H. Kirkland, MD, MBA. The presence of so many physicians and healthcare advocates in the halls of the Capitol sends a powerful message to our elected representatives that Tennessee doctors are actively invested in the work they are doing, he said. During Day on the Hill, doctors spoke to their representatives and senators about several bills: The Healthcare Provider Stability Act SB 856/HB 1106 would limit how often insurance companies can change fee schedules and payment policies/methodologies and require more notice when such changes are made. The bill would give providers more financial predictability and stability. Prohibition of Mandatory Maintenance of Certification SB 298/HB 413 would prohibit health insurance plan participation or payment, hospital privileges, or state medical licensure to be based solely on Maintenance of Certification status. TMA believes that maintenance of board certification should be a voluntary path for physicians to continue their medical education. Doctors should have the option of choosing relevant, affordable education content that best fits their day-to-day practice and helps them become better doctors. Peer Review for Doctors of Osteopathy SB 369/HB 378 would restore the ability of Doctors of Osteopathy to use peer review committees to better the practice of medicine on an equal footing with Medical Doctors. It was inadvertently removed when the peer review law was revised in 2011. Patients for Fair Compensation TMA opposes SB 744/HB 1150, which would replace the current medical malpractice liability system with an untested administrative patient compensation system for physicians only. Tort reforms in 2008 and 2010 have improved the medical liability climate in Tennessee, and the proposed system would provide no guaranteed cost savings and make Tennessee a less desirable state in which to practice medicine. Patient Cost-Sharing for Oral Anticancer Treatment SB 922/HB 1059 would prevent out-of-pocket payments from oral cancer treatments from being higher than traditional IV treatments. Similar legislation has been enacted in 37 states and the District of Columbia with no documentation of a significant increase in premiums as a result. Such treatments are, in some cases, the only available treatment option for patients. 'Vilayati Kikar', a water-intensive tree species, will be replaced with local varieties such as Amaltas, the Delhi government has proposed in its budget. An amount of Rs 50 lakh has been set aside for the first phase of the long-term project to make the city free of 'Vilayati Kikar', which was planted by the British around 1912-13, when the capital was shifted to Delhi from Calcutta (now Kolkata). In his budget speech, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the forest cover in Delhi, which was 20.22 per cent last year, has increased by around one per cent. 'Vilayati Kikar' is a small, evergreen, spiny tree, which has the capacity to survive harsh environments. Today large parts of the Ridge, where the project to remove it will begin, are covered by this tree species. Apart from being an invasive species, its leaves do not decompose and discourage all of the undergrowth below it, Delhi Forest Department has said. The budget made no fresh proposals to address the problem of air pollution and also there was no clarity on the measures which were announced last year. The budget formally proposed to increase the number of air quality monitoring stations of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to 20 from the current six, an announcement that has been in the public domain for some time now. The one-time fixed subsidy of Rs 30,000 for e-rickshaws registered by the Transport Department will continue, the government said. Last year, the government had earmarked Rs 137 crore for installing LED screens to display pollution levels, public awareness messages and real-time traffic information at public places across the city. While no work is visible on this front, the proposal to increase the number of air monitoring centres from six to nine also saw no progress. Unlike last year, there was no mention of 'car-free' days or the odd-even scheme in the budget speech, two initiatives that have been on the back burner for almost a year. In total, Rs 106 crore has been set aside for the Environment and Forest Department while Rs 57 crore has been earmarked for implementation of several schemes, programmes and projects in this sector. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi government today proposed setting up of a commission for senior citizens in the budget to look into their welfare and safety related issues. Delhi has a population of around 12 lakh of the elderly people (60 years and above). The Census puts the population of elderly people being 6.8 per cent of the total population in national capital. Presenting the budget for 2017-18, Deputy CM and Finance minister Manish Sisodia proposed an allocation of Rs 3,467 crore for social security and welfare head. It includes an expenditure of Rs 3,081 crore for various schemes, programmes and projects for social security and welfare undertaken by the government. The government's pension scheme for senior citizen, specially-abled persons, widows and homeless women covers around 6.3 lakh. The budget allocation for these pensions in 2017-18 will be Rs 1,595 crore. The estimates on this head it in the 2016-17 budget was Rs 1,137 crore. The government has also proposed to allocate Rs 900 crore, a rise of around 27 per cent from the last fiscal, for scholarships to students belonging to SC, ST, OBC and Minorities. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a re-run of the sordid incidents of Kalahandi and Vaishali earlier, relatives of a woman were forced to carry her body home on their shoulders after being allegedly denied an ambulance at a government hospital in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district. Wife of Suresh Mandal, a labourer and a resident of Shivpuri locality here, was admitted to Sadar hospital on February 18. After her health deteriorated, she was moved to ICU last night where she died, Civil Surgeon Lalita Singh told PTI today. Family members of the woman did not have enough money to hire a private ambulance so they made a plea to the hospital administration to provide them one to carry the body home, he said. But the hospital did not provide ambulance and her family members had to cart the body on their shoulders covering a distance of one km, Singh said. The Civil Surgeon said she has been informed that the driver was not available in the hospital at that time due to which the ambulance was not provided. "I have asked a probe into the sorry incident," she said, adding those found guilty would be punished. The country was shocked to see images of Dana Majhi carrying his wife's body slung over his shoulder for 10 km to reach his village in Odisha's Kalahandi district after being denied help from the hospital authorities. In Bihar's Vaishali district, two policemen were suspended for tying a rope around a dead man's neck and dragging the body for a few hundred metres from the Ganga river bank in the absence of an ambulance. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Army's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt Gen AK Bhatia on Thursday spoke to his Pakistani counterpart and conveyed India's concerns over movement of terrorists along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. The conversation came amid an ongoing encounter between security forces and militants holed up inside a house in Awantipora area of Kashmir's Pulwama district. "The DGMO spoke to the Pakistan Army DGMO this morning. He expressed concern regarding the movement of terrorists noticed along the LoC," Army sources said. The Pakistani DGMO was also informed about the repatriation of two Pakistani nationals apprehended in Uri. "The individuals will be repatriated through Wagah border on March 10," said the sources. The Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday had handed over to the army two Pakistani youths whom it had arrested in connection with the last year's terror attack on a military base in Uri that had killed 19 soldiers. The NIA had handed over Faisal Hussain Awan and Ahsan Khursheed to the army's 16 Corps headquarters in Jammu. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said protecting girl child is everyone's "social, national and human responsibility", and urged women sarpanchs to play an important role in preventing female foeticides. The Prime Minister also said discriminatory mentality towards a girl child needs to change. He was addressing a national convention of women sarpanchs on the occasion of International Woman's Day here. "A lot needs to be done in the country towards 'beti bachao, beti padhao' (save and educate girl child). At least in the villages where the sarpanch is a woman, we should have no cases of female foeticide. If a sarpanch decides to create awareness, she can achieve that," he said. "Against every 1,000 men, there are 800, 850, 900 women (in different states). If such an imbalance is created in society, how will it progress? It is society's responsibility, and women sarpanch can possibly be more successful in changing the social mindset," he said at Swachh Shakti 2017 programme held at Mahatma Mandir here. "Women sarpanch can probably be more successful in protecting girl child and foetus. Women have proven their capability. They have turned divine whatever opportunity they have got. Therefore, 'beti bachao' is our social, national, human responsibility," he said. Modi said the discriminatory mentality towards daughters should change, as it impedes society's progress. "The discriminatory mentality has to be fought and changed with determination. Change is happening. Our daughters won Olympic gold medals and made us proud. In Board exams, only girls are seen on top of the list," he said. He further exhorted around 6,000 women sarpanchs from across the country, who attended the convention, to ensure that girls in their respective villages are sent to school. "I would request sarpanch women to ensure that girls also go to schools. This does not need budget. Government has made schools, and a village has to make no special allocation. One only has to see who all have not sent their girls to schools," he said. Lauding women's contribution towards Swachh Bharat Mission, Modi called for creating a rural India which is technologically enabled. He also took a jibe at Opposition members for raising questions in Parliament on the possibility of making rural India technologically advanced. "Let's build a village of tomorrow, where even urban residents feel like building a small house and spending a day or two a week. It is possible that a village is build in such a way that people would think of spending a vacation there," he said. "Everything can be done in a village. Government's Rurban Mission is about providing urban facilities in rural set-up. Through optical fibre network, work is on to connect every Panchayat of the country. There are 2.5 lakh panchayats, of which around 70,000 panchayats have been connected, and will be expanded as per requirements of villages," he said. "In Parliament, we sometimes hear how technology would arrive, there is no technology in villages. I am not sure why people say this," he said. Modi also said he had seen women from a tribal village in Gujarat taking pictures on their mobile phones a decade ago. On the occasion, the PM presented awards to women sarpanchs from different states for achieving cleanliness goals and making their villages open defecation free. In a major blow to People Party of Arunachal (PPA) its MLA Kameng Dolo, who is the longest serving lawmaker in the state and among the 11 elected unopposed in the 2014 assembly, has lost his seat. The Arunachal Pradesh assembly in an order yesterday had notified that Dolo, MLA from Pakke-Kessang, ceased to be member of the house and the seat has fallen vacant. Dolo's opponent Atum Welly alleging that his candidature was withdrawn fraudulently resulting in Dolo's unopposed election had moved Gauhati High Court challenging his election. The court had given its verdict against Dolo on February 8. Dolo had won the seat unopposed with a Congress ticket while Welly was his BJP contestant. Dolo had moved Supreme Court to stay the High Court order but the apex court rejected his petition. Dolo, who became the first Opposition leader as a BJP member and served as deputy chief minister twice, had been elected to the assembly seven times. With Dolo's seat falling vacant, the PPA now has 9 members in the house of 60 with 47 BJP MLAs, two independents and a lone Congress legislator. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Frenchwoman with Down's Syndrome will realise a "dream" by presenting the prime time weather bulletin on French television next week, an advocacy group for the disabled said today. Melanie Segard, 21, will begin training for the broadcast next Tuesday at the studios of public television station France 2, UNAPEI said in a statement. Segard has scored more than 200,000 "likes" on Facebook in less than two weeks since the association launched a public awareness campaign for Down's Syndrome titled "Melanie Can Do It". "Hi everyone, my name is Melanie and my dream is to present the weather," she says in the post. "Seeing the public rally spontaneously around Melanie gives hope to thousands of people with disabilities who are still too often invisible," the statement by UNAPEI said. Down's Syndrome is a genetic condition with no known cure that typically affects a person's physical and intellectual growth. It affects approximately one in 1,000 people, according to the World Health Organization. Also known as trisomy 21, the condition is caused by the presence of an extra, or third, copy of chromosome number 21. "Melanie is our ambassador," UNAPEI president Luc Gateau told French radio. "We have just proved that a person with a handicap can realise her dream," he said, adding: "Society needs this. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence today arrested one more person in connection with the smuggling of antiques and artifacts outside country. The agency had arrested Vijay Nanda, an American businessman of Indian-origin, and his associate Udit Jain separately in connection with the case. The man arrested today is identified as Pushpender Singh, a resident of Delhi. "In his statement, he has admitted to using Import Export Code (IEC) of his firm for aiding the smuggling and smuggled out antiques to Hong Kong and Taiwan," the agency said. An official said Singh believed to have mis-declared the items as handicrafts to hoodwink the authorities. Nanda was arrested on February 6 after the DRI conducted searches at his house in Girgaum in Mumbai and on a godown. The agency sleuths had recovered figurines, including that of terracotta from First Century AD, bronze figurines of Mahishasur Mardini and Ganesh dating back to 17th and 18th Centuries. Jain was arrested on March 3. Meanwhile, the DRI has seized branded cigarettes worth Rs 84.94 lakh from Nhava Sheva port, which were concealed in a baby ride car. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Egypt is keen to replicate India's success in information technology sector by upgrading its infrastructure in three cities, a senior minister said today. "India has achieved great success in the field of Information Technology (IT). India, which has cities working in IT, exports IT products worth billions of dollars. We need this in Egypt," Egypt's Minister of Plenipotentiary Mongy Aly Badr said at the 12th CII-EXIM Bank Conclave on India-Africa Partnership here. "We have a smart village in October city, but want to have other IT cities. We have to have IT Industrial projects in Alexandria, Al-Arish and Upper Egypt," he said. India and Egypt ties are blooming, Badr told PTI. An Egyptian delegation comprising 12 members from different banks and economic institutions is participating in the conclave. India's investments in Egypt exceeded USD 3 billion, while Egyptian investment in India reached about USD 150 million, Badr said. "Egyptian market is very rich as Egypt has partnered with many countries including in the EU and Arab World," he said. The 12th edition of CII-EXIM Bank Conclave, which is organised by CII-EXIM Bank in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, is an annual event witnessing the participation of high-level official and business delegations from African countries. The India-Africa Framework for Strategic Cooperation, issued at the third India-Africa Forum Summit held in 2015, recognises this India-Africa project partnership Conclave as a platform for bringing together Indian and African entrepreneurs and decision makers. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Egyptian army officer was killed and three others were injured when militants targetted a security patrol in the country's restive North Sinai province, officials said today. The explosion took place yesterday when the security patrol which was passing through Assiut street in Al-Arish city was targetted by militants. While Colonel Yasser El-Hadidi was killed in the explosion, a conscript and a civilian sustained injuries, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. Security forces rushed to the incident spot and the areas was cordoned off, it said. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. Egypt's North Sinai has witnessed several terror attacks after the January 2011 revolution that toppled ex-president Hosni Mubarak. The attacks, mainly targeting police and military, increased after the ouster of Islamist ex-president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 by military following massive protests against his rule. The military has launched security campaigns in the area, in which some terrorists are based. The security forces have arrested suspects and demolished houses that belong to terrorists, including those facilitating tunnels leading to the Gaza Strip. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Here is the weekly road construction report for Hamilton County: U.S. 27 (I-124) widening from I-24/U.S. 27 interchange to north of the Olgiati Bridge over the Tennessee River, including widening the Olgiati Bridge: Work on this project continues. The speed limit on U.S. 27 in the construction zone is 45 MPH. The contractor may have temporary lane or shoulder closures on U.S. 27 between 7 p.m.-6 a.m. On weekdays during this report period between the hours of 9 a.m.-3 p.m., the contractor will have a temporary right lane closure on eastbound MLK Blvd. between the U.S. 27 North exit ramp and Carter St. and on westbound MLK Blvd. between Chestnut St. and the U.S. 27 North entrance ramp to work on new signals. Ramp traffic will not be affected. This work is weather permitting. Additionally, beam erection on the Olgiati Bridge will continue during this report period. On Thursday night, between 7 p.m.-6 a.m., there will be temporary ramp and road closures on and near Manufacturers Road for setting beams across Manufacturers Road. Detours will be marked. As the project progresses, there may be short term temporary lane closures for the safety of the traveling public on city streets within the project area. Flaggers will assist with these closures and they will be properly signed in accordance with the Federal Highway Administrations Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. During Phase 1 of the U.S. 27 project, the contractor will be working on the northbound side of U.S. 27 on the bridges. Work will consist of demolishing and reconstructing the outside sections of the bridges along U.S. 27 North. Also on U.S. 27 South, they will be constructing a large retaining wall between the Olgiati Bridge and 6th Street. At least one lane will remain open in each direction on U.S. 27. THP will assist with traffic control on the project as necessary. Estimated project completion date is July 2019. For more info, visit the project website http://www.tn.gov/tdot/topic/US27-reconstruction-chattanooga . [Dement Construction Co., LLC/JM/CNP230] SR 317 (Apison Pike) the grading, drainage and paving on from Old Lee Highway (LM 5.58) to SR-321 (Ooltewah-Ringgold Road) (LM 7.84): Work on this project continues. During this report period the contractor may have intermittent lane closures throughout the project from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.. Flaggers will assist with traffic control as needed. Estimated project completion date is May. [Wright Brothers Const. Co. /Pruett/CNN279] SR-320 (East Brainerd Road) grading, drainage, installation of signals, construction of seven retaining walls and paving from east of Graysville Road to east of Bel-Air Road: Work on this project continues. During this report period, the contractor will have intermittent lane closures between 9 a.m.- 2 p.m. This work may affect either direction of East Brainerd Road or side streets from Graysville Road to Hamlett Drive as the contractor installs road crossings and borings. Traffic has been switched onto the newly-constructed section from the west end of the project to the Hurricane Creek Rd./East Brainerd Rd. intersection, allowing the contractor to work on the other side of the roadway. The contractor may have short-term lane closures to perform various operations on an as-needed basis. Flaggers will assist with traffic control as needed. Original completion date is June. Estimated project completion date is December. [Jones Brothers Contractors, LLC /Pruett/CNN383] SR-153/SR-319 (Hixson Pike) bridge repair on Hixson Pike over SR-153: Work on this project continues. The outside lanes in both directions on the bridge on Hixson Pike over SR-153 are now closed. This lane closure will be in place until late November. During this report period the contractor may have intermittent lane closures on SR-153 from 9 p.m.- 6 a.m. to do work under the bridge. If there are any temporary closures needed on SR-153 as part of this project, they will take place at nighttime on Sundays through Thursdays between 9 p.m.-6 a.m. and on weekdays on SR-153 South between 9 a.m.-3 p.m. and on SR-153 North between 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Flaggers will assist with traffic control as necessary during these temporary closures. Estimated project completion date is May 2018. [Mid-State Construction Co. /Micka/CNQ-941] The tunnel cleaning of the McCallie Tunnel on U.S. 11 (US 64, SR-2), the Stringers Ridge Tunnel on U.S. 127 (SR-8), and the Bachman Tubes on U.S. 41 (U.S. 76, SR-8): The nighttime cleaning operation of McCallie Tunnels, Stringers Ridge Tunnel, and Bachman Tubes occurs normally on Wednesday and Thursday nights during the week with the 3rd Tuesday of the month. Work hours are between 8 p.m.-6 a.m. Tunnels will be closed during cleaning, and detours will be marked accordingly as each tunnel is cleaned. Contract completion date is June. [Diamond Specialized, Inc./Micka/CNQ174] EU President Donald Tusk today won a second term despite fierce opposition from his native Poland, vowing he would try make the bloc "better" in the wake of Brexit. Twenty-seven European Union leaders voted at a summit in Brussels to give ex-Polish premier Tusk a new two-and-a-half-year mandate with only Poland voting against. Poland's eurosceptic right-wing government, a bitter long-term foe of the centrist Tusk, had threatened to derail the summit if the EU forced through his presidency but in the end the vote went ahead. "Grateful for trust & positive assessment by #EUCO (European Council). I will do my best to make the EU better," Tusk said on Twitter after he was re-elected. Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, who was the first to break the news, and Belgian premier Charles Michel quickly gave their congratulations. But Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo, whose Law and Justice party loathes Tusk, had said such a move would damage the EU's efforts to regroup from Britain's exit. Szydlo said it was a "question of principles" that the head of the European Council -- which groups the leaders of the bloc's 28 member states and organises summits -- should be backed by their home country. "Poland will defend these founding principles of the EU until the end. Countries that don't understand that are not building European society, they are destabilising it," she said. Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski earlier warned that "the entire summit is at risk if they force the vote today." The row had threatened to spiral from a Polish domestic dispute to a deeper clash between the newer, post-Soviet eastern members of the EU and the older guard from the west of the continent led by Germany and France. It also comes just weeks before the EU hopes to unveil a declaration at a summit in Rome on March 25th to mark the 60th anniversary of the EU's founding treaty. Merkel, Europe's most powerful leader, had called for the re-election of Tusk, who has steered Europe through tensions with Russia, the Greek debt crisis and Britain's vote to leave the bloc. "I see his re-election as a sign of stability for all of Europe, and I am happy to continue working with him," Merkel told the German parliament before heading to Brussels. French President Francois Hollande meanwhile said as he arrived for the summit that "for reasons of continuity, coherence and stability Tusk should be the candidate to remain president". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The EU will take just 48 hours to issue its first plan for Brexit negotiations after Britain formally triggers its departure, President Donald Tusk said today. Prime Minister Theresa May has promised to trigger Article 50 of the Treaty of the European Union -- the divorce notification clause -- by the end of March. Tusk said the European Council, the EU institution which groups the bloc's national leaders, would issue its draft plan for the talks soon after that. "When the UK notifies, it is our goal to react with the draft negotiation guidelines for the 27 members to consider, for this I think we need more or less 48 hours," Tusk told a conference in Brussels. "Leaders will then meet probably in April to finalise these." Article 50 will begin a two-year countdown to Britain's actual exit, during which Britain and the EU must negotiate the terms of the departure and, they hope, a future trade relationship. Tusk said he still hoped it was possible for May to trigger Article 50 earlier than the end of March despite the process being held up in the British parliament "but it is not our decision". "We are well prepared and our reaction after formal notification will be fast and responsible," he said. Formal talks are however not set to begin until at least two months after the notification as the European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, must also set out more detailed plans for the negotiations based on guidelines from the leaders. Britain voted to become the first country to leave the EU in a shock vote in June 2016 and its EU partners have pushed it to speed up its departure to end the uncertainties generated by Brexit. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Lt Governor Anil Baijal today asked the Delhi Police to instill gender sensitivity among its personnel and create more awareness on laws governing vulnerable sections. At a meeting with Delhi Police officials, Baijal reviewed the measures for improving police functioning in the national capital. The meeting was attended by the Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary (Home), Commissioner of Police, Delhi, Transport Commissioner and others. Baijal urged the Delhi Police officials to continue efforts to improve their functioning and evolve in accordance with the needs of the society. "For this purpose, a robust grievance redressal mechanism should be put in place," Baijal said at the fortnightly meeting. He also stressed on increasing the number of public facilitation desks in police stations and emphasised on official being imparted specialized soft skills training for better public interface. Feedback forms must be available in places where there is public interface to help police officers, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former 'Bigg Boss' contestant Swami Om, who along with his associate is accused of molesting and threatening a woman, today filed an anticipatory bail plea in a Delhi court. The application has been listed for hearing tomorrow before Special Judge Hemani Malhotra. Swami Om sought the relief alleging that he was falsly implicated in the case as he has been advocating Indian culture and anti-social elements wanted to stop his "social activity". Advocate A P Singh, who filed the plea, said there was no possibility of the accused tampering with evidence if granted anticipatory bail and he will not misuse his liberty. The accused claimed the allegations against him were false and that on the date of the alleged incident, he spent his day in different offices of Delhi Police seeking security. He also alleged that he is being harassed by police officials and he apprehends that he could be arrested. He claimed he has no link with co-accused Swami Santosh Anand, who was earlier denied anticipatory bail by the court. As per the FIR lodged at IP Estate police station, the woman was allegedly wrongfully restrained by Swami Om and Anand when she was going home and they started abusing her and committed objectionable acts. When the complainant requested them to leave her, they dragged her into their room and attempted to rape her, the FIR said. They also threatened that they will not spare her and that they had already ruined her husband's life, it said. The woman had claimed in her complaint that Swami Om and his alleged associate Anand had ripped off her clothes on February 7. The victim alleged that they had attempted to humiliate her in full public view a few days earlier in Rajghat area here. No arrest has been made in the case. The court had earlier denied anticipatory bail to Anand saying the allegations against him were grave and the probe was at a nascent stage. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today termed the budget estimates for 2017-18 as "directionless" and demanded that government issue a white paper on the state's fiscal health. "The budget is hollow and directionless. While the state government has tried to portray Haryana's fiscal health in its pink, the reality speaks otherwise... The government should issue a white paper on state's economy," Hooda told reporters here. Haryana Finance Minister Abhimanyu presented the budget estimates for 2017-18 in the state assembly on Monday. The Congress leader and two-time chief minister hit out at the BJP government for pushing the state into the "debt trap". "The outstanding debt of Haryana at the end of 2013-14 was Rs 60,300 crore at 15.05 per cent of Gross State Domestic Product. In 2014-15, the outstanding debt was Rs 70,931 crore at 16.21 per cent of GSDP... The debt volume will further go up resulting in total debt of Rs 1,41,854 crore in 2017-18, which is at 22.93 per cent of GSDP," he claimed. He further stated that as per Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act of the State, the debt GSDP ratio was to be brought down to 20.45 per cent and 20.92 per cent during 2017-18 and 2018-19, respectively. "But the trends show the reverse position. This debt ratio which was 15-16 per cent of GSDP up to 2014-15, has reached the level of nearly 23 per cent. In this way, it may not be possible to bring down the debt GSDP ratio to the desired level resulting in not a good financial management," he said. Hooda also claimed that the Manohar Lal Khattar government had during its tenure so far released 17,000 acres of land after denotifying it from the acquisition process. "They did not want to acquire this land as they would have to pay higher compensation to the farmers. Therefore, the government opted to release the land from the acquisition process and return it to the owners. Out of the land released at various places in the state, 3,400 acres was released in Gurugram alone," he claimed. He also charged the government with mishandling the Jat quota stir issue and going back on its promises made to the community. "The Chief Minister made the promises to the community last year. However, the government went back on its promise resulting in fresh round of agitation this year. For past 36 days, they have been sitting on dharnas, but government has failed to meet their demands," Hooda said, adding, "This government has lost its credibility. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The police on Thursday arrested a former Indian Air Force (IAF) employee who they believe is the "mastermind" of a terror module that included Saifullah, a suspected terrorist killed in an encounter on Wednesday. Mohd Ghaus Khan was picked up from Kanpur by the Anti- Terrorist Squad, and revealed vital information during questioning, said Additional Director General of UP Police Daljit Chaudhary. He said another suspect, identified only as Azhar, was also arrested by the ATS. Khan "is a technical man and a hardcore member of the module," Chaudhary said, adding he was the "main accused and mastermind" of the module. He said Azhar, the second suspect, was the main supplier of arms to the module. He did not say where he was arrested from, or in what capacity Khan worked in the air force. The UP police claimed that with these two arrests, all the main members of what they alleged was an ISIS influenced module are in custody. The latest arrests raised to five the number of people in the UP police custody in connection with the blast on the Bhopal-Ujjain train in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. The MP police also has arrested some people. On Wednesday, the UP police arrested three men after an encounter on the outskirts of Lucknow in which Saifullah was killed after a 12-hour ATS operation. Police say he and his alleged accomplices carried out the train blast in which at least ten persons were injured. Police say he was self-radicalised and was influenced by the Middle Eastern terror group, ISIS. Saifullah's father has refused to claim his son's body, saying anyone who carries out a terror attack is a traitor to the nation. India today said it expects Sri Lanka to expedite the investigation into the killing of one of its fishermen given the "gravity and seriousness" of the issue. Sri Lanka has informed the Indian High Commission in Colombo that it will release all 85 Indian fishermen in their custody, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Gopal Baglay said. Asked about the status of the probe into allegations of Sri Lankan Navy opening fire on Indian fishermen and killing one of them, he said the government expects that it will be done "very very expeditiously" given the "gravity, seriousness" and humanitarian aspect of the matter. The Lankan Navy has denied the allegation, saying it does not open fire at poaching fishermen and only arrests them. Sri Lanka has said it ordered an investigation into the incident and wanted to ensure that such incidents would not hamper the good relations between the two countries. Yesterday, Sri Lanka and India had agreed to release fishermen held in each other's custody after a high-level discussion between the two sides in Colombo in a bid to defuse the tension following the killing of the Indian fisherman. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Fire swept through a crowded children's shelter near Guatemala City early today and officials said at least 19 people died and dozens were injured. The spokesman for Guatemala's volunteer fire departments, Mario Cruz, told the Emisoras Unidas radio station that firefighters were still extinguishing parts of the morning blaze. But he said that so far 19 bodies have been found and about two dozen people were being treated for injuries. The national police department said 38 people had been injured and the country's Health Ministry said that 14 were in serious condition with severe burns. Dr. Carlos Soto, the director of the Roosevelt Hospital where some were being treated, said the most severe cases, all apparently girls, had suffered life-threatening burns. The shelter has been criticized for overcrowding, alleged abuse and escapes in the past. The prosecutor for children's rights, Abner Paredes, told Emisoras Unidas that at least 15 people had died but that information was still being collected. He said initial reports suggested the fire started when some started setting fire to mattresses in the shelter, known as the Virgin of the Assumption Safe Home. There were reports of escape attempts Tuesday at the shelter, which was created to house children who were victims of abuse, homelessness or who had completed sentences at youth detention centers and had nowhere else to go. While the shelter was built to house 500 children and adolescents, it held an estimated 800 at the time of the fire. Jorge de Leon, the country's human rights prosecutor, said in a statement today that at least 102 children had been located after escaping from the shelter and more had managed to flee. De Leon said younger children fled the shelter because they were being abused by the elder children. "According to what they say, the bigger kids have control and they attack them constantly," de Leon wrote. "They also complain that food is scarce and of poor quality." He called on authorities "to evaluate whether it is appropriate to have these different groups concentrated in one place. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tulsi Gabbard, the first and only Hindu lawmaker in the US Congress, today accused CNN of "sensational and false" reporting about religions after it aired a show which allegedly portrayed Hinduism in a negative light. "CNN on Sunday aired the first episode of a new series called 'Believer' hosted by Reza Aslan. For this episode, Aslan apparently sought to find sensationalist and absurd ways to portray Hinduism," Gabbard, the Democratic lawmaker from Hawaii, wrote on Facebook. The show explores the facts and myths behind the Aghori, a mystical Hindu sect known for extreme rituals. "Aslan and CNN did not just throw a harsh light on a sect of wandering ascetics to create shocking visuals-as if touring a zoo-but repeated false stereotypes about caste, karma and reincarnation that Hindus have been combating tirelessly," she alleged. "CNN promotional materials and trailers that included a scene showing a group of Hindus under a caption, 'CANNIBALS', perpetuated bizarre and ugly impressions of Hindus and their religion," she charged. The three-term Congresswoman, said while good people across the country are working hard to increase mutual understanding and respect between people of different religions, she is "very disturbed" that CNN is using its power and influence to increase people's misunderstanding and fear of Hinduism. "CNN knows well that sensational, and even false reporting about religions only fosters ignorance that can lead to terrible consequences," she said. "Indeed, Hindus are still reeling after witnessing terrible hate crimes in the last few weeks alone. Our nation celebrates religious pluralism and diversity, and CNN must do more to foster greater respect for people of different religions," she said. Gabbard hoped that CNN and Aslan will engage with the Hindu community moving forward to resolve the pain and outrage that the 'Believer' episode has engendered in the community. In a statement, Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) - USA strongly condemned the airing of the show. "Documentaries like these are a threat to religious harmony in this country. CNN chose to air this blasphemous story despite nationwide request from the community to stop airing," it said. "The show by Reza Alsan is an affront on the ethos of Hinduism and without understanding the foundational aspect of the religion, the anchor only sought to denigrate the religion by showing Cannibalism and talks about a fringe sect called Aghoris in India,"OFBJP said. "The story 'Believer' reflects poor understanding of Hinduism on host and sends wrong message to the viewers about Hinduism and its philosophy," it said. However, an eminent Indian American Muslim alleged that certain Hindu groups are "distorting the contents" of the documentary. The Hindu Student Council (HSC) said the documentary focused on the rare Aghora sect, which uses ritual practices with physical objects to invoke Divine grace. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The National Green Tribunal today issued a show cause notice to Kanpur municipal commissioner and the city's water body officials asking why action should not be taken against them for degrading environment. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar, while hearing a matter related to the cleaning of river Ganga, sought a response to allegation of degrading the environment by dumping sludge from the sewage at unauthorised sites. The bench made the remarks after it was informed that cleaning of the sewage in the city started at the beginning of this month and the sludge taken out was being dumped on Bhauti site. The bench had yesterday slapped a Rs 50,000 fine on a scientist from the Environment Ministry but withdrawn it later, warning officials against passing the buck on matters relating to the cleaning of Ganga. The bench had said that in future any such act would lead to a penalty of Rs 50,000. The bench's reaction had come after a scientist appearing for the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) failed to answer its query on what would be the minimum flow of the river. The bench, which is hearing the Ganga cleaning case on a day-to-day basis for expeditious disposal, had earlier slapped a fine of Rs 25,000 each on officers of the Ministry of Water Resources and UP Jal Nigam for filing incorrect information on 30 drains joining the river Ganga in Garhmukteshwar area of Uttar Pradesh. Earlier, the tribunal was told by an experts' panel that the functional sewage treatment plants in the Garhmukteshwar area of Uttar Pradesh do not operate as the domestic sewage network is not connected to the main sewerage system. A three-member committee set up by the NGT had said that the Garhmukteshwar stretch of the Ganga should receive special attention as it was the habitat of the critically-endangered Gangetic Dolphin, an indicator species for the river's ecosystem. In February, the bench had ordered a CBI probe into the execution of the Ganga cleaning project after it noted that Rs 31.82 crore was spent on two sewage treatment plants (STPs) and a 58-km sewerage line project without due analysis and verification of the actual pollution load in the Garh drain and Brijghat drain. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Gideon Wabvuta For the longest time I had been trying to understand how people change and where is that exact moment when you wake up and realize, 'Oh God, things are bad now.' That's one of the things I was wondering in my lifewhen did things really start getting bad in Zimbabwe? That made me write the story. Gideon Wabvuta, a playwright and actor, wondered these things aloud as we talked over the phone, he in California, I in Albuquerque. He seeks the answers to these questions as he unpacks his personal history and the history of his home country in Mbare Dreams, a semi- autobiographical solo performance that will make its local debut at this year's Revolutions International Theatre Festival, sponsored by Tricklock Company. Mbare Dreams articulates the intersection of the personal and the political as Wabvuta stands on stage and illustrates the evolution of his dreams. The show begins the chronicle first with the dreams of an 8-year-old boy, and follows these dreams as the boy grows up. He's got so many dreams about what he wants to be in his life, and we see his dreams constantly changing because of the change that is happening in the nation, Wabvuta described, making the content of Mbare Dreams at once totally universal, but also acutely particular. Wherever you are in the world, Wabvuta elaborated about his motivations, no matter whether you are in the US or a third world country, there is always the common notion of dreams. Coupled with the joy of sharing Mbare Dreams with American audiences, allowing them to forge connections to the struggles of a character in a distant country, Wabvuta also deals with the frustration that the play will likely never be produced in Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwe it's actually illegal to write anything that speaks out against the president or the government in any way. When I was home, every time I would write a piece of work I knew there was absolutely no way that [it] was ever going to be produced everyone would be too scared, he explained. The effects of being an artist working under censorship is something that Wabvuta is still working to slough of, though he has been living in the US for nearly 10 years now. I've realized many people don't understand how censorship works, it goes beyond being scared about getting work produced, he lamented. You get to a point where your thoughts, just thoughts [are censored]. Just thinking is going out of line. You're so afraid that it becomes just how you exist in that world. It's not going to disappear overnight. Though he described Mbare Dreams as just scratching the surface, the process of writing it while at the Ojai Playwrights Conference was still a liberation for Wabvuta. When I went to Ojai, I said to myself 'I'm going to write something that will be different. I want to write something where I do not have to worry, and I'm going to write all the things that I've always wanted to write about and really not care about the consequences because I'm in a different country,' he described, summing it up like this: If I was in Zimbabwe, there is absolutely no chance that I would've written it. Though the play was written and first performed in 2015, Wabvuta is curious to see if it will take on new resonance in this performance, almost as a cautionary tale. When I did it in 2015, it was completely foreign. [The audience] didn't understand how someone could be censored that way, how it is to be in a situation like that. They didn't understand it, he described. Yet, as Wabvuta pointed out, with a new presidential administration in attack mode on the media, he expects audiences will receive Mbare Dreams differently now. If we are not careful, we will get to that. What will certainly translate to audiences who attend Mbare Dreams at UNM's Experimental Theatre on either of its performance dates (March 16 and 18), is an echo of cosmic truth as Wabvuta illuminates dreams and change in his work. As he put it, A human story is a human story, no matter where you are, no matter how specific it is. As long as you are writing about human emotion, everyone can understand. Throughout the month of February, Lee University hosted a series discussing the current topic of refugees in America, Unsheltered: A Christian Response to the Refugee Crisis. The university did not shy away from the volatile discussion but instead invited members of the community and the campus to reexamine their opinions and acquire knowledge on the subject in a safe environment. I was overwhelmed by the success of this event, said Dr. Carolyn Dirksen, distinguished professor and director of faculty development at Lee. The lecture hall was filled to capacity for most of the sessions, and it is very encouraging that students and townspeople alike are interested in this significant crisis. Drs. Carolyn and Murl Dirksen facilitated the five-part series, while Lee alumna Erin Williamson, who had previously spent time in Egypt working with refugees, had the vision for this event. Williamson said she hoped to take students on a journey from conflict to host countries to resettlement without ever needing to leave campus. The series began with Lee religion professor Dr. Michael Fuller offering his idea of how a Christian should respond to the refugee discussion. He challenged attendees to make sure they did not believe the lives of Christians to be more important than those of the non-Christian. Chelsea Markham Lyle followed Dr. Fuller and discussed the regulations and red-tape refugees have to follow before they are admitted to the United States. Ms. Lyle aimed to clear misconceptions about who refugees are and what processes they have to go through in order to be allowed admittance to different countries. She outlined the extensive background checks, fingerprint checks, iris scans, and the multiple interviews, among other things that refugees have to go through. According to Ms. Lyle, this process can take several years. The next installment of the series featured the Frontline documentary Exodus which follows various refugees and immigrants who are desperate to find safety. After the showing, a panel of Lee professors discussed the movie and continued to clarify misunderstandings on the topic. Dr. Augustin Bocco, a Tennessee Wesleyan University professor and Lee alumnus, spoke about his experience of seeking asylum in the United States. The West African native shared his story of coming to the U.S. in order to escape a country of political turmoil and unrest, and his journey from arrival to thriving. There is some honest fear and honest concern, said Dr. Bocco. It is real. I recognize that. But many refugees and asylees are just like us. They just want to see a better life. Several students who have had the opportunity to work with refugees followed Dr. Bocco and spoke on their experiences. I hope those who attended took away a better understanding of the dimensions of this crisis and of what we can do to help, said Dr. Carolyn Dirksen. We tried to introduce some real refugees to tell their individual stories to personalize the masses of statistics and to clarify the intense vetting process that these vulnerable families already go through. The President of the Islamic Society of Greater Chattanooga Bassam Issa spoke at one of the "Unsheltered sessions. He urged audience members to reconsider the fear of the Islamic religion that is permeating the U.S. and reminded the crowd that Islam is a peaceful religion, and the radicals who promote violence are going against the Quran. The evening also included several testimonials of refugees both at Lee University and from the Chattanooga area. The night closed with two speakers from the Adventist Muslim Friendship Association. Gabriela Phillips shared that the vision of the association is to foster relationships between religions. The final installment in the series hosted representatives from Bridge Refugee Services of Chattanooga. Bridge is a non-profit that is committed to providing protection and assistance to refugees as they resettle, including arranging housing, food, and other supplies, in addition to offering classes on how to live in the U.S. and find opportunities for early employment. For more information about the series, contact cdirksen@leeuniversity.edu. A top militant of the proscribed Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) today surrendered in South Garo Hills district headquarters town Baghmara, officials said. The 40-year-old Bryian R Marak (Millam) hailing from Tura in West Garo Hills district surrendered before district Deputy Commissioner, Shella N Marak and Superintendent of Police, Abraham T Sangma, they said. Millam had joined the outfit in 2011 and had been holding the post of 'foreign secretary' in the outfit, Sangma said. Millam used to handle the outfit's relations with other outfits based in Bangladesh and was responsible for communication with other outfits regarding logistics as well materials, the SP said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After days of vitriolic exchanges with the estranged ally BJP, the Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackreay today expressed happiness over the ruling party's gesture of support to get Sena install its Mayor in BMC. However, Thackeray parried a query on whether the BJP-led state government was still on a "notice period". "Our fight against 'Bhampakpana' (hyporcitical agenda) would continue," Thackeray said. In run-up to the bitterly-fought civic polls, including Mumbai, Thackeray had last month said the Fadnavis government was on a notice period, fuelling speculations about its stability as the Sena is an important alliance partner in the NDA dispensation. Thackeray addressed reporters at Hutatma Chowk in South Mumbai after paying tributes to the martyrs of joint Maharashtra movement, along with the newly-elected Mayor and deputy Mayor of BMC. On the BJP corporators voting in favour of Sena nominee Vishwanath Mahadeshwar in the BMC general body meeting, who was elected Mayor, the Sena chief said it was really "pleasing". "We got full mandate in Thane, but fell marginally short in Mumbai (civic polls). But it's good to have got their (the BJP's) support in Mumbai," he said. Thackeray also thanked the BJP government for the progress it had made in implementing the Bal Thackeray memorial project. "Whatever right is right and we must accept it. I appreciate the state government for moving forward in the right direction in setting up the memorial," he said. Yesterday, the state Legislative Assembly had cleared a bill paving the way for construction of the memorial in Mayor's bungalow in Shivaji Park in Central Mumbai. Mahadeshwar and Hemangi Worlikar, both nominees of Sena for the posts of Mayor and deputy-Mayor, respectively, got a walkover as the BJP had withdrawn from the Mayoral race in a tactical move. In a hung verdict in the 227-member BMC, Sena had won 84 seats while the BJP 82. The next largest bloc in the civic body was Congress (31). However, due to rupture in their alliance ahead of the civic polls last month, the Sena and BJP couldn't secure any understanding in the BMC until Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that BJP would not contest the Mayoral poll or lay claim to crucial committees in the civic body. Thackeray, however, evaded queries on the formation of alliances in Zilla Parishads, which went to polls last month, where the BJP has done well. The Sena chief had a dig at the BJP corporators who took a oath of transparency in the civic body today. "We have already been pitching for transparency. We have demanded that all cabinet meetings should be attended not only the state ministers but also by the Lokayukta and journalists as well. This is why I say our fight against 'bhampakpana' (hypocritical agenda) of this government would continue," he said. (Reopens BES 22) Taking at a dig at the BJP corporators for shouting slogans hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi even as the new Mayor was being elected, he said it would have been better had they raised Chhatrapati Shivaji's name. "I am happy that Mumbaikars have given us the responsibility of the city for the fifth consecutive time. Whenever the city was in need, the Sena stood for its people," he said. In a veiled reference to the BJP, Thackeray said he was thankful to all the known and the unknown persons who supported the Sena while the new Mayor was being elected. "We will not forget the martyrs who gave up their lives only for a united Maharashtra. We will continue to struggle against wrongdoings," he said. giant has announced the acquisition of Kaggle, a start-up that hosts a number of data scientists, for an undisclosed amount at the Cloud Next 2017 conference. "Kaggle is going to maintain independent brand for a while... What Kaggle has contributed to the community is democratisation of data, developer community... Partnership with Kaggle is going to be very positive for us," said Chief Scientist Cloud (artificial intelligence and machine learning) Fei Fei Li here. Founded in 2010, Kaggle is home to the world's largest community of data scientists and machine-learning enthusiasts. More than 8 lakh data experts use Kaggle to explore, analyse and understand the latest updates in machine learning and data analytics. "We are providing them best to take advantage of Cloud, libraries etc," she said. "We must lower the barriers of entry to AI (artificial intelligence)and make it available to the largest community of developers, users and enterprises so that they can apply it to their own unique needs. With Kaggle joining the Google Cloud team, we can accelerate this mission," she pointed out. Kaggle and Google Cloud will continue to support machine learning training and deployment services while offering the community the ability to store and query large datasets. "Making Google Cloud available to our community will allow us to offer access to powerful infrastructure, scalable training and deployment services and the ability to store and query large data sets," Kaggle co-founder and Chief Executive Anthony Goldbloom wrote in his blog post. Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure, the two public clouds that are bigger than Google Cloud, also offer data science services. Google Cloud already provides Cloud Machine Learning Engine, among other managed services for working on data. The Congress today accused the Modi government of depriving women, children and others of benefits of welfare schemes and closing them down by making Aadhar card compulsory. "We want to ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi that you when talk about social harmony and malnutrition why are you wanting to close down such welfare schemes under the garb of making Aadhar card compulsory," Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi told reporters. She said the Congress has again urged Modi government to reconsider its decision of making Aadhar card mandatory for social welfare schemes like the ICDS, mid-day meal and compensation to victims of tragedies and natural disasters. Chaturvedi said this would only make these important welfare schemes toothless and adversely impact beneficiaries of the scheme. She also claimed that Aadhar will be made mandatory for compensating Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims. "This is height of heartlessness, insensitivity and indifference," she said, adding that Supreme Court has already said that Aadhar should not be the only criteria for providing benefits to citizens when it comes to avail social schemes. "We understand that the Modi government wants to reduce the budgetary allocation for such schemes, but is unable to overtly announce those, hence it is attacking the functioning of these welfare schemes through such mindless decisions of making Aadhar mandatory," she said. The Congress leader also accused the PM of making long speeches of his government's committment to welfare of the poor but is now making a "veiled attempt" to endanger social security schemes in the garb of Aadhar. She attacked Modi over poor track-record of states ruled by BJP like Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan on crime against women despite making tall claims of providing safety, security and self respect to women of this country. "Unfortunately, Modi and Amit Shah, have used this plank of women safety only as a crutch for politicking, rather than making any tangible difference to their cause. "On the occasion of Women's Day, Modi and Shah should tell the nation whether the BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh records the highest number incidents of rapes in the country?," she said. Chaturvedi said on Women's Day would the Prime Minister write to all BJP Chief Ministers and send an appropriate advisory so that they can take steps in order to provide adequate security and ensure safety of women. "Please 'unfollow' those people who abuse, intimidate threaten women with rape on social media," she told the PM. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government has made Aadhaar mandatory for availing crop insurance policies from the upcoming kharif sowing season. The Agriculture Ministry has issued a directive to rural financial institutes to comply with the new rule from the kharif (summer) season starting April 1. "The Government of India has notified that farmers availing crop insurance schemes administered/implemented by the Department of Agriculture from kharif 2017 are hereby required to undergo Aadhaar authentication or furnish proof of possession of Aadhaar," said the directive. The banks have been asked to persuade farmers to furnish Aadhaar identification card at the time of sanction/renewal/ disbursement/inspection of the loan or on visit at bank branches, it said. Farmers who are yet to enrol for Aadhaar are required to get one. The state governments will have to arrange or offer enrolment facilities for beneficiaries. Till the time Aadhaar is assigned to an individual, crop insurance under any of the government-run schemes -- Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and Restructured Weather-based Crop Insurance (RWBCI) may be availed by farmers by furnishing documents such as bank passbook, Aadhaar enrolment ID slip, voter ID and MGNREGA job card. Farmers can also furnish driving licence along with a copy of request made for Aaadhar. But these documents will be verified by designated state government officials, the notification added. Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and Restructured Weather-based Crop Insurance (RWBCI) provides a comprehensive insurance cover against failure of crop. Under these schemes, premium to be paid by farmers are fixed lower. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government will move a bill that seeks to enhance paid maternity leave from 12 weeks to 26 weeks in the Lok Sabha tomorrow. The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which was passed by the Rajya Sabah in August last year, provides for increasing maternity benefit from 12 weeks to 26 weeks for two surviving children and is aimed at benefiting about 1.8 million women in the organised sector. "Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya will move the Bill tomorrow in the Lok Sabha to amend the Maternity Benefit Act," a senior official said. The amended Act will be applicable to all establishments employing 10 or more people. Once the amendments to the Act are passed and notified, India will jump to the third position in terms of the number of weeks for maternity leave after Canada (50) and Norway (44). The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, protects the employment of women during the time of her maternity and entitles her full paid absence from work, to take care for her child. In August last year, when the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016, was passed in the upper house, some members had sought norms for paternity leave also so that parents can share the responsibility of raising children. Dattatreya had said in the Rajya Sabha that the very purpose of the bill was to increase participation of women, which was decreasing day by day. The central government has already amended its service rule and is providing 26 weeks maternity leave to its employees. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Alleged hate crimes against Indians in the US are being viewed seriously by India and the government will make a statement on the matter in Parliament next week, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said today. In recent weeks, at least two Indians have been killed in incidents of hate crime in the US. With Opposition members raising the issue in the Lok Sabha, Singh said the government has taken serious note of the issue. What is happening in the US is being viewed seriously by the government and a statement would be made in the Parliament next week, he said during Question Hour. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar also said the government was very much concerned about the incidents in the US. As soon as the proceedings began after obituary references were made on the passing away of four former members, Opposition members raised various issues, including those related to hate crimes against Indians in the US. AIADMK members wanted to raise the issue of Sri Lankan Navy firing at Tamil fishermen. They raised slogans and trooped into the Well of the House. The members went back after Speaker Sumitra Mahajan assured that they could raise the issuer during Zero Hour. As a mark of respect to the departed members including former Lok Sabha Speaker Rabi Ray, the House stood in silence for a brief while. Other former members who passed away were Jambuwant Dhote, P Shiv Shanker and Syed Shahabuddin. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Gujarat Legislative Assembly was today adjourned for half an hour as the House witnessed uproar after Congress raised the issue of detention of its women party workers by police ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit here yesterday. During the Question Hour, Congress MLA Kamini Rathod, who was supposed to ask a question related to women health workers, raised the issue of detention of some women Congress workers by police yesterday. Accusing the police of high-handedness, she also slammed the BJP government for the "ill-treatment" of women on the International Women's Day. The PM was in the city yesterday to address the Swachh Shakti 2017 programme organised at Mahatma Mandir on the occasion of International Women's Day. "Gandhinagar police detained women Congress workers by forcibly entering a private property. They even detained a rape victim, who had come to make a representation. Is this the way to treat women on International Women's Day?" Rathod asked. This led to chaotic scenes in the House. To make her point, Rathod and another woman Congress MLA Chandrikaben Bariya rushed towards the Well of the House. However, Rathod was taken out of the House by women sergeants. Her eviction sparked pandemonium in the House, as Congress workers started shouting anti-BJP slogans, while BJP MLAs also engaged in verbal battle with the Opposition members. As the noise continued unabated, Speaker Ramanlal Vora adjourned the House for thirty minutes. Around 50 Congress workers, including women, of local district unit had been detained before they could hold a protest march till Mahatma Mandir, the venue of PM's event in Gandhinagar yesterday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) H-1B work visa and employment- based green card categories -- very popular among among Indian-Americans -- are likely to be reformed to attract the best and the brightest from across the world, a top American Senator close to President Donald Trump said today. Republican Senator from Arkansas Tom Cotton, who met Trump yesterday, said that the current system does not bring in the brightest and the best from across the world. So there is need to reform it and this is what Trump is planning to do. "I think, on the H-1B temporary visa but also the permanent green cards, like EB1, EB2, the President wants to get the very best people from around the world. Often those programs are implemented in a way that are not consistent with their purposes," Cotton told MSNBC. "They don't bring in PhDs and computer scientists. They bring in midlevel and they replace midlevel data management workers. That's why you get controversies like people losing their jobs at companies like Disney and Southern California Edison that were just replaced by foreign workers who weren't necessarily high skilled," Cotton explained. "So he (Trump) would like to see reforms to those programs that I would," said Cotton, who is also a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. "It's really an empirical questions where we do have gaps in our economy. But I will say this, there is no job that an American won't do. Americans, with the right pay, will do any job. That's just the facts of the matter," he noted. "We need to make sure that we're focused on Americans getting back to work and getting higher wages, supplemented where need based on the evidence with immigration," said the influential Senator from Arkansas. On Tuesday, Cotton and Senator David Purdue went to the White House to meet with the president about an immigration bill they introduced. The bill refocuses on legal immigration system on high skilled immigrants who come to this country with English language competency, education levels that are higher than they have now with higher levels of job skills that will be able to contribute to the economy, he said. "Right now, only about one out of 15 immigrants that we admit to this country every year come based on those criteria. The President has said in public, as he told us yesterday, that he wants to move in the direction of, for instance, Canada and Australia, and focused on more of what he calls a merit-based system. Our legislation is the first step in that," Cotton said. "He'd like to see additional steps focusing on some of the employment-based green cards and visa and we're happy to work with him on that," he said. Last month, Senators Cotton and Perdue introduced Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment Act, which they said will lower overall immigration to 637,960 in its first year and to 539,958 by its 10th year-a 50 per cent reduction from the 1,051,031 immigrants who arrived in 2015. A flight from Las Vegas to Honolulu was diverted to Los Angeles after a passenger refused to pay USD 12 for a blanket and was accused of being unruly, police said. The incident unfolded after the Hawaiian Airlines flight yesterday took off from Las Vegas and the passenger -- a 66-year-old man -- requested a blanket as he was cold, Officer Rob Pedregon, a spokesman for the Los Angeles airport police, told AFP. When told he would have to fork out USD 12 for the blanket, the unidentified man got upset and demanded to speak to a corporate representative from the airline, Pedregon said. "During the in-flight call he allegedly said 'I would like to take someone behind the woodshed for this' and the pilot deemed that to be threatening behaviour and ordered that the plane be diverted to Los Angeles," he said. Police and FBI agents met with the passenger and crew when the plane landed in Los Angeles and determined after questioning both sides that no crime had been committed, Pedregon said. The man voluntarily abandoned his flight and caught another one, he said. Pedregon said the incident may not be the oddest he has handled "but it ranks right up there." "You know, if I was a passenger on board that plane I would have paid the USD 12 dollars for him," he chuckled. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Allahabad High Court today cancelled a bailable warrant against Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan in a case involving the UP Jal Nigam and directed him to file within 10 days an affidavit. On Supreme Court directions, Khan appeared before the division bench here of justices Sudhir Agarwal and Ravindra Nath Mishra-II and tendered an apology. The court listed the case on March 21 and said that Khan need not appear in person on that date. It further directed that whatever decision he takes in the matter should be brought to the notice of the court through an affidavit sworn by him. The order was passed on a writ petition filed by UP Jal Nigam in the case related to an assistant engineer of Jal Nigam. Azam stated that records related to the case are being examined by him but he needs more time to take an appropriate decision in the matter. Permitting him, the court asked him to inform it of his decision through an affidavit within 10 days. The court cancelled the bailable warrant against Khan, who is the chairman of UP Jal Nigam, as he was personally present. On March 1, the court had issued the bailable warrant against Khan for securing his presence in the court on March 6. Azam did not appear despite the earlier orders of the court and had moved to the Supreme Court. The apex court yesterday directed him to appear today before the Allahabad High Court to honour the bailable warrant. The apex court, which rebuked the Samajwadi Party's minority face for "hoodwinking" the high court, had also expressed surprise that the bailable warrant could not be served on a serving minister of the Uttar Pradesh cabinet. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Bombay High Court has rapped the CBI for "improper" handling of the IDBI loan default case relating to the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines and also reserved order on bail plea of two senior bank officials. Justice Sadhana Jadhav reserved order till March 14 on the bail plea filed by former Chairman and Managing Director of IDBI Yogesh Agarwal and Deputy Managing Director B K Batra. The duo were arrested by CBI on January 23, a day before the agency filed a charge sheet in the case. Nine accused have been arrested by CBI so far. The judge pulled up the CBI for its failure to follow legal procedures in arresting the accused and dealing with them during the course of investigations. The high court observed that the prime accused and former Kingfisher Airlines chairman Vijay Mallya was allowed to escape abroad. Opposing their bail plea, the CBI sought further custody of the two IDBI officials on the ground that probe was already in progress. However, the judge asked the CBI to justify its plea of seeking further custody of the duo. The court also questioned the manner in which both the accused had been arrested, without serving them prior notice. "The CBI had not sought their custody even once during the initial probe but had picked them up a day before the charge sheet was filed," the judge observed. The judge said that offences such as these are 'white collar' crimes and hence the argument of the CBI that the accused would tamper with evidence does not hold good in this case. But if the agency was to keep them in jail suspecting that they were hard core criminals, then the CBI must justify its action, Justice Jadhav observed. A sessions court had last month rejected the bail plea of Agarwal and Batra. However, the duo moved the high court for bail saying that even 40 days after their arrest the agency had not called them for questioning. Both argued that they could not be kept in judicial custody for an indefinite period. The court has reserved order on their bail plea. The IDBI allegedly showed "undue favour" to KFA in the matter of sanction and disbursement of short-term loans of Rs 150 crore in October 2009 and Rs 200 crore in November 2009, and another corporate loan of Rs 750 crore in November 2009. It was alleged in the CBI charge sheet that a significant portion of the disbursed facility (loan) was diverted by Kingfisher to service their existing debt with other banks, and was also diverted to settle the documentary bills discounted by Bank of Baroda. Significant amounts were also allegedly remitted out of India on the pretext of payment of lease rental and purchase of aircraft parts, while Rs 3.45 crore were paid into the bank account of Kingfisher in London, said the CBI charge sheet. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Himachal Pradesh government will soon launch a women's helpline for ensuring safety of women, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said today. Addressing the state level function to celebrate the International Women day, Singh said violence against women was an affront to the foundations of human rights, human decency and human dignity while adding the State government was committed to put an end to it. Chief Minister said 20 per cent posts of constables and sub inspectors had been mandated for women in police force and at present there were five women police stations, besides four anti-trafficking units comprising women police force at Shimla, Mandi, Sirmaur and Kangra. He said women were the pillars of the society and they need the skills and confidence to influence the decisions that directly affect their lives through direct participation in government and the security sector. The Chief Minister said that 'Muskaan', an initiative of the State government was started to improve the sex ratio and the scheme had created wonders. He said that the state government's 'Beti-Bachao, Beti-Padao' scheme was being successfully implemented to keep a check on female feticides. The State government was strictly implementing the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Act (PNDT), and anyone found involved in pre-diagnosing practice, would be severely dealt with as per provision of the law, he said. Singh said women were equal to their male counterparts in all spheres and to further strengthen them the State government had implemented various schemes including 'Mukhya Mantri Kanyadaan Yojna' in which the financial assistance had been enhanced to Rs 40,000 for marriage of poor girl child. He said 50 per cent reservation was being given to women in Panchayati Raj and Urban Local Bodies besides many other innovative schemes had been introduced for the benefit and empowerment of women. The Chief Minister also honoured the women on the occasion who have excelled in various fields. An animation film 'Muskan', which is an initiative of Mansi Sahai Thakur, Director, Social Justice and Empowerment department was also screened on the occasion. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Hindu woman has been axed to death by a group of unidentified persons in Pakistan's restive southwestern Balochistan province, a media report said. Zania Kumari, was attacked yesterday by the group in Baba Kot area of Nasirabad district and escaped after the murder, police was quoted as saying by the Dawn. The cause of the attack remains unclear and police have registered a case against the killers, the report said. Jalo Ram, Kumari's brother said his sister was killed for no reason by "influential people" of the area. He appealed to the police to take action against the killers and provide security to his family. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Assam Police has launched a massive hunt to nab the prime accused in the AASU office attack in Dhemaji and sounded an alert across the state today to prevent any outbreak of violence. It has also announced a cash reward of Rs one lakh for information on the whereabouts of Subodh Biswas, the all-India president of the Nikhil Bharat Bangali Udbastu Samanway Samiti (NBUSS), and set up a special investigation team to probe the incident. "The arrest of Biswas is our priority. Look-out notices have been circulated at all the important points. We have announced a reward of Rs one lakh for information on his whereabouts," Assam Director General of Police Mukesh Sahay told reporters here. He said Assam Police was in touch with other states and inter-state security agencies to trace Biswas whose "provocative" speech at an NBBUSS meeting at Silapathar on March 6 had allegedly led to the attack on the AASU office. "We are in touch with the police agencies in Arunachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal and hope to nab him at the earliest," he added. The attackers had ransacked the All Assam Students' Union office, damaged the furniture there and injured three members of the students' union. Protests by various organisations erupted in the state following the incident. The DGP also appealed to those aware of the whereabouts of Biswas to contact the police and assured them that they will be rewarded Rs one lakh without their identity being disclosed. He said the alert has been sounded as the police are determined to prevent any incident of violence following the attack on the AASU office. "If required, we will do it ruthlessly," he added. The situation, Sahay said, has been brought under control by senior officials camping at the site and by rushing additional security reinforcements. Fourteen companies of Assam Police Battalion, along with 80 additional constables, have been deployed in Silapathar, while some companies of paramilitary forces have been shifted from Jorhat and North Lakhimpur to Silapathar. "The army too has been kept on stand-by and their help will be sought if needed," the DGP said. Sahay said deputy commissioners have been directed to cancel all the NBBUSS meetings and rallies scheduled to be held in their respective districts. "Deputy commissioners of all the districts have been directed to ensure that no untoward incident takes place and if required, additional security reinforcements will be rushed if a tense situation prevails at any place," the DGP said. The special investigation team (SIT), which will probe the attack, is being led by CID Senior Superintendent of Police Raja Martandan and anyone found guilty will be firmly dealt with as per law, Sahay said. "We will ensure a thorough and impartial investigation into all the aspects of the incident, particularly the antecedents of the organisation that held the meeting at Silapathar, which led to the violence," he added. The DGP said protests against such an incident were "natural", but the situation was being "monitored closely". A few stray incidents of violence have been reported from some places, but these were immediately brought under control, Sahay said and appealed to the people to maintain calm and not give credence to rumour mongering. "I thank the people for not being swayed by provocation. Individuals as well as organisations, irrespective of their linguistic, religious and political affiliations, have condemned the incident," he added. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has already announced an inquiry by Additional Chief Secretary V B Pyarelal and directed him to submit the report within a month. NBBUSS members and supporters had, on March 6, organised a meeting at Silapathar demanding Indian citizenship for Hindu migrants from Bangladesh. President Donald Trump has offered former Utah governor Jon Huntsman the position of US Ambassador to Russia, amid investigations into Russian meddling in the US presidential race last year, The Washington Post has reported. Trump made the offer this week, the Post said, citing a White House official not authorized to discuss the move for now. Huntsman has indicated that he will accept the post, the official said Wednesday, the report added. But Huntsman, 56, who has served as US ambassador to Singapore and China, did not immediately confirm the offer or his response. During his campaign Trump criticised Huntsman for allowing China to do "a major number on US" while he was in Beijing under former president Barack Obama. Some people close to Huntsman recently hinted that he might seek a Senate seat for Utah. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Young Australia batsman Peter Handscomb, who took the blame for his captain Steve Smith's "brain-fade" fiasco, today said he is now familiar with the DRS rules and it's time to move on from the incident that sparked a huge controversy. Handscomb had admitted that it was he who suggested Smith to seek dressing room opinion after being LBW off Umesh Yadav during their second innings of the second Test against India. "No, just completely unaware that you couldn't do that. But now I know - I have been well and truly informed and I'm just looking forward to moving on from this. It's still new in my international career, so I haven't had a lot to do with the DRS and I'm now a lot more familiar with it," said the 25-year-old right-hander. There was significant amount of banter on display from both the Indian and Australian players during the second Test with home team skipper Kohli leading from the front. But Handscomb said the visitors are not too worried about what their opposition do. "I thought we handled him (Kohli) quite well on the field. Like I said before we just go about our business, not too worried about trying to get into verbal stash. We know what we have been doing, we were definitely not chatting that's for sure. We are in the public eye and we understand that views were being exchanged," Handscomb, who is on his first overseas tour, said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The IIM-Ahmedabad is seeking contributions from alumni and corporates for conservation and restoration of its iconic building designed by legendary American architect Louis Kahn nearly five decades ago. The institute said parts of the building are in a state of disrepair with time taking its toll and also due to earthquakes, more importantly the 2001 Bhuj temblor. An estimated Rs 130 crore is needed to conserve and restore them. "Our institute has taken a more challenging route of conserving and restoring the building (damaged with time and due to earthquakes) rather than doing a patchwork," said IIM-A Director Ashish Nanda. He said the Union HRD Ministry has already extended its support by allowing the institute to count fundings made for the purpose under Corporate Social Responsibility head. IIM-A dean for alumni and external relations Rakesh Basant said the leading business school is trying to raise resources to execute the project. "It is a fairly painstaking task, and we are hoping that alumni and corporates would help us undertake this endeavour," he said. Basant said so far Rs 30 crore has been raised with Tata Consultancy Service contributing Rs 20 crore for the restoration of the institute's library. Some of the students of the 1992 and 1995 batches have contributed another Rs 10 crore to be used for restoration of a dormitory, classroom and tower lawn, he said. "Moving forward, we want to raise resources for classrooms, dormitories, administrative blocks and faculty complex, and are reaching out to corporates for the same. We are also seeking smaller funds under Rs 1 crore and retail contributions from alumni and corporates," he said. The IIM-A building was designed by Kahn with the brick structure reflecting a blend of modernity and tradition. It was completed in 1974. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) IIT, Kharagpur will provide its students with opportunity to study in some of the top universities of the world for one semester even before they complete their degrees. The senate of the IIT-KGP has given its nod to the 'Semester Away Programme' (SAP), allowing students to avail of the facility from the middle of this year, Prof. PK Das, dean of post-graduate programme, said today. This initiative is very different from the students exchange programmes offered by other institutes in India, including the IITs, Das explained. A student will be able to choose an institution in India or abroad and the courses offered by them and the foreign institution will not have to be necessarily the ones IIT (KGP) has signed MoUs with. "They would choose the courses, take the approval of the faculty and apply. The university does not necessarily have to be the ones with those we have MoUs. If chosen, they will be able to go and study there for one semester or for a maximum of two semesters," Das said. He said for UG, all the students who have completed their 4 semesters of study, with CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average) score 7, no backlog and pending Disciplinary Committee actions are eligible to apply. For PG, all the students who have completed their 2 semesters of study - 4 Semesters for MMST (microelectronics manufacturing science and technology) again with a CGPA 7 and no academic backlog and pending Disciplinary Committee action are similarly eligible to apply. He said the third year B.Tech students and second year M.Tech students with CGPA (score of 7 or above) will be able to apply for SAP. "On successful completion of SAP, these students will stand the chance of getting their credits at IIT-KGP waived against the credits earned through SAP. It will depend on the courses they opt for," Prof. Sriman K Bhattacharyya, deputy director of IIT-KGP, said. "If a student opts for a course for which he cannot get his credits waived off he would be allowed to complete the pending semester at IIT-KGP within an additional six-month period," Bhattacharyya said. The course fee for the SAP will have to be arranged by the students or scout for scholarships. The deadline for the Autumn Semester will be March 31 while for the Spring Semester it will be July 31. To a question, Das said the tuition fee may be waived for a few specific universities with whch IIT (KGP) has MoUs. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Iceland will be the first country in the world to make employers prove they offer equal pay regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexuality or nationality, the Nordic nation's government said today International Women's Day. The government said it will introduce legislation to parliament this month, requiring all employers with more than 25 staff members to obtain certification to prove they give equal pay for work of equal value. While other countries, and the U.S. State of Minnesota, have equal-salary certificate policies, Iceland is thought to be the first to make it mandatory for both private and public firms. The North Atlantic island nation, which has a population of about 330,000, wants to eradicate the gender pay gap by 2022. Social Affairs and Equality Minister Thorsteinn Viglundsson said "the time is right to do something radical about this issue." "Equal rights are human rights," he said. "We need to make sure that men and women enjoy equal opportunity in the workplace. It is our responsibility to take every measure to achieve that." Iceland has been ranked the best country in the world for gender equality by the World Economic Forum, but Icelandic women still earn, on average, 14 to 18 percent less than men. In October thousands of Icelandic women left work at 2:38 p.M. And demonstrated outside parliament to protest the gender pay gap. Women's rights groups calculate that after that time each day, women are working for free. The new legislation is expected to be approved by Iceland's parliament because it has support from both the center-right government and opposition lawmakers. The government hopes to implement it by 2020. Iceland has introduced other measures to boost women's equality, including quotas for female participation on government committees and corporate boards. Such measures have proven controversial in some countries, but have wide support across Iceland's political spectrum. Viglundsson said some people had argued the equal-pay law imposes unneeded bureaucracy on firms, and is not necessary because the pay gap is closing. "It is a burden to put on companies to have to comply with a law like this," he acknowledged. "But we put such burdens on companies all the time when it comes to auditing your annual accounts or turning in your tax report. "You have to dare to take new steps, to be bold in the fight against injustice. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India and Belgium today signed an agreement amending the bilateral tax treaty to curb evasion and also enable mutual assistance in tax collection. India and Belgium have signed a protocol amending the existing agreement and protocol between the two countries for avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income, a finance ministry statement said. "The protocol will broaden the scope of the existing framework of exchange of tax related information. This in turn will help curb tax evasion and tax avoidance between the two countries and will also enable mutual assistance in collection of taxes," it said. The protocol was signed by CBDT Chairman Sushil Chandra and Belgium Ambassador to India Jan Luykx. Fighting the menace of black money stashed in offshore accounts has been a key priority area for the government and to this effect India has either signed or amended tax treaties with various jurisdictions. During the financial year 2016-17, tax treaties have been amended for the exchange of information with Switzerland, Mauritius, Cyprus, Japan, Republic of Korea, Kazakhstan, Singapore and Austria. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A significant conventional conflict between Pakistan and India could escalate into a nuclear exchange, a top American General warned today. Testifying before powerful Senate Armed Services Committee, General Joseph Votel, Commander of the US Central Command or CETCOM, said there is continued ongoing tensions between Pakistan and India. "India remains concerned about the lack of action against India-focused militants based in Pakistan and even responded militarily to terrorist attacks in India-held territory earlier this year," Votel told top American Senators. "We assess that these types of attacks and the potential reactions, increase the likelihood for miscalculation by both countries," he said. "Furthermore, India's public policy to 'diplomatically isolate' Pakistan hinders any prospects for improved relations. This is especially troubling as a significant conventional conflict between Pakistan and India could escalate into a nuclear exchange, given that both are nuclear powers," Votel said. Additionally, the American General said Pakistan's increased focus on its eastern border detracts from its efforts to secure the western border with Afghanistan from incursion by Taliban and al-Qaida fighters. Security along the western border will nevertheless remain a priority for Islamabad, as the Pakistani military seeks to expand border control and improve paramilitary security, he said. Votel told members that seven of the US-designated 20 terrorist organisations have home in Pakistan. "So as long as these groups maintain safe haven inside of Pakistan they will threaten long-term stability in Afghanistan," he said. "Of particular concern is the Haqqani Network (HQN) which poses the greatest threat to coalition forces operating in Afghanistan," he said adding that to date, the Pakistan military and security services have not taken lasting actions against HQN. "We have consistently called upon the Pakistanis to take the necessary actions to deny terrorists safe haven and improve security in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region," he said. "We have seen some promising coordination between the Pakistan and Afghanistan militaries aimed at addressing instability in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region," he said. The Pakistan military in particular continues to conduct counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations in the FATA and facilitate, via ground and air lines of communication, the sustainment of coalition operations in Afghanistan, the general said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In the face of a fresh encounter in the Kashmir Valley, the army's Director General Military Operations (DGMO) today raised with his Pakistani counterpart India's concerns over movement of terrorists along the LoC. The Pakistan military, however, rejected Indian Army's concerns and asked it to "share evidence". DGMO Lt Gen AK Bhat spoke to his Pakistani counterpart through the hotline, amid an encounter between security forces and militants holed up inside a house in Awantipora area of Kashmir's Pulwama district in which two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants and a civilian were killed. "The DGMO spoke to the Pakistan Army DGMO this morning. He expressed concern regarding the movement of terrorists noticed along the Line of Control (LoC)," a senior Army official said. Pakistan military spokesman Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor tweeted later that, "Indian concern on terrorists' movement along LoC were strongly rejected during (the) hotline (call). Indian Army asked to look inward, share evidence." The Pakistani DGMO was also informed about the repatriation of two Pakistani nationals arrested in connection with last year's terror attack on a military base in Uri in which 19 soldiers were killed. The NIA yesterday had handed over Faisal Hussain Awan and Ahsan Khursheed to the army's 16 Corps headquarters in Jammu. "The individuals will be repatriated through Wagah border on March 10," the army official said. It was initially suspected that the two youths acted as guides for the Uri attackers. On September 18 last year, four heavily armed militants stormed the Uri army base camp in Jammu and Kashmir killing 19 soldiers and injuring few others. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Iran's Revolutionary Guard has successfully tested a ballistic missile, Iran's semi-official Fars agency reported today. The report quotes Gen Amir Ali Hajizadeh, chief of the Guard's aerospace division, as saying the missile destroyed a target from a distance of 250 kilometers (155 miles). It said the sea-launched ballistic missile dubbed Hormuz 2 was tested last week. The Hormuz 2 is capable of hitting floating targets with high accuracy within a range of 300 kilometers (186 miles), Fars said. It provided no additional details. Meanwhile, the semi-official Tasnim agency quoted Hajizadeh as saying the Revolutionary Guard had prepared a ballistic missile for civilian purposes but plans to launch it were canceled after a threat by the United States. "We have prepared a ballistic missile for carrying a satellite for civilian purposes ... But some people sent it to the warehouse after a threat by the Americans. This behavior is humiliating," he said. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump imposed new sanctions on entities and individuals who support Iran's ballistic missile program. Last month, Iranian media reported the Revolutionary Guard launched several sophisticated rockets during military exercises in the country's central desert. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Iraqi forces worked to clear bombs and flush out any remaining jihadists in recaptured areas of west Mosul today to set the stage for an offensive against the Old City. Supported by US-led coalition air strikes, the forces have made steady progress in their battle to retake Iraq's second city from the Islamic State group, announcing the recapture of two more areas. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi vowed that he would "not hesitate" to strike jihadists in neighbouring countries as well if they posed a threat, after Baghdad carried out air raids in Syria last month. Iraqi forces have recaptured a series of neighbourhoods in Mosul as well as the provincial government headquarters and the museum where IS militants infamously filmed themselves destroying priceless artefacts. The jihadists are under mounting pressure from twin US-backed ground offensives targeting Mosul and their other main stronghold, Raqa in Syria. IS overran large areas of both countries in 2014, declaring a cross-border "caliphate" in territory it controlled, but has since lost ground. Iraqi forces launched the massive operation to retake Mosul on October 17, first recapturing its eastern side before setting their sights on its smaller but more densely populated west. The jihadists have fought back with suicide car bombs, roadside bombs, snipers and weaponised drones. The focus today was on clearing the newly retaken areas and defusing bombs in booby-trapped houses, Lieutenant Colonel Abdulamir al-Mohammedawi of the elite Rapid Response Division told AFP. The battle for the Old City may see some of the toughest fighting of the operation to retake west Mosul. "The liberation of the city centre is a first and very important step for beginning the liberation of the Old City," Mohammedawi said, referring to an area near the Old City that Iraqi forces have recaptured in recent days. "The Old City is a very difficult area" of narrow streets and closely spaced houses, he said. Hundreds of thousands of civilians are believed to still be trapped under jihadist rule in the Old City, where Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made his only public appearance as IS leader and proclaimed a "caliphate" in July 2014. Iraq's Joint Operations Command announced Wednesday that the elite Counter-Terrorism Service had recaptured the neighbourhoods of Al-Mansur and Al-Shuhada al-Thaniya in west Mosul. The fighting in the city's western districts has forced more than 51,000 people to flee their homes, according to the International Organization for Migration. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) German authorities say they've charged a 31-year-old Tajik man with membership in a terrorist organization for allegedly joining the Islamic State group in Syria. Federal prosecutors said in a statement today that Mukhamadsaid S., whose full name wasn't given in line with German privacy rules, traveled to Syria by February 2015 at the latest where he underwent military training with IS. He's accused of serving as a guard and helping the group with administration, while also appearing in at least five propaganda videos that appeared on YouTube urging others to join the militants. He was arrested in Germany in June 2016. No further details were provided and prosecutors did not immediately return calls seeking comment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Israeli rabbi was fiercely criticised today for saying women who join the army come back as "non-Jews," in a controversy that coincided with International Women's Day. Ultra-conservative rabbi Yigal Levinstein, who heads a pre-military academy in the Eli settlement in the occupied West Bank, said in a lecture that women enter the army as Jews and come out non-Jews. "Who will marry them?" he asked. Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman condemned the comments and urged Levinstein to consider his position. "Since the establishment of the state (of Israel), women have served in the army and have greatly contributed to the security of the country," said Lieberman. "Rabbi Levinstein's statements are not only an insult to Israelis, but also to the Israeli army, its heritage and all the fundamental values of the state of Israel," he said. Lieberman said he would "reconsider" the rabbi's role in preparing young men for military service. Military service is compulsory for both men and women in Israel, though ultra-Orthodox Jews, who make up about 10 per cent of the country's eight million citizens, are among those exempt. Military officials have been seeking to encourage the ultra-Orthodox to enlist. A military spokesman said 2,200 women from religious backgrounds currently serve in the army, up from 937 in 2010. The Israeli army infantry has four mixed battalions, he added. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made an indirect reference to the controversy on Wednesday, telling a parliamentary committee women played an "important role in defending the country's security," Israeli media reported. A fringe of ultra-conservative rabbis, members of the religious nationalist movement, hold a traditional view of the role of women, arguing they should be primarily concerned with caring for children and the home. They also believe women should respect Jewish conventions which demand they dress modestly -- skirts or long robes and long sleeves -- and behave with deference towards men. Levinstein was banned in 2016 from giving lectures on army bases after calling homosexuals "perverts". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mobile advertising company Jana will launch tomorrow an internet browser for Android users that will enable consumers to surf the web by offsetting mobile data costs. The company plans to invest over USD 90 million in India and other emerging markets to strengthen its customer base. "We have raised nearly USD 92 million which we will be putting into both in India and other emerging markets, but India is our largest market," Jana co-founder and CEO Nathan Eagle told PTI here. A user of the browser, mCent, would initially get a data refund of up to 10 MB per day and 70 MB per week and will also be provided with unrestricted internet access to online content. MCent, which will compete with the likes of UC browser and Opera mini, is an ad-sponsored model through which advertisers would incorporate their marketing. As more advertisers are added to the platform, the data limit will increase, the company said. Eagle said the company has tied up with all telecom operators in India, including Reliance Jio, for smooth transition of its services. India is the first country in which we are launching the browser and we are hoping to have at least 10 million users by the end of 2017, Eagle said. On being asked about the advertisers roped in by the company, he said: "For the browser we are working with the search engine partners as well as advertisement networks like Facebook and Instagram. "We are also in talks with some e-commerce companies," Eagle said in a conference here. He, however, declined to name the e-commerce players. The company, last year, raised USD 57 million from the investment arm of Verizon. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An army jawan was killed today when Pakistani troops violated ceasefire in Poonch sector in Jammu region. Official sources said Pakistani troops opened fire at Indian posts around 1400 hours at Gulpur area which was effectively retaliated by the army. The sources said the jawan was injured in the firing from across the border and he was shifted to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries this evening. The jawan identified as sepoy Deepak Jaganath had suffered a bullet injury in the head. There have been a number of ceasefire violations along the international border and the Line of Control this year. (REOPENS DEL 57) In another case, an army jawan was found dead under mysterious circumstances at Daraba in Poonch sector, official sources said. The army has handed over the investigation to the local police as prima facie it appears to be a case of homicide. As Resettlement Agencies Face Uncertainty, Donors Rally For Syrian Family By Stephen Gossett in News on Mar 8, 2017 7:55PM GoFundMe A viral campaign to help with finances for a refugee family from Syria now based in the Chicago area quickly garnered over $4,000 to help support the mother and her five children. At the same time, the need for public fundraising underscores the financial difficulties that resettlement agencies now face after President Donald Trump's latest refugee restriction. Huda Hidar, 45, fled war-torn Syria last year with her four sons and one daughter. She was badly injured by shrapnel on her shoulder and face during an airstrike; while she was in the hospital, she learned from a cousin that one of her five sons and her husband were killed in a chemical attack, according to an interview she conducted with the Tribune. Hidar and her surviving children eventually resettled in Evanston, but the initial sum of money they received has mostly run dray. Even with employment, she still has difficulty meeting rent and utility payments, fundraiser Jonathan Yenkin, a volunteer with the Syrian Community Network, wrote on the campaign page. SCN is a non-profit that works to "assist in easing the resettlement of Syrian refugees," its site reads. "Thanks to the generous support received so far, Huda should be able to pay her family's rent for at least the next couple of months," he wrote after funds started to come in. As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 60 people had given a total of more more than $4,000 in 10 days. Such reliance on public outreach for refugee assistance could become more of the norm, as resettlement agencies stare down the potential of federal cuts. As WBEZ reported, federal money comes in per capita, and given the administration's latest round of refugee restrictions, that likely means fewer government funds. Jims Porter, Grants & Communications Coordinator of the Chicago-based RefugeeOne resettlement services, echoed that prescription. He couldn't offer a definite total on how much public funding his service stands to lose in the face of the latest refugee order. But "with the ceiling lowered to 50,000 and having almost already met that, new arrivals are going to slow to a tricklewhich means a significant reduction in funds from that revenue stream," he told Chicagoist. And the struggle for a financial foothold can be intense, as federal money was already in short supply. A refugee typically gets around $1125 from federal funds for the first three months, Porter said, "but that won't even pay the first month's rent in Chicago," he added. Porter said that organizations have faced similar pinches in the pastafter 9/11, for instanceand that RefugeeOne started fortifying independent fundraising in 2014 after the sate cut funds for its Enhanced Language Training and wellness programs. Businesses, individuals and religious organizations have largely had to fill the gap, he said. Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das today said the state government would give mobile phones to one lakh women entrepreneurs. "It will help in digitalization and cashless Jharkhand. These women entrepreneurs are backbone of the villages," he said at a programme here. Das also announced a Rs 600 crore Tejaswini scheme and Rs 1400 crore Johar scheme, a state government release said. The representation of women will be 33 per cent in gram sangathans. An Urban Haat is being made at a cost of Rs 17 crore for providing market for the products of sakhi mandal, he said. Das said that girls between 14-24 age groups will be strengthened with the help of World Bank under 'Tejaswini Yojana', adding they will be given 'Anopcharic Siksha' (informal education) to inspire complete education and skill centers will be developed as required. The groups of girls will be organized and one Tejaswini Club will be made for every two aanganbari centers. After completing education and training, the beneficiaries will be transferred Rs 10,000 promotion amount in their bank account. The Rs 1400 crore Johar scheme focuses on strengthening rural economy. The government will provide funds for cottage and small scale industries under this scheme, he said. The chief minister said three lakh women have been given gas connections and ovens under Ujjawala scheme. In the next three to four years, all 23 lakh BPL families will be provided gas connection, he said. The government wants to prepare 4,80,000 women entrepreneurs and strengthen them. Newspapers and periodicals focusing on SHGs works and will be published for the women and the members of sakhi mandals will be reporters, Das said. Earlier, on the occasion of International Women's Day, Jharkhand Governor Draupadi Murmu today inaugurated 'Aajivika Mahila Mahasammelan' at Jawahar Stadium Sector -3 here. "Now time has come when women should be made economically strong and government and society should work together to ensure this. She appealed to members of Aajivika Mahila Mahasammelan and SHGs to make people aware about the schemes of the government and be partner in development of the nation," she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Start-up investment firm K2 Global, backed by Indian and Asian billionaires, islooking toincrease its stake in online mobile applications Paytm and Saavn, which are amongstart-ups with strong growth market strategies in India. "We are looking to invest more in Paytm and Saavn," said the Singapore-based investor Ozi Amanant, who leads K2 Global backed by Indian and Asian billionaires, institutional investors and family wealth management offices. K2 Global, which has built up stakes in Paytm and Saavn overin abouttwo years, is raising another round of 284 million Singapore dollars, following on to the recently closed 257 million Singapore dollars. "We have a target to raise 1 billion Singapore dollars in the next two years for investments," Amanat said. K2 Global has pledged 500 million Singapore dollars more for co-investments in technology startups in which it is already holding stakes. The firm has bought stakes in 28 companies including Twilio, Uber, Magic Leap, Palantir and Spotify. Amanat who monitors high yield start-ups across Asia and Silicon Valley in the US said K2 Global has grown its connectivity with several partners including Minal Hasan in Silicon Valley, Chris Eu in Singapore and others in Indonesia, Hong Kong, India and Japan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) CPI National Secretary K Narayana today criticised Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao for allegedly "curtailing" people's democratic right to protest. Speaking to reporters here, Narayana said, "The Telangana Chief Minister has banned people from protesting in Indira Park in Hyderabad. Curtailing a democratic right will result in increasing dissent among people." On February 22, Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) chairman M Kodandaram and several others were taken into preventive custody ahead of their proposed rally at Indira Park on the issue of unemployment for which they have been denied permission. TJAC is an umbrella organisation of different pro- Telangana groups that had spearheaded the movement for separate state. "KCR who achieved a separate statehood and became Chief Minister, was because of protests he held and it is ironical that he has become intolerant towards protests," the CPI leader said. At a time when KCR has failed to fulfill promises he made and when there has been nothing done to sort unemployment issues, banning protests shows the Chief Minister's attitude towards people, he said. "Apart from other issues farmers' loans have not been waived off yet. When there is so much dissatisfaction among people, it is not right to stop them from protesting," said Narayana. He alleged KCR was trying to hide the "irregularities" in his way of functioning the government. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Kerala High Court today stayed the proceedings in a vigilance court against the previous UDF government's decision to promote IPS officer N Shanker Reddy to DGP rank and appoint him as the Director of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau. Justice P Ubaid granted the stay while considering a petition by Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, who was the then Home Minister when the appointment was made, challenging the 'quick verification' ordered by the vigilance court in Thiruvananthapuram. Chennithala, who is at present the Leader of the Opposition in the assembly, has submitted that granting of promotion to the officer was legal and the state government had the authority to do so. In the previous hearing, the high court had rapped the VACB and directed it to "explain" its authority to "comment on or direct" the government to review its administrative decisions and actions. Considering another case filed by former finance minister K M Mani, seeking to quash a vigilance probe into bar bribery case, the high court criticised the 'inefficiency and irresponsibility' of the officer who filed two statements regarding the investigation in the court. In the last hearing, the court had directed the VACB to file a proper statement with definite fact regarding the investigation. When the matter came up today, a new special prosecutor filed one statement, and the state prosecutor filed another statement. The court asked whether its consent was obtained for appointment of special prosecutor in the case. It then directed that the government should have a definite stand as to who should prosecute the case and adjourned the matter to March 27. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kerala government today gave nod for the constitution of Kerala Law Reforms Commission with former Supreme Court Judge K T Thomas as Chairman. The decision in this regard was taken at the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. K Shashidharan Nair is the Vice Chairman, Dr N K Jaykumar, Advocate M K Damodaran, former Advocate General and Lissamma are members of the commission, government said in a press release here. The commission will examine the present laws and bring in reforms as per changing times, do away with archaic laws and if new laws are to be framed conduct studies for the same and make recommendations. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With Kerala in the grip of a severe drought, the government today said it will further restrict the use of groundwater by soft drink major Pepsico at Palakkad even as traders have planned to stop the sale of Pepsi and Coca Cola in the state. "The government will take stern measures to restrict usage of groundwater due to prevailing drought and if possible stop Pepsico from drawing it at its plant at Puthussery in Palakkad by using the power vested in it under the State Disaster Management Act," Water Resources minister Mathew T Thomas told the Assembly today. Under these special circumstances, the company has to reduce the use of water and the government would take all possible steps in this regard, Thomas said. Meanwhile, Pepsico rejected allegation of "misuse" of ground water and said abstraction of water by the company has not affected borewell, open well and groundwater discharge structures in any village around the plant. Kerala Vyapari Vyavasai Ekopana Samiti President T Nasaruddin said traders would boycott the sale of Coca Cola and Pepsi as a mark of protest against alleged exploitation of groundwater by the soft drinks majors. "A final decision in this regard would be taken on March 14 after a meeting with the Chief Minister," Nasaruddin said adding "the decision was in tune with a similar resolve of traders in neighbouring Tamil Nadu". In a related development, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan welcomed the move of traders and said government would extend support to the initiative to check the threat to exploitation of water, pollution and lifestyle diseases. In a facebook post, Vijayan said traders of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu had already decided to stop the sale of Pepsi and Coca Cola and "it is seen from media reports that traders in Kerala are also planning to take up this. It is expected that all traders will become part of this", Vijayan said. Thomas was replying to a submission of CPI(M) veteran and Chairman of State Administrative Reforms Committee V S Achuthanandan, seeking steps to check the use of groundwater by the soft drink manufacturer. Pepsico India said the company has been granted permission by the Kerala High Court to draw upto 6 lakh litres of water per day. "We have been complying with the high court order, until the recent direction of Disaster Management Authority for reduction of water consumption up to 75 per cent," it said in a statement. "It is unfortunate that this direction has not considered the high court's order and accordingly PepsiCo has been compelled to reduce its water consumption drastically to only 1.5 lakh litres per day," the company said. "We have been abiding by the law of the land and hence it is disheartening to see the targeted misinformation campaign against us on the alleged misuse of water", Pepsico India Spokesperson Sandipan Ghatak said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 14-year-old girl, who was kidnapped from east Delhi last year and forced into prostitution, was rescued from Hisar in Haryana and six persons were arrested in the matter, police said today. The girl had gone to school on August 27 last year but did not return. An FIR was registered in this connection at New Ashok Nagar police station on the complaint of her father. Recently, the victim managed to contact her family members over phone who then approached police, they said. The girl was rescued on February 28 from Hisar in Haryana after getting the information that she was there. Six persons including two women were separately arrested last week in connection with the case, DCP (East) Omvir Singh said. She was provided counselling and her statement was recorded before a magistrate, he said. The girl was trafficked and sexually assaulted repeatedly in the last seven months. She was finally forced into prostitution, Singh said. The victim in her statement said she was kidnapped allegedly by Jyoti and her husband Pradeep. She was held captive at an unknown location in Noida in Uttar Pradesh and then they moved her to Kanpur. Jyoti and Pradeep later sold her to one Krishan in Hisar who allegedly assaulted and raped her many times. She was then sold to one Satvir. Satvir through Mukesh Thakur forced her into prostitution in Hisar. The duo also sexually assaulted her many times, the officer said. A probe into the case revealed that Kavita and Mamta would call customers at their residences in Hisar and force the girl to make sexual relationship with them, he added. "The six accused including Satvir Singh, Mukesh Thakur, Krishan Kumar, Kavita and Jyoti and Mamta have been arrested on charges including kidnapping, human trafficking and those of POCSO Act," the officer said. Other accused in the case including Pradeep is absconding, he said. Charges of abducting woman, human trafficking, selling minor for prostitution, gangrape, wrongful confinement and other relevant provisions of POCSO Act were added in the FIR registered in the matter last year, the DCP said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal has rejected the AAP government's decision to give Rs 1 crore compensation to the family of ex-serviceman Ram Kishen Grewal who had committed suicide over the OROP issue last year. Sources said that Baijal, on March 6, rejected the decision of the Delhi Cabinet which had also granted martyr status to Grewal. Last year, the army veteran had committed suicide in the capital demanding immediate implementation of One Rank One Pension (OROP). "The Lt Governor has turned down the proposal sent by the Delhi Cabinet for his approval, saying it is not in line with compensation policy to provide ex-gratia to servicemen," sources said. In his note to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Baijal said that as mentioned in the Cabinet decision, Grewal had consumed poison on November 1, 2016 during a protest for the implementation of OROP. "This specific case does not fall within the parameters of the scheme for grant of ex-gratia payment i.E death occurring in the discharge of official duty. "Therefore, while I fully sympathise with the family of Subedar (Retd) Late Ram Kishen Grewal, I'm not able to agree to the proposal for payment of ex-gratia relief in this case," Baijal said in the note. He said the position was also explained to the chief minister during his meeting with him earlier this month. This is the first proposal of the Delhi government shot down by Baijal after he cleared a slew of files that were stuck with the LG office during Najeeb Jung's tenure. The move may trigger a tussle between the AAP dispensation and the LG office. Sources said the proposal was also turned down as Grewal was neither associated with any service with the Government of NCT of Delhi, nor a resident of the capital. As per the existing scheme, ex-gratia payment is made in cases of defence, paramilitary forces, the Delhi Police, Home Guard, Civil Defence, Delhi Fire Service personnel dying in discharge of bonafide official duty. "They have to be either working with the GNCT of Delhi/ Delhi Police or have their permanent address recorded at the time of joining service as Delhi in case of defence/ paramilitary personnel. The situations that qualify for ex- gratia payment are well defined in the scheme," Baijal said. Reacting to the move, Kejriwal today attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Narendra Modi is anti-soldier. Modi ji himself doesn't not provide good food to soldiers and when we are trying to help the family of the deceased soldier, why is he stopping us?" he tweeted. In November, Kejriwal had announced a compensation of Rs one crore for Grewal's family. His suicide had sparked political slugfest as Kejriwal and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi had attacked the Centre for "not fulfilling OROP demand" of the ex-serviceman. Both leaders had also been detained by the Delhi Police when they tried to meet Grewal's family. Gandhi, Kejriwal and other political leaders had reached the army veteran's native village to attend his cremation. (REOPENS DES3) Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that it was a Cabinet decision which should have been respected. "It was a Cabinet decision and it should have been respected. We will take up it with the LG again," Sisodia told reporters. He alleged that "Modiji does not respect soldiers". When soldiers conduct surgical strikes, their posters are placed in Uttar Pradesh and when they die at borders, they are not given their due, he said. A possible threat to national security was averted with the killing of the alleged terrorist in Lucknow and arrest of six others, Home Minister Rajnath Singh told the Lok Sabha today. In a statement on Tuesday's blast on Bhopal-Ujjain train in Madhya Pradesh and the subsequent anti-terror operations in that state as well as in Uttar Pradesh, he said NIA will carry out further investigations into the matter. "Due to the prompt action taken by the police of both the states, a possible threat to national security was successfuly averted," Singh said. He said while the Uttar Pradesh police shot dead suspected terrorist Mohammad Saifullah yesterday, six suspects have been arrested by cops in Madhya Pradesh and UP on terror charges. Saifullah, suspected to be linked with Tuesday's train blast, was killed yesterday morning in an encounter that lasted for about 12 hours on the outskirts of Lucknow. The Home Minister showered praise on Saifullah's father Sartaj who has refused to take the body of his son. Sartaj has said that if his son "could not be loyal to the country, how can he be ours?" "The government is proud of him and I am sure Parliament too is," Singh said as members thumped the desks in appreciation. Giving details of various cases registered following the blast which injured 10 people, he said the Madhya Pradesh police arrested three suspects in Hoshangabad in the state. Subsequently, the UP cops acted in various parts of the state following information provided by the accused and nabbed three persons, he said. "The above sequence of events presents an excellent example of coordination amongst state police and central agencies," Singh added. The Home Minister informed the House that eight pistols, 630 live cartridges, Rs 1.5 lakh, three mobiles phone, four sim cards, two wireless sets and some foreign currency were recovered from the place where Saifullah lived. According to UP police, Saifullah belonged to a self-proclaimed group of ISIS supporters. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Labor Groups Highlight Harassment, Working Conditions Women Face On International Women's Day By aaroncynic in News on Mar 8, 2017 8:31PM Fast food workers and others got an early start to several events happening in Chicago to mark Wednesdays International Womens Day. Workers who are part of the Fight For 15 movement held a demonstration and press conference outside a Burger King in the Loop to highlight several disturbing charges of sexual harassment by employees at several of the fast food giants locations in Chicago. As you know theres sexual harassment happening in the fast food industry, and its happening right here in Chicagos restaurants, said Aiesha Meadows McLaurin, a fast food worker with Fight For 15. We experience physical and verbal abuse and intimidation at our jobs from the managers we work with everyday. McLaurin was one of six fast food workers who filed Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaints against two Burger King locations and one McDonalds location in Chicago. The complaints, copies of which were given to Chicagoist by organizers with Fight For 15, describe several incidents in which supervisors made inappropriate sexual advances, comments about their bodies, asked employees to leave their partners, touched them and in at least one case, asked for a worker to perform a sex act. I shouldnt have to feel violated at work, said McLaurin, who was among those who filed complaints. Im speaking out today because it has to stop. According to a memo by Hart Research Associates provided to Chicagoist, a nationwide survey conducted online published in October of 2016, of the 1,217 women over the age 16 who work in non-managerial positions at fast food restaurants, some 40 percent experienced unwanted sexual behaviors on the job, 28 percent of which experience multiple forms of harassment. Today thousands of women are taking action across the country to demand womens work of all form is honored, well compensated and to end sexual and gender violence women face that impacts their economic power, said Karla Altmayer of Healing To Action, a Chicago non-profit that works with survivors and others to combat sexual exploitation. Sexual assault and solicitation are criminal acts that should not be happening at the hands of an employer. Companies like Burger King have the responsibility to hire and train managers to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, and take corrective action to ensure a dignified workplace. The late morning demonstration was the first of several actions taking place in Chicago to mark the day. At 5:00 p.m., a group of child care providers, caregivers and housecleaners are planning a press conference to speak about their experiences in their work. As a survivor of sexual harassment, I would not want any of my peers to feel the way that I do, says Diane Grissett, a Latino Union member who worked to pass the Illinois Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, which was passed in August of 2016 to provide extra protections to domestic workers. It is hard to face it day after day. We need training on how to respond when things like this occur. Early in the morning, members of the Chicago chapter of Democratic Socialists of America flyered multiple L stops to support transit workers that are part of the Amalgamated Transit Union who have been fighting for better working conditions. We have members in unions throughout the city and one of our members is an organizer who said that ATU and CTA workers are going through various rough contract negotiations. They have porta pottys they use at night that are out in the middle of nowhere with no lights, completely unsanitary and unsafe, said John Kaderbeck, who was passing out flyers at the Halsted Orange Line stop. Transit workers held a demonstration in early February regarding the bathroom conditions at CTA headquarters. In a statement given to CBS, the CTA said permanent facilities were a logistical and financial challenge, but it was working to address the issue. CTA always focuses on the comfort and safety of its bus and rail operators, and we share the unions desire to improve these facilities. In fact, some older, smaller portable units are already being replaced, and CTA is exploring other possible improvements. The flyers allege that the CTA is pushing for what would amount to an 18 percent cost on health insurance premiums, an elimination of two holidays per year, and an increase in part time employees with no paid leave. We think its important to help out with actions across the city, said Kaderbeck. A significant number of ATU workers are women of color, so it seems an appropriate day for a labor action in conjunction with others. Two other demonstrations will take place Wednesday evening. At 6:00 p.m., the Chicago Socialist Party will hold a rally at the Thompson Center, and at 7:00 p.m., a host of community and labor organizations will rally at the headquarters of the Chicago Teachers Union. The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly today plunged into pandemonium after ruling BJP joined the Shiv Sena and Opposition in their demand of loan waiver to farmers, forcing adjournment of the Lower House for the second day without transacting any business. The House today witnessed three adjournments before being adjourned for the day. Leader of Opposition, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil raised the loan waiver issue soon after the House assembled this morning. Subsequently, protesting Shiv Sena and BJP legislators trooped into the Well of the House along with Opposition Congress and NCP to press for the loan waiver. Amid uproar, as Speaker Haribhau Bagde called for laying of papers and calling attention notices, Vikhe Patil said it was not right to rush through the day's business when the entire House was firm on the demand for loan waiver. Shiv Sena members raised slogans like "Shiv Sene cha ishara...Saat baara kora zalach pahije" (land records should be free of debt) while BJP legislators shouted "Jai Bhawani", "Jai Shivaji" and said farmers should be made debt-free. While Opposition Congress and NCP continued shouting slogans "Karz mafi zaalich pahije" (farm loan waiver is a must) resulting in three adjournments. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was not present in the Assembly. When the House re-assembled after the third adjournment, Yogesh Sagar (of the BJP) was in the Chair. He urged Congress and BJP members who had climbed the Speaker's podium to go back to their seats. "The ruling party, Shiv Sena and Opposition legislators are unanimous in their demand for loan waiver. It is up to the group leaders to deliberate on how it should be done. Loan waiver decision cannot be taken in the House. I appeal to all members to go back to their seats and allow the House to function," he said. However, when the din refused to die down, the House was finally adjourned for the day. (REOEPENS BES 1) Meanwhile, speaking to reporters outside the Assembly after it was adjourned for the day, senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar said that the Opposition will not allow the House to function till a decision is taken on the loan waiver issue. "The fact is that the BJP-led state government does not want to provide any loan waiver to farmers. They are politicising the issue. We want the government to announce a loan waiver in this Budget itself," he said. "If all the parties agree on it, then Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis should make an announcement. If the Prime Minister can promise a loan waiver in Uttar Pradesh, why can't the same be done in Maharashtra," Pawar asked. On allegations that the Opposition's demand for farmers is backed by co-operative banks, he said, "They (BJP) should first understand that loan waiver in any sector ultimately benefits the people and not always the banks. We have seen it in the industry sector as well, where loan waiver benefits the industries." Earlier, before the session began, Opposition members staged an agitation on the steps of the Assembly today, shouting slogans demanding loan waiver for farmers. They also condemned the state government this morning for failing to take any concrete action against independent MLC Prashant Paricharak for his derogatory remarks against families of soldiers. Maharashtra government is planning to set up industrial facilities exclusively for defence equipment production in the state. The government has identified land for setting up two such facilities, one at Jejuri near Pune and another in Ahmednagar district, a source in the state Industries department told PTI. Some of the companies interested in entering the area have demanded land for testing explosives and other defence related equipment, in places like hilly terrain and sites away from human habitat. That is why the government intends to set up complexes exclusively for defence equipment production, he said. Some leading Maharashtra-based private companies have shown interest in venturing into defence equipment production. The state government had last week said that it would set up a fund of Rs 1,000 crore for helping manufacturers in the defence sector. The government had also said that it expects an investment of USD 5 billion in this area in the state. The state's draft defence and aerospace policy is expected to be approved soon by the Centre, the source said. Maharashtra government has studied the policies of the Centre and states like Telangana before finalising its own. The state government wants that its policy is in sync with that of the Centre, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) On a day the BJP helped Shiv Sena install its Mayor in the BMC, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said the BJP government in Maharashtra was still on "notice period". "Yes... This (the BJP-led NDA) government is still on the notice period. Unless our chief (Thackeray) clarifies, the government will continue to be on notice," Sena spokesperson Neelam Gorhe said. She was speaking to reporters on the campus of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation in South Mumbai after the mayoral election. Interestingly, Gorhe's remarks came days after Sena minister Ramdas Kadam said the party ministers had put away the resignation letters they were carrying in their pockets. Sena's Vishwanath Mahadeshwar was today elected as the Mayor of the country's richest civic body, with the BJP corporators voting in his favour. He bagged 171 votes against the 31 won by his Congress rival Vitthal Lokare. The decks for his election were cleared recently after the BJP, locked in a battle with the Sena to reach the magic figure of 114 votes to rule the 227-member BMC, decided to hand a virtual walkover to the warring ally. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had announced the BJP would neither field its nominee in the Mayoral poll, nor would it demand chairmanship of Standing Committee or Improvements Committee in the civic body, paving the way for Sena to install its nominee as the Mayor. In the run-up to the bitterly-fought civic polls, including Mumbai, Thackeray had last month said the Fadnavis government was on a notice period, fuelling speculations about its stability as the Sena is an important alliance partner in the dispensation. Sena, the junior partner of the BJP in the central and state governments, had contested the recent elections after breaking its alliance with the BJP, its ally in the BMC. However, the Thackeray-led party continues to be the part of government. In the hung verdict in the BMC, the Sena bagged 84 seats and the BJP 82. Meanwhile, Gorhe, also an MLC, said a number of issues related to farmers are being looked into. "There are farmers who are under stress and committing suicide. We are discussing the matter in the House on how a loan waiver can be given to farmers and how to give them justice," she said. She said Sena was hopeful the state government would work with the "right spirit" to meet the party's demands concerning farmers. Responding to a query on how she views the BJP backing the Sena nominee in the Mayoral poll against the backdrop of vitriolic exchange between the allies ahead of last month's polls, Gorhe said, "They (BJP) did what they thought was right. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla today expressed her happiness over the high voter turn out in both the phases of the state assembly election. Heptulla, the first woman Governor of the state said that "as a woman, she is happy that the women in the state are empowered and are conscious of their responsibilities." She said "it is very commendable that people of the state turned out in large numbers to cast their votes." 86 per voter turnout has been recorded for the 11th state assembly elections, which is the highest in the history of the state elections, said Manipur Chief Electoral Officer VK Dewangan . (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As part of a brand transformation, McDonald's India is launching a series of concept restaurants with enhanced digital capabilities to improve customer experience, and expects to open 5-10 outlets in the city in the next 18 months. Called 'Experience of the Future' (EOTF), the McDonald's outlet in Mumbai features self-ordering kiosks, table service, and has also introduced several healthy options on the menu. "This is the next phase of brand transformation for McDonald's in India. We are launching our EOTF outlets in Mumbai first, and will take this to other cities over the next 2-3 years. In the next 1.5 years we could open about 5-10 outlets in Mumbai," Amit Jatia, vice-chairman, Westlife Development said here. Westlife Development is the franchise owner of McDonald's in south and west India. It intends to have 20 per cent of its restaurants as EOTF in the next 3 years, he said. "With EOTF we want to also provide customers with brand new menu choices," he added. McDonald's has been moving towards a healthier menu over the past few years offering lower sodium in fries and nuggets, lower calorie sauces, and preservative-free patties. The restaurant is now launching soups and salads as well. "We are launching farm fresh salads and transitioning existing wraps to wholegrain wraps. The launch follows consumer demand for more variety," said Jatia. The company has enhanced its efforts in the area of sustainability by installing smart handwash systems, that will help save about 4 lakh litres of water a year. It has also used power-saving LED lighting, and is using reusable cups and bio-degradable cutlery in these stores. The QSR restaurant has about 252 McDonald's outlets as of December 2016. It also operates McCafes to enables WDL to broaden its addressable market beyond the quick service restaurants (QSR) industry and grow baseline sales. McDonald's has also refreshed its delivery application, and says about 50 per cent of sales comes from online ordering, through its app and website. A 20-year-old man was arrested today for allegedly hitting a 50-year-old man with his Mercedes car in south Delhi. The vehicle, alleged to be involved in the accident, was seized and the accused driver arrested, said a senior police officer. According to police, the accident happened yesterday around 5 PM near Moti Bagh chowk when the driver, who works with a Mercedes car showroom owner in Noida, was taking the vehicle from the company's godown in Bijwasan to Noida. After handing over the vehicle to the owner, the driver had gone to his village Shanda as he was scared, said the officer. The police managed to locate the showroom in Noida and during the probe, the showroom owner said that his driver was allegedly driving the vehicle. The accused driver was arrested from his home today. Yesterday, around 5 PM, 50-year-old Dasrath Yadav was hit by a Mercedes car near Moti Bagh chowk, and had to hospitalisd. The accused driver had been working with the dealer for a year. His work is to ferry the new cars from the godown to the showroom. Police has also seized the car from the Noida showroom where it was kept on display. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani along with OBC leader Alpesh Thakor, who had planned protests during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's event here, were detained from different locations today. Apart from Mevani and Thakor, around 50 Congress workers, who had planned a march to Mahatma Mandir to register their protest against Modi, were held from Gandhinagar this afternoon. Mevani was detained as soon as he landed at city airport from New Delhi, said Inspector H B Zala. "Since he had threatened to disrupt PM's event, we detained Mevani upon his arrival at the airport from Delhi. He was released after the programme in Gandhinagar ended in the evening," said Zala. Mevani had earlier announced of taking out a march to Mahatma Mandir with agitating Anganwadi workers, who were demanding significant pay hike since some time. President of OBC-SC-ST (OSS) Ekta Manch Alpesh Thakor was detained from outside district collector's office by police to thwart his attempt to disrupt the event. Since some time, Thakor has been agitating against state government on the issue of unemployment, lack of proper liquor prohibition and wage issues concerning Anganwadi workers. "Thakor along with 800 of his supporters, including women, was detained from outside collector's office, as he was planning a march towards Gandhinagar to disrupt the event. All of them were released in the evening," said Inspector of Ranip area, V B Patel. In Gandhinagar, around 50 Congress workers, including women, of local district unit were detained before they could hold a protest march till Mahatma Mandir, said a Gandhinagar police control room official. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The ministerial panel on labour issues headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will take some more time to finalise drafts of the New Industrial Relations Code and the Wages Code. The panel deliberated on the suggestions for the two codes in a meeting held today which was also attended by Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and Power Minister Piyush Goyal. After the meeting, Goyal said that the panel has just discussed the two codes and has not finalised the final drafts for the Cabinet approval and passage in Parliament subsequently. Dattatreya said that the panel discussed the entire wage code while a part of industrial relations code was also deliberated upon. Asked whether there would be more discussions on the two codes, the Labour Minister said that there could be another meeting on the two bills later this month. Earlier, the minister had indicated that the two bills would be pushed for passage in Parliament during the second leg of the Budget Session beginning tomorrow. The two bills are significant as they form part of the efforts of the government to improve ease of doing business. Labour Ministry has planned to concise about 44 labour laws into four codes--industrial relations, social security and safety, health & working conditions. Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Minister of State for the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh did not attend the meeting. Trade unions have been opposing certain amendments brought in these codes and have already submitted their dissent note on those. Among other things, the New Industrial Relations Code, proposes to raise ceiling for number of workers from 100 to 300 for units which can go for closure, retrenchment or lay off without government approval. At present, all units with up to 100 workers are not required to seek government nod for closure, retrenchment or lay off. The government has completed tripartite discussions on the these two codes to seek stakeholders' including industry, unions and states, view on the two draft legislations. The proposed code on wages would subsume Minimum Wages Act of 1948, the Payment of Wages Act of 1936, the Payment of Bonus Act of 1965 and the Equal Remuneration Act of 1976. Similarly, Code on Industrial Relations would subsume Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, the Trade Unions Act, 1926, and the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi today suggested a facelift for the famous Somnath temple and called for active participation of the trust managing it to spread awareness about cashless transactions in nearby towns. These suggestions were made by Modi at the 116th meeting of trustees of the Shree Somnath Trust (SST), which manages the ancient temple located in Gir-Somnath district, around 400km from here. The Prime Minister, who is one of the trustees, attended the meet on the second day of his Gujarat visit. During the meeting, it was also decided that former Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel would continue as the trust Chairman for 2017, said a PIB release here. Besides Modi, other trustees - L K Advani, Amit Shah, Keshubhai Patel, P K Lahiri, J D Parmar and Harsh Neotia - were also present. Modi suggested that the entire campus of the temple be upgraded with water, greenery and various other facilities, said the release. The PM recommended that the trust actively participate in the efforts to make Veraval and Prabhas Patan towns, located near the temple, cashless. The trust should organise special festivals in all major cities. Talking to reporters later, Lahiri, the trustee- secretary, said Modi spent about 20 minutes more than the scheduled time for the meeting and discussed various issues related to development of the pilgrimage town. "Under the Centre's PRASAD scheme, we intend to build a facilitation centre for tourists who come here from across the country. The Centre has also given its nod for three projects of solid waste management," he said. PRASAD is a 'National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive' launched by the central government. At the meet, all the trustees agreed to reappoint Keshubhai as the Chairman for 2017, he said. "A proposal for this was put forward by the PM and supported by Advaniji." A discussion was also held on setting up a high-tech museum and constructing a walk way along the sea shore near the temple. "We discussed a project to build a walk way along the sea shore near the temple to enable people to have a peaceful stroll. The Centre would take a call on the project after it gets environmental clearance," Lahiri said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Moldova has accused Russia's intelligence service of intimidating politicians and other officials, amid an investigation in the former Soviet republic into alleged money laundering by Russian officials. Moldova's Parliament said today that Russia intelligence agents had "abusively stopped.... Interrogated, and treated in a humiliating manner" 25 Moldovan lawmakers, intelligence officials, and pro-European politicians in recent months and also sought to put Moldovan officials under "international monitoring" based on inaccurate information. A statement said the alleged harassment coincided with an ongoing probe into a USD 22-billion money laundering case involving money sent from Russia to the private Moldinconbank. The statement said Russia had not cooperated with the probe. Parliament speaker Andrian Candu and Premier Pavel Filip met Russia's Ambassador to Moldova, Farit Muhametsin today to make an official complaint. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Photos: Protesters Rally For International Women's Day, Face Down Counter-Protester By aaroncynic in News on Mar 9, 2017 5:27PM Protesters rallied in the Loop Wednesday evening to celebrate International Women's Day with a rally in honor of working women and to call for better healthcare, childcare, eldercare and housing options. The protesters, carrying signs that read "On Strike For Her" and "If Vaginas Shot Bullets, They Would Need No Regulation, Right?" while they rallied outside the Thompson Center. They also faced down one lone counter-protester who dressed up in a helmet and a T-shirt with a derogatory, misogynist word written on it, and carried a sign mocking people with vaginas. Should also note his knuckles are taped. Has a helmet and his chest is bulky like he's wearing something under #InternationalWomensDay pic.twitter.com/RQrEZ332Pt Tyler LaRiviere (@TylerLaRiviere) March 9, 2017 "This is a crowd I'm proud to have my daughter in," Zerlina Smith, a member of the group Action Now, told the crowd. "This is a day for women of not just being mothers for life, women are the backbone of the city, this country, this world." Earlier Wednesday morning labor groups staged several smaller actions highlighting working conditions and sexual harassment women face in the workplace. Hundreds meanwhile, packed the Chicago Teachers Union hall later that evening for another rally which featured a wide variety of speakers representing a large cross section of labor and community groups, along with slam poetry and musical performances. "This is a very important day in the community with activists we love, admire and respect," Liz Radford, one of the organizer's of the January Women's March on Chicago which drew more than a quarter million people told the crowd. "The women's marches evolved quickly from a very fraught point in history where women's rights and health are more threatened, democracy is in jeopardy, and safety, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech are more and more compromised." Speakers not only highlighted the struggles women face, particularly under the current administration and GOP Congressional majority which is seeking to roll back hard won civil rights, but also the struggles that trans and non-binary people face. "I'm a socialist, a queer gender non conforming woman and the proud sister to a brave trans man and I'm afraid. I'm afraid because Donald Trump does things like rescind Obama's executive order which had given trans students like my brother the right to use the bathroom of the gender they choose," said Charlotte Heltai of the International Socialist Organization. "More than being afraid I'm angry, I'm angry at Trump and the people who support him because they do everything they can to encourage the ugly forces of bigotry which already exist in our society." At the CTU Rally. Photo by Aaron Cynic/Chicagoist "We're here tonight because earlier this week conservative politicians introduced a bill in the House that would repeal the Affordable Care Act and defund Planned Parenthood," Katie Thiede, a representative of the organization, told the crowd. "Planned Parenthood is not a line item in the federal budget. We do not receive a publisher's clearing house check from the government. These funds are reimbursements for care, care that our patients cannot get anywhere else." Our photographer was at the Thompson Center to capture some of the best and worst of the rally in photos, above. The top US military commander for the Middle East said today that America would need more troops on the ground in Afghanistan to stave off a resurgent Taliban. General Joseph Votel, who heads US Central Command (Centcom), told the Senate Armed Forces Committee he was currently working on a new strategy to break the war out of a stalemate. "I do believe it will involve additional forces to ensure that we can make the advise-and-assist mission more effective," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a bid to boost affordable housing, the Indian Mortgage Guarantee Corporation (IMGC) has launched a mortgage guarantee-linked home loan product. "In our attempt to give a leg-up to affordable housing under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), we have launched a mortgage guarantee-linked home loan product for low and moderate income households," IMGC chief executive Amitabh Mehra told PTI here. "The product is aimed at both formal and informal sectors, including self-employed," he said. Set up two tears ago, IMGC is a joint venture between National Housing Bank (NHB), Asian Development Bank (ADB), International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the US-based Genworth Financial. It is registered with RBI under the mortgage guarantee norms. Its total portfolio of Rs 2,000 crore. "The product has been formulated and offered by the IMGC for housing finance companies and banks under the PMAY scheme," Mehra said. The mortgage guarantee will add value in terms of default guarantee to lenders and offer higher loan amount to borrowers at longer tenor, including loans beyond retirement extending up to 75 years. For the lenders, the mortgage guarantee can be used to cover potential defaults, thus help expand the reach of the scheme, he said. Under the mission of housing for all by 2020, the government offers a subsidy to encourage lending to lower segment of the population. "With the renewed thrust on affordable housing and supportive policy environment, we will be playing an important role in the affordable housing segment," said R V Verma, the former chairman of NHB who recently joined the board of IMGC. "With the number of housing finance companies registered with NHB going up to 82, IMGC expects to reach out to the larger market through all these players," he said. Already lenders such as ICICI Bank, Bank of Baroda, Dewan Housing, Aditya Birla Housing Finance and Axis Bank have entered into a collaboration with IMGC, Verma said. The institution is also in advance talks with HDFC and other major players for similar partnerships, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The perpetrators of Bhopal-Ujjain train bomb explosion were influenced by ISIS ideology and the incident was a "trial blast" as the terrorists planned to carry out more attacks, the Madhya Pradesh government said today. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told the Legislative Assembly that those who carried out the blast arrived from Lucknow and planted the bomb in the passenger train as part of a "pre-planned conspiracy". At least 10 people were injured, three of them seriously, in the IED blast in the train near Jabdi station in Shajapur district of Madhya Pradesh yesterday. He later told reporters that the suspects arrived at Bhopal station by Pushpak Express at 7.30 AM yesterday and planted pipe bomb in the passenger train, which they exploded at 9.41 AM with the help of a timer before escaping. After triggering the blast, they uploaded the site's pictures for their handlers through social media, the CM said. "The explosives that they used and the uploading of photos showed that they were influenced by the ISIS. They wanted to go to Lucknow via Piparia and Allahabad," he said. The Government Railway Police (GRP) in Ujjain has registered a case in connection with the blast based on the report of the train guard, he said. "The terrorists were influenced by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror ideology and carried out the blast. It was a pre-planned conspiracy," Chouhan told the House during the ongoing Budget Session. Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Bhupendra Singh said the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion in the passenger train was a "trial blast". "Yesterday's explosion carried out through IED was a trial blast. The police, however, smashed this terror network within five hours after the blast in train," Singh told media persons in the state Assembly premises today. The terrorists had plans to orchestrate the explosions at some other places also, he said. Chouhan had told reporters in Barwah town in Khargone district late last night that police had detained three terrorists who planted bomb in Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train. "It was revealed during initial interrogation from the arrested terrorists that they were connected to ISIS. "The blast site smelt of deadly explosives. I would like to congratulate the ATS and police who immediately acted. Madhya Pradesh is a peaceful state and nobody would be allowed to create disturbance here," Chouhan said. He said the MP police and Central agencies had "unmasked" the people behind the train blast in just five hours. "The three suspects detained for the blast in the state are being grilled thoroughly so as to reach to more of their accomplices," the CM told the Assembly. Referring to the jail break by SIMI activists and the subsequent encounter in which eight men of the banned outfit were killed last year, Chouhan said, "Attempts have been made to disturb peace but it has been nipped in the bud by the alert state police. An act of terror won't be allowed to thrive in the state." In an official statement released late last night, the UP Police had said three persons were arrested by the Madhya Pradesh Police in Piparia town in Hoshangabad. Two of the arrested persons are from Kanpur, while one is from Aligarh. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The issue of an Indian fisherman being allegedly shot dead by the Sri Lankan Navy was raised in the Lok Sabha today with members demanding swift action by the Indian government. Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, AIADMK member P Venugopal said although there has been a consenus between the two countries that the fishermen will not be shot at, the incidents of Indian fishermen being attacked by the Sri Lankan navy are rising. V Elumalai, another AIADMK MP, highlighted the same issue saying the youth was killed in a "cold-blooded and barbaric" manner. He said in the past week, over 50 Indian fishermen have been arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy. A 22-year-old Indian fisherman was shot dead on March 6 allegedly by Sri Lankan navy personnel while he was fishing in a mechanised boat at a short distance off Katchatheevu islet. The incident had triggered protests by local fishermen, with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami seeking the Centre's intervention. The Sri Lankan government, in its initial probe report, has ruled out its navy's involvement in the killing of the Indian fisherman. Shashi Tharoor, Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, said the fishermen from his state have also been arrested by Pakistan over the last ten 10 days. He pointed out that fishermen have also been apprehended by the foreign security forces while fishing near British Diego Garcia. "With the amount of catch declining near the shores, the fishermen have to go further deep inside the high seas which leads to such arrests. The Centre should help in skilling these fishermen so that they can explore other opportunities, and also modernise their fishing equipment," Tharoor added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu today accused Congress leader Digvijay Singh of "justifying" terrorism for his remarks that "injustice" to Indian Muslims makes terror outfits attractive to them. "Congress leader @digvijaya_28 statement that injustice to Muslims is making ISIS attractive is nothing but justifying IS activities in India," information and broadcasting minister Naidu said in a tweet. Yesterday, Singh said that "continuous injustice done to Muslims and prosecution of innocent Muslims will lead to a situation where Pakistan and Pakistan's wish to create unrest in India will become attractive to the Muslims of India". The comments come in the background of a blast on the Bhopal-Ujjain express which is suspected to be the first strike by the Islamic State terror group in India. Documents recovered from the body of terror suspect Saifullah, who was neutralised after an 11-hour-long counter-terror operation in Lucknow, hints at an ISIS link. Meanwhile, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi trained guns at both the BJP and the Congress. "Maybe he (Singh) is a terrorist expert, I am not. But as far as I am concerned, I know for a fact that when Congress was ruling Maharashtra for 15 years, there were 28 undertrial Muslims in jails. "I can give numerous examples when Congress was in power. I cannot comment on what Congress leaders are saying, but I would say that they should stop running this shop of secularism and BJP should stop running their shop of nationalism," Owaisi said. (REOPENS DES 18) Hitting out at Digvijay for his remarks, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said he was speaking a language of the separatists. "...If a Congress leader (Digvijay) is saying something, then he is perturbed because of the opposite results in civic polls or any other polls. The situation is now that they are speaking the language of separatists," he said. Jitendra said the Congress should make its stand clear on issue. "What some of the Congress leaders are saying, is that really Congress policy? If yes, then the people have to decide whether the party which calls itself a national party, is worth trust to vote it to power in future," he said. BJP corporator from here Ranjana Bhanasi today filed her nomination for the Mayoral poll to be held on March 14. BJP's Prathamesh Gite, who was elected in the recently-held Nashik Municipal Corporation polls, filed his papers for the post of Deputy Mayor, an official release said. In the polls, BJP emerged victorious bagging 66 seats of the total 122. Shiv Sena won 35 seats, while NCP and Congress bagged six seats each. MNS, which was in power in Nashik civic body, managed to get only 5 seats. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) NATO and the United States warned today they could scale back cooperation with Kosovo's security services if the government goes ahead with plans to transform its lightly-armed security force into an army without the required constitutional changes. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he told Kosovo's leaders by telephone "that unilateral steps such as these are unhelpful." He warned that if Kosovo goes ahead as planned "NATO will have to review its level of commitment, particularly in terms of capacity-building." A U.S. Embassy statement said "adoption of the current proposed law would force us to re-evaluate our bilateral cooperation with and longstanding assistance to Kosovo's security forces." The move must be carried out through an "inclusive and representative political process," the statement added. Kosovo President Hashim Thaci on Tuesday sent a draft law to parliament asking approval to form a regular army. The move was immediately denounced by Serbian leaders, who refuse to recognize Kosovo's independence and said they will use all political means available to prevent the formation of an army. Constitutional amendments would require the voting approval from the ethnic minorities at Kosovo's parliament. Serbia in effect holds a key say through Kosovo Serbs on whether the required constitutional changes can happen. Both the U.S. And NATO are key Kosovo allies and have been helping to build up Kosovo's security force. Relations between Kosovo and Serbia have been tense recently and the move is likely to make things worse. Kosovo declared independence in 2008. The move has been recognized by 114 countries but not Belgrade. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Admiral Sunil Lanba todayvisited Kochi for the debrief of the recently concluded annual Theatre Level Readiness and Operational Exercise (TROPEX). Commanders-in-Chief of all the three naval Commands, along with a number of senior operational commanders attended and participated in the discussions held at the Naval Base, Navy said. In addition, the naval brass discussed the future roadmap of operations for the Navy, to include refining existing concepts, catering for improved maritime capabilities of new acquisitions, it said. The Annual Integrated Theatre Level Operational Readiness Exercise - in short TROPEX - the largest maritime exercise of the Indian Navy was conducted in the month of February in the Arabian Sea and North Indian Ocean. The exercise comprised several phases, including Work up, Weapon firing and a Tactical Phase simulating a war scenario. A large scale contingency exercise was also undertaken during the exercise in which real time mass casualty evacuation was carried out. TROPEX 2017 included several new aspects, with the participation of potent platforms such as aircraft carrier Vikramaditya, Mig 29K, P8-I Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft, nuclear submarine Chakra and various new platforms, including indigenous Kolkata class stealth destroyers and anti-submarine warfare frigate Kamorta along with 50 ships, submarines and more than 70 aircraft and assets of IAF and ICG. All participating units conducted their operations in a networked environment, facilitated by robust and seamless communications, mainly through satellite under the Indian Navy's overall thrust on Network Centric Operations, aligned with the Prime Minister's vision of 'Digital India'. Overall, the exercise validated the Navy's readiness and capability to meet various mandated roles, in support of national objectives. The Admiral, who also interacted with the officers of SNC during the visit, would be departing Kochi tomorrow. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The NIA will probe suspected terror cases, including the in which an alleged terrorist linked to a train blast was killed, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said today. While the Uttar Pradesh police shot dead suspected terrorist Mohammad Saifullah yesterday, six suspects have been arrested by cops in Madhya Pradesh and UP on terror charges, Singh said in a statement in the Lok Sabha. Members thumped desks when the Minister lauded Saifullah's father Mohammad Sartaj for his refusal to accept his son's body saying "if he could not be loyal to the country, how can he be ours". "The government is proud of him and I am sure Parliament too is," he said. Saifullah was suspected to be linked with the blast in the Bhopal-Ujjain train in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. Giving details of various cases registered in the two states following the blast which injured 10 persons, he said the state police arrested three suspects in Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh, following which the UP cops acted in various parts of the state following information provided by the accused and nabbed three persons. "The above sequence of events presents an excellent example of coordination amongst state police and central agencies. Due to the prompt action taken by the police of both the state, a possible threat to security was successfuly averted. "Further investigations will be handed over to the NIA," he said. The Home Minister also informed the House that eight pistols, 630 live cartridges, Rs 1.5 lakh, three mobiles phone, four sim cards, two wireless sets and some foreign currency were recovered from the place where Saifullah lived. Nine SSB jawans and few civilians were today injured in a cross-border stone pelting incident along the Indo-Nepal border in Uttar Pradesh and authorities said the situation was still "tense". Paramilitary and local police personnel fired a teargas shell to disperse the mob which had gathered around the no man's land in Basahi village in Sampurnanagar area here following a dispute over some construction work. "Nepalese citizens pelted stones after SSB jawans deployed at the location objected to permanent construction work on a disputed land near pillar No 200," SSB Commandant Dilbag Singh said. He added that the injuries were not serious. Meawhile, senior Sashastra Seema Bal officials at the forces' headquarters in Delhi said the issue pertains to a joint survey being undertaken by the two sides to erect the "missing" pillar no 200 at the IB here. They denied media reports that there was firing by the force personnel. "A meeting was held last month to conduct the joint survey. When some activity related to permanent construction was spotted by the SSB and objected to, stones were pelted and protests were held," they said. They added "nine SSB jawans have been injured" in the incident. The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu also issued a statement in this regard. "It is categorically denied that there was any incident of firing by SSB near the border at Aananda Bazar, Kanchanpur. There is a need to maintain calm and let the survey officials of both sides discuss the location of border pillars before any construction work is undertaken. "District officials have been directed to cooperate to defuse the situation," the Embassy tweeted. District Magistrate Akashdeep and police officials rushed to the spot to take up the matter with the Nepalese authorities. The dispute first arose on February 18 when some Nepalese citizens started constructing a culvert in the area near the missing pillar no 200. Pallia SDM Shadab Aslam had then visited the spot and discussed the matter with Nepalese authorities. It was agreed then that no permanent construction would be carried out till the survey officers of both the countries decided the boundary. However, construction work was started yesterday by the other side and when it came to their notice, SSB jawans objected to it following which the group of Nepalese citizens indulged in stone pelting injuring the jawans. SSB, which works under the command of the Union Home Ministry, is tasked to guard the 1,751 km long Indo-Nepal border. Uttar Pradesh shares a 599.3 km long open border with Nepal touching seven districts- Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Kheri, Bahraich, Sravasti, Balrampur, Sidhharthnagar and Maharajganj. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) People visit an exhibition which selects 100 cultural relics from the British Museum at the National Museum of China in Beijing, capital of China, March 1, 2017. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai) The British Museum's highly-acclaimed exhibition, A History of the World in 100 Objects, has attracted numerous visitors since it opened at the National Museum of China in Beijing on March 1, 2017. The exhibition narrates the development and diversities of global history through a selection of artifacts, artworks and other objects from the British Museum's encyclopedia collection. It originally evolved from a broadcasting series which the London museum started in partnership with the BBC in 2010. The series included a 15-minute program introducing each one of 100 objects from the museum's collection that revealed the communication methods of various human cultures over the course of two million years. Among the 100 sets of objects, there are stone tools dating back 20,000 to two million years ago, artifacts of ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome, cultural relics of Europe, the East and the Americas during the Middle Ages, and exhibits showing the cultures of different continents since modern times. Chinese objects on display include a civil official figure discovered in a Tang Dynasty tomb dated from about AD 730 in Henan province and a ceramic amphora produced between AD 600 and 700. The exhibition is not intended to show the differences between cultures but what they have in common. The exhibition will run until May 31. Government think-tank NITI Aayog's 15-year vision document has proposed key reforms to enable and encourage women's workforce participation across sectors in India. This is in line with the sustainable development goals, particularly gender equality, whose adoption into policy-making is being steered by NITI Aayog, an official statement said. On the occasion of International Women's Day 2017, NITI Aayog, in partnership with the UN in India and MyGov, presented the second edition of Women Transforming India, an online contest to celebrate women achievers, leaders and change makers from across the country, it added. This year, NITI Aayog has once again aimed to recognise those women in India's workforce who are 'breaking the glass ceiling' and affecting positive change in their communities to further the Government of India's mission of inclusive economic growth, the statement said. The Aayog is seeking entries in two categories: short video and photo contest on women breaking gender stereotypes, and written entries of women in the workforce. NITI Aayog has been entrusted with the work on the 15-year vision document and a seven-year strategy which would guide the government's development works till 2030. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi High Court today said no contempt proceedings were made out against CBI officials, including the investigating officer, in a graft case against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's principal secretary Rajendra Kumar and others. A bench of justices Gita Mittal and Anu Malhotra passed the order while declining a special CBI judge's reference sent to the high court for initiation of contempt proceedings against the investigating officer, DSP Jayant Kashmiri and others. The special CBI judge had sent the reference in the wake of CBI's March 11, 2016 reply filed in response to an application by Endeavour Systems Pvt Ltd, which was alleged to have received contracts at the behest of Kumar, who had purportedly favoured it by abusing his official position. CBI, in its reply, had quoted a portion of a high court ruling and the special judge was of the view that the inclusion was made to "scandalise" the authority of the trial court. Disagreeing with the CBI judge, the high court has said, "The reference was misconceived and untenable. No proceedings under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 against the officials of the CBI as recommended by the reference order dated April 5, 2016 are warranted." The high court said in the case in hand, CBI has not criticised any order of the trial judge. "The reproduction of an extract of a judgment of the higher court, even if irrelevant, would not per se be treated as contumacious (stubbornly or wilfully disobedient to authority)," the bench said. It was of the view that the case "highlights the strong need to undertake judicial education on the procedural aspects as well as nuances of Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 as well as the fine and clear distinction between libelous and contumacious conduct". "We are of the view that this aspect deserves to be brought to the notice of the Delhi Judicial Academy for initiating an intensive programme in this area of law," the court said. On December 15, 2015, the CBI had raided the office of Rajendra Kumar, close to the Chief Minister's office here, in connection with the case. According to the CBI, Rajender Kumar had played "an active role in the process of promising and facilitating award of tender to a pre-determined party i.E., M/s Endeavour Systems Pvt Ltd due to extraneous considerations and devoid of public interest which shows clear element of abuse of official position and criminal conspiracy among the accused persons including the Directors of the present applicant company." CBI had registered a case against Kumar and others on the allegations against the officer that he had abused his official position by favouring the firm in the last few years in getting tenders from Delhi government departments. Kumar has been booked under section 120-B of IPC (criminal conspiracy), and the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act for allegedly favouring the company in five contracts worth Rs 9.5 crore during 2007-14. Free WiFi and mohalla sabhas, key Assembly poll promises of Aam Aadmi Party, have not received much attention in the Delhi Budget presented today. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the government was working on three-four models of free WiFi and would soon take a decision. "As of now, government have three-four models of proposed free Wi-Fi. One of models advocates laying fibre optic cables while another one favours installation of hotspots. "The government has to choose one of these models. We don't want to make any mistake as it is not a easy task to provide free WiFi across the city," Kejriwal told reporters here. In June last year, the Delhi government had announced that over 500 locations across East Delhi would be made high-speed wifi zones by December 2016, allowing access to free internet till a pre-determined limit daily. Providing free wifi across the national capital was one of the key poll promises of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party. Last year, the AAP government had allocated Rs 350 crore for mohalla sabhas, aimed at enabling locals to have a say on what civic projects are undertaken in their area. "The file was pending with LG office (during the tenure of former LG Najeeb Jung) for around six months due to which the government could not spend allotted funds on mohalla sabhas. With new LG assuming office, we hope that mohalla sabha file will be cleared soon," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said. Mohalla Sabha was also one of pre poll promises during Delhi Assembly elections in 2014. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) No concrete measures were taken to beef up security in frontline military bases and the scenario is as "vulnerable" as has been "exposed" during the Uri and Pathankot terror attacks, a parliamentary panel said today. Slamming the Defence Ministry, it said though a Committee had submitted its report 6-7 months ago on the security aspect, no concrete measures have been taken to address the lacunae. "The security scenario is vulnerable as has been exposed during Pathankot and Uri attacks," the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence said in its latest report, which was tabled in the Lok Sabha. After last year's Pathankot terror attack , the government had set up a military committee headed by ex-Army vice-chief Lt-Gen Philip Campose to review existing security infrastructure and suggest measures to strengthen security at defence installations. The Campose Committee had submitted its report to Defence Ministry last May. The parliamentary panel said there is no information regarding inputs considered in the report. "Yet, no concrete measures appear to have been taken even after a lapse of 6-7 months of the submission of the report. The Committee are distressed to note the apparent lack of sincerity on the part of the Ministry of Defence in this regard and desire that situation should improve. "Necessary measures must be taken so as to ensure that any unpleasant incidence does not recur," the panel said. It said security arrangements in military establishments are dynamic in nature and called for maintaining a robust and strong response mechanism to emerging threats. The parliamentary panel said the recommendations of the military committee need to be studied carefully and suitably implemented. As directed by the government, the three Services had carried out security audit of all their military establishments following the Pathankot attack. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Government today ruled out any proposal seeking to convert a part of Air India's long-term borrowings into equity or privatising the airline. Government is not considering inducting banks as strategic investors in Air India or privatising the airline, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said in a written reply in Lok Sabha Sabha. Earlier, a section of media had reported that Air India had asked banks to recast its long-term debt of Rs 9,000 crore through the Scheme for Sustainable Structuring of Stressed Assets (S4A). As part of the airline's turnaround plan, the minister said till date Rs 24,723.74 crore have been released as equity support to Air India. As part of the turnaround strategy for Air India, the company with the overall support of the government has initiated a number of steps in order to cut costs and losses, he said. The airline has constantly been improving its operational and financial performance, he said, adding it posted an operating profit of Rs 105 crore in FY 2015-16, thereby advancing the turnaround plan target by two years. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Minister Hansraj Ahir on Thursday said it was too early to know which terrorist outfit slain terror suspect Saifullah belonged to, amid suspicion that he was influenced by an ISIS module. Saifullah, who is suspected to be linked with the blast in the Bhopal-Ujjain train, was killed in an encounter in Uttar Pradesh yesterday. "We have asked for the report. We have not received the final report and full information has not yet come. What can be said from the documents and other material is that he was a terrorist. "We will get to know who he was linked with after we get the final report," Ahir, who is Minister of State for Home Affairs, told reporters outside Parliament. In a statement in Lok Sabha on Tuesday's train blast and subsequent anti-terror operations in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said NIA will carry out further investigations into the matter. He said eight pistols, 630 live cartridges, Rs 1.5 lakh, three mobiles phone, four SIM cards, two wireless sets and some foreign currency were recovered from the place where Saifullah lived. Pakistan today executed five "terrorists" convicted by special military courts for carrying out attacks on army and security forces. The five were hanged in Kohat district jail in Khyber-Pakhtukhwa province, according to a statement by army. Army said the convicted terrorists were involved in attacks on army and other law enforcement personnel and admitted their offences before the magistrate and the trial court. The execution came in the midst of a debate about reviving the controversial military courts for another two years for speedy trial of terrorists, after a fresh wave of suicide attacks killed over 125 people recently. The military courts were set up in January 2015 for a two year term after a constitutional amendment following a terror attack on an army-run school in Peshawar in December 2014 that killed over 150 people, mostly students. Since their expiry in January, government has been trying to bring the political parties around the idea of another tenure for military courts. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Energy-deficient Pakistan has awarded two contracts worth Rs 180 billion to a Chinese firm for the construction of a part of a hydropower project on the Indus river in the northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. Pakistan's Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) and China Gezhouba Group Company (CGCC) signed the agreements on Wednesday for carrying out main civil works in the first stage of the Dasu hydropower project. This stage of the project, expected to be completed in 2021, would generate 2,160 MW of electricity. The selection of the contractor was through competitive bidding among pre-qualified Chinese firms, Dawn reported on Thursday. The project is being constructed on the Indus river, upstream of Dasu town in Kohistan district of the province. The World Bank is partially funding the Stage-I, while a major chunk of funds is being arranged by Wapda from its own resources and with the sovereign guarantee of the Pakistan government. Power Minister Khwaja Mohammad Asif said the project is critical to Pakistan's energy needs and will herald a new era of affordable electricity generation. Pakistan faces a huge energy crisis and governments have failed to rapidly augment its electricity generation capacity. It faces a shortage of up to 8,000 megawatts, according to reports, leading to load shedding for hours in several parts. Asif said the government would lay foundation stones for two other dams this year. Wapda chairman Lt Gen (retired) Syed Muzammil Hussain said the total cost of the first phase of the project was estimated at $4.2 billion. Hussain assured the second phase - capable of generating 2,160MW - would not take a long time given the fact that the main dam would already be available and the second stage would involve only setting up a power house at an estimated cost of $2 billion. Dasu Project Director Javed Akhtar and CGGC representative Tan Bixuan signed the contracts on behalf of the two firms. More than 2,000 students from Islamic seminaries have rallied in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, urging the government to take stern action against all those people who are posting blasphemous content on social media. Today's rally came hours after the Islamabad High Court, responding to a petition from an Islamic cleric, ordered the government to impose a travel ban on people who post blasphemous content. Blasphemy is a sensitive subject in Pakistan and anyone found guilty of insulting Islam or its Prophet can be sentenced to death. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Uproarious scenes were witnessed in the Haryana Assembly today which led to the adjournment of the House thrice on issues including land allotment to Yoga guru Ramdev's Patajali Yogpeeth and the Satluj-Yamuna Link canal. Things took an ugly turn soon after Tourism Minister Ram Bilas Sharma replied to a question raised during the Question Hour by BJP MLA from Kalka, Latika Sharma, who had sought to know regarding government's proposal, if any, to develop Morni area in her constituency into a tourist spot. The BJP and the Congress indulged in heated exchange after Congress leader Karan Singh Dalal said the government was giving land to Ramdev's Patanjali Yogpeeth for development of a herbal forest at Morni in Panchkula district "without following" due procedures. Dalal claimed that Ramdev, who was appointed as brand ambassador by the the Manohar Lal Khattar government for promotion of Yoga and Ayurveda, was being extended "undue benefit" by the present regime and costly land in Morni had "been doled out to him". Health Minister Anil Vij clarified that no land had been transferred to Patanjali Yogpeeth and only an MoU with Patanjali Anusandhan Sansthan Divya Yog Mandir Trust, Haridwar, was signed for developing World Herbal Forest in Morni. However, Dalal questioned Vij's locus standi in answering the question, with the minister hitting back in an angry tone and asking the Congress member to take his seat. Vij pointed out that Ramdev was brand ambassador of the state and the herbal forest was being only developed under his guidance, to which a Congress member quipped, "Seth Ramdev kaho (call him Seth Ramdev)". Dissatisfied with the reply of the ministers, the Congress MLAs started to walk out of the House when state Cooperation Minister Manish Grover passed some remarks, which infuriated them. The BJP members pointed out that Congress MLA Kuldeep Sharma had used similar words for Vij in the House earlier, but Sharma said he had already expressed regret. Senior Congress leader and Kaithal MLA Randeep Singh Surjewala, party's state CLP leader Kiran Choudhry, Kuldeep Sharma, Anand Singh Dangi, Karan Singh Dalal, Geeta Bhukkal and other party legislators rushed to the Well of the House on three occasions in protest, asking the Speaker to tell Grover to tender apology. "His (Grover's) remarks are also an insult to the two senior woman legislators of the Congress -- Geeta Bhukkal and Shakuntala Khatak, both of whom belong to the Dalit community," Surjewala said demanding an apology from the Grover. However, the BJP members attacked Surjewala and the other Congress MLAs who were present, claiming they were misleading the House. Surjewala then said he wanted to make a point, but was again interrupted by the ruling party members. "If ruling benches do not honour the ruling of the Chair and this is the behaviour of Ministers and other ruling party legislators, there cannot be anything more unfortunate," said Surjewala. Finance Minister Abhimanyu while taking a dig at Surjewala's maiden appearance in the House during the ongoing budget session today, said, "He has come in guest appearance and is now using threatening gestures towards the Chair and raising questions." Ram Bilas Sharma, also the Parliamentary Affairs minister, said Surjewala was a senior leader and had thought that his presence in the House would lend a new dimension to the proceedings, but if things had taken an ugly turn, the members should ignore and move on. Surjewala again pleaded before the Chair: "You are the custodian of this House and you have to protect our rights... The minister (Grover) should apologise or else the House cannot run in such a situation." At this, the BJP members said Surjewala was misleading the House. As the ruckus continued, Speaker Kanwar Pal told members both from the ruling benches and the opposition not to use unparliamentary language in the House and exercise restraint. "I urge both ruling and opposition members not to use any unparliamentary word. It does not behove members that I have to expung the remarks later. Both sides, ruling benches and the opposition should exercise restraint. People, who have elected you expect that you will raise issues pertaining to them here in this House, but they too will be disappointed by this situation," the Speaker lamented. Even as the Speaker announced end of the Question Hour, the ruckus continued. At this juncture, Leader of Opposition and INLD senior leader Abhay Singh Chautala, who had just walked in, got up and took a dig at Surjewala, saying the presence of the in-charge (communications) of All India Congress Committee (AICC) during release of the party's manifesto for Punjab elections in January showed that he endorses the proposal against the Satluj-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal. Notably, Surjewala had joined other senior leaders of Congress, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, when the election manifesto for the Punjab polls (which were held on February 4) was released in Delhi in January this year. Chautala claimed that Surjewala was against SYL waters for Haryana and while passing some personal remarks against him, requested the Speaker that such persons "who compromise state's interests be sent out of this august House". Other legislators of the INLD came in support of their senior leader and raised slogans against Surjewala and the Congress party. (REOPENS DES31) As the ruckus continued, the Speaker adjourned the House for 20 minutes and called both the ruling and opposition legislators in his chamber for a meeting. After the 20-minute break, the House was adjourned for another 30 minutes, but when it resumed, the Speaker at the outset urged the members to exercise restraint and not to create ruckus. He then asked an INLD member to read out his Calling Attention Notice given by him on the issue of cattle smuggling. Still the INLD legislators were up on their legs and targeting Surjewala. The Speaker then named the INLD legislators suspending them for the remainder of the day and again adjourned the House for 15 minutes. Despite the adjournment, the main opposition members continued to occupy seats for nearly 13 minutes and after lot of pleading from the police officers, the House marshals and the Vidhan Sabha staff, they left the House. Later in the day, on the request of Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sharma, the suspension of the INLD legislators was revoked. Speaking to reporters later outside the Assembly, Chautala said, "The fact that Ram Bilas Sharma is welcoming Surjewala proves that BJP and Congress are hand-in-glove". "I said that Surjewala should apologise for being part of the manifesto of Punjab, which talks about snatching our rights over SYL water. Instead of acting against him, we were instead Named," Chautala said. The INLD leader said tomorrow also they will stick to their stance on the issue. However, outside the Assembly, Surjewala while talking to reporters launched a strong counter attack on Chautala, saying people of Haryana know very well who "compromised the state's interests on water issue". "It is a well known fact that (INLD patriarch and former Deputy Prime Minister) late Devi Lal opposed the Rajiv-Longowal accord and (former CM) Om Prakash Chautala and other party leaders of his party showed black flags to the Eradi Commission... "It is also a fact that (jailed INLD leader) Ajay Singh Chautala had said civil war will start if Congress constructs the Hansi-Butana canal, which was to bring water to the parched southern Haryana," Surjewala said. He justified his presence at the party's manifesto release function for Punjab, saying merely being present where senior leaders including former PM Manmohan Singh were in attendance, does not mean that he had in any way done anything against Haryana's interests. "Touching any document or a piece of paper (manifesto) does not make me anti-Haryana," he said, adding the Congress has always fought for Haryana's rights on SYL waters. Surjewala further attacked the Chautalas and said, "Everyone knows they have close family ties with the Badals in family and the two parties even jointly contest the Haryana elections." He said the Supreme Court had given its verdict in Haryana's favour and now the ball was in the Centre's court to get the canal constructed at the earliest. A Techrules Ren concept car of Chinese electric-carmaker Techrules is seen on the second press day of the 87th International Motor Show in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 8, 2017. (Xinhua/Xu Jinquan) As the 87th Geneva International Motor Show prepares to kick off, representatives from top global car firms reaffirmed on Wednesday their faith in the Chinese market while also highlighting the growing expertise of Chinese carmakers in the highly lucrative automotive business. "We still see growing demand and more and more people in China becoming more wealthy and who are willing to spend money on premium cars, and this segment is still growing," BMW spokesperson Kai Lichte told Xinhua ahead of the opening of the show on March 9. "A little more than one quarter of all sales are in China, it's the biggest market, bigger than the U.S and Germany," he added. Volkswagen marketing manager Jurgen Stackmann, who reminded that 50 percent of the group's cars are sold in China, also highlighted similar benefits. "The power of the Chinese people is enormous, there is no other place so vibrant, so full of energy, so full of entrepreneurship globally," he noted. While the purchasing power of China's market remains enormous, representatives also lauded the growing expertise of Chinese firms in the car making industry. This valuable partnership was perhaps most tangible with Volvo Cars, almost seven years after Chinese car maker Geely Holdings Group Co. Ltd. completed its 1.8 billion U.S. dollar-buyout of Ford Motor Co.'s Volvo unit, in a landmark foreign acquisition by a Chinese company. "I think it has been a very successful acquisition. If you look at it for Volvo, I think we would not have been where we are today without the support and the ownership of Geely," Volvo Cars CEO Hakan Samuelsson explained. Describing what he called a "win-win" situation, Samuelsson said that while Volvo has gained facilitated access to the Chinese market, Geely has stood to gain on the acquisition of new technologies, enabling the Hangzhou-based multinational company to upgrade its products. Similarly, co-ventures and partnerships between Volkswagen and Chinese firms are also increasing, with the German automaker setting a series of ambitious targets, amongst which is becoming the leader of the electric car market in coming years. The firms also lauded their growing presence in China on the manufacturing front, with all three car making giants boasting factories there. According to Stackmann, this shows that "made in China" is becoming more and more synonymous with quality, since all its cars intended for the Chinese market are produced in Asia's economic powerhouse. "All of ours cars are fully made and sourced in China, this shows that China has reached a quality of products comparable to Europe," he said, adding that he is "absolutely confident" in the Chinese market which is still posting enormous growth. This year's Geneva International Motor Show hosts some 180 exhibitors showcasing about 900 models including 148 world or European premieres. Women working in the organised sector will now be entitled to paid of 26 weeks, up from 12 weeks, as Parliament today passed a bill in this regard that will benefit about 1.8 million women. The new law will apply to all establishments employing 10 or more people and the entitlement will be for only up to first two children. For third child, the entitlement will be for only 12 weeks. The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was passed by the Lok Sabha today, months after the Rajya Sabha approved the measure that takes India to the third position in terms of the number of weeks for after Canada and Norway where it is 50 weeks and 44 weeks, respectively. Piloting amendments to the old law, Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya said while framing the rules, he would try to ensure that maximum benefits reach the pregnent women. "This is my humble gift to women, a day after the world celebrated the International Women's Day," he said after about 4-hour debate during which some members demanded paternity benefits too, arguing that these days most of the children are born in nuclear families where both the father and the mother have to take care of the child. The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, protects the employment of women during the time of her maternity and entitles her full paid absence from work, to take care for her child. Among other things, the bill provides for 12 weeks of to a woman who legally adopts a child below three months of age and a commissioning mother (defined as a biological mother) who uses her egg to have a surrogate child. In such cases, 12-week period of maternity leave will be calculated from the date the child is handed over to the adoptive or commissioning mother. The Bill also requires every establishment with 50 or more employees to provide creche facilities within a prescribed distance. The woman will be allowed four visits to the creche in a day. This will include her interval for rest. It has also made a provision under which an employer can permit a woman to work from home, if the nature of work assigned permits her to do so. This option can be availed of, after the period of maternity leave, for a duration that is mutually decided by the employer and the woman. Observing that labour is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution, the minister appealed to the state governments to play an active role to ensure that all benefits reach women. He said the amendments were "progressive" in nature and would have "positive impact" on women participation and improve their "work life balance". It would be expected of the employer to inform women about the maternity benefits at the time of employment, Dattatreya said. He appreciated the role of some states like Tamil Nadu which are providing more benefits over and above what is mandated in the central statutes. The amendments would ensure that full maternal care is provided during the full bloom period and will encourage more women to join the workforce in organised sector, he added. The central government has already amended its service rules and is providing 26 weeks maternity leaves to its employees. The Minister also clarified women working in Special Economic Zones (SEZs) would be entitled to all benefits of the legislation. Responding to concerns expressed by members that benefits would be restricted to only 10 per cent of women working in organised sector, Dattatreya said the government has taken a host of steps for the welfare of unorganised workers. With these changes, India would rank high among the nations providing maternity benefit to women, he said. Indian women will get more maternity leave than what is provided in developed countries like Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom and South Korea, the Minister said. Participating in the debate, Sushmita Dev (Congress) said since amendments raise the period of maternity leave to 26 weeks from the present 12 weeks, it could act as a deterrent for the private sector to employ women workforce. "Since the employer has to pay the salary during the leave period, the amendment might turn out to be counter productive. Innovative thing to do would be to bring in paternity benefit," Dev said. She said such a benefit can also be extended to single fathers who adopt a child. She said only 1.8 million pregnant ladies will benefit from the amendments to the bill as 90 per cent of the women workforce is in the unorganised sector. Pritam Munde (BJP) said a father also has equal responsibility towards the child like a mother and paternity benefits would help a couple to raise their child together as majority are now nuclear families. Ratna De Nag (TMC) too made a case for paternity benefit and said her state government in West Bengal is already providing paternity leave for 30 days. Tathagata Satpathy (BJD) termed the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016, a social bill and said instead of reducing the period of leave from 26 week to 12 week after the second child, the Centre should say that up to third child there would be 26 week leave and after that no leave. He too sought paternity benefits. The Rajya Sabha had passed the bill in August last year. A charter bus carrying dozens of tourists to Mississippi casinos was stuck on railroad tracks for about five minutes before a freight train barreled into it, sending frantic passengers in all directions, witnesses and authorities said. Four people were killed yesterday and 40 were hurt, including seven critically. The cause of the crash is under investigation. Witnesses said some of the tourists from Texas were getting off the bus as the driver tried to move it, and at least one person was shoved under the bus when the train hit, said Mark Robinson, a Biloxi native, who witnessed the crash. Body parts were "thrown everywhere," Robinson told WLOX-TV. The CSX Transportation locomotive pushed the bus about 300 feet before coming to a stop with the mangled bus still straddling the tracks. Authorities said it took more than an hour to get everyone aboard the bus out of the wreckage. Two people had to be removed with metal-cutting equipment. Robinson said he thinks the train track, which is on an embankment, poses safety issues. "It's too steep there," he said. There have been 16 accidents at the crossing over the past four decades, federal records showed. The crossing has a sign warning drivers that it has a low-ground clearance as well as a bell, lights and crossing arms. Jim DeLaCruz, a passenger who was in the back of the bus with his wife, told The Sun Herald that they were trying to get off the bus when it was hit. "The bus tried to clear the tracks and got stuck right in the middle and it couldn't budge, and the train just kept coming and kept coming," he said. Police Chief John Miller said he wasn't sure why the bus couldn't move. Miller said the Echo Transportation bus had come from Austin, Texas, carrying passengers to one of Biloxi's eight casinos. The weeklong trip started Sunday and was organized by a senior citizens' center in Bastrop, Texas, about 30 miles east of Austin. They were also supposed to visit New Orleans and then return home Saturday, according to a flier about the tour posted by Texas media. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) America's work force will only grow over the next two decades if new immigrants arrive to replace retiring Baby Boomers, a report from the Pew Research Center finds. In a report out today, Pew projects that the US working-age (25-64) population will grow from 173 million in 2015 to 183 million in 2035. But new immigrants will account for all the growth. Without them, the number of working-age Americans would drop to 166 million by 2035. As Baby Boomers retire, the number of US-born working-age adults with US-born parents will account for a smaller share of working-age population: 66 per cent in 2035, down from 74 per cent in 2015. The Pew report echoes what many economists have been saying: The US needs immigrants as Baby Boomers retire, and an unusually large share of working-age Americans choose not to look for work. An aging workforce and disappointing gains in productivity have dragged down US economic growth, which came in at a lackluster 1.9 per cent annual rate from October through December. The report comes as President Donald Trump calls for the construction of a border wall to keep Mexicans from crossing into the United States in search of work. He also supports stepped-up deportations of immigrants living in the US without permission. Pew's projections are based on current rates of immigration and combine legal immigrants with those who enter the United States illegally. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Poland threatened today to derail an EU summit on the bloc's post-Brexit future if leaders re-elect Donald Tusk as president despite Warsaw's opposition. German Chancellor Angela Merkel quickly hit back at efforts to block Polish ex-premier Tusk, saying he had wide support and that giving him a second term would be a "sign of stability". The right-wing Polish government's efforts to oust Tusk, its long term domestic political foe, threaten to open up a major east-west split in the European Union just as it tries to focus on unity ahead of its 60th birthday. "We will inform our (EU) partners that the entire summit is at risk if they force the vote (on Tusk) today," Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski told local television. "We'll do everything we can to ensure that the vote won't take place today," Waszczykowski said. Polish officials said Prime Minister Beata Szydlo could veto the conclusions of the summit, thus torpedoing Tusk's re-election for now, or could insist on a unanimous vote, he said. But European diplomats insist that Poland has no veto and that Tusk can be re-elected by a qualified majority, adding that they do not want to be strong-armed by a Polish domestic wrangle. The row is overshadowing talks on the economy, defence, and unrest in the Balkans on Thursday, and then on Friday, without British Prime Minister Theresa May, on preparations for a summit in Rome on March 25th to mark the 60th anniversary of the EU's founding treaty. Merkel, Europe's most powerful leader, called for the re-election of Tusk, who has steered Europe through tensions with Russia, the Greek debt crisis and Britain's vote to leave the bloc. "I see his reelection as a sign of stability for all of Europe, and I am happy to continue working with him," Merkel told the German parliament before heading to the summit in Brussels. Leaders had hoped to rubberstamp Tusk's new term, which would run from May until November 2019, but Poland put forward a surprise rival candidate, euro-MP Jacek Saryusz-Wolski. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Power Secretary Pradeep Kumar Pujari has been given the additional charge of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). "The competent authority has approved the assignment of additional charge of the post of Secretary, Department of Telecommunications, to Pradeep Kumar Pujari IAS (GJ: 1981), Secretary, Ministry of Power, with immediate effect and until further order," an Appointments Committee of the Cabinet said in an order. Last week, the government had moved J S Deepak, a 1982-batch IAS officer from Uttar Pradesh cadre, from the telecom ministry to the commerce ministry as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) with immediate effect. Deepak will be India's next Ambassador to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) from June this year. Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan has discussed with new Energy Secretary Rick Perry the possibility of importing LNG from the US and Indian investment in the energy sector there. Pradhan met Perry during an unscheduled trip to the US Capitol and discussed energy cooperation between India and the US, Indian investment in Liquefied natural gas (LNG) and Shale sectors, and the possibility of the US exporting LNG to India from early next year. Perry said co-operation between India and the US in the energy sector is in mutual interest as India's energy need is set to see a rapid increase as the economy expands. Pradhan arrived in Washington DC from Houston, a city located near the Gulf of Mexico, where he attended the influential CERAWeek energy conference and launched the new Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP). On the sidelines of the conference, Pradhan had bilateral meetings with counterparts from Russia, Sri Lanka, Canada and Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih is expected to visit India soon. Pradhan also met the CEO of state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company; Bob Dudley, CEO of British Petroleum; and International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol. In Washington, Perry, who took over the department last week, strongly pushed for a Houston visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this year. He said Modi's meeting with the strong energy community in Houston could add a new dimension to bilateral ties. Dates of Modi's US visit is still being worked out. Pradhan, who invited Perry to India for the next round of India-US Energy Dialogue later this year, said he would convey his message to the prime minister. Pradhan said the US energy secretary believes energy is the next frontier for India-US relationship. On Tuesday, the Union minister met Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who appreciated the Indian-American community and said that he is planning to lead a trade delegation to India soon. During the visit, Oil India signed a MoU with Houston University to work on CO2 injection technology to enhance production in Assam. Pradhan started his US tour from Boston, where he interacted with students and faculty members of MIT, Harvard Kennedy School and Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University. At MIT, he also met former US Energy Secretary Prof Ernest Muniz. Both in Boston and Houston, Pradhan met members from the Indian community, including scientists of Indian origin. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President Donald Trump has nominated Indian-American Ajit Pai to serve another term at the powerful Federal Communications Commission. Pai is the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). He was designated Chairman by President Trump in January 2017. He had previously served as Commissioner at the FCC, appointed by then-President Barack Obama and confirmed unanimously by the Senate in May 2012. "These dedicated men and women will help me and the rest of the Administration as we continue our work to make America great again. I am grateful for their willingness to serve and honoured that they will be joining my team," Trump said as he announced several other key administration posts along with that of Pai. Commenting on Pai's nomination to a new term, FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn said, "I congratulate Chairman Pai on being nominated by the President to serve a second term on the Commission. "For the past five years, I have had the honour of working with Ajit on issues that make an everlasting difference in the lives of the American people. I look forward to continuing in these efforts, as we work to achieve a shared goal of closing the digital and opportunities divide," Clyburn said. Before joining FCC, Pai was a Partner at Jenner & Block, LLP from 2011 until 2012, and Deputy General Counsel, Associate General Counsel, and Special Advisor to the General Counsel at the FCC from 2007 until 2011. The son of immigrants from India, Pai grew up in Parsons, Kansas. Appearing before a Congressional committee yesterday, Pai said in his new role as Chairman of Federal Communications Commission, he look forward to bring digital opportunity to all Americans. "High-speed Internet access, or broadband, is critical to economic opportunity. But there are still too many parts of this country where broadband is unavailable or unaffordable," he said. "There is a real and growing digital divide in America. In wealthier, metropolitan areas, 4G LTE is ubiquitous, and gigabit fixed service is expanding. But many rural areas are being left behind," Pai said in his testimony before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. The FCC is an independent agency created by Congressional statute to regulate interstate communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and US territories. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Markets regulator Sebi today lifted restrictions imposed on Bombay Rayon Fashions following the firm's compliance with minimum public shareholding norms. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) in June 2013 had imposed various curbs on Bombay Rayon Fashions, its promoters and directors for not achieving the minimum 25 per cent public holding within the June 3 deadline of the same year. The regulator had frozen the voting rights and corporate benefits of promoters/directors of the company and barred them from holding any new position on boards of listed firms, among others. The restrictions on Bombay Rayon Fashions were affirmed through a confirmatory order in December 2015. "I hereby revoke the directions issued against Bombay Rayon Fashions Limited, its promoters and promoter group alongwith its directors," Sebi Whole Time Member S Raman said in an order today. The firm raised its public shareholding level to 31.66 per cent through preferential allotment of shares to lenders on June 16, 2016. Public shareholding in Bombay Rayon Fashions stood at 7.96 as on March 31, 3016. Sebi said that as the promoters' and promoter group's shareholding in Bombay Rayon, has been brought below 75 per cent the directions imposed on the company, its promoters and promoter group alongwith its directors, can now be revoked. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today for talks focusing on the situation in Syria and Israeli concerns about the role of Iran and its proxies there. Greeting Netanyahu at the start of their Kremlin negotiations, Putin emphasized a high level of trust between them. Netanyahu's visit to Moscow follows his talks last month with US President Donald Trump. Netanyahu praised Russia's role in fighting the Islamic State group and other radical militants in Syria. At the same time, he raised strong concern about the presence of Iranian and Hezbollah forces in Syria. "One of the things that we are fighting together is radical Islamic terrorism," Netanyahu said as he and Putin sat down for talks. "Of course, in the past year, there was significant progress in the fight against the radical Sunni Islamic terrorism led by Daesh and al-Qaida," he said, using the Arabic acronym Daesh to refer to the Islamic State group. "Russia has made a very important contribution. Naturally, we do not want this terrorism to be replaced by the radical Shiite Islamic terrorism led by Iran." Russia has sided with Iran and Hezbollah in helping support Syrian President Bashar Assad, but at the same time it has maintained warm ties with Israel. The two nations have coordinated their actions to prevent any possible incidents between their militaries in Syria. "The threat of radical Shiite Islam threatens us no less than it does the region and the peace of the world, and I know that we are partners in the desire to prevent any kind of victory by radical Islam of any sort," Netanyahu said. Before the talks, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied media reports that Moscow has given Israel a green light to strike Hezbollah. "It has nothing to do with reality," Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. "It hasn't been discussed, and there is no talk about it. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Russian President Vladimir Putin urged Israel today to focus on today's "different world" after premier Benjamin Netanyahu evoked age-old tensions with Iran, ahead of a holiday marking an ancient victory. In a meeting with Putin in Moscow, Netanyahu said Persia had made "an attempt to destroy the Jewish people that did not succeed" some 2,500 years ago, an event commemorated through the holiday of Purim, which Israel will celebrate Sunday and Monday. "Today there is an attempt by Persia's heir, Iran, to destroy the state of the Jews," Netanyahu said. "They say this as clearly as possible and inscribe it on their ballistic missiles." Adopting a more conciliatory tone, Putin said that the events described by Netanyahu had taken place "in the fifth century B.C." "We now live in a different world. Let us talk about that now," Putin said. Putin's comment came after Netanyahu stressed that while Israel was capable of defending itself, the country -- and the whole world -- remained threatened by radical Shiite Islam. "The threat of radical Shiite Islam threatens us no less than it does the region and the peace of the world, and I know that we are partners in the desire to prevent any kind of victory by radical Islam of any sort," Netanyahu said. Ever since the Islamic revolution of 1979, Iran has been implacable in its opposition to Israel and has provided extensive support to certain Palestinian militant groups. Hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who served as president from 2005 to 2013, famously called for Israel to be "wiped off the map", a comment that sparked an international outcry. Iranian officials have said the call refers to the state not the people, and underline that the Islamic republic has its own Jewish community. Russia and Iran are allies and both back the Syrian regime in a conflict that has killed 310,000 people since it erupted in March 2011 with protests against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad. Israel has expressed concern over whether the civil war will result in Iran increasing its power in nearby Syria. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The crime scene. [Photo/gywb.cn] Four of 10 grave robbers who managed to break into a tomb built during the Song Dynasty (960-1297) died from the poisonous air wafting from below the graveyard in Xishui Town, Guizhou Province, on March 7, 2017. The grave they attempted to loot has been preserved as a county-level cultural heritage relic. Around 1:00 am last Monday, a man brought to a local hospital claimed he'd inhaled deadly gas while working underground in a mining area. However, when the doctors tried to rescue the man as he fell into coma, three of his friends outside the emergency room collapsed. Realizing the complexities of the issue, the doctors called police. Until the arrival of the police and local officials, the men who were still conscious admitted that they tried to break into an ancient tomb with the help of an old generator, the emission of which had made them feel uncomfortable. They rushed to the hospital after several fainted inside the grave. According to the local government, three of the 10 men involved in the grave robbery died inside the mausoleum, while another died after being hospitalized. Four were in stable condition and two were arrested. A cave going eight meters deep into the grave has been capped and restored. It is highly assumed that the robbers who tried to reach the mausoleum were obstructed by rocks, so they switched on the generator hoping to break their way through. But when attempting to mitigate the noise of the rumbling machine, they covered the entrance with quilts and caused the poisonous air to condense. The 2016 US Presidential poll was a "farce" as it was fought with lies exposing hypocritical nature of the democracy in America where racial discrimination is "worsening", a Chinese report on America's human rights record said today. In a tit-for-tat report on the US which every year releases human rights record of China and other countries, a Chinese official report today said money politics and power-for-money deals had controlled the presidential election between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton. Voter turnout and support rate reached new low, the report, 'The Human Rights Record of the United States in 2016' released here said. Only about 55 per cent of voting age citizens cast ballots in the 2016 election, lowest in 20 years, the report said, adding that a growing number of Americans were disappointed or even angry about the election. It was the most expensive election ever and Americans running for federal offices spent about USD 6.8 billion, more than what consumers spend on cereal, it said. The US poses once again as "the judge of human rights", the report said. "Wielding 'the baton of human rights,' it pointed fingers and cast the blame on the human rights situation in many countries while paying no attention to its own terrible human rights problems. "With the gunshots lingering in people's ears behind the Statue of Liberty, worsening racial discrimination and the election farce dominated by money politics, the self- proclaimed human rights defender has exposed its human rights 'myth' with its own deeds," it said. "In 2016, money politics and power-for-money deals controlled the presidential election, which was full of lies and farces. There were no guarantees of political rights," the report said. Racial relations in the US continued to deteriorate in 2016, the report said, adding that there were repeated incidents of African-Americans being shot by white police. Racial discrimination heavily influenced law enforcement and justice fields and there were systematic gaps between minority races and white people in employment and income, the report said. A total of 69 per cent of respondents in a poll said race relations in the US were generally bad. Six in 10 Americans said race relations were growing worse, up from 38 per cent a year ago, it said. The US had the second highest prisoner rate, with 693 prisoners per 100,000 of the national population, the report said. "Roughly, 2.2 million people were incarcerated in the US in 2014," it said citing data from a marketing research body. The situation of protection of rights of women, children and elders in the US was worrisome in 2016 as women were paid much less compared to their male colleagues who do the same work, and they frequently fell victims to sexual harassment and assault. Poverty rate among children remained high and cases of abuse of elder people happened from time to time, it added. The Rajasthan government has proposed to establish air connectivity between Jaipur and the state's tier-3 cities of Kota, Ajmer and Ranthambore (Sawai Madhopur). The proposal was made by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje in the state budget 2017-18 presented in the Assembly today. Giving a fillip to the air links of various cities in Rajasthan with those within and outside the state, she said that under the Centre's regional connectivity scheme, there will be direct flight from Jaipur to Jaisalmer and Agra. A project to link Bikaner to New Delhi is under progress, she said, adding Rs 16.54 crore will be spent on renovation and maintenance of the air strips in the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Automaker Renault today unveiled a variant of its popular hatchback Kwid in the country, with the price starting at Rs 4.3 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). Christened as Kwid Climber, the variant will be available in both manual and automated manual transmission (AMT) modes. The manual variant is priced at Rs 4.3 lakh while the AMT trim of the vehicle comes for Rs 4.6 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). "The Renault Kwid Climber has been developed keeping in mind specific customer needs and caters to diverse audiences, becoming the perfect offering for young achievers who are moving up places steadfastly," Renault India Operations Country CEO and MD Sumit Sawhney told reporters here. This new launch reflects the company's intent to keep pace with global innovations and at the same time make products to suit local needs, he added. The 1.0-litre SCe engine, which powers the Kwid Climber, is optimally designed for better performance. The company first showcased the Kwid Climber as a concept vehicle at the auto expo last year. The SUV-inspired variant is designed and developed by Renault's design studios in Mumbai and Chennai. Kwid Climber comes with segment leading length, power to weight ratio, boot space, ground clearance and cutting-edge technology. "With this launch, we look forward to welcoming more customers into the Renault family as we endeavour to aggressively consolidate our presence in India," Sawhney said. These efforts are accentuated by a clear strategy to enhance the customer brand experience, with several unique and pioneering initiatives already under way to ensure customers have an unmatched and superlative association with the Renault brand, he added. On future outlook, Sawhney said: "Our road map for India is very clear, with an immediate goal of achieving a market share of 5 per cent in the near term." The company will continue with its product offensive strategy in India, as is reflected by the Kwid Climber launch, to substantially grow the Renault brand in India, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) All defence pensioners and dependent family members of deceased personnel will be required to enroll for Aadhaar card by June 30 to receive pension. The Defence Ministry has issued a notification making Aadhaar mandatory for receiving pension by the beneficiaries numbering around 25 lakh. The government has been steadily making Aadhaar mandatory for a series of financial benefits and other services, saying it is doing so to ensure transparency. "Any eligible beneficiary entitled to receive pension benefits, who does not possess the Aadhaar number or, not yet enrolled for Aadhaar, but desirous of availing pension benefits is hereby required to make application for Aadhaar enrolment by June 30," the notification said. It said Defence Ministry through pension disbursement agencies or other means which requires an individual to furnish Aadhaar is required to offer Aadhaar enrolment facilities for the beneficiaries who are not yet enrolled for it. The order further said the Ministry of Defence through pension disbursement agencies will be required to provide Aadhaar enrolment facilities in places where such facilities are not available. It said till the Aadhaar is assigned, the beneficiaries shall be given pension subject to production ex-servicemen card issued by the concerned authorities and his or her Aadhaar Enrolment ID slip (if she or he has enrolled). A copy of his or her request made for Aadhaar enrolment can also be submitted along with a copy of Voter ID card or PAN Card or Passport etc. The notification said Defence Ministry through pension disbursement agencies will make adequate arrangements to provide convenient and hassle free pension benefits to the beneficiaries. "Wide publicity through media and individual notices shall be given to beneficiaries of pension benefits to make them aware of the requirement of Aadhaar under the scheme and they may be advised to get themselves enrolled at the nearest Aadhaar enrolment centres available in their areas by June 30 2017," it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Uproarious scenes were witnessed in the Haryana Assembly today forcing its adjournment thrice on issues including SYL canal and the alleged "land allotment" to yoga guru Ramdev's Patajali Yogpeeth by the BJP-led state government. Din also prevailed in the House after legislators of the main opposition party INLD targeted Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala alleging his party's anti-Haryana stance on the Satluj-Yamuna Link canal issue before they were suspended by the Speaker. During the Question Hour, things took an ugly turn soon after Toursim Minister Ram Bilas Sharma replied to a question raised by BJP MLA Latika Sharma who sought to know if the government had any proposal to develop Morni area in her constituency Kalka into a tourist spot. The BJP and the Congress members indulged in heated exchange after Congress leader Karan Singh Dalal alleged the government was giving land to Ramdev's Patanjali Yogpeeth for development of a herbal forest at Morni in Panchkula "without following" due procedures. Dalal claimed that Ramdev, who was appointed as brand ambassador by the Manohar Lal Khattar government for promotion of Yoga and Ayurveda, was being extended "undue benefit" by the present regime and costly land in Morni had "been doled out to him". Health Minister Anil Vij clarified that no land had been transferred to Patanjali Yogpeeth and only an MoU with Patanjali Anusandhan Sansthan Divya Yog Mandir Trust, Haridwar, was signed for developing World Herbal Forest in Morni. Vij said Ramdev will neither take any financial or commercial benefit from this project, nor would he have right of ownership of the land, to which a Congress member quipped, "Seth Ramdev kaho (call him Seth Ramdev)". However, Dalal questioned Vij's locus standi in answering the question, with the minister hitting back in an angry tone and asking the Congress member to take his seat. Dissatisfied with the reply of the ministers, the Congress MLAs started to walk out of the House when state Cooperation Minister Manish Grover passed some remarks, which infuriated them. The BJP members pointed out that Congress MLA Kuldeep Sharma had used similar words for Vij in the House earlier, but Sharma said he had already expressed regret. The Congress legislators rushed to the Well of the House on three occasions in protest, asking the Speaker to tell Grover to tender an apology. "His (Grover's) remarks are also an insult to the two senior woman legislators of the Congress -- Geeta Bhukkal and Shakuntala Khatak, both of whom belong to the Dalit community," Surjewala said, demanding an apology from Grover. However, the BJP members attacked Surjewala and the other Congress MLAs who were present, claiming they were misleading the House. Later, Leader of Opposition and INLD senior leader Abhay Singh Chautala, who walked in after the Question Hour, claimed the presence of Congress in-charge (communications) of All India Congress Committee (AICC) Surjewala during release of the party's manifesto for Punjab elections showed that he endorsed the proposal against the SYL canal. Notably, Surjewala had joined other senior leaders of the Congress, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, when the election manifesto for the Punjab polls, which were held on February 4, was released in Delhi in January this year. Chautala claimed that Surjewala was "against SYL waters for Haryana" and while passing some personal remarks against him, requested the Speaker that such persons "who compromise state's interests be sent out of this august House". Other legislators of the INLD came in support of their senior leader and raised slogans against Surjewala and the Congress party. As the ruckus continued, Speaker Kanwar Pal adjourned the House for 20 minutes and called both the ruling and opposition legislators in his chamber for a meeting. After the first break, the House was adjourned for another 30 minutes, but when it resumed, the Speaker at the outset urged the members to exercise restraint and not create ruckus. He then asked an INLD member to read out his Calling Attention Notice given by him on the issue of cattle smuggling. Still the INLD legislators were up on their legs and targeting Surjewala. The Speaker then named the INLD legislators suspending them for the remainder of the day and again adjourned the House for 15 minutes. Despite the adjournment, the main opposition members continued to occupy seats for nearly 13 minutes and after lot of pleading from the police officers, the House marshals and the Vidhan Sabha staff, they left the House. However, on the request of Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ram Bilas Sharma, the suspension of the INLD legislators was later revoked. Finance Minister Abhimanyu in a dig at Surjewala's maiden appearance in the House during the ongoing budget session today, said, "He has come in guest appearance and is now using threatening gestures towards the Chair and raising questions." Surjewala again pleaded before the Chair: "You are the custodian of this House and you have to protect our rights... The minister (Grover) should apologise or else the House cannot run in such a situation." At this, the BJP members said Surjewala was misleading the House. As the ruckus continued, the Speaker told members both from the ruling benches and the opposition not to use unparliamentary language in the House and exercise restraint. "I urge both ruling and opposition members not to use any unparliamentary word. It does not behove members that I have to expung the remarks later. Both sides, ruling benches and the opposition should exercise restraint. People, who have elected you expect that you will raise issues pertaining to them here in this House, but they too will be disappointed by this situation," the Speaker lamented. The ruling and opposition members were today locked in war of words on the paddy procurement issue in the state forcing adjournment of the state Legislative Council. A duel broke out over a question by BJP's Lal Babu Prasad on slow pace of paddy purchase from farmers in the state. Initially Food minister Madan Sahni answered the question but it did not satisfy the opposition. Subsequently, Cooperative minister Alok Mehta sought to clear the situation the opposition members interrupted him. Leader of opposition Sushil Kumar Modi accused the state government of failure in paddy procurement from farmers. When Chief Minister Nitish Kumar arrived in the House, the opposition sharpened their attack with BJP members trooping into well. The CM rose from his seat and made a plea to Deputy Chairman Haroon Rashid who was presiding in the House that the state government would answer all queries of the opposition. He asked the Deputy Chairperson that if an opposition member is allowed to speak long while asking question the minister should also be given long to answer and for this the duration of Question Hour could be increased. But, this did not deter Sushil Modi and BJP members who continued to attack the government. With din refusing to end, the House was adjourned till 2:30 PM. Later, talking to reporters in his chamber, Sushil Modi said that out of a record about one crore paddy production in Bihar, the state government has manage to buy only 10 lakh metric tonne so far. "Now merely 15 days are left for completion of the financial year 2016-17 which will force farmers to sale their produce at a throwaway price to private parties," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress spokesperson Sandeep Dikshit has launched 'Kaam ki Baat' campaign to counter Prime Minister Narendra Modi's radio programme 'Mann ki Baat'. Dikshit, a former MP, has started posting video and audio clips on social networking platforms like YouTube and Whatsapp to counter the statements Modi makes during his monthly radio programme. The Congress leader said he will release his campaign clips each time after the Prime Minister addresses the nation. "Whenever I used to hear the Prime Minister, I felt like replying to what he spoke about. I used to feel that we should do 'Kaam Ki Baat' than 'Mann Ki Baat'. Hence, I have started the campaign," he said. Dikshit said he has launched the campaign in his personal capacity and that it is not a Congress initiative. The first segment of his campaign, of 12-minute length, was released on January 29. Dikshit said he will release the clips in both Hindi and English. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The educational institutes were shut for the day today due to hostile weather conditions and fresh snowfall in most parts of the Doda-Kishtwar-Ramban belts of Jammu region. Authorities ordered closure of the schools after weather forecast indicated extreme weather conditions in the Doda- Kishtwar-Ramban belt. "On the instructions of Deputy Commissioner, Doda, I have ordered the closure of all the educational institutions up to 12th standard including private schools for the day," said Doda Chief Education Officer Mohd Ashraf Rather. The decision was taken to ensure safety of students, as there is a warning related to adverse weather with indication of heavy rainfall which may lead to landslides, Rather said. There have been no respite from cold waves in Doda in the past 24 hours in view of adverse weather forecast. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Markets regulator Sebi today slapped a fine of Rs 10 lakh on ISG Traders for non-disclosure of acquisition of shares in Stone India Ltd. The entity had violated Sebi SAST (Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers) Regulations by failing to make a public announcement after its shareholding in Stone India crossed 25 per cent. Under Sebi regulations, entities whose stake in a listed company crosses 25 per cent have to make adequate disclosures to the exchanges. In an order today, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on ISG Traders. Stone India had issued 20 lakh warrants on preferential basis to ISG Traders in 2013. On conversion of these warrants, ISG Traders' shareholding rose to 30.66 per cent in April 2015 from 12.40 per cent in March 2014. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) You are here: Home Wang Jiazhe [File Photo] Another overseas graft fugitive has given himself up to Chinese authorities and returned from the U.S. on Thursday, according to provincial authorities in northeastern Liaoning. Wang Jiazhe, 56, fled to the U.S. in January 2000. Formerly working at the newspaper Liaoning Daily, Wang was accused of contract fraud involving 3.5 million yuan or USD 500,000. He was listed among the 100 most-wanted economic fugitives by Interpol. 38 of the 100 names have returned to China, according to Foreign Minister Wang Yi at a recent news conference. The list is part of a broader anti-corruption initiative "Sky Net". Launched by the Chinese government, the fight targets corrupt officials who fled overseas with massive dirty assets. The Centre will fast track the process of according 'skilled worker' status to over 50 lakh private security guards in the country, Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya said today. Speaking at an event organised by the Central Association of Private Security Industry (CAPSI), the minister said, "Labour Ministry will soon call upon state labour ministers and work out the policy modalities for introducing the new labour laws in states that seek to bring the private security guards under the organised sector." As of now, a meagre 3 per cent of the total security workforce is covered under this category. "I will soon call a meeting of all state labour ministers to implement the new labour laws on state level for faster implementation of the policy," a statement quoted Dattatreya as saying. Categorising security guards as 'skilled' workers and armed security guards and supervisors as 'highly skilled' workers will entitle them to a minimum monthly wage of Rs 15,000 and Rs 25,000, respectively. "This will not only bring enhanced wages to over 50 lakh security personnel currently engaged in the private security space, but will also provide social cover to over 2.5 crore of their family members," Dattatreya noted. The decision will also enable private security agencies to recruit, train and employ quality workforce for the sector, which has been a demand of all stakeholders, including security agencies and the public. R K Sinha, chairman of SIS, India's largest homegrown security service provider, said, "The next move would be holistic involvement of states in the process to bring all security guards under the organised sector. The minister has instilled confidence in the industry by ensuring the government will work on it as top priority. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In an act of moral policing, a group of Shiv Sena activists today allegedly chased away young men and women who were sitting in the Marine Drive area here. Police said five activists of the Shiv Sena have been taken into custody in connection with the incident which came in for condemnation from both the ruling CPI(M) and opposition Congress. Malayalam TV channels aired video footage showing a group of marching Shiv Sena activists, wielding sticks and chasing away the young men and women from Marine Drive, a tourist spot. The incident occurred allegedly in the presence of police. The young men and women were seen running away as they were confronted by the Shiv Sena activists. Kochi Mayor Soumini Jain condemned the incident and asked the police to take strong action against the accused. "It is sad that young men and women were targeted on International Women's Day. I strongly condemn it. I have asked the police to register a case against the culprits under the sections dealing with violence against women," she told PTI. Condemning the incident, Congress MLA P T Thomas said the issue will be raised in the state Assembly tomorrow. "We cannot agree with this kind of moral policing. Unfortunately, police personnel were seen standing as mute spectators when the women and men were being chased away by the hooligans on International Women's Day. The culprits should be arrested immediately," he said. CPI(M) MLA M Swaraj said such incidents of moral policing will not be tolerated in Kerala. Swaraj, who is also a DYFI leader, said the activists of the outfit held a protest march at Marine Drive following the incident. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The leaders of a congressional inquiry into Russia's efforts to sway the US election are asking the Justice Department to provide information related to President Donald Trump's explosive wiretapping allegation. In a letter sent today, Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island are seeking any warrant applications and court orders that could show the Obama administration tapped Trump's phones during the presidential campaign. The letter went to Acting Deputy Attorney General Dana Boente and FBI Director James Comey. Graham, a Republican, and Whitehouse, a Democrat, say Congress "must get to the bottom" of Trump's allegation. They say they would take very seriously any abuse of wiretapping authority for political reasons. They also say they'd be alarmed if there were a legally authorized wiretap of Trump. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Madras High Court today refused to set aside the conviction of a 27-year-old government school teacher for sexually exploiting a girl student in Ariyalur district, while describing him as an "evil being." The division bench of justices S Nagamuthu and N Authinathan, however, reduced the 20-year rigorous jail term awarded to convict Madhvan by the trial court to 14 years, taking into account his poor socio-economic background. Reducing the jail term given to Madhvan by fast-track Mahila Court in Ariyalur, the bench said, "A teacher is a role model to every student... Shockingly in this case, a shameless teacher is alleged to have sexually exploited a 14-year-old child, who was his student. He is not God-like, but an evil being." The bench made the observation while rejecting Madhvan's plea to quash his conviction. According to prosecution, Madhavan worked as a teacher in Government High School in Ariyalur district, where the victim girl was studying. The accused who was already married had made a false promise to marry the girl had sexually exploited her in 2015 after taking her to a place in Jayamkondan. The girl had subsequently lodged a complaint to an all- women's police station in Ariyalur against the teacher, who was arrested, put on trial and sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for 20 years by the Mahila Court. The lower court had also slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 and further ordered him to pay a sum of Rs 50,000 as compensation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Singapore has offered help to the Madhya Pradesh government in developing the smart city and global skill park projects. Singapore's Consul General Ajit Singh made the offer when he today called on Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and discussed areas of mutual cooperation. "The Chief Minister and Singapore's Consul General discussed mutual cooperation and partnership in different fields, including smart city and global skill park projects," a Public Relations Department officer said. Singh said there are enough opportunities for Singapore's companies and industries to participate in Madhya Pradesh's development. According to the officer, Chouhan told Singh Madhya Pradesh needs Singapore's investment and technical guidance in smart city and other projects. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least two suspects linked to the MP train blast, including Saifullah who was gunned down in an encounter in Lucknow, were involved in the murder of a retired principal in Kanpur last October, an ATS official said today. "During questioning of the three men arrested in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday, we came to know that one among them, Atif (Mohammad Atif Muzaffar alias Al Qasim) along with his two accomplices from Uttar Pradesh (Saifullah and Mohammed Faisal Khan) had a role in the October 24 murder of the retired school principal Ramesh Shukla, 62 who was shot dead in Kanpur," a top official told the PTI. The official associated with the probe into the Tuesday's Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train blast said the role of Atif's accomplice Mohammed Faisal Khan, arrested by the UP police yesterday in connection with the blast is still being probed. "We have informed the UP police so that they can verify and probe it further," the officer said. Ten people were injured when an IED exploded on board the passenger train near Jabdi railway station in Shujapur district. The MP police had arrested Atif, 22, Mohammad Danish alias Zafar, 27 and Syed Meer Hussain alias Hamza, 19 from Piparia in Hoshangabad district, hours after the blast. The trio have been remanded in police custody till March 23 and are presently being quizzed for their roles in the blast. According to the official, the conspiracy to trigger the blast had been hatched in Uttar Pradesh, but the trio chose Madhya Pradesh to set off the explosion because they wanted to commit a big crime outside UP, while also hoodwinking police and the intelligence agencies. "A few relatives of Mohammad Danish alias Zafar live in Bhopal. He had spent nearly 3-4 months in Bhopal about a year and half ago. He knows a bit about the geography of the state (MP)," the official said. The UP police had arrested yesterday Kanpur residents Mohammed Faisal Khan, Mohammed Imran alias 'Bhai Jaan' and Danish, who are believed to be brothers. The police had also arrested Fakr-e-Alam alias Rishu from Etawah and Atiq Muzaffar, a resident of Kanpur. Another person, identified as Shailendra, has also been held from Auraiya. The police also arrested today a former IAF employee, Mohd Ghaus Khan who, they believe, is the "mastermind" of a terror module that included Saifullah. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Home Minister Bhupendra Singh had yesterday said the perpetrators of the explosion were influenced by ISIS ideology and the incident was a "trial blast" as the terrorists planned to carry out more attacks. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Against the backdrop of leak of some papers of HSC Board exam, the Maharashtra State Board will post new 1533 assistant supervisors at all HSC and SSC board exam centres. The assistant supervisors will keep a strict vigil on the happenings at the centres in the Mumbai Division and report to the Board directly, a top Board official said. Question papers of subjects like Marathi, Secretarial Practise, Physics, Mathematics and Statistics were leaked and went viral on a messaging app just before few minutes ahead of the exam in the last few days. Two separate offences were registered at Vashi police station in connection with the leak of Marathi and Secretarial Practice (SP) papers on the complaint of Board officials. Two more offences were registered against two students at suburban Bandra and Kurar police stations who had accessed Mathematics and Statistics paper on their mobile phone handsets ahead of the exam. Navi Mumbai Police had arrested two college students whereas as many HSC students were booked in paper leak cases. Meanwhile, the Mumbai Board has taken precautionary majors to avoid recurrence of such incidents. "Mumbai Board has decided to post 557 assistant supervisor at HSC exam centres and 976 assistant supervisors at SSC exam centres," Divisional Chairman Dattatray Jagtap told PTI. He said the directives for the same were issued today to all the exam centres for immediate implementation. "These assistant supervisor will be eyes and ears of the Mumbai Board at the each exam centre, and will keep strong vigil on the happenings at the exam centres," Jagtap added. They will work like seating squad and will maintain a strong vigil on late-comers and students who are having cell phones with them. According to a senior HSC Board official, the activities of exam supervisors, custodians, as well as centre chiefs will be monitored closely. The assistant supervisors will also have to record timings of opening and distribution of the question paper sets to teachers and students, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir today pardoned 259 rebels captured in fighting with government forces, including dozens who had been sentenced to death, the presidency said. Bashir's order came three days after a prominent insurgent group freed dozens of prisoners, mostly soldiers, it had captured in fighting with government forces. "The decision to pardon 259 rebels aims at preparing the environment for achieving lasting peace in the country," Bashir's office said in a statement. Those pardoned include 66 rebels who had been sentenced to death. Of the 259 rebels to be released now, dozens were captured in 2015 after fierce fighting in war-torn South Darfur between government forces and rebels. Although the presidency did not specify which group these rebels belonged to, government forces in 2015 fought pitched battles with the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) in South Darfur. Forty-four rebels also among those pardoned were captured in the city of Omdurman in 2008 after similar clashes between government forces and JEM fighters. "The decision to pardon is a progressive step and would help in the ceasing of hostilities," Nur Ahmed al-Nur, editor-in-chief of Assayha newspaper, told AFP. On Sunday, another prominent rebel group, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), freed at least 125 prisoners, mostly soldiers. The prisoners had been captured in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states, where the SPLM-N has been fighting government forces for years. The conflict in Darfur, a region the size of France, erupted in 2003 when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against Bashir's Arab-dominated government in Khartoum, accusing it of marginalising the region economically and politically. At least 300,000 people have been killed in Darfur and another 2.5 million displaced since the conflict erupted, the United Nations says. In 2011, similar rebellions against Bashir's regime also broke out in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states. Khartoum announced a unilateral ceasefire in June 2016 in all three conflict zones, which it extended by six months in January. Bashir, who has ruled Sudan for nearly three decades, is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Darfur. He steadfastly denies the charge. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sudan summoned today US charge d'affaires Steven Koutsis to protest President Donald Trump's revised travel ban which bars its citizens from entering the United States. "The US charge d'affaires was informed of Sudan's discontent over the decisions issued by the American adminstration on March 6," the foreign ministry said. "The Sudanese under-secretary informed him that this order failed to reflect Sudan's major cooperation in fighting terrorism." Koutsis is the most senior diplomat at the US embassy in Khartoum. On Monday, Trump signed a revised ban on refugee admissions and new visas for travellers from six Muslim-majority nations -- including Sudan. It came after a first ban -- which had also included Iraq -- was frozen by US federal courts. Khartoum's decision to summon Koutsis came two days after it issued an angry reaction to Trump's new visa ban. "Sudanese citizens have never been involved in any crimes or terrorism in the United States," Sudan said on Tuesday as it condemned Trump's revised ban. On Thursday, Sudanese under-secretary Abdelghani Al-Naiem told Koutsis that Khartoum was in fact looking forward to Washington dropping Sudan from its blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism, the ministry said. Before leaving office, president Barack Obama eased decades-old US sanctions against Sudan, but kept Khartoum on the blacklist. Sudan was designated a state sponsor of terrorism in 1993 and has been subject to a US trade embargo since 1997 over its alleged support for Islamist groups. Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was based in Khartoum from 1992 to 1996. Washington believes Khartoum's terror ties have ebbed, but has kept sanctions in place because of the scorched-earth tactics it has used against ethnic minority rebels in Darfur. An end to fighting in Sudan's hotspots -- Blue Nile and South Kordofan states as well as the Darfur region -- had been set as a precondition for sanctions being lifted. Sudanese officials have however regularly called for improving relations between the two countries. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Haryana government has fixed the support price of sugarcane crop at Rs 320 for 2016-17, which is the highest in the country, a state minister informed the Assembly today. Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister O P Dhankar was replying to the Calling Attention Notice of INLD MLA Parminder Singh Dhull and three other MLAs during the ongoing budget session of the Assembly here. Dhankar said that when the market prices of pulses and oilseeds are lower than the MSP, National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) procures the crop at MSP through HAFED. "Likewise, if the market price of cotton is lower than the MSP, it is purchased by the Indian Cotton Corporation (ICC) at MSP," he said. The Minister said that the market price of black gram and barley is more than the Minimum Support Price, thus there is no need for intervention by the government. In addition to this, the state government provides subsidy to farmers through implementation of centrally- sponsored schemes and state schemes. Subsidies are provided on seeds, equipment, fertilizers and pesticides, he added. He said that Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana is being implemented in order to compensate the farmers for their losses due to natural calamities. "Paddy, cotton, bajra, maize, barley, wheat, mustard and gram crops are covered under the scheme. Apart from this, in cases of natural calamities the State Government provides compensation to the farmers after conducting 'special girdawari' (revenue survey) for loss of crops," he said. Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition and senior INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala, while speaking on the Calling Attention Notice, said farmers are suffering from the burden of debt due to non-recovery of cost of produce. "The prices of everything that the farmer needs for his survival has increased manifold. Support price is not given to the farmers according to cost of production," Chautala said. Chautala said that INLD members were dis-satisfied with Dhankar's reply after which the main opposition party's legislators staged a brief walkout from the House. The Congress members also joined them and staged a brief walkout, saying they too were not satisfied with the Agriculture Minister's reply. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nancy Zastudil In a Wikimedia survey from 2011, researchers found that less than 13 percent of Wikipediathe online, open source encyclopedia contributors are women. The effect of this is that the information, which millions of people access on a daily basis, is skewed. Historically male interests are heavily represented, replete with links to other avenues of culture and significance, while entries that relate to women and women's issues are bare-bones. In order to combat this hegemonic knowledge sharing, Wikipedia edit-a-thons have become more and more popular, and four years ago saw the first annual Art+Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-thon designed to specifically address the gender gap, as it relates to women-identifying artists. Art+Feminism edit-a-thons take place all around the countryand even internationallyin March, and this year will see Albuquerque's first local version of the event, to be held at Central Features Contemporary and Richard Levy Galleries on Saturday, March 11, between 11am and 4pm, thanks to organizers Nancy Zastudil and Viviette Hunt. The localized version of the event will emphasize creating entries for local female-identifying artists and editing or augmenting existing entries as needed. It's really to promote Albuquerque, Zastudil explained from her desk at Central Features, overlooking Central. I'm constantly trying to figure out ways to promote Albuquerque artists to a broader audience and how to get their work in front of curators, museum directors, other artists, collectors as well as a broader network. There are limited ways that can be done without spending tons of money. This is one way to do that. Zastudil has her own list of artists she plans to create entries for on the day of the event, and many of the event's partners do, too. Those interested in attending are welcome to go armed with their own shortlist of artists who deserve an entry, but are just as welcome to cozy up with the existing lists. The idea is to make the event easy for participants and to illuminate just how easy it is to advocate for local artists. To that end, a slew of online tutorials guiding contributors through the editing process will be available on the Facebook event page well ahead of the edit-a-thon, and orientations are happening on-site at both 11am and 1pm, though Zastudil stressed that you don't need to be present for an official orientation to get involved. Participants are free to stop in for 20 minutes, or stay comfortably for the whole day. It really is about creating a safe space. There's a lot of guidelines on creating a safe space for the event, to avoid intimidation, so people are free to ask questions. It really is a collaborative learning environment. She's quick to point out how empowering it can be to contribute to the accuracy of the vast database, and increasing the visibility of female artists in its digital pages. At the end of the day, armed with the knowledge of how to contribute, edit and alter the annals of one of the most used online resources, you as an individual have an amplified voice and can use it to contribute to a body of work that transmits truths across the internet. Throughout the day, coffee graciously donated by Zendo and a bevy of snacks will sustain writers as they chip away at the patriarchy, simultaneously boosting our city's clout. I think that New Mexico ends up on the lower portion of many lists and if that's all you're paying attention to it can be a little bit depressing, especially when there are so many incredible people and activities and organizations here in Albuquerque. I'm hoping that by choosing one sectorfemale artistsby spending a day focusing on bringing more visibility to them, that that will excite people and reinforce the excitement and pride they have for Albuquerque already, Zastudil explained. At the end of the day, we want people to feel empowered, she continued. Hopefully being armed with that knowledge and experience of doing it once, they can go back to daily life and have it as a tool in their arsenal of ways to advocate for artists. One might just as well add that with their new skills, participants can advocate not just for artists, but nearly any community currently underrepresented on Wikipedia. For Zastudil, her new skills won't be put into action on just one day of the year. I know for me it will be ongoing, she added succinctly, and the same may be true for you. Pack your laptop and head Downtown on March 11, where the first 50 attendees will receive a free tote with the New Mexican take on Art+Feminism logo (approved by Zia Pueblo). Between 10am and 4pm, parking will be offered for free at Park-It-Place, so it's all the easier to make the presence of female-identifying artists online all the more encyclopedic. Flash Chinese visitors dominated foreign ones who visited Indonesia's resort island of Bali in January this year with 147,928 travellers, a Statistics Bureau Agency (BPS) official said on Wednesday. The official added that influx of Chinese visitors in Bali was significantly high as it grew 92.32 percent if compared to 76,919 people recorded in the same period last year. "Most of them came with direct flights to Bali's Ngurah Rai airport from several cities in China, while smaller number of theme came with cruise ships," Head of Bali provincial BPS office Adi Nugroho said in Bali capital of Denpasar. He added that with such an enormous arrival figure, Chinese visitors contributed 32.10 percent from a total of 460,824 foreign visitors who visited the resort island in Bali during the first month this year. According to him, the number of Chinese visitors in January has toppled down Australia's domination in foreigners visiting Bali for years. Australian visitors in Bali stood at 91,515, the second largest after Chinese visitors. Bali Tourism expert Tjokorda Gde Agung attributed the surge in Chinese visitors to the increasing direct flights from Chinese cities to Bali and the government's initiation to grant free tourism visa for 169 countries, including from China. Indonesia has regarded China as its main market in tourism sector as the country has increasing number of outbound travelers with 120 million ones recorded in 2015, or 12 percent higher than in 2014. Indonesia has set target to receive 15 million foreign visitors this year, higher than 12 million ones last year. The decision of the US to suspend fast-track H-1B visas will hurt India in the 'short run' but will hugely damage the American economy, former chief economist of the World Bank Kaushik Basu said today. "US suspension of fast track H-1B visas. Will hurt India in the short run & then help. But will do huge damage to US," Basu, who is currently professor of economics at Cornell University, said in a tweet. The US has announced that from April 3, it would temporarily suspend the 'premium processing' of H-1B visas, which allowed some companies to jump the queue, as part of overall efforts to clear the backlog. The suspension came even as New Delhi pressed for a fair and rational approach on the matter from a trade and business perspective. By paying an additional premium of USD 1,225, companies were able to get an H-1B application processed within 15 days, whereas a standard process takes 3-6 months. The suspension of the fast-track processing - widely used by the Indian IT industry - may last six months. It also puts pressure on Indian IT companies as any changes in visa regime may result in higher operational costs and shortage of skilled workers for the Indian outsourcing industry. In the past few weeks, there have been proposals to overhaul the popular H-1B visa regime through various legislations which have added to the worries of the Indian IT sector that is battling slower growth, currency fluctuation and cautious client spending. The US accounts for over 60 per cent of the Indian IT export revenues. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tackling the "traffic menace" and resultant vehicular pollution will be top on the agenda of newly-elected BMC Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar. "If you ask my priority, I would say that city is facing the menace of traffic. Due to traffic, toxic gases like carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane etc are getting released in air, which is turn becomes a cause for ailments like TB, heart attack etc." he told reporters. Mahadeshwar, a three-time Sena corproator from suburban Santacruz, said he would try to tackle these issues with the collective efforts of all parties. "Shiv Sena's mantra is 'swatch' (clean), 'swastha' (healthy) and 'sundar' (beautiful) Mumbai, and I will strive to realise this," he said. Replying to a petition moved against him in the small causes court by two rival candidates alleging suppression of information while filing nomination for BMC polls, Mahadeshwar said he has not received any notices regarding it. "I will respond to the notice if I receive it," he said. When asked about Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's announcement related to appointing Upa-Lokayukta to oversee the functioning of the country's civic body, the Mayor said, "We have been advocating transparency and practicing it for long time. However, transparency should not be selective. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Exhorting cops to continue people friendly policing to seek public cooperation, Jammu and Kashmir police chief S P Vaid today asked his officers to put in place all preventive measures to thwart the "sinister designs" of elements inimical to peace. "Law and order situation in the state is our priority and in coordination with other security agencies we have to put in place all preventive measures and thwart the sinister designs of elements inimical to peace," the director General of Police said chairing a meeting of police officers of Central Kashmir Range here. Vaid said activities of anti-national elements need to be kept under surveillance for which intelligence grid has to be improved further. The DGP asked the officers to continue with people friendly policing, saying the people in turn would work as a partner with the force in itsfight against anti-national elements. "The officers need to gear up their subordinate units for taking pro-people initiatives and give them a sense of friendship," he said. Vaid said it was the responsibility of the 'Thana' (Police station) personnel to bring change in public perception about the force. "Police station is the primary unit of the organisation which could strengthen our bonds with the public and it is responsibility of Thana personnel to bring change in public perception about the force," he said. Vaid said people come to police stations with complaints and high expectations to get their matters solved. "A sympathetic approach by the Thana personnel scripts an image of the force in his mind and any misconception will affect the image of the organisation," he said. He asked the personnel to have a good approach towards complainants while registering their complaints and provide them justice without considering their creed or caste. He said public contribution in different areas of policing was mandatory to achieve more successes and maintaining peace and order in the State. "Jammu and Kashmir Police is unique for its multifarious duties and it is imperative for the force to work in close coordination with the pubic in order to garner cooperation. The force being a law enforcing body has to deal with anti-social elements at different fronts to safeguard interests of public, besides ensuring rule of law in the State," he said. "Our personnel are facing unenviable situations while dealing with the anti-national elements but our priority should be to avoid losses to our citizens by exercising maximum restraint," he said. Deliberating on the welfare measures for the cops, the DGP said police headquarter was aware of the difficulties the personnel are facing in the field while performing in hostile conditions. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An actor and director of Tamil film industry who made films from the money gained out of cheating people has been arrested, police said today. "Srinivasan alias 'power star' was arrested in Chennai and a transit demand was obtained from a local court in Chennai to bring him back to Delhi," Additional Commissioner of Police (Economic Offences Wing) Arun Kampani said. Based on a complaint filed by a Delhi-based businessman in 2013, the officer said, "In December 2010, Srinivasan took an upfront payment of Rs five crore for purchase of special adhesive stamp from the complainant promising him a loan of Rs 1,000 crore. However, the accused neither arranged the loan nor returned Rs five crore." During investigation, it was found that the accused was arrested in June 2013. "But Srinivasan who got interim bail granted in September 2013 jumped it. He was later declared 'Proclaimed Offender' in April 2015," Kampani said. "The accsued used the money in film production," said the officer. Srinivasan, who is an Acupuncture doctor by profession, has acted in around 12 Tamil films and had made guest appearances in a few films. "The accused is involved in eight cases of cheating and criminal intimidation registered against him and being investigated in Delhi and Central Crime Branch in Chennai," said Kampani. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Budget session of Telangana Assembly will commence from tomorrow with the customary address of Governor ESL Narasimhan to the joint legislature. Finance Minister Etela Rajender might present the budget proposals for 2017-18 financial year on March 13, a senior legislator of the uling TRS party said. Though the duration of the session has not been finalised, it can go up to March 28, the legislator said. "The Business Advisory Committee (BAC) would take a final call on the duration," he said. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao today met with legislators and senior leaders of the ruling TRS and discussed the performance of various government schemes and their implementation. Meanwhile, the Congress Legislature Party today met here and chalked out a strategy to be followed in both the Houses. AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh also took part in the brainstorming session. "Our party will raise issues, such as redesigning of irrigation projects and cost overruns," a senior Congress leader said. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India's Audit Reports on the accounts of state government may also be tabled in the Legislature during the session. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tens of thousands of women took to the streets across Turkey, marching for women's rights while some also rallied against expanding the president's powers. In Istanbul over 10,000 people, mostly women, walked the long Istiklal Avenue yesterday, chanting "end male-perpetrated violence" and "Tayyip, Tayyip, run, run, we are coming". "Tayyip" refers to the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who is seeking to create an executive presidency which would see the post of prime minister abolished. On April 16, the Turkish public will vote on whether to change the current system which the government argues causes instability while critics claim greater powers for Erdogan will lead to one-man rule. A deep purple dominated the colourful crowds in Istanbul who held placards saying "women are free" and "we are strong united". The march was organised by multiple women's rights groups and attendees included LGBT individuals, young women, students and also men -- many of whom were carrying "No" posters. For Nurten Karanci who attended the march, being a woman in Turkey means a "fight to live, to survive". Last year, a woman was attacked in Istanbul for wearing shorts on a public bus while another woman wearing the Islamic headscarf said she was kicked and insulted last month. Women's activists often call for an end to violence against women in a country where hundreds of women are killed every year, often by their husbands. Despite a heavy police presence and water cannon trucks on standby, the Istanbul march took place peacefully as they walked from the popular Taksim Square to Sishane on the other end of the avenue on the European side of Istanbul. Members of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), whose two co-leaders remain under arrest accused of terror links, also took part of the march in Istanbul. Meanwhile in Ankara women hit tambourines and held "No" posters shouting their opposition to giving "one man" all the power. In the Kurdish-majority southeastern city of Diyarbakir, hundreds of people staged a demonstration for women's rights, dancing and playing music. One participant, Sabiba Akgul, said all women "should stand up and support each other. Hand in hand, they will find freedom". Activist Ozlem Gul in Istanbul described the difficulty of being a woman in Turkey. "Being a woman anyhow is very complicated, especially today. We have to fight against many things. We have to fight against the attacks on our bodies, our work, our opinions. "We are in the streets, we won't let up, and we will keep on the fight as Turkish women. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress leader Shashi Tharoor today sought the Centre's intervention over incidents of fishermen being killed and detained by neighbouring countries after they allegedly strayed into international waters. The former union minister and Kerala MP also demanded a special assistance package for fishermen, saying they are living "hand to mouth in rather desperate conditions". "In the last 10 days, we had a Tamil fisherman shot by Sri Lankan authorities, we had a large number of Gujarati fishermen arrested by Pakistan and we have a number of Kerala fishermen who have been detained. "All of this underscores the plight of the fishing community in our country. They are living hand to mouth in rather desperate conditions," Tharoor said outside Parliament. He said the condition was such that even in the fishing season, the stocks are so depleted that the fishermen have to go farther into the sea which is why they get into waters that other countries claim to be their own and get arrested. "There is a need for systematic serious government intervention. We do not have a fisheries ministry. The agriculture ministry does not give priority. Fishermen are getting neglected and there is no infrastructural assistance given to them," he said. He pointed out that the usual "dynastic" way where in every fisherman's family, his children also become fishermen again, cannot go on. "We must have serious skill development project in the fishing community. All of this is very important. I have pleaded with the government to take this very seriously and come up with an urgent assistance package to help these fishermen all over India," he said. On Monday, a 22-year-old Indian fisherman was shot dead allegedly by the Sri Lankan navy while he was fishing in a mechanised boat at a short distance off Katchatheevu islet. In another incident, the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency had recently seized 10 to 12 boats with around 70 Indian fishermen on board in the Arabian Sea off the Gujarat coast. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor Randeep Hooda says his forthcoming historical drama, "The Battle of Saragarhi", will go on floors soon after hitting a roadblock earlier. Rajkumar Santoshi's "The Battle of Saragarhi" was supposed to begin shoot in October last year but got delayed apparently due to a disagreement between the producers and director over budgeting issues. "There have been lot of ups and downs. But that's a part of filmmaking. The theme of the film is 'Soora so pahchaniye, je lade deen ke het, Purja-purja kat mare, kabhu na chhade khet' (Only he is brave who fights for the cause of the poor. He may be cut into pieces and may be killed, but he should not leave the field)," Randeep told PTI. "This is the saying of Guru Gobind Singh that they do not abandon the post (battleground). Similarly, we are not abandoning the film. We are going to make it happen," he says. The film is based on the battle of Saragarhi that took place in 1897 between British Indian Army and Afghan Orakzai tribesmen in North-West Frontier Province (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan). The 40-year-old actor will be seen essaying the role of Havildar Ishar Singh in the film. The movie generated curiosity after the "Sarbjit" actor shared his first look, sporting a turban and beard, from the film in August 2016. Randeep, who is known to get into the skin of his characters, had then started preparing for the role, including learning sword fighting, shooting with vintage guns and undergoing physical training. "The preparations are going on very well. It's a very big film, we are trying to set it in a certain budget so the film is profitable. There is a lot of pre-production involved. I think we aimed too early to start and announced the film when the pre-production was not upto the mark," he says. Another film is also being made on the same subject by Ajay Devgn, titled "Sons of Sardaar: The Battle of Saragarhi". Rumours are rife that a movie co-produced by Karan Johar and Salman Khan starring Akshay Kumar will also be made on the same subject. Meanwhile, Randeep is gearing up for his TV debut on MTV's show "Big F". He will be hosting second season of the show which talks about the desires of young Indians. "This (show) is aimed at what our aspirations should be, where any person - male or female - can express their desires or opinions without being labelled," he says. The show is pertinent in today's times and Randeep is hopeful that it will break the stereotypes. "I feel the real change needs to happen in the mindset of men. This show is probably more for men than women. A woman is not an object of desire, she is a human being. "The whole point is, the aspirational India should have these conversations and break away from the tags we have for women," the actor says. The show will go on air from March 12. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Madhya Pradesh High Court has observed that India is a secular country and there should be no discrimination in removing the religious structures of different religions. The observation was made by Justice S C Sharma of the Indore bench yesterday while hearing a petition filed by Masjid Hanfi Anvarul Uloom Committee. The Committee had approached the High Court seeking its direction to the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) that a place of worship should not be removed from Kanadiya Road in the city where road widening work was underway. "Our country is a secular country and there should be no discrimination in removing places of worship coming in the way (of development). "Thus such places, to which ever community they belong, should be removed simultaneously in a month's time," Justice Sharma said in his order. The court also directed the police department to provide adequate security staff to the Indore civic body while removing such structures. The Indore corporation has contended that widening of Kanadiya Road was the need of the hour as large number of accidents were taking place on this stretch which also witnessed heavy traffic congestion. It informed the high court that the religious structures were coming in the way of road widening. The counsel for the petitioner argued that religious place stood on the land belonging to Wakf and it cannot be removed for widening of the road. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tiger Shroff today said that he is not even close to what his father is while responding to director Ram Gopal Varma's comment that the young actor should learn "machoism" from Jackie Shroff. Varma, known for his controversial comments on the social media, had recently tweeted about Tiger's picture on the cover of a magazine, with this caption: "Truly real men like Bruce Lee and 'bindasbhidu' (Jackie Shroff's Twitter handle) never pose in a 'Urmliaish' way." "Please learn machoism from bindasbhidu who even without martial arts poses more like a man and never like this," he continued. When asked about his response, Tiger said Varma is a senior filmmaker and entitled to his opinion. "I am not even half the man that my father is. He is the original hero. Even if I tried I can't be like him. But everyone has the freedom of speech. He is a senior director, so, there's not much I can say to him," the 27-year-old actor told reporters at the inaugural day of Mumbai International Motor Show. Tiger said he does not care if some people react negatively to his "artistic expression." "I try to be my own individual self and be different. I try to express my individuality as much as I can. Some might appreciate my artistic expression, some may not. To each his own." Jackie and Varma worked together in "Rangeela" and are back in "Sarkar 3". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Chippewa Falls Area Unified School Board met Tuesday night to further discuss an on-site clinic option for the 2017-18 school year. The clinic, which would be available to school district employees, is proposed to be located in the Korger-Chestnut building at 140 W. Elm St. in Chippewa Falls, Superintendent Heidi Eliopoulos said. Tuesdays meeting was meant to go over policy and budget to make sure they had dollars to build the clinic as well as do it within the districts policy, which Eliopoulos said they can. Its an upfront investment, but looking at projected savings we should get that investment back quite quickly, Eliopoulos said. With rising costs of healthcare, the district has been exploring other options for saving money while providing quality coverage to its employers and their families, and she thinks this will be an innovative option to do so. They are looking at options for renovating the building, and Eliopoulos said they are hoping to open on July 1, the start of the districts fiscal year. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will host a meeting of nations in the US-led global coalition to fight the Islamic State group in Washington later this month, a State Department official said today. Foreign ministers and senior officials from 68 nations and international organizations are invited for the two-day gathering starting March 22. The official was not authorized to discuss planning for the meeting, first reported by The Washington Post, ahead of a formal announcement later today and spoke on condition of anonymity. The meeting signals the Trump administration's intent to sustain US leadership of the coalition, initiated in 2014 under the Obama administration. The Islamic State group is under growing military pressure in Iraq and Syria. US-backed forces are preparing to battle for the group's self-declared headquarters in Raqqa. It will be the first full meeting of the coalition since December 2014. It is intended to accelerate international efforts to defeat IS and increase pressure on its affiliates and networks. The meeting will also address the humanitarian crisis caused by the conflict. President Donald Trump has vowed to defeat IS but has been strongly critical of the Obama administration's approach. Pentagon leaders sent a new plan to defeat the militant group to the White House late last month. It outlined a strategy that would likely increase the number of US troops in Syria in order to better advise and enable the US-backed Syrian fighters. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told The Associated Press Thursday that the US risks major damage to its relationship with Turkey, which is a NATO ally and part of the US-led coalition against IS, if the U.S. Includes Kurdish forces in the fight to retake Raqqa. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tamil Nadu Agricutural University (TNAU) All India Coordinated Research Project on Weed Management has been adjudged as the Best Centre in the County during 2016-17. The award, carrying a citation and a shield, was presented during the 24th Annual Review Meeting held at Maharana Pratap Agriculture University and Technology, Udaipur last month, TNAU release said here today. Besides the award, Rs one lakh additional grant was given to the Centre for its outstanding contributions in the field of weed science research and extension by a team of scientists, it said. The Centre has developed integrated weed management technologies for different crops, such as rice, soybean, sugarcane, groundnut, onion, sugar beet, tobacco, maize and also aquatic weeds. Research on herbicide residues in soil, water and food chain and impact assessment of weed management technologies on improving the crop yields have also been carried out, it said. TNAU centre was selected from among 24 All India Coordinated Research Project on Weed Management Centres in operation in different parts of the country, the release said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor Tom Hardy's gritty period drama "Taboo" is coming back for a second season. The actor, who portrayed enigmatic James Delaney on the show, conceived the series with his father, Edward, and co-produced it, reported Deadline. "We are grateful and excited to continue our relationship with the BBC and FX (in America) in contributing towards British drama," Hardy says. The pick-up is great for Hardy, who initially lost USD 2.5 million making the drama after production costs of USD 13 million exceeded the show's income of USD 10.5 million. The "Revenant" star and his team of writers initially planned for three seasons of the show. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Top officials of Japanese car makers Toyota and Suzuki today held discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on technological developments and business opportunities in India. Toyota President Akio Toyoda and Suzuki Chairman O Suzuki today called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Toyota-Suzuki business partnership and future technological developments came up for discussion during the meeting, a release issued by Prime Minister's Office said today. The partnership is expected to bring together Toyota's global leadership in technology and manufacturing, with Suzuki's strength in manufacture of small cars, especially in India. It is expected to enable India to use new technological developments. Further, high volumes will enable local manufacture of components required for these technologies, the release said. Hence, the partnership will promote Make in India, and contribute to employment generation. It also opens up scope for export of new technology cars from India, it added. Last year in October, the two Japanese automobile manufacturers had announced plans to explore business partnership to strengthen collaboration in the fields of environment, safety, and information technology. The companies have agreed to begin concrete examinations towards the realisation of business partnership in areas including environmental technologies, safety technologies, information technologies, and mutual supply of products and components. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tunisair announced today the suspension of all its flights because of a row between pilots and technicians. The Tunisian airline apologised to passengers, saying the decision was aimed at "preserving the safety of the fleet" following an "altercation" at Tunis-Carthage International Airport. Tunisian media reported that a fight had broken out between technicians and a captain and his co-pilot, following tensions between the two professions in recent weeks over uniforms. Mechanics also reportedly held a recent sit-in in front of a union headquarters to denounce their treatment by pilots. Police reinforcements were sent to the airport and a crisis cell including the transport minister was set up to resolve the situation. The carrier has 29 aircraft that usually operate an average of 47 flights a day to destinations mostly in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, according to its website. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two persons were today arrested for allegedly gangraping a woman inside a beauty parlour situated in the southern part of the city. According to a senior official of the Kolkata Police, the woman lodged a complaint against the persons with the Purba Jadavpur Police Station on Tuesday, accusing the two of gangraping her. She was accompanied by another woman. In her complaint, she alleged that the persons called her to a beauty parlour on Mukundapur Road late on Sunday evening on the pretext of teaching her how to run a parlour and allegedly raped her there by taking turns, the officer said. The woman in her complaint alleged that the accused were "fully drunk" and that after the crime the duo threatened her with dire consequences if she dared to complain against them. "Both the accused have been arrested and the woman has been sent for a medical test. We are conducting a thorough investigation into the matter," the officer said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two infantry brigades, that were deployed following unrest in Kashmir Valley last September, have been moved out of the state. The pull out has been completed in January and any decision on their redeployment will depend of the ground situation, sources said. The Valley had witnessed widespread protests following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in July, 2016. The additional two brigades comprising 6,000 personnel, which operated along with Rashtriya Rifles, were deployed as part of 'Operation Calmdown' to restore normalcy. The troops were deployed in areas across Kupwara, Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama districts in South Kashmir. Meanwhile, two Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants and a civilian were killed during a nine-hour gunbattle between the ultras and the security forces in Awantipora area of Pulwama district today. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The UN's World Food Programme said two of its Malaysian staff left North Korea today after Kuala Lumpur and Pyongyang banned each other's citizens from leaving their countries in a row over the murder of Kim Jong-Nam. "WFP confirms that two WFP staff of Malaysian nationality have left DPR Korea and arrived in Beijing today," the UN agency said in a statement. "The staff members are international civil servants and not representatives of their national government. They work on WFP's programmes in DPR Korea," it added. North Korea and Malaysia Tuesday banned each other's citizens from leaving their countries, with Kuala Lumpur saying its nationals were effectively being held "hostage". Pyongyang and Kuala Lumpur had unusually strong links for years, but ties have rapidly deteriorated in the weeks since two women, who have been charged with murder, wiped a deadly chemical on Kim's face. Malaysia's prime minister Najib Razak on Wednesday ruled out severing ties with North Korea and said his government would seek to negotiate to secure the release of Malaysian citizens in North Korea. The Malaysian foreign ministry said 11 of its citizens were currently in North Korea - three embassy staff, six family members and two who work for the UN's World Food Programme. In a statement posted in both Malay and English, Najib said on Facebook: "Two of our citizens under the UN World Food programme were allowed to leave Pyongyang. Stella Lim and Nyanaprakash Muniandy have both safely arrived in Beijing." Malaysia did not have a hand in securing the release of the two UN staff, a senior government official told AFP. "They carry UN laissez-passer documents," he said. Seoul has blamed Pyongyang for Kim's assassination, and Kuala Lumpur wants to question several North Koreans, although the only one it has arrested so far was released last week for lack of evidence. An autopsy revealed that VX nerve agent, a substance so dangerous it is classed as a weapon of mass destruction by the UN, was used to kill Kim. The diplomatic dispute erupted last month when police rejected North Korean diplomats' demands to hand over Kim's body. The North has never confirmed the identity of the dead man, but has denounced the Malaysian investigation as an attempt to smear it. Kuala Lumpur announced the expulsion of the North's ambassador over the weekend and Pyongyang retaliated in kind. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The UN's World Food Programme said two Malaysian employees were permitted to leave North Korea today, as Kuala Lumpur negotiates for nine more citizens trapped by a diplomatic row over the murder of Kim Jong-Nam. North Korean barred Malaysians from leaving Tuesday, prompting a tit-for-tat response from Kuala Lumpur as diplomatic tensions soared over the investigation into Kim's murder with the banned VX nerve agent at Malaysia's main airport last month. "The staff members are international civil servants and not representatives of their national government," the UN agency said in a statement, adding that the pair, who worked on WFP food programmes in North Korea, had now arrived in Beijing. Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak said Kuala Lumpur would negotiate to ensure that the remaining nine nationals -- three embassy staff and six family members -- who he said were safe but trapped in Pyongyang, would be allowed to leave. "The government will do everything possible to ensure that our citizens continue to be safe and will be able to return to Malaysia," he said in a statement. But Malaysia will not allow North Koreans to leave the country and "will not relent from our firm approach," Najib added. The government has urged all mosques to hold special prayer sessions from Friday "until this political turmoil is over". Seoul has blamed Pyongyang for Kim's assassination and Malaysian police are seeking seven North Korean suspects in their probe -- four of whom left Malaysia on the day of the murder. The police chief has said he believes the other three are hiding in North Korea's embassy in Kuala Lumpur. Last week, police released the only North Korean they had arrested for lack of evidence. Experts have suggested Pyongyang is using the travel ban as leverage to try to prevent the arrest of key suspects holed up in its embassy. An autopsy revealed that VX nerve agent, a substance so dangerous it is classed as a weapon of mass destruction by the UN, was used to kill Kim, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. Two women -- one Vietnamese and one Indonesian -- have been charged with the murder. Airport CCTV footage shows them approaching the 45-year-old and apparently smearing his face with a cloth. Police say he suffered a seizure and died less than 20 minutes later. The diplomatic dispute erupted last month when police rejected North Korean diplomats' demands to hand over Kim's body. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) British foreign minister Boris Johnson has warned that the alternative to a two-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an "apartheid system," in an interview with an Israeli newspaper published today. Johnson had a whistlestop 24-hour visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories yesterday in which he reaffirmed British support for Israel but criticised settlement building in the occupied West Bank. "What we are saying is that you have to have a two-state solution or else you have a kind of apartheid system," Johnson said in an interview published in the English-language daily The Jerusalem Post Thursday. The two-state solution, meaning the creation of a Palestinian state existing in peace alongside Israel, is a key policy goal of the international community. US President Donald Trump cast uncertainty over his country's commitment to the idea when he met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in February, saying he would be open to a single state if it led to peace. Palestinians fear the prospect of a single state in which Israel would not give the same rights to Jews and Arabs, with senior leaders warning it would constitute "apartheid." In Ramallah yesterday, Johnson stressed that his government's policy was "absolutely unchanged" and they remain committed to two states. The international community considers continuing settlement growth in the West Bank a major obstacle to peace. Parts of Netanyahu's government, considered the most right-wing in Israel's history, advocate annexing at least part of the occupied West Bank. When meeting Netanyahu, Johnson stressed Britain's "rock-like" support of Israel, but also touched on settlement building. "Israel has first and foremost an absolute right to live in security, and the people of Israel deserve to be safe from terrorism," Johnson said. But he later added: "Of course we must also try to remove obstacles to peace and progress such as the settlements. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Britain owes the European Union budget two billion euros after turning a blind eye to a major scam by Chinese importers, the EU's fraud office said on today. "We recommended that the European Commission recovers the money from the United Kingdom," the EU's anti-fraud office OLAF said in an email to AFP, confirming a report by Politico. OLAF accuses Britain of ignoring rampant use of fake invoices and customs claims by Chinese importers which cost 1.99 billion euros (USD 2.1 billion) in lost customs duties to the EU. The claim comes at a sensitive time in EU-Britain relations, just before London is to embark on Brexit negotiations in which the UK's exit bill -- estimated at 60 billion euros -- has already sparked sharp exchanges. The UK government said it rejected the report and insisted Britain was tough on fraud. "We don't recognise the figures and (the UK's revenue authorities) are looking at it now," a spokesman for British Prime Minister said. The matter was "entirely separate and unrelated matter to the Brexit negotiations," he added. An investigation by OLAF showed that between 2013 and 2016, fraudsters evaded customs duties by using false invoices and incorrect customs value declarations on imports into the UK. OLAF said that "despite repeated efforts and in contrast to the actions taken by several other member states to fight against these fraudsters," the scam in Britain continued to grow. The office said that the scheme also cost other EU countries -- such as France, Germany, Spain and Italy -- 3.2 billion euros in lost national value-added-tax revenue. The fraudsters involved "are in fact organised crime groups whose actions affect the entire EU; they operate in criminal networks active across the EU," OLAF said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The UN human rights chief said today he is "dismayed" by US President Donald Trump's attempts to "intimidate or undermine" journalists and judges, and expressed concerns about the impact of a Trump order that bans people of six mostly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein chronicled a litany of human rights concerns worldwide, including "chilling indifference" among some leaders in the European Union toward migrants, a crackdown on lawyers and activists in China, and a new Russian law that may have been used "arbitrarily" to curb free expression. Faced with upheaval, violence and repression in places as diverse as the Philippines, Syria, South Sudan, Yemen, Venezuela and beyond, Zeid a Jordanian prince had no shortage of topics to decry in his 37-minute speech to the Human Rights Council today. Referring to the US, Zeid said "greater and more consistent leadership is needed to address the recent surge in discrimination, anti-Semitism, and violence against ethnic and religious minorities," and pointed to the harm caused by "vilification of entire groups such as Mexicans and Muslims." "I am dismayed at attempts by the president to intimidate or undermine journalists and judges," Zeid said, referring to Trump. "I am also concerned about new immigration policies that ban admission of people from six predominantly Muslim countries for 90 days," he said, alluding to a new executive order affecting people from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. After his office cited reports about over 100 people killed in clashes in central Congo last month, Zeid urged the council to investigate "recurrent reports of grave violations and the recent discovery of three more mass graves." He didn't elaborate on the discovery of the mass graves and his office could not immediately provide further details. Zeid said Bahrain, Gambia, Indonesia, Jordan and Kuwait recently backed away from their commitments to halt the death penalty, lamenting "these retrograde trends." He said China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan account for nearly 90 percent of all executions worldwide, and said Maldives, Papua New Guinea, Turkey and the Philippines planned to reinstate capital punishment. He said the rights office would soon release a report about suspected human rights violations in southeast Turkey, saying its "remote monitoring" has turned up "credible indications of hundreds of deaths" even though his teams have not had access to the area. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him, on the occasion of International Women's Day, to "unfollow" those, who threaten and abuse women online. "Happy women's day to all. On this day, I urge Hon'ble PM to unfollow all those who abuse n threaten women n take strong action against them(sic)," Kejriwal tweeted. Last month, Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur was threatened with rape after she posted a message on social media following the Ramjas College ruckus that saw clashes between RSS-backed ABVP and Left-affiliated AISA. The AAP had attacked Modi for "following" those on Twitter, who allegedly abused women. Some women leaders of the party had then asked the PM to "unfollow" them. TMC Rajya Sabha MP Dereck O'Brien retweeted the Kejriwal's tweet. "Made the same request last month in #Parliament Maybe he will heed a CMs request (sic)," O'Brien wrote retweeting the tweet. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi is likely to visit Jammu and Kashmir next week and review the security situation in the state. The visit bears significance as Election Commission has announced by-election to Srinagar and Anantnag Lok Sabha constituencies where polling will be held on April 9 and 12 respectively. During the two-day tour, Mehrishi will hold meetings with top officials of the state government, police, paramilitary forces and Army and take stock of the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in border areas. The Home Secretary is expected to call on Governor N N Vohra and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and discuss with them various issues concerning the state. The state has seen several incidents of violence in recent past including one at Awantipora where two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants and a civilian were killed during a nine-hour gunbattle between the ultras and the security forces. Army's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt Gen A K Bhatia today also spoke to his Pakistani counterpart and conveyed India's concerns over movement of terrorists along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. Anantnag seat fell vacant in June last after Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti won the assembly polls and resigned from the Lok Sabha. The Srinagar Lok Sabha seat was vacated by former PDP leader Tariq Hamid Karra who had resigned in protest against alleged "brutalities" on Kashmir protesters. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Kerala Assembly today plunged into turmoil after the ruling-LDF and the Opposition UDF MLAs nearly came to blows during the zero hour while discussing a notice for adjournment motion on "moral policing" by Shiv Sena. The House was adjourned temporarily following the uproar. The state Legislature was discussing the UDF's notice on the Kochi incident yesterday when the ruckus broke out. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's statement expressing doubts whether there was a larger conspiracy behind the incident and whether the Sena activists were allegedly hired by the Opposition, infuriated the UDF MLAs. The MLAs first protested by sitting in the well of the House and then rushed to the treasury benches. Soon, there was a stand-off as the ruling MLAs too rushed towards the well to block them which was followed by heated exchanges between the two sides. Fearing that the situation might go out of control, Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan adjourned the House temporarily. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Pranab Mukherjee has called for "urgent collective action" in order to eliminate the scourge of terrorism from which no country is immune. Mukherjee said this while interacting with visiting Chief of Royal Court of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Fayez Al-Tarawneh who called on him yesterday at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The President said India attaches great value to its ties with Jordan. "India appreciates Jordan's proactive role under the leadership of King Abdullah on regional issues, especially towards resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and addressing the scourge of terrorism that has affected our regions and the world," he said. Mukherjee added no country is safe from terrorism and urgent collective action is needed to eradicate it. The President said India lauds Jordan's exceptional humanitarian assistance in hosting refugees from its war-torn neighbourhood despite the tremendous strain on its socio-economic resources. He said India was happy that it could make a contribution to help mitigate the crisis adding he had warm memories of his recent visit to Jordan, the first-ever visit by an Indian head of state to Jordan. Mukherjee said India-Jordan bilateral trade which was at USD 1.35 billion in 2015-16 is expected to touch new heights. "India is happy that Jordan is interested in cooperation in security and defence, space, and fertilisers among others," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United States already is in a trade war with other nations, but only now is beginning to fight back, US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said today. In a continuation of the Trump administration's unapologetically aggressive trade policy, which views trade deficits as a national security threat, Ross said, "we've been in a trade war for decades, that's why we have the deficits." But, "the difference is our troops are now coming to the ramparts," he said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose unilateral tariffs on goods imported from Mexico and China, criticized Germany for its surplus, pulled out the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership, and pledged to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement. But Ross downplayed the threat of a damaging trade confrontation. "It's not going to be a shooting war. If people know you have the big bazooka, you probably don't have to use it," he said. Ross said renegotiation of NAFTA would not begin until the late in the year and hopefully will not last more than a year but noted "these are very complicated issues." "I would like the results tomorrow, but that is not the way the world works," he said, adding that implementing the renegotiated terms with Canada and Mexico will take some time. The White House must give Congress 90 days notice before opening talks to revise the trade pact. Any NAFTA member can withdraw from the agreement with six months notice. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US military for the first time is publicly accusing Russia of deploying a land-based cruise missile in violation of a Cold War-era nuclear arms treaty. Gen. Paul Selva, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a House panel today that the missile violates "the spirit and intent" of the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The administration of former President Barack Obama had accused Moscow of violating the treaty, but Selva's statement was the first public confirmation of recent reports that the Russians have deployed the missile. Selva said the missile's deployment presents what he called a "risk to most of our facilities in Europe" and that the move is a deliberate effort by Russia to pose a threat to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Washington is scrambling to develop a new strategy to counter North Korea's aggressive nuclear weapon and missile programs, but tougher sanctions could provoke a diplomatic clash with China. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will visit the United States' frontline allies South Korea and Japan next week before heading on to great power rival China to discuss the mounting crisis. Kim Jong-Un's regime is testing a new ballistic missile that could threaten US bases and cities in the Pacific rim, and rocket salvo tactics that could overwhelm missile defense systems. Most observers see China as the only power with the leverage to get its isolated neighbor to stand down, and existing United Nations-backed sanctions have had little effect so far. The crisis is the first major security challenge of Donald Trump's presidency, and the Pentagon has already provoked China's ire by deploying an advanced anti-missile system to South Korea. Now, other options are being considered, and the hawkish wing of the Washington foreign policy community is pushing for measures that would hurt Chinese banks that work with Pyongyang. State Department spokesman Mark Toner would not be drawn on the details of any plan Tillerson might take to Asia, but officials confirmed that an urgent policy review is underway. Toner said the North Korean threat would be "front and center" in the planned talks next week between Tillerson and his Chinese, South Korean and Japanese counterparts. The senior diplomats would, he said, "talk through what our options are and new ways to look at resolving the situation." But the signals coming out of China are not encouraging for those in Washington who cling to the hope that Beijing may be ready to rein in its small but belligerent neighbor. On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi implied that the United States and North Korea were equally at fault for provoking the latest crisis and headed towards a "head-on collision." Wang urged the US military to halt planned exercises with South Korea, in exchange for Pyongyang halting its nuclear and missile programs -- an idea Washington promptly dismissed. "The onus is on North Korea to take meaningful actions toward denuclearization and refrain from provocations," Toner said. China has in the past supported measures against North Korea's nuclear program, but six sets of UN sanctions since Pyongyang's first test in 2006 have failed to slow it. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United States is deploying an additional 400 troops to help defeat the Islamic State group in Raqa, the jihadists' self-proclaimed capital in Syria, a spokesman for the US-led coalition said on today. "They are temporary forces," US Colonel John Dorrian told reporters in Baghdad, confirming a report in the New York Times, adding that the long-term authorized level of US troops in Syria would remain at 500. IS jihadists are facing simultaneous offensives in northern Syria by government forces, Turkish-backed rebels, and a US-supported alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters. The additional US troops include a Marines artillery unit being deployed with 155mm howitzers in support of the Raqa offensive. It also includes US special operations troops equipped with Stryker armored vehicles, which have been sent further north to the Manbij region to deter clashes between Turkish forces and the Americans' Kurdish-Arab allies. US special operations forces have been inside Syria since 2015, advising and training the Kurdish-Arab fighters, who are grouped under the umbrella of the Syrian Democratic Forces. The buildup comes amid calls by US President Donald Trump for new plans to accelerate the pace of the war against the Islamic State group. US media reports say the plan involves the deployment of artillery, attack helicopters and additional special operations forces. The US military estimates that there are 3,000 to 4,000 jihadists entrenched in Raqa, a city of 300,000. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ronald M. Pinter, 76, formerly of Cornell, passed away March 6, 2017, at HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital. He was raised in the Boyd area by his adoptive parents, working on their farm. He joined the U.S. Army and proudly served his country in Vietnam and in Desert Storm. He actively served for 20+ years and upon his honorable discharge, he joined multiple veterans organizations. He married the love of his life, Shirley Hall, on March 9, 1974, and welcomed their daughter, Angela Aug. 6, 1975. They made their home in Cornell, where he worked for the Cornell Corp. and various other factory jobs until his retirement in 1998. In 2001, he and Shirley moved to Chippewa Falls, where they resided until her passing March 10, 2005. The year 2001 was also when he located his biological siblings after many years of searching for them. He became a resident of the Wisconsin Veterans Home in Chippewa Falls in February 2016 and resided there until his passing. Ronald was very patriotic and was extremely proud to have served his country. He is survived by his daughter, Angie; sisters, Charlott (Norman) Olson, Darlene Otto, Edith Schlosser, Mary Kraft; brothers, Anthony Schlosser, Ben (Carol) Schlosser, George (Cheryl) Schlosser; sister-in-law, Diana Hall. He is also survived by his two godsons, Michael Hall and Dominique Hall; as well as many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his wife of 31 years, Shirley; his adoptive parents; his biological mom; his stepfather; his mother and father-in-law; his sister-in-law, Sandy Westrich; brothers-in-law, Michael Hall, Mark Hall and Duane Kraft. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday March 13, at Our Saviors Lutheran Church in Cornell, with Pastor Andy Schottelkorb officiating. Interment with military honors at Cornell Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday March 12, at the Borton-Leiser Funeral Home in Cornell and also one hour before services Monday morning at the church. Express online condolences at www.leiserfuneralhome.com. The United States today voiced skepticism about calls for talks with North Korea, saying leader Kim Jong-Un was behaving irrationally and would likely not respond to diplomatic advances. "We are not dealing with a rational person," US Ambassador Nikki Haley told reporters following a closed-door meeting of the Security Council to discuss North Korea's latest missile launches. In a reference to China, which is calling for a return to negotiations, Haley said that "if this were any other country, we would be talking about that and it wouldn't be an issue." She described Kim, without naming him, as a "person who has not had rational acts, who is not thinking clearly." "We are re-evaluating how to handle North Korea going forward," she added. The UN Security Council met behind closed doors to discuss next steps to address North Korea's missile launches after Pyongyang said the latest tests were for a possible strike on US bases in Japan. North Korea fired at least four missiles toward Japan on Monday, three of which splashed down in waters near Japan. The US ambassador said "all the options are on the table" and did not rule out talks completely but she made clear that the onus was on North Korea to show a willingness to seek a diplomatic solution. "We have to see some sort of positive action taken by North Korea before we can ever take them seriously," said Haley. China, Pyongyang's main ally, earlier called on North Korea to suspend its nuclear and missile activities in exchange for the US and South Korea halting joint military exercises in South Korea. The proposal from the Chinese foreign minister however appeared to fall flat, with Britain, France and Japan saying that North Korea must take the first step to show that it was ready to change course and abandon its military and nuclear programs. Chinese Ambassador Liu Jieyi stressed the importance of reducing tensions on the Korean peninsula, telling reporters after the meeting that this must be done "in a negotiated way". The council has imposed six sets of sanctions on North Korea -- two of which were adopted last year to significantly ramp up measures and deny Kim's regime hard currency revenue. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting M Venkaiah Naidu today met women employees of his ministry on the occasion of International Women's Day. "Although Women's Day is being celebrated today, but celebrating women and girl child should be an everyday ritual," Naidu said while interacting with them. The minister advocated for establishing the "3Es - (Women) Empowerment, Emancipation and Equality - within the institutional framework of society to be facilitated by all stakeholders." On the issue of reservation for women, Naidu said a strong political will and change in mindsets were critical elements in addressing the larger issues related to women. He said the women who are referred as the better half in a relation were actually the "best half" in any relation. This is for the first time that such an interaction with women personnel was organised on the occasion of International Women's Day by the ministry. Women staff from all sections and ranks participated in the interaction, an official release said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Water reservoir of an old house in the northern part of the city collapsed and fell down on the adjacent road today, police said. Nobody, however, was injured in the incident, they said. The water reservoir on the terrace, fourth floor of an old building on Cossipore Road in Sithi area fell down late this evening, an officer of Kolkata Police said. "A portion of the terrace was also damaged during the incident. The reservoir was full of water when it fell down on the adjacent road of the building. Luckily nobody was injured in the incident," the officer said. A team of police personnel from local police station and fire tenders rushed to the place as precautionary measure, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The White House today expressed its "unwavering" commitment to locate and return ex-FBI agent Robert Levinson, who disappeared 10 years ago on Iran's Kish Island. "The Trump Administration remains unwavering in our commitment to locate Mr. Levinson and bring him home. We want him back, and we will spare no effort to achieve that goal," the White House said. The former agent and ex-CIA contractor went missing in March 2007. His whereabouts has been yet another point of friction between Tehran and Washington. Levinson was not part of the 2016 prisoner release deal that saw Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian and four others released by Tehran. President Barack Obama's White House had suggested that Levinson may no longer be in Iran. The Trump White House has taken a more hardline stance against Tehran and on Thursday called for information and plugged a five million dollar reward for his "location and safe return." "The Levinson family has suffered far too much during the last decade due to the absence of Mr. Levinson, a loving father, brother, husband, grandfather, and friend to many." "Each and every day, but especially today, our hearts are with the Levinson family. We will not rest until this case is resolved. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bombarded with requests to airlift patients from different countries, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today expressed her inability to accede to such demands. "I receive many requests for Air ambulance from Indian abroad," Swaraj tweeted while tagging a twitterati who wanted Rs 23 lakh for air ambulance. "I wish I had enough funds to airlift all Indian patients from various countries of the world," she said. Swaraj also retweeted some of the requests she has received over the past few months. Her comments also come in the backdrop of criticism by a twitterati after she tweeted on Monday about a crash of an air ambulance near Bangkok and the death of its pilot. The Minister also rejected suggestion that to avail any facility one needs to be a Muslim. One needs to be only Indian, she tweeted in response to a comment that to avail any facility one needs to be a Muslim. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A woman has been charged in Belgium with terrorism offences on suspicions she has helped people plotting an attack in Europe, prosecutors said today. "The investigation shows indications of assistance being provided by the woman to persons with the intention to commit an attack in Europe," the federal prosecutor's office said in a statement. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An event attended by Narendra Modi here saw a woman sarpanch from UP throwing security personnel into a tizzy when she rushed toward the Prime Minister and an altercation between police and two Muslim women village heads from Kerala on the issue of removing their veil. According to police, the woman sarpanch from Uttar Pradesh wanted to hand over a memorandum to the PM against the Akhilesh Yadav-led government in UP over the plight of her village. The PM was in the city to address the Swachh Shakti 2017 programme organised at Mahatma Mandir on the occasion of International Women's Day. During the function, the woman sarpanch from UP, identified as Shalini Singh, tried to rush towards Modi after breaking the security cover near the main dais, moments before Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan started her speech, police said. However, she was immediately whisked away by women police personnel and taken outside the hall. Later, talking to reporters Shalini Singh said she was here to make a representation to the PM about her village. Gandhinagar Police said Singh represents Thora village of Gautam Buddha Nagar district in UP and came here on invitation. "She actually wanted to give a memorandum to the PM against the Akhilesh Yadav-led UP government for not showing any interest in improving the condition of Thora village. Since she did not know about security protocols, she tried to meet PM after he arrived on the dais," Gandhinagar Superintendent of Police Virendrasingh Yadav said. Inspector General of Gandhinagar Range R B Brahmbhatt said the woman was very "upset" with the attitude of UP government. "She told us that despite having a population of 12,000, her village lacks all kind of basic amenities, such as drinking water and schools. Since her intention was only to meet the PM about it, we have not taken any action against her," Brahmbhatt said. Meanwhile, two women sarpanch from Kerala allegedly refused to attend the PM's function after they were stopped by police and asked to remove 'hijab' (veil) for security check. However, when the women insisted on not being frisked, they were allowed inside the hall with "full respect", police said. According to Brahmbhatt, the controversy was uncalled for as none of them were forced to do anything against the rules. "As part of the standard security protocol to be followed during the PM's visit, police made a separate enclosure near the entrance to frisk the women invitees and there were only women police officers to check the guests. "For security reasons, we have to frisk every guest. However, two women refused to let the women officers frisk them. We just asked them to let them see if there was anything hidden in their clothes and hijab," Brahmbhatt said. "Even if they were asked to remove the hijab temporarily, there were only women officers inside the enclosure, which was fully covered. Later, when these women insisted not to be frisked, we let them in with full respect. This whole controversy was uncalled for," he said. In a televised audio byte given to some new channels in Kerala, Muppanad Panchayat president, Shaharbhan, alleged that the security personnel first prevented her and two other women from attending the function as they were wearing black 'hijabs', part of their religious veil. Shaharbhan said that while she removed her veil to enter the venue, two other representatives from Cherkulam and Trikaripur panchayats in Kasaragod district refused to attend the function without their traditional head scarfs, she claimed. After some Swachh Bharat Mission officials from Kerala intervened, the women were allowed to wear their traditional attire. The aggressive instincts of humans, coupled with the fast pace of growth in technology may destroy us all by nuclear or biological war, renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has warned, adding that only a 'world government' may prevent this impending doom. Despite the problems of mass species extinction, global warming and the threat of artificial intelligence, Hawking remains optimistic about the future of humanity. He said that he looked back on his life with gratitude and towards the years to come with cautious hope. However, he is worried that humans may not have the skills as a species to stay alive. If humanity is to survive to see the future, then we might need to form a world government, Hawking said. "We need to be quicker to identify such threats and act before they get out of control. This might mean some form of world government. But that might become a tyranny," said Hawking. "All this may sound a bit doom-laden but I am an optimist. I think the human race will rise to meet these challenges," he said. "Since civilisation began, aggression has been useful in as much as it has definite survival advantages," he said. "It is hard-wired into our genes by Darwinian evolution. Now, however, technology has advanced at such a pace that this aggression may destroy us all by nuclear or biological war," he added. "We need to control this inherited instinct by our logic and reason," Hawking was quoted as saying by 'The Times'. He argued that there were new challenges too - among them environmental problems and his concern that artificial intelligence could supplant humans. Hawking had earlier warned that the creation of powerful artificial intelligence may turn out to be "the worst thing ever to happen to humanity" despite its potential benefits. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 21-year-old man today committed suicide allegedly by setting himself ablaze in his house in south Delhi's Kishangarh area, police said. It is suspected that the youth took the extreme step as he was depressed due to a failed love affair, they said. A PCR call was received today at around 10.30 AM about a fire in Vasant apartment located in Kishangarh area. A fire tender and police rushed to the spot. "By the time police team reached, it was found that the family members of the youth, with the help of neighbours, had broken the door. Rohit was found partially burnt, and was rushed to a hospital," said a senior police officer. The youth received around 50 per cent burn injuries and was taken to Safdarjung Hospital where he was declared brought dead, the officer added. Rohit had a grocery shop in the locality and had returned this morning from his native place Begusarai in Bihar. "He arrived in the morning and went to his room to take some rest. Later, we saw smoke coming out from his room and we immediately broke open the door with the help of neighbours. Rohit was found burnt and unconscious," his elder brother Rajesh said. Police said a probe is on. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Uttarakhand High Court today issued notices to four policemen including the investigating officer probing the custodial death of a youth at Katoratal police chowki here. Justice UC Dhyani issued notices to constables Pravin Kumar, Balwant Singh Bally, Virendra Bhatt and investigating officer Bipin Chandra Pant while hearing a petition filed by the father of the deceased Mohammad Yamin seeking a CBI probe into the incident and sealing of the spot where the boy allegedly hanged himself. The matter will now come up for hearing after Holi. Ziauddin had allegedly hanged himself at the police Chawki while being interrogated in connection with the alleged abduction of a minor girl. However, his family had alleged, soon after the incident, that he had been tortured to death. The police chawki staff had been suspended for dereliction of duty following the incident. Advocate Manisha Bhandari argued before the court on behalf of the petitioner. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Jessica DiNapoli and Tom Hals - Westinghouse Electric Co LLC, the U.S. nuclear power plant developer owned by troubled Japanese electronics giant Toshiba Corp, has brought in bankruptcy attorneys from law firm Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. The move comes after a $6.3 billion writedown at Westinghouse last month wiped out Toshiba's shareholder equity and caused it to seek divestments to create a buffer for any fresh financial problems. A Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by Westinghouse in the United States could help limit Toshiba's losses, two people said, cautioning that the retainment of the debt restructuring lawyers from Weil is just an exploratory step, and that no decision about a bankruptcy filing had yet been taken. A Westinghouse spokeswoman declined to comment on Weil's role, but said that Westinghouse has hired Lisa Donahue of advisory firm AlixPartners LLP as its chief transition and development officer, to lead "an operational restructuring and financial rebuilding." Toshiba said it is not aware of any intention for Westinghouse to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. AlixPartners declined to comment, while Weil did not respond to a request for comment. Donahue last ran restructuring efforts at debt-laden Puerto Rico utility Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA). Westinghouse already has a working relationship with Weil, having tapped it as legal adviser last year on its acquisition of engineering services firm CB&I Stone & Webster Inc from Chicago Bridge & Iron Company NV (CB&I). Toshiba last week asked a Japanese law firm to help estimate the potential financial impact it would face if Westinghouse files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, sources told at the time. Westinghouse is overseeing the construction of four nuclear power plants in South Carolina and Georgia, the first to be built in the United States in more than 30 years. However, these projects, owned by U.S. utility companies Scana Corp and Georgia Power Co, respectively, have been plagued by cost overruns and delays. The plants were first approved by regulators in 2012, but they required changes to the plans so that they could withstand the impact of a commercial aircraft in a possible hijacking. "While we cannot speculate on what may happen in the future with Toshiba or Westinghouse and their overall business, we will continue to hold them, as the contractor for the Vogtle project, accountable for their responsibilities under our agreement. Progress at the Vogtle site is happening today and will continue in the future," a Georgia Power spokesman said on Wednesday, referring to the Georgia project. Scana said in February that Toshiba and Westinghouse are committed to finishing the plants, and will have them in service by 2020. Adding to the woes of Pittsburgh-based Westinghouse, which was acquired by Toshiba in 2006 for $5.4 billion, is its legal row with CB&I. CB&I has argued in court that it expected a relatively small payment from Westinghouse of only $161 million when the Stone & Webster deal closed, on the understanding that the latter was taking on a challenged business. However, Westinghouse has said that it is actually owed $2 billion by CB&I. (Reporting by Jessica DiNapoli in New York and Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By William James LONDON (Reuters) - British trade? minister Liam Fox urged ministers from more than 30 Commonwealth countries to resist "seductive" trade protectionism on Thursday, eyeing the network of mostly former colonies as a way to boost post-Brexit trade. The plea comes weeks, possibly even days, before Prime Minister Theresa May begins the process of Britain's divorce from the European Union. That will force the world's fifth largest economy to find new trade partners at a time when globalisation is under fire from populist, nationalist politics? in several major economies. ?Speaking at an event organised to try and reboot the Commonwealth -- a 52-country alliance which includes the likes of India, Australia and Canada -- as a champion of free-trade, Fox warned of a "rising chorus of protectionism". "Protectionism can be a seductive but false friend. I have described it as the Class A drug of the trading world: it can make you feel good at first but you pay a terrible price in the long term," he said. Brexit and the election of U.S. President Donald Trump have thrown relations with Britain's two largest trading partners up in the air, with the EU expected to drive a hard bargain in exit talks and Trump's nationalist rhetoric tempering enthusiasm about the terms of any Anglo-American trade deal. Fox said he wanted strengthen trade with the Commonwealth and see the group "lead the defence of free trade". But Britain's attempts to woo Commonwealth partners have drawn criticism from some quarters. Former minister and ex-Goldman Sachs chief economist Jim O'Neill told the Politico website this week that a trade deal with New Zealand would make "zero difference" to Britain's future in terms of trade. Thursday's meeting is the first to bring Commonwealth ministers together to focus on trade. The organisation hopes to boost trade between its members to $1 trillion dollars by 2020, from around $500 billion now. Jonathan Marland, head of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council which organised the meeting, said the change in global mood could aid networks like the Commonwealth which have shared legal systems and business culture. "In a world where globalisation is potentially retrenching with the change of attitude in the American government and obviously Brexit ... there is a great opportunity" for the group, he told reporters. (Editing by Catherine Evans) (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Andreas Cremer and Aditi Shah BERLIN (Reuters) - Volkswagen has signed an agreement with Tata Motors to explore cooperation in India, company sources close to the matter said, as the German carmaker tries once again to conquer emerging markets. After months of talks, the carmakers have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to deepen exchanges about technology, components and platforms, and analyse overlaps that could come from cooperation, one of three company sources said. VW, already the biggest carmaker by sales in China, is embracing electric cars and looking for new markets as it battles to recover from its diesel emissions scandal. A previous VW attempt to expand in emerging markets through an alliance with Suzuki Motor Corp. collapsed in 2015 after a fierce dispute. Winning emerging market share is an obvious goal for global automakers, but has yet to prove significantly profitable, except perhaps for budget-car champion Renault. "Covering entry-level segments will be crucial for major carmakers' long-term growth plans," said Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, head of the Center of Automotive Research at the University of Duisburg-Essen. "A successful budget car can be a feeder to the rest of the brand," said Dudenhoeffer, a former sales director of PSA Group's Germany operations. VW's efforts to make inroads in low-cost markets include China, the world's biggest auto market, where it has scrapped a pre-dieselgate programme and redrawn the plans for a budget car, company sources said. VW has pared costs for its MQB mass-market platform, sources told at the Geneva auto show. The vehicles will likely be introduced in 2019-2020 and may cost in the area of 8,000 euros to 10,000 euros ($8,500 to $10,500), sources said. VW had repeatedly failed in previous years to hit cost targets for a budget car priced between 6,000-8,000 euros. An announcement on budget models for China could be made at the Shanghai auto show next month, they said. VW views the budget car project as essential to protect its market-leading position in China against aspiring local manufacturers. "They're offering relatively high quality at very aggressive prices," VW brand chief Herbert Diess told in Geneva. "This is a concern for us." VW is also working on a budget car for Latin America and has revamped its MQB architecture in a way that allows for greater savings on the models, sources said in Geneva. "We will continue to work on the budget car and we will offer good solutions here in the foreseeable future," Chief Executive Matthias Mueller told in Geneva, without elaborating. In India, the owner of British luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover is restructuring its car business to cut its platforms to two from six to boost production efficiencies and adjust more quickly to market trends. "We confirm that we are in talks with VW for a potential alliance but an announcement will be made at an appropriate time," a spokesman for Tata said. With a very low vehicle penetration rate, India, the world's second most populous country, is a big attraction for Western carmakers as they search for growth. A spokesman for VW said it was discussing ways to expand its product portfolio with tailor-made solutions in India with both its car brands and potential partners. Light vehicle sales in India are expected to more than double to 7.1 million cars by 2025 from 3.4 million last year, according to IHS Markit. ($1 = 0.9450 euros) (Reporting by Andreas Cremer, Jan Schwartz and Aditi Shah in New Delhi; editing by David Clarke/Ruth Pitchford) (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Commercial Feature is a Business Standard Digital Marketing Initiative. The Editorial/Content team at Business Standard has not contributed to writing or editing these articles. For further information, please write to assist@bsmail.in With some of the exit polls predicting a hung Assembly in UP, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday reached out to BSP chief Mayawati, indicating the possibility of the two parties replicating the Bihar model of a 'grand alliance' to keep the BJP out of power as also prevent the Modi government from imposing President's Rule in the state. Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thurday expressed confidence that the BJP would win the high-stakes Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls with an "absolute" majority, two days before counting of votes. Asked about his party's prospects in the state, he told reporters, "We will get absolute majority". He, however, did not answer questions about who will be the party's chief ministerial candidate if it comes to power. The counting of votes for the five-state Assembly polls, including in UP, will be held on March 11 with results expected the same day. UP underwent seven-phase polls spread across almost a month. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor As Indias most populous state, Uttar Pradesh (UP) has the highest number of assembly seats in the country404and one-fourth of all unrecognised political parties (1,786) in the country (a party can be registered but unrecognised). Among its 474 unrecognised political parties are sundry small outfits vying for seats against the bigwigsthe Bharatiya Janata Party, Samajwadi Party, Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party. WhatsApp used to be a simple instant messaging application a couple of years back. The revenue system of the chat was not well defined. However, after Facebook acquired the application at a hefty amount ($19 billion), it's making sure the app can start generating revenue. In last year's Facebook conference, the company had outlined a few methods to make WhatsApp a more investor friendly entity. Company chief, Mark Zuckerberg mentioned that through WhatsApp, companies will be able to interact with their desired customer in a very personal and direct way. The feature is finally seeing the light of the day and is being tested by WhatsApp. According to a report by Reuters, there is no official announcement about the tests, but the feature is being used by business ventures like Y Combinator, a United States based seed accelerator, which helps promising young tech firms grow rapidly. This new feature falls perfectly in line with what WhatsApp's promise to focus on rolling out commercial messaging this year for businesses as it looks to tap into enterprises for monetising its platform. The business model has previously been put to use on Facebook's Messenger. The user can not only interact with various businesses but also complete the payment with the application. The same chat-bot model might come into play with WhatsApp. WhatsApp hardly used to benefit from its subscription charges, which does not justify Facebook's mighty investment in the application. This new feature will turn that around and help WhatsApp generate revenue by giving businesses direct access to over 1 billion users. India is also the biggest market for WhatsApp. Of its over one billion users, about 200 million are here. Last month, Brian Acton, co-founder of popular messaging app WhatsApp, called IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to discuss ways in which the company can contribute to Indias vision for digital commerce. Highlighting the countrys importance, Acton said WhatsApp hopes to contribute more to "Indias vision for digital commerce in future". Facebook-owned WhatsApp has almost become the default messaging application for people in countries like India and Brazil. In India, it competes with the likes of Hike, Snapchat and Viber. The Reserve Bank of India on Wednesday opposed the $1.17 billion deal pact between Tata Sons Ltd and Japan's NTT DoCoMo in connection with the termination of a joint venture in the country. The two companies that had made a joint application in the Delhi High Court to resolve the matter had the hearing yesterday. Steady with its earlier decisions in February 2015 and July 2016, RBI told the court that Tata Sons cannot pay DoCoMo despite the arbitration in a London court in June 2016. The Central Bank's argument was that the settlement would amount to transferring of shares, which would be illegal. Justice S Murlidhar questioned if the RBI could oppose the award's enforcement, considering both the companies have agreed to settle the dispute through the payment, to which the RBI said it would submit its stand in court at the next hearing on March 14. The Apex bank fears that the Japanese firm may pursue the $1.7 bn award enforcement in US and UK if it doesn't succeed in India. However, the court called this argument "absurd" and reminded that "RBI has no jurisdiction outside India," "How can you object to enforceability anywhere else in the world? If they (Tata) have assets anywhere else, they (Docomo) can move a court there for the enforcement of the award. There is no law prohibiting it," the judge said, reported by the Economic Times. The payment to NTT DoCoMo has been on the hold because the RBI regulations do not allow any sale of shares at a predetermined price except at market value. But the Tatas have already deposited the amount with the Delhi High Court's registrar. The RBI twice sought government's advice over the matter asking for an exception to DoCoMo's case, but the government said that providing an exception to one company would open up other cases. Further, the judged probed the RBI counsel: Is this (opposition to the agreement between Tata and Docomo) an independent stand, or is this advised by the government of India? The RBI counsel did not respond to this comment. Tata Teleservices and DoCoMo formed a telecoms partnership in 2009. In the event of an exit, that deal guaranteed DoCoMo the higher of either half its original investment, or its fair value. When DoCoMo decided to get out in 2014, Tata Sons was unable to find a buyer for the Japanese firm's stake and offered to buy the stake itself, for half DoCoMo's investment of $2.2 billion. India's central bank blocked Tata Sons' offer, saying a rule change the previous year prevented foreign investors from selling stakes in Indian firms at a pre-determined price. DoCoMo took the case to a London court and won the arbitration. Tata Sons was asked to pay a penalty of $1.17 billion, which it has deposited with the Delhi High Court in the Indian capital, where the case is being heard. Kotak Mahindra Bank's promoter Uday Kotak on Wednesday sold a 1.5 per cent stake in lender to two Canadian pension funds for an estimated Rs 2,255 crore through open market transactions. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec acquired a total of 2.76 crore shares, amounting to 1.5 per cent stake, in the private sector lender. These shares have been purchased from Uday Kotak, the main promoter of the bank. According to block deal data available with the BSE, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought 92 lakh shares while Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec snapped up 1.84 crore shares. The shares were picked up at an average price of Rs 817, valuing the transaction at Rs 2,254.92 crore, the data showed. At the end of December 2016, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board owned 5.76 per cent stake in the lender. Uday Kotak, along with family members, held 33.61 per cent stake in the bank as of December 2016, out of which 33.30 per cent is held by Kotak in his personal capacity. The stake sale by Uday Kotak, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of the private sector lender, is part of an effort to comply with RBI's directive. The lender has been asked by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to bring down its promoter shareholding to 30 per cent by June 30, 2017. Further, the bank will have to reduce promoter holding to 20 per cent by December 31, 2018, and 15 per cent by March 2020 in line with the guidelines for new bank licence. In a bid to gain a bigger share in one of the world's biggest markets, Qatar Airways announced on Wednesday its plan to launch a new domestic airline in India. This would be the first airline venture in the country that would be fully-owned by overseas entities. In a media interaction at the ITB Berlin travel fair, Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said that the Gulf carrier would make an application to the Indian authorities 'soon'. "We are joining hands with the investment arm of State of Qatar to start a domestic airline in India with a 100 percent investment," Al Baker said. "We are doing this because Indian government has opened up the foreign direct investment in (setting up) an airline in India," he added. In the past, Qatar Airways has repeatedly expressed its interest to invest in IndiGo, the country's largest domestic airline. However, nothing could be finalised in that deal. Last June, liberalising the FDI regulations, the Government allowed foreign investors -- barring overseas airlines -- to own up to 100 per cent stake in local carriers. At present, foreign airlines are allowed to invest only up to 49 per cent in domestic carriers. Qatar Airways is British Airways-owner IAG's biggest shareholder. It also has its stakes in South America's biggest carrier, Latam Airlines Group SA and Italy's second-largest airline, Meridiana Fly SpA. The Gulf carrier has been trying to expand its presence in India but its growth has been limited because of limitation of traffic right. On the latest development, Aviation secretary, Rajiv Nayan Choubey said, "I did not expect this (so soon), We will await for the application and will process it as per government policy". Profitability Qatar Air's announcement comes amid the sector going downhill due to rise in aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices, intensifying competition, and falling yields. In fact, most players in recent months have been able to post profits only due to income from non-core areas, that is, activities other than selling tickets. Market leader IndiGo, with 39.3 per cent passenger traffic share in 2016, reported a 26 per cent drop in net profit in the third quarter of 2016/17 compared with the corresponding period of the previous year. Revenues grew 16 per cent during the period. Jet Airways, the second-largest player in terms of market share, reported a 69.5 per cent decline in (standalone) net profit; revenues grew just 0.6 per cent. Gurgaon-based SpiceJet reported a 24.5 per cent drop in net profit and 12.5 per cent increase in revenues. The dip in profits has come in spite of the airlines earning higher revenues, albeit marginally, on account of the overall increase in passenger traffic, which grew 23.18 per cent in 2016. Still, bottom lines felt the pressure, as average fares fell for most carriers. IndiGo's yield went down to Rs3.48 in the December 2016 quarter from Rs4.14 in the December 2015 quarter. Yield is average fare per passenger per kilometre. This means if IndiGo was charging Rs4,753 for a Delhi-to-Mumbai ticket in the December 2015 quarter, it charged Rs3,995 for the same flight in the December 2016 quarter. Ratings agency ICRA, in a December 2016 report, said that "addition of capacity by new airlines and rapid expansion of capacity by existing ones have resulted in an intensely competitive market and prompted airlines to resort to a variety of fare promotions to improve PLFs [passenger load factors]." It is these fare wars that cost airlines dearly. ALSO READ: Government might soon pay your house rent through vouchers in 100 Indian cities Counting for Asembly elections in 5 states - Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur, Punjab - began today. Early trends in India's most populace state Utaar Pradesh suggest that the BJP is set to make a comeback after 14 long years. On the line of exit polls prediction, the BJP seems to have decimated the incumbant Samajwadi Party. According to early trends, BJP is leading on more than 150 seats with SP falling behind. If early trends are anything to go by then the Bharatiya Janata Party has once again emerged as the single largest party. Earlier, India Today had predicted a comfortable majority for the BJP. ALSO READ: Here's why BJP will win if it wins in UP This was the first time Assembly elections were held after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's shocking decision to demonetise old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes last year on November 8. Many political analysts were seeing these elections as a referendum on Prime Minister Modi and economic policies undertaken by him. If this was the referendum on Modi's demonetization move, it's clear that the Prime Minister has cleared the note ban test. At least for now. And not only this, the BJP has also emerged as the single largest political party in the country. Here is India Today's Exit Poll forecast Uttar Pradesh - 403 seats India Today | SP+Congress (88-112), BJP (251-279), BSP (28-42), Others (6-16) Goa - 40 seats India Today | Congress (10), BJP (15), AAP (7), Others (8) Uttarakhand - 71 seats India Today | Congress (12-21), BJP (46-53), BSP (1-2), Others (1-4) ALSO READ: UP Elections 2017: Don't be surprised if it's Akhilesh Yadav in UP Earlier in a blog, noted Journalist Swaminathan Aiyar had said that the demonetisation strengthened Modi's charisma. Aiyar referred to Maharashtra and Gujarat's recent municipality's results. In Maharashtra, the BJP captured eight of 10 municipal corporations. In Gujarat, the BJP won 107 of 123 municipalities and panchayats. "It is first and foremost a political move to capture the political high ground, by taking on the dishonest rich in a blunt way that no professed socialists and communists have done. It has strengthened Modi's charisma, that intangible characteristic that defies easy definition but is enormously powerful, like that of a rock star," Aiyar wrote in The Times of India. He also said that the politics in Uttar Pradesh is not local. "If a wind is blowing from Maharashra and Gujarat through Punjab and Haryana into Odisha, can UP be immune? No, politics in UP today is not local. There is little support for any local BJP leader. The chant you hear everywhere is "Modi, Modi, Modi." After a washed out first session which started on January 31 and concluded on February 9 following presentation of the Union Budget, Parliament resumed its second leg of the budget session today. The Government is hopeful of gathering enough support to pave way for the successfull roll out of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill. The Finance Bill and Enemy Property bill is also expected to be raised during the session which will continue till April 12. Addressing media before the session, PM Narendra Modi said that he is hoping to see a breakthrough on GST bill. "All parties and the states have shown a positive approach to the bill," he said. "We are hoping that the quality of debate will be good and there will also be a possible breakthrough on GST," the Prime Minister added. However, on the first day of the session, the Opposition raised concern over the attacks on Indians in the US. It also raked up the anti-terror operation that took place in Lucknow. Hitting out at the Modi government, Kharge questioned, "why the centre is silent on the issue of US hate crimes?" . "On Thursday, these issues were raised. We will decide on other issues in rest of the session later," said Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge in Lok Sabha. Over the opposition attacks, Home Minister Rajnath Singh ensured the house that necessary steps would be taken to regarding Indians' safety in the US. "We will take steps to ensure that Indians in USA feel secure there. Government will make a detailed statement soon", Rajnath Singh said. He also informed the Parliament that NIA would investigate the Lucknow encounter operation. The Home Minister also offered his sympathy to the father of a terror suspect who was killed in an encounter in Lucknow. "I express sympathy for the father and I am sure the House joins me...the government is proud of Mohammed Sartaj and I am sure you are too," he said. On Wednesday, Sartaj, father of the a suspected ISIS terrorist who was killed in an encounter, refused to take Saifullah's body, saying, "A traitor cannot be related to me, let alone be my son." He said he would have handed over his son to the police if he had even "an iota of inkling" about his activities. "My child has done a wrong thing and I have regrets for it...I would have handed him over to the police had I even an iota of inkling about it...The entire world would have seen and noticed how a father could put his own son in police hands," Sartaj told reporters. The government will move a bill that seeks to enhance paid maternity leave from 12 weeks to 26 weeks in the Lok Sabha today. The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which was passed by the Rajya Sabah in August last year, provides for increasing maternity benefit from 12 weeks to 26 weeks for two surviving children and is aimed at benefiting about 1.8 million women in the organised sector. "Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya will move the Bill tomorrow in the Lok Sabha to amend the Maternity Benefit Act," a senior official said. The amended Act will be applicable to all establishments employing 10 or more people. Once the amendments to the Act are passed and notified, India will jump to the third position in terms of the number of weeks for maternity leave after Canada (50) and Norway (44). The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, protects the employment of women during the time of her maternity and entitles her full paid absence from work, to take care for her child. In August last year, when the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016, was passed in the upper house, some members had sought norms for paternity leave also so that parents can share the responsibility of raising children. Dattatreya had said in the Rajya Sabha that the very purpose of the bill was to increase participation of women, which was decreasing day by day. The central government has already amended its service rule and is providing 26 weeks maternity leave to its employees. All defence pensioners and dependent family members of deceased personnel will be required to enroll for Aadhaar card by June 30 to receive pension. The Defence Ministry has issued a notification making Aadhaar mandatory for receiving pension by the beneficiaries numbering around 25 lakh. The government has been steadily making Aadhaar mandatory for a series of financial benefits and other services, saying it is doing so to ensure transparency. "Any eligible beneficiary entitled to receive pension benefits, who does not possess the Aadhaar number or, not yet enrolled for Aadhaar, but desirous of availing pension benefits is hereby required to make application for Aadhaar enrolment by June 30," the notification said. It said Defence Ministry through pension disbursement agencies or other means which requires an individual to furnish Aadhaar is required to offer Aadhaar enrolment facilities for the beneficiaries who are not yet enrolled for it. The order further said the Ministry of Defence through pension disbursement agencies will be required to provide Aadhaar enrolment facilities in places where such facilities are not available. It said till the Aadhaar is assigned, the beneficiaries shall be given pension subject to production ex-servicemen card issued by the concerned authorities and his or her Aadhaar Enrolment ID slip (if she or he has enrolled). A copy of his or her request made for Aadhaar enrolment can also be submitted along with a copy of Voter ID card or PAN Card or Passport etc. The notification said Defence Ministry through pension disbursement agencies will make adequate arrangements to provide convenient and hassle free pension benefits to the beneficiaries. "Wide publicity through media and individual notices shall be given to beneficiaries of pension benefits to make them aware of the requirement of Aadhaar under the scheme and they may be advised to get themselves enrolled at the nearest Aadhaar enrolment centres available in their areas by June 30 2017," it said. The benchmark indices opened weaker on volatility from the domestic front as investors tread carefully ahead of exit polls data for assembly elections that will be released later in the day. At 9.45 AM, the S&P BSE Sensex was trading at 28,870, 31.37 points lower while the Nifty50 was trading at 8,911.50, down 12.80 points. The shares of Dr Reddy's fell nearly 3 per cent after the company received 13 observations for its Duvvuda oncology facility by the US Food and Drug Administration. Gail was the top loser on the BSE, falling nearly 4 per cent followed by Tata Steel and Power Grid. The top gainers of early trade included Asian Paints, Tata Motors, Maruti suzuki and Mahindra & Mahindra. Oil prices plunged 5 per cent to their lowest levels this year on Wednesday as US crude inventories surged much more than expected to a record high, stocking concerns that a global glut could persist even as Opec tries to prop up prices with output curbs. The IPO of Avenue Supermarts Ltd, which runs the D-Mart supermarket chain, opened to robust subscription on Wednesday with investors bidding for 1.36 times the number of shares on offer. The 44.37 million share offering has so far garnered bids for 60 million shares. The Rs 488-crore IPO of Music Broadcast garnered 39 times subscription. Global Markets China's Shanghai Composite was 27 points lower, Hang Seng Index plunged 233 points while Japan's Nikkei managed to garner 33 points higher. Days after BJP President Amit Shah invoked the alleged role of religion in laptop distribution by Akhilesh Yadav government in the state of UP, I was meeting Rajiv Srivastava, the managing director of HP India. It was the firm tasked with distributing 14.82 lakh laptops on a war footing, within 7 months of Yadav taking charge as the CM of Uttar Pradesh. "They will ask your religion & caste first, if that doesn't seem favourable to them, they won't give you laptop," Shah said, stoking religion at a rally in Chauri Chaura. It appears, this was yet another "Chunavi Jumla". The fact, says Srivastava, is that the state government and HP individually headhunted the students and handed over the laptops - against their IDs - without any discrimination of caste, creed or religion. It was a war-room monitored by Yadav himself as HP went from college to college collecting the list of eligible students in First Year through college Principals. The mandate was to distribute a laptop to every student passing out of Class XII in a UP school and taking admission in First Year in a UP school. ALSO READ: Government might soon pay your house rent through vouchers in 100 Indian cities I am neither a political pundit, nor a psephologist. But it is incidents such as these about Yadav's earnestness that made me dig deeper into the prevailing wisdom among the intelligentsia, political pundits and poll analysts that he's a write-off in the 2017 state elections. I beg to differ. Yadav is neither a write-off, nor a lightweight in these elections. Instead, don't be surprised if UP votes to continue with the Akhilesh Yadav regime. Here's why: First: Those assuming that Yadav is write-off are undermining the intelligence of the electorate. UP's electorate would rather have a touch-and-feel chief minister than a faceless CM whose name will be announced only after election results are announced. Two: His earnestness is his biggest strength. Like Nitish Kumar in Bihar, Yadav has worked assiduously, blazing a trail of 200-odd rallies across the state, the most by any politician of the state during these elections. Analysts have under-estimated the personal touch he provided during these rallies across the length and breadth of UP. Three: A shrewd politician, Yadav is less in the mould of the rebel his father Mulayam Singh Yadav is, but more in the mould of a moderate like Atal Bihari Vajpayee who can take diverse interests along with him. This trait would be valuable when he stakes his claim to the nation's top job at some point in time. Four: Analysts have grossly under-estimated the impact he has had on the state's janta through the laptop scheme, the unemployment allowance (Rs 1000 per month) scheme and the senior citizen farmers' pension schemes (Rs 500 per month) which have touched millions of lives across the state. His regime also provided free books up to class 8; each girl child got two sets of school uniforms free every year; children from families who earn under Rs 5 lakh per annum are provided private higher education for free; a tablet for every student passing Class X. ALSO READ: Salman Khan to launch 'Being Smart' smartphones, to compete against Chinese phone makers Xiaomi, Oppo Five: In fighting a public battle with uncle Shivpal Yadav on the issues of corruption and mis-management, Akhilesh has captured the higher morale ground which has appealed to the youth. The Goodwill generated by this feud will be tested for the first time at ballot this year. Six: In building the Agra-Lucknow expressway in record time, he has demonstrated that he can take on large infrastructure projects and execute them (so far the strength of Mayawati only). High cost (implied corruption) notwithstanding, the highway has been set up without a hitch at an unbelievable pace. Muslims Need Jesus Contact: Jimmy, 303-442-3333 BOULDER, Colo., March 8, 2017 / Many Missionaries are heading into the mission-field unprepared for Muslim ministry and returning discouraged due to unfruitfulness. Many Christian Universities, Colleges, Missionary schools, ministries, and churches are not adequately preparing missionaries to share the Gospel with Muslims. Reaching Muslims is one of the toughest challenges facing the church today. What is the solution? Engaging Islam Institute: A two week-long, in-depth course to prepare believers for work with Muslims here and around the world. Perfect for missionaries, local workers, or anyone who wants to learn how to effectively engage Muslims with the gospel. Horizons International has been training Missionaries for decades to reach the Muslim world. Horizons has a proven, fruitful ministry among Muslims globally, with conversions numbering in the thousands. The opportunity to train under world-renowned Muslim ministry experts is NOW! www.engagingislam.org/institute Share Tweet Contact: Jimmy,303-442-3333BOULDER, Colo., March 8, 2017 / Christian Newswire / -- Millions of Muslim refugees are coming to America, Canada, Europe, and elsewhere around the globe! Many are having dreams and visions about Jesus and have already left Islam in their hearts. How do Christians get equipped to share the great hope of salvation with them?Many Missionaries are heading into the mission-field unprepared for Muslim ministry and returning discouraged due to unfruitfulness. Many Christian Universities, Colleges, Missionary schools, ministries, and churches are not adequately preparing missionaries to share the Gospel with Muslims. Reaching Muslims is one of the toughest challenges facing the church today. What is the solution?Engaging Islam Institute: A two week-long, in-depth course to prepare believers for work with Muslims here and around the world. Perfect for missionaries, local workers, or anyone who wants to learn how to effectively engage Muslims with the gospel.Horizons International has been training Missionaries for decades to reach the Muslim world. Horizons has a proven, fruitful ministry among Muslims globally, with conversions numbering in the thousands. The opportunity to train under world-renowned Muslim ministry experts is NOW! The leader of a new regional jobs initiative outside of Dublin claims the National Planning Framework needs to include substantial supports for hubs outside of Dublin. Director of the South East Action Plan for jobs, Sean McKeown, claims the framework needs to include significant investment in rural Irish roads, in broadband connectivity and allowing hubs such as the South East to flourish. Mr McKeown was addressing the 4th eDigiregion International Conference at Waterford Institute of Technology. The two day conference sees delegates from Ireland, Spain, Hungary and Romania working together to promote sustainable regional development and growth under the EU-funded programme. Data from the conference shows that two thirds of students form the region who access third level do so outside of the region and 60% of these never return. The region also has the lowest rate of science, technology, engineering and maths graduates in employment within the region standing at 23% compared to a national average of 29%. Addressing the conference, Minister of State for Training, Skills and Innovation, John Halligan said, "Developing our regions so that they achieve their full potential is one of the Governments highest priorities. The nexus of companies and higher education research centres enabling the free circulation and exchange of ideas is critical in driving innovation." He added, "The eDIGIREGION project is an excellent example of how the EU can add value by enabling industry, academia, government and civil society to come together to co-design, co-develop and co-implement solutions to drive social and economic development in the region." Source: www.businessworld.ie About us Director of Insurance Supervision at the Central Bank, Sylvia Cronin has confirmed the Central Bank has been contacted by approximately another 20 insurance entities to discuss authorisation. Cronin says unlike other financial sectors, insurance firms are not generally waiting for Article 50 to be triggered before implementing their strategies on location. She added that the Central Bank is open to discussion and engagement with any applicant. Our website contains extensive information on our approach to authorisations. A firm will not be authorised unless it demonstrates compliance with the requirements specified in law. Mr Cronin was speaking at a KPMG Annual Client & Training Event today which examined the key issues currently facing insurance firms - Brexit, Solvency II reporting, IT and cybersecurity. Source: www.businessworld.ie Ireland's gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 5.2% in 2016, making it the European Union's fastest growing economy for the third successive year as a robust recovery remained strong ahead of potential threats from Brexit. Ireland has rebounded quickly from an economic crash almost a decade ago that pushed it into an international bailout in 2010, and the momentum has continued into this year with unemployment more than halving from a peak of over 15% during the crisis. Strong jobs growth boosted consumer spending by 3% last year and the economy expanded by 2.5% on a quarterly basis from October to December, down from 4% in the prior quarter, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) said on Thursday. While Ireland's finance department sees growth staying above 3% in each of the next three years, it has estimated that a "hard Brexit" - involving Britain losing access to the EU's single market on quitting the bloc - could knock around 3.5% off Irish GDP within a decade. Ireland is widely seen as the EU economy most vulnerable to Britain's departure from the bloc owing to its close trading relationship with its nearest neighbour. Ireland's growth last year, which was more than three times the euro zone average of 1.7%, compared to a massive expansion of 26% in 2015 which was the result of a major revision to the stock of capital assets. That called into question the relevance of using GDP to measure the true health of Ireland's open economy and the CSO plans to phase in a new yardstick - adjusted gross national income or "GNI" - by the end of 2018. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie About us Enterprise Ireland have today published their international events programme for 2017 to support Irish exporters which lists 145 events scheduled in Ireland and overseas to include 46 international trade visits. In conjunction with the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Enterprise Ireland programme of events serves to develop in-market expertise and networks, influence decision makers, re-enforce Irelands reputation and stimulate demand for Irish products and services. The full programme includes ministerial-led trade missions, inward buyer visits, market study visits, international trade fairs, Embassy events and knowledge seminars and gives Irish companies the opportunity to network with potential buyers in markets in Europe, North America, Africa, India, the Middle East and the Asia Pacific region. Highlights of the 2017 Enterprise Ireland trade event schedule include 20 trade events to North America, 22 trade events to Northern Europe, 14 trade events to the UK and 20 trade events to the Asia Pacific region. These will be in sectors including construction, lifesciences, digital technologies and finance. Commenting on the mission, CEO of Enterprise Ireland, Julie Sinnamon said, "In line with the Ireland Connected whole of government trade strategy launched recently, a key element of Enterprise Irelands 2017-2020 strategy is to help Irish exporters build scale and expand reach globally. As the UK takes a step closer to triggering article 50 in the coming weeks, it is imperative that Irish companies build new and stronger trade links in international markets." She added, "The 2017 trade mission schedule targets key sectors in high potential growth markets and aims to open doors for Irish companies to create opportunities to start negotiations and win significant business contracts in overseas markets. Source: www.businessworld.ie About us It was announced today that Halo Business Angel Network (HBAN) business angels invested 13.6 million in 50 Irish start-ups last year up 25% from the previous year. This includes 1.5m invested in eight deals completed by Halo Northern Ireland angels. HBANs annual report for 2016 reveals that the investments leveraged a further 20.5 million from other public and private funds, bringing the total invested to 34.1 million. HBAN is the all-island group responsible for the promotion of business angel investment in Ireland. As seed capital funds waited to be replenished last year, individual angel investments increased. The HBAN 2016 annual report reveals that while the number of companies receiving angel investment did not fluctuate from previous years, angels did invest greater sums of money in those companies. The average angel investment last year was 272,000, considerably higher than the 2015 average of 217,000. When investment from other sources is included, this is an average investment of 700,000 per company. In total, HBAN, a joint initiative of InterTradeIreland and Enterprise Ireland, organised 51 funding events throughout the country last year. The events saw pre-qualified high potential start-ups pitch to HBAN-registered angels in the hope of receiving investment. Companies that received investment last year included Pundit Arena, Glofox, SoopaPets and DiaNia. Key sectors included ICT, healthcare, consumer products and food. Since 2007, HBAN angels have invested 73 million in 362 separate deals. When the 113 million invested by other funds in those deals is added, this is an overall total of 186 million invested in Irish start-ups in the last 10 years. Commenting on the results, National Director of HBAN, John Phelan said, "Whats so impressive about these results is that, at a time when there was a shortage of seed funding in Ireland, the average business angel investment per funding round increased by 25%." He added, "There was a significant drop in the value of seed funding available in the last couple of years, leaving promising start-ups struggling to source funding. We were delighted to see that our business angels played a significant role in closing that funding gap by increasing the amount they invested." Source: www.businessworld.ie About us A major new event for Irelands SMEs, YOUR BUSINESS LIVE, has launched today. The two-day SME event will gather together executives, decision-makers, entrepreneurs, owners and managers from around the country to network, learn and do business. Vodafone Ireland will be title sponsor for the event which takes place on October 17th and 18th 2017 in the RDS Simmonscourt, Dublin. The event is supported by Ibec for Irish Business, Small Firms Association (SFA) and Enterprise Ireland, reinforcing the aim of this event to create a new marketplace for the broad range of Irish SMEs from start-up and micro, to small and medium businesses, as well as export led across industry sectors. SMEs account for 99.8% of all active businesses in Ireland. YOUR BUSINESS LIVE 2017 will facilitate interaction and collaboration among business decision makers, start-ups, owners and managers, providing the opportunity for Irish SMEs to showcase innovative new products and services, in addition to gaining industry knowledge and insights. Networking events, workshops and high-level speaker seminars will be taking place at the event. Irelands top entrepreneurs are endorsing YOUR BUSINESS LIVE including David Bobbett (H&K International), Brody Sweeney (Camile Thai), Ray Coyle (Largo Foods), Vincent Cleary (Glenisk), Eamon Moore (EMIT) and Greg Clarke (Digicom). Entrepreneur Sean Gallagher is Event Director. Commenting on the initiative, Entrepreneur and Event Director, Sean Gallagher said, "I have long been a champion of the SME sector. This is because of the great courage and bravery they have in setting up businesses and creating jobs, often in places where larger multinationals never can. In many ways these small and medium sized businesses are the glue that holds our communities together." He added, "This will be an exciting exhibition supported by an extensive programme of seminars and workshops given by some of Irelands most inspiring business leaders. An ideal place to learn, network and be inspired, YOUR BUSINESS LIVE will be Irelands biggest and most important event of the year for the SME Sector. Source: www.businessworld.ie WhatsApp, the Facebook-owned messaging service used by more than 1 billion people worldwide, is testing a system that would let businesses talk directly to WhatsApp users for the first time, according to communications about the project seen by Reuters. The tests, which are being conducted with a handful of companies that are part of the Y Combinator startup incubator, are an important signal of how WhatsApp plans to make money from its massively popular service. WhatsApp has not developed a business model in the three years since Facebook Inc bought it for a hefty $19 billion. WhatsApp, a pun on the phrase "What's up?," has helped to upend mobile services by allowing users to text or call friends and family for free, without text message charges. It competes with similar services such as WeChat, a unit of China's Tencent Holdings Ltd. One potential revenue source is to charge businesses that want to contact customers on WhatsApp. But the company is working carefully to avoid problems with spam messages, the documents show. WhatsApp is also surveying users about the extent to which they talk to businesses on WhatsApp, and whether they have ever received spam, according to the documents. WhatsApp last year announced its plan to develop the system, known as an application programming interface, or API, citing examples such as a user talking to a bank about a fraudulent transaction or to an airline about a delayed flight. Last month WhatsApp struck a deal with Y Combinator, which provides training and advice to startups that show potential, to have a small number of companies take part in an early trial, according to emails and messages posted on a Y Combinator forum. Admission to Y Combinator, founded in 2005, is highly competitive, and past participants include such companies as Airbnb and Dropbox. A WhatsApp spokeswoman declined to comment on the testing of the system. Y Combinator President Sam Altman said in an email he was not aware of the WhatsApp test but added: "We do generally see a lot of companies wanting to test their products with YC cos." The trial is still in the early stages, said Umer Ilyas, co-founder of Cowlar Inc, one of the startups involved. The system is highly anticipated in remote places where WhatsApp is especially popular, he said. Cowlar makes collars for dairy cows, collecting data on their activity and recommending changes to improve milk yield. The company, which is testing the collars in the United States, wants to use WhatsApp to send automatic alerts from the collars directly to farmers if say, a cow is not behaving normally, Ilyas said. "It represents a huge opportunity, because in all the big dairy markets - India, Brazil, Pakistan - a lot of farmers have access to WhatsApp," he said in a phone interview. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie About us The media has been playing out the result of a recent survey by Chulalongkorn University which ranked the Land Office as the most corrupt public office in the country. According to the survey "Corruption in the Thai Bureaucracy in 2014" A Survey of Attitude and Experiences of Heads of Households" the Land Department was cited by 7.2% of respondents. The Police came in at second ranking with 6.1%. It was estimated in the study that over THB1.2 billion was paid in bribes to corrupt land officials. The figures quoted above were published in The Nation newspaper. Don't Look Away - Be the Way Contact: Janet Magee, 844-344-9366, janetmagee@bluesunday.org; www.bluesunday.org PORT ISABEL, Texas, March 9, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. It began when a report about abused children caught the attention and heart of President, Ronald Reagan. "Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the month of April, 1983 as 'National Child Abuse Prevention Month.'" Sadly since the first Child Abuse Prevention Month, the number of abused children has grown from half a million children to over 6 million new reports of abuse along with 1600+ children dying annually as a result of their abuse. (These numbers do not include missing or exploited children through trafficking.) An epidemic of this magnitude requires that we face the hard facts: 1 in 4 girls & 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused. Most victims are harmed or die at the hands of family members. Most incidents are drug and alcohol related. It is in every community. Within 1 year of aging out of the foster care system, 60% of victims are homeless, in jail or dead. Faith Community you are the single most untapped resource for hurt children and broken families. This battle cannot be won without you. You hold the keys to what is missing for victims. You may have many resources such as empty buildings for parenting classes, volunteers, finances, but more importantly you hold the key that victims need most hope. Hope produces faith and faith produces resilience. How to pray for abused children on Blue Sunday: 1) Pray the children will be rescued 2) Pray they are put with caring people 3) Pray that their bodies can heal 4) Pray that their mind can heal 5) Pray they find hope. Faith leaders please open your hearts and doors to child abuse prevention agencies in your cities that need your help. Invite them to your church on Blue Sunday, April 30th and pray for them as you pray for the victims. Blue Sunday is always the last Sunday of April's Child Abuse Prevention Month activities. It's free. Nothing to join. Just register your church or ministry to pray for the victims of child abuse and for those who rescue them. Let's pray, educate ourselves, and volunteer until black and blue are just colors in a child's crayon box. Blue Sunday Child Abuse Prevention Initiative is dedicated to helping communities reach out to abused children and to support those who rescue them. We are a faith based 501 C 3 nonprofit organization. To register and for free church bulletins, videos, and Happy Family handouts visit us at www.bluesunday.org For more information: Janet Magee 1-844-344-9366 www.bluesunday.org janetmagee@bluesunday.org During its monthly battle drill at the Logan Armory (March 4-5, 2017), the 890th Inland Cargo Transfer Company (ICTC) of the U.S. Army Reserve was honored to accept the 2016 Falcon Award for Readiness Excellence. The award was presented to Capt. Matthew C. Ward, ICTC Commander, by Lt. Col. Craig P. Lanigan, the highest ranking officer in the 814th Transportation Battalion, based in Boise, Idaho. Lt. Col. Lanigan visited the 890th ICTC on assignment from the 79th Sustainment Support Command (SSC), representing Maj. Gen. Mark W. Palzer, the 79th SSC commander. The leadership footprint of the 79th SSC extends from Los Alamitos, California, east to the Mississippi River, with 20,600 soldiers in 221 units. The prestigious Falcon Award, said Staff Sgt. Jason Atkinson, the 890th ICTCs movement supervisor, is a reflection of the companys excellence in preparedness for mission essential tasks, medical readiness to deploy and comprehensive soldier and family fitness. What that means to the unit, said Atkinson, is that the 890th has far surpassed its sister and brother companies. Overall, our soldiers are very resilient and are ready to deploy if the Army needs us to. Atkinson said his role in the company is to ensure that the unit can move at a moments notice to anywhere in the world. While Troop Program Unit soldiersknown informally as Reservistsgenerally spend 28 days per year training with the 890th, Atkinson and his coworkers work full-time on the administrative, organizational and training components required to prepare the company for possible deployment. What the award is telling us as a full-time staff is that our processes that are in place and our operating tempo and style is surpassing other units in the Army, he said. Its saying were setting the bar, were setting the standard. During the companys March drill, Defiance Martial Arts, based in Brigham City, provided the soldiers with self-defense training specifically designed for military and law enforcement personnel. Atkinson listed the training as a prime example of how the 890th becomes better mission-prepared. Id like to thank Defiance Martial Arts, he said. They came in and helped us and volunteered their time to show the soldiers a more in-depth look at defending oneself if were ever put into that situation. The 890th ICTC Army Reserves ongoing objective is to provide ready and resilient soldiers for global requirements. The companys headquarters is located at 224 E. 1800 N. in Logan.
jennifer@cvradio.com Consumer Reports says Utah ranks among the worst of the 50 states when it comes to finding information online about state medical board decisions about your doctor. (iStock) Some people are calling it too much like Obamacare, but others say they support the new Republican healthcare plan announced by President Donald Trump on Tuesday. Brenda Smith, vice chair of the Cache County Democratic Party, can see why the new bill appeals to many Republicans. However, Democrats, for the most part, would like to have stayed with the Affordable Care Act. Smith is included among them. A tax credit for low income people who already have enough tax credits because of their income bracket, that theyre getting tax returns, I mean, another tax credits not going to help them, said Smith. What they need is a healthcare plan that works for them and is affordable. Although he has not had time to study the plan carefully, Cache County Republican Party Chairman Boyd Pugmire says he knows what he doesnt want for sure, and that is national health insurance. I agree that we need to take care of our people who can not afford insurance within our system, exclaims Pugmire. We need to help the people who are at the bottom of our system as far as their finances. I dont think national health care is the way to do it. I think its better done at a state level where it can be monitored at a much closer level so it doesnt become a giant bureaucracy. Pugmire says he would hate to see a health care plan that costs too much that some would have to go without it. He also prefers to see health care programs operated by the state. U.S. Senator Mike Lee, R-Utah, says he will join Democrats in voting against the plan because it is too similar to Obamas. In a press release, Sen. Lee says we promised the American people we would drain the swamp and end business as usual in Washington but the bill does not do that. He says we dont know how many people would use this new tax credit, it is unknown how much it would cost, and it is unknown if this bill will make health care more affordable for Americans. His Utah counterpart in the Senate, Republican Orrin Hatch, calls the plan a step in the right direction. On KVNUs For the People program Tuesday, the guest was Jason Stevenson, Education and Communications Director for Utah Health Policy. He said there will be a dramatic increase in what people are on the hook for with health insurance, not only for premiums but also for deductibles. What the Affordable Care Act did is help people pay for their deductibles, Stevenson explained. It reduced and shrank their deductibles, especially those earning 250% of poverty. Very few people realize that because it was hidden in the machine of the Affordable Care Act. But a $6,000 deductible could turn into a $500 deductible if you were earning $30,000 and you are a family of four. Thats going to all go away. That $6,000 deductible is going to come back. Stevenson said deductibles will go up not only for the people getting the help from the Affordable Care Act but for everyone else as well. In secret, behind locked gates, our Nation's Oldest City dumped a landfill in a lake (Old City Reservoir), while emitting sewage in our rivers and salt marsh. Organized citizens exposed and defeated pollution, racism and cronyism. We elected a new Mayor. We're transforming our City -- advanced citizenship. Ask questions. Make disclosures. Demand answers. Be involved. Expect democracy. Report and expose corruption. Smile! Help enact a St. Augustine National Park and Seashore. We shall overcome! "Every Meal An Adventure!" ~ Food & Travel in Asia Elvis Ndansi Elvis Ndansi The immediate past national president of the youth wing of the National Union for Democracy and Progress (NUDP) party has said his choice not to seek a second mandate was a personal and democratic decision. Talking to CRTV magazine program, The Day After, Ndansi Elvis Nukam who was elected for a first mandate in 2012 at the age of 28 said after his first five years stint at the helm of the youth movement of the political outfit, he wanted to give a chance to other young people of the party despite still being eligible (age-wise) to rule. Ndansi took most of his supporters by surprised at the 6th ordinary congress of the NUDP party in Yaounde last 25 February 2017 when he declared he was not seeking a second mandate as president of the youth wing of the party. It was a democratic decision that comes from my spirit as a Mandela Washington Fellow. Up to the time I declared I was not running, there was no other candidate. I was given the mandate to even just read my list and take a second term, Ndansi explained. He described his five year tenure at the top of the youth wing of the political party as a total success, saying he will now have the opportunity to serve the party better and may be in a higher position. Many people told me that it was at the time I became youth president that they knew about the youth wing of the party. And my activities on the field really galvanised a lot of young people to gain interest in the party, the now emeritus NUDP national youth president said. Ndansi who has been credited with swelling the membership list of the opposition political party rejoiced that he has handed the baton to good successor, Paul Mbafor. Many people would say you would not have succeeded if you dont have a good succession. So what gives me joy is that I have handed over power to a dynamic young person who can even do more than I did, Ndansi said promising he will continue to work closely with his successor. I am very ready to bring in my experience to guide him, but also to be very humble to give him the chance to bring his own ideas. Ndansis action however has attracted debates amongst political observers in the country with many describing it as a challenge to the NUDP party chairman, Bello Bouba Maigari. But the 2016 Mandela Washington Fellow argued there is a difference between the post of National Youth President and that of the chairman of the party. The chairmanship is different from the president of the youth wing. As chairman, he has the competence that all the militants saw, reason why he was elected by acclamation. We think that at this point in time, he is the one who can pilot our ship to success, so he merits where he is. There are two situations which I wouldnt to compare. Theres an age limit to be president of the youth wing but the chairman has no age limit as far as his mandate is concerned, Ndansi said. Train Camrail Archives In a reaction on its official social media page, CAMRAIL has said the accident in Elig-Edzoa left three people dead and two other injured. The train that was returning from rehabilitation works in Obala crushed the pedestrians at Elig Edzoa on 8 March, International Womens Day 2017. Inhabitants of the locality said the accident occurred at about 8pm as some men were accompanying their women for part two of the feast. According to CAMRAIL, a rescue team that arrived the scene of the tragedy found one body on the railway. It said one other corpse was recovered by family before the arrival of the rescue team and another person that was injured died in the hospital. A total of three deaths, including two bodies deposited in the morgue of the Yaounde Central Hospital, CAMRAIL said on 9 March at 1:00AM Cameroon time. However, residents say about five people died on the spot and about three others were severely injured. The accident comes less than five months after that of Eseka that killed close to 100 people. | BY Lynchy | CB Exclusive After parting ways with Clemenger BBDO, Adelaide just over two weeks ago, creative directors Geoff Roberston and Greg Knagge (pictured l to r) have established their own business. The new entity, called NATION, is described as a collective of strategic, creative and production people. Says Knagge: Our vision is to make NATION a place where employees feel like citizens and clients always feel welcome. Both partners, who led the Clemenger BBDO, Adelaide creative team for the past ten years, have left their previous agency on good terms. We loved our time at Clemenger but we have both felt for some time that we were ready for a new challenge, said Robertson. NATION is designed to offer an alternative to the traditional agency model with less layers and process. A simpler structure will allow a more responsive, more cost effective alternative for clients. Adds Knagge: Our experience allows us to offer market leading quality on a small agency scale. The NATION business plan has a focus on building sustainable relationships as the primary objective. Says Robertson: Innovative thinking and creative excellence is really the price of entry these days. Clients demand a quality product but they also now value a productive working relationship more than ever before. Says Knagge: In this era of customer service it is essential to develop a culture that delivers the highest levels of client service across the entire organisation. The fledgling organisation is now embarking on a new business program to attract clients and also welcomes enquiry from industry professionals interested in joining the NATION team. Adds Knagge: Were obviously keen to talk to anyone looking for a genuine alternative to whats currently on offer. | BY Ricki Green | Food Network has recently engaged SPLINTR to produce an integrated campaign featuring US cake decorating sensation Duff Goldman for its Kids Cooking Takeover month in March 2017. Goldman is a US pastry chef, television personality and host of the popular Duff Till Dawn and Ace of Cakes on Food Network. He is famous for sculpting anything out of a cake including the Hubble Telescope and Hogwarts Castle. He also created President Obamas 2013 inauguration cake. The campaign consists of a five-minute interstitial film, stills campaign as well as 360 and social content. Director Gavain Browne worked closely with SBS creative to write the main film, develop social content and create a stills campaign, shot by Giles Park. The main film sees Duff mentor five Aussie kids in the art of cake decorating while they teach him a thing or two about Australia. Says Browne: Duff was an absolute pleasure to work with. He has a genuine affinity with kids that made the set a really comfortable and fun place to be. The whole process collaborating with SBS on this project was a joy. Says Alex Conomos, marketing manager, Food Network: SPLINTR took our creative idea and brought it to life with an engaging and beautifully shot interstitial that were all very proud of. Food Network is Australias only free-to-air 24/7 food channel serving up everyday food and food inspiration from around the world. Duff Till Dawn Season 1 is available to stream on SBS On Demand. To find out more about SPLINTR visit wearesplintr.co. SBS Food Network Marketing Manager: Alex Conomos Head of Creative: Joel Noble Creative Lead: Matt Coe Producer: Lara Parker Production: SPLINTR Written & Directed by Gavain Browne Producer Celeste Marsden DOP Kevin Scott Food Stylist Nicola Sinclair Editor Simon Adams Totally groovy Mexican-American psych-soul quartet Chicano Batman released their new album, Freedom is Free to much acclaim on Friday, March 3. The auspicious new album coincides with their cover story over at the LA Weekly, which is a helluva paper. And now, you dear readers, can get in on all this buena suerte when Chicano Batman lands at Launchpad on Monday, March 13. The new album expands on the bands diffuse Afro-cuban influences, with the Los Angeles Times gushing, Freedom expands the sonic map to emphasize black music from pretty much everywhere Afro- Cuban rumbas to Fela Kutis hard-swinging resistance jams, Isaac Hayes virtuoso orchestral arrangements to hip-hops way of absorbing any culture it touches." A la modies, brodies! You can catch these awesome innovators live and in person here in Burque for a small fee. It'll only cost you quince dolares to get in to see a 21+ gig where the musicians wear '70s style tuxedos, the playing is deft and the good times roll off the stage like hot refritos sliding their way home to a grateful panzon. (August March) | BY Ricki Green | Case Study: To engage millennials Vodka Cruiser teamed up with comedy trio SheSketch for a branded content Vodka Cruiser TV (VCTV) series developed by Viseum, with creative direction via Cummins&Partners. The campaign reached 1.35 million Facebook users, with 3.2 million content views. In a new approach to digital marketing, VCTV was launched: a branded content series shot in high definition specifically for the Facebook Live platform. The team at Vodka Cruiser partnered with SketchShe an online trio with more than 1.9 million followers to present a six-part Facebook live video series. The result was a 15-30-minute show aired weekly at 8.00pm, that embodied the Vodka Cruiser brand essence of discovering your spirit. The new content focussed strategy was centred around humanising the brand, with insights indicating the target audience valued relevance as opposed to hard sell and two way communication that engaged them in a conversation. The campaign was structured around behavioural patterns, including mobile usage, demand for interactivity and the use of aspirational facilitators. Asahi Group category manager of ready-to-drink and spirits Virginia Woodger said the collaboration was formed to ensure Vodka Cruiser remained in touch with its consumers. Says Woodger: Our aim was to find out what our audience wanted, what their lifestyles encompass, what is important to them, what their idea of humour is and how as a brand we can embody that. Live video content represents higher organic engagement Facebook Live offers the best opportunity for consumers to be exposed to the content both during live screenings as well as post-event. Addressing all things trending in 2016, the series covered dating, careers, travel, food and summer fun. The show encouraged fans to get involved, with SketchShe sharing comments, photos and hacks live all in between guest interviews with industry movers and shakers. Vodka Cruiser had impressive engagement through VCTVs launch, with some videos garnering more than 200,000 views and hundreds of comments. The six-part series showcased serious growth, with a Facebook brand research study identifying an increase of 23 percent in campaign recall, and a nine percent increase in brand favourability, versus a regional benchmark of 1.8 percent. Tangible uplifts in sales also staggered to a whopping 9.3 percent VCTV episodes were designed to reach a broader demographic a curated guest panel brought a more conservative tone to the conversation, while SketchShe kept content light and approachable with the focus on fun. The overarching result was a series taking Aussie women on a journey of self-discovery, encouraging self-expression and sparking conversation. Media: Vizeum Creative Direction: Cummins & Partners Russian attacks leave Kyiv, other regions in the dark 'so we all die': Ukraine updates Wednesday, March 8, 2017 at 8:56PM Movado, the company behind brands such as Hugo Boss and Tommy Hilfiger, plans to out a new smartwatch collection at the upcoming international watch and jewelry trade show Baselworld 2017 set to start on March 23rd. There will be five Android Wear 2.0 smartwatches from Movado and these mens style watches are expected to come to Canada, the US, the UK, and the Caribbean in the fall. Movado hasnt spoken much about the specs of the Movado Connect line but they will come with Android Pay support and custom watch faces. Pricing for the watches will start at US$495. The company also announced that the two aforementioned brands, Tommy Hilfiger and Hugo Boss, also have partnerships with Google to release new smartwatches this fall. He protested his innocence, and told the judge if released on bail he would report to police daily and return to court when needed. He said he wanted to spend the last bit of time with his family. The agreement, signed by Zain Bahrains regulatory, wholesales & roaming director, Ali Mustafa, and Rapid Telecoms chairman, Shaikh Hamad bin Khalid Al Khalifa, will enable the operators to provide innovative international connectivity solutions particularly to the under-tapped enterprise segment and enhance the international connectivity of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Ali Mustafa explained that in todays vastly evolving telecommunication markets building strategic partnerships enables us to provide innovative and reliable solutions to our customers. This partnership will further enhance our capability in providing B2B full innovative turnkey solutions on resilient international connectivity to the enterprise customers, he added. Shaikh Hamad bin Khalid Al Khalifa stressed the importance of forming strategic partnerships with leading telecom providers in Bahrain and the region, like Zain. He said, We have mutual plans to utilise the facilities, platforms and expertise of both companies to provide customers in Bahrain with innovative solutions that meet their business needs. In addition, we have set out strategies to enhance our regional and international reach through direct cooperation with our partners. Rapid Telecoms new management team plans to position the company alongside leading regional and international telecom providers. Through this new partnership with Zain, we look forward to expanding our horizons and pursuing new opportunities to better serve our customers in a very cost effective and efficient manner, he added. 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. Just like their science counterparts, the arts students of Karnataka II PUC too took their cake walk with an easy History paper. Most students reportedly finished the paper well ahead of the given time and walked out of the exam hall. "It was a very very easy paper and it feels good to have given it," said Ananth Raj, a history student. At an exam centre in Jayanagar, 64 students appeared for the exam that started at 10.30 am. Students were said to be on time for the exam with no late entries or absentees. Asked a parent on how her daughter had prepared for the exams, she says, "This generation is not like ours. They are cool for the exams and confidently face it." Section wise analysis of Karnataka II PUC History paper The paper comprised of six parts from A to F. Time duration given for the students were three hours in total. There was ample time to write all the answers and the paper seems to have had all easy questions Part A Part A had ten one mark questions with most of them "Wh" questions like who, which and what. Part B This section comprised 2 marks questions. Out of 12 questions, candidates were given a choice to answer any 10. Part C This part had eight questions with a choice to answer any six. Some of the frequently asked questions like 'Unity in diversity' and "Indus valley civilisation" were asked. Part D This section consisted of map. An alternative was also provided for blind students with detailed answer questions. They had a choice of attempting any one out of two. Part E This part has 10 marks questions. Out of four, two questions were asked to be answered. Part F This part had two five marks questions, one was match the following and another arranging the order of sentences, both engaging questions to ease the students at the end of the exam. Karnataka II PUC Exams: Biology Paper Analysis Poor attendance has put Karnataka II PUC students in trouble as over 4,000 of them have been barred from attending the exam that has begun today. This has wasted the time and money of these Pre-University II students, costing them a complete academic year. According to reports from the state department of Pre-University Education, 4,204 students with poor attendance have not been allowed to appear for the PU II final exams that have commenced today (March 9). In comparison with last year, the number of students with attendance shortage has increased manifold this year. Last Year Stats for Karnataka II PUC Exams During the March/ April 2016 final exams, as many as 1,500 students were unable to appear for exams due to the lack of attendance. In March/April 2015 exams, 2,050 students were not allowed to sit for the exams. YEAR NO. OF STUDENTS BARRED 2017 4000 2016 1500 2015 2050 How much is the minimum attendance required for Karnataka II PUC? Rule 21 of Karnataka Education Act, 2006 specifies mandatory attendance of 75 per cent to appear for final examinations. This rule applies even for PU I, undergraduate and postgraduate courses. There is a similar direction by the Supreme Court too. Hall Tickets for Students of Karnataka II PUC Issuing hall tickets Since 2013, following complaints that a few principals were allowing students with attendance shortage take exams, the department stopped generating admission tickets of such candidates. "As admission tickets are not generated, principals or other authorities can't allow students with poor attendance take exams. Before 2013, the department generated admission tickets to all students. The principals were authorised to verify attendance and then issue the hall tickets," said an official from the department. Karnataka II PUC Exams Begin Today Suzukis new-generation Swift is currently on display at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, with UK sales scheduled for June of this year. In order to suit the needs of European customers, Suzuki conducted tests on European roads, where teams of local evaluation drivers helped hone the new car. Testing the chassis commenced back in January of 2016 in the UK and Germany, with as many as 90 different suspension prototypes tested in total. The new car measures just 3,840 mm (151.2 in) long, with 1,735 mm (68.3 in) in width and 1,495 mm (59 in) in height (1,520 mm / 60 in for the 4WD model). The wheelbase is a decent 2.450 mm (96 in), though overall the new car is about 10 mm (0.4 in) shorter than the outgoing model. Also worth noting is that compared to the Japanese domestic model, the European Swift has a wider front and rear track, measuring 1,520 1,530 mm (59 60 in). Despite its size, there is 25% more luggage space thanks to the 254 liter (8.97 cu.ft) boot, or approximately 54 liters (1.9 cu.ft) more than the outgoing model. Inside, Suzuki found 23 mm (0.9 in) of vertical and lateral space for the rear seating positions, while the front seats have been moved outwards by 10 mm (0.4 in), increasing the center-on-center distance between them by 20 mm (0.8 in). In terms of specs, standard equipment across the range (starting with the SZ3 1.2 Dualjet model) includes six airbags, air conditioning, leather steering wheel, DAB radio with Bluetooth and four speakers, rear privacy glass, LED daytime running lights, 15 wheels, body colored door mirrors and front electric windows. Customers aiming higher can go for the SZ-T version, available with a 1.0-liter Boosterjet engine and manual transmission. This spec adds rear view camera, Smartphone link display audio, 16 alloys and front fog lamps. Finally, SZ5 spec models come with auto air conditioning, 4.2 color LCD display, 16 polished alloys, sat-nav, advanced forward detection system (with Dual Sensor Brake Support), keyless entry & start, and rear electric windows. Speaking of engines, the previously mentioned 1.0-liter Boosterjet unit first debuted in the Baleno back in June and the S-Cross back in October. It packs 111 PS, 170 Nm (125 lb-ft) of torque and is Direct Injection Turbocharged. As for the 1.2-liter Dualjet unit, it has maximum outputs of 90 PS and 120 Nm (88 lb-ft), helping the Swift get from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 11.9 seconds for the SZ3 2WD, and 12.6 seconds for the SHVS ALLGRIP model. The SHVS mild hybrid system is a lightweight system that uses an Integrated Starter Generator which acts as both a generator and a starter motor. As for the ALLGRIP Auto 4WD system, it was first introduced on the previous generation Swift in 2014 and is now available as an option on the new-gen SZ5 model with the 1.2-liter engine. PHOTO GALLERY The new Seat Ibiza made its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show, further strengthening the Spanish brands lineup in Europe. Heavily inspired by the larger Leon, the new Ibiza is the first supermini in the VW Group to be based on the latest MQB A0 platform which is also going to form the basis for the next VW Polo and Skoda Fabia models. Thanks to that, the new generation of the Seat Ibiza not only features 30 percent higher torsional stiffness but also offers more space than even in its interior as it features a 95mm longer wheelbase while being 87mm wider, 2mm shorter and 1mm shorter from its predecessor. Under the hood, the big news are about VW Groups 1.5-litre TSI petrol engine which makes 150PS and features a cylinder deactivation system, along with the already known three-cylinder 1.0-litre TSI unit, offered in 95PS and 115PS versions. Theres also going to be a 90PS 1.0-litre TSI version that runs on compressed natural gas (CNG). The diesel range includes the 1.6-litre TDI unit with 80, 95 and 115PS. A five-manual gearbox will be standard on versions with 95PS or less, with a six-speed manual equipping the more powerful models. As an option, Seat will offer a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic as an option too. Front Assist, Traffic Jam Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control, Keyless Entry System with heartbeat engine start button, parking radar and a rear-view camera are all available with the new Seat Ibiza. The dashboard can be equipped either with a 5.0-inch or an 8.0-inch touchscreen display for the infotainment system, a wireless charger with GSM amplifier, Apple Car Play, Android Auto and Mirror Link. The new generation of Seats best-seller will be available only with a five-door body, ditching the three-door and estate bodystyles. The small wagon version will be indirectly replaced by the upcoming Arona, the crossover version of the Ibiza. PHOTO GALLERY In a world where automakers are fighting to one-up each other in terms of alternative means of propulsion, the Dragonfly arrived in Geneva to show everybody another way. What youre looking at is a thermic/solar-powered electric vehicle thats here to address issues like climate change and rising energy costs. The philosophy behind it is somewhat connected to the prehistoric dragonfly, which had a wingspan of 74 cm (29 inches), yet over time had to evolve into a smaller, quicker insect when confronted by oxygen diminution. In other words, it became more energy efficient. The road-going Dragonfly, partly developed at the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology in Lausanne and Zurich, weighs just 560 kg (1,234 lbs) and one hour of sunlight can provide it with 4 km (2.5 miles) of solar autonomy. It also uses just 35 kgs (77 lbs) worth of batteries thanks to its efficient solar roof, which generates 300W per hour of sunshine. Overall, the vehicle has a thermic autonomy of 1,000 km (621 miles) regardless of weather conditions as the petrol-driven range extender can recharge the batteries if need be. The Dragonflys built-in pollution-reducing technologies can be fitted to any car thanks to the Catecair fine-particle filter, which the company will start producing this year. By the way, the cars exterior also adopts plant-based materials, and while it may not be pretty, it might just give you something to think about. PHOTO GALLERY Making its first public appearance at the Geneva Motor Show, Fords latest generation Fiesta ST uses a newly-developed three-cylinder unit, good for 200 PS (197 HP) and 290 Nm (214 lb-ft) of torque. Granted, its not like this new Fiesta ST would leave the old one in the dust in a 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint, but the 0.2 seconds between them is an improvement. On paper, the new model is superior in just about every way to the one it replaces. Its not just more powerful and a tad quicker, its also more fuel efficient, has more personalization options, and plenty of connectivity features to keep you busy when youre not racing somebody at the lights. While buyers will get to choose between 3 and 5-door body styles, the one they brought to Geneva is the 3-door, which looks about the same as the car from the official release, except for the exterior mirror covers which arent body-colored anymore. Turning away from the exterior and moving inside, youll find Recaro seats, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, an 8 display housing the SYNC 3 infotainment system, and even a B&O Play Sound system if youre willing to check that box price-wise. Well likely know more about how much the new Fiesta ST will cost closer to its launch date, scheduled for early 2018. PHOTO GALLERY Its been five years since Lamborghini first showed the Urus concept, so youd be forgiven for giving up hope by now. The latest word has it that the production model will be ready within the next few months, but if youve grown tired of waiting, you might want to have a look at this vehicle coming up for auction. What we have here is a Lamborghini LM002 reverently known as the Rambo Lambo. Its one of 301 examples made, and one of just 48 that were originally exported to the United States. Built to compete for the same military contracts as AM Generals original Hummer, the LM002 ultimately became (as most Lambos have) a plaything for the rich. Which is just as well, because aside from militaries and governments, only the wealthy could afford to keep its tank topped up. (And to think some were made with even bigger marine engines.) Thats largely because the LM002 was powered by a retuned version of the 5.2-liter V12 from the Countach, but had more weight to propel. More than twice as much weight, in fact, as most Countaches tipped the scales at about 2,500 lbs, and the LM002 weighed nearly 6,000 and had a gross vehicle weight rating of nearly 7,700 lbs. Still, the LM002 remains the only Lamborghini to date produced with four doors. And with 2+2s like the Espada, Jarama, and Urraco long since out of production, its one of the few with four proper seats. This splendidly hideous example has just 10,000 miles on the clock and was recently serviced. Its set to cross the auction block in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at the end of this month, when its expected to sell for $250-300,000 or about halfway between what a Huracan or Aventador would cost you today. Check it out in the image gallery below by Erik Fuller for Auctions America. Photo Gallery Its not common to bring you a scoop on a car that we dont really have any information, but this spotted Jaguar XF prototype appears to be one of those cases. We checked the license plates with the DVLA in the UK, confirming that this is a new prototype that it was first registered last January, though no other information was available about its powertrain. The problem is that the current XF is still too new for Jaguar to work on a replacement and the prototype in question features a rather heavy amount of camouflage for it to be just a mid-life facelift. Look closely and youll see that the headlights have a slightly different shape, with their outer parts towards the fenders looking thinner while the rear doors appear to be longer, like the ones found in the long-wheelbase version made specifically for the Chinese market. If it isnt a facelift, then another explanation is that this could be an early mule for the upcoming Jaguar XJ flagship, which according to reports is expected in 2019 and is going to give emphasis on electrified powertrains. With that said, it would be not that uncommon for Jaguar to want to test these new powertrains on a mule like this, before starting developing the real XJ on public roads. Photo Credits: CarPix for CarScoops PHOTO GALLERY Tata Motors and the VW Group have reached an agreement to jointly develop a range of models targeted for the Indian market. The two companies have been in discussions for over a year, leading to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) last Wednesday in Geneva, as reported by Autocar India. The deal is expected to be officially announced on March 10 and will include the sharing of components and technologies between Tata, VW and Skoda. The VW Group initially suggested the joint development of the MQB-A platform but that worked out to be too expensive for the Indian market. Instead the new alliance will use Tatas own Advanced Modular Platform (AMP) which has the flexibility to spawn a wide range of models and the cost advantage over the MQB-A. Tata will also be responsible for the engines as VWs powertrains are also said to be too expensive, especially for the local market. On the other hand VW will chip in other systems into the alliance, like its electrical architecture. The models produced by this alliance will be targeted to India, opening a window of opportunity for VW and Skoda in order to become more competitive in this price-sensitive market. PHOTO GALLERY We have known the folks at Cinesite for a long time and have admired what they have achieved over the past few years, said Nitrogen principal Nicole Stinn. When the opportunity presented for us to make our home with them, we knew it was right for all our stakeholders, staff, customers, suppliers and collaborators. Nitrogen was founded in 2003 by the husband-and-wife team of Greg Tiernan and Nicole Stinn. Employing 70 creative and production staff, Nitrogen is currently animating the second season of Dreamworks/Netflixs Trollhunters. The studio has also signed on to animate Arkie, a feature based on Nathan Jureviciuss Scarygirl brand. Cinesite, for its part, has also been expanding in eastern Canada where it has opened a production facility in Montreal. The studio is currently developing different feature film ideas, including a reboot of comedy icon Harold Lloyd and a Riverdance-inspired idea. As one of the largest independent studio brands producing visual effects and animation, this acquisition delivers to our group the same capacity in Vancouver that we already have in Montreal, both for VFX and feature animation, said Antony Hunt, group CEO of Cinesite Studios Group. This allows our customers to invest their production dollars in the two best locations for filmmaking in North America. The opportunity to work with the creative team and crew at Nitrogen allows us to expand our storytelling capabilities, with established creative talent who are ready for new challenges.We look forward to collaborating with them to serve our customers and of course on our own content. Photo: Contributed The average B.C. parents plan to dish out $913 for the kids over March Break. Thats more than parents in any other province, according to a recent BDO Canada survey. The recently released Ipsos poll pegged B.C. parents as the top spenders, with Alberta parents coming in second (planning to spend an average of $756 over the break), and Saskatchewan and Manitoba parents appearing most prudent (planning for an average of $384). While the average planned spending in B.C. was more than $300 over the national average, almost three quarters of the provinces parents say they will do free activities, or nothing special, with their kids over March Break. The rest say they feel obliged to drop some major dough during the holiday. Nationwide, the poll revealed almost half of parents are willing to spend whatever it takes to keep their children entertained. BDO points out that for one in five Canadians that could mean taking on debt. While 72 per cent of Canadian parents say they plan to use cash or debt for their March Break spending, 21 per cent say they will go into debt instead. Canadians should look to create a realistic budget that will help them avoid March Break debt, says Doug Jones, President of BDO Canada Limited. March Break can also be an opportunity to teach your children financial literacy skills, by setting a good example with your spending habits. BDOs survey revealed that only about one third of parents say their decisions are influenced by how much money theyve saved. Photo: Instagram Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said International women's Day is about celebrating the remarkable achievements that women have made everywhere, and reaffirm our commitment to gender equality worldwide. While we have taken significant steps toward gender equality, we know that much more work needs to be done," he said. "Women around the world continue to receive lower pay and fewer promotions. They are denied legal control over their bodies and reproductive health. They face much higher rates of harassment and verbal, physical, and sexual abuse." Read more. Photo: Challenge Penticton A new program from the City of Penticton to be more strategic about events the city funds and attracts was unveiled in a council meeting on Tuesday. Chad Douglas was tasked with creating a strategy for deciding which how much city funding should go toward which multi-day events in Penticton, resulting in a points system for events. Douglas says the need for a strategy is highlighted by the high concentration on multi-day events in the summer, with zero events from November to February, compared to 14 events in July. Which is great, obviously were proud of our summers here, were proud of those events and what they bring to the economy, Douglas said. In my opinion, to make the city more livable, we need to do more year-round. For the time being, the focus will be more on the shoulder seasons, like April and October just before and after the main season. Which, Douglas says, is why the city has developed its new tool. The process will help us recognize opportunities to buy, build or partner events and respond to urgent needs in our community, Douglas said. The tool largely works on a matrix, which weighs factors like how many people it will bring to the city, how long those people will stay and whether that event will fill its own niche. Each event will be given a score out of 50 based on 10 categories, which range from a possible 10 points to potential negative points for risks associated. While we need to be collaborative and creative in responding to event needs, an evaluation matrix allows us to be proactive in establishing our economic priorities, Douglas said. The matrix criteria singles out events that bring the right people potential residents at the right time, with the right levels of investment and risk. Councillors were largely receptive to the presentation, with Coun. Judy Sentes pointing to Pentictons reputation as a tourism destination. Ive often thought that a tagline for Penticton should or could be a festival capital, Sentes said. Recognizing Linda Larson all those years ago designated Oliver the wine capital of Canada and had no opposition. Send us a letter. Got an opinion on this story? Email letters to the editor to [email protected] The Penticton chapter of Grandmothers for Africa held a womens march on Wednesday to mark International Womens Day. The group marched from the Stratford Centre to the Lakeside Resort where participants gave speeches on womens rights. The route saw the march make a loop through City Hall. All the women are out in full force supporting each other, trying to set an example for the younger generation, march organizer Norma Lippa said. Lippa said they are marching for equality for women in the workplace, an end to violence against women and for education to be available for young girls around the world. There are 130 million young girls in the world today that are not in school, thats a staggering figure, she added. As you can see weve been joined by women from all different walks of life. SOWINS and SOVAS will be leading another womens march today starting at 4:30 p.m. at Gyro Park. Photo: Contributed The City of Penticton will be offering free transit on election day this spring. City council got a request letter from BC Transit at Tuesday's council meeting, which asked that buses run for free on May 9, when the province elects its next government. The cost to the city, according to the letter will be about $700. While councillors had some questions, it was a unanimous vote to approve free transit on that day. "Did we not try this during the last civic election, and if my memory serves me right, there was very little uptake on it," Coun. Andre Martin said. "The other thing is if we do this, then what about the advance poll days?" On that second point, Coun. Judy Sentes moved that the issue be moved back to the next meeting to bring in more information, but that only got one vote in favour from Sentes. With that said, councillors were largely in favour of allowing free transit "I would suggest that with the value with this $700 isn't that much to forgo," Watt said. "What we get in return, I think the opportunity for people to be able to go to the election for free is something we should provide." Photo: PIB The sheep in their pen The Penticton Indian Band Natural Resources Department has joined forces with the University of Saskatchewan and province for a unique program to treat the regions bighorn sheep for psoroptic mange. Eighteen bighorn sheep are now being treated for the condition at an enclosure built on Penticton Indian Band lands over five acres. A 2.4 metre high fence with a one metre overhang isolates the infected animals. Psoroptic mange was first discovered in Canada in 2011, and the Okanagan Valley is the only impacted region at this time. The condition is caused by a mite which can lead to a heavy crust in and around the ears and other locations and a loss their hair. The sheep may eventually go deaf if not treated. The sheep are being treated with longrange Cattle injection normally used in treating parasites in cow herds, Adam Hering, a PhD student from the University of Saskatchewan said. By quarantining the sheep, treatment schedules and medical evaluations can be maintained without adding stress to the herd and potentially affecting the ability to heal. Penticton Indian Band members, youth and students are the caretakers of the sheep, feeding and checking on them daily. Thank-you to all those involved in this project and a special thanks to those who have generously volunteered or provided much needed supplies. It was great to see the daycare children sing a song about the sheep in our language, said PIB Chief, Chad Eneas at a gathering in March. Photo: Contributed A councillor in the town of Osoyoos is frustrated with the provincial government over a lack information about a looming 133 per cent increase to the towns policing bill triggered by the recent census. In February Osoyoos learned it would have to start paying for 70 per cent of it's policing after eclipsing 5,000 people. Last year, the town paid about $387,000 for RCMP service, about 30 per cent of the total bill. But with April 1 fast approaching, the day the town will be responsible for the increased costs, Osoyoos has received only preliminary information from the province. There is a lot to consider here, and to this point, weve had nothing to consider because weve had no information, Mike Campol said. After bugging the province for weeks, Campol said the town received a preliminary information package on Wednesday. Osoyoos is faced with three options: to contract the RCMP to provide policing, to form their own force, or to work with a neighbouring detachment. More than likely the RCMP scenario will make the most sense, but we as a council still have to do our due diligence and look at all the options, Campol said, adding there are a lot of questions here. Osoyoos council is in the middle of trying to adopt the year's budget, adding to the frustration for Campol. A change this big that could affect our residents taxes significantly, I like the public to to be in the know about what's going on, and weve had nothing to tell them. In a statement, the Ministry of Public Safety said there have been ongoing discussions between the ministry and Osoyoos staff over recent weeks. The province appears to have been caught slightly off-guard by Osoyoos passing the 5,000 mark, indicating BC Stats did not expect them to do so. It didnt look as though Fernie or Osoyoos would go over the 5,000 threshold, although they were made aware of the potential impacts and possibility of going over in this census, the statement reads. The responsibility for policing is clear under the Police Act, and the contractual obligations for the RCMP Agreements require implementation by April 1, 2017. But for Campol, thinking back to the school closure saga, this whole ordeal is tinged with deja vu. This is twice now in two years that a provincial or federal matter has been dropped down onto a small community with a massive effect on a community in so many ways, with almost no time to deal with it. Send us a letter. Got an opinion on this story? Email letters to the editor to [email protected] Photo: Contributed British Columbia's finance minister says the province will become the first in Canada to adopt legislation requiring public servants to document key government decisions. Mike de Jong said the "duty to document" law introduced Wednesday will provide strong oversight and consistent practice across government. "These amendments will ensure the Information Management Act remains the strongest legislation of its kind in Canada," he said in a statement. An all-party government committee called for duty to document provisions last year in a review of the province's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The new rules follow high-profile cases where potentially sensitive government documents were deleted, or where decisions delivered orally were never recorded. B.C.'s former information and privacy commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, launched a probe in 2015 after a whistleblower said his former supervisor in the Transportation Ministry deleted documents requesting information about an investigation into missing and murdered women along the Highway of Tears in northern B.C. Denham wrote a highly critical report highlighting the government's failure to keep adequate email records or document searches and the wilful destruction of records in response to a freedom-of-information request. Following the report, former information and privacy commissioner David Loukidelis was tasked with reviewing the government's record-keeping practices. He recommended a complete overhaul of the transitory records policy, which allowed politicians and officials to delete documents, especially emails, they consider inconsequential. De Jong said the proposed legislation addresses the recommendations made by Loukidelis. But Vincent Gogolek, executive director of B.C.'s Freedom of Information and Privacy Association, said the proposed law does not come close to meeting the recommendations. "It's not even half measures," he said. "It's not a duty. A duty is 'thou shalt.' That's not what they are doing." Gogolek said the law is discretionary, and should contain language requiring the government to document its decisions. De Jong said he disagrees with Gogolek. "It's the first time any jurisdiction in this country, I'm aware of, has endeavoured to codify the obligation to keep these records," he said. Photo: CTV UPDATE: Thursday 12:15 a.m. The province has a vision for commuter rail in Greater Victoria. Transportation Minister Todd Stone and local mayors on Thursday announced a working group to address serving the capital region. We will complete the business case and take the leadership role in getting that work done, with the goal being to finally get on with commuter rail here on the E&N line from Langford into Vic West, said Stone. Im really pleased ... that we are turning the concept that has been discussed for so long into reality, and it starts today. The line spans 15 kilometres, and the working group will include ministry, local government, BC Transit and BC Safety Authority members. The highway is full, and this one is empty, so this is just a common sense approach, said Langford Mayor Stew Young. Were growing. We need to make sure we service the community and make people be able to get to work in a reasonable time. No timeline has been laid out for the project, nor has funding been allocated, but a business case is anticipated in July. ORIGINAL: Wednesday 9 p.m. The province has scheduled a new conference with Transportation Minister Todd Stone and Victoria-area mayors to make an announcement regarding commuter transportation service, according to CTV Vancouver Island. The announcement is reported to involve an initiative for low-cost rail service that would connect WestShore to downtown Victoria. "Discussions with municipal leaders have been positive and progressive leading to the opportunity to advance the initiative of commuter rail between West Shore and Victoria," Focus Equities, the developers of Bayview Place, said in a statement to CTV. The news conference is taking place at E&N train stop at Admirals and Colville roads in Victoria at 9 a.m., and the minister is expected to reveal more details. with files from CTV News Photo: Contributed One man is dead following a single-vehicle crash in the Lower Mainland. The Abbotsford Police Department was called Thursday at 6:20 a.m. to an off-road crash in the area of Page Road and Little Street. At that location APD officers located a pickup truck with a single deceased male driver inside. The truck had left the roadway and went down a steep embankment, said Const. Ian MacDonald, adding APD Patrol Division officers and collision re-constructionists are investigating. Anyone with information about the accident is asked to contact police at 604-859-5225, or by text at 222973 (abbypd). Photo: The Canadian Press UPDATE: 9:30 p.m. The Vancouver Park Board has unanimously decided to have staff look into amending the Parks Control bylaw to prohibit the importation and display of live whales, dolphins and porpoises. The decision follows the Vancouver Aquariums announcement to bring in new belugas before phasing out its cetacean research program and the display of beluga whales by 2029. On the table were four possible options, ranging from holding a plebiscite in the 2018 municipal election to keeping the situation as is. The board will now instruct staff to investigate and report back on how best to implement the amendment by May 2017. The deaths of belugas Aurora and daughter Qila in November of 2016 thrust the issue of cetaceans in captivity into the spotlight. The Aquarium says it still doesnt know what caused the whales to die just weeks apart but hasnt ruled out a toxin in the water or something malicious. ORIGINAL: 9:45 a.m. A debate on the future of whales and dolphins in captivity at the Vancouver Aquarium is set to stretch into a second night after more than 60 speakers signed up. The Vancouver Park Board scheduled the special meeting following the aquarium's announcement last month it would bring in new belugas before phasing out its cetacean program over the next decade. Aquarium president and CEO John Nightingale told the board Wednesday the deaths of a beluga and her daughter are particularly worrying. Aurora and Qila died two weeks apart in November and the cause of death is still not known. Park board chair Michael Wiebe says there are four possible options on the table, including leaving things as they are to holding a referendum on dropping the cetacean program. A decision is expected once all the speakers have finished. All 85 fishermen, who are in custody of the Sri Lankan Government, would be released soon, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on 9 March, 2017. "The Government of Sri Lanka has informed the High Commission of India in Colombo that all 85 Indian fishermen, currently in custody, will be released. We understand that the instructions in this regard to the concerned authorities in Sri Lanka have been issued. We are awaiting further orders within Sri Lanka in this regard," MEA official spokesperson Gopal Bagley told the media. With regards to the killing of an Indian fishermen allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy, Bagley said that the High Commission has reached to "the highest possible levels in Colombo" and was assured of "thorough investigation" into the matter. Responding to the claims of suspected shooting by the Sri Lankan Navy, Bagley said, "The Sri Lankan Government and the navy have maintained that there has been no firing from their side. However, they have agreed to thoroughly investigate the matter. We should await the result of the investigation." A group of Indian fishermen, who were fishing between Danushkodi and Katchatheevu off the Tamil Nadu coast, were allegedly fired upon by the Sri Lankan Navy in which one fisherman was killed. As per reports, around 500 boats went for fishing on 3 March, 2017 evening from Rameshwaram. -ANI If you have just started your journey in an online casino or are looking for a new site to play,... Nigeria: 1.68Mta integrated cement plant has been proposed for Ogun state 09 March 2017 A new 1.6Mta integrated cement plant has been proposed near Ewekoro, Ogun state, Nigeria, and an environmental and social impact assessment is being carried out. Southport Cement Ltd is in the process of acquiring the land for the quarry, which will be located just 10km from a Dangote cement works and 14km from the Lafarge Africa (Wapco) Segamu cement plant. The aim is to provide a facility that produces 5000tpd of clinker with CEMI and II types of cement. There are reported to be limestone reserves of 40 years at the quarry. Site preparations will begin this year with commercial production expected to commence in 4Q19/1Q20. Published under Myanmar: Singapore investment fund to part-finance new 1.6Mta plant ICR Newsroom By 09 March 2017 Singapore-based Credera has announced that it will invest US$20m in a stake in a new 5000tpd cement plant in Myanmar, Deal Street Asia reports. Credera's Myanmar Frontier Opportunities Fund will partner with a foreign cement firm as yet unnamed that will bring another US$30m to the deal. The remainder of the estimated US$200m required to build the plant will be raised as debt. According to Credera, Myanmar currently produces and demands around 4Mt of cement, but the firm expects consumption to rise to 10Mt in the next five years. "Due to the need of the infrastructure, we believe the demand for cement will be very large in Myanmar," said Gaurav Manghnani, senior portfolio manager at Credera Group. Changes to Myanmar law means that foreign direct investment now attracts tax incentives, with investment in the least-developed areas of the country eligible for tax holidays of up to seven years. However, Manghnani stressed that the final decision on where to site the plant would be dictated by the availability of resources and infrastructure, particularly in regards to energy supplies. Published under Forget the paper, pens and textbooks todays higher education students are securely planted in the 21st century with mobile devices. But instead of chastising students for using them in the classroom, more colleges and universities are embracing and even encouraging mobile devices as innovative tools to enhance learning.Such is the case at Hiram College, which recently announced a new Tech and Trek initiative that will go one step further by providing new technology to incoming students in fall 2017. But while this approach has become a growing trend in higher education, some experts are skeptical of its true impact on learning.Located in Ohios Western Reserve, Hiram College is a small liberal arts college with approximately 1,100 students, according to its website . The college recently received a $2.1 million alumnus donation that enabled it to launch the Tech and Trek initiative, which will provide an iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and keyboard bundle to full-time, traditional freshmen students in fall 2017.According to Hiram College President Lori Varlotta, the initiative goes beyond simply distributing mobile devices and is aimed at enhancing and strengthening face-to-face learning that currently exists. Tech and Trek is designed to bring a new liberal arts way of learning by incorporating integrative study, high-impact experiences and the mindful use of technology.Since students at Hiram are required to participate in learning outside of the classroom, including internships and study abroad opportunities, the mobile devices will support students in learning during these immersive experiences (or treks). For example, students can record conversations with individuals from other cultures or in other languages and reflect back on those recordings to achieve a greater, long-lasting impact.The devices will serve to enhance learning inside the classroom as well. For example, iBooks and integrative tools will allow students to highlight sections of text, embed questions and send their personal analyses or takeaways to a study group, enabling students and faculty to see who is contributing to group projects.We want students to integrate personal stories with theory; soft skills and emotions and feelings with facts, Varlotta said. Mobile technology is wonderfully suited to help make those integrations possible inside and outside the classroom. They will be able to google, download, create electronic journals and do searches to bring a heightened sense of analyses into spur-of-the-moment discussions.Another objective of the Tech and Trek initiative will be to teach students how to use digital devices in creative, purposeful ways to strengthen interpersonal relations on campus.A cohort of faculty and staff, including Assistant Professor and Early Childhood Program Coordinator Jennifer McCreight, is rolling out the initiative. They are also working with students and trustees on how to get the best results from the initiative. So far, McCreight has seen a positive impact from using many of the digital apps and tools in her own classroom. For example, she uses the interactive presentation tool Nearpod to encourage verbally shy students to share in conversations through typing or drawing. She notes that these tools help to enhance learning and communication, but also level the playing field for students by allowing them to access the same content and tools being used.To sustain the initiative beyond 2017, Hiram College plans to increase its technology fee, which currently falls at about $100.While Hiram is the first college in Ohio to offer these specific devices, the initiative is part of a growing trend across the nation that can be seen at various higher education institutions. Belmont College in St. Clairesville, Ohio, launched the Be Connected initiative in 2015 that gives iPads to all students, faculty and the majority of staff members. Similarly, the University of Minnesotas College of Education and Human Development launched an iPad initiative in 2010 to help students access course materials and university libraries, and create multimedia presentations. The University of Cincinnati College of Nursing also launched an iPad initiative, which requires nursing students to use iPads as part of their curriculum.Even schools that dont implement formal initiatives are more likely to use mobile devices in some way to support learning. According to the 2016 Educause Center for Analysis and Research Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology Students believe that a majority of their instructors have technology skills adequate for course instruction, use technology in basic ways to connect to learning materials, and encourage the use of online collaborative tools. Whats more, half of students reported that they believe their instructors use technology to stimulate critical and creative thinking and maintain student attention.But Phil Hill, an education technology consultant at Mindwire, points out that simply implementing mobile devices into higher education is not enough to make a true impact on learning it also relies on a pedagogical redesign of programs. In his work with colleges and universities, Hill has noticed a growing need for a wholesale redesign of curriculum and support programs for students to maximize these 21st-century tools. Technology for technologys sake doesnt change education, he said. Its a tool that can enable students and schools to improve education. Otherwise, all youre doing is throwing technology at the problem. Phishing, social engineering or other end user attacks: Hacking: Malware Crimeware Denial of Service Ransomware Internet of Things (IoT) Cybersecurity in Higher Education While the stakes are high for K-12 education, cyberattacks on higher education institutions have some additional complicating factors. Consider the research data held on networks at the nations universities, as well as the vast number of unsecured devices brought on campus. Educause, a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education through the use of information technology, listed information security as the No. 1 issue facing higher education in both 2016 and 2017. Yet many institutions, particularly small colleges, face the threats without a dedicated cybersecurity officer. Educause has published a free Information Security Guide to help these institutions. John Bruggeman is the only certified computer security staff member at the Jewish Institute of Religion, where he serves as the chief technology officer and information security officer for the seminary that has four locations. But he has three network staff members versed in computer security fundamentals and incident response and remediation. Bruggeman trained through sans.org, which focuses primarily on the technical security training arena. Additionally, Bruggeman contracts with local vendors who can provide incident response assistance. The Jewish Institute of Religions first incident was a denial-of-service attack in 2001. While the incident didnt result in a data breach, it motivated him to become certified through sans.org, as well as to present at national higher education computer conferences on the topic of cybersecurity. Bruggeman recommends other small schools focus on three primary steps: Define your risk. What data do you have that needs to be protected? Develop a security policy. The policy documents will define the who, what, when, where, why and how of your security needs. Recognize that IT security is an ongoing process and that the whole school is involved. What I learned from that first experience was that we, the Internet, are only as strong as our weakest link, he says. Small schools like us can do a lot without a lot of money or a lot of staff. This is not a technology problem so much as it is an attitude and awareness problem. Constant vigilance Back up regularly Good patch management Secure the humans Computer security in schools has come a long way since Ferris Bueller, the character from the hit movie of 1986, hacked the schools network to change his absences. School districts are making progress, but with cybersecurity impacting every part of society from the election to Twitter and Netflix, it seems the education sector is still not as secure as it needs to be.According to Verizons 2016 Data Breach Investigations Report , the education sector experienced 254 security incidents in 2015, including 29 with confirmed data loss. Those numbers have almost certainly increased over the last year. Likewise, education technology leaders showed a 64 percent increase in concern over privacy and security of student data since then, according to the 2016 IT Leadership Survey from the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN).Looking back and learning from the past, we can surmise that cyberthreats will continue and gain in sophistication, said Steve Langford, a CoSN member and chief information officer at Oregons Beaverton School District. School systems have much student and staff data that are valuable and, coupled with lean staffing levels, make us an attractive target for those seeking access and information. Regardless of size, school districts will need to invest in staff who are experienced in cybersecurity, now and into the future.Having a full-time staff person dedicated to cybersecurity is not possible for most school districts for several reasons. Few districts can afford to hire someone who has the skills and experience to run what has become a complex operation. Even those that have the funds are finding it difficult to hire skilled cybersecurity personnel because the demand for talent is at an all-time high. In 2015, more than 200,000 cybersecurity jobs went unfilled due to a talent shortage, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.Schools are attacking the problem from a number of angles. After all, one simple solution doesnt exist. Communities expect school districts to protect data the same way they protect a school building, but its a far more complicated process, said Aaron Barnett, IT director of the Moreno Valley School District and board member of the California Educational Technology Professionals Association (CETPA). Its like not locking your windows or doors, he said. Our systems should be locked so anyone from anywhere in the world cant just walk in the school door.The Verizon report noted that most cyberattacks are about money. Cybercriminals pursue information they can use to steal identities or passwords to access accounts. Besides accessing sensitive personal information, cyberattacks can disrupt or devastate a school district in many ways. For instance, attackers overwhelmed Salt Lake Citys school district by an attack in 2015 that brought down its websites, phone systems and online grading system. In Minnesota, an attack disrupted student testing, and in New Jersey , extortionists shut down a districts entire network and held it for ransom.These are the most common types of attacks:Attackers attempt to infiltrate a system through the end user, such as a teacher checking email. With phishing, an email from a deceptive address tempts the recipient to click on a link and input private information such as credit card numbers or passwords. Likewise, social engineering attacks use psychology to trick users into breaking security procedures, allowing attackers access to sensitive information.An illicit coder, or hacker, modifies or alters computer software and hardware to steal information or disrupt usage.: Short for malicious software, malware is unwanted software installed on a computer without consent, and often with the purpose of gathering information or controlling the device. Viruses and worms are examples of malicious software that are often grouped together and referred to as malware.: this category of cyberattack covers the use of malware that doesnt fit into a more specific pattern.: DoS attacks use botnets, a zombie army of infected computers working in concert to overwhelm a network with malicious traffic, which can cause the entire system to crash.: Malicious software designed to block access to a computer system until victims pay a sum of money. Ransomware is one of the most popular attacks currently used against schools.: Devices from the Internet of Things include webcams, security cameras, air conditioners, printers and anything connected to the Internet that can be infected and turned into a botnet to drive large amounts of traffic and cause the system to crash. While IoT attacks are not common, the possibility of problems will increase as buses, sprinkler systems and other devices in a school district go online.The sheer size of some school districts makes them tempting targets for hackers, cyberthieves and online extortionists. Moreno Valley School District is one of Californias larger school systems, with about 34,000 students, 14,000 laptops and desktops, and 28,000 Chromebooks, but Barnett doesnt have the staff to keep them all updated. That makes the technology more vulnerable to hacks and malware problems. We think were at the little schoolhouse on the prairie, but we are running some of the biggest networks in the cities and becoming very vulnerable to cyberattacks, he said.Ten years ago, few technology departments, let alone school districts, had cybersecurity on their list of IT priorities. Today, just about everyone ranks it as one of the biggest problems facing information technology. And its not cheap. The Wichita School Board estimated the cost of implementing a proper cybersecurity program to be $2 million. Not many districts have that kind of cash on hand, making it hard to establish a robust set of cybersecurity policies and practices with up-to-date defenses.The ideal would be to have a dedicated person for security, but districts might not be able to justify it, said Laura Iwan, chief information security officer for the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC), an organization that facilitates collaboration and information sharing among members, private-sector partners and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on cybersecurity threats. Thats because their size and workload may not support the salary of a full-time security person, making it more practical to share a dedicated person across multiple school districts. I look at security as somewhat like an orchestra and a conductor, she said. If you dont have a conductor, everyone may be playing the same song, but not playing it well enough because they dont have someone to guide them through the music. The key is that someone be responsible and accountable for establishing a cohesive program.MS-ISAC publishes a nontechnical guide to getting started in cybersecurity that focuses on institutional and organizational checklists for executives and managers. Schools can use the guide to recognize a problem, and then set up daily, weekly and monthly tasks to keep systems secure.Some states are trying to prod schools into action to prevent cyberattacks. Missouri performs audits to help schools in the state identify where they must improve. Kevin Carpenter is IT director at Boonville R-1 School District, which participated in Missouris Cyber Aware School Audit . Boonville R-1 has 1,500 students and five school buildings, and employs two IT staff, Carpenter and his assistant. The two are responsible for IT for the entire district, including monitoring cybersecurity.The audit spurred Carpenter to create some policies and procedures for monitoring and responding to cybersecurity threats. He developed a disaster recovery program, a comprehensive life cycle policy, incident response protocol, a regular forced password change and a minimum password length. This year, Boonville purchased a cybersecurity training video course for its staff.While most school districts cant afford a full-time cybersecurity position on an already-limited public education budget, they still have the responsibility to do the best they can with the staff they have, said Carpenter. Its the kind of thing that can be easily overlooked in the day to day without a clear policy and procedure, he added. You dont want to be that district that makes the headlines for having an incident.The Orchard Farm School District is another Missouri district that underwent security auditing. IT director Bill Niemeyer oversees the districts five schools and one full-time security administrator responsible for all computer and network security. School districts that lack a full-time cybersecurity employee can often get their district security administrator to work with contractors and automated systems to protect data, Niemeyer said. Orchard Farm utilizes a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) architecture monitored by a third party. Niemeyer said SIEM has become a cost-effective and valuable tool for managing cybersecurity threats.Even though Orchard Farm has several layers of technology in place to defend against attacks, the most important layer is the end user. Security is everyones job, he said, not just the job of one person in the technology department. Districts need to create a culture that champions cybersecurity.Niemeyer recommends setting attainable goals for teachers, staff and students, such as a clean desk policy, regular password changes, and creating consistent engaging ways to incorporate cybersecurity topics into daily classroom use. Further, he suggests that all school districts should join CoSN and participate in its new privacy initiative called the Trusted Learning Environment (TLE) Seal , a set of best practices to safeguard student data.California is an example of how one state provides assistance to its school districts as they beef up cybersecurity. Through a partnership between CETPA and a state-funded network connectivity program called K12HSN , California is offering free cybersecurity and network management professional development through the Technical Assistance Professional Development Program. Its an approach that is gaining traction and one that IT education professionals say is needed. Moreno Valleys Barnett said the program includes a combination of district IT staff policies and a subscription service. Having a third party who can come in and help districts recover after an attack will be an important part of the equation, he added.While hiring a cybersecurity professional is, perhaps, the best answer to protecting a schools data and networks, tech education professionals can follow several well regarded procedures to reduce the chances of a breach or successful attack:: Log files and change management systems can give early warnings of a breach. Also, encrypt data so that it is useless if stolen.: If your network is attacked, a recent backup can help you get back to full capacity quickly without having to a pay a ransom to cybercriminals.: The first goal is to keep a clean machine thats free from infections. Keep software updated and religiously apply security patches. Also make sure your Web filtering, firewalls and intrusion prevention programs are updated.: This is perhaps the most important piece, said Barnett. Keep data on a need-to-know basis. Use two-factor authentication. Professional development that trains staff to recognize social engineering and phishing can go a long way toward preventing attacks.Security awareness training has become critical as staff mistakes trigger more attacks. Chief Technology Officer Mark Finstrom of Highline Public Schools in Washington gave an example from his district, which enrolls more than 20,000 students and doesnt have a cybersecurity specialist. A payroll technician received an email from superintendent@gmail.com that asked for employees names, addresses and payroll information. The employee complied with the message, releasing personally identifiable information from nearly 2,500 employees in that attack.Finstrom points out that the employee should have noted a couple of things. First, the email address didnt come from a district domain. Second, the superintendent does not ask for payroll information via unsecure email. He explains that people have just become accustomed to doing everything online without always confirming the veracity of the email request. Following the incident, Highline instituted a phone call requirement before employees can release payroll data.Some districts have started training staff by sending fake phishing emails to them to see if they get hooked. If someone does, they are rewarded with a short video that explains what to look out for in future emails. Free applications such as SecurityIQ and KnowB4 offer such training.Finstrom has offered some of his own recommendations: Consult with vendors, read online articles from specialists, talk with your peers, and always confirm the answer.Knowing that threats will increase and become more complicated in nature, I believe we need to be extremely diligent to provide training and cross-training for staff, he said. While some districts may not be able to afford a cyberspecialist, the analyses of requirements, tools, options and communication requirements becomes something that every district must invest in. Sign up for our newsletter COLUMBUS Larry Andreasen was barely out of his teens when he signed up to be a Columbus Optimist Club member. Five decades have passed since then, and the 71-year-old is still active in the service organization. Andreasen was recognized for his dedication to the group last week during a weekly Optimist meeting. I didnt even realize I was in it that long, but time flies, Andreasen said. It was 50 years ago when he was asked to join the youth-focused club after an Optimist member visited his place of employment looking for someone from the business to join. He dove headfirst into projects the group supports, including the annual Easter egg hunt. Andreasen recalls that event had a different twist when it was just getting off the ground. We used to use real eggs in the beginning. Wed have a get-together and dye them at someones house. It was case after case of eggs that we boil, he said. That tradition ended after some of the eggs werent cooked all the way through. The hard-boiled eggs were replaced with the plastic, candy-filled variety, and the Easter hunt continues that way today. Andreasen also has memories from when his children tagged along during a Christmas tree sale and pickup the Optimist Club put on each year. It was a cold adventure, but my kids liked it. Afterwards wed pick up trees and have a big bonfire, he said. Andreasen found himself in many different positions over the years, including serving as president after just a few years with the group. The biggest role he said he undertook was serving as Optimist secretary and treasurer for the state of Nebraska. He traveled to Optimist conventions, including one in Toronto. He is now a lifetime member, an honor given to those who have shown years of dedication to the club and organization. Andreasen still attends weekly meetings and takes part in as many Optimist-sponsored activities as he can. The group annually puts on a Punt, Pass and Kick skills competition for children and Easter egg hunt in Pawnee Park. Members also raise money by selling nuts and candy and red bows attached to business doors during the Christmas season and through a rent-a-Santa program. The Optimist Club also provides scholarships to high school students and recognizes students during Youth Appreciation Week. For a few years, Andreasen's wife Jean was also an Optimist member. When he joined there were about 30 members, similar to the group's current size. He said hed like to see more people join to enjoy the camaraderie and see the difference the service projects make. The thing is you just cant get new people to join because they are so busy. All the service clubs are going by the wayside and thats unfortunate because they have such an impact in the community, Andreasen said. 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 The page may have moved, you may have mistyped the address, or followed a bad link. Visit our homepage, or search for whatever you were looking for The deadline to sign up for this free community event that is open to all is Nov. 16. Kennebunk Post "We need to invest in our kids," said resident Brenda Robinson. "That's how we keep graffiti out of Waterhouse Center and mischief out of the downtown on Saturday night." For the first time, total payments for caring for individuals living with Alzheimers or other dementias exceeded a quarter trillion dollars ($259 billion), according to findings from the 2017 Alzheimers Disease Facts and Figures report. The report was released yesterday by the Alzheimers Association. The report also discusses the diseases impact on caregivers, such as family members. In 2016 alone, Tennessee had 430,000 caregivers that gave over 480 million hours of unpaid care to their loved ones with Alzheimers. More than 15 million Americans provide unpaid care, such as physical, emotional and financial support, for the estimated 5.5 million Americans living with Alzheimers dementia. In 2016, Alzheimers caregivers provided an estimated 18.2 billion hours of unpaid care, which the report valued at $230.1 billion. These contributions disproportionately come from women, who make up two-thirds of Alzheimers caregivers. New findings highlighted in the report show that of all dementia caregivers who provided care for more than 40 hours a week, 69 percent are women. Of those providing care to someone with dementia for more than 5 years, 63 percent are women and 37 percent are men. The Facts and Figures report also found that the strain of caregiving produces serious physical and mental health consequences. For instance, more than one out of three (35 percent) caregivers for people with Alzheimers or another dementia report that their health has gotten worse due to care responsibilities, compared to one out of five (19 percent) caregivers for older people without dementia. Also, depression and anxiety are more common among dementia caregivers than among people providing care for individuals with certain other conditions. Nearly half of dementia caregivers indicate that providing help is highly stressful (49 percent), compared with 35 percent of caregivers of people without dementia. The Facts and Figures report provides an in-depth look at the latest national statistics and information on Alzheimers prevalence, incidence, use and costs of care, caregiving and mortality. Findings in the report show that, for the first time, total annual payments for health care, long-term care and hospice care for people with Alzheimers and other dementias have surpassed a quarter of a trillion dollars ($259 billion). Additionally, despite support from Medicare, Medicaid and other sources of financial assistance, individuals with Alzheimers or other dementias still incur high out-of-pocket costs. The average per-person out-of-pocket costs for seniors with Alzheimers and other dementias are almost five times higher than average per-person payments for seniors without these conditions ($10,315 versus $2,232). Although deaths from other major causes have decreased, new data from the report shows that deaths from Alzheimer's disease have increased significantly. Between 2000 and 2014, deaths from heart disease decreased 14 percent, while deaths from Alzheimers disease have increased 89 percent. Below are some additional findings: Of the estimated 5.5 million Americans with Alzheimers dementia in 2017, 5.3 million people are age 65 and older and approximately 200,000 are under age 65 (younger-onset Alzheimers) including 110,000 in Tennessee. Barring the development of medical breakthroughs, the number of people age 65 and older with Alzheimers dementia may nearly triple from 5.3 million to 13.8 million by 2050. Every 66 seconds, someone in the U.S. develops Alzheimers dementia. By mid-century, someone in the U.S. will develop the disease every 33 seconds. Approximately 480,000 peoplealmost half a millionage 65 or older will develop Alzheimers dementia in the U.S. in 2017. Two-thirds of Americans over age 65 with Alzheimers dementia (3.3 million) are women. Alzheimers is the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S. and the fifth-leading cause of death for those ages 65 and older. In Tennessee, 2,672 died with Alzheimers in 2014, the most recent figure available. Alzheimer's remains the only disease among the top 10 causes of death in America that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed. Total national cost of caring for those with Alzheimers and other dementias is estimated at $259 billion (excludes unpaid caregiving), of which $175 billion is the cost to Medicare and Medicaid alone. Total payments for health care, long-term care and hospice for people with Alzheimers and other dementias are projected to increase to more than $1.1 trillion in 2050 (in 2017 dollars). In Tennessee, the report estimated total Medicaid costs for Americans with dementia age 65 and older at $939 million for 2017. In the next eight years, that figure is expected to increase 42.1% to $1.3 trillon. The Alzheimers Association provides reliable information and care consultation; create supportive services for families; increase funding for dementia research; and influence public policy changes. Full text of the Alzheimer's Association 2017 Alzheimers Disease Facts and Figures report can be viewed at alz.org. The report will also appear in the April 2017 issue of Alzheimers & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimers Association. Moore Jackson Smith III Morjay, 73, died on Sunday, March 5, at his home on Lookout Mountain. The world lost a sparkling wit, a magnificent intelligence, a loving heart, and an all round fun guy. Moore graduated from Chattanooga High in 1962 and earned a B.S. from UT Knoxville in 1966. He retired from Provident Life and Accident where he was a computer senior systems analyst and received his FLMI. He loved music of all kinds, from symphonic to blue grass and everything in between. He had been an active caver and was a life member of the NSS, a sustaining member of the Southeastern Cave Conservancy, and a member of the Chattanooga Grotto. Once he could no longer bounce pits and make long crawls, he enjoyed the old timers parties and camping. In recent years, he had greatly enjoyed reading books on history, philosophy, religions, politics and especially Buddhism. His father, Dr. Moore J. Smith Jr., his mother, Susan Latimore Phillips Smith, and his younger brother, Gray Dean Latimore Smith, preceded him in death. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Mary Katherine King Smith, Kay, his adored daughter, Sophia Lynn Smith Gross, his magical granddaughter, Sidda Leeann Gross, his sisters, Helen Everett Smith Pieve of Chattanooga, Susan Phillips Smith Bass (Mike) of Oklahoma and several nephews and nieces. In addition, there were several chosen relatives of great importance. A Celebration of his Life will include visiting, story telling, and music. It will be held on Sunday, March 12, from 2-4 p.m. at the Barking Legs Theatre at 1307 Dodds Avenue, Chattanooga. Memorial contributions may be made to the Southeastern Cave Conservancy or the Tennessee Library for the Blind. The family wishes to thank Amedisys Hospice for their love and support during this time of need. Arrangements have been entrusted by Lane Funeral Home on Ashland Terrace, 601 Ashland Terrace, Chattanooga, TN 37415, www.lanefh.com. The Tennessee Supreme Court has held that a Memphis food-service employee may not file a lawsuit against her employer for distributing tips in a way that violates Tennessees Tip Statute, because the law does not allow a private party to file suit for a violation. Tennessees Tip Statute requires restaurants and clubs that automatically add a gratuity or tip onto a customers bill to distribute the tips collected among the employee or employees who have rendered that service. The statute makes violation of the law a misdemeanor. Kim Hardy worked as a food server/bartender for the Tournament Players Club at Southwind. The Club customarily added a mandatory tip onto every customers bill at its bars and restaurants. The Club then distributed those tips to many types of employees, including kitchen employees and even managers. Ms. Hardy filed a lawsuit against the Tournament Players Club, claiming that the Club owed her damages because it had distributed tips to employees who were not entitled to receive them, in violation of the Tip Statute. The trial court dismissed Ms. Hardys lawsuit, holding that the law did not allow a private citizen such as Ms. Hardy to file a lawsuit to collect damages for her employers violation of the Tip Statute. In a split decision, the Court of Appeals reversed. It recognized that the Tip Statute did not say directly that a food service employee such as Ms. Hardy could file a lawsuit seeking damages for violation of the law. Nevertheless, relying on a 1998 Court of Appeals decision, it held that Ms. Hardy had an implied private right of action under the Tip Statute, that is, it found implied intent by the legislature to allow a private citizen to file a lawsuit for violation of the law. The Tennessee Supreme Court granted the Club permission to appeal. The Tennessee Supreme Court reversed the Court of Appeals and overruled the 1998 Court of Appeals decision. The Court found that Tennessees legislature had given no indication that it intended to allow a private citizen, such as Ms. Hardy, to file a lawsuit to collect damages for violation of the Tip Statute. The only remedy provided in the law was to charge an employer, such as the Club, with a misdemeanor. Since the Court declined to find implied intent by the legislature to allow a private right of action, it affirmed the trial courts dismissal of Ms. Hardys lawsuit. To read the Courts unanimous opinion in Kim Hardy v. TPC Southwind, authored by Justice Holly Kirby, go to the opinions section of TNCourts.gov. Illinois clean energy companies remain optimistic despite the possibility of funding cuts to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under a Trump administration. (Chicago Tribune) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency could face steep cuts under President Donald Trump's administration, but clean energy supporters in Illinois say the industry's strong enough to keep going. Soon after taking office in late January, Trump ordered the EPA to freeze grants and contracts. His choice to run the EPA, former Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt, is a climate change skeptic and ally of the fossil fuel industry. Further out, reports indicate the White House plans to to cut a quarter of the EPA's budget. Advertisement Although the EPA doesn't usually provide funding to clean energy companies, its policies can impact their businesses. But despite the president's public support of the coal industry, clean energy investors and entrepreneurs say they're not concerned at least not until they see actual policy changes. One reason: The development timeline for clean energy innovation is longer than a presidential term. The Clean Energy Trust, a Chicago-based nonprofit that invests in clean energy companies, takes a longer-term view when it chooses which companies to back, said Ian Adams, the organization's chief of staff. The products companies are working on now may not be in demand for several years, he said. Advertisement "We're looking at larger trends that exist within the energy industry and within the energy regulatory environment, so we'll see more and more cleaner technologies are coming on the grid," he said. In the context of starting a clean energy business, Adams said potential cutbacks at the EPA are worth paying attention to but likely not at the top of the list of a new company's concerns. As renewable energy sources such as wind and solar become more cost-effective and coal struggles to compete against lower-cost natural gas, the Clean Energy Trust remains optimistic, said Emily Achler, its director of marketing. "Not knowing exactly what's going to happen and how things are going to change that's not the ideal business environment to be operating in," Achler said. "Having said that, there are also all of these other indicators and points of momentum that we don't think will be easily stopped." Jay Marhoefer, the CEO and founder of Chicago-based energy storage software platform Intelligent Generation, said renewable energy production and storage are now economically viable enough to withstand a lack of federal support for environmental protection. If these changes were happening five years ago, when his company was still a startup, Marhoefer said he would be more concerned. Intelligent Generation's customers include private colleges, municipalities and other large entities, he said. Marhoefer said some of his customers have told him they remain committed to renewable energy regardless of the federal government's approach, as long as the economics make sense. "What we know to be true is if federal policy is going in one direction when it comes to climate change and environmental protection, you're going to see counterweights at the local and state and corporate levels that are going to say, 'OK, if the federal government's not going to do it, we're going to do it,'" he said. Potential changes at the federal level aren't good for a company like Intelligent Generation, but Marhoefer said an ability to adapt to what's coming out of Washington will be the key to success during this period. It's also important not to rely too much on the federal government, he said. Advertisement "If your business model doesn't work without the help of the government, then you don't have a viable business," he said. Kady McFadden, deputy director of the Illinois chapter of the Sierra Club, said without specific policy proposals from the Trump administration, it's hard to know how much of an impact his public comments might have on the industry. She called Trump's proposed cuts a "full frontal attack on the Environmental Protection Agency and the communities it protects." But McFadden also said support for clean energy is widespread and bipartisan, and that she expects its proponents will continue working to build a clean energy economy regardless of who is in office. "While I don't doubt (Trump) is interested in promoting coal and he's certainly said that, I think it's going to be hard to make a case against clean energy development," she said. aelahi@chicagotribune.com Twitter @aminamania Ahhh, Twitter. On the local scene lately, it seems one of the best ways to disrupt a career is to let your fingers do the talking and tweet remarks that get you in trouble with the boss. Advertisement Already this year, ABC-7 sportscaster Mark Giangreco was hit with a multiweek suspension without pay for chiding the country's best known Twitter user, President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Daniel Grilo, a principal at financial firm Liberty Advisor Group, lost his job after tweeting that a Navy SEAL widow, who was a guest at a joint session of Congress where Trump spoke, was being "used" by the president. Rough as these situations are, this won't be the last time that workers' tweets, Facebook postings, Instagram messages or whatever will bedevil employers, especially in these hyperpolitical times. Advertisement There's more to come, so expect some intense employee-versus-employer tussling over this issue on free speech grounds and inevitably some lawsuits. Also, chalk it up as another example of how the internet, for all its tremendous impact, can churn up unique ways to complicate how a business connects with workers, customers and the community. When it comes to social media, says Sangita Kasturi, CEO of Chicago-area workplace and communications consultant Action Inclusion, "I don't know a company that doesn't have a love-hate relationship with it." That's for sure. A few years ago, as organizations warmed up to social media, they encouraged workers to use it as a tool for promoting employers' products, programs and workplace. The idea, in the parlance of marketing types, is to use employees as "ambassadors" for the corporate brand. But company ambassadors don't enjoy diplomatic immunity, nor do their employers. To legally insulate employers from trouble and provide guidance to workers, corporate social media policies were drafted by lawyers to determine what employees can and can't do online in the company name. Typically, such policies reflect basic common sense. They tell workers not to blab about company or trade secrets, run afoul of securities laws or regulators and not to breach privacy laws. Some policies stress that employee posts, blogs and tweets penned under the auspices of the corporation belong to the company and not the individual who wrote them. Advertisement One more thing: The policies remind workers that in a lawsuit, social media entries can be requested as part of a discovery process and used as evidence. For the most part, such policies have done the job and social media interaction goes on without a company having to suspend or fire someone. Lately, however, it is getting more complicated. The presidential election was as much a social media contest as an electoral fight. Both sides faced off with contentious Twitter posts, Facebook messaging, cybercampaigns and more. Moreover, Trump takes to Twitter like a horse to hay, firing off morning missives about companies, policies and political intrigue. That has primed the pump for those determined to participate in the ongoing dialogue on a variety of topics, including Trump's newborn presidency. Social media is a natural venue for making their case. Advertisement Nonetheless, some companies take a pretty dim view of workers, even on their own time, being overtly political or discourteous to political powerhouses no matter how much the employees may disagree with their policies or personally despise them. For managers, this new influx of internet activity is prompting questions not addressed in the corporate social media policy handbook. For example: When does someone stop being an employee and become a citizen exercising the right of free speech? How much leeway should a company allow? When is a worker subject to disciplinary action? How pertinent is the public reaction to a worker's tweet or post? If this sounds like fodder for a rash of new policies and employee lawsuits, you're right. Some business and legal experts say they're expecting more employees to fight back by suing employers that disciplined them for sharing their online views, especially when it was on their own time and dime. Filing a lawsuit against your employer? Advertisement Now, that's a surefire way to get the boss's attention without going on Twitter. roreed@chicagotribune.com Twitter @reedtribbiz The former House of Two Urns B&B, at right, is seen in this March 9, 2017, photo of Chicago's Noble Square neighborhood. A former innkeeper of the bed-and-breakfast said it couldnt survive a property tax increase and the competition brought on by Airbnb listings. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune) Airbnb hosts in Chicago and around the country are bulking up on rental properties, according to a hotel industry-backed study released Thursday, creating what critics call "illegal hotels." The study, paid for by the American Hotel & Lodging Education Foundation, comes as parts of a new city ordinance imposing rules on Airbnb and other home-sharing sites are being delayed in court. Hosts argue some of the city's regulations are unconstitutional, while many in the licensed hospitality industry want a more level playing field. Advertisement Airbnb has long been a thorn in the hospitality industry's side, at times skirting regulations hotels must abide by and offering lower prices. Now the home-sharing platform is allowing "commercial operators to run ... illegal hotels in neighborhoods across the country," Katherine Lugar, president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, said Thursday. "The report debunks the story Airbnb likes to tell of themselves as merely a home-sharing platform where hardworking Americans may occasionally rent a room in their home," Lugar said. Advertisement Entire-home rentals, which allow guests access to a whole apartment or home, as opposed to renting just one room or a couch, brought in the majority of Airbnb's revenue in the U.S. last year, according to the report. In Chicago, 77 percent of Airbnb revenue came from entire-home rentals from October 2015 to September 2016, according to the study. That's compared with 81 percent nationally. Hosts brought in more money from renting out multiple entire-home units, too Revenue generated by hosts in Chicago who rent out more than one entire-home unit doubled during that year to more than $27 million, the report found. Nationally, that amount was more than $1.8 billion. Other cities the report analyzed have also seen exponential increases in the revenue generated by hosts who rented multiple entire-home units from October 2015 to September 2016. In Nashville, Tenn., that increased nearly fivefold over the previous year to more than $29 million. In Boston, revenue more than doubled to more than $35 million. Revenue in Los Angeles increased 87 percent to $163 million. The exceptions were New York and San Francisco, where hosts with multiple entire-home units saw less dramatic year-over-year revenue increases. Revenue from hosts in those cities increased 5 percent to $98 million and 34 percent to $38.5 million, respectively. The study analyzed data from AirDNA, which tracks Airbnb listings and revenue generated by hosts, from October 2014 through September 2016. The hotels division of real estate services company CBRE conducted the analysis. Airbnb spokesman Ben Breit wrote in an email that the report, which he called misleading and inaccurate, is the latest example of big hotels' "willingness to say and do anything to protect their record profits, preserve their ability to price gouge consumers and squash their competition." "As the AHLA already knows, many of their member inns, motels and hotels list rooms on our platform, so these are included in the very data on 'commercial' listings the big hotels seem so concerned about," Breit wrote. Advertisement A unit owned by interior designer Karen Jacobsen illustrates why the report's data could be misleading, Breit said. Jacobsen has been listing an apartment on the top floor of her home in Chicago's Buena Park neighborhood on Airbnb for more than two years. Though the unit is attached to her home, it's listed as an entire-home unit on the platform, with two bedrooms and a separate entrance. "It's in my own home; I'm usually always there," she said. Regardless, Kapra Fleming, ex-innkeeper at House of Two Urns B&B in the Noble Square neighborhood, said Airbnb is helping to drive regular bed-and-breakfasts out of business. There are city requirements that licensed B&Bs must meet that Airbnb hosts do not have to abide by, Fleming said. Not having those extra costs keeps rates lower for Airbnb hosts, giving them an unfair advantage, she said. Fleming said her B&B couldn't survive a property tax increase and the competition brought on by Airbnb listings. The city ordinance approved last summer meant to regulate Airbnb was the final nail in the coffin for the business, she said. Advertisement "The city was basically saying, 'Yes, you're licensed. We're not going to give you much as a licensed business, but everybody else can do the same thing you're doing and all they need to do is use Airbnb,'" Fleming said. The city ordinance calls for an extra tax on home-sharing hosts and a limit on the number of units in a building that can be rented out on home-sharing sites, among other regulations. Two groups of homeowners filed lawsuits opposing the rules in November, with one complaint saying the law was "designed as a particularly cruel trap for the unwary." Days before the law was set to go into effect in December, the city and the homeowners in one of the cases agreed to an order that pushed back its implementation. Since then, the city has tweaked parts of the regulations, and a judge has pushed back the rollout multiple times. The ordinance is now set to go into effect Tuesday. Despite the controversy surrounding Airbnb and the city's rules in regulating it, Lawrence Officer, an economics professor at University of Illinois at Chicago, said the city's economy is too big to be significantly affected by the platform. Mom-and-pop places likely will suffer, Officer said, but competition is good for the consumer. Advertisement "Some people are going to be hurt, but you know, the people who were in the horse industry before there were automobiles, they were hurt when the automobile was invented," he said. "That's what progress means. It's very unfortunate some people are hurt ... but that's the way it is." amarotti@chicagotribune.com Twitter @AllyMarotti Rory McDermott, an iron worker, works on the major reconstruction of the Uptown Station at Wilson Avenue in Chicago on Tuesday March 7, 2017. (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune) What state officials described as a "troubling" loss of 16,700 jobs in December turns out not to have been so bad after all. In fact, Illinois gained 2,000 jobs in December, according to revised figures released Thursday with the state's January unemployment report. The state added another 1,700 jobs in January. Advertisement "We acknowledge it's a big revision, but the revisions don't change the fact that Illinois continues to lag behind many other states and is still playing catch up to jobs numbers from 17 years ago," said Bob Gough, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Employment Security. Illinois is about 31,600 jobs short of its peak employment level in September 2000, according to the department. Advertisement Preliminary jobs data is often revised as new information comes in from employers. In addition, this report contained numerous revisions through 2015 and 2016, based on new benchmark data that ties the sample estimates to the federal Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. Illinois' unemployment rate in January was 5.7 percent, unchanged from December, though lower than the prior year, when it was 6.1 percent. It has been consistently higher than the national unemployment rate, which ticked up in January to 4.8 percent. February unemployment figures, representing the first full month President Donald Trump was in office, are set for release Friday. Illinois had 15,900 more jobs in January than it did the year before, with the most gains in professional and business services, and education and health services. Manufacturing has seen the greatest job loss, down 10,100 jobs during that time. Still, state officials said they are disappointed that Illinois' year-to-year job growth, at 0.3 percent, lags that of the nation's, which was 1.6 percent. "If Illinois had grown at the same rate as the nation since the beginning of the recovery in 2010, we would have an additional 222,700 jobs," Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director Sean McCarthy said in a news release. "With a balanced budget and structural changes that will create jobs, our economy will be better able to provide opportunities for Illinois families." The 1,700 jobs gained in January were mostly in construction, financial activities and trade, transportation, and utilities. Government, leisure and hospitality, and professional and business services experienced the biggest job losses. aelejalderuiz@chicagotribune.com Twitter @alexiaer Reporting from Elma, N.Y. When you stroll the aisles of the Made in America Store, you might notice a conspicuous absence. There is not a single item for sale that requires a battery or a plug. That is because no electronics meet the strict guidelines of an emporium that stocks only products 100 percent made in America. Still, American-made goods abound socks and hiking boots, plastic lawn furniture, flags and decals, beer and barbecue sauce, mops and sponges. Toilet paper. Advertisement There are three aisles of toys, nonelectronic, that veer toward the nostalgic: playing cards, horseshoes, marbles and jacks, boomerangs, Slinkies, perhaps their bestselling item. Checkers and Chinese checkers. (Not the kind made in China.) The Made in America Store is the brainchild of Mark Andol, 50, an energetic, mile-a-minute talker with silver-tinged, waved-back hair and a wispy mustache. Advertisement Andol, the third generation of a Greek immigrant family, was raised on American manufacturing. His father was an ironworker employed at the Ford stamping plant in nearby Buffalo and his mother made xylophone keys for a subcontractor of Fisher-Price, the toy company headquartered in nearby East Aurora. The Made in America Store began with just 50 products but now stocks more than 7,000. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) Andol was frustrated that his welding company, which made metal parts for industry, kept losing contracts to cheaper Chinese competitors. So on a whim, in 2010, he rented a vacant automobile dealership to showcase American products. "Sure, Mark. The world is fully of crazy people. Go for it,'' Andol recalls he was told. Filling the cavernous building proved more difficult than Andol imagined. At first he carried only 50 products. He had set a standard higher than the Federal Trade Commission, requiring that the products be 100 percent U.S. made "right down to the glue in the packaging.'' The Made in America Store only sells products that are 100% American made, like these boomerangs. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) Andol was familiar with the certification procedures because he sometimes bid on military contracts, which give preference to U.S. suppliers under a 1941 law called the Berry amendment. He would pore over binders with letters certifying the origins of the components only to be crushed when he had to dump a product that did not make the cut. "I was so excited to find tea from the United States because I'm a tea drinker, but then I found out the bags were made in Japan and I had to kick it out of the store," he said. In homage to his mother's past making xylophone keys, Andol badly wanted to sell toys from Fisher-Price, which has its headquarters just two miles away. "They used to have model builders, toymakers, engineers working here, but now they are all gone and only the corporate headquarters is here,'' Andol said. "I couldn't find one Fisher-Price toy completely made in America.'' Advertisement Other retailers are trying an all-American approach, but it is a constant struggle. Today, Andol boasts that he stocks 7,000 items, although admittedly the numbers get a boost from some products that are essentially the same but come in different sizes or colors. He has opened several branch stores and sells online. A variety of animal toys, like this one by Wet Paw design, are among the over 7,000 products sold at the Made in America Store. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) Shoppers in search of a specific item would be advised to head to Wal-Mart. But the novelty of shopping American is enough of an adventure that the Made in America flagship attracts more than 600 tour buses annually. The store is decked out in an American theme, the walls covered with large completely American-made American flags. (The U.S. imports about $4 million in American flags from China each year.) T-shirts are plastered with the store's slogan, "Because China is a long drive to work!" For all the anti-China rhetoric, some of the best customers are Chinese tourists. "The Chinese go ballistic buying stuff in there because it is made in America, not made in China,'' said Eric Bateman, a tour bus operator from Conrad, Iowa, who brings tourists on their way to Niagara Falls. "Mark sells these great, simple things. You can buy a can opener and put it in the dishwasher and it doesn't rust.'' Bringing manufacturing back to the United States and preserving manufacturing still here is seen as the holy grail of economic revival for many policymakers and politicians. "My administration will follow two simple rules: Buy American, and hire American," Donald Trump declared at a postelection victory rally in Des Moines last year. Advertisement And yet they are elusive goals, many economists say. "We live in a world today where you have very complex interdependent supply networks,'' said Willy Shih, a professor at Harvard Business School who has written extensively on the need for a U.S. manufacturing revival. "One of the challenges with technology is that you have a lot of high-value components from various sources." From experience, Andol knows that hiring American labor can be as difficult as sourcing American products. At his manufacturing shop, he is struggling to find skilled welders, fabricators and engineers, and the people he hires are undoubtedly more expensive than foreign workers. "If I took my $2.4-million payroll overseas, I'd be paying $400,000," Andol said. "But you need to support the country you live in too." Andol is enthusiastic about President Trump's promises to bring back American goods, though a little disappointed that Trump and his daughter Ivanka had so much of the clothing they sell manufactured outside the U.S. "I think it is very hard, but I personally know clothing can be made here and some of what we sell is cheaper than the imports,'' he said. Advertisement To prove his point, Andol explains his own wardrobe. He wears Texas Jeans (which are actually made in Asheville, N.C.), Wigwam socks, Thorogood work boots. It's all made in America right down to the underwear, belt and the wallet he carries. The only notable exception is what he always carries: the iPhone. barbara.demick@latimes.com Twitter: @BarbaraDemick ALSO In red and blue America, they watched the same Trump speech but heard completely different things What does it take to get banned for life by an airline? Ask this Trump supporter Advertisement Jimmy Kimmel co-opts Trump's 'Make America Great Again' for the Oscars Escape to Ronero for excellent cocktails and top service. Review: Ronero 738 W. Randolph St. 312-600-6105 Rating: 1 1/2 stars (out of four) Advertisement Ronero, a new Latin American/Cuban restaurant in the West Loop, is the kind of place where I'd imagine dictators or Scarface spending a night away from the rigors of managing a cartel. You could easily picture Fidel Castro hunkered down in one of the rattan peacock chairs, smoking a Cohiba and regarding the glass chandeliers while stroking the straggly tendrils of his prodigious beard. The ceiling is a beautiful crosshatch of chocolate-colored timbers. The wavy banquettes are marked with an island palm frond print, and the restaurant's soundtrack is rich with rhumba. On the night I visited, strains of "Guantanamera" crooned and mingled with the wafting perfume of garlic-soaked fried tostones. Advertisement The bar cart at Ronero in West Loo (Ben Macri) The backlit bar features a trove of rum and glinting glass bottles filled with amber- and tobacco-colored liqueurs. With a list of 25 cocktails and many more highballs and drams, Ronero is a sexy place to get your drink on. Were this New York City, you could imagine Marnie dragging Shosh and Hannah here for a post-work tipple (if, of course, any of the "Girls" characters had real jobs). They might order the Cipitio ($13), which packs the aromatic wallop of an orange grove, the puckering tang of a granny smith apple, and a bitter bite of watercress with the soft sweet finish of pineapple and mango. Noted Cuban exile Ernest Hemingway might order his namesake Hemingway daiquiri ($13), which is a bit of a misnomer. I doubt Papa would tolerate the smoked sea salt rim. I imagine he would, however, love the bracing splash of grapefruit juice, the almond and cherry tones of Lazzaroni maraschino and the hint of nutmeg in the dry rum. Service at the bar and in the dining room made an evening at Ronero feel as easy as an afternoon on a sandy Colombian beach. While I dined, I noticed owner Nils Westlind, who grew up in Colombia, checking tables in the front. When he found one whose wobble troubled him, he quickly asked the staff to remove the table from service and rearranged the other tables to fill the gap. The food menu has more than 20 choices and is ripe with Latin classics such as ropa vieja, albondigas (meatballs), ceviche and empanadas. As much as I would have liked to eat it all, I couldn't, so my server endured a lengthy interrogation. She was knowledgeable and decisive in parsing my queries. Cordero (lamb chops) at Ronero (Ben Macri) Chef Cory Morris (Mercat a la Planxa, Rural Society) helms the kitchen. His pedigree suggests that the food at Ronero should be exemplary. Sometimes it is. The cordero ($42), which features a wealth of crispy char-crusted lamb chop lollipops with medium-rare flesh, is the pinnacle of exquisite carnivorism. The rich lamb is cut by a bright huacatay saucea velvety puree of mint, olive oil and dijon mustardand nested in a salty soulful hash of Peruvian potato and pancetta. The ceviche mixta ($16) boasts plump limey hunks of mahi mahi bathed in coconut milk and spiked with fiery Fresno chili slivers. I loved the crunch of fat oven-toasted corn nuts sprinkled on top. I didn't love that the shrimp in the mix was a touch soggy. Ropa vieja ($15), which translates to "old clothes," is often an apt descriptor, as the braised meat left behind in the preparation is sometimes dry and shredded like cast-off vintage laundry. Morris', the product of a 14-hour braise, is the silkiest I've ever had. It's topped with goat cheese, which adds a touch of seasoning. Still, I yearned for more salt here. The empanada ($11) pastry shined with a golden egg wash, but the chicken inside was gritty and under-salted. A dollop of chimichurri featuring a blast of red pepper and grassy herbs saved the day. Pescado frito at Ronero (Ben Macri) Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. > The menu has a section called "el gran show," which highlights huge family-style platters. I went for the pescado frito ($80), or whole fried red snapper swimming in a bed of a coconut-cola rice flanked by grilled oranges and fried smashed plantains. Morris brought it out, filleted it off the bone tableside and proudly explained that all the pin bones had been removed before it was cooked. Unfortunately, there was a bone in my very first bite. Still, that was the only bone I encountered. The fish had been seasoned with toasted coriander, ginger and chilies, but I only got a hint of these flavorsnot the pungent punch I craved. The biggest disappointment, however, was that the corn starch and flour crust on the fish was heavy and gloppy. But the coconut-cola rice was a revelation. It's cooked in a combination of water, stock and Coca-Cola and tossed with roasted coconut, shallots and garlic. I was full and my belly distended like a Goodyear blimp, but I couldn't stop eating that rice. Parts of the mix were crusty like the goodies you find on the bottom of paella or a sizzling bibimbap platter. The interplay of sweet coconut, crunchy shallot and soft rice was such a satisfying textural melange. The only problem: The plate goes for $80, which is a lot, even for transcendent rice. My favorite deep-fried whole snapper is served at El Barco in West Town, where the cross-hatched fried flesh breaks off in delectable nuggets, all for the wallet-friendly price of $23. Advertisement Ronero (Lenny Gilmore/RedEye) Morris also oversees the desserts and is clearly a rice master. The rice pudding ($12), made with bomba or Spanish paella rice, is killer. The cool sweet porridge bursts with star anise and vanilla. Dehydrated pinwheels of pineapple add a crisp counterpoint to the whole thing. The bottom line Ronero is made for serious cocktailing and the service is great. The food, especially stuff made with rice, has some great moments, but there are also some seasoning and execution issues that need to be addressed before Ronero can hang with Chicago's great restaurants. Reporters visit restaurants unannounced, and meals are paid for by RedEye. Michael Nagrant is a freelance writer. From left Gia,10, and Kris, 29, (last names withheld upon request) watch as members of the parade march by in the South Side Irish Parade in the city's Beverly neighborhood Sunday, March 13, 2016, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune) For South Side Irish St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee Co-Chair Jeannie Kovak, Sunday is about more than the parade. "It's a place that families come together," the Beverly resident said. "There's an aura around the parade. People are getting ready you feel the buzz in the neighborhood." Advertisement What began in 1979 with 17 children marching on two blocks of Washtenaw and Talman streets has become a South Side staple and a way for Southlanders to flaunt Irish pride on Western Avenue. Sunday the parade returns with more than 100 parade entrants and an anticipated 200,000 spectators, officials said. The spectacle includes 13 bagpipe and marching bands, four Irish dance schools, the United States Air Force Honor Guard Marching Unit, live Irish music on floats and a six-foot-tall Haribo Gummy Bear. Advertisement "We're looking forward to getting back out there," Kovak said. "We could use 10 more degrees on the weather, but we've been through worse." The parade's Grand Marshall is the Les Turner ALS Foundation, which provides resources to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis patients and their families. Beverly resident Meg Rooney and her family are marching with the foundation. Last year, her husband John Rooney a longtime reporter with the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin who broke the story of Chicagoland Tylenol poisoning deaths in 1982 for the City News Bureau of Chicago succumbed to the disease. His mother and aunt also died from the disease. "Our whole family will be there to be part of the parade," Rooney said. "This is our opportunity to give back to the foundation. Our main goal after John's passing form ALS has been to raise awareness for the disease and participate in events with the foundation, which was there every step of the way." Representatives of the special honoree of the parade, Christmas Without Cancer, plan to hand out shirts and candy from their festive float with a Santa Claus. The nonprofit organization identifies Chicagoland families stricken with cancer and provides gifts and basic necessities, giving five or six families each year with a full Christmas and helping others year round with rent, gas, groceries and mortgage payments, said Christmas Without Cancer Event Planner Michael Chappetto "We're honored and super excited to be part of the parade," Chappetto said. "Continued exposure to the Chicagoland area is a wonderful thing." Since being re-established as a family friendly event in 2012, the parade has grown, Kovak said. The parade used to bring crowds of 400,000 and busloads of people from bars and colleges who had nowhere to go but out into the neighborhood, she said. Over time, the drinking and commotion became too much for residents. The parade now hires its own private security that strictly enforce zero tolerance rules and the city ordinance on public drinking. Advertisement "It was best to stop it and recreate a model that was beneficial to everybody," she said. "The community has embraced the parade and the kids are back." Participants in the 2016 Rose of Tralee Irish beauty pageant are traveling from as far as Australia New Zealand to march in the parade. The winner of last year's contest, Maggie McEldowney, doesn't have to travel far: She lives in Beverly. This year's South Side Irish parade queen, Shannon Zofkie, of Beverly, an experienced Irish fiddler and dancer, also will take part in the parade. Leo High School in Auburn Gresham will be joining the parade to celebrate the school's 90th anniversary. At 11:45 a.m., the Les Turner ALS Foundation and Christmas Without Cancer will cut the ribbon to kick off the parade at 103rd & Western Ave. At 12 p.m., the parade steps off from 103rd & Western Ave. and travels south to 115th Street. The parade will last about two hours, officials said. There will be no street parking on the east side of Artesian from 103rd to 111th beginning at 8 a.m. and ending at 3 p.m, officials said. No parking will be allowed on Western Avenue from 99th to 119th beginning at 6 a.m. Expect vehicle traffic to be restricted on side streets surrounding Western Avenue from approximately 9 a.m. to until 3 p.m. Advertisement mmccall@tribpub.com @MatthewMcCall_ A convoy of clearly-flagged U.S. armored vehicles rolls through the village of Yalanli, on the western outskirts of the Syrian city of Manbij, on March 5, 2017. The Pentagon sent additional U.S. troops into northern Syria in a show of strength aimed at deterring rival American allies from targeting each other instead of the Islamic State. (Delil Souleiman / AFP/Getty Images) BEIRUT The U.S. military is getting drawn into a deepening struggle for control over areas liberated from the Islamic State that risks prolonging American involvement in wars in Syria and Iraq long after the militants are defeated. In their first diversion from the task of fighting the Islamic State since the U.S. military's involvement began in 2014, U.S. troops dispatched to Syria have headed in recent days to the northern town of Manbij, 85 miles northwest of the extremists' capital, Raqqa, to protect their Kurdish and Arab allies against a threatened assault by other U.S. allies in a Turkish backed force. Advertisement Russian troops have also shown up in Manbij under a separate deal that was negotiated without the input of the United States, according to U.S. officials. Under the deal, Syrian troops are to be deployed in the area, also in some form of peacekeeping role, setting up what is effectively a scramble by the armies of four nations to carve up a collection of mostly empty villages in a remote corner of Syria. The latest twist in Syria's ever more complicated war points to one of the many risks of a U.S. strategy that has prioritized the military defeat of the Islamic State at the expense of political solutions to the broader conflicts fueling instability in the wider region, analysts say. Advertisement Photographs and videos posted on social media in recent days have shown convoys of U.S. troops, including Stryker armored vehicles and Humvees, heading through the northern Syrian countryside trailing big American flags. They have taken up positions in the villages north and west of Manbij where U.S. allied Arab forces backed by Kurds have been fighting for over a week with U.S. allied Arab forces backed by Turkey, according to U.S. and local officials. A convoy of U.S. forces near the village of Yalanli, on the western outskirts of the northern Syrian city of Manbij, March 5, 2017. (Delil Souleiman / AFP/Getty Images) The public display, unusual for a small U.S. presence of mostly Special Operations troops officially numbering just 503, is deliberate, Pentagon spokesman Capt Joe Davis told reporters this week. "We want to have a visible show that we're there," he said, adding that the goal is to urge all parties to "stay focused on the common enemy, which is ISIS." Other wars are brewing elsewhere across the vast areas freed so far from Islamic State control, in Iraq as well as Syria. In recent days, the United States has been mediating between rival Kurdish factions in Iraq, both of them indirectly allied to the United States in the fight against the Islamic State, after clashes erupted around the northwestern town of Snune, freed from the Islamic State over two years ago. Manbij is the first instance, however, in which U.S. troops have become directly involved in keeping rival factions apart. The Pentagon has described their mission as one to "reassure and deter" local parties from attacking one another, a new role for the U.S. military in the Islamic State war, and one that could set a trend for the remaining cities to be conquered. The deployment is"fraught with risk," said Robert Ford, who served as the Obama administration's last ambassador to Syria until 2014. He is now with the Washington-based Middle East Institute and teaches at Yale University. "That's not a small policy change. It is a huge policy change," he said. "We have never in our Syrian policy ever put U.S. personnel in between warring Syrian factions or to maintain a local cease-fire." The deployment does not appear to signal a departure from Obama administration's policy of relying on Syrian Kurds and their Arab cohorts to fight the Islamic State in Syria, he said. The Trump administration has not yet announced the result of a review of the Obama administration's policy for fighting the Islamic State, but U.S. officials have indicated that although it may involve more U.S. troops, it won't diverge significantly from the original plan to rely on a force dominated by Syrian Kurds to continue the fight against the militants in Syria. In pursuit of the plan, the Pentagon said Wednesday that U.S. Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit have arrived in Syria to set up an artillery base, marking the first officially announced deployment of conventional U.S. troops in Syria. Advertisement The Manbij confusion does, however, point to the contradictions of a strategy that has focused on arming local factions to take on the Islamic State without regard to existing rivalries, said Aaron Stein of the Washington-based Atlantic Council. Military officials in Washington "are just laserlike focused on ISIS," he said. "All this other stuff is on the back burner." The defeat of the Islamic State in Manbij last August offered an example of the complications likely to arise. Hailed as a significant military victory over the militants, the capture of Manbij cut the road between their capital in Raqqa and the Turkish border and paved the way for the ongoing, four-month-old offensive led by Kurdish forces to isolate Raqqa from the surrounding countryside. It also however left the Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG, in control of Manbij, in contravention of assurances the United States had offered to Turkey that the group would withdraw after the town was captured. Turkey objects to the YPG's expanding presence in northern Syria because of its close ties to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which has been waging a three-decade insurgency inside Turkey. Manbij's strategic location west of the Euphrates River gave the Kurds a significant beachhead from which to further advance the borders of the autonomous region they are creating in northern Syria. Within weeks of the battle's conclusion, Turkish troops crossed the border into Syria, with U.S. support, saying they wanted to join the fight against the Islamic State but also to push back against the Kurds. Advances by Turkish troops and their Syrian rebel allies culminated in the confrontations around Manbij over the past week between the U.S.-backed fighters on opposite sides of the Kurdish-Turkish divide. The Manbij deployment has not yet affected U.S. plans for taking Raqqa, Davis said. But it does raise new questions about the viability of the U.S. plan to capture Raqqa, an overwhelmingly Arab city, by a force that is commanded mostly by Kurds. To alleviate Turkish concerns about the U.S. relationship with the Syrian Kurds, the U.S. military has created a parallel, Arab force called the Syrian Democratic Forces that is allied with the Kurdish YPG but comprises recruits drawn from local Arab populations. U.S. Special Operations troops have now trained thousands of Arab recruits, who are expected to be put on the front lines of the eventual battle for Raqqa. Advertisement The SDF is also the force that negotiated the deal with Russia to have Syrian troops police the front line between the rival Manbij fighters - without U.S. input, according to U.S. officials. Syrians gather at a makeshift camp for displaced people near the northern Syrian town of Manbij on March 8, 2017. The number of people fleeing from the northern province of Aleppo is rising due to intensified battles between Syrian government forces and Islamic State fighters. Tens of thousands of civilians have fled parts of Aleppo province and have headed towards Manbij seeking safety in territory held by a Kurdish-Arab alliance called the Syrian Democratic Forces or SDF. (Delil Souleiman / AFP/Getty Images) That has fueled concerns among some of the Arab fighters recruited by the United States that their participation in the force will result in turning over areas they fight for back to the Syrian government, said Ahmed Mohammed of the Syrian Institute for Justice, who is from Manbij and has relatives in the city. Though SDF leaders owe loyalty to the Kurdish YPG, many rank-and-file fighters once belonged to the Syrian rebel groups who originally ousted the Syrian government from Manbij in the early years of the war, and they don't want a deal that would bring the government back into the area, he said. The fighters "have a lot of worry, but they don't have any power," he said. "It's a big mess, and we are scared about the future of the people living in Manbij." Meanwhile, the U.S. presence in the area does not yet appear to have worked to end the fighting. Battles continued west of Manbij on Wednesday, according to both sides. A video posted on social media Wednesday morning showed U.S. armed Arab fighters allied to the Kurds using an antitank missile to destroy a military vehicle belonging to the Arab fighters allied to Turkey. Though the provenance of the missile could not be ascertained, U.S. officials have confirmed that they began providing antitank missiles to the SDF late last year. "This war is just so messy," Stein said. "If we're going to go into Syria and fight the Islamic State, we're going to create a whole lot of wreckage. We've interjected ourselves into a multisided war." The Washington Post's Missy Ryan and Karen DeYoung in Washington, Heba Habib in Stockholm and Zakaria Zakaria in Istanbul contributed to this report. In the months since President Donald Trump was elected, residents around the Chicago area have joined the nationwide call for more face time with their representatives, particularly in the form of town hall meetings. These meetings give constituents a chance to ask questions of their representatives, and they are free and open to the public. Click on your district on the map below to find out whether your representative has hosted a town hall meeting since the Nov. 8 election or if they have one coming up. 1) Eat a burger to benefit Meals on Wheels Takeovers may be a dime a dozen these days, but when they get chefs thinking outside their own kitchens, who are we to complain? The latest comes from Logan Square's Animale, which is welcoming a new chef each month through October for a burger series, with proceeds benefiting Meals on Wheels. First up is Salero's Ashlee Aubin, who is serving a lamb burger with bitter greens, bread and butter pickles, fontina cheese and Kalamata-olive aioli. Other chefs on the docket include Scott Shulman (Homestead on the Roof), Chris Pandel (Swift & Sons), Brian Fisher (Entente) and many more. 1904 N. Western Ave., 872-315-3912, www.animalechicago.com Advertisement 2) Try a boozy Ecto Cooler You ain't afraid of no ghost right? The Midwestern Ghostbusters Coalition will park its Ecto-1 Cadillac at Lincoln Park's Replay arcade bar to join in on a "Ghostbusters"-themed party. Guests can interact with the car outside; inside, the movies will be aired, paired with themed drinks like Ecto-1 Coolers ($7) and Stay Puft Marshmallow Man shots ($4). For the month of March, all proceeds from the Ghostbusters pinball machine ($1/play) will be matched and donated to RefugeeOne. The vintage arcade games, as always, are free. Noon to 3 a.m. Saturday, March 11 at Replay, 2833 N. Sheffield Ave., 773-665-5660, www.replaylincolnpark.com Advertisement 3) Sip martinis at a James Bond-themed fundraiser Give back to the community as you don your best 007 get-up: Chicago Youth Centers, a youth and family services organization, is hosting its second Shake & Stir fundraising event, benefiting the center's work in the North Lawndale community. The James Bond-themed event will celebrate the group's Sidney Epstein Youth Center and its work with more than 200 children and their families. The event, held at the Wintrust Grand Banking Hall in the Loop, will feature cocktails, bites and music performed by the North Lawndale Youth Jazz Band. $100 general admission, VIP $175. 7-10 p.m. (VIP hour 6-7 p.m.) Friday, March 10 at 231 S. LaSalle St., 312-931-1700, ext. 424, www.chicagoyouthcenters.org/shake-and-stir. 4) Do dinner and a show together Fannie's Cafe, Bakery and Boutique is playing host (and stage) to a three-weekend run of Filament Theater's "The Van Gogh Cafe." The play adapted by Chicagoan Andrew J. Lampl from Cynthia Rylant's book of the same name is served in five parts, which also corresponds to the meal served to the audience during each show. As the cast stages the story of 10-year old Clara and her father's roadside diner, Fannie's (helmed by owner Stephanie Rybandt) will serve treats like roasted vegetables in a parmesan-cream sauce, lemon meringue, finger sandwiches and more. $45 ($30 for children and students). 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through March 26 at 5044 W. Montrose Ave., www.filamenttheater.org/vangogh2017 5) Drink all of the whiskey RedEye has a list of 17 bars near the St. Patrick's Day river-dyeing ceremony this Saturday. jbhernandez@chicagotribune.com Twitter @joeybear85 Almost half a century ago, in an epiphanic moment of marketing genius, Kellogg's is credited with inventing the Pop-Tart. Your very own individually wrapped piece of pie. In a toaster. Sweet! Since that happy occasion, the Pop-Tart has become a part, literally, of the pop culture landscape: Milton the talking toaster, if you watched commercials in the '70s, or more recently last year's Times Square Pop-Tart pop-up shop. Devotees of the Pop-Tart may also remember an old Dave Barry story, in which the humorist set a strawberry Pop-Tart on fire in his toaster, just to prove he could. But commercial Pop-Tarts have their limitations, bouts of nostalgia and flame-throwing toasters notwithstanding, and we're not just talking about the trademarked name and all those foil wrappers. A frosted strawberry Pop-Tart has 38 ingredients, not including parentheticals. If you want a real piece of pie in your own toaster and a moment of true pastry epiphany, try making your own launchable tarts. It is, and you should have expected this, as easy as pie. If you've grown up eating the kind that pops out of a cardboard box, homemade tarts are revelatory, in the same way that a good pie is a revelation when it comes out of the oven. Flaky crust encasing a jammy center you can fill them with almost anything and popped in the toaster just long enough to warm the tart, give a sudden crisp to the edges and encourage a bit of steam when you break it open. Such a homemade tart, palm-sized, the crust built with butter and a sifting of whole wheat, the filling a spoonful of fruit compote or chocolate or even almond paste, bears as much relation to junk food as does, well, your grandmother's pie. Constructing a tiny pie for your toaster is hardly a new idea. In the decades since these little tarts have filled your kids' lunchboxes, pastry chefs have orchestrated their own versions. Fred Eric has made them at Fred 62, his Silver Lake retro eatery, for the last 12 years. For both legal and personal reasons, he calls them Punk Tarts, and Eric has filled them with grape jam, with bananas and caramel and chocolate, with pumpkin for the holidays. "We had toasters on the tables," recalls Eric, "but the fire department took them away." Longtime Spago pastry chef Sherry Yard first experimented with the tarts long before she arrived in Los Angeles, at San Francisco's Campton Place Hotel, where she made tarts with gingerbread dough. "We couldn't afford a plater, but we had a toaster," says Yard. As recently as this year, she gave serious thought to serving them at the Oscars, even contemplating how to wheel toasters in and pop them tableside, as one would flambe a dessert. These days you can find the individual tarts on the roving pastry plate at downtown's Nickel Diner, frosted pink and dusted with sprinkles. Cake Monkey's "pop pies" are on the menu at Umami Burger and Gelato Bar and Jones Coffee Roaster. And amid the beautiful world of glass and patisserie at Joan's on Third, you will find perfectly crimped tarts, filled with Nutella or perhaps cinnamon-sugar, if you get to the shop before they sell out. They're popping up in cookbooks and food blogs as well: A recent search found recipes for the homemade tarts amid the pages of Joanne Chang's newly published "Flour," on King Arthur Flour's baking blog and on the popular food blogs Chez Pim and Smitten Kitchen a testament to the Proustian relevance of the commercial Pop-Tart. Or maybe to the fact that it's hard not to love a pie the size and shape of an iPhone. Making your own tarts at home is a question of basic components. You need good pie dough and a filling of your choice. Beyond that, there are the bells and whistles frosting, sugar sprinkles but those are optional, and often superfluous. If you have high-quality ingredients and good pastry, loading your tarts can overload the flavors and textures. Not to mention the question of the frosting melting into your toaster. Although both the original Kellogg's Pop-Tarts and some very good patisserie tarts use more of a shortbread dough than a traditional pate brisee, there's a lot to be said for the incomparably lovely architecture of a good flaky pie crust. You can use any pie crust recipe: your own personal favorite, that of your preferred pastry chef or baking book author, or your grandmother's. You could even, in a pinch, use purchased dough. Or you can use this one, which is a pretty basic pie dough, made with butter, rather than shortening or lard or a combination. And yes, if Grandma used Crisco or leaf lard, by all means use her recipe. This recipe adds an egg yolk to the mix to give the dough a bit more structure it is going into the toaster, after all and sifts in some whole wheat flour with the all-purpose for a bit more flavor. Once you make the dough, simply roll it out, add spoonfuls of filling and top it with a second piece of dough. Use a ruler to straighten and true up the edges, to divide up the dough into corresponding rectangles and to brush the bottom layer of dough with an egg wash to help seal the pieces together. Imagine that you're making ravioli: The trick is simply to make sure that the filling is properly encased. Then crimp the sides with the tines of a fork, prick the tops of the tarts so that steam can escape, freeze them briefly this relaxes the gluten in the flour and keeps the butter intact brush them with the rest of the egg wash and bake them. As for the filling, you can re-create your childhood favorites with a spoonful of strawberry jam, a mixture of brown sugar and butter or sauteed apples (the original Kellogg's flavors). Or you can go a bit upscale, making a chocolate ganache or filling your tart with frangipane, a classic French almond paste mixture that will produce tarts that bear a happy resemblance to almond croissants. Nutella, predictably, makes a glorious filling, as does any good-quality jam or compote. Or try mixing peanut butter and jelly, or using another nut butter for a morning tart that actually makes a good breakfast. Whatever you fill your tart with, just be sure to seal it tightly. Press the pieces of dough firmly together and crimp the sides. The last thing you want is a free-form pastry spilling across your baking sheet. If you like, you can even make smaller tarts by dividing the rectangles in half again. And then there are the rah-rahs, which, particularly if you are using a toaster oven instead of an old-fashioned vertical toaster, can be fun too. A drizzle of icing. A dusting of raw sugar. Your kid's birthday cake decorations. Wrap your homemade tarts in foil and have them for lunch with a carton of milk, or serve them on china alongside a demitasse of espresso. Either way, they will bear enough resemblance to the ones that have popped out of the box for the last 46 years to give you a moment of deja vu yet one brought to you by a creditable pastry chef. Consider it your grandmother's pop culture moment. Homemade pop tarts Total time: 2 hours Servings: 8 pop tarts Note: The pie dough also makes enough dough for 1 double-crust or 2 single-crust pies. Pie dough: 3/4 cup plus 2 tablepsoons (1 sticks) butter 1/2 cup cold water 13/4 cups (7.4 ounces) flour 1/2 cup (2.25 ounces) whole wheat flour 1 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 egg yolk 1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar 1. Cut the butter into medium-sized cubes and put it in the freezer. Put half a cup of cold water in the freezer too while you assemble the other ingredients for the recipe. Put two sheets of plastic wrap, about 24 inches long, on a work surface, overlapping them lengthwise by a few inches so that they form a big triangle. 2. Put the flours, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor, then pulse it once or twice to make sure the ingredients are combined. In a small bowl, mix together the egg yolk and vinegar. When the butter is quite hard, after about one-half hour, add the pieces to the food processor. Pulse it a half dozen times, until the pieces of butter are about the size of jelly beans. 3. Take the ice water out of the freezer (it should be very cold but not frozen) and mix it into the egg and vinegar mixture. Immediately add this to the mixture in the food processor and pulse until the mixture begins to come together. The bits of butter will still be visible, about the size of peas. 4. Dump the mixture out into the middle of the plastic wrap. Pull the edges of the plastic up around the dough, squashing it together and blending in the streaks of butter, which you should still be able to see in the dough. Don't overwork the dough or blend in all the butter: it should be streaky and just come together. 5. Using the plastic to press the dough, form it into a rectangle, wrapping the plastic tightly around the dough in the process. Put the dough in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour. (You can keep it in the refrigerator for a few days and up to a month in the freezer.) Pop tart assembly: 1 recipe pie dough About 1 cup filling (Nutella, strawberry or any fruit preserves, or filling of your choice) 1 egg, beaten 1. Take the chilled pie dough out of the refrigerator. Divide it in half, and put both portions on a floured work surface. 2. Roll the dough out with a rolling pin into a rectangle until it measures 9 by 12 inches. Use a ruler to measure the sides and to keep them straight. As you roll the dough out to the right shape, press the ruler up against the dough to keep the sides and the angles true. 3. Using the ruler, divide the rectangle in half lengthwise, pressing the ruler down slightly so that you can see the lines. Divide the rectangle in half, then in half again width-wise, so you have 8 rectangles of 3 inches by 4 inches each. Do the same thing for the other piece of dough. Cut each piece of dough into rectangles, following the lines imprinted by the ruler. 4. Using a pastry brush or a new paintbrush, brush half of the squares with the beaten egg, making sure you get to the edges. 5. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each brushed rectangle, spreading it out a little but making sure that there's at least one-half inch of dough around the edges that does not have filling on it. Gently lift a second rectangle of unbrushed pastry on top of the one with the filling on it, pressing down along the edges so that the two pieces of dough stick together. 5. Using a fork, press the tines around the edges of all the tarts (dip it into your jar of flour to keep it from sticking). Prick the tops of the tarts in neat rows, to let the steam escape during baking. Place the tarts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the tarts in the freezer for half an hour while you heat your oven to 375 degrees. 6. Just before putting the tarts in the oven, brush the tops with some of the remaining egg wash. Bake the tarts on a rack in the middle of the oven until golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool the tarts on a rack. Nutrition information: Each pop tart with frangipane filling: 487 calories; 8 grams protein; 46 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 31 grams fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 140 mg cholesterol; 16 grams sugar; 237 mg sodium. food@latimes.com Author Aleksandar Hemon, back right, was part of a panel discussing civil disobedience and other issues related to President Donald Trump during a recent gathering at Women and Children First bookstore in Chicago. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune) Sarah Hollenbeck darted around the store. She considered how many people the travel and feminist sections would hold, then how much room the children's section afforded. She grabbed a folding chair, moved it a few feet then stepped back and thought for a moment more: In January, when Women and Children First, the longtime Andersonville bookstore she co-owns, hosted a panel discussion on how artists should respond to the Trump administration, at least 200 people attended. So many people came the store's windows were fogged solid. But the new White House was less than a week old then, and by early February when the bookstore started a new activism-conversation series to spotlight a different social justice organization each month, only 30 people showed. Hollenbeck looked toward the street. Advertisement It was ugly out. Rain lashed the windows. There was a tornado watch. The door opened and a customer shook off like a wet dog and left his umbrella in a puddle of umbrellas. She decided to set up chairs in the children's section, the larger of the two areas. She decided the anger and confusion and urgency that her customers were feeling toward the Trump administration and its policies would be more intense than the weather. That evening's panel was about civil disobedience, and though the store had been founded in 1979 with an activist, ideologically progressive identity, like many bookstores around Chicago, and nationally, Women and Children has found itself with a renewed mission: Advertisement As a hub of resistance. As a go-to headquarters of opposition to the Trump presidency. A San Francisco bookstore thanks to a donation/bulk purchase from a customer who wished to remain anonymous gave away copies of George Orwell's "1984," and a Pittsburgh bookstore now refers to itself on its sidewalk sign as a "sanctuary store." Other bookstores have cast themselves as therapeutic safe houses of thought. Some have embraced a more strategic role, as nerve-centers of protests, and some have organized write-your-congressman parties. Others have provided rallying points for marches, donated a day's profits to the ACLU or simply, like Seminary Co-Op in Hyde Park, sent customers socially directed emails, reminding them "Reading is Critical." MOST READ ENTERTAINMENT NEWS THIS HOUR Volumes in Wicker Park created a Start a Revolution Book Club, while Unabridged Books in Lakeview, like many bookstores around the country, assembled new sections in the front of the store stacked with relevant titles on dystopias, immigration, social justice. "We have a fiction table (of politically resonant novels) we call 'the grim reality,'" said Owen Keehnen of Unabridged. "The good news in this is that these responses to Trump are bringing bookstores back to their original intent to act as centers for ideas. Bookstores were here before Trump, and I think bookstores will last longer than Trump." In October, Hollenbeck and a small group of writers and publishing friends, including acclaimed authors Aleksandar Hemon and Rebecca Makkai, met about starting a new discussion series for Women and Children. The goal then was modest and light, to create a sexier platform for mid-level, out-of-town authors (never the hottest ticket for a bookstore). "And then the election caused this dramatic shift in everything we've done," Hollenbeck said. Jana-Maria Hartmann, one of the planners, a literary scout for European publishers, said: "It became too valuable a time to waste on anything else." She looked up and novelist Kim Brooks, who had also helped plan the discussion series, was at her side. Brooks said: "Lake Forest is really far away when it's raining!" Citizens gather to hear panelists talk about the implementation of civil disobedience as part of the resistance movement against President Trump during a gathering at Women and Children First bookstore in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood on Tuesday, February 28, 2017. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune) The store was filling up, despite the weather. Hemon arrived. Then Makkai. They made plans for the get-together after the event, at a nearby art gallery, intended to continue conversation. Makkai said that regardless of Trump, by nature of the store, "events will get political. We could talk carrot cake and someone'll ask: 'Who picked the carrots?!" Advertisement They laughed. Brooks nodded at a display of James Baldwin books, itself a commentary. "Have you seen the movie?" she asked Makkai, meaning the new documentary "I Am Not Your Negro." "I'm dying to," Makkai said and nodded at the books, "but this (display) is not just for the film, it's ... everything! Sales of '1984' are up, what? Four thousand percent?" Actually, only 185 percent. Since the presidential election in November, often you needn't look further than a display window to see bookstore owners and employees registering some protest or comment. And not just those politically leaning Women and Children First-type stores. For several months, the front window of Magic Tree Bookstore in Oak Park, a children's bookstore, has made a point of spotlighting books on diversity, immigration and suffrage. Down the street from Wrigley Field, Chicago Comics gave away 400 copies of a booklet on political resistance. Even Anderson's Bookshops, in Naperville, Downers Grove and La Grange, an influential barometer of taste for the publishing world and about as mainstream as independent bookstores come have held Citizen Action nights and postcard-writing get-togethers. Though for years the store has played host to book-peddling politicians on the right (Mike Huckabee) and left (Bernie Sanders), "some things you take personally, and as our duty, what we are doing now we need to do," said owner Becky Anderson. "So we have had a few complaints, and secret shoppers who walk through flipping over books they don't (politically) like. But we expect to do more." In St. Louis, a bookstore renamed its fiction section "Alternative Facts," and in Massachusetts, the Harvard Book Store arranged a memorial to the (fictional) Bowling Green Massacre. "My dad asked me how political I plan to get," said Rebecca George, co-owner of Volumes. "I said I think I know my customers." The night Barack Obama gave his farewell address, George screened it in the store. Almost 100 people attended. Advertisement In other words, Women and Children needn't have worried about tornado alerts. By the time its civil disobedience discussion began, customers spilled out of the children's section into poetry and beyond into graphic novels, fiction and the new release tables, spotted with titles like "Insane Clown President" and "The Trump Survival Guide." At least 100 people showed up, enough to make the room stuffy and warm. Hollenbeck stood at the front. She told the assembled that she hoped the discussion "would direct our anger in a productive way." Then Hemon, serving as moderator, introduced the panel: an ACLU lawyer and a labor lawyer, a local activist and Chris Abani, a Nigerian-American author and English professor at Northwestern University. Both lawyers quickly noted, as lawyers, they could not broadly condone civil disobedience. Abani suggested considering various jobs needed for a protest, from raising bail to buying doughnuts. Activist Kelly Hayes, a protest trainer/organizer, said "screw the law" and condoned civil disobedience, saying the left allowed "establishment liberals to call themselves the resistance, and that is not how change occurs." "Tell it," came a voice at the back. And that's how that conversation went four people mostly talking past each other, often rhetorically, sometimes combatively, albeit genially. It also felt well suited for a bookstore any bookstore. Alongside barbershops and general stores, neighborhood bookstores have served historically as crowded homes of argument and conflicting ideas and, to some degree, solace. "The day after the inauguration, people started coming to just think, talking to us about books on activism or looking for some escape," said Teresa Kirschbraun of City Lit Books in Logan Square. "It was like they saw books as medicine." And so the store created an in-house "book apothecary" pop-up, 50 books selected by notable authors intended to soothe "existential ailments" such as alienation. Advertisement (L to R) Sarah Anderson, Tomash Dabrowski, Kyle Jones, and Arturo Chang Quiroz listen to panelists talk about the implementation of civil disobedience as part of the resistance movement against President Trump during a gathering at Women and Children First bookstore in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood on Tuesday, February 28, 2017. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune) "But I also live in a bubble (in Chicago)," she said, "so I wanted to do activities that have positive outcomes that don't just serve as a way for registering what you don't like." In late January, just after the inauguration, the question of how a bookseller should respond became a central topic at Winter Institute in Minneapolis, an annual American Booksellers Association gathering. "You usually hear people talking about Amazon and running their business, and this year, it was about becoming a 'resistance cell,'" Nina Barrett, co-owner of Bookends & Beginnings in Evanston. Since November her store has hosted politically minded readings (including one featuring a Syrian refugee/poet) and this month she's giving away copies of the U.S. Constitution (with select, relevant book purchases). "But I would hate to suggest we accommodate only one political view. We support activism, but I am not being Catholic about this. Bookstores have to make this call for themselves. We would not want to seem like we're telling you what to think." Oren Teicher, CEO of the ABA, which represents 2,300 independent stores, said Barrett's conflicted feelings have been common. He's about to take a trip around the country and meet with booksellers, and he's expecting to talk politics. "Every day I have conversations multiple conversations (with booksellers) and these stores are trying to figure out how to reflect their communities and still be a place where different points of views are given. And from what I've heard it's a long spectrum of what's appropriate for a store and what's not. Yes, it's fair to say a majority of independent booksellers have progressive politics, but you can not say that responses have been unanimous." On the often conservative-leaning North Shore, Stephanie Hochschild, owner of the Book Stall in Winnetka, said she wants her store to support free speech and smart communication but she also "wouldn't want anyone to come in here and feel uncomfortable" with a pointedly political message. So the store has stayed firmly agnostic. On the South Side, Jeff Deutsch, director of the Seminary Co-Op and 57th Street Books, said that in keeping with the serious-minded reputation of its University of Chicago neighborhood, "We've decided we want talks here to reflect both sides of the (political) aisle." He said the store would not organize protests or sponsor letter-writing campaigns, but instead double down on its longtime mission: "What is happening in this country is not about a politician or political party but the subversion of rigor and inquiry." He plans to make the importance of fact and science the focus of the store's events. Advertisement Meanwhile, at Women and Children, discomfort itself is on the table. Hemon asked what the value was of creating uncomfortable moments for non-activists, passersby and shoppers. Hayes said they should make people "as uncomfortable as it takes." The ACLU lawyer didn't have an answer. Abani said we should question the institutions in place and ask how much we're willing to risk. The labor lawyer doubted "the moral value of just kicking the machine." Abani leaned over and said, no, no, you've misunderstood. The labor lawyer put a hand in his face and said it was his turn to talk. From back in the feminism section, there was a shout of disbelief: "WOW! WOW!" An elderly woman listened then rolled her eyes and, having tuned out the arguments, reached for a book on reptiles, lowered her glasses from her head and started to read. Call that a byproduct of the Trump Bump. So named by Publishers Weekly to define the extraordinary sales spikes in bookstores since November, primarily for novels of eerie prescience such as Sinclair Lewis' "It Can't Happen Here" (up 12,000 percent since January 2016), biographies of political timeliness ("Trump: Art of the Deal," up 325 percent) and books of philosophical resonance (Hannah Arendt's "The Origins of Totalitarianism," up 1,000 percent). Even sales of the U.S. Constitution are up 78 percent since 2016. "It's a terrible time for the world, but a great time for publishers with the right books," said Julie Fain, co-founder of Chicago-based Haymarket Books, which publishes a number of titles found on Trump-centric bookstore displays, including books from Noam Chomsky and Rebecca Solnit. Advertisement Indeed, at the end of the civil disobedience panel, after Thomas Jefferson had been deemed "the rapist who wrote the Declaration of Independence" and protesters were redefined as "co-strugglers," after the Constitution itself was judged unconstitutional and Electoral College a joke after semantic distinctions grew dizzying and Abani sighed that "We need to start having adult conversations" a short, white-haired woman stood: She came to talk about civil disobedience, she said. So, what should she do? Read, she was told. cborrelli@chicagotribune.com RELATED STORIES: On 'A Day Without a Woman,' Chicago activists and businesses show their solidarity Advertisement Commentary: Donald Trump's populism is dying Why you should know Harlem Renaissance writer Claude McKay. Even if you've never heard of him. Andersonville's Women & Children First Bookstore has new, but familiar, owners Watch the latest movie trailers. Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 126 Woody introduces the gang to a homemade spork toy with self-esteem issues in "Toy Story 4." Read the review. (Pixar / AP) "Family Film" features a couple on their second honeymoon sailing the Indian Ocean with their dog. The film from the Czech Republic is playing in the Chicago European Union Film Festival. at the Siskel Film Center. (Endorfilm) New European films are on the bill this month at the Siskel Film Center for its annual Chicago European Union Film Festival. I got a look at some of the films playing over the next week: Ophelia Lovibond in "Gozo." (Bishop FIlms ) "Gozo" (6:15 p.m. Friday and 6 p.m. Tuesday): A young couple sees their idyllic life in Malta curdle in this film from director Miranda Bowen. A pair of British expats (Ophelia Lovibond, Kitty on "Elementary," and Joseph Kennedy) are fixing up his aunt's vacation home on the island of Gozo and it's all laughs and canoodling and dips in the pool with their brown mutt, Ringo, until a guilty conscience and nervous breakdown begins to warp their relationship and threaten their hold on reality. Advertisement Dreamy and suspenseful, but ending with a fizzle, the film is lovely to look at and it always puts you on this couple's side even if they are sort of insufferable people who move to a foreign country but make no effort to learn the language or get to know anyone there other than their fellow expats, also in perma-vacation mode. The scenery is forever sunny but wind-swept, the landscape dun-colored, and depending on the mood, it's either beautiful or threatening. Jenovefa Bokova, right, in a scene from the Czech film "Family Film." (Deja-vu Film UG ) "Family Film" (8 p.m. Friday and 6:15 p.m. Saturday): A mother and father venture off on a second honeymoon to sail the Indian Ocean with their dog, Otto. Back at home (a gorgeous white-walled, light-filled apartment stocked with midcentury furniture) are their teenage kids (Daniel Kadlec and Jenovefa Bokova) sans any adult supervision. That freedom leads to standard teenage rebellion stuff, occasionally punctuated by a check-in on Skype with Mom, who has been sunbathing topless. Advertisement About halfway through the film, all goes wrong very wrong both at home and at sea. Mom (Vanda Hybnerova) and dad (Karel Roden) have suddenly become unreachable. The kids are at loose ends. All that hedonism has been replaced with a palpable dread and the reveal of uncomfortable secrets. Director Olmo Omerzu is especially observant about the ways teenagers can get swept up into something they aren't ready for or don't fully understand, especially where sex is concerned. Filled with soft light and pastels, the film (this year's Oscar submission from the Czech Republic) lures you in, only to reveal something darker underneath. MOST READ ENTERTAINMENT NEWS THIS HOUR The final third concerns itself with the aftermath for everyone, as well as the fate of Otto, the family's English shepherd, who washes up on a deserted island and has to survive on his own. Whenever the movie returns to him, it's as if you're watching "Castaway: The Dog Version." It's amazing and kind of heartbreaking at the same time: Otto swimming through a rough chop. Poor guy, but he's doing it! Otto searching for food. Or getting trapped in a thicket. The panic looks real. Sleeping in the dark while crabs scurry behind him. Or sitting quietly on the beach, staring out at the sea, watchful for his owners or anyone, really to come and save him. Emilia Vasaryova in "Eva Nova." (Artileria ) "Eva Nova" (8 p.m. Friday and 8 p.m. Wednesday): This year's Oscar entry from Slovakia, the film sets an unblinking gaze on a once gorgeous communist-era TV and theater star now past her prime and trying put back together a life blown apart by family baggage, narcissism and alcoholism. She is played by Emilia Vasaryova, a well-known Slovak actress and one who is still a glamorous and stunning woman. She has made herself quite the opposite for the role. How much forgiveness or trust can a recovering alcoholic expect from those she has hurt? When the addiction is stripped away, all the problems underlying it still exist and Eva is nothing if not prone to making a scene (even when sober) or using people. "Remember when we were young?" she says to an old friend who has finagled her an invite to an industry party where she might be able to make some contacts. "And we had a fling? I should have married you." He stares back, uninterested. She is selfish and self-pitying and occasionally ridiculous but also incredibly human. Vasaryova holds your attention throughout, whether she is accosting her ex's very young and pretty (and pregnant) new wife in a swanky restroom, or sitting forlornly in her sad apartment or an equally sad inflatable backyard pool. She is alone. Always alone. A neighbor comes by offering some "glue for the soul" booze and that line is so on-point. Vasaryova's performance takes on the vanity of a woman who has lost so much but was once something special (superficially, at least) and can't quite let go of that. There's a large photo of her younger, dazzling self hanging on the wall in her apartment and early in the film she gazes at with a mix of quiet disgust and yearning. Later, director Marko Skop (who has said the idea for the character was inspired by a meeting with French actress Annie Girardot) frames a pivotal scene so that the photo is visible in the background just over Eva's shoulder, so that we see both the starlet version and present-day version nearly side by side. Advertisement Vasaryova goes all-in, arranging her face to look forever haggard and vulnerable and melancholy and exhausted (this is not how Vasaryova actually looks if you Google images of her today) only to shift dramatically into "star" mode whenever she meets someone from the old days. It's a remarkable performance. "What is life about?" her neighbor asks shruggingly. "How to kill time." Marie-Josee Croze and Mikko Nousiainen in "2 Nights Till Morning." (Wide Management ) "2 Nights Till Morning" (6:15 p.m. Wednesday): A volcanic ash cloud means all flights are canceled, stranding two hotel guests she's a French architect, he's a Finnish DJ in an upscale Lithuanian hotel in Finnish director Mikko Kuparinen's quasi-"Before Sunrise" riff on what it looks like when strangers meet and sparks fly. She (Marie-Josee Croze) has a mate back home, her cheri, who is a little too needy so many questions when they talk by phone, but the paranoia, it turns out, is with good reason. He (Mikko Nousiainen) has someone back home too, a child who he rarely sees because of work. Their do-si-do of sexual attraction and winding conversations runs hot and cold. There is a freedom when you meet someone new, unencumbered by any shared past. That can be thrilling but also, you can see her also wondering, what's the point? She's hard to read, spiky and independent and quick to anger, whereas he is more easygoing and a little goofy but above all bereft of real companionship. I'm not sure I bought their connection. They seem almost clinically intrigued by one another rather than swept up in a combination of romantic "what if?" and lust. What do they see in each other? It's never clear. But Croze and Nousiainen make the most of their scenes, while the hotel itself, with its shiny marble floors and quiet rooms with exquisite linens, becomes an unlikely hideaway. Advertisement The Chicago European Union Film Festival continues at the Siskel Film Center through March 30, 164 N State St. For a complete lineup of films go to www.siskelfilmcenter.org/ceuff/2017. nmetz@chicagotribune.com Twitter @Nina_Metz RELATED STORIES: What's filming in Chicago this spring 'Platoon of Power Squadron': low-budget superhero web series with big results Advertisement 'Chicago Justice' review: Dick Wolf spinoff a lot like 'Law & Order' 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) Maverick indie director Zhao Liang continues his muckraking tour of China's social and environmental woes with the stunning, cumulatively moving "Behemoth." Acting as a modern-day Dante on a tour through Inner Mongolia's coal mines and iron works, Zhao ("Together," "Petition") eschews narrative for an impressively self-shot poetic exercise in controlled righteous outrage, emphasizing the contrasts between rapidly dwindling green pastures and dead landscapes disemboweled by toxic mining. The human toll is also here in the final sections, making starkly clear the price impoverished workers pay for back-breaking labor. Audiences will split over whether the passages from "The Divine Comedy" excerpted here add a weight of pretension, but most will be able to compartmentalize that not-ungrounded gripe and focus on the skilled lensing and the disturbing message, which joins a growing chorus of native voices calling attention to the unbridled destruction of the country's ecosystem. Advertisement The film's first section is shot in the east, where coal mines ravage the pastoral scene, turning emerald hills into ashen pits. Ever alert to the power of juxtaposition, Zhao aims his camera at areas where the contrast between alive and dead is most glaring, as if a desiccating blight has zapped shepherds' fields and reduced them to gray powder. Snow-white sheep perch perilously close to the gaping abyss created by Transformer-like trucks digging for an outdated carcinogen, replacing centuries of husbandry with mechanized annihilation. In his desire to contrast living creatures with motorized steel, Zhao tends to forget that mankind is also behind these robotic forces of destruction, but the visceral impact is potent, and he ensures the human element is later brought to the fore. MOST READ ENTERTAINMENT NEWS THIS HOUR Advertisement Next the pic moves west, to ironworks where men toil in hellish conditions. Encircled by molten metal (the air is hot enough to scald lungs) and accompanied by a deafening industrial roar, the images invoke Dante's epic, both the eternal burn of hell and the fire-purging realm of Purgatory. The toll on the population is made clear in the next section, focusing on medical issues that include major respiratory problems and the buildup of viscous black liquid in the lungs. It's deeply disturbing to look at some of the children here and realize that most will probably never reach 50. Some protest, but who's listening? It's hard to shake the thought that the Upton Sinclairs of this world can no longer make much of a difference. The final chapter aims to demonstrate the uselessness of it all: The ghost district of Kangbashi, in Ordos City, is often held up as a prime example of China's real-estate bubble, its eerily unused streets and row upon row of empty high-rises providing a blunt reminder of the wastefulness of the country's mad rush toward self-destructive productivity. Billed as a worker's paradise, the city is but another hollow promise, taunting in its gleaming modernity yet devoid of life. "Behemoth" is unquestionably Zhao's most accomplished film, more cohesive than "Petition" and paying greater attention to its impressive visuals. Some may criticize the director's reach for a blend of poetry and nonfiction: Is the nude figure of a man in various landscapes really necessary? Despite such over-arty flourishes, the cinematography never fails to drive home a sense of paradise lost, furthered by images with digitally created fractured lines, which represent the disruption of nature's gift. "Behemoth" 3 stars No MPAA rating Running time: 1:31 Opens: Friday at Facets, 1517 W. Fullerton, www.facets.org RELATED STORIES: Advertisement 'Kong: Skull Island' review: Big budget buys dazzling effects and a really good movie too 'Apprentice' review: A country's complicated relationship with capital punishment Robert Osborne, a Hollywood classic on his own 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) A photo featured in "Then They Came for Me: Incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII and the Demise of Civil Liberties," a new exhibit at Alphawood Gallery. (Dorthea Lange) A second exhibition, a look at Japanese-American internment during World War II, will be coming to the recently developed Alphawood Gallery in June, gallery officials announced Thursday. The Alphawood Foundation created the gallery, on Halsted Street just north of Fullerton Ave., to house the current "Art AIDS America Chicago" exhibit, about the influences of AIDS in the art world, that closes April 2. Advertisement Its successor, "Then They Came for Me: Incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII and the Demise of Civil Liberties," is coming about as "a combination of opportunity and opportunity," said Jim McDonough, executive director of the foundation, which is backed by Newsweb Corp. chief Fred Eychaner. "In addition to the story of a great injustice, it's a great immigrant story," McDonough said, pointing out that "when the camps were emptied, one in five of the people relocated to Chicago." Like "Art AIDS America," it speaks to the current political moment and the mission of the foundation. Advertisement McDonough said the exhibition will draw extensively on photos -- by Dorothea Lange, Ansel Adams and others -- included in the recent book "Un-American: The Incarceration of Japanese Americans During World War II" by Chicago authors and photo historians Richard Cahan and Michael Williams. Opening in phases during the year, it will also include artifacts from the Japanese American Service Committee of Chicago, which is also providing support for the exhibition. Instead of waiting to put up a complete exhibition in, say, September, "there was a great sense of urgency," said McDonough. "If we're going to provoke conversation, we may not have until September." This second exhibition does not, however, definitively mark the arrival of Alphawood Gallery as an ongoing exhibition space, he said. For one thing, the space is not owned by the foundation but is on loan to it from an Eychaner company. "Do I think that this is the first in an unending stream of exhibitions?" he asked. "I don't think that right now. But it's opportunistic for us, at this moment, to take advantage of the space." MOST READ ENTERTAINMENT NEWS THIS HOUR 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) Kobe, a 17-year-old female polar bear from the Pittsburgh Zoo roams around her exhibit space at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. (Handout) And then there were four. Lincoln Park Zoo now has a female polar bear on premises, too, meaning that there are now potential breeding pairs of the vulnerable species at both the Chicago zoo and at Brookfield Zoo. Advertisement The newest female is Kobe, a 17-year-old most recently at Pittsburgh Zoo. She is currently on quarantine but has access to a portion of the exhibit space she will share with Siku, a 7-year-old male who has been in Lincoln Park Zoo's new polar bear habitat since it opened in November. The two have been matched by the Species Survival Program at North American zoos that manages polar bear populations in hopes of optimizing breeding and genetic diversity. Introduction of the two animals toward that end will come at a future date. Advertisement MOST READ ENTERTAINMENT NEWS THIS HOUR Meanwhile at Brookfield, the new female Nan, approximately 21, has been cohabitating since late February with the zoo's longtime resident male, Hudson, who was born at Brookfield in 2006. Nan has had one cub previously. The animals seem to be getting along well, reports a Brookfield spokeswoman. RELATED STORIES: Brookfield Zoo welcomes female polar bear Giant anteater pup makes debut at Brookfield Zoo Australian lungfish 'Granddad,' the oldest zoo animal in Chicago, dies 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) There are some fascinating similarities emerging between Chance the Rapper and Lin-Manuel Miranda. For starters, both of these artists one from Chicago, one from New York clearly know how to leverage their creative credibility to make traditional politicians look out of touch. Look, for example, at how brilliantly Chancelor John Bennett, 23, played Gov. Bruce Rauner, 61, this past week. When it came to political stagecraft, Chance the Rapper made Madigan the Speaker look like a relative amateur. Advertisement On Monday, Bennett announced his intention to donate $1 million of his personal funds to the Chicago Public Schools, an act of philanthropy all the more notable for the youth of the giver. At his widely covered news conference at Westcott Elementary School, just blocks from where he grew up, Bennett talked up the importance of arts education, long a flash point in Chicago schools, and defined his donation as both a challenge grant to persuade others to give, and "a way to help Chicago's creative minds." This drew praise from the former first lady Michelle Obama, who took to Twitter and called Bennett "an example of the power of arts education." Self-evidently. Given his recent success. Advertisement MOST READ ENTERTAINMENT NEWS THIS HOUR But what really revealed Bennett's political chops was his decision to press for a meeting with Rauner before the news conference. He got what he wanted and it was a meeting that served the rapper's needs far more than the governor's (the state leader could have anticipated that), for it gave the former new ammunition to attack the latter. When Rauner's spokeswoman, Eleni Demertzis, responded to the gift with a reminder of Rauner's own personal largesse and a statement that "individual contributions will never be enough to address the financial challenges facing CPS," she was surely speaking the truth. But such language with its implication that the event was a self-serving publicity stunt felt churlish in the face of a great success story from that very school system, standing virtually in his backyard and coming up with some serious, hard-earned cash at a point in life when most people have barely finished college. To Chance fans, and to young Chicagoans in general, the impact of Bennett's $1 million on the total CPS budget was not the point. Frankly, "thank you" would have done the governor's camp more good, especially with young people. A thanks, a reach out and a nod to Bennett's achievements. Simple as that. But Rauner seemed not to see the power of symbols (of class, race, generational change) in this whole exchange, nor to understand Bennett's access to national media. The governor took no chances, and found himself in the cross hairs of a media savvy political sophisticate who understood the optical power of a successful citizen loving a city that loves him right back. That news conference not only was likely to spark other donations but make it yet more likely that Bennett would make his next million pretty quick. More money, more leverage. You can see some of the "Hamilton" playbook at work here especially when it comes to the promotion of arts education. Just days before Bennett's event, the hit musical had performed a Wednesday matinee packed with CPS students, their attendance funded by a variety of external donors. The exchange between Bennett and Rauner also brought to mind the decision of the "Hamilton" cast to grab their moment when a seemingly unsuspecting vice president-elect, Mike Pence, walked through the door of its Broadway theater. Whatever you thought about the ethics of addressing a man in a theater seat who could not easily respond (just as Rauner could not be reasonably expected to overhaul the complexities of CPS financing in a single meeting with Bennett), there was no denying the efficacy of the moment from all points of view artistic, political and the business they call show. Like Rauner, Pence found himself put on the defensive by an immensely popular artist (Miranda was well aware of what was happening, even though he was not in the building) and the address turned out to be one of the defining moments of the transition, subsequently provoking one of the notorious presidential tweets. In both these cases, the artist was in the spotlight; the politician was in the dark. Advertisement Bennett and Miranda are very much aware of each other (Bennett has a track on the "Hamilton" mixtape and the pair have shared articles and photo shoots). Notably, both are the scions of families with a history and tradition of big-city political activism and who taught their kids well. Chancelor Bennett's father, Ken Bennett, is an aide to Rahm Emanuel and a former staffer to Barack Obama. Miranda's father, Luis A. Miranda Jr., is a longtime Democratic operative in New York City and was once an aide to Mayor EdKoch. Both are involved counselors and notable for the pride they show in the activities of their sons, a pride you can read on their faces. Bennett is much younger than Miranda; he is of a different generation, arguably, even though both men similarly are interested in expanding the vocabulary and audience for hip-hop and enjoy a wildly diverse audience. But with Bennett exploding and Miranda poised for whatever he wants to be poised for, it does not seem unreasonable to look into the future and wonder about maybe two generations of new political leaders: powerful, loved, rich, raised up by the arts and well aware of what it can do for kids in the cities they love. Chris Jones is a Tribune critic. cjones5@chicagotribune.com Twitter @ChrisJonesTrib MORE FROM THE THEATER LOOP: Advertisement Why the NY cast of 'Hamilton' was right. And the Chicago disrupter wrong. A packed 'Hamilton' matinee all Chicago Public School students and their teachers 'Hamilton' review update: Wayne Brady and the ghost of Obama No apologies for passage of time in 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch' Chicago State University agreed Thursday to pay a former school attorney $4.3 million, ending a long and expensive landmark whistleblower lawsuit. The unexpected agreement came after the cash-strapped public university, whose delays had driven up the interest it owed, told a Cook County judge it would immediately pay James Crowley, who said he was fired in 2010 after reporting alleged misconduct by top university officials. Advertisement A jury in 2014 found in Crowley's favor and ordered Chicago State to pay him more than $3 million, including $1 million in back pay and $2 million in punitive damages, along with attorney fees. But the school had avoided payment while it challenged the jury verdict. That decision was upheld by the Illinois Appellate Court last year, and the judgment amount grew with the addition of 6 percent interest earned since the verdict and "front pay" money Crowley would have earned if he had worked between the time of the jury decision and the final order. Advertisement Crowley's case is believed to be the first stemming from a whistleblower claim filed under the state ethics act, which became law in 2003 and included remedies for employees who disclose unethical behavior. "I'm relieved to have reached the end of this lawsuit. I look forward to personally moving on," Crowley said Thursday. "I'm also hoping for the future success of Chicago State. It's a worthy university with a noble mission, and its students deserve our support." Chicago State spokeswoman Sabrina Land said the university will pay $1.5 million of the award and the university's insurance company would cover the rest. The school's insurance carrier, however, has argued it was not obligated to cover the Crowley judgment. The carrier, Illinois National Insurance Co., informed university officials last year that Chicago State's policy does not cover claims stemming from a "fraudulent or dishonest act or a willful violation of any statute, rule or law," according to a copy of a letter obtained by the Tribune. The university sued Illinois National last month. Land would not provide details or documents to support the claim the insurance was going to cover the balance of the judgment. According to the court order agreed to by Crowley and Chicago State on Thursday, $4,292,594.02 million held in a university bank account will be turned over to Crowley. The agreement comes after a judge on Feb. 1 ordered the university to pay the judgment or rack up about $21,000 a month in additional interest. Chicago State asked to file written arguments on the matter, and a hearing date was set for May 1. But on Wednesday, the university told Crowley's attorney, Anthony Pinelli, that it was ready to finalize the matter. It's unclear what drove the school's decision, but university trustees met Friday, including in closed session, though they did not publicly discuss the Crowley lawsuit. The final payment amount includes interest from last month. Advertisement Pinelli called the whistleblower lawsuit "as dirty a fight as we had ever been in." "I think the result was fair," he said. "I also think it's important that we made significant law under the ethics act. ... It is now a guideline for people who may lose their job because they point out misconduct by state officials." Crowley, who has worked temporary jobs since leaving Chicago State, had claimed he was fired after he refused to withhold documents about President Wayne Watson's employment that a faculty member had requested under the Illinois open records law. He also said he was retaliated against after reporting questionable university contracts to the attorney general's office. Watson stepped down as president in 2015 and holds the title of president emeritus. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > "To have carved out this area of the whistleblower law is humbling, and I hope to continue inspiring people to uphold ethical standards in government," Crowley said. Courts criticized Chicago State throughout the case. In an unusually harsh ruling, a three-judge panel of the Illinois Appellate Court called the university's behavior "thoroughly reprehensible" and suggested Watson and his top lieutenants acted with "malice and deceit." Advertisement In his order last month, Cook County Judge James McCarthy again criticized Chicago State officials. "The ethics act specifically provides that the employee may be awarded all remedies necessary to make the state employee whole," McCarthy wrote, adding that Chicago State could have stopped the judgment from increasing "but rather chose to delay payment to its former employee." The judge called the university's handling of the lawsuit "yet another example of the management style and judgment exercised by the officials at Chicago State." The payment comes at a difficult financial time for Chicago State, as the Far South Side university has no funds to spare during the most protracted budget stalemate in Illinois history. The budget impasse has left the state's colleges and universities with only limited and unpredictable state funding during the past 20 months, and there are no plans for state funding this year. jscohen@chicagotribune.com Twitter @jodiscohen In response to recent local acts of anti-Semitism and reports of increased hate crimes nationwide, Gov. Bruce Rauner on Wednesday will announce a multipronged effort to boost the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes through stronger laws and better education. Rauner will detail his four-point plan at a downtown dinner benefiting the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, according to his office. He tapped the state director of public safety and the secretary of education to help carry out the proposal. Advertisement "With the nationwide rise of anti-Semitism and reported hate crimes, we in Illinois must do more to protect minority communities from violence and persecution," Rauner wrote to the officials in a memo Wednesday. "In recent weeks, we witnessed anti-Semitic vandalism at Chicago's Loop Synagogue, a gunshot fired through a classroom window of an Indiana synagogue and a number of threats called into Jewish community centers around the country." Specifically, the Republican governor wants to increase penalties for hate crimes that involve acts of vandalism committed against houses of worship and religious centers, offer standardized hate crime training to state and local law enforcement and develop online educational materials to supplement state-required teaching about the Holocaust and genocide to elementary and high school students. Advertisement A bill pending in Springfield, sponsored by the Illinois Holocaust and Genocide Commission, tackles the first point and also seeks to have offenders complete hate crime education and community service as conditions of parole or probation. Rauner said his administration is working to push the bill into law. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > Rauner's call for bolstering protection follows a summit hosted by Attorney General Lisa Madigan last month to address the issue, which brought together local organizations that represent immigrant and minority groups. Local activists who attended reported seeing an uptick in hate crime incidents in Chicago in the wake of President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement policies. National statistics also show the spread of crime targeting communities by religion, race and sexuality. More than 1,000 reports of hate incidents in the U.S. were collected by the Southern Poverty Law Center in the month since Trump's election. Annual data published by the FBI revealed 5,850 hate crime incidents nationally in 2015, up 6 percent from 2014. The FBI report found that attacks against Muslims and transgender people jumped the most. Rauner's plan specifically addresses the Jewish community. One of his proposals would restrict state contracting with companies that participate in an international boycott campaign that targets Israel. The state already refuses to invest state pension funds in companies that boycott Israel. He was speaking at a fundraising awards dinner hosted by the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center in Skokie. Former first lady Laura Bush was scheduled to be the keynote speaker for the event. In addition to the incidents cited by Rauner, bomb threats made in the past month have forced evacuations at the Hyde Park Jewish Community Center and Chicago Jewish Day School. Echerney@chicagotribune.com Twitter @ElyssaCherney Chicago police investigate the scene where a man was shot with a rifle in the 1300 block of West 48th Street in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on March 8, 2017. (Alyssa Pointer / Chicago Tribune) Two teens wounded in separate Chicago shootings a block apart in Logan Square were among six people shot from Wednesday afternoon into early Thursday. About 12:30 a.m. Thursday, police found a 17-year-old boy in a Northwest Side alley in the 2400 block of West Moffat Street. He had been shot in the head and the arm. He was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in critical condition. He was being uncooperative with investigators, as were witnesses, police said, so the circumstances of the shooting were unknown. Advertisement Officers taped off the alley along with two vehicles parked on Campbell Avenue, just north of the Bloomingdale Trail. At a nearby small grocery store, Jorge Valdovinos stayed inside the business after hearing five or six gunshots. He later looked outside and saw officers swarming the neighborhood. Advertisement His family has owned the store for about 40 years. He said the shootings were unusual for the area. "Before (the neighborhood) was ugly, but it's more quiet now," he said in Spanish. Less than nine hours earlier and a block away, a 16-year-old boy was shot in the leg. That attack occurred about 3:45 p.m. Wednesday in the 2500 block of West Cortland Street, and he was taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > Other shootings: About 4:45 a.m. Thursday on the Far North Side, a 29-year-old man was shot in West Rogers Park. He told investigators he was standing outside his apartment in the 2200 block of West Rosemont Avenue when males approached and fired at him. He was shot in the abdomen and taken in good condition to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston. About 11:15 p.m. Wednesday on the Southwest Side, a 25-year-old man was shot in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood. He was on the sidewalk in the 6700 block of West Archer Avenue when someone in a passing car fired a shot, police said. The man on the sidewalk was shot in the leg and went to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood. His condition was stabilized. About 7:10 p.m. on the South Side, an 18-year-old man was shot in the shoulder while he was in the 4400 block of South Marshfield Avenue in the Back of the Yards neighborhood, police said. He took himself to Stroger Hospital, where he was listed in good condition. Police did not release any further information about how the shooting happened. About 6:55 p.m. in the Back of the Yards neighborhood, a 35-year-old man was shot in the face in the 1300 block of West 48th Street, according to police. The man was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was in good condition. An attacker in a blue SUV fired multiple rounds at the man, hitting him. The shooting was committed with a rifle and appears to be one of about three dozen rifle shootings in the surrounding area since last March. At the scene Wednesday night, police crime scene tape surrounded at least 15 shell casings from the shooting. Advertisement No one was in custody, and police were investigating. The Tribune's Peter Nickeas and Liam Ford contributed. An Illinois Department of Corrections van carrying Drew Peterson arrives at the Randolph County Courthouse in Chester, Ill., on May 23, 2016. (Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune) Within months of Drew Peterson's conviction for trying to have someone kill the prosecutor who put him behind bars, state prison officials were working to off-load the notorious ex-cop to federal authorities out of concern that he posed a danger to their agency. Peterson, who was already serving a lengthy prison sentence for the murder of his third wife, was sentenced to another 40 years in July after a jury found he tried to hire someone to kill Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow. Advertisement By October, Illinois Department of Corrections officials began the process of moving Peterson from Menard Correctional Center in downstate Chester to federal custody. "Offender Peterson is a threat to safety and security of the department and therefore an Interstate Corrections Compact Agreement transfer is being initiated by IDOC," the agency's acting manager, Doug Stephens, wrote in a letter to the agency's director, according to records obtained by the Tribune through an open records request. Advertisement "With his placement outside of Illinois Department of Corrections, it is imperative this offender be continually monitored through his mail as well as telephone conversations due to his former actions." Last month, Peterson was transferred without fanfare to the federal prison in Terre Haute, Ind. At the time, IDOC officials declined to discuss the reason for his transfer. The documents obtained Thursday show the agency was concerned his actions in the murder-for-hire plot posed an ongoing safety and security threat. Federal officials approved the transfer to Terre Haute on Feb. 10, and he was removed from Menard 10 days later. "The information regarding this move should be treated as highly confidential and limited to only staff needed to complete this transfer," IDOC assignment coordinator Kathy Greer wrote in a Feb. 16 email to IDOC officials. In May, Peterson was found guilty of trying to have fellow Menard inmate Antonio "Beast" Smith arrange to have a relative kill Glasgow, who successfully prosecuted the former Bolingbrook police sergeant for the 2004 murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > Unbeknownst to Peterson, Smith was working with authorities to record hours of prison conversations with Peterson, during which he railed against Glasgow and told Smith to have the hit carried out. In one recorded conversation, Smith told Peterson he had ordered the hit man to kill Glasgow by Christmas of 2014. "I told him (the hit man) what you said, that it's the green light on, that basically go ahead and kill him," Smith said in a Nov. 15, 2014, recording. "That's what you wanted, right? ... It ain't no turning back." "OK, all right. I'm in," Peterson responded. "From the first time we talked about it, there was no turning back. ... If I get some booze in here, we'll celebrate that night." Advertisement Savio was found dead in the bathtub at her home in 2004, and her death was initially ruled an accident until the case was reopened when Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, disappeared in 2007. Glasgow eventually charged Peterson with murder in the Savio case, and Peterson was convicted in 2012 and sentenced to 38 years in prison. Peterson, a former Bolingbrook police officer, is eligible for parole in 2081. Authorities said he is a suspect in the case of Stacy Peterson, who has never been found. mwalberg@chicagotribune.com Twitter: @mattwalberg1 A few months after a rash of fentanyl-laced heroin overdoses struck Chicago's West Side, an undercover police officer purchased 12 bags of narcotics marked with black Superman logos from a drug dealer just blocks from the Eisenhower Expressway. That January 2016 drug buy grew into an investigation that culminated Thursday with the arrests of dozens of gang members and others connected to the sale of fentanyl-laced narcotics a potent combination believed to be responsible for at least 40 deaths in Cook County in 2015 alone. Advertisement Nearly 70 people were facing charges in the sweeping investigation, code-named Operation Sweet Dreams, with 18 charged in federal court and the others in Cook County criminal court, said U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon. Authorities have said that many of the heroin sales were run by Unknown Vice Lords, a powerful West Side gang that does its business in neighborhoods near the Eisenhower. Advertisement Police and federal agents executed raids across the area Wednesday and Thursday, seizing about 7 kilograms of cocaine and heroin, including a "significant amount" laced with fentanyl. The investigation also netted about $400,000 in suspected drug proceeds and a dozen firearms, including an AR-1 rifle and a TEC-9 machine pistol, Fardon said. While no violence was alleged in the criminal complaints unsealed Thursday, the alleged drug dealers operated largely in the city's Garfield Park and North Lawndale neighborhoods, which were "top of the list in terms of gun violence over the past year," Fardon said at an afternoon news conference at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse. Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx said the violence is a "very complex and large puzzle" that cannot be solved "without talking about the insidiousness of the drug trade, especially on the South and West sides." The investigation began in 2015 when the Chicago police narcotics unit began to suspect that the sale of fentanyl-laced heroin on the West Side was to blame for more than 70 drug overdoses that were reported during a 72-hour period that fall. The Chicago Tribune was the first to report on the overdoses. The Cook County medical examiner's office later confirmed that 40 people died from using fentanyl through the first nine months of 2015, more than double the 19 deaths in all of 2014. Drug dealers cut heroin with fentanyl to make a more potent product. The powerful, euphoria-inducing narcotic used legally as a prescription painkiller when it's ingested by itself is 30 to 50 times more potent than heroin and significantly increases the risk of overdose deaths. "Fentanyl is relatively cheap, so drug dealers are using it to lace heroin and juice their profits," Fardon said. "Often addicts who are buying this heroin don't know that it contains fentanyl. They don't know until it's too late." Dennis A. Wichern, who heads the Chicago office of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, called the fentanyl-laced drugs a "death sentence." Advertisement Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > Dealers have long set up shop on Chicago's West Side along the Eisenhower, giving it the nickname "Heroin Highway" because of the significant population of drug users who travel the road from the suburbs, authorities said. As part of Operation Sweet Dreams, law enforcement also conducted surveillance on drug deals elsewhere in the city. One complaint unsealed Thursday described a transaction last October in an alley in the 1800 block of North Leavitt Street in the city's tony Bucktown neighborhood. Agents were watching as one of the defendants purchased 2 kilograms of heroin in exchange for $132,000 in cash that was wrapped in a red and white Target shopping bag, according to the complaint. jmeisner@chicagotribune.com jgorner@chicagotribune.com Twitter @jmetr22b Advertisement Twitter @JeremyGorner Nine kids were removed from the house on the left because it lacked heat. The city wants to demolish the building, which is in the 900 block of West 59th Street in Englewood and is surrounded by boarded up buildings. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune) For nearly four years, the city of Chicago has threatened to tear down a two-story home in Englewood owned by relatives of former 16th Ward Ald. Shirley Coleman because of repeated complaints and failed inspections. But the building in the 900 block of West 59th Street was still up and housing families when police found nine children unattended and living in filthy and unsafe conditions last weekend, authorities said. Advertisement City officials say they will be back in court Thursday to again press for demolition of the building owned by the Rev. David Coleman and his daughter, 16th Ward Democratic committeeman Stephanie Coleman. David Coleman is the ex-husband of the former alderman and Stephanie is her daughter. The Buildings Department said in a statement that it has "diligently worked" with them to repair the home and save it from demolition "with no results." Advertisement "The conditions of the building ... are completely unacceptable," said department spokeswoman Mimi Simon in an email. But David Coleman, 82, said he has spent the last four years extensively renovating the building, only to have much of the work destroyed by "squatters." "I had a contractor come in (doing) plumbing, electric work, carpenter work, new wiring, new everything in there," he said. "I've been working on and off on that building for about four years. I had it boarded up. I had it almost ready for rent. "I'd rehabbed it, fixed it up beautiful inside," he said. "People got in there and tore my house up." The city filed a demolition lawsuit against the Colemans in August 2013, saying inspectors found warped and missing floors, exposed wiring, stripped plumbing and heating systems, missing ductwork and damage to stairways, masonry and windowpanes. A demolition order was issued March 31, 2015, after the city told the court that only electrical work had been done in the last year and a half and the building was still "dangerous, unsafe and beyond reasonable repair," according to court documents. Around this time, Stephanie Coleman's stake in the building became an issue in her race to follow her mother's path as alderman. She acknowledged being listed as an owner but told news outlets the building was her father's and she had little to do with the property a stance she still maintains. "As it relates to my name being on the deed, I am only on as a legacy contact and am not involved with the property," Coleman said in an email. "This property has been and will be David Coleman's responsibility. The property was boarded up, broken into (sic) the children's parents were illegally occupying the property, and as such, were squatters." Advertisement Coleman lost the aldermanic race in a runoff in April 2015. Less than a year later, the demolition order was dropped after the Colemans provided proof of permits and plans to repair the building, according to the Buildings Department. Instead, the court issued an order prohibiting the Colemans from renting, leasing or allowing anyone to live in the building until it was up to code which the owners agreed would be completed by May 17, 2016. But in March of that year, inspectors found two people living in the building, violating the court order, and the city filed a petition citing the Colemans for civil contempt. The city withdrew its request the next month after inspectors found the property was "vacant and secure." Over the next year, there is no indication the Colemans made the required repairs and never sought to lift the court order prohibiting people from living in the building, according to Simon with the Buildings Department. The Cook County Sheriff's Office, the agency tasked with serving eviction notices, confirmed that it had not received orders for the residence, according to a spokeswoman. Last month, the city received 311 calls complaining of no heat in the building, which inspectors said was occupied again. A caller also reported "holes in the bathroom and kitchen, and the backdoor is nailed closed" on the second floor. Advertisement The building was cited for five violations, including one that stated: "(first floor) tenant stated gas (company) shut gas off and removed meter because of owner. And stated gas (company) said without a lease will not turn gas on." Then last Sunday evening, police got a call about children left alone in the building, officials said. Two families with nine children ranging from 3 months to 17 years of age were removed from the home, described as "unkempt and dirty" and lacking heat and food, according to Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > Though none of the children showed signs of injury, they were taken to Comer Children's Hospital as a precaution, according to fire and police officials. Two women, who identified themselves as mothers of the children, appeared at the home after authorities arrived and accompanied the children to the hospital, Langford said. The kids are currently with family members, according to a Department of Children and Family Services spokesperson. The mothers were being investigated for allegations of neglect, the agency said. No charges have been announced. David Coleman said the families were squatters who were living in the home illegally. He said he had the home boarded up while he was rehabbing it, but people entered the home and changed the locks. Advertisement When a Tribune reporter knocked on the front door of the home Sunday, a man's voice answered from behind the door saying he didn't want to talk. The home was sandwiched between a vacant lot and another residence with some trash littering the ground. It was not boarded up. Plastic sheets covering the window appeared to be used for insulation. Other attempts to locate the families living there were unsuccessful. When the Colemans bought the building in 2008, the pastor said he intended to fix it up and use it to house church members and others in his community seeking a stable place to stay. "I thought I could help somebody," David Coleman said. "That's what I was trying to do, but not for no squatters and young boys. They tell me they be dealing drugs." The hearing on the building is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Thursday in the Daley Center. Advocates and lawyers for immigrants facing imminent deportation are blaming officials with Immigration and Customs Enforcement for a "disturbing" lack of transparency in the sudden move of the Chicago area's processing point for those being forced from the country. ICE last week moved that departure point to the Kankakee County Detention Center from a site in the western suburbs, meaning family members of immigrants in the country illegally who are trying to make a final visit before their relatives are deported to Mexico will now have to travel an additional 70 miles south to drop off luggage and say their goodbyes. Advertisement Immigration lawyers with clients who are being deported as soon as Friday said they were notified just this week that those they represent would leave from Kankakee instead of a facility in suburban Broadview. The change has injected more confusion into attempts by the immigrant community here to understand policy shifts under the new administration of President Donald Trump, lawyers said. The Broadview site is a nondescript, two-story brown brick building with no apparent identifiers on its facade, except for the building's street number. An adjacent parking lot is cordoned off with a metal fence and opaque screens. But it was a known commodity for families and lawyers who sought access to those leaving the United States from the Chicago area, attorneys said. Advertisement "Now we have no guidance, and you shift everyone south to a facility that is basically a prison," said Mercedes Badia-Tavas, president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association's Chicago chapter. "It's lacking in due process at every level, and it's certainly sending a message." Word of the change spread after activists who hold weekly prayer vigils at the Broadview location on Fridays the day detainees were processed there noticed no family members were arriving to make final contact with those leaving from the site last week. A reporter from Chicago's National Public Radio station, WBEZ, who was there to cover the vigil, then reported on ICE's move this week. An ICE spokeswoman said the shift, effective March 3, was made to accommodate "various operational concerns and demands." The change "will result in a smoother process for ICE detainees and their families, while making better use of ICE resources," the spokeswoman, Gail Montenegro, said in an email. "With the new procedures, detainees are transported to Kankakee earlier in the week, which provides them more opportunities to visit with their families and prepare for departure." ICE said 128 detainees currently are housed at the Kankakee jail, one of several used by ICE's Chicago field office, which is responsible for a six-state area. It was not clear how many of those face imminent deportation. ICE said it is committed "to ensuring the legal rights and the physical and mental well-being of every individual in ICE custody." "ICE has been working diligently with Kankakee County Jail officials to plan for a smooth implementation of these new procedures," Montenegro said in the email. "In an effort to be transparent with our interested constituents, ICE officials met with foreign consular representatives and the Interfaith Committee for Detained Immigrants earlier this week to inform them of the recent changes. ICE will continue working to communicate these changes to the public, pro bono attorneys, and the immigrant community." Keren Zwick, a managing attorney for the National Immigrant Justice Center in Chicago, said the change was similar to what happened in the fall when ICE began using the county jail in Kankakee to house detainees in the first place. No announcement was made, and the number of people held there "went from zero to 75 overnight," Zwick said. Advertisement Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > Her organization and the American Immigration Lawyers Association had met quarterly with ICE to discuss issues, Zwick said, but no such meeting has been held since Trump took office amid promises to toughen U.S. immigration policy and boost deportations. Zwick said many lawyers believe the move was an effort to eliminate some inconvenience for ICE because Broadview was not an overnight facility. That meant detainees held far from the area though still in Illinois had to be taken to another ICE holding site, such as the McHenry County Jail, the night before deportation. The Greater Kankakee Airport also is close by, Zwick noted. Detainees headed to Mexico now are flown from the Gary/Chicago International Airport. Regardless of the reasons for the change, Zwick said she and other lawyers simply want more open communication going forward to make sure they can do their jobs well. "Can you please tell us before you act or at least as you are acting?" she said of ICE. "We need to serve these clients who are in these facilities." Chicago Tribune's Marwa Eltagouri contributed. Advertisement jcoen@chicagotribune.com Dannae and Michael Zylstra face child neglect and drug charges in connection with the death of their child, Ayden Zylstra, 2 months old. (Jasper County sheriff's photos / ) Three days before Ayden Zylstra died, his mother called 911 in the middle of the night from their home in northwest Indiana to report the 2-month-old boy wasn't breathing, authorities said Wednesday as they released new details in the homicide case. After the 2:22 a.m. call on March 2, the boy was taken to a Valparaiso hospital 27 miles away before being transported to the University of Chicago's Comer Children's Hospital in critical condition, Jasper County Sheriff Terry Risner said in a news release. Advertisement Doctors found Ayden "suffered traumatic injury which resulted in the respiratory distress," and alerted the Indiana Department of Child Services, Risner said. Ayden died on Sunday. His death was ruled a homicide from multiple injuries suffered in child abuse. As the sheriff's office and child welfare officials investigate Ayden's death, the boy's parents -- Michael Zylstra, 27, and Dannae Zylstra, 18 -- face drug and child neglect charges stemming from a search of their home following Ayden's hospitalization. Advertisement During the search of the home in the 100 block of Hoehn Street in Wheatfield, Ind., deputies found at least eight items associated with drug use, some of which contained traces of cocaine, methamphetamine and a mixture of heroin and fentanyl. The next day, on March 3, deputies arrested the married couple during a traffic stop in Wheatfield while Ayden remained at the hospital in Chicago. The Zylstras face felony charges of neglect of a dependent, maintaining a common nuisance, possession of a methamphetamine and possession of cocaine or narcotic drug and a misdemeanor charge of possession of paraphernalia. Michael Zylstra was being held in lieu of $12,000 bail. His wife has been released on bond. Michael Zylstra has declined to speak with investigators, but Dannae Zylstra has cooperated with the investigation, Risner said. MINNEAPOLIS A former Chicago lawyer who threatened to sue thousands of people who downloaded pornographic video pleaded guilty to fraud charges. The U.S. Justice Department announced Monday that John L. Steele, who currently resides in Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. In entering his plea, the 45-year-old Steele admitted that between 2011 and 2014 he and Paul Hansmeier threatened copyright lawsuits against individuals who supposedly downloaded pornography from file-sharing websites. Prosecutors claim they obtained more than $6 million through the threats. Steele admitted he and Hansmeier created sham entities to obtain copyrights to pornographic movies and then uploaded those movies to file-sharing websites to lure people to download the movies. Hansmeier of St. Paul, Minnesota, was charged as a co-defendant in December. It wasn't immediately known if he has obtained legal representation. Tom Wilhelm, 67, holds a flag while attending a rally to advocate for transgender students before a District 15 board of education meeting outside Walter R. Sundling Junior High School in Palatine on March 8, 2017. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune) More than 100 people rallied outside a suburban school board meeting Wednesday night in support of transgender students' rights, while inside some community members sought to roll back the district's practice of granting locker room access based on gender identity. With both the Trump administration and the U.S. Supreme Court making recent moves on transgender student protections and school board elections just weeks away the issue remains as divisive as ever in Palatine, where Township High School District 211 has been sued over its agreement with the federal government to allow a transgender student to use the girls' locker room. Advertisement On Wednesday, opponents and proponents of such access gathered at Palatine's Sundling Junior High in Community Consolidated School District 15, one of District 211's feeder districts. District 15 allows access to bathrooms and locker rooms based on gender identity though Superintendent Scott Thompson said no transgender student has sought such locker room access and opponents have raised the issue in the context of the upcoming election. Supporters of access quietly held up pink and blue signs that read "Separate is not equal" and "Protect Trans kids." Advertisement "I want everyone to understand how serious of a situation we're in right now," rally organizer Lindsay Christensen told the group. The Palatine mother said transgender rights were human rights and stressed the importance of showing the district that the community endorses inclusive policies. As the group rallied, opponents of the district's transgender practices, including members of the group Students and Parents for Privacy, told the District 15 board that access should be based on biological sex, not gender identity. "There is very good reason why these private spaces have always been designated by anatomy, an objective standard," said Vicki Wilson, who co-founded the group. "Because once you harm a child's modesty and innocence, you can never get that back." The parent group sued District 211 after the district allowed a transgender student to use the girls' locker room based on her representation that she would use privacy stalls. That lawsuit is ongoing. In a case that made national headlines, officials in District 211 agreed to allow the teenager to use the locker room after she filed a complaint with federal authorities alleging she was discriminated against. Under then-President Barack Obama, the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights found the district had violated Title IX, the federal law that bans discrimination in schools on the basis of sex. But last month, President Donald Trump's administration rescinded the guidance that allowed transgender students to use the bathroom and locker rooms matching their gender identities and said in a letter to schools that local states and communities are better positioned to decide the matter. On Monday, the Supreme Court announced it would not hear a Virginia case involving transgender student access, sending the case back to a lower court for reconsideration. Advertisement Teri Paulson, a District 15 resident, reminded the board that the decision was in their hands. She urged board members to rescind the access policy, not to "capitulate to moral insanity out of fear" and quoted the Bible in asking them to have courage. "The fig leaf is gone, the Obama directive has been rescinded, and the Supreme Court announced on Monday that it is not going to come to the rescue," Paulson said. "This rests squarely in your lap, our local school board." Kim Cavill, a parent in the district, applauded board members for their position. "We must remember that our equality is bound up with one another," she said. "People do not have to lose their rights in order for others to gain." Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > Lesley Arizmendi, who said she felt compelled to speak as a civil rights attorney, also commended the board on its "progressive and open" approach. "I urge you to continue to base your policies, as you apparently have, on facts and a complete understanding of the law," she said. Advertisement While some rally attendees made their way into the building for the board meeting, most opted to stay outside. Lisa Leahy, who stood near the entrance of the school, said the issue is an important one to her, even though her own children long ago graduated from the district. "We need to embrace these kids," she said. "Everybody deserves the same rights." Those who oppose access, however, have stressed the need to protect the privacy of other students, who they feel shouldn't have to share a locker room with students who don't match their biological gender. deldeib@chicagotribune.com Twitter @deldeib Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson addresses an Illinois Senate committee during a hearing at the Capitol on March 9, 2017, in Springfield. Johnson asked lawmakers to back a proposal that would increase the sentencing guidelines for judges deciding punishment for repeat gun felons. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune) The latest attempt to crack down on gun crimes amid a persistent surge of Chicago street violence stalled at the Capitol on Thursday, caught in the vortex of the historic gridlock that's sowed deep distrust between Democrats who control the General Assembly and Republicans loyal to Gov. Bruce Rauner . SPRINGFIELD Passing a gun bill is often difficult due to differing regional attitudes toward firearms, but the complex one under consideration also drew complaints that it was too soft on drug criminals or too hard on minorities. Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson told lawmakers the measure would give officers an extra tool in the fight against gun crimes. The city's top cop was able to dodge political embarrassment when the bill cleared a committee by a single vote, but any hope backers had for quick passage out of the Illinois Senate was dashed amid an overall lack of support. Democrats quickly pointed the finger at Republicans, accusing them of acting at the behest of Rauner, who they continue to blame for last week's squelching of a so-called grand bargain designed to end the budget impasse. Advertisement "They are usually pretty lockstep following the directions of the governor's office," said Sen. Kwame Raoul , a South Side Democrat co-sponsoring the legislation. "That's why we don't have a grand bargain, for example." Republicans countered that Democrats were "muddying the water" by linking the tougher gun penalties to lightening punishments for drug crimes, saying they are issues that should be considered separately. "Maybe they were trying to find a political path forward, but it fell apart," said Sen. Jason Barickman , R-Bloomington. "Guns is a tough issue." Indeed, the legislation faces a number of obstacles beyond the partisan divide that's largely paralyzed state government for two years. Advertisement Some members of the legislature's Black Caucus say the bill unfairly targets minority communities caught in a cycle of poverty. Sen. Patricia Van Pelt, a West Side Democrat, said the focus should be on rehabilitation programs because "more arrests is just going to cost us more money." Meanwhile, Downstate Democrats generally have opposed efforts to further regulate guns. They represent rural districts where hunting is an ingrained part of life. On the Republican side, Rauner has called for sweeping changes to the state's criminal justice laws to reduce the number of low-level offenders in prison and cut incarceration costs. But many Republicans remain reluctant to sign on to anything that may be interpreted as going easy on crime, particularly as suburbs have been hit hard by the heroin epidemic. Amid the varied opposition, supporters said something needs to be done to address Chicago's gun problem, noting a sharp divide in how lawmakers approach crime in the city versus the suburbs. "Almost 900 black and brown men were killed with guns last year. If there were 900 heroin overdoses in DuPage County, we'd be moving heaven and earth to deal with it, and we sit on our hands while kids are getting shot," said Sen. Don Harmon , D-Oak Park, who went on to paraphrase a president. "I don't know if this bill is the right answer but Franklin Roosevelt said during the Great Depression, when you are facing a problem like this, do something. If that doesn't work, do something else." The proposal would increase the sentencing guidelines for judges deciding punishment for repeat gun felons. Instead of a range of three to 14 years, judges would hand out sentences in the range of seven to 14 years. If judges wanted to depart from that guideline, they would have to explain why. It's a different approach at the Capitol, where previous efforts have fizzled. In 2013, for example, lawmakers failed in a high-profile attempt to raise the mandatory minimum sentence for first-time illegal gun possession offenders from one year to three years. Opponents, including Raoul, argued that measure cast too wide of a net that would result in a spike of arrests in minority communities. Since then, Chicago has seen a surge of street violence, and last year the city had its highest number of homicides in 20 years. The spike in shootings and homicides is now in its second year, and three children recently were killed in the span of a few days. Mayor Rahm Emanuel faces public pressure from President Donald Trump to quell the violence. "Quite frankly, as a African-American leader, I am disgusted," Johnson said. "And as a cop, I am very pained. We can do better, and we must do better." Advertisement Johnson said he was not asking the legislature to "solve this issue for Chicago," but to provide help in preventing a system in which repeat gun felons cycle through the court system and back onto the streets "so quickly that they see no reason to change their behavior." He noted changes in the proposal that give judges the discretion to impose a lesser sentence depending on various factors such as the age and mental capacity of an offender, and whether they were coerced or cooperated with law enforcement in prosecuting another felon. Proponents say giving judges such an option is designed to target gang members who take advantage of gun laws with deadly consequences, while leaving flexibility for those who aren't violent criminals but made a poor decision. "I am not seeking to mass incarcerate minorities, establish mandatory minimums, or take guns out of the hands of people who hold them legally," said Johnson, who added that the goal is to use "a spear to pinpoint the individuals that are driving violence on the streets in Chicago." Opponents including the Cook County public defender's office said there is little evidence that letting judges issue tougher sentences for repeat gun offenders would prevent crime. The office's lobbyist, Stephen Baker, said the effort seemed to be designed for officials "to show that we are doing something" about crime rather than a comprehensive effort to crack down on the flow of guns into the city. "Deterrence ain't what it's cracked up to be," Baker said. Advertisement Johnson dismissed that criticism, saying tougher penalties will force people to think twice before picking up a gun. "This is about creating a culture of accountability," he said. However, Johnson sided with Republicans in raising concerns about some portions of the proposal that would cut penalties for people caught in possession of 100 grams or more of cocaine, heroin or fentanyl, saying the drug trade is what fuels gang violence in Chicago. Co-sponsoring Sen. Tony Munoz, a Southwest Side Democrat and former police officer, said he would work with the GOP to address that issue. But supporters noted that reducing punishments for drug crimes was suggested by the governor's task force in charge of coming up with recommendations to reduce the prison population. Other changes the group recommended are incorporated into the legislation, including an expansion of programs that makes it easier for first-time, nonviolent offenders to scrub their record after completing probation. The bill also calls relaxing the size of "drug free" zones from 1,000 to 500 feet, and requiring prosecutors to prove a connection between a drug crime and the protected area, such as a school, before that can be factored into toughening a sentence. In addition, the measure would remove public housing from being labeled as a protected area, in an effort to reduce the impact that law has on poor and minority communities. Those changes had the support of all of Illinois' state's attorneys, but Republicans accused Democrats of cherry-picking some ideas over others. Advertisement Despite the political hang-up, a Chicago police spokesman said the department is not worried about the future of the legislation, saying, "We are pleased and thankful that it passed the initial committee." In Chicago, Emanuel said the "political situation is ripe" for tougher gun laws. "I think if anything, I think Springfield sees what is happening, sees the revolving door that the gangbangers see the criminal justice system, both at the courts as well as in the jail, as a joke," the mayor said. Chicago Tribune's John Byrne contributed from Chicago. mcgarcia@chicagotribune.com Twitter @moniquegarcia This file photo taken on August 13, 2008 shows the seal of the Central Intelligence Agency in the lobby of CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia. (SAUL LOEB / AFP/Getty Images) The FBI has launched a criminal investigation into the security breach that resulted in the publication of detailed records concerning the CIA's super-secretive computer hacking operations, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter. Nearly 9,000 of those documents were posted Tuesday by WikiLeaks , providing a detailed look at the Central Intelligence Agency's efforts to capture conversations, encrypted communications and online browsing data by hacking into smartphones, computers and even televisions. The U.S. official who confirmed the existence of the federal probe requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive investigation. CNN reported that the FBI and CIA "are coordinating reviews of the matter." Reuters reported Wednesday that the intelligence community has been aware since last year of a security breach that led to the publication of the records. Current and former U.S. officials have said the publication of the tools could harm the ability of the United States to gather intelligence on other countries and terrorists. Carol Cratty, an FBI spokeswoman, referred calls on the matter to the CIA. Heather Horniak, a CIA spokeswoman, in a statement declined to comment "on the status of any investigation into the source of the documents." She also declined to say whether the records were authentic. "The American public should be deeply troubled by any Wikileaks disclosure designed to damage the intelligence communitys ability to protect America against terrorists and other adversaries," Horniak added. "Such disclosures not only jeopardize U.S. personnel and operations, but also equip our adversaries with tools and information to do us harm. While the FBI investigates the shooting as a possible hate crime, lawmakers are looking at tougher penalties for a crime if a judge or jury finds that it is motivated by bias toward the "race, color, religion, ethnicity, national origin or sexual orientation of the victim." The bill would also require the state attorney general's office to collect data on hate crimes. The debate comes just two weeks after the shooting in Olathe, Kansas, but the bill isn't new. Kansas City Democratic Sen. David Haley has introduced hate crime legislation in the past and said he wished lawmakers would understand the importance of hate crime legislation "without having to illustrate with such tragedy." He said he thought the tragedy might give the bill some momentum, but it's unclear whether the bill will get a vote. Kansas has a hate crimes provision that allows a judge or jury to hand down a more stringent sentence if the perpetrator committed a crime with a hate bias, but it doesn't require a specific sentence. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Georgia, Alabama, Indiana, South Carolina and Wyoming don't have hate crimes laws. The bill would double the sentence of the underlying crime in cases where a judge or jury proved the perpetrator was motivated by bias. First degree murder charges could be doubled from life without parole for 50 years to life without parole for 100 years, effectively life imprisonment. Haley said hate crime sentencing should be standard rather than left up to a judge or jury as it is now, especially in non-diverse communities. "They may give the minimal sentence and a day," Haley said. But Republican Sen. Steve Fitzgerald said requiring tougher sentences for hate crimes "ties the hands" of courts. He said the state shouldn't set in statute sentences for cases before they're tried. Witnesses have said the Olathe gunman shouted racial slurs before opening fire on two Indian men, killing Srinivas Kuchibhotla and injuring Alok Madasani. The gunman also shot and injured Ian Grillot when he tried to intervene. The FBI is investigating the shooting as a possible hate crime, and Adam Purinton has been charged with murder and attempted murder. Haley said that since the Olathe shooting Kansas has been portrayed as intolerant. He also referred to a 2014 shooting in the same county when Frazier Glenn Miller, Jr. killed three people a Jewish community center and a Jewish retirement home. "We need to underscore that we celebrate our diversity and join in the enhanced retribution and punishment of those that don't, especially since the world regrettably is paying attention to how equitable we are or are not," Haley said. Republican Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook said she thought current law was sufficient and that the crimes, while tragic, didn't represent the state as a whole. Fitzgerald said any state could be held up as a model but called it "grandstanding" and said it didn't have anything to do with the bill or the outcome of hate crimes cases. Miller was convicted on one count of capital murder, three counts of attempted murder, and assault and weapons charges and sentenced to death. Kansas has not carried out the death sentence. Ravi Mehra, a volunteer with the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of Kansas City, said the community supported tougher hate crime penalties and spoke to Governor Sam Brownback about it during a meeting following the shooting. While Brownback sent a letter to India's Prime Minister expressing regret for the shooting, he didn't comment specifically on hate crimes legislation. WASHINGTON Marines from an amphibious task force have left their ships in the Middle East and deployed to Syria, establishing an outpost from which they can fire artillery guns in support of the fight to take back the city of Raqqa from the Islamic State, defense officials said. The deployment marks another escalation in the U.S. war in Syria, and puts conventional U.S. troops in the battle there. Several hundred Special Operations troops have advised local forces there for months, but the Pentagon has shied away from using conventional forces in Syria. Advertisement The force is part of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which left San Diego on Navy ships in October. The Marines on the ground include part of an artillery battery that can fire powerful 155-millimeter shells from M777 Howitzers, two officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the deployment. The expeditionary unit's ground force, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, will man the guns and deliver fire support for U.S.-backed local forces who are preparing an assault on the city. Additional infantrymen from the unit are likely to provide security. The new mission was disclosed after members of the Army's elite 75th Ranger Regiment appeared in the Syrian city of Manbij over the weekend in Strykers, heavily armed, eight-wheel armored vehicles. Defense officials said they are there to discourage Syrian or Turkish troops from taking any moves that could shift the focus away from an assault on Islamic State militants. Advertisement The Marine mission has similarities to an operation the Marine Corps undertook about a year ago when the U.S. military was preparing to support an assault on the Iraqi city of Mosul. In that case, a force from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, established a fire base south of the city in support of Iraqi and Kurdish troops who were then carrying out operations to isolate Mosul from Islamic State-held territory around it. The existence of the outpost near Mosul, originally named Fire Base Bell, became public after it was attacked by rockets March 19, 2016, killing Staff Sgt. Louis Cardin and wounding at least four other Marines. Defense officials said at the time that they had not disclosed the deployment of Marines there because the base was not fully operational, although photographs released by the Defense Department shortly afterward show Marines launching artillery rounds a day before Cardin's death. For the base in Syria to be useful, it must be within about 20 miles of the operations U.S.-backed forces are carrying out. That is the estimated maximum range on many rounds fired from the M777 howitzer. GPS-guided Excalibur rounds, which the Marines also used after establishing Fire Base Bell, can travel closer to 30 miles. Fire support for the Mosul operation has since been turned over to the Army. The deployment comes as the senior U.S. officials consider ways to accelerate the campaign against the Islamic State. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis recently delivered to the White House a plan requested by President Donald Trump. With tears in their eyes, Vanessa and JR Ford recounted to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos the story of their transgender daughter Ellie, sharing the drawings where Ellie depicted herself as a stick figure in a little dress and telling her about Ellie's fourth birthday, where she declared "I am a girl in my brain and my heart." In the Department of Education conference room, Ellie sat nearby sketching characters from Sonic the Hedgehog and munching on apple sauce. She had just met the secretary, the Fords later recalled, giving DeVos her classic fake-out handshake in which she ran her tiny fingers up the woman's arm, squealing "squirrel!" Advertisement The Fords, who live in the District and send Ellie to a charter school, joined other families of transgender children at a Wednesday meeting hoping to persuade DeVos to do more to protect transgender students, whom they say have been imperiled by the Trump administration's move to roll back Obama-era protections two weeks ago. "It was very painful to have to do. Both my husband and I fought through tears trying to tell her how difficult the past two weeks have been," Vanessa Ford told The Washington Post. "These are our families. These are our friends. And we are angry." Advertisement The emotional meeting took place immediately before DeVos met with representatives of three LGBTQ groups - National Center for Transgender Equality; the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network; and Equality Michigan -- who echoed the parents' message and outlined policy recommendations. "I joined my colleagues from NCTE and Equality Michigan and a delegation of families in meeting with Secretary DeVos to relay the concerns and fears of hundreds of thousands of students, educators, and parents who have been affected by the alarming actions of the Trump administration," Eliza Byard, executive director of GLSEN, said in a statement. "We highlighted the pervasive violence and discrimination that the majority of transgender students face across the country, including being prevented from using their correct name and pronouns and appropriate school facilities." The Education Department did not immediately respond to questions about DeVos's meeting with the advocates. On Feb. 22, DeVos and Attorney General Jeff Sessions pulled back Obama-era guidance that directed public schools to call transgender students by their chosen name and gender and to allow them to use the bathrooms of the gender they identify with, regardless of what is on their birth certificates. The two Cabinet members said the issue was a matter best left to states. But according to a GOP operative with knowledge of conversations on the issue, DeVos voiced private objections to rescinding the directive. The Supreme Court, which was scheduled to hear oral arguments in the case of a transgender Virginia teen seeking to use the boys' bathroom at his high school, remanded the case this week to a lower court as a result of the change in guidance. It delivered another blow to the fight for transgender student rights and worried advocates, who fear that more schools and school districts will seek to restrict where transgender students use the bathroom. Attorneys for the teen, Gavin Grimm, on Wednesday asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit to expedite the case so that it could be resolved before the high school senior graduates on June 10. The rollback means states, schools and, in some cases, individual principals decide where transgender students use the bathroom, which advocates say will further imperil a group of students already at an increased risk of being bullied at school and suicide. Katharine Prescott of Vista, California, joined the families, talking about her transgender son Kyler, who committed suicide two years ago at the age of 14 after struggling with depression. Prescott said she wanted to underscore how vulnerable transgender children can be and how critical it is for the government to protect them. Prescott shared with DeVos "just how much the guidance would have meant to" her son and just how much it meant to transgender children who face a world where they often feel like they are not accepted. Advertisement "They need our support more than anything," Prescott said. "These are children and they need to be able to go to school like anyone else." Looking around the room at other families and their transgender children, Prescott said she shed a few tears. "I was wishing I could have been there with my son. that was the other emotion," Prescott said. "These familes were coming in to stand up with their kids. I couldn't do that because Kyler isn't here anymore." President Donald Trump offered his unqualified support for the health care alternative that House Republicans announced Tuesday. "I'm proud to support the replacement plan released by the House of Representatives," he told GOP lawmakers a few hours after he tweeted about "our wonderful new Healthcare Bill." At his daily news briefing, White House press secretary Sean Spicer specifically said that the proposal was "the Obamacare replacement plan that everyone has been asking for, the plan that the president ran on." If this is the plan that Trump ran on, his voters might be surprised to hear it. Preliminary analysis suggests that Trump's base of support is more likely to see insurance premium costs rise -- often substantially -- under Trump's bill. Advertisement When we talk about the core of Trump's support, we're talking largely about white working-class voters. Nearly 9 in 10 Trump voters were white, and his support was larger among those who had lower incomes and were older. Among white voters younger than 30, Trump won by four percentage points nationally, according to exit polling. Among those ages 45 to 64, he won by 28. Income worked in the reverse direction. Those making $250,000 or more a year backed Trump by five points. Those making $50,000 to $99,999 annually supported him by 28. Advertisement Shortly after the policy was announced, AARP sent a letter to congressional leaders offering the organization's unqualified opposition to the policy as written. "Affordability of both premiums and cost-sharing is critical to older Americans and their ability to obtain and access health care," the letter reads. "A typical senior seeking coverage through an exchange has a median annual income of under $25,000 and already pays significant out-of-pocket costs for health care." It offered estimates of how the Obamacare replacement bill might affect older Americans. (Note that the figures below relate to those seeking insurance on an exchange -- that is, not through an employer.) "We estimate that the bill's changes to current law's tax credits" - the subsidies provided by the government to reduce the cost of insurance - "could increase premium costs for a 55-year old earning $25,000 by more than $2,300 a year. For a 64-year old earning $25,000 that increase rises to more than $4,400 a year, and more than $5,800 for a 64-year old earning $15,000," it says. That's an increase of 9 percent of the 55-year-old's annual income and 39 percent of the annual income of that 64-year-old earning 15,000 a year. When the analysts combined changes to the tax credits with a proposal to expand ratio of costs relative to younger recipients from 3 to 1 to 5 to 1, the figures were worse. In that case, "taken together, premiums for older adults could increase by as much as $3,600 for a 55-year old earning $25,000 a year, $7,000 for a 64-year old earning $25,000 a year and up to $8,400 for a 64-year old earning $15,000 a year." The Kaiser Family Foundation, which has been tracking the effects of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) since its inception, put together an interactive tool showing how tax credits might change. If you're a 40-year-old making $75,000 a year, you're going to get a 75 percent or higher increase to your tax credits -- a beneficial situation for you. If, however, you're a 60-year-old making $30,000 a year, you're going to see a reduction in those tax credits (unless you live in upstate New York or Massachusetts or parts of central Texas). For example, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin - states central to Trump's electoral victory - will have their credits decrease. The general trend is clear. "Generally," the Foundation writes, "people who are older, lower-income, or live in high-premium areas (like Alaska and Arizona) receive larger tax credits under the ACA than they would under the American Health Care Act replacement." Beyond the fact that voters more likely to have supported Trump are also more likely to see cost increases, there's a political hazard here for everyone else, too. AARP, representing retirees, also represents the voting bloc most likely to head to the polls regularly, including in off-year elections. If the House plan presses forward, the negative effects could be weighted more heavily toward the people who will be most likely to vote in the November 2018 midterm elections. That poses some hazards for Republican champions of the bill. Advertisement If the legislation's first day in the wild is any indication, though, we can assume that the version that finally receives a vote on the House floor -- assuming a version does -- may look substantially different from the version being assessed at the moment. It has received a slew of negative responses from across the political spectrum, making it hard to see how the current bill could be passed. At some point, too, Trump may want to set aside his desire to have a quick win on a "repeal" of health care in favor of a policy that's less likely to distribute the pain of the shift to his core base of support. The hallmark of Trump's base has been its loyalty, with Trump once bragging that he could shoot someone dead in the middle of Fifth Avenue and his supporters would stick by him. Possibly. But they may be less forgiving if Trump signs a bill into law that negatively affects their own personal health, middle of the street or not. WASHINGTON Leaders of conservative groups that oppose the House Republicans' health care bill met with President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday night, part of a high-profile effort to quiet anger from the right. In the process, the conservatives heard the president float changes to the bill that go further than House or Senate leaders might accept. Trump and his team did not outright reject changes on at least three components of the American Health Care Act, said some of the meeting's attendees, speaking on the condition of anonymity. One idea was accelerating the timetable for key changes to Medicaid under the House GOP plan from 2020 to 2018. Advertisement Thirty-one states plus the District of Columbia accepted Medicaid expansion under the ACA. The House GOP plan would restrict Medicaid payments starting in 2020. Another change some of the conservative leaders want to see take affect more swiftly - in 2018 instead of 2020 -- is a proposal in the House GOP plan to allow insurance companies more freedom in the types of coverage they can offer Americans. One of the meeting's attendees said Trump and his team seemed open to this idea. Advertisement A third tweak Trump and his team seemed at least open to, the attendees said, was raising the cap on how much money people can put into tax-exempt savings accounts for health-care costs, going further than the House GOP proposal. And as he's done in public, Trump stressed that the bill represented the first in three phases to "repeal and replace," followed by regulatory changes from the Department of Health and Human Services and legislation passed through the Senate's normal legislative process. Leaders of the Club for Growth, the Heritage Foundation, Heritage Action for America, Americans for Prosperity, Tea Party Patriots, and FreedomWorks all participated in the meeting, joined by White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, chief strategist Stephen Bannon, senior adviser Kellyanne Conway and legislative affairs director Marc Short. And after the meeting, Trump's social media manager tweeted out a black-and-white photo of the meeting. David McIntosh, the president of the Club for Growth, said that Trump used the 45-minute meeting to convince conservatives that a real strategy for repealing the ACA was in place. The Club had denounced the AHCA, saying it did nothing to legalize the purchase of insurance plans across state lines; Trump emphasized that that deregulation could only be done in a standalone bill. Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway, right, and former Sen. Jim DeMint of the Heritage Foundation, left, walk away from the West Wing of the White House, on Wednesday, March 8, 2017, in Washington. (Andrew Harnik / AP) "The president asked us: 'Don't be doom and gloom, and against getting this done,'" said McIntosh. "He emphasized that there will be three phases to this, and he said 'I wish they'd done a better job; then maybe you'd have realized some of your issues are being taken care of.'" The "they," in that case, were House Republicans who had rolled out a bill that alienated not just the conservative groups but the AARP, the AMA, and a small constellation of retirement and insurance coalitions. "I'm most optimistic that they're actually pushing back in the House and ultimately in the Senate to improve the bill," said McIntosh. "They're not saying that in public, but they're negotiating." But the meeting, said attendees, did not end with any of the critics dropping their previous worries about the bill. "It was cordial," said TPP's Jenny Beth Martin. "I left encouraged because the president is listening to us, [but] I don't believe we left that room with any order from him to do anything." Trump also mentioned centrist Democratic senators from red states up for reelection in 2018. Their support might be key in future changes to the law -- the "third phase" -- though none are inclined to support the AHCA. Trump noted that he performed well in the Democrats' states and was up to the task of swaying them to come around on health-care reform, the attendees said. And Trump returned to an argument he made at the Conservative Political Action Conference, that the failure of a Republican bill could and would allow the ACA's problems to be blamed on Democrats. Advertisement So far this week, conservative groups had not embraced that argument -- or let Republicans off the hook. By Tuesday, FreedomWorks was already running social media ads attacking the bill as "RyanCare," illustrated with a doctored photo of the speaker of the House getting cozy with former president Barack Obama. But as of Wednesday afternoon, Republican vote-counters were confident that there was not enough genuine conservative opposition to the bill to grind it down. One staffer suggested that FreedomWorks et al needed to remain in opposition mode, or they'd lose their argument to activist and donors -- a common Republican gripe about the outside groups. Also among the critics: Breitbart News. The site, run by Bannon until 2016, has gone all-in against the AHCA, describing it as "Ryancare" and leading for much of Wednesday with an interview with AHCA critic Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. "Many Republican offices outside the House Freedom Caucus privately tell Breitbart News that as many as 70 or more House Republicans are opposed to Ryan's plan," wrote reporter Matt Boyle, who reportedly was on the receiving end of a rant from Bannon last month. "Leadership knows this too, they say, as all the "hard no" votes have told the Speaker's office or the whip teams they cannot vote for this bill." President Donald Trump was not aware that his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, had worked to further the interests of the government of Turkey before appointing him, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Thursday. Spicer's comments came two days after Flynn and his firm, Flynn Intel Group Inc., filed paperwork with the Justice Department formally identifying him as a foreign agent and acknowledging that his work for a company owned by a Turkish businessman could have aided Turkey's government. Asked whether Trump knew about Flynn's work before he appointed him as national security adviser, Spicer said, "I don't believe that that was known." Flynn and his company filed the registration paperwork describing $530,000 worth of lobbying before Election Day on behalf of Inovo BV, a Dutch-based company owned by Turkish businessman Ekim Alptekin. In an interview with The Associated Press, Alptekin said Flynn did so after pressure from Justice Department officials. The filing this week was the former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency's first acknowledgement that his consulting business furthered the interests of a foreign government while he was working as a top adviser to Trump's presidential campaign. Flynn's disclosure that his lobbying from August through November may have benefited Turkey's authoritarian government led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan came as Flynn has drawn scrutiny from the FBI for his contacts with Russian officials. Trump fired Flynn last month for misleading Vice President Mike Pence and other administration officials about his contacts with Russia's ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak. In paperwork filed with the Justice Department's Foreign Agent Registration Unit, Flynn and his firm acknowledged that his lobbying "could be construed to have principally benefited the Republic of Turkey." The lobbying contract ended after Trump's election in November, according to the paperwork. A spokesman for Flynn, Price Floyd, said the general was not available for an interview Thursday. Floyd referred the AP to Flynn's filing in response to questions about why he and his firm had decided to register this week. Flynn's attorney, Robert Kelner, declined to comment through a spokesman for his law firm, Covington & Burling. The Turkish Embassy also didn't respond to questions from the AP. Spicer said he didn't know what Flynn had disclosed about his background and lobbying work during the White House's vetting of him for appointment as national security adviser. Spicer said Flynn was free to do the lobbying work because it occurred while he was a private citizen. "There's nothing nefarious about doing anything that's legal as long as the proper paperwork if filed," Spicer said. He declined to say whether Trump would have appointed Flynn if he had known about the lobbying. After Flynn joined the Trump administration, he agreed not to lobby for five years after leaving government service and never to represent foreign governments. Flynn's newly disclosed lobbying would not have violated that pledge because it occurred before he joined the Trump administration in January, but the pledge precludes Flynn from ever doing the same type of work again in his lifetime. Under the Foreign Agent Registration Act, U.S. citizens who lobby on behalf of foreign governments or political entities must disclose their work to the Justice Department. Willfully failing to register is a felony, though the Justice Department rarely files criminal charges in such cases. It routinely works with lobbying firms to get back in compliance with the law by registering and disclosing their work. More than a month before Flynn was appointed as national security adviser, news accounts and Democratic senators had raised questions about potential conflicts of interest regarding Flynn's work for the Turkish company. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., criticized Flynn's work and late disclosure again Thursday as troubling. "Gen. Flynn's behavior seems to be part of a larger pattern of poor judgment from members of this administration," she said. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said in a statement that Flynn should return any foreign money he received. "This astonishing admission is more appalling evidence of foreign entanglements and conflicts of interest involving the Trump team," he said. He said a special prosecutor should be appointed to look into ties between Trump officials and foreign governments. Alptekin told the AP that Justice Department officials had pushed for Flynn and his firm to register as foreign agents in recent weeks. He said the filing was a response to "political pressure" and he did not agree with Flynn's decision to file the registration documents with the Justice Department. He also said that he had asked for some of his money back because of his dissatisfaction with the company's performance. "I disagree with the filing," he said in a phone call from Istanbul. "It would be different if I was working for the government of Turkey, but I am not taking directions from anyone in the government." Flynn's consulting firm had previously disclosed to Congress that it worked for Inovo BV, a Dutch-based company owned by Alptekin. But neither Flynn nor his company had previously filed paperwork with the Justice Department, which requires more extensive disclosures about work that benefits foreign governments and political interests. Flynn Intel and S.G.R. LLC Government Relations and Lobbying pressured congressional aides to investigate a cleric who Erdogan had accused of directing a botched coup last summer. The two firms orchestrated meetings with U.S. officials including congressional staffers and Arkansas Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin, a Republican as well as journalists. They also worked on research, informational materials and a video on the cleric, Fethullah Gulen. Flynn met privately in September in New York with two senior Turkish government officials, including the government's ministers of foreign affairs and energy. Flynn's company did not name the officials, but the current Turkish energy minister is Berat Albayrak, who is Erdogan's son-in-law. Alptekin told the AP he set up the meeting at a New York hotel between Flynn and the two officials while the officials were attending U.N. sessions and a separate conference Alptekin had arranged. Alptekin is a member of a Turkish economic relations board run by an appointee of Erdogan, who has accelerated a crackdown against the nation's weakening secularist faction since the failed coup last summer. Erdogan has accused cleric Gulen of orchestrating the aborted coup and called for his extradition from the U.S., where he lives in a compound in Pennsylvania. According to the filing, Flynn Intel's work involved collecting information about Gulen and pressuring U.S. officials to take action against the cleric. Associated Press writer Julie Bykowicz contributed to this report. WASHINGTON President Donald Trump ended a circuitous search for the government's top advocate before the Supreme Court by nominating Washington lawyer Noel Francisco as the next solicitor general. Francisco had originally been named as the number two in the solicitor general's office, which represents the federal government in appellate courts. He might be best known as the lawyer who represented former Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell last year when the Supreme Court unanimously overturned McDonnell's conviction on corruption charges. Advertisement The solicitor general is considered to be one of the nation's best legal jobs, and the occupant is often referred to as the "10th justice." (Although Justice Elena Kagan, who held the job under President Barack Obama, joked that the court considered her more like "the 37th clerk.") Although the legal world is intensely interested in the solicitor general's job, Francisco's nomination was announced Tuesday night in a White House news release along with other nominations. The job requires Senate confirmation. Advertisement The small but elite solicitor general's office is staffed mostly by career attorneys, with only two political appointees. After Trump's election, Francisco was among a number of conservative lawyers considered for the post. According to lawyers who followed the process, representatives of the Trump transition approached U.S. Circuit Judge Brett Kavanaugh of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit - an influential judicial voice on the right - to see if he would be interested in the job. Apparently, the discussion of whether Kavanaugh would be willing to leave his lifetime appointment to the bench did not advance very far. For a time, there appeared to be two front-runners. One was George Conway, a New York lawyer who received high marks from those in the Supreme Court bar and who is also married to Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway. The other was Charles Cooper, a Washington legal fixture and confidante of Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Cooper pulled out of consideration, and the Trump administration expanded its search. Among those interviewed last month were Washington lawyers Christopher Landau and Kannon Shanmugam, both of whom regularly argue before the Supreme Court. Francisco, meanwhile, has been in the office since January in the principal deputy's job, and serving as the acting solicitor general. But he has had to recuse himself from some of the most important cases, such as the legal battle over Trump's first travel ban executive order, because his law firm Jones Day represented parties in the dispute. Francisco was head of the firm's government regulation practice, and is a former clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia. He keeps a bobblehead figure of the late justice on his desk, and like other now powerful figures - Chief Justice John Roberts and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, among them - was part of the team that represented President George W. Bush in the 2000 Florida presidential election recount. From 2001 to 2003, Francisco served as associate counsel to the president, and from 2003 to 2005 he was deputy assistant attorney general in the Office of Legal Counsel. He was raised in Oswego, N.Y., and both his undergraduate and law degrees are from the University of Chicago. Advertisement Besides his win in the McDonnell case, Francisco has argued two other times at the Supreme Court. In Zubik v. Burwell, he represented religiously affiliated organizations that said providing contraception services for their female employees would implicate them in sin. They said the accommodation offered by the Obama administration was not adequate. The eight-member court split on the case, and sent it back to lower courts. Francisco also successfully challenged the Obama administration's view of the president's recess appointment power in NLRB v. Noel Canning. One complication to Francisco's nomination may be a law that limits the president's ability to nominate a person to a job in which he already serves in an acting capacity. A suit about the law was argued in November. But there appear to be ways around the restriction, such as putting Francisco in another job first. WASHINGTON President Donald Trump's pledge to create a program that funds $1 trillion in new infrastructure programs has kicked off with numerous meetings but few firm decisions, beset by understaffing, bureaucratic challenges and major questions about how to pay for everything. Trump promised in a February speech to Congress that a $1 trillion infrastructure rebuilding plan would create "millions of new jobs," but few of those jobs are expected to materialize this year because no firm deadlines have been set and much of its work could spill into 2018. Advertisement Despite those challenges, the White House's infrastructure team has become one of the White House's broadest task forces, as Trump considers it to be a central plank of his promise to create more jobs. He has now activated a team of White House and cabinet-agency officials to identify a wide range of infrastructure projects across the United States and come up with a way to fund them, launching the internal deliberations to design the $1 trillion package he promised on the campaign trail. On Wednesday, Trump hosts an infrastructure-focused luncheon with SpaceX founder Elon Musk, General Atlantic chief executive William Ford, and a number of others. On Tuesday, Trump discussed infrastructure with AFL-CIO Preisdent Richard Trumka. Advertisement And on Capitol Hill, some ideas for funding new projects were aired Wednesday at a Senate hearing by highway officials and other interested parties. Behind the scenes, a government-wide effort kicked off last week, when White House National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn led a meeting with officials from 15 different federal agencies and departments, pressing them to come up with answers to six different planks for the infrastructure plan. They were told they need to identify new projects, find existing projects that need help with completion, come up with policy reforms, regulatory reforms, and statutory reforms, and finally come up with a way to pay for it all. "We're still kind of getting geared up," a senior administration official said. The quick shift from popular campaign promise to a bogged down bureaucratic negotiation is the latest case study of how difficult it has been for Trump to pivot from thematic ideas to concrete action. He has run into similar quagmires on tax reform, repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, and forcing Mexico to pay for a wall along the U.S. border. On infrastructure in particular, Trump faces challenges selling members of his own party on his plans once they gel, given GOP resistance to government spending programs. "This is going to take a lot of work in the administration and on Capitol Hill," said Doug Heye, a Republican strategist and former Capitol Hill staffer. "They don't have the personnel right now to get that done." White House officials are hopeful that the infrastructure planning, even if it moves slowly, will gain ground because of a methodical process they've put in place. Advertisement The agencies that attended last week's meeting, which work on issues like transportation, housing, and energy, are expected to continue meeting and planning, but the White House has not set any deadlines. White House officials envision the projects could include projects such as building or rebuilding ports, roads, bridges, airports, expanding access to broadband, and expanding access to housing, among other things. The process that began at the meeting last week in the Diplomatic Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building represents a back-to-the-drawing-board moment following an exhaustive effort to identify infrastructure projects during the presidential transition. Daniel Slane, an Ohio developer who worked on the infrastructure package for Trump during December and January, said he crafted a list of more than 50 projects and turned them over to Trump officials before he left the team on January 20. These projects included expanding access to the Port of Baltimore and the development of a wind power project in Oklahoma, among other things. He said he has been frustrated by the slow start. "It takes a long time to mobilize," Slane said in an interview, frustrated that the program hadn't been launched yet. "If you want to be moving dirt in the fall you have to start now. Now the weeks are turning into months." He never had the authority, however, to expedite any projects and the Trump team had long planned on taking a more comprehensive review of the project. Advertisement One of the biggest challenges officials face is finding a way to pay for $1 trillion in projects. Infrastructure projects can be politically popular, but funding them is tricky, particularly as Republicans are torn about growing levels of federal debt. Trump has said he wants the financing to be a combination of public and private money. This could include tax credits for developers, toll projects, and government payments to private developers who issue debt to finance specific projects, among other things, a senior administration official said. No decision has been made on whether there will be a uniform funding plan or whether the White House will pursue different funding models for different projects, the senior administration official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deliberations are private. Potentially complicating matters, Trump has said the infrastructure plan must be revenue neutral, meaning it cannot add to the federal debt. That means even if the government pays $200 billion of the $1 trillion package, it must find a way to raise revenue or cut cost elsewhere to offset the pricetag. In anticipation of a major infrastructure initiative promised by Trump, the National Governors Association last month forwarded a list of 428 "shovel-ready" projects to the new administration. The list, culled from the states, includes an array of transportation, water, energy and emergency-response projects. And the sheer size of it underscores the intense interest in the initiative from governors in both political parties. Advertisement Based on guidance from the Trump transition team, states were asked by the NGA in December to submit three to five projects apiece. Most far exceeded that number. California alone offered 51 "priority" projects that Brian Kelly, secretary of the California State Transportation Agency, said represents more than $100 billion in targeted investments throughout the state. The NGA said that the list it submitted in February included projects from 49 states and U.S. territories. Some Democrats saw Trump's infrastructure plan pledge as a possible opening for a bipartisan deal, as many liberals want more spending on roads and bridges in their states and districts. "But as the weeks go by, it seems to be receding further and further into the background," said Jim Manley, a lobbyist who served as a senior aide for former Senate minority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. Still, supporters of Trump's effort say the White House should not try to rush a plan into place. Advertisement "This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to address these issues, and we want to see it done right and not fast," said Edward Mortimer, executive director for transportation infrastructure at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, who was among those who testified on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. - - - Officials in Virginia submitted eight projects to the NGA, including the replacement of the Long Bridge, which is the only railway crossing between Virginia and the District of Columbia. The bridge currently transports 46 passenger and 23 freight trains daily, according to Virginia's submission. The state is also seeking help to expand the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, which officials say would reduce congestion and better facilitate evacuations from Norfolk and Virginia Beach. Officials in Maryland and the District of Columbia have not released a full list but said District officials said priorities include Metro upgrades and the rehabilitation of Arlington Memorial Bridge over the Potomac River. Photographer, tavern owner, furniture salesman and owner of an import-export business were all stops along the way in Thomas Blair's diverse career path. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Blair's photography subjects ranged from racing thoroughbreds at what was then Arlington Park racetrack to then-Gen. Dwight Eisenhower when Blair was a civilian with the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, then in France, his family said. Advertisement He returned to Chicago and with a partner owned and ran the North-Cicero Inn, a tavern named for the intersection it sat on. "The jukebox was always going, people would be dancing, it was a great time on weekends," said Blair's sister-in-law Connie Blair. "Tom was half-owner, and he tended bar." Advertisement He was later in the contract furniture basis. "He was an awesome salesperson," said Anne Umemoto Kleinerman, who worked with him. "Such a hard worker, he traveled the entire Midwest." Blair, 92, died Feb. 28 in Lewisville, Texas, of complications following a fall, according to his son, Ross. Blair, a longtime resident of Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood, was in Texas to visit his son. The son of a first-generation Czechoslovakian, he was born Thomas Blaha. He grew up on the West Side and graduated from Austin High School. He began studies at Northwestern University in 1941 but soon left after he enlisted and was called up into the Army. He returned to Northwestern at the end of the war, completing a bachelor's degree in journalism in 1947 and going on to get a master's from the Medill School of Journalism around 1950, his son said. Around that time, he changed his last name from Blaha to Blair. He was already working as a photographer, shooting horse racing for both Arlington and Washington Park near Homewood, his son said. He later was an associate editor for the magazine Popular Photography and also worked with other magazines published then by Ziff-Davis, his son said. In 1949, he married Marian O'Connor, known as Nancy. She spoke fluent French, and he was looking for a change. The two moved to Paris in 1951, where he became a civilian employee taking photos for what was then the War Department. Eisenhower, soon to leave for the States to run for president, was a frequent subject, Ross Blair said. The family returned to Chicago around 1953, where he and a partner opened the North-Cicero Inn, in a prime location near a bus transportation hub and a manufacturing plant. According to his son, the tavern met the needs of thirsty commuters and workers by being open nearly continuously, closing for only a few hours early on Sundays. Advertisement In 1958, Blair sold his share of the tavern business and went into the furniture business as an independent sales representative with a Merchandise Mart showroom and lines that included contract furniture for offices and public spaces and lines of fine European furniture and light fixtures. Later, under the business name Calmag, he and a partner both imported and exported furniture and lighting. Ross Blair said his father remained based in Chicago, while his partner settled in Paris. Their exports included early-American furniture, then in demand in Europe. Sometime around the mid-1980s, Kleinerman worked with Blair selling a line of contract furniture called Metro, that became part of Steelcase during the time she and Blair sold it. Contract furniture, she explained, is more durable furniture meant mostly for offices, lobbies and similar public areas and sold to architects and designers as well as to corporate end users and dealers in the Midwest. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > "He was my divisional manager," she said. "He was really an unusual mix he was a very sharp salesperson, he was also kind, he was fair, a really nice person to work for." Kleinerman said Blair helped her move into outside sales from working in the showroom and taught her how to sell. He also set a strong example with his work ethic, traveling the entire Midwest. He would leave on Sunday night, return on Thursday evening and spend Friday in the office preparing to go again the following week. "He was really bright and sharp and inclusive and he was so instrumental in helping me succeed," she said. "People loved him. Years later, people would ask about him. Fair, kind and a lot of fun." Advertisement He retired in 1987. Blair is also survived by three grandchildren. His wife died in 2009. A celebration of both their lives is planned for mid-July in Chicago. Graydon Megan is a freelance reporter. The GOP drive to destroy Obamacare took another hit on Thursday morning, when conservative Sen. Tom Cotton tweeted that the House GOP repeal-and-replace bill is probably dead on arrival in the Senate. Cotton even called on his House colleagues to "start over." The Arkansas Republican is an ally of Trump who favors the GOP bill so this is somewhat significant. But fear not: if the GOP repeal drive does fail in Congress, Trump has a secret backup plan to kill the Affordable Care Act. And it's actually a pretty good plan, if you view it from the point of view of Trump and many Republicans. CNN reports on Trump's clever new scheme: "In an Oval Office meeting featuring several leaders of conservative groups already lining up against the House Republican plan to repeal and replace Obamacare, President Donald Trump revealed his plan in the event the GOP effort fails: Allow Obamcare to fail and let Democrats take the blame, sources at the gathering told CNN." If you think about it, this actually makes sense. If the law survives, Trump can spend the next couple of years claiming that it is collapsing all around us or rather that it continues to collapse, since it is already collapsing as we speak. And Republican voters will of course believe that this is the case, since it is an unshakable truism for them that the law has already failed in spectacular fashion. Meanwhile, conservatives in Congress will say the same thing. As one GOP aide put it to me Thursday: "Many conservatives believe Obamacare already failed, so we'll echo him." The beauty of this outcome is that it would keep intact an arrangement that has worked quite well for Republicans for years: They can continue to rail at the evils of the ACA, without having to deal with the fallout of it actually being repealed. The story of the moment is that this cozy arrangement is getting disrupted rather violently. The challenges that attend fashioning an actual repeal-and-replace bill have ripped the lid off of a rift among Republicans that remained safely hidden out of sight while repeal was an impossibility. On one side of this divide are conservatives (mostly in the House) who actually want the ACA repealed, because they are philosophically opposed to the spending and regulating necessary to expand coverage in the manner Obamacare has. On the other are Republicans (mostly senators and governors) who now have to say they want repeal after all, they demanded this for years in the abstract while also moving to limit the rollback of coverage that results, particularly in their own states. Thus it is that many of the senators and governors who have expressed skepticism about the House GOP plan come from states that have expanded Medicaid. The current House GOP plan tries to give each of these camps a way to claim they are getting their way, but it ends up giving neither one enough. It continues to spend and regulate, so it's a nonstarter for conservatives, especially House Republicans in very safe districts who will be insulated from the political fallout of millions losing coverage. But that huge looming coverage loss means Republicans who represent whole states have to worry about them taking a huge hit. The difficulty in bridging this gap is illustrated by this nugget of CNN reporting: "Sources at the meeting said White House aides showed some openness to one aspect of the House GOP plan that has become an irritant to tea party aligned groups: the provision that pushes back an overhaul of the expansion Obamacare Medicaid funding until 2020." In other words, the White House might be willing to start phasing out the Medicaid expansion earlier to make conservatives happy. But this would mean that the fallout hits right amid the 2018 midterm elections, something that could not only impact the congressional and Senate races, but also the hugely consequential 2018 gubernatorial contests, in which repeal of the Medicaid expansion could create major complications. Meanwhile, it's not crazy to imagine that conservatives might prefer for the current repeal effort to fail, at least in its current form. As Jonathan Chait notes, if it goes through, the GOP will have given its philosophical stamp of approval to government spending and regulating, albeit in a more limited form. If the public responds with outrage at the lost coverage, there could be a push to restore it and this battle would unfold on philosophical turf that the GOP has already ceded. Indeed, this is likely a key reason why conservatives want the current bill to fail. And needless to say, if it does fail, and the ACA lives on, conservatives can continue to say it's a horrific failure no matter what actually happens thus proving them right about the folly of government efforts to expand coverage. Now, obviously, many Republicans and Trump almost certainly prefer for the current bill to pass. Trump hates losing, and Republicans don't want their voters to see them fail to deliver the glorious moment of liberation they have anticipated for years. But if they do fail to deliver, Trump's backup plan has its virtues, too. Washington Post The most famous special prosecutor remains the first one: Archibald Cox of Watergate fame. After Cox got sideways with President Richard Nixon in 1973, the president ordered Cox fired, which led to the "Saturday Night Massacre" and then to Leon Jaworski, and then to ... well, you remember. Now, though, Democrats are lined up demanding a special prosecutor into Russia's interference with our election. They may have visions of Cox and Jaworski dancing in their heads, but they should be careful what they wish for. Democrats assume only Republican oxen will get gored by a special prosecutor, but the record suggests they would get caught up too. Advertisement After Watergate, Congress got into the "special prosecutors" business, passing the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to create the office of the independent counsel. But Capitol Hill soon found that special prosecutors' investigations tend to expand beyond their original brief. After more than a dozen wild rides that included Lawrence Walsh's endless inquiry into Iran-Contra and Ken Starr's work that began with Whitewater and later metastasized into Monica Lewinsky-land, Congress let the office and its procedures lapse in 1999. There is no "law" governing special prosecutors today despite what you may have heard some elected officials say in recent weeks. The attorney general can name a special prosecutor if he wants (or the deputy attorney general if Jeff Sessions' recusal extends to even considering whether a special prosecutor is needed). But if either Sessions or Rod Rosenstein, Trump's nominee for deputy attorney general, declares the need for a special prosecutor, the key will be: What is the "scope of the investigation" with which the special prosecutor is charged? Republicans routinely demanded special prosecutors in the era of President Barack Obama and Attorneys General Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch. There were calls for one to investigate Hillary Clinton's private email server, the Internal Revenue Service's alleged abuse of power regarding "tea party"-named groups, and the "gun walking" scandal known as Fast and Furious. But there were no special prosecutors appointed during the Obama years. The Democrats knew better than to set a seasoned prosecutor with subpoena power loose when political intrigue is afoot. Advertisement So I would sound a note of caution to Democrats pounding the lectern for a special prosecutor. Still, if one is to be appointed to look into the election of 2016 and all illegal activity surrounding it, I am in favor of going for the cathartic approach and putting everything on the table. Let's be clear: It seems obvious that Russia did in fact meddle with our process and used WikiLeaks to do so. I and other conservatives said as much repeatedly during the election. And if any American cooperated with that "active measures" campaign against us, he, she or they should be prosecuted under the appropriate espionage statutes. But any special prosecutor appointed to look into the alleged "Russian connection" should also be given a scope of inquiry that includes the handing of the investigation into Clinton's server, the slow-walking of document delivery to the Congress and the courts concerning Clinton's administration of the State Department as well as alleged Obama administration leaks of classified information from the first campaign debate forward. I think the abuses at the IRS clearly have a nexus to shenanigans in 2016, so you can even add that to the list of appropriate subjects for the special prosecutor. (Everything is alleged, including Team Trump ties to Russia, until proven or abandoned.) Of course that special prosecutor will have to look at every application for surveillance, in connection with either candidate for the presidency made to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Long ago I reviewed those applications from the FBI's counterintelligence pros before they went to the attorney general. Their contents are detailed and usually lengthy, and very classified, and so the new special prosecutor and his or her staff are going to need full FBI background investigations, which argues for a former prosecutor and/or a former federal judge who has already undergone the arduous process of clearance background investigations. That person will also need a reputation as a straight shooter, because when he or she begins to get close to touching Democratic nerves, the "politics of personal destruction" will return with a vengeance. It's certainly possible to find the right person for the job. Back when the independent counsel statute was in effect, I served for a year as clerk to the special panel of three judges who selected the counsel (because my judge, George MacKinnon, was the chair of the panel). When choosing an independent counsel to investigate allegations against Attorney General-designate Edwin Meese (allegations eventually proved false and cleared before Meese's confirmation), the judges debated how to find a lawyer who would move quickly and who would not fall in love with the spotlight. They succeeded when they selected Jacob Stein, who moved efficiently to an end product. But the point is that special prosecutors are immune from any constraint. You may get a Stein, or you may get a Walsh. Either way, special prosecutors go where they want and when they want. Buyers beware. If Sessions or Rosenstein decides on a special prosecutor, every big newspaper and network is going to have to assign a few reporters to a new beat one we ought to brand with hashtag #PutinsBigWin to describe its impact. The new president isn't going to unleash the hounds on just his campaign. If the hunt is to be had, everyone connected to the election is the fox. The old KGB colonel at the top of the Kremlin must be smiling indeed. His campaign against the legitimacy of everyone and everything in American politics is bearing fruit every day. Advertisement Washington Post Hugh Hewitt hosts a nationally syndicated radio show and is author of "The Fourth Way: The Conservative Playbook for a Lasting GOP Majority." It takes a certain level of audacity to kick political opponents in the teeth the night they lose an election. But that's what Democratic Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza did on Nov. 8, 2016, and her aggressive, in-your-face approach hasn't calmed in the months since. She ran promising to be an independent comptroller. But in less than four months, she has become in Springfield the most intensely partisan critic of Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner. She demands no such accountability of her fellow Democrats who have held majorities in the General Assembly for 15 years. Advertisement Mendoza beat Republican Leslie Munger, who was appointed to complete the term of the late Judy Baar Topinka. Traditionally a low-profile office, the comptroller is the state's bookkeeper. The Illinois Constitution assigns the comptroller two primary duties: take in the bills and pay them. Mendoza is no circumspect bookkeeper. Advertisement Since election night, she has blamed Rauner for all of state government's dysfunction. Mendoza takes aim through long, invective-filled news releases, biting television and radio interviews, commentaries submitted to area newspapers and wherever there's a podium and a microphone. Pull her string and away she goes. Former comptrollers, including Republicans Munger and Topinka and Democrat Dan Hynes, were far more temperate. If and when they spoke out on fiscal matters, their criticism was mostly bipartisan. Hynes routinely pointed out how overspending by his fellow Democrats affected the state's cash flow and hurt social services. Topinka famously described Republican Gov. George Ryan and Democratic legislators as spending money "like a bunch of drunken sailors." She prided herself on her bipartisan approach. One of Munger's first acts as comptroller was to defy Rauner's attempt to end fair-share deductions from the paychecks of state workers. During her two years in office, Munger was cautious in her approach and often blamed Democrats and Republicans for the state's financial mess. Was she an ally of the governor? Absolutely. And she now works for him. But she did not spend her time lashing out at Democratic leaders. There is no such mute button for Mendoza. She is a mouthpiece for the Democrats, and an acerbic one at that. Surely they find it energizing and entertaining. But it actually hurts her credibility. Everything she does as comptroller, including weighing in on Attorney General Lisa Madigan's legal strategy to question the appropriation for state workers' paychecks, has to be viewed through a partisan lens. None of Mendoza's fellow Democratic statewide officeholders not Lisa Madigan, not Treasurer Mike Frerichs, not Secretary of State Jesse White has been so transparent about taking sides. Based on Mendoza's petty election-night stab, we should not be surprised. Here's what happened: Advertisement When it was clear Mendoza was the winner, Munger called to concede the race. It was over. Munger's campaign manager, Phil Rodriguez, then headed to a hotel suite her campaigners had reserved where they could commiserate. Inside, Rodriguez noticed bags of tortilla chips and bowls of guacamole but didn't think much of it. Then he saw an envelope with his name on it and a hand-written note inside addressed to Munger. "Dear Leslie, Enjoy the guacamole and tostada chips. Make sure not to double dip! Love, Susana A. Mendoza, Comptroller Elect." The chip-and-dip was a dig at Munger for campaign commercials she ran that claimed Mendoza had double-dipped on the taxpayers' dime. Mendoza worked for the city of Chicago while she was a member of the Illinois House from 2001 to 2011, getting paid for both government jobs. Mendoza provided paperwork to show she requested her city hours be docked on the days she was in Springfield. An independent group rated Munger's campaign ads half true. But the ad apparently got under Mendoza's skin so much that she needed to take a final shot. Thus, the chips and dip. Rodriguez stuffed the note in his pocket before the rest of the campaign staff arrived. They were at a hotel in Lincolnshire, Munger's hometown. The food from Mendoza appeared to have been delivered from Chicago. Advertisement That's at least a two-hour drive, round trip. That takes some serious planning. No, politics is not for the weak. But on election night, premeditated gloating is pretty tacky. Mendoza followed up a month later during a radio interview with an accusation that Munger's staffers "looted" the comptroller's office before they left. There was no evidence of that, resulting in a sharp Chicago Sun-Times editorial aimed at Mendoza titled, "Forget the furniture and do the job." Mendoza ran for office claiming Munger was a Rauner shill. Mendoza said she would be the independent voice. Wouldn't that involve being a steward for both sides? Mendoza has long been described as an ally and admirer of House Speaker Michael Madigan. It shows. Kristen McQueary is a member of the Tribune Editorial Board. Advertisement kmcqueary@chicagotribune.com Twitter @statehousechick With a lot of pretentious talk about the "deconstruction of the administrative state" and political fantasies (tariffs that don't provoke retaliation, for example), Steve Bannon and President Donald Trump hoped to transform the GOP into an ethno-nationalist, pro-Russia party akin to the Alternative for Germany (AfD), the National Front in France and the Netherlands' Party for Freedom (headed by Geert Wilders). We will see how the European counterparts do in elections throughout the year, but so far the Trumpist GOP and its hodgepodge of ill-conceived ideas gleaned from Fox News (with its obsession over illegal immigration for which it provides oodles of incorrect data) have fallen flat. Central to Trump's campaign was his vilification of illegal immigrants and promises to deport millions and force Mexico to build the wall. It turns out those ideas are very unpopular. Besides, Mexico isn't paying for the wall and Trump's executive order accesses only a minuscule amount of leftover Department of Homeland Security funding. Congress is unlikely to fund the boondoggle while slashing areas of the budget that actually do provide protection. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., blasted the idea in a floor speech on Wednesday: "When it comes to keeping us safe, President Trump should not pay for the wall by cutting security at our nation's airports, train stations and ports. President Trump's incompetence would be laughable, except it's dangerous. Every expert says the wall will do nothing to make us more secure, but the potential cuts at our nation's ports would be dangerous." Republicans are saying the idea is "nonsensical" (or "makes no sense"). Twenty Democrats and three Republicans penned a letter deploring the proposed cuts. Trading real security for a useless wall seems to epitomize Trump's irrational budget choices designed to please his ill-informed base rather than protect the country. Likewise on deportations, an overwhelming number of Americans do not want mass deportations. In fact, support for a path to citizenship is running high (63 percent in a recent Quinnipiac poll). Mayors and governors are up in arms about his plan to punish cities that don't do the feds' work for them in helping to deport nonviolent immigrants. Republicans and Democrats are determined to protect the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals kids. (Oh, and Trump doesn't have the nerve to reverse the DACA executive order despite promises to do so.) Trump's original Muslim ban crashed and burned, had to be revised, and galvanized liberals, business groups, defenders of a robust approach to fighting the Islamic State and ordinary Americans (who flocked to airports in protest). The revised ban, a shadow of its former self, is now under legal challenge. At any rate, the notion that this is keeping us safer (when lone wolves, domestic plots and radicalized Westerners pose a much greater danger) seems patently absurd, especially because Trump's ban targets refugees, who are the most heavily vetted immigrants. Trump also promised to "get along" with Russian President Vladimir Putin. That has proved impossible since Putin is seeking to undermine European elections (as he tried in the United States) and still occupies parts of Ukraine and Georgia. Neither party embraces accommodation in lieu of deterrence when it comes to Russia. Polls show a plurality of Americans fear Trump is too friendly toward Russia. In short, this is a political and policy bust. All he has done is make the once-strong-on-defense GOP more feckless on Russia. Then there was the promise to repeal Obamacare and replace it with "something terrific." Trump had no such plan but embraced the House Republican plan that would cover fewer people, roll back Medicaid and raise expenses for many Americans, especially the elderly. The plan is decidedly anti-populist insofar as the rich get significant tax cuts while Medicaid gets slashed. With all Democrats, most outside conservative groups, both hard-liners and moderates in the GOP Senate caucus, the American Medical Association, AARP and hospitals against it, the American Health Care Act seems destined to die maybe before it gets out of the House. Trump, in other words, embraced something worse than Obamacare. A growing number of Americans now like Obamacare. What about trade? Trump vowed to rip up NAFTA and slap tariffs on China. His trade "guru" Peter Navarro's work has been debunked. Republicans are aghast at the idea, and given the lack of staffing and direction in the White House, there is no sign that we will alter major trade deals and risk trade wars with countries such as Mexico and China. In the short term the most likely deal is a free trade agreement with Britain. Finally, there is tax reform. Trump was going to cut everyone's taxes without blowing a hole in the budget. He has proposed nothing and House Republicans are fighting among themselves as to how to pay for it. The "solution" a border adjustment tax has drawn ferocious criticism from Democrats, Republicans and business groups. In sum, Trump's emotion-laden campaign promises turn to dust when he actually tries to implement them. In the real world, populism has few concrete, viable solutions to offer the United States. Not surprisingly, when Americans see how it works in practice, they recoil against the mean-spirited anti-immigrant measures, an alliance with anti-democratic kleptocrats and the reverse Robin Hood schemes that widen the inequality gap. Bannon's mumbo-jumbo about "deconstruction of the administrative state" apparently means a healthcare scheme which keeps much of Obamacare's architecture (but favors rich people), enhanced police powers to go after hard-working immigrants and refusal to touch Medicare and Social Security. Populism hence becomes Robber Baron-ism. Perhaps it took Trump to discredit the whole grab bag of ideas and remind us that putting "America first" means maintaining leadership in the world, keeping markets open and staying true to our values. Americans learned Tuesday that the CIA has tools that can hack smartphones, computer operating systems, message apps, Wi-Fi networks. That blockbuster revelation came courtesy of WikiLeaks, the organization last in the headlines for its role in the purported Russian leaking of emails to tilt the Nov. 8 election to President Donald Trump. First reaction: We sure hope the CIA has those abilities, given that terrorists around the world need to communicate somehow. Advertisement Second reaction: That doesn't mean we want the world to know how the CIA does its job. WikiLeaks' publishing of the CIA's spying methods is a reprehensible trespass on American security. Under the guise of internet security or privacy or whatever phony justification WikiLeaks claims, the secret-busting organization now hands over the CIA's master keys to cyber criminals, spies and other foreign malefactors. One former intelligence officer told The Wall Street Journal that disclosure, if genuine, likely would disrupt or halt ongoing U.S. intelligence operations. From the Department of Cold Comfort: WikiLeaks says its wasn't publishing details that could be used to replicate America's cyber tools. Advertisement Third reaction: What a huge embarrassment for the CIA. The agency devoted to learning and protecting secrets apparently fumbled an invaluable hacking arsenal. The CIA should launch a full-scale investigation to learn who stole this information and how. Some experts theorize that a disgruntled CIA employee or an agency contractor was the culprit. President Trump, get ready to deliver your signature line to CIA officials who should have better protected those secrets: "You're fired." The last time we learned about a leak of this epic scale, National Security Agency turncoat Edward Snowden was decamping to Russia in 2013 and the U.S. government was reeling over disclosures of its global electronic surveillance programs. This time, Snowden, still hiding in Moscow under the protection of Russian President Vladimir Putin, pronounced the latest WikiLeaks dump "genuinely a big deal." Yes, this is a big deal. What we don't know yet is how the CIA used these tools, whom the agency spied on, what intel was gleaned. One tool reportedly allowed the CIA to intercept smartphone text messages and calls before their content was encrypted or decrypted. Another reportedly allowed the CIA to use Samsung Smart TVs as covert listening devices, even when they appeared to be off. Former CIA and NSA director Michael Hayden explained it this way to TV's Stephen Colbert: "I can tell you that these tools would not be used against an American. But there are people out there that you want us to spy on. You want us to have the ability to actually turn on that listening device inside the TV, to learn that person's intentions. This is a wonderful capability. You give the intelligence community $53 billion a year. You gotta get something for your money." (Agreed. See our first reaction above.) Stay tuned. WikiLeaks is promising more installments, divulging more CIA secrets, from a stash it dubbed "Vault 7." Who decides that the alleged benefit of revealing this trove of information outweighs the risks to U.S. national security? Presumably that falls to WikiLeaks' Supreme Hacker Julian Assange. He's still holed up in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, sheltered from extradition to Sweden over allegations that he raped a woman there. He also fears extradition to the U.S. on potential espionage charges. (Given this latest disclosure, he'd be wise to avoid American soil.) As usual, WikiLeaks hasn't disclosed the source of this information. "The source wishes to initiate a public debate about the security, creation, use, proliferation and democratic control of cyberweapons," WikiLeaks said in a statement. By all means, let's have a debate. But the correct place for that is in Congress, behind closed doors to protect secrets that can and now will be exploited by America's enemies. Now more than ever, you can include Assange and his WikiLeaks co-conspirators in that camp. It's go time, Chicago. Get your fat pants ready for corned beef, your walking shoes ready for bar crawls and your greenest shirt ready to be doused in Jameson. St. Patrick's Day is upon us, and nobody does it like Chicago. We gathered the best food and drink deals to make this St. Patrick's Day weekend one you'll never forgetor maybe remember. *All events listed take place on Saturday, March 11, unless noted otherwise. Advertisement Bar Lupo 217 W. Huron St. 312-643-3400 The River North Italian kitchen transforms into an Irish bar called O'Conall's for the day. Expect corned beef meatballs, mashed potatoes galore and Irish soda bread. Oh, and booze. Lots of booze. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Arbella 112 W. Grand Ave. 312-846-6654 If you're not into chugging, stick your pinkies in the air at this globally inspired cocktail bar in River North. Starting at noon, guests can sip green chilcanos ($10), old fashioned shots paired with Lagunitas pilsner pints ($10) and Luck Has Nothing To Do With It ($12), a Lucky Charms-infused vodka cocktail. For $3, you can nosh on corned beef and cabbage croquettes. Sustenance is key. Noon. Reservations: opentable.com Advertisement Timothy O'Toole's 622 N. Fairbanks Court 312-642-0700 What's a St. Patrick's Day without drinking before you've had your Wheaties? On parade day, this quintessential Irish pub will open bright and early. There will be beer tubs and Guinness aplenty, as well as an Irish brunch, green soda chugging contests andlast, but certainly not leastthe Shannon Rovers bagpipers. $5 cover. 8 a.m.-4 a.m. Baptiste and Bottle 101 E. Erie St. 312-667-6793 If you want to drink at the crack of dawn, make your way to this Near North restaurant before the sun comes up on Saturday for breakfast, which includes Irish soda bread ($6), corned beef and cabbage ($23) and bottomless green bloody marys ($16). If boozy milkshakes are more your style, the Jig Is Up ($20) will fill you up with Jamo, green chartreuse, Italian vermouth, cereal milk, vanilla ice cream and Lucky Charms. Just try not to throw it up by noon. 6:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Houndstooth Saloon Houndstooth Saloon 3369 N. Clark St. 773-244-1166 For a one-stop St. Patrick's Day shop on Saturday afternoon, look no further than this Lakeview bar. Their $25 package includes a breakfast buffet and four-hour premium bar featuring bloodies, screwdrivers and green Miller Lite and Coors Light on draft. Also available: $7 Guinness stouts, $7 Jamo shots and $9 Irish Car Bombs. 2 p.m.-3 a.m. Tickets: houndstoothsaloon.com Drumbar 201 E. Delaware Place 312-933-4805 Two words we like to see together: open bar. The speakeasy-style rooftop at the Raffaello Hotel offers a $69 party package, which includes frozen Irish coffee, Irish old fashioneds, select stout beers and a high-end whiskey tasting. 1-5 p.m. Tickets: eventbrite.com Glazed and Infused Various locations, 312-226-5556 Doughnuts and sugary cereal are a winning combination, and the kind folks over at Glazed and Infused know that. The special Lucky Charm doughnut ($3)a vanilla cake confection topped with vanilla bean glaze and a healthy serving of Lucky Charms cerealwill be on offer March 10-19. Part of a complete breakfast. The Lucky Charm at Glazed and Infused, available March 10-19. Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. > Brando's Speakeasy 343 S. Dearborn St. 773-216-3213 Hear us out: 50-cent Jell-O shots. No, you're not back in college. You're at Brando's Speakeasy only a few blocks from the parade route on Saturday. If the cheap shots weren't enough to entice (and terrify) you, $2 green beers will also be availableand probably all over your shoes by the end of the day. 8 a.m. Commonwealth Tavern 2000 W. Roscoe St. 773-697-7965 Starting your day surrounded by the craziness of downtown isn't for everyone. This Roscoe Village tavern is here to help you get toasted before hitting the parade. For $25, guests can partake in an Irish-American breakfast, Guinness pints, green beer, bloody marys and mimosas. There's no question you'll be able to get your money's worth before heading into the trenches. 9 a.m.-noon. Tickets: commonwealthchicago.com River Roast River Roast 315 N. LaSalle Dr. 312-822-0100 Ready to feast like a leprechaun? This River North restaurant is offering a special Irish-themed menu, which includes Guinness-battered fish and chips, Guinness beef stew, corned beef and cabbage and lamb shephard's pie. Bonus points: The restaurant is situated on the Chicago River, giving diners a front-row seat to that gorgeous green river. 1-5 p.m. Call for reservations. Advertisement The green river viewed from Raised Raised 1 W. Wacker Dr. 312-795-3444 With a view overlooking the river, this Loop rooftop is the prime spot to spend your St. Patrick's Day if you have cash to spare. The bar will be offering an Irish breakfast ($50) from 7-10 a.m. featuring housemade biscuits with bacon and ale gravy, tater tot poutine and corned beef sliders. The package also includes draft beer and $5 Jameson and pickle back shots. After the river dyeing ceremony, a $20 cover fee will allow guests to enjoy the view and live music throughout the day. Tickets: eventbrite.com Old Town Pour House 1419 N. Wells St. 312-477-2800 Back at the top o' the morning, Old Town Pour House will be hosting a Kegs and Eggs event. For $25, guests will be able to carboload on a breakfast buffet, drink green Miller Lite and sip on bloody marys and La Marca prosecco mimosas. 8 a.m. Tickets: eventbrite.com Henry's 18 W. Hubbard St. 312-955-8018 Sorry, four-leaf clovers. Five is the magic number at Henry's: Miller Lite drafts, green Jell-O shots and corned beef sliders will be on offer for just $5 each. Only a short walk from the river, get your grub and chug on after watching the river turn greenerr, more green than it already is. 5 p.m.-3 a.m. @shelbielbostedt | sbostedt@redeyechicago.com Via Flu in China: China: Sichuan reported three human H7N9 AIV cases. After the confirmation by Sichuan provincial CDC lab, Sichuan reported three human H7N9 AIV cases. Wusheng county of Guang an city confirmed one human H7N9 AIV case on 7th, March. The 65-year-old female patient, surname He, lived in Huafeng town of Wusheng county. Shunqing district of Nanchong city confirmed one human H7N9 AIV case on 7th March. The 45-year-old male patient, surname Han, lived in Shunqing district of Nanchong city, worked in live poultry slaughter site in Dabei road market. He admitted into emergency at city central hospital on 8pm(5th March 2017). Both cases are in critical condition and in hospitals for treatment. Kaijiang county of Dazhou city confirmed one human H7N9 AIV case on 8th, March. The 64-year-old male patient, surname Yi, lived in Xintai town of Kaijiang county. He died after treatment in Dazhou city central hospital. All close contacts of above cases are under medical monitoring. By 5pm, 9th Mar 2017, Sichuan has reported 11 cases of human H7N9 AIV infection. They are five cases in Suining city(3 fatal, one cured), one case in Deyang city, three cases in Guang an city(two fatal), one case in Nanchong city, one case in Dazhou city(fatal). An 18-year-old Aurora man died after he shot himself following an exchange of gunfire with a police officer in Aurora in October 2016. (Hannah Leone/The Beacon-News) Illinois State Police have concluded their investigation into the death of Anthony Martell, who police said shot himself in the head following a gunfire exchange with an Aurora police officer in early October on the city's East Side. While the case is still considered open, the state police investigation has been completed and was turned over to the Kane County State's Attorney's Office, spokesman Master Sgt. Jason Bradley said in an email. Advertisement "We are currently waiting on the SA's office to complete a review of the case file and announce their findings," Bradley said. The state's attorney's office this week confirmed it had received the case. Until the state's attorney makes an official ruling, Aurora police aren't discussing the case, said Aurora Police Department spokesman Dan Ferrelli. Advertisement Martell's cause of death was ruled a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, and a report made no note of other injuries, said a spokesperson for the DuPage County Coroner's Office, which performed Martell's autopsy Oct. 6. Martell, 18, was the passenger in a 2003 Chevrolet Impala stopped by an Aurora police officer at 8:41 p.m. Oct. 4 near North Avenue and South Fourth Street, authorities previously told the Beacon-News. The driver, a 36-year-old woman who police described as an acquaintance of Martell, fully cooperated with the initial investigation and was not charged, Aurora police previously said. When the officer approached the car, the officer smelled marijuana coming from inside and asked Martell to step out, according to the initial news release from Aurora police. The reason for the traffic stop itself was under investigation, Bradley said. "Whether or not the traffic stop was legal, the state's attorney will ultimately be able to decide," Bradley said on the phone in October. "But at this point in the investigation, there is nothing to indicate it was not." The officer involved was 37 years old at the time, had been with the Aurora Police Department for nine years and is assigned to its community-oriented policing unit, according to Aurora police. As the officer was talking with him, Martell ran away westbound on Fourth Street, and the officer ran after him, according to police. Advertisement During the chase, Martell allegedly turned and fired more than one shot at the officer, who returned fire, according to police. Minutes later, responding officers found Martell apparently trying to get into a home on the 200 block of South LaSalle Street, according to police. When officers confronted Martell, he shot himself in the head with a handgun, according to the news release. Police also said they found a weapon at the scene. Martell was airlifted to a suburban hospital, where he was pronounced dead the following morning. Aurora police, as is their standard policy, initiated an internal investigation into the incident and placed the officer involved on modified duty.However, the officer has been back on full duty for several months now, Ferrelli said Wednesday. hleone@tribpub.com Twitter @hannahmleone A Kendall County jail inmate is accused of threatening to kill a fellow inmate if authorities didn't take him back to Cook County, where he was initially booked on sexual assault charges in 2013. Deverick Alex, 25, of the 2100 block of East 99th Street, Chicago, has been housed in the Kendall County jail since Jan. 31 through an agreement with Cook County, said Kendall County Sheriff's spokeswoman Deputy Nancy Velez. Advertisement At about 6:43 a.m. Monday, sheriff's deputies responded to the jail to assist corrections deputies with a non-compliant inmate, according to a sheriff's office news release. During their attempts to clear multiple inmates from a common area, Alex was refusing to comply, according to the news release. Advertisement Alex is accused of forcibly detaining another inmate with a weapon, and was allegedly observed threatening to kill the other inmate if his demands were not met, according to the news release. The weapon was a hand-fashioned sharp object, Velez said. His demands were to be taken back to Cook County, she said. Corrections deputies took Alex into custody without incident, according to the news release. The Kendall County State's Attorney's Office charged Alex with armed violence involving a category II weapon, a class X felony; forcible detention, a class 2 felony; aggravated unlawful restraint, a class 3 felony; possession of contraband in a penal institution, a class 4 felony; and aggravated assault, a class A misdemeanor. Alex remains at the Kendall jail, next scheduled to appear at 9 a.m. March 16 before Judge Timothy J. McCann in Room 113 of the Kendall County Courthouse in Yorkville. He was booked in Cook County in August 2013, charged with aggravated criminal sex assault involving a weapon, with bail eventually set at $1.5 million, according to Cook County inmate records. He is next to appear in that case April 10 at the Criminal Courts Building in Chicago, according to Cook inmate records. In 2013, when Alex was 22 and on parole, he was charged with aggravated kidnapping, robbery and aggravated criminal sexual assault in connection with an attack that March on a 26-year-old woman, a mother on her way to work in Evergreen Park, the Chicago Tribune reported. Advertisement Cook County prosecutors said Alex hid in the woman's van as she paid for gas at a northwest Indiana filling station, then forced her to drive into Chicago, where he sexually assaulted and robbed her, the Tribune reported. At the time of the alleged assault, Alex was on parole for a 2007 carjacking and armed robbery conviction for which he was sentenced to eight years in prison, the Tribune reported. hleone@tribpub.com Twitter @hannahmleone Visitors at the free Maple Fest March 18 at Red Oak Nature Center will tap a maple tree and learn how its sap is converted into maple syrup. (Fox Valley Park District / Handout) Maple Fest planned at Red Oak Nature Center Red Oak Nature Center will hold its annual Maple Fest March 18. Advertisement The event is free to the public, with tours running every hour beginning at 9 a.m. The final tour will be at 1 p.m. Naturalists from Red Oak will lead visitors to various stations in the woods to view demonstrations of how maple sap is harvested and turned into maple syrup, according to Red Oak officials. Each group will tap a maple tree, then witness the process of how sap is boiled and converted into syrup. Group taste-tests will follow. Advertisement Maple-themed treats and hot beverages will be available for a fee. Also, the event will feature items for sale from Vermont that include small bottles of maple syrup, candy and beef jerky. Dimple Donuts is providing maple doughnuts while supplies last, event organizers said. Groups of 10 or more must register by calling 630-897-1808. Red Oak Nature Center is on Route 25, one mile north of Route 56. For more information, go to www.foxvalleyparkdistrict.org or the Red Oak Facebook page. Kane County's Nature Book Group to meet Book lovers and nature enthusiasts can join the Forest Preserve District of Kane County's Nature Book Group. Every month, the group discusses a book about the environment, nature or related topics, and covers a broad range of environmental issues. Varying viewpoints are welcome. Nature Book Group programs take place at Creek Bend Nature Center, LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve, at 37W700 Dean St., St. Charles. Upcoming books include: Advertisement "Hot, Flat and Crowded" by Thomas Friedman, 1 to 2:30 p.m. March 13, or 7 to 8:30 p.m. March 15. "The Botany of Desire" by Michael Pollan, 1 to 2:30 p.m. April 17, or 7 to 8:30 p.m. April 19. "The Unsettling of America" by Wendell Barry, 1 to 2:30 p.m. May 15, or 7 to 8:30 p.m. May 17. "Braiding Sweetgrass" by Robin Wall Kimmerer, 1 to 2:30 p.m. June 12, or 7 to 8:30 p.m. June 14. Advance registration is required. Call 630-444-3190 or e-mail programs@kaneforest.com. To view a full roster of Forest Preserve District nature programs, go to www.kaneforest.com. West Aurora citizens group to meet Advertisement The West Aurora Concerned Citizens neighborhood group meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. March 15 at Orchard Valley Restaurant in Aurora. Guest speakers at the meeting will be Kane County Board member Angela Clay Thomas and Aurora Property Standards Manager Kelvin Beene. Meeting to look at Aurora area road work State Rep. Stephanie Kifowit (D-Oswego) will host an Area Road Construction Update at 6 p.m. March 16 at the Aurora Public Library-Eola Branch at 555 S. Eola Road in Aurora. Representatives from both the Illinois Department of Transportation and the City of Aurora will discuss road construction projects taking place in the area. Attendees will also have the opportunity to provide their feedback on the current conditions of local roadways, and recommend areas in need of improvement, according to a press release about the event. For more information, visit www.ILDistrict84.com or contact Kifowit's constituent service office at 630-585-1308 or Stephanie.Kifowit@att.net. Advertisement Aurora American Legion Band to celebrate 80th season The Roosevelt-Aurora Post 84 American Legion Band will begin its 80th season this summer. The band will celebrate with a special anniversary concert at 2 p.m. July 30 at West Aurora High School's auditorium. The public is invited to the concert, and admission is free. Former members are encouraged to contact the band to be a part of the celebration. Membership is open to all band musicians. Weekly rehearsals will begin May 18 for the 2017 summer season. For more information, go to the Aurora American Legion Band Facebook page or email info@auroralegionband.com. More information can also be found on the band's website at www.auroralegionband.com. Advertisement Aurora student honored at Notre Dame Olivia-Anne C. Nweze of Aurora has been named to the dean's list at the University of Notre Dame's College of Science for the fall 2016 semester. Students who achieve dean's list honors at Notre Dame represent the top 30 percent of students in their college. Habitat restoration work planned A habitat restoration work day will be held March 18 from 9 a.m. to noon at Bliss Woods Forest Preserve in Sugar Grove. Volunteers are needed to cut and stack honeysuckle and buckthorn, according to organizers. These invasive shrubs crowd out native wildflowers, organizers said. Advertisement Interested people should dress for the weather, bring heavy work gloves and a sharp saw if possible, according to a press release about the event. There also will be tools available. All people are welcome but children under 13 years old must be accompanied by an adult. Refreshments will be provided. For further information, contact Mary Ochsenschlager at maryoxie@sbcglobal.net or Robb Cleave at the Kane Forest Preserve Office at 630 232-5980. Volunteers will gather in the Temple Belen parking on Kedeka Road which is just south of Waubonsee Community College off of Route 47 in Sugar Grove before the event. Vincenza Alfano, 17, of West Aurora High School, speaks about the issue of domestic violence during the fourth annual Mikva Aurora Soapbox Competition Thursday at North Island Center in Aurora. (David Sharos / The Beacon-News) Gangs, racism and domestic violence were among the issues Aurora area teens spoke out about during the fourth annual Mikva Aurora Soapbox Competition Thursday in Aurora. About 100 students representing six Aurora, Oswego and Plano schools participated in the event at North Island Center, 8 E. Galena Blvd. in Aurora. The competition is part of the not-for-profit Mikva Challenge, and offers students the chance to speak out on issues that affect them and their communities, organizers said. Advertisement Taveon Theus, 18, a senior at East Aurora High School, is worried about gangs and what they are doing in the Chicago area. "I want to talk about gang violence and how much I hate what is going on with young kids," Theus said. "There are too many kids getting into gang banging, and I've seen what happens from that in my own family." Advertisement He said that the community needs to help young people "that have potential in life." Bianna Bartosz, 16, a student at Plano High School, spoke about racism and said she was influenced to speak about the topic since her mother is a Mexican immigrant. "I've seen the difficulties of racism and how hard it is to fit in," Bartosz said. "I understand deporting people if it's illegal, but I think today things are much more serious because of social media. Race does not make up a person. To me, the answer is to become the change you want to see. We have to stand up and be friends with people be inclusionary." Another student who spoke from a personal perspective was Vincenza Alfano, 17, of West Aurora High School, whose topic was domestic violence something she said she has witnessed with one of her friends. "About a year ago, I found out that a friend of mine was in the middle of all that the sexual and the psychological parts and could not escape it," she said. "I've seen the effects and I believe speaking up is our responsibility. We need to be the voice of the voiceless." Waubonsie student Chouinard Chimniak, 17, said that events like the one in Aurora Thursday are important to give teens a voice. "There is this stereotype that kids are too young and have a lot to learn and let the adults handle it," Chimniak said. "Frankly they haven't been doing so great a job. Once our voices get out, it spreads like the plague, and I've seen action." Students at the event earned the right to take part after being chosen from their home schools. Advertisement Parents as well as staff members from the schools sat in on the speeches including Adam Dyche, a social studies teacher and department head at Waubonsie Valley High School. Dyche said the school enjoys partnering with the Mikva Challenge group and "supporting action civic events." "I've been involved in all of the local competitions that have been held here, and we've seen a lot of similar voices," he said. "There are divisions across the various schools, but when we all come together, people see that the issues are sometimes finite and others are larger. People come away being passionate about something they never thought about before, and I think it helps create unity in a large place like Aurora." David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News Felony warrants have been issued for two people from Oswego and one from Aurora in connection with a Valentine's Day Radio Shack burglary and police pursuit through rural Wisconsin. While five Aurora-area adults were arrested that morning, the other three suspects ran away, police said. Advertisement Monroe police identified the three wanted suspects in a news release as Monte T. Brannon, 20, of the 400 block of Robinhood Drive, Aurora; Trejamario D. Cook, 24, of the 500 block of Rosebush Lane, Oswego; and Campanella L. Ford III, 21, of the 100 block of South Fox Chase Drive, Oswego. The warrants charge each with burglary, a class F felony; criminal damage to property worth more than $2,500, a class I felony; theft of movable property worth more than $10,000, a class G felony; and obstructing an officer, a class A misdemeanor, according to Green County court records. Brannon and Cook remain at large. Ford is already in custody in Illinois, booked in the DuPage County jail on three charges from a 2016 felony case and two charges from a 2017 felony case, both involving alleged thefts. Already, a custody hold stipulates that when released from DuPage County, Ford will be transferred to Kendall County, where he has two open criminal cases. Advertisement "It is likely to be some time before Ford would be extradited to Wisconsin to face the felony burglary, criminal damage to property and obstructing an officer charges from the Monroe Radio Shack incident," police said in the news release. The five arrested were initially charged with one crime each. After initial court appearances, additional charges were filed later that week in Green County court in Wisconsin. Diamond Rikki Madison, 21, recently of the 1800 block of Grandview Place, Montgomery, is charged with operating a vehicle while fleeing or eluding an officer, a class I felony; burglary to a building or dwelling, a class F felony; theft of movable property valued at greater than $10,000, a class G felony; and criminal damage to property, a class I felony, according to Green County court records. Alexis Marie Beyer, 18, of the 100 block of West Galena Boulevard in Aurora, is charged with operating a vehicle while fleeing or eluding an officer, a class I felony; burglary to a building or dwelling, a class F felony; theft of movable property valued at greater than $10,000, a class G felony; and criminal damage to property, a Class I felony, according to Green County court records. Straight cash bonds for both Madison and Beyer were initially set at $15,000 with the conditions of no contact with the Monroe Radio Shack and the defendants to remain within Kane and DuPage counties, except for purposes of meeting with counsel and for court appearances. After Beyer's bond was essentially broken up into a reduced $2,500 cash bond and a $12,500 signature bond, she posted the cash and signed out of custody Feb. 28. After Madison's was broken up into a $3,000 cash bond and $7,000 signature bond, she posted bond Tuesday Michael Lavell Bush Jr., 25, of the 2200 block of Reflection Drive in Aurora, is charged with burglary to a building or dwelling, a class F felony; theft of movable property valued at $10,000, a class G felony; and criminal damage to property, a class I misdemeanor. Advertisement Tynario Rashard Brown, 21, of the 400 block of Spruce Street in Aurora, is also charged with burglary to a building or dwelling, a class F felony; theft of movable property valued at $10,000, a class G felony; and criminal damage to property, a class I misdemeanor. Straight cash bonds for Brown and Bush were initially set at $20,000 with the same conditions as Madison and Beyer. Bush posted bond Thursday , after his was amended to $5,000 cash and $1,500 of a $15,000 surety bond. Wisconsin on Feb. 24 dropped all charges against Kneirah Victoria Johnson, 18, of the 2400 block of Prairie Crossing Drive in Montgomery, and the $2,500 cash bond Johnson posted Feb. 17 was ordered returned, according to Green County court records. Beyer and Madison are to appear next at 10:30 a.m. April 4 in the first floor hearing room of the Green County court building. Bush and Brown are next to appear at the same time and room on April 25. According to police, the five were charged in the burglary of a Radio Shack in Monroe at 2:49 a.m. Feb. 14. Advertisement A witness told police that five people, dressed in black with their faces concealed, ran out of the closed Radio Shack "carrying items." Some got into a Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV and others got into a Kia Optima sedan and drove off, according to a news release. After about 2 miles, Monroe police and Green County sheriff's office vehicles caught up to the getaway cars and began a pursuit, which continued at high speeds east on State Highway 11, according to the news release. Officers' reports indicate that at least during the first half of the chase, speeds were close to 100 miles an hour, said Monroe, Wis., Police Chief Frederick Kelley. Near Highway 11 and County Highway OK, the sheriff's office deployed tire deflation devices to stop the cars, according to Monroe police. One car ran over the devices and continued on flat tires for about a mile before stopping, where the driver, Beyer, was taken into custody, according to police. Three other suspects ran from the Jeep south into farm fields, according to the news release. Advertisement The other car continued east on Highway 11 into Rock County, according to the news release. Attempts to stop the vehicle with tire deflation devices were made. Finally, in Janesville, the vehicle's tires were deflated, and it was stopped by deputies of Rock and Green counties, Janesville police and Brodhead police, according to the news release. The driver, Madison, and passengers, Bush, Brown and Johnson, were taken into custody, according to police. Initial reports indicate that $90,000 worth of cellphones and equipment were taken from the Radio Shack, according to police. The Beacon-News previously reported on the criminal histories of those initially arrested. The three whose warrants were announced this week all have prior theft-related convictions. In February 2016 in Kendall County, Ford was sentenced to 180 days in county jail, plus 36 months of probation with reporting to court services and returning to court, and ordered to pay more than $7,350 restitution for a 2015 burglary charge he pleaded guilty to, according to county court records. Ford also pleaded guilty in 2015 to theft worth less than $300 from a school or place of worship and robbery and was sentenced to 24 months of supervision, according to Kane County court records, which state it was a Carpentersville police case. He's also been convicted of manufacture or delivery of marijuana, possession of marijuana and several other misdemeanors. Advertisement Cook pleaded guilty to felony burglary in 2010 and to felony retail theft in at least two cases in 2010 and 2011, according to Kendall County court records. His misdemeanor convictions since 2010 include domestic battery, criminal trespass to vehicles and criminal trespass to state land. A warrant was issued Feb. 1 for Brannon's arrest on retail theft charges in Naperville, according to DuPage County court records. He was also indicted in December on a felony burglary charge out of Downers Grove, according to DuPage records. Further, Brannon shows to have an active warrant for endangering the life or health of a child that stemmed from him allegedly leaving a 4-year-old female relative unattended last October, said Aurora Police spokesman Dan Ferrelli. Brannon pleaded guilty in 2015 in Kane County to misdemeanor theft of merchandise or motor fuel worth less than $150 and was sentenced to 12 months of supervision and ordered to pay about $36 in restitution to Thornton Oil, according to court records. He has also been convicted of misdemeanor domestic battery. hleone@tribpub.com Twitter @hannahmleone Members of Windy City Ghostbusters (pictured) attended the first ever Comic Con at the Barrington Area Library. (Cathy Trawinski / Pioneer Press) Everything I know about Comic Con, I've learned from watching "The Big Bang Theory." In early March, I learned even more during the Barrington Area Library's first ever Comic Con. In addition to my regular volunteer work at the library, I signed on for this special event. Advertisement I worked at the front entrance, greeting guests as they arrived. And did they arrive. More than 200 people attended the event with many coming in costume. Advertisement Superheroes, Dr. Who and Star Wars easily were recognizable by my untrained eye. Kids, teens and families were all part of the fun. The main feature of Comic Con was Artist Alley, a group of 10 artists displaying their talents in the library's Meeting Room. All were from the Chicago area and they created indie comic books, cartoons, graphic novels and more. Costumed characters roamed the library, meeting, greeting and taking pictures with guests. I thought the real Johnny Depp was in the building when I saw a Captain Jack Sparrow from the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean" wandering around. Windy City Ghostbusters and a Star Wars costuming club also were represented at the event. For younger kids, the event included a costume parade, crafts and Pokemon Go Junior. Workshops included "Cosplay Made Easy," which taught guests how to create a costume, and "Characters by Design," which was an introduction to character drawing. Sketch artists also drew costumed characters as they struck a pose. LEGO creations by Ara Bonsignore and the Northern Illinois LEGO Train Club also were on display during the event. Thanks to librarians Ashley Brooke Sero and Kate Mills for organizing the local Comic Con. Wanderlust Working with the Barrington Area Library, the Lake Barrington Shores Community Affairs Commission recently sponsored a frugal, online travel program. Barrington librarian Liz Kirchhoff led the program. Advertisement The program also included a wine-country theme. Attendees could sample a variety of wines from Argentina, Oregon and Spain. Kirchhoff demonstrated a large mix of travel websites, all of which she said she has used in the past. They included sites specializing in creating an itinerary, travel forums, price alerts, ratings and more. She also showed sites for road trips and cruises. Kirchhoff talked about a new travel club being created at the library. The group will meet once a month, including a speaker talking about a travel topic and patrons discussing their travels. Thanks to Fred Stella and the rest of the community affairs commission for organizing the event. Cathy Trawinski is a freelance columnist for Pioneer Press. Crews clean up a chemical spill on Route 14 and Hart Road in Barrington Wednesday after a semitrailer collided with a pickup truck. (Todd Shields / Pioneer Press) (Chicago Tribune) Officials expect both westerly lanes along Route 14, near Hart Road, in Barrington to remain closed to traffic all day Thursday, as crews continue to work on a "time-intensive" cleanup of a chemical spill, village officials said. Crews closed both westbound lanes Wednesday evening after a crash was reported around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. A semitrailer, carrying a chemical compound, slammed into the back end of a pickup while it was moving forward after sitting at a traffic light that had just turned green, authorities said. Advertisement Chemicals then spilled across Route 14, near Hart Road, forcing cleanup crews to work all day Wednesday amid strong winds. Officials have identified the spilled chemical as methylene diphenyl diisocyanate, which is used to produce polyurethane, said Barrington spokeswoman Patty Dowd Schmitz. "There are no delays in the cleanup and it's progressing exactly as planned," she said, adding how the winds have helped dissipate the chemical compound. "It's a time-intensive effort." Advertisement Village officials have said the substance, which can be an allergen and an irritant, does not pose a threat to public safety. Moments after the collision, the semitrailer was engulfed in fire, officials have said. But only the driver of a pickup truck and a passenger were taken to Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington for treatment of non-life threatening injuries, Dowd Schmitz has said. As the cleanup work continues, traffic has been rerouted north on Hart Road to Cuba Road. The Illinois Department of Transportation also ordered a revised truck detour, sending trucks north to Route 59 and then west on Route 22 before returning to Route 14. On Thursday, George Krebs, a duty officer for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, said the spill poses "no risk to public drinking water supply, to area surface water or to the public." "The impact has not migrated outside the containment zone," he said. Eastgate Road in Crystal Lake also is closed between Factory Road and Commercial Road, where the semitrailer and pickup truck were towed to Whitney's Towing, 710 Eastgate Road, officials said. Advertisement tshields@pioneerlocal.com Twitter @tshields19 Via Tempo.Co: 2 Suspected Human Cases of Bird Flu in Cirebon. The full report and then a comment: Two suspected human cases of bird flu have been detected in Cirebon, West Java. Tempo gathered that 2 people have been treated in Gunung Jati Hospital isolation room since Sunday, March 5, 2017. The Health Ministrys director general of disease prevention and control M Subuh has confirmed the report. Because both have made direct contacts with birds tested positive for bird flu, Subuh said on Wednesday at Gunung Jati Hospital. Subuh said that results of laboratory tests will come out within the next two to three days, adding that the two patients conditions had improved. When pressed about the death of a resident of Pangenan sub-district, Cirebon, from alleged avian influenza, Subuh said that the hospital did not take the blood sample. But the current patient is the child [of the deceased]. The blood sample will be taken from the child, Subuh said. If the test proved negative, it would mean that the father was also tested negative for bird flu and vice versa. Cirebon Agriculture Office head Ali Efendi said that his office can only vaccinate 75,000 out of 3 million birds in Cirebon District. Vaccination process is ongoing. But we have not done it in Pangenan, Ali said. On bird flu cases, Ali said that 105 ducks in Pangenan sub-district had been tested positive for bird flu. 105 duck [carcasses] have been burned, Ali said. Ali added said that the 105 ducks were part of 500 ducks in Pangenan sub-district that should have been burned. He said that his office does not have enough funds to pay compensation to farmers. Ali had promised to persuade the farmers to depopulate the affected flocks. And that is why diseases like H5N1 persist: governments won't even compensate their farmers for the loss of the birds they depend on for a living. Crowds enjoy an evening of fine cuisine at the 2016 Men Who Cook, an annual fundraiser to benefit the Will County Children's Advocacy Center. (Photo courtesy of Office of Will County State's Attorney) Calling all foodies: the 9th annual Men Who Cook fundraiser returns to tickle your taste buds and tempt your tummies. A fundraiser for the Will County Children's Advocacy Center, the cook-off is from 6-9 p.m. March 25 at the Pipefitters Training Center in Mokena. Dress is casual and tickets cost $40 per person or $75 per couple. The price is $10 for children between 6 and 12; kids 5 and under are free. Advertisement The fundraiser is the baby of Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow, who established the Children's Advocacy Center in 1995. Last year's event attracted 750 attendees and raised more than $76,000. Men Who Cook is 50 amateur chefs making their best dishes for the public to sample. Guests then vote for their favorites in each of four categories: appetizers, side dishes, entrees and desserts. New this year, voting will be done via mobile phones or other electronic devices. Advertisement It's kid-friendly as well you'll find face painting and crazy hair designs at the Kids Corner. Tables are set up in a U-shape and are weighed down with platters of food created by the men who have donated their time and their talents for the cause. Many even decorate the tables. Guests then work their way around the room, noshing on sample-size portions representing every corner of the world. "If you planned on going out to dinner afterward bad, bad, bad idea," said Tom Grotovsky of Mokena, an investigator with the Will County State's Attorney's Office. "You're so stuffed; I like to say we have dollies to haul people out to their cars. There's so much food and with 50 guys, the diversity is incredible. It's fantastic food; everyone puts out their Sunday best." Grotovsky was one of the original committee members of Men Who Cook fundraiser nine years ago. It was his love of cooking combined with his desire to help abused or exploited children that led him to become involved with the fundraiser. "There are a lot of people out there that need help," he said. "There are children who need counseling and need to be able to talk about something in a secure and safe haven. This event is all about doing good for the community and helping people who have been mishandled, to make sure they have as great an outcome in life as anyone else can have." He has not only remained on the committee, he enters the competition every year. (And has walked away a winner several times.) Initially, he would cook a new dish every year; such as shrimp with tequila, lime and garlic or Cajun chicken and sausage with peppers. But for the past several years, he's entered a dish Julia Child herself would be proud of: beef tenderloin bits au poivre, which he described as beef tenderloin seasoned with black pepper and sauteed in a cognac demi-glace, finished with heavy cream. Advertisement "It turned out to be quite a fan favorite," he said. "I do the same thing every year because people look forward to it. I do it because it's all about the cause. It's not about having to win every year. It's about the camaraderie with the guys. We have a lot of fun with it. The night is amazing." Jeff Adducci of New Lenox works as director of external affairs for AT&T, and this is his first year entering the competition. He's bringing his Italian tortellini soup. "It's got Italian sausage, tortellini, a lot of vegetables. It's a very thick soup, more like a stew," he said. "I actually love it and I think that everybody there is going to really like it. The Italian sausage is what brings it out. A little Parmesan cheese on the top. It's very filling. I thought it was probably one of the best-tasting dishes I could make for this type of event." Through his work with AT&T, he met Lisa Morel Las, executive director of the Will County Children's Advocacy Center. Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > "I really didn't know there was a need for those kinds of services in Will County," he said. "I'm a resident of Will County. And I have children, so I'm definitely going to support (the) cause as much as I can because the work they do there is not easy work. As long as they're in existence, I will support them in every way that I can." Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. Advertisement Men Who Cook When: March 25 Where: Pipefitters Training Center, 10850 187th St., Mokena. Tickets: $10-$40 Information: www.willcountysao.com Porchlight Music Theatre presents "The Scottsboro Boys," which was nominated for 12 Tony Awards, on March 25 at Governors State University's Center for Performing Arts in University Park. (Photo courtesy of Kelsey Jorissen) Fresh from a limited engagement at Stage 773 in Chicago, Porchlight Music Theatre brings "The Scottsboro Boys" to University Park. Based on a true story about a rape trial in Tennessee, the musical takes Governors State University's Center for Performing Arts stage in University Park March 25. Advertisement "It's a very important story that is a part of our history and was part of the reinvigoration of the Civil Rights Movement," said Samuel Roberson Jr., director of "The Scottsboro Boys," via phone from his Chicago home. "It was a time when a lot of the country came together around nine African-American boys who were falsely being prosecuted and treated unfairly. When we forget what happened, we forget history. It tends to repeat itself and we don't learn from the mistakes we made. Advertisement "We see those same types of injustices happening today. It's scary how relevant the story is especially around the Black Lives Matter movement and police brutality and now with President Donald Trump, immigration and just basic civil rights." Featuring book by David Thompson, "The Scottsboro Boys" has music and lyrics by John Kander and the late Fred Ebb, a duo known for the musicals "Cabaret" and "Chicago." "They're brilliant. They were ahead of their time with this piece when they were creating it. It's just such a wonderful, beautifully written piece. It's also a challenging piece because it doesn't take the shape of the typical musical form," Roberson said. "They challenged the aesthetic with the piece. I saw all of those as being challenges I felt were exciting as a director. It's also a newer piece. It's a play where I get to explore a little more than your typical, average musical piece where it's been done a million times and everybody else expects the same thing." Nominated for 12 Tony Awards, "The Scottsboro Boys" was staged in 2010 on Broadway and uses the minstrel tradition to take audiences to the prejudicial South of 1930. "When the trial was going on, someone wrote an article about the trial and what's happening and said it felt like every time they were in the courtroom it was a minstrel show," said Roberson, who is artistic director of Chicago-based Congo Square Theatre Company, which champions the black experience. "It felt like these boys were being put on parade. They took that and ran with it in the sense of giving it a style and structure to see the show through, but it's not like you're going to watch a minstrel show. It's more of a framework to present the show. "Kander and Ebb saw this as a way to allow the boys to tell it in their way and take ownership over something that was made to make fun of African-Americans and take that and put it on its head to show through their lens what they go through." Advertisement "The Scottsboro Boys" marks the first time Roberson has worked with Porchlight Music Theatre (www.porchlightmusictheatre.org). "The cast is just fantastic and so talented. They dance and sing beautifully," he said. "People will be surprised at how much they enjoy the show and, yet, how deeply they will be impacted by the performances of all those people on stage." Something Roberson said he enjoyed was playing Private Alto in the movie "Chi-Raq," which was directed and co-written by Spike Lee. "I had a great experience on 'Chi-Raq.' Working with Spike Lee is a dream come true. That's like a bucket list dream. He's just a great guy, well-versed, really smart and intelligent. He's a bit of a historian so working on that project was amazing," said Roberson. "The people that were there were there for the right reason. We were trying to make a statement about Chicago violence and trying to do our best to bring some attention to the subject nationwide. It was one of the greatest things. There was a lot of community building happening." Roberson encourages people to see "The Scottsboro Boys" for the statement the musical makes. Advertisement "I know people can be hesitant sometimes because they feel that they're just going to be drawn down, but they'll find themselves a bit inspired and more hopeful after seeing this show," he said. Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > Jessi Virtusio is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. 'The Scottsboro Boys' When: 8 p.m. March 25 Where: Governors State University's Center for Performing Arts, 1 University Parkway, University Park Tickets: $38; $28 Advertisement Information: 708-235-2222 and www.centertickets.net Etc.: presented by Porchlight Music Theatre; gunshots, strobe lights, talcum powder and adult language and situations are used in this production Nearly 100 people Wednesday participated in the "Day Without a Woman" march in Frankfort. (Alicia Fabbre / Daily Southtown) Nadia Abuata doesn't usually participate in rallies. But because of the political climate, the 40-year-old Mokena woman said she decided to join nearly 100 people Wednesday at Frankfort's Breidert Green Park to take part in "A Day Without a Woman" march as part of International Women's Day. Like others, Abuata expressed concern about President Donald Trump and his policies. Advertisement There were similar demonstrations nationwide. In some places, the protests were referred to as a general strike to send a message about the need for equality in the workplace. "I hope we don't take a step back," said Abuata, who was joined at the event by her daughters, ages 10 and 13. "I hope we're taking a giant leap forward in saying we will not tolerate this and for our voices to be heard." Advertisement She said her concerns don't just relate to women's issues. Her husband, a Palestinian from Jordan, emigrated to the United States 20 years ago on a student visa a move Abuata fears would not have been possible under the Trump administration. Organizer Emily Biegel said Wednesday's march was a way to stand up to the "sea of red that is Frankfort," referring to her town's Republican base. "I just feel a little more emboldened to do so now," said Biegel, who teaches at Thornton Fractional North High School in Calumet City. "All of the bigotry and the meanness that you see nationally, I just can't let that win. I just can't let women, minorities, LBGT and immigrants in our area feel afraid and unsupported." Others shared concerns that women's rights are taking a hit under Trump. "I feel like women of my generation have come a really long way," said Peg Donnellan, 57, of Frankfort. "This past year or so I feel like it was taken away from us." Women at the rally were encouraged to get involved in local politics and make their voices heard. On Wednesday, the group listened to brief speeches at the park and participated in a short march. Not everyone at the park shared the same view as marchers. A group of less than a dozen Trump supporters stood at the edge of the park and marched across the street from the crowd holding signs that read "This is not the Kitchen" and "Make America Great Again." Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > "We're with Trump," Jake Welch said. "We're all pro-Trump." Advertisement Police were on hand to ensure there were no problems with the rally or protest. Protesters eventually left before the march was over. "We must be doing something right," Biegel said after the march. "Their signs and their demeanor spoke volumes about Trump supporters and why there's a need to still fight for women's rights." Biegel attended the women's march in Chicago after the inauguration and a "Not My President" rally in Chicago. After those two events, Biegel decided to get involved and bring the movement closer to home. She has gathered women in her home to send postcards to politicians and to brainstorm ways to further their agenda. She plans to send out more postcards Wednesday, including one resembling a pink slip telling Trump he's fired. "If a man who can talk about sexually assaulting women can be made president, I have to stand against that," she said. Alicia Fabbre is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. The 18th annual Downtown Tinley Irish Parade will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 19, from Central Middle School, 18146 S. Oak Park Ave., along Oak Park Avenue to 171st Street. | Gary Middendorf-Daily Southtow (Gary Middendorf / Daily Southtown) Southland Catholics will be able to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with meat this year, despite it being a Friday in Lent, church leaders said. Both Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, the leader of the Chicago Archdiocese, and R. Daniel Conlon, bishop of Joliet, are setting aside the church's practice of avoiding meat on Fridays for that day March 17. Advertisement "Cardinal Cupich has given a general dispensation to Catholics from abstaining from meat on this day," according to archdiocese spokeswoman Colleen Tunney-Ryan. "Catholics in the Archdiocese of Chicago who choose to make use of this general dispensation are asked to substitute for another form of penance for the Lenten Friday abstinence." In a statement Conlon said: "My name is Conlon very Irish. More significantly I am Catholic, and Lent is an important season of prayer, penance and charity. If some fellow Catholics within the Diocese of Joliet feel that eating meat on St. Patrick's Day which this year falls on a Friday is important enough to break the rule of abstinence, they are permitted to make a conscientious decision to do so. In that case, they should substitute some other form of penance. Advertisement "For myself, I see no connection between honoring the patron saint and apostle of Ireland and eating corned beef." Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > During the 40-day season of Lent, Catholics ready themselves for Easter through prayer, giving alms, and fasting which includes avoiding meat on Fridays. In Oak Lawn, the Rev. Lawrence Malcolm, pastor of St. Gerald Church, 9310 S. 55th Ct., said that the dispensation will allow his parishioners to celebrate St. Patrick's Day by eating corned beef, which is a tradition started among the American Irish. Corned beef became popular among Irish immigrants here, but is not common in Ireland, he said. "Since St. Patrick is so important to Irish Catholics and what he's done for the country, I think it's very important for the Cardinal to recognize that," said Rev. Benedykt Pazdan, pastor of St. Bernadette Parish, 9343 S. Francisco Ave., Evergreen Park. Pazdan said that the Cardinal is being "pastoral" by granting the dispensation that would allow some Catholics to honor the saint. Quoting Jesus Christ, Pazdan said, "the law is for the people, not the people for the law." St. Patrick is known for teaching Christianity in Ireland by using the three-leafed clover. Just as the clover has three leaves on one stem, so can one God have three persons, which are God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, according to St. Patrick's teachings. Erin Gallagher is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. Palos Heights police are asking residents to lock their vehicles and report any suspicious activity after two cars thefts this week. A 2013 Cadillac Escalade was stolen Sunday in 13000 block of S. 70th Avenue and a 2011 Volkswagon was stolen Monday 12400 block of S. 73rd Avenue, police said. Advertisement One car was left unlocked with the keys in the ignition, while the other vehicle was locked, police said. Both cars were in residential driveways in Palos Heights. The Volkswagon was recovered about 2:45 a.m. Tuesday in the 1700 block of 79th Street in Chicago where it appeared to have been abandoned, police said. Advertisement Wendy E. Normandy is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. A Joliet woman was charged with aggravated battery after a Will County deputy allegedly had to jump on her vehicle's running board to avoid being hit, officials said. Marissa Seals, 19, appeared in bond court Wednesday morning. She is charged with aggravated battery of a police officer, aggravated battery in a public place and resisting arrest. Advertisement Seals remained jailed on a $50,000 bond, officials said. Seals, of 1300 block of John Street, allegedly pulled up to the deputy on Dellwood Avenue in Joliet as he was responding to a call for a domestic dispute on March 5. She asked the deputy if he was there to "arrest her homie," Will County Sheriff's Deputy Kathy Hoffmeyer said. Advertisement The officer noticed an 8-year-old child in the front seat of her SUV, an alleged open beer can in the back seat and asked for the woman's driver's license, officials said. When Seals did not respond, the deputy asked her to get out of the car, Hoffmeyer said. Instead, she allegedly threw the car into drive, and the deputy, who was standing right next to the car, jumped on the running board to avoid getting hit, officials said. Hoffmeyer said Seals drove south on Brassel street at an estimated 30 to 40 mph. The deputy was ordering her to stop, but she instead allegedly tried pushing his arms off her window. When he approached Oak Avenue to turn, the car slowed and the deputy jumped off the running board, Hoffmeyer said. The deputy is back on duty after taking a tumble from Seals' SUV, officials said. The deputy suffered a cut to his hand, knee and elbow and a bruised collar bone, they said. Alicia Fabbre is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. Bogdan Dola (center, holding afolder) stands next to Village President Angelo "Skip" Saviano (to right), and is flanked by Elmwood Park Village Board members after the board approved a resolution honoring former Polish leaders Lech and Maria Kaczynski. (Pioneer Press ) Officials in Elmwood Park and Franklin Park are paying homage to former Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife in honorary street-naming ceremonies in those communities. Elmwood Park trustees unanimously approved a resolution March 6, designating Wellington Avenue between 76th Court and 77th Avenue "Lech and Maria Kaczynski Way," honoring the late Polish president and his wife, who died in a 2010 plane crash. Advertisement Lech Kaczynski served as the president of Poland starting in 2005. He also served as mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 2005, the resolution noted. On April 10, 2010, the then-president and first lady, Maria Helena Kaczynski, were in a crash as passengers of a plane outside of Smolensk, Russia, the resolution noted. "Whereas, it is with certain empathy that we recognize this was a catastrophic loss to the country felt by all the people of the nation," read the resolution. "Whereas we recognize that there are many Polish-Americans who have chosen to make the village of Elmwood Park their home to live and to raise their families." Advertisement On March 12, Franklin Park Mayor Barrett Pedersen is inviting the community to attend a street dedication for "Lech Kaczynski Way." The ceremony is scheduled for the 10:30 a.m. Polish Mass at St. Gertrude Parish at the southwest corner of Schiller Boulevard and 25th Avenue. Parking is available behind the parish. The public is invited to join celebrants after the ceremony for refreshments in the school parish. For more information, call the mayor's office at 847-671-8236. Pueblo state Senate candidates dispute claims made in 'dark money' ads Incumbent Nick Hinrichsen and GOP challenger Stephen Varela have denied claims made by outside groups spending big money on competitive races A customer looks at Midea's energy-efficient air conditioners at a store in Beijing. [Photo/China Daily] The acquisition of a number of international intelligent automation solution makers will help develop new business growth for Midea Group, a traditional home appliance maker based in Guangdong province, according to a senior company executive. Gu Yanmin, vice-president of Midea, said the overseas acquisitions had helped expand its business to new industrial areas, amid intensified competition in the domestic home appliances market. "We are now more likely to identify ourselves as a leading technology company, not only in home appliances and heating and ventilation, but also as a robotics and automation solution provider," Gu said on Wednesday, ahead of the annual Appliance & Electronics World Expo in Shanghai. In a series of recent international acquisitions, Midea, based in the manufacturing hub of Foshan, took a majority of stake in German robotics manufacturer Kuka AG last year and bought more than a 50 percent stake in Israeli motion solution provider Servotronix Motion Control Ltd earlier this year. "Midea has rich experience in the integration of its industrial chain, participating in the robotics industry in a comprehensive manner over many years," said Gu. "We have been seeking another growth path beyond home appliances, changing our business model driven by mass production at low cost to scientific and technological innovation," said Gu. In addition to the acquisition of Kuka and Servotronix, Midea also took a large stake in Italian air conditioning maker Clivet SpA and an 80 percent stake in Japanese home appliance manufacturer Toshiba Corp's white goods business last year. The Chinese company denied on Wednesday that it would buy the semiconductor unit of Toshiba, after Japanese newspaper Nikkei reported that Midea is interested in investing in Toshiba's semiconductor business. Midea said it currently has no plans to buy Toshiba's semiconductor unit. You are here: Home Cambodia's national flag carrier Cambodia Angkor Air (CAA) commenced its direct flights between southwestern Cambodia's Preah Sihanouk province and China's Macao on Wednesday, local media reported Thursday, citing an airline official. Macao becomes the flagship carrier's second international destination from Preah Sihanouk province and the eighth from Cambodia, after Bangkok, Da Nang, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Ho Chi Minh City and Shanghai Pudong. The new route will operate two weekly flights on Wednesdays and Sundays. CAA's marketing manager Eng Molina said that the airline added the route because of an increase in passengers wanting to travel between the destinations. He said the airline has a partner to sell tickets in Macao, which makes the route a good business opportunity. He added the majority of passengers are expected to fly from Macao to Preah Sihanouk province rather than the opposite direction. "There is high demand for seats from Macao to Preah Sihanouk province, so we will depend on customers from the Macao market," Molina was quoted as saying by the Khmer Times. "We are also studying the possibility of a route from Phnom Penh to Macao." About 830,000 Chinese tourists visited Cambodia last year, representing a 19.5-percent rise year-on-year, according to a Tourism Ministry report. The total number of international tourists to visit Cambodia was more than 5 million, the report said. Chinese people made up the second largest group of visitors to Cambodia, after Vietnamese. Cambodia is hoping to attract 2 million Chinese tourists by 2020. Si Shunyang, a nine-year-old boy in Yunnan, has to inject liquid food to live. [Photo/cjn.cn] Si Shunyang, a nine-year-old boy in Yunnan Province, has to inject liquid food such as porridge and milk into his belly to live. He drank sodium hydroxide by mistake on Feb. 21, 2016 and was sent to a local hospital immediately. Sodium hydroxide is a corrosive strong alkali that burned the boy's esophagus. Si Xingchang, the boy's father, said that sodium hydroxide is used for cooking at home but his son drank it because he thought it was beverage. After leaving the hospital, the boy could not swallow food. "I took my kid to the hospital in Kunming, and the doctor told me that only hospitals in Beijing, Shanghai and overseas countries can cure my son," said the boy's father. Si Xingchang took his son to Shanghai, where he had surgery on April 14, 2016. "The result of the surgery was good at first. But my son again could not swallow any food after coming back from Shanghai," said by Si Xingchang. He then took his son to Chengdu for treatment. "The doctor told me that my son's condition is not suitable for surgery now," said Si Xingchang. Since then, he feeds his son liquid food such as porridge and milk by injecting the liquid food from a fistula on his son's belly. Half a year ago, the doctor told Si Xingchang that his son could be in danger without a surgery. However, he has already spent out all of his money. After the report of local media this February, Si Xingchang received 200,000 yuan in (US$29,000) donations. He took his son to a hospital in Chengdu on March 7. The little boy will have two examinations on March 11 and March 13. The doctor will decide whether the surgery can be arranged or not based on the results of the two examinations. The little boy has been out of school for a year. He said his biggest wish is to go back to school as soon as possible. Top Communist Party of China and state leaders Xi Jinping (3rd L, front), Li Keqiang (3rd R, front), Yu Zhengsheng (2nd L, front), Liu Yunshan (2nd R, front), Wang Qishan (1st L, front) and Zhang Gaoli (1st R, front) attend the opening meeting of the fifth session of the 12th National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 5, 2017. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang) Chinese leaders have told national lawmakers during the major annual political sessions that the country will open up like never before. China's opening door will not close, said President Xi Jinping on Sunday afternoon, vowing the country will keep on opening up on all fronts, and continue to liberalize and facilitate trade and investment. Xi made the remarks while joining a panel discussion with lawmakers from Shanghai at the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC). Shanghai has been a pioneer of opening up, and is home to China's first pilot free trade zone. Delivering a government work report to NPC deputies Sunday morning, Premier Li Keqiang detailed unprecedented opening-up measures to the outside world. Foreign firms will be able to get listed on China's stock markets and issue bonds. They will also be allowed to participate in national science and technology projects, Li said. Foreign firms will be treated the same as domestic firms in license applications, standards setting, and government procurement, and will enjoy the same preferential policies under the Made in China 2025 initiative, a plan to modernize the manufacturing sector. Significant improvements will be made in the environment for foreign investment. Service industries, manufacturing and mining will be more open to foreign investment. Local governments can, within the scope of the powers granted them by law, adopt preferential policies to attract foreign investment. China will build 11 high-standard pilot free trade zones, and widely spread practices developed in these zones that are proven to work, according to the report. China will extend the practice of processing international trade through a single window, which enables cross-border traders to submit regulatory documents at a single location and thus improves efficiency. The authorities will achieve nationwide integration of customs clearance procedures this year, Li said. Positive reaction "Foreign capital's participation in China's national science and technology projects will expedite the commercialization of basic science research achievements," said Qiu Zilong, a researcher with the Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences. A catfish effect is expected as foreign capital penetrates China's development in science and technology, said Wang Jing, head of Newland Technology Group, who is also a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee. Globalization and liberalization of trade are the trend of the time, and Chinese enterprises must follow President Xi's directives in opening up to get an edge in global competition, said Chen Xuyuan, head of Shanghai International Port Group and an NPC deputy. The latest opening-up initiatives demonstrate China's confidence and focus, said Zhang Zhao'an, deputy head of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences and an NPC deputy. China is seen as the anchor of globalization. Experts have taken note of China's emphasis on opening up, casting the choice as one which benefits China itself as well as the rest of the world. "Leaning against the anti-globalization headwinds, the Chinese government recently emphasized the need to further open up the economy and attract foreign investment. We think concrete moves in this direction can help China move up the value chain," wrote Ding Shuang, an economist with Standard Chartered, in a preview of the NPC session. Earlier this year, President Xi made a passionate speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in which he compared protectionism to "locking oneself in a dark room." Time is running out [By Zhai Haijun / China.org.cn] The warring sides in the bloody Syrian conflict ended talks in Geneva with a commitment to meet again for further negotiations. The development has been hailed as a success by many, including U.N. mediator Staffan de Mistura. The U.N. envoy announced last Friday that the various parties had agreed on a finalized agenda for another round of negotiations, or "Geneva V," later in March. The outcome strengthens the belief that parties to the conflict realize negotiations are the only way to end the raging war which, in six years of the fierce fighting, has killed about a half a million people, injured more than a million and displaced a total of about 12 million people, many fleeing to become refugees elsewhere. The parties also accepted that U.N. resolution 2254, adopted by the Security Council in 2015, will serve as the main plank for any further negotiations. The resolution provides the basis for a political transition focusing on three subjects, including accountable governance, a new constitution and U.N.-supervised elections. Agreement on a political transition is the main demand of the opposition groups while the government side insists on first tackling terrorism. To achieve a compromise, terrorism has been added as a fourth "basket" of issues to be addressed alongside the three subjects identified in the UN resolution. It was a difficult compromise as the opposition suspected the government of using terrorism to delay the peace process. However, terrorism is a hot topic that certainly cannot be left for any incoming government to tackle. It is better to sort it out at this stage than face unhappy consequences in the future, as happened in Iraq. Geneva IV occurred in a difficult environment due to a faltering ceasefire and fresh militant attacks. At the start of the week-long talks, De Mistura had admitted he wasn't hopeful of a major breakthrough. Now, however, there is a ray of hope to end the violence in Syria. The situation has changed since June 2012 when the United States, Russia and other nations gathered in the Swiss city, called later as Geneva I, and came up with a statement demanding formation of a transitional governing body. Geneva II in February 2014 and Geneva III in February 2016 were arranged at the height of fighting, with no clear victor in sight. However, the opposition had become weaker in recent months and also lost some important territories. The government side is more confident and amenable to seeking common ground to end the bloodshed. Since the momentum now lies with Damascus, it is the most suitable time to seek political settlement with the rebels who are not in a position to dictate terms. The sticking point will certainly be the role of President Bashar al-Assad in the transitional period and his final fate. It would be almost impossible for the opposition groups and their backers to accept him as overlord after the years of bloodshed. They would have to agree on a formula for an honorable exit for the Syrian strongman, assuming he's willing to go. The issue of terrorism is no less crucial than the fate of Assad. Having a political settlement without removing the causes of violence, and the groups and individuals perpetrating it, would result in another period of senseless violence. Parallel to the Geneva process, the Kazakhstan capital of Astana will serve as a venue for a separate track of talks where, already in January, an important meeting was held to take care of ceasefire and other security matters. The second meeting will be held in Astana on March 14, under the guidance of Russia. Terrorism will also be dealt with in Astana to let the Geneva parties concentrate on political matters. Apart from Russian, another two key players of the conflict - Turkey and Iran - are involved in the Astana process and are backing the security measures being established. The consolidation of the ceasefire and agreement on confidence-building measures like exchange of prisoners and opening corridors for humanitarian access would be crucial to maintain the momentum for progress on the political issues. Sajjad Malik is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/SajjadMalik.htm Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. China Dream [By Zhang Xueshi / China.org.cn] The fifth session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) and the fifth session of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) began respectively on March 5 and March 3 to finalize the government's work plan for this year. In my view, the overarching tone is "steady as she goes." Economy Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, in presenting the work plan, stated the growth target to be 6.5 percent, but hopefully becoming slightly better. This is lower than in previous years, but reflects both the "new normal" and the strong headwinds facing China given the growing anti-globalization sentiments being expressed through Brexit and by U.S. President Donald Trump. It is also anticipated that much of the growth will be driven by strong domestic consumer demand and a major part will come from China's world-leading e-commerce development. The economy will also be bolstered by a continuing focus given to reducing over-capacity, for example in steel and coal-based energy production that also contribute to China's environmental problems. In contrast to President Trump, China, thankfully, will maintain its commitment to making progress in improving its environment. Infrastructure improvement As with the U.S., China will also focus on infrastructure enhancement. It will pump 800 billion yuan into new railway works, 1.8 trillion yuan into roads and waterways and begin 15 major hydroelectric projects, among others. Enhancement of agriculture is scheduled to be a major focus of the government. China will need to continue to gain the efficiencies that come with increased urbanization and the creation of large-scale farming that can use modern technology to both increase production and reduce pollution. Competitive China With better infrastructure, the reduction of oversupply and continued legal and other reforms, we will also see a more competitive China. The promotion of a neutral playing field in the domestic market will further strengthen the Chinese business sector, enabling it to compete on the world stage more effectively. Creation of 11 million jobs Premier Li indicated that China's goal is to create 11 million new jobs to meet the demands of a growing number of university graduates. As President Xi has noted, it is important that the country's intellectuals work harder than ever before to contribute to China's innovation and prosperity thereby improve the lives of all citizens. Although China will be focusing on the domestic economy, President Xi has indicated at the Davos Economic Summit that China will continue to take a lead in promoting international trade and the benefits of globalization. This is good news not only for China, but for the world economy as a whole. It is hoped that President Trump can put the anti-China rhetoric behind him and realize that it is in the best interests of his country, China and the rest of the world to promote a strong and productive interrelationship. This is true, especially given the increasing economic interdependence. Reducing the business debt level Another focus for the government will be achieving financial stability by reducing debt levels of Chinese businesses. Achieving stability will make China more attractive to foreign investors. Monetary policy will be "prudent and neutral," with the broad M2 money supply to grow 12 percent The NPC has charted a course of action and identified areas where there is a continuing struggle to improve. At the same time, it must be remembered that where there is no struggle there can be no progress. In the words of Benjamin Franklin, "Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning." I'm confident that China and its citizens will continue to work hard to ensure that the directions and goals being set this week will result in positive outcomes in the year ahead. Eugene Clark is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/eugeneclark.htm Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. Flash Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday that he made the right decision to rekindle ties with neighboring China and expressed his gratitude toward the Chinese people. "I thank China profusely, and they have really lightened up the economic life of our country," said Duterte in a speech delivered during the 10th Philippine Councilors League National Congress held in Pasay City. "You can really feel the sincerity of the Chinese," he added. Since taking office in June last year, Duterte has worked with China to mend bilateral ties that soured under the previous administration of President Benigno Aquino III over the South China Sea issue. Last October, Duterte paid a four-day visit to China, which signaled a new chapter in China-Philippines relations. The president said in the speech that his visit to Beijing has paved the way for closer bilateral trade and people-to-people ties. Chinese official statistics showed that in less than six months since last October, China has imported more than 200,000 tons of tropical fruits from the Philippines and there have been about 1,000 new tourist groups from China to the Philippines. More Philippine fruits like avocado and other agricultural products are expected to enter Chinese markets, said Duterte. "So, let me publicly again thank President Xi Jinping and the Chinese people for loving us and giving us enough leeway to survive the rigors of economic life in this planet," said Duterte. Relations between China and the Philippines have returned to their proper course, benefiting the two peoples and other countries in the region, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi commented Wednesday at a press conference in Beijing. The potential for further bilateral cooperation is rapidly growing, Wang added. Flash Fierce clashes between Iraqi security forces and extremist Islamic State (IS) militants continued on Wednesday and the government troops seized two more neighborhoods in the western side of Mosul, the Iraqi military said. The commandos of the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) completely freed the neighborhoods of Shuhadaa and Mansour in the southwestern part of Mosul's western side, Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir Yarallah from the Joint Operations Command said in a statement. The CTS special forces killed dozens of IS militants in the heavy clashes with IS militants in the two neighborhoods, as the troops are pushing deeper toward the central part of Mosul's western side, locally known as the right bank of Tigris River, which bisects the city, according to the statement. Near Mosul, the army's 9th armored division and the Shiite paramilitary Hashd Shaabi unit freed Tal Khazaf villages from IS militants near the area of Tulul Attshana in west of Mosul, while the troops continued clearing the freed villages from roadside bombs and booby-trapped houses, the statement said. Meanwhile, the troops also retook control of Badoush prison compound and raised the Iraqi flag over its building in northwest of Mosul, the statement said, adding that battles are underway in the nearby residential buildings. The presence of armored division and the Hashd Shaabi is aimed at surrounding Mosul from the west to cut off the escape route from Mosul and the neighboring Syria. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, announced the start of an offensive on Feb. 19 to drive extremist militants out of the western side of Mosul. Late in January, Abadi declared the liberation of the eastern side of Mosul, or the left bank of Tigris, after more than 100 days of fighting against IS militants. However, the western part of Mosul, with its narrow streets and a population of between 750,000 and 800,000, appears to be a bigger challenge to the Iraqi forces. Mosul, 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014, when government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions. Flash A senior U.S. military official on Wednesday accused Russia of violating an arms control treaty by deploying a land-based cruise missile, a claim denied by Russia. It was the first time that the U.S. military had publicly accused Russia of violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), which bans intermediate-range ballistic missiles based on land. Speaking here at a congressional hearing, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Paul Selva said the United States believed that the Russians "have deliberately deployed it in order to pose a threat to NATO and to facilities within the NATO area of responsibility." After the U.S. media claimed last month that Russia had so-called secretly deployed a ground-based nuclear cruise missile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denied the accusation, saying that "Russia was and remains committed to its international obligations, including the INF agreement." In 1987, former U.S. President Ronald Reagan and then Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), which bans intermediate-range ballistic missiles based on land. Flash Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Wednesday that Iraq will continue striking the Islamic State (IS) militants in neighboring countries to protect Iraqi cities. Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on March 7 urged Islamic State militants in western Mosul to surrender promising fair trials to those who give up fighting. [Photo/Xinhua] "I respect the sovereignty of other states, and won't hesitate to strike the positions of terrorists in the neighboring countries. We will keep fighting them," said Abadi in the city of Sulaimaniya in Iraq's northern semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan. "I say, we want to protect Iraq and its citizens and we want cooperation with the neighboring countries, because there (in neighboring countries) are terrorists send car bombs to Baghdad and other Iraqi cities to carry out terrorist acts," Abadi said in a televised speech. On Feb. 24, Abadi announced that he had ordered airstrikes against positions of IS militants inside Syria in retaliation for deadly bomb attacks in Baghdad. "We are determined to chase terrorism that tries to kill our sons and citizens wherever it is located. We gave orders to the air force command to conduct airstrikes against the terrorist Daesh (IS group) in Husaybah (IS-held Iraqi border town) and Albu Kamal inside Syrian territories, as they were responsible for recent terrorist bombings in Baghdad," according Abadi's announcement. Abadi went to Kurdistan region late on Tuesday after he made a surprise visit to the security forces and met with top military commanders in the battleground city of Mosul, just hours after the troops dislodged IS militants from the main government complex in the old Mosul city center. Abadi's comment in Sulaimaniya came as the Iraqi security forces, backed by anti-IS international coalition, are conducting a major offensive to drive out IS militants from their last major stronghold in and around Mosul. Flash U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley told reporters Wednesday that "all options are on the table" for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) after emergency closed consultations of the Security Council on the DPRK. The United States was revaluating how it must deal with the DPRK after the country's repeated missile tests, she said, adding that the U.S. has to see "some sort of positive action" from the DPRK before it can take Kim Jong Un's regime seriously and discuss ways to reduce tensions on the Korean peninsula. Immediately following the Security Council consultations on DPRK's recent missile launches on Wednesday morning, Haley joined a joint stakeout with Ambassador Koro Bessho, Permanent Representative of Japan to the UN, and Ambassador Cho Tae-yul, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the UN. China Aviation Daily | Mar. 09, 2017 Cargolux has signed an agreement with Lufthansa Technik AG focusing on increased business between the two companies. Under the terms of a new contract, Lufthansa Technik's Airframe Related Component (ARC) unit will provide maintenance, repair and overhaul of the thrust reversers on the Cargolux fleet of Boeing 747-8 aircraft. The all-cargo airline based in Luxembourg currently operates 14 Boeing 747-8 freighter aircraft, in addition to a fleet of twelve 747-400 freighters. Complementing a planned reverser overhaul program which includes preventive maintenance, Lufthansa Technik will provide support in case of non-scheduled events and worldwide on-site assistance. An adequate pool of spares will be established and maintained, enabling Cargolux to make use of spare thrust reversers under a loan and/or exchange program if required. Georgios Ouzounidis, Vice President Corporate Sales Europe at Lufthansa Technik, said: "We are delighted that Cargolux puts its trust into our know-how and experience. We have already successfully worked together with the freight carrier in the framework of an ARC contract. This new long-term contract will put our collaboration on a new level." Contributed by Lufthansa Technik AG Visitors at a forum on marine technology under the Belt and Road Initiative in Tianjin, March 7, 2017. [Photo/VCG] TIANJIN - China and Russia are cooperating on marine technology in the China-Mongolia-Russia economic corridor under the Belt and Road Initiative. The cooperation includes offshore oil and gas exploitation equipment, underwater robotics as well as scientific utilization of the Arctic passages, according to attendees at a forum on marine technology under the Belt and Road Initiative, held in north China's Tianjin Municipality Tuesday through Wednesday. During the two-day forum, Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) signed agreements with universities and institutes in Russia to research marine technology. An employee carries a rear windshield at the Fuyao Glass America production facility in Moraine, Ohio. [Photo/Agencies] Auto glass giant focuses on Russia, Germany and US Fuyao Glass Industry Group Co Ltd, the world's largest auto glass manufacturer, will step up its overseas investments this year in Germany, the United States and Russia, with the total set to reach $200 million, its chairman told China Daily in an interview. "As the largest auto glass producer, we shoulder the responsibility to supply products for most global auto manufacturers," said Cao Dewang, chairman of Fuyao. "Our investment strategy is to follow our customers and meet their requirements. "We will spend one-third of our annual investment budget of 4.2 billion yuan ($608 million) abroad in 2017, and Germany, the US and Russia are our destinations." Cao said Fuyao will invest about 600 million yuan to 700 million yuan in Heidelberg, Germany, to set up an auto glass factory to serve clients such as Daimler AG, Audi AG, Volkswagen AG, Bentley Motors Ltd and Jaguar Land Rover Automotive Plc. The company is also selecting a new site in the southern part of the US this year to build a new factory, he said. Cao Dewang, chairman of Fuyao Glass Industry Group. [Photo provided to China Daily] In October, Fuyao completed its automotive glass manufacturing center in Dayton, Ohio. The plant, involving a total investment of $600 million, is expected to produce 5 million units of glass annually, accounting for a 25 percent market share in the US. The facility in Dayton will supply customers including General Motors Co, Chrysler LLC, Hyundai Motor Co, Honda Motor Co and Kia Motors Co. "We will increase our investments to $1 billion in the US and create 5,000 jobs," said Cao. According to Cao, the company's fixed investments both at home and abroad will increase by 10 percent to 20 percent annually, depending on market conditions. "Although there are some voices going against the tide of globalization, we are determined to go abroad based on our own business development requirements and customers' needs," Cao said. According to the Government Work Report delivered by Premier Li Keqiang on Sunday to the annual session of the National People's Congress, China will step up efforts to perfect its mechanism to protect the legitimate rights of Chinese companies' overseas projects. Fuyao's annual revenue totaled 16.6 billion yuan in 2016, increasing 22.5 percent year-on-year, and its profit totaled 3.14 billion yuan, increasing 20.7 percent year-on-year, according to the listed company's financial report. Fuyao's overseas revenue totaled 5.6 billion yuan last year, up 25 percent year-on-year, said the report. "Fuyao has made its global industrial plans, and we have confidence in its market share growth and profitability improvement," said Li Ming, an analyst at Guoyuan Securities Co in a research note. China, the world's largest auto market, saw auto sales reach a record high of 28 million vehicles last year, up 13.7 percent year-on-year, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. MOSCOW - While opposition to globalization is emerging in some Western countries, China firmly upholds the idea of openness and integration by pushing forward its Belt and Road Initiative, said a Russian analyst. "The Belt and Road Initiative is directed against the narrow-minded protectionism, isolationism and attempts to sow discord between nations," Sergei Luzyanin, director of the Far Eastern Studies Institute under the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Xinhua in a recent interview. China proposed the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013 in hope of creating a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes. "The mega project is aimed exactly at integration, convergence and economic development," said Luzyanin, who has chosen this Chinese initiative as a latest study field. According to him, the onshore and maritime routes run across areas of higher, medium and lower development levels, and participants can flexibly choose infrastructure overhaul, financial partnership or other forms of cooperation based on different local situations. Official data showed that China has invested more than $50 billion in countries along the Belt and Road since 2013. The initiative has won support from over 100 countries and many international organizations, with nearly 50 cooperative agreements signed between governments. Luzyanin said the initiative will lead to a general economic improvement, especially in Central Asia and neighboring regions in the long term. "If we had only the Western European-American option of integration and economic development in the 1990s, today there is a significant addition in the form of the Chinese model," said the specialist on China. In May, more than 20 heads of state and government, over 50 leaders of international organizations, over 100 ministerial-level officials, as well as more than 1,200 delegates from various countries and regions are expected to participate in a Belt and Road forum for international cooperation in Beijing. Luzyanin believes the prospects for this initiative are positive, because firstly the project is backed by abundant financial resources, including the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Silk Road Fund. The second reason is that China has accumulated rich experience of economic development and reform over the past 30 years. The third pillar is the Russian-Chinese strategic partnership with a common focus on the Greater Eurasia. Leaders of both countries have agreed to connect the Belt and Road Initiative with the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union. China will continue to tighten control on State-owned enterprises investing in overseas markets this year to ensure the safety of assets. Xiao Yaqing, chairman of the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC), said the government will explore the possibility of asset integration owned by SOEs in overseas markets in 2017. Currently, a total of 9,112 State-owned entities are operating various businesses in 185 countries and regions. Supported by more than 346,000 local and Chinese employees, they manage over 5 trillion yuan ($723.87 billion) worth of State assets. The government pledged to improve SOEs' revenue in global markets via a number of measures including introducing mixed-ownership, building asset management companies and SOE equity diversification. "The SASAC will also strengthen the supervision of State-owned capital this year by shifting the focus from previously managing SOEs to managing their assets to cut resource waste and improve work efficiency," Huang Danhua, vice-chairwoman of the SASAC, said. State-owned enterprises under direct central government control made a profit of 168.6 billion yuan during the first two months of 2017, an increase of 29.1 percent year-on-year. During the same period, their total revenue reached 3.7 trillion yuan, up 15.2 percent on a year-on-year basis. Car-sharing services will see fast growth in China in coming years, and the fleets of such service providers are expected to reach a collective 170,000 cars by 2020, according to a report by Strategy&, a subsidiary of PricewaterhouseCoopers. The figure represents more than 50 percent annual growth from about 30,000 cars in early 2016. A Strategy& survey showed that 75 percent of users would like to use more of the service while 77 percent of those who have not used the service yet, would like to give it a try. The consulting firm said car-sharing services can help meet Chinese people's growing demand for convenient and quick urban mobility, especially in large cities where car license plates are controlled by strict quotas. The Ministry of Public Security data shows that 310 million people in China hold a driving license. Yet, the number of cars in the country is around 194 million. "In a sense, all those people who don't have a car are potential customers of car-sharing services," said Bill Peng, a partner with Strategy&, co-author of the report. A car ride of a service provider on average costs less than 30 yuan an hour. So, sharing a car is more economical than owning one, be it a new or used vehicle, if one drives less than 5,600 km a year, the report said. A 2016 study by China's State Information Center showed that a shared car can cut 13 car purchases. Strategy& said restrictions imposed on ride-sharing platforms including Didi Chuxing in major cities like Beijing and Shanghai, and government's advocacy of green transport, will also boost car-sharing services. It further said 95 percent of the cars shared now are new energy vehicles, and 77 percent of them are operated by automaker-backed car ride providers. So, it expects automakers to continue to expand such providers' fleets to boost sales of their own new energy cars, now that China has set a goal of selling 2 million such cars annually 2020 onwards. Things are moving in that direction already. For instance, Lifan Motors has added 1,100 electric cars to its existing fleet in Chongqing for car-sharing services. Despite the bullish prospects, almost all car ride providers' books remain in the red, with each car losing 50 yuan to 120 yuan a day, according to Strategy&. Gao Yu, vice-president of Lifan Motors, said car-sharing, like any business, needs time and scale to make money. Peng at Strategy& suggested that companies keen to stand out from competitors are preparing for the long haul by securing adequate number of license plates, parking lots and charging posts. "Competition will become even fiercer in two years as car-sharing services will gradually expand into smaller cities, and the segment, after rounds of mergers and acquisitions, will see three to four dominant companies," said Peng. The new Volvo XC60 car is seen during the 87th International Motor Show at Palexpo in Geneva, Switzerland, March 7, 2017. [Photo/Agencies] GENEVA - As the 87th Geneva International Motor Show prepares to kick off, representatives from top global car firms reaffirmed on Wednesday their faith in the Chinese market while also highlighting the growing expertise of Chinese carmakers in the highly lucrative automotive business. "We still see growing demand and more and more people in China becoming more wealthy and who are willing to spend money on premium cars, and this segment is still growing," BMW spokesperson Kai Lichte told Xinhua ahead of the opening of the show on March 9. "A little more than one quarter of all sales are in China, it's the biggest market, bigger than the US and Germany," he added. Volkswagen marketing manager Jurgen Stackmann, who reminded that 50 percent of the group's cars are sold in China, also highlighted similar benefits. "The power of the Chinese people is enormous, there is no other place so vibrant, so full of energy, so full of entrepreneurship globally," he noted. While the purchasing power of China's market remains enormous, representatives also lauded the growing expertise of Chinese firms in the car making industry. This valuable partnership was perhaps most tangible with Volvo Cars, almost seven years after Chinese car maker Geely Holdings Group Co Ltd completed its $1.8 billion-buyout of Ford Motor Co's Volvo unit, in a landmark foreign acquisition by a Chinese company. "I think it has been a very successful acquisition. If you look at it for Volvo, I think we would not have been where we are today without the support and the ownership of Geely," Volvo Cars CEO Hakan Samuelsson explained. Describing what he called a "win-win" situation, Samuelsson said that while Volvo has gained facilitated access to the Chinese market, Geely has stood to gain on the acquisition of new technologies, enabling the Hangzhou-based multinational company to upgrade its products. Similarly, co-ventures and partnerships between Volkswagen and Chinese firms are also increasing, with the German automaker setting a series of ambitious targets, amongst which is becoming the leader of the electric car market in coming years. The firms also lauded their growing presence in China on the manufacturing front, with all three car making giants boasting factories there. According to Stackmann, this shows that "made in China" is becoming more and more synonymous with quality, since all its cars intended for the Chinese market are produced in Asia's economic powerhouse. "All of ours cars are fully made and sourced in China, this shows that China has reached a quality of products comparable to Europe," he said, adding that he is "absolutely confident" in the Chinese market which is still posting enormous growth. This year's Geneva International Motor Show hosts some 180 exhibitors showcasing about 900 models including 148 world or European premieres. The ZTE display is shown at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the US, Jan 8, 2014. [Photo/Agencies] WASHINGTONChinese telecom equipment maker ZTE Corp said on Tuesday that it has reached settlements with US authorities over US export controls and sanctions charges. The Chinese company has agreed to pay a criminal and civil penalty of about $892 million and an additional penalty of $300 million which will be suspended during a seven-year probationary period to deter future violations, the ZTE said in a statement posted on its website. In order to improve its export control compliance, the ZTE has appointed new CEO and made major changes to the senior management team, according to the statement. It also established a new compliance committee and strengthened export control compliance training and processes. The settlement was reached with the Commerce Department, the Justice Department and the Treasury Department, said the US Commerce Department in a statement on Tuesday. The US authorities claimed that the ZTE and its affiliated entities have illegally shipped telecommunications equipment to certain countries in violation of the US regulations. The Commerce Department added ZTE to the Entity List under the Export Administration Regulations in March 2016. This move made it difficult for ZTE to acquire US products such as chips and software. Following the settlements, The Bureau of Industry and Security under the US Commerce Department will recommend that the ZTE be removed from the Entity List, said the ZTE in its Tuesday statement. The ZTE has created strong partnerships with many US suppliers that supported nearly 130,000 high-tech jobs, said Zhao Xianming, chairman and CEO of ZTE, in the statement. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday that China always opposes unilateral sanctions imposed by foreign governments on Chinese enterprises. Wang was responding to a question concerning the new tide of trade protectionism in the United States at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual legislative session in Beijing. He referred to the latest US sanctions on ZTE for alleged violations of US export controls. China has always asked its businesses to conduct their overseas operations according to law, the minister said, adding that the Chinese authorities will continue to monitor the situation to see whether its enterprises have been treated fairly, Wang said. Artist's rendition of the manned submersible for tourism developed by Tianjin Ostar Underwater Vehicles Co. [Photo provided to China Daily] A maritime technology company plans to develop China's first-ever manned submersibles for civilian use with Russian scientists, and the product is expected to be ready for the market by the end of this year, a senior executive said. The developer, Tianjin Ostar Underwater Vehicles Co Ltd, said the submersibles would be able to carry between 20 and 40 passengers at depths of up to 24 meters. Two of China's well-known tourism operators from Zhangjiajie in Hunan province and Beibu Gulf in southern China have shown interest, said Zou Yongchunhe, deputy general manager of the company. The craft will be capable of performing flexible maneuveres to minimize the impact on the environment, including underwater plant life, fish and coral. Zou said his company and several Russian research institutes had established a new companyOstar (Tianjin) Sino-Russia Joint Marine Technology Research Instituteto advance the project, which would be helpful to introduce advanced foreign technologies in manned submersibles to China. "The development of the Belt and Road Initiative also represents an enormous opportunity for a company like us, seeking more interaction with Russia," Zou said. "Our products can also be used in popular tourist spots in countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Greece and Turkey," he added. China has a track record in marine technological cooperation with Russia. The country supplied a number of components for China's Jiaolong manned submersible, which can dive to a depth of 7,000 meters. "With support from the government, we will be able to double the number of our Russian researchers to more than 30 people after April," said Zou. Currently scientists from the two countries are working in a number of high-tech marine fields, including underwater robots and sonar detectors. "Our focus now is on the whole industrial business chain and many high-tech companies in our field are keen to participate in this project," said Ma Jie, who is in charge of high-tech companies in the management committee of the Tianjin Economic Technological Development Area, where the manned submersible developer is based. "It is promising to introduce such technology to civil use," said Luo Jianbin, dean of the Tianjin Research Institute for Advanced Equipment at Tsinghua University, which has incubated eight scientific breakthroughs with Tianjin Ostar. "Over the years China has been buying secondhand technologies from other countries. For example, in microelectronics sector, between 70 to 80 percent of the technology has been imported," he added. Volunteers give away clothes, books and toys to more than 100 left-behind children in Bijie, Guizhou province, in February last year.[Li Jianqiang/For China Daily] GUIYANGWhen rape flowers begin to blossom in the rugged fields of Southwest China, people know it is time to depart. Young mothers and fathers leave home to find jobs, with toddlers and teenagers being left in the hands of elderly grandparents. For people in Dazhai village in Guizhou province's Bijie city, spring has always brought a sense of hope along with a sense of the inescapable sorrow of separation. The village is home to more than 2,200 people, mostly of Miao ethnicity, and the most common way for villagers to escape poverty is to find jobs elsewhere. Cai Qun, a 36-year-old mother, repeatedly experienced such departures before becoming a creative embroidery artist and a successful entrepreneur. She is also among the more than 2,800 deputies of the 12th National People's Congress who are attending the ongoing two sessionsthe annual gathering of the nation's top legislature and its top political advisory body-in Beijing. Cai said she wants to bring more congressional and public attention to the fate of China's "left-behind children". "A child needs a mother. Stop mothers from leaving and bring them back," Cai said. Cai's poverty-stricken hometown of Bijie has witnessed the brutal damage that poverty and the absence of parental care can do. In 2012, five children in Bijie died from carbon monoxide poisoning while burning charcoal for warmth in a roadside dumpster. In 2015, four left-behind siblings aged 5 to 13 died after drinking pesticide at home. Nationwide, there are more than 60 million left-behind children in rural areas, with Bijie accounting for 260,000 of those. Left-behind children are often victims of tragedies such as murder, trafficking and suicide. "I hope there will be more incentives, such as loans for small business who can offer jobs to mothers in their hometowns," Cai said. Cai's mother, who is 87 years old, gave birth to 13 children, of which six survived, with Cai being the youngest. Cai's childhood mostly involved fighting hunger, which is the reason she left Bijie. "We did not have a paddy field, so it was difficult to find enough food. My mother always had to ask for food from neighbors," she said. At the age of 12, Cai followed her sisters to the provincial capital of Guiyang to make a living collecting garbage. Like most girls in her village, Cai married early. She gave birth to her daughter, Yang Linfeng, at the age of 16. "My oldest sister took care of Yang Linfeng when I was away. For my daughter, my sister was more of a mother than me. I was like a relative she saw only once a year," Cai said. While working in the industrial hubs of Yiwu and Shenzhen, Cai tried to make up for her absence by making hand-embroidered dresses for her daughter. Almost every woman in her village knows how to embroider, but Cai is probably the most skilled. In 2007, Cai joined a provincial folk art competition and won a prize for her wax painting. "The competition was an eye-opener. My husband and I decided to open a workshop at home," she said. Cai expanded her house into a factory and founded a company under her own name. Cai's embroidery products are popular at a karst cave tourist destination about 2 kilometers from her home. Last year, the shop's turnover was 8 million yuan ($1.15 million). She employs about 300 women, and half of them used to be migrant workers. "The older women are more skilled, but I'm persuading more young women to come to work for me," Cai said. "When there are many orders, women come to work at my shop, but they can also work from home, if necessary." Yang Zhongmei, a 29-year-old mother, joined the workshop in 2015. Previously, she worked at an electronics factory in Shenzhen. She earns about 3,000 yuan each month, a few hundred yuan less than what she earned in Shenzhen. "My son is in third grade and my daughter is in kindergarten. My son, in particular, is happy to see me back," Yang Zhongmei said. Cai said: "When I was young, every evening my mother would sit down to rest, light a candle, start to sing and spend the evening sewing, which is something I will never forget. I hope embroidery can change the lives of more Miao women, like it did for me." A shepherd takes his flock to graze on a grass-covered slope in the Yushu Tibetan autonomous prefecture in Qinghai province.[Photo/Xinhua] China's first national park will develop rapidly this year, with stronger legal and financial support from Qinghai province, the top provincial official said on Wednesday. The plan for Sanjiangyuan National Park will set specific targets for environmental protection, Wang Guosheng, Party chief of Qinghai province, said on Wednesday at a group discussion of the ongoing session of the national legislature. "Both are important legal measures: To build the national park and support environmental protection in this key regions," said Wang, adding that they will also make special plans for major natural resources in the region. The province plans to allocate 1 billion yuan ($144.8 million) in 2017 for infrastructure construction, said Li Xiaonan, head of the park's administration bureau. Under management of the national park, herders and farmers will be major forces behind environmental protection, said the provincial Party chief. The work is expected to provide jobs, boost farmers' incomes and give them an incentive to protect the environment, he said. Sanjiangyuan National Park, covering 123,100 square kilometers in Qinghai, is home to the headwaters of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang (Mekong) rivers, which run through more than 20 provincial regions in China, making the region critical for water resources in the country. A translator reads letters to Liu Molan in Zibo, Shandong province, on Wednesday. The letters were sent by Oleg Kuvshinnikov, governor of Russia's Vologda Oblast, where Liu was born, and local children. Zhao Ruixue / China Daily A 90-year-old woman from the village of Vahevo in northern Russia's Vologda Oblast received on Wednesday photographs and letters written by children from her hometown, which she has not returned to for 83 years. Born in the former Soviet Union in December 1926, Liu Molan, whose Russian name is Nina, moved to China with her family when she was 7 years old. Her father is Chinese, and met Nina's mother, a Russian, while doing business in the Soviet Union. Nina lived with her family in Ili, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. At age 17, she married Liu Chunshu, a Chinese man who was 20 years older than her. Liu gave Nina the Chinese name Molan, meaning orchid, which she has used ever since. After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Liu Molan traveled with her husband to his hometown in Mansihe village, Shandong province. She now lives with her daughter-in-law, as her husband and her adopted son and daughter have all died. Liu Molan, who likes to sing Russian songs and Chinese folk songs, can still speak and write a little Russian, but she is more fluent in speaking a rural dialect native to Zibo. Oleg Kuvshinnikov, governor of Vologda Oblast, wrote a letter to Liu Molan, saying that her story is an example of the long-standing friendship between China and Russia and wishing her a happy Year of the Rooster. Children from her hometown wrote that they are glad to know that Liu Molan is living a happy life in China. "Since you and your family left, great changes have taken place in our hometown. The pictures might remind you of your happy childhood here," one of the letters read. Liu Molan said she is fond of the gifts, adding, "I hope children in my hometown visit China to see for themselves that it is a great country." To help people from Liu Molan's hometown see where she lives now, the local government posted some pictures and Chinese gifts to the children in Vologda Oblast. Care services aim to encourage working parents to have second child in Shanghai Shanghai will build 50 nurseries in various workplaces by the end of this year in efforts to encourage more families to have a second child, following the implementation of the universal second-child policy last year. The Shanghai Federation of Trade Unions said on Monday that it will step up its efforts in the next two years to promote a better environment for raising children and make life more convenient for working parents in the city. According to a survey jointly conducted by the federation and the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences in 2016, about 80 percent of women in the city who are of childbearing age said they are unwilling to have a second child. The major reason given by the interviewed women, who all hold permanent residence permits, was that they have nobody to help them take care of babies. As a pilot project, the federation has already established nursery centers at 12 companies, which help take care of working parents' children. Various child care services are offered at the centers, which are mainly located in enterprises, industrial parks and public institutions, the federation said, adding that it has received positive feedback. It not only helps working parents solve child care issues, but it is also beneficial for the child care service system, said He Huijuan, vice-chairwoman of the federation. An additional 800 breast-feeding rooms will be introduced across the city in the next two years, which will bring the total number to more than 2,500, according to the federation, which started to build breast-feeding rooms, known as "Mommy Huts", in 2013, aimed at providing working women with private, safe and hygienic places to feed babies. An official with the federation said companies and institutions are encouraged to establish more breast-feeding rooms for their working mothers. Preschool education and nursery institutions in the city cater to children aged 3 or older, with few institutions offering child care services for children aged younger than 3. A preliminary calculation by the Shanghai Women's Federation showed that about 100,000 children who are aged between 2 and 3 and have permanent residence permits require nursery services, but that there are only 39 independent nursery intuitions. President Xi Jinping receives qianghong, a piece of silk used as a gift of greeting by the Qiang ethnic group, from an NPC deputy who is a member of the group as he joined a discussion with NPC deputies from Sichuan province on Wednesday in Beijing. Lan Hongguang / Xinhua The country's poverty alleviation work is facing tougher challenges with the approach of the 2020 deadline for its ambitious poverty-eradication plan, President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday, while calling on officials to make greater efforts to help poverty-stricken people. The Communist Party of China has made a solemn promise to lift all remaining poverty-stricken people out of that status by the end of 2020, said Xi, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission. Xi made the remarks at a panel discussion with lawmakers from Sichuan province during the ongoing annual session of the National People's Congress, the top legislature. Mountainous Sichuan, with many ethnic groups, has 3.8 million people living in poverty. By a standard set in 2011, China categorizes those with an annual income lower than 2,300 yuan ($335) as poverty-stricken. The number of people living in poverty in rural areas was reduced by 12.4 million last year to 43.35 million. The government will lift another 10 million people out of poverty this year, according to the Government Work Report delivered by Premier Li Keqiang on Sunday. The whole process of poverty reduction requires tailored poverty relief policies and precision measures, and sometimes patience and accuracy like "doing embroidery", Xi said. The government should continue to dispatch officials to live in poor rural villages to focus on the poverty reduction work there, Xi said, adding that the authorities should make full use of poverty alleviation funds. The president called for continuous measures to prevent those who have already escaped poverty from falling into that status again. Formalism should be stopped resolutely in poverty reduction work, he emphasized. During the discussion, Xi also urged local authorities to push forward with supply-side structural reform in agriculture, improve quality and produce more green, organic and pollution-free farm products. The integration of military and civil industries should speed up, Xi said, adding that a high-tech industry base should be built for military-civil integration. The president also stressed the importance of clean governance. Government officials should stick to their beliefs, safeguard the authority and leadership of the CPC Central Committee and abide by political discipline and rules. During the talks, the lawmakers gave their suggestions on issues including pushing forward reform, reconstruction work after the 2013 earthquake and Tibetan inhabitants' livelihoods. File photo of Chen Jiang donating blood. [Provided to chinadaily.com.cn] Chen Jiang's blood type is so unusual it's called "panda blood" in China, because, as the name suggests, it is considered to be as rare as pandas. Among Chinese people, only three in 1,000 have the Rh-negative factor. As one of them, Chen, 43, who is the Party secretary of Masangxi Community in Dadukou district, Chongqing, has been donating his blood for 12 years. It was during a voluntary blood donation in 2005, that Chen discovered he had the highly unusual blood type. In order to help more people with such blood type, Chen gave his phone number to the local blood center and hospitals, and has since become a regular donor. "My phone is on 24 hours and I am always ready to donate," he said. One early morning in April 2014, Chen got a call from the blood center and he was asked to help a pregnant woman, who was waiting on the operating table, and in urgent need of "panda blood", Chen rushed to the closest blood collection place, rolled up his sleeves and offered 400 milliliters of blood. "Both the doctors and I feel relieved after the blood donation every time." Chen has had urgent requests like that four times. "I will donate my blood until I'm 60 years old," he said. "As long as my body allows me." Chen also tries to promote voluntary blood donation among his colleagues and neighbors. "Blood donation can save lives!" he tells them. Encouraged by Chen, his colleague Zeng Jing and four residents from the community have joined the voluntary team of donors. File photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn Known as the "mobile meat grinder", Yangchuanosaurus will be one of seven dinosaurs featured in the Chinese Dinosaur special stamp collection, according to Commemorative and Special Stamps Issue Plan 2017, China Post. The collection will debut on May 19 and includes seven types of dinosaurs: Yangchuanosaurus, Tsintaosaurus Spinorhinus, Huayangosaurus, Gigantoraptor, Microraptor, Sinosauropteryx and Mamenchisaurus Hochuanensis. Yangchuanosaurus got its name after it was discovered in Yongchuan district, Chongqing, in 1976. It is famous for its giant teeth, rapid speed and ferocious temperament. This dinosaur lived in China during the Bathonian and Callovian stages of the Middle Jurassic, and was similar in size and appearance to its North American relative, the Allosaurus. During a thunderstorm in June 1976, Lyu Xiangzhi, deputy commander of a local reservoir, was on his way to check a dam with his colleague when they stumbled upon a white object exposed from a rock. It was very hard and looked similar to an animal bone. Later, an expert identified the fossil to be a carnivorous dinosaur head with well-preserved jaw teeth. Wang Dayu, who is in his 50s and lives in Yongchuan, was deeply impressed by this huge dinosaur fossil head when he saw it. "The skull was around a meter long, with a washbasin-big hole around its eyes," he recalled. The local government conducted a large excavation project around where the fossil head was found. About 20 days later, a complete fossilized dinosaur was found. According to experts, this fossil was of a large carnivorous dinosaur, the same type as the head found 20 days earlier. They determined further that the Yangchuanosaurus lived during the Jurassic Period, and was 800 cm long, 400 cm tall and 120 cm wide. This Yangchuanosaurus fossil is now preserved at the Chongqing Natural History Museum, as a major treasure of the museum. HONG KONG -- The Hong Kong Flower Show 2017 will be held at Victoria Park from March 10 to March 19 as one of the events celebrating the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland. This year's flower show is themed "Blossoms of Love" and rose is the theme flower. During the event, Victoria Park will be decorated by more than 350,000 flowers, including 40,000 roses. The flower show will also feature a light and music display at the central axis of the park every night and a mega-sized floral birthday cake to embrace the 20th anniversary. Various educational and recreational activities will be held at the park for visitors of all ages. Leaders from 300 agricultural companies have gathered in Beijing Wednesday to sign a proposal, promising to optimize their production processes and work together to realize China's goal of green agriculture. During the meeting, the Soil and Fertilizer Alliance of China, which is affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, signed a memorandum of cooperation with Alltech, a biotechnology company based in the US. The two parties aim to jointly promote regional farming and breed the integration and the sustainable development of animal husbandry. They also hope the cooperation will contribute to the goal set by the Ministry of Agriculture, which aims to end the growth of pesticide usage by 2020. Wang Xu, chairwoman of the Soil and Fertilizer Alliance of China, said China has overlooked soil security and composition for a long time. "We need to build a good soil ecosystem, which is so important and closely related to our livelihood. In recent years, provinces have been under increasing pressure in dealing with pollutants," she said. "There is no doubt that fertilizers are important. However it is necessary that fertilizers are not overused and do not cause damage to the environment." "Reutilizing waste, if it could be done in a right way, can increase profits for companies. However if it does not generate profits for farmers, it will not be a sustainable practice," she added. Mark Lyons, global vice president and head of Greater China for Alltech, said: "We share China's vision, and we also understand the challenges being faced in the field and on the farm by farmers. It is our intention that the conference lights a spark that will enable China's agriculture sector to join together in working toward practical solutions for sustainable farming." China's No 1 Central Document for 2017 highlighted agriculture, setting goals for the country's sustainable development and environmental protection. The agriculture sector in China has faced increasing attention and governmental pressure in recent years, as more stringent laws and regulations have been implemented to address concerns regarding the security and safety of the food supply, as well as the environmental impact of farming on land, water and air. According to the State of Food and Agriculture 2016 issued by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, about one-fifth of the world's greenhouse gases come from agriculture, including forestry, fisheries and livestock production. To address this, China introduced Ten Measures for Prevention and Control of Air Pollution, creating a more stringent air pollution control law. For example, the government encourages the development of slow release fertilizer and the reduction of ammonia emissions. Additionally, the Law of Air Pollution Prevention 2016 regulates that the emissions of ammonia and volatile organic matter should be reduced, and livestock breeding companies should reduce the discharge of malodorous gases. Richard Murphy, the research director of Alltech's European Bioscience Centre, said ruminants like cattle and sheep produce most of the greenhouse gas methane, and the whole industry is currently working to reduce methane content produced per liter of milk. "Alltech's in vitro fermentation model can evaluate methane emissions by simulating the rumen," he said. "Through routine analysis and in vitro fermentation evaluation, the artificial rumen model helps the farmer to monitor day ration gunk, improve fodder digestibility, optimize rumen fermentation of the animal and therefore reduce waste emissions effectively." At the conference, the ruminant animal forum gathered internationally well-known experts who addressed how to further develop the dairy industry while safeguarding the environment. For example, improving feed digestibility to optimize rumen fermentation is an effective way to reduce emissions, and selecting the proper mineral form and feeding at the proper level can reduce heavy metal emissions in feces. Through the experiences and data shared by these global experts, protection of the environment could be seen as more practical and economical. As animal husbandry in China is becoming more intensive and large-scale, the excessive amount of heavy metals in the soil has become an urgent environmental problem. Based on the statistics of the National Soil Pollution Condition Investigation Communique published by China's Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Land and Resources, 19.4 percent of the soil in China has exceeded the standard, and the main pollutants are cadmium, nickel, copper, arsenic, mercury and lead. A significant amount of heavy metal pollution, such as arsenic and copper, is produced by feed and feces. Civil code to strengthen rights' protection Lawmakers are discussing the first draft of legislation that would gather the laws related to issues such as property, inheritance and the conduct of businesses under a unified framework. Cao Yin reports. As he held up the draft of the general provisions for China's first civil code, Sun Xianzhong felt a huge sense of achievement. The draft, which is currently being discussed by the nation's top legislative and political advisory bodies, and the civil code it will foster are long-held dreams for Sun, a deputy to the National People's Congress and a research fellow at the law institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. If accepted, the draft will signal a move toward the establishment of the first civil code in the history of the People's Republic of China. The code would unify laws related to non-criminal and non-administrative areas of the legal framework under a single piece of legislation. "It is the fruits of our laborwe have spent so much time and energy preparing it," Sun said "This draft brings me closer to my dream." A long-cherished dream After graduating from the law school at the Northwest University of Political Science and Law in Xian, Shaanxi province, in the 1980s, Sun began researching civil law, a task that took him to Germany in the 1990s. "I'm always willing to do things to improve our country's legal system," he said. In 2013, he submitted a motion to the NPC urging the formulation of a civil code, but it received little attention. Undaunted, he submitted the motion again in 2014. This time, he won the support of many deputies and the central leadership. Work to devise the code began the following October. Sun is hopeful that the current two sessions will signal another step forward. "Our country has a number of laws to protect people's civil rights, such as those related to property and contracts, but there is no unified legislation to integrate them. Also, some older laws need to be revised," he said. "There are two steps, and the first is the draft currently under discussion, which aims to clarify general civil rights, duties and principles. These general provisions are difficult to draft, because they will guide the parts that follow." The second step will involve special provisions, such as enacting new laws and amending a number of existing pieces of legislation related to specific activities and industrial sectors. Last year, the NPC's Standing Committee read the draft three times, but recognizing its importance and the need to garner a wider range of opinions, it was submitted to the two sessions on Wednesday as a major discussion point. Some clauses, such as the protection of personal information and the extension of inheritance rights to unborn children, have already sparked heated public debate. "We hope the civil code will cover all aspects of people's lives and protect their civil rights from the cradle to the grave," said Shi Hong, a leading official with the Standing Committee's legal affairs commission. Shi confirmed that the special provisions will be drawn up or amended when the draft is approved: "Our goal is to finish the code by March 2020." The introduction of the civil code, including the formulation of the draft, will be hugely significant for China, according to Shi. "In practical terms, it will provide better protection of property and personal rights, while historically, it has been the dream of several generations of Chinese legal professionals," he said. The code will also reflect the country's ability to enact legislation and enforce the rule of law, which means special attention will be paid to its formulation. "Preparing the draft and code is not an easy job for the legislators," he said. Li says Guangxi should boost competitive edge Innovation and entrepreneurship needed, premier tells deputies Premier Li Keqiang listens to a report from Zhou Hongbo, mayor of Nanning in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, during the Guangxi delegation's deliberation on the Government Work Report on Wednesday, as Peng Qinghua, Guangxi Party chief, looks on. [Photo by Wu Zhiyi/China Daily] Premier Li Keqiang called on the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region to further open up and participate in international cooperation and competition when he joined a panel discussion with National People's Congress deputies from the region on Wednesday. This should be achieved by promoting innovation and entrepreneurship, which will upgrade traditional industries and transform the real economy, he said. Guangxi is an important region for China's economic cooperation and trade with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Each year, the China-ASEAN Expo is held in Nanning, the region's capital, and attracts thousands of exhibitors from the 10 ASEAN countries. From January to November last year, Guangxi's exports and imports with ASEAN countries increased by 1.6 percent compared with the same period in 2015, according to the region's Department of Commerce. Southeast Asian countries were once again Guangxi's biggest trading partner. The region's gross domestic product hit 2 trillion yuan ($289.4 billion) last year, double that of 2011. However, the region still has 3.41 million people living in poverty in its outlying areas. Li said Guangxi has witnessed long-term progress in social and economic development in recent years. He urged further efforts to fulfill the government's promise to improve the livelihoods of all people of different ethnic groups in the region, especially those who live in impoverished areas and near national borders. Li said reform and opening-up will boost the momentum of economic and social development, and the government should streamline administration, removing powers it should not have, and focus on supervising areas it is meant to manage, he said. The government should proactively provide services for enterprises and cultivate an environment of fair competition, Li added. On Wednesday, four other members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central CommitteeZhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan and Zhang Gaolialso joined discussions with NPC deputies. In a group discussion with deputies of the Hainan delegation, Yu, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, called on the province to improve its economic structure and accelerate the campaign to build an international tourism island while fully protecting its ecology. During a meeting of the Hebei delegation, Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli called on the province to firmly promote supply-side structural reform, upgrade its industries and strengthen environmental protection. He also called for solid preparations for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, which will be co-hosted by Beijing and Hebei's Zhangjiakou. Smooth, honest election of NPC deputies a priority Wang Chen, vice-chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, walks to the podium on Wednesday in Beijing to explain drafts of methods for electing deputies to the 13th NPC. [Photo by Xu Jingxing/China Daily] A priority for China's top legislature this year is to ensure the smooth and honest election of deputies to the next National People's Congress, the top legislator said on Wednesday. Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the 12th NPC Standing Committee, said electing deputies is the foundation of the people's congress system and is of great importance for consolidating the Communist Party of China's position as the governing party. "We will provide guidance to electoral bodies to help them organize elections well and study the lessons learned from the voting fraud case in Liaoning province," he said while making a work report to about 3,000 national legislators. "Through a combination of strict preventive measures and disciplinary regulations, (we must) ensure the right direction is maintained in elections and that the elections are conducted honestly," he said. NPC deputies serve a term of five years. The current NPC, elected in 2013, will reshuffle early next year. A large-scale election fraud shocked the nation last year, with 45 NPC deputies elected from Liaoning being disqualified in September for buying votes in the 2013 election. Another 523 deputies to the provincial congress of Liaoning who were involved in the fraud also resigned or were disqualified. According to the draft of a method for electing deputies to the 13th NPC, the total number of new deputies will be no more than 3,000. The election will be completed in January next year. There should be 36 deputies from Hong Kong and 12 from Macao, according to the draft method for election of deputies to the 13th NPC from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions. Wang Chen, vice-chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, said there should be a larger proportion of new deputies from the grassroots, such as workers, farmers and skilled professionals, than in the 12th NPC. There should also be more women and fewer officials. According to the NPC website, the 12th NPC has 401 deputies who are farmers or workers, 13.4 percent of the total. Skilled professionals account for 20.4 percent of the total. Additionally, the number of deputies to the 12th NPC who are officials of the Party and government agencies account for 34.9 percent of the total. Hu Baosen, an NPC deputy from Henan province, said the only way to prevent election scandal is to strictly follow the election method and increase transparency. "It is also important to have people from different walks of life as NPC deputies," he said. Contact the writers at suzhou@chinadaily.com.cn Delegate speaks for migrant workers Xie Liying, a 46-year-old migrant worker from Dehua, Fujian province, who is also a deputy to the National People's Congress, paints designs on porcelain for foreign customers every day, but she cares even more about the livelihoods of migrants from remote villages. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn] Xie Liying paints designs on porcelain for overseas customers every day, but she cares even more about the livelihoods of migrant workers from remote villages, just like her. Xie, a deputy to the National People's Congress, called on governments to help migrant workers solve problems with housing and children's education, and also to help develop their vocational skills so that it would be easier for them to settle in the cities where they work. Born in a small village in Gao'an, Jiangxi province, Xie, 46, has lived in Dehua, Fujian province, a main porcelain production center, for more than 24 years. Xie said that when she first arrived in Dehua she was just a young woman with only a high school education. "My friend said it was easier to find jobs in Fujian than in my hometown, so I came with her," she said. "After I joined the company the skilled workers taught me everything about porcelain and how to make color paintings step by step, such as how to mix the colors, how to draw the right patterns." Xie picked up the skills quickly, and three years later, she was recognized as one of the 100 most outstanding migrant workers in the city. Through hard work, she and her husband finally settled down in the city. "I was lucky to be able to learn a skill, and Dehua has been very open to giving migrant workers almost the same rights as locals," she said. "But I have many friends who don't have a skill and are doing dirty, hard work day after day." Sun Baoshu, also a deputy to the National People's Congress, said that the number and quality of workers can't meet the demands of economic development because workers have relatively low social status and income, and haven't enough support and incentives from the government. Skilled workers account for only about 27 percent of the workforce, he said. Xie said that as an ordinary worker, it was a nice surprise to be elected a deputy. For each of the past five years before coming to Beijing, many migrant workers have told her their problems and asked her to be their voice. "I have learned a lot in these years, especially the laws and regulations about migrant workers. I hope that I will help improve the livelihood of migrant workers like me a bit," she said. Wang Yi says China will remain anchor of stability A reporter from Russian state news agency TASS raises a question on China's foreign policy and foreign relations at a news conference for the fifth session of the 12th National People's Congress in Beijing on Wednesday.[Wang Zhuangfei/China Daily] Foreign minister outlines nation's vision for building new partnerships Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday that China will continue to be an anchor of international stability, an engine of global growth, a champion of peace and development, and a contributor to global governance. Wang made the remarks at a news conference on the sidelines of the ongoing annual session of the National People's Congress. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, Chinese diplomats have risen to challenges and broken new ground under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, Wang said. "We have accomplished a great deal and opened a new chapter in major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics," he noted. Wang summed up Chinese diplomacy with three key words: vision, initiative and consistency. China's vision is evident in a series of new ideas and thoughts put forward by Xi, including forging partnerships that replace confrontation with dialogue, and alliance with partnership, building a new type of international relationship featuring win-win cooperation, and jointly building a community of a shared future for all mankind. These new ideas and thoughts "reject the old concepts of alliance and confrontation, rise above the old approach of zero-sum games, and have distinct Chinese characteristics and major implications for the world," according to the foreign minister. "They are guides to action for Chinese diplomats in the new era and will have far-reaching implications for human development and progress," he said. Wang also said China hopes to contribute more to the world rather than becoming a "global leader", and believes the United Nations should play an effective role in handling international affairs. "China believes in the equality of all countries, large and small. We don't believe some countries should lead other countries," Wang said. "Rather than talking about leadership, we should really be talking about responsibility," Wang said, when answering a reporter's question whether China will play the role of a leader under current international circumstances. Pointing out that large countries should shoulder more responsibilities, Wang said that China, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, will fulfill its obligations for international peace and security. As the world's second-largest economy and the largest developing country, China will make due contribution to global economic growth and play a bigger role in upholding rights of developing countries, he added. The foreign minister also said the UN, "the world's most authoritative and credible intergovernmental organization", should play an effective role coordinating international affairs according to the purposes and principles of its charter. Xinhua-China Daily Time is right to focus on environment China's lawmakers and political advisers are likely to have climate change and environmental protection high on their agenda during the ongoing annual two sessions in Beijing, according to a senior European Parliament member. "These are urgent topics for the 21st century and the discussions are critical for China to transform itself into a low-carbon economy," said Jo Leinen, chairman of the European Parliament's Delegation for Relations with China. The most pressing issue facing the country today is air pollution, which is mostly derived from transportation and industry, he said, adding that China should tackle its environmental challenges swiftly in order to offer better living conditions to its people and future generations. Leinen, a specialist in climate change and low-carbon economies, described China's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) as "breathtaking" and said it showed the country was moving in the right direction. Awareness of environmental protection and the importance of tackling climate change has obviously improved greatly at the provincial and local level, he said. Leinen commended President Xi Jinping's concept of creating an ecological civilization and praised the guiding principles of green development, inclusiveness, innovation and openness. "All these innovative concepts and development principles are significant and it is in the interests of China to continue in such a direction," he said. "This is also good for the rest of the world." The European Union and China are set to work even more closely together on climate change and environmental protection in the future, according to Leinen. Every year, an EU-China summit is held, with this year's meeting set to take place in Brussels. "I think both sides should announce a joint statement at this year's summit to deepen cooperation on the low-carbon economy and green technology cooperation," he said. With US President Donald Trump reportedly skeptical about climate change, a Sino-EU statement would send a "strong message" about bilateral climate change cooperation, Leinen said. "This statement should be separate from the joint communique," He said. "Both sides are willing to do this and this will inject added confidence to the world that the Paris Agreement on climate change will be implemented, while the US possibly backslides." What they say Li Bin , minister of the Health and Family Planning Commission China will increase the number of maternity beds by 89,000 over the next three years to help hospitals cope with the demand resulting from the second-child policy. A "green passage" has also been set up to ensure efficient patient referral and quality neonatal treatment. The number of pediatricians will also be increased to handle the expected rise in births. Chen Lei, minister of water resources China may experience less-severe flooding this year than last, but we could see a worse drought than in previous years. Flooding could occur in the drainage basins of the Pearl River, Taihu Lake and Huaihe River in South and East China, while drought could hit in Northwest and North China. Huang Shuxian, minister of civil affairs China doesn't have enough healthcare facilities to cater for its aging population right now. We will encourage all areas of society to help rectify this problem. The government will also provide more services to support people caring for elderly relatives at home, which is in line with traditional Chinese culture, and provide suitable public activity areas for senior citizens. Yin Weimin, minister of human resources and social security More than 11 million people will enter the job market in 2017. Among them, 7.95 million will be college graduates and more than 3 million will be workers from rural areas. Last year, China created 13.14 million new jobs for urban residents. The registered unemployment rate in urban areas stood at 4.02 percent, almost 0.5 percentage points lower than the goal set for the year. Zhi Shuping, head of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine More than 36,000 violations were recorded last year, with over 6 million products recalled due to quality deficiencies. During the past year, the administration has made great progress in improving the quality of products on the market, focusing on 10 kinds of major consumer goods, including air purifiers, smartphones and diapers. Hainan eyes medical tourism potential Hainan province plans to build first-class hospitals, kindergartens and schools to attract more visitors.Zhang Mao / For China Daily Island province seeks to become a healthcare hub and invest in its education sector for future growth Tropical Hainan province, long renowned for its beachfront resorts and tourist hot spots, is building itself into a healthcare hub with a special focus on expectant mothers, according to its governor. "We plan to recruit 100 obstetricians and gynecologists and 100 pediatricians this year, by offering high salaries and establishing professional maternity centers," said Governor Liu Cigui, on the sidelines of the ongoing annual session of the National People's Congress, the national legislature. He said the province also has plans to offer high-quality educational facilities by investing 50 million yuan ($7.3 million) each year in recruiting school principals and teachers from across China. It is not the first time the governor has used the annual session of the NPC to advertise Hainan - last year he boasted about its golden sands, blue water and clean air to encourage people to buy property there. "We are working on improving the medical and education sectors," he said. "Hainan will build first-class hospitals, kindergartens, primary schools and middle schools in every county, to cater for everyone." As part of the province's 13th-Five-Year Plan (2016-20), five healthcare centers are set to be built in a bid to ensure that no resident is ever more than one hour's drive away from one. "We are trying to cater to the different needs of all tourists and residents," said Liu, adding that many top hospitals have opened branches in the province. Hainan's developing healthcare sector is already attracting both domestic and overseas tourists. Natalia Medvedeva, a 33-year-old Russian, gave birth to her second child in the Hainan Modern Women and Infants Hospital in Haikou, the provincial capital, in December. She arranged to have her second child at the hospital after giving birth there for the first time four years ago while on vacation in Hainan and being impressed by the services on offer. "There are 43 mothers and expectant mothers at the hospital right now, seven of whom come from other provinces," said Wei Caiyun, a member of staff at the hospital, who added that the number of women giving birth at the hospital almost doubled from 2010 to 2016. In a bid to attract even a greater number of international and domestic patients, Hainan is investing 19.8 billion yuan in the Bo'ao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, which will house a variety of health centers offering state-of-the-art treatments such as cell therapy. "Nearly 1 million tourists visited Sanya during Spring Festival. Other places in Hainan also saw a 30 to 40 percent rise in the number of tourists," Liu said. "I hope that tourists will enjoy the island's beautiful scenery and enjoy a healthy life." More than 60 million tourists visited Hainan last year, the third consecutive year that visitor numbers have risen. NPC deputy: Education sector in western region needs strong govt support A file photo of Chen Kegong, Party chief of Northwest Normal University in Lanzhou, Gansu province. [Provided to chinadaily.com.cn] The government should provide more favorable policies and investment to build strong normal universities in the country's western part, a deputy to the National People's Congress suggested. Chen Kegong, Party chief of Northwest Normal University in Lanzhou, Gansu province, who is attending the NPC session in Beijing, said in his motion that the government should open a green passage to support western provinces and regions to each have a strong normal university. He said this is an important move as it would help modernize education. He suggested that the government should give strong support to create teacher disciplines as the country embarks on building world-class universities and first-class disciplines, improving students' skills, such as inculcating global perspective and information technology applications. Chen also suggested a tuition refund policy for students who become teachers, helping normal universities in enrolling best talents and hiring good teachers, exploring how top-class universities can support a normal university in the western region, as well as giving teachers in poor western regions priority in the urbanization and poverty relief programs. "Western regions are crucial to the Belt and Road Initiative, but these areas are less developed, always have had weak economic foundation as well as lack of talent compared with the eastern regions, and education is crucial to improving the shortage in skills," he said. Education is a crucial part in the country's poverty relief work, and people from all ethnic groups in the western region understand the role of education in moving out of poverty, and they expect good teachers more urgently. President Xi Jinping talked about the importance of good teachers when he visited Beijing Normal University in 2014, saying that good teachers are the hope of the nation. "China will be strong if youth is strong; China will be strong if the central and western regions are strong The importance of teachers lies in shaping souls, forging lives and crafting humans... To become a good teacher, one must have noble ideals, solid knowledge and a kind heart," Xi said. Although education is so important in the western regions, some local governments allocate less money to support the sector and instead give priority to development, said Chen in an interview with chinadaily.com.cn via WeChat. Some universities in the western regions have to run their daily operations like companies due to the huge pressure of bank. One of the schools pays 40 percent of the tuition fees it collects as interest on bank loan, said Chen. He said the government should change the mode of economic development and give education the priority, allowing education to fulfill its fundamental and leading role in economic development. China to tighten control on SOEs' investment overseas China will continue to tighten control on State-owned enterprises investing in overseas markets this year to ensure the safety of assets. Xiao Yaqing, chairman of the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC), said the government will explore the possibility of asset integration owned by SOEs in overseas markets in 2017. Currently, a total of 9,112 State-owned entities are operating various businesses in 185 countries and regions. Supported by more than 346,000 local and Chinese employees, they manage over 5 trillion yuan ($723.87 billion) worth of State assets. The government pledged to improve SOEs' revenue in global markets via a number of measures including introducing mixed-ownership, building asset management companies and SOE equity diversification. "The SASAC will also strengthen the supervision of State-owned capital this year by shifting the focus from previously managing SOEs to managing their assets to cut resource waste and improve work efficiency," Huang Danhua, vice-chairwoman of the SASAC, said. State-owned enterprises under direct central government control made a profit of 168.6 billion yuan during the first two months of 2017, an increase of 29.1 percent year-on-year. During the same period, their total revenue reached 3.7 trillion yuan, up 15.2 percent on a year-on-year basis. Environmental protection law sinks teeth into violators Environmental protection authorities nationwide issued more than 124,000 penalties and closed 2,465 enterprises for environmental violations last year, the minister of environmental protection said on Thursday. Chen Jining, minister of environmental protection takes questions at a press conference during the ongoing National Peoples Congress in Beijing March 9, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua] Chen Jining said at a news conference that the country's new Law on Environmental Protection, enacted in 2015, has already shown its teeth against violators as fines from penalties handled out by law enforcement authorities reached 6.63 billion yuan ($959.5 million) last year, up by 56 percent year-on-year. In 2016, the environmental protection authorities transferred 6,064 cases that involved environmental protection crimes to judicial organs, up by 37 percent year-on-year, he said. The country also saw 40 public litigation cases in the environmental protection sector last year, Chen said. Nine provincial areas, including Beijing, have established environmental police forces to crack down on violations, he said. Chen noted that the new law also has enabled authorities to better monitor and punish violations by businesses. The authorities can close down factories, suspend or limit their production activities and handle fines based on the number of consecutive days of violations. However, Chen conceded that implementation of the law is still deterred by the lack of effort from local authorities and frequent violations by businesses. The environmental authorities also should beef up law enforcement forces to better implement the law, he said. Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, began running freight trains to Belarus on March 1, bringing auto parts ordered by Chinese carmaker Geely for its joint venture in Minsk, capital of Belarus. The train, running on the northern route of the Chengdu-Europe Express Rail service, is carrying 41 containers of auto parts, and will travel more than 8,800 kilometers over the course of 12 days to reach the Belarusian capital. Feng Xuhong, vice-president of Chengdu Geely, said the auto parts and accessories, worth nearly $600,000, were made at the company's plants in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, and Chengdu. They will be used to assemble the Geely GC9 luxury sedan in Minsk. Once completed, the vehicles will be mainly sold in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. "The greatest advantages of using the Chengdu-Europe Express Rail service are that it guarantees delivery efficiency and lower transportation costs," Feng said. Before the express rail service, Geely used to send car parts to Minsk through combined sea and road transportation routes. "The rail route is much faster, reducing the time from 40 to 12 days," he said. The Chengdu-Europe Express Rail service, which became operational in April 2013, is the fastest and most frequently used cargo railway route that links the city to European countries, in line with China's Belt and Road Initiative. Stretching over 9,800 km, the service originally ran a weekly freight train from Chengdu to Lodz, an emerging European logistics hub in Poland. It was then expanded to other cities such as Kutno in Poland, Nuremberg in Germany and Tilburg in the Netherlands, and finished trial runs to Istanbul in Turkey last year. One of the most important reasons to build a free trade zone is to promote and facilitate easier trade links and processes. In this regard, the express rail service, which serves as an international logistics corridor linking China and Europe, will play a crucial role in the future development of Sichuan Free Trade Zone, according to the provincial government. In August, Sichuan was approved by the central government to join China's third batch of an eventual seven pilot free trade zones. Preparation is now moving into the final stages, and it is expected that the launch date will be announced within weeks. Dai Bin, head of a research center for regional economy and urban management at Chengdu-based Southwest Jiaotong University, said free trade zones must have the foundation to develop large transportation networks, because they, as platforms that integrate into global economic activities, need to maintain close economic ties with countries around the world. Supported by the express rail service, the Sichuan Free Trade Zone can strengthen cooperation with China's coastal ports, establish more duty-free shops to boost cross-border e-commerce businesses and also better facilitate construction of bonded logistics centers, Dai said. Over the past four years, many companies have benefited from the express rail service, including DHL Express, Lenovo, TCL and Dell. The Chinese consumer electronics company TCL, for example, has used the service to transport 99 percent of the color television components produced at its factories in Chengdu and Huizhou, Guangdong province, since January 2016. The components are taken to the factory in Poland, which is the company's largest such facility in Europe, with an annual production capacity of 2.2 million color TV sets. This year, the company is scheduled to increase its production capacity by an additional 800,000 TV sets at its factory in Chengdu. Components for these TVs will be transported to and assembled in Poland, and the finished sets will be sold throughout Europe. Liang Tiemin, vice-president of TCL Multimedia, said since Chengdu is the starting point of the express rail service, the company plans to make the city its major manufacturing base for TVs to be sold in Europe. Dong Mingzhu, chairwoman of the Chinese household appliance manufacturer Gree, is also very optimistic about Chengdu's strategic position and its market potential, saying her company would locate more projects in the city in future. In 2016, 460 journeys were completed via the express rail service, delivering 73,000 metric tons of goods worth more than $1.3 billion. It is expected to run 1,000 cargo trains to Europe this year. (China Daily 03/09/2017 page18) BERLIN - Germany's foreign minister expressed cautious optimism on Wednesday that Berlin and Ankara may begin to slowly reel diplomatic relations back to normal, following an escalation of tensions that culminated with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accusing Germany of "Nazi practices". Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said talks in Berlin with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, the first face-to-face official meeting since the diplomatic crisis began last week, were "good, honest and friendly, but also hard and contentious". Over the past week, German municipalities have canceled several events in which Turkish Cabinet ministers had planned to address rallies in Germany in support of a national referendum on constitutional reform that would give Erdogan more powers. Officials have cited issues of overcrowding and fire safety, among other things. College student volunteers show their resolution to fight counterfeits and piracy in Anhui province. To increase efficiency in intellectual property protection, the Chinese government has decided to start an integrated enforcement force in piloted cities. [Photo by Wang Biao/China Daily] Deputies of China's top legislature, the National People's Congress, and members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's top political advisory body, called for intellectual property reforms in administrative and judicial systems at their ongoing annual plenary sessions, also known as "the two sessions". Delivering his annual Government Work Report on Sunday, Premier Li Keqiang noted that China will also pilot comprehensive IP administration and improve existing systems concerned with IP creation, protection and usage. The State Council released a policy in December aimed at creating a pilot program for comprehensive IP administration. Under the current system, multiple government departments are involved in IP governance. They include the State Intellectual Property Office, which is in charge of patent administration; the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, which oversees trademark matters; and the National Copyright Administration, which supervises copyright issues. This multi-channel management mechanism is also used by local governments, which needs reform to ensure stronger IP protection and improved government efficiency, according to the policy document. To address the problem, the pilot program will feature an integrated enforcement team, according to industry insiders. The first batch of cities to adopt the pilot program is expected to be announced this March, according to an official familiar with the IP administrative reforms, who spoke on condition of anonymity. SIPO, SAIC and NCA are currently working with other government agencies to finalize the list. Li Xin, a CPPCC National Committee member from Guangdong province in South China, called for the province to be included in the first batch of cities. "Guangdong meets all the requirements for a pilot city stipulated in the policy," Li said. The policy outlined that several cities should feature in the first batch, and they should demonstrate innovative flair, an accelerated pace of economic transformation and marked progress in IP-driven development. Shanghai's Pudong New Area, which is home to a free-trade zone, launched an integrated IP administration and enforcement system in January 2015. The city is also home to one of China's three IP-dedicated courts, with the other two being located in Beijing and Guangzhou. Zhao Wen, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee, who is from Shanghai, suggested extending IP courts' jurisdiction to include criminal cases. Currently, the IP courts are authorized to hear civil and administrative IP cases, which differs from the practice in many other courts, where one team hears the three types of IP cases, Zhao said. Six provincial high courts, 95 city-level intermediate courts and 104 lower-level courts had adopted the integrated practice as of July 2016. "Top policymakers need to place more emphasis on IP case jurisdiction, the structure of administrative departments and discipline in schools in order to improve technological innovation," Zhao said. While Zhao called for existing IP courts to have wider jurisdiction, other members are seeking support for the establishment of new courts. Zhang Jian, an NPC deputy and president of the Anhui High People's Court, said the province will explore the feasibility of setting up an IP court in its 2017 plan for implementing the country's IP-driven development strategy. With rich research resources including the University of Sciences and Technology of China, Hefei, capital of the province, has been named a national pilot innovative city and granted National IP Model City status. It was given approval to become a comprehensive national science center in January, the second such center in the country after Shanghai. The intermediate court in Hefei established its IP tribunal in 1996 and the court in the Hefei State Hi-tech Industry Development Zone is recognized as the province's pioneer of integrated IP legal practices. The two courts have heard nearly half of the province's IP cases, according to Zhang. "To meet the pressing need for both IP protection and the accelerated development of technological innovations, I have suggested establishing an IP court in Hefei," Zhang said. A performer rehearses for the play Neighbors. [Photo provided to China Daily] Play Neighbors, adapted from award-winning writer Jing Yongming's novel Beijing Time, is being staged at Beijing's Chaoyang Culture Center Nine Theaters through March 12. Revolving around families living in a courtyard of a hutong in Beijing, the play takes the audience back to the 1990s of the capital. "You will see the old lifestyle of Beijingers, such as families sharing one water supply line in a courtyard, going to public toilet, and storing cabbages in winter," says the play's director Tang Ye, who is a director of Beijing People's Art Theater. "The sounds you hear are the bicycle bells ringing, doves whistling and children laughing as they play in the hutong. Most importantly, you will listen to Beijing dialect, which is the heart of the city but sadly disappearing now." According to Tang, a Beijing native, what inspired her to turn Jing's novel into a stage play was that the city is losing its character due to rapid urbanization. "Hutong and courtyards are replaced by skyscrapers. The languages you hear on streets are strange," says Tang. "The city has become a metropolis but it's not the same place where I was born and grew up. It's so sad, but it is also inevitable in the fast-paced world." Wang Yanli makes violin parts in a workshop in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan province. [Photo/VCG] Chinese teacher and professional viola maker Wang Yanli has taken home a bronze medal at the Malta International Violin Making Competition. The competition, co-organized by the Malta Central Academy of Arts and Italian National Association of Violin Makers, attracted professional and amateur makers from all over the world competing for the titles of best violins, violas, as well as best cello and bass bows. One viola, more than 100 procedures The instrument Wang used for the Malta competition took her two years to make. From selecting and sawing the wood to shaping and carving, making a viola is a highly complex process. "A high-quality viola needs focused work involving over 100 procedures," Wang told the Chengdu Business Daily when she returned to her hometown in Southwest China's Sichuan. "Every tiny work is crucial." "For example, the wood for the panel needs to be high quality Jezo spruce, while it's better to use maple for the back part. Subtle differences in the materials, such as the hardness or the humidity of the wood, will affect the performance (of the instrument)," Wang explained. Visitors at the Nanjing Biennial. [Photo provided to China Daily] The city of Nanjing is scouting for curators worldwide for its first art biennial due to open on Oct 10, 2018. The Nanjing Biennial is a revamped version of the Nanjing International Art Festival which was launched in 2014. The third edition of the festival concluded on Feb 28 and its theme was "Scarcity and Supply". The works at the festival looked at the process of globalization and how artists addressed them. The festival held at the Baijia Lake Museum showcased around 670 works and attracted more than 310,000 visitors. Yan Lugen, the chairman of Baijia Lake International Culture Investment Group, which initiated the festival, says that it is a difficult undertaking to hold a high quality biennial, but he hopes the biennial will let Nanjing to become more engaged with the world. Tiramisu ice cream [Photo by Wang Yuke/China Daily] Korean dessert brand Kiss the Tiramisu gives this Italian classic a chilly twist as an ice cream. Experience a variety of flavors and textures as you tuck in, layer by layer. Topped with a coating of shaved chocolate chips and cocoa powder, the snowy ice cream isn't overly frozen and almost melts in your mouth. Halfway through, you'll be teased by a smattering of powdered crunchy cookies. The kicker is the mascarpone cheese-flavoured cream underneath, which is aromatically rich. Price: HK$43 Where to eat: Kiss the Tiramisu, Shop 15, R/F, Citylink, Sha Tin Kiss the Tiramisu, Shop 1001A, 1/F, Phase 1, Tuen Mun Town Plaza, Tuen Mun Its GDP surpassed the milestone for the first time in 2016, thanks to advanced industrial expansion driven by internet technologies and infrastructure spending, Zhang Zhao reports. The government of Qingdao, Shandong province, has announced that the city's annual GDP reached 1 trillion yuan ($144.9 billion) last year, becoming the 12th city to achieve this nationwide and the third in northern China after Beijing and Tianjin, joining the ranks of the "trillion-yuan club". Qingdao's GDP surpassed that of more than 100 countries and regions in the world. Its high-tech sectors, including pharmaceuticals, computing and telecommunications, as well as e-commerce, have developed robustly, according to news provider Bloomberg, with the city's service industries growing by 9.2 percent year-on-year and contributing 54.7 percent of the city's GDP in 2016. One of the reasons for Qingdao's economic success amid the wider macroeconomic slowdown is its continuous focus on the real economy, according to local government officials. "It has been proven that economic stability relies on the real economy and we must attach great importance to the real economy at all times," said the city's Party chief Li Qun, who said the local government has also been paying close attention to the optimization of the manufacturing industry. Advancing the modern The government invested nearly 264 billion yuan last year to eliminate outmoded production capacity as part of 436 industrial projects. At the same time, it introduced advanced technology to develop 10 new industrial chains, including machinery equipment, electronics and rail transit, each with at least 100 billion yuan of annual output value. These 10 industries generated a total output of 1.4 trillion yuan in 2016, up 6.4 percent from the year before. Qingdao-based companies have developed CRH380A electric multiple unit trains, pipe-laying ships for deep-sea oil platforms and a heat pump system that extracts heat from sewage and seawater. More than 60 percent of the high-speed train units in China are produced in Qingdao. High-speed train units and high-end machinery equipment have replaced cement and textiles to become the new star products exported from the Qingdao port. In addition, many large industrial projects have been introduced to the city, such as an auto factory of FAW Group and a helicopter assembly facility for Airbus, leading to the development of high-end manufacturing industry chains. The government believes the internet will be key in supporting this industrial development and has introduced many projects from domestic and international IT giants, including Huawei Technologies, Inspur, Hewlett-Packard and Amazon. The annual World Internet+Industry Conference has been held in Qingdao since 2015. Optimized urban planning and integrated use of land and sea resources have helped to achieve the city's trillion yuan GDP, said Sui Yinghui, a researcher at the Qingdao Academy of Social Sciences. The 303-kilometer Qingdao-Rongcheng railway line, which opened on Nov 16 of 2016 as the first intercity express, has joined Qingdao and the nearby cities of Yantai and Weihai in a one-hour circle. "The express will greatly promote the rapid flow of capital, technology and human resources in the area, and facilitate the integrated development of the Shandong Peninsula," said Leng Jing, deputy chief of the urban development institute at the Qingdao Academy of Social Sciences. In 2011, the State Council approved the development plan for a "blue economic zone" on the Shandong Peninsula, where Qingdao is located. The plan was the first in China to focus on an ocean-based economy. The "blue economy' contributed more than one-fourth of Qingdao's GDP last year. The Qingdao West Coast New Area, established in June 2014, is a national-level strategy and home to a number of major industrial chains, each with at least 100 billion yuan in annual industrial output. As the ninth national-level new area, it generated GDP of nearly 290 billion yuan last year, increasing over 12 times from the year before. The Dongjiakou Port in the area has become the world's largest ore port and China's largest crude oil port. The bonded zone in the area has attracted more than 1,000 projects, with investments totaling close to 1 trillion yuan. Global Fortune 500 companies invested in more than 40 related projects last year, taking the total number to 193. The first cross-border e-commerce park in the province started operations last year. The area's import and export volume has exceeded $80 billion over the past for years. Contact the writer at zhangzhao@chinadaily.com.cn Employees work at the Dongjiakou Port, the world's largest ore port and China's largest crude oil port.Photos Provided To China Daily The robust economy and charming environment in Qingdao, Shandong province, have attracted a host of well-known global companies to establish business and headquarters in the coastal city. (China Daily 03/07/2017 page11) The exhibition "Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou", with about 50 pieces of the Yangzhou School of Painting selected by the Shandong Museum, is being held at the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum in Kaohsiung, Taiwan until March 1. The Yangzhou School refers to a group of professional artists who were prolific in the Yangzhou area from the mid Kangxi to the late Qianlong reigns. They stirred the oppressive waters of the traditional Chinese painting world and opened both the minds and eyes of future artists who brought this movement to a greater height of development. The exhibition will help to expand Shandong-Taiwan cultural and academic contacts and exchanges, as well as promote Chinese culture. Exhibitions of ancient Buddhist sutras rubbings and drawings of Confucius sponsored by the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture, as well as an array of exhibitions and artistic performances featuring Shandong cultural traditions such as Niejiazhuang clay sculptures, Laixi puppet, Weifang kites, woodcut New Year pictures, and paper cuttings took place in the Taiwan counties Nantou, Hualien and Taitung during a cross-Straits cultural exchange event from Jan 4 to 15. A group of seven cultural community representatives led by the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture took part in the 2017 Hong Kong International Licensing Show in a bid to motivate the province's cultural creative industries and promote Shandong-Hong Kong cultural exchanges. More than 370 companies from 12 countries and regions took part in the event from Jan 9 to 11. The largest exhibition of its kind in Asia, the show gathered more than 900 projects and brands seeking licensing partners in animation, art, education, entertainment, fashion and catering businesses. A group of 32 members of the Shandong Art Troupe brought their best New Year's wishes to the people of Mongolia with a series of cultural activities and performances. Jointly organized by the Chinese Embassy in Mongolia, the Ulan Bator Chinese Culture Center and the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture, Chinese New Year celebration series was held in Ulan Bator, Mongolia from Jan 18 to 24. The events will help Mongolians better understand Chinese culture and promote bilateral humanities exchanges. Shandong and Mongolia share good cultural and economic cooperation, which the events will expand. A group of 25 members from the Jinan Art Troupe celebrated the Chinese Lunar New Year in Tanzania on Jan 21 with festive Chinese music and dances, acrobatics, magic shows and martial arts performances. More than 4,000 people, including government officials, commercial representatives, local residents, overseas Chinese and members of the media, attended the event. The two-day Chinese New Year's celebration series was jointly organized by the Ministry of Culture, the Chinese Embassy in Tanzania and Tanzania's Ministry of Information Cultural Arts and Sports. The Malabo Cultural Center of Equatorial Guinea was full of festivity as a group of artists from Jinan Art Troupe put on a spectacular Chinese New Year gala on Jan 24 to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year. Organized by the Ministry of Culture, the show marked the fourth time a "Happy Chinese New Year" event had come to Equatorial Guinea. Traditional Chinese dance and music, magic shows, acrobatics and hand-made crafts supplied by the Jinan Art Troupe were well received by the audience in admiration of the expert skills on display. A group of 21 members from the Shandong Art Troupe staged nine performances in Thai cities including a performance at the opening ceremony of the 2017 Happy Chinese New Year gala in Thailand from Jan 23 to Feb 1. The event was part of the "Happy Chinese New Year" project sponsored by the Chinese Culture Ministry to promote Spring Festival practices in other parts of the world. Artists from the Shandong Art Troupe staged several folk dances and dramas with distinctive local features, giving people in Thailand the opportunity to know more about the provinces culture and customs during the Happy Chinese New Year celebrations. The Chinese New Year of the Rooster was celebrated in grand style in Stockholm from Jan 27 to 31, with traditional Chinese handicrafts and artworks supplied by the Shandong Art Troupe. A Spring Festival atmosphere was generated by displays of paper cutting, clay sculpture, calligraphy, folk music and puppet performance, attracting children and adults alike. Lujiazui, a financial hub in Shanghai's Pudong New Area, contributes a great deal to the gathering of financial talents in Pudong. [Photo/IC] Shanghai's Pudong New Area has maintained his lofty position as the city's leading financial hub for professionals, according to industry experts. The conclusion was drawn from Pudong placing first on a list of Shanghai's financial talent distribution index in 2016. The list was released by the Shanghai Institute of Industry Transformation and Development on Feb 24. The gathering of a large number of financial talents in Pudong has been attributed to Shanghai's goal of becoming an international financial center, which enhances Pudong's appeal to leading minds in the world of finance. Pudong has also launched a series of measures aimed at luring talented financial personnel from both China and abroad. Pudong New Area Bureau of Financial Service has established an international financial research and exchange center and has cooperated with top-rated academic institutions such as Harvard University to organize financial training courses. It has also offered financial talents a range of services to make life in Shanghai more attractive, including helping the children of employees gain admittance to local schools, providing health insurance, and temporary housing. Lujiazui, a financial hub in Pudong, has also acted as a great contributor in gathering financial talent. It has developed an annual project to recruit finance graduates from prestigious universities around the world. Last year, the project expanded its presence overseas and made London its first port of call. Lujiazui also launched a London-based financial managers training program to improve the expertise of local financial workers. By Duan Bingde, DRC AT THE ONGOING PLENARY SESSION OF THE 12TH NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS, China's top legislature, in Beijing on Tuesday, two deputies, one from North China's Hebei province and one from Southwest China's Chongqing municipality, proposed raising the monthly individual income tax threshold from 3,500 yuan ($507) to 10,000, and reducing the marginal tax rate, the taxable share of income, from 45 percent to 23 percent for the highest-income group. Beijing News comments: The two proposals, bold and specific, have caught people's attention. If they are adopted and implemented, the government will effectively ease the tax burden on hundreds of millions of middle- and high-income families. However, many people think the rich do not deserve a tax cut, as many of them find ways to evade paying tax on their full incomes. That's an important reason why the current income tax system, in spite of its high tax rate on the rich, has not stopped the country's income gap from widening. Also, the suggested tax reductions would directly affect the government's revenue. The tax authority needs to prudently and rationally calculate the tax rates for people of different income levels. China's personal income tax reform should not only adjust the tax thresholds and tax rates for individuals in different income bands, but also expand the categories for what constitutes taxable income, especially among the rich. That Finance Minister Xiao Jie said the authorities are working on such a reform plan at a news conference on Tuesday has reassured people of the government's resolve to make tax an effective tool for fairer wealth distribution in society. By Meng Chun, DRC DELIVERING THE GOVERNMENT WORK REPORT on Sunday at the opening of the fifth plenary session of the 12th National People's Congress, China's top legislature, Premier Li Keqiang said more should be done to energize the non-public sector. Beijing Youth Daily commented on Wednesday: This year's Government Work Report bodes well for the development of the non-public economy and private capital that contributes much to the country's economic vitality and sustainability. By urging full implementation of policies in favor of private capital, including the pursuit of a healthy, transparent, and incorruptible relationship between governments and entrepreneurs, the report put great emphasis on reducing the institutional barriers to private investors. It also encouraged private enterprises to partake in the ongoing reform of State-owned enterprises, while offering them equal market entry. This should serve as a golden opportunity for private investors aiming to grab a share in sectors such as electricity, gas, transportation, telecommunications, and even the defense industry. In the past few years, a number of public-private partnership projects have been given the cold shoulder by local governments, some of which had a bad credit record and only paid lip service to the requests of private investors. That the latest Government Work Report explicitly requires local governments to carry through their agreements with private investors conveys a message that the promotion of public-private partnerships is likely to pick up. It is estimated that about 800 billion yuan ($116 billion) will be invested in railway construction, 1.8 trillion yuan in road and waterway transportation, and some 15 major water conservancy projects will start construction this year. Tourists ride camels on the Mingsha Sand Dunes during a visit to Crescent Moon Spring on the outskirts of Dunhuang county of northwest China's Gansu province. [Photo/China Daily] This May will witness China seeking viable solutions to the problems facing the global economy at the Beijing-based Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, where over 20 countries' leaders have confirmed their participation. The forum, as Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi said, aims to make sure that the Beijing-led Belt and Road Initiative (the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road) delivers greater benefits to the world. Proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2013, the initiative enters the fourth year and is of great importance to global governance and international endeavor to make globalization more inclusive. At the heart of China's economic rise is infrastructure connectivity, a significant lesson that the Belt and Road forum is expected to promote. China needs the Belt and Road projects to seek closer cooperation with the rest of the world and encourage other developing economies to pursue the development paths that suit them best. The forum is expected to make that clear by alleviating concerns about China's rise. The forum, for starters, will serve as an opportunity for Beijing to explain why it proposed the transnational programs and how it is going to pursue them. The implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative has the potential to build an inclusive global economy and raise the reciprocal spirit at a time when the tide of globalization is turning in a more protectionist direction, because China has not only proposed but also offered constructive plans to help restore its partners' confidence in globalization. In all likelihood, China will accord priority to multilateral negotiations as a missing piece of the puzzle in its promotion of the Belt and Road Initiative, which can be sustainable only when transparent cooperative mechanisms are in place. The Beijing forum should answer the participants' questions about future bilateral and multilateral cooperation, and more importantly, make institutional, concerted efforts to address outstanding concerns of the international community. Another mission of the forum is to reiterate China's commitment to building a community of shared destiny by endorsing landmark development proposals, in particular the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris climate change agreement. Inspired by the United Nations' ambition to achieve shared development through mechanisms such as the Eurasian Land Bridge, the Belt and Road Initiative has the potential to help fulfill that goal. China has signed memorandums on facilitating Belt and Road projects with the UN Development Programme and the World Health Organization, and its grand initiative too has received unequivocal support from the UN, which in a resolution last year urged all member states to join it and protect its overseas operation. In this context, the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation will focus on global economic recovery, rebalancing, renovation and connectivity. As for the future of the Belt and Road Initiative, there is still room for its operation which hitherto will be conducted along the industrial chains based on infrastructure. The potential of the South American market, for instance, remains untapped. Therefore, skeptics of China's dedication to shouldering its responsibility as a rising major power should hear the country out in two months' time. The author is a professor of international relations at Renmin University of China, and a senior researcher at the Center for China and Globalization. CAI MENG/ CHINA DAILY Has China's attempt to promote its culture abroad, particularly in the West, made enough impact? Compared with the prevalence of Western culture in China, both in terms of its influence and the money it generates, it appears China faces a "culture deficit". There is a huge gap between performing a traditional opera for the Chinese community abroad and actually letting local residents know what our culture is really about. My observations are based on my studies and work experiences abroad over two decades. A concrete example that can explain this "culture deficit" is the different nature of difficulties faced by organizers when it comes to using performances to promote the works of, say, William Shakespeare and eminent Chinese playwright Tang Xianzu, both of whom died in the same year. Last year, for example, the governments of China and the United Kingdom co-hosted a series of activities to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the two playwrights' deaths. The idea was to equally promote the two dramatists' works, but the plays of Tang were performed abroad just about 30 times, while those of Shakespeare were staged more than 300 times in China. As a result, fewer people in the UK got to know about Tang and his works. That was not an isolated case, for last year our plays and shows were performed less than 20 times in Russia, while more than 300 Russian shows were staged in China. The cases with movies and books are similar. The key problem behind this phenomenon may be the way we Chinese tell a story. The need therefore is to present Chinese works in a different, perhaps in a more detailed and delicate, way to draw foreign audiences. I plan to submit more concrete proposals on the subject to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee to help Chinese culture make a greater impact on the global stage. The current policy can further facilitate the promotion of Chinese performing arts if applied more appropriately. But since I'm on the panel of judges of the China National Arts Fund, under the Ministry of Culture, which plays a big role in culture promotion, I might formulate a specific proposal this year on how to learn from the experiences of other countries, such as Japan and the United States, to use China's national fund to encourage better quality works to highlight Chinese culture abroad. The fact is, not only foreign audiences are likely to be unaware about Tang, but also many in China have to be educated to truly appreciate his plays. Finding the best way to promote classic Chinese works and cultivating domestic audiences' taste remain critical tasks. As a member of the CPPCC National Committee for the past 15 years, I have learned that a proposal should be gradually adjusted, depending on the public response it draws, as one of my proposalsto include Peking Opera in the primary and secondary school curriculacaused something of a stir. Many people, including some foreign journalists, mistook it as a proposal to introduce "model operas", which is definitely not part of traditional Chinese Peking Opera, in textbooks and an effort to teach students how to perform Peking Opera. I organized a symposium during that year's annual sessions of the CPPCC National Committee and the National People's Congress to hear the suggestions of teachers and parents. And my modified proposal said the school curricula should include materials on Chinese traditional opera, and students should learn only to appreciate Peking Opera, not to perform it. The incident made me realize that more emphasis should be laid on promoting Chinese culture among students as well as among foreign audiences. China has performed wonderfully on many fronts. But it needs more top-level policies to promote its culture. The author is a member of the 12th CPPCC National Committee and dean of the School of Art and Research, Beijing Foreign Studies University. This article is an excerpt from her interview with China Daily's Wu Zheyu. Major general Li Ming leads his formation during the military parade in Beijing, Sept 3, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua] Most of the reactions against the increase in China's military budget this year are nothing but cliches influenced by the "China threat" theory. Although some Western media outlets have mentioned in their reports that the 7 percent increase in China's military budget this year is the lowest in years, they still took a critical stand against China. Their criticisms are largely centered on China's alleged lack of military transparency and ambiguous strategic intention. Some, quoting so-called Western experts, even went to the extent of speculating that there are hidden budget overlays. In recent years, China's defense budget, compared with those of other countries, has drawn excessive attention from overseas, especially Western media outlets. Worse, such unusual interest has been coupled with wild speculations and suspicion, which cannot possibly help the outside world to properly analyze why China is forced to increase its military spending. No one can deny that China's military budget is neither the largest nor the fastest growing in the world. Just days before China announced its annual defense budget, US President Donald Trump sought a 10 percent hike in the US' military spending. Strangely, some Western media reports mentioned the US figure while highlighting China's defense budget, without questioning the US' strategic intention of having a defense budget which is three times bigger than China's. Such a bias against China is deplorable. As a country that has to defend its interests both at home and abroad, China is justified in spending a moderate percentage of its GDP to modernize its military. The growth rate of China's military budget has kept pace with its comprehensive national strength and has been compatible with its GDP growth. This year, China's GDP is projected to grow at 6.5 percent and its defense budget has been raised by 7 percent. In terms of per capita military spending, an important index to gauge a country's defense budget, China's is minimal: it is one-eighteenth that of the United States, one-ninth of Britain, one-fourth of Japan, one-seventh of France and one-fifth of Russia. In contrast, China has the largest population in the world and a territory of about 9.6 million square kilometers to defend. And China has jurisdiction over waters of about 3 million square kilometers. With Chinese interests growing rapidly overseas, the military is also counted on to safeguard the safety of Chinese personnel and properties overseas. Compared with other big countries, China faces more challenges, even threats, in its neighborhood. For example, on Monday, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea test-fired four ballistic missiles, after testing a new type of Pukguksong-2 ballistic missile on Feb 12. And on Monday night, two mobile launchers and many of the equipment needed for deploying the US' Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system reached the Republic of Korea. Which is shocking because both the US and the ROK know that the move will raise tensions on the already tense Korean Peninsula and worsen China's security environment. The decision of Washington and Seoul to deploy the THAAD system will only aggravate tensions and pose a direct threat to China's security. Besides, countries like Japan and Vietnam have repeatedly encroached upon China's maritime interests in the East and South China seas in recent years. And the US regularly sends its aircraft carriers and warships to patrol the disputed waters in the South China Sea under the pretext of defending the "freedom of navigation". Any country facing challenges similar to those faced by China will need to build up a stronger military so that it can respond timely and effectively to possible conflicts instigated by irresponsible neighbors or the only superpower. Those who rack their brains to find faults with China for its defense budget are barking up the wrong tree. Instead, they should expose the intentions of the countries that have wittingly or otherwise worsened China's security environment. The author is a senior writer with China Daily. wanghui@chinadaily.com.cn A man walks past the podium at the Belt and Road summit in Hong Kong May 18, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] All eyes are on China's ongoing two sessions, seeking clues about the future. The meeting is also likely to look ahead for international cooperation. As China prepares to convene world leaders and members of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) for the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing this May, the geopolitical ground is shifting ever further in support of this initiative. Already the many planned projects to connect the many countries of the Eurasian mega-continent together represent the largest coordinated infrastructure investment program in world history. What is more, over the past several years, European trade with Asia -- meaning the Eurozone countries trade volumes with China, India, Japan, South Korea, ASEAN and Australia -- has grown larger than Europes trade with the United States. It has long been taken for granted that the US-EU transatlantic trade relationship is the worlds largest commercial area, and a foundational aspect of the Western alliance alongside NATO. But as I have written in Connectography, culture across the Atlantic now competes with connectivity across Eurasia. Indeed, European countries, such as Germany, which have even larger trade surpluses as a share of GDP than China, are very keen to continue their industrial export driven model because fast-growing Asian economies are very strong customers for their high-quality goods. Hence Germanys leaders are not listening to the US Trump administration on issues such as joining AIIB or on revising their economic policy. In the reverse direction, China has increased its foreign investment in Germany faster than to any other country. This has much to do with the very high quality of German engineering tools, machinery and other products. As a scholar of both German and Chinese political models, I have long argued that China can strongly benefit from Germanys experience and lessons in social democracy, industrial quality, sustainable urbanization, welfare state policies and other aspects of governance. It is perhaps not well-known in China that the phase Silk Roads originates with the German Friedrich von Richthofen, who spoke of the Seidenstrasse in 1832. The emergence of this Euro-Asian axis validates my fundamental thesis that geopolitical relations are driven less by ideology and culture than by economic complementarities of supply and demand. In geopolitical discourse it is often argued that security is the worlds most important global public good, and that Americas alliance system has been the foremost provider of it. Today, however, dozens of countries in Eurasia feel that infrastructure is the most important public good -- and China is the leading provider of it. The American security role and Chinese infrastructure role should not be seen as rival public goods. To the contrary, they are highly complementary. I believe that a world order in which American, European and Chinese economies work in tandem while their resources help develop the markets and societies of the rest of the world is as close as one can imagine in geopolitics to the stars aligning. We must all work together towards that vision of a world of symmetry rather than hierarchy. The connective infrastructure across the Eurasian landmass, as well as the maritime Silk Road developments across the Indian Ocean, enable a thriving Eurasian and African commercial expansion that encompasses more than two-thirds of the worlds population. However, to fully achieve the potential of these regions in the 21st century will require much more continued investment in the rapidly urbanizing societies across the developing world. This is the main ambition of the Belt and Road Initiative and it is an effort in which all countries of the world should actively participate. Parag Khanna is a senior fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. He is author of Connectography: Mapping the Future of Global Civilization. Vietnam's seaside city Nha Trang is among the hot destinations for Chinese visitors.[Photo provided to China Daily] Over 20 travel agencies in Vietnam's south central coastal Nha Trang city have planned to gather into a "welcome club" for Chinese tourists in order to better deal with the influx of visitors from China. Nha Trang in Vietnam's Khanh Hoa province has emerged as a favorable destination for Chinese holidaymakers, who bring revenue to the Vietnamese city, surpassing Russian travelers, reported local VNExpress online newspaper on Thursday. The travel agencies have discussed plans to form the welcome club for Chinese tourists to ensure tourism quality, prevent price hike and unfavorable behavior towards tourists. Nguyen Van Thanh, vice chairman of Nha Trang Tourism Association, said on VNExpress on Thursday that the establishment of the club will ensure a healthy competition environment among local travel agencies, increasing business efficiency, stability and preventing price hikes levied on foreign tourists. In January 2017, Khanh Hoa's international tourist arrivals rose 180 percent year-on-year to hit 163,000 person-times. Among the figure, more than 102,000 Chinese visitors spent their holidays in Khanh Hoa in January, presenting a massive 374 percent increase over the same period last year. A federal judge on Wednesday said the state of Hawaii could file an amended complaint against President Donald Trump's new executive order temporarily banning the entry of refugees and travelers from six Muslim-majority countries. US District Court Judge Derrick Watson in Hawaii said the state could add to its initial lawsuit, which had challenged Trump's original ban signed in January. The state is claiming the revised ban signed by the president on Monday violates the US Constitution. It is the first legal challenge to the revised order. The state of Hawaii will ask the court on Wednesday to put an emergency halt to Trump's new order, according to a court schedule signed by the judge. A hearing is set for March 15, a day before the new ban is to go into effect. The revised travel order changed and replaced an original, more sweeping ban issued on Jan 27 that caused chaos and protests at airports and was challenged in more than two dozen lawsuits around the country. A federal judge in Seattle put the first order on hold, in a decision upheld by an appeals court in San Francisco. The new order is much more narrowly tailored. It keeps a 90-day ban on travel to the United States by citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, but excludes Iraq and applies the restriction only to new visa applicants. It also removed an indefinite ban on all refugees from Syria. Legal experts have said court challenges will be more difficult now because changes to the order give exemptions to more people. Hawaii claims its state universities would be harmed by the order because they would have trouble recruiting students and faculty. It also says the island state's economy would be hit by a decline in tourism. Immigration advocates have said the new ban, like the original one, discriminates against Muslims. The government says the president has wide authority to implement immigration policy and says the travel rules are necessary to protect against terrorist attacks. Reuters Foreign Minister Wang Yi discusses China-US ties at a news conference during the annual session of the National People's Congress in Beijing on Wednesday. Feng Yongbin / China Daily 'Effective communication' shapes steady change, foreign minister says Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday that the China-US relationship is "transitioning steadily and developing in a positive direction" thanks to intense communication and joint efforts made by the two nations. This includes "effective communication" such as conversations between their presidents and other high-level exchanges, Wang said at a news conference during the ongoing two sessions in Beijing. "There is no reason why China and the US couldn't become excellent partners, as long as we act on the consensus reached by our presidents and follow the principles of no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation," he said. High-level contacts in the past month included a phone conversation between President Xi Jinping and his United States counterpart, Donald Trump, who took office on Jan 20. Wang noted that the two leaders affirmed the importance of upholding the one-China policy and stressed greater development of the relationship based on a new starting point. Following the phone conversation between Xi and Trump, Wang met with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and State Councilor Yang Jiechi visited Washington, meeting Trump and having talks with major diplomatic policymakers. The US State Department said on Tuesday that Tillerson will visit Beijing on March 18 to discuss China-US relations and multilateral issues. Tillerson is a good listener and good communicator, Wang said. "I hope and believe we can establish a good working relationship and work together to realize a normal development of China-US relations." Wang said the two countries should rise above their differences in social systems and the zero-sum mentality. The mutual need for cooperation is much larger than the differences, he noted. "We should put our efforts into enlarging our shared interests rather than building our success at the expense of others, because it's just not possible," he added. Tension is running high on the Korean Peninsula as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea launched ballistic missiles on Monday amid the ongoing joint military drills by the US and the Republic of Korea, seen as posing great security pressure on the DPRK. When asked about the soaring tension, Wang said China suggested "dual suspension" as the first step for tackling the peninsular crisis. That would mean Pyongyang suspending its nuclear and missile tests and suspension of the large-scale joint military drills by Seoul and Washington, Wang said. He said the two sides are like "two accelerating trains heading toward each other with neither side willing to give way". "Are the two sides really ready for a head-on collision? Our priority now is to flash a red light and apply the brakes," Wang added. Wang said there is still a chance to resume the Six-Party Talks about the nuclear issue, and there is hope for peace. "Nuclear weapons will not bring security, and the use of force is no solution," he said. Wang said both fulfilling sanctions and promoting talks are part of the efforts to implement the United Nations Security Council's resolutions on the issue, and the two tracks should proceed simultaneously. China will continue to be "a railway switchman" to shift the issue back on the track of seeking settlement through negotiations, Wang said. The lobby of the CIA Headquarters Building is pictured in Langley, Virginia, US on August 14, 2008.[Photo/Agencies] WASHINGTON - US federal authorities have launched a criminal investigation into WikiLeaks' publication of documents about the hacking tools used by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to break into cell phones, computer operating systems and even smart TVs, US media reported on Wednesday. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and CIA are coordinating on the probe, CNN said, citing several US officials as its sources. "The investigation is looking into how the documents came into WikiLeaks' possession and whether they might have been leaked by an employee or contractor," the news network said. "The CIA is also trying to determine if there are other unpublished documents WikiLeaks may have." USA Today reported that a separate review will attempt to assess the damage caused by such a disclosure. At a new briefing on Wednesday, White House spokesman Sean Spicer would not confirm the authenticity of the documents, but said the leaks coming out "should be a major concern." "This is the kind of disclosure that undermines our country, our security, and our well being," Spicer said. "Anybody who leaks classified information will be held to the highest degree of law. We will go after people who leak classified information. We will prosecute them to the full extent of the law." WikiLeaks on Tuesday released thousands of documents that it said revealed "the entire hacking capacity of the CIA" and "have been circulated among former US government hackers and contractors in an unauthorized manner", one of whom provided them to WikiLeaks. The anti-secrecy organization said by the end of 2016, the CIA's Center for Cyber Intelligence had over 5,000 people and had produced more than 1,000 hacking tools that can target "Apple's iPhone, Google's Android and Microsoft's Windows and even Samsung TVs, which are turned into covert microphones." By Ai Heping in New York | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2017-03-09 08:58 File photo of former Utah governor Jon Huntsman. [Photo/VCG] Former US ambassador to China and Utah governor Jon Huntsman has reportedly been offered the US ambassadorship to Russia. Huntsman, who served as former President Barack Obama's ambassador to China, was offered the position earlier this week. Huntsman will submit paperwork to accept the role, according to Politico. Earlier this month there were reports that Huntsman was in talks to serve as the deputy secretary of state. Huntsman served as ambassador to Singapore under President George H.W. Bush and then to China under President Barack Obama. He was an outspoken critic of US President Donald Trump during last year's campaign. Huntsman did not respond to a request from for comment, Politico said. KUALA LUMPUR - A final report on the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 will be released in the months ahead, an investigation team said on Wednesday, the third anniversary of one of the most mysterious aviation incident in history. The investigation team is working towards finalizing its analysis and findings on eight relevant factors, which include diversion from flight plan route, flight crew profile, wreckage and impact information and aircraft cargo consignment, said the Malaysian arm of the International Civil Aviation Organization. "With the aircraft wreckage and flight recorders still not found, there is a significant lack of vital evidence available" to determine why the plane diverted from its planned route, said the report. After scouring over 120,000 square km in the southern Indian Ocean, the three major countries participating in the search, Malaysia, China and Australia suspended the search on Jan 17. It was decided that the operation will not be restarted unless credible new information surfaced. Speaking at the Malaysian Parliament on Wednesday, Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said, "The suspension is by no means the end" in their commitment to find closure to this tragedy. The Boeing 777 plane carrying 239 people disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014. An Afghan man cries outside a military hospital at the site of blast and gunfire in Kabul, Afghanistan March 8, 2017. [Photo/Agencies] KABUL -- A deadly terrorist attack against a military hospital in Afghanistan's capital of Kabul, for which the Islamic State (IS) outfit claimed responsibility, has drawn wide condemnation. More than 30 people were killed and over 50 others wounded after four suicide bombers struck Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan Hospital in fortified Wazir Akbar Khan diplomatic district Wednesday morning, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani denounced the bloody attack as a coward terrorist act and vowed that Afghan government won't talk to terrorists, who are killing the innocent people of Afghanistan. "According to international humanitarian laws, hospitals are immune from attacks. The Wednesday's terrorist attack clearly evinces that terrorists don't follow any rules and laws," the president said in a statement. Among the casualties were doctors, patients and civilian staff of the 400-bed hospital, according to the defense ministry statement. President Ghani also ordered concerned security entities to bring to justice all those involved in the heinous crime besides instructing the health authorities to provide best medical treatment for the wounded. Afghan government's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) also condemned the deadly attack in its strongest terms. "This morning, attackers reportedly disguised as medical doctors detonated a suicide body-borne IED at the entrance gate to the hospital, after which several attackers armed with AK-47s, grenades and suicide vests entered the facility. The armed attackers proceeded to target patients and medical workers before Afghan security forces ended the assault. SEOUL - South Korea's constitutional court said Wednesday that it will make a final ruling on President Park Geun-hye's impeachment later this week. The ruling on whether to permanently remove Park from office or reinstate her will be made at 11 a.m. local time (0200 GMT) on Friday, the court said on its website. It will be broadcast live as public attention is centered on the impeachment. The pleading sessions had also been aired live through the court's website. The motion to impeach President Park was passed on Dec 9 through the National Assembly by an overwhelming support. If six out of the eight justices uphold the motion, Park will be forced out of office. If more than three judges reject the bill, Park will be reinstated immediately. The ruling date was set on Friday as the acting chief justice is scheduled to retire next Monday. Former chief judge retired on Jan 31. A presidential election must be held in 60 days if the impeachment is upheld. Park would then be subject to indictment and detention as she loses the immunities as head of state. Special prosecutors, who had investigated the corruption scandal embroiling President Park for 70 days, identified Park as an accomplice to her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil for multiple charges including bribery. Choi is now in custody for meddling in state affairs behind the scenes and peddling undue influence for personal gains. MANILA - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte named on Thursday a new acting foreign minister, barely a day after the Commission on Appointment (CA) rejected the appointment of Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay over his citizenship issue. Duterte named Foreign Undersecretary Enrique Manalo, an experienced career diplomat, according to a text message by Duterte's spokesman Ernesto Abella. Abella said Manalo will hold the position until Duterte names a new foreign secretary. "Manalo is an excellent transition man, and has been on top of many crucial issues together with (Yasay)," Abella said. In a memorandum sent to Manalo, acting Executive Secretary Menardo Guevara said: "Upon the instruction of the President and for the purpose of ensuring the continuous and effective delivery of public service, you are hereby designated as Acting Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs until a permanent replacement is appointed or until otherwise directed by the Office." UN secretary general Antonio Guterres speaks during a press conference in Nairobi to call for more funding support to UN peacekeeping missions and humanitarian programs in Africa. [Photo by Lucie Morangi/chinadaily.com.cn] The United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres has called on nations to up spending for peace and security programs arguing global stability hangs on the effectiveness of these missions in conflict-ridden areas. Gutteres noted that emerging trends show networks behind these conflicts are closely interconnected and under-funding regional peacekeeping missions such as the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) handicaps their efforts to stamp out terrorism. "I am optimistic that the international community would prioritize this, for it is in their best interest," Guterres said while concluding a two-day visit in Kenya. He urged the donor community to support the UN's build-up operations in response to emerging issues driven by extremist groups such as Boko Hram in North Eastern Nigeria and Al Shabaab in Somalia. The secretary-general added that the UN is building up its capacity to ensure that these programs are run efficiently and cost-effectively. "We want to build the confidence of all our member countries that support our programs by contributing their troops." He admitted that some peacekeeping missions may be scaled down in areas that are now relatively stable such as Darfur in South Sudan, while other areas will see an increase. Gutteres arrived in Kenya on Sunday for talks on regional issues, particularly hunger, famine and insecurity facing the horn of Africa. Notably, his tour focused on challenges faced by Somalia, South Sudan, Nigeria and Yemen. He said that the combination of prolonged drought and conflict has aggravated the humanitarian situation in these countries prompting the UN to launch a $4 billion aid appeal last month for the four nations. Somalia alone needs $825 million to respond to its food crisis. Gutteres expressed dismay at the humanitarian crisis experienced by nearly half the population in Somalia. He was, however, optimistic that the situation can be reversed through the strong support of the international community. Pledges have been made, but the UN chief said more is needed. "Somalia urgently needs humanitarian aid, for the AMISOM force in the country to be adequately equipped and thirdly for the new leadership to be supported." The new Somalia administration, led by President Mohamed Abdullahi, is committed to rebuilding the country and there are plans underway to put tax stems in place, Gutteres said. "But for their development plans to materialize, they need to strongly engage with the international community. " Gutteres said supporting AMISOM will boost the government's mandate to restore its state functions. "Somalia is already receiving support from its neighbors and the African Union. The international community needs to proactively step in and support its transformation." Earlier in the day, the UN leader met Kenya's president Uhuru Kenyatta where he commended the east African country's effort to maintain peace and security in the region. The exhibition booth of the Ministry of Land and Resources of China is showcased at the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) 2017 convention in Toronto on Monday. NA LI / CHINA DAILY Perhaps Chinese mining companies in Canada should consider taking minority stakes in Canadian companies instead of acquiring them. That was the takeaway at a mining forum on Monday in Toronto. "Acquisition of interests in a Canadian public mining company is often a key step to acquiring mining interests throughout the world," said Fred Pletcher, chairman of National Mining Group, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP. Pletcher spoke to delegates of Chinese mining industry at the 2017 Chinese Mining Investment Forum. The forum coincided with the first day of the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) convention, the premier international event for the mineral industry in Toronto, where optimism was voiced that the industry would rebound after a couple years' slump. The forum hosted by the Canada China Chamber of Commerce (CCCC) and the China Mining Association (CMA) focused on the Belt and Road strategy and Chinese mining investment opportunities. Keith Spence, president of Global Mining Capital Corp and chairman of PDAC International, suggested that Chinese investors in Canada could learn from Japan's 1970s approach in which he said it was "not necessary" to take majority ownership of the Canadian companies. The Japanese model that was developed to invest in Canadian resources companies started was involved not only in taking controlling interests, but smaller stakes, ranging from 15 percent to 30 percent. "But still having contracted a lot of Canadian companies to sell off-take commodities to the Japanese companies, many Japanese investors have been remained 20-plus years with successful operations," Spence said. Here is how Investopedia.com describes off-take commodities: "An off-take agreement is an agreement between a producer of a resource and a buyer of a resource to purchase or sell portions of the producer's future production." "Canada is rich in mineral resources, has an open and transparent policy and a prosperous mining capital market," said Cao Jie, managing director of CMA. "There are complementary advantages in mining resources and the stock market between Canada and China," said Li Aihua, president of CCCC. NEW YORK A new statue of a resolute young girl staring down Wall Street's famous Charging Bull was erected by a major asset managing firm for International Women's Day to make a point: There's a dearth of women on the boards of the largest US corporations. State Street Global Advisors, the Boston-based investment giant, had the statue created to push companies to increase the number of women directors. Artist Kristen Visbal's "Fearless Girl" drew crowds Wednesday that initially came to pose for pictures with the bull, but the novelty quickly became a New York hot spot. The girl is sculpted in bronze, her hands firmly planted on her waist, ponytailed head held high. "Know the power of women in leadership. SHE makes a difference," reads a plaque at her feet. "As a steward of nearly $2.5 trillion of assets, we want to engage with boards and management around issues that we think will drive core results," said Lori Heinel, State Street's deputy global chief investment officer. "And what you find repeatedly is having more diverse boards and more diverse senior management will actually drive better results for companies."Twenty-five percent of the Russell 3000 a broad index of US companies have no women on their boards, according to State Street, which manages many of their assets. According to ISS Analytics, a business research firm, just 16 percent of board seats on companies in the Russell 3000 are held by women; the average board of directors has eight men and one woman. "It's going to happen to the end of time unless you change something," says Erik Gordon, a lawyer and professor at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. "It's got to not just be the rules. It's got to be the culture."State Street has three women on an 11-member board. Heinel said her company also will urge those in Great Britain and Australia to add women to their leadership. One man working in corporate America needed no convincing. Chandrasekar Sundaram says a woman is the CEO of the company he works for in Texas, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and has quite a few women reporting to her. "But when it gets to 50 percent, that's when I think it'll be right," said Sundaram, a Dallas resident and native of India who was visiting New York with his family with the Charging Bull as one of their stops. The mammoth bronze was a "guerrilla art" act, dropped in the middle of the night in Bowling Green Park in 1989 without permission, by an artist who created it as a symbol of Americans' survival energy following the 1987 stock market crash. The city gave its permission for the bull to remain. This week, McCann New York, a top advertising agency, installed the statue of the girl before dawn Tuesday with a city permit for one week. Negotiations are underway for the piece to remain longer. Why choose the Charging Bull as the site to place the girl? "Well, we really wanted the bull to have a partner, and a partner that we thought was worthy of him," Heinel said. "And so we got a very determined young woman who is fearless and is willing to drive the change that we believe we need."Sundaram's 8-year-old daughter, Sankaribriya, got the message. She wanted to pose with the sculpted girl "because I just wanted to look at her and wanted to feel like her."Associated Press Markets Writer Marley Jay contributed to this report. AP MELBOURNE - Australian police on Thursday urged fans of Justin Bieber and their parents to stay vigilant on the internet, after they filed charges over more than 900 child sex offences against a man who impersonated the popstar online. Bieber, a 23-year-old Canadian with more than 92 million followers on social network Twitter, ranked among Forbes' most powerful celebrities from 2011 to 2013, is visiting Australia on his Purpose World Tour. Queensland police had already charged the 42-year-old man with serious offences related to possession of child exploitation material and use of the internet and social media to groom those younger than 16. But an examination of his computer led to the filing of an additional 931 charges against the man, who has not been named by police. Police alleged the man used online platforms such as Facebook and Skype to communicate with victims and seek explicit images from young children, in offences dating from 2007. A lot of child exploitation material was found on his computer, they added. "The fact that so many children could believe they were communicating with this particular celebrity highlights the need for a serious rethink about the way we educate our children about online safety," Jon Rouse, an official of a police taskforce to fight child exploitation online, said. The incident highlights both the vulnerability of children using social media and communication applications and the global reach and skill child sex offenders have in luring victims, he said in a statement. A lawyer who represented the man in November, at the time initial charges were filed, did not answer his telephone on Thursday. Bieber will be playing in Melbourne this week before moving to Sydney and Brisbane next week. Reuters Events and stories coming up in the next few days Experts sharing social media insights with UK businesses People who do business with China and want to learn how to connect with customers via social media can learn more about it at a seminar at the Radisson Blu St Helen's Hotel on Stillorgan Road, in Dublin, Ireland, on Thursday. The session is being organized by Emerald Media and Trinity College Chinese Alumni. Speakers will include Yue Xiaoyong, China's ambassador to Ireland, Erin Zhang, chief editor at Emerald Media, Eugenia Siapera, senior lecturer at Dublin City University, and others. Students offered career advice for Chinese week The third-annual Manchester Chinese Business Week will continue on Thursday, with Career Perspectives for International Students in Room 1.218 of University Place. Speakers from the University of Manchester Career Services will offer advice, along with representatives from the N8 research group, and Career Interactive UK. They will talk about job-hunting, preparation of CVs and interview techniques. Officials to outline plans for additional free-trade zones A media briefing will be held in Beijing on Saturday about the government's plans to set up a new cluster of free-trade zones. The latest Government Work Report, unveiled by Premier Li Keqiang on Sunday, calls for the establishment of 11 free-trade zones this year alone. The first such zone was created in Shanghai in 2013. Special day supports splash of green across the nation National Tree-Planting Day will be observed on Sunday. It is an annual campaign designed to promote tree planting and fight against desertification. Volunteers have planted tens of billions of trees since the government first encouraged participation in such activities in 1981. Events are planned throughout China. Britain's optimistic growth projections outlined by Chancellor Philip Hammond on Wednesday gave Chinese investors confidence in future United Kingdom projects, with infrastructure, healthcare, and regional development key sectors worthy of interest, analysts said. They reacted on Wednesday, after Hammond announced that the British economy had shown "robust growthas the UK began its exit from the European Union. Christopher Bovis, a professor of European and international business law at the University of Hull, said the budget's commitment to infrastructure and technology development makes the UK more attractive for Chinese investment, because those are key sectors where China and the UK can achieve great synergy. "These investments are the ingredients for the resilience of the UK economy post-Brexit," he said. The chancellor announced more than 500 million pounds ($608 million) for infrastructure, technology and training to "start to close"the productivity gap between Britain and its competitors. Meanwhile, the UK's reduction of corporation tax to 17 percent by 2020 was also attractive for Chinese investors, Bovis said. Simon Bevan, head of the China Britain Services Group at accountancy firm Grant Thornton, added that the budget's emphasis on education and healthcare could inspire more Chinese companies to invest in the sectors. "The budget's emphasis on sectors for government investment, like education and social care, could mean Chinese entrance into those sectors could strategically realize benefits. There may be more opportunities for Chinese companies to invest in those sectors, and bring lessons back to China, which also has a big market for sectors such as social care," said Bevan. In the social care sector, the government will provide 2 billion pounds of funding between 2017 and 20, to help ensure people receive the social care they need and to reduce pressure on the National Health Service. It will also invest a further 425 million pounds on improving local NHS services and supporting accident-and-emergency improvement. Despite the rosy picture the UK budget offered, Bevan said it highlights some areas that Chinese companies should be wary of. For example, the UK government's emphasis on raising living standards for British citizens should also be taken into consideration by Chinese companies in their treatment of local employees. "They should recognize the importance of ensuring employee satisfaction, especially because Brexit means their employees could increasingly be UK local employees, who are increasingly aware of their rights," said Bevan. (Photo : Getty Images. ) The Chinese ride-sharing company Didi Chuxing has opened first big office in U.S after it opened an R&D centre on Thursday in Mountain View, California. Advertisement Chinese ride-sharing company Didi Chuxing seems to be getting very serious about its global ambitions, after it slayed the American ride-sharing giant the Uber in Chinese market last year. Didi's soaring confidence is justified considering that acquiring Uber's China business was not a small achievement by any measure. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The high flying ride sharing company on Thursday opened a new research and development centre - DiDi Labs - in Mountain View, California. What is so special about this R&D centre is that this is probably the first physical office that Didi has opened outside China. The Chinese company's pivot project will work towards creating an intelligent transportation ecosystem that intends to take consumer's riding experience to a whole new level. The DiDi Labs will work in critical areas of cloud-based security, deep learning, human-machine interaction, computer vision and imaging. The company has specifically stated that unlike scores of start-ups in Mountain View its lab won't focus on making driverless or self driving vehicles. Instead it will only focus on Artificial intelligence and how it can be leveraged for creating a superior riding experience, meaning that the lab won't just work on cyber security. The important thing to highlight here is that Didi is not pursuing this ambitious project all alone. It has collaborated with top five ride hailing companies, in which Didi apparently owns substantial stakes. These companies are Uber's U.S. rival Lyft, Southeast Asian ride-hailing service Grab, India's Ola Cabs and Brazil's 99 services. "As the world's leading mobility platform, DiDi has invested in five industry leaders around the world. Building on rich data and fast-evolving AI analytics, we will be working with cities and towns to build intelligent transportation ecosystems for the future," said Cheng Wei, founder, chairman and CEO of Didi Chuxing in a press statement. All the projects in Didi Labs will be supervised by Dr. Fengmin Gong, the vice president of the Didi Research Institute. Gong, who is a leading information security scientist, played a pivotal role in building this research centre after his firm, AssureSec, was acquired by Didi in September last year. Another high profile hire of Didi Labs is Charlie Miller, who was senior engineer at Uber's autonomous driving division. Miller quit Uber after working on the self-driving project for nearly 18 months. Miller's cyber security skills came into prominence after he and his partner, Chris Valasek, hacked a Jeep and successfully identified number of security vulnerabilities in the vehicle. Advertisement TagsDidi Chuxing, china, Uber, Didi Chuxing and Uber (Photo : Getty Images. ) U.S has rebuffed China's latest proposal on North Korea that called on the U.S and South Korea to stop their military war games in exchange of Pyongyang halting its controversial nuclear program. Advertisement U.S has unilaterally dismissed China's latest proposal on North Korea that called on the U.S and South Korea to stop their joint military exercises in exchange of Pyongyang halting its controversial nuclear program. The U.S quipped that comparing both the deals is like comparing 'apples and oranges.' Like Us on Facebook Advertisement "What we're doing in terms of our defence co-operation with South Korea is in no way comparable to the blatant disregard that North Korea has shown with respect to international law," said U.S. state department spokesman Mark Toner. Instead of settling for a bargain, he said the US needed to look for new strategies to deal with the North Korea issue since all the previous efforts in this direction have fallen short. The US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, also re-asserted that the U.S government was "re-evaluating how to handle North Korea going forward" and assertively added that "all options were on the table." She was speaking on the sidelines of U.N Security Council's emergency meeting on Wednesday that was called in response to Pyongyang's series of missile tests that were conducted earlier this week. Haley was especially critical about North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-un. "We are not dealing with a rational person," Haley told reporters. "It is an unbelievable, irresponsible arrogance that we are seeing coming out of Kim Jong-un at this time." She also reassured China that the deployment of THAAD missile in the Korean peninsula won't pose any security threat to the Asian giant. China's Foreign Minister Proposed Latest North Korea Proposal China's proposal on North Korea's missile program came from its Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who was evidently frustrated over its communist ally's latest missile tests. Wang compared North Korea and the U.S tussle with the classic 'colliding train situation,' claiming that if neither parties budged the trains will most certainly collide to result in undesirable situation. "Are the two sides really ready for a head-on collision? Our priority now is to flash the red light and apply the brakes on both trains," he added. The latest North Korea conundrum started after the reclusive communist state test fired four ballistic missiles towards the Sea of Japan on Monday. The tests expectedly drew widespread criticisms from the international community, which was already aghast over another missile test that was conducted barely a month earlier. Meanwhile, the U.S and South Korea have completed almost all the formalities for deploying the THAAD missile near the North Korean border. The impending deployment of the anti-U.S missile system has already set stage for fresh tensions in the Korean peninsula. Advertisement TagsNorth Korea, China and North Korea, North Korea Missile Program, china, China and U.S. A priest in the Orthodox Church in the country of Georgia has been accused of attempting to poison the personal secretary of the Churchs Patriarch. Archpriest Giorgi Mamaladze reportedly attempted to poison the Georgian Patriarchs personal secretary with cyanide in order to gain a greater position of power within the church. The Patriarch was in Berlin at the time of the attempted murder, undergoing gallbladder surgery. His secretary, Shorena Tetruashvili, was with him. Mamaladze was arrested on February 10 at Tbilisi International Airport where cyanide was found in his luggage, according to Christian Today. A witness to Mamaladzes poisoning attempt, Irakli Mamaladze (no known relation), testified that the priest had attempted to bribe him into selling him potassium cyanide in exchange for a good position within the church. Irakli Mamaladze did not sell Giorgi Mamaladze the poison, but instead recorded their meetings, which has now been used as evidence against Giorgi. In court, Mamaladze has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder. If convicted, he will face a prison sentence of between seven and 15 years. Mamaladze serves as the director general of the Georgian Patriarchates St. Joachim and Ana Medical Center, as well as the deputy head of the Patriarchates property management service. Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com Publication date: March 9, 2017 Two churches in the Rowland Heights area of Southern California gathered together for a joint night of worship on Friday, as leaders of the congregation highlighted the significance of unity in the body of Christ. It doesnt take much to know that we have a divided nation, said Pastor Soon Teck Lee, the lead English ministry pastor at Rowland Heights Christian Community Church (RHCCC), at which the worship night took place. Addressing the congregation of some 100 members from RHCCC and The Home Church, Lee said that in contrast to the division that may be evident today, Christians are already united by Jesus. We are not supposed to create the unity in fact, that unity has already been made, he said. Jesus, by dying on the cross, he has broken down the wall of hostility and has brought us together as one body. Lee added that having joint worship services like this one demonstrates that unity, and that churches need each other to do Gods work. No church however gifted, however big is an island entire of its own, said Lee. We need every one of these churches to be healthy and strong and to reach out. The joint worship night is a result of a gathering of pastors from four churches in the Rowland Heights area that has taken place on a regular basis for about six months, according to Pastor Mitchell Perez of The Home Church. We have formed relationships with some of the fellow English Ministry pastors in the area and a few months ago we talked about doing a Combined Night of Worship for the purpose of bringing our congregations together to glorify God, display the unity, and diversity in the gospel, said Perez. I think its important for our churches to understand how God is working through surrounding Jesus-loving churches around us, he added. The churches come from differing denominational backgrounds as well, including Nazarene, Baptist, and Methodist denominations. Those who attended the joint worship service which included a diverse age representation, with children, teens, young adults, and adults in their later years heard messages from both Lee and Perez. Praise bands from both churches led the congregation into worship. Attendees also gathered in smaller groups of people from both churches to pray together for God to continue to use our churches to make disciples, for God to use us to help lost people find Jesus in our jobs, schools, families, and friends, for God to give pastors wisdom and boldness in leading our churches, and for the city of Rowland Heights and those in the city who dont know Jesus. Perez, who shared a message on spiritual warfare, said that prayer is the very means by which Christians can join in the spiritual realm and the spiritual battles that are taking place. God sovereignly works through our prayers, he said. Korean pastors in Los Angeles visited the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD)s Olympic Community Police Station and hosted a barbecue on March 2 to express gratitude and appreciation. On behalf of the Korean community, I want to say thank you to our police officers who are serving in Koreatown, said Sam Shin, the vice president of the Southern California Korean Ministers Association. When My Utmost for His Highest first appeared in the United States, in 1935, few could have predicted that the little book of daily readings would become a defining text of American evangelicalism. Its author was an obscure Scottish preacher who had died youngnearly 20 years earlier (this year marks the 100th anniversary of his death)and who was mostly unknown and unpublished on American soil. Yet Utmost swiftly won a following among American evangelicalsand not just any following. Among the books earliest readers were Billy Graham, Bill Bright, and Henrietta Mears. Bill Wilson and Bob Smith, the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous, started early group meetings by reading from the book. The association with prominent Evangelical figures would continue through the decades: Jerry Falwell is remembered as a devotee, and George W. Bush has spoken often of his love of the book. But it isnt just the famous names that account for Utmosts lasting popularity. That honor belongs primarily to the millions of readers who have incorporated the book into their daily time of devotion. Giving copies to their family members and friends, they have passed Utmost down through the generations, establishing it as a trusted spiritual guide. Growing Up with Utmost Like many Evangelical children, I was raised to trust Utmost, and to read it as part of my daily quiet time with God. In the house in Dallas, Texas, where I spent my childhood, there were always copies of it lying around. This was thanks to my grandmother, who, upon seeing a five-for-two special one Sunday at the church bookstore, had taken the lot. When I was 15, she gave one of these copies to me. My first impression of Utmost was that ... 1 I had the privilege or reading a pre-release version of "God Shines Forth: How the Nature of God Shapes and Drives the Mission of the Church." Here are 20 quotes from the book, which you should pick up. Its the stuff of Sherlock Holmes. Or of church nightmares. After a Syrian Muslim man converted to Christianity, he asked to be baptized by First Presbyterian Church in Tulsa. The pastor agreed, and on December 30, 2012, the man was baptized in front of the PC(USA) congregation. The man, whose identity remains anonymous for security purposes, said the church promised to keep his baptism quiet, since shariah law demands that converts from Islam be executed. He flew to Syria almost immediately after his baptism in order to marry his fiancee. A few weeks later, while still in Syria, he was kidnapped by Islamist extremistsincluding his uncle and his cousinwho said they learned about his conversion from the churchs website, he said. First Presbyterian had included the mans baptism in its weekly bulletin announcements, then posted those announcements online. It was the first thing that popped up under his name in an internet search, he told the Tulsa World. For three days, the extremists tortured him, telling him they were going to kill him for his conversion. They tied his arms behind him and beat him, keeping him for hours under a 55-gallon electrified drum that shocked him whenever he touched it, he said. When they took him out on the fourth day, they had the video camera out, and I knew that was my day. Im going to go, the man told the Tulsa World. He managed to free his bound arms, then struggled with his uncle for a gun. He shot his uncle, then fled. During the next few months, the man and his wife managed to make their way through Lebanon and Turkey back to the United States. An Oklahoma pastor who had known the man for several years told the Tulsa World that the converts claims were absolutely credible, and Oklahoma Congressman Jim Bridenstines aide confirmed the congressman helped expedite a visa for the mans wife. That wasnt the end of his trouble. Suffering from psychological and physical aftereffects, the man gets frequent death threats and cannot ever return to Syria, he said. Their house and two cars there are a loss, and he wont be able to visit his son who still lives there, he said. So he sued the Tulsa church for $75,000, charging it with breach of contract, negligence, and outrage. The church asked for the case to be dismissed because the baptism was a constitutionally-protected religious practice, among other reasons. The court said the case was too complex and it was too early in the trial to tell, and denied the motion. The church tried again, arguing that the court didnt have jurisdiction over ecclesiastical matters like theology and customs. This time, the judges agreed. A key tenet of the Presbyterian Church is that baptism makes one part of the visible church, wrote Judge Daman Cantrell. Listing those who have been baptized publicly is a key part of how the church requires a conversion and baptism to be visible to the world. The court does not have subject matter jurisdiction to parse out any liability arising from the free exercise of the deeply held sacrament of Christian baptism, he concluded. Instead, thats a matter for the PC(USA) court system, he wrote. The man appealed to the Oklahoma Supreme Court, arguing that publishing a persons name and baptism online was not an ecclesiastical matter. Last month, they disagreed with him, siding 5 to 3 with the lower court and the church. The record indicates that the public nature of baptism is an integral part of the Presbyterian Churchs understanding of the sacrament, Chief Justice Douglas Combs wrote for the majority. For example, the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA) provides: By baptism, individuals are publicly received into the church to share into the church to share in its life and ministry. The judge pointed to the pastors testimony that in accordance with the belief that baptism is a public declaration of faith, it is the long-standing custom and practice of the church each week to report in the Sunday bulletin the name of any person who was baptized the previous Sunday. Those announcements are then delivered to individuals who are unable to attend services in person, and made available on the churchs website, something the man did not specifically request to be shielded from, the pastor said. The way the baptism was conducted and publicized was rooted in religious belief, the court found. Per the church autonomy doctrine, the courts lack subject matter jurisdiction over the matter. Three justices disagreed, and two explained why. The present case does not involve a question of discipline, faith, or ecclesiastical rule decided by a church tribunal, nor does it involve an internal, administrative matter, wrote Justice Yvonne Kauger. It merely involves the churchs publication of appellants name on the internet. The PC(USA) Book of Order asks for a written record of baptisms, but doesnt require that it be published online, she wrote. In addition, this suit satisfies an exception to the church autonomy doctrine for serious threats to public safety peace, or order, she wrote. [A]ssuming that the allegations are true, Appellant not only personally suffered harm, but public safety and order were harmed as well, she wrote. He cannot use his own name in this very case because of the continuing threat to his safety, and the public harm that religiously-motivated attacks have been proven to cause. The mans attorney said he was considering petitioning the court for a rehearing. The churchs attorney said the court made an important stand for religious liberty. This is the first case in the United States in which a court has affirmed that how a church conducts its baptisms is only the business of the church and is not subject to interference by the civil courts, attorney John Tucker said. Thats important, because baptism is an essential core concept of Christianity. Its not the first time the internet has gotten Christians in trouble overseas. In 2014, a Canadian Christian working in China posted an audio file on his churchs website explaining how he was trying to reach North Korea with the gospel. He was later imprisoned in China for two years on espionage charges. And in 2009, a longtime missionary couple were sentenced by a Gambian court to a year of hard labor for sending a wry comment in an email to their prayer list. Life Legal Defense Foundation Represents Doctors and American Academy of Medical Ethics in Challenge to California's Physician Assisted Suicide Law Media Advisory Contact: Alexandra Snyder, Executive Director, Life Legal Defense Foundation, 202-717-7371 RIVERSIDE, Calif., March 9, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- On Friday, March 10, Life Legal attorneys will appear in court in the case of Ahn v. Hestrin. Life Legal represents 6 physicians and the American Academy of Medical Ethics in a challenge to California's assisted suicide law, the End of Life Option Act. Life Legal attorneys will be available for questions immediately after the hearing. Where: Riverside Superior Court 4050 Main Street, Riverside CA When: Hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. March 10, 2017 Press conference will take place following the hearing The End of Life Option Act deprives people who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness of essential legal protections. The Act does not require even a basic psychological evaluation prior to obtaining a prescription for lethal drugs, even though most people experience depression or anxiety when diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. In fact, patients who are institutionalized in state-run mental hospitals can request a so-called "aid-in-dying" prescription and then be released for the sole purpose of committing suicide. The law does not permit the use of the word suicide. Instead, we must use the euphemism "assisted dying." Death certificates will not indicate that patients died of a self-administered dose of barbiturates taken with the intent to cause their own death, making it nearly impossible to know whether they were coerced or forced to take the drugs. The judge is expected to rule on the matter by 3:00 p.m. on March 10. Contact: Alexandra Snyder Executive Director, Life Legal Defense Foundation 202.717.7371 home World Sudanese authorities warn church leaders against speaking about Christian persecution Sudanese church leaders were warned against talking about the persecution of Christians shortly after they held a press conference in Khartoum to urge the government to reconsider its decision to demolish church buildings. Following the press conference on Feb. 11, Rev. Mubarak Hamad, the Chairman of Sudan Council of Churches, was summoned by National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) and was ordered to report to the office daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. The security agents lifted the requirements on Feb. 26, but Hamad was told not to speak publicly about the persecution of Christians and the demolition of churches without NISS authorization, Radio Tamazuj reported. "They told me not to talk about the demolition of churches or the two church leaders who are in jail," said Hamad. He said that church leaders have been targeted in the crackdown against Christians, adding that two church leaders were sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment for charges of espionage. Another Christian leader was ordered to report to the NISS office for interrogations over the issue of church demolitions. Milad Musa, a member of the Sudanese Church of Christ, has been told to appear at the office from 6 a.m. in the morning to 12 a.m. for criticizing the demolitions plan. "Sometimes there is food but many times there is no food in the custody," said Musa. At least 25 churches have been scheduled for demolition because they were supposedly built on illegal lands. However, church officials contended that they legally obtained the lands and have the title deeds. A Sudanese court recently sentenced Church of Christ pastor Hassan Abduelraheem Kodi and student Abdulmonem Abdumawla to 12 years in prison for espionage. Another pastor, Rev. Kuwa Shamal Abazmam Kurri, was released in January after the judge found no evidence against him. The authorities also released Czech aid worker Petr Jasek, who was sentenced to 24 years' imprisonment in connection with the case of the three men. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir reportedly ordered his release to maintain good relations between Sudan and the Czech Republic. Jasek, who spent 14 months in a Sudanese jail, said that he was beaten and tortured while he was imprisoned. He urged Christians to pray for those who are still incarcerated. Evangelical churches in Portugal are on the decline. The number of evangelical churches in Portugal fell from 1,630 in 2000 to 964 in 2016, according to Evangelical Focus. Numbers have fallen despite the fact that more than 300 new churches were planted in the same period. The statistics, coming from research by the Mission Advisory Board of the Portuguese Evangelical Alliance, suggest that evangelical Christians in Portugal number around 46,900, though some statistics suggest as many as 150,000. A conservative estimate has Portuguese evangelicals representing 0.4 per cent of the population. 322 churches have been planted in Portugal since 2000, and 39 per cent of evangelical church baptisms (which average five per year) in the same period came from the new wave of church plants. Overall numbers have still fallen, though there are still more evangelical churches than in 1980, when there were 894 congregations. One explanation for the decline in churches is said to be migration of believers to their countries of origin. The report says: 'The great growth in the beginning of the century was due to the arrival of returnees from the Portuguese former colonies, and the arrival of Brazilian immigrants'. The reports regrets that the influx of immigrants helped imply that evangelicalism was an 'imported religion' only for foreigners, not Portuguese nationals. The study found that 66 per cent of evangelical church leaders were born in Portugal. It also notes that 'the tendency of centralising all church activities in one place' encouraged church decline. Most Portuguese evangelicals (seven in 10) live in one of three districts: Lisbon, Porto and Setubal. The average membership of an evangelical church in the country is 49. In cities the number is usually over 50 while in rural areas the average is less than 20. The reports said that in some regions the church was almost 'invisible'. The study also notes that the majority of evangelical churches have no 'involvement in cross-cultural missions'. It suggests an opportunity to work with the country's Muslim community, 'due to the strategic geographical position of our country'. The reports concludes that churches are too reliant on human and financial foreign resources. It also emphasises the need for addressing the future: 24 per cent of Portuguese pastors are aged over 60, while just 18 per cent are aged below 40. The report said: 'There is a clear need to be addressed in respect to the preparation of a new generation of leaders.' Explainer: Who Were The Legendary Knights Templar? Have you heard of the Knights Templar? The legendary order has sparked much speculation, and even made news today with the revelation of an alleged underground church complex belonging to the Templars, but who were they? 1. They protected pilgrims The Order of the Knights Templar was a Christian monastic-military order founded in Jerusalem in 1119. The group was first formed by Hugh de Payens from Champagne, France. De Payens, alongside eight fellow knights, protected Christian pilgrims travelling to the Holy Land from hostile Saracen forces. De Payens was the Templar's first Grand Master, the highest rank in the order. 2. They were warrior-monks The Knights made monastic vows in 1129, pledging to die for their faith if necessary and committing to a life of chastity, poverty and obedience. The group's full name was the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon. Also known as the Order of Christ, they had the Latin motto: 'Non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed Nomini tuo da gloriam.' It means: 'Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy Name give glory.' 3. They travelled far The group expanded and grew in fame and influence. They were not poor monks for long, once they won the backing of influential members of Church and state. They established territory and property across the Holy Land and Europe. They were advanced in finance too, and pioneered early forms of banking. The charity received immunity from local laws, granted by Pope Innocent II in 1139. 4. A famous force They stood out with their iconic dress code, which was composed of a white mantle emblazoned with a large red cross, a symbol of martyrdom. The group grew to thousands and became a famed military force in the Crusades. Legend says that the knights also guarded the Shroud of Turin the cloth said to be the burial shroud of Jesus of Nazareth, bearing the image of Christ's face. The group, according to Vatican researchers, protected the relic for a century after the end of the Crusades. 5. They live on today The order slowly faded away after the Crusades, and was suppressed in the 14th century, with many of them accused of heresy and burned at the stake after being tortured into 'confessions'. It has been a popular subject of modern-myth making. Their story is embellished in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. The popular video game Assassins Creed features the Knights imagined as a villainous, shadowy cult with an ancient past, still active in the present day. The Knights do still exist in a sense, as the non-secret organisation commonly known as Knights Templar International, established in 1804. The UN recognises the group as a special status NGO, and the Knights now continue the mission of protecting pilgrims and sacred sites, and doing charitable works in the Holy Land, albeit through diplomacy not through violence. Indian Government Forces Compassion International To Pull Out Of All Projects Next Week Compassion International will withdraw all of its operations in India next week, leaving 150,000 children worse off. The Christian charity has been forced to pull out after the Indian government blocked its funding from outside the subcontinent. Lobbying by politicians including the former US Secretary of State John Kerry has failed to persuade Indian ministers to change their policy, meaning the child sponsorship charity will formally end programmes in India on March 15. In an email to supporters on Thursday the UK branch of the charity said the move was with a 'heavy heart'. 'We'd hoped and prayed for a different outcome, but we want to thank everyone who stood with us on this journey,' the email read. It comes after the charity, which funds more than 500 projects based in local churches across India, was placed on a list of organisations needing 'prior permission' to bring in money from overseas. The move blocked $3.5m of aid each month since March 2016, the group said. Compassion has been operating India for nearly 50 years and its exit is part of a wider crackdown by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party. As a result of this the number of foreign-funded organisations have halved in the last two years, according to the Guardian. CEO Santiago 'Jimmy' Mellado said he was 'heartbroken' for the 147,000 babies, children and teenagers the charity supports in India and said he was deeply concerned for the 127 staff based there. 'I want to assure you that Compassion has broken no laws in India,' he wrote in a blog post last week. 'We have been and remain committed to abiding by the laws of every country where we serve. 'You may have seen reports from Indian media accusing Compassion of forcing children to convert to Christianity in order to receive the benefits of our programme. That, of course, is simply not true. We partner with local Christian churches to extend the love of Jesus in very tangible ways but we never required a child to convert to Christianity to benefit from our programme. To do so would violate the dignity, freedom and grace that Jesus so freely gives each of us. Our church partners deliver Compassion's holistic child development programme to children in need regardless of race, religion, caste or creed.' In an earlier email to supporters in December he wrote the 'blockade' against funding was 'no other reason than that Compassion is founded on and demonstrates Christian values'. Majority Of Evangelical Christians Believe Trump's Claim That Journalists 'Make Up' Quotes More than half of evangelical Christian Americans believe Donald Trump's claim that journalists 'make up' quotes in their articles, according to a poll. A Morning Consult/Politico survey conducted between March 2-6 shows that 54 per cent of evangelicals agreed that it is 'likely' that journalists 'make up' anonymous quotes. Overall, 44 per cent of registered voters agreed, while 56 per cent disagreed or said they had no opinion on the question. The number of voters who describe themselves as Christian who agreed with the claim was higher, at 49 per cent. By party, 65 per cent of Republican voters and 24 percent of Democratic voters believe that journalists are creating fake news. Meanwhile, only 32 per cent of Americans responded that they believed it was appropriate to use anonymous sources in stories about government business, with 50 per cent against the practice. Some 41 per cent of self-described government employees said it was appropriate, with 37 per cent disagreeing. President Trump made his claims during a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in February. 'They have no sources,' the new President said. 'They just make them up when there are none.' Trump implied that the mainstream media have developed a culture of lying, and said his administration would take action to curtail the use of anonymous sources. Since Trump's rise to power, social media have been rife with talk of 'fake news' with both Trump supporters and opponents claiming that the other side is purveying misleading information. The President's press secretary, Sean Spicer, has banned a range of media outlets from attending White House 'huddle' briefings, including the BBC, The Guardian, Mail Online, CNN and The New York Times. The poll, published on Wednesday, asked questions of 1,992 registered voters. Mosque Blocked After Planning Meeting Turns Bitter: 'How Many Children Have Died Under This So-Called Religion?' A mosque building application has been rejected after a heated town hall discussion turned into a bitter row over Islam. Residents rejected the plans in Bayonne, New Jersey, with many denouncing the religion as violent in front of a peaceful protest by local Muslims, according to WYNC. One opponent, Ledia Elraheb, used the planning application meeting to attack violent passages in the Quran, saying: 'How many children have died under this so-called religion?' When a group of Muslim men gathered in the corner of the room to pray quietly, those opposed to the mosque responded with the Christian Lord's prayer. Some pushed back at the fierce backlash saying Muslims have the same rights as others. 'They are entitled to the same religious freedom and the right to assembly that every other tax-paying, law-abiding citizen is entitled to,' said Melody Carlisle. But the ugly debate ended with the mosque being blocked with only four out of five votes for the super majority needed to pass. Sumer Elganbaihy, a Muslim student born in the town, said it was time for locals to learn about the Islamic faith instead of simply Googling it or believing what they hear on talk shows. 'We're not going anywhere this is our home,' she said. 'We are you, we are your business owners, we are your janitors, we are your teachers, and, hopefully, I will be one of your social workers.' Bill Finnerty, attorney for the mosque applicants, said the Department of Justice under President Trump might not be as amenable to supporting Muslims. 'I'd like to think we would get a fair hearing on it, but looking at everything that's going on since [Jeff] Sessions became [Attorney General], I don't know,' Finnerty said. 'Neo-Pagan Sexual Morality' Spreading Throughout Church, Warns Conservative Archbishop An influential conservative archbishop is warning 'neo-pagan sexual morality' in the Church of England is at risk of spreading throughout the global Anglican Communion. Most Rev Nicholas Okoh, head of the traditionalist GAFCON grouping, describes increasing calls for the Church to soften its stance against gay relationships as 'distressing'. He says the 'confusion' over the issue is 'now at greater risk of being spread' throughout the global Anglican Communion. Deep rifts exist between conservative Anglicans in the global south and the liberal Episcopal Church in the USA which permits gay marriage. The CofE is seen as the heart of the Anglican Communion and a recent report by bishops that held a conservative view on marriage was rejected by its ruling general synod. The report, Okoh said, 'tried to face two ways' while not permitting any change in marriage but calling for 'maximum freedom' for gay couples within existing laws. The Archbishops of Canterbury and York, heads of the CofE, issued a letter following the report's defeat calling for 'a radical new Christian inclusion in the Church' based on a '21st century understanding of being human and of being sexual'. Okoh said: 'The Archbishops' talk of radical inclusion and a 21st century understanding has given great encouragement to those who want to bring the Church of England into line with the values of secular society.' The result was traditional views had been downgraded to 'provisional and secondary' he claimed. 'In these troubled times it is good to recover the biblical perspective that 'here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come' (Hebrews 13:14). Our defining centre is not a place, but a person, the Lord Jesus Christ and our ultimate authority is not a human institution, but the Word of God. We gathered in Jerusalem in 2008 in the place that witnessed the mighty acts of God in the death and resurrection of his Son and from where the Apostles were sent out to all the world. We shall return next year with great thankfulness to God for his continued favour, but our eyes will be upon the heavenly Jerusalem, the City of God, of which we are members by grace and we eagerly look forward to its full revealing when Jesus returns.' Over 80 Christians Arrested In China For Worshipping At 'Illegal' House Churches Authorities in China marked the Lunar New Year holiday on Jan. 28 by intensifying their persecution of Christians. Among those hit hard by the new wave of persecution were Christians living in the autonomous Chinese region of Xinjiang where more than 80 believers were arrested and detained leading up and after the holiday, according to persecution watchdog China Aid. They were arrested during raids conducted by government security agents on various house churches affiliated with the Protestant house church network, Fangcheng Fellowship, which has an estimated 10 million members. The raids were conducted in the cities of Urumqi, Kuytun and in Shawan counties, the belated report said. Those arrested were charged with crimes such as "engaging in religious activities at non-religious sites," said China Aid. Chinese authorities only allow the operation of the state-run church called the Three-Self Patriotic Movement. Among those arrested were six women who were imprisoned for 15 days and fined the equivalent of $145 on the charge of "gathering and praying under the name of Christianity." The detainees were officially released on Feb. 9 on the condition that they would join the state-run church, according to China Aid. "We believe in Jesus wholeheartedly. What just happened was not fair. We did not cause trouble. We did not bother the neighbours. All we did was study the Bible," Chen Xiangyan, one of the women who were detained, was quoted as saying. Aside from conducting church raids, Chinese authorities are also busy cracking down on foreign Christian missionaries, deporting at least 32 South Korean missionaries in February as part of the government's crackdown on evangelism. Last week, five Christians, including a pastor, were sentenced to three to seven years in prison on charges that they bought and sold what the Chinese government considers to be "forbidden Christian devotional books." In its 2016 Annual Persecution Report, China Aid noted that there has been a "seismic shift" in China's approach to religion, which has led to a massive rise in persecution of Christians and other faiths. Christians are being persecuted "at a frequency unseen since the Cultural Revolution," the human rights charity says. It says persecution cases went up by more than 20 percent last year compared to 2015, with the number of people detained increasing by nearly 150 percent. Open Doors USA ranks China as the 39th worst country in the world when it comes to the persecution of Christians, according to its 2017 World Watch List. Poison Scandal Rocks Georgian Church As Priest Arrested For Assassination Attempt On Patriarch's Aide A priest has been accused of trying to poison the Georgian Orthodox Patriarch's personal secretary. Archpriest Giorgi Mamaladze was arrested trying to carry cyanide into Berlin where his superior Patriarch Ilia II was undergoing medical treatment, prosecutors said in a report on Thursday. The target was Shorena Tetruashvili, the Patriarch's secretary, the report claimed, according to RFERL. She was there helping Patriach Ilia recover from gall bladder surgery on February 13. Mamaladze was arrested on February 10 at Tbilisi International Airport with cyanide in his luggage. Prosecutors allege that he believed his path to power within the Church would be clear without Tetruashvili. Key witness Irakli Mamaladze alleges he was contacted by the cleric asking for potassium cyanide in exchange for a 'good' work position. Despite sharing a name the two Georgian men are not thought to be related. Irakli notified authorities after being contacted by the archpriest and went on to secretly record the pair's meetings. In the end Irakli never sold Mamaladze the poison, the prosecutors report claimed, as he was in a rush and found it elsewhere. 'Audio and video recordings confirmed that Giorgi Mamaladze intended to buy cyanide and use it against a human being,' the Prosecutor's Office said. It added Mamaladze failed to provide 'credible answers' to 'significant' questions and some things he said were in 'direct contradiction' with the evidence. But Mamaladze's lawyers denied the allegations saying the case against him has been fabricated. 'The Prosecutor's Office has no evidence on buying cyanide by Giorgi Mamaladze or who the seller was,' his lawyer Giorgi Pantsulaia told Interpress news. 'This information is the maximum the agency can reach and it has fabricated the recordings as it wanted.' Mamaladze is director general of the Georgian Patriarchate's St Joachim and Ana Medical Centre, and also serves as deputy head of the Patriarchate's property management service. He has been formally charged with attempted murder and has pleaded not guilty. If convicted Mamaldze faces a prison sentence of between seven and 15 years. The Georgian Orthodox Church counts around 80 per cent of the country's 4.5 million population among its members and is notably conservative. It withdrew from the Pan-Orthodox Council last year because it believed the preparatory documents gave too much away to non-Orthodox Churches, later repudiating the Council and its decisions. Patriarch Ilia has led the Church since 1977 and is credited with overseeing a major revival after Georgian regained its independence after the collapse of the former Soviet Union. He has suffered ill-health recently. Pope Francis Hints At Allowing Married Priests Pope Francis has expressed renewed openness to allowing married priests in the Catholic Church. Experienced married men, or viri probati, could be called into clerical service in rural communities, the pontiff suggested. 'We have to consider what tasks they could perform, for instance in isolated communities,' Francis said in an interview with the German newspaper Die Zeit. Although the Pope only talked about the possibility of deacons, many theologians and some bishops have suggested these 'tested married men', could also be considered for priestly service. Francis is looking to address the issue of a falling number of priests, calling it an 'enormous problem'. He said the first response must be prayer along with a focus on 'working with young people who are seeking orientation', according to CruxNow. He called on the Church to face the challenge 'fearlessly' while not hiding the scale of the issue. A lack of priests weakens the Church 'because a Church without the Eucharist doesn't have strength the Church makes the Eucharist, but the Eucharist also makes the Church,' he said. 'Fears close doors, freedom opens them, and even when [the space for] liberty is small, it opens a window,' he added. But he ruled out making celibacy optional for priests, saying that 'is not a solution'. Roman Catholic clergy have been expected to remain celibate since the 12th century when the Second Lateran Council in 1139, definitively passed a rule forbidding priests to marry. This was reaffirmed in 1563 at the Council of Trent. However there are 23 Eastern Churches in full communion with the Catholic Church whose clergy are allowed to marry. Salvation Army welcomes vulnerable, homeless family of Syrian refugees to London From war-torn Syria, a family of traumatised refugees has found a new home and sanctuary with a group of Christians in London. The family, which lost their home in Syria and were identified as 'particularly vulnerable', have been resettled in the London Borough of Merton. The family is the third to find refuge in Britain under the new 'community sponsorship' scheme recently introduced by the Government. The first family to enter Britain under this particular scheme were housed by the Archbishop of Canterbury at his London home, Lambeth Palace. The scheme is modelled on the Canadian private sponsorship scheme which has resettled nearly 300,000 refugees since it started in 1979. It is part of the UK government's commitment to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees by 2020. The latest family are now starting to rebuild their lives, supported by The Salvation Army and its community of devout and socially-committed Christians. Major Nick Coke, refugee coordinator for the Salvation Army, who is responsible for helping the family settle in, said, 'It has been months in the making preparing accommodation, looking at schools, identifying access to appropriate medical support and language tuition but we have never lost sight of our motivation to help resettle a family under this scheme.' In November last year the Salvation Army helped Home Office in reuniting 44 unaccompanied refugee children from the Calais 'Jungle' with their extended families in Britain. Coke said: 'It was one of the most powerful experiences of my life as a Salvation Army officer watching young people the same age as my son find sanctuary and unconditional welcome. A day has not passed when I haven't thought of the thousands still waiting to reach safety.' He said people had been warm and enthusiastic. 'The wife of the owner of a local restaurant is Syrian and she prepared a meal for when the family arrived and a local English language charity is supporting us with tuition. Members of our congregation and their friends have been involved in everything from getting the accommodation's keys cut and donating furniture to cleaning the house and collecting toys ready for the children. 'It has been a joy to make community connections that we didn't previously have. I'm very proud of the strength of this London community.' Samuel Yung, spokesman for Church Response For Refugees, told Christian Today: 'We believe the Church is in an incredible position, theologically and practically, to welcome refugees. 'Theologically, there is a strong biblical mandate for churches to welcome refugees: From Abraham to Moses to Ruth: God's people were a displaced people, sojourners, living in foreign places. God commanded them to be kind and hospitable to the aliens in their land. 'Deuteronomy 10:19 says: "You are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt." 'Jesus Christ himself knew what it was like to be a refugee. Jesus and his family fled to a foreign land, in Egypt, and survived a mass killing of young boys ordered by the dictator King Herod. But they lived as refugees. They lost their homes, connections with family and friends. And they depended on the hospitality of strangers in a foreign land. 'Practically, the Church is very well resourced. You often find in parishes across the UK that the local church is the gel that holds the community together. It is relationally rooted to the local community, with tentacles that stretches out to local businesses and other faith groups. It can organise the community into action. It has manpower, volunteers, space, often funding and sometimes even spare properties to care for the vulnerable and the sick. ' Merton Council's cabinet member for children's services, Katy Neep, said: 'We are proud to be the first London borough to welcome a refugee family as part of the Community Sponsorship scheme. Here in Merton we believe it is right to support children and families fleeing conflict and war and it is a great way for us to continue this commitment. 'The council is working closely with our partners to provide the support the family needs and the community is rallying round to help the family settle into the borough.' Should American Christians Engage In Society? Conservative Author Sparks War Of Words With Rachel Held Evans A war of words about whether Christians in America are persecuted, and whether or not they should withdraw from mainstream society, has broken out between the conservative author Rod Dreher and the progressive evangelical writer Rachel Held Evans. The row centres around what Dreher has dubbed 'The Benedict Option', the title of his new book, in which the senior editor at The American Conservative argues that the 'culture war as we knew it is over' and that social and religious conservatives 'have been defeated and are being swept to the political margins'. To those who argue that the election of Donald Trump undermines this case, Dreher is clear: 'The idea that someone as robustly vulgar, fiercely combative, and morally compromised as Trump will be an avatar for the restoration of Christian morality and social unity is beyond delusional,' he writes. The answer, says Dreher, is to follow the example of the Benedictine order of Catholic monks and set up local Christian communities of their own. The image on the book's cover is of a fortified island monastery in France, Mont Saint-Michel. Dreher goes so far as to suggest, for example, that conservative Christians should take their children out of public and 'mediocre Christian' schools, and ignore politics. Enter, stage left, Rachel Held Evans, who posted a series of critical tweets. An entire industry of books, films, & orgs reinforce this narrative. I call it the White Christian Industrial Persecution Complex. Rachel Held Evans (@rachelheldevans) March 8, 2017 White Christians have enough influence to hand Donald Trump the presidency. They are NOT a marginalized group in our society. Rachel Held Evans (@rachelheldevans) March 8, 2017 'The #BenedictOption is based on the premise that Christians in the US are such a persecuted minority they must withdraw from society,' she said. 'Christians are NOT a persecuted minority in the US. Christians make up 75 per cent of population and 91 per cent of Congress,' she added. She also pointed out that white Christians 'have enough influence to hand Donald Trump the presidency. They are NOT a marginalized group in our society.' And she said that an 'entire industry of books', films and organisations 'reinforce this narrative'. She concluded: 'I call it the White Christian Industrial Persecution Complex.' Over to Dreher: '[If] someone who believes the things about Christianity that Rachel Held Evans professes approved of The Benedict Option, I would wonder what I had done wrong. So I take this as a vote of confidence.' Dreher, who accuses Held Evans of not having read the book, clarifies that 'the only "persecution" part of the book' is the chapter about the workplace. He continues: 'I'm not worried about what Rachel Held Evans has to say about The Benedict Option, though if she actually reads it one day, it would be interesting to see if she still stands by her erroneous prejudices. No, what I'm worried about is that far in the future, should the police come looking for dissident orthodox Christians hiding out from state persecution, the Rachel Held Evanses of the world will point helpfully and patriotically, and say, "They're in the basement, officer."' A disclaimer is due here: this author, too, has not read the book. But to be fair to Held Evans, it appears logical that even if a section on alleged persecution of Christians in the US is confined to one chapter entitled 'Work', then readers are encouraged to withdraw from the work-place where they have been defeated. However, the fact that Dreher does confine the idea of persecution to one chapter is surely a subliminal admission that it would, indeed, be absurd to suggest that Christians in America are the victims of 'persecution' as they are in, say, the Middle East, Africa or many other parts of the world. Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury and no liberal despite conventional wisdom, has said that it is wrong to say that western Christians are persecuted, and that those who say they are should 'grow up'. On top of this, surely there is a hint not just of defeatism but also of a dereliction of duty for Christians to withdraw from the world. Just as we begin this season by going out into the streets, of Lent with the mark of the cross on our foreheads, so, less symbolically, evangelicals would argue that we have a duty to engage in society as it is today. After all, the trend towards secularism may, just possibly, be transient, and Dreher's nightmare scenario of police rounding up Christians may not come to pass. And yet, there is something inherently attractive about Christian community life. Which Christian, if they had the discipline, would not benefit from the monastic approach? Dr Williams himself is an advocate. But ultimately the vast majority of us are fated to work in the world, for better or worse and whether or not we really want to. Two Christians Arrested In Iran, Says Human Rights Group Two Iranian Christians have reportedly been arrested and detained by Iran's Revolutionary Guard, in the latest example of discrimination against Christians by the Muslim majority state. The Centre for Human Rights in Iran says Anoohe Rezabakhsh and her son Sohail Zargarzadeh were taken from their home by plain clothes officers. The two converted to Catholicism from Islam. Mansour Borji, a spokesperson for the Alliance of Iranian Churches, said: 'Two plainclothes intelligence agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) entered the home of Christian converts Anoohe Rezabakhsh and her son Sohail (Augustin) Zargarzadeh in Oroumiyeh [city] without prior notice and searched the premises and took away personal items such as religious and holy books.' Iran has a community of Christians going back thousands of years. The largest group is made up of Armenians, but there are also small communities of Assyrians, Pentecostals and other believers. It's difficult to know how many are converting to the Christian faith because although the theocratic Shia regime claims that it offers religious freedom to minorities, it's known that there is persecution of Christians and others, such as Zoroastrians. Anti-persecution charity Open Doors places Iran eighth on its World Watch List, meaning it's one of the most risky places to be a Christian. Why What Emma Watson Wears Is Our Problem, Not Hers This week Emma Watson, UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and actress, has been at the centre of a storm regarding a photoshoot for Vanity Fair in which she posed in a white top revealing significant amounts of flesh, including parts of her breasts. The controversy deepened as Beyonce fans pointed back to an interview Watson had done in 2014 where she had expressed conflicting views over Beyonce's album videos saying, 'It felt very male, such a male voyeuristic experience of her.' This teacup-storm was instigated by professional provocateur and radio presenter Julia Hartley-Brewer. Known for her strong views on Brexit, Hartley-Brewer's views on feminism are usually negative. She objected to feminists challenging the tampon tax and referred to the 'modern feminazi movement, which views everything from the standpoint of women as victims of an ingrained patriarchal system'. As usual, news organisations jumped on Hartley-Brewer's tweet, posted with the revealing photograph of Emma Watson: 'Feminism, feminism... gender wage gap... why oh why am I not taken seriously... feminism... oh, and here are my (t*ts)!' And the discussion about Emma Watson's photoshoot has continued over the last few days. When Benedict Cumberbatch posed for an Elle photoshoot with a 'this is what feminist looks like' t-shirt on, no one pointed to his video a couple of months early where he had stripped naked in the ice bucket challenge. Nobody suggested his nudity disqualified him from being a feminist. It's almost as if women's choices are judged according to a different standard than men's. Emma Watson's photo was not sexual. It involved a degree of nudity. Nudity and sexual imagery are not necessarily the same thing. Instagram and Facebook have banned photographs of women breastfeeding and of fully clothed women with blood stained clothes. Women's bodies are inevitably sexualised. It doesn't matter what we do to attempt to avoid that. In her UN speech Watson spoke of how the media began sexualising her from the age of 14 and about her commitment to feminist activism. Feminism has long had a value of solidarity and sisterhood. Standing alongside other women and refusing to engage in competitive] behaviour towards other women. We live in a world constantly pitting women against each other, insisting we compete for men, for power and for validation. A 'divide and conquer system' is very often in operation, preventing women ever building relationships that can enable us to challenge oppressive structures. And this week we've seen that in operation as Julia Hartley-Brewer belittles Emma Watson and it becomes a high-profile media story. Emma Watson's response to the criticism has been to say, 'Feminism is about giving women choice, feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women... It's about freedom, it's about liberation, it's about equality. I really don't know what my t*** have to do with it.' She is absolutely right to say that feminism should not be used to condemn other women. In the spirit of sisterhood, I stand up for Watson's right to express herself and wear whatever clothes she chooses. However, there is an incongruence between the idea that feminism is about choice and that it is also about liberation. Women's liberation is required because there are unjust and inhumane structures that keep women and girls oppressed and unfairly advantage men and boys. Our personal choices aren't always going to address those structures. And if it's all about choice, then surely Julia Hartley-Brewer's choice to criticise Emma Watson could also be argued to be feminist too? In our post-modern society, choice has become the absolute ethic. But how free are our choices in a world in which consumerism manipulates us? How does liberation-as-choice work for Syrian refugees? Having the ability to make personal choices is, to some degree, a measure of personal liberation. However, if we use our choice to vote against an amendment to allow child refugees into the country, or to buy products which require exploitative labour, then is choice really a pathway to liberation? There are inevitably many within the Christian community who will see Emma Watson's photo as evidence of a world slipping into evil. It could be seen as an opportunity to promote the virtues of modesty. However, Jesus didn't say 'If Emma Watson causes you to lust, tell her to wear more clothes.' He said, 'If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.' As Christians, we can remain focused on the minutiae of clothing choices, or we can ask bigger questions about the nature of choice, freedom and how our lives can be part of the liberation that Jesus declared was available to all. Natalie Collins is a Gender Justice Specialist. She is the Director of the DAY Programme and works to enable individuals and organisations to prevent and respond to male violence against women. She is on Twitter: @God_loves_women In case you haven't made your way to Central Texas anytime since mid-January, residents have been enjoying a Texas company combination that is too good to be true. Whataburger and H-E-B joined forces to develop the ultimate Lone-Star-State quick-stop store. An H-E-B convenience store in Hutto, about 30 miles northeast of Austin, features a 24-hour Whataburger drive-through at the side of the building, which opened at the end of January. Cabo San Lucas is known for having some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Now it might have a taco to match. What some people might spend on a sedan or semester of college, others put down for a gold-flecked dish at Grand Velas Los Cabos Resort. Meet: the $25,000 taco from the resort restaurant's Frida dinner. It was invented by chef Juan Licerio Alcala, a Durango, Mexico native. West University Place Police Department The West University Police Department responded to a bank robbery on Tuesday and are now on the lookout for four suspects. At 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, West University Place Police Department dispatchers received a 911 call in reference to a bank robbery in progress in the 5300 block Kirby. According to a police report, officers arrived at the location in about three minutes but the suspects were gone upon arrival. They fled the scene northbound on Kirby and then westbound on Wroxton. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Smokers at multiple Texas colleges will soon have to walk much further to light up a cigarette. The University of Texas System recently announced that it would ban the use of tobacco in all 14 of its institutions. University officials said students and staff can expect the change by the end of this academic year. "The four top causes of death in Texas are heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory tract disease and strokeall of which can be the direct result of tobacco use," said UT System Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Lakey in a news release. "By reducing tobacco use, we can have a huge positive impact on the lives of our students, employees and communities." TOBACCO FREE: Two Houston area lawmakers push to raise smoking age to 21 Once the ban is in place, according to UT officials, the combined state universities would "become the largest single employer in Texas to prohibit tobacco use in the workplace." The UT system employs 100,000 people and educates 228,000 students, whom they say are more susceptible to the damages of tobacco habits since 90 percent of daily smokers started before they were 19 years old. RANKED: The most liberal, conservative colleges in Texas Dr. Ernest Hawk, vice president and head of UT MD Anderson Cancer Center's Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Science, said the ban has three main goals: "Improving the health of our students and employees, protecting nonsmokers from risks associated with second-hand smoke and reducing the financial burden on taxpayers." Click through above to see common myths about smoking. ERIC GAY/STF After about two hours, AT&T said they had resolved the issue of customers across the country, including those in Houston and much of Texas, who could not complete calls to 911. AT&T tweeted, "Issue has been resolved that affected some calls to 911 from wireless customers. We apologize to those who were affected." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate As he entered the Harris County 185th Criminal Court accompanied by the rhythmic clanging of his handcuffs on Wednesday, a disheveled Shannon Miles, 32, stood competent for the first time since being accused of the 2015 killing of a Harris County sheriff's deputy. Now declared competent by Judge Susan Brown after months of evaluation, Miles was arraigned and entered a plea of not guilty to the murder of Darren Goforth. Miles is accused of gunning down Goforth on Aug. 28, 2015 at a northwest Harris County gas station, while the deputy filled up his police cruiser. Miles allegedly ran up behind Goforth, put a gun to his head and fired. After Goforth fell, Miles allegedly the stood over him and emptied his pistol. Goforth was in uniform when he died. The arraignment and not guilty plea ends a more than yearlong process of evaluations and hearings to explore and help restore Miles' mental health, which prevented the trial from proceeding. It wasnt until Miles began taking medication for diagnosed mental illnesses that he regained competency, said Miles attorney, Anthony Osso. Now we can proceed with trial, he said. Miles was arrested shortly after Goforth's murder in northwest Harris County but was initially found incompetent to stand trial. He was then sent to a North Texas State Hospital in Vernon for treatment and has remained under constant review by the courts since. Days after Goforth's death, then Harris County Sheriff Ron Hickman tied the shooting to the ongoing national debate about police violence. He called out, and criticized, the Black Lives Matter movement, prompting backlash from student activists who said Hickman drew an unfair connection between Goforth's death and the movement. Goforth's death also spurred a campaign launched by police officers, local leaders and clergy meant to improve understanding between law enforcement and the community; in the weeks after Goforth's death, campaign organizers handed out thousands of wristbands inscribed with the phrase Pray for Police. Miles and his attorney entered a plea Wednesday of not guilty in front of the judge. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A second man has been arrested in the September slaying of a popular Spring chef who was gunned down during a home invasion. Ryan Scott, 27, of Kemah, was arrested Sunday on a capital murder charge, according to court records. Another accused assailant, John Wesley Baldwin, 28, was charged with capital murder in October. "I am glad they caught the second guy and hope this will bring his family and our community some closure," said family friend Nick Rama. AFTERMATH: Spring restaurant to close after chef murdered Sunny Side of the Street chef Michael Kusuma, was killed Sept. 18 when two armed men stormed his Canvasback Glen Court home and demanded money. Just after 9:30 p.m., bandana-wearing robbers shot Kusuma and assaulted his younger brother. The pair fled in a white car, with an undisclosed amount of cash. A family friend speculated at the time that the Kusumas were targeted because of their successful eatery. But after the killing, Kusuma's uncle was forced to close the place. FIRST SUSPECT: Arrest made in slaying of Spring chef "As soon as I heard the news, I knew," Tony Kusuma, the uncle, said in September. "Mike was the business. He was the primary chef, he managed the place. I just don't think I can find anybody capable of running the business the way he did." Now, Rama said, the building has been leased to a steakhouse. The 33-year-old cook and baker was born Indonesia but moved stateside to attend college and live out the immigrant dream. After earning business and culinary degrees, he helped his uncle run a bed-and-breakfast in Maine. In 2013, they decided to relocate to Texas, setting up shop in an FM 2920 strip mall. Once the upscale eatery blossomed into a successful business endeavor, Tony Kusuma moved to California, leaving Michael and his younger brother to run the restaurant. Over time, Michael grew into part of the fabric of the northern Harris County town. He attended a local Catholic church and was a regular on the area's martial arts scene. "We lost a big person in the community," Taco Crave owner David Posadas said in September. After his death, a makeshift memorial of flowers and balloons sprung up outside the shuttered cafe. At first, authorities offered only a scant description of the wanted suspects. For a month, the killers ran free as investigators tracked down leads. Then in October came the first breakthrough when authorities collared Baldwin, who has a long list of prior charges ranging from terroristic threats to aggravated robbery. He was indicted in December and remains in the Harris County jail without bond. Scott was picked up by Houston police earlier this week on a charge of possession of less than one gram of Ecstacy, then was charged the next day, while he was still in jail, in the suburban slaying. The Kemah man has a string of prior arrests dating back to at least 2008, when he and a group of other assailants lured four men into a Lincoln Green East backyard, forced them to strip to their underwear and stole more than $2,000. Scott initially got deferred adjudication, a form of probation. But he was later sentenced to five years in prison was arrested in a store robbery. He is being held without bond. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Voracious wildfires that swept through the Texas Panhandle on Monday and Tuesday reportedly destroyed the home of a beloved author. John R. Erickson, author of the "Hank the Cowdog" children's books, and his wife, Kris, escaped the fires, but their home on the M-Cross Ranch near the Oklahoma border, burned to the ground, according to NewsWest9.com. The wildfire also claimed most of the buildings on the ranch, as well as about 90 percent of the grass, the couple's son, Mark H. Erickson, told the website in a statement. Mark Erickson said Wednesday the family was in the process of assessing the loss. The author and his wife are staying at their home in Perryton, about 115 miles northeast of Amarillo, the website said. UNSOLVED CASE: Panhandle woman left on trip four years ago, never arrived "I could only manage a flying rough count on the cattle, but so far, we're looking pretty good," the son said. "I'll be shocked if we don't lose any, but I haven't seen any dead ones yet. I think we lost one horse, but the other five are in good shape." His parents were doing well, thanks to their sturdy, optimistic nature and their "unsinkable" senses of humor, he said. "I think my dad is most sad over the loss of his book collection and his letter correspondences with John Graves, Herman Wouk and Elmer Kelton," Mark Erickson said. RENT-A-DOG: How your dog could be ruining your credit score The Hank the Cowdog series is based upon the "humorous antics of the canine Head of Ranch Security," who solves mysteries, according to the series website. The "real tragedies," the author's son said in his statement, are the losses of loved ones suffered by some Panhandle families. Four people died Monday night in fires that burned nearly half a million acres, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. Three - Cody Crockett, Sydney Wallace and Sloan Everett - died in Clay County as they tried to save cattle, officials told the paper. Cade Koch died in Lipscomb County as he tried to get home from work to pick up his wife so they could evacuate the area, the Globe-News reported. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The 35-year-old man accused of fatally shooting a pregnant teen was also the father of the unborn child, who later died, as well as a 1-year-old son who was unharmed, San Antonio police said Tuesday. According to police, Armando Garcia-Ramires, who is currently in jail on a $2 million bond, lived near the 15-year-old victim, Jennifer Delgado, who was nine months pregnant. RELATED: Teen, unborn child killed on Northwest Side; suspected gunman hospitalized It is unclear what motivated Garcia-Ramires to kill Delgado around 11 a.m. Monday at an apartment complex in the 1100 block of Babcock Road, but police say an unidentified woman recently discovered he was the father of both of children. Police say the same woman first notified police that Garcia-Ramires attempted to kill himself in a wooded area near the apartment where he killed Delgado. When officers arrived to the wooded area to investigate, they found Garcia-Ramires with a handgun, but he tossed it away when he was confronted by police because it was empty. RELATED: 'Senseless' argument at library leads to man fighting for his life Police later discovered he had shot himself one time through the mouth with a .22-caliber handgun, apparently in an effort to kill himself. Upon further interviews with the unidentified woman who informed them of Garcia-Ramires's relationship to Delgado, officers went to Delgado's apartment. They found the front door kicked in. Inside, officers located Delgado's body. She had been shot in the head multiple times and was declared dead at the scene. Her body was taken to University Hospital in an unsuccessful effort to save her unborn child. RELATED: 35-year-old man faces capital murder charges in death of pregnant girl, 15, and unborn child Police also found the 1-year-old son in the apartment . Garcia-Ramires was transported to University Hospital. He was later booked into the Bexar County Jail on two capital murder charges after he was released from the hospital. Text "Breaking" to 48421 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com cdowns@mysa.com Twitter: @calebjdowns This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate UPDATE: The state House transportation committee unanimously passed Thursday morning HB62, which bans texting while driving. Armed with two more years of evidence that texting while driving is killing hundreds of Texans each year, State Rep. Tom Craddick is back in Austin advocating a statewide ban on sending and reading messages behind the wheel. Craddick, R-Midland, was joined by numerous supporters Thursday morning in front of the House Transportation Committee. HB 62, a general ban on texting while driving, is again named for Alex Brown, a 17-year-old West Texas high school senior killed Nov. 10, 2009, when she crashed her truck as she carried on up to four different texting conversations at the time of the crash. Since, Browns parents have become vocal advocates for a texting ban, which has faced a very uphill battle in Texas. Craddicks bill and similar others have failed to get enough traction to pass both legislative chambers and receive the governors signature. In 2011, the bill came close before then-Gov. Rick Perry vetoed it, citing his concerns with "a government effort to micromanage the behavior of adults." Forty-six states ban texting while driving, and 17 ban the use of all handheld devices. Craddick said on Thursday that lack of action has likely cost lives. In 2015, the last year for which confirmed statewide data is available, 476 people were killed in accidents in Texas where distracted driving was involved. This is the most dangerous thing we will ever do is drive a car. So lets make it as safe as possible, said State Rep. Eddie Lucio III, D-Brownsville, one of 33 co-authors on the bill. 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. New Global Talent Stream Will Facilitate Two-Week Work Permit Processing Time CIC News Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A The government of Canada has outlined details of the new Global Talent Stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, which, among other initiatives, will establish a two-week standard for processing of work permit applications (and temporary resident visas when applicable) for highly skilled talent. The Global Talent Stream is scheduled to be operational as of June 12, 2017. The stream is part of the governments Global Skills Strategy, which aims to help innovative firms thrive, creating economic growth and good middle-class jobs. With this initiative, companies in Canada will be able to bring in highly-skilled international workers quickly and efficiently. At this moment, the exact hiring situations that would be eligible for two-week processing times is in development. A Global Talent List of eligible high-demand occupations is being created in consultation with labour market experts and key stakeholders. This list is expected to be publicized in advance of the June 12 launch. Canadas tech sector is expected to benefit significantly. Speaking at the announcement of the Global Talent Stream in Toronto on March 9, Benjamin Bergen, Executive Director of the Council of Canadian Innovators, said that The Global Skills Strategy will help high-growth Canadian technology firms by making it easier and faster to attract and acquire the global talent they need to scale up and compete on the world stage. Canadas most successful innovators welcome the new two-week turnaround standard for work permit applications, the streamlined process for applications, and the continued efforts of the federal government in supporting Canadas tech sector. The announcement was also attended by two federal cabinet ministers, namely Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, and Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour. Canada continues to compete in a global innovation race. As technologies become more widely available to everyone, the only competitive edge for countries and businesses is the distinctive talent and creativity of their people. While skilled immigrants are now identifying Canada as a country of choice in which to apply their knowledge and ideas, we also need to prepare our homegrown talent for a rapidly changing job market, said Mr Bains. For her part, Ms Hadju added that Our governments Global Skills Strategy will give employers a faster and more predictable process for bringing in top talent and new skills to Canada. In addition to the two-week processing time for certain work permits, the government will also create a dedicated service for companies looking to make significant job-creating investments in Canada. Further, the government will allow skilled foreign nationals working in Canada short-term (for instance, 30 days or less in a 12-month period) to work without a work permit. This latter measure will also apply to brief academic stays. Canadian employers: To learn more about your options for hiring foreign workers, please contact wp@canadavisa.com. A legal expert will provide a free consultation. Foreign workers : If you have received a job offer from a Canadian employer and wish to submit an inquiry about getting a work permit and working legally in Canada, please complete the form on this page. 2017 CICNews All Rights Reserved SURYAA NEWS, synonym with professional journalism, started basically to serve the Telugu language readers. And apart from that we have our own e-portal domains viz,. https://www.suryaa.com/ and https://epaper.suryaa.com BNM anunta concurs pentru postul vacant de expert coordonator (durata determinata) responsabil de control pe teren si din oficiu a sistemelor de plati A once-meaningful term of derision has filtered down from the highest office in the country to the halls of a New York City high school. Two student journalists, who have covered a controversy surrounding their interim principal only to see their efforts demeaned as fake news by a Department of Education official, are fighting back. The editors of Townsend Harris High School newspaper, The Classic, have written a letter addressed to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina, and district superintendent Elaine Lindsey, refuting accusations that their reporting on interim principal Rosemarie Jahoda is fake news. Related: Fake news is dead To label our reporting as fake is to disparage all the hard work we do, The Classics Editor in Chief Sumaita Hasan and Managing Editor Mehrose Ahmad, both 17-year-old seniors, wrote in their letter. The Classic had previously published audio recordings of Jahoda questioning the use of interacting with students, livestreamed a sit-in in the principals office, and reported on a contentious meeting between Jahoda and the leaders of the schools Muslim Student Association. The accusation that the student paper was publishing fake news was revealed by State Assembly members David Weprin and Nily Rozic. In a letter dated March 3, first reported by DNAinfo New York, Weprin and Rozic wrote that Frances DeSanctis, a representative for Superintendent Elaine Lindsey, told them the issues surrounding Jahodas leadership, were the result of an environment in which fake news is being widely circulated. Though DeSanctis did not single out The Classic specifically, the papers editors felt that the comments were directed at their work. Since our reporting has been the most prominent during this controversy, it is reasonable to conclude that Ms. DeSanctis, speaking on behalf of the Superintendent and the Department of Education, means to refer to The Classic as fake news. the editors wrote in their letter. Its frustrating, because its not like we didnt get the other sides story, Ahmad told CJR. We approached Ms. Johada numerous times for comment. From the DOE, we can only get comment from the press secretary. Sign up for CJR 's daily email Frank LoMonte, Director of the Student Press Law Center in Washington, DC, has been following Hasan and Ahmads work. This is the first time weve heard of the fake news weapon being turned on students, LoMonte says. Its obviously a term thats become devoid of meaning. Fake news, a phrase whose original, specific definition has been bastardized to the point of being meaningless, has been repeatedly levied as a cudgel by the President of the United States and his spokespeople. Its been bandied about on cable news and deployed as a rhetorical weapon by those who simply wish to dismiss negative coverage. CJR recently reported on a State Senator in Colorado who faces a potential lawsuit for leveling the accusation against his hometown paper. Related: Ive had it: Family-owned paper threatens state legislator with lawsuit Hassan sees a connection between the attack from the Department of Education and wider criticisms of the media. Its an issue weve seen with Trumps new administration. Hes calling every valid news source fake just because it applies to him, she told CJR. [The DOE] is just calling the truth fake because its not something positive. A spokesman for the DOE did not immediately respond to CJRs request for comment. Hasan and Ahmad say that theyve received overwhelming support from their community, and that interest in the student paper has skyrocketed. Everyone has been very supportive, Hasan says. The teachers and faculty, even alumni from several years ago are supporting us. And just as the criticism theyve faced has mirrored that endured by national outlets, so has the support. We get pizza sent to our office sometimes, Hasan says. Its been an amazing experience because everyone has been so encouraging. It really validates our work. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Pete Vernon is a former CJR staff writer. Follow him on Twitter @ByPeteVernon. THE REVELATION THAT VICE PRESIDENT Mike Pence used a private AOL.com email address to conduct state business during his tenure as the governor of Indiana prompted swift condemnations and a rush of coverage that touched on everything from information security to public records accessibility to partisan hypocrisy. By Saturday, even the Weekend Update anchors at Saturday Night Live took the opportunity to make a few jokes at Pences expense. That coverage sprang from an investigation by the Indianapolis Stars Tony Cook, who found that emails to Pences AOL account included sensitive information about homeland security matters. Pence had criticized former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton during her 2016 campaign for using a private email server. In his first public comments after Cooks story broke, Pence said there was no comparison between his and Clintons use of private emails. While much of the national conversation that resulted from the Star investigation has focused on Pence-Clinton comparisons, Cook says that focus is misplaced. His investigation exposed gaps in the states public records laws and ways that officials can use those gaps to manipulate access to information. While we knew that would be a major talking point, it in some ways distracts from what I think are the major public interest concerns that make the story important: security and transparency, Cook tells CJR. Personal email accounts are often less secure than government accountsin fact, Pences personal account was hacked, exposing potentially sensitive information. Emails from personal accounts are also less likely to show up in responses to public record requests because they dont necessarily create a record on state servers. Cook, who has been the papers statehouse reporter since 2014, says the story underscores many issues with Indianas public records act. There is no firm deadline for production, there are many broad exemptions, and the law is silent on the use of personal email accounts for government business, he says. So much is left to the discretion of public officials, and that can make it challenging to keep them accountable. Sign up for weekly emails from the United States Project Indiana law does not prohibit public officials from using personal email accounts like Pence did. However, the law is generally interpreted to mean that official business conducted on private email must be retained for public record purposes, the Star explained to its readers. RELATED: Study: Breitbart-led right-wing media ecosystem altered broader media agenda Pences attorneys turned over 13 boxes of state-related emails to the Indiana Statehouse for archiving on the same day that the Star published Cooks story. Gerry Lanosga, assistant professor at The Media School at Indiana University, questions why the emails were delivered on paper, particularly when the Indiana legislature once again is considering charging search fees for public record requests if they take more than two hours. (In another bit of irony, Pence vetoed a similar measure when he was governor). It doesnt prove for a meaningful search if you take electronic records and convert them to paper, says Lanosga. They should stay in their native format. There should be inboxes worth of data that are being transferred to the state. Lanosga also expressed concern that the email records are just now being made available to the public after Pence has left office. The administration is done and in the books, he says. This stuff should have been archived on a rolling basis and maintained somewhere where people knew of its existence. The Indianapolis Star first learned of Pences private email account by chance in 2014 while investigating a possible conflict of interest involving an Indiana health care consultant, Seema Verma, who is now President Donald Trumps pick to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In a batch of emails released to the Star nine months after the investigation published was an email to Pences AOL account from a low-level staff member. When the issue of government officials using private email accounts became a controversial issue during the 2016 presidential campaign, the Star requested all emails between Pences AOL account and any state government account. That request and a subsequent one were denied for lack of specificitya tricky matter in Indianas public records law, which leaves room for interpretation. The law says only that requests should identify with reasonable particularity the record being requested. Zachary Baiel, president of the nonprofit Indiana Coalition for Open Government, says government bodies are increasingly demanding greater specificity in public records requests. It seems to be the new tone and tenor, whether at the state level or local or municipal level, especially when you are asking for emails, says Baiel. Thats where the shift is coming about, and not just in Indiana. Baiel says that requests for emails in Indiana usually must be restricted to a six-month span, and requesters should identify senders and recipients and include keywords to help sort content. For example, Baiel cant request emails about the budget; instead, he must specify a departmental budget. You have to be very precise, he says. That level of precision leaves room for public officials to deny requests for information. In its third public records request, the Star named a specific sender and recipient, which Cook says he selected based on their proximity to Pence and their involvement with security issues. The Star also confined its search to a six-month window and included keywords. RELATED: Avoiding questions about Trumps mental health is a betrayal of public trust That request was approved on October 27, but the Star didnt receive the emails until the last week in February, when Indiana governor Eric Holcomb released 29 pages to Cook. The Star noted in its coverage that Holcombs office withheld an unknown number of others, arguing they are exempt from Indianas records laws. Ronnie Ramos, executive editor of the Star, says there are still questions around Pences emails. People were fixated on email servers and Hillary Clinton similarities, but its about transparency, says Ramos. I think there are a lot of challenge to doing public journalism in this state. He also praised Cook for successfully navigating the records request. This story is about a lot of perseverance, says Ramos. A lot of organizations asked for those emails, but Tony was persistent about filing appeals and amending the order so we could try to get something back. On the same night that Saturday Night Live tried out its Pence material, the Vice President joked about the Stars story in front of reporters at the annual Gridiron Club dinner in Washington. My wife said it was good for my image, said Pence, the headline speaker at the traditional white-tie event sponsored by Washingtons oldest journalism organization. She said now America knows Im not stuck in the 50s. Im just stuck in the 90s. For Indiana reporters tasked with chasing access to public records, the jokes likely fell flat. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Jackie Spinner is CJRs correspondent for Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin. She is an associate journalism professor at Columbia College Chicago and a former staff writer for The Washington Post. Follow her on Twitter @jackiespinner. Crews grappling with vexing wildfires that have charred hundreds of square miles of land in four states and killed six people soon may get a bit of a break: Winds are forecast to ease from the gusts that whipped the flames. Bill Bunting, forecast operations chief for the Oklahoma-based Storm Prediction Center, said Tuesday the powerful wind gusts that fanned the wildfires in Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas should diminish to about 10 to 20 mph on Wednesday. He said temperatures should top in the 70s, with afternoon humidity low. These conditions will make it somewhat easier for firefighting efforts, but far from perfect. The fires still will be moving, Bunting told The Associated Press. The ideal situation is that it would turn cold and rain, and unfortunately thats not going to happen. In addition to those four states, conditions were ripe for fires in Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska. That followed powerful thunderstorms that moved through the middle of the country overnight, spawning dozens of suspected tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service. Kansas wildfires have burned about 625 square miles of land and killed one person. The Kansas Highway Patrol said Corey Holt, of Oklahoma City, died Monday when his tractor-trailer jackknifed as he tried to back up because of poor visibility on a Kansas highway, and he succumbed to smoke after getting out of his vehicle. Two SUVs crashed into the truck, injuring six people, state trooper Michael Racy said. Most of the states charred land is in Clark County, where 30 structures were damaged, said Allison Kuhns, a county emergency management office spokeswoman. About half of those structures are near Englewood, one of two communities evacuated. Kuhns said there also have been significant cattle losses as entire ranches were engulfed. That fire started in Oklahoma, where it burned an estimated 390 square miles in Beaver County. Officials say a separate blaze scorched more than 155 square miles of land in neighboring Harper County, Oklahoma, and was a factor in the death of a woman who had a heart attack while trying to keep her farm near Buffalo from burning. The largest evacuations elsewhere were in Reno County, Kansas, where 10,000 to 12,000 people voluntarily left their homes Monday night, said Katie Horner, a state Department of Emergency Management spokeswoman. She said 66 people were in shelters Tuesday in Hutchinson, 40 miles northwest of Wichita. Among them was Shelley Wilson, who fled Monday with her disabled son and pets from a blaze encircling her farm outside of Hutchinson. She returned later that night with her adult daughter to retrieve her tractor. I dont know if I have a home, Wilson said at the shelter Tuesday as her daughter did her best to lighten her mood. In case I needed to rebuild, I wanted to at least have my tractor. Retiree Sheryl Stessen said she grabbed her cat and fled her apartment on the outskirts of Hutchinson when she saw the fire quickly go from a puff of smoke to a big, orange ball. Most of us are generally grumpy, she said Tuesday. I just want to go home. Several hundred more people evacuated their homes in Russell, Ellsworth and Comanche counties, in central Kansas. In the Texas Panhandle, three fires burned about 500 square miles of land and killed at least four people. One of them near Amarillo threatened about 150 homes, while a larger fire in the northeast corner of the Panhandle near the Oklahoma border was 50 percent contained as of late Tuesday morning, according to Texas A&M Forest Service. That larger fire was responsible for a death on Monday, authorities said Tuesday without providing details. A wildfire in Gray County, also in the Texas Panhandle, killed three ranch hands trying to save cattle, said Judge Richard Peet, the countys head administrator. One of the three apparently died of smoke inhalation Monday night and the other two were badly burned and died on the way to hospitals, he said. Forest Service spokesman Phillip Truitt said as many as four firefighters were hurt battling the fires Monday. He provided no details on their conditions Tuesday morning. In northeastern Colorado near the Nebraska border, firefighters battled a blaze that burned more than 45 square miles and was 50 percent contained Tuesday. Officials said the fire had destroyed at least five homes and 15 outbuildings, with no serious injuries. Dry conditions and strong winds had put the region at risk for wildfires. All of eastern Colorado is classified as either moderately or abnormally dry along with major parts of Kansas, almost all of Oklahoma and some of northern Texas, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. After several years of drought, Kansas got good to great rain the last two summers. But the taller grass provides more fuel to burn. (Suhr reported from Kansas City, Missouri. Associated Press writers Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City, Missouri; John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas; Dave Warren in Dallas; and Colleen Slevin in Denver contributed to this report.) Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. A freight train crashed into a bus full of Texas tourists visiting Gulf Coast casinos, killing four in Biloxi, Mississippi. Forty people were hurt, seven critically. The cause of the Tuesday afternoon crash remains under investigation. Witnesses told Mississippi news outlets the bus appeared to have been stuck on the tracks when it was hit. The crossing is on a steep embankment and has a sign warning drivers that it has a low ground clearance. Authorities on the scene said it took more than an hour to get everyone aboard the bus out of the wreckage. Two people had to be removed with metal-cutting equipment. The CSX Transportation locomotive pushed the bus about 300 feet before coming to a stop with the mangled bus still straddling the tracks. Jim DeLaCruz, a passenger who was in the back of the bus with his wife, told The Sun Herald that they were trying to get off. The bus tried to clear the tracks and got stuck right in the middle and it couldnt budge, and the train just kept coming and kept coming, he said. Police chief John Miller said he was unsure why the train was stopped on the tracks. We dont know if there were mechanical issues or what was taking place, he said. Miller said the Echo Transportation bus had come from Austin, Texas, carrying passengers to one of Biloxis eight casinos. Ameet Patel, senior vice president of regional operations for Penn National Gaming, owner of Hollywood Gulf Coast Casino in Bay St. Louis and Boomtown Biloxi Casino, said the bus was traveling from the Hollywood casino to the Boomtown casino at the time of the crash. The weeklong trip was organized by a senior citizens center in Bastrop, Texas, about 30 miles east of Austin. Some passengers boarded in each city Sunday. They also were supposed to visit New Orleans and then return home Saturday, according to a flier about the tour posted by Texas media. The names of the dead were not immediately released. Michelle Crowley of the Biloxi fire department said 40 people were injured; of those, seven were in critical condition. A woman who lives about a block from where the train and bus finally came to a stop after the train crashed into the bus says she heard a loud boom and knew immediately what had happened. Cecelia McDonald said she ran out of her house and saw a scene of carnage. Witnesses told the Sun Herald of Biloxi that the bus was stuck on the tracks for about five minutes before he saw the train hit it. Mark Robinson said some people were getting off the bus as the driver tried to move it, and at least one person was shoved under the bus when the train hit. A nearby car was used as a stepladder after the crash to get people off the bus, and emergency workers pulled passengers through windows. Robinson said he thinks the train track, which is on an embankment, poses safety issues. Its too steep there, Robinson said. In addition to the sign warning of a low ground clearance, the crossing has a bell, lights and crossing arms. Biloxi Fire Chief Joe Boney says rescuers needed one hour and four minutes to clear everyone from the wreckage. Two people had to be cut out of the bus. Vincent Creel, the city spokesman, said 48 passengers and the driver were on the bus. The train was headed from New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama, at the time of the crash, said CSX spokesman Gary Sease. He said the train crew was not injured. The single track is the CSX mainline along the Gulf Coast, passing through densely populated areas of southern Mississippi. Federal Railroad Agency records show 10 trains a day typically use the track, with a maximum speed of 45 mph. Records show there have been 16 accidents at the crossing since 1976, including in 1983 and 2003, each of which involved one fatality. A delivery truck also was struck at the same crossing in January, WLOX-TV reports. No one was injured in that crash. The bus was marked as belonging to Echo Transportation, which Texas corporate records show is a unit of a company called TBL Group, based in Grand Prairie, near Dallas. We cant confirm anything at this point, said Elisa Fox, a lawyer for the bus company. Were trying to mobilize to assess the situation. Federal Railroad Administration spokesman Marc Willis said the agency is sending three inspectors to investigate, while Mississippi is sending one. The National Transportation Safety Board said it also is investigating. (Associated Press writer Sarah Smith in Jackson, Mississippi, contributed to this report.) Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The leader of the nations largest sheriffs department expects federal drug agents will attempt to step up marijuana enforcement as California moves forward with legalization. But he believes there isnt the manpower to conduct widespread raids on growers and businesses selling marijuana. In a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell also decried California legislation that would make the state a sanctuary for immigrants in the country illegally by limiting how much local law enforcement agencies can work with federal immigration authorities. McDonnell said he doesnt want his deputies acting as de facto immigration agents, but he believes the bill goes too far and would hamper cooperation on counterterrorism and gang initiatives. McDonnell said he expects legalization of recreational marijuana to bring additional challenges for his deputies, who patrol nearly 4,000 square miles in Southern California, from an increase in fatal traffic collisions to a rise in overdoses caused by brownies, gummies and other edibles that deliver uneven dosages of THC, the chemical compound that provides the high. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said last month that federal officials would try to adopt reasonable policies for enforcement of federal anti-marijuana laws. Sessions has said he believes violence surrounds sales and use of the drug in the U.S. The Justice Department didnt immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. McDonnell said its likely there will be federal raids targeting the marijuana industry in California. To be able to set the tone, they may do that, he said. Los Angeles sheriffs deputies have been preparing for the legalization of recreational marijuana in California, which goes into effect on Jan. 1, by studying crime rates in Colorado and Washington after marijuana was legalized there. McDonnell said officials need to prepare for a potential health crisis. Weve seen an increase of the number of kids, in particular, admitted to emergency rooms for ingestion of edibles that in a young kid could be fatal, McDonnell said. Somebody cuts a corner of a brownie, do they get the full ingestion of THC that was supposed to go into that whole plate of brownies or do they get nothing? Theres no control. McDonnell said anticipates that legalization will also drive up crime and will being heavy costs to train more officers to be able to identify drugged drivers. We dont have anything where its similar to getting a blood-alcohol content level, as we would do in the field now, he said. Without a definitive metric to be able to go to court with that an index if you will its going to be difficult to go to court and get the prosecutions the way we know get for alcohol. McDonnell, who has led the sheriffs department since 2014, also criticized proposed sanctuary state legislation, known as Senate Bill 54, that he said will have unintended consequences. Still, he said, the department must maintain a strict policy over what information it shares with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. Our currency is public trust, and if were out there doing the job of immigration then we lose that, McDonnell said. It prohibits communications between local and federal law enforcement on a number of fronts, particularly focused on immigration issues. If immigration agents cant access the county jail to arrest immigrants living in the country illegally who have committed serious crimes, they will instead be forced to make arrests at their homes or in public places, McDonnell said. They will not only take him, but potentially his family and anyone around who is potentially undocumented, he said. So were going to be pushing them into a position were all trying to avoid and again, eroding the trust of many of our communities. McDonnell also condemned a series of criminal justice reform measures aimed at easing overcrowding in state prisons that he attributed to a rise in violent crime. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. AKRON, Ohio - The sold-out Women's Endowment Fund of "For Women, Forever" annual event this week raised nearly $100,000. Grants from the Akron Community Foundation's fund improve the health, safety and economic well-being of women and girls in Summit County. Held at the the Hilton Akron/Fairlawn, the annual dinner celebrated women's philanthropy and honored Savannah James, founder of the I PROMise Makeover. Women of Our Future program James, an Akron businesswoman, philanthropist and wife of Cav's star LeBron James who attended the dinner, announced her new mentoring program for Akron high school girls, "Women of Our Future." Previous coverage: Savannah James launches "Women of Our Future" mentorship program for Akron high school girls "By pairing these girls with individual mentors, they will never walk their road alone," James told attendees. "When they need help with their schoolwork, advice about life situations, or a source of strength during one of those low moments, we will be there for them." The initiative will begin with 16 at Buchtel Community Learning Center students, many of whom were in the audience. "To see girls' faces light up from excitement and confidence is what fuels my passion. That is the reason I'm here. They are my purpose," James said. "I'm excited about these programs and the opportunity to impact these young ladies' lives in a very real way." In honor of James' work to empower young women in Akron, the Women's Endowment Fund donated 100 pieces of jewelry to her I PROMise Makeover program, which helps prepare underprivileged Akron-area girls for prom. In her introduction of James, event co-chair and Women's Endowment Fund Vice President Sherry Neubert praised James for blazing her trail as a businesswoman, philanthropist, wife and mother, calling her "Akron's most famous first lady." "But if you ask her, she is just a girl from Akron doing her part to make this community - and its young girls, especially - stronger," Neubert said. Judith A. Read Tribute Award The evening included presentation to Marie Covington of the Judith A. Read Tribute Award for Service & Advocacy for Women. Covington, a former BFGoodrich Company executive, is co-founder of the Women's Endowment Fund. The award is presented annually to an individual or couple who best exemplifies the late Judy Read's commitment to the advancement of women and girls in Summit County. "(Judy) would be very pleased to know that this year's award recipient follows very closely in her own philanthropic footsteps," said Women's Endowment Fund President Cindy Johnson, who presented the award. Covington, unanimously selected by women's fund board members, is a community leader who has been a champion for women and girls through her work in the business and nonprofit communities. "(One trait) that Judy had, and that I continue, is a commitment to this fund and the growing impact it can have on the future for women and girls," Covington said. "I've been continuously engaged - as a founder, a board member, a committee member, a seeker of funds, and a donor since the early 1990s. Thank you for this singular honor." ACCESS Inc. grants Women's fund leaders also announced a surprise $10,000 impact grant from the Read family to ACCESS Inc. to meet the emergency needs of homeless women and children, many of whom are fleeing abuse. The Read family grant matches a $10,000 grant to ACCESS awarded by the Women's Endowment Fund in February. In 2017, the fund granted a record $114,460 to 19 nonprofit organizations that improve life for Summit County's women and girls in the areas of health and wellness, economic empowerment, and safety from violence. For more information visit the Women's Endowment Fund website. Want more Akron news? Sign up for cleveland.com's Rubber City Daily, an email newsletter delivered at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. Harrison County shale gas well A home sits just down a hill from a massive drilling rig four years ago in Harrison County at the beginning of the shale gas boom in Ohio. The race to increase production has since stalled because of a huge oversupply of natural gas in the region. (Plain Dealer file ) COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio's oil and gas producers are hoping President Donald Trump will back down on some of the rules the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies put in place during the last months of the Obama Administration. But Trump's apparent intention to slash the U.S. EPA's budget by 25 percent and number of employees by 20 percent could actually be a problem for the industry, an attorney told the more than 850 at the annual conference of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association on Thursday. James Elliott, a Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, attorney representing the Ohio association and 18 other state industry groups across the nation opposing a flurry of rules the former administration unleashed in its last years, said severe cutbacks to the EPA's more than 15,000-member staff could be an example of "Be Careful What You Ask For." "There is reason to be optimistic but ... while we all would like to see the number of EPA's employees reduced, we still need adequate staff in there," he said, referring to the thousands of career EPA employees who make the day-to-day operation of the agency possible and who will now be reporting to Trump appointees. One Obama-era regulation dating back to 2015 that the industry is hoping Trump will modify is the rule requiring producers and pipeline operators to track down methane leakage, capture the gas and return it to the fuel supply. Methane is considered a more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Elliott said the EPA later eliminated an exemption to that that rule for small, older wells. (Ohio has 50,000 wells, many of them smaller and older vertical wells.) The small well exemption is one that the Trump administration could restore without a drawn out battle but by supplementing the record with new, more accurate data, Elliott said, as the previous administration did with other rules. Restoring the exemption could be done outside of the larger legal battle. The industry is fighting the entire methane rule in federal court, Elliott added, but the legal challenge is just beginning. Overall, the industry is looking for Trump to modify a number of rules that the EPA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife promulgated Melissa Hamsher, vice president, environmental, health, safety and regulatory, for Pennsylvania-based Eclipse Resources Corp., a gas and oil producer with operations in Ohio, provided an overview of some of the regulations, both state and federal, that the industry is confronting. She said the industry is hoping to limit the growth of the endangered species act through legislation introduced in January that would make it more difficult for environmental groups to add new species to the endangered list through litigation. The industry also hopes to role back a 2016 rule issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that geographic growth of areas where an endangered species might exist, she said. On the other side of this issue, environmental groups are closely watching the new administration for reversals of Obama era rules and are expected to go to challenge such moves in courts, which do not typically approve of changes that appear to be politically motivated. On the state level, Richard "Rick" Simmers, chief of the oil and gas division of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, told the crowd that the state is preparing to move its extensive industry data base to new programs because existing software can no longer be updated. Simmers appealed for help from the companies doing business in the state in the coming months. Cliff Rosenberger, speaker of the Ohio House, and Larry Obhoff, president of the Ohio Senate each spoke briefly. Both of them praised the industry for its impact on Ohio's economy. Rosenberger pledged to reject the latest plan by Gov. John Kasich to increase taxes on the revenues the industry earns from oil and gas sales. "As longer as I am speaker...and as long as it makes no sense for market conditions to show there is a need of a [an increase] in severance tax, we will continue to oppose it in the House," he said. He also pledged to support the Kasich administration and that it "continues to allow for you do do the jobs in the most sensible way by tearing down regulations." Washington's got enough bullxxit coming. And luckily we have a president now who is going to clear that up. We don't need to do anything more in Ohio to make that worse." CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Fire and ambulance calls hit an all-time high last year in the city, while many major crimes remained on the decline, continuing a trend since 2011. And the number of homicides remained the same, with three in each year, although one from 2016 remains unsolved: the April 16 death of a woman in a Noble Road house fire that was ruled an arson. Both public safety departments presented their respective 2016 annual reports to City Council last month, with firefighters making 6,412 runs last year, surpassing the previous record in 2015 by nearly 200 calls. The number of structure fires were also up by about 10 from from the average of 65, with roughly more than 4,000 medical calls (84 percent) and 3,325 hospital transports. Overall, local fire calls have been spiraling upward since 2003, with the exception of a "slight downtick" in 2014, which Cleveland Heights Fire Chief Dave Freeman attributed to an abnormally high number of calls during an ice storm in the previous record year of 2013. Freeman added that, in going over the previous year's statistics, it was hard to pinpoint any specific causes and trends contributing to the overall increase. As for the opioid epidemic that continues to rage, Freeman said that the number of times the department has administered the overdose emergency antidote "Narcan (naloxone) has not really changed over the last couple of years." At the same time, drug overdoses can fall into a number of categories in the department records, such as "unconscious," or "trouble breathing," in addition to an "O.D." call. "The hospitals run blood tests and that is the only definitive way to check," Freeman said. Last year was the first for Cleveland Heights police officers to be issued naloxone, and it was used in at least three instances, Chief Annette Mecklenburg said. Overall police calls for service in 2016 rose by over 800 from the previous year to 41,850, with 7,800 traffic stops. And there were some increases in some types of calls last year, including robberies, which were way up in 2016 to 84, compared with 53 in 2015. Going on 90 years old, Cleveland Heights' 1928 American LaFrance fire engine is now being worked on in a Western Reserve Fire Museum warehouse in the Flats. Aggravated assaults also jumped from 33 in 2015 to 54 last year, although Mecklenburg noted that some of the increase involved cases like a Noble Road man shooting a bb-gun at passing cars, all of which were tallied up individually. Also up were motor vehicle accidents, increasing by nearly 50 to 1,393 in 2016. Bikes hit by cars were down one to seven last year, while there 19 pedestrians struck, up one from 2015. Councilman Kahlil Seren asked the department to put together some "heat maps" for areas and intersections where the most accidents occur, to see if the city can improve certain crossings. Animal bites also went up by nine in 2016, although Mecklenburg pointed out that bites are not always inflicted on people -- sometimes, it's other pets that are bitten. The number of overall animal complaints were down significantly last year, dipping to 242 from 312 in 2015. Burglaries declined last year by 11 from 128 in 2015 to 117, and thefts were at an all-time low, dropping from 826 in 2015 to 782. Adult arrests dipped way down last year, from over 2,000 in 2015 down to 1,627, while the number of juveniles taken into custody continued for fall, from 503 in 2014 to 411 the following year and then 369 in 2016. The city's Crime Suppression Team made nine fewer arrests in 2016 with 76, and executed 140 search warrants, mostly for drugs and burglaries. At the same time, the city's "solvability" or "clearance rates" on cases remained high last year, coming in at 47 percent -- or close to half -- compared to the national average of 33 percent -- or roughly one-third. "Our officers to a great job of investigating and solving cases," Mecklenburg told council. The department is currently down two bike officers, due to some basic patrol officers leaving the entry-level position for other departments. Vice Mayor Jason Stein asked if that might have anything to do with Cleveland Heights' requirement that regular patrol officers have a Bachelor's degree. Mecklenburg said that it could, since the only area departments with similar policies are Middleburg Heights and Strongsville. Council also asked about what could be done to ensure the city's diversity is reflected in its hiring in both the police and fire departments, with high school programs and scholarships being offered. As for this year, safety officials hope to get all entities moved into the Heights-Hillcrest Joint Dispatch Center on Severance Circle over the next 9-12 months. "While nothing is set in stone yet, we are looking at Eastcom -- Shaker, University and Cleveland Heights fire dispatch -- going in first," Freeman said. "Then possibly South Euclid police and fire in October or November." FedEx Office This is the sign on a FedEx Office store in downtown Pittsburgh Wednesday, Jan. 11. Three Northeast Ohioans were convicted in a drug conspiracy involving shipping pounds of cocaine from California to Ohio. (The Associated Press) AKRON, Ohio - Three Northeast Ohioans were convicted this week for shipping cocaine from California to the Cleveland area through FedEx. Christopher Fitzgerald, 42, of Beachwood, Rashard Smith, 42, of Northfield and Chiquita Anderson, 43, of Bedford, were convicted of conspiracy and other drug-related charges. A federal jury in Akron found them guilty after a trial that lasted more than a week. Prosecutors said Fitzgerald and Smith worked for FedEx and used their positions to ship pounds of cocaine for Walter Walker, a cocaine dealer. Anderson allowed Walker to store cocaine and his proceeds at her home in exchange for money. Walker pleaded guilty to money laundering and conspiracy charges. He testified against the trio at trial, records show. U.S. District Judge Sara Lioi will sentence the trio on June 15. Fitzgerald is in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service, while Smith and Anderson are free on bond. The jury also awarded the government more than $21,500 that agents from the Northern Ohio Law Enforcement Task Force seized from his home in April 2015. If you would like to comment on this story, please visit Thursday's crime and courts comments section. Cleveland police tape Officials said that there was no weapons found in a search of a van involved in a high-speed chase with Strongsville police that ended in the shooting death of Roy Evans. (cleveland.com file photo) CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Investigators found no weapons in a search of a van involved in a high-speed chase with Strongsville police that ended with the driver gunned down by an officer. The Ohio Attorney General's Office's Bureau of Criminal Investigations searched the van Tuesday night after obtaining a warrant, BCI spokeswoman Jill Del Greco said. BCI is still trying to determine if the van itself was used as a weapon, Del Greco said. A Strongsville officer shot Roy Evans of Lorain following a 14-minute chase early Tuesday morning along Interstate 71. A woman and three children were in the van. Evans died as a result of the shooting. Investigators will receive the autopsy and toxicology reports in a couple months, Del Greco said. The case will then be sent over to the Medina County Prosecutor to determine what the next step is, Del Greco said. The chase began 2:26 a.m. when police tried to stop Evans in the northbound lane of Interstate 71, a call for service report says. He left the highway at the Pearl Road exit and drove towards Sprague Road before heading on the southbound lane of I-71, according to a copy of a call log obtained from Strongsville police. The report says that officers noticed that Evans was driving in the dark of the morning with no lights and the engine appeared to be smoking. An officer rammed Evans' van which drove over spikes put down by State Highway Patrol at 2:36 a.m. The van slowed at 2:39 a.m. The log said that officers saw the driver reach around below their line of sight to light a cigarette, and an officer opened fire one minute later, the report says. 09DARCY-LIBERTY.jpg The Trump administration introduced a new travel ban for six majority Muslim nations. Women went on strike and wore red on International Women's Day. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Trump administration's new Travel Ban roll out excluded Iraq and President Trump. Monday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly publicly announced and detailed the new Travel Ban after President Trump had signed the new order out of public view. The administration handled the roll out of the new Travel Ban the way they should have announced the first one. Before making the public announcement, Tillerson, Sessions and Kelly briefed both Congress and media members. In the public presentation of the plan, the three cabinet members each took turns speaking, describing their department's duties in enforcing the ban and detailing why the administration believes it is necessary. Tillerson, Sessions and Kelly argued that the six countries the ban targets pose a security threat, either because they are state sponsors of terror or because they are to unstable to ensure proper vetting can take place. Kelly vouched for the integrity of Homeland Security agents, basically saying that they are good people who are just doing their job enforcing immigration laws. The new executive order revoked the previous Travel Ban executive order that was blocked by court rulings. Iraq is no longer included in the new ban, which also removes a prohibition on travelers from Syria. Tillerson said Iraq is an "important ally in the fight to defeat ISIS" and Iraq had agreed to improve security and vetting measures on their end. The order includes a 90-day ban on issuing new visas, but anyone who holds a current visa should be able to travel back and forth. An exception to the refugee ban for members of religious minority groups has been removed. In doing so, it removes one of the reasons the first ban was successfully challenged in court. The refugee program will be suspended for 120 days. No more than 50,000 refugees will be enter the U.S. per year. Under the Obama administration, refugee entries were capped at 110,000. The revisions made to the Travel Ban will likely reduce the number of people who have legal standing to challenge it in court. Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who blocked the first ban in court, said the revisions were a "significant victory" showing the administration "capitulated on numerous key provisions that we contested in court." While Ferguson's office reviews whether they need to legally challenge the new ban, other civil rights groups and critics of both ban versions intend to. They join Democrats who argue that the revised Executive Order still is a thinly disguised Muslim ban. One aspect both versions of the Travel Ban share, is that they are limited to Muslim majority countries. None of the 9-11 attackers came from the six countries listed in the ban. The ban excludes Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Recent terror attacks were carried out by individuals living in France, Belgium and Germany. The ban doesn't include other nations with lax procedures for vetting and issuing passports. The Washington Post reported that a Department of Homeland Security assessment of the terrorist threat posed by travelers from the six countries included in the ban, had concluded that citizenship was an "unreliable" threat indicator and that people from the six countries had rarely been implicated in U.S.-based terrorism. Trump told Lady Liberty to take off on International Women's Day until the Travel Ban is over. If she could, Lady Liberty might find good reason to put on a red dress and a raise a picket sign outside The White House to extend the Women's Strike beyond March eighth. Camp Hill is moving forward on an anti-discrimination ordinance similar to one approved by the Carlisle Borough Council in December. The Camp Hill Borough Council Wednesday night discussed the proposed ordinance that would establish a local human relations commission to help investigate and settle disputes over discrimination. The ordinance would provide protections against discrimination in areas like housing, employment and use of public accommodations to people based on race, gender, veteran status and a host of other aspects protected by federal and state law. The ordinance would also extend those protections to people based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, which are not afforded the same protections under state and federal law. The crux of the ordinance is to broadly protect against discrimination based on actual or perceived race, color, sex, religion, ancestry, genetic information, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, familial status, age, veterans status, mental or physical disability, use of guide or support animals and or mechanical aids, council member Kim Snell-Zarcone said. None of the council members voiced opposition to the ordinance as whole at the Wednesday meeting, but questions were raised as how best to implement it. Those questions ranged from determining the proper size of the local human relations commission, to the use of professional mediation, to adding language aimed at curbing frivolous claims. Exceptions are created in the ordinance for things like the hiring practices of religious corporations or associations and certain decision of who to rent to when a building is owner occupied and has a common entrance. The ordinance also received support from the majority of those in attendance Wednesday. Passing this ordinance is one way to show our community, especially our children, that what they learn about Lion Pride at school extends beyond the walls of their schools, and we as a community are committed to these values in our daily lives, resident Alissa Packer said during the meetings public comment section. Equally important to us is that our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered neighbors, family and friends, as well as visitors to our community understand that Camp Hill Borough is inclusive and welcoming to all. Opposition Of the more than 50 people who attended the meeting, only two voiced opposition to the ordinance. One person expressed opposition to what he perceived was the borough condoning a lifestyle he did not agree with, and was cut off by the borough council after making a lewd comment. The other person in opposition said he was opposed to any non-elected commission being created. I do not believe in committees that are not elected by the people to adjudicate somebodys perceived discrimination, resident Dustin Palmer said. ... I get worried when I see those types of things in an ordinance when it says perceived and youre going to go ahead and put somebody in front of a council or committee to do those things. Palmer said he would support the measure if it included language to protect against frivolous claims. Language for the ordinance has not yet been made available to the public, but Ted Martin, executive director of Equality Pennsylvania, said it is similar to one enacted in Doylestown and 38 other municipalities in the state including Carlisle. Martin was invited by the council to answer questions about the ordinance during the meeting. What youre saying to the community, and what you are saying to Pennsylvania, is that Camp Hill Borough is a place that believes in fairness and is welcoming, Martin said. It wants you to live here. It wants you to feel safe here. It wants you to stay here, and it wants you to shop here. The board is expected to vote on advertising the proposed ordinance at its next meeting at 7 p.m. April 12. HARRISBURG How and how much should the state fund Pennsylvania State Police? That was the subject of a Wednesday morning hearing in the House of Representatives. State Police leadership made their case at the Capitol, talking costs while legislators talked possible cuts. Representatives say they certainly dont want to underfund the agency, but theyve got to save somewhere. There is no price you can put on safety, absolutely, Cumberland County Republican Rep. Sheryl Delozier said following the hearing, but we do have to look at the cost that it comes down to because our state budget, $3 billion on debt, were going to have to figure out a way to fill those holes. Delozier and fellow Appropriations Committee members suggested a few possibilities in questions to State Police Commissioner Col. Tyree Blocker. In a short exchange between the two about staffing at the states dozen casinos, Blocker said state police are legislatively bound to provide coverage to the businesses. In all, he said 132 troopers are assigned at casinos around the state. With local police and private security also providing protection, Delozier told Blocker, gaming and protecting the casinos may not be the best use of your troopers time. But the issue of how and where State Police provides service is bigger than a handful of businesses. The demand for State Police services continues to grow, Blocker told the legislative panel. He painted a tough financial picture for lawmakers: Not only are troopers covering more of the state more of the time, requests for specialty units, like the Special Emergency Response Team and the bomb squad, are also on the rise. The agency has nearly 500 vacant enlisted positions, he said, and a wave of retirements might be on the way soon. Three cadet classes promised by Gov. Tom Wolf this year will help, he said, but Pennsylvania State Police needs regular classes to keep up with staffing. To help raise money for the agency, Wolf proposed charging $25 per capita per year for areas that use state police as their primary police force. Blocker told the panel Wednesday that number doesnt come close. A department analysis shows it costs $234 per person for those full-time services to more than 1,200 municipalities, totaling $600 million a year. Rep. Mark Keller, a Republican representing Perry County who wasnt in the budget hearing, said thats an unpopular idea in his district. Just one municipality in Perry County, Marysville, has its own police department. The rest rely on state police. When Penn Township abolished its department recently, supervisors pointed to the cost and the need to raise taxes to keep cops in town. As tremendous as the work State Police does in the area is, Keller said, supervisors around the county dont like the idea of having to pass along a new fee to their residents for the same service theyve been getting. Another option, raised by Rep. Brad Roae, R-Crawford/Erie, would draw down the number of buildings the agency has to keep up with. A recent report published by McKinsey and Company which the state paid $1.8 million to complete recommends cutting the number of stations to 67, one per county. There are 81 now. The researchers said that would save $440,000 next fiscal year and $620,000 a year in expenses. Were always looking at our infrastructure, Blocker said in an interview after the hearing. Right now, we have no plans in place to close any facilities. Blocker also said that despite the stresses on the State Police, hes not concerned about funding levels and is confident theyll have the resources they need. Jews will celebrate the Holiday of Purim starting the evening of March 11 through the day of March 12, 2017. Purim is a 1-day holiday that occurs between Tu Bishvat, the New Year of Trees, and Passover. Like many of the Jewish holidays, Purim is a celebration of deliverance of the Jewish people from a wicked person who sought to kill them. You may know the story, because it is recounted in the Biblical book of Esther. Esther was a young, beautiful Jewish woman in Shushan, Persia, who was selected in a beauty contest to marry the Persian king, Ahasuerus. When she married the king, he didnt know that she was Jewish and she didnt tell him. Besides Esther and the King, there are two other important protagonists in this story, Mordechai and Haman. Mordechai was Esthers uncle, and a man who had at one time saved the life of the King. Haman was the Grand Vizier, and he hated Jews, especially Mordechai. Haman convinced the King (who seemed to be a fool easily swayed by his advisers) to kill all the Jews in Shushan on the 14th day of the month of Adar. This day was chosen by the Kings magicians casting lots or pur, plural purim to choose the date. When Mordechai heard about Hamans plot, he convinced Esther that she needed to make the King to stop Hamans plans, no matter what it took. According to the rules of the court, Esther was not allowed to approach the King unless invited. But Esther chose to risk her own life in approaching the King, uninvited, to intervene for her people. She revealed to Ahasuerus that she herself was Jewish, and would be killed if Hamans plan went forward. Ahasuerus stopped the planned slaughter and instead of killing Mordechai and his people, had Haman hanged for his crimes. As a result, all Jews celebrate the deliverance of the Jews of Shushan on the 14th of Adar. Lets go back to the Biblical Book of Esther. Ever read it? It is quite interesting. First, if you carefully read the Book of Esther, you will note that God is never mentioned in the book. Second, scholars agree that the name Esther is derived from the name of the Babylonian goddess Ishtar. Also, Esther is an example of a Jewish woman who married a non-Jewan intermarriage. These are all aspects of Esther that many Jews would find objectionable. Yet the rabbis who put together the Jewish Bible felt that this book was important enough to include in the canon that became the Jewish Bible and later the Christian Old Testament. Many modern Jewish women, including myself, find some aspects of the story of Esther distasteful and disturbing. Esther was essentially collected to be a member of the harem of a lascivious king. This king had recently gotten rid of his previous favorite wife/concubine, Vashti, because she would not obey his drunken commands. So clearly Esther wasnt being brought in to a safe, wholesome environment, and she had no choice or voice in her life, as was common in the fifth century BCE. However, we should be proud that Esther, after being forced into the position, stood up to the King and to Haman and saved her people. She used her political skills to ensure the survival of the Jewish people. That took a lot of guts. This makes me wonder what lessons we should consider this year from the story of Esther. Many of us marched in Washington or Harrisburg on Jan. 21, to protest an attempt by the political establishment to turn back the clock on womens rights. Perhaps we need to see the story of Esther as an inspiration. She was forced into concubinage, to be married to a king who was easily swayed by a bigoted adviser to condemn a whole group of people. Does that remind you of the situation today? Yet Esther stood tall and fought for her people. And today, we all remember Esther, but few remember the foolish king. Esther lived in very dark times and she risked much to help save many lives. Those of us who feel we too live in dark times may be inspired by Esther. Her example shows us that we can also triumph in the end, we will overcome, even though things look bleak now. We know that many times during history that tyrants have tried to wipe out the Jewish people. At Purim, we celebrate the bravery of Esther and Mordechai, who were able to save the Jews of Shushan from one such tyrant so long ago. Because of our history, we must stand in solidarity with those of all nations and all faiths who struggle today against tyranny and for freedom to worship according to their own lights. There is a lot of bigotry being expressed in our own country today against immigrants, against Muslims and against Jews. As Jews we are obligated to stand for religious liberty for all people, and to fight for everyones basic human rights. We are all Children of the same God, even if we worship differently. Let us pray for better understanding and tolerance in these difficult times, and let us join together to overcome bigotry and hatred in our communities, in our country and in our world. Emily Burt-Hedrick is the President of the Congregation Beth Tikvah It was on St. Patricks Day 1988 when an unexpected visitor arrived at Pat Troys Irish pub in Alexandria, Va President Ronald Reagan. For 27 years, its been a favorite watering hole for Washington insiders. Some of Reagans advance men had been regulars. They secretly arranged the presidents visit. Just before noon, the pub was half-packed when Reagan and his entourage arrived. As news got around, the pub quickly filled to capacity. While Reagan enjoyed a pint of Harp and some corned beef and cabbage, Troy was so busy tending to patrons, he didnt have time to react to his famous patron. He had an energy about him that put you instantly at ease, Troy told me. He made it easy to carry on as though he was just another patron, so that is what I did. Troy took the stage and led the audience in The Wild Rover. He directed sections of the audience to compete with each other to see which could sing and clap the loudest. You have to clap louder, Mr. President, he said to Reagan, prompting the president, not used to being given orders, to laugh. Troy next led the audience in The Unicorn Song. While Troy sang the words, the audience mimicked the animals referenced in the song: There were green alligators and long-necked geese, some humpty backed camels and some chimpanzees. Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as youre born, the loveliest of all was the unicorn. Reagan turned to watch a group of young women act out the song. His face showed curiosity and delight hed never seen this song performed before. But that was how he was: At the same time he was the worlds most powerful man, the man who felled communism and restored American optimism, he was a man of youthful innocence who found immense pleasure in the simplest things. When Troy finished, he handed the president the microphone. The normally raucous crowd became extraordinarily quiet. Reagan spoke off the top of his head. He graciously thanked Troy for having him for lunch. He said it was a great surprise. He talked about his father, an Irishman. When I was a little boy, my father proudly told me that the Irish built the jails in this country, he said, pausing expertly. Then they proceeded to fill them. The crowd laughed heartily. You have to understand that for a man in my position, Im a little leery about ethnic jokes, he said. The crowd roared. The only ones I can tell are Irish. He talked about a recent trip to Ireland. He visited Castle Rock, the place where St. Patrick erected the first cross in Ireland. A young Irish guide took me to the cemetery and showed me an ancient tombstone there, he said. The inscription read: Remember me as you pass by, for as are you so once was I, and as I am you too will be, so be content to follow me. As Reagan paused, the crowd eagerly awaited his follow up. Then I looked below the inscription, where someone scratched in these words: To follow you I am content, I wish I knew which way you went. The crowd roared loud and long, causing the president to deadpan to his advance men: Why didnt I find this place seven years ago? The pub visit was videotaped by Reagan staffers and released to Troy 10 years after Reagan left office. I watched that video and got to see a snapshot of pure, unscripted Ronald Reagan. It shows how powerfully and eloquently the man was able to engage any audience, large or small, just by being his genuine self. As we begin the process of selecting our next president, we sure could use another fellow like him. Ill be sure to offer up a toast to the Great Communicator as I celebrate St. Patricks Day this year: To follow you we were content, and grateful for the way we went. Tom Purcell is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review humor columnist and is nationally syndicated exclusively by Cagle Cartoons Inc. Email him at Tom@TomPurcell.com. As President Donald Trump seeks to pass immigration reform, there is another visa program that is under scrutiny: the EB-5 Visa Program. The EB-5 or the Immigrant Visa program was introduced in 1990 as part of efforts to spur growth through foreign direct investment and creation of employment opportunities, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Within this program, foreign investors qualify for a green card for themselves and immediate family without the need for a citizen sponsoring their applications if they invest at least $1 million (or $500,000 for projects in a "targeted employment zone") and create more than 10 full-time jobs in the U.S. within two years. Congress is set to review the EB-5 program before it expires next month. The proposed changes include a change in the minimum sum to be invested, parameters for "target employment zone" to be defined by the Department of Homeland Security instead of states and more oversight to prevent abuse of the program. Some in the Senate such as Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) have even called for the program to be repealed. "The Trump administration has been all about creating jobs and what better way to create jobs than a program that creates as many jobs as it does," said Abteen Vaziri, director for Greystone EB-5 a real estate financing firm that identifies and underwrites EB-5 visa programs. Speaking with "Squawk Box Asia" on Wednesday, Vaziri said he is optimistic about the future of the program and sees opportunities to further support Trump's $1 trillion infrastructure development plan. A report, released earlier this year, by the U.S. Department of Commerce estimated that "more than 11,000 immigrant investors provided $5.8 billion in capital, roughly 35 percent of the total investment ($16.7 billion), for 562 EB-5 related projects that were active in the (fiscal years of 2012 and 2013). These projects were expected to create an estimated 174,039 jobs." The EB-5 visa program is limited to 10,000 visas per year. More than 80 percent of the green cards under this program were issued to Chinese investors in 2015 according to the US Department of State. Yet, the visa program has come under criticism in the recent years as there have been multiple cases of scam and misuse. A special report by Reuters in 2010 identified many real estate firms misleading foreign investors by "selling the American Dream" and looking for a quick way to receive investments to fund real estate projects. More recently, a Chicago hotel developer was sentenced earlier last month in the largest EB-5 visa fraud scheme of $912 million for misleading 290 Chinese investors, according to Associated Press. Vaziri said his company views cases of fraudulent projects as a small minority and sees the program as a job creation program rather than a visa program. Still, the current proposed changes would not serve as deterrent in receiving interest from foreign investors, Vaziri said. "There is a market out there for immigrant investors looking to migrate to countries which typically have good education programs," he added. While the raise in the minimum amount may not decrease interest in investing in the U.S., the time taken for the visa to be approved just might. Vaziri said his firm has seen the average application time for the EB-5 visa increase from 4 months to 18 months, and he fears that reforms might cause further delays in projects jeopardizing the program. The U.S. is not the only country offering investors a visa status in return for significant investments. Australia, for example, requires 1.5 million Australian dollars ($1.1 million) worth of investments into the country for a similar visa program. China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi prepares to answer a question at a press conference during the Fifth Session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing on March 8, 2017. A first draft of a Sino-Asean code of conduct for the disputed South China Sea has been completed, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday. Talks between Beijing and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) were needed to decide on the final version, which was likely to cover a binding crisis management mechanism, prevention of the installation of offensive weapons and freedom of navigation, analysts said. China and Asean have been discussing a set of rules to avoid conflicts among claimants in the busy South China Sea since 2010. More from the South China Morning Post: China to draft national intelligence law China finishing buildings that may house missiles in South China Sea, say US officials Bigger Pentagon budget 'could challenge China' "If someone is still trying to make waves [in the South China Sea], they will have no support and will meet opposition from all parties," Wang said, without naming the United States. Beijing would not allow peace and stability in the waters to be disrupted, he said. "We definitely will not allow this stable situation, which has been hard to come by, to be damaged or interfered with." Joe Chen, CEO of Chinese social networking service Renren, first met SoFi CEO Mike Cagney in Palo Alto in 2011 and, over coffee, decided to invest in the fast-growth, disruptive online finance start-up. That initial $4 million investment helped SoFi get its start and led to two more financings within three years, with Renren contributing a major chunk of some $230 million raised. Fast-forward, and SoFi last month topped it off with a $500 million investment from private-equity powerhouse Silver Lake. Joseph Chen, CEO of Renren Tomohiro Ohsumi | Bloomberg | Getty Images SoFi is just the kind of deal that Chen has been pursuing: His NYSE-listed company, once known as the Facebook of China, has been investing in fast-growth tech start-ups to broaden its revenues and boost its stock price. That connection with Renren has also boosted SoFi. "Joe is a great investor and was our investor from the early days. He saw the vision early on and pushed us to grow faster and be more aggressive," said Dan Macklin, a co-founder of SoFi in San Francisco. Similarly to Renren, China's tech titans Baidu , Alibaba and Tencent are leading a surge of Chinese investment in cutting-edge U.S. technology start-ups with bold ambitions to expand their footprint, attract top talent and gain an edge in innovation. Collectively known as the BAT, China's giant technology companies that dominate search, e-commerce and mobile messaging in their home market are going global. The United States is their primary shopping place to diversify and build out their brands. The hunt is on to acquire or buy into fast-growing young companies in a broad range of the hottest tech sectors, such as virtual reality, fintech, social media, video games and mobile apps. Their deals include such well-known American brands as image messaging app Snap , ride-sharing service Lyft and virtual reality player Magic Leap. watch now China's four largest internet companies the BAT plus e-commerce company JD.com have invested $5.6 billion in 48 U.S. tech deals over the past two years, according to CBI Insights data. California took in more than three-quarters of the total U.S.-based deals by these four companies, with Silicon Valley a popular hunting ground. Overall, Chinese investment in the U.S. economy has soared, with such high-profile deals as China's Anbang Insurance purchase of the landmark Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City for $1.95 billion. Last year Chinese investors put a record $45.6 billion in U.S. companies, triple the amount for 2015, according to research group Rhodium Group in New York City. The momentum has picked up as the Chinese economy has slowed and as the U.S. dollar has appreciated against the Chinese yen, points out Rhodium economist Thilo Hanemann. "The Chinese government is spending billions of dollars literally trying to level the playing field a bit" between the United States and China in technology, said Orville Schell, director of U.S.-China relations for the Asia Society, which released a 2014 report on China high-tech investments in the United States. Chinese investment in the U.S. economy is soaring, with such high-profile deals as China's Anbang Insurance purchase of the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City for $1.95 billion. Getty Images This flurry of deal making comes against a recent crackdown by Chinese authorities to tighten restrictions on capital outflows and control "irrational" outbound investment by Chinese firms. Such restrictions are threatening completion of a $1 billion purchase by Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group of Dick Clark Productions in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, U.S. alarms about potential security and economic risks over Chinese takeovers of American companies have been heightened during the recent presidential election. For the founders of U.S. tech start-ups, getting cozy with Chinese acquirers and investors can make good business sense. With a Chinese investor, their business gains a competitive edge in the exceedingly difficult-to-penetrate China market. Getting funds from China's leading tech companies can help U.S. companies gain an entry point to China, an immediate on-the-ground presence and strategic insights such as how to best customize products for the local Chinese market. More from Global Investing Hot Spots: The billionaire who is saving Bethlehem with the support of a Saudi Prince Trump's ban on immigration has an unexpected beneficiary: Canadian start-ups An anti-Buffett investing bet that's suddenly busting out Moreover, founders of U.S. tech start-ups can get favorable terms from the Chinese corporate investors, which are known to pay more to invest in American start-ups compared with Sand Hill Road venture capitalists. The Chinese buyers are in effect "paying a tuition" to get insights into the U.S. market, points out Jay Eum, co-founder and managing director of TransLink Capital in Silicon Valley. China's e-commerce leader, Alibaba, by the visionary Jack Ma, has been particularly active in investing in U.S. start-ups. In recent years Alibaba has led a $793 million financing round in virtual reality start-up Magic Leap, $200 million in social media company Snap, $215 million in mobile messaging app Tango, $250 million in ride-sharing app Lyft, $50 million in remote-control app Peel, $120 million in mobile gaming start-up Kabam in July, $50 million in app search engine Quixey and $206 million in subscription service ShopRunner. Not to be outdone, Baidu has invested $30 million in mobile safety firm TrustGo and $10 million in mapping company Indoor Atlas. Meanwhile, Tencent invested $400 million in game developer Riot Games and another $400 million in Epic Games, in addition to co-investing with Alibaba in Lyft. Besides its groundbreaking investment in SoFi, Renren has invested in a series of U.S. fintech start-ups, leading a $31 million lead investment in crowdfunding real estate site Fundrise in 2014 and leading a $40 million investment in U.S.-based stock-trading outfit Motif in 2015. Aly Song | Reuters watch now If the employment numbers on Friday are anything like the number that Automatic Data Processing (ADP) reported on Wednesday, Jim Cramer expects the Federal Reserve to add yet another rate hike to its plan this year. "We are staring right in the face of not one, not two, maybe not even three, but four rates hikes from the Federal Reserve," the "Mad Money" host said. Despite the strong results from ADP, Cramer noted that many investors seemed eager to sell stocks on Wednesday. "People just got too bored or too antsy or too frightened to keep the ship afloat, so they surrendered when they should have kept fighting," Cramer said. The same goes for oil stocks that are being abandoned as crude plunges to $50. Cramer said to find an oil stock you like and dig in slowly, waiting for the next oil rotation to come back. Janet Yellen Joshua Roberts | Reuters Cramer has been preaching to investors that the market's recent strength has less to do with who is in the White House, and more to do with an improving global economy. Whenever there is an economic expansion, one of Cramer's top sectors to pile into is the chemical industry. "This is one of the most cyclical businesses on earth, so when economies around the world get stronger, the chemical companies tend to see their earnings rocket higher," he said. Two of Cramer's favorite names in the chemical space are Albemarle Corporation and FMC Corp , and he thinks they are too good to ignore right now. In the corporate world, sometimes a break-up can create an enormous amount of value if it's done right. One example is Masco , the maker of home improvement and construction products that spun off its insulation business as a separate company called TopBuild . Since the split up in Jul. 2015, TopBuild's stock has rallied 68 percent, with most gains occurring in the last six months. "While I like Masco, I think that TopBuild is the hot stock right now because it's designed to be a more cyclical company that does better in a strong economy, and that big buyback tells me that TopBuild's management agrees," Cramer said. Peter Topp Enge Jonasen | Getty Images Editors Note: The material Sen. Eichelberger is referencing in this guest editorial consists of the following two paragraphs from an article about a Feb. 13 town hall meeting in West Pennsboro Township: He then moved into a critique of Pennsylvanias inner city education programs, positing that money was being misspent on pushing minority students from high school into college instead of into vocational programs. Theyre pushing them toward college and theyre dropping out, Eichelberger said. They fall back and dont succeed, whereas if there was a less intensive track, they would. The following is the senators guest editorial: When I was appointed chair of the Senate Education Committee, I pledged to be tenacious in my ongoing efforts to provide our kids with every opportunity to succeed. What I have discovered is that my intent to identify programs that work and enhance those programs is being met with organized resistance. Specifically, my strong support for helping low-income children get out of underperforming schools and my passionate belief that vocational-technical education is a promising, honorable alternative to college has put me in the political crosshairs. Recently some remarks I made during a town hall meeting were misrepresented by The (Carlisle) Sentinel. The reporter took quotations from me on two separate subjects and combined them to fit into his narrative. I spoke about the need for guidance counseling for college-bound students in failing K-12 schools. Many of the kids coming out of a failing K-12 program dont have the academic background to initially make it in a high-level, four-year degree university and might benefit from some remedial courses or a semester in community college first. The failure of these schools to meet the needs of these students is evident with college failure rates as high as 90 percent. Editors Note: The Sentinel quoted Sen. Eichelberger verbatim. The Senators claim that quotes were combined is false. Unfortunately, The Sentinels story also maligned vocational-technical education. Vocational training is not an offensive term, rather, its a path for training and education that leads to higher incomes and family-supporting jobs for many people. In fact, there is a tremendous need for skilled labor right now, and those numbers are growing as baby boomers age out of the work force. Vo-tech training is also used by students for hands-on work before completing Associates or Bachelors degrees. Editors Note: The Sentinel reporter offered no judgment on vocational education. Options such as vocational training and college should be provided for all students. Right now, the state Department of Education is in the process of enacting the Future Ready PA Index which acknowledges that traditional education measures are changing. Under Future Ready PA, student achievement would be measured in areas that include career standards and use industry competency assessments. Including career readiness, not just academic achievement, is something that has been discussed with stakeholders across the state including teachers, administrators and parents. With an education system that embraces achievement of all types, we will be able to provide students with the tools they need to be successful. Every child in Pennsylvania deserves access to the strongest educational options for that child, and its the job of the legislature to make sure they get it. We cannot continue to protect a system that is failing students. So, instead of talking about improving a childs pathway to success, we have outrage. As an alternative to the bending and twisting of words, I want to have an open and honest discussion about giving our students the best chance to thrive. As chairman of the Senate Education Committee, I will not shy away from talking about how we improve the education of Pennsylvanias children regardless of their familys income, the color of their skin, or where they live. State Sen. John H. Eichelberger Jr. represents the 30th District, which covers Blair, Cumberland, Franklin, Fulton and Huntingdon counties. watch now High school seniors may already have their college acceptance letters and financial aid offers in hand, but there's no reason to rush on making an enrollment decision. Take time to assess those aid packages carefully. Six in 10 colleges sent financial aid offers to students before the winter holidays, according to a new analysis of 145 colleges from Royall & Company. (Last year it took until early March to hit that benchmark.) More students have already decided which college they'll attend, too, with admissions up 5 percent compared to last year. More from Your Money Your Future: These freelance gigs pay pretty well Save big on your tax bill with these obscure deductions 7 top-paying jobs that you can do from your living room "Those students who were accepted and got a reasonable need-based award from an institution were content with that," said Pamela Kiecker Royall, head of research at Royall & Company. The surge in early-bird offers are largely due to a recent change in the start date for filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (aka the FAFSA), a form that determines eligibility for financial aid. You may think you have a free ride from this college, when in reality you have a ridiculous amount of loans. Mark Kantrowitz vice president of strategy for Cappex.com Families are now able to file as early as October for the upcoming academic year, using income data from an earlier tax return. Under the old system, families had to wait until Jan. 1 three months later and use data from the just-concluded tax year. Many families took advantage of the new start date to apply for financial aid early, giving them more time to assess the affordability, said Mark Kantrowitz, vice president of strategy for college and scholarship search site Cappex.com. Many colleges set their enrollment deadline as May 1, which has come to be known as National College Decision Day. "I would encourage families to use the luxury of the extra time," he said. "You have the time to make a more informed decision." Deciphering college aid letters Due diligence ahead of "decision day" might include practical measures, like making another visit to campus. It should also include a thorough assessment of the aid offer, said Kevin Fudge, director of consumer advocacy for American Student Assistance, a nonprofit focused on higher education financing. "It can be overwhelming and daunting to look at that letter," he said. 1) Analyze the components. Terms aren't always clear, so start your review by going through the offer line-by-line to determine what's what. Separate out scholarships and grants, which don't have to be repaid, from loans that do, Kantrowitz said. That gives you a truer picture of your out-of-pocket costs. "You may think you have a free ride from this college, when in reality you have a ridiculous amount of loans," he said. If you expect your student will receive outside scholarships, ask about the displacement policy, he said. Some colleges use those to offset loans, while others will first use them to offset grant aid from the college. That calculation could make a big difference in comparing offers. Echo | Getty Images On Thursday, South Korean courts began their first hearing of a landmark case that could potentially reform corporate governance in a country known for collusive ties between politics and business. Samsung Group de-facto head Jay Y. Lee is one of five executives from the tech giant standing trial separately for alleged involvement in a political scandal that threatens to impeach President Park Geun-hye. Jay Y. Lee, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, is escorted by police officers as he arrives at the special prosecutors' office for questioning in Seoul, South Korea, on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017. SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg/Getty Images 48-year old Lee, who has been in custody since last month, is facing charges that include bribery and embezzlement for allegedly donating $37.2 million to foundations controlled by Choi Soon-sil, a confidante of the embattled President, in exchange for government approval of the 2015 Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries merger. The other four leaders vice chairman Choi Gee-sung, CEO Kwon Oh-hyun, president Park Sang-jin and executive vice president Hwang Sung-soo will undergo trial without detention, according to local news. The nation's largest chaebol, or family-run enterprise, Samsung is now in the cross-hairs. Importantly, the verdict on Lee could influence future investigations on other C-suite leaders accused of crony capitalism, a well-documented issue in Asia's fourth-largest economy, thus making his case the most significant among the five. Court proceedings were due to start at 2 p.m. local time in Seoul, and a final decision is expected by May. Because Thursday's event is a preliminary hearing, Lee isn't required to attend in person, but his team of 13 top lawyers will be present. The majority of Lee's counsel works for Bae, Kim & Lee, one the country's largest law firms known for their defense of other chaebol heads in criminal cases, according to Reuters. If convicted, Lee could face up to two decades in prison, but Samsung has repeatedly rejected all charges of "bribery and improper requests," according to an official statement. Lee's lawyer also denied all charges against the executive on Thursday, Yonhap News reported. The legal arguments The case dubbed "the trial of the century" by local media has two key issues, according to Troy Stangarone, senior director of congressional affairs and trade at the Korea Economic Institute. watch now First, state prosecutors will be trying to show Lee bribed the government to allow for last year's merger, he said. "One of the key potential pieces of evidence will be the notes of (Samsung Electronics President) Park Sang-jin. He had taken notes of his meeting with Choi and the prosecution appears to have those notes." The prosecution will also attempt to link Samsung's alleged bribes to South Korean President Park. Named as an accomplice to Choi, Park remains immune from prosecution while still in office. On Friday, a panel of judges will decide whether to approve or reject parliament's motion to impeach her. Samsung meanwhile will strive to prove that it was extorted by the government to make contributions to the entities overlooked by Choi, Stangarone continued. "How Park Sang-jin's notes are worded and what they might lead to will indicate whether this was a case of bribery or an issue of extortion." The case all hinges on what evidence the prosecution has, echoed Tony Mitchell, managing director of Korea Associates Business Consultancy. If there are secretaries, computers, or recordings of phone conversations showing bribery taking place, Lee's defense is at risk, he explained. While public anger towards chaebol privileges are high, that isn't expected to influence the trial, Mitchell added. Implications The sharp drop in oil prices Wednesday may have crushed some speculative traders but did not come as a big surprise to some oil industry executives who have been planning for price volatility. The crushing 5 percent decline came a day after OPEC and non-OPEC members reaffirmed their commitment to cut production but stopped short of saying they would extend the six-month agreement when OPEC meets in May. Instead they said they would review the situation and weigh the supply situation when they meet. Oil fell Wednesday after U.S. government data showed another build of 8.2 million barrels, and U.S. production continued to creep higher to 9.1 million barrels a day. "We aren't really planning for an oil price much different than this," said Al Walker, CEO of Anadarko Petroleum, attending the annual CERAWeek by IHS Markit conference in Houston. He said he has been expecting volatility and has not been planning for a much higher price. West Texas fell to just above $50 per barrel and Brent was about $53 per barrel Wednesday. Walker's comments echoed those of other chief executives at the conference, including ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance who discussed keeping costs down amid expectations for a low price environment. BP Group Chief Executive Robert Dudley said he's planning for "lower for longer prices" in the $55 to $60 per barrel range for the next five years. Dudley said he does not see the price dropping much lower than current levels, and he said Tuesday that he expects the agreement between OPEC and non OPEC producers to help support prices. Continental Resources CEO Harold Hamm said Wednesday afternoon he doesn't see prices getting "much weaker" than they are now. "We're kind of tethered to the agreement between OPEC and non OPEC" producers, said Walker. Saudi Arabia energy minister Khalid Al-Falih on Tuesday told reporters, in an impromptu press briefing Tuesday, that the producers welcomed the return of shale and said it would help fill some demand and make up for declines elsewhere. But some of the talk ahead of and during the conference was whether the resurgence of shale production would impact the agreement between Saudi Arabia and other OPEC nations with Russia and other non-OPEC producers. Al-Falih on Tuesday also said Saudi Arabia would not tolerate "free riders" and expected all 24 countries in the agreement to pull their weight and keep to commitments to cut back. But some analysts say the market is getting concerned that inventories are not dropping though OPEC Secretary General numerous times this week explained that OPEC is watching offshore inventories and it sees some success, while the U.S. is studying government data on U.S. storage. But analysts say the market was also considering the fact that OPEC officials attending the CERAWeek conference did not commit to an extension of their deal and continued to point to a decision coming when OPEC next meets in May. There has also been some skepticism about the compliance with the agreement thought OPEC official said February numbers would show improvement. "Despite continued strong OPEC cuts and compliance in February, the markets are simply getting impatient waiting to see any impact on US crude inventories, which have now built every week this year, by 784 kb/d since December 30," wrote Michael Wittner, global head of oil research at Societe Generale. Wittner, in an email, also told CNBC as oil broke down Wednesday, WTI fell through its 100-day moving average and is now teetering on an important level. "$50 is a technical support level for WTI, but more importantly, it is a key psychological level both for the oil markets as a whole, as well as for US shale producers," said Wittner. Analysts say the decline in oil was also accelerated by the rush of speculators out of long positions. "It was the same set up as 2014, speculators were long, and commercial interests were short," said John Kilduff of Again Capital. Commercial interests represent the hedging by oil companies and others in the industry. The build in supply comes in the turnaround season for refiners, when they normally use less crude and some analysts had been expecting a dip in prices, especially with large U.S. gasoline supplies. West Texas Intermediate futures plunged more than 5 percent to a three month low of $50.28 per barrel. "Sentiment is not going to be conducive to support prices as we enter into the turnaround season. Second, Nigerian output has made some recovery thus negating the impact of more severe OPEC cuts and a relapse in Libyan output," noted Michael Cohen, head of energy commodities research at Barclays. "We maintain our bullish view on Q2 and see this as just setting the stage for breaking the upper bound of the recent mid 50s trend as soon as we get closer to summer," wrote Cohen in a note. On Thursday, Didi opened a new research and development center DiDi Labs in Mountain View, California, where a team of scientists, engineers and researchers will look into the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in security and intelligent driving technologies. After acquiring Uber's China business last year, Chinese ride-hailing service Didi Chuxing has set its sights on Silicon Valley. The cities of Mountain View and Palo Alto, large company headquarters, with surrounding neighborhoods and the Oakland-Fremont area in the back of the frame. Didi's pivot to look into intelligent driving technologies follows the gamut of car companies and technology firms researching and testing autonomous vehicles. But the lab is also looking at projects in areas of cloud-based security, deep learning, human-machine interaction, computer vision and imaging. "As the world's leading mobility platform, DiDi has invested in five industry leaders around the world. Building on rich data and fast-evolving AI analytics, we will be working with cities and towns to build intelligent transportation ecosystems for the future.," said Cheng Wei, founder, chairman and CEO of Didi Chuxing in a press statement. In a bid to become the world's leading mobile transportation player, Didi has invested extensively. In January, it invested an undisclosed amount in Brazilian ride-hailing service 99. Previously, Didi invested $100 million in Uber's U.S. rival, Lyft, and participated in a $350 million funding round for Southeast Asian ride-hailing service Grab as well as investing in India's Ola Cabs following that, the four companies formed a global rideshare partnership that reached nearly 50 percent of the world's population. DiDi Labs will be led by Fengmin Gong who is vice president of DiDi Research Institute. The company has also hired dozens of data scientists and researchers, including Charlie Miller. Miller, a cybersecurity researcher, along with Chris Valasek previously demonstrated to WIRED how they could remotely hijack a Chrysler Jeep's digital systems over the internet. Before taking his role at DiDi Labs, Miller worked for Uber to make their autonomous cars secure. Didi said it expects to rapidly expand its U.S.-based team of scientists and engineers over the course of the year. U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley (L), Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations Ambassador Koro Bessho (C), and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations Ambassador Cho Tae-yul, speak to the media after taking part in the UN Security Council consultations on North Korea's recent missile launches on March 8, 2017. The United States on Wednesday said "all options are on the table" to deal with North Korea and dismissed China's suggestion of a "dual suspension" of U.S. and South Korea military drills and Pyongyang's missile and nuclear tests. "We are not dealing with a rational person," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after the United Nations Security Council discussed North Korea's launch of four ballistic missiles on Monday. "It is an unbelievable, irresponsible arrogance that we are seeing coming out of Kim Jong Un at this time," Haley said. She said the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump was reevaluating how it would handle North Korea and that "all options were on the table," adding: "We are making those decisions now and we will act accordingly." North Korea fired the missiles into the sea off Japan's coast in response to the annual U.S.-South Korea military drills, which Pyongyang sees as preparation for war. Pyongyang has fired dozens of missiles and conducted two of its five nuclear tests in the past year in defiance of U.N. resolutions. Most focus on the earnings and boardroom machinations of the Apples and Exxons of this world, but in many countries including the U.S., U.K., Australia and Singapore more than 99 percent of companies are classified as small or medium-sized. But while their numbers are high, head count tends to be low most of those firms have fewer than 10 employees. And it was in this setting that two British entrepreneurs saw an opening in 2001. Their company, the CFO Centre, offers access to 350 chief financial officers worldwide; billing SMEs on a daily rate. All told, they control $7 billion worth of revenue. Their average CFO will spend three or four days a month with each of five clients. Those customers tend to be firms in the $2 million to $50 million annual turnover range too big to be small, but too small to be big. The group is pushing to expand in Asia, looking to build on its 62 current offices. CNBC caught up with group's CEO, Sara Daw, as she passed through Singapore Tuesday on her way to China, Hong Kong and India. "We're on their journey with them," she says of small business clients. "We're getting them to 'big,' we're getting them to 'exit' and we will just scale up or down our involvement with those clients as and when they need it." CFO Centre's model has expanded since inception to cover the rest of the C-Suite, including chief marketing, technology and HR officers. Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook. The United States needs to sharpen its biodefense strategy to guard against the possibility of a global pandemic and the potential of a terrorist attack using a virus, Joe Lieberman, a former longtime U.S. senator, told CNBC on Thursday. "Two things keep me up. One is that a group like ISIS will develop a synthetic form of the flu, a powerful flu, and move it into our population," said the 2000 Democratic vice presidential candidate. "The second, which is probably the more likely, [with] similar effect, is that there be an infectious disease pandemic." The latter concern about a pandemic hits home for Lieberman. "In 1918, there was a global flu ... pandemic that killed 50 million people. I must say that my father's mother was killed in her 20s," he said. This type of event could kill more people than nuclear war and "change history." Lieberman, a Democrat turned independent from Connecticut, co-chairs with the first U.S. Homeland Security secretary, Tom Ridge, the bipartisan Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense, which put out its original report on gaps in strategy and recommended changes in October 2015. Appearing with Lieberman on "Squawk Box," Ridge said the estimated $6 billion per year devoted to biodefense measures could be smarter spent with a more cohesive strategy that aligns the efforts of all federal departments under the auspices of the vice president. Lieberman said they hope to convince current Vice President Mike Pence to add this to his growing portfolio of responsibilities." "It's a lot easier to play offense than defense," said Ridge, a Republican who headed the Homeland Security Department under former President George W. Bush. The agency was created in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Ridge was also formerly governor of Pennsylvania. Both Ridge and Lieberman, calling on President Donald Trump and leaders on Capitol Hill to make biodefense a national priority, said the government needs to take advantage of the private sector and partner on the development of vaccines. There are "enormous breakthroughs in biotechnologies," Lieberman said, adding Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates has put the issue on his radar. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference last month, Gates said that "by the work of nature or the hands of a terrorist" an outbreak could kill tens of millions. Gates, who's dedicated a bulk of his fortune to fighting disease through his global foundation, added that the U.S. should "prepare for these epidemics the same way we prepare for war." Most parents aren't very happy when their children bring home a report card with anything less than a C-. They'll be even less encouraged by the near-failing grade awarded to the nation's school facilities Thursday by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Close to a quarter of all public schools in America are in "fair or poor condition," according to the group's latest report card, which gave most of the nation's infrastructure a near-failing grade. Much of the attention on infrastructure investment has been focused on transportation and public utilities like water systems and power grids. But the ASCE estimates that U.S. school facilities are second only to roads and highways in the overall funding gap required to bring them up to acceptable standards. It would take some $380 billion over the next decade to overhaul the thousands of public schools where nearly 50 million K-12 students spend eight or more hours per day, five days out of the week, the report said. Schools require more funding than airports, dams, rail and levees combined to get back to "good" condition, the engineers estimated. The group assigned schools a D grade in 2017, down from a D+ in 2013. The serving politician, according to the Register of Member's Financial Interests expects to receive 162,500 each quarter for 12 days work. That equates to roughly 13,500 a day. The former U.K. chancellor George Osborne is set to earn 650,000 ($791,000) for just 48 days of work from investment management firm BlackRock. British Finance Minister George Osborne at an event in Manchester, Northern England, on December 8, 2014. Sitting members of parliament are required to publish details of earnings. In the latest update revealed Wednesday, Osborne said of his BlackRock role: "I expect to be paid 162,500 pounds a quarter in return for a quarterly commitment of 12 days. I also expect to receive registrable equity in BlackRock in the future." Osborne was chancellor for six years before he lost his job following Britain's vote to leave the European Union in June last year. The role , announced in January, will see Osborne provide advice on European politics, the Chinese economy and pensions. "George has a unique and invaluable perspective on the issues that are shaping our world today," Larry Fink, chairman and chief executive of BlackRock, said at the time of the appointment. Other senior British politicians have recently gone on to high-profile roles at financial firms. Former prime ministers Gordon Brown and Tony Blair advise PIMCO and JP Morgan respectively while former U.K. foreign minister William Hague advises Citigroup. CNBC contacted BlackRock for comment but at the time of publication had received no response. In this TV grab, Chinas latest manned space capsule docked with the lab, the Tiangong-1 in space, 13 June 2013. China is building a manned spacecraft capable of sending astronauts to the moon as well as near-Earth orbit flight, according to Chinese state media. The official newspaper of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China cited system chief architect Zhang Bainan who claimed the craft is being designed to carry as many as six astronauts. The newspaper, Science and Technology Daily, quoted Zhang Bainan Tuesday as saying China wished to catch up with international standards of space exploration. The fresh announcement follows a separate Chinese ambition to bring back samples from the moon before the end of this year. The unmanned Chang'e-5 lunar probe is undergoing a final round of tests and is expected to be on standby for launch from August, according to the official People's Daily. China first landed an unmanned craft on the moon in December 2013. It marked the first spacecraft to land on the moon since the Soviet Union's Luna 24 in 1976. The United States' Apollo 11 was the first manned mission to land on the Moon, on 20 July 1969. Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy expressed skepticism Thursday over President Donald Trump's trillion-dollar infrastructure plan and emphasized that federal help is necessary to upgrade the state's roads and bridges. In an exclusive interview with CNBC, Malloy warned that Trump's proposal has yet to be fleshed out. The president met with real estate developers for a working lunch at the White House recently but has not released specifics on how the investment should be structured or financed. "It's like a lot of things the president has said," Malloy told CNBC. "We have a title. It's an infrastructure plan. We don't have any details, so I get nervous about that whether it's real." Connecticut faces a $1.7 billion budget shortfall in the coming fiscal year, and Malloy has proposed dramatic spending cuts to plug the hole. One of the most controversial measures calls for shifting a third of the state's teacher pension obligations or about $408 million to local governments. The governor's budget would also reduce funding for higher education by 4.3 percent and cut labor costs by $700 million, potentially forcing unions to renegotiate their contracts or face layoffs, according to S&P Global Ratings. "If implemented, these proposals will create winners and losers," S&P credit analyst Victor Medeiros said in a research note. "The credit impact on local governments could be negative should they not be able to adequately adjust to this new funding paradigm." Still, Malloy has proposed a $100 billion plan to improve state infrastructure over the next 30 years. In his interview with CNBC, Malloy suggested raising the state's gas or sales tax to pay for it. But he reiterated that he would not pursue those increases without a so-called lockbox that to ensure the funds would not be raided for other programs. Malloy also cautioned against overly relying on private sector partnerships to fund infrastructure projects and pushed instead for more direct federal investment. "These aren't about Connecticut roads just for Connecticut citizens," Malloy told CNBC. "We have a lot of folks driving through our states. We have a lot of goods moving through our state. We have a lot of jet engines being shipped out of our states. The nation needs to rise to the occasion. ... The federal government needs to play a larger role." Cutline: Col. Thatcher Cardon, 47th Medical Group commander at Laughlin Air Force Base, won a NASA Space Poop Challenge, beating out 5,000 others who submitted a way to manage human waste in a space suit. An Air Force doctor who won a NASA contest for a spacesuit poop problem filed for a patent and plans to go to a conference next month where his smart idea could come closer to reality. It turns out the solution he developed might have applications other than in space. "One part that might have some application on Earth is the diaper solution," Air Force Col. Thatcher Cardon, commander of the 47th medical group at Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas, told Air Force Times in an interview published this week. "One of the problems with diapers is once you have them on, you can't take them off with the suit." Cardon told the Times he planned to speak about the idea at an incontinence engineering conference in April. "We'll see what people think," he said. Last month, Cardon won a $15,000 first-place prize in NASA's "Space Poop Challenge," which was launched to find how to best manage bodily waste needs in a spacesuit for someone wearing it for nearly a week. Cardon came up with an in-suit waste management system that allows human waste to be collected through an access port on the garment. His system requires the person to rub a wand-like tool fitted with a fabric over the waste area. Entrants were asked to find a way for astronauts to manage urine, fecal and menstrual needs in a spacesuit for up to 144 hours, or six continuous days. Cardon's in-suit waste management system could used in an emergency situation in space such as a moon mission where there's a loss of cabin pressure that requires the crew to put on space suits for about a week. Harold Hamm David Orrell | CNBC Executives of some of the top independent oil and gas companies are feeling optimistic about the regulatory outlook under President Donald Trump, but some sounded a note of caution over Republican tax and trade policies during a panel on U.S. exploration and production at CERAWeek by IHS Markit on Wednesday. Trump and Republican lawmakers have begun rolling back Obama-era energy regulations, and the White House reportedly has more climate change initiatives in its sights. Continental Resources Chairman and CEO Harold Hamm repeated a claim he often makes: that the energy industry was dying a death by a thousand cuts under President Barack Obama. "It was more of the same. They wanted to eliminate our industry just like they eliminated coal," said Hamm, who has advised Trump on energy policy. watch now To be sure, the surge in U.S. natural gas drilling and other market forces, rather than regulation, have been the main driver of coal's decline in the United States. Anadarko Petroleum CEO and Chairman Al Walker said he does not believe the Obama administration targeted the energy industry, so much as drillers got swept up in regulation that went a little too far in general. While he hopes for regulatory relief, he said some level of regulation is necessary. "We need a common denominator factor, and so the absence of regulation would bother me as much as over-regulation," he said. Washington is likely to be more supportive of approving pipelines to distribute natural gas from the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania and bordering states, said Jeff Ventura, chairman and CEO of Range Resources , a major player in the region. "I'm sure there's streamlining in terms of regulations and things like that that will be helpful," he said. "With the takeaway and being able to move American energy, really, it's a competitive advantage. It's a job creator." watch now Elon Musk's vision of hyperloop, a super-fast transport system, has taken a step closer to reality and now we know what it might look like. Hyperloop One, one of the companies developing the system, has released pictures of a test track to begin trialing the technology. A hyperloop system would involve propelling pods through a large tube at up to 750 mph using magnets. It is seen as a way to cut long-distance travel times as well as a way to alleviate congestion in many cities. Hyperloop One's "DevLoop" is a 500-meter full-scale test structure that weights over a thousand tons. One tube measures 3.3 meters in diameter and the test track has been put together in the Nevada desert. Hyperloop One is expected to perform a public trial with the new DevLoop in the first half of this year. The company has signed deals with a number of countries to explore the feasibility of setting up the transport system. One of those agreements is with the government in Dubai with the idea of connecting the city to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 12 minutes. This journey would take over 2 hours in a car. At the Middle East Rail trade show in Dubai this week, Hyperloop One CEO Rob Lloyd, shared his vision for connecting a number of major cities in the Gulf region. "Tying together the Middle East region would produce greater virtual density, without congestion and pollution, spurring innovation, productivity, job growth and more powerful sharing of knowledge, labor and investment," Lloyd told an audience, according to a statement from the company. Some customers of U.S. wireless carrier AT&T were unable to use their cell phones to dial 911 emergency dispatchers in their area for a time on Wednesday, a problem the company later said has been resolved. The second-biggest wireless carrier in the United States said service had been restored after what public safety agencies called a nationwide outage affecting the company's cell phone customers. "Service has been restored for wireless customers affected by an issue connecting to 911," a representative for the company said in an email statement. "We apologize to those affected." Earlier on Wednesday evening, public safety agencies across the country said in alerts that AT&T mobile phone customers nationwide were unable to reach 911 emergency dispatchers. "AT&T is experiencing a nationwide outage which is affecting 911 calls," authorities in Washington, D.C., said in an email alert. At 7:40 p.m. EST, there was an increase of AT&T mobile phone customers reporting an outage or problem with their service, according to Outage.Report, a website that tracks cell and internet outages in the United States. In a message typical of alerts by other public safety agencies across the country, the Seminole County Sheriff's Office in Florida posted its regular 10-digit phone number on Twitter and asked residents to dial that number in an emergency. AT&T had about 135 million wireless subscribers in the United States by Dec. 31, 2016, according to a company filing. Federal Communications Commission officials did not immediately return an email from Reuters seeking comment. With a Trump administration in the White House now, advocacy groups are keeping a close watch on the Republicans' agenda to see how they move forward on infrastructure spending. "While Congress and states have made some effort to improve infrastructure, it's not enough," Greg DiLoreto, a past ASCE president, said in a statement. DiLoreto said a bill is "overdue" and is costing each American roughly $3,400 per year in disposal income. In his first speech to a joint session of Congress, Trump last week proposed $1 trillion in infrastructure investment, "financed through both public and private capital." That investment, he said, would create "millions of new jobs." Though infrastructure investment was a major theme of his campaign, the issue has largely taken the back seat to Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and pass tax reform. On Wednesday, though, Trump made strides toward announcing a more formal infrastructure plan, meeting with leading members of the private sector, such as SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk and Vornado Realty Trust Chief Executive Steve Roth, asking for their perspectives. Despite Trump's vocal support for ambitious investment, the White House has yet to release substantive details. Trump has also suggested that private investors play a role in rebuilding infrastructure. But critics of that approach say the number of potentially profitable projects is limited. "[Private investment] would not deliver many of the most important needed projects for roads and bridges, public transit, schools and public housing," the Center on Budget Policies and Priorities wrote in a report. "Rather than public investment the Trump plan relies entirely on private projects through which investors would own the projects, get huge federal tax credits equal to a stunning 82 percent of their equity investment, and make profits from the tolls or fees they would charge to consumers." European markets closed slightly higher on Thursday after the European Central Bank said it was keeping its rates unchanged and vowed to carry on with its asset-purchasing program. The pan-European Stoxx 600 ended 0.08 percent higher with most sectors in positive territory and major bourses mixed. Insurance stocks were among the best performers on earnings news. Aviva ended close to the top of the STOXX 600, up by 6.4 percent, after announcing a strong full-year operating profit. Basic resources , by contrast, slumped more than 3 percent by Thursday's close, on soft consumer price data in China and a weakening of the yuan. The oil and gas sector was also down by 1.5 percent after another drop in oil prices. This came after data from the Energy Information Administration showed inventories rose by 8.2 million barrels last week. Brent crude dropped 2.2 percent to $51.91 a barrel and WTI fell 2.41 percent to $49.07 a barrel. At the top of the European benchmark was Akzo Nobel , the Dutch paints and chemicals maker rejected a $22 billion offer from a U.S. firm on Thursday. Its shares ended 12.9 percent higher on the news. The French publisher Lagardere jumped 10.25 percent after posting a 13.5 percent increase in earning before interest and tax. Domino's sank 13.1 percent with the pizza group announcing an expansion in the Norwegian market and an intention to open 80 new stores in the U.K. It also stated Thursday that its full-year profit rose 17 percent in 2016. Meanwhile, in the U.S., the Dow Jones industrial average and broader S&P 500 continued slightly higher ahead of a probable interest rate hike next week. This top federal doctor says the Republican plan to replace Obamacare is bad medicine risking the wrath of his political bosses. The chief medical officer for Medicaid at the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Wednesday night was called a "hero" after tweeting that he is "in opposition to #AHCA" the GOP Congressional leadership's proposed replacement for Obamacare. Tweet Dr. Andrey Ostrovsky noted that his opposition aligns with experts from several doctors' groups the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association which have raised concerns about the so-called American Health Care Act. And he tweeted that he was making that stand "despite political messaging from others at HHS," the U.S. Health and Human Services Department. HHS oversees CMS, a massive agency that itself is responsible for administering Obamacare, more formally known as the Affordable Care Act. Before President Donald Trump took office in January, CMS was the leading cheerleader for Obamacare. Ostrovsky's tweet, which has been retweeted more than 3,800 times, led to many people on Twitter hailing his courage since the Trump administration's appointee Dr. Tom Price now runs HHS, and the administration is firmly in support of the proposed Obamacare replacement. Tweet Tweet Tweet Tweet Among those lauding him was Andy Slavitt, who was acting administrator of CMS during the Obama administration, and Ostrovsky's boss until Jan. 20. Slavitt told CNBC, "I think he's exactly the kind of person and physician Secretary Price should want on his team." When contacted via email, Ostrovsky replied, "I cannot comment further at this time." Ostrovsky joined CMS as chief medical officer last September from Mindoula Health, a health technology company where he has served as senior vice president of medical affairs. CNBC has reached out to the press office of CMS for comment on Ostrovsky. Airline passengers use the moving walkways at Denver International Airport in Denver, Colorado. Robert Alexander | Getty Images "Airport infrastructure has been widely discussed this past year, and dining amenities can play a big factor in a traveler's experience at an airport," said RewardExpert CEO Roman Shteyn in a statement. "We set out to find which major U.S. airports go above and beyond to offer exceptional culinary options for those in transit." So, where can you get the best meal on the go? Denver International Airport came in at No. 1 as it ranked the highest in overall quality and second in price and variety. Restaurants like the field-to-fork Root Down has a 4 1/2-star rating with more than 1,000 reviews to its name, along with other highly rated eateries like Tapas Sky Bar and Cru Food & Wine Bar. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and Hartfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport took the No. 2 and 3 spots on the list, while Philadelphia received double honors by coming in fourth overall and for being the best airport for cheap eats. A meal at Philadelphia International is nearly 20 percent less expensive on average than the most expensive airport to eat at in the top 20 and many restaurants offer quick-service local delicacies. 6 year old Mahalie Stackpole having breakfast with her grandmother Bucky Farquhar after jumping out of line for a break as her family is trying to get home to Seattle from the Denver International Airport. Joe Amon | Getty Images More than 1 million miles of pipes will reach the end of their lifespan within the next 30 years, according to data obtained from the American Water Works Association, costing more than $1 trillion to replace. Those pipes must carry more than 40 billion gallons of water per day to households and businesses, yet there are an estimated 240,000 water main breaks per year nationwide, the group has found. Venture-backed HiBot USA , which recently advanced from "stealth" production mode, hopes to use machine learning and artificial intelligence to solve an aging pipe problem. The solution to many of America's infrastructure problems could lie in the hands of tech companies. Crews remove trees and scrape away soil as cleanup continues after a 12' underground pipeline ruptured spilling nearly 140,000 gallons of diesel fuel onto a farm on January 28, 2017 near Hanlontown, Iowa. "What happens when we have water line breaks is businesses shut down, it's an inconvenience to customers, and all these things cost Americans money," ASCE's Chairman Greg DiLoreto said in an interview with CNBC. Technology will "absolutely" play a role in solving the U.S. infrastructure problem, he said, and there is already evidence of this particularly with gadgets monitoring drinking water and pipes. On Thursday the American Society of Civil Engineers released its 2017 "infrastructure report card," giving the nation's overall infrastructure a grade of D+ and U.S. drinking water a D, unchanged from the group's previous report four years ago. America tends to focus "around dams, road and bridges," Lars Stenstedt, HiBot's vice president of business development, said in an interview with CNBC. "But nobody can go 24 hours without clean water." Many of America's pipes were constructed in the early- to mid-1900s, with a lifespan of somewhere between 50 to 150 years, HiBot Chief Executive Takashi Kato told CNBC in an interview. "Pipes are a major problem in America because the oil and gas markets are so heavily regulated, but the water isn't," Kato said. "If the problem is bigger, the opportunity [for solutions] is better." Kato came to the U.S. and began working on HiBot after he founded a Japanese robotics startup, Schaft, which was later acquired by Google in 2013. HiBot is essentially a robotic system or an "amphibious pipe robot," as the company calls it that compiles data on weather, soil and traffic, and is then able to predict pipe issues before they happen. Once inside a pipe, HiBot's robot will do things like measure the thickness of the pipe's wall and will then rank the overall structure on a grading scale from A to F. The robot also comes with a camera in the front, providing engineers a helpful visualization of what they're working with. HiBot has made it clear that its goal is not to replace all of America's pipes, but to offer necessary data to determine which pipes need more repair than others. Koto points out that the U.S. is replacing its pipes about four times as slowly as other countries, largely because nobody knows which pipes need to be replaced first and engineers are relying on prediction models that can easily fail. "From the angle of data, nobody is working together," Kato said. Using New York as an example, which has more than 6,000 miles of pipes, HiBot's Stenstedt discussed how former Mayor Mike Bloomberg set up a commission in the early 2000s to replace 80 miles of pipes per year. Through 2014, though, the city was only replacing about 27 miles, Stenstedt said, "losing a lot of water." Even if Americans had "all the money in the world," there are still logistical issues involved in digging into the ground and ripping out a pipe in the middle of San Francisco streets, he added. "We need a good and intelligent replacement system, and to focus our budget on those pipes that will only make it 60 to 80 years," versus those that could last closer to 150 years, Stenstedt said. California's drought dilemma has made the state the perfect spot for HiBot to begin to test its robots, and the company said it hopes to roll out products nationwide later this year. The San Jose-based company, which is a subsidiary of Japanese company HiBot Corp, has raised $3.6 million from venture investors so far, according to Crunchbase. HiBot's Stenstedt said President Donald Trump's proposal to spend $1 trillion to fix U.S. infrastructure is a good thing, but "where that money is going to be spent in intelligent systems" is key. "Clean water ain't free," he said. Moving forward, technology will play a role in all 16 infrastructure categories, ASCE's DiLoreto emphasized, adding that he's been "encouraged" by President Trump's latest "bold" remarks on spending. "It's time for people to put their money where their mouth is." IORA Leaders Summit held in Jakarta Published: March 9, 2017 The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Leaders Summit was recently held in Jakarta, capital of Indonesia from March 5 to 7, 2017. The theme of the summit was Strengthening Maritime Cooperation for a Peaceful, Stable and Prosperous Indian Ocean. It was attended by leaders from 21 member states of IORA. From India, Vice President Hamid Ansari attended the two-day summit. Key Highlights of IORA 2017 It drew attention on issues of regional interest such as maritime security, disaster relief and humanitarian assistance, fisheries management, people-to-people exchanges, trade and investment and tourism. 21 member states issued a strategic vision document known as the Jakarta Concord. It sets out a vision strengthening the regional architecture to face its challenges. It sets out a vision strengthening the regional architecture to face its challenges. It also issued Joint Declaration of the IORA business Community to build partnership for a sustainable and equitable economic growth. to build partnership for a sustainable and equitable economic growth. It also adopted IORA Action Plan , a document containing the implementation actions of the Jakarta Concord to strengthen the implementation of priority areas and cross-sectorial commitments. , a document containing the implementation actions of the Jakarta Concord to strengthen the implementation of priority areas and cross-sectorial commitments. The Declaration on Preventing and Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism was also adopted, stating importance of countering terrorism. was also adopted, stating importance of countering terrorism. The member nations stressed on the need to work together in order to eliminate the growth and spread of terrorism and violent extremism. About Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) IORA is an international organisation consisting of coastal states bordering the Indian Ocean, established in 1997 to promote cooperation in the IOR. cooperation in the IOR. It is a regional forum, tripartite in nature, bringing together representatives of Government, Academia and Business for promoting co-operation and closer interaction among them. It is based on the principles of Open Regionalism for strengthening Economic Cooperation particularly on Trade Facilitation and Investment, Promotion as well as Social Development of the region. IORA comprises 21 member states (including India) and 7 dialogue partners. Besides, Indian Ocean Research Group and the Indian Ocean Tourism Organisation have observer status. Month: Current Affairs - March, 2017 Topics: Indonesia Interational Iora Latest E-Books With friends like these, who needs enemies for "Trumpcare?" A leading ally of President Donald Trump warned that a Republican proposal to repeal and replace Obamacare would be defeated in the Senate if it is not significantly changed. Sen. Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, also urged GOP leaders in the House of Representatives to slow down in their replacement effort, and "start over" on their bill, known as the American Health Care Act. Cotton's admonitions, made in a series of early morning tweets, are the latest sign that the Republican House bill could face a very difficult road for winning passage in Congress. Tweet Tweet Tweet A number of conservative members of the House and Senate, as well as right-leaning think tanks and health analysts, have sharply criticized the bill promoted by the GOP leadership. Trump has said he supports the bill. Early Thursday afternoon, the president brushed aside growing skepticism about the proposal on Twitter. Tweet Cotton noted in one of his tweets that the House bill has yet to be "scored" by the Congressional Budget Office. That score would indicate the bill's expected effect on the federal budget, as well as how many Americans would be expected to lose, or gain, health insurance coverage if it were to become law. Democrats, who staunchly oppose replacing Obamacare, likewise have blasted House Republicans for rushing to pass the bill without first getting the CBO's estimates. Democrats have said the $600 billion in tax cuts that the bill would implement over a decade would drive up the federal deficit. And they expect the bill would lead to the loss of insurance for millions of people. The House Oversight Committee, the congressional committee responsible for investigating the executive branch, wants to understand how the White House is archiving President Donald Trump's tweets from his personal account. House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R., Utah) and Democrat Elijah Cummings (D., Maryland), addressed a letter to the White House and 55 federal agencies, asking how the Trump administration is complying with the Presidential Records Act and the Federal Records Act. "Many of the messages sent from [President Trump's twitter] accounts are likely to be presidential records and therefore must be preserved. It has been reported, however, that President Trump has deleted tweets, and if those tweets were not archived it could pose a violation of the Presidential Records Act," the letter stated. Red flags were raised about proper documentation after recent reports of administration officials using apps like Confide, a messaging app where texts disappear after watching them, Signal, and Whatsapp. To avoid this problem during Barack Obama's presidency, the Obama administration implemented auto-archiving capabilities on its accounts. Chaffetz and Cumming have requested that the Trump Administration provide information about archiving the presidency by March 22. "The odds of hostilities boiling over into something more dangerous have always been high. And one question you never want to ask is: "How much worse could it get?" Because when it comes to two heavily armed countries like Iran and the U.S., the answer could be very ugly." But here's the thing: The Iranians always seem to back off just before the potential boiling point that would lead to a shooting war. And so does the United States. We remain bitter enemies, but direct fighting never happens. Military and diplomatic expert David Crist says relations between our two countries have been in a "gray zone" between peace and war throughout that 38 year period. His book, "The Twilight War: The Secret History of America's Thirty-Year Conflict with Iran," shows how none of the recent Trump administration actions and statements are really new. Crist says new presidents almost always talk tough about Iran at the start of their administrations, and then back down. He expects President Trump to do the same. But there was one president who bucked that trend. The Obama administration wasn't even in office yet when it started to make friendly diplomatic overtures to Tehran. Those efforts culminated in the nuclear deal which freed up and sent many billions of dollars back to Tehran. The result, as President Trump recently tweeted and many Middle East experts agree, is that Iran hasn't been this strong in many years. The Obama administration's hopes that getting Tehran more into the international economy by reducing the sanctions has so far not led to less Iranian belligerence in Iraq, Syria, or Yemen. So where does that leave us? Eight years of being "nicer" hasn't worked and nobody thinks direct military conflict will work. The answer may be frustrating, but it's the only option: Containment. And that's the part of the Trump strategy that's not getting enough attention. With his re-imposing of some of the old sanctions, President Trump is simply employing the classic A/B testing regime. The "A" of making nicer with Iran doesn't seem to have worked, so let's go back to the "B" of imposing new sanctions, calling the U.N. into an emergency session to address the Iranian missile test, and even having now-former NSA chief Mike Flynn make those public threats about putting Iran "on notice." And Iran is of course included among the six nations still a part of the new White House executive order banning immigration and travel into the U.S. from those countries. This switch from "A" to "B" was best embodied by President Trump's tweet where he compared his tougher stance to how "kind" President Obama had been to the Iranians. As bad as Iran has acted on the world stage since 1979, its nefarious reach was significantly muted for decades by the sanctions and their economic effect. President Obama's release of massive cash back to the Mullahs means it will take a lot longer for new sanctions to achieve the same effect. So too is the fact that European nations are more brazenly doing business in Iran right now. But President Trump's moves, especially singling out more individuals for sanctions, are a good start. The U.S. and the other Western powers have proved time and again that they cannot "fix" regimes like Iran and Syria unless they topple them completely, and then what is left is often just as bad. So, beyond launching a direct war where millions will likely be killed, there's not much more America can do than impose sanctions and talk as tough as we can. That means the terror will continue, the human rights violations will continue, the carnage will continue. But all-out war won't happen. It's a lousy pair of choices, but containment is the only one that makes sense. There are a lot of things to be afraid of and depressed about in our relationship with Tehran. But compared to what's already been lost on both sides, "tougher talk" is really not one of them. The Obama team has effectively made containment much harder to achieve, but it remains the most likely path President Trump will pursue. Commentary by Jake Novak, CNBC.com senior columnist. Follow him on Twitter @jakejakeny. For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter. Promising new research conducted last year at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies has shown that marijuana extracts may hold a key to treating Alzheimer's disease. The next step: To conduct tests on mice and, if the results are promising, move on to human trials. Jim Hill looks over the marijuana he grows for medical purposes at his farm in Potter Valley, Calif. Hill believes passionately in marijuana's purported ability to treat the symptoms of diseases ranging from cancer to Alzheimer's. Eric Risberg | AP But Salk Institute researchers have run into a major hurdle, and not a scientific one: the federal government. The Salk Institute is based in La Jolla, California a state that legalized marijuana last November but it is a federally funded research institute. Marijuana is still listed as a Schedule I controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) of 1970. A substance is placed in Schedule I if it is determined to have no currently accepted medical use, a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision and a high potential for abuse. Other Schedule I classified drugs include heroin and LSD. Because the Salk institute receives money from the National Institutes of Health, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the lab must abide by federal law, which prohibits it from having any unapproved strains of cannabis in its facility without the proper registration. The researchers at the Salk lab were able to conduct the initial phase of their research without obtaining the proper Schedule I registration, by working with only about a milligram of cannabinoids chemical compounds found in the marijuana plant from chromatography standards that are found in methanol, a toxic alcohol solution. These solutions are normally used by labs that do drug testing on individuals as positive controls in the assays, and Salk purifies it from that. In order to acquire marijuana for further studies, the lab must first apply to the Drug Enforcement Agency, which carries out the application process jointly with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Salk researchers sent in their application in December. They are still waiting for approval, with their research at a standstill. "It's so blatantly obvious that this plant should be studied in greater detail, and yet we have this major roadblock stopping it," said Dr. David Schubert, a professor at The Salk Institute and the senior scientist on the study. "It's hard enough to get funding without having to worry about legal issues on top of it. It's odd and somewhat demoralizing." Barbara Carreno, a spokesperson for the DEA, said it can take three to six months for the agency to review the research work and approve an application. New Trump administration Attorney General Jeff Sessions is known to be against legalization. But White House spokesman Sean Spicer recently voiced a much sterner view of prosecuting recreational use of marijuana as compared to medical use. It's so blatantly obvious that this plant should be studied in greater detail, and yet we have this major roadblock stopping it. Dr. David Schubert professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies Preliminary evidence from the study done on human neurons indicates that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other compounds found in cannabis promote the removal of a toxic plaque protein, amyloid beta, found inside neurons in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. It is this plaque that causes inflammation and neuron cell death, contributing to the loss of memory and mental abilities in Alzheimer's patients. The Salk scientists believe that if they are able to use cannabis compounds to target and attack the buildup of amyloid beta before people start showing the symptoms of the disease, they may be able to stop the cells from making the inflammatory molecules, Schubert said. Devastating costs Time is of the essence, given the rise in Alzheimer's cases and the associated costs, measured in both loss of human life and dollars. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia. It is also the sixth-leading cause of death in the nation, according to the Alzheimer's Association. In 2016 there were more than 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer's. One in 9 Americans age 65 and older have the disease. The organization also estimates that 1 in 3 seniors will eventually die while battling some form of dementia. As the baby boomer generation continues to age, incidences of the disease are expected to increase. Currently, somebody in the United States develops Alzheimer's disease every 66 seconds. The cost to the economy of caring for Alzheimer's and dementia patients was estimated to be about $236 billion in 2016. In 2015 a study funded by the National Institutes of Health estimated that the costs associated with late-stage dementia are greater than for any other disease. During the last five years of a person with dementia's life, total health-care spending was more than a quarter of a million dollars per person ($287,038), about 57 percent greater than costs associated with death from other diseases, including cancer ($173,383) and heart disease ($175,136). Between 2002 and 2012, just one of the 244 Alzheimer's drugs that were evaluated in clinical trials went on to win U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, according to the Alzheimer's Association. From 2000 to 2013, death's attributed to Alzheimer's disease increased by 71 percent. A Big Drug problem Recent promising research efforts from major pharmaceutical companies have failed. In November, Eli Lilly said its experimental Alzheimer's drug, solanezumab, which had shown hopes of slowing the deterioration of thinking and memory in Alzheimer patients by attacking the amyloid plaques in a patient's brain, had failed in clinical trials. It is now in Phase 1 trials in collaboration with AstraZeneca to develop another Alzheimer's drug, known as MEDI1814. Merck recently abandoned an Alzheimer's drug trial after saying it offered "no chance of finding a positive clinical effect." Biogen has also been conducting clinical trials for its experimental Alzheimer drug, aducanumab. The drug is currently being evaluated in two global Phase 3 studies, ENGAGE and EMERGE. During earlier trials the drug was shown to cause a swelling in the brain in some patients, so the company is incrementally increasing the dosage in the most recent trials in order to reduce the percentage of people who will suffer from this side effect. watch now She was one of the most memorable Bond girls in the 007 film "Skyfall" tall, slender and stunning in her famed water scene. But this particular Bond girl wasn't an actress it was a boat. The 183-foot super-yacht named "Chimera" that starred opposite Daniel Craig is actually called "Regina." And the Turkish business tycoon who owns her has listed the mega-sailboat for a cool $9.4 million (8.85 million.) Regina's captain Burak Korel told CNBC's Secret Lives of the Super Rich: "She looks like one of the James Bond girls: elegant, cool, sexy with strong character." The New York Times ' "sponsor a subscription" program has provided nytimes.com access to more than 1.3 million students in just over a month of operation, the company said Thursday in a press release. The program, which debuted Feb. 3, allows individuals to donate a digital subscription to the Times to public school students in the United States. For every subscription that a donor sponsors, The New York Times grants one at its own expense to another student. To date, over 15,000 individuals have contributed to the program. "The genesis of the 'sponsor a subscription' program came directly from readers who approached us with the desire to help support independent journalism and promote news literacy after the U.S. elections," Arthur Sulzberger Jr., publisher of The New York Times, said in a press release. The company says the rapid growth of the program is allowing them to expand benefits. The company already grants access to The Learning Network, a site dedicated to teaching through Times content, to schools whose students have benefited from the program. But now, the Times is rolling out a series of live webinars with Times reporters "on topics like news literacy, personal finance, persuasive writing, climate change, immigration and the Supreme Court," the release said. And that isn't the end of the benefits, New York Times Vice President of Consumer Revenue Hannah Yang told CNBC. "We are still in the planning phase, but we are exploring ideas like an online interactive platform where teachers can share their ideas and experiences on teaching with Times content, live events and workshops, and adding more teaching and learning tools to The Learning Network," Yang said. watch now China is lashing out at South Korea and Washington for the deployment of a powerful missile defense system known as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, deposited at the Osan Air Base in South Korea on Monday evening. The deployment of THAAD follows several ballistic missile tests by North Korea in recent months, including the launch of four missiles on Monday, three of which landed in the sea off the coast of Japan. Though THAAD would help South Korea protect itself from a North Korean missile attack, China is vocally protesting the deployment of the system, claiming it upsets the "strategic equilibrium" in the region because its radar will allow the United States to detect and track missiles launched from China. North Korean provocations aside, THAAD's arrival on the Korean Peninsula comes amid heightened tensions between the new U.S. administration and China, as well as uncertainty surrounding the U.S. military's commitment to its security relationships in the region and around the world. Within that context, THAAD's deployment packs a significant amount of symbolic firepower alongside its battery of interceptor missiles. Already there has been a blacklash. Liu Yuan, a retired Chinese general who is generally outspoken on Chinese security matters, wrote for China's state-run Global Times that the Chinese military could conduct a "surgical hard-kill operation that would destroy the target, paralyzing it and making it unable to hit back." Though such military actions are unlikely, China has already forced the closing of 23 stores owned by Lotte, one of South Korea's huge family-run conglomerates (Lotte agreed to turn over a parcel of land in South Korea on which the THAAD system would be placed). State media has also encouraged Chinese citizens to boycott South Korean products, a move that, if effective, could rob major South Korean companies, like Samsung and Hyundai, of a massive consumer market. South Korea is reportedly considering filing a complaint with the World Trade Organization over China's economic retaliation. The commercial ramifications of THAAD could still escalate further. What can THAAD do? THAAD is a relatively new addition to the U.S. military's missile defense arsenal. Produced by Lockheed Martin (and priced at more than $1 billion per system), THAAD consists of a battery of truck-launched interceptor missiles and a powerful X-band radar that can detect, track and target inbound missile threats. In other words, THAAD can see enemy ballistic missiles coming and can knock them out of the sky as they plunge toward their targets. Unlike some missile interceptors that navigate into the proximity of a missile and then explode to destroy or deflect the incoming threat, THAAD's missiles simply slam into their targets head-on, destroying them purely through kinetic force. A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor is launched during a successful intercept test, in this undated handout photo provided by the U.S. Department of Defense, Missile Defense Agency. U.S. Department of Defense | Missile Defense Agency | Reuters THADD's military value is spelled out in its name. It intercepts ballistic missiles during their "terminal" phase that is, when they have passed their apogee and begun falling toward their targets. They can intercept these missiles at very high altitudes, up to roughly 90 miles above Earth's surface. Unlike other missile defense systems, like the Patriot PAC-3 that are designed mainly to defend a particular patch of ground, THAAD's powerful AN/TPY-2 radar can both monitor and defend large areas from short- and medium-range missiles. There are a number of things THAAD cannot do, however. Given that its missiles do not contain a warhead, its batteries are fairly useless as an offensive weapon, a characteristic that some consider a feature from a political standpoint. In a statement announcing THAAD's deployment to South Korea, U.S Pacific Command was careful to note that "the THAAD system is a strictly defensive capability and it poses no threat to other countries in the region." Moreover, THAAD is not designed to destroy missiles while they are boosting skyward, nor can it shoot down something like an intercontinental-range ballistic missile, or ICBM. (Intermediate and intercontinental range missiles travel far too fast for systems like THAAD to target and intercept.) In a scenario in which North Korea or China were to launch missiles bound for targets in the United States, THAAD batteries in South Korea and Japan would not be able to target those weapons. A historical perspective China has long vowed retaliation if the United States should deploy THAAD to South Korea, citing security concerns that center more on the radar than the interceptor missiles. THAAD's radar is powerful enough to peer into Chinese airspace, military officials there argue, allowing the United States to monitor Chinese missile tests and provide early warning of any Chinese missile launch, upsetting the strategic balance of power. Following the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency in November, one Chinese official called the potential deployment of THAAD a "political weather vane" for the new U.S. administration and its relationship with China. This marks a real act of courage on the part of the South Korean government, working with its American allies, to do what these two countries together feel is a necessary and appropriate action in the face of Chinese bullying. Tom Karako senior fellow, Center for Strategic and Int'l Studies But as Dr. Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterrey in California, points out, China's objection to THAAD rings somewhat hollow. Radar installations in Taiwan, Japan and even Qatar already have the capacity to peer into Chinese airspace, to say nothing of the many space-based satellites that provide missile tracking and early warning capabilities to the United States. "It's not that [China's objections] are irrational, but it's more about what the deployment symbolizes than the radar's actual capability," Lewis says. In other words, beyond its technical capability THAAD's deployment symbolizes further solidification of the military ties between the United States and South Korea, ties Beijing has sought to loosen for decades. "I think the photo op really helped seal the deal for some of the political and assurance significance," Tom Karako, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, says of the video released showing the first pieces of the THAAD system rolling off the C-17 at Osan on Monday evening. "This marks a real act of courage on the part of the South Korean government, working with its American allies, to do what these two countries together feel is a necessary and appropriate action in the face of Chinese bullying." If THAAD is a political weather vane, Beijing now knows which way the wind is blowing. Why is this happening now? The United States and South Korea declared their intention to deploy THAAD to South Korea last year (and have discussed the possibility going back as far as 2013), but China's staunch opposition to the deployment and other geopolitical considerations kept the United States from doing so. One reason the United States and South Korea are moving to deploy THAAD now, Lewis says, is likely due to the fact that at least one of the major political stumbling blocks has been removed. South Korean president Park Geun-hye is currently embroiled in political scandal and facing impeachment, creating a unique political opportunity for the South Korean government. "It's very controversial, the THAAD system," Lewis says. "And whoever comes after Park will have the system in place without the responsibility of having agreed to it." What lies ahead Scientists, environmentalists and Democratic lawmakers quickly denounced EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt after he said Thursday on CNBC's "Squawk Box" that carbon dioxide is not a primary contributor to climate change. "I think that measuring with precision human activity on the climate is something very challenging to do, and there's tremendous disagreement about the degree of impact, so no, I would not agree that it's a primary contributor to the global warming that we see," he said. He added that further study was needed to determine the extent of carbon emmissions' impact on global warming. That view contradicts the stance of the Environmental Protection Agency itself, as well as the conclusion of NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, co-chair of the Senate Climate Action Task Force issued a statement shortly after the interview calling Pruitt's views "extreme" and "irresponsible." "Anyone who denies over a century's worth of established science and basic facts is unqualified to be the administrator of the EPA. Now more than ever, the Senate needs to stand up to Scott Pruitt and his dangerous views," he said in a statement. See the tweet. See the tweet. Sen. Tom Carper, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, tweeted about the comment, "I think 97% of the world's scientists were surprised to learn this today! I know I was." Carper was referring to a frequently cited study that found 97 percent of climate scientists who issued findings on the cause of climate change ascribe the phenomenon to human activity. Those findings have been disputed. California Sen. Kamala Harris also had a tweet for Pruitt: "It's telling when you're at odds with @NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and science generally." Gina McCarthy, the last EPA administrator, also weighed in, saying, "The world of science is about empirical evidence, not beliefs. When it comes to climate change, the evidence is robust and overwhelmingly clear that the cost of inaction is unacceptably high." Ben Santer, a climate researcher at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, said Pruitt's comment on CNBC was flat wrong. "The scientific community has studied this issue for decades. The consensus message from many national and international assessments of the science is pretty simple: Natural factors can't explain the size or patterns of observed warming," he said in a statement to Climate Nexus, a communications firm that focuses on climate change and clean energy. Last year, Snapchat rebranded to Snap, but kept the Snapchat name for its disappearing messaging app. Snap calls itself "a camera company" and last year launched Spectacles. It created a lot of hype for the product by only making Spectacles available via vending machines that popped up in random locations. But now the glasses are available online to people in the U.S. However, the group said that enough people began to adopt the wearable camera, then they would consider using it too. Munster, a VC at Loup Ventures, asked the college students from the University of Minnesota whether it was weird to walk around with Spectacles, and all of them said it was. The millennials said the $130 price tag is too high, with just one in eight suggesting they would be interested in buying a pair if it cost $50. Star analyst-turned-venture capitalist Gene Munster sat down with eight millennials this week to get their views on what's hot and what's not. An employee wears a Snapchat ghost shirt and Snapchat Spectacles by Snap Inc. while crossing the street outside the company's office in the Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Snap recently went public and investors are trying to figure out whether the company has long-term growth, or whether it is facing stiff competition from the likes of Facebook . For now however, millennials, who are the core users of the platform, still love it. Four out of eight of the panelists said Snap was their preferred social platform, followed by Instagram (2 out of 8). The millennials said they send about 10-50 snaps per day with the group citing the lenses that allow you to transform your face into a dog for instance, and the fact that fewer parents are on the platform, as key reasons for liking Snapchat. And one panelist said the adverts on Facebook are putting him off the platform. "The thing that Facebook changed for me, is that it's a lot of ads now and it's a lot of things I don't really care about I see so much of what other people are doing, it's annoying to me," he said. Snap's share price has had a rollercoaster ride in the first few days of trade and it faces intense competition from Facebook, which has already copied many of its features. This has left many analysts concerned about the future potential of the company. Despite millennials not taking a liking to Spectacles just yet, Munster concluded that camera hardware could be a way for Snap to beat the competition. "Snap has the lead and, more importantly, Snap has won the trust of the college demographic. If Snap puts something out, it will likely catch on," Munster wrote in a note on Thursday. "We believe the camera is at the center of how Snap must advance the platform with new devices and new features to stay ahead of Facebook's improved filters. If Snap slows on its vision as a camera company, Facebook will likely catch them." Disclosure: NBCUniversal is an investor in Snap. Privacy under attack as internet fingerprinting tracks your every move If the dwindling level of privacy offered by internet use makes you more than a little uncomfortable, you might not want to hear about the latest tracking technique developed by a Pennsylvania professor of computer science. Yinzhi Cao of Lehigh University has come up with a way to make fingerprinting work across multiple browsers with near-complete accuracy. Browser fingerprinting identifies a list of characteristics that are unique to your particular computers software and hardware that is then used to identify you. It entails everything from your screen resolution to the fonts you have installed on your system. Banks and retail sites use the technique to authenticate users, and it is also used to target advertising by keeping track of your every move online and delivering ads that match your interests and habits. While this profile is 91 percent accurate, it has been very easy to work around it simply by switching to a different web browser until now. Caos new method will work even if you regularly rotate between various browsers, and its incredible rate of success will make it very attractive to advertisers and others who are looking to learn every last detail of your life and routine. A test of 3,615 fingerprints and slightly more than 1,900 users found an accuracy score of 99.2 percent. Cao has expressed concern about how this cross-browser tracking could be used to impinge on peoples privacy by using it to deliver customized ads. Cao has published the code online, which is a bit of a double-edged sword; while advertisers will be able to use it to violate peoples privacy, computer scientists will be able to look at it carefully and hopefully develop some type of defense against it. Caos approach works by having browsers run through a series of 36 tasks that are related to a computers OS and hardware capabilities, like CPUs, writing scripts, and graphics cards. It also keeps track of plugins, extensions, the presence of ad blockers, and time zones. The features it looks at are generally the same across different browsers, such as the screens width-to-height ratio rather than the resolution, which can vary. The tasks can be run in less than a minute and work successfully on many of the worlds top browsers, including Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Opera, and Microsoft Edge. The only browser that seems to be immune to this method is Tor. As people grow increasingly concerned about privacy matters when it comes to the internet, a number of new privacy-oriented tools are emerging, like Mike Adams, the Health Rangers Good Gopher search engine. Private search engines like Good Gopher, DuckDuckGo and Startpage are appealing to those who are tired of Google whose ironic mantra is Dont be evil spying on their every move online and then recording it for time immemorial, including keeping voice recordings of conversations people have had within earshot of Google devices. Modern technology is improving our lives in many ways. Its the reason you are able to read this article in the first place and learn about how to protect yourself. At the same time, however, technology poses unprecedented potential dangers that people need to be aware of, from the invasion of privacy while surfing the web and the possibility of a data breach while shopping or banking online to people using RFID readers to steal your data right off the credit cards and passports in your wallet as they sit a few feet away from you. Anyone who wants to enjoy the benefits of modern technology and the internet in particular needs to be aware of all that can go wrong and do their best to close any vulnerabilities, whether its by using private browsers and VPNs or keeping your bank cards in an RFID sleeve. Advertisers and hackers alike are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and its vital to stay one step ahead of them. Sources include: Mashable.com Independent.co.uk NaturalNews.com Amid the political uncertainty in Europe and expectations of a stronger U.S. economy, David Tepper's approach to go long on European equities and short on U.S. bonds is right, an investment director told CNCB on Thursday. American hedge fund manager David Tepper told CNBC on Wednesday that once the French election is out of the way, there's nothing else to worry about in Europe. This is despite a federal election in Germany and a potential general election in Italy. "If we are short U.S. bonds we are betting on a stronger economy here. That's the bet. So we are betting on strength one way or the other here, strength around the world in one way or the another," Tepper said. "The only thing on the horizon, different things can happen, hopefully nothing happens political but different things can happen in France. But once you get through it, there's nothing else in the year. You'll have smooth sailing. The German election is just upside to me," Tepper said. The United States is in the early stages of a manufacturing renaissance, and is expected to grow, thanks to cheap and plentiful natural gas. The U.S. is expected to see a wave of petrochemical plant openings between now and next year. Those plants represent about $50 billion of $160 billion in manufacturing investment earmarked by the industry since 2012, according to James Fitterling, president and COO of Dow Chemical . Among them are several big ethylene plants, including one expected to be opened by Dow in Freeport, Texas, in the second quarter. "It's about 1.5 million tons of new capacity for us. It will be up in the second quarter sometime," said Fitterling, speaking in Houston at the CERAWeek conference, sponsored by IHS Markit. He said Dow also opened a billion-dollar propane dehydrogenation plant in Freeport at the end of 2015. "That was the first megaproject we've done on the Gulf Coast for quite some time." CB&Is Cameron LNG project in Hackberry, Louisiana Source: CNBC Exxon Mobil this week announced a $20 billion spending program to expand its manufacturing capacity along the Gulf Coast, including some previously announced investment. The announcement came at CERAWeek. Industry executives say this is the first big wave of chemical plant construction in decades. President Donald J. Trump tweeted congratulations on Exxon's investment and promise of jobs. But the petrochemical renaissance has been building for several years. Trump's policy may unleash more if it results in the creation of pipelines and other infrastructure. "The U.S. has gone from a shale gas boom to a petrochemical boom," said Scott Sheffield, CEO of Pioneer Natural Resources . While natural gas industry experts discussed the outlook for a long period of low gas prices at the conference, the petrochemical industry described what only can be viewed as a boom in an industry that had been declining in the United States. Fitterling said there was a wave of plants that started construction back in the 2012 time frame, and between 2017 and 2018, there will be approximately $50 billion of that total $160 billion of capacity up and running. "These are all downstream petrochemical plants, including ethylene facilities, propylene facilities and all the downstream products associated with them. Another wave of plants some that started and some that were a little bit delayed and slid out to the 2019 time frame represent another $12 billion," Fitterling said. There are more than 20 big projects and other smaller ones, all which should be completed by 2023. Another wave of new capacity is likely to be planned after that, Fitterling said. There are estimates that the current planned investment could generate 70,000 to 80,000 direct jobs. "Between 2000 and 2010 we were actually shutting down U.S. petrochemical plants, but shale has allowed the U.S. industry to come back," said Dave Witte, IHS Markit senior vice president of oil markets, midstream, downstream and chemicals. Witte said not only is the petrochemical industry attracted to the United States but it's likely related businesses in plastics could begin to open facilities in the United States. watch now watch now Despite OPEC efforts to curb a glut of supply, U.S. crude inventories surged by 8.2 million barrels last week, pushing oil prices to their lowest levels of 2017. But analysts say a less visible number is flashing a warning sign: floating storage off Singapore. "It's not unsurprising to see a build at this time of year, it is seasonal, but to see a build of this size really did surprise the market," said Matt Smith, head of commodity research at ClipperData, which tracks vessel and cargo movements in the crude oil market. The firm is sounding a warning on the unprecedented floating storage inventories in Singapore, which indicates the market has not yet absorbed the surge in shipments in the last two months of 2016. Edgar Su | Reuters "Floating storage off Singapore reached an all-time high in February," Smith told CNBC's "The Rundown." "We started to see Singapore floating storage dropping off last month from that record high of 60-million barrels, but we saw it rebound last week." Ahead of the OPEC production cut, producers ramped up production and exports to maximize revenues, with OPEC sending over three- fifths of its production to markets in the Asian region. February arrivals hit 16.1 million barrels per day. That's 1.1 million barrels more than last year's average and nearly 300,000 barrels higher than the previous record set in February 2016, according to ClipperData. The region's refineries cannot process that much crude, so the influx lifted Singapore floating storage to 64-million barrels in early February, the highest level on available records. It has fluctuated since then, but remains well above recent averages. "As long as we see 60-million barrels floating offshore in Singapore, it is just indicating that the market is still oversupplied and is not absorbing all this oil," Smith said. The Storage Play The structure of the futures market is making it less compelling to store oil, meaning the owners of the crude sitting in vessels off the coast of Singapore face a conundrum. In a February research report, analysts at BMI noted that the structural rebalancing of the global crude market was being reflected in the futures curve, which is transitioning from a contango structure to a backwardated one. "Oil traders will find it harder to make money in a backwardated market compared to one in contango, as the opportunity for 'cash and carry' trades disappears," analysts said. That trade occurs when traders buy and store crude oil to sell at a later date when prices are higher, locking in profits using futures contracts. However, in a backwardated market, there is no incentive to store crude, meaning the reversal in the market dynamic should help to draw down bloated inventories and contribute to the global rebalancing. "Now that the contango has narrowed, there is much less incentive to store oil at sea. That makes Singapore floating storage all the more interesting," said Smith. A Wall of Supply "To the victor belong the spoils," candidate Donald Trump reminded 2016 voters. But the House Republican health bill turns that old maxim on its head. Instead of broadly rewarding Trump's backers, the House bill hands huge benefits to the tiny share of his voters earning the highest incomes. Their gains come at the expense of the much larger group of older, blue-collar whites who flocked to his "Make America Great Again" banner. That redistribution of money from less-affluent Trump supporters to wealthy ones complicates the ability of Congress to deliver on "repeal-and-replace" promises. And it foreshadows tensions within Trump's coalition that will loom over later efforts to enact tax reform. Lawmakers haven't received formal estimates from the Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on Taxation detailing the bill's impact on federal spending and insurance coverage. But its core provisions make some conclusions clear already. Exit polls showed that just 10 percent of Trump's votes came from Americans earning $200,000 or more. Yet those voters would derive all benefits from the repeal of the two individual tax hikes targeting them: a 0.9 percent tax on their earnings, and a 3.8 percent tax on their investment income. An even smaller group, the top 1 percent of earners, would receive an average tax cut of $33,000, according to the Tax Policy Center. The top 0.1 percent of earners would receive an average tax cut of $197,000. But half of Trump's votes came from white voters without college degrees. And those less-affluent voters stand to lose in multiple ways if Congress rolls back Obamacare in favor of the House GOP plan. An Urban Institute study found that Obamacare reduced the number of noncollege whites without insurance by 6.2 million between 2010 and 2015, a drop of 39 percent. In 20 of the 30 states that Trump won, more noncollege whites gained coverage than any other group. Under the House GOP bill, those who have gained coverage would face higher costs because the bill's tax credits are generally smaller than premium subsidies through Obamacare exchange marketplaces. An analysis led by Harvard health economist David Cutler estimates those increased costs will total an average of $2,409 in 2020. Whites aged 45 or older provided 56 percent of Trump's votes. Older Obamacare enrollees would be hit particularly hard by the House bill because it curbs age-based insurance subsidies. Enrollees aged 55 to 64, the Cutler study found, would face higher costs averaging $6,971 in 2020. The House bill would also produce major reductions in spending on Medicaid, the expansion of which generated a large proportion of Obamacare's gains in insurance coverage. The liberal Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates the reduction in federal spending on the program at $370 billion over 10 years. Medicaid has long been a target of Republican budget cutters, both because the party favors smaller government and because it provides health care to poor Americans who tend to support Democrats. Nationally, most Medicaid enrollees are nonwhite. But in some key states that backed Trump, whites comprise a large majority of nonelderly Medicaid beneficiaries: 65 percent in Ohio, 60 percent in Wisconsin, 60 percent in Michigan. Those proportions are as high or higher in smaller Trump states such as West Virginia (89 percent), Montana (83 percent), Kentucky (77 percent) and Arkansas (62 percent). The House GOP's reductions would affect all Medicaid beneficiaries, not just those added to the rolls under Obamacare. That includes more than 6 million senior citizens with incomes and assets low enough to qualify for the program. Medicaid finances most nursing home care in the United States. Unlike the program's nonelderly beneficiaries, a 54 percent majority of beneficiaries aged 65 or older are white, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. That means the House bill would pinch Trump's blue-collar white supporters in two ways crimping their own Medicaid coverage, and that of their elderly parents. Fear of such consequences hardly deterred Trump supporters on Election Day. Eight in 10 of Trump's votes came from Americans who said Obamacare "went too far." But some Republican lawmakers whose constituents would be affected have begun speaking up. Four Republican senators including Rob Portman of Ohio and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia signed a letter opposing the House bill's Medicaid provisions. In Arkansas, the Urban Institute found Obamacare reduced the ranks of the uninsured by more than the national average. Sen. Tom Cotton has complained that the House is moving too quickly. In Kentucky, Obamacare reduced the proportion of noncollege whites without insurance by 63.6 percent the largest reduction of any state. Sen. Rand Paul, insisting the bill too closely resembles Obamacare, vows that conservatives will kill it. Donald Trump's listening skills have been a surprise to Dow Chemical CEO Andrew Liveris, who has been in closed door meetings with the president. "I will tell you this, every time we've had a discussion that is generic, he goes into the specifics. He goes to, 'Well, in my business, I saw this. Does that relate to you?'" Liveris told CNBC's "Power Lunch" during CERAWeek in Houston on Thursday. The president has invited a number of business leaders hailing from several sectors to discuss regulations, jobs and other economic initiatives. Liveris, who leads Trump's manufacturing jobs initiative, said he has enjoyed getting to know "businessman Trump." "And obviously his type of business is different than my type of business, but the rules of business are the rules of business, and he speaks business language in our meetings and in our interactions," the Dow Chemical CEO said. Liveris was one of 24 manufacturing CEOs who met with Trump last month to discuss deregulation, tax reform, trade, infrastructure and job training. Trump and his team has "managed to move the ball in 45 days on regulatory reform more than in the previous eight years," Liveris said. Liveris claimed that, for the manufacturing sector, regulatory costs per employee are double those of other industries. "We complain about financial regulation and all the other things, but in the manufacturing sector, we're carrying, per employee, double the cost of regulations. So that means there's too many regulations," Liveris said. Liveris said he also expects Trump to address concerns about automation within the "coming weeks." As factories increase efficiency by adding robots, some are concerned this may lead to job loss in the sector Trump wants to revive. "The digitalization of industrial America means a new industrial policy, and the answer to the question is reskill workers and change the way we supply capability to our school system," Liveris said. A construction worker uses a blowtorch to remove pieces of metal used to lower sections of a bridge into place at the interchange of Interstate 25 and Arapahoe Road in Englewood, Colo. The White House was pressured this week by President Donald Trump to map out a plan for $1 trillion in infrastructure spending, one of Trump's key promises during his presidential campaign, The Wall Street Journal reported. The Journal said the plan would push states to streamline local permitting, favor renovation of existing roads and highways and prioritize projects that can begin construction as soon as possible. Trump has said he would push for an infrastructure program to rebuild roads, bridges, airports and other public works projects, but he has not presented a specific plan. Trump suggested, in a private meeting with aides and executives that the Journal was invited to observe, a 90-day deadline for states to start projects, the Journal said. Trump asked Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt to provide a recommendation. "We're not going to give the money to states unless they can prove that they can be ready, willing and able to start the project," Trump said. On Thursday, the American Society of Civil Engineers released its 2017 infrastructure report card, giving the nation's overall infrastructure a grade of D+. Speaking to a group of governors at the White House last month, Trump pledged for a "big" infrastructure spending. "We spend $6 trillion in the Middle East and we have potholes all over our highways and our roads," he said, "so we're going to take care of that. Infrastructure we're going to start spending on infrastructure big. Not like we have a choice. It's not like, oh gee, let's hold it off." Trump's plan, however, could run into some roadblocks with fellow Republicans. Read the full story from The Wall Street Journal here. Reuters contributed to this report. America's infrastructure has suffered from sustained, chronic underinvestment for more than 30 years. We are only now beginning to realize how much this has cost the economy, particularly in jobs. Analysts estimate that modernizing, repairing and expanding our airports, bridges, electric grid, highways, mass transit, ports, and water and sewer systems to meet current and future needs will require an additional $1.5 trillion to $5 trillion in spending over the next 10 to 20 years. This is on top of roughly $700 billion a year currently being invested at the federal, state and local level, according to our best estimate using data from multiple sources, including both private and public monies. The administration has proposed an increase of $1 trillion in infrastructure spending over the next five yearsabout $200 billion a year. Some are leery, but they needn't be. The additional spending is necessary. And, based on our analysis, if planned and managed properly, a robust infrastructure program would create millions of new jobsmany of them permanent jobs. We can't afford to wait. Despite the obvious need to ramp up infrastructure spendingdriven home by occasional headline-making bridge collapses, subway line closures and other such occurrencesthe public seems strangely unconcerned, with just 7 percent rating it as "one of the main problems facing America today" in an October 2016 Ipsos poll. First Read is a morning briefing from Meet the Press and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter What the GOP could have learned from Obamacare The 2010 Affordable Care Act or Obamacare was far from a perfect piece of legislation, and it created so many political problems for Democrats after its passage (see the 2010 and 2014 midterms). Yet it did accomplish something that no other major health reform has in modern political times: It actually passed Congress and was signed into law. So it's all striking that the Trump White House and congressional Republicans have ignored some of the key lessons in how to pass health reform through Congress: 1. Get industry and major stakeholders to support the legislation: That's what Democrats and the Obama White House achieved in 2009-2010. Yet by comparison, consider all of the groups that ALREADY are opposed to the GOP House bill: AARP, American Hospital Association, American Medical Association, and the American Nurses Association. What's more, the powerful group representing the country's health insurers (AHIP) released a letter Wednesday asking for changes to the legislation, including more Medicaid funding (something conservatives are opposed to). 2. Go slow: Ultimately, the year-long process to pass Obamacare backfired politically, especially after Democrats lost Ted Kennedy's Senate seat. But as a way to pass legislation, the slow process worked. Public subcommittee work. Committee hearings. Congressional Budget Office scores. This time around, however, Republicans have marched to markup the legislation BEFORE public hearings and a CBO score. As Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) tweeted this morning, "House health-care bill can't pass Senate w/o major changes. To my friends in House: pause, start over. Get it right, don't get it fast." 3. At least reach out to the political opposition: Yes, Obamacare didn't get a single vote from a Republican lawmaker. But it wasn't for a lack of trying. The Obama White House actively courted Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe (R-ME), as well as Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA). Indeed, Snowe voted for the Senate Obamacare proposal in committee in October 2009 -- although she backed away in the votes for final passage. This time around? The Trump White House and congressional GOP leaders haven't made at least the appearance of this kind of effort. 4. Unite the party around the central tenets of the legislation: In 2009-2010, Democrats/independents from Ben Nelson and Joe Lieberman to Nancy Pelosi and Bernie Sanders agreed on the major provisions of the Affordable Care Act exchanges working with private insurers, subsidies to help disadvantaged Americans to pay for insurance, major health-insurance regulations, and Medicaid expansion. Yes, they argued over a public option, but they agreed on almost everything else. Yet in 2017, Republicans are divided over tax credits, Medicaid expansion, and whether there should even be a replacement plan combined with repeal. Those aren't minor issues. As conservative Philip Klein notes, "For years, GOP chose short-term messaging victories on Obamacare for doing hard work of hashing out health-care differences." 5. Have supermajority support or close to it: Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Democrats held a supermajority in the U.S. Senate (60 votes), or close to it in 2009-2010. But this time, Republicans are trying to repeal and replace Obamacare with just 52 senators, who range from Rand Paul (R-KY) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) to Susan Collins (R-ME). And while Republicans are attempting to pursue some of their goals via reconciliation (which requires just a simple majority), other key components to drive down costs and reform the health-insurance industry will eventually require 60 votes. And it's why the current House bill doesn't contain these provisions. Democrats: We told you health care was hard Relatedly, NBC's Alex Seitz-Wald reports on Democrats who have uncorked a fine bottle of schadenfreude. "President Donald Trump said last week that 'nobody knew that health care could be so complicated.' But the aides and advisers who worked on health care for Bill Clinton and Barack Obama they knew. 'Maybe I should just say karma is a serious thing,' said Neera Tanden, who was a top health official in the Obama administration. 'Health care is hard. Governing is hard. And Republicans are now living with the fruits of never putting forward a plan and making promises they can't keep.'" More: "It's a strange place to be for the Democratic operatives and elected officials who saw their party devastated in part by Obamacare. And some can't help but feel a bit of cosmic justice as they watch Republicans stuck in a policy quagmire they know all too well. Jonathan Gruber, an MIT economist who helped design the Affordable Care Act, said health care policy is both extremely complicated and extraordinarily personal. 'It's healthcare, it should be easy. Everyone goes to the doctor. But it's super hard,' Gruber said. 'As a result, it's easy to demonize everything.'" More from NBC News: The GOP health care plan is in critical condition Kasich after Trump meeting: If you're on a plane, you root for the pilot First Read's morning clips: Winners and losers in the GOP health care bill Who's behind the WikiLeaks leak? "The C.I.A. scrambled on Wednesday to assess and contain the damage from the release by WikiLeaks of thousands of documents that cataloged the agency's cyberspying capabilities, temporarily halting work on some projects while the F.B.I. turned to finding who was responsible for the leak," the New York Times writes. "Investigators say that the leak was the work not of a hostile foreign power like Russia but of a disaffected insider, as WikiLeaks suggested when it released the documents Tuesday. The F.B.I. was preparing to interview anyone who had access to the information, a group likely to include at least a few hundred people, and possibly more than a thousand." Trump expected to tap Jon Huntsman as ambassador to Russia "President Donald Trump plans to nominate Jon Huntsman as ambassador to Russia, according to people familiar with the deliberations, the latest sign of backtracking from plans for Washington-Moscow conciliation," the Wall Street Journal says. Trump's Day At 11:00 am ET, the president holds a listening session with CEOs of small and community banks At 2:00 pm ET, he meets with former Commerce Secretary Pete Peterson At 3:00 pm ET, Trump visits with CIA Director Mike Pompeo and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly And at 4:00 pm ET, he makes remarks to the Senate Youth Program. What were other presidents doing on March 9? OPEC's production cut agreement is not yet succeeding in driving down supply, suggesting that $50 per barrel oil may turn out to be a market top, industry experts told CNBC on Thursday. The predictions follow Wednesday's slump in oil prices when the benchmark WTI and Brent indices both tumbled over 5 percent to close the session at $50.28 and $53.11, respectively. For WTI, the level represented its biggest one-day fall since February 2016 and the lowest closing price since early December. Both benchmarks had failed to sustain a recovery by mid-morning European trade on Thursday with WTI down a further 2.35 percent for the session to break below $50 and Brent down 1.64 percent as of 10:30 am London time. The price plunge has been primarily attributed to U.S. data showing domestic stockpiles had recorded a ninth consecutive month of supply rises in February to reach 8.2 million barrels. Adding to the negative sentiment, non-committal comments from OPEC and non-OPEC members on Wednesday indicated that while producers intend to continue pursuing production cuts, they will not pledge at this point to renew their existing six-month agreement once it expires in May. Indeed, despite claims from participants that the existing agreement is functioning well, it actually has fundamental flaws if you peek behind the headlines, according to Eugen Weinberg, head of commodities research at Commerzbank. "Compliance within OPEC is less than 50 percent if you exclude Kuwait and Saudi Arabia who cannot shoulder the whole burden over the long-term," Weinberg told CNBC by phone on Thursday. Furthermore, while production cuts might be underway on the part of some participants, export numbers have not softened, hence why market supply is still elevated. "The export numbers are at the same level as last December which demonstrates that the oil production cut is having little effect on market levels," he added. "The market is looking for a price recovery from here but as there is still not enough of a cut to send supply into deficit, I think $50 per barrel is more likely to be a ceiling than a floor with prices potentially slipping down to $40 this year," opined the Commerzbank analyst. His pricing outlook was supported by Kevin Boscher, chief investment officer, Brooks Macdonald Asset Management, speaking on CNBC's Squawk Box on Thursday. "Our view is the oil price is in a trading range. $50 55 is more likely to be the ceiling for now than the floor, particularly as part of Trump's policies is likely to be making the U.S. more self-sufficient from an oil perspective," he posited. "We're likely to see an increase in supply of oil at a time where supply and demand are roughly a little bit more balanced," Boscher added. The psychologically critical $50 mark was also within the sights of Sam Wahab, director of oil and gas research at Cantor Fitzgerald Europe, who described continued U.S. upgrades in both inventory and production as the greatest downside risk for now. "There are also certain doubts as to whether all OPEC members will stick to their quotas (notably Iraq), which combined, could very well see the Brent oil price slip towards $50 over the coming fortnight," added Wahab. Yet not everyone shares the bearish view, with analysts at Goldman Sachs publishing a more optimistic note on Monday claiming that oil demand is now poised to overtake supply. "Our conviction that OECD inventories will steadily decline through 2Q17 remains highwith stocks showing declines over the past two weeks and crude forward curves flattening significantly recently," reads the research. "While the shale production rebound has surprised to the upside, the slightly larger production cuts than we had expected and most importantly, the higher 2016 realized demand level, lead us to expect a slightly faster normalization in OECD inventories through 2017 than previously," the analysts concluded. - : , The Columbia City Council has approved the sale of more than 100 acres in northeast Columbia to Aurora Organic Dairy, one of the largest organic dairy companies in the U.S. The company plans to build an 80,000-square-foot milk processing and distribution facility on the land and to create between 130 to 160 new jobs. The holidays are creeping up on us Presented During the Hearing on Civil Rights and Voting in Illinois Good afternoon Committee Chair Lineras and Members of the Illinois Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights. My name is Brian Gladstein and I am the Executive Director of Common Cause Illinois (CCIL). On behalf of Common Causes 27,000 Illinois members and its 700,000 members nationwide, I want to thank the Committee for holding this critical hearing on the status of voting rights in this state, and for allowing us to submit this written testimony. Common Cause is a national nonpartisan advocacy organization founded in 1970 to enable citizens to make their voices heard in the political process. In Illinois and across the country, we are leading the fight to ensure that every eligible citizen has an opportunity to cast a vote, free from discrimination and obstacles a principle that we believe to be fundamental to a democracy that aims for and professes representation of all. A Democracy in Peril As one of the organizations that is out on the front lines, we are sad to report that our democracy is under assault. On the national level, we have seen states move to gut the preclearance protections offered by Section 5 of the National Voting Rights Act, following the United States Supreme Courts shameful decision in Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder . From Ohio to Texas to North Carolina, many states and local governments have been implementing abhorrent voting practices that had previously been barred for their racially discriminatory impact. Meanwhile, after Citizens United, our political systems have become flooded by oversized campaign contributions from a handful of wealthy individual donors and special interest groups. In an interview last spring, NAACP President Cornell William Brooks described the confluence of these two cases as being two sides of the same ugly coin, with folks who are suppressing and stealing votes before and during an election in collusion with the people buying and selling legislative votes after the election. It goes, perhaps, without saying that legal opinions and policy decisions that disenfranchise entire classes of citizens or tend to favor the interests of one group over another shake the confidence in our political system. Indeed, a January 2017 report by a team of researchers from the University of Sydney and Harvards Kennedy School of Government found that United States citizens have lower levels of faith in the integrity of their elections than any other Western nation. According to their findings, after the last election, the United States ranked 46th out of 161 countries in believing that their elections were free and fair. The primary drivers of concern during the 2016 election cycle included (a) gerrymandered district boundaries; (b) discriminatory election laws that make it harder to vote or register; (c) media coverage, including the myths and realities of fake news; and (d) the corrosive impact of big money in politics. As a result, the United States, once again, had lower voter turnout rate (56.9%) than virtually every other wealthy nation. Here in Illinois, we see a complex mix of challenges and opportunities for voters. On the one hand, we have witnessed the cost of our elections skyrocket and the influence and concentration of the political donor class rise exponentially. The 2016 election cycle was the most expensive that this state has ever witnessed by far with more than $134 million having been spent on state legislative races alone. Given that Governor Rauner has seen fit to make a $50 million deposit into his campaign fund as a first installment two years before the next gubernatorial election and some of the names being raised as his potential opponents are either billionaires themselves or have access to substantial political action committee money, one can only assume that the cost of our elections isnt decreasing anytime soon. Researchers have generally noted that individuals that make large political donations tend to be older and whiter than the average American, and, by and large, they tend to be men. Studies have further shown that the policy preferences of this particular subset of the populace tend to be sharply different than the preferences that are expressed by other more marginalized groups, including women and people of color. These trends appear to hold true in Illinois. In April 2016, CCIL helped to produce an analysis of the Chicagos 2015 mayoral race. That report showed that over 90% of the money that the two candidates raised came from donors who gave more than $1,000 apiece, and that 52% of the money came from outside the Citys borders. Roughly 80% of the donations to Mayor Emanuels campaign came from donors that earned more than $100,000 per year, even though only 15% of Chicagoans actually earn that much each year. 94% of the Mayors donors were white, whereas only 39% of his constituents identify as white. While these figures are disturbing in the abstract, we are extremely concerned that this imbalance has and will force governmental officials to favor the wishes of a small number of wealthy donors over the needs of the citizens who elected them into office in the first place. Despite these serious concerns, we are pleased to be able to report to the Committee that Illinois has recently adopted a number of sensible political reforms that are helping to level the playing field for Illinois voters and to ensure that they have the chance to meaningfully participate in the electoral system. Towards a Model of Universal Voter Registration If we want to ensure that every eligible Illinois citizen has an equal opportunity to be heard, we must first ensure that they are all participating in their democracy. CCIL and its partners in the Just Democracy Coalition believe that every citizen has a fundamental right to have their vote counted, regardless of whether they are a Democrat, Republican or independent. That is why our coalition has advocated for and celebrated legislation that makes it easier to register to vote. In 2013, Governor Quinn signed legislation allowing Illinois citizens to vote online. Two years later, the State adopted provisions expanding early voting and allowing voters to register to vote at the polling place on Election Day. While these provisions go a long way towards strengthening our democracy, there is still more that should be done. CCIL and its partners are currently working with legislators on both sides of the aisle in the General Assembly, representatives from the Governors office and key agencies to enact an automatic voter registration (AVR) model in the state that would automatically register eligible Illinois voters (unless they opt out) whenever they interacted with certain state agencies, like Driver Services. A recent national study determined that this proposal would not only modernize our registration system by using accurate and secure electronic voter lists, but it could add over a million eligible Illinois voters to our rolls. Last year, Illinois passed an AVR bill with broad bipartisan support, but, unfortunately, it was vetoed by Governor Rauner at the eleventh hour. CCIL and the other advocates are working with all of the relevant stake holders to ensure that the measure passes during this legislative session. Towards a Model of Public Financing for Elections Although the Citizens United case has resolved the question of whether it is possible for wealthy corporate interests to fund the candidate that they believe will best serve their interests, there are alternative models for financing political campaigns that will provide an opportunity for smaller donors to continue to hold politicians accountable. In places like New York City and Los Angeles, communities have used a voluntary public financing model for decades that provides for a six to one public match for qualifying donations up to a defined cap. To be eligible to receive these funds, politicians must first demonstrate that they have met with the electorate by raising a requisite number of small donations. Candidates must also agree to not accept any donations from corporate interests or to violate restrictions on self-funding. These programs help to contain campaign expenditures; ensure that politicians remain in close contact with the people that voted them into office; and provide a pathway for citizens with limited access to capital to support the candidate of their choosing or run for office themselves. Over the last several years, CCIL has been working closely with its partners in the Fair Elections Illinois (FEI) coalition to bring a small donor matching program to the state of Illinois. A little over two years ago, the FEI coalition was responsible for ballot question that found that eight out of every ten Chicago residents supported the public financing model akin to the model that has been successfully used in New York for years. Building upon that support, the FEI partners have been working to draft and support legislation at the state, county, and local levels that would bring a small donor matching model to Illinois. Our democracy has not yet been secured; however, we have every reason to look towards a day when every Illinois resident can feel that their voice will be heard, regardless of party affiliation or their access to resources. Once again, we thank the Committee for providing us with a forum to raise our concerns, and we look forward to answering any questions that you might have. It was unclear today exactly what kind of edge Microsoft might gain by partnering with Qualcomm and others to run Windows Server on ARM processors, an analyst said. "Microsoft must see something that is interesting enough to port over Azure and Windows," said Patrick Moorhead, principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, in a Wednesday interview. "But Qualcomm has not provided any details other than how many cores it has and that it's 10-nanometer, so I can't give any empirical comparison between it and, say, Intel." Today, Microsoft announced it was collaborating with Qualcomm, Cavium and other chip makers to use ARM in its own data centers to run cloud workloads. The Redmond, Wash. company did not discuss plans to move beyond internal applications. It has, however, pledged that the more general purpose Windows 10 will run on consumer- and business-grade personal computers. Currently, Microsoft is testing Windows Server on ARM-based systems, running alongside traditional Intel-based servers in several cloud workload categories to evaluate the formers' performance. An assumption of lower costs might be part of the Microsoft equation, whether because of the lower power requirements of ARM processors or the fact that, with more vendors producing ARM silicon, Microsoft could play one or more against others, Moorhead maintained. "It could be lower costs or it could be performance," he said, as he called the Windows Server-on-ARM move "significant." [ To comment on this story, visit Computerworld's Facebook page. ] "This has potential," Moorhead continued. "But it's also too early to see what could come out of it." Microsoft could also simply be trying to keep up with cloud rivals as they look for alternatives to Intel, which has a 99% market share in the server business. Last year, for instance, Google joined forces with Rackspace to design a server powered by IBM's Power9 processor. Moorhead called that partnership the "most successful so far" among the major cloud players, which also include Alibaba, Amazon, Baidu, Facebook and Tencent. "The [Super 7] cloud players, they're all looking at angles like this," Moorhead maintained. Microsoft hinted at what it hoped to get out of Windows Server on ARM; one that related to performance was reminiscent of the path that Apple took several years ago when it began designing its own ARM processors for the iPhone and iPad. "Due to the scale required for certain cloud services, i.e. the number of machines allocated to them, it becomes more economically feasible to optimize the hardware to the workload instead of the other way around, even if that means changing the Instruction Set Architecture (ISA)," Leendert van Doorn, a distinguished engineer in the Azure Cloud group, wrote in a post to a company blog today [emphasis added]. Microsoft would likely optimize from both the hardware and software ends, Moorhead argued. "That's exactly what Apple has done," he said, referring to the Cupertino, Calif. company's work creating specialized processors while also crafting its software to best take advantage of that silicon. Nearly 400 real estate agents from across the state gathered in Jefferson City earlier this year for the Missouri Realtors 37th annual Capitol Conference. This conference provided real estate agents the opportunity to meet with their elected officials to discuss emerging issues of importance to the real estate industry. The day began with a first-time attendee training, where over 100 Missouri real estate agents members were present. All conference attendees participated in a lunch briefing where they prepared for their visit to the Capitol. Attendees spent the afternoon visiting the states Capitol, meeting with their respective legislators. The day concluded with a reception at the Capitol Plaza Hotel where all state representatives and senators were welcome. The Missouri REALTOR Party, the Advocacy arm of Missouri Realtors, is the voice for real estate in Missouri, working to protect real estate agents, their business and the American Dream of home ownership. The goal of the Missouri REALTOR Party is to encourage property ownership, support small business and foster a vibrant real estate sector. The Capitol Conference is one way for Missouri Realtors to make their voice heard and make a positive impact on the real estate industry in Missouri. Mineral Area Board of Realtors were represented by Dan Buck, president; Cary Combs, state director; Kathleen Kelly, state director; Anna Hatridge, RPAC chairperson; John Mayfield, life member of Missouri Realtor; and Sally Colwell, association executive. Cllr James Mustoe represents Mevagissey on Cornwall Council. Down in Cornwall we are fast approaching local elections, coming up on May 4th. As I have previously written for Conservative Home, we have a Liberal Democrat problem in Cornwall. Despite turning magnificently Blue in 2015, we still have a unitary authority that is run by Liberal Democrats, propped up in a wonky coalition by the so-called Independents, a ragtag collection of oddballs who despite their name are anything but. Instead, a whipped political group that votes as one, often for policies that defy sensible understanding. Those in charge at Cornwall Council have a serious case of Brexit denial. Their leader made national headlines straight after last years referendum when, within hours of the outcome, he wrote to central government demanding urgent confirmation that replacement EU funding would be guaranteed. Bear in mind that Cornwall overwhelmingly voted for Brexit, 56 per cent compared to 52 per cent nationally. In the constituency where my Mevagissey division is located, St Austell and Newquay, more than 60 per cent of those who voted, voted to leave. Apart from the above outburst, since the referendum the Lib Dems at Cornwall Council have announced they want to keep their lobbying office in Brussels open (funded by our money of course), and also spent thousands of pounds of taxpayer money on a publicly funded jolly to a Celtic Festival in France. Last year they went in unmarked vehicles due to the negative publicity that the logod convoy attracted the previous year. As you might expect, neither were popular with the public here in Cornwall. With this in mind, you would have thought that the current leadership of Cornwall Council would be shying away from EU related matters in the run up to the elections. Happily for us this is not the case. Back in January, odd rumours started surfacing that Truro, the only city in Cornwall, was going to be at the centre of a council-run bid to be European City of Culture for 2023. The first the Mayor of Truro (himself a Lib Dem) knew about it, was when it hit the front pages just over a week before the Councils Cabinet voted for it. The cabinet subsequently almost unanimously approved the bid, which would cost the council a minimum of 536,000 of public money at the bid stage, and a minimum of 10m if successful. To say this has been unpopular with the public is an understatement. In fact, apart from the Lib Dems and Independent councillors, the only prominent supporters have been the usual liberal elite suspects, frothed into a self-righteous frenzy of indignation at having their judgment questioned by those outside of their echo chamber of like-minded sycophants, and of course private business, which stands to be the biggest beneficiary of a successful bid. In successful bids for this honour in the past, private business has played a large part, both in running and funding bids. Cornwalls bid is notable for the lack of private funding in fact at the original proposal that the cabinet voted on, there were many vocal cries of support from Cornish business, but precisely zero offers of private funding. I have nothing against championing and celebrating our Cornish culture and heritage. We certainly dont lack in it, from the very real milestones achieved by captains of industry such as Richard Trevithick, to the more recent fictional exploits of Ross Poldark and friends. I dont think we need a badge from Europe to tell us what we already know. Cornwall is already a capital of culture. I particularly object to this bid being funded by public money alone when the administration at Cornwall Council publicly cry that central government has cut their funding and they have nothing left for essential services and highways. They always seem to find the money for their pet vanity projects though, and this risky gamble is the latest in a long list of such things. It is a gamble not only because Cornwall would be going up against several other bids that have been running for much longer, with more established and tangible support from all sectors, but also because post Brexit, the viability for UK cities as part of the bid is in question. In fact the Government said in December that, in 2023 bidding cities should be aware that the European Capital of Culture title may be subject to the outcome of those exit negotiations which could have a bearing on the UKs participation Conservatives on Cornwall Council sensibly called the bid in for further scrutiny and the Scrutiny Committee agreed, sending it back to the Cabinet because of insufficient consideration on cost, risk and benefit, and lack of consultation. The Cabinet were due to consider it again on 27th February. In the meantime, Full Council met on 21 February to vote on Cornwall Councils budget for the oncoming year. Conservatives submitted an amendment that would have seen funding taken from the City of Culture Bid and put towards local highways schemes, one of the areas that the leadership have said they have no money for in the past. This would have essentially killed the bid if successfully passed. Sadly it was not passed and Lib Dem and Independent councillors overwhelmingly voted against the amendment, interestingly in a named vote including several Lib Dems, the archetypal fence-sitters, who had publicly criticised the bid in local press in previous weeks. On 27 February the Cabinet met again, and despite the growing public backlash and evidence to the contrary, voted the Bid through, publicly criticising the Cornwall six Tory MPs, who are all against it, for lack of vision. Voters in Cornwall now have a clear choice as we head into May, a vote to continue the hare-brained schemes and Brexit-denial of the Lib Dems and friends, or a vote for Conservatives, who will work with our MPs instead of in spite of them, to get the best deal for our beautiful Duchy from Brexit and beyond. Yesterday we saw how the public reaction to Philip Hammonds first Budget turned sharply negative once people had time to let the tax raid on the self-employed sink in. Hostility seems to be shared even by most the Governments usual allies in the press but not all of them. Heres what four papers, three Tory-leaning and one pro-UKIP, had to say about it in their leaders this morning. Terrible way to Phil the coffers with White Van Man tax mistake Philip Hammonds raid on the wages of self-employed White Van Men is a mistake. We like this Chancellor and his otherwise super-cautious Budget yesterday was right for the uncertainty of the times. But increasing the National Insurance contributions of Britains army of strivers is a misguided idea The Sun could never support. The Government has seriously underestimated the anger over it. Aside from anything it is a blatant breach of a 2015 manifesto pledge not to raise NI Almost three million affected by the rise will pay an extra 240 a year on average. How does that square with Theresa Mays focus on exactly these just about managings? The Sun The voters Hammond hammers at his peril Hardest to forgive, however, was his attempt to disguise the impact of his new taxes. Indeed, his obfuscation was reminiscent of his predecessor at his most devious For a start, Mr Hammonds decision to make the self-employed pay more National Insurance was a naked breach of a manifesto pledge not to raise rates. It is dishonest to pretend the promise referred only to Class 1 contributions, not Class 4. Highly disingenuous, too, was his claim that those affected will pay an average of only 60p a week more, when millions will be paying an extra 240 a year. Meanwhile, more than a million nest eggs will be hit by his 3,000 reduction in the tax-free allowance for shareholders and directors of small private firms. Daily Mail We still await a Budget for Brexit The tax treatment of the self-employed is a case in point. The assumption here is that since they pay lower National Insurance Contributions (NICs) than people in employment they should pay more to make things fairer. Mr Hammond has been guided in this approach by a review commissioned from Matthew Taylor, a former Labour strategist who was head of Tony Blairs policy unit. Inevitably, the outcome was an instinctively Labour one equalise by putting up taxes not a Tory one, which should equally instinctively seek to close the gap by reducing taxes. This is an ideological divide that once differentiated the Conservatives from the centre Left but which has become increasingly blurred in recent years. Daily Telegraph Careful investment in preparation for Brexit Yesterday Philip Hammond proved that he is the right person to ensure that the nations finances are in a fit state to weather whatever brief storms may come our way. We will hear more about his changes to national insurance but on the whole this was a straightforward Budget. Resisting the temptation to spend the proceeds of higher-than-expected growth in recent months is indicative of this Governments responsible management of the economy. What money Mr Hammond did choose to spend notably funding for social care and to ease the impact of business rate changes he did so carefully. Theresa Mays popularity is built on her serious approach to the business of governing. Mr Hammond is cut from the same cloth. Daily Express Students and teachers from St. Paul Lutheran High School traveled to Perryville on March 3 to assist in the cleanup efforts following the EF-4 tornado that struck the Missouri town on Feb. 28. I feel St. Paul was called to be the hands and feet of Christ, said Principal Andy Sherrill. I think there are a lot of things that can be learned in the classroom and there are things that need to be learned, like sentence structure, public speaking and mathematics. "But there are things these kids learned on Friday that will have much more of an impact on their future. They will understand what it is like to help people in need. People whose lives were perfectly good one day and gone the next. I dont think they would have been able to understand that lesson until they saw it for themselves. According to Sherrill, following tornadoes and being aware of the destruction is just who he is - especially after spending some time in Joplin after a storm hit that city in 2011. Its just in my heart that I pay attention to tornadoes and the damage, Sherrill said. I was able to go to Joplin in the aftermath of that destructive storm. Helping those who are affected by a disaster like this is something that is very near and dear to my heart. When Sherrill heard of the destruction left behind after the storm, he didnt think twice to reach out to the Lutheran schools in Perryville to ask how he and the staff and students at St. Paul could help out. When I heard about the tornado, I reached out to the principal at Emmanuel Lutheran Grade School and Saxony Lutheran High School, said Sherrill. I heard they had families that had been affected by the storm. So my heart naturally went out to these families and help those who were hurting. Traveling in vehicles loaned to the school from Hub's Pub in Bonne Terre and the Farmington Church of the Nazarene, 48 of the school's 62 students and about a half-dozen faculty members headed toward ground zero where they saw the massive destruction left behind. I was expecting to see a few torn down houses and trees, said Chase Carlyon, a senior at the school. I was not expecting it to be so bad. Echoing Carlyons reaction was his junior classmate Julie Royer, who was also on the mission trip. I wasnt sure I knew how much damage the tornado left behind," Royer said. "I was expecting the worst, but never saw anything that bad before. Although there were several houses that were left in total ruin and debris was spread across several miles, St. Pauls students were needed to help a local farmer clear around 150 acres of farmland so he could begin planting in just a couple of weeks. I had calls this week from several organizations saying they would be here this week, and no one showed up. said Ryan Dean, the owner of the farm. So, you can imagine how skeptical I was when I heard the school was coming and bringing a bunch of people with them. "You cant imagine how happy I was when I saw you coming down the county road." When most people picture the aftermath of a tornado, they picture homes left in ruble and trash strewn all about. For a farmer, the debris left in his field from such a storm could cripple his chances to put seeds in the field and have working machinery. If we didnt clean up the fields, it could cost me a lot of money, Dean said If a piece of debris would puncture a tire on my tractor, its $1,800 to replace the tire and some of the large pieces of debris we have been picking up could easily destroy a $250,000 piece of machinery. At the end of the day, the students - with help from employees of Lee Mechanical Contractors - worked together to help a family and a community in need. I thought it was a fantastic day. Carlyon said. We came together to help those in need and we were able to see what it would be like if it happened to us. Yesterday, Philip Hammond gave a number of different reasons for his proposals to raise National Insurance Contributions for some self-employed people. The Government has honoured a broad commitment not to increase NICs. The rise itself will raise an average of around 60p a week for each self-employed person in this country a manageable sum, he suggested. Brexit, he said, raises new challenges. The Chancellor clearly believes that the present balance of taxation between the employed and the self-employed is unfair to the former and that a tax increase for some of the latter is the right way of redressing the balance. But near the heart of his case was a phrase that has the capacity to dynamite the Conservative election campaign of 2020: no Chancellor can ever rule out future tax changes. One of the usual norms of fighting elections is one side ruling out a tax change and challenging another to do so too. George Osborne pushed the principle further with his benefit cap and debt trap. Both of them came back to bite him. Hammonds categorical rejection of the tactic that his predecessor was prone to deploy showed what he thinks of it. The Chancellor is a grown-up politician with a distaste for schoolboy games (as he sees them). An Opposition worthy of the name will seek to hang Hammonds words round his neck when the 2020 campaign comes, claiming that they leave him unable definitively to rule out any tax rise it claims he will make. But his decision also has a short-term impact. When the Chancellor brooded over his NIC proposals, he evidently discounted the possibility that they would open him to the charge of being just one more weaselly, out of touch, lying politician. After all, had he not already honoured the manifesto commitment not to raise NICS? Didnt Parliament accept last year that this applied only to only referred to those paid directly by employers and their employees? To say so is to count each tree, but get lost in the wood. Only a man as intelligent as Hammond could miss a point obvious to many less clever than he: that when the Conservative election manifesto said that we will not raise VAT, National Insurance contributions or income tax, voters read those words as meaning, well, that a Tory Government would not raise VAT, National Insurance contributions or income tax regardless of the class of NICs under discussion. Emotional literacy is a buzzword of our times. The Chancellor is a spreadsheet wizard, but the question is now being asked: does he have emotional numeracy? Is he on the same wavelength as those fabled JAMS? Sources that ConservativeHome have spoken point the finger of blame at Hammonds team. They claim that alarm bells that should have rung in the Treasury did not do so. Ministers and SpAds should have clocked that claiming the manifesto pledge on NICS has been honoured would be met by an explosive raspberry from the media and, more importantly, from many striving voters on JAM-type incomes of 18,000. But blame should not simply be dunped at the Chancellors door. Theresa Mays government is old-fashioned in many ways, but it is very modern in at least one. There is no such animal as a major financial statement that Downing Street does not see in advance. Number Ten does not dispute this: it confirms that the Prime Minister agreed the budget with Hammond and discussed it at length. So why did Mays own team not spot the problem? For an explanation, it appears that we must return to the Chancellors distaste for his predecessors politicking. It is one shared by the Prime Minister herself the woman who sacked that predecessor, George Osborne, and sternly warned her first Cabinet that politics is not a game. Packed into that phrase was at least five years worth of frustration at a style of politics that she believes came in with Tony Blair, and which should have gone out with him too. At the level of feeling, what drives the NIC proposals is the Governments desire for more revenue. But at the level of emotion, one can glimpse, behind May and Hammonds agreement to settle on the policy, an ambiguity about the manifesto on which they fought the last election. They are already in the business of seeking to junk parts of it. There have been hints that a number of staple Cameron/Osborne gizmos will be cast away for 2020: winter fuel payments, the triple lock on the state pension, ring-fenced budgets. In this case, it seems that the Prime Minister and Chancellor both believed that protests against the NICs plan would be containable so they could move early. They may be right. Hammond argues that his proposals are progressive, and that there will be more winners than losers. He is supported by the high priests of rationality, such as the IFS and the Resolution Foundation. But, unfortunately for him, he is opposed by iconoclasts on the Conservative backbenchers, outraged that a Tory Chancellor is socking it to our people. Many Conservative MPs who feel less strongly will none the less be quietly seething. They detest being made fools of by their own front bench. In 2015, they were marched up the top of the hill, where they swore not to raise NICs. They will not want to be marched down it less than two years later. They have now been joined by a Minister, Guto Bebb, who says that he will apologise to every voter in Wales that read the Conservative manifesto in the 2015 election. This is a gesture of defiance far nearer the heart of the Government than that for which Michael Heseltine was fired this week, since the latter was an adviser, not a Minister. This outbreak of indiscipline confirms our point from yesterday evening: Hammond is hemmed in. He is also, for perhaps the first time in his career as a senior Minister, in the eye of the right-wing media tiger panned by the Daily Telegraph; mauled by the Daily Mail. The Chancellor is wriggling on a hook, and he will have to get off it fast. His standing is integral to the Governments. A climbdown is necessary, but one that spares his blushes. As this site predicted yesterday, one is already under way. It is reported this morning that the Government will seek to trade off Hammonds NIC rise against greater access to social benefits. May will be tempted to put distance between herself and her Chancellor to go to ground, as is sometimes her way when the temperature rises. She must tell that Satan to get behind her. She and Hammond must stand together. The alternative is perilous not only for him, but for her. BRANSON Gregg Garland, Walgreens district manager, recently was handed the Missouri Community College Associations MoWINs Grant Partnership Award by Mineral Area Colleges vice president of college affairs, Gil Kennon. Garland has played an instrumental role in the development of the Pharmacy Technician Certificate Program offered at Mineral Area College through the MoSTEMWINs program. The relationship between the college and Walgreens began when Garland was a store manager at the 24-hour Walgreens in Farmington. He and the managing pharmacist at the time met with college staff to arrange clinical rotations for students participating in the Pharmacy Technician program. He has also helped to provide the students with mock interviews. Now in his position as District Manager he has helped the college expand its partnership with Walgreens throughout the Southeast Missouri area. CORNWALL, Ontario The Cornwall Chamber has received an advisory from Bell Canada warning of an increase in fraudulent communications from parties claiming to be Bell. These Phishing communications are designed to trick you into disclosing your login, password or other sensitive information by disguising themselves as companies you may trust. Bell will never ask you to provide or confirm PIN numbers, banking or credit details via text message or email. If you receive such an e-mail or text message from Bell that you believe to be fraudulent, do not respond. Bell offers these additional tips for consumers: Be careful about posting personal information such as your e-mail, date of birth or travel plans on public web and social networking sights. It is important to create complex, difficult-to-guess passwords and be sure to change them frequently. Be wary of unsolicited offers, contests and investment opportunities. Bell also provides the following information: If you receive a suspicious communication and are uncertain that Bell is the sender, contact the company at 1-866-301-1942. If you receive an email claiming to be from Bell, do not respond but forward it to phish@bell.ca and the company will investigate. If you receive an SMS claiming to be from Bell, do not respond but forward the message from your device to 7726 (SPAM) for investigation. CORNWALL, Ontario The kids might be off school for a week, but winter is not going to be taking time off. After warmer than normal temperatures over the past few weeks, the cold weather is returning with a vengeance this weekend. Temperatures on Saturday are expected to be as low as -22 Celsius with the wind chill. The cold is likely to remain for the remainder of the March Break week in Cornwall and the SD&G area with the mercury not expected to creep above 0 degrees until Thursday at least. CORNWALL, Ontario The Great Lakes are a source of drinking water for roughly 40 million people in both Canada and the U.S. Recently, the Trump administration announced a possible 97 percent budget cut to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. If enacted, the St. Lawrence River at Cornwall and Akwesasne could also feel the crunch. The St. Lawrence River Institutes executive director, Dr. Jeff Ridal says that what happens on the American side has the potential to greatly influence the Canadian side. Whats important to remember is that this wouldnt only impact the American side, said Ridal. Invasive species like Asian Carp arent going to see a border. While the proposed cuts are still in the preliminary stages, the issue raises concerns of shared resources and their bearing on the health of the river. Currently, U.S. conservation authorities are in the process of preparing a case for the effectiveness of their initiative. In addition to restoring wildlife habitat, the initiative also helps tackle invasive species and reduce the occurrence of algal blooms. The initiative is there to help accelerate measures to protect Great Lakes, said Ridal. Recently, substantial money has gone to cleaning up the Massena area of concern. Ridal says that regardless of what comes to pass, the relationships between conservation authorities and landowners are vital to protecting the Great Lakes. Each conservation authority has a different set of tools, said Ridal. They need to continue working with stakeholders to determine best practises for agricultural action and protecting the environment. While the environment is a primary concern where the potential budget cuts are concerned, Ridal says that the issues are often bigger. It concerns the environment, but its also about economy, said Ridal. All of which can benefit our Great Lakes. The issue is definitely broader than just the environment. Close The six-year war in Syria has spawned a mental health crisis among Syrian children. They could be living in a state of toxic stress due to daily trauma. International charity Save the Children said on Tuesday that the effects of war will be felt for decades to come. Their report, Invisible Wounds, showed the largest mental health survey inside Syria was during the war. They also found that children were increasingly crippled by fear or anger. A great deal of damage to an entire generation. Two-thirds of Syrian children have experienced loss of a loved one, their houses bombed and has suffered injuries, which resulted in severe emotional distress. Sleep deprivation, bedwetting and withdrawn behavior to self-harm and suicide attempts were some of the effects. Some even had lost the ability to speak. In 2011, researchers went to seven provinces mainly in rebel-held areas, such as Idlib, Aleppo and Kurdish-controlled Hasaka. More than 450 children, parents, teachers, and psychologists were interviewed. The conflict has killed hundreds of thousands of people, it made more than 11 million Syrians homeless and has created the world's worst refugee crisis. Save the Children said some children were forced to join armed groups to survive. Toxic stress if left untreated could disrupt the development of the brain during formative years. Which can cause health problems into adulthood, such as depression and heart disease according to Reuters. Most children affected by toxic stress tend to become more aggressive and showed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Lack of schools has worsened the crisis, schools were turned into shelters, military bases or torture chambers. Toxic stress also resulted in domestic violence, a young boy recruited to the army and girls married off as young as 12. The charity called for more mental health programs, adequate funding for psychological resources, and training for teachers across Syria to help treat toxic stress. They saw mental health and psychosocial support programs were showing success and needed to be scaled up with support from the international community, according to BBC. See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare Close Just recently, Microsoft Xbox big boss Phil Spencer went to Japan to have a meeting with a number of Japan-based third-party game developers to try and encourage creating more Japanese video games for Microsoft Xbox One. How Did The Dialogue Go? As of writing, there are no revelations yet of the complete details of the meeting, the number of developers attended, and any other new details that the Japanese video game fans can expect from Xbox One. However, Phil Spencer gave little information regarding the Japan trip. He mentioned that, generally, Japanese developers are very interested in the Microsoft Xbox One, particularly on the upcoming Project Scorpio. He also added that he got to witness "a lot" of new games and that his trip to the Asian country was "great". @Stevo_safc A lot of dev interest in Scorpio/XB1. Previewed a lot of new games. Can't share 3P specifics but Japan was a great trip. Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) 6 March 2017 Xbox Struggles In Japan? Microsoft Xbox One, together with the original Xbox and Xbox 360, has been struggling to conquer Japan by storm. One of the reasons of the lackluster sales performance is the lack of Japanese franchises in the Microsoft Xbox One and other consoles. Lately, however, changes have been seen, starting with "Final Fantasy" making their way to Xbox, according to ONMSFT. Phil Spencer was also asked what his thoughts on the Nintendo Switch are and why Microsoft has not yet released a portable Xbox console (a portable Microsoft Xbox One, perhaps). He told IGN that his "relationship with Nintendo is great" and that he "love[s] the hardware design... anytime Nintendo brings a new product to the gaming market it's good for all of us." With regard to a portable Microsoft Xbox One, Phil Spencer said he's just "always watching" how it will all turn out. Microsoft, however, sees that phones are more used by people globally than consoles. The Xbox boss also noted that there are gamers logged into Xbox Live using their mobile devices to play games and get in touch with friends. See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare Close A new study by a team of researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University puts the number of early deaths caused by excess emissions of Volkswagen cars in Germany at 1,200. The company confessed to rigging the results of emission tests for 11 million diesel-engine cars sold worldwide from 2008 to 2015. In Germany alone, 2.6 million cars were affected which prompted authorities to demand the recall and repair of all vehicles sold. The cars were fitted with software to cheat the emissions test, allowing it to meet standards. Also known as the "Dieselgate", the incident involved Volkswagen automobiles emitting excess levels of nitrogen oxides 20 times above the legal limit in the U.S. where standards are rigorous. German authorities found that the cars went beyond the maximum level allowed by five times. Volkswagen had to reserve a fund amounting to $19.2 billion for the problem. It was also ordered to pay up to $4.3 billion by US regulators over its 2015 emissions scandal, the Huffington Post reports. The scientists investigated the effects of air pollution caused by high levels of nitrogen oxides on the lives of people in populations of Europe. MIT explained that Volkswagen would be responsible for 700 premature deaths in France, Poland and the Czech Republic, and 500 in Germany. The recall of cars is on-going. The company could avoid as many as 2,600 more early deaths if they successfully repair all affected cars by the end of the year. Health costs from respiratory and cardiopulmonary diseases could reach billions of euros, according to the New York Times. The team of researchers is looking at studying the excess emissions of every manufacturer. After the Environmental Protection Agency implied that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles also used a test-recognition software in over 100,000 cars, more automakers are expected to be involved as well. See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare For the last three sessions, I have been working to restore fairness and balance to Missouris employment discrimination laws and protect our business community from frivolous lawsuits. I am very pleased to report the Senate voted today to pass Senate Bill 43, legislation I filed that will go a long way toward accomplishing both of these goals. Senate Bill 43 changes the standard for determining whether an employer is liable for a discrimination charge under the Missouri Human Rights Act (MHRA), as well as the Whistleblower Protection Act, from a contributing factor to a motivating factor. An earlier version of SB 43 would have changed the standard to "because of, but for causation," which essentially means an adverse decision or action would not have been made but for an employees status as a protected person. This would have restored the original meaning and legislative intent behind existing statutes something Missouri courts began moving away from in 2005, when an advisory committee of lawyers drafted model jury instructions that abandoned because of language in favor of the lower contributing factor standard. Agreeing to change the standard from because of, but for causation to a motivating factor is just one of several compromises that were reached this week. While the final version does include caps on how much juries may award in damages, I agreed to increase the damage cap for employers with more than 500 employees from $300,000 to $500,000. I also agreed to remove language stipulating that any common law causes of action are abrogated and dropped language prohibiting state employees and employees of political subdivisions from being awarded punitive damages in MHRA cases, among several other compromises. Senate Bill 43 further stipulates that a person claiming to be aggrieved by an unlawful discriminatory practice shall file a complaint with the Missouri Commission on Human Rights (MCHR) within 180 days of the alleged unlawful conduct, and it provides that the Commission may only issue a "Right to Sue" letter under certain circumstances. In its current form, the system encourages individuals to pursue a case the MCHR has already deemed meritless simply to force a settlement, costing our small businesses time and money they do not have. My intention in filing this legislation has never been to support or promote discrimination or make it easier for businesses to mistreat their employees. I believe employers who discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex or another protected class should be held accountable for their actions, and their employees should be able to pursue justice. In fact, I specifically included language in SB 43 to ensure that any party to an action filed under the MHRA has a right to a jury trial. That being said, I also believe the proverbial pendulum of the law has swung too far to one side, so much so that simply being a member of a protected class is enough to bring a discrimination case against an employer, regardless of the circumstances. This should not just upset business owners who have had fraudulent discrimination cases brought against them, it should also upset any person of a protected class who has truly been discriminated against. True discriminatory acts should have consequences, but the value of a discrimination case has been lost because of the filing of frivolous cases. Getting SB 43 over the finish line was no easy task. We spent more than 17 hours discussing the finer points of this legislation on the Senate floor and in side negotiations. It really took a willingness from members on both sides of the aisle to come together and find some middle ground. In the end, I value my relationships with my Senate colleagues. Without the mutual trust and respect we have for one another, these higher, more demanding levels of debate and negotiation would go nowhere. It has taken us 12 years to get to a place where we can begin to reverse course from the misguided path we have been on since 2005. While I was not the pioneer of this effort or the original architect many folks have worked on this project over the years I am proud to be a part of it. Senate Bill 43 still has to clear a few hurdles in the House, but I am proud of what we have already accomplished, and I hope this important legislation will be signed into law. My staff and I were happy to welcome guests from all over the district to the Capitol this week. They were in Jefferson City representing a wide variety of services that help many of our constituents. Organizations included: the Missouri State Teachers Association, Silver Haired Legislators, participants of the University of Missouris annual Lobby Day, the Missouri Association of Insurance Agents and Financial Advisors, the Missouri Cattlemans Association, Missouri Farm Bureau and the Missouri Health Care Association. Individual guests included: Dave Thomas; John Kelly, of Ellington; John Kramer, of Bonne Terre; Nicholas Schwent, of Ste. Genevieve; David Reed and Charles Crull, of Jefferson County; Tony and Jan Harbison, of Ironton; Darrell & Gloria Dement, of Ellington; Dolores Howard, of Farmington; Willam Southworth M.D., of Farmington; Kenny Wiler, of Dittmer; Carol Basler and Vickie Winkler, of Ste. Genevieve; Christina Jackson, of Bonne Terre; Audrey Yates, of Potosi; Ralph & Beth Ogden; Ron Robinson, of Farmington; Landra Miller, of Viburnum; Bonnie Cannon, of Potosi; and Doug Smith, Kevin Jenkins and Matt King, with the Daily Journal. Finally, as many of you know, ensuring a great education for all of Missouris children, living in both urban and rural areas, is one of my main concerns as a state senator and public servant. With that in mind, I was pleased to meet with the former Governor of Florida Jeb Bush. The education of our young people is also one of Governor Bushs passions. As I am chairman of the Senate Education Committee, he requested to meet with me. Even though we may not have agreed on every issue the meeting proved very beneficial, and I thoroughly enjoyed discussing education ideas and priorities with the governor. I always appreciate hearing your comments, opinions and concerns. Please feel free to contact me in Jefferson City at 573-751-4008. You may write me at Gary Romine, Missouri Senate, State Capitol, Jefferson City, MO 65101; or email me at gary.romine@senate.mo.gov. Close Nestle has announced that their Kit Kat, Yorkies and Aero products will contain only 10 percent sugar by 2018. They aim to use around 7,500 tons less sugar. The manufacturer said that the sugar will be replaced with higher quantities of other existing ingredients and other non-artificial ingredients. Calorie contents of these products will also be limited and kept below a certain amount, according to the Chronicle Live. Nestle Chairman and CEO of Nestle UK and Ireland, Fiona Kendrick said they wanted to help have a significant impact on public health. Kit Kat has been a popular confectionery brand worldwide and has even been used as gifts. It has been enjoyed for centuries and the company wants to improve the quality of their products nutritionally to provide more choice and information for the consumers. According to the BBC, "Nestle is at the forefront of efforts to research and develop new technology that makes food products better for our consumers." Kendrick added that making these improvements to Nestle products is the key to delivering better choices for consumers worldwide and at the same time retain the same quality and great taste that loyal consumers all know and love. Just last year, Nestle said their researchers had made a scientific breakthrough by discovering a way to structure sugar differently so that only 40 percent less is use. Indeed this innovation will help Nestle with their goal to reduce sugar levels not only in Kit Kat chocolates but with other products. By next year, Kit Kat Chocolatory stores can freely put in as much Kit Kat into their recipe designs without having to worry about calorie contents and sugar levels. People will no longer hesitate to indulge in their favorite treats. This can help lower down obesity, limit the risk of high blood sugar and develop diabetes that can cause more damage to the body. See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare Close "Beauty and The Beast" Star, Emma Watson, revealed in an interview that she uses oil on her pubic hair and to the rest of her body which grows hair. This was blurted out when she was relaying her interest on makeup kits and bags and her beauty secrets as well as her product favorites. "It's an amazing all-purpose product. I use Fur Oil. I'll use that anywhere from the ends of my hair to my eyebrows to my pubic hair," Emma Watson said in an interview released by the Into The Gloss website. Some might find it weird for a star to be using plain oil in their beauty regime, but it is not at all crazy. Dr. Sejal Shah, a New York dermatologist, said that putting oil on the hair pubes may reduce the growth of ingrown and boosts hydration. There are different kinds of oils and it produces diverse effects. Oils with anti-inflammatory properties lessen irritation and those with antimicrobial properties reduce the growth of bacteria. Oil stimulates hair growth and gets deep into the follicles which add softness, shine, and luster to the hair. When deciding to treat your pubic hairs with the wonders of oil, never forget to be extra cautious because these areas are much more sensitive to products and foreign creams. Try not to use irritating ingredients like dyes and artificial fragrances because it might trigger itching. Dr. Shah also said in the Women's Health site and magazine that for those who will use oils for the very first time in their sensitive areas should make sure that they only apply a certain amount in the externally and nowhere near the opening for it might lead to serious problems if the user is allergic. Beauty researchers often quoted in data results that going green and eco-friendly in beauty routines is a conventional way to save and shy away from harmful chemicals mixed with beauty products scattered across the market today. Emma Watson is just doing that by being an eco-chic beauty consumer. See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare A chili supper and trivia night event to raise money for Special Olympics athletes is scheduled for Friday at West County High School, located on Route M. Sheri Price, West Countys director of special services and special education, said the proceeds will be used to help fund the trip for the districts Special Olympics athletes to attend their summer Olympic Games. The chili supper will begin at 4 p.m. with trivia set to start at 6 p.m., ending at approximately 10 p.m. Raffle tickets to win gift baskets are also available for $1 each or six for $5. The local Special Olympics event is currently scheduled for May 9 at North County High School and will include all local school districts that choose to participate. Other Special Olympics events around the southern part of the state include games on April 1 in Cape Girardeau and in Springfield June 2-4. Last years local event, hosted by Farmington High School, had more than 200 athletes participating from Farmington, Central, Bismarck, North County, Potosi, West County, Arcadia Valley and Fredericktown school districts, in addition to about 100 volunteers who assisted the athletes. Each athlete has a volunteer buddy who stays with them throughout the day to make sure they get to their events and get their lunch. Volunteers are also needed to help run the concession stand, at the check-in station, for T-shirt sales, to help run individual events and escort the athletes to the award area. Donations for the West County dinner and/or gift baskets can be coordinated with Lila Barnett or Angela Black at the high school by calling 562-7544, ext. 1. Anyone interested in volunteering at the North County Special Olympics event or who would like to make a donation should contact North County Director of Special Education Dawn Eaton at 573-431-3300 ext. 6, or via email at deaton@ncsd.k12.mo.us. Several municipal, school boards and other entities are holding regular sessions today. MAC Trustees The Mineral Area College Board of Trustees meet in regular session at 2 p.m. today in the boardroom on the school's Park Hills campus. According to the tentative agenda, the board will consider approval of an early retirement incentive for employees; a recommendation to continue the employment of faculty, non-teaching faculty and classified staff in 2018; and OK student tuition and fees for fiscal year 2018. The board will also hear the 2017 spring semester census report, as well as updates from the Mineral Area College Foundation, classified staff and Faculty Forum. Farmington City Council The Farmington City Council has four public hearings on the tentative agenda prior to the start of regular session tonight. One of the public hearings is an application for a Planned Unit Development at 731 Weber Rd. The request is submitted by Chris Zoellner with Balke Brown Transwestern. The St. Louis-based developer submitted a development plan to the planning and zoning commission on behalf of Kay Jewelers that includes the property where Country Junction and Liberty Tax Services is located. A first and second reading and council action on the application is scheduled under legislative items in regular session. The other three public hearings are in regards to boundary adjustment and rezoning for property located at 713 Janey Dr. from the current R-3 single family residential to proposed C-2 General Commercial submitted by Rafi Kthiri; an application for a Planned Unit Development at 455 Ridge Haven Dr. submitted by D & L Developers and an application for an alteration to the Planned Unit Development at Jones Subdivision Phase 1 submitted by Jones Farmington Properties, LLC. The Ridge Haven request is up for a first and second reading and council action during the legislative portion of regular session, with the other two up for first readings only. A second reading and council action is also on the agenda for an ordinance authorizing the filing of applications with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission by the Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility commission on behalf of the city. Also on the agenda is the Fiscal Year 2016 audit report for the city by representatives from Thurman, Shinn & Company. Under new business, council action will be taken on resolutions for a contract with Leadbelt Materials for 2017 asphalt street improvements, CE Contracting, Inc. for Louise Street storm sewer improvements and Kingsland Concrete for curb, gutter and sidewalk work. The public hearings begin at 6:30 p.m. in council chambers, located at 110 W. Columbia St. Regular session begins immediately after the public hearings. The public hearings and regular session are open to the public. Bismarck Board of Aldermen The Bismarck Board of Aldermen will cover a number of topics when it meets in regular session at 7 p.m. tonight in the city's old train depot at 901 E. Main St. According to the tentative agenda, the board will be discussing and/or approving the placing of a three-way stop sign at the intersection of Mulberry and Merle streets; discuss mosquito problem; approve a business license request for Whisper of Hope Fireworks; appoint John Colwell as Bismarck City Fire Chief; and approve an ordinance authorizing the mayor enter into a commercial lease between the city and L.I.F.E., Inc. The meeting is open to the public. 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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 Cloud News Google Cloud Chief Makes The Case That The Consumer Search Giant Is Also An Enterprise Powerhouse Joseph Tsidulko Share this Diane Greene, Google's cloud business chief, sought to illustrate her oft-repeated claim that Google is a true enterprise tech vendor Wednesday by inviting executives from several large, and recently signed, customers to join her on stage at Google's NEXT Cloud conference. Greene later said the Mountain View, Calif.-headquartered cloud provider is winning more than half the deals it goes after; she was asked specifically at a news conference about Google's prospects in taking on industry leader Amazon Web Services. Google Cloud, broadly, represents "a major initiative to share our technology with the whole world." The enterprise has changed significantly of late, Greene said, "so it's kind of Google's time to bring what we have to the enterprise." [Related: Google Channel Chief Yansouni On Emerging Partner Program And Challenging Microsoft And AWS For Cloud Dominance] Wednesday's keynote was delivered to 10,000 attendees filling to capacity a hall at the Moscone Center, the first time Google turned to the massive convention center in San Francisco for one of its events. The keynote closed with a surprise appearance from Alphabet Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, in which Google's former CEO offered surprisingly nuts-and-bolts advice to customers on how to go about cloud migrations. "Last year when we were here, I said we were going to meet you where you are," Schmidt told partners and customers. The message this year, he said, is "just get to the cloud." And once businesses adopt cloud, they "might as well plan for global success and infinite demand," he said. Even if they dont achieve those lofty goals, they'll realize savings and more resilient architecture with that mindset. Google's platform, especially when it comes to networking infrastructure and enterprise-grade machine learning capabilities, sets itself apart from competitors, Schmidt said, adding he approved a $30 billion investment in the platform. "Please do not attempt to duplicate it," he said. "You have better uses of your money." Greene kicked off the NEXT opening keynote on the theme of enterprise credibility, noting she recently met with three customers looking to do traditional lift-and-shift migrations to Google Cloud Platform, not the kind of born-in-the-cloud modern workloads Google's cloud was once primarily associated with. Over the course of the keynote, she welcomed to the stage representatives from some high-profile customers that recently migrated to Google Cloud: Disney, HSBC, Colgate-Palmolive, Verizon, eBay and Home Depot. Also joining Greene on stage was Bernd Leukert, a member of the executive board of SAP, to discuss a new strategic partnership between the two software giants. SAP's HANA platform is now certified, and available, on Google Cloud. And the developer edition of HANA, called HANA Express, will be available in Google's Cloud Launcher marketplace. "We recognize Google as a frontrunner," Leukert said, adding SAP cloud and big data teams will continue working closely with Google to integrate their technologies further and jointly develop solutions to improve risk and compliance management. "Being with Google Cloud ensures deployment to the greatest number of markets and enterprise divisions," Leukert told attendees. Greene added that Google is interested in pursuing tighter integration between its G Suite application portfolio and SAP applications. There was more news on the technology partnership front. Greene said managed cloud provider Rackspace would be the first partner to deliver third-party support services for Google Cloud. Another partnership with Pivotal will see the Platform-as-a-Service developer certified to offer Customer Reliability Engineering services helping customers architect solutions for its proprietary distribution of Cloud Foundry on Google Cloud. Greene said reliability is a major differentiator for Google. The expectation for five nines of availability came out of Google Search, achieved by building distributed architectures with no single points of failure. "That's how we designed our cloud, and we're making it really easy for our customers to design and deploy to that kind of reliability," she said. Google CEO Sundar Pichai also made a brief appearance during the keynote, describing GCP as "an extraordinarily big bet for us." Pichai said breakthroughs in cloud, analytics, and collaboration are transforming businesses everywhere. "When we ship things on the consumer side, we always get surprised how they use our technology in a thousand different ways," Pichai said. "With Google Cloud, we hope to have this same journey." Google Cloud represents a natural extension to the business community of the company's original mission to make data more accessible, the CEO told attendees. And now the business community can, through the cloud, leverage the machine learning and artificial intelligence tools Google has been developing for the last 15 years. Fei-Fei Li, Google's chief scientist for Cloud AI and machine learning, said the goal at Google is to democratize artificial intelligence. To that end, Google has agreed to acquire Kaggle, she announced, an organization that stages events in which data scientists compete to create models with various data sets. The Kaggle community has more than 850,000 data scientists. Li also introduced Google's new Video Intelligence APIa tool that can plow through video files and discern what they are about, find labels in difference scenes, and identify when certain objects appear on screen. "Finally we're starting to shine light on the dark matter of the digital universe," she said. In closing the keynote, Greene argued technology will prove the greatest differentiator in the cloud wars, and Google has a built-in advantage from its consumer business. "We're leveraging two decades of technology built for the kind of needs enterprises have today," she told NEXT attendees. That includes the world's largest, most secure network, and infrastructure on a mind-boggling scale. A Google employee recently calculated, she said, that stacking all the servers at the company's largest data center would create a pile that towered by 5,000 feet over Mt. Everest. At the same time, Google is the by far the world's largest purchaser of renewable energy, keeping its data centers carbon-neutral, she said. Managed services News ConnectWise Exec: Documenting Process, Tracking Customer Experience Vital To Growing Business Michael Novinson Share this MSPs are best-situated to grow their existing business when they document common processes and evaluate every single interaction with clients, according to a ConnectWise leader. Service excellence is achieved when MSPs successfully develop and maintain customers' trust in the people, processes and technology that make up its business, said Dexter Williams, manager of North America sales for the Tampa, Fla.-based IT service management vendor. "Creating these intentional experiences and building that trust is going to be an important key," Williams told attendees of XChange Solution Provider 2017, hosted by CRN parent The Channel Company. "The customer journey is real, and we're going to have to migrate our way through it." [RELATED: ConnectWise CEO: MSPs Have Become Sort Of 'Complacent,' Must Get Into Managed Security] Organizations typically make between 60 percent and 70 percent of sales to existing customers, Williams said, with the cost of those sales coming in far under pursuing net new prospects. Studies also indicate that, on average, a loyal customer is worth up to 10 times as much as their initial purchase, Williams said. MSPs can drive trust with a laser focus on credibility, reliability and intimacy with their customers, Williams said. The process starts with building a profile of the MSP's ideal client that's analyzed and fully understood by the company's sales, marketing, and technical people, Williams said, and declining to take on customers that deviate too far from that profile. For instance, Williams said the technical, sales and marketing employees of an MSP specializing in the health-care vertical should understand the problems facing a 10-seat doctor's office and what the doctor thinks about as a business owner. MSPs can improve their products and offerings once they better understand the customer, Williams said. MSPs also need to create processes for human involvement and intervention that are feasible even as the company changes size, Williams said. For instance, a customer would probably love being able to text a technician and having him jump on a ticket anytime, but from the MSP's vantage point, Williams said such a setup wouldn't be scalable or meet the needs of the business. Every interaction between a customer and an MSP employee should be intentional, Williams said, with the customer solicited for positive and negative feedback. In fact, Williams said every component of the experience right down to individual customer emails should be analyzed, with the MSP evaluating what the client thought of when, how and what they said in their response. MSPs also should build a standard operating procedure document that would, for instance, detail how a service technician troubleshoots a machine, Williams said. Documenting processes should be delegated down to the employee responsible for that individual task, according to Williams. "You can take that information and build a task list in your ticketing solution so that, when you on-board the next guy, they know how you fix that machine," Williams said. And from a technology standpoint, Williams said MSPs must look into at what point in the process customers are engaging with tools like the company website and text messages to the customer's mobile phone. And, as always, Williams said MSPs should ascertain whether the customer has had a positive or negative experience with that technology. To track all of these interactions, Williams said MSPs should procure a customer satisfaction tool either from ConnectWise or a third party that integrates into the vendor's professional services automation interface. The tool should automatically generate an email inquiry once a ticket is complete and allow the customer to rate each component of the experience and indicate whether the MSP was providing enough information each step of the way, Williams said. Compunet Infotech is a ConnectWise use, but doesn't currently track the experience of its customers, according to Nick Nouri, president of the North Vancouver, British Columbia-based MSP. Nouri feels Compunet Infotech would benefit from a systematic way of getting feedback from customers about their experience with a particular call or ticket. As a result, Nouri said he wants to look more into procuring a customer satisfaction tool. Storage News Excelero Technology Pools NVMe In Multiple Servers For High Performance Block Storage Joseph F. Kovar Share this Software-defined storage technology startup Excelero on Wednesday unveiled its NVMesh Server SAN software. The product is designed to pool NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) storage from multiple servers as a high-performance base for serving mission-critical applications. Excelero wants to offer enterprise data centers the kind of block storage performance used by hyperscaler cloud providers such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Google in their public clouds, said Yaniv Romen, chief technology officer of the San Jose, Calif.-based vendor. "We're looking to build the solution for everybody else," Romen told CRN. Excelero, founded in Israel in 2014, has $17.5 million in funding so far, with David Flynn, founder of Fusion-io, as a lead investor. The company is targeting large data center operators with software featuring the company's patented RDDA, or Remote Direct Drive Access, technology that works as a storage layer across commodity servers with internal NVMe-based storage, Romen said [Related: 10 Storage Predictions For 2017] "We say, if you put a software layer on top of the servers, you can pool the NVMe of multiple servers and allow it to be a shared resource," he said. NVMesh adds only about 5 microseconds of latency compared to local NVMe storage in the servers to ensure customers can get much better performance from their pooled storage than provided by all-flash storage arrays, Romen said. It is already being used by early customers, including NASA, PayPal, and Hulu, he said. "Nobody else is running software like this that is optimized for NVMe," he said. "With RDDA, we can target enterprise-scale customers. We provide scale with very high performance." Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, and Facebook either have their own NVMesh-like technology or they are developing one, the company said. Therefore, the Excelero expects the top 200 data center operators will be direct customers of the company, while the rest of the large data center operator market will be managed by a combination of direct and indirect sales activities, Romen said. Excelero can help eliminate the proprietary file systems like Lustre that are used for block chain, IoT, and other high-performance applications, said Ted Wueste, executive vice president of U.S. sales at RPI Consulting, a Cypress, Calif.-based systems integrator and early Excelero channel partner. "Lustre is very slick for parallelism in large block storage environments," Wueste told CRN. "But it doesn't perform well in small block environments. Excelero in the software-defined space offers the opportunity to do away with proprietary technologies." Proprietary solutions provide scale, but none provide true file system automation and the full range of necessary security capabilities, Wueste said. "We're using Excelero to remove purpose-built, vendor-lock-in solutions," he said. "Excelero lets us get smart about accelerating data while securing it." Storage News Lenovo's Storage Strategy Takes 'Another Dart' From HPE's Nimble Acquisition Matt Brown Share this The list of vendors that have technology partnerships with Lenovo has again become shorter, as Hewlett Packard Enterprise is now set to scoop up Nimble Storage. HPE's prospective $1 billion acquisition of Nimble Storage effectively ends Lenovo's relationship with the flash technology startup, and leaves the Beijing, China-based data center newcomer without a key partner as it forges ahead with plans to introduce all-flash storage offerings this year. "Customers want a one-stop shop, but in Lenovo's case, their storage solutions aren't as high end as some other solutions, and Nimble going to HPE throws another dart at them," said Michael Goldstein, president and CEO of LAN Infotech, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., solution provider that works with Lenovo and other major vendors. [Related: CRN Exclusive: HPE's Antonio Neri Discusses Nimble Storage Acquisition And Nimble's Lenovo And Cisco Relationships] "It's a challenge," Goldstein said. "They have to come up with something. We don't see too many built-from-scratch things. Most customers are looking for server matched to storage. They still have the option of maybe forming a relationship with NetApp; they seem to be the only independent storage manufacturer left in that top tier. You have to have some offering. Clients will stick with their brands unless they have a reason not to, so a Lenovo customer is going to take whatever recommendations are coming from Lenovo." Lenovo declined to comment to CRN on the impact of the Nimble acquisition. When Lenovo's Nimble relationship was announced in October, the company said it would start shipping its ThinkAgile converged infrastructure including Nimble storage technology the same month. It also said it planned to introduce additional flash storage systems based on Nimble technology in the first half of this year. This week, Lenovo said that the Nimble partnership is ending before it really started. "The relationship was in its early stages. As such, there is virtually no impact on either our customers or product portfolio," a Lenovo spokesman said in a statement. While the barely four-month-old Nimble partnership had not yet begun to bear fruit, Lenovo nevertheless said in the statement that its agility and ability to "adapt quickly to any market developments" would allow the company remain on track to introduce flash storage products this year. The Nimble acquisition is just the latest in a series of moves initiated by its biggest competitors -- HPE and Dell EMC -- that have impacted Lenovo. Most recently HPE closed its acquisition of SimpliVity, and put Lenovo along with Huawei and Cisco on notice that their respective relationships with the darling of the burgeoning hyper-convergence market would end. The Lenovo-SimpliVity relationship had been in place since August 2015 and allowed Lenovo to offer SimpliVity's software-defined, hyper-converged infrastructure on Lenovo's x3650 server with the two firms splitting go-to-market and marketing responsibilities. Only about a month before it signed its agreement with Nimble, Lenovo's four-year-old strategic partnership with EMC effectively came to an end when the data storage giant was acquired by Dell. Under their partnership, EMC and Lenovo jointly developed reference architectures for converged infrastructure and Lenovo was able to OEM certain EMC storage products. Lenovo also has storage relationships with hyper-convergence heavy-hitter Nutanix, Pivot3, StorMagic, Cloudian and Nexenta Systems. Aruba CEO On The Record Keerti Melkote, the leader and founder of Aruba Networks, sat down with CRN at Aruba Atmosphere 2017 in Nashville Tenn. to discuss gaining market share against networking rival Cisco, how Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman is winning deals for Aruba and where channel partners should be placing their bets. "Competitively, wireless is growing gangbusters," said Melkote, while adding that partners need to enhance their software skills and "behave more like an ISV." Aruba's leader also talks about the faulty clock component issue that has affected several vendor's product lines, the company's M&A strategy and gives CRN a taste of the technology roadmap ahead for 2017. Most organizations could eliminate more than 75 percent of their risk of cyber intrusions if they just did the online version of locking their doors and windows. That was one of the main takeaways from a panel discussion on cyber risks at Wednesdays 2017 Boston Conference on Cyber Security, cosponsored by the FBI and Boston Colleges Woods College of Advancing Studies. The session, titled Are You Managing Your Cyber Risks? Challenges from the Legal and CISO Perspectives, was moderated by Cynthia J. Larose, partner and chair of the Privacy & Security Practice at the Mintz Levin law firm, and featured panelists from multiple industry sectors, education and government. And there was general agreement that while there is much greater awareness of cyber risks in the workplace, the combined challenges of complex technology and human weakness means that far too many organizations still amount to low-hanging fruit for attackers. E.J. Yerzak, a partner at Ascendant Compliance Management, who works with firms in the financial sector including investment advisers, said he regularly encounters firms that are, behind the curve. They have nothing in writing when it comes to cybersecurity policies and plans, he said. Thats a big problem, because theres a disconnect between what the C suite thinks is happening and what is actually happening. He said the CEO at one firm confidently told him his firm was not using cloud services at all. But I talked to other departments, and they were using just about all the cloud-based services on the planet Dropbox and everything else, he said. Sara Cable, an assistant Massachusetts attorney general who works in consumer protection, called that story, mind-blowing, and said it would not only likely violate Massachusetts law, but was also profoundly lacking in business sense. Our tolerance for ignorance of the law is rapidly declining, she said, but were also talking about business assets. A lot of attacks arent sophisticated its easy to prevent them. Its like people pushing on doors to see which ones are unlocked, and they are finding a lot of wide open doors. Lorna Koppel, director of information security and CISO at Tufts University, said the most intractable problem for her is the human element, in part because there are different constituencies students, administration, staff and faculty all with different priorities and levels of awareness. Many of them dont understand the risks, she said. They think, nobody cares about my email. People want to do the right thing, but the challenge is getting them there. Yerzak said that kind of human weakness is responsible for most of the insider threats he sees from well-intentioned employees who may work after hours and are trying to help attackers posing as customers with urgent requests. They click a link, open an attachment and malware gets on system, he said. Were seeing the rampant spread of ransomware. All the controls, policies and procedures cant overcome human factor. Cable wondered, why we cant build in little pauses something that pops up and asks if youre sure you want to click on this. Or why top management couldnt regularly send out policy statements along the lines of, I will never email and ask for X information. There are simple little tricks that could help, she said. Larose suggested that, more regular reminders instead of the annual security awareness training session, would keep employees more aware, and focused, on security. Cable said in her view, the most important thing for enterprises is not to let fear of sophisticated attacks paralyze them. Sophisticated attacks are very rare, she said. The accidental are much more common, and all preventable if you take a moment as an enterprise to do things like see what sensitive information you have, where it is, wheres it moving, and then take steps to protect it. The law requires reasonable efforts, not perfection, she said. And thats possible. I think we should empower people by not making it too complicated. It is not risky to make a comment, head to our Facebook page. The House Intelligence Committee will hold an all-too-rare public hearing March 20 on Trump campaign operatives pre-election conversations with Russian government officials. But if youre thinking finally well get some answers to this riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma (as Winston Churchill once famously described Russia), Rep. Jim Himes is advising you not to hold your breath. My fear is that while the public hearing will shed some light on aspects of this, ultimately it will be dissatisfying because of the constraints under which the intelligence world operates, said Himes, who is a committee member. One thing is likely to get a full airing: President Donald Trumps very public accusation that former President Barack Obama wiretapped his office at Trump Tower in New York. One of the hearing witnesses will be FBI Director James Comey. I dont imagine the FBI director is going to arrive without a plan to address this question, Himes said. Trump, who commands the governments intelligence-gathering apparatus, appears to have drawn his information from a speculative piece in conspiracy-web-spinning Breitbart News. Even if there were substance to it, Obama would have had to convince a special intel court that illegality likely was taking place inside the Trump campaign. Either way, I think (Trump) has marched himself into a pretty ugly box canyon, Himes said. I will die As elected officials, lawmakers like to back up their policy viewpoints with poignant examples of how societys most vulnerable will be helped or hurt by what happens in Washington. For Sen. Chris Murphy, Angela Ho, of New Canaan, is one such example. The 49-year-old London native and mother of two boys wrote to Murphy about her diagnosis of stage IV breast cancer in 2015, and how she fears Republican efforts to scrap the Affordable Care Act Obamacare will render her super-expensive treatments unaffordable. Would President Trump or any member of Congress who voted to repeal the ACA be then willing to write to my 12- and 9-year old boys, and explain why they let their Mommy die? she wrote to Murphy, who mentioned Ho in a Senate floor speech last month. Reached by phone Wednesday, two days after House Republicans put forward a repeal and replace measure, Ho said she is glad to say she is in remission, but she worries over what the future might hold. Ho gets insurance through her husbands employer, but nonetheless she says she is scared. Her oral chemo-therapy medication costs $12,000 a month an amount the family could not possibly afford on its own. Im doing my best to live a healthy life; Im certainly not sitting on the couch! she said. But at this stage of cancer, I cannot be cured. And if cant afford insurance and get access to treatment, I will die. Moving right along Back in the days when Democrats ruled Capitol Hill seems like a century ago Republicans castigated them for ramrodding legislation through with no regard to regular order the niceties of subcommittee hearings, lengthy debate, negotiations and above all a willingness to compromise. And, to be sure, Democrats were guilty of a fair degree of my way or the highway. But fast forward to the present, there seems to be an epidemic of Republican payback. Forty-eight hours after its introduction, the Republican health care bill already is undergoing committee markup a prelude to voting a measure to the House floor. And a smaller example of that occurred this week in the House Veterans Affairs Committee. With minimal notice, Republicans pushed through the Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act that essentially makes it easier for mentally ill veterans to purchase firearms and possibly harm themselves or others. The bill, which passed the committee on a voice vote Wednesday, is an about-face on a compromise agreement passed by the House last year and signed into law. Its grossly irresponsible to undermine a system designed to protect our veterans from gun violence without any debate or examination of current practices, said Rep. Elizabeth Esty, a committee member who as representative of the Newtown area has become a conscience of sorts in the House on guns. There are things we can and should do to reduce veteran suicides while fully respecting the Second Amendment. This hastily crafted, overbroad bill does not and will not help our veterans or our communities. dan@hearstdc.com; @danfreedman This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SHELTON-The former principal of the now-shuttered St. Gabriel School in Milford will be the first principal of the new yet-to-be named Catholic elementary school. Gail Kingston, who spent 15 years at St. Gabriels before it was shuttered last June, was chosen what will be the combined St. Lawrence, St. Joseph and St. Jude schools, according to a letter sent to parents by Steven F. Cheeseman, the Diocese of Bridgeports superintendent of schools. During a Feb. 3 meeting at St. Josephs High School, Bridgeport Bishop Frank Caggiano told parents of students that declining enrollment and escalating costs forced the Diocese to combine the three area elementary schoolsSt. Lawrence, 503 Shelton Avenue, St. Joseph, 430 Coram Avenue, Shelton and St. Jude, 707 Monroe Turnpike, Monroe into one for the 2017-18 school year. That school which is now St. Lawrence will be renamed. Since then parents have enrolled nearly 250 children for the new school year. The three schools have a combined 377 student enrollment this year. We are fortunate to have Dr. Kingston in a leadership position as we move forward to unify the three school communities into a vibrant new Catholic school, Cheeseman said.. She brings more than 26 years of experience in school administration including 16 years as a principal to this new post, the superintendent continued. Her work as an educator has been distinguished by development of innovative and inclusive curriculum and differentiated instruction. While at St. Gabriel, Kingston expanded the curriculum to fit special needs students, obtained wireless internet throughout the school which enabled students to use smart boards, I-Pads and online learning. She received a Bachelors and Masters degrees in Education from Connecticut College, a certificate in administration from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University in Florida. Among Kingstons numerous awards and achievements are service as chairperson of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges Accreditation Visiting team. She was the recipient of the State of Connecticut General Assembly Citation in 2011 and was awarded the Connecticut Center for Child Development Autism Advocacy Award. Previously she was principal of the Little White Schoolhouse in Mystic, CT, which serves students with cerebral palsy and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal School in North Stonington, CT. Kingston was born in Nyack, N.Y., raised in Pennslyvania and moved to Connecticut in 1984 when because her husband, Dewey was assigned to the U.S. Navy Submarine Force in New London. The couple have four grown children. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate HARTFORD - MGM Grand on Thursday offered to more than replace tribal gaming revenue paid to the state with taxes from a casino resort the company would build in Southwestern Connecticut possibly in Bridgeport. The announcement dropped a bomb on plans by Connecticuts two recognized Indian tribes to build a new casino in East Windsor to offset 30 percent losses expected after MGM Grand opens a nearly $1 billion casino resort in Springfield, Mass. We knew this committee would not consider a competing offer if it didnt cover the Pequot Fund, said Uri Clinton, vice president and legal counsel for MGM Grand, referring to payments to the state from the tribes. So the Pequot fund goes away, and you need an alternative that offsets that loss. Clinton said MGM, or another developer, would pay a 30 to 35 percent gaming tax for a resort close to the New York State line, and those payments would more than make up revenue lost from the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot Indians. In exchange for the exclusive right to operate casinos on tribal land, the two tribes pay the state 25 percent of all slot revenue. Tribal leaders warned that money would end if anyone but the two tribes received a state gaming license. Although Clinton did not name a site for an MGM casino, the Las Vegas gambling mogul is backing the Schaghticoke Indians in Kent, who for years have wanted to build a casino in Bridgeport. MGM Grands offer came during testimony before the Legislatures public safety and security committee on a bill that would authorize the proposed East Windsor casino to be built and operated by the tribes to offset expected losses after the Springfield casino opens. A competing bill, sponsored by State Representatives Chris Rosario and Ezequiel Santiago, both Bridgeport Democrats, would scrap the East Windsor deal and call for bids to build a third casino in the state. Many argue that Fairfield County is the best location, given the regions wealth and proximity to New York City. That is a suggestion and a red herring, said Kevin Brown, chairman of the Mohegan Tribal Council, referring to considering other locations. We have a real proposal with a real plan. Now it is up to us to choose a path Connecticut will take. The proposed East Windsor casino, located off I-91 on the site of a mothballed cinema complex, is expected to create 2,800 permanent jobs and upwards of 2,000 construction jobs. The casino, offering 100,000 square feet of gaming, is not a resort-style facility like Foxwoods or the Mohegen Sun. Bridgeport casino Av Harris, a spokesman for Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim, said the mayor is watching the debate but is not yet taking a position. At this point, we are letting this play out, Harris said. MGM and the Schaghticokes are interested in Southwestern Connecticut and the most obvious place is Bridgeport. [The mayor] is waiting to see what emerges. If this goes anywhere, we will sit down and talk. Schaghticoke Chief Richard Velky backed the competitive bid bill and, in a show of solidarity, brought a group of tribal members to the hearing dressed in bright red shirts. Southwestern Connecticut offers a growing opportunity that is five times the size of the market north of Hartford, a market that can only decline with the high-end competition from Springfield, Velky said. Connecticut citizens demand a better deal, so why not us? Velkys tribe has failed to gain federal recognition and the permission to operate a casino on a tribal land that comes with it. Clinton told the committee MGM simply wants to have an opportunity to compete for the states third casino. We have been public in our support of the Schaghticokes and we are supportive of an open process, Clinton said. The Schaghticokes have no obligation to MGM. If they found a different dance partner that is their right. Asked if MGM paid for the Schaghticokes colorful shirts, Clinton declined to answer. Clinton said the state could structure licensing of a new casino so its issued when the resort is completed, ensuring that tribal payments dont stop until new revenue is in place. He also said casino operators could be required to pay the state as much as $50 million just to bid for the right to build a casino with a minimum investment of $500 million. Under the agreement with Springfield, MGM cannot build a casino within a 50-mile radius of the city, Clinton said. The MGM offer brought a sharp rebuke from State Sen. Tim Larson, D-East Hartford. You want to be in Bridgeport, Larson told Clinton. Im annoyed at how you seek to insult a community I represent. I dont want to have any part of it. Lost state revenue The Pequots and Mohegans warned an off-reservation casino not operated by the tribes would cut off slot revenue the tribes now send the state. Our friends from Las Vegas are here and they say we have not picked the right site, Brown said. We have crafted a smart strategy and believe their claims are hard to take seriously. Instead of suggesting Bridgeport is the right place to go, where is the effort [to build there]? Former U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, hired as an expert by MGM Grand, warned the proposed East Windsor casino could prompt federal regulators to void or reduce the compact between the state and the two tribes. The new casino requires federal approval for an amendment of that compact. There is a significant risk that the [Bureau of Indian Affairs] would require a reduction of the 25 percent slots-revenue royalty that the tribes currently pay to the state, Salazar said. The 25 percent royalty rate is unusually high higher than 95 percent of all tribal state compacts. The tribes dismissed that notion, saying the BIA, a division of the Department of Interior, only considers the amendment not the larger compact already in place. We must rethink the U.S. response to infectious disease. Here's why. Thank you for reading! To read this article and more, subscribe now for as little as $1.99. A blog about life under, and resisting, a dictatorship As the sun set over Rottnest Island, Tara Baker and her girlfriend Arlia Hassell were talking about life when the idea of marriage came up. They decided they were going to elope. Just hours later, Arlia was in a serious bicycle accident and had to have emergency brain surgery. She laid in a medically induced coma for a week. When she woke up, there was no memory of their talk of marriage. Gold Coast couple Tara Baker, 28, and Arlia Hassell, 30, are creating Australia's first ever wedding magazine for LGBTQ women Tara and Arlia were inspired after they got engaged in August 2016 and realised there was nothing on the wedding market that catered to same-sex female couples The couple's healing journey was a long and trying one, they told Daily Mail Australia, but it would lead to an even more romantic marriage proposal two years later. Tara, 28, surprised Arlia, 30, with a trip to Melbourne, where the Gold Coast couple first met at work four-and-a-half years ago, in August 2016. She became so consumed with emotion in the moment that Tara immediately burst into tears. 'I had sort of practiced in my head what was going to happen, what I was going to ask her,' Tara said. 'But the moment came and I lost control of my emotions.' 'I was crying and Arlia thought something terrible had happened,' she recalled with a laugh. 'And then I got down on one knee and asked her to be my wife.' It seemed like a fairy tale ending, a special moment both women would remember years after Tara wasn't even sure if she had lost the love of her life forever. The women excitedly went to a magazine shop shortly after their engagement, hoping to obtain information and start the wedding planning. It's been a long journey for this beautiful couple, who went through a trying two-year journey after Arlia suffered a serious bike accident and had to have emergency brain surgery But all they could find were pages and pages that talked about bride and grooms, and photos after photos of a man and woman. 'We couldn't really find anything we felt we were represented in,' Tara said. 'A lot of the wedding material out there is really heteronormative.' 'It's women and men and everything's focused on the bride. We were like, hang on a minute, there's two of us!' Just hours before the accident, the couple had decided they were ready to get married Both Tara and Arlia wanted to see wedding material they could relate to, and soon they decided to take the matter into their own hands. The couple realised that if they were trying to find something that spoke to two brides, others surely had to be as well. And so, the idea for a wedding magazine specifically designed for LGBTQ women was born. Tara and Arlia have called the magazine Dancing With Her, and have already released the first issue for free online. Now Tara and Arlia are working on Dancing With Her, a magazine they said will feature real women's wedding stories as well as tips and tricks from vendors The couple have already released the first issue for free online and said it has been downloaded more than 1,000 times The couple have since set up a Kickstarter campaign to help turn the dream of Australia's first magazine 'for women in love, with women' into a reality. Dancing With Her will feature stories from real-life couples and their wedding, including one who eloped in Mexico City , as well as tips and tricks for planning. 'It's definitely going to be a premium product,' Arlia said. 'People say that magazines, the hard copy, are going out of fashion but we value having a real magazine - the smell, the feel of it.' 'It's going to be printed on premium paper and eco-friendly. That's one of our main focuses.' Tara said the couple have also been working closely with a number of wedding vendors, who they hope to teach about being more welcoming to LGBTQ couples. That could be anything as simple as changing the language on a form from 'bride and groom' to 'partner one and partner two', she said. Tara and Arlia said their idea gained traction fast after they went public with it on Instagram in November, and they've already received immense support. The magazine's free first issue has been downloaded more than 1,000 times. A number of women in same-sex couples have already reached out to ask if they can share their stories, as well as thank Tara and Arlia for their work. 'We got a beautiful email from a woman who hopes it's really successful - and that it should have been done a really long time ago,' Arlia said. Tara and Arlia have since set up a Kickstarter campaign to help turn the dream of Australia's first magazine 'for women in love, with women' into a glossy reality 'She had been married to her partner for 20 years. They didn't have representation and it was such a struggle for them.' That struggle isn't over, of course, in a country where same-sex marriage is not yet legal. But Tara and Arlia hope their magazine will be a way to celebrate all love. 'People are still having weddings and celebrating what they have, and we don't feel that should be hidden,' Tara said. 'That should be out in the world.' Arlia and Tara said they are currently just happy to enjoy their 'little engagement bubble' for npw. But the women hope that their journey and the work they've done to make Dancing With Her a reality will inspire other couples who feel underrepresented in society. 'Be confident in your relationship,' Tara said. 'People are still facing discrimination by law and the people around them, and we hope that will change.' 'And we hope to help change it within the wedding industry,' she added. 'So keep being confident in your love.' A woman's boss has stepped up to walk her down the aisle at her same sex wedding after her father refused. Jennifer, who had been with her girlfriend Sam for 11 years, was devastated that her parents would not accept her sexuality and come to her wedding. So John Li, the CEO of HSBC Taiwan where the young woman worked, decided to volunteer to accompany her down the aisle. Love is love: Taiwanese couple Jennifer (left) and Sam (right) had been together 11 years when they decided to get married In a moving video uploaded by the bank, Jennifer explains that herself and Sam were worried about coming out as gay. 'Before we came out we were always afraid, we were hesitant to talk about it because we were worried people might make fun of us,' she explained. 'What troubled me most was my parents, because they are strongly against it. My parents have stopped communicating with me and will not come to my wedding.' Devastating: Jennifer's parents did not approve of her sexuality so her boss, HSBC CEO John Li (far right) offered to walk her down the aisle 'I didn't even think I would have a wedding': Jennifer struggled a lot with the rejection But Jennifer said that her workplace and colleagues were extremely accepting of her sexuality and helped her with preparations. 'I didnt even think I would ever have a wedding,' she said. 'I am very happy but also very nervous.' When the doors opened, and the two women walked down the aisle, they were overwhelmed with emotion. 'We cried because we never thought we would make it this far. We had a lot of mixed feelings,' Jennifer told the camera. Father figure: Mr Li told the women to walk slowly, and comforted them as the emotions took over Emotional: Both Jennifer and Sam cried as they walked down the aisle because they were so overwhelmed The couple, whose marriage is not legal in Taiwan, had an incredible day and said they hoped their wedding inspired others. 'This wedding is really for the LGBT community,' Jennifer explained. 'We hope our action will encourage people and create respect among different communities.' '[HSBC] has given us so much love and warmth. We are deeply moved.' They call it the 'trillion dollar industry', so perhaps it was only a matter of time before wellness - and the obsession that comes with all things 'clean' - moved into the sex market, too. But from lubricants made from coconut oil to vegan condoms, crystal sex toys and even an aphrodisiac made from cannabis oil, clean sex has never been bigger. FEMAIL takes a look at the new, all-natural products to hit the sustainable sex shelves. Would you use them? With wellness being one of the world's biggest industries, FEMAIL took a look at how this is spilling over into the sex market (pictured: Rosie Rees's crystal sex toys) From lubricants made from coconut oil to vegan condoms, crystal sex toys and even an aphrodisiac made from cannabis oil, clean sex has never been bigger (pictured: the creators of Australia's first coconut lube) COCONUT OIL LUBRICANT Private is made from pure coconut oil, it's described as 'non-judgmental' (pictured) Late last year, Bernadette Finney, 46, from Sydney, launched Australia's first completely natural personal lubricant, Private, with the help of her daughters, 24 and 22. Private is made from pure coconut oil and came about because Ms Finney and her family started using coconut oil cooking spray, before turning their new healthy approach to other areas of their life. 'We're constantly talking about ways we can lead a healthier life through the food we consume and the exercise we do, but what about healthier sex lives?,' Ms Finney told Daily Mail Australia. 'Most lubricants are laden with chemicals and we didn't find anything like this on the market.' Private coconut oil retails for AUD $24.95 online. It is described as 'a purified coconut oil lube that is non-sticky, non-greasy and non-judgmental'. Late last year, Bernadette Finney, 46, from Sydney, launched Australia's first completely natural personal lubricant, Private, with the help of her daughters, 24 and 22 (all pictured) VEGAN CONDOMS As the third-fastest-growing vegan market in the world, it's safe to say that Australia has a lot of time for veganism. But former Cleo Bachelor of the Year finalist, Dustin Leonard, spotted a rather unusual gap in the market, when he launched a new line in his range of HERO condoms, which are both 'natural' and made with a 'plant-based' lubricant. Some condoms and lubricants include an animal protein which is also used to thicken and congeal some foods and other products Mr Leonard previously told Daily Mail Australia that his vegan condoms contain no animal products or byproducts and have not been tested on animals, while the lubricant is 'PH balanced, petrochemical and paraben free and vegan'. 'Some condoms and lubricants include an animal protein which is also used to thicken and congeal some foods and other products,' he said. 'Some lubricants are packed with parabens and other non-friendly ingredients which are commonly used in cosmetics as preservatives to prevent bacterial overgrowth,' Mr Leonard added. HERO Condoms start at $7.99 online. But former Cleo Bachelor of the Year finalist, Dustin Leonard (pictured), spotted a rather unusual gap in the vegan market when he launched his products HERO condoms (pictured) are both 'natural' and made with a 'plant-based' lubricant - they are also entirely vegan Mr Leonard previously told Daily Mail Australia that his vegan condoms contain no animal products or byproducts and have not been tested on animals (pictured: Dustin Leonard) CRYSTAL SEX TOYS Crystals - whether they're rose quartz, jades, onyxes or moonstones - are having a moment right now, and this moment is not immune to the sex industry. Crystals are becoming bigger and bigger, there are now crystal sex toys (pictured) Rosie Rees, from Perth in Western Australia, sells both crystal dildos and yoni eggs (a small egg-shaped crystal designed to help strengthen the pelvic and vaginal muscle). Her products come in everything from amethyst to clear quartz and Indian jade. 'As a collective, women are awakening to the power of their sexual energy and thus are being more conscious of what they put inside their bodies,' Ms Rees told Daily Mail Australia. For Rosie Rees, the Rose Quartz Crystal Pleasure Wand is most popular (pictured) 'Working with a natural crystal pleasure wand (straight from from Mother Earth), awakens an innate primal energy from within and amplifies feelings, emotions, sensations and sexual energy, whilst also helping to release any unwanted negative energy from the area.' The products are said to not only help with people's sex lives, but also assist with other things. Depending on what you buy, your crystal could help with positive thinking, luck, change, balance or harmony. The crystals start at $60 online, and Ms Rees notes that her best-selling product is the Rose Quartz Crystal Pleasure Wand. 'This shows that a lot of women want to infuse more self love, compassion, forgiveness, femininity and tenderness into themselves,' she said. Rosie Rees, (pictured), from Perth in Western Australia, sells both crystal dildos and yoni eggs (a small egg-shaped crystal designed to help strengthen the pelvic and vaginal muscle) The products are said to not only help with people's sex lives, but also assist with other things - depending on what you buy, your crystal could help with positive thinking, luck or balance 'As a collective, women are awakening to the power of their sexual energy and thus are being more conscious of what they put inside their bodies,' Ms Rees told Daily Mail Australia AND THE REST... Elsewhere in the clean sex industry, it's easy to find anything from biodegradable vibrators to 'a natural sensual enhancement oil' made from cannabis oil. Last year Australian online adult retailer, Mimi De Luxe, introduced the world's first biodegradable vibrator to their store. Called the Gaia Echo, the vibrator is made from a bioplastic that comes from cornstarch. According to the website, 'Gaia Eco is a classic vibrator design, however unlike most classic vibrators, Gaia Eco will not leave a substantial carbon footprint long after you've enjoyed your product'. It retails for $44.95 online. Last but not least is Foria's Pleasure Spray bottles - 'a natural sensual enhancement oil' designed specifically for women and made from cannabis oil. 'FORIA Pleasure is hand-crafted from the female ower of the marijuana plant - one of the oldest known aphrodisiacs in the world - using modern extraction techniques for optimal potency and purity,' the website reads. Foria Pleasure spray retails for $44 online. In October, former House Rules couple Maddi and Lloyd Wright, from Queensland, welcomed their second baby boy Marlow to their family. And while the pair were overjoyed with their new bub, Maddi recently opened up about some of the challenges she has faced over the past four months and admitted she regrets breastfeeding. 'I wish I never breastfed my baby,' the mother-of-two wrote on Instagram on Wednesday. Former House Rules star Maddi recently opened up about some of the challenges she has faced over the past four months with son Marlow and admitted she regrets breastfeeding In October, Maddi and Lloyd Wright, from Queensland, welcomed their second baby boy Marlow to their family 'A strong statement and many would disagree but here's why... 3 weeks post stopping breastfeeding with my 4 month old I am a completely different person,' she wrote 'A strong statement and many would disagree but here's why... 3 weeks post stopping breastfeeding with my 4 month old I am a completely different person,' the former reality star wrote. 'I'm a better mum and better wife. I have more energy. I actually have gaps where bub is NOT on my body so I get to miss him a little. I have more time for my other son. I am more affectionate towards my husband.' Maddi said she no longer 'dreads' going out in public and enjoys her clothes again as she is not 'leaking everywhere' or having to wear 'uncomfortable maternity bras.' 'I'm a better mum and better wife. I have more energy. I actually have gaps where bub is NOT on my body so I get to miss him a little,' Maddi explained Maddi said she no longer 'dreads' going out in public and enjoys her clothes again as she is not 'leaking everywhere' or having to wear 'uncomfortable maternity bras' 'I'm able to leave the house by myself without getting anxiety. I'm able to go to the gym again,' she continued. It's important for mums to know that they have choices. 'I know I will cop a lot of negative comments about this post but I think it's important for mums to know that they have choices. 'There are so many different ways to be a mum. But what many mums forget is that MUM HAS TO BE HAPPY TOO.' 'I know I will cop a lot of negative comments about this post but I think it's important for mums to know that they have choices,' she said Maddi, who shared an adorable snap of herself and Marlow alongside the post, was immediately flooded with support from other mums who felt the same way. 'Fed is best! My husband LOVES giving our daughter a bottle at night. Mumma knows bubba best & knows whats good for herself,' one woman wrote. 'Who cares what you do. It's your business and as long as baby is fed is all that matters,' another added. Days earlier, Maddi also shared a candid photo of herself cuddling Marlow while her eldest son Carter stood nearby. Days earlier, Maddi also shared a candid photo of herself cuddling Marlow while her eldest son Carter stood nearby Beside the photo, Maddi detailed further challenges she had faced as a mother. 'Motherhood has taken a grenade, shoved it up my clacka and blown me into a million pieces. It has tested every fibre of my being. I've at times...many times...lost my sense of self,' she wrote. 'Often not recognising who I actually am anymore. Often wanting to run away and never come back. Often crying and not knowing why. I look down at a body I barely recognize. And, to top it off, I often tell myself "geeze you're a s**t mum". 'But today I realised, after getting up at 12:30am and 3am to feed bub and then 4:45am with my toddler that I can't be half bad at motherhood. After an average of 4 hours sleep every night I literally spend every waking hour attending to my boys.' 'Motherhood has taken a grenade, shoved it up my clacka and blown me into a million pieces. It has tested every fibre of my being. I've at times...many times...lost my sense of self,' she wrote She concluded by saying even though she rocked 'messy locks and swollen breasts' she looks at her 'stunning and happy boys' and thinks 'S**t woman, you must be doing something right' She concluded by saying even though she wore her pyjamas all day and rocked 'messy locks and swollen breasts' she looks at her 'stunning and happy boys' and thinks 'S**t woman, you must be doing something right.' Maddi and Lloyd became household names after appearing on Channel Seven's House Rules in 2014. They then sold their renovated three-bedroom home in Townsville to move closer to Lloyd's family in Cairns, wanting support nearby as they started their family. Prince Harrys former girlfriend Chelsy Davy, 30, has set up a holiday company called Aya Luxury Travel Anything Meghan can do . . . so can Chelsy? Prince Harrys former girlfriend Chelsy Davy, 30, who quit her job as a City lawyer to become a jewellery designer, is expanding her career portfolio and has set up a holiday company called Aya Luxury Travel. According to documents filed to Companies House, the nature of Zimbabwean-born Chelsys business is travel agency activities. Markle, 35, has a section of her blog The Tig dedicated to her wanderlust, with a recent post extolling the pleasures of Paris. Harry and Meghan attended a wedding in Jamaica last weekend, giving Markle plenty of material for her effusive writing. Model Lizzy Jagger, the eldest daughter of Sir Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall, has gone on strike, as part of a campaign to raise awareness of the female contribution to the workplace. Model Lizzy Jagger, the eldest daughter of Jerry Hall (pictured together) and Sir Mick Jagger has gone on strike The campaign calls on women to avoid spending money, engaging in paid or unpaid work, and for good measure to wear red in solidarity. This is arguably a little easier for Lizzy to achieve than your average feminist, given that her Rolling Stone father is worth 200 million. PICK OF THE PARTIES: MOMENT BILLIE'S PATIENCE WORE THIN Billie didnt welcome all compliments directed at her when she was with Lily James at the Nation Theatre's annual gala (left). Tamsin Greigs dyed blonde hair (right) made a contrast to her usual brunette look WHAT: The National Theatres annual gala in London. WHO: Actresses Billie Piper, Lily James and Olivia Colman. TALKING POINT: Tamsin Greigs dyed blonde hair made a contrast to her usual brunette look. AWKWARD MOMENT: Billie, 34, didnt welcome all compliments directed at her. When a guest asked how she stayed slim after having two children, by ex-husband Laurence Fox, she deferred to Lily James, 27, who replied: Thats a stupid question. TRASH TALK: Jeweller Stephen Webster said of Melania Trumps Tiffany gift to Michelle Obama on the steps of the White House: That was very funny. The most awkward moment in politics. Advertisement Why at 57, Max finds himself a rather unlikely sex symbol Actor Maxwell Caulfield (pictured) confesses that he has become a somewhat belated heartthrob for young female fans Actor Maxwell Caulfield confesses that he has become a somewhat belated heartthrob for young female fans of his debut film role in Grease 2. The 1982 high school movie, in which he starred opposite Michelle Pfeiffer, was a flop at the time but has since developed a cult following. Each generation of young girls have discovered it for their sleepover parties, says Maxwell, 57. U.S. based Caulfield, who is starring in a stage version of the film Honeymoon In Vegas at the London Palladium, is however more of a fan of the older woman, having been married for 37 years to Sir John Mills daughter Juliet Mills, 18 years his senior. They wed in 1980 when he was only 20 after meeting on stage in The Elephant Man. First there was the honeymoon, then the babymoon, and now it appears, the mummy-moon. In a new trend, mothers are taking luxury holiday retreats overseas to relax and recoup, without their babies or partners. Many mums are now going on organised retreats to exotic locations like Bali, spending thousands of dollars to holiday with strangers. Mum retreats are the newest holiday trend, with women venturing off to holiday alone The mums are taking time to relax in luxury...but leaving their children and partners behind One of the companies, Flat Out Mum retreats, was started by mum-of-four Olivia Anderson (centre) One of the first companies to come up with the idea was Flat Out Mum retreats, started by Australian blogger Olivia Anderson. The mum-of-four had the idea after her husband organised a night away for her in a hotel with a girlfriend. 'I had to be pushed out the door,' Ms Anderson told Daily Mail Australia. 'But 24 hours land a good night's sleep later I was like a new woman.' She started the retreats company not long after, and last year hosted two night retreats in Melbourne. 'It's just for mums, no children,' she explained. 'Other retreats have nannies and babysitting but Flat Out Mums isn't like that. We want the women to relax.' Ms Anderson said she came up with the idea after having a night away in a hotel with a girlfriend Ms Anderson (right) said she was 'like a new woman' after the time away and wanted to help other mums have that too She ran two retreats in Melbourne, and is now taking a group of women to a resort in Bali (pictured) Now the retreats are moving to Bali, hosting mums in a villa for five nights in June, starting at $1,990 for five days in a twin-share room (flights not included). That includes accommodation, some meals, functions, and some activities - like a wellness workshop with an expert speaker. 'We talk about life goals and how to achieve them, whether that's career goals or family goals,' the mum said. The retreats cater to women with children of all ages, but quite a few with young babies use it as an excuse to get some alone time. But it comes at a cost, with the prices starting at $1,990 for five days, plus airfares, insurance, food and spending money Ms Anderson says the retreats have proven popular, but that she still has some spots available for the next one in June Ultimately though, she stresses that the retreat is for mums to take time for themselves, and focus on their own enjoyment. 'The aim of the mum retreats is just to relax and just get away and remember yourself,' Ms Anderson explained. 'It rejuvenates mums. If a mum is happy the whole family is happy.' It's proven popular too, with the Bali retreat booking up, but the mum said there's still some spots available. Every day that little Jack Sparrow spent in the hospital, his parents would place the premature baby on his mother's chest and spread his arms into a hug. But as the six-week-old baby took his last breath on Friday afternoon, it was he who opened his arms out to give his mother Amy one last hug. 'He took his last breaths, opened his arms out and just wrapped them around Amy like he was giving her a big hug,' Brendan, Jack's father, from Sydney, NSW, told Daily Mail Australia. 'We both just bawled our eyes out.' This is the final hour of Jack Riley Sadgrove, nicknamed Jack Sparrow, with his parents Amy and Brendan. Jack was born more than 15 weeks premature and weighed just 693g at birth Brendan told Daily Mail Australia that their final hour with Jack was 'just magic' as they got to bathe, clothe and swaddle him for the first time It had been a heartbreaking turn of events for Jack Riley Sardgrove, who weighed just 693 grams when he was born 15 weeks premature in January. He had fought hard during the birth, just barely making the 24-week mark where premature babies have a chance for survival, and seemed to be progressing well. But just as his parents were settling in to watch him recover at the Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney, they received the dreaded phone call in the middle of the night. 'It was an enormous shock to everyone,' Brendan said. 'We got a call at 2am to come in because his condition had deteriorated.' 'We rushed straight into the hospital and he was slowly getting worse and worse.' It had been a heartbreaking turn of events for Jack, who fought hard to survive after he was born just five days after Amy surpassed the 24-week mark Brendan said Jack's kidneys were failing, and his blood was becoming 'more and more toxic throughout the day'. It soon became clear that the day would be little Jack's last. Doctors turned off his ventilator and took off all the drips so that Jack could rest on his mother's chest. The contact with his mother's skin was a huge boost for Jack, whose heart rate and oxygenation levels immediately went back to normal. Brendan and Amy were able to give Jack his first bath, put him in clothes for the first time and swaddle him like they had never been able to before in the NICU. For the grieving parents, it was a 'perfect' moment. 'Everybody thinks that it would be really sad, and it was really sad,' Brendan said. 'But we also experienced the happiest moment of our lives just being with him. Knowing it was the last time we were going to spend with him...it was just magic.' But just as his parents were settling in to watch him recover at the Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney, doctors suddenly informed them on Friday that his condition was deteriorating That time together, as a family, lasted for one blissful hour. And then, at 3.30pm, Jack passed away. Now his family are left with wondering what it would have been like to watch Jack grow up. 'We learned so much about his character and personality, even though he was so young,' Brendan said. 'I could see how he'd look like as a toddler, or as a 16-year-old. It's pretty amazing how much we did learn about him in such a short amount of time.' And, in that time, Brendan said little Jack taught him and Amy so much. 'He taught us to love more than anything else,' he said. Brendan said Jack's kidneys were failing, and his blood was becoming 'more and more toxic throughout the day' 'In such a short amount of time, I've learned more about myself and we've learned more about each other than I've learned in a whole lifetime.' 'It sounds a bit cliche to say that, but it's the honest truth.' Although they miss Jack every minute, Brendan said he is glad that his son only knew what it was like to be completely surrounded by love. 'One thing that comforts us is that Jack never had to experience the harsh reality of the world,' he said. 'All he knew was the love from us and the love from the doctors and the nurses - and he knew nothing other than that.' Those doctors and nurses became family to the Sardgroves when they first rushed into the NICU after Amy went to the bathroom and saw a few drops of blood. But his condition briefly improved when he was placed on his mother's chest and had skin-to-skin contact, giving his parents their last perfect hour with him Doctors informed them that the mum-to-be was already 6cm dilated, even though she wasn't due for more than 15 weeks. 'I am so sorry,' the doctor said. 'But you are probably going to deliver your baby tonight.' Suddenly a 'dream' pregnancy had turned into a nightmare in just 24 weeks. The next few hours became a swirl of doctors with scary statistics detailing the chances their little boy would survive and what disabilities he could face if he did. One of the first questions the doctors asked Amy and Brendan was if they wanted to keep the baby, or terminate. For Amy and Brendan, termination was out of the question. They wanted to give Jack a chance to fight. The doctors advised the couple to stay calm in an effort to try and keep Jack in as long as possible. Although it seemed like an impossible task, Amy utilised her yoga and meditation practice to relax and try and focus on the task at hand. Brendan said that, for the next five days, Amy was in a 'state of calm' that he had never seen before. On the fifth day, the doctors realised little Jack had to come out - whether they were ready or not. Jack had just hit the 24-week mark when Amy went to the bathroom in the middle of the night and saw spots of blood. The doctors then informed her she was in labour One of the first questions the doctors asked Amy and Brendan were if they wanted to keep the baby, or terminate due to his low chance of survival An ultrasound revealed that Jack had turned, and the umbilical cord was dangerously below him. They feared that if Amy's water broke in the middle of the night, the minimal staff and doctors on hand would not be able to handle a dangerous delivery. It may have been less than a week, but those five days were still huge for little Jack. Two courses of steroids and magnesium had given his lungs and brain a super boost of growth. Doctors said it raised his chances of survival by 10 per cent. 'Being the parent of any baby, let alone a preemie baby, is such a rollercoaster,' Brendan told Daily Mail Australia last week before Jack's death. 'It has been the kindness of friends, family and strangers and the incredible dedication of the hospital staff that have kept our feet on the ground.' Brendan and Amy's friends decided to rally around the couple and set up the GoFundMe campaign to help raise money while they were away from work. But 24 weeks was the first point of viability where a baby has any chance of survival if delivered prematurely. After five more days in hospital, Amy gave birth to little Jack Two courses of steroids and magnesium had given his lungs and brain a super boost of growth during those five days. Doctors said it raised his chances of survival by 10 per cent But the couple were adamant that all funds go to the NICU helped keep Jack alive for so long. They have since raised more than $56,000 for the Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney in just a few weeks. The GoFundMe has already raised enough money to outfit the NICU with reclining chairs for mum's to breastfeed and cuddle their newborns. New parts for vital breathing equipment can now also be purchased, and some of the raised funds will also be used to refurbish the parents' room. It has been an incredible achievement that all began thanks to one tiny baby. And what started as a fundraising campaign has now also become another way for little Jack Sparrow to be remembered forever. 'Now that it has taken off so much, it will be his legacy,' Brendan said. 'Jack had such a big impact, on so many people around the world.' A holidaymaker took a chance on romance with a Tunisian man 18 years her junior because she thought she was dying of a brain tumour and wanted to 'fight for her chance of happiness'. Kathleen Khalili, 46, has now said it was the best thing she ever did because three years on she is married to Amir, 28, and they live together in Inverclyde, Scotland. 'I never thought it could be like this,' said Kathleen, who works for a phone company, claiming that she has her 'brain tumour' to thank for her marriage. But, sadly, the couple are missing 'the final part of the puzzle' a baby as the tumour has left her infertile. Kathleen Khalili, 46, from Inverclyde, Scotland with her Tunisian husband Amir, 28, who she met on holiday near Sousse Kathleen went in to hospital in April 2014 to have the growth on her pituitary gland removed Now, she is appealing for help, as while she is physically able to carry a baby, she is not eligible for fertility treatment as NHS Great Glasgow and Clyde said you must be less than 42 years of age on the date of your doctor's referral. The couple have an egg donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, so it is just a case of finding the funds to have the egg fertilised and implanted. Kathleen doesn't agree with the cut off point for fertility treatment. She thinks her and Amir would make wonderful parents: 'People live until they are in their 80s,' she said. 'Amir is a lot younger with me so we would be with our child. Kathleen spent hundreds of pounds on flights to Tunisia, to visit Amir, 18 years her junior as their relationship blossomed The happy couple are now hoping to have a baby together using a donor egg, after Kathleen's treatment left her infertile 'I think I've got as much right as anyone else to be a mum.' Kathleen was first diagnosed with the tumour in June 2013 at Inverclyde Hospital, after suffering debilitating migraines for more than a decade. The crippling headaches would leave her incapacitated for weeks on end, unable to move or see. After multiple blood tests she eventually had a scan, which revealed a growth on her pituitary gland situated just behind the nose and attached to the brain by a thin stalk. Kathleen's sisters (left to right) Anne and Fiona, with Amir, when they visited the couple for their wedding in October 2015 'I was terrified,' explained Kathleen. 'I immediately assumed I was going to die.' Doctors decided to monitor the tumour's growth and a scan a few months later indicated it was gradually increasing in size. 'Surgery was booked for April 2014,' Kathleen said. In the meantime, she and a pal decided to visit Port El Kantaoui, a tourist complex near Sousse in Tunisia, for a much-needed winter sun break. Kathleen had heard rumours of Tunisian men exploiting British women for money, but Amir's kind personality won her over Amir is now settled with Kathleen in Inverclyde, Scotland where he works in a local McDonald's There, on the fourth day, a young Tunisian ticket-seller caught her eye. It was Amir who was just 25 to Kathleen's 43. 'Of course I'd heard all the gossip about Tunisian men being after older women for their money,' she said. 'But I got chatting to Amir and he was lovely.' Normally, she would have left it there. But because of the tumour, Kathleen decided to agree to go on a date with Amir something she wouldn't have done previously. Amir's visa application was confirmed in November 2015 and he moved to the UK in the December after months of preparation 'I had nothing to lose,' she laughed. 'I thought I was going to die. I was determined to pursue my second chance.' Kathleen told her dubious friend that she and Amir would see each other again making sure of it when, just weeks later, she boarded another flight to Sousse. 'I felt like Shirley Valentine,' she laughed. 'But it was the right thing to do.' This time she stayed with Amir, who now works in McDonald's in Inverclyde. She visited again in November 2013 and in February and April 2014, spending hundreds of pounds on flights. Kathleen admits she felt like Shirley Valentine when she first met Amir, but felt pursuing their relationship was 'the right thing to do' The couple are fundraising to fertilise a donor egg with sperm to enable them to start a family Despite their cultural and religious differences Amir is Muslim and the age gap, a relationship blossomed. She also clicked with Amir's family, including his mother, Fatma, who in her 50s is not much older than her. 'They welcomed me with open arms,' she smiled 'My family were supportive too.' In April 2014, weeks after waving goodbye to Amir, she headed to Inverclyde Hospital to have the tumour removed. Under anaesthetic for four hours, it was totally cut away and filled in with tissue from her leg. Despite the age gap and cultural differences, romance quickly blossomed between Amir and Kathleen It cured her illness, but had a long-lasting impact on her fertility, as the pituitary gland is the hormone powerhouse of the body and they are essential for egg production. 'We called the tumour 'The Sprout',' she laughed. 'Amir was more worried than me.' Then, in June, while she was visiting him, Amir proposed. The couple had been at the beach all day when he got down on one knee with a ring. 'I wasn't expecting it I was in my bikini and shorts,' she laughed. A bear that Kathleen's colleagues made her to wish her well with her surgery They married in October 2015, against the backdrop of the Tunisian terror attacks, where more than 30 British citizens were killed. 'We'd intended to marry on a beach near Sousse and had it all arranged,' she said. 'All our family were due to fly over and I was so excited. 'But after the terror attacks they all fell out. I understood.' In the end just her two sisters, Fiona, 42 and Anne 49, attended and they married in a villa. Amir proposed to Kathleen during a day on the beach and they married in October 2015 Kathleen went in to hospital in April 2014 to have the growth on her pituitary gland removed Amir moved to the UK in December 2015 after months of preparation. The couple had to demonstrate they were in a genuine relationship, providing letters from family, friends, records of text messages, phone calls and letters to the immigrations officials. Kathleen said their lives were now perfect except for one thing her infertility. Now, via GoFundMe, she is appealing for people to help her and Amir have a baby. Speaking poignantly, she said: 'It breaks our hearts. I've recently been referred to Glasgow Hospital, who advised that with egg donation, I can carry a baby, and we can have a chance at having our miracle. 'We are extremely happy, there is one final piece to our puzzle that's missing, and that's a family of our own.' Looking into each other's eyes as they lie side-by-side on the living room sofa, this is a photograph of a tender moment between two brothers. But it also captures something much more poignant. For at the time three-year-old William was also doing his best to comfort his baby brother Thomas, who is battling terminal cancer at just four months old. The heart-wrenching picture was captured by their mother, Sheryl Blanksby, who walked into the room to hear her eldest son telling his brother, 'Big brother is here, everything is okay,' as he gently rested a hand on the baby's cheek. Tender: Placing a hand on baby Thomas' cheek, three-year-old William tells his brother: 'Big brother is here. Everything is okay.' Four-month-old Thomas is battling terminal cancer Precious moments: Parents Sheryl and Jon, and three-year-old brother William, do not know how much time they have left with little Thomas - but plan to make the most of it Mrs Blanksy, from Western Australia, shared the photo on Instagram with a caption explaining how she had expected to walk into the room to find her sons getting into trouble. Instead she was greeted with this precious scene. It is one of a number of touching online updates shared by Mrs Blanksy and her husband Jon as they fight to make the most of every moment they have with their baby boy. Thomas, now 13 weeks old, was born with a skin lesion on his right arm that looked like a birthmark. But after tests revealed a lump on his abdomen, Thomas was diagnosed with a malignant rhabdoid tumour and his family don't know how long he has left. 'There are tears and that immense pain of losing someone you love so much. We film him constantly and stare at him and kiss him,' the couple told Daily Mail Australia last month. 'We as a family are trying to cope the best way we can, but it has been very hard.' Sheryl and Jon told their son William that his new brother has an 'ouchie' that doctors are trying to help. They said William knows 'in his own way' that he will be losing his brother Other than the mark on his arm, Thomas, who was born in November, showed no symptoms and was in no pain. He was a happy newborn baby. But when he turned six weeks old, a doctor found a lump on Thomas' abdomen, which an ultrasound would reveal was a large tumour over his kidney. Doctors removed Thomas' left kidney and discovered he had a malignant rhabdoid tumour. The rare and aggressive form of cancer most commonly occurs in infants and toddlers, with only around 25 cases every year diagnosed in the US. Doctors discovered Thomas (pictured) had a malignant rhabdoid tumour after they removed his left kidney. The rare and aggressive form of cancer most commonly appears in infants Rhabdoid tumours commonly first appear in the kidneys but can also originate in the soft tissues of the brain, before spreading to other parts of the body. With a survival rate below 30 per cent no matter where the tumour originates, there is no documentation of a successful treatment. WHAT IS A RHABDOID TUMOUR? Rhabdoid tumours are a rare and aggressive form of cancer that commonly occur in infants and toddlers. The average age of diagnosis is 15 months old. Only 20 to 25 cases are diagnosed every year in the US. Rhabdoid tumours commonly first appear in the kidneys but can also originate in the soft tissues of the brain before spreading to other parts of the body. The prognosis is grim, with a survival rate below 30 per cent no matter where the tumour originates. There is no documentation of a successful treatment. Source: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Advertisement Thomas' family said doctors then discovered that his skin lesions were also rhabdoid tumours. Tumours were also found in both of his lungs. An additional one on his hip bone also fractured his right femur bone. The cancer had spread. There was nothing else the doctors could do. Sheryl and Jon have told their three-year-old son William that his new brother has an 'ouchie' that doctors are trying to help. 'He is aware that Mummy and Daddy are very sad because Thomas is not well,' they said. 'William also said that maybe the doctors can't help his baby brother, that's why Mummy and Daddy are sad. So we think he knows in his own way.' Sheryl and Jon have not been given a time frame for how long Thomas will live, and can only work to make him as comfortable as possible. They are now trying to make the most of the time they have left with Thomas, and hope to give him a normal of a life. 'We want to travel with the boys, go on weekend trips to the beach, picnic at the park, drive down to Margaret River or go further down to Albany,' they said. 'Go on fruit picking trips, outdoor movies, family photo shoots, water parks, or even a hot air balloon if that's allowed for three-months-old.' Thomas Blanksby, who is just 11 weeks old, has been diagnosed with terminal cancer The couple's friends are raising money through a GoFundMe campaign so they can enjoy the time they have left with Thomas without the stress of hospital bills. Although they will lose him soon, Sheryl and Jon said Thomas is teaching them that life is what's truly important. 'We often get caught up in our own little world of first problems and we sweat the small stuff, or complain about things that don't matter,' they said. 'We forget how to be grateful of the things and life we have. We must live with a purpose, gratitude, and magnitude of love.' It offers six swimming pools, 30 bars and cafes, a cinema and the tallest slide on any ship in the world - so it's no wonder that the MSC World Europa - dubbed a 'floating palace' - is said to be hosting England's WAGs during the World Cup in Qatar. The luxury 1billion cruise liner - which usually costs 2,434.80 for nine nights - has set sail for Doha and was spotted making its way through the Suez Canal on Wednesday, according to The Sun, ahead of setting up base at the Doha Port. WAGs set to live aboard the vessel during the 2022 FIFA World Cup - which is taking place from 20 November to 18 December - include air hostess Georgina Irwin, 26, who is engaged to goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, 24, Phil Foden's girlfriend Rebecca Cooke, 22, and Harry Maguire's wife Fern, 27, reported the publication. Guests will be living the high life, thanks to onboard beauty salons, boutiques, dodgems, 14 ocean-view Jacuzzis and the longest dry-slide at sea titled The Venom Drop to keep them entertained between matches. But while the wives and girlfriends of the football stars will lap up the luxury of the swanky ship - complete with its very own shopping mall, roller disco rink and a range of clubs for children - it's said that players won't be allowed on board as they are set to form their own strict Covid bubble at the Souq Al Wakra hotel in Doha. In the cut-throat world of dog grooming, owners will go to any length to preen and prime their pets in a quest to be crowned Best in Show. But the use of decorative bows to embellish a dogs hair has now been deemed a step too far and banned from Crufts, sparking a furious backlash from overseas competitors. Pat Maule, a veteran shih tzu judge, has told exhibitors any dogs wearing bows or other adornments will be banished from the ring at Crufts, which begins in Birmingham today. Crufts has imposed a ban on all hair bows and adornments in this year's competition and those wearing them will be banished from the ring. Pictured: A Yorkshire Terrier wears a ribbon at a previous contest In a note to exhibitors, she wrote: Bows and/or any other adornments will not be permitted in the ring. Plain elastic band holding the topknot only please. Mrs Maules directive is in accordance with Kennel Club regulations which changed in November 2016 to stop people showing shih tzus with bows in their topknots. The Clubs guidelines read: It is strongly recommended that the hair on head is tied up without adornment. Experts agree that accessories are 'completely irrelevant' when it comes to judging a dog. Pictured: An Afghan Hound arrived at crufts this afternoon wearing a snood Handlers are permitted to use a plain elastic hair tie to keep the top knot out of their dog's eyes. Pictured: A Hungarian Puli wears a hair tie as it arrives for the competition Pat Maule who helped to initiate the ban says that she has received abuse from competitors online. Pictured: Labradors and a spaniel arrive on day one of the contest However, the decorative topknot is popular in many foreign countries, and Crufts controversial ban on the bow has led to a vitriolic online backlash against Mrs Maule. The judge said that since posting the notice she has been harassed by a number of overseas exhibitors who were hell bent on being nasty. Californian shih tzu breeder Kathy Garcia said: I feel that the self-righteousness of the statement and the overall UK arrogance about their Shih Tzu in relation to Shih Tzu from other countries (particularly the US) rubs the rest of us wrong. The judge said that since posting the notice she has been harassed by a number of overseas exhibitors who were hell bent on being nasty'. Pictured: An owner arrives at Crufts with her Greyhounds The decision has proven particularly unpopular with contestants from overseas. Pictured: Two pugs arrive with their owner on Thursday In regard to the bow, it is completely irrelevant when it comes to judging the dog... such a ridiculous thing for her to say! Australian breeder Sharon Murray added: For many of us putting bows in the top knot of our shih tzu is a long held tradition especially here in Australia. I hope this judge rethinks this statement, it has upset many at a time when we should all be joining forces to promote our beautiful breed. Speaking to Dog World, Mrs Maule said: Ive been called a c*** judge because supposedly Im unable to judge under a bow. Ive awarded challenge certificates for 26 years and have more experience in the breed than most. In America the bow is used to hide faults from the judge and its something we dont want here in the UK. Musician Sharon Shannon, 48, has revealed that the man she found love with after the death of her long-term partner is none other than his brother. The accordion player from Clare is world famous as a traditional music star, but suffered heartache in 2008 when her long term partner Leo Healy died in his sleep from a heart attack, aged 46. While she's previously spoken about finding love again, she's now revealed that her partner of seven years is in fact Leo's brother Jimmy and admits that people may find the relationship 'weird'. 'For ages, we were the best of friends and then we got together,' she told the RTE Guide. 'Now some people think that is weird, but it seemed just natural to us.' Musician Sharon Shannon has revealed that she's found love with Leo Healy (pictured) the brother of her long-term partner who died in 2008 from a heart attack Sharon with her late partner Leo at the Meteor Music Awards in Dublin in 2008, the same year he passed away Sharon has performed for Bill Clinton at the White House, recorded with Bono and toured with Willie Nelson, and her 1991 debut album remains Ireland's best-selling release of traditional music. Leo passed away while Sharon was touring in 2008, and she believes long-term medication for Crohn's disease may have weakened his heart. After Leo's death, she spoke of finding love again in interviews, paying tribute to her partner Jimmy who she's believed to have started dating within two years of his brother's passing. 'Hes an absolutely fantastic partner,' she told The Independent. 'Hes also my best friend. He has a brilliant sense of humour and he makes me laugh every day. Sharon performing at the Norwich Arts Centre. The world renowned musician has performed for Bill Clinton and recorded with Bono Sharon lives in Galway with her partner of seven years, Jimmy. They are believed to have got together within two years of his brother's death 'He is extremely patient with me and my scatty ways and hes always 100 per cent reliable. He adores his family and is very devoted to them and is very protective of them.' However, it's only now that she's revealed that the Jimmy in question is in fact Leo's brother. Her late partner was from a family of 12 and she admits that she didn't know Jimmy very well before Leo died, but the pair became close through their shared grief. The happy couple live together with animal-lover Sharon's menagerie of pets Sharon admits she still misses Leo (pictured) and often sees him in her dreams Leo, pictured with three of Sharon's dogs, passed away from a heart attack in 2008 while his partner was on tour Despite moving on with Jimmy, she admits she still misses Leo - who worked in crash repairs - and often sees him in her dreams. 'Thats not the kind you get over, we had a wonderful time together and I still miss him a lot,' she told The Irish Times back in 2012. The animal lover now lives in Galway's Salthill with Leo, who works in a local pub, and her large menagerie of pets. American socialite Dan Bilzerian has come under fire after posting an International Women's Day 'tribute' featuring half naked models. The multi-millionaire is famed for his risque posts which he shares with his 21 million followers on Instagram. However, his post yesterday has sparked fury with both women and men alike with them dubbing it 'degrading' and 'pathetic'. American socialite Dan Bilzerian has come under fire for sharing a photo of him using a woman as a table on National Women's Day In his caption Dan suggested that acting as furniture was one of the things women are 'good for' Bilzerian, 35, shared a photo of himself in a hot tub surrounded by five scantilly clad women, one of whom he has rested a plate of food on, treating her as a table. Captioning the photo Bilzerian writes: 'It's #internationalwomensday be thankful, they are good for so many things!' After sharing the photo many of his followers were left outraged by his suggestion that acting as furniture was a women's place. Many of his followers have been left disgusted by his lack of respect for women and 'degrading' post Many commented on the photo to express their disgust over his attitude towards the worldwide celebration of women's rights. Several users took the opportunity to tell the millionaire that he had no right to treat women as objects while others rejoiced in giving him a piece of their mind. It wasn't just women who were offended by his behaviour with several of his male followers voicing their disapproval of his post. Bilzerian is reportedly worth $100 million, making the bulk of his cash as a high-stakes gambler It wasn't just women who were offended by his behaviour with several of his male followers voicing their disapproval of his post So far the Instagram star is yet to provide any comment or apology on his social media. He is no stranger to controversy as just last week he received further criticism for a photo he shared of an endangered tortoise. Bilzerian posted a picture of himself next to a woman in a bikini who is sitting on a 100-year-old Galapagos giant tortoise at Sir Richard Branson's Necker Island. Just last week he received further criticism for a photo he shared of a female friend sitting on the back of an endangered tortoise The species of tortoise is protected and listed as 'vulnerable' by the World Wildlife Fund, and the private island is involved in wildlife conservation efforts. Bilzerian is reportedly worth $100 million, making the bulk of his cash as a high-stakes gambler after developing his skills as a student at the University of South Florida. He has won multiple tournaments, his most successful being the 2009 World Series of Poker. He is also co-founder of online poker room, Victory Poker. The Florida native also jokingly announced his bid for President of the United States in June of 2015, before dropping out and endorsing Donald Trump. The infamous words President Trump uttered during a leaked Access Hollywood recording in 2005 will not soon be forgotten by his opponents. At least not if one bold person has their way. In a guerrilla stunt in New York City this week, one of Donald Trump's critics had the sentences he was caught saying to Billy Bush printed up on posters, which were then hung at the intersection of 30th Street and 5th Avenue as well as in spots in the East Village. The black and yellow printouts bear Trump's face and some of the more inflammatory words written in all caps. Shocking: Posters featuring a quote by Donald Trump popped up on a construction site in New York City on Wednesday 'I did and try and f*** her. She was married. I moved on her like a b***h, but I couldn't get there. And she was married,' the poster says, quoting words Trump was picked up saying on a microphone while in a trailer with Billy Bush. 'You know I'm automatically attracted to beautiful. I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. 'And when you're a star they let you do it. You can do anything... grab them by the p***y. You can do anything,' it concludes with the most headline-grabbing line of the speech. Our president: The posters quoted his infamous words while filming a segment for Access Hollywood in 2005 The quote used on the poster is then attributed to the President of the United States. When President Trump was asked about the crass words during his campaign, he told The Washington Post: 'This was locker-room banter, a private conversation that took place many years ago.' He has since apologized for the offending remarks, however. After the tape was leaked by an NBC News staffer on the Today show, Bush lost his job and shortly after, Trump was elected President. The posters were hung in tight rows on the side of a construction site on top of advertisements already plastered there on Wednesday. Gone: By Thursday, they had been taken down from the street corner They covered two sides of the construction wall at 30th and 5th and quickly caught the attention of passerby in the city, which overwhelmingly voted for Hillary Clinton. According to other people who spotted them on social media, the posters were also hung in several spots in the East Village. However, by Thursday they were already gone, and the wall showed ads for an album by Valerie June and a show for Bastille at the Barclay's Center. It is unknown who was behind the stunt or if he or she will strike again. Going through any surgery can be a distressing experience - but one woman managed it with a smile on her face. Back in December, Brazilian fashionista Thaise De Mari welcomed a baby daughter with her partner, and simply couldn't be happier. In fact, Thaise's joy was clear from the moment her little Carmel arrived - before she was even finished with her C-section surgery. The big moment: Brazilian mom Thaise De Mari shared this selfie taken just minutes after her daughter was born via C-section New arrival: The little girl was born on December 9 at a length of 19 inches and a weight of 7.5 pounds The little girl arrived healthy on December 9 with a length of 19 inches and a weight of 7.5 pounds. In a selfie snapped moments after the baby was carefully removed from her womb, the new mom is seen still lying on the operating table, her partner in a surgical mask and gown and holding their new baby up to her face. Thaise, seemingly undeterred by her current state of being under-the-knife, is seen flashing a gorgeous open-mouthed smile at the camera. Mom and daughter: After the big day, Thaise shared the snap on Instagram with her more than 200,000 followers Snuggled up: She wrote in the caption that the family was smiling with joy over Carmel's healthy arrival The little girl, swaddled in a blue blanket with a white hat on her head, is a little bit less pleased in the moment, her mouth open wide in a cry. Pleased with the picture, Thaise later posted it to Instagram for her 200,000 followers, and it quickly proved very popular. In the caption, Thaise wrote that the family was indeed all smiles at the news that baby Carmel had arrived healthy. Gorgeous couple: The photo has since been liked on Instagram more than 29,000 times To date, the post has been liked more than 29,000 times and attracted nearly 2,000 comments from fans over-the-moon for the young family. 'Seeing this picture, I can only say that I'm dying of love,' wrote one user. Another added: 'What a beautiful picture! Bless the whole family, may Carmel bring much more light into your lives.' A woman was left clinging to life after an allergic reaction to anti-depressants left her burnt from the inside out. Sandy Simonson, 35, from Texas, struggled to breathe as her whole body swelled up and was covered in an angry red raw rash. Rushed to intensive care for emergency treatment, she was diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a rare reaction to a medication thought to affect one in a million people in the population. Scroll down for video Allergic reaction: Sandy Simonson, 35, from Texas, pictured in hospital after her near-fatal allergy to bipolar medication 'I looked like a burns victim on my face,' she recalled. 'The rest of my body was covered in a really bad rash, which felt like I was burning up. 'It was so awful. I didnt think I was going to make it home.' Mrs Simonson, a chemical buyer for a hair manufacturing company, was prescribed medication to treat her bipolar disorder a mental health condition causing extreme mood swings, with symptoms of depression and mania. 'I was given a new prescription at the end of October last year, just starting off with a low dosage,' she recalled. 'I felt fine, so my doctor increased it. But, after about three weeks, I started noticing I was getting a cold and a fever. 'I started to notice my arms and legs were swelling and I itched all over terribly. 'My skin was raised and everything felt swollen my face, my arms, my fingers.' Recovery: Mrs Simonson with her husband, Michael, after her Stevens-Johnson Syndrome diagnosis Painful: After being sent home following her first visit to the hospital, her rash got progressively worse and spread across her body Mrs Simonson's arms and legs broke out in an angry rash that got progressively worse before her eyes Sensitive: Her entire body was painful to touch after it suffered toxic epidermal necrolysis Her husband, senior designer Michael Simonson, 39, took her to the emergency room of Memorial Hermann Hospital and, after assessing her, she was sent home. 'I told my husband that something isnt right. Two days later, we went back to the hospital and Id got a lot worse. My oesophagus was so swollen it started closing up and my skin felt like it was on fire.' At the start of December 2016, medics diagnosed her with StevensJohnson syndrome, a rare disorder that begins with flu-like symptoms, followed by a painful red or purplish rash that spreads and blisters, before the top layer of the affected skin dies and sheds. Discomfort: Mrs Simonson's red rash was clearly visible as it moved across her arms and legs High-risk: Her tongue and oesophagus swelled up and she struggled to breathe Transferred to the intensive care unit, she was stripped and had lotion rubbed all over her body, to try and cool the itching, also being prescribed steroids 'My face had swollen up so badly I really thought I was going to die,' she said. Transferred to the intensive care unit, she was stripped and had lotion rubbed all over her body, to try and cool the itching, also being prescribed steroids. Given a morphine drip to help with the pain, a day into her stay in intensive care, doctors said they believed it was her bipolar medication which had caused the reaction. She was told to immediately stop taking the drug. But this added to her discomfort, as she needs the medication to maintain her mental health. STEVENS-JOHNSON SYNDROME: FACTS Stevens-Johnson syndrome is a rare disorder that affects the skin, mucous membrane, genitals and eyes. The mucous membrane is the soft layer of tissue that lines the digestive system from the mouth to the anus, as well as the reproductive organs and eyeballs. It's usually caused by an unpredictable adverse reaction to certain medications, but can also be caused by an infection. The syndrome often begins with flu-like symptoms, followed by a red or purple rash that spreads and forms blisters. The affected skin eventually dies and peels off. Stevens-Johnson syndrome is a medical emergency that requires treatment in hospital, often in intensive care or a burns unit. Source: NHS Direct Advertisement Mrs Simonson, who was diagnosed with bipolar in October 2015, after trying to take her own life, recalled: 'Before my diagnosis, I had a nervous breakdown and tried to hurt myself. Thats when I realised I needed help and I had bipolar disorder.' Following her extreme reaction to anti-depressants, she spent four days in intensive care, before being transferred to the main hospital for a further four days, until the swelling had reduced significantly. 'When I got home the rash was still pretty bad,' she said. 'It still hasnt completely cleared, but I want to help other people suffering with this condition, let them know they arent alone. 'If I had known my medication would have given me this rash, I would never have taken it.' Now she has been prescribed another medication for her mental health, which has proved successful. The illness, which is a form of Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis, is typically a reaction to a drug or an infection, and can prove fatal. Thermutis Nadier Lawson, founder of Stevens-Johnson syndrome Awareness UK, said: 'Stevens-Johnson syndrome is a devastating and life altering condition leaving most of its survivors and their families with emotional trauma. 'Besides being life threatening in its early stages, many experience various long term complications including fatigue and visual problems.' Health experts fear a random outbreak of yellow fever in Brazil could affect millions if it isn't contained. The entire state of Espirito Santo is now considered at risk for transmission of the virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) claims. But it says it could leave residents in densely-populated cities such as Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo at risk if it spreads. Although the risk remains remote, it comes just one year after the country's dramatic Zika epidemic, which later spread to various parts of the world. Danger: A regional outbreak of yellow fever has manifested in rural Brazil and could affect millions if it reaches densely-populated cities such as Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo The ongoing yellow fever outbreak has so far been limited to rural areas, where it is mainly spread to humans by two rural species of mosquito that likely bit infected monkeys, according to Brazilian health officials. But there are growing concerns it could likely start spreading in a human-to-human cycle via the Aedes aegypti mosquito. That mosquito, common in many tropical and subtropical cities, also carries the dengue and Zika viruses, which has been linked to thousands of babies being born with underdeveloped brains. Possible: Although the risk remains remote, it comes just one year after the country's dramatic Zika epidemic, which later spread to other parts of South and North America In a 2013-17 risk assessment, the WHO advised travelers get vaccinations if they were visiting all but eight Brazilian states - six in the northeast, along with Espirito Santo and Rio de Janeiro. The WHO list now includes northern Rio de Janeiro and all of Espirito Santo, according to WHO guidance updated this week. Brazil's Health Ministry said Tuesday that since December, when the yellow fever outbreak was first detected, there have been 127 confirmed deaths, with another 106 under investigation. WHAT IS YELLOW FEVER? Yellow fever is a serious viral infection that's spread by certain types of mosquito. Its mainly found in sub-Saharan Africa, South America and parts of the Caribbean. The symptoms occur in two stages. The initial symptoms develop three to six days after infection and can include: high temperature, vomiting and muscle pain. Most people make a full recovery with a few days, but 15% will go on to develop more serious problems, including jaundice, kidney failure and bleeding from the mouth. Up to half of these people will die. SOURCE: NHS Direct Advertisement Out of a total 1,500 suspected yellow fever cases, 371 have been confirmed, 966 are still being examined and the rest ruled out. Worryingly, the number of suspected and confirmed cases is Brazil's highest since 2000. Vaccination against yellow fever fell in Brazil's southeast in recent decades because the virus had in large part been eradicated from the region. Now, though, the health ministry is rushing to vaccinate people, sending nearly 15 million extra doses to the newly affected areas. A viral disease found in tropical Africa and the Americas, yellow fever mainly affects humans and monkeys. It is often asymptomatic or mild in humans, but is deadly for monkeys. A sharp increase in the number of dead monkeys found in Brazil's southeast first raised alarm the virus is spreading, especially after a few confirmed cases in monkeys occurred near Belo Horizonte and Vitoria. It is not yet clear what sparked the outbreak. Brazil's health officials are investigating whether it is related to a dam collapse in 2015 at an iron ore mine. The accident, Brazil's worst ever environmental disaster, could have disrupted monkeys' habitat and food supplies. A fraud analyst claims she was wrongly branded anorexic and made to feel a liar by doctors because she vomited 60 times a day - only for them to discover her stomach was actually paralysed. Hannah Leffler, 26, shed more than two stone, dropping from a healthy size 10 to wearing children's aged 10 to 11 clothes in 2014. At first doctors told her it was period pains making her sick and dehydrated, before telling her it was just a bout of constipation. But she was subjected to 12 months of examinations before she was eventually diagnosed with gastroparesis the following year. Doctors even watched her sleep and measured her vomit in an attempt to prove that she had an eating disorder, she claims. Miss Leffler, from Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, now requires a feeding tube for up to 20 hours a day. She also believes that the NHS is 'putting her life on hold' again after her bid for a life-changing stomach pacemaker was turned down. Hannah Leffler, 26, shed more than two stone, dropping from a healthy size 10 to wearing children's aged 10 to 11 clothes in 2014 Miss Leffler said: 'When I got ill I was nauseous and vomiting and had stomach pains. At first I just thought I had a bug, but it got so bad that I went to hospital. 'I was being sick in the toilet, and the doctors took my mum to the side and told her they thought I was anorexic. 'I felt like they thought I was lying about not being able to keep anything down. I just felt they were treating me like a child and believed I was making it up for attention. 'They just gave me a jug of water and told me to drink it and go home and I'd be fine, even when I was still being sick in the hospital. 'It really upset me. I knew how ill I felt and I wasn't making myself sick.' She added: 'I've never had a problem with food, I love food, and we both told them I wasn't making myself sick - but they still kept monitoring me thinking I was hiding making myself sick. At first doctors told her it was period pains responsible for making her sick and dehydrated, before telling her it was just a bout of constipation, she claims. She now requires a feeding tube for up to 20 hours a day (pictured now) 'When I was in hospital I had to be sick in a bowl, I wasn't allowed to be sick in a toilet, and the doctors were measuring the amount I vomited. They still seemed sure that I was making myself sick. 'One night I'd been dosed up with painkillers and I woke up in the night and saw a nurse just sat at the end of my bed watching me with a laptop. I felt like they thought I was lying about not being able to keep anything down. I just felt they were treating me like a child and believed I was making it up for attention Hannah Leffler 'In the morning one of the nurses on the ward said that she'd been there all night watching me.' Miss Leffler first began vomiting in April 2014. But it continued daily, meaning she was forced to visit the Countess of Chester Hospital six times. She claims each time doctors suspected her of having an eating disorder despite her protests. On one occasion, when she was admitted for five weeks in May 2015, she claims a nurse even sat and watched her while she slept to 'catch her' making herself vomit. But in June 2015 she collapsed on the way to visit now-fiancee Stacey Kelly in Liverpool. She also believes that the NHS is 'putting her life on hold' again after her bid for a life-changing stomach pacemaker was turned down Hannah was rushed to the Royal Liverpool University Hospital by ambulance and was diagnosed with gastroparesis after numerous tests. And since November 2015 she has had to be hooked up to a feeding tube for 20 hours a day. On good days she can manage small amounts of food but she will still vomit it back up, and must avoid foods with high fat and fibre content completely. The keen runner, who has been unable to exercise since becoming ill, said: 'Food hardly moves through my stomach. 'I'm sick every day. On a better day it will be around seven or eight times a day, but on a bad day it is between 30 and 60 times. 'I really miss eating a Sunday roast dinner - and I love steak, which I just can't eat because I'm not allowed red meat. 'I'm constantly weak, I need a lot of help getting around. Just walking downstairs is exhausting. Miss Leffler said: 'I felt like they thought I was lying about not being able to keep anything down. I just felt they were treating me like a child and believed I was making it up for attention' 'My mum works mornings and won't get home until 2pm in the afternoon, so I usually have to stay upstairs until she gets home. 'I can't go out that much. If I do I have to know where the toilets are, and it takes a lot of organising. WHAT IS GASTROPARESIS? Gastroparesis is a chronic condition in which the stomach is unable to empty in the normal way. Symptoms including feeling sick and vomiting when eating, bloating, loss of appetite and weight loss. The problem is thought to be caused by a problem with the nerves or muscles controlling the emptying of the stomach. In many cases, the cause of this nerve damage is unknown but it can also be caused by poorly controlled diabetes. Other possible causes include Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and some medications. The condition cannot be cured but it can usually be controlled. Some people are able to manage the condition by changing their diet, for example by eating six small meals a day or by sticking to soft, easily digestible foods. In some cases, symptoms can be improved with medication but other people require injections of Botox into the valve between their stomach and small intestine. If all of these options fail, a patient can have a new procedure which involves fitting a pacemaker device to encourage the stomach to process food. If none of these options succeed in making the stomach process food, the patient will have to be fed through a tube. Source: NHS Choices Advertisement 'I'm back and forward to the bathroom constantly to be sick, and I can be sick any time of the day.' Since her diagnosis, her condition has now deteriorated so much that she is in need of a stomach pacemaker. But she claims her application for the pacemaker, which works by delivering electric shocks to her stomach, was rejected yesterday. Miss Leffler said her only option now, after an appeal, is to raise 20,000 herself to receive the pacemaker privately. She added: 'I'm angry and frustrated, and feel majorly let down. It's like they are putting my life on hold and I'm being looked at as a number and not as a human being. 'My family and Stacey are a massive support. Stacey and I try and joke about it - when we first met she took me out for a really expensive, nice meal, and I threw it straight back up. 'I felt really bad about it, but she put me at ease and joked that I was a cheap date and she could have taken me for fast food instead. 'The pacemaker would just allow me to get back to work and start to live my life again. I'm only 26.' Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust declined to comment. A spokesperson for NHS West Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said: 'NHS West Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group is unable to comment on the outcome of individual funding requests made for treatments which aren't routinely provided by the NHS. 'It is clinical commissioning group policy that notification of the outcome of applications for funding are made only in writing to the referring clinician and, if they are not the applicant themselves, the patient's GP. 'Under no circumstances would the CCG disclose the outcome of an application for funding directly to a patient nor anyone else acting on their behalf.' Anyone wanting to donate can do so here. Daughter of the Empire by Pamela Hicks (Weidenfeld 8.99) DAUGHTER OF THE EMPIRE by Pamela Hicks (Weidenfeld 8.99) Few of us can trace our family history back to the 9th century, but that was the proud boast of Pamela Hickss father, Louis Mountbatten. The 41 generations of his ancestors included two saints, one of whom (Pamelas great-aunt Ella, who was assassinated by the Bolsheviks in 1918) stands in effigy above the west door of Westminster Abbey. Pamelas memoir, which inspired the new film Viceroys House, evokes a life of dazzling grandeur. The marriage of Louis and Edwina Mountbatten was a sophisticated arrangement, involving energetic infidelity on both sides. But they were affectionate, if unconventional, parents. This sharply observed and often funny memoir offers an intimate insight into historical events of the 20th century, from the wedding of the Queen at which Pamela was a bridesmaid (she is a cousin of both the Queen and Prince Philip), to the independence of India, where her father was the last Viceroy. The Lonely City by Olivia Laing (Canongate 9.99) THE LONELY CITY by Olivia Laing (Canongate 9.99) If youre lonely, this ones for you, reads the dedication of Olivia Laings hauntingly elegant exploration of loneliness. Her study of the condition was triggered by personal experience. After moving to New York because Id fallen in love, headlong and too precipitously, she found that her lover had changed his mind. She decided to stay on in the unfamiliar city, despite suffering so painfully from loneliness that I felt I was in danger of vanishing. It was a feeling quite different from the manageable, or even pleasurable, solitude to which she was used. But it led her eventually to explore the ways artists such as Edward Hopper, Andy Warhol and Henry Darger confronted loneliness by transforming it into creativity. 15 Million Degrees by Professor Lucie Green (Penguin 9.99) 15 MILLION DEGREES by Professor Lucie Green (Penguin 9.99) Sunlights ubiquitous and central role in our lives raises the question: what is it?, writes solar physicist Lucie Green. Its a question thats been pondered for thousands of years, but it is only in the past century and a half that we have been able to begin answering it. At Harvard College Observatory in the mid-19th century, a team of women observers, including the prodigiously industrious Annie Jump Cannon, undertook the immense task of categorising every visible star. Their classification system, which organises stars by temperature, is used to this day by modern scientists in their sophisticated investigation of the universe. Professor Green has been studying the sun for 20 years, and her passion for her favourite star shines from every page. The Riviera Express by T. P. Fielden (HQ 12.99) THE RIVIERA EXPRESS by T. P. Fielden (HQ 12.99) Were in Devon in the Fifties, and Miss Judy Dimont, a woman of a certain age, is chief reporter of local paper The Riviera Express. When a train arrives carrying the body of a famous actor, it takes all Judys acumen to unpick the tangled threads of motive and circumstance. Among the glamorous suspects downing cocktails in the Grand Hotel are two beautiful film stars; theres also a full supporting cast of bungling policemen, ruthless fellow hacks and rough diamond photographers to spice up this delicious adventure. Cosy crime is a crowded field, but T. P. Fielden is a fabulous new voice and his dignified, clever heroine a compelling new character. This is the first of a series, and I cant wait for the next one. The Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan (Borough Press 12.99) THE CHILBURY LADIES' CHOIR by Jennifer Ryan (Borough Press 12.99) The church choir in the Kent village of Chilbury is taken over by the ladies after the men leave to fight in World War II. The comfort of the music and their mutual support network helps the women through wartime horrors and terrors, and gives them a whole new self-confidence and courage. Main characters take the tale in turn and the writing glows with emotional intelligence. People are beautifully drawn, especially Venetia, the squires gorgeous daughter, transformed by love from a haughty flirt. Interestingly, for a wartime story, most of the men are horrible, and nothing like as heroic as the women. This atmospheric debut, based on the authors own family history, had me sniffing copiously. The Silent Fountain by Victoria Fox (HQ 7.99) THE SILENT FOUNTAIN by Victoria Fox (HQ 7.99) In this modern Gothic mystery set in a castle outside Florence, narrator Lucy is fleeing from a London scandal in which her lovers wife died. The remote, enclosed Castillo Barbarossa seems the perfect refuge until an account of what happened there starts to emerge. Woven with Lucys tale is the story of Vivien Lockhart, a beautiful Seventies film star who renounced Hollywood to become an aristocrats wife but without bargaining for the aristocrats sister, the malicious Isabella, who cuts up very rough indeed. Feverish, claustrophobic and superbly written, this tale a new direction for writer Victoria Fox draws heavily on Rebecca and Jane Eyre. There is more than one terrific twist and the clever cliff-hanger chapter-endings will keep you compulsively turning the pages. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (Bloomsbury 18.99) LINCOLN IN THE BARDO by George Saunders (Bloomsbury 18.99) As the American Civil War reaches a turning point in February 1862, President Lincolns 11-year-old son, Willie, dies of typhoid. Interred in a Washington cemetery, he is visited by his grief-wracked father who cradles the small, decaying body, thereby trapping the childs spirit in the Bardo, a spiritual transitional point between life and death. From the surrounding coffins rises a cacophony of voices pleading, bewildered, grieving, desperate not to be dead whose stories unpeel the harsh, sometimes shocking American experience. Gradually, their message coheres: Willies spirit must move on. This is an extraordinary novel: structurally inventive, impregnated with bitter grief, the surreal and the macabre and, yet, imparting a joyous relish for life. It wont be to everyones taste, but its impossible to ignore. In the Name of the Family by Sarah Dunant (Virago 16.99) IN THE NAME OF THE FAMILY by Sarah Dunant (Virago 16.99) The Borgias are a byword for the history of the Renaissance. By 1502, Rodrigo rules as Pope in Rome. Observed and documented by Florentine emissary Niccolo Machiavelli, the brilliant, feral and one-time cardinal Cesare, son of the Pope, heads up an army to ensure Borgia dominance. His 22-year-old sister Lucrezia is dispatched by their father to Ferrara to make a third advantageous marriage. Dunants previous novel, Blood And Beauty, traced the rise of this attractive, ruthless and politically adept trio. This dramatises their progress through the fast-moving and often violent political and cultural landscape of their heyday just before Fortunes wheel turns. An intimate knowledge of Renaissance history powers a story crackling with energy. The Witchfinder's Sister by Beth Underdown (Viking 14.99) THE WITCHFINDER'S SISTER by Beth Underdown (Viking 14.99) History can tell us what happened but not what it was like, reflects Alice, sister of Matthew Hopkins, the notorious Witchfinder General. This distinction is crucial to her analysis of her younger brothers transformation into the infamous persecutor of more than 100 women in Essex from 1644-46. Recently widowed and pregnant, Alice has returned to live under her brothers roof only to find he is engaged on this sinister and obsessive mission. She is an intelligent observer, but she struggles to make sense of what drives him. Is his nature inherently evil? If so, is hers? In this confused state, she discovers a secret. Plot and prose flow confidently and, if Alice comes across occasionally as too knowing, she is complex and believable. An assured and accomplished debut. MORSE CODE WRENS OF STATION X by Anne Glyn-Jones (Amphora 20) The climate was steamy, alcohol was plentiful and there was a ratio of 200 servicemen to each Navy Wren stationed in Gibraltar during World War II. Arriving in 1943, an excited Anne Glyn-Jones thought her chances of finding romance looked promising, but soon found herself exhausted from the effort of boosting garrison morale and nursing bruised feet from too many dances. Soon, she and her friends decided that on the whole we hated men. We should like to go out for the evening for a quiet, relaxed, uncomplicated visit to the cinema with a girlfriend. Morse Code Wrens of Station X by Anne Glyn-Jones (Amphora 20) She says that British servicemen treated them with respect, but that the Americans assumed our work at code books and wireless sets was a blind for our main usefulness. Clever Wrens like Glyn-Jones played a crucial role in the war. As special ops telegraphists, they were trained to track submarine signals from the depths, translate the Morse code of the German Navy and send the results off to a place called BP, which they did not need to know stood for Bletchley Park. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Womens Royal Naval Service (WRNS) and in this bright, brisk memoir, 94-year-old Glyn-Jones takes us back to a time when women were making their first steps into the British forces. Like many other middle-class girls of her generation, Glyn-Jones went straight from boarding school into the services, attending her interview in her school coat. She brushed off an offer from Oxford, only relieved that the war had not ended before shed been able to do her bit. To begin with, she was more concerned about her lack of social refinements than her ability to do the job. But after a few weeks in the world of life-and-death decisions, she would struggle to recognise the girl who had fretted over the correct way to hold a cocktail glass. When I applied to be a telegraphist, I saw myself as a sort of 999 telephone operator, taking pleas for help and sending ships to the rescue. Instead, I was to listen to some German sailor then do my best to get him killed She was shocked when she realised the significance of her job. When I applied to be a telegraphist, I saw myself as a sort of 999 telephone operator, she writes, taking pleas for help and sending ships to the rescue. Instead, I was to listen to some German sailor then do my best to get him killed. I felt no animosity whatever toward German sailors with their blue eyes and caps with ribbons hanging down the back. I felt as if I had been appointed a member of an execution squad. But after June 25, 1942, at the first report of the Nazi regimes systematic extermination of the Jews, Glyn-Jones steeled herself. It had to be stopped, she writes. No matter what. Her memory still sharp, Glyn-Jones is surprisingly readable on the technical aspects of the job, straining for strands of Morse Code amid the cacophony of the airwaves, surfing the frequencies past the calls of Chicago taxis to zone in on the frantic sounds of sinking ships. Shes great on period detail. Her mum would send her the treat of a sandwich spread made from white sauce, Marmite and parsley to relieve the monotony of beetroot sandwiches made with slices of grey National Loaf. Glyn-Jones emerges as a bold protofeminist, demanding acknowledgement, promotion and payrises for the Wrens valuable work, when the authorities treated them as invisible. She railed against the impractical skirts they were expected to wear aboard ships! stating bluntly that it takes a mans clothing to live a mans life. After the war, Glyn-Jones had to make the difficult choice between Oxford and marriage to her Navy boyfriend. She chose Oxford and after years of uniform rules and deck scrubbing the most vulgar and ostentatious nail polish she could find. The Wrens did get medals but, she sighs: When invitations said that they were to be worn, Wrens would polish up their husbands miniatures for them. Our own we would leave in cotton-wool in the stocking drawer. Glyn-Jones remains unimpressed by the certificate the Government finally sent her in 2009 in thanks for her service. For 30p I found a suitable frame in a local charity shop, she sniffs, and hung it in the downstairs loo. President Pranab Mukherjee's speech in Kochi last week was twisted out of shape by the media. Primetime news anchors, eyes glinting ominously, said the President had warned against growing intolerance. They highlighted this part of the President's long speech: 'I do not consider a society or state to be civilised if its citizens' behaviour towards women is uncivilised. 'When we brutalise a woman, we wound the soul of our civilisation. Not only does our Constitution guarantee equal rights to women but our culture and tradition also celebrate the feminine as divine. President Pranab Mukherjee's speech in Kochi last week was 'twisted out of shape' by some in the media 'Protection and safety of our women and children must be a nationwide priority. The acid test of any society is its attitude towards women and children. India should not fail this test.' Protest Every word of this rings true. But most sections of the media did not highlight the rest of what the President said, including: 'Universities must engage in reasoned discussion and debate rather than propagate a culture of unrest.' President Mukherjee was telling the protesting students of Delhi University (DU) to stop turning universities into hotbeds of anarchy. The cabal of quasi-intellectuals though again raised the war cry: India has become intolerant; there is no room for dissent; freedom of speech is under threat; democracy is being subverted; nationalists are jingoists; nationalism is the pathway to fascism. Democracy over Nationalism: AISA and Jawaharlal Nehru University students hold a protest demanding the arrest of Akhil ABVP members Students of DU, led by the Left, AAP and Congress, marched raucously against curtailment of their freedoms. They did not realise that their march contradicted everything they were protesting against. They spoke freely against the government. They exercised all the freedoms citizens in democracies enjoy. And yet they protested angrily that India was an intolerant, unfree country. The irony escaped them entirely. The real target of the Left-AAP-Congress protests against 'intolerance and the stifling of dissent' is the growing ascendancy of the Narendra Modi-led BJP government that threatens the established order. For nearly 70 years, politicians, journalists, intellectuals and industrialists formed a cosy clique. They called themselves the elite. There was little dissent. How could there be? Members of the clique, despite cosmetic ideological differences, were cut from the same cloth. ABVP activists during a protest against Delhi Police at Police headquarters in New Delhi The British had gone, but their worst habits stayed: classism, snobbery, elitism. Emergency came and went. Indira Gandhi sent thousands of journalists, activists and Opposition leaders to jail without trial. But as one of the founder members of the crony elite, Mrs Gandhi is today regarded by some as India's best ever prime minister, not the subverter of Indian democracy during 21 months of the fascist Emergency. As the years rolled by, governments too came and went. The BJP took office in 1998. But Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was cut in a Nehruvian mould. He admired dynasty. He was not the man to rock the boat. The Congress nodded in satisfaction. The crony elite was safe: out of office, but in power. DU campus witnessed violence on February 22 over an invite given - but later withdrawn - to Umar Khalid and Shehla Rashid at a seminar in Ramjas College Intolerance Then it all changed. The son of a mother who washed others' utensils, and of a father who sold tea, became the prime minister. Worse, Narendra Modi had the effrorentry to mock the crony elite and especially its reigning family, the Gandhis. That was intolerable. Students of history and media will notice that India became an intolerant society suddenly on May 16, 2014. Not during Indira Gandhi's draconian Emergency. Not during the 1984 anti-Sikh pogrom. Not during the banning by Rajiv Gandhi of Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses. India became intolerant only after Modi became PM. It was the election Narendra Modi that threatened the 'elite's decades-old power' So intolerant that he allowed Arvind Kejriwal to call him a psychopath and coward without a word in recrimination. Mullahs issued fatwas to behead Modi. They did so freely, again and again, without fear or fetter. And yet the crony elite, furious with Modi for usurping their decades-old power, parroted the fiction that freedom in India was being threatened, dissent stifled, democracy endangered. Message Large swathes of media, corrupt and intellectually lazy, amplified this fraudulent message. They picked stray cases to prove it: first, Kanhaiya Kumar, now Gurmehar Kaur. Kaur, the daughter of Captain Mandeep Singh, and a student of BA first year of Lady Sri Ram college was targetted by trolls after speaking out during the violence In Gurmehar's case, the media cynically conflated the unacceptable online abuse and threats of violence against a martyr's daughter with alarmist warnings of a general breakdown of law and order across India which of course was nonsense. Gurmehar's case has two elements. Both need to be treated separately. The first is online threats of rape. It doesn't matter who the culprit is (his identity is still under investigation). Online abuse and threats of violence are a criminal offence. Punish them under the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). The second element in Gurmehar's case, unconnected with the first, is whether as an alleged AAP supporter she was politically motivated to target the BJP's often hopelessly witless student wing, ABVP. But even if she was, she is only guilty of deception by not making full disclosure of her political affiliation while appearing to be apolitical during her protest. That's not a crime. The threat to rape is. Meanwhile, the death of Lance Naik Roy Mathew after a sting operation by a journalist for a website, designed to entrap him, shows how standards in Indian journalism have fallen. That's what being handmaidens to a crony elite - India's 'basket of deplorables' - does to journalism: it sucks away both intelligence and integrity. The ISIS connection to Tuesday's Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train blast has given intelligence agencies fresh urgency in hunting sympathisers of the extremist group living within India. It is believed that 20-odd Indian operatives were fighting for Daesh in Iraq and Syria and they may well try to re-enter the country after heavy defeats there. According to officials, the train blast was the first major ISIS operation in India. Arms, ammunition and other items recovered after suspected terrorist Saifullah was killed in a 12-hour long operation in Lucknow 'ISIS has been routed by national forces in Iraq and Syria and their members are on the run. 'Our biggest worry is about the ISIS fighters who may be forced to return to India after their defeat We are tracking them and are on the lookout for possible routes from where they would try to re-enter India,' a top government official said. Around 20 highly-educated Muslim students, most of them from Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Maharshtra and Tamil Nadu had left India over the last few years to join ISIS to wage a war against the governments in Iraq and Syria to establish a caliphate there. Sources said there have been cases where the highly-indoctrinated youth have carried out strikes in Bangladesh, including the massacre in a cafe in Dhaka, and have been active against rationalists and Hindu bloggers there. Sources said states such as UP and Madhya Pradesh are on the radar for possible ISIS activities due to the recent propaganda surges on social media in these areas. The explosion happened at about 9.50am near Jabdi station in the Ratlam division On the waving of ISIS flags in Kashmir valley by the separatists while protesting against Army troops there, officials said there is no major activity there so far. Sources said terror groups like Hizbul Majahidden and LeT are still the major operators in Kashmir but there were reasons to be worried about the terrorist outfit as they have set up bases in country's western neighbourhood. 'There is no evidence of any ground activity in Kashmir but we are keeping an eye on the situation as ISIS operatives have been active in places like Karachi in Pakistan, where they carried out attacks They are not very far away from Kashmir or from India,' the official said. Sources say that an effort may be made to counter ISIS in the Valley by spreading the message about what their presence would mean for locals, especially women, as they would be caged inside houses as seen in the middle-east. Meanwhile, on Tuesday's operations in Lucknow against suspected ISIS terrorists in which one operative Saifullah was killed by the UP police Anti Terrorist Squad, the sources said the Intelligence Bureau was tracking this group online for last few months using sophisticated equipment of the National Technical Research Organisation. Agencies of various state governments were also involved. 'The outfit which carried out the attack on train is a home grown and self-radicalised group inspired by the ISIS activities on the internet. The six men arrested in UP and MP were in touch with each other on social media,' they said. The sources said the terrorists had not stepped out of India at any point of time but were guided by the ISIS ideology. 'We are still probing how people sitting several hundred kilometers away from each other came in contact and planned a coordinated attack on the train,' they said. Sources said intelligence agencies are also upgrading their capabilities to flush out more such groups where members chat with each other based on fake identities and in codes to carry out their missions. Naxal influence among students of premier institutes - thrown once more under the spotlight by the indictment and sentencing of DU professor G N Saibaba and others - are being taken by law enforcement agencies extremely seriously. Former inspector general of police (IGP) of Nagpur range and now IG state CID (crime) Ravindra Kadam told Mail Today that Naxal activities were going on in Jawaharlal Nehru Uuniversity and Delhi University at an alarming rate and magnitude. 'JNU and DU continue to be hubs of Naxal activities where indoctrination of students continues at an alarming rate. The Democratic Students' Union (DSU) that is active in DU is neck-deep in such activities,' said Kadam. G N Saibaba and four others were awarded life sentence on Tuesday by a Gadchiroli court 'Prof Saibaba was the fountainhead of indoctrination and is guilty of converting students who came in his contact. Arrests in Gadhchiroli led anti-Naxal squad to Saibaba and several implicating digital records of such activities were found and submitted to the court.' Meanwhile, highly placed sources in the Delhi Police special cell suggested to Mail Today that several students and organisations that have had active association with Saibaba and others such as JNU student Hem Mishra, who was also sentenced on Tuesday, are on their radar and under surveillance. Even, some teachers from both the campuses, said police sources, were being watched closely. Maharashtra Police sources told Mail Today that a few JNU students had joined the underground Maoist cadre at the behest of Saibaba. Hem Mishra, arrested in 2013, was a DSU member and was sentenced with the professor Maharashtra Police have also said those students who joined the Maoists in their anti-state struggle were members of DSU, the same students' body Umar Khalid -who made it to fame owing to the Afzal Guru commemoration row - had once been associated with. Earlier, Kadam said that Saibaba had been active with Left-leaning students of both JNU and DU, and indoctrinating and recruiting them for the Maoist movement. Gadchiroli police had arrested Saibaba in 2014 for his alleged links with the Maoists. 'While Prof Saibaba was working in DU, he was also associated with students' activities in the JNU and DU, especially the DSU. Saibaba used to guide students from these universities. Saibaba was first picked up from his house in Delhi in 2013 and found with incriminating letters and a memory card 'In the course of time, he had even prepared and recruited four students as Maoist cadre,' Kadam had told Mail Today on an earlier occasion. Incidentally, his name had cropped up during the interrogation of Mishra, also a DSU member, who was arrested by the Maharashtra Police in Gadchiroli district in August 2013. The suspended DU professor and four others were held guilty of having links with the Maoists and sentenced to life imprisonment by a court here in Maharashtra Tuesday. A sixth convict was sentenced to 10 years in jail. Principal Judge of Gadchiroli District and Sessions Court Suryakant Shinde delivered the verdict. Besides Saibaba, the others to get life term were Hem Mishra, Prashant Rahi, Mahesh Tirkey and Pandu Narote. Vijay Tirki was awarded 10-year rigorous imprisonment. The judge also imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 each on the convicts. Shinde had observed that accused no. 1 to 6 are active members of CPI (Maoist) and Revolutionary Democratic Front. The prosecution has proved that all the accused conspired together to carry out illegal and violent activities of the banned organisation, he said in his 826-page verdict. The judge said the disability of wheelchair-bound Saibaba is no ground for showing leniency towards him. Though he is physically handicapped, he is mentally fit and acted as a thinktank and high profile leader of CPI (Maoist) and RDF. Defence lawyer Surendra Gadling said they would challenge the order in the Bombay High Court. Missing, found, and missing again this is the official status of 11 children rescued from a city brothel in 2015, as heard by the Delhi High Court. These kids, between 4 and 13 years of age, were allegedly handed over to some unidentified members of the public who introduced themselves as their parents. But authorities now suspect that the adults were in fact not the children's parents as they are now unable to trace the children. The Delhi State Legal Services Authority has challenged the order of a city child welfare committee, saying due process was not followed and has sought an inquiry. Missing, found, and missing again this is the official status of 11 children rescued from a city brothel in 2015, as heard by the Delhi High Court (picture for representation only) The high court has issued a notice to the state, the child welfare panel and the child care homes that had kept the children with them. Thousands of kids go missing every year often abducted for sexual exploitation and are never found. On June 22, 2015, 56-year-old Anita, a social activist working for the welfare and rehabilitation of the children of sex workers at Delhi's GB Road, rescued 11 kids from the brothel on the request of women claiming to be their mothers. These kids were produced before the CWC in Lajpat Nagar. Of these 11 kids, five were minor boys and six minor girls. Seven children were sent to Jyoti Home and the three boys were sent to Ummeed Aman. Six days later, the alleged mothers appeared before the CWC with a number of unidentified men and demanded to take the children back. The DLSA in the petition says that till the time the children were restored with the parents, these women kept coming to the committee daily and created a commotion. 'The Lajpat Nagar police was also informed about the ruckus but did not take action,' the plea said. The 'parents' said they were victims of the 2015 Nepal quakes and moved here after their houses were destroyed. While the restoration was still underway, legal services advocate Anuradha Vashisht had submitted objections before the CWC Lajpat Nagar, highlighting certain discrepancies. 'The interaction with the children revealed that they were brought from Nepal at the time of quake; their nationality is yet to be verified. 'Bringing kids from Nepal, keeping them in brothel, asking their custody within a period of one month shows something is very wrong in the matter. 'Keeping kids in NGO was pre-planned to keep children in a safe place. It seems that the children were kidnapped for some ill motive,' said Vashisht in her report. The report which was accessed by Mail Today revealed that the address of the children during the rescue was GB Road. However, the address mentioned in the child restoration form is: Majnuka- tilla, Punjabi Basti, Civil Lines, Delhi. The mother's name is different at the time of seeking protection and claiming custody. Thousands of kids go missing every year often abducted for sexual exploitation and are never found (file pic) Child rights activist and advocate Anant Kumar Asthana says that returning a child to his or her parents is not always a fool-proof process. When a child is handed over to a parent, regular visits to the kid's home are made for next two years. DLSA alleged that when the time came for the follow-up visits, it turned out that the children could not be traced. 'Restoration of children is carried out casually across the country, largely because child welfare committees lack required degree of procedural and functional competence,' said Asthana. Saffron ascending? BJP President Amit Shah Riding a tsunami of support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP seems poised to pull off one of the most spectacular victories in Uttar Pradesh's electoral history. According to the post-poll analysis by Axis My India for the India Today Group, the party is projected to bag 251-279 seats in UP. Axis projects the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance will get only around 88-112 seats, while the BSP is forecast to crash somewhere between 28 and 42 seats. As well as boosting morale, a win in the trendsetting state would dramatically amplify the BJP's strength in the Rajya Sabha, and will have a key influence on Modi's chances of clinching a second term as prime minister in 2019. Saffron wave A deep dive into the post-poll study suggests that the BJP has literally pulled Uttar Pradesh back from the brink. The last opinion poll done by Axis right between the first phase of voting in UP had shown the BJP sliding while the SP-Congress combine was ascendant. Before the first phase of elections, momentum favoured Akhilesh Yadav. However, the young CM seems to have been hard hit by a double whammy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi waving at a crowd during the road show in Varanasi, India The fact that Akhilesh did not dissociate with Shivpal Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav despite winning the battle for the cycle (SP's election symbol) and that he allied with the Congress seems to have backfired on the chief minister. The Axis poll suggests that the ruling Samajwadi Party may have been better off had it not allied with the Congress and instead gone to the hustings alone, riding on Akhilesh's positive image. Axis projects that the Congress will win only 10-15 seats of the 114 that it fought, while the SP is projected to bag between 78 and 97 seats. BJP president Amit Shah's ticket distribution came in for much criticism from local party leaders in Uttar Pradesh. But if the Axis My India projections hold, Uttar Pradesh will once again prove to be a happy hunting ground for the master strategist. After big defeats in Delhi and Bihar, Shah needs a resounding victory to prove why he's regarded as India's numero uno election tactician. Towards victory: The BJP is projected to bag 251-279 seats in UP One of the biggest reasons for a possible BJP sweep in UP, the poll data suggest, would be the consolidation of non-Yadav OBCs solidly in favour of the party, as this section seems to have felt neglected under Samajwadi Party rule. Axis projects that the BJP will bag 57% of the Kurmi vote, 63% of the Lodh vote and 60% of the remaining non- Yadav OBC vote. Many of these communities voted for the SP in the last elections in large numbers, which was part of the reason that the party did so well in 2012. Winning big One of the masterstrokes of Amit Shah seems to have been the projection of Keshav Prasad Maurya as the state unit chief of the BJP. His elevation seems to have helped convince the non-Yadav OBCs that they would have a key share of the spoils if the BJP won and that the party was serious about shedding its 'upper-caste, trader-dominated' image. If the exit poll numbers hold, Maurya would be the front-runner to be the next chief minister. Keshav Prasad Maurya is the front-runner to be the next chief minister The aggressive wooing of the Rajbhar community in eastern UP and the alliance with the Kurmi-dominated Apna Dal also seems to have helped the BJP in its strategy to stitch a rainbow coalition of upper castes and non-Yadav OBCs. The vote share projections by Axis My India show that the alliance with the Congress does not seem to have helped the Samajwadi Party in any significant way. The coalition is projected to garner 70% of the Muslim vote, which is roughly the same as what the SP was winning even without a partnership with the Congress. The alliance is expected to net about 80% of the Yadav vote, which is slightly more than what the Axis opinion poll had shown in December 2016. However, it seems Akhilesh was not able to translate his development work and youth appeal among other communities into a significant amount of votes. The SP-Congress alliance trails the BJP in all age groups, including among the youth. The BJP is projected to bag 34% of the youth vote while the SP-Congress is expected to grab 31% of the youth vote. The BSP has been hit hard because, despite having the first-mover advantage when it came to seat distribution, Mayawati's party does not seem to have been able to add other communities to the BSP bandwagon though it's holding on to its support among the Jatav community. Axis projects that BSP will bag 77% of the Jatav vote. However, the BSP's hold over the non-Jatavs is slipping fast. Axis suggests that BSP will bag only 43% of the non- Jatav vote share whereas the BJP is projected to bag a significant 32% of the non-Jatav vote share. An analysis of the caste-wise break down of the Axis My India data suggests that demonetisation does not seem to have been a major turn off for BJP voters. The BJP is expected to bag 64% of the Baniya vote. Its sway amongst upper castes remains strong. Exit poll pundits give three states to BJP By Mail Today Bureau Most polls forecast a close fight between the Congress, which is seeking to return to power in Punjab after a hiatus of 10 years, and Arvind Kejriwals AAP, making its debut in the assembly polls in the state. The exit polls also predict victory for BJP in Uttarakhand, but the saffron party, though likely to lead the table in Goa, was projected to fall short of a majority in the tiny coastal state. Projecting a clean majority for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, the Todays Chanakya poll gave the saffron group 285 seats, with SP-Cong way behind in the tally at 88, followed by the BSP at 27, and a near-rout for the Ajit Singh-led Rashtriya Lok Dal. The exit polls also predict victory for BJP in Uttarakhand Times Now-VMR poll forecast 190-210 seats for the BJP in the UP assembly, while India News- MRC gave it 185 and ABP- Lokniti CSDS 164-176 seats. If BJP wins UP, it will be a return to power for the party in the politically significant and volatile state after 15 years. The three polls projected 110-130, 120 and 156-169 seats respectively for the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance and 57- 74, 90 and 60-72 seats for the Mayawati-led BSP. While Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP combine was projected to be decimated in Punjab which it has ruled for a decade. All polls showed the alliance getting reduced to a single digit ally. However, India TV-C Voter projected 59-67 seats for debutante AAP and 41-49 for the Congress. BJP looked set to return to power in Uttarakhand, with India Today and News 24 projecting a comfortable majority for the party, giving it 46- 53 and 53 seats respectively, in the 70-member House, way more than the halfway mark of 30. However, India TV gave 29 and 35 seats to the two parties. India TV predicted a hung assembly, projecting 15-21 seats for the BJP and 12-18 for the Congress. In the NDTV poll of polls, an average of several exit polls, the BJP was projected to win 179 seats, the SP-Congress 136 and the BSP 77 seats in the countrys largest state. It forecast 55 seats for the Congress in Punjab, closely followed by the AAP with 54 seats. The incumbent Akali Dal-BJP alliance was predicted staring at a virtual decimation with only 7 seats in the 117-member assembly. In Uttarakhand, it gave the BJP a majority with 43 seats followed by the ruling Congress with 23. In Manipur, it predicted a close fight between the ruling Congress and the BJP with the former getting 26 and the latter 24 in the 60-member assembly. Congress has been ruling the northeastern state for the last 15 years. Delhi Police have registered an FIR against a dozen students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) while demanding to meet the vice-chancellor. The students wanted to meet JNU's V-C M Jagdish Kumar, who refused to do so as he was unwell that day. Delhi Police registered the FIR at Vasant Kunj police station following written complaints given by the JNU registrar on Wednesday night. At this point it is not known what exactly the students wanted to talk to the vice-chancellor about. Protest on campus: JNU students sing songs during a protest 'On February 27, a bunch of suspended students were protesting against the JNU administration. 'The officials of JNU managed to remove the blockage done by agitating students. As soon as they went inside administrative block for routine work, the suspended students followed them and shouted slogans against the V-C. 'They wanted to resolve their concerns with him, but the V-C reportedly refused due to his illness,' said Chinmoy Biswas, Additional DCP, South Delhi. The students held a protest outside the V-C room and when the latter refused. They entered into room number 225 and stayed there for the entire night. The students were repeatedly asked to leave the place to which they have denied until their demand were fulfilled. During the argument between the officials and the students, a student threatened the officials to commit suicide if the V-C would not meet them. The student climbed on the roof-top of administrative building and threatened to jump from there. Meanwhile, the health of the V-C also deteriorated and officials called for an ambulance. The agitating students blocked the way of the ambulance and when Dr Gautam Patra tried to enter the V-C room, he was also stopped by them. Constant protest: JNU Teachers' Association President at the campus of New Delhi's prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University Since the matter was quite sensitive, the V-C has finally decided to meet them. He has constituted a team comprising senior officers of JNU. 'The V-C was afraid that he might be attacked by the agitating students,' said Biswas. Delhi Police had registered an FIR under Indian Penal Code sections 341, 342, 504 and 34 in Vasant Kunj north police station. The registrar has also given video evidences and names of students those were present at the time of meeting. Delhi Police are currently investigating the matter. Major Rishi R of the 42 Rashtriya Rifles has played a huge role in bringing stability to the turbulent Tral area in the Valley after leading several successful operations against militants hiding in Jammu and Kashmir. On March 4, duty called again as two terrorists - a local Kashmiri named Aquib and Lashkar-e- Toiba militant Farsan were cornered by the army in a house in Tral. The operation to apprehend them lead to a 16-hour pitched gunfight that ended with the death of the two terrorists. Major Rishi was the first to reach the scene and it was his quick thinking and courage eventually won the day for the Indian army. Commanding his company in the Tral area, Rishi, who hails from Kerala, quickly deployed his troops and plugged any escape routes for his two targets. Aquib was the longest-surviving local militant from the area, army sources said. Within a short span of time, the troops had laid the cordon and occupied tactically advantageous positions. They then started the process of planting explosives in the house to make the terrorists reveal their positions. Major Rishi moved into the house himself for the task. 'He moved in first to plant the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) to bring the house down. 'This is considered to be the most dangerous and challenging job in an operation. 'He led his very professional Quick Response Team into the firefight, placed the IED and blew up a portion of the house,' the source said. Due to the first explosion, the terrorists were forced to retreat into the rear portion of the house, giving the army team and local police troops an advantage to corner them further. However, after the continuing gun battle, the troops attempted to blow up the remaining portion of the house to further isolate their targets. The Major again volunteered to enter the house and place the IED. He went inside in pitch black conditions in the middle of the night. 'While returning, Rishi spotted a better location and decided to place the bombs there as it would do more damage to the house,' the source said. As soon as he placed the bomb, one of the terrorists opened fire at him from point-blank range and a bullet directly hit Rishi's face, severing his nose and badly damaging his cheek bone and jaw. An Indian paramilitary soldier stands guard at a closed market as it snows during a general strike in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir Despite the grave injury, the officer realised that if he allowed the terrorist to move further, his team would be endangered. 'That very moment, the Major sprang up and used his AK- 47 rifle against the terrorist in the quick moment before escaping outside safely with his team,' the sources said. Army sources who have served alongside Maj Rishi, say he is responsible for bringing in peace and stability to Kashmir while it was burning after Burhan's Wani's death. 'His ability to speak and make friends with everybody resulted in him making many friends among locals notorious for spitting on patrols in the area after Burhan's elimination, the area under him was the quietest with no stones thrown,' they said. The officer is now recuperating in the Army Research and Referral hospital in Delhi. He can't speak but is interacting with family and colleagues through notes as he awaits more surgeries on his face. The officer, his friends say, wants to return to the place where he last saw action even as locals from Tral ask about his health. Privacy Overview This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. The recent arrest of around half a dozen alleged ISIS jihadists from UP and MP, and the Lucknow encounter in which one member of the ISIS module was killed is illustrative of the countrywide link to the jihadists. Over the last couple of years, the ISIS footprint has been discovered in at least a dozen states of India Telangana, Andhra, Kerala, Karnataka, MP, UP, Maharashtra, Bengal, Rajasthan, J&K, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. But until now, most of the modules have been quite amateurish. Arms, ammunition and other items recovered after suspected terrorist Saifullah was killed in a 12-hour long operation in Lucknow Barbarism They easily came on the radar screen of the intelligence agencies which monitored them for months and busted them before they could cause any major damage. But India cannot bank upon the terrorists continuing to make mistakes. Sooner rather than later some of these guys will smarten up and it will become much more difficult for the under-equipped, under-resourced, under-staffed intelligence agencies to remain ahead of the curve, even less so if the ISI expands its terror campaign in India under the brand name of ISIS. The Intelligence Bureau has received information that the Islamic State is making an effort to recruit youths from India From the information available in the public domain about the latest ISIS module, we know that these guys were influenced by ISIS and were not only in contact with the ISIS in Syria but also with an ISIS cell which had been busted some months back. What we don't know for sure is how much the ISIS was actually involved in directing their operations and in providing them with funds, weapons and training. In the case of most ISIS modules discovered in India, what we know until now is that most of the people who got attracted to and influenced by the ISIS were scouring Jihadist websites online. What we don't know is whether they were already inclined to the post-modern medieval barbarism that ISIS represents and their ideological connect with the ISIS was merely a natural progression of the jihadist virus that already existed in their heads, or whether these guys were radicalised purely by ISIS propaganda. A photo of suspected ISIS terrorist Saifullah, killed in a stand off with Police What we do know is that once potential jihadists got hooked in the virtual world, they were contacted by someone in the real world who then gave them instructions and, in some cases, tools to carry out their grisly task. What we don't know enough is who these real world 'mentors' are. Are they actually ISIS guys or are they pretending to be ISIS guys? If the former, then does it mean that the ISIS has managed to get a core group of guys on ground in India to push their agenda? If the latter, then is ISIS only seducing these aspiring jihadists without any network on ground? What is the over-lap of the ISIS network with criminal syndicates that funnel the money and provide the weapons and explosives, even training, to the wannabe jihadists? Is there some sort of loose Jihadist consortium comprising local, regional and international with the local guys carrying out the operations, the regional jihadist groups (read ISI led and inspired Pakistani groups) providing the logistics and the international groups claiming credit? Damage Until recently, the clear and present threat to India was from the ISI controlled jihadist groups which are believed to have a reasonably big network inside India. Now, increasingly, it is feared thatthe plural of ISI ISIS could also be emerging as a potent threat. Plus, there is the Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) which is lurking in the wings. This means India could see attacks that are either inspired or directed by the ISIS, or attacks that are launched by the ISI (through its auxiliaries commonly referred to as 'non-state actors'), or even an attack that is carried out by people who think they are working for ISIS or AQIS but who actually have been working inadvertently for the ISI. As yet, there is no real evidence of the ISI operating under the brand of ISIS. Two ISIS suspects were holed up in a house on outskirts of Lucknow But the possibility of this happening is quite real. For the Pakistanis, the idea is to cause grievous damage to India, and the label under which an attack is mounted is incidental. Earlier it was Indian Mujahideen, now it could be Islamic State Khorasan or AQIS which gives Pakistan plausible deniability. Potential jihadists, even if they are loath to becoming Pakistani stooges, might readily join ISIS or AQIS to become part of the global jihad without knowing that they were being manipulated and exploited by the ISI. Influence While the ISIS will have some difficulty in setting up base in India, the ISI has a network and capability to provide weapons, explosives, training, funding and take care of logistics much more efficiently and effectively than ISIS. What is more, the indoctrination and recruitment that ISIS does from nodes in Syria, Iraq and even Europe, can be done just as effectively from Pakistan, or by Pakistanis operating from the very same places from where the ISIS operates - the LeT has a presence in Syria. Although the threat of an ostensibly ISIS inspired but actually ISI planned attack in India cannot be ruled out, in J&K the danger is even greater of such a thing happening. ISIS attack in India? Smoke lingers after a blast in the Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train near Jabdi station in Shajapur district in Madhya Pradesh Just as in Afghanistan, the Pakistanis are peddling the line - the Russians, Chinese and even some Americans have fallen for it hook, line and sinker - that the Taliban are the only bulwark against the growth of ISIS, in J&K we could see the Pakistanis peddling the line that unless Kashmir is solved according to Pakistani wishes, the ISIS will strike roots in the state. India, therefore, needs to remain alive to the danger that even as it builds up its capacity and capability to combat the ISIS influence on Indian Muslims, it doesn't allow the ISI to carry out its terrorist operations by disguising them as an ISIS or AQIS attack. The writer is a strategic affairs analyst and an expert on Pakistan. Deal: SoftBank boss Masayoshi Son is keen to attract international investment Saudi investors are taking a 25 per cent stake in British chip designer ARM just six months after it was bought by Japanese firm Softbank. It is understood Softbank, which bought ARM for 24billion in the summer, is placing a 6.6billion stake in the firm into its 82.2billion investment fund. Billionaire Softbank boss Masayoshi Son is keen to attract international investment into his so-called Vision Fund, and this deal is seen as key to this. Son wants to secure billions of pounds from Abu Dhabi-backed investment group Mubadala, in a bid to raise investment for innovation such as artificial technology and internet-linked household gadgets. But if the deal, as reported in the Financial Times, is true it will give the Saudis increased influence over one of Britain's brightest technology firms. ARM designs microchips for vehicles, Apple iPhones, Galaxy smartphones and Amazon Kindle e-readers. It is also ploughing greater investment into the driverless car industry and is planning projects in robotics and automotives. It was widely considered to be the jewel in Britain's technology crown, and seen as key to Britain's domination of connected devices. While its sale to the Japanese was backed by the UK Government, it was widely criticised for letting yet another UK-owned company fall into foreign hands. The Government is believed to have been made aware of yesterday's stake sale, although is not thought to have raised concerns. It is thought the transfer of the stake into the Vision Fund was to appease investors, who want ARM to form part of its investments. Softbank is putting about 20billion into the fund, with others expected to invest including Apple, Qualcomm, Oracle founder Larry Ellison and Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn. ARM and Softbank declined to comment on the reported sale. It is understood Mubadala is in talks with Softbank, and expects to make an announcement next week. Mubadala, which did not respond to requests to comment from the Daily Mail, told the Financial Times: 'We're having ongoing, fruitful discussions over our participation in the fund. 'ARM is certainly a strong technology company with great, continued potential. The Abu Dhabi group has been focused on growing its technology investments over the past decade, including in the semiconductor sector.' Mubadala will invest as much as 12.3billion in the fund and should reach a formal agreement by the end of this month, according to reports. That would make it the second-biggest outside contributor after Saudi Arabia's 37billion. The deal will spark further questions about the loss of ARM to foreign owners, and coming so soon after Softbank's purchase could raise concerns over its commitment to the UK. When it bought the Cambridge-based firm, Softbank pledged to embark on a major recruitment drive while keeping its headquarters in the UK. But questions have been asked over the legality of that commitment the promises are untested and there is no precedent for enforcing them. News of the Softbank takeover came just after Britain voted to leave the EU, and Downing Street called it a vote of confidence in Britain. But at the time, ARM founder Hermann Hauser said he was 'disappointed' the company would no longer be British-owned. 'I still regret the fact we have lost our last independent high-tech company with a global reach,' he said. 'There was no reason for change. It had 1billion of cash and had got it right for the last 30 years.' It will also throw Son's investments into scrutiny. In December Son pledged a $50billion (41.1billion) investment in the US, which he said would create 50,000 jobs a move US president Donald Trump said was a direct result of his election win. Sky deal: Rupert Murdoch 21st Century Fox said it 'welcomed' a government review SKY REVIEW Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox said it 'welcomed' a Government review into its 11.7billion deal to buy the 39 per cent of Sky it does not already own. It said: 'We are confident this transaction would not result in there being insufficient plurality in the UK.' CAIRN CONFIDENT Cairn Energy says it is 'well-positioned' to make more money for shareholders. It is set to see the first oil from its Catcher and Kraken developments in the North Sea this year. Cairn also has developments in Western Sahara, Ireland and Senegal, from where first oil is expected between 2021 and 2023. CONTRACT WIN Engineering giant Amec Foster Wheeler has won a 43.4million contract from Italian oil company Eni. It will build a steam-reforming plant for hydrogen production at Eni's refinery in Gela, Italy. GOLD PROMISE East Africa- focused gold producer Shanta Gold has reported 'encouraging' results from exploring the New Luika gold mine in Tanzania. Drilling has found significant estimates of gold, with the first due to be extracted in the second quarter. CMC DEAL Shares in broker CMC Markets jumped yesterday after it unveiled a deal with the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group. It could lead to a 24.9million revenue boost. REVENUE RISE Fuel cell technology developer Ceres Power said revenue of 1.5million during the past six months was triple the same period a year ago. It has also had its first major US deal and signed development agreements including with Honda and Nissan. WELLS SALE AIM-listed Northern Petroleum has agreed to buy more wells and facilities in Alberta, Canada and hopes to produce oil from them this year. It is buying 75 per cent of the assets, with its joint venture partner High Power Petroleum buying the remaining 25 per cent. SLIMMER STAIRS Plane-maker Airbus is considering doing away with the grand staircase on its Airbus A380s in order to revive sales. It said the change would add 40-50 seats on the double-deck airliner. VODKA SHAKE-UP Vodka producer Stock Spirits, now run by new chief Mirek Stachowicz, has cut the number of products and replaced its Polish senior managers. Prices are now in line with rivals in Poland, which it said would affect margins. Sales fell 0.7 per cent from 228.3million to 226.8million in 2016, while profit rose 24.5 per cent to 34million. MEAL DEAL Frankie & Benny's owner Restaurant Group is cutting jobs and overhauling its menu in a bid to win back families. The group, which operates 488 restaurants, has been hurt by competition in the casual dining market from rivals such as Nando's. JOB LOSS Barclays is shutting a mortgage centre with the loss of 60 jobs. The centre in Llanishen, Cardiff, will close in the next 12 months. The Government has agreed to soften the blow for small businesses that face a massive hike in business rates next month. Pubs that with a rateable value of less than 100,000 will be offered a 1,000 discount on business rates bills in 2017. Firms that are pushed out of small business rate relief in April will see their business rates bill capped at an additional 50 a month. And the Government will make 300million available to local authorities 'to deliver discretionary relief to target individual hard cases in their local areas'. The announcement came as part of Chancellor Philip Hammond's first and last Spring Budget What are business rates? The announcement came as part of Chancellor Philip Hammond's first and last Spring Budget this week, during which he also launched what many small businesses described as an assault on Britain's entrepreneurs. Business rates are a tax charged on properties used for work purposes. They are payable on almost all places of work, including shops, offices and factories, and also on guest homes and holiday rental properties. The tax is based on the 'rateable value' of your business premises and is calculated for the Government by the Valuation Office Agency. Why is there a row over business rates? The reason rates are rising is that business premises across the country are about to be revalued for the first time in seven years, affecting millions of SMEs and leaving some seriously out of pocket. Hammond said: 'Ahead of this revaluation, the Government committed to a package of cuts to business rates now worth nearly 9billion, permanently doubling the rate of Small Business Rate Relief to 100 per cent and raising the thresholds so that 600,000 small businesses are taken out of paying rates altogether. 'But the revaluation has undoubtedly raised some hard cases, especially for those businesses coming out of Small Business Relief. 'So today, as I promised many of my right honourable friends I would, I address those concerns with three measures which apply to the national business rates system for England.' Business rates raise 25billion per year all of which, by 2020, will be going to fund local government. 'We cannot abolish them, as some have suggested,' said Hammond. 'But, it is certainly true, in the medium term that we have to find a better way of taxing the digital part of the economy. The part that does not use bricks and mortar. 'But in the meantime, there is scope to reform the revaluation process, making it smoother and more frequent, to avoid the dramatic increases that the present system can deliver.' To deliver this, Government will 'consult' with the industry and small businesses before the next revaluation is due. What's are business rates changes? In last year's Budget, the Government revealed that it was revaluing all of the rateable properties in England, Scotland and Wales. The tax is normally recalculated every five years, so the Government is two years overdue in its assessments - one of the reasons why the hike is particularly painful this time. Not only will the rateable value of many businesses change but the multiplier will too. The Government points that it has lowered this slightly, meaning the overall tax collected remains the same. However, it is still one of its largest sources of revenue for the state. There is good news for some micro businesses who will benefit from a doubling of rate relief. From April, businesses with a rateable value of 12,000 won't have to pay anything, double the current limit of 6,000. There will also be tapered relief for businesses with a rateable value of 15,000 or less. The Government says this will mean 600,000 businesses will pay no rates at all, while a further 50,000 will pay less at first. It also claims the collective amount that businesses pay towards the tax will fall by 6.7billion over the next five years. Philip Hammond's first and last Spring Budget delivered small respite for small firms What changed in the Budget? First, no business losing small business rate relief will see their bill increase next year by more than 50 a month, and the subsequent increases will be capped at either the transitional relief cap or 50 a month, whichever is higher. Second, Government will provide a 1,000 discount on business rates bills in 2017 for all pubs with a rateable value of less than 100,000 thats 90 per cent of all pubs. And third, local authorities will get access to a 300million fund to deliver discretionary relief to target individual hard cases in their local areas. Hammond said: 'Taken together, this is a further 435million cut in business rates, targeted at those small businesses facing the biggest increases, protecting our pubs, and giving local authorities the resource to respond flexibly to local circumstances.' What do small businesses think? Analysis by research firm Capital Economics suggests that many firms will see their business rates bill fall as a result of the fall in rental values over the revaluation period, or at worst stay unchanged. However, much of the concern has centred on the potential scale of the increases likely to be faced by the losers, particularly those based in London and the South East. Tenants in Londons office and retail markets seem likely to face business rate hikes of 40 per cent or more, said the firm. Jim Meakin, accountancy firm RSMs head of tax, said the measures unveiled today 'to lighten the load' were received by small businesses as 'something of a sticking plaster rather than a fundamental immediate reform'. Mike Hodges, partner at accountancy firm Saffery Champness, explained: 'Businesses up and down the country have been squealing at the prospect of rates hikes, and the furore meant the Chancellor couldnt ignore the fallout. The three-pronged approach will be welcomed by many business ratepayers. 'But these are just transitional measures which will delay the pain and the prospect of yet another period of consultation may dampen the spirits, with a sustainable, long term solution to business rates policy still seemingly a long way off.' Anne de Kerckhove berated the Budget as an 'abrasive' attack on digital businesses Digital businesses could be next in the firing line In his Budget speech Hammond also admitted that a rethink is needed 'in the medium term... to find a better way of taxing the digital part of the economy' in the Budget. Anne de Kerckhove, chief executive of digital subscription firm Iron Group, berated the Budget as an 'abrasive' attack on digital businesses. 'Despite Philip Hammonds assertion that entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of our economy and his assurance that business rate increases will be minimal for small businesses, his seemingly abrasive reaction to digital businesses and the tax they pay, paints them as a liability rather than an asset,' she said. 'The UK has been experiencing a start-up boom in recent years, with 80 new companies born per hour last year complementing the 58,000 digital businesses that are currently active in the UK - so essentially by suggesting that there will be tax increases for those digital businesses that dont have a physical shop window, is biting off the hand that feeds our GDP.' George H W Bush seemed to have fully recovered from the bout of pneumonia that kept him in the hospital for two weeks earlier this year as he and his wife Barbara picked up an award for their service to the Jewish community Wednesday. The former president and first lady both received their award in person at the Mensch International Foundation in Houston, Texas and condemned recent bomb threats and vandalism against Jewish institutions in the nation. Their son, Neil Bush, spoke on his parents' behalf and said they understand this is 'not a time for silence or ambivalence or indifference'. He said they asked him to speak out on the 'depravity in our midst and continue to condemn it in clear and simple ways', noting that society has come 'too far and too many have struggled for too long and have sacrificed too much for us to go backward'. George H W Bush and his wife Barbara picked up an award for their service to the Jewish community Wednesday in Houston, Texas The former president, 92, and his wife, 91, both appeared on the mend after spending some time in the hospital in January, for pneumonia and bronchitis respectively The outing came a month after Bush, 92, came home from the hospital, where he spent some time in the ICU and needed a breathing tube for a couple of days. His wife, 91-year-old Barbara, kept him company after being hospitalized for five days and receiving treatment for bronchitis. The illnesses kept the couple from attending the presidential inauguration on January 20, with their son George W Bush announcing that he and his wife Laura would represent them instead. Before the inauguration, the elder Bush sent a letter to Donald Trump saying that his doctor had told him that going to the event would put him 'six feet under'. The elder Bush and his wife, who were married 72 years ago on January 6, 1945, have had the longest marriage of any presidential couple in American history. Their family kept giving supportive updates throughout their hospitalization. A spokesman told the DailyMail.com after Bush was released from the hospital that his son and fellow former president was happy to know his father was back home. '43 is just thrilled that 41 is home and well,' the younger Bush's spokesman Freddy Ford said, calling George Bushes by their numbers in the order of US presidents. Their son, Neil Bush, spoke on his parents' behalf and said they understand this is 'not a time for silence or ambivalence or indifference' The outing came a month after the elder Bush came home from the hospital, where he spent some time in the ICU and needed a breathing tube for a couple of days An abusive boyfriend who scalped his girlfriend and ordered his pit bull to attack her told a judge to skip the lecture as he was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Zachary Gross, 31, was sentenced on Wednesday for his first-degree assault conviction, when he was ordered to spend two decades behind bars. A jury last month found him guilty of first-degree assault in the September 2015 attack, which happened at Gross's trailer in Deer Trace, The Kentucky Enquirer reports. Gross continued to maintain that his dog 'Capone' was responsible for the injuries to Marilyn Stanley. Scroll down for video Zachary Gross, 31, was sentenced on Wednesday for a first-degree assault conviction after he scalped his girlfriend and ordered his pit bull to attack her. He smirked in court just before he was was sentenced to 20 years in prison Gross told Boone County Circuit Judge Rick Brueggemann he feels 'horrible' over what happened, but claimed he was not responsible, WLWT reported.. 'For her injuries I feel horrible for what happened,' Gross told Judge Rick Brueggemann. 'I don't feel responsible. I maintain my innocence. It is what it is. I'm not asking for your mercy. Just give me the 20. I don't need a lecture'. Stanley said she needed a half-dozen surgeries and suffered permanent nerve damage. A trauma surgeon testified at Gross' trial that cuts to her head were consistent with the use of a sharp knife. Marilyn Stanley was left with serious injuries She remained silent during the hearing, but in an interview outside the courthouse, she talked briefly about the trauma she had endured. She cannot regrow the hair on top of her head, and has to constantly wear a wool knit cap. 'In anything he has said throughout this entire process, he hasn't had any remorse for me,' she said. She has no memory of the scalping, which severed an artery, and prosecutors said that it was likely she lost consciousness due to the trauma and blood loss. A trauma surgeon testified during the trial that linear cuts to her head were consistent with the use of a sharp knife. 'It's been proven,' Stanley said. 'I went in there and I had my scalp. I left and I didn't.' The judge also ordered that Gross's pit bull be euthanized. The animal ripped apart one of Stanley's ears during the attack. According to prosecutors, Gross launched the attack after flying into a jealous rage when he saw a photograph another man had posted on Facebook of Stanley in a park with her son. Marilyn Stanley (pictured outside court) cannot regrow the hair on top of her head, and has to constantly wear a wool knit cap Stanley needed a half-dozen surgeries and suffered permanent nerve damage. She also has to wear a wool cap as she cannot regrow hair on her head Posecutors said that after the incident he told her: 'You're bald now. Who's going to want you, now?' Sentencing Gross, Brueggemann told him that he hopes he will find remorse. 'It is very apparent,' the judge said, referring to text messages revealed during the trial, 'you viewed not just the victim but other women as objects for your own gratification. 'Your disregard for the value of their lives has led to where you stand today.' Gross was ordered to serve the 20-year-maximum sentence for the assault conviction and an additional year for a probation violation related to the conviction. He was also given an extra 34 days in jail for making an obscene gesture at a television news camera during the trial. A man has been shot nine times in the chest after answering a knock on his door just after midnight on Thursday. Police arrived at the Gilles Plain home just after 12.30am before the victim was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital, where he remains in surgery with non-life threatening injuries. Police are investigating links the man may have with infamous outlaw motorcycle gang, the Rebels. Scroll down for video The gunman fired nine shots, four of which hit the man on his chest, just after midnight north of Adelaide The gunman is on the run with authorities saying that they do not believe that this was a random attack. Speaking to 5AA SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said that the police are searching for a silver car last seen in Northfiled and that the victim is known to SA Police. Police also questioned a woman at the property on whether the man had any ties to outlaw motorcycle gangs. Forensic crews remain at the Lurline Avenue home continuing their search for any evidence and fingerprints. Police say that the victim is known to police and that they are looking for a silver car last seen in Northfield which they believe is linked to the shooter Neighbours say police had visited the Gilles Plains home several months before but that the street was normally very quiet Neighbours waking up this morning have told of their shock of hearing about the violent shooting. 'It's pretty scary because we've got a baby on the way,' neighbour Sheridan Copley told The Advertiser. 'I didn't hear anything because I'm a deep sleeper but it's pretty scary - it's not what I want to wake up to.' Ms Copley added that the police had been at the property several months ago, but that the street was normally very peaceful. A former female German teacher at an independent school has faced court accused of grooming a male teenage student for sex. The teacher, 41, who worked at an Adelaide school, faced court on Wednesday, The Advertiser reported. The Adelaide Magistrates Court heard allegations the woman 'abused her position of authority in the community' while she was a teacher at the school. A former teacher at an Adelaide school has faced court accused of grooming a male teenage student for sex (stock image pictured) A court has heard allegations a female teacher made a teenage male student 'amenable to sexual activity' (stock image pictured) She allegedly made a male teenage student 'amenable to sexual activity' while she was counselling him, the court heard. However, the teacher has pleaded not guilty to an aggravated count of making a child amenable to sexual activity at various locations throughout South Australia. The 41-year-old has been ordered to stand trial in the District Court of South Australia at a later date. She is on strict bail conditions, banning her from making contact with the alleged male victim or his family. She is also not allowed to leave South Australia. Male students from two New Zealand private schools have been suspended after sexually harassing female staff members and making derogatory comments about women online. Four Year 9 students from St Patrick's College in Silverstream, north east of Wellington, were suspended after inappropriately filming two female staff members. A day earlier, two students at Wellington College were suspended after writing the private messages and public Facebook posts, reported stuff.co.nz. Male students from two New Zealand private schools have been suspended after sexually harassing female staff members and making derogatory comments about women online (pictured) The students are from Wellington College and St Patrick's in Silverstream, north east of Wellington (stock image) One Facebook message read: 'If you don't take advantage of a drunk girl, you're not a true WC (Wellington College) boy'. Another Facebook post, which was public, read: 'F*** women'. St Patrick's College rector Gerard Tully confirmed the school had been dealing 'a most distressing' incident of sexual harassment. 'It involves four Year 9 students and the victims are two staff members. The incident involved inappropriate filming of the staff members,' Mr Tully said. 'Our absolute priority is for the safety, support and recovery of our staff members. The students involved have been suspended from school, pending a hearing with the Board of Trustees Discipline Sub-Committee. 'Out of concern for the recovery of the victims I will not be commenting further.' Two Year 9 students from St Patrick's have been involved in an incident of sexual harassment. Pictured is the school's rector Gerard Tully who said the priority was the safety, support and recovery of the staff members The four Year 9 students from St Patrick's (pictured) are said to have inappropriately filmed two female staff members In an official statement Wellington College headmaster Roger Moses described the Facebook comments as 'deplorable' and 'appalling'. He said the school was taking it extremely seriously and the comments did not reflect its values in any way. 'The boys concerned have been spoken to and the senior leadership team has launched an investigation,' Mr Moses said. It comes a day after two senior students from Wellington College (pictured) wrote on Facebook: 'If you don't take advantage of a drunk girl, you're not a true WC boy' and in another post commented 'F*** women' Wellington College headmaster Roger Moses (pictured) described the Facebook comments as 'deplorable' and 'appalling' and said the school was taking the matter extremely seriously 'The school will be working with Rape Crisis and other agencies to make sure that boys understand the meaning of consent and the importance of respect in relationships. 'The boys have been given a clear message that part of being a good man is respecting women.' Mr Moses said had also urged parents at the school to speak to their sons about the meaning of consent and respect and about the risks of posting comments on social media. Scores of British Muslims are joining ISIS because they think they can 'get an AK and get forgiven by God at the same time.' The startling revelation is made by two young Muslim men, best friends Waseem Iqbal and Naveed Ahmed, on tonight's episode of Channel 4's Extremely British Muslims. Many recruits come from a life of crime and see Islamic extremism as a chance to regain status and feel a sense of belonging, claims Waseem. He reveals: ''Youve got people that are sort of like ex-bad boys that still have that gang mentality. And if you want to be in a gang, whats the biggest gang in the world right now? Its ISIS.' Pictured: Extremely British Muslims follows best friends Naveed Ahmed and Waseem Iqbal around Birmingham and offers an insight into the life of a young Muslim man in Britain This week's show focuses on what life is like for young Muslim men in Britain and follows Waseem and Naveed around Birmingham, their home city. The cameras accompany them visiting their friends, their favourite fish and chip shop and their place of worship, the Birmingham Central Mosque. But while the opening scenes offer an interesting insight into their lives - the most compelling moment comes when the pair, who turned their backs on a life of crime, are asked why they think young men in their community are attracted to joining ISIS. Waseem explains: 'ISIS is the biggest most baddest gang in the world right now. They [recruits] think you can get an AK and get forgiven by God at the same time.' He adds: 'And for a lot of these guys, Ill be honest with you, its that they dont have friends or theyve had a messed up childhood and they think ''finally I can be part of something. I can be part of something powerful and I can be part of this gang. Pictured: Waz (left) and Nav (right) turned their backs on a life a of crime to re-embrace Islam 'Yeah, brotherhood and yeah, nobody can mess with us and yeah, I can go to Syria and Iraq'' and theyre just trying to get a sense of purpose in life. However Waseem and Naveed are keen to point out that Birmingham was not a breeding ground for terrorists and that attacks like those in Paris, in November 2015, were just as concerning for the Islamic community. Waseem reveals: 'Generally, when people ask a Muslim person ''how do you feel about ISIS or about what happened in France?'' TERRORISM HOTSPOT Earlier this month a report revealed that one in ten of all British terrorists come from five districts within Birmingham, where Extremely British Muslims is filmed. It showed that 26 of the 269 jihadis came from Springfield, Sparkbrook, Hodge Hill, Washwood Heath and Bordesley Green. The report from security think tank the Henry Jackson Society also found: The number of Islamist terror offences doubled in the five years to 2015 from 12 to 23 a year. Womens involvement in Islamist terrorism in the UK has trebled in the same period from 4 per cent to 11 per cent Bombing is the most common type of offence planned or committed Only 10 per cent of terror attacks were carried out by lone wolves unconnected to wider networks Advertisement 'The answer is quite simple really, we feel exactly the same as the rest of the British public and we do feel a bit alien when the public distinct or separate us from everybody else. 'Like we should feel any different, obviously we feel unsafe like everybody else.' Although now devotees of Islam, Waseem and Naveen did not always embrace the religion. They admit they shared time on the wrong side of the law but are reticent to talk about it. Asked by a producer on the documentary 'What were you up to?' Naveen replies: 'No comment.' Providing an insight into his run-ins with the law, Waseem recalls: I remember a lot of the time back then I would be getting in to trouble with the police. I remember them coming to my house to my parents, knocking the door and coming in and they were just searching the house for whatever... It happened a few times, getting into trouble. The pair turned back to Allah to find happiness and direction Waz tells cameras that he believes many young Asian men are attracted to ISIS because it offers them the chance 'get an AK and get forgiven by God at the same time' Earlier this week a report from a think tank claimed that Birmingham was a 'major terrorism hotspot'. Findings by the Henry Jackson Society said Birmingham and London have produced the most terrorists in the UK. Out of the 269 Britons convicted of Islamist terrorism offences or killed as suicide bombers, between 1998 and 2015, 49 came from the West Midlands. However, Reza, another of the young Muslim men interviewed during Extremely British Muslims, stresses many muslims do not allign themselves with terrorists. Discussing an article which claimed one in five British Muslims sympathise with jihadis, he says: 'None of us would ever sympathise with a terrorist. 'Another person would read that, a non-Muslim, and would think ''all these Muslims agree with terrorism and they condone it''. Far from it. 'But there has to be some people that are sitting in prison that have been residents of Birmingham and we can't deny that and those bad apples need to be weeded out.' During last week's episode, cameras were allowed inside Birmingham's Central Mosque to document the proceedings of a Sharia court, which seek to provide Muslims with resolutions to financial, familial and marital disputes. Viewers witnessed the struggle of mother-of-four Fatima, 33, as she sought permission to divorce the drug dealer husband she said had emotionally abused her throughout their 14 year marriage. Johnthony Walker (pictured in his mugshot from November), 24, had several complaints about his behavior lodged against him in the weeks before he crashed a bus with 37 children on board A Tennessee bus driver who was at the wheel when his vehicle crashed and killed six children has been indicted. Johnthony Walker, 24, faces six charges of vehicular homicide as a result of the November 21 tragedy in Chattanooga. Authorities have said Walker was speeding when the bus swerved into a tree with 37 elementary school students aboard. He is alleged to have been driving around 20 miles per hour above the 30 miles per hour speed limit. And police allege he was using a cellphone when the bus crashed. Grand jurors have also charged Walker with four counts of reckless aggravated assault, one count of reckless endangerment, one count of reckless driving, and one count of use of portable electronic device by school bus driver, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. All the children who died were aged between six and 10. The children killed by the crash were D'Myunn Brown, six, Zyaira Mateen, six, Cor'Dayja Jones, nine, Keyonte Wilson, eight, Zoie Nash, nine, and 10-year-old Zyanna Harris. Court: Johnthony Walker appeared in Tennessee court on Thursday where a judge put him in front of a grand jury who will decide if he will faces manslaughter charges for the deaths of six children in November Walker's arraignment is scheduled for March 24 before Criminal Court Judge Don Poole. He has been in jail since the crash, and is facing an estimated 12 lawsuits as a result of the fatal crash. His lawyer, Amanda Dunn, has previously said he'll plead not guilty if indicted. Victim: Eight-year-old Keyonte Wilson was named as the sixth child to have died in the horrific bus crash in Tennessee Victims: Zyanna Harris (left) and Cordayja Jones (right) were among six children who died Tragic: D'Myunn Brown, 6, (left) also died in the crash, along with six-year-old Zyaira Mateen (right) She said in December that evidence yet to be submitted suggested 'different versions' of what happened, especially in relation to the speed Walker was driving. She also pointed out that her client had helped at least two children off the bus. Students and administrators had raised concerns about Walker's behavior behind the wheel in the weeks before the crash, it is alleged. The company that provided the school district's bus services, Durham School Services, has said it will implement millions of dollars in safety upgrades across the country in response to the crash. A young man took his own life after he was hounded by debt collectors who claimed he owed Centrelink $17,000 in overpaid benefits. Rhys Cauzzo, 28, a part-time florist and musician, died on Australia Day after failing to resolve the issue with the government welfare agency. His girlfriend had tried to help him answer the letters and make phone calls while his mother Jenny Miller travelled down from the Sunshine Coast to visit him in Melbourne. They helped him visit a Centrelink branch to sort the situation out but it was to no avail and before he committed suicide, Mr Cauzzo drew pictures in his notebook of a stick man holding a gun to his head and dollar bills coming out of his body like blood. Rhys Cauzzo, 28, a part-time florist and musician, took his own life on Australia Day after failing to resolve the issue with the government welfare agency Mr Cauzzos family blame the Department of Human Services - who continue to deny that there is a problem with Centrelink's debt recovery system. Ms Miller who suffers from depression like her son said she knows that financial problems can seem 'insurmountable' when battling the condition. Centrelink were aware of her son's depression, she told news.com.au. 'These government agencies, youre just a number. They need to start looking at people as individuals,' she told the website. She said when she called Centrelink after her son's death, she was put on hold for an hour. When she then rang the governments debt collection agency she got a cold response, but the CEO later called to apologise. Ms Miller (above, with her son) who suffers from depression like her son said she knows that financial problems can seem 'insurmountable' when battling the condition She thinks that her son didnt have the help he needed to cope. 'You just want to stop that hurt, you're aware of everything happening around you, but you're in a void and can't get out,' she added. Mr Cauzzo's older brother Josh said the government failed his sibling and calls their claim that he had been overpaid by $300 a week 'absurd.' The 34-year-old mechanic, who lives in Sydney, said he didn't see much of his brother in the last year of his life because of his anxiety about travel. He also said that his brother didn't open up too much about his problems. 'I don't think he wanted to fully tell me, he was embarrassed,' Josh told news.com. He added that the 'aggressive' debt collectors had given his brother just six days to pay the bill, threatened to garnish his wages and seize his assets - and 'pushed him over the edge.' 'My little brother didn't brother didn't set out to defraud the system, he needed welfare to survive,' he added. Centrelink has sent around 200,000 letters about possible benefits overpayments since introducing its automated system last July. The system is now being investigated after it prompted a huge backlash and complaints of inaccurate bills, overstretched staff at local branches and long call waiting times. Department of Human Services General Manager, Hank Jongen, said help is always available to those experiencing difficulties. 'We express our sincere condolences to the family and friends. We understand this is an extremely difficult time for all involved and we do not wish to further their grief by discussing the case in detail,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'Its really important all welfare recipients understand help is available if they are experiencing hardship and need immediate assistance.' He added: 'While were required to recover overpayments, we can work with people to set up repayment plans appropriate to their circumstances and in some cases defer debt recovery. We also have social work services available to help those who need extra support. 'We strongly encourage anyone who is contacted by the department about a debt to respond and keep us updated. When we are informed about changes or difficulties they are experiencing, we can help tailor a solution for their situation.' Contact beyondblue Support Service 24/7 on 1300 22 4636, or via the online chat service daily from 3pm to midnight (AEST) at www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support For confidential support call the Lifeline 24-hour crisis support on 13 11 14. Former first lady Michelle Obama surprised a group of ecstatic students at a Washington school Wednesday in honor of International Women's Day. Obama posted about her visit to Cardozo Education Campus, a combined middle and high school, on Snapchat, where she said she was surprising a group of girls before entering the classroom. 'We're celebrating International Women's Day with a group of amazing women, and we're going to talk about the importance of education in their lives and mine,' Obama's Snapchat story begins before she walked into the classroom. The students, which several are from the school's international program for recent immigrants, were shocked and delighted by Obama's visit. Scroll down for video Surprise: Former first lady Michelle Obama (above) surprised a group of ecstatic students at Cardozo Education Campus Wednesday in honor of International Women's Day (above) Obama posted about her visit to the school on Snapchat, where she said she was surprising a group of girls before entering the classroom The students, which several are from the school's international program for recent immigrants, were shocked and delighted by Obama's visit, as some even started crying (above) Obama visited the school to speak with the girls 'about the importance of education in their lives' during a round-table discussion (above) When she entered the room, the mother-of-two was met with gasps as some students could be heard saying 'oh my God'. She posed for photos with the girls, and participated in a round-table discussion about education. Obama tweeted after the visit that she was 'so impressed by the extraordinary girls' who 'represent the beauty and diversity of this country.' The 53-year-old Chicago native also took to her Instagram to share a photo and reflected more on her surprise visit to the school. 'Celebrating the beauty and diversity of our country on this #InternationalWomensDay with some of the many fierce and promising girls here at DC's Cardozo Education Campus,' she wrote. The former first lady also hugged the students, who were more than overjoyed to have the rare experience to chat with Obama. She also thanked the students for letting her surprise them The 53-year-old mother-of-two also posed for a group photo with the students at the school 'I loved visiting this school because it tells the American story in so many ways. Three years ago, Cardozo established its International Academy with only 150 students, but today it boasts nearly 400 who are thriving in and out of the classroom. 'By embracing young immigrants and their diverse cultures and contributions, Cardozo is a model for our entire country. 'The girls I met with today are ready to take on the world. We've just got to make sure that the world is ready for them.' Just last week, the former first lady surprised students at Ballou STAY (School to Aid Youth) High School in D.C., which is an alternative school for students to complete their high school education. A mum-of-two was left bewildered after she was hit with a fine for parking on her own driveway and on a nature strip opposite her house. Tanyia Johnson, from Springvale, Melbourne, received two $93 fines for parking her car in her driveway which leads into her backyard. She was also handed a ticket for parking on a nature strip which sits directly opposite her house and 'does not block any pathway'. Tanyia Johnson (pictured) stands in her driveway where she was fined for parking Tanyia Johnson has parked her car on both her driveway and the opposite nature strip and was fined twice Ms Johnson says her and her family have used those parking spots for nearly 60 years and was shocked to find she was expected to cough up cash for parking in her own driveway. Worst times for parking fines The peak time parking officers target drivers is between the hours of 11am and noon. During the pre-lunch hour in Australia's capital cities and CBDs is the worst time and drivers are more likely to be slapped with fines. The golden lunchtime hours see parking officers issue three fines every minute in busy CBD areas. Source: Herald Sun Advertisement Neighbours who also live on Moncur Avenue in Springvale, Victoria were hit with several parking fines during the period of February 28 to March 1. 'It's a joke,' Ms Johnson told Leader Community News. 'For 57 years Ive parked in that driveway. Weve never had a problem. Now Im ringing the council and all theyll tell me is theyre looking into it.' The Melbourne mum says there are no parking restriction signs and they were given no warnings. The tickets were issued by the City of Greater Dandenong and read: 'Stopped on or across a driveway or other way of access.' The Melbourne mum was shocked to find a $93 ticket on her dashboard for parking in front of her own home 'It's a joke': Ms Johnson was given a ticket after parking in her own driveway (pictured) in Springvale, Victoria Ms Johnson and her neighbours have contested the tickets but have not received a response from the council. Her neighbours Vickie Efthimiou and Wajahat Latif were also doled fines for parking on the nature strip and are battling against the council for the 'unfair' tickets. The City of Greater Dandenong spoke to Daily Mail Australia said the council had received complaints about cars blocking pedestrian access on Moncur Avenue. 'There were total of four fines issued between Feb 28 and March 7 in Moncur Avenue Springvale. Three of these fines related to obstruction issues including parking across footpaths and blocking access to driveways,' the council says. The nature strip (pictured) opposite Ms Johnson's home has been parked on by the family for nearly 60 years 'One additional fine was issued for parking on a nature strip. This vehicle had received a warning previously. Additional warnings were issued to other vehicles parked on nature strips in Moncur Avenue during this timeframe.' The council added: 'Councils local law officers attended Moncur Avenue after receiving a number of complaints about vehicle owners repeatedly parking on nature strips and footpaths in Moncur Avenue, with one resulting in an incident impacting pedestrian safety. The nature strips are being damaged and in some cases motorists line of sight was blocked or obscured by illegally parked vehicles' A man has been found guilty of sexually assaulting two 16-year-old girls after placing them in a headlock and threatening to stab them. Antony Lyall Cottam was found guilty at the District Court of Western Australia on Thursday of unlawfully detaining and indecently assaulting the teenage girls in October 2015 at Waikiki beach, south of Perth. Cottam, who denied the charges, was found not guilty of additional allegations that he touched a 42-year-old woman's thigh in a Rockingham car park earlier the same day, according to Perth Now. Antony Lyall Cottam was found guilty on Thursday of sexually assaulting two 16-year-old girls at Waikiki Beach (pictured), south of Perth, in 2015 The teenage girls were exercising near Waikiki a beach lookout when Cottam approached them on a bicycle. The girls tried to leave but Cottem followed them and grabbed them by their necks, prosecutor Sean Dworcan told the jury. Cottam told the pair 'girls always blow him off' before threatening to stab them when they began to shriek, Mr Dworcan said. He kissed one of the girls while touching her thigh and groped both of the girls' breasts, the jury heard. Cottam was convicted at the District Court of Western Australia (pictured) of unlawfully detaining and indecently assaulting the teenagers Mr Dworcan said the girls were able to escape after Cottam asked one of them to perform oral sex on him and she punched him while pretending to oblige. The teenagers then ran away and told police of the incident. Cottam's lawyer Steven Shadgett told the court his client was not in the area and argued that another person had assaulted the girls. Cottam will appear in court again in May for his sentencing. Two dozen suspects have been indicted in the 'biggest gun bust in Brooklyn history.' Police have recovered more than 200 guns, including AK-47s, AR-15s and MAC-10s, and dozens of ammunition rounds in the weapons smuggling ring bust. The 24 suspects are charged with gun trafficking and other crimes in the 627-count indictment which accuses them of conspiring to bring smuggle guns into New York City from Virginia. Two dozen suspects have been indicted in the 'biggest gun bust in Brooklyn history'. Just some of the seized weapons are laid out before the press Brooklyn cops broke up an alleged Virginia-based weapons-smuggling outfit and seized 217 weapons (pictured are some of the weapons) Many of those indicted have ties with Bloods gangs in Virginia and Brooklyn, according to Acting Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. One suspect is from Brooklyn, another is from the District of Columbia, and the rest are from Virginia. He said that the group used the proceeds from their gun smuggling ring to fund a lavish lifestyle, buying drugs and going on elaborate shopping sprees to buy jewelry, clothing, and sneakers. The suspects were caught on court ordered wiretaps, describing themselves as traffickers and mocking Virginia's weak gun laws, he added. The alleged gun runners used code words like 'food' for ammunition when discussing their scheme, authorities said. 'Over and over again, New York City finds itself the final destination for illegal firearms,' said New York City Police Commissioner James P. O'Neill. The Acting District Attorney identified the leaders of the conspiracy as Damian King, a.k.a. Havoc, Jacquan Spencer, a.k.a. Madcat, and Levar Shelborne, a.k.a. Wavy Boy, while Aaron Horowitz. a.k.a. Gringo, was their crucial link in Brooklyn, authorities say 'Too often our citizens become victims of the associated gun violence. Our investigators and prosecutors will continue to relentlessly pursue those responsible for trafficking in illegal guns, wherever they are.' ''In this unique case, we charged more defendants and recovered more firearms than in any other case in Brooklyn's history,' Gonzalez said. 'We will go wherever we must, including other states, to continue fighting the scourge of firearms trafficking. We will not rest until every individual allegedly importing illegal guns into our borough and with them death and violence has seen their names on an indictment like this one.' The Acting District Attorney identified the leaders of the conspiracy as Damian King, a.k.a. Havoc, Jacquan Spencer, a.k.a. Madcat, and Levar Shelborne, a.k.a. Wavy Boy. The defendants were arrested last week, mostly in Virginia. The 24 suspects are charged with gun trafficking and other crimes in the 627-count indictment which accuses them of conspiring to bring smuggle guns into New York City from Virginia The bust brings an end to a nine month investigation that targeted Bloods gang members in both New York and Virginia. The Virginia operation had roots in Henrico and Richmond counties, as well as the cities of Hampton and Newport News, authorities said. Gun runners would allegedly bring between two and 12 guns from Virginia to New York at any one time, usually in their own cars. Handguns would sell from anywhere between $800 and $1,200, while assault weapons would cost $1,800 to $2,200, authorities said. The alleged sales went down in several spots across Brooklyn, including Bedford-Stuyvesant, Fort Greene, Sunset Park and Boerum Hill. An important link in the group was Aaron Perry - aka 'Gringo' - who lived in Bed-Stuy and let Spencer stay with him, and even let as many as eight gun sales take place in his apartment, authorities said. Eurocrats have blasted Britain's flagship counter-extremism programmes despite a string of deadly Islamist terror attacks on the Continent. Schemes in the UK have been credited with stopping dozens of British fundamentalists travelling abroad to join Islamic State. However a report by the Council of Europe warned the UK's anti-radicalisation programmes were 'fomenting resentment' within Muslim communities. The Strasbourg-based body, which is separate from the EU, said the Prevent and Channel strategies were 'jeopardising' efforts to integrate Muslims, leading some communities to become extremism incubators. The Council of Europe said the Prevent and Channel strategies were 'jeopardising' efforts to integrate Muslims in the UK, leading some communities to become extremism incubators (file photo) But experts criticised the conclusion, and said the UK's counter-extremism strategy was 'the best in the world'. One insider said: 'Look at where they are in France. Look at where they are in Germany. We have the most successful strategy in the world and it is rich for the Council of Europe to criticise it.' PREVENT SCHEMES AIM TO KEEP US SAFE The Prevent scheme aims to stop people being drawn into or supporting terrorism. It focuses on responding to the ideological challenge of terrorism and the threat from those who promote it, and working with institutions where there are risks of radicalisation. In 2015-16, some 7,500 men, women and children were put in touch with the programme. Meanwhile Channel works on providing support at an early stage to individuals at risk of being radicalised involving organisations including schools, the NHS and the police to draw up specific plans. In the eight years to March 2014, a total of 3,934 people underwent the programme. Advertisement The British schemes are believed to have prevented more than 150 Muslims going to join IS in Iraq and Syria. They were set up in the wake of the 7/7 London bombings in 2005, in an attempt to stop vulnerable people being sucked into extremism. Since then, only one person has been murdered in a jihadist attack on the mainland soldier Lee Rigby, who was butchered by fanatics in Woolwich, south-east London, four years ago. In contrast, there has been a string of terror strikes in Europe, including the Paris massacre which killed 130 people in November 2015, bombings in Brussels in March 2016 which killed 32 and a fanatic who drove a lorry into revellers in Nice in July, which left 85 dead. Further criticisms from the Council of Europe the parent body of the European Court of Human Rights included the legal obligation on schools, the NHS and councils to flag up if an individual might be at risk of radicalisation. Critics have also previously condemned the schemes as 'toxic' and called for them to be scrapped. Some Muslim organisations, including the discredited human rights group Cage, have claimed they are used to spy on communities. Cases referred to the programmes overwhelmingly relate to Islamist extremists ,but increasingly referrals are for far-Right fanatics. The British schemes are believed to have prevented more than 150 Muslims going to join IS in Iraq and Syria (file photo of women wearing niqabs) Both programmes were cited in an assessment of the UK's compliance with the Council of Europe's Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM), a legally-binding international treaty signed by the UK. The FCNM advisory committee said: 'Work on integration appears to be jeopardised by certain aspects of counter-terrorism policy and anti-radicalisation programmes, such as Prevent and Channel, that risk fomenting fear and resentment among persons belonging to minorities, in particular in the Muslim community.' It added that 'under these programmes liability has been shifted to local authorities and in particular to teachers, to detect early radicalisation... without automatically providing [them] with the necessary competence'. In December, Chief Constable Simon Cole, the National Police Chiefs' Council spokesman for Prevent, said the programme was 'absolutely fundamental' to Britain's counter-terrorism efforts. He said: 'Some of those that criticise, criticise perceptions of Prevent rather than what it is. This is not about people who are suspected of terror offences. This is about people who community members have concerns about and need help.' The Council of Europe report also welcomed positive steps across the UK to boost the rights of national minorities, but warns that intolerance and hate speech are growing. A man faces deportation after being arrested on charges of raping his girlfriend's daughter starting when she was 11 and impregnating her at 15. Henry Jose Garcia, 40, of Cocoa Beach, Florida, was charged Monday with two counts of sexual battery by custodian on a victim under and above 12, according to the Brevard County Sheriff. Immigration authorities had been contacted and his status pending. He had been in the country on a work visa for 10 years, according to WKMG . His country of origin is unclear. Scroll down for video Henry Jose Garcia, 40, above, of Cocoa Beach, FL was charged with raping his girlfriend's daughter from the time she was 11 until 15 He reportedly worked at the Resort on Cocoa Beach hotel and was attempting to get asylum in the US, according to MyNews13. The victim recently turned 18, and said after discussing it with family members, she said she realized the abuse was wrong and went to police. She told them the suspect would wait until her mother went to work and, starting when she was 11, force her to have sex twice a week under threat of violence to her family. He would also allegedly buy her things and give her cash to keep quiet. Garcia, above, had been in the US on a work visa for 10 years and was reportedly seeking asylum The abuse ended when she became pregnant at 15 with his child, she alleged. She showed police text messages where he admitted being the father, reported WKMG. The suspect was involved in a romantic relationship with the girl's mother for several years until they broke up in February. He was charged with domestic violence and battery in 2016, but it's unclear if this involved the victim's mother. Garcia reportedly worked at the Resort on Cocoa Beach in Cocoa Beach, Florida The victim told police this was the kind of abuse she witnessed on her mother and made her scared of the suspect. 'She didnt come forward until now because she was afraid,' Detective Debra Titkanich told the outlet. 'What he did to her is absolutely unacceptable and the worse kind of abuse you can imagine. It is something she will carry with her for the rest of her life. She is now an adult and realized what happened to her is not okay.' Garcia remains in jail with bond but told the judge on video that he had money for a lawyer. If he's found guilty of sexual battery on a child, he could face something worse than deportation. The state could seek the death penalty or life in prison. A female backpacker has said she will never ride a bus again after she was sexually assaulted by a man who put his hands down her pants while she slept on one. James Anthony Wilshire was sentenced to 12 months in prison after a hearing at Hervey Bay Magistrates Court in Queensland on Wednesday. The 22-year-old is due to be released on parole in April after pleading guilty to one count of sexual assault He was convicted, but not punished for one count of possessing a knife in a public place. James Anthony Wilshire (pictured) pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a backpacker The court heard Wilshire, of Gladstone, put his hands down the pants of a woman while she slept on a bus traveling between Rockhampton and Gympie in Queensland on May 12 last year. The 25-year-old woman was on a backpacking trip around Australia with her sister at the time. Wilshire was traveling south to visit his girlfriend. Police prosecutor Donna Sperling said Wilshire followed the woman and her sibling around the bus and kept touching her feet with his during the ride, the Fraser Coast Chronicle reports. The victim was sleeping across some seats when Wilshire reached over and put his hand inside her pants and underwear, Ms Sperling said. The victim was sleeping across some seats when Wilshire reached over and put his hand inside her pants and underwear, the court heard Wilshire was sentenced to 12 months in prison after a hearing at Hervey Bay Magistrates Court (pictured) in Queensland on Wednesday It prompted the victim to wake up and ask Wilshire what he was doing. Then, the two women moved to the front of the bus and alerted the driver about what had occurred. Police were called and Wilshire was searched when the bus stopped in Hervey Bay. During the search, a flick-knife was found on him, which Wilshire claimed he had forgotten was on his person, Ms Sperling added. The court heard from the victim in a statement that was read out in court by Magistrate Stephen Guttridge. 'For about a month after, I struggled to sleep, I couldn't get his face out of my head,' she said in the statement, according to the Chronicle. 'It made me feel dirty and makes my skin crawl. I won't be riding a bus ever again.' Americans should no longer expect that their private conversations will remain private, the head of the FBI said on Wednesday. FBI Director James Comey told a conference on cybersecurity that there is no longer any such thing as 'absolute privacy' in the era of WikiLeaks, social media, and hyper-interconnection, according to CNN. 'There is no such thing as absolute privacy in America; there is no place outside of judicial reach,' Comey told the conference at Boston College. 'Even our communications with our spouses, with our clergy members, with our attorneys are not absolutely private in America,' Comey said. Scroll down for video FBI Director James Comey (above) told a conference on cybersecurity in Boston on Wednesday that there is no longer any such thing as 'absolute privacy' in the era of WikiLeaks, social media, and hyper-interconnection 'In appropriate circumstances, a judge can compel any one of us to testify in court about those very private communications.' Comey's remarks came over 24 hours after the anti-secrecy organization WikiLeaks unveiled a trove of documents that purport to shed light on sophisticated information-gathering techniques used by the CIA. Among the most shocking revelations were the fact that the US spy agency is capable of hacking into smartphone apps and television sets for the purpose of eavesdropping on unsuspecting users. The former head of the CIA, General Michael Hayden, told CBS' Late Show on Tuesday that the agency does not spy on Americans. In 2013, former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden gave journalists thousands of classified documents that revealed numerous global surveillance programs. Comey's remarks came over 24 hours after the anti-secrecy organization WikiLeaks unveiled a trove of documents that purport to shed light on sophisticated information-gathering techniques used by the CIA (whose logo is seen above) Among the most shocking revelations were the fact that the US spy agency is capable of hacking into smartphone apps and television sets for the purpose of eavesdropping on unsuspecting users The revelations were shocking to civil libertarians who were unaware of the scope of government-sanctioned espionage. Comey seconded Hayden's assessment, saying on Wednesday that Americans 'have a reasonable expectation of privacy in our homes, in our cars, in our devices.' 'It is a vital part of being an American. The government cannot invade our privacy without good reason, reviewable in court,' Comey said. The FBI director revealed that in the last four months of 2016, the FBI legally recovered 2,800 electronic devices during the course of its investigations into terrorism and other crimes. Of those, the FBI was unable to open 43 percent of the devices, Comey said. He said that despite fears of erosion of privacy, Americans have been able to strike a balance between civil liberties and protecting security. 'We all value privacy. We all value security. We should never have to sacrifice one for the other,' Comey said. 'Our founders struck a bargain that is at the center of this amazing country of ours and has been for over two centuries.' The former head of the CIA, General Michael Hayden (left), told CBS' Late Show with Stephen Colbert (right) on Tuesday that the agency does not spy on Americans Comey said on Wednesday that he is planning to stay in his post until the end of his own 10-year-term. Comey, who was the subject of new intrigue after President Donald Trump sent out a flurry of unsubstantiated weekend tweets accusing former President Barack Obama of having his phones tapped, revealed his plans at a conference on cybersecurity. 'You're stuck with me for another six and a half years,' he told the conference. That would keep Comey in office beyond President Trump's four-year term in office and into his second term if he got re-elected. Comey issued the vow after referencing the bureau's reputation for relentlessness, and invoking the name of a famed hijacker who eluded agents for decades. Pauline Hanson is confident voters will elect a One Nation candidate who has previously said single mothers were producing ugly and lazy children. The One Nation leader, who herself was a single mother, has touted the possible electoral success of David Archibald, who would be the first ever politician from her party elected in Western Australia. The geologist, who is seeking to defeat state Nationals leader Brendon Grylls, has previously said single mothers were 'too lazy' to find and keep a man. Scroll down for video Pauline Hanson is confident voters will elect a candidate who described single mums as lazy David Archibald has previously said African bushmen had lower IQs and that welfare was stopping evolution The climate change skeptic has also written opinion pieces asserting that Africans had lower IQs and that welfare was stopping evolution. Despite this, Senator Hanson was confident Mr Archibald would prevail in the mining-based Pilbara seat when elections are held across Western Australia on Saturday. 'Brendon Grylls will lose his seat in the Pilbara and I think we have a very good chance in Kalgoorlie,' she told Sunrise host David Koch on Thursday. Last month, Senator Hanson hit back at journalists who had suggested Mr Archibald should be disendorsed for labelling single mothers as being 'lazy'. Pauline Hanson (right) told David Koch she was confident One Nation would win the seats of Kalgoorlie and Pilbara, who David Archibald is running as a controversial candidate 'To all the fat lazy politicians and fat lazy journalists in the fat lazy media playing fat lazy political correctness, identity politics - the answer is no,' she wrote on Twitter. Mr Archibald wrote an article for the Quadrant magazine in 2015 which suggested that single mothers were 'too lazy to attract and hold a mate'. 'This will result in a rapid rise in the proportion of the population that is lazy and ugly,' he said. Labor senator Sam Dastyari mocked David Archibald's comments about ugly children Labor senator Sam Dastyari this week released a video mocking Mr Archibald, with a graphic reading 'prom queen' superimposed as a slash on an image of the bald, older man. 'Yes, this is the bloke who is going on about other people's appearances,' he said. Last month, Daily Mail Australia revealed he had praised a banned termite repellent black salve, which corrodes the skin, to treat skin cancer. A previous story also revealed how he had written an article for the right-wing American Thinker website in May 2015 which said bushmen in southwest Africa who average intelligence quotients of 60, a number significantly lower than the average IQ of 100. David Archibald praised black salve, which has been known to corrode the skin Senator Dastyari also took aim at One Nation's other candidates in Western Australia, whose controversial pasts were revealed by Daily Mail Australia. They include Rozane Bezuidenhout, who wants a white state reinstated in South African and Pastor Lawrence Shave, who advertised for a Russian mail order bride aged 20 to 44. He had earlier been exposed as someone who had advertised for bikini baristas in 2015. The video also includes a dig at the 73-year-old Pentecostal pastor's ex-wife Michelle Meyers who described same-sex marriage as a form of 'Nazi mind control', Cameron Bartkowski who had sexually explicit links on his Facebook page and Richard Eldridge who described homosexual male sex as 'poo games'. 'He's very, very concerned about not only halal in the sheets but haram in the sheets,' Senator Dastyari said, referencing the Islamic term for sin. Rozane Bezuidenhout, running in Cannington, wants a white state revived in South Africa Lawrence Shave, running in Dawesville, advertised for a Russian mail order bride Pastor Shave's ex-wife Michelle Meyers (right) with Pauline Hanson described gay marriage as a form of 'Nazi mind control' A ReachTel poll of 1,700 voters, published this week, showed One Nation's primary vote support in Western Australia had fallen from a high point of 13 per cent during the campaign to 8.5 per cent. Despite this Senator Hanson, who in 1996 slammed indigenous welfare recipients as a disendorsed federal Liberal Party candidate, said Aboriginal voters would help One Nation on Saturday. 'Well win possibly three seats in the upper house and maybe a couple of seats in the lower house,' she told the Sunrise program. Just the feeling from people its very strong. And who is actually coming up and supporting me right across from Port Hedland to here in Kalgoorlie were the Aboriginal people. A teenage boy was allegedly sexually assaulted by a man as he got off a Melbourne train. Transit Crime Investigation Unit detectives are appealing for public assistance after the 17-year-old boy was sexually assaulted at Footscray train station. The incident occurred on February 22 at about 5.20pm. A teenage boy was allegedly sexually assaulted by a man as he got off a Melbourne train (police have released images of a man they wish to speak to) The man is perceived to be of Caucasian appearance, 160 to 170 centimetres tall with a stocky build and dark brown hair The alleged offender boarded a Sunbury bound train shortly after and got off at Albion Railway Station. The man is believed to be of Caucasian appearance, 160 to 170 centimetres tall with a stocky build and dark brown hair. He was wearing a blue hooded jumper and jean shorts. The man was also carrying a silver shopping bag and wearing a brown satchel over his shoulder. Police have released images of a man who they believe may be able to assist with their enquiries. Philip Hammond can be unexpectedly cocky. His Budget speech was dotted with drolleries which he, for one, greatly enjoyed. A jest about Norman Lamont. A couple of snide swipes at Labour over its current difficulties. He wryly acknowledged his own nickname, Spreadsheet Phil, testament to his supposed brilliance with figures. He relished being at the despatch box. George Osborne could sometimes seem awkward during Budgets but his successor, with a stronger voice and less of that youthful gaucheness, was full of himself. Philip Hammond can be unexpectedly cocky. His Budget speech was dotted with drolleries which he, for one, greatly enjoyed After all those years waiting for the Treasury, all those years when, in his dreams, he had envisaged lifting the Budget box outside 11 Downing Street, he had made it. With a self-congratulating curl of his lips it was now he, Flatfeet Phil, who was able to commend this Budget to the House! He began by noting that 24 years ago Norman Lamont had given a Budget which the then prime minister, John Major, had described as the right Budget at the right time from the right chancellor. Mr Hammond noted: Ten weeks later he was sacked. So wish me luck! His neighbour, Theresa May, was generally on skittish form yesterday at PMQs she had done some Ted Heath-style chortling at a backbenchers sycophancy. Yet I did not see her laugh at Mr Hammonds Lamont sacked remark. It is possible that she prefers others not to make light of Cabinet discipline. That is her turf. Under the last Labour Government, corporation tax was 28 per cent, said Mr Hammond. In a seemingly extempore remark he added: By the way, they dont call it the last Labour government for nothing. This amused his own side but struck me a prattish thing to have said. It reeked of hubris and was likely only to irritate decent Labour voters who might have been thinking of changing their habits and supporting the Tories. Gloating is unattractive, particularly in a nasal-voiced Surrey multi-millionaire who is breaking a manifesto promise and increasing taxes on small business owners. Mr Osborne was in the Chamber, not far behind Mr Hammond. The former chancellor did quite a lot of loyal nodding but his eyebrows almost knotted themselves when Mr Hammond started raising National Insurance rates for the self-employed. Gloating is unattractive, particularly in a nasal-voiced Surrey multi-millionaire who is breaking a manifesto promise and increasing taxes on small business owners The Tory benches fell silent during this passage, too finally giving Labour MPs something to cheer. The Opposition benches were pretty quiet for most of Mr Hammonds speech. Andy Burnham (Lab, Leigh) and a few of his mates shouted things like wrong! and ridiculous! when Mr Hammond said he would extend free bus transport to poor pupils at selective schools. Once or twice he stumbled over words, including the name of Jean-Claude Juncker. I wondered if Mr Hammond perhaps needed glasses. But would he ever wear them? He is a vain man with little to be vain about. The most inventive of his gags came when he spoke about driverless vehicles, a technology I believe the party opposite knows something about. Roaring: The Prime Minister reacts to a Jeremy Corbyn question. Theresa May, was generally on skittish form yesterday Chortling away: Theresa May yesterday. Yet I did not see her laugh at Mr Hammonds Lamont sacked remark The truth of that remark would become apparent a few minutes later when Jeremy Corbyn offered his response to the Budget. Mr Corbyn read his speech off a prepared text which he had not bothered to alter during Mr Hammonds speech. It thus did not react to what had just been announced. He barely noticed the National Insurance whack and it was left to Labour backbenchers who spoke later in the debate to chastise the Conservatives for disowning their manifesto. On Budget Day a proper Opposition has runners bringing in constant information from outside researchers, which the Leader of the Opposition and his Shadow Chancellor can quickly scan and consider including in their instant response. That was not happening yesterday. During Mr Corbyns lacklustre speech I counted 30 Labour MPs who were playing with their mobile telephones or laptops. If even they will not listen to this Labour leader, what hope is there that the wider electorate will do so? No wonder pink-tinged, tax-raising Mr Hammond is so presumptuous. Live from the despatch box, it's Ha-ha Hammond He has earned the nickname Spreadsheet Phil for his powder dry demeanour and focus on the numbers. But Philip Hammond attempted to shake off that reputation yesterday. Here are some of the jokes he cracked during his 55-minute Budget speech: On the last Labour government Under the last Labour government corporation tax was 28 per cent they dont call it the last Labour government for nothing. On being known as Spreadsheet Phil I turn nowto the OBR forecast. This is the spreadsheet bit, but bear with me because I have a reputation to defend. On it being the last Spring Budget Twenty-four years ago Norman Lamont also presented what was billed then as the last Spring Budget ten weeks later he was sacked. So wish me luck. On the Labour leadership 270million to keep the UK at the forefront of disruptive technologies like biotech, robotic systems and driverless vehicles a technology I believe the party opposite knows something about. On Jeremy Corbyn A well-functioning market economy is the best way to deliver prosperity and security to working families and the litany of failed attempts at state control of industry by Labour leaves no-one in any doubt about that. Except, apparently, the Right Honourable Gentleman opposite, who is now so far down a black hole that even Stephen Hawking has disowned him. On the EU And for those who care about such things, it means we are forecast to meet our 3 per cent EU Stability and Growth pact target this year for the first time in more than a decade. But I wont hold my breath...for my congratulatory letter from Jean-Claude Juncker [Commission president]. A couple hundred Marines have deployed into Syria with heavy artillery guns, as part of the ongoing preparation for the fight to oust the Islamic State group from its self-declared headquarters of Raqqa, a senior US official said Wednesday. The mission is temporary, and therefore will not count towards troop cap. Troops serving less than 120 days in Iraq and Syria are not counted as part of the force levels authorized by the White House, reported ABC News. It was also not one of the proposals presented to President Donald Trump last week to help fight ISIS, said the outlet. But it is likely an early indication that the White House is leaning toward giving the Pentagon greater flexibility to make routine combat decisions in the ISIS fight. US soldiers from the 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division clean the barrel of the artillery at a military base north of Mosul, Iraq, February 14 A convoy of US forces armoured vehicles drives near the village of Yalanli in northern Syria Military commanders frustrated by what they considered micromanagement under the previous administration have argued for greater freedom to make daily decisions on how best to fight the enemy. The Marines moving into Syria are pre-positioning howitzers to be ready to assist local Syrian forces, said the official, who was not authorized to discuss the deployment publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity. The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit started arriving in the past couple of weeks. This strategy is similar to one in early 2016, when 200 Marines established a fire base in northern Iraq to support Iraqi troops, reported ABC News. A convoy of US forces armoured vehicles drives near the village of Yalanli, on the western outskirts of the northern Syrian city of Manbij, on March 5 In addition, the US is preparing to send hundreds of US troops to Kuwait in order to be ready to join the Islamic State fight if they are needed, the official said. The number would be fewer than 1,000, the official said. The latest troop movements come on the heels of the recent temporary deployment of some dozens of Army forces to the outskirts of Manbij, Syria, in what the Pentagon called a 'reassure and deter' mission. Flying American flags and moving in large, heavily armored vehicles, the troops were there to keep a lid on tensions in the area, the Pentagon said. It appeared the forces were largely there to insure that Turkish fighters and Syrian opposition groups focused on battling IS rather than each other. Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division walk inside a military base north of Mosul, Iraq, February 14 Under the existing limits put in place by the Obama administration, the military can have up to 503 US forces in Syria. But temporary personnel do not count against the cap. The movement of the Marines to Syria was first reported by The Washington Post. Female fighters from the Democratic Forces of Syria carry their weapons in Ghazila village after taking control of the town from ISIS forces in the southern countryside of Hasaka, Syria on February 17, 2016 The troops are being sent in to oust the Islamic State group from its self-declared headquarters of Raqqa, said an official on the condition of anonymity Pentagon leaders sent a new plan to defeat IS to the White House late last month. It outlined a strategy that would likely increase the number of U.S. troops in Syria in order to better advise and enable the US-backed Syrian fighters who will take on the battle for Raqqa. The military has mapped out a series of options for the Syria fight, including increased artillery support, more Apache helicopters and a more robust training campaign. US officials say the battle for Raqqa will look much like the fight in neighboring Iraq, where local forces are in a fierce battle to retake the northern city of Mosul from ISIS. As troops were preparing to move into Mosul, the US set up bases outside the city to use as logistical hubs and as locations for heavy artillery. The moves to pre-position U.S. troops closer to the fight, so they can be tapped as needed, are the kinds of decisions that military commanders say they need to be able to make more quickly, without going to the White House every time for approval. Theresa May was engulfed in a diplomatic storm yesterday after the EU called for Britain to face an unprecedented 1.7billion fine for allegedly facilitating an international crime syndicate. Fraud investigators in Brussels took the extraordinary step of issuing the huge bill as they accused the UK of helping Chinese criminals to evade customs fees in a sophisticated scam. The demands risked causing a bitter row as the Prime Minister prepared to fly into Brussels today for her last meeting with EU leaders before article 50 is triggered. Relations between Brussels and the UK are already tense amid EU demands that the UK pays a 50billion 'divorce bill' during Brexit negotiations. Fraud investigators in Brussels accused the UK of helping Chinese criminals evade customs fees just a day before Prime Minister Theresa May headed to Belgium for for her last meeting with EU leaders before article 50 is triggered But the prospect of handing over another huge payment following claims that the UK turned a blind eye to the fraud is likely to infuriate Downing Street. EU officials said UK 'negligence' allowed criminals operating in China to flood Europe with cut-price clothing after dodging customs payments at British ports. Olaf, the EU's anti-fraud body, accused Britain of repeatedly ignoring warnings that the groups were grossly undervaluing millions of products being shipped into the UK. It has now called for the UK to pay 1.7billion in customs receipts evaded by the gangsters between 2013 and 2016 in what has been described as one of Europe's biggest customs scams. The demand could see the UK having to pay the huge sum directly into the EU budget on top of the separate Brexit payment that is agreed during talks. The Prime Minister's official spokesman however disputed the report yesterday and said that Downing Street 'did not recognise' the figures. After arriving in the UK, the products are allegedly shipped around the continent by a sophisticated crime syndicate to be subsequently sold on the black market. The EU's report on the scam includes claims that the UK indirectly stripped countries including Germany and France out of 2.8billion in missing VAT payments. Its investigators also accused Britain of becoming a 'fraud hub' in a warning that threatens to further damage relationships between the UK and Brussels as Brexit talks loom. Further accusations say that the UK has routinely taking a relaxed attitude to the so-called 'dumping' of cut-price products by Chinese companies in Europe. It said that the UK had failed to act despite holding numerous meetings with investigators hoping to address the issue. Olaf, whose recommendations are not binding, has passed the bill to the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, which will decide what action to take. The Commission yesterday refused to comment on the investigation, raising speculation that it is concerned about the severity of the bill so close to Brexit discussions. While a discussion about the payment will not form part of Thursday's summit of EU leaders in Brussels, it will cause embarrassment for Mrs May so close to Brexit discussions. Relations between Brussels and the UK are already tense amid EU demands that the UK pays a 50billion 'divorce bill' during Brexit negotiations Instead, Mrs May will use the summit to call for 'immediate action' to tackle the networks of Libyan smuggling rings who are threatening to cause an escalation in Europe's migration crisis. The Prime Minister is concerned that improving weather could see another influx of migrants into Europe travelling via the perilous Mediterranean route. A Government source said: 'She'll urge leaders to focus on stepping up action to dismantle smuggling and trafficking rings and to break the smugglers' model.' Mrs May will also call for EU member states to pay increasing attention to the Western Balkans over concerns about Russian interference in the region. She will use the meeting to claim the EU's 'collective security' is at risk amid a flurry of accusations that the Kremlin is 'stepping up its efforts' to destabilise the region. Earlier this week, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson accused Moscow of being involved in the recent failed coup in Montenegro. British officials are also concerned about the numbers of people from countries such as Albania who are being radicalised and orchestrating mass people trafficking. Sources yesterday said diplomats are eager for Mrs May to discuss issues surrounding the expected triggering of article 50 at the summit but she is understood to be reluctant to do so. Mrs May will leave the two-day meeting on Thursday evening, allowing the remaining 27 member states to hold sensitive discussions about Europe's future in the aftermath of Brexit. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'We have only just received these reports, we don't recognise the figures, they are currently being examined by HMRC. 'UK customs takes all allegations of fraud seriously, investigates thoroughly. We would point you to their excellent record tackling fraud and rule breaking, securing 26.6bn last year. 'We have not received a bill from the European Commission. This report is not a bill, it's an estimate. 'This is an entirely separate and unrelated matter to the Brexit negotiations, which you know we have repeatedly said we approach with enormous amounts of good will.' In a 700-year-old underground labyrinth of rough-hewn sandstone known as Caynton Caves, it is claimed that a persecuted rump of warrior monks, the Knights Templar, engaged in covert religious practices. Pictured is actor James Purefoy as one of the Knights in 2011 film Ironclad Conspiracy theorists love a cave but they love a cult even more. Hidden in woodland in Shropshire, they have both. It was here, in a 700-year-old underground labyrinth of rough-hewn sandstone known as Caynton Caves, it is claimed, that a persecuted rump of warrior monks, the Knights Templar, engaged in covert religious practices. In eerie photographs published by the Mail yesterday, candlelight flickers on a row of arches and pillars cut into the rock. There is a stone-carved font, narrow passages and graffiti of strange symbols. It is as chilling as the catacombs and a lot more mysterious. Of all the possible refugees who might have holed up here, the Knights long a part of history, but most recently popularised by Dan Brown in The Da Vinci Code and other works of religious mystery are prime contenders. But who were these men and what might have driven them to cower in a Shropshire cave instead of doing what they were best at protecting Christian pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem and making money? The Knights Templar were a unique combination of knight and monk, a holy militia that sprang up in the 12th century. Their founder was a nobleman from the Champagne region, Hugh de Payens, who, in Jerusalem in 1119 nominated eight of his companions to safeguard pilgrims visiting the Holy Land from attacks by brigands and Saracen pirates. In eerie photographs published by the Mail yesterday, candlelight flickers on a row of arches and pillars cut into the rock It is as chilling as the catacombs and a lot more mysterious. Of all the possible refugees who might have holed up here, the Knights are prime contenders Once used as a ceremonial spot for the followers of a secretive religious sect, the underground caves offered safe haven after leaders of the free world brutally dismantled the group's power base The orders full name was the Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon in recognition of their quarters next to the Temple in Jerusalem hence the name by which they became famous. In 1129, the Knights were officially recognised by the Pope. They then followed religious rules, with vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and each man pledged himself ready to die for his faith. They also adopted their distinctive uniform, a white mantle with a red cross. Together with the Knights Hospitallers, who looked after sick pilgrims, the Knights Templar became the permanent defenders of the Latin settlements in the Middle East, increasingly endowed with castles and fiefs. By 1180, there were some 600 knights in Jerusalem, Tripoli and Antioch. Over time, they turned into a chivalric order of warrior monks who fought with distinction in the Crusades. They became widely respected for their bravery in battle against Muslims, but even more for their astonishing ability to accumulate wealth as, in effect, a private bank. The caves in Shropshire were once a place of pilgrimage and worship for followers of the Knights Templar, a feared fighting force during the Crusades who built an international power base on their reputation and spoils A pilgrim, afraid of being robbed on his hazardous trip to the Middle East, would leave a cash deposit at Temple Church in the City of London the English headquarters of the Knights Templar, which was consecrated in 1185 and still stands today. He would then carry a letter of credit, like travellers cheques, and in Jerusalem he would be able to withdraw his funds. Their influence on modern banking is perhaps their best legacy, says James Jackson, author of Perdition: The Crusaders Last Stand. My word is my bond is, in fact, a phrase borrowed from the Templars. Their probity was highly regarded. By the end of the 12th century there were thousands of Knights Templar, who accumulated considerable land, castles and spoils taken in battle. This wealth was ostensibly for financing the Holy War, but it made them richer than the kings and princes who borrowed from them. They even bankrolled Henry II on his crusades. The untouched caverns date back to a time when the Knights were prominent before King Philip IV of France, fearful of their power and deeply in their debt, attempted to dismantle the renowned group In recent times they have been used by numerous groups including druids and pagans wishing to find a safe place to worship, as the Templar's followers had used it for centuries ago If you wanted to buy a nice island off the west coast of France as Henry III of England did in the 1200s with the island of Oleron, north-west of Bordeaux it was the Templars who could broker the deal, says financial historian Tim Harford. Henry paid 200 a year about 500,000 today for five years to the Temple in London. In the 1200s, the Crown Jewels were kept at the Temple as security on a loan, with the Templars operating as a high-end pawnbroker. At one time, there were 4,000 civil servants managing their estates from their Paris HQ. They were trusted, incorruptible and dangerously powerful. But it was their challenge to Church and state that sowed the seeds of their downfall. In 1307, with debts to the Templars from which they would not release him, Philip IV of France lured Jacques de Molay, the Grand Master of the Order, to Paris, where he was seized and thrown into prison. What followed was the persecution of the Order, with thousands of Knights imprisoned, tortured or slaughtered. Some were burned at the stake, accused of sexually deviant practices and obscene ceremonies of initiation that included denying Christ and spitting or trampling on the Cross. Many of these lurid accusations made by two Templars of dubious character against the Order in their trial depositions were never substantiated. But its this rumour mill that had turned against the Knights for years. It was a classic case of trumped up charges, says James Jackson. Every closed order has strange rituals. They were probably not much different from church services today. By the time the Templars were suppressed, Jackson argues they had had their day anyway. The Christians had lost control of Jerusalem in 1244. There were no more Crusades to fight. The Orders properties were transferred to their rivals, the Knights Hospitallers, an Order that survives as the Knights of St John, based in Malta. And what of the Knights Templar in England after the collapse of the Order in Europe? Pictured left, sunlight rushes in through the small openings in the caves, just metres under the surface of the ground in Shropshire, once used by followers of the Knights Templar If they were driven into caves, such as those in Shropshire, it can only have been for a short time, says Jackson. Far from being persecuted, they were allowed to join other religious orders. In recent times, interest in the Templars has been fuelled by Michael Baigents co-written book The Holy Blood And The Holy Grail, and later, to Baigents fury and disbelief, by Dan Brown in The Da Vinci Code. (Baigent accused Brown of plagiarism, but lost the court case). Both books were international bestsellers and covered the same controversial claim: Jesus had a relationship with Mary Magdalene and they had children. Baigent, who died in 2013, claimed these children grew up in exile in France and their descendants intermarried with the French Merovingian royal house. The existence of this Christ bloodline, argued Baigent, had been covered up by the Catholic Church and their secret protected by the shadowy Priory of Sion sect the real power behind the Knights Templar, who were its military and administrative arm. Because of The Da Vinci Code, people want to see the Templars in everything, says Jackson. They want to fill a vacuum with a theory. The truth is that theres an awful lot we dont know about what happened to the Templars. But its tantalising for conspiracy theorists and romantics to imagine a banished sect who carved that secret shelter out of the Shropshire sandstone so they might continue to worship and perform their strange rituals without the danger of betrayal. Tory MPs last night turned on Philip Hammond as he broke the partys manifesto commitment not to put up National Insurance. The Conservatives pledged four times in their 2015 general election manifesto not to raise the contributions, warning that a rise would harm our economy and reduce living standards. David Cameron unveiled the policy as part of a tax lock that aides have since admitted was cooked up on the hoof in the final weeks of the campaign. Now 2.5million self-employed will lose an average 240 a year as their National Insurance rises from 9 to 10 per cent. Promises, promises: David Cameron's tweet in April 2015 about National Insurance A week before the 2015 election, Mr Cameron announced the five-year lock would be enshrined in law. Working people had paid enough tax and should be able to keep more of the money to spend as you choose, he added. Mr Cameron said the alternative was a Labour government that would inevitably raise taxes. Heres the choice you get me, you get that guarantee about taxes, he said. You get Ed Miliband and youve got someone who attacked every single spending reduction and saving we had to make. Every single change to welfare he has opposed. You can only draw one conclusion He would put up taxes, reach into your pay packet and cut your pay I say working people in this country have paid enough tax. In a tweet, Mr Cameron pledged: Between May 2015 to May 2020, there will be no increases in National Insurance. The word no was underlined for emphasis. In another message on Twitter, he wrote: Ive ruled out raising VAT. Why wont Ed Miliband rule out raising National Insurance contributions? The Conservative campaign headquarters also posted on the social media site, writing: The reality is Labour need to raise National Insurance to make their sums add up and hard-working people will pay. One of Mr Camerons Downing Street advisers last year admitted the tax lock had been cooked up on the hoof. The Chancellor tore up a key manifesto pledge by hitting 2.5 million workers with higher National Insurance Ameet Gill, who was the former prime ministers head of strategic communications, told BBC Radio 4 in October: When I was in government, we made some announcements on the hoof just to fill that vacuum. Towards the end of the general election campaign in 2015, we did the five-year tax lock. Its when we committed to put in legislation that we would not increase taxes. It was probably the dumbest economic policy that anyone could make, but we kind of cooked it up on the hoof a couple of days before, because we had a hole in the grid and we needed to fill it. The partys manifesto made four promises on National Insurance. Under pledges for a strong economy, it read: We will commit to no increases in VAT, National Insurance contributions or Income Tax. It later repeated this promise, saying: We will not raise VAT, National Insurance contributions or income tax so you can keep more of your income and pass it on to future generations. It also included the National Insurance pledge in our plan of action, and then mentioned it for a fourth time, adding: Tax rises on working people would harm our economy, reduce living standards and cost jobs. Doom-mongering watchdog is proved wrong over Brexit: Office for Budget Responsibility is forced to admit it was too pessimistic over economic growth Philip Hammond leaving Downing Street to deliver the Budget speech Britains official economic forecaster was yesterday forced to admit it had been far too pessimistic about the effects of the Brexit vote. The Office for Budget Responsibility said it now expects the economy to grow by 2 per cent this year. That is far faster than the 1.4 per cent it pencilled in at the Autumn Statement in November, when it was accused of making ridiculous assumptions about Brexit. With the economy growing faster than predicted, the OBR slashed its borrowing forecasts for the next five years, giving Philip Hammond a 24billion windfall. However the national debt which is around 1.8trillion, or 62,000 per household is still set to top 1.9trillion by the end of the decade. OBR chairman Robert Chote also warned the Government will fail to balance the books as promised in the next Parliament without further tax rises or spending cuts. Mr Hammond used his Budget statement to hail an economy that has continued to confound the commentators with robust growth. He said: Last year, the British economy grew faster than the United States, faster than Japan, faster than France. Indeed, among the major advanced economies Britains growth in 2016 was second only to Germany. OBR chairman Robert Chote warned the Government will fail to balance the books as promised in the next Parliament without further tax rises or spending cuts Brexit supporters said upgrades to the economic forecasts showed the OBR was finally catching up with the realities of our prospects following the Brexit vote. But the independent watchdog came under fire after warning trade will suffer a decade-long slowdown on the back of the fall of the pound since the Brexit vote. The OBR said the UKs recent resilience was underpinned by stronger-than-expected household spending, which boosted tax receipts. It doubled its forecasts for growth in the current first quarter of 2017, having predicted expansion of just 0.3 per cent in November. Mr Chote said: The economy ended 2016 with greater momentum than we expected and we assume that this will carry over into early 2017 with growth of 0.6 per cent in the first quarter. The group also cut its borrowing forecasts with the Government set to borrow 24billion less between now and 2021-22 than expected at the Autumn Statement. It now expects the deficit to come in at 51.7billion this year some 16.4billion less than predicted in November. However it was more gloomy about the economy in the coming years. It downgraded next years growth from 1.7 per cent to 1.6 per cent and slashed forecasts for 2019 from 2.1 to 1.7 per cent, rising to 1.9 per cent in 2020 and 2 per cent in 2021. Last night economics professor Kevin Dowd, a member of the pro-Brexit group Economists for Free Trade, welcomed the OBRs brighter outlook. We are now seeing these establishment bodies finally catching up with the realities of our economic prospects following the Brexit vote, he said. A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officer has shot and killed a man on the city's north side, authorities said. Two officers responding to a suicide threat at 1pm Wednesday in the 1000 block of Justice Avenue in Charlotte, North Carolina, encountered a man with a hunting rifle, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said in a statement. Officer Brian Walsh perceived a threat and fired at the man, according to the statement. Two Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers responded to a suicide threat at 1pm Wednesday in the 1000 block of Justive Avenue in Charlotte, North Carolina, (above) according to police There they encountered 25-year-old Iaroslav Mosiiuk with a hunting rifle, according to police Mosiiuk's neighbor Michael Caldwell said he heard the gunshot from a block away Beverly Sweetenburg said she watched Walsh shoot Mosiiuk from her front window Emergency personnel took 25-year-old Iaroslav Mosiiuk to Carolinas Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Mosiiuk was born in Kiev, Ukraine, and attended Kiev Polytechnic Institute, according to a Facebook page that appears to be his. His relative first called police to report that he was potentially suicidal, said Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney. Mosiiuk was shot outside his small, red-brick bungalow home. Mosiiuk's relative first called police to report that he was potentially suicidal, police said Officer Brian Walsh perceived a threat and fatally shot Mosiiuk, police said in a statement Officer Walsh, who was placed on paid administrative leave, has been with the department since April 17, 2002, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said in this statement Neighbor Elton Hamilton described Mosiiuk as a white male, 5 foot 10, in his mid to late 30s. Michael Caldwell, who told The Charlotte Observer that he's lived in the neighborhood for 50 years, said he heard the gunshot from a block away. When Caldwell walked outside to investigate, he said he saw dozens of police cars driving to the scene. 'They were comin, man, Im telling you. I thought the president was in town,' Caldwell said. Another neighbor, Beverly Sweetenburg, told WBTV that she watched Walsh shoot Mosiiuk from her front window. 'We stayed in the house. I was scared. I went back to the window and he was laying there and didn't move,' Sweetenburg said. Under a Supreme Court ruling, police are legally allowed to use deadly force if officers have a reasonable belief that an individual poses an imminent risk of death or serious injury. Both the officer and the victim were white men, officials said. A subsequent statement said Walsh, who was placed on paid administrative leave, has been with the department since April 17, 2002. The department's internal affairs bureau will look into the shooting. Susan Carland went to Sunday school every week as a child and sought comfort from ballet when her parents divorced and to deal with backlash when she converted to Islam. The academic, 38, initially thought the religion was 'barbaric', but became Muslim when she was 19 after being raised in a strict Christian home in east Melbourne suburb Forest Hill. She lived in the hot pink - now eggshell yellow - weatherboard home until she was seven, when her parents Ken and Jan divorced. Dr Carland, who has been married to The Project host Waleed Aly for 14 years, revealed the intimate details of her suburban childhood and conversion to Islam to Julia Zemiro on ABC's Home Delivery program, which aired on Wednesday night. Scroll down for video Susan Carland sought comfort from ballet when her parents divorced, and to deal with backlash when she converted to Islam She grew up in a weatherboard home in Forest Hill, east Melbourne. The home was hot pink through her childhood but is now eggshell yellow (pictured) Growing up, the family had a rule the television could not be on during dinner, and her father would give the children maths to do while they dried the dishes every night. She had moved out of the childhood home which is now eggshell yellow but was once bright pink with her mother and brother, Michael when she was seven. But her father continued to live there and the siblings would stay with him over the weekend following what she described as a shock divorce, Dr Carland said. 'One day they told us to come and sit down around the kitchen table and they told us they were going to get divorced,' Dr Carland told Zemiro. Dr Carland was in the debating team at high school, but she said the time was a 'series of embarrassing episodes' Dr Carland did ballet from age seven until she was 20-years-old, she told Julia Zemiro on ABC's Home Delivery program, which aired on Wednesday night Dr Carland is pictured with her parents Jan and Ken when she received her PhD 'They were both crying, and obviously my brother and I were crying. It was such an emotional, sad moment just not knowing what happens now. 'It's funny, I don't have any memories of the house after that conversation. It just stopped there.' She struggled living between her mother during the week and her father over weekends, even though it wasn't a 'horrific divorce' and she'd always felt 'nurtured' and 'safe'. Dr Carland began ballet at seven, about the same time her parents divorced, and initially had class only on Saturday. But she soon began depending on ballet for comfort, because she found dancing a 'safe haven' while dealing with the divorce and her conversion to Islam. Growing up, the family had a rule the television could not be on during dinner, and her father would give the children maths to do while they dried the dishes every night Dr Carland is pictured with her husband of 14-years, The Project host Waleed Aly A Vaughn Academy of Dancing plaque featuring Dr Carland's name from 1992 is pictured 'When my parents got divorced I still came here and was happy,' Dr Carland said, while visiting the studio at Vaughn Academy of Dancing with Zemiro. 'When I became Muslim and it was a drama with certain family members and friends, I'd come (to ballet class) and everything was good,' she said. She continued ballet until she was 20. A teenage Carland was on the school debating team, but she said high school was 'one embarrassing episode after another'. Her first celebrity crush was of Yahoo Serious in Young Einstein, a 1988 Australian comedy. 'I always liked the oddball, which says a lot about Waleed,' Dr Carland joked. 'I always liked the oddball, which says a lot about Waleed,' Dr Carland joked (she is pictured with her husband recently) Dr Carland, 38, said the transition was even more confronting for friends and family because she decided to wear the hijab straight away The now-Muslim woman was raised Christian and her parents forced her to go to Sunday school until high school, when the siblings were allowed to decide if they went. At 19, Dr Carland converted to Islam and began wearing a hijab immediately after 'coming out'. 'When I was 17, I still had lots of questions and I started to wonder: 'Am I just following the Christian path because that's what I've been raised in? Is there truth or meaning elsewhere?' 'So I decided I'm going to look,' she said. Dr Carland began reading into other religions, but initially had no interest in Islam because of the stereotypes connected to it. 'I thought it was sexist and outdated and barbaric', she said. Susan Carland pictured with her husband of 14 years, prominent TV presenter Waleed Aly 'To my surprise, I kept just stumbling on information about Islam I just kept coming across Islam, and so I thought: 'Okay, I'm going to have a look'.' She revealed the toll of 'coming out' as a Muslim took on her, and claimed her decision to adopt the hijab straight away was alarming for friends and family. Dr Carland said she was 'terrified' to tell loved ones. 'I was terrified, absolutely terrified about telling people. My family, my mum in particular. And my friends,' she said. 'I was so worried about telling people, because I didn't know how they'd react. 'I assumed they would react negatively, and most people did.' The now-Muslim woman was raised Christian and her parents forced her to go to Sunday school until high school, when the siblings were allowed to decide if they went Susan Carland denied she converted to Islam for Waleed Aly, saying she converted long before she met him 'I think if I just said, 'I'm going to become Muslim but still look the same' it would have been much easier for people to take,' she said. The prominent feminist said she wasn't blind to the idea that life might have been easier if she never converted. 'There have certainly been a lot of times where I thought it would be a lot easier. If I didn't believe this my life would be so much easier,' she said. 'But the reality is I do believe this.' Dr Carland said many people still thought she converted to Islam when she met Aly, but she was already Muslim by then. 'I think people cannot believe that a woman would choose to become Muslim,' she said. 'They cannot believe that someone, especially an educated woman, would possibly choose it for herself.' A central Indiana man who spent nearly 25 years in prison left a courthouse a free man Wednesday after a judge set aside his 1992 rape conviction because DNA found on the victim was not his. Delaware Circuit Judge Kimberly Dowling freed William E Barnhouse, acting on a joint motion filed by prosecutors and attorneys with the Innocence Project, after recent DNA tests showed another man's semen was on the pants and inside a 1992 Muncie, Indiana, sexual assault victim, The Star Press reported. 'He has spent a quarter of a century incarcerated for a crime he did not commit,' Innocence Project attorney Seema Saifee told the judge. 'William has suffered from mental illness his entire life. ... He never gave up hope that the truth would come out.' William E Barnhouse (left) walks outside Wednesday as a free man for the first time since 1992 when he was sentenced to 80 years in prison for the rape of a Muncie, Indiana, woman Barnhouse, now 60, was accused of attacking a woman in April 1992 behind a vacant Muncie building. The victim identified him as her attacker after he was arrested nearby. She said her attacker raped her three times and forced her to perform a sex act before riding away on his bicycle. 'I could never forget that face,' she told then-Deputy Prosecutor Jeffrey Arnold. 'I dont think I ever will.' He was found guilty, but mentally ill, of rape and criminal deviate conduct, and sentenced to 80 years by then-Judge Richard Dailey. Dowling also granted a motion that Barnhouse be released for treatment and evaluation at an Indianapolis mental health facility. 'You've got to do everything they say,' the judge told Barnhouse. Barnhouse left the courthouse with his attorneys and relatives, but his case may not be over. Barnhouse was most recently was incarcerated at the New Castle Correctional Facility (above) Delaware County prosecutors will decide in coming weeks on whether to bring Barnhouse to trial a second time, Chief Deputy Prosecutor Eric Hoffman told the judge. The case is set for trial June 26. For now, Saifee said her client has simple plans to enjoy his current freedom. 'He's just hoping to get a good meal and enjoy the sun,' she said. Court records show the Innocence Project, a nonprofit that has exonerated more than 300 convicted felons through DNA results, first inquired about evidence in Barnhouse's case in 2009. Negotiations with prosecutors led to a January 2016 agreement allowing the DNA testing. Tourists who use their mobile phones outside Europe will be hit with an increase in charges through a tax raid that will raise 65million a year for the Treasury. Currently those on holiday in countries such as the US, Australia or Thailand do not pay VAT on calls or texts while they are away. But yesterday the Chancellor announced the tax will be applied to roaming charges outside the EU, meaning bills could rise by up to 20 per cent from August 1. If telecoms providers pass on the extra charge, a one-minute call from the US currently about 1 with the EE network could rise to 1.20 or more. Virgin Media charges 1.50 a minute for a call from the US, so ten minutes could end up costing an extra 3. Tourists who use their mobile phones outside Europe will be hit with an increase in charges through a tax raid that will raise 65million a year for the Treasury Some mobile phone users pay extra for bundles of calls and texts abroad, but the price of these is likely to rise as well. Roaming charges in the EU already have VAT charged on them. David Hickson, of the Fair Telecoms Campaign, said: 'This is another nasty little cost and imposition on families who are already suffering. Holidays are already more expensive because of the fall in the pound and this is just a double whammy. 'This will undoubtedly further encourage those overseas to take advantage of Wi-Fi connections to make calls. 'With charges and internet connectivity increasing, the telephone is starting to become redundant for international calls.' Ernest Doku, a mobiles expert at the comparison website uSwitch, said: 'Consumers often get a shock when they go abroad and many are still getting stung by high bills an additional 20 per cent will add insult to injury.' The Government says the change is aimed at closing the loophole that allowed mobile phone users to avoid VAT on roaming charges outside the EU. Forcing travellers to pay the extra charge is expected to raise up to 325million for the Treasury by 2022. It also applies to data, which smartphones use to receive and send emails, surf the internet and use apps such as Google Maps. Virgin Media charges travellers 5 per megabyte of data in the US and this could rise to 6 with the 20 per cent increase. Roaming charges are already a controversial issue amid concerns that Britons will also face higher bills to use their phones in Europe after the UK leaves the EU. The EU is preparing to drop roaming charges from June and there are fears that British travellers will not enjoy the benefits after Brexit, although firms such as Vodafone have disputed this. Mr Doku said: 'Given that roaming is already a contentious consumer issue, and one that will increasingly take the spotlight as Brexit talks advance, the news from the Chancellor shows there is greater responsibility than ever to ensure consumers are clear about how to keep their bills manageable when using their phone abroad.' The Chancellor announced the tax will be applied to roaming charges outside the EU, meaning bills could rise by up to 20 per cent from August 1 The Treasury said the charge could cost each person using their phone abroad an extra 5 a year if telecoms firms pass it on. Mobile firms have not confirmed that they will do this, but it is thought to be likely. Daniel Lyons, of the accountancy firm Deloitte, said: 'If you are using your phone in New York, you will be paying tax in the UK. 'If you are in Australia calling Melbourne from Sydney, you will still pay tax in the UK for that call. It doesn't matter if you're not calling someone in the UK. I think telecoms firms will be unimpressed.' - The Government is to crack down on complex contracts and subscription traps that can cost families up to 450 each a year. Companies such as Netflix, Apple and Amazon will not be allowed to automatically renew subscriptions without giving plenty of notice and the option to cancel. Ministers will also set out measures to ban misleading and complex smallprint. Watchdogs including the Competition and Markets Authority could get powers to fine rogue firms. Smokers face a double whammy of tax increases as the Treasury moves to raise the cost of 'budget' cigarettes. From May, a minimum level of excise duty for a packet of 20 will be introduced. But it was initially unclear what this meant for smokers, as it came in tandem with tax rises announced in previous budgets. Yesterday Philip Hammond revealed that manufacturers will have to pay a minimum 5.37 duty per packet of cigarettes. Following announcements in Wednesday's budget, smokers could end up paying more for cigarettes However he did not explicitly refer to changes unveiled in the 2014 Budget, which meant that from 6pm last night cigarettes had already gone up by 35p per pack of 20. In all, the measures effectively wipe out cheaper prices on cigarettes, meaning smokers will not be able to buy a packet for less than 8.82 including VAT. The average cost of a 20-pack of premium cigarettes could also now rise from 9.91 to 10.26, according to the Tobacco Manufacturers' Association. Meanwhile small packs of ten will no longer be available from May. For drinkers, the price of a pint is also going up by 2p under new rules which will come into force on Monday. It is the first rise on a pint in five years. There will also be an extra 10p to a bottle of wine and 30p on a bottle of whisky. Taxes on alcohol had previously been frozen. The moves on cigarettes are designed to discourage companies from selling tobacco products cheaply, raising prices for consumers and encouraging smokers to quit. Officials hope the moves will stop younger people buying cigarettes. However eradicating cheaper brands runs the risk that more smokers will be tempted to buy on the black market. The average cost of a 20-pack of premium cigarettes could also now rise from 9.91 to 10.26 Cigarette makers are furious about the rises. The TMA director general Giles Roca said: 'We are disappointed that the Government has once again raised taxation on tobacco when tax on some of the cheapest cigarettes already accounts for 90 per cent of the price. 'Today's move will simply encourage people to buy from the black market. It takes business away from the legitimate trade whilst costing the taxpayer around 2.4billion in lost taxes in the last year alone.' Colin Valentine, chairman of the Campaign For Real Ale, said of the alcohol price increases: 'UK beer drinkers, pubs and brewers have been let down by the Chancellor's decision to increase beer duty for the first time in five years. It will ultimately hit consumers in their pockets and lead to pub closures across the country.' Commenting on the increased cost of alcohol, Lib Dem home affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael said: 'This is a kick in the teeth for people who are working hard. 'It seems like the Tories are so committed to kick the self-employed that they won't even let them drown their sorrows without trying to fleece them for more cash.' Small firms hit hardest by the controversial business rates reforms will benefit from a 435million relief package, the Chancellor revealed yesterday. Philip Hammond announced three measures to ease pressure on companies facing steep rises in their bills following the first revaluation of rates for seven years. The 16,000 worst-hit firms will have price increases capped at 600 a year. In addition, 36,000 pubs around 90 per cent of those in England will receive a 1,000 discount on business rates. Business owners will also be able to apply for relief from a 300million fund managed by local councils. Philip Hammond announced three measures to ease pressure on companies facing steep rises in their bills following the first revaluation of rates for seven years The capitulation follows a fierce backlash from Tory MPs, business groups and the Daily Mail, which campaigned for a rethink after it emerged that firms faced rate hikes of up to 3,000 per cent. Mr Hammond said the Government would now hold a consultation on revaluing rates every three years instead of every five, and reforming the system so that online retailers such as Amazon no longer receive favourable treatment. However, he made it clear that scrapping the unpopular levy is out of the question. Business rates raise 25billion per year all of which, by 2020, will be going to fund local government so we cannot abolish them, as some have suggested, he said. Nevertheless, Mr Hammond said there was scope to reform the revaluation process, making it smoother and more frequent, to avoid the dramatic increases that the present system can deliver. Business rates are based on the rental value of a companys premises, known as rateable value. Since 2010 rates have been based on figures from April 2008, before the property market crashed. Ministers have said that when the new rates come into force on April 1, three-quarters of firms will pay the same or less, with 600,000 taken out of paying business rates altogether. This is because businesses with a rateable value of 12,000 or under will be exempt from the taxes, compared with 6,000 now. Small firms hit hardest by the controversial business rates reforms will benefit from a 435million relief package, the Chancellor revealed yesterday However, around half a million businesses face higher bills as rental values have soared in recent years. To combat this, a 50-a-month or 600-a-year cap will apply to 16,000 small firms which paid very little or no business rate bills at all. A company paying nothing under the present regime will pay a maximum of 600 a year for the next five years, until rates are revalued again. A firm paying a small amount now will pay an extra 600 or 5 per cent more whichever is greater in the first year. This will change to 600 or 7.5 per cent in the second year, 600 or 10 per cent in the third, 600 or 15 per cent in the fourth, and 600 or 15 per cent in the fifth. The Chancellors announcements received a mixed reception from business groups and MPs. Stephen Martin, director general of the Institute of Directors, said that, while welcome, the package looks distinctly modest at first glance. Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, described the 435million as a drop in the ocean. She said: We hope that the relief measures will help some of those businesses hardest hit by the revaluation, albeit only temporarily. However, more short-term relief measures continue to add complexity to an already impenetrable system. This is yet another sticking plaster on a chronically ill patient an unsustainable property tax higher here than anywhere in the developed world. Andrew Bridgen, the Tory MP who has been a vocal critic of the reforms, said: Generally, if the Conservative Party cant be the party of business then no one can. 'So I am glad the Chancellor has listened to the concerns of backbenchers. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating. But I am concerned about the ability of councils to administer this [300million] fund. They need strict guidelines or this could turn into a free-for-all. The mother and ex-husband of a woman accused of trying to murder her baby by stopping her breathing twice were shocked when she was charged, a court has heard. Ashleigh Meagan Watterson was charged in June 2013 following the March 2012 death of her 21-month-old girl, Sarah, and has pleaded not guilty in the Brisbane Supreme Court to two counts of attempted murder and one of assault causing grievous bodily harm. The crown alleges she 'deliberately obstructed' her daughter's airways twice in 2010, when the girl was aged four and five months old, but Watterson's defence says she never harmed Sarah, whose cause of death remains unknown. A Brisbane jury heard Ashleigh Meagan Watterson told police 'my hands might have done it but my head didn't do it', more than a year after her daughter Sarah (pictured) died Watterson (pictured at court on Thursday) is on trial after pleading not guilty to two counts of attempted murder and assault occasioning grievous bodily harm over attempts to kill her daughter in 2010 Mark Watterson (pictured), the ex-husband of Ashleigh Watterson, told a Brisbane Supreme Court jury he was shocked she had been charged over the death of their daughter Sarah While giving evidence on Thursday, Watterson's former husband and the father of Sarah, Mark Watterson, told the jury he was shocked she had been charged. 'It came as a complete shock when Ashleigh was charged by the police,' defence barrister James Godbolt put to him. 'It was,' Mr Watterson replied. Watterson's mother was asked a similar question and also said she was shocked by the charges. Mr Watterson was questioned about a breathing monitor used on Sarah, whose breathing he said was slower than usual. He said its alarm went off about five times but when he had checked on his daughter she seemed to be breathing normally. 'Sometimes it would just sound,' he said. Watterson (pictured left) is on trial accused of murdering the child she had with her then-husband Mark Watterson (pictured right) The jury heard on Wednesday that Watterson, who was 23 when she allegedly tried to murder her child, had confessed in August 2013, almost two months after being charged. 'I never wanted to hurt (Sarah) but at those events, I feel I was possessed,' she said in a signed police statement shown to the jury. 'I believe I have the love of God and this is not the person who I am. 'I feel that the devil attacked and made me do things.' Her defence team said the confession could not be relied upon because it had come 'from a disordered mind'. The trial continues. Apple and other technology giants were yesterday scrambling to close loopholes that allow the CIA to spy on smartphone and 'smart TV' users. The iPhone maker announced it would 'rapidly address' any security gaps. Meanwhile the hunt is on for the mole who leaked nearly 9,000 top-secret documents to the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks. The cache - dubbed 'Vault 7' by WikiLeaks - exposes how CIA hackers have devised ways of breaking into smartphones, televisions and even modern cars and turning them into covert listening devices. Apple announced on Wednesday that it would 'rapidly address' any security gaps after it was revealed that loopholes could allow the CIA to spy on smartphone and 'smart TV' users British spies helped develop the hackers' toolkit, the secret files reveal, to turn ordinary devices such as mobile phones, computers and internet-connected TVs into surveillance bugs. According to the WikiLeaks files, the CIA collaborated with British intelligence agency GCHQ to find ways to hack iPhones, iPads and Google Android mobiles. The covert CIA/GCHQ unit worked on ways of discovering iPhones' location, reading text messages, and activating a device's camera and microphone without the user realising. And MI5 allegedly helped devise the hack codenamed 'Weeping Angel' which transforms a Samsung TV model F8000 into a sinister spy-on-the-wall bugging device, like 'Big Brother' from George Orwell's 1984. Weeping Angel, named after terrifying characters in Doctor Who which come to life when not being looked at, installs a fake 'off' mode in the television. WikiLeaks claimed: 'The owner falsely believes the TV is off when it is on. In 'Fake-Off' mode the TV operates as a bug, recording conversations in the room and sending them over the internet to a covert CIA server.' Apple announced that many of the vulnerabilities described by the leaked documents were already fixed by the latest version of its iOS mobile operating system. It said: 'While our initial analysis indicates that many of the issues leaked today were already patched in the latest iOS, we will continue work to rapidly address any identified vulnerabilities. We always urge customers to download the latest iOS to make sure they have the most recent security updates.' The Central Intelligence Agency on Wednesday accused WikiLeaks of endangering Americans, helping US rivals and hampering Washington's fight against terror threats by releasing what the anti-secrecy site claimed was a trove of CIA hacking tools Thousands of documents in a WikiLeaks release purportedly reveal hacking tools the CIA uses to break into phones, computers and even smart TVs GCHQ reportedly provided the CIA with previously-undiscovered security flaws in the Android operating system used on phones made by Sony and Samsung, among others. The breach meant spies could potentially read messages on supposedly encrypted chat services such as WhatsApp. Personal computers with built-in microphones and running popular Microsoft software were also targeted. How leaked files reveal spies are able to hack your TV 1. MI5 and CIA develop smart TV hacking software and call it 'Weeping Angel' after the Dr Who monsters who pretend to be stone statues 2. Once installed the owner thinks it is off - but it is actually on, with a blank screen and standby red light on. 3. Unsuspecting victims will be unaware that their conversations are all now recorded 4. The software then sends back all the recording to the CIA's servers to be listened back Advertisement Microsoft said it was 'looking into' the hacking issue and Samsung said it was 'urgently looking into' it. The WikiLeaks files described as the biggest US intelligence breach since Edward Snowden and potentially even more damaging - reveal discussions on how to hack into cars and the so-called Internet of Things, devices that are connected to the web so that they can be controlled or monitored remotely. It emerged that the computer code used by the CIA was ingeniously designed with an inbuilt decoy, to disguise its true origin and give it fake Russian or Chinese 'fingerprints' to make it seem like a Kremlin or Beijing cyber hacking operation. Neither the White House nor the CIA would confirm the leak, but Snowden, famous for previously leaking secret intelligence secrets, said the material looked genuine to him. He tweeted that the mole knew codenames: 'The JQJ (IOC) crypt series, are real. Only a cleared insider could know them.' The FBI is leading the manhunt for the source, whom WikiLeaks said had been motivated by a desire 'to initiate a public debate about the security, creation, use, proliferation and democratic control of cyberweapons'. The WikiLeaks files described as the biggest US intelligence breach since Edward Snowden (pictured) and potentially even more damaging - reveal discussions on how to hack into cars and the so-called Internet of Things Although tech firms were rushing to close security loopholes, they faced a struggle because WikiLeaks has not provided specific technical information. While the leaked data points to vulnerabilities, it stops of short of showing exactly how it is done, making quick fixes harder to design. The whistleblowing website claimed it had held back from releasing 'armed cyber weapons' to avoid them falling into the hands of 'rival states, cyber mafia and teenage hackers alike'. Critics said the leak would set back the CIA's cyber spying operation by years. Michael Hayden, CIA director from 2006 to 2009, told the BBC the leak was highly damaging, adding: 'It has made by country and my country's friends less safe.' Germany has demanded answers from the United States over claims by WikiLeaks that the US consulate in Frankfurt was the spy agency's listening post for the Middle East, Africa and Europe. Berlin's top prosecutor will examine the documents and launch an investigation if it sees concrete indications of wrongdoing, a spokesman said. A CIA spokesman said: 'We do not comment on the authenticity or content of purported intelligence documents.' GCHQ refused to comment on intelligence matters but insisted its work is 'carried out in accordance with a strict legal and policy framework, which ensures that our activities are authorised, necessary and proportionate'. Wikileaks, which publishes other peoples classified information, has been at it again. It has unleashed what it describes as its biggest ever leak of confidential documents from the CIA. The 9,000 apparently genuine secret files contain details of the tools used by the CIA to break into phones, communication apps and other devices. These include a program called Weeping Angel a reference to characters in Doctor Who apparently dreamt up with our own boffins at GCHQ. It reportedly allows agencies to listen to suspects who happen to have a particular model of a Samsung television. The TV set appears to be off, but can still be used for monitoring. CIA and MI5 are able to record conversations by turning TVs into listening devices and making them appear on standby when they are really on, leaked intelligence documents claim Thanks to WikiLeaks, terrorists owning a Samsung F8000 are likely to cut off the plug. No doubt among the thousands of documents there are many other tips that our enemies will find useful. It will now be more difficult to keep them under surveillance. So Im inclined to believe former CIA boss Michael Hayden, who told the BBC on Tuesday evening that the leak of highly sensitive data by WikiLeaks is incredibly damaging and has put lives at risk. Not that WikiLeaks will care. What strikes me most is that in stark contrast to the reaction after previous leaks this one has provoked hardly any condemnation of American and British security services, and little or no support for WikiLeaks. One or two of the usual suspects have expressed alarm that the CIA should be using such surveillance methods. For example, Privacy International burbled that it has long warned about government hacking powers that give them easier access to our private lives. But from the Guardian which had previously copiously and reverently published WikiLeaks revelations, as well as those of the former CIA employee Edward Snowden there has been virtual silence. The newspaper has described the latest leaks in detail, but as I write it has not laid into the CIA or praised WikiLeaks. The BBCs Newsnight, which gave a platform to Mr Hayden, appeared equally relaxed about the CIAs activities. It turns out that while WikiLeaks previously shared its information in advance with the Guardian and several foreign publications, on this occasion it has limited its favours to a German and an Italian newspaper. The Guardian has been cut out or cut itself out. The Left has finally fallen out of love with the unbalanced and self-centred hacktivist' WikiLeaks editor in chief Julian Assange Why this shift of opinion? The Guardian, in common with many on the Left, seems to have belatedly woken up to the fact that WikiLeaks is a very flawed and untrustworthy organisation. It began to realise a few years ago that its editor-in-chief, Julian Assange (who is holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London because he refuses to answer charges of sexual assault in Sweden) is a very unappetising man. At one time, of course, the newspaper and Assange had been besotted with each other. Their collaboration then soured and one of the papers leading reporters described the WikiLeaks founder as an extraordinary, dishonest man. Assange called another of its senior journalists deplorable and threatened to sue the paper. But this falling out does not alone explain why the Guardian and, I would argue, many in the Labour Party, whose house journal it is have fallen out of love with the unbalanced and self-centred hacktivist. Last autumn, the scales finally fell from their eyes. Originally, progressives were largely drawn to WikiLeaks because it was anti-American. That was before it published embarrassing emails last year from the camp of Hillary Clinton, preferred presidential candidate of the Left. Among the trove of secret files published by WikiLeaks was the details of joint US-UK operation Weeping Angel, which discussed the tactics used to transform a Samsung F8000 TV for monitoring Her people plausibly accused the Russian government of breaking into the account of her campaign chairman and passing his emails to WikiLeaks. The notion that the organisation might be in cahoots with President Vladimir Putin was hard to bear. Not only that. Might WikiLeaks have damaged Mrs Clinton in order to serve the interests of the Lefts hate figure, Donald Trump, and even the Russians? Possibly. As the Guardian reported yesterday, Roger Stone, a former Trump adviser, wrote on Saturday night that he had a perfectly legal back channel to Julian Assange. Stone then deleted the message. We are told in the Gospels that joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. So, I suppose we should be glad if the Left has finally seen the light. But shouldnt it have done so earlier? Wasnt it always obvious that Assange and WikiLeaks were destructive forces? Did it really need the evisceration of Hillary Clinton to open their eyes to the obvious shortcomings of these bad people? Look, for instance, at some of WikiLeaks unforgivably irresponsible revelations back in 2010. It published the whereabouts of American tactical nuclear weapons, as well as the location of key U.S. facilities including pipelines and communications hubs. The Guardian and several foreign newspapers, including the venerable New York Times, drew attention to the publication of the names, villages and GPS locations of Afghans who had co-operated with Nato troops. It was little comfort some names were redacted. Surely it should have been obvious years ago that WikiLeaks is fundamentally anti-Western. To be fair, it did draw attention to excesses committed by the U.S. in Iraq and Afghanistan. If only it had left things there, but it possesses neither discretion nor decency. Edward Snowden was recklessly embraced by the Guardian after he produced allegations in 2013 about American digital surveillance As for Edward Snowden (who lives in Moscow under the protection of Putin and may conceivably have been a sort of Russian stooge all along), he was recklessly embraced by the Guardian after he produced allegations in 2013 about American digital surveillance. The newspaper has continued to nurture him from afar, with its former editor, Alan Rusbridger, even paying him a visit in Moscow last year. Yet Snowdens disclosures about the methods U.S. and British security services used to eavesdrop on terrorist suspects may have been more damaging than those of WikiLeaks. One should probably take the special pleading of spy chiefs with a pinch of salt. But when the heads of the main British and American intelligence agencies (not to mention the then British Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary) all independently maintained in public that Snowden did untold damage to our security, only a fool would have ignored their warnings. Of course, it must be said the CIA has been gravely at fault in allowing Snowden and WikiLeaks to filch thousands of secret documents, and much greater vigilance is needed. For all that, its failings in this respect do not to the smallest degree excuse those who steal its secrets. Might the Guardian and others on the Left also grasp the fact that, in the dangerous world we inhabit, surveillance of suspects is a vital necessity? The other day, Britains most senior counter-terrorism officer, Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, said that the security services have stopped 13 potential terrorist attacks in less than four years and that more than 500 investigations are active at any one time. None of this could be accomplished without hacking the mobile phones of suspected terrorists, intercepting their emails and even monitoring their Samsung TVs. The likes of Snowden and WikiLeaks wont ever understand this, but I havent given up hope that their erstwhile defenders on the Left one day will. Britain's aid budget will increase by at least 300million by the end of the decade thanks to the strength of the economy, it has emerged. Yesterday, the Treasurys official watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, significantly upgraded its 2017 growth forecast to 2 per cent. This means that the UK will have to spend more cash to meet the target of spending 0.7 per cent of national income, which was enshrined in law by David Cameron. Yesterday the Office for Budget Responsibility, significantly upgraded its 2017 growth forecast to 2 per cent. This means that the UK will have to spend more cash to meet the target of spending 0.7 per cent of national income, which was enshrined in law by David Cameron At present, around 12.2billion goes on our foreign aid budget. The figures in an OBR document suggest that by 2019/20 this could hit 12.5billion, while another Budget document, the Red Book, suggests it could reach 12.6billion The small print of the Budget reveals that the Department for International Development will have hundreds of millions of pounds more to spend in 2019/20 as the economic recovery continues. At present, around 12.2billion goes on our foreign aid budget. The figures in an OBR document suggest that by 2019/20 this could hit 12.5billion, while another Budget document, the Red Book, suggests it could reach 12.6billion. NET MIGRATION 'STILL ABOVE 100K IN 2021' Theresa Mays pledge to reduce net migration to below 100,000 suffered a blow yesterday. A tighter migration regime after Brexit would not allow her to meet the target before 2021-22, the Office for Budget Responsibility said. Mrs May has promised to cut net migration the difference between those arriving here minus those leaving to the tens of thousands. She has said that quitting the single market and seizing back control of Britains borders after leaving the EU would see the numbers of foreign nationals arriving here plunge. But the OBR said its economic forecast assumed that the UK adopts a tighter migration regime than that currently in place, but not sufficiently tight to reduce net inward migration to the desired tens of thousands. It said it was sticking to its assumption that net inward migration would fall to 185,000 by 2021. In the year to September 2016 it was 273,000. The OBR also said around 75 per cent of the predicted 700,000 rise in employment by 2021-22 would be accounted for by foreign workers. Advertisement The announcement that yet more money will be spent on aid will cause anger among Tory backbenchers, many of whom have demanded that the budget is cut to spend more on domestic priorities, such as social care. The extra amount earmarked for foreign aid is almost as much as the 435million reserved to soften the impact of business rates increases for struggling firms. However, there will be satisfaction that the OBR has been forced to revise its post-Brexit forecast upwards after its gloomy prognosis in November. At the time of the Autumn Statement, the OBR suggested that the economy would only grow by 1.4 per cent in 2017. Yesterday the watchdog upgraded this to 2 per cent saying the economy had fared better than expected after Britain voted to quit the EU. The increase in the aid budget of 300million contained in the OBRs economic and fiscal outlook document only covers revenue spending, which refers to short-term costs such as salaries and one-off aid projects. It is possible that capital spending long-term fixed costs such as buildings could also increase, although the OBR does not outline this. The DfID is in charge of foreign aid, but does not spend the entire budget. The Red Book appears to show that the department will see its budget rise by 25 per cent by 2019/20, from 10.1billion in 2016/17 to 12.6billion. A spokesman for the DfID said: With the world facing the real threat of famine in four countries, UK aid is the difference between life and death for millions. Conflict, migration and disease know no borders, and we will continue to tackle the root causes of these problems before they threaten us here in the UK. It emerged last week that Mr Cameron will seek to defend his legacy on aid by chairing a high-profile commission on overseas development. In the unpaid role, he will lead research on the impact of aid in fragile and conflict-affected states countries he prioritised for cash as PM. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump are renting their home in an upscale part of Washington, DC, from a Chilean billionaire who is suing the US government. President Donald Trump's daughter and her husband, who also serves as a key advisor and confidante to his father-in-law, moved into their spacious six-bedroom, seven-bathroom home in Kalorama in January. The owner of the house is Andronico Luksic Craig, a 62-year-old Chilean tycoon who owns one of the South American country's largest mining conglomerates, the Luksic Group, according to The Wall Street Journal. Luksic is said to be worth an estimated $3.6billion. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump (left) are renting their home in an upscale part of Washington, DC, from a Chilean billionaire, Andronico Luksic Craig (right), who is suing the US government President Donald Trump's daughter and her husband, who also serves as a key advisor and confidante to his father-in-law, moved into their spacious six-bedroom, seven-bathroom home (above) in the upscale Kalorama section of Washington, DC in January During the Obama administration, Luksic filed a lawsuit against the federal government after it blocked his American subsidiary from undertaking a copper-and-nickel mining operation in an area near the Minnesota wilderness. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northeastern Minnesota is an area that spans nearly 1.1 million acres. One of the most visited wildernesses in the United States, the area lies within the bounds of the Superior National Forest and is administered by the US Forest Service. The desire to mine the mineral-rich area has ignited a battle between Luksic and the federal government, according to Esquire. During the Obama administration, Luksic sued federal government after it blocked his American subsidiary from undertaking a copper-and-nickel mining operation in an area near the Minnesota wilderness. Above is a stock image of White Iron Lake in Ely, Minnesota A spokesperson for Luksic told the Journal that Kushner and Ivanka Trump are paying 'absolute market value' in renting the DC mansion, which the Chilean businessman bought this past December for $5.5million. Though the Journal article doesn't specify how much the family is paying in rent, Coldwell Banker, a residential brokerage firm, says that a six-bedroom townhouse in Kalorama would cost $11,500 per month. The 6,870-square-foot home is in a highly exclusive area where former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld once lived and several diplomats live in gated mansions. The streets are crammed with cars carrying diplomatic license plates and parking restrictions are in force. Former president Barack Obama and his family recently moved in to a home just a few minutes away from the Kushners. Before Donald Trump became president, Ivanka and her family were living in a four-bedroom condo in Manhattan while she was at the helm of her father's businesses with her siblings. Facebook and Google are facing fresh calls for scrutiny over the way they place adverts beside fake news, extremist videos and pornography. MPs and the News Media Association have expressed alarm that the technology the online giants use fuels propaganda sites and starves legitimate news organisations of funding. The row comes the day after Facebook was exposed for refusing to remove dozens of sexualised images of children from its website. Facebook and Google are facing fresh calls for scrutiny over the way they place adverts beside fake news, extremist videos and pornography Tory MP and former culture secretary John Whittingdale said yesterday Facebook and Google parasitically make their money off content they have not paid for. Speaking at the Oxford Media Convention, he said neither company employs journalists, adding: Im seriously worried about whether there are going to be any local newspapers left. We may not have print newspapers in a few years time. His concerns were echoed by Tory MP Damian Collins, chairman of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, who called for advertisers to boycott social media companies until they fix the problem. Tory MP and former culture secretary John Whittingdale said yesterday Facebook and Google parasitically make their money off content they have not paid for Major technology firms such as Google and Facebook use programmatic advertising to automatically match adverts to users, but some of the results leave a lot to be desired. The News Media Association, which campaigns on behalf of newspaper groups, called for an investigation into the way the technology fuels the rise of fake news online. Google declined to comment. Facebook did not respond to requests for comment. A levy on companies to fund apprenticeships is to go ahead despite opposition from the business world. Philip Hammond confirmed that the Apprenticeship Levy on large employers would be introduced from April 6. It requires all firms operating in the UK with an annual pay bill of more than 3million to hand over cash to the Government to pay for vocational training schemes. The levy, announced by George Osborne in 2015 when he was Chancellor, is charged at 0.5 per cent of a company's annual pay bill. Firms have to pay monthly. Around 2.8billion is expected to be raised from the levy every year. Philip Hammond confirmed that the Apprenticeship Levy on large employers would be introduced from April 6 Yesterday, in his Budget speech, Mr Hammond said: 'Long ago, our competitors in Germany and the US realised that to compete in the fast-moving global economy, you have to link skills to jobs. 'And, I am pleased to report, in National Apprenticeship Week, that our apprenticeship route is now, finally, delivering that ambition here, with 2.4million apprenticeship starts in the last Parliament, and the launch of the Apprenticeship Levy in April supporting a further three million apprenticeships by 2020.' But questions have been raised about whether all the money raised will go to pay for apprenticeship schemes because it is not ring-fenced within the Government's finances. The levy was described as 'poor value for money' by the respected Institute for Fiscal Studies in January. Less than one in every four pounds raised by the levy will be spent on apprenticeships, the think-tank said. It warned that although the funding was meant to deliver three million apprenticeships by 2020 'the significant expansion and design of the new system risks it being poor value for money'. Ofsted, the education standards watchdog, had also expressed 'serious concerns' about the quality of some apprenticeship schemes, particularly the newest ones. Carolyn Fairbairn (pictured), director-general of the employers' organisation, said the new system could drive the 'wrong outcomes' In February a survey of firms showed that one third of eligible companies were not aware of the existence of the levy. When the scheme was unveiled last year, the Confederation of British Industry warned that it needed a 'radical rethink'. Carolyn Fairbairn, director-general of the employers' organisation, said: 'What's being counted is three million started apprenticeships, not three million qualified apprentices. There's a big difference. 'Indeed, measuring success by the number of starts tells us little about whether the system is really delivering and could even drive the wrong outcomes. We don't want this and I'm confident that the Government doesn't either.' Research by the CIPD, the body for human resources staff, also found many companies were opposed to the tax increase. Forty-seven per cent of firms that were expected to pay the levy were against it,with 39 per cent supporting it. NORTH SEA OIL FORECASTS HIT SNP FOR SIX The SNP's economic case for independence was dealt a blow after official forecasts for North Sea tax revenues were dramatically slashed. Proceeds from the already struggling oil and gas sector were downgraded by 37 per cent since November. The Office for Budget Responsibility yesterday said it expected tax receipts from the industry to total 4.6 billion over the next five years, compared to the 7.3 billion that it previously forecast. Ahead of the independence referendum, the Scottish government had said revenue would be up to 11.8 billion in 2017/18. Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour's economy spokesman, said: 'The SNP's economic case for independence now lies in tatters. Now the facts are clear. With a 15 billion deficit, the cost of independence to our valued public services would be even more brutal.' Murdo Fraser, the Scottish Tories' shadow finance minister, added: 'The SNP knew their oil forecasts were based on fantasy figures but they tried to fool people anyway.' Mr Hammond announced an expert panel would look at how to maximise the remaining reserves in the North Sea. SNP ministers were also urged to use 350 million released by the Budget to help boost Scotland's economy. Mr Hammond said the extra money would demonstrate 'we are stronger together in this great United Kingdom.' Advertisement Kelsey Stewart, 19, thinks that the Government should do more to encourage apprenticeships as an alternative to university and believes they are well worth being funded by industry. Miss Stewart works as a business administration and project support apprentice at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and earns 15,000 a year. After having a negative experience at sixth form and being put off further education by high university fees, she decided to apply for an apprenticeship. Miss Stewart said: 'I think apprenticeships are great because university fees are so high and it gives people a chance to start earning. Kelsey Stewart (pictured) thinks that the Government should do more to encourage apprenticeships as an alternative to university 'School wasn't for me either as my sixth form had a lot of funding cuts and it wasn't a great place to learn.' She is in favour of the Apprenticeship Levy as a 'positive' contribution to the economy and hopes the Government will continue to invest in apprenticeships. Miss Stewart, who lives with her parents in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, takes home about 1,200 each month and she pays 60 tax. Only one in 50 people applying for jobs at high street sandwich shop Pret A Manger is British. The company's director of human resources Andrea Wareham told the House of Lords economic affairs select committee on Wednesday that the chain employs 110 different nationalities. Some 65 per cent of its workforce come from EU countries other than Britain. Pret A Manger director of human resources told the House of Lords economic affairs select committee on Wednesday that the chain employs 110 different nationalities and would find it almost impossible to find enough staff if it were forced to turn away EU nationals She added that the company would find it almost impossible to find enough staff if it were forced to turn away EU nationals after Brexit, reports the Guardian. Ms Wareham said she did not think pay was the reason son many foreign workers chose Pret A Manger as a potential employer. This is despite starting salaries being just 16,000 a year in London, which would barely be enough to cover rent. 'It's a difficulty in attracting, I would say one in 50 people who apply to our company to work is British,' said Ms Wareham. 'If I had to fill all our vacancies with British-only people I would not be able to fill them because of the lack of applications. Before the referendum at the Pret a Manger restaurant in New Bridge Street (pictured) there were eight workers of five different nationalities on just one shift 'We are entirely accepting that the number of EU nationals will go down over time. We would love to increase the number of British nationals and we are excited about this.' This was the first detailed public announcement the company has made about how last June's referendum result will affect its business. Ms Wareham added that young people needed to be educated into believing it was a 'success' to be working in Pret as a teenager. 'It takes a long time to change hearts and minds. We need to work with education, career services,' she said. Funding for a new generation of grammar schools and a landmark overhaul of vocational qualifications were announced by the Chancellor yesterday. Philip Hammond pledged 320million for an additional 140 free schools including the first new grammars for decades with 30 opening by September 2020 and the other 110 to follow. He also unveiled an overhaul of technical qualifications, which will see teenagers study new, rigorous 'T-levels', aimed at being more relevant to the jobs market. Mr Hammond said the measures would ensure every youngster can 'succeed and prosper' in their education 'whatever their background and wherever they live'. Philip Hammond (pictured) pledged 320million for an additional 140 free schools including the first new grammars for decades Ministers hope the free schools will include a number of grammars, which would target disadvantaged youngsters to raise attainment in deprived communities. Private schools, universities and faith groups will be encouraged to use their expertise to set up some of the free schools. A number of the new schools will also specialise in maths to address the UK's skills shortage in the subject. The extra cash is aimed at addressing the growing schools places crisis, which follows a baby boom fuelled by migration. The Chancellor also confirmed that an extra 216 million will be set aside to refurbish existing school buildings and that free school transport will be extended to poorer youngsters who attend a selective school. But there was disappointment yesterday from teachers and heads who had been hoping for a pledge of more money for existing schools. Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: 'Schools are in a funding crisis now, and opening more free schools will do nothing to change that. Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said that opening more free schools will do 'nothing' to change the funding crisis 'For many schools, this Budget was their last chance. They will be bitterly disappointed.' Mr Hammond also set in stone plans for T-Levels, which would see 13,000 technical courses replaced with 15 new career-based training routes for teenagers. Each course will include a greater number of hours and a high quality three-month work place, in a bid to put technical education on an equal par with academic qualifications. New university-style maintenance loans will be available for such students. A couple whose wedding plans came to a halt after the groom was left paralyzed from the neck down during a bachelor trip has stuck together, three months into hi recovery. Meg Alexander, 29, and Brett Greenhill, 39, were due to tie the knot in just ten weeks when tragedy struck during a joint getaway in Naples, Florida. The active couple - who loved to run and work out together - were with their friends on a beach when Greenhill decided to go swimming. Doctors believe his head hit a sandbar, depriving him of feeling in his arms and legs. Greenhill tried to push his bride-to-be away at first, telling her: 'This is not what you signed up for'. But Alexander told Inside Edition she needs him spiritually and emotionally, just as much as he needs her physically. Scroll down for video Brett Greenhill, 39, and Meg Alexander, 29 (pictured together) have opened up about their lives three months after Greenhill was left paralyzed during a bachelor trip The pair (pictured) were due to tie the knot in ten weeks when Greenhill dove into the ocean and hit his head against a sandbar, losing feeling in his arms and legs Greenhill (pictured) has been going through intensive therapy and has now regained some feeling and movement in his arms and fingers The couple (pictured before the incident) have put their wedding plans on hold for the moment but are still looking forward to becoming husband and wife one day Three months after the incident, Greenhill has gone through intensive therapy and has regained some feeling in his arms. He can now move his hand towards his face and fix his glasses or scratch the back of his head - huge improvements, according to his medical team. Greenhill has achieved these milestones with Alexander by his side, although he admitted he tried to keep her away immediately after becoming paralyzed. His first words to her after being pulled out of the water were 'I can't feel anything, Meg. I love you so much and I'm so sorry. I love you so much.' 'I felt like, in that instant, our life had changed,' he told 11Alive. 'I knew it; I knew the severity of it and I knew how much I love her and if those were my last words that's what I wanted to say.' 'He said, "This is not what you signed up for," ' Alexander recounted. 'We need each other. Physically, right now, he needs me more, but emotionally, spiritually, mentally, I need him.' After weeks of rehab, Greenhill has also regained some feeling in his fingers, which enables him to stroke his partner's face. 'Megan has been amazing,' he said. 'She's what really keeps me going.' The pair, who were due to tie the knot on February 11, have put their wedding plans on hold, but are looking forward to becoming husband and wife one day. 'If there's one thing that I want people to know is to love the people that you love as hard as you possibly can, because you never know what can happen,' Alexander said. Alexander (pictured with Greenhill before the tradegy) said he tried to push her away at first, saying, 'This is not what you signed up for' but said she needed him as much as he needed her In October, Alexander posted a touching photo of her fiance carrying her and giving her a kiss as she counted down the days to their wedding The active couple - who loved to run and work out together - had been holding a joint bachelor- bachelorette party on the beach in Naples, Florida, (file picture) on December 3 Greenhill's life changed during a bachelor-bachelorette trip with his friends and fiancee. They stayed on the beach while he dived into the ocean. The next thing friends saw was Greenhill floating motionless. Alexander said friends helped drag him from the water and called 911. 'Brett went into the water and all of a sudden my friend Kelsey says, "Why is Brett doing that? Why is he floating like that?" ' she told People at the time. Greenhill was air-lifted to Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers, where doctors told him he had shattered part of his vertebrae, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. They believe that when he dived into the water, he must have hit a submerged sandbar which injured his back. He has just a one per cent chance of mobility. 'We're holding on to that one per cent because if anyone will do it, it's Brett,' Alexander said after the incident. 'He's the hardest-working person you could ever imagine.' Greenhill (pictured with Alexander before the incident) credited his fiancee with being the force that keeps him going during his recovery efforts The couple had just mailed out invitations to their February wedding when tragedy struck. In October, Alexander, a fashion consultant at LuLaRoe, posted a touching photo of her fiance carrying her and giving her a kiss as she counted down the days to their wedding which was due to go ahead in February. The pair also planned to travel round New Zealand in a camper van for their honeymoon. But, Alexander, who met her husband-to-be two years ago, had no plans to permanently cancel their special day. 'We are going to get married someday, and it's going to be amazing,' Alexander told 11Alive at the time. 'Plans changed a little but we'll get there someday.' Greenhill's family and friends have started a GoFundMe account to help pay for his spiraling medical expenses. The fund has already raised more than $130,800 of its $250,000 goal. 'Anyone who has met Brett Greenhill, if only for a moment, will tell you how selfless, generous, and genuinely caring he is to everyone he encounters,' the page reads. Hospitals will be given up to 100million to install GPs in their struggling A&E units, the Chancellor announced. Philip Hammond unveiled plans which will see family doctors treating the less seriously ill in up to 100 casualty departments. But doctors leaders opposed the scheme and warned it would only attract more patients to A&E hoping to be seen quickly. Hospitals will be given up to 100million to install GPs in their struggling A&E units They also warned it would divert GPs away from understaffed surgeries. The Government hopes the scheme will reduce pressure on A&E units which have just seen one of their busiest ever winters. Some departments were so overcrowded that elderly patients were queuing on trolleys for up to 30 hours. Hospitals will be told to apply to the Department of Health for a share of the money, setting out details of how their scheme would work. Many are expected to propose setting up a primary care centre alongside their A&E staffed by GPs to treat patients with minor ailments. They will operate a triage system on the door of A&E where GPs or nurses will assess all patients upon arrival. Those with coughs, colds or minor injuries will be sent to the primary care centre, freeing up casualty staff to treat the most serious cases. Such schemes already exist in some UK hospitals, including Homerton in East London. Many others employ one GP in A&E during busy periods. Mr Hammond said inappropriate A&E attendances by patients of all ages was one of the big pressures on hospitals. Experience has shown that onsite GP triage in A&E departments, can have a significant and positive impact on A&E waiting times. I am therefore making a further 100million of capital available immediately for up to 100 new triage projects at English hospitals in time for next winter, he said. But Dr Mark Porter, council chairman of the British Medical Association which represents doctors, said: Having GPs in A&E wont reduce admissions if anything, this could have the effect of attracting more patients. The Government also needs to explain how it will fund and recruit GPs to work on site at hospitals when there already arent enough to meet the needs of the public. Philip Hammond unveiled plans which will see family doctors treating the less seriously ill in up to 100 casualty departments Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said: We feel that the best place for GPs is working with patients in their communities to provide high quality general practice and the money just announced for new triage systems in emergency departments would achieve more if most was spent shoring up general practice so we can deliver more care and services. Research last April found that setting up GP services inside A&E did in fact increase demand and may also cost more money. Doctors from Sheffield Childrens Hospital concluded that the schemes were expensive and disruptive. Surgeries across England are severely understaffed as rising numbers of GPs are retiring or quitting, but not being replaced. The Government has promised to hire an extra 5,000 full-time family doctors by 2020/21. Many GPs may also prefer doing shifts in A&E as opposed to working full-time in surgeries as hours might be more flexible and hourly rates higher. But in January, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt claimed that up to a third of patients arriving at A&E had only minor illnesses. However, senior doctors say many of those include worried parents with sick children, who may have meningitis or sepsis. A woman has been charged with first-degree murder after police say she overpowered her boyfriend during a fight and forced him to swallow bleach, killing him. Authorities said Yasmine Elder, 24, got into an argument around 1:45am Monday with her boyfriend, Darrius Ellis, 26, while they were sitting in a van in the south side of Chicago in West Englewood, according to the Chicago Tribune. Elder allegedly forced Ellis down and poured chlorine bleach down his throat, according to police. Yasmine Elder, 24, (left), of Chicago, was charged with allegedly forcing her boyfriend Darrius Ellis (right) to swallow bleach, killing him Ellis had a five year old son and worked as a welder, it's uncertain how long he and Elder had been dating Officers who were called to the scene found him lying on the ground and he was rushed to the hospital, but succumbed to the chemical at 3:26am, according to the outlet. Elder was arrested around 5:30pm Monday on the 6400 block of South Paulina Street. An autopsy determined that Ellis died of 'complications from forcible administration of a caustic substance.' Yasmine Elder, 24, above, allegedly overpowered her boyfriend during an argument and poured bleach down his throat Relatives said he had a five-year-old son. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, he worked as a welder and graduated from Kennedy-King College. 'He was a good kid,' his maternal grandfather, Clarence Hebron, told the outlet. 'Everybody loved him.' His aunt, Mengyona Flowers, wrote on Facebook: 'My nephew, this was a good young man trying his best. To help everybody taking my grand babies to school and picking them up every day. We loved him but God loved him best.' While experts say a mouthful of swallowed bleach isn't likely to kill, but drinking a lot of it could cause death. Symptoms range from pain and irritation in the mouth and throat; pain and possible burns in the esophagus and vomiting, convulsing, shock, gastrointestinal tract and internal organs, according to How Stuff Works. Shoppers have been left irate, notifying police at a man's decision to park his utility truck over two disabled parking bays without a permit. The driver of the vehicle also parked right next to another car, blocking it in at the Ipswich Shopping Centre on Friday afternoon. Upon the driver's return he told police that that he was 'unaware' that he had parked in a disabled zone. A man has been caught red-handed at parking his utility truck over two disabled parking bays and blocking in another car The driver of the blocked Toyota returned to his vehicle shocked, saying, 'How am I supposed to get into my car?'. Police issued the driver with an improper car park and a stop contrary to disable car park sign infringements. Reminding people to adhere to parking rules, Ipswich authorities released a statement telling drivers to have their permits displayed correctly and in full view. Police also told motorists that disabled spots are not for use by the general public. The driver was issued with two infringement notices but claimed that he did not know that he was parking in a disabled spot This latest incident is just a string of recent car parking fails that have been brought into the spotlight by incensed spotters. Popular Facebook pages, Sydney's Worst Parking and S*** Parking Appreciation Society highlights some of the nation's worst offenders. A driver from Tweed Heads left a sarcastic but stern note on a 4WD after she claimed that it was parked in a disabled spot for over an hour. Leaving the choice words on the windshield of the car it read, 'the only handicap you seem to have is s*** parking. Where is your disability sticker?.' A woman in Tweed Heads took her frustration out on a 4WD parked in a disabled spot without a permit by leaving a note saying 'The only handicap you seem to have s*** parking' The driver of a Mitsubishi taking up two disabled spots without a disabled parking permit He fell in love with Blue Peter's first pet - a cross breed named Petra - while presenting the show and ended up taking her in as his own. But Peter Purves has labelled the likes of Labradoodles and Cockapoos as unpredictable and confused mentally 'because they have mixed genes'. The popularity of cross breeds has exploded over the past decade in a move away from traditional pedigree dogs. The trend has been bucked by celebrities such as Rita Ora, who has a Maltipoo (cross between a Maltese and poodle) Elle Macpherson, who has a Labradoodle (Labrador and poodle), and Richard Hammond, who owns a puggle (pug and a beagle). Peter Purves, pictured left in recent years and right as a host of Blue Peter, has labelled crossbreed dogs unpredictable and confused mentally 'because they have mixed genes' Purves fell in love with Blue Peter's first pet - a cross breed named Petra (left, with fellow show pet Patch) - while on the show and took her in as his own But according to the former Blue Peter presenter, 78, crossing breeds often means there is no way of knowing what size a dog will grow to, or how it will behave. He told the Daily Mail: 'I'm not a great fan of some of the crosses. 'Dogs have different natural instincts. Some cross breeds can be quite extraordinary and they don't look like anything you'd expect, in those circumstances one should worry. 'If you have a hound, hounds are either scent hounds or sight hounds and you cross those, say with a spaniel, (they have) totally different instincts. 'There is an unpredictability in the behaviour pattern (of) what those dogs will do. 'The dogs themselves, in their heads may be confused because they have mixed genes that aren't from the same line. That's the big problem.' Purves, who is a commentator at Crufts, claims that a pedigree breed is still the best choice for families because owners have a better idea of what they are getting. Petra was so loved on Blue Peter, that a statue was late made in the dog's honour. Pictured above, Blue Peter Host Simon Groom and puppy Goldie admire the bust The popularity of cross breeds has exploded over the past decade in a move away from traditional pedigree dogs. The trend has been bucked by celebrities such as Rita Ora (left), who has a Maltipoo (cross between a Maltese and poodle) and Elle Macpherson (right), who has a Labradoodle (Labrador and poodle He said: 'It's not so much the first cross that you get when you're mixing up breeds, it's the second and third crosses after that, because the breed isn't fully established. 'There's no such thing really as a Labradoodle, because they come in all shapes and sizes, they don't reproduce the same kind of dog every time. 'The point about a pedigree dog is that the line is fairly well controlled, providing that you keep on bringing new stock in from other sides of the world, then you are going to keep the line healthy and fit.' Crufts, the largest dog show in the world, was rocked by controversy after a BBC documentary revealed that some pedigrees were badly deformed as a result of inbreeding. Pedigree Dogs Exposed showed King Charles Spaniels with heads too small for their brains and boxers that suffered from epilepsy. The documentary resulted in the BBC dropping Crufts before its contract was up. Despite the international scandal Crufts remained popular and Channel 4 bought the rights in 2010. *Crufts begins today and will run until Sunday on Channel 4. It is being hosted at the NEC arena in Birmingham. One child has died and another is reportedly in critical condition in Louisiana after being diagnosed with a rare disease that inflames the arteries. Charles 'Dooey' De Silva III, a six-year-old from Slidell, had a fever as high as 106, which led his family to take him to the hospital in mid-January. The six-year-old boy was sent home with antibiotics, but it didn't help his fever. 'He just had pain,' De Silva's aunt, Venus McCoy, told WWL-TV. 'He said everything hurt - everything.' Doctors told the family to take De Silva to Children's Hospital for treatment, where he was diagnosed with the rare Kawasaki Disease. Tragic: Charles 'Dooey' De Silva III (above) has died and another is in critical condition in Louisiana after being diagnosed with Kawasaki Disease. The disease inflames the arteries and is extremely rare At the second hospital, he received days of treatment but it did not help improve his condition. The six-year-old was declared brain dead and he died January 18 after succumbing to the disease that causes arteries to inflame. Not long after his death, his family learned that another child was diagnosed with the same disease in their community and is currently fighting against it. The identity of the second child has not been released. 'It's heartbreaking,' McCoy said. 'And if this can help one family not experience, then it helps.' Doctors say Kawaski Disease can be treated with intravenous immune globulin and aspirin, as they say it is difficult to diagnose. 'Kawasaki Disease is the most common arteritis of childhood and arteritis means inflammation of the arteries,' Dr. Sam Lucas, Chief of Pediatric Cardiology at Ochsner Hospital for Children told WWL-TV. De Silva's (above), died on January 18 after being declared brain dead at hospital. The cause of Kawasaki Disease is unknown, as less than 20,000 cases per year occur in the United States The disease is more prevalent among people of east Asian descent and the cause is not known. Up to one percent of the population in East Asia will be diagnosed with it, but in the United States, less than 20,000 cases per year occur. When the disease is seen in the United States, it mostly affects boys who are six months to one year, however, doctors say it can occur at older and younger ages. 'It seems most likely, by a lot, that Kawasaki Disease is an abnormal immune response to common infections,' Lucas said. WHAT IS KAWASAKI DISEASE? Kawasaki disease causes inflammation in the walls of medium-sized arteries throughout the body. It primarily affects children and infants. The inflammation tends to affect the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart muscle. Kawasaki disease is sometimes called mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome because it also affects lymph nodes, skin, and the mucous membranes inside the mouth, nose and throat. Early stage symptoms include a rash, high fever and peeling skin. In late stages, there may be inflammation of medium size blood vessels (vasculitis). Kawasaki disease is usually treatable. Initial treatments include aspirin and IV immunoglobulin therapy given in a hospital. No one knows what causes Kawasaki disease, but scientists don't believe the disease is contagious from person to person. A number of theories link the disease to bacteria, viruses or other environmental factors, but none has been proved. Certain genes may increase your child's susceptibility to Kawasaki disease. Source: Mayo Clinic Advertisement 'And the premise there is that many or most of us are infected with common illnesses like adenovirus that causes the common cold, but only very few of us, because of genetic determinants, react to that badly and have these problems that are arteritis.' In addition, doctors say there are signs that can be misleading and cause a delay in the important need for a quick diagnosis. Lakeview Regional Medical Center Internal Medicine Dr. Jacques Guillot said that red flags for the disease being with a fever that lasts longer than five days. He said that people should look out for, 'A dry injected red eye. Then it can affect the mouth. You can have a sore throat. 'It's common to have something called strawberry tongue - a bright red tongue and you might have bright red, cracked lips. Then it can affect the large lymph node.' More symptoms for Kawasaki Disease include swollen hands and feet that may also start to peel. Doctors say it is not contagious, but it can have significant complications. 'The dreaded complications of Kawasaki Disease are mostly related to the heart and there are things like what we call carditis, inflammation of the heart, that can result in arrhythmias that can be fatal,' Lucas said. 'And beyond the acute course, in the convalescent phase, there's a high incidence of coronary abnormalities after Kawasaki Disease.' The number of illegal immigrants crossing into the United States from Mexico declined by 40 percent from January to February, the Department of Homeland Security Secretary said late Wednesday. The downturn came after President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20 vowing to deport many of the estimated 11 million illegals in the United States. The flow of illegal border crossings measured by apprehensions and the prevention of 'inadmissible persons' apprehended at the southern border by U.S. Customs and Border Protection dropped to 18,762 in February from 31,578 in January, DHS Secretary John Kelly said in a statement. He said CBP, which compiled the data, historically sees a 10 percent to 20 percent increase in apprehensions of illegal immigrants from January to February. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said in a statement Wednesday night that the number of people crossing illegally from Mexico to the U.S. dropped sharply last month This chart from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency shows the 40 per cent drop (light blue line, left) that followed President Donald Trump's inauguration On Jan. 25, Trump ordered the construction of a wall along the roughly 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border, moved to strip federal funding from 'sanctuary' states and cities that harbor illegal immigrants, and expanded the force of U.S. immigration agents. 'Since the administration's implementation of Executive Orders to enforce immigration laws, apprehensions and inadmissible activity is trending toward the lowest monthly total in at least the last five years,' Kelly said. 'The drop in apprehensions shows a marked change in trends,' said Kelly. Trump took office January 20. He stressed that the sharp decline means fewer people are taking the huge risk of putting their fate in the hands of human traffickers. 'Early results show that enforcement matters, deterrence matters, and that comprehensive immigration enforcement can make an impact,' said Kelly, one of Trumps' closest allies on tightening border security and on the president's controversial pledge to build a wall there. Border Patrol agents had fewer people to arrest in the southwestern U.S. last month Customers and Border Protection trumpeted the numbers Wednesday night on Twitter During his campaign, Trump appalled Mexicans and many Americans by referring to Mexicans who crossed the border illegally into the U.S. as drug dealers and criminals. Hispanics or Latinos are the largest US minority; most U.S. Hispanics are of Mexican descent or immigrants from Mexico. The decline in illegal border-jumping can be seen in the number of empty beds at Texas immigration detention centers, the San Antonio Express-News reported Wednesday night. Already this year U.S. immigration officials have shut down emergency processing centers in South Texas and near El Paso, that they opened in December to handle an influx of families. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported on Monday that one 830-bed facility held just 194 people. A larger 2,400-bed detention center held 439. In December so many families were crossing the border illegally that ICE was forced to release hundreds to create bed space for new detainees. The agency said it's holding so few people because 'fewer apprehensions are being made along the Southern border.' The new principal of an embattled Muslim-majority school has allegedly been threatened with violence after the former headmaster was sacked over 'radicalisation' fears. Former principal Chris Griffiths and his deputy Joumana Dennaoui were fired from 'high risk' school Punchbowl Boys High in western Sydney last week. On Monday, two men of Middle Eastern appearance, aged 19 and 20, allegedly threatened his replacement Robert Patruno. 'We're going to get you. We're going to f*** you up, you dog. F*** you,' the men allegedly told Mr Patruno, 2GB radio host Ray Hadley revealed. Scroll down for video Two men of Middle Eastern appearance allegedly threatened Robert Patruno (pictured) after he replaced the former principal over radicalisation fears Former principal Chris Griffiths and his deputy Joumana Dennaoui were fired from 'high risk' school Punchbowl Boys High in western Sydney last week One of the men is reportedly known to police. Replacement principal Mr Patruno is pictured Mr Patruno made a complaint to police on the advice of NSE Department of Education boss Mark Scott, but the principal retracted the complaint to try and rekindle 'harmony with the community'. The threat, which Mr Scott described as 'appalling', was allegedly made in front of fellow teachers on Monday. Speaking to Nine News, a 'frightened' mother said backlash against the new principal was unfair. 'It's uncalled for, no-one deserves that. 'You don't know what's going to happen next, and to what extent they will take it.' Members of the school community are reportedly organising a protest over the change of leadership for the coming weeks. 'It's uncalled for, no-one deserves that,' a mother said of the alleged threats Mr Griffiths (pictured) and his deputy were given the sack after the 'high risk' school avoided participating in government-funded deradicalisation program School Communities Working Together A protest over the change of leadership is reportedly being organised within the coming weeks. Students have also been chanting 'we want Mr Griffiths back' during class. Mr Scott said Mr Griffiths had been a popular principal and parents and students had been surprised by the change. He said the dust would likely settle soon and the school would move on. 'We all know teenagers, teenagers get stirred up, of course it has stirred things up, but just as it quickly stirred up we're confident it will calm down.' He said Mr Patruno simply wanted to get on with his job. Students have also been chanting 'we want Mr Griffiths back' during class (the school is pictured) The Department of Education fired the principal (pictured) and deputy after investigating the complaints NSW Police said the 32-year-old principal reported the alleged threats of violence to Bankstown police station on Tuesday, about 4.30pm. 'At the time of making the report the 32-year-old wished no further police action be taken,' a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia. 'NSW Police is working closely with the Education Department in relation to the alleged issue at Punchbowl Boys High.' Mr Griffiths and his deputy were given the sack after the 'high risk' school avoided participating in government-funded deradicalisation program School Communities Working Together. Women teachers had also allegedly been prevented from participating in official events such as the Year 12 graduation ceremony. The Department of Education fired the principal and deputy from their positions after investigating the complaints. Punchbowl Boys High School was earmarked as 'high risk' for radicalisation, but the school did not participate in a government-funded deradicalisation program Advertisement Thousands of furious construction workers have taken to the streets across the country to protest against the cuts to penalty rates. The crowd, dominated by members of several trade unions including the CFMEU, gathered in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney's city centre at lunchtime on Thursday. Workers wore hard hats, wigs and sunglasses as they protested in the streets, clutching signs reading: 'Stop the war on jobs' and 'Protecting Aussie jobs banned by Turnbull's building code'. Scroll down for video Thousands of furious construction workers have taken to the streets across the country to protest against the cuts to penalty rates. Pictured is a rally in Brisbane on Thursday The crowd, dominated by members of several trade unions including the CFMEU, gathered in Brisbane (pictured), Melbourne and Sydney's city centre at lunchtime on Thursday The rallies were held to show the 'widespread concern' after the Fair Work Commission decided on a cut to penalty rates across some sectors including retail and hospitality. They also protested the new building code. The CFMEU union has labelled the cuts an 'attack on working people'. Former prime minister John Howard found himself caught in the middle of one of the angry protests on Thursday after leaving a meeting on Pitt Street when the rally was travelling past. Protesters hurled abuse at the 71-year-old and booed as he was escorted by police through the city. Workers wore hard hats, wigs and sunglasses as they protested in the streets, clutching signs reading: 'Stop the war on jobs' The rallies were held to show the 'widespread concern' after the Fair Work Commission decided on a cut to penalty rates across some sectors including retail and hospitality. A Brisbane rally is pictured The CFMEU union has labelled the cuts an 'attack on working people' Queensland Council of Unions general secretary Ros McLennan said up to 180,000 Queenslanders would face a pay cut when the changes come into effect But the demonstration did not seem to faze Mr Howard and he smiled while clutching an umbrella as he walked past the group. Queensland Council of Unions general secretary Ros McLennan said up to 180,000 Queenslanders would face a pay cut when the changes come into effect on July 1. 'This is a loss of up to $6000 per year for some Queensland workers,' Ms Mclennan said. The independent tribunal said Sunday rates would be reduced from 200 per cent to 150 for full and part-time retail workers, and dropped to 175 per cent for casuals Thousands of furious construction workers have taken to the streets across the country to protest against the cuts Former prime minister John Howard found himself caught in the middle of one of the angry protests on Thursday after leaving a meeting on Pitt Street Protesters hurled abuse at the 71-year-old and booed as he was escorted by police through the city The penalty rate cut announcement was made on February 23 with retail, hospitality and fast-food workers to be hit the hardest. An Essential poll released on Tuesday found 56 per cent of voters disapprove of the FWC's decision, while 32 per cent approve. But Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull claims there's 'masses of evidence' to support the change, which comes after a decision from an 'independent umpire'. The penalty rate cut announcement was made on February 23 with retail, hospitality and fast-food workers to be hit the hardest. The independent tribunal said Sunday rates would be reduced from 200 per cent to 150 for full and part-time retail workers, and dropped to 175 per cent for casuals. Queensland Council of Unions general secretary Ros McLennan said up to 180,000 Queenslanders would face a pay cut when the changes come into effect Protesters in Melbourne (pictured) held signs reading: 'More apprentices banned by Turnbull's building code' Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull claims there's 'masses of evidence' to support the change, which comes after a decision from an 'independent umpire' Troubled swim star Grant Hackett was all smiles and thanked the public for their support as he gets set for another stint in rehab. Sharing a smile with an airport worker, the 36-year-old departed Brisbane and arrived in Los Angeles where he will seek treatment after his latest public breakdown. The former swimmer had been arrested at his parents' Gold Coast home having reportedly been witnessed 'going off' and 'stabbing a chopping board' in January. But the former swimmer struck a calmer tone as he arrived in LA telling 9 News that he is looking forward to the coming days. 'I'm certainty taking the right steps forward which I am excited about.' Scroll down for videos I'm fine, thanks for asking! Grant Hackett shares a smile with an airport employee as he gets set to head to Los Angeles for his latest stint in rehab The former swimmer posted a photo of himself on Instagram a day after his arrest, sporting a black eye and bloody face and saying his brother had 'beat the s*** out of me' during a dispute in January. Yet the much more relaxed looking Hackett told 9 News that his troubles stemmed from 'transitioning his high profile swimming career into a private career'. 'Obviously a lot's taken place back home and obviously it's very difficult to manage in the spotlight when you go through your own personal issues.' The Olympic gold medallist also thanked his fans saying that he was grateful for their support in spite of the condemnation thrown at him by some. 'It's been really inspiring (the support) instead of being criticised the whole time for having some personal issues that everyone has day-to-day.' The former swimmer thanked the public for their 'overwhelming support' and understanding following his arrest in February Hackett previously spoke of his desire to travel overseas for help in his rehabilitation after his arrest in February. 'I know I have some mental health issues and I am seeking help here in Australia and I will be also going overseas,' he said at the time. He also said he had reconnected with his brother Craig. Speaking to A Current Affair as he departed from Brisbane International airport for his latest spell in rehab, Hackett told his fans that everyone goes through ups and downs in life. 'Eventually you always get back on top.' The former swimmer posted a photo of himself on Instagram a day after his arrest, sporting a black eye and bloody face and saying his brother had 'beat the s*** out of me' Grant Hackett with his brother Craig (at right) and father Neville (middle). Hackett says that the two brothers have reconnected since the beginning of the year Hackett previously checked into a US rehabilitation clinic in 2014 to treat an addiction to sleeping pills. Last April, the father-of-two was accused of tweaking a man's nipple 'quite forcefully' on a Virgin Australia flight after the man reclined his chair. He allegedly 'smelt like alcohol' and was questioned Federal Police about the incident. The decorated swimmer retired from an illustrious career in sport in 2008 after winning the 1,500m freestyle at both the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, and claiming four world titles in the event. Walking through Brisbane International Airport, a much more relaxed looking Hackett said that he was taking some private time to focus on himself AT&T says 911 service has been restored for cellphone customers who had been unable to call 911 in several states. Various law enforcement and government agencies in several states had reported the problem Wednesday evening. States affected included Florida, Maryland, Texas, Tennessee, Alabama, Ohio, Colorado, Virginia, Illinois, and the District of Columbia informed residents about the outage, and suggested other ways to contact emergency services, according to ABC News. The issue was not caused by 911 failures, but by as-yet unknown or unexplained AT&T problems. The communications company hasn't released the exact amount of states or people affected, but Karima Holmes, director of unified communications for the Washington, DC government, said the outage was 'nationwide,' according to NBC News. The company has over 90million wireless customers and the issue did not affect customers with other providers, said the Wall Street Journal. 911 handles 240million calls a year and failures aren't uncommon, but they are growing larger During the outage, many law enforcement agencies in affected states provided alternate numbers for people to call if they had an emergency. At 10:30pm ET, Dallas-based AT&T tweeted, 'Issue has been resolved that affected some calls to 911 from wireless customers. We apologize to those who were affected.' The outage appears to have gone on for approximately four hours. The FCC announced it would investigate the 'root cause' of the outage. 'The @FCC will investigate the root cause of the outage and its impact,' Chairman Ajit Pai tweeted Wednesday night. Local emergency departments and representatives posted alternative numbers on Facebook and Twitter. AT&T was also notifying affected states. 911 handles 240 million calls a year, according to the National Emergency Number Association. NENA said the recent outage highlights the need to transition the 911 system to 'to robust and resilient ''Next Generation 9-1-1'' technology.' The Wall Street Journal pointed out that 911 failures are fairly common, but usually only happened in small areas. Now that 911 calls have being transitioned to internet-based technology, and linking 911 central points together, outages have a much larger domino effect. A software glitch at a call routing center in Englewood, Colorado caused a six-hour 911 outage across seven states in 2014, reported the outlet. A woman is in critical condition after she was struck by a train inside a midtown Manhattan subway station on Wednesday. The 25-year-old woman was waiting for a southbound 6 train at the Lexington Avenue and East 51st Street station when she was seen fainting close to the platform edge around 1:30pm. The woman apparently then fell onto the subway tracks and was then struck by a train; she became trapped underneath. A 25-year-old woman is in critical condition after she was struck by a train inside the Lexington Avenue and East 51st Street station on Wednesday (scene above). The woman, who has not been publicly identified, apparently fainted and fell onto the tracks Emergency workers rushed to rescue the woman and she was transported to Bellevue Hospital in critical condition. An NYU student who was riding the 6 train before it was evacuated at the station told the New York Daily News, 'The firemen were calm. They were trying to pull her out. 'They were like, 'Ma'am, could you please not move, please try not to move, stay calm.' ' About an hour after the incident, regular train service resumed with some delays. The woman's identity has not been released and the nature of her injuries are unclear. Indigenous protesters have demonstrated against Pauline Hanson only hours after she declared Aboriginal people were supporting her. Women held a banner which read, 'Get off Yamaji land Pauline H' as the One Nation leader campaigned at Geraldton, in regional Western Australia, ahead of this Saturday's state elections. Only hours earlier, the Queensland senator had told Sunrise host David Koch Aboriginal people right across the state had shown her their support. Scroll down for video Indigenous protesters demonstrate in Geraldton as Pauline Hanson tours a shopping mall Pauline Hanson had told Sunrise Aboriginal people right across Western Australia had shown her their support 'It's amazing the support I received on the streets,' she told the Seven Network on Thursday morning. 'And who's actually coming up and supporting me right across from Port Hedland and here in Kalgoorlie were the Aboriginal people. 'They're actually coming, saying hello to me and shaking my hand. They actually want representation.' From Kalgoorlie, Senator Hanson told a skeptical Sunrise host that Aboriginal people needed someone to stand up for them. 'They're going through real problems and they want someone who's going to stand up for them,' she said. 'And they're worried about the future generation, their kids.' A young indigenous man shakes Pauline Hanson's hand as she campaigns at Geraldton Sunrise host David Koch (left) was skeptical about Pauline Hanson's claim she was popular with indigenous voters. 'Wow, I wouldn't have thought that,' he said. Kochie replied: 'Wow, I wouldn't have thought that.' Hours later during an afternoon campaign stop at Geraldton, 400 kilometres north of Perth, about 10 people held up a banner with 'Get off Yamaji land Pauline H' as she arrived at a shopping centre. Some later approached her at a coffee shop inside the mall, where she tried to engage them in conversation before security guards moved them. Earlier, Senator Hanson told Sunrise One Nation would win three upper house seats in Western Australia. The One Nation leader had a more positive reception inside the Geraldton shopping centre This would give her party the possible balance-of-power to reject or amend an incoming government's proposed laws. She also saw her party winning the seats of Kalgoorlie and Pilbara, in the state's far north, where One Nation candidate David Archibald has previously described single mothers as being too lazy to hold or keep a man. In 1996, Ms Hanson used her maiden speech to the House of Representatives to say Aboriginal people received more benefits than any other group in Australia. A man has denied torturing his neighbour, burning her alive, injecting her with battery acid and driving over her dead body. Michael Cardamone, 49, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Karen Chetcuti and been ordered to stand trial after a two-day committal hearing at Wangaratta Magistrates Court. Following Cardamone's removal from the dock on Thursday, magistrate John Murphy spoke to the loved ones of the Whorouly mother of two who had packed the courtroom. "I'd like I offer my deepest sympathies to the family, friends, colleagues and loved ones of Karen, and may the spirit guide you," he said. Murder victim Karen Chetcuti (pictured) body was found days later, on January 17 Outside the court, Ms Chetcuti's sister said she wished Cardamone had pleaded guilty "for the sake of my elderly mother". "It's the most horrible death I've ever heard of in my life," she said tearfully. "How can someone do all those things to somebody?" Police allege that on or about January 12, 2016, Cardamone killed Ms Chetcuti, 49, after sedating her with animal tranquilliser. They allege he tied her wrists and ankles with cable ties, duct tape and rope, fractured her skull and ribs, then set her on fire while she was alive. Michael Cardamone is facing a committal hearing in the Wangaratta Magistrates' Court which is due to finish on Friday A number of items found near the body and burnt-out car of Victorian murder victim Karen Chetcuti did not contain the accused's DNA, a court has heard It is also alleged Cardamone, a Victorian man, injected her with battery acid and drove over her dead body. Her battered and burnt body was discovered on January 17. Defence barrister Patrick Tehan QC seemingly attempted to shift the blame for the January 2016 murder to Cardamone's associate Eddie George, who police allege helped burn Ms Chetcuti's car after the killing. Police allege Michael Cardamone, 49, killed Karen Chetcuti (pictured) after sedating her with an animal tranquilliser and tying her wrists with cable ties, duct tape and rope During the committal hearing, Detective Senior Constable Jason Wallace admitted that several items found at the scene of the murder, in bushland near Lake Buffalo, did not contain Cardamone's DNA. When asked if there was any circumstantial evidence excluding George from the murder, Det Sen Const Wallace said phone records and CCTV footage showed George in Myrtleford at the time of the offence. Another man, Bradley Ladgrove, gave evidence via video link that George had turned up at his home on January 15 crying, "petrified" and with a burnt face. Ladgrove said George had told him Cardamone had "set him up" and would "do him too" if he did not stick to Cardamone's plans. Cardamone will appear in the Supreme Court of Victoria next week. Spectacular footage has emerged of the moment a surfer was body slammed by a dolphin on the Gold Coast. The video shows a surfer resting on his board as he prepares for a suitable wave to ride. As the surfer readies himself for a large wave forming behind him, a dolphin commits the ultimate surfing sin by 'dropping-in' on the man. Scroll down for video Spectacular footage shows the moment a surfer was body slammed by a dolphin 'dropping-in' on his wave on the Gold Coast The dolphin can be seen spectacularly hanging in the air for a moment as it twists and flicks its tail Suddenly emerging from behind the surfer, the dolphin launches out of the sea and into the air. The dolphin can be seen spectacularly hanging in the air for a moment as it twists and flicks its tail. To the amazement of onlookers, the dolphin provides the surfer with a freak body slam by landing squarely on top of him. A witness onshore who filmed the video can be heard shouting in disbelief as the dolphin lands and causes a large splash. 'It just hit that guy, no way,' the shocked witness said. The man can be seen swiftly reappearing on the other side of the wave after the clash. Neither the surfer or the dolphin were injured in the collision, according to 9 News. Underworld figure Mick Gatto has confirmed he was approached by Essendon to help smooth over the AFL club's doping scandal. The shock admission was caught on camera in a Melbourne restaurant during a segment for The Footy Show, according to Herald Sun. After remaining tight-lipped in a press conference earlier on Thursday, the gangland enforcer came clean to host Sam Newman that he was 'embroiled' in the saga. Underworld figure Mick Gatto has confirmed he was approached by Essendon to help smooth over the AFL club's doping scandal 'With this one, I did get embroiled in it and I was approached, he conceded inside the Villa Romana restaurant in Lygon St. 'They just wanted me to find out what was going on with it all and what I could find out and have a feel around.' He refused to name who exactly in the club reached out to him, saying it 'wouldn't be very professional of me to divulge who.' Gatto, who was portrayed in the hit series Underbelly, revealed he was also approached by supplements supplier Shane Charter, who was at the centre of the scandal. 'Now Shane came and saw me and he said: 'Mate, I've been hard done by hereAnd he said: 'I can prove without any shadow of a doubt that the supplement they brought over here', the Miso-4 (Thymosin beta-4) or whatever it was, 'I can prove that it wasn't that, it was something else'. The revelations come after Essendon on Wednesday claimed there were 'no dealings' between a senior club official and Gatto. The gangland figure claimed the club wanted him to 'feel around', but refused to name who reached out Essendon previously denied allegations it reached out to underworld figure Gatto (Gatto pictured in Melbourne on Thursday) Essendon has been accused of contacting Melbourne underworld figure Mick Gatto to 'fix' their doping scandal (Gatto is pictured on Thursday in Melbourne) Gatto had earlier held a bizarre press conference in which he refused to answer any questions on the matter, saying all would be clear after the program went to air. The claims come two weeks before the Bombers' AFL season opener on March 25. The club is attempting to move on from the saga which saw several high-profile players serve year-long doping bans last year. Melbourne gangland identity Mick Gatto greets a friend as he arrives to speak to the media at his daughter's restaurant on Lygon Street in Melbourne A Government minister heaped pressure on Chancellor Philip Hammond this afternoon by calling for an apology over the Budget tax raid on the self-employed. Wales Office Minister Guto Bebb said the Government should say sorry for breaking a manifesto commitment not to hike national insurance. He vowed to make a personal apology to Tory voters in Wales, who turned to the party in huge numbers in 2015. Conservative MPs led by former leader Iain Duncan Smith are in open revolt at the 2billion raid. No 10 earlier refused four times to say the rise in class four national insurance would definitely go ahead, just 24 hours after Mr Hammond placed it at the heart of his first Budget. Theresa May is in Brussels meeting EU leader's today but expectations of a u-turn were growing in Westminster today. The PM is due to face the press at around 6pm. Philip Hammond, pictured talking to college students in Dudley today, flatly denied 'lying' to the British public as he defended his 2billion raid on the self-employed Mrs May, pictured with Mrs Merkel, had praised the Budget but her spokesman today refused to say the NI policy definitely would go ahead Speaking to the Welsh language BBC Radio Cymru, Mr Bebb said: 'I believe we should apologise. 'I will apologise to every voter in Wales that read the Conservative manifesto in the 2015 election.' This morning, the Prime Minister's spokesman was repeatedly challenged to give a cast-iron commitment to implementing the increase in national insurance contributions. But while the spokesman insisted the measure was 'fair' and needed to tackle an imbalance with salaried workers, he pointedly stopped short of offering a guarantee it would happen. The luke-warm defence came as Conservative MPs lined up to urge a rethink, with former Cabinet minister Mr Duncan Smith among the big hitters voicing criticism. Earlier, a grim-faced Mr Hammond flatly denied 'lying' to the British public before pushing through his 2billion raid on the self-employed. The Chancellor pointed to the historic Brexit vote as he said 'circumstances have moved on' since the pledge in the 2015 Tory manifesto that there would be no rise in national insurance rates. He warned that the government's finances were still in a bad state and everyone needed to pay their way. However, Mr Hammond also stopped short of completely ruling out a rethink of the policy. The Conservative manifesto from 2015 included a clear commitment that national insurance would not be increased Theresa May, pictured in Brussels today, will be forced to address the growing revolt over the National Insurance hike at a press conference later Mr Hammond littered his first Budget yesterday with jokes as he imposed swingeing hikes on around 2.5million self-employed - including many on low and middle incomes. But the laughter quickly died away as Conservative MPs joined furious condemnation of the increase in 'Class 4' contributions - which was teamed with higher taxes on shareholders to raise billions of pounds of funding for social care and an education shake-up. ROBINSON CALLS CHANCELLOR 'SPREADSH*T PHIL' IN LIVE RADIO GAFFE The BBC's Nick Robinson turned the airwaves blue this morning when he called the Chancellor 'spreadsh*t Phil' during a live feature on the Budget. The Today presenter accidentally mangled Philip Hammond's nickname 'spreadsheet' as he discussed the fallout from the financial statement with journalists. Mr Robinson quickly corrected himself but Twitter users suggested it had been a 'Freudian slip'. Advertisement Asked in a torrid round of broadcast interviews whether the Tories had 'lied' to the public in 2015, Mr Hammond bizarrely insisted the manifesto had not been breached because legislation passed after the election only protected the main class of NI contributions. 'We made it clear that it was the Class One National Insurance contribution that we were locking.' Despite several specific references to NI in the manifesto, Mr Hammond claimed there had only been a 'broad commitment' to hold down tax levels. He also argued that the changes to arrangements for the self-employed were needed to ensure 'fairness', pointing out that he was also carrying a review to improve elements such as their paternity rights. 'Britain's circumstances have moved on,' he told Good Morning Britain. 'We are now facing the challenge of leaving the European Union, of building a global Britain to exploit the opportunities in the future that this country can enjoy, and we need to invest to do that. 'I've had to ask the self-employed to pay a little bit more National Insurance in order to make a fair contribution for the services that they receive from Government. He added: 'What I had to address yesterday was the challenge of financing our National Health Service, financing social care and investing skills in Britain's future. Those are the things that we have to look at now.' Mr Hammond told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that 85 per cent of the public who were in salaries jobs would be bewildered by the ferocity of the row over NI. And he insisted only a small proportion of the self-employed would be worse off - saying 'many of them' would be on relatively high incomes. Pressed repeatedly on whether he was ready to rethink the NI move, Mr Hammond made clear he thought it was 'reasonable' because the self-employed were now getting the same state pension as salaried staff. 'We've introduced this measure because we need to raise revenue in this Budget in order to fund social care,' he said. 'We have to pay for these things somehow. This is the difficult challenge.' No laughing matter: Philip Hammond is now facing an unprecedented Tory revolt over his 4.7 billion Budget raid on the self-employed and savers After his visit to Dudley Mr Hammond joined the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at a service on Horse Guards Parade to honour personnel who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns The Chancellor unveiled the latest economic forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility as he delivered his Budget But he added: 'No Conservative likes to raise taxes and, of course, I'm always prepared to listen to backbenchers, to talk to our backbenchers, but we have made a decision to make the national insurance system a little bit fairer. 'I'm always prepared to talk and listen to our backbenchers.' HAMMOND'S SPRING BUDGET AT A GLANCE ECONOMY The OBR upgraded its growth forecasts from 1.4 per cent to 2 per cent this year, while public sector borrowing estimates were slashed. But Mr Hammond signalled there will be no end to austerity. BUSINESS RATES Small businesses will get relief totalling 435million. Firms losing rate relief will have their monthly increase capped at 50 for a year, some 90 per cent of pubs will be given a 1,000 discount in 2017, and councils will get a 300 million fund to assist losers. The NHS Hospitals will get 325million to implement 'transformation plans' and another 100 million will be put into a new triaging projects in England. SOCIAL CARE The crisis-hit social care system will have another 3 billion pumped into it over the next three years, with 1 billion of this available in 2017/18. Mr Hammond ruled out a new 'death tax' to fund social care. EDUCATION Another 110 new free schools will be opened, including a new generation of grammars. Free school transport will be given to children on free school meals who attend a grammar, and 216 million will go into repairing existing schools. New T-levels will be created to improve vocational education. CIGARETTES AND ALCOHOL There was no change to previously planned upratings of duties on alcohol and tobacco, but a new minimum excise duty will apply to cigarettes based on a packet price of 7.35. TAX FOR SELF-EMPLOYED Higher paid self-employed workers are to pay an average of 60p a week more in National Insurance contributions as part of changes to raise an extra 145million by 2021-22. Advertisement At a briefing for journalists later, the PM's spokesman dodged a barrage of questions about whether the policy would go ahead. 'The point of this exercise is about restoring a sense of fairness. Self-employed workers are able to now have access to the full state pension - that makes them 1,800 a year better off,' he said. 'Having equalised the state pension system, it is right that the contributions that go towards that are equalised as well. 'We need to remind ourselves what this Budget is all about. It's building for the future, it's a Budget that invests in schools, skills, social care and business, and it addresses an issue of fairness around the system.' The comments came as Mr Duncan Smith joined criticism of the tax raid. He told Sky News he hoped the Chancellor would 'reflect' on the decision in the period before the autumn Budget. 'I would like to see this kept under review ... I would like to see the ball kept in play,' he said. 'This doesn't land until next year, so there is plenty of scope to look at how this actually affects them and to listen to business representatives.' Tory MPs including Anne-Marie Trevelyan have indicated they are ready to vote against the Budget measure - suggesting Mr Hammond faces a major revolt. National Insurance changes have to be made in separate primary legislation, rather than with the rest of the Budget, potentially making the increase easier for rebels to oppose. 'We need to halt this particular decision now,' she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. 'I think we need to put this on hold so we can have a proper review and think in a holistic way.' However, Mr Hammond did receive some support from the respected Institute for Fiscal Studies think-tank. It said the gap between NI levels for the self-employed and salaried staff 'distorts decisions, creates complexity and is unfair'. 'This appears to break a foolish manifesto commitment not to raise any of the major taxes,' Director Paul Johnson said. 'On the other hand it is a small change taking a small step to correcting a big problem with the current tax system. That problem needs a much more thorough review and strategy to deal with it, as do many other problems in the tax system.' The Chancellor used his first Budget yesterday to lay the ground for life after Brexit with investment in social care, education and infrastructure. Despite pocketing a 16.8 billion windfall from lower borrowing, he said it was vital that Britain continued to 'live within its means' as it prepares to leave the EU. But the decision to penalise enterprise and thrift prompted an immediate Tory revolt on a scale unprecedented on Budget day, when MPs normally line up to praise the Chancellor. Mr Hammond did manage to crack a smile as he chatted to the Duchess of Cambridge Former Tory minister Andrew Murrison urged Mr Hammond to think again, telling MPs: 'It is very important we do not disadvantage self-employment. This party always has been the party that supports 'White Van Man' and it is vitally important that we do not disadvantage those individuals.' Mr Hammond, who has faced criticism in the past for his gloomy outlook on Brexit, had attempted to strike an upbeat tone in his first Budget statement by praising the resilience of the British economy. Unveiling higher than expected growth forecasts, he said the the UK had 'continued to confound the commentators' with its robust performance in the wake of the Brexit vote. But the optimistic assessment was overshadowed by the row over the two tax hikes - and another raid on mobile phone calls. Figures published alongside the Budget also revealed that motorists face a 10 per cent rise in their car insurance premiums following a controversial compensation shake-up. Mr Hammond's decision to go after the self-employed stunned Westminster. He announced that national insurance rates paid by 2.5 million self-employed people would rise from nine per cent to 11 per cent over the next two years. Some 1.6 million basic rate taxpayers will be an average 255 a year worse off. The decision is a blatant breach of the 2015 Conservative Party manifesto, on which Mr Hammond was elected. Theresa May was also at the memorial service in London today. To the left of the PM are Defence Secretary Michael Fallon and Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood The Chancellor, pictured on a visit to an engineering college in Dudley today, tore up a key manifesto pledge by hitting 2.5 million workers with higher National Insurance WOMAN WHO'S SPEAKING OUT FOR FURIOUS WORKERS Claire Hovey, 32, and boyfriend Chris Edwards, also 32, have been live-in carers for his mother, who has Parkinson's Claire Hovey, a self-employed copywriter from Winchester, Hampshire, urged Chancellor Philip Hammond to 'see sense and reconsider' his controversial increase in National Insurance contributions. Miss Hovey, 32, and boyfriend Chris Edwards, also 32, have been live-in carers for his mother, who has Parkinson's, since May. In a blog post addressed to Mr Hammond, she wrote: 'I am both a carer and a company director and, to be clear, you are demanding that on top of the 20 per cent council tax I gladly pay to HMRC my existing 9 per cent NI contributions, 7.5 per cent dividend tax (rising to 32.5 per cent if, God forbid, I do well) plus the costs of covering student loan repayments, a pension, holiday, sick pay and parental leave, I need to find a further 2 per cent to 'level the playing field' with employees, while you continue to allow the existence of zero-hours contracts, tax breaks and tax avoidance for major companies to keep Britain 'attractive' amid the Brexit I voted against. 'You are only ensuring that my business cannot grow, you are risking my livelihood and you are making it harder to provide for my own needs later in life. 'And you do this while grossly underestimating the care crisis and failing to address the buckling NHS at all.' She added: 'We're both 32 now but we've put off getting married and having children because the pressure of providing the level of care needed for advanced Parkinson's plus staying in work is too much. 'We juggled remote working between us but it's really affected our health, so the last five months I reduced down to three days. Chris works crazy hours to pay for some care support ourselves.' Advertisement The manifesto pledged four times that headline tax and National Insurance rates would not be raised. The document said there would be 'no increases in VAT, National Insurance contributions (NICs) or income tax'. It warned that rises would 'harm our economy' and 'reduce living standards'. After the election, the 'tax lock' pledge was enshrined in law. Incredibly, Treasury aides tried to claim that the pledge had not been broken as small print in the legislation after the election only specified 'Class One' NICs, not the 'Class Four' type raised by Mr Hammond yesterday. A source said: 'The manifesto commitment was detailed in the legislation it was very clear that the tax lock refers to Class One contributions. That has not changed. The government has stuck to the manifesto.' But former Tory pensions minister Ros Altmann, who took the tax lock legislation through the House of Lords, said the self-employed had every right to feel misled. Baroness Altmann said: 'I would never have expected us to do this. We said, in good faith that we wouldn't raise National Insurance rates. But I didn't think of the small print.' The tax lock pledge was central to the Tories 2015 campaign In the run-up to the election, Mr Cameron posted a message on Twitter saying: 'Between May 2015 to May 2020, there will be no increases in National Insurance'. The word 'no' was underlined for emphasis. In another message, Mr Cameron wrote: 'I've ruled out raising VAT. Why won't Ed Miliband rule our raising National Insurance contributions?' The Conservative Campaign Headquarters also posted on Twitter: 'The reality is Labour need to raise National Insurance to make their sums add up - and hard-working people will pay.' Mr Hammond is also likely to face pressure over the decision to slash the tax-free allowance for dividends. The move will affect 2.2 million people, including 1.4 million savers, of whom 400,000 are pensioners. In future, the allowance will be cut from 5,000 a year to 2,000. The average loss will be 320 a year. Former Tory business minister Anna Soubry predicted Mr Hammond may have to make a U-turn on the policy, saying: 'This will not be popular and many will argue it's unfair.' In an ominous development for Mr Hammond last night, Conservative MPs lined up to ask him to think again about the rise in National Insurance. Former Tory Cabinet minister John Redwood said Mr Hammond said the self-employed added 'crucial' flexibility to the economy, which should be rewarded. He added: 'We need to make sure it is as easy as possible to get into self-employment and, where people are successful, as worthwhile as possible. 'I don't think we should be going out of our way to tax work, enterprise and success. I know we have to do some of it, but I think our taxes on it are quite high enough.' The Chancellor, who was delivering his first Budget, said the moves were needed to pay for investment in social care, education and infrastructure Tory MP Tom Tugendhat called for a 'rethink', adding: 'The political tradition I come from is one of small government, low taxes, one that seeks to encourage entrepreneurship and enterprise. And while these are small figures they speak of a tone that is not entirely helpful and in that I would urge a rethink. 'The self-employed, the start-up, those who are taking a risk they are the ones we should be encouraging, yes through support but also through the tax system.' RED BOOK IS SHRINKING The spring Budget red book was just 68 pages half of what it normally is. Last year the key document, which spells out the Treasury's changes, ran to 148 pages. Under Labour, the average length was 264 pages. But a Treasury committee report in 2012 found that under the Tory government the average red book had been reduced to 110 pages. Committee members pointed out that it had 'more factual and less subjective material'. Philip Hammond's Budget speech lasted 55 minutes the shortest since George Osborne's in 2014. The longest continuous Budget speech was by William Gladstone in 1853 four hours and 45 minutes. Advertisement Fellow Tory Jacob Rees-Mogg said the move was a 'mistake'. And Anne-Marie Trevelyan said she was 'worried' about the move, saying: 'The self-employed are the risk-takers, the next generation of business leaders, who get no statutory sick leave or holiday pay.' The Treasury insisted that the move was about restoring 'fairness' between the self-employed and those in salaried jobs, who pay National Insurance at 12 per cent. A source said a self-employed worker on 25,000 a year currently pays 363 a less in NIC than someone in a salaried job. Aides to Mr Hammond pointed out that the self-employed would qualify for the new flat rate state pension, ending an historic disadvantage. A Treasury spokesman said the move was worth 1,800 a year to the self-employed. The Treasury also said the losses to the self-employed would be partially offset by previously announced cuts to 'Class two' NICs, which will reduce the number of losers to 1.6 million. Mr Hammond also announced a review that could lead to the self-employed winning new maternity and paternity rights, which are currently extremely limited. He told MP there had been a 'dramatic increase' in the number of people working as self-employed - and that the reason for doing so should not be 'differences in tax treatment'. The disparity between the rates paid by the self-employed and employees 'undermines the fairness of our tax system', he said. Pope Francis has suggested that the Catholic church may be forced to ordain married men to minister in remote communities facing priest shortages. The pontiff stressed that removing the celibacy rule is not the answer to the Catholic Church's priest shortage, but he said he was open to studying whether so-called 'viri probati' - or married men of proven faith - could be ordained. The 'viri probati' proposal has been around for decades, but it has drawn fresh attention under history's first Latin American pope thanks in part to his appreciation of the challenges facing the church in places like Brazil, a huge Catholic country with an acute shortage of priests. Pope Francis waves to faithful during the Angelus prayer delivered by Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican In an interview with Germany's Die Zeit, he said: 'We must consider if viri probati is a possibility. Then we must determine what tasks they can perform, for example, in remote communities.' Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes, a longtime friend of Francis and former head of the Vatican's office for clergy, is reportedly pressing to allow viri probati in the Amazon, where the church counts around one priest for every 10,000 Catholics. Francis has shown particular openness to receiving concrete proposals for ordaining married men as well as his own pastoral concern for men who have left ministry to marry. He has maintained friendship with the Argentine widow of a friend who left the priesthood to marry, and he spent one of his Friday mercy missions last year visiting with men who had left ministry to start families. Pope Francis said he was open to studying whether so-called 'viri probati' - or married men of proven faith - could be ordained He has also said that while he favors a celibate priesthood, celibacy technically can be up for discussion since it's a discipline of the church, not a dogma. The church allows some exceptions to the rule. Priests in the eastern rite Catholic Church are allowed to be married, as are married Anglican priests who convert to Catholicism. In the interview, Francis also confirmed Colombia was on his travel plans for 2017, as well as India and Bangladesh. He ruled out Congo, which had been rumored, but mentioned Egypt as a possibility. Francis has also recently said he hoped to visit South Sudan. In the first major interview that Francis has given a German newspaper, the pope was asked whether he experienced moments in which he doubted the existence of God. He responded: 'I, too, know moments of emptiness.' But, he pointed out periods of crisis are also a chance to grow, saying a believer who doesn't experience that remains 'infantile.' CNN presenter Reza Aslan has been heavily criticized after he ate part of a human brain while filming with a Hindu cannibal sect in India. The episode, part of a series called Believer with Reza Aslan, was shown on Sunday and provoked horror and dismay from many viewers and an angry backlash by Hindus in America. Tulsi Gabbard, the only Hindu in Congress, tweeted: 'I am very disturbed that CNN is using its power and influence to increase peoples misunderstanding and fear of Hinduism.' CNN's Reza Aslan (pictured, right) has been heavily criticized for eating human brain in an episode of his new series called Believer Aslan tastes what was presented to him as cooked human brain tissue. A member of the sect threatened to cut his head off at one point if he asked too many questions Aslan, an Iranian-born religious scholar, was with a group from the Aghori sect when he was invited the human tissue during a ritual The Democrat, from Hawaii, added: 'Aslan apparently sought to find sensationalist and absurd ways to portray Hinduism. 'Aslan and CNN didn't just throw a harsh light on a sect of wandering ascetics to create shocking visuals - as if touring a zoo - but repeated false stereotypes about caste, karma and reincarnation that Hindus have been combating tirelessly.' Aslan, an Iranian-born religious scholar, was with a group from the Aghori sect when he was invited to eat cooked brain tissue during a ritual. Aslan, 44, met the Aghori in the holy Hindu city of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, where they smeared the ashes from cremated human bodies on his face. The episode, part of a series called Believer with Reza Aslan, was shown on Sunday and provoked horror and dismay from many viewers and an angry backlash by Hindus in America. He met the Aghori in the holy Hindu city of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, where they smeared the ashes from cremated human bodies on his face He then drank an alcoholic drink from a human skull, before eating what he was told was human brain. Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, a US Army major who serves in the Hawaii National Guard, said she was 'very disturbed' by CNN using its influence to tarnish the good name of Hindus He then drank an alcoholic drink from a human skull, before eating what he was told was human brain. At one point he fell out with the Aghori guru who shouted: 'I will cut your head off if you keep talking so much.' The guru began eating his own faeces and then hurled it at Aslan. Aslan quipped: 'I feel like this may have been a mistake.' He later posted on Facebook: 'Want to know what a dead guy's brain tastes like? Charcoal'. 'It was burnt to a crisp!' Indian-Americans have criticized CNN for highlights the beliefs of a tiny cult - which has less than 100 members - which has little to do with mainstream Hinduism. The Aghori are devotees of the Hindu god Shiva and believe nothing can taint the human body. But their beliefs and practices are rejected by orthodox Hindus. The Hindustan Times reported that the US India Political Action Committee said in a statement: 'With multiple reports of hate-fueled attacks against people of Indian origin from across the US, the show characterizes Hinduism as cannibalistic, which is a bizarre way of looking at the third largest religion in the world.' Aslan (pictured, right) has been criticized for 'sensationalist' reporting. The Aghori (pictured, left) number less than 100 and their beliefs and practices are frowned upon by a billion Hindus Industrialist Shalabh Kumar told the Press Trust of India: 'This is a disgusting attack on Hinduism'. Kumar tweeted: 'CNN, Clinton News Network has no respect for Hindus. All Hindus worldwide should boycott CNN.' He also claimed the Republican Hindu Coalition was 'planning to take major action'. Then, in an extraordinary outburst, Kumar tweeted: 'I condemn CNN for airing Believer with fiction. Disgusting attack on Hindus for supporting @POTUS @stephenkbannon @newtgingrich.' Kumar had previously claimed that 65 percent of Hindus in America had voted for Trump. Aslan refused to apologize for the episode and on Twitter seemed to be positively reveling in the controversy Sanjay Puri, chairman of the United States India Political Action Committee, said: 'We are very disappointed. This is an issue that is of deep concern to the Indian-American community evidenced by the large number of calls/emails we have received. 'In a charged environment, a show like this can create a perception about Indian-Americans which could make them more vulnerable to further attacks'. But there is no sign of an apology from Aslan, who seems to be revelling in the controversy. One of the Aghori sect members appears to threaten Aslan during the episode He retweeted an article by the American Council on Science and Health which was headlined: 'Why CNN's Reza Aslan Shouldn't Eat Human Brains' and then tweeted: 'You work all your life for a headline like this.' But on his Facebook page Aslan, writing about the episode, said: 'As I repeatedly state on camera and in voice-over, (they) are not representative of Hinduism but are instead an extreme Hindu sect who reject the fundamental Hindu distinction between purity and pollution.' Aslan, who is himself a Muslim, is the author of several books, including No God but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam. Former UK Youth Parliament member Dylan McAughey, then 17, is accused of sexually assaulting a fellow youth activist after meeting her through a schools anti-bullying campaign A teenage politician sexually assaulted a fellow youth activist after he met her through a schools anti-bullying campaign, a court heard today. Former UK Youth Parliament member Dylan McAughey, then 17, was dressed in a onesie when he forced himself on the woman during a night-in eating pizza and watching movies, it was alleged. The accuser, then 18, claimed McAughey, from Oldham, Greater Manchester, grabbed her sleeveless playsuit and tried to undo her bra. She said she escaped when her mobile phone started vibrating, Manchester Crown Court heard. The woman claimed she reminded McAughey he had already had a girlfriend during the 15 minute assault - but he was said to have laughed and replied: 'I don't like her anymore.' The teenager later sent the girl a series of text messages apologising and asking if she would accompany him to the police station saying: 'I shouldn't be allowed out after what I have done.' McAughey had been a member of the UK youth parliament and had spoken in a debate that was televised and formally recorded by Hansard about mental health services being made more available for young people. The alleged incident happened on December 29 2014, when McAuchey invited the girl round to his home via social media app Snapchat. The youth councillor, from Oldham, Greater Manchester, invited the woman round to his house via Snapchat for a night-in eating pizza and watching movies, Manchester Crown Court heard He said he was going to give her a Christmas present. He became a councillor for Oldham Youth Council in 2011 and was also the young mayor elect for Oldham before he was forced to quit over the girl's allegations. The woman told police: 'I met him when we were on an anti-bullying committee. 'We went to different schools but we met through that. He just a mate I wasn't attracted to him. 'I didn't have any feeling towards him he was just a friend. 'We had only really met up about two times so I thought it was a bit weird that he got me a Christmas present. When I arrived at his he was wearing trousers and a shirt but then he went and got changed. According to the accuser, then 18, McAughey grabbed her playsuit and tried to undo her bra, even though she reminded him that he had a girlfriend. Pictured, McAughey with MPs Caroline Flint (left) and Debbie Abrahams (right) 'He appeared from behind the door and was wearing a onesie. 'He turned down the lights and pushed me down onto the bed and started kissing my neck. 'He pulled my tights down and I was crying and saying no but he carried on. He was biting my nipple and I was trying to push him off but he was too strong. 'He grabbed my arms and wouldn't let me go. I just kept wriggling and saying that I needed to go. 'I had no idea he was going to try anything because he had a girlfriend but then he rested his head on my shoulder and that is when he started to kiss my neck. 'One hand was on my hip and the other was behind my head. When I told him to stop because he had a girlfriend he laughed and said he didn't like her anymore anyway. 'Then he put his hand behind my back and he undid my bra. I went to reach for my phone but he grabbed my arm. 'I told him that I needed to go home but at that point he had a clump of my hair in his hands. 'Then he pulled my playsuit down and pulled my bra down with it so that I had nothing on. Then he started biting my neck and my nipple. McAughey became a councillor for Oldham Youth Council in 2011 and was also the young mayor elect for Oldham. But he was forced to quit over the girl's allegations 'Then he started going further down and biting me and I kept telling him to get off me and that he was hurting me. 'The biting was aggressive and he was using his teeth. I was trying to wriggle away but he was still on me. 'I was crying and telling him that he was hurting me but he just didn't say anything and just carried on - it must have lasted between 10 to 15 minutes. 'He put his hands into my tights and into my underwear and started putting his fingers inside me. 'He had his legs over mine so they were pinned down. I got a text and he put his head up and I pushed him off and told them that I was going. 'I grabbed my clothes and put them back on. He was just lying on the bed watching me. 'I tried to get off the bed but he wrapped his arms around me and said: "You are not going anywhere; you need to stay." 'In the end I managed to push him off and get off the bed. He walked me to my car because it was dark outside and his mother had told him to earlier on.' The court heard McAughey sent the women a Snapchat message on December 30 saying: 'I am sorry. I just want to apologise for scaring you I didn't mean to overstep the mark and I know I have probably f****d it. 'I didn't want to because I really like you.' The second sent on New Years Eve added: 'I am sorry I don't know what else I can say to you. I didn't mean to upset you. 'I haven't slept because I have been to figure out what I have done. A third read: 'Will you come to the police station with me, I shouldn't be allowed out after what I have done.' After the alleged attack, McAughey sent the woman a string of messages apologising. On December 30 2014 he wrote: 'I didn't mean to overstep the mark and I know I have probably f****d it.' Pictured with MPs Debbie Abrahams (left) and Dennis Skinner (right) McAughey, now 19, later admitted kissing the girl, now 20, but said all sexual contact was consensual and claimed the Snapchat messages were taken out of context. He denies sexual assault. He told the court: 'The whole thing lasted about 15 to 20 minutes and then she started to panic because she thought I had a girlfriend at the time which I didn't. 'We had broken up but because we were both part of the youth council we didn't want to make it public yet. 'She only mentioned my ex girlfriend when it came to an end. She started saying she didn't want to be known as the person who got involved with other people's relationships. 'Later I messaged her to ask her if she was okay and she said she wasn't happy that stuff had happened between us and her main concern was that I didn't tell anyone. 'I was upset more than anything because I thought I had upset her by putting her in a compromising position.' The trial continues. Comments from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other Turkish officials accusing Germany of 'Nazi practices' cannot be tolerated and need to stop, Chancellor Angela Merkel told Parliament on Thursday. In her strongest comments so far about Erdogan's statement, Merkel said the Nazi comparisons were 'sad' and 'so incredibly misplaced that one really can't comment, but they cannot be justified.' 'We will not allow the victims of the Nazis to be trivialized,' she said. 'These comparisons with the Nazis must stop.' German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel, pictured with British Prime Minister Theresa May, said Turkey needs to stop accusing Germany of 'Nazi practices' Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildrim told reporters that Germany seems to be taking sides in the upcoming referendum, but he did not repeat the Nazi comparison Erdogan made the comment on the weekend after several German municipalities canceled rallies that Turkish Cabinet ministers had planned to address in support of a national referendum to give the Turkish president more powers. Officials have cited problems with overcrowding and fire safety, and other issues About 1.4 million people of Turkish descent living in Germany are eligible to vote in the referendum. In a step back from the heated rhetoric of recent days, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters in Ankara Thursday that Germany seems to be taking sides in the upcoming referendum, but he did not repeat the Nazi comparison. Asked about Merkel's comments, Yildirim said Germany 'may be disturbed' that a yes vote is likely in the referendum, but that if it is interfering in the process it amounts to 'meddling' in another country's affairs and is 'very wrong.' He told the AP that the way ahead 'doesn't lie in any more public statements that are made from one side or the other.' German Chancellor Angela Merkel delivers a speech on Europe ahead of an EU summit in Brussels at the German parliament Bundestag in Berlin, Germany, Thursday 'Rather Germany should take steps to get rid of the restrictions we are currently facing in terms of the access we have to millions of voters living in those countries,' he said. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who himself had repeated Erdogan's Nazi comments, backtracked somewhat in Ankara on Thursday, saying nobody was calling Merkel or other German leaders Nazis. 'We have not called anyone a Nazi. Our president made a comparison in reference to certain practices,' Cavusoglu told reporters. 'The trend in Europe at the moment reminds us of pre-World War II Europe.' In an interview with Switzerland's Neue Zuercher Zeitung newspaper, Cavusoglu also sang Merkel's praises, saying that all of Europe looked to her for leadership on the continent's refugee crisis. 'Not only for Germany but for all of Europe, Mrs. Merkel is a very courageous person,' the paper quoted him as saying. 'She is looking for solutions to the problems' Some rallies have gone ahead, and Merkel's government has emphasized it wasn't involved in blocking the others, but must respect the decisions of local authorities. Even though irritation with the Turkish rhetoric has been increasing, Merkel defended that stance to critics in Parliament who have pushed for an outright ban on any Turkish campaigning in Germany. 'We do this on the basis of our values: Freedom of expression, freedom of the press, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly,' she said. 'These values apply, and they also guide us when it comes to whether Turkish politicians can appear in our country.' German Chancellor Angela Merkel delivers a speech on Europe ahead of an EU summit in Brussels German Chancellor Angela Merkel, standing at lectern, at the German parliament Bundestag in Berlin, Germany The strife comes at a time when the European Union is relying on a deal with Turkey that has significantly cut down the number of migrants crossing into Europe. Erdogan has several times threatened to quit the deal when expressing anger at the actions of European countries. Germany also has reconnaissance aircraft based at a NATO base in Turkey in support of the fight against the Islamic State extremist group, a mission in which Turkey also plays a key role. Merkel emphasized the need to balance those issues with the current problems, telling lawmakers it's 'an extremely difficult tightrope walk.' 'As difficult as everything is at the moment, and as unacceptable as some things are, it's not in our foreign security or geopolitical interests that Turkey, still a NATO partner, becomes further distanced from us,' she told Parliament. 'We therefore need to work hard on the German-Turkish relationship, but on the basis of our values and our ideas,' she said. The Netherlands also has opposed plans by Turkish officials to speak there. Cavusoglu suggested the Dutch might fear feeding support for the country's far-right party ahead of a national election next week. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte countered that his country's resistance had 'nothing to do with the elections.' Rather, the Netherlands does not want to host a Turkish minister lobbying abroad for a referendum that could take Turkey further away from the democratic fold, Rutte said. 'We don't think it is desirable,' he said. Cavusoglu said he may try and speak in the Netherlands despite the objections. Adding to the recent tension with Germany has been Turkey's arrest in February of German newspaper reporter Deniz Yucel, whom Erdogan has accused of being both a German spy and a 'representative' of the outlawed Kurdish rebel group PKK. Yucel, a reporter for Die Welt with German and Turkish citizenship, was detained in Istanbul over his reports about a hacker attack on the email account of the country's energy minister. Germany has dismissed Erdogan's claims about Yucel as 'absurd,' and Merkel told Parliament that the government is working 'with all its means' to win Yucel's freedom. After Merkel's speech, three lawmakers stood up wearing white #FreeDeniz T-shirts with a picture of the jailed journalist. The first face-to-face meeting between German and Turkish officials in the wake of the recent diplomatic friction came Wednesday when Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel and Cavusoglu sat down over breakfast at a Berlin hotel. Gabriel called the meeting 'good, honest and friendly, but also hard and contentious' and the two sides agreed to meet again in Turkey. The owner of a swimwear brand has been accused of 'slut-shaming' a young model who took issue with the use of her photograph being used in a store. Queensland model Stevie Alger, 19, was told on Wednesday a bikini-clad image of herself was going to be displayed at a pop-up shop on the Gold Coast. But when Miss Alger said she didn't like the photo because she felt 'self-conscious' with the way she looked, Aquadiva Swimwear owner Allison Appleby fired back. 'So disappointed Stevie - I personally chose you because you seemed like such a nice girl. This is such a rude and immature way to treat us,' Ms Appleby wrote in the private message, which was shared publicly on Instagram. 'You don't seem to be self conscious in your latest post with the way you are portraying your self image - sitting with your legs so far apart! 'It seems like you are just like a lot of other Insta girls - so fake. From Allison.' Queensland model Stevie Alger (pictured) took issue with the use of her photograph being used after a swimwear designer informed her they were going to display her image in a shop Private messages via Instagram between Miss Alger and Aquadiva were published publicly Shocked by her response, Miss Alger responded: 'Oh wow that is by far one of the meanest and rudest messages I've ever received. 'I think it's fair for every girl to feel self conscious from time to time...' Aquadiva swimwear owner Allison Appleby (pictured) fired back after the young model said she didn't like the photo of herself that was taken for the bikini brand Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Ms Appleby defended her comments, saying: 'She doesn't seem to be the self-conscious girl she's portraying herself to everyone on Instagram. 'When I asked her what she didn't like about the photo, she just left me hanging for 10 minutes.' However, Ms Appleby said she just wanted to set the record straight by telling her side of the story after she received backlash for her remarks. 'I feel so sick to the stomach about it. I have apologised to Stevie twice now but she has not accepted my apology,' a devastated Ms Appleby said. 'What can I say? I've been in the business for 30 years, what I did was wrong. I was so distraught with what happened. I was horrible to her. It was very out of character. 'She got one nasty b***h slap from me and now I'm getting hate mail from people who don't know the full story. 'I've had people call me a a cow and a pig. They don't know me, it's unfair but I have to own up. I'm ashamed of it. If I could take it back, I would.' The young Queensland model has more than 40,000 followers on Instagram The Gold Coast designer also voiced her concerns about her family business after her private messages were shared on Instagram by Miss Alger's boyfriend, who has since deleted the posts. 'I'm scared that this has put my family business into jeopardy. I'm completely new to all of this [social media],' she said. 'I didn't even know there was a term [slut-shame] for it. I'm not completely savvy with all the technology young people use these days. 'The power of Insta influencers is very terrifying. How they can tear down family businesses in a matter of hours... it's not healthy for any of us.' The model was told a bikini-clad image of herself was going to be displayed at a pop-up shop The young model took issue with the use of her photograph being used in the pop-up shop The business owner also said Miss Alger was paid for the photoshoot on the condition she would 'promote' the swimwear brand on her Instagram. 'Stevie who is in her early 20's and very articulate agreed to be paid by us to model,' Ms Appleby claimed. 'She understood that we would need to use those images and she also promised to promote for us. She only did it once since last September so I guess we didn't get much help there. 'She wasn't even following us when I contacted her yesterday so she couldn't even acknowledge the gorgeous post which at the time included a tag and mention to her. Not even a like from her. Another point Ms Appleby wanted to bring up was the 'job prospects of start-out models'. 'Unless a model is outrageously gifted the chance of getting paid work will usually pivot on how much Insta influence they can bring to a brand,' she said. 'This precludes so many beautiful kids and must make them feel rejected and hopeless. Unless they have the magic "following" they have no chance.' The Queensland model has more than 43,000 followers on Instagram And it wasn't the first time Miss Alger - who has more than 43,000 followers on Instagram - was the face for Aquadiva. 'We have only ever made Stevie our goddess and portrayed her as beautiful. She probably hasn't noticed that she has been our Facebook banner girl for months now either,' Ms Appleby said. 'It's a really similar image and she didn't complain about that? The only reason that we think she didn't want that stunning photo up in our shop was because she didn't think our brand was cool enough any more. 'All she had to say to me yesterday was that she was aligned with another brand and that she couldn't be linked with us any more. Other girls have had this happen and we have respected their needs.' Miss Alger declined to comment when contacted, but told Daily Mail Australia the message exchange was 'completely shocking and horrible'. 'I absolutely think what she said and how she has handled herself is wrong in so many ways, but I think it will be best to end it here to hopefully move on,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'I'm a huge believer in standing up to bullies and I'm lucky to have [boyfriend] by my side to help me. I'm very happy that at least we made a point and hopefully she will never treat someone like that again. 'I think it'll be best to leave her to deal with her issues herself now. I'm happy that at least we made a point and it gained enough traction to gain attention.' An Iraqi soldier saved his comrades lives by diverting a suicide bomber's desperate attack in Mosul by blocking the road with his Humvee. The attack was filmed by an ISIS drone and later uploaded onto the internet. In the shocking footage, the car bomb can be seen approaching from the top of the screen and was heading towards a group of Iraqi Popular Mobilization Unit forces involved in the battle to retake the city. The suicide bomber's vehicle explodes as it reaches the Humvee. It is not known if either driver survived but commentators online have described the Iraqi soldiers actions as 'the ultimate sacrifice'. This is the moment an ISIS suicide bomber approached an Iraqi patrol in Mosul The Iraqi soldier deliberately moved his Humvee, circled bottom, in the direction of the suicide bomber, circled top, to save his comrades who are retreating rapidly on foot Moments later the bomb detonated. It is not known if the soldier managed to survive the blast It is understood the soldier's actions saved the lives of several of his comrades ISIS terrorists have been surrounded in a small enclave in the northern Iraqi city and are hiding among the remaining civilian population, deploying snipers and suicide car bombs in a desperate bid to hold on. US soldiers have deployed artillery pieces on the outskirts of the city to provide close support for Iraqi forces battling street by street to retake the city. Fighting is expected to get tougher as Iraqi troops push further into the more densely populated areas in the western half of the city, including the old city. ISIS used car bombs in their counter-attack on Tuesday night around the Nineveh governorate building, Major General Ali Kadhem al-Lami of the Federal Police's Fifth Division said: 'Today we're clearing the area which was liberated.' Military officials had said that Rapid Response troops, an elite interior ministry division, recaptured the provincial government headquarters on Tuesday. They also took the central bank branch and a museum where ISIS had filmed themselves destroying priceless statues in 2015. An Iraqi engineer was killed in this effort to defuse a roadside bomb yesterday in Mosul Iraqi civilians are fleeing Mosul as the battle for the ancient city in northern Iraq intensifies US soldiers have established artillery positions on the outskirts of Mosul to support the efforts of Iraqi government forces and allied militia to retake the city from ISIS Lami said: 'The museum is completely empty of all artifacts. They were stolen, possibly smuggled.' Lami said most of the fighters that had fought around the governorate building were local, but some were foreigners. He said: ''An order was issued for foreign fighters with families to withdraw with them. Those who do not have a family should stay and fight, whether foreign or local.' The few families remaining in the nearby Dawasa district said the ISIS had set some of their homes on fire as security forces advanced and that the militants had fought among themselves. On Wednesday, the Iraqi military said the army and Shi'ite paramilitary forces had taken full control of the last major road leading west out of Mosul towards the town of Tal Afar, state TV reported. The 9th Armoured Division and two Shi'ite fighting groups had 'isolated the right bank (western side of Mosul) from Tal Afar', it said. The road links Mosul to Tal Afar, another ISIS stronghold 40 miles) to the west, and then to the Syrian border. Iraqi forces have surrounded the ISIS stronghold of Mosul and have begun the mission to retake the city, moving slowly into the western suburbs and into the oldest quarter Iraqi troops have managed to secure Mosul's museum where many artifacts have been stolen Shi'ite militias taking part in the Mosul campaign began to close in on Tal Afar late last year, after the offensive was launched. They linked up then with Kurdish fighters to encircle the jihadists. A 100,000-strong force of Iraqi military units, Shi'ite forces and Kurdish fighters, backed by a U.S.-led coalition, has fought since October in the Mosul campaign. The jihadist group has lost most of the cities it captured in northern and western Iraq in 2014 and 2015. In Syria, it still holds Raqqa city as its stronghold, as well as most of Deir al-Zor province. But it is losing ground to an array of separate enemies, including U.S.-backed forces and the Russian-backed Syrian army. It has carried out bombings in Iraqi and Syrian cities as its caliphate has shrunk. The bombings in Hajjaj village, north of Tikrit, late on Wednesday were not immediately claimed, but are similar to attacks carried out in recent months by ISIS. In November deadly and apparently diversionary bomb attacks by the group hit Tikrit and Samarra, both north of Baghdad. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Iraq would continue hitting ISIS targets in Syria and in neighbouring countries if they give their approval. The Iraqi air force has struck ISIS targets over the border in Syria. Abadi on Feb. 24 announced the first Iraqi air strike on Syrian territory, targeting Islamic State positions in retaliation for bomb attacks in Baghdad. Vietnam War veteran Teddy Powell, 69, was an acquaintance of the accused rapist's family in Manunda, Cairns, for several years. Mr Powell said the man accused of kidnapping a British backpacker, 22, and raping her over several weeks would drift in and out of the home where his mother and two brothers lived until they were beset by tragedy. 'His mother she took an overdose of drugs, she committed suicide,' Mr Powell claimed. A relative confirmed the mother died by suicide years ago. Vietnam War veteran Teddy Powell, 69, was an acquaintance of the accused rapist's family in Manunda, Cairns, for several years He said the accused rapist's two brothers continued to live at the family property following her death. '(The accused) just came and went,' Mr Powell said. 'The boys lived there after their mother died, she committed suicide and they stayed. 'She had a partner. 'He had to give up his job because he got some illness. He was losing control of his hands.' The man, from the Cairns suburb of Manunda, was charged with four counts of rape, eight counts of assault, four counts of strangulation, and two of deprivation of liberty Mr Powell (pictured) said the accused would drift in and out of the family home Mr Powell (pictured) said he wouldn't know what he fought for in Vietnam if it was his younger brothers accused. 'It makes me feel a bit sick' A British backpacker (pictured on CCTV) who was allegedly held hostage, raped and beaten walked into a petrol station in a 'zombie-like state' shortly before she was rescued Mr Powell said the family had lived in two different houses on the street where they were based. He was relieved it was the accused who was allegedly involved, and not either of his brothers because he used to chat to them as they walked to school. He said he wouldn't know what he fought for in Vietnam if it was his younger brothers. Mr Powell said the whole situation made him 'feel a bit sick'. The alleged attacker (pictured) was described as 'clingy from the start' by a friend of the alleged victim after he met the tourist on Australia Day The British backpacker's alleged attacker is pictured lying on his back with arms out on the bonnet of a white car The British backpacker was allegedly repeatedly raped, chocked and beaten for several weeks The pair allegedly met in January at a dance party in Cairns. From there, they allegedly embarked on a road trip together between Cairns and Roma - before they were pulled over in Mitchell, a rural town 500 kilometres north-west of Brisbane, Queensland on Sunday The family acquaintance said he was upset the alleged victim would forever associate Australia with the shocking incident. 'It's still sad that this young lady has come to Australia to be safe and is badly, allegedly assaulted. 'I'm a bit p**** off that whenever she hears an Australian voice its going to make her remember.' A woman who currently owns the accused's former property said she wasn't aware of its past. 'No one tells you this stuff when you buy the house,' she said. The concerned worker said the backpacker got back in her car and took off, which prompted her to alert police The Australian Outback petrol station (pictured above) where the tourist wandered in on Sunday Police say the 22-year-old backpacker from Liverpool had been 'raped four times, bashed and held captive' allegedly by her ex-boyfriend, also 22, for two months. She was allegedly regularly choked, beaten and humiliated during a terrifying drive across Queensland. She will be interviewed by police after being counselled for trauma caused by an ordeal detectives described as catastrophic. The victim started a relationship with her alleged captor after they met at an outdoor dance party, known as a doof, in Cairns. But within days the relationship began to sour as he allegedly became obsessive and clingy. Police believe the woman was in the four-wheel-drive on a trip from far north Queensland Christmas market truck killer Anis Amri was a cyberspace Casanova who flirted with 140 women online in the run up to the massacre last year - and wanted to marry at least one of them. Fatima A., 29, the daughter of a Thai mother and a Swiss father, got to know ISIS assassin Amri, 24, through Facebook. 'He was on the same wavelength as me,' she told a ZDF TV channel programme in Germany. 'We laughed a lot together.' She said she trusted him so much that she even removed her Islamic face veil for him when they conversed in an Internet chat room. Fatima A. (left), 29, the daughter of a Thai mother and a Swiss father, got to know ISIS assassin Anis Amri (right), 24, through Facebook Amri stole a truck and drove it into the milling crowd at a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 and injuring dozens of others She told the programme that Amri wanted to travel to his homeland with her, and believed that he wanted to marry her. But she added: 'I backed off. That was all too quick for me. I wanted to remain single.' The pair last spoke shortly before Christmas - Fatima said she cannot remember if it was before or after December 19. On that day, having murdered an innocent Polish lorry driver in his cab, Amri then stole his truck and drove it into the milling crowd at a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 and injuring dozens of others. He then went on the run through Europe before being gunned down on December 23 by police who stopped him in the Italian city of Milan. Police patrol the reopened Breitscheidplatz Christmas market at Berlin on December 22, 2016 in the days after the attack Despite being despised by the world, Amri - who came to Germany as a bogus refugee from the war in Syria - is remembered by Fatima as a 'good man.' She added; 'He called me one night around 11pm and said he wanted to meet me in a hotel. I didn't want to.' She was asked if, perhaps, he was looking for her to provide a hideout for him but she said she didn't know. And asked what she thought of him after the attack she added; 'I miss him. He was a good man.' Leeri Marella, 48, pictured outside Manchester Crown Court, got a suspended sentence for molesting a receptionist A former asylum seeker who went on to get a masters at Oxford has been accused of 'exerting power' over women in a strong of offences after he molested a receptionist whilst dropping off his children at nursery. Father-of-two Leeri Marella, 48, inexplicably gave the shocked victim a hug at as he was leaving the building, having left the youngsters with staff. As she tried to fight him off, he then lifted her clothing with his fingers before stroking her back. The 21-year-old receptionist was so traumatised by the unwelcome encounter she quit her job. She now claims she has been suffering with severe anxiety and depression and if a stranger approaches her, she becomes nervous and apprehensive. Considering a string of other convictions for crimes against women, all involving 'the exertion of power over someone clearly less powerful', Judge Hilary Manley warned him to 'think very carefully' before making advances on women in future. Marella successfully claimed asylum in 1986 from his native Sudan where he got a degree in Geology then completed a masters at Oxford University. But since his arrival in the UK, he had been convicted of beating up one former female partner and was cautioned for assaulting another. He was also jailed in 2014 after he accidentally scalded a little girl with boiling hot water. At Manchester Crown Court, Marella, a former customer services adviser from the city's Northernden area, denied wrongdoing but was convicted of sexual assault after a trial. He escaped with 26 weeks jail suspended for two years but Judge Manley told him: 'You have begun to build a history of offending and the victims of your offending are always female. 'All these offences have involved your exertion of power over someone who is clearly less powerful than yourself. Your victim in this case was a young woman working in the reception of the nursery where your children were cared for. You took advantage of her in her work place. 'She is a petite and vulnerable woman and the effect this has had on her was clear to see. This offence does cross the custody threshold because of your previous convictions. This was the victim's work place and she was vulnerable to a degree as she was much younger and smaller than you. Judge Hilary Manley (left) told Marella (right): 'You have begun to build a history of offending and the victims of your offending are always female. 'She has felt compelled to leave her place of work and the effect of this offence has been profound. You need to think very carefully before you show your intentions to females and I hope this has been a lesson to you.' The incident occurred on October 2 2015 and prosecutor Gordon Hennell said: 'The complainant was 21 at the time and was working in the reception of the nursery where the defendant had two children. 'He was dropping his children off at nursery when he hugged her and put his hand on her back. He then lifted her clothing and began stroking her back underneath her clothing. All these offences have involved your exertion of power over someone who is clearly less powerful than yourself Judge Hilary Manley 'The victim has had difficulty dealing with the incident and it has resulted in her leaving her job due to the stress. If a stranger approaches her she feels very nervous and apprehensive. She has been suffering with anxiety and depression.' Marella had a previous conviction for battery in September 2000 and a caution for common assault in September 2011. He was jailed for two years in 2014 for child cruelty. In mitigation defence lawyer Paul Bryning said: 'This was only a very short lived offence which was impulsive and not pre-meditated. There is also a lack of previous sexual convictions in this case. 'He has been married since 2009 and is mainly a house husband, taking care of his two children and is expecting a third child in October this year. 'His previous convictions against females are more of a coincidence rather than design and I think it would be unfair for that to held against him. Marella was also ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register for five years and complete 100 hours of unpaid work. He must also pay a victim surcharge of 100. Ishmaeel Ashraf, nine, has been named as the boy who collapsed and died at Al-Hijrah School in Birmingham last week This is the first picture of the nine-year-old boy who died after apparently suffering an allergic reaction to his school dinner. Ismaeel Ashraf is believed to have collapsed just moments after eating fish and chips served at Al-Hijrah School in Birmingham, last Friday. Tributes have flooded in for the child as police continue to investigate how he died. Detective Chief Inspector Edward Foster said: 'We continue to support the family during this tragic time; the family have asked that their privacy is respected. 'We are working with the school and other partners to piece together exactly what happened.' Ismaeel's relatives have denied claims made by a father at the school that he died from a reaction after eating fish and chips. Police said they are working with the school and Birmingham City Council to establish the circumstances surrounding his death. Ismaeel's uncle, who didn't want to be named, said: 'This has hurt the family deeply, and we're now praying to get through this. 'There are a lot of untruths in what has been said about my nephew's death, nobody was even there to see what happened.' 'He was a lovely boy and we're now speaking closely with the authorities to find out what ended his life.' His grieving father could not bear to share his feelings with anyone about his loss and was ushered in and out of the Jamia Masjid Sparkbrook, UKIM mosque. The mosque's Imam and the boy's uncle said the family was 'devastated' and asked for them to be given time and space to come to terms with their loss. The Imam said: 'This is a tragic loss for the community, and especially for the family of Ishmael. 'Everybody is shaken at the passing of such a lovely boy and we are working with the police to find out what really happened.' Parents at the school, pictured, have claimed Ishmaeel died due to an 'allergic reaction to his fish and chips school dinner' West Midlands Police are working with the council and the school to establish what the reason for his death was Ismaeel, a year five pupil at Al-Hijrah School in Birmingham was taken by ambulance at 2.20pm to Heartlands Hospital where he died. A parent whose son was in the same class as Ismaeel, said: 'Fish and chips Fridays is a weekly thing at the school but why this boy was served when it is known by everyone that he has a fish allergy, I really don't know. 'The teachers couldn't find his epi-pen kept at the school in accordance with his Special Educational Needs statement which says he has a fish allergy. He said: 'All the parents are mortified and furious that this has been allowed to happen.' West Midlands Police launched an investigation into the tragedy, following initial reports that the boy had collapsed after 'suffering a suspected allergic reaction'. Al Hijrah School has been at the centre of controversy The Al Hijrah School in Small Heath, Birmingham, has been at the centre of controversy over the years. It was placed into special measures by Ofsted in December 2013 after a damning report labelled it as 'inadequate'. A Government-backed interim executive board (IEB) took over running the school in May 2014, after the council forced out the old governors and sacked its headteacher. In August 2014, former chairman of governors at the school, Waseem Yaqub, was sued for 100,000 over his conduct. He was accused of harassment, intimidation and trespassing, but denied the claims, according to the Birmingham Mail. Birmingham City Council also launched an inquiry in 2015 after claims were made that 1 million of public money sent to the Bordesley Green school found its way to funding construction of a school in Pakistan. The council later revealed the school was 'in excess of 3 million in debt' in February 2015. The latest Ofsted report into the school, published on Jan 5, 2016, said the school had improved, and classed it as 'requires improvement'. Advertisement Colin Diamond, executive director for education at Birmingham City Council, said the school was 'doing all it can to support the family through this terrible time'. A parent at the school, who asked not to be named, said: 'There was a choice of pizza or fish. 'He went for the fish even though he was allergic as he didn't fancy the pizza. 'Being Friday they then went into prayers but he collapsed in front of everyone. 'He was so popular with teachers and pupils. Everyone was devastated.' Paying tribute to Ismaeel in a statement released on Monday, the school said: 'Al-Hijrah School is in great shock after the sudden death of one its nine-year-old students. 'He was a very popular member of the class and will be missed by everyone who knew him. 'Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. 'May Allah open the doors of His mercy and Paradise upon him. 'May Almighty Allah make him a precursor, a forerunner, a treasure, an unanswered intercessor and a cause of reward for his parents, family members and Al-Hijrah community. 'May Allah give us (staff, pupils, parents, all his family members and friends of our beloved pupil) the strength to bear this shock with great patience, Ameen.' Al-Hijrah school, which educates 780 children from ages five to 16, has been in special measures since its last Ofsted inspection, and there is also an investigation into financial irregularities. Although it is funded and managed by Birmingham City Council, it is not a faith school but all of its pupils are Muslim and the curriculum follows an Islamic ethos. The controversial Al-Hijrah school has come under fire in the past - the school was placed in special measures by Ofsted in May 2014, after a damning report branded it 'inadequate.' A month later the entire governing body was sacked after financial troubles were revealed, which included a 900,000 budget deficit, and a new interim board took over. A source said at the time: 'The school in Birmingham is falling apart, its roof is leaking and there is little space for outdoor play. Yet the Trust has used 1 million to build a new school in Pakistan. It beggars belief.' In June 2014 it was caught up in the Trojan Horse scandal, and protests broke out as parents and students fought a Department for Education takeover, amid claims their school was subject to a secret Islamist infiltration. Mourners at Sparkbrook Mosque (pictured) have paid their respects to Ishmaeel and his family Six months later, in December 2014, an investigation was launched after claims 1million of taxpayers' money had been used to fund a state-of-the-art sister school in Pakistan. In 2015 the school was in the spotlight again, after Birmingham's education commissioner said the debt-riddled and dilapidated building should be bulldozed and replaced. Al-Hijrah school became the country's first state-funded Islamic secondary school 16 years ago - it had previously an independent school, but became a voluntary aided school under plans by Birmingham City Council in 2001. The hunt is on for a sexual predator who allegedly trailed a woman into a university car park and brazenly attacked her in broad daylight. CCTV footage released this week shows the harrowing attack at the University of Sydney in 2014, and now police have issued still images in the hope of finding the man. Footage shows the man grabbing the young woman, covering her mouth with his hand and forcing her between two parked cars, where he allegedly attempted to sexually assault her. Police have issued detailed stills of an alleged sexual predator who trailed a woman into a university car park and brazenly attacked her Police suspended the investigation after failing to identify the man, but now hope the footage and mages will lead to the public coming forward with information. CCTV footage only come to light this week following a freedom of information request by 7 News. It's claimed the victim screamed as loud as she could and managed to wriggle her way free from her alleged attacker, using her right arm to fight him off he can be seen fleeing as she runs for help. But while police notes say the CCTV footage 'provides [an] excellent shot of the [Person of Interest's] face, suitable for identification' it was never made public until around three years later. This is the disturbing moment a man, shadowing a woman through a university car park, forces her between two cars to allegedly sexually assault her 'This man has not been caught. He poses a direct risk to the public. One would think that the university would do everything in their power to help apprehend him,' Channel 7's FOI editor told News.com.au. The alleged attacker was not able to be identified when police arrived at the scene and has never been caught. It's hoped someone will come forward with more information now that the video is public. Co-Women's Officer at the University of Sydney, Katie Thorburn, told News.com.au that she was 'appalled' with the university's actions. 'It sends the message that Sydney University cares more about their reputation than having a woman receive justice [following] a despicable act.' More than 20 per cent of surveyed students at the University of Sydney in 2016 said they experienced a form of unacceptable behaviour, unwanted sexual harassment or assault during the time they were enrolled. The alleged University of Sydney attack occurred in 2014 but has the CCTV footage only come to light following an FOI by 7 News, after the university objected to the release Police notes say the CCTV footage 'provides [an] excellent shot of the [Person of Interest's] face, suitable for identification' The alleged attacker can be seen running off as the victim goes to find help, he has never been found A spokeswoman for the University of Sydney referred Daily Mail Australia to a letter it had written to New South Wales Police in August 2016 objecting to its request to see documents about sexual assaults between 2011 and 2015. 'The documents contain personal information of a particularly sensitive nature,' the letter from the university's Office of General Counsel said. The university spokeswoman said her employer had never been asked about the release of the video footage relating to sexual assaults on campus. A police force has been criticised after introducing a 4.95 charge for people trying to report lost property. Staffordshire Police brought in the fee at the start of last month by promoting a link to a 'police accredited' external website where people can post details of missing items on a national database. But they have now decided to ditch the Reportmyloss site after receiving scores of complaints from users angered at being made to pay for the service. Staffordshire Police have now decided to ditch the Reportmyloss site after receiving scores of complaints from users angered at being made to pay for the service While most forces across the UK subsidise the 4.95 fee, Staffordshire Police controversially decided not waive the payment. Music teacher Jayne Gurden had no idea about the fee when she was asked to input her credit card details after she lost 80. She mislaid the money while taking items from her home in Leek, Staffordshire, to a WI stall in the town's market on February 8. She said: 'I loaded up my car and drove up to the market at about 7.30am. While most forces across the UK subsidise the 4.95 fee, Staffordshire Police (headquarters pictured) controversially decided not waive the payment 'I went to get the cash from my pocket, but it had gone. I must have lost it between my home and the market. I then rang the police non-emergency number to report it and hopefully find that someone had handed it in. 'I was told to go on the police website where you can report lost items. 'There were a lot of details to fill in, so it would not be that easy for someone who was not familiar with computers. 'At the end I was left shocked when I was asked for my credit card details to pay 4.95 to report it. 'So not only had I just lost 80, I was being charged nearly 5 to say that I had lost it. It was bad enough losing the money, but this added insult to injury. 'At no stage when I made the original telephone call was I told I would have to pay. I have not heard anything about the money being found.' Jim Gibson, chairman of the Chell Heath Residents' Association, said he was astounded Staffordshire Police had brought in the charges and was glad they had now been dropped. The 63-year-old said: 'It is absolutely scandalous that they would charge people to report lost property. 'Don't they realise that some people don't have the money to feed themselves let alone pay to report their lost property? Trust Staffordshire Police to get more blood from the stone. 'I am totally against that idea when people already pay their taxes. I'm glad they've now seen sense.' Staffordshire Police confirmed it has removed the link to Reportmyloss from their website. A spokesman said: 'We had been recommended a national lost property website for high-value lost property reporting called Reportmyloss. 'On February 1 we therefore included that link on our lost property page. 'We were then subsequently alerted to the fact that they did charge people who reported lost property and decided that was not something we wished to support. 'We therefore removed the link from the website on February 17.' A Reportmyloss spokesman said: 'In some areas use of Reportmyloss is subsidised by the local police constabulary, for whom the process consistently delivers measurable savings, while improving services and recovery rates for members of the public that have lost items. These savings are passed on to the public by way of free reporting.' Forces which subside the fee include Greater Manchester, Avon and Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, Dorset and the British Transport Police. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have agreed to pay out tens of thousands of dollars after interns worked up to 50 hours per week, without pay, making clothes for their high-end fashion line. The former 'Full House' actresses will hand over $140,000 to a group of 185 interns who produced clothes for their fashion line The Row, according to a new filing in Manhattan Supreme Court. The former child stars, who run a business empire worth an estimated $300million, agreed to fork out the cash to 'avoid the uncertainties of litigation,' their attorneys said. The payout, which still needs to be agreed by a judge, will work out at just $530 per intern, with the rest going to their lawyers. Mary-Kate, left, and Ashley Olsen have agreed to pay out tens of thousands of dollars to interns who produced clothes for their fashion line Clothes from the fashion line retail at up to $5,990 for a double-breasted wool-twill coat, while even the cheapest tank top costs $260, and a plain white T-shirt retails at $320. The class action suit was brought by former design intern Shahista Lalani in 2015. She claimed she was so overworked that she was once hospitalized for dehydration. The suit said interns, who were working up to 50-hour weeks, should have been paid the minimum wage plus overtime. 'It was like 100 degrees outside. I'd just be sweating to death. I probably carried like 50 pounds worth of trench coats', Lalani told Page Six. The suit said interns were doing the same type of work as paid colleagues, without receiving academic or vocational credit, putting in 50-hour weeks inputting data, running errands, sewing, photocopying and carrying out other menial tasks. A plain white t-shirt from Mary-Kate and Ashley's fashion line The Row retails at $320 'You're like an employee, except you're not getting paid,' Lalani said. 'They're kind of mean to you. Other interns have cried. I'd see a lot of kids crying doing coffee runs, photocopying stuff.' She also claimed she rarely got a break and would receive emails from her boss, the head technical designer for the twin's fashion house, up to 10 o'clock at night. According to court papers, the settlement was agreed after 'protracted, arm's-length negotiations between the parties and their experienced counsel.' In the court papers, the plaintiffs' attorney LaDonna Lusher says: 'The parties have reached a proposed settlement which plaintiffs believe represents a significant recovery given the potential damages and substantial risks if the case proceeds to trial.' The BBC's Nick Robinson made a toecurling on-air gaffe this morning when he called the Chancellor 'Spreadsh*t Phil' during an interview about the Budget. The presenter accidentally mangled Philip Hammond's nickname 'spreadsheet' as he discussed the fallout from the financial statement with journalists on Radio 4's Today programme. Mr Robinson quickly corrected himself but the slip did not go unnoticed - with Twitter users voicing shock and suggested it had been a 'Freudian slip'. Robinson asked one of the guests: 'Do you agree that this is basically Spreadsh*t Phil, Spreadsheet Phil, I should say, as he is known in the Treasury, basically holding his nose and saying there will be a row but it will pass?' After making the slip during a discussion on the Today programme this morning, Mr Robinson quickly corrected himself but it did not go unnoticed A grim-faced Mr Hammond has been on the airwaves defending his Budget tax raid on the self-employed today Mr Robinson made light of his blunder on Twitter after the Today programme finished One Twitter user said the gaffe had 'brightened my morning considerably' while another described it as 'glorious'. Mr Robinson later made light of the blunder, tweeting: 'I'm very very worried about your hearing. I clearly said SpreadSHEET Phil ...didn't I?' Despite littering his Budget speech with jokes yesterday, Mr Hammond was not seeing the funny side this morning as he was forced to defend his tax raid on the self-employed on Today and other programmes. The grim-faced Chancellor denied 'lying' to the British public, insisting 'circumstances have moved on' since the 2015 Tory manifesto pledged there would be no rise in national insurance rates. Amid a full-blown Tory rebellion on the issue, he warned that the government's finances were still in a bad state and everyone needed to pay their way. It is not the first potty-mouthed slip-up by presenters on the flagship Radio 4 programme. The embarrassing slip by Robinson amused many listeners who took to Twitter to respond On Robinson's first day on the show, the pips were crashed when Jim Naughtie whispered 'sh*t'. But the most embarrassing clanger came in 2010 when listeners spluttered into their cornflakes as the former presenter accidentally replaced the first letter of cabinet minister Jeremy Hunt's surname with a 'C'. The on-air stumble sent the presenter into a coughing fit, and attracted a slew of emails from listeners who were either amused or angry. Naughtie proceeded to interview Mr Hunt without incident, but later issued several apologies for his 'Spoonerism' - a reference to Dr William Spooner who was notorious for inappropriately switching letters between words. This is the moment a terrified woman was left in a flap after being cornered by a flock of hungry ostriches. The poor tourist, known as Eileen, was pushed into the group of flightless birds armed with a bucket of feed at an ostrich farm in Oudtshoorn, a town in South Africa's Western Cape. An amusing clip showed the hapless visitor getting hounded by six ravenous birds who dove violently across her hair and face to get to the bowl. This is the moment a terrified woman, known as Eileen, was left in a flap after being cornered by a flock of hungry ostriches in South Africa The squirming target screwed her eyes shut as three ostriches leaned across the fence to get to the feed. They were joined just seconds later by three more of the birds, who rammed their beaks into the bucket. And to make matters worse, one of her friends could be heard instructing: 'Open your eyes and smile!' The hilarious clip was posted on Instagram, alongside the caption: 'Eileen hosts a hen party.' An amusing clip showed the hapless visitor getting hounded by six ravenous birds who dove across her hair and face to get to the bowl Eileen seemed to see the funny side however, commenting: 'It was like being attacked by raptors in Jurassic Park!' She added that it was a 'pain' trying to do a photoshoot with birds due to their diva-like tendencies. 'It's such a pain shooting with birds,' she wrote. 'They're so hard to work with - can never remember their lines, and always running off set between takes to 'stretch their legs'. Impossible!' A police DNA blunder led officers to wrongly link a neo-Nazi cell's killing spree to the unsolved murder of the 'German Madeleine McCann', it has emerged. Officers reported last October that genetic material found near the skeleton of nine-year-old schoolgirl Peggy Knobloch, who went missing in 2001, matched that of Uwe Boehnhardt. This seemed to connect the child's death to the 2000-2007 racist murder spree on the National Socialist Underground, far-right militants who shot dead nine men with migrant roots and a policewoman. Peggy Knobloch (pictured) vanished on her way home from school in 2001 near her home, in a high-profile case that captivated the nation Police had reported that genetic material found near the skeleton of nine-year-old Peggy Knobloch (left) who went missing in 2001 matches that of the late NSU gunman Uwe Boehnhardt (right) The forest near Rodacherbrunn, central Germany, where the skeleton of nine-year-old Peggy Knobloch was found in July 2016 But it has now been established that the DNA found near the girl's corpse was in fact inadvertently transferred there through 'police equipment' from the corpse of late neo-Nazi gunman Boehnhardt, said prosecutor Daniel Goetz. Boehnhardt and his accomplice Uwe Mundlos had died five years ago in an apparent murder-suicide following a botched bank robbery. It remained unclear which piece of police equipment had been used in both cases, Goetz said, but media reports have pointed at a measuring stick police use on crime scenes. Something like that 'should not have happened,' admitted Uwe Ebner, who leads a special inquiry into the child murder. A map shows the location near the village of Rodacherbrunn where the body of Peggy Knobloch who was missing for 15 years, was discovered Hundreds of police and soldiers scoured the area for weeks, but her remains were only found in July last year, some nine miles from her home, by a mushroom picker After Knobloch's death, a man with a learning disability spent more than 10 years in jail for her murder before he was exonerated and released, as police resumed the search for her murderer Knobloch vanished on her way home from school in 2001 near her home, in a high-profile case that captivated the nation. Hundreds of police and soldiers scoured the area for weeks, but her remains were only found in July last year, some nine miles from her home, by a mushroom picker. After her death, a man with a learning disability spent more than 10 years in jail for her murder before he was exonerated and released, as police resumed the search for her murderer. The disappearance of Peggy came to haunt Germans in much the way that the vanishing of Maddie McCann, while on a holiday with her parents in Portugal, scarred the collective psyche of Britons. The NSU, short for National Socialist Underground, was a trio of far-right militants who shot dead eight men with Turkish roots, a Greek migrant and a German policewoman between 2000 and 2007. Germany was shocked to discover that the killings - long blamed by police and media on migrant crime gangs and dubbed the 'doner (kebab) murders' - were in fact racist hate crimes. The random discovery of the NSU in 2011 exposed police and domestic intelligence flaws and raised uncomfortable questions about how the cell went undetected for 13 years. A region in the Italian Riviera is to ban women from wearing the Islamic niqab in hospitals and public offices. Officials in the northern region of Liguria announced plans to enforce the ban in what is described as an attempt to defend women's freedom. If it is given the green light, it will become the latest case of traditional Islamic attire being prohibited after a number of bans on the burka. The niqab, which hides a woman's face entirely apart from her eyes, will be banned in Italy A sign in English, French and Arabic stating faces must not be covered for security reasons Regional president Giovanni Toti from the country's Forza Italia party, said the burka headscarf was 'the worst symbol of the oppression of women'. Defending the ban, which has been accused of discriminatory, he told The Local: 'Those who live in Italy need to grasp and respect at least the minimum rules of equality between men and women.' The proposal was jointly proposed with Liguria's health councillor Sonia Viale of the Northern League party. It has been praised by the party's national leader Matteo Salvini, who said the 'concrete initiative' was a welcome protection of women's freedom in what he described as a 'flood of useless chatter that accompanies Women's Day'. HOW THE BURKA HAS DIVIDED OPINION ACROSS EUROPE Britain There is no law restricting the wearing of garments for religious reasons. However in March 2007 the education ministry published directives allowing directors of public establishments and denominational schools to ban the niqab veil. Judges have on occasion refused to hear veiled women because they could not verify their identity. Netherlands The legislation, which has passed the lower house and now has to be approved by the Senate, bans the wearing of burkas, helmets and face masks on public transport as well as education, healthcare and government buildings. The bill was proposed by Interior Minister Ronald Plasterk in 2015, as he believed clothing that covered the face hindered communication in public services and could pose a security threat. Violations could result in a fine of up to 410 euros. Germany Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere has proposed a partial burka ban. De Maiziere, one of Merkel's closest allies, said the ban would cover 'places where it is necessary for our society's coexistence' including government offices, schools and universities, courtrooms as well as demonstrations. Last year, several French towns sought to ban burkinis, the full-body Islamic swimsuit. The move was successfully challenged in all but one case on the island of Corsica (file picture) France The first European country to ban the full-veil in public spaces with a law 'banning the hiding of the face in public spaces', with a law that took effect in April 2011. The European Court of Human Rights upheld the burka ban in 2014, rejecting arguments that outlawing full-face veils breached religious freedom. The law has resulted in around 1,500 arrests in the past five years, and violations can result in fines of up to 150 euros. Last year, several French towns sought to ban burkinis, the full-body Islamic swimsuit. The move was successfully challenged in all but one case on the island of Corsica. Belgium The wearing of the full veil is governed by a June 1, 2011 law. It prohibits 'appearing in places accessible to the public with a face masked or hidden, in whole or in part, in such a way as to be unidentifiable'. Exceptions exist, in particular where the workplace requires the face to be hidden, or for the carnival season. Violations can result in fines and/or up to seven days in jail. Bulgaria In September, Bulgarian lawmakers approved a law that bans wearing in public clothing that partially or completely covers the face, with exceptions for health or professional reasons. Initial violations result in a fine of roughly 100 euros, while subsequent violations are fined the equivalent of 750 euros. Italy There is currently a debate over a 1975 law aimed at protecting public order that makes it illegal to cover one's face in public places and the provision applies to the veil, as well as motorcycle helmets and other masks. The anti-immigrant Northern League presented in October a draft law in the Lombardy region around Milan that would ban the burka, niqab and burkini. Switzerland Switzerland's lower house narrowly approved in September a draft bill on a nationwide burka ban, but the measure remains far from becoming law. In the southern Tessin region however, the burka has been forbidden since July 1 and violators face a minimum fine of 100 Swiss francs. Norway Education Minister Torbjorn Roe Isaksen said in October that the government was seeking regulations prohibiting the full-face veil in schools and universities. Scandinavian neighbours such as Denmark and Sweden have allowed schools, administrations and companies to decide the issue for themselves, while there is no ban in Finland. Others Three other countries that have not banned the burka are among those closest to the Middle East or North Africa; Greece, Portugal and Spain. Advertisement Last month, it was revealed Bavaria would ban the full-face veil in schools, universities, government workplaces and polling stations. The move came seven months before a federal election where immigration will be a prominent issue. 'Communication happens not only via language but also via looks, facial expressions and gestures,' Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said after the regional government agreed a draft law to ban the full-face veil for civil servants and in public places where there are concerns for public safety. 'It's the foundation of our interactions with each other and it's the basis of our free and democratic order. 'Concealing your face is at odds with this culture of communication.' Muslims pray during a celebration of Eid al-Fitr marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan in a gymnasium in Saluzzo, near Turin, Italy Last year, Bulgaria's parliament has approved a law banning women from wearing veils that cover their faces in public amid increasing fears over acts of Islamic terrorism in the country. The law was pushed by the nationalist Patriotic Front coalition, whose co-leader Krasimir Karakachanov cited security reasons, saying 'the burqa is more a uniform than a religious symbol'. The ban will apply for both Bulgarian citizens and those entering the country temporarily. There have also been bans in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Norway. A secret Marines Facebook group that shares naked pictures and videos of unsuspecting female colleagues is still going, despite the investigation into hundreds of its members. The group titled 'Marines United' had hundreds, possibly thousands of explicit photos of unsuspecting servicewomen, some who were on active duty. After the existence of the group was made public, members have been redirected to new pages, including one titled Marines United 2, or MU2. According to CNN, members have even taken to taunting federal and military investigators, with one writing: 'It would be hilarious if one of these FBI or (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) f***s found their wife on here,' on the original Marines United page. Members of the group also shared a link to a cloud storage site containing more than 2,500 images of women in stages of undress or engaging in sexual acts. Scroll down for video Kelsie Stone (pictured) broke up with her Marine boyfriend in 2016, and not long after received a text from a friend containing screenshots of the photos of her without clothes that had been posted to the page A report revealed that hundreds of Marines are being investigated by the U.S. Department of Defense for sharing explicit photos of their female colleagues in the lewd Facebook group. There were 30,000 followers of the secret Facebook group and many members made sexually aggressive comments about the victims. Some suggested in the 2,500 photo comments that the servicemen perform sexual acts with the women and film it for the other members. Stone works as a bartender in a town with a lot of Marines, and said she often feels uncomfortable leaving her home because people recognize her from the photos and make comments Earlier this week, two of the victims whose pictures were leaked on the group spoke out how the experience had affected them. Kelsie Stone broke up with her Marine boyfriend in 2016, and not long after received a text from a friend containing screenshots of her naked photos that had been posted the page. They were allegedly posted by her ex-boyfriend. She sent him the photos while they were still dating. Stone works as a bartender in a town with a lot of Marines, and said she often feels uncomfortable leaving her home because people recognize her from the photos and make comments. 'Some days I don't want to leave my house. I grew up a Marine brat and this isn't the Marine Corps image my dad fought to represent,' she told the Times. A second woman, Elle Audra, left the Marine Corps as a corporal in 2010 and is now a model, and believes that nude photos of her were also posted on the Facebook page. Elle Audra (right) said that the scariest message she received was from a man who said he knew when and where she had deployed, and who asked if she would have sex with him Audra told Marine Corps Times that she receives messages that generally say something like 'Where were you when I was in? I would've f***** you too?' She said that the scariest message she received was from a man who said he knew when and where she had deployed, and who asked if she would have sex with him. Audra also said that she advocates for survivors of sexual assaults, and hopes that good can come out of the emerging scandal if it draws attention from officials in Washington. 'I believe this is a start to a better and safer marine corps,' she told the Times. The group's admins used Google Drive to store the photos and information of the servicewomen as revealed in the report by Reveal of the Center for Investigative Reporting and The War Horse. The veteran who initially posted the Google Drive link has been fired from his position as a government subcontractor. Since January 30, more than two dozen women have been identified. The first two infantry women in the Marines were assigned on January 5. To get into the group, someone has to be added by a member. Only current and former members are able to search the group. One servicewoman was photographed in secret at Camp Lejeune as she leaned over to pick up her gear. These photos were posted on February 16, two weeks after the linking accounts were shut down. Captain Ryan Alvis, public affairs officer for the Marines, told CBS News: 'Whoever runs it kept moving it, making it hard to even find what the scope of it was.' 'People will immediately start blaming victims, and we are most concerned about them. They may have taken pics meant to be private and then those images could have been shared by a former close friend. So many questions that we just don't have answers to at this point.' 'The Marine Corps is deeply concerned about allegations regarding the derogatory online comments and sharing of salacious photographs in a closed website. This behavior destroys morale, erodes trust, and degrades the individual. The Marine Corps does not condone this sort of behavior, which undermines our core values. As General Neller said in his recent Message to the Force, the Marine Corps' success in battle depends on trust, mutual respect, and teamwork.'The Marine Corps takes every allegation of misconduct seriously.' He went on to say the people involved will be held accountable for their actions. The Marines also released a 10 page document addressing how the misogynistic nature of the group is unacceptable. The War Horse journalist and former Marine Thomas Brennan received threats after exposing the group. Members are allegedly posting his addresses and phone numbers of his friends and colleagues in the group. Brennan told the Marine Corps Times: 'As a Marine veteran, I stand by the code: honor, courage and commitment. This story was published with the intention of standing up for what is right and staying true to the leadership principle of looking out for Marines and their families.' These kinds of groups aren't new. In 2013, California Representative Jackie Speier wrote in a press release about a similar Marines Facebook group called 'F'N Wook'. She proposed multiple bills aimed to reduce sexual assault and sexual harassment in the Marines. In an annual report the Pentagon released in May 2016, the U.S. military received about 6,000 reports of sexual assault in 2015, similar to the number in 2014, but such crimes are still underreported. A million Vietnamese people are still affected by America's use of chemical weapons in the 1960s which has left babies suffering painful deformities and mental illness. Hospitals across the country are now caring for children dumped at birth who are suffering the horrific symptoms caused by Agent Orange decades after the attacks during the Vietnam War. Peace Village ward at Tu Du Hospital is home to surviving orphan victims of Agent Orange and an incredible set of photographs shows life inside the ward. A child stares out of the window at the Peace Village ward at Tu Du Hospital. After decades of Vietnam War, effects of Agent Orange still runs silently through generations An infant with deformed hands in the Peace Village ward at Tu Du Hospital. The hospital is home for children with disabilities believed to be caused by Agent Orange, the herbicide used by the U.S military during the Vietnam War A youth severely affected by Agent Orange is seen in the Peace Village ward at Tu Du Hospital. Peace village cares for about 60 children and many were abandoned at birth UC 123K planes flying over delta area to spray defoliant Agent Orange near of Saigon Agent Orange in the Vietnam War Agent Orange is the combination of the code names for Herbicide Orange and Agent LNX, one of the herbicides and defoliants used by the US military as part of its chemical warfare programme, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971. Over the course of 10 years, American forces sprayed nearly 20million gallons of the chemical in Vietnam, Laos and parts of Cambodia in an effort to deprive guerrilla fighters of cover by destroying plants and trees where they could find refuge. The chemical was manufactured for the US Department of Defense by Monsanto Corporation and Dow Chemical. It got its name from the colour of the orange-striped 55-gallon barrels in which it was shipped to Asia. Among the illnesses contracted by people exposed to the dioxin are non-Hodgkins lymphoma, several varieties of cancer, type 2 diabetes, soft tissue sarcoma, birth defects in children, spina bifida and reproductive abnormalities, to name a few. Advertisement The US forces sprayed the herbicide dioxin - more commonly known as Agent Orange - over huge swathes of the country's jungle. In the 60s and 70s, troops flew over the trees to kill the plantation which was blocking their visibility and providing cover for Viet Cong fighters. It harmed US soldiers and Vietnamese and contaminated some areas of the country. According to the Vietnamese Red Cross, babies born near lands heavily sprayed with the herbicide have illnesses and deformities at a higher rate than normal, and as many as a million Vietnamese now have health issues associated with Agent Orange. Among the issues are stillborn babies and children born with defects including skin disease, mental illness and deformities. A child severely affected by Agent Orange is fed during lunch time at Peace Village ward at Tu Du Hospital as another with a deformed hand and leg sits at the table A baby severely affected by Agent Orange is seen in the Peace Village ward at Tu Du Hospital A badly scarred and skin damaged child is seen at the Peace Village ward at Tu Du Hospital A child severely affected by Agent Orange is fed at the Peace Village ward at Tu Du Hospital. It is claimed that children born to parents exposed to Agent Orange can be stillborn or born with birth defects, including skin disease, mental illness, and deformities A severely affected infant, by Agent Orange, is seen in the Peace Village ward at Tu Du Hospital Agent Orange and its active ingredient dioxin is 'one of the most toxic compounds known to humans', according to the UN. Peace Village ward at Tu Du Hospital is home for surviving child victims of Agent Orange. In part because of political and logistical difficulties, there is so far no conclusive international research showing a direct correlation between Agent Orange use in Vietnam and health problems. Still, the U.S. government recognizes that exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides causes cancer and additional health problems and presumes certain birth defects in children of Vietnam veterans. Outspoken senator Jacqui Lambie wants to know how many Muslims are helping to protect Australia's borders. She's also keen to know if any Muslim employees at the Department of Immigration and Border Protection have the authority to reject Christian refugees from coming to Australia. The Tasmanian, in a series of questions to the government, asked for the number of Muslims getting welfare and what payments they are receiving. Outspoken senator Jacqui Lambie wants to know how many Muslims are helping to protect Australia's borders In a series of questions to the government, Ms Lambie asked for the number of Muslims getting welfare and what payments they are receiving Senator Lambie wrote to the ministers responsible seeking answers in February. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton, through Michaelia Cash, said his department did not collect data about the faith of its employees. Social Services Minister Christian Porter also said there was no requirement for welfare recipients to declare their religious beliefs, so the information wasn't available. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton (left), through Michaelia Cash (right), said his department did not collect data about the faith of its employees The feet, still wearing black socks, were poking out of the blue suitcase A passer-by tipped off police in Mexico about a dead body after finding a pair of feet poking out the top of a suitcase. The mutilated corpse had been stuffed into the blue case, which had been zipped up but the feet, wearing black socks, were still jutting out. The grisly luggage was spotted dumped next to a house in Veracruz state on Mexico's Gulf coast. Police from the nearby town of Martinez de la Torre examined the body. They found the unidentified man had been tortured and killed before his dismembered body was shoved inside the suitcase. The Mexican police and army are currently carrying out a special operation against organized crime in the area. The house where the body was found was in a heavily forested area which is a hotbed of organized crime. The suitcase was found next to a house in a heavily forested area, which is a hotbed of crime Armed gangs regularly use secluded woodland spots for criminal activities including executions. There have been hundreds of unsolved disappearances in the eastern state of Veracruz, which comes under the control of the notorious Los Zetas, who broke away from the rival Gulf Cartel in 2010. Los Zetas are considered by the US government to be 'the most technologically advanced, sophisticated, efficient, violent, ruthless, and dangerous' drug cartel operating in Mexico. There are regular cases of extortion and kidnappings in Veracruz and more than a dozen journalists have been killed there over the past five years. In December, the US Department of State warned citizens about the risk of traveling to certain parts of Mexico due to the activities of criminal organizations in those areas. But there is currently no advisory in effect in Veracruz. The drug taking drifter accused of raping a British backpacker in Australia beat up a former girlfriend and cheated on her, it is claimed. Marcus Martin, who is accused of holding captive and repeatedly raping and beating a 22-year-old from Liverpool, has been disowned by his family, who said he deserves to be 'locked up' for his 'disgusting' behaviour towards women. Martin, who spent six months behind bars for beating a pizza delivery driver, had a volatile relationship with the woman and was violent towards her, a former friend told MailOnline. In January last year when they split up she wrote on Facebook: 'I don't know what's worse, the fact that my ex-boyfriend Marcus Martin cheated on me or the fact that he cheated on me with **** ****.' 'I will get you back you c*** and that starts with the world knowing what you really are. Best part is I don't even have to lie about you either. You are just a piece of s***.' Charged: Marcus Martin, pictured, a 22-year-old drifter, from Cairns, in Australia is accused of abducting and repeatedly raping a British backpacker, also 22, from Liverpool Ordeal: CCTV footage, above, shows the British backpacker allegedly kidnapped and raped walking into an outback petrol station covered in bruises and cuts on Sunday Speaking exclusively to MailOnline a friend of Martin, 22, said: 'I don't hang out with guys who are violent with women. I saw how he treated the Mrs that he had here before he left. He beat her up.' Martin's family has disowned him and told how they were not surprised to learn he has been accused of false imprisonment and multiple cases of rape, due to his violent past. 'He needs to be locked up,' one relative said. 'The whole family wants nothing to do with him. 'It was only a matter of time [until he was arrested]. He doesn't realise that there's consequences for his actions. [The whole family] have cut all contact and want nothing to do with him.' Martin had a troubled childhood due to his parents' connection to criminal motorcycle 'bikie' gangs, revealed the relative, who is too embarrassed to be identified. Estranged: A friend of Martin told how he beat a former girlfriend during their violent time together. The woman said on Facebook that he cheated on her after they split in January 2016 Acrimonious split: The woman wrote of Martin, pictured, on Facebook: 'I will get you back you c*** and that starts with the world knowing what you really are. Best part is I don't even have to lie about you either. You are just a piece of s***.' Cruel: Martin's family in Cairns has reportedly disowned him with one relative telling MailOnline they were not surprised when he was accused of rape over a month in the Outback However his mother Julia Humphreys, who died in 2015, would have been disgusted by her son's actions if she were alive, the family member added. 'If she had heard about what he is accused of doing she would have killed him. He would have needed police to protect him from her.' Martin decided he wanted to be a 'bad-ass' after he went off the rails as a teenager, the relative claims. If she [Martin's mother] had heard about what he is accused of doing she would have killed him... He would have needed police to protect him from her Marcus Martin's friend His mother's death affected him badly. And Martin used her ashes to create the distinctive tattoos on his face and body, they claimed. The 22-year-old grew up in Cairns but fled the northern Queensland city in 2015 after refusing to get a job. Martin settled in Port Macquarie, New South Wales, where he struck up a friendship with a local girl. But he fled again this time to Melbourne, Victoria after he beat her up. 'He was a smart boy, but so dumb in so many ways,' the relative said. When he questioned Martin about claims he that he beat up this girlfriend the thug claimed that she got dragged over the rocks at the beach. New start: Martin left Cairns in 2015 after refusing to get a job and settled in Port Macquarie, New South Wales, where he met the woman he was later accused of being violent towards However when the girlfriend tried to challenge him Martin fled. The relative revealed: 'Next thing she was at the pub with a big Maori biker asking where he [Martin] was he left that night and went to Melbourne. 'He had to leave before he died. There was a long line of people who wanted to kill him. Everywhere he goes he cuts up strings and ties a noose.' Martin was jailed for six months in 2013 following a violent attack when he hit a pizza delivery man over the head with a plank of wood and stole money after taking LSD. Martin has more previous convictions dating back to when he was 16 years old. His family have expressed their sorrow for the suffering of the young British backpacker, who was found shaking with black eyes and red marks on her neck from being strangled. 'We just want to let her know that we are so sorry about what happened to her. Nothing like that should ever happen to anybody. Our thoughts are with the young backpacker and her family.' The relative added Martin's grandfather who he was close to as a child would have been profoundly disappointed in him. Outback attack: The British backpacker, who police say was 'raped four times, bashed and held captive' for two months, is met Martin in Cairns three months ago at a music event. She was rescued by Police near the rural town of Mitchell, Queensland, west of Brisbane 'His grandfather was the most honourable man I ever met. And he was so proud of Marcus as a boy. 'When he first saw him as a baby he looked at him and told everyone he was going to 'make it'. 'He is a troubled soul. He has a lot of problems and his attitude is that he owes nothing to no one.' The former friend added: 'I thought he was half decent until I saw what he had done to his last Mrs. 'I am not surprised he is in trouble he is a goose.' David Davis has appeared to hint at a regional immigration system that could allow more people into Scotland after Brexit. The Brexit Secretary told MPs he had heard concern from the Scottish Government about the importance of migration. And he said he had spoken to Home Secretary Amber Rudd about it with the goal of creating a UK immigration policy 'that will reflect the needs of every part of the United Kingdom'. David Davis appeared to hint at a regional immigration system that could allow more people into Scotland after Brexit during questions in the Commons today, pictured Mr Davis told MPs he had heard concern from the Scottish Government about the importance of migration and was working with the Home Secretary on a UK policy that works for all parts of the country The Government is drawing up an immigration bill for post Brexit Britain that is intended to allow greater control over how many people come to Britain. Sources played down the significance of the intervention. The Brexit Secretary passes on all concerns raised by the devolved governments to ministers. Regional systems have been discounted in the past because of the difficulties of policing the internal movement of people inside mainland Britain. But the Scottish Government has insisted exceptions should be made for Scotland in the same way as may be necessary to maintain an open border in Ireland. Mr Davis' intervention today was prompted by SNP MP Stephen Gethins in the Commons during a questions session on EU nationals after Brexit. He said: 'The people of Scotland were promised a week before the vote that Scotland would decide its own immigration policy in the event of Brexit. 'Next week we have a crucial vote on EU nationals, we have another opportunity. If this Government will not use its powers to give EU nationals the certainty they require, will you give those powers to the Scottish Parliament?' SNP MP Stephen Gethins said Scotland had been promised control of its own immigration after Brexit and said this should now be delivered Mr Gethins said the Scottish Government wanted power to guarantee the rights of EU nationals in Britain after Brexit Mr Davis replied: 'The simple truth is the Scottish Government has raised a very important issue on the joint ministerial committee about the question of the immigration needs of Scotland. 'I have reflected those questions to the Home Secretary and I expect we will come to a UK immigration policy that will reflect the needs of every part of the United Kingdom.' Some countries do have regional visa systems that allow migrants entry on condition of living and working in a particular place. Australia uses a local visa system to control migration to particular regions or low population growth areas. Phoebe Griffith, Associate Director for Migration, Integration and Communities at the IPPR think tank said: "IPPR welcomes the reports that David Davis is open to a regional approach to immigration. 'We believe that devolving immigration to the UK's nations and regions would put people back in control. It would recognise that different parts of the country have different needs and different interests. 'A devolved approach works in other countries and in Britain it would build on the existing system of employer-led immigration enforcement championed by this government. 'The government should develop proposals for devolved immigration and we're ready and willing to help.' A mother who told her children she was popping to Tesco was last seen boarding a flight with a mystery man. Aine Poynton has been missing for 16 days after leaving her husband and kids at home before flying from Belfast to Gatwick, it is claimed. The 49-year-old, told them she was going to the supermarket near her home in Kilcock, County Kildare on February 22 but she never came back. Her husband Paul Hoynton made a passionate plea for his wife to let them know she was safe and to return home to their children, aged 19 and 22. Aine Poynton has been missing for 16 days after leaving her husband and kids at home before flying from Belfast to London, it is claimed Aine (shown left) has been with her husband Paul (picutred together, right) for 30 years Paul Poynton appeals for information on his missing wife Aine. He is pictured at their home Kilkock, County Kildare Her car was found abandoned the day after she left for the shops and she was later spotted getting on a flight destined for Gatwick Airport. Her husband Paul told The Irish Mirror: 'We just want her to know that we all love her and miss her and want her home. 'All of us are desperately worried about her because this is not like her.' The couple have been together almost 30 years and are due to be celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary next August. Together they have two children, a 22-year-old son and a daughter who is aged 19. She left the family home at about 8pm to visit the Tesco store but never returned home. The 49-year-old, told them she was going to the supermarket near her home in Kilcock, County Kildare on February 22 but she never came back Mrs Poynton has been with her husband for almost 30 years and the pair are due to be celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary next August She was described as wearing a black coat, a black jumper with blue trousers when she went missing. According to reports, the mother-of-two was later spotted getting on a flight destined for Gatwick Airport. Her husband Paul said that Aine's parents and siblings were concerned for her safety, describing the behaviour as 'out of character'. He added that it was was 'not like her' to go without making contact for two weeks and pleaded with his wife to make contact so family members knew she was safe. He said their home 'was not the same' without her and that the family dog Buster was pining for her. Mrs Poynton is described as being around 5ft 3in with blonde hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information can contact Leixlip Garda Station on 01-6667800, the Garda Confidential Telephone Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda station. A woman allegedly caught drink-driving with four children in the car has claimed she needed to hit the road because she was running '17 minutes late'. Lisa Johnston was allegedly caught with a blood-alcohol reading four times over the legal limit after being pulled over by police for a random breath test. The 33-year-old woman allegedly picked up a group of children, aged between six and 10, in Sydney's west on Wednesday. Scroll down for video Lisa Johnston was allegedly caught with a blood-alcohol reading four times over the legal limit Police intercepted a white Toyota on Goldmark Crescent in Cranebrook where they found four children, aged between six and 10, inside. 'I feel really bad about yesterday,' Ms Johnston told 7 News. 'I was already 17 minutes late.' Concerned neighbours told police they allegedly saw the woman having difficulties reversing out of her driveway earlier that day. CCTV footage captured the woman allegedly attempting to back out of her property twice before she was able to hit the road. The 33-year-old allegedly picked up four children, aged between six and 10, in Sydney's west CCTV footage captured the woman allegedly attempting to back out of her driveway twice The woman was arrested and taken to Penrith Police Station where she underwent a breath analysis which returned an alleged reading of 0.212. Following inquiries, officers attended the woman's home and found two children, aged two and four, unsupervised inside the property. The two children were removed by officers and taken to Penrith Police Station. She has been charged with high range PCA and given conditional bail to appear before Penrith Local Court on March 28. The six children are currently being cared for by a relative and the Department of Family and Community Services have been notified of the incident. Advertisement From teenagers smoking on the street to street parties celebrating the Queen's coronation, these stunning images capture the lives of working class people in the childhood home of infamous gangsters the Krays. The pictures of East Enders in the 1950s offer a true glimpse into the lives of people in areas of London now unrecognisable from their humble roots, where flats in once crumbling blocks can cost in excess of 1million Women are seen shopping at a flea market in a now fashionable area of Bethnal Green, which is also pictured as a group of teenagers stand outside a shop wearing baggy trousers, with one smoking a cigarette. It's the area where Kray twins Ronnie and Reggie grew up, went to school, and bought a run-down snooker club from where they started protection rackets and built a criminal empire that brought them national infamy. The images capture a more innocent way to live, with working class families putting bunting up and tables in the streets, where they celebrate the Queen's coronation with union jacks proudly hung on buildings in 1953. Though tattoos are common today, a picture featuring a young man with a huge ship covering his entire chest would have been a more unusual sight in the 50s, reserved almost exclusively for sailors and dockworkers. The spectacular pictures chronicle the work of influential artist, photographer and art teacher Nigel Henderson, one of the founding members of the Independent Group that pushed British pop art in the form of collage, photograms and stretched prints. Published by Tate Publishing and edited by Clive Coward, Nigel Henderson's Streets: Photographs of London's East End 1949-1953 is available to buy from Amazon for RRP 24.99. Slide me Left: Teenagers smoking outside W&F Riley, newsagent, Cleveland Way, Bethnal Green, 1951. Right: Pictured today, Cleveland Way looks a world away from the time captured in the photo but there are still stores serving the now manicured buildings Slide me Left: A window cleaner's funeral in Chisenhale Road, Bow, which features in the book showcasing the work of English photographer and artist Nigel Henderson. Right: With a high-rise in the distance and now modern cars parked either side, Chisendale Road bares little resemblance to the picture of it nearly 65 years ago Slide me Left: The black and white images, including this one of a Chimney sweep in Zeland Road, Bow, offer a glimpse into the everyday working class lives of people living in London's post-war East End. Right: Zeland Road is a little less working class than it was generations ago, with new cars parked by the pavement and pristine house-fronts Slide me Slide me Left: Women shopping at the flea Market in Virginia Road, Bethnal Green, which is now a residential area filled with apartment blocks and houses. Right: Virginia Road is now a residential area, filled with apartment blocks and small flats Another image, believed to be of 1953, captures a street party in which people celebrate the Queen's coronation Pictured is a street party for the Queen's coronation at Hooke House, Gernon Road, Bow, 1953, which is today totally unrecognisable today from the scenes seen here Hooke House, on Gernon Road, is now a huge apartment block, where hundreds of families live. The average price for an apartment in the building is around 500,000 The series of images show carefree children playing in the 1950's streets on Chisendale Road, Bow, pictured here, many of whom are in their school uniforms Children playing on Chisenhale Road, Bow, in 1951, one of the images released in the recently released book Nigel Henderson's Streets: Photographs of London's East End 1949-1953 Some of the pictures capture the mood if historic dates, with people celebrating the coronation of Elizabeth II on Chisendale Road, Bow, in 1953 Thomas William Clench, newsagent, Emmett Street, Poplar, a part of London which popped up rapidly to serve the docks at Limehouse but is now all main roads Peter Samuels climbing a lamp post in a picture that would have raised eyebrows if it was taken today, in an era when parents are more hands-on when it comes to the safety of their children Nigel Henderson, reflected in a window around 1950, is the man who took all the photos but he features in very few of them Tattoos are common today but this full-chest work would have been a more unusual sight, often reserved for those who worked at sea or on the nearby docks, when this image was taken in the 1950s Eugenio De Freitas, 52, followed a woman around the shop in Newcastle-under-Lyme before putting his hands down his trousers A father-of-four who was caught performing a sex act on himself in front of horrified shoppers in a Home Bargains store has been jailed for eight months. Eugenio De Freitas, 52, followed a woman around the shop in Newcastle-under-Lyme before putting his hands down his trousers and touching himself. The pervert then fled the outlet, which was filled with customers including children and teenage girls, before staff called the police at 4pm on February 1. When police viewed CCTV footage the next day they immediately recognised the dad-of-four, who had previously committed similar offences in a Sainsbury's store. Incredibly, De Freitas told officers he had put his hands in his pants in the outlet because he had shaved his privates. But the Portuguese national, of Knutton, Newcastle-under-Lyme, later pleaded guilty to outraging public decency. He also admitted breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order from October 2012 and was jailed at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Wednesday. Judge Paul Glenn said: 'You were in Home Bargains when it was described as full and customers included children and teenage girls. 'You were observed to be performing a sex act on yourself. 'There are significant aggravating factors - your previous convictions, the location, your failure to comply with court orders and the presence of children. 'This is your third breach of an order designed to protect the public. 'The sort of disgusting behaviour you continue to participate in is potentially very upsetting for others.' Prosecutor Ian Ball said: 'He was picking things up and putting them back as though he was going to steal something. 'He was following a blonde woman who was not aware she was being followed. 'A worker saw him with his hands down his trousers. He headed towards the entrance and left.' The court heard De Freitas committed exposure and performed a sex act on himself in the town's Sainsbury's store in 2013. Hamish Noble, defending, said: 'Typically he went to the shop with his wife - this time he was on his own. 'There has been a three-year gap since he was last before the court for this type of offence. He has not progressed to more serious contact offending.' Only days after President Trump reopened the White House to visitors, British and other foreign tourists in Washington have been told they are not welcome in Pennsylvania Avenue. The White House opened to tours for the first time since the inauguration this week but foreign visitors were told to contact their embassies in Washington to apply for a visit. But several foreign embassies have said they have been told by the State Department that non-US individuals are not currently allowed around the presidential residency. US President Donald Trump greets Jack Cornish, 10, from Birmingham, Alabama, earlier this week when White House tours resumed after the inauguration Unlike Trump's travel ban on six predominantly Muslim countries, the nations whose citizens are not allowed in the White House include Britain, Australia, Canada and Denmark. Julian Eccles, a British tourist who visited the White House with his eldest son in 2009, told The Independent he was disappointed not to be able to return on a trip with his younger son later this year. He said: 'There seems to be a rupture in White House-State Department relations here. Perhaps I should call Nigel Farage.' Farage, the former leader of Britain's UKIP party and a friend of Trump's, had touted himself as a possible British ambassador. The Danish Embassy said: 'Although the White House's website directs foreign nationals to contact their embassy to arrange a tour, we have been instructed by the US Department of State that such tours are not possible at the present time. 'We will of course update this website as soon as the Department of State enables us to arrange tours of the White House again.' The Australian Embassy said: 'The US Department of State has NOT facilitated embassy-sponsored public tours of The White House since 2011.' The Danish Embassy said it was only able to process requests from Danish schools and organizations, but not individuals or families. It is not clear if the move is a deliberate ban or just a hiatus while a processing system is put in place. The Canadian Embassy helpfully suggests its nationals visit the White House Visitor Center, which is open to all. They add: 'You might also consider free guided tours of other iconic American institutions including: the Pentagon, Capitol Building, Library of Congress, National Archives, and the Washington Monument.' Americans who want to visit the White House have to arrange a visit through their member of Congress. A British former war correspondent has been jailed for seven months in Indonesia after being caught with hashish claimed he used the drug to help with his PTSD. Ex-Reuters journalist David Fox, 55, was found guilty of drug use at a court in the Balinese capital Denpasar after being caught with a few grams of hash. His sentence will be reduced by time already served in detention since his arrest in October with an Australian businessman, meaning he should be released in May. British journalist David Fox, pictured, was jailed for seven months after being found guilty possession of ten grams of hashish on the Indonesian island of Bali Fox, 55, told the court he took the drugs to help with his symptoms of PTSD caused by covering a number of wars and natural disasters while working for the Reuters wire service Fox was arrested after Australian businessman Giuseppe Serafino informed authorities that the journalist had helped him by drugs after he was arrested in his bar after a tip off Fox, who said he used hashish to relieve stress caused by covering conflict, could have been jailed for several years for breaking Indonesia's tough anti-drugs laws which include the death penalty for traffickers. But prosecutors praised him for politeness and admitting wrongdoing during his trial. Fox admitted he became addicted to the drug to deal with post-traumatic stress from war reporting and vowed never to use it again. He worked for Reuters for more than 20 years and covered conflicts and natural disasters in countries including Bosnia, Rwanda, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq. He left the agency in 2011. The defendant 'has been legally and convincingly proven guilty of committing... the crime of unlawful use of narcotics,' chief judge Erwin Djong told the court. 'The defendant is sentenced to seven months in prison.' Fox was jailed for seven months but was told that would be reduced by time served Prosecutors had asked the judge Erwin Djong to jail Fox, pictured, for 12 months Djong added the sentence would be reduced by the time that Fox had already served in detention. The sentence was lower than the one year recommended by prosecutors at an earlier hearing. The Briton was detained on the resort island, where he had been living for several years, after the arrest of Australian Giuseppe Serafino, who runs a bar on Bali. Authorities raided the house of Serafino, 49, after a tip-off from local residents that a foreigner living there had been using drugs. Police found about seven grams of hashish in the house and Serafino named Fox as someone who helped him buy the drugs. Police then detained Fox and found 10 grams of hashish in the Briton's pocket and at his house. Serafino is also on trial and will be sentenced next week. Kate Willcocks, 36, was found hanging while 30-weeks pregnant with her second child A pregnant mother who suffered severe post-natal depression hanged herself just weeks before she was due to give birth to her second child. Kate Willcocks, 36, was found hanging inside a cupboard while 30-weeks pregnant with her second child, a baby boy who also died. The mother-of-one had battled postnatal depression for five months following the birth of her daughter Iris in 2014. After weekly therapy sessions and regular contact with nurses Kate convinced doctors she was getting better. Southwark Coroner's Court ruled the occupational therapist committed suicide. The court heard that she had tried to take her own life previously as a 'cry for help'. Giving evidence in person, her husband Stuart Willcocks, of Lewisham, said: 'It was a tough time because she had two incidents prior to her admission to hospital. 'She had attempted to overdose on her medication. 'I talked to her about it and we tried to get help, I am not sure she intended to take her own life, I think it was a cry for help. 'She had severe depression, she closed in on herself, I last spoke to her on the morning of her death and she was quite distant. 'She gave no indication that she was going to take her life.' Stuart said after her initial five months treatment Kate appeared to recover but when she became pregnant her condition deteriorated and sought help. Kate became pregnant in January 2016 and was referred to A&E but eventually was referred to the Maudsley psychiatric unit where she received treatment between April and June. Stuart told the inquest: 'It was difficult to get back into the NHS we were just referred to A&E. 'She had severed postnatal depression with our first born but she recovered from that after about five months. 'We finally got back in to the NHS and we received specialist help.' On 12 August last year Kate was found hanging inside a cupboard at her home in Lewisham, south east London, at around 7.15pm. She had left two handwritten notes which read: 'Stuart, do not come in, I am sorry.' Another read: 'I am sorry for everything, you are amazing, I wish I could turn back time.' The court heard that Kate had attempted to undergo several terminations including one at 24 weeks but was unable to go through with it. Consultant psychiatrist Dr Anupama Yadava saw Kate between 11 March and 29 July last year and said the mother had been looking forward to the baby. She said: 'When I saw her at 28 weeks she was looking forward to the baby, she was looking forward to the things she had to do.' Senior coroner Dr Andrew Harris asked if the 30 week period is recognised as being a particular risk, she replied that the risk of depression was greater. She said: 'Fluid intake is increased in the third trimester and it was likely that she would get more depressed. 'We were very aware that in the third trimester the risk of a relapse are higher, it is a greater risk.' Dr Yadava said the previous attempts were serious but when she saw Kate on July 29 there was 'no indication to harm herself or the baby. 'She seemed positive and felt that the scans had all gone well and she was planning ahead. Southwark Coroner's Court (pictured) ruled the occupational therapist committed suicide. The court heard that she had tried to take her own life previously as a 'cry for help' 'I felt that she was in the early stages of recovery and I believed her. 'She said Iris was her motivating factor and that she could not do that to her family.' Reading the statement from paramedic Kevin Perera Dr Harris said: 'The call was made at 19.12pm and they arrived at the scene at 19.17pm. 'No treatment was possible, she had died some time ago.' In his conclusion Dr Harris said: 'There was no indication of anyone else being involved. 'Her depression was accompanying her imminent birth. How cruel it is for the family that the child will not know her mother.' To contact Samaritans, call 116 123 or go to www.samaritans.org To donate to Mind in Kate's memory, visit here Mrs Ailsa Williamson Powell, 75-year-old widow of David Powell who died in 2012 after battling Parkinson's Disease Two 'greedy' sons who fought their elderly stepmum over their dad's 250,000 fortune have had their claims thrown out - in a case which has run up 200,000 in lawyers' bills. Ailsa Williamson Powell says the two sons of her late husband are just trying to enrich themselves, but she has 'stomach for the fight' for what she feels she deserves. David Powell died aged 84 in 2012 after a battle with Parkinson's Disease, leaving behind second wife Ailsa, 75, and sons Richard and Jonathan from his first marriage. The farmer's death set them against each other, with Mrs Williamson Powell fighting for half of his 250,000 - while they insist she is due no more than 2,000 from the estate. The sons claimed their dad's disease was so far advanced that he could not fully understand what he was doing when he changed his will to give Mrs Williamson Powell a large share. But today, at Central London County Court, Judge Marc Dight ruled in the widow's favour and said the sons never had any solid basis for challenging their father's will. The judge will now have to decide whether the sons have to pay the legal costs of the case, or whether, as they claim, it should be billed to their father's estate. Mark Dencer, representing Ailsa Williamson Powell, criticised the 'financially comfortable' sons for taking the case to court, which he said she found 'inexplicable'. 'It is submitted this is not a case of genuine concerns reasonably maintained, but of attempted self-enrichment should the widow lack the stomach or means to fight,' he told Judge Marc Dight. It's plain to me that the deceased did understand entirely what he was doing and that the will did reflect his instructions Judge Dight The court heard the couple married in 2003 and initially lived at Ailsa's home in Beechmount, in Bridge village, near Canterbury. Financial advisor Richard Powell, 54, from Wandsworth, south London, and his brother Jonathan, 55, who lives in America, became her stepsons. Keen bird-watcher and farm manager Mr Powell made a will shortly after their marriage, leaving the bulk of his estate to his sons, with Ailsa receiving only 2,000. But he made another in 2008 splitting the estate three ways, and then another in 2009, in which Ailsa got half and his sons a quarter each, after small gifts to a church, a Parkinson's charity and grandchildren. The sons had claimed that their father, who had suffered with Parkinson's Disease since 1989, did not have the mental capacity to change his will. However, they dropped the claim as the case neared judgment, instead claiming that the estate should be divided three ways, as per the 2008 will. There were enough odd features about how the 2009 will came into being to make the court 'suspicious', said their barrister, Noel Dilworth. It was created only 18 months after the previous will, increasing Mrs Williamson Powell's share for no obvious reason. However, Mr Dencer said there was nothing unusual about a couple's bond of affection and love increasing over time. Giving evidence, the widow, a former Kent and Canterbury Hospital orthoptist, denied that she was the driving force behind the new will. 'It was nothing to do with me, it was David's decision,' she told the judge, adding that his difficulties were 'almost entirely physical'. 'He was able to concentrate on what he wanted to. He could read his magazines, his papers, and so on,' she said. 'He was perfectly able to understand his own affairs. 'That was one thing he could understand and manage. He managed all the financial affairs for both of us.' Ruling in her favour today, Judge Dight said: 'The overwhelming impression I form from the evidence is that Mrs Williamson Powell and the deceased were in a loving and caring relationship. 'She was a devoted wife and did her utmost to look after her ill husband in what were frustrating and difficult circumstances for both of them.' The evidence from professionals who had dealings with her husband before he died pointed to him having been capable of making a valid will. The stepson's she's at war with: Left Richard Powell outside Central London County Court and right, his brother Jonathan Powell Most of the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease are physical and so would not have impacted on his understanding. 'He plainly had difficulty in communicating, but the evidence suggests that was physical,' said the judge. He concluded: 'It's plain to me that the deceased did understand entirely what he was doing and that the will did reflect his instructions. 'The suggestion that he lacked testamentary capacity or didn't know or approve the contents of the will is entirely without foundation.' The will which stands grants small gifts to the couple's grandchildren, a Parkinson's charity and a church, with the widow receiving a half and the sons a quarter each of the remaining 250,000. Mr Dencer said the legal costs of the case ran to about 200,000 and asked the judge to order the sons to foot the bill. The case arose simply because Richard and Jonathan did not like their stepmum, he claimed. But Mr Dilworth said the costs should come out of the estate, as there had been reason to bring the case to court. The judge will decide whether the sons or estate pay the costs at a later date. Mr Powell's solicitor had recorded that the motive for changing the will was his wife's suggestion of increasing her share because 'she was spending a great deal of time and effort looking after him', said Mr Dilworth. Adding a 5,000 gift to a church was also 'odd', since Mr Powell was not religious, and it was 'no coincidence' that it was Mrs Williamson Powell's church which would benefit, he added. Their father had told Richard and Jonathan at the time of his marriage to Mrs Williamson Powell, now of Brewery House, Littlebourne, that their finances would remain 'entirely separate', the barrister continued. For the widow, Mr Dencer said Mr Powell had changed his mind about his will after several years of marriage. 'The widow would submit that there is nothing unusual in that history, which reflects how affection, bonds and obligations deepen over time,' he said. 'Conversely, the sons view it as so unusual that it should 'excite the suspicion and vigilance of the court'.' The court heard the vast majority of Mr Powell's estate derived from the sale of his rental property in Bowling Street, Sandwich. These are the first pictures of knifeman Melvin James and his sister Ann-Marie James who he stabbed to death before turning the blade on himself. Ann-Marie, 33, was attacked by her sibling, 36-year-old Melvin, who later died after stabbing himself in Wolverhampton. The siblings' 59-year-old mother is fighting for her life in hospital after the incident in a block of flats in the Merry Hill area of the city yesterday. Laura Powney has been close friends Ann-Marie for 16 years. She paid tribute to the 'lovely' family. This is Ann-Marie James, 33, (left) who was the victim of the attack by her brother, 36-year-old Melvin James (right) Floral tributes to a woman killed by her brother yesterday have been laid in Wolverhampton One read: 'My beautiful Auntie. Rest in paradise. Took to soon but you will never be forgotten.' She said: 'All I can say is that the whole family are lovely. I met Ann Marie when I was 16, and she was lovely. She always had a smile on her face and a friendly word. 'Her mum is amazing as well. I truly hope she pulls through. My thoughts are with the whole family. Detective Inspector Warren Hines said: 'The family are absolutely devastated at the loss of Ann-Marie and Melvin, two people who were really dear to them. 'They have asked that their privacy is respected so they are able to grieve at this difficult time. 'My thoughts remain with the family who continue to be supported by specialist family liaison officers during this difficult time.' Friends of Ms James also paid tribute to her on Facebook today as police continue to investigate what happened. Neil Scott said: 'R.i.p Ann Marie and even though people may not agree with it r.i.p Melvin. Hope your mum pulls through.' Patricia Brown said: 'Can't believe that she is dead. Rip Anne Marie.' Mike Bennett added: 'I remember them from school all of the family was nice people 'Rip Anne Marie. Wolverhampton is changing for the worst. Rip to her bro as well he must have been in a really bad place to do that. I pray her mother pulls through. Look out for your family people they are all you got.' A friend of Mr James: 'He'd been away and had only just come back home. 'I bumped into him last week and he seemed to be so happy - there was no sign that he was struggling with anything.' Police were called to the block of flats yesterday after Mr James attacked his sister and mother Police scrambled armed riot officers, police dogs and helicopters to the area. They fired stun grenades in an attempt to distract the attacker, as they chased him inside the block of flats West Midlands Ambulance Service sent three air ambulances, two ambulances, three officers and a doctor to the scene (pictured) Police scrambled armed riot officers, police dogs and helicopters to the area yesterday morning. They fired stun grenades in an attempt to distract the attacker, as they chased him inside the block of flats. One officer responding to reports of the attack at 9.45am received a small knife wound to his arm and another sustained a leg injury. Wolverhampton Police Superintendent Keith Fraser, said: 'Our officers knew there was an armed man behind the front door of that flat; they acted swiftly and with huge courage to quickly gain entry and later detain the man. 'Local officers, response colleagues and firearms officers were all involved in the operation. 'This is a truly shocking incident and our sympathies go out to the friends and family of those involved.' Post-mortem examinations are scheduled for today. Investigating officer, Detective Inspector Warren Hines, added: 'We're working hard to get to the bottom of exactly what happened. 'Anyone with information they believe could help our enquiry, anything that may have happened in the hours or days before this tragic event, I'd urge them to get in touch with me.' Armed Police were pictured at the scene of the incident following the double stabbing A forensic detective arrives at Highfield Court in Wolverhampton after a knifeman launched an attack on the two women and a police officer Police scrambled armed riot officers, police dogs and helicopters to the area and fired stun grenades in an attempt to distract the attacker Witnesses described how the knifeman was chased around the block of flats by armed police as terrified residents barricaded themselves in their homes. John Davies, 64, a resident on the eighth floor said: 'I heard this huge commotion at about 10. I was ordered out the building and the police told me to wait opposite. 'There were police cars, ambulances, helicopters - the lot. I've lived here since 1988 and never heard or seen anything like it. 'I've heard that it was on the second floor. People have said that he ran round the building with a knife, until the police got him'. An air ambulance at a field near the scene Another resident, who did not wish to be named, said: 'There was a maniac running around and police were chasing him with firearms. 'We heard gunshots but I think it was stun grenades going off as they tried to distract and disarm him. There was blood in the corridors. It was like urban warfare. 'I know the man knew the women involved, but I'm not sure now. I think one of them was his partner.' Speaking at a press conference outside the flats, Superintendent Keith Fraser said: 'Police were called at 9.45am to reports a knifeman had attacked two women inside a flat. 'Initially officers, not knowing what they would face, have entered the property to protect the occupants. 'They were confronted by a man armed with a knife and they deployed their taser which was initially ineffective. 'Armed officers have then been requested to support the unarmed officers. 'They have used stun grenades to distract the armed man. I can confirm that at this stage that no shots have been fired by police. 'Inside the flat we have found a woman in her 30s with fatal injuries. She was pronounced dead at the scene. 'Another woman, believed to be in her 50s, was taken to hospital with serious stab injuries which are critical. 'All I can say is that she is critically injured and is receiving the best possible treatment. 'The suspect, believed to be in his 30s, has turned the knife on himself and was pronounced dead at the scene. 'I want to stress that the man was armed, so we had to act quickly. As a result of that two officers have been injured. 'One has a stab wound to the arm from the suspect and another has a leg injury after being chased by the suspect. 'We believe that those injuries are minor at this stage. 'This is a really shocking incident, and our thoughts go out to the families and friends involved'. Superintendent Kevin Fraser speking to the media at the scene of the horrific stabbings When asked whether the suspect stabbed himself before or after officers arrived, Supt Fraser replied: 'We believe it's after officers arrived. 'But were not sure about the exact sequence of events - as you can imagine at this stage we're trying to clarify everything. 'Initially we've have unarmed officers who have tried to get control of the situation to prevent people from getting injured. 'They have had to seek support from armed officers, who have to deploy stun grenades which we believe were ineffective. 'I can't talk about the exact detail, but we believe that they are related and that it is domestic related at the moment. 'We need to speak to the people that we believe are related to the deceased.' Eastenders actress Gerry Cowper's pregnant teenage daughter spat in her hair and doused her in beer in a row about drinking and smoking cannabis. Allec Foley, 18, had been drinking with her boyfriend at the family's 1m Twickenham home and lashed out after Ms Cowper - who played Rosie Miller in the BBC soap - called her 'disgusting'. Foley also smashed a smashed a front door glass pane and split a wooden fireplace, which she angrily shoved out of her way, during the heated row. Allec Foley, 18, had been drinking with her boyfriend at the family's 1m Twickenham home and lashed out after Ms Cowper - who played Rosie Miller in the BBC soap - called her 'disgusting' Allec, who is due to give birth to a boy in six weeks, told Wimbledon Magistrates' Court: 'I'd been drinking throughout the night and had an argument with my boyfriend about the pregnancy. 'My mum called me "disgusting" and said I was smoking and drinking while pregnant and I said "that's disgusting" and spat.' Ms Cowper, 58, fled the four-bedroom house and called 999 from her car at 8am, also fearing for her daughter's safety after she cut her wrist with a razor blade. When quizzed by officers Allec said the row escalated when her mother snapped: 'You're still smoking weed. You're disgusting.' She told the court she broke the glass a couple of days earlier when trying to get her sister to answer the door. She said: 'I was really intoxicated at this point and my hand went through the glass and was bleeding.' Allec claimed the spitting incident was accidental. She said: 'There was never any point that I intended that, she was halfway down the stairs. 'The beer was a gesture, there was no intention to get it out of the bottle. In anger I threw my arm and the beer did go over the wall and floor.' Despite complaining about her daughter to police Ms Cowper tried to get her off in court and even made a withdrawal statement Allec was convicted at Wimbledon Magistrates Court of assaulting her mother on July 19, last year and causing criminal damage to the pane and fireplace Despite complaining about her daughter to police Ms Cowper tried to get her off in court and even made a withdrawal statement. She said: 'I did not dream for one second the next step would be this. 'She was on the floor crying and was quite distressed. The pregnancy was fresh in my mind and we got into a verbal exchange about that. 'I said: "Oh, are you keeping it are you?" which upset Allec quite a lot.' At one point Allec hid in a cupboard and told her mother to 'f*** off,' and they had another 'screaming match' the day before, the court heard. Ms Cowper said: 'At the bottom of the stairs something wet hit my back. I thought I had sticky beer in my hair. 'They said: "We're charging your daughter" and I said: "You're joking". 'I never supported this prosecution. I never wanted a prosecution to come from what I said, I was misled.' Pc Scott Brodie said: 'Ms Cowper was outside in her car distressed, very upset and it was hard for her to get her words out. 'She told me her daughter had thrown beer at her and spat in her hair and there was a lot of beer on the wall and the top she was wearing was soaked-through at the back. 'The house was very messy and untidy and the fireplace looked like it had been tipped upside down in the hall.' Fulham-born Geraldine 'Gerry' Cowper appeared in Eastenders between 2004 to 2006 Allec was convicted at Wimbledon Magistrates Court of assaulting her mother on July 19, last year and causing criminal damage to the pane and fireplace. Foley received a 12-month conditional discharge and magistrate Mr. Rod Wood told her: 'Drink played a significant part in what happened. 'In an agitated state you pushed the fire surround and beer was thrown towards your mother and spit directed at your mother.' Fulham-born Geraldine 'Gerry' Cowper appeared in Eastenders between 2004 to 2006. Her late twin sister Jackie Cowper, who died aged just thirty-six, was also an actress, whose credits included 'Birds of a Feather' and 'The Bill'. In her early 20s, she played Jim Hacker's daughter Lucy in 'Yes Minister' and also appeared in 'Only Fools and Horses'; 'The Bill'; 'Casualty' and Law & Order: UK'. She also has credits in 1970's cult movies 'Frenzy' and 'The Wicker Man'. Her younger sister Nicola Cowper, 48, also appeared in Eastenders as recurring character Gina Williams. The sisters had long-term relationships with bank-robbing accomplices Mark Foley, 56, and Tony McCann, 57, who snatched 9,000 from a branch of Lloyds Bank in 1988. Foley received 14 years and McCann 15 years. In 2006 ex-boxer Foley received a life sentence for robbing a Surbiton Unwins off-licence while wearing a black curly wig and holding a gun to the cashier's head. He and an accomplice fled with 181 cash and 1,000 worth of cigarettes and alcohol. He was also suspected of slashing a barman's face in Spain two years earlier Ms Cowper has split with Foley, Allec's father, and McCann is serving a life sentence - with a 21-year minimum - for murdering a 33 year-old man he stabbed to death in 2006. Flight Sergeant Bill Tate was taken prisoner in Burma in 1943 and was regularly beaten, force fed and hung from a tree branch by his wrists by his Japanese captors The son of a former prisoner of war has described how his father was beaten, force fed and hung from a tree branch by his wrists by Japanese soldiers during the Second World War. Flight Sergeant Bill Tate, from Newcastle, was taken prisoner in Burma in 1943 and subjected to abject humiliation and abuse at the hands of his captors. He was regularly beaten for not bowing properly to the guards and suffered from malaria, dysentry, beriberi and dehydration. He often had to resort to drinking his own urine and by the end of the war he weighed just six stone. Son William spent ten years painstakingly taking down his father's story. The veteran could only spend half an hour talking about his horrific treatment before it became too much to bear. He was hung from a tree branch so his shoulder joints came out of their sockets and had bamboo pushed under his toe nails. Flight Sergeant Tate was also starved and then force-fed partially cooked rice followed by water before guards jumped up and down on his swollen stomach. The young serviceman was once placed in front of a firing squad and prepared himself to be executed. His life was spared at the last moment because he did not beg for mercy, earning the respect of the warped commandant. Flt Sgt Tate, pictured second from the left, suffered malaria, dysentry, beriberi and dehydration during his time in captivity. He weighed just six stone by the end of the war. Pictured going over mission details during the Second World War The soldier bore the scars of his imprisonment until his death at the age of 85. Pictured left with his father, mother and younger brother Bob. This was the last photograph of Flt Sgt Tate before he was transferred to No. 40 and 99 Squadrons He bore the mental scars of his ordeal until his death at the age of 85. It wasn't until his seventies that he began to tell his son William about his wartime experiences in detail. William has now converted the memoirs into the book 'Surviving the Japanese Onslaught' which has been published for the first time by Pen and Sword. Flt Sgt Tate was sent to Rangoon Gaol where 30 per cent of the inmates died from the appalling conditions before the end of the war Flt Sgt Tate's experiences mirror those of Eric Lomax, the British PoW whose best-selling autobiography The Railway Man was turned into a film in 2013 starring Colin Firth. Mr Tate, 61, said: 'My father never spoke about the war, to get him to do so was very hard. 'In the early 1970s the nightmares and recollections of the PoW camp just started coming back to him. His nerves were in a state of infirmity and he was on medication for the rest of his life. 'If my mum had not got him to hospital he would have killed himself. 'Then in the 1990s I spent more time with him and he said he would have wanted to have written a book about it and I just told him that he still could. 'Over the last 20 years I started getting more information out of him and taking notes but he wouldn't speak for more than 30 minutes on any occasion because it was too difficult for him. 'It was a very gradual process to get information out of him. I would ask him questions whenever I could and just wrote it down. 'I had a rough draft of it just before he died in 2007.' It took William Tate another seven years after his father's death to start writing the book. He said: 'I am glad it is done now and I think my father would be happy about it. He always wanted to write it himself. 'I haven't been able to read through it myself yet because I still get very upset thinking about it but I want the rest of the family, his nieces and nephews, to read it to know what happened to him.' Flt Sgt Tate, originally from Newcastle, was living in Woking, Surrey, when he joined the RAF in 1938. Flt Sgt Tate, pictured left, spent his first two months in solitary confinement, where he was whipped and tortured twice. His family spent more than two years believing he had been killed He served with Bomber Command as a Wireless Operator and flew in Wellington and Blenheim bombers in raids over France and Germany. In 1943 he was in 99 Squadron in the Far East and flew in sorties aimed at halting the Japanese advance into India and China. During a raid over central Burma on April 1, 1943, one of the Wellington's engines cut out. The six-man crew successfully bailed out over the Japanese-occupied country.. Flt Sgt Tate spent four days alone trying to walk towards the Indian border before he was captured. Son William (left) spent ten years taking down his father's story (pictured right). He could only talk about his horrific ordeal for half an hour at a time before it became too much to bear He was taken to a Japanese camp and received the first of many beatings when he failed to remove his boots in the presence of the commanding officer. Flt Sgt Tate said: 'He (the officer) removed his military sword from its scabbard and told me: 'I cut two Englishmen in half at Singapore with this sword'. As if to intimate he would have no compunction in killing me as he held the weapon in front of my face.' He was then hung up from a tree branch by his wrists after he failed to give his captors any meaningful information when interrogated. The following day he was led out in front of a firing squad. He said: 'The officer ordered them to raise and aim their rifles at me. In 1946, Flt Sgt Tate met and married his wife Irene. They had seven sons together and emigrated to Australia in 1958 'I stood stiffly to attention...fearing the worst and tried to control my emotions despite my adrenaline-charged state. I attempted to breath deeply and recall my heart thumping in my chest as well as feeling nauseous. 'I focused on thoughts of my mother and family and waited in dread for my execution.' The officer then instructed the firing squad to lower their weapons. After this Flt Sgt Tate was sent to Rangoon Gaol where 30 per cent of the inmates died from the appalling conditions before the end of the war. Daily beatings were dished out by the guards, often because a PoW had bowed incorrectly or had replied with the wrong Japanese word. He spent the first month in solitary confinement during which time he was whipped and tortured twice. On one occasion he was starved for 24 hours before he was given a dish of raw rice and drinking water. On one occasion, Flt Sgt Tate was starved for a day then forced to eat a dish of raw rice and water. He was restrained and punched in the face by a guard. He was then held down as a guard jumped on his stomach. Pictured centre with friends in Alexandria, Egypt He said: 'I ravenously consumed this food and drank all the water. At this point, my stomach already felt slightly swollen, the partly cooked rice was obviously expanding. 'About 30 minutes later the guards returned and restrained my arms, forced me to eat more rice. When I refused one of the guards punched my face. Another guard then started to push additional rice into my mouth. I was then forced to drink a further quantity of water. 'At the end of this treatment I was held down on the cell floor while a guard jumped onto my stomach.' His parents only found out he was alive in 1945, when they received a telegram saying he had been found. Pictured left, advice from the time about what to do if a loved one was missing in action. Pictured right, Flt Sgt Tate in Calcutta a year before he was captured in Burma In early 1944 his close friend Paul Griffiths, who had also bailed out of the same aircraft over Burma, died in Rangoon Gaol from beriberi. He said: 'To die so young, simply through a deliberate policy of starvation, malnutrition and chronic ill-treatment, grinds away at my emotions even today. Even with an indomitable spirit, there are occasions when the physical body can hold out no longer.' After the war Flt Sgt Tate kept a promise he made to Paul on his deathbed which was to visit his parents and tell them what had happened to their son. The book is called 'Surviving the Japanese Onslaught: An RAF PoW in Burma'. Flt Sgt Tate's experiences mirror those of Eric Lomax, who wrote autobiography The Railway Man, which was turned into a film in 2013 starring Colin Firth. By April 1945, the Allies began to reoccupy Burma and 400 of the PoWs were forced to march out of the camp dressed in Japanese clothing. During the march the men came under a strafing attack by British Spitfires which mistook them for the enemy. Several men died, including Brigadier Clive Hobson, who had been the most senior officer in Rangoon Gaol. Because the Japanese refused to release to the Red Cross the names of the prisoners, Flt Sgt Tate's family spent more than two years believing he had been killed. It wasn't until May 1945 they received a telegram telling them he had been found alive in Burma. When he returned home to Surrey a street party was held in his honour. In 1946 he met and married his wife Irene and they went on to have seven sons together. They emigrated to Australia in 1958 and Flt Sgt Tate worked for a dairy company until he had a nervous breakdown in 1974 because of his wartime ordeal. William Tate, 61, lives in Adelaide. He is now writing a film script for the biography. A coroner's exam has officially ruled a patient's asphyxiation death a homicide, after the patient died following an altercation with hospital security guards. The victim, Donald Keith Smith, 48, of Greenville, South Carolina, died at 10.23am on Monday at Greenville Memorial Hospital, according to WSPA. Smith was admitted to the hospital's ER for treatment of a gunshot wound in his arm the previous day. At one point, he became 'agitated and combative,' so hospital staff called for security. Coroner has ruled cause of Donald Keith Smith's death as traumatic asphyxiation and a homicide. He died after being restrained by four hospital security guards following a scuffle 'Without touching this patient our officer was assaulted, struck in the face two times. To protect himself and because there were patients and medical staff in the immediate area, this officer attempted to subdue that patient,' Randy Harrison, president of American Security, told WSPA. American Security has been providing security to the hospital for nearly 20 years. Before Smith died, he 'became very agitated and combative and they had to call for security and when the officers arrive and, attempting to restrain him, he went into cardiac arrest,' coroner Parks Evans told news outlets during a press conference yesterday. The AP reports that Smith was 'secured' on a gurney and that hospital personnel were not able to revive him. Coroner Parks revealed that the autopsy showed that Smith died from traumatic asphyxiation after security guards held him in such a way that he was unable to breath, reports WSPA. Manner of death was deemed a homicide. The hospital where Smith was admitted for treatment of a gunshot wound before he died In a statement released yesterday, obtained by WYFF, Smith's family noted, 'This was a preventable death. This should not happen in Greenville. This should not happen in South Carolina. This should not happen in America. There will be a time and a place to ask tough questions about how this happened, but today we ask for your thoughts and prayers as we say goodbye to Donald.' Smith's family claimed that he suffered from mental illness and had been experiencing 'an episode' and that he was waiting to be transferred to psychiatric Marshall I. Pickens Hospital the morning of his death, according to WSPA. The South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division is now investigating the incident, but has not released any additional information about the case. All four hospital guards involved in the fight with Smith have been put on paid leave and are not assigned to the hospital anymore, reports WSPA. American Security is not releasing the names of the guards during the investigation. This is the unexpected moment a TV journalist fainted during an interview with a top politician on a live news show. Abdulkadir Unal, the general editor of Channel 5 in Turkey, was one of two journalists interviewing Mehdi Eker, a former government minister and the General Vice-President of the country's ruling AKP party. Suddenly, as Mr Eker was speaking, the bearded Mr Unal raised his hand as if to rest his head on it but then collapsed and fell sideways onto the floor. Journalist Abdulkadir Unal, centre, was on live TV when he appeared to collapse and faint The journalist was on a popular TV show on the TRT news channel when he became ill Mr Unal can be seen falling sideways while the other guests on the show continued talking The startled Mr Eker stopped what he was saying mid-sentence as people rushed to check on the journalist. Mr Unal and fellow journalists Hasan Yavuz Bakir of Cay TV and Zeki Akbiyik of Firat Channel were interviewing the politician on Turkey's popular Anatolia Asks show on the TRT News Channel. The show immediately went to commercials after Mr Unal fainted. He was later taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital for a check-up. The show later resumed and Mr Eker told viewers: 'This is the first time you have experienced something like this. The other guests quickly came to the assistance of Mr Unal who was rushed to hospital 'We have sent our friend to the hospital. It's probably a flu infection. He's tired too. He may have fainted for this reason. 'Everyone should be careful about this in everyday life. I wish everyone healthy days. I pass on my best wishes. Do not worry viewers. Our friend is in the hospital, treatment is ongoing.' This is not the first time that Mr Eker has run into unexpected controversy on television. As Turkey's Minister of Agriculture in 2005, during the bird flu crisis, he reassured citizens that cooked chicken was safe to eat but then famously refused to do so on live TV. The Government must pay compensation to a teenage Sudanese asylum seeker who immigration officers did not believe was a child. The Court of Appeal has rejected a challenge by the Home Secretary after the High Court ruled the 16-year-old was entitled to damages. The teen arrived in the UK to claim asylum in 2014 and was detained on the basis that officials 'assessed him, on appearance alone, to be significantly older than 18'. He was deemed to have been deprived of his liberty because the officer said he 'reasonably believed' he was over 18 and not a child exempt from detention. The Court of Appeal (housed inside London's Royal Courts of Justice, shown) has rejected a challenge by the Home Secretary after the High Court ruled the teen was entitled to damages It comes after a judge at the High Court in London ruled last year that Home Office policy of relying on the 'reasonable belief' of immigration officers was legally flawed. Sir Stephen Silber declared the claimant - for the first time named as Abdul-Muttalab Ali - was entitled to damages for the whole of his detention period. He declared that age assessments in unaccompanied minor cases must be determined as 'an issue of objective fact'. The case was appealed by the Home Secretary's office and heard at the Court of Appeal last month, with the judges' verdict announced this afternoon. Announcing the court's decision, Lord Justice Davis said the case 'has a wider importance for other cases'. Lord Justice Davis, who heard the appeal with Lord Justice Underhill and Lord Justice Lindblom last month, declared the High Court judge had 'reached the right conclusion'. HOW WAS THE TEEN ASSESSED? Abdul-Muttalab Ali arrived in the UK in the back of a lorry in 2014 and was discovered in Wolverhampton. He was allowed into the country on a temporary basis following a 'visual assessment' in which immigration officers deemed him to be over 18. Meanwhile, the case was passed on to Wolverhampton City Council, who as the local authority is required to carry out a Merton compliant age assessment. As part of the assessment, two social workers are given the task of conducting in-depth interviews with the client. Among other things they ask questions about family, the person's origins and require a detailed description of the journey they took to arrive in the UK. They also ask about their educational background and are required to consider ethnic and cultural information. It takes into consideration the appearance on the individual but is not a complete physical examination. Following Ali's Merton face-to-face assessment, social services informed the Home Office of its belief that he was 16. However, when Ali turned up for a pre-booked meeting with officials he was detained by the Home Office, based on the earlier visual assessment carried out by immigration officers and not by the Merton assessment. Ali was wrongly detained for almost three weeks before he was released. It is for this stint that he is seeking damages. Advertisement He said: 'If the result which I reach in this case is unwelcome to the present Government then its remedy is to amend the statutory provisions.' Home Office lawyers had described the case as being 'profoundly troubling for the efficient running of a fair immigration system'. But the Refugee Council said the High Court judgment sent out a 'clear message to the Home Office that its current policy is both unlawful and indefensible'. The teenager's lawyers later described the Court of Appeal's judgment as a 'landmark'. He added that the judges had ruled 'the Government have been unlawfully detaining vulnerable unaccompanied asylum seeking children since 2015'. Abdul-Muttalab Ali arrived in the UK in the back of a lorry in 2014 and was discovered in Wolverhampton (pictured, asylum seekers in Calais) Law firm Bhatia Best said the appeal court ruling has 'far reaching implications for how the Government must treat vulnerable unaccompanied children'. Rebecca Hilsenrath, chief executive of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said: 'A culture of disbelief in our asylum system is putting children at risk. 'Children claiming asylum must be treated as children until proven otherwise, and must not be detained or held with adults. 'Britain has a long history of helping refugees from around the world, but this is put at risk if we cannot protect those who are most vulnerable. 'We are glad the court has agreed with us that asylum seekers who are under the age of 18 should not be detained even when immigration officials believe they are adults. This must be confirmed through an independent age assessment.' Fifty transsexual prostitutes were rounded up and forced to sit on the floor for a lecture on stealing from sex tourists visiting Thailand. Officers trawled the streets and marched the sex workers to the station as part of a crackdown in the notorious city of Pattaya. Wearing revealing dresses and high heels, they were packed together to reportedly be told off by a police chief in an attempt to curb the trend of men being robbed in the country. Scroll down for video Lieutenant Colonel Apichai Kroppetch prepares to address 50 transsexual protitutes The women were forced to sit on the floor in the station in Pattaya and listen to the lecture The sex workers marched to the station by police chiefs were all transsexual prostitutes rounded up from Pattayas notorious Walking Street. Police identified them as transsexuals visually and by a asking bout their gender before ordering marching a section of them to the station. Lieutenant Colonel Apichai Kroppetch spoke to the group about the dangers of damaging the tourist resorts image and organised a press conference for local media to film it. He said: 'I want to suppress crime and theft in Pattaya in the bars. I want to clear away the crime in Pattaya. We are checking if people have guns, if they have drugs. To be safe about the crime that happens. With the tourists and crime. I take the transsexuals on the Walking Street and Soi Bua Khao because that area has a lot of tourists that come on holiday. There are a lot of problems with the offences of theft. With this group, I want to check their background and protect people from having problems with the tourists. 'We take everybody in to do the background checks every day. We took this group today to show people and for it to be reported on the news. If there is a problem we want to find and punish the people who do it.' A transsexual prostitute stands up and talks during the lecture as others look at her A smiling transsexual prostitute in a tiny, revealing dress stands up to talk during the lecture Officers are determined to clean up the image of the coastal resort after it was dubbed the sex capital of the world. Earlier this week, officers had targeted migrant sex workers in the city before turning their attention to transsexuals. The authorities have been hauling in various groups and lecturing them before checking their IDs and asking them to provide a urine sample. If the sample comes back clean and there is no warrant out for them, they are allowed to leave. I want to suppress crime and theft in Pattaya in the bars. I want to clear away the crime. Lieutenant Colonel Apichai Kroppetch Officers have already talked to groups of women, and it is understood massage parlours will be the next to be targeted. Lieutenant Colonel Kroppetch lectured the women and said he had targeted 'risk groups' most likely to cause issues with holidaymakers. He said: 'Illegal behaviour will not be tolerated. Pattaya will become one of the most safe places for tourism.' Police carried out paperwork checks on the escorts and two of the girls tested positive for drugs while another was wanted for a previous crime. A number of the sex workers were African migrants, according to M Thai, and were warned of the Prime Minister's campaign to clamp down on stealing from sex tourists. It appears to be one of a number of similar police operations to crack down on the sex trade. Lieutenant Colonel Kroppetch (centre) is attempting to clean up Pattaya's name in Thailand Earlier this month, police targeted sex workers from Africa who were working illegally cashing in on the popularity of the resort which sees millions of visitors form around the world every year. A British mas was recently caught upstairs in bed when cops raided a strip bar and another was found battered and bloodied outside a nightclub. A family taking a holiday to Pattaya were also recently attacked by a furious bar maid in a dispute over the cost of their drinks. An elderly woman's life was saved at a railroad crossing thanks to the lightning-quick reaction of a driver who swooped her out of harms way with just moments to spare. The woman, who was hunched over and walking across the tracks with the help of two canes, somehow became trapped in the middle of the tracks, just as a New Jersey Transit train was fast-approaching. Driver, Jon Mango, was sitting in his car and watching the entire situation unfold and quickly realized he needed to do something. Scroll down for video... Jon Mango ran onto to the tracks to help save a woman who was about to become trapped by the closing railroad barriers He dashed onto the railroad to help the elderly woman who was about to be struck Jon Mango says that he just 'did something that needed to be done' He recalled that the woman was having difficulty placing one foot in front of the other and as the crossing lights began to flash and train sounded its horn, he knew that he would have to act immediately. 'I'm watching and I see her going across and I'm like, 'this isn't feeling right,'' Mango said to ABC7. 'I saw the train was really coming. I sprinted onto the tracks and I pulled her by the arm. She was scared, like I was trying to do something. 'She actually stopped because she was scared, so then I tried grabbing her arm and then really tried pulling her. She was having a lot of trouble,' he said. Seconds later, the train came hurtling through. Were it not for Mango, she would have been hit Mango says he recalled seeing the woman walking across the parking lot earlier but never thought their paths would cross minutes later Seconds later the train barreled past with leaving the pair of them with just inches to spare. After the close call, police and paramedics were called to give the woman a check up as a precaution. 'I'm not a hero, I'm not anything. I just saw something and something needed to be done,' Mango said. The police later called Mango to praise him for his bravery. Mango is being called a hero as he ran onto the railway to pull the woman to safety Police have arrested a man over the murder of a 23-year-old nurse who was found stabbed to death inside her Tennessee apartment a week ago. Christopher Drew McLawhorn, 24, was charged with murder and burglary on Wednesday night in relation to the death of Tiffany Ferguson. The victim was found unconscious in her bed suffering from multiple stab wounds on February 28 by her roommate who was awoken by screams inside their Wedgewood apartment. The nurse was pronounced dead shortly after she was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Scroll down for video Tiffany Ferguson was found unconscious in her bed suffering from multiple stab wounds on February 28 by her roommate who was awoken by screams inside their Nashville apartment Christopher Drew McLawhorn, 24, was charged with murder and burglary on Wednesday night in relation to the death of Tiffany Ferguson Video courtesy of WZTV Police said surveillance video filmed outside the apartment showed the suspect walking around the building where Ferguson lived. McLawhorn, who police say is believed to be homeless, was allegedly looking for open vehicles and open apartment doors. Eventually he entered Ferguson's condo through the front door, which was unlocked and began searching inside for valuables to steal. Authorities said he left with items from the condo at least once before going back inside, which resulted in a confrontation with Ferguson that led to her being stabbed. McLawhorn was already a suspect in the case when he was found by officers at 4.25am on Sunday with two bottles of alcohol and a small quantity of marijuana. He was arrested for misdemeanor drug possession and remained in jail until he was charged with Ferguson's three days later. Police said McLawhorn denied knowing anything about Ferguson's murder when he was first questioned. Authorities said McLawhorn has a limited arrest history in Nashville. He was arrested for public intoxication and misdemeanor theft in separate incidents in 2015, and failure to be booked on the misdemeanor theft charge at the end of last year. Ferguson was pronounced dead last Tuesday, shortly after she was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center Police said surveillance video filmed outside the apartment showed the suspect walking around the building where Ferguson lived Following Ferguson's death, many friends and family members of the young woman changed their Facebook profile photos to a picture of her. Cox said that her sister had a 'big heart' in a social media tribute to her. 'Her heart was so big. She made all of us want to be better,' Cox wrote. 'She loved fitness, cooking and was a foodie especially after she moved to Nashville. She would always take us to random hole-in-the-wall restaurants to try.' Ferguson grew up in Loretto, which is about 100 miles south of Nashville near the Alabama border, with her parents, Cox and her twin sister, Ali Staggs. She graduated from Loretto High School and went on to attend the University of North Alabama. After graduating from college in 2015, Ferguson accepted a job at Saint Thomas West Hospital. President and CEO of Saint Thomas Health, Karen Springer, said in a statement that the hospital staff were heartbroken over her loss. 'She was a rising star in nursing having been selected to participate in our nursing residency program just after graduating college,' Springer said. The 23-year-old was found with multiple stab wounds inside her condo (above) in Wedgewood Two people were killed when a train ploughed into a lorry that was driving over a level crossing. Horrifying video footage shows the HGV slowly moving across the track in Requinoa, Chile, when suddenly the passenger train hits it at full speed and smashes the vehicle to smithereens. Smoke can be seen rising from the train's engine, while the remains of the lorry lie scattered around the landscape. WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT The truck is moving over the level crossing when the passenger train smashes into at full speed Rene Eduardo Paz Ericez, who was driving the truck, was killed instantly along with Jaime Aliaga, who was one of the people at the controls of the train, which was headed for the country's capital, Santiago. His colleague Patricio Salinas survived, albeit with serious injuries. A statement on behalf of train operator Grupo EFE sent out their sympathies to the family of the deceased people. The lorry's cab is detached in the horrifying crash, as smoke starts billowing out of the train's engine The train initially continues on behind the shrubbery, as the dust settles on the tragic incident Onlookers rush over to see check on those inside the cab. The truck driver, Rene Eduardo Paz Ericez, died along with the train driver's assistant Jaime Aliaga A spokesman said: 'The company deeply regrets the loss of Jaime Aliaga and sends his condolences to his relatives, who will be given all the necessary support. 'The causes of the accident will be investigated by the unit in charge, according to the established safety protocols.' GhostRider said: CONFIRMED: Trump Personally Met With The Russian Ambassador On the face of these meetings between trump, his cult of liars and the Russians, there may not be any dirty deals but the fact that trump and his cronies have continuously lied about those meeting cast some very deep suspicions. On the face of these meetings between trump, his cult of liars and the Russians, there may not be any dirty deals but the fact that trump and his cronies have continuously lied about those meeting cast some very deep suspicions. Click to expand... Who Gives A **** I still have to put this one in thefile! Trump&co.'s business deals with the Russians seem to be the only thing standing in the way of nuclear war right now. It's as if Democrats gloss over and even Bernie doesn't talk about the increase in military spending/combined with cuts to domestic spending....no, Trump will be impeached by accidentally doing the right thing for a change! Protesters crashed a Pauline Hanson campaign event at a Perth pub with chants of 'Nazis get out' while it was live streamed from the senator's Facebook account. A Pauline Hanson staff member was seen filming from his mobile as tensions mounted between protesters, police and Senator Hanson supporters. Anti-One Nation protesters have followed Ms Hanson on her campaign trail, as demonstrator Kate Wilking showed. While the senator was campaigning in Kalgoorlie on Wednesday, she held up a sign telling Ms Hanson that she is 'the worst'. The latest protest took place outside the Paddington Ale House, where Senator Hanson was wrapping up her WA campaign on Thursday evening. Anti-One Nation protester Kate Wilking couldn't resist the urge to let Senator Hanson know how she feels about her There were several scuffles as Ms Hanson's supporters tried to wade their way through the vocal crowd to cries of 'shame' Protesters crashed a Pauline Hanson campaign event at a Perth pub with chants of 'Nazis get out' It was labelled as 'Pots and Pizza with Pauline at the Paddo' and included shouts about US President Donald Trump and One Nation's position on homosexuality. About 50 people rallied against Ms Hanson - some with signs saying 'Hanson equals hate' while others even held up swastika signs. At least 20 officers lined the entrance to the pub in Perth's inner north to allow Ms Hanson's supporters to enter the One Nation event. There were several scuffles as Ms Hanson's supporters tried to wade their way through the vocal crowd to cries of 'shame'. Inside, Ms Hanson greeted and posed for selfies with a mixed-bag of supporters, urging them to attend polling booths at this Saturday's state election. Among the crowd of One Nation supporters was 18-year-old Tyler Walsh, who said he thought the protesters were hypocrites. About 50 people rallied against Ms Hanson - some with signs saying 'Hanson equals hate' while others even held up swastika signs At least 20 officers lined the entrance to the pub in Perth's inner north to allow Ms Hanson's supporters to enter the One Nation event 'I just think the protesters are a bit hypocritical because they have all the signs out saying 'fascism', 'racism', but really they're the ones being the fascists and stopping us from having a good time here.' Senator Hanson has been touring regional WA for the last three days, and will focus on several battleground electorates in Perth on Friday. Outside the pub, Zoe Zarzycki said she attended the protest to show the rest of Australia that Senator Hanson's policies were not welcome in the West. Inside, Ms Hanson greeted and posed for selfies with a mixed-bag of supporters, urging them to attend polling booths at this Saturday's state election Senator Hanson spoke to her supporters inside the pub and was flanked by the party's state leader Colin Tincknell 'I think her policies are fundamentally racist, sexist and and anti-queer and they're not coming from any place of reasoning, it's just hatred,' Ms Zarzycki said. 'We're here to let people know that its not OK and most Australians are not OK with Pauline Hanson, that even while One Nation has gained support, there's so much push back.' Senator Hanson spent Tuesday in Pilbara, Wednesday in Kalgoorlie and Thursday in Geraldton, where she had a largely warm response from locals that's boosted her confidence. She says she expects WA Nationals leader Brendan Grylls will lose his Pilbara seat to One Nation, which also expects to pick up the Nationals-held Kalgoorlie. Police said no arrests were made during the protests. The father of a man jailed in Abu Dhabi for sex outside marriage has spoken of his joy and heartbreak at learning he was to become a grandfather for the first time but that his son was locked up. Karl Culverwell said it was 'the best possible news at the worst possible time'. His son Emlyn, 29, from South Africa, has been jailed for the past six weeks along with his pregnant fiancee Iryna after they broke UAE rules of sex outside marriage. The pair were arrested after 27-year-old Iryna went to a doctor with stomach cramps and he called police after discovering she was pregnant. Speaking from his home in Johannesburg, 50-year-old Mr Culverwell said: 'This is going to be our first grandchild and we can't celebrate 'Rather than looking forward to seeing our first family wedding and the birth of our first grandchild, we are beyond worried and stressed. We feel sick all the time. All we can think about is how we are going to get them out of there. It should be a time for us to celebrate but we can't.' In jail: Emlyn Culverwell, 29, and Iryna Nohai, 27, were arrested in the United Arab Emirates for unlawful sex outside of marriage on January 29, just two days after they got engaged Pregnant: Nohai, pictured, and her South African fiance were arrested after she went to a clinic when she was suffering from stomach cramps and was told she was pregnant. The doctor alerted police and they were arrested after being unable to provide marriage certificates Mr Culverwell, who is a call centre agent, described how he had shared in his son's joy at falling in love, then the announcement of his engagement and looked forward to the wedding and meeting his beautiful daughter-in-law to be. 'We were overjoyed because from the photos we have seen and from what Emlyn has told us. Iryna seems a lovely girl and they are obviously very happy together. 'We didn't know anything about the baby until we were told the reasons why they were locked up. They care for each other and want to spend the rest of their lives together. 'They were engaged before they found out about the baby. Once they were detained they did request to get married to show they were serious about their relationship but they were denied that.' Having sex outside of marriage is illegal in the UAE, and those who are convicted can face long jail sentences. South African born Culverwell and Nohai were arrested after being unable to provide marriage certificates. They were first taken to Yas Police Station, and then later brought to Al Wathba Prison, where they are being kept on separate wings with no contact. Men's and women's quarters are separated by large metal gates and tight security. The couple have not seen or spoken to each other since their arrest A friend said: 'That will be the worst for Emlyn not knowing what is happening to Iryna. No one has been able to make any contact with them.' Happy couple: The pair, who live in Abu Dhabi have been together since 2014. Nohai, from Ukraine, is an admin assistant while Culverwell is a lifeguard at a water park Joy and pain: Culverwell's father at home in Johannesburg has spoken of his joy then heartbreak to discover he was to be a grandfather for the first time but that his son was in jail Miscarriage fears: Culverwell's mother said that Nohai was still in the early stages of her pregnancy, and suggested that the cramps could be a sign of a miscarriage Despite being arrested six weeks ago they have not been charged because authorities are still investigating the paternity of the child, how long the couple was sexually active and are testing Nohai's HIV status. The couple had become engaged just two days before their arrest, on January 27. Culverwell has been working in the UAE for the past five years as a lifeguard at Yas Waterworld. He first started dating Nohai, who worked as an admin officer, in mid-2014. Mr Culverwell's estranged wife Linda has spoken to Iryna's brother on the phone, but communication isn't easy as they are Ukrainian. 'They speak almost no English, but have an English dictionary, and they can understand a few words, but that's all,' he explained. Like the Culverwells, Iryna's family do not have the money to fund a defence in the UAE where private legal fees are high. 'We aren't in a position to get legal help because we can't afford it. The other family also don't have a lawyer, we are relying on our South African government representatives and get somebody to go in and see how they aredoing.; Mrs Culverwell, 50, was hospitalised for a couple of days after hearing the news of her son's arrest, but 'is now doing a lot better,' he said. Behind bars: Culverwell and Nohai have not been allowed to see each other since their arrest. Nohai is allegedly guilty of 'Zina', the Islamic legal term referring to unlawful sexual intercourse, which the UAE has criminalised. 'She is very stressed, we are both are. You hear terrible stories are about punishments, jailing, lashes and so on. I hope they wont be jailed, but you can't write that off.' Since their arrest, a Christian Church in Yas Island, UAE, offered to marry the couple for a high price, but a judge refused to allow it, according to Herald Live. Nohai is allegedly guilty of 'Zina', the Islamic legal term referring to unlawful sexual intercourse, which the UAE has criminalised. Women and couples found guilty of Zina in UAE, women and couples are either deported or imprisoned in the country for at least a year. Hundreds of women are imprisoned each year for the crime, including pregnant women and rape victims. After the pair's story was reported in Emlyn's native South Africa his mother Linda was contacted by another mother from Durban whose daughter was locked up with Iryna. The detainee, who has not been named, was able to tell Linda that Iryna had not lost the baby. It was feared the stomach cramps was the start of a miscarriage. Linda from Port Alfred, on the eastern cape, said she had been overwhelmed with support. The couple's ordeal was also raised in the South African Parliament by Democratic Alliance MP and deputy shadow environmental minister Terry Stander. Anxiety: Culverwell's mother Linda, 50, was hospitalised for a few days after hearing the news of her son's arrest, but 'is now doing a lot better.' Pictured: The couple before their arrest Linda said the stress of worrying about her son and future daughter-in-law has led to her being hospitalised. She said: 'I never dreamed so many people would care. I have been on the phone non-stop. I'm tired' but it's a good tired.' Linda was also offered a plane ticket by an employee at Yas Waterworld where her son works and is considering flying out to Abu Dhabi. Only family members who share the same family name are allowed to visit detainees. Linda has pleaded for the couple to be released. 'The only thing they did wrong was fall in love.' she said. It's been a little over two weeks since Texas police officers found Lucky who was 'near death' after he swallowed opiates lying on the floor of his owner's pickup truck. The four-month-old chihuahua-mix puppy lay on the floorboards of the vehicle, 'whimpering' and clinging to life. But now, Lucky has found his forever home with a little girl named Lacy, whom he couldn't stop smothering with kisses when they met. 'I will play with him and love on him because he is the cutest sweetest little puppy,' she told KHOU, when the pair greeted each other for the first time. Texas police officers found Lucky who was 'near death' after he swallowed opiates lying on the floor of his owner's pickup truck last month. But now, Lucky has found his forever home with a little girl named Lacy (pictured), whom he couldn't stop kissing when they met 'I will play with him and love on him because he is the cutest sweetest little puppy,' Lacy said when the pair greeted each other for the first time The four-month-old chihuahua-mix puppy lay on the floorboards of the vehicle, 'whimpering' and clinging to life in Carrollton, Texas. Lucky is seen recovering after the near-death overdose Carrollton Animal Control Officer Debbie Hutchins told the station that Lucky is 'totally different than when I found him'. Police were called to a Home Depot to investigate a theft in February, but they came across the dying pup instead. When cops in Carrollton, Texas arrived at the scene to investigate a call about suspects changing price tags, the pair they arrested told them they had a puppy in their pickup truck. The officers were shocked at what they saw when they spotted Lucky on the floorboards of the vehicle. Carrollton Police Department spokeswoman Jolene DeVito told 1080 KRLD that officers 'made sure the puppy got medical attention right away'. 'Sure enough, he was basically suffering from a heroin overdose. He somehow ingested the heroin and was near death.' Police rushed the critical pup to the North Texas Emergency Vet Clinic. 'He was extraordinarily lethargic, almost comatose, barely breathing, his heart rate was very, very slow, his body temperature was really low,' veterinarian Stacy Fowler, who treated the pup, told KHOU. 'He was really on the verge of not breathing. If he'd not received treatment he would've stopped breathing.' The pup, whom cops named Lucky, was rushed to North Texas Emergency Pet Clinic, where veterinarian Stacy Fowler (above) worked to save his life Lucky's owners, Thomas Romero (left), 46, and Nina Crawford (right), 38, of Newark, were hit with charges for heroin possession, and fraudulent destruction, removal, or concealment of writing for allegedly switching price tags The determined vets were able to bring the dog - whom the police then named Lucky - back from the brink. Lucky's owners, Thomas Romero, 46, and Nina Crawford, 38, of Newark, were hit with charges for heroin possession, and fraudulent destruction, removal, or concealment of writing for allegedly switching price tags. They will also likely be slapped with animal cruelty charges, reported CBS News. Police said on Facebook that Lucky is 'one tough pup' and dubbed him an 'honorary K-9'. Hundreds of people wanted to adopt Lucky after they heard about his story. But on Wednesday it came down to a lottery to determine who would take Lucky home. However, one finalist ticket holder saw the look on the face of John Lepsch's seven-year-old granddaughter, Lacy, and have his ticket to her, according to KHOU. 'That's like a million dollars when you see your granddaughter's face light up with delight,' Lepsch told the station. It was like puppy love at first sight and now Lacy and Lucky will grow up together. A teenage girl has been arrested in connection with the death of an infant on the Isle of Sheppey. The girl was arrested on Wednesday afternoon, after the body of a baby girl was found in a park in Sheerness, Kent, on Saturday March 4. The child was discovered behind a public swimming pool at about 1pm on Saturday but cause of death remains unknown. A teenage girl was arrested in connection with the death of an infant on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent. The body was found in a park on Saturday. police car at the scene The teenager was arrested on Wednesday afternoon. Pictured, a police car at the location where the baby was found, behind some steps at the back of a public swimming pool A forensics officer talks to a fireman earlier this week. The infant's remains were discovered at about 1pm on Saturday, but the cause of death remains unknown A spokesman for Kent Police said: 'Officers have been carrying out numerous lines of enquiry and made the arrest at about 2.15pm on Wednesday 8 March 2017. 'They are now ensuring the teenagers support and welfare is being taken care of.' A post-mortem will be held to find out the baby's cause of death. Police have not clarified if the baby was born at the park where she was found dead or placed there. More police cars at the scene. It is believed the little girl had only recently been born, no other identifying features have been issued Police also found evidence of a small fire at the scene, but it is not believed to be linked to the cause of the baby's death. Pictured, police on the steps leading up to the swimming pool A green between the swimming pool and Roman Catholic Church on the seafront at Sheerness was cordoned off by police on Saturday. Officers taped off entrances to the green at all three entrances from Marine Parade, the promenade and an alley next to the pool which is part of the Sheppey Leisure Complex. Police also found evidence of a small fire at the scene, which is believed to have been started shortly before the baby was found. At the weekend, DI Richard Vickery of Kent said evidence suggested the little girl had only recently been born, but said it was too early to answer questions about her identity. The body was found by a member of the public under a set of steps at the back of Sheerness Swimming Pool, just off Broadway. It is believed to have been left there between 10am and 12.30pm on the same day. A police cordon blocks an alleyway. An 'extensive forensic search' has been carried out in the area The body was found near this stretch of the Kent coast. Police are still appealing for witnesses who were in the area on Saturday Earlier this week DI Vickery said: 'We want to hear from anyone who was in Broadway in the late morning of March 4. 'Even if someone thinks what they saw isn't important, the smallest amount of information could be crucial to us finding out how and why this happened. 'Those that do come forward should know that the information will be handled in a sensitive way.' High-school students are being pressured to attend daily prayer meetings, lectures on the Koran and even cut their hair by peers badgering them to conform to Islam, according to 'scared' parents at Punchbowl Boys High School. The Punchbowl high school in Western Sydney has been identified as one of 19 New South Wales schools at risk of radicalising Muslim students, according to The Daily Telegraph. The NSW Government listed 19 schools across Western and South-Western Sydney taking part in a counter-extremism program called School Communities Working Together. The Punchbowl high school in Western Sydney has been identified as one of 19 New South Wales schools at risk of radicalising Muslim students Punchbowl Boys High School former principal Chris Griffiths initially refused the deradicalisation program, claiming he was not comfortable with prayer groups being monitored or the school being 'stigmatised'. Mr Griffiths, who converted to Islam in 2014, was sacked in 2016 by Education Department Secretary Mark Scott. Since the program was refused, 'scared' parents have spoken out, claiming the school was run more like a mosque than a school. Punchbowl Boys High School former principal Chris Griffiths (pictured) initially refused the deradicalisation program Mr Griffiths, who converted to Islam in 2014, was sacked in 2016 by Education Department Secretary Mark Scott The parent of a Year 7 boy, who remained anonymous for the privacy of her son, said he was bullied by other children for not conforming to the Sunni religion. She said he was pressured into praying, and even bullied for having longer hair because it didn't meet popular religious demands. 'The kids come up to my son and ask him 'come and pray, come and pray'. But we do different things to other families and the school. Why doesn't prayer have to be in school time,' she told The Daily Telegraph. The parent of a Year 7 boy at the Punchbowl school, who remained anonymous for the privacy of her son, said he was bullied by other children for not conforming to the Sunni religion 'He goes to school to learn, it's not a mosque. Religion is for the home, not for the school.' The worried mother said her son felt pressured to follow common practices at the school, including prayer groups run during the school day. She said she believed former principal Chris Griffiths was responsible for the religious activities, and was happy to see him gone. Mr Griffiths was replaced by new principal Robert Patruno. Mr Griffiths was replaced by new principal Robert Patruno (pictured) was met with violence when he started in the position Granville State High School has also been identified as at risk of radicalising Muslim students Mr Patruno has accepted and thrown his support behind the anti-radicalisation program. The program involves a team of experts who are educated on how to 'scan' for at-risk students, The Daily Telegraph reports. The team, which includes psychologists, IT workers and support workers, also assesses religious leaders working at the school. The program also works to ensure students or religious leaders don't attempt to convert non-believers to the religion. Not everyone in the Punchbowl community was thrilled about the decision to sack former principal, and Islam convert. Not everyone in the Punchbowl community was thrilled about the decision to sack former principal, and Islam convert Chris Griffiths (pictured) Punchbowl Boys High School mother Rana Dergham said her two sons, students at the school, were upset about Mr Griffiths' sacking A petition of support for Mr Griffiths received 1650 signatures. Punchbowl Boys High School mother Rana Dergham said her two sons, students at the school, were upset about Mr Griffiths' sacking. She claimed the sacking was a shock to the school community, and they were left without a chance to say goodbye. New principal Robert Patruno was met with threats of violence when he started in the position. New principal Robert Patruno (far right) was met with threats of violence when he started in the position Education Department Secretary Mark Scott told The Daily Telegraph Mr Griffiths was removed from his position when he turned down the deradicalisation program Mr Patruno was confronted by two men of Middle Eastern appearance yesterday who reportedly told him: 'We're going to get you, we're going to f*** you up, you dog'. Education Department Secretary Mark Scott told The Daily Telegraph Mr Griffiths was removed from his position when he turned down the deradicalisation program. Mr Scott said there were claims students assaulted, and threatened to behead teachers. The Education Department Secretary also reported the school was not welcoming to police and was becoming isolated. A suspect in the arson that killed five people, injured four, at a Detroit group home was arrested Thursday, police said. The suspect is an unidentified 55-year-old resident of the group home, said Officer Jennifer Moreno, a Detroit Police Department spokeswoman. Police believe the fire stemmed from an argument the resident had with his landlord, but they're not sure what is was about or how it originated, Deputy Detroit Fire Commissioner David Fornell told the Detroit Free Press. Scroll down for video A 55-year-old resident of this apartment was arrested for arson Thursday in Detroit Police believe the fire stemmed from an argument the resident had with his landlord Five people were killed, four injured, after the building was engulfed in flames Wednesday High winds fanned the flames that consumed the building, whose occupants were mainly adult males being treated for substance abuse or mental issues Fornell couldn't confirm what charges the suspect could face, but he said the suspect has outstanding warrants. The fire ripped through the group home, a ramshackle, two-story brick building, at 1.30pm Wednesday on the 10500 block of Whittier in Detroit. High winds fanned the flames that consumed the east-side building, described as a forsaken place. Its eight apartments were mostly occupied by one or two male adults being treated for substance abuse or mental issues, resident Marcelleus Thomas told The Detroit News. The bodies of four people were found on the second floor, where the fire originated Four other people were taken to the hospital, where two remain. None of the victims have been identified Detroit firefighters were on the scene for almost eight hours, investigating the fire's cause 'Our families didnt want us. This was the last place for us to go,' said Thomas, 54, who returned from an appointment at the Northeast Guidance Center to see his home ablaze. 'If I hadnt gone, I would be dead,' he said. The bodies of four people were found on the second floor, where the fire originated. The fifth victim, a 61-year-old man, was pulled from the building by firefighters who tried to revive him, but he died at a hospital, Fornell said. Four other people were taken to the hospital. A 67-year-old man with second-degree burns on his face was in critical condition Wednesday night, while a 56-year-old man with severe cuts on his hand was in serious condition, said Fornell. Two people, a 70-year-old man and 52-year-old woman, were treated for smoke inhalation and released. None of the victims have been identified, WXYZ reported. The flames and unstable building conditions prevented firefighters from rescuing four people inside, said Eric Jones, Detroit fire commissioner. Firefighters managed to pull one man out who had no pulse and resuscitated him, Jones said. Wednesday was a busy day for the Detroit Fire Department, with 64 fires and 82 calls for downed power lines. Daredevils are scaling some of Sydney's tallest and most dangerous buildings with no safety equipment in the pursuit of the perfect snap. Police have launched an investigation after social media images surfaced of thrill-seekers hanging their legs over the edge of the Meriton Hotel in the city's north. Other nerve-wracking videos show the groups trespassing in train tunnels and even hitching a ride on the outside of moving trains, reports 7 News. A daredevil dangles his legs over the edge of the towering Meriton Hotel in Sydney's north Police have condemned the craze, which involves members competing for the most impressive photographs. 'The footage and pictures depict persons engaged in extremely risky behaviour that is not only dangerous, but illegal,' Superintendent Paul Devaney said. In many of the images online the groups are masking their identity with balaclavas and masks, but in others they brazenly show their faces. Police called on members of the group to hand themselves in before they track them down personally. 'To those persons involved my advice is come and see us before we knock on your door,' In January, Russian model sparked global outrage after posing on top of one of the the 1,004-foot tall Cayan Tower in Dubai with no support but the hand of a male assistant. Police have launched an investigation after social media images surfaced of thrill-seekers scaling Sydney skyscrapers Nazir Wilks, pictured with son Quentin, two-and-a-half, said he has had to return to the UK from France because he 'cannot find a job due to Brexit' A father who emigrated to France after falling in love has blamed Brexit as the reason he was 'forced' to return to the UK to look for work. Nazir Wilks, 31, had lived and worked in France since 2012, and claims a backlash against the Brexit vote saw French employers stop hiring Brits. He grew up in Britain, but moved to Montpelier with girlfriend Marie in 2012 before she gave birth to son Quentin, now aged two-and-a-half. The restaurant worker left his job to undertake a forklift truck driving course, but when he returned to his old boss looking for a job last July - weeks after the vote - he was turned away and told to go back home. He claims his former employer told him that they would never hire British workers again because of Brexit. Mr Wilks said he was forced to use his savings to pay for a flight home for him and his young son, and is now couch-surfing with friends and family in Woolwich, south east London, where he previously lived for 12 years. He said: 'I moved to France with Marie in March 2012, because she wanted to be with her friends and family. 'I'd always done seasonal work in restaurants, but took a year out to do a forklift truck driving course. 'But then all this talk about Brexit came along, and after the vote, everyone in France's view on British people completely changed. Mr Wilks, 31, pictured with Quentin, said he was turned away from a job in a restaurant by a former employer because they 'would no longer hire British' 'No-one wants to hire British people now, and most of them think we've left the EU already. 'It's going to be really costly for them to hire British people, so I just couldn't get any work at all. 'Marie and I split up because of personal reasons and she can't look after Quentin, so I was on my own with him. 'The French government were helping me until December with 200 Euros a month child support, but then they cut me off completely and I've been forced to come home.' The pair landed back in Britain on Christmas Eve, and have been homeless since, because the government will not give them any sort of benefits until they have been here for three months. They have been staying with relatives, but have now run out of places to go - and are facing life on the streets if help does not come soon. Mr Wilks emigrated in 2012 to be with girlfriend Marie, whom he has since split with. He and his son, left and right, are now 'couch surfing' in London He added: 'Me and my son can't live like this for much longer. 'The council said I can't get a home until I get income support, but I need to pass a habitual residency test for that - which I can't do, because I've been out the country for three years. 'Last week, they told me that I've failed it again. 'This test is for people who have been away and they need to determine whether I'm going to stay, but I have nowhere else to go. 'I want to settle in Woolwich - my siblings and friends are here, it's where I went to school - but they won't help me. 'I can't believe it, and neither can anyone else. 'People can't keep letting us stay, and I was lucky last night that I bumped into someone I knew. 'But today, I've been ringing around and I don't know where I can stay.' Mr Wilks, pictured with Quentin, said he could not claim benefits because he has only been here three months and 'faces life on the streets' The council have allegedly told Nazir that they cannot help him because he has a child, and so can't stay in a homeless shelter. He says Social Services told him that they cannot provide housing, and that they 'didn't understand that I have nowhere to go'. Mr Wilks added: 'No one can deal with people with children. 'Social Services said they would take my son and I could find a separate solution but I want to look after my child, I just need somewhere for us to stay. 'I want us to get settled so I can get a job and work. 'I'm not angry, I'm just in total disbelief. I don't know what else to do.' Greenwich Council have been contacted for a comment but declined to say anything. Advertisement The world's largest aircraft crashed during a test flight because it got caught in power lines, a report has found. The 25m Airlander 10, dubbed the 'giant bum' due to its appearance, was flying at an excessive height when it prepared to land and nosedived into the ground. A report by The Air Accidents Investigation Branch found the airship 'suddenly pitched down to about 18 degrees and started to descend' after its mooring line got tangled up. Airlander 10's cockpit took the brunt of the impact but no-one was injured in the crash at Cardington Airfield, Bedfordshire, on August 24 last year. The report also revealed that ground crew told the pilot that the mooring line was around 50ft (15 metres) long but it was actually 155ft (47 metres). Airlander 10: The plane, which can carry a ten tonne pay load, crashed at Cardington Airfield in Bedfordshire last August Mayday: In a video of the crash, which seems to be in slow-motion, stunned witnesses can be heard voicing their concerns Although the aircraft escaped the wires, 'the encounter contributed to a high final approach' and was 'reluctant to descend naturally'. It added: 'There was insufficient height in which to affect a full recovery and the aircraft struck the ground.' Christened the Martha Gwyn, the vast aircraft measures 302ft long and is around 50ft longer than the biggest passenger jets. Engineers spent three years working on the Airlander 10, which is filled with 1.3 million cubic feet of helium - enough to fill 15 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Structural damage from the crash has now been repaired and the Airlander is now in an extensive test phase prior to its next flight. An Auxiliary Landing System which allows the aircraft to land safely at a greater range of attitudes has now been installed. Cockpit damage: The 320ft long Airlander 10, nicknamed the 'Flying Bum,' made its maiden voyage in August last year Historic: It was billed a modern milestone in airships, which were all but abandoned after the Hindenburg disaster in 1937 Unorthadox: The bulbous exterior of the part plane, part helicopter, part airship has earned it the tongue-in-cheek nickname Fitting home: The aircraft was based at Cardington, where the first British airships were built during and after World War One Also, ground support equipment improvements have been implemented, including the ability to recover the mooring line once it has been released from storage. The flight crew has also been given enhanced training in normal and emergency conditions following the test flights last year. The huge aircraft was first developed for the US government as a long-endurance surveillance aircraft but it fell foul of defence cutbacks. It will be able to stay airborne at heights of up to 20,000ft with a ten-tonne cargo for two weeks at a time at speeds of up to 90mph. Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), which made it, hopes to be building 10 Airlanders a year by 2021. HAV Operations Director Tom Grundy said: 'We have extensively analysed and reviewed the telemetry data, and video/audio, which has allowed us to understand how the aircraft performed in great detail. 'We have fed the results of that work back into our simulator, which has allowed much more realistic training in normal and emergency conditions for our flight crew, which will help us to manage a wider range of potential scenarios than was previously the case. 'This will help the crew if they are again called upon to respond to unexpected events such as last August's unplanned steep approach to the airfield, which was caused by the mooring line hanging down underneath it. Progress: The company hopes to have a bigger aircraft, capable of carrying 50 metric tons, in service by the early 2020s Economic: The Airlander is designed to use less fuel than a plane, but carry heavier loads than conventional airships Military grade: The aircraft was initially developed for the US military which planned to use it for surveillance in Afghanistan 'A rigorous testing and training programme has now commenced to prepare for Airlander taking to the skies again. 'Over this period the whole focus of the team has been to improve the way we work and the way we operate the aircraft so that our next stage of flying achieves all of our objectives. 'Our work in this has been guided by our investigations, which were conducted and reviewed in line with the exhaustive standards that are the norm across the aerospace industry.' It was hailed a 'great British innovation' by its makers following a successful maiden flight just seven days before it crashed. However the world's largest aircraft suffered cockpit damage in what was described as a 'heavy landing' on August 24 last year. High price: The Airlander is on sale for 25million and will be able to stay airborne for five days during manned flights Up in the air: The developers say the plane can be used for surveillance, communications, delivering aid and passenger travel Aviation experts estimated the damage would cost about 20,000 to repair given the unique nature of the project. In a video of the crash, which seems to be in slow-motion, stunned witnesses could be heard voicing concerns. At first one man watching it said: 'Surely you'd be worried that you're just going to smash that into the ground.' He then added: 'Oh my God, hes actually just broken it. He's just smashed that up.' One eyewitness said: 'A line that was hanging down from the plane hit the telegraph pole about two fields away. Then, as it came in to land, it seemed to nose dive and landed on the cockpit, smashing it up.' The developers later denied there had been any damage from a telegraph pole, despite claims by witnessed now proven by the investigation. The developers called the ship a 'great British innovation' after the successful maiden flight last Wednesday (above) Its four engines appeared noticeably quieter than a plane or helicopter as it took to the skies last Wednesday (pictured) Based at Cardington, where the manufacture of British airships began during the First World War, it was billed a modern milestone in airships, which were all but abandoned after the Hindenburg disaster in 1937. Almost 50 people, including Britain's air minister, died when the British airship crashed on a hill in Beauvais, France, leading to questions over the safety of airships. The fiery 1937 crash of the Hindenburg in New Jersey then killed 35 people, finally dashing the dream of the airship as a mode of transportation for decades. But unlike hydrogen, the gas used in the Hindenburg, the Airlander uses helium, which is not flammable. A Kenyan MP has been charged with inciting violence for allegedly encouraging a wave of land invasions, which have left eight people dead including a former British Army officer. Father-of-two Tristan Voorspuy was shot dead after he went to inspect the remains of a friend's home in the country's restive highlands, which had been burnt down by attackers on Friday. Kenyan officials said 379 pastoral herders had also been arrested for invading ranches, amid a vicious tribal battle between warring militias. Mathew Lempurkel, MP for Laikipia North, pictured behind bars, is one of the local leaders accused of inciting the invasions The MP for Laikipia North, Mathew Lempurkel, is one of the local leaders accused of inciting the invasions. Police reportedly plan to charge to charge the MP with the murder of Tristan Voorspuy. Mr Voorspuy's body was found Sunday 118 miles north of Nairobi. The British cavalry veteran had ridden to the property on the Sosian ranch on Sunday morning but farm staff lost contact with him at noon and he was later discovered dead. One neighbour said: 'He rode out to look at what was left of Richard's house. He never came back. We flew over the area to look for him. 'The horse had been shot in the leg and he was dead in front of the house.' South African-born Mr Voorspuy, pictured above, was raised in Sussex and served for six years in the British Army before turning to tour guiding The ranch is in the region of Laikipia which was once a tourist paradise but has been plunged into chaos by warring tribes with several Kenyans killed or forced from their homes. In recent weeks cattle herders armed with automatic rifles have left a trail of destruction in northern Kenya while searching for grazing land - killing elephants, giraffes, zebras and lions. Invaders from the Samburu, Pokot and Masai tribe have rampaged through the area after stockpiling ammunition made in government factories. Officials have reportedly not yet reached his body on the Sosian ranch amid security fears caused by a heavily armed militia holed up on the hillside above the ranch. After leaving the army in 1981 Mr Voorspuy, pictured above, drove a motorbike from London to Cape Town for nine months and looked for work in Africa South African-born Mr Voorspuy was raised in Sussex and served for six years in the British Army before turning to tour guiding. After leaving the army in 1981 he drove a motorbike from London to Cape Town for nine months and looked for work in Africa. Having heard of mounted safaris in Kenya, he applied for a job and spent six years guiding before starting his firm in 1990. His biography page on the website of his firm Offbeat Safaris said his experience in the forces 'inspired a wanderlust and return to Africa'. A severe drought in Kenya is causing tension because of the scarcity of water and pasture, as some communities move into other properties in search of the resources, said domestic security minister Joseph Nkaissery. He said criminals have taken advantage of the situation to steal. Kenya has declared its drought a national disaster. Ranchers, however, say the land invasions are politically motivated and part of plans to take over their land. The British High Commissioner to Kenya said he was 'deeply saddened' by Mr Voorspuy's killing. British High Commissioner Nic Hailey said he had repeatedly expressed his concern to Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta's government over the situation in parts of Laikipia. Kenya has been affected by a cycle of violence including land invasions and evictions during the 1992, 1997 and 2007 elections. Kenya will hold general elections in August. More than 1,000 people died after the 2007 elections, the deadliest clashes in the country's history. A majority of the deaths were in the Rift Valley, where Laikipia is located. More than 600,000 were evicted from their homes during the violence. A 2008 government commission found that historical injustices such as unequal land distribution were partly responsible for the violence. A 2013 report reinforced those findings, saying long-standing grievances over land constitute the single most important driver of conflicts and ethnic tension in Kenya. imaginethat said: When and where was Johnny Mac's real trial, or are convictions in "The Court of Everybody Knows?" now on a par with real trials? Click to expand... The Keating Five were five United States Senators accused of corruption in 1989, igniting a major political scandal as part of the larger Savings and Loan crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s. The five senators Alan Cranston (Democrat of California), Dennis DeConcini (Democrat of Arizona), John Glenn (Democrat of Ohio), John McCain (Republican of Arizona), and Donald W. Riegle, Jr. (Democrat of Michigan) were accused of improperly intervening in 1987 on behalf of Charles H. Keating, Jr., Chairman of the Lincoln Savings and Loan Association, which was the target of a regulatory investigation by the Federal Home Loan Bank Board (FHLBB). The FHLBB subsequently backed off taking action against Lincoln. Lincoln Savings and Loan collapsed in 1989, at a cost of over $3 billion to the federal government. Some 23,000 Lincoln bondholders were defrauded and many investors lost their life savings. The substantial political contributions Keating had made to each of the senators, totaling $1.3 million, attracted considerable public and media attention. After a lengthy investigation, the Senate Ethics Committee determined in 1991 that Cranston, DeConcini, and Riegle had substantially and improperly interfered with the FHLBB's investigation of Lincoln Savings, with Cranston receiving a formal reprimand. Senators Glenn and McCain were cleared of having acted improperly but were criticized for having exercised "poor judgment". McCain and Keating had become personal friends following their initial contacts in 1981,[11] and McCain was the only one of the five with close social and personal ties to Keating.[42][43] Like DeConcini, McCain considered Keating a constituent since Keating lived in Arizona.[35] Between 1982 and 1987, McCain had received $112,000 in political contributions from Keating and his associates.[44] In addition, McCain's wife Cindy McCain and her father Jim Hensley had invested $359,100 in the Fountain Square Project, a Keating shopping center, in April 1986, a year before McCain met with the regulators.[7][45] McCain, his family, and their baby-sitter had made nine trips at Keating's expense, sometimes aboard Keating's jet; three of the trips were made during vacations to Keating's Bahamas retreat at Cat Cay.[7] McCain did not pay Keating (in the amount of $13,433) for some of the trips until years after they were taken, when he learned that Keating was in trouble over Lincoln.[7][46.......................................................... McCain testified against Keating in a civil suit brought by Lincoln bondholders, and was seen as the plaintiffs' best witness.[69] The other four senators refused to testify.[69] After 1999, the only member of the Keating Five remaining in the U.S. Senate was John McCain, who had an easier time gaining re-election in 1992 than he anticipated.[72] He survived the political scandal in part by becoming friendly with the political press.[72] In early October 2008, the Keating Five scandal, its possible parallel to the subprime mortgage crisis and liquidity crisis of September 2008, and specifically the role in the scandal of Republican presidential nominee McCain, were briefly emphasized by the campaign of his Democratic opponent, Barack Obama, through a 13-minute "documentary" entitled Keating Economics.[74][75] This introduction occurred after the McCain campaign began emphasizing the ObamaAyers controversy.[74] Unfucking beliveable how goddammed liberals these days are willing to make alliance with the ******* devil himself as long as he's against Trump! On Twitter earlier, all the liberals are attacking Wikileaks, Assange and defending the CIA! As if merging with the ******* BORG and calling for omnipresent surveillance and ability to commandeer our "smart" devices isn't enough, Mac is now a friend too in the great war against Trump! Why not dig up Adolph Hitler and add him to your friends list too?All the essentials can be found in the Wikipedia entry...even the prevailing suspicions of the time that the bipartisan Senate Committee investigating these rubes was working under the principle of doing as little political and legal damage to them as possible...especially McCain and Glenn, since they were still far from retirement.All quotes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keating_Five#Aftermath There's that "poor judgment" thing again! So, the Senate didn't want to damage the careers of the Senators who weren't ready to retire and possibly preparing for the White House...that is after all, why this crooked bastard-Charles Keating was gifting John McCain with so much money! It wasn't his brilliant mind...it was the simple fact that Keating, like so many GOP moderates, believed McCain had the right resume to be president some day!So, McCain was the only rat willing to sell out his boss!No kidding! There was a time when the Dems thought McCain's takiing money in return for political favours to Keating made him the enemy:This is another example where I ask myself what the **** do middle-of-the-road liberals and conservatives actually believe in anyway? There certainly aren't any visible core principles that stand the test of time, and that's likely the main reason why most people despise all of them! Washington, DC, restaurant owners have sued President Donald Trump and the company that runs his hotel there, alleging that his continued affiliation with the property puts competing businesses at a disadvantage. Khalid Pitts and Diane Gross, co-owners of Cork Wine Bar in DC's Logan Circle, allege unfair competition under local law and have filed a lawsuit against Trump personally and the Trump Old Post Office LLC, which operates the hotel. 'We have events we do here for elected officials, nonprofits, foreign dignitaries, the World Bank, law firms,' Gross told The Washington Post. Khalid Pitts (left) and Diane Gross (right), co-owners of Cork Wine Bar, have sued President Donald Trump and the company that runs his DC hotel for 'unfairly' taking away business Former customers of Cork Wine Bar (left) in DC's Logan Circle are now being courted to Trump International Hotel (right) in hopes of 'currying favor' with his administration, Gross said Under constitutional immunity protections, Trump can't be sued over official acts in the Oval Office. But he can be named in lawsuits for personal actions or those involving his businesses 'Those folks are now being courted to come and want to go there because they see it as advantageous to them to curry favor with the president.' Under constitutional immunity protections, Trump can't be sued over official acts in the Oval Office. But he can be named in lawsuits for personal actions or those involving his businesses. Trump turned over management of his companies to his two adult sons and a senior company executive. He retains ownership of his global business empire, which includes Trump International Hotel. Pitts and Gross aren't seeking damages but rather an order barring Trump's hotel from operating under him. The complaint cites Trump's appearances at the hotel with politicians and other high-profile customers, as well as White House press secretary Sean Spicers comments before the inauguration: 'Its an absolutely stunning hotel. I encourage you to go there if you havent been by.' Although Cork's co-owners don't name specific clients they've lost, they said business has fallen short since Trump's inauguration. 'We do lose bookings sometimes and nobody ever gives you a reason. They dont say, "Were going to the Trump hotel instead of coming here",' said Gross. 'We do know that business has been a little slower with the inauguration of this president.' A police sergeant has been caught on camera making up a bogus law to prevent him being filmed as he pulled over an Uber driver. Unfortunately for the officer in Wilmington, North Carolina, the driver - who works for Uber in his spare time - just happened to be a criminal defense attorney. Jesse Bright was pulled over last month shortly after a passenger got back into his car on the second leg of a round trip. A sergeant from Wilmington Police Department in North Carolina tells Jesse Bright to stop filming, claiming there is a 'new law' against it The passenger was asked to get out of the vehicle and was submitted to a search by officers who were apparently looking for drugs. Mr Bright, who combines driving with being an attorney, filmed the whole interaction on a dashcam and when the police officer asked him to stop, he questioned under what law. WECT reported that Sergeant Kenneth Becker, then told him: 'Be careful because there is a new law. Turn it off or I'll take you to jail.' Mr Bright replied: 'For recording you? What is the law?' A New Hanover County Sheriff's deputy then agreed with Sgt Becker that there was a state law forbidding filming of law enforcement officers. Video courtesy of Jesse Bright Jesse Bright (pictured) argued with the police and deputies as they tried to search his car The officers then called Mr Bright a 'jerk' and ordered him to get out of the car while they searched it and brought in sniffer dogs. Mr Bright, who was never charged with any offense, told WECT he was sure the officers knew they were lying: 'They should know, I'm sure they do know, that it's legal to record police.' Wilmington Police Department said an internal affairs investigation was now under way into the allegations. An internal investigation has been launched by Wilmington Police Department The department's Chief, Ralph Evangelous, said: 'Taking photographs and videos of people that are in plain sight including the police is your legal right. 'As a matter of fact we invite citizens to do so when they believe it is necessary. We believe that public videos help to protect the police as well as our citizens and provide critical information during police and citizen interaction.' The police officers and sheriff's deputies were equipped with body cameras but Mr Bright said: 'If the only recording of an incident is on their camera, they kind of control if that gets released or sometimes there can be a malfunction with it.' Irena Como, from the American Civil Liberties Union, said: 'It's very concerning the Wilmington police department is conveying inaccurate information in the video. We've heard reports of this but we've never seen It captured on video before.' She said: 'The thing that jumps out is what if this was not an attorney, what if this was someone who didn't know his rights or how to assert them?' A cash-strapped hospital is planning to introduce a separate Halal kitchen to cater for Islamic patients and staff. Bosses at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust proposed the move after coming under fire for not ensuring Halal meals were up to standard in one of their hospitals. Chief executive Toby Lewis said a 'lot of work' had been done at Sandwell Hospital with local suppliers to improve meals. But in a further step hospital chiefs are proposing to establish a new kitchen specifically to prepare Halal meals. Former patients have said the move, which comes less than a year after 450 jobs were axed, is a 'waste of funds'. Sandwell Hospital, West Midlands, is proposing to introduce a separate Halal kitchen to cater for Islamic patients and staff The trust said the cost of implementing a separate kitchen has not been worked out yet as plans are in the early stages. Loraine Yarnold, 50, saw her mum Caroline Fellows pass away after 10 days in Sandwell Hospital in 2014. She said she thinks the hospital should be focused on improving patient care. She claims her mum was poorly cared for, and is still demanding answers as to how she died. Ms Yarnold said: 'The care my mum received was horrific. 'One day when I went in she had bruises all over her. They said she fell out of bed, but that didn't make any sense because she could hardly move. 'I ended up leaving a camera to record what was going on. It was shocking. 'Total waste of funds': Louise Yarnold (pictured left) slammed the decision for a second kitchen as a waste of money and said her mother Caroline Fellows (right) was badly looked after Rest in peace: Caroline Fellows (pictured) passed away after ten days in Sandwell Hospital last year What is Halal? Halal means permitted or lawful for Muslim adherents. Halal foods that are allowed to be eaten according to Islamic Sharia law. These foods need to be properly prepared by specific processes, including 'halal slaughter' To be halal certified the animal must be facing Mecca, have its throat cut while still alive and then ritually sacrificed by a Muslim who recites a prayer dedicating the slaughter to Allah. Foods that are haram (forbidden) in Islam include (but are not exclusive to) pork-based products, alcohol, blood and carniverous animals. Advertisement The 50 year old said: 'This kitchen would just be a diversion of resources they should not be doing. I don't agree with it at all. 'It's a total waste of funds, when they could be spending it on care. She added: 'Their standards really need improving.' A trust spokesman said: 'We are still reviewing options around creating a separate halal kitchen and the best ways to provide a range of healthy halal options to patients and staff who want them.' The hospital came under fire for creating 31 'gender neutral' toilets on site just before Christmas, at a time when the government was promising to phase out mixed-sex wards. However, in January, the chief executive said plans had been well received. A Laura Ashley boss is back in court for the latest stage in his High Court battle to stop his former Miss Malaysia ex-wife Khoo Kay Peng, 78, and Pauline Chai, 70, who was Miss Malaysia in 1969 and married Mr Peng in 1970, have been fighting over money in the courts since 2013. A judge has been asked to decide how assets and cash should be split. Mr Justice Bodey is analysing evidence at a private trial in the Family Division of the High Court in London. Ms Chai, who was Miss Malaysia 1969 and lives on an estate in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, wants to walk away with more than 100million. She says their asset kitty is at least 205m and that she should get a 50 per cent share. All over: Former beauty queen Pauline Chai, 70, pictured in February 2016 at the High Court, confirmed she has finally divorced her Laura Ashley tycoon husband after a 6million legal battle Couple: Khoo Kay Peng, 78, and Pauline Chai, 70, who was Miss Malaysia in 1969 and married Mr Peng in 1970, have been fighting over money in the courts since 2013 Dr Khoo, who is based in Malaysia, says Ms Chai should pocket about 9m, the judge has heard. Details of rival proposals were outlined by a lawyer representing Ms Chai at the start of the hearing today. Mr Justice Bodey said the 'range' between Dr Khoo and Ms Chai was 'absolutely colossal'. Both Dr Khoo and Ms Chai were at the hearing - which is expected to last several weeks. The judge has said journalists can attend the trial, name Dr Khoo and Ms Chai, and report proceedings. But reporters have been barred from revealing confidential financial information and some evidence relating to personal family life. Mr Justice Bodey said he might exclude reporters from certain parts of the hearing when analysing some evidence relating to finances. Argument: Miss Chai says they moved their home to Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, pictured, before separating, and argued a decision on their divorce mus be made in an English court Dr Khoo is non-executive chairman of Laura Ashley Holdings, one of the Britain's most popular homeware stores (pictured in Kensington High Street) In January, a family judge signalled the end of the marriage by granting a decree absolute after both sides racked up a stratospheric 6million in legal fees between them. The tycoon has five grown-up children with his wife of 46 years, who lives on a sprawling 30million estate in Hertfordshire, complete with an exotic menagerie of alpacas and llamas, and a dressing room filled with 1,000 pairs of shoes. While he fought to have their case heard in Malaysia, 70-year-old Ms Chai has been granted permission to have it settled in London. Farmer Kenneth Hugill, 83, has gone on trial for shooting a convicted burglar he thought was stealing diesel from his isolated home An 83-year-old farmer shot a suspected thief outside his farmhouse at night in self-defence because he feared being run over by a car, a court heard yesterday. Kenneth Hugill said he was 'petrified' when the Land Rover 'revved up' without lights on and set off towards him. He fired two shots one towards the side of the vehicle and another in the air to frighten the occupants away. Richard Stables, a convicted burglar, was hit in the foot and driven straight to hospital by his friend Adrian Barron, a seasoned criminal with convictions for burglary and violence. Mr Stables suffered serious injuries but survived and gave evidence as a prosecution witness. The terrified farmer, who walks with a crutch and has never previously been in trouble with the law, ended up being charged with grievous bodily harm and put on trial at Hull Crown Court. Yesterday he hobbled to the witness box to recall the early hours of November 13, 2015. He was asleep with wife Sheila, 78, at the family arable farm in Wilberfoss, East Yorkshire, where he has lived and worked for almost his entire life, when he noticed a light outside as he returned from the bathroom at around 2am. 'I saw it appear again and thought it was somebody with a flashlight, but it was so black dark I couldn't see anything,' he said. 'The next thing I saw was the silhouette of a vehicle going past the farmhouse. I thought it was creeping up slowly with no noise and no lights on and thought it was up to no good.' Stables (pictured today) claims he had stumbled on the farm and were not stealing diesel Hugill spoke to his wife, got dressed, put on his hat and went downstairs in the dark. He told police they didn't get electricity until 1954 so he could find his way around without lights. He went into the yard after taking the shotgun given to him as a 21st birthday present by his parents and loading it with two cartridges. 'I walked towards where I thought the vehicle was,' he said. 'I still couldn't see anything really.' The farmer said he was startled by the sound of the Land Rover's engine and had little time to react. 'I stood still and practically immediately heard the engine, very, very loud. I was petrified for a second or two and thought it was coming at me,' he said. The farmer's son David Hugill, who raised the alarm after Richard Stables was shot, attended court today 'I fired the shotgun to the side of the vehicle towards the floor. The lights of the vehicle were off. I didn't want to hit anybody, just frighten them away.' Hugill said the closest he got to the car was 12 to 15ft and he never saw anyone in it. A second shot was fired 'straight up' as the car drove away to deter the occupants from returning, the court heard. Once back inside the farmhouse he phoned his son who lives nearby, and the son called police, although they did not come out that night. The court heard the men may have been on the site to steal diesel from tanks near the farmhouse and a lock had been 'tampered with'. Christopher Dunn, prosecuting, told the jury the issue was 'whether it was reasonable for Mr Hugill to act in the way he did'. He said the Crown's case was that the farmer fired the gun 'recklessly' and 'without shouting' or calling the police first. Asked under cross-examination if it was 'a bit much' to take a shotgun outside to investigate, Hugill replied: 'I didn't know who was out there, it was only for protection.' Stables, who uses a wheelchair to get about because of his injuries, claimed to be 'lamping' - hunting for rabbits by torchlight - with a friend and his dog on the night of the incident. He said they were lost on a country road and pulled up near the defendant's farmhouse to clean up a mess the lurcher dog had made inside their Land Rover. Mr Stables, 44, told the court he may have pointed the 'lamp' at the farmhouse window by accident but had no idea diesel tanks were nearby. Farmer Kenneth Hugill with his wife Sheila Hugill leaving Hull Crown Court today. He insists he was acting in self-defence and was 'petrified' at the time He told the jury he was putting the dog back into the car when he was shot in the foot without warning. 'As I went to shut the door I saw a figure appear. No words were spoken. Whoever was stood there fired a gun that hit my foot,' he said. 'I felt excruciating pain. I thought my foot had gone. The shot went all the way through my foot taking all the bones with it.' 'I thought my foot was not there. I can't remember much after, except we set off driving. I heard another shot. It may have been straight away afterwards. There were definitely two shots. One hit me in the foot. I was bleeding quite lot.' Mr Stables said he used a rope for a tourniquet and went to York Hospital's accident and emergency unit, where he was dropped off by his friend Barron, 40. The injured man gave three different versions of how he suffered his shotgun injuries before eventually admitting a farmer shot him. He said he was still on painkillers and anti-depressants because of the injuries to his foot. The court heard Mr Stables had a criminal history with convictions for burglary, theft and possession of an offensive weapon. He was also on a police intelligence list as a person active in rural crime after an incident in the Yorkshire Dales where an officer threatened him with CS spray. The defence claimed Stables and Barron were there to steal diesel not hunt for rabbits. Roderick Hunt, defending, told Stables: 'You just made it up. It is the dog defence that burglars have when they are stopped by the police.' The case continues. Theresa May has scheduled a major Commons statement on Tuesday raising hopes she could use it to trigger Article 50 and launch her Brexit talks. In a rare move, Commons Leader David Lidington today announced the Prime Minister's usual statement to MPs on the EU council has been bumped from Monday to Tuesday, blaming 'diary commitments'. Historic legislation handing Mrs May the power to invoke Article 50 - the EU's divorce procedure - is slated to be law as soon as Monday night if peers back down in a row with MPs. It means by the time Mrs May rises to the Despatch Box to speak to MPs at around 12.30pm on Tuesday, she could hold the power to trigger Article 50. Such an historic move would normally be announced to MPs first, fuelling speculation her statement is the ideal moment to invoke the will of the people. Theresa May could announce she has triggered Article 50 as soon as Tuesday if the Brexit Bill clears the Lords on Monday night Mrs May was in Brussels today for a regular EU summit and was greeted by German Chancellor Angela Merkel Mrs May is meeting her EU counterparts in Brussels today but Brexit is not due to be formally discussed. No 10 sources said the exact date for triggering Article 50 would be announced 'in due course', repeating the timetable of triggering by the end of March, but did not deny it could be Tuesday. Senior Tory MPs said it was an 'exciting' prospect but there were warnings not to 'second guess' the Lords. Nigel Evans told MailOnline he expected the legislative battle over Article 50 to end on Monday night and he said: 'This will give the PM a platform to announce the UK's position and the date she would expect to trigger Article 50. 'This will greatly strengthen Theresa's hand and at last the phoney war can end and the real negotiations can start.' He added: 'If the Lords pass our Bill without amendments and the Queen has given consent I hope the PM triggers Article 50 on Tuesday.' At the summit in Brussels today, Mrs May took the highly unusual step of shunning the media as she arrived amid pressure on the Government over the Budget. The legislative battle to hand Mrs May power to trigger Article 50 could end on Monday night, potentially paving the way for her to start official talks as soon as Tuesday Mrs May, pictured with EU leaders today, is due to make a regular statement to MPs on Tuesday in which an announcement could be made The Prime Minister did not walk down the red carpet in front of the cameras as she arrived for the European Council summit in Brussels, unlike most other EU leaders. There was further bad news for Mrs May as Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny indicated he would back demands for Britain to pay a Brexit 'divorce bill', which could reportedly rise 52 billion. Speaking to reporters as he arrived at the summit, Mr Kenny said: 'When you sign on for a contract you commit yourself to participation. 'And obviously the extent of that level of money will be determined. 'Mr (Michel) Barnier is the lead negotiator for the European Union and obviously Britain will have a say. 'But that no more than any other problem will have to be faced, it will have to be dealt with and it will be dealt with.' Mrs May appeared to be warmly greeted by her EU colleagues in Brussels today unlike at previous chillier occasions Donald Trump is asking congressional conservatives to go bowling. The president's folksy blue-collar turn with members of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus could be the first of several monthly or even weekly such get-togethers. The idea is a White House charm offensive calculated to win over Republicans who are skeptical of the American Health Care Act, a replacement for Obamacare that has the GOP's tea party wing complaining. Arizona Rep. Trent Franks, one of the Freedom Caucus members, told CNN that he'll be at the bowling outing to hear the White House's pitch, even if Trump only makes an appearance and doesn't knock down any pins himself. Office of Management and Budget director Mick Mulvaney will be the main draw. Pizza will reportedly be served. COME BOWL AT MY HOUSE: President Donald Trump is inviting members of the House Freedom Caucus to go bowling with OMB director Mick Mulvaney for a health care arm-twisting session at the White House bowling alley The Freedom Caucus includes the House of Representatives' most conservative members; they believe the current Republican legislation to replace Obamacare is too weak Kai Madison Trump, 9, enjoyed the White House bowling alley with her mom and dad on grandpa Donald's first full day as president President Trump tweeted at noon on Thursday that reports of health care tension among Republicans are overblown 'Invitations to the White House are not terribly uncommon, but if it gives us an opportunity to hear some reasonable input, then I'm excited to hear it,' Franks said. 'I think communication is a good thing, it doesn't even have to be charming, you know, if that's not conducive to effective communication.' The president predicted Thursday at noon that he will ultimately be successful. 'Despite what you hear in the press, healthcare is coming along great. We are talking to many groups and it will end in a beautiful picture,' he tweeted. His spokesman confidently told a reporter a little later that there was no reason to consider a conservative-backed option to pass a repeal bill that doesn't include a replacement. 'This bill will land on the president's desk. He will sign it. We will repeal Obamacare,' press secretary Sean Spicer stated. Franks said he's been to the White House's bowling alley once before on the Super Bowl Sunday shortly after Barack Obama took up residence. The original White House bowling alley is pictured after its installation in 1948 President Richard Nixon, an avid bowler, moved the alley back to the White House after Eisenhower had relocated it to the Old Executive Office Building to make space for a mimeograph copying room President Harry Truman used his bowling alley to honor paralyzed bowling champions after they won a tournament organized by the Veterans Administration The facility isn't fancy just a single bowling lane lined with mirrors but it's already gotten a workout. A White House spokesperson said Thursday that it's not clear whether the current President of the United States has visited it. Donald Trump Jr., his wife Vanessa and their daughter Kai tested it out on the day after the president took the oath of office, however. White House bowlers have their choice of balls and a rack full of shoes, plus computerized scoring terminals to take the guesswork out of calculating strikes and spares. The first bowling facility at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue was a 2-lane alley built where the White House Situation Room now stands, in the West Wing. Donald Trump Jr, his wife Vanessa and their daughter Kai went bowling at the White House on the president's first full day in office It was a 1948 birthday gift to President Harry Truman, who promptly announced that he didn't like to bowl. But he let White House staff start a league, with at least one team that competed in tournaments across the country. Eight years later, during the Eisenhower administration, the White House tore it down to install a room for mimeograph paper copying. A single lane was installed in the Old Executive Office Building instead. President Richard Nixon, who liked to bowl with first lady Pat Nixon, replaced that with the current alley in 1969. Nixon's friends, not taxpayers, paid for it. It stands in the White House basement beneath the driveway that leads to the North Portico. A Republican-led Senate committee on Thursday narrowly approved the nomination of the combative lawyer selected by President Donald Trump to be ambassador to Israel, brushing aside concerns that David Friedman lacked the temperament for such a critical diplomatic post. Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted largely along party lines, 12-9, to recommend that the full Senate consider Friedman's nomination. New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, sided with the committee's 11 Republicans in favor of Friedman. The committee's other nine Democrats opposed the choice. Friedman, Trump's former bankruptcy lawyer, tried to use his confirmation hearing a month ago to repair the damage from his past verbal attacks on political opponents. He assured senators that he regretted using inflammatory language and promised to be 'respectful and measured' if confirmed. U.S. Ambassador-designate David Friedman got one step closer to Israel on Thursday with a 12-9 Senate committee vote that included one crossover Democrat President Donald Trump, shown Thursday in a White House meeting with community bankers, nominated Friedman for the post, seeing him as a natural conservative ally to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu During that hearing, Friedman acknowledged he deserved criticism for incendiary comments that targeted former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, liberal Jewish advocacy groups and others. Friedman had called one group, J Street, 'worse than kapos' a reference to Jews who helped the Nazis imprison others Jews during the Holocaust. He also accused Obama of 'anti-Semitism.' Republicans said Friedman's atonement satisfied them. But Democrats argued the record of divisive statements cannot be erased and will compromise Friedman's effectiveness as Trump's envoy to Israel. Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine said Friedman's contentious history is regrettable because he has such a deep knowledge of Israel and the Middle East. Kaine, echoing the sentiment of other Democrats, said he couldn't support Friedman because of the nominee's 'penchant' for over-the-top and even false statements. 'While it is clear that David Friedman is committed to the U.S.-Israel relationship, his history of inflammatory rhetoric is poorly matched for this role,' Kaine said. Dylan Williams, J Street's vice president for government affairs, said in a statement after the committee's vote that it was 'by far the most contested vote on a nominee for U.S. ambassador to Israel ever.' The small margin of approval, Williams added, 'is a clear signal that he is a completely inappropriate and disastrous choice for such an important position.' The leaders of the largest branch of American Judaism, the liberal Union for Reform Judaism, last month urged senators to reject Friedman, citing his 'extreme views' and dearth of professional foreign policy experience. The group, which is the largest association of synagogues in America, said it has never before opposed the nomination of an ambassador to Israel. 'There can be no doubt that David Friedman loves Israel or that he has an extraordinarily close relationship with President Trump, but those are not the essential qualifications of a U.S. ambassador to Israel,' the group said. His background and temperament make it more likely he'll 'inflame divisions' rather than bridge divides, it said. Five former U.S. ambassadors to Israel, who served Democratic and Republican presidents, called Friedman unfit for the post in a February letter to members of the committee. The son of an Orthodox rabbi, Friedman has been a fervent supporter of Israeli settlements and a staunch defender of Israel's government. He also runs a nonprofit that raises millions of dollars for Beit El, a settlement of religious nationalists near Ramallah in the West Bank. Beit El runs a right-wing news outlet and a yeshiva whose dean has urged Israeli soldiers to refuse orders to uproot settlers from their homes. The Yesha Council, an umbrella group representing Israel's more than 120 West Bank settlements, congratulated Friedman on securing the committee's approval. 'Friedman is a true friend of Israel that has a deep understanding of the reality on the ground and he will be a great asset to Israeli-American relations,' said Oded Revivi, the council's chief foreign envoy. Zaharie Ahmad Shah (pictured) was the pilot of the doomed flight DID THE PILOT HIJACK HIS OWN PLANE? Pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah planned mass murder because of personal problems, locking his co-pilot out of the cockpit, closing down all communications, depressurising the main cabin and then disabling the aircraft so that it continued flying on auto-pilot until it ran out of fuel. That was the popular theory in the weeks after the plane's disappearance. His personal problems, rumours in Kuala Lumpur said, included a split with his wife Fizah Khan, and his fury that a relative, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, had been given a five-year jail sentence for sodomy shortly before he boarded the plane for the flight to Beijing. But the pilot's wife angrily denied any personal problems and other family members and his friends said he was a devoted family man and loved his job. This theory was also the conclusion of the first independent study into the disaster by the New Zealand-based air accident investigator, Ewan Wilson. Wilson, the founder of Kiwi Airlines and a commercial pilot himself, arrived at the shocking conclusion after considering 'every conceivable alternative scenario'. However, he has not been able to provide any conclusive evidence to support his theory. The claims are made in the book 'Goodnight Malaysian 370', which Wilson co-wrote with the New Zealand broadsheet journalist, Geoff Taylor. It's also been rumoured that Zaharie used a flight simulator at his home to plot a path to a remote island. However, officials in Kuala Lumpur declared that Malaysian police and the FBI's technical experts had found nothing to suggest he was planning to hijack the flight after closely examining his flight simulator. And there are also theories that t he tragic disappearance may have been a heroic act of sacrifice by the pilot. Australian aviation enthusiast Michael Gilbert believes the doomed plane caught fire mid-flight, forcing the pilot to plot a course away from heavily populated areas. IF NOT THE PILOT, WAS THE CO-PILOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MYSTERY? Co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid, 27, again for personal problems, was suspected by rumour-spreaders to have overpowered the pilot and disabled the aircraft, flying it to its doom with crew and passengers unable to get through the locked cockpit door. Theorists have put forward the suggestion that he was having relationship problems and this was his dramatic way of taking his own life. But he was engaged to be married to Captain Nadira Ramli, 26, a fellow pilot from another airline, and loved his job. There are no known reasons for him to have taken any fatal action. There have been a series of outlandish theories about the disappearance of the plane Others have suggested that because he was known to have occasionally invited young women into the cockpit during a flight, he had done so this time and something had gone wrong. Young Jonti Roos said in March that she spent an entire flight in 2011 in the cockpit being entertained by Hamid, who was smoking. Interest in the co-pilot was renewed when it was revealed he was the last person to communicate from the cockpit after the communication system was cut off. DID THE RUSSIANS STEAL MH370 AND FLY THE JET TO KAZAKHSTAN An expert has claimed the missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 was hijacked on the orders of Vladimir Putin and secretly landed in Kazakhstan. Jeff Wise, a U.S. science writer who spearheaded CNN's coverage of the Boeing 777-200E, has based his outlandish theory on pings that the plane gave off for seven hours after it went missing, that were recorded by British telecommunications company Inmarsat. Wise believes that hijackers 'spoofed' the plane's navigation data to make it seem like it went in another direction, but flew it to the Baikonur Cosmodrome, which is leased from Kazakhstan by Russia. However, Wise admits in New York Magazine that he does not know why Vladimir Putin would want to steal a plane full of people and that his idea is somewhat 'crazy'. Wise also noted there were three Russian men onboard the flight, two of them Ukrainian passport holders. Aviation disaster experts analysed satellite data and discovered - like the data recorded by Inmarsat - that the plane flew on for hours after losing contact. Careful examination of the evidence has revealed that MH370 made three turns after the last radio call, first a turn to the left, then two more, taking the plane west, then south towards Antarctica. MH370 WAS USED BY TERRORISTS FOR A SUICIDE ATTACK ON THE CHINESE NAVY This extraordinary claim came from 41-year-old British yachtsman Katherine Tee, from Liverpool, whose initial account of seeing what she thought was a burning plane in the night sky made headlines around the world. On arrival in Thailand's Phuket after sailing across the Indian Ocean from Cochin, southern India with her husband, she said: 'I could see the outline of the plane - it looked longer than planes usually do.There was what appeared to be black smoke streaming from behind.' Ms Tee's general description of the time and place was vague and she lost all credibility when she later stated on her blog that she believed MH370 was a kamikaze plane that was aimed at a flotilla of Chinese ships and it was shot down before it could smash into the vessels. Without solid proof of the satellite data, she wrote on her blog, Saucy Sailoress, the plane she saw was flying at low altitude towards the military convoy she and her husband had seen on recent nights. She added that internet research showed a Chinese flotilla was in the area at the time. While the debris proved the plane went down in the Indian Ocean, the location of the main underwater wreckage and its crucial black box data recorders remains stubbornly elusive. THE JET LANDED ON THE WATER AND WAS SEEN FLOATING ON THE ANDAMAN SEA On a flight from Jeddah to Kuala Lumpur that crossed over the Andaman Sea on March 8, Malaysian woman Raja Dalelah, 53, saw what she believed was a plane sitting on the water's surface. She didn't know about the search that had been started for MH370. She alerted a stewardess who told her to go back to sleep. 'I was shocked to see what looked like the tail and wing of an aircraft on the water,' she said. It was only when she told her friends on landing in Kuala Lumpur what she had seen that she learned of the missing jet. She had seen the object at about 2.30pm Malaysian time. She said she had been able to identify several ships and islands before noticing the silver object that she said was a plane. But her story was laughed off by pilots who said it would have been impossible to have seen part of an aircraft in the water from 35,000ft or seven miles. Ms Raja filed an official report with police the same day and has kept to her story. 'I know what I saw,' she said. THE AIRCRAFT SUFFERED A CATASTROPHIC SYSTEMS FAILURE AND CRASH-LANDED ON THE OCEAN A catastrophic event such as a fire disabling much of the equipment resulted in the pilots turning the plane back towards the Malaysian peninsula in the hope of landing at the nearest airport. Satellite data, believable or not, suggests the aircraft did make a turn and theorists say there would be no reason for the pilots to change course unless confronted with an emergency. A fire in a similar Boeing 777 jet parked at Cairo airport in 2011 was found to have been caused by a problem with the first officer's oxygen mask supply tubing. Stewarts Law, which has litigated in a series of recent air disasters, believes the plane crashed after a fire - similar to the blaze on the Cairo airport runway - broke out in the cockpit. After an investigation into the Cairo blaze, Egypt's Aircraft Accident Investigation Central Directorate (EAAICD) released their final report which revealed that the fire originated near the first officer's oxygen mask supply tubing. The cause of the fire could not be conclusively determined, but investigators pinpointed a problem with the cockpit hose used to provide oxygen for the crew in the event of decompression. Following the 2011 fire, US aircraft owners were instructed to replace the system - it was estimated to cost $2,596 (1,573) per aircraft. It was not known whether Malaysia Airlines had carried out the change. If either pilot wanted to crash the plane, why turn it around? So the turn-around suggests they were trying to land as soon as possible because of an emergency. THE US SHOT DOWN THE AIRCRAFT FEARING A TERROR ATTACK ON DIEGO GARCIA The Boeing 777 was shot down by the Americans who feared the aircraft had been hijacked and was about to be used to attack the U.S. military base on Diego Garcia atoll in the Indian Ocean. So conspiracy theorists claim. And former French airline director Marc Dugain said he had been warned by British intelligence that he was taking risks by investigating this angle. There is no way of checking whether Dugain received such a warning or why he believes the Americans shot down the plane. But adding to the theory that the aircraft was flown to Diego Garcia, either by the pilot Zaharie or a hijacker, was the claim that on the pilot's home flight simulator was a 'practice' flight to the island. Professor Glees said: 'The Americans would have no interest in doing anything of the kind and not telling the world. 'In theory, they might wish to shoot down a plane they thought was attacking them but they wouldn't just fire missiles, they'd investigate it first with fighters and would quickly realise that even if it had to be shot down, the world would need to know.' Former dinner lady Terri Spragg, 35, of Ryde, Isle of Wight, had sex with the 14-year-old on the floor of her kitchen after drinking alcohol A mother-of-four who was spared jail for having sex with a schoolboy on her kitchen floor has now been locked up by top judges - who ruled her original sentence was too soft. Former dinner lady Terri Spragg, 35, of Ryde, Isle of Wight, had sex with the 14-year-old on the floor of her kitchen after drinking alcohol - and even warned him not to tell anyone as she would go to prison. She was handed a 15-month suspended sentence at Newport Crown Court in January. But Spragg will today begin a three-year jail term, after judges sitting at the Court of Appeal, in London, ruled her original punishment was 'unduly lenient'. The court heard she continued to message the youngster after they had sex - becoming jealous when he got a girlfriend of his own age. She also tried to cover her tracks by deleting social media traffic between her and the victim. Her crimes were discovered after a relative of the victim became concerned about his behaviour and found text messages from Spragg on his mobile phone. Spragg's case was referred to the Appeal Court by Solicitor General Robert Buckland, who asked three senior judges to review her sentence. Lawyers argued the crown court judge didn't take enough account of the serious nature of the offences, or the large age gap between Spragg and her victim. Jailing her for three years, Lord Justice Treacy said her original sentence was 'unduly lenient'. Sitting with Mr Justice Gilbart and Sir John Griffth Williams, he said that, while she experienced problems in her life which may have 'clouded her judgment' at the time, she knew exactly what she was doing. He added: 'This 14-year-old was less than half the offender's age and he had no previous sexual experience. 'That there may have been a sexual attraction between them is nothing to the point - this legislation is designed to protect young people from their urges and from those who should know better than to take advantage of the situation. 'It is perfectly clear that she fully appreciated the wrong she was doing, as her comments at the time and her attempts to cover up her social media trail demonstrate. 'She went into this series of offences with her eyes wide open and she was fully aware of the consequences for her if she were to have been found out.' Spragg was ordered to hand herself in at Newport police station by 5pm today. President Donald Trump could send B-52 nuclear bombers to the Korean peninsula as the arms race with Kim Jong-un's North Korea continues to escalate. The annual Foal Eagle military exercise, involving American and South Korean land, air and naval forces, kicked off yesterday. It comes only days after Pyongyang launched four ballistic missiles 600 miles into the Sea of Japan in an alarming show of strength. The US has a large fleet of B-52 bombers (pictured), some of which can carry nuclear weapons A US military official told the Korea Times the B-52 and B-1B strategic bombers at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam might join a joint exercise with South Korean forces. North Korea said this week its missile launches were training for a strike on US bases in Japan, as President Trump warned Kim of 'dire consequences' and deployed missiles to South Korea. The regime also released pictures of Kim Jong-un watching the launch of the missiles and applauding with a wild grin on his face. Three of the four missiles fired, pictured, came down provocatively close to US ally Japan, in waters that are part of its exclusive economic zone, representing a challenge to US President Donald Trump Three of the four missiles fired Monday came down provocatively close to US ally Japan, in waters that are part of its exclusive economic zone, representing a challenge to US President Donald Trump. The Foal Eagle exercise will involve 300,000 South Korean troops and 15,000 US personnel and will last until the end of April. The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson is steaming across the Pacific to join the exercise. It is carrying 24 F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets, 10 S-3 Viking anti-submarine aircraft, four EA-6B Prowler tactical jamming aircraft and four E-2 Hawkeye early-warning planes. US Secretary of Defense James Mattis spoke on the phone to his opposite number in South Korea, Han Min-koo, and said Washington remained 'steadfast in its commitment' to Seoul. North Korea news sources showed the country's leader, Kim Jong-Un, smiling and clapping as the nuclear-armed nation launched three missiles in training for a strike on US bases in Japan Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said: 'He further emphasized that any attack on the United States or its allies will be defeated, and any use of nuclear weapons will be met with a response that is effective and overwhelming.' In a phone call, Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned that the threat from North Korea had 'entered a new stage.' Meanwhile, Washington and Seoul have agreed to deploy a US missile defense system called THAAD to South Korea, which has infuriated China, the North's key diplomatic ally and crucial to efforts to persuade it to change its ways. Scroll down for video Kim Jong-Un, pictured, gave the order for the drill to start, North Korea's official Korea Central News Agency reported. 'Feasting his eyes on the trails of ballistic rockets,' he praised the Hwasong artillery unit that carried it out, the government news agency said The news agency commented said the missiles are 'tasked to strike the bases of the US imperialist aggressor forces in Japan in contingency.' Pictured: The four missiles 'The four ballistic rockets launched simultaneously are so accurate that they look like acrobatic flying corps in formation, he said,' the agency added, referring to Kim. Photographs published by Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed Kim watching the missiles rise into the air And the UN Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting for Wednesday after a request by Washington and Tokyo to discuss additional measures following the launch. Under UN resolutions, Pyongyang is barred from any use of ballistic missile technology, and the US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said on Twitter that the world 'won't allow' North Korea to continue on its 'destructive path.' THADD, or Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, systems are in place in Hawaii and Guam to defend against North Korea but this is the first time the US has deployed one in South Korea, NBC News reported. Parts of the THAAD system arrived in South Korea by Monday, despite Beijing's proclamation that the US defense system is 'a clear, present and substantive threat to China's security interests.' The Defense Ministry said the missiles flew about 539 nautical miles after being launched from Tongchang-ri (Sohae Satellite Launching Station). Three missiles fell within Japan's exclusive economic zone (pictured light blue), 188 miles to 215 miles west of the Oga Peninsula The attack by North Korea comes as global condemnation of the regime swelled. Pictured: A US Air Force reconnaissance aircraft landing at Osan Air Base near Seoul, South Korea, on March 6 On Monday, the US military began deploying an anti-ballistic missile defense system, 'Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense' (THAAD), to South Korea following the attacks. The parts are arriving at Osan US Air Base in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned that the threat from North Korea had 'entered a new stage.' Pictured: Abe and Trump at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort on February 11 Trump has described North Korea as a 'big, big problem' and vowed to deal with the issue 'very strongly.' White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Monday the administration was taking steps to 'enhance our ability to defend against North Korea's ballistic missiles.' The New York Times reported at the weekend that under former president Barack Obama the US stepped up cyber attacks against North Korea to try to sabotage its missiles before launch or just as they lift off. Washington and Seoul have agreed to deploy a US missile defense system called THAAD to South Korea, which has infuriated China, the North's key diplomatic ally and crucial to efforts to persuade it to change its way. Pictured: A South Korea news broadcast of the missile test A television displays news broadcast's infographics reporting on North Korea test-firing ballistic missiles, at a station in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday THADD, or Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, systems are in place in Hawaii and Guam to defense against North Korea but this is the first time the US has deployed one in South Korea. Pictured: Military trucks at a US army unit in Dongducheon, South Korea Trump has described North Korea as a 'big, big problem' and vowed to deal with the issue 'very strongly.' Pictured: Elements of the THAAD anti-ballistic missile defense system being deployed to Osan US Air Base in South Korea Parts of the THAAD system arrived in South Korea by Monday, despite Beijing's proclamation that the US defense system is 'a clear, present and substantive threat to China's security interests.' Pictured: A South Korea sentry post at the Demilitarized Zone separating the Koreas Military personnel walk past Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force missile interceptor unit, which was deployed to counter North Korea's launch of ballistic missiles TERMINAL HIGH ALTITUDE AREA DEFENSE Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) is a US army anti-ballistic missile system currently deployed in Hawaii and Guam. Operations to install THAAD in South Korea commenced Monday, March 6, following increased aggression from North Korea. South Korea and the United States agreed last year to install the THAAD system, which China has repeatedly denounced as a threat to its security. On installing THAAD in SK, the Pacific Command said: '(THAAD) contributes to a layered missile defense system and enhances the US-ROK Alliance's defense against North Korean missile threats.' The system is meant to intercept and destroy short and medium-range ballistic missiles during their final phase of flight. An AFP graphic illustrates THAAD's four-part response. First, radar detects a ballistic missile and the incoming threat is identified and engaged. The THAAD interceptor, which is composed of a booster and a 'kill vehicle,' is launched from the launcher, a vehicle that can carry up to eight interceptors. Fire control and communications support are on hand as the kill vehicle separates from the booster after launch. The interceptor uses kinetic energy to destroy the ballistic missile. The system is considered to be highly deployable and its manufacturer is Lockheed Martin. It is able to target missiles from both inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere. The system has had a perfect track record in flight testing since 2005, Lockheed Martin reports. Advertisement South Korea officials said Monday that four missiles were fired from Tongchang County in North Pyongan province, travelling about 620 miles. Pictured: South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo Pyongyang regularly issues threats against its enemies, and carried out two atomic tests and a series of missile launches last year, but Monday was only the second time its devices have come down in Japan's EEZ. The launches came ahead of a trip by new US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to the region. Choi Kang, an analyst at the Seoul-based Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said the launch was a warning to Tokyo. 'North Korea is demonstrating that its target is not just limited to the Korean peninsula anymore but can extend to Japan at anytime and even the US,' he said. Kim Jong-Un ordered his military 'to keep highly alert as required by the grim situation in which an actual war may break out anytime.' Pictured: Kim Jong-Un guiding the test-fire of a missile in an undated photo NORTH KOREA'S MISSILE SYSTEM It is not yet clear which type of missiles were shot by North Korea into the Sea of Japan Monday. The nuclear-armed nation said Tuesday its missile launches were training for a strike on US bases in Japan. Three of the four missiles fired Monday came down provocatively close to US ally Japan, in waters that are part of its exclusive economic zone. North Korea could have as many as 1,000 missiles, a mixture of short-range, medium-range, intermediate-range and intercontinental-range. Intercontinental missiles, which can be shot more than 3,500 miles, would, depending on its longevity, be able to hit the United States from North Korea. Its program began in the 1970s with Scuds, or Soviet-developed missiles, that are believed to have been brought from Egypt. By the 1980s North Korea was building Hwasongs, or unique versions of the Soviet missile. The military was producing medium-range missiles, with a range of up to 2,000 miles, by the 1980s and had sold some of its artillery to other countries. More recently, the country has developed missiles with significantly wider ranges including the Taepodong-2, whose range could be as high as 9,300 miles though is more conservatively estimated to be 3,700. And it is believed that the country has been developing an even longer-ranging missile called the KN-08. The Pentagon believes the Asian nation could have six or more KN-08 missiles. Source: BBC Advertisement Pictured is a satellite image take in 2013 of the Sohae Satellite Launching Station in Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province Beijing has become increasingly frustrated with Pyongyang's nuclear and missile activities, and last month announced a suspension of all coal imports from the North until the end of the year - a crucial source of foreign currency. Pyongyang wants to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the US mainland - something Trump has vowed would not happen. It has undoubtedly made progress in its efforts in recent years, although questions remain over its ability to master re-entry technology and miniaturize a nuclear weapon sufficiently to fit it onto a missile warhead. Seoul said four missiles were fired from Tongchang County in North Pyongan province, travelling about 620 miles. Devon John Eason was arrested after allegedly beating his four-year-old son because he couldn't pronounce the word 'four' When Devon John Eason's 4-year-old son couldn't pronounce the word 'four,' authorities in Maryland say the father beat the boy severely enough to send him to the hospital. The Herald-Mail newspaper reports court records show the 33-year-old Eason faces second-degree child abuse and second-degree assault charges. Documents say the boy's mother took him to a hospital around 3am on February 28 with bruises on his head, face, back, buttocks and one leg. Some of his hair had been pulled from his scalp. Hospital officials determined the injuries were consistent with physical abuse. The boy told investigators his father beat him because he was mad he couldn't pronounce the word 'four' properly. He said his dad scratched his face, pulled his hair and hit him 'too many times'. The child's six-year-old brother also told detectives he saw the beating. The boy's mother said she noticed his injuries when she returned home from work the night of February 27. She then ordered Eason out of the house, and called a relative to help her take her son to the hospital. Eason, who lives in the Hagerstown area, was ordered held without bail at his first hearing on Wednesday. Assistant Public Defender Brian Hutchison told visiting District Judge Ralph H. France II that Eason was a stay-at-home dad who had been out of work for a year after losing his transportation. If released on bail, Hutchinson said his client would stay with relatives. Prosecutors asked that bail be set no lower than $250,000 since Eason was already on probation for a conviction of driving under the influence and that he be ordered not to have contact with minors. One of Britain's most decorated soldiers who counted royals and A-list celebrities as friends has died just weeks after the birth of his first child. Lieutenant Colonel Paul Holder joined the army aged 16 and served around the world in Afghanistan, Ireland, Germany, Hong Kong, and most recently in Africa, during a glittering 33-year career. Lieutenant Colonel Paul Holder, one of Britain's most decorated soldiers, has died just ten weeks after witnessing the birth of his son Frank (pictured together, with his wife Annemiek) He worked on aid projects in Africa, where became close friends with stars including James Bond actor Daniel Craig and Sean Penn, who went on to be his son's godfather He also worked tirelessly in aid programmes overseas, helping to build schools and hospitals in the wake of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, where he became friends with stars including James Bond actor Daniel Craig and Sean Penn, who went on to be his son's godfather. He attended various events at Buckingham Palace, meeting the Queen on numerous occasions, and helped organise her 90th birthday and golden jubilee celebrations. Recently he was awarded the ceremonial Master Carmen title, which meant he often attended events alongside HRH Princess Anne. Lieutenant Colonel Holder, who was born in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire, but lived in London, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in October and passed away on Sunday surrounded by friends and family. It comes after he married partner Annemiek in Holland in October, witnessed the birth of his first son Frank ten weeks ago and celebrated his 50th birthday in January. Speaking from her home in Stonehouse, today, his mother Valerie Anne Farley described Paul as 'the love of my life'. PRESTIGIOUS CAREER AND ACCOLADES Paul Holder joined the army aged 16 and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel He served in Afghanistan, Ireland, Germany, Hong Kong, and most recently in Africa Last year Paul was involved in the celebrations for the Queen's 90th birthday Recently he was awarded the ceremonial Master Carmen title, which meant he often attended events alongside HRH Princess Anne He will be given full military honours at his funeral, which will be held in London, opposite Buckingham Palace, on Wednesday, March 15 Advertisement She said: 'We're heartbroken by his death, he will be greatly missed. 'Paul was very funny, loving and caring man who loved his family very much. He lived life to the full and saw so much of the world. 'He worshipped Annemiek and their baby, so I know how much it meant to him to be able to see his son enter the world. 'He had the Christening not too long ago and you could see how much it meant to Paul. It so sad Frank will not get to grow up with his father by his side. 'Paul was very talented and had all kind of hobbies and passions. 'He was also an incredibly generous person and was always involved in some kind of charity event or another. 'He was recently awarded the ceremonial Master Carmen title, which meant he often attended events alongside HRH Princess Anne. 'He once spent Christmas in Haiti with Sean Penn, where they worked together building a school and a hospital for people whose communities had been destroyed. 'The world is very different when you are 13 or 14, it feels huge and you feel untouchable - but many of our young girls feel vulnerable. 'He was so well loved so I know there are a lot of people in Stroud who will miss him. We were all so proud of him and all he had achieved.' He was awarded the ceremonial Master Carmen title, which meant he attended events with Princess Anne (pictured with his mother Valerie Farley, 69, and sister Joanna Turl, 49) Paul joined the cadets at 11, igniting a passion that would endure the rest of his life. After leaving school aged 16 he then joined the Royal Corps of Transport. Over the next three decades years he progressed through the officer ranks from Second Lieutenant to First Lieutenant, Major, Captain and on to Lieutenant Colonel. He was also commanding officer of the Scottish Transport Regiment and travelled across the country attending military service events and armed forces days. We're heartbroken by his death, he will be greatly missed Last year, Paul was involved in the celebrations for the Queen's 90th birthday. In his role as Master Carman, he donned a Superman costume to abseil down one of London's most iconic buildings to support the annual Lord Mayor's Appeal in 2015. Paul will be given full military honours at his funeral, which will be held in London, opposite Buckingham Palace, at 1pm on Wednesday, March 15. Hundreds are expected to attend, including leading military personal in the British Armed Forces. Before his passing, Paul was able to choose the hymns and songs played at the service. His family invited friends and colleagues to attend. Six babies have been infected with herpes after New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio lifted regulations on the the controversial Jewish circumcision ritual, health officials said. The ancient Orthodox Jewish practice known as metzitzah b'peh, requires a mohel, the person performing the circumcision, to suck blood from the baby's wound. In the most recent case, a baby was taken to the hospital after developing a rash on his genitals, buttocks, and thigh 15 days after undergoing the procedure, the city health department said in an alert Wednesday. Ancient ritual: The ancient Orthodox Jewish practice known as metzitzah b'peh, requires a mohel, the person performing the circumcision, to suck blood from the baby's wound (stock photo) The ritual has become controversial since its been linked to multiple cases of neonatal herpes Doctors found the newborn had been infected with herpes simplex virus-1, more commonly known as oral herpes (HSV-1). The baby boy was hospitalized for two weeks and is now recovering. The ultra-Orthodox ritual has become controversial because of the health risks to infants as mohels are not even required to be tested for herpes. In 2016 two cases were linked to the ritual and three cases were reported in 2015, according to the Health Department. Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg had implemented restrictions requiring parental consent forms to be signed before the male infants undergo the circumcision. However, Mayor Bill de Blasio lifted the requirements in 2015 after he promised the Hasidic Jewish community to scrap rule the during his campaign. Leaders in the Orthodox group had argued that the regulations violated their religious freedom. Instead, de Blasio required doctors to distribute pamphlets warning parents about the risks, but health department officials said they have not been effective, the New York Post reported. Health officials said the ritual has been linked 24 cases of herpes since 2000. Two of the infants who were infected suffered brain damaged and two died. On Wednesday the mayor said the city in is working to identify the mohel and expects 'full cooperation from the community. ' Vice President Mike Pence isn't backing up the president's charge that he was wiretapped by the previous administration. Pence demurred on Wednesday when an Ohio reporter asked him if he believes Donald Trump's claim that his phone lines at Trump Tower were tapped at the direction of Barack Obama. With out a warrant, such activity would be illegal. The former president would have committed a felony, ABC News 5 Cleveland's John Kosich pointed out. Vice President Mike Pence isn't backing up the president's charge that he was wiretapped by the previous administration. He demurred on Wednesday when an Ohio reporter asked if agrees with President Trump Asked for a 'yes or no' answer as to whether he believes that the former president did what the current one has alleged, Pence dodged the question. 'Well, what I can say is that the president and our administration are very confident that the congressional committees in the House and Senate that are examining issues surrounding the last election, the run-up to the last election, will do that in a thorough and equitable way. 'They'll look at those issues, they'll look at other issues that have been raised. But rest assured our focus is right where the American people are focused and that's on bringing more jobs here to Ohio, creating a better healthcare system built on consumer choice.' White House officials have provided no evidence that Obama ordered Trump's calls to be monitored. Pressed incessantly by reporters, officials have went mum, saying that the inflammatory allegation will be probed by congressional committees. Until, then, they say they're refusing to provide additional comment on the source of their information after previously ascribing it to news articles that said no such thing. A report in the conservative online publication Circa claimed yesterday that the FBI investigated a Trump Organization computer that it believed was contacting Russia, but nothing ever came of it. The surveillance the article described is not the same, however, as a wiretap, which is what Trump alleged. A source who spoke to Circa anonymously said misunderstandings about the different types of government surveillance has been adding to the confusion. 'We have people spouting off who dont know the difference between FISA surveillance and a wiretap or a counterintelligence probe versus a special prosecutor, and it has hurts our ability to get to the truth and has wrongly created the impression that intelligence officials have a political agenda,' the source said. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Wednesday here is 'no reason' to believe President Trump is the target of 'any investigation whatsoever' - including a counterintelligence probe White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer stated flatly that President Trump is not the 'target' of any investigation on Wednesday after earlier dancing around a question about whether he was the subject of a counterintelligence probe. The unusual question came up at the White House daily press briefing, days after Trump blasted out a series of tweets saying President Obama had tapped his phones and demanded an investigation. Although Trump offered no proof his communications were being monitored, his claims raised at least the possibility that there was a probe targeting Trump Tower, following earlier reports that the FBI was investigation contacts between Trump associates and the Russians. Margaret Brennan of CBS News asked Spicer directly whether Trump was the target of a counterintelligence investigation essentially a spy probe. 'I think thats what we need to find out,' Spicer responded, before going into a long critique of the media and its Russia coverage. Then, as he wrapped up the briefing, and after being handed notes by an aide on two occasions, Spicer went back to the issue, 'just to clarify.' 'I just want to be really clear on one point,' Spicer said. 'There is no reason that we have to think the president is the target of any investigation whatsoever,' Spicer said. 'There is no reason to believe that he is the target of any investigation. Thats a very important point to make,' he repeated. The he said that the tweets 'dealt with wiretaps during the thing.' 'The other is an investigation. They are two separate issues. And there is no reason to believe that there is any type of investigation with respect to the Department of Justice.' Spicer made his declarative statement after earlier saying 'I think thats what we need to find out' when asked whether Trump was the subject of a counterintelligence investigation Spicer returned to the subject at the end of the press briefing to say Trump was not the target of 'any' investigation In his earlier answer, Spicer said, 'There was considerable concern last cycle when a reporter was the target of one. Part of the reason that we have asked the House and Senate to look into this is because of that.' He complained: 'These stories that keep coming out about the president and his links to Russia. It has continuing to be the same old same old played over and over again.' 'The president has made clear that he has no interest in Russia,' Spicer said. 'And yet a lot of these stories that have come out with respect to that are frankly fake.' 'He doesn't know whether he is the target of a probe or not?' a reporter asked. 'That's one of the issues we have asked the Senate and the House to look into,' Spicer responded. The Washington Post reported the day before Trump's inauguration that U.S. officials were going through intercepted communications and financial data as part of an investigation into ties between the Russian government and Trump associates. In recent weeks it has been revealed that top Trump associates met with Russia's ambassador to the U.S., including Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The former senator has since recused himself from any probes involving the presidential election. A Florida couple have been charged with more than 300 counts each of child sex abuse involving 11 biological, adopted and foster children, some younger than 12. Daniel Spurgeon, 47, and his 52-year-old wife, Jenise Spurgeon, were arrested in Cape Coral, Florida, on outstanding warrants stemming from an ongoing investigation into allegations of sexual abuse in Florence, Alabama, where the couple had lived years earlier. According to the Florence Police Department, in July 2016, detectives in Alabama were contacted by their counterparts in Florida about abuse allegation involving the Spurgeons and 10 of their children, which sparked an investigation into their past conduct. Scroll down for video Stunning allegations: Jenise Spurgeon, 52, (left), and her husband Daniel Spurgeon, 47 (right) have been charged with more than 300 counts each of child sex abuse involving 11 biological, adopted and foster children, some younger than age 12 Happier times: The couple, pictured with two of their children years earlier, were first arrested in Florida in July 2016 on suspicion of sexual abuse The couple had lived in north Florence until 2015, when they relocated to Cape Coral. After conducting multiple interviews and gathering evidence in the case, police in Alabama issued warrants this week for the foster parents arrest. Daniel Spurgeon was already in the Lee County Jail in Florida with holds placed on him for the warrants in Alabama. Jenise Spurgeon was taken into custody on Wednesday during a court hearing on related charges in Florida. Mom: Mrs Spurgeon is facing 100 counts each of child abuse, endangering the welfare of a child and enticing a child for immoral purposes The husband and wife are currently awaiting extradition to Lauderdale County, Alabama. Mr Spurgeon is facing more than 100 counts each of first-degree sexual abuse, child abuse and enticing a child for immoral purposes. Others charges against him include sodomy; sexual torture; rape; domestic violence by strangulation; incest and human trafficking. The charges against Mrs Spurgeon include 100 counts each of child abuse, endangering the welfare of a child and enticing a child for immoral purposes, as well as a single count of domestic violence by strangulation and 11 counts of human trafficking. Florence police Sgt. Brad Holmes said the victims' ages range from toddlers to teenagers, reported Al.com. The News-Press reported that the case began unfolding in July 2016 when one of the Spurgeons' foster children, a daughter who is 19 years old and had moved out of their home last year, went to the police claiming that she had been sexually abused from age 12 to 16, while the family lived in Alabama. Shortly after, Jenise Spurgeon pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of aggravated child abuse. She had been out on $300,000 bond. Her husband was charged with 15 criminal counts in the Florida case, including sexual assault and lewd and lascivious behavior on a child between ages 12 and 18. As American universities prepare for spring break, a survey has revealed that 30 percent of college kids used their student loans to finance their wild week-long trips. So while the stereotype of the broke college student seems to ring true, youths may be at fault for digging themselves into a bigger hole of debt by using funds on lavish, booze-filled vacations. The company surveyed 500 students who are already indebted and found the numbers to equal to 2.38million students who use the government's money to party in the sun. Young and in debt: LendEDU reported that 30 percent of students use their loans to help pay for their spring break trips an increase from 20 percent last year The results show an increase from last year when 20 percent of students were found to have spent funds on dining out as well as spring breaks, according to Student Loan Hero. LendEDU called the numbers 'alarming and frustrating' as they also found in a separate study that nearly half of student borrowers incorrectly believed the government will forgive their loan balance after they graduate. One-third of respondents admitted to using the cash to pay for clothing and accessories, and nearly a quarter said they have used the money on alcohol. About 33 percent use funds on dining and approximately six percent said they've used the money to buy drugs. In an era of severe student debt in the US, the numbers are disappointing, the company said. A separate study found about half of parents said their retirement has been jeopardized after cosigning their children's loans. The student loan debt in America is currently up to $1.3billion and 44.2 percent of Americans are indebted. Migrant smuggling has expanded dramatically and is so prevalent in Europe it is now comparable to the illegal drugs market, a new report has warned. Criminal gangs have allegedly raked in huge sums of money amid the surge in refugees and migrants attempting to reach the continent. A report from Europol, the EU's law enforcement agency, describes people smuggling as a 'highly profitable and widespread criminal activity'. Migrants and refugees sit on a rubber boat during a rescue operation by Maltese NGO 'Moas' and the Italian Red Cross with the help of coastguards, off the Libyan coast in November 2016 A report from Europol, the EU's law enforcement agency, describes people smuggling as a 'highly profitable and widespread criminal activity'. Pictured: Refugees wait to be assisted by an NGO aboard an overcrowded rubber boat, about 20 miles North of Sabratha, Libya The 60-page study noted: 'The migrant smuggling business is now a large, profitable and sophisticated criminal market, comparable to the European drug markets.' Researchers found that the demand for smuggling services had grown significantly since 2014. Figures suggested networks offering 'facilitation services' to either reach or move within the EU generated an estimated 4.7 billion euro to 5.7 billion euro in profit in 2015, equivalent to between 4.1 billion and 5 billion at current exchange rates. These profits dipped last year, falling by nearly two billion euro, or 1.7 billion at today's rates, according to the assessment. It said: 'This development is in line with the overall decrease in the number of irregular migrants arriving in the EU and as a result of a fall in the prices for migrant smuggling services following the peak of the migration crisis in 2015.' Migrant smugglers originating from over 122 countries were involved in facilitating the journeys of irregular migrants to the EU, according to the study, while gangs relied heavily on social media to advertise their services. The findings emerged in the agency's serious and organised crime threat assessment for 2017. It revealed that more than 5,000 international organised crime groups were under investigation in the EU. Migrant smugglers originating from over 122 countries were involved in facilitating the journeys of irregular migrants to the EU, according to the study. Pictured: Spanish Marine Rescue Services assisting two boats full of migrants There had been a sharp increase in the proportion of gangs involved in more than one criminal activity, 45 per cent now compared to 33 per cent in 2013. The wide-ranging assessment, described as the most comprehensive study of serious and organised crime in the EU ever undertaken, also said: 1. The profits generated by some successful groups and individual criminals were enormous and rivalled those of multi-national corporations; 2. Drug production, trafficking and distribution remained the largest criminal markets in the EU; 3. The use of fraudulent documents was on the rise, and the sale or rental of travel or identity papers such as passports was an increasing concern; 4. Gangs used online services to facilitate burglaries, including by checking on social media whether possible victims were away from home; Figures suggested networks offering 'facilitation services' to either reach or move within the EU generated an estimated 4.7 billion euro to 5.7 billion euro in profit in 2015 The report said criminals were deploying and adapting technology 'with ever greater skill and to ever greater effect'. Europol director Rob Wainwright said: 'Criminals have always been adept at exploiting technology. 'However, the rate of technological innovation and the ability of organised criminals to adapt these technologies have been increasing steadily over recent years. 'Developments such as the emergence of the online trade in illicit goods and services are set to result in significant shifts in criminal markets and confront law enforcement authorities with new challenges.' The family of Liberty German, who was murdered alongside her friend Abigail Williams last month in Indiana, said they would never heal from her loss and pleaded with the killer 'to try to be a Christian man' and come forward. Liberty's grandfather, Mike Patty, spoke alongside his wife Becky, Thursday, during a press conference at the town buildings in Delphi, Indiana. Liberty, 14, and Abigail, 13, were found dead on February 14 close to Deer Creek along Delphi Historic Trail near the town of Delphi after going on an afternoon hike the previous day. Her grandfather, Mike Patty, said: 'A little over three weeks ago, February 13, our girls went missing. On February 14, they were found victims of a double homicide. Emotion: Mike Patty, 51, and his wife Becky, 57, prayed before Patty spoke out to plead with their granddaughter's murderer to come forward Lost: Abigail Williams, 13 (left), and Liberty German, 14 (right), were found dead on February 14 this year Just one clue: Liberty recorded the man police believe killed both the friends on a Snapchat video - and police led by Carroll Country Sheriff Tobe Leazenby say the man captured on the video is the prime suspect 'This horrible crime has put a hole in our families which will never heal. It's the small things that seem to hurt the most. 'It's just natural to holler for them to come to dinner or in the morning to get up and get ready for school. 'Then you expect them to come through the door after school. The silence when we don't hear her voice.' The grandfather fought back tears as he said that the best friends were excited about the upcoming softball season and the day before they were murdered, they had their equipment out playing catch and working on their batting in the backyard. 'But they'll never get to play a single game again,' he said, adding that there were 'too many ways to count' that their lives had been forever changed. He shared a phrase that was jokingly attached to Liberty in his family. When she was asked to pick up her coat or her school backpack, she would say: 'I will in a minute.' Patty then asked the public to afford his granddaughter that same minute to help find her killer. Praying for a breakthrough: The family's pastor Todd Ladd, of the Delphi United Methodist Church, led prayers before the press conference began Liberty posted what are likely to have been the girls' final moments alive on Snapchat, sharing photographs of their hike along Delphi Historical Trail (above) The bridge (above after their murder) was the last place the pair were seen alive 'I believe that if she were able to speak she would ask people, please give her this one minute she always asked for, to really study the picture and listen to the audio clip. 'Someone out there knows this person or persons. He's someone's neighbor, co-worker, family member, friend, husband or acquaintance. 'If you have any new information please take another minute from your day and help us collect all the pieces of this puzzle. We request that everyone please help Abby and Libby.' When asked what he would say to his granddaughter's killer, he paused before saying: 'Try to be a Christian man.' Patty also read a statement on behalf of the family of Abigail Williams. 'Abby and Libby loved each other,' he read. 'Throughout this tragedy we have honored their memories by respecting each other. We respect Libby's family's decision to speak publicly just as they respect our family's decision not to speak publicly.' The family's pastor, Todd Ladd, of the Delphi United Methodist Church, opened the press conference with a prayer while the grandparents hugged each other. Liberty's grandmother struggled to hold back her tears. Carroll Country Sheriff Tobe Leazenby thanked the public who had called in thousands of tips and added: 'We will get justice.' Patty urged the public to look out for someone who had recently changed their appearance cut their hair, shaved, was wearing different clothes or behaving differently and told them to not discount their initial instincts. 'Let law enforcement run that information and make that determination. However small it may seem, it's extremely vital that we have every tip we can get. Please, we need your help.' Libby was called a 'hero' by investigators for managing to take a picture of the prime suspect on her cell phone and record audio of a voice saying, 'Down the hill'. Sheriff Leazenby told DailyMail.com this week that he did not know where they would be in the investigation without this information. Police have not revealed a series of key details about the murders - including how the girls were killed. Support: Pastor Todd Ladd stood beside Becky Patty as her husband appealed for their granddaughter and her best friend's murderer to give himself up Tribute: Patty called the girls 'heroes' who had not deserted each other and said: 'Those girls loved each other, they were good friends. Neither one left each other's side.' Patty said Thursday: 'I'm glad she had the wherewithal to do that. I certainly hope that proves to be the vital piece that helps secure a resolution to this. 'She was a smart girl. We talked a lot about having the presence of mind in your surroundings. 'She was kind of a photo buff, both the girls were out there taking pictures, that's why they had gone out there in the first place, to catch the scenery and to do some videos of each other. That's just what kids do. 'Both the girls were heroes, they stuck together. I don't know exactly what happened out there that day but I imagine there was probably an opportunity for one or both to separate and make a break for it. 'Those girls loved each other, they were good friends. Neither one left each other's side.' Patty said that the last thing he said to his granddaughter was 'I love you'. 'In our house, it's always I love you. Every time that happens with all of our grandkids and all of our children. Before they got to bed, get up, drop them off at school, send a text message, it's I love you.' Sgt. John Perrine said that the reward for information which leads to the capture of the killer has now topped $224,000. Separately, both families have been sent donations in the girls' memory. Patty said the donations they have received in Libby's name would be used to establish a scholarship and the rest of the funds would be used to build a softball field and park in the girls' memory. 'They will be remembered forever and have something for everyone to enjoy. 'We've lost our children and nothing will bring them back but with your perseverance and help, we're confident that together we can bring justice to those responsible for this horrible crime.' He also said that more than 11,000 tips had come into the command center. 'Right now, 2,000 of those tips have been cleared with 110 per cent positivity that they are not related. Leazenby also said that every sex offender in Carroll County has been questioned and sex offenders across Indiana have been investigated. Above, a wall designated as a tribute to Liberty and Abigail at the command center for the investigation in Delphi A small memorial has been set up at the foot of Monon High Bridge, near where the bodies of Liberty and Abigail were found 'There are currently 1500 tips in the queue that need to be assigned to investigators and looked into.' The deputy addressed a number of rumors circulating on social media that the suspect was a local person and in other rumors, it was someone who wasn't local. 'I want to emphasize that we do not have that information,' he said. 'We don't want people rationalizing their tip. Please if you know anything, trust your gut and give us a call.' He also addressed rumors that the Delphi murders were connected to other crimes in different parts of the country including the murder of two young female cousins in Iowa five years ago. 'As is protocol with any investigation of this nature, we compare to unsolved crimes throughout the nation. Part of that is the double homicide in Iowa,' Sgt Perrine said. 'At this time, we have spoken with investigators in Iowa. It appears to be coincidental that the two cases are similar but based on the evidence we are not able to connect the two cases at this time.' He added: 'Spreading rumors could be detrimental to our case because it could lead people who might have information to believe that we have information that we don't. Sheriff Leazenby, who is in charge of the double murder investigation, told DailyMail.com this week that despite 11,000 tips from across the U.S., a sweep of the county's sex offenders' register and 200 investigators working daily on the case, they are no closer to solving the crime. Three weeks on, police have made no arrests and have not located the prime suspect. Tips have come from the local area, throughout the Midwest and as far as Los Angeles. Known sex offenders in Carroll County had been ruled out, Leazenby said. Anyone with information can call Delphi Homicide Investigation Tip Line at 844-459-5786 or 1-800-225-5324. Tips can also be emailed to abbyandlibbytip@cacoshrf.com. Information can be reported anonymously. k9O+ The number of white terror suspects being arrested has hit a record high amid a crackdown on far-right extremism. A total of 91 white extremists were held in swoops by counter-terror police in 2016 a rise of 28 per cent on the 71 seized the year before. That was the highest tally since 2003 when 102 white people were arrested for terror offences. A total of 91 white extremists were held in swoops by counter-terror police in 2016 a rise of 28 per cent on the 71 seized the year before The rise has coincided with concerns about the risk posed to the UK by white supremacist groups in the wake of the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in June last year. The authorities have expressed concern that there are signs of a resurgence from neo-Nazi groups after loner Thomas Mair was convicted of the brutal daylight killing. Counter-terrorism police have said that, while the threat is not of the same gravity as that posed by Islamic State or Al Qaeda, there were extreme right-wing groups attempting to provoke violence and sow discord. The Home Office, which published the figures today, does not break down the arrests by the type of suspected extremism. But individuals linked to far right groups would be included as well as Muslim converts. It means that one three of the total 260 individuals held on suspicion of terrorism-related offences were white. The proportion of all those held who were of white ethnicity jumped from 25 to 35 per cent. It was the only ethnic group to record a rise last year, Home Office figures show. The sharpest fall was for those of Asian ethnic appearance, down by 24 to 125. The rise in extremists being arrested has coincided with concerns about the risk posed to the UK by white supremacist groups in the wake of the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox (right) by neo Nazi Thomas Mair (left) TERROR EXPERT SAYS RIGHT-WING EXTREMISM POSES THREAT TO UK The damning Government figures come after one of Britain's top experts on terrorism law warned that Right-wing extremism can be just as dangerous as Islamic terrorists. Speaking last month, David Anderson QC, the independent reviewer who scrutinises the operation of the UKs laws on terrorism, said that 'Extreme Right-wing ideology can be just as murderous as its Islamist equivalent.' He told the Evening Standard: 'Increasingly, Right-wing extremists such as Thomas Mair, the killer of Jo Cox MP, feed off the tension [caused by Islamist extremism] to plan violence of their own. 'The threat from extreme Right-wing terrorism in the UK is currently fragmented but the massacre perpetrated by Anders Breivik in Norway is a warning against underestimating the threat. 'Both the Government and the courts treat the threat with the seriousness it deserves.' Advertisement Meanwhile, arrests for domestic terrorism those not linked to or motivated by any terrorist group based outside the UK such as Islamic State more than doubled from 15 to 35, accounting for around one in eight arrests. This coincided with an increase in the number of far-right referrals to the Governments Prevent counter-extremism strategy. These rose by 74 per cent from 323 cases in 2014-15 to 561 in 2015-16. About 292 cases or 52 per cent involved under-18s. The latest official statistics also show that the number of people in prison for terrorism-related offences reached a high of 183 an increase of 40 on the previous year. Arrests for domestic terrorism have more than doubled from 15 to 35, accounting for around one in eight arrests In total, there were 260 terror-related arrests a decrease of 8 per cent. However, it was still more than double the 125 arrested five years ago. The Home Office said the figure was relatively high. Earlier this week it was revealed that UK security services had foiled 13 potential attacks in less than four years, while counter-terror units were running more than 500 investigations at any time. The official threat level for international terrorism had stood at severe, meaning an attack is highly likely, for more than two years. Lord Paddick, the Lib Dem home affairs spokesman and a former top Metropolitan Police officer, said: The figures seems to reflect the rise of far right extremism and that should worry anyone who, like me, believes in tolerance. Police forces need to be vigilant and do much more to combat these evil and each force should be creating plans to combat this evil. These people peddle hate and fan the flames of division. Security Minister Ben Wallace said: We are determined to detect, disrupt and where possible prosecute all those who pose a threat to the UK. At a time of significant threat, it is vital our law enforcement, security and intelligence agencies have the capabilities they need. When Adriana Villegas Garibay saw people holding roses Wednesday at the Old Mill Center for Children and Families in Corvallis, she assumed they were for someone else. But Villegas Garibay, a bilingual home visitor at the Center, had no words when she found out the roses were for her. The Zonta Club of Corvallis, a womens service advocacy group, surprised more than 60 people with roses Wednesday as a part of its 19th annual Rose Day, which recognizes exceptional community service and coincides with International Womens Day. This years Zonta Rose Day theme was Empower and Celebrate Racial and Cultural Diversity. For Villegas Garibay, who helps Spanish-speaking families connect with area health navigators, that theme is something she practices every day. Acknowledging and celebrating diversity is very important for me. Bringing it and promoting it is something Im always trying to do, she said. Its very surprising, but Im really grateful to be acknowledged for that. Villegas Garibay was one of several women who received roses Wednesday at the Old Mill Center, a full-service provider of preschool, mental health, early intervention and parent support for children and families. Shirley Blake, parent engagement coordinator at the center, said she was humbled to receive a rose. Sometimes the work that we do seems like an uphill battle, Blake said. So its really nice to get recognition and see that people value this work, because it is important work that needs to be done for our future. Blake, who has lived in Benton County her whole life, said she learned the value of support services at a young age and makes it her lifes work to pay her community back. People were able to help me growing up, and I really want to give that back to the community, Blake said. And Im a mom myself and I think about our future and when I see something that needs to be done, I want to work toward that. Chelsea Shay, teacher in the intensive treatment services classroom, also received a rose Wednesday. Its not why we do the work, but its nice to be recognized, Shay said. Zonta Club of Corvallis members delivered roses all over Benton County Wednesday, keeping up a tradition that dates back to March 8, 1999. Rose Day honors individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions in the efforts to empower women or to provide leadership in addressing community social issues. Zonta Club member Diana Simpson said the selection committee focused on those making strides in promoting diversity, such as Oregon State Universitys Crossroads International, teachers in Benton County schools, Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center staff and those on the MLK Celebration Planning Committee. We wanted to focus on people helping break barriers and promoting diversity, Simpson said. We thought it was particularly important, given circumstances both locally and nationally, that we continue to support and promote racial and cultural diversity. Zontas mission is to advocate for the rights and status of women worldwide and this is a way we can do that locally. Founded in 1919, Zonta International is a global organization of professionals empowering women worldwide through service and advocacy. The Corvallis club, founded in 1940, has more than 65 members and is one of more than 1,200 Zonta clubs worldwide. A hiker who was badly injured on Mount Baldy in February has been reunited with his dog, after he was forced to leave her behind on the snowy Southern California slope. Warren Muldoon, 62, of Whittier, California, was reunited with Dakota the dog on Wednesday at Loma Linda University Medical Center. The dog had belonged to his son, James Muldoon, who was 32 when he died of brain damage last August after a car ran a red light and hit his motorcycle. Muldoon named her after North Dakota, where years before he was stationed in the Air Force, the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin reports. Warren Muldoon, 62, of Whittier, California, (R) was reunited with Dakota (L) on Wednesday The pair became separated during a February 1 hike on Mount Baldy near Los Angeles They reached the summit of Mount Baldy (above) but on the way down the trail was covered Some time before the collision, Muldoon had asked his parents if they could care for Dakota should anything happen to him. 'I truly dont know how Id live the rest of my life if she died up there,' Warren Muldoon told the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. The three-year-old German shepherd mix was rescued by experienced hikers who went up the mountain to find her after Muldoons wife, Connie, posted a plea for help on Facebook. Muldoon had left home on February 1, intending to climb to the summit of the 10,000-foot-high mountain northeast of Los Angeles. Muldoon said he and Dakota reached the summit but on the way back down the wind kicked up and covered the trail. He took a wrong turn then tumbled down a series of waterfalls. Muldoon took a wrong turn then tumbled down a series of waterfalls, injuring himself Muldoons cellphone was broken and he had fractured ribs and was freezing when he decided he had to move on. Dakota, perched 30 feet above him on a ledge, had fallen twice with him. She was too scared to proceed and the rocks were too slippery for Muldoon to reach her. 'Dakota, you gotta come with me,' Muldoon recalled pleading. 'I cant leave you here.' Eventually, he did leave the dog. He came to another waterfall. 'I said this is bad, this is real bad, but I couldnt go (back) up,' Muldoon recalled. 'So I got on my butt, and I just went down so fast and my foot hit the rock in the water and I heard (my leg) snap.' Muldoon had a broken leg, five broken ribs and a punctured lung when he reached a ledge above a 40-foot waterfall and managed to get the attention of some people in a valley below. He had a broken leg, five broken ribs and a punctured lung when authorities rescued him A San Bernardino County sheriffs helicopter rescued him. Dakota was left behind. Muldoons wife, Connie, broke down by her husbands bedside when she learned that Dakota was left on the mountain. 'Shes the last piece that I have of my son,' said Connie Muldoon. 'I wasnt ready to say goodbye.' Muldoon sent out a Facebook post asking people to watch for Dakota. It went viral and caught the attention of several hikers. 'Shes the last piece that I have of my son. I wasnt ready to say goodbye.' Connie Muldoon Patrick Moran of Yorba Linda, who had been on the mountain hundreds of times, called Muldoon in the hospital and learned where her husband had fallen - San Antonio Canyon. Moran sent Facebook posts to numerous hiking groups and pages noting Dakotas probable location. On February 2, several experienced mountaineers made their way up the mountain to find Dakota. Ricardo Soria Jr of Glendora, California, was one of them. 'I made it past the second tier (of the falls) where I peered over a ledge and let out a few whistles,' Soria recounted in an Instagram post. 'Within moments, a set of eyes popped up.' Dakota (front) had belonged to Muldoon's son, James, (behind) who was 32 when he died of brain damage last August after a car ran a red light and hit his motorcycle Some time before the collision, James Muldoon (left) had asked his parents if they could care for Dakota should anything happen to him Connie Muldoon (right) broke down by her husbands bedside when she learned that Dakota was left on the mountain James's mom, Connie, sent out a Facebook post asking people to watch for Dakota. It went viral and caught the attention of several hikers who rescued the dog on February 2 Chris Simpson and John Bishop managed to reach Dakota. Simpson lured her into his arms with a package of salami. Except for dehydration, bruises and a cut to her paw, Dakota was fine. 'Oh my goodness, she was a sight for sore eyes,' said Connie Muldoon. 'She was a little skittish, but she was really happy to be home and just loved on.' On Wednesday, Dakota wagged her tail, licked Warren Muldoons leg bandage and snacked on crackers provided by nurses. Muldoon told the dog he was sure she would say, 'You wont ever go hiking with me ever again.' 'That was a bad day,' he said. After spending nine days in the hospital, Muldoon is recuperating at home. He uses a scooter to get around and will begin physical therapy in a few months. Still, he hopes that he and Dakota will return to Mount Baldy - if she's willing. An Oklahoma police officer was cleared after facing criminal charges for hitting a man with the butt end of a shotgun during an arrest in June 2015. Owasso Police Lt. Michael Dwain Denton, 51, was caught on camera using his shotgun to beat 25-year-old Cody Mathews. Mathews was stopped following a police pursuit that spanned two counties in a chase that stretched from Tulsa to Nowata and ended with his arrest. Owasso Police Lt. Michael Denton, 51, can be seen rushing towards the pickup with his gun After smashing the window, Denton then used the gun to beat 25-year-old Cody Mathews who had led the officers on a wikd police chase The arrest was captured by a dashboard-mounted camera in Denton's squad car. Denton has now been exonerated after a jury found the use of force justified after he was found not guilty of assault and battery with a deadly weapon and reckless conduct with a firearm. The video shows Denton sticking the shotgun in and punching it on the suspect who had just been Tased. Another officer appears to stop Denton, but when the suspect was pulled out of his truck, video shows Denton hitting him with the gun multiple times. Denton then takes a step back still holding his shotgun while the suspect is hauled out Matthews, seen in orange, felt that the police were heavy handed. The gun which was used to batter him can be seen on the hood of this car Once Matthews was on the ground, Denton returned once more to pound him with the butt Officer Mike Denton was also accused of using excessive force in 2011 when he was accused of using excessive force on a jail inmate but he was reinstated to his job Prosecutors said that the use of the shotgun to beat Mathews created 'a situation of unreasonable risk and probability of death or great bodily harm' to both Mathews and another officer involved in the arrest. Denton's attorney, Patrick Hunt, said the suspect, Mathews was armed with a knife. Denton 'certainly hit him, but that's not assault when a police officer has a good reason that the fellow is dangerous and needs to be handcuffed,' Hunt said. 'He was using reasonable force in the scope of his duty.' Had he been convicted of assault and battery with a deadly weapon, Denton could have faced up to life in prison. Denton was also accused of using excessive force in 2011 when he was accused of using excessive force on a jail inmate. He ended up being fired from the Owasso Police Department, but the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals ordered the City to reinstate him. Video from that case shows Denton stepped on a jail inmate's head and struck him in the face with his elbow or back of his arm three times, according to court records. Denton continues using his shotgun barrel to hit Mathews inside the truck multiple times and then the long guns butt to repeatedly strike him while Mathews was on the ground Far-right French presidential election candidate Marine Le Pen poses the biggest threat to European stability, Credit Suisse has said. Switzerland's second largest bank warned of the implications of a win for the National Front, in a guide published to help investors navigate the upcoming 'defining' months facing the continent. Analysing possible outcomes in the Dutch, French and German elections as well as Britain's triggering of Article 50 to kick-start Brexit and Greece's debt negotiations, Credit Suisse strategists offered three scenarios for Europe's immediate future. Far-right French presidential election candidate Marine Le Pen poses the biggest threat to European stability, Credit Suisse has said The 'negative' option has Greece struggle for more debt funding and anti-immigration nationalist Le Pen president. 'Credit Suisse strategists take the view that the French presidential election... poses the most important risk for Europe this year,' the bank said in a statement, referring to the April 23 vote, with a second round set for May 7 if needed. 'Any narrowing of the polls in Le Pen's favour will create a high degree of volatility in the markets,' it added. Scenario one, billed as 'positive' by Switzerland's number two bank, sees pro-European, centrist candidates winning in France and Germany when the key continental powers vote in April and September, respectively. This scenario also envisages a 'benign outcome' empowering a stable coalition in next week's Dutch vote, with anti-establishment and anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders' Freedom Party currently slumping in the polls. The 'central scenario' sees the Greek bailout negotiations 'drag on' through the summer without definitive resolution and struggles in the Dutch parliament to form a coalition. Switzerland's second largest bank warned of the implications of a win for the National Front in a guide published to help investors navigate the upcoming 'defining' months facing the continent In this scenario, France's centrist and upstart candidate Emmanuel Macron wins the country's presidential election but has trouble carving out a governing mandate. Credit Suisse said it will update its 'Risk Barometer' regularly to reflect levels of systemic risk in European bond and equity markets. Overall, the bank considers it 'unlikely' that any country will leave the eurozone but warned that 'institutional safeguards against a euro break-up remain incomplete.' The White House on Thursday said 'outdated' technology at the Central Intelligence Agency is, at least in part, what allowed the theft of classified documents about the agency's sophisticated digital hacking and electronic eavesdropping abilities. WikiLeaks, the online anti-privacy group, began publishing the material on Monday. 'There is grave concern that the president has about the release of national security and classified information that threatens and undermines our nation's security,' White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters. 'Obviously he believes that the systems at the CIA are outdated and need to be updated. ... The situation technology-wise at the CIA, the president has acknowledged, needs to be updated.' Scroll down for video Don't blame us! White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters on Thursday that outdated computer technology is responsible for the CIA leak, a day after insisting that it happened on Barack Obama's watch Barack Obama was president when the CIA reportedly developed high-tech tools to introduce security vulnerabilities in consumer electronics so it could eavesdrop at will but Trump believes a lack of computer security allowed a leaker to swipe related documents It's unclear what Spicer meant, or whether Trump has in the past addressed technology shortcomings at the CIA. The president visited the agency's northern Virginia headquarters on his first full day in office, but made no mention of the issue during televised remarks. On Wednesday Spicer blamed the Obama administration for the CIA snooping programs that WikiLeaks is beginning to expose to public view. 'All of these occurred under the last administration that is important all of these alleged issues,' Spicer told reporters. Reuters reported Wednesday afternoon that U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials have been aware since late last year of a CIA security breach that led to the WikiLeaks document dump. Edward Snowden was predictable critical of the CIA this week, calling its programs 'reckless beyond words' Two officials said they were focusing on government contractors as the likeliest source of the leak. That means the materials were likely served up on a silver platter to the anti-privacy organization before President Donald Trump took office. Spicer said Wednesday that Trump is committed to punishing leakers, 'We will go after people who leak classified information. We will prosecute them to the full extent of the law,' he said. 'This is playing with our nation's national security is not something that should be taken lightly under this administration.' Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, one of President Trump's top political rivals in 2016, said the president and first lady were 'warm and gracious' when they hosted the senator and his family at the White House last night. Cruz gave his assessment of the dinner by tweeting a picture of the president sitting at the Resolute Desk, flanked by his two daughters, Caroline and Catherine, and Catherine's 'kindergarten stuffed giraffe' named Joe. 'They talked a little business, a lot of personal last night and it was a very enjoyable thing,' said White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer at today's White House press briefing, also confirming that Heidi Cruz did attend. Cruz's wife was the reason for the intense acrimony between the two presidential campaigns. Scroll down for video Sen. Ted Cruz tweeted about his family's visit to the White House last night, showing his two daughters Caroline and Catherine next to President Trump sitting at the Resolute Desk The two families came together after a vicious campaign, in which now President Trump implied Sen. Cruz's wife Heidi was unattractive compared to first lady Melania Trump Sen. Ted Cruz (left), on the campaign trail with his wife Heidi (right) in March 2016, brought his whole family along to have dinner at the White House last night Sen. Ted Cruz (left) didn't endorse Donald Trump until September 2016 in part because of what the now president insinuated about Heidi Cruz (right) It all began when the anti-Trump super PAC, Make America Awesome, put out an ad shaming Melania Trump, by using one of her nude modeling photos. The Facebook ad suggested that Republicans voters choose Cruz instead. Trump, angered by the photograph, blamed it fully on the Cruz campaign, saying 'Lyin' Ted Cruz just used a picture of Melania from a G.Q. shoot in his ad.' 'Be careful, Lyin' Ted, or i will spill the beans on your wife!' Trump said. Then, on March 23, Trump retweeted a picture of Melania and Heidi side-by-side, which a Twitter user had emblazoned with the words: 'No need to "spill the beans" the images are worth a thousand words.' The tweet, which used an unflattering photo of Heidi Cruz, implied she was the uglier of the two potential first ladies. Later on, Trump alleged that somehow Cruz's father Rafael was part of the JFK assassination plot a claim the now president made using zero proof. The presidential campaign turned especially ugly when Donald Trump retweeted this picture comparing the looks of Heidi Cruz (left) and Melania Trump (right) Even as Republican after Republican endorsed Trump, Cruz held out until late September, a full two months after he took the Republican National Convention stage, and publicly refused to cast an endorsement then. By October Cruz was even phone banking for the GOP nominee, though a photo of him looking distressed while doing it, went viral. Spicer was asked yesterday if Trump planned to apologize to Heidi Cruz during this breaking of bread. The press secretary didn't answer the question directly. 'I think they are looking forward to a great dinner,' Spicer said, adding that Trump had met with former rivals, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., along with his wife Jeanette, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., in recent days. Spicer's comments on the meet-and-greet were along the same lines today. 'I know that he enjoyed welcoming senator and Mrs. Cruz and his two daughters last night to the White House,' Spicer said. 'They had a very enjoyable time and a very fruitful discussion, but it's something he's going to continue to do with members of both parties and both chambers and not just here in Washington.' 'I think you're going to see him engage in governors and attorney generals, lieutenant governors,' Spicer continued. 'The president truly enjoys this level of engagement. He likes to sit down and talk about ideas, talk about the future of this country and get their input and ideas,' the press secretary added. The mother of Pascal Troadec, the Frenchman who was brutally murdered along with his family two weeks ago, spoke out on Thursday about the gold treasure that she thinks motivated the slaughter. 'This gold shattered everything,' the 76-year-old widow, who declined to give her first name, told Thursday's Le Parisien daily, days after Troadec's brother-in-law, Hubert Caouissin, admitted to killing the family. She said her late husband found a cache of gold coins and ingots in 2006 while renovating an apartment in the northwestern port of Brest. He took the gold, 'perhaps stolen from the Bank of France' during World War II, and hid it in the couple's garage, said the woman. It was the year after her husband died in 2009 that she said her son, Pascal Troadec, helped himself to the gold while she was in hospital, adding that he had 'robbed his sister' Lydie and her partner, Caouissin. Pascal later told the family that he had invested the gold in Monaco and Andorra, tauntingly adding that they 'couldn't touch it', his mother said. The value of the coins - and even their existence - remains uncertain. French police escort suspect Hubert Caouissin to the home of where he disposed of the body parts of the family he has confessed to killing Soon afterwards, Pascal and his wife Brigitte - whom Lydie's partner Hubert Caouissin has admitted killing along with their children Charlotte and Sebastien - began flaunting their new lifestyle, sending postcards from their holiday travels. Eventually it was too much for Caouissin, who later told investigators of his anger over the gold. However, investigators on Thursday voiced caution over the claim. So far 'there is no evidence' to support claims by the confessed killer and his 76-year-old mother that Pascal Troadec had helped himself to a trove of gold that his father had found while renovating an apartment, 'robbing' his sister Lydie of her share. 'It's only an assertion for now,' a source close to the probe said. Caouissin's mother also told Le Parisien that the claims about a gold treasure were 'nonsense'. Investigators found traces of blood and efforts to clean them up throughout the two-storey house where Pascal and Brigitte, both 49, lived in a suburb of the western city of Nantes. In his confession, Caouissin said he killed the couple, as well as their children Charlotte, 18, and Sebastien, 21, with a crowbar. The 46-year-old told investigators that he cut up the bodies of his brother-in-law and his family at his farm in the hamlet of Logonna-Quimerc'h. Investigators found body parts at Cauissin's home earlier this week, the prosecutor in the murder case said on Wednesday. Caouissin was let out of custody wearing a bullet-proof vest to accompany investigators to his farm in a remote part of Brittany, northwest France, on Wednesday, Nantes prosecutor Pierre Sennes said. Mother Brigitte Soliveres (left) and father Pascal Troadec (right) were killed along with their children Sebastien Troadec (left) and Charlotte Troadec (right), the son and daughter of the Troadec family A police officer searches the area on March 8, 2017 in Pont-de-Buis, western France after the brother-in-law of a Frenchman who went missing with his wife and two children more than a fortnight ago has admitted killing all four family members Police officers search the home of confessed killer Hubert Caouissin for body parts The sudden disappearance of Pascal's family on February 16 left France on tenterhooks as investigators scrambled for clues. Caouissin and Lydie Troadec were quizzed for nearly 21 hours at the start of the probe, when Caouissin told investigators he had fallen out with the family over the dispute. But initial suspicions centred on Sebastien Troadec, who had a history of psychological troubles. The focus shifted after traces of Caouissin's DNA were found at the Troadecs' home in suburban Nantes and then in Sebastien's car, abandoned in the port of Saint-Nazaire about an hour's drive to the west. Meanwhile, Caouissin's mother told Le Parisien that the claims about a gold treasure were 'nonsense'. During his confession, Caouissin told investigators that he burned some of the body parts and buried others after killing the family in his rage over the inheritance dispute. Caouissin's partner, 47-year-old Lydie Troadec - Brigitte's sister, who has been charged with helping dispose of the bodies - remained in custody and did not take part in the hunt, a source close to the probe said. Policemen leave the house of the main suspect in the Troadec case, Hubert Caouissin, on March 8 French police escort suspect Hubert Caouissin to the home of Lydie Troadec Both were charged Monday and remanded in custody in Nantes, some 300 kilometres (180 miles) to the southeast of where the murder took place. Wearing white forensic suits under a light drizzle, hundreds of police and investigators fanned out in the woods and fields around Caoussin's farm and on the muddy banks of the Auln river that forms one boundary of the property. Caouissin, previously identified only as Hubert C, has admitted to killing the family of four, telling investigators he thought Pascal had kept the gold coins for himself. He has been charged with murder, while his partner Lydie - Pascal's sister - faces charges of tampering with evidence and abetting the crime by helping him dispose of the bodies, Mr Sennes said. Caouissin was employed at a shipyard in the port of Brest, but had been off work for the past three years suffering from depression. He told investigators that he thought Pascal Troadec had kept gold coins for himself that were part of an inheritance that should have been shared with him. Jealous brother-in-law Caouissin admitted to beating his family to death with a crowbar over the inheritance of gold coins has been named as 46-year-old Hubert Caouissin. Pictured: A police car parked outside the house belonging to the missing Troadec family in Orvault, near Nantes The post box and front door of the family home where the family are said to have been murdered Sennes told a news conference on Monday that Caouissin had harboured 'great rancour' over the nearly decade-old dispute. The anger boiled over on the night of February 16, when he sneaked into the house in the Nantes suburb of Orvault where Pascal and Brigitte lived, murdering them and the children, both students who were visiting during school holidays. Psychological units have been set up at their schools, which are planning memorial services for the two youths. Pascal and Brigitte came downstairs upon hearing noise on the ground floor, with Pascal wielding a crowbar. 'A scene of great violence' ensued, with Caouissin wresting the crowbar from Pascal and using it to kill both him and Brigitte. He then killed Sebastien and Charlotte, both students who were visiting during school holidays, Mr Sennes said. Caouissin stayed until dawn before returning to his home in Brittany some 180 miles away, where he told Lydie that he had killed her brother and the other three Troadecs. The Troadec family - Pascal and Brigitte, both aged around 50, their son Sebastien, 21, and his sister Charlotte, 18 - had not been seen since February 16 (file picture) French gendarmes search near the site where Charlotte Troadec's national health card in the was discovered by a runner on March 1, 2017, in Dirinon He returned on February 17 to clean up the house and remove the bodies, which he loaded into Sebastien's car the following day. Caouissin and Lydie Troadec spent the next two or three days trying to dispose of the bodies. 'It appears the bodies were dismembered, some buried and others burned,' Sennes said. They cleaned Sebastien's car, 'trying to get rid of the blood' and then left it in a church car park in the port of Saint Nazaire, about an hour's drive away, 'as a sort of diversion', Sennes said. Police searches at the suburban family home in the western city of Nantes found traces of blood from Sebastien and the parents, but not Charlotte, as well as signs of efforts to clean them up. The finger had initially been pointed at Sebastien in the murder, abduction and illegal confinement case having been convicted of making death threats in a blog back in 2013. Caouissin was taken into custody on Sunday along with his partner. An Amtrak train with 111 people aboard got stuck for nearly 13 hours in northern North Dakota after snow blocked the tracks. The eastbound train on the Empire Builder Line between the Pacific Northwest and Chicago was to leave Minot Tuesday night at 9:30pm, but was delayed seven hours by the storm. The Minot Daily News reports that the train left Minot about 6am Wednesday but got stuck just an hour later in a snowbank near Rugby that was 25 feet high and 200 feet long. Scroll down for video An Amtrak train got stuck in a snow drift for nearly 13 hours on Wednesday near Rugby, North Dakota Heavy equipment was brought to dig the train out, but in the end, workers had to dig by hand. Someone inside the train posted a picture showing the surrounding snow Officials brought in heavy equipment to clear the tracks, including snowplows, skid-steers and bulldozers. But it wasn't until about 30 BNSF railway workers started clearing the tracks by hand that the train was finally freed, around 6:45pm on Wednesday. The train never lost power, so the passengers on board waited out the delay in comfort with meals and plenty of naps. 'Thanks to assistance from BNSF Railway, the eastbound Empire Builder that was delayed west of Rugby is under way,' Marc Magliari, a spokesman for Amtrak in Chicago, told the Minot Daily News Wednesday night. 'We appreciate the offers of assistance from emergency responders in North Dakota, but our customers (111 eastbound and 96 westbound) stayed aboard the train and were kept comfortable by our Amtrak staff,' he added. The train arrived in St. Paul, Missouri around 5am on Thursday - 21 hours behind schedule. The train got stuck around 7am on Wednesday, and wasn't freed until 6:45 pm The train arrived in Minneapolis, Minnesota about 21 hours behind schedule. Above, a group of musicians that was on board the train disembarks in Minnesota early Thursday morning A photographer who once had his work exhibited alongside David Bailey and Lewis Carroll is to stand trial for historic sex abuse charges. Former children's TV worker David Trainer, 63, is accused of assaulting seven youngsters as young as five, during the 1980s and 1990s. Trainer, who worked as a puppeteer on 1986 musical Little Shop of Horrors, appeared at Inner London Crown Court today to deny four counts of indecent assault and six counts of indecency with a child. Photographer and former TV puppeteer, David Trainer, 63, of Chiswick, who worked on the musical Little Shop of Horrors is accused of assaulting seven children in the 1980s and 1990s The charges date from between May 1980 and August 1991 and all the children were under 14. His documentary portrayal of London life featured in a Tate Britain exhibition in 2007 when his work showed alongside names such as William Henry Fox Talbot, Lewis Carroll, Bill Brandt and David Bailey. Trainer, of Chiswick, west London, denies four counts of indecent assault and six of indecency with a child. Judge Jeremy Donne QC released him on bail ahead of his trial at Inner London Crown Court on 7 August. A mountain climber survived two days in the snow after falling thousands of feet near a summit in Colorado. Ryan Montoya, 23, went missing Sunday southwest of Aspen, Colorado, while climbing the 14,000-foot Pyramid Peak solo. Montoya was 40 feet from the summit when the ice collapsed under his weight, sending him sliding 2,000 feet down the mountain, he recounted. He said he fell long enough 'to do a lot of talking, thinking and yelling all the way down'. Ryan Montoya (above) survived two days in the snow after falling 2,000 feet from a mountain Montoya, 23, was climbing the 14,000-foot Pyramid Peak (above) solo when he slid down After catching the attention of a runner, Montoya (above) was taken to a nearby rescue station Montoya, who broke his elbow and pelvis, was transferred to University Hospital in Aurora Doctors are trying to prevent him from losing his fingers after his glove got wet and froze For two nights, Montoya slept in holes he dug with his good hand and melted snow for water 'My goggles were all fogged out. So I dont really remember much, except some big drops, and a lot of sliding and some impacts,' Montoya, an avid climber, told Denver7. 'I think I even started praying at one point. I just wasnt really sure what was going to happen. I think at the point, more than any other time, I thought I was going to die.' The intensity of his fall even broke a chunk out of his helmet. Once Montoya came to rest in a snowy field, he saw water, but was unable to use his dislocated left elbow. So, Montoya, an undergraduate researcher at the University of Colorado at Boulder, used his shovel as a sled to slide down toward the water. For two nights, as winds howled around him, Montoya slept in holes he dug with his good hand and used the fuel he brought with him to melt snow for drinking water. His phone was broken but his backpack was full of food. 'So falling I was feeling like I was going to die. And then after I landed, I was like, "thats still a pretty good chance",' Montoya said. The intensity of Montoya's fall even broke a chunk out of his helmet (above) Montoya's parents, Dave (L) and LaShawn (R) traveled to Aurora from Paradise, California Montoya is expected to leave the hospital soon, his mother, LaShawn wrote on Facebook By Tuesday Montoya had followed a stream to a road where he caught the attention of a runner who recognized him as the missing climber. The runner alerted officials who took Montoya to a nearby rescue station. Montoya, who broke his elbow and pelvis, was transferred to University Hospital in Aurora to be treated for frostbite to his right hand. Doctors there are trying to prevent him from losing his fingers after his glove got wet and froze. 'All the doctors and staff here (most of them are climbers, too) say that they have never seen anyone survive a fall down the east face of that mountain - he is literally a walking miracle,' wrote Montoya's mother, LaShawn, on Facebook. Montoya and her husband Dave traveled to Aurora from Paradise, California, on Monday night, a day after he reported his son missing. The Montoyas have created a YouCaring page to help cover their expenses as they monitor their son's recovery. The right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party called for closing borders, restricting Islamic practices and fighting the ruling 'oligarchy' in its election campaign programme released on Thursday. Polling at around 11 per cent now, the four-year-old AfD aims to become the first party to the right of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative bloc to enter the national parliament in September elections. The AfD opposes all 'mainstream' political parties and what it regards as their allies in the media, arguing that Germany is ruled by a remote elite that is betraying ordinary citizens. The Alternative for Germany party released its campaign programme on Thursday, calling for an 'immediate closure of borders' in the country. Pictured above from left, AfD party members Joerg Meuthen, Albrecht Glaser and Frauke Petry Polling at around 11 per cent now, the four-year-old AfD aims to become the first party to the right of Chancellor Angela Merkel's (pictured above) conservative bloc to enter the national parliament in September elections 'The secret sovereign in Germany is a small, powerful political oligarchy which has emerged from the existing political parties' and has come to dominate the state, public education and media, argues a draft of its programme. The AfD stressed its position that 'Islam is not part of Germany' - directly contradicting the message of its declared enemy, Merkel, to the country's estimated 4.5million Muslims. It also demanded 'the immediate closure of borders to end the chaotic mass immigration,' said a party representative, and said it opposes family reunions for those granted refugee status. It demanded an official investigation into Merkel's decision to keep open national borders amid a mass influx of refugees and migrants that has brought one million asylum seekers since 2015. 'We want to pass on to coming generations a country that is still recognisable as our Germany,' said the AFD, bemoaning that 'Germany is losing its cultural identity because of a flawed notion of tolerance'. The AfD was founded as a small fringe party in 2013, at the height of the eurozone crisis, to oppose bailouts for indebted economies like Greece and to demand the reintroduction of the deutschmark. The AfD opposes all 'mainstream' political parties and what it regards as their allies in the media. Pictured above, Herbert Mohr, a 28-year-old representative of the nationalist AfD raises his voting card during a party meeting in Paaren im Glien near Berlin But after a leadership coup launched by co-leader Frauke Petry, it has adopted a more strident anti-immigration and law-and-order position, and publicly allied itself with France's far-right National Front. It has entered a string of state parliaments, but recently dipped in the polls amid infighting and a prominent member's inflammatory comments about Holocaust remembrance. Among its policies is a ban on Islamic head coverings for teachers, students and public servants, which it said would follow 'the French model'. It also opposes mosque minarets and loudspeakers for calls to prayer, describing them as symbols of 'Islamic domination'. The party would also reverse Germany's green energy transition away from nuclear power and fossil fuels and toward renewables such as solar and wind, arguing that there is no firm proof for man-made climate change. The programme is set to be adopted at a party congress in the western city of Cologne on April 22-23. Theresa May hit the pause button on Philip Hammonds controversial raid on the self-employed, in a bid to head off a humiliating Commons defeat by furious Tory MPs. The Prime Minister moved to delay legislation on the 2 billion hike in National Insurance on solo workers until the autumn, after Tory whips warned her they didnt have the numbers to push the Budget measure through the Commons. Speaking at a press conference in Brussels, Mrs May tried to shore up her beleaguered Chancellor by defending the tax raid, which breaks the Tories manifesto pledge not to raise NI. Scroll down for video The Prime Minister moved to delay legislation on the 2 billion hike in National Insurance on solo workers until the autumn She said the change made taxation simpler, fairer and more progressive. The Prime Minister insisted ministers had not broken the manifesto promise, which appeared four times in the manifesto, which pledged there would be no increases in VAT, National Insurance contributions or income tax. But she also bought time for a potential climb down by delaying legislation, which had been expected this spring, until the autumn, when Mr Hammond will have the chance to offer concessions at a second Budget. But the move is unlikely to be enough to calm Tory fury over the issue. The Prime Minister also ordered Mr Hammond to listen to the concerns of MPs and businesses, who have reacted with fury to the tax raid. And she said the measures would be packaged together with new rights for the self-employed on things like maternity pay, following a review this summer by Matthew Taylor, a former Downing Street adviser to Tony Blair. The delay means the row will now rumble on for months, ending any prospect of Mrs May calling a snap election. Her intervention came after Tory MPs lined up to publicly condemn the NI hike. Mr Hammond, who was accused of lying to the voters yesterday, insisted that he had not broken the small print of the manifesto pledge, as set out in tax lock legislation after the election. But, in a sign of the anger over the issue on Tory benches, one minister took the extraordinary step of offering a public apology for the broken promise. Wales Office minister Guto Bebb said: I believe we should apologise. I will apologise to every voter in Wales that read the Conservative manifesto in the 2015 election. In an indication of the Governments weakness on the issue, Downing Street refused to rebuke Mr Bebb. Speaking at a press conference in Brussels, Mrs May tried to shore up her beleaguered Chancellor by defending the tax raid, which breaks the Tories manifesto pledge not to raise NI Throughout the day, Tory MPs hit the airwaves to criticise Mr Hammonds tax raid and warn they would vote against it. Complex rules mean that changes to National Insurance cannot be handled by the normal Budget finance bill legislation, but require their own dedicated legislation. This means that the new law can be delayed. But it also makes it easier to oppose for Tory MPs who would baulk at voting down the Budget. Tory rebels last night claimed they had more than 30 supporters easily enough to overturn the Governments majority. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith yesterday led calls for the Government to think again, saying: I would like to see this kept under review. Others could barely contain their fury at a move that risks damaging the Tories credibility and reputation for backing Britains strivers. Tory MP Anne Marie Morris said the changes defy belief, adding: What did the chancellor think he was doing? Stevenage MP Stephen McPartland said On this issue, we need a U-turn, and we need one quickly. We need to keep the pressure up over the next few days, because this change is not acceptable. It affects ordinary working families who are taking a chance to get on. It cannot be allowed to proceed. The Prime Minister also ordered Mr Hammond (pictured) to listen to the concerns of MPs and businesses, who have reacted with fury to the tax raid Former justice minister Dominic Raab said he struggled with the idea of raising taxes on the self-employed after pledging not to. We need to live by the spirit, not just the letter, of our manifesto commitments, he said. The issue of public trust is very important. Former Tory chairman Lord Tebbit described it as a dogs dinner. The NI hike will raise 2 billion over four years, costing 2.5 million workers an average of 240 a year each. Mrs May last night defended the changes, saying they had to be seen in the context of cuts to other elements of NI paid by the self-employed, and the right to benefits, like the state pension, on which they had previously lost out. The Prime Minister acknowledged the Government had made difficult decisions in the Budget, but said these were needed to fund extra cash for social care and schools. She added: The decision on National Insurance was taken in the context of a rapidly changing labour market in which the number of people in self-employment - often doing the same work as people employed more traditionally - is rising rapidly. In a strong defence of the changes, Mrs May said they were necessary as a shift towards self-employment was eroding the tax base and making it harder to pay for public services on which ordinary working families depend. This goes some way towards fixing that, she added. The decision to delay the legislation to the autumn is reminiscent of the 2011 pause in Andrew Lansleys controversial health reforms, which were later watered down. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith yesterday led calls for the Government to think again, saying: I would like to see this kept under review But the scale of Tory opposition to the NI hike, means ministers could still face defeat in the autumn unless they abandon the proposal. The Government is also facing a major backlash from business. Stephen Kelly, chief executive of software giant Sage said entrepreneurs had been a driving force behind the countrys economic recovery after the financial crisis but they had been poorly rewarded for this. Mr Kelly said: I think they will wake up this morning feeling badly let down because they have had a triple whammy of taxes of national insurance, on dividend income and business rates which, ultimately, is a completely absurd tax. Chris Bryce, chief executive of the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed, said members felt very angry with the Government. He said: This is a complete body blow to the flexible economy. It fails to recognise their contribution to the economy and the extra risk they undertake by setting out on their own. The Conservative Government has traditionally set itself up as the party for the entrepreneur but they now feel undermined and undervalued. Philip Hammond was right to increase National Insurance for the self-employed, a rare leading think tank declared yesterday. The independent Institute for Fiscal Studies said the changes made the system fairer and would prevent the erosion of the tax base in future decades. However they said the Tories should never have promised at the election not to increase the levy saying it was a silly thing to have done. Director Paul Johnson said Mr Hammond could U-turn on the plans quite easily, because the amount raised was such a small amount. Democrats are seizing on conservative's dissatisfaction with the GOP health care bill in an attempt to sink the legislation. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer lambasted the legislation today as 'one big mess' that's opposed by not only liberals, but also the far right. Repeatedly attacking it and the president on the floor of the Senate, Schumer on Thursday said, 'If this Congress if this House if this Senate is smart they will defeat TrumpCare keep the ACA and then we can work together on making it better. Plain and simple.' Priorities USA, the super PAC of of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, has rebranded itself into a progressive activist organ has also slammed the legislation as 'Trumpcare' in a six-figure ad buy. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO Democrats are seizing on conservative's dissatisfaction with the GOP health care bill in an attempt to sink the legislation. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer lambasted the legislation today as 'one big mess' that's opposed by not only liberals, but also the far right The digital messaging targets seven states that are expected to have competitive races in the next election cycle and two others that are represented by moderate Republicans in the Senate. Along with group Indivisible, Priorities organized town halls in the last congressional recess that put Republicans in the hot seat over their vague plans for Obamacare repeal and replacement in the first place. The House on Monday introduced a bill that it is promoting as a vehicle for Obamacare changes. It was immediately criticized by legislators and political groups on both sides over what it does and doesn't do. The legislation gets rid of Obamacare's individual mandate, the federal exchanges and large taxes using budgetary mechanisms. Republicans have promised additional reforms to the 2010 legislation through regular order down the line. Conservatives inside and outside of government want the GOP to set aside the bill and take up one that fully repeals Democrats' legislation, giving Republicans the leverage over Democrats whose votes they need to pass a replacement option. They're calling the presented option 'Obamacare lite' because it keeps so much of the Democratic law in place, including what they claim are cost drivers such as coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. The legislation doesn't include non-budgetary items on the conservatives' list like a mechanism to reduce drug prices and a measure to allow insurance to be sold across state lines - the Trump administration says those issues will be addressed in phases that come later. Democrats are blasting the bill as a 'tax cut' for millionaires over a deduction that will give insurance companies the ability to count more of their executives' compensation as business expenses than could in the past. TRUMPCARE: Priorities USA, the super PAC of of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, has rebranded itself into a progressive activist organ is also slamming the legislation as 'Trumpcare' in a six-figure ad buy The break will cost the federal government an estimated $400 million in revenue over the next decade if the legislation passes, CNBC says. 'TrumpCare is really just a tax break for the rich, its really not a healthcare program,' Schumer today said. 'The number one motivation is to reduce the taxes on the top 1 percent. If youre that 0.1 percent your average reduction in taxes is $200,000 more than most Americans make.' In a release announcing its ad buy, Priorities USA's Patrick McHugh claimed, 'Trumpcare puts tax cuts for millionaires ahead of guaranteeing affordable health care. 'Donald Trump's priorities show he is betraying the working Americans he promised to put first. As we work to oppose this awful plan, it is critical we make sure voters know whose side Donald Trump is really on.' Priorities is targeting it ads at young people - who will still be able to stay on their parents' insurance until the age of 26 under the new plan, a popular Obamacare provision - and seniors. The ads are airing in the battleground states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Florida, Ohio, Nevada, and Arizona in addition to Maine and Alaska. Democrats are also railing against the GOP's plan to remove 0.9 percent Medicare tax that currently hits individual wage earners making more than $200,000. It kicks in at $250,000 for married couples. The Associated Press says it will reduce tax revenue by $117 billion over the next decade. Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen opined on MSNBC this morning, 'This is not what Donald Trump talked about on the campaign trail.' 'Now, Donald Trump said he wasn't going to touch Medicare, but thats what hes doing,' Van Hollen said on Morning Joe. 'It is just baffling because it is a total disconnect between what Donald Trump ran on.' The White House says the bill will 'bring down costs and to reinstitute choice' by creating a level playing field for all insurance recipients. It's on a 'full court press' of its own, press secretary Sean Spicer said, to win over associations, lawmakers and patients. It's scheduled meetings, rallies, radio interviews and television appearances for administration officials like Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price and Vice President Mike Pence. The vice president is headed to Kentucky this Saturday. President Trump will hold a campaign event next week in Tennessee. Trump is expected to do additional travel to promote the bill after that. So far, Republicans haven't been able to win over doctors and hospital groups, though, or influential conservative organizations, including the Club for Growth and Heritage Action. 'Thats because this bill is one big mess, done quickly in the dark of night,' Schumer said today on the floor of the Senate. 'Its no wonder Leader McConnell and Speaker Ryan dont want a lot of debate. Theyre embarrassed.' The bill promises to bring costs down, Schumer said, but it doesn't. 'Its just another example of this president saying one thing and doing another. He promises the moon and the stars, but his policies but them even farther from reach.' Spicer said Wednesday that some of the complaints the administration is being hit with will addressed in future legislation. And he rejected claims that the bill was being pushed through with very little time for discussion, even though Republican lawmakers couldn't find as it was being written. 'Were not jamming this down anybodys throat. Its going to go through a committee process. All parties involved, all representatives in the House will be able to have input into it,' he stated. Meanwhile, one House committee worked overnight and into the morning marking the bill up in order to quickly pass the legislation. Oliver Funes Machada, 18, is accused of decapitating his mother. In a newly released 911 recording, he tells the dispatcher that he killed his mother 'because I felt like it' An 18-year-old man accused of decapitating his mother can be heard telling an emergency dispatcher that he felt like killing his mother because she made him angry, according to a 911 recording released today. The recording, taped on Monday, includes the suspect identified as Oliver Funes Machada speaking calmly, and the voices of his younger siblings can be heard in the background. Machada called 911 at 12.45pm and told the dispatcher that his 4-year-old sister and 2-year-old brother were in the Franklin County house, about 30 miles east of Raleigh, North Carolina, and that his father was elsewhere. His siblings were unharmed. Asked why he killed his mother, Machada told the dispatcher 'because I felt like it.' The dispatcher later asked if the mother had made him mad. Machada responded, 'Yes, she made me mad.' Court documents say the first deputy on the scene saw the Machada leave the house carrying a knife in one hand and a severed head in the other. The mother's name, according to local authorities who received the information from a 14-year-old son, is Yesenia Beatriz Funez Machado, 35. The Franklin County house where Machada allegedly beheaded his mother before calling 911 Yesenia Funez Beatriz Machado's body being removed from the scene of her beheading The 18-year-old suspect, Machada, is from Honduras and is in the US illegally, said US Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Bryan Cox. Machada has been charged with first-degree murder and is currently held without bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for March 14. After speaking with Machada, his public defender, attorney C. Boyd Sturges III, has said that he is 'a pretty profoundly disturbed young man.' Machada, seen here during a recent court appearance, is charged with first degree murder The prosecutor said officials were seeking a mental evaluation of Machada, and that his apparent mental issues could delay uncovering a motive for weeks or months. The warrants say he was on four medications for a psychiatric condition, but don't elaborate beyond that. The exact spelling of the suspect's name is unclear, with local court records listing him as Oliver Funes Machada, while federal records have him down as Oliver Funes Machado. Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters has sensationally claimed that discredited allegations of a comprising sex tape involving Donald Trump and Russian prostitutes are 'absolutely true'. Waters made the claims on MSNBC on Thursday when she was asked whether she believed anything about the dossier that was leaked late last year suggesting the Russians had compromising information on Trump. The California lawmaker did not provide any evidence of her claims. Congresswoman Maxine Walters sensationally claimed on Thursday that unverified allegations of a comprising sex tape involving Donald Trump and Russian prostitutes were true 'I think it should be taken a look at. I think they should really read it, understand it, analyze it, and determine what's fact, what may not be fact,' she told host Ali Velshi. 'We already know the part about the coverage they have on him with sex actions is supposed to be true. 'They have said that's absolutely true. Some other things they kind of allude to. Yes, I think he should go into that dossier and see what's there.' Velshi then pushed the outspoken Trump critic for proof of her allegations. 'You say you think them to be true. How are we all going to find out what is true and what isn't true? Does it help that you think so? Because unless you have information we don't have, that's an allegation,' he asked her. Waters claimed on live television that parts of the dossier leaked late last year that suggested the Russians had compromising information on Donald Trump were true The California lawmaker did not provide any evidence of her claims after airing her views during an interview on MSNBC on Thursday Waters responded: 'You understand that I am saying the investigations must be done, the drilling down must be done. We must get to the facts of what it has been about. 'I don't think you can do the impeachment just because I think or others think. But I think that if we do the investigations, that we will find the connections and I do think that impeachment will be necessary.' It comes after her Democrat colleague, Congressman Adam Schiff, said this week he planned to seek testimony from the ex-British spy who wrote the unsubstantiated dossier containing the allegations about Trump. Schiff of California said on Wednesday that he wanted to interview Christopher Steele for the House Intelligence Committee's investigation of Russia's meddling in the 2016 presidential election, Politico reports. 'If there's an issue about whether he's willing to come here, I'm more than willing to go there. But I certainly would like the opportunity to interview him as part of our investigation,' he said. Stuart Horner, 37, (pictured) was jailed for life after shooting his uncle when the pair argued about a flat-pack shed A convicted murderer caused 1million worth of damage to a roof at a high-security prison after he staged a 60-hour protest. Stuart Horner, 37, climbed to the top of the roof at Strangeways in Manchester to protest about inmates being locked up for 23 hours a day and poor basic hygiene facilities. Horner - who is serving a minimum 27-year life term after he shot dead his uncle after an argument over a flat-pack shed in 2012 - then 'destroyed' the roof of wing B at the jail. Judge Jinder Singh Boora told Horner that 'power went to your head' when the protest attracted substantial media coverage. People gathered outside the Victorian jail and fellow prisoners also showed their support for Horner. Judge Boora said: 'You went that extra mile because you had all that publicity. You then started a systematic campaign, a systematic effort to destroy the roof of wing B. 'I saw the CCTV and you were truly shocking in what you did ... you took apart that roof single handed.' On Thursday, Horner was convicted of criminal damage and affray by a jury following a four-day trial at Manchester Crown Court. Horner climbed to the top of the roof and staged a 60-hour protest over conditions at the prison He stayed on the roof and received support from fellow inmates who were locked up in the prison But his protest resulted in 1million worth of damage to the roof after he tore aluminium strips from the roof During his protest in September 2015, Horner tore aluminium strips off the roof, smashed windows with a pole and dismantled a CCTV camera. Horner said that on 'numerous occasions' beforehand he told prison officers: 'If you don't sort this out sooner or later a prison officer is going to be injured or killed. 'A riot will occur one day if reform does not happen now.' The defendant said he did not blame prison officers who shared his concerns, but the Government for staff shortages and slashed budgets. Giving evidence, Horner said he wanted to make a point and that 'utter frustration' led to him damaging the roof. Judge Boora sentenced Horner to nine years for criminal damage - an offence which carries a maximum term of 10 years. He stayed on top of the roof (pictured) for 60 hours and wanted to highlight the conditions at the jail He was photographed on top of the roof and was wearing a t-shirt which had 'innocent' written across it A number of panels were removed from the roof and he ended up causing 1million worth of damage He was given a 12-month concurrent sentence for affray. Horner, formerly of Benchill, Manchester, is more than four years into a minimum 27-year life term he received in 2012. The judge told him: 'The sentence is unlikely to have much in the way of practical effect on you. 'However, it may be in future that when the Parole Board makes a decision in 23 years' time they may take into account you committed these offences and that may delay your release.' Judge Boora said it had apparently not occurred to Horner that campaigning against Government cuts by smashing up a building costing substantial damage was 'a curious way of protesting'. He said he did not accept the damage was not malicious. He told Horner: 'After you had achieved that publicity it seemed to me the damage to that roof was nothing short of gratuitous.' 'You did it because you wanted to do it. You did it because you had a sense of power, it went to your head.' The court heard that Horner had since been transferred to Full Sutton prison in Yorkshire, which the defendant said was 'a good rehabilitative jail'. Several states are joining forces to fight President Donald Trump's revised travel ban. Trump signed the new executive order this week that temporarily bars the admission of refugees and some travelers from a group of Muslim-majority countries. New York, Oregon and Massachusetts have decided to join Washington, Minnesota and Hawaii in challenging the ban. The new travel order, which is set to take effect on March 16, changed and replaced a more sweeping ban issued on January 27 that caused chaos and protests at airports. The first order was hit by more than two dozen lawsuits, including a challenge brought by Washington state and joined by Minnesota. In response to Washington's suit, U.S. District Judge James Robart in Seattle ordered an emergency halt to the policy last month. That ruling was upheld by an appeals court in San Francisco. Several states said on Thursday they would move forward with legal challenges to a revised executive order signed by President Donald Trump this week that temporarily bars the admission of refugees and some travelers from a group of Muslim-majority countries Washington state Attorney General Robert Ferguson said on Thursday he planned to ask Robart to confirm that his ruling would also apply to Trump's revised order, which would halt it from being implemented. Ferguson told a news conference the new order harmed a 'smaller group' of individuals but that would not affect the state's ability to challenge it in court. He said the burden was on the Trump administration to show that the court ruling from last month did not apply to its new policy. A U.S. Department of Justice spokeswoman declined to comment on pending litigation. The government has said the president has wide authority to implement immigration policy and that the travel rules are necessary to protect against terrorist attacks. Washington state Attorney General Robert Ferguson (above) has said he planned to ask U.S. District Judge James Robart to confirm that his ruling would also apply to Trump's revised order, which would halt it from being implemented Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey (left) and New York's attorney general, Eric Schneiderman (right), said they would be joining the fight against Trump's ban New York's attorney general, Eric Schneiderman, said on Thursday he would be joining Washington's lawsuit against the new ban and the state of Oregon said it would join too. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced on Thursday that she is also planning to join the federal lawsuit Hawaii Attorney General Doug Chin (pictured) says the state will continue to fight the travel ban She said in a statement: 'President Trump's second travel ban remains a discriminatory and unconstitutional attempt to make good on his campaign promise to implement a Muslim ban. We are consolidating our legal efforts and joining fellow states, led by Washington, in continuing to challenge this Administration's unlawful immigration policies.' Her statement added: 'We look forward to presenting our arguments to the court in the coming days to protect our residents, institutions, and economy in Massachusetts.' The opposition comes on top of a separate legal challenge to the new ban brought by Hawaii on Wednesday. Hawaii had also sued over the previous order and is seeking to amend its complaint to include the new ban. A hearing in that case is set for next Wednesday, a day before the clock starts on the new order. The states and immigration advocates argue the new ban, like the original one, discriminates against Muslims. MORE EXEMPTIONS Trump's new executive order was designed with the intention of avoiding the legal hurdles. While the new order keeps a 90-day ban on travel to the United States by citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, it excludes Iraq. Refugees are still halted from entering the country for 120 days, but the new order removed an indefinite ban on all refugees from Syria. The revisions include explicit exemptions for legal permanent residents or existing visa holders and waivers are allowed on a case-by-case basis for some business, diplomatic and other travelers. The first hurdle for the lawsuits will be proving 'standing,' which means finding someone who has been harmed by the policy. With so many exemptions, legal experts have said it might be hard to find individuals a court would rule have a right to sue. Advertisement Chelsea Clinton was on the school run Thursday morning, taking daughter Charlotte to her nursery program in New York City. The former first daughter, 37, seemed to be in a race against time too, hailing a cab outside her apartment to get little Charlotte to school on time. Chelsea and Charlotte, 2, were seen piling into the cab and then later getting out at the school. And like many young children in New York City, Chelsea opted to skip lugging around a car seat for the quick trip. Charlotte stayed at school for two hours and then headed home with her mom, with the pair choosing to walk back to the apartment. School days: Chelsea Clinton took her daughter Charlotte to nursery school on Thursday morning (above) Get to school: The 37-year-old mother of two was seen hailing a cab outside her Manhattan apartment And mermaid makes three: Charlotte brought along a Little Mermaid doll (above in her hands) with her for the trip to school In a hurry: Chelsea, like many mothers in new York City, did not bring a car seat for the short ride Off they go: Chelsea choose to instead keep Charlotte on her lap for the ride Super fun day: Charlotte wore a light blue dress with white dots, white stockings, slip on shoes and a bright blue cardigan Chelsea was dressed like many other Manhattan mommies on Thursday, outfitting herself in an $1,800 Burberry trench, jeans and her favorite pair of Isabel Marant boots. She also wore a USNS Comfort hat, which is the name of the US navy ship that helped victims in Haiti, to keep her hair safe from the wind. And to top it all off, Chelsea accessorized with a $6,500 Cartier watch. Charlotte meanwhile wore a light blue dress with white dots, white stockings, slip on shoes and a bright blue cardigan. On Tuesday, Chelsea gave her Twitter followers a look at one of Charlotte's favorite foods when she whipped up a batch of pancakes for dinner. The former first daughter added in some steamed and pureed spinach to the mix, sharing the finished result on her Twitter account. 'Spinach pancakes for #NationalPancakeDay (we won't eat them all tonight although Charlotte would if we let her)!' wrote Chelsea, who also shared a picture of her green creations. It seems however that most people are not like Charlotte, and has little to no desire to eat a pancake made of spinach. 'I'm sorry, Chelsea, but that just looks like....crepe,' wrote one person. Popping out: Charlotte got out of the cab first after arriving at school (above) Helping hand: Chelsea unloaded her daughter before getting out herself Looking around: Charlotte satyed at school for just two hours on Thursday Exciting day: Charlotte started at her nursery school in September, just before her second birthday Busy day: Chelsea wore a cap honoring the USNS Comfort, a navy ship that provided aid in Haiti Girls day: Chelsea and Charlotte left Marc Mezvinsky and Aidan at home for their trip to school Get going: Chelsea carried a black tote with her into the school with Charlotte Many others shared photos and GIFs of people vomiting in response to the post. 'Yuck,' wrote one of these people, while another person included a grab from the popular animated show Family Guy that showed all the characters vomiting. Another individual put up a GIF of actress Jenny Slate on the program Parks & Recreation, saying: 'Hard pass.' And one person even joked that what Chelsea had done was 'child abuse.' Chelsea was undeterred however, and even responded to a few people who applauded her healthy take on pancakes. 'I think they're very good! Admittedly I like spinach and pancakes!' wrote Chelsea. She later broke down the recipe by writing: 'We +pureed spinach which we blend after steaming to our regular pancake recipe but with a little less mix - Hope that makes sense!' It seems that she was also very aware of the criticisms being made, as she later responded to a critique of the GOP's new healthcare bill by tweeting: ' We may not agree on spinach pancakes, but surely that's indisputable?!' Some were still however in disbelief over what Chelsea had done, with the best response perhaps coming from the person who asked: 'why would you do this to a poor pancake on its big day?' Bling: Chelsea showed off her very pricey Cartier watch, which retails for $6500 Crowds: Pedestrians in the city seemed oblivious to Chelsea as she walked through the streets Get going: Charlotte did not do much walking on the way home, with her mother carrying her Windy day: The two girls braced for the wind, with cold temperatures expected to impact the region on Friday Looking around: Charlotte seemed to be keeping herself amused during the trip, smiling and laughing most of the way Texters: Two teenagers seemed to be more interested in their phones than the famous daughter passing them on the street Getting a good look: Chelsea hunched down and spoke to Charlotte at one point during their walk It was revealed last month that Chelsea's husband Marc Mezvinsky had quietly shut down his hedge fund Eaglevale Partners back in December. He and his partners are now reportedly working to return money to investors, including Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd C. Blankfein. The decision to shutter the fund came just a few weeks after Mezvinsky's mother-in-law Hillary lost the election to president Donald Trump. Mezvinsky has kept a low profile ever since Hillary's loss in the election, but was photographed by DailyMail.com heading out for a weekday jog in the middle of the afternoon last week. He and his Chelsea are now both without a full-time job. It was revealed last May that Mezvinsky suffered a huge loss after trying to bet on the revival of the Greek economy, forcing him to shut down one of his hedge funds. He and his partners, former Goldman Sachs colleagues Bennett Grau and Mark Mallon, raised $25million from investors to buy up bank stocks and debt from the struggling nation. That fund however has lost 90 percent of its value, investors with direct knowledge of the situation told The New York Times, and was closed. Eaglevale Partners was started in 2011 by Mezvinsky and his partners, with their former boss, Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd C. Blankfein, one of the first investors. Another is leading financier, Marc Lasry, co-founder of $13 billion hedge fund Avenue Capital, where Chelsea worked after graduating from Stanford. 'I gave them money because I thought they would make me money,' Mr Lasry told The Times last year, after investing $1 million in Eaglevale and urging a relative to do the same. Burr: Chelsea also wore her favorite $1800 Burbery trench coat Friends: Chelsea and her husband Marc are good friends with Burberry creative director Christopher Bailey Good day: Chelsea kept her outfit simple, wearing a sweater and a pair of jeans Staple: Chelsea also wore her favorite pair of Isabel Marant boots Mezvinsky was long gone from his job at Goldman in October 2013 when his mother-in-law Hillary was paid to give a speech to executives at the company during a technology conference in Arizona. She was reportedly paid $225,000 for that appearance. Mezvinsky and his partners had written to clients in 2014 to declare confidence in their 'Hellenic Opportunity' fund, predicting that Greece was on the path to a 'sustainable recovery'. By that point they had collected $25 million but stopped taking money by the end of that year when it became clear the country's economy would collapse without a massive Eurozone bailout. The Wall Street Journal reported in February 2015 that Eaglevalle said in a letter to investors that year that they had been 'incorrect' to bet on Greece and that is why the company had lost money two of the three years prior. The main fund dropped 3.6% in 2014, fained just 2.06% in 2013 and lost 1.96% in 2012. But good news for the people working at the hedge fund, as most funds collect management fees meaning money comes in even if funds lose money. The failure is a huge personal blow to Mezvinsky, who is also the son of political figures, albeit less well known that his wife's famed parents. His father, Edward Mezvinsky, represented Iowa's 1st congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives for two terms in the 1970s and his mother, Marjorie Margolies, represented Pennsylvania from 1993 to 1995. Ed Mezvinsky pleaded guilty to 31 charges of felony fraud in 2001 and spent five years in federal prison after he admitted scamming his friends and family out of $10 million in a Ponzi scheme. Adorable kid: Charlotte stuck out her tongue while concentrating it appeared at one point Chatting away: Charlotte seemed to be doing most of the talking on Thursday Nothing to do: Both Chelsea and her husband Marc do not have full-time jobs Quiet days: Chelsea has become a frequent presence on Twitter in the past few weeks His son met Chelsea Clinton at a political retreat when the pair were children and they became lifelong friends. They became romantically involved after her 2005 split from ex-boyfriend Ian Klaus, when Mezvinsky became 'a shoulder to lean on', according to Chelsea's chief of staff, Bari Lurie. The pair married in July 2010 and two years later Chelsea revealed their desire to start a family, with Mezvinsky telling Vogue his wife was 'the yin to my yang'. They welcomed their first child, Charlotte, in 2014, and announced last December that Chelsea was pregnant again with their second son Aidan. Shortly after starting Eagleville, Mezvinsky and Chelsea moved into a $10million New York City apartment opposite Madison Square Park. The four-bedroom, 5,000-square-foot apartment is one of only four residences in the building, which despite the low occupancy rate still has a full-time doorman. The apartment, whose hallways stretch a full city block, also has two dishwashers, two washer and dryers, dressing rooms with double-sided vanity mirrors, and two massive walk-in closets. The bedrooms meanwhile face right into Vera Wang's bridal design studio, who designed Cheslea's dress for her wedding day. Famous neighbors in the building include NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon and Jennifer Lopez, who paid $22million for the two-floor penthouse. The apartment's current value is closer to $15million. For all his colossal size and strength, the elephant was a gentle giant who loved the attention of humans and never shied away from their approaches. Tragically, his trusting nature might well have been his downfall. For, instead of fleeing, or charging at the poachers who stalked him, experts believe that Satao II one of perhaps 25 surviving African tuskers (so called because their tusks weigh more than 100lb and almost touch the ground) might have mistaken them for admiring tourists. It made him easy prey. Having lived for 50 years, he was found lying on the dusty plains of Kenyas Tsavo National Park, apparently poisoned by arrows that pierced his leathery hide. Scroll down for video Endangered: Latest studies reveal that more than 30,000 elephants are slaughtered each year for their ivory. Above, majestic African elephants The one, small mercy was that the poachers were frightened away before they could hack off his magnificent tusks a gruesome operation that means removing an elephants entire face, because they are so deeply embedded in its skull and the men have since been arrested. But the brutal slaughter of Satao, announced earlier this week, has shocked and alarmed the worlds conservationists. For if there was no sanctuary, even for this symbolic ambassador for elephants, as the parks chief officer mournfully described him, what hope could there be for this entire at-risk species? Very little, it seems. Latest studies reveal that more than 30,000 elephants are slaughtered each year for their ivory; a rate that has reduced the elephant population from ten million at the start of the 20th century to just over 400,000 today. Having lived for 50 years, Satao II (above) was found lying on the dusty plains of Kenyas Tsavo National Park, apparently poisoned by arrows that pierced his leathery hide Poaching is now at such an unprecedented level that elephants are being killed at a rate of one every 15 minutes roughly the time it will take you to read this article. If the wanton destruction of the worlds largest, and surely most remarkable, land mammal continues at such a pace, experts agree that within 25 years there will be not a single African elephant left on the planet. It is a profoundly depressing prospect. Yet it was never meant to be this way. In 1989, as an environment reporter, I attended a major wildlife trade summit in Switzerland, at which member nations finally appeared to recognise that elephants were being hunted to the brink of extinction. It was almost unanimously agreed that the multi-billion-pound international ivory trade must be banned and that elephants must be given maximum protection by being listed as a critically endangered species. Elephants Saved! the headline on my report proclaimed. It turned out to be a pipe dream. Though imports and exports were stopped and Britain, under the government of Margaret Thatcher proudly led the way most countries continued to allow the domestic sale of ivory products. Various caveats and exemptions to the regulations were also permitted. Sadly, this gave poaching gangs an incentive to continue operating. So, after a brief lull in the killing, during which elephant populations began to recover, this loathsome business was soon booming again. I subsequently discovered sweatshops in the United Arab Emirates where Filipino workers carved thousands of raw tusks, smuggled from East Africa, into ornate personal letter seals for sale in Japan. Perhaps it was not surprising that I was arrested and briefly detained by the Emirati authorities, who were so desperate to cover up their part in this shameful trade they attempted to buy my silence by offering the bribe of an expensive Arab carpet. My enduring memory is of those stultifying buildings, which stank of putrid flesh and were piled high with sawn-off tusks and shavings. The guardians of the park recovered the fangs of Satao II. They weigh between 50 and 51 kilos As Prince William, who, as patron of the Tusk Trust is spearheading the campaign to save the elephants, remarked: Ivory, when removed from an elephant, is not beautiful. Recently, governments across the world appear to have re-awoken to this simple truth. And so, very belatedly, another last-ditch effort to protect elephants is taking shape. The U.S. has just introduced a near total ban on ivory sales, with very limited exemptions for items such as antique pianos. Despite the cultural and religious significance its billion-plus people attach to ivory artefacts, India is also redoubling its enforcement of a blanket ban on internal ivory sales. Soon France, too, will unveil tight new laws. Yet the great surprise came recently, when China, by far the biggest player in the global ivory market, with thousands of carvers and retailers, and some 70 per cent of sales, decreed that their domestic trade would be outlawed this year, ending a tradition stretching back thousands of years. So where, you will doubtless be asking, does Britain stand in all this? Inexplicably, and quite ignominiously, given that the Tories promised to press for a total ban on the ivory trade in both their 2010 and 2015 election manifestos, our own Government is dragging its feet. Between 1992 and 2014 there were just 15 convictions for selling illegal ivory throughout the entire UK Although Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom pledged last autumn to further curtail the internal trade of ivory, and a consultation process is expected to begin imminently, her plans fall well short of a total ban. There is a prohibition on the sale of ivory items produced between 1947 and the present day. However, a trade in works of art and antiques made with ivory and produced before 1947 is allowed. Elephant conservation campaigners Prince William prominent among them are united in their belief that this qualified ban will do little to halt poaching. They argue that only outlawing the sale and purchase of all ivory, however old, would have any meaningful effect. It is easy to understand why. Britains ivory market, in which thousands of trinkets, ornaments, musical instruments and household goods are still sold each year on antique stalls, in auction houses and, increasingly, online, not only helps to keep ivory prices high by stimulating trade and fuelling demand. More worryingly, it is also being used as an international clearing house where ivory cartels, often based in Far Eastern countries, launder newer items by mixing them with genuinely old stock and passing them off as having been made before 1947. Unfortunately, some British dealers appear to be complicit in this and have scant regard for elephants or ivory laws as I discovered this week when I visited several London antiques markets named in a recent report by the wildlife monitoring group Traffic. At Alfies Antiques Market, a four-storey warren of stalls in Marylebone where I posed as a potential buyer, a female dealer offered to sell me ivory-handled dinner knives, which she assured me were made before the Forties. How could she be so sure? Tell me about it! With great difficulty! she exclaimed. Banning the sale of new ivory had f****d up the marketplace, she added. It was the most stupid law on Gods earth. However, the real eye-opener came when I expressed interest in an ivory salad-serving fork and matching spoon, on sale for 69, at a stall upstairs. According to the member of staff who served me, who professed expertise in these matters, the set dated back to the Twenties. Yet when I told him I feared being stopped at customs if I took it abroad, and asked for his written guarantee that they were legal, he became cagey. What people do is put them down as bone. Thats how they get away with it, he said, with a nervy laugh. Or you could say its ivorine which is plastic. Personally, if it was me, I would just put down Twenties salad servers, and leave it at that. If you want me to state what they are, I will. But most people dont want the word used. They dont want ivory mentioned at all. Before I left the stall, he reached below the counter and produced what looked like a letter opener, the handle of which was engraved with an eagle painted in the colours of the Stars and Stripes flag. Now this was made in the Fifties, or maybe even the Sixties or Seventies. So, by law, it is illegal, he admitted, holding up the implement, which was designed for turning the pages of books. If the customs people or police came in, I could get nicked for that. He went on to explain that this illicit ivory item belonged to a friend a fellow dealer, who had asked him to sell it on his stall for 170. On examining it, he said, he had realised it was a fake antique, made to look old to cheat regulations, so he would be returning it. But if I came back with 170, would you sell it to me? I pressed him. He smiled sheepishly: Id ring him up, he replied. If you want to pay the 170, thats his price, by all means. Id rather have him here when you are buying. After I contacted the Metropolitan Police, its wildlife unit expressed an interest in investigating this exchange and said it could result in action. Yet as the unit employs only three officers to police the entire gamut of animal trade offences, its effectiveness is limited. Between 1992 and 2014 there were just 15 convictions for selling illegal ivory throughout the entire UK. Establishing the precise age of ivory pieces is also difficult, time-consuming and costly. According to Professor Christopher Ramsey, a specialist in carbon-dating at Oxford University which charges about 500 to analyse ivory in a radiocarbon accelerator unit there is no reliable method of proving ivory comes from an elephant killed before 1947. This is because the technology detects only the age of the tusks and not when the animal died. All of which makes the argument for a total, unequivocal ban on ivory sales more compelling. Moreover, as Tusk Trust chief executive Charlie Mayhew says: The Government proposal to ban sales of post-1947 ivory doesnt go far enough. Focusing on newer ivory will not significantly reduce the amount bought and sold in the UK and will do little to stop the trade across the world. Its amazing that we might be learning lessons from China Tory Environment Secretary Owen Paterson Shruti Suresh, senior wildlife campaigner with the Environmental Investigation Agency, agrees: There is overwhelming evidence that domestic ivory markets stimulate demand, encouraging the perception that buying it is acceptable, and provide an avenue for laundering illegal ivory. Its amazing that we might be learning lessons from China, former Tory Environment Secretary Owen Paterson, has said. It is simply not possible to maintain the high moral ground and tell other countries what they should be doing if we have not set an example. It is absolutely incredible that we have fallen behind. Campaigners pose the same very obvious question: if China, of all countries, can ban the ivory trade, why on earth cannot Britain? Why indeed? The Governments reluctance to take a stronger line is perplexing the more so because the public abhors the ivory trade. A recent poll showed 85 per cent back an outright ban, and almost 10 per cent imagined one was already in place. One explanation for ministers reluctance is that officials at the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs are so overwhelmed with Brexit issues that animal conservation matters have been sidelined. A much more likely reason is that they are being swayed by the powerful antiques industry, which fears it will lose millions of pounds if antique ivory sales are stopped, and whose figurehead happens to be Victoria Borwick, Conservative MP for Kensington, and president of the British Antique Dealers Association. The association claims that ivory older than 70 years is part of our cultural history and an outright ban would do nothing to stop poaching. This argument is backed by the British Museum, which owns one of the worlds largest and most valuable collections, including the Nimrud Ivories (carved artefacts excavated in the Middle East and dating back nearly 3,000 years). It strongly supports the ban on illegal trading but fears a total ban would devalue its collection although there is no suggestion it wishes to sell it. However, such concerns are refuted by campaigners such as Prince William, whose devotion to the cause of saving elephants has reportedly led him to say he would like to see all the ivory in the Royal Collection destroyed. Faced with the strong possibility that elephants will disappear for ever in our lifetime unless the 15 billion ivory trade is speedily eradicated, many would agree with him, believing that the survival of the natural worlds most noble and wondrous creature is beyond price. Police officers in an unmarked vehicle were following the driver of a car who died after speeding around the corner of an intersection and colliding with a school bus, injuring five children. A critical investigation has been launched after the man died in Sydney's west at around 8am on Friday morning. Emergency services were called to Londonderry Road at The Driftway at 8am to reports that a bus, carrying students, and a car had collided. The male driver of the car died at the scene. Five students were treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics for minor injuries, with three of them taken to Nepean Hospital. During a press conference shortly before noon, Jeff Philippi, the assistant commissioner of the Northwest Metropolitan region, confirmed police had cause to follow the sedan as it travelled east. Scroll down for video Police officers in an unmarked vehicle were pursuing the driver of a car who died after speeding around the corner of an intersection and colliding with a school bus Five students were treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics for minor injuries The car was reportedly followed by police because of a traffic violation, according to 9News. The driver later ignored a stop sign at the intersection of Londonderry Rd and smashed into the rear side door of the school bus. 'Shortly after 8am this morning, police became aware of a motor vehicle traveling east on The Driftway towards Londonderry Road, Londonderry, and had cause to follow that vehicle,' Comm Philippi said. 'When it approached the intersection of Londonderry Road, the vehicle they were following entered the intersection without slowing. 'It collided with a bus carrying about 10 schoolchildren.' He added: 'There is substantial damage to the bus and the vehicle and the driver of the sedan is unfortunately deceased.' Emergency services were called to Londonderry Road at The Driftway at 8am to reports that a bus, carrying students, and a car had collided A witness said several of the children were bleeding from their heads after the collision, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. The driver of the bus was not injured but was taken to hospital for mandatory testing. NSW Police said an unmarked police vehicle was in the vicinity prior to the crash, but declined to comment further when approached by Daily Mail Australia. A spokesman said the full circumstances surrounding the crash are under investigation. A crime scene has been established and will be examined by specialist forensic officers. NSW Police said an unmarked police vehicle was in the vicinity prior to the crash A spokesman said the full circumstances surrounding the crash are under investigation A critical incident team from North West Metropolitan Region will investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident. A spokesman for the Department of Education confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that the injured children are students from Richmond High School - which is less than 4km from the site of the crash. 'The students on the bus were assessed by emergency services at the scene. Two students were transported to hospital,' the spokesman said. 'Counselling is being provided at Richmond High School. The incident is being investigated by police.' Lailani Ikamui, a student who was about to leave her home to board the bus involved in the crash, said she ran outside after hearing a bang. 'I saw a bus and a car and it was on fire,' she told 9News. 'It was really scary to see because I thought some of my friends could have been on that bus and the fire was pretty big on the car.' Londonderry Road is closed in both directions at The Driftway. The closure will be lengthy and motorists are urged to avoid the area. Police are urging anyone with information relating to this incident to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report online. The car collided with the bus on Londonderry Road at the intersection of The Driftway The cause of the crash, which occurred on Londonderry Road, is under investigation The male driver of a sedan died after speeding around an intersection without slowing A teenager spent a night in police custody after an ugly brawl broke out at a rugby league match. Violent scenes erupted at the end of the NRL game between the Sydney Roosters and Canterbury Bulldogs at Sydney's Allianz Stadium on Thursday night. More than 50 people were involved in the brawl in the members stand about 9.45pm. Scroll down for video More than 50 people were involved in an ugly brawl at Sydney's Allianz Stadium on Thursday night Several punches were thrown in the melee at the end of the Sydney Roosters and Canterbury Bulldogs match Shocking footage obtained by 9 News shows spectators running over seats before several punches are thrown. Spectators are also seen being violently shoved and kicked. One man was knocked to the ground in the melee and police say he was allegedly further assaulted before witnesses came to his aid. He was rushed to St Vincent's Hospital with a suspected shoulder injury. Spectators were seen running over seats to join in the brawl A teenager was taken into police custody but released pending further inquires Security swarmed the area and held a teenager until police arrived. The teenager was taken into custody but released on Friday morning pending further inquiries. Police investigating the brawl are urging witnesses to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. LEBANON Landen Wilson loves dinosaurs, LEGOs and going bug hunting on a summer day. The 7-year-old Lebanon boy has four rounds of intensive chemotherapy behind him in his battle against pre B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. By the time the fifth is over, sometime in late April or early May, his family hopes Landon's favorite hobbies will once again be able to take center stage. In the meantime, however, the trips to Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland continue, every 10 days. Through dad Eli Wilson's job as an electrician for Facebook, the family has insurance to cover Landen's medical needs, said Cassie Wilson, Landen's mother. But the constant trips north have taken their toll on the family's finances. "We have good insurance," Cassie said. "It's just even with good insurance, it only covers so much." Friends have organized a spaghetti feed and silent auction fundraiser for the Wilsons to help pay for some of those unexpected costs. The public is invited to the event, which starts at 5 p.m. Saturday, March 18, at the River Center, 3000 S. Santiam Highway, Lebanon. Tickets are available at the door, but organizers said prices have not yet been set because donations are still being calculated. No matter what the event might raise, Cassie Wilson said she's grateful for the help. "People we don't even know," she said. "The support has been amazing." Both part of the class of 2007 Cassie from Sweet Home, Eli from Lebanon the Wilsons are deeply rooted in the mid-valley. They've tried to teach Landen and his little sister, Ava, 4, that being part of a community means treating everyone like family, stepping up to provide support wherever possible. Still, Cassie said, she wasn't expecting to have to receive that support herself. Up until last August, Landen was a typically busy boy, always running, even the day before the doctor's appointment. Landen had been telling the family his stomach hurt. At a hospital visit Aug. 3, doctors first thought he might be having trouble with his appendix, Cassie recalled. Tests showed different problems, however. Two days later, Landen was transferred to Oregon Health & Science University in Portland for more tests. On Aug. 10, they broke the news: Landen had blood cancer. "It was definitely quite a shock that day. We just kind of went into fighting mode," Cassie said. "We just made the decision, 'We're going to fight it.'" Landen's cancer is one of the more common forms of childhood leukemia, and he's been responding well to treatment with no relapses so far, Cassie said. The only complication to date has been the effect on his bones. The treatment makes them brittle, which has led to compression fractures and collapsed discs in his back. He was able to remove a back brace only two weeks ago, and just recently received his doctor's OK to rejoin his kindergarten classmates at Green Acres for recess. Once the final round of intensive chemo is over, Landen will go on three years of maintenance chemotherapy: a daily dose at home, either through a pill or his port, and trips back to Doernbecher once a month. After that, best case scenario: "All done, never comes back," Cassie said. The 101st Airborne Division - the elite air assault group also known as The Screaming Eagles - has a near-legendary status in the US military. Once referred to as 'the tip of the Spear,' their highly trained, expert soldiers are sent into some of the most dangerous warzones, where their flexibility, ingenuity and focus can mean the difference between victory or unthinkable failure. And yet budget cuts have left the division so strapped for cash that they've had to give up half of their iconic Apache helicopters, Fox News reported. Scroll down for video Under-funded: The elite 101st Airborne Division, aka 'Screaming Eagles,' has lost half its helicopters (pictured: an Apache guship) and many soldiers due to budget cuts 'We used to have two aviation brigades here, over 200 aircraft, and now we are down to just one aviation brigade and slightly over 100 aircraft,' Colonel Craig Alia, commander of the division's combat aviation brigade, said. Those losses came after cuts demanded by Congress saw the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade - one of two brigades supporting the 101st - disbanded. That means there will be no chance of repeating the stunning night in 2003 when the division sent 4,000 men into Mosul, Iraq - the longest combat air assault in history. Alia said that as well as slashing the number of choppers in half, the cuts have also reduced the number of available mechanics. And yet, he said, demand for the brigade has gone up - leading to exhausted mechanics and stressed out soldiers. Caps: Barack Obama put caps on deployment in the Middle East, leading to its mechanics being left back in the US and civilian contractors brought in to fill the gap He explained that 'what you have is an inexperienced maintenance group that has to support a high tempo of flight hours, and it has a wear and tear on the force.' Problems have been exacerbated by Barack Obama's 'caps' on how many military personnel are deployed at any one time, military sources said. That lead to mechanics - including 1,000 from the Screaming Eagles alone - being left behind during the last Afghanistan deployment, with civilian contractors brought in to make up the numbers. That meant frustrated experts were left behind at home, with a resulting loss of morale, while relatively inexperienced workers were hired to fill out the division. There are now twice as many contractors as soldiers in Afghanistan, Gen John Nicholson testified to congress last month. And many of those left behind have moved elsewhere in the Army. The cuts are visible back home too, in the rotting Second-World-War-era sheds that house the helicopters at Fort Campbell, the division's home on the Kentucky-Tennessee border. Colonel Rob Salome, Fort Campbell's garrison commander, says it 'really is held together with buckles and posts' - but it's all they have. Donald Trump's promise to rebuild the military with a $54 billion increase in spending holds some hope for the Screaming Eagles - but even some Republicans on Capitol Hill think his plans won't be enough. Cash: Donald Trump has promised a big cash injection but critics say it won't be enough - top House Army experts want $640b but he's giving $603b The chairmen of the Senate and House Armed Services committees say the Army needs $640 billion if it hopes to get back to full levels of deployment. But Trump's big, budget-busting plan only calls for $603 billion in defense money to be spent overall. Meanwhile, the Army is now calling for 30,000 new soldiers, two years after it said it was shedding 40,000. However, some - such as Robert Hale, a former DoD comptroller for Obama - say that the claims made by the army might be a little larger than life. In Washington last month, Hale said: 'This is a time when the services, if you will, want to put their worst foot forward and make clear all the problems that are there. 'So, I think we need to be a little skeptical.' A Kansas gunman who is accused of shooting an Indian Garmin engineer dead in a racist attack last month appeared at Johnson County District Court on Thursday. Adam Purinton, 51, is facing first-degree murder charges after he allegedly gunned down Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, at Austin's Bar and Grill in Olathe, Kansas on February 22. The suspect was also charged with attempted murder after he was accused of shooting Alok Madasani, 32, and Ian Grillot, 24, in the unprovoked attack. Adam Purinton, 51, is facing first-degree murder charges and attempted murder charges after allegedly shooting three people last month. He appeared at Johnson County District Court on Thursday Purinton is accused of killing Srinivas Kuchibhotla and shooting Alok Madasani, 32, and Ian Grillot, 24, during the incident Adam Purinton allegedly shot and killed Srinivas Kuchibhotla (pictured right), 32, after shouting 'get out of my country' at a restaurant in Olathe, Kansas The incident is being investigated as a hate crime as Purinton reportedly shot the men after shouting, 'get out of my country.' Purinton asked for a public defender during the hearing and his case was granted a 60-day continuance, KMBC reported. The suspect was arrested hours after the attack after he allegedly confessed to the shooting to a bartender at an Applebee's restaurant in Clinton, Missouri. Purinton walked into the restaurant saying he needed a place to hide as he just shot 'Middle Eastern men,' police said. Madasani and Kuchibhotla, originally from India, worked at GPS device-maker Garmin. 'He said that he shot and killed two ... people in Olathe. And I looked it up on the news, there are these shootings like three hours ago,' the bartender told CNN. The employee called 911 around 11.30pm, and Purinton was arrested about 70 miles away from the scene of the crime. She told officers not to drive up to the restaurant with sirens blaring. Alok Madasani (pictured left) and Ian Grillot (right) were hospitalized for their injuries. Madasani was Kuchibhotla's colleague at Garmin, and Grillot stepped in to defend the men 'There's people in the building... If the cops come in here, they need to do it quietly and not have sirens on because I'm afraid he's gonna freak out', she told police. The 51-year-old Navy veteran was thrown out of the Olathe bar before he returned and opened fire, police said. Grillot told CNN that he had defended Madasani and Kuchibhotla and asked Purinton to leave the bar. 'I opened the door and was like, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave, sir. There's no reason to act like that around this bar. This is a family restaurant,"' Grillot told KMBC-TV. Grillot hid under a table until nine shots had been fired. Believing the suspect's magazine was empty, he chased the gunman in hopes of subduing him. A bullet went through his right hand and into his chest, fracturing a vertebra in Grillot's neck although it did miss a major artery. Purinton asked for a public defender during the hearing on Thursday and his case was granted a 60-day continuance Parents of Indians living abroad are joined by others to participate in a candlelight vigil to pay their tributes to Srinivas Kuchibhotla in Hyderabad, India, Thursday Kuchibhotla died at an area hospital. Madasani was released from hospital the next morning. Purinton, 51, is jailed in Johnson County, Kansas, on $2 million bond on murder and attempted murder charges Madasani told a crowd of hundreds at the Ball Conference Center in on Sunday that 'what happened that night was a senseless crime and that took away my best friend'. 'The main reason why I am here is that's what my best friend, Srinivas, would have done. 'He would have been here for me.' At the vigil, Madasani recalled how Kuchibhotla never complained about picking him up and driving him to work over a six-month period. 'He waited till I bought a car. That's the kind of guy he was - is,' Madasani said. Local police were working with the FBI to determine whether the shootings are hate crimes. Pregnant Amal Clooney delivered a passionate call for action against ISIS in her address to the UN today. The international human rights lawyer headed to the United Nations on Thursday to deliver her speech at a session entitled: The Fight against Impunity for Atrocities: Bringing Da'esh to Justice. Amal, who married actor George Clooney in 2014, demanded action against the terror group for their horrific crimes. 'Not one ISIS militant has faced trial for international crimes anywhere in the world. Why is it that nothing has been done?' she asked the UN. Scroll down for video Pregnant Amal Clooney delivered a passionate call for action against ISIS in her address to the UN today Behind the lectern: Amal pictured making a speech at the session 'Somehow we are no closer to justice today than when I addressed you last year.' Amal, who is acting on behalf of the Yazidis in Iraq, called on the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to send a letter to the U.N. security council to request an investigation into ISIS' actions, stating that 'what is needed now is moral leadership to actually make this happen.' 'I can not understand why you are letting ISIS get away with it. I ask the Iraqi government and the U.N. to establish an investigation and give all the victims of ISIS the justice they deserve. 'Don't let this be another Rwanda where you regret doing too little, too late,' she urged. 'Don't let ISIS get away with genocide.' Represent: Amal embraces at the United Nations Preparation: Amal mingled before making her speech at the UN Address: The lawyer urged the UN to not do 'too little too late' The international human rights lawyer headed to the United Nations on Thursday to deliver her speech at a session entitled: The Fight against Impunity for Atrocities: Bringing Da'esh to Justice The 39-year-old lawyer looked sophisticated and stylish in a yellow and black dress which she teamed with a matching coat with leather black trim at the UN. Don't let ISIS get away with genocide Amal's long black tresses were worn loose around her shoulders while black heels and a matching black bag completed the look. The British lawyer has been speaking out against ISIS ever since she took on the case of human trafficking survivor Nadia Murad. Murad shared her own story of horrific abuse at the hands of ISIS terrorists on Thursday, telling the UN how she was brutally abused and repeatedly raping by her captors for months until she finally escaped and ultimately sought refuge in Germany. Yazidi survivor Nadia Murad (L) takes part in an interview with international human rights lawyer Amal Clooney at United Nations headquarters in New York on Thursday Amal has been speaking out against ISIS ever since she took on the case of human trafficking survivor Nadia Murad 'ISIS terrorists remain a genuine threat to me because of the role I have taken on,' Murad said. 'More importantly, I know full well that every time I speak out to public opinion I subject members of my family to danger.' 'I cannot understand why it is taking so long,' she added, referring to the work to bring ISIS to justice. Clooney added: 'What is shocking here is not just the brutality of ISIS but how long those who know about it can remain passive. If we do not change course, history will judge us, and there will be no excuse for our failure to act.' Speaking from the podium, she added: 'I'm asking you today to stand up for justice. Every conflict reminds us that there can be no lasting peace without justice. Justice is also what the victims want.' Amal's career has come under the spotlight since her 2014 marriage to George. However, she said her marriage to the 55-year-old is a 'really good thing' as it can actually help her cases due to the 'extra publicity.' Bright light: Amal Clooney showed off her baby bump in a yellow dress with black trim as she stepped out in new York City on Thursday Starting to show: Amal Clooney had a noticeable baby bump while heading to address the United Nations in New York City on Wednesday She said during an appearance on the BBC programme News At Six: 'I mean, there's lot of my work that takes place behind closed doors that is not ever seen. 'I think if there are more people who now understand what's happening about the Yazidis and ISIS, and if there can be some action that results from that, that can help those clients, then I think it's a really good thing to give that case the extra publicity that it may get.' But Amal's often risky cases - which recently included helping a human trafficking survivor - may have to be put on hold, as George is concerned about her travelling to potentially dangerous countries whilst pregnant. He revealed last month: 'We decided to be much more responsible, to avoid the danger. I will not go to South Sudan anymore and or the Congo [and] Amal will no longer go to Iraq and she will avoid places where she knows she is not welcome.' In an interview he gave to Paris Match, he said: 'Before, I did not care. I would even say that there was a pretty exciting side to going where no reporter had ever been.' The 55-year-old, who'd married his second and current wife in 2014, also explained: 'We're lucky to live between three countries: Italy, America and England. But once the children start school, it'll be necessary to choose where to settle.' Donald Trump's spokesman said Thursday that he's not 'aware' of a counterintelligence investigation into the president - suggesting that there could be one that he doesn't know about. A day before the White House official said he had 'no reason to believe that he is the target of any investigation.' The claim, made by press secretary Sean Spicer, came off as a denial that Trump's calls were monitored in the previous administration through legal surveillance. An official for the Justice Department told the New York Times afterward, however, that it never told the White House that, prompting a new round of questions about the matter at today's press briefing. Donald Trump's spokesman, Sean Spicer, said Thursday that he's not 'aware' of a counterintelligence investigation into the president - suggesting that there could be one that he doesn't know about The sitting president has claimed that his predecessor wiretapped him, a federal offense if Trump was not named in a court order. Spicer stated flatly that on Wednesday that Trump is not the 'target' of any investigation, after earlier dancing around a string of questions about whether the White House was using a House Intelligence probe as a fishing expedition. Although Trump offered no proof his communications were being monitored, his claims raised at least the possibility that there was a probe targeting Trump Tower, following earlier reports that the FBI was investigation contacts between Trump associates and the Russians. The Washington Post reported the day before Trump's inauguration that U.S. officials were going through intercepted communications and financial data as part of an investigation into ties between the Russian government and Trump associates. Margaret Brennan of CBS News asked Spicer directly whether Trump was the target of a counterintelligence investigation essentially a spy probe - and Spicer told her, 'I think thats what we need to find out.' Then, as he wrapped up the briefing, and after being handed notes by an aide on two occasions, Spicer went back to the issue, to provide clarification. 'I just want to be really clear on one point,' the White House spokesman said. 'There is no reason that we have to think the president is the target of any investigation whatsoever. 'There is no reason to believe that he is the target of any investigation. I think thats a very important point to make,' he repeated. The he said there were two separate issues at hand. The tweets 'dealt with wiretaps during the thing.' 'The other is an investigation...And there is no reason to believe that there is any type of investigation with respect to the Department of Justice.' Spicer said a day earlier that he had 'no reason to believe' that Trump was the target of a Justice Department investigation After receiving a note from the staffer, Spicer returned to the subject at the end of the press briefing to clarify that Trump was not the target of 'any' investigation In his earlier answer, Spicer said, 'There was considerable concern last cycle when a reporter was the target of one. Part of the reason that we have asked the House and Senate to look into this is because of that.' He complained: 'These stories that keep coming out about the president and his links to Russia. It has continuing to be the same old same old played over and over again.' 'The president has made clear that he has no interest in Russia,' Spicer said. 'And yet a lot of these stories that have come out with respect to that are frankly fake.' 'He doesn't know whether he is the target of a probe or not?' a reporter asked. 'That's one of the issues we have asked the Senate and the House to look into,' Spicer responded. After the Justice Department official denied to the Times that anyone told the White House there was no Trump investigation, offering 'no comment' on the possibility that was one in the process, Brennan returned to the briefing Thursday to re-ask Spicer the question. 'The assurance I gave you, Margaret, was that I'm not aware, and that is 100 percent accurate,' he protested. Brennan pointed out that he actually said there was 'no reason to believe' that Trump was under investigation, an important difference. 'I don't know that they're not interchangeable. I'm not aware, I don't believe. Look up in a thesaurus and find some other ways, but I don't know that there's a distinction there that's noteworthy,' he argued. 'Someone's asking me if I'm made aware of something and the answer is no, then the answer is no.' Flummoxed, Spicer told Brennan in the exchange that he didn't know 'how much clearer' he could be and couldn't understand why they were 'dancing around' it still. 'We're not aware. I don't -- that should be the definitive answer,' he repeated. The White House has not provided any evidence to back up the president's claim that he was wiretapped - though it would have been legal if he were the target of a federal investigation White House officials have provided no evidence that Obama ordered Trump's calls to be monitored. Pressed incessantly by reporters, Spicer and his deputy have went mum, saying only that the inflammatory allegation will be probed by congressional committees. Until then, they're refusing to provide additional comment on the source of their information, after previously ascribing it to news articles that said no such thing. A report in the conservative online publication Circa claimed yesterday that the FBI investigated a Trump Organization computer that it believed was contacting Russia, but nothing ever came of it. The surveillance the article described is not the same, however, as a wiretap, which is what Trump alleged. A source who spoke to Circa anonymously said misunderstandings about the different types of government surveillance has been adding to the confusion. 'We have people spouting off who dont know the difference between FISA surveillance and a wiretap or a counterintelligence probe versus a special prosecutor, and it has hurts our ability to get to the truth and has wrongly created the impression that intelligence officials have a political agenda,' the source said. Scientists have discovered an ancient fish species in southern China that may have emerged millions of years before the Age of Fish. Fossils of the newly described type of Kuanti fish reveal the creature had unusual teeth and scales that resembled a wall of shields. Researchers have dated it back to the Silurian period, about 423 million years ago long before the start of the Devonian Period, which gave rise to a diverse abundance of jawed fishes. Scientists have discovered an ancient fish species in southern China that may have emerged millions of years before the Age of Fish. Fossils of the newly described type of Kuanti fish reveal the creature had unusual teeth and scales that resembled a wall of shields Researchers from Flinders University, Australia and the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, China, have described a new genus and species of Kuanti fish based on fossils found at the Kuanti Formation in southern China. Known as Sparalepsis, its just the second Silurian bony fish to be described based on the discovery of more than isolated fragments. And, it has spine-bearing pectoral and pelvic girdles, which were thought to be restricted to todays armored placoderm fishes. The contemporary Guiyu and the extinct Psarolepis are also known to have these features, and the researchers say the new species and its relatives may be an early form of a group thought to be the ancient cousins of modern lungfish. But, this newly described species has unusual features that set it apart from the rest. This newly described species has unusual features that set it apart from the rest. Its equipped with tall scales that are thick and narrow. The scales at its front have interlocking mechanisms on the inner and outer surfaces, packed together like a wall of shields Its equipped with tall scales that are thick and narrow. The scales at its front have interlocking mechanisms on the inner and outer surfaces, packed together like a wall of shields. According to the researchers, this is what gives the genus its name Sparalepsis, which is a combination of ancient Persian and Greek, meaning shield scale. FOUR-LEGGED ANIMALS TAKE TO LAND DURING DEVONIAN PERIOD Tetrapods first appeared between 390 and 360 million years ago during the Devonian Period. These are four-footed animals, including amphibians, reptiles, and mammals which evolved from a common finned ancestor. At first, these animals used their limbs as paddles to move in the water. Through evolution, tetrapods developed a vertebral column and pelvic girdle that could support their bodies outside of water, on land. Tetrapods first appeared between 360 and 390 million years ago during the Devonian Period Advertisement The Devonian Period stretched from about 419-359 million years ago, and is often referred to as the Age of Fish. This is because the abundance and diversity of jawed fishes appeared to skyrocket compared to the Silurian Period before it, which lasted from about 444-419 years ago. But, recent discoveries from South China and Vietnam suggest a greater diversity of late Silurian jawed vertebrates than has been previously been recognized, the authors wrote in the study. They now say it appears as though the region may have experienced its own Age of Fish far earlier than the Devonian. China is developing an advanced new spaceship capable of both flying in low-Earth orbit and landing on the moon, according to state media, in another bold step for a space program that equaled the U.S. in number of rocket launches last year. The newspaper Science and Technology Daily cited spaceship engineer Zhang Bainian as saying the new craft would be recoverable and have room for multiple astronauts. While no other details were given in the Tuesday report, Zhang raised as a comparison the Orion spacecraft being developed by NASA and the European Space Agency. Scroll down for video China is developing an advanced new spaceship capable of both flying in low-Earth orbit and landing on the moon. Newspaper Science and Technology Daily cited spaceship engineer Zhang Bainian as saying new craft would be recoverable and have room for multiple astronauts CHINA'S PLANS FOR SPACE EXPLORATION Since 2009, China has been upping its work in space exploration in a number of stages. Each stage has been given a name to refer to the mission plans. Stage 1 'Around': Yinghuo-1 was launched in 2009 with the aim of bringing back samples however it was left stranded in orbit and disintegrated. Stage 2 'Landing': Yinghuo-2 is expected to launch in 2020 to collect data on Mars Stage 3 'Circular': A rover will be sent to Mars to carry out exploration Advertisement The agency hopes Orion will carry astronauts into space by 2023. China's Shenzhou space capsule used on all six of its crewed missions is based on Russia's Soyuz and is capable of carrying three astronauts in its re-entry module. China came late to crewed space flight, launching its first man into space in 2003, but has advanced rapidly since then. In its most recent crewed mission, two astronauts spent a month aboard a Chinese space station late last year. A fully functioning, permanently crewed space station is on course to begin operations in around five years and a manned lunar mission has been suggested for the future. Now firmly established among the big three in space travel, China last year moved ahead of Russia for the first time in number of rocket launches and equaled the United States at 22, according to Harvard University astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell. Russia had 17 launches, while the U.S. might have had several more if Space X's Falcon 9 rocket fleet hadn't been grounded following a Sept. 1 launchpad explosion. The Chang'e-5 lunar probe is undergoing a final round of tests and is expected to be on standby for launch from August, the official People's Daily said, citing the China National Space Administration Earlier this week, Chinese officials revealed plans to launch a space probe to the moon, and bring back samples before the end of the year. According to the official Peoples Daily, the Chang'e-5 lunar probe is undergoing a final round of tests and is expected to be on standby for launch from August. The paper, citing the China National Space Administration, reported that the mission will come with new challenges, including sample collection, taking off from the moon, and high-sped re-entry to the Earths atmosphere. Hu Hao, an official from China's Lunar Exploration Programme, told the paper that it will be one of Chinas most complicated and difficult space missions. TRUMP'S MANNED MOON MISSION NASAs top staff was given instructions to assess the feasibility of sending humans to space with the first flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. The mission was originally designed to be uncrewed, and was set to launch in 2018. In a press conference, officials leading the study revealed the evaluations are now well underway, and theyve already created a 'hard, crisp list' of everything that will need to change from a hardware standpoint in order to add crew. NASAs top staff was given instructions to assess the feasibility of sending humans to space with the first flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft But, so far, the team says theyre sticking to their baseline plan for EM-1, and will let the let the data drive any decisions moving forward. It will see Nasa's Orion, stacked on a Space Launch System rocket capable of lifting 70 metric tons will launch from a newly refurbished Kennedy Space Center in November 2018. The uncrewed Orion will travel into Distant Retrograde Orbit, breaking the distance record reached by the most remote Apollo spacecraft, and then 30,000 miles farther out (275,000 total miles). The mission will last 22 days and was originally designed to test system readiness for future crewed operations. Advertisement The space agency hopes to send a probe to the dark side of the moon by 2018, and have astronauts on the lunar surface by 2036. In January, Chinas space agency announced plans to launch two missions to Mars, and a probe to Jupiter. Vice Director of Chinas National Space Administration Wu Yanhua said the first probe would be sent to Mars by 2020. Then, a second probe will be launched to collect samples and conduct research on the red planets structure, composition, and environment. THE HISTORIC SPACEX MOON MISSION Musk says the mission will 'skim the surface of the moon, go quite a bit further out into deep space' and then return to Earth. However, he has refused to reveal who the two paying tourists are SpaceX will launch the private mission on a journey to circumnavigate the moon and return to Earth. Lift-off will be from Kennedy Space Center's historic Pad 39A near Cape Canaveral the same launch pad used by the Apollo program for its lunar missions. The mission will use one of SpaceX's Dragon capsules, which will be modified to allow communications in deep space. The Dragon will be capable of operating autonomously throughout the whole flight, but the passengers will be trained in emergency procedures. The mission would 'do a long loop around the moon' and would take about a week. Musk says it will 'skim the surface of the moon, go quite a bit further out into deep space' and then return to Earth. The total flight would go about 300,000 to 400,000 miles into space. The system is a complex network of machinery, pipes, tanks and sensors that work together to provide astronauts with air and other essentials. SpaceX built a test version of its Crew Dragon (pictured) solely for evaluation of the life support system The mission will use one of SpaceX's Dragon capsules, which will be modified to allow communications in deep space. Musk said it would be roughly the cost of a crewed mission to the International Space Station, and that other flight crews have already expressed interest in later flights. 'This presents an opportunity for humans to return to deep space for the first time in 45 years and they will travel faster and further into the Solar System than any before them,' SpaceX said. Engineers evaluate the ECLSS system designed for Crew Dragon missions. The mission would 'do a long loop around the moon' and would take about a week. 'It would skim the surface of the moon, go quite a bit further out into deep space' and then return to Earth, Musk said. 'There is some risk here,' he said, adding the hopeful passengers are not 'naive' about the dangers. Advertisement The agency also revealed its plans for a fly-by of Jupiter, and the exploration of an asteroid. China conducted its first crewed space mission in 2003, and has made steady progress in the short time since. The country has staged a spacewalk, and landed a rover on the moon in 2013, marking the first time humans had soft landed anything on the moon since the 1970s. A fully functioning, permanently crewed space station is on course to begin operations six years from now and is slated to run for at least a decade. Every parent knows that breaking rules is an inevitable part of teenage life. Now a new study has confirmed that adolescent brains are hardwired to engage in reckless acts. There are, however, some important things parents can do to deal with this sometimes confounding behaviour. These include focusing on the harm they are causing, and repeating the warnings several times. Scroll down for video The findings, which were published in the journal Developmental Science and led by a professor of psychology at Temple University in Philadelphia, showed that teenagers' risk-taking brain is far more powerful than the rational side of their brain (stock image) TOP TIPS FOR DEALING WITH TEENAGERS 1 - Focus on the harm rather than the trouble they could get into. Tell your children not to think about whether they could get caught but whether they could hurt themselves. 2 - Repetition is key - sometimes you will need to say something six times before it sinks in. 3 - Be positive - don't write risk-taking off as something you can't do anything about. 4 - Be realistic about the things your child is going to get up to and talk about potential scenarios. Advertisement The latest research looked at the behaviour of 5,000 people between the ages 10 to 30 years from 11 countries. It found that teenagers' risk-taking brain is far more powerful than brain's emerging rational control. The findings, which were published in the journal Developmental Science, showed that teenage risk-taking is a result of under-developed levels of self-regulation. 'But just because something is rooted in biology doesn't mean that it's not malleable and that there's nothing we can do about it', Dr Laurence Steinberg, the study's lead author and a professor of psychology at Temple University in Philadelphia, told New York Times. The research showed that teenagers find it particularly difficult to listen to their rational brain under social pressure. 'Sometimes you have to say the same thing six times before it works' said Dr Steinberg. We should try to 'make the prudent behavior more automatic and less dependent on the teenager stepping back and thinking about it in the moment'. She encouraged parents to be positive and not to 'write adolescent risk-taking off as something we can't do anything about.' Although it might not be pleasant to think about the scenarios that teenagers find themselves in, the researchers explained that it's important to talk them through - and perhaps even go through a hypothetical dry run. Teenagers find it harder to listen to their rational brain in a high pressure social situation when their friends are telling them to do something. Things like saying no to getting in a car with a friend who has been drinking or smoking marijuana at a party are easier to refuse if the teen has been encouraged to think through these scenarios in advance. Dr Laurence Steinberg, the study's lead author, encouraged parents not to 'write adolescent risk-taking off as something we can't do anything about.' Children who live in countries where they have lots of free and unstructured time are more likely to get in trouble (stock image) WHAT ARE THE WORST AGES? Recklessness peaks at 19 globally. As young adults at 23 or 24 their finally grow out of it. It also depends which country you live in - in America and Europe, adolescence is associated with drug taking and alcohol. However, in China, although teenagers are still thrill-seeking, they don't in the same way. Only 2 per cent of Indonesian teenagers had tried alcohol in the last month yet half of Argentine adolescents had. Advertisement Other recent research from Cornell University and the University of Texas-Dallas found parents can help teenagers thing about their choices. 'Don't focus on whether you could get caught you probably won't. Focus on whether you could get hurt', lead author Valerie Reyna told New York Times. 'When the adults are around, we help to keep you safe. When we're not around, staying safe is entirely your job', she said. Dr Steinberg's team of researchers surveyed adolescents from 11 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. 'Sensation seeking increased between preadolescence and late adolescence, peaked at age 19, and declined thereafter', according to the paper. 'Self-regulation increased steadily from preadolescence into young adulthood, reaching a plateau between ages 23 and 26.' 'Although there were some variations in the magnitude of the observed age trends, the developmental patterns were largely similar across countries.' The results varied across countries. Dr Steinberg said that countries with the lowest rates of risk-taking 'encourage self-control from a very early age and structure adolescence in a way that doesn't give kids a lot of free, unstructured time to get into a lot of trouble'. Recklessness peaks at 19 globally. As young adults at 23 or 24 their finally grow out of it. Dr Steinberg's team of researchers surveyed adolescents from 11 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas (stock image) 'The context in which kids grow up must matter a great deal, and that adolescent recklessness isn't the inevitable byproduct of the period's biology', according to the paper. Culturally, most European countries and America are more likely to celebrate adolescence as a time to push the boundaries and try new things. Only 2 per cent of Indonesian teenagers had tried alcohol in the last month yet half of Argentine adolescents had. 'Even in China we are finding that adolescents are at a time of heightened sensation seeking, but they don't engage in the high rates of drug use, unprotected sex and recklessness that we see in America and Western Europe', Dr Steinberg said. The south of France is known for its luxurious film festivals and high-end fashion. And now it seems the famous south of France glamour may date back as far as the Stone Age. Archaeologists studying a skeleton of a French man who from more than 7,000 years ago have discovered that he was wearing an intricate jacket adorned with sea shells. The partial remains of a man from 7,000 years ago was found wrapped in a jacket decorated with sea shells (pictured). The skull, legs and hands are missing from the skeleton The man, who was between the ages of 20 and 50 and around 5ft 5 inches (165cm) tall, was buried in Avignon, southern France, between 4950 and 4800BC. He was found wearing a jacket embroidered with 158 conical shells and 16 red deer teeth. 'For the first time in the Mediterranean early Neolithic, this study led to the identification of a garment adorned with sophisticated embroidery using 158 red-coloured shells and 16 red deer canines,' the scientists from Bordeaux Montaigne University in the south of France said in a research paper. The conical shells were sewn onto the jacket, which has now decayed, in intricate rows in an alternating pattern, with shells facing either up or down Although the cloth of the jacket has now withered away, the hard sea shells have remained intact for over 7,000 years. The seashells were taken from a species called Columbella rustica, a sea snail found across shores in the Mediterranean. They were sewn onto the jacket in intricate rows in an alternating pattern, with shells facing either up or down. A total of 16 canine teeth from red deer were also found alongside the shells. And the teeth may have been deliberately painted red, according to a chemical analysis of the jacket. 'The presence of red deer canines is unique in the region, and the combination with columbella is unique too,' study author Aurelie Zemour of Bordeaux Montaigne University told IBTimes UK. The seashells were taken from a species called Columbella rustica, pictured, a sea snail found across shores in the Mediterranean The unique combination of sea shells and teeth could indicate that Europeans living in the Stone Age traded across country borders, the researchers said. 'Calibrated dates allow us to reliably place it in the early 5th millennium, reinforcing evidence for long distance intercultural relationships in Europe during the Neolithic,' the researchers said. The grave of the man was first discovered in the 1970s and has been stored at the Calvet Museum, Avignon, until now. Scientists studied the jacket using 3D laser recording and field anthropological methods. The grave of the 7,000-year-old man was found in Avignon in the south of France in the 1970s and was stored at the Calvet Museum They were able to recreate what the jacket would have looked like, but were unable to piece together the man's skeleton as many parts are missing. The hands, skull and legs of the man have disappeared from the grave. This may be due to construction work during the Middle Ages, the researchers said. 'Burials like this are not so common, but there is a diversity of burial practices in this period,' Zemour said. 'This burial is also important because there burial constructs containing grave goods are rare. 'But the materials worn by the dead here are obvious and ornaments are visible. The burial is exceptional.' The research was published in the Journal of Field Archaeology. Google co-founder Larry Page's mysterious flying car startup is expanding its fleet of bizarre aircraft. Page's 'Zee Aero' registered two new aircraft with the US Federal Aviation Administration on January 18. Both of the aircraft are all-electric rotary aircraft, meaning they use rotary wings to fly like a helicopter. Scroll down for video Page's 'Zee Aero' registered two new aircraft with the US Federal Aviation Administration on January 18. One of Zee Aero's prototypes (pictured) was spotted at the firm's secretive test lab in Hollister last year. Locals said they had even seen it hovering above the ground THE FLYING CAR COMPANIES Zee Aero was set up in 2010, working on a small, all-electric plane that could take off and land vertically essentially a flying car. While there was much speculation that the company was affiliated to Google, as their headquarters were next door, Zee Aero fiercely denied the claims. However, it has since been revealed that Zee Aero belongs to Larry Page, Google's co-founder. The company's operations have expanded to an airport hangar in Hollister, where a pair of prototype aircraft take regular test flights. In 2015 a second competing flying-car startup called Kitty Hawk also began operations in its headquarters very near Google's. Despite the apparent rivalry, Bloomberg have reported that Mr Page has in fact been putting money into both Zee Aero and Kitty Hawk. Advertisement The registration files allow Zee Aero to fly the rotorcraft for tests for up to three years, according to documents seen by Business Insider. Kitty Hawk, a subsidiary of Zee Aero that is reportedly working on separate flying car designs, registered to fly a four-seater Cessna 172 Skyhawk plane in January - the most-produced aircraft in history. Page's creation of Zee Aero in 2010 was kept secret until last year when it was revealed Page had privately invested $100 million (82 million) in the two separate flying car firms. Since 2010 Zee Aero has been working on a small, all-electric plane that could take off and land vertically essentially a flying car. To date Zee Aero and Kitty Hawk have collectively filed more than dozen different aircraft registrations with the FAA. The first of these filings was registered in 2014. Aircraft types include electric gliders, rotorcraft, and fixed-wing designs that work like traditional aeroplanes. Zee Aero has never publicly acknowledged or demonstrated any of its designs or prototypes. But last year one of its prototype aircraft was spotted at a remote airfield in California Locals said they had even seen it hovering above the ground. Google's company's co-founder, Larry Page appears to be secretly investing in flying cars. According to Bloomberg Businessweek , Page has personally provided 70 million ($100 million) to two startups developing the technology A patent from 2011 emerged in June 2016 showing Zee Aero's designs for a flying car, and Bloomberg reported it was now pursuing a 'simpler, more conventional-looking design.' Since then it relocated to Hollister where its new design was spotted by locals in October. The attention grabbing plane had a high pitched, electric whine, they said. 'It sounded like an electric motor running, just a high-pitched whine,' Steve Eggleston, assistant manager at an airplane-parts company with offices bordering the Hollister Municipal Airport tarmac, told Bay Area News. Video courtesy: Mercury News During two Zee Aero flights witnessed by DK Turbines staff from several hundred yards away in September and October, the aircraft hovered about 25 feet off the ground, and landed rapidly, straight down. In May 2016, the city approved a 34-year lease with Zee Aero for just under an acre of land near the intersection of the municipal airport's two landing strips. It plans to build a 14,000-square-foot hangar and office building, plus nearly 10,000 square feet of employee parking and 16,000 square feet of paved area for aircraft parking and movement. Zee Aero have kept their designs very much under wraps, with the only information on their website stating: 'We're designing, building, and testing better ways to get from A to B.' However, it has been reported that Zee Aero has hired aerospace designers and engineers from Nasa, Boeing, and SpaceX, and has been testing two single-seater prototype designs - one that looks like a 'small conventional plane' and another with propellers along the sides. Zee.Aero have kept their designs very much under wraps, with the only information on their website stating: 'We're designing, building, and testing better ways to get from A to B' One of the patents depicts a car-sized aircraft, wings at the nose and tail, and along the top eight propellers, driven by eight motors, for vertical lift. Two other propellers on the rear wing would provide forward thrust. In October an aircraft was spotted being towed down the runway on two consecutive days, although no hovering or flying was observed by witnesses. Zee Aero was set up in 2010, working on a small, all-electric plane that could take off and land vertically essentially a flying car. Pictured is a Zee Aero patent from 2011 Dual propellers in the rear fitted with the description and drawings from the patent, but the aircraft appeared to have a single main wing, with pod-like structures beneath it, rather than the smaller wings at the front and rear shown in the drawings. Job ads on the firm's sight also confirm it is sticking with propellors, saying: 'The aerodynamics group is responsible for supporting airframe design, propeller design, performance and stability analysis, handling qualities analysis and flight testing.' In a May 2016 letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the firm said it was building 'an entirely new aircraft that will change personal aviation.' A Zee Aero spokeswoman said the firm is 'currently not discussing (its) plans publicly.' Harmful pollution could be putting the health of babies who join their parents and siblings on the school run at risk. Infants in prams are particularly hard hit and are twice as likely to be exposed during the morning drop off as the afternoon pick up. The team pick out traffic intersections and bus stops as heavily polluted. The report recommends parents cover prams and pushchairs for their children's protection. Scroll down for video Harmful pollution could be putting the health of babies who accompany their parents and older siblings on the school run at risk. They are twice as likely to breath in pollutants during the morning drop off as the afternoon pick up (stock image) THE FINDINGS The Surrey team identified that traffic intersections and bus stops are particular hotspots, with high levels of both coarse and fine polluting particles. The researchers found that small-sized particles were higher on an average by between 30 and 50 per cent in the mornings. They believe this is due to higher traffic emissions during the morning peak hours. Conversely, coarse particles 70 per cent higher during the afternoon, which could be down to moisture caused by overnight dew trapping particles until it evaporated later in the day. Advertisement Dr Prashant Kumar, lead author and Reader at the University of Surrey, said: 'Previous research has shown that young children are far more susceptible to pollution than adults, due to their immature and developing systems and lower body weight. 'Essentially, children could be at risk of breathing in some nasty and harmful chemical species such as iron, aluminium and silica that form together the particles of various size ranges. 'One of the simplest ways to combat this is to use a barrier between the in-pram children and the exhaust emissions, especially at pollution hotspots such as traffic intersections, so parents could use pram covers if at all possible. 'We are also working closely with our industrial partners to develop innovative methods to clean the air around the children in their in-pram micro-environments.' The team of researchers from the University of Surrey carried out a series of experiments using high specification air monitoring equipment inside a pram. They hoped to gauge the kind of pollutants and toxic chemicals toddlers are exposed to. During their tests, which simulated primary school drop offs and pick ups, the prams passed through key locations along school routes in the morning and afternoon. The Surrey team identified that traffic intersections and bus stops are particular hotspots, with high levels of both coarse and fine polluting particles. Parents are advised to cover prams and pushchairs for their children's protection. Image shows London's smog-filled skyline NITROGEN OXIDES Around 40,000 deaths a year are caused by air pollution in the UK, many a result of Nitrogen Dioxide. Nitrogen dioxide is a pollutant that can often be seen as a reddish-brown smog over many urban areas. It is formed when fuel is burned at high temperatures. Its most common sources are diesel engines and power plants. Nitrogen dioxide is highly toxic to plants, animals and humans. High levels can be fatal as the chemical is very damaging to delicate lung tissue. The pollutant can cause respiratory problems, lung disease and cancer. Advertisement The Surrey team identified that traffic intersections and bus stops are particular hotspots, with high levels of both coarse and fine polluting particles. The researchers found that small-sized particles were higher on an average by between 30 and 50 per cent in the mornings. They believe this is due to higher traffic emissions during the morning peak hours. Conversely, coarse particles 70 per cent higher during the afternoon, which could be down to moisture caused by overnight dew trapping particles until it evaporated later in the day. New research released at the end of February revealed that tens of thousands of children are exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution at school in large cities. Some 802 of the 3,261 educational institutions in the capital - including colleges and nurseries - are in areas with illegally high levels of nitrogen dioxide, according to a study commissioned by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. Some 802 of the 3,261 educational institutions in London including colleges and nurseries are in areas with illegally high levels of nitrogen dioxide. This image shows the orange haze of London's heavily polluted skyline Conducted by Kings College London and environmental data analysts Aether, the study showed that 33 per cent of nurseries, 20 per cent of primaries, 18 per cent of secondary schools and 43 per cent of further education colleges are in areas where nitrogen dioxide levels are high enough to threaten childrens health. Around 40,000 deaths a year are caused by air pollution in the UK, many a result of nitrogen dioxide pumped from diesel engines. The pollutant can cause respiratory problems, lung disease and cancer. Experts said air pollution was not confined to the capital and that it regularly breaches levels considered to be dangerous for human health in 16 cities. The problem - much of it caused by fume from diesel engines - was most dramatically illustrated in April 2014, when smog levels in London became so bad that some schools would not let their pupils play outside. The findings were published in the journal Environmental Pollution. Feb. 26, 1927 March 2, 2017 Henry (Hank) Warkentin was born in northeastern Montana on Feb. 26, 1927, to parents Jacob and Justina Warkentin. Hank had an older sister, Rosella, and an older brother, Jake. His early days in the 1930s were remembered as the dust bowl years and the Great Depression. Because of the difficulties of the times, the Warkentin family moved to western Oregon in 1937. Hank attended Dallas High School and during those years, he got acquainted with Lenora Ediger, both at school and at church. This is where their courtship began and their continuing romance lasted for over 65 years. They were married on May 9, 1947, in Dallas. They raised a family of five children: Timothy and wife Paulette Warkentin of Christmas Valley, Randall and wife Patti Warkentin of Salem, Rebekah and husband Gerald Schmucker of Tangent, Teresa and husband Stan Rolfness of Prineville, and Peggy and husband Mel Neufeld of Lebanon. They have 14 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren with more on the way! Preceding Hank in death is his wife, Lenora; sister Rosella Peters; brother Jake Warkentin; and great-grandchild Landon James Warkentin. Hanks work a day world centered on agriculture and the sales and service of farm equipment. This gave them some interesting traveling opportunities including to Europe, Japan and areas in the Caribbean. Hank and Lenora had a special blessing in their life by being often surrounded by young people. They taught Bible school classes, were youth directors, and they were also involved in rural Sunday schools. These ministries allowed them to sow into the lives of many young people and form life-long relationships. In 1993, after the fall of the Soviet Union, Hank and Lenora felt called to lead a team of young people from Christmas Valley to Eastern Russia that focused on teaching English in the high schools, using the Bible as their textbook. They lived in Eastern Russia the winter of 1994 and developed a ministry called Far East Regional Ministries. Because of this ministry, there are churches today that exist in the places where political and religious prisoners had populated the Goolog prison camps during the Soviet era. Hanks joy was to make friends and share the Good News of the Gospel wherever he was. He spent the last three years at Quail Run Mennonite Village in Albany where he made many special friends and got reacquainted with old ones. One special friend was Sidney Harrison. She and Hank enjoyed going to Fred Meyer for coffee, spending time reading the Bible, praying together, and just enjoying each others company. Hank passed away in Albany and went to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ on March 2, 2017, at the age of 90. He will be greatly missed and remembered lovingly by his family and friends as a godly man of character and integrity; one who was kind, gracious, and generous; one who could tell a good story; one who listened thoughtfully; and one who genuinely loved people and touched the lives of many. Hank lived a full life, faithfully serving the Lord to the very end. He leaves behind a legacy of Christian faith, one who fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith. The last verse of one of Hanks poems written many years ago is a fitting recap of his life. It is in the form of a prayer: And Lord Jesus, let me not be remembered as having houses or land or by my net worth, but as a godly man. This is my prayer and this I will entrust into Your care. Those living in the US may have to wait a little longer for the Nokia's highly anticipated new 'reboot' of its 3310 handset. Although some aspects of the handset have been updated, other features have stayed the same specifically the frequencies it uses to connect to networks. The Nokia 3310 uses the 900MHz frequency, whereas a majority of US carries only support 850MHz and 1900MHz frequencies - but HDM Global said it is working to fix the problem. Scroll down for videos Those living in the US may have to wait a little longer for the revamped Nokia 3310. The Nokia 3310 uses the 900MHz frequency, where a majority of US carries only support 850MHz and 1900MHz frequencies THE NOKIA 3310 - Thin, light and durable - 22-hour talk time - One month battery life - Four colors - red, yellow, dark blue and grey - Limited 2.5G internet capability - Costs $51 (41) - Revamped version of Snake will come pre-installed - Expected to be released around April Advertisement The revamped 3310 attracted huge interest after details emerged from manufacturer HMD Global. The return of snake and consumer nostalgia have contributed to growing hype on social media and elsewhere, since the announcement of the re-launch. The original handset was a bestseller in the early 2000s and it seems the latest reincarnation could follow in its footsteps. And although the handset is off to a good start in capturing people's interest, it may have to tweak the technology in order to meet the demand. The phone is packed with the lasted technology, as the device costs only $51 (41), reports BGR meaning 'it doesn't sport impressive specs', Chris Smith reported. To make calls or send messages, the phone only needs 2G technology, which is found in many markets around the world. But CNET determined that one of the major problems the Nokia 3310 faces when breaking into the US market is that it runs on the 900MHz frequency. The original handset (pictured) was a bestseller in the early 2000s and it seems the latest reincarnation could follow in its footsteps And to work on most US carries, it would need to support the 850MHz and 1900MHz frequencies. 'It's not that we're not launching in the US,' HMD Global head of marketing Patrick Mercanton told CNET. 'It's that the US takes a little bit longer to ramp up.' Although those in the US may have to wait a little longer to enjoy the nostalgic phone, others around the world can't wait to get their hands on it. Carphone Warehouse has announced that record numbers of people have pre-registered for the handset. RECORD NUMBER OF PRE-ORDERS Carphone Warehouse has announced that record numbers of people have pre-registered for the $51 (41) handset. They say the 3310 has attracted ten times more interest than any other flagship phone previously launched at the Mobile World Conference. One of the problems the Nokia 3310 faces when breaking into the US market is that it runs on the 900MHz frequency. To work on most US carries, it would need to support the 850MHz and 1900MHz frequencies. fficials said it will just take a little long to release the phones in the US Andrew Wilson is UK director of buying at Carphone Warehouse. Speaking to the Telegraph, he said: 'There has been an astonishing groundswell of interest in the Nokia 3310 following the launch announcement of this reimagined classic. 'Levels of pre-registrations at Carphone Warehouse are incredibly strong, proving that it's not all hype and that consumers really want to get their hands on one.' Advertisement The new Nokia 3310, with a slick look that pays homage to its original design, was unveiled at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. Now, it has been found that the 3310 has attracted ten times more interest than any other flagship phone previously launched at the Mobile World Conference. While the handset looks similar to its predecessor, Nokia has brought its new model up to date and instead of the original display, a monochrome 84 x 84, it has a colour screen. However, it has limited internet capabilities, relying on 2.5G connectivity, with users browsing at speeds slower than if they were using 3G. It also has a single camera which has just two megapixels. Three bird-eating tarantula species new to science have been discovered in South America. The findings came alongside an overhaul of a group of spiders - called Avicularia - that were incorrectly classified in 1818. The Avicularia group contains species of tarantula that live in trees and eat a range of food including insects, bats and even small birds. One of the new Avicularia species discovered, Avicularia lynnae (pictured) is 10.8 centimeters (4.2 inches) long and occurs in Ecuador and Peru. 'It was named after Lynn West, wife of mygalomorph expert Rick West,' the researchers wrote. Mygalomorphs are a group of spiders that comprise mostly heavy bodies spiders such as tarantulas The researchers narrowed down the number of species in the Avicularia group from 49 to 12, and discovered three new species that hadn't been observed by scientists before. The research, published in the journal ZooKeys, also created three new genera groups to accommodate species that were incorrectly classified. The lead author of the study, Dr Caroline Sayuri Fukushima, a researcher at Instituto Butantan in Brazil and the lead author of the study, told Live Science that the Avicularia genus was classified in a way that was 'a huge mess.' One of the new species, Avicularia merianae, occurs in Peru and is 16.35 centimeters (6.4 inches) long. It was named after the German-born naturalist Maria Sybilla Merian. According to the authors of the research paper, she 'drew the famous engraving of a specimen of Avicularia eating a bird' and so one of the new species was named after her to recognize her importance to the Natural Sciences. 'This extraordinary woman was one of the pioneering female scientists and a remarkable artist,' the researchers wrote. A drawing by naturalist Maria Sybilla Merian (1705) depicting an Avicularia avicularia spider eating a bird (bottom left). Dr Fukushima, the lead author of the research, said: 'This illustration gave origin to the name of the genus and the popular name birdeater spiders. People (in) that time did not believe in her observations, saying that a spider eating a bird was a female fantasy. But now we know she is right!' 'This illustration gave origin to the name of the genus and the popular name birdeater spiders,' said Dr Fukushima. 'People (in) that time did not believe in her observations, saying that a spider eating a bird was a female fantasy. 'But now we know she is right!' she said. The first species of Avicularia spider was described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish zoologist who formalized the naming system of different forms of life. One of the new species, Avicularia merianae (pictured), is 16.35 centimeters (6.4 inches) long and occurs in Peru. It was named after the German-born naturalist Maria Sybilla Merian But the Avicularia genus itself was first described in 1818 by French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. Gradually, scientists classified more spider species they discovered as Avicularia - but the defining characteristics of what makes a spider an Avicularia have never clearly been established, except for that they are large, furry, tend to live in trees and eat a wide range of food including insects, bats and small birds. They're usually between 5 or 6 inches (12 to 15 centimeters) and are sometimes kept as pets. The second new Avicularia species, Avicularia lynnae, occurs in Ecuador and Peru and is 10.8 centimeters (4.2 inches) long. The third new species, Avicularia caei, is 12.5 centimeters (4.9 inches) long and has only been observed in the Brazilian state of Para. It was named after Carlos Eduardo Gurgel Paiola, aka Cae, in honor to his continuous support to one of the authors 'It was named after Lynn West, wife of mygalomorph expert Rick West,' the researchers wrote. Mygalomorphs are a group of spiders that comprise mostly heavy bodies spiders such as tarantulas. The third new species, Avicularia caei, is 12.51 centimeters (4.9 inches) long and has only been observed in the Brazilian state of Para. Ybyrapora diversipes was once considered to be in the Avicularia genus, but new research establishes a new genus for this iridescent specimen from the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest 'This species is named after Carlos Eduardo Gurgel Paiola, aka Cae, in honor to his continuous support to one of the author,' the researchers wrote. Dr Fukushima said that the re-classification project took years and it was hard to track down ancient specimens from museums around the world. When overhauling the Avicularia genus, the researchers created three new genera of tarantula: Ybyrapora, Caribena, and Antillena. Ybyrapora spiders have been observed in the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest but the other two genera only occur on the Caribbean Islands. Pessimism about their earning potential could be preventing women from pushing for higher wages or a promotion, according to a new study. In turn, this could be helping to sustain the gender pay gap. The study found that women tend to underestimate their earning prospects, while men often do the opposite, and researchers say it could help to explain why women are more often satisfied at work than men despite unequal pay. Pessimism about their earning potential could be preventing women from pushing for higher wages or a promotion, according to a controversial new study. In turn, this could be helping to sustain the gender pay gap WHAT THEY FOUND The researchers analyzed the British household Panel Survey, a major longitudinal study, to track individuals expectations of salaries ranging from unemployment to paid employment. While women tended to have lower expectations, men were more likely to feel dissatisfied when the reality didnt match their outlooks, and consequently pursue better pay or change jobs. The researchers say the findings shed light on the complex nature of the pay gap. It could also help to address the paradox of the contented female worker, which describes the phenomenon in which women are more satisfied than their male counterparts despite being paid less. Advertisement In the controversial new study from the University of Bath, researchers concluded that pessimism among women could cause them to have little inclination to seek higher wages or even a better paid position. Men, on the other hand, were found to consistently overestimate their own abilities. The researchers analyzed the British household Panel Survey, a major longitudinal study, to track individuals expectations of salaries ranging from unemployment to paid employment. While women tended to have lower expectations, men were more likely to feel dissatisfied when the reality didnt match their outlooks, and consequently pursue better pay or change jobs. If low female expectations in terms of pay is fuelled by a pessimistic outlook, then even without discrimination and progression-related issues, women will continue to underestimate themselves and continue to inadvertently accept pay inequality, said Dr Chris Dawson, Senior Lecturer in Business Economics. It has serious implications for policy that is trying to address the gender pay gap and suggests more needs to be done to actively advance women at work, without relying on them to self-select for promotion and senior opportunities. The takeaway message of this research is not about putting the responsibility on women, but recognising that without policy measures to address this, we run the risk of never closing the gender pay gap. The researchers say the findings shed light on the complex nature of the pay gap. Researchers from the University of Bath concluded that pessimism among women could cause them to have little inclination to seek higher wages or even a better paid position. Men, on the other hand, were found to consistently overestimate their own abilities It could also help to address the paradox of the contented female worker, which describes the phenomenon in which women are more satisfied than their male counterparts despite being paid less. Whilst the role of unconscious bias in gender relations in the workplace has been well documented, this new research demonstrates the role of unconscious pessimism and passivity on the part of women, said Professor Veronica Hope Hailey, Dean of the Universitys School of Management. It shows the importance of people management practices that enable and encourage women to progress and recognize their value. The onus is on policy makers and employers to foster female talent so that initiatives to close the gender pay gap can succeed. Advertisement It is not your normal moon. NASA today revealed its Cassini probe has captured the first ever closeup pictures of Pan, Saturn's smallest moon. They reveal an incredible shape that looks like a flying saucer. Scroll down for video Pan, the innermost of Saturn's known moons, has a mean radius of 8.8 miles (14.1 km) . Like Saturn's moon Atlas, it has a prominent equatorial ridge that gives it a distinctive flying saucer shape. HOW PAN WAS NAMED Moons of Saturn were originally named for Greco-Roman Titans and descendants of the Titans. But as many new moons were discovered scientists began selecting names from more mythologies, including Gallic, Inuit and Norse stories. Pan, a satyr (a creature resembling a man with the hind legs and hooves of a goat), is a Greek god of nature and the forest. Advertisement Internet users have also likened it to ravioli, and even a walnut The raw, unprocessed images of Saturn's tiny moon, Pan, were taken on March 7, 2017, by NASA's Cassini spacecraft. The flyby had a close-approach distance of 24,572 kilometers (15,268 miles). These images are the closest images ever taken of Pan and will help to characterize its shape and geology, NASA said. Pan, the innermost of Saturn's known moons, has a mean radius of 8.8 miles (14.1 km) and orbits 83,000 miles (134,000 km) away from Saturn, within the Encke Gap of Saturn's A-ring. Like Saturn's moon Atlas, it has a prominent equatorial ridge that gives it a distinctive flying saucer shape. As it orbits Saturn every 13.8 hours, it acts as a shepherd moon and is responsible for keeping the Encke Gap open. The gap is a 200 mile (325 km) opening in Saturn's A ring. Pan creates stripes, called 'wakes,' in the ring material on either side of it. Since ring particles closer to Saturn than Pan move faster in their orbits, these particles pass the moon and receive a gravitational 'kick' from Pan as they do. Pan was named after a satyr (a creature resembling a man with the hind legs and hooves of a goat), which is a Greek god of nature and the forest. This kick causes waves to develop in the gap and also throughout the ring, extending hundreds of miles into the rings. These waves intersect downstream to create the wakes, places where ring material has bunched up in an orderly manner thanks to Pan's gravitational kick. Pan was discovered by M.R. Showalter in 1990 using images taken by the Voyager 2 spacecraft nine years earlier. Pan, the innermost of Saturn's known moons, has a mean radius of 8.8 miles (14.1 km) and orbits 83,000 miles (134,000 km) away from Saturn, within the Encke Gap of Saturn's A-ring. Pan creates stripes, called 'wakes,' in the ring material on either side of it. The raw, unprocessed images of Saturn's tiny moon, Pan, were taken on March 7, 2017, by NASA's Cassini spacecraft. Unlike Pan, it is thought that another of Saturn's moons, Enceladus, may hold the right conditions for life, with watery jets, hydrothermal activity, and a global ocean buried beneath its icy crust. Now, a stunning new image from the Cassini spacecraft reveals an up-close look at the mysterious moon. Like Saturn's other moons, Enceladus appears 'cold, icy, and inhospitable' but scientists say it could be a promising candidate in the search for alien life. It's thought that Enceladus may hold the right conditions for life, with watery jets, hydrothermal activity, and a global ocean buried beneath its icy crust. Now, a stunning new image from the Cassini spacecraft reveals an up-close look at the mysterious moon ENCELADUS Enceladus is Saturn's sixth largest moon, at 313 miles wide (504 kilometers). Cassini observations have revealed hydrothermal activity, with vents spewing water vapour and ice particles out from a global ocean buried beneath the icy crust. According to NASA, the plume includes organic compounds, volatile gases, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, salts, and silica. While it may look 'inhospitable' like Saturn's other moons, the observations suggest it may have the ingredients to support life. Advertisement The image shows Enceladus' Saturn-facing hemisphere, captured with the Cassini spacecraft's narrow-angle camera on November 27, 2016 in green light. The 313-mile-wide moon (504 kilometers) has been of great interest to scientists in recent years, with Cassini's observations revealing possible signs that it could support life. 'Over the course of the Cassini mission, observations have shown that Enceladus not only has watery jets sending icy grains into space; under its icy crust it also has a global ocean, and may have hydrothermal activity as well,' NASA explains. 'Since scientists believe liquid water is a key ingredient for life, the implications for future missions searching for life elsewhere in our solar system could be significant.' The stunning view was captured taken roughly 81,000 miles (130,000 kilometers) from Enceladus, with an image scale of 2,566 feet (782 meters) per pixel. Earlier this year, NASA revealed some of the closest views yet of Saturn's icy rings captured by the Cassini spacecraft as it moves through its penultimate mission. The new images provide an unprecedented look at the details of the outer parts of the main rings, revealing a number of interesting features, from 'straw' to millions of moonlets. Cassini is heading toward the end of its mission, with the first of its finale plunges into the gap between the rings and Saturn set to take place in late April. NASA's Cassini spacecraft has captured some of the closest views yet of Saturn's icy rings as it moves through its penultimate mission. A region in Saturn's outer B ring is pictured. The new images show them off in much greater detail, resolving details as small as .3 miles the scale of Earth's tallest buildings. WHAT ARE THEY? The rings of Saturn consist of countless small particles, ranging in size from micrometres to metres, that orbit about Saturn. The ring particles are made almost entirely of water ice, with a trace component of rocky material. The new images reveal never-before-seen details of features known as straw and propellers, which are caused by 'clumping ring particles and small, embedded moonlets, respectively.' Advertisement According to NASA, some of the structures observed in the new images haven't been seen since 2004, when the craft first arrived at Saturn. And now, it's showing them off in much greater detail, resolving details as small as .3 miles the scale of Earth's tallest buildings. The craft has imaged never-before-seen fine details of features known as straw and propellers, which are caused by 'clumping ring particles and small, embedded moonlets, respectively.' The craft is halfway through its Ring-Grazing phases, its second to last mission phase. During this task, it travels past the outer edges of the rings every week, with 20 orbits that dive through the area. This began last November, and will end in late April when the craft begins its final mission phase. The new images are some of the best yet of Saturn's rings and moons, NASA says. 'As the person who planned these initial orbit-insertion ring images which remained our most detailed views of the rings for the past 13 years I am taken aback by how vastly improved are the details in this new collection,' said Cassini Imaging Team Lead Carolyn Porco, of Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colorado. The new images provided an unprecedented look at the details of the outer parts of the main rings, revealing a number of interesting features, from 'straw' to 'propellers.' Saturn's outer B ring is pictured A density wave in Saturn's A ring that lies around 134,500 km from Saturn can be seen. Density waves are accumulations of particles at certain distances from the planet, according to NASA, and they are filled with clumpy perturbations known as 'straw' 'How fitting it is that we should go out with the best views of Saturn's rings we've ever collected.' The new images show both the backlit and sunlit side of Saturn's rings, allowing for far more detail than earlier observations. Cassini has studied Saturn's rings for nearly 13 years. The new images are some of the best yet of Saturn's rings and moons, NASA says. The image above shows a look at Saturn's A ring. Small, bright blemishes resulting from cosmic rays and charged particle radiation can be seen as well 'These close views represent the opening of an entirely new window onto Saturn's rings, and over the next few months we look forward to even more exciting data as we train our cameras on other parts of the rings closer to the planet,' said Matthew Tiscareno, a Cassini scientist who studies Saturn's rings at the SETI Institute. Last month, NASA released a stunning new image from the Cassini spacecraft which shows the closest view yet of Saturn's 'wavemaker' mini-moon Daphnis as it creates ripples along inside one of the planet's rings. The 5-mile-wide moon orbits within a 26 mile wide gap known as the Keeler Gap, and its gravity causes the edges to 'wave' in both the horizontal and vertical directions. In the image, Cassini has also captured a barely-visible tendril of ring material that's thought to have been drawn out by Daphnis before dispersing. A stunning new image from NASA's Cassini spacecraft shows the closest view yet of Saturn's 'wavemaker' mini-moon Daphnis as it creates ripples along the Keeler Gap THE KEELER GAP The Keeler Gap is roughly 26 miles wide and lies in Saturn's A Ring, about 155 miles from the outer edge. Daphnis induces a wavy pattern in the edge of the Keeler Gap that extends nearly a mile above the ring. Advertisement According to NASA, the image was taken as Cassini passed over the outer edges of Saturn's rings on January 16, 2017. A ridge seen around Daphnis' equator, along with a 'fairly smooth' mantle of material on the surface. This is thought to be an accumulation of fine particles from the rings. The softened appearance of the wave peak is likely the result of ring particles' movement as they spread out into the gap after the moon's last close approach, NASA explains. Cassini captured the image in visible (green) light using its narrow-angle camera, at roughly 17,000 miles 28,000 kilometers from Daphnis. The image scale is 551 feet per pixel. Just last month, the Cassini spacecraft revealed Saturn's north pole in a whole new light. The 5-mile-wide moon Daphnis orbits within the Keeler Gap, and its gravity causes the edges to wave in both the horizontal and vertical directions The Cassini Division is a distance between two of Saturn's rings, A and B. It is almost as wide as the planet Mercury. The 2,980-mile (4,800-kilometre) wide division is thought to be caused by the moon Mimas, which is the closest moon to the planet (shown on diagram) With the entire northern region bathed in sunlight, the planet's hexagon-shaped jet-stream can be seen in stunning detail. The view was captured on Sept 9 at roughly 750,000 miles from Saturn, giving scientists a chance to study the weather patterns leading up to its summer solstice. According to NASA, areas where the planet appears darker like the inside of the hexagon are where the cloud deck is lower. The image, captured with Cassini's wide-angle camera, looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 51 degrees above the ring plane. A breathtaking new image from NASA's Cassini spacecraft shows Saturn's north pole in a whole new light. With the entire northern region bathed in sunlight, the planet's hexagon-shaped jet-stream can be seen in stunning detail WHAT IT SHOWS The image shows a view of Saturn's north pole, looking toward the sunlit side of the rings, at roughly 750,000 miles from the planet. Areas where the planet appears darker like the inside of the hexagon are where the cloud deck is lower. The hexagonal jet-stream can be seen as well. Advertisement The camera used a spectral filter that preferentially admits wavelengths of near-infrared light centered at 728 nanometers, according to NASA. 'Sunlight truly has come to Saturn's north pole,' the space agency explained. 'The whole northern region is bathed in sunlight in this view from late 2016, feeble though the light may be at Saturn's distant domain in the solar system.' The stunning image is at a scale of 46 miles per pixel. It's just one of the latest in a series of remarkable photos captured by the Cassini spacecraft. The craft recently revealed a close-up view of Saturn's moon Pandora. It's one of the highest-resolution views yet, showing the 52-mile-wide moon that orbits just outside the F ring SATURN'S MOONS MAY BE YOUNGER THAN THE DINOSAURS While Saturn's rings and moons were first spotted in 1600s, there is an ongoing debate about how old they are. Many assume that they are primordial - as old as the planet itself - making them around four billion years old. However, evidence published last month suggests the majority of its moons are significantly younger than this and may have even formed at the same time dinosaurs roamed the Earth. In 2012, French astronomers discovered that tidal effects, caused by gravity of the inner moons with fluids in Saturn's interior, are causing the moons to spiral outward relatively quickly. This suggests the moons, and presumably the rings, are younger than the planet itself. A team of researchers, led by Matija Cuk, principal investigator at the SETI Institute in California, used computer modeling to infer the past behaviour of Saturn's icy inner moons. His team also used results from Nasa's Cassini mission to study ice geysers on Saturn's moon Enceladus. The orbits of Tethys, Dione and Rhea are less altered than previously thought and their relatively small orbital tilts suggest they haven't crossed many orbital resonances. This means they formed not far from where they are now. Assuming the energy powering the geysers on Enceladus comes directly from tidal interactions, and that moon's level of geothermal activity is more or less constant, then tides within Saturn are strong. According to the team's analysis, these would move the satellite by the small amount indicated by the simulations in only about 100 million years. This would date the formation of the major moons of Saturn, with the exception of more distant Titan and Iapetus, to the Cretaceous Period, the era of the dinosaurs. Advertisement The craft has also revealed a close-up view of Saturn's moon Pandora. It's one of the highest-resolution views yet, showing the 52-mile-wide moon that orbits just outside the F ring. Cassini captured this image roughly 25,200 miles from Pandora during its closest-ever flyby on December 18. A new species of cockroach discovered in an underground lava-tube cave in Vietnam has a helmet that bares a strong resemblance to a halo. The strange looking cockroach is just three millimeters long, is mostly translucent and has tiny eyes. It has a hook and nipper at the bottom of its back to hold a female down when mating to make sure she can't get away. The cockroach has wings that don't actually work for flying - but the tiny roach has come up with another way to get around: It has a hook down its back that may help it travel on the back of bats to new caves The cockroach, named Helmablatta louisrothi, doesn't eat bat guano (bat dung) like most most other cave cockroaches. The cockroach has a helmet that bares a striking resemblance to representations of Jesus in paintings Instead, it eats bacteria and fungi, as particles that look like fungal spores were found inside the gut of the cockroach. It has wings that don't actually work for flying - but the tiny roach has come up with another way to get around. It has a hook down its back that may help it travel on the back of bats to new caves. It also has a nipper at the bottom of its back, and the researchers, based at the Slovak Academy of Sciences, said that the hook and nipper may be used to help the cockroach attach to a female to reproduce. The animal has a special tergal gland on its back that produces chemicals which act as a sort of 'marriage gift' for females. Many male cockroach species use this strategy to attract females - but H.louisrothi is a bit different. Dr Peter Vrsansky, a researcher at the Slovak Academy and a co-author of the study, told New Scientist: 'This new species lacks the typical fat nitrogen-rich body found in other cockroaches, so it cannot make a really valuable nutritious morsel for the females.' 'Instead, it lures the female with scented promises and then grabs her tightly,' he said. The animal has a special tergal gland on its back that produces chemicals which act as a sort of 'marriage gift' for females. Once the male attracts a female with these pheromones and she approaches close enough, he captures her and holds her down with the helmet and hooked nipper Once the male attracts a female with these pheromones and she approaches close enough, he captures her and holds her down with the helmet and hooked nipper. 'First, the four modified wings hold the females head, and place the head under the helmet-like structure,' said Dr Vrsansky. 'Then the nipper, a sort of pliers, grabs onto the females abdomen and the hook fixes on the genitalia. Because the caves the cockroach was found in are relatively young geologically, the researchers said they think it evovled its specialized features less than two million years ago 'Together, these structures effectively capture the female and secure mating,' he said. The research, published in the journal Zootaxa, also identified the new species as belonging to a new genus. Because the caves the cockroach was found in are relatively young geologically, the researchers said they think it evolved its specialized features less than two million years ago. With piercing blue eyes and a chiseled body, Charlie Hunnam is at the top of many people's crush list. And in a recent interview, the 36-year-old shared a workout trick that's sure to make some hot under the collar. The Sons Of Anarchy actor revealed the key to keeping fit is 'to make love as often as I can,' when speaking with Men's Health for their April issue. Charlie Hunnam, 36, wasn't shy about his very favorite way to workout, telling Men's Health that to stay fit he tries to 'make love as often as I can' (pictured here in Pacific Rim) The Pacific Rim actor told the magazine he thinks sex 'an important part of fitness.' '[When it comes to exercise] I try to do it all. I also try to make love as often as I can. That's an important part of fitness.' With a body like Charlie's, girlfriend Morgana McNelis must be a busy lady. The handsome actor and the jewelry designer have been together since 2007. Healthy hunk: The 36-year-old star is a bit fitness obsessed, telling the magazine that running, swimming, hiking and jiu-jitsu are just some of his go-to workouts The English gentleman also shared that he likes to have 'a high fitness level across the board,' which means that he keeps busy with running, swimming, and jiu-jitsu - all in addition to getting frisky. The Crimson Peak lead told the magazine how staying fit helps grounds him. 'Sweating is how I change my oil every day. I just feel happier, more positive, energized, and disciplined if I work out.' Crazy talented: This year the self proclaimed 'crazy' person will star in two sure to be hits, The Lost City Of Z and King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword (pictured here during Sons of Anarchy) He continued with a bit of levity, saying 'I train a lot every day because I'm f***ing crazy.' Perhaps he means crazy successful. This year the thespian takes the screen in two films this year, starring in both The Lost City Of Z and King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword. Charlie rocketed to stardom as the ruthless Jackson 'Jax' Teller in AMC's Sons Of Anarchy. He recently moved new girlfriend Rachel Lee into his eastern suburbs home. And Braith Anasta is learning how to live under one roof with his partner, her six-year-old son Addison and his daughter Aleeia, three. The 35-year-old, who split from Aleeia's mother Jodi Gordon in 2015, spoke with The Kyle & Jackie O Show on Thursday as the hosts quizzed him on his relationship. Scroll down for video Blended family: Braith Anasta is learning how to live under one roof with his partner Rachael Lee, her six-year-old son Addison and his daughter Aleeia, three Kyle asked the former NRL player if Rachel was getting along well with Aleeia. 'She's a great mum, fantastic,' he replied. 'She's got her own son and I've got my daughter, there's four of us now so it's zero to 100.' He then explained how it was 'tricky' when the children would get into fights and their parents had to be fair. 'She's a great mum, fantastic,' he replied. 'She's got her own son and I've got my daughter, there's four of us now so it's zero to 100' 'It's just going to happen,' he said. 'Kids fight all the time, but they love each other.' 'Because the romance is so new, I bet you guys are sending them to their rooms for the most insignificant things,' Kyle observed. Braith laughed and answered, 'Private time is very valuable these days.' He revealed the new de facto couple were 'trying to work through' Aleeia wanting to sleep in the same bed as them. Bond: He revealed the new de facto couple were 'trying to work through' Aleeia wanting to sleep in the same bed as them 'My daughter loves coming into the bedroom,' he described. 'We have a rule though, she's not allowed in, so I'll just go to her room and sit by her bed. I get no sleep.' After telling the hosts his daughter tries to join them 'six, seven, eight times a night', Kyle asked if him and Rachel had ever been caught 'in the act.' 'No, never! We've only been living together for a few weeks, so give it time,' he laughed. 'One hundred percent it will happen,' Kyle assured. 'My daughter loves coming into the bedroom,' he described. 'We have a rule though, she's not allowed in, so I'll just go to her room and sit by her bed. I get no sleep' 'When they're a baby it doesn't matter if they're in the room, right?' Jackie asked. 'What do you classify as a baby? Are they standing up looking at you or are they a laying-down baby?' Kyle questioned. 'Newborn, newborn!' Jackie clarified. 'As soon as the child can stand, and point, and say one word, out!' Kyle responded. Actresses Courteney Cox and Isla Fisher celebrated International Women's Day in the best possible way - by enjoying a girly lunch together. Following their catch up, the longtime friends were spotted leaving Cecconi's in West Hollywood on Wednesday, with the pair sharing a quick hug in the parking lot before going their separate ways. The 41-year-old redhead stood out in a red, white and blue printed shirt and long white skirt, which she accessorized with platform sandals and mirrored aviator sunglasses. Scroll down for video Girls day out: Courteney Cox and Isla Fisher were spotted catching up over lunch at Cecconi's in West Hollywood on Wednesday Red, white and blue: The Aussie actress was spotted wearing an eye-catching shirt, white skirt and chunky platform sandals for the outing Back in black: The former Friends star rocked an all-black outfit, and was seen carrying a black blazer over one arm Meanwhile, Courteney, 52, downplayed her look in a classic black camisole, black pants and white loafers. The former Friends actress carried a black blazer over one of her arms and was also seen wearing a love heart necklace. The two funnywomen have been friends for years, with Isla and husband Sacha Baron Cohen, 45, first meeting Courteney and her then-husband, David Arquette, 45, at a birthday party around 2003. Hug it out: The hilarious actress flashed a hint of her red Milli Millu bag as she shared a quick embrace goodbye Longtime friends: The pair first met at mutual friend David Spade's birthday party around 2003, and 'immediately clicked', said Courteney 'We met her and Sacha at David Spade's birthday party about four years ago,' the Cougar Town star told Harper's Bazaar in 2007. 'They were saying how hard it was to meet people, and we just immediately clicked. We've traveled together, been to Mexico.' Their friendship dates back to before the Aussie actress and her British beau were even famous in the US, and Courteney says it was interesting watching them grapple with fame early on. 'Things have really changed since Wedding Crashers, and then with Borat becoming the biggest movie in the world or whatever,' she said at the time. Adjusting to fame: The Cougar Town star said Isla and her husband, Sacha Baron Cohen, initially had a hard time coping with life in the limelight 'They were at Fred Segal the other day, and there were 25 photographers outside,' she added. 'Sacha was like, "Who are they waiting for?" He hasn't gotten it yet that everything is different. It will be hard, but they will deal with it. They're so lovely and such kind people that they will do it with grace and figure it out.' Courteney was also a guest at Isla's 39th birthday party back in 2015. The Keeping Up With the Joneses star celebrated with a cooking class with close friends at EATZ in LA. One week ago, kiwi model and personality Nikki Phillips revealed she was expecting her first child with jeweller husband Dane Rumble. And on The Morning Show on Thursday, the blonde beauty revealed their heartache after she suffered three miscarriages before they conceived their son. The 33 -year-old said she still worries about whether her unborn child will make it through the full term of her pregnancy, saying: 'I still worry every single day.' Scroll down for video Opening up: On The Morning Show on Thursday, pregnant Nikki Phillips revealed she had suffered three miscarriages before conceiving her son The admission about her miscarriages came after she was asked to describe the moment she found out she was pregnant with their first child. 'We had been there before,' she said, referring to hearing she was pregnant. 'We had actually had three miscarriages before he came along, so we felt like we were repeating the whole thing, we had this amazing news and your so excited,' she said. Struggles: She said they conceived their baby boy after two years of trying 'But then your like, "is he going to make it? Is it really gong to happen?" 'So when we found out this time, it was like, here we go again, here goes this journey. But once we got to about 12 weeks and we had the harmony test and we found out the sex of the baby as well, it became a bit surreal and we got to enjoy it.' She added: 'I'm still on edge but still, clearly, very happy!' She said they conceived their baby boy after two years of trying. 'There are so many things that can go wrong, from fertility to IVF, to miscarriages....it's such a journey.' Becoming a family of three! One week ago, Nikki revealed she was expecting her first child with jeweller husband Dane Rumble 'He didn't just happen, it's been a very mentally and emotional roller coaster.' Nikki said she was overjoyed that she could conceive, having battled stage three cervical cancer after being diagnosed with the disease in 2009. Doctors discovered cancerous cells after Nikki had routine pap smear. They were able to remove the cancerous cells and years later, the model is now believed to be cancer-free. Nikki met Dane while undergoing post-operative testing for cancer and she once told Cleo magazine that he was supportive and 'amazing' throughout the ordeal. Sweet: The pair - who have been married for three years - announced their pregnancy news on Instagram a week ago, sharing a sweet snap of themselves holding hands and a pair of baby sneakers 'If I cant have kids he is fine with that,' she said at the time. The pair - who have been married for three years - announced their pregnancy news on Instagram a week ago, sharing a sweet snap of themselves holding hands and a pair of baby sneakers. 'Its no Beyonce post but our best adventure yet is on its way,' the post read. 'Baby Phillips Rumble is due early July and we are beyond excited, slightly terrified but utterly blessed.' She added: 'We can not wait to meet our little miracle. Ive always dreamed of being a mother, but never knew it could be... read about our journey in the coming weeks on my blog #19weeks #pregnant #babyphillipsrumble.' They recently revealed they were expecting a baby boy, announcing the news on Nikki's blog. Kelly Osbourne appeared on Wednesday's episode of The Talk from the hospital where her mother Sharon was recovering from back surgery. The 64-year-old Emmy winner attempted to relieve a 'trapped nerve' between her L3 and L4 vertebrae, which she sustained after 'bending down to pick something up.' 'Mum's in surgery. She's doing really well!' the 32-year-old Project Runway: Junior judge revealed on the CBS morning program. Scroll down for video Update! Kelly Osbourne appeared on Wednesday's episode of The Talk from the hospital where her mother Sharon was recovering from back surgery 'I just want to thank you guys so much for giving her the time off to do this. Thank[s] everybody for their love and support and thank the hospital because they've been doing such amazing work. Thank you!' Kelly then reassured fans: 'And trust me, she's going to be fine.' Sharon previously went under the knife for gastric lap-band surgery in 1999, surgery for colon cancer in 2002, and a preventative double mastectomy in 2012. The Brixton-born Brit has also had numerous cosmetic procedures - including three face lifts, a tummy tuck, and a breast lift. 'It's killing me': The 64-year-old Emmy winner attempted to relieve a 'trapped nerve' between her L3 and L4 vertebrae, which she sustained after 'bending down to pick something up' The 32-year- old Project Runway: Junior judge revealed: 'Mum's in surgery. She's doing really well...and trust me, she's going to be fine' Health woes: Sharon previously went under the knife for gastric lap-band surgery in 1999, surgery for colon cancer in 2002, and a preventative double mastectomy in 2012 'Sending thoughts Mrs. O! Feel better soon!' The Brixton-born Brit has also had numerous cosmetic procedures - including three face lifts, a tummy tuck, and a breast lift Osbourne's health update came after she reportedly negotiated a $2.4M deal to return to the 14th season of The X Factor UK. Auditions for the ITV talent competition continued Wednesday at the UK's Quadrant Shopping Centre in Swansea, West Glamorgan. Meanwhile, the flame-haired host's husband Ozzy jovially tweeted his happy hump day greetings on Wednesday. Pictured in December: Osbourne's health update came after she reportedly negotiated a $2.4M deal to return to the 14th season of The X Factor UK 'Bore Da Swansea!' Auditions for the ITV talent competition continued Wednesday at the UK's Quadrant Shopping Centre in Swansea, West Glamorgan Osbourne (born Levy) and the 68-year-old heavy metal legend will celebrate 35 years of marriage on July 4. The tumultuous couple - who wed in 1982 - used to engage in terribly violent rows involving strangulation, knocking out teeth, and throwing bottles of scotch. Sharon was only 18 when she met Ozzy (born John) through her father (and his manager) Don Arden, and they have three children Aimee, 33; Kelly, and Jack, 31. 'Happy Hump Day!' Meanwhile, the flame-haired host's husband Ozzy jovially tweeted his happy hump day greetings on Wednesday She's one of the most successful women in Australian show-business and is wildly considered the queen of radio. But despite her superstar status, Jackie 'O' Henderson has revealed that she and her husband Lee have never hired an at-home nanny for their daughter Catalina 'Kitty' Mae, six. Speaking on-air with her KIIS FM co-host Kyle Sandilands this Thursday, the mother-of-one explained that her husband looks after their daughter while she works. She's just like us! despite her superstar status, Jackie 'O' Henderson has revealed that she and her husband Lee have never hired an at-home nanny for their daughter Catalina 'Kitty' Mae, six '[Lee] is a stay-at-home dad so we don't have a nanny, we've never had a nanny,' she said as Kyle laughed. 'Nanny Lee we call him!' Kyle quipped in response. 'She's at school now, so we definitely don't need a nanny,' Jackie confirmed. Stay-at-home father: Speaking on-air with her KIIS FM co-host Kyle Sandilands this Thursday, the mother-of-one explained that her husband looks after their daughter while she works The blonde star then detailed a hilarious incident that had taken place at her home earlier on Thursday morning involving her dog having an 'accident' that needed to be cleaned up by Lee. 'I opened the laundry this morning and my dog had just exploded everywhere. You know, it had an explosion. It was the second time this week!' she explained. When asked by Kyle whether she had cleaned up the mess, Jackie giggled: 'I did not. I sent a text to Lee.' They grow up so fast! 'She's at school now, so we definitely don't need a nanny,' Jackie confirmed In 2015, Kyle pranked Jackie O by hiring a model to pose as a nanny and take selfies with Lee behind Jackie's back. Speaking on-air, Jackie admitted she felt 'like a crazy, jealous wife' compared to the nanny, who looked like a '21-year-old Eva Longoria'. A shaken, teary-eyed Jackie spoke to Lee on air about the selfies, which Kyle claimed had been somehow leaked to the radio station. Needless to say, Jackie was more than relieved when the nanny finally revealed that it was all just a rouse. Pulling her leg: In 2015, Kyle pranked Jackie O by hiring a model to pose as a nanny and take selfies with Lee behind Jackie's back Riley Keough, granddaughter of Elvis Presley, was spotted strolling through LAX on Wednesday, having swung back into town from Paris Fashion Week. The 27-year-old had bundled up in a largely charcoal VANS jacket, zipping it to near the top and pulling its lighter grey hood over her blonde hair. Black sweats and white shoes complemented the small black and white checked purse she'd slung over her left shoulder that day. Stateside again: Riley Keough, granddaughter of Elvis Presley, was spotted strolling through LAX on Wednesday, having swung back into town from Paris Fashion Week Beneath her hood, she'd got her right earbud in, letting the left one dang, and as she walked she clutched a bulging plastic shopping bag. She'd been spotted the previous evening at the Louis Vuitton Aftershow in Paris, wearing a chic black and white outfit she'd contrasted with scarlet boots. Keough is the scion of Lisa Marie Presley - daughter of Elvis and Priscilla - and Danny Keough, who wound up being the first of her four husbands. Flight style: The 27-year-old had bundled up in a largely charcoal VANS jacket, zipping it to near the top and pulling its lighter grey hood over her blonde hair They'd married in 1988 and wrangled a quickie divorce in the Dominican Republic in 1994, 20 days before Lisa Marie began a two-year marriage to Michael Jackson. Speaking to T: The New York Times Style Magazine in a piece run last month, Keough dished about her first stepfather, saying: 'I loved him.' She'd spent time at the pederasty-accused King Of Pop's sprawling Neverland Ranch, dotted with amusement park rides and including a petting zoo. Co-ordinated: Black sweats and white shoes complemented the small black and white checked purse she'd slung over her left shoulder that day One ear free: Beneath her hood, she'd got her right earbud in, letting the left one dang, and as she walked she clutched a bulging plastic shopping bag 'There were toys everywhere, animals everywhere, kids everywhere,' Keough recalled in T. 'It was like being at Disneyland all day.' Lisa Marie's third marriage was to Nicolas Cage in 2002, and lingered a mere 108 days before he filed for a divorce that dragged until 2004. Keough's explanation of that couple's relationship history, as printed in the magazine, amounted to: 'My moms a tough b****'. Her mother managed to remain married to Michael Lockwood from 2006 until last year, but as the T article's pointed out, it was largely her father who'd raised Keough. He temporarily shut down his social media accounts after enduring fan backlash over his treatment of 'bride' Cheryl Maitland on Married At First Sight. But Andrew Jones has now confirmed he went into 'hiding' a lot earlier than the aired segment, in which he launched a verbal attack on wife Cheryl. Speaking to The Fix, Andrew admitted in February he felt he 'had to deactivate Facebook' and was harassed by fans. Scroll down for video 'I try to stay home to avoid all that': MAFS Andrew Jones reveals why he went into hiding from viewers of the show in an interview with The Fix... following fan backlash for mocking wife Cheryl On Sunday's episode he was filmed mocking Cheryl's ample breasts and hobbies, but flat-out denied his behavior to his wife on Tuesday's episode, to the annoyance of viewers. While it's believed his absence from social media of late is due to online trolls, Andrew was getting different sort of attention, last month. He told the publication girls would leave numbers at the fire station or line up at the pub for photos, claiming: 'It's almost like I'm the poster boy for broken hearts around the world.' He told the publication at the time he hadn't been in public since the show aired, but he was recently spotted at Matilda The Musical premiere in Perth, last Friday. The fire fighter insisted: 'I try to stay home to avoid all that', of the fandom, which probably suggests he is attempting the same strategies when it comes to dodging haters.' 'Almost like I'm the poster boy for broken hearts': A month ago Andrew says he was constantly dodging fans who would leave phone numbers for him at the fire station and line up for photos with him at the pub Showing his face: He told the publication at the time he hadn't been in public since the show aired, but he was recently spotted at Matilda The Musical premiere in Perth last Friday on the arms of fellow Married At First Sight stars Sharon and Michelle Marsh It was reported the reality star had 'gone into hiding' and shut down his social media after the fan backlash over his treatment of wife Cheryl this week. After Tuesday night's controversial episode, the fireman deleted his Instagram account and went off the grid. The social media account was back up by Wednesday, albeit set to private, but it's believed that Andrew may have initially deleted it as a response to trolling messages. Gone off the grid? Married at First Sight's Andrew Jones had reportedly 'gone into hiding' and shut down his social media after the fan backlash over his treatment of his wife Cheryl this week The drama began over Andrew's behaviour on Sunday's 'boys night' where he launched into a verbal attack on on-screen wife Cheryl Maitland. The 38-year-old made fun of Cheryl's intelligence, pretending to grope her breasts and saying he considers himself as single. After Cheryl discovered Andrew had made comments about her, she confronted him at the dinner party about the events of the night. Deleted? After Tuesday night's controversial episode, Nova 100 reports that the fireman has deleted his Instagram account and gone off the grid Attack: The 38-year-old Andrew experiecned a backlash after he made fun of Cheryl's intelligence, pretending to grope her breasts and saying he considers himself as single But Andrew refused to admit any wrongdoing, lying to the 25-year-old and saying that she was 'full of s***'. Soon some of the other grooms came to his aid, also claiming nothing was said about Cheryl even though it was. Only farmer Sean and Simon stood by what happened, saying everyone was there when the comments were made, much to the admiration of those on social media. Busted: After Cheryl discovered Andrew had made comments about her, she confronted him at the dinner party about the events of the night Viewers have slammed producers behind Married at First Sight after the recent antics of fireman Andrew on Sunday's 'boys night' Many have though producers behind the scenes should have stepped in when the comments were made 'Sad reflection of the boys on MAFS tonight. It was 'just a boys night'. Forgot that they are supposed to be men. Good on you Shaun (sic) and Simon,' one wrote. Others online were quick to point out it was pointless for the grooms to lie on the televised event. 'Just a quick heads up guys, the 'boys' night was filmed. The whole show is being filmed,' one Twitter user said. Stephen Dorff is being sued for repayment of an $800,000 line of credit that was due for reimbursement by the end of December. According to TMZ Wednesday, City National Bank is seeking its money back plus interest and has filed legal documents to recover $805,953.23 from the actor. The bank says the 43-year-old and his production company took out the loan last year and maxed it out. Sued: Stephen Dorff, 43, pictured in New York last month, is being sued by City National Bank for repayment of a $800,000 line of credit plus interest, according to TMZ Since it's a line of credit, the interest on the amount borrowed continues to increase until repayment is received in full. The bank also wants $10 in late fees, TMZ reported. In February, Dorff listed his stunning Malibu oceanfront mansion for sale for $8.5 million. The property, which sits on 4,904 square feet along Malibu's La Costa Beach, enjoys coastline views with walls made of glass and a spiraling staircase that connects the levels. Stunning location: Last month, the actor listed for sale his spectacular Malibu oceanfront mansion. He is asking a shade under $6.5 million for the property The 43-year-old originally purchased the three-bedroom, three-bathroom home in 2002 at a price of $2.5 million, according to the New York Post. He has sporadically looked to rent the abode out in the neighborhood of $50,000 monthly, the newspaper reported, adding that the busy actor stays there when he's not at a New York City penthouse he also owns. Dorff, who appeared in 2016's Wheeler, has maintained an onscreen presence for more than three decades, getting his start as a child star on shows such as Diff'rent Strokes, Married With Children and The New Leave It to Beaver. On the back of Marlon Wayans' apparent surprise to learn he was a front runner to replace Nick Cannon on America's Got Talent, comes a new report Brandon Mychal Smith has nabbed the coveted gig. According to TMZ, the Dirty Grandpa actor is set to sign on the dotted line in coming days, officially replacing Mariah Carey's ex as host on the hit series. But while Marlon denied being involved in the show's search for a replacement, insiders claim he was the first choice for producer's, however negotiations fell through over money. He's Got Talent: Actor Brandon Mychal Smith will allegedly fill Nick Cannon's shoes as host of America's Got Talent Additionally, the source added that Brandon will be able to seamlessly step into the gig, as he is not as well-known as the 44-year-old funnyman. Brandon started his acting career aged just eight, and has a string of Disney series under his belt, including Sonny With a Chance alongside Demi Lovato. He counts Selena Gomez among his famous friends. Thankful: 'Always remember to thank the people who told you no & the people who told you yes,' the hunky actor tweeted on Tuesday Although he is yet to officially comment on his rumored new role, the 27-year-old took to Twitter on Tuesday, just a day before the news broke. 'Always remember to thank the people who told you no & the people who told you yes,' he cryptically tweeted. 'The no's ironically are the most defining #getbackup'. Meanwhile, Marlon was asked about the opening upon arriving Tuesday at Los Angeles International Airport after a trip to Brazil. 'I didn't get that message. I didn't get that memo,' the White Chicks actor told TMZ in a video. No memo: Marlon Wayans, shown Saturday in Brazil, said that he was surprised to be among the front runners to replace Nick Cannon upon arriving in Los Angeles on Tuesday Tone Bell, Brandon and Marlon had all been selected as finalists to replace Cannon, according to an article Monday by TMZ. Wayans joked at the airport that people sometimes confuse him with 36-year-old Cannon. He also said he's got other commitments. 'I have my own show on NBC called Marlon. I'm doing alright,' he said. Sudden departure: Cannon, shown in July 2013 in New York City, recently left America's Got Talents after eight seasons Wayans also doubted whether he could 'hold my tone' on the NBC talent competition show. Cannon left the popular show last month after clashing with NBC executives over jokes he made during his Showtime special Stand Up, Don't Shoot. The father of three during the stand-up special said: ''I grew up like a real n*****. But I honestly believe, once I started doing Americas Got Talent, they took my real n***** card.' Cable comedy: The former America's Got Talent host is shown Sunday in West Hollywood after resigning from the hit series He also joked that NBC's initials stand for 'N***** Be Careful.' Cannon quit after learning that executives were considering if he breached his contract by disparaging the network. He stood up for his creative freedom in a Facebook posting. 'As a man, an artist, and a voice for my community I will not be silenced, controlled or treated like a piece of property,' he wrote. 'There is no amount of money worth my dignity or my integrity.' Popular show: Cannon is shown last September with top talent from the show, including winner Grace VanderWaal Wayans said he wouldn't be a good choice if AGT was looking for someone 'less black' than Cannon. 'If they wanted [Cannon] to be less black, don't know if they want to holler at me,' said Wayans, who recently wrote and starred in the parody Fifty Shades Of Black. Wayans will star in the sitcom Marlon that will premiere later this year. The show follows an immature father who is committed to co-parenting his two kids with his ex-wife. He's the 'hero' country boy who stood up for bullied bride Cheryl on Married At First Sight. And now Queensland cowboy Sean has revealed why he spoke up on Tuesday's episode and how his actions affected his relationship with fellow contestant Andrew 'Jonesy' Jones. 'I felt I had to have her [Cheryl's] back,' the mining technician told News.com.au. 'I had to have her back': Married At First Sight's Sean has broken his silence on why he supported Cheryl in Tusday's episode Sean went on to say that he had since spoke with the 25-year-old's TV husband Andrew though, with the Perth firefighter even apologising to him for his actions. 'Jonesy and I have spoken since leaving the experiment and understand that we all have a right to speak up he understood why I was cranky and apologised for his actions to me,' he explained. Andrew also reaffirmed their friendship when talking with OK! Magazine, saying that he was in the wrong concerning the incident. Trouble: Cheryl confronted her TV husband Andrew about his 'disgusting' comments Hero: Sean admitted he and Andrew have spoken since the experiment ended and told how the firefighter even apologised to him for his actions 'My judgement was off and I was in the wrong... Sean and I hadn't spent much time together before that night so I doubt he'd seen the side of me that puts on an act,' Andrew said. He added: 'Unfortunately, I was still bitter with Cheryl for a few things that happened on the homestay and it showed.' When asked if the two still keep in touch, Andrew explained they 'we're all good' and that he may even visit him in Queensland later this year. Bullied bride: Cheryl discovered Andrew's comments after the boys night and decided to confront him during the dinner party The drama began after Cheryl discovered Andrew had made comments about her during the boys night chat on Sunday's episode, with the brunette confronting him during Tuesday's dinner party. The busty brunette slammed Andrew's comments, telling The Fix: 'I thought it was disgusting'. Farmer Sean was shocked at the lies the other men were telling as they stood up for Andrew, and voiced his opinion to producers. 'I'm thinking, how much are they trying to play this right down, how bulls**t is that?' he told the camera. In the wrong: Andrew admitted his mistakes, saying 'My judgement was off and I was in the wrong' The father-of-two cracked though when Andrew continued to mock his bride, telling the entire table what really happened. 'I didn't feel comfortable with the night,' the 37-year-old said. 'There was a lot there throughout the night that was bagging out Cheryl and putting Cheryl down.' Fans took to Twitter to praise Sean's actions in the aftermath, with Twitter user @ltlblkdress writing, 'And mothers everywhere applaud Sean for showing his respect for women'. Another fan, @KateDash1, weighed in, 'Sean is a top bloke. No guy would think those comments were okay if it was about their daughter (or mother or sister)'. Christina Milian showed off her sartorial style as she graced the red carpet for Kong: Skull Island in Los Angeles on Wednesday evening, before heading over the DL1961 clothing campaign launch. The 35-year-old dazzled in a dark green silk dress that showed off some generous under boob and side boob. The Dip It Low songstress' gorgeous floor length gown had daring cutouts around her cleavage and abs. Scroll down for video Knockout: Christina Milian showed off her sartorial style as she graced the red carpet for Kong: Skull Island in Los Angeles on Wednesday evening The raven haired beauty accessorized with some large white spiral hoop earrings and a small gold clutch. Her dark smokey eye make-up was perfectly applied, as she made sure to add some highlighter and bronzer to enhance her natural beauty. Her mermaid long ebony tresses were styled in a middle parting as she let the rest cascade down her shoulders. Cheeky: The 35-year-old dazzled in a dark emerald green silk dress that showed off some generous under boob and side boob The film, which has been receiving a lot of attention, is about a team of explorers and soldiers who travel to an uncharted island in the Pacific. They are unaware that they are crossing into the domain of monsters, including the mythic and legendary Kong. The cast ensemble is very impressive with British actor Tom Hiddleston, Oscar winning actress Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson. Beauty: The Dip It Low songstress' gorgeous floor length gown had daring cutouts around her cleavage and abs On point: Her dark smokey eye make-up was perfectly applied, as she made sure to add some highlighter and bronzer to enhance her natural beauty John C. Reilly and John Goodman add to the talented cast of actors. Tom, one of the leads in the Kong franchise, recently told the Sunday People how the cast risked coming face to face with deadly critters in Queensland while filming the picture. He said: 'Queensland has the highest concentration of dangerous animals in the world knowing we were in these real jungles made it more atmospheric. 'We were taken around by a security officer who said, There are funnel-web spiders, brown snakes and there are plants, we called them a wait-a-while plants because if you come into contact with it with your bare skin, youll wait a while and need to be rushed to the emergency unit.' Gorgeous: The raven haired beauty accessorized with some large white spiral hoop earrings and a small gold clutch It was a busy evening for the actress, who also attended the DL1961 campaign launch. Dressed in the same striking green gown, the singer and actress made her way over to Hollywood hotspot The Nice Guy, where she posed for photos in front a wall decorated with pictures of Sofia Richie modelling for the brand. She also posed for photos alongside model Jasmine Sanders, who was hosting the event. Busy girl: After attending the Kong: Skull Island premiere, Christina headed over the DL1961 clothing campaign launch Claire Dane cut a stylish figure in zaffre Wednesday night when she swung by the Gabriel & Co Showroom in New York City for an Afghan Hands fundraiser. The 37-year-old, whose Homeland character Carrie Mathison was coincidentally once stationed in Afghanistan, stunned in a form-fitting pantsuit. With pockets slanting sideways at either end of her waist, her tight blazer draped about the three-time Emmy winner's hourglass figure. Radiant: Claire Dane cut a stylish figure in zaffre Wednesday night when she swung by the Gabriel & Co Showroom in New York City for an Afghan Hands fundraiser It matched a pair of skintight trousers that emphasized her taut legs, clashing artfully against the black stilettos she'd selected for the evening. A black scarf, which was spattered with floral patterning in yellow, grey and sea green, had been wrapped around her neck. As the Afghan Hands website notes, Danes' designer mother Carla has collaborated with the organization on line of shawls, each of which retails online for $300. Beaming: The 37-year-old, whose Homeland character Carrie Mathison was coincidentally once stationed in Afghanistan, stunned in a form-fitting pantsuit Whilst at Wednesday night's event, Mrs. Hugh Dancy got in a bit of posing with Good Morning America anchor Amy Robach and Sex And The City star Cynthia Nixon. The 50-year-old wife of Christine Marinoni had slid into a black cocktail dress that went sheer above the bust and about its negligible sleeves. Cut off at the hem, it matched her netted open-toed shoes and the swirling designs that sprawled over the otherwise off-white scarf flung over her shoulders. Trio: Whilst at Wednesday night's event, Mrs. Hugh Dancy got in a bit of posing with Good Morning America anchor Amy Robach and Sex And The City star Cynthia Nixon Chicer than Miranda: The 50-year-old wife of Christine Marinoni had slid into a black cocktail dress that went sheer above the bust and about its negligible sleeves As Just Jared had reported at the time, Danes and Nixon had served as co-hostesses at the 2nd annual Afghan Hands and Orlane fundraiser in New York in 2010. Meanwhile, the 44-year-old newswoman wore an unobtrusive silver necklace and a scarlet top with a neckline that stopped just short of exposing a trace of cleavage. Earrings went stylishly with the pendant, and she'd flung a white overcoat over the entire ensemble, shoving her hands in the pockets as part of her pose. Grinning serenely: Meanwhile, the 44-year-old newswoman wore an unobtrusive silver necklace and a scarlet top with a neckline that stopped just short of exposing a trace of cleavage Fashion designer Nicole Miller stood for photos solo, her charcoal vest fringed at with massive stretches of black fur - though whether it was real or faux was unclear. Her sleeves were rather busily designed indeed, with varying intricate patterns in colors ranging from rust to sky blue to black to dull gold. Other than that, the 65-year-old's top was a solid crimson, clashing elegantly against tight black leggings and a pair of high-heeled boots in the same shade. She may have failed to win Richie Strahan's heart on The Bachelor last year. But Faith Williams appeared to have found love again on Saturday, when she stepped out with new beau Jeremy Hassell at the Endless Summer Ball. The 25-year-old posted a picture of the two at the event to her Instagram, calling the Brisbane businessman 'My Bachelor'. 'My Bachelor': Faith Williams stepped out with her new beau Jeremy Hassell at the Endless Summer Ball last Saturday The blonde beauty wore a gorgeous floor-length magenta gown, which cinched in at her waist and showed off her ample bust. Her long platinum locks hung in curls around her face, with touches of classic nude lipstick and light eye-make up, giving the former Bachelor star a radiant glow. Brisbane beau Jeremy cut a handsome figure beside her, sporting black pants and a crisp white shirt. The emergency services volunteer finished his sleek ensemble with a thick black belt and lace-up leather-look shoes. Loved up: Faith confirmed her relationship with the hunky businessman in January, gushing, 'I'm lucky enough to have found someone so amazing'. Blonde beauty: Faith was a former contestant on The Bachelor who missed out on stealing Richie Strahan's heart, but has since found love with Brisbane businessman Jeremy Hassell Jeremy is the owner of City Cave, a 'float centre' which touts itself as a reliever in joint pain and anxiety. Faith confirmed her relationship with the hunky businessman in January, gushing, 'I'm lucky enough to have found someone so amazing'. Taking to Instagram, the hairdresser shared a photo of her and Jeremy embracing, followed by a heartfelt message. 'Thanks for sticking by me. You are my Rock,' she wrote. Moving on: Jeremy is the owner of City Cave, a 'float centre' which touts itself as a reliever in joint pain and anxiety. Stunning: Fans speculated earlier in the year that the curvy blonde was entertaining a romance with The Bachelorette's Jake Ellis Fans speculated earlier this year that the curvy blonde was entertaining a romance with The Bachelorette's Jake Ellis. The two Brisbane natives were photographed together at multiple events, even attending a Circue De Solei show in November. The black tie ball took place at Darling & Co in Paddington and supported cancer Charity Mummy's wish. The not-for-profit organisation aims to help families where mum's are facing cancer battles, with the group supporting more than 2,000 families since 2007. Blake Lively celebrated International Women's Day in her husband's home country of Canada. The actress was the special guest at the L'Oreal Paris Women Of Worth Gala in Toronto on Wednesday. The former Gossip Girl, who is married to Vancouver native Ryan Reynolds, dressed for the occasion in cropped blue jeans and a white blouse. Woman Of Worth: On International Women's Day Blake Lively was in Toronto for a L'Oreal Paris gala honoring Canadian women who have made a difference The blonde mother-of-two added a dark coat and a pair of funky animal print shoes with white tassels. Her honey blonde locks were loose and cascading in loose curls down around her shoulders. She rocked a big smile as she arrived at the event. Had a good time: The former Gossip Girl star shared this selfie with the honorees to her Instagram Later in the day, Blake shared an Instagram snap showing herself with 10 women who were honored at the gala. The actress had changed into a red, blue and white check blouse but still wore the same large hoop earrings she'd arrived in. The 29-year-old is based in New York where she and Ryan are raising their daughters, James, two, and Ines, five months. On Saturday, the family were spotted in the Soho neighborhood heading home after having breakfast together. In his prime modelling days he graced the pages of glossy magazines flaunting his muscular physique, rippling abs and bulging biceps. But since ex-model Jake Griffiths gained an excess 35 kilos he has turned to Channel Ten's The Biggest Loser to get back in shape. The 38-year-old IT manager told OK! Magazine he was once confident enough in his buff body that he had applied to be a hunk on The Bachelor. From Bachelor to The Biggest Loser! IT manager Jake Griffiths will shed his excess kilos on 2017's The Biggest Loser in hopes of getting back to his modelling prime in the new weight loss series (Pictured: Jake in his modelling days) 'When I look in the mirror I don't really see myself': Jake, who was once confident enough to apply for The Bachelor, stares at his stomach in the show's promo as he voices his displeasure in his current appearance It was revealed Jake had found it harder to keep the weight off after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 23, in which he is now fitted with an insulin pump to control his levels. He told the publication his friends often poke fun at his weight. 'My friends joke that I'm a Myer plus-size model,' he said. 'My friends joke that I'm a Myer plus-size mode': He told the publication his friends often poke fun at his weight gain, after It was revealed Jake had found it harder to keep the weight off after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 23 'I want to look like I used to look': In a promotional clip for the series he flips through his old modelling portfolio as he claims he wants to look like he did in his 20s in his late 30s In a promotional clip for the series he flips through his old modelling portfolio as he claims: 'I want to look like I used to look.' Posing in front of the mirror without his shirt on, he stares at his stomach as he adds: 'When I look in the mirror I don't really see myself.' The video shows a sneak peek of an exercise montage in which he dons an orange Biggest Loser team shirt to lift weights, skip, perform sit ups and tackle the assault bike. Trainers: Shannan Ponton and Libby Babet will train the contestants, and It appears Jake will be trained by Libby in the new format series as he sports an orange T-shirt in the preview advert with Libby by his side 'Jake's transformation will blow you're mind': The clip shows a sneak peek of Jake regaining his abs in a time-lapse video The voice-over claims he's one to watch on the series: 'Over eight weeks watch him turn back the clock and become the man he once was.' 'Jake's transformation will blow you're mind,' the ad ends with a time-lapse of his stomach regaining his former abs. It appears he will be trained by Libby Babet in the new format series. Jake will join 14 other everyday Australians interested in achieving a healthier approach to life. The Biggest Loser returns to Channel Ten on March 14 at 7.30pm. Executive producer Tyra Banks made her triumphant return to America's Next Top Model to crown the winner of cycle 23 on Wednesday night. The 43-year-old Emmy winner - who created the competition in 2003 - relinquished hosting duties to Rita Ora this season with new judges Ashley Graham, Law Roach, and Drew Elliott. India Gants beat Tatiana Price and CoryAnne Roberts for the grand prize - $100K contract with Rimmel London cosmetics, Paper Magazine spread, and one-year talent deal with VH1. Scroll down for video 'Mama is here!' Executive producer Tyra Banks made her triumphant return to America's Next Top Model to crown the winner of cycle 23 on Wednesday night 'I'm super excited!' the 20-year-old Seattle native - who's moving to Manhattan - gushed to People. 'I've known for quite some time, but it's really exciting to have the whole public know as well.' As usual, the VH1 series - which was taped last July and August - unveiled their catwalk queen following a dramatic runway showdown between the three finalists. Created the competition in 2003: The 43-year-old Emmy winner relinquished hosting duties to Rita Ora (2-R) this season with new judges Law Roach, Ashley Graham, and Drew Elliott Winner! India Gants (R) beat Tatiana Price (L) and CoryAnne Roberts (M) for the prize - $100K contract with Rimmel London, Paper Magazine spread, and one-year talent deal with VH1 The 20-year-old Seattle native - who's moving to Manhattan - gushed to People: 'I've known for quite some time, but it's really exciting to have the whole public know as well' Judge Ashley Graham noted how Gants confidence was 'insane' even though she 'was freaking out' backstage alongside the 11 previously eliminated models. 'The girls are really sweet and they're lifelong friends of mine, even though it may not appear so on the show,' India said of any cattiness. 'They're all good girls.' Climax: As usual, the VH1 series - which was taped last July and August - unveiled their catwalk queen following a dramatic runway showdown between the three finalists Champion: Judge Ashley Graham noted how Gants confidence was 'insane' even though she 'was freaking out' backstage alongside the 11 previously eliminated models India said: 'The girls are really sweet and they're lifelong friends of mine, even though it may not appear so on the show. They're all good girls' Much ado was made over the Newport High School grad's obvious resemblance to Gigi Hadid, and she calls the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum her idol. 'This is cheesy because everyone says we look alike, but I really do admire Gigi Hadid's career path,' the former bridal consultant admitted. 'She can do the commercial stuff, she can do the high fashion stuff. And initially, she broke into the industry as someone who's not typical model skinny...She's a little bit bigger like me.' Twinning: Much ado was made over the Newport High School grad's obvious resemblance to Gigi Hadid (R), and she calls the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum her idol The former bridal consultant admitted: 'This is cheesy because everyone says we look alike, but I really do admire Gigi Hadid's career path. She can do the commercial stuff, she can do the high fashion stuff' (pictured during Paris Fashion Week) Purple-haired Gants continued: 'And initially, she broke into the industry as someone who's not typical model skinny...She's a little bit bigger like me' Purple-haired Gants continued: 'Definitely having agencies tell me over and over and over again that I need to lose wight as a 16 or 17-year-old, that was not easy at all.' Hardly a novice, India - who began her career at 16 - was already repped by Seattle Models Guild, Freedom Models Los Angeles, and Major Models Milan before joining ANTM. On Wednesday, the gun enthusiast reunited with fellow contestants Paige Mobley, Kyle McCoy, and Courtney Nelson at New York's Day Without a Woman March. Italian Vogue?! Hardly a novice, India - who began her career at 16 - was already repped by Seattle Models Guild, Freedom Models Los Angeles, and Major Models Milan before ANTM He's the proud father of two little girls. And Ryan Reynolds was every inch the protective parent as he carried his little girl James in his arms through windy New York City on Wednesday. The 40-year-old actor's daughter, age two, clung to him as they braved a strong gust of wind. Daddy's here! Ryan Reynolds was every inch the protective parent as he carried his little girl James in his arms through windy New York City on Wednesday Little James had her arms wrapped around Ryan's neck as he strolled beside a taxi cab. The actor wore a newsboy hat, black glasses, a green jacket and jeans for his casual day out. His daughter, meanwhile, was bundled up against the elements in a striped dress, polka dot leggings, and boots. As Ryan assumes daddy duty in New York, his wife Blake Lively has been busy in Canada. Stepping out in style! His daughter, meanwhile, was bundled up against the elements in a striped dress, polka dot leggings, and boots The actress was the special guest at the L'Oreal Paris Women Of Worth Gala in Toronto on Wednesday. Ryan and Blake are based in New York where they are raising their daughters, James and Ines, five months. The couple tied the knot in South Carolina in 2012. Meanwhile: Blake Lively was the special guest at the L'Oreal Paris Women Of Worth Gala in Toronto on Wednesday Ryan was previously married from 2008 to 2011 to actress Scarlett Johansson. Blake last starred in the action film The Shallows and thriller All I See Is You, while Ryan gears up for Deadpool 2. He will also be starring opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Hiroyuki Sanada in the upcoming thriller Life, which is scheduled for release on March 24. As two of Holland's most desirable supermodels it's apt that Lara Stone and Doutzen Kroes have been chosen to grace the inaugural cover of Vogue Netherlands. Shot by celebrated photographer Mario Testino, the two models only have eyes for each other as they strip off for their raciest photo-shoot yet. Stripping off for an intimate spread, the pair are captured with their naked bodies pressed together as they lean in for an intimate kiss. Scroll down for video Intimate: Shot by celebrated photographer Mario Testino, the two models only have eyes for each other as they strip off for their raciest photo-shoot ye Testino's decision to wash the image with a bold orange filter draws further attention to their toned figures as Lara, 33, gently brushes a hand across her 32-year old compatriot's cheek. An obligatory cover shot proves to be an aesthetic continuation, with Lara and Doutzen locked in a passionate embrace as they turn their delicately proportioned faces to the camera. Another, equally revealing image finds the models offering his camera a coquettish stare as they stand side by side against a stark white backdrop. Don't mind us: An obligatory cover shot proves to be an aesthetic continuation, with Lara and Doutzen locked in a passionate embrace as they turn their delicately proportioned faces to the camera Revealing: Another, equally revealing shot finds the models offering his camera a coquettish stare as they stand side by side against a stark white backdrop Leaving little to the imagination, statuesque Lara's left breast is visible beneath a billowing sheer top, worn over a pair of fitted black trousers. Meanwhile Doutzen flashes her pert bottom in a pair of raunchy green boots as she turns her back to Testino's lens. With her modesty barely protected, the otherwise naked star places a hand on Lara's arm, who in turn placed her elbow on Doutzen's exposed shoulder. Reunited: Doutzen and LarA stunned as usual as they appeared together to celebrate the Vogue Netherlands anniversary issue launch in Amsterdam on Wednesday Cover girls: Doutzen and Lara star in a racy snap on the premier fashion magazine cover taken by star photographer Mario Testino, who also attended the launch part On Wednesday evening both models stunned while celebrating the Vogue Netherlands anniversary issue launch in Amsterdam. Indeed, mother-of-one Lara looked incredible in a short, chic, flower-detailed dress, while her fellow model Doutzen looked like a Grecian goddess, wearing her golden hair in loose waves with her unique patent leather high-waisted frock. Both Dutch beauties joked with Mario, the Peruvian photographer who has been dubbed 'the world's most prolific' magazine photographer as they posed for pictures at the launch party. Mario even brought a camera along, creating a 'meta' scenario where he was taking photographs while being photographed. Group shot: Both Dutch beauties joked with superstar photographer Mario Testino as they posed for pictures at the launch party Stunning: Doutzen looked like a Grecian goddess, wearing her golden hair in loose waves with her unique patent leather high-waisted frock Chic and pared back: Doutzen proved that less is more in her simple yet stylish ensemble. She teamed her dress with relaxed, gold patent low heels Happy times: The model looked particularly incredible, happy and carefree as she was caught laughing on camera with her famous pals Ravishing beauty: The model, who grew up out of the limelight in northern Holland, tilted her head as she showed off her flawless skin and teasing, natural smile Lara showed off her famously statuesque frame in her towering boot heels and stylish polo-neck ensemble. While Doutzen proved that less is more in her simple yet stylish ensemble. She teamed her dress with relaxed, gold patent low heels. And the model looked particularly incredible, happy and carefree as she was caught laughing on camera with her famous pals. The model, who grew up out of the limelight in northern Holland, tilted her head as she showed off her flawless skin and teasing, natural smile. Beautiful: Mother-of-one Lara looked incredible in a short, chic, flower-detailed dress Deep in discussion: Lara showed off her famously statuesque frame in her towering boot heels and stylish poloneck ensemble Meta: Mario even brought a camera along, creating a 'meta' scenario where he was taking photographs while being photographed The trio were joined by Vogue Netherlands Editor-in-Chief Karin Swerink. The successful journalist and fashionista opted for an unusual black dress with large 80s-style shoulder pads for the important event. And, surprisingly, neither of the cover stars believed they were model material growing up. Doutzen soared to fame in 2003 when she sent snap shots to Amsterdam-based modelling agency Paparazzi Model Management and, despite admitting she did not take her flourishing career seriously, she went on to enjoy huge success. Big issue: The trio were joined by Vogue Netherlands Editor-in-Chief Karin Swerink for the launch of the fifth anniversary issue of the magazine, starring the two models Editor In Chic: The successful journalist and fashionista opted for an unusual black dress with large 80s-style shoulder pads for the important event While Lara has admitted that although she feels comfortable posing naked now, in her youth she believed she was 'definitely not attractive'. Speaking to The Edit in December the supermodel, who has undertaken many racy shoots including one which saw her lying topless beneath pop sensation Justin Bieber for Calvin Klein, said: 'I don't mind being naked in front of people, that's fine 'On a shoot, no one is staring at the naked model. They're doing a job and they've seen it all 100,000 times before. No one's interested.' She shot to fame when she was crowned Miss World Australia in 2013. Now, Erin Holland, 27, is still slaying the fashion world after she wore a striking embellished dress on Thursday night. The model attended the Elle Australia Exclusive Beauty and the Beast Cocktail event in Sydney to celebrate the release of the Disney film. Blonde bombshell: Erin Holland stunned in a black and gold dress at the Elle cocktail event Stunning: The unique dress had black trimming around the neckline and wrists with an uneven lace hemline Erin wore a black dress that was covered in gold embellishment with sheer sleeves and neckline. The showstopping dress had black trimming around the neckline and wrists with an uneven lace hemline. The gold detail covered the dress and was paired with a gold and black headband and matching dangling earrings. Showstopper: Erin matched the beautiful dress with black and gold accessories and a dark red lipstick at the event in Sydney She paired the detailed dress with simple pointed black stiletto heels and a dark red lipstick. Erin kept her hair pulled back into a slick bun under the gold headband to let the dress shine. Erin oozed confience and glamour as she posed for photos at the Beauty and the Beast event Erin was joined at the event by Australian model Laura Dundovic. Laura, who won the title of Miss Australia in 2008, radiated beauty as she posed for photos in front of the media wall. The Sydney native gave a sighting of her trim pins via a large split running along the hem of the flared trousers. Cut-outs above the waist on each side also added to the outfit's risque look. Blonde beauty: Laura, who won the title of Miss Australia in 2008, radiated beauty as she posed for photos in front of the media wall They enjoyed a fleeting visit to Paris Fashion Week, where they pulled out all the sartorial stops at the star-studded Louis Vuitton show on Tuesday. And siblings Willow and Jaden Smith were back to business as they were pictured arriving back at Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday. The talented twosome - who are the children of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith - sported their signature funky styles as they touched down in style in their hometown. Scroll down for video Family affair! Siblings Willow, 16, and Jaden Smith, 18, sported their signature funky styles as they touched down at Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday Willow, 16, sported a super-cool all-black ensemble which consisted of an oversized satin bomber and wide-legged trousers. The Whip My Hair hitmaker carried her guitar on her back as she carted along a suitcase while strolling forth in her comfortable white trainers. Her brother Jaden, 18, opted for a more colourful look in a bright tartan jacket, which he paired with a band tee. The Karate Kid star tied his long raven tresses into a super high updo as he juggled multiple bags while manoeuvring his way through the airport. Trendy teen: Willow donned a super-cool all-black ensemble which consisted of an oversized satin bomber and wide-legged trousers The siblings are known for their eclectic taste in style and Jaden in particular put on a very fashionable appearance at the Louis Vuitton Fall-Winter 2017 Paris Fashion Show earlier this week. Putting a quirky touch on proceedings, Jaden donned a patterned grey coat and ankle-grazing green trousers, while a cross-the-body bag held his ensemble in place. The pair are no strangers to Louis Vuitton having posed for the brand in 2015, while Jaden broke barriers by donning a skirt for its Spring 2016 campaign ad. Late last month, Netflix released the first teaser for the upcoming seven-episode second part of The Get Down, created by Academy Award-winning husband-wife team Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin. All eyes on her: The siblings are known for their eclectic taste in style and Jaden in particular put on a fashionable appearance at the Louis Vuitton 2017 Paris Fashion Show on Tuesday Smith is seen reprising his role as bisexual graffiti artist Marcus 'Dizzee' Kipling in the 1978-set South Bronx musical drama, which begins streaming April 7. The 18-year-old's character locked lips with fellow artist Thor (Noah Le Gros) during the six-episode first part. The hip-hop origin series reportedly cost $16million an episode to make, according to Deadline. Meanwhile, Smith may have spent his first season's salary on a new mansion. The actor recently moved out of his parent's massive Calabasas compound into a $4million home in the gated enclave of Hidden Hills, California, despite having posted a video in January saying he wants to get out of Los Angeles. Advertisement They've been enjoying a sunshine break in Barbados together - and Love Island's Olivia Buckland and her fiance Alex Bowen were pictured topping up their tan in the tropical location. Olivia showed off her golden tan and toned abs as she walked along the beach with her man, wearing a black bikini which had a star and moon pattern running throughout. The sexy two-piece had a cut-out section at the top as she flashed her inkings while enjoying her stroll - before turning around to flash her pert posterior. Scroll down for video Letting her hair down: Love Island's Olivia Buckland showed off her toned abs and golden tan in a cut-out bikini as she frolicked in the sun in Barbados with fiance Alex Bowen Loved up: She and her fiance Alex could barely keep their hands off one another in the sunshine She wore a pair of dark sunglasses and a couple of silver bracelets as she stepped into the water, before settling down on a jetty with her man. He wore a pair of orange board shorts as he showed off his buff physique, while heaping lots of attention on his other half. The pair indulged in a PDA as they held hands and cuddled up to one another, before enjoying plenty of kisses. Tatt's nice: It's fair to say the pair share a mutual love of tattoos and are both heavily inked Lovely: The couple appeared very much in love as they moved in for another smooch Sharing the wealth: While on the jetty, Olivia tenderly caressed her man as they enjoyed some quality time Snoozy: Olivia lay on her man as she squeezed in some more cuddles while enjoying their day together Earlier this week, she looked incredible as she flashed her inkings wearing a skimpy black crochet bikini as she posed in front of a stunning view. She captioned the image with the words: 'This sea is something. Another beautiful day another beaut crochet bikini from @misspap going on a sunset cruise later to see TURTLES! Yay! #OlivesOutfits.' The stunner has also shared a couple of images of her love, Alex, as she flaunted her pert posterior in a pair of shorts under a sheer sleeveless jacket. Before her trip, Olivia had a whirlwind few weeks showcasing her sartorial style during London Fashion Week. Passionate: Olivia threw her arms right around her man in a dramatic display of emotion She can't get enough of him: The stunner flashed her sparkler as she cosied up to Alex once again It's not that cold: Olivia looked a little apprehensive as she lowered herself into the water He's behind you: Olivia dried off on the jetty as Alex climbed up the mini ladder A peaceful time: Olivia took a few moments of reflection while she looked out at the horizon Later on: The couple enjoyed yet another walk by the shoreline as they made the most of their time off work She and Alex have been inseparable in recent weeks - especially after she was caught in a three car collision on her way home to Essex after an event in London earlier this month. Olivia sustained an injury to her head in the terrifying crash, when a van ploughed into the back of her taxi while she was travelling home from the showbiz bash. Recently speaking to new! magazine about whether she'd invite the Love Island girls to her hen do, Olivia said: 'Yeah, I've spoken to a few of them. 'I still speak to Cara quite a lot, so she's definitely going to be there. Yes. [She might be a bridesmaid]. We're still really close.' Can't take my eyes off you: The pair appeared rather enamoured as Alex gazed back at Olivia Matching nose rings: The pair were both wearing the same facial jewellery as they took inspiration from one another How does she do it? Olivia looked incredible from every angle as she kept a watchful eye over her man Just chilling: The pair appeared to be in full-on relaxation mode as they conversed with one another Making a splash: The couple dipped in and out of the water as they kept themselves refreshed 5...6...7...8: Olivia danced in the sunshine as she remained close to her fiance - she has said how much she is enjoying planning their wedding Making some moves: Olivia didn't seem to mind a bit though and carried on throwing some shapes It is one of the most highly-anticipated screen reunions in recent memory. Now the bosses behind the Love Actually reboot for Comic Relief have released previously unseen stills. The cast of the 2003 cult comedy have reunited for the special cause, first started by the film's director Richard Curtis in 1985. Scroll down for video Everlasting love: In unseen snaps from the set of the Love Actually charity reboot, Hugh Grant is back on set as the movie's lovable Prime Minister alongside his assistant-turned-wife Natalie In the new snaps from the set of the sketch, Hugh Grant is back on set as the movie's lovable Prime Minister. Joined by his former assistant Natalie, played by Martine McCutcheon, the actor beams as they cosy up for a chat. He is set to play the politician as he returns to 10 Downing Street for another stint in power - and seems to have had an accident as he is wearing an arm sling. Another popular pair from the film who have reunited is Liam Neeson and Thomas Brodie-Sangster. They played two of the film's central characters, stepfather and son Daniel and Sam, who are reeling from the death of the child's mother. Take a stand: He is set to play the politician as he returns to 10 Downing Street for another stint in power - and seems to have had an accident as he is wearing an arm sling Popular: The star's role as the UK leader was one of his best - although it is unknown whether he will perform a dance routine in the new sketch The A-team: Another popular pair from the film who have reunited is Liam Neeson and Thomas Brodie-Sangster And action: They played two of the film's central characters, stepfather and son Daniel and Sam, who are reeling from the death of the child's mother They seem in happier spirits in the reboot - smiling as they chat to each other on a bench alongside the River Thames. The new images come after Keira Knightley was seen filming for the first time on Wednesday with Chiwetel Ejiofor, [Peter] and Andrew Lincoln, [Mark]. The 31-year-old movie star, who plays Juliet, was pictured filming with her onscreen husband AND his best friend, leading viewers to wonder how their story has developed. Standing on a London doorstep, Keira wore a cream jumper with the word: 'LOVE' emblazoned on the front as she looked as youthful as ever and Theory scarf print wide trousers. 'To me, you are perfect': The new images come after Keira Knightley was seen filming for the first time on Wednesday with Chiwetel Ejiofor, [Peter] and Andrew Lincoln, [Mark] They're actually still in love: In one still, Keira can be seen cuddling up to her husband Peter [Chiwetel] on the sofa... as they giggled during filming In the original movie, Keira's character is convinced her husband's pal Mark, [Lincoln], can't stand her, until she discovers the wedding he made which features solely on her. It's only then she realises he is actually in love with her. He later turns up her house with the cards, telling her: 'To me, you are perfect.' They then kiss and he says, 'Enough now, that's enough now,' as he leaves her to get on with married life. Reprising her role: Keira plays Juliet in the 2003 movie (right), who doesn't realise her husband's best friend is in love with her The best friend: Andrew Lincoln [Mark] was pictured nearby during filming, wearing an oversized jacket by John Varvatos and sporting longer curly hair Over to him: The onscreen couple take direction from Richard Curtis in between takes How does she do it? Keira looked as though she hadn't aged a day since the original movie Something's tickled them: The cast and crew burst into hysterics while watching the scenes they had just filmed Andrew Lincoln could be seen nearby during filming, wearing an oversized jacket by John Varvatos and sporting longer curly hair than before, while director Richard Curtis hovers close to him. The sighting follows Richard Curtis's words during a recent interview with Susanna Reid on Good Morning Britain last week. He said: 'Someone's died, someone's got lots of kids, someone's been voted out of office and voted back into office.' Lovesick: In the 2003 movie, Mark arrives at Juliet's house with a set of cards, when he famously reveals his love, writing: 'To me, you are perfect' Someone got it wrong: She seems surprised after mistakenly believing that he couldn't stand her Wrong or right? They then kiss and he says, 'Enough now, that's enough now,' as he leaves her to get on with married life Fairytale: It's just as well they decided to keep things platonic as Juliet was married to his best friend Also pictured filming during the last few weeks, were Hugh Grant and Martine McCutcheon, whose characters David and Natalie are now married. During a break from filming, Hugh, who plays the Prime Minister told the camera: 'It's going very badly. I can't remember my lines or the character. Everyone hates me.' Colin Firth, who plays Jamie, was spotted on the set of the eagerly awaited Love Actually sequel at the BBC Langham Place Piazza in central London last week. Moving on: It remains to be seen how the love triangle has evolved since the 2003 movie In high spirits: Richard and Andrew were seen giggling away together as they moved from scene to scene Busy time: It appeared to be a packed set as the crew marched in and out of the house The Oscar winner beamed as he reprised his character Jamie, the English would-be novelist who fell in love with Aurelia, his Portuguese housekeeper. And 64-year-old Liam Neeson, [Daniel] was pictured with his onscreen stepson Thomas Brodie-Sangster [Sam], who is now 26, filming in London's Southbank, along with Olivia Olsen, [Joanna]. Emma Thompson has ruled out a part in the Comic Relief special as she can find 'no comedy' since the death of her co-star, Alan Rickman. She told PA: 'It's too soon. It's absolutely right because it's supposed to be for Comic Relief but there isn't much comic relief in the loss of our dear friend really only just over a year ago.' 'Hey, have you seen the Walking Dead?' Richard and Andrew pore over a piece of paper The Good Morning Britain studios received a visit from some canine companions on Thursday. And Susanna Reid descended into a fit of giggles when her co-host Ben Shephard cheekily quipped she could 'stroke' him instead during the breakfast show. The pair had become enamored with Clover the Corgi and French bulldog Luna, fondling them as the pet pooches rubbed up on their legs. Scroll down for video Cheeky! Susanna Reid descended into a fit of giggles when her co-host Ben Shephard quipped she could 'stroke' him instead during Thursday's installment of Good Morning Britain 'I miss the dogs!', Susanna wailed when the segment with the Kennel Club secretary Caroline Kosko ended. Ben was quick to reply: 'You can stroke me if you want!' The 46-year-old presenter threw him a dirty look, joking, 'It's not quite the same thing!' 'You can stroke me if you want!': Ben joked when Susanna revealed she was missing the canine companions earlier in the day Puppy love: The pair had become enamored with Clover the Corgi and French bulldog Luna, fondling them as the pet pooches rubbed up on their legs Cutie: Susanna looked like she was ready to adopt Clover, fussing over her live on air Ben was cracking jokes with his fellow presenter all morning, teasing earlier in the segment that she babied him. Susanna was heard fussing over one of the pooches, cooing, 'It's not going to be long then you can go and have something to eat and a drink, then we can go to the break.' 'That's what she says to me when we go to the breaks!', he quipped. Puppy love: Susanna was heard fussing over one of the pooches, cooing, 'It's not going to be long then you can go and have something to eat and a drink, then we can go to the break' Elegant: Susanna was smartly clad in a long-sleeves, A-line pastel dress Banter: Ben was cracking jokes with his fellow presenter all morning, teasing earlier in the segment that she babied him This comes after Susanna admitted earlier this week that she currently has no desire to find a man as she's too preoccupied by raising her three sons. The GMB host told The Daily Telegraph's Bryony Gordon: 'I just cant have a relationship at the moment. 'Id choose not to (date) because my most important thing is being a mum. Full line-up: Kate Garraway also joined the pair on the morning TV show Family first: Susanna recently revealed she has no desire to find a man as she's too preoccupied by raising her three sons 'I dont think there would be time for anything else because relationships take up a lot of emotional energy, dont they?' And when the time is right to settle down, don't expect the journalist to tie the knot. When one admirer tweeted her co-star Piers Morgan asking him to put in a good word to Susanna for him, she replied: 'Thanks, but... I'm never getting married #NotWifeMaterial' Great chemistry: Susanna was full of praise for her GMB co-host Piers Morgan, admitting she 'loves the banter' On her terms: When the time is right to settle down, don't expect the journalist to tie the knot The independent star, who split from ex Dominic Cotton three years ago, was inundated with offers on Twitter last week, but responded: 'Thanks for your generous offers this morning twitter but.... I'm single by choice.' Her words came after a fan wrote: '@susannareid100 is a 10/10. I know I'm 30 and she's 41 but I'd make her a pasta bake and a cheeky garlic bread any day. #DinnerDateGoals.' She replied: 'I don't want to ruin anything, but I'm 46.' Knows what she wants: When one admirer tweeted her co-star Piers Morgan asking him to put in a good word to Susanna for him, she replied: 'Thanks, but... I'm never getting married #NotWifeMaterial' Part of GMB's continuing success is down to the chemistry between its presenters. Piers consistently divides opinion but never fails to get viewers talking, and Susanna was full of praise for the energy he brings to the programme, admitting she 'loves the banter'. 'Hes provocative but hes thoughtful too, and takes my point of view seriously,' she added. 'We also laugh a lot. We couldnt work together otherwise.' Yin and Yang: Part of GMB's continuing success is down to the chemistry between its presenters The real-estate tycoon turned reality star shot to fame after starring in Real Housewives of Sydney. On Thursday night Krissy Marsh and her Real Housewives co-star Nicole O'Neil have hit the red carpet with their daughters for the Australian premiere of Beauty and the Beast. Both women wore blue dresses, while their girls were awash in various colours. Picture perfect: Krissy Marsh and Nicole O'Neil pose with their daughters at the premiere of Beauty and the Beast Krissy wore a fitted light blue dress lace dress with a sheer panel across the bust that was decorated with lace. The lace sleeves were capped off and faded to lighter blue. She paired the dress with a pair of classic nude pointed heels to let the dress shine on its own. Her brown hair was curled and left to flow over her shoulders. The stars of Real Housewives of Sydney took to the red carpet in matching blue dresses Seeing Krissy stun on the red carpet comes just days after the reality TV star told her family she didn't want them to watch an upcoming episode of Real Housewives of Sydney. She told The Daily Telegraph: 'I can't say much, but someone assassinates my character... That is a difficult thing for my parents to watch.' Krissy described an argument with a cast mate and said she took off her microphone and stormed out to call her husband and refused to speak to anyone else. Krissy said that even though filming the show was extremely emotionally taxing, she would love the chance to return for a second season After the first episodes where she was called Chewbacker by fellow housewife Lisa Oldfield, Krissy says her family have been very protective of her. 'They get so protective, I keep telling everyone to calm down it is just TV, my mum have to keep telling her to relax,' she said. The mother-of-three says she doesn't let her kids watch the show because she doesn't think they need to see it. 'Calm down, it's just TV': Krissy says her family are overprotective of her ever since she was called Chewbacker by fellow housewife Lisa Oldfield She said: 'I let my older son watch, but my two younger children do not,' she said. 'My younger son complains, saying his friends and even teachers at school are talking about the show.' Girl power: The cast of Real Housewives of Sydney have said they would love to return for a second season of the show While all of the cast said filming the show was extremely emotional, Krissy has said she would love the chance to return for a third season. 'I think we all questioned it (coming back) at different times,' she said. 'There have been points where you rip the microphone off but now, I think I would jump at the chance for season two.' Julie Snook is becoming a familiar face to Australian TV viewers. But the 29-year-old enjoyed some time away from the Channel Nine studio, where she regularly appears on the 6pm news bulletin, as she attended the stage premiere of Beauty and the Beast. The newsreader exuded glamour in a black ensemble as she walked the red carpet at State Theatre in Sydney on Thursday night. Belle of the ball: Julie Snook enjoyed some time away from the Channel Nine studio on Thursday as she attended the stage premiere of Beauty and the Beast Smiling for the cameras, Julie wore a sheer lace creation, featuring gold decoration, with black panels underneath. The blonde beauty pulled her long locks back into a ponytail as she completed her outfit with a pair of black strappy heels. Julie was among a host of celebrities to attend the show's Australian premiere, including Sam Frost, Laura Dundovic, Erin Holland and fellow TV presenter Ksenija Lukich. Dressed to impress: The newsreader exuded glamour in a black ensemble as she walked the red carpet at State Theatre in Sydney Time to talk: On Wednesday, Julie spoke out about the infamous video leaked of Amber Sherlock having a meltdown over their matching outfits On Wednesday, Julie spoke out about the infamous video leaked of Amber Sherlock having a meltdown over their matching outfits, describing the moment as a 'learning experience'. In January, Julie found herself at the centre of a media storm when footage of senior colleague Amber berating her was made public. Speaking to 9Honey about the incident, the the journalist said she has laughed off the moment and hopes the public will know her for more than just a jacket. 'There's more to me than just a jacket': Julie has broken her silence over THAT Amber Sherlock 'jacketgate' meltdown Footage of the off-air incident, first leaked to Mumbrella in January, showed Amber chastising Julie for not putting on a jacket over her white outfit to prevent them from clashing in similar ensembles. Despite Julie apologising that she had been busy and had forgotten, Amber snapped: 'I asked you two-and-a-half hours ago. Its not the hardest request.' Julie later appeared on air wearing a black jacket, and was the object of much public sympathy when the footage went viral. Drama! Amber chastised Julie for not putting on a jacket over her white outfit to prevent them from clashing in similar ensemble. The video went viral around the world 'Its been a big learning curve for me': She revealed she had laughed off the incident and hoped the public could get past the shocking moment 'Its been a big learning curve for me. Its shown me both the good and the bad in people and shown just how much we can really come together. Ive had a lot of support here at Nine,' Julie said on Wednesday. She revealed she had laughed off the incident, and hoped the public could get past the shocking moment. 'Theres more to me than just a jacket, than just that incident,' Julie said. She's one of Australia's most successful models. Now, Megan Blake Irwin, 22, is heading back to New York to continue to expand her circle of famous friends. After talking to The Daily Telegraph, Megan says supermodel Jordan Barrett, Gigi and Bella Hadid, and world-class photographer Mario Testino are just some of her mates. Friends in high places: Megan Blake Irwin is friends with supermodels Gigi and Bella Hadid She said: 'I think being in this industry we have all worked together, we meet each all over the world because we are always travelling to the same places,' Irwin said. She continued: 'It is lovely to have great friends working in the same industry.' The last 12 months for Megan have been the most successful of her career so far. 'My latest Guess campaign just came out, which is my third,' she said. Blonde bombshell: The 22-year-old Aussie model has just had the most successful six months of her career so far after being featured in a third Guess campaign Megan has said that meeting so many famous people is just one of the many perks of working in the fashion industry. She said: 'I have worked with so many people but Mario Testino stands out, I will be forever grateful to have worked with him.' Megan has been back in Australia to enjoy the Australian Summer after living in New York. Megan has been back home for an Australian summer before soon returning to New York Earlier this year, she was spotted on Bondi Beach kissing and flirting with a mystery man. Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Megan for comment on the man's identity. Megan is preparing to head back to New York, where she now calls home, before going to Paris and London for work. 'I just got a new house at the beach, I over look Bronte Beach so that will be hard to leave,' she said. They're following in their mother Lisa Rinna's footsteps by aspiring to a career in the limelight. And Delilah Belle Hamlin, 18, and Amelia Gray, 15, certainly looked the part when they stepped out in Los Angeles on Thursday night, attending the DL1961 Campaign launch party together. The aspiring models, who the Real Housewvies star raises with husband Harry Hamlin, appeared to have coordinated their looks, sporting matching crop tops and high-waisted jeans. Scroll down for video Twinning: Delilah Belle Hamlin, 18, and Amelia Gray, 15, stepped out in Los Angeles on Thursday night, attending the DL1961 Campaign launch party in matching outfits The girls both donned tiny black tees, with blonde Delilah choosing a silk style and Amelia sporting a bandeau number complete with matching choker. The siblings were twinning in the same faded, boyfriend cut jeans with frayed hems, teamed with chunky ankle boots. There was no sign of their famous parents as they enjoyed their moment in the limelight. Matching: The girls both donned tiny black tees, with blonde Delilah choosing a silk style and Amelia sporting a bandeau number complete with matching choker Denim fans: There was no sign of their famous parents as they enjoyed their moment in the limelight Delilah Belle signed a contract with Elite Models last summer and walked in Tommy Hilfiger's NY Fashion Week Show last September. She also strutted her stuff on the catwalk at the Sherri Hill Fall 2017 Collection's show during New York Fashion Week last month. Delilah's younger sister Amelia, 15, also has aspirations to be a model. Rising star: Delilah Belle signed a contract with Elite Models last summer and walked in Tommy Hilfiger's NY Fashion Week Show last September Lisa said of her children: 'I didn't do anything to help them do anything, to be honest' In an interview with ET in December, the Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills star insisted that her girls are getting ahead all on their own merit. 'I didn't do anything to help them do anything, to be honest,' she said. 'They've done everything on their own. They work very hard.' Pia Muelhenbeck travels the world in search of the perfect Instagram photos. And the law graduate-turned-model added another snap to her collection on Thursday as she shared a 'belfie' on social media. Flaunting her pert derriere in a G-string bikini, the 25-year-old is seen poolside during a getaway in Seminyak, Bali. One for the album: Pia Muehlenbeck added another snap to her collection on Thursday as she shared a 'belfie' on social media The brunette's peachy posterior is in full view as she poses with her back to the camera. Pia's latest installment follows shortly after she gave her 1.7 million followers another reminder of her appeal in a rather revealing snap shared to Instagram on Wednesday. The social media sensation flaunted her ample cleavage and taut torso in a skimpy black bikini. That's quite a handful! Pia flaunted her ample cleavage and taut torso in a skimpy black bikini in a snap shared to Instagram on Wednesday The snap taken at luxury resort villa One Eleven Bali, saw Pia leaving very little to the imagination. A skimpy triangle-style bikini top accentuated her ample bust and toned shoulders, while a pair of high-cut briefs drew attention to her taut torso and slender legs. Tilting her head slightly to allow a good look at her striking side profile, Pia allowed her short brunette locks to fall in relaxed waves around a glamorously made-up complexion. Balance: The revealing selfie comes shortly after the Instagram model revealed to online clothing brand ShowPo, that she allows herself to indulge in her food cravings Team effort: Pia's photographer boyfriend Kane Vato (pictured) is the mastermind behind the brunette's stunning Instagram photos The revealing selfie comes shortly after Pia revealed to online clothing brand ShowPo, that she indulges in her cravings. 'I want cake a lot but my job is to stay somewhat fit. I do have cake though - I have a big cheat night every week,' she said. 'If I walk around all week and there are things that I want I buy them...but then I save them for cheat night.' Sugar hit: 'I want cake a lot but my job is to stay somewhat fit. I do have cake though - I have a big cheat night every week,' she said Savouring the moment: 'If I walk around all week and there are things that I want I buy them...but then I save them for cheat night,' Pia continued The Instagram model said one of her biggest cravings are 'raw treats' made from dates and nuts - but that's not all. 'They are fine to eat but I go overboard with them on my cheat night,' she said, adding that she does feel a little sick afterwards. 'I will sit there and have like chocolate covered popcorn and pizza and lava cakes and whatever I want. Then the next day I have no cravings.' She's expecting twins with Hollywood star George Clooney - and Amal Clooney displayed her growing bump as she attended a charity event in New York on Wednesday night. The 39-year-old Human Rights lawyer proudly showcased her changing shape, wearing a blush pink velvet dress from the Bottega Veneta Cruise 2017 collection, which which was belted just above the waist. Clearly adoring the colour, she wore a matching coat which drew attention, matching her lipstick to her ensemble. Scroll down for video Stepping out in style: Amal Clooney proudly displayed her growing bump as she attended a charity event in New York on Wednesday night She wore a pair of black high heeled court shoes as she remained committed to her love of style. Amal matched her rosy pink lipstick to her eye-catching ensemble, wearing her glossy locks in bouncy curls. The mother-to-be looked positively radiant as she ventured out for the evening, flashing a beaming smile. Joining her at the bash was Princess Eugenie of York, who looked stunning in a black dress with white details in the hemline. Glowing: The mother-to-be looked positively radiant as she ventured out for the evening, flashing a beaming smile Think pink: Amal sported a blush pink velvet dress from the Bottega Veneta Cruise 2017 collection, which which was belted just above the waist Social media snap: The International Women's Day celebrations were captured on Twitter Earlier this week, Amal had a noticeable baby bump while heading to address the United Nations in New York City on Wednesday. It remains unclear why she was heading to the UN but no doubt it has to do with International Women's Day as the day of awareness has been highly-publicized. Speaking of attention, she recently said that her marriage with 55-year-old George Clooney is a 'really good thing' as it can actually help her cases due to the 'extra publicity.' She said during an appearance on the BBC programme News At Six: 'I mean, there's lot of my work that takes place behind closed doors that is not ever seen. 'I think if there are more people who now understand what's happening about the Yazidis and ISIS, and if there can be some action that results from that, that can help those clients, then I think it's a really good thing to give that case the extra publicity that it may get.' Elegant: Amal matched her rosy pink lipstick to her eye-catching ensemble, wearing her glossy locks in bouncy curls Out and about: George was spotted out in LA with his best pal Rande Gerber Driving solo: The star was driving solo after catching up with Rande at Craig's restaurant But Amal's often risky cases - which recently included helping a human trafficking survivor - may have to be put on hold, as George is concerned about her travelling to potentially dangerous countries whilst pregnant. He revealed last month: 'We decided to be much more responsible, to avoid the danger. I will not go to South Sudan anymore and or the Congo [and] Amal will no longer go to Iraq and she will avoid places where she knows she is not welcome.' In an interview he gave to Paris Match, he said: 'Before, I did not care. I would even say that there was a pretty exciting side to going where no reporter had ever been.' The 55-year-old, who'd married his second and current wife in 2014, also explained: 'We're lucky to live between three countries: Italy, America and England. But once the children start school, it'll be necessary to choose where to settle.' Shining a light: Amal thinks her high profile relationship is a 'really good thing' when it comes to her job, she told BBC News at Six in an interview earlier this week They have been engaged for almost three months and these two remain on cloud nine. Ashley Greene and Paul Khoury could not have looked happier as they took a stroll in the sunshine in Los Angeles, California. The newly engaged couple strolled along hand-in-hand through Beverly Hills on Wedmesday.. Over the moon: Ashley Greene and Paul Khoury could not have looked happier as they took a stroll in the sunshine in Los Angeles, California, on Wednesday The 30-year-old Twilight star could not stop smiling as she stared at her Australian husband-to-be. For their walk, Ashley embraced the now warmer weather in a flowing floral high necked dress which she wore with grey pumps and a matching handbag. Paul wore an eclectic ensemble featuring black jeans, a white T-shit, a maroon cardigan and a tan hat. Paul asked his girlfriend of four years to marry him which on a trip to New Zealand in December. Flower power: For their walk, Ashley embraced the now warmer weather in a flowing floral high necked dress which she wore with grey pumps and a matching handbag Celebration: Paul recently hired out the original Katsu-ya where they had their first date The Australian got down on one knee near a waterfall and recorded the whole thing. Once they returned to America after spending Christmas with his family, they celebrated by Paul hiring out the original Katsu-ya where they had their first date. On Valentine's Day, Ashley spoke of her love: 'There's nowhere in the world I'd rather be than beside this incredible man. Thank you for looking at me and seeing forever, making me feel like I'm the only one in the room and always bringing me to a point of uncontrollable laughter. Oh, and most importantly, thanks for loving my particular brand of crazy. ' Her sister AnnaLynne starred in teen drama 90210. And Rachel McCord looked to be once again seizing the limelight from her older sibling on Wednesday. The 27-year-old model and blogger mocked up a paparazzi shoot as she put on a leggy display in Malibu, California. Leggy display! Rachel McCord looked to be once again seizing the limelight from her older sibling on Wednesday The beauty - who describes herself as a Georgia girl turned model - flashed her undies as she put her long toned legs at centre-stage, in a sheer skirt which was slashed to the top. She showcased her cleavage in a corseted top, and added a pair of sparkling silver heels. Her dirty-blonde locks were styled in voluminous beach curls. Star turn! The 27-year-old model and blogger mocked up a paparazzi shoot as she put on a leggy display in Malibu, California Rachel's make-up was expertly applied, with defined brows and a cappuccino lip hue. In her hand was her cell-phone as she pretended to take plenty of selfies in the themed shoot, which saw her stepping out of a BMW onto the red-carpet in front of photographers. She's seen lapping up the attention from the lensmen. Sexy! The beauty - who describes herself as a Georgia girl turned model - flashed her undies as she put her long toned legs at centre-stage, in a sheer skirt which was slashed to the top Dressed up: She showcased her cleavage in a corseted top, and added a pair of sparkling silver heels Well-tressed: Her dirty-blonde locks were styled in voluminous beach curls Pretty: Rachel's make-up was expertly applied, with defined brows and a cappuccino lip hue Having fun: She's seen lapping up the attention from the lensmen Selfies: In her hand was her cell-phone as she pretended to take plenty of selfies in the themed shoot, which saw her stepping out of a BMW onto the red-carpet in front of photographers The McCord List blogger is also an aspiring actress. She has made a few appearances on TV including a role in Disney's comedy series Victorious. However, she has now returned to acting with satire, A Mini Movie. It is a short comedy on Hollywood Film Credits and will be directed by William Hoehne Jr. and Wilhelm Von Hohenzollern. Scarlett Johansson's estranged husband Romain Dauriac was seen for the first time with their daughter after his statement about the divorce filing. The 34-year-old journalist was spotted hand-in-hand with two-year-old child Rose while out in New York City on Tuesday. The outing comes just after a statement was released by the Frenchman as he not only revealed he was 'shocked' by the 32-year-old star's decision to split but also mentioned a potential custody battle. Bonding: Romain Dauriac was spotted for the first time with two-year-old daughter Rose in New York City after 'shocking' divorce filing Dauriac wore a brown leather flight jacket over entirely black including hoodie, skinny jeans, brogues, beret, and sunglasses. He kept a watchful eye on his only child who trailed behind her after claiming he has been the 'primary parent' to the youngster. In the statement released earlier this week, he is 'imploring' her to withdraw her divorce filing for the sake of their toddler daughter, Rose. Casual: The 34-year-old journalist wore a brown leather flight jacket over entirely black including hoodie, skinny jeans, brogues, beret, and sunglasses Proud: He kept a watchful eye on his only child who trailed behind her after claiming he has been the 'primary parent' to the youngster Johansson filed for divorce from Romain Dauriac in a NYC court Tuesday, saying the marriage was 'irretrievably broken.' Blindsided by the move, the Frenchman said in a statement on Wednesday that he wants to keep the divorce out of the courts and go back to the negotiating table. 'It is indeed unfortunate, especially for our daughter, that Scarlett filed in Court and made our personal differences so public,' he said. 'It is unfortunate': Johansson's ex Dauriac is requesting her to withdraw her divorce filing so the duo can work out their custody battle in private 'I would implore her to withdraw her action promptly and go back, as uncomfortable as it might be, to the negotiating table. We are the parents of a lovely daughter whom we will continue to co-parent for many years and share her joys and sorrows as only a parent can.' Dauriac's lawyer, Hal Mayerson, claims the former couple were in the middle of private talks when Johansson suddenly made the move to file. 'We were shocked that they filed these proceedings in court,' he said. 'We had been negotiating information relevant to their child Rose and also economic issues, so we were stunned when they did this. Weve told [Johansson and her lawyers] that we would go to any means to try to avoid this.' 'We were shocked': Dauriac's lawyer Hal Mayerson said in a statement that the duo were working things out, including a custody agreement regarding their daughter Rose, two, when the actress suddenly filed for divorce The move follows a January announcement that the couple split last summer after less than two years of marriage. Dauriac sees the move as a 'pre-emptive strike' in a battle over custody of the couple's daughter, his lawyer said. Johansson is asking for joint custody of their daughter, Rose, but also wants the child to live with her. Mayerson said on Wednesday that he and Dauriac were taken aback by the request because he has been the 'primary parent' for the two-year-old while Johansson has been involved with her career. Dauriac plans to petition the court to take the child to live with him in his native France, Mayerson said, adding that Johansson will have 'access to her daughter any time she wants to come to Paris.' Officially over: The actress filed for divorce from Romain (pictured 2015) in a New York City court Tuesday, saying the marriage was 'irretrievably broken' and asked for joint custody of daughter Rose Dauriac has no intention of cutting Johansson off from her daughter, his lawyer told People. 'Ms. Johansson has two apartments in Paris. She can come any time she wants to see [Rose] and have the child with her,' Mayerson said. 'If shes traveling, we expect there would be a schedule that would be roughly equal between them.' 'Mr. Dauriac is tired of having to run his life and his child's life based on Ms. Johansson's shooting schedule,' Mayerson said. 'Ms. Johansson has two apartments in Paris. She can come any time she wants to see [Rose] and have the child with her,' Mayerson said Johansson responded in a statement, saying she is a 'devoted mother and private person' who knows her daughter will one day be old enough to read the news about herself. Battle brewing: Dauriac's lawyer said on Wednesday that Dauriac (pictured Deecember) was taken aback by the request because he has been the 'primary parent' for the two-year-old 'I would only like to say that I will never, ever be commenting on the dissolution of my marriage. Out of respect for my desires as a parent and out of respect for all working moms, it is with kindness that I ask other parties involved and the media to do the same,' she said. Johansson has spent a lot of time this year in New Zealand filming Ghost In The Shell. The star flew Rose to be with her some of time but the arraignment was causing tension between the former couple recently a source told Page Six. 'She would take the child on these trips like when she was shooting in New Zealand,' a source close to the case said. But then Johansson wanted to switch to a shorter schedule under which she would have Rose for three days and then Dauriac would take her for two days. 'The kid was bouncing back and forth. It can't work because [Johansson] travels so much,' the source said. Aside from Ghost In The Shell - out March 31 - the star also has comedy Rough Night in theaters June 11. The R rated comedy sees Johansson's charcater and her bridesmaids - Jillian Bell, Ilana Glazer, Zoe Kravitz and Kate McKinnon - accidently kill a stripper on her bachelortette weekend. Dedicated to her craft: Johansson has spent a lot of time this year in New Zealand filming Ghost In The Shell Girls' night out: Aside from Ghost In The Shell, the actress also has comedy Rough Night in theaters June 11. It also stars (L-R) Zoe Kravitz, Jillian Bell, Ilana Glazer and Kate McKinnon The actress is set to due in Atlanta any day now for the 11-month-long shoot for Avengers: Infinity War. Filming has begun on the Marvel movie last month and it will see the star reprise her Black Widow role. Currently there is also an untitled follow-up film due out in 2019. Black Widow is back: The actress is set to due in Atlanta any day now for the 11-month-long shoot for Avengers: Infinity War. The divorce filing notes that the couple signed a prenuptial agreement in September 2014, but Mayerson said the pact does not address custody or financial issues regarding their daughter. Dauriac is a former journalist who now works as a curator of art shows in New York, Mayerson said. This was Johansson's second marriage. She was previously married to actor Ryan Reynolds from 2008 to 2011. She doesn't seem to have had a boyfriend since ending her on-off relationship with British actor Jamie Campbell Bower last March. But maybe that's changed. Lily Collins was spotted out with a mystery man after a dinner date at the Sunset Tower Hotel in Los Angeles on Wednesday evening. He only had eyes for her: Lily Collins was spotted out with a mystery man after dinner at the Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood on Wednesday The couple smiled and chatted as they walked down the staircase outside the hotel to the car valet and they hugged before leaving separately. The 27-year-old Brit, whose dad is former Genesis frontman, Phil Collins, looked elegant in a black jacket and cropped black pants with an impressively high heeled pair of caged shoes. Lily's date was suited up in black with a white shirt that he left unbuttoned at the neck. Of course, there's no way of knowing whether this was a romantic liaison or a business meeting for the busy star. Enjoying each other's company: The 27-year-old British actress chatted to her companion as they waited for the valet to bring their cars Lily is just rolling off her Golden Globe Best Actress In A Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy nomination for Rules Don't Apply. And although the award went to Emma Stone for La La Land, Lily gushed that being nominated with Emma and Meryl Streep for Florence Foster Jenkins was 'completely surreal' in her first appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres show last Thursday. 'Just even having my name in a sentence with Meryl Streep was something I never, ever imagined. Total honor,' she told Ellen. Pubic display of affection: The couple hugged before going their separate ways In Rules Don't Apply, Lily, who found fame in 2009's The Blind Side opposite Sandra Bullock, co-stars in the romantic comedy which was written, co-produced, directed by and stars Warren Beatty. Lily recently finished shooting sci-fi flick, Okja, with Jake Gyllenhaal, Tilda Swinton and Paul Dano. Due out on June 28, it's about a girl who tries to stop a multi-national company kidnapping her best friend - an animal named Okja. Meanwhile, Lily's memoir, Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me, debuted on Tuesday. With her yellow dress with black trim, Amal Clooney cut a bright and beautiful figure as she left her New York hotel on Thursday. The 39-year-old lawyer looked sophisticated and stylish in the ensemble which she teamed with a matching coat with leather black trim. Amal's long black tresses were worn loose around her shoulders while black heels and a matching black bag completed the look. Scroll down for video Bright light: Amal Clooney showed off her baby bump in a yellow dress with black trim as she stepped out in new York City on Thursday Stepping out: Amal sported towering heels with her outfit The high profile Human Rights lawyer headed to the United Nations where she was expected to give a speech at a session entitled: The Fight against Impunity for Atrocities: Bringing Da'esh to Justice. Amal, who is acting on behalf of the Yazidis in Iraq, told the UN: 'Not one ISIS militant has faced trial for international crimes anywhere in the world. Why is it that nothing has been done? 'Somehow we are no closer to justice today than when I addressed you last year.' Bumping along: Amal later headed to the United Nations where she spoke at 'The Fight against Impunity for Atrocities: Bringing Da'esh to Justice' Represent: Amal embraces at the United Nations Preparation: Amal mingled before making her speech at the UN Closed doors: Amal recently said publicity from her marriage to George is a 'good thing' Speaking from the podium, she added: 'I'm asking you today to stand up for justice. Every conflict reminds us that there can be no lasting peace without justice. Justice is also what the victims want.' Amal's career has come under the spotlight since her 2014 marriage to George. However, she said her marriage to the 55-year-old is a 'really good thing' as it can actually help her cases due to the 'extra publicity.' Working: The lawyer is acting on behalf of the Yazidis in Iraq Sunbeam: Amal flashed a smile before proceedings began Behind the lectern: Amal pictured making a speech at the session Two years wed: Amal married George Clooney back in 2014 Address: The lawyer urged the UN to not do 'too little too late' 'Dont let this be another Rwanda where you regret doing too little too late,' she said, 'Dont let ISIS get away with genocide.' She said during an appearance on the BBC programme News At Six: 'I mean, there's lot of my work that takes place behind closed doors that is not ever seen. 'I think if there are more people who now understand what's happening about the Yazidis and ISIS and if there can be some action that results from that, that can help those clients, then I think it's a really good thing to give that case the extra publicity that it may get.' Solo: There was no sign of husband George as she left her hotel earlier Shades of yellow: Amal protected her eyes from the sun in big sunglasses Jet set: The couple divide their time between London, the U.S. and Italy Frustration: Amal told the UN: 'Somehow we are no closer to justice today than when I addressed you last year' Amal, who appeared the previous day in New York dressed in a blush pink velvet dress, has not slowed down her work since her pregnancy was announced. However, George has said he is concerned about her travelling to potentially dangerous countries whilst pregnant. He revealed last month: 'We decided to be much more responsible, to avoid the danger. Big change: Amal and George will be making changes to their lifestyle upon arrival of their twins Mellow yellow: Amal cut a classy and smart figure in her matching coat and dress Black trim: The coat and dress featured black buttons and a black trim 'I will not go to South Sudan anymore and or the Congo [and] Amal will no longer go to Iraq and she will avoid places where she knows she is not welcome.' In an interview he gave to Paris Match, he said: 'Before, I did not care. I would even say that there was a pretty exciting side to going where no reporter had ever been.' The 55-year-old, who married his wife in 2014, also explained: 'We're lucky to live between three countries: Italy, America and England. But once the children start school, it'll be necessary to choose where to settle.' Think pink: Amal sported a blush pink velvet dress from the Bottega Veneta Cruise 2017 collection, which which was belted just above the waist on Wednesday Her turn as Queen Victoria was met with widespread critical acclaim. So fans will no doubt be delighted to see Jenna Coleman returning to work as she shot scenes on location for ITV drama Victoria on Harewood House in Leeds on Wednesday - while hanging out in her trailer in full costume. The 30-year-old actress looked stunning as she chilled out between scenes, while pulling on a pair of designer sunglasses, which market for around 240, as she perfectly marred old and new styles. Scroll down for video Sunnies: Jenna Coleman was returning to work as she shot scenes on location for ITV drama Victoria on Harewood House in Leeds on Wednesday - while hanging out in her trailer in full costume and Miu Miu sunglasses Jenna stars as the monarch in the period drama, the second series of which kicked off filming last month, with the story set in the 1840s, the decade where Victoria gave birth to six of her nine children. Images emerged last month of Jenna in full period dress as she threw herself into filming with real-life and onscreen lover Tom Hughes, who plays Prince Albert. In her stunning shot shared with her 511,000 Instagram followers the stunning star looked flawless as she glowed from beneath her oversized designer specs. Alongside the on-set snap, she added a caption reading: 'Back to work #trailerlife @miumiu @victoriaseries', much to the delight of her devoted followers. She's back! The 30-year-old actress looked stunning as she chilled out between scenes, while pulling on a pair of designer sunglasses - perfectly marring old and new style Her love: Jenna stars as the monarch in the period drama, the second series of which kicked off filming last month, with the story set in the 1840s, the decade where Victoria gave birth to six of her nine children According to screenwriter Daisy Goodwin, the series will focus on Victoria's struggle to balance family and work life, like a modern woman. She told the Radio Times in October: 'Even though she reigned in the 19th Century, Victoria is a heroine for our times. In the next series she faces the very modern dilemma of how to juggle children with her husband and her job. 'As Victoria will discover, it's hard to be a wife, a mother and ruler of the most powerful nation on earth!' Elaborating on the forthcoming scenes, Jenna told Digital Spy: 'It's really exciting. 'There's so much story. It's a case of pacing it and working out where to go with it. There are nine children to have, so there is a long way to go.' Tres chic! Jenna's Miu Miu sunglasses nod comes just days after she was the picture of elegance as she stepped out for a post PFW dinner date at Fish Club in the French capital - following the designer's fashion week show Chic: The stunning actress is busy filming the second season of hit ITV drama Victoria Jenna's Miu Miu sunglasses nod comes just days after she was the picture of elegance as she stepped out for a post PFW dinner date at Fish Club in the French capital - following the designer's fashion week show. The actress looked effortlessly chic in a stylish 60s-inspired pastel blue coat, which she teamed with a flirty floral dress. The former Emmerdale star displayed her toned pins in the Peter Pan-collared dress, boosting her height with a pair of white T-bar wedges. Sixties siren: The actress looked effortlessly chic in a stylish 60s-inspired pastel blue coat, which she teamed with a flirty floral dress Beautiful in blue: The Victoria star looked stylish as she attended the Miu Miu AW17 Paris Fashion Week show earlier in the day Jenna accessorised the elegant outfit with a matching white satchel embellished with pearls, finishing off the feminine and flirty ensemble to perfection. Wearing her brunette locks in a centre parting, the talented thespian highlighted her flawless complexion with a dash of blusher and a rouge lipstick. Jenna had been to the Miu Miu AW17 Paris Fashion Week show earlier in the day, sitting front row alongside Game Of Thrones star Maisie Williams and supermodel Lara Stone. Sophisticated: Jenna displayed her toned pins in the 60s inspired dress, boosting her height with a pair of white T-bar wedges Perfect pastels: The embellished dress featured a girly floral print and a pleated skirt He was voted off I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here on Thursday night. And during a Friday morning appearance, Steve Price hit back at co-star Tziporah Malkah's claims he watched her shower naked on The Kyle & Jackie O Show. The 62-year-old asked the hosts if they wanted 'the real story or Tziporah's story' as he attempted to clarify what took place in the South African jungle. Scroll down for video Naked ambition: Steve Price spoke on his I'm A Celeb co-star Tziporah Malkah's claims he watched her shower in the nude on The Kyle & Jackie O Show on Friday The KIIS FM breakfast hosts played audio from their earlier interview with Tziporah where she stated she showered in the nude, with Steve allegedly watching her. 'I thought wow, he's looking at my tits,' she said. Turning their attention back to Steve, Kyle crudely asked him if he was 'a chubby chaser'. Gotta hear both sides: The 62-year-old asked the hosts if they wanted 'the real story or Tziporah's story' as he attempted to clarify what took place in the South African jungle 'She comes into the jungle, I had no idea who she was - apparently she used to be Kate Fischer, now she's someone called Tziporah,' Steve explained. 'She turns up and I go down to have a shower,' he continued. 'I'm down there, doing what I would normally do, showering away. The 2GB radio host described that due to him being 'only a few days in' at the camp, he thought going nude 'was the way to go'. 'Stupid me didn't realise there was two cameras pointing at me while I'm standing there in the buff,' he said. Birthday suit: The 2GB radio host described how due to him being 'only a few days in' at the camp, he thought going nude 'was the way to go' 'This woman appears behind me. I look over my shoulder and ask, who the hell are you?' he continued. He said the former model replied, 'My name's Tziporah,' to which he responded, 'Okay, sorry.' The Project panellist then described how he got out of the shower and 'put a towel around myself'. 'She gets in there and strips all her gear off, as if it's the thing you should do,' he said. 'I wasn't looking at any part of her.' 'She gets in there and strips all her gear off, as if it's the thing you should do,' he said. 'I wasn't looking at any part of her' Kyle then jumped in to ask him if he was 'aroused' at the sight of Tziporah naked. 'You know me very well,' he said. 'Would I be perving at a large woman I didn't know, just to get my kicks out of it when I'm in the jungle for three days? I don't think so.' Kyle reasoned that it appeared as if Steve and Tziporah had developed a friendly relationship by the time she was eliminated from the reality show. 'You must have been watching it through some haze, buddy,' Steve replied. 'That's not how I remember it.' His 'bad boy' past is just as well-known as his professional achievements in the AFL. And according to his I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! camp-mate Steve Price, retired Collingwood player Dane Swan had by far the most 'interesting' personal stories to share - however, many were too crude to tell on-air. 'What he did and got away with is just extraordinary,' Steve said of the 33-year-old sportsman's party tales during an interview with Nova FM's Fitzy & Wippa. Scroll down for video Most interesting character? Dane Swan has shared some of the most 'extraordinary' personal stories on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! according to Steve Price 'He told me stuff in there [about] what he did with Collingwood people in Las Vegas that if we weren't on a top rating Sydney breakfast radio program I'd tell you and we'd be able to run it on air... but we can't,' said the 62-year-old shock jock, who was eliminated on Thursday. The 2GB broadcaster also joked with hosts Ryan Fitzgerald and Michael Wipfli that he believes the notorious party movie The Hangover was inspired by Dane's shenanigans. 'You know the movie Hangover? I reckon they wrote the script based on his end of season sessions,' Steve said. Party boy: Steve joked that he believes the comedy movie The Hangover was written 'based on' Dane's end of season sessions with his former Collingwood team-mates (pictured with his friends and team-mates in Las Vegas in 2015) Too much for TV and radio: It's said that Dane's party stories are too crude to be aired on TV (pictured with Dustin Martin in 2015) And it appears the Project host has also tipped the Brownlow medallist to take out the title of King Of The Jungle come finals night. 'Get him on and talk to him when he wins on Sunday,' the journalist said on Friday. Meanwhile, Dane - who was one of the league's most decorated players up until his retirement last August - has been vocal about his party boy reputation. Opening up: The retired AFL star has been vocal about his party boy past, revealing he has 'experimented' with recreational drugs during his career The Melbourne-based star spoke candidly about using recreational drugs during his 200-game career with the Collingwood Magpies. 'I have experimented with what some people call recreational drugs, but have never taken performance-enhancing drugs or what you might call "heavy" drugs,' Dane told Sunday Herald Sun in October. The heavily-tattooed star has endeared himself to viewers while in the South African jungle through his quick wit and larrikin behaviour. Winner? Steve has also tipped Dane to take out the winning title in the jungle, after endearing himself to the public with his quick wit Speaking of his motivation for appearing on the reality show, Dane insisted it's not a bid to gain more attention for himself. 'I don't particularly want any more attention on myself which sounds pretty stupid coming on a show like this,' he told News Corp. 'I am not coming on it for more Instagram followers Ive had my time and Im sick of that. It is something for me that I wanted to do.' Dane is one of the final four celebrities, including Nazeem Hussain, Casey Donovan, and Natalie Bassingthwaighte, left in the jungle after almost six weeks. She's the bubbly Today Show star who's engaged to colleague Peter Stefanovic. And it seems Sylvia Jeffreys has been taking notes from her future brother-in-law Karl Stefanovic. The 30-year-old news reader had a 'Karl moment' on Friday morning's show, cracking a somewhat crude joke that left her embarrassed and her three co-stars in fits of laughter. Scroll down for video Hilarious! Sylvia Jeffreys cracked somewhat of a crude joke that left her embarrassed and her three co-stars in fits of laughter As Syliva, Karl, Lisa Wilkinson and Tim Gilbert discussed a viral video of an Ostrich eating seed from the hands of a terrified woman, Sylvia made a comment under her breath. Urged by Karl - the only member of the panel who heard the comment - to repeat it, she reluctantly agreed. 'I was just going to say, it's not the first time there's been a pecker at a Hen's party,' Sylvia quipped. Lost it! The 30-year-old news reader had a moment her colleague Karl Stefanovic (left) is more used to, much to the enjoyment of co-host Lisa Wilkinson (right) Led by Karl, her co-stars struggled to contain themselves as they let out a burst of laughter. Seemingly embarrassed at what she'd just said, Sylvia too laughed loudly following her gag. The blonde beauty is set to celebrate her own Hen's party in the coming months, as she reportedly prepares to wed Peter in late-2017. Happy couple: The blonde beauty is set to celebrate her very own Hen's party in the coming months, as she reportedly prepares to wed Peter Stefanovic (left) in late-2017 Loved up: The couple met after hosting Weekend Today and confirmed their relationship in 2014, while Peter was working in Europe as Channel Nine's overseas correspondent The couple met after hosting Weekend Today and confirmed their relationship in 2014, while Peter was working in Europe as Channel Nine's overseas correspondent. During a romantic holiday to Europe last July the pair announced their exciting engagement. The former foreign correspondent and brother of Today's Karl Stefanovic proposed to his lady love at a French winery. They began dating in 2013 after meeting on the set of The Vampire Diaries. And according to E! News, Phoebe Tonkin, 27, and Paul Wesley, 34, have broken up, with a source claiming the pair are 'still good friends'. 'The relationship just ran its course,' the insider claimed. Scroll down for video 'The relationship just ran its course': Phoebe Tonkin and Paul Wesley have broken up after four years of dating, according to E! News The publication has reached out to the couple's representatives for comment. It appears the couple hadn't been pictured in public since December, and Phoebe's social media feed shows the Australian beauty is currently in France attending Paris Fashion Week. Phoebe played the role of Hayley Marshall in the popular US drama in season four, before leaving to join the cast of the spin-off The Originals. From co-stars to lovers: The genetically-blessed pair met on the set of CW's popular drama, The Vampire Diaries, in 2012 Family time: Paul, 34, recently joined his girlfriend for a visit to Sydney to see her family and friends at Christmas The genetically-blessed brunette paid a visit to her home town for Christmas, and was joined by her beau at the time. Despite staying mum on their private life, Phoebe and Paul both featured in loved-up selfies on each other's social media accounts during their relationship. Meanwhile, Phoebe has been spotted attending several shows during Paris Fashion Week. Amicable: According to a source, the pair remain 'good friends' following the breakdown of their four-year romance The Sydney-born stunner stepped out in style at the Chanel show earlier this week, sporting a chic embellished jumper and jeans with a pair of stiletto heels. Sharing a snap of her look on Instagram, the model and actress stunned with a touch of foundation and perfectly primped eyebrows. Her plump pout was highlighted by a shade of plum lipstick, while her raven locks were styled in an effortless updo. She only arrived back in the UK the previous day after spending a glam few days at Paris Fashion week. But Lucy Mecklenburgh wasted no time in hitting yet another fashion event, as she stepped out at the Taylor Hill x Joe's Jeans party in London on Thursday. The 25-year-old ex-TOWIE star showed off her long slim legs in a black and white patterned mini dress with cut out detail at the neckline. Scroll down for video Pretty in patterns: Lucy Mecklenburgh showed off her long slim legs as she stepped out at the Taylor Hill x Joe's Jeans party celebrating the Spring/Summer 2017 campaign at Shoreditch House on Thursday The frock briefly skimmed her thighs, showing off her toned limbs to maximum affect. Perspex and white heels added to the look along with a dusky boxy clutch. Lucy's long brown hair was worn in a half ponytail, while black eye liner, heavy mascara and pink lipstick a glamorous touch. Legs eleven: The ex-TOWIE star showed off her slim limbs in the short ensemble A delight in black and white: Lucy's dress featured a criss-cross design in white over a black background The star mingled with a smattering of celebrities at the event including Taylor Hill, Pixie Geldof and Amber Le Bon. Taylor recently opened up about how much she enjoyed the designing process, in an interview with Women's Wear Daily. 'I really loved it,' the model enthused. 'I thought it was something different. 'As a model, you dont really get to see this part, and I thought it was really cool to be a part of the process, and have an input, and make it my own.' Mingled; Lucy caught up with celebrities including Taylor Hill and Pixie Geldof Flashing the flesh: The frock briefly skimmed her thighs, showing off her toned limbs to maximum affect Fashionista: The star has just returned from Paris Fashion Week She revealed that she had brought Pinterest images and moodboards along to creative meetings. She also appears in the campaign images, shot by famed fashion photographer Mario Sorrenti. Meanwhile, Lucy soared to fame in the inaugural series of the ITVBe show in 2010, when she was placed at the forefront of the drama due to her dramatic dalliances with Mark Wright and her engagement and later infidelity to Mario Falcone. Moving away from her time of drama, bodycon and bright orange tans, the brunette beauty has remodelled herself as a fitness and fashion guru. A glamorous touch: Perspex and white heels added to the look along with a dusky boxy clutch Entrepreneur: The star has opened her own shop called Lucy's Boutique in Brentwood Essex Reinvention: Moving away from her time of drama, bodycon and bright orange tans, the brunette beauty has remodelled herself as a fitness and fashion guru The star has opened her own shop called Lucy's Boutique in Brentwood Essex. Thursday's outing comes after Lucy has been stepping out with a new tattooed beau. Lucy reportedly met her handyman boyfriend Nathan Sharp after he did some tiling work on her bathroom at her home in Essex. She is said to have hit it off straight away with the 37-year-old father-of-two. One of Nathan's friends told the Sunday People : 'Nathan went to tile a bathroom and came away with a stunning celebrity girlfriend its the stuff of dreams.' A Yemeni boy stands on the rubble of a school destroyed by a Saudi-led air strike on the outskirt of the northwestern Saada province Amnesty International on Thursday accused the Saudi-led Arab coalition battling rebels in Yemen of using banned cluster munitions in raids on residential areas. The Brazilian-manufactured munitions were fired in a February 15 attack on three residential districts and agricultural land in Saada province of northern Yemen, a stronghold of the Shiite Huthi rebels, it said in a statement. Two people were wounded in the attack, said Amnesty, which has also reported that the coalition used cluster munitions in October 2015 and May of last year. The coalition "absurdly justifies its use of cluster munitions by claiming it is in line with international law, despite concrete evidence of the human cost to civilians caught up in the conflict", said Lynn Maalouf, research director at Amnesty's Beirut regional office. "Cluster munitions are inherently indiscriminate weapons that inflict unimaginable harm on civilian lives," she said. Amnesty called for Brazil "to join the Convention on Cluster Munitions and for Saudi Arabia and coalition members to stop all use of cluster munition". Separately, Human Rights Watch in December accused the coalition of firing Brazilian-made rockets containing the outlawed munitions near two schools in Saada, killing two civilians and wounding six including a child. The December 6 came a day after Saudi Arabia joined the US and Brazil in abstaining from a UN General Assembly vote that overwhelmingly endorsed an international ban on cluster bomb use. The weapons can contain dozens of smaller bomblets that disperse over large areas, often continuing to kill and maim civilians long after they are dropped. The Saudi-led coalition, which has come under repeated criticism over civilian casualties in Yemen, acknowledged in December it had made "limited use" of British-made cluster bombs but said it had stopped using them. The conflict in Yemen has left more than 7,400 dead and 40,000 wounded since the coalition intervened on the government's side in March 2015, according to the UN. A New South Wales police vessel makes a 13-hour trip in gale force winds to rescue two people from a stricken yacht An Irishman and a French woman on Thursday told of "waves the size of buildings" after being rescued from a terrifying ordeal when their yacht capsized in wild weather off Australia. Nick Dwyer, 55, and Barbara Heftman, 44, were sailing from New Zealand to Sydney as part of a years-long circumnavigation of the globe when disaster struck. Treacherous seas broke their rudder then rolled their 12-metre (40-foot) boat, forcing them to activate an emergency beacon on Tuesday. A New South Wales police vessel responded, battling six-metre swells and gale force winds on a 13-hour voyage to reach the yacht and safely haul the pair on board. "We encountered enormous seas, waves the size of buildings coming at you constantly, winds that you can't stand up in, seas breaking, whiteness everywhere," Dwyer told reporters after abandoning ship and arriving in Sydney late Wednesday. "We weren't sure whether we were going to be rolled again and each time a wave hit, we thought 'is the one that's going to take us?' "It wasn't really until the low (pressure system) hit us and we got capsized that we felt we really couldn't survive this one without assistance." He added that it was the worst weather they had ever encountered on their decade-long global adventure, calling their rescuers "absolute heroes". Police Sergeant Paul Farquharson told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation the couple was overjoyed to see the rescue team. "They'd been bobbing around on a 40-foot boat for the last four days and spent the last 10 years at sea so to hop on board our boat was a bit of a luxury for them," he said. Win Win Aye claims she can cure illnesses -- with the assistance of benevolent Buddhist spirits From spells to win back an errant lover to help communing with the spirits, Myanmar's mediums, soothsayers and wizards dabbling in the occult, are in high demand. Most people here believe in a brand of Buddhism laced with animism and magic, but since the end of military rule such practices have burst into the open. Win Win Aye is a part-time medium, who claims she has cured dozens of people of illnesses and curses -- with the assistance of benevolent Buddhist spirits. "I know when they have possessed me," the 42-year-old tells AFP at her house in Thalyin, near Yangon, shortly after a session, which she conducts for free as a hobby. "When I want to say something my mouth can't form the words, the person who possesses me says what he or she wants," she explains. During the British colonial era and the half-century of military rule that followed many people used 'weikza' -- semi-divine Buddhist wizard-saints -- to fight their oppressors. Most of these sects were disbanded or pushed underground by the generals who seized power in 1962, deeply superstitious themselves they lived in fear of a supernatural strike back. Zaw Min, a master from the popular sect of Shwe Yin Kyaw, says only people of "good virtue" should carry out exorcisms General Ne Win, who was prime minister in the 1950s and 1960s, was said to be particularly obsessed with the occult: he reportedly bathed in dolphins' blood believing it would help him regain his youth. In the 1980s he almost ruined Myanmar's economy by changing bank notes to denominations of his lucky number -- nine. But since the 2011 handover of power by the junta, magic is back in the open for ordinary people. Sorcery courses are popping up across the country, and many so-called experts are sharing their knowledge of witchcraft in journals and online. - Masters of magic - "Ever since the Burmese censor board was dissolved (in 2012) there has been an explosion in these kinds of magical manuals," says Thomas Patton, an expert on Southeast Asian magical practices at Hong Kong's City University. "I would argue they are one of, if not the most, widely-read genres in Myanmar," he adds. In an unassuming apartment in northwest Yangon, Linn Nhyo Taryar wraps a straw figurine with black tape and places it in the centre of a circle adorned with magical symbols. Linn Nhyo Taryar (R) was arrested after scared social media users told police he was teaching black magic The skinny 21-year-old closes his eyes and mutters incantations to 'activate' the doll in readiness for his first class as a magic teacher. The soft-spoken sorcerer started studying magic aged five, beginning by reading tarot cards then gradually building up an online following on Facebook. "Magic is the art of receiving the power of nature. Without the power of nature, we can't do anything," he explains. "In magic, it depends if you want to do good things or bad things: if you do a bad thing, it will be black magic. If you do a good thing, then it will be white magic." - Dark arts - Minutes later more than a dozen students start crowding into the room, eager to learn arts they hope will safeguard their loved ones -- and their wallets. Linn Nhyo Taryar shows them how to create voodoo dolls, draw magical charts and cast spells using rituals involving bananas and incense. "I want to be able to help and protect my family with magic if something (bad) happens to us," says student Paing Soe Naung, 25. May Sandar Kyi, a 49-year-old merchant, adds: "I am very interested in it because others treat me unfairly, like when they don't give me back (money) they take from me." But while magical practices are increasingly tolerated in Myanmar, some still fear the power of the supernatural. A week after AFP attended the lesson, Linn Nhyo Taryar was arrested after scared social media users told police he was teaching people how to use black magic. Belief in sorcery can also have tragic consequences. In October, a self-proclaimed exorcist beat two toddlers and an eight-month-old baby to death in a village outside Yangon after telling their families they were possessed. Appearing at court the following month the alleged killer, Tun Naing, told reporters he had been taken over by a "dark spirit" at the time. Zaw Min, a master from the popular sect of Shwe Yin Kyaw, says only people of "good virtue" should carry out exorcisms. "We have no right to attack others," the 50-year-old tells AFP. "If we break this rule, we will be in trouble." Still, Patton says many people believe magic was behind the biggest change in Myanmar for a generation: the end of military rule and the election of Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD party in 2015. "People always looked to these magical saints or wizards or sorcerers to help them bring peace and democracy," he says. "Now that has happened a lot of these people believe that 'wow, this magic really does work.'" US Homeland Security chief John Kelly said entries by "inadmissible persons" were down 40 percent showing "comprehensive immigration enforcement can make an impact" Entries into the United States by "inadmissible persons" were down 40 percent from January to February, the US government said Wednesday, hailing this as progress on President Donald Trump's southern border security focus. "The drop in apprehensions shows a marked change in trends," said Homeland Security chief John Kelly. Trump took office January 20. "Since the Administrations implementation of Executive Orders to enforce immigration laws, apprehensions and inadmissible activity is trending toward the lowest monthly total in at least the last five years." Kelly said this was key because Customs and Border Protection usually sees a 10-20 percent increase in apprehensions of illegal immigrants from January to February. "Instead, this year we saw a drop from 31,578 to 18,762 persons - a 40 percent decline," he stressed, arguing that this meant fewer people were taking the huge risk of putting their fate in the hands of human traffickers. "Early results show that enforcement matters, deterrence matters, and that comprehensive immigration enforcement can make an impact," said Kelly, one of Trumps' closest allies on tightening US-Mexican border security and the president's controversial pledge to build a wall there. During his campaign, Trump, 70, appalled Mexicans and many Americans by calling Mexicans who crossed the border illegally into the US, drug dealers and criminals. Hispanics or Latinos are the largest US minority; most US Hispanics are of Mexican descent or immigrants from Mexico. Malaysia's prime minister Najib Razak posted on Facebook that he had been briefed about the release of two Malaysian UN World Food Programme staff The UN's World Food Programme said two Malaysian employees were permitted to leave North Korea Thursday, as Kuala Lumpur negotiates for nine more citizens trapped by a diplomatic row over the murder of Kim Jong-Nam. North Korean barred Malaysians from leaving Tuesday, prompting a tit-for-tat response from Kuala Lumpur as diplomatic tensions soared over the investigation into Kim's murder with the banned VX nerve agent at Malaysia's main airport last month. "The staff members are international civil servants and not representatives of their national government," the UN agency said in a statement, adding that the pair, who worked on WFP food programmes in North Korea, had now arrived in Beijing. Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak said Kuala Lumpur would negotiate to ensure that the remaining nine nationals -- three embassy staff and six family members -- who he said were safe but trapped in Pyongyang, would be allowed to leave. Kim Jong-Nam assassination: diplomatic fallout "The government will do everything possible to ensure that our citizens continue to be safe and will be able to return to Malaysia," he said in a statement. But Malaysia will not allow North Koreans to leave the country and "will not relent from our firm approach," Najib added. The government has urged all mosques to hold special prayer sessions from Friday "until this political turmoil is over". - Diplomatic dispute - Seoul has blamed Pyongyang for Kim's assassination and Malaysian police are seeking seven North Korean suspects in their probe -- four of whom left Malaysia on the day of the murder. The police chief has said he believes the other three are hiding in North Korea's embassy in Kuala Lumpur. Last week, police released the only North Korean they had arrested for lack of evidence. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (right) ordered the killing of his half-brother Kim Jong-Nam, according to South Korea Experts have suggested Pyongyang is using the travel ban as leverage to try to prevent the arrest of key suspects holed up in its embassy. An autopsy revealed that VX nerve agent, a substance so dangerous it is classed as a weapon of mass destruction by the UN, was used to kill Kim, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. Two women -- one Vietnamese and one Indonesian -- have been charged with the murder. Airport CCTV footage shows them approaching the 45-year-old and apparently smearing his face with a cloth. Police say he suffered a seizure and died less than 20 minutes later. The diplomatic dispute erupted last month when police rejected North Korean diplomats' demands to hand over Kim's body. North Korea has never confirmed the identity of the dead man, but has denounced the Malaysian investigation as an attempt to smear it, saying he most likely died of a heart attack. North Korean embassy counsellor Kim Yu Song pictured outside the embassy in Kuala Lumpur on March 9, 2017 North Korean ambassador Kang Chol slammed what he called a "pre-targeted investigation by the Malaysian police" on Monday, just before leaving the country after being expelled. Pyongyang retaliated by formally ordering out his counterpart -- who had already been recalled for consultations. Malaysia has also cancelled a rare visa-free travel deal with North Korea, with Malaysian football authorities banning the national team from playing an Asian Cup qualifying match in Pyongyang. Vanessa Rodel -- who is seeking shelter in Canada -- helped shelter fugitive whistleblower Edward Snowden in 2013 Refugees who sheltered fugitive whistleblower Edward Snowden in Hong Kong are formally seeking asylum from the Canadian government as their lawyers said Thursday their lives are in danger. The impoverished refugees living hand to mouth in the city took in the former National Security Agency contractor in 2013, helping him to evade authorities by hiding him in their cramped homes after he initiated one of the largest data leaks in US history. Their stories only emerged late last year and lawyers say they are now in the spotlight of Hong Kong and their home countries. The refugees say they have been specifically asked about their links to Snowden by Hong Kong authorities. Their lawyers and some city legislators say two Snowden hosts, from Sri Lanka, have been targeted by agents from their own country who have travelled to Hong Kong. Speaking to reporters Thursday, Canadian lawyer Marc-Andre Seguin said: "It is a matter of life and death." Seguin is one of a legal team for the refugees trying to raise awareness of their situation in Hong Kong, Canada and around the world. Edward Snowden was in 2013 responsible for one of the largest data leaks in US history The lawyers say they want Canada to consider taking them in because of their "exceptional circumstances", rather than trying to set any kind of precedent. Canada has a track record of accepting refugees. The asylum petition has been lodged with the Canadian government. "What we're asking is that he (the immigration minister) expedite the process and give priority given the exceptional circumstances," Seguin said. "What adds to the exceptional nature of the case is that there are three stateless children who are involved here and affected by that," he added. After leaving his initial Hong Kong hotel bolthole for fear of being discovered, Snowden went underground, fed and looked after by refugees for around two weeks. Hong Kong is not a signatory to the UN's refugee convention and does not grant asylum. Sri Lankan refugees Ajith Puspa (left) and Supun Thilina Kellapatha pose for a photo in Hong Kong, on February 23, 2017 However, it is bound by the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT) and considers claims for protection based on those grounds. It also considers claims based on risk of persecution. After government screening, claimants found to be at risk of persecution are referred to the UN's refugee agency, which can try to resettle them to a safe third country. But with fewer than one percent of cases successfully substantiated by city authorities, most refugees live in fear of deportation. Like Snowden's hosts, Hong Kong's 11,000 marginalised refugees spend years in limbo, hoping the government will eventually support their claims. Vanessa Rodel from the Philippines, who has a five-year-old daughter and is one of those seeking asylum in Canada, has said she has no regrets about taking Snowden in. "I am hopeful that we can get into Canada and start a new life (with) safety and freedom," she told AFP. A 2007 image of Robert Levinson The White House on Thursday expressed its "unwavering" commitment to locate and return ex-FBI agent Robert Levinson, who disappeared 10 years ago on Iran's Kish Island. "The Trump Administration remains unwavering in our commitment to locate Mr. Levinson and bring him home. We want him back, and we will spare no effort to achieve that goal," the White House said. The former agent and ex-CIA contractor went missing in March 2007. His whereabouts has been yet another point of friction between Tehran and Washington. Levinson was not part of the 2016 prisoner release deal that saw Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian and four others released by Tehran. President Barack Obama's White House had suggested that Levinson may no longer be in Iran. The Trump White House has taken a more hardline stance against Tehran and on Thursday called for information and plugged a five million dollar reward for his "location and safe return." "The Levinson family has suffered far too much during the last decade due to the absence of Mr. Levinson, a loving father, brother, husband, grandfather, and friend to many." "Each and every day, but especially today, our hearts are with the Levinson family. We will not rest until this case is resolved." Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their meeting in Moscow, on March 9, 2017 Russian President Vladimir Putin urged Israel Thursday to focus on today's "different world" after Premier Benjamin Netanyahu evoked age-old tensions with Iran, ahead of a holiday marking an ancient victory. In a meeting with Putin in Moscow, Netanyahu said Persia had made "an attempt to destroy the Jewish people that did not succeed" some 2,500 years ago, an event commemorated through the Jewish holiday of Purim, which Israel will celebrate Sunday and Monday. "Today there is an attempt by Persia's heir, Iran, to destroy the state of the Jews," Netanyahu said. "They say this as clearly as possible and inscribe it on their ballistic missiles." Adopting a more conciliatory tone, Putin said that the events described by Netanyahu had taken place "in the fifth century B.C." "We now live in a different world. Let us talk about that now," Putin said. Putin's comment came after Netanyahu stressed that while Israel was capable of defending itself, the country -- and the whole world -- remained threatened by radical Shiite Islam. "The threat of radical Shiite Islam threatens us no less than it does the region and the peace of the world, and I know that we are partners in the desire to prevent any kind of victory by radical Islam of any sort," Netanyahu said. - 'Wiped off the map' - Ever since the Islamic revolution of 1979, Iran has been implacable in its opposition to Israel and has provided extensive support to some Palestinian militant groups. Hardliner Mahmud Ahmadinejad, who served as president from 2005 to 2013, famously called for Israel to be "wiped off the map", a comment that sparked an international outcry. Iranian officials have said the call refers to the state not the people, and underline that the Islamic republic has its own Jewish community. Russia and Iran are allies and both back the Syrian regime in a conflict that has killed 310,000 people since it erupted in March 2011 with protests against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad. Israel has expressed concern over whether the civil war will result in Iran increasing its power in nearby Syria. Netanyahu's office quoted him in a statement as saying after the meeting that he had spelled out to Putin his view of a post-war Syria. "I made it clear regarding Syria that Israel has no objection to a new arrangement in Syria but we strongly object to the possibility that in such an arrangement Iran and its proxies will remain with a military presence in Syria," he said. "I think that this was made clear in the best possible way," he added in the statement. "In my experience with President Putin these things are not only important in order to prevent misunderstanding but ultimately they also have an effect on the ground." The incoming head of America's Environmental Protection Agency, climate skeptic Scott Pruitt, said Thursday he believes that carbon dioxide is not a primary contributor to global warming. A known fossil-fuel ally, Pruitt's appointment to head the EPA - a department he repeatedly sued as a state attorney general - was deeply contentious. 'I think that measuring with precision human activity on the climate is something very challenging to do and there's tremendous disagreement about the degree of impact, so no, I would not agree that it's a primary contributor to the global warming that we see,' Pruitt told CNBC's Squawk Box Thursday. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO At odds: New EPA boss Scott Pruitt's stance is at odds with the international scientific consensus that underpins the landmark Paris Agreement Emissions: Scott Pruitt said that carbon dioxide emissions were not 'a primary contributor' to global warming. His words suggest he believes it climate change is not man made This past January was the third warmest on record, a new analysis of global temperatures has revealed. The data show January was .92 degrees Celsius warmer than the average January temperature from 1951-1980 'We need to continue the debate and continue the review and the analysis,' he added. Pruitt's stance is at odds with the international scientific consensus that underpins the landmark Paris Agreement, which saw more than 190 world leaders agree to lower emissions that lead to global warming. President Donald Trump's team is reportedly divided over whether the United States should withdraw from the Paris climate accord, negotiated under Barack Obama. Pruitt - whose agency is tasked with implementing US commitments to lower emissions - described the Paris accord as a 'bad deal.' 'I happen to think the Paris accord, the Paris treaty, or the Paris Agreement, if you will, should have been treated as a treaty, should have gone through Senate confirmation. That's a concern,' he told CNBC's Joe Kernen. As attorney general for the state of Oklahoma, the 48-year-old Republican filed or joined in more than a dozen law suits to block key EPA rules, siding with industry executives and activists seeking to roll back various regulations on pollution, clean air and clean water. His position jars with the positions of both NASA and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, which jointly concluded in January that global warming was driven largely by increased carbon dioxide and other man-made emissions. NASA and NOAA reported in January that Earth's 2016 temperatures were the warmest ever recorded. The planet's average surface temperature has risen about 2 degrees Fahrenheit since the late 19th century, 'a change driven largely by increased carbon dioxide and other human-made emissions into the atmosphere,' the agencies said in a joint statement. The EPA says on its website that 'carbon dioxide is the primary greenhouse gas that is contributing to recent climate change.' The agency notes that human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels, 'release large amounts of CO2, causing concentrations in the atmosphere to rise.' Ben Santer, climate researcher at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, said in a statement: 'We cant afford to reject this clear and compelling scientific evidence when we make public policy. Embracing ignorance is not an option.' Kerry Emanuel, professor of atmospheric science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said Thursday that 'Scott Pruitt is just plain wrong on this.' Emanuel, co-director of the Lorenz Center at MIT, said the most authoritative compilation of scientific research has shown that increasing carbon dioxide has been the dominant source of global warming, followed by methane and other gases. Environmental groups and Democrats seized on Pruitt's comments as evidence he is unfit for the office he holds. Skeptic: Scott Pruitt told CNBC's Joe Kernen that the Senate should have been given a vote on the Paris accord. RISING GLOBAL TEMPERATURES Year Temperature increase (C relative to average temperature 1961-1990) 2016 0.77 2015 0.76 2014 0.58 2013 0.51 2012 0.47 2011 0.42 2010 0.56 2009 0.51 2008 0.39 2007 0.49 2006 0.51 2005 0.54 2004 0.45 2003 0.51 2002 0.5 2001 0.44 2000 0.29 'The arsonist is now in charge of the fire department, and he seems happy to let the climate crisis burn out of control,' said Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune. Pruitt 'is spewing corporate polluter talking points rather than fulfilling the EPA's mission of protecting our air, our water and our communities,' Brune said, noting that EPA has a legal responsibility to address carbon pollution. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said the comments underscore that Pruitt is a 'climate denier' and insisted lawmakers will stand up to him. 'Anyone who denies over a century's worth of established science and basic facts is unqualified to be the administrator of the EPA,' Schatz said in a statement. Pruitt previously served as Oklahoma attorney general, where he rose to prominence as a leader in coordinated efforts by Republican attorneys general to challenge former President Barack Obama's regulatory agenda. He sued or took part in legal actions against the EPA 14 times. Pruitt said during his confirmation hearing in January that climate change is real - breaking with President Donald Trump and his own past statements. Pruitt told Democratic senators that he disagreed with Trump's earlier claims that global warming is a hoax created by the Chinese to harm the economic competitiveness of the United States. 'I do not believe climate change is a hoax,' Pruitt said. The Republican has previously cast doubt on the extensive body of scientific evidence showing that the planet is warming and man-made carbon emissions are to blame. In a 2016 opinion article, Pruitt suggested that the debate over global warming 'is far from settled' and he said 'scientists continue to disagree about the degree and extent of global warming and its connection to the actions of mankind.' This screen grab taken from North Korean broadcaster KCTV on March 7, 2017 shows ballistic missiles being launced during a military drill from an undisclosed location in North Korea The United States is scrambling to develop a new strategy to counter North Korea's aggressive nuclear weapon and missile programs, but tougher sanctions could provoke a diplomatic clash with China. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will visit Washington's frontline allies South Korea and Japan next week before heading on to great power rival China to discuss the mounting crisis. Kim Jong-Un's regime is testing a new ballistic missile that could threaten US bases and cities in the Pacific rim, and rocket salvo tactics that could overwhelm missile defense systems. Most observers see China as the only power with the leverage to get its isolated neighbor to stand down, and existing United Nations-backed sanctions have had little effect so far. The crisis is the first major security challenge of Donald Trump's presidency, and the Pentagon has already provoked China's ire by deploying the THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea. Now, other options are being considered, and the hawkish wing of the Washington foreign policy community is pushing for measures that would hurt Chinese banks that work with Pyongyang. State Department spokesman Mark Toner would not be drawn on the details of any plan Tillerson might take to Asia, but officials confirmed that an urgent policy review is underway. Toner said the North Korean threat would be "front and center" in the planned talks next week between Tillerson and his Chinese, South Korean and Japanese counterparts. The senior diplomats would, he said, "talk through what our options are and new ways to look at resolving the situation." But the signals coming out of China are not encouraging for those in Washington who cling to the hope that Beijing may be ready to rein in its small but belligerent neighbor. Map showing North Korea and the Sea of Japan where four ballistic missiles were fired by Pyongyang and Osan airbase where US has started deploying the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi implied that the United States and North Korea were equally at fault for provoking the latest crisis and headed towards a "head-on collision." Wang urged the US military to halt planned exercises with South Korea, in exchange for Pyongyang halting its nuclear and missile programs -- an idea Washington promptly dismissed. "The onus is on North Korea to take meaningful actions toward denuclearization and refrain from provocations," Toner said. China has in the past supported measures against North Korea's nuclear program, but six sets of UN sanctions since Pyongyang's first test in 2006 have failed to slow it. - Nuclear strike - North Korea is now building and testing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with a solid fuel motor that could be carried by a small, easily-hidden road convoy. This would be harder for existing US and South Korean forces to detect and counter, and could put American mainland cities as well as US bases in Japan in range of a nuclear strike. But, North Korea watchers in Washington argue, this is not such a worry to China, which opposed the North Korean nuclear program itself but does not see the new missile as such an issue. US UN Ambassador Nikki Haley (C) speaks to the media next to Japan Ambassador Koro Bessho, (L) and Republic of Korea Ambassador Cho Tae-yul after UN Security Council consultations on North Korea's recent missile launches March 8, 2017 "The Chinese are not serious about this threat," said former US official Anthony Ruggiero, a veteran of the State Department and US Treasury's sanctions and counter-proliferation teams. For Ruggiero, a fellow at the hawkish Foundation for Defense of Democracies, the key to getting Beijing to take notice is to fine the banks that give North Korea access to international finance. According to a recent report by a panel of UN experts, Pyongyang has become increasingly sophisticated at dodging sanctions via a web of front companies with accounts in Chinese banks. These banks have US offices and do business with US banks, allowing North Korean-controlled firms in secretive jurisdictions such as Hong Kong or the British Virgin Islands to move funds. North Korea is now building and testing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with a solid fuel motor that could be carried by a small, easily-hidden road convoy "They're doing business in Chinese currency, in euros and US dollars," he said. North Korea's money is hard to track but, Ruggiero argues, the Chinese banks could be targeted by US prosecutors and fined, just as were European banks under the former Iran sanctions regime. "You go after one Chinese bank and that will trickle down. The Chinese government may not be ready to help us, but the Chinese banks might unilaterally," he told reporters. - Aggressive move - He cited the example of ZTE, a Chinese telecom giant that on Tuesday agreed to pay a $1.2 billion fine to settle a US charge that it traded illegally with Iran and North Korea. Tillerson, he said, should go to Beijing next week and say: "Did you see the ZTE fine? That's coming for your banks." This would be an aggressive move and other experts recommend proceeding cautiously for fear that China will become even more stubborn, but America and its allies do need new options. The Quinnipiac poll said US voters were split over Trump's response to threats and acts of vandalism at Jewish cemeteries, such as this one seen in New York March 5, 2017, with 37 percent who approve and 38 percent who disapprove Nearly two-thirds of US voters say hatred and prejudice in the United States have risen since Donald Trump was elected president, an opinion poll revealed Thursday. Sixty-three percent of subjects polled by Quinnipiac University said hatred and prejudice have increased since Trump's November 2016 election, while 32 percent said the levels have not changed. Just two percent said they have decreased. The survey found that 77 percent of voters characterized prejudice against minority groups in America as a "very serious" or "somewhat serious" problem. Seventy percent of voters said anti-Semitism was a "very serious" or "somewhat serious" problem, up from 49 percent in February, the poll found. The Quinnipiac poll said US voters were split over Trump's response to threats and acts of vandalism at Jewish cemeteries, with 37 percent who approve and 38 percent who disapprove. Trump remained silent for several days on an attack damaging more than 100 headstones at a Jewish cemetery in Missouri, before decrying anti-Semitic threats as "horrible" and "painful." The Anti-Defamation League, a national civil rights group dedicated to the fight against anti-Semitism, has recorded 140 bomb threats against Jewish institutions across the country since January 1. To date, one man has been arrested in connection with eight of those threats, the organization said earlier this week. Critics voiced concern about Trump's embrace by white supremacist groups and an "alt-right" movement given a platform on Breitbart, the online news outlet once headed by his chief White House strategist Steve Bannon. "Americans are concerned that the dark forces of prejudice and anti-Semitism are rearing their ugly heads," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. The survey polled 1,323 voters nationwide from March 2-6 and carried a margin of error of 2.7 percent. A known fossil-fuel ally, the appointment of Scott Pruitt, seen in January 2017, to head the Environmental Protection Agency -- a department he repeatedly sued as an Oklahoma state attorney general -- was deeply contentious The incoming head of the US Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday that carbon dioxide is not the main driver of global warming, a position starkly at odds with the scientific consensus on climate change. A known ally of the fossil fuel industry, Scott Pruitt's appointment to head the EPA -- a department he repeatedly sued as a state attorney general -- was deeply contentious. "I think that measuring with precision human activity on the climate is something very challenging to do and there's tremendous disagreement about the degree of impact, so no, I would not agree that it's a primary contributor to the global warming that we see," Pruitt told CNBC. "We need to continue the debate and continue the review and the analysis," he added. Pruitt's stance runs counter to the scientific consensus that underpins last year's landmark Paris Agreement, which saw more than 190 world leaders agree to lower emissions that lead to global warming. It also clashes with the positions of agencies like NASA and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which have concluded that global warming is driven largely by increased carbon dioxide and other manmade emissions. Some 97 percent of scientists worldwide agree that human activity -- primarily the burning of fossils fuels like oil, gas and coal -- has largely contributed to the sharp rise in the planet's temperature in recent decades. The past three years in a row have broken modern records for global heat, a trend scientists say is due to global warming in combination with a strong El Nino weather pattern. - Scientists strike back - Scientists quickly lashed out at Pruitt for his comments, describing his stance as dangerous and flat-out wrong, and calling on him to resign. "Pruitt has demonstrated that he is unqualified to run the EPA or any agency," said Kevin Trenberth, Distinguished Senior Scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. "There is no doubt whatsoever that the planet is warming and it is primarily due to increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from burning of fossil fuels." Protester Karl Aldinger displays a sign during a rally against climate change in San Diego, California on February 21, 2017 The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has found that increased carbon dioxide has been the dominant source of global warming, said Kerry Emanuel, professor of atmospheric science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). This is followed by methane, halogenated gases, and nitrous oxide, "all of whose concentrations have increased primarily from human activity," Emanuel said. John Abraham, a professor in the school of engineering at the University of St. Thomas, said "scientists have known since the mid-1800s that carbon dioxide was a major greenhouse gas. "This means Mr. Pruitt's knowledge is close to 200 years out of date." Eric Holthaus, a meteorologist who regularly writes about climate change, wrote on Twitter that Pruitt "should step down" because his position "directly endangers our safety." Carbon dioxide arises from natural causes, like exhaling and decomposition. But it also comes from the burning of fuels and deforestation. A greenhouse gas that traps heat around the Earth, CO2 has spiked in the atmosphere since pre-industrial times, and more than half of that increase has occurred since 1980. "Our burning of coal, oil and gas is the dominant cause of the 45 percent increase in CO2 since the industrial revolution," said Richard Somerville, research professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. "The biggest unknown about future climate is human behavior. Everything depends on what people and their governments do," he added. - Paris accord - President Donald Trump's team is reportedly divided over whether the United States should withdraw from the Paris climate accord, negotiated under Barack Obama. Trump's secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, indicated during his confirmation hearing that it would be worthwhile to stay at the table when it comes to enforcing the deal. "I happen to think the Paris accord, the Paris treaty, or the Paris Agreement, if you will, should have been treated as a treaty, should have gone through Senate confirmation. That's a concern," EPA head Scott Pruit, seen in February 2017, said In the CNBC interview, Pruitt -- whose agency is tasked with implementing US commitments to lower emissions -- described the Paris accord as a "bad deal." "I happen to think the Paris accord, the Paris treaty, or the Paris agreement, if you will, should have been treated as a treaty, should have gone through Senate confirmation. That's a concern," he said. As attorney general for the state of Oklahoma, the 48-year-old Republican filed or joined in more than a dozen law suits to block key EPA rules, siding with industry executives and activists seeking to roll back various regulations on pollution, clean air and clean water. During his confirmation hearings in January, Pruitt said he did not believe climate change was a "hoax," as Trump has previously alleged, but said "the ability to measure with precision the degree of human activity's impact on the climate is subject to more debate." Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari to return from two month "routine medical check-ups" in London Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari will return home on Friday after nearly two months in Britain on medical leave, his office said in a statement. The 74-year-old has been in London since January 19, officially on vacation and to have what the presidency said was "routine medical check-ups". But aides have had to counter persistent rumours online that he was seriously ill or even dead, despite the publication of a series of photographs showing him meeting senior Nigerian politicians. Buhari had previously travelled to the British capital in June last year to receive treatment for what was described as a persistent inner ear infection. The nature of his latest treatment was not disclosed. His planned return was announced in a statement Thursday. Earlier in the day the presidency tweeted two photographs of the former military ruler with the most senior cleric of the world Anglican congregation, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. Buhari, dressed in a brown Muslim robe and skullcap, looked painfully thin as he was seen shaking hands with Welby, a former oil executive who worked in Nigeria before he was ordained. Welby's office at Lambeth Palace told AFP it was a private meeting that lasted about 30 minutes, without elaborating. It is understood Buhari will fly into Kaduna, 190 kilometres (120 miles) north of Abuja, as the capital's airport is closed for at least six weeks for runway repairs. A pro-government activist waves a national flag showing a portrait of South Korea's President Park Geun-Hye during a rally opposing impeachment of the President near the Constitutional Court in Seoul on March 9, 2017 South Korea's highest court was deciding Friday whether to uphold or overturn the impeachment of President Park Geun-Hye over wide-ranging corruption allegations, as months of political turmoil reached a climax. Park, the daughter of a late army-backed dictator, became South Korea's first female president when she was elected in 2012, securing the highest vote share of any candidate in the democratic era. But her aloof style and a series of controversies, coupled with mounting economic and social frustrations, saw her ratings plunge and millions take to the streets to demand her removal. She was impeached by parliament in December on charges including bribery and abuse of power, and the Constitutional Court was to issue its decision on whether to confirm the move on Friday. A heavy police presence was deployed in the streets around the building, where thousands of supporters and opponents gathered amid rising tensions. Loudspeakers at an anti-impeachment demonstration blared out military songs and protestors chanted slogans, many waving South Korean and US flags. "I am ready to shed my blood on the road to protect free democracy," said Bae Soo-Rok, 58, a retired soldier wearing a South Korean marine uniform. "President Park is being sacrificed at something like a kangaroo court." Anti-Park demonstrators watching a giant screen set up on the street chanted, "Park Geun-Hye's impeachment will be a victory for all!" Millions take to the streets in mass rallies to demand the removal of President Park Geun-Hye Parties on both sides of the political spectrum vowed to respect the decision. Chief justice Lee Jung-Mi started reading the verdict shortly after 11am (0200 GMT) and was expected to take around an hour. Under South Korean law six votes, a two-thirds majority of the full bench, on any one of five issues are needed to uphold Park's removal, even though only eight justices were sitting. "The dice of destiny have now been cast," South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted a presidential aide as saying earlier. "We will calmly wait and see what the result will be." - 'Wise decision' - The president has repeatedly apologised for the impact of the scandal, but rejected all allegations of wrongdoing when she submitted a written statement to the court's last hearing in February. "I've never sought private gains or abused power as president... I plead with the court to make a wise decision," she said. Parliamentary lawyer Kwon Sung-Dong urged the court to confirm her impeachment and protect South Korea from "enemies of democracy". "We ask the court to declare victory for the people by firing the accused," he said at the same hearing. Ahead of the decision, an overwhelming majority of South Koreans -- around 77 percent -- support Park's removal in opinion polls. Parliamentary lawyer Park Bum-Gye told reporters Thursday the court was "apparently leaning towards verifying" the impeachment. But presidential attorney Lee Chung-Hwan said the justices should overturn the impeachment for lack of evidence. "The court must not approve the impeachment based on suspicions rather than proof," he said. Park has been holed up in the Blue House with her power suspended since she was impeached, leaving the complex only once, to pay tribute at her parents' graves. If her removal is approved, she would be forced out of the palace and deprived of her executive immunity, exposing her to potential criminal charges. Her confidante Choi Soon-Sil, the woman at the centre of the scandal, is already on trial. But if the court does not uphold Park's impeachment she would immediately return to office to see out her five-year term, which ends next February. Depending on the verdict, South Korea will hold its next presidential election in either May or December. The current front-runner, by a distance, is Moon Jae-In, former leader of the opposition Democratic Party, who had the support of 36.1 percent in a Realmeter poll released on Thursday. US President Donald Trump "believes that the systems at the CIA are outdated and need to be updated," White House press secretary Sean Spicer said President Donald Trump's administration levelled fresh criticism at the CIA Thursday after WikiLeaks published a trove of documents describing the US spy agency's cyber espionage operations. Hours after WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange accused the Central Intelligence Agency of "devastating incompetence" for failing to protect its hacking secrets, Trump's spokesman echoed that, branding its systems "outdated." Trump has "grave concern... about the release of national security and classified information that threatens and undermines our nation's security," White House press secretary Sean Spicer said. "He believes that the systems at the CIA are outdated and need to be updated." The White House terminology was milder than earlier this year when the president blasted US intelligence agencies over media leaks, and accused them of playing politics with their findings on Russian interference in last year's election. But it added new pressure on the CIA and its incoming chief, Mike Pompeo, as US intelligence agencies continue to suffer losses of top secret materials -- most famously with Edward Snowden's 2013 exposure of NSA spying. - Assange: CIA was 'careless' - On Tuesday, WikiLeaks published nearly 9,000 documents it said were only part of a huge trove leaked from the CIA. WikiLeaks said the leaked archive represented the CIA's entire arsenal of cyber-attack plans, guides and malware programs -- though it held back the programs themselves from release. "This extraordinary collection, which amounts to more than several hundred million lines of code, gives its possessor the entire hacking capacity of the CIA," it said. On Thursday Assange gave a press conference on the leak, which again put the crusading anti-secrets group in the midst of US politics. Speaking via streaming video from Ecuador's embassy in London, where he has been living as a fugitive from justice since 2012, he waved off criticism of WikiLeaks while blasting the CIA for its poor controls. "This is a historic act of devastating incompetence, to have created such an arsenal and then stored it all in one place," Assange said. Speaking via streaming video from Ecuador's embassy in London, where he has been living as a fugitive from justice since 2012, Julian Assange, seen in 2016, waved off criticism of WikiLeaks while blasting the CIA for its poor controls "It is impossible to keep effective control of cyber weapons... If you build them, eventually you will lose them." The documents show that, using a tool chest of malware like viruses and trojans, CIA hackers can turn a TV into a listening device, bypass popular encryption apps, and possibly control people's cars. Assange called the CIA "careless" for losing control of its cyber weaponry, which WikiLeaks suggested had reached it via private contractors that the US agency hires to develop hacking tools. He said it might already have circulated into the hands of criminals and US enemies. "It's quite possible numerous people already might have it," Assange said. He claimed that WikiLeaks possesses "a lot more information" about the CIA's hacking, but would refrain from publishing it until it can speak to tech manufacturers affected. Much of the agency's cyber operations focused on exploiting vulnerabilities in popular networking equipment, consumer electronics, and software, including Apple's iPhones and smartphones running the Android operating system. "We have decided to work with them to give them some exclusive access to the additional technical details we have so fixes can be developed and then pushed out," Assange said. "Once this material is effectively disarmed by us we will publish additional details about what has been occurring." - CIA questions Assange 'integrity' - The CIA defended itself while criticizing the WikiLeaks founder. "As we've said previously, Julian Assange is not exactly a bastion of truth and integrity," said spokeswoman Heather Fritz Horniak. "Despite the efforts of Assange and his ilk, CIA continues to aggressively collect foreign intelligence overseas to protect America from terrorists, hostile nation states and other adversaries." US Vice President Mike Pence (R) swears in Mike Pompeo as CIA director as his wife Susan looks on in the Vice President's Ceremonial Office at the Eisonhower Executive Office Building on January 23, 2017 in Washington, DC She reiterated that cyber operations are an integral part of the CIA's job, rebuffing Assange's suggestion that the agency had quietly gone into competition with the main US signals intelligence body, the National Security Agency. Hacking is a normal part of its mission "to be innovative, cutting-edge, and the first line of defense in protecting this country from enemies abroad," Horniak said. Iran test-fires the Hormuz-2 missile which succeded in destroying its target 250 kilometres in the Gulf of Oman Iran has successfully test-fired a naval missile which hit its target 250 kilometres away, local news agencies reported Thursday. "We have this week tested the Hormuz-2 missile," the Fars and Tasnim agencies quoted the commander of the air wing of the elite Revolutionary Guards, General Amir-Ali Hadjizadeh, as saying "The missile succeeded in destroying its target 250 kilometres (155 miles) away," in the Gulf of Oman, Hadjizadeh added. According to the local news agencies the new Hormuz-2 missile has a maximum range of 300 kilometres. The missile test was carried out at a time of heightened tension between Iran and the United States. On Wednesday a senior Revolutionary Guards official accused the United States of provoking tensions after two separate incidents in the Gulf last week. "A US Navy ship crossing the Strait of Hormuz changed its international route and approached to within 550 metres of Revolutionary Guards' boats in an unprofessional way," Mehdi Hashemi told the Guard's website Sepahnews. He said actions by the United States and the United Kingdom in recent days showed they have "harmful, illegitimate and provocative objectives". The Pentagon on Monday blasted the "unprofessional" behaviour of the Iranian navy. The spike in tensions follows the inauguration of Donald Trump as US president. Washington imposed fresh sanctions on Iran following a missile test in late January. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks at the Diet in Tokyo on February 24, 2017 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit Brussels this month, European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker said Thursday, as the EU aims to close a free trade deal with Tokyo this year. Abe will meet with Juncker and freshly re-elected EU President Donald Tusk on March 21 in the latest get-together between the leaders of the two big trading partners. The European Union will "do all it can to be able to close" the trade deal, Juncker told reporters in Brussels. The bloc hopes this year to crown years of talks with an agreement. But according to a source close to the negotiations, some potential delays still lie ahead. The Japanese have submitted to their parliament a dairy sector reform that won't be adopted before summer. Thus they are reluctant to make concessions in that area, which is key for the EU to close the deal, the source added. The timeline regarding the dairy legislation and uncertainties over Japan's relations with the United States under new President Donald Trump "interfere slightly with the negotiations", another source said. Juncker, speaking to the French LE Figaro daily, stressed that "a return to isolationism and protectionism is not an option" for Europe. WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times EST): 7 p.m. A White House official says former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. is President Donald Trump's choice to be the next U.S. ambassador to Russia. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md. listens as right as Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt. speaks to members of the media outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, March 8, 2017, following their meeting with President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) Huntsman will be nominated for the diplomatic post as senior members of Trump's administration face questions about their contacts with the Russian government. The White House official spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a formal announcement. Huntsman served as the ambassador to China during the Obama administration and speaks Mandarin. He had been considering a Senate run in 2018, a decision that would depend on whether Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, runs again. Huntsman in October called on Trump to drop out of the presidential race after the release of a recording on which Trump bragged about groping women. - By Vivian Salama __ 6:25 p.m. If it's St. Patrick's Day, it means Ireland's prime minister will be at the White House. White House spokesman Sean Spicer says Taoiseach (TEE'-shuk) Enda Kenny will make the traditional St. Patrick's Day visit with President Donald Trump this year on March 16. That's one day before the official holiday, though it's not unusual for the meeting to fall on a day other than March 17. House Speaker Paul Ryan announced earlier this week that Kenny and Trump are expected to attend the annual "Friends of Ireland" luncheon on Capitol Hill, also March 16. Trump earlier this month proclaimed March as Irish-American Heritage Month. ___ 4:25 p.m. Two House Democrats say President Donald Trump was "enthusiastic" about their proposal to address the high cost of prescription drugs. Congressmen Elijah Cummings of Maryland and Peter Welch of Vermont met with Trump at the White House to discuss their plan to allow the federal government to negotiate drug prices. Cummings says the president was enthusiastic and made clear to them that he wants to do something about it. The Maryland lawmaker says he also urged Trump to consider voter suppression in any voter fraud investigation. Cummings also told Trump that most black neighborhoods are not places of depression - in response to how the president referred to inner cities as "ghettos" during his campaign. Cummings says, "I think he got it." __ 4:20 p.m. The White House is struggling to answer whether it believes President Donald Trump is the target of a counterintelligence investigation. When first asked whether Trump is the subject of such a probe, press secretary Sean Spicer said the White House needed to find that out. He said that's why Trump has asked Congress to include that issue in its investigation into Russian involvement in the 2016 campaign. Minutes later, an aide handed Spicer a note, prompting him to revise his response. Spicer then said the White House has no reason to believe Trump is the target of "any investigation, whatsoever." Over the weekend, Trump alleged on Twitter that then-President Barack Obama had Trump's telephones tapped during last year's presidential election. Trump cited no evidence. An Obama spokesman denies the allegation. HONOLULU (AP) - The latest on Hawaii's lawsuit against President Donald Trump's revised travel plan. (All times local.) 1:55 p.m. A federal judge in Honolulu has said Hawaii can proceed with the filing of what would be the first lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's revised travel ban. U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson on Wednesday granted the state's request to continue with the case and set a hearing for March 15 - the day before Trump's revised ban is due to go into effect. Hawaii officials previously sued to stop Trump's initial travel ban but that suit was placed on hold by Watson amid legal challenges around the country. On Tuesday night, attorneys for the state filed their proposed revision in federal court along with a motion asking that it be allowed to proceed. Watson approved that motion and said the state will file the final lawsuit later Wednesday. The Hawaii attorney general's office did not provide further details on when the lawsuit would be filed. ___ This story has been corrected to show the lawsuit has not yet been filed. Mother Divine, the widow of Father Divine who headed the religion he founded for decades, has died at the age of 92. Sweet Angel Divine, her legal name, passed awat Saturday at Woodmont, the movement's Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, headquarters, the Emil J. Ciavarelli Family Funeral Homes said in an obituary on its website. Her husband, who died in 1965, claimed to God, advocated racial equality and provided free food to thousands of people. Mother Divine has died and was believed to be 92 years old. She is seen above in a photo taken in 1988 Mother Divine is seen next to her husband, Father Divine. Sweet Angel Divine, Mother Divine's legal name, died Saturday at Woodmont, the movement's Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, headquarters The movement doesn't publicize birthdates, but Mother Divine was believed to have been 92 years old, The Philadelphia Inquirer said. An archivist for Father Divine's library and museum, Christopher Stewart, told the newspaper her death was related to old age. Mother Divine was born Edna Rose Ritchings. According to a Time magazine account, she moved from Canada in early 1946 and went to Philadelphia to meet the Rev. Major Jealous Divine at the International Peace Mission Movement, which he founded in New York during the Great Depression to promote racial equality, celibacy and devotion to the Kingdom of Heaven. The two married that year and maintained that they never consummated their marriage, in keeping with Father Divine's devotion to celibacy. Father Divine urged believers not to drink, smoke, swear, gamble or borrow money and to pool their resources and practice communal living. Born Edna Rose Ritchings, she moved from Canada in early 1946 and went to Philadelphia to meet the Rev. Major Jealous Divine, marrying that year He also barred them from marriage and rejected racial identity, urging people to think of themselves simply as Americans. Critics said those teachings were overshadowed by Father Divine's claim to be God, a declaration Mother Divine insisted was made modestly. The church's key activity was operating dining halls that provided free food to people. Later the mission began charging for the meals, but only a few cents. After Father Divine's death in 1965, Mother Divine led the movement for decades. She sold off many of the landmark properties Father Divine amassed with donations from the faithful in the 1930s, '40s and '50s, including the Divine Lorraine Hotel and Unity Mission Church in Philadelphia. Mother Divine and Father Divine maintained that they never consummated their marriage, in keeping with Father Divine's devotion to celibacy Mother Divine looks down from a stairwell while standing near a portrait of herself and her late husband Father Divine at her home at Woodmont in 2003 For a 2003 interview, Mother Divine left Father Divine's big chair empty at their stunning hilltop estate in Gladwyne, pulling a chair alongside it and telling a reporter with a smile, 'Father is here with us.' At the time, believers, most in their 70s and 80s, still gathered regularly to sing religious and patriotic songs and listen to recordings of Father Divine's sermons. 'Basically we have not changed,' she said. 'We just don't have the people we once had.' Musing on the demise of all eight of the mission's cafeterias, she said, 'Maybe feeding three generations of people is enough.' Father Divine urged believers not to drink, smoke, swear, gamble or borrow money and to pool their resources and practice communal living ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - A Minneapolis man is sentenced to a year in prison for threatening to blow up a mosque. Fifty-seven-year-old Daniel George Fisher was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court. He pleaded guilty last year to one count of obstructing people from freely exercising religious beliefs. Court documents show that in September 2015 Fisher wrote and mailed an anonymous letter threatening to blow up the Tawfiq Islamic Center in Minneapolis "with all you immigrants in it." Authorities say Fisher later admitted he wrote the letter to intimidate Muslims. Prosecutors say the sentence sends a message that anyone who threatens violence because of religious intolerance will face consequences. Fisher's attorney asked for a lesser sentence, saying his client was homeless, struggling emotionally and wouldn't have acted on the threat. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - California authorities urged prosecutors to charge 106 people over violence that erupted during a rally by self-described white nationalists outside the state Capitol building last year, officials said Wednesday. The California Highway Patrol turned over its eight-month investigation to the Sacramento County district attorney's office, which was reviewing the 2,000-page report and hours of video, spokeswoman Shelly Orio said. She could not say how long the review would take. The fighting broke out in June when about 30 members of the Traditionalist Worker Party were confronted by more than 300 counter-protesters. Fourteen people suffered stab wounds, cuts and bruises. Two of the injured survived critical stab wounds. FILE - In this June 26, 2016, file photo, paramedics rush a stabbing victim to an ambulance after violence erupted during a white nationalist group's rally outside the state Capitol in Sacramento, Calif. The California Highway Patrol said, Wednesday, March, 8, 2017, that after an eight-month long investigation, it is seeking 68 felony charges and more than 500 misdemeanors against 106 individuals involved in the incident where more than a dozen of people suffered stab wounds, cuts and bruises. (AP Photo/Steven Styles, File) The CHP is seeking 68 felony charges and 514 misdemeanors against 106 individuals for activities ranging from unlawful assembly to assault with a deadly weapon. Sacramento police recovered a loaded 9 mm handgun on the Capitol grounds near the clash. Videos posted on social media showed officers on horseback dispersing protesters, some with their faces covered, while some threw stones at a man holding a stick as he was shielded by police officers wearing riot gear. Officials said their investigation was made more difficult because many counter-demonstrators wore masks, forcing them to review surveillance and social media videos to identify the attackers. "Many of those deliberately disguised their identity and were difficult to locate. Many refused to cooperate with investigators," CHP spokeswoman Fran Clader said. The Traditionalist Workers Party had a permit for the rally, and more than 100 officers were present because of the expected counter-protest. Several observers who were not involved criticized officers for being too slow to intervene. The counter-protesters did not have a permit and were there to prevent the rally, the CHP said. "Our role is to protect free speech, but not when that speech involves violence," CHP Capt. Daniel Lamm, commander of Capitol Protection Section, said in a statement. The Traditionalist Workers Party formed in 2015 as the political wing of the Traditionalist Youth Network, the Southern Poverty Law Center said. "We are unapologetically nationalists, fighting to secure the existence of our people and a future for White children," the group says on its website. Requests for comment sent to the Traditionalist Worker Party and the Traditionalist Youth Network were not immediately returned to The Associated Press on Wednesday. Members of one group that helped organize the Sacramento counter-protest also were involved in a melee last month that prevented an appearance by political provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos at the University of California, Berkeley. Yvette Felarca, a spokeswoman for the group By Any Mean Necessary, did not immediately return a telephone message from The AP on Wednesday. About 100 demonstrators clad in black and many covering their faces destroyed property, lit fires and vandalized businesses at and around Berkeley on Feb. 1, and one person was arrested. Groups calling themselves "anti-fascist" organizations defended the mayhem in Berkeley as an appropriate response to what they view as hate speech. The Capitol fight came after three people were stabbed during a confrontation a year ago between Ku Klux Klan members and counter-protesters in Anaheim. ___ Associated Press writer Paul Elias contributed from San Francisco. LAS VEGAS (AP) - A former adult film actress testified she was beaten and raped by her ex-boyfriend, former mixed martial arts fighter War Machine, in the months before he allegedly tried to kill her and her friend in August 2014. The fighter, Jonathan Paul Koppenhaver, became visibly emotional as Christy Mack took the witness stand Wednesday during Koppenhaver's attempted murder trial in Las Vegas. The Associated Press usually doesn't identify alleged victims of sexual assault, but Mack gave AP permission to use her name. Her legal name is Christine Mackinday. FILE - In this June 3, 2015 file photo, Jonathan Paul Koppenhaver, also known as War Machine, appears in court in Las Vegas, Nev. Opening statements have begun in Las Vegas for the trial of the former mixed martial arts fighter named War Machine on charges that he tried to kill his ex-girlfriend and her male friend in August 2014. (AP Photo/John Locher, File) Koppenhaver has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony charges also including kidnapping, battery, sexual assault and coercion in the alleged attack on Mack and a man she dated, Corey Thomas. Koppenhaver is now 35. He could face life in prison without parole if he's convicted. is a Republican framework, having come directly from Massachusetts' RomneyCare (which was put together by... the Heritage Foundation, a very right-wing Republican think tank. A Democratic piece of legislation would be Medicare-For-All. Yesterday, Houston cancer specialist and brand new TX-07 congressional candidate, Jason Westin, led a deep dive into Republican health care "policy" for us. Even as we were posting it, the extremists inside the Republican House Conference-- the "Freedom Caucus-- was attacking the Ryan-Pence-Price TrumpCare proposal from a very different perspective. Justin Amash, one of the only serious members of that crackpot caucus, was on CNN Wednesday morning not just claiming that Ryan and McCarthy don't have the votes to pass their abomination but that it's not even a "real" Republican piece of legislation. Of course, he may be right about the vote count but he's very wrong about trying to brand it as "not Republican." What he told CNN is that Ryan-Pence-Price have "taken the Obamacare framework and are trying to call it a Republican piece of legislation." Of course, the Obamacare frameworka Republican framework, having come directly from Massachusetts' RomneyCare (which was put together by... the Heritage Foundation, a very right-wing Republican think tank. Apiece of legislation would be Medicare-For-All. There are about 30 members of the Freedom Caucus, several having retired (like Curt Clawson, Cynthia Lummis and Matt Salmon), several having been beaten by the Republican establishment (like Tim Huelskamp and Scott Garrett, and several having found them too insane so resigning from the group (like Tom McClintock, Keith Rothfus and, before retiring, Reid Ribble. The new chairman is Mark Meadows (NC) and it's home to sociopaths, racists and extremists like Mo Brooks (AL), Trent Franks (AZ), Dave Brat (VA), Jody Hice (GA), Jim Jordan (OH), Scott DesJarlais (the Tennessee doctor famous for drugging and raping his female patients), Ken Buck (CO) and Rod Blum (IA). Jordan (plus Rand Paul in the Senate) filed their own bill to repeal Obamacare, which just makes the Affordable Care Act disappear outright and doesn't offer any hope for the millions of Americans dependent on it for health insurance, except whatever hope people have of marrying an heiress, winning a lottery or getting elected to Congress. Ryan and McCarthy are working furiously to lock up the 218 votes they need to pass their bill. Presumably not even fake Democrats at the bottom on the shitpile-- like Colin Peterson (Blue Dog-MN), Tom O'Halleran (Blue Dog-AZ), Josh Gottheimer (Blue Dog-NJ), Kyrsten Sinema (Blue Dog-AZ), Henry Cuellar (Blue Dog-TX), Stephanie Murphy (Blue Dog-FL), Charlie Crist (FL), Lou Correa (Blue Dog-CA) and Jacky Rosen (NV)-- would dare vote with the Republicans on this. So all 218 votes have to come from the 241 GOP majority. If 30 Freedom Caucus extremists vote NO and none of the Blue Dogs and New Dems vote YES, the bill doesn't move on to the Senate, where it would likely die anyway, since McConnell could only afford to lose 3 votes-- even the most conservative Democrat in the Senate, Joe Manchin, said he won't vote for it-- and there are already between 3 and 8 who have said they won't vote for it or won't vote for it in its current form. So far we have pretty definitive NOs from Lisa Murkowski (AK), Shelley Moore Capito (WV), Ron Portman (OH), Cory Gardner (CO), Susan Collins (ME) and possibly Dean Heller (NV) and Bill Cassidy (LA). Even Rand Paul (KY) has threatened to break with the party if they don't make significant changes more in line with what the extremists at the Freedom Caucus are asking for. Jordan said his repeal-only plan "is consistent with what we told the voters were going to do: Repeal Obamacare and replace it with a market-centered, patient-centered, and doctor-centered plan that actually brings down the cost of insurance," except it doesn't offer anything to anyone except for tax cuts for mammoth millionaires and billionaires. "[T]he first thing that Republicans are bringing forward is a piece of legislation that we are going to put on a Republican presidents desk, that doesnt repeal it, but keeps Medicaid expansion-- and actually expands it-- that keeps some of the tax increases. That is not what we promised the American people we would do." After the American Hospital Association and the American Medical Association came out against the proposal, the White House sent Pence and Price over to the House to quell the panic. (Remember, the American Medical Association's PAC-- AMPAC-- is huge and gives cycle after cycle after cycle, primarily to Republicans. Last year it contributed $1,501,000-- $774,500 to Republicans and $515,500 to Democrats, including $10,000 pops to Ryan, Kevin McCarthy, Steve Scalise, Tom Price, Fred Upton, and to Roger Marshall, the Kansas crackpot who was babbling about how Jesus says the poor don't want healthcare. AMPAC also gave $30,000 each to the NRCC and the NRSC (and $10,000 each to the New Dem Coalition and the Blue Dog PAC). AMPAC also runs independent expenditure campaigns for candidates they like. And they give like clockwork... every single cycle. Here was the statement the White House put out when they sent Pence and Price scurrying over to the House: The Vice President today met with conservative leaders in the House to discuss the failures of Obamacare and the need to repeal and replace that disastrous law. Participants discussed their shared desire for fiscally responsible, market-based reforms that encourage competition and provide individuals and families with the ability to choose the health insurance option that is best for them. The Vice President stressed this is the first step in the process to deliver on the President's promise to the American people and looks forward to House passage of the American Health Care Act. As far right extremist Mo Brooks was leaving the meeting he told the media hanging around outside that "Right now the Speaker of the House does not have the votes to pass this bill unless he's got substantial Democratic support." Another fanatic, Rep. Raul Labrador (R-ID) floated the idea that Trump doesn't really think much of the bill either. "I find it a little bit interesting when I heard leadership say that they have a bill that is the set bill and that the president is fully supportive of the bill. I think he's fully supportive of the process. Trump's OMB Director, Mick Mulvaney-- a far right extremist who was a Freedom Caucus member before Trump drafted him-- was in that meeting and came out of it emphasizing that Trump isn't really fully on board yet anyway. Mo Brooks happily accused the White House of sending "mixed messages." In fact, after the meeting, Freedom Caucus chairman, Mark Meadows, said Mulvaney let them know that the White House is still open to negotiations. "We heard that directly from him. This is not something that is in stone." Politico Kyle Cheney at senses something similar : Pence and Price are pushing hard but Trump...? No one knows for sure and he's... unpredictable and feckless. He referred to the rollout as a "negotiation," which probably wasn't what Ryan, Pence and Price wanted to hear from him. Senor Trumpanzee has managed, wrote Cheney, "to plunge his party into days of turmoil with stray tweets about Russia. Similar snafus wouldnt just be distractions now that the repeal drive is underway; theyd be detrimental to the GOP policy agenda and message... And Trump hasnt always spoken from the same messaging playbook as Republicans on health care, a fact he once wore proudly during his presidential primary fight. 'You cannot let people die on the street, OK?' Trump said during a February 2016 primary forum. 'Now, some people would say, "that's not a very Republican thing to say." I said, you know, the problem is everybody thinks that you people, as Republicans, hate the concept of taking care of people that are really, really sick and are gonna die ... That's called heart. We gotta take care of people that can't take care of themselves.' Watch how he responds if the CBO says millions would lose coverage." But he's certainly correct that that wasn't a very Republican thing to say. As long as it doesn't impact their reelection efforts, House Republicans could care less if people are left without healthcare-- including "dying on the street," as Trump phrased it. And now Trump has to grapple with what his home-town paper is saying about the plan, namely that "the biggest losers under the change would be older Americans with low incomes who live in high-cost areas. Those are the people who benefited most from Obamacare." Obamacare's subsidies were structured to limit how much low- and middle-income Americans could be asked to pay for health insurance. Under the G.O.P. proposal, many of the people whose tax credits would fall sharply would be likely to end up uninsured. For people with few resources, a gap of several thousands of dollars between their tax credit and the cost of coverage would be impossible to make up. That's why many policy experts believe that the new system would result in fewer Americans having health insurance. This morning John Harwood made the case that Ryan's proposal hurts Trump voters even more than the country as a whole . (Don't be tempted to think they deserve it. Most are more stupid or steeped in ignorance than evil.) "Instead of broadly rewarding Trump's backers," he wrote, "the House bill hands huge benefits to the tiny share of his voters earning the highest incomes. Their gains come at the expense of the much larger group of older, blue-collar whites who flocked to his "Make America Great Again" banner... Exit polls showed that just 10 percent of Trump's votes came from Americans earning $200,000 or more. Yet those voters would derive all benefits from the repeal of the two individual tax hikes targeting them: a 0.9 percent tax on their earnings, and a 3.8 percent tax on their investment income. An even smaller group, the top 1 percent of earners, would receive an average tax cut of $33,000, according to the Tax Policy Center. The top 0.1 percent of earners would receive an average tax cut of $197,000. But half of Trump's votes came from white voters without college degrees. And those less-affluent voters stand to lose in multiple ways if Congress rolls back Obamacare in favor of the House GOP plan." An Urban Institute study found that Obamacare reduced the number of noncollege whites without insurance by 6.2 million between 2010 and 2015, a drop of 39 percent. In 20 of the 30 states that Trump won, more noncollege whites gained coverage than any other group. Under the House GOP bill, those who have gained coverage would face higher costs because the bill's tax credits are generally smaller than premium subsidies through Obamacare exchange marketplaces. An analysis led by Harvard health economist David Cutler estimates those increased costs will total an average of $2,409 in 2020. Whites aged 45 or older provided 56 percent of Trump's votes. Older Obamacare enrollees would be hit particularly hard by the House bill because it curbs age-based insurance subsidies. Enrollees aged 55 to 64, the Cutler study found, would face higher costs averaging $6,971 in 2020. The House bill would also produce major reductions in spending on Medicaid, the expansion of which generated a large proportion of Obamacare's gains in insurance coverage. The liberal Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates the reduction in federal spending on the program at $370 billion over 10 years. Medicaid has long been a target of Republican budget cutters, both because the party favors smaller government and because it provides health care to poor Americans who tend to support Democrats. Nationally, most Medicaid enrollees are nonwhite. But in some key states that backed Trump, whites comprise a large majority of nonelderly Medicaid beneficiaries: 65 percent in Ohio, 60 percent in Wisconsin, 60 percent in Michigan. Those proportions are as high or higher in smaller Trump states such as West Virginia (89 percent), Montana (83 percent), Kentucky (77 percent) and Arkansas (62 percent). The House GOP's reductions would affect all Medicaid beneficiaries, not just those added to the rolls under Obamacare. That includes more than 6 million senior citizens with incomes and assets low enough to qualify for the program. Medicaid finances most nursing home care in the United States. Unlike the program's nonelderly beneficiaries, a 54 percent majority of beneficiaries aged 65 or older are white, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. That means the House bill would pinch Trump's blue-collar white supporters in two ways-- crimping their own Medicaid coverage, and that of their elderly parents. Utah could soon have the strictest DUI threshold in the nation after state lawmakers on Wednesday night voted to lower the limit for a driver's blood-alcohol content to 0.05 percent, down from 0.08 percent. The measure heads to Utah's governor, who has said he supports the legislation. If Republican Gov. Gary Herbert signs the bill, it would take effect December 30, 2018 - an unusual effective date for Utah laws that would ensure the harsher standard is in place before alcohol-laden celebrations on New Year's Eve. Supporters of the legislation said it would save lives by keeping people off the road if they've been drinking. Utah could soon have the strictest DUI threshold in the nation after lawmakers on Wednesday night voted to lower the limit for a drivers blood-alcohol content to 0.05 percent (file) A mix of lawmakers, including Democrats and libertarian-leaning Republicans, opposed the measure. Some cited concerns that it could hurt tourism as the heavily Mormon state grapples with its reputation as an unfriendly place for drinkers. The proposal would mean that a 150-pound man could get a DUI after two beers, while a 120-pound woman could get one after a single drink, according to the American Beverage Institute, a restaurant trade group that opposes the bill. A number of factors, including how much food is in someone's stomach, could impact how much a drink will raise someone's blood-alcohol content. 60 percent of the population of Utah is Mormon. Mormons dont drink alcohol of any kind American Beverage Institute Managing Director Sarah Longwell said in a statement Wednesday night that the proposal will do little to make roads safer because more than 77 percent of alcohol-related traffic deaths in Utah come from drivers with a blood-alcohol content of 0.15 and above. 'Utah legislators missed an opportunity today to target the hard-core drunk drivers who cause the vast majority of drunk driving fatalities and instead decided to criminalize perfectly responsible behavior,' Longwell said. Lawmakers in Washington are considering lowering the limit for blood-alcohol content this year, while a similar proposal recently died in Hawaii's Legislature. Across the country, the blood-alcohol content limit for most drivers is 0.08, but limits vary among states for commercial drivers or drivers who have had a past DUI conviction. Rep. Norm Thurston, R-Provo, who sponsored Utah's measure, said it's important because a person starts to become impaired with the first drink. He notes a number of foreign countries have blood-alcohol content thresholds at 0.05. or lower. At a blood-alcohol content of 0.05 percent, a driver may have trouble steering and have a harder time coordinating, tracking moving objects and responding to emergencies, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. For several years, the National Transportation Safety Board has encouraged states to drop their blood-alcohol content levels to 0.05 or even lower, though local officials have not adopted the standards, in part because of pressure from the hospitality industry. The tougher stance on DUIs comes as Utah legislators passed changes Wednesday easing other liquor laws that deal with the preparation of alcoholic drinks in restaurants. That measure, waiting for approval from the governor, would let diners see their drinks being poured or mixed if restaurants set up child-free buffer zones around bars. RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - The Maracana stadium has reopened after almost two months of neglect by owners and authorities in Rio de Janeiro. Local club Flamengo paid about $1 million in bills so it could make its debut in the Copa Libertadores before 70,000 fans on Wednesday. Spectators and organizers marked the stadium's use as Flamengo thrashed San Lorenzo of Argentina 4-0. Gabriel, of Brazil's Flamengo, right, fights for the ball with Fernando Belluschi, of Argentina's San Lorenzo, during a Copa Libertadores soccer match at Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, March 8, 2017. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) Two weeks ago Rio's electricity utility turned the power back on at the stadium after it was shut off for almost a month in a dispute over unpaid bills. The Maracana had been vandalized over the last month with seats torn out, televisions stolen and the grass field left untended. LOS ANGELES (AP) - Samuel Jackson said Wednesday he wasn't trying to slam black British actors when he criticized their casting in American films such as the horror hit "Get Out" and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. drama "Selma." Jackson told The Associated Press that his comments Monday on the radio station Hot 97 weren't necessarily misunderstood, but his criticism was not of the performers but rather of the system that allows black actors from overseas take prominent roles in American films. "It was not a slam against them, but it was just a comment about how Hollywood works in an interesting sort of way sometimes," Jackson said at the premiere of his new film "Kong: Skull Island." Samuel L. Jackson, right, and LaTanya Richardson arrive at the Los Angeles premiere of "Kong: Skull Island" at the Dolby Theatre on Wednesday, March 8, 2017. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Jackson noted on Monday that a lot of roles are going to British actors. He said he wondered what "Get Out" would have been like "with an American brother who really feels that." Jordan Peele's film is about an African-American photographer, played by the British actor Daniel Kaluuya, whose white girlfriend brings him home to her parents' house. Jackson also pointed to Ava DuVernay's "Selma," which starred David Oyelowo as King. His comments drew criticism from John Boyega, the British "Star Wars" star, who on Twitter called the debate a "stupid" conflict "we don't have time for." On Wednesday, Jackson was complimentary of the skills and hard work black British performers put in to take on American roles, but he said that was a one-way street. "We're not afforded that same luxury, but that's fine, we have plenty of opportunities to work," he said. "I enjoy their work," Jackson said of his British counterparts. "I enjoy working with them when I have the opportunity to do that." WASHINGTON (AP) - After months rehashing the GOP primary campaign and bragging about his victory, President Donald Trump has begun reaching out to former rivals whose help he now needs. The latest on his list is Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who has said he has significant concerns about the health care bill Trump wants Congress to pass. The president and first lady hosted Cruz and his wife, Heidi, and their two daughters for dinner Wednesday night - a day after Trump had lunch with South Carolina Sen. Lindsay Graham, a onetime challenger. FILE - In this Feb. 27, 2017 file photo, President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. After spending months rehashing the brutal GOP primary and bragging about his victory, Trump has quietly launched a charm offensive, reaching out to former rivals whose help he now needs. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File) "It was terrific. It was a social evening we had a very nice evening with the president and the first lady with Heidi and the girls," Cruz said. He tweeted a photo of his daughters standing next to the president in the Oval Office, and put out this caption: "Our family had dinner w the President & First Lady, who were warm & gracious. Catherine brought Joe--her kindergarten class stuffed giraffe!" Trump gave Florida Sen. Marco Rubio an Air Force One ride to his home state last week and invited Rubio and his wife for dinner at the White House. Trump met recently with Gov. John Kasich, R-Ohio, had Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., and his wife over for Valentine's Day meatloaf, and had a working lunch with Gov. Scott Walker, R-Wis. All those politicians had competed with Trump for the Republican presidential nomination. The meetings come as Trump continues to make unsupported charges against former President Barack Obama. That's alienated a potential source of White House guidance as Trump turns his focus toward selling a legislative agenda that he'll need every possible ally to pass. It help explains his wooing of ex-rivals such as Cruz and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, whom Trump has spoken to several times since taking office, said Paul's spokesman Sergio Gor. But the 2016 GOP campaign was harsh, and that's led to some awkward interactions. As a candidate, Trump gave Cruz the nickname 'Lyin' Ted,' questioned the senator's faith and suggested Cruz's father may have been involved in John F. Kennedy's assassination. Trump also went after Cruz's wife. Cruz responded by calling Trump "a sniveling coward," a "pathological liar" and "utterly amoral." Cruz declined to endorse Trump in his Republican Convention speech. White house Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Thursday the president enjoyed welcoming the Cruzes to the White House. "They had a very enjoyable time and a very fruitful discussion," Spicer said, adding that it was something the president "is going to continue to do with members of both parties, both chambers, and not just here in Washington." Cruz told reporters the dinner "was terrific" and he talked about how excited his daughter had been to bring along her students' stuffed giraffe. "So Joe had a chance to have dinner with the president which was a fun thing for Catherine and we had a very pleasant evening but also discussed a lot of substance," he said. Trump has in the past marveled at politicians' abilities to move on, even after brutal election campaigns. "It's a very strange phenomenon," he recently told Fox News, describing his ability to get along with Obama, despite their nasty election rivalry as Obama campaigned on behalf of Democrat Hillary Clinton. "What amazed me is that I was vicious to him in statements, he was vicious to me in statements, and here we are getting along, we're riding up Pennsylvania Avenue, talk - we don't even mention it," he said. "I guess that's the world of politics." Trump's latest unsupported claim on Twitter that Obama ordered wiretaps on Trump has apparently chilled those relations. Even Graham, one of Trump's fiercest critics during the primary, seems to agree with the idea of moving past the campaign rhetoric. After their lunch, Graham praised Trump, saying he was "strongly committed to rebuilding our military, which is music to my ears. President Trump is in deal-making mode and I hope Congress is like-minded." Graham also appeared to forgive the president for once reading out Graham's personal cellphone number to a rally crowd. "How good was the meeting? I gave him my NEW cellphone number," Graham tweeted. Yet there is one rival candidate who has yet to make nice with the president: former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. ___ AP Congressional Correspondent Erica Werner contributed to this report. Here are the AP's latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EST. ------------------------- NEW & DEVELOPING A relative of a youth who resided at the Virgin of the Assumption Safe Home wails as she waits for the release of the names of those who died in a fire at the shelter, outside the morgue where the bodies are being identified in Guatemala City, Thursday, March 9, 2017. The death toll in the fire at a the youth shelter on the outskirts of Guatemala rose to 31 Thursday as a dozen more girls died at hospitals overnight and details began to emerge of a tragedy fueled by angry, neglected youths seeking to flee terrible conditions. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) ------------------------- GERMANY-AX ATTACK - 5 injured in ax attack at German station; 1 arrest. SENT: 190 words. Note that WIKILEAKS-CIA-TECH ENCRYPTION is not moving this cycle ADDS ILLINOIS GOVERNOR-STAFF SALARIES, UNITED STATES-ISLAMIC STATE, EDUCATION-TRANSGENDER STUDENTS, ALI JR-AIRPORT DETENTION ---------------- ONLY ON AP ---------------- ISLAMIC STATE-PROPAGANDA WAR - Congressional investigators are interviewing witnesses in a wide-ranging inquiry into the Defense Department's troubled anti-propaganda efforts against the Islamic State group. By Desmond Butler and Richard Lardner. SENT: 600 words, photos. ILLINOIS GOVERNOR-STAFF SALARIES - Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner's new deputy governor is scheduled to receive half of her pay out of an employee health care account that is more than $4 billion behind on its bills due to the state's budget crisis, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. By Political Writer John O'Connor. SENT: 700 words, photo. ---------------- TOP STORIES ---------------- CONGRESS-HEALTH OVERHAUL - Republican leaders drive their long-promised legislation to dismantle Barack Obama's health care law over its first big hurdles in the House and claim fresh momentum despite cries of protest from right, left and center. By Congressional Correspondent Erica Werner. SENT: 920 words, photos. With AP SPIN METER-GOP HEALTH PLAN - GOP health care offers access, not insurance; AP EXPLAINS-CONGRESS-HEALTH OVERHAUL - What's next; CAPITOL HILL BUZZ-HEALTH OVERHAUL-ALL-NIGHTER - Lawmakers survive all-nighter (all sent). WIKILEAKS-CIA - WikiLeaks' offer to share the CIA's collection of software vulnerabilities with the likes of Google and Apple puts the tech industry in a bind. It has a responsibility and financial incentives to plug holes in its software, yet it's unclear whether accepting help from WikiLeaks is even legal. By Anick Jesdanun. SENT: 800 words, photo. TRUMP-TRAVEL BAN-Q&A - President Donald Trump's revised travel ban is narrower and designed to withstand legal challenges, specifically objections that the order discriminates against Muslims. But experts say it could still be vulnerable to lawsuits. By Gene Johnson. SENT:900 words, photos, video. With TRUMP-TRAVEL BAN-LAWSUITS - Hawaii files lawsuit over Trump's revised travel ban (sent; developing); TRUMP-TRAVEL BAN-THE LATEST. SYRIA-US ESCALATION-ANALYSIS - Rolling 200 Marines backed with Howitzers into northern Syria, the Trump administration is ditching its predecessor's style of working quietly behind the scenes in Syria's conflict, opting instead for displays of U.S. force in an attempt to shape the fight. The latest deployment significantly widens America's footprint in a highly toxic battlefield. By Zeina Karam. SENT: 700 words, photos. With SYRIA - Syria activists: Strikes kill at least 20 near IS stronghold; UNITED STATES-ISLAMIC STATE - The top U.S. commander in the Middle East signals there will be a larger and longer American military presence in Syria to accelerate the fight against the Islamic State group (both sent). ZIKA-HEART PROBLEMS - For the first time, doctors have tied infection with the Zika virus to possible new heart problems in adults. The evidence so far is only in eight people in Venezuela, and is not enough to prove a link. By Chief Medical Writer Marilynn Marchione. SENT: 480 words, photo. ----------------------------------- WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ----------------------------------- TV-FOX-SEXUAL ASSAULT - Fox News settles sexual assault complaint. SENT: 240 words. PRUITT-GLOBAL WARMING - New EPA chief says he does not believe carbon dioxide is a primary contributor to global warming, a statement at odds with mainstream scientific consensus. SENT: 470 words, photos. ALI JR-AIRPORT DETENTION - Muhammad Ali's son tells Congress his recent detention for extended questioning at a Florida airport shows the need for legislation to end racial profiling. SENT: 270 words, photos. POKEMON NO GO?- 'Pokemon Go' or no? Fans glad Niantic addressing complaints. SENT: 500 words, photos. WBC-ISRAEL'S INSPIRATION - With a little help from "The Mensch on the Bench" mascot, Israel is into the second round of the World Baseball Classic. SENT: 610 words, photos. ----------------------------------- WASHINGTON & POLITICS ----------------------------------- EDUCATION-TRANSGENDER STUDENTS - Parents of transgender students urge Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to do more to protect their children's rights. SENT: 600 words, photos. TRUMP-NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER - President Trump was not aware that his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, had worked to further the interests of the government of Turkey before appointing him. SENT: 1,280 words, photo. TRUMP-RUSSIA ADVISER - Carter Page, once a little-known investment banker-turned-adviser in the outer circle of the improbable Trump campaign, emerges as a central figure in the controversy surrounding campaign connections to Russia. SENT: 1,030 words, photos. TRUMP-MEDIA DIET - Before most people are out of bed, Donald Trump is watching cable news. With Twitter at the ready, the man who condemns the media as "the enemy of the people" may be the most voracious consumer of news in modern presidential history. SENT: 1,110 words, photos. -------------------- NATIONAL -------------------- CASEY ANTHONY-HER LIFE - We take a look at Casey Anthony's life six years since she was acquitted of murdering her daughter, Caylee, who went missing in Orlando. Details emerge in Associated Press interviews. SENT: 560 words, photos. COLD CASE - Dr. Erin Kimmerle, considered one of the top forensic anthropologists in the U.S., takes on the hardest mysteries of all: the cold cases. By Tamara Lush. SENT: 1,750 words, photos, video. A 1,110-word abridged version also moved. IMMIGRANTS-ENFORCEMENT SCAMS - Authorities say con artists are exploiting immigrants' heightened fears of deportation by posing as federal agents and demanding they pay up or else. SENT: 600 words, photos. BORDER TUNNELS-Q&A - Authorities have discovered more than 200 cross-border tunnels originating in Mexico since 1990, most of which entered the United States. SENT: 800 words, photos. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-SEXUAL MISCONDUCT FILES - Confidential documents released by the University of California show that the lack of transparency and lax discipline seen during a sexual harassment scandal at UC Berkeley also were found at UC's nine other campuses. SENT: 1,300 words, photos. WILDFIRES - The winds fueling deadly wildfires that scorched vast swaths of land in four Plains states subside, bringing hope to crews trying to contain the blazes. SENT: 500 words, photos. -------------------- INTERNATIONAL -------------------- GUATEMALA FIRE - The death toll from a blaze at a shelter for troubled youths climbs to 31 girls and young women, with others battling for their lives. SENT: 800 words, photos, video. MEXICO-DEPORTED US VETERANS - Dozens of U.S. military veterans who were deported to Mexico after criminal convictions and for years have fought to be allowed to return are now pinning their hopes on the Trump administration. SENT: 1,350 words, photos. ------------- HEALTH/SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY ------------- SAVING A FACE - A team of surgeons using state-of-the-art "virtual surgery" successfully removes a massive tumor that was growing on the face of a 12-year-old girl from the West African nation of Gambia. SENT: 450 words, photos. ------------------------- HOW TO REACH US ------------------------- At the Nerve Center, Alexandra Olson can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, Alyssa Goodman (ext. 1900). For graphics and interactives, ext. 7636. Expanded AP content can be obtained from http://www.apexchange.com. For access to AP Exchange and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 877-836-9477. A large cloud of smoke rises during fighting between Iraqi security forces and Islamic State militants as civilians walk toward Iraqi security forces after fleeing their homes on the western side of Mosul, Iraq, Thursday, March 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed) After working through the night, House Energy and Commerce Committee member Rep. Tony Cardenas, D-Calif., stretches while members of the committee argue the details of the GOP's "Obamacare" replacement bill, Thursday, March 9, 2017, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) SRINAGAR, India (AP) - A 15-year-old boy was killed Thursday during an anti-India protest in disputed Kashmir following a gunbattle that killed a suspected rebel, police and villagers said. Senior police officer S.P. Vaid said the gunbattle began early Thursday after troops cordoned off southern Padgampora village on a tip that militants were hiding in a house. As the fighting raged, villagers tried to march to the area and attacked government forces with rocks to help the militants escape, Vaid said. Villagers said the troops fired live ammunition, tear gas and shotgun pellets at the protesters, killing a 15-year-old boy and wounding three others, one critically. Vaid said the boy was killed by a stray bullet as the villagers ignored repeated calls by the authorities to stay away from the site of the gunbattle. He said one militant was killed and troops were searching the area for another militant. In recent years, Kashmiris, mainly youths, have protected anti-India rebels by engaging troops in street clashes during military operations against the militants. Indian army's chief warned last month that "tough actions" would be taken against people throwing stones during counterinsurgency operations, but anti-India protests and clashes have continued. Rivals India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety. Most people in the Indian-controlled portion favor independence or a merger with Pakistan. Rebels have been fighting against Indian rule in Kashmir since 1989. More than 68,000 people have been killed in the armed uprising and ensuing Indian military crackdown. SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Samsung lawyers denied on Thursday all charges brought against Lee Jae-yong, the billionaire heir to Samsung, and questioned the legitimacy of the indictment in a massive corruption scandal that has ensnared the country's president. Lee's lawyers told a preliminary hearing that prosecutors are unfairly trying to create an impression Lee is guilty by mentioning a past conviction of his father and by depicting Lee as having absolute control over a strategy office that allegedly engaged in bribery. They asked prosecutors to rewrite their statement of allegations and to correct its depiction of the strategy office as a team working only for the benefit of the Samsung founding family. The 48-year-old Samsung Electronics vice chairman was arrested and indicted last month on bribery, embezzlement and three other charges that could entail at least five years in prison if he's proven guilty. He is represented by an army of 13 attorneys at Bae, Kim & Lee LLC that includes former senior judges. FILE - In this Feb. 22, 2017, file photo, Lee Jae-yong, center, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics Co., arrives at the office of the independent counsel in Seoul, South Korea. Samsung lawyers have denied all charges brought against Lee Jae-yong, the billionaire heir to Samsung, in a massive corruption scandal that has ensnared the country's president. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File) Both prosecutors and Samsung have high stakes in the case. The court must issue a ruling by the end of May. Judge Lee Young-hun accepted the prosecutors' objection that they had no prior notice when Lee's lawyers tried to display a PowerPoint presentation laying out what they said was "the fundamental problem" in the prosecution's case. Lee's lawyers claimed state prosecutors from outside the special prosecution team that investigated the case are unqualified to join the prosecution team. Prosecutors immediately refuted that contention. The judge said he will review the arguments. Four other Samsung executives also were charged. Like Lee, they were not at Thursday's hearing and, through their lawyers, denied all allegations brought against them. Prosecutors believe Lee and his aides used Samsung corporate funds to bribe President Park Geun-hye and one of her close friends in exchange for supporting a smooth leadership transition at Samsung. Samsung gave or promised to give 43.3 billion won ($38 million) to four entities controlled by Choi Soon-sil, Park's friend, who has been charged with misuse of power and meddling in state affairs. Prosecutors allege the money was given to obtain government backing for a contentious merger of two Samsung companies in 2015 that served as a key step in passing corporate control to Lee from his ailing father. Lee is the highest profile figure arrested during the probe into the influence-peddling scandal that has brought indictments of former presidential aides and dozens of others. The Constitutional Court is due to announce a final ruling Friday on whether to remove or reinstate Park after the parliament voted in December to impeach her. The hearing Thursday ended in one hour. It was interrupted twice by an elderly woman who yelled that she wanted to ask a question before she was escorted out by the court's security. Prosecutors and Samsung lawyers agreed to review by the end of next week a body of evidence that run 20,000 pages. The three judges on the panel did not set the next trial date. The ruling at the Seoul Central District Court, which can be appealed twice, will determine whether Lee can return to the helm of South Korea's largest conglomerate, which was founded by his grandfather. It may also affect public opinion on the legitimacy of his inheriting leadership of Samsung from his father. Some view the case as a test of whether South Korea can root out deep-seated collusion between government and business leaders. It's also seen as a test of whether the judicial system can end a tradition of leniency toward white collar crimes committed by chaebol, as family-controlled South Korean business groups that dominate the economy are known. BALI, Indonesia (AP) - An Indonesian court sentenced a former Reuters war correspondent to seven months in prison on Thursday for possessing hashish. The sentence announced at the Denpasar District Court in Bali was less than the one-year prison term sought by prosecutors. British national David Fox was arrested Oct. 8 along with Australian Giuseppe Serafino on the tourist island, where police confiscated a total of 10.09 grams (0.36 ounces) of hashish from Fox's clothing and house. British national and former news correspondent David Fox stands in a cell before his trial in Bali, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 9, 2017. Indonesian police arrested Fox Oct. 2016 for allegedly possessing hashish. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati) With time already served, Fox is due for release in May. Through his lawyer, Fox thanked supporters and said he accepted the court's judgment. "I am very grateful for this lenient sentence," he said. Fox, 55, worked for Reuters for 20 years but was fired in 2011 for making an off-color remark in an instant-messaging system while covering the 2011 Japan tsunami and nuclear reactor meltdowns. In his indictment, presiding Judge Erwin Djong noted Fox's testimony that he used hashish to cope with the trauma suffered from covering conflicts but said there was no justification for drug use, which was a negative influence on Indonesia's youth. Bali police first raided Serafino's house in the beachside town and resort area of Sanur, where they seized 7.32 grams (0.26 ounces) of hashish. His arrest led to the detention of Fox at a bar run by Serafino. Prosecutors have also sought a one-year prison term for Serafino, 49, who is being tried separately. His sentencing is expected on Tuesday. Indonesia has extremely strict drug laws and convicted traffickers are often executed. More than 150 people are on death row, mostly for drug crimes. About a third of them are foreigners. Eighteen people convicted of drug-related offenses, mostly foreigners, have been executed since President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo took office in October 2014. Handcuffed British national and former news correspondent David Fox, right, walks to a court room for his verdict trial in Bali, Indonesia, Wednesday March 9, 2017. Indonesian police arrested Fox Oct. 2016 for allegedly possessing hashish. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati) British national and former news correspondent David Fox, right, listens to an Indonesian interpreter during his trial in Bali, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 9, 2017. Indonesian judges sentenced Fox to seven-months in prison for allegedly possessing hashish. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati) British national and former news correspondent David Fox, right, listens to an Indonesian interpreter during his trial in Bali, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 9, 2017. Indonesian judges sentenced Fox to seven-months in prison for allegedly possessing hashish. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati) LOS ANGELES (AP) - Joe Manganiello is asking for the media to dial down the drama surrounding the upcoming stand-alone Batman film. Manganiello is signed on to play the villain Deathstroke opposite Ben Affleck's caped crusader in "The Batman." Affleck is writing the screenplay and was also set to direct the Warner Bros. project, but pulled back from those plans in late January. "Cloverfield" director Matt Reeves is now helming the film. Joe Manganiello arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of "Kong: Skull Island" at the Dolby Theatre on Wednesday, March 8, 2017. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Manganiello tells Robert Irvine Magazine those in the media who suggest the project is in trouble or the script needs revision "are drama queens." He says "everyone on the cast and crew wants to make this the best movie possible." Manganiello, who is married to Sofia Vergara, says shooting begins "soon," but not before the creative process runs its course. ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - The United States risks major damage to its relationship with NATO ally Turkey if the U.S. includes Kurdish forces in the fight to retake Raqqa, the Islamic State group's de facto capital, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Thursday. Turkey and the U.S. are locked in a heated dispute about U.S. plans to liberate Raqqa, with Turkey insisting its own military and allied forces in Syria should mount the fight and that U.S.-backed Syrian Kurds should be excluded. Though the U.S. has been hoping to include both Turkey and the battle-hardened Kurdish forces, Yildirim insisted Turkey wouldn't be part of any operation including the Syrian Kurdish force known as the YPG, considered by Ankara to be terrorists who threaten Turkey's security. Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, center right, arrives to speak to The Associated Press in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday, March 9, 2017. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildrim told reporters that Germany seems to be taking sides in the upcoming referendum, but he did not repeat the Nazi comparison. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) "If the U.S. were to prefer terrorist organizations over Turkey in the fight against IS, that would be their own decision, but that wouldn't be something we would consent" to, Yildirim told The Associated Press. The prime minister also took issue with President Donald Trump's use of the phrase "radical Islamic terrorism" and said "we would be actually happy if our friends were to be a bit more cautious about this issue." In an earlier exchange with visiting foreign journalists, Yildirim said ties between the two countries would be significantly undermined, though he declined to name any specific steps Turkey - a member of the U.S.-led coalition fighting IS - might take in response. In the past, Turkey has hinted it could cut off access to Incirlik air base, home to coalition warplanes. Though no decision has been formally announced, the U.S. has been sending signals that it is inclined to rely on the Kurdish forces, who have proven the most effective local force at battling IS. U.S. officials have said that Turkey, which has troops in Syria and is aiding other Syrian opposition fighters, has thus far failed to show that it has a force sufficiently large and capable to liberate Raqqa, the largest remaining IS stronghold. Yildirim insisted Turkey has proven its mettle, pointing to victories by its Operation Euphrates Shield in liberating northern Syrian towns of Jarabulus and al-Bab. Yet in al-Bab, in particular, Turkish troops and allied Syrian fighters suffered heavy casualties in a grueling three-month fight to liberate the city from IS. "They know what our capabilities are," Yildirim said. "We've exchanged military info, and diplomatically speaking this message was also passed along." Turkey views the main Kurdish force - the People's Protection Units, or YPG - to be terrorists because of their ties to Turkey's outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which the U.S. also considers to be a terrorist group. But the top American commander for the fight against IS has said he's seen "zero evidence" the YPG has posed a recent threat to Turkey. Yildirim said Turkey is still awaiting a U.S. decision on Raqqa, and there are signs such a decision could come soon. The top U.S., Russian and Turkish generals met this week to discuss Syria, and the U.S. disclosed Wednesday it has deployed a couple hundred Marines into Syria with heavy artillery in preparation for the Raqqa operation. Frustrated by former President Barack Obama's approach in the final years of his term, Turkey has been cautious in its approach to the new Trump administration while voicing optimism that relations with the U.S. will improve. Yildirim declined to criticize Trump's revised order temporarily banning immigration from six majority-Muslim nations - Turkey is not one of them - but did suggest Trump should cease linking Islam to terrorism in his public comments. He suggested that when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has his first meeting with Trump, he would raise objections to Trump's use of phrases like "radical Islamic terrorism." "This is simply divisive language," Yildirim said. "Because if you mention one particular religion in the same sentence as terrorism, then the followers of that faith - which in this case is 2 billion people - they will be disturbed, and this is not the right thing to do." ___ Reach Josh Lederman on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP. HARPURSVILLE, N.Y. (AP) - A New York zoo's livestream video of its pregnant giraffe is back online after being temporarily interrupted when high winds knocked out power across the region. Animal Adventure Park's YouTube streaming of April the giraffe's enclosure went down Wednesday amid wind gusts that approached 50 mph in the Binghamton area. The zoo is located in rural Harpursville, 15 miles northeast of Binghamton. The "giraffe cam" livestream was back up by the time the zoo posted its nightly update on its Facebook page around 10 p.m. Wednesday. As of Thursday morning, 15-year-old April still hadn't delivered her calf. The YouTube livestream has totaled more than 50 million views since it started in late February. ___ Online: http://www.aprilthegiraffe.com/ BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) - Moldova's parliament accused Russia's intelligence service of intimidating politicians, following an investigation into alleged money laundering by Russian officials. In a parliamentary statement Thursday that was authorized by the speaker, Andrian Candu, Russian intelligence agents are said to have "abusively stopped .... interrogated and treated in a humiliating manner" 25 Moldovan lawmakers, intelligence officials, and pro-European politicians in recent months. In addition, Russia was accused of seeking to put Moldovan officials under "international monitoring" based on inaccurate information and that one interior ministry official was said to have endured "35 such abusive interventions" to and from a Moscow airport. Candu and Premier Pavel Filip met Russia's Ambassador to Moldova, Farit Muhametsin on Thursday to make an official complaint. The harassment is said to have coincided with an ongoing probe into a $22 billion money laundering case involving money sent from Russia to the private Moldinconbank. Officials include the head of the National Anti-Corruption Center, Viorel Chetraru, detained for three hours at a Moscow airport in April 2016. He was headed to a meeting with Russian officials about money laundering. Deputy police chief Gheorghe Cavaliuc was also questioned in 2015. More recently, Violeta Ivanov, a lawmaker and deputy Interior Minister Oleg Babin were detained for questioning at a Moscow airport in Nov. 2016, unimedia.info online site reported. The abuse is alleged to have intensified after Moldovan authorities detained 15 judges and three judicial officials in September on suspicion of issuing illegal judicial rulings connected to the money laundering scheme. The scheme which began in 2010 is said to have laundered Russian money "stolen from the government by corrupt politicians or earned through organized crime activity," moving the funds from Russian shell companies into European Union banks through Latvia, according to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, an independent organization based in the U.S. Moldovan judges are said to have legitimized the funds through false rulings, providing "clean money backed by a court ruling at a fraction of the cost of regular laundering schemes," the group said. According to the group, the scheme used one bank each in Latvia and Moldova and 19 banks in Russia, some of them controlled by rich and powerful figures including the cousin of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Until last year, Moldovan businessman Veaceslav Platon owned more than 60 percent of Moldinconbank. He was arrested in Ukraine last year and has been extradited to Moldova to face charges in the case. His shares are temporarily held by Moldova's central bank. Russia did not cooperate with the probe, according to the parliamentary statement. The government asked Moldovan officials to not make official visits to Russia until the issue was resolved. But Moldovan President Igor Dodon, who favors closer relations with Moscow, said he would go ahead with a visit to Russia next week, and was aware of the allegations of abuse which he called "dysfunctionalities." ___ Corneliu Rusnac in Chisinau, Moldova contributed to this report. OSCEOLA, Ark. (AP) - Prosecutors in eastern Arkansas say they won't charge a police officer whose gun accidentally misfired, striking a 16-year-old boy whom she was trying to arrest. Prosecutor Scott Ellington said Wednesday that no charges will be filed against Osceola Police Officer Jennifer Ephlin in the Feb. 24 shooting. Authorities say Ephlin's gun discharged when she was trying to take the teen into custody as she and other officers responded to a robbery at a gas station. The teen was struck in the lower back and was treated at a hospital and released later the same day. Ellington said in a letter to Arkansas State Police investigators that criminal charges aren't warranted because "all evidence indicates this was an accident." MOSCOW (AP) - President Vladimir Putin has dismissed 10 senior law enforcement officers, the latest move in a personnel reshuffle launched by the Russian leader. Putin's decree released by the government fires top officials from the Interior Ministry, the Investigative Committee and the Federal Penitentiary Service. Among those dismissed are regional police chiefs for three Russian provinces: Samara, Vologda and Nizhny Novgorod. No reason was given for the firings, but Putin in his speech Thursday at the Interior Ministry pointed to a series of arrests of senior Interior Ministry officials last year. Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the annual meeting of Russian Interior Ministry in Moscow, Russia on Thursday, March 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev, Pool) In recent months, Putin also has reshuffled provincial governors - the action widely seen as part of preparations for March 2018 presidential election. Putin hasn't yet said whether he will seek another six-year term, but he's widely expected to run. Russian President Vladimir Putin, foreground, addresses the annual meeting of Russian Interior Ministry in Moscow, Russia on Thursday, March 9, 2017. Interior Affairs Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev walks at the background. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev, Pool) Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the annual meeting of Russian Interior Ministry in Moscow, Russia on Thursday, March 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev, Pool) Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the annual meeting of Russian Interior Ministry in Moscow, Russia on Thursday, March 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev, Pool) MOSCOW (AP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday for talks focusing on the situation in Syria and Israeli concerns about the role of Iran and its proxies there. Greeting Netanyahu at the start of their Kremlin negotiations, Putin emphasized a high level of trust between them. Netanyahu's visit to Moscow follows his talks last month with U.S. President Donald Trump. Netanyahu praised Russia's role in fighting the Islamic State group and other radical militants in Syria. At the same time, he raised strong concern about the presence of Iranian and Hezbollah forces in Syria. Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Moscow, Russia on Thursday, March 9, 2017. Israel's prime minister is set to visit Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin about security issues stemming from Iran's presence in neighbouring Syria. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, pool) "Of course, in the past year, there was significant progress in the fight against the radical Sunni Islamic terrorism led by Daesh and al-Qaida," Netanyahu said, using the Arabic acronym Daesh to refer to the Islamic State group. "Russia has made a very important contribution. Naturally, we do not want this terrorism to be replaced by the radical Shiite Islamic terrorism led by Iran." Russia has sided with Iran and Hezbollah in helping support Syrian President Bashar Assad, but at the same time it has maintained warm ties with Israel. The two nations have coordinated their actions to prevent any possible incidents between their militaries in Syria. "The threat of radical Shiite Islam threatens us no less than it does the region and the peace of the world, and I know that we are partners in the desire to prevent any kind of victory by radical Islam of any sort," Netanyahu said. In a statement released by his office at end the end of the talks, Netanyahu was quoted as saying that he "made it clear" to Putin that Israel is opposed to any agreement on Syria that would leave "Iran and its proxies with a military presence in Syria." Before the talks, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied media reports that Moscow has given Israel a green light to strike Hezbollah. "It has nothing to do with reality," Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. "It hasn't been discussed, and there is no talk about it." ___ Josef Federman and Ian Deitch in Jerusalem contributed to this report. Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Moscow, Russia on Thursday, March 9, 2017. Israel's prime minister is set to visit Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin about security issues stemming from Iran's presence in neighbouring Syria. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, pool) Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Moscow, Russia on Thursday, March 9, 2017. Israel's prime minister is set to visit Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin about security issues stemming from Iran's presence in neighbouring Syria. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, pool) Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Moscow, Russia on Thursday, March 9, 2017. Israel's prime minister is set to visit Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin about security issues stemming from Iran's presence in neighbouring Syria. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, pool) Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Moscow, Russia on Thursday, March 9, 2017. Netanyahu visits Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin about security issues stemming from Iran's presence in neighbouring Syria. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, pool) Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, third left, in Moscow, Russia on Thursday, March 9, 2017. Netanyahu visits Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin about security issues stemming from Iran's presence in neighbouring Syria. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, pool) Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Moscow, Russia on Thursday, March 9, 2017. Netanyahu visits Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin about security issues stemming from Iran's presence in neighbouring Syria. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, pool) Sarah Gillis switched from a national bank to a local one in New Jersey as a matter of principle. "I feel like my voice matters more in a smaller bank," says Gillis, who closed her account at a national bank because she disagreed, she says, with some of its corporate investments. She opened an account at Peapack-Gladstone Bank by her home in Warren, New Jersey, about a year ago. But when asked her thoughts on her new bank, it's the perks and lack of fees she applauds. Her out-of-network ATM fees are reimbursed by Peapack-Gladstone and she gets $8 back if she uses her debit card at least ten times a month. "I just think it's a great bank," she says. FILE - In this Sept. 21, 2016 file photo, a customer uses a Wells Fargo bank ATM in New York. Opting for a small local bank over a big national institution can mean fewer and lower fees and an appealing focus on community, helping offset some technological and access drawbacks for consumers. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison) For consumers like Gillis, switching to a community bank - typically defined as a smaller bank that is locally owned and operated - is an action rooted as much in practicality as it is in ideology. Lower and fewer fees and the allure of keeping money local can be compelling reasons to switch. DOWNSIDES PERSIST Community banks still won't be as convenient for many people as national banks. ATM access, for example, can be a challenge without the large networks enjoyed by national bank customers. Some 48 percent of community banks belong to a fee-free ATM network, a 2013 survey by the Independent Community Bankers of America found, but that leaves a large swath of community bank customers paying additional fees when using out-of-network ATMs. Limited availability of cutting-edge technology continues to be an issue. The number of community banks offering mobile banking services was 81 percent last year, up from 71 percent the year before, according to a report by the Federal Reserve. But that's still a sizeable number of banks without services that many customers consider essential, such as the ability to check account balances by smartphone. The report noted that mobile banking was "difficult to implement for small and mid-size banks due to cost and expertise." KEEPING IT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD Fans of community banks point to the advantages, starting with a generally more favorable fee structure. These banks are likelier to have fewer checking account fees and lower overdraft fees than big national banks, according to a recent survey by Pew Charitable Trusts . Only about 10 percent of small banks surveyed reported charging monthly service fees on checking accounts; such fees are common at large banks, though they can sometimes be avoided by signing up for direct deposit or maintaining a minimum balance. The median overdraft fee for small banks was $32, compared to $35 for large banks. And for many, the chance to keep money local is a reward in itself. "People feel that there is an authenticity to a locally owned business," says Terry Jorde, senior executive vice president at the Independent Community Bankers of America. "That's true whether it's a hardware store, a locally owned restaurant, a flower store or a community bank." Community banks can also play an integral role in local economies, especially in supporting small businesses. More than 50 percent of small-business loans came from community banks, researchers at Harvard Kennedy School reported in 2015, as did 77 percent of agricultural loans. Small businesses were also more likely to be approved for some form of a loan from community banks - 76 percent, compared to 58 percent at national banks, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Jorde, who worked for 32 years at a small bank in Cando, North Dakota, says community banks work to build relationships with customers. "It's not just a cookie-cutter type of lending," she says, citing a focus on personal knowledge of an applicant and of the local economy in making loan decisions. "You don't just put a bunch of statistics in a black box and then come out with a credit decision." That seems to be reflected in lower default rates for community bank loans. The Harvard Kennedy study also found that default rates for residential property loans were under 4 percent for community banks, compared to more than 10 percent for big banks. Community banks aren't for everyone. Those who move frequently from one city to another may find it inconvenient to change community banks each time, something that's not an issue for those who bank big. Gillis, for one, believes the advantages of going local outweigh the drawbacks. "I've realized it's not that hard to open a new account at a different bank or close an account," she says. Should she ever leave New Jersey, she says, she'll stick to a community bank, like the one she joined last year. "I love it." ____________ This article was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet. Email staff writer Amber Murakami-Fester: amufe@nerdwallet.com. RELATED LINKS: NerdWallet: How to Switch Banks nerd.me/2mOKWJh Harvard Kennedy School study https://www.communitybanking.org/documents/Session3_Paper1_Lux.pdf Federal Reserve Bank of New York study https://www.newyorkfed.org/newsevents/news/regional_outreach/2016/an160303 PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) - Kosovo Parliament has called on France to immediately release its former prime minister, Ramush Haradinaj, who is wanted by Serbia on war crimes charges. A resolution approved Thursday also called on the government to cancel negotiations with Serbia on normalizing ties until Haradinaj is released. In January Haradinaj was detained in France where now he is on judicial supervision waiting a court decision whether he will be extradited to Serbia. The verdict is expected on April 6. Haradinaj, a guerrilla fighter in Kosovo's 1998-1999 war for independence from Serbia, was cleared of war crimes charges by a U.N. tribunal. ISLAMABAD (AP) - Pakistan on Thursday shut its porous border with landlocked Afghanistan after opening it for two days, saying the measure was necessary to save Pakistanis from attacks from militants operating inside Afghanistan. Nafees Zakaria, spokesman for Pakistan's foreign ministry, told reporters the country was forced to close the border because of the threat of terrorism from militant groups like Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, the Islamic State group and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, which are located in Afghanistan and trying to carry out attacks in Pakistan. He spoke hours after Pakistan shut the two main border crossings with Afghanistan after a temporary, two-day opening that enabled more than 35,000 people to cross the border. Vehicles carrying Afghan nationals, travel through Pakistan's famous Khyber Pass en route to neighboring Afghanistan in Pakistan, Tuesday, March 7, 2017. Thousands of Afghans gathered at the Pakistani border to return home on Tuesday as Pakistan temporarily reopened two main crossings that had been closed last month after a wave of militant attacks. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad) Pakistan, which shares the 2,200 kilometer (1,375 mile) long border with Afghanistan, initially shut all the border crossings after a string of militant attacks in the country last month killed over 125 people. Islamabad has accused Kabul of failing to take action against Pakistani militant sanctuaries in Afghanistan's border regions. Kabul has denied the allegation. According to border management officials Fayyaz Khan and Irfan Toor, the Torkham and Chaman crossings would be shut indefinitely, despite the pleas of stranded Afghans who want to return to their country. The crossings are also major arteries for trade and commerce between the two neighbors. Businessmen say they are suffering losses because trucks carrying supplies to Afghanistan were not allowed to cross the border during the brief reopening of the crossings. Pakistan and Afghanistan have long accused each other of failing to combat extremists who operate along the porous frontier between the two nations. On Thursday, Zakaria said militants were still launching attacks from Afghanistan that targeted the Pakistan army. "We continue to lose soldiers" as a result of these attacks, he said. "In order to provide some relief to the stranded people on both sides, we opened the border for two days," he said and added that the border management was the most important aspect to control cross border movement of terrorists, which was hurting both sides. Zakaria said it was in the interest of both Pakistan and Afghanistan to install an effective border management mechanism and he hoped that Kabul will cooperate with Islamabad in managing the border. ___ Associated Press writer Riaz Khan contributed to this report from Peshawar, Pakistan. MOSCOW (AP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has told the visiting German foreign minister that he would like to improve ties between the two countries that were soured by the Ukraine crisis. Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and support for separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine put a strain on a traditionally warm relationship. Putin on Thursday received German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel and extended an invitation for Chancellor Angela Merkel to visit Moscow. Gabriel had met with his counterpart Sergey Lavrov earlier in the day. Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel speak during their meeting in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, March 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, pool) Putin told Gabriel in remarks carried by Russian news agencies that that it is "our common goal to fully normalize the relations and to make sure all the difficulties we face are overcome." Merkel has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine's territorial integrity, which has irked Moscow. A German diplomat who traveled with Gabriel and asked to be unnamed because he was not authorized to speak publicly described the two-hour talks as "lengthy, good and intensive." He said Putin and Gabriel discussed bilateral issues, as well as the conflict in eastern Ukraine and how to ensure compliance with a cease-fire agreement between the Ukrainian government and separatist rebels that Germany and Russia brokered. __ Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report. Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel meet in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, March 9, 2017. Russian President Vladimir Putin told the visiting German foreign minister that he would like to improve ties between the two countries that were soured by the Ukraine crisis. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, pool) German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, March 9, 2017. Russian President Vladimir Putin told the visiting German foreign minister that he would like to improve ties between the two countries that were soured by the Ukraine crisis. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, pool) Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, meets with German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, March 9, 2017. Russian President Vladimir Putin told the visiting German foreign minister that he would like to improve ties between the two countries that were soured by the Ukraine crisis. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, pool) WASHINGTON (AP) - Arrests of people crossing the border illegally dropped roughly 44 percent during President Donald Trump's first month in office, according to Homeland Security data. The Border Patrol reported that about 23,500 people were arrested trying to cross the border illegally in February, compared to about 42,500 arrests in January. The February figures, which also include significant drops in the arrests of families and children trying to cross the border alone, are the lowest monthly tallies since at the least the start of the 2012 budget year. It is not clear exactly what prompted the steep declines. The number of people caught crossing the border illegally in the winter typically is lower than during warmer summer months, though Trump has also made clear he intends to take a hard line on illegal immigration. The president has pledged to build a massive wall along the Mexican border and hire at least 5,000 new Border Patrol agents, though that hiring process is likely to take at least several years and may face some logistical hurdles as the agency tries to ease polygraph exams for certain applicants. Homeland Security John Kelly credited Trump's executive orders on immigration calling for the wall, hiring thousands of immigration agents and cracking down on immigrants living in the country illegally for the steep declines. "This trend is encouraging because it means many fewer people are putting themselves and their families at risk of exploitation, assault and injury by human traffickers and the physical dangers of the treacherous journey north," Kelly said in a statement issued late Wednesday. Kelly, in a meeting with reporters earlier this week in Dallas, said smugglers have also increased prices to get immigrants from Central America - including Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala - across the border since Trump took office. He said the prices have gone from about $3,500 to about $8,000. Though he didn't disclose the latest border arrest figures, Kelly suggested that many would-be border crossers couldn't afford the higher smuggling fees. Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray rejected Kelly's comments. "A figure for one month cannot be analyzed as if it was a trend," he said at a press conference at the Mexican embassy in Washington. "We will be able to have an opinion if this figure becomes a trend over the next months. Today is just a figure of a specific month." Trump has struck a decidedly stricter tone on his approach to immigration enforcement though so far there have been very few direct changes to enforcement along the border. Kelly confirmed last week that his agency was considering separating children and parents caught crossing the border as part of a broader effort to deter families from making the dangerous trek from Central America across Mexico. A final decision has not been made on that issue. Nonetheless, thousands fewer children and families were caught at the border in February, compared to January. Tens of thousands of children and families have fled violence and poverty in Central America in recent years, with the wave of people at times overwhelming border security authorities. Maureen Meyer, a senior associate for Mexico at the human rights advocacy agency Washington Office on Latin America, said it's too early into Trump's term to fully understand what caused the decline in arrests. Data from March and the coming months, she said, is likely offer a better gauge on whether the decline is a seasonal anomaly or more significant trend. ___ Associated Press reporters Claudia Lauer in Dallas and Luis Alonso in Washington contributed to this report. ___ Follow Alicia A. Caldwell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/acaldwellap WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate on Thursday voted to end an Obama effort to identify and help struggling schools and students, as President Donald Trump and Republicans work to undo some of his predecessor's key policies. Senators voted 50-49 to rescind accountability rules issued in November to help states implement the 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act, a law that addresses school ratings, student report cards and other ways to spot and help troubled schools. President Donald Trump is expected to sign the bill into law. Republicans argued that the regulations were an example of federal overreach and that details of things like report cards should be left to states and local communities. Democrats defended the rules, saying they provide important safeguards for vulnerable groups of students, such as children with special needs and minorities. Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said the regulations violate the main idea of ESSA, which he said was meant to empower states on education matters. The law replaced the George W. Bush-era No Child Left Behind law. "People had grown fed up with Washington telling teachers and schools, and superintendents and states, so much about what to do about our children in 100.000 public schools," Alexander, who sponsored the measure, said on the Senate floor before the vote. "This resolution restores flexibility, this resolution preserves local decision-making, this resolution scuttles new and burdensome reporting requirements. This resolution ensures strong accountability for our schools, but it is state accountability," said Alexander, who served as education secretary under President George H.W. Bush. Senator Patty Murray of Washington state, the top Democrat on the committee, had urged lawmakers to keep the regulations in place, saying they protect students' civil rights. "We know that without strong accountability, kids from low-income neighborhoods, students of color, kids with disabilities and students learning English too often fall through the cracks," Murray said. "And now it's up to all of us to uphold the civil rights legacy of the law and its promise for students." On Wednesday, the Senate voted to rescind another Obama education rule governing teacher training and evaluation. Senators were using an expedited process established through the Congressional Review Act, which lets Congress invalidate certain regulations with a simple majority vote in both chambers. Ian Rosenblum, executive director of The Education Trust-New York, said that with the regulations rescinded, it will be up to states to find ways to enforce protections for vulnerable students. "The law is the law, and states are required to enact accountability systems that shine a light on where schools are succeeding and where they are not -including for low-income students, students of color, English learners and students with disabilities," Rosenblum said in a statement. Here's a look at stories The Associated Press plans to cover in Europe from Saturday, March 11, through Monday, March 13. Questions about coverage plans can be directed to the Europe Desk at eurdesk@ap.org. SATURDAY NETHERLANDS-ELECTION - With just days to go until the Dutch election, Prime Minister Mark Rutte campaigns in Breda as he looks to win enough votes for a third term in office. By Mike Corder. UPCOMING: 300 words by 1500 GMT. With: NETHERLANDS-TURKEY - Monitoring likely visit of Turkey's foreign minister to Rotterdam - despite strong Dutch objections - to lobby for a 'yes' vote in a referendum on constitutional reform that would give President Recep Tayyip Erdogan more powers. NETHERLANDS-ELECTION-PRO-MIGRANT PARTY - In an election campaign in the Netherlands dominated by identity issues, a party led by politicians of Turkish descent is seeking to broaden the definition of what it means to be Dutch. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos. RUSSIA-ART - Moscow's Garage museum opens its Triennale gathering 60 artists from across Russia in a show designed to put the nation on the map of world contemporary art but critics say the work is not yet strong enough to make Russia a global art power. SUNDAY NETHERLANDS-ELECTION-WILDERS - Geert Wilders stands out from mainstream Dutch politicians in more ways than one. With his flamboyant shock of blonde-dyed, swept-back hair, and his fiery anti-Islam rhetoric, the right-wing populist at the forefront of what he calls a "Patriotic Spring" sweeping Europe is instantly recognizable. By Mike Corder. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos. FRANCE-CARLOS THE JACKAL - The man known worldwide as Carlos the Jackal goes on trial yet again this week - for a 1974 grenade attack against the "Publicis Drugstore" shopping arcade. Already serving a life sentence in France, IIlich Ramirez Sanchez was once the world's most-wanted terrorist. By Philippe Sotto. AP photos, video. ROMANIA-PROTEST - Romanians hold another anti-corruption protest in the capital, amid concerns that the center-left government has not given up plans to introduce legislation that would ease off on the anti-corruption fight. Covering, filing on merit. Peak of protest at 1900. MONDAY BRITAIN-BREXIT-FIVE LIVES - Brexit. It's coming, but no one really knows what form it will take. Prime Minister Theresa May plans to fire the starting pistol this month, leading to at least two years of complex negotiations between Britain and 27 other European Union nations with competing interests. Here is a look at the how five people - three in Britain, two in continental Europe - are coping with the resulting uncertainty about what happens next. By Gregory Katz. UPCOMING: 1,500 words in a chunky text format, photos by 1100 GMT. GERMANY-US-MERKEL - German Chancellor Angela Merkel heads to Washington Monday for her first meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. The encounter between the trained physicist and veteran politician, renowned for her measured comment and reserved style, and the billionaire real-estate outsider whose off-the-cuff tweets and undiplomatic approach have rocked American politics, could produce an interesting dynamic. But despite the difference in styles, hopes are high that Europe's most powerful leader will be able to use her savvy and experience to dispel some of the angst that has grown internationally over the first weeks of Trump's administration. By Dave Rising. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 1200 GMT. NETHERLANDS-ELECTION-RUTTE - Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte prides himself on his optimism. He has had it tested repeatedly in six years in office as his country has plumbed the depths of economic crisis and been plunged into mourning by the downing of a passenger jet in eastern Ukraine. By Mike Corder UPCOMING: 600 words, photos. FRANCE-ELECTION-MACRON - French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron's novel-worth personal story includes a particularly remarkable figure: His high school theater teacher Brigitte Trogneux, 24 years his senior, who's now his wife and potentially France's next first lady. And unusually for France, she's increasingly campaigning by his side. By Sylvie Corbet. UPCOMING: 600 words by 1300 GMT. AP Photos. FRANCE-CARLOS THE JACKAL - The man known worldwide as Carlos the Jackal goes on trial yet again. Spot coverage of the trial. UNITED NATIONS-MYANMAR - The UN special rapporteur for Myanmar speaks to journalists after detailing her recent report on abuses against the Rohingya minority to the Human Rights Council. UPCOMING: 400 words by 1700 GMT. With photos, video. HUNGARY-POLITICS - Parliament is expected to re-elect President Janos Ader for a five-year term. The opposition has nominated Laszlo Majtenyi, a former ombudsman for data protection, but the dominant majority of the governing Fidesz party practically ensures Ader's reelection. By Pablo Gorondi. UPCOMING: 130 words by 1200 GMT, photos. PORTUGAL-SLOVAKIA - Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva hosts his Slovakian counterpart Miroslav Lajcak for talks. UPCOMING: 130 words from news conference scheduled for 1300 GMT. On merits. SERBIA-KOSOVO - Serbia's top security body to meet over tensions with Kosovo on the plan to form a military and suspend EU-brokered talks with Belgrade until a former rebel fighter-turned-politician held in France on a Serbian arrest warrant is released. All formats. On merit. DENVER (AP) - The Colorado Senate on Thursday passed a first-in-the-nation bill expressly permitting marijuana clubs. But Gov. John Hickenlooper is hinting that he'll veto the measure unless it bans indoor smoking. The bill allows local jurisdictions to permit bring-your-own pot clubs, as long as those establishments don't serve alcohol or any food beyond light snacks. The bill doesn't say whether those clubs could allow people to smoke pot indoors. That means it would be possible for a membership club that is closed to the public and has no more than three employees to permit indoor pot smoking. Sponsors say the bill is necessary because Colorado already has a network of underground, unregulated pot clubs, and towns aren't sure how to treat them. Pot clubs could help alleviate complaints that Colorado's sidewalks and public parks have been inundated with pot smokers since the state legalized recreational weed in 2012. "We have a lot of problems throughout this state of people publicly using marijuana," said Sen. Bob Gardner, a Colorado Springs Republican and sponsor of the club bill. The measure sets up a showdown with the Democratic governor, who has told reporters that clubs could invite federal intervention in Colorado's pot market. Colorado is in violation of federal drug law for not making it a crime to smoke pot, and U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and other members of the Trump administration have said states should not be able to legalize pot. "I do think given the uncertainty in Washington that this is not the year to be out there carving off new turf and expand markets and make dramatic statements about marijuana," Hickenlooper told reporters Wednesday. Further, the governor seemed to chafe at the fact that the club bill doesn't expressly ban indoor smoking. A separate pot-club measure going into effect in Denver limits smoking marijuana to special patios, meaning people could eat or vaporize pot indoors but not burn it. "Smoking is bad for you," Hickenlooper said. "I'm not sure that's a great thing to be encouraging." Lawmakers who support clubs disagree that the bill encourages indoor smoking. "These marijuana membership clubs are so private that's they're more akin to being in your living room than to being in a restaurant," Gardner said. Ten Republicans voted against the pot club bill. Some of them said they fear it'll be impossible to stop people from sharing or selling weed inside the clubs, even though marijuana sales in clubs are banned under the bill. "How are we supposed to stop that?" asked Sen. John Cooke, R-Greeley. The bill passed on a 25-10 vote and now heads to the House, where its prospects are strong. One possible sticking point is that the bill bars food service in the clubs but allows them to sell light snacks that aren't defined. State liquor regulations already bar the sale of alcohol and marijuana at the same place, so the clubs would look more like Amsterdam coffee shops than pot bars. "I'm sure you can drink coffee and smoke marijuana, you just can't drink whiskey and smoke marijuana," Gardner said. ___ AP writer James Anderson contributed to this report. ___ This story has been corrected to show that Colorado's governor says clubs should not allow indoor smoking. GENEVA (AP) - Switzerland's upper house of parliament has rejected an initiative championed by a right-wing populist party to ban burqas and niqabs, the face- and body-covering garments worn by some Muslim women, which have become emblematic of cultural tensions in parts of Europe. The Council of State voted 26-9 with four abstentions Thursday against the measure that passed the Swiss lower house in September by a single vote. The Italian-speaking Ticino region in southern Switzerland enacted a ban on burqas last year. The issue strikes at the heart of Europe's struggle to integrate Muslims, and comes amid fears about radical Islam in some corners. Burqas are body-covering garments with screens for the eyes, while niqabs have open slits for the eyes. France and Belgium have enacted similar bans. FILE - In this Feb. 12, 2017 file photo National Councillor Walter Wobmann displays a leaflet reading "Yes to the ban on veiling'' at the reunion of the Swiss People's Party SVP in Dornach, Switzerland. Switzerland's upper house of parliament has rejected an initiative championed by the right-wing populist party to ban burqas, the face- and body-covering garment worn by some Muslim women. The Council of State voted 26-9 with four abstentions Thursday March 9, 2017 against the measure that narrowly passed the lower house in November. (Peter Klaunzer/Keystone via AP, file) Proponents say such face-covering should not be allowed for security reasons, and insist wearing the burqa harms women's rights. Opponents say the measure is a not-so-veiled attack on Islam, insist that existing laws already do the job, and note that burqas are rarely seen in Switzerland. They have also argued that national legislators should try to stay out of the clothing closet. The measure, led by Swiss People's Party lawmaker Walter Wobmann, would change the Constitution to ban face-covering clothing in public. A campaign poster features silhouettes of a niqab-wearing woman and a masked man poised to throw a firebomb. Anian Liebrand, a former youth leader in the people's party, said that a movement called "Yes to a ban on face-covering" has collected over two-thirds of the 100,000 petition signatures needed by September for the issue to be put up for a referendum in coming years. "We are convinced that the people are going to vote 'yes' to this initiative," he said. "We have done a lot of surveys as we have gathered signatures, and we are optimistic." Andrea Caroni, a libertarian lawmaker with the Free Democratic Party who opposes the measure, praised Thursday's "very clear decision," but said a "real battle" looms once voters get their say. "I don't want to have clothing regulation in my Constitution," Caroni said. He insisted the issue is "not relevant at all" in Switzerland, where about five percent of Switzerland's population of about 8.2 million people are Muslim. "There have been no proven sightings of a real Afghan burqa - not a single one ... which makes the debate slightly absurd," he said. As for the niqab, he added: "I think I've seen one in my whole life in Switzerland." ___ This version corrects that lower house passed bill in September BOSTON (AP) - The Latest on a gay veterans group's efforts to march in Boston's St. Patrick's Day parade (all times local): 5 p.m. Organizers of Boston's St. Patrick's Day parade say they have not officially banned a gay veterans group from the event. FILE - In this March 20, 2016 file photo, members of OutVets, a group of gay military veterans, march in the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in Boston's South Boston neighborhood. The group said Wednesday, March 8, 2017, it was denied permission to march in the 2017 Boston St. Patrick's Day parade just two years after organizers made the ground-breaking decision to allow gay groups to participate for the first time. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File) The Allied War Veterans Council of South Boston says in a statement Thursday that it told the OutVets gay veterans group that the rainbow on its banners and logo violate the code of conduct for the parade, which prohibits advertisement or display of one's sexual orientation. The council also says OutVets did not submit its parade application before the deadline. The group will meet Friday to reconsider a vote on OutVets' application. The veterans council says it routinely bars controversial groups. It says it is accepting of all people but will not permit messages that conflict with the parade's celebration of country, community and the Catholic faith. ___ 1:45 p.m. The gay veterans group barred from marching in Boston's St. Patrick's Day parade later this month is thanking its supporters. OutVets has marched in the parade the past two years after the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council in 2015 reversed a decades long ban on gay organizations participating in the annual event. But the council voted Tuesday to bar OutVets. OutVets says it was told it had broken a parade rule by carrying a rainbow banner. OutVets said in a statement Thursday that it is "humbled and moved by the outpouring of support from so many of our elected officials, our brother and sister veterans, and many, many others" around the council's decision. The pressure on parade organizers, including a pullout by one major sponsor, has prompted them to schedule a meeting Friday to reconsider the vote to exclude OutVets. ___ 7:30 a.m. The organizers of Boston's St. Patrick's Day parade have scheduled an emergency meeting to reconsider their vote to bar a gay veterans group from participating. The vote Tuesday to bar OutVets drew immediate condemnation from high-profile politicians. Ed Flynn, a member of the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council, which organizes the parade scheduled for March 19, says the emergency meeting will take place Friday. Flynn voted to allow Outvets in. Members of the council and OutVets met Wednesday but could not resolve the impasse. OutVets was first allowed to participate in the parade in 2015. OutVets founder Bryan Bishop says he was told the group was barred this year because they broke parade rules by carrying a rainbow banner, which the council considers a symbol of gay sexuality. WASHINGTON (AP) - Attorney General Jeff Sessions suggested Thursday that he would be open to the appointment of an outside counsel to review actions taken by the Justice Department during the Obama administration. Conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt asked Sessions in an interview if the new attorney general would consider designating an outside counsel "not connected to politics" to take a second look at Justice Department actions that provoked Republican ire in the last eight years. Those include the Fast and Furious gun scandal and the decisions against bringing criminal charges over Hillary Clinton's email practices or the Internal Revenue Service's treatment of conservative groups. Hewitt contended during his radio interview that the department had become "highly politicized" in the Obama administration and floated the idea of a special review by an attorney with the authority to bring criminal charges and "just generally to look at how the Department of Justice operated." Sessions was noncommittal but left the door open, saying he would do everything he could to "restore the independence and professionalism of the Department of Justice." "So we would have to consider whether or not some outside special counsel is needed," Sessions said. "Generally, a good review of that internally is the first step before any such decision is made." The exchange reflected the lingering deep partisan anger over the Justice Department's decision to close without charges the Clinton email investigation and a separate probe into how the IRS processed requests for tax-exempt applications. Sessions said the outcome of the IRS case, in particular, remained "of real concern." The Justice Department in 2015 found mismanagement at the tax agency but no evidence that it had targeted a political group based on its viewpoints or obstructed justice. Democrats have called for an outside counsel to probe possible contacts between Russian officials and the Trump campaign. Sessions recused himself last week from any investigation that touches the campaign, and Rod Rosenstein, the prosecutor nominated as his deputy, would not commit at his confirmation hearing this week to step aside from any such investigation. During the campaign, President Donald Trump said he would appoint a special prosecutor to look into Clinton, though he expressed ambivalence about that idea after he won the election. It's not clear how serious Sessions was about the idea of a special counsel to investigate past Justice Department decisions, or how such an undertaking might work. ___ Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP BRUSSELS (AP) - In the days after rogue soldiers tried to take over Turkey last year, the fax machine in the Turkish delegation's offices at NATO headquarters started spitting out lists of names. The lists from armed forces headquarters in Ankara often arrived on Friday evenings as personnel were packing up for the weekend. At first, each carried 20 or 30 names. But the one that came through more than two months after the July coup attempt made even seasoned Turkish officers in Brussels anxious. It gave 221 colonels, majors and other mid-ranking officers at NATO facilities around the world three days to get back to Turkey. FILE - In this Saturday, July 16, 2016 file photo, Turkish soldiers secure Istanbul's Taksim square, as supporters of Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan protest in Istanbul. In the wake of last year's coup in Turkey, scores of military officers are seeking asylum in Belgium and elsewhere in Europe. Three who spoke to AP tell Kafkaesque tales of a life in hiding, charged with crimes against the state. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel, File) "Normally you would be told where you are going on your next assignment, get an allowance to move your family, have some time for your children to leave school," one major who appeared on the Sept. 27 list told The Associated Press. "It didn't make any sense." The lives of the individuals named were about to be turned upside down. Considered suspects in the coup, dozens of Turkish officers assigned to NATO are refusing orders from the country they spent their adult lives serving and no longer trust. Instead, they are seeking asylum abroad or have gone into hiding, fearing they could be arrested and imprisoned as terrorists if they return. More than 150,000 people have been taken into custody, fired or forced to retire from Turkey's armed forces, judiciary, education system and other public institutions since the thwarted July 15 coup. Yet few first-person accounts have emerged from those caught up in the unprecedented purge, in part because the crackdown has extended to journalists and news outlets in Turkey. Three officers, each with more than 20 years' experience in the armed forces and at least a year at NATO, shared their experiences - as well as lists, documents and photographs - with an AP reporter. Assigned to posts in Belgium while the failed power grab played out, they believe they have water-tight alibis. When the big list came in, men gathered around the fax machine trying to grasp what the order meant, how badly the failed coup had shaken up the armed forces. They compared notes in offices, at the cafeteria, and later in the homes of some 150 Turkish officers whose careers and paychecks were about to end. "People came together to understand why and what to do. Was it legal? How would it affect our lives? What was next?" the major said. He spoke on condition of confidentiality during a cautiously arranged interview, expressing fear for his safety and the welfare of his family. Three days after the officers were ordered back to Turkey, another fax arrived. It contained 19 more names and a new order: Return immediately. No explanation. No instructions for the city or military base where they were expected to show up. "It gave us only a few hours to return. We were told to buy a ticket and come back," the major recalled. "We couldn't work out what was going on, what it meant. But from that letter, we could understand that we had already been purged." The army long has been the guarantor of secularism in predominantly Muslim Turkey. Past military coups were conducted to remove leaders considered too Islamist and to uphold the republican ideals of modern Turkey. Over the years, though, a series of trials involving army officers accused of anti-government conspiracies - many based on disputed evidence - has weakened the army's political influence. The officers being excised, particularly the ones at NATO, are bright, western-educated men - including West Point graduates - whose experience they say was vital to building and running one of the biggest armies in the Western military alliance. With little help apart from the bond of solidarity the officers have formed, the specter of deportation and arrest seems all too near. "I have a brilliant military career, and I'm not new to the armed forces," one colonel said, producing a glowing recommendation letter from a non-Turkish superior officer at NATO. "We are good people, we are good officers. We are not terrorists. We are trying to understand why we were targeted." In a decree handed down on Nov. 22, the officers who spoke to AP, along with many others, were branded as members or contacts of terrorist groups or structures that Turkey's National Security Council accused of "activities against the national security of the state." At first, they were determined to return and prove their innocence. As a precaution, the major went to a doctor to establish a current health record. The doctor, a man of North African origin warned him: "We have seen this kind of thing before in my country. Don't go back." It was probably good advice. Amnesty International has reported cases of prisoners being severely mistreated since the coup attempt, subjected to beatings and sometimes even sexual assault. Food, water, legal counsel and medical treatment are routinely denied. "Some of the worst reported physical abuse was linked to military personnel and senior military personnel," Amnesty researcher Andrew Gardner told the AP. "It's fair to assume that they were among the people targeted for the most extreme abuse." The colonel and his family, along with about 100 other Turkish personnel, have applied for asylum in Belgium. Scores of other officers are seeking asylum in Germany, the Netherlands and Norway. "I don't want to be a refugee," he said. For now, it is the only guarantee of safety he and his family have, he said. The Turkish government alleges that the failed military power grab was plotted and directed from the United States by Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic cleric and former ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan says vast numbers of Gulen's followers have infiltrated the army and much of Turkish society like a virus. On that summer night, rebel officers launched simultaneous attacks in Ankara and Istanbul, striking at police stations and killing dozens. Fighter jets bombed the Turkish parliament while lawmakers were in session. Top military commanders, including the chief of military staff, were kidnapped. The hastily arranged coup ended up crushed amid a popular uprising by Turks frightened at the prospect of a military takeover. From southwest Turkey, the vacationing Erdogan used a smartphone to urge supporters into the streets. In the weeks that followed, thousands of people were taken into custody under sweeping emergency laws allowing 30 days' detention. "I was surprised and angry. From the very first moments it looked unreal," the major said. "Generals were beaten and treated like dogs in front of the cameras. Many of our friends and the people we knew of the highest caliber were being arrested." Defense officials say Gulen supporters who did not participate in the coup can still be threats, given past examples of officers ignoring their commanders to take instructions from high-ranking people in the movement. The officers in Belgium insist they are not Gulenists; they agree that Gulen supporters have infiltrated Turkish life. They also argue that the government's purge has been arbitrary and ill-conceived. European intelligence officials were surprised by the speed with which the coup suspect lists were drawn up, according to a report by the EU Intelligence Analysis Center. Turkey is trying to join the European Union, and must bring its laws and human rights practices in line with the bloc's standards. The Intcen report, which was reviewed by the Times of London newspaper, concluded that the huge wave of arrests that followed the aborted coup "was already previously prepared." "Erdogan exploited the failed coup and the state of emergency to launch an extensive repressive campaign against the opponents of the (governing Justice and Development Party) establishment," the Times quoted the report as saying. The purged officers think the plot was exploited by the Turkish authorities. Other Erdogan critics say the president has used the coup as a pretext to seize control of the judiciary and the armed forces, two of the country's most independent institutions. The officers who haven't requested asylum hang on as exiles, living in virtual hiding and without salaries, scared they are being watched and with no idea when or if they will be able to go home. The legal limbo is unnerving for the men, who have been refused consular assistance to help fight charges for crimes they say they did not commit. Turkish authorities say the charges must remain a state secret, and the officers have neither seen nor heard the evidence against them. They struggle to find lawyers to represent them. An official at the Turkish embassy in Brussels declined to say how purged officers would be treated if they came for help or documents, saying only "We don't deal with that kind of thing." A further AP request for information went unanswered. The accused men speak highly of NATO and have been moved by private gestures of support. One German colleague invited the colonel for Christmas. As he was leaving, he was handed an envelope with money inside. "I said that I could not accept it," the colonel said. "But his lady hugged me and cried. 'We want to wholeheartedly give you this,' she said." At NATO, the official position is that this is all a matter for the Turkish government. Only NATO's top general, Curtis Scaparrotti, has spoken publicly of "a degradation on my staff" due to the loss of about 150 "talented, capable people" from Turkey. He said he had no indication they were coup-plotters. Despite the risks, some former colleagues in Turkey ask why the men haven't come back if they have not committed crimes against the state as they claim. Relatives and friends also wonder why the men don't take a chance and return. Under pressure, deprived of their work routines and in some cases afraid for families in Turkey, these officers are also wary that Turkey's military attache or the country's the MIT intelligence agency might be tracking them. The strain shows. "My wife's family are having a hard time understanding why we are not going back. The whole society is divided," a second colonel, visibly more restless and tense than his colleagues, said. He has chosen not to apply for asylum in Belgium. "I'm just keeping a low profile," he said. "We are waiting for a change to happen in Turkey because this just isn't sustainable." The signal this colonel hopes to see may not materialize for a while. Last month, the Turkish armed forces removed a ban on Islamic-style head coverings, allowing female officers to wear them. In a country where Erdogan and his Islam-rooted party are working to consolidate power, the move represented a symbolic neutering of the army's role as the guardian of secularism. Meanwhile, with a state of emergency still in place almost eight months after the coup attempt, new lists have trickled off the fax at Turkey's NATO delegation in recent months. More officers have joined the ranks of those seeking international protection. TORONTO (AP) - Canada's so-called "Prince of Pot" and his wife were charged Thursday with multiple drug-related charges after being arrested in Toronto. Lawyer Jack Lloyd said Marc Emery and his wife, Jodie Emery, were taken into custody at Toronto's Pearson International Airport on Wednesday evening. Marc Emery faces 15 counts, including conspiracy to commit an indictable offense, trafficking, possession for the purpose of trafficking, and possession of proceeds of crime, while Jodie Emery is charged with five similar counts. A woman smokes a joint as police officers stand outside the Cannabis Culture shop during a police raid, in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Thursday, March 9, 2017. Prominent marijuana activists Marc and Jodie Emery have been arrested in Toronto and police are raiding several pot dispensaries associated with the couple. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP) Jodie Emery mouthed the words "I love you" to her husband during the couple's brief Thursday court appearance and flashed a peace sign to supporters in the room before being admonished by the justice of the peace. Emery was sentenced to five years in prison on drug distribution charges by a U.S. federal judge in Seattle, Washington in September 2010 after pleading guilty to selling marijuana seeds to U.S. customers. The couple owns the Cannabis Culture brand, which has a chain of 19 marijuana dispensaries operating openly in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. Police raided Cannabis Culture stores in several cities Thursday. The federal government is moving to legalize marijuana, but people are already setting up retail outlets selling pot for recreational use. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has emphasized current laws should be respected. Toronto police spokesman Mark Pugash said Thursday that five people were arrested and 11 search warrants were executed in Ontario and Vancouver on Thursday as part of Project Gator. Pugash said details of the charges were being finalized. He says seven Cannabis Culture locations, five in Toronto, one in Hamilton and another in Vancouver, were searched along with two homes in Toronto, one in Stoney Creek, Ontario, and one in Vancouver. No employees of the dispensaries were arrested, Pugash said. "Our history of enforcing the law against illegal cannabis dispensaries is well established," he said. "This is the latest effort in our law enforcement, and I'm certain there will be further action." Nadia Conte, 36, was at one of the Toronto dispensaries raided Thursday and said she doesn't understand why police are spending resources on the raids. "In my opinion, these places help keep weed regulated," she said. "People used to go to dealers but now dealers go there to buy their weed. And, all you have to do is show ID for some places, and boom, you get weed. I think it's a safer option for most people." Police forces across the country have been raiding pot shops in recent months and charging owners with trafficking-related offenses. Emery was previously arrested at one of his new Montreal dispensaries in December and charged with drug trafficking. A Vancouver-based lawyer for the Emerys said in a statement that "several cannabis activists" have been arrested in addition to his clients. "Coordinated countrywide raids attempting, futilely, to enforce an outdated and harmful law degrades public confidence in the administration of justice, wastes valuable taxpayer funds, wastes scarce police, prosecutorial and judicial resources and benefits precisely no one," Kirk Tousaw said. GREER, S.C. (AP) - Authorities say a driver changing a tire on the side of Interstate 85 in South Carolina has died after stumbling into the road and being hit by a tractor trailer. Troopers told media outlets that the driver stopped at mile marker 60 in Spartanburg County near the BMW plant around 9:30 a.m. Thursday. Authorities sat the driver was working on the tire, stood up, lost balance and ended up in the path of the truck. Troopers say the truck driver will not be charged. The coroner's office has not released the victim's name. BERLIN (AP) - Pope Francis says the church must study whether it's possible to ordain married men to minister in remote communities facing priest shortages. In an interview published Thursday with Germany's Die Zeit, Francis stressed that removing the celibacy rule is not the answer to the Catholic Church's priest shortage. But he expressed an openness to studying whether so-called "viri probati" - or married men of proven faith - could be ordained. "We must consider if viri probati is a possibility. Then we must determine what tasks they can perform, for example, in remote communities," he was quoted as saying. Pope Francis waves to faithful during the Angelus prayer delivered by Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, March 5, 2017. The pontiff has called on the faithful to consult the Bible with the same frequency as they might consult their smart phones for messages. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) The "viri probati" proposal has been around for decades, but it has drawn fresh attention under history's first Latin American pope thanks in part to his appreciation of the challenges facing the church in places like Brazil, a huge Catholic country with an acute shortage of priests. Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes, a longtime friend of Francis and former head of the Vatican's office for clergy, is reportedly pressing to allow viri probati in the Amazon, where the church counts around one priest for every 10,000 Catholics. Francis has shown particular openness to receiving concrete proposals for ordaining married men as well as his own pastoral concern for men who have left ministry to marry. He has maintained friendship with the Argentine widow of a friend who left the priesthood to marry, and he spent one of his Friday mercy missions last year visiting with men who had left ministry to start families. He has also said that while he favors a celibate priesthood, celibacy technically can be up for discussion since it's a discipline of the church, not a dogma. The church allows some exceptions to the rule. Priests in the eastern rite Catholic Church are allowed to be married, as are married Anglican priests who convert to Catholicism. In the first major interview that Francis has given a German newspaper, the pope was asked whether he experienced moments in which he doubted the existence of God. He responded: "I, too, know moments of emptiness." But, he pointed out that periods of crisis are an opportunity to grow, saying a believer who doesn't experience that remains "infantile." Francis also repeated his warning of the dangers of rising populism in western democracies, saying "populism is evil and ends badly as the past century showed." In the interview, Francis also confirmed Colombia was on his travel itinerary for 2017, as well as India and Bangladesh. He ruled out Congo, which had been rumored, but mentioned Egypt as a possibility. Francis also recently said he hoped to visit South Sudan. WASHINGTON (AP) - At Moscow's New Economic School, the annual graduation ceremony often features a prominent political figure. President Barack Obama addressed graduates at the prestigious institution in 2009. The former presidents of Mexico and the Czech Republic have spoken at recent ceremonies. Last year, the university invited Carter Page, a little-known former investment banker and foreign policy adviser to then-U.S. presidential hopeful Donald Trump. It wouldn't be the last time Page would draw unexpected - and some say outsized - attention for his relationship to Trump, his entanglements in Russia and the murky nexus between the two. Page, who left the campaign before the election, has emerged as a key figure in the controversy surrounding Trump associates' connections to Russia. The New York Times has reported that Page is among the Trump associates whose potential contacts with Russia are being investigated by the FBI. Congressional committees probing Russia's hacking during the election and Trump campaign ties have asked Page to preserve materials related to their investigations. FILE - In this Friday, July 8, 2016, file photo, Carter Page, then adviser to U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, speaks at the graduation ceremony for the New Economic School in Moscow, Russia. Page, once a little-known investment banker-turned-adviser in the outer circle of the improbable Trump campaign, is emerging as a central figure in the controversy surrounding campaign connections to Russia. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File) For those who contend the scrutiny of Trump is overblown, Page is the sort of figure often associated with an understaffed presidential campaign that struggled to recruit policy advisers and spent little time vetting those who did join the team. But to those who believe Trump's campaign was colluding with Russia as it hacked Democratic groups, Page may be the key link between the candidate and Moscow. Page contends he's the target of a plot hatched by Trump's former rival Hillary Clinton and allies who engaged in "severe election fraud in the form of disinformation, suppression of dissent, hate crimes and other extensive abuses." Page's appearance at the Russian university immediately raised eyebrows. For an adviser to an American presidential hopeful speaking overseas, his message was strikingly critical of the U.S. It came as Trump's calls for warmer relations with the Kremlin were a source of criticism from Democrats and alarm from some fellow Republicans. Washington had a "hypocritical focus on ideas such as democratization, inequality, corruption and regime change" in its dealings with Russia, Page said at the school. Page and former Trump campaign officials say he made the trip in a personal capacity and not as a representative of the campaign. But university officials have been clear that Page's connections and insight into the Trump campaign were the draw. "We were interested in what was going on - already then, Trump's candidacy raised eyebrows, and everyone was really curious," said Shlomo Weber, the academic director at the New Economic School, in an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda radio station. A newsletter announcing Page's visit read. "You are invited to a lecture by Carter Page, foreign policy adviser for Donald Trump's election campaign." Page has said he asked for, and received, permission from the Trump campaign to appear in a personal capacity. Page has offered contradictory answers about his contacts with Russian officials during his visit. On Thursday, he told The Associated Press he did not meet with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, who also spoke at the graduation. But in September, he told The Washington Post that he did speak with Dvorkovich briefly. Back in the U.S. a few days later, Page talked with Russia's ambassador to the U.S. at an event on the sidelines of the Republican National Convention, according to a person with knowledge of the meeting. Attorney General Jeff Sessions spoke with the Russian envoy at the same event, a conversation he failed to reveal when asked about contacts with Russians during his Senate confirmation hearings. Page, a former Merrill Lynch investment banker who worked out of its Moscow office for three years, now runs Global Energy Capital, a firm focused on energy sectors in emerging markets. According to the company's website, he has advised on transactions for Gazprom and RAO UES, a pair of Russian entities. In December, Page returned to Moscow, where he noted he had "the opportunity to meet with an executive from Rosneft," the Russian oil giant, according to a video clip of his remarks posted on YouTube. Rosnet's chairman, Igor Sechin, a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been targeted by U.S. sanctions, though Page says he was not referring to Sechin in his remarks. Some of the suspicion surrounding Page stems from the fact that no one who worked for the campaign can quite explain how he ended up on Trump's list of foreign policy advisers. Page has also sidestepped those questions, saying he doesn't want to put others "in the same damaged pot as myself." One campaign official said Page was recruited by Sam Clovis, an Iowa Republican operative who ran the Trump campaign's policy shop and is now a senior adviser at the Agriculture Department. Clovis did not respond to messages from The Associated Press. Trump has distanced himself from Page, saying he never met him. Those who served on the campaign's foreign policy advisory committee also said they had limited contact with Page. "Only met him once very briefly," said George Papadopoulos, the director of the Center for International Energy and Natural Resources Law and Security in London. But in a letter late Wednesday to the Senate Intelligence Committee, Page cast himself as a regular presence in Trump Tower, where the campaign was headquartered. "I have frequently dined in Trump Grill, had lunch in Trump Cafe, had coffee meetings in the Starbucks at Trump Tower, attended events and spent many hours in campaign headquarters on the fifth floor last year," Page wrote. He also noted that his office building in New York "is literally connected to the Trump Tower building by an atrium." Page stopped advising the campaign sometime around the end of summer, though the exact circumstances of the separation are unclear. After the campaign, Trump's lawyers sent Page at least two cease and desist letters, according to another campaign official, who like others, insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. _ AP writers Jim Heintz in Moscow and Maria Danilova contributed to this report. _ Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) - Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to return to the country on Friday, his government said late Thursday, after an absence of almost 1 months that raised questions about his health. Few details have been released about Buhari's medical leave in London. When he left Nigeria on Jan. 19, the government said it was for routine medical checkups and that he would return in early February. Instead, he remained out of sight for weeks while anxiety rose in Africa's most populous nation, which is grappling with crises including Boko Haram extremist attacks and an economy that last year contracted for the first time in a quarter-century. The statement Thursday from special adviser Femi Adesina said Buhari's "holiday" had been extended on doctors' recommendations for further testing and rest. It gave no details about the health of the president, who is 74. The statement also said Buhari expressed appreciation for Nigerians who have "prayed fervently" for him during his absence. Some in Nigeria have called for Buhari's replacement and expressed anger at taxpayer-funded treatment for top officials overseas while people at home cope with poorly funded health care. During his long absence, Buhari spoke once by phone with President Donald Trump as the new U.S. leader reached out to a couple of Africa's largest economies. Earlier Thursday, the Nigerian president tweeted photographs of his meeting in London with the Archbishop of Canterbury. Thaddeus Jimenez. Jimenez won a $25 million award in 2012 for a wrongful murder conviction only to spend it on rebuilding his Simon City Royals street gang and committing new crimes A Chicago gang member who received $25million in a wrongful conviction judgement and was freed from prison after serving 16 years for a crime he didn't commit is headed back behind bars after he spent all of his money and randomly shot a friend in both legs. Gang member Thaddeus Jimenez, 37, who ran the Simon City Royals gang in Chicago, was sentenced to nine years in prison on Thursday for shooting an acquaintance in the knees. Jimenez, who had been introduced to the gang life early thanks to his uncles, had been wrongfully convicted in a gang murder in 1997 when he was 13, tried as an adult, and sentenced to 45 years in prison, reported the Chicago Tribune. Jimenez sued the city and the police department and in 2012, a federal jury awarded him $25million, one of largest police misconduct awards in city history. Scroll down for video After being released from prison, Jimenez went back to his old gang ways, and financed the reboot of his old gang, Simon City Royals - he would give cash bonuses to those who would get the gang's insignia tattooed on their faces, like he had In 2015, he and a fellow gang member filmed themselves shooting an acquaintance, Earl Casteel, 33, whom they happened to meet on the street. On Thursday, the judge sentenced him to nine years after viewing the video. Jimenez was serving his time for a crime he didn't commit when his luck turned. After years of begging legal advocates to look at his case, attorneys and students from the Northwestern University Bluhm Center on Wrongful Convictions agreed to do so. Jimenez, above, at 13 (left) and 12 (right), the age he was when he was convicted as an adult for killing a gang member he didn't kill, he served 16 years His advocates found proof that another man had confessed to the murder that Jimenez was convicted of, two key witnesses recanted their earlier statements, and a judge acquitted Jimenez in 2007. He had served 16 years behind bars, often in solitary confinement, one time having little contact with other people for four years. Because of his small stature, he was often beaten in prison. When he was released, his old gang, Simon City Royals, was basically defunct. Instead of living a life of leisure, or giving back to the community, Jimenez decided to recruit get his old gang back together, and terrorize the community around their 'turf' on Irving Park. Attorney Jon Loevy, left, with his client Thaddeus Jimenez, who was arrested at 13 only to be exonerated after serving 16 years in prison Jimenez and Roman were in this black convertible Mercedes when they shot Casteel - they then took off and crashed it Jimenez, according to the Chicago Tribune, spent virtually all of his fortune (after lawyers took their half) on cars, guns, recruiting new gang members with cash, and giving cash bonuses to those who would tattoo the crew's insignia on their faces. He would also bail members out of prison. New gang members could make $50,000. He once bailed out a member for $100,000. Jimenez (in red hat) and fellow gang member Roman drove around Irving Park area until they saw a man they knew, Earl Casteel (above in the black t-shirt) 'What's up, folks?' asks an oblivious Casteel who approached the car 'Why shouldn't I blast you right now' Jimenez demands of an astonished Casteel, who thinks they're friends Jimenez is seen shooting Casteel in the legs and, as the man screams in pain, driving away 'His new family became the gang, reconstructed from his childhood memory of his uncles [who introduced him to gang life], the kids he had run with before his first arrest,' his lawyer, Steven Greenberg, wrote. 'They became his crew - for a price - and gave him the self-esteem he had always craved and had never had. He also bought cars, including a $90,000 black Mercedes convertible, an approximately $60,000 2011 Range Rover, and an $80,000 Porsche Panamera. According to the Tribune, he spent 'millions' of dollars on luxury vehicles. After the lawyers took half the settlement, Jimenez had little left of his award after what he spent. Meanwhile, the face-tatted gang was flexing its muscle in the neighborhood, driving around, flashing guns and cash, making threats to random people on the street, getting into the drug business, and posting videos threatening rivals and police. His girlfriend and mother of his two children, Jessica Taylor, says Jimenez has 'trust issues' relating to his time in prison Jimenez also had two children with his girlfriend, Jessica Taylor. Prosecutors said the gang 'promotes an atmosphere of terror that devastates neighborhoods and leads only to increasingly longer prison terms, or death,' and that they had a 'feudal means of self-governance.' It all came to a head on the morning of August 2015, when Jimenez and member Jose Roman drove around in the black convertible Mercedes, looking for a victim. The two had guns, including Jimenez's custom-plated pistol and Roman's .22-caliber Mossberg semiautomatic rifle, Gucci bags full of ammunition, and an iPhone to record it all. Their soundtrack of choice was opera music. As the video showed, when the pair ran across Earl Casteel, 33, a former member of the gang and a friend, he greeted them warmly. 'What's up, folks?' Casteel asks when the car pulls up. 'Why shouldn't I blast you right now?' Jimenez says, according to transcript of the video. "Blast me, n----?" Casteel asks, astonished. 'You my brother, man! I ain't got nothing against you.' But Jimenez aimed his pistol at Casteel's legs and shot him once in each thigh. 'Why would you do that?' Casteel cried out as he fell. 'Shut up, bitch,' Jimenez said. He then yelled 'Get the f--- out of here!' to Roman and they screeched away. Cops later caught up to the pair when Jimenez lost control of his car, crashing it. Jimenez ran from the car but was apprehended. Casteel would need steel reinforcements in his legs and months of physical therapy. He sued the Jimenez estate and won a $6.3 million judgment in December. His lawyer is trying to track down whatever assets Jimenez has left. Although Jimenez's lawyer argued that he should receive the minimum in prison for his crime since he'd already spent 16 years behind bars for a crime he didn't commit, the judge sentenced him to nine years, slightly less than the maximum of ten. In a federal filing, prosecutors summed up the strange story this way: '[Jimenez] could have used this money in any number of ways - to assist friends and family, contribute to the community, sponsor others wrongfully convicted or simply live in comfort for the rest of his natural life - instead he chose to build a gang.' 'He has trust issues,' his girlfriend, Jessica Taylor, said outside court Thursday. 'He doesn't trust anyone.' 'Ironically, the restitution he received for his terrible injuries did not bring healing, it just drew other vultures to pick at his wounds,' said his lawyer, Greenberg. WASHINGTON (AP) - The top U.S. commander in the Middle East signaled Thursday that there will be a larger and longer American military presence in Syria to accelerate the fight against the Islamic State group and quell friction within the complicated mix of warring factions there. Gen. Joseph Votel, head of U.S. Central Command, told senators Thursday that he will need more conventional U.S. forces to insure stability once the fight to defeat Islamic State militants in their self-declared capital of Raqqa is over. The U.S. military, he said, can't just leave once the fight is over because the Syrians will need help keeping IS out and ensuring the peaceful transition to local control. Votel's testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee comes as up to 400 U.S. forces have moved into Syria in recent days. Well more than half of those are Marines, bringing in large artillery guns for the Raqqa fight, and the rest are Army Rangers who went into northern Syria to tamp down skirmishes between Turkish and Syrian forces near the border. The numbers have been fluctuating, often on a daily basis, as troops move in and out. FILE - In this Aug. 30, 2016 file photo, U.S. Central Command Command Commander, U.S. Army Gen. Joseph Votel speaks to reporters at the Pentagon. Votel says he has completed an exhaustive review of the Yemen raid that killed a Navy SEAL, and he concluded there were no lapses in judgment or decision making surrounding the operation, and he sees no need for additional investigations. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File) "I think as we move towards the latter part of these operations into more of the stability and other aspects of the operations, we will see more conventional forces requirements," Votel said. Until recently, the U.S. military presence in Syria was made up of special operations forces advising and assisting the U.S.-backed Syrian troops. It will be critical, Votel said, to get humanitarian aid, basic working services and good local leaders in place in Raqqa so that businesses can return and the city can move on. He also told senators that the U.S. is looking for options to ease the tensions with Turkey over the plan to use U.S.-backed Syrian Kurds in the fight to oust Islamic State fighters from Raqqa. But he offered no details on what those options could be. The U.S. is considering arming the Syrian Kurdish forces, which the Pentagon considers the most effective fighters against IS militants in northern and eastern Syria. But Turkey, a key NATO ally, considers the Syrian force, known as the YPG, a terrorist organization. Turkey wants to work with other Syrian opposition fighters known as the Free Syrian Army to liberate Raqqa. Pentagon leaders sent a new plan to defeat IS to the White House late last month that included a variety of options for the ongoing fight in Iraq and Syria. The White House hasn't yet approved the plans, but the recent deployments into Syria suggest that President Donald Trump may be leaning toward giving the Pentagon greater flexibility to make routine combat decisions in the IS fight. Military commanders frustrated by what they considered micromanagement under the previous administration have argued for greater freedom to make daily decisions on how best to fight the enemy In separate comments, Votel also reaffirmed that more American forces are needed in Afghanistan, a point the top U.S. commander in that country made to Congress several weeks ago. Votel agreed that the fight against the Taliban is in a stalemate, and said "it will involve additional forces" to ensure the U.S. can better advise and assist the Afghan forces. U.S. Gen. John Nicholson, the top American commander in Afghanistan, told the Senate Armed Services Committee last month that he needs a few thousand more troops to help end the stalemate there. And Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said in recent weeks that he will make decisions soon on whether to recommend an increase in the U.S. force. TORONTO (AP) - The finance minister of Canada's most populous province is re-thinking a foreign buyers' tax as one possible option to cool Toronto's housing market. The average price of homes sold in the greater Toronto area last month rose 27.7 percent over last year and the average price of a detached home in Toronto is now more than $1.1 million ($1.5 million Canadian). Finance Minister Charles Sousa said last year that Ontario would not follow the lead of British Columbia, which imposed a 15 percent tax on foreign nationals buying real estate in the Vancouver area. Sousa said Thursday's he's concerned about people's ability to enter the market and "the degree of fast appreciation." He says he is considering a number of options and "a foreign tax is just one." WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump was not aware that his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, had worked to further the interests of the government of Turkey before appointing him, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Thursday. Spicer's comments came two days after Flynn and his firm, Flynn Intel Group Inc., filed paperwork with the Justice Department formally identifying him as a foreign agent and acknowledging that his work for a company owned by a Turkish businessman could have aided Turkey's government. Asked whether Trump knew about Flynn's work before he appointed him as national security adviser, Spicer said, "I don't believe that that was known." FILE - In this Feb. 13, 2017 file photo, Mike Flynn arrives for a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington. Flynn, President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, who was fired from the White House last month, has registered as a foreign agent with the Justice Department for work that may have aided the Turkish government in exchange for $530,000. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) Flynn and his company filed the registration paperwork describing $530,000 worth of lobbying before Election Day on behalf of Inovo BV, a Dutch-based company owned by Turkish businessman Ekim Alptekin. In an interview with The Associated Press, Alptekin said Flynn did so after pressure from Justice Department officials. The filing this week was the former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency's first acknowledgement that his consulting business furthered the interests of a foreign government while he was working as a top adviser to Trump's presidential campaign. Flynn's disclosure that his lobbying - from August through November- may have benefited Turkey's authoritarian government led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan came as Flynn has drawn scrutiny from the FBI for his contacts with Russian officials. Trump fired Flynn last month for misleading Vice President Mike Pence and other administration officials about his contacts with Russia's ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak. In paperwork filed with the Justice Department's Foreign Agent Registration Unit, Flynn and his firm acknowledged that his lobbying "could be construed to have principally benefited the Republic of Turkey." The lobbying contract ended after Trump's election in November, according to the paperwork. A spokesman for Flynn, Price Floyd, said the general was not available for an interview Thursday. Floyd referred the AP to Flynn's filing in response to questions about why he and his firm had decided to register this week. Flynn's attorney, Robert Kelner, declined to comment through a spokesman for his law firm, Covington & Burling. The Turkish Embassy also didn't respond to questions from the AP. Spicer said he didn't know what Flynn had disclosed about his background and lobbying work during the White House's vetting of him for appointment as national security adviser. Spicer said Flynn was free to do the lobbying work because it occurred while he was a private citizen. "There's nothing nefarious about doing anything that's legal as long as the proper paperwork if filed," Spicer said. He declined to say whether Trump would have appointed Flynn if he had known about the lobbying. After Flynn joined the Trump administration, he agreed not to lobby for five years after leaving government service and never to represent foreign governments. Flynn's newly disclosed lobbying would not have violated that pledge because it occurred before he joined the Trump administration in January, but the pledge precludes Flynn from ever doing the same type of work again in his lifetime. Under the Foreign Agent Registration Act, U.S. citizens who lobby on behalf of foreign governments or political entities must disclose their work to the Justice Department. Willfully failing to register is a felony, though the Justice Department rarely files criminal charges in such cases. It routinely works with lobbying firms to get back in compliance with the law by registering and disclosing their work. More than a month before Flynn was appointed as national security adviser, news accounts and Democratic senators had raised questions about potential conflicts of interest regarding Flynn's work for the Turkish company. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., criticized Flynn's work and late disclosure again Thursday as troubling. "Gen. Flynn's behavior seems to be part of a larger pattern of poor judgment from members of this administration," she said. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said in a statement that Flynn should return any foreign money he received. "This astonishing admission is more appalling evidence of foreign entanglements and conflicts of interest involving the Trump team," he said. He said a special prosecutor should be appointed to look into ties between Trump officials and foreign governments. Alptekin told the AP that Justice Department officials had pushed for Flynn and his firm to register as foreign agents in recent weeks. He said the filing was a response to "political pressure" and he did not agree with Flynn's decision to file the registration documents with the Justice Department. He also said that he had asked for some of his money back because of his dissatisfaction with the company's performance. "I disagree with the filing," he said in a phone call from Istanbul. "It would be different if I was working for the government of Turkey, but I am not taking directions from anyone in the government." Flynn's consulting firm had previously disclosed to Congress that it worked for Inovo BV, a Dutch-based company owned by Alptekin. But neither Flynn nor his company had previously filed paperwork with the Justice Department, which requires more extensive disclosures about work that benefits foreign governments and political interests. Flynn Intel and S.G.R. LLC Government Relations and Lobbying pressured congressional aides to investigate a cleric who Erdogan had accused of directing a botched coup last summer. The two firms orchestrated meetings with U.S. officials- including congressional staffers and Arkansas Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin, a Republican - as well as journalists. They also worked on research, informational materials and a video on the cleric, Fethullah Gulen. Flynn met privately in September in New York with two senior Turkish government officials, including the government's ministers of foreign affairs and energy. Flynn's company did not name the officials, but the current Turkish energy minister is Berat Albayrak, who is Erdogan's son-in-law. Alptekin told the AP he set up the meeting at a New York hotel between Flynn and the two officials while the officials were attending U.N. sessions and a separate conference Alptekin had arranged. Alptekin is a member of a Turkish economic relations board run by an appointee of Erdogan, who has accelerated a crackdown against the nation's weakening secularist faction since the failed coup last summer. Erdogan has accused cleric Gulen of orchestrating the aborted coup and called for his extradition from the U.S., where he lives in a compound in Pennsylvania. According to the filing, Flynn Intel's work involved collecting information about Gulen and pressuring U.S. officials to take action against the cleric. ___ Associated Press writer Julie Bykowicz contributed to this report. Film star Tom Cruise was introduced to the Duke of Edinburgh during a charity dinner at Buckingham Palace. Cruise, 54, and the Duke were pictured laughing together after the Mission: Impossible actor was presented to the 95-year-old royal on Wednesday evening. (Jonathan Brady/PA) The event marked the 75th anniversary of the Outward Bound Trust supported by Cruise which helps young people from all walks of life develop and reach their potential through outdoor pursuits. It also offers courses for young people to take part in the Duke of Edinburghs Award. (Jonathan Brady/PA) Philip has been patron of the Trust since 1999 and was previously the charitys Chairman of Trustees. The dinner was attended by supporters of the charity, including deputy patron Lord Kirkham, the founder and chairman of sofa retailer DFS. Theresa May will attend what could be her last European Union leaders summit before formally triggering Brexit under Article 50. The Prime Minister will attend the first day of the European Council summit in Brussels on Thursday for talks on migration, security and economic growth. But she will leave on Thursday night, allowing the other 27 leaders to use Fridays informal meeting to discuss the next summit in Rome on March 25, which will celebrate the EUs 60th anniversary. 60th anniversary of Rome's Treaty will be a moment for reflection & unity, but also to set the direction of the EU for the decade to come Charles Michel (@eucopresident) March 8, 2017 Trade remains key to Europe's economic success: strong EU support for free & fair trade,open & rules-based multilateral trading system #EUCO Charles Michel (@eucopresident) March 8, 2017 Mrs May has promised to trigger Article 50 by the end of the month and despite defeats in the House of Lords over the plan, she expects to be able to stick to her timetable. A Government source suggested the PM would not be attending the Rome summit, which would make this weeks European Council her last before Brexit negotiations with the EU are expected to begin. On the Rome summit, the source said: Weve chosen a different path, were leaving the European Union and we wish them well. In Brussels, the PM will stress that the UK is a strong advocate of the EUs free trade agenda, and wants to see strong economic growth in the bloc. She also faces a diplomatic headache over the Polish prime ministers bid to oust European Council president Donald Tusk in a vote at the start of the summit. Along with other EU leaders, Mrs May has been sent a letter from Polish PM Beata Szydlo, accusing her countryman Mr Tusk of interfering in domestic politics. Mr Tusk, whose initial two-and-a-half-year term in office expires at the end of May, would be expected to play a key role in the Brexit negotiations and he believes he has the support of many EU leaders to continue. But the bitter row between former Polish prime minister Mr Tusk and Ms Szydlos Law and Justice party has led to Warsaw proposing a challenger for the job Polish MEP Jacek Saryusz-Wolski. Theresa May with European Council president Donald Tusk (David Mirzoeff/PA) The dispute will come to a head at the summit, when EU leaders will vote on whether Mr Tusk should continue in the role until November 30 2019. The dispute could have major implications for Mrs May, who needs to forge alliances with European leaders in her negotiations for a Brexit deal after she triggers Article 50 this month. The president is elected by the European Council by a qualified majority, which means that no single country can veto it. On Wednesday, Mrs Mays official spokesman said the PM would not reveal her voting intention before the summit, adding at a regular Westminster briefing: The Prime Minister has been clear that she thinks that he (Mr Tusk) is doing a good job. On my way to this. PM also expected to slam Russian "disinformation" in w.Balkans and vote on whether Tusk should continue as @eucopresident https://t.co/AjUSl3LLLK Arj Singh (@singharj) March 9, 2017 Important discussion on #WesternBalkans tomorrow at #EUCO, EU leaders worried about rising tensions and destabilisation of the region Charles Michel (@eucopresident) March 8, 2017 On security and defence, the EU will assume more responsibility, and we are ready to dedicate sufficient additional resource #EUCO Charles Michel (@eucopresident) March 8, 2017 Elsewhere at the summit, Mrs May will call for more action to counter Russian disinformation and raise the visibility of Western commitment in the Western Balkans, where Moscow faces allegations of helping to plot a coup attempt in Montenegro. She is also expected to push EU leaders for immediate action to deal with an expected rise in refugees and migrants making dangerous journeys to Europe across the Mediterranean as the weather improves. The service and sacrifice of British military and civilians who worked to bring peace and stability to Iraq and Afghanistan has been honoured with a national memorial commemorating their efforts. The Queen led the nation in praising the dedication and contribution of the hundreds of thousands of people who fought in the two Middle East nations or were involved in humanitarian work, but the presence of Tony Blair angered some of the bereaved. The former prime minister was criticised by guests who said his ticket could have gone to a bereaved parent. Military Drumhead Service a Military Drumhead Service on Horse Guards Parade Tracey Hazel, from Northumberland, whose son was killed in Iraq in 2007, said about the conflict: It wasnt worthwhile. It achieves nothing, and it also ended my sons dads life, which made me more angry. Her son Corporal Ben Leaning, 24, of the Queens Royal Lancers Battle Group, died alongside Trooper Kristen Turton when their vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device. Ms Hazel, 50, said about Mr Blairs presence at the ceremony: I honestly think somebody else should have had his ticket, like one of the parents. At Horse Guards Parade in central London, the Queen was joined by 2,500 guests including senior royals, PM Theresa May and other senior politicians for a poignant military Drumhead ceremony. Former prime minister Tony Blair, the Duke of York, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall attending a Military Drumhead Service on Horse Guards Parade In a foreword to the events official programme, the monarch recognised the efforts of civilians and the military in UK operations in the Gulf region, Iraq and Afghanistan between 1990 and 2015. She added: It is with pride that we honour the contribution of all those members of the armed forces and civilians who served our country at home and abroad while endeavouring to bring peace and stability to Iraq and Afghanistan. But the event has been tainted for some bereaved relatives angry at not receiving an invite or being made aware it was happening. ( Jonathan Brady/PA) The Countess of Wessex at the Military Drumhead Service Mrs May had been urged by Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron on Wednesday in the Commons to apologise for what he described as a careless oversight that at the time could have meant the families of those killed missing the ceremony. She told Parliament no-one from the bereaved community had been turned away, adding that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) would make every effort to ensure relatives who wanted to attend were able to do so. Widow Wendy Rayner said the offer was too little, too late. The Duchess of Cambridge and Chancellor Philip Hammond smile as the Duke of Edinburgh arrives for a Military Drumhead Service Military Drumhead Service The Queen, joined by Philip, unveiled the Iraq and Afghanistan memorial created by sculptor Paul Day at a separate smaller ceremony at Victoria Embankment Gardens, watched by guests including Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon. Theresa May has signalled she will fight against any European Union demands for a Brexit divorce bill which could potentially run to tens of billions of pounds. The Prime Minister said the British people did not vote to leave the EU in order to keep paying large sums of money into the Brussels budget. But her insistence comes after EU figures again put pressure on the UK over having to agree an exit settlement, which reportedly could rise to 60 billion euro (52 billion), potentially before talks on a new trading relationship can begin. Theresa May takes highly unusual step of shunning the media as she arrives for European Council summit in Brussels amid pressure over Budget Arj Singh (@singharj) March 9, 2017 Answering questions at a press conference at the European Council summit in Brussels, Mrs May said: Im clear that the way people voted on June 23 for us to leave the European Union, they voted for us in the future not paying huge sums of money into the European Union every year. And of course when we leave the EU that will be the case. PM attends her LAST EU Summit BEFORE triggering #Brexit Wonder if there'll be a party for her & make a presentation.!#AskingForNextDoorsCat Clare Hepworth OBE (@Hepworthclare) March 9, 2017 Mrs May indicated that Britain will argue against any suggestion that it must agree a divorce settlement before negotiations on a new trade deal can begin, by arguing that Article 50 of the EU treaties states that both should be carried out at the same time. She also reiterated her aim of striking a trade deal with the EU within the two-year negotiating period. It came after Danish foreign minister Anders Samuelsen told Bloomberg: The question is, can we do it in two years or will we take 15 years? We dont know. Donald Tusk has just been re-elected as EU Council President #EUCO https://t.co/erGC8M8B83 EU Council (@EUCouncil) March 9, 2017 Responding to the comments, Mrs May said: Obviously the treaty sets out that in looking when countries leave the European Union, the process, which as Article 50 sets out, is for the withdrawal but also setting the framework for the future relationship actually should take the two years. That is the timetable that were working to and that is the timetable that the European Union is working to. Grateful for trust & positive assessment by #EUCO. I will do my best to make the EU better. Charles Michel (@eucopresident) March 9, 2017 Mrs Mays comments come after Irish premier Enda Kenny indicated he would back demands for Britain to pay an exit bill to honour outstanding commitments to the EU as it leaves. The European Commissions chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier refused to comment on the prospect of the UK paying billions into the EU budget as he arrived at the summit. But he later revealed that he agreed a common position on the budget with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, who will hold the rotating EU presidency for the first half of 2018 potentially a crucial period in negotiations. Mr Barnier is seen as a key proponent of the idea that an exit settlement must be reached before talks on a new deal can begin. Mr Kenny meanwhile told reporters as he arrived at the summit: When you sign on for a contract you commit yourself to participation. And obviously the extent of that level of money will be determined. Mr Barnier is the lead negotiator for the European Union and obviously Britain will have a say. But that no more than any other problem will have to be faced, it will have to be dealt with and it will be dealt with. The death toll from a fire at a troubled youth shelter in Guatemala has risen to 31 as a dozen more girls died at hospitals overnight. Details began to emerge of a tragedy fuelled by angry, neglected youths seeking to flee terrible conditions. Nineteen girls were found burned to death in the rubble of a dormitory fire fuelled by foam mattresses on Wednesday. Consuelo Garrido lights a candle in remembrance of the victims (Moises Castillo/AP) Twelve of the 39 residents injured later died at hospitals, said Adrian Chavez, the assistant health minister. Of the 27 girls still in hospital, 10 are in critical condition with life-threatening burn injuries, often covering more than 50% of their bodies. The inferno grew out of a mass escape attempt. Dozens of teenagers held in an overcrowded state-run shelter on the outskirts of Guatemalas capital flooded through the gates on Tuesday evening, most only to be caught and locked down in their dorms. A relative waits for the release of the names of those who died (Moises Castillo/AP) On Wednesday morning someone set fire to mattresses in the girls section of the rural campus, authorities said. The blaze quickly spread through two dorms. Distraught parents waited outside hospitals and the shelter, a state-run facility that accepted abused, neglected or homeless children, but also housed youths who had completed sentences at juvenile detention centres. Parents scribbled their childrens names on pieces of paper to pass to shelter staff begging for information. They went to the two local hospitals and the morgue. Charred-stained dolls placed on a bed of charcoal (Luis Soto/AP) Authorities worked to identify victims, but said DNA tests might be necessary for some remains. At Roosevelt Hospital, Dr Marco Antonio Barrientos asked parents waiting outside for information to come back with photographs, dental records and details about tattoos or other distinctive features. Piedad Estrada, a street vendor, arrived at the hospital with a photograph of her 16-year-old daughter. She said the teenager was pregnant and had been at the shelter for nine days because she ran away from home. A sign that reads in Spanish: "Guatemala is not a safe home," hangs from the front gate (Luis Soto/AP) Ms Estrada searched at the hospitals and the morgue, but got no information. They only took her from me to burn her, Ms Estrada said. I blame the state for what has happened. Hours after the fire, the government in a statement expressed its condolences to the victims families and promised a thorough investigation. It said that before the incident it had asked that the shelter transfer youths with criminal histories who were there on judges orders to other facilities, but that had not happened. A woman tries to identify a person in a photo (Moises Castillo/AP) It said the director had been fired. Complaints about abuse and living conditions at the overcrowded shelter have been frequent. Jorge de Leon, Guatemalas human rights prosecutor, said in a statement that at least 102 children had been located after escaping from the shelter but more had managed to flee. He said younger children fled the shelter because they were being abused by older residents. According to what they say, the bigger kids have control and they attack them constantly, Mr de Leon wrote. Hawaii has become the first US state to file a lawsuit against President Donald Trumps revised travel ban, saying the order will harm its Muslim population, tourism and foreign students. Lawyers for the state filed the lawsuit against the US government in federal court in Honolulu on Wednesday. The state had previously sued over Mr Trumps initial travel ban, but that lawsuit was put on hold while other cases played out across the country. Hawaii Attorney General Doug Chin speaks at a news conference in Honolulu (Audrey McAvoy/AP) The revised executive order, which comes into effect on March 16, bars new visas for people from six predominantly Muslim countries and temporarily shuts down the US refugee programme. It does not apply to travellers who already have visas. Hawaii is special in that it has always been non-discriminatory in both its history and constitution, Attorney General Douglas Chin said. Twenty percent of the people are foreign-born, 100,000 are non-citizens and 20% of the labour force is foreign-born. Separate news conferences were planned on Thursday by Mr Chin in Honolulu and Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson in Seattle to discuss lawsuits filed against the travel bans. Washington state and Minnesota challenged the initial travel ban from the administration. Mr Chin, who noted the state has budgeted about 150,000 US dollars (123,000) for an outside law firm to help with the lawsuit, said people in Hawaii find the idea of a travel ban based on nationality distasteful because they remember when Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps during the Second World War. By Felix Onuah BONNY, Nigeria March 8 (Reuters) - Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Company (NLNG) could unlock three times as much gas as the country's proven reserves and create hundreds of thousands of jobs if it goes ahead with a proposed expansion plan, it said on Wednesday. NLNG, often cited as a successful public private partnership, is a venture between state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Royal Dutch Shell, Total and Eni to produce liquefied natural gas (LNG) for export. It currently operates six trains -- liquefaction and purification facilities - and CEO Tony Attah said the company was ready to add another two trains, although he did not say whether a final decision had been taken. Building Trains 7 and 8 would require total investment of $25 billion, he said. Nigeria has the world's ninth largest proven gas reserves, at 187 trillion cubic feet (tcf), and Attah said NLNG estimated "scope for reserves of 600 tcf" if the company expands. "The potential investment that will come in is about $25 billion if Train 7 and 8 happen, to unlock the 600 tcf gas with (the creation of) 800,000 jobs," Attah told a press briefing. NLNG was ready in principle to go ahead, he said. "Technology is here, people are here and the partners are already lining up." However, Attah also warned that Train 7 needed assurances around supply because the six existing facilities were not full on an annual basis. "We need a billion dollars worth of investment upstream to keep trains 1 to 6 up," he said. NLNG, which has 23 LNG carriers, has generated $85 billion in 17 years with assets of more than $13 billion. OPEC member Nigeria, is reeling from low oil prices and militant attacks on energy facilities in its Niger Delta energy hub, saw its economy shrink 1.5 percent in 2016 - its first full-year contraction in 25 years. (Writing by Alexis Akwagyiram; Editing by Susan Fenton) By Mari Shibata IWAKI, Japan, March 9 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - At a laboratory an hour's drive from Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant, a woman with a white mask over her mouth presses bright red strawberries into a pot, ready to be measured for radiation contamination. Six years after a massive earthquake off the coast of Japan triggered meltdowns at three of Fukushima's reactors, local mothers with no scientific background staff a laboratory that keeps track of radiation levels in food, water and soil. As some women divide the samples between different bowls and handmade paper containers, others are logging onto computers to keep an eye on data - findings that will be published for the public to access. The women on duty, wearing pastel-coloured overalls, are paid a small salary to come in for a few hours each day, leaving them free to care for their children after school. "In universities, data is handled by qualified students, who have taken exams qualifying them to measure radiation. Here, it's done by mothers working part-time. It's a crazy situation," laughed Kaori Suzuki, director of Tarachine, the non-profit organisation that houses the mothers' radiation lab. "If a university professor saw this I think they would be completely shocked by what they see." Tarachine was set up 60 km (40 miles) down the coast from the Fukushima plant, in the city of Iwaki. After the magnitude 9 quake struck on March 11, 2011, triggering a tsunami, authorities declared a no-go zone around the plant. Iwaki lay outside its 30 km radius, with lower radiation levels compared to the rest of Fukushima prefecture. But with public announcements advising locals to stay indoors in the aftermath of the worst nuclear calamity since Chernobyl, the "invisible enemy" of radiation has continued to worry the mothers working at the lab. NOTHING TO SEE, SMELL OR FEEL "As ordinary citizens we had no knowledge about radiation at all. All we knew was that it is frightening," said Suzuki. "We can't see, smell or feel radiation levels. Given this invisibility, it was extremely difficult for us. How do we fight it? The only way is to measure it." To supplement readings by the Japanese government and the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) that manages the nuclear plant, Tarachine publishes its own findings every month. With donations from the public that helped them buy equipment designed to measure food contamination, the mothers measure radioactive isotopes caesium 134 and 137, and collect data on gamma radiation, strontium 90 and tritium, all of which were released during the Fukushima disaster. Strontium-90 gravitates toward the bones when absorbed by breathing it, drinking it in water, or eating it in food. It can remain for years, potentially causing bone cancer or leukaemia. Tritium goes directly into the soft tissues and organs of the human body. Although it is less harmful to humans who are exposed to small amounts of tritium every day, it could still be a hazard for children, scientists say. The mothers say other parents trust the lab's radioactivity readings in local food more than those from the government. "This issue is part of everyday life for these mothers, so they have the capability to spot certain trends and various problems rather than just accumulating expert knowledge," said Suzuki. To handle potentially dangerous materials, the mothers have to study for exams related to radiation and organic chemistry. "At the beginning I was just completely clueless. It gave me so much of a headache, it was a completely different world to me!" said Fumiko Funemoto, a mother of two, who measures strontium 90 at the lab. "But you start to get the hang of it as you're in this environment every day." As the lab only accepts items for testing from outside the exclusion zone, most results show comparatively low radiation levels. But Suzuki says this is an important process and is especially reassuring to the parents of young children. The women also measure radiation levels in sand from the beach, which has been out of bounds to their children. "If the base is zero becquerels (unit of radiation), and there is, say, 15 or 16 becquerels of caesium, that's still higher than zero. That means there is slightly more risk," Suzuki said. "There are also times when you're like, 'Oh, I thought levels were going to be high there - but it's actually ok'. The importance lies in knowing what's accurate, whether it's high or low ... unless you know the levels, you can't implement the appropriate measures." MINIMISING THE RISKS Since official screenings began following the nuclear accident, 174 children in Fukushima prefecture have been diagnosed with - or are suspected of having - thyroid cancer, according to figures from Fukushima's local government. Despite the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)reporting in 2015 that an increase in thyroid cancer is unlikely, the mothers insist there is value in their work. The first pictures from inside the nuclear plant were released by TEPCO in January, announcing it may have found nuclear fuel debris below the damaged No. 2 reactor - one of three affected by the 2011 disaster. "In general, the issue of nuclear power is not really talked about much these days. It was talked about after the accident for about a year or so, but today, conversations mentioning words like 'radiation' don't happen anymore," Funemoto said. "But I think the reality is different. The radiation isn't going to go away. That's why I'm doing this. So many places are still damaged. This idea that it's safe and that we shouldn't be anxious doesn't really add up." Ai Kimura, another mother agrees. "My parents think I'm a bit paranoid. They keep saying, 'it's okay isn't it?" she said. "But what if there's a chance that in 10 or 20 years time, my own child gets thyroid cancer? And I could have done my bit to minimise the risks. My children are mine and I want to do whatever I can to protect them." (Editing by Ros Russell; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, resilience and climate change. Visit news.trust.org) By Alexandria Sage SAN FRANCISCO, March 8 (Reuters) - WikiLeaks documents showing the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency considered a "mission" against connected car technology underscores auto industry concern that the science behind the next generation of vehicles could be turned against them. Cyber security is considered key to the rollout of tomorrow's self-driving and today's connected cars, which resemble computers on wheels with a host of communications routes that hackers could target. If consumers are to trust smart vehicles, they must deem them safe from attack. Security experts cite the terrifying hypothetical example of a remote attack on a fully autonomous vehicle with no steering wheel or brakes, in which the passenger would have no recourse to regain manual control of the car. "You have a lot of car companies trying to design cars to be better suited to automation, which means they're more attractive to hackers," said auto consultant Roger Lanctot of Strategy Analytics. A major strategy for automakers is to reduce the number of communications gateways to crucial systems and to require services offered by third parties to go through a single secure path. WikiLeaks documents show the CIA citing "vehicle systems" and a car operating system from QNX, owned by Blackberry Ltd , as "potential mission areas" for the CIA's "Embedded Devices Branch" to consider. The QNX operating system, which is used by most global automakers, provides a "a comprehensive, multi-level, policy-driven security model ... to mitigate attacks," the company said in a statement to Reuters. But given the collection of software, hardware and network components that make up a connected car, "security is only as strong as its weakest link," it said. While the CIA's interest in cars brought widespread attention, the industry has already received wakeup calls about cars' potential to be hacked. Researchers in 2015 used a wireless connection to turn off a Jeep Cherokee's engine, prompting a recall of 1.4 million vehicles by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. In September last year, Chinese cyber security researchers hacked a Tesla Inc Model S sedan, remotely tapping the brakes and popping the trunk. The electric carmaker subsequently patched the bugs using an over-the-air fix. Tesla did not respond to a request for comment on its cyber security protocol. The hacking of the Jeep and the Tesla "brought it home to the industry that even if its improbable it's technically possible," said Mark Wakefield, global co-head of the automotive practice at AlixPartners. If a car was seen as vulnerable, it "could be a big brand problem," Wakefield said. Hacks could also expose private information shared between car and third parties - credit card numbers, account numbers or passwords - to theft. A January survey by the University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute found that 33 percent of respondents said they were "extremely concerned" over hacking of full self-driving cars to cause crashes. CLOSING DOWN THE WAYS IN The number of ways into cars has proliferated, from cell phone signals to dongles. One such gateway is the standard OBD-II port found under the steering wheel historically used for onboard diagnostics. Today, hundreds of after-market devices use the port, whether to monitor driving for insurance needs or provide conveniences like safety alerts. "The security of these devices is important, as it can provide an attacker with a means of accessing vehicle systems and driver data remotely," warned the FBI in a March 2016 bulletin on cyber security risks to motor vehicles. Carmakers are also building walls between non-crucial infotainment systems and driving controls so that any breach is blocked before it could compromise key functions like brakes. The first step the industry is tackling is intrusion detection, said Lanctot. But what to do when a breach is detected is complicated, because shutting off parts of a car could be unsafe, he said. Tesla was first to champion "over-the-air" technology in which wireless software updates are sent remotely to cars. Although some have argued such updates are a way in for hackers, Tesla and others see them a key protection to upgrade security and repair vulnerabilities quickly. In January, U.S. lawmakers introduced a bill calling for cyber security standards for new cars but so far U.S. regulators have issued recommendations, not rules, on how carmakers should shield their computer systems from hackers. The industry is "years away" from solving the cyber security problem, Lanctot said, noting that the first generation of cars built after the Jeep hack that include some kind of detection capabilities will not be seen until early in 2018. (Reporting By Alexandria Sage; editing by Peter Henderson and Bill Rigby) SOFIA, March 9 (Reuters) - These are some of the main stories in Bulgarian newspapers on Thursday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. -- Bulgaria's government will voice its position against the model of multi-speed Europe suggested as one option by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. Clarifying the country's position for the European Council due on Thursday, ministers have reached a conclusion that Bulgaria should advocate for reaching consensus on common goals and solidarity with front-line states in the migrant crisis (Trud, Standart, 24 Chasa, Monitor) -- The Bulgarian government has decided to support the reelection of Donald Tusk as European Council President for another term. The decision was announced after a cabinet's meeting (Trud, Standart, Monitor) -- Bulgarian authorities consider changing regulations and conditions for the integration of migrants and refugees, the interim government spokeswoman said. The reason is "tension in society", in an apparent reference to two recent instances of anti-refugee sentiment in the towns of Elin Pelin and Belene (Duma, Sega) By Anthony Deutsch GRONINGEN, Netherlands, March 9 (Reuters) - Dozens of migrants are sheltering on a former hospital ship in a Dutch canal, beneficiaries of a "Bed, Bath, Bread" programme for asylum seekers. But their hopes of settlement are dimming with the anti-immigrant right poised for a surge at the ballot box. Polls suggest the far-right ticket will double its vote in the March 15 election, riding perceptions that many years of Muslim immigration threaten to erode Dutch national identity. Despite statistics showing there are fewer foreigners in the Netherlands than commonly believed, many voters feel Muslim immigrants are failing to integrate and running down a once-generous health and welfare system. Even if firebrand nationalist leader Geert Wilders does not enter the next ruling coalition given the refusal of "establishment" parties to work with him, he has managed to push the mainstream political agenda to the anti-immigrant right. In the northern coastal town of Groningen, dozens of mainly Muslim men and women - Africans, Arabs and some Iranians - sit at bare tables and chat quietly in the living quarters fashioned out of a ship where hospital patients were once treated. They are awaiting decisions on appeals of government rejections of their asylum applications, a process that has dragged on for years during which the Netherlands began to crack down hard on economic migrants. In the meantime, they are grateful for the refuge from the harsh North Sea winter. Groningen opened its "Bed, Bath, Bread" facility for 100 asylum seekers in January after the government of conservative Prime Minister Mark Rutte cut off BBB funding, and it plans to expand capacity to 300 people later this year. About 30 other Dutch cities and towns run BBB shelters too. They accommodate thousands of asylum seekers in legal limbo. "Four years ago I was alone. You know how life is outside, without help, but at this moment I am grateful," said Moussa Sall. He said he fled political violence in Guinea, West Africa and drifted across Europe before arriving in Groningen. Sall and his cohorts were aware and worried about swelling anti-immigrant sentiment represented by Wilders, leader of the anti-Islam Party for Freedom (PVV), but seemed loath to discuss sensitive domestic politics. "I would like to stay here and work as a hairdresser. I have started learning the language. It's not possible to go back to my country for the moment. It's dangerous for me," said Sall. POPULIST PRESSURE That is not the position taken by Rutte's government, which under the populist pressure of Wilders has imposed some of the toughest immigration policies in the European Union since 2012. It has cut off funding for BBB facilities and shortened the period of shelter for failed applicants to 28 days unless they agree to leave and stay in semi-detention prior to deportation. The government has also expanded the list of "safe" countries to which rejected migrants can be legally returned and outlawed the wearing in public of face veils by Muslim women. The nationalist current changing Dutch politics reflects a deep souring of public attitudes towards immigrants in a country long known for liberalism and multicultural tolerance, rooted in centuries of maritime history. The welcome showered on hundreds of thousands of Moroccan and Turkish workers a few decades ago has turned to resentment at open-door, pro-EU policies under mainstream parties that may drive 20 percent of voters into the PVV's arms at the polls next week. That could make Wilders' party the biggest in parliament, though it is still unlikely to enter government as all its mainstream rivals have vowed to ostracise the PVV. But diverging views among a handful of contending parties in the election about how many immigrants to accept and where to shelter them could make the formation of the next government a complex, prolonged affair. IMMIGRATION HAS RISEN, NOT SOARED The percentage of non-Western immigrants in the founding EU member state rose from 7.5 percent of the population in 1996 to 12.1 percent in 2015, according to Statistics Netherlands. In 2015, when a record 1.2 million asylum seekers - often Muslims fleeing Syria's civil war - flowed into the EU, the Netherlands took in 43,000 of them, roughly in line with the 28-nation bloc's average. That year, the Netherlands accepted 2,546 asylum seekers per one million inhabitants, compared with 5,441 in Germany and 1,063 in France, according to Eurostat. The Dutch intake fell by half in 2016 thanks to an EU deal with Turkey that curbed migration via that country to neighbouring Europe. Yet the perception of the number of Muslims in the Netherlands greatly outstrips reality. A 2016 Ipsos poll found most Dutch believed 19 percent of the country's 17 million population is Muslim, rather than the actual 5 percent. Ipsos found a similar gap between perceptions and truth in France. Wilders condemns Moroccans for being over-represented in Dutch crime and welfare statistics. He wants to close the border to non-Western immigrants, shut down hundreds of mosques and take the Netherlands out of the EU. Jesse Klaver, a Greens politician, said Dutch culture was not threatened by immigration but by an intolerant far right. "We are not a racist country. It's not about immigrants or Islam. It's about social, economic problems. People who have to pay too much tax and can't make a living," he said. LAWSUITS Groningen and other municipalities decided to pay for migrant shelters themselves after talks with Rutte's cabinet about funding the BBB programme collapsed. Several lawsuits ensued, including by asylum seekers who won the right to shelter in Amsterdam. Groningen officials said they were honouring a 2014 decision by the European Committee on Social Rights, part of the Council of Europe rights watchdog, that the Dutch must provide shelter and medical care to the homeless as a fundamental human right. Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, accused mainstream parties of not standing up to populists ahead of elections in the Netherlands, Germany and France, but instead adopting their policies for short-term political gain. Such criticism has not swayed Rutte's conservatives. He published an open letter in January, weeks before election campaigning began, telling immigrants to accept Dutch values and blend in or go home. Immigrants reacted with consternation and anger in social media posts. A poll last month found that 40 percent of Turks and Moroccans no longer feel at home in the Netherlands. (Additional reporting by Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; editing by Mark Heinrich) By Beh Lih Yi JAKARTA, March 9 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A popular Singapore retailer came under fire on Thursday for "trivialising" International Women's Day by cooking up a promotion offering cut-price frying pans. Upscale department store chain TANGS marked the day, which falls on March 8 and is observed across the globe by women pushing for greater equality, by discounting a range of items, including two frying pans. Other deals included beauty products, high heels and shavers. The retailer sent out a promotional email to customers with the S$38 ($27) frying pan offers listed at the top, according to Marketing magazine. The deals were still listed on TANGS website on Thursday. Campaigner Jolene Tan said the promotion appeared to overlook the struggle of women in the city-state, who are pushing for better representation in company boardrooms and battling laws which critics say allow marital rape. "International Women's Day is a day to honour the struggles of women for equality, safety and respect," said Tan, head of advocacy and research at Singapore's Association of Women for Action and Research. "Sadly, too many retailers present it as a consumerist event to be trivialised through sales and discounts rather than attention to the serious issue of gender equality." An executive at the corporate communications department said she could not comment. Singapore is ranked 55 out of 144 countries in the Global Gender Gap 2016, an annual report by the World Economic Forum which measures how women fare in areas such as economic and political participation, health and education. Only 8 percent of board directors in Singapore are women and they are paid 43 percent less than their male counterparts, according to Tan citing previous research. TANGS is most recognisable for its flagship store at the swanky shopping district of Orchard in downtown Singapore. It also has outlets in neighbouring Malaysia. ($1 = 1.4198 Singapore dollars) (Reporting by Beh Lih Yi @behlihyi, Editing by XXX; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights, climate change and resilience. Visit http://news.trust.org) By Daria Sito-Sucic SARAJEVO, March 9 (Reuters) - Nejra Isaretovic, a 25-year old physiotherapist from Sarajevo, is busy these days studying German and taking driving lessons -- key skills required for her new job in Germany. Isaretovic is among thousands of nurses and physicians from across the Balkans seeking work in Western Europe, causing alarm among health officials that the countries may be left without trained medical staff in the near future. "The state is pushing young people to leave, we get nothing -- no jobs, no future, and most importantly, no security," said Isaretovic, who could not find a job in her field in Bosnia. Last year, 10,000 Bosnians applied for work permits in Germany, according to the Agency for Labour and Employment, which mediates between job applicants and German employers under a 2013 agreement between the two governments. Since then, about 2,700 nurses have left the country of 3.5 million, 1,100 of them last year alone. Around 400 doctors are estimated to have left in 2016 and the same number expected to emigrate this year. "The departures from Bosnia have been gradual so far but once they reach a momentum, it will be en masse, and may cause the health system to collapse," said Meho Kovacevic, a 43-year-old orthopaedic surgeon working in the central town of Zenica. The situation is similar in other Western Balkan countries. The certificates that are required for physicians to work abroad have been issued for 1,600 doctors in Serbia over past two years, and nearly 1,300 in Croatia since it joined the European Union in 2013. LOSING BEST EXPERTS With their economies still recovering from a decade of political and economic turmoil in the 1990s, and unemployment in double-digits, the former Yugoslav republics have few funds to spend on healthcare. Working conditions are poor and expensive modern medical equipment scarce. That is why a call by Germany in January last year for foreign workers to come was met with a massive response. Europe's biggest economy has vacancies for 10,000 nurses and 2,000 doctors, with some 40,000 registered doctors due to retire by 2021. According to the German Medical Association, 2,365 doctors from the seven countries that make up former Yugoslavia were registered in Germany last year, including 864 from Serbia. "We are losing our best experts," said Zoran Savic, the president of Serbia's medical workers' trade union. "Younger doctors will fill in their places but it takes a minimum 10 years to educate a specialist physician." Medics complain of unpaid overtime and low wages. Nurses are paid 250-400 euros a month in Bosnia and Serbia, compared with a starting salary in Germany of about 1,500 euros. Surgeon Kovacevic, who is married with two children, said he was not planning to leave Bosnia but was taking German classes all the same. "Why tilt against windmills?" he said. (Additional reporting by Gordana Katana in Banja Luka, Aleksandar Vasovic and Ivana Sekularac in Belgrade, Fatos Bytyci in Pristina, Igor Ilic in Zagreb and Thorsten Severin in Berlin; Editing by Ivana Sekularac and Catherine Evans) By John Kemp LONDON, March 9 (Reuters) - The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and shale producers have fought each other to a draw over the last two years, with neither able to achieve a decisive victory. Now both want a truce. There have been no winners from the oil producers civil war of 2014-2016, except for consumers, who have enjoyed two years of cheaper fuel prices. OPEC members are running out of money and need higher prices to reduce their budget deficits and halt the slide in their foreign reserves. And for all their bravado, shale producers and the entire U.S. oil supply chain have been badly wounded and rescued by a rise in prices largely engineered by OPEC. The bad-tempered exchanges between OPEC and shale chiefs that characterised 2014-2015 have given way in 2016-2017 to a recognition that their prosperity is tied together. OPEC and the shale industry are interdependent. Both lose if they raise output too much, flood the market with more oil than can be consumed, and cause prices to crash. Shale firms need OPEC to succeed in reducing global oil stockpiles and raising prices. And OPEC needs shale producers to be cautious in growing output to avoid undermining its policy of supply restraint. The warmer relationship between OPEC and shale firms on display at the CERAWEEK conference hosted by IHS Markit in Houston this week has been building for some time. OPEC's secretary-general said at the conference that the organisation had "broken the ice" with shale oil producers and hedge funds who have become major players in the market. Harold Hamm, head of one of the largest U.S. shale producers, said that industry would need to add output in a "measured way, or else we kill the market", suggesting no new dash for growth. COOPERATION OPECs primary challenge in attempting to manage oil prices has always been that it controls only a minority of global output ("OPEC and other commodity cartels", Alhajji and Huettner, 2000). OPECs attempts to act as a market manager and price stabiliser have been repeatedly undermined by the development of supplies in countries outside the organisation. High prices encouraged development of new resources in the Soviet Union, China and the North Sea in the 1970s and 1980s, and the shale plays of North America in the 2000s and 2010s. In a bid to enhance its market power and share the burden of market balancing, OPEC has periodically attempted to reach understandings with other producers outside the group. In 1985-1986, OPEC and Saudi Arabia attempted (unsuccessfully) to reach understandings with the United Kingdom and Norway to lift North Sea oil prices and curb production growth. In 1998-1999, OPEC reached out (with mixed success) to Mexico, Russia, Norway and Oman to secure their agreement for coordinated output cuts to drain excess global oil stocks and lift prices. And in 2016, OPEC assembled a coalition of 11 non-OPEC countries, including Russia, Mexico, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Malaysia, to coordinate OPEC and non-OPEC output cuts. Saudi Arabias oil minister Khalid al-Falih has described the agreement between OPEC and non-OPEC producers reached in December 2016 as a "cooperative framework". "All of us realise that such an expanded network of producers with a larger share of global production is the only way to achieve a constructive, stable market for all," Falih told oil executives in Houston this week. BRIEFINGS OPEC has also been briefing and consulting with hedge funds and physical oil traders to get their views on the supply-demand-price outlook and gauge their likely reaction to various potential supply policies. OPECs interest in courting hedge funds and physical traders marks a recognition of the powerful role they play in moulding expectations and driving futures prices in the short term. OPEC, led by Saudi Arabia, has engineered a huge turn around in hedge fund views from bearish to bullish since September 2016 ("Saudi Arabia engineers big shift in oil market sentiment", Reuters, Dec 14). Hedge funds have accumulated a record bullish position in crude oil futures and options equivalent to more than 900 million barrels, which has helped push prices up by more than $10 per barrel since November. In the past, OPEC has often blamed speculators for causing price volatility, but the organisation is now anxious to cooperate with them to help achieve higher and more stable prices. ANTITRUST Even more ambitiously, OPEC seems to want some form of understanding with shale producers based on their mutual interest in avoiding another price collapse. The organisation says it wants an "energy dialogue" with the United States and sees it as a "strategic partner in the rebalancing process". But there are strict limits on how far shale producers can be co-opted into a system for managing the oil market and prices. U.S. shale production is dispersed among dozens of companies which makes coordination with them exceptionally difficult because of the free-rider problem. More importantly, under U.S. law shale companies are forbidden from attempting to coordinate production and prices among themselves or with OPEC. There are severe civil and criminal penalties for sharing information about future output and prices let alone any attempt to divide market shares among producers ("The Antitrust Laws", Federal Trade Commission, undated). Even attempts to reach informal "understandings" among producers about the current and future state of the market are prohibited. The Sherman Antitrust Act imposes criminal penalties of up to $100 million for a corporation and $1 million for an individual, along with up to 10 years in prison. Shale producers cannot partner with OPEC to help manage oil supplies and prices -- even if both sides were interested in an accord. More generally, the same antitrust prohibitions prevent OPEC from partnering with the major international oil companies to manage the development of offshore and other oil supplies. BOOM-BUST OPEC members, shale producers and the rest of the oil industry would all like to see a further rise in oil prices and avoid another crash. OPEC members and Russia are loudly extolling the benefits of "compliance" with output cuts agreed in late 2016. Shale firms are pledging to maintain their own financial "discipline" in expanding production and avoid flooding the market or developing unprofitable new oil wells. And hedge funds and other investors have become enthusiastic cheerleaders for compliance, discipline and higher oil prices in the medium term. But there is no legal way for OPEC and shale producers to cooperate to achieve their desired outcome; they are doomed to continue with the same cycle that has characterised the industry since its inception. (Editing by Edmund Blair) By Karolin Schaps LONDON, March 9 (Reuters) - French energy company Engie has sold its British shale gas interests to petrochemicals firm Ineos for an undisclosed sum, the companies said on Thursday. Engie was one of the first big energy companies to back Britain's nascent shale gas industry when it bought parts of Dart Energy's licences, a company since then taken over by IGas, in 2013. Thursday's deal builds on Ineos' position as Britain's largest shale gas company as it now has access to a shale gas area of more than 1.2 million acres. The company, which recently moved its headquarters from Switzerland back to Britain, wants to invest 1 billion pounds into shale gas which it bets on as a feedstock for its petrochemicals business. Engie, on the other hand, said its retreat from British shale gas was in line with its strategy to focus more on energy infrastructure, like gas pipelines, and services. "The decision was made following ENGIE Group's strategic review notably in response to commodity price declines," said a spokeswoman. Global oil prices have halved since hitting a peak in mid-2014 and have also weighed on gas prices. As part of the deal, Ineos is taking over Engie's entire UK onshore exploration licence portfolio, that consists of interests in 15 licences, including seven in which Ineos had a previous participation. "We are always going to be interested in acquiring additional acreage," Gary Haywood, chief executive of Ineos shale, told Reuters on the sidelines of an industry event. He ruled out a large deal, however, saying the company's interests were already substantial. Large amounts of shale gas are estimated to be trapped in underground rocks and the British government says it wants to exploit them to help offset declining North Sea oil and gas output, create some 64,000 jobs and help economic growth. But so far only one shale gas well has been fracked and progress has been slow over the past years due to regulatory hurdles and public protests. Environmental groups are concerned that fracking could contaminate groundwater and that it is incompatible with fighting climate change. Shale gas fracking firms IGas and Cuadrilla confirmed the changes in licence ownership in which they are also involved. (Additional reporting by Susanna Twidale; Editing by David Evans) BEIRUT, March 9 (Reuters) - Air strikes pounded a town in the eastern Syrian province of Deir al-Zor on Thursday, killing seven civilians and injuring more than 70 others, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The Britain-based war monitoring group said two warplanes, believed to be Russian, dropped nearly two dozen bombs on al-Mayadin in the Islamic State stronghold of Deir al-Zor. The strikes hit a school sheltering displaced people, a bakery and residential areas in the town, which lies along the Euphrates river, the Observatory said. The Syrian government and its Russian ally have repeatedly said they only target militants. Islamic State controls most of Deir al-Zor province, which borders Iraq, including more than half the city of the same name. The ultra-hardline jihadist group has besieged the remaining government-held areas of Deir al-Zor city for nearly two years. Jets also hit the southern outskirts of the city on Thursday, the Observatory said. Islamic State fighters launched their biggest attack in months on the government-held part of the city earlier in January, in a battle that killed dozens. The Syrian and Russian air forces hit back against Islamic State positions, and have regularly struck the city and surrounding rural areas since then, the Observatory said. (Reporting by Ellen Francis; Editing by Toby Davis) By Huw Jones LONDON, March 9 (Reuters) - Britain could face limits on the number of euro financial transactions it handles unless it allows European Union supervision of clearing houses in London after Brexit, EU lawmakers said on Thursday. Britain is Europe's biggest financial centre, trading and clearing a large number of euros and euro-denominated transactions such as derivatives, supporting thousands of jobs. After its departure from the EU, Brussels would have no direct say over how risks to EU financial stability from such trading is handled. "This is about what is the amount of financial risks that you allow somebody else outside the EU to manage. There are limits to what you can allow," Olivier Guersent, a top official at the European Commission, told the European Parliament's economic affairs committee on Thursday. He was responding to concerns from committee members about how the bloc's system of "equivalence" will work after Britain leaves the EU. Equivalence refers to the EU granting market access for a non-EU firm if it complies with rules similar to those in the bloc, and Guersent expects banks based in Britain to apply for it. The lawmakers, who will have a veto over a future EU trade deal with Britain, said they had serious concerns about London still dominating euro-denominated trading after Brexit. Burkhard Balz, a centre-right German lawmaker, doubted that equivalence offered enough guarantees to ensure "high quality" supervision of euro clearing conducted outside the EU. "We have serious concerns about the future of these transactions once the Brexit is implemented, and current legislation needs to be adjusted in order to ensure that supervision of euro derivatives falls under the responsibility of EU institutions," Balz said. A German centre-left lawmaker, Jakob von Weizsaecker called for a "sliding scale" of measures to stop financial stability risks entering the bloc from outside, with "repatriation" of trading activities as a last resort. Equivalence was never designed for "systemically important volumes" a Britain outside the EU would represent, another lawmaker said. The concerns echo comments from the European Central Bank, whose previous attempt to force large swathes of euro-denominated clearing to move from Britain to the euro zone, failed. Sabine Lautenschlaeger, a top ECB official said this month that keeping euro clearing in London after Brexit would depend on whether the new UK-EU trading terms kept the central bank involved in supervision. Steven Maijoor, chairman of the EU's European Securities and Markets Authority, said there was a need to beef up checks of whether non-EU regulators and financial firms continued to meet equivalence requirements. Under the current system there were clear limits to how much the EU could mitigate risks from euro clearing from outside the bloc, Maijoor added. (Reporting by Huw Jones; Editing by Mark Potter) KHARTOUM, March 9 (Reuters) - Sudan's foreign ministry summoned the United States Charge d'Affairs in Khartoum on Thursday to protest President Donald Trump's revised executive order banning citizens from six Muslim-majority nations from travelling to the U.S. "The United States Charge d'Affairs in Khartoum was summoned this afternoon and met the Deputy Foreign Minister who once again expressed Sudan's disappointment at the order banning Sudanese citizens and those of other countries from travelling to the United States," the foreign ministry said in a statement. (Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz; Writing by Ahmed Aboulenein; Editing by Amina Ismail) March 9 (Reuters) - An overcrowded bus fell into a stream in northwestern Nepal, killing at least 24 people and injuring many others, Al Jazeera reported, citing local officials. Sixteen people were killed instantly, while eight others died in hospital, a local official told AFP, according to the report. The bus veered off a mountain road and fell 200 metres downhill in the Jajarkot district of Nepal. The officials cited in the report blamed the accident on overcrowding, saying the bus had about 50 passengers. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty) JERUSALEM, March 9 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday there could never be peace in Syria as long as there was an Iranian presence there. "We discussed at length the matter of Iran, its objectives and intentions in Syria, and I clarified that there cannot be a peace deal in Syria when Iran is there and declares its intention to destroy Israel," Netanyahu said in footage supplied by his office after their meeting. Iran, Israel's arch-enemy, has been embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's staunchest backer and has provided militia fighters to help him in the country's civil war. "(Iran) is arming itself and its forces against Israel including from Syria territory and is, in fact, gaining a foothold to continue the fight against Israel," he said in reply to a reporter's question. "There cannot be peace when they continue the war and therefore they have to be removed." Russia, also Assad's ally, is seen as holding the balance of power in achieving a deal on Syria's future. In Geneva last week, the first U.N.-led Syria peace talks in a year ended without a breakthrough. Israeli leaders have pointed to Tehran's steadily increasing influence in the region during the six-year-old Syrian conflict, whether via its own Revolutionary Guard forces or Shi'ite Muslim proxies, especially Hezbollah. Last year, Avi Dichter, the chair of Israel's foreign affairs and defence committee, said Iran had tried several times in the past to move forces into the Syrian Golan Heights, next to territory that Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war. Dichter said those moves were repelled, but gave no details. Netanyahu has said that Israel has carried out dozens of strikes to prevent weapons smuggling to the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah via Syria. Two years ago, Israel and Russia agreed to coordinate military actions over Syria in order to avoid accidentally trading fire. (Writing by Ori Lewis; editing by Andrew Roche) LIMA, March 9 (Reuters) - Construction companies from around the world have expressed interest in operating in Peru after a vast graft scandal ensnared some of the country's biggest builders, the finance minister said on Thursday. Dismissing concerns that a lack of qualified companies might complicate the government's promised infrastructure boom, Alfredo Thorne said more than two dozen companies have recently approached his ministry to discuss investment opportunities. "We haven't had to do much to attract new companies, they've come to us," Thorne told a press conference where he announced plans to build 150,000 new public housing units. Thorne declined to name any of the companies interested in bidding on projects in Peru. "Many of these companies - unfortunately, due to corruption in public work projects - weren't able to take part in past public tenders," Thorne said. "Today we're clearing the way for them to participate." Peru is one of Latin America's fastest-growing economies, but a graft scandal involving Brazilian companies has prompted the government to slash its 2017 growth forecast by one percentage point to 3.8 percent. He said a new package of measures to stimulate growth, including an additional 5.5 billion soles ($1.67 billion) for public investments, might help the economy grow by more than 4 percent this year. "We're absolutely certain we'll be able to get over this bump in the road, for us it's a great opportunity to fight corruption while bringing total transparency to the economy," Thorne said. The government of President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski barred Brazilian construction conglomerate Odebrecht from participating in future public work bids after the company admitted in late December that it distributed $29 million in bribes in Peru. New bidding rules will also exclude other companies that have been found to be involved in corruption. Odebrecht has promised to provide details on its kickback schemes in Peru as other Brazilian builders and Peru's biggest construction group, Grana y Montero, face allegations of involvement. (Reporting By Mitra Taj; Editing by Andrew Hay) CARACAS, March 9 (Reuters) - A World Bank tribunal order for Venezuela to pay $1.4 billion in damages to Exxon Mobil Corp over nationalizations has been annulled, a lawyer for the government said on Thursday. When asked to confirm the news, Venezuela's lawyer, George Kahale, told Reuters by email: "Yes ... We were confident all along that our position was correct and are very pleased that the annulment committee agreed." There was no immediate confirmation by the World Bank or Exxon. (Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer; Writing by Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Sandra Maler) South African anti-apartheid activist who worked with President Nelson Mandela and renowned social rights activist Desmond Tutu who played a pioneering role in South Africas truth and reconciliation mission was here in the country spreading the message of the importance of healing memories. Fr. Michael Lapsley, an Anglican priest who stressed the need to heal the wounds Sri Lanka suffered due to the decades-long ethnic strife was speaking to Buddhist monks, priests and general public including Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim people. He emphasised the need to speak out on the tragedies of war. Fr. Lapsley stressed that in order avoid future war, everyone who was directly and indirectly part of the prolonged war needs to speak out and heal himself or herself. "When I returned to South Africa after 16 years, I realized that millions of South Africans and their stories were not acknowledged or recognised. Nobody had told them that what had happened to them was wrong" Invited to Sri Lanka by the National Christian Council of Sri Lanka (NCCSL), Fr. Lapsley who suffered due to a bomblast which was initiated by supporters of the then ruling government, turned his personal tragedy into a clarion call for peace and forgiveness. In 1990 the ruling South African government sent Fr. Lapsley a parcel containing two religious magazines. Inside one was a highly-sophisticated bomb and when he opened the magazine, the explosive blew off both his hands, destroyed one of his eyes and burned him severely. Coming out of the tragic experience, Fr. Lapsley started the Institute of Healing of Memories with the aim of bringing about peace and unity instead of hatred and war. Subsequently in 1993, he became Chaplain of the Trauma Centre for Victims of Violence and Torture in Cape Town, which assisted the countrys Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This led to the establishment of the Institute for Healing of Memories (IHOM) in 1998 and it enabled more than 23,000 South Africans to tell their stories at workshops where they work through their traumas. Following is an interview with Fr. Lapsely who went around the country speaking to different audiences about the need to promote the mission of healing of memories. We may provide water, housing, electricity and other facilities, but if there is hatred and bitterness, we will not create a better society. We cannot turn the pages of history without reading. If we want to live in peace, we have to accept the damage done to one another. How did your mission of healing of memories contribute towards finding solutions to issues of post-apartheid South Africa? Regarding apartheid issues, after 1994 there were two giant questions we were facing. One was how we could meet the basic needs of the nation like water, electricity, health and education. The other trying question facing the nation was how to deal with the past. We realized that we could not turn the pages of history without looking at them and reading them. We had to face the truth of what we have done to each other. We had to do that if we wanted to live in peace and we had to accept the damages we had done to each other. So we had formed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. South Africas Truth and Reconciliation Commission under Archbishop Desmond Tutu was so popular that people thought what was in South Africa was the first such commission. In fact it was the 13th such commission in the world. Interestingly the inspiration for our commission came from Latin America and particularly from Chili and Argentina. For each of these commissions in various parts of the world there were different cultural, political and social backgrounds. But there was a common issue, that is how do we deal with the past. Didnt you think, specially in a backdrop of terrible violence, human rights violations and murders it would have been better to encourage people to bury the past move forward? Before these commissions were merged in the 1980s and 90s, many preferred the historical option. Let us bury and forget the past. Many countries still prefer that option. The problem is that it never worked anywhere. Because the reality is that the past keeps coming back and biting the next generation, specially because there are deep psychological, emotional and spiritual wounds in all those affected. In a war situation all parties are affected. For example today at the institution in the United States where we work with war veterans and soldiers who participated in just or unjust wars, they are damaged as a result of having served as soldiers. How was the mission of Healing of Memories started? First the democratic government of South Africa set up the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It is worth noting that establishing Truth and Reconciliation Commission was the most debated piece of legislation of the Mandela government and the first democratic parliament. That provided the platform for 23,000 people to come forward. It focused on what we called in the legislation the worst and most serious human rights violation. It focused on murder, attempted murder, torture and severe military acts. That commission came to the conclusion that there could be no moral equivalent or if I put it in different words we cannot say that fighting for apartheid is as bad as fighting against it. Apartheid is a crime against humanity. But we also say that torture is torture and it is always bad. It doesnt matter whether torture is carried out by the apartheid regime or those fighting against it. So this was an important distinction. As I said, 23,000 came forward, but we are a country with a population of 55 million people and every single person in the country are affected the by regime under apartheid. Everyone has a story to tell. What we did, what was done to us and what we failed to do. And the people carried a lot inside them as individual people because of the national story. "It is interesting often after the war we see lot of movies and people write books, use new forms of arts and all contributions to healing of a nation. But I think perhaps the particular need to bring into the table is important of being able for people touch their pain" How did you get this idea? Some of us said we must create opportunities for South Africans from all sides of the conflict to deal with what happened to them. We realized we could provide water, electricity and health but if we were filled with hatred and bitterness we would never create a nice society. So some of us developed a process called healing of the memories, that is denying the memories or not forgetting the memories but trying to find ways to getting out of the toxicity, the poison that lies within the memories. Our work focused on the psychological, emotional and spiritual areas. But this is not an alternative to the political, social and economic situation. Because if peoples political, economic and social grievances are not attended to the problems will continue to be there. We had to find out what the root causes were that led us to apartheid. Do you think it is worth digging into the root causes of a war when it is over? Since the war ended, whatever the manner in which it ended, it is important find the answers to the question as to how that war came about. If we dont attend to that question, we could be calling for another war tomorrow. It can take one generation, two generations or three generations but the war would come back if one does not address the root cause. "If peoples political, economic and social grievances are not attended to the problems will continue to be there" You started this mission specially after you were bombed by the regime you were going to work with? We started our institute in 1998. That was after working for nearly five years. I had been in the apartheid struggle for years. I received the letter bomb three months after Mandela was freed from the prison. It was the regime that had decided to talk, to negotiate but not to stop the killing. So I reflected on what helped me to heal. During the years of trouble I was not living in South Africa but in countries of the Southern African region and in small countries like Zimbabwe. But as a part of the struggle I travelled around the world. Then my role was particularly to mobilse the faith community internationally against the apartheid. Because the terrible reality was that the apartheid was carried out in the name of Christianity. So it was important to unmask them. What happened after you received the parcel bomb? When I received that bomb people from all over the world sent me messages of prayer and love. So I received good medical treatment from Zimbabwe and then in Australia. But what helped me to cure myself were the prayers, love and support from across the world. So my story was given acknowledgment and people said what happened to me was wrong. But when I returned to South Africa after 16 years, I realized that millions of South Africans and their stories were not acknowledged or recognised. Nobody had told them that what had happened to them was wrong. So often old people had the mentality of victims. In the first year the institute was started outside Africa. One was Rwanda four years after genocide, the other was New York city because New York city had been part of the civil rights movement. They were political activists. They said that was the first time they were allowed to talk about their pain. How was the mission of Healing of Memories extended to Sri Lanka? I was invited for the first time to come to Sri Lanka in the year 2000. It was from the Presidential Task Force of Disaster Management and at that point there were very high hopes that the Sri Lankan conflict was going to end in a negotiated settlement. But tragically that was not what happened. But then in recent years the institute was invited by the National Christian Council of Sri Lanka (NCCSL) ceased with the question of what contribution the faith communities could do towards healing and reconciliation. So we introduced our methodology because by that time we had tested it across the globe that is in American, Africa, the Pacific and many other countries. Can the healing of memories be applied to any country and society specially where there are tragic and complex background of war and hatred? Each context is particular and unique but at the deepest level there is a commonality and of course deepest commonality has to be we are human capable of doing the most terrible things to each other. All capable of hatred, bitterness and all capable of kindness, generosity and compassion. All faced with what we do about the past. No one is in the journey of healing. There is no perfect methodology and different human being healed in different ways. It is interesting often after the war we see lot of movies and people write books, use new forms of arts and all contributions to healing of a nation. But I think perhaps the particular need to bring into the table is important of being able for people touch their pain. To have a safe place where people can speak not just what they think about the past but what they feel about the past. This is fundamentally important. Because the poison lies not on what we think about what happened but we feel about it. For every country with post-conflict it is important to think how do we avoid another war tomorrow. What about political and economical solutions? As I said earlier political, social economical things should have to happen. But we have to deal with what happen inside the people. What is your experience in applying healing of memories in Sri Lanka? Last week we had a workshop and majority of the people in the workshop were Tamil speaking and minority was Sinhalese. They were Buddhists, Hindus and Christians, of course one faith group was not there but should have been a part Muslim community. And a quite a number of participants were suffering from disability and consequent of war. Many of them had more than one disappeared from the family. Some of them were former LTTE members, some senior persons in Sri Lankan military and inevitably at the beginning the people were quiet suspicious about each other. Our task as the facilitators was to create a safe place. People had permission to share what they wanted to share on the condition that the people who were there had permission to share their story outside the workshop. They couldnt tell other peoples story without permission. After terrible things happen the society wants to move on which is good. But for those who have lost in some ways they will never move on because the loss is permanent. But they can be assisted to be healed. If they feel that society is listening to their pain. We know sometimes as media persons we give attention for about five minutes and then move on to the next story but those with wounds are left with the wounds which have not being addressed. So media has a key role in coming back to stories that were not being addressed and to tell the society that we have to do something to these wounds. How long this mission of healing could go on? Foundation against apartheid took a long time and we have about 20 years of democracy. People say to us have you finished dealing with the past. My response is dream on and we know that conflict can happen in a very short time but the journey of national healing is a intergenerational journey. The question is not whether we can we deal with the past 100 percent but the question is can we make our contribution. What do you think the role of media specially in a country where there was a terrible and prolonged war? As media persons we have opportunity and responsibility. You know that the media has a major role in creating the Rwanda genocide. They perpetuated and encouraged hatred in the nation. They didnt kill anybody they didnt torture anybody they didnt shoot anybody. But they helped create the climate in which the genocide happened. So media today whether in South Africa or Sri Lanka can help promote national healing. Of course to be fair to the national realities but you also lift up stories of generosity and courage stories of compassion stories where people had been acknowledged. What is your experience about transitional justice and reconciliation in Sri Lanka Past visits in Colombo, and Jaffna, Batticalo and Galle we have worked with different communities. It is encouraging when the nation is talking about transitional justice, healing and reconciliation. That is good the danger is they become slogans. It is important that society is talking about We cannot turn the page of history without reading it. If we wanted to live in peace we have to accept the damages done to each other. We had a truth and reconciliation Commission. Even though the war is over there are religious and ethnic clashes take place over ideologies in the social media and other fora? What is your response? What is important all play our parts to narrate the story of peace. For example in South Africa we conduct a project where young people were allowed to talk. We did a programme called God has many names. We took media, government and education system has a role to give antidotes. Fr. Lapsley with Ven. Galkanda Dammananda, a lecturer attached to Department of History, Faculty of Social Sciences of University of Kelaniya and Rev. W.P. Ebenezer Joseph, General Secretary of National Christian Council of Sri Lanka What is the role of different religious leaders to heal a nation? I think religious leaders have a big say in what they say in public and also what they say in private. In South Africa we like say budget is a sacred document. So if church is saying we are committed for healing and reconciliation and it is one of the three priorities. We tell them to show your budget. And we tell them to show their budget and show their words have power and they had to be translated in to programmes. There is no use in saying we are committed to interfaith work but if we cant see them with a leader of another faith. And of course where there is interfaith conflict, religious site is attacks all the religious leaders need to be seen there. It is not in our names but in a positive way as those who opposing it. Extremists in all our faith communities can be promoters of violence. So faith leaders need to distant themselves by creating understanding and respect. Dont you think that healing can happen in a different way and somebody else might strongly think that let the time become a healer? If you want have a war for generation yes. Evidence of history is that past will never go away. There is different between healing the past and burring the past. There are many examples around the world. Dominant societies say we have forgotten the past and everything fine and we can move forward but victim community pass their pain from generation to generation. If they dont have an opportunity to heal this poison pass on from generation to generation. One of my friends granddaughter in Yugoslavia wrote a book titled Good people in Terrible time and the book of full of people who acted with kindness and generosity towards the others in a time of war. And I know those stories exist in Sri Lanka. Those are the possibility of a common society. In South African context it was important that white join the struggle. Otherwise all the black people would have thought that all the white people are bad and all the black people are good. But by white joining the struggle a war between the races was avoided. Turn you attention inward. Become aware of your posture, how you sit on the chair. Notice all your body sensations, notice any tensions that may be present, gently relax those places, relax your whole body, be totally comfortable in your postureNow look closely for thoughts that may arise in your mind. If they are linked to the past or future just let them go by becoming aware You might experience a sense of silence and then you will notice that you are breathing. There must be movement for the mind to notice. Please observe the whole process of breathing without interfering, without forcing it in any wayas you do this, whenever you notice that you are thinking of something else please bring your attention back to breathing...keep doing this exercise Following these instructions, the whole audience, a cross section of corporate leaders experienced the bliss of being totally silent for some time, perhaps for the first time in life during the very unique corporate event organized to launch the book Inward Bound for Mindful Living as a Sarasavi Publication by Deepal Sooriyaarachchi. Deepal is a seasoned corporate executive, now fully committed to the purpose of developing managers while serving a number of blue chip boards. Union Ball Room of JAIC Hilton was filled to capacity on the 16th February by those who responded to Deepals invitation to discover how mindfulness, the simple skill of becoming aware of what happens here now and observing them non-judgmentally, can improve corporate performance and happiness. It was a book launch with a difference with complete focus on the audience, which echoed the likes of an evening lecture series organized by a professional institute. The formal presenting of the book was replaced by a lineup of excellent presentations by eminent speakers. Having referred to the origins of Mindfulness to Buddhas teaching, Dr Tara De Mel educated the audience on how in the last decade the scientific community had discovered immense benefits of the practice of mindfulness with undisputable evidence, recorded in over 500 peer reviewed articles in leading scientific journals. Referring to a large number of scientific research publications she took the audience through as to how the practice of mindfulness definitely affects all the systems of the human physiology with positive benefits. She used the secular definition of mindfulness popularized by John Kabat Zin of USA Paying Attention on Purpose in the present Moment non-judgmentally in sharing the various scientific aspects. She went on to say how the mindfulness revolution began when His Holiness Dalai Lama challenged Professor Richard Davidson (Neuroscientist - Founder of the Center for Healthy Minds at the University ofWisconsin, Madison) to research about the positive emotion and their impact on the human brain. Accordingly Mindfulness has gained recognition and has got introduced to many fields including medicine, education, management and business. One of the key points that took the audiences attention was the Mindful Nation policy that has been adopted by the British Parliament in a bipartisan move. Deepal first introduced this book at PIM when it was a UK publication with his adopted pen name Deepal Soori and in fact he has become a shuri (expert) in showing us the importance of a very important aspect we tend to ignore in our hustle and bustle of busy life, which is to be Mindful, was how Prof Ajantha Dharmasiri commenced his presentation. He eloquently argued for the immense benefit of the practice of Mindfulness to be effective Managers. He iterated that the invitation to travel inward bound is timely as most Managers consider being productive by being faster and busier; as a result being more stressful rather than being smarter. He invited the Managers to consider the four foundations of Mindfulness discussed in Sati Pattana Sutta, as the basis for peak performance. President Council Prasantha Lal De Alwis, an eminent criminal lawyer, structurally reviewed the book to show how Insightful, Practical, Theoretical, Readable, and Logical it was, while also being affordable. He observed the unusual structure of the book and emphasized that this book has been obviously written by someone who walks the talk as evidenced by the simplicity with which some deep insights are brought out. Deepal used the opportunity to recall with gratitude all those who helped him to rise up in life and particularly those who helped in publishing the book.He explained how we are Distracted, Confused and Stressed today more than ever and how the simple practice of mindfulness can make a world of difference to everyone who can develop the skill by spending a few minutes a day. He revealed that he had been practicing mindfulness since 1980, integrating it into his life long before the current awareness on the subject. In Mindfulness we learn to bring our attention to notice what goes on in this moment, the only moment we can observe, without getting involved just like a CCTV camera. While appreciating all the health and other benefits valued by the scientific community,Deepal said that gaining those benefits through mindfulness is like using a Backhoe Machine to uproot a Banana Plant! The real benefit is getting to know yourself! Please read my book, but the most important book you must read is YOUR LIFE, emphasized Deepal. During his presentation he conducted a guided mindfulness practice session as well. Young ad man, Shaveen Bandaranayake facilitated the whole programme weaving in the clips of the Inward Bound for Mindful Living hosted by him for ARTV. He had selected clips that brought out some fascinating insights shared by Deepal through some powerful analogies such as Our mind is like a meeting without an agenda or a chair person. He vouched on how he had benefited from the practice of mindfulness as a result of getting the opportunity to host the show. INWARDBOUND ROAD MAP Inward Bound for Mindful Living Season 2 will begin on ARTV in Mid March. On Line course on Mindfulness on UDEMY by Deepal, will be launched late March. In April Listen-in guided instructions on Mindfulness will be available through Dialog. A special week-end retreat for top executives will take place at Santani Wellness Resorts, Kandy from 7-9th April. A practical Mindfulness half-a-day workshop will be conducted by Deepal on 3rd March at Waters edge. It is encouraging to see that Sri Lankas Right to Information (RTI) Commission has released its 2017 budget estimate, including the salary scales of the Commission members and staff along with its recruitment procedures and cadre provision. As the Commission Chairperson has pointed out in a response sent to a citizen, who had requested that information, this is only an estimate, which is now being discussed by the Commission with the Ministry of Finance, as required in terms of the RTI Act, No. 12 of 2016. The Commission was hampered at the start by not having a separate budgetary allocation in the National Budget for 2017. Three members, Mahinda Gammanpila (Chairperson), Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena and S.G. Punchihewa were appointed in October last year by President Maithripala Sirisena on the recommendation of the Constitutional Council. But the other two members, A.W.A. Salam and Selvy Thiruchandran were appointed only at the end of the year. As a result, the Commission has only now been able to start getting its allocations in order. Nevertheless, the fact that even the budget estimates were provided in response to a request by a citizen is a pointer to the new transparent culture that Sri Lanka needs to embrace. This could be a role model for public authorities, including the other Independent Commissions. Regulation 20 Gazetted under the RTI Act on February 3 this year imposes this obligation in general. Some institutions may hesitate to provide budget details fearing damage done by mischief makers. But they need not fear. Competition, if this is what they fear, can be out in the open. Where there is a real danger, the RTI Act itself provides exceptions to providing information. That is, of course, subject to the public interest. Therefore, the fear factor should not stifle the provision of information. The RTI Commissions action is a clarion call that others need to follow regardless of apprehensions. Certainly mischief makers are galore, where RTI is concerned. Some seem to want the RTI culture to fail. Others are indignant about the Main Stream Media and its failings. However, when they point three fingers at someone else, it is worthwhile to remember that two fingers point back at them. As the great religions teach us, the truth will always triumph. Meanwhile, the Government is slowly but surely coming under the RTI Law. The Cabinet of Ministers has appointed an Information Officer as have many other Ministries, including the Foreign Affairs Ministry. We also heard the glad news that the Moratuwa Municipal Council has complied with its voluntary disclosure requirements. The MC publicly advertised a list of projects for which Rs. 27 million has been allocated, stating that this advertisement was For all persons that (who) may be affected in terms of the provisions of the Right to Information Act No. 12 of 2016, by a list of projects to be undertaken. The 40 projects include repairs to drains, paving roads and construction of boundary walls. It is also heartening to see a professional body, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka, conforming to the RTI Law and appointing its Information Officer and publishing details relevant to the RTI Act up on its websites. It is a good move. We understand that RTI requests are being filed against Non-Governmental Organisations, which engage in State projects covered by the RTI Act. The RTI seeds, which are today, in some cases, planted on inhospitable or dry soil, may be the genesis of a bountiful harvest many years later for Sri Lanka. So, this is why seekers of information and the RTI Commission must hammer away, despite mischievous obstacles being put in its way. This country will be beholden to these genuine pioneers of RTI, who persevere, disregarding the stones that will inevitably be thrown at them. Sri Lankas stock market was all abuzz yesterday with the unexpected news of leading corporate figure Nimal Perera resigning from the director boards of the companies controlled by the business magnate Dhammika Perera amid speculation of a massive fall-out between the duo. Nimal Perera yesterday informed the Colombo Stock Exchange of his resignation from the boards of Royal Ceramics, Amaya Leisure, The Kingsbury, Haycarb, Hayleys and Talawakelle Tea Estatesall controlled by Dhammika Pererawith effect from March 7. The duo is arguably the most successful in riding Sri Lankas post-war economic boom, with aggressively acquiring a number of listed and unlisted companies including giant business houses such as Hayleys and Delmege. Perera is said to be controlling over 20 listed entities in the country and his net worth is estimated at over US $ 800 million. Weve been together for about 14 to 15 years. Its time I go on my own. I want to start something with my two sons, who are now grown up, Nimal Perera told Mirror Business, following the announcement of his resignations. Nimal Perera currently owns about 3 percent of Pan Asia Bank PLC, a mid-sized bank controlled by Dhammika Perera, through an investment vehicle he controls called NP Capital. He also owns a tea broking company. Now I can get more involved in the capital market, says Nimal Perera. Dhammika was said to have spotted Nimal as an astute investor cum trader at the Colombo bourse and later Nimal was widely considered as Dhammikas de facto portfolio manager. However, market sources for sometime had been speculating that the differences between the duo were steadily growing. In fact, in the last couple of years, Nimal Perera was seen trying his luck with some purchases on his own. Though many expect more fine points behind what appears to be the end of Dhammika-Nimal saga to unravel in the coming few weeks and months, its unlikely that anybody would think twice to say what the duo had going for so many years was a fine innings. Dhammika Perera was not available for comment. (Indika Sakalasooriya) Sri Lanka is one of the best known tourist destinations in the world. Many tourists love Sri Lanka; in the past, Sri Lankans were considered very hospitable and friendly. The restrained, friendly nature of Sri Lankans is believed to be due to the influence of Buddhism. But what has happened to this majority-Buddhist country with a proud history? Cases of murder, rape, abuse, fraud, cheating and corruption are heard of everywhere, everyday. This was a country where a woman wearing her finest jewellery could walk in a city at night without fear. But things have changed for the worse. Now foreign women too have become targets of a few criminal-minded Sri Lankans, just like their local counterparts. Many travel sites such as Lonely Planet warn foreigners who plan to come here about issues such as bus travel and dress codes outside Colombo Frequent complaints have been recorded against the harassment and abuse of foreign women and this number has been increasing over time Nearest black mark A Russian woman bathing in the Mount Lavinia sea was sexually harassed by two Ministerial Security Division (MSD) officers on January 28 of this year. With the support of the Mount Lavinia Coast Guard and the Police, the two suspects were captured as they tried to escape. The arrested suspects are a police constable and a driver aged 27 and 47 respectively, attached to the MSD and residents of Mirihana and Kanthale. After the arrest, one suspect was released. On Sunday 29, the case was heard in the Mount Lavinia Magistrates court. By now, both suspects have been released on bail and the next hearing is to be held on March 18. A reliable source told the Daily Mirror about what happened to the Russian tourist at the Mount Lavinia beach: On the evening of January 28, people were seen gathered around a foreign woman and the police inquired about this. As told by the victim, she had been bathing in the water when a group of people surrounded her and one by one, began sexually harassing her. When she sat on the beach crying, people had gathered around her and the police had arrived. At the time, she remembered saying that Sri Lanka was a good country and requested protection from police to continue with her bath. The police agreed and she got into the water. The abusers came close to her again and she had shouted and pointed out the suspects to the nearby lifeguards and three wheeler drivers. With their help, the police had arrested two people while they were trying to escape. According to the source, one of the two people identified by her had nothing to do with the incident. The victim was in Sri Lanka for a two week tour and had been invited by a friend living in the country. Police Media Spokesperson Priyantha Jayakody said there had been no abduction and two off-duty police officers who were bathing near the foreigner had been arrested for sexual harassment and interfering with the police officers duty. Many travel sites such as Lonely Planet warn foreigners who plan to come here about issues such as bus travel and dress codes outside Colombo. Some foreigners had negative views but most visitors remained positive about holidaying in Sri Lanka. Expectations Vs Reality Sri Lanka is expecting 4.5 million tourists in 2020, according to long-term development plans. Many new economic and development projects focus on tourism.. If we expect to earn from tourism, we should maintain a friendly image and an ideal environment. Never mind the facilities; can we at least protect tourists? According to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) reports, only 219,360 tourists arrived in Sri Lanka in January 2017. 224,791 tourist arrivals were recorded in December 2016. Frequent complaints have been recorded against the harassment and abuse of foreign women and this number has been increasing over time. Sri Lanka used to be famous for the wrong reasons, because of notorious incidents from the past such as the Rita Jones murder case. Many foreign women have issued warnings about coming to Sri Lanka. Apart for the 2017 incident, a huge black mark was added to Sri Lankan tourism history in 2011, with the murder of a British Red Cross employee and the brutal assault and rape of his Russian girlfriend by a gang of eight men, including a provincial council MP, at a Tangalle tourist hotel. Though the government tried at first to hush it up, the suspects were imprisoned for 20 years following international pressure. Yet many harassment and abuse cases have gone unnoticed because the Sri Lankan legal system is too slow. (Internet) In its 14thyear since inception, under the theme 'Celebrate Colombo', the premier HSBC Colombo Fashion Week includes a new initiative and a project where Fashion meets Art. This project is called ART CONNECT, which exemplifies the connection between the creative streams of Fashion and Art. Art Connect is presented by The Residences by One Galle Face. Art Connect will be the first of the series of events during the week of CFW, it is the Colombo Fashion Week kick-off event. Colombo Fashion Week this year celebrates Colombo under the theme 'Celebrate Colombo' in association with the Sri Lanka Tourism. For the first time five major artists will come together to create work that is inspired by fashion. Their means of expression are distinctly unique and each have picked up an element of fashion to create on. Fazeena Rajabdeen CEO of Colombo Fashion Week, who was instrumental in putting this together says "We really wanted to create an event or a project where there is a meaningful interaction between Fashion and Art. We wanted the Artists to have a feel for it so that it does not remain just on the surface. I went about looking for a 'fit' that will define what we were looking for, I met Chamika and this journey started. This will be very interesting and the venue will perfectly represent the creative work." The name of the exhibition is quite apt, its called 'SECOND SKIN', closely representing fashion. This will be a first of sorts. Each artist will create 05 pieces each and it will be exhibited at a unique venue in Colombo on the evening of the 13th of March. The five important artists have never worked together on an exhibition of this nature before. They are - Kingsley Gunathilaka - His journey in life reflected through abstract art on canvas with the mixing of colour insisting on an "uncomplicated space free of problems". Mahen Perera - His work explores the innate mutability of materials that gravitate between painting and sculpture; how permutation reconstructs and provides new stimuli for visual perception Sanjeewa Kumara - He explores the use of lush, sensual imagery, and how the collision of Western pop culture and the South Asian Islands post-colonial legacy impacts his imagination. Pala Pothupitiye - He confronts issues such as colonialism, nationalism, religious extremism and extends his inquiry to questions of caste, the distinction between arts and crafts, tradition and modernity. Sanjaya Geekiyanage- He uses copper as a medium for his work; evoking different colours from the material. His is an unusual technique of wrecking the copper and reassembling it for sculptures. The curator of this exhibition is Chamika De Alwis, Chartered Architect by profession, but passionate about art, he has worked closely with Fazeena to create this. This collaboration will create an exciting exhibition and an event that will add to interesting things that Colombo as a city has to offer. The week also aims to showcase Colombo as a city that comes together with different creative streams that can be experienced during Colombo Fashion Week. HSBC Colombo Fashion Week takes deep pride in introducing its partners who have understood the vision behind CFW and take great interest in raising the standards of fashion and making a mark internationally - HSBC, Hilton Colombo, Sri Lanka Tourism Board, Jaguar Land Rover, Colombo Jewellery Stores, Unilever - Ponds BB, Etisalat, Wineworld, Olu Tropical Water, Vision Care, Ramani Fernando Salons, One Galle Face, Leo Burnett and MSLGroup Sri Lanka, Quintessentially Ceylon and Emerging Media. For further details, please visit www.colombofashionweek.com or follow CFW on Facebook (www.facebook.com/colombofashionweek), Twitter (@colombofw) and Instagram (@colombofw). Kingsley Gunathilaka Mahen Perera Pala Pothupitiya Sanjaya Geekiyanage Sanjeewa Kumara Just after Chandrika Kumaratunga came to power there was a spate of strikes. The phenomenon was celebrated at first by the then Government as an indication of increased space for the expression of democratic freedoms. Not too long afterwards the very same regime decried strikes as an abuse of freedom. The line changed to, The strikers are irresponsible and are demonstrating nothing but the freedom of the wild ass. It is happening all over again. We hear the same kind of dismissive statements from the Government. Indeed, theyve gone a step further, borrowing a page from the previous regime, describing agitation as the voice of a disgruntled few who are being used as pawns by the joint opposition. Its all too familiar. When agitation is not being celebrated as evidence of enhanced freedoms under the current dispensation, it is dismissed either as abuse of privileges by the irresponsible or the antics of the joint opposition. Naturally, any Opposition worth the title will not miss any opportunity to piggy-back on any course of action against any government. Thats politics. This Government is a coalition made of the two main political parties in the country. Both parties have played this game and do not have the moral authority to cry foul. This of course doesnt mean that piggy-backing is all that the Opposition does. Everyone is someone elses pawn and political organizations are the best positioned to turn any population segment into a pawn, foot soldier or cannon fodder. In this instance, though, its hard to blame everything on the joint opposition. First of all that would amount to acknowledging a strong opposition, an accusation that runs counter to the regular pooh-poohing indulged in by the Government which claims that the joint opposition is weak, confused, in disarray and facing an imminent split. Secondly, it implies that grievances expressed are manufactured. They are not. They are real and they are not being addressed. The Government itself, in what has become a chronic propensity to state, contradicts and become confused, robbing its own claims of logical worth. Even if everything that came before has a Rajapaksa signature, so to speak, the tag just cannot be pinned on the trade union action by the Federation of University Teachers Associations (FUTA). FUTA has gone on record to state that they are willing to even jeopardize the exams of undergraduates. Clearly theyve run out of patience. FUTA Secretary Arjuna Parakrama charges that the Government authorities lacked a proper understanding of the university sector. Claiming that FUTA was demanding security and respect for their profession, Parakrama points out that salary deductions made by the recent circulars has brought university lectures on par with other administrative officers. Theres more, There are anomalies in vehicle permits, communication allowances and other privileges when compared with other administrative services. When the Unity Government was elected it promised to allocate six per cent of the GDP to the education sector. However, it has been reduced to 0.6 per cent, which clearly shows a breakdown in the entire system. It has to be a big concern for the Government. It was well into Mahinda Rajapaksas second term that things began to look shaky. One could argue that things werent visible due to overt and covert repression, but even if one clipped a couple of years on this account and made allowances for the war situation, things seem to be crumbling faster for this Government. There are two ways to deal with agitation. The better way is to resolve the relevant grievances. The other way is to crush it. The second becomes inevitable when Governments do not have what it takes to adopt the first option. Thats where we seem to be. Things cannot be resolved when theres no coherent policy and when the constituent parts of a ruling coalition do not or cannot speak in one voice. The Government needs to come to terms with certain realities sooner rather than later. Blaming agitation on the machinations of the joint opposition has run its course. Blaming the bad policies of the previous regime for current ills is no longer an excuse for non-resolution of grievances. The wheels havent exactly come off, but theres rattling under the chassis. It has finally happened. Its been threatening to happen for a while now. The news is deeply saddening and everyones thoughts must be with the family members of the 22-year-old Tamil Nadu fish-worker from Thangachimadam in central Rameswaram, who was shot and killed while fishing illegally in Sri Lankan waters early yesterday morning. Bridgos death stands as a damning indictment of the Tamil Nadu trawler owners stubborn refusals to stop sending their trawlers to fish illegally in Sri Lankan waters. His death underlines the catastrophic consequences of the Tamil Nadu governments failure to take appropriate measure against boat owners whose trawlers are arrested for fishing illegally in northern Sri Lankan waters. Equally, if not more so, the death of a Tamil Nadu fishworker while fishing illegally in Sri Lankan waters will leave a dark stain on the reputation of Indias Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its Minister Sushma Swaraj. Despite repeatedly summoning her Sri Lankan counterparts and Sri Lankan fishermen to New Delhi, Sushma Swaraj has mishandled genuine attempts by the Sri Lankan authorities and Sri Lankan fishermen to bring to an end illegal fishing by Tamil Nadu trawlers in Sri Lankan waters. And now a young man has died. Maybe this was what it was always going to take? One death that one hopes will make politicians in Tamil Nadu and those in New Delhi finally see sense. To understand that taking no action against Tamil Nadu boat owners - who pay their skippers and crew bonuses to fish illegally in Sri Lankan waters - risks the lives of Tamil Nadu fishworkers. To appreciate that constantly demanding the release and repatriation of arrested Tamil Nadu fishworkers and trawlers without penalties or fines, actively encourages illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters. To recognize that the International Maritime Boundary Line that separates Sri Lanka from India in the Gulf of Mannar, the Palk Bay and the Bay of Bengal is sovereign. No different from any border that separates two adjacent countries and that Tamil Nadu trawlers have no right to cross without consent. Sri Lankan fishermen have made it clear that they were utterly opposed to issuing licences to Tamil Nadu trawlers to fish legally in Sri Lankan waters. As recently as November in New Delhi, representatives of fishermens organizations from Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu and Mannar made statements individually and collectively urging Tamil Nadu trawlers to stop fishing illegally in their waters with immediate effect. When pressed by Tamil Nadu trawler owners to give them (the owners) more time a week, a month, a year - to withdraw from fishing illegally in Sri Lankan waters, Sri Lankan fishermen unanimously opposed the request. Sri Lankan fishermen responded, saying they would not give Tamil Nadu trawler owners so much as a minute more to fish illegally in Sri Lankan waters. In the days that followed the meeting of fishermens leaders, Indias Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Agriculture (and Fisheries) met with their Sri Lankan counterparts. They discussed how to resolve the problem of persistent illegal fishing by Tamil Nadu trawlers in Sri Lankan waters. Despite the best efforts of Mangala Samaraweera and Mahinda Amaraweera, the Sri Lankan delegation came away from the talks with only the promise of more talksfrom Sushma Swaraj and her colleagues; but no commitment from the Indian side to end illegal fishing by Tamil Nadu trawlers in Sri Lankan waters. Talks between the two governments officials duly took place in January. In the background, the Sri Lankan navy continued to arrest Tamil Nadu trawlers apprehended while fishing illegally in Sri Lankan waters. While officials talk, Tamil Nadu trawlers continue to fish illegally in Sri Lankan waters. According to press reports, there are currently 85 Tamil Nadu fishworkers and 128 Tamil Nadu trawlers in the custody of Sri Lankan authorities. Last week the Tamil Nadu government repeated its many calls for the unconditional release and repatriation of Tamil Nadu fishworkers and their trawlers. It is alleged that Indian diplomacy is behind the recent announcement by the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to the release of 42 Tamil Nadu vessels. The release of vessels will be timed to coincide with the visit of the Indian Prime Minister to Sri Lanka in May, in yet another gesture of goodwill. The emptiness of these good will gestures was laid bare early yesterday morning. The goodwill that the Sri Lankan government repeatedly shows towards the government of India must now be reciprocated in full and with interest. The government of India must accept that the unconditional release and repatriation of Tamil Nadu fishworkers and trawlers has no part to play in bringing to an end illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) by Tamil Nadu trawlers in Sri Lankan waters. The government of India too must accept that the responsibility to stop IUU fishing by Tamil Nadu trawlers in Sri Lankan waters lies not with the government of Sri Lanka in Colombo, but in New Delhi and Chennai. Nor can the Sri Lankan authorities be expected to step back from protecting Sri Lankan sovereignty in the Gulf of Mannar, the Palk Bay and the Bay of Bengal. Its not just fishing boats that move illegally across the maritime boundary line that separates the two countries. Yesterdays tragedy notwithstanding, no one should be left in any doubt about the immediacy of the consequences they may face, should they be apprehended while engaged in anything on the wrong side of the border. One life can change a nation. So there must be hope that Bridgos death will finally open the eyes of the Indian authorities in New Delhi, if not in Chennai about the need to stop Tamil Nadu trawlers fishing illegally in Sri Lankan waters. Today is a sad day but it is now clearer than ever before. The responsibility to end IUU fishing by Tamil Nadu trawlers in Sri Lankan waters lies with the Indian authorities. They need to act now, with immediate effect and with whatever means at their disposal. Speaker Karu Jayasuriya today turned down a request made by the joint opposition to appoint MP Dullas Alahapperuma as its acting group leader in place of MP Dinesh Gunawardene who has been suspended from the House for a week. The Speaker said he had no authority to do so as the matter had to be decided by UPFA Group Leader Nimal Siripala de Silva. Mr Alahapperuma said he has to raise an important question as per the standing orders 23(2). "Please heed to our request," he told Speaker assuring that the joint opposition has no objective of disrupting the House. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who joined in the cross talks said standing orders did not provide provision for a group leader to assign anyone else to raise questions under the said standing orders. However MP Wimal Weerawansa argued claiming that Mr. Wickremesinghe assigned others to raise questions on behalf of him during his tenure and the leader of opposition.(Yohan Perera) Oman Air, the national carrier of the sultanate of Oman, is excited to announce a new partnership with DHL Express, a division of the German logistics company Deutsche Post DHL. This trial builds on Oman Airs promise to scrap high baggage charges. The arrangement will allow guests flying Oman Air to use DHL Express to deliver their baggage to their final destination at extremely affordable rates in line with the new rates introduced by Oman Air in January of this year. The agreement signifies DHL and Oman Airs commitment to strengthen cooperation and deliver better service and value to Oman Airs customers within Sultanate of Oman. The partnership will enable Guests, with confirmed Oman Air tickets to send baggage to any address within Oman Airs network through drop off at any DHL service point in Oman, including Seeb, Al Khuwair, Sohar, Muscat, Qurum and Salalah. Guests will then be able to track their packages on the move via phone, sms, email or online through DHL.com.om Aboudy Nasser, Senior Vice President, Network Planning & Revenue Management for Oman Air, said Our decision to partner with DHL is part of journey to becoming the best. As with our move to scrap high baggage charges, we want deliver more value for our customers and make their life as easy as possible while travelling. Passengers flying with us can arrive in the Hotel with their Baggage waiting for them relieving them of the hassle of having to carry to and from the Airport. Ali Thabet, Country Manager for DHL Express in Oman, said We are pleased to be working closely with Oman Air. This new and strategic partnership with Oman Air reflects the common vision and brand promise of both companies in making sure that customers are offered great service quality that exceed their expectations. It is also a reflection of the strong ties that we have with Oman Air. This new partnership with DHL definitely delivers an added benefit for anyone flying with Oman Air. Using our unparalleled global network that extends to more than 220 countries across the world, DHL Express is able to provide Oman Air passengers with a unique and value for money service of securely shipping their luggage to any country they are flying to and delivering it to its final destination on time, offering them peace of mind and a hassle-free flight. Our support will aid Oman Airs mission to exceed customer expectations with a safe, reliable and seamless flying experience. Oman Air guests will receive special DHL rates on production of a valid Oman Air ticket with specific rates for Inter GCC travel, Middle East, Africa and Indian Subcontinent and separate rates for travel to Europe and Asia Pacific. DHL standard terms and conditions will apply for each shipment and DHL will be responsible for all processing of Oman Air guests requirements. For further information or details on the rates please contact DHL or Oman Air or visit DHL.com.om or omanair.com Days after BJP president Amit Shah invoked the alleged role of religion in laptop distribution by the Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh, I was meeting Rajiv Srivastava, the managing director of HP India. It was the firm tasked with distributing 14.82 lakh laptops on a war footing, within seven months of Yadav taking charge as the CM of the state. They will ask your religion and caste first, if that doesnt seem favourable to them, they wont give you laptop, Amit Shah said, stoking religion at a rally in Chauri Chaura. It appears, this was yet another chunavi jumla. The fact, says Srivastava, is that the state government and HP individually headhunted the students and handed over the laptops against their IDs without any discrimination of caste, creed or religion. It was a war-room monitored by Yadav himself as HP went from college to college collecting the list of eligible students in first year through college principals. The mandate was to distribute a laptop to every student passing out of class 12 in a UP school and taking admission in first year in a UP college. Akhilesh's laptop scheme is a hit with the youth. I am neither a political pundit, nor a psephologist. But it is incidents such as these about Yadavs earnestness that made me dig deeper into the prevailing wisdom among the intelligentsia, political pundits and poll analysts that hes way behind in the fight for the 2017 state elections. I beg to differ. Yadav is neither writen-off, nor a lightweight in these elections. Instead, dont be surprised if UP votes to continue with the Akhilesh Yadav regime. Heres why: 1. Those assuming that Yadav is written-off are undermining the intelligence of the electorate. UPs electorate would rather have a touch-and-feel chief minister than a faceless CM whose name will be announced only after election results are announced. 2. His earnestness is his biggest strength. Like Nitish Kumar in Bihar, Yadav has worked assiduously, blazing a trail of 200-odd rallies across UP, the most by any politician of the state during these elections. Analysts have underestimated the personal touch he provided during these rallies across the length and breadth of UP. 3. A shrewd politician, Yadav is less in the mould of the rebel his father Mulayam Singh Yadav is, but more in the mould of a moderate like Atal Bihari Vajpayee who can take diverse interests along with him. This trait would be valuable when he stakes his claim to the nations top job at some point in time. 4. Analysts have grossly underestimated the impact he has had on the states junta through various schemes like the laptop scheme, the unemployment allowance (Rs 1000 per month) scheme and the senior citizen farmers pension schemes (Rs 500 per month) which have touched millions of lives across the state. His regime also provided free books up to class eight; each girl child got two sets of school uniforms free every year; children from families who earn under Rs 5 lakh per annum are provided private higher education for free; a tablet for every student passing class 10. 5. In fighting a public battle with uncle Shivpal Yadav on the issues of corruption and mismanagement, Akhilesh has captured the higher morale ground which has appealed to the youth. The goodwill generated by this feud will be tested for the first time at the ballot this year. 6. In building the Agra-Lucknow expressway in record time, he has demonstrated that he can take on large infrastructure projects and execute them (so far the strength of Mayawati only). High cost (implied corruption) notwithstanding, the highway has been set up without a hitch at an unbelievable pace. 7. Lastly, 2017s election promises are equally attractive, ranging from populist to developmental: a smartphone each to 1.4 crore people; Rs 1000 monthly pension for rural women; 50 per cent fare concession for women in public transport; 24-hour power supply in rural areas; free pressure cookers for poor and hostels for working women; free ghee and milk powder to students of poor families; new expressways; city metro projects in Agra, Kanpur, Varanasi and Meerut. Is there a reason for the UP electorate to reject him? If there are any, they are surprisingly hard to find. The voting pattern of the minority community kept changing in the seven-phase election in Uttar Pradesh, giving rise to the speculation that BJP may manage to sail through and get the magical figure in the Assembly on its own. Had the minority community stayed en bloc, as was widely witnessed in the first two phases, the story would possibly have been different. It however appears that the community yielded to the clarion call of Mayawati and a sizeable chunk of the vote swung in favour of the BSP, thereby dampening the prospects of the SP-Congress alliance. This was apparent in the over dozen seats where Mukhtar Ansari, with his Robin Hood image, calls the shots. In Mau, the main contenders appeared to be the BJP alliance versus the BSP. At a particular booth in Ambedkar Nagar, two first-time voters from the Muslim community, of the same family, chose to vote differently. The community seemed to be choosing between the SP-Congress alliance and the BSP to defeat the BJP. The same resulted in reverse consolidation. In fact, reverse consolidation was witnessed from the second phase onward. The BJP possibly gauged the situation and the rhetoric of shamshaan versus kabristaan, Ram mandir and closure of automated slaughter houses was built up during the concluding phases of the poll. The BSP supremo too took the opportunity to campaign solidly for the party, each time reiterating that her party was coming to power with a thumping majority. Earlier, she had minced no words in declaring that the party had given the highest number of tickets to the minority community. This seems to be working in favour of the BJP as a tug-of-war between the SP-Congress alliance and the BSP for minority votes created a divide, which translates to good gains for the BJP. The exercise in turn helped the BJP go for a rainbow coalition, which may also be the winning formula for the party in UP. Has the BSP played spoiler? The BJP possibly knew from the beginning that it would be a futile exercise to try to garner support from even a small chunk of the minority and, despite laments from some top leaders of the party of not having given tickets to people from the minority community, the BJP stuck to its plan, also not making any attempt to win their vote during campaigning. In Jaunpur, a businessman close to the Shivpal Yadav camp was furious for having been denied a ticket even as he had made all preparations for the elections. The man had one agenda - to defeat the candidate chosen by CM Akhilesh Yadav. The disgruntled within the SP, primarily belonging to Shivpal's camp, are a fuming lot and have tried everything possible to ensure the loss of Akhilesh. On the other hand, despite the fact that Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh tried to make demonetisation an emotive issue during the election, it does not seem to have found a favourable echo in remote pockets. When some farmers who had come to vote at a polling booth in Mau were asked about the noteban, they said they did not mind it. In fact, they seemed more excited about Narendra Modi's promise to wave off their loans and provide them with efficient pumps for irrigation. The BJP pushing full throttle in the last phases, with the PM choosing to spend almost three days in his constituency of Varanasi and roping in the disgruntled within the party too seems to be working in its favour. I knew it was coming. The Kansas shooting and many other recent incidents are just the beginning. We will witness more such incidents. When a candidate's poll campaign is based on division, social disruption and fury against a certain group of people, except the white male, what else do you expect? America had it coming. People were bound to get influenced by Trumps narrative of White victimhood and the dangerous anti-Muslim rhetoric and policies. 'People were bound to get influenced by Trumps narrative of White victimhood.' The recent US presdential elections represented something deeply disturbing for me fall of business ethics, decline of merit-based system and encouraging the most brash form of privilege. There is an exclusion of all people benefitted by social progress since the end of slavery. This includes immigrants. What rules now is discrimination, division and impossibility for women to have meaningful positions of power. Let us not forget, the elections were also about selection of male control over female empowerment. Is it not disheartening, especially in a country that tends to present itself as leading the rest of the world? 'I knew it was coming.' (Photo credit: Sandeep Sahdev) We saw all this post 9/11 too. A time when propaganda machinery made terrorism synonymous with Islam. It would take a long time to reverse all this. Immigrants, including Indians and people from other countries, who have been living in America for a long time are suddenly living under the shadow of a constant threat to their lives. They are suddenly vulnerable to the invisible fear of the other. I came to India for a few days, but now am scared of going back to Trump's America. POMONA, Calif. (AP) Canine competitions get a new TV offering next month: Beverly Hills Dog Show. The two-hour program, presented by Purina, will air on USA Network on April 16, co-hosted by actor John OHurley and David Frei, a breeder, owner, handler, judge and author. The pair also hosts The National Dog Show. The judging was conducted March 4 in Pomona, California, at Fairplex, the sprawling county fairgrounds east of Los Angeles. More than 1,350 dogs representing 166 breeds and varieties took part. Handlers primped and posed their four-footed charges, and strolled with them like models on a runway en route to the choice of best in show. The Amerman Family Foundation Dog Therapy Program at the Childrens Hospital Los Angeles was the charity partner of the event, receiving $1 from every ticket sold. The Kennel Club of Beverly Hills was founded in 1965. Stewart Information Services Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides title insurance and real estate transaction related services. The company operates in two segments, Title, and Ancillary Services and Corporate. The Title segment is involved in searching, examining, closing, and insuring the condition of the title to real property. This segment also offers home and personal insurance services; services for tax-deferred exchanges; and digital customer engagement platform services. The Ancillary Services and Corporate segment provides appraisal management, online notarization and closing, credit and real estate information, and search and valuation services to the mortgage industry. The company offers its products and services through its directly owned policy-issuing offices, network of independent agencies, and other businesses within the company. It serves homebuyers and sellers, residential and commercial real estate professionals, title agencies, real estate attorneys and investors, and home builders, as well as mortgage lenders, servicers, brokers, and investors. The company operates in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Stewart Information Services Corporation was founded in 1893 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas. The University of Virginias Presidential Search Committee is wrestling with whether UVas next president could come from outside academia. At a meeting Wednesday, the committee discussed the possibility of hiring a nontraditionalnot from academiaadministrator to replace Teresa A. Sullivan, who plans to step down when her contract ends in the summer of 2018. Sullivan is a sociologist with prior experience as a university administrator with the University of Texas and the University of Michigan. But a growing number of university presidents do not have an academic background, said James B. Murray, a Board of Visitors member who also sits on the committee. It is a growing trend, Murray said. And it may eventually become a majority of university presidents [who come] from the business and private world. The rise of nontraditional presidents also has included people from the world of governmentJanet Napolitano, former secretary of homeland security, heads the University of California system, for example, while former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels is president of Purdue University. Timothy M. Wolfe, a former IBM executive who went on to become president of the University of Missouri, was at the center of major controversy last year, when he stepped down following accusations that he had not adequately responded to student concerns about racism on campus. The crisis once again raised the question of whether people who do not come from academia or public service are truly qualified to lead a major university. The majority of high ranking universities still draw from academia, said Vice Rector Frank M. Rusty Conner III, who co-chairs the committee. Most of UVas peer institutions are still seeking out academics, he said. We need to be careful when we talk about this, Conner said. A lot of lesser-ranked schools use a [nontraditional] candidate to give them credibility they might not get through the normal process. Faculty members have expressed strong opinions on the issue on either side, said Pamela Sutton-Wallace, CEO of the UVa Medical Center and a member of the committee. Wallace said the committee will need to map out what it is looking for in a candidate before it substantially narrows down the field. I think we need to be clear on the work the president will have to do and the skills needed to do it, she said. Rector William H. Goodwin, who is co-chairing the search committee, agreed to seek out feedback on the question in the coming weeks. Much of the committees work will be done in closed session, as public meeting laws provide exemptions for the discussion of matters involving specific personnel. Goodwin and the other members of the committee have stated that they do not want to publicize the names of prospective candidates until the final stages because doing so could compromise their current positions. Still, the committee is soliciting public feedback in the form of surveys and town halls. The first step is a presidential search website that is scheduled to go live late this week or early next week, said Anthony de Bruyn, a UVa spokesman. Derek Joseph Wilkin, first born son to Nicolas and Corinna Wilkin, was born February 11, 1993. At a very early age it was evident that his two loves in life were the great outdoors and God. It was quite natural for him from a very young age to explore nature, hunt crayfish, go hiking and riding his dirt bike in Moapa Valley and Lincoln County, Nevada. While living in Elko in his later years, Derek loved taking exceptionally long walks along the river where he felt exceptionally free, closer to God and at home. His love of freedom transferred to all of Gods creations. At one time, he and a friend bought a couple of doves from a pet store. Although Derek thoroughly enjoyed the cute birds, he set them free within a couple of days because he hated seeing them caged. Derek had a very spiritual side and had a great love for Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, which increased with his regular study and meditation of the scriptures. One scripture that he cherished is found in Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. Possessing such a great love of Heavenly Father, Derek was fearless in sharing his faith with friends and family, encouraging others to have faith in Gods great plan. Having been born into a loving family, Derek loved and admired his parents unconditional love, generosity and hard work ethic. His family thoroughly enjoyed Dereks quick wit and fantastic sense of humor; they knew they could turn to him when they needed a quick, funny, point of view or just a smile. Derek also had a great desire to be a good man and set a good example for his siblings. He strived to improve his life and always bounced back after each set back. He had a strong hope and faith that tomorrow held a brighter future and that he was going to accomplish his goals. Derek passed away March 4, 2017. He was preceded in death by his son Joseph Abraham Wilkin, grandparents Don Grentz, Betty DuFer Wilkin, & Joseph D. Wilkin. He is survived by his grandmother, Gloria (Arlen Burgess) Svoboda , parents, Nick and Corinna, Siblings: Ashley Wilkin (Jayson Guy) Reno, Curtis & Madison Wilkin, niece Savannah Wilkin, and many aunts, uncles and cousins who will miss him greatly but cherish the good memories they have of his life. A Celebration of Life will be held at Angel Park, Friday, March 10 at 5:00 p.m., and graveside services will be Saturday, March 11 at 2:00 p.m., at Pioche City Cemetery. WAYNESBORO The Skyline Drug Task Force arrested a Craigsville man late last month after a search of his vehicle at Craigsville Elementary School revealed half a pound of methamphetamine with a street value of $27,000. A search warrant at the Augusta County Courthouse says that the drug task force responded to a child protective services complaint on Feb. 24 at the school related to drug-related child abuse. When a member of the task force arrived, he searched the truck of Barry Lee Spradlin, 52. Spradlin had come to the school on Feb. 24 to pick up a child. The search warrant said half a pound of meth was found in Spradlins truck, as well as between $5,000 and $6,000 in cash. The search warrant said Spradlin told the police officer he had additional paraphernalia and cash proceeds from drug sales at his house. Spradlin is being held in Middle River Regional Jail on charges of felony distribution and possession with intent to distribute the drug on school property and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. A check of Spradlins record reveals numerous drug arrests and a 2001 conviction for felony eluding of law enforcement. The Skyline Drug Task Force includes the Virginia State Police, the Nelson County Sheriffs Office, the Augusta County Sheriffs Office, Waynesboro police and Staunton police. ELKO In the words of Melchior, On the Razzle, a farcical play about love and the grocery trade, is classic. Great Basin College Theatre will present this comedy by Tom Stoppard next week. The productions director, John Rice, said its based on an Austrian play. It is the same story upon which Thornton Wilder based The Matchmaker, which then became Hello Dolly, so it is a familiar story, Rice said. Tom Stoppard wrote the play, and in his notes he said it wasnt a translation, but more like orienting yourself as you take a trek across the mountains, Rice said. Theres point A, point B, point C in a plot, just like when youre orienting, he said. You orient yourself from one landmark to another, but how you get there theres a variety of ways you can get there. In the end its really simply a story about two young grocery apprentices who go to the big city for an adventure, Rice said. In fact, what they want to do is establish a past for themselves. Theyve come through their lives and they realize they dont have a past. They havent done anything that they can talk about, so they go on this adventure. The adventure starts after their boss, Herr Zangler, goes to Vienna to meet his fiance. It becomes a chase scene because there are several close encounters between the boss and the two young men. Rice said Stoppard was a clever writer and has a lot of innuendo in the play. Its a bawdy play, Rice said. By bawdy I mean its a little naughty, but its only naughty. Its nothing that anyone with a Nevada-style humor wont enjoy. Rice said the play is full of innuendo, but never has anything that is expressly sexual. Thats the fun of it, he said. You kind of get up to that edge, but you never go over it, but you know exactly where it could have gone. Thats actually one of the reasons I chose it. Its essentially a contemporary play. Ursula Stanton is in charge of the costumes for the production, which is set in the 1920s. Its a lot of searching, and I asked everyone to kind of own their character this time around, she said. She focused on the two heaviest hitting costumes Maries Scottish outfit and a cloak that is a disguise for several people in the play. Stanton said many of the girls brought in dresses and 1920s flair was added to them. We found a lot of dresses on Amazon, which was cheap, and the 80s had a revival of 20s, so several of the dresses are from the 1980s and theyre perfect, she said. Stanton was one of the few people involved with the play who knew about the story beforehand. She said the play is a coming of age story. Rice said this farcical comedy is a challenge for any actor, but a real challenge for young actors. He said he wanted to give his students a chance to play with this rapid-fire language and this type of comedy. It really has a place in the educational theater and its a fun show for audiences, he said. The cast all agreed on how fun the show is. Zangler is portrayed by Matthew Montgomery. He said the plays rapid-fire dialogue has a Monty Python-esque feel to it. I think Elko should come see it because its just a fun little farce, he said. Its quite an entertaining story. Zanglers fiance Madame Knorr is played by Tyler Brown. When asked to describe his character he said in a falsetto voice shes a high-esteemed lady of a fashionable womens boutique. I showed up to rehearsals and said I will do whatever you want John and I came in with a full beard, Brown said with a laugh. So of course the next few days he said I want you to be Madame Knorr and you must shave. He said he decided if he was going to do something, he would do it all the way. Brown said he goes into most plays not knowing anything about the plays. That gives me the best chance to get a character, define it myself and make it how I want to do it, so theres not going to be anything else like it, he said. When asked why people should see the play, Brown said in falsetto, well darling, how else are you going to see me in a dress? Its going to look fabulous. Lindsay Pate plays Marie, who is Zanglers niece and a love interest of Sonders, portrayed by Kyle Frazier. Pate said the play has a lot of humor. Its really funny for me actually, she said. The jokes in there are pretty unique. Nick CdeBaca, who plays Zanglers head clerk, Weinberl, said the show is great. Theres a lot of snappy word play, and you have to pay attention to it to get the joke, he said. CdeBacas wife, Laura, is portraying Frau Fischer, who is Weinberls love interest. Were already comfortable with each other. Its a lot of fun, she said. We have the benefit that we can rehearse at home together. Its pretty cool that we can do something together that we both love. Zanglers servant, Melchior, is played by Kassidy Goddard. She described her character as a trickster. Theyre kind of all protagonists, Goddard said. Zangler is just trying to protect his niece and Sonders is just trying to marry the girl he loves. Melchior is just trying to catch everyone in the act because hes trying to do his job as a servant and make a buck. Christopher and Weinberl have been really, really loyal servants for a long time, but they see their opportunity to go have fun. Goddard said people should come to the play because its very funny, clever and witty. And in a word classic, she said with a laugh. Her character says this particular word quite a lot, but to get the joke people will have to attend the performances. The play will begin at 7:30 p.m. March 14-18 in the GBC Theatre and it will also have a matinee at 2 p.m. on March 18. Admission is $10 and tickets are sold in Berg Hall or at the door. In January, Governor Brian Sandoval stood before the Nevada Legislature to deliver his final State of the State speech. It was an opportunity for a successful governor to tout his achievements. Those triumphs include recruiting more than 200 companies to Nevada; adding 38,000 new jobs to the states economy; growing the states renewable energy portfolio; and overhauling the way schools are funded in Nevada. Additionally, for the first time in recent memory, the Silver States mining industry was recognized in the biennial address: We all know the significance of lithium to our emerging sectors in advanced manufacturing and renewable energy, and we know that mining is critical to the future of the new Nevada economy. Governor Sandoval has long been supportive of Nevadas original STEM industry, and this mention of miners is a refreshing honor at a time where many feel the industry has been under attack. Brief as his mention of the industry was, the Governors remarks covered a lot of territory. He highlighted the critical role Nevada mines play in advanced technology, reiterated the importance of mining in the states economy, and sent a message to lawmakers about the significance of this industry to the future. Lithium is a hot topic right now, and this state is right at the center of the conversation. Nevada is home to the only lithium mine in North America, and the new Gigafactory will assemble batteries that contain tons of it. Your smartphone, your laptop, your camera, and maybe even your watch rely on lithium for power. Lithiums critical role in energy storage has made Nevada a hotbed for lithium exploration. More than 8,000 claims for the mineral have been staked in Nevada in just the last two years. But excitement about lithium should not distract from the critical role that other Nevada minerals play in advanced technology. Nevadas gold can be used in the most advanced technology; its insulating properties make it a favorite of astronauts. Nevada silver is used in solar panels, allowing millions across the globe to harvest the energy of the sun for domestic use. Farms and ranches, which use innovative technologies as they stretch to feed more and more people, depend on Nevadas diatomite for pest control. Even as the world relies on the Silver States minerals and metals to power the twenty-first century, the mining industry itself is still fragile. Commodity values for many elements remain down from their earlier high marks, and operational costs continue to increase. Some Nevada mines have fallen into bankruptcy, others have reorganized, and some projects that once seemed a sure thing are now stalled. Of all of the economic sectors in Nevada, only mining has recorded job losses over the past two years. Governor Sandoval presented the Legislature with an opportunity to embrace Nevadas mining industry. Lawmakers are in the position to allow the current fragile recovery to continue unfettered by burdensome restrictions. With this assistance, one of Nevadas foundational industries can emerge from these recent challenges stronger than ever. In late February, the Augusta County Board of Supervisors voted to ban hydraulic fracturing by way of a zoning ordinance, making it the first county in the Old Dominion to totally prohibit the invasive natural gas drilling practice. The move has been praised by sportsmen and conservation groups, as it effectively protects clean water and wildlife in the county, which includes 193,000 acres of the George Washington National Forest and countless headwater streams. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is the process of pumping pressurized chemicals, water, and sand down drill holes in the ground to crack open fissures in shale which contain small amounts of natural gas. The practice poses potential public and environmental health issues, since spills threaten to contaminate ground or surface water with hydrocarbons and other fracking fluids. The chemicals included in the pressurized fracking fluids are often undisclosed, and different companies use different mixtures. Such lack of transparency has been cause for suspicion. Furthermore, constructing a drill pad requires the clear-cutting of several acres of forest. Lights on the drills are often left on at night, illuminating surrounding forest and disrupting normal wildlife habits. But the impacts of fracking are hardly felt just at the drill site. Infrastructure is necessary to construct the pads and to shuttle materials and product. Roads must be constructed for the large trucks that are used to haul equipment and the actual drill to the site. Pipelinesakin to the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipelineare necessary for funneling captured gas to market. Both of these structures inevitably cross many headwater streams. Considering the current need to harness new energy sources in the United States, and considering the alternative strategies, fracking natural gas doesnt stand to be an environmental no-go, as continued coal mining could be labeled. However, it must be done responsibly and transparently. That means knowing where fracking is a responsible choice and where it is not. In the Blue Ridge Mountains of western Virginia, the construction of roads and natural gas pipelines crossing headwater mountain streams would be a risky gamble of our prized native brook troutthe official state fish, the ecological health downstream, and the states water supply. Nearly four million peoplewhether they know it or notsource their drinking water from National Forest land in Virginia, including those living in Richmond and D.C. Whats more, much of Augustas geology is karst, meaning it is comprised of soluble rock, commonly limestone and dolomite. Thus, any pipeline leak would be very likely to contaminate groundwater in a large area and eventually reach surface water. Despite the potential dangers, the National Forest Service allows hydraulic fracturing on forest lands across the country. However, following a November 2014 announcement, the current plan for the George Washington National Forest allows hydraulic fracturing on 177,000 acres, where private mineral rights and leases to oil and gas companies are pre-existing. Augusta Countys decision to ban such activities is, in fact, legal. The Virginia Code grants local governments the authority to regulate, restrict, permit, prohibit, and determine land uses, such as the excavation or mining of soil or other natural resources. Still, the decision to install an outright ban on fracking may ruffle some industry feathers, though some experts speculate that a ban will be more effective in deflecting potential lawsuits than a seemingly always-porous regulatory process. Regardless, considering what we have to lose in the mountains of Augusta County, the ban is essential. Augusta Countys assertion of a ban on fracking is a clear and confident placement of the value of natural resource health and clean drinking water over the potential gain offered by natural gas fracking. The younger son of U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., was one of six people arrested while protesting against a rally in support of President Donald Trump at the Minnesota state Capitol last weekend. Linwood Michael Woody Kaine of Minneapolis resisted arrest on the Capitol grounds, where police used a chemical irritant and a knee strike while detaining him, according to a police statement. Protesters clashed with hundreds of Trump supporters who gathered at the Capitol rotunda in St. Paul on Saturday for one of several pro-Trump rallies held throughout the country. Woody Kaine and four other people were suspected of lighting a smoke bomb inside the Capitol, St. Paul police spokesman Steve Linders said Wednesday. Woody Kaine, 24, ran from the scene and was arrested about a block away after he resisted arrest, was sprayed with a chemical irritant and was taken to the ground, according to a police report. Kaine was booked into the Ramsey County Jail on a recommended second-degree riot charge and was subsequently released. The Ramsey County Attorneys Office declined to file criminal charges, finding insufficient evidence to substantiate the charge, spokesman Dennis Gerhardstein said Wednesday. The St. Paul City Attorneys Office was reviewing the case and didnt immediately reply to a message seeking comment. Tim Kaine, a St. Paul native who was Hillary Clintons running mate last year on the Democratic presidential ticket, and his wife, Anne Holton, released a statement following their sons arrest: We love that our three children have their own views and concerns about current political issues. They fully understand the responsibility to express those concerns peacefully, they said. The group holding a pro-Trump rally in the Capitol had a permit, and about 400 people showed up for the rally, according to a police report. A group of protesters entered the building and five or six of them wearing all black set off fireworks and smoke bombs. When St. Paul police arrived at the Capitol on Saturday to look for the fireworks suspects, they found them in a park on the grounds, according to a police news release: The officers identified themselves and ordered the suspects to the ground. At this point, the suspects attempted to flee. Officers were able to apprehend all five suspects, including Linwood Michael Kaine, the release said. Kaine was ordered to the ground but failed to cooperate. He attempted to run but was caught by an officer, who took him to the ground. Kaine then got back on his feet and squared off with the officer, who re-engaged Kaine in an attempt to arrest him. While the officer was attempting to take Kaine to the ground, another officer arrived and deployed a chemical irritant known as ASR. At this point, Kaine was taken to the ground but continued to resist arrest. In an effort to get Kaine to comply with officers instructions, a third officer on scene delivered a knee strike. Kaine then cooperated, put his hands behind his back and was taken into custody without further incident. The St. Paul police do not wear body cameras, said Linders, the police spokesman. Sen. Kaine and Holtons older son, Nat, is a U.S. Marine who has deployed overseas. Their daughter, Annella, is a college student. Woody Kaine attended a small liberal arts college about 45 minutes south of St. Paul. Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA) Mercy Street, the Civil War drama series filmed in Richmond and Petersburg, hit a dead end on PBS as the public broadcaster canceled the series Thursday, announcing it will not bring the show back for a third season. In a statement, PBS attributed the cancellation to the complicated nature of aligning production timelines and funding commitments. Mercy Street executive producer Lisa Wolfinger alluded to production timeline issues in a January Richmond Times-Dispatch story about the shows inability to film a prospective third season in the same May-June period during which the first two seasons were produced due to a lack of funding. Scripts for the first two seasons were prepared the fall before spring production commenced; as of this January nothing had been written for season three. It didnt look like funding was going to come together several months ago, Wolfinger said Wednesday night. PBS loved the show. Certainly Virginia loved the show and the fact we were shooting there and our cast and crew loved it so we were all ready to do another season or multiple seasons. It was just a combination of things: Funding didnt come through, we couldnt find a corporate sponsor, we lost some of the foundation money we had for seasons one and two and they only sold it to the UK overseas. Wolfinger said ideally Mercy Street would have run six seasons to the end of the Civil War. We had a whole scheme for season four where wed send some of our cast to Gettysburg in the aftermath of the battle, Wolfinger said. And we always hoped to expand from six episodes a season to eight or 10. One of the biggest challenges we had was that we have a lot of characters and its really hard to do them all justice in six episodes. The six-episode second season of Mercy Street ended Sunday and, while ratings were healthy, it appeared viewership would slip below season ones draw, which benefited from a Downton Abbey lead-in. The first season of Mercy Street reached 14 million viewers over six episodes; through the first three episodes of season two Mercy Street drew 6.5 million viewers. (Ratings for the complete second season wont be available for a few weeks.) Although PBS retains the rights to Mercy Street, a PBS representative said executives are willing to discuss opportunities that might arise should another outlet express interest in continuing the series. Wolfinger brought Mercy Street to PBS and contractually retains the right to put a plan before PBS for consideration should another network want to pick up Mercy Street. Shopping a canceled series to other outlets happens often in the current media environment. Sometimes its successful (Nashville moved from ABC to CMT) and other times its not (producers of Amazons Good Girls Revolt failed to land a new home). Many cable networks and streaming services program historical fiction, including History, Netflix and Amazon (Amazon already has streaming rights to the existing seasons of Mercy Street). A #SaveMercyStreet hashtag is likely to spring up on social media sites, with Wolfinger noting, We have a vocal fan base. Virginia Film Office director Andy Edmunds expressed gratitude for what Mercy Street has meant for film and TV production in the commonwealth. Obviously we have enjoyed with great enthusiasm our partnership with PBS and Scott Free and the entire production team on Mercy Street, and what the show has meant not only for the film industry but the tourism opportunity for the commonwealth has been nothing less than phenomenal, Edmunds said. One of the great stories for Petersburg is all the film production weve been able to bring to that city. Its a testament to the authenticity of the city of Petersburg and we look forward to working there more. Edmunds said AMCs Turn, in production locally on its final season, was expected to film in Petersburg Thursday and Friday (March 9 and 10). He noted in its upcoming final season, commercials for Virginia tourism will air during episodes of Turn. On-screen messages about Virginia tourism also appeared at the beginning and end of Mercy Street episodes. Thats unique to Virginia and connected to our (film tax credit) incentive program, Edmunds said. No (other state) does that. A 67-year-old Sperryville man died following a single-vehicle crash on Fletchers Mill Road in Rappahannock County Wednesday evening, according to the Virginia State Police. VSP spokesman Les Tyler said Danny Ray Baldwin was westbound on Fletchers Mill Road less than a mile west of Route 621 when he ran off the road and overcorrected before hitting a tree around 5:55 p.m. Tyler said Baldwin was driving a 1998 Chevy pickup. VSP Trooper S.J. Riddle is in charge of investigating the crash. The Rappahannock County Sheriffs Office, Sperryville Fire and Rescue and the Virginia Department of Transportation assisted the trooper. The cause of the crash is still under investigation. CARLIN Despite plans to finish mining at Exodus this year, Newmont Mining Corp. will not leave that underground any time soon. The company has begun an expansion called Northwest Exodus. Were treating it essentially like a new mine, but utilizing the Exodus equipment and manpower, said Operations Superintendent Gus Friesen. The discovery hole for Exodus was drilled in 1996 and underground exploration drifting began in September 2008. The first stope was completed with a transition to full production in 2011. The expansion into Northwest Exodus received full approval in 2016 from Newmont. In 2017, Exodus proper is scheduled to mine its last ounce, and then subsequently in 2018, well pick right up and start mining Northwest Exodus, Geology Manager Tyson Gibbs said. Laterally there is about 1,200 feet between the edges of the ore body, said Mark Brazier, operations general foreman. The lowest level planned for Northwest Exodus will be about 1,900 feet below the surface, but the ore body is still open below that. Northwest Exodus will be an 800,000 ounce expansion of Exodus, said Senior Engineer Jenessa Haarala. It extends the mine life until 2028. The new development will enable Newmont to use the mines existing workforce and continue to use the Exodus decline, which is accessed through a portal at the bottom of the Lantern Pit. Exodus and its expansion is part of the Carlin Trend. It is refractory ore associated with arsenic-rich pyrite, Gibbs said. The deposition differs from other deposits on the Carlin Trend in that the gold follows a vertical sense along structural features rather than stratigraphic contacts. As the rock folds, it kind of forms a cup and has a really good geologic environment for gold deposition, Gibbs said. The first ore production out of Northwest Exodus was in 2016, Haarala said. Commercial production will begin in 2018. In 2015, the average grade was 0.27 ounces per ton and estimated reserve and resource was 807,000 ounces, Haarala said. Since 2015, Northwest Exodus had 17,000 feet of drift development completed, 720 feet of vent raises and 615 feet of shaft development. We have 25,000 feet of capital drift planned over the life of the mine, she said. Some has already been developed. We have 1,700 feet of vertical rises planned and expense waste around 19,000 feet. Miners will develop the ore headings and start stoping the north end of the orebody from the 4145 level up. The mining method in the expansion will be the same as in Exodus proper mechanized longhole stoping. They plan on mining 1,250 ore tons per day. Ventilation Shaft In preparation of moving to commercial production in Northwest Exodus, Newmont had to drill a new ventilation shaft. In January, Thyssen Mining was sinking the 1,000-foot shaft that will serve as the fresh-air intake. Two fans will be on the surface. Were planning to finish our shaft and then commission the new fans this year, which is pretty exciting, Haarala said. Were going to continue developing the decline down towards the bottom of the mine. The contractors bored an eight-foot diameter hole from the bottom up to start the shaft, Friesen said. It isnt a blind sink, but a bore and slash method. The slashing makes the hole bigger from the top down. You have to have an underground working to use that method, Friesen said. Changes in Operations One thing that were doing a little bit differently at Northwest Exodus is were putting in an underground shop, Haarala said. All of Exoduss shop facilities are on the surface. Since Northwest Exodus is even farther from the surface, Newmont decided to relocate maintenance to the underground. It will decrease the amount of time spent waiting on equipment since the vehicles wont have to travel as far. The underground shop will also include a wash bay and a fuel and lube bay. It should be done by the end of this year. Northwest Exodus will also have ore passes and backfill transfer raises. These are a series of vertical raises that well use to move material from up in the mine to down where we need it for placing backfill, Haarala said. Ore will be dropped down a raise and into a chute. The trucks will be loaded and then head out of the mine, Brazier said. It decreases the number of haul truck traffic on levels, Haarala said. When you have several haul trucks trying to queue up on a level, theres a lot of congestion, she said. It will decrease their cycle time and theyll get loaded a lot faster, getting loaded from a chute versus having a mucker get a few buckets. It also will improve efficiency with autonomous mucking. Automated Stope Drilling Another way that were looking at automating at Northwest Exodus, is were going to use a new stope drill, Haarala said. The Atlas Copco Simba drill has some significant safety improvements over the Cubex drill used currently, she said. The first improvement is the operator will be in an enclosed cab, rather than being in the heading, which means they will have less exposure to noise and silica. The Cubex drill also forces miners to work in the heading and handle drill rods, which means they have more potential to trip or fall since they are on uneven terrain. The Simba drill rods are automated so the operator doesnt have to leave the cab to change them and there is less chance of getting muscle strain since the rods dont have to be moved manually. This automation also makes the Simba drills more efficient and faster than the Cubex, Friesen said. In a Cubex, the miner has to physically reposition the drill for each hole, but the Simba moves the boom mechanically. Despite the automation of machines in the underground, the mine will keep all of its workforce. This uses the same number of people, it just removes a lot of that physical work, Haarala said. Were actually increasing our headcount with the execution of Northwest Exodus, Friesen said. Exodus is budgeted for 98 hourly positions, which increases the current workforce by 12. Safety In September 2016, Exodus hit a milestone of three years of zero harm. The mine won first place in 2016 from the Nevada Mining Association for medium sized underground mine. Pete Bajo won third place for small underground mine, and Small Mine Development, which operates in the Chukar underground won first place in the contractor category. A couple of things weve implemented through our safety journey really is employee-based or employee-driven safety programs, Brazier said. Rather than the company just dictating everything, we want the employees involved in the discussion. Each crew has a vital behaviors representative and the employees make suggestions. Every Monday morning the staff reviews them and implements solutions. The program is intended to prevent injuries, rather than just being reactive and looking backwards. Were looking forward, Brazier said. LONDON England Amongst the wailing and caterwauling that goes on at PMQs against Jeremy Corbyn and his communist chums every week, there is a feeling in the air that the conservatives are somehow invincible. Nothing can be further than the truth. The EU Referendum revealed to many the underbelly of the beast, the Remainers, who support communism, support the abolishment of the royal family and support massive tax hikes on people who have worked hard all their lives to achieve wealth. John McDonnell, the Shadow Chancellor, a staunch Marxist Communist Bolshevik is now proposing a yearly tax of 20% to be taken from the assets of the richest. This would solve the deficit according to him, however, as it stands at 1.7 trillion, his little scheme would only raise a paltry 800 million or so. We must not forget that this would only be the beginning, and once first blood is shed, there would have to be more. Communism means that every one is equal in poverty and misery, apart from the party hierarchy, who even have their own lanes on motorways. Under the horrific dystopia of a Corbyn win in the election, Britain would become a communist state, and it would not be long before re-education camps were erected across the countryside, and many would try to flee to better climes only to be detained and interrogated, then summarily stripped of the rest of their wealth. There is a great following for Corbyn, it is all encompassing, as the disenfranchised are many, the jobless, the ones who have no hope, no training, no skills, doomed to a purgatory of poverty, these people have nothing to lose. This is why Corbyn must not be underestimated, as there is a suspicion that he has some form of support from the deep state, he certainly would not have been able to hang on for so long without its help. A Corbyn government would be a great opportunity for political purges, those would be carried out after a short time in power, then the royal family would have their budgets reduced to near zero, a precursor to their eventual demise. We would see bread queues much like happened in the former Soviet USSR, and of course, the party line would be defended by a ruthless politburo and efficient KGB-like secret service. Britain is a nation that views its wealth from home ownership and the increase of house prices, this equity defines many Britons. Under a Corbyn government house prices in Britain would be non existent, as many would fall to state ownership for the poor families. In effect, Corbyn would let the state nationalise your home so it can be used by the unfortunates. Nationalising the majority of housing, rail, transport, farms and manufacturing, would fall into Corbyns Collectivist 10-Year-Plan, as once he is elected, there will not be any other elections until he is ousted. How does this all tie in with the EU? Well, as its aspirations to become a Soviet Superstate accelerate, Corbyn would be preparing Britain to completely amalgamate with the EUs Soviet structure. There are a sizeable amount of EU Remainers in Britain, and their support is assured for Corbyn, from which he will dissolve the British military to be nothing more than a few garrisons, and abolish our nuclear deterrent. This is Corbyns key to communistic success, and union with the EU. Communism is alive and well in Britain today, and should not be underestimated. Those of us who believe that the Constitution means what it says have been arguing since the late 1970s that congressional efforts to strengthen national security by weakening personal liberty are unconstitutional, un-American and ineffective. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which Congress passed in the aftermath of President Richard Nixons use of the CIA and the FBI to spy on his political opponents, has unleashed demons that now seem beyond the governments control and are more pervasive than anything Nixon could have dreamed of. This realization came to a boiling point last weekend when President Donald Trump accused former President Barack Obama of monitoring his telephone calls during the 2016 presidential election campaign. Can a U.S. president legally spy on a political opponent or any other person in America without any suspicion, probable cause or warrant from a judge? In a word, yes. Here is the back story. The president can order the National Security Agency to spy on anyone at any time for any reason, without a warrant. This is profoundly unconstitutional but absolutely lawful because it is expressly authorized by the FISA statute. All electronic surveillance today, whether ordered by the president or authorized by a court, is done remotely by accessing the computers of every telephone and computer service provider in the United States. The NSA has 24/7/365 access to all the mainframe computers of all the telephone and computer service providers in America. The service providers are required by law to permit this access and are prohibited by law from complaining about it publicly, challenging it in court or revealing any of its details. In passing these prohibitions, Congress violated the First Amendment, which prohibits it from infringing upon the freedom of speech. The fruits of electronic surveillance cannot be used in criminal prosecutions but can be shared with the president. If they are revealed publicly, the revelation constitutes computer hacking, a federal crime. Nevertheless, some of what was overheard from telephone conversations between the Russian ambassador to the U.S. and former Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Trumps former national security adviser, was revealed to the public a revelation that profoundly disturbed the White House and many in the intelligence community and constituted a crime. The original purpose of FISA was to place the judiciary as an intermediary between the nations spies and the foreign agents we all know are among us. The theory was that the NSA would first need to demonstrate to a secret court probable cause that the target of the spying is an agent of a foreign power and this would restrain the NSA from spying on ordinary Americans. This probable cause of foreign agency was a dramatic congressional rejection of the constitutional standard namely, probable cause of crime for the issuance of warrants. Foreign agency is not a crime. This congressional rejection of constitutional norms began the slippery slope in which the foreign agency standard has morphed by legislation and by secret interpretations of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to probable cause of foreign personhood to probable cause of talking to a foreign person to probable cause of being able to talk to a foreign person to dropping the probable cause standard altogether anyone who speaks to anyone else who could speak to a foreign person. This Orwellian and absurd expansion was developed by spies and approved by judges on the FISA court. The NSA argued that it would be more efficient to spy on everyone in the United States than to isolate bad people, and the court bought that argument. Hence, FISA warrants do not name particular people or places as their targets as the Constitution requires. Rather, they merely continue in place the previous warrants, which encompass everyone in the country. FISA warrants are general warrants, allowing intelligence agents to listen to whomever they wish and retain whatever they hear. General warrants are expressly prohibited by the Fourth Amendment, which requires that all warrants for all purposes be based on probable cause of crime and particularly describe the person or thing to be seized e.g., a conversation or the place to be searched. Even though the NSA already has the legal, though unconstitutional, authority to capture any phone conversation or computer keystroke it wishes, its 60,000 agents lack the resources to listen to all conversations or read all electronic communications in real time. But it does capture the digital versions of all computer keystrokes made in or to the U.S. and all conversations had within the U.S. or involving someone in the U.S.; it has been doing so since 2005. And it can download any conversation or text or email at will. Thats why the recent argument that Obama ordered the NSA to obtain a FISA warrant for Trumps telephone calls and a judge issued a warrant for them is nonsense. The NSA already has a digital version of every call Trump has made or received since 2005. Because the NSA which now works for Trump is a part of the Defense Department, it is subject to the orders of the president in his capacity as commander in chief. So if the commander in chief wants something that a military custodian already has or can create such as a transcript of an opponents conversations with political strategists during a presidential campaign why would he bother getting a warrant? He wouldnt. All of this leads to information overload so much material that the communications of evil people are safely hidden in with the mountain of data from the rest of us. The NSA captures the digital equivalent if printed of 27 times the contents of the Library of Congress every year. All of this also leads to the monstrous power of the NSA to manipulate, torment and control the president by selectively concealing and selectively revealing data to him. The Constitution does not entrust such power to anyone in government. But Congress has given it. All of this also substantially impairs a fundamental personal liberty, the right to be left alone a right for which we seceded from Great Britain, a right guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment and a right for which we fought wars against tyrants who we feared would take it from us. Yet after we won those wars, we permitted our elected representatives to crush that right. Those faithless representatives have created a monster that has now turned on us. Our Founders and the classical liberal intellectuals they followed got the basics of government right and thus launched two centuries of freedom and opportunity leading to hope, unprecedented economic growth and astounding human flourishing and wellbeing. However, a century later a counter movement arose and has continued to gain until now, undermining freedom and opportunity and diminishing hope, growth, wellbeing and flourishing. That counter-movement was progressivism. It has assumed other names such as: modern liberalism (as distinguished from classical liberalism), third way and political correctness. Early European proponents said fascism. Recently, all these statist populist factions seem to have returned to the label of progressivism, so well use that brand to encompass them all. The Founders, led by Washington, Adams, Franklin, Jefferson and Madison who were enlightened by men such as John Locke and Adam Smith left us a legacy of six parts. They are: the rule of law; limited government with separation of powers; personal liberty; individual rights; strong property rights; and high levels of economic freedom. These elements greatly changed the course of history, replacing a world of little opportunity, fatalism and extremely slow economic growth with remarkable human flourishing, hope and growth. Before these classical liberal ideas took root, a persons lot in life was almost always roughly the same as that of his parents. Social and economic mobility was essentially unknown, as was economic growth. President Lincoln, the founder of the Republican Party, led us in forging a permanence to the Founders legacy. However, after him, the original progressive movement developed in Britain, Germany and Italy before being exported to America. Here it was taken up first by Republican Teddy Roosevelt. Thereafter, it was embraced and led mainly by Democrats, including Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, Carter, the Clintons and ultimately Obama. In the 20th and 21st Centuries, only Presidents Reagan and Coolidge stood strong against progressivism. Progressives disdain the rule of law, preferring instead the so-called living constitution, which guts the words of our founding documents by declaring they mean whatever is convenient at the time. Progressives basically idolize government and abhor its constraints, which is why theyve had no complaint about presidents who rule by executive decree. The progressive alternative to limited government with separation of powers is the modern administrative state. Not only has it slowed economic growth to a crawl that looks likely to persist indefinitely, but it has also become the most oppressive force people face today, from the local zoning board to the IRS, BLM and EPA. Progressives view personal liberty as a quaint idea that often gets in the way of central planning and control by our enlightened betters that is, the progressives themselves. All history has shown that people pursuing their own interests in a market context do great and wonderful things to the benefit of other folks and society as a whole. Personal liberty does the job, but statism in all its forms fails. The progressive alternative to individual rights is group rights. By their nature, individual rights belong to everyone and thus are fair and socially constructive. By contrast, group rights are not rights at all and not fair because they apply only to members of favored political client groups. In short, theyre wrongs. The progressive alternative to strong property rights has mainly been redistribution. Strong property rights operating in market systems are fair because they let folks retain the fruits of their creative and productive activities, thus rewarding people for socially productive behaviors. So, they foster cooperative behavior throughout the society. The progressives arrogant and destructive desire to level everything leaves everyone but insiders roughly equally poor and oppressed. Thats what Friedrich Hayek, who saw the progressive vision unfold in Germany, warned about in The Road to Serfdom. Since FDR, progressives have stifled economic freedom with the metastasizing administrative state, excess government spending, taxes, debt and other intervention. Another favored and resurgent tool is economic nationalism and protectionism. This and the other five progressive hobby-horses increasingly have slowed growth of the economy and thus also human wellbeing and flourishing. The fateful battle pitting progressivism versus the Founders legacy of freedom, hope, growth, opportunity and human wellbeing will be decided in the coming few years. Ongoing allegations of illegal financing by Spains ruling party are causing a visible shift in political allegiances. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoys refusal to create a congressional committee to investigate the accounts of his Popular Party (PP) has pushed his ally Ciudadanos into the arms of the opposition. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in France on Monday. AFP On Tuesday, Ciudadanos leader Albert Rivera who voted in favor of Rajoys reinstatement late last year in exchange for pledges of reform teamed up with the countrys main opposition party, the Socialists (PSOE), and with the leftist Podemos to file a joint request in Congress for a probe into the PPs alleged illegal financing. It is the first time that all three opposition parties have joined forces since Spain got a new government in late October, ending a 10-month stalemate that included two national elections. Although Rajoy secured a second term in office, he now leads a minority government and needs support for all congressional initiatives. We are going to end the law of silence that the PP wanted to impose Irene Montero, Podemos It is necessary to ascertain the political responsibilities in the cases currently being tried in the courts, said the Socialist spokesman Antonio Hernando, alluding to the Gurtel corruption case now at the trial stage. We are going to end the law of silence that the PP wanted to impose, said Irene Montero of Podemos, suggesting that Rajoy himself could eventually be called before the committee. With or without Rajoy, the Barcenas case is going to be investigated, added Ciudadanos Juan Carlos Girauta, mentioning former PP treasurer Luis Barcenas, who kept parallel party accounts reflecting transactions currently also under investigation. But the PP spokesman in Congress, Rafael Hernando, described Ciudadanos joint initiative with the PSOE and Podemos as a gesture of hostility and disloyalty by a privileged partner. Tit for tat Before being voted back into office, Rajoy had signed a deal with Ciudadanos committing to fight corruption, among other reform measures. But the events of Tuesday now cast doubt over the future of this pact. Albert Rivera of Ciudadanos has teamed up with the PSOE and Podemos against the PP. Jaime Villanueva (EL PAIS) Tensions flared during question time, when Rajoy dragged his feet on his earlier commitment to create a congressional committee to look into the PPs finances, as clearly stipulated in the PP-Ciudadanos deal. Instead, the prime minister threatened to take such a committee to the Senate, where the PP has an absolute majority, and to extend the investigation to all parties in parliament. His words were construed as a mockery by Rivera, who then turned to the PSOE and Podemos to suggest a joint request for a committee. A deal in trouble Javier Casqueiro / Juan Jose Mateo The PP's refusal to honor some of the points set out in its anti-corruption deal with Ciudadanos has pushed the partnership to the edge. Besides the investigative committee initiative, Ciudadanos will also team up with Podemos to try to eliminate Spain's system of aforamiento, or partial immunity from the courts enjoyed by members of Congress. The PP went on the counter-offensive moments later, filing two requests of its own to create investigative committees in both chambers to examine the finances of all parties during Spains entire democratic period. This includes allegations of credit write-offs in the 1990s by the PSOE, and accusations that Podemos received funding from Venezuela. The opposition would like its committee to get approval within the next 15 days and start working by June. But there are currently two other congressional probes about to get started, one to analyze Interior Ministry actions and another one to examine the banking crisis. And in theory, these two committees must finish their work before a third can get under way. In practice, this means that the PP finances probe would not be ready to start before the fall. English version by Susana Urra. Marches took place in 49 cities throughout Spain on Wednesday as part of events to mark International Womens Day, just three months into a year that has already seen 16 women murdered by their partners, the highest number in that period over the last decade. In total, there have been 885 deaths in the last 15 years. Women gather in central Madrid on Wednesday. Fernando Alvarado (EFE) Combating gender-specific violence and addressing huge differences in salary and working conditions were the two main demands among protesters, many of whom pointed out that the World Economic Forum noted recently that at present rates of progress it will take another 169 years for this economic gap to close completely. In Madrid, organizers said some 500,000 people took part in a march in the center of the capital carrying banners reading United and strong, feminists always. International strike against the heteropatriarchy. The local authorities put the number of people attending at 40,000. Maria Gabian and her friends, all aged 18 or 19, said pressure needed to be kept up to bring about change, adding that they faced tougher challenges than previous generations of women. There is more machismo on the television and in advertising. It is so deep-rooted it cant be seen, said one. The Basque Country comes fifth in the European Unions gender equality ranking Standing in front of Madrid City Hall, 35-year-old Angela Salso held aloft a placard reading Lets fight for women. I have two young daughters and I am aware of what their future could be, she said, referring to the salary gap between men and women, as well as gender violence. No to salary abuse, The murdered are missing, I dont want compliments, I want your respect, were among the other demands written on placards. Eladio Martin, aged 76, said that she had been taking part in protests to demand equal rights since the 1970s. Women make up more than half the planet and I want them free so that I can be free as well, she said. In Barcelona, hundreds of protesters accompanied by the all-womens percussion group PercuDones, began their march at 7pm in the center of the city, and 90 minutes later arrived outside City Hall. Advertising is also violence, No to gender roles, Dont congratulate me today, fight alongside me for 365 days of the year, were written on placards. Local police said some 7,000 people took part in the march. Sixteen women have been murdered in Spain so far this year In Galicia, Iria Soutullo, a junior high school student from Pontevedra, addressed the parliament of the northwestern region, telling deputies on behalf of the women of tomorrow, that inequality always begins in childhood, and demanding the right for girls to grow and develop in a world that guarantees their right to learn, lead, decide, and prosper. In the Basque Country, the regional parliament suspended activities for 10 minutes, during which time representatives of political parties called on the regional government to pass legislation to end violence against women. The text described gender violence as: the most serious consequence of inequality, adding that all violence perpetrated against women should be combated in public and private life, including trafficking of women, sexual exploitation, violence in the domestic environment, and other acts against the human rights of women. The Basque regional governments spokesman, Josu Erkoreka, noted in a press statement that the northeastern region was fifth country in the European Unions gender equality ranking, after Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and the Low Countries. The Basque Countrys business confederation, Confebask, noted that much needs to be done to improve equality in the business world, saying: the presence of women is not representative in terms of their professional and personal capacity, and in terms of justice. With reporting from Sonia Vizoso, Mikel Ormazabal y Rebeca Carranco. English version by Nick Lyne. On the afternoon of February 7, Zenen Santiago Ojeda was in the wrong place at the wrong time. On his way with a friend to an automotive spare parts shop, the 41-year-old agricultural laborer found himself in the middle of a gunfight between rival gangs of drug traffickers in the small town of Villa Juarez, in the western state of Sinaloa. As he took shelter in a gas station, along with his friend and another passerby, he was felled by stray bullets. Bullet holes left after a gunman opened fire in a bar in Culiacan. Christian Palma More information Sinaloa sin El Chapo: el inicio de una nueva guerra He had just finished his primary school diploma so that he could help our child with his studies, says his heavily pregnant wife Eva. Villa Juarez, an agricultural community that lies a few kilometers outside the state capital of Culiacan and the Pacific Ocean, has seen a sharp rise in crime since the beginning of the year. Homicides in the home town of the Sinaloa cartel have risen 30% on the same period in 2016. Between January and February of this year there have been 235 murders, according to official figures. The reason is the extradition of Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, which has sparked a power struggle in the cartel he founded. Since January 21, two police officers have been killed and three are missing in Culiacan State governor Quirino Ordaz Coppel, who took office in January, has so far proved unable to contain the violence. Local police have failed to impose order, and the army and navy have been brought in, so far with little impact, says security specialist Alejandro Sicairos. Culiacan is suffering from an outbreak of violence that shows no signs of stopping, with some 15 people losing their lives, among them children, in the first five days of this month. On February 24, a man opened fire with an AK-47 in a crowed bar: three people were killed and five wounded. In Culiacan and the agricultural areas, people are very frightened, they dont send their children to school or dont work because there is an internal war going on and we dont know when it will end, says Sicairos. In one incident, a man opened fire in a crowded bar with an AK-47 Nearby Navolato has also been hit by the fight to control the Sinaloa cartel between Damaso Lopez, a former colleague of Joaquin Guzman, and a group led by one of his brothers, Aureliano Guzman, who have been dubbed Los Chapitos. On February 21, an armed group took over a bus carrying agricultural laborers to work: after forcing everybody off, they set fire to the vehicle and fled. In a recent gunfight between rival factions in Villa Juarez, day laborer Norberto Salazar was killed. The local authorities told his family he was a gang member, but they say he worked in the fields and that they have testimony from witnesses he was shot by police as he fled in his car from a shootout. His father was shown a photograph of his body with a gun, but thats a lie, that pistol was put there by the police, says his mother, Blandina Ponce, adding: I dont know why they stained his memory like that, if everybody knows that he worked honorably. Blandina Ponce with a photograph of her son, who she says was murdered by police in Villa Juarez. Sinaloa. C. Palma Local police officers have also been targeted. Reyes Yosimar Garcia, aged 28, was due to marry in May and leave the force after five years service. On January 26, armed men went to his house and took him away at gunpoint. He has not been seen since. We have talked with the state attorney, but so far, nothing. They say he is dead, but we want them to find him alive and bring him home, says his mother. Since January 21, two officers have been killed and three are missing, among them Reyes Yosimar Garcia. The Sinaloa cartel is believed to have attacked a military convoy in October, during which it took police officers prisoner. The authorities believe they are being held hostage. Alejandro Sicairos says the Sinaloa cartel is sending a message to the state governor to allow it to continue running the local police force, as was the case under his predecessor. Ordaz Coppel has placed members of the armed forces at the head of police units. They are trying to regain control of the police and are saying to the government that if it doesnt give in, they will continue attacking officers, explains Sicairos. English version by Nick Lyne. Colombias Constitutional Court has tweaked labor legislation that placed a blanket ban on working under the influence of narcotics or stimulants, arguing that workers should only be punished for consumption of such substances if it has a direct effect on workplace performance. Every glass of wine represents a unit of alcohol. Matthew Mead (AP) More information Si puede trabajar ebrio o bajo los efectos de drogas, en Colombia ya no le despediran The controversial ruling in a country where cocaine production and consumption has soared in recent years, comes after two law students from Bucaramanga Uniciencia University challenged the prohibition on the grounds it conflicted with two articles of the countrys Constitution. One of those articles guarantees the equality of all people before the law and provides state protection for those people who, because of their economic, physical or mental condition, find themselves in demonstrably weakened circumstances, a group that would include addicts, while another establishes equality of opportunity for all workers. You cant punish people for who they are or for what state they are in, only for what they do Juan Manuel Charry, constitutional expert The Constitutional Court ruled in the students favor. However, the new revisions of the labor law contain exemptions for activities that entail risk for workers, their workmates or third parties, with people working in the aeronautical industry being cited as an example. The court also notes that employers can ban their workers from working while under the influence of alcohol or drugs if it is in their legitimate interest that workers carry out their work duties in an adequate manner. But in making its ruling the court said that disciplinary measures cannot be taken if the employer is unable to demonstrate the negative impact that the consumption of psychoactive substances has on the obligations of employees. Some experts believe the new law sets a dangerous precedent for employees The ruling has divided experts and politicians in Colombia. Juan Manuel Charry, a constitutional specialist, defended the change in a conversation with EL PAIS. The fact of being under the influence of a substance cannot be punished if there is no damage or negligence, he says, using the example of an employee who has had two glasses of wine at lunchtime. You cant punish people for who they are or for what state they are in, only for what they do, he says. But for Augusto Perez, who heads the Corporacion Nuevos Rumbos center, which focuses on drug addiction, says the courts sentence has negative consequences for society, adding it is dangerous for employees as it sets a doubtful precedent and gives them carte blanche to do what they want. English version by George Mills. Brazils president, Michel Temer, drew an angry response on Wednesday following his International Womens Day speech, which praised women for their roles as homemakers and mothers. In his address, Temer said that women participate significantly in the national economy by being vigilant about price changes at the supermarket. He also praised everything that they do for their home and for their children. Michel Temer and his wife Marcela. Beto Barata/PR More information El presidente de Brasil reduce el papel de la mujer a la casa y el supermercado Nobody is better able to detect the imbalances in supermarket prices than women, said the 76-year-old leader, who is married to a 33-year-old beauty queen. Nobody is better able to detect eventual economic fluctuations in their own growing or shrinking household budgets. Temer, who was the deputy to Brazils first female president, Dilma Rousseff, before her impeachment in August of last year, was treated to a barrage of criticism on social media in response. Those statements make me want to cry, they are ridiculous, said one Twitter user. Those statements make me want to cry, they are ridiculous Twitter user Temer still doesnt realize that we no longer live in the 18th century? wondered another. Yeah, like his wife really knows how much a kilo of meat costs? wrote a third. The national secretary of policies for women, Fatima Pelaes, denied that the presidents statements were sexist, and said he was only referring to modern womens domestic and professional workday. A march in Sao Paulo on International Women's Day. EFE She said that Temer should be judged by his acts, not his speeches. In his address, delivered at Planalto Palace, Temer admitted that women in Brazil are treated like second-rate figures, when they should really occupy the first position in all societies. This is because society works well thanks to the fact that people had a good education at home, and it is women who perform this job. Surrounded by some of the women in his team, Temer reviewed the role of women in Brazils history and in the struggle for equal rights. He also said that one of the pillars of the national security plan is the fight against femicides and gender violence. As for social movements, he said that the most relevant driving force in the exercise of Brazilian citizenship lies in women, who have penetrated this sector thanks to an enthusiastic and persistent movement. Temers speech will do little to improve his low popularity ratings as the country continues to struggle through an economic recession and a political crisis stemming from a far-reaching corruption investigation known as Lava-Jato. English version by Susana Urra. Mumbai: Bollywood superstar Salman Khan plans to launch his own smartphones brand BeingSmart, according to The Economic Times. This comes years after the Dabangg Khan of film industry has successfully started and run his humanitarian works through Being Human NGO and retail chain. "Salman is currently building an operational management team to be headed by a professional with leadership stints at Samsung and Micromax," ET quotes two top industry executives as saying. According to the report, Khan has already registered BeingSmart trademark that has entry-to-middle level smartphone users in its crosshairs. He has also selected Chinese plant that will manufacture and provide BeingSmart handsets. The news report cited a source as saying that BeingSmart brand would be pitted against the likes of Oppo, Xiaomi and Vivo, big Chinese handset makers. "Like profits from Being Human apparel brand, proceeds from sale of BeingSmart handsets would go towards charity works," the source said. This is not Khan's first business venture. His Being Human not-for-profit entity has a tie-up with Mandhana Retail that gives a 5 per cent royalty to the charity firm. Being Human sells its wares through Mandhana Retail's outlets across country. Mumbai: This Holi, you cannot use your high value currency notes if you have touched them with colour stained hands and left a mark on them. The Reserve Bank of India in its new guidelines for safeguard of new legal tender notes has directed banks not to accept Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 note if they come with colour blots on them. According to a report published in The Economic Times, the central banks latest directions form part of governments efforts towards promoting digital transactions and making country a cashless economy. Besides, the restriction on use of new high value notes could also be attributed to the clean notes policy that the central bank formulated back in 1999. Since then, RBI has taken a number of steps to prevent soiled and mutilated currency notes from coming into circulation. India's banks have been burdened by a surge in bad loans and falling profit, increasing their capital needs. New Delhi: Some Indian banks are at risk of skipping coupon payments on their capital instruments despite recent easing of rules by the central bank and capital injection by the government into state-run lenders, Fitch Ratings said on Thursday. Mid-sized banks are the most at risk of breaching capital triggers, the agency said. A Fitch analysis showed total capital adequacy ratio of 12 banks was at or below the minimum 11.5 percent required by the year to March 2019 to enable coupon payments on both legacy and Basel III additional tier 1 (AT1) capital instruments. There are 11 banks with common equity tier 1 (CET1) ratios at or below the minimum 8 percent that will be needed by March 2019 to make coupon payments on the AT1 instruments, Fitch said. The Reserve Bank of India last month allowed banks to make AT1 coupon payments from statutory reserves, a move analysts said was aimed at easing pressure on banks to service coupon on the bonds. India's banks have been burdened by a surge in bad loans and falling profit, increasing their capital needs. About two dozen state-run lenders, which dominate the country's banking sector, account for bulk of the bad loans and their capital position is weaker than their private-sector rivals. Fitch previously estimated that the sector would need about $90 billion new capital by March 2019 to meet the global Basel III rules. New Delhi: Top officials of Japanese carmakers Toyota and Suzuki today held discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on technological developments and business opportunities in India. Toyota President Akio Toyoda and Suzuki Chairman O Suzuki today called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Toyota-Suzuki business partnership and future technological developments came up for discussion during the meeting, a release issued by Prime Minister's Office said today. The partnership is expected to bring together Toyota's global leadership in technology and manufacturing, with Suzuki's strength in manufacture of small cars, especially in India. It is expected to enable India to use new technological developments. Further, high volumes will enable local manufacture of components required for these technologies, the release said. Hence, the partnership will promote Make in India, and contribute to employment generation. It also opens up scope for export of new technology cars from India, it added. Last year in October, the two Japanese automobile manufacturers had announced plans to explore business partnership to strengthen collaboration in the fields of environment, safety, and information technology. The companies have agreed to begin concrete examinations towards the realisation of business partnership in areas including environmental technologies, safety technologies, information technologies, and mutual supply of products and components. MUMBAI: Some Indian state-owned banks remain at risk of skipping coupon interest payments on capital instruments over the next couple of years despite measures by the Reserve Bank of India to ease pressures, and the injection of government capital into state-owned banks, rating agency Fitch said on Thursday. Mid-sized state-owned banks are the most at risk of breaching capital triggers. Coupon is the term used for the interest paid on a bond by its issuer for the term of the security. According to Fitch, distributable reserves at small to mid-sized state-owned banks were down by one-third in first nine months of FY17 compared with financial year 2015, reflecting persistent losses and weak internal capital generation. Five state-owned banks suffered losses that were equivalent to more than 30 per cent of distributable reserves in April-December 2016. The decision to allow banks to make additional Tier 1 (AT1) coupon payments from statutory reserves may have helped mitigate short-term coupon-deferral risks, but the reserves of the public banks are likely to continue falling. It said some state-owned banks are also at risk of missing coupon payments on capital instruments as a result of breaching minimum capital requirements. The analysis indicates that the total capital adequacy ratio (CAR) of 12 banks was at or below the 11.5 per cent minimum that will be a pre-requisite for payment of coupons on both legacy and Basel III AT1 capital instruments by FY19. There were also 11 banks with common equity tier 1 ratios at or below the 8 per cent minimum that will be required to make coupon payments on AT1 instruments by FY19. The RBI has made several regulatory adjustments in the last few years to avoid potential damage to sentiment in the domestic market for capital instruments. These changes have been applied to the sector as a whole and are not unique to India, but their timing suggests the RBI has felt pressure to provide headroom to banks. Amidst concern about robots replacing manual labour in the middle skill jobs, a report released by industry body Assocham along with global audit firm PwC has called for an overhaul of the education system to meet the emerging industry demand. (Representational image) MUMBAI: Amidst concern about robots replacing manual labour in the middle skill jobs, a report released by industry body Assocham along with global audit firm PwC has called for an overhaul of the education system to meet the emerging industry demand. The report also noted that the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) could jeopardise the governments effort to create millions of jobs through its flagship Make in India initiative. AI-driven automation raises the most commonly foreseen pitfalls in society the potential mass obsolescence of manual labour in the middle-skill order, such as factory workers and technicians. The key point here is that with robotic automation, the Make in India initiative may not end up creating nearly as many jobs as it is poised to at this point in time, the report said. According to it, the current sequential approach to skill building through a persons formative academic years may face obsolescence in a society with rapid de-skilling of jobs through robotic automation. Academic policy formulation and dissipation of knowledge should migrate from the traditional curriculum to a more specific one tailored to emerging industry demands, the report noted. Artificial intelligence refers to the ability of a computer or a computer-enabled robotic system to process information and produce outcomes in a manner similar to the thought process of humans in learning, decision-making and solving problems. Some of the sectors that would witness shrinkage of employment opportunities, but would get positively impacted in terms of improved productivity are information technology (IT), manufacturing, logistics, travel & transportation, financial services, consumer goods and services among others. If a large number of people end up unemployed for extended periods of time, there needs to be a way to provide healthcare, disability and pension benefits outside employment. In the event of continuous unemployment or underemployment, government schemes to provide a minimum level of income to each citizen to guarantee basic needs are necessary to keep them out of destitution, the report added. Mumbai: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan were snapped at the Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai recently and it was not clear what the purpose of their visit was. It has now been revealed that they had come to visit Aishwaryas father Krishnaraj Rai, who was been admitted to the hospital. According to reports, Aishwaryas father is being treated in the hospital for the past two weeks and was shifted to the Intensive Care Unit on Tuesday. While there is no official confirmation, it is being reported that his condition is critical. Aishwarya had reportedly cut short her Dubai vacation recently to take care of her father while Abhishek also flew down from New York to visit his father-in-law. Krishnaraj Rai had also faced similar health problems in January this year when he was admitted to the same hospital. Mumbai: Malayalam actress Bhavana and Kannada Producer Naveen got engaged on Thursday at a private ceremony attended by close friends and family members. The young couple, who had declared to be in a serious relationship, were supposed to tie the knot in 2014 but that did not happen owing to Bhavanas work commitments. The ceremony was attended by Malayalam actor Anoop Menon and actress manju Warrier who are close friends of the couple. Menon took to Facebook to share a picture of the newly engaged pair with a beautiful caption, he wrote: No two ways about it ,the best couple in recent times..so happy for dearest Bhavna and Naveen...and for those who don't know him in person,he is a gem...wishing them a great life ahead On the work front, the actress is currently busy shooting Adam and is awaiting the release of wto of her movies- Honey Bee 2 and and Adventures of Omanakuttan. 'Badrinath Ki Dulhania' will be Alia's first release of the year. New Delhi: Alia Bhatt says feminism calls for gender equality but people misunderstand the essence of it and end up associating it with male bashing. The actress says feminism does not demand "special" treatment for women. "Being a feminist is not only limited to girls. Even a man can be a feminist. It is about equality and everyone believes in equality. People usually misunderstand the essence of feminism. It is not about male bashing. "I am not saying women are greater than men. I don't believe it is the right way to put it. I just feel there should be similar treatment (for both)," Alia told PTI. The 23-year-old star says she may not be a part of any women rights campaign, but it does not mean that she is not a feminist. Alia believes enough has been said about women empowerment and people should realise that "equality" is a woman's birth right. "If you are not campaigning for women rights, you are not a feminist, that is also a big confusion. Even if I don't campaign, I am a feminist. As the youth of today, I don't want more conversation on women empowerment because I feel that it is all talk and I don't understand this talk. Equality is our birth right." The actress says she could identify with her character of 'Vaidehi' in her upcoming film 'Badrinath Ki Dulhania'. "I am closer to Vadehi. She is a feminist and very ambitious. I love that about her and I really connected with that. She is very sensitive but at the same time she is more mature." Directed by Shashank Khaitan and also starring Varun Dhawan in the male lead, 'Badrinath Ki Dulhania' will release this Friday. Ameriabank: At the Vanguard of Armenia's Banking Sector STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol Armenia and Azerbaijan to do so without delay An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan". UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT Google Ad The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022 Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh Mumbai: Controversy and filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma (RGV) are these days best of friends. A day after an allegedly sexist and degrading International Womens Day tweet, where he wished that all women in the world give men as much happiness as Sunny Leone gives, the Director is back in the news for a comment he had made on Tiger Shroff. This time Sonam Kapoor gives it back to RGV by saying that Tiger Shroff is better off without the Direcor liking him. The forthright actress was quoted as saying, They should be happy that Ramu doesnt like Tiger. Whoever Ramu doesnt like, does very well. I am very happy. Sonam also expressed her fondness towards the young actor, she added, I like Tiger. Hes very cool and least bothered. He is very well-behaved and performs so beautifully. I saw him performing recently at an awards event and he did such a good job. It was a pleasure to watch. I just havent had the chance to watch his performance, except for his first film, but whatever I see him at events and parties, I find the way he conducts himself very dignified. For the uninitiated, Tiger Shroff celebrated his birthday on March 2 and everyone from people within the industry to fans- wished the very best for this young lad expect for one person, Ram Gopa Varma. In a series of tweets, RGV was highly critical of Tiger and asked him not to pose the urmilaish way, to man up and exhibit machoism like his father Jackie Shroff. Upon facing backlash, Ramu justified his tweets saying that he was only appreciating Jackie and that Tiger and his mother Aisha Shroff should not take his remarks to heart. The Tiger Shroff controversy may have died down but not the one involving Sunny Leone. A police complaint has been filed against him and the Film Studio Setting & Allied Mazdoor Union - a 52,000 member body has decided to boycott the filmmaker. Mumbai: Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff, reacting to Ram Gopal Varma's sexist tweets on International Women's Day, said that some people are not aware of their limit. "I believe everyone has freedom of speech. But there should be some kind of limit to it. It's sad that some people aren't aware of that, aren't educated enough," he said here at an event today. Famous for his controversial tweets, RGV yesterday took to Twitter to express his wish to celebrate the day as Men's Day. "Women's day should be called #MensDay because men celebrate women much more than women celebrate women," he tweeted. On this note, he further tweeted that every woman should keep men happy like Sunny Leone. "I wish all the women in the world give men as much happiness as Sunny Leone gives," wrote RGV. This tweet, as expected, did not go down well with the Twitter users, who suggested that he must say this to his mother and daughters as well. After his series of controversial tweets, Film Studio Setting and Allied Mazdoor Union, with 52,000 members, decided to boycott the ' Sarkar' helmer. Meanwhile, the director clarified his tweets, especially on Sunny Leone, and said that the flak arises from 'ultimate hypocrisy.' "The negative noise towards my tweet on @SunnyLeone arises from ultimate hypocrisy.She has more honesty and more self respect than any woman," he tweeted. Priyankas production house, Purple Pebble Pictures, is set to produce Pahuna a Sikkimese film that will bring to the fore problems faced by children the world over. Priyanka Chopra has chosen a path that few have tread before. And no, were not talking about Hollywood. Even on her home turf, the actress is venturing into territories that arent conventionally money spinning like regional cinema. Priyankas production house, Purple Pebble Pictures, is set to produce Pahuna a Sikkimese film that will bring to the fore problems faced by children the world over. Says the films director Pakhi Tyrewala, People told me that theyd fund my film if I made it in Hindi, but I wanted to make it in Sikkimese itll be the first of its kind. I am amazed at Priyankas penchant for good content, not just money. Revealing the storyline, she adds, Its a film that deals with issues of children around the world. I keep saying that Pahuna is a childrens film but its not for them. Its about the issues our children are facing all over the world. Whatever we do as adults impacts children, and thats what Pahuna is about. Its about older peoples action impacting them. We are planning to release the film around Dussehra. PeeCees production house is set to produce many more regional films Modern drugs for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, can often achieve viral suppression. (Representational Image) When the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is successfully suppressed by medication, people with HIV can't transmit the virus to others, according to a coalition of community health and HIV/AIDS organizations. Modern drugs for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, can often achieve viral suppression, meaning levels of the virus have been reduced to undetectable levels in the blood. This week, the AIDS United Public Policy Committee issued a statement that said virally suppressed people on treatment can't pass HIV to others, and it recommended that healthcare providers and educators share this message with the public. "We feel that the science is very strong on this and felt comfortable making that statement," said Ronald Johnson, AIDS United's vice president of policy and advocacy in Washington, D.C. An expert not involved in the coalition told Reuters Health she didn't completely agree - but she did say the risk of transmission in such cases would be "negligible." People who start treatment for HIV with so-called antiretroviral therapy (ART) can be virally suppressed within 12 to 24 weeks, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Viral suppression can be lifelong if people stay on their medicine. Over 1.2 million people in the U.S. are currently living with HIV, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those, 86 percent are aware of their diagnosis, 37 percent are on treatment to stop the virus from replicating and 30 percent are virally suppressed. A study published last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association examined the risk of transmission between a person living with well-controlled HIV and their HIV-negative partner. Among 548 opposite-sex and 340 same-sex couples having unprotected sex, only 11 of the HIV-negative partners became positive over about a year and a half of follow up. None of the new infections could be traced back to the partners with HIV. (See Reuters Health story of July 12, 2016 here: reut.rs/2aMSuE9.) Those researchers and others, however, did not go so far as to say the risk of transmission is zero. They emphasized that more data is needed - particularly for condomless anal sex. "We felt looking at these studies, there is substantial evidence that we can come to the conclusion that people living with HIV that have sustained and undetectable viral load cannot transmit HIV," Johnson told Reuters Health. Dr. Michelle Cespedes, associate professor of infectious disease at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, said it's impossible to say transmission would never occur with condomless sex. "To say there is absolutely no risk is maybe a little overstating it, but based on the evidence to date its a reasonable conclusion," said Cespedes, who was not involved with the AIDS United statement but described the risk as negligible. She said she always recommends condoms and she offers pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to HIV-negative patients, which also significantly reduces their risk of contracting the virus. The new statement calls for the HHS Antiretroviral Guidelines Committee to examine the issue and update its language. It also calls for laws and policies regarding HIV in the U.S. to be modernized to reflect current science. Johnson said such changes, along with public knowledge that people living with HIV can't transmit the infection while on treatment and virally suppressed, will reduce stigma. AIDS United also endorsed a consensus statement last year issued by the Prevention Access Campaign that made a similar determination about the risk of HIV transmission when the virus is suppressed. Chronic kidney disease can affect young and old. healthy diet & active lifestyle help you keep kidney safe. Thiruvananthapuram: Depressing statistics brings forth the trauma of terminal patients awaiting kidney transplant in the State. Only four kidney transplants have taken place since January as against an average 9.5 last year. 1,500 patients are in the queue, awaiting their turn to get kidney transplantation under Mrithasanjeevani project of State Governments Kerala Network for Organ Sharing. Many patients, especially those who do not have the means, face a very bleak future, owing to the cumbersome process involved in identifying a donor and costs involved if the transplant is to be done in a private hospital, estimated at roughly Rs 25 lakh. Experts say the recent decline in the number of transplants owes to a newfound fear among doctors and authorities in private hospitals about reprisals if brain-stem deaths are reported. Under-reporting of brain-stem deaths is affecting cadaver organ transplantation. Two ways are open for organ transplant: from live donors and from cadavers of the brain-dead. In the first case, donors have to be a first degree relative (wife/husband, parent, sibling or cousin) or unrelated, altruistic donors. In the second case, the patient will have to await the turn as per seniority on the online registry under KNOS cadaver transplantation. Under Mrithasanjeevani, kidney transplantation costs only Rs 5 lakh. As on March 8, 1,134 males and 366 females have registered with the Government for transplant. The concern raised by a doctor in Kollam, S. Ganapathy, before the High Court on hidden dangers in brain death certification have contributed to panic among hospital authorities and patients alike. If the Government tried to bring better accountability and transparency to the process of organ donation, it has not gone down well with the majority of the kidney patients, awaiting suitable donors. Ever since KNOS started in August 2012, there have been 600 deaths of patients on the register. The KNOS nodal officer, Dr. Noble Gracious, however preferred to discount reports of panic. There has been no stalemate on kidney transplantation. Last year during the same period (Jan Feb), four brain deaths had occurred and there have been a total 11 transplants of different organs. We have been collecting all data on brain deaths and different organ transplantations happening from all transplant centres. We cant ask them why there has been no brain deaths when they have failed to report it, said Dr Gracious. He says the biggest challenge KNOS faces is underreporting by various hospitals and lack of proper communication between docs treating kidney patients and relatives of brain dead patients. The Human Organ Transplantation Act was passed in 1994 to streamline organ donation and transplantation activities. Broadly, the act reckons brain death as irreversible but makes the sale of organs a punishable offence. Crimes have been reported from Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Punjab. Doctors and hospital authorities involved in the illegal practices have been put behind bars. Doctor waits in the wings Plastic surgeon K. S. Sunoj, 45, based in Thiruvananthapuram, is among patients awaiting renal transplant and been prolonging his life through dialysis on alternate days for five months. I am a single child. My mother is old and cant donate her kidneys. Most of my cousins live abroad, who cant afford to take time off to undergo the procedure and put up with the post-operation phase. That leaves me with the sole option to await an altruist donor. But with more than a dozen formalities to comply for both the recipient and the donor, transplantation is long way off, said Dr. Sunoj. He needs Rs 45, 000 a month for dialysis, insulin and cardiac treatment. He used to lead a hectic and rewarding life, shuttling between major centres in cities but now is confined to his home. He shudders at every post-dialysis phase as it kills his nerves. Fatigue, vomiting, constipation, cramps and sleeplessness add to a creeping sense of despondency. The long wait for transplant and official indifference has left a bad taste in his mouth. He wonders why all patients needing kidney plants do not get it with the speed with which External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was given one, courtesy an altruist donor. Dr Sunoj thought of going to a neighbouring State for the transplant. But even that option is tough. It is after the transplant that the patient needs more care. Being away from home and dear ones will add to the emotional burden. So this is equally traumatic, said Dr. Sunoj. An anti-obesity walkathon was organised by Regal Hospital on Thursday, in which doctors took part, to raise awareness about fighting obesity. Bengaluru: City hospitals on Thursday joined the fight against the growing numbers of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and experts have cited obesity as one of the main reasons. "Obesity is defined as having body-mass index (BMI) more than 30 or waist circumference more than 102 cm (40 inches) and sadly in India there is a transition from low/normal weight to overweight and obesity. Obesity increases the risk of developing CKD, diabetes and hypertension. However, the good news is that obesity, as well as CKD are largely preventable," said Dr Keshavamurthy R, Director, Institute of Nephro-Urology, Bengaluru. He pointed out that 75,000-80,000 outpatients that approach the Institute of Nephro-Urology every year, nearly 45 per cent patients with CKD have both hypertension and diabetes. Another hospital BGS Gleneagles Global Hospitals, Bangalore celebrated World Kidney Day by launching a campaign, Healthy lifestyle for healthy kidneys. The campaign aims to raise awareness about managing obesity that lead to kidney diseases and other associated problems. World Kidney Day 2017s theme will take a positive and proactive approach to the fight against kidney diseases. "Obesity can either damage your kidneys directly or cause other problems which lead to kidney disease. When someone is obese, their kidneys have to work harder, cleaning more blood than normal to meet the demands of the increased body weight. The surge in function can damage the kidney and advance the risk of developing CKD in the long-term," said Dr Anil Kumar B.T., Consultant Nephrologist and Transplant Physician, BGS Gleneagles Global Hospitals, Bangalore. An anti-obesity walkathon was organised by Regal Hospital on Thursday, in which doctors took part, to raise awareness about fighting obesity. Sagar Hospitals honoured 20 dialysis patients, who had completed more than 1000 dialysis, in their centre. The hospital also felicitated Dr Vivekanand (Senior Vascular Surgeon) for his services to the department of Nephrology. Dr Keshavmurthy of Sagar Hospitals said the healthcare community should devise long-term strategies towards improving the understanding of links between obesity and kidney diseases. In this condition, even though a person is wide awake, he is not able to breathe or move his limbs. (Representational image) Hyderabad: Over 58 percent of people who work night shifts have irregular sleeping patterns, indulge in substance abuse and are found to suffer from sleep paralysis. In this condition, even though a person is wide awake, he is not able to breathe or move his limbs. Such episodes are common among teenagers and young adults, but there have also been reports of cases among elderly citizens. Some cases have also been reported from boys hostels in the city, which have led parents to believe that their children were possessed by paranormal forces. Dr. Srinivas P. a senior sleep surgeon, explained, Sleep paralysis is a temporary condition where the person is not able to move or speak, but is fully awake. Its a terribly scary situation and often the patient gets very frightened as he is not able to understand what is happening to him. Some patients find that they are unable to breathe; they know that they are fully awake, but they cant inhale. The episode lasts for only a few seconds in most cases, or a few minutes, but the patient is left totally shaken. The problem with sleep paralysis is that patients often do not approach a sleep clinic immediately; instead they consult regular medical practitioners or quacks. Dr Praveen C., a senior sleep surgeon, said, It is very tricky for a general physician to diagnose this condition, because the patient appears absolutely normal. The episode lasts only for a few minutes, and no signs or symptoms that could lead the physician to suspect sleep paralysis persist. Often, patients go to quacks and only when they experience repeated episodes do they come to the right set up and get diagnosed properly. Sleep problems in India are more common due to the due to the shape of the body. Upper airways may sometimes get blocked due to the shape of the skeleton. Dr Srinivas Kishore, a senior sleep specialist, said, The space for air is restricted due to the small passageway. This is one of the major reasons for increasing sleep problems, apart from other factors such as obesity and diabetes. It is difficult for women to mark their mark in many male dominated professions around the world. Driving being one of them, Mumtaz Kazi became the Asias first woman diesel engine driver 25 years ago and broke gender barriers with it. According to a media report, the 45-year-old driver has now received the Nari Shakti Puraskar by President Pranab Mukherjee on International Womens Day. The woman who became an inspiration for all women was among the top 7 women to get the award from the President. Mumtaz is a motorwoman on the Central Railway line in Mumbai on the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus to Thane stretch. When Mumtaz started out she faced a lot of issues but has overcome all of them to achieve more than what most people would have believed. The bike owners friend video recorded him wearing a helmet while clasping the tow trucks chain. (Photo: Pixbay) A man in Uttar Pradesh, who was caught parking illegally, refused to step down his motorbike even as it was being towed by the traffic police. The incident occurred in the Bada Chauraha area of Kanpur city. According to reports, the bike was parked at a no parking zone outside the Reserve Bank of India branch in Kanpur. The bike owners friend video recorded him wearing a helmet while clasping the tow trucks chain. You can watch the footage of the bizarre incident by clicking on the link below: Bengaluru: A 31-year-old rape accused, who used to target women staying in PG accommodations, was shot at by the police after he attacked them when they went to nab him. The incident was reported on Marathahalli Outer Ring Road on Tuesday evening. Four policemen sustained knife attack injuries. The accused, Shivarama Reddy, is a resident of Avalahalli in Hoskote taluk of Bengaluru Rural district and is currently undergoing treatment for bullet injuries at a hospital. HAL police inspector Sadiq Pasha, Bommanahalli police inspector Manjunath, sub inspector Anand and head constable Manjunath got injured and they were also undergoing treatment. According to the police, two incidents of molestation and extortion were reported in two PG accommodations in HAL police station limits on March 2 and 4. Going by the modus operandi, the police zeroed in on Reddy. He was released from jail last December, and has been accused of multiple rapes, and the police were tracking his movements. The police intercepted him at BWSSB area behind Prestige Tech Park. Despite being told to surrender, Reddy pulled out a knife and attacked cops. In self-defence inspector Manjunath opened two rounds of fire from his service pistol and Reddy was injured in his leg. The injured Reddy and policemen were rushed to hospital, the police said. Reddy was involved in more than 10 cases of extortion, robbery, theft, attempt to murder, molestation and rape. His modus operandi is to enter girls/womens PG accommodations or hostels and carry out extortion, theft, molestation and rape. In June 2014, Reddy had entered a PG accommodation in Doddathogur and had raped a 25-year-old software engineer. Sensing threat to public order following the incident, the police had detained him under the provisions of the Goonda Act in August 2014. "Paris is of particular significance for us" Within the frames of the RA President Serzh Sargsyan's official visit to the Republic of France Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan met with the Mayor of Paris Ann Hidalgo. Greeting his Yerevan colleague Paris Mayor first of all thanked Mayor Taron Margaryan for the consistence and willingness aimed at strengthening and developing the ties between Yerevan and Paris adding that she considered this meeting to be not only a protocol one but also a fine opportunity to meet a good friend again. Mister Mayor, I am very happy to host you in our capital and I am sure that with this meeting the cooperation between Yerevan and Paris which is successful indeed will get a new stimulus. I hope that our capital will be able to pass you a particle of the warmth I felt being in Yerevan. Be sure that that during my last visit the days spent in Yerevan became unforgettable impressions for me and I returned to Paris full of pleasant impressions of the master of hospitability-Yerevan. And today I am hosting you as a good friend of mine, stressed Ann Hidalgo. Expressing gratitude for the warm welcome and friendly words Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan in his turn attached particular importance to cooperation expansion and development between the two capitals and stressed once again that there is really a wide field for interaction between Yerevan and Paris which makes it possible to develop joint projects in the spheres of local self-governance, economical development, tourism boosting, investments attraction and in a number of other spheres of urban economy. Respectable Mrs Mayor, strengthening the friendship and partnership between the two capitals, working out of bilateral programs and cooperation in various spheres are highly important for Yerevan and I am sure that in near future we will gain new achievements which are expected and important for the residents of the two capitals. Yerevan Municipality attaches high importance to strengthening the cooperation with the French partner cities and districts and be sure that in this context Paris is of particular significance for us, said Taron Margaryan. During the meeting the parties exchanged thoughts about the process of cooperation programs and about the implementation of scheduled activities. Information and Public Relations Department of the City Hall of Yerevan New Delhi: An FIR has been registered against around 24 students of Jawaharlal Nehru University for allegedly misbehaving with VC Jagdesh Kumar and wrongfully confining him to the Rector's office on February 27. The FIR was registered yesterday at Vasant Kunj (North) police station based on a complaint filed by the varsity's registrar on March 4 alleging that the students, after calling off their blockade of the Administration Block on February 27, confined the VC to the Rector 1 office, Additional DCP (South) Chinnmoy Biswal said. The students were adamant on meeting Kumar, who was unwell. A doctor was called but the students did not allow him to see the VC, the complaint stated. The next day, a girl student said she would commit suicide if Kumar did not meet the students. When the VC met the students, they "misbehaved" with him, it said. Around 24 students, including some of those who were suspended by the JNU administration for allegedly disrupting an Academic Council meeting in December last year, have been booked for wrongfully confining and insulting the JNU VC. The students have been protesting the approval given to the May 2016 UGC gazette notification giving primacy to interviews in MPhil and PhD admissions by the university. Family members and relatives of the three students at the district hospital in Tumakuru on Thursday. (Photo: KPN) Bengaluru: Tragedy struck the Vidyavaridhi International Boarding School in Chikkanayakanahalli taluk of Tumakuru district early Thursday morning as three of its students died of suspected food poisoning, while a fourth student and a watchman remain seriously ill in hospital. All four students and the watchman,who had a meal of rice, sambar, chapathi and beetroot curry at around 9 pm Wednesday evening, began to vomit and complain of severe stomach ache before falling unconscious some 20 minutes later. They were rushed to a nearby hospital but three of the students, Akanksh Pallakki,15 , Shreyar, 13 and Shanthamurthy, 15, did not make it. Doctors described the condition of the fourth student, Sudarshan, 13, and the watchman, Ramesh as serious. Two of the students who died, were reportedly preparing for their annual SSLC examination. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has ordered an investigation by the district administration and the chairman of the school, which is run by a former BJP legislator, Kiran Kumar, has been taken into custody for questioning. A complaint has also been lodged at the Huliyaru Police Station against the school management. Deputy Commissioner, K P Mohan Raj has meanwhile instructed his officials to collect samples of the food consumed by the five and send it for testing to the Forensic Science Laboratory. Parents of the children ,who broke down on seeing their dead bodies in the hospital mortuary, later staged a protest before the school and tried to manhandle the school chairman, holding him responsible for their deaths. He was taken to the police station amid tight security and police has been deployed at the school as a precautionary measure. While Mr Kiran Kumar claimed the food served to the four may have been deliberately poisoned to tarnish the school's image, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, T B Jayachandra, dismissed such a possibility and wondered why the school authorities had not informed parents about the incident. Two of the students who died, were reportedly distant relatives of the minister. Responding to the tragedy, Primary and Secondary Education Minister, Tanvir Sait said the government would consider amending the existing act to bring all private residential schools under it. BELAGAVI: Three people, including a doctor, have been taken into custody by Maharashtra police in connection with a female foeticide racket in neighbouring Miraj taluk in Maharashtra. The police on Wednesday arrested a doctor from Kagwad Srihari Ghodke and his assistants Umesh Salunke and Kanchana Roze were taken into custody. According to sources, Dr Ghodke, who runs a private hospital at Kagwad, located 14 km from Miraj, was working with the main accused, Dr Babasaheb Khidrapure, of Miraj in carrying out female foeticide. Dr Ghodke also was allegedly involved in female foeticide at his hospital, besides helping doctors of Khidrapure's hospital located at Maishal near Miraj. The special police teams raided Dr Ghodke's hospital and recovered sonography and other equipment used to carry out illegal abortions. Police sources said Dr Ghodke had been taken to Miraj for interrogation. The police teams have decided to question doctors from various hospitals in 13 districts neighbouring Miraj, including several in Karnataka state, to expose the network involved in female foeticide. Another source said Dr Ramesh Devgikar from Vijayapura also has been taken into custody by Sangli police allegedly for carrying out female foeticide by keeping modern medical equipment at his hospital. The police found he too had links with Dr Khidrapure in running the racket. Maharashtra Health Minister Deepak Sawant and Agriculture Minister Sadabhau Khot visited Maishal to take stock of the situation. Mr Sawant said his government would not spare any doctor or others involved in the racket. He said doctors from 13 districts in Karnataka, Goa and Andhra Pradesh will be questioned in connection with destruction of 19 female foetuses near Miraj. The Maharashtra government would seek the help of their counterparts in neighbouring states to ensure an effective investigation into the case, he added. HYDERABAD: Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan will enter the Osmania Unversity campus after seven years and for the first time after the formation of the state. Mr Narasimhan, OU Chancellor, will flag off the Centenary Run on March 11. Mr Narasimhan last visited the campus in July 2010, when he attended the 78th Convocation. Mr Narasimhan was scheduled to preside over the 79th convocation of Osmania on February 7, 2013, but changed his decision on advice from the police. The campus at that time was the hotbed of the statehood agitation, and students accused him of being anti-Telangana. Intelligence agencies suspected that students might create disruptions. After that Governor did not get an opportunity to visit the campus again. On the campus, the white T-shirts and caps for the run sold well on Wednesday. The price was fixed as Rs 100 and students were seen queuing up to buy them. Saifullah, who was killed in a stand off with the ATS, in the Thakurganj area of Lucknow. (Photo: ANI Twitter) New Delhi: As second leg of the Budget session began on Thursday, Home Minister Rajnath Singh addressed the Lok Sabha on Lucknow encounter and said the government is proud of terror suspect Saifullahs father for refusing to accept traitors body. Government is proud of Mohammed Sartaj (Saifullahs father) and I am sure the entire House will be proud as he refused to take his body saying he betrayed his country," Rajnath said. Singh further read out Sartaj's comments, "He said Jo desh ka na Huan, woh mera kya hua...(He couldn't belong to the country, how can he be my son?)." "The above sequence of events presents an excellent example of coordination amongst state police and central agencies. Due to the prompt action taken by the police of both the state, a possible threat to national security was successfully averted. The probe in the Lucknow encounter to be conducted by NIA, said the Home Minister. The Home Minister also informed the House that eight pistols, 630 live cartridges, Rs 1.5 lakh, three mobiles phone, four sim cards, two wireless sets and some foreign currency were recovered from the place where Saifullah lived. A 12-hour anti-terror operation in a busy Lucknow locality ended early Wednesday when commandos shot dead a suspected terrorist allegedly involved in a train explosion in Madhya Pradesh a day before. The UP police said he was a self-radicalised sympathiser of terror outfit ISIS, while the states anti-terror squad (ATS), involved in the operation, called him an active member of an ISIS module. Television footage showed policemen carrying a body wrapped in a white sheet from a house in the citys thickly populated Thakurganj area where Saifullah, 23, was holed up. Several Indians, mostly from Kerala, have joined ISIS, but he is the first homegrown terror suspect being linked to the outfit that has overran large parts of Syria and Iraq in its quest to establish a caliphate under strict Islamic laws. Saifullahs father, a teacher in Kanpur, refused to accept his sons body, branding him a traitor. The operation got over at around 3 am, hours before people began voting in UPs last phase of Assembly elections. A large quantity of arms and ammunition, some mobile phones and maps, besides an ISIS flag were recovered from the rented house. Six people three each from UP and MP have been arrested in connection with the train blast in which 12 people were injured. Senior UP police official Daljit Singh Chaudhary said there was no evidence that the suspects had any direct connection with ISIS, but had become radicalised online. There is no evidence of any outside funding or any external support. They were self-reliant, he said. The module planned to blow up a famous Sufi shrine, Dewa Sharif, in UPs Barabanki on March 27, top sources said. Security at the shrine and in the town has been stepped up. However, top ATS official Aseem Arun said the slain suspect was an active member of ISIS module in Khurasan, a region that includes Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and parts of northwestern and western India. He said Saifullah was given ample opportunities to surrender. We initially tried smoking him out with chilli bombs. We began firing only when he shot at us when we tried to enter, he said. Saifullahs father Sartaj Ahmad Khan and brother Khalid told reporters in Kanpur that they were not in touch with him for the past two and a half months. He was not doing any work and was in a bad company. I beat him up and asked him to leave our house. We had no communication with him for a month, but he called up about a week ago and said he was going to Saudi Arabia for work, the father said. We are not taking the body of an anti-national and we approve of police action, he said. Poonch: One soldier lost his life after a ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Poonch area of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. In another incident, one terrorist killed in a brief shootout near Bandipora Police Station in North Kashmir on Thursday. Earlier in February, there was a ceasefire violation along the Indo-Pak border as Pakistan had fired gunshots and grenades at a BSF post in the Samba sector. This was the first ceasefire violation for 2017. Home Minister Rajnath Singh speaks in Lok Sabha in New Delhi. (Photo: ANI Twitter) New Delhi: The second leg of Budget session of Parliament began on Thursday as political parties waits for the outcome of the five Assembly elections. The session will continue till April 12. Here are the live updates: Saifullah, who was killed in a stand off with the ATS, in the Thakurganj area of Lucknow. (Photo: ANI/Twitter) New Delhi: Appreciating the step taken by the father of Saifullah, the ISIS terror accused killed in an operation in Lucknow, by not accepting his son's body, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday said that extremist elements in Kashmir should take lessons from the former rather than glorifying a terrorist. "I appreciate his father who said I will not accept an anti-national body, it is a lesson for the people of Kashmir who glorify a terrorist body by taking out huge procession for funerals," BJP leader S Prakash said. Prakash further acknowledged the effort of the intelligence agencies and Anti-Terrorism Squad of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh for preventing a major incident before it took place. "He was a terrorist. He was attempting to carry out a big terrorist operation in Uttar Pradesh. A blast in Ujjain gave out his plan. Ultimately he has to see his end," he said. Earlier on Wednesday, the father of Saifullah, Sartaj refused to accept his son's body saying "a traitor" is no son of theirs. "A traitor can't be our son. We are Indians, we were born here, our forefathers were born here. One who indulges in anti-national activities can't be our son... we won't accept his body," Sartaj said. Saifullah was killed by commandos in a house on the outskirts of Lucknow earlier on Wednesday morning after an exchange of fire with the police for about a 12-hour. Uttar Pradesh Police (ADG UP) Daljeet Chaudhary said the youth was self-radicalised and was influenced by 'literature'. "These days, people self-radicalise themselves. They read their literature and come under its influence. Also, they follow social media for the same," Chaudhary told the media. The police recovered eight pistols, three passports, more than 600 cartridges, bomb-making instruments, timers, wires, compass etc. Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Assembly on Thursday plunged into turmoil after the ruling-LDF and the Opposition UDF MLAs nearly came to blows during the zero hour while discussing a notice for adjournment motion on "moral policing" by Shiv Sena. The House was adjourned temporarily following the uproar. The state Legislature was discussing the UDF's notice on the Kochi incident yesterday when the ruckus broke out. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's statement expressing doubts whether there was a larger conspiracy behind the incident and whether the Sena activists were allegedly hired by the Opposition, infuriated the UDF MLAs. The MLAs first protested by sitting in the well of the House and then rushed to the treasury benches. Soon, there was a stand-off as the ruling MLAs too rushed towards the well to block them which was followed by heated exchanges between the two sides. Fearing that the situation might go out of control, Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan adjourned the House temporarily. Bengaluru: Expressing grief over the death of three students due to food poisoning, Karnataka Chief Minister K Siddaramaiah on Thursday said he has directed the district authorities to conduct an investigation, determine the cause of death and take action against those responsible. "Extremely pained to hear about the death of three students due to food poisoning in a private residential school, Tumkur," Siddaramaiah tweeted. "I have directed district authorities to conduct a swift investigation, determine cause of death and take action against those responsible," he added. Meanwhile, former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Kiran Kumar has been arrested in connection with the case. Kumar is the owner of the Vidhyavaridhi International Boarding school in Tumkur's Chikkanayakana Halli where the incident happened. A case has been registered in Karnataka's Huliyar Police Station in this regard. One more student and a guard are currently undergoing treatment. An investigation into the matter is underway. Chennai: The Madras high court has directed the Central and state governments to look into the grievance about the welfare schemes of the fishermen if already not looked into. A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Huluvadi G. Ramesh and Justice M. Sundar gave the directive while disposing of a Public Interest Litigation from Fishermen Care, represented by its president L. T. A. Peter Rayan. In his PIL, Peter Rayan sought a direction to the Union and state governments to formulate welfare schemes to rehabilitate the families of the Indian Tamil Fishermen, who is affected by the alleged attacks of the Sri Lankan navy while they engage in fishing in the historic waters of Palk Strait between India and Srilanka by providing employment, housing and financial assistance for seeking their livelihood. According to Rayan, fishermen from TN were exercising their traditional rights of fishing in the historic waters between India and Sri Lanka only on the premise that such rights have been protected under Article 6 of the 1974 Agreement. However, as per the reports of Indian Coast Guard as of December 5, 2013, 111 fishermen have been killed, 16 men are either missing or killed and 439 have been injured. Recently the meetings held by the Government of India and Sri Lanka to find out a concrete solution to settle the issue have also failed, he added. He said it was the duty and responsibility of the government to protect the fishermen who are exercising their traditional rights of fishing since the government has failed with many losing their lives and or jailed in Lanka, it is time for the government to provide alternate means for these fishermen to manage their lives. Their inaction amounts to a violation of Article 19 (1) (g) and Article 21 read with Article 38 of the Constitution. Therefore, he sent a representation to the authorities to formulate welfare schemes to rehabilitate the families of Indian Tamil fishermen. But till date, no action has been taken, he added. New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee has returned a Bill, that stipulates steep penalty for violating labour laws in the national capital, to the Delhi Assembly. Speaker Ram Niwas Goel said today that the Bill, that was cleared by the Assembly in December 2015, has been returned for "reconsideration". Incidentally, it was returned once before and was sent back to the President with the required changes, Labour Minister Gopal Rai said. "We have received a letter from the Lt Governor (Anil Baijal) dated March 8 in which he has apprised me that the President has returned the Minimum Wages (Delhi) Amendment Bill 2015 for reconsideration," Goel told the House. The proposed law has recommended imprisonment of up to three years and penalty amounting Rs 50,000 for violators of the Minimum Wages Act. Under the proposed amendments, companies will also have to upload the data of their employees on their websites in the manner as may be prescribed by the Delhi government. "The financial condition of the labourers in Delhi is quite bad. Keeping this in mind, minimum wages have been hiked recently. But the biggest problem has been violation of the law and the lack of options to penalise violators. "The returning of the Bill is unfortunate. We will sit with the Chief Minister and work out the details and resend it," Rai told reporters. Chandigarh: Punjab, which witnessed a triangular contest in the Assembly polls, could be in for a neck and neck fight between the Congress and the AAP while the ruling SAD-BJP may face a drubbing, according to pollsters. Exit polls released ahead of the March-11 counting predict the SAD-BJP combine, which has been ruling the state for 10 years, could be struggling to get even into double-digits in the 117-member House due to multiple factors including the anti-incumbency. While India Today-Axis exit polls gave 62-71 seats to the Congress and 42-51 to AAP, India TV-C Voter projected 41-49 for the Congress and 59-67 seats for the AAP. India News-MRC and News 24-Chanakya forecast a dead heat giving 55 to the Congress and 54 to the AAP. The ruling Akali Dal-BJP alliance was reduced to single digit tally in all exit polls. Away from the hustle and bustle of the exit polls, the SAD-BJP alliance is confident of defying the pollsters "like in 2012", when it proved the surveys wrong. 89-year-old Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal claimed the combine would would win 72 seats. As for Congress, Amarinder Singh claimed it would win 65 seats and the AAP exuded confidence of bagging close to 100. The state went to polls in single phase on February 4 and recorded 78.60 per cent polling against 78.57 per cent in the 2012 polls. 1,145 candidates are in the fray, 81 of whom are female and one transgender. "The counting of votes will take place on Saturday (March 11) for which all necessary preparations have been made," an election office spokesman said here today. It was a record for the state when the SAD (with BJP) came back to power in 2012 as no party had ever been given two consecutive terms. Since reorganisation of Punjab in 1966, the Congress and the SAD have been ruling the state alternately. The SAD-BJP alliance formed the government for the first time in 2007 and retained majority in 2012. This time around, while the SAD is contesting 94 seats the BJP is contesting 23. The Congress has contested all the seats. The AAP and its ally Lok Insaf Party, led by the Bains brothers of Ludhiana, are fighting 112 and 5 seats respectively. With over 30 per cent of the Dalit population, Punjab also saw BSP supremo Mayawati campaigning for her party candidates. The Apna Punjab Party and the Left parties too are confident of making some inroads. Key constituencies whose results would be keenly watched include the Lambi seat, where the CM is locked in a triangular contest with Amarinder Singh and journalist-turned-politician Jarnail Singh (AAP). Jalalabad, considered a pocket borough of the ruling Badal family, has two sitting MPs-- Ravneet Singh Bittu (Congress) and comedian-turned-politician Bhagwant Mann (AAP)up against SAD president and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal. Veteran Congress leader and former chief minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal is fighting it out against Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa (SAD) from her traditional bastion of Lehragagga. AAP's Himmat Singh Shergill is fighting against Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia from Majitha while Gurpreet Singh Ghuggi (AAP) is giving a challenge to Congress stalwart Ashwini Sekhri from Batala. Patiala is another key seat where Amarinder Singh is up against SAD candidate and retired army chief General JJ Singh. Navjot Singh Sidhu, who after several flip-flops had joined the Congress party, contested the Amritsar East seat against Rajesh Kumar Honey of BJP. The CM's estranged nephew Manpreet Singh Badal is trying his fortunes from Bathinda Urban seat on a Congress ticket while Indian Youth Congress chief Raja Amarinder Singh Warring is contesting Gidderbaha seat. The state polls are also a test of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with some dubbing them as referendum on his popularity and on demonetisation. The results are crucial for Congress, which is seeking to wrest power after failing in previous two Assembly elections fought under the leadership of Amarinder Singh. The party's prospects, however, have been hit by infighting. Meanwhile, after witnessing a high-profile battle between political stalwarts-- BJP's Arun Jaitley and Congress' Amarinder Singh in 2014-- the Amritsar Lok Sabha bypoll was overshadowed by the Assembly polls this year. BJP has fielded 66-year-old leader Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina, who is up against Congress' Gurjit Singh Aujla (44) and Aam Aadmi Party's Upkar Singh Sandhu (63). The by-poll to Amritsar seat was necessitated after Amarinder Singh resigned in protest against the Apex court's verdict on the SYL canal issue. New Delhi: Trinamool Congress MPs on Thursday staged a dharna in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in the Parliament complex against the killings of Indians in the US. Carrying placards with slogans such as "All Indians are our brothers and sisters, stop attacking them in the USA", Parliamentarians from both the Houses demanded a strong response from the Centre to stop the killings. There also held placards, saying, "The world is one. All citizens are our brothers and sisters. We must take care of them". Earlier, Trinamool chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had tweeted on the issue. She had also written to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, urging the Centre to take up the issue at the highest level in the US. Arms, ammunition and other items, including a railway map, recovered after suspected terrorist Saifullah was killed in a 12-hour long operation by an ATS team on the outskirts of Lucknow. (Photo: PTI) Lucknow: A 12-hour anti-terror operation in a busy Lucknow locality ended early Wednesday when commandos shot dead a suspected terrorist allegedly involved in a train explosion in Madhya Pradesh a day before. The UP police said he was a self-radicalised sympathiser of terror outfit ISIS, while the states anti-terror squad (ATS), involved in the operation, called him an active member of an ISIS module. Television footage showed policemen carrying a body wrapped in a white sheet from a house in the citys thickly populated Thakurganj area where Saifullah, 23, was holed up. Several Indians, mostly from Kerala, have joined ISIS, but he is the first homegrown terror suspect being linked to the outfit that has overran large parts of Syria and Iraq in its quest to establish a caliphate under strict Islamic laws. Saifullahs father, a teacher in Kanpur, refused to accept his sons body, branding him a traitor. A photo of suspected ISIS terrorist Saifullah, killed in a stand off with the ATS, released by UP Police. (Photo: PTI) The operation got over at around 3 am, hours before people began voting in UPs last phase of Assembly elections. A large quantity of arms and ammunition, some mobile phones and maps, besides an ISIS flag were recovered from the rented house. Six people three each from UP and MP have been arrested in connection with the train blast in which 12 people were injured. Senior UP police official Daljit Singh Chaudhary said there was no evidence that the suspects had any direct connection with ISIS, but had become radicalised online. There is no evidence of any outside funding or any external support. They were self-reliant, he said. The module planned to blow up a famous Sufi shrine, Dewa Sharif, in UPs Barabanki on March 27, top sources said. Security at the shrine and in the town has been stepped up. However, top ATS official Aseem Arun said the slain suspect was an active member of ISIS module in Khurasan, a region that includes Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and parts of northwestern and western India. He said Saifullah was given ample opportunities to surrender. We initially tried smoking him out with chilli bombs. We began firing only when he shot at us when we tried to enter, he said. Saifullahs father Sartaj Ahmad Khan and brother Khalid told reporters in Kanpur that they were not in touch with him for the past two and a half months. He was not doing any work and was in a bad company. I beat him up and asked him to leave our house. We had no communication with him for a month, but he called up about a week ago and said he was going to Saudi Arabia for work, the father said. We are not taking the body of an anti-national and we approve of police action, he said. Meanwhile, Union home minister Rajnath Singh is likely to make a statement in Parliament on Thursday on the killing of a suspected ISIS terrorist in Lucknow and blast in a train at Shajapur in Madhya Pradesh. The home minister is expected to make a detailed statement in Parliament on the two incidents in Lucknow and in Shajapur, official sources said. The second half of the Budget session will begin on Thursday. Bhopal: Widows in Madhya Pradesh need not compulsorily hold a Below Poverty Line (BPL) card to get their pension, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Wednesday. "The condition of BPL card will not be imposed for sanctioning pension to widows in the state. Also, from now on, they (widows) will be addressed as Kalyani," Chouhan said in a private function on the occasion of International Women's Day. Furthermore, a state government pension scheme has been put in place to help distressed widows. The chief minister also said that they would be given priority in welfare schemes and their expertise will be used for the betterment of the state. On the occasion, ten women who managed to reach top positions beating odds in life were honoured by the Chief Minister for their achievements. Chouhan said that women have showed that they are not distressed but are empowered, by facing challenges successfully. "They do not lack in intelligence, commitment and devotion. They can illuminate the lives of others if they get opportunity," he said. He informed on the occasion that efforts are being made to eliminate discrimination faced by them. Girls are no more a burden on their families. Several schemes have been prepared for their empowerment in the state, Chouhan said. He further mentioned that the state government will forward a draft demanding capital punishment to culprits involved in heinous crimes against women, to the President. This draft was submitted to the CM by the first beneficiaries of 'Mukhyamantri Kanyadaan', 'Ladli Laxmi' and 'Tejasvini' schemes and a group of girls who met him in the programme. Hyderabad: The TS government has requested the Centre to release pending dues and funds for development of roads in Hyderabad city and other infrastructure to the tune of Rs 16,443.42 crore to the state including, Rs 10,400 crore CST compensation. TS finance minister Etela Rajender met Union finance minister Arun Jaitley while municipal minister K.T. Rama Rao called on Union minister for road transport Nitin Gadkari, Union railway minister Suresh Prabhu and other ministers in New Delhi and submitted separate memoranda requesting the Centre to speed up pending projects and release funds accordingly. Mr Rama Rao sought funds for laying of new roads in Hyderabad and other parts of the state that were damaged during the last monsoon. Mr Gadkari promised to consider the plea. The TS government sought Rs 10,400 crore of CST compensation, Rs 1,745 crore for new projects under PMGSY, Rs 899 crore in PMGSY dues Rs 13,338.85 crore for MGNREGS, Rs 608.20 crore for Sarva Sikha Abhiyan, Rs 582.94 crore for building infrastructure for schools, Rs 450 crore for BRGF, Rs 300 crore for the Deen Dayal Upadhya Grameena Kalyan Yojana and Rs 39.33 crore for the Rashtriya Madhyamik Siksha Abhiyan. Mr Rajender also met Union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar and sought release of Rs 582.94 crore due to the state. He also called upon Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh and sought Central help in overcoming crisis in agriculture sector, including due to the recent hailstorms, glut in red gram and other issues. MPs B. Vinod Kumar, B. Narasaiah Goud, Kotha Prabhakar Reddy, Hyderabad mayor Bonthu Ramamohan, finance secretary Navin Mittal and others accompanied the ministers. The Maternity Benefits Act, 1961 protects the employment of women during the time of maternity and entitles them to fully paid absence from work. (Photo: Representational image/ File) New Delhi: A bill that seeks to increase maternity leave for women from 12 weeks to 26 weeks was passed by the Lok Sabha on Thursday. The Maternity Benefit Amendment Bill aimed at benefiting women and children will ensure maternity benefit from 12 weeks to 26 weeks for two surviving children and 12 weeks for more than two children. The Rajya Sabha had passed the bill in August last year during the monsoon session. Maternity leave of 26 weeks will ensure good health to both mother and child, tweeted Women and Child Development (WCD) minister Maneka Gandhi, who strongly pushed for the amendments that is expected to benefit about 1.8 million women in the organised sector. The amended law will be applicable to all establishments employing 10 or more people. Once the amendments to the Act are passed and notified, India will jump to the third position in terms of the number of weeks for maternity leave, after Canada (50) and Norway (44). The Maternity Benefits Act, 1961 protects the employment of women during the time of maternity and entitles them to fully paid absence from work. Hyderabad: The TS governments calculations regarding the impact of demonetisation on the states revenues have gone awry. The TS government had expected that demonetisation would cause a loss of about Rs 3,000 crore to the state, but the latest indications suggest that losses will be close to Rs 10,000 crore. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao rushed finance minister Etala Rajender to New Delhi on Thursday, with a representation to the Centre, asking them to come to the states rescue by releasing CST and Central-sponsored scheme arrears amounting to over Rs 16,000 crore, at the earliest. The current financial year is set to end in another three weeks, and the impact of demonetisation on the state revenues is more than what was anticipated. Mr Rao, while strongly supporting the demonetisation drive, had claimed that its impact on the states revenues would be minimal. However, the growth achieved in the first half of the fiscal year (April 2016 to September 2016) by all the major revenue-earning departments was negated in second half (October 2016 to March 2017), because of the demonetisation announced in November. Left with a huge financial deficit, the state government has set a target of Rs 5,000 crore to be collected in the form of taxes by revenue-earning departments by taking up special drives in the remaining three weeks. The four main revenue-earning departments for the state government are Commercial Taxes, Stamps and Registrations, Excise, and Transport. Mr Rajender is scheduled to present the Budget for 2017-18 in the Assembly on Monday. Sources say that the CM suddenly deputed him to Delhi to secure a clear assurance from the Centre regarding the payment of arrears, as Budget plans will otherwise have to be altered, to account for demonetisation losses. Official sources in the Finance Department said, Because of the cash crunch, the payment of commercial taxes, and the registration of properties and vehicles have been badly hit. At the most, we can reach Rs 45,000 crore in the remaining three weeks of this fiscal year, which would leave a gap of over Rs 9,000 crore. The government wants to fill this deficit with arrears to be paid by the Centre. However, it remains to be seen whether the Centre releases the arrears immediately, or keeps them on hold, as it has done for the past two years. Kochi: Marine Drive in Kochi, the scene of moral policing by Shiva Sena activists on Wednesday, became the place to express freedom of love as several pairs locked lips to register their protest against hooliganism. The protests by different activist groups turned the place into venue of veritable counter-culture towards evening after the DYFI and Youth Congress staged their customary sit-in protest in the forenoon. The protests in the evening, marked by street plays, musical performances, were conducted by organisations such as Kiss of Love, People against Fascism and Kerala Sasthra Sahitya Parishad. A large crowd gathered to watch public kiss-in protest and a series of events including marches by various groups. Kerala Shastra Sahitya Parishat members perform street play. (Photo: ARUN CHANDRABOSE) We stand by each other against hate and nothing will put out the fire in us, said Lasar Shine, writer and Kiss of Love activist. Describing the protest as a warning against forces spreading hatred and violence, he said such activities will counter hate and intolerance in the form of racism, sexism and discrimination towards sexual minorities. The Thrissur-based Ooraali band sang their hits as the crowd cheered. A group of LGBT community also gathered at the venue to lend their support to the protest and raised slogans against the police discrimination towards them and called for the scrapping of Section 377 of IPC thats considers homosexuality a criminal offence. A huge contingent of police led by city police commissioner M.P. Dinesh was present in the venue to prevent any untoward incident. The police made no efforts to prevent the public display of kissing and other protests. There is no question of police intervening in this as long as protests are conducted peacefully, the commissioner said. The venue however witnessed a few tense moments as a group of BJP activists marched along the walkway, raising slogans both against the Shiva Sena and Kiss of Love activists. The police, however, prevented them from entering the venue. Youth Congress and KSU activists also led a march to the venue in protest against the alleged police apathy in controlling the moral policing. CPM Ernakulam district secretary P. Rajeev inaugurated the protest by DYFI and SFI activists in the morning. T.K. Aravindan (57), one of the Shiva Sena leaders who led the mob in chasing away the couples in Marine Drive, is an accused in a rape case registered at Elankunnappuzha police station three years ago. He also faces the case for attempting to sexually assault a deaf-and-dumb woman staffer of Elabugnnapuzha Government Higher Secondary School. Greek FM: The purpose of my visit is to create a strategic partnership Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan received today a delegation led by Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotsias. This year ushers in the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Greece. Our friendly relations are at a very high level, but we are keen to activate the cooperation with Greece and take it to a new qualitative level, Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan said addressing the guests. Stressing the need to boost economic exchanges, the head of the Armenian government said there is great untapped potential in this area. Karen Karapetyan welcomed the ongoing bilateral cooperation within international institutions and the fact that the two countries keep by similar positions on a number of issues on international agenda. Pleased with his stay in friendly Armenia, the Greek Foreign Minister conveyed warm greetings on behalf of Prime Minister of Greece Alexis Tsipras. We have always been brotherly peoples. The purpose of my visit is to create a strategic partnership, Nikos Kotsias said. Highly appreciating the Armenian-Greek political dialogue, the Greek Foreign Minister agreed in that economic relations are on a low level, and there is a need for their harmonious development. As they discussed issues of bilateral and multilateral economic cooperation, the parties highlighted the role of the Armenian-Greek joint commission on economic, industrial and scientific-technical cooperation. In particular, the interlocutors discussed the possibility of holding an Armenian-Greek business forum. In this context, Prime Minister Karapetyan suggested clarifying the areas of mutual interest to the two countries business circles and actively working on joint projects. Karen Karapetyan and Nikos Kotsias exchanged views on cooperation within the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union, the furtherance of EEU-EU dialogue, as well as on the prospects for regional cooperation. Chennai: In his protest against the state government, O. Panneerselvam drew a good crowd and the event at Rajarathinam Stadium was attended by close to 10,000 of his supporters including members of public. Though there was no major traffic hindrance around Chennai, the event affected the peak hour traffic in and around Egmore, where the day long was fast was observed. The fast at the stadium was led by senior leader E. Madusudanan and attended by C. Ponnaiyan and P.H. Pandian among others. Similar hunger strikes were staged across the state. In Avadi, former School Education Minister K.Pandiarajan led the protest. In Tirunelveli, it was held under the leadership of former MP Manoj Pandian. In Coimbatore, more than 2,000 AIADMK workers, including local MLAs P.C. Arukutty, O.K. Chinnaraj and P.G.R. Arunkumar, participated in the fast. Large posters of Jayalalithaa during her funeral procession with Panneerslvam weeping and banners of people with tears filled the protest fast venue. A massive stage with digital screens was also put up to help the cadres watch Panneerselvams address. In Chennai, most of the councillors also put up posters in support of Panneerselvam. Addressing the participants at the stadium, Panneerselvam hit out at AIADMK general secretary V.K. Sasikala and her family, saying, our fight will continue till a judicial inquiry or a CBI probe is ordered. To retrieve our party from the clutches of Sasikala, to get back our government from the hold of her family, our dharma yudham will continue. We are ready to make sacrifices for it, said Panneerselvam, who revolted against the party leadership last month. True to the legacy of late leaders M.G. Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa, this party and the government will always be of the people and by the people, he said, adding that Jayalalithaa had demonstrated that hers was a peoples regime and had steered the party as a peoples movement. The situation has turned upside down. An extraordinary situation has emerged now wherein an individual family is plundering the party and the regime led by it, he said referring to Sasikala and her family. To retrieve the party from such a situation a dharma yudham has begun and its starting point is the mystery surrounding the death of Jayalalithaa, he said. Alleging that Sasikala had in a letter written in 2012 to Jayalalithaa admitted that some of her relatives and friends had conspired against her (Jayalalithaa), he said Sasikala herself had termed it as an unpardonable betrayal. What is that conspiracy?..it was to bring both the party and reins of government into their family fold, he alleged. After she came to know about this conspiracy, Jayalalithaa threw Sasikala and her relatives out of the party. She re-admitted Sasikala into her household only after she apologised and for only assisting her in her household. Jayalalithaa had even asked the party office bearers, including him, not to have any truck with Sasikala, Panneerselvam said. Dubbing the Edappadi Palaniswami regime as a proxy of Sasikala, he said, only 122 MLAs are with them (Sasikala), but 7.5 crore Tamil people are with us. No info about jaya health Panneerselvam also threatened to file a case against health secretary J. Radhakrishnan if the official failed to withdraw a statement he made on Monday while releasing Jayalalithaas medical reports. On March 6, Radhakrishnan, quoting hospital reports, said that senior ministers and political leaders including Panneerselvam were apprised of the serious condition of Jayalalithaa on December 5. Citing this, Panneerselvam said, As far as I am concerned, no information was conveyed to me. By around 6.30 I came to know through media that Amma is no more. When I contacted the hospital and state officials, they said it is a rumour. If he does not withdraw his statement, I categorically state that I will file a case against him in court. He said not once were they allowed to see Amma though they had stayed put at the hospital all along. The Sasikala camp did not even listen to suggestions that Jayalalithaa should be taken to the UK or the US for treatment, he claimed. Working secretary of DMK, M.K. Stalin, interacts with his sister and Lok Sabha MP, Kanimozhi, during the Womens day celebration at Anna Arivalayam. (Photo: DC) Chennai: DMK working president M.K. Stalin on Wednesday urged external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj to initiate immediate steps to retrieve Katchatheevu to restore the traditional rights of the Indian fishermen and to stop the inhuman killings by Sri Lankan navy. Citing the killing of Indian fishermen K. Britjo, Stalin said the Lankan navy had violated the agreement arrived at the tripartite talks so far held with the fishermen of both the countries. On the fateful day, the fishermen entered into the sea only for their livelihood but the Lankan government which so far arrested and seized their boats has now taken the extreme and illegal act of killing our fisherman and grievously injuring other accompanying fishermen in that unprovoked and unjustifiable firing, he said. The monstrous act of killing by the island had sent shock waves among the fishermen in the state and uncontrollable anger is sweeping across the state. There is strong feeling and displeasure that the Central Government is not forthcoming actively to protect the lives of Indian fishermen- despite series of talks, Stalin said. In international perspective, the Lankan navys breach is a blatant and barbaric violation of agreements reached after International talks. The horrible part of the whole unlawful and unwarranted act is that the Government of Sri Lanka is in denial mode on this cold-blooded murder and even refuse to take the responsibility. Indian Coast Guard has the moral duty to ensure the safety of Indian fishermen entering into the sea for fishing. Tamil Nadu fishermen had been demanding protection of Union government to uphold their traditional fishing rights and a permanent solution to the lasting menace. He asked Sushma to condemn the Lankan government in unequivocal terms, besides summoning the envoy and warn him of dire consequences if such atrocities and killings continue. Stalin asks SEC to hold civic polls as per HC time frame DMK working president M.K. Stalin on Wednesday asked the State Election Commission to hold the local body elections as per the time frame given by the Madras high court and not to act according to the instructions of the state government. Local bodies are essential for fulfilling the basic amenities of the people, but the state government does not want to hold the civic polls and trying hard to postpone the elections. In a case filed by the DMK, the Madras high court directed the government to hold the local body elections December 31, 2016, he noted. Later, the Division Bench of the Madras high court on February 21 had ordered the holding of local body polls before May 14 and instructed the state government to provide the required staff for the process. However, the State EC had not taken steps for the conduct of the elections and maintaining silence, Stalin said. The court itself had noted that there were arguments for two hours over the date of elections, showing the state governments complacency in holding the local body polls. The state government had cited the tenth standard and plus-2 examinations as the reason for extending the service extension for the special officers. The same reason was put before the court which gave its order to hold elections before May 14 only after taking account the state governments contentions, Stalin noted. State EC is an autonomous body with full powers to hold the local body elections, but it is hesitant to do it, he said describing it as an action against democracy and Constitution. Leader of Congress Mallikarjun Kharge accused the government of "failure" in raising the issue with the US, saying the recent spate of racial attacks was deeply disturbing and Modi and his government had 'failed'. (Photo: file) New Delhi: Members in the Lok Sabha on Thursday expressed grave concern over hate crimes against Indians in the US, with opposition parties questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "silence" on the matter and the government saying it was being "viewed seriously". Opposition members asked the government to spell out in Parliament how it plans to deal with the issue, prompting Home Minister Rajnath Singh to say that it has taken a serious note of these incidents and later assured that steps will be taken to ensure that "Indians abroad feel safe." Singh also said the government will make a statement in Parliament next week. In the recent weeks, at least two Indians have been killed in suspected cases of hate crime in the US. After Speaker Sumitra Mahajan disallowed adjournment notices given by several opposition members to raise the issue, they took up the matter during the Zero Hour. Leader of Congress Mallikarjun Kharge accused the government of "failure" in raising the issue with the US, saying the recent spate of racial attacks was deeply disturbing and Modi and his government had "failed", as neither have they condemned the incidents, nor taken up the issue with the US at a high level. "Why has the Modi government maintained a silence. The Prime Minister tweets on ever issue. Why has he kept quiet over such a serious matter," he said. Taking a dig at the Prime Minister, Kharge said Modi is seen "hugging foreign leaders and sitting on a swing with Chinese President Xi Jinping" but has not taken up such an important issue. Saugata Roy (Trinamool Congress) said the government does not seem to be interested in protecting the interests of Indians in the US. "It is strange that our voluble, articulate prime minister is keeping silent," he said, adding that the government should show "gumption and guts to stand up to bullies in the US". Both Kharge and Roy said hate crimes have seen a rise since Donald Trump took over as the US President. Bhartruhari Mahtab (BJD) said the government should come out with an advisory for Indian origin people living in the US, warning them about unsafe places in that country in the same way the US has put out a travel advisory, warning its citizens against visiting India. Responding to the short discussion during which several members voiced their concern over the issue, the Home Minister said the government views the concern "seriously" and "all steps will be taken to ensure that Indians abroad feel safe." He said External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was unwell and the government will issue a detailed statement on the issue next week. Earlier during the Question Hour, the Home Minister had also said the government will make a statement in Parliament next week. What is happening in the US is being viewed seriously by the government, he said. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar had also said the government was very much concerned about such incidents in the US. During the discussion, Jithender Reddy (TRS) asked the government to take firm steps and inform Parliament. He also suggested that the government should have a dialogue with the US government and sought a proper a statement in this regard. Prem Singh Chandumajra of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) said the Sikhs were especially being targeted due to their attire and appearances. Attacking former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the SAD MP said when there were talks of France imposing restriction for use of turbans for Sikhs, the then UPA government had failed to address the concerns of the community. Mohammad Salim of the CPI(M) said the attacks on Indians in the US are a results of the "hate politics" that was seen during American presidential elections. He said the government should take up this matter with the highest authorities there and ensure that while it does defence deals with the United States, it should include clauses which will compel the US to come on the discussion table and address these issues. Raising a similar issue, M Thambidurai, AIADMK MP and Deputy Speaker said uncertainity has been prevailing among Indians abroad and the government should intervene and take steps so that the Indians abroad feel safe. It may be noted that the EC has time until the first week of June to conduct the bypoll for R.K. Nagar, which became vacant after the demise of former chief minister J. Jayalalithaa. Chennai: Expect R.K. Nagar bypoll date within a week, confidential sources with the EC of India told DC. Pointing out that the poll managers have also been asked to be prepared for the bypoll, the official added that poll is likely to be held in May. It may be noted that the EC has time until the first week of June to conduct the bypoll for R.K. Nagar, which became vacant after the demise of former chief minister J. Jayalalithaa. With unconfirmed reports that the date for R.K. Nagar by polls is expected anytime, the government is now focusing more on the area, which according to the ruling party is a prestigious seat. In the past one week, CM Edapaddi K. Palanisami has inaugurated many schemes targeting voters of R.K.Nagar which has more than 23,000 voters as fishermen according to party workers. Party strongman and district secretary P. Vettrivel and finance minister D. Jayakumar are also taking turns to keep the voters and the party workers happy by conducting regular events and party meetings. New Delhi: Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday accused Congress leader Digvijay Singh of "justifying" terrorism for his remarks that "injustice" to Indian Muslims makes terror outfits attractive to them. "Congress leader @digvijaya_28 statement that injustice to Muslims is making ISIS attractive is nothing but justifying IS activities in India," information and broadcasting minister Naidu said in a tweet. Yesterday, Singh said that "continuous injustice done to Muslims and prosecution of innocent Muslims will lead to a situation where Pakistan and Pakistan's wish to create unrest in India will become attractive to the Muslims of India". The comments come in the background of a blast on the Bhopal-Ujjain express which is suspected to be the first strike by the Islamic State terror group in India. Documents recovered from the body of terror suspect Saifullah, who was neutralised after an 11-hour-long counter-terror operation in Lucknow, hints at an ISIS link. Meanwhile, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi trained guns at both the BJP and the Congress. "Maybe he (Singh) is a terrorist expert, I am not. But as far as I am concerned, I know for a fact that when Congress was ruling Maharashtra for 15 years, there were 28 undertrial Muslims in jails. "I can give numerous examples when Congress was in power. I cannot comment on what Congress leaders are saying, but I would say that they should stop running this shop of secularism and BJP should stop running their shop of nationalism," Owaisi said. Hitting out at Digvijay for his remarks, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said he was speaking a language of the separatists. "...if a Congress leader (Digvijay) is saying something, then he is perturbed because of the opposite results in civic polls or any other polls. The situation is now that they are speaking the language of separatists," he said. Jitendra said the Congress should make its stand clear on issue. "What some of the Congress leaders are saying, is that really Congress policy? If yes, then the people have to decide whether the party which calls itself a national party, is worth trust to vote it to power in future," he said. New Delhi: Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav today asserted that Akhilesh Yadav will get a second consecutive term as chief minister in Uttar Pradesh. Yadav said the party along with the Congress will get "absolute majority" in the state Assembly as he ruled out possibility of a hung verdict. "The Samajwadi Party-Congress combine is set to get absolute majority. We will win 236-240 seats...there is no question of hung assembly," the party general secretary told reporters on Parliament premises. To a question on the BJP forming a government in Uttar Pradesh, Yadav said it is "not aware" of ground realities. On the other hand, expelled SP leader Amar Singh said BJP has got an "advantage" over its rivals in bitterly-fought Assembly elections. With "opposition parties using expletives" against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Singh said the BJP stands to benefit from it electorally. Asserting that the BJP will have an edge over all other parties in the polls, Singh claimed that the BSP too will surpass the SP's tally. On whether the BJP and the BSP will come together if the elections throw up a hung verdict, the Rajya Sabha member said "UP is a wonderful state and politics a game of possibilities". Singh also dodged questions over the possibility of him joining the BJP, saying such issues are "not to be discussed before camera". The results of polls in the politically crucial state will be out on March 11. The Assembly polls were held in seven phases stretching between February 11 and March 8 in the state. New Delhi: After the staggering exercise of month-long Assembly polls across five states, the exit poll predictions on Thursday threw up varied outcomes. While VMR, MRC, Axis and Todays Chanakya predicted a saffron surge in the high-stake Uttar Pradesh elections, exit polls conducted by Lokniti and C-Voter indicated a hung Assembly, predicting that the BJP and SP-Congress alliance will be neck and neck in the race. All exit polls were, however, unanimous in predicting a complete rout of BSP supreme Mayawati in UP and the SAD-BJP combine in Punjab. With the spectre of a hung Assembly looming large, SP chief and UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav took the first step in proposing an alliance with his partys arch rival, Ms Mayawati. In an interview to BBC Hindi radio, Mr Yadav said that if the SP-Congress combine fell short of a majority, they would not mind joining hands with Mayawatis BSP in a bid to keep BJP out of the state, and because nobody wants Presidents rule in the state. He, however, was hopeful of SP-Congress getting majority on their own. The BSP supremo has not yet reacted to SPs overtures. The exit polls also threw up contradictory predictions for Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. While the BJP camp began chest thumping following the predictions by exit polls, the Congress adopted a policy of wait and watch. Modi mania to continue: Polls If the majority of the exit polls are to be believed, the Modi mania continues to sweep Uttar Pradesh. Of the 403 Assembly berths in UP, India Today-Axis projected 251 to 279 seats to the BJP, 88-112 to SP-Congress and 28-42 seats to BSP. Todays Chanakya toed a similar line and predicted 285 seats to BJP, 88 to SP-Congress and 27 to BSP. Times Now-VMR predicted 190-210 seats for the BJP, 156-169 for SP-Congress and 60-72 for BSP. NewsX-MRC indicated 185 seats for BJP, 120 for SP-Congress and 90 for BSP. The magic figure to form government in UP is 202. As for India Today-Axis, the BJP is forming government in UP, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. Predicting a hung assembly in UP, ABP-Lokniti projected 164-176 for BJP, 156-169 for SP-Congress, 60-72 for BSP. India TV C-Voter gave 155-167 seats to BJP, 135 to 147 for SP-Congress and 81 to 93 for BSP. As for Punjab, with 117 Assembly seats, India Today-Axis predicted a Congress victory with 62-71 seats. It projected 42-51 for AAP and 4-7 for SAD-BJP. Todays Chanakya predicted a tie between Congress and AAP by projecting 54 seats for both the parties. Similarly News X-MRC predicted a tie between Congress and AAP by indicating that theyll get 55 seats each. India TV C-Voter put its money on AAP by giving the party 59-67 seats, while projecting 41-49 seats for the Congress. Majority of the exit polls predicted a BJP government in Uttarakhand. Of the 71 Assembly berths in Uttarakhand, India Today-Axis predicted a BJP sweep with 46-53 seats, giving 12-21 seats to the Congress. Predicting on similar lines, Today's Chanakya gave the BJP 53 seats and the Congress 15. ABP Lokniti projected 34-42 seats for BJP and 23-29 seats for Congress. India TV C-Voter projected a tie by predicting 29-35 seats for both Congress and BJP. In Goa, with 40 Assembly berths, pollsters predicted BJP's return to power. Of the 60 Assembly berths in Manipur, the India Today-Axis predicted Congress getting between and BJP managing 16-22 seats. Lucknow: Even as exit polls pointed towards a hung assembly in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav sprung a major surprise when he hinted at an alliance with the BSP if he fell short of numbers. In an interview with a news outlet, Mr Yadav said that if the SP-Congress fell short of numbers, they would not mind joining hands with BSP in an attempt to keep the BJP out. I have always treated BSP president with respect and have referred to her as bua but as of now, we are coming back to power on our own, he said. Mr Yadav said that President rule would mean a BJP rule by remote and no one would want this. It may be recalled that in their first joint press conference in Lucknow in January to announce the alliance, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had stated that he had utmost respect for Ms Mayawati. Throughout the election campaign, Mr Gandhi chose not to attack the BSP. Mr Yadavs statement about the new alliance has created ripples in political circles and the BJP said that this was an indication that the SP had already conceded defeat. On the face of it, the sentence of life imprisonment, handed down to a wheelchair-bound teacher of English at a Delhi University college by the principal district and sessions judge of Gadchiroli in Maharashtra raises some uncomfortable questions. It is to be seen what the High Court thinks of the verdict if Prof. G.N. Saibaba, who was convicted essentially because he espouses the cause of Marxism-Leninism, or Naxalism, challenges the sentence. Provided that an Indian citizen is not engaged in violence, and is not proved to be guilty of incitement, as legally defined, our Constitution guarantees him freedom of expression. The preaching of any ideology from far-left to far-right is not a crime. This is the classic liberal position to which we are fully entitled in free India. Nathuram Godse was sentenced to death as it could be established through normal legal procedures that he had shot Mahatma Gandhi dead, not because he had links to some Hindu Right outfits such as the Hindu Mahasabha and the RSS. The RSS was a proscribed organisation for a while after the Mahatmas assassination. This did not lead to every RSS member being handed a life sentence, as has happened with Prof. Saibaba for being allegedly associated with the CPI (Maoist), a banned organisation. The case of Dr Binayak Sen, whose committed public health work in the Maoist-infested areas of Chhattisgarh invited the wrath of the lower judiciary and rapacious elements of the junior executive, who routinely oppress the poor, is pertinent. Dr Sen was charged with sedition for associating with Naxalites. Maoist literature was allegedly found at his premises. An international hue and cry erupted, challenging a dubious lower judiciary order to punish him. The Supreme Court threw out the case. Dr Saibaba has been in and out of jail in the past two years for speaking the language of the Naxalites, for associating with them, and addressing international conferences in their support. One may take it that he is a staunch critic of the Indian State (as many are, for its manifest failings in protecting the interests of the downtrodden). None of this can attract the charge of waging war against the State. In any case, it seems hardly probable that a man who is physically disabled to the extent of 90 per cent, and is routinely taking his college classes and fulfilling other duties as an academic, will be hurling bombs and firing guns. Confirmed killers and terrorists have had their death sentences commuted to life on the strength of mitigating circumstances, and here a badly handicapped academic is convicted to a life term. Something truly does not appear to be in order. In a sensational disclosure, Pakistans former NSA Mahmud Ali Durrani admitted that a Pakistani terror group had carried out the 26/11 Mumbai attack. Terming it a classic trans-border terror event, the retired general, who had also served in the ISI, acknowledged that Pakistans foreign policy was to openly encourage terror. Mr Durranis serial confessions at a security conference on Indian soil may not, however, carry too much weight in his country and is expected to have no effect on its policies on terror. What it establishes though is that there is someone just out of Pakistans labyrinthine military establishment who is prepared to tell the truth internationally. Official Pakistan will treat the generals speeches with disdain, and do nothing to expedite the 26/11 trial at home nor take forward the probes into the assaults on Pathankot and Uri. Its behaviour will conform to the rigid pattern already well established, that reeks of guilt over encouraging terrorist groups to attack India even as the ISI plays a diabolical role in training and arming such non-state actors. India knows that Mr Durranis remarks are meant for international consumption, especially at a time when Pakistan is struggling to recast its ties with the United States under Donald Trump. Islamabads tendency to speak in different voices is also too well known. India is fully aware of terror threats emanating from Pakistan. One person confirming this isnt going to make a major difference to the current hostile atmosphere. Imam Ghazali, the 11th century philosopher, earned the title Hujjat-ul Islam, meaning the proof of Islam. He is the most translated Islamic scholar in the Western world. Born in the Persian province of Tus, he arrived in Baghdad at the age of 35. Ghazali achieved both recognition and wealth as head of the prestigious Nizamiyya University in Baghdad. After a few years of teaching, he felt an overpowering need to understand religion at a deeper level and resigned from the university. In search for solitude and spirituality, Ghazali distributed his wealth and left for Damascus. He took two mule loads of books along with him. On the way, he encountered bandits who stole all his belongings. Ghazali tried to prevail upon the highway robbers not to take his books as they contained his ilm (knowledge). They did not listen to him, mocking, What kind of knowledge do you have if it can be stolen. This incident had a deep impact on Ghazali and he turned to seek the true knowledge of the heart as embodied by the way of the Sufis. In his autobiography Ghazali wrote, I knew the Sufi way cannot be traversed without doctrine and practice, their doctrine lies in overcoming the appetites of the flesh and getting rid of evil dispositions, so the heart may be cleared of all but God. The means of cleansing the heart is remembrance of God, the concentration of every thought upon him. I saw that in the Sufi way, knowledge of God is reached by experience, ecstasy and transformation. How great is the difference between knowing the causes, definition and conditions of drunkenness and getting drunk. I became convinced that Sufis are men of feelings and not words. On the theme of experiencing God, Ghazali further elaborated on the 99 names of Allah. He wrote how Allahs attributes must be known by tasting the experience, and not just the word. So to know mercy we must be merciful, to know Gods justice we must be just. Just like if you tell someone what it is like to swim they will never truly know swimming until they have swam. Similarly, we will never know God until we have experienced what it is to be merciful, just and compassionate. After many years as a wandering ascetic, Ghazali returned to his home city of Tus where he taught till he died. His biggest contribution to Islamic thought is that he integrated the outer law of the Sharia with the inner knowledge of Sufism. He said, Scientific knowledge is above faith but the mystic experience is above knowledge. On his inner transformation the mystic scholar wrote: Once I had been a slave, Lust was my master, Lust then became my servant, I was free. Leaving the haunts of men, I sought thy presence Lonely, I found thee in my company. KOZHIKODE: As a stepping stone to their dream, two students of Mambaram English Medium Higher Secondary School, Thalassery are all set to pack their bags to visit National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) during the upcoming summer vacation. It was after the two champs got recognition for their innovative project during the Adi Shankaran Young Scientists Award 2017, that they are NASA-bound. Meet, A.T. Shinjul and Sanjay Sudan, who will visit NASA and stay there for 15 days. The project titled 'More debris- more fuel' was considered among the 3 best projects invented by the young student scientists. It was selected from among 106 projects presented by students from all around the country and also from the UAE. "The project was highlighted for its timely relevance as the boys of my school have tried to create fuel from plastic waste", said the school principal Suresh Babu M. He added that the students were confident enough to run the engine of a motor bike, using the fuel they generated from plastic and also food waste. In addition to visiting NASA - and as a bonus a trip to Disneyworld - the students will also get the Adi Shankaran Group of Institution scholarship to pursue further studies. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. CIA hackers could get into Apple iPhones, devices running Google's Android software and other gadgets in order to capture text and voice messages before they were encrypted with sophisticated software. Contractors likely breached security and handed over documents describing the Central Intelligence Agency's use of hacking tools to anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks, US intelligence and law enforcement officials told Reuters on Wednesday. Two officials speaking on condition of anonymity said intelligence agencies have been aware since the end of last year of the breach, which led to WikiLeaks releasing thousands of pages of information on its website on Tuesday. According to the documents, CIA hackers could get into Apple iPhones, devices running Google's Android software and other gadgets in order to capture text and voice messages before they were encrypted with sophisticated software. The White House said on Wednesday that President Donald Trump was "extremely concerned" about the CIA security breach that led to the WikiLeaks release. "Anybody who leaks classified information will be held to the highest degree of law," spokesman Sean Spicer said. The two officials told Reuters they believed the published documents about CIA hacking techniques used between 2013 and 2016 were authentic. One of the officials with knowledge of the investigation said companies that are contractors for the CIA have been checking to see which of their employees had access to the material that WikiLeaks published, and then going over their computer logs, emails and other communications for any evidence of who might be responsible. On Tuesday in a press release, WikiLeaks itself said the CIA had "lost control" of an archive of hacking methods and it appeared to have been circulated "among former US government hackers and contractors in an unauthorized manner, one of whom has provided WikiLeaks with portions of the archive." The CIA, which is the United States' civilian foreign intelligence service, declined to comment on the authenticity of purported intelligence documents. The agency said in a statement that its mission was to collect foreign intelligence abroad "to protect America from terrorists, hostile nation states and other adversaries" and to be "innovative, cutting-edge, and the first line of defence in protecting this country from enemies abroad." The CIA is legally prohibited from surveillance inside the United States and "does not do so", the statement added. A US government source familiar with the matter said it would be normal for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the CIA both to open investigations into such leaks. US officials previously have confirmed that prosecutors in Alexandria, Virginia for years have been conducting a federal grand jury investigation of WikiLeaks and its personnel. A spokesman for the prosecutors declined to comment on the possibility of that probe being expanded. It is not clear if the investigation of the latest CIA leaks is part of the probe. Contractors have been revealed as the source of sensitive government information leaks in recent years, most notably Edward Snowden and Harold Thomas Martin, both employed by consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH.N) while working for the National Security Agency. US Senator Dianne Feinstein of California and a Democrat on the intelligence committee, said the government needed to stop the breaches. "I think we really need to take a look at the contractor portion of the employee workforce, because you have to be loyal to America to work for an intelligence agency, otherwise don't do it," Feinstein said. Both US Senate and US House of Representatives intelligence committees have either opened or are expected to open inquiries into the CIA breach, congressional officials said. Some cyber security experts and technology companies have criticized the government for opting to exploit rather than disclose software vulnerabilities, though an interagency review process set up under former President Barack Obama was intended to err on the side of disclosure. Those concerns would grow if US authorities did not notify companies that CIA documents describing various hacking techniques had been compromised. Apple, Alphabet Inc's Google, Cisco Systems Inc and Oracle Corp did not immediately respond when asked if they were notified of a CIA breach before WikiLeaks made its files public. At Apple, none of the vulnerabilities described in the documents provoked a panic, though analysis was continuing, according to a person who spoke with engineers there. Google's director of information security and privacy, Heather Adkins, said in a statement: "As weve reviewed the documents, we're confident that security updates and protections in both Chrome and Android (operating systems) already shield users from many of these alleged vulnerabilities. Our analysis is ongoing and we will implement any further necessary protections." LARGER NUMBER OF CONTRACTORS One reason the investigation is focused on a potential leak by contractors rather than for example a hack by Russian intelligence, another official said, is that so far there is no evidence that Russian intelligence agencies tried to exploit any of the leaked material before it was published. One European official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the WikiLeaks material could in fact lead to closer cooperation between European intelligence agencies and US counterparts, which share concerns about Russian intelligence operations. US intelligence agencies have accused Russia of seeking to tilt last year's US presidential election in Trump's favour, including by hacking into Democratic Party emails. Moscow has denied the allegation. One major security problem was that the number of contractors with access to information with the highest secrecy classification has "exploded" because of federal budget constraints, the first US official said. US intelligence agencies have been unable to hire additional permanent staff needed to keep pace with technological advances such as the "internet of things" that connects cars, home security and heating systems and other devices to computer networks, or to pay salaries competitive with the private sector, the official said. Reuters could not immediately verify the contents of the published documents. A person familiar with WikiLeaks activities said the group has had the CIA hacking material for months, and that the release of the material was in the works "for a long time." In Germany on Wednesday, the chief federal prosecutor's office said that it would review the WikiLeaks documents because some suggested that the CIA ran a hacking hub from the US consulate in Frankfurt. "We will initiate an investigation if we see evidence of concrete criminal acts or specific perpetrators," a spokesman for the federal prosecutor's office told Reuters. Chancellor Angela Merkel is scheduled to visit Washington on March 14 for her first meeting with Trump, who has sharply criticized Berlin for everything from its trade policy to what he considers inadequate levels of military spending. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) destroyed a transnational telecom fraud gang in Cambodia, catching 39 suspects and paying compensation of more than 360,000 yuan (USD 52000) to 21 victims. 19,000 people have been arrested in China in 2016 for committing telecom frauds, officials said today. The Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) increased efforts to crack down on telecom and Internet frauds and supervised the handling of 62 major fraud cases last year, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Chinese police arrested 19,345 suspects for telecom frauds last year, according to the SPP. One case reportedly led to the death of Xu Yuyu, an 18-year-old high school graduate from Linyi City in east China's Shandong Province. Xu was reported to have lost USD 1,400 meant for university tuition fees to fraudsters, the SPP said. The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) destroyed a transnational telecom fraud gang in Cambodia, catching 39 suspects and paying compensation of more than 360,000 yuan (USD 52000) to 21 victims. Telecom-based fraud, in which suspects cheat people through telecommunication channels, is a growing crime in China. The frauds are also in the name of charity or disaster-relief money Trojan programmes and phishing websites, the report had said. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Pluralsight, the technology learning platform, today announced it is partnering with Microsoft to upskill Microsoft Visual Studio 2017 developers. To celebrate Visual Studio 2017 and its 20th anniversary, all Visual Studio subscribers will receive free access to Pluralsight's technology learning platform. "Our technology learning platform enables enterprise tech teams to master the most critical technology tools and skills out there," said Aaron Skonnard, co-founder and CEO of Pluralsight. "We're proud to partner with Microsoft for the third consecutive year to provide the best learning experience to the Visual Studio network, empowering developers to keep up with the rapid pace of technological change and gain a true competitive advantage." Announced as part of the Visual Studio 2017 launch, Pluralsight will provide Microsoft Visual Studio subscribers with access to learn from industry experts on core topics like Microsoft Azure, .NET, SQL Server, Angular, SharePoint, C#, Javascript and more as part of their benefit package. Visual Studio subscribers can also take advantage of the comprehensive Pluralsight technology learning platform, designed to empower technology professionals to master key technologies and stay ahead of the curve as new technologies are introduced. As part of this announcement, Visual Studio Enterprise subscribers will for the first time, get access to the full Pluralsight course catalog for a full year. For more details on the Visual Studio Enterprise access level please visit pluralsight.com/partners/ microsoft/visual-studio-enterprise. "A key part to our vision of 'Any Developer, Any App, Any Platform' is helping our Visual Studio subscribers and Dev Essentials members stay on the leading edge of innovations in app development technology" said Shawn Nandi, Senior Director, Cloud App Dev and Data Marketing for Microsoft Corp. "Pluralsight has proven its ability to deliver high quality, up-to-date learning, and with the addition of their adaptive skill measurements and curated learning paths, partnering with them was a natural next step to best support the needs of our subscribers." Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. The hacking tools have targeted iPhones, Android systems, Microsoft software, and Samsung smart TVs, the documents indicated. The tech sector was scrambling Wednesday to understand the implications of an alleged broad CIA hacking arsenal, capable of spying on phones and other connected devices. Major tech firms said they were looking at the allegations raised in the documents released by WikiLeaks on Tuesday. "While our initial analysis indicates that many of the issues leaked today were already patched in the latest iOS, we will continue work to rapidly address any identified vulnerabilities," Apple said in an emailed statement. Samsung offered a similar response, saying: "We are aware of the report in question and are urgently looking into the matter." Microsoft, meanwhile, said: "We're aware of the report and are looking into it." Security analysts, however, said the documents, if authentic, were not on the same scale as the explosive 2013 revelations from former national security contractor Edward Snowden, who revealed mass surveillance tools used by the National Security Agency. Targeted, not bulk spying "These are targeted mechanisms, they can't be used for bulk intelligence," said Joseph Hall, a technologist with the Center for Democracy and Technology, a digital rights organization. "It means they can't attack things in the middle and the core of the network, they have to go to the endpoints, and that's actually a nice thing. You have to be more precise about who you are targeting." But Hall said the report raises questions about the US government's pledge to disclose security flaws to technology firms under a so-called "vulnerabilities equities process." That pledge means "security flaws should get back to the companies so they can get fixed, and not languish for years," Hall said. The WikiLeaks documents, the authenticity of which has not been verified, said the CIA tools could turn smart TVs into listening devices, bypass popular encryption apps, and possibly control connected automobiles. The hacking tools have targeted iPhones, Android systems such as the personal phone reportedly still used by President Donald Trump, popular Microsoft software, and Samsung smart TVs, the documents indicated. Open Whisper Systems, the company that developed the technology for the communications tool Signal, said the CIA documents showed its encryption works. The WikiLeaks report "is about getting malware onto phones, none of the exploits are in Signal or break Signal Protocol encryption," the group said in a tweet. Other encryption experts agreed. Strength of encryption "The existence of these hacking tools is a testimonial to the strength of the encryption," said Steve Bellovin, a Columbia University computer science researcher, in a blog post. "It's hard or impossible to break, so the CIA is resorting to expensive, targeted attacks." Robert Graham, a researcher with Errata Security, said most of these hacks are simply methods to "trick you into installing their software." "Snowden revealed how the NSA was surveilling all Americans. Nothing like that appears in the CIA dump," Graham said in a blog post. "It's all legitimate spy stuff (assuming you think spying on foreign adversaries is legitimate)." Bruce Schneier, chief technology officer at IBM Resilient and a frequent critic of government surveillance, said on his blog, "There is absolutely nothing illegal in the contents of any of this stuff. It's exactly what you'd expect the CIA to be doing in cyberspace." Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. The device is expected to be powered by a the Snapdragon 835 processor. It will ship in two size variants and two memory options, 4GB and 6GB RAM, according to a Chinese website MyDrivers. HMD Globals Nokia unveiled its new range of smartphones and the iconic Nokia 3310 at MWC 2017. However the company did disappoint several customers who were expecting the company to unveil its flagship smartphone at the event. Now a new rumour has surfaced over the internet suggesting that Nokia will launching its next flagship in June and will be powered by a the Snapdragon 835 processor. It will ship in two size variants and two memory options, 4GB and 6GB RAM, according to a Chinese website MyDrivers. The device is expected to flaunt a unibody design and will be equipped with a 23MP rear camera. If the rumours are to be believed, one of the variant will feature a dual camera setup. What we know for sure is that the company wont be using a Carl Zeiss lens for its devices. The smaller variant is tipped to come at a price of 4,000 CNY (approx Rs 38,600), while the larger variant is expected to be priced at 4,500 CNY (approx Rs 43,500). For more information on the matter, we will have to wait for the company to make an official announcement about the existence of the smartphone. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Jane Howard, the WFP coordinator for global issues, said they arrived in Beijing on Thursday morning. (Representational image) Kuala Lumpur: The United Nations says two of its employees who were among 11 Malaysians stuck in North Korea because of a travel ban have left the country. The two work for the World Food Program in North Korea. Jane Howard, the WFP coordinator for global issues, said they arrived in Beijing on Thursday morning. North Korea this week banned Malaysians from leaving its territory in a stunning breakdown in diplomatic ties. Malaysia responded in kind. The dispute is connected to the Feb. 13 killing of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half brother of North Korea's ruler, at the Kuala Lumpur airport. Pyongyang has said the investigation is politically motivated. Although Malaysia has never directly accused North Korea, many have speculated that Pyongyang orchestrated the attack.090819 GMT Mar 17 Last week, President Donald J. Trump chose the deck of the newest US aircraft carrier, the $13 billion USS Gerald R. Ford, for a speech extolling his planned boost in military spending. Trump vowed that the newest generation of Ford Class carriers - the most expensive warships ever built - will remain the centerpiece of projecting American power abroad. We're going to soon have more coming, Trump told an enthusiastic audience of sailors, declaring the new carriers so big and solidly built that they were immune to attack. Trump vowed to expand the number of carriers the United States fields from 10 to 12. And he promised to bring down the cost of building three super-carriers, which has ballooned by a third over the last decade from $27 to $36 billion. The Gerald R. Ford alone is $2.5 billion over budget and three years behind schedule, military officials say. The second Ford-class carrier, the John F. Kennedy, is running five years late. Trump's expansion plans come as evidence mounts that potential enemies have built new anti-ship weapons able to destroy much of the United States expensive fleet of carriers. And as they have been for decades, carriers remain vulnerable to submarines. In a combat exercise off the coast of Florida in 2015, a small French nuclear submarine, the Saphir, snuck through multiple rings of defenses and sank the US aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt and half of its escort ships. In other naval exercises, even old-fashioned diesel-electric submarines have beaten carriers. All told, since the early 1980s, US and British carriers have been sunk at least 14 times in so-called free play war games meant to simulate real battle, according to think tanks, foreign navies and press accounts. The exact total is unknown because the Navy classifies exercise reports. Today, the United States is the only country to base its naval strategy on aircraft carriers. The US fleet of 10 active carriers is 10 times as big as those deployed by its primary military rivals, Russia and China, who field one active carrier each. Roger Thompson, a defense analyst and professor at Kyung Hee University in South Korea, says the array of powerful anti-ship weapons developed in recent years by potential US enemies, including China, Russia and Iran, increase carriers vulnerability. The new weapons include land-based ballistic missiles, such as Chinas Dong Feng-21 anti-ship missile, which has a claimed range of 1,100 miles (1,770 kilometers) and moves at 10 times the speed of sound. Certain Russian and Chinese submarines can fire salvoes of precision-guided cruise missiles from afar, potentially overwhelming carrier-fleet anti-missile defense. Russia, China, Iran and other countries also have so-called super-cavitating torpedoes. These form an air bubble in front of them, enabling them to travel at hundreds of miles per hour. The torpedoes cannot be guided, but if aimed straight at a ship they are difficult to avoid. A 2015 Rand Corporation report, Chinese Threats to US Surface Ships, found that if hostilities broke out, the risks to US carriers are substantial and rising. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, a carrier is just a target, says defense analyst Pierre Sprey, who worked for the US Secretary of Defenses office from 1966 to 1986 and is a longtime critic of US weapons procurement. Defending Carriers Navy leaders stand by the carrier. In an interview late last year, Admiral Scott Swift, commander of the US Pacific Fleet, lauded carriers versatility. Swift says they remain very viable, sufficiently impregnable to be sent into the thick of combat zones. Swift said he would order carriers into close battle in a heartbeat. Nevertheless, citing the new anti-ship weapons, Swift says the carrier is not as viable as it was 15 years ago. Trump has said he will make good on his campaign promise to increase the Navy's fleet to 350 ships. The Navy currently has 277 deployable ships. The cost of a single new, Ford-class carrier $10.5 billion without cost overruns would consume nearly 20 percent of Trumps proposed $54 billion increase in next year's defense budget. Some critics, including former senior Defense Department personnel, say Washington has put too much of the countrys defense budget into a handful of expensive, vulnerable carriers. At a naval symposium in 2010, then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates called into question making such big investments in a few increasingly sinkable ships. Gates said a Ford-class carrier plus its full complement of the latest aircraft would represent potentially $15 billion to $20 billion worth of hardware at risk. The Navy, with the backing of Congress, went ahead nevertheless. The program has strong Congressional backing. In the 1990s, when defense spending was cut after the end of the Cold War, Congress enacted a law requiring the Navy to maintain an 11-carrier fleet. Congress has given the Navy a temporary exemption to have 10 active carriers while one is overhauled. When the Ford is commissioned, it will bring the US carrier fleet to 11. Trump did not specify in his speech how he would bring the carrier fleet to 12. But he said the Ford-class carriers would be invulnerable to attack because they represent the best in American know-how. There is no competition to this ship, declared Trump, who called the Gerald R. Ford American craftsmanship at its biggest, at its best, at its finest. Failing Systems Trump did not mention that the ships builder, Huntington Ingalls Industries, launched the Ford more than three years ago, but the Navy has yet to commission it and put it into service because of severe flaws. Many of its new high tech systems failed to work, including such basic ones as the arresting gear that catches and stops landing jets. The Navy says the ship will be commissioned sometime this year. But the criticism has continued. In a written statement in July, John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, noted the cost overruns and cited a list of crucial malfunctioning systems that remained unfixed. The Ford-class program is a case study in why our acquisition system must be reformed, McCain wrote. Ray Mabus, who in January stepped down as secretary of the Navy, said in an interview that the Gerald R. Ford is a poster child for how not to build a ship. He added: Everything that could have been done wrong was done wrong. Mabus said that because of commitments made before he became Navy secretary, the Ford was loaded with high-tech equipment that had not even been designed yet. He also faulted awarding the shipbuilder a cost plus contract, under which it gets a fixed profit regardless of how much it costs to build the vessel. There was no incentive to hold down costs, Mabus said. Others criticize carriers as strategically flawed. Jerry Hendrix, a retired Navy captain and Defense Department official, is now director of the Defense Strategies and Assessments Program at the Center for a New American Security. Carriers, he said in an email exchange, give Washingtons rivals a cheap opportunity to score big. For the cost of a single carrier, he calculates, a rival can deploy 1,227 anti-carrier missiles. The enemy can build a lot more missiles than we can carriers for equivalent investments, Hendrix said, and hence overwhelm our defensive capabilities. The most commonly proposed alternative to carriers is building a much larger number of smaller, nimbler vessels, including submarines and surface ships. Submarines dont require escorts and can hit distant targets on land. And carriers have not been tested in battle against an enemy able to fight back since World War II more than 70 years ago. The Navy and some outside defense experts say that despite increased threats, carriers remain fully viable and perform an essential service. They laud carriers mobility and swiftness, enabling the United States to project air power to places otherwise unreachable. Carrier proponent Bryan McGrath, the deputy director of the Hudson Institutes Center for American Seapower in Washington, said carriers are less vulnerable than stationary, land-based air bases. A carrier is a big floating airport, and not only a floating airport, but it moves at 40 knots, says McGrath, a former captain of a guided missile destroyer. How much more vulnerable are airfields on land that dont move? But Sprey, the former Defense Department official and longtime Pentagon procurement critic, says carriers waste funds that could be used to build more cost-effective weapons systems. Every Ford-class carrier we build detracts from US defense, Sprey said. Limited Protection Both strong supporters of carriers as well as opponents agreed that there is a serious flaw in the current configuration of US carriers: their complement of strike aircraft. Almost all are short-range jets, the F-18 Hornet, whose range could render the planes useless in some conflicts. The Chinese, in particular, have established sea zones bristling with anti-ship weapons meant to make it impossible for enemy flotillas to enter. Top US Navy commanders, including Pacific commander Swift and Vice Admiral Mike Shoemaker, the Navy Air Boss in charge of carriers, say carriers could safely enter such zones long enough to carry out a mission. But many outside analysts say a US president would be hesitant to risk such an expensive ship and the lives of up to 5,500 crew members. In order to be relatively safe, a carrier would have to stand off by 1,300 nautical miles, or 2,300 kilometers out of range of the Dong Feng missiles. And the F-18s have a range of only 400 nautical miles (equal to 460 statute miles or 740 kilometers) to a target with enough fuel to return. Experts on both sides of the debate say that if the carriers have to stand off, the Hornets would have to be refueled in midair an impractical number of times while flying to and from their targets. It thus would be all but impossible for carriers to send air power into war zones. The F-18s are to be replaced by 2020 with new F-35C Lightning IIs, but these have only a marginally better range of 650 nautical miles. The Hudson Institutes McGrath, who champions carriers, says the short-range jets impair the mission. What they (the Navy) havent done yet is to design and fund a strike aircraft that can fly 1,000 miles, drop its bombs and come home, McGrath said. The cost of carriers in terms of strategy and money is multiplied because carriers do not travel alone. For protection, they move with large escorts, making every carrier strike group a virtual armada. Each carrier usually has an escort of at least five warships, a mixture of destroyers and cruisers, at least one submarine and a combined ammunition-supply ship and helicopters designed to detect subs. When close enough to shore, carriers are also protected by new, land-based P-8 Poseidon jets, designed to detect and destroy subs. Old Threats For carrier commanders, the most feared weapon is a 150-year-old one. A single, submarine-launched torpedo could send a carrier to the bottom. Most modern torpedoes arent targeted to hit ships. Instead they are programmed to explode underneath. This creates an air bubble that lifts the ship into the air and drops it, breaking the hull. For decades, critics have faulted the Navy for failing to develop effective defenses against modern torpedoes. A 2016 report by the Pentagons Office of Operational Test and Evaluation said the Navy has recently made significant progress, but the systems still have crucial deficiencies. Experts also say that carriers are at risk from updated versions of one of the oldest naval vessels still in use: the diesel-electric submarine. These were the subs used in both World Wars. Diesel-electric subs have the advantage of being small and while on electric power, silent, and in general quieter and harder to detect than nuclear subs. Diesel-electric subs are also far cheaper to build than nuclear ones. Allies and rivals have been building large numbers of them. Worldwide, more than 230 diesel-electric subs are in use. China has 83 in use, while Russia has 19. Hendrix, the former Defense Department official, says the carriers' vulnerabilities make the fleet a profligate use of money, vessels and aircraft. We have paid billions of dollars to build ships that are largely defensive in their orientation, thus taking away from the offensive power of the fleet, Hendrix says. In the end, we spend a lot of money on defense to send 44 strike aircraft off the front end of a carrier. Washington: 'G' is for gun, 'S' is for sniper and 'B' is for battle in ISIS English textbooks for kids, according to a media report. The textbooks, which Iraqi troops found at an orphanage when they liberated eastern Mosul last month, are titled 'English for the Islamic State', Fox News reported. They are unlike other textbooks most people grew up with as the courses in reading, writing and arithmetic are also an introduction to war, jihadism and terrorism. In the alphabet, 'B' is for battle and 'G' for gun - with a picture of an AK-47. The letter 'S' is for sniper, with a picture of an ISIS fighter aiming his rifle. The letter 'W', or woman, shows a black figure -- presumably a burqa-clad female. And then there are the pictures of AK-47s and bombs used for math exercises. The orphanage where the school books were found was used to groom children to become ISIS child fighters or informants, Iraqi military officials were quoted as saying. Ruth Feldman, a child psychologist at Bar-Ilan University in Tel Aviv who has counselled children traumatised by war and terrorism, said the toxic education of these so-called 'cubs of the caliphate' only stokes the distress of living in a harsh environment, making them easy prey. "This makes their brain very open, very susceptible to propaganda and influence," Feldman was quoted as saying. "Those messages in the textbook help them divide the world in two," Feldman said. A freight train smashed into a charter bus in Biloxi, Mississippi, pushing the bus 300 feet down the tracks authorities said. (Photo: AP) Biloxi, Mississippi: A freight train crashed into a bus full of Texas tourists visiting Gulf Coast casinos, killing four in Biloxi, Mississippi. Forty people were hurt, seven critically. The cause of the Tuesday afternoon crash remains under investigation. Witnesses told Mississippi news outlets the bus appeared to have been stuck on the tracks when it was hit. The crossing is on a steep embankment and has a sign warning drivers that it has a low ground clearance. Authorities on the scene said it took more than an hour to get everyone aboard the bus out of the wreckage. Two people had to be removed with metal-cutting equipment. The CSX Transportation locomotive pushed the bus about 300 feet before coming to a stop with the mangled bus still straddling the tracks. Jim DeLaCruz, a passenger who was in the back of the bus with his wife, told The Sun Herald that they were trying to get off. The bus tried to clear the tracks and got stuck right in the middle and it couldnt budge, and the train just kept coming and kept coming, he said. Police chief John Miller said he was unsure why the train was stopped on the tracks. We dont know if there were mechanical issues or what was taking place, he said. Miller said the Echo Transportation bus had come from Austin, Texas, carrying passengers to one of Biloxis eight casinos. Ameet Patel, senior vice president of regional operations for Penn National Gaming, owner of Hollywood Gulf Coast Casino in Bay St. Louis and Boomtown Biloxi Casino, said the bus was traveling from the Hollywood casino to the Boomtown casino at the time of the crash. The weeklong trip was organized by a senior citizens center in Bastrop, Texas, about 30 miles east of Austin. Some passengers boarded in each city Sunday. They also were supposed to visit New Orleans and then return home Saturday, according to a flier about the tour posted by Texas media. The names of the dead were not immediately released. Michelle Crowley of the Biloxi fire department said 40 people were injured; of those, seven were in critical condition. A woman who lives about a block from where the train and bus finally came to a stop after the train crashed into the bus says she heard a loud boom and knew immediately what had happened. Cecelia McDonald said she ran out of her house and saw a scene of carnage. Witnesses told The Sun Herald of Biloxi that the bus was stuck on the tracks for about five minutes before the train hit. Some people were getting off the bus as the driver tried to move it, and at least one person was shoved under the bus when the train hit, said Mark Robinson, a Biloxi native. Robinson told WLOX-TV that people trying to get off were either thrown underneath the bus or run over by the train and that body pieces were thrown everywhere. A nearby car was used as a stepladder after the crash to get people off the bus, and emergency workers pulled passengers through windows. Robinson said he thinks the train track, which is on an embankment, poses safety issues. Its too steep there, Robinson said. In addition the sign warning of a low ground clearance, the crossing has a bell, lights and crossing arms. Biloxi Fire Chief Joe Boney says rescuers needed one hour and four minutes to clear everyone from the wreckage. Two people had to be cut out of the bus. Vincent Creel, the city spokesman, said 48 passengers and the driver were on the bus. The train was headed from New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama, at the time of the crash, said CSX spokesman Gary Sease. He said the train crew was not injured. The single track is the CSX mainline along the Gulf Coast, passing through densely populated areas of southern Mississippi. Federal Railroad Agency records show 10 trains a day typically use the track, with a maximum speed of 45 mph. Records show there have been 16 accidents at the crossing since 1976, including in 1983 and 2003, each of which involved one fatality. A delivery truck also was struck at the same crossing in January, WLOX-TV reports. No one was injured in that crash. The bus was marked as belonging to Echo Transportation, which Texas corporate records show is a unit of a company called TBL Group, based in Grand Prairie, near Dallas. We cant confirm anything at this point, said Elisa Fox, a lawyer for the bus company. Were trying to mobilize to assess the situation. Federal Railroad Administration spokesman Marc Willis said the agency is sending three inspectors to investigate, while Mississippi is sending one. The National Transportation Safety Board said it also is investigating. Washington DC: A federal criminal investigation will be launched into WikiLeaks' publication of documents detailing alleged US top spy agency, Central Intelligence Agency's, hacking operations, according to several US officials. According to the CNN, officials said the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the CIA are coordinating reviews of the matter. The investigation is looking into how the documents came into WikiLeaks' possession and whether they might have been leaked by an employee or contractor. The CIA is also trying to determine if there are other unpublished documents WikiLeaks may have. CIA spokesman Ryan Tripani said the agency had "no comment on the authenticity of purported intelligence documents released by WikiLeaks or on the status of any investigation into the source of the documents." But officials told CNN that the documents published so far are largely genuine, though they are not yet certain if all of them are and whether some of the documents may have been altered. One of the biggest concerns for the federal government is if WikiLeaks publishes critical computer code on how operations are conducted, other hackers could take that code and cause havoc overseas. The officials who spoke to CNN emphasized that any intelligence collection using the types of operations described in the documents is legal intelligence collection against overseas targets. The officials also cautioned some of the material describes programs still under development by the intelligence community. Tripani stressed that the CIA "is legally prohibited from conducting electronic surveillance targeting individuals here at home, including our fellow Americans, and CIA does not do so." White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Wednesday that President Donald Trump is "extremely concerned" about the publication, though he declined to confirm the authenticity of the leaked materials. However, he added that the administration could not to confirm the authenticity of any kind of disclosure or hack as it is the national policy. The documents have not yet been authenticated by independent experts. WikiLeaks on Tuesday published a massive number of documents purportedly pertaining to the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) hacking programs. It alleged that the CIA has become the globe's pre-eminent WikiLeaks also claimed that nearly all of the CIA's arsenal of privacy-crushing cyberweapons have been stolen, and the tools are potentially in the hands of criminals and foreign spies. WikiLeaks claimed the stolen tools ended up in the hands of "former U.S. government hackers and contractors ... one of whom" leaked documents to WikiLeaks. The bomb threat against Lexingtons Masjid Bilal was received through the mail on Saturday from Sheffield, England, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said in a Facebook post. (Representational Image) Washington: Five mosques in the US have received intimidating messages, including a bomb threat and one saying death is waiting for you and your kind, prompting calls for increasing security at Muslim facilities. A mosque in Lexington, Kentucky, stepped up security following a bomb threat it received this weekend. The bomb threat against Lexingtons Masjid Bilal was received through the mail on Saturday from Sheffield, England, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said in a Facebook post. The letter contained a green index card wrapped in a blank sheet of paper with the words, An explosive device will be placed at your mosque very soon! written on it. The Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations has called on leaders of local mosques to improve their security measures after four mosques were threatened. One mosque received a message threatening death for you and your kind from a self-declared Muslim slayer, Executive Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell was quoted as saying by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Three other mosques received identical emails threatening widespread attacks against American Muslims on March 15, Mitchell said. The Greenview Madani Center, a mosque in Lawrenceville, recently received a mailed handwritten letter from a Muslim slayer with the message, Death is waiting for you and your kind, along with a crudely drawn picture of a decapitated person. The mosque alerted local law enforcement about the letter. Masjid Omar bin Abdul Aziz in Norcross, Al-Farooq Masjid and another Atlanta-area mosque received a threatening email on February 18. The emails, with the subject line your one warning, stated in part, ...Muslims, Mexicans, blacks will (be) hunted nationwide until (they) are dead and gone... plan to run or die, this is a kindness that we give you all warning, take it and go. While the perpetrators are being sought, mosque leaders should do all they can to protect their houses of worship by working with local law enforcement authorities, installing security cameras and employing security officers during the daily prayers, Mitchell said. Also recently, two mosques in the US state of Maryland received threatening letters calling for the slaughter of Muslims. Two Islamic centres in Silver Spring, Maryland, received the violent threats by mail. The mosque incidents come amid a wave of bomb threats to Jewish community centres in New York, Michigan, New Jersey and other states. Washington: Indo-US ties will touch new heights under the Trump administration as the two countries are "natural partners" and have common interests amid China's assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region, an Indian-American entrepreneur considered close to Vice President Mike Pence has said. With Indian-Americans playing the role of an umbilical cord between the two counties, India and the United States have common interests in balancing the increasing economic and military influence of China in the Asia-Pacific region and fighting together the menace of terrorism in South and Central Asia, said Indiana-based Gurinder Singh Khalsa. Founder and chairman of Sikhs Political Action Committee or SikhsPAC, Khalsa has emerged as one of the vocal leader of the Indian-American Sikhs in particular in the Midwest region. "India and the United States are natural partners at this time. Both have an interest in balancing growing Chinese economic and military influence in southeast Asian. Both have an interest in fighting terrorism originating in central Asian areas like Pakistan and Afghanistan," Khalsa told PTI in an interview. "It is to India's long-term benefit to continue improving relations with the US. We also have many shared business priorities, particularly in IT and tech industries," he said. China has been assertive in the disputed South China Sea region, building artificial islands which could potentially be used for military purposes. It is also building a number of ports in South Asian countries. The US has called for freedom of navigation to be respected amid the South China Sea actions by Beijing. Khalsa, an accomplished businessman from Indiana, is a friend of Pence from the days the US vice president was not even elected the Governor of Indiana. Khalsa says he wants to focus on strengthening India-US relationship and be the voice of Indian-Americans and other such ethnic communities in the US. "(Pence) has been very outspoken about the need for more economic cooperation between India and Indiana. Prior to his selection as Vice President, he spoke to us about his intention to travel to India after the election. He wanted to be the first Indiana Governor to visit India after the election," Khalsa said recollecting his meetings with Pence. "To be clear, his interests are very definitely in the United States. He is an American and he will be advocating for Americans. But, I don't think that necessarily conflicts with his desire to improve economic and political ties with India. It simply means, he'll be a tough, but fair negotiator," he said sharing his impression about Pence. Toronto: A 39-year-old Indian-origin Canadian was dissuaded from entering the US territory and asked to get immigrant visa if she wanted to cross over the border. A resident of Montreal, Canada, Manpreet Kooner, said she was refused to enter the US and detained for at least six hours where she was fingerprinted, photographed and questioned, reports Huffington Post (Canada). FB post of Manpreet Kooner further mentioned the officials told her that she was an immigrant without a valid US visa, and claimed that the border agent told her, "I know you might feel like you're being Trumped". "Unbelievable. Refused entry to the States. Because I'm apparently an Immigrant who now requires a Visa to enter the States. While informing me that I cannot enter the States. The office told me 'I've been trumped'", she wrote on her Facebook Page. "At the end of it, they told me I was not allowed going in and that I would need a visa if I ever went in the States again," Ms Kooner was quoted as saying. Last time she had an issue entering the US was in December last year when a computer glitch prevented her from crossing into New York State for 24 hours. US President Donald Trump is facing criticism over an executive order that temporarily banned the entry of refugees and travellers from six Muslim-majority countries. He later issued a revised travel order excluded Iraq from the list and applied restriction only to new visa applicants. It also removed an indefinite ban on all refugees from Syria. Washington: The election of far-right leader Marine Le Pen as president would be "total disaster," France's ambassador to Washington said here, joining his colleague in Japan in opposing their country's potential new leader. The outspoken anti-immigration nationalist is hoping to emulate Donald Trump's surprise November victory in France's two-stage presidential election on April 23 and May 7. "In diplomatic terms, I would say it will be a total disaster," Araud told The Washington Post in an interview published Thursday, he said of a potential victory by Le Pen, who has vowed to try to withdraw France from the EU if elected. "It means the collapse of the EU (European Union), because the EU without France doesn't make any sense," he said. "And it means the collapse of the euro and a financial crisis, which will have consequences throughout the world." The Post described the 64 year-old Araud as a "highly regarded" ambassador who has served in various posts in the United States for the past decade. Araud on Wednesday praised the "excellent" column published in the daily Le Monde that was written by France's ambassador in Tokyo Thierry Dana, who said he would refuse to serve if Le Pen becomes president. "If the French tragedy comes to pass and leads to her election, I would withdraw from all my diplomatic functions," Dana wrote. Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, meanwhile, has sent a reminder to all diplomats about the need for "prudence and the principle of neutrality." "Against the backdrop of rising populism, we need to keep cool heads, or else risk encouraging the rise of demagoguery directed against public servants," he wrote in a memo, a copy of which was seen by AFP. Mexico: When a gang threatened to kill Rocio, her husband and their two small children, they fled their native Honduras, hoping for asylum in the United States. Now they are stuck in Mexico, too scared to risk being deported from the United States under President Donald Trump's crackdown on migrants. The family fled to Mexico last June and was anxious to move on, fearing the Honduran gang would track them down. "We changed our minds because of that president, the way he is deporting people," she said of Trump, who has vowed stepped up deportation procedures against undocumented immigrants. Now the 25-year-old woman and her family live in a charity shelter in Mexico. She asked to be identified just as Rocio, without her last name, for fear of reprisals. She has applied three times for refugee status, which would protect her from deportation and allow her access to health care and education. But the courts have so far denied it to her family for lack of evidence. Deadly gang violence in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala is driving hundreds of thousands of desperate migrants to flee north. Officials say nearly 9,000 people applied for refugee status in Mexico last year and the figure may double this year. "The radicalization of certain measures by the new US government makes us expect the number of applications will increase," Mexico's deputy migration minister Humberto Roque Villanueva told AFP. Carlos, a 43-year-old farmer from El Salvador, also risks deportation after failing to get refugee status. He lives in an overcrowded shelter in Mexico City where airplanes flying nearby make a deafening noise. "We would all prefer to go to the United States, but now everyone is staying here" in Mexico, says Carlos, 43. "Trump says he is not going to deport everyone, just the bad people, but that's not certain. If they grab one person in a place, they'll grab everyone there." Carlos would much rather be back home on his peaceful farm growing sesame and corn, but it is too dangerous. After members of one gang ordered him to feed them, he became a reluctant enemy of their rivals, the notoriously violent Salvatrucha gang. "I was greatly afraid all the time," he said. "Mexico may be dangerous, but at least here you can go out for a walk and make friends." Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto last year promised to speed up the refugee applications process. But immigration authorities still only have about 50 staffers assigned to handling all the cases. Of those, 29 are paid by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Mexican officials "don't give residency papers to people who really need them; but they do give them to people who chose to leave home and come here," Rocio complained, clenching her fists. Authorities say more than 400,000 people cross into Mexico via its southern border each year. "Applications keep increasing," says senior UNHCR official Jose Francisco Sieber."Innovative solutions are needed to allow applications to be processed fairly." A former policeman who confessed to being part of a "death squad" under Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said he did not fear him, and believed four other members of his alleged hit team would come forward to testify. In an interview at a safe house, Arturo Lascanas, 56, told Reuters that he felt safer and at ease after publicly admitting his role in what he said were more than 200 extrajudicial killings in Davao when Duterte was a mayor obsessed with wiping out crime. "I'm happy because I know there would still be others who will come forward after me to reveal the killings in Davao," said the second member of the so-called "Davao death squad" to testify at Senate inquiries. Human rights groups documented about 1,400 suspicious killings in Davao during the 22 years Duterte was mayor and critics say the eight-month-old war on drugs he unleashed as president bears the same hallmarks. That crackdown has seen 8,000 people killed, a third in police operations. Police deny involvement in the other killings, for which many have an assassination-style pattern. "Nothing is impossible with God. I feared God but not him," Lascanas said of the president. "I'm confident and happy now because I have done what I have to do, telling all of you what I have done. I may not be saved, but God will take care of me." Lascanas, a policeman for more than three decades, in his sworn affidavit detailed at length several incidents in which the death squad had carried out killings of suspected criminals. On Thursday, he said there was mistrust among those involved in those alleged incidents since he went public last month and they feared they might be "erased". Fear in the Shadows "I know some people in my group - two former policemen and two civilians - who may be thinking of making public confessions like me, because they feel they will be safer coming out than being 'erased' if they hide in the shadows," he said. Duterte has denied ordering summary executions, either as president or as mayor. His police chief, Ronald dela Rosa, a former Davao City police commander, says the death squad is "fiction". In his affidavit and before senators, Lascanas corroborated some stories of Edgar Matobato, a self-confessed hit-man who had testified in September to have killed more than 50 people, with instructions coming from Duterte's.. Matobato surrendered to Manila police on Thursday, emerging from six months in hiding to answer charges of attempting to murder a lawyer. He was released on bail. Their separate Senate hearings were halted due to their failure to provide evidence the death squad had even existed. Duterte's allies have ridiculed Lascanas and Matobato, describing their allegations as fabrications. Lascanas said Duterte's uncharacteristic silence about his confession was telling. "I treat it as he has taken it personally," he said. "And I'm sure he has a lot to think about now, like who else within my group will come out." The credibility of Lascanas has been challenged repeatedly because he denied under oath in September that the death squad existed. That was a lie, he said, that weighed heavily on him, so he confessed to a priest and gave the clergyman an 81-page journal about his murders. He said he feared for his family's safety after an attempted kidnapping of his son in December and his daughter, a nurse, reported suspicious men were watching her home. "Everything's a gamble now," Lascanas said. "...I've already conditioned my family to accept whatever happens to me." Hong Kong: Refugees who sheltered fugitive whistleblower Edward Snowden in Hong Kong are formally seeking asylum from the Canadian government as their lawyers said Thursday their lives are in danger. The impoverished refugees living hand to mouth in the city took in the former National Security Agency contractor in 2013, helping him to evade authorities by hiding him in their cramped homes after he initiated one of the largest data leaks in US history. Their stories only emerged late last year and lawyers say they are now in the spotlight of Hong Kong and their home countries. The refugees say they have been specifically asked about their links to Snowden by Hong Kong authorities. Their lawyers and some city legislators say two Snowden hosts, from Sri Lanka, have been targeted by agents from their own country who have travelled to Hong Kong. Speaking to reporters Thursday, Canadian lawyer Marc-Andre Seguin said it is a matter of life and death. Seguin is one of a legal team for the refugees trying to raise awareness of their situation in Hong Kong, Canada and around the world. The lawyers say they want Canada to consider taking them in because of their exceptional circumstances, rather than trying to set any kind of precedent. Canada has a track record of accepting refugees. The asylum petition has been lodged with the Canadian government. What were asking is that he (the immigration minister) expedite the process and give priority given the exceptional circumstances, Seguin said. What adds to the exceptional nature of the case is that there are three stateless children who are involved here and affected by that, he added. After leaving his initial Hong Kong hotel bolthole for fear of being discovered, Snowden went underground, fed and looked after by refugees for around two weeks. Hong Kong is not a signatory to the UNs refugee convention and does not grant asylum. However, it is bound by the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT) and considers claims for protection based on those grounds. It also considers claims based on risk of persecution. After government screening, claimants found to be at risk of persecution are referred to the UNs refugee agency, which can try to resettle them to a safe third country. But with fewer than one percent of cases successfully substantiated by city authorities, most refugees live in fear of deportation. Like Snowdens hosts, Hong Kongs 11,000 marginalised refugees spend years in limbo, hoping the government will eventually support their claims. Vanessa Rodel from the Philippines, who has a five-year-old daughter and is one of those seeking asylum in Canada, has said she has no regrets about taking Snowden in. I am hopeful that we can get into Canada and start a new life (with) safety and freedom, she told AFP. Neal Dhilan Singh's funeral yesterday saw undertakers dressed as Batman and Robin while crowds of mourners sported colourful capes and masks in honour of his memory. (Photo: Videograb) London: An eight-year-old Indian-origin boy in the UK has been laid to rest in an Iron Man coffin with his mother organising a moving superhero-themed funeral after the tragic demise of her Marvel comics fan son. Neal Dhilan Singh's funeral yesterday saw undertakers dressed as Batman and Robin while crowds of mourners sported colourful capes and masks in honour of his memory. Neal passed away unexpectedly on the evening of January 5 at the family home in Beckenham. Having had a fever for two days, he went for a bath but was found passed out by his mother. Despite the best efforts of paramedics, Neal could not be saved. Police confirmed Dhilan's death was not suspicious and a post-mortem found the cause was "unexplained" with drowning having been ruled out. Bobby Singh, his heartbroken mother, paid a glowing tribute to her "loving, caring and cheeky" son ahead of his superhero-themed funeral this morning. In order to give Dhilan the perfect send off, Bobby came up with the idea of a unique Marvel Comics superhero-themed funeral. Dhilan's coffin was inspired by one his favourite characters Iron Man while undertakers leading the procession dressed up as Batman and Robin. Other mourners dressed as the Incredible Hulk, Wonderwoman, Superman and Captain America. "He's always been into Marvel, Spider-Man and Iron Man," Bobby was quoted as saying by the Croydon Advertiser. "When we put him in there on Friday he just looked so at peace. It has been handcrafted especially," she said of the coffin. "We wanted to have a theme -- just like a birthday party there has always been a theme. So, in my mind, while we are celebrating his life I thought we should have it themed," Bobby said. At the funeral, Dhilan's best friend dressed as a Supergirl and paid tribute to him writing. Moscow: The Kremlin on Thursday rejected US claims of Russian violations of a landmark nuclear arms treaty, saying it has respected the pact and will continue to do so. The controversy over the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty adds another thorn in the side for US President Donald Trump's declared goal of improving ties with Moscow, coming at a time when his administration is facing questions over alleged contacts with Russia during the US election campaign. Gen. Paul Selva, vice chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Wednesday accused Russia of deploying a land-based cruise missile in violation of "the spirit and intent" of the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty. He said that Moscow's intention is to threaten US facilities in Europe and the NATO alliance. President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded that "we disagree with and reject any such accusations." "Russia has adhered to and will adhere to all its international obligations, including those under the INF Treaty," he said in a conference call with reporters. The INF Treaty bans an entire class of weapons - all land-based cruise missiles with a range between 500 and 5,500 kilometers (310 and 3,410 miles). The Obama administration had accused Moscow of violating the INF treaty, but Selva's statement marked the first public confirmation of recent news reports that the Russians have deployed the nuclear-capable cruise missile. During earlier bickering over the INF Treaty, Russia has sought to turn the tables on the US with claims of perceived US violations. Trump has said little about the INF treaty, but he has criticized another arms pact, the 2010 New START nuclear arms reduction treaty that limited the US and Russian nuclear arsenals to no more than 1,550 deployed warheads for each country, saying it offers Russia an advantage. The bickering over the treaty comes at a time when Russia-US ties have plunged to their lowest point since the Cold War over the Ukrainian crisis, the war in Syria and other disputes. US allies in Europe have voiced concern about what they perceived as aggressive Russian intentions and its military buildup. Moscow has responded with its own grievances, saying the US-led missile defense and the deployment of NATO's forces near Russian borders threaten Russia's security. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after talks in Moscow with his German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel that Russia is only responding to "being encircled with NATO's weapons and NATO's units." Gabriel called for dialogue to ease tensions. Mubashir Jamil, described as a gifted student from Luton in the east of England, is on trial on terrorism charges at the Old Bailey Court in London. (Photo: Representational Image/AFP) London: A 22-year-old Pakistan-born British terror suspect wanted to join Islamic State militant group to exorcise the evil spirits that plagued him, a UK court has been told. Mubashir Jamil, described as a gifted student from Luton in the east of England, is on trial on terrorism charges at the Old Bailey Court in London. The computer gaming enthusiast is said to have been radicalised through his interest in the internet, Luton Today reported. The defence will say the defendant sought to join ISIS as a way of exorcising the various evil spirits that plagued him, that he did not have any intention to commit acts of terrorism anywhere, that he had no intention to engage in violent jihad, Prosecutor Barnaby Jameson said at the ongoing trial this week, the report said. The Crown (Crown Prosecution Service) say there is clear evidence in this case of a radicalised young man who went out of his way to seek assistance online to join IS. He was caught, we say red handed, in the middle of an online conversation with Abu Hasan who turned out to be an undercover officer, the Prosecutor said. Jamil was arrested in April last year and had denied charges of preparing for terrorist acts by travelling to Syria. The court was told that he had become obsessed with the idea of martyrdom after surfing the internet for ISIS propaganda. It was through the internet that the defendant was drawn into a world poles apart from that of a gifted schoolboy with A* in both the arts and the sciences. Through the world wide web the defendant became an extreme jihadist radical and follower of Islamic State, Jameson said. He became a would-be ISIS recruit willing to sacrifice his life for ISIS and indeed the lives of others, he said. Jamil had allegedly offered to put on a suicide vest to execute a terrorist attack in the UK and was arrested by counter-terrorist officers a few days before a planned flight to Turkey. In encrypted chat with an apparent ISIS contact in Syria who in reality was an undercover security official, he allegedly said: I mean if they need someone to do attack from UK I can do it tomorrow... if they can send someone to my house with explosive vest I can be the person to press the button on the same day if they need. Jamil worked at a local Amazon warehouse in Luton and listed his interests as reading fiction, surfing the internet and physical training. The trial is expected to last a few weeks. Berlin: Criticising the Turkeys Nazi comment, Germanys Foreign Affairs Sigmar Gabriel on Wednesday said, "There are quite simply lines that may not be crossed, and one of them is the comparison with Nazi Germany." "This is the freest state that there has ever been on German soil. We are one of the freest and most democratic countries in the world," he continued. Last week the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticised the debate surrounding the cancelled campaign appearances of Turkish politicians in Germany, with the words "I thought National Socialism was a thing of the past in Germany, but it is still there". A good, honest meeting, although discussions were controversial Sigmar Gabriel reported that his meeting with Mevlut Cavusoglu was "good and honest, cordial in the way we dealt with one another, although tough and controversial in terms of the matters discussed". "We agreed that neither side is interested in causing lasting damage to relations," he stressed. The aim must now be to return to normal, cordial relations "step by step", said the Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs. "Only face to face meetings, like our meeting here today, will gradually improve relations between our two countries again." The goal of both sides must be to put in place a "fair, open and honest partnership and indeed friendship" between the two countries, said Sigmar Gabriel. The talks between both parties covered all bones of contention, Sigmar Gabriel reported, and specifically mentioned the case of the German journalist Deniz Yucel who is currently imprisoned in Turkey, as well as the constitutional reform in Turkey and the campaign appearances of Turkish politicians in Germany. Angela Merkel on Monday roundly rejected the comparison with Nazi practices made by the Turkish President as "completely unacceptable" and unjustifiable. German Chancellor Angela Merkel threw her weight behind Donald Tusk to retain one of the European Unions top jobs ahead of an EU summit today, despite staunch opposition from his home country of Poland. The 28 EU leaders are due to decide as their summit starts in Brussels on Thursday on who will be president of the EU Council for the next 2 years. It is one of the blocs most prestigious jobs, and involves chairing summits and coordinating the work of the member countries. Meanwhile, the Chancellor also said that Germany must not allow Turkey to grow more distant, despite a row in which President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused her government of Nazi practices. Mosul: Islamic State group chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is reported to have abandoned Mosul, leaving local commanders behind to lead the battle against Iraqi forces advancing in the city. With Iraqi troops making steady progress in their assault to retake Mosul from the jihadists, a US defence official said Baghdadi had fled to avoid being trapped inside. It was the latest sign that IS is feeling the pressure from twin US-backed offensives that have seen it lose much of the territory it once controlled in Iraq and Syria. Speaking to reporters in Washington, the defence official said Baghdadi had left Mosul before Iraqi forces seized control of a key road at the beginning of this month, isolating the jihadists in the city. "He was in Mosul at some point before the offensive.... He left before we isolated Mosul and Tal Afar," a town to the west, the official said. "He probably gave broad strategic guidance and has left it to battlefield commanders." Baghdadi, who declared IS's cross-border "caliphate" at a Mosul mosque in 2014, in an audio message in November urged supporters to make a stand in the city rather than "retreating in shame". Iraq launched the offensive to retake Mosul -- which involves tens of thousands of soldiers, police and allied militia fighters -- in October. After recapturing its eastern side, the forces set their sights on the city's smaller but more densely populated west. 'Ran away like chickens' In recent days Iraqi forces have retaken a series of neighbourhoods in west Mosul as well as the provincial government headquarters and a museum where IS militants filmed themselves destroying priceless artefacts. The military said Wednesday they had also taken the infamous Badush prison northwest of Mosul where IS reportedly executed hundreds of people and held captured Yazidi women. On Thursday Iraqi forces were "combing the city centre area to defuse (bombs in) homes and shops and buildings," Lieutenant Colonel Abdulamir al-Mohammedawi of Iraq's elite Rapid Response Division told AFP. Forces were also "searching for snipers in the city centre," Mohammedawi said. The area is located on the edge of Mosul's Old City, a warren of narrow streets and closely spaced houses that could see some of the toughest fighting of the battle. "Currently there is no order from the operations command to advance toward the Old City. We will advance when this order is issued," Mohammedawi said. Hundreds of thousands of civilians are believed to still be trapped under IS rule in Mosul. Those who did manage to escape the city said the jihadists were growing increasingly desperate. "We were used as human shields," said Abdulrazzaq Ahmed, a 25-year-old civil servant, who escaped along with hundreds of other civilians to Iraqi police waiting outside the city. Rayan Mohammed, a frail 18-year-old who was once given 60 lashes for missing prayers, said the jihadists were scrambling in the face of the Iraqi offensive. "They ran away like chickens," he said. Marines deployed to Syria West Mosul is the most heavily populated area under IS control and along with Raqa in Syria the last major urban centres it holds. In Syria, a US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has been advancing on Raqa. Earlier this week its forces reached the Euphrates River, cutting the main road to the partly IS-held city of Deir Ezzor downstream. A US official said Wednesday that a Marine Corps artillery battery had been sent into Syria to support the battle for Raqa -- joining some 500 American special operations fighters who have been training and assisting the SDF. The United States has been leading a coalition since mid-2014 carrying out air strikes against the jihadists in both Syria and Iraq. Elsewhere in Syria, Turkish troops and their rebel allies have pushed south from the Turkish border and driven IS out of the northern town of Al-Bab. Russian-backed government troops have meanwhile swept eastwards from Syria's second city Aleppo and seized a swathe of countryside from the jihadists. The US defence official said IS was now looking beyond the seemingly inevitable losses of Mosul and Raqa. "They... are still making plans to continue to function as a pseudo-state centred in the Euphrates River valley," the official said. Kabul: The death toll from an attack on a military hospital in Kabul by gunmen dressed as medics has risen to 49 with dozens wounded, a senior health official said on Thursday. Salim Rassouli, director of Kabul hospitals, said 49 people had been killed in the attack on the Sardar Mohammad Khan military hospital on Wednesday, with at least 63 wounded. Some uncertainty remained over the exact figure and one security official said more than 90 people had been wounded. Earlier estimates had put the number of dead at more than 30 with 50 wounded. Gunmen went through the 400-bed hospital, shooting doctors, patients and visitors and battling security forces for several hours in a sophisticated operation claimed by Islamic State. Survivors told of barricading themselves in hospital rooms to escape the gunmen who were armed with automatic weapons and hand grenades and who began their attack after a suicide bomber blew himself. Mohammad Nabi, a doctor at the hospital who escaped with a broken leg, said it had been difficult to comprehend what was going on initially as the gunmen in doctors' white coats took out concealed weapons and began shooting. "We were shocked when we saw AK47s in their hands firing," he said. "They killed our patients in their beds and they killed our doctors." The attack on Afghanistan's largest military hospital, close to the heavily fortified U.S. embassy, underlined warnings from security officials of an increase in high profile attacks in Kabul this year. The U.N. Security Council issued a statement condemning the attack and urging all states to cooperate with the Afghan government to bring those responsible to justice and to prevent and suppress the financing of terrorism. Islamic State fighters, most believed to be former members of the Pakistani group Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have established a stronghold in the eastern province of Nangarhar on the border with Pakistan where they fight both government security forces and the Taliban. Despite repeated strikes by U.S. and Afghan forces which American commanders believe have killed a third of their fighters, they have also claimed several high-profile attacks in Kabul that have killed scores of people. The NIA will probe suspected terror cases, including the Lucknow encounter in which an alleged terrorist linked to a train blast was killed, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said today. While the Uttar Pradesh police shot dead suspected terrorist Mohammad Saifullah yesterday, six suspects have been arrested by cops in Madhya Pradesh and UP on terror charges, Singh said in a statement in the Lok Sabha. Members thumped desks when the Minister lauded Saifullah's father Mohammad Sartaj for his refusal to accept his son's body saying "if he could not be loyal to the country, how can he be ours". "The government is proud of him and I am sure Parliament too is," he said. Saifullah was suspected to be linked with the blast in the Bhopal-Ujjain train in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. Giving details of various cases registered in the two states following the blast which injured 10 persons, he said the state police arrested three suspects in Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh, following which the UP cops acted in various parts of the state following information provided by the accused and nabbed three persons. "The above sequence of events presents an excellent example of coordination amongst state police and central agencies. Due to the prompt action taken by the police of both the state, a possible threat to national security was successfuly averted. "Further investigations will be handed over to the NIA," he said. The Home Minister also informed the House that eight pistols, 630 live cartridges, Rs 1.5 lakh, three mobiles phone, four sim cards, two wireless sets and some foreign currency were recovered from the place where Saifullah lived. Highlighting the issue of the encounter in which an alleged ISIS operator was killed, BJD's Baijayant Panda said the government should specifically focus on this "transnational" threat. The BJD MP said the NIA had arrested 68 people allegedly related to ISIS and 70 per cent of them belonged to the middle and upper classes. With the Trump administration seriously mulling H-1B visa reforms, at least half a dozen bills have been tabled in the US House of Representatives and the Senate, contending that the programme that is popular among Indian IT firms eats into American jobs. Authors of all these bills from both the Republican and the Democratic parties believe that H-1B work visas, which are highly popular among Indian techies and Indian IT companies, tend to replace American workers. Even though this argument is disputed by research scholars, economists and Silicon Valley executives, these legislations are based on the premise that Indian techies are eating into American jobs. In less than a week of Trump being sworn in as the 45th US President, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, and Assistant Senate Minority Leader Dick Durbin, introduced the "H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act" to prioritise American workers and restore fairness in visa programmes for skilled workers. Grassley is Chairman of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee. Among other things, the H1-B reform bill proposes to eliminate the lottery system and give foreign students educated in the US priority on visas. The bill would prohibit companies with more than 50 employees, of which at least half are H-1B or L-1 holders, from hiring additional H-1B employees. It also explicitly prohibits the replacement of American workers by H-1B or L-1 visa holders. The bill among other things would also crackdown on outsourcing companies that import large numbers of H-1B and L-1 workers for temporary training purposes only to send the workers back to their home countries to do the same job. Specifically, it would prohibit companies with more than 50 employees of which at least half are H-1B or L-1 holders, from hiring additional H-1B employees, a statement said. It explicitly prohibits the replacement of American workers by H-1B or L-1 visa holders. These provisions address the types of abuses that have been well-documented in recent press reports. Democrat Zoe Lofgren -- who represents a Congressional district in California that includes Silicon Valley -- introduced 'The High-Skilled Integrity and Fairness Act of 2017'. As soon as the bill, which proposes a skill and wage- based system for allocation of H-1B visas and seeks to more than double the minimum wage for an H-1B visa holder to USD 130,000, was introduced, stocks of major Indian information technology went down and rattled the USD 150-billion outsourcing industry. "It's near-impossible to design an immigration system that selects only the highest-paid and still protects the inventiveness and meritocracy that has made Silicon Valley the centre of the tech world," said Ridhika Batra, US-head of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industries. "Like all forms of protectionism, these measures by (the) US government would only lower standards and reduce productivity, eventually causing the US to lose the edge -- and the income -- that comes with being the undisputed champion of innovation," she said. The bill among other things proposes setting aside 20 per cent of the annual allocation of H-1B visas for small and start-up employers with 50 or fewer employees. Utah Republican Representative Jason Chaffetz, and his party colleague in the Senate Senator Mike Lee, have introduced identical bills in the House and the Senate -- Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2017 -- which proposes to eliminate the per-country immigration caps with a first-come-first-served system. On February 2, Senator Sherrod Brown joined by Joe Donnelly and Kirsten Gillibrand, introduced the "End Outsourcing Act," which aims to ensure that federal contracts are awarded to companies who hire American workers. Two Republican Senators Tom Cotton and David Perdue unveiled the Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment (RAISE) Act on February 7, which proposes to lower overall immigration to 637,960 in its first year and to 539,958 by its tenth year -- a 50 per cent reduction from the 1,051,031 immigrants who arrived in 2015. Cotton and Perdue met Trump at the White House on Tuesday, after which they said that H-1B and employment-based Green Card is likely to be reformed to attract the best and the brightest from across the world. The White House yesterday said the Trump Administration has a natural desire to have a comprehensive look at the H-1B, spousal visa and students visas. Last week, Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna joined a bipartisan group of three other lawmakers to table a legislation to reform the current H-1B and L1 work visas and end its abuse by foreign companies. The bill, if passed by both the House and the Senate and signed into law by the US President, would require employers to make a good faith effort to recruit and hire American workers before bringing in foreign workers. It also prohibits employers from replacing American workers with H-1B and L-1 workers or giving preference to H-1B visa holders when they are filling open positions. It will modify existing H-1B wage requirements, and establishes wage requirements for L-1 workers. The bill proposes to prohibit employers from outsourcing H-1B and L-1 visa holders to other sites unless the employer obtains a waiver which is available only in limited circumstances when the rights of American workers are protected. Congressional experts note that it might not be easy to pass a bill on H-1B visas unless there is a consensus or broader agreement on comprehensive immigration reform. Batra said it is important to deal carefully the underlying shortage of STEM-skilled workers. According to a latest Brookings study by 2020, demand for skilled technologists will exceed the number of qualified applicants by 1 million, leaving USA vulnerable in key areas such as technological innovation, economic development and cybersecurity. "Moving the allocation decision from an arbitrary process to a market-clearing auction should settle the debate over our economy's demand for skilled immigrant labour, and an incremental success in our highly controversial immigration debate might help break the immigration reform impasse in other areas, as well," Batra said. Members in the Lok Sabha today expressed grave concern over hate crimes against Indians in the US, with opposition parties questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "silence" on the matter and the government saying it was being "viewed seriously". Opposition members asked the government to spell out in Parliament how it plans to deal with the issue, prompting Home Minister Rajnath Singh to say that it has taken a serious note of these incidents and later assured that steps will be taken to ensure that "Indians abroad feel safe." Singh also said the government will make a statement in Parliament next week.In the recent weeks, at least two Indians have been killed in suspected cases of hate crime in the US. After Speaker Sumitra Mahajan disallowed adjournment notices given by several opposition members to raise the issue, they took up the matter during the Zero Hour. Leader of Congress Mallikarjun Kharge accused the government of "failure" in raising the issue with the US, saying the recent spate of racial attacks was deeply disturbing and Modi and his government had "failed", as neither have they condemned the incidents, nor taken up the issue with the US at a high level. "Why has the Modi government maintained a silence. The Prime Minister tweets on ever issue. Why has he kept quiet over such a serious matter," he said. Taking a dig at the Prime Minister, Kharge said Modi is seen "hugging foreign leaders and sitting on a swing with Chinese President Xi Jinping" but has not taken up such an important issue. Saugata Roy (Trinamool Congress) said the government does not seem to be interested in protecting the interests of Indians in the US. "It is strange that our voluble, articulate prime minister is keeping silent," he said, adding that the government should show "gumption and guts to stand up to bullies in the US". Both Kharge and Roy said hate crimes have seen a rise since Donald Trump took over as the US President. Bhartruhari Mahtab (BJD) said the government should come out with an advisory for Indian origin people living in the US, warning them about unsafe places in that country in the same way the US has put out a travel advisory, warning its citizens against visiting India. Responding to the short discussion during which several members voiced their concern over the issue, the Home Minister said the government views the concern "seriously" and "all steps will be taken to ensure that Indians abroad feel safe." He said External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was unwell and the government will issue a detailed statement on the issue next week. Earlier during the Question Hour, the Home Minister had also said the government will make a statement in Parliament next week. What is happening in the US is being viewed seriously by the government, he said. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar had also said the government was very much concerned about such incidents in the US. During the discussion, Jithender Reddy (TRS) asked the government to take firm steps and inform Parliament. He also suggested that the government should have a dialogue with the US government and sought a proper a statement in this regard. Prem Singh Chandumajra of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) said the Sikhs were especially being targeted due to their attire and appearances. Attacking former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the SAD MP said when there were talks of France imposing restriction for use of turbans for Sikhs, the then UPA government had failed to address the concerns of the community. Mohammad Salim of the CPI(M) said the attacks on Indians in the US are a results of the "hate politics" that was seen during American presidential elections. He said the government should take up this matter with the highest authorities there and ensure that while it does defence deals with the United States, it should include clauses which will compel the US to come on the discussion table and address these issues. Raising a similar issue, M Thambidurai, AIADMK MP and Deputy Speaker said uncertainity has been prevailing among Indians abroad and the government should intervene and take steps so that the Indians abroad feel safe. Police today arrested a former IAF employee who they believe is the "mastermind" of a terror module that included Saifullah, a suspected terrorist killed in an encounter yesterday. Mohd Ghaus Khan was picked up from Kanpur by the Anti- Terrorist Squad, and revealed vital information during questioning, said Additional Director General of UP Police Daljit Chaudhary. He said another suspect, identified only as Azhar, was also arrested by the ATS. Khan "is a technical man and a hardcore member of the module," Chaudhary said, adding he was the "main accused and mastermind" of the module. He said Azhar, the second suspect, was the main supplier of arms to the module. He did not say where he was arrested from, or in what capacity Khan worked in the air force. The UP police claimed that with these two arrests, all the main members of what they alleged was an ISIS influenced module are in custody. The latest arrests raised to five the number of people in the UP police custody in connection with the blast on the Bhopal-Ujjain train in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. The MP police also has arrested some people. Yesterday the UP police arrested three men after an encounter on the outskirts of Lucknow in which Saifullah was killed after a 12-hour ATS operation. Police say he and his alleged accomplices carried out the train blast in which at least ten persons were injured. Police say he was self-radicalized and was influenced by the Middle Eastern terror group, ISIS. Saifullah's father has refused to claim his son's body, saying anyone who carries out a terror attack is a traitor to the nation. Islamic State group chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is reported to have abandoned Mosul, leaving local commanders behind to lead the battle against Iraqi forces advancing in the city. With Iraqi troops making steady progress in their assault to retake Mosul from the jihadists, a US defence official said Baghdadi had fled to avoid being trapped inside. It was the latest sign that IS is feeling the pressure from twin US-backed offensives that have seen it lose much of the territory it once controlled in Iraq and Syria. Speaking to reporters in Washington, the defence official said Baghdadi had left Mosul before Iraqi forces seized control of a key road at the beginning of this month, isolating the jihadists in the city. "He was in Mosul at some point before the offensive.... He left before we isolated Mosul and Tal Afar," a town to the west, the official said. "He probably gave broad strategic guidance and has left it to battlefield commanders." Baghdadi, who declared IS's cross-border "caliphate" at a Mosul mosque in 2014, in an audio message in November urged supporters to make a stand in the city rather than "retreating in shame". Iraq launched the offensive to retake Mosul -- which involves tens of thousands of soldiers, police and allied militia fighters -- in October. After recapturing its eastern side, the forces set their sights on the city's smaller but more densely populated west. In recent days Iraqi forces have retaken a series of neighbourhoods in west Mosul as well as the provincial government headquarters and a museum where IS militants filmed themselves destroying priceless artefacts. The military said yesterday they had also taken the infamous Badush prison northwest of Mosul where IS reportedly executed hundreds of people and held captured Yazidi women. Today Iraqi forces were "combing the city centre area to defuse (bombs in) homes and shops and buildings," Lieutenant Colonel Abdulamir al-Mohammedawi of Iraq's elite Rapid Response Division told AFP. Forces were also "searching for snipers in the city centre," Mohammedawi said. The area is located on the edge of Mosul's Old City, a warren of narrow streets and closely spaced houses that could see some of the toughest fighting of the battle. "Currently there is no order from the operations command to advance toward the Old City. We will advance when this order is issued," Mohammedawi said. Hundreds of thousands of civilians are believed to still be trapped under IS rule in Mosul. Those who did manage to escape the city said the jihadists were growing increasingly desperate. With exit polls predicting a hung Assembly, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today did not completely rule out a post-poll tie-up with the BSP to prevent BJP from coming to power in the state. As exit polls indicated the BJP emerging as the largest single party in the key cow belt state but falling short of the magic figure of 202 in the 403-member House, Akhilesh told BBC he was open to "all possibilities" to prevent the saffron party from coming to power. "No one will want President's rule imposed in the state and BJP run the government through the remote control. "SP-Congress will get enough seats, will form government on its own. But if required let us see," he said. Replying to a question about whether he was ready for a post-poll alliance with the BSP, Akhilesh said, "I will not yet speak about alliance. Samajwadi Party and Congress will get enough seats to form the government. "However, as I have always referred to the BSP chief as a relative, it is natural for people to think we might take their help or might go with them.... but it is difficult to say this as of now". Akhilesh, also the Samajwadi Party president, has always referred to Mayawati as 'Buaji' (aunt). With the counting of votes barely two days away, the SP president's remark is likely to trigger speculation about the possibility of a realignment of political parties. Throughout the bitter, recrimination-filled campaign, Mayawati never attacked Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, who had a word of praise for the BSP chief when he said his respect for her was intact. He had said he considered BJP and not BSP dangerous for the country. When reached for comments, senior Congress leader Sanjay Singh said it was better not to say anything about it "at this stage". At loggerheads for many years now, SP and BSP had contested the 1993 assembly elections in alliance. In the 425-member house (before the creation of Uttarkhand), the SP-BSP alliance had won 176 seats and formed the government under Mulayam Singh Yadav with outside support of the then Janata Dal and Congress. However, in 1995, Mayawati withdrew support and the Mulayam Singh Yadav government was reduced to minority. Led by some SP MLAs and MPs, angry party supporters descended on the guest house on Mirabai Marg in Lucknow which the BSP leader was occupying. Mayawati, who was staying in Room no 1, and some other BSP leaders, were assaulted by furious Mulayam supporters as security personnel deployed there looked the other way. Some five BSP MLAs were allegedly taken forcibly to the CM's residence and "coerced" into signing letters extending support to Mulayam Singh Yadav. A few "terrified" MLAs reportedly even signed on blank papers given to them. Brahamdutt Dwivedi of the BJP was said to have reached the guest house and "saved" Mayawati, paving the way for her forming the government for the first time with the outside support of the saffron party. The government barely lasted four months. Ahead of the Indo-Pak talks under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in Lahore, India today stuck to its stand that Pakistan needs to walk away from terrorism for any government-level dialogue to take place. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Gopal Baglay rejected the suggestion that India's participation at the Permanent Indus Commission meet on March 20-21 amounted to resumption of the dialogue. Reacting to a query on remarks of Mahmud Ali Durrani that the 26/11 Mumbai strike carried out by a Pak-based group and that its chief Hafiz Saeed is punished, Baglay said India has been maintaining that the conspiracy was totally carried out from Pakistan, which should take action against the perpetrators. Referring to terror organisation such as JeM and others, he said these terrorist organisations and their affiliates under the garb of charities continue to operate in Pakistan despite being proscribed by the UN. "We would expect Pakistan to take action against these entities as mandated by the international regimes and stop cross-border terrorism and activities that these organisations are carrying out against India. Our leadership has very clearly said Pakistan has to walk away from terrorism," Baglay asserted. Asked what has changed from last year when India suspended talks with Pakistan under IWT of the ground that "blood and water cannot flow together", he said it had two inherent messages, including one meant for Pakistan that it cannot continue terrorism against India and which remains the same. He also insisted that the commission deals with technical matters concerning implementation of the IWT, which mandates it to meet at least once every year, alternately in India and Pakistan. He also rejected propositions that recent release of prisoners by both India and Pakistan and today's talks between their army's Director General Military Operations (DGMO) were indicative of thaw in bilateral ties, saying both sides are in touch on humanitarian issues through established mechanisms. France-based GDF International, which holds a 10% stake in Petronet LNG, has decided to sell its entire stake worth over Rs 2,900 crore. GDF, a unit of French energy giant Engie, has written to Petronet Indias biggest importer of liquefied natural gas expressing its desire to exit the company. It has offered the stake to Petronets principal promoters GAIL India, Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), Indian Oil Corp (IOC) and Bharat Petroleum Corp (BPCL). We have been informed by GDF International, which is holding 10% equity share capital in the company, that they proposed to divest their entire shareholding in the company, Petronet said in a filing. Petronet said GDF International has also sent a communication to each of the promoters offering a first right of purchase/refusal in relation to the proposed sale of 10% equity shares in the company in the same proportion in which the promoters are holding equity shares in the company. The four promoter firms hold 12.5% stake each in Petronet. Going by this proportion, they are each entitled to buy 2.5% of GDFs stake. But it is unlikely that anyone of them will exercise that option given that Petronet has been structured as a private company. At present, the four companies hold 49.99% stake of Petronet. If any of the promoters were to buy GDFs stake, the combined shareholding of state-owned firms will rise above 50% and will lead to conversion of Petronet into a public sector company. Though Petronet is registered as a private company, Government of Indias Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas is its Chairman. By its private nature, the company is currently out of purview of CAG audit as well as any Parliamentary scrutiny. The ministrys desire to keep the company private had led to none of the four promoters exercising their right of first buy when in August 2011 ADB offered to sell its entire 5.2% stake in Petronet. Since the announcement of USAs withdrawal from the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement by President Donald Trump, respective governments across the Asia Pacific region are at a loss as to how they need to proceed to address the issue which had promised immense opportunities for them. Australia is taking keen initiative to salvage the agreement by holding high-level discussions with Canada, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore. Among the various proposals that the Australian government is thinking aloud is to invite new members who could fill the space left open by USA. While suggesting it is aware that the country which can replace USA and fill such vacuum currently is most appropriately China. Of course, the grounds for such optimism appear weak. First, the TPP looks much less cohesive and attractive to potential new members who will not have access to the market of the mightiest economy in the world. More importantly, the agreement contains some new trade and investment rules that China is unlikely to accept. They are the provisions on state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and designated monopolies. The provisions earmarked in Chapter 17 of the pact require SOEs to act in accordance with commercial considerations when engaged in transactions unrelated to the provision of public services, and prohibits discrimination on the basis of nationality during such transactions. Articles 17.617.8 prohibit the specific provision of non-commercial assistance (NCA) where it would cause adverse effect or injury to other TPP members. Article 17.10 sets out extensive transparency rules, requiring members to produce a publicly available list of all SOEs and provide information where requested relating to government involvement with SOEs. Under these circumstances, China will find it hard to accept such provisions in a hurry. The SOEs are building blocks of Chinas socialist market economy system. More than a lakh SOEs are estimated to contribute between 40% and 50% of Chinas non-agricultural GDP. Many of the largest Chinese firms are state owned unlike India; about 76 of the 98 Chinese firms listed in the 2015 Fortune Global 500 are SOEs. China had just 46 companies appearing on the list in 2010 and only 10 in 2000 whereas the USA has trended in the other direction: 139 American companies made the list in 2010 and 179 in 2000. While market-oriented reforms in recent years have seen greater corporatisation of many Chinese SOEs, Beijing continues to afford many of these actors preferential treatment which will go against the NCA provisions. Moreover, given the scale, complexity and fragmented nature of Chinas state sector, the TPPs transparency requirements may be considered too onerous in the short-run. China might be able to secure temporary exemptions from some provisions, as was achieved by the existing TPP members with sizeable SOE sectors such as Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam. Still the Chinese government may not feel confident about Chapter 17, as it thinks the provision to be a deliberate strategy of the USA to create an international regulatory regime for SOEs specifically targeting Chinas use of such enterprises as tools of industrial policy and economic statecraft. Previous attempts at regulating SOEs in international trade and investment agreements have lacked precision and coherence. The Chapter 17 allows concerted efforts by the USA and other OECD countries to discipline SOEs by having clear rules ensuring a level playing field between SOEs and private enterprises. New type of accord This reflects the fact that the TPP was a truly new type of trade agreement pursuing more ambitious objectives than simple tariff and subsidy reductions. Considering that China is the main target of these efforts, it is quite unlikely that Beijing will opt for it. If countries like Australia try to use its influence to redraft the provisions of Chapter 17 to accommodate the interests of China, it is unlikely that other vital TPP signatories will accept. Japan has already expressed that the agreement is meaningless without the US. Canada echoes such sentiments. It looks clear key members are opposed to any watering down of the idea. Hardcore reality is that it will be almost impossible to salvage TPP without US participation. It is simply not in Chinas interest to agree to certain sections of the agreement. Nor it is in interests of Australia to spend years renegotiating a trade agreement that will likely need whole chapters overhauled, if not removed entirely. The Australian government should thus turn its attention to more orthodox agreements that focus on traditional trade barriers, such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership currently being promoted by Beijing. Such agreements are the most likely path forward in the near-term. The momentum for TPP looks like is lost temporarily. But the economic opportunities and trade gains that are locked up in this Asia-pacific region need to be harnessed thoroughly to make this region more robust and politically and strategically more powerful. This can be experienced by encouraging Chinese leadership to engage in a meaningful multilateral negotiations and trade liberalisation. In an uncertain new international order and an era of declining US leadership, this could be a positive step forward for a regional order. (The writer is Professor, Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, New Delhi) The state government intends to bring an amendment to the Deemed Forest Act to exclude privilege lands from the Act, Revenue Minister Kagodu Thimmappa said. He was chairing a review meeting related to Dakshina Kannada district at DCs office here on Thursday. The minister said that the proposal for amendment has been approved by a Cabinet Sub-committee. Though Devarakadu, Soppinabetta, Jamma Bane, Kana, Bana, Kumki and other privilege lands come under the Revenue Department as per Section 79(2), they were later included in the Deemed Forest Act, he added. He said that he has given directions to officials to solve the issue of Bagair Hukum lands in three to four months. Thimmappa said that he has discussed the matter of the formation of new taluks, including Moodbidri, with the chief minister and has requested him to include it in the budget. Expressing disappointment over the pending of 4,973 applications in Bantwal taluk under 94B of Land Revenue Act, Thimmappa directed Bantwal tahsildar Purandar Hegde to clear them soon. Significantly, a large number of files are pending in Belthangady and Puttur as well, he said and directed the tahsildars of all taluks to set the target for the revenue Inspectors to dispose of the pending applications. If there is no progress in the next two months, I will take serious action, he warned the officials. Thimmappa told the tahsildars to provide cultivation chits to the eligible farmers after conducting a survey. Also, under 94C, panchayat development officers and village accountants should conduct a joint survey to provide Record of Rights to the eligible people. Steps should be taken to provide RTCs at the respective gram panchayats. If the people have built houses in the government land and have applied under 94C, it should be allotted to them, he said. During the review of the relief measures for endosulfan victims, District Health Officer Dr Ramakrishna Rao said the district has 2,998 endosulfan victims and a monthly compensation of Rs 78.69 lakh is being provided to them. There has been a demand for a 100-bed permanent rehabilitation centre. A five acre land has been identified in Alangar. Two temporary day care centres and four mobile care centres are operating in the district. There are physiotherapy centres in all five taluks, he said. The minister said that he will speak to the health minister in this connection. Deputy Commissioner Dr K G Jagadeesha said that an amendment into the Land Reforms Act has been proposed to the government towards the allocation of DC Manna lands only to persons belonging to SC/ST. Another amendment has been sought by the district administration towards giving the power to the Deputy Commissioner to allocate land to ex-servicemen. Indias biggest river festival, Namami Brahmaputra, is expected to draw a large number of tourists from Bengaluru, where a large chunk of people from Assam live. About 2.5 lakh people from Assam live in Bengaluru and they have shown interest in the event. We are coordinating with the tourism department here to draw more crowds for the river festival between March 31 and April 4, Ashutosh Agnihotri, Commissioner and Secretary, Tourism Department, Government of Assam, told journalists on Thursday. Agnihotri said they were in talks with state government representatives for setting up stalls at the festival through which Karnataka Tourism can be promoted. Every year, we get 56 lakh tourists and we aim to double this number through the event, he said. The festival, organised at a cost of Rs 15 crore, will happen across 21 districts along the River Brahmaputra on its entire stretch from Sadiya town to Dhubri district of Assam. A host of Sandalwood actors joined hands with pro-Kannada organisations in protest against dubbed films here on Thursday. Film stars, television actors and volunteers from pro-Kannada organisations took out a rally taken out from Mysore Bank Circle to the Freedom Park. Actor and politician Jaggesh, who spoke on the occasion, said, Those who support dubbing are spreading misinformation on social networking websites. They pretend to be supporting Kannada language, but work to support as well as oppose dubbing according to their need. Some people have charged that my protest caused them a loss of Rs 50 lakh and sent me a notice seeking compensation. I won't bow to these tactics, he said. Lashing out at his critics, Jaggesh said, I am not a rapist. I raised my voice in support of Kannada. I am happy to go to jail if they find fault with that, he added. Most of the FM channels in the state get permission stating that they will play only Kannada songs and air Kannada programmes. But songs from other languages dominate these channels, Jaggesh said. Kannada Okkoota president Vatal Nagaraj said he would submit a memorandum to Chief Minister Siddaramiah requesting him to bring out legislation to block release of dubbed films. Meanwhile, one of the participants in the protest suffered a heart attack. He was immediately taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Expressing concern over poor property tax collection, Bengaluru Development Minister K J George on Thursday wondered why the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike was not booking cases against people who have cheated the government by undervaluing their properties. Addressing a gathering at the launch of a single-window system to award contracts for 600 works, George cited the Economic Survey which showed that the Palike generates just 25% of its potential earnings. In the previous financial year, the tax collection was Rs 1,650 crore, which is up by Rs 420 crore this year. The increase in tax collection is not proportionate to the hike in property tax effected in April 2016. The Palikes property tax collection should have been Rs 3,000 crore, opined George. The number of properties in the Palikes records increased from 12 lakh to 16 lakh, yet the tax collection has not shown a proportionate increase, he pointed out. The minister suggested that the Palike rope in Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) students to assess the undervalued properties and make the owners pay up. The minister told reporters that there were no obstacles to BBMPs drive against stormwater drain encroachments. He said the Palike should carry out the drive before the monsoon. Ramky Infrastructure, the company which had hired the three workers who asphyxiated to death while cleaning a manhole in CV Raman Nagar on March 7, is said to be influencing their families. Amid uncertainty about compensation for the deceased workers, agents claiming to represent Ramky Infrastructure gave each family Rs 30,000 on Wednesday night before they left Bengaluru for their hometown for performing the last rites. The agents claimed that the money was meant for funeral expenses. The agents identified as Devaraj, Prashanth and Srinivas turned up at the mortuary of Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital around 7 pm on Wednesday. They spoke to the victims relatives as well as activists present there, said Mahesh, an IT professional from Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh, who has been helping the families complete the formalities. One of the victims was known to his extended family in Andhra Pradesh, he said. Disgruntled employees Initially, one of the agents claimed he was a leader of Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe Morcha, while the two men accompanying him posed as disgruntled employees of Ramky Infrastructure. They said Ramky Infrastructure was not paying them properly and that it was suffering losses, Mahesh said, quoting the agents. The agents then started bargaining when the victims families demanded higher compensation. The deal was struck at Rs 30,000 for each family, Mahesh said. These agents had come to the mortuary to assess the situation and study the mood of the families. He added that attempts to influence the families began as soon as they arrived in Bengaluru on Wednesday afternoon. Mayor G Padmavathi said representatives of Ramky Infrastructure were absconding. The first day of the II PUC examinations went off smoothly amid extra-tight security at colleges across Karnataka on Thursday. Most of the students who appeared for Biology and History papers in 144 centres in Bengaluru found the exam easy. Embarrassed by the leakage of question papers last year, the Department of Pre-University Education (DPUE) has prohibited students from taking the exam in their own college this time around. While most parents and students didnt have any complaints about the randomisation of exam centres, some like Muni Krishna had to take a day off to take his daughter to her test centre, St Annes Degree College for Women in Halasuru. The security arrangements are impressive but they should have allowed students to take the exam in their own college. I did not want to send my daughter alone to a new place all by herself. Kavita N, a parent waiting outside Vijaya Composite PU College, Jayanagar, had another problem at hand. She was worried about a repeat of last years leaks. Taking the exams once is stressful enough. Children cannot handle the tension if they have to take it again. But now I am relaxed because the first day has gone smoothly. The government has taken good measures. Students said the paper was not tough. Faezah Mehreen, who took the exam at NMKRV PU College for Women in Jayanagar, was relieved that the Biology paper was easier than expected. The questions were all from previous years papers. Most of us finished the paper well ahead of the time, she said. Sindhu D N, who took the Biology exam at KLES Pre-University College, echoed her. Yatish J took the History exam at Vijaya Composite PU College and found it easy. It was a little lengthy but not tough. It went off smoothly. Since it was the first day, security guards didnt send back students running late into the exam hall. In some colleges, students who forgot to bring their identity cards along were also excused. C Shikha, Director, Department of Pre-University Education (DPUE), however, said students would not be allowed without their ID cards henceforth. Xerox shops open Notices put up in colleges declared that students are under surveillance and gadgets/mobile phones are not allowed. But, contrary to the announcement made on Wednesday by the Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, Tanveer Sait, photocopy centres around exam centres in Malleswaram and Rajajinagar remained open. A man running a Xerox shop opposite MES College in Malleswaram said, Its our daily bread. Besides, what if there is an emergency for students themselves to get something photocopied. We are not shutting down. Shikha acknowledged that some photocopy shops remained open and promised to take the necessary action. 5 students debarred At least five cases of malpractice were reported in Karnataka three from Kalaburagi and two from Davangere. At a few exam centres, rumours that the Biology paper had leaked left some parents worried. Shikha dismissed the rumours and asked students not to pay attention to rumour mongers. These (rumours) are created by people wanting to extort money, she said. The official visited exam centres such as KLES PU College and MES PU College. She said there was no confusion about the randomisation of centres and that the exams were conducted smoothly. Sait visited a few centres around Jayanagar. Electronics and Computer Science papers are scheduled for Friday (between 10.15 am and 1.30 pm). The Centre on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to pass an order in contempt plea against beleaguered industrialist Vijay Mallya to enable it in pursuing his deportation from the United Kingdom. Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told a bench of Justices Adarsh Kumar Goel and U U Lalit, a Note Verbale has been sent to the UKs High Commission on February 8 after the British government responded on February 5 to its request for deportation of Mallya made on April 28, 2016. He said an adverse order for violating the SCs order for full disclosure of assets held by Mallya and his family members would help the country in getting him deported. I will show the courts order to the UK authorities, Rohatgi said, adding the businessman had cared two hoots for the apex courts order and taken it for a ride. His response came as the bench asked Rohatgi as how far the apex courts order would be effective. We are considering your plea. Suppose, we pass some order today, how will you execute it? We dont want to pass any piece meal order, the bench asked. The bench, after hearing for hours the counsel from Mallya and SBI-led banks consortium, which sought repayment of Rs 9,400 crore loan, reserved the order on applications made for contempt action against the industrialist as well as one filed by Mallya for recall of the contempt notice. During the hearing, the bench posed tough questions to Mallyas counsel. Was there truthful disclosure by you of your assets? How could you transfer 40 million USD to your childrens accounts. Once, you were put to notice on contempt, what you did in response? The bench also asked him, Are you showing your bona fide, are you disputing liabilities? Senior advocate C S Vaidyanathan, representing Mallya, conceded some money was due on him. Today, these banks had Rs 7 lakh crore of non-performing assets, but why I have been made as poster-boy of all loan defaulters, he asked. Mallyas counsel pointed out his assets worth Rs 8,000 crore remained attached and Rs 2,000 crore were due to the Income Tax department. He, however, submitted that there has been no violation of the apex courts order of April 26, 2016, for disclosure of assets. He contested a plea made by banks counsel senior advocate Shyam Divan for a direction to forthwith deposit of 40 million USD received by Mallya from Diageo, the British liquor major. The banks accused him of transferring the money to accounts of his three children, all US citizens. Egyptian national Eman Ahmed Abd El Aty, one of the heaviest woman in the world, successfully underwent a weight-reduction surgery here at the Saifee Hospital, losing over 100 kg. Eman, 37, was airlifted from Alexandria in Egypt and brought to Mumbai on February 11, when she weighed around 500 kg. She is under the overall supervision of Dr Muffazal Lakdawala, chairman, Institute of Minimal Access Surgical Sciences & Research Centre, who is assisted by a panel of doctors. The medical team of Saifee Hospital successfully performed the surgery on Eman Ahmed. Eman successfully underwent a Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy on March 7. She had an uneventful surgery and anaesthesia course, a health update said. She is now on oral fluids and accepting them well. The future course of action for the medical team working on her will be to correct all her associated medical problems, to get her fit enough to fly back to Egypt as soon as possible. The patient is now in post-op care and we will share more updates in due course, the communique said. The Saifee Hospital or the SaveEmanCause has not yet commented on the exact reduction in weight, but it is learnt that it is more than 100 kg. The doctors are looking at reducing 400 kg in two rounds of surgeries in two to three years.We plan to reduce another 150 to 200 kg and bring her around 100 kg or less....then she should be able to work, Dr Lakdawala had said earlier. BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa has announced that the party would conduct a survey to choose candidates for the next Assembly elections. The proposed survey is to collect public opinion. Only those who have the capacity to win would be fielded, he added. He said this at an event where former minister Kumar Bangarappa and a host of other Congressmen from Sorab in Shivamogga joined the BJP. Yeddyurappa said party tickets would not be decided in Bengaluru or Delhi. Referring to the prevailing drought situation, the BJP leader said that his party would not allow the functioning of the forthcoming legislature session unless the government writes off loans raised by farmers from cooperative institutions. The Siddaramaiah government is grabbing everything. The government should at least do something to farmers. The government has not been proactive despite severe drought across the state. Revenue Minister Kagodu Thimmappa who used to be highly vocal before, is now silent, he said. He also said he would expose the BBMP scam well ahead of the commencement of the legislature session. Speaking on the occasion, Kumar Bangarappa said his father had joined the Congress in 2004. My fathers followers should now be joining the BJP. Almost all the Congress heads of various wings in Sorab have quit the party to join the BJP. With this, the Congress has become bankrupt. We have joined the BJP appreciating the administration skills of Narendra Modi. The decision was taken after two years of deliberations, he added. Kumar also said the Congress is losing its base in the state while the BJP is secure. There is no respect for young or old in the Congress, he added. Former minister Hartal Halappa, who had once contested against Kumar, said he is ready to work with Kumar in Sorab. Former Bhatkal MLA J D Naik, Shivamogga Block President Prof Narayanappa and Hunsur Manjunath among others joined the BJP. It was an occasion for them to break the social taboos and ancient traditions and they did it in style. Around 1,000 widows from Varanasi and Vrindavan on Thursday splashed colours on each other and actively took part in Holi celebrations especially organised for them at the 400-year-old Gopinath temple in Vrindavan. It was a different kind of Holi for the widows as, clad in white sarees, they came out of the 'ashrams' to play with colours and paint each other at a public place in the pilgrim town. Away from routine Aged widows living as refugees in ashrams in Vrindavan and Varanasi appeared ecstatic as they gathered at one of the oldest Krishna temples at the crowded Gopinath Bazaar in Vrindavan since morning, deviating from their prosaic day- to-day activities. At least 1,500 kg 'gulal' (coloured powder) in different colours and an equal amount of rose and marigold petals were arranged for the Holi celebrations for the widows by Sulabh International, which looks after around 1,000 widows at Varanasi and Vrindavan. The Holi revelry began with much fanfare amid song and dance performances. Happiness was writ large on the faces of the participants. The State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority has refused to clear 28 real estate projects, and cancelled its clearance for projects proposed by Mantri Techzone and Coremind Software. The cancellation orders went out on February 23. Mantri had got a clearance certificate on February 17, 2012, and Coremind on September 30, 2013. Mantri had sought clearance for the mixed use development for residential, retail, hotel and office space in Agara and Jakkasandra, Bengaluru South taluk. Coremind wanted to build Sattva Domain, a software technology park, in Agara. The impact assessment authority has also cancelled clearances granted to 28 other builders, and turned down an application pending since 2014. The orders are based on the May 2016 National Green Tribunal ruling that a buffer zone of 75 metres be maintained around lakes and wetlands. The firms and individuals did not comply with the stipulations for revised environmental clearance, according to Ramachandra, member-secretary of the state impact assessment authority. Ramachandra said the areas proposed for development by Mantri and Coremind fall in the wetland zone of Bellandur lake. After a fire broke out in the lake on February 16 this year, the NGT took up a suo motu case against the state government, custodians of the lake, and the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board. The tribunal had directed them to file affidavits within two weeks. The state government is not happy with the tribunals order and will move the Supreme Court to seek a revision of its buffer zone guidelines, sources said. Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said the government was proud of Mohammad Sartaj, the father of the suspected terrorist killed in the Lucknow encounter, for disowning him. Making a statement in the Lok Sabha on Tuesdays train blast near Ujjain and the Lucknow encounter, the home minister said investigation in both the cases would be handed over to the National Investigation Agency. The government is proud of people like Sartaj and I am sure the entire House also feels proud about him. It is a matter of pride for us. I feel the need to mention it here, Rajnath said to the thumping of desks by members. In Kanpur, Sartaj thanked parliamentarians. It is a big gesture to laud a small man's decision, he told reporters. A section of parliamentarians saw Rajnath's remarks as an attempt to drag in Sartaj's action to further Bharatiya Janata Partys political interests by highlighting his "nationalist" credentials. A father has rejected a son for the sake of the nation... My salute. This shows there is no dearth of nationalist Muslims in India, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad told reporters outside Parliament. A top military commander on Thursday conveyed Indias concerns on the movements of terrorists across the Line of Control to Pakistan Army officials. They also discussed the return of two Pakistani students who strayed into Indian territory almost six months ago. Lt Gen A K Bhatt, Indian Army Director General of Military Operations, spoke to his Pakistani counterpart Maj Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza to express concerns regarding the movement of terrorists noticed along the Line of Control, army sources said here. The conversation on the hotline between the two DGMOs comes at a time when the army was battling militants in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir. In the recent months, the northern state witnessed a series of audacious terror strikes, beginning with the attack on an army installation in Uri last September. The India-Pakistan border remained in a red-hot state for most of 2016, recording close to 225 ceasefire violations along the LoC and international boundary. In comparison, the number of violations in 2014 and 2015 were 153 and 152, respectively. The coming summer adds to the worries of the Indian army commanders because more passes in the higher reaches would open up with the melting of snow, luring militants who are waiting to infiltrate. Army officials later asserted that Lt Gen Bhatt shared specific inputs with Maj Gen Mirza about Pakistani forces training terrorists and planning cross-border raids. Two local Lashkar-e-Toiba militants and an equal number of civilians, including a teenager, were killed during an encounter and ensuing clashes in south Kashmirs Pulwama district on Thursday. More than 20 people were injured in the incidents. Police sources said based on specific inputs that militants were hiding in two adjacent houses in Padgampora, Pulwama, 35 km from here, a joint team of the armys 55 Rashtriya Rifles and Special Operations Group of the Jammu and Kashmir Police laid a siege around the area at 2 am. As a house-to-house search was on, the holed-up militants opened fire on the security forces around 5.05 am, triggering an encounter that lasted several hours, a source said. While one of the militants, identified as Jehangir Ganai alias Ehsan, was neutralised in the initial assault by the security forces, his accomplice Shafat Shergujri alias Saif-ullah was given an offer of surrender by the police. However, Shergujri refused to surrender even after his wife and son were allowed to meet him and talk to him. He was ultimately killed by security forces after a fierce gunbattle, a source said. Shergujri and Ganai, affiliated with LeT, were involved in the killing of policemen and political activists and grenade attacks in south Kashmir, police said. They were also involved in recent bank robberies and weapon-snatching incidents. Sources said Shergujris brother, Adil, also a militant, was killed in an encounter with security forces last February in Kakpora area of Pulwama. Fifteen-year-old Amir Nazir, who was hit by a stray bullet, and another civilian, identified as Jalal-ud-Din (23), were killed during clashes between stone pelters and security forces near the encounter site, police said. While Nazir was hit by a stray bullet, there was no external injury to Jalal-ud-Dins body... he perhaps died due to a cardiac arrest, a police official said. Following the civilian deaths, massive protests broke out across Pulwama, in which more than 20 people were injured due to bullets and pellets. Authorities also suspended intra-Kashmir rail services from Banihal to Srinagar, apprehending that protesters might target the trains. India on Thursday said the Dalai Lama was free to visit any place in the country and China should not attach any political meaning to the visits of the spiritual leader. He (Dalai Lama) is a revered religious figure who is treated as such by the government and the people of India, Gopal Baglay, official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, told journalists in New Delhi. His comment came after China strongly reacted to the proposed visit of the Dalai Lama to Arunachal Pradesh next month. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang on March 4 said that Beijing was gravely concerned over New Delhi allowing the Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh. He also said that the visit would cause serious damage to peace and stability of the border region and China-India relations. The government has no say in his travels within India and no political meaning should be attached to them as such, Baglay said on Thursday. Beijing accuses the Dalai Lama of leading a secessionist movement against Chinas rule over Tibet. The Buddhist monks visit to Tawang near the de-facto India-China border in Arunachal Pradesh in 2009 sparked off strong protest from Beijing. Arunachal Pradesh has been at the centre of a long-pending boundary dispute between the two neighbours. China does not recognise the state as a part of India. The government on Thursday rejected the United States criticism over the curbs imposed on American NGO Compassion International, stating that all such organisations had to abide by the law of the land. As is obvious, any NGO, foreign or Indian, is to operate in India or for that matter anywhere else in the world within the laws of the country, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Gopal Baglay told journalists in New Delhi. His comment came shortly after a spokesperson of the American State Department said that Washington DC would take up with New Delhi the issue of shutting down of the Christian non-profit organisations operations in India. Unfortunately, we have seen over the past couple of years a number of foreign-funded NGOs in India that have encountered significant challenges in continuing their operations, Mark Toner, acting spokesman of the US State Department, said in Washington DC. Compassion International is set to shut down its operations in India. It alleged that the decision of the Ministry of Home Affairs to put it in prior-permission category had made it difficult for the organisation to operate in the country. When an NGO is put under the prior-permission category, it has to take approval from the Home Ministry to receive or disburse donations from abroad. The NGOs do valuable work overseas. Certainly these countries and governments have their own reasons for the laws they pass, but we believe it should be transparent and clear why they're shutting down these organisations, he said. Toner said the US would take up the matter with India. A few hours later, Baglay, however, told journalists in Delhi that the process of imposing the restrictions had been very transparent. We have been fully transparent in this regard, he said. The BJP could emerge as the single largest party in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Goa, enabling it to come within striking distance of forming governments there, exit polls on the five state elections predicted on Thursday. In Punjab, however, the Bharatiya Janata Party along with its ally Akali Dal was likely to face a rout. The Congress appeared to hold an edge over the new entrant Aam Aadmi Party to form the next government. In Manipur, the Congress, which has ruled for the last 15 years, was fighting to retain its hold against a serious challenge posed by the BJP. The most interesting scenario seemed to be emerging in UP where the Bahujan Samaj Party appeared to play a key role in case of a hung Assembly. None of the exit polls put the Samajwadi Party-Congress at the top in UP while two predictions India Today-Axis (251-279) and News24-Today's Chanakya (267-303) gave the BJP a resounding majority. Two others, Times Now-VMR and VDPA Associates, also did not rule out the possibility of the BJP crossing the 202 mark in a 403-member Assembly. Various polls gave the SP and the Congress seats in the range of 73 to 169, prompting coalition leaders appearing on TV discussions to insist that the actual results on March 11 would be different: they cited such predictions going wrong in the previous elections. A couple of exit poll do not give the BJP a majority in UP. They predict that the party will garner 155 to 190 seats in the state Assembly. The BSP, which went to the polls alone and has 80 MLAs now, has not done well in the seven-phase election with exit polls suggesting that the Mayawati-led party could go as low to fall in the 28-42 range, as predicted by India Today-Axis polls. However, India News-Cvoter poll has given her a maximum of 81-93 seats. The first hint of the SP wooing the BSP came from Akhilesh Yadav himself, who indicated in a BBC Hindi interview that he is willing to do business with Mayawati, an arch-rival of the SP, to keep the BJP away from power. However, political analysts said the BJP will not spare any effort in wooing the BSP in a scenario where it is within striking distance of power. Another player to be watched will be Akhileshs uncle Shivpal, with whom he had a running battle in the run-up to the elections. Shivpal has said he will form a party after March 11. Badals in trouble Punjab may see the exit of the Badal family from power after 10 years with the ruling Akali Dal-BJP coalition possibly ending up with just four MLAs in a House of 117. The Congress and the new entrant AAP are in a close contest with two polls (C-Voter and VDPA Associates) giving the AAP a majority and one (Axis) giving Congress 62-71 seats. Only ABP-CSDS-Lokniti gave Akali Dal-BJP a respectable number (19-27) while Today's Chanakya and MRC predicted a neck and neck race. Uttarakhand exit polls give the BJP a clear edge with all polls except C-Voter giving the saffron party a clear majority in a House of 70 MLAs. Goa with 40 seats may see a hung Assembly, but the ruling BJP will have an edge over the Congress. BlackBerry Aurora is the first ever BlackBerry smartphone to offer dual-SIM support. The handset is developed under BB Merah Putih's brand licensing agreement with BlackBerry BlackBerry Aurora running Android 7.0 Nougat has been officially announced in Indonesia. The smartphone is the first handset developed under BB Merah Putih's brand licensing agreement with BlackBerry. BlackBerry signed an exclusive deal with BB Merah Putih back in September 2016. As far as specifications are concerned, BlackBerry Aurora is a mid-range device with a design similar to DTEK series. The smartphone features a 5.5-inch 720p HD display and is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 425 chipset. The smartphone comes with 4GB RAM and 32GB expandable storage. "Indonesia boasts the worlds largest population of avid BlackBerry smartphone and BBM users. So it was natural that when we signed up partners to help us take BBM and smartphones to market," Alex Thurber, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Mobility Solutions for BlackBerry, said in a statement. On the camera front, the BlackBerry Aurora is equipped with a 13MP rear camera, with phase detection autofocus and dual tone LED flash. There is also an 8MP front camera with LED flash for selfies. The smartphone houses a 3000mAh battery and uses microUSB port for charging. It is not clear whether the handset supports Qualcomm's Quick Charge technology. The Aurora is the first BlackBerry-branded smartphone to offer dual-SIM support. The handset runs Android 7.0 Nougat based on BlackBerry's DTEK security suite and BlackBerry claims it to be the most secure version of Android ever. Under CEO John Chen, BlackBerry had stopped making phones in-house to focus on security software for mobile devices. The company has signed a similar brand-licensing deal with TCL Communication and Optiemus Infracom. BlackBerry Aurora is priced at 3,499,000 IDR (around Rs 17,500) and is currently available for pre-order through various online e-commerce platforms. The smartphone will be available in gold, silver and black colour options. Walt Disney Co has come out on top in a list of the most valuable media brands in the world, according to research from Brand Finance . The consultancy firm carried out an assessment of thousands of global media companies and produced the list of the top 25 most valuable brands. Disney gained a AAA+ rating and a total valuation of $34.5bn, a figure which saw an increase from the same figure last year. US companies made up the majority of the elite list, taking up 17 of the top 25 positions. Rupert Murdoch-owned Fox was in second place, ahead of NBC, Universal and CBS. The strength of each brand was based upon such factors as marketing investment, loyalty and corporate reputation. British entities took up three of the top list, with the BBC dropping one place from 7th to 8th, with a brand valuation of $5.87bn. ITV was in 14th position with a valuation of $3.48bn. Relx Group-owned LexisNexis made up the UK representation in the list in 23rd place. ITV's valuation was down by 25% in comparison with when the research was carried out in 2016, as the broadcaster saw a 3% drop in advertising revenue. "Economic uncertainty following Brexit was the reason for this dip," the report said. The report added that the emergence and rise of on-demand streaming services has had a challenging impact on traditional media companies, saying that they pose a threat to companies such as ITV. "Longer-term viewing habits are shifting towards on-demand channels such as Netflix and Amazon, as well as more fragmented media formats such as Youtube," the report said. Bank lending in China ramped up significantly in February, in a positive sign for the economy, but some economists expected higher financing costs later in the year to eventually drag on growth. New bank loans in Asia's largest economy shot higher to 2,030bn yuan last month, nearly doubling both January's 1,170bn of loans and forecasts for an increase of 950bn yuan. Julian Evans-Pritchard at Capital Economics attributed the pick-up in loan growth to a continuing shift away from non-bank channels of financing. February's gain helped so-called Total Social Financing, the People's Bank of China's gauge of broad credit, to maintain a steady pace of expansion at 12.8% year-on-year. On a cautionary note, the credit growth figures may have received a small boost related to the Chinese Lunar New Year holidays, Evans-Pritchard said. "Stepping back, there has been only a mild deceleration in overall credit in recent quarters despite tighter monetary policy. "But over time, we expect that the increase in funding costs for banks will encourage them to raise lending rates for new borrowers and that overall credit growth will cool as a result in coming quarters which will eventually weigh on economic activity." Iceland celebrated International Women's Day on Wednesday by introducing legislation which forces companies to provide proof of their commitment to equal pay for all genders and ethnicities. The Icelandic government brought forward the legislation, which requires firms with more than 25 staff to gain a certificate that proves their efforts to achieve equality of pay between genders. The country's minister for equality and social affairs Thorsteinn Viglundsson told the Associated Press it was time to think about addressing the issue of unequal pay in a "radical" way. "Equal rights are human rights. We need to make sure that men and women enjoy equal opportunity in the workplace. It is our responsibility to take every measure to achieve that," he said. "The time is right to do something radical about this issue." Iceland is currently ranked best in the world for gender equality, according to the World Economic Forum, with a pay gap between men and women of about 14%. The UK comes in at 20th position on the index while the US is well back at 45th. The government in Iceland has said that it wants to completely eradicate the gender pay gap by 2022, and Viglundsson is convinced that that is an achievable target, despite political opposition in the country. "It is a burden to put on companies to have to comply with a law like this," he acknowledged. "But we put such burdens on companies all the time when it comes to auditing your annual accounts or turning in your tax report. "You have to dare to take new steps, to be bold in the fight against injustice." Centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron has emerged in pole position for the first round of voting in France's presidential election, edging ahead of National Front leader Marine Le Pen for the first time. According to the new poll from Harrison Interactive, Macron holds a one-percentage point lead over the far-right Le Pen ahead of the primary vote on April 23. Le Pen's share of the vote has not changed and she remains on 25% of the initial count, but after the release of Macron's manifesto he has gained ground to lead with a 26% share. Former prime minister Francois Fillon has struggled to shake off allegations of corruption which claim that he paid his family members public money for non-existent work, and with a current share of 20% he would be eliminated in the first round of the vote. Former investment banker Macron was also boosted on Wednesday after he received the backing of former mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoe. Delanoe was hugely popular among Parisians and said that he had to think hard about the decision to back the centrist candidate. "In the first round, we have to give as much support as possible to the candidate who can beat Le Pen," Delanoe said. "Particularly since Emmanuel Macron's manifesto appeared to me to contain real progressive measures for social justice and the struggle against inequality." Macron's manifesto includes measures to protect the middle classes in France, who he has described as being mistreated by political parties from both sides of the spectrum. Save my User ID and Password Some subscribers prefer to save their log-in information so they do not have to enter their User ID and Password each time they visit the site. To activate this function, check the 'Save my User ID and Password' box in the log-in section. This will save the password on the computer you're using to access the site. Note: If you choose to use the log-out feature, you will lose your saved information. This means you will be required to log-in the next time you visit our site. October 30, 2022 Holidays are about making memories and there are so many reasons why visiting Walt Disney World during the holidays is a must-do. Now more than ever, in this fast-paced world, its so important to take that time to give experiences to your families because in doing so, you will be creating memories that will last a Subscriber content preview Ryan: GOP health bill is the only alternative Republicans are pushing forward even without official estimates from the Congressional Budget Office on the cost and how many people would be covered. By ALAN FRAM and RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR Associated Press WASHINGTON Speaker Paul Ryan staunchly defended the House Republican health care plan Wednesday as the only alternative to the current Obama-era law, as he confronted forceful opposition from conservatives, medical professionals and others. This is the choice we face. Are we going to stay with Obamacare ... or are we going to do what we said we would do, Ryan said at a Capitol Hill news conference after a private GOP meeting in which he tried to rally support. . . . login or purchase a To read this story in fullor purchase a subscription. Qatar Air plans foray in Indian domestic short-haul sector Qatar Airways Ltd plans to set up a short-haul airline in India with a fleet of 100 narrow-body planes, renewing a push to gain a bigger share of one of the world's fastest-growing travel markets. The Gulf carrier will make an application to the Indian authorities "soon" to become the country's first fully foreign-owned airline, chief executive officer Akbar Al Baker said on Wednesday at the ITB Berlin travel fair, adding that he intends to proceed "step by step". Qatar Investment Authority, the sovereign wealth fund that backs Qatar Air, would be the most suitable vehicle for establishing an airline in India, the CEO said in a media briefing, adding that it could use his carrier to run the venture. Qatar Air was thwarted in a 2015 attempt to boost its Indian footprint by purchasing a stake in discount specialist Indigo and failed to buy up shares piecemeal during and after a subsequent initial public offering. While the Indian government limits overseas airlines to a 49-per cent stake in its carriers, a relaxation of restrictions last year means foreign sovereign wealth funds and portfolio investors can potentially acquire 100 per cent holdings. The India plan won't involve a joint venture, Al Baker said, adding that he intends to capitalise on the country's "very progressive" moves on outside investment. While QIA might comply with the revised rules on foreign ownership, the CEO didn't explain how Qatar Air would keep a sufficient distance from the new carrier to satisfy government requirements. Al Baker has sought to use QIA as a vehicle for Indian expansion before, with the fund unable to secure a position in Indigo during the IPO after failing to gain the approvals in time. If the latest plan does succeed the new airline's majority foreign ownership would likely limit it to domestic flights under International Civil Aviation Organisation rules. Qatar Air currently owns 20 per cent of British Airways' parent IAG SA, 10 per cent of Latam Airlines Group SA, the biggest South American carrier, and 49 per cent of Italy's Meridiana SpA. The Doha-based company also wants to start a domestic airline in Saudi Arabia, though a license has been delayed for years, prompting it to deploy its jets elsewhere. Al Baker is targeting an Indian foothold after Gulf rival Etihad Airways of Abu Dhabi took a 24-per cent stake in Jet Airways India Ltd. Leading Asian carriers Singapore Airlines Ltd. and AirAsia Bhd also have 49 per cent holdings in their affiliates in the subcontinent. The CEO said Qatar Air is short of 10 Airbus A350 and A320 jets following programme delays, including five A320neos he cancelled in response to cooling issues with their Pratt & Whitney engines that would have limited operations. The 50 narrow-body orders will now be converted into larger A321neos, pending price negotiations, he confirmed, adding that the jets will almost certainly be powered by turbines from General Electric Co and Safran SA, not Pratt. The aircraft shortfall means Qatar Air has had to shelve the opening of eight new routes, though it will carry on growing at a "double-digit" pace, Al Baker said. Airbus spokesman Stefan Schaffrath said in Berlin that the manufacturer is continuing to work to satisfy its customer's demands. Asked whether rival airlines in the US might succeed in persuading Donald Trump to curb the expansion of Gulf carriers amid allegations of unfair state support, Al Baker said he was confident that the president's business background would favour increased competition. "The US is a capitalist country," he said. ExxonMobil to buy 25% in Mozambique LNG project from Italy's Eni for $2.8 bn US oil and gas giant, ExxonMobil Corp today struck a deal to buy a 25-per cent stake in Mozambique liquefied natural gas (LNG) development project, from Italy's Eni, for $2.8 billion in cash. Eni currently holds a 50-per cent indirect share in the block through a 71.4-per cent stake in Eni East Africa, which owns 70 per cent of the Area 4 concession. Post closing, Eni East Africa S.p.A. will be 35.7 per cent co-owned by Eni, 35.7 per cent by ExxonMobil and CNPC 28.6 per cent. Other stakeholders of the Area 4 gas field include Mozambique's national oil and gas company Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos de Mocambique, Korea's Kogas and Portuguese energy group Galp Energia, each owning 10 per cent. Eni will continue to lead the Coral floating LNG project and all upstream operations in Area 4, while ExxonMobil will lead the construction and operation of natural gas liquefaction facilities onshore. ''This strategic investment will enable ExxonMobil's LNG leadership and experience to support development of Mozambique's abundant natural gas resources,'' said Darren Woods, chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil. ''Our industry-leading project execution, advanced technologies, financial strength and marketing capabilities will help deliver reliable, affordable energy to customers and create long-term economic value for the people of Mozambique, project partners and ExxonMobil shareholders,'' he added. The Area 4 natural gas discovery is believed to be Eni's largest with estimated reserves of around 75 trillion cubic feet, and once developed, will be able to fully meet Italy's gas requirement for around thirty years. The first gas shipment from the development is expected in 2020, according to Claudio Descalzi, CEO of Eni. The company, along with Anadarko Petroleum, which operates the adjacent Area-1 field, plans to build an Coral floating LNG export terminal, which includes a 2,5 Mtpa floating LNG unit in the Rovuma Basin this year. The first stage of the project would involve construction and commissioning of two onshore LNG trains and the drilling of 16 subsea wells. Although Eni sold a 20 per cent stake to CNPC for $4.2 billion in 2013, the valuation today is based on falling oil prices and surge in global LNG export capacity in Australia and Qatar and slowing global demand. 38 killed, 70 hurt as ISIS terrorists attack Kabul hospital Terrorists disguised as doctors stormed Afghanistan's largest military hospital in Kabul on Wednesday and battled security forces for hours, killing 38 people and injuring 70 others in an attack claimed by Islamic State. Dense clouds of smoke billowed out of the Sardar Daud Khan hospital, located across the road from the heavily fortified US embassy, and explosions and gunfire rattled Kabul's diplomatic district. Medical staff hunkered down in hospital wards posted desperate messages for help on social media. Dramatic footage on television showed helicopters dropping Afghan special forces on the roof of the multi-storey hospital as some hospital staff cowered on the ledge of a window. ''The attack in the capital's central Wazir Akbar Khan neighbourhood has killed 38 people and wounded more than 70,'' the Italian-run emergency hospital said in a statement. The dead included doctors, patients and hospital staff, officials said. A seven-year-old boy was among the seriously injured. A statement from Islamic State's Amaq news agency said its fighters had attacked the hospital. The group also posted photos on social media that it said were taken by its fighters within the hospital. A spokesman for the more powerful Afghan Taliban denied responsibility, saying the insurgency had ''no connection'' with the attack. The Taliban is known to distance itself from attacks on medical facilities. ''Attackers are inside the hospital. Pray for us,'' a hospital staff member wrote on Facebook. Hospital administrators told AFP that three men wearing white laboratory coats began spraying bullets after a suicide bomber blew himself up at a backdoor entrance, sparking chaos inside the 400-bed facility. ''I saw one of the attackers, armed with an AK-47 and dressed as a doctor, shooting at patients and guards on the third floor,'' hospital nurse Abdul Qadeer said. ''They shot my friend but I managed to flee ... I had to jump over the barbed wire to escape.'' At least two other loud explosions including one that the defence ministry said was a car bomb in the hospital's parking lot were heard as Afghan special forces launched a clearance operation that lasted around six hours. 'Criminal act' The raid highlights how Afghanistan's warring parties, including government forces, have repeatedly targeted medical facilities, decimating the country's fragile health system and preventing conflict-displaced civilians from accessing life-saving care. ''This egregious and morally reprehensible attack targeted people at their most vulnerable, while they were receiving treatment in the hospital, and also targeted the medical staff caring for them,'' said the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. ''This cowardly attack reflects a fundamental rejection of the most basic principles of humanity. Without question, it amounts to an atrocity, and the perpetrators must be held accountable.'' Deplorable, says India India described the attack as a ''deplorable'' expression of the designs of terrorists. The external affairs ministry said in a statement that India will continue to support Afghanistan in fighting terrorism. ''The heinous attack on a hospital is the most deplorable expression of the diabolical designs of terrorists and those who continue to provide safe havens and sanctuaries to terrorists,'' the statement said. The assault came just a week after 16 people were killed in simultaneous Taliban suicide assaults on two security compounds in Kabul. Dozens were wounded as a suicide car bomber struck an Afghan police precinct in western Kabul and a five-hour gun battle ensued after another attacker sneaked in. In the second attack last week, a suicide bomber blew himself up at the gates of an Afghan intelligence agency branch in eastern Kabul. The carnage underscores rising insecurity. Afghanistan is bracing for an intense fighting season in the spring as the government's repeated bids to launch peace negotiations with the Taliban have failed. Afghan forces, already beset by record casualties, desertions and non-existent ''ghost soldiers'' on the payroll, have been struggling to beat back the Taliban since US-led NATO troops ended their combat mission in December 2014. Kabul last month endorsed US Gen John Nicholson's call for thousands of additional coalition troops to hold off the militants before the spring offensive. Extra troops were needed to end the stalemate in the war, Nicholson, the top US commander in Afghanistan, told the US Congress in what could be first major test of military strategy for President Donald Trump, who is yet to announce his policy for the war-torn country. The Islamic State has established a solid presence on Afghanistan's border with Pakistan and mounted several high-profile attacks on civilians in Kabul over the past year, including some on prominent Shia targets. California permits Uber to test driver-less technology Ride-hailing company Uber was yesterday granted a permit by California's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), to test two driver-less Volvo SUVs on public roads. The development clears the decks for the company to test its AV technology in California. According to agency spokeswoman, Jessica Gonzales, regulators also approved 48 people as backup drivers who must sit behind the wheel in case the prototype cars malfunction. The permit resolves the company's stand-off with authorities dating back to December when the DMV revoked registration of 16 Uber vehicles, which abruptly shut down the tests. The action stemmed from a dispute over a mandatory DMV permission for testing AV vehicles, which Uber claimed it did not need as it cars needed a person to monitor them and intervene if needed. The company argued its cars did not therefore meet the state's definition of an ''autonomous vehicle.'' Officials threatened to take the company to court following which Uber packed off its vehicles to Arizona, where it started picking up passengers last month. Uber later softened its stand and said it would cooperate with authorities on obtaining proper permits for its test cars. Uber said in a statement yesterday that it would not start ferrying passengers for now, as it did in Pittsburgh and a Phoenix suburb. The company also offered no details as to when the two Volvos would be driving on California roads. Uber now joins the list of over 20 companies including Waymo, Tesla and Baidu, that had been issued autonomous vehicle testing permits as of yesterday. According to commentators, the state's permit programme required companies to report all accidents involving the cars to authorities within 10 business days of the incident. Also, as the data was published online, Uber was probably not keen on sharing it in a competitive market they point out. The Donegal Democrat has been informed of the following deaths: - Rose McLaughlin, Clonglash, Buncrana - John McLaughlin, Glenagivney, Moville - Anne- Margaret Wilson, St. Johnston - Father Pat Prendergast, Inniskeel Parish, Glenties - Sister Assumpta Doherty, Ballyshannon and Kincasslagh - Sean Quinn, Lifford - Francis Browne, Mill Road, Glenties - Patrick Boyce, Downings - Danny Mc Gee, Tobberkeen Dungloe - John McGowan, Kinlough, Leitrim Rose McLaughlin, Clonglash, Buncrana The death has taken place of Rose McLaughlin, Clonglash, Buncrana. Reposing at her late residence. Removal on Friday at 10.15am to St. Marys Church, Cockhill for Requiem Mass at 11am.Burial afterwards in the adjoining cemetery. Sean Quinn Lifford The death has taken place at his home of Sean Quinn, late of The Roughan, Lifford and formerly of Ballyduff Terrace, Lifford. Funeral from his late residence tomorrow, Thursday March 9th, at 12.20 for Requiem in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Strabane at 1p.m, followed by interment in St Patrick`s Cemetery, Murlog, Lifford. Donations in lieu of flowers please to Alzheimer`s Society Ireland c/o Quigley Funeral Directors, 1A Newtown Place, Strabane. House strictly private. Sister Assumpta Doherty, Ballyshannon and Kincasslagh The death has occurred at Aras Mic Suighne Nursing Home, Laghey of Sister Assumpta Doherty, late of St. Catherines Convent, College Street, Ballyshannon and formerly of Kincasslagh. Reposing at St. Catherines Convent, College Street, Ballyshannon on Wednesday from 2pm to 7pm strictly. Funeral mass is at the convent on Thursday morning at 11am with burial afterwards in the Abbey cemetery, Ballyshannon. Father Pat Prendergast, Inniskeel Parish, Glenties The death has occurred in St Vincents Hospital, Dublin of Very Reverend Father Pat Prendergast, Parish Priest of Inniskeel Parish, Glenties. His remains will repose at his sister in law Mary Prendergasts residence Carolina House, Loughnagin, Letterkenny from 10pm on Tuesday 7th March. Family time tonight (Tuesday 7th March) from 11pm until 10am. Removal on Wednesday 8th March at 4.45pm going to St Conals Church, Glenties to arrive at 6pm to repose overnight. Requiem mass on Thursday, March 9, at 2pm, followed by interment in the local cemetery, Glenties. Enquiries to James Mc Guinness & Sons Funeral Directors Glenties. John McLaughlin, Glenagivney, Moville The sudden death has taken place of John McLaughlin, late of Glenagivney, Moville. He will be in repose at his brother-in-laws Patrick OHaras home, 65 Craigbrack Road, Eglinton, on Thursday, March 9, at 11.15 am for 12 noon Requiem Mass in Star of the Sea Church Faughanvale. Interment afterwards in the adjoining cemetery. Francis Browne, Mill Road, Glenties The death has taken place in Letterkenny University Hospital of Francis Browne, late of Mill Road, Glenties. In repose at his late residence. Removal from there on Thurs evening ( Mar 9th ) at 7pm going to St. Conals Church, Glenties to repose overnight. Funeral Mass on Friday morning, march 10, at 11am with burial afterwards in the local cemetery Glenties. Family time from 10.30pm till 12 noon on Thursday. Family flowers only donations if desired to the Friends of Letterkenny University Hospital c/o James Mc Guinness & son, Funeral Directors, Glenties. Patrick Boyce, Downings The death has taken place at Ramelton Nursing Unit of Patrick Boyce, late of Lower Meevagh, Downings. He is in repose at his late home. Funeral on Friday March 10th morning at 11am in the Church of St. John the Baptist for Requiem Mass at 11am with burial in Meevagh cemetery. Family time from 11pm till 11am. Danny Mc Gee, Tobberkeen Dungloe The death has taken place of Danny Mc Gee, late Tobberkeen, Dungloe. His remains will repose at his late residence with rosary nightly at 9pm. Funeral Mass on Friday 10th March at 11am in St. Cronas Church, Dungloe with internment afterwards in the adjoining cemetery. House private from 10pm till 10am. John McGowan, Kinlough, Leitrim Death has taken place at Sligo University Hospital, John McGowan, also known as John the Shoemaker late of Cloonawillin, Kinlough, Co, Leitrim. Reposing at his family home on Thursday from 4pm with removal to St. Aidans Church, Kinlough for funeral mass on Friday at 12 noon followed by burial in the new cemetery, Kinlough. Family flowers only please. Donations in lieu if desired to the North West Hospice, Sligo. House Private on Friday morning. * If you wish to have a death notice included, please e-mail: editorial@donegaldemocrat.com and include a contact telephone number for verification. Growing demand for physical therapy services has led Southeast Alabama Medical Center to establish a new clinic in west Dothan. Rehab Services West and Westway Medical Office, located at the intersection of West Main Street and John D. Odom Road, opened about a week ago and SAMC officials held a grand opening for the facility Wednesday. The new clinic includes a physical therapy practice with four therapists and Dr. Brandy Dukes family practice. Richard Sutton, SAMC CEO, said the new clinic gives the hospital the opportunity to provide quality services to more patients in the Dothan area. Big demand for physical therapy services at the hospitals existing clinic on the east side of town spurred development of the new clinic. We were seeing 180 patients a day there, said Anthony Eubanks, director of physical therapy. Eubanks said the existing clinic had outgrown its facility space and many patients were coming to the clinic from the west side of town. Establishing a new clinic in west Dothan was the logical solution. Eubanks said an aging population in need of physical therapy services along with an increase in fitness-minded individuals seeking advice for improvement and treatment for fitness-related injuries is spurring demand for physical therapy services. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, between 2014 and 2024, employment for physical therapists will grow by 34 percent. Eubanks said physical therapy can be a cost-effective treatment for pain issues caused by musculoskeletal problems, which is also driving demand for services. The new physical therapy clinic has four therapists, and Eubanks said the clinic hopes to soon see about 50 to 60 patients per day. Having Dukes family practice in the same facility makes referring patients who may have needs that cant be addressed by physical therapy easier, Eubanks said. Its really neat because its like a one-stop shop, he said. Duke has worked as a physician in Dothan since 2014. She completed a bachelors degree in chemistry from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. She earned her medical degree from Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Tulsa in 2007. Government is notorious for its disconnection among parts, often to great failing. For instance, in the intensive review of who knew what when following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, reams and reams of reports suggest, among many other things, that intelligence gathered in one agency or branch wasnt shared with other branches or agencies when having done so might have helped connect the dots on the terrorists nefarious plans. We hope the federal government has taken a lesson from such review. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, were pleased to see that different parts of state government do seem to be communicating on the future of embattled Gov. Robert Bentley, who is under investigation by the attorney generals office and potential impeachment by the legislature related to allegations of a romantic scandal and possible misuse of state resources. In light of former Alabama Attorney General Luther Stranges recent appointment by Bentley to fill Jeff Sessions U.S. Senate seat, many Alabamians are now unsure what to make of Stranges November request to the legislative judiciary committee that it hold off on impeachment proceedings because of a related investigation out of the AGs office. However, Ellen Brooks, a former Montgomery County district attorney now leading the AGs investigation as a special prosecutor, has also asked the judiciary committee to tread lightly. Her rationale makes sense; with competing investigations going on, theres a possibility that double jeopardy could come into play. A person cannot be tried twice for the same crime, and there is legal precedent that should prove cautionary. Whats important here is the pursuit of justice for the people of Alabama. If laws were broken, criminal charges must follow. If the trust of the people is violated through impeachable offenses, that avenue should be pursued. On Wednesday, the judiciary committee directed its attorney to proceed with his behind-the-scenes investigation, although there will be no public proceedings or hearings scheduled for the time being. Investigators, prosecutors and lawmakers must work from the same playbook to ensure the publics best interest is served. Cupertino-based tech firm giant Apple Inc is clearly on all fours again this year as the company is planning to release not only one but three major iterative updates to it iconic iPhone line-up. One of its forthcoming smartphones, however, may be released a little later than the other two. But as it looks, iPhone 8 may truly be worth the wait. A report from iGeneration has shared that STMicroelectronics has been tapped to be making sensors for the front 3D camera system of iPhone 8. The said major feature will make its debut on iPhone 8's OLED variant. In addition, the 3D camera should be able to detect depths of objects that are projected in front of the device. As such, this feature may play a major role in the device's speculated facial recognition developments. The report has also indicated what the CEO of STMicroelectronics shared in terms of his firm's commitment to providing such feature to iPhone 8. Despite not naming Apple or iPhone 8 categorically, the CEO has shared and expected "a contract recently taken [will lead to] substantial revenues expected in the second half of 2017." Meanwhile, the same publication's report has suggested beefing up the production of the 3D sensor for iPhone 8's camera system may take time. This entails that the supplier may not be ready to ship the technology for a September release, as it was heavily speculated recently for the release of iPhone 8. Also, this rumor was corroborated by Macotakara, projecting that the more premium variant of the upcoming model will be launched a little later than the two other devices that are dubbed at the moment as "iPhone 7S". iPhone 8's more premium variant is tipped to come with 5.8-inch OLED display, a larger battery, 3D camera, a wireless charging functionality and a bezel-less front. The rumored OLED iPhone 8 is also speculated to come with a hefty price of more than $1000, as per Macworld. Louth hotel and guesthouse owners are reporting a good start to the year, according to an industry survey undertaken by the Irish Hotels Federation. Most say business levels are up compared to this time last year and are also seeing an increase in advance bookings. However, while hoteliers nationally have a positive outlook for their business in 2017, on the back of a record year for tourism in 2016, their optimism is tinged with caution. Half of those surveyed say that the fall in sterling has already had a direct effect on their business. Nationally, 74% of hoteliers are seeing an even better start to this year than last. The strong growth in business levels from the US looks set to continue in 2017 with 48% reporting an increase from this important market. Visitor numbers from German and French markets are proving buoyant too. One third of premises are reporting an increase in German visitors so far this year and nearly one in five are benefiting from increased business from France. 44% are reporting an increase in bookings from the US while 30% are seeing a rise in bookings from Germany; one in six say bookings are up from France. Domestic tourism is also proving positive, which is particularly important for those regions outside the main cities and tourism hot spots that have not benefitted significantly from the recovery in overseas tourism in recent years. Already this year two thirds of hotels and guesthouses are reporting an increase in business levels from home grown visitors with most also seeing a rise in advance bookings too. Almost half say they will increase staffing levels during 2017 and Mr Martin Daly, IHF Mourne/Boyne/Lakes Branch Chair, said that the industry is on target to create a further 40,000 jobs by 2021. Tourism already employs in excess of 220,000 people, making it one of Irelands largest indigenous industries and has supported the creation of almost 60,000 new jobs during the last five years. According to Mr Daly hotels and guesthouses growing confidence in the performance of the tourism sector, coupled with increased competitiveness from a VAT rate that is more aligned with EU competitors, are also evident in the number of hoteliers planning to invest further in their businesses. The IHF survey reveals that 91% intend to undertake some capital expenditure projects during 2017. Most plan to refurbish and redecorate their premises while one in six intend to increase their facilities with extensions to their properties. 43% are also investing significantly in guest technology, increasing the broadband width available in their properties as well as offering the latest in-room Smart TVs and flat screens. This is to cater for guests who are increasingly seeking to bring their own content with them when they travel to watch the same programmes they would at home. BREXIT There is no doubt that we are seeing a negative impact from Brexit and the sterling differential on 2017 bookings from our key market of Great Britain. This is before any details of what an actual split from the UK will look like and is concerning. It is our biggest tourism market and while we are seeing growth from other EU and long-haul markets, that new growth needs to be faster and sustainable if it is to have any real prospect of replacing the value and numbers of our nearest neighbours, says Mr Daly. Tourism in one of Irelands largest indigenous industries and makes an enormous contribution to the countrys economy, reaching into every village and town in Ireland. We have seen good growth in recent years, although from a low base, and the general outlook for the year amongst our members is positive and we are on target to create a further 40,000 jobs by 2021. However, our industry has always been dependent on the economic conditions of our major source markets. When they sneeze, we stand to get the cold. It is critical that there is continuous new product development and marketing. The Wild Atlantic Way and more recently Irelands Ancient East show the positive impact that creative and innovative products can have on Irish tourism success, re-invigorating regional areas with new compelling reasons to visit. We cannot overstate the importance of keeping our tourism product fresh and relevant. Its vital to sustaining and broadening Irelands appeal to existing and new source markets. For many hoteliers, though, the cost of doing business in Ireland continues to be challenging with many citing excessive rising insurance premiums and excessive local authority rates as the most pressing issues. These were followed by high labour and utility costs. What happened in February 1933 that greatly affected the town? On January 31, 1933, the G.N.R. (I) network came to a standstill as signal men, porters, engine drivers and firemen went on strike over pay and working hours and the strike threatened to close the Locomotive Works at Ardee Road in which over 800 men were employed. To make matters worse the only passenger train still in service between Dublin and Belfast was derailed near Dromiskin on the morning of Wednesday February 4 and, as result, two men from Dublin were killed and several local people injured. Suspicion fell on persons employed at the Works but the vast majority of those who worked there were appalled by the action and condemned it. The strike was not settled for another two months. How did St. Helena Park get its name? It is not, as you might expect, named after St. Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine, but the island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean where the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was imprisoned after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo. In January 1916 the Dundalk Urban District Council decided to create the public park on ground that had been donated to the previous local authority, the Town Commissioners, by the Fourth Earl of Roden in the early 1870s. The Urban Council was dominated by nationalist members and most of them were admirers of Napoleon! Which Dundalk product was called 'Kerry Blue? This was a cheaper brand of cigarette that was manufacture by the P.J. Carroll tobacco manufacturing company until the 1950s. It was produced to compete with the small 'Wills Woodbine' cigarettes which were sold in packets of five. The 'Kerry Blue' cigarettes were sold in blue coloured packets of ten and had a drawing of a terrier dog of that breed on the front. When was the Dundalk Labourers' Society founded? This Society was formed at meeting Earl Street in 1871. It was formed as a friendly benefit society and its object was to improve the working conditions of lower paid workers in town as they were earning very little. The Trade Unions Act was passed that year, which permitted trade unions to be formed legally for the first time in Britain. The Society flourished and purchased a site for their meetings at 57, Clanbrassil Street in 1886. They had a large membership at the beginning of the last century and became the basis for the local Trade Unions Council. Two TU Delft researchers will participate in the third International programme on ocean energy for young researchers in Japan. This participation is one of the first activities under an agreement that was signed by four Japanese and Dutch parties on Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) on 8 February, in Tokyo, Japan. In the presence of Dutch ambassador in Japan Aart Jacobi (middle on top photo), the agreement was signed by four parties. On behalf of the academia the agreement was signed by professor dr. Shuichi Nagata (second left) of the Institute of Ocean Energy of Saga University and by Henk Polinde (second right) of the Ocean Energy Platform of Delft University of Technology. On behalf of the industry it was signed by Sadayuki Jitsuhara (left) of Japanese manufacturer of heat exhangers Xenesys and by Joost Kirkenier (right) of Dutch OTEC technology provider Bluerise. 100kW OTEC demonstration plant at Kumejima Island, near Okinawa, Japan, which has been built by a consortium of companies including Xenesys. Saga University New heat exchanger One of the first activities under the agreement is the participation of two researchers of the Delft university of technology in the 3rd International Program on ocean energy for young researchers in Japan. Another collaborative activity is the development of new heat exchangers for large scale OTEC plants. There is much to gain using the latest advancements in materials, manufacturing techniques and computational capacity. Seminar on breakthrough technologies For the occasion the Dutch embassy in Tokyo had organized a seminar on developments in the field of OTEC and other innovative Marine Energy Solutions. It gathered a big audience of people working on these breakthrough energy technologies and helped promote our partnership. Among others, the development of new and improved heat exchangers for large scale OTEC facilities was discussed, being one of the key factors for efficient, economic and sustainable OTEC systems. Partnerships between industry and academia are of vital importance to validate research findings and commercialize applications. REDStack plant on the closure dam Afsluitdijk, the Netherlands, that produces electricity by reverse electro dialysis, using fresh and salt water from each side of the dam. Visit to the Netherlands The signing follows a visit of a Japanese delegation to the Netherlands in November last year. The Japanese experts attended the fourth International OTEC conference and visited some of the innovative Dutch marine energy companies and test facilities, such as Tocardo, Fishflow Innovations, REDstack and the Tidal Testing Centre at the closure dam Afsluitdijk. About Ocean thermal energy conversion Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) is a marine renewable energy technology that generates electricity by exchanging heat with the warm water from the ocean surface and with the cold water from the deep ocean. The exchanged heat drives a Rankine Cycle, which converts it to electricity. The technology is viable primarily in equatorial areas where the year-round temperature differential is at least 20 degrees Celsius. OTEC generates electricity by exchanging heat with the warm water from the ocean surface and with the cold water from the deep ocean. About Bluerise In cooperation with the Delft university of technology, the Dutch start-up company Bluerise designed and constructed a room size demonstration of an advanced OTEC power plant. The small-scale working power-extraction cycle is a proof-of-principle and a real innovation, since it will be the first mini OTEC plant demonstrating the chosen advanced cycle. About Ocean Energy Platform of Delft University of Technology Ocean Energy Platform stimulates research and education in ocean energy application at Delft University of Technology. The platform develops a joint research agenda, actively pursues funding opportunities, stimulates internal knowledge exchange, and takes care of external communication about ocean energy. This news item was originally published on the websites of Ocean Energy Platform, Saga University and Xenesys. Read also on this website Ambitious 850 million reinforcement will make the Afsluitdijk a new icon of Dutch flood protection, 15 May 2015 Dutch tidal testing centre hits water with array of Tocardo turbines in Afsluitdijk, the Netherlands, 23 February 2015 Dutch King opens world's first RED power plant driven on fresh-salt water mixing, 26 November 2014 More information Delft University of Technology Ocean Energy Platform Delft, the Netherlands +31 15 27 86594 www. oceanenergy.tudelft.nl Bluerise Delft, the Netherlands +31 624 697 065 www.bluerise.nl Dutch Marine Energy Centre www.dutchmarineenergy.com office@dutchmarineenergy.com Video of the presentation of the EU funded project Energising deltas that combined sustainable energy generation with water safety and water management. As someone who travels a fair amount as part of my job, Im well versed in the art form of packing luggage. The last thing I want is to lug around extra weight that just isnt necessary, especially when travelling domestically or heading interstate just for the day. And its not only for convenience, airline checked baggage fares can be incredibly high, so I try to avoid them at all costs. Here are a few of the things its best to leave at home if you can. Shoes Heres the thing. Its very easy to get into a mindset of oh, but what if I go out for dinner? or these slippers would help keep me comfortable on the plane, but the less shoes you bring, the better. Shoes are heavy. And not only heavy, but big and bulky. Shoes consume precious space, so if youre planning on packing multiple pairs, think about whether you really need them. On a trip interstate for a day or overnight, its probably not necessary to bring options. And for longer trips or international travel, if youre going to bring multiple pairs, make sure to wear the heaviest ones on the plane. Toiletries Again, theyre heavy. Think about whether youre staying somewhere overnight and if you are, whether its likely there will be shampoo, conditioner and soap freebies in your hotel. As most accommodation does provide this with the room, its generally quite accessible. If youre a creature of habit and have a certain brand or product preference that you need, then thats okay, just try to track down a mini version. Nobody wants to lug around unnecessary full-sized shampoos, conditioners, body washes or anything else. Also bear in mind that toiletries can explode with high air pressure, so wrap them in a plastic or ziplock bag to protect your belongings! Valuables This one is mostly for the ladies. Dont pack valuable or precious jewellery. You most likely wont need it and the hassle of it getting lost or even stolen (especially if its priceless or sentimental to you) is far more stress than you need on your trip. While these items might not necessarily be heavy or inconvenient, just remember that you probably wont need to wear your highest quality belongings. Unnecessary weather protection This may sound vague, but what I mean is dont try to predict the weather or pack for all climates. Check the forecast for wherever youre going before you pack. If youre heading to Queensland in January, youre not likely to need a woolen jumper. However, if youre going to London, you will. Its important to know the location and the weather and make executive decisions based on what time of year it is. If you think you probably wont need something, its easy to remove it and purchase it when you get there if the need arises. If in doubt, take it out. Food You. Do. Not. Need. To. BYO. Meals. Or. Snacks. Dont worry, I wont say it a second time. If youre travelling internationally and youre feeling a little sentimental about the lack of Vegemite (or anything else notoriously Australian), you may want to reconsider your urge to bring it with you. You dont need to bring food from home and most of the basics youll be able to find overseas anyway. While I can understand buying snacks at the airport to keep yourself entertained and comfy on your flight I actually endorse this taking food for later on in your trip is unnecessary. If youre going to be overseas for a long enough time that youll actually miss the food from back home, you can have someone ship some food to you later. Its not needed in your luggage. Water Firstly, you cant take water with you through security onto a plane when youre travelling internationally. Secondly, airlines literally have to give you free water whenever you ask for it. If you want a water bottle, thats okay, but dont buy an enormous one before you check in because its likely that it will be confiscated. You dont need to bring your whole life with you on your next trip. Whether youre heading interstate for a day or overseas for a month, some of these things are okay to ditch. About the author History remembered at new housing venture in Staffordshire Fradley's history will live on with a new development named after aircraft that flew via RAF Lichfield during World War II. Award-winning housebuilder Redrow has detailed consent to build 69 homes on 6.6 acres of land at Hay End Lane, next to the former airfield. In recognition of the areas historic links in training aircrew using Wellington bombers, the development has been named Wellington Place. Pauline Turnbull, sales director for Redrow Homes (Midlands), explains: Its almost 60 years since RAF Lichfield ceased to operate and, while the land has been redeveloped over the years, its important that we remember the important role it played during World War II. Wellington Place will offer 52 private sale properties, plus 17 affordable homes. Its not just the name of the development that gives a nod to the past. Designs are from Redrows Heritage Collection, offering a choice of two, three and four-bedroom homes that look traditional, taking inspiration from the architecture of the Arts & Crafts era. Along with the homes, Redrow will create a play area within the development and there will also be an area of public open space. The housebuilder has also committed to a package of community investment known as a section 106 agreement totalling 900,000. Its important that when we build new homes we also invest in the wider neighbourhood for the benefit of everyone who lives there, Pauline says. For example, in Fradley were building family homes and so weve agreed to gift around 700,000 to education in the area. The new homes are being built close to the Coventry Canal, just half a mile from the centre of the village. The village hall, skate park and ball court, primary school, post office and village green are all within a 10-minute walk; while Lichfield is 10 minutes away by car. With the first homes at Wellington Place coming soon, potential purchasers are invited to register their interest now via the website redrow.co.uk/wellington. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Union (EU) are celebrating a landmark achievement, the conclusion of the 500th advisory project for small businesses in Egypt under the Banks Advice for Small Business Programme funded by the EU. The support of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) is an integral part of the impact the EBRDs work is having in Egypt by playing an important role in strengthening economic resilience. To mark this achievement, the EBRD hosted an event in Cairo which was attended by the Charge d'Affaires a.i. of the EU Delegation to Egypt, Mr Reinhold Brender; and many business representatives and international donors. Offering support to small businesses is a key priority for the EBRD and the EU as they represent the backbone of the economy in Egypt. Financing and consultancy services have been provided to many enterprises in cooperation with partner banks and micro-finance institutions under the umbrella of the EBRDs Small Business Initiative. In addition to financing, the Bank also provides business advice through local and international experts to help MSMEs become catalysts for growth in the local and regional economies. Janet Heckman, EBRD Managing Director for the southern and eastern Mediterranean and Director for Egypt, said: We are very happy about this achievement. SMEs are a priority for the EBRD in Egypt as they are the largest job creators in the country. Up to 90 per cent of all employment opportunities come from this part of the economy and this is especially important to reduce youth unemployment. Many small businesses are also run by women and support for these enterprises is crucial. Claudio Viezzoli, EBRD Managing Director for SME Finance and Development said: We are proud to provide expertise, knowledge and funding to vital Egyptian businesses. Finance alone is not enough for the growth of this sector - through our business advice, we are helping transform the performance of thousands of small businesses leading to sustainable and inclusive growth in markets across the country and the region. Reinhold Brender, Charge d'Affaires a.i. of the EU Delegation to Egypt noted: "Support for the private sector, and in particular to MSMEs, is one of the EUs key priorities to promote economic development for inclusive growth and job creation in the Southern Neighbourhood South. The EBRDs Advice for Small Business Programme forms part of the wider EU Initiative for Financial Inclusion. We are very satisfied with the EBRD's involvement in this initiative and count on the Bank to continue the joint implementation with the EU as well as the other European financial institutions EIB, AFD and KfW. The partnership between the EU and Egypt is founded on the Association Agreement signed in 2004. The EBRDs Advice for Small Business programme offers diversified market experiences through working with local and international consultants who have expertise and knowledge in the field of innovation and attracting financing opportunities as well as high track records in turning the younger generations into business entrepreneurs. One year after completion of an advisory project, we evaluate our projects to assess the impact the advice has had on the enterprise and those results are strong. Most of our assisted enterprises have reported an increase in annual turnover by an average of 61percent. In addition more than 50 per cent of assisted enterprises since 2012 have reported an increase in number of employees, thus creating more than 3,000 new jobs. The EBRD has invested over 2.3 billion in Egypt through 43 projects since the start of its activities in the country at the end of 2012. The Banks areas of investment include the financial sector, agribusiness, manufacturing and services, as well as infrastructure projects such as power, municipal water and wastewater services and support to transport services. Hes willing to enable a dictatorship to live out his dream of transferring trillions to the richest How did a president who promised insurance for everyone end up backing a bill that will uninsure millions? The answer is simple: Paul Ryan. This doesnt assume that Trump would want anything better or wants anything at all but massive tax-free gains for himself and his family. But its important to note that the repeal bill Republicans are hoping to push through looks pretty much what it would look like if Paul Ryan were elected president or Mitt Romney were elected president after absorbing all of Paul Ryans ideas and the actual Paul Ryan into his campaign. Trump once proposed single-payer health care because he thought it could win him the presidency. Now hes betting his presidency on the opposite. Donald Trumps agenda is Paul Ryans agenda. Its a monumental fraud, as Greg Sargent calls it, on Trumps working class voters. But Trump is happy to oblige, since Ryans agenda essentially matches his and his donors basic world view the rich should get richer, polluters and bankers should feel free to victimize whomever they please and women and minorities are inherently suspect thus must be subject to strict government controls. Important point: the Ryancare debacle has nothing to do with Trump. This is about the intellectual and moral emptiness of the GOP as a whole Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) March 7, 2017 As Krugman notes, the cruelty of the GOPs plot to uninsure the poor to make life for the rich a bit easier is inherently a GOP plot. But never forget that it would be impossible without Donald Trump whose master salesmanship and even more masterful lying sold workers and aging white Americans. Without the innovation of promising terrific greatness to voters put into a white panic, no one was ever going to buy Paul Ryans Ayn Rand plan to teach the poor how to choose richer parents. Ryans reluctance to embrace Trump last year impressed some as a sign that there was some substance to the man. But we know now that the only reason Ryan objected to Trump was that the Speaker didnt think he could win and might even cost him his majority. We know this because now that Trump has won, Ryan is now actively enabling Trump on the presidents path to becoming a dictator. Its hard to tell which Republican policies are purposely enabling dictatorship and which are just a typical right-wing attempt to put corporations in charge of our lives. But there are several areas in which Ryan is clearly signing off on Trumps march to authoritarianism. This starts with scientists meant to protect our air and water being silenced. And it continues with starving the agencies meant to protect consumers and collect taxes, even though this will cost the government and consumers more in the long run. A Trump executive order aims to eliminate 75% to 80% of US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations, and a new law tells agencies to put corporate profits above environmental, health, and consumer protections. Starving the public of the protections and information we need to be kept safe doesnt just enable plutocratic powers to profit off endangering people, it enforces a dictatorial control. The foremost example of this is Trumps tax returns. Rather than failing to demand them, the GOP Congress is burying any investigations that might reveal his conflicts. The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee has done more to clear Trumps name than reveal his campaigns ties to Russia, a country that sought to elect him after he changed his partys platform in the countrys favor. And the House Oversight Committee is refusing to consider obvious violations of the emoluments clause of the Constitution or an obvious pay-to-pay scheme in Mar-A-Lago where members are charged a fee, recently doubled $200,000, and given direct access to Trump and world leaders. Theres a risk in getting bogged down in this Russia conspiracy because it distracts from Trumps massive conflicts of interest. But the even bigger risk is it take the focus off Paul Ryans agenda of transferring trillions in wealth to the very richest. Heres how Jonathan Cohn described Paul Ryans budget proposal in 2012: Ryan envisions a reduction in non-defense discretionary spending to levels this country hasnt had since just after World War II. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, by 2050 most of the federal government aside from Social Security, health care, and defense would cease to exist. Thats everything from air traffic control to medical research to food inspections to Pell Grants, by the way. If the Ryan budget somehow became reality then you might have to give up on college and avoid air travelassuming you survived the food poisoning and killer diseases. Without Trump, he would never had a chance to make this dystopia our reality. But lets never forget that this nightmare were living in is Paul Ryans dream come true. 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United States. The Trump administration also filed a motion to delay trial preparation until after its appeal is considered. Kids Name Trump as Defendant in Landmark Climate Case https://t.co/ONB3XOIRo5 Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) February 10, 2017 Further, the Trump administration asked for expedited review of both motions, arguing the plaintiffs Jan. 24 letter requesting the government to retain records relating to climate change and communications between the government and the fossil fuel industry was overly burdensome. The excerpt from the governments stay motion said: Plaintiffs intend to seek discovery relating to virtually all of the federal governments activities relating to control of CO2 emissions Compounding the United States burdens, Plaintiffs have indicated that their intended discovery has a temporal scope of more than sixty years Absent relief, there will most certainly be depositions of federal government fact witnesses that will explore the extraordinarily broad topic of climate change and the federal governments putative knowledge over the past seven decades. Yet, in another complex case regarding the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and BP, the U.S. produced more than 17 million pages of documents from April to September of 2011. Plaintiffs maintain that their requests are limited, reasonable and aimed at getting to trial this fall. Appeals typically do not occur until a trial court has issued final rulings following the presentation of evidence, but the Trump administration is asking federal Magistrate Judge Coffin to exercise his discretion to allow the case to proceed to the Court of Appeals before final judgment. Attorneys representing fossil fuel industry defendants are expected to file papers supporting the governments motions on Friday. The Trump administration argues that this is a big case and so the burdens of preserving government documents warrant an expedited review, Julia Olson, plaintiffs counsel and executive director of Our Childrens Trust, said. Theyre right. It is a big case. We have a classic example of the governments misplaced priorities: They prefer to minimize their procedural obligations of not destroying government documents over the urgency of not destroying our climate system for our youth plaintiffs and all future generations? In the governments answer to the youth plaintiffs complaint, they admitted that the use of fossil fuels is a major source of [carbon dioxide] emissions, placing our nation on an increasingly costly, insecure and environmentally dangerous path. The case was brought by 21 young plaintiffs who argue that their constitutional and public trust rights are being violated by the governments creation of climate danger. Judge Ann Aikens November order denied motions to dismiss brought by both the Obama administration and fossil fuel industry defendants. This request for appeal is an attempt to cover up the federal governments long-running collusion with the fossil fuel industry, Alex Loznak, 20-year-old plaintiff and Columbia University student, said. My generation cannot wait for the truth to be revealed. These documents must be uncovered with all deliberate speed, so that our trial can force federal action on climate change. Other pre-trial developments During Wednesdays telephonic case management conference between attorneys for the parties and Magistrate Judge Thomas Coffin, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) took the view that the Trump administration, will have the opportunity to use executive privilege to prevent the release of evidence in the possession of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). DOJ attorneys said they recently informed the White House that NARA was in the process of gathering documents requested by the plaintiffs. It is the DOJs view that former Presidents George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, will have the opportunity to bar release of the records of their respective administrations, but President Trump will ultimately have the authority to bar release of any and all NARA records. The next Juliana v. United States case management conference with Judge Coffin is scheduled for April 7 and will be telephonic. Attorneys for youth plaintiffs are in the process of compiling a list of prospective witnesses to be deposed, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and expect to provide that list to defendants next week. Youth Seek Testimony From Exxon's Rex Tillerson in Federal Climate Lawsuit https://t.co/c8kaz4lKkM @ClimateDesk @globalgreen EcoWatch (@EcoWatch) December 30, 2016 Juliana v. United States is one of many related legal actions brought by youth in several states and countries, all supported by Our Childrens Trust, seeking science-based action by governments to stabilize the climate system. (Photo: Peter Kenny / Ecumenical News)Israeli settlements expand in sight of Bethlehem on the West Bank photographed in February 2016. The World Council of Churches is gravely concerned about a new law which reportedly forbids granting entry visas to foreigner who call for economic, cultural or academic boycotts of either Israel or the "Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories." The "Entry to Israel Act (Denial of Visa to Non-Residents Who Knowingly Call for a Boycott on Israel)" apparently makes no distinction between boycotting Israel proper and boycotting products of the settlements, which are widely considered illegal under international law, said the WCC in a statement on March 9. "If reports of its content and intent are correct, this law is a shockingly regressive law," said WCC general secretary Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit. The American Jewish Committee said it was "troubled" by the new Israeli law banning entry to foreigners who publicly call for boycotting the Jewish state or its settlements. "Every nation, of course, is entitled to regulate who can enter," AJC CEO David Harris, said March 7 quoted in The Forward. "But barring entry to otherwise qualified visitors on the basis of their political views will not by itself defeat BDS, nor will it help Israel's image as the beacon of democracy in the Middle East it is, or offer opportunities to expose them to the exciting and pulsating reality of Israel," Harris said. The AJC's statement, released a day after the law's passage, was the first signal from the American Jewish establishment that it was unhappy with the law. The Forward noted that nn array of American groups on the left - including J Street, Americans for Peace Now, Ameinu, the New Israel Fund and T'ruah, a rabbinical human rights group denounced the law as soon as it passed. The law passed March 6 will apply to those who suppport the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement or BDS as it is often referred to. "It would be a clear violation of freedom of expression that is critical for those who want to visit Israel, for those who have to live under the occupation, and for those who want access to the Palestinian territories. It is also a significant violation of freedom of religion," said the WCC's Tveit. "It is precisely because of our Christian principles and teachings that we in the World Council of Churches find the purchase and consumption of goods produced in Israeli settlements in the occupied territories immoral," said Tveit. He noted, "It is for the same reason many churches and Christians around the world choose to divest from companies that profit from the illegal occupation." Tveit observed that, if strictly applied according to its reported terms, "this new legislation would have the effect of barring representatives of many churches around the world from entering Israel." The churches would be prevented from "accompanying sister churches and fellow Christians in the region, and from visiting the holy places for Christians." This could impact the religious freedom of many Christians around the world, and it harms Christians in Israel and Palestine. "It could mean that I cannot, as general secretary of the WCC, visit our member churches in Israel and Palestine any more, nor go to the holy sites." WCC REPRESENTS 560 MILLION CHRISTIANS The WCC, a grouping of churches representing more than 560 million Christians globally says it has encouraged its member churches to consider in their own contexts appropriate non-violent means of opposing the occupation and of working for a just peace in Israel and Palestine. It says they should do this according to their own moral principles and teachings. The WCC said it has a specific and longstanding policy inviting member churches to boycott Israeli settlement products and to re-consider their investments from the same perspective, and many of them have made statements and taken actions accordingly. "The WCC affirms and supports Israel's right to exist, categorically rejects violence as a means of resolving the conflict, and has described anti-Semitism as a sin against God," stressed Tveit. "But we, together with the United Nations and the vast majority of the international community, consider Israel's 50 year-long occupation of the occupied Palestinian territories as illegal. "And on this basis the WCC has encouraged boycotting goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied territories, divestment from companies that benefit from the occupation, investment in Palestinian enterprises that can stimulate the local economy, but not a general boycott of or sanctions against Israel." Tveit said the WCC seeks an equal measure of justice and dignity for all people and wants a just peace for Israelis and Palestinians alike. Tveit said, however, "this legislation represents a form of isolationism that cannot be in Israel's best interests as a member of the international community, let alone of the people of the region. "It is a critical shift in the way Israel relates to the rest of the world, and also in their role as guardians of holy places for three religions. I hope and pray it will not prove to be the government's actual policy and practice." As many on the left decry U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, they overlook what they may have in common with the new secretary: a skepticism of test-based accountability policy and top-down reform. DeVos comment last month to the conservative website Townhall that the teachers shed met during her first public school visit were in receive mode was widely viewed as a criticism of teachers. But her intended target appeared to be the role that current federal education policy plays in the classroom. In the controversial interview, DeVos referred to the teachers she had visited as wonderful, genuine, sincere, but noted: Theyre waiting to be told what they have to do, and thats not going to bring success to an individual child. You have to have teachers who are empowered to facilitate great teaching. When the Twittersphere blew up in frustration, which included a disgruntled tweet by the school and retweets by the schools teachers, DeVos responded a couple of times on Twitter to clarify, including: .@JATrojans Great teachers deserve freedom and flexibility, not to constantly be on the receiving end of government dictates. In fact, DeVos rhetoric from before and after the Townhall dustup calls for greater school and teacher autonomy. After 15 years of federal education policy aimed at sanctioning schools and teachers based on test scores, such statements should come as a breath of fresh air for critics of test-based accountability. Since President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law in January 2002, the governing assumption of federal education policy has been that teachers need the threat of sanction to work harder. Under NCLB, a sequence of consequences befell schools that did not consistently increase the share of students scoring proficient on math and reading tests. Under the Obama administration, these regulations were augmented by Race to the Top incentives for expanding school choice (a priority DeVos shares) and for tying teacher evaluations to students test-score growth. In truth, the best evidence suggests that accountability pressures do drive school improvement. Several carefully executed studies have demonstrated that No Child Left Behind led to modest gains in student achievement. For instance, a 2009 Northwestern University study found positive NCLB effects on 4th and 8th grade National Assessment of Educational Progress math scores, using Catholic and other private schools as a comparison group. In 2011, researchers writing in the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management reported improvement in NAEP math scores in states that had weak school accountability structures prior to No Child Left Behind. And that same year, the National Bureau of Economic Research published a study that among schools that were on the threshold of sanction under the law. At the same time, NCLB accountability carried well-documented limitations, including schools narrowing of their curricula to focus on the tested subjects of math and reading and the narrowing of pedagogy to emphasize test-taking skills. Whether this trade-off is worth it depends on whether one is focused on strengthening the safety net beneath weaker schools or allowing innovation to flourish. As a society, we have to care about both. DeVos federal role will force her to grapple in new ways with this balancing act, and there is reason to believe that she may take the charge seriously. Though her limited command of federal education policy during her confirmation hearings raised concerns across the political spectrum, her early weeks in office have taken a very different tack from those of the president who appointed her, with the exception of some gaffes along the way. On Day 1 of her appointment, her all-staff speech to the Education Department expressed her desire to collaborate across differing perspectives and to learn from her colleagues. On Day 2, she reached out to the heads of both national teachers unions and made plans for school visits with Randi Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers. On Day 3, she sent a letter to the chief state schools officers noting that she expects them to stay the course in implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act, which supplanted No Child Left Behind. DeVos rhetoric from before and after the Townhall dustup calls for greater school and teacher autonomy." Although DeVos comments to Townhall about her school visit ignited a Twitter storm, other remarks from that interview evinced diplomacy. For instance, she deliberately avoided the interviewers bait to blame social problems on absent fathers and to call for more religion in schools, instead simply noting that schools need to focus on the whole child. In her second week in office, news reports alleged that DeVos had argued against Trumps decision to roll back Obama-era guidelines protecting transgender students in schools. And in a subsequent statement, she insisted that the department was committed to protecting all students, including LGBTQ students ... from bullying and harassment. That, along with a subsequent interview she gave at this years Conservative Political Action Conference, suggests that she takes seriously the departments commitment to students rights and safety. To be sure, DeVos is a conservative whose comments at CPAC left no doubt as to her ongoing preference for market-based over government-based approaches to school reform. But if she was genuine in telling her Education Department colleagues that there is no greater achievement in the world than positively changing the life of a child ... through education, then her commitment to the ideology of school choice will have to be tempered by regional questions of scalability, transparency, and quality in ways that may have been less urgent in her prior role as an advocate. Empirically minded people can disagree about the relative promise of choice versus top-down accountability, as long as they stay grounded in evidence and pragmatism. In the meantime, if DeVos emphasis on local and classroom autonomy were to help reframe teachers as problems-solvers rather than problems, that could be a small step toward fostering more humane and locally responsive schools. What DeVos and her fellow Republicans must avoid is swinging the pendulum so far toward deregulation that the luck of geography, wealth, and parentage become even stronger educational determinants than they already are. Free public education, though far from equal and far from perfect, has been an economic engine and an opportunity ladder for many generations of Americans. Meaningful improvement lies in capitalizing on its strengthsoften, its teachersrather than framing them as its downfall. When DeVos reframes the education problem from teachers to one of accountability overreach, those on the left should see not a rejection, but a partial reflection of their ideals and a window for an evidence-based dialogue on expanding educational opportunity. For updates and a chance to win a free book, become a Teacher Book Club member . There is no achievement gap at birth, MacArthur genius award recipient Lisa Delpit affirms at the outset of her new book, Multiplication Is for White People": Raising Expectations for Other Peoples Children . If we do not recognize the brilliance before us, we cannot help but carry on the stereotypic societal views that these [African-American] children are somehow damaged goods and that they cannot be expected to succeed. In this title, Delpit, whose previous bookthe acclaimed yet controversial Other Peoples Childrenwas published 16 years ago, delves into the school factors that have contributed to the achievement gap. She makes the case that African-American students do not achieve to their potential because theyre hindered by societys deeply ingrained bias of equating blackness with inferiority, the effects of stereotype threat, and curriculum that is not meaningful to them. More simply, she argues, they are not being taught effectively. To educate our children, Delpit writes, teachers need a deep understanding of where they come from and what knowledge they bring to class. We must learn who our children aretheir lived cultures; their interests; and their intellectual, political, and historical legacies. In addition, she writes, teachers must be warm demanders, meaning that they need to communicate clear, high expectations and hold students accountable for their performance, but also show care and concern. Delpit goes on to take education reform efforts to task. The recent focus on test prep and basic skills, especially in low-performing urban schools, deprives students of opportunities to exercise their critical thinking, she writes. Charter schools find ways to counsel out the most challenging student populations. And, according to Delpit, the proliferation of alternative-certification programs that put high-achieving graduates from competitive universities into low-income schoolsTeach for America being the emblematic onehas led to the displacement of veteran African-American teachers in favor of young, mostly white teachers. Whatever else we might do, school reform must include efforts to recruit and sustain local, African-American teachers, she contends. Through anecdotes based on her many classroom visits and her experiences with her own daughters education, Delpit paints a picture of a system with pervasive inequities. She recounts an instance in which an African-American student asked a tutor: Why you trying to teach me to multiply, Ms. L.? Black people dont multiply; black people just add and subtract. White people multiply. Too often, Delpit explains, African-American students respond to the notion that they will not achieve by disidentifying with the institutions that think so poorly of them. But the outlook is not all bleak. By cultivating genuine relationships with students, individual teachers are making a difference, she says. For these teachers, she writes, their success is not because their skin color matches their students but because they know the lives and culture of their students. Knowing students is a prerequisite for teaching them well. Liana Heitin The DJI Mavic Pro has been always compared with its sibling DJI Phantom 4 but it seems that these two drones are really powerful in its own ways. Now, the pride of the Chinese tech company will battle out against GoPro Karma drone to prove which one should be on top. According to Auto World News, both DJI Mavic Pro and GoPro Karma are reflected as two completely different drones. Nevertheless, the possibility of being compared with one another is really high given that some users wanted to know if they have a powerful device The DJI Mavic Pro and GoPro Karma came from the two popular names in the drone industry and these devices almost have same features and specifications so it is reasonable to make comparisons between the two. Moreover, PetaPixel made a keen comparison between the DJI Mavic Pro and GoPro Karma Drone. Starting with the weight, the DJI Mavic Pro only weighs 1.62 pounds while the GoPro Karma is bulkier as it weighs at 2.22 pounds. The portability aspect is also important specifically for those tech enthusiasts who are there for adventure and exploration. When folded, the DJI Mavic Pro measures 83 x 83 x 198mm as compared to Karma which measures 89.9 x 224.3 x 356.2mm.Based on the numbers, the DJI Mavic Pro is meaningfully more portable seeing its measurements making it easier and more convenient to bring in different locations. Another important aspect is the time wherein the essence and speed are the primary prerequisites. The DJI Mavic Pro is faster since it has the ability to fly at 40mph while on Sport Mode. On the other hand, the GoPro Karma only is capable of flying at 35mph. Additionally, the DJI Mavic Pro is also fortified with obstacle sensors which were called the FlightAutonomy obstacle avoidance system. Meanwhile, the GoPro Karma lacks features such as obstacle prevention and "Follow Me" mode. These are some of the differences between the DJI Mavic Pro and GoPro Karma. Accordingly, it really appears that the Mavic Pro wins the battle against the Karma drone as it exhibited portability, faster flight and of course obstacle avoidance system. The former Million Dollar Listing New York Star Luis D. Ortiz plans to head towards France. His plans direct of shifting from New York to the European city Paris. This comes after his announcement of discontinuing from reality TV Series. Luis D. Ortiz began his career in real estate selling rentals followed by adjoining Bravo's Million Dollar Listing New York from season 2 in 2012. The series evolved around three real estate agents, Fredrik Eklund, Ryan Serhant and Luis D. Ortiz as they represent the sellers of properties in the five boroughs of New York City. As mentioned in Reality Tea, Luis D. Ortiz announced about his walk away from Real Estate and TV Series Million Dollar Listing New York in 2016. He also reported that he wants to be on television in some capacity. He acknowledged that he came to New York for being a film director but then he realized he can be a good actor when he was placed in front of the camera. As reported in Bravo TV, everyone was already surprised from Million Dollar Listing New York Star Luis D. Ortiz retirement decision of last year. And now his announcement of moving towards Paris from NYC has left everyone astonished. He shared this news of big move on Instagram in January. Ortiz wrote that he will be moving to Paris on March 1st. He acknowledged that he has never been to the city before. The people won't believe that the human who has traveled so much has never been to Paris but then that is the real truth. He said New York had been always amazing to me; he learned about Business, life and more importantly about himself. He mentioned that he has already started his preparations for the City Of Art and Love. When his Manager interrupted and warned him regarding his measures of earnings, Ortiz replied that he has worked this hard to earn the ability to keep on moving ahead. He exclaimed that he is Happyholic and this makes him the most beautiful and most alive person on this earth. Talking about his earlier life, Luis D. Ortiz moved to New York to study film direction at New York Film Academy where he completed his Director's Program. It is been reported that Luis D. Ortiz was born and grown up in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico and he along with his twin brother left their home confronting that they felt uncomfortable and were suffocated by something. They also left a note for their parents explaining that if they don't do this now then how will understand whether the step taken to elope was going to work or not. The two major decisions or announcements that Luis D. Ortiz made states that for him to live life to the fullest is the major goal in life. He was at the peak of his career yet he left that fame. The earlier episodes of his life also state that he always stepped as he wished for the attainment of his wishes and dreams. Let's hope the former Million Dollar Listing New York Star begins an awesome life gain in Paris. "Alien" Covenant" has a lot of surprises up its sleeves, which at this point are still possibly hidden within the film. Some bits, however, are already confirmed by the team themselves-most importantly by the director. Being the latest installment in the sci-fi franchise that ran for multiple continuities in the past two decades, "Alien: Covenant" certainly has weight on its back that will ultimately determine the future of the saga. With the immediate successor "Prometheus" attempting to make an explanation of the supposed origin, fans may have assumed that it was the Engineers (an alien race that was said to be the progenitor of the human race) that spawned these creatures. However, as per Collider, director Ridley Scott spilled the score on "Alien: Covenant" and which direction the species will go for. The iconic horror director said that despite what transpired in "Prometheus," they chose to set the stage differently for the creatures. Scott chose not to reveal them entirely, but it was certainly not the Engineers to be blamed for these nightmarish beings. With all the wonder surrounding "Alien: Covenant," Scott assured that there will indeed be answers along the way. The road to finding out what happened to the Nostromo ship is still quite long, as it was revealed before, and there will still be sequels post the upcoming flick. Scott told Sydney Morning Herald that he would not imply a gap as much as two years, and that he will be ready to take on a new film next year. "Alien: Covenant" is scheduled to launch on May 19, 2017. As for the rest of the spoilers and details of the coming continuity, fans will have to be patient and see what else the horror icon will spill for everyone in the next two months. Keep posted for more updates and news. Nokia has turned heads yet again at the Mobile World Congress with not just one, but four launches, among which three phones are smartphones and the fourth one is a feature phone. Nokia 6 was the first phone the world got to see when it released in China. However, the global model of the Nokia 6 comes with certain variations. Now all eyes are on the upcoming Nokia 8 2017. To start off, the Chinese model of Nokia 6 had a light skin on top of Android v7.1 Nougat. It also had 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage. The global model comes with a 3GB/32GB base model, and a 4GB/64GB Arte Black model with completely untouched Android v7.1 Nougat on it. It also comes with Google Assistant. Other Nokia phones being the Nokia 5 and Nokia 3 were well received as well, and they too, are getting an untouched version of Android v7.1 Nougat. The company is also promising speedy updates. As for the flagship everyone is waiting for, Nokia did not debut the rumored Nokia 8 2017 at the MWC event, and it has been rumored that Nokia is planning to launch the phone this June. Nokia 8 2017 rumors suggest that the phone is going to be a head turner, as Nokia has already established that it is a force to be reckoned with. Nokia 8 2017 rumors also suggest that the company is planning to unveil the phone as well as a device known as the "Nokia P1" in a private launch event. Since the Nokia 8 2017 is to be a flagship, the internet is abuzz with guessing its specifications, as everyone knows Nokia has to give the top of the line hardware for people to like it. Nokia 6 came with minimum bezels and a curved 2.5D glass. Although it is a mid-range phone, it looks like a flagship. Nokia 8 2017 news suggests that the flagship would also be very beautiful to behold. People are speculating that Nokia might release their flagship anytime in Q2 2017. Nokia 8 2017 news also brings to light that if Nokia launches the Nokia 8 in Q2 2017, its direct competitor might be the Apple 8/8 Plus and the Samsung Galaxy S8/S8 Plus. Moreover, flagships always command a massive price tag, but Nokia 8 rumors about the pricing suggest that it might cost much less than a Galaxy S7 or a Galaxy S8 at launch, according to Inquirer. Nokia 8 2017 rumors suggest that the specs would include a SnapDragon 835 SoC, a 5.5-inch display and a massive RAM capacity of 6GB. Some rumors are going around that the Nokia 8 might have as much as 8GB of RAM. The phone would also be available in 256GB storage option, and would also be IP68 water and dust proof. Stay tuned for more Nokia 8 2017 news and rumors. Jennifer Aniston is reportedly having second thoughts with regard to her marriage with Justin Theroux since she is considering second chance with her ex-husband, Brad Pitt. Some people believe that this might be the case as Justin flew to Paris all by himself without his wife. It has been reported that Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt are back in touch again after rumors have circulated that they have reconnected and have been texting lately. It started when Brad greeted Jen on her birthday and that was the beginning of their speculated reconnection as per The Sun. It can be recalled that Jennifer Aniston pulled the plug of her marriage with Brad Pitt back in 2005. Reports have indicated that Brad was getting too close with his co-star Angelina Jolie with their movie, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith." Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt announced their divorce January of 2005 and October of the same year, Angelina Jolie announced that she was pregnant with Brad's first biological child, Shiloh. Even if it was very evident that Jen was heartbroken on the demise of her marriage with Pitt, she still managed to move on until she married Justin Theroux. But now that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are already separated, Jennifer Aniston is having second thoughts and that's what their fans what to know. Some insiders have revealed that Brad has been texting Jennifer and is using her as a shoulder to cry on after the nasty divorce. People became ecstatic with the news and the media can't even stop reporting regarding Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston's new friendship. Reports were even escalating that they will be doing a new movie together but not to romantically link them as reported on Yahoo. However, even if Jen is rumored to be divorcing her husband, Justin Theroux, still both Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston's camp denied these issues. Their representatives denied that Brad and Jen are indeed communicating again. Last time, it has been reported that Justin Theroux flew to Paris solo because of her disappointment with the latest issue involving his wife. He was even spotted at the airport with a somewhat sad face. But there were also reports claiming that Justin Theroux is just feeling alright with all these intrigues. According to the latest report, Justin Theroux thinks that if Jen and Brad's reconnecting has something to do with friendship alone, then it's just fine with him. But many people can't help but wonder if he is not really affected at all if Brad Pitt would really attempt to reconnect with Jennifer Aniston. LG to Give Tesla's PowerWall a Run For Its Money ROY, MI.--( eSolarEnergyNews )--LG Chem Ltd., a global leader in lithium-ion batteries for automotive, stationary and consumer application... Internet of Things Includes the Ocean, and it's Solar Powered SAN DIEGO, CA--(eSolarEnergyNews)--Kyoceras solar panels, tested for long-term deployment in marine and coastal areas, are powering an inno... IKEA Taps Phoenix Solar for Rooftop Solar Project in Singapore SINGAPORE & SULZEMOOS, GERMANY --(eSolarEnergyNews)--Singapores Phoenix Solar Pte Ltd has been awarded a contract by IKEA Southeast Asi... IKEA Installs the Largest Rooftop Solar in Memphis,Tennessee MEMPHIS, TN--( eSolarEnergyNews )--IKEA, the worlds leading home furnishings retailer, today announced that solar panel installation is com... IKEA to Install Washingtons Largest Rooftop Solar Array in Renton, WA RENTON, WA.--(eSolarEnergyNews)--IKEA, the worlds leading home furnishings retailer, today announced plans to install solar panels atop t... Sunnova and PetersenDean Partner to Deliver Integrated Solar Solutions to California Homebuilders HOUSTON, TX--( eSolarEnergyNews )--Sunnova Energy International Inc. (NYSE: NOVA), one of the leading U.S. residential solar and battery sto... Colorado Fires up Latest Solar Power Project WELLINGTON, CO --( eSolarEnergyNew s)-- PSEG Solar Source, Platte River Power Authority and juwi today joined to dedicate the PSEG Rawhide F... Amazon Meets Solar Goals Quicker Than Expected SEATTLE, WA--( eSolarEnergyNews )--Amazon today announced the early completion of its commitment to host 50 solar systems on its fulfill... SolarCraft Completes Rooftop Solar Installation for Appellation Trading Company Novato, CA, December 07, 2021 --( eSolarEnergyNews.com )-- The solar photovoltaic system is roof mounted and consists of 153 high-efficienc... Once this partnership was broken, however, the end came swiftly, thanks in part to Dilruwan Perera , who was kept out of the attack for the first 40 overs, but made substantial impact when he did arrive. In his third over of the day, he nailed Mehedi in front of the stumps with a quicker ball that turned. Taskin was given not out when rapped on the pad next ball, but Herath reviewed that decision, and the ball was found to be taking out enough of leg stump to overturn that call. With No. 10 batsman Subashis Roy visibly uncomfortable at the crease, Mushfiqur attempted to farm the strike, but was perhaps caught in two minds when he came down the crease to Herath in the waning overs of the session. He could have hit Herath's slider down the ground, but instead had the ball dip on it and slip beneath his bat and into off stump. Ever wondered what an ESRF scientists or engineers life looks like? Are they all day working on their next Eureka moment or do they spend long hours in front of the computer? Do they have a sense of fulfilment? And does being a woman make any difference? The International Womens Day is celebrated this week, so we have decided to follow five women on their day-to-day routine to give a flavour of their lives. Text and photos by Montserrat Capellas Espuny Montserrat Soler Lopez was always fascinated by the start of life. This led her to study developmental biology and, after that, she applied for a PhD on the, for most of us, whimsical morphology of octopus sperm. Alas, her future mentor, in charge of this PhD, had other plans for her and she dived into the world of X-ray crystallography instead, which eventually led her to the ESRF today. Morning Tram stop, Ile Verte, Grenoble. After the first coffee of the day (she normally racks up to four a day), Montserrat takes the tram to go to the ESRF. She hasnt had a proper break in the weekend, since shes been local contact for users from the Institute of Science and Technology of Vienna until late on Sunday. It is quite intense, but I like to work with users. Most of them are very grateful for the support we provide, and I really enjoy the relationship we forge as we have deep discussions about common scientific challenges. When she came to the ESRF, in 2014, Montserrat brought with her the know-how of a technique called yeast two-hybrid, which was not used at the ESRF at the time. This technique allows scientists to investigate protein-protein interactions in vivo. Since her arrival, many other ESRF scientists have started using this method, as well as scientists in the neighbouring Institut de Biologie Structural (IBS). This morning, she has a meeting with Ana M. Mariscal, a PhD student from Barcelona who is at the ESRF for 3 months learning to use this technique. Ana M. Mariscal (left) shows Montserrat Soler her samples. Lunchtime Montserrat goes for lunch with fellow biologists who use the lab she manages, both from the ESRF and the EMBL, the neighbouring institute. And grabs another coffee before heading back. Afternoon Time for the weekly group meeting. Montserrats core team consists of a post-doctoral researcher (Gabriele Giachin), a PhD student (Romain Bouverot) and a technician (Samira Accajjoui). They all work together in a project on Alzheimers disease. Montserrat initiated this project because Alzheimers is a very complex disease and so far there is no medicine that can heal it or slow it down. It is incredible that more than a century since its discovery we still know so little about it. The team focuses on the study of a protein complex involved in mitochondrial bioenergetics and that also seems to affect the production of amyloids, a typical signature of Alzheimers brain. In the group meeting, everyones voice is heard and there is a discussion among the team. Montserrat tries to constantly improve her management skills. Before coming to the ESRF, I spent 7 years in Barcelona, surrounded by men, who mostly told me that I should be more aggressive to staff to get things done. This is not my style, and I certainly think that the staff should be doing their work convinced about what they do, and not just because they are told so. I come from a very strict family and I would never want to inflict fear in the people in my charge. Montserrat catches up with her email and some projects, like different seminars and a symposium she is organising in the coming months at the ESRF. She enjoys her job, she says, despite being away from her home, Barcelona. She misses home and her partner, so once a month she flies or drives to the Mediterranean city. Her love for science drove her to quit her job in Barcelona 3 years ago, where she suffered from the infamous glass ceiling. You feel that to work among men, you need to behave like them. This is the problem, we need to change mens mentality, but also womens. Education is the base of our society. It is not only about the laws, it is also about educating kids so that they realise that men and women are equal. Unfortunately there is still a lot of work to do. "It is not only men; women also need to change their mentality to educate kids in equality" I lived in Barcelona, close to my family but I wasnt happy at work. If Im unhappy at work, I find it hard to be content at home. Now, I thrive in my job here, I have a great boss, Gordon Leonard, who gives me a lot of freedom in the way I manage the CIBB laboratory and lets me lead my own research. I need what I do every day to be fulfilling, otherwise theres no point in doing it. So moving to Grenoble was definitely worth it. Evening Time to go home to the small, airy apartment that overlooks the Isere river in the lush green side of town. She normally has dinner, watches the French news, then the Catalan news and reads before going to bed. She loves reading philosophy and psychology books: I do it purely for my personal enrichment. I am a big fan of Michel Foucault and Hannah Arendt, both of them write about psychology, management and the best way to take decisions within groups. They help me to put myself in other peoples shoes. By reading them, Ive also realised that I thought I was very open, but in fact I have a lot of preconceptions and I need to be more critical in general. Only like that will I be able to lead my life the way I want to. Text and photos by Montserrat Capellas Tribute to Former U.S. Delegate Eni Faleomavaega by Ed McWilliams Del. Eni F.H. Faleomavaega (D-AS) at 2010 Congresional Hearing on West Papua .Photo by John M. Miller/ETAN. The Honorable Eni F.H. Faleomavaega (D-AS), a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, passed away on February 22, 2017. Faleomavaega represented American Samoa as its Delegate in Congress for 13 terms from 1989 to 2015. Delegate Faleomavaega was an articulate and effective advocate for the defense of human rights in West Papua and long worked for a peaceful resolution of the serious problems confronting Papuans. He engaged persistently with U.S. and Indonesian Government officials toward these ends. His travel to West Papua and extensive contact with Papuans reflected a deep sincerity and good will toward the Papuan people and the peoples of the broader region which he knew so well. He drew upon this knowledge and experience and the broad respect accorded him by his Congressional colleagues and others to advise several U.S. Administrations regarding policy toward West Papua and toward Indonesia. His travel to West Papua and extensive contact with Papuans reflected a deep sincerity and good will toward the Papuan people and the peoples of the broader region which he knew so well. In 2007, he traveled to West Papua. The visit was heavily restricted by the Indonesian government, including not being allowed to visit Jayapura. On his return, During his years in Congress, Del. Faleomavaega worked with members of the Congressional Black Caucus on a Faleomavaega's interest in West Papua derived in part from a sense of personal responsibility to carry forward the work of his Samoan relatives who are buried in West Papua and in honor of all those who have lived the struggle. In July 2011 His passing is a loss for his many friends in the West Papuan community and those in the broader international community who support their struggle for freedom. Note: Delegates to Congress from U.S. territories can serve and vote on committees, but not on the floor of the House of Representatives. In 2010, in his capacity as the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment, Del. Faleomavaega convened the first hearing in the history of the U.S. Congress to include testimony from West Papua's traditional and religious leaders. and human rights advocates.In 2007, he traveled to West Papua. The visit was heavily restricted by the Indonesian government, including not being allowed to visit Jayapura. On his return, Faleomavaega wrote to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono protesting that the visit had been limited "to only two hours of actual meetings with the leaders and people of Biak and Manokwari due to supposedly security concerns." During the visit, he forced his way through barricades to talk with Papuans denied entry to official meetings. He wrote that "I was deeply disturbed by the overpowering military presence, which I felt was completely unnecessary."During his years in Congress, Del. Faleomavaega worked with members of the Congressional Black Caucus on a number of letters and statements and legislation advocating for West Papua.Faleomavaega's interest in West Papua derived in part from a sense of personal responsibility to carry forward the work of his Samoan relatives who are buried in West Papua and in honor of all those who have lived the struggle.In July 2011 he was honored with the "John Rumbiak Human Rights Defenders Award" by the U.S.-based West Papua Advocacy Team.His passing is a loss for his many friends in the West Papuan community and those in the broader international community who support their struggle for freedom.Note: Delegates to Congress from U.S. territories can serve and vote on committees, but not on the floor of the House of Representatives. See also: West Papua Report U.S. Congressional Action September 2010 hearing on West Papua, chaired by Congressmember Eni Faleomavaega (AS). SUPPORT ETAN! ETAN is "A voice of reason, criticizing the administration's reluctance to address ongoing human rights violations and escalating oppression in West Papua and against religious minorities throughout Indonesia." Noam Chomsky Donate Today! The experience of the Islamic political parties in North Africa shows that they are, just like non-Islamic parties, capable of change and adaptation to changing circumstances. The Tunisian Ennahda party or the Moroccan Party of Justice and Development (PJD) are both excellent examples of political inclusion, of taking the path towards secularization, and not just moderation. Since their ascendance to power in 2011, both parties have significantly shifted their ideological background and diluted the initial Islamic identity with pluralism and freedom of expression. Therefore, the Trump administrations idea to label the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization would be a mistake that would undermine its potential for pragmatic evolution. The relatively new pragmatism of the Brotherhoods Moroccan and Tunisian counterparts demonstrates that Islamist movement can change and take part in the national political landscape as legal parties. This development goes far beyond moderation, it can actually lead towards secularization, which happens when an Islamist party abandons its Islamic ideological platform, separates the religious and the political and engages in rationally calculated politics. The process of Islamist secularization started in Morocco in the aftermath of the 2003 Casablanca terrorist attacks, after which the regime put pressure on Islamists, who had been accused by the other secular parties of being morally responsible for the terror attacks. To address these developments, the PJD separated the party from the religious movement that had created it a strategic move that helped it maintain its legal status. Yet, the division was neither complete nor perfect separation between party and movement, but more of a division of labor across three sectors: activism, speeches and leadership. Once separated, the re-emerged parties shifted their ideological underpinning to become more moderate and to respond to societal changes such as economic liberalization and growth or electoral loss. As a result, both PJD and Ennahda gained greater popular support and further catalyzed the push towards secularization. Moreover, they have gradually distanced themselves from their Islamist beginnings and now explicitly call for the separation between religion and politics. The evolution of Ennahda and the PJD provides important lessons that the new US administration but also the leaders in Europe should learn from as they seek to fight terrorism. Although the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood did not show the same transformation while it was in power, its labeling as a terrorist organization would undermine the pragmatic elements within the movement and position it on the margins of the political spectrum. North Africas Islamist Parties Provide Important Lessons in Secularization Commentary by Mohammed Masbah Chatham House (The Royal Institute of International Affairs). (The commentary can be downloaded here) Moroccan daily Al Massae reported a new attempt to embezzle humanitarian aid to northeastern Mauritania by the Polisario separatists. The daily reported that large amounts of foodstuff and medicines were seized. The humanitarian aid was coming from Tindouf in southwestern Algeria and was diverted despite the disapproval of the international community. The aid was sent to the people held in dire living conditions in the Polisario-run refugee camps. The embezzlement comes shortly after the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva denounced at its 34th session the seizure of basic commodities such as milk for children and vaccines. The EUs anti-fraud office (OLAF) disclosed in 2015 a report blaming the Polisario and Algeria for diverting aid and corrupting humanitarian efforts. The OLAF reports on well-organized, years-long embezzlement by the Polisario Front of humanitarian aid meant for Sahrawi people held in the camps of Tindouf in Algeria. The OLAFs report further says that aid theft begins in the Algerian port of Oran, where the sorting between what should arrive and what can be diverted takes place. In response to the OLAFs report, the European Commission informed that it would cut its aid accordingly with the estimated number of 90,000 people instead of reported 165,000 by the Polisario in an attempt to market the idea of the existence of Sahrawi people with a republic in exile. There is an urgent need to undertake a census of the Tindouf camps to determine the actual size of the humanitarian needs based on the actual size of the population. The report explains that one of the reasons that made these diversions possible is the overestimation of the number of refugees and therefore aid provided. The need for a two-speed Europe has made its comeback at Mondays Versailles summit (6 March), resurrecting tensions between the East and the West of the European Union. The idea of a possible multi-speed Europe is not entirely new and has once again gained traction as the old continent is trying to define its post-Brexit identity. The idea is popular among the old member states and a group of less integrated peripheral states but the EUs newer members are looking at this development with suspicion. The Versailles summit does not look so good if you come from one of the small member states, Hungarian MEP Gyorgy Schopflin commented at a debate organized by the Club Grande Europe in Paris one day after the summit. In Mr. Schopflins opinion, if these countries continue to push for a hard core in the EU, they will end up distancing the Central and Eastern European member states. The main point on the agenda of the summit was the future of the bloc after the Brexit. Despite some objections from Spain, the Eurozones biggest four countries seemed to more or less agree on the differentiated integration. For a long time this idea of a differentiated Europe, with different speeds and different rates of integration, has provoked a lot of resistance. But today, it is a necessary idea. Otherwise, Europe will explode, French President Hollande said. A multi-speed Europe is one of the five possible options for the blocs future, as proposed by Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, and it is the most popular option in Western Europe. In general, I think it is important for countries to have informal debates, said Petr Drulak, the Czech Republics former deputy foreign minister, but added that any initiatives that come out of them must be open and other member states must be able to influence them. Take the case of Kitty Genovese , a 28-year-old woman who was stabbed to death in Queens, New York, in 1964. Her case gained notoriety because there were purportedly dozens of witnesses to the attack who did not call the police. This led researchers to study something they called the bystander effect , positing that the more people who observe an event take place, the less likely they are to take action because they presume that someone else will. Case studies are singular examples that seem to illustrate a phenomenon. Textbooks would be dull without them, and journalists often use interviews to add color to their stories. But case studies can become so alluring, and seem to illustrate interesting patterns so well that they can encourage us to draw conclusions without further investigation. I remember reading about this case in my first psychology class as an undergraduate, and being horrified and intrigued by what happened. How could people ignore the pleas for help of a young woman under attack? The case seemed to highlight a troubling side of human behavior. I also remember reading about another intriguing case study in that same textbook. After a circumcision accident severely injured a baby boy, doctors decided to reassign the sex of the baby and encouraged the parents to raise the child as a girl. Psychologist John Money published widely about this child, noting that she was a well-adjusted girl and affirming the notion that gender is the result of socialization, and that biology did not matter as much as we might think. It turns out that neither account was quite right. When Kitty Genoveses brother Bill began investigating Kitty's murder decades later, he found that the accounts of the witness apathy had been overstated. The Witness, a documentary that details his investigation, features interviews with a few people who witnessed the event, although many of those interviewed by police had passed away or couldnt be located. One woman recounts how she heard screams in the middle of the night, woke up, and looked out of her window, but saw nothing. It is likely that other people heard noises, but because she turned a corner after the initial attack, the people in the apartment building across the street may not have actually seen the attack. A man across the street yelled, get away from her! Some people recounted that they thought a couple was fighting and had no idea the woman was being stabbed. Another woman claimed that she had called the police. A neighbor of Kittys heard noises and rushed down to help her in the vestibule of their building, where she lay dying. This was not new information: this woman had testified in court as a witness during the assailants trial. These stories highlight the confusion about an event taking place in the darkness of the middle of the night. When you look at these facts, this is not really a story about hardened New Yorkers indifferent to the murder of a young woman. This murder became the case study for bystander apathy thanks to a sensationalized news story that captivated the publics imagination. Social psychologists conducted numerous experiments confirming that during an emergency when many bystanders are present, diffusion of responsibility may prevent some people from taking action. But thats not what seemed to happen in the Genovese case. And as her brother Bill details, it has caused their family great pain to think that no one helped their sister when she was killed, and this belief dramatically affected their lives. Knowing that she was with a friend when she passed away gave them a bit of peace, something they shouldnt have had to wait five decades to learn. Likewise, the child at the center of the Money experiment did not fare as well as the textbooks recounted. David Reimer, the boy supposedly who was socialized into being a girl, was not happy, nor was David well adjusted. He did not live his life as a girl after his early teens. In addition to claims of sexual abuse in the course of treatment, Reimer suffered from depression and committed suicide at age 38. Gender is far more complicated than the initial reports suggests; as transgender people teach us, gender is about more than biology and more than socialization. What can we learn from these two case studies, which didnt turn out to represent the concepts that they initially appeared to highlight? First, social scientists need to continually look for patterns of behavior and continually research subjects that we take for granted as truths. Second, although case studies might make illustrating concepts easier for students in textbooks, there is the risk that students can presume that social science is based primarily on anecdotal evidence that a case study provides. Textbook authors often repeat the same case studies in a number of texts, cementing the notion that certain stories are evidence of observable patterns, rather than unusual examples. What other case studies have you read in textbooks that might be seen as unquestionable truths that need more investigation? The U.S. crude stockpiles rose 8.2 million barrels from the previous week, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administrations weekly crude oil inventory data, for the week ending March 03. The massive buildup in the recent weeks has pushed the total inventory to 528.4 million barrels, which is above the upper limit of the average range for this time of the year, said the EIA report. Crude oil likely to reach $50 levels in the near future The US WTI crude oil chart shows a clear breakdown from the bullish ascending triangle pattern. A breakdown from a positive setup usually leads to a sharp fall. Crude oil prices are likely to correct to about $50 a barrel levels. Traders wishing to participate in the down move can short oil at the current prices, keep a SL of $53 a barrel and expect to cover the shorts at $50 a barrel level. Saudi Arabia cautiously optimistic about the production cuts The oil-rich Kingdom is not letting any stone unturned in attempting to reduce the supply glut and support oil prices. After all, higher crude oil prices are needed if Saudi Aramco has to list at a higher valuation. "There is... cause for cautious optimism as we see the 'green shoots' of the recovery," Saudi Energy Minister, Khalid al-Falih, told energy executives and oil officials gathered at the CERAWeek industry conference in the U.S. energy capital of Houston, reports Reuters. However, the minister agreed that the inventories have remained stubbornly high, much against his expectations. He remained noncommittal about extending the production cuts for another six months. In an unprecedented move, OPEC Secretary General Mohammed Barkindo held talks with the shale oil producers. Presiden Tran Dai Quang hosts Czech Ambassador Vitezslav Grepl (Photo: VNA) At a meeting with Czech Ambassador Vitezslav Grepl, President Quang urged the two sides to expand cooperation in economics, trade, and investment. The President affirmed that Vietnam is willing to create all favourable conditions for Czech businesses to explore investment opportunities in the Southeast Asian country, especially in the fields of energy, infrastructure, environmental protection, vocational training, and labour. He asked the Czech Republic to recognize Vietnams full market economy status and continue supporting and enhancing the comprehensive cooperative partnership between Vietnam and the EU for the early signing of the Vietnam EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). Vietnam is ready to assist the Czech Republic to bolster relations with other ASEAN member countries, Quang said, hoping that the Czech government will provide more assistance for overseas Vietnamese, increase mutual understanding between the two peoples, and encourage affiliation in economics and education. The Czech Ambassador said his country attaches great importance to the friendship and cooperation with Vietnam, adding that both nations hold enormous potential to expand collaboration in economics, trade, and investment, especially when the EVFTA is signed and comes into force. The recognition of the Vietnamese community as an ethnic minority group by the Czech government aims to extol the communitys significant contributions to the hosts social-economic and cultural development, he added. Congratulating Juan Carlos Valle Raleigh on his appointment as Argentinean Ambassador to Vietnam, President Quang applauded the growing friendship and cooperation between the two countries. Notably, bilateral trade has increased rapidly, reaching 3.04 billion USD in 2016, turning Argentina into the second biggest trade partner of Vietnam in Latin America. He asked the countries to increase delegation exchanges, especially high-ranking visits, and to promote the intergovernmental cooperation committees activities and the foreign ministries political consultation, thus enhancing cooperation in agriculture, telecommunications, clean energy, forensic anthropology, science-technology, environment, health care, culture, training, tourism, and sport. They should step up the signing of cooperation documents to provide a favourable legal framework for their businesses to access each others markets and form partnerships, boosting trade to USD5 billion by 2020. Vietnam and Argentina should also keep close coordination and mutual support at international organisations and multilateral forums. For his part, the new ambassador pledged to exert all efforts to solidify the countries amity and cooperation, adding that the Argentinean Government will strive to fuel bilateral trade and investment and facilitate operations of respective enterprises. Juan Carlos Valle Raleigh said aside from effective collaboration between their parties and governments, Argentina also wants the two countries to strengthen ties in culture and sports. Speaking to Mongolias newly-accredited Ambassador Bilegdorj Dash, President Quang stressed that Vietnam attaches importance to the development of relations with Mongolia and is pleased with strides made in bilateral cooperation. The two countries senior leaders agreed to maintain high-level meetings, bolster connections in diplomacy, security, and defence, and bring into play the role of the intergovernmental committee in fostering economic and trade partnerships. They were also unanimous in tightening links in culture, education, tourism and labour, and in enhancing coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums. The President asked the diplomat to accelerate the realisation of the Vietnamese and Mongolian leaders common perceptions and devise measures to optimise cooperation potential and expand business-to-business and people-to-people ties. Bilegdorj Dash said Mongolia and Vietnam have traditional friendship and want to step up economic and trade relations. They will have many important diplomatic activities this year, and the embassy will do its utmost to augment multi-faceted cooperation in an effective manner. He hoped Vietnam will support Mongolia to participate in APEC and become a dialogue partner of ASEAN. During a reception for Myanmar Ambassador Kyaw Soe Win, President Quang said Vietnam highly values the traditional friendship and multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries. Both nations share cultural and religious similarities and are members of ASEAN. The bilateral relations have seen positive outcomes in various fields from politics and external affairs to economics, trade and investment, he said, citing Vietnam is the ninth biggest trade partner and the tenth largest investor of Myanmar. He proposed Myanmar continue supporting Vietnamese firms to make investment in banking, aviation, telecom, mineral, tourism, and consumer product production. Vietnam is willing to share experience with Myanmar in the fields of its strength such as coffee plantation and processing and pepper export, he noted. The Myanmar Ambassador pledged to do his utmost to deepen the two nations cooperation. At a meeting with Senegals Ambassador Cheikh Niang, President Quang urged the two countries to increase delegation exchanges and information sharing for businesses to promote bilateral trade on par with their sound political ties, as well as step up cooperation in agriculture, trade, investment, telecommunication, construction, oil and gas. The Ambassador noted that President Macky Sall has entrusted him to boost economic and trade ties with Vietnam, making Vietnam a key partner of Senegal in Asia. Receiving Ambassador of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea German Ekua Sima, President Quang called on the two countries to continue close coordination in international and regional forums. Vietnam values developing cooperation with African countries, including Equatorial Guinea, stressed President Quang, adding that the two sides should increase all-level delegation exchanges and encourage businesses to study and look for partners. For his part, Ambassador German Ekua Sima pledged to foster cooperation rapports between Equatorial Guinea and Vietnam during his term. He added that Equatorial Guinea always wants to strengthen its ties with Vietnam and learn from the countrys experience in social-economic development. He suggested the two countries should boost up coordination in the South South framework. The ambassador also hoped Vietnam will support Equatorial Guinea to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in the 2018 2019 tenure. At the receptions, President Quang asked for these countries support for Vietnams candidacy for a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in the 2020 2021 tenure, and the Director General of UNESCO in the 2017 2021 tenure./. Key support turns to resistance as GBP/USD exchange rate moves below key 1.22 level The GBP broke cleanly through the significant 1.22 level, before spiking back to test the spread around the round number before being sold hard back. In the face of a rising Dollar and a more resilient Euro, the GBP felt the squeeze as it hit a low of 1.2138 before bouncing, after Chancellor Hammond gave a relatively upbeat view of the UK economy, only to reverse back down in the face of an above forecast unemployment report for the USD. Despite the impact that the spring budget can have on the UK, economy investors brushed it off quickly. The credibility of the report, largely in question given the need of Britain to put on a brave face to ensure it has a leg to stand on in Brexit negotiations, was always unlikely to alter the dark mood for the Pound. With the Brexit bill bouncing around the upper and lower houses of Parliament, the finer points of British financial policy are likely to pale in comparison to the momentous day when article 50 is enacted. In the midst of such Pound weakness, the next critical level on the way down will be 1.20, a break there and flash crash lows will be back in the conversation. The Pound is deeply oversold on the Stochastic oscillator, and signalled divergence today by failing to hit a new low on the indicator while probing a new weekly low. The CFTC report from the 28th of February shows that the big money hedgers were buying the pound to shorts at close to a 6 to 1 ratio, adding to a long position that already makes up the largest positioning in the market. This suggests that the commercials, typically the best judge of value in the market, see the pound as undervalued. For this reason investors should be cautious when diving in believing the current trend could go on for ever. UniCredit and RBC both signal Governments commitment to March being Brexit month The failure of Theresa May to get her Brexit bill through the House of Lords is a noticeable stumbling block for a conservative government hell bent on following through on its claim that it would enact article 50 this month. RBC outlines that, having failed, the bill will return to the House of Commons where it will now face another vote on the new edition. This new edition features the amendments that have been proposed by the House of Lords. These amendments are not preferable to the current government and so it will need to successfully reject the changes and have it reapproved, The UK governments EU withdrawal bill suffered its second defeat in the House of Lords as peers approved an amendment giving parliament greater say over the UKs final exit deal with the EU. The bill will now return to the lower House of Commons, expected on Monday, where the government has vowed to reject the amendments. The government has said that it remains confident of triggering the article 50 process by the end of this month as planned. UniCredit believes that while the loss for Mays government is notable, it is unlikely that the back and forth between the lower and upper houses will be a significant enough hurdle to prevent the triggering of the article, Government has said it will seek to overturn the amendment (as well as the earlier amendment guaranteeing the rights of EU citizens living in the UK) when the bill returns to the House of Commons next week. While this ping-pong could delay the bill by a week or so, it will not stop Theresa May from triggering Article 50 by the end of this month. So long as the formal action required to trigger Brexit looms on the horizon then it is likely to weigh heavily on the GBP. It is possible that the fear and uncertainty of the current situation may be worse for the pound than the actual reality of negotiations and decision making as Britain makes its preparations to leave. It should be noted that Britain had always been a fairly limited member of the EU in some ways and the market will likely change its mind a few times on whether Brexit is worse for the UK or for the rest of Europe. Februarys Canadian employment report impressed investors, indicating that full-time employment was well up and the unemployment rate had unexpectedly fallen from 6.8% to 6.6%. GBP CAD Exchange Rate Rises despite Negative Budget Reception The days GBP CAD exchange rate rise is mainly due to Canadian Dollar weakness, given that the Pound is otherwise still reeling from the reaction to Wednesdays Spring Budget. Positive budget news included a planned 2bn fund for social care and plans to cut corporation tax, while less well received was the intention to raise national insurance tax on self-employed persons. The apparent lack of attention given to Brexit was also viewed with concern by markets, given that the historic departure of the UK from the EU is set to begin in a matter of weeks at most. Pound Sterling Forecast to Fall against Canadian Dollar on Trade Balance Stats The Pound may be in for a poor close to the week, given that the last high-impact news will be Fridays trade balance figure for January. This previously showed a deficit figure of -3.30bn and may remove any lingering positive sentiment from the budget if it shows further expansion into the deficit range. Other Pound-damaging data due on Friday includes the monthly industrial and manufacturing production figures which are both forecast to fall into negative ranges. Canadian Dollar Dips as Crude Oil Costs Slide on US Stock News In the aftermath of Wednesdays US crude oil stock data, the Canadian Dollar has fallen. This is due to the US figures showing a significant rise in crude oil inventories, which has lowered the global price of crude oil to the detriment of Canadian exporters. Direct Canadian news on Wednesday was actually positive, with new house construction and building permits both rising at the start of the year. Canadian Dollar Forecast to Flop if Incoming Jobs Data Disappoints Incoming Canadian news will cover housing prices in January; these previously showed a 3% rise on the year. A greater impact is expected from Fridays Canadian jobs data, however, consisting of employment change and unemployment rate stats. Unemployment is forecast to stagnate at 6.8%, though if the employment change rises by more than expected then the Canadian Dollar could receive a late-week boost against the Pound. GBP CAD Data Releases 09.03.2017 13:30 CAD New Housing Price Index JAN 10.03.2017 09:30 GBP Balance of Trade JAN 13:30 CAD Employment Change FEB 13:30 CAD Unemployment Rate FEB Does anyone know an art dealer of repute here that deals in works for established american artists (works selling in the States for $5-10k)? Hi everyone, I have to sell by CLIO IV before moving back to the states, and I'm curious if anyone has used aramisauto to sell a car here in France. I'd prefer to sell to a dealer rather than a private buyer just to save the headache of selling to a private buyer. I want to make my move back to the US as least stressful as possible, lol. Any other ideas other than Aramis? There are some used car dealerships here as well... My only concern is that I need the car until around the end of next month. Is the process of selling the car extremely long, or is it something I can get done in 2 weeks? am English Speaking dude who came to France and got married to French citizen i have my Titre de sejour OFII send me to French class which is 200 hours but am just started. my point here is i have a son which is French Citizen is it possible i can skip the French class and they gonna still Renew my Titre de sejour? if i wont complete the 200 hours of French class would i still be granted my Resident Permit? This information is as current as it gets. Published in December of 2016Helps alot in my case. Goods have to arrive no later than 60 days after resettlement of the Filipino citizen. Cash value allowed is based on how long you (she) has been out of the country. But far more generous than the 10,000 pesos that was supposedly allowed in the past. Used furniture and electronic "gadgets" are two different categories and seem to have separate exemptions. I have emailed customs in regard to getting the form / paperwork to get started. i will let those interested in what the process is like and what documentation is required.Reba Oils three-month streak of price increases hit a wall Thursday as U.S. storage reached record levels and rig counts continue to improve. The commodity fell to its lowest levels since before many of the worlds oil-producing countries agreed to cut production in November in an effort to prop up prices. I think the OPEC cut is nicked by the shale glut, Michael Webber, deputy director of the UT-Austin Energy Institute and a professor of mechanical engineering, said Thursday. The domestic oil benchmark closed at $49.28 a barrel Thursday, the lowest its been since Nov. 29, the day before the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries agreed to cut production. The following week, Russia and other non-OPEC oil producers joined the six-month agreement, which calls for cutting 1.8 million barrels of oil production to boost prices. U.S. crude production increased for a third week to 9.09 million barrels a day, the EIA said Wednesday. The nations output is projected to surge to a record 9.73 million barrels a day next year, according to the EIAs monthly Short-Term Energy Outlook on Tuesday. Increasing production has helped boost the nations stockpiles to a record high of more than 528 million barrels, according the data from the Energy Information Agency. It reported Wednesday that 8.2 million barrels were added last week, a much larger gain than the roughly 1.5 million barrels analysts had predicted. Goldman Sachs has said 93 percent of the pledged production cuts have been fulfilled. The New York-based investment firm on Monday forecast that demand would outstrip supply in the second quarter due to those cuts and higher-than-expected demand growth. But it also warned that ramped-up shale production could put supply back on track to outpace demand. The inventory bump caught traders by surprise, with the market reacting negatively to the news after three months of rather stable oil prices. West Texas Intermediate for April delivery dropped $1, or 2 percent, Thursday after dropping 5.4 percent the day before on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent for May settlement slipped 92 cents to $52.19 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. It was the lowest close since Nov. 30. The global benchmark crude closed at a $2.36 premium to May WTI. Since the end of May, when oil service company Baker Hughes reported the U.S. oil drilling rig count bottomed out at 404, oil companies have added 352 rigs to U.S. oil fields, an 87 percent increase. More than half of those have been deployed to West Texas Permian Basin shale play, which has seen companies buy and sell hundreds of thousands of acres for tens of billions of dollars in what some have dubbed Permania. Webber said the fundamentals in the oil industry have not changed, but now halfway through the OPEC cuts some are wondering if the global oil industry will be able to reduce the worlds supply glut which at times has been 2 million barrels a day more than world consumption in line with demand. 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. Its so hard for OPEC to enforce discipline on cuts and then you see rising production from shale, Webber said. I think a lot of whats happening today is around expectations shifting about whats going to happen a few months from now. Saudi Arabias oil minister, Khalid al-Falih, said this week global inventories are falling slower than expected, opening the door to extend the output-cut deal beyond its initial six months. Producers will meet in May in Vienna to decide on the next steps. I think there will be a rollover of the agreement, but I dont think the Saudis are going to roll over to Russia, Iran and Iraq, said Adam Sieminski, a scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington and former head of the Energy Information Administration. We will have to see compliance from them. Saudi Arabia put a price on continuing its newfound cooperation with Russia and other oil producers. While al-Falih didnt rule out extending the duration of the supply cuts, he insisted the kingdom wouldnt act alone. rdruzin@express-news.net @druz_journo Bloomberg News contributed to this report. Traditional egg coffee or ca phe trung in Hanoi. (Photo: zing.vn) Ranked at 2, the magazine described Hanois compact old center as the place to sample the balance of salty, sweet, sour and spicy flavours in Vietnamese cuisine. Telegraph advised travelers to try street dishes like pho tiu noodles with sweet and sour soup, pork and fish sauce; banh mi, a baguette filled with pate, cucumber, herbs, crispy onion and chilli; and com tam, broken rice with grilled pork, pork skin, egg and fish sauce. Cuisine lovers were recommended to taste traditional egg coffee or ca phe trung, a blend of coffee and egg whites, folded with sugar, drunk hot or cold. Tokyo (Japan) topped the list as it was introduced with sushi, tonkatsu pork cutlets, unagi eel, okonomiyaki pancakes and tofu. The remaining cities that made the list are London (the UK), Jaipur (India), New York (the US), Mendoza (Argentina), Bologna (Italy), Lyon (France), New Orleans (the US), Bangkok (Thailand), Barcelona (Spain), Singapore, Copenhagen (Denmark), Lima (Peru), Fez (Morocco), Chengdu (China) and San Sebastian (Spain)./. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Its a risky thing some might say reckless shutting down a Mexican restaurant thats been a part of San Antonio since 1968 and giving it a top-to-bottom makeover. But thats what Chris Hill did last year. The entrepreneur behind the The Esquire Tavern bought El Mirador from the founding Trevino family in 2014, telling the Express-News at the time, Are we going to try to be hipster? No. Its all about continuing the tradition. Hill closed the restaurant last year for an almost eight-month transformation. The opposite of hipster, its more like a mullet hairdo: business in the front, party in the back. The dining room up fronts a comforting, low-light tanscape suited for muted conversations and deal-making. The barroom in back is painted breath-mint white with tangerine trim and a big green bar in the shape of a fancy padded headboard, stocked with mezcal for sealing those deals. El Mirador pulls its narrative thread from decades as a place for San Antonio power breakfasts, the hub where community plans got hatched over coffee and eggs. With the fresh embellishments on its old-school charms, will El Mirador carry the same backroom cachet? Hard to say. But breakfast got the job done. More Information El Mirador * 722 S. St. Mary's St., 210-225-9444, elmiradorrestaurant.com Quick bite: The renovation and reincarnation of an almost 50-year-old Mexican and Tex-Mex cafe serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a strong, agave-centric cocktail bar. Hit: Queso with chorizo, tortilla soup, chicken mole enchiladas Miss: Shrimp cocktail, Puerco Yucateco Hours: 7 a.m-10 p.m. Monday-Friday. 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Price range: Breakfast: Tacos, $1.95-$3; plates, $5.50-$13.95. Lunch and dinner: Appetizers, $5.95-$12.95; salads, $6.95-$15.95; soups, $4.95-$9.95; grilled entrees, $13.95-$31.75; Tex-Mex entrees, $5.50-$11.50; Mexican entrees, $9.50-$19.75; seafood, $14.95-$22.25; desserts, $1.50-$6.50. Alcohol: Beer, wine and cocktails **** Superior. Can compete nationally. *** Excellent. One of the best restaurants in the city. ** Very good. A standout restaurant of its kind. * Good. A restaurant that we recommend. (no stars) We cannot recommend this restaurant at this time. See More Collapse Chilaquiles arent nachos. El Mirador understands, with chips thoroughly soaked in chile-saturated sauce, with crisp edges and soft centers crowned with cotija cheese and crema. In a departure from traditional Tex-Mex, eggs are ordered and served separately, and I added two for $1.95, an investment that paid off in flowing, golden yolks. And now that El Miradors made the switch from commercial to handmade tortillas, breakfast tacos owe no apologies for their fancier environment. Take machacado and eggs, for example. Machacados usually as bland as unsalted jerky, but El Miradors dried beef has more in common with chorizos oily shine and chile spice, and its papas rancheras delivers fresher renditions of both potatoes and pico de gallo. Menudo at El Mirador means never having to wait until Saturday. Theres a bowl with your name on it every morning, with honeycomb tripe and hominy in a spicy red broth that wont follow you the rest of the day. But the morning pace, the energy that breeds loyalty and community, seemed to be on break that morning, below even the level of a fluorescent family taqueria. Dinner service, while congenial and sincere, suffered the same long, uneven gaps that should have been worked out by now. The dinner adventure at El Mirador started on the wrong note, a shrimp cocktail that smelled like a Dumpster, so strong that I wondered how it ever made it past the service window. Adding insult to injury, it filled only half of its big schooner glass for almost $13. After that garbage in a glass, seafood soup came as a welcome sign for mariscos here. A silky stock with zucchini, carrots, onions and roasted chiles brought clean, tender fish and coral shrimp. But the apex of El Miradors soup game was its everyday Aztec, a fresh take on classic chicken tortilla soup with crunchy blanched squash and fresh baby spinach. Even with its fresh makeover, the restaurants happy to get greasy with chorizo in a rouxy, bechamel-style queso. The Tex-Mex aesthetic didnt translate as well to carne guisada on the Numero Dos plate. Too lean, too thin, it hobbled the cheese enchiladas underneath. But the plate fought back with sweet, juicy picadillo in a crispy taco shell. Seemingly blessed on the menu by a woodcut of founder Maria Trevino, mole enchiladas were among El Miradors best efforts, a velveteen cloak with fall-spice splendor and a fiery finish draped over moist, shredded white meat chicken enchiladas. In a dish emblematic of the moments El Miradors reach exceeds its grasp, Puerco yucateco at $15.95 seems like a faded reflection of cochinita pibil, served on a banana leaf for effect. Two bone-in pork chops as thin as burger patties picked up character from the grill, but their orange sunset glow was just for show, a dormant achiote rub. A better big-ticket dish was El Miradors beef ribs, rendered in a fall-apart braise and draped in a chile cascabel sauce as smooth as a rust-colored velour shirt from the 70s, with a side of rice and charro beans with big hambone personality. However the menu changes might make El Miradors old regulars feel, the infusion of The Esquire Tavern lifeblood into the cocktail program has to ease that sting. Mezcal, cacao and roasted corn come together for El Pueblito, at once sweet, dry and salty, with a warming spice glow like champurrado. Tequila and mezcal factor into most of the bar menu, and they gang up with vermouth for the Distrito Federal, recommended to us as a Mexican alternative to an old-fashioned. Not exactly, but it was compelling and better than the fruity, tourist-grade affectation of the frozen El Diablo margarita. The best of El Miradors cocktails is a powerhouse called the Devils Highway, flinty around the edges with reposado tequila, a dash of bitters and piney damiana liqueur. On a two-tequila buzz, the question lingers: Will San Antonio have the patience to let El Miradors reincarnation develop and grow to last as long as the original? One things clear: This is not your grandfathers El Mirador. msutter@express-news.net Twitter: @fedmanwalking This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SEGUIN Daryl Styblo found his love of photography at the bottom of the ocean. As an Air Force cryptographer in the 1960s assigned to a base near Bangor, Maine, he spent a lot of free time diving, and taking pictures of lobsters. Styblos work today is part of an art exhibit put on by the Seguin Art League to highlight the artistic lives of local veterans. Featuring paintings, photographs, sculptures and the bronze head of a World War II veteran, the exhibit filled Seguins American Legion Hall with work by 35 veterans. Liz Romero, president of the art league and a former Air Force brat, said she wanted people to know veterans are not just people who carried weapons or fly planes, but artists too. The show is the first of its kind for the art league, which normally features work by children and members, and is the result of a $10,000 grant from the Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative. The art league plans to use the rest of the grant money to hold more art exhibits, this time at assisted living homes. The exhibit opened March 7. In the months prior, Styblo, 74, along with others from the American Legion, rode in their motorcycles across Guadalupe County to spread word of the art exhibit. Styblo usually has a digital camera slung over his leather riding jacket. He spends a lot of time waiting for birds now, he said. He recently waited two days for the perfect shot of an osprey. He's drawn to the freedom the birds have in flight. He also showed off a photo of a red flower, which he developed using chemicals no longer in production. Change is a constant in photography, which he said means there is always something new to learn. The opening of the art show included a speech by Jim Ulbrich, a World War II veteran who brought a bronze bust of his head. His wartime experience inspired him to take sculpture art lessons at McNay Art School in San Antonio, he said. Another veteran showing his work is David Parks of Austin, who was awarded two Purple Hearts for a tour in Vietnam in 1965. Parks came home and published photographs of his experience as an African American soldier in the war. He also worked on films such as Shaft and Leadbelly. Parks gestured to a photo he took of African American children in New York City, a young boy in trouble and a slightly younger girl gasping in exasperation. Combat veterans see the world in a unique way, and they also create art in their own way, Parks said. They dont beat around the bush, Parks said. Theyre going to tell you the truth. A truth came to Lorraine Alto, 73, as she was painting. The Seguin resident and Navy vet recalled receiving a cruel assessment of her work and having a realization about her art. "Once I really got into painting, it really didn't matter if anyone liked the work, said Alto, who started painting four years ago. What mattered was how much it expressed who I am ... it becomes accepting who you really are." For Michelle Gonzales, at 38 the youngest veteran presenting artwork, the art show represented a return to her roots. Her artf orm is printmaking and collage, pictures layered with text or other elements. She uses frames found in the garbage. The art takes place in these discarded frames. Gonzales is from Seguin, and there's a lot of painful memories here, she said. Joining the military was a distant dream growing up. Then she left Seguin for the Army, from 2006 to 2012. "I never thought I'd make it to the military," Gonzales said. "When I do shows like this, I'm nostalgic. I'm part of a greater cause." jlawrence@express-news.net The last San Antonio teacher finalist in the H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards was surprised Wednesday with his $1,000 check. Ricky Davis, a kindergarten teacher at Schertz Elementary in Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD, was recognized in the rising star category. Davis is in the running for the statewide award, which grants winners in that category another $5,000 check for themselves and $5,000 for their schools. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate When Justin Cantu, 16, walked into his Advanced Placement computer science classroom Wednesday morning, he saw a little boy at a table, flexing a golden hand. Thank you, said Zack Robbins, 6, eating an apple while he grabbed plastic trinkets with plastic fingers. You made my robot hand. Cantu, a sophomore who constructed the hand using a 3-D printer at the School of Science and Technology, was speechless. He placed his flesh-and-blood hand in Zacks prosthetic one, and they shook. It was a project that Ill remember for the rest of my life, Cantu said. For reasons doctors arent sure of, Zacks right hand never fully developed, said his father, Lee Robbins. With nubs for fingers, Zack, a first-grader at Wiederstein Elementary School, only could use that hand to balance things against his torso, Robbins said. Prosthetic hands can cost $10,000, but Robbins found e-NABLE, a network of volunteers who use 3-D printers to create free prosthetics for those in need. The closest volunteer was in Houston, at a Harmony charter school with a 3-D printer. To save the Robbins family multiple trips to Houston, an employee of that school contacted Resul Aslan, the science, technology, engineering and math coordinator at San Antonios School of Science and Technology. Like Harmony, SST is an open-enrollment charter district, with campuses in San Antonio, Houston and Corpus Christi. The charter network offers a rigorous curriculum, including advanced placement, dual credit and career and technical education courses. SSTs only secondary school in San Antonio, off Loop 410 on the Northeast Side, already had a 3-D printer in the computer science classroom. When Soruc Murat, the computer science teacher, asked for student volunteers to work on the hand, Cantu doubted it could be done but for personal reasons, he wanted to try. Cantus cousin walks with a prosthetic limb after losing his leg two years ago in a shark attack. It kind of felt like destiny that I had the chance to do this, Cantu said. e-NABLE gives out prosthetic hand designs created by doctors so anyone with a 3-D printer, and some skill, can manufacture the parts. Cantu and Murat measured Zacks hand and wrist to customize the design for him. Zack wanted a gold-colored hand like Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars. Then Cantu spent several 90-minute class periods and time after school, printing and building the hand. When Cantu went home, he continued researching, figuring out how to make it smoother. The materials cost less than $50 and the project took less than a month. No way in the world have I ever thought that you could make a prosthetic hand so cheap and fast, Cantu said. After my first day of working on it, I got this motivation that I just couldnt stop and I wanted to do it, so it was done. The hand fits like a glove over Zacks palm. Fishing line runs through the fingers, which close to grip things when Zack moves his palm down. In the classroom Wednesday morning, Zack sat before a heap of toys, including a skull, a tub of Play-Doh, three-sided dice and tiny guitar trophies. Many of the objects were also made with the 3-D printer. Zacks father showed him how to pinch the items between the thumb and fingers of his new hand. Zack needed both hands to pick up a large spool of what looked like green wire, which he gazed at, intrigued. Abel De Leon, the schools dean of academics, explained that the green material was filament for the 3-D printer. Thats what your hand looked like before, De Leon told Zack, who proceeded to attack the filament with a Darth Vader figurine. Zack then went behind the teachers desk and used his prosthetic hand to pick unused hand parts out of a plastic cup. He spotted a roll of black electrical tape on the floor. I really want to play with this tape, really bad, Zack said, prompting De Leon to offer it to him for keeps. Yay, I can keep this tape, Zack said, attempting to pick it up with his new hand. No, Robbins said. Daddy has electrical tape. Ill show you some at home. I can keep it, Dad, Zack insisted. With just one functional hand, Zack has trouble drinking milk without spilling it on his shirt, Robbins said. Zacks experience has taught his parents how many simple things require two hands. Now, Zack will be able to tie his shoes and use zippers and buttons. I think its going to be a game-changer, said his mother, Jill Robbins. Zacks right hand doesnt fit exactly under his new one; so Cantu will have to boil the palm of the prosthetic and bend it into a slightly sharper curve. Cantu estimated the adjustment would take less than a day to make. Cantu said the prosthetic hand project was practice for a future career in the medical field or biochemical engineering. Ive always wanted to create things for people, he said. The School of Science and Technology plans to register with e-NABLE so students can continue to produce prosthetic hands for people who need them. Were just really thankful for an opportunity to be of service and proud of our kids, De Leon said. amalik@express-news.net Twitter: @AliaAtSAEN The Texas Education Agency ordered the San Antonio School of Inquiry and Creativity to suspend operations Wednesday, until the local charter school district can prove compliance with state requirements governing the criminal history of employees and resolve serious and ongoing food safety issues. The letter from Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath ordered SASIC to suspend operations at its four campuses by close of business Wednesday. It also said the charter district will not receive any state funding while the suspension is in effect. A hearing on the suspension is scheduled for Friday afternoon in Austin, according to the letter. SASICs schools will be closed and the students who attend them, roughly 550 total, will be kept home Thursday and Friday, said Denise Fritter, president of the charter districts board of trustees. Spring Break is next week. Of course were going to be completely responsive to the agency, Fritter said. We are confident that SASICs building, staff and food are safe. ...We hope and expect the TEA to allow the campus to open on Monday, March the 20th. At two meetings last month, parents came before SASICs board with a litany of complaints. They accused the charter district of making students sick from undercooked and spoiled cafeteria food. Parents and staffers also said school facilities were substandard and the district was not conducting criminal background checks on employees. A petition called for Superintendent Tonja Nelsons resignation. After state Rep. Diego Bernal complained to Morath, the TEA last month ordered the district to demonstrate compliance with state law prohibiting public schools from hiring applicants who have been convicted of certain offenses. The agency also ordered SASIC to provide a health inspection report indicating no violations that threaten student welfare. In his letter, Morath said the agencys special investigations unit reviewed documents provided by SASIC, the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, the Texas Department of Agriculture and the TEAs fingerprinting division before determining that the charter district was out of compliance. SASIC refused to release to the Express-News last months inspection report of the Career Path High School roof, arguing to the Texas attorney general that it could give advantage to a competitor. Board members also said last month they would hire a law firm to investigate whether employees used school resources to enrich their private businesses. SASICs lawyer, Denise Nance Pierce, said a law firm had been hired but refused to name the firm or say whether the board publicly voted on it. She claimed records of the hire were exempt from public disclosure due to the ongoing investigation. Staff Writer Lauren Caruba contributed to this report. amalik@express-news.net AT&T says 911 service has been restored for cellphone customers whod been unable to call 911 in several cities in Texas, including San Antonio, and several other states. Various law enforcement and government agencies in Texas, Florida, Tennessee and other states had reported the problem Wednesday evening. A spokesman for Dallas-based AT&T offered customers apologies for the problem. But the spokesman didnt immediately provide details on how many states or customers were affected or what caused the outage. During the outage, many law enforcement agencies in affected states provided alternate numbers for people to call if they had an emergency. Earlier Wednesday, SAPD spokesman Douglas Greene confirmed that the departments dispatch center was affected by the outage. AT&T customers were advised to call for emergencies at (210) 207-7273. Bexar County Sheriffs Office officials had said they werent aware of a local outage. However, the Sheriffs Department could be reached for emergency response at (210) 336-6000. The Dallas-based company acknowledged the problem Wednesday and issued a statement promising to fix it. We are aware of a service issue affecting some calls to 911 for wireless customers and we're working to resolve it as quickly as possible, an AT&T spokesman said. In Texas, agencies in Austin, Houston, Corpus Christi, Fort Worth and other cities provided alternate numbers for people to call in case of emergency. San Antonio Express-News Staff Writer Jacob Beltran and the Houston Chronicle contributed to this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The bangs and crashes echoing from the demolition of the former Solo Serve at 114 Soledad St. have surrounded manager Ramiro Rascon and his fellow staff at Mexican Manhattan long enough that they drown the noise out. But when debris fell from the building, pushing a plywood-covered walkway into the San Antonio River at about 3 p.m., it was just part of the racket, Rascon said. Until he spotted the wreckage floating in the river. We saw it coming. Rascon said, pointing at a fence running south connected to the remains of the building. When they were breaking down the wall (earlier), there were big rocks hanging from the wire fence. Thea Setterbo, a city spokeswoman, said San Antonio Police reported no injuries from the collapse and that the walkway beneath the site was closed to pedestrians. The city said in a release that Hansco, Inc. was issued a permit to demolish the two-story structure on Feb. 15. Houston-based hotel developer Vista Host plans to build a nine-story hotel following the historic sites deconstruction, according to previous reports. Javi Cano, director of demand generation at Liquid Web, was on the phone in his office at a building on 175 E. Houston St. when he saw the collapse. I heard a loud noise like an 18-wheeler revving its engine, Cano said. I thought thats kind of loud, and I looked up to see these big plywood boards. Everything started tumbling into the river for a couple of seconds. Cano said a big cloud of dust erupted from the fall. Its a crazy thing to witness, he said. He noticed that a river barge operator was forced to turn around upon reaching the debris. Moments later, a construction crew walked out and began assessing the damage. Much of the debris, which appeared to be building materials and large squares of plywood, was still floating in the river Wednesday evening. Later, as the crew could be seen continuing its demolition of the building, both sides of the River Walk around the site between Houston and Commerce streets were closed off to passers-by. Barge operators approaching the site were announcing the news to their passengers that they had to divert from the normal route. Hansco was to start clearing the materials from the river, but there was no timeline offered as to how long it would take to complete. I imagine theyd be working well into the night, Setterbo said. The Transportation & Capital Improvements Department is monitoring the situation to ensure debris doesnt impact the flow of the river or the cleanup efforts, city officials said in the statement. Rascon said the demolition has not kept away regular customers, and that theyre looking forward to the projects completion. Whatever is developing is going to bring more business after that, Rascon said. I hope its better. jbeltran@express-news.net AUSTIN Four state prisons could be closed or mothballed as Senate and House budget writers move ahead to drastically downsize state spending and save more than $40 million in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice budget, lawmakers confirmed Wednesday. The move, if it becomes part of the final state budget as legislative leaders have recommended, would mark the largest such shift in state history closing as many prisons in the next year as the state has shuttered in the past five. It also marks a tangible effect of the states budget woes. Last Friday, the Houses chief budget writer, John Zerwas, R-Richmond, said the House is looking for $4 billion to cut from its initial proposal, and Senate leaders have said they are looking for almost as much. While officials two weeks ago confirmed the 500-bed Ware Unit in Colorado City was likely to be mothballed, the Bartlett State Jail in Williamson County, the West Texas Intermediate Sanction Facility outside Brownfield and the Bridgeport Pre-Parole lockup northwest of Fort Worth now are listed for possible closure. In addition, under the proposal, the 600-bed Rudd Unit in Brownfield would be repurposed from a prison to an intermediate sanction facility, where parole violators are housed for not following the rules. The Bartlett facility houses just over 1,000 convicts, the Bridgeport center has 200 and the West Texas lockup holds about 275 offenders. In all, officials confirmed that more than 2,700 prison beds could be taken off line in the move, reducing the size of Texas prison system to about 145,000 10,000 less than its capacity just three years ago. Senate and House leaders who oversee Texas criminal justice system confirmed that work groups tentatively have signed off on the closures to address demands by the leadership in both chambers to find as much as $2 billion more in budget savings to ensure that funding is available for other critical programs, such as health care and child protection. The Senate work group is recommending this plan, yes, said Senate Criminal Justice Committee Chairman John Whitmire, D-Houston. The state has excess (prison) capacity at this point, so we can do this without affecting public safety at all. House Corrections Committee Chairman James White. R-Hillister, said the House is moving to do the same. The bottom line is that we have to tighten up operations, and this is a result of that, he said. We have no choice. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Oscar Longoria, D-Mission, said a decision on the downsizing of prisons will be made in coming days by a subcommittee he heads that has been working to tighten the criminal justice budget. He said the proposed cuts have been closely reviewed and discussed. The final decision on the cuts will be made by the Senate Finance and House Appropriations committees. Senate Finance Committee Chair Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, said whatever the final cuts are, the budget must fit within available revenues. As I have said before, we are looking at everything, she said. More than 400 employees would be affected by the prison cuts, but officials said many would be offered jobs at other lockups. The Bartlett and West Texas ISF units are run by private contractors. Texas operates 109 state prisons, jails and other lockups statewide. It is the largest state prison system in the nation. Most of the lockups on the list for possible closure were opened in the 1990s during Texas massive building program that tripled the size of its prison system in five years, to allow the state to avoid court fines and litigation to address chronic overcrowding. In recent years, treatment and rehabilitation programs have proven successful at lowering recidivism rates, resulting in the state incarcerating more than 10,000 fewer convicts than it did a decade ago. mike.ward@chron.com twitter.com/ChronicleMike WASHINGTON With some conservatives in open revolt against the Republican plan to replace Obamacare, tea party stalwart Ted Cruz and his wife Heidi had a family dinner at the White House Wednesday with President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump. The private meeting, which Cruz described as social, represented the apex of their personal and political reconciliation after their bitter feud in the GOP presidential primaries, when Trump posted an unflattering picture of Heidi Cruz on Twitter, and then threatened to spill the beans on her after Cruz called him a coward. While the two camps have long since holstered their guns some of Cruzs top aides now work in the White House the meeting also resembled a summit between rival GOP factions in the debate over a Republican leaders plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. While Trump told the House Republican whip team Monday that the White House has their back and wants to move swiftly on their health care bill, Cruz has joined with the House Freedom Caucus and other conservative groups in raising significant concerns about the bill. As drafted, Cruz said Wednesday, I do not believe this bill would pass the United States Senate. But, in an olive branch, he added, I am encouraged and optimistic that we can resolve these differences. Given the Republicans slim majority in the Senate, the Texas senator could become a key player in bridging the divide among Republicans. Also among the dissidents are Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Mike Lee of Utah, both of whom have blasted the bill. In four years in the Senate, Cruz has shown little hesitation to take on leaders in his own party. With conservatives coalescing around the Trump presidency, however, Cruz also has shown a willingness to work with the new administration. Practical politics dictate that the Texan keep his powder dry. On Wednesday, he signaled that he is more than willing to talk, noting that Trump had tweeted on Monday that the health care bill is now out for review and negotiation. I think that is exactly right, Cruz told reporters Wednesday, hours before his trip to the White House with Heidi Cruz and their two young daughters, Caroline and Catherine. Cruz said that while he fully expected to discuss Obamacare replacement legislation, the dinner was an opportunity for our families to visit together and spend some relaxed time in the residence. He said his daughter Caroline was particularly excited about seeing the White House after learning last year, at age 7, that it has 35 bathrooms. She said, You know what? The entire second-grade class could all go pee at the same time. The invitation, Cruz said, came in a telephone call from Trump several weeks ago. At the time, it already was clear that Cruz, who long has pressed for a full and immediate repeal of President Barack Obamas signature health care law, could end up in a clash with GOP party leaders who have been urging a gradual unwinding of the law to avoid disrupting the marketplace and throwing millions off the insurance rolls. In an opinion piece in Politico last week, Cruz said the starting point in any GOP health care bill must be the full repeal legislation passed by the Republican-led Congress in 2015 and later vetoed by then-President Obama. First principle: Honor our promise, Cruz wrote. When you spend six years promising, If only we get elected, well repeal Obamacare, you cannot renege on that promise. Failure is not an option. That has been the position of a host of influential tea party and conservative groups, including frequent Cruz allies such as Heritage Action for America, the Club for Growth and FreedomWorks. Their leverage stems partly from holdouts like Cruz in a closely-divided Senate, as well as the 30-member House Freedom Caucus, which was joined by Paul and Lee in a Tuesday press conference attacking the bill. Among them was Texas U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, who nevertheless expressed some hope for a deal with Trump and the GOP leadership. I think amidst the horse excrement we can find a pony around here somewhere, Gohmert said before the cameras. And thats what were going to be looking to have. I think well have a racehorse as long as we get good amendments when were done. The Obamacare replacement proposal, crafted in part by The Woodlands Republican Kevin Brady, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, has been panned by a number of hard-right critics as Obamacare Lite and Obamacare 2.0. Heritage Action CEO Mike Needham, penning a piece Wednesday in the conservative Daily Signal, said the GOP plan unveiled Monday would keep in place the fundamental architecture of Obamacare. It would protect people with pre-existing medical conditions, and allow young adults to stay on their parents insurance plans until age 26, both popular provisions of the Affordable Care Act. The GOP plan also includes refundable tax credits as part of a safety net for the poor to obtain health coverage, a mechanism that Needham calls simply a different subsidy delivery vehicle. The bills backers say that tax credits long have been enshrined in Republican orthodoxy. Brady, presiding over the committees first open deliberations on the bill Wednesday, defended the long-awaited rollout as a critical step in the GOP effort to dismantle Obamacares taxes and coverage mandates. Instead, it would impose a 30 percent penalty on consumers who have gaps in their health coverage. While many of the details have yet to be worked, out, Brady said, Relief is on the way. House Speaker Paul Ryan, meanwhile, described the bill as a starting point, noting that some of the conservatives desired policy changes will come later in legislation that does not have to meet the strictures of Senate rules to avoid a Democratic filibuster. GOP leaders also face headaches on the other side. At least four Senate Republicans have signaled that they cannot support measures in the Republican plan that would weaken the Affordable Care Acts Medicaid expansion in their states. With 52 Republicans in the Senate - and 51 votes needed to pass a basic measure to dismantle Obamacare, GOP party leaders have little room for internal dissent. For that reason, the White House has begun to court conservative critics in and out of Congress, dispatching surrogates to conservative talk radio programs in key states and districts. Were going to be aggressively talking about the solution we have for health care, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said. You will see a lot of travel and a lot of activity by the president and all of the administration. On the eve of Cruzs White House visit, Trump singled out Paul, tweeting, I feel sure that my friend @RandPaul will come along with the new and great health care program because he knows Obamacare is a disaster! Senate leaders also welcomed Trumps overture to Cruz. Its good for the president to continue to build relationships with members of Congress, said Texas U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican in the chamber. Cornyn, who called the House Republican bill a great start in the right direction, said he also welcomes the views of Cruz and other GOP critics. I know Senator Cruz and other members want to get to Yes, because they realize the importance of that promise we made and the consequences if we dont keep that promise, Cornyn said. Everybody is being given an opportunity to make suggestions and participate. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Dr. Calvin Day, a San Antonio dermatologist who has spent six years fighting sexual abuse allegations from five female patients, has effectively been cleared of those complaints by the Texas Medical Board, which, combined with dismissals of civil and criminal cases, now allows him to practice medicine again. The state panel agreed Tuesday to cease its efforts to revoke Days license, his San Antonio attorney, Michael McCrum, said. They found that there was no credible evidence that any of it happened, McCrum said. We brought them 16 boxes of evidence showing them that these former patients were not reliable. A jury convicted Day in 2013, but was granted a new trial. A special prosecutor, Charles Bunk, moved to dismiss the case in 2015 when the primary complainant refused to testify again. The case became complicated and sensational when Day testified in a hearing that then-District Attorney Susan Reed and Day had had a drunken one-night stand in Las Vegas years prior to the trial. Reed angrily marched into court afterward, pointed at Day and said, Ive never been sullied by that! Then the lawyer for the accuser told the judge that the accuser was worried she could be charged with perjury. In previous statements to the Texas Medical Board, the accuser had said she was not 100 percent sure that she had told Day to stop. Day has long maintained that his accusers fabricated their stories for financial gain. McCrum said his investigators found documents showing that one accuser got $500,000 from a man in the 1980s who now thinks he was conned and that the accuser had filed seven bodily injury insurance claims. If Reed had done her job properly to begin with, like I did, we wouldnt have had to go through this whole ordeal, McCrum said Wednesday. She loved the headlines, regardless of the merits of the case. At the time, Reed said, Ive got the balls to stand up to (Day)...Albeit, I was mad. I was offended as a district attorney, and I was really offended as a woman for the position he was putting me in. State District Judge Ron Rangel, who appointed Bunk as special prosecutor when current District Attorney Nico LaHood recused himself due to a potential conflict of interest, was scathing in his criticism of Reed and her top lieutenant, First Assistant DA Cliff Herberg, in their handling of the 2013 trial. Both have defended their actions. The jury convicted Day after hearing testimony that Day had lured a Botox patient into a private area of his office, groped her and exposed himself. In the trials punishment phase, seven other women accused Day of various acts of sexual harassment and assault. One testified he had persuaded a nurse practitioner to conduct a laser hair removal on his genital area. Day was sentenced to 10 years community supervision. On a website devoted to stating his innocence, Day said four of six complainants refused to cooperate with the medical board, that he passed various psychiatric evaluations and polygraph exams, and that boxes of bank records, phone records and interviews obtained by his private investigators had dismantled the stories of his accusers. Days relief in having not been sent to prison in 2013 turned to grief when he learned that less than an hour after the verdict, his son, Zachary Day, 29, apparently killed himself on Interstate 10 near The Rim by stepping in front of an 18-wheeler. McCrum said Day, 65, intends to return to the full-time practice of medicine. He has had hundreds of emails and calls expressing votes of confidence from people who knew he had never done those things, McCrum said. He has some options, in terms of holding the public officials responsible who prosecuted him, but I think his inclination is to get on with his life. bselcraig@express-news.net On Feb. 28, the agriculture subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee held a Farm Credit Administration (FCA) Oversight Hearing. Remarkably, it was the first public questioning of FCA leaders and how they regulate the nations biggest agricultural lender, the $240-billion Farm Credit System (FCS) by the subcommittee in 19 years. In the intervening, unchecked decades, System banks more than doubled their lending (from $106 billion in 2005 to $236 billion in 2015), increased their share of U.S ag debt by half (from 23.3 percent in 2000 to 40.4 percent in early 2016), and rose to dominate ag lending: 16 of todays top 20 American ag lenders are System members. Another FCS lender is about to join that club. Beginning last summer, three System associations AgStar Financial, the huge lender in Minnesota and western Wisconsin; Badgerland Financial, the Single association FCS lender in Wisconsins southern half; and 1st Farm Credit, the lender in western and northern Illinois have worked to create a single association that would stretch from east of St. Louis to north of St. Paul. If the not-yet-public plan is approved by association borrowers-owners in a very quick, hoped-for April vote, the resulting $18-billion lender would be named Compeer Financial. It would also largely be unnecessary, says Bert Ely, a banking consultant that writes Farm Credit Watch, a fact-filled, monthly analysis of the FCS for the American Banking Association. Part of all these merger deals seems to be one-upmanship among System bankers, explained Ely in a March 1 telephone interview. Another part is that these mergers enable CEOs to pay themselves much bigger salaries. Millions in the case of the proposed, three-way upper Midwest deal. Im very skeptical, however, that any system merger leads to greater lender profits or better lender service, Ely said. Long history And Ely would know; hes been analyzing and writing about the Farm Credit System since before its mid-1980s crack-up and subsequent government bailout. Recently, hes seen System banks balloon into something bigger and richer than Congress ever envisioned. The Systems credit line has increased and increased to now where one member can borrow up to $1.5 billion, he relates. What farmer do you know borrows $1 billion? Clearly, it isnt meant for farmers or ranchers. Recent System lending proves Ely correct. In the last decade, several FCS banks loaned money to various non-farm businesses and corporations including Verizon, the Cracker Barrel restaurant chain, and a carwash, according to an April 2016 Washington Post story whose tenuous ties to agriculture seem to be the forgotten uncle of great grandmas adopted half-sister. All this rule-stretching, claims Ed Elfmann, the vice president of Congressional relations for the American Bankers Association (ABA), violates the Systems taxpayer-supported mission and allows System lenders to unfairly compete against commercial banks in local, regional and national ag lending markets. Even worse, I think, offers Elfmann, Farm Credit has doubled its lending in the last 10 years with virtually no oversight and no controls. How will it hold up if the farm economy continues to flag? Balance sheets System bankers quickly note that their balance sheets are solid, at least for now. What they dont talk about, however, is how their special status as a Congressionally-chartered lender and what Elfmann and Ely both say is lax oversight by both the Farm Credit Administration and Congress allows System banks to pick big winners in Big Ag and Big Agbiz. Given the size of most of todays System loans, opines ABAs Elfmann, can taxpayer-subsidized financing be justified for any of these massive borrowers? Thats a good question for the tight-fisted, Trump-bowing Congress to address in 2018 Farm Bill hearings. Before then, however, the borrower-owners of the not-yet-merged Compeer Financial should ask their hired hands at AgStar, Badgerland and 1st Farm Credit just how much the new bosses will be paid and how little the new deal delivers to them and their rural communities. WASHINGTON More than 150 members of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau (PFB) traveled to Washington D.C. seeking support from Pennsylvanias Congressional Delegation on critical issues impacting agriculture. The farmers met with lawmakers and legislative staff to discuss a wide variety of topics, including regulatory reform, tax reform, immigration reform, the 2018 Farm Bill and the importance of agricultural trade. PFB President Rick Ebert said its important for policy makers to hear from farmers about issues that affect food production, the environment and the economy. Our farmers are promoting changes that will reduce or remove obstacles that threaten their livelihood and the prospect of the next generation working on the family farm, he said. Revisions Farm Bureau is seeking revisions to the regulatory process that would require government agencies to use sound science, consider the cost and benefits of their proposals to stakeholders, limit the deference granted by courts to an agencys interpretation of regulations, create a minimum comment period for proposed rules and forbid agencies from engaging in social media campaigns designed to influence public comments. Ebert said an example of the unfair use of the social media by agencies was demonstrated during the public comment period of the controversial Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. After a thorough review, the U.S. Government Accountability Office determined that the Environmental Protection Agency broke the law with its (Thunderclap) social media campaign and its grassroots lobbying campaign involving WOTUS, he said. Trade Pennsylvania farmers also talked to lawmakers about the importance of establishing and maintaining strong trade agreements with neighboring countries and countries across the globe. Trade agreements that reduce or eliminate costly tariffs on U.S. agricultural products ultimately put money in the pockets of farm families in Pennsylvania and across America, said Ebert. Other key issues discussed included immigration reform, tax reform, and the creation of a new Farm Bill that maintains and strengthens risk management tools, such as federal crop insurance and commodity programs. By Aaron Berger, University of Nebraska-Lincoln LINCOLN, Neb. Having a plan and preparing ahead of time for the calving season can help to minimize calf loss. For some, calving season is here, while for others, the start of the calving season is still a few months away. The following are practices to consider in preparing for the upcoming calving season. Pay attention to nutrition needs of bred heifers or cows prior to calving. Adequate body condition at the time of calving for young females and mature cows is important as it impacts stamina during delivery of the calf, colostrum quality, calf vigor, and also impacts subsequent rebreeding. Adequate nutrition during the last trimester of pregnancy and especially the last 50-60 days prior to calving is important. Two-year-old heifers and three-year-old cows are vulnerable during this time period. These young females are still growing themselves while growing a calf inside them. As this calf grows and takes up room, rumen capacity is impacted and the amount of feed the young female can eat is reduced. The impact of this condition can be compounded when this time period prior to calving coincides with cold weather and available forage that is low in energy and protein. Body condition can deteriorate rapidly under these conditions. Review with your veterinarian your herd health plan. The whole production system should be discussed, identifying critical control points where management could reduce risk and cost effectively improve herd health. Specifically, address management options to mitigate health problems that have historically been an issue. Examine calving facilities making sure they are in good working order. Frequently it has been 9-10 months since calving facilities have been used. Inspect gates, pens, alleys and head catches, fixing or replacing broken items. Good lighting is an important part of a calving facility. Check lights and have replacement bulbs on hand. Check your calving supplies. Make sure you have on hand plastic sleeves, obstetrical lube, obstetrical chains or straps, esophageal feeders and calf feeding bottles. Test flashlights or spotlights to make sure they are working as well. Inventory halters, ropes, and other tools that may be needed. Make sure the fetal extractor (calf puller) is clean and working properly. Review the stages of parturition (calving) and understand when assistance is needed. There are several good Extension resources available to producers to help them identify and understand the stages of calving. Assisting the Beef Cow at Calving Time, by Richard Randle, DVM from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension and Calving and Handling Calving Difficulties, by Robert Mortimer, DVM from Colorado State University, are two such resources. Review how to correct abnormal presentations and assist the heifer or cow during calving. Know your limitations and when it is time to call your veterinarian. Have colostrum or colostrum replacement products on hand. Richard Randle, DVM from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, reports that approximately 85 percent of calves dying from infectious disease have received inadequate passive transfer of colostrum. The calfs ability for absorption of immunoglobulin across the intestine decreases rapidly 6-12 hours after birth. Therefore it is critical that the calf receive colostrum during this time. It is a good practice to immediately milk out a heifer or cow when she is assisted at calving and provide this colostrum to the calf. If quality or quantity of the colostrum is a concern, other sources of colostrum or colostrum replacement products should be used. Use caution when bringing outside sources of colostrum into the herd. Disease transfer can occur. The best source of colostrum is from within your own herd. Colostrum replacement products can be a good option to utilize when calves are not vigorous at birth, after a prolonged calving event, cold stress or where there is poor maternal bonding. Visit with your veterinarian about which colostrum replacement products are best for your operation. Have a plan and equipment for warming calves if calving during cold weather. Calves born during cold, wet conditions can quickly succumb to hypothermia. Have facilities, tools and supplies on hand to deal with this type of event. For mild hypothermia, (body temperature between 94 and 100 F) giving a calf warm, body temperature colostrum or colostrum replacement products along with drying the calf off with towels and warm air can quickly bring a calfs temperature back to normal. For extreme hypothermia, a combination of warm colostrum with a warm bath can be used. Calves should be dry, alert and have a normal body temperature before being returned to their mother. Plan to provide wind protection along with a clean, dry environment. Wet, muddy conditions are stressful both to cows and calves. This kind of environment also provides a situation where disease proliferation is more likely to occur. A fresh crop of calves is something cow-calf producers look forward to each year. Having a plan and preparing ahead of time for the calving season can help to minimize calf loss and reduce stress on those caring for the cowherd. Editor: The NEXUS Pipeline has promised Fulton County a $20,902,839 cumulative tax revenue the first five years (www.nexusgastransmission.com/content/economic-benefits). Members of the Coalition to Reroute Nexus (CoRN) have uncovered the first black mark on this promised windfall from NEXUS. All along, the NEXUS pipeline route county auditors have been alerted to the fact that NEXUS has not paid its easement conveyance fees. Ohio state law 319.54 requires county auditors to collect an easement conveyance fee on any easement more than $1,000. The law has been in effect since 2009. The fee is $3 to $4 per $1,000 of value depending on the county. Ohio receives $1 of every $1,000 leaving the county with the remainder. So far Fulton, Erie and Medina are not collecting these fees. Many counties are investigating reports of fraudulently under reporting of values. In Fulton County, the area has become pipeline alley with Rover, NEXUS and Utopia, just to name a few. This could be a loss of tens of thousands of needed tax revenue. NEXUS alone has 49 easements so far not taxed. Some rumored to be more than $1 million in value, meaning a tax loss of $4,000 on just one easement. Last year, farmers (including me) saw a doubling of their farm land tax bill. If you dont pay the tax, you will have late penalties assessed and/or land sold for back taxes. Why is Fulton county and others not collecting this fee when so many farmers are carrying the increasing tax liability unfairly? Paul Wohlfarth Ottawa Lake, Michigan By Katie Nichols Corn nematodes in Alabama are a problem many growers are not aware of. The nematodes feed on roots, and cause symptoms similar to those of soil fertility disorders. Alabama Cooperative Extension System Entomologist and Plant Pathologist, Dr. Austin Hagan, said nematodes can cause slow corn seedling growth and plant discoloration. We have problems with nematodes in corn each year, he said. They were a particular problem in corn in the spring of 2016. Cooler weather, in addition to nematode feeding on the roots under conditions that were not ideal for corn, caused slow-growing seedlings. Cotton Root-Knot Nematode on Corn Root-knot nematode is one of the most common pests in Alabama corn, Hagan said. The particular race that goes to cotton also hits corn. Anywhere in the state where producers have experienced issues with cotton root-knot nematodes in cotton, will likely see yield losses to this nematode in corn. Southern Root Knot Nematode. Like most nematodes, root-knot nematodes prefer sandy or sandy loam soils. These nematodes are found in North Alabama in clay soils as producers shift toward continuous corn production. The reproduction rate of root-knot nematodes in corn and cotton is equally high. Hagan said this indicates both plants are good hosts. The yield losses seen in rotation studies suggest in continuous corn situations, or in corn planted behind cotton, producers could see a yield loss of nearly 30 percent. Hagan said. While this is on the extreme end, more recent trials show a four to five percent yield loss for every 100 juveniles found in a fall soil sample. In studies run by Alabama Extension professionals thus far, no known resistance to root-knot nematode has been found. Stubby Root Nematode on Corn Stubby root nematode has become more prevalent in the past few years. Producers may see patchy, stunted areas in corn, easily confused with fertility and pH issues. The host range includes many of our field crops, but the highest rate of reproduction is in corn, Hagan said. Peanuts, grain sorghum and soybeans are hosts, but corn is the most favorite host. Stubby root nematodes prefer sandy soils. While there have not been specific studies to determine the yield impact of stubby root nematodes on corn, Hagan said there is no doubt these nematodes are capable of damage to corn on a comparable scale to root-knot nematodes. The threshold for treatment is as low as 10 nematodes per 100 ccs of soil, but may be as high as 40 nematodes per 100 ccs. Numbers appear to be higher in the spring and remain the same, or even decrease throughout the growing season. Lesion Nematode on Corn Lesion nematodes, like root-knot and stubby root nematodes, prefer sandy soils and have a broad host range. These migratory endoparasites can cause particularly heavy damage to peanut pods. The damage threshold is near 200 nematodes per cc of soil. Corn Nematode Control Options There are not a lot of control options for nematodes in corn, Hagan said. The most effective means for control is management through crop rotation, and the second option is to use a nematicide. The best crop to manage cotton root-knot nematode in cotton and corn is peanuts. Hagan said even one year of peanuts pushes the population back to a point where producers may not need a nematicide. There are also root-knot resistant soybean varieties. Sesame and sunn hemp are both rotation options if producers are looking for a summer cover crop. In-furrow nematicides in infested fields boost yields up to 30 bushels per acre. Treatment of fields with no nematode population have no known yield boost. Many individuals are asking how they can help those affected by the recent wildfires in Northwest Oklahoma. There are several ways to help listed below. A relief fund has been established by the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Foundation (OCF), a charitable arm of the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association. "When unfortunate situations happen, it is humbling to see how generous folks can be to help those who are in need and we are happy to provide a place for those funds to be held," said Jeff Jaronek, Coordinator of the OFC. "We will coordinate with the Extension offices in each county to organize relief efforts in the area and to identify ranchers that are in need." If you would like to donate to this relief effort, you can do so by mail or online. Make checks payable to Oklahoma Cattlemen's Foundation and put "Fire Relief" in the memo line and send to P.O. Box 82395., Oklahoma City, OK 73148. To donate online, visit www.okcattlemen.org. OKC West Livestock Market, El Reno, Okla. is going to donate and auction off a calf on Wed. March 22 at noon with proceeds going to the fire relief established at the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Foundation. Kripple E Cattle Co., owned by Kyle and Kelsy Eastwood has donated a heifer to auction off at Cherokee Sales Co. in Cherokee, Okla. The heifer will sell on Wed. March 29 at 11 a.m. with proceeds to go to the relief fund established by the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Foundation. "We just want to help out and pray that we never have to face something so devastating on our operation," said Kyle Eastwood. Click here to see more... As Alabamas only member on the House Agriculture Committee, I take my role in protecting our farmers best interests very seriously. Alabamas agricultural industry has quite a large impact on our state economy. Agriculture provides over 580,000 jobs in the state of Alabama, and agriculture and related industries bring in over $70 billion dollars to our great state. Just this week, I had the honor of hosting folks from the Alabama Farmers Federation (ALFA) here in Washington, DC. Its always good to hear from farmers what programs are working for them and what issues are most important to them. With the new Trump administration, farmers feel more promise than ever that the government is working on their behalf rather than against them. Under President Obama, farmers were under assault from overregulation from the EPA and USDA. President Trump has already kept his promise to cut unnecessary government red tape by signing his disapproval of the Waters of the United States rule. This rule was one of the worst examples of bureaucratic overreach by Obamas EPA. One issue on the front of the minds of everyone in the Agriculture Committee and farmers alike is the upcoming Farm Bill. The Farm Bill authorizes into law all farm programs for five years, and the current one expires in 2018. The House Agriculture Committee has started hearing from the agriculture industry about what programs in the Farm Bill work for them, and most importantly, what programs do not work for them. As these hearings continue, I remain dedicated to protecting and providing for East Alabamas farmers. Everyones lives are impacted by Americas farmers, and its important we provide farmers with the tools they need to remain strong and successful. Source:house.gov Wheat: Net sales of 391,600 metric tons for delivery in marketing year 2016/2017 were up 21 percent from the previous week, but down 14 percent from the prior 4-week average. Increases were reported for Japan (56,400 MT), Bangladesh (55,000 MT, including 50,000 MT switched from unknown destinations), Yemen (50,000 MT), Mexico (41,000 MT, including decreases of 23,000 MT), and the Philippines (36,700 MT, including 33,000 MT switched from unknown destinations and decreases of 500 MT). Reductions were reported for unknown destinations (26,500 MT), Singapore (10,000 MT), and Cost Rica (5,000 MT). For 2017/2018, net sales of 40,000 MT reported for unknown destinations (42,400 MT), the Philippines (2,000 MT), and Panama (500 MT), were partially offset by reductions for Japan (4,900 MT). Exports of 450,500 MT were down 12 percent from the previous week and 14 percent and from the prior 4-week average. The destinations were primarily Mexico (63,700 MT), China (63,000 MT), Bangladesh (55,000 MT), the Philippines (34,700 MT), Guatemala (34,600 MT), and South Korea (32,900 MT). Exports for Own Account: The current exports for own account outstanding balance of 24,900 MT is for Canada. Export Adjustments: Accumulated exports of hard red winter to Algeria were adjusted down 29,040 MT for week ending February 23rd. The correct destination is Morocco and is included in this weeks report. Corn: Net sales of 741,100 MT for 2016/2017 were up 7 percent from the previous week, but down 7 percent from the prior 4-week average. Increases were for Japan (318,800 MT, including 99,200 MT switched from unknown destinations and decreases of 5,000 MT), South Korea (175,800 MT, including 65,000 MT switched from unknown destinations and decreases of 14,500 MT), Mexico (165,000 MT, including decreases of 1,600 MT), Saudi Arabia (113,100 MT, including 101,500 MT switched from unknown destinations), and Colombia (61,700 MT, including 48,000 MT switched from unknown destinations and decreases of 100 MT). Reductions were reported for unknown destinations (218,300 MT) and El Salvador (15,600 MT). For 2017/2018, net sales of 93,000 MT were reported for Mexico (90,000 MT) and Japan (3,000 MT). Exports of 1,453,700 MT were down 3 percent from the previous week, but up 15 percent from the prior 4-week average. The primary destinations were Japan (457,200 MT), Mexico (246,300 MT), South Korea (196,500 MT), Colombia (164,000 MT), and Saudi Arabia (113,100 MT). Optional Origin Sales: For 2016/2017, options were exercised to export 68,000 MT to South Korea from the United States. The current optional origin outstanding balance of 688,000 MT is for unknown destinations (293,000 MT) and South Korea (395,000 MT). Barley: No net sales were reported for the week. Exports of 300 MT were reported to Taiwan. Sorghum: Net sales of 110,100 MT for 2016/2017 were up noticeably from the previous week and up 79 percent from the prior 4-week average. Increases were for Mexico (99,300 MT), Japan (10,000 MT), and China (1,700 MT). Reductions were reported for Nigeria (900 MT). Exports of 52,700 MT were down 49 percent from the previous week and 57 percent from the prior 4-week average. The destinations were China (51,700 MT), Mexico (600 MT), and Nigeria (400 MT). Rice: Net sales of 72,100 MT for 2016/2017 were down 28 percent from the previous week and 24 percent from the prior 4-week average. Increases were reported for Mexico (20,200 MT, including decreases of 300 MT), Haiti (11,900 MT, including decreases of 100 MT), Japan (9,500 MT), Saudi Arabia (7,900 MT), and Canada (5,500 MT). For 2017/2018, net sales of 200 MT were reported for Israel. Exports of 95,000 MT were up 70 percent from the previous week and 9 percent from the prior 4-week average. The destinations were primarily Haiti (21,400 MT), Japan (16,700 MT), Costa Rica (13,400 MT), Panama (10,700 MT), and Saudi Arabia (6,500 MT). Exports for Own Account: New exports for own account totaling 100 MT were reported to Canada. The current exports for own account outstanding balance of 400 MT is for Canada. Soybeans: Net sales of 485,500 MT for 2016/2017 were up 14 percent from the previous week, but down 8 percent from the prior 4-week average. Increases were reported for Mexico (151,500 MT, including decreases of 11,300 MT), China (84,300 MT), Japan (77,800 MT, including 61,000 MT switched from unknown destinations and decreases of 100 MT), Taiwan (70,900 MT, including 60,000 MT switched from unknown destinations and decreases of 100 MT), and Indonesia (70,100 MT, including 48,700 MT switched from unknown destinations and decreases of 2,100 MT). Reductions were reported for Germany (75,400 MT), unknown destinations (59,800 MT), Costa Rica (900 MT), and Barbados (400 MT). For 2017/2018, net sales of 29,600 MT were reported for Canada (25,000 MT) and Japan (4,600 MT). Exports of 982,900 MT were unchanged from the previous week, but down 16 percent from the prior 4-week average. The destinations were primarily China (533,300 MT), Japan (95,000 MT), Indonesia (81,400 MT), Taiwan (78,300 MT), and the Netherlands (65,600 MT). Exports for Own Account: The current exports for own account outstanding balance of 20,000 MT is for Canada. Soybean Cake and Meal: Net sales of 301,900 MT for 2016/2017 were up noticeably from the previous week and 54 percent from the prior 4-week average. Increases were reported for the Philippines (163,800 MT), Venezuela (50,000 MT, including 30,000 MT switched from unknown destinations), Vietnam (45,000 MT, switched from unknown destinations), Mexico (29,200 MT, including decreases of 200 MT), and Israel (14,100 MT, including 17,000 MT switched from unknown destinations and decreases of 2,900 MT). Reductions were reported for unknown destinations (89,200 MT) and El Salvador (4,500 MT). Exports of 319,900 MT--a marketing-year high--were up 43 percent from the previous week and 37 percent from the prior 4-week average. The destinations were primarily Mexico (78,800 MT), Thailand (42,000 MT), Pakistan (40,900 MT), Venezuela (30,000 MT), and Denmark (22,500 MT). Soybean Oil: Net sales of 8,400 MT for 2016/2017 were down 71 percent from the previous week and 61 percent from the prior 4-week average. Increases were reported for South Korea (4,000 MT), Colombia (1,700 MT), the Dominican Republic (1,500 MT), and Mexico (700 MT). Exports of 13,500 MT were down 41 percent from the previous week and 57 percent from the prior 4-week average. The destinations were primarily Mexico (5,600 MT), Colombia (5,600 MT), Costa Rica (2,000 MT), and Canada (200 MT). Cotton: Net upland sales of 248,900 RB for 2016/2017 were down 48 percent from the previous week and 22 percent from the prior 4-week average. Increases were reported for Indonesia (68,400 RB, including decreases of 300 RB), China (42,200 RB, including decreases of 4,400 RB), Turkey (36,300 RB, including decreases of 100 RB), India (21,600 RB), Vietnam (18,700 RB, including decreases of 600 RB), and Thailand (14,300 RB, including 500 RB switched from Japan and decreases of 600 RB). Reductions were reported for Japan (500 RB) and El Salvador (400 RB). For 2017/2018, net sales of 215,500 RB were reported primarily for Pakistan (88,400 RB), Indonesia (44,000 RB), China (42,600 RB), and South Korea (18,800 RB). Exports of 529,000 RB--a marketing-year high--were up 66 percent from the previous week and 45 percent from the prior 4-week average. The primary destinations were China (107,300 RB), Vietnam (93,800 RB), Turkey (60,000 RB), Indonesia (56,400 RB), and Pakistan (54,400 RB). Net sales of Pima totaling 14,100 RB for 2016/2017 were up 65 percent from the previous week and 46 percent from the prior 4-week average. Increases were primarily for Vietnam (7,400 RB), India (2,500 RB), China (1,700 RB, including 900 RB switched from Hong Kong), and Turkey (900 RB). Reductions were reported for Hong Kong (900 RB). For 2017/2018, net sales of 2,600 RB were reported for India. Exports of 15,100 RB were up 94 percent from the previous week and 14 percent from the prior 4-week average. The primary destinations were India (4,900 RB), China (3,600 RB), Egypt (1,700 RB), Peru (1,400 RB), and Pakistan (1,400 RB). Exports for Own Account: Exports for own account to Indonesia (8,800 RB) and South Korea (900 RB) were applied to new or outstanding sales. The current exports for own account outstanding balance of 107,500 RB is for Indonesia (56,700 RB), China (26,800 RB), Taiwan (9,700 RB), Vietnam (7,800 RB), South Korea (2,600 RB), Bangladesh (1,800 RB), India (1,300 RB), Pakistan (500 RB), and (Thailand 300 RB). Hides and Skins: Net sales of 439,400 pieces reported for 2017, all whole cattle hides were up 18 percent from previous week and 30 percent from the prior 4-week average. Increases were primarily for China (341,700 pieces, including decreases of 10,000 pieces), South Korea (52,800 pieces, including 1,400 pieces switched from Japan and decreases of 1,700 pieces), Mexico (13,300 pieces, including decreases of 2,200 pieces), Thailand (8,500 pieces, including decreases of 700 pieces), and Brazil (6,100 pieces). Exports of 387,300 pieces reported for 2017, were up 8 percent from the previous week and 7 percent from the prior 4-week average. Whole cattle hide exports of 380,200 pieces were primarily to China (237,800 pieces), South Korea (73,600 pieces), Mexico (27,200 pieces), Thailand (12,200 pieces), and Taiwan (10,400 pieces). Net sales of 36,800 wet blues for 2017 were down 25 percent from the previous week and 66 percent from the prior 4-week average. Increases were reported for Mexico (23,700 grain splits and 100 unsplit), China (6,000 grain splits and 3,100 unsplit), Hong Kong (5,200 unsplit), and Brazil (100 unsplit). Reductions were reported for Vietnam (1,200 unsplit), Italy (200 grain splits), India (100 unsplit), and Vietnam (100 grain splits). Exports of 75,600 wet blues for 2017 were down 40 percent from the previous week and 41 percent from the prior 4-week average. The primary destinations Italy (27,300 unsplit), Vietnam (11,400 unsplit and 4,700 grain splits), China (6,100 unsplit and 6,000 grain splits), and Mexico (8,100 grain splits and 2,100 unsplit). Net sales of splits totaling 528,800 pounds for 2017 were up noticeably from the previous week and up 1 percent from the prior 4-week average. Increases were reported for Vietnam (452,900 pounds), China (64,700 pounds), South Korea (8,100 pounds) and Taiwan (3,000 pounds). Exports of 489,500 pounds were down 32 percent from the previous week, but up 7 percent from the prior 4-week average. The destinations were Vietnam (210,600 pounds), China (157,400 pounds), and South Korea (121,600 pounds). Beef: Net sales of 16,900 MT reported for 2017 were up 10 percent from the previous week and 23 percent from the prior 4-week average. Increases were reported for Japan (9,300 MT, including decreases of 600 MT), Hong Kong (2,600 MT, including decreases of 100 MT), Mexico (1,800 MT, including decreases of 100 MT), South Korea (1,600 MT, including decreases of 200 MT), and Canada (800 MT, including decreases of 100 MT). Exports of 13,900 MT reported for 2017 were up 7 percent from the previous week and 2 percent from the prior 4-week average. The primary destinations were Japan (4,900 MT), South Korea (3,000 MT), Mexico (1,600 MT), Hong Kong (1,500 MT), and Canada (1,100 MT). Pork: Net sales of 18,100 MT reported for 2017 were up 8 percent from the previous week and 4 percent from the prior 4-week average. Increases were reported for Japan (9,200 MT), Mexico (5,000 MT), Australia (1,000 MT), Chile (800 MT), and the Philippines (500 MT). Reductions were reported for Hong Kong (100 MT). Exports of 21,400 MT were down 11 percent from the previous week and 7 percent from the prior 4-week average. The destinations were primarily Mexico (7,600 MT), Japan (3,700 MT), South Korea (3,200 MT), China (1,900 MT), and Canada (1,500 MT). Source : USDA Kalium's plan is to pump brine from below the salt crust up through 40 metres of sand, evaporate the moisture off in shallow ponds leaving behind potassium, sulphur and sodium, and then separate and stockpile the sodium for sale and produce a granular fertiliser product from the potassium and sulphur. "Any funding to go towards dog control is good, because their are holes in the State plan - but as I see it, it will fail because there is no money for on-ground work to clean the dogs out." "When you look at local community involvement then it is almost the complete opposite - women are running the P&C, the school councils, - they are very involved on the ground in their local communities and I would like to see CBH and other organisations look at what those barriers are so we can come up with strategies as to how we can improve on participation at a board and GAC level. "We've been working 10 or 12 years on this to make things happen, and we've got an election promise of $15m to build a new set of yards, plus on top of that they'll give money to buy the land so to me it's a better deal than we've had out of anyone," Mr Scott said. "BLM is looking very good the past two years has been tough for them because the price of oats have been $400/t plus and they have found it hard to make the margin, but they still made a very positive contribution to the rebates and going forward we expect that to be a very lucrative part of our investments," Mr Newman said. 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 In an effort to reduce the lines at the Prince William landfill and compost facility, now that both are closed on Sundays, the county is encouraging residents who regularly visit such faciliti Victoria Fox was born in 1983. She used to work in publishing before she decided to take the leap to become a full time author. Today she tells us a bit about her latest installment- Temptation Island. Victoria Fox What can you tell our readers about your new novel Temptation Island? Prepare to be scandalised! Temptation Island is a sexy, glitzy, glittering beach read studded with scorching-hot guys, sizzling secrets and surprises galore. Its about a mega-exclusive celebrity island getaway in the middle of the ocean that is hiding a shattering truth about Hollywood. Three women Spanish model Lori, spoiled starlet Aurora and British actress Stevie are drawn to its shores in search of the facts, but nothing can prepare them for what they find. Where did your inspiration come from for the novel? Headlines in the press. Im a conspiracy theorist and like to build stories that explore the difference between media spin and whats really going on. Im fascinated by twenty-first-century celebrity and our cultures relationship with it, building idols as easily as it destroys them. The idea for Temptation Island stemmed from an idea I had about a very famous A-list family. Where did your inspiration come from for your main characters? Some are inspired by real-life people (one thing I used to love about Jackie Collins bonkbusters was trying to guess who might be who) while others are totally made up. Im always asked about one of the guys in Hollywood Sinners being based on a super-famous actor, the same with a main player in Temptation Island, but as these scandals are not for the faint-hearted, I couldnt possibly say which ones! Why did you decide to write the novel with such a beautiful backdrop? Islands have an irresistible air of exclusivity, privacy and secrecy; theyre severed from the mainland and exist by their own rules. They connote luxury and indulgence, jewels in the glittering ocean, an ultimate destination that is perfect for a beach-read adventure. I wanted to write a bonkbuster that scorched with sun, sea, sex and secrets, and Temptation Island was the ideal place to set it . . . This and your previous novel hold a lot of intrigue, how do you go about developing this along the way? Bonkbusters are all about twists and turns and cliff-hangers. Before I start writing I know broadly what revelations need to come and when, but often my characters will become so outrageous that they introduce a whole new set of juicy intrigues, surprising even me! When Im chasing a storyline thats delivering scandal after scandal I know Im on to a good thing. Both of your novels are centred around the rich, what is the reason for this? Im interested by how extreme wealth changes people and how quickly and easily scruples can bend when there are large sums of cash in play. Riches and fame are today perceived to be the definitive goal, but at what cost do they come? Temptation Island focuses on the mega-moneyed but each character has paid a price to be where they are. When you have everything, what is there left to trade? When did you decide you wanted to write? From a young age its all Ive ever wanted to do, really. I used to try and emulate the books I loved, whether that was Sweet Valley, the Point Horrors, or, as I got older, the bonkbusters that shaped my teens. After university I got a job in publishing where I learned masses about the book industry and the commercial market I hadnt planned to pursue a career as an author until later on but the bug caught up with me sooner than I thought. Im a daydreamer and am happiest when making up stories. Why were you drawn to the genre of women's fiction? Two reasons. First, I love to read womens fiction, and I think you should write what you know and enjoy. Second, I worked for several years as a womens fiction editor and was familiar with the market. Id been waiting to see a good old meaty bonkbuster to explode on to the scene but none were quite hitting it for me, so I decided to have a go myself. What do you have in store for us next? Im hard at work on my third bonkbuster novel, which is a glamorous, sexy revenge thriller set in the music industry. Watch this space! by Lucy Moore for www.femalefirst.co.uk find me on and follow me on John Boyega has slammed Samuel L. Jackson for creating "conflict" between Black British and African American actors. John Boyega The 24-year-old star - who grew up in Peckham, London - is furious with the Hollywood legend after he said black men from the UK should not be allowed to play American roles because he thinks they can't relate to the struggles African Americans have faced. Boyega rose to fame in 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' but earlier in his career, he played a young Los Angeles father who is released from prison in 'Imperial Dreams', and disagrees with Jackson. He tweeted: "Black brits vs African American. A stupid ass conflict we don't have time for." Jackson made the comments when he was asked his thoughts on a new movie titled 'Get Out' about an interracial marriage and starring British actor Daniel Kaluuya as an African-American man interacting with white liberal Americans. The 68-year-old actor said recently: "I think it's great; [Get Out]'s doing everything it's doing and people are loving it. But ... I know the young brother who's in the movie, and he's British. "So, there are a lot of black British actors in these movies. I tend to wonder what would that movie would have been with an American brother who really feels that." Jackson added that Hollywood executives often go for British actors over Americans because they demand less money and they believe they are better trained actors. He continued: "Daniel grew up in a country where they've been interracial dating for a hundred years ... What would a brother from America have made of that role? I'm sure the director helped, but some things are universal, but [not everything] "[British actors] are cheaper than us, for one thing. They don't cost as much. And they [casting agents and directors] think they're better trained, because they're classically trained." Other movies to cast British stars over Americans is David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King in 'Selma' and Chiwetel Ejiofor in the Oscar-winning '12 Years A Slave'. Pamela Anderson is "flattered" by rumours she is dating Julian Assange. Pamela Anderson The pair has been romantically linked after the 49-year-old actress and activist was seen visiting the Ecuadorian Embassy in London on multiple occasions and Pamela feels a "genuine closeness" to Julian, who has been holed up in the embassy for five years after claiming diplomatic asylum in 2012. She said: "I met Julian through Vivienne Westwood. We mixed up our dates - I ended up at the embassy on the wrong day but was able to meet with Julian privately. I asked him how he thought I could be more effective as an activist. We came up with tenure to support relentless activism - giving activists tenure and cover basic needs so that they continue their great work while being able to provide for themselves and their families wherever they may be in the world. "Since then I feel a genuine closeness to Julian. I have had more stimulating conversation with this man than all my ex-husbands and lovers combined. Our intentions were not to become romantic, but to join forces. The rumours are flattering. I think I might have what it takes to be an effective First Lady. If I had to choose a World Leader to stand beside and support whole heartedly it would be Julian Assange." And now Pamela has accused Australia of "failing to exercise diplomatic protection" over Julian, who runs the whistleblowing organisation WikiLeaks. In a post on her official website, she added: "Australian's must not forget. They have a fellow citizen trapped in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London who has not been able to go outside, feel the sunshine, hug his children or see his mother for four and a half years. He has been detained for 6 years ... "The Julian Assange Case is incredibly complex. Australia has failed to exercise diplomatic protection over Julian, an Australian Citizen, refusing him the most basic assistance. Australia is now seeking a seat on the UN Human Rights Council at a time when Julian, an Australian citizen, has been found to be arbitrarily detained by the UK and Sweden. An unlawful status under international law - and Australia is doing nothing about it. Australia's failure led to Ecuador's decision to grant Asylum to Julian." The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are to meet Pope Francis at the end of March or at the beginning of April. The Duchess and Prince Charles Clarence House has confirmed the British royals will meet the Pope as part of of a wider European tour - which will include their first private tour of the Vatican. However, Clarence House has been unable to confirm a specific date for the tour, merely announcing that it will take place at some stage between March 31 and April 5. Prince Charles' European tour will also see the royal visit Romania and Austria, and will come amid Britain's exit from the European Union - an issue which the Vatican has taken a keen interest in. Confirmation of the royal visit comes shortly after biographer Penny Junor claimed Prince Charles will "push" for his wife to be given the title of Queen when he becomes the King. She argued that the 68-year-old royal is determined to ensure his wife will be named Queen, despite potential opposition to the move on account of her status as a divorcee and the public affection for Princess Diana, Charles' first wife. She said: "Charles will push for this. He is so fiercely proud of her and I think would see anything less than the title of Queen as being a slight. And he has never been good at taking advice from people that disagree with him. "But she has no desire to be Queen. She got into this position because she loved him and wanted to support him in his otherwise lonely role; she didn't marry him because she wanted to be a Duchess or a Princess or even a Queen. "But it is a very difficult subject because there will always be people who say that to make her Queen would be to reward adultery." Paul McGann is backing Tilda Swinton to become the first female Doctor Who. Paul McGann as Doctor Who The 57-year-old actor portrayed the Eighth Doctor on screen in the one-off 1996 'Doctor Who' TV film and again in the 2013 mini-episode 'The Night of the Doctor' which preceded the 50th anniversary special 'The Day of the Doctor' which showed him regenerate into the War Doctor played by the late John Hurt. Now Twelfth Doctor Peter Capaldi has decided to give the key to the TARDIS back, McGann thinks the time is right for a woman to take on the iconic role, especially as departing showrunner Steven Moffat has weaved the ability for the Time Lords, who come from the planet Gallifrey, to change sex into the show by turning infamous villain The Master into The Mistress played by Michelle Gomez. Asked by the panel on 'Loose Women' on Thursday (09.03.17) if it we should get a female Doctor, he said: "Yeah, wherever you're from there's females yeah? There are Gallifreyan females. Steven Moffat, the writer, is fond of describing the character as 'one character, many faces', well how about a female one." McGann was then asked to choose who he would like to see in the TARDIS out of the three actresses who are the favourites for the part, Tilda Swinton, Maxine Peake and Olivia Colman, and he picked 'Doctor Strange' star Tilda. He said: "I'd go for Tilda because she's a great actor and because she's got that kind of David Bowie [androgynous] thing." McGann has continued to play the Eighth Doctor in audio adventures and has attended conventions to meet fans ever since the late 90s. When he was cast in the part, 'Doctor Who' had been off air since 1989 and the hope was that the movie - an American/Canadian/British co-production - would lead to a new series. The proposed show never materialised because of a lack of viewing figures in the US and McGann thinks it's ironic that since the series was relaunched in 2005, with Christopher Eccleston as the leading man, it's fandom in America has continued to grow and grow. He said: "When I first did it in '96, 20 years ago, the plan was to try and get it off the ground in the States because we thought there might be a few fans there, that was the dream to get an American TV series going but they couldn't find enough of them. Now, this is where 'Doctor Who' fandom is, it's in the States." Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan were spotted at a suburban hospital in Mumbai on Tuesday night. It was then discovered that the actress' father Krishnaraj Rai has been hospitalised as he hasn't been keeping well of late. According to reports, he has been in the hospital for the last two weeks. It may be recalled that Aishwarya had to cut short her Dubai vacation last month and rush back to India to visit her ailing father. Abhishek was in New York at that time and had to leave for Mumbai after he got to know about his father-in-law's deteriorating health. We wish Aishwarya's father a speedy recovery. Alia Bhatt says feminism calls for gender equality but people misunderstand the essence of it and end up associating it with male bashing. The actress says feminism does not demand "special" treatment for women. "Being a feminist is not only limited to girls. Even a man can be a feminist. It is about equality and everyone believes in equality. People usually misunderstand the essence of feminism. It is not about male bashing. "I am not saying women are greater than men. I don't believe it is the right way to put it. I just feel there should be similar treatment (for both)," Alia told PTI. The 23-year-old star says she may not be a part of any women rights campaign, but it does not mean that she is not a feminist. Alia believes enough has been said about women empowerment and people should realise that "equality" is a woman's birth right. "If you are not campaigning for women rights you are not a feminist, that is also a big confusion. Even if I don't campaign, I am a feminist. As the youth of today, I don't want more conversation on women empowerment because I feel that it is all talk and I don't understand this talk. Equality is our birth right." The actress says she could identify with her character of 'Vaidehi' in her upcoming film 'Badrinath Ki Dulhania'. "I am closer to Vadehi. She is a feminist and very ambitious. I love that about her and I really connected with that. She is very sensitive but at the same time she is more mature." Directed by Shashank Khaitan and also starring Varun Dhawan in the male lead, 'Badrinath Ki Dulhania' will release this Friday. Over 140 designers will present their cutting-edge designs through runway and exhibition at the 29th edition of the Amazon India Fashion Week (AIFW) Autumn-Winter 2017, in turn making it a treat for buyers and the audience. It will also celebrate the formidable repertoire of veteran designer Madhu Jain The event will be held from March 15-18 in New Delhi. The Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), the organiser of the AIFW, has announced the show schedule of the fashion week, which is being planned in association with Maybelline New York. The collection designed to commemorate thirty years of the Madhu Jain label will infuse the revivalist spirit that personifies her life-work. With a shared passion for India's indigenous textiles tradition, FDCI and Jain have always believed in showcasing the best of what our country has to offer. Jain will showcase a 22-ensemble suite that celebrates her thirty years journey into the world of Indian textiles on the first day of AIFW. Over 140 designers will present their cutting-edge designs through runway and exhibition at the 29th edition of the Amazon India Fashion Week (AIFW) Autumn-Winter 2017, in turn making it a treat for buyers and the audience. It will also celebrate the formidable repertoire of veteran designer Madhu Jain The event will be held from March 15-18 in New Delhi.# "Today, when India has carved its space on the global map of fashion, we have veteran designers like Madhu Jain to thank for its recognition beyond borders. She has been influential in championing a cause, that we at FDCI hold dear to our heart craft revival and textile conservation," said Sunil Sethi, president, FDCI. "FDCI has been the wind beneath the sail of many in the Indian design fraternity. It gives me immense hope that there are others who share my deep, abiding respect for our varied and rich crafts heritage. My dream is to optimise India's artisanal wealth and change the face of the handlooms sector," said Jain. Celebrated designers like Rohit Bal, Suket Dhir, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Rin Dhaka, Shaina NC, Urvashi Kaur and more will present their collections on the first day of the show. As part of the first year of the partnership between FDCI and Jakarta Fashion Week, Indonesian designer Novita Yunus will also present her collection on day 1. Samant Chauhan will present his 'Golden Threads of Assam' collection on day 2 along with Anupama Dayal, Hemant & Nandita, Vineet Bahl, Pankaj & Nidhi and more. The designer lineup for day 3 of AIFW include Sahil Kochhar, Karishma Shahani Khan, Nikasha, Anju Modi, Namrata Joshipura, Malini Ramini, Ashima Leena and more. Sustainable Fashion show will be held on day 4 of the fashion week. Designers like Kommal and Ratul Sood, Pawan Sahdev, Rohit Kamra, Sahil Aneja, Dhruv Vaish and more will showcase their collections on the last day of the event. The grand finale of the show will be presented by Tarun Tahiliani and Amit Aggarwal. FDCI will also be presenting the Pearl Portfolio on the 19th March as an addition to the four-day fashion fiesta. (KD) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India Hopes of revival of cotton yarn exports from India have increased after the Chinese cotton auction began at 25 per cent higher price than that prevailing in the Indian domestic market. Since Indian cotton attracts 3.5 per cent duty in China, it is likely that Chinese textile mills would prefer to import cotton yarn, instead of cotton, from India. Hopes of revival of cotton yarn exports from India have increased after the Chinese cotton auction began at 25 per cent higher price than that prevailing in the Indian domestic market. Since Indian cotton attracts 3.5 per cent duty in China, it is likely that Chinese textile mills would prefer to import cotton yarn, instead of cotton, from India.# On the first two days of the Chinese cotton auction, average price was 15,476 yuan per ton (first day) and 15,332 yuan per ton (second day). This roughly translates to price between Rs 51,000 and Rs 56,000 per a candy of 356 kg, which is much higher than the currently prevailing rate of around Rs 42,000 per candy in domestic markets. So cost-wise, Indian cotton is cheaper compared to the cotton being auctioned by the Chinese government from its reserves. Hopes of revival of cotton yarn exports from India have increased after the Chinese cotton auction began at 25 per cent higher price than that prevailing in the Indian domestic market. Since Indian cotton attracts 3.5 per cent duty in China, it is likely that Chinese textile mills would prefer to import cotton yarn, instead of cotton, from India.# Another factor in favour of Indian cotton is that the fibre being auctioned by the Chinese government is up to seven-year old. Hence, the quality of the auctioned cotton may not be as good since it is natural for cotton to start deteriorating and turning yellow when stocked for more than two-three years. Hopes of revival of cotton yarn exports from India have increased after the Chinese cotton auction began at 25 per cent higher price than that prevailing in the Indian domestic market. Since Indian cotton attracts 3.5 per cent duty in China, it is likely that Chinese textile mills would prefer to import cotton yarn, instead of cotton, from India.# Though India tends to gain because of these factors, it may not translate into more export orders for Indian cotton. It is because of the 3.5 per cent duty being levied by China on import of Indian cotton. So, it is very likely that Chinese textile mills would prefer to import Indian cotton yarn, instead. Hopes of revival of cotton yarn exports from India have increased after the Chinese cotton auction began at 25 per cent higher price than that prevailing in the Indian domestic market. Since Indian cotton attracts 3.5 per cent duty in China, it is likely that Chinese textile mills would prefer to import cotton yarn, instead of cotton, from India.# During April-December 2016, cotton yarn exports from India stood at 872 million kg, down 12 per cent compared to exports of 987 million kg in the corresponding period of the previous year. (RKS) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India The 3Leatherworld Middle East 2017 show will witness debut exhibitors from Australia, the Netherlands, and Thailand along with a host returning players, who have set their sights on this market where demand for finished leather products, tanned animal hides, and manufacturing supplies remains strong. The show will be held from April 30-May 2 in Dubai. Global interest in the Middle East and Africas (MEA) leather industry is gaining momentum as international tanneries, designers, suppliers and manufacturers are looking to boost business prospects at the region's dedicated leather trade show. It will feature over 50 exhibitors from 18 countries and will include national pavilions from France, South Africa, Indonesia and Egypt. The three-day event, organised by Messe Frankfurt Middle East, is the region's only dedicated trade show spanning the leather industrys entire value chain, from semi-finished and finished animal hides, chemicals, and machinery to finished leather goods, including footwear, clothing, bags, wallets, and accessories. The 3rd Leatherworld Middle East 2017 show will witness debut exhibitors from Australia, the Netherlands, and Thailand along with a host returning players, who have set their sights on this market where demand for finished leather products, tanned animal hides, and manufacturing supplies remains strong. The show will be held from April 30-May 2 in Dubai.# The fair's highlights include the Trend Area, an exclusive showcase of exotic leather innovations seen for the first time and Fashion Avenue, where the UAEs most talented designers at ESMOD Dubai will present their creative flair with an inspiring array of leather garments, bags and shoes. Other features include Leather Production for tanneries and dealers of semi-finished and finished animal hides, and the Shoe Box, a dedicated section for mid to high-end leather footwear. According to analysts Euromonitor International (EMI), the MEAs production turnover of tanned and dressed leather was worth $4.08 billion in 2016, and estimated to rise to $4.22 billion by 2020. The retail value of luxury leather goods across the region is also solid. EMI estimates that spending on luxury leather bags, travel goods, and men's and women's small leather items, was worth $1.46 billion in 2016, with this rising to $1.84 billion in 2020. Much of the region's leather industry revolves around the Gulf countries of Saudi Arabia and the UAE. According to EMI, tanned and dressed leather production in Saudi was worth $367 million in 2016, while UAE consumers spent $473.9 million in 2016 on luxury leather goods, with this set to rise to $586.7 million in 2020. Leatherworld Middle East is the embodiment of luxury and exclusivity, and this is evident the moment one walks through the entrance into an array of exotic animal hides, high-end consumer goods or finely tuned machinery. Our vision is to be an incubator of new innovations and to present a knowledge-sharing platform that will be the focal point of the regions leather industry," said Ahmed Pauwels, CEO of organiser Messe Frankfurt Middle East. Leatherworld is supported by the French Hides Association, the French Federation of Tanners, South African Footwear and Leather Export Council, the Indonesian Footwear Association, and the Egypt Expo and Convention Authority. (KD) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India Aish's Father Is In The ICU Aishwarya's spokesperson told Indian Express, "All I can tell you right now is that yes, Krishna Raj Rai, Aishwarya Rai's father is hospitalised and is in the ICU.'' It's A Delicate Situation Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's spokesperson further added, ''It is a delicate situation and can't tell you anything more." Amitabh Bachchan Visits The Hospital Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan too visited her ailing father Krishna Raj Rai at the hospital. Abhishek & Amitabh Are By Aishwarya's Side Aishwarya is taking full care of his father while husband Abhishek Bachchan and father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan are very much by her side. Aishwarya With Mickey Contractor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek's good friend and makeup artist Mickey Contractor was also spotted outside the hospital. Aishwarya's Father Had Cancer Sources at the hospital, also told that Aishwarya's father had cancer in the past and he is likely to have had a recurrence. He Was Supposed To Return Home After A Two-week Stay In fact, he was supposed to return home after a two-week stay in the hospital but has now been shifted to the ICU. Krishna Raj Rai Faced A Similar Problem In Jan As per reports, Krishna Raj Rai had also faced similar health problems in January 2017 and he was admitted to the same hospital. Abhishek Returned From New York After Hearing About His Father-in-law's Health Abhishek returned from New York immediately after hearing about his father-in-law's condition; he is with his wife since then. Aishwarya Too Cut Short Her Dubai Trip For Her Father Aishwarya Rai Bachchan had reportedly cut short her Dubai vacation recently to take care of her father Krishna Raj Rai. I Am Going To Expose Her Ronita Sharma Rekhi, an official of the India-Pakistan London Fashion Show, told Mid Day, ''I am going to call a press conference and expose her if needed.'' Bipasha Will Have To Apologise ''I've requested the hotel to source CCTV footage to show what a fit she threw. I have witnesses to substantiate my claims. She will have to apologise for her behaviour. I am not scared." I Cancelled Her Return Tickets "If she decided to not do the show, she should have the dignity to take the next flight back home. I have cancelled her return ticket." We Will Not Pay For Her Fun She further added, "We've borne too many losses because of Bipasha. No more paying for her fun." Sources Close To Bipasha Revealed... "When Bipasha and Karan landed, there was no car to receive them. The car landed two hours later. They hadn't even booked a hotel for her. Since it was a hospitality deal, Bipasha was going to stay longer, even after the show was over.'' Bipasha Made An Emergency Call ''She'd to make an emergency call to the hotel which she had booked for after the show, with her personal money and arranged her stay over there for the entire trip.'' Bipasha Will Be Staying In London ''She will be staying in London as per their original plan and she is using her own money for that. The organisers can claim what they want to. The relevant information is all on email." Karan's Memory Appears To Be Poor "I can't speak for Karan Johar's understanding of nepotism. If he thinks that it is restricted to nephews, daughters and cousins, I have nothing to say. But, to say that he chose not to give me work is to mock an artiste. As importantly, his memory appears to be poor because we worked together in a movie (Ungli), which was produced by him. And quickly realised our sensibilities did not match. I'm also at a loss to understand how he gave me a platform by inviting me to be on his show. (Johar had said that he gave Ranaut a platform to "give it off to Karan".) I've been on several platforms before with several global icons. To say he helped me voice my opinions is to discredit me as an artiste and a public personality. And, I think, it should be added here that I was invited to be a part of the show in its fifth season. (Johar's talk show made its debut in 2004). His team requested my team for months for my dates." Why Is Karan Johar Trying To Shame A Woman For Being A Woman? "Why is Karan Johar trying to shame a woman for being a woman? What is this about the 'woman card' and the 'victim card'? This kind of talk is demeaning to all women, particularly the vulnerable because they are the ones who really need to use them. The 'woman card' might not help you become a Wimbledon champ, or win you Olympic medals, or bag National awards. It might not even land you a job, but it can get a pregnant woman who feels her water is about to break a 'ladies' seat on a crowded bus. It can be used as a cry for help when you sense a threat. The same goes for the 'victim card', which women like my sister, Rangoli, who is a victim of an acid attack, can use while fighting for justice in court." I Was Playing The Badass Card, Not The Victim Card "I use every card possible. At the workplace, it's the badass card to fight cutthroat competition. With my family and loved ones, it's the love card. When fighting the world, it's the dignity card, and for a seat in a bus, it's the woman card. What is important to understand is that we are not fighting people, we are fighting a mentality. I am not fighting Karan Johar, I am fighting male chauvinism. Now that Karan is the father of a little daughter (Johar became a single parent of twins, who were born through surrogacy last month), he should provide her with all these cards - the 'woman card' and the 'victim card', as also the 'self-made-independent-woman card', and the 'badass card' that I flashed on his show. We will use whatever we need to ensure no one rocks our boat. I'm also a little surprised at the "graciousness" he says he displayed in choosing to not edit the jousty bits on the show." The Film Industry Belongs To Every Indian And Is Highly Recommendable For Outsiders Like Me "The Indian film industry is not a small studio given to Karan by his father when he was in his early 20s. That is just a small molecule. The industry belongs to every Indian and is highly recommended for outsiders like me whose parents were too poor to give me a formal training. I learnt on the job and got paid for it, using the money to educate myself in New York. He is nobody to tell me to leave it. I'm definitely not going anywhere, Mr Johar." The Economic Times has reported that Salman Khan is all set to enter the smartphone business by launching high-end mobiles, named 'Being Smart' and is looking out for investors and scouting for a factory in China to assemble the devices. The phones will be priced around 20,000 Rupees and will compete with Xiaomi, Oppo, Lenovo and Vivo in the same market price range. The specifications of the phones have not been revealed. Bikini Diaries! Bruna Abdullah Holidays In Brazil By The Beach Salman Khan is building a robust team to drive the technology aspects and is looking to poach senior officials from large mobile phone companies to join his team. It is also reported that Salman has selected a Chinese factory which will assemble the phones and we'll have to wait and watch for an official confirmation. Executives revealed that Salman had contacted several mobile companies two years ago but they backed out due to high royalty charges. He said, "But this time, Salman is himself driving the show and searching for an investor. He expects to launch the devices in the next two quarters and definitely before the festive season." Riya Sen: I Am Hot, Even Girls Make Passes At Me! Post Kangana Ranaut's shocking revelation about the existence of neoptism in Bollywood, the topic has heated a debate on the social media and many Bollywood celebrities are being asked their views on the same. The latest B-town actress to talk about it is 'Anaarkali Of Aarah' actress Swara Bhaskar. THE QUEEN STRIKES BACK! Kangana Ranaut: Karan Johar Is Nobody To Tell Me To Leave The Industry In an interview with Indian Express, she was quoted as saying, "I think more than nepotistic, Bollywood operates on relationships. It's not a sarkari organisation holding exams where you get through on the basis of merit. It's feudal in its nature where certain people have the power to make casting calls hence relationships matter. Of course it matters if you are a star child. But look at Shah Rukh Khan, he is the biggest star and he is an outsider. So is Deepika (Padukone), Priyanka Chopra and Kangana. Talent doesn't remain hidden in the industry." Swara also spoke about her character Anaarkali that she plays in her upcoming film and revealed, "Anaarkali walks a very thin line between what is realistic, tacky, sleazy and gimmicky. Yet she has to make a comment about what's happening around her socially and politically. But she is also angry at the injustice meted out to her." Earlier, the film was in a lot of news when a few leaked scenes from the movie found their way to the Internet and the makers have even lodged a FIR regarding the same at Malviya police station in Delhi. Reacting to it, Swara had said, "I hope it doesn't affect the business of the film. It's definitely a good film. It is a story that should be told and heard. There is no cheap purpose behind the film. Men should watch the film but not for whistling or clapping." Randeep Hooda: If A Woman Enjoys S*x, It Doesn't Mean That She Is A Slut! Celebrated Hollywood actor Samuel L Jackson has severely criticised the casting of black actors from Britain against American Blacks for the roles dealing with American race relations. "There are a lot of black British actors in these movies, I tend to wonder what that movie would have been with an American brother who really feels that." Said Samuel L Jackson in a statement. "Daniel grew up in a country where they've been interracial dating for a hundred years, what would a brother from America have made of that role? Some things are universal, but not everything." Samuel L Jackson stated further. "There are some brothers in America who could have been in that movie who would have had a different idea about how King thinks," said the Avengers actor. Samuel L Jackson also stated that the possible reason behind casting black British actors rather that taking up the American actors, is that the black British actors cost cheaper than those of their American counterparts. "They're cheaper than us, for one thing. They don't cost as much. And they, casting agents and directors think they're better trained because they're classically trained." Samuel L Jackson explained. However, Jackson's comments have been denounced by the renowned British actor John Boyega, when he said, "Black brits vs African American. A stupid ass conflict we don't have time for." Jayaram He is one of the most deserving actors among the lot. Over the years, he has carved a place of his own as one of the most popular lead actors of the industry but he hasn't won the State Award for the Best Actor yet. In fact, the actor has won two Kerala State Film Awards, so far. At first he won a special jury mention for his performance in Thooval Kottaram(1996). Later in 2000, he was adjudged the Second Best Actor for his performance in the film Swayamvarapanthal. Jayasurya He is one of the most unfortunate Malayalam actors who had to miss out the Kerala State Film Award for the Best Actor in various occasions. In 2014, he was in the race for the Best Actor award for his performance in the film Apothecary, but he couldn't win an award. Later in 2015, his performance in Su.Su..Sudhi Valmeekam was much noted, but he had to be happy with a Special Jury Award for the performance. Biju Menon Interestingly, this talented actor has won the Kerala State Film Award for the Best actor, a couple of times. In 1997, he won it for Krishnagudiyil Oru Pranayakalathu and in 2010, he fetched it for his performance in TD Dasan Std VI B. But, he hasn't been able to fetch the Best Actor title yet. Biju Menon, is one of the most bankable lead actors of present day Malayalam cinema and we hope that in the future, he would surely fetch some big awards. Asif Ali It was in the year 2008 that Asif Ali, started his acting career. Over the years, he has grown as an actor, who is quite dependable. Disappointingly, the actor hasn't got the chance to portray those kinds of roles, which are worth winning awards. Hopefully, more author-backed and powerful roles would come on the actor's way in the future. Sreenivasan Here is another senior-most actor, who has missed out on the chances to win the Best Actor title. In fact, the actor was in the race for the Best Actor award in this year for his performance in the film Ayal Sasi. Earlier, in 2006, the actor did win a special jury award for his performance in the film Thakarachenda. Kunchacko Boban Kunchacko Boban hasn't won the Best Actor title yet. In his acting career, so far, seldom he has got the chance to play variety roles with good scope of performance. In 2004, his portrayal of the lead character in the critically acclaimed film Ee Snehatheerathu fetched him a special jury award. In fact, the actor had given a splendid performance in this year's film Vettah, as well, but disappointingly, that didn't fetch him any big award. Indrajith Indrajith can be easily termed as one of the most talented young actors of Malayalam cinema. The actor has mesmerised many a times with the effective portrayal of some well-etched characters, with utmost ease. But, he has been unlucky, as far as his tryst with Kerala State Film Awards is concerned. He doesn't have any major title under his belt. Earlier, there were reports that, the actor was in the race for the Kerala State Film Award for the Best Actor of 2016, for his performance in Kaadu Pookkunna Neram. Shakti Arora and Radhika Madan, who played the role of Ranveer and Ishaani, on Colors' popular show Meri Aashiqui Tum Se Hi, recently visited Indonesia. The actors were in Indonesia from March 4-7. Shakti and Radhika became household names with the show MATSH. The viewers loved their chemistry. Unfortunately, the show went off-air. The show is being aired in Indonesia and the actors have a lot of fans in Indonesia as well. The actors were seen participating in a few events - 'Fan Meet & Greet' and others. They also gave a few interviews. The duo was overwhelmed as they were welcomed in a grand way. Both of them were seen interacting with fans, dancing, enacting their on-screen roles on stage, clicking selfies together as well as with fans. Overall the actors had a lot of fun in Indonesia. They event thanked their fans for their love and support. Check out pictures from Shakti & Radhika's Indonesia Trip and also read what the actors have to say.... Radhika & Shakti Radhika and Shakti shared a video clip in which the fans were seen welcoming both the actors. The airport was filled with their fans! Ishaani & Ranveer Sharing the video, Radhika wrote, "The welcome received at the airport! So overwhelmed! Thankyou soo much for such a beautiful welcome guys...super excited for tomorrows fan meet and greet! See you there! Love you all" Shakti & Radhika Visited Jakarta & Indonesia Shakti too, shared the video and wrote, "Thankyou Indonesia for such a warm welcome!! Terimah kasih!! #terimahkasih #ranveerdanishani #indosiar #meriaashiquitumsehi @radhikamadan #akucintaindonesia." Radhika & Shakti's Photoshoot Radhika shared another video and wrote, "To all the people who made it today for the 'fan meet and greet' thankyou!! The love that u showered today on us made us feel really overwhelmed.I love each and everyone of you and i am so grateful for ur unconditional love and support. We are who we are because of YOU. ." Shakti Shakti shared his picture and wrote, "Metropolis town square !! Are u ready??? #indonesia #jakarta #meriaashiquitumsehi #ranveerdanishani #ranveer #indosiar." Shakti & Radhika In Indonesia Shakti and Radhika were also seen signing t-shirts. Apparently, they gave their autographed t-shirts to their fans. IshVeer Shakti and Radhika were overwhelmed with Indonesia fans welcome. They even promised that whenever they would invite, they would visit Indonesia! Shakti Sharing this picture, Shakti wrote, "Thankyou Indonesia for such lovely gifts..i cherish them all.. and thankyou for taking out time n coming to the mall to meet us..a big hug for making it trend on twitter..love u guys#indosiar #ranveer #ranveerdanishani #meriaashiquitumsehi #indonesia #metropolis #mall #trending #twitter #gifts #terimahkasih #akucintaindonesia #akucintakamu." MATSH Actors Shakti & Radhika Shakti wrote, "Back to pavilion!! Thnks for all the love and adulation Indonesia!! Will be back soon!! Wardrobe courtesy @sumant_kelanka Styling @victorrobinson9083 #akucintakamu #akucintaindonesia #terimahkasih #pestabollywood #pestabollywoodindosiar #pestabollywoodranveerishani #indonesia #indosiar #jakarta." To all the people who made it today for the 'fan meet and greet' thankyou!! The love that u showered today on us made us feel really overwhelmed.I love each and everyone of you and i am so grateful for ur unconditional love and support. We are who we are because of YOU. A post shared by Radhika Madan (@radhikamadan) on Mar 5, 2017 at 11:06am PST Meri Aashiqui Tum Se Hi's story revolved around two best (childhood) buddies Ranveer (Shakti) and Ishaani (Radhika), who eventually fall in love with each other. It was love at first sight for Ranveer (RV), who had come to Ishaani's house with his parents for work. When Ishaani's father gets to know that RV loves his daughter, he throws him out of the house. RV's family members were tortured in jail. Ishaani's family too go through a great loss. After a leap, RV is back as a successful businessman and gives shelter to Ishaani's family. The revenge and love drama between Ishaani-RV and their families kept the audiences engaged. The show also went through a lot of leap and a few villains (new characters) were introduced, but it later failed to gain TRPs. This led the makers to shut down the show. The script was at the fault, as the makers made Ishaani and Ranveer to struggle a lot! Too many leaps and monotonous script failed to keep the audiences engaged. The audiences still miss their Ranveer & Ishaani. Fans had even started an online drive and forced the makers to bring MATSH season 2 (just like how they did for Ek Duje Ke Vaaste), but in vain! (Images Source: Instagram) LONDON, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Orbis, one of the world's leading eye charities, has reached a major milestone in patient care, delivering over 10 million treatments in a single year[1]. Orbis's new 'third generation' Flying Eye Hospital, a unique aircraft that plays a vital role in the fight against avoidable blindness, lands in the UK today for the first time in history[2]. (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/475588/Orbis_Flying_Eye_Hospital.jpg ) The Flying Eye Hospital stands at the cutting edge of medical innovation. To the eye, it is a typical passenger plane; however on the inside there is a state of the art operating theatre, with audio-visual equipment that transmits live operations to trainees in a 46 seat classroom at the front of the plane. The aircraft also features pre and post-op spaces and a laser eye suite. The Flying Eye Hospital enables a global volunteer team of the world's most highly regarded ophthalmic experts to train local medical professionals, leaving a lasting impact for future generations. HRH The Countess of Wessex, Global Ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) says: "Orbis's Flying Eye Hospital is a unique and inspiring instrument in the fight against avoidable blindness. In 2013 I was able to witness the plane in action in Kolkata, India. I observed everything from the most simple cataract surgery using basic cost effective techniques, to a complex prosthetic surgery restoring sight to a man who had been blind for fourteen years. These medical interventions, however small, act as a platform to lift communities and countries out of poverty; if you can see you can work, if you can see you can learn." The UK event, taking place between the 11th and 17th March, will celebrate the charity's vital work in the fight against avoidable blindness. In many countries across the world, a lack of sight can impede your ability to gain an education, prevent you from finding employment and can lead families into a life of poverty. About the Flying Eye Hospital The Flying Eye Hospital is kindly supported by FedEx Express, L'OCCITANE, Alcon Foundation and OMEGA. Since 1982 the Flying Eye Hospital has delivered programmes in 78 countries, trained thousands of doctors and restored sight to people all around the world. The 'third generation' Flying Eye Hospital was launched in June 2016. More than six years in the making, it is the world's only mobile ophthalmic teaching hospital, on board an MD-10 aircraft donated by FedEx in 2011. About Orbis: Since 1982, Orbis has been working to prevent and treat avoidable blindness in Africa, Asia and Latin America and runs 40 long-term programmes across the world in countries including: Cameroon, Ethiopia, South Africa, Zambia, Bangladesh, India, Mongolia, Vietnam. Discover more about Orbis at http://www.orbis.org.uk -------------------------------------------------- [1.] Figures may include individuals receiving multiple treatments [2.] This is the first time the customised MD-10 aircraft, completed in 2016, lands in the UK GATINEAU, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 03/08/17 -- Department of Canadian Heritage Steven MacKinnon, Member of Parliament (Gatineau), today announced that the Ville de Gatineau will receive $401,725 in funding to renovate Odyssee Hall in the Maison de la culture de Gatineau. He made this announcement on behalf of the Honourable Melanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage. This funding, provided by the Government of Canada through the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund, will be used to improve performing conditions in Odyssee Hall. Quotes "Our government knows that Canadians want to enjoy enriching cultural experiences and memorable encounters with local artists and creators from all disciplines. Providing this support to the Maison de la culture de Gatineau demonstrates our commitment to increasing public access to the arts for all Canadians-especially this year, as we celebrate Canada 150." - The Honourable Melanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage "I am delighted that this important regional cultural institution is able to modernize its performance space to continue to showcase local talent and promote the development of a rich cultural community life." - Steven MacKinnon, Member of Parliament (Gatineau) "The Maison de la culture de Gatineau is a pivotal venue for promoting arts and culture in Gatineau. I would like to thank the federal government for this funding, which will allow the organization to pursue its mission of offering diverse programming, while tending to the well-being of its audience and artists." - Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin, Mayor of Gatineau "The Maison de la culture de Gatineau strives to offer clients a top-quality experience. The funding from Canadian Heritage will enable us to upgrade equipment in Odyssee Hall and continue our work in improved conditions as a first-rate cultural centre in the Outaouais region and across Quebec." - Claude Beaulieu, Chair of the Board, Maison de la culture de Gatineau Quick Facts -- The Maison de la culture de Gatineau, which is owned by the Ville de Gatineau, has been showcasing productions, professional performing arts and visual contemporary art since 1992. -- This multidisciplinary complex is home to Odyssee Hall, which welcomes more than 200,000 audience members each year, as well as a contemporary art exhibition centre and a heritage centre. -- The work, which will run until fall 2017, entails replacing the 826 seats in Odyssee Hall, which are more than 25 years old; completely renovating the stage floor; and replacing the flooring in the foyers next to the performance hall. Associated Links Odyssee Hall - Maison de la culture de Gatineau Canada Cultural Spaces Fund Stay Connected Follow us on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Flickr. Contacts: Pierre-Olivier Herbert Press Secretary Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage 819-997-7788 Media Relations Canadian Heritage 819-994-9101 1-866-569-6155 pch.media-media.pch@canada.ca NEWPORT BEACH, CA--(Marketwired - March 08, 2017) - The California Coastal Commission today approved the coastal development permit for Crystal Cove State Park Historic District's final 17 cottages. California State Parks and Crystal Cove Alliance (CCA) are joint applicants on the permit. The approval will increase public access to affordable overnight stays and offer education programs to underserved students. For the past four years, CCA and California State Parks (CSP) have been working with the California Coastal Commission (CCC) on the permitting process for the final 17 unrestored cottages on the north beach area. These cottages represent the capstone project for CCA under its mission of Preservation, Education and Conservation. All 17 cottages are identified as part of the overnight rental program in the previously approved Preservation and Public Use Plan (PPUP). Once restored, this will add an additional 48,000 annual rental opportunities for these much-coveted, and affordable, beachside rentals. This is a huge public access success story considering this was a private community for approximately 60 years. "This approval marks a significant milestone for preservation of one of California's most iconic and historic destinations," said CCA Founder and Vice President Laura Davick. "CCA will now be able to re-estimate this project and begin planning and developing a campaign to raise the balance of funds needed to make this dream a reality and add an additional 47,815 rental opportunities for families every year." The California Coastal Commission has been a long-time dedicated partner on the project and has provided $5 million in mitigation funding to assist with the Crystal Cove final phase rehabilitation project. The current CCA and California State Parks (CSP) proposal allocates $4 million toward the infrastructure and restoration project, and $1 million toward a permanent education endowment. As part of this proposal, a Coastal Dynamics Education Program will be developed. CCA and CSP have been working in partnership with the University of California, Irvine (UCI) for the past 10 years or more to create innovative education programs and research projects. The coastal engineering program is designed to help study the extraordinary stress that the California coastline is experiencing from a combination of sea level rise and human modification of physical and environmental systems. Crystal Cove State Park represents a natural laboratory for science and engineering, ideal for engaging underserved K-12 and college students. CCA President and CEO Alix Hobbs added, "With the project approved and the mitigation funds secured, we now have the catalyst to create the new educational program focusing on coastal engineering. Students and park visitors will learn about our dynamic and changing coastline due to climate change and sea level rise and will experiment with innovative solutions. The program will provide an opportunity for students to stay overnight, just a few feet from the shoreline, to help deepen the understanding of coastal dynamics in ways that day trips cannot." The 17 unrestored cottages will yield a total of 22 affordable overnight rental units. Rental rates will range from $35 per dorm bed to $245 per night for the largest cottages that sleep up to 10 guests. One of the cottages, #20, will be dedicated as an "open bed" dorm lodge and will be the first of its kind at Crystal Cove. Other dorm- style lodges, also funded by Coastal Commission, provide a private locking bedroom with shared common areas. The "open bed" dorm will have 11 beds and will be available for up to 36 nights per year to be used by students. The balance of the year it will be made available on a first-come, first-serve basis, for $35 dollars per bed, per night. James Newland, Assistant District Superintendent for California State Parks' Orange Coast District, and the project manager and historian for the Cottage Restoration project since 2003, remarked, "State Parks is very pleased to reach this important milestone for the long-awaited completion of this model project that balances high-quality historic preservation and unparalleled public access-clearly illustrating the Department's dual mission of preserving California's most significant cultural and natural resources while providing extraordinary recreational experiences for all Californians." "This project will offer a truly unique opportunity to engage students in an innovative outdoor classroom that captures the fundamental tension between human and natural systems," said Travis Huxman, Director, Center for Environmental Biology at University of California, Irvine. "We envision a coupled research and education program that engages K-12, undergraduate and graduate students in measuring and analyzing coastal changes at Crystal Cove." California State Parks and Crystal Cove Alliance will work through the end of 2017 to complete estimates for construction. Restoration could begin as soon as 2018. About Crystal Cove Alliance Crystal Cove Alliance (CCA) is the official nonprofit public benefit partner to Crystal Cove State Park, employing a social enterprise model to fund the important preservation, education and conservation initiatives that will cultivate our planet's next generation of environmental stewards, thus ensuring that Crystal Cove, and places like it, live on for generations. The Alliance works in partnership with California State Parks to provide stewardship support for Crystal Cove's nearly 2,800 acres of public lands including: The Crystal Cove Historic District and beach cottages, a National Register of Historic Places site; 2,400 acres of pristine wilderness habitat and the unspoiled Moro Canyon watershed, a National Natural Landmark site; over three miles of rocky beach coastline and intertidal habitat; 400 acres of coastal bluff habitat; and special underwater and offshore areas including the Crystal Cove State Marine Conservation Area MPA. By being a stewardship partner for this Southern California jewel, the Alliance has been uniquely positioned to develop a nationally recognized STEM education program that uses authentic field science and monitoring to immerse students and community members in the practice of conservation and open space management. The Alliance to Rescue Crystal Cove, originally founded in 1999 by Laura Davick to stop the loss of this important piece of California history, transitioned to Crystal Cove Alliance in 2003. Laura Davick spearheaded the effort to preserve Crystal Cove State Park's Historic District from becoming a luxury resort. Once the historic site was rescued in 2001, and a new Preservation and Public Use Plan was completed and approved, this organization was awarded the Official Non-Profit Cooperating Association contract and the Concession Management contracts for the park. Through this collaborative relationship with California State Parks, this organization has become a nationally recognized model for public-private partnerships. For more information on Crystal Cove Alliance, visit www.crystalcovealliance.org. Find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2017/3/8/11G132435/Images/Phase-III-From-Ocean-1024x683-08cba447f2e5842a9914f32e9f6e97e7.jpg Crystal Cove Alliance Media Contacts Laura Davick Founder & Vice President (949) 887-0062 davick@crystalcovealliance.org Alix Hobbs CEO & President (310) 625-2322 ahobbs@crystalcovealliance.org VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/08/17 -- Sunshine Agri-Tech Inc. (TSX VENTURE: SAI) ("Sunshine Agri-Tech" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has received final approval from the TSX Venture Exchange of the sale of livestock feed production business by the Company's wholly owned subsidiary, Changchun Sunshine Bio-Feed Co., Ltd. ("Changchun Sunshine") to the Company's 51% subsidiary, Changchun Grain Biotech Co., Ltd. ("Changchun Grain"), including Changchun Sunshine's proprietary technology and know-hows, including formulas for concentrated feeds, full-price mix feeds and pre-mix feed additives, etc., as well as its customers and market information for the feed business for payment by Changchun Grain of RMB3,760,000 (approximately $770,491) to Changchun Sunshine (the "Transaction"). As previously reported, on September 30, 2016, the Company held its annual general and special meeting and at this meeting the Company received approval of the Transaction from the Company's shareholders. Shareholders holding 43,432,000 common shares, representing 100% of the votes cast, voted to approve the Transaction. If votes from management are excluded, the Transaction was approved by shareholders holding 3,299,500 common shares, also representing 100% of the votes cast thereon excluding those of Company's management. About Sunshine Agri-Tech Inc.: Sunshine Agri-Tech Inc. (TSX VENTURE: SAI) is a public company listed on the TSX Venture exchange. The Company is engaged in the research, development, production and sales of bio-feed, microbial feed additives and related products that aim to improve the health and performance of animals. The Company's line of products include: (a) bio-feed; and, (b) microbial feed additives. The Company currently sells its products throughout China and Japan, and is beginning expansion into Southeast Asia. The Company is based in the city of Dalian in the Peoples Republic of China. On Behalf of the Board of Directors SUNSHINE AGRI-TECH INC. Baojun Zhang, PhD Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Contacts: Sunshine Agri-Tech Inc. Jin Kuang Chief Financial Officer 778-588-0799 Sadayoshi Yokoyama, Toshiko Watanabe DENSO CORPORATION Phone: 81-566-25-5594 Fax: 81-566-25-4509 sadayoshi_yokoyama@denso.co.jp toshiko_watanabe@denso.co.jp KARIYA, JAPAN, Mar 9, 2017 - (JCN Newswire) - On March 8, 2017 (Central European Time), the European Commission announced that it has imposed fines on certain automotive suppliers that infringed EU competition law in connection with past sales of automotive HVAC units, compressors, electric compressors and radiators.The Commission has investigated certain automotive suppliers including DENSO Corporation in this matter, and DENSO has fully cooperated with the investigation.As per the Commission's announcement, DENSO Corporation was named as one of the suppliers that had infringed EU competition law. However, the company received full immunity from fines for HVAC units, compressors and radiators and a reduced fine of EUR322,000 for electric compressors, because the company had completely eliminated the conduct that was suspected to be in infringement before the Commission's investigation, and because it applied to the Commission under the leniency program in regard to suspected illegal conduct related to sales of those four products, which was granted by the Commission.DENSO does not expect any significant impact on its consolidated financial forecast for the year ending March 31, 2017 as a result of this matter.It is DENSO's policy to comply with all applicable competition laws. Since learning of the investigation that was conducted at its U.S. subsidiary by the U.S. Department of Justice in February 2010, the company has taken various measures, including implementing even more stringent compliance rules and even more enhanced compliance training to further ensure that its employees comply with all applicable competition laws. DENSO believes that it has remained in complete compliance with all competition laws.DENSO is committed to compliance with all applicable competition laws around the world.About DensoDENSO Corporation, headquartered in Kariya, Aichi prefecture, Japan, is a leading global automotive supplier of advanced technology, systems and components in the areas of thermal, powertrain control, electronics and information and safety. Its customers include all the world's major carmakers. Worldwide, the company has more than 200 subsidiaries and affiliates in 38 countries and regions and employs nearly 140,000 people. Consolidated global sales for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014, totaled US$39.8 billion. Last fiscal year, DENSO spent 9 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development. DENSO common stock is traded on the Tokyo and Nagoya stock exchanges. For more information, go to www.globaldenso.com, or visit our media website at www.densomediacenter.com.Source: DensoContact:Copyright 2017 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. STOCKHOLM, Mar 09, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The new Catella Market Tracker, Student Housing in Europe 2017, shows that almost no other market is currently attracting as much investor attention as student housing. However, the differences across Europe are still quite large, which creates exceptional opportunities in this relatively young asset class. Student housing sector growth can be observed across Europe. An especially large percentage increase in students is found in Austria (+65%), Switzerland (+50%), the Netherlands (+33%) and Belgium (+31%). Germany has the highest number of students in Europe, numbering 2.7 million. The individual attributes of residential halls (and student housing markets) vary from country to country. The largest European market for student housing is the UK (438,000 students in residential halls), followed by Germany (297,000) and France (275,000). "Viewed relatively, Sweden has the largest proportion of students in student housing, while in Italy almost half of all students still live in their childhood home. Furthermore, the market is shaped by huge dynamics, as can be seen in Spain, where the market for student housing is recuperating after years of decreasing student numbers and economic crisis. This trend can also be seen in Denmark, where current demand is very high, especially in and around larger cities," explains Dr. Thomas Beyerle, Head of Group Research at Catella. In contrast to conventional forms of accommodation, demand for this category is counter-cyclical to the economy. This means that demand tends to rise during recessions as university enrolment increases due to reduced employment opportunities. However, high demand is even assured during economic booms because of the structural shortage of accommodation for students, especially in big cities. In addition, the relatively short tenancy periods enable flexible adjustment of rents to market trends. "These structural characteristics enable a particularly low risk for investors," concludes Beyerle. The complete Catella Market Tracker, Student Housing in Europe 2017, is available at catella.com/research. For more information, please contact: Dr. Thomas Beyerle Head of Group Research Phone: +49-69-310-19-30-220 E-mail: thomas.beyerle@catella.de Press contact: Ann Charlotte Svensson Head of Group Communications Phone: +46-8-463-32-55, +46-72-510-11-61 E-mail: anncharlotte.svensson@catella.se This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com http://news.cision.com/catella---corporate-finance/r/catella--student-housing-on-the-rise-in-europe,c2207970 The following files are available for download: STOCKHOLM, Mar 09, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Munich-based investment manager Catella Real Estate has acquired an office property in the Irish capital, Dublin, for its Sarasin Sustainable Properties - European Cities fund. The building, which is fully occupied and measures around 4,100 m2, is leased to investment bank J.P. Morgan. "The Irish market for office property has regained its strength after the financial crisis. We have taken advantage of Ireland's current economic prosperity by acquiring a modern, long-term leased office property for our investors. It meets the sustainability criteria specified for the fund, and the acquisition will ensure broader diversification of the portfolio," says Henrik Fillibeck, member of the Managing Board of Catella Real Estate. The property, called One George's Dock, was built in 1996 and stands on land measuring 1,000 m2in the heart of Dublin. This district is home to more than 430 companies, including KPMG, Wells Fargo, AIG and Citibank. "After years of economic difficulties, the recovery of the Irish economy is in full swing. In 2015 alone, Ireland's GDP rose by 26.3%. Economic experts expect the Irish economy to remain on a growth path, forecasting another 3.8% increase in GDP for 2017. Also, Ireland's population is expected to grow by 7.6% by 2026," says Thomas Beyerle, Head of Group Research at Catella. The Sarasin Sustainable Properties - European Cities fund is a product of Catella Real Estate AG in cooperation with Bank J. Safra Sarasin AG. The fund, which invests at least 75% of its capital in commercial property, focusing on office and retail, aims specifically to meet the needs of institutional investors in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. Each building has to meet the sustainability standards of Bank Sarasin. For more information, please contact: Dr Tim Schomberg Head of Business Development Institutionals Tel: +49-89-189-16-65-25 tim.schomberg@catella.de Press contact: Ann Charlotte Svensson Head of Group Communications Tel: +46-8-463-32-55, +46-72-510-11-61 E-mail: anncharlotte.svensson@catella.se This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com http://news.cision.com/catella---property-investment-management/r/catella-acquires-office-property-in-dublin-for-sustainable-fund,c2207973 The following files are available for download: HELSINKI, Mar 09, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Iran can transition to a fully renewable electricity system and financially benefit from it by 2030. Researchers at Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT) show that major oil-producing countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region could turn their abundant renewable energy resources into lucrative business opportunities in less than two decades. According to the study, a fully renewable electricity system (100% RE) is roughly 50-60 percent cheaper than other emission-free energy options for the MENA region. For example, new nuclear power costs around 110 euros per megawatt hour. Fossil-CCS option costs around 120 euros per megawatt hour. But the cost of the fully renewable energy electricity is around 60-40 euros per megawatt hour, based on financial and technical assumptions of the year 2030. The cost of wind and solar electricity would reduce further to 37-55 euros per megawatt hour if different energy resources were connected with a super grid that allows the transmission of high volumes of electricity across longer distances. For Iran, the price could go as low as 40-45 euros per megawatt hour. Such low cost show that the transition of the current fossil-based electricity system towards a fully renewable electricity system can cover all electricity needs in the decades to come. "The low cost renewable electricity system is a driver for growing standards of living, continued economic growth, in particular also for energy intensive products, and finally more peace," emphasizes Professor Christian Breyer. Transforming the electricity system fully to renewables for Iran requires 49 gigawatts of solar photovoltaics, 77 gigawatts of wind power and 21 gigawatts of hydropower. Most of the hydropower already exists, but the solar and wind capacities would require new investments. Wind power can be installed in many parts of the country and solar systems in all parts of Iran for an attractive cost. Both technologies can be easily added to the existing energy infrastructure, which is mainly based on flexible fossil natural gas fired power plants plus hydropower. The scientists also prepared a renewable oil refining scenario in which fossil fuels are replaced by synthetically produced from carbon dioxide, water and electricity. With this so called power-to-fuel technology, 100% renewable system can still use carbon fuels and chemicals for aviation, materials and medicine. These are the most difficult sectors to decarbonise because batteries are too heavy for powering airplanes and carbon atom is needed in plastics and various chemicals such as solvents and medicine. "The picture that emerges from that study is that the fossil fuel industry can transform its business to meet the COP21 target of a net zero emission energy system. This requires fundamental change in how we think carbon, but it could potentially open major new business opportunities," says Breyer. The results were published at the 11th International Energy Conference held in Tehran, Iran, and presented during COP22 in Marrakech to official representatives of the MENA region. The study was done as part of the Neo-Carbon Energy research, which is funded by the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation, Tekes, and is carried out in cooperation with Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT), VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd and University of Turku, Finland Futures Research Centre. Further information: Christian Breyer, Professor, Phone: +358-50-443-1929, E-mail: christian.breyer@lut.fi Pasi Vainikka, Principal Scientist, Phone: +358-40-582-5987, E-mail: pasi.vainikka@vtt.fi Publications: The MENA super grid towards 100 renewable energy power supply by 2030 The Role of a 100% Renewable Energy System for the Future of Iran: Integrating Solar PV, Wind Energy, Hydropower and Storage Renewable Energy-based Synthetic Fuels Export Options for Iran in a Net Zero Emissions World Simulation on 100% renewable electricity systems in full hourly resolution for an entire year: http://neocarbonenergy.fi/internetofenergy/ Neo-Carbon Energy: www.neocarbonenergy.fi Photos:https://lut.pictures.fi/kuvat/LUT+Press+Images/Neo-Carbon+Energy/ This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com http://news.cision.com/lappeenranta-university-of-technology--lut/r/iran-and-middle-east-could-adopt-fully-renewable-electricity-systems,c2207361 DUESSELDORF (dpa-AFX) - German conventional-energy company Uniper SE reported that its adjusted EBIT for fiscal rose to 1.4 billion euros from last year's 0.8 billion euros in the prior year. Uniper adjusted EBITDA grew to 2.122 billion euros from 1.717 billion euros in the prior year. CEO Klaus Sch?fer said: 'We were equally reliable in meeting our financial targets in our first year as an independent company. Our solid operating and balance-sheet performance in 2016 gives us good momentum for 2017. Continuing to implement the measures we announced will enable us to ensure Uniper's competitiveness for the long term. We today reaffirm our proposed dividend for the 2016 financial year, which remains unchanged at 55 euro cents per share.' Uniper's net loss of 3.2 billion euros for the 2016 financial year was due in particular to impairment charges of 2.9 billion euros. After reviewing its assumptions regarding the long-term development of commodity and power prices and policy issues relating to decarbonization, Uniper recorded impairment charges, primarily on generation and gas-storage assets, and created provisions of 1.1 billion euros. The marking to market of derivative financial instruments, which the company uses to hedge its forward power and gas positions, was another negative factor. Uniper sales dropped 27.0% to 67.285 billion euros from 92.115 billion euros in the prior year. Uniper made further progress with its cost-reduction and reorganization program. At the time it reported its results for the first nine months of 2016, Uniper announced its intention of reducing its controllable costs by EUR0.4 billion by year-end 2018 from a 2015 baseline. The company achieved about half of its savings target in 2016, in part by eliminating duplicate work and simplifying its administrative setup, which reduced personnel costs. It also began the process of reducing its cost of materials in procurement and IT. Uniper expects its full-year 2017 adjusted EBIT to be between 0.9 billion euros and 1.2 billion euros. Uniper's 2017 guidance continues to reflect the difficult business environment in the energy industry as well as the non-recurrence of the positive one-off effect resulting from the agreement with Gazprom on long-term supply contracts. Uniper expects its cash-effective CAPEX to be slightly above the level for the 2016 financial year. Uniper foresees a ~15% increase for the 2017 dividend in line with its dividend policy, the current outlook and hence also factoring in the disposal of Yuzhno-Russkoye. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de AMSTERDAM, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Fidor, the innovative provider of digital banking solutions that helps firms launch and run their own digital banks, today signed a partnership agreement with Van Lanschot, (Euronext: LANS), the leading wealth management firm, founded in 1737 in the Netherlands. (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/476210/Signing_ceremony.jpg ) The partnership will enable Van Lanschot to upgrade their payments software and infrastructure using the Fidor digital banking solution. As part of the agreement, Fidor will manage user and account data and will process Van Lanschot's payments flows within its fidorOS (fOS) platform in addition to modernising the user experience with iOS and Android native mobile applications and a desktop internet banking platform front end. This agreement means that, over time, Van Lanschot clients will enjoy an improved and modern user experience across a range of value added services: an innovative and modern mobile payment app, on-us real-time payments, multiple accounts in multiple currencies, global money transfers, P2P transfers in addition to special services for the Dutch market such as iDEAL payments and Acceptgiro. This partnership comes at a time where banks will soon be facing pressure to comply with the new Payment Services Directive (PSD2). The fidorOS platform is built using open APIs and geared for the future. The integration of fidorOS will provide Van Lanschot's platform with added benefits such as significant cost efficiencies, added flexibility and fast implementation while reducing risks for Van Lanschot to enter into a major and costly infrastructure change on their back end. "To be working with the most reputable wealth management bank in the Netherlands shows how far the belief in the effectiveness of digital banking has now progressed. This partnership with Van Lanschot marks the launch of Fidor's Payments Avenue, which will be extended to other European countries and offered to banks that wish to join our payment business model as a service," said Ge Drossaert, Chief Commercial Officer and Member of the Board at Fidor AG. Richard Bruens, member of the Executive Board of Van Lanschot, said: "This is an important step, as it will allow us over time to provide our clients with state-of-the-art payments services and products. In Fidor Solutions, we believe to have found the best partner to improve our offering and focus even more on our core business, wealth management. Fidor's Payments Avenue also opens up a multitude of opportunities as banks are given more chance to collaborate together." Regulatory News: ANF Immobilier (Paris:ANF): A notable improvement in operating results Consolidated rents up 4% to 51.2 million, Group share stable. Consolidated recurring cash flow up 15% to 23.6 million in 2016 with Group share up 24% to 18.5 million, or 1.02/share. EPRA Earnings (adjusted Group share) up 12% to 16.3 million, or 0.90/share, higher than the initial target. Net loss (Group share) of 3.7 million. A solid portfolio in spite of a value impacted by the persistence of a challenging environment in Marseille Gross asset value of 1068 million further to 152 million asset rotation, split between 91 million from the disposal of mature assets with low yields and 61 million of investment in new commercial properties. Negative change in assets' fair value, Group share, reaching 13 million: a decline of 27 million in the fair value of the Marseille heritage portfolio offset by an increase of 11 million related to new projects, and a disposal gain of 3 million. EPRA NNNAV at 27.3/share stable when dividend paid is excluded. Proposed cash dividend of 1.15 per share. For Renaud Haberkorn, Chairman of the Executive Board of ANF Immobilier: "The application of ANF Immobilier's winning strategy continues with the targeting of commercial properties in dynamic regional cities. We are now looking at some very promising opportunities in terms of value creation in dynamic and innovative areas. This is the case in every city in which we are investors, with a host of new projects such as Park View in Lyon, Rive Neuve in Marseille and Quai 8.2 in Bordeaux, plus sizable land reserves. The future is looking bright. We are broadening our horizons by establishing a foothold in Toulouse, one of the most dynamic regional capitals in the French property market, with a promise to purchase a first office block of 16,150 m located near Blagnac airport." In 2016, ANF Immobilier's gross rental income was 51.2 million measured according to IFRS. This represents a growth of 4%, mainly attributable to new projects delivered (+6% over the entire portfolio) and offset by a decline in the performance of existing shopping malls in Marseille (-2% at constant scope for the portfolio as a whole). Portfolio income mainly stemmed from office leases (54%), commercial leases (17%) and hotels (13%). Commercial real estate now accounts for 84% of gross rental income, and housing, including accessories, now accounts for only 16% of rents. Since implementing the new strategy established in 2013, consolidated gross rental income has increased by 67%. The Group share of rental income was 41.2 million, stable compared with 2015 (-1%). Some numbers: recurring EBITDA was up 15%, mainly due to a reduction in structural costs. Meanwhile EBITDA margin, measured according to IFRS, rose from 66% to 74%; current cash flow, measured according to IFRS, rose by 15% to stand at 23.6 million. Current cash flow Group share rose by 24% to 18.5 million, or 1.02 per share, mainly attributable to new projects delivered; adjusted EPRA Earnings, was 16.3 million, an increase of 12% from 2015. ANF Immobilier is well above its initial target of an 8% increase raised to 10% during the year; net loss after minority interests, measured according to IFRS, was 3.7 million, largely due to a negative change of 4.1 million in consolidated fair value and the negative impact of minority interests of 13.5 million; the value of the portfolio amounted to 1,068 million following: 61 million investments, 91 million disposals of non-strategic assets. At the end of 2016, the "Core" portfolio accounted for 57% of the total portfolio; the LTV ratio was down slightly at 42% and the cost of debt remained at 2.7%; at December 31, 2016, NNNAV amounted to 27.3/share, based on the EPRA method, which is stable when the dividend of 1.24/share paid in 2016 is excluded. Three strategic pillars illustrated in 2016 I) Targeting the most dynamic regional cities Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille: supporting the metropolises of the future Since drawing up its new strategy in 2013, ANF Immobilier has confirmed its attachment to Lyon, Bordeaux and Marseille, which are among France's most dynamic regional cities. These cities pay special attention to infrastructure development and the creation of innovative new neighborhoods. The Company invested 369 million in new, mainly commercial, projects with high potential in these cities, in other words a Group share of 254 million between 2013 and 2016. After adding the future flow of real estate transactions in the pipeline, this represents a total transaction value of 567 million for a Group share of 392 million. These investments are distributed geographically as follows: 59% in Lyon, 26% in Bordeaux, 7% in Marseille and 10% in regional hotels with the remainder made up of the new investment in Toulouse. Toulouse, a promising new metropolitan hunting ground Toulouse is one of the most dynamic cities in France demographically and economically. With Airbus acting as the driver, together with other industries such as energy, the regional capital is undertaking a major development of its infrastructure and its office resources. In market terms, the city is the third-largest office market in France (about 4.2 million m of offices) with a take-up of almost 130,000 m on average over the past ten years, and nearly 170,000 m in 2016, proving its runaway development. In December 2016, it was a logical step for ANF Immobilier to confirm its presence in Toulouse, signing a promise to purchase a first building called Centreda located in the Blagnac area. This first complex consists of two buildings totaling 16,150 m of offices (multitenant) and represents an investment of nearly 19 million (including earn-outs). It will generate additional annual gross income of 2 million due to run from the completion date in March 2017. II) Commercial target A continuous flow of strategic transactions Consistently high rate of hotel assets delivered In 2016 ANF Immobilier took ownership of three new hotels: the first in Marseille-Velodrome with 126 rooms under the AC By Marriott name, delivered in January 2016, the second in Marseille-Euromed 2 with 88 rooms under the B&B name, delivered in May 2016, and the third in Bobigny with 117 rooms under the B&B name, delivered in June 2016. These three assets were acquired through the subsidiary ANF Immobilier Hotels and will generate additional income of 1.9 million, bringing the number of hotel rooms delivered by this specialist subsidiary to nearly 1,100. ANF Immobilier's expertise illustrated by its investment in the Quai 8.2 real estate complex in Bordeaux with 31,500 m of offices, shops and a 3-star 126 room hotel ANF Immobilier is affirming its regional credentials with an investment in the complex located 200 meters from the HST (LGV) station that will cut travel times between Bordeaux and Paris to just over two hours from July 2. 2017. The Company is a joint investor with Fonciere des Regions (65%/35%) in 29,500 m of offices and 2,000 m of shops. The deal, signed in September 2016, represents a total sum of 90 million, with delivery in the third quarter of 2018. The office areas are currently 33% leased to Orange and Allianz through nine-year fixed-term leases. On the same site, in partnership with Caisse d'Epargne Provence Alpes-Corse, the Company also acquired a three-star hotel with 126 rooms rented to B&B under a lease for a fixed term of 12 years. The investment represents a total amount of 7 million. Delivery of Adecco France's new headquarters, 13,100 m of new office space in the Carre de Soie in Lyon In September 2016, ANF Immobilier (50%), in partnership with Credit Agricole Assurances (45%) and DCB International, delivered 13,100 m of office space leased to the Adecco France Group for a fixed term of nine years. The deal represents an investment of around 34 million in Lyon's Carre de Soie district and will generate additional rental income of 2.5 million. The building has obtained a BREEAM "Very good" certification. Opening of the Maxi-Bazar shopping mall, part of the Banque de France deal, in the Lyon Presqu'ile, and delivery of 400 m of additional preleased offices After it won the 2013 bid to purchase the old Banque de France building on rue de la Republique, ANF Immobilier met its target of completing the conversion of the historic building in barely three years: Nike opened its 500 m outlet in March while Maxibazar opened at the end of September in premises of 2,000 m. Early this year, 400 m of offices were delivered. III) Creating value on all fronts Optimizing value creation with the Quai 8.2 in Bordeaux, an important mixed-use development of 46,000 m As a joint developer with Vinci Immobilier (50%/50%) of the mixed-use 43,000 m complex comprising 29,500 m of office space, 2,000 m of shops, a three-star hotel with 126 rooms, a four-star hotel with 111 rooms, and a student residence with 123 rooms, ANF Immobilier plans to achieve a Group share margin of around 6 million and earn close to 2 million in management fees. This margin is secured by actual sales through partnerships with Fonciere des Regions for commercial space, ANF Immobilier-CEPAC for the three-star hotel, and a private investor for the four-star hotel. One third of the student residence is already preleased. Furthermore, ANF Immobilier receives fees in its capacity as the asset manager. A proactive asset manager, ANF Immobilier anticipates and meets the needs of its users ANF Immobilier signed a MoU with Areva for its base in the Part-Dieu in Lyon. This agreement perpetuates the collection of the majority of the rental income, i.e. 5.5 million, until December 31, 2021 and will enable the Company to consider a value-creating redevelopment of part of the site. Value-creating disposal of two hotels and increase in ANF Immobilier's holding in its hotel subsidiary Lyon's Carlton Hotel is located in Place de la Republique. Trading under the MGallery name, it has 80 rooms which were fully renovated in 2012. Marseille's Adagio Hotel is located in rue Trinquet. Trading under the Adagio Aparthotel name, delivered in 2009, it has 142 rooms. Both establishments were sold by ANF Immobilier Hotels, leading to a premium of 0.20/share in ANF Immobilier's EPRA Net Asset Value. The proceeds from the disposals were reinvested. ANF Immobilier increased its stake in ANF Immobilier Hotels from 51% to 77%. This is perfectly in line with the strategy to sell mature or valued assets to invest in new commercial property delivering higher returns. Tailor-made strategy for the Marseille portfolio First good results for Marseille stores in spite of a correction on the valuation of assets Noting an increase of its commercial offer in Marseille, due to the delivery of several shopping malls, ANF Immobilier is adapting its strategy with its main object being to differentiate and revitalize rue de la Republique. It has demarcated two zones: the first, linked to the Vieux-Port, groups retail premises targeting families and tourists, and the second, linked to the Place de la Joliette, offers additional space in the wake of the expansion of the Euromed commercial sector. In Marseille, the Company has six retail brands in all covering 1,400 m, including King Jouet, TUI Store, Copy Top, Adopt, Le Petit Cabanon and Dakao. It also signed a lease for premises on rue de la Republique which will house the Musee du Savon (Soap Museum) due to open in early 2017 and a foundation in rue du Chevalier Roze. These highlights illustrate the relevance of ANF Immobilier's repositioning strategy for its retail premises on rue de la Republique in Marseille. Even if a decrease in terms of rental values has naturally generated a correction on the valuation of assets, reducing them by around 19 million in 2016, it has also initiated the renewal of its commercial appeal and encourages a positive outlook. A very positive trend for both unfurnished and furnished accommodation After a year of transition with the handover of property management to Foncia, the occupancy rate of the unfurnished housing in rue de la Republique has increased noticeably with vacancy down from 26% to 17%, a fall of nearly 10% of the available stock, illustrating the soundness of ANF Immobilier's strategy (i.e. a differential of 29 units leased in 2016). At the end of the year, 316 units remained vacant made up of 226 units for restructuring and 90 available units. The property manager estimates an additional take-up of 50 units in 2017 with an available stock of 50% in Q1-Q2 and an ideally-aligned take-up in 2016, with 60% being this type of apartment. For student housing, ANF Immobilier has also seen an improvement with a vacancy rate of 15% at the end of 2016 against 28% at the end of 2015. This improvement should be considered in relation to the delivery of one hundred new units which were put into service during this period. Value creation opportunities and new prospects ANF Immobilier is applying its strategic plan, in place since early 2013, and emphasizing its new identity: Invest in the regions, Promote their capitals. By targeting regional cities with high potential, refocusing on commercial property and creating optimized value, ANF Immobilier is consolidating its hallmark commercial property profile in the regions. With a flow of new projects valued at 198 million and significant land reserves, it foresees good growth with a number of significant deliveries such as Quai 8.2 Euratlantique from the third quarter of 2018. In 2017, ANF Immobilier expects stable EPRA Earnings (adjusted Group share) compared with 2016, in line with the pace of its project development. Consolidated figures (2016/2015) M EPRA IFRS EPRA IFRS EPRA chg Gross rental income 51,2 51,2 49,2 49,2 4% Group Share 41,3 41,8 -1% Net operating expenses - 3,7 - 3,7 - 4,0 - 4,0 Net rental income 47,6 47,6 45,1 45,1 5% margin 93% 93% 92% 92% Administrative expenses - 9,8 - 9,8 - 12,2 - 12,9 EBITDA 37,8 37,8 33,0 32,2 15% margin 74% 74% 67% 66% Financial expenses - 16,8 - 16,8 - 16,9 - 21,4 Amortization - 0,9 - 0,7 Change in Fair Value - 4,1 25,5 Other 0,8 - 5,2 - 0,2 - 1,7 Taxes - 1,0 - 1,0 - 0,6 - 0,6 Minority interests - 7,4 - 13,5 - 5,2 - 14,7 Adjustment administrative expenses (non recurrent) 1,4 2,6 Adjustment financial expenses 1,6 1,9 Adjusted Earnings, Group Share 16,3 - 3,7 14,6 18,6 12% margin 39% 35% Cash Flow 23,6 21,0 20,6 10,8 15% Group Share 18,5 14,9 24% Recurring EBITDA 38,8 37,8 35,6 32,2 9% Group Share 29,8 28,3 5% LTV 41,9% 43,0% Gross Asset Value 1 068 1 101 NNNAV 494,0 516,0 The financial statements were approved by the management board on 27 February 2017. The audit procedures on the consolidated financial statements have been completed. The certification reports will be issued after the specific verifications. About ANF Immobilier Shareholders' Meeting May 10, 2017 ANF Immobilier (ISIN FR0000063091) is a French listed real estate investment company which owns a diversified portfolio of French office, retail, hotel and residential property worth 1,068 million. The Company is transforming and is oriented toward commercial properties, value creation and the growth of dynamic regional metropolises. It currently has offices in Bordeaux, Lyon and Marseille. Listed on Eurolist B of Euronext Paris and included in the EPRA real estate index, ANF Immobilier is a company of the Eurazeo Group. http://www.anf-immobilier.com View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170308006540/en/ Contacts: ANF Immobilier: Laurent Milleron, Tel: +33 1 44 15 01 11 investorrelations@anf-immobilier.com or Press: Renaud Large, Tel: +33 1 58 47 96 30 renaud.large@havasww.com PORT CHARLOTTE, FL--(Marketwired - March 09, 2017) - LA Consulting, Inc. (LAC) was awarded a comprehensive performance review contract through a competitive process from Charlotte County, FL. Harry Lorick, P.E., PWLF, LA Consulting president, made the announcement. The project consists of three phases, which include: conducting a comprehensive evaluation of current operations and providing practical recommendations for improvement for the Maintenance and Operations Division; assisting in drafting a request for proposals for the purchase of a new maintenance management system, based on identified needs; and implementing all of the project's final report recommendations for the Maintenance & Operations Division of the Public Works Department. The implementation is planned and is expected to result in real improvement with more work being accomplished efficiently and effectively. Systems and related business processes will be established to better utilize resources, track work, document accomplishments, identify threats, and drive continuous improvement. In addition to the maintenance and operational review, LAC was retained to also evaluate the potential of seven other County divisions/departments (Transportation Engineering, Solid Waste, Engineering, Parks, Facilities, Mosquito and Aquatic Weed Control and Capital Improvement Projects) in using the County's future selected computerized maintenance management system. Charlotte County, located in southwest Florida, has 2,072 centerline roadway miles. The County is 858 square miles in area, with 680 square miles of land and 178 square miles of water. In addition, Charlotte County employs a unique method of funding maintenance and operations. Through Section 125.01 of the Florida Statutes and Section 2.2 (H) of the Charlotte County Home Rule Charter, the County can establish long-term Municipal Service Benefit Units (MSBU) and Municipal Service Taxing Units (MSTU) that fund maintenance operations. There is a total of 54 Units with fifty being MSBUs and four being MSTUs. LA Consulting, Inc., established in 1993, provides a wide variety of planning, systems and technology services applied to public agencies and municipalities with an emphasis on systems implementation and technical support for public works operations and maintenance. Services include public works evaluation and review; management and operations systems assistance; infrastructure planning; maintenance management training; and maintenance systems (maintenance, pavement, and facilities). The firm's corporate headquarters is in Manhattan Beach, CA, about 20 miles west of Los Angeles. Contact: Harry Lorick, P.E., PWLF LA Consulting (310) 374-5777 Email contact Neal Leavitt Leavitt Communications (760) 639-2900 Email contact John Elias Maintenance & Operations Division Manager Charlotte County Public Works Department (941) 575-3646 Email contact LONDON (dpa-AFX) - DS Smith Plc (SMDS.L), a supplier of recycled packaging for consumer goods, Thursday said its business has performed in line with expectations for the period since November 1, 2016. The company said it continued to build on the progress made in the first half of the year with sustained good volume growth. Looking ahead, the company said its outlook remains positive, despite ongoing challenging economic conditions. Volumes continue to grow well and the Board continues to anticipate performance in line with medium term financial targets and views the future with confidence. Miles Roberts, Group Chief Executive, said, 'Customer and consumer trends continue to drive the requirement for sophisticated, innovative packaging, and we have the scale and expertise to invest behind these trends and consistently drive growth. Accordingly, we remain confident for the future.' Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. SINGAPORE--(Marketwired - March 09, 2017) - Zecotek Photonics Inc. (TSX VENTURE: ZMS) (FRANKFURT: W1I) (OTC PINK: ZMSPF), a developer of leading-edge photonics technologies for healthcare, industrial and scientific markets, is pleased to announce that the Shanghai EBO Crystals Assembly Company, the largest crystal array producer and supplier in China, has been appointed exclusive distributor of its patented LFS scintillation crystals for all sales to end users and in particular the positron emission tomography (PET) medical scanner OEMs in China. Furthermore, EBO will not use any of the competitive crystals and will only use LFS scintillation crystals in arrays for all new PET medical scanners. "The scientific team at EBO recognize the cost-performance superiority of Zecotek's patented LFS scintillation crystals when used in PET medical scanners," said Dr. A.F. Zerrouk, Chairman, President, and CEO of Zecotek Photonics Inc. "To have EBO become the exclusive distributor of LFS crystals, and agree to only use LFS crystals for their arrays sold to PET OEMs, will create significant value to our company. After extensive testing of our LFS crystals where EBO measured consistency of performance, product availability and cost/pricing considerations with end users, EBO has chosen to focus its crystal and array sales to PET OEM using only Zecotek LFS crystals. We expect today's announcement to drive significant crystal sales in China, as the government is aggressively growing the number of medical scanners to attend to the world's largest aging population." As mentioned in the previous announcement on January 25, 2017, EBO is the largest crystal array producer and supplier in China. Their arrays are used by many of the top OEMs in the very fast growing domestic PET medical imaging market. Those OEMs installing new scanning machines in hospitals and clinics across China will be using Zecotek's LFS crystal arrays. Historically, EBO used a number of different competing crystals, mainly the LYSO/LSO, in their arrays. However, due to the superiority of LFS, moving forward the organization will only use LFS crystals for array components for PET medical scanners. Recent changes to the regulatory landscape in China has caused OEMs to manufacture medical scanning devices domestically. The Chinese government has been using incentives to encourage domestic hospitals to use Chinese-made medical devices as it looks to stimulate the local market and reduce soaring healthcare costs. The strategy is working as more and more high quality medical devices are being manufactured in China and competing on a global basis. About Shanghai EBO Co. Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Shanghai, EBO has more than 120 employees and 4,000 square meters of manufacturing space. Shanghai EBO fabricates and supplies crystal arrays to an extensive customer base which includes: Neusoft Medical Systems, Samsung Medical, Topgrade Healthcare, FMI Medical Systems, IHEP of CAS, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and many domestic and foreign universities and research institutions. EBO has the highest standard processing production line and offers shaped crystal customization and crystal array assembly to end users. About Zecotek Zecotek Photonics Inc (TSX VENTURE: ZMS) (FRANKFURT: W1I) is a photonics technology company developing high-performance scintillation crystals, photo detectors, positron emission tomography scanning technologies, 3D auto-stereoscopic displays, 3D metal printing, and lasers for applications in medical, high-tech and industrial sectors. Founded in 2004, Zecotek operates three divisions: Imaging Systems, Optronics Systems and 3D Display Systems with labs located in Canada, Korea, Russia, Singapore and U.S.A. The management team is focused on building shareholder value by commercializing over 50 patented and patent pending novel photonic technologies directly and through strategic alliances with Hamamatsu Photonics (Japan), the European Organization for Nuclear Research (Switzerland), Beijing Opto-Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. (China), NuCare Medical Systems (South Korea), the University of Washington (United States), and National NanoFab Center (South Korea). For more information visit www.zecotek.com and follow @zecotek on Twitter. This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are based on management's expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks and uncertainties, which are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual future results and trends may differ materially from what may have been stated. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release. If you would like to receive news from Zecotek in the future, please visit the corporate website at www.zecotek.com. For Additional Information Please Contact: Zecotek Photonics Inc. Michael Minder T: (604) 783-8291 ir@zecotek.com VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/09/17 -- Maxtech Ventures Inc. (CSE: MVT)(CSE: MVT.CN)(OTC PINK: MTEHF)(FRANKFURT: M1N) ("Maxtech" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with Auracle Geospatial Science ("Auracle") to conduct remote sensing and analysis programs on manganese targets in Brazil. Auracle will conduct remote sensing work utilizing their iterative process in conjunction with Maxtech's geological and field teams for the purpose of mineral exploration. The initial scope of the analysis will be to remotely sense satellite imagery for mineral exploration, host system identification, map topography, and to differentiate apparent geology and non-apparent geology, lithology and structures for 598 km2 in a highly prospective area within 2 kilometers of the Estrada Cemat and 3.5 kilometers of the Fazenda Suas Barras mines in Matto Grosso Brazil. Auracle's Upgraded Geology methodologies use remotely sensed data to penetrate through vegetation and beneath overburden (unconsolidated soils, sands, sediments) to map large areas including structure, lithology, alteration, mineralogy and bedrock surface which supports mineral exploration. This method of exploration is cost effective, safe and an efficient method for analyzing geological information and identifying prospective hosts, deposits, trends and areas as they relate to the discovery phase of exploration. Remote sensing using fused radar and spectral optical satellite imagery provides necessary information to analyze geological information at or in the near surface, which has the ability to detect mineralization and alteration, map geological units, structures geology, faults, fractures, lineaments, and shear zones at surface and under cover; plus model physiography including terrain, bedrock, mineralogy, lithology, vegetation and water features. The 3-D Bare Rock Model will be generated for an outlined area of interest, (AOI) and a larger 1500km2 regional envelope AOI will be analyzed and modeled using the Auracle3D Radar Model. "What makes our mapping suite unique is that it combines radar and optical satellite data to penetrate vegetation ground cover, water, ice, rocks and soils. Our technology works at, near and under the earth's surface so we can 'see' through things that no other technology can claim," explains David McLelland, President. "We are excited to apply the Auracle System to model the structure, texture and lithology and to differentiate rock and formation types within this project area. We believe our geological interpretation and upgraded geological maps will help Maxtech understand the host system, and even when direct identification isn't possible, to narrow prospective targets," said Mr. McLelland. About Maxtech Ventures Inc. Maxtech Ventures Inc. is a Canadian based diversified industries corporation with gold and manganese mineral properties. Its focus is on mining and the products that are derived therefrom. Peter Wilson, Chief Executive Officer Certain statements contained in this release may constitute "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" (collectively "forward-looking information") as those terms are used in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and similar Canadian laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words "could", "intend", "expect", "believe", "will", "projected", "estimated", "anticipates" and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on the Company's current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. Actual future results may differ materially. In particular, this release contains forward-looking information relating to the business of the Company, the Property, financing and certain corporate changes. The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof and the Company is not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Because of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions contained herein, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein. Contacts: Maxtech Ventures Inc. Peter Wilson Chief Executive Officer peter@maxtech-ventures.com 604-484-8989 info@maxtech-ventures.com www.maxtech-ventures.com Fujitsu President Tanaka and French Prime Minister Cazeneuve Fujitsu Limited Public and Investor Relations Tel: +81-3-3215-5259 URL: www.fujitsu.com/global/news/contacts/ TOKYO, Mar 9, 2017 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu today announced that it is making a five-year investment of over 50 million euros (about 6 billion yen) to support digital innovation in France. The goal of the initiative, which is based on collaboration with the French government, is the development of new services and the acquisition of novel technologies.http://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_FujitsuFrance.jpgFujitsu President Tanaka and French Prime Minister CazeneuveBernard Cazeneuve, Prime Minister in France, says: "I welcome the engagement of Fujitsu, a world-class actor, which is further proof of France's economic attractiveness, the excellence of French research and the dynamism of French Tech."Tatsuya Tanaka, President of Fujitsu Limited, says: "Fujitsu's vision is to create a Human Centric Intelligent Society by co-creating solutions with customers and partners. To achieve this, Fujitsu aims to grow the number of its partnerships with leading technology companies, research institutions and startups in France, to strengthen its digital business, to significantly increase the scale of its business and to expand its presence in the country."Francois Fleutiaux, Senior Vice President and Head of Sales at Fujitsu in EMEIA, says: "France is a strategically important market for Fujitsu. This is not just because of the high percentage of businesses that see digitalization as a priority, but also for its extensive pool of highly talented mathematicians, digital engineers and its vibrant community of startup companies. We look forward to continuing to advance Artificial Intelligence, by co-creating technologies that will help enterprises embrace the benefits of digital transformation."BackgroundFrance is Europe's second largest economy and home to its greatest number of Fortune Global 500 companies, many of which have placed a priority on digital transformation. For this reason Fujitsu views France as a strategically important market as it expands its "connected services" globally. The company will apply its extensive knowledge in solutions, systems integration, and infrastructure services, to a wide variety of software that includes cloud and middleware. Fujitsu will then provide its customers with an integrated, end-to-end service. France also has a robust AI ecosystem including skills such as with machine learning and deep learning. Therefore Fujitsu plans for the country to be a key location to develop and expand its digital business.ObjectiveFujitsu and the French government, including Business France, the national agency supporting the international development of the French economy, have since July 2016 been in talks aimed at combining Japanese know-how and local French expertise, and to contribute to accelerating innovation in France.1. Establishing a Center of Excellence (CoE)Fujitsu will establish a CoE in Ecole Polytechnique's(1) incubator, Drahi X-Novation(2), which is at the heart of Paris-Saclay, one of the world's preeminent research and technology clusters and that focuses on innovation. From this, Fujitsu will expand the CoE as well as its connections to other innovation ecosystems all around the country.The CoE will work with the Fujitsu Group's research and business development units involved in AI to bring technologies and services that spur innovation in customers' business, primarily in the fields of machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing. Fujitsu will offer the solutions and services generated by the CoE through FUJITSU Digital Business Platform MetaArc, to serve customers in France, the EMEIA region and around the world.In addition, the CoE will offer Fujitsu's IoT, digital marketing, security and other digital solutions to corporate customers, particularly in the retail and manufacturing fields.Going forward, leveraging the CoE's activities, Fujitsu will place particular focus on predictive analytics and other data analysis technologies that lead to solutions to customer management issues, and will further support the digital transformation of French businesses and society.2. Joint Research in Artificial IntelligenceA joint AI research program will be set up by Fujitsu and French research institute Inria(3) starting fiscal 2017(4). The joint research will merge Inria's science with Fujitsu's technologies and will accelerate the development of new AI learning technologies based on cutting-edge mathematics and computer science, with emphasis on the interpretation of IoT data, which poses many challenges for existing technologies. The results achieved through this joint research will be swiftly applied to the "Human Centric AI Zinrai" platform, the framework for Fujitsu's AI offering, and will work to contribute to customers and society.3. Strengthened Cooperation with StartupsFujitsu already actively works with startups in France. In the past five years, it acquired RunMyProcess(5) and UShareSoft(6). The solutions provided by these companies have been strengthened and are being offered not only in France but also globally to Fujitsu customers through the MetaArc platform. In addition, Fujitsu has been collaborating with Scality(7) since November 2016 on a field trial of intercontinental data center coordination focused on cold data storage. In fiscal 2017, Fujitsu and Scality will expand this project, working with research institutions in France to create efficient scale-out object storage which enables international data sharing.Also in November 2016, Fujitsu entered into a partnership with Bpifrance, France's public investment bank, and is continuing to move forward to identify and strengthen collaboration with promising French startups.4. Contributing to Digital Human Resource DevelopmentThe CoE will provide opportunities to participate in actual development projects for startups housed at the Drahi X-Novation Center, where the CoE is located. It will also welcome the talented students and interns of Ecole Polytechnique, who will be offered the chance to participate in research based on actual and real-world business deals. This will actively contribute to the fostering of digital human resources in France. Beyond the current discussions with Ecole Polytechnique, Fujitsu looks to foster similar relationships with major engineering schools and universities that conduct research in France.Toward Continual Development of Japanese-French InnovationFujitsu is keen to further strengthen the links between France and Japanese businesses and innovation, and is planning to join some of those events for innovation in France and Japan initiatively.Fujitsu plans to maintain its ongoing collaboration with the French government. The company will invite the French government to the Fujitsu World Tour 2017, planned for the summer of 2017, where it will explain the progress of the plans.(1) Ecole PolytechniqueThe most prestigious French public higher education and research institution for science and technology, which is an advanced vocational training institution unique to French society.(2) Drahi X-Novation , the Ecole Polytechnique incubatorAn incubation and acceleration center where startups gather and benefit from Ecole Polytechnique's research environment.(3) InriaThe French National Institute for computer science and applied mathematics is a leading institution that promotes "scientific excellence for technology transfer and society"(4) Fiscal 2017Fujitsu's fiscal year starts April 1.(5) RunMyProcessA French cloud services business acquired by Fujitsu in 2013.(6) UShareSoftA French software development business for multi-cloud support, acquired by Fujitsu in 2015.(7) ScalityA start-up based in France and in the US developing software defined storage products.About Fujitsu LtdFujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company, offering a full range of technology products, solutions, and services. Approximately 159,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702; ADR:FJTSY) reported consolidated revenues of 4.7 trillion yen (US$41 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com.* Please see this press release, with images, at:http://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/Source: Fujitsu LtdContact:Copyright 2017 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. Royal Dutch Shell plc DIRECTORATE CHANGE Royal Dutch Shell plc (the "Company") announces its intention to propose to the 2017 Annual General Meeting that Catherine Hughes and Roberto Setubal be appointed Non-executive Directors of the Company with effect from June 1, 2017 and October 1, 2017 respectively. Patricia Woertz, appointed a Non-executive Director of the Company in 2014, has notified the Company of her intention to retire and not seek reappointment at the 2017 Annual General Meeting. Chad Holiday, Chair of Royal Dutch Shell plc, said "The Board is delighted that Catherine Hughes and Roberto Setubal have agreed to join the Board. Catherine and Roberto are distinguished international business leaders and I believe they will bring valuable experience to our Board. Patricia Woertz has confirmed she will not be standing for reappointment at the 2017 AGM and I would like to take this opportunity to thank her for her commitment and valuable contribution to the Board, the Corporate and Social Responsibility Committee and the Remuneration Committee over the last three years." Catherine J. Hughes Catherine Hughes is a Canadian and French dual national and has more than 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. She served as Executive Vice President International at Nexen Inc. from January 2012 until her retirement in April 2013, where she was responsible for all oil and gas activities including exploration, production, development and project activities outside of Canada. She originally joined Nexen in 2009 where she served as Vice President, Operational Services, Technology and Human Resources. Prior to joining Nexen Inc. she was Vice President Oil Sands at Husky Oil from 2007 to 2009 and Vice President, Exploration & Production Services from 2005 to 2007. Ms Hughes started her career with Schlumberger in 1986 and held key positions in various countries including Italy, Nigeria, UK, US and France and was President of Schlumberger Canada Limited for five years based in Calgary. She served as a Non-executive Director of Statoil from 2013 to 2015, and currently is a Non-executive Director of Precision Drilling Corp. and SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. Ms Hughes graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering from INSA (Institut National des Sciences Appliquees) Lyon, France. She is a Professional Engineer, as designated by the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta. She is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors and a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors. Roberto Egydio Setubal Roberto Setubal is a Brazilian national and is Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In April 2017, he will retire as Chief Executive Officer and act as Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors. Following a brief period with Citibank in New York, he joined Itau in 1984 where he held a variety of senior roles in individual banking, consumer credit operations and retail banking before being appointed Chief Executive Officer in 1994. Following the merger of Banco Itau and Unibanco in 2008, he was appointed to his current position of President & Chief Executive Officer of Itau Unibanco S.A. Currently, he is President of the Advisory Council of the Brazilian Federation of Bank Associations, a member of the board of the International Monetary Conference (IMC), a member of the board of the Institute of International Finance (IIF), a member of the International Advisory Committee of the New York Stock Exchange, a member of the Economic and Social Development Council of the Presidency of Brazil and a member of the International Business Committee of the World Economic Forum. He also serves as President of the Fundacao Itau Social and as a member of the Instituto Itau Cultural. Previously, he has served as a Non-executive Director of Petrobras S.A, as President of the IMC and as Vice-Chairman of the IIF. Mr Setubal graduated with a degree in Production Engineering from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil and a Master's degree in Science Engineering from Stanford University in the United States. March 9, 2017 Linda M. Szymanski Company Secretary Royal Dutch Shell plc ENQUIRIES Shell Media Relations International, UK, European Press: +44 20 7934 5550 Shell Investor Relations Europe: + 31 70 377 4540 United States: +1 832 337 2034 LEI number of Royal Dutch Shell plc: 21380068P1DRHMJ8KU70 Classification: Additional regulated information required to be disclosed under the laws of a Member State. Also receives SAP North America Partner Excellence Award 2017 for SAP Hybris Solutions Accenture Interactive has been recognized as the SAP Hybris 2017 Global Partner of the Year Award for the fourth consecutive year. Awards were presented by SAP Hybris, a provider of omni-channel customer engagement and commerce solutions, to the top-performing partners in 2016 that have made outstanding contributions to driving customers' digital transformation. The 2017 award, which was presented last night at the annual SAP Hybris Digital Summit, recognizes Accenture Interactive's professionals who are globally certified by SAP Hybris and have delivered strong client successes. The award reflects Accenture Interactive's contribution to SAP software license revenue, and delivery of complex transformational projects and disruptive solutions that help organizations adopt innovation easily to attract, retain and grow a profitable customer base. The recognition follows the SAP North America Partner Excellence Award 2017 for SAP Hybris Solutions which Accenture received in February. The two awards further underline Accenture's ability to help clients design and deliver relevant e-commerce experiences for consumers and business customers across digital channels. "It is a great honor to be recognized by the leader in digital commerce for our collaborative work to deliver organizations with exceptional customer experiences," said Anatoly Roytman, managing director, Accenture Interactive, and global digital commerce lead. "In today's competitive digital landscape, it is imperative to connect these experiences through innovative technology and to deliver personalized, seamless commerce interactions that drive sales." Selected from SAP Hybris' broad partner ecosystem, nominations for the SAP Hybris Partner of the Year Awards were based on internal SAP data. A steering committee composed of regional and global SAP Hybris representatives determined winning partners in each category according to a number of criteria including joint sales achievement, customer case studies and consultant certifications. Awards were presented in a variety of categories, including overall partner performance by geography, innovation, service delivery and newcomer. Accenture became SAP Hybris' first global strategic partner in 2013 and has been consistently recognized as a top alliance partner since. The alliance combines leading customer data management, context-driven marketing tools and unified commerce technology from SAP Hybris with the digital marketing capabilities and deep technology experience from Accenture Interactive. Most recently, Accenture announced its intent to purchase SinnerSchrader, one of the leading digital agencies in Germany, which will further strengthen Accenture Interactive's digital commerce and customer experience capabilities. About Accenture Accenture (NYSE:ACN) is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions underpinned by the world's largest delivery network - Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With more than 394,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com. Accenture Interactive, part of Accenture Digital, helps the world's leading brands drive superior marketing performance across the full multichannel customer experience. Accenture Interactive offers integrated, industrialized and industry-driven digital transformation and marketing solutions. It was named the world's largest and fastest-growing digital agency in the latest Ad Age Agency Report. To learn more follow us @accenturesocial and visit www.accenture.com/interactive. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170309005119/en/ Contacts: Accenture Kelly Coffed, 1 404 219 3100 kelly.coffed@accenture.com Figure 1: Analysis of vibration data with this technology Figure 2: Results of the verification test Fujitsu Limited Public and Investor Relations Tel: +81-3-6252-2176 URL: www.fujitsu.com/global/news/contacts/ TOKYO, Aug 28, 2017 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu Limited and Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. today announced the development of sensor data analysis technology that can aggregate vibration data with sensors attached to the surface of a bridge, and then estimate the degree of the bridge's internal damage through the application of "FUJITSU Human Centric AI Zinrai technology," Fujitsu's approach to artificial intelligence.This technology was validated using data obtained from verification tests of fatigue degradation of bridges(1) carried out by the Research Association for Infrastructure Monitoring System (RAIMS)(2), a mutual aid organization that carries out joint research into technologies used in industrial activities.In this way the technology enables enhanced maintenance and management tasks, making it possible to remotely estimate the degree of internal damage to bridge infrastructure.Details of this technology will be announced at the Japan Society of Civil Engineers 2017 Annual Meeting, to be held at Kyushu University on September 11-13, 2017.Development BackgroundAs many bridges built in Japan's period of high economic growth continue to deteriorate, the work required to maintain and manage this type of infrastructure has increased rapidly, accompanied by social problems including rising maintenance costs and a shortage of engineers.It is anticipated that these issues may now be resolved through the application of ICT to maintenance and management tasks for bridges and other social infrastructure.IssuesInspection tasks for bridges are usually performed visually to check the structure for damage. The issue with relying only on information gathered visually, however, is that inspectors can only identify abnormalities or anomalies appearing on the structure's surface, and are consequently unable to grasp information regarding the degree of internal damage.In recent years, in order to advance the use of ICT in these inspections, there have been many trials in which sensors were attached to the surface of the bridge deck(3), using vibration data to evaluate the level of damage. With the methods used until now, accurately understanding the degree of damage within the interior of the deck was an issue.About the Newly Developed TechnologyNow, by expanding Fujitsu Laboratories' proprietary deep learning AI technology for time-series data(4), Fujitsu and Fujitsu Laboratories have developed technology that can discover anomalies and express in numerical terms degrees of change that demonstrate drastic changes in the status of objects such as structures or machinery, and detect the occurrence of abnormalities or distinctive changes. The technology learns from the geometric characteristics extracted from complex, constantly changing time-series vibration data collected by sensors equipped on IoT devices (Figure 1), thus enabling users to estimate and validate the state of degradation or failure in a variety of social infrastructure or machinery.This technology has now been confirmed through the application of verification test data from RAIMS.http://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_FujitsuSensor82817Fig1.jpgFigure 1: Analysis of vibration data with this technologyResults of the Verification TestThis newly developed technology was applied to vibration data collected from acceleration tests (wheel load running test) performed by RAIMS. The results showed that the geometric characteristics extracted from the vibration data by this technology would appear as a single cluster when the bridge was intact, but the shape changes when the bridge had developed internal damage (Figure 2). Moreover, it was confirmed that the degree of abnormality and the degree of change that can be calculated by converting the geometric characteristics to numerical values correspond with the results measured by strain sensors embedded within the bridge deck, validating the effectiveness of the technology.http://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_FujitsuSensor82817Fig2.jpgFigure 2: Results of the verification testEffectsFrom the analysis results of data from an acceleration sensor at a single location on the surface of a bridge, Fujitsu confirmed that it is possible to estimate the degree of damage(5) across a wide area of a bridge's interior using this technology. Additionally, detecting the occurrence of internal stress using this technology allows for the estimation of damage in its earliest stages, and can contribute to early countermeasures. Duplicating these tests in the future will make it possible to remotely estimate the degree of internal damage with a high degree of accuracy using surface-mounted sensors, enabling the enhancement of bridge maintenance and management tasks.Future PlansFujitsu will conduct trials using vibration data from actual bridges, with the goal of real-world usage by around 2018.(1) Verification tests of fatigue degradation of bridgesThis verification test was carried out by RAIMS, as part of a commissioned research project on the research and development of technology promoting the use of monitoring technology for societal infrastructure, commissioned by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism as part of the Cabinet Office's Cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP), promoting technology to manage, update, and maintain infrastructure. Summary of the verification tests conducted by RAIMS Goal: Evaluate technology for monitoring the fatigue degradation of bridges Testing period: July-August 2015 Testing summary: Acceleration test to recreate the process of fatigue degradation of bridge decks in simulation, using an actual-size bridge deck and heavy load equipment (weighted wheeled testing apparatus). For the test, strain sensors were embedded within the actual-size bridge deck. In addition, the vibration data that was used for analysis was collected via acceleration sensors attached to the surface of the bridge deck. Location: Yamaguchi University(2) Research Association for Infrastructure Monitoring System (RAIMS)An organization consisting of 14 companies and legal entities, with the goal of promoting the rapid commercialization of monitoring technology. Fujitsu also carries out research and development as a member of the association.(3) Bridge deckThe floor or surface of the bridge, which transfers the weight of vehicles travelling over the bridge to the columns or girders supporting the bridge.(4) Deep learning technology for time-series dataProprietary technology from Fujitsu Laboratories that accurately analyzes time-series data using a data analysis method called topological data analysis. "Fujitsu Develops New Deep Learning Technology to Analyze Time-Series Data with High Precision".(5) Estimation of the degree of damageDuring the acceleration tests, the degree of damage to the experimental bridge deck was judged visually by engineers in accordance with the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's guidelines for the periodic inspection of bridges, and estimated according to these results, as well as the results of an AI-based analysis.About Fujitsu LaboratoriesFounded in 1968 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fujitsu Limited, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. is one of the premier research centers in the world. With a global network of laboratories in Japan, China, the United States and Europe, the organization conducts a wide range of basic and applied research in the areas of Next-generation Services, Computer Servers, Networks, Electronic Devices and Advanced Materials. For more information, please see: http://www.fujitsu.com/jp/group/labs/en/.About Fujitsu LtdFujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company, offering a full range of technology products, solutions, and services. Approximately 155,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.5 trillion yen (US$40 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com.* Please see this press release, with images, at:http://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/Source: Fujitsu LtdContact:Copyright 2017 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. Mariehamn, 2017-03-24 08:30 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Viking Line Abp NOTICE TO GENERAL MEETING 24.3.2017, 9.30 AM INVITATION TO THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The shareholders in Viking Line Abp are invited to the Annual General Meeting, which will be held at 12.00 noon on Thursday, April 20, 2017 at the Alandica Kultur & Kongress auditorium, Strandgatan 33, Mariehamn, Aland, Finland. The reception of persons who have registered for the meeting and the distribution of voting tickets will begin at 11.00 a.m. A. The items on the agenda of the Annual General Meeting The Annual General Meeting will deal with the following items of business: 1. Opening of the Meeting 2. Calling the Meeting to order 3. Election of persons to confirm the minutes and to supervise the counting of votes 4. Recording the legality of the Meeting 5. Recording of attendance at the Meeting and adoption of the voting list 6. Presentation of the financial statements, the Report of the Directors and the Auditors' Report for the financial year January 1-December 31, 2016 7. Adoption of the financial statements and consolidated financial statements 8. Discharge of the Company's Board of Directors and President and CEO from liability for the financial year 9. Resolution on the distribution of the earnings shown in the balance sheet and on the payment of the dividend - The Board of Directors of Viking Line Abp proposes that a dividend of 0.40 per share be paid for the financial year January 1 - December 31, 2016. The Board further proposes that the record date for dividend payment be Monday, April 24, 2017 and that the payment date be Tuesday, May 2, 2017. 10. Resolution on the number of Auditors and Deputy Auditors - The Board of Directors proposes that the Company set the number of Auditors for the financial year 2017 at two and that one Deputy Auditor be appointed. 11. Resolution on the fees payable to the members of the Board of Directors and the Auditors - The Board of Directors proposes that the fees payable to the members of the Board of Directors remain unchanged as follows: Annual fee, Chairman of the Board 28,000 euros Annual fee, other regular Board members 22,000 euros Annual fee, deputy members of the Board 5,000 euros In addition, a fee of 1,000 euros per meeting is proposed. The Board also proposed that the auditors' fees be paid as invoiced. 12. Election of members of the Board of Directors - Since Trygve Eriksson, a regular member of the Board, has declined re-election, the Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting that Peter Wiklof be elected as a new regular member of the Board. Otherwise the Board proposes the re-election of the other incumbent Board members and deputy members. If the Meeting approves the proposal, the Board of Directors would have the following composition: Ben Lundqvist, Chairman; Nils-Erik Eklund, Erik Gronberg, Agneta Karlsson, Dick Lundqvist, Lars G Nordstrom and Peter Wiklof, members; and Ulrica Danielsson, Stefan Lundqvist and Johnny Rosenholm, deputy members. 13. Election of Auditors - The Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting that Ylva Eriksson, Authorized Public Accountant (CGR) and Petter Lindeman, Authorized Public Accountant (CGR) be re-elected as auditors for 2017 and that that the firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers Oy, Authorized Public Accountants, be re-elected as deputy auditor. 14. Closing of the Meeting B. Annual General Meeting documents The proposals of the Board of Directors that refer to the above list of agenda items and this notice of invitation to the Annual General Meeting will be available on Viking Line Abp's website at www.vikingline.com. The Annual Report of Viking Line Abp, which includes the Company's financial statements, the Report of the Directors and the Auditors' Report, is available on the above-mentioned website. The Board's proposals and the financial statements will also be available at the Annual General Meeting. Copies of the financial statements will also be sent to shareholders, and other documents and a copy of this notice of invitation to the Annual General Meeting will be sent to shareholders upon request. The minutes of the Meeting will be available on the above-mentioned website at the latest from May 4, 2017 onward. C. Instructions for participants in the Annual General Meeting 1. Right to participate and registration Each shareholder who has been registered no later than Thursday, April 6, 2017 (the record date of the Meeting) in the shareholders' register maintained by Euroclear Finland Ltd has the right to participate in the Annual General Meeting. A shareholder whose shares are registered in his/her personal Finnish book-entry account is registered in the shareholders' register of the Company. A shareholder who wishes to participate in the Annual General Meeting must register for the Meeting no later than 12.00 noon on Tuesday, April 18, 2017. Registration for the Annual General Meeting can be made: a) by e-mail to bolagsstamma@vikingline.com b) by telephone to +358 18 270 00 c) or in writing to Viking Line Abp, Pb 166, AX-22101 Mariehamn, Aland, Finland. When registering for the Meeting, the shareholder shall state his/her name and personal identification number, as well as the name of any assistant or proxy representative and the personal identification number of this proxy representative. The personal data that shareholders provide to Viking Line Abp will be used only for purposes connected to the Annual General Meeting and for the processing of related registrations. A shareholder who is present at the Annual General Meeting is entitled to ask questions regarding the items on the agenda of the Annual General Meeting, pursuant to Chapter 5, Section 25 of the Finnish Companies Act. 2. Proxy representatives and proxy documents A shareholder may participate in the Annual General Meeting and exercise his/her rights through a proxy representative. The shareholder's proxy representative shall present a dated proxy document (power of attorney) or, in some other reliable manner, demonstrate his/her right to represent the shareholder. 3. Holders of nominee registered shares A holder of nominee registered shares is advised to request without delay from the custodian of his/her assets the necessary instructions regarding registration of the shareholder in the shareholders' register, the issuance of proxy documents and registration for the Annual General Meeting. The account management organization of the custodian will register a holder of nominee registered shares who wants to participate in the Annual General Meeting in the temporary shareholders' register of the Company no later than 10.00 a.m. on April 17, 2017. 4. Other instructions and information On the date of this notice, March 24, 2017, the total number of shares in Viking Line Abp is 10,800,000 shares and the total number of votes in Viking Line Abp is 10,800,000. Mariehamn, March 24, 2017 Viking Line Abp BOARD OF DIRECTORS Jan Hanses President and CEO The text above is a translation of the Swedish official invitation to the Annual General Meeting. President and CEO Jan Hanses, jan.hanses@vikingline.com, +358-18-27000 Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de ABU DHABI, UAE, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) celebrated the opening of The Creative Act: Performance, Process, Presence at Manarat Al Saadiyat on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi. Featuring works by more than 25 artists from different nationalities and generations, the exhibition explores the related themes of performance, process, and presence through a variety of mediums. Running until 29 July 2017, The Creative Act is the second major exhibition of works from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi collection. (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/476794/Abu_Dhabi_Tourism___Culture_Authority___The_Creative_Act.jpg ) HE Saif Saeed Ghobash, Director General of TCA Abu Dhabi commented, "The Creative Act offers a transcultural perspective on defining aspects of contemporary art by highlighting interconnections among artists working in various corners of the world since the 1960s. The works in the exhibition reveal common sources of inspiration, lines of influence, and distinctive contributions. Two commissions reflect the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's commitment to supporting the production of new work by living artists. This exhibition marks not only the next defining step for the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, but also the establishment of the future museum's role to encourage, inspire, and inform. Only through direct interaction with artworks, themes, creative professionals, and artists can we provide future generations with a fully rounded set of tools through which to understand the development of artistic expression." Three distinct yet interconnected themes of the exhibition provide a unifying framework for the exhibition, with many artists exploring more than one theme in the works on view: Performance can be represented in several different forms: The Creative Act features examples of live actions that constitute works in and of themselves and performative practices that result in drawings, paintings, sculptures, and videos. A selection of photographs document the renowned Emirati artist Hassan Sharif's 1980s performances, realised in both London and Dubai. His conceptual, experimental, and performative practice greatly influenced subsequent generation of artists in the UAE, such as Mohammed Kazem, who is also featured in The Creative Act. A key work within the process section is Anish Kapoor's My Red Homeland (2003), a monumental sculptural installation composed of nearly twenty-five tonnes of red wax with a mechanical arm that circumnavigates the platform, continually altering the surface as it moves across the material. Works by pioneering 1960s experimental art practitioners including Rasheed Araeen, Julio Le Parc, Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely, Gunther Uecker, and Jacques Villegle, explore the process of creating with everyday materials and using performative techniques. The theme of human presence is highlighted through artworks that involve the appearance of the artist or others in the works as well as visible traces of the physical acts undertaken to realise them. Paintings by artists affiliated with the Gutai Art Association (1954-72) including Motonaga Sadamasa, Shiraga Kazuo, and Tanaka Atsuko epitomise these ideas. Video installations by Susan Hefuna and Anri Sala take the performing arts-dance and music respectively-and the theme of interpretation as points of departure. Autobiography (03-07) (2007), a series of forty photographs and a video, captures Emirati artist Ebtisam Abdulaziz's performances in various public spaces in Sharjah and examines the often complex relationship between social and personal identities. Richard Armstrong, Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation, commented: "The Creative Act brings into focus the complexity, poetry, and power of the human spirit. The exhibition also reflects our shared understanding of the vital necessity of global exchange that is at the heart of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi project. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation is proud to be working with Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority to realize this exhibition that celebrates the considerable scholarship underpinning the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi collection and the catalytic potential of the future museum as a vital addition to the cultural landscape of the region and the world." TCA Abu Dhabi has commissioned artists, Ramin Haerizadeh, Rokni Haerizadeh and Hesam Rahmanian to create an installation inspired by the core themes of The Creative Act. Another Happy Day (2016-17) is a multiroom, immersive installation featuring artworks by the commissioned artists and others, which, like the selections from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi collection, probe the nature of the creative artistic process while inviting visitors to become engaged and activated. This project, coupled with photographs by Tarek Al-Ghoussein, part of a series commissioned by TCA Abu Dhabi for the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi collection, offers a convergence of past, present, and future in our own time. Contacts: TCA Abu Dhabi Faisal Al Dhahri Communications - Museums Department Email: faldhahri@tcaabudhabi.ae Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation: Tina Vaz Deputy Director, Global Communications Email: tvaz@guggenheim.org New large boiler plant for Dow Benelux for efficient steam generation First large business customer project for E.ON in the Netherlands E.ON has entered into a long-term partnership with Dow Benelux to build, own and operate a large gas-fired boiler plant for their largest production site in Europe, located in Terneuzen, the Netherlands. At site, Dow is producing chemical intermediates which are further processed for a variety of products in commercial and industrial business such as packaging, coatings and foams. The new boiler plant will be able to generate up to 350 tons of steam per hour for the production processes on the Terneuzen site and will be taken into operation by the end of 2019. The highly efficient new boiler plant will add to the existing energy generation units thereby increasing the flexibility of the site's energy supply. The new boiler plant is equipped with advanced burner technology that can burn both natural gas and gaseous by-products of Dow production processes. Its innovative technical design allows for high ramp-up rates for a stable steam supply at all times. As the first large decentralised energy solution for a major global industry partner that E.ON will realise in the Netherlands, this project also marks an important step for E.ON in expanding its customer solution business. "Sustainable energy solutions that create value for our business customers are an important strategic pillar for E.ON," explains Bernd Schumacher, CEO of E.ON Connecting Energies. "We are pleased to form this long-term partnership with Dow and plan to further strengthen our offering in this market." "The project with E.ON is also critical for Dow in providing the Terneuzen site with a flexible and cost competitive energy supply solution for the future" says Dick Stobbe, Business Director Energy for Dow in Europe, Middle East, Africa and India as well as the region Asia Pacific. About E.ON E.ON is an international investor owned energy supplier, focusing entirely on energy networks, customer solutions and renewables. In the 2015 financial year, more than 40,000 employees from 90 nations generated sales of around EUR 43 billion. Around 33 million customers purchase gas and electricity from E.ON. E.ON Connecting Energies specialises in integrated energy solutions for industrial, commercial and public-sector customers. The company offers bespoke solutions in energy efficiency, on-site generation, virtual power plants, flexibility and battery storage. As an energy partner, E.ON Connecting Energies delivers life-time cost savings as well as lasting reductions in energy consumption and CO 2 emissions. About Dow Benelux Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company is driving innovations that extract value from material, polymer, chemical and biological science to help address many of the world's most challenging problems, such as the need for fresh food, safer and more sustainable transportation, clean water, energy efficiency, more durable infrastructure, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's integrated, market-driven portfolio delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in 175 countries and in high-growth sectors such as packaging, infrastructure, transportation, consumer care, electronics, and agriculture. In 2016, Dow had annual sales of $48 billion and employed approximately 56,000 people worldwide. The Company's more than 7,000 product families are manufactured at 189 sites in 34 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com. For further information please contact markus.nitschke@eon.com This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by E.ON Group management and other information currently available to E.ON. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. E.ON SE does not intend, and does not assume any liability whatsoever, to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170309005551/en/ Contacts: E.ON SE Markus Nitschke markus.nitschke@eon.com +49 2 01-1 84-42 56 SINGAPORE, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Symphony Financial Partners (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. ("Symphony Financial Partners") today announced the appointment of industry veteran Hiroyuki Abe as Head of Business Development based in Tokyo. Hiroyuki brings with him 17 years of expertise, experience and an extensive network in Japan's capital markets. Reporting to co-founders David Baran and Kazuhiko Shibata, Hiroyuki will drive the firm's growth strategy and manage key client relationships globally when he assumes the new role in May 2017. Hiroyuki joins from Goldman Sachs Japan where he was Vice President of Prime Brokerage Sales and Capital Introduction spearheading prime brokerage sales for global institutional investors and start-up hedge funds in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore. He also advised international investors on Japan strategies, consulted new hedge funds on licensing requirements and navigating regulatory processes and facilitated capital introductions between global managers and institutional-quality Japanese investors. During his 17 years with Goldman Sachs he was Vice President and Executive Director of Global Securities Lending Trader in Tokyo and Hong Kong respectively. Hiroyuki started his career in Global Equities Operations in Tokyo. David Baran said, "We have known Hiroyuki for many years and are thrilled he is joining the team. We are confident of the added value he will bring to clients given the breadth of his experience, strategic thinking and insight. These skills, combined with the investment strengths of Symphony and our deep knowledge of the Japan market, will help ensure that we remain at the forefront of the industry in the years ahead." "I am a strong believer in Symphony Financial Partners' long-term value approach of being an engaged investor and partnering with management to close the valuation gap for high-potential Japanese companies, which are often overlooked. I look forward to working with the team to pursue new opportunities for clients and portfolio companies alike," added Hiroyuku. Hiroyuku joins Symphony Financial Partners' team of 17 which is recognised as one of the best funds in Japan with annualised returns of 12.4% over 13 years. About Symphony Financial Partners Symphony Financial Partners is an award-winning institutional asset manager founded by David Baran and Kazuhiko Shibata in 2000 and has offices in Tokyo and Singapore. The firm manages approximately $1billion for a global client roster of blue-chip foundations, pensions, endowments, sovereign wealth entities and prominent family offices. For further information: Q Akashah (Ms.) Ogilvy Public Relations Singapore Tel: +65-6213-7881 / 9825-1944 Email: akashah.q@ogilvy.com To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/symphony-financial-partners-appoints-goldman-veteran-as-new-head-of-business-development-300421055.html BOISE, ID -- (Marketwired) -- 03/09/17 -- Cradlepoint, the global leader in cloud-based network solutions for connecting people, places, and things over wired and wireless broadband, today announced it has closed $89 million in Series C funding. The round was led by TCV, a leading provider of capital to growth-stage private and public companies in the technology industry. Cradlepoint will use these funds to drive continued growth and further capitalize on the disruption in the enterprise wide area networking market as the result of Digital Transformation (the digitization of every business process and interaction). This includes expanding product initiatives in Software-Defined Networking (SDN), advanced 4G and 5G wireless connectivity, and enterprise Internet of Things (IoT). In connection with the financing, Ted Coons, General Partner at TCV, and Doug Gilstrap, Venture Partner at TCV, have joined Cradlepoint's board of directors. The Cradlepoint investment continues TCV's legacy of investing in sector-leading companies, such as Netflix, GoDaddy, ExactTarget, Redback Networks, and Splunk. With over 15,000 customers and 1.5 million units deployed to date worldwide, and having achieved an over 40 percent compound aggregate growth rate (CAGR) for the last three years, Cradlepoint is the leading provider of 4G LTE network solutions for enterprises, governments, and mobile operators. The company's diverse customer base includes 50 percent of Fortune 100, 75 percent of the world's top retailers, and 25 of the largest US cities. "Cradlepoint has established a strong foundation as the leader in cloud-managed 4G LTE network solutions," said George Mulhern, CEO of Cradlepoint. "The investment by TCV, and their experience in guiding disruptive companies, will allow us to build on this foundation to capitalize on the opportunity in front of us as digital transformation drives WAN transformation. SDN, 4G/5G wireless broadband, mobile networking and IoT technologies will all play a pivotal role in the new connected enterprise, and we are well-positioned to lead the way." Digital transformation is accelerating cloud, mobile and IoT adoption -- giving rise to the Connected Enterprise, putting greater emphasis on the wide area network (WAN). According to a report by IDC, the burgeoning market for SDN in the WAN (SD-WAN) is projected to reach $12.5 billion by 2020, spurred on by the need for more agile, automated and available networks and a direct result of digital transformation. "With roots in enterprise-grade 4G LTE, hardware solutions that span branch, vehicle and IoT use cases, integrated with powerful software that enables remote management and network control, Cradlepoint has the technology and momentum to be a major player in the next generation of enterprise WANs," stated Ted Coons, General Partner at TCV. "A clear technological advantage combined with market leadership and the ability to innovate are key attributes of companies that we choose to partner with, and we are delighted to support the Cradlepoint team as they continue on their growth path." "By 2020, the number of people, vehicles, and things connected to the enterprise network will start to dwarf fixed branch sites," stated Eric Hanselman, chief analyst at 451 Research. "This dramatic shift in the volume and variety of connections will force the enterprise WAN to become more cloud-orchestrated, software-defined, and wirelessly connected and has already started to usher in an entirely new network security model. With this investment by TCV, Cradlepoint now has the potential to become a major player in wide-area networking for the connected enterprise." About Cradlepoint Cradlepoint is the global leader in cloud-based network solutions for connecting people, places, and things over wired and wireless broadband. Cradlepoint NetCloud is a software and services platform that extends the company's 4G LTE-enabled multi-function routers and ruggedized M2M/IoT gateways with cloud-based management and software-defined network services. With Cradlepoint, customers can leverage the speed and economics of wired and wireless Internet broadband for branch, failover, mobile, and IoT networks while maintaining end-to-end visibility, security, and control. Over 15,000 enterprise and government organizations around the world -- including 75 percent of the world's top retailers, 50 percent of the Fortune 100, and 25 of the largest U.S. cities -- rely on Cradlepoint to keep critical sites, workforces, vehicles, and devices always connected and protected. Major service providers use Cradlepoint network solutions as the foundation for innovative managed service offerings. Cradlepoint is a privately held company headquartered in Boise, Idaho, with development centers in Silicon Valley and Kelowna, Canada, and offices in the UK, Australia, and Japan. Learn more at cradlepoint.com or follow us on Twitter @cradlepoint. About TCV Founded in 1995, TCV provides capital to growth-stage private and public companies in the technology industry. TCV has invested over $9 billion in leading technology companies and has helped guide CEOs through more than 100 IPOs and strategic acquisitions. TCV investments include Altiris, Dollar Shave Club, ExactTarget, Expedia, Facebook, Fandango, GoDaddy, Genesys Software, HomeAway, Merkle, Netflix, Redback Networks, Rent the Runway, Sitecore, Splunk, Spotify, VICE Media, and Zillow. TCV is headquartered in Palo Alto, California, with offices in New York and London. For more information about TCV, including a complete list of TCV investments, please visit http://www.tcv.com. Press Contact: Nikki Plati Highwire PR 847-208-5407 cradlepoint@highwirepr.com Katja Gagen TCV 415-690-6689 kgagen@tcv.com ESPOO, Finland, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The distinctive new building in Stockholm's Ostermalm is a temporary market hall that was built as a temporary space while the old market hall is being renovated. What nobody expected was the tremendous popularity of this "wooden box", which ended up winning Sweden's most prestigious design award. To view the Multimedia News Release, please click: https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8058951-ostermalm-temporary-wooden-market-hall/ The old market hall, built in 1886, in Stockholm's Ostermalm district is known for the prestige its history carries among its committed customers. In 2012, this well-established rendezvous point in Stockholm's finest district faced a critical need for a complete renovation, and the city invited bids for the refurbishment project. The entrepreneurs of the market hall needed to relocate for a couple of years. The solution for this challenge was to build a temporary building made of Metsa Wood's Kerto LVL (laminated veneer lumber), so that the entire offering of the old market hall was still available under one roof. Afterwards, the building is easy to take down and reuse somewhere else. A 100% temporary building made from sustainable wood The architectural agency Tengbom saw the potential in the exceptional circumstances. As part of the refurbishment project, they designed the concept of a temporary, modular wooden building that could built alongside the old hall. Tengbom wanted to promote sustainable construction, and Kerto LVL was the ideal choice for that. "A standard solution for a temporary building would have been a marquee with an aluminium or steel frame. But this solution would have clashed with the prestigious brand of the market hall. And that is what we needed to cherish," says principal architect Mark Humphreys. The temporary market hall is actually an interesting combination of wood, glass and plastic. All these materials are lightweight, easy to work with and affordable, making them the best choices for temporary use. Even though the architecturally very sophisticated building might look a little rough on close examination, the mission was accomplished, as these affordable materials manage to give an impression of polish and value, just like the neighbourhood around it. Innovative and fire-safe structural solutions with Kerto LVL The building's roof structure consists of glulam columns and Kerto LVL beams in a grid structure, which is a strong shape, but makes the construction appear lighter and requires less material. The roof above the grid is made of plywood clad with sound-absorbing insulation made from wood fibre. The acoustics are one of the most successful elements of the project. The plastic used in the building is multichannel plastic with lots of air pockets, giving the material a very good insulation value. The plastic parts are completely prefabricated and they are airtight, watertight and naturally insulated. The glass in the windows is also insulated glass. A fire protection treatment on the wooden parts guarantees the fire safety of the temporary market hall. The beams are painted with a transparent fire-retardant coating on site, and the plywood of the desks and floors has had a similar treatment. The floors and the columns were covered with plasterboard up to a height of three metres. Temporary construction became a sight The temporary market hall in Ostermalm turned out to be a bright, luminous, modern and truly welcoming place with stores and restaurants. Offering longer opening, hours it has attracted new visitors without losing the regular ones. So far, the market hall has received over 55,000 visitors per week - almost a 100% increase compared to the old hall. The refurbishment of the old market hall will be completed in 2018. The city of Stockholm can look for an opportunity to reuse the building in another location, or they can sell it - the building can have another life. Experience the construction of Ostermalm's temporary market hall at: http://www.metsawood.com/references/ Images: http://databank.metsagroup.com/l/rNdxRwLzNsG- http://www.metsawood.com Metsa Wood provides competitive and environmentally friendly wood products for construction, industrial customers and distributor partners. We manufacture products from northern wood, a sustainable raw material of premium quality. Our sales in 2016 were EUR 0.5 billion, and we employ about 1,500 people. Metsa Wood is part of Metsa Group. For more information, please contact: Virpi Koskimies, Communications Specialist, Metsa Wood, tel: +358(0)50-4522203, virpi.koskimies@metsagroup.com. For press information, please contact: Matt Trace, Director, Defero Communications, tel. +44(0)7828663988, matt@deferouk.co.uk (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151007/274904LOGO ) (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/476190/Metsa_Wood.jpg ) Video: https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8058951-ostermalm-temporary-wooden-market-hall/ VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/09/17 -- Asanko Gold Inc. ("Asanko" or the "Company") (TSX: AKG)(NYSE MKT: AKG) confirms its 2017 production guidance of 230,000 - 240,000 ounces at All-in sustaining costs of US$880 - US$920 per ounce, following a successful first year of operations at the Asanko Gold Mine in Ghana, West Africa. The substantial increase in production guidance, above the original Feasibility Study target of 190,000 ounces per annum, is the result of the processing plant operating at 20% above design capacity and gold recovery rates in excess of 94%, well above design levels of 92.5%. 2017 has had a strong start to the year with just over 38,800 ounces of gold produced during January and February. The Company will host a conference call and webcast on Thursday, March 16, 2017 at 9am EST to discuss 2016 Q4 and annual financial and operating results. Details below. Conference Call & Webcast Details: Thursday, March 16, 2017 at 9:00 am EST US/Canada Toll Free: 1 800 954 0585 UK Toll Free: 0800 496 1447 International: +1 212 231 2937 Webcast: Please click on the link: https://cc.callinfo.com/r/1nvq1z5hdrj2a&eom Replay A recorded playback will be available approximately two hours after the call until April 16, 2017: US/Canada Toll Free: 1 800 558 5253 International: +1 416 626 4100 Passcode: #21842305 About Asanko Gold Inc. Asanko's vision is to become a mid-tier gold mining company that maximizes value for all its stakeholders. The Company's flagship project is the multi-million ounce Asanko Gold Mine located in Ghana, West Africa. The mine is being developed in phases. Phase 1 was built within budget and ahead of schedule, with gold production commencing in January 2016 and commercial production declared on April 1, 2016. Ramp-up to steady-state production of 190,000 ounces per annum was achieved in Q2 2016. Asanko is managed by highly skilled and successful technical, operational and financial professionals. The Company is strongly committed to the highest standards for environmental management, social responsibility, and health and safety for its employees and neighbouring communities. Forward-Looking and other Cautionary Information This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address estimated resource quantities, grades and contained metals, possible future mining, exploration and development activities, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements should not be in any way construed as guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices for metals, the conclusions of detailed feasibility and technical analyses, the timely renewal of key permits, lower than expected grades and quantities of resources, mining rates and recovery rates and the lack of availability of necessary capital, which may not be available to the Company on terms acceptable to it or at all. The Company is subject to the specific risks inherent in the mining business as well as general economic and business conditions. For more information on the Company, Investors should review the Company's annual Form 20-F filing with the United States Securities Commission and its home jurisdiction filings that are available at www.sedar.com. Neither Toronto Stock Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Contacts: Asanko Gold Inc. Alex Buck Manager, Investor and Media Relations Toll-Free (N.America): 1-855-246-7341 +44-7932-740-452 alex.buck@asanko.com Asanko Gold Inc. Wayne Drier Executive, Corporate Development +1-778-729-0614 wayne.drier@asanko.com www.asanko.com info@asanko.com VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/09/17 -- Vinergy Resources Ltd. ("Vinergy" or the "Company") (CSE: VIN)(CSE: VIN.CN)(OTCQB: VNNYF) in conjunction with its proposed acquisition of MJ Biopharma (announced December 14, 2016) is pleased to announce it has appointed Mr. Facundo Bacardi to its Board of Directors effective immediately. Mr. Bacardi is a member of the family that owns and controls Bacardi Ltd., a worldwide liquor manufacturer and distributor. From 1979 to 1991, he was the head of Bacardi's manufacturing and distribution division for Nassau, Brazil, Trinidad and Central America. Since 1990, Mr. Bacardi has served as a Director of Suramericana de Inversiones, S.A., an investment company located in Panama. He is a founding shareholder of JSM Capital Holding Corp., a shareholder and Director of Global Arena Holdings, Inc. Mr. Bacardi is also on the Honorary Consul for the Bahamas in Panama. "We are excited to have someone of Mr. Bacardi's calibre and pedigree join our team. We look forward to working closely with him on our strategy to roll out products and technologies internationally," said Mr. Kent Deuters, CEO of MJ Biopharma. Mr. Bacardi, said: "I am happy to be joining the team at Vinergy and helping them move the business forward in the cannabis industry. Given my life-long experience in the spirits industry I see several areas in which I can add immediate value for the Company." Mr. Bacardi has been granted 100,000 options priced at $0.60, subject to CSE approval. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Vinergy Resources Ltd. Glen Macdonald, Director Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information The forward-looking information contained in this press release is made as of the date of this press release and, except as required by applicable law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. By its very nature, such forward-looking information requires the Company to make assumptions that may not materialize or that may not be accurate. This forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, levels of activity and achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such information. Contacts: Vinergy Resources Ltd. Glen Macdonald Director investors@vinergyresources.com LONDON, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CeBIT, the world's largest event for digital business, is partnering with the UK's premier organiser of events for private investors. As a first step, Master Investor Ltd., which owns and operates the annual flagship investor event, 'Master Investor Show', will take part in CeBIT between 20-24 March 2017. Master Investor will operate its own area within CeBIT's 'SCALE11' zone which connects start-ups with private investors from across Europe. An expected 400 start-ups will network with representatives of over 3,000 exhibitors and 200,000 visitors. Master Investor will contribute content and contacts from its own database of 60,000 private investors. The aim of the partnership is to build a bridge between the German and UK markets for start-up funding and increase the overall number of investors that attend CeBIT. Master Investor will use CeBIT as part of a wider strategy to grow the Master Investor brand internationally. Swen Lorenz, CEO of Master Investor said: "Last year, a German start-up exhibiting at the Master Investor Show attracted strong interest among delegates and subsequently raised EUR 1m, mostly from UK-based investors. As part of our international expansion, we will build a presence in the German market. CeBIT in turn is looking to build a bigger investor audience for CeBIT. Our presence at SCALE 11 / CeBIT is only the first step set within a longer-term plan." Jutta Jakobi, Deutsche Messe Global Director for ICT & Digital Business said: "CeBIT / SCALE11 highly appreciates the cooperation with Master Investor. CeBIT is no longer a traditional tradeshow to simply showcase digital products. Activities and types of interactions between exhibitors and visitors are manifold. Cooperating with Master Investor underpins the transformation CeBIT is going through." Besides hosting events, Master Investor Ltd. also operates an independent digital media platform for mostly British investors. The company was bought out in 2014 and with new management and strong financial backing, has developed plans to build an international series of events for private investors. The German-language area is the first focus for international expansion. CeBIT and Master Investor have also identified synergies for tapping into each other's growing platforms. About Master Investor Ltd. Master Investor Ltd. is backed by the renowned financier and entrepreneur, Jim Mellon. It is privately held with offices in London and the Isle of Man. http://www.masterinvestor.co.uk About Hannover Messe / CeBIT / SCALE11 CeBIT is the world's leading event for digital business. Every year, the show features a line-up of around 3,000 exhibitors and attracts some 200,000 visitors to its home base in Hannover, Germany. The spotlight is on the latest advances in fields such as artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, virtual and augmented reality, humanoid robots and drones. As part of CeBIT, the SCALE11 zone has grown to be Europe's leading showcase of start-ups since its launch in 2015. The next CeBIT will take place from 20 to 24 March 2017. http://www.cebit.de Social media: http://www.facebook.com/masterinvestor http://www.twitter.com/masterinvestor Contact: James.Hudson@masterinvestor.co.uk WARSTEIN-BELECKE, Germany, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Improved On-Grid/Off-Grid Capabilities Outdoor cabinet lowers global Battery Energy Storage installation costs AEG Power Solutions, a global provider of power supply systems and solutions for all types of critical and demanding applications, announces its latest version of their Protect SC. 600 Storage Converter, now with a new outdoor enclosure which reduces global installation costs and simplifies system usage, for any type of battery storage energy application, on or off-grid. (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/476809/AEG_Storage_Converter.jpg ) The Protect SC.600 bi-directional power converter from AEG Power Solutions with IGBT technology is based on their highly successful Protect PV solar inverter platform. The core element of any battery energy storage system, the converter charges and discharges batteries to store or provide power according to the application requirement such as frequency control, peak shaving, energy shifting (temporary storage to re-inject power when maximizing profitability), or voltage control (often used to balance the voltage instability generated by integration of renewables in the grid). Protect SC. 600 provides an outstanding conversion efficiency factor for both the charging and discharging phases. Thanks to its wide DC input range, it may be used with any state of the art battery technology currently available. The enhanced Protect SC.600 version allows a seamless transition between off-grid and on-grid mode. This function is available as an option. This extends the battery energy system's usage beyond its core functions, such as peak shaving for system back-up in the event of a grid blackout. This presents an additional benefit for any industrial or commercial customer who invests in battery systems primarily to decrease their energy costs and have an all-in-one installation that also integrates the security of their power supply. This new option is a must when battery energy storage is used in remote areas or islands where grid reliability is uncertain or for full off-grid applications in similar geographies. Protect SC. 600 can be easily implemented in a turnkey solution including batteries and medium voltage transformers. The new outdoor enclosure has been designed to house one Protect SC.600, an optional AC low voltage circuit breaker, a communication interface as well as an auxiliary power supply. The outdoor enclosure replaces the usage of containers whose weight and size make it difficult to transport and handle. With Protect SC.600, up to four units of the new outdoor system can be loaded onto a truck, and transported where on site, the complete units can be moved with a forklift truck replacing the need for heavy load cranes. The outdoor enclosure decreases the cost by 20% compared to container solutions. Combined with outdoor transformers this is a smart solution for building battery storage installations. Thanks to the on-grid off- grid mode seamless transition capability, AEG PS solution for battery storage installation becomes ideally suited to support any type of energy storage application as well as simultaneously secure power supply for critical processes and infrastructure. The new Protect SC. 600 is currently running at several sites around the world in various types of energy storage installations, operating successfully with lead-acid, Lithium-ion or redox flow batteries, and already establishing records for its reliability and efficiency. About AEG Power Solutions AEG Power Solutions (AEG PS) Group is a global provider of power electronics systems and solutions for all industrial and demanding commercial power requirements offering one of the most comprehensive product and service portfolios in the area of uninterruptible power supply and power management. Thanks to its distinctive expertise bridging both AC and DC power technologies and spanning the worlds of both conventional and renewable energy, the company creates innovative solutions for next generation distributed power generation. AEG Power Solutions Group is the sole subsidiary of the holding company 3W Power S.A. (WKN A114Z9) / ISINLU1072910919), based in Luxembourg. The Group is headquartered in Zwanenburg in the Netherlands. The shares of 3W Power are admitted to trading on Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: 3W9K). For more information, visit http://www.aegps.com. This communication does not constitute an offer or the solicitation of an offer to buy, sell or exchange any securities of 3W Power. This communication contains forward-looking statements which include, inter alia, statements expressing our expectations, intentions, projections, estimates, and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are based on the reasonable evaluation and opinion of the management but are subject to risks and uncertainties which are beyond the control of 3W Power and, as a general rule, difficult to predict. The management and the company cannot and do not, under any circumstances, guarantee future results or performance of 3W Power and the actual results of 3W Power may materially differ from the information expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. As a result, investors are cautioned against relying on the forward-looking statements contained herein as a basis for their investment decisions regarding 3W Power. 3W Power undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement contained herein. AEG is a registered trademark used under license from AB Electrolux Energy Storage Europe 2017 14-16 March, Dusseldorf Hall 08B, Stand D05 For further information, please contact: Claire Pairault Corporate Communications AEG Power Solutions Mobile:+33-6-19-60-91-64 Email: claire.pairault@aegps.com Andreas Becker Product Manager Phone: +49-2902-763-231 Mobile: +49-171-9702582 Email: andreas.Becker@aegps.com Las Vegas, Nevada--(Newsfile Corp. - March 9, 2017) - Virtus Oil and Gas Corporation (OTC Pink: VOIL), is pleased to announce it has signed Asset Purchase Agreements for Squaw Canyon and Tin Cup Mesa Unit from private sellers. The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The Company expects to close by month end. The two properties: Tin Cup Mesa Unit and Squaw Canyon are both in San Juan County, Utah. The combined Proved Reserves are greater than 2,000,000 barrels of oil (BO.) Tin Cup Mesa Unit and Squaw Canyon are in the Paradox Basin producing in the Upper Ismay formation. The cumulative production for Tin Cup Mesa is 2,138,000 BO and 3,263,000 Mcf of gas. The cumulative production for Squaw Canyon is 356,000 BO and 930,000 Mcf of gas. There is potential production in the Lower Ismay and Desert Creek. Eight of the wells are candidates for Horizontal Drilling. About Virtus Oil and Gas Corporation Virtus Oil and Gas Corp. (VOIL) is a Nevada-based oil and gas exploration and production company currently focused on producing assets in the State of Colorado and Utah. Virtus' strategy is to acquire proven and producing assets and/or develop oil and gas resources in proven, onshore basins in the United States. Forward-looking Statements This news release may contain "forward-looking" statements. These forward-looking statements are only predictions and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ from those in the forward looking-statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include such factors as uncertainty of consumer demand for the Company's products, as well as additional risks and uncertainties that are identified and described in the Company's SEC reports. The company will need to raise additional financing in order to advance its exploration and drilling program. Actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release. Statements made herein are as of the date of this press release and should not be relied upon as of any subsequent date. The Company does not undertake, and it specifically disclaims, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect occurrences, developments, events or circumstances after the date of such statement. Contact: Dan Green Virtus Oil and Gas Corporation 848 North Rainbow Blvd. #170 Las Vegas, NV 89107 (775) 636-3132 www.virtusoil.com SUGAR LAND, TX -- (Marketwired) -- 03/09/17 -- Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas) -- Industrial Info is pleased to be presenting a complimentary online webinar focusing on the global Petroleum Refining Industry. The webinar will be held March 15, at 9 a.m. CDT (10:00 a.m. EDT). Industrial Info is tracking $569.2 billion in active refining projects. As the competitive landscape for refiners grows, companies are being more conservative this year with their capital and maintenance investments. Join Industrial Info's industry experts as they discuss what's impacting spending now in the Refining sector, and what to expect in the future. The webinar will cover several topics on the Refining Industry, including: Markets that present the biggest pipeline of capital spending and the drivers shaping the outlook Where to expect growth in in-plant capital spending The outlook for maintenance and turnaround activity The webinar is entirely complimentary and participants will receive a link for "on demand" viewing after the presentation. Make sure to RSVP today! Browse other industrial news stories at www.industrialinfo.com. Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. To contact an office in your area, visit the www.industrialinfo.com "Contact Us" page. Contact: Brian Ford (713) 980-9393 MONTREAL, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SNC-Lavalin (TSX: SNC) is currently conducting a feasibility study for Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) for its 10th generation Technology Pilot Section project, located at EGA's Al Taweelah site in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The objectives of the study are to define the project and validate the budget in order to launch the execution phase of the Pilot Section. The work is being carried out from EGA's Al Taweelah site. Design and detailed engineering work has already been completed by the EGA technology team. "We have established a long-lasting relationship with EGA, and we are proud to once again work with them on setting the foundations for another ambitious project," said Jose J. Suarez, President, Mining & Metallurgy. "We are looking forward to the next phase of this project that expands and adds to EGA's already impressive asset portfolio, being one of the largest aluminium producers in the world." About SNC-Lavalin Founded in 1911, SNC-Lavalin is one of the leading engineering and construction groups in the world and a major player in the ownership of infrastructure. From offices in over 50 countries, SNC-Lavalin's employees are proud to build what matters. Our teams provide engineering, procurement, construction, completions and commissioning services together with a range of sustaining capital services to clients in four industry sectors, oil and gas, mining and metallurgy, infrastructure and power. SNC-Lavalin can also combine these services with its financing and operations and maintenance capabilities to provide complete end-to-end project solutions. http://www.snclavalin.com Media: Louis-Antoine Paquin, Manager, Media Relations, +1-514-393-8000, ext. 54772, louis-antoine.paquin@snclavalin.com; Investors: Denis Jasmin, Vice President, Investor Relations, +1-514-393-8000, ext. 57553, denis.jasmin@snclavalin.com Vancouver British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 9, 2017) - Dr. Stephen Campbell, Principal Scientist at Nano One Materials (TSXV: NNO) (FSE: LBMB) (OTC Pink: NNOMF), today announced a collaboration with Simon Fraser University that will advance the understanding of the physical and chemical characteristics of lithium ion batteries as they charge and discharge. "This project will help us characterize how battery materials change over time," said Dr. Campbell. "We will be in a better position to explain performance improvements in our cathode formulations and this will help us optimize process parameters and develop new materials." The two-year collaboration with SFU will be supervised by Associate Professor Dr. Byron Gates and Dr. Campbell, with financial support from the Mitacs Elevate Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. "My team will be developing new analytical techniques to characterize lithium ion battery materials while they charge and discharge," said Dr. Gates. "This will advance the field, not only in the battery space, but also for related technologies to improve our understanding of these materials and their performance. Nano One will be closely involved and will be able to utilize this knowledge and the newly developed techniques to guide their own developments of new materials for lithium ion batteries." "Dr. Gates has been serving as a key advisor to Nano One," explained Dr. Campbell, "and I am proud to be taking our working relationship to a new level with this project." Nano One Materials Corp. Dan Blondal, CEO For information with respect to Nano One or the contents of this news release, please contact John Lando (President) at (604) 669-2701 or visit the website at www.nanoone.ca. About Nano One Nano One Materials Corp ("Nano One" or "the Company") is developing patented technology for the low-cost production of high performance battery materials used in electric vehicles, energy storage and consumer electronics. The processing technology addresses fundamental supply chain constraints by enabling wider raw materials specifications for use in lithium ion batteries. The process can be configured for a range of different nanostructured materials and has the flexibility to shift with emerging and future battery market trends and a diverse range of other growth opportunities. The novel three-stage process uses equipment common to industry and Nano One is building a pilot plant to demonstrate high volume production. Nano One's mission is to establish its patented technology as a leading platform for the global production of a new generation of nanostructured composite materials. For more information, please visit www.nanoone.ca. About Dr. Gates Dr. Byron Gates is an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry, head of the Centre for Soft Materials, and was a Tier II Canada Research Chair for ten years. He currently serves to advise Nano One Materials Corp., a Canadian technology company working on scalable processes for high performance battery materials on new chemical processes. His own research efforts include developing new pathways to prepare nanomaterials, as well as performing analytical studies on the surface chemistries of nanostructured materials. Gates has also demonstrated new platforms to evaluate the efficiency of materials for clean energy technologies that are being used to guide further improvements in the design of these materials. He was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University with professor George Whitesides and received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. from the University of Washington with professor Younan Xia. http://www.sfu.ca/chemistry/gates/ About Mitacs Mitacs is a national, not-for-profit organization that has designed and delivered research and training programs in Canada for 17 years. Working with 60 universities, thousands of companies, and both federal and provincial governments, Mitacs builds partnerships that support industrial and social innovation in Canada. Mitacs' research internship program connects graduate students with industry and not-for-profit partners for collaborations supervised by faculty. Open to all disciplines and all industry sectors, projects can span a wide range of areas, including manufacturing, business processes, IT, design, and more. Mitacs acknowledges the Government of Canada, along with Alberta Innovates, the Government of British Columbia, Research Manitoba, the Government of New Brunswick, the Research & Development Corporation of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Prince Edward Island, the Government of Quebec, and the Government of Saskatchewan for their support. www.mitacs.ca Certain information contained herein may constitute "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the actual receipt of the grant monies, the execution of the Company's plans which are contingent on the receipt of such monies and the commercialization of the Company's technology and patents. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as 'believe', 'expect', 'anticipate', 'plan', 'intend', 'continue', 'estimate', 'may', 'will', 'should', 'ongoing', or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, including: the completion of final documentation with SDTC and the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that is incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws. NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASE SAN DIEGO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/09/17 -- ImageWare Systems, Inc. (ImageWare or IWSY) (OTCQB: IWSY), a leader in mobile and cloud-based, multi-modal biometric identity management solutions, has been invited to present at the 29th Annual ROTH Capital Partners Conference being held March 13-15, 2017 at The Ritz-Carlton in Dana Point, California. ImageWare management is scheduled to present on Wednesday, March 15 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific time, with one-on-one meetings held throughout the day. For more information about the conference or to schedule a one-on-one meeting with ImageWare management, please contact your ROTH representative or the company's investor relations team at 949-574-3860. About ImageWare Systems, Inc. ImageWare Systems, Inc. is a leading developer of mobile and cloud-based identity management solutions, providing biometric authentication solutions for the enterprise. The company delivers next-generation biometrics as an interactive and scalable cloud-based solution. ImageWare brings together cloud and mobile technology to offer multi-factor authentication for smartphone users, mobile clients, and desktop devices. ImageWare's products support multi-modal biometric authentication including, but not limited to, face, voice, fingerprint, eye, DNA, and more. All can be combined with or used as replacements of authentication and access control tools, including tokens, digital certificates, passwords, and PINS, to provide the ultimate level of assurance, accountability, and ease of use for corporate networks, web applications, mobile devices, and PC desktop environments. ImageWare is headquartered in San Diego, Calif., with offices in Portland, OR, Ottawa, Ontario, and Mexico. To learn more about ImageWare, visit http://iwsinc.com; follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Facebook. Investor Relations: Liolios Cody Slach Tel 1-949-574-3860 Email Contact SAN DIEGO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/09/17 -- Youngevity International, Inc. (OTCQX: YGYI) today announced that their wholly-owned subsidiary CLR Roasters is now distributing its premier gourmet coffee brand, Josie's Java House single serve pods, through Ocean State JobLot. This account has made an initial purchase that represents over 4,000 boxes of 80 count single serving pods, which is equivalent to 350,000+ individual cups of coffee. This extends the distribution of CLR Roasters Josie's Java House brand throughout the Northeast and should better position CLR for nationwide growth of its company-owned brands, Cafe La Rica and Josie's Java House. CLR Roasters supports Youngevity's business strategy of offering brands and products encompassing the six top-selling retail categories -- in this case, the food and beverage category, which includes coffee. In an industry where many coffee companies buy coffee beans or finished coffee from brokers, CLR Roasters enables Youngevity to grow, produce, package and sell its own organic, fair trade and sustainable certified coffee. The Company operates its plantation in Nicaragua and maintains strict quality control standards throughout the life of each coffee bean until it becomes that cup of coffee on the table -- the commitment is from "field to cup." "We are excited about the expansion of our company owned brands within CLR Roasters. CLR represents the continuation of the founding principles of Youngevity," stated Steve Wallach, Co-Founder, and CEO of Youngevity. "We are 100 percent accountable for CLR coffee operations -- and we are deeply proud of the commitment to quality and excellence apparent in our company owned brands. As part of this pride and our Company's pledge to the concept of bettering lives, we are also working hard to improve the lives of our plantation workers and their families." "CLR Roasters Josie's Java House Brand is growing its footprint through our new relationship with Ocean State. Our single serve coffee will now be available for consumers to purchase within their 126 stores located in New York, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Vermont. We are proud of our new association with Ocean State and their excitement in offering our triple certified coffee to their guests," continued Dave Briskie, President and CFO of Youngevity. Acquired in 2011, CLR is a mid-sized coffee roaster division that operates a 50,000 sq. ft roasting plant and distribution facility. CLR produces gourmet coffees under its own boutique brands, private label brands, and for Youngevity under JavaFit and Be the Change Coffee. One hundred percent of the profits from Youngevity Be the Change Coffee support operations for the Youngevity Be The Change Foundation. CLR Roasters maintains the following certifications: USDA Organic, Fair Trade, Cafe de Colombia (sustainability focused) and OU Kosher. The division has obtained its Safe Quality Food (SQF level) two Certification. About CLR Roasters Youngevity's coffee manufacturing division, CLR Roasters, was established in 2003 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary. CLR Roasters is a mid-sized coffee roaster that produces gourmet coffees under its own boutique brands -- Cafe La Rica, Josie's Java House, and Javalution; manufactures a variety of private labels for major national chains; and for the direct selling channel under Youngevity International. The company remains one of the largest suppliers in North America to the cruise line industry. CLR was the first entrant into the fortified coffee niche with its Youngevity JavaFit brand. In May 2014, CLR acquired a coffee plantation and processing facility in Nicaragua, allowing the entity to control coffee production and quality -- from field to cup. About Youngevity International, Inc. Youngevity International, Inc. (OTCQX: YGYI), is a leading omni-direct lifestyle company -- offering a hybrid of the direct selling business model, that also offers e-commerce and the power of social selling. Assembling a virtual Main Street of products and services under one corporate entity, Youngevity offers proven products from the six top-selling retail categories: health/nutrition, home/family, food/beverage (including coffee), spa/beauty, apparel/jewelry, as well as innovative services. The Company was formed during the summer 2011 merger of Youngevity Essential Life Sciences with Javalution Coffee Company (now part of the company's food and beverage division). The resulting company became Youngevity International, Inc. in July 2013. For investor information, please visit YGYI.com. For general information on products and services, please visit us at youngevity.com. Keep up with our activities by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter. Safe Harbor Statement This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "may," "should," "potential," "continue," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," and similar expressions, and includes statements regarding the expansion of CLR Roasters distribution and its positioning for future nationwide growth. These forward-looking statements are based on management's expectations and assumptions as of the date of this press release and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations and assumptions from those set forth or implied by any forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, among others, the contribution of Ocean State JobLot to CLR Roasters, our ability to expand our distribution of CLR Roasters' boutique and private label brands of coffee and the other factors discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 and our subsequent filings with the SEC, including subsequent periodic reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K. The information in this release is provided only as of the date of this release, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release on account of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law. Media Contact: Bobbie Wasserman for Youngevity bobbie@wave2alliances.com P: 866.570.4441 ALBANY, New York, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The presence of only a few players, namely, MonoSol, LLC, WikiCell Designs Inc., JRF Technology LLC, and Tate and Lyle Plc., in the global market for edible packaging reveals its consolidated structure, states a new report by Transparency Market Research (TMR). The market is highly competitive at present and is anticipated to remain so over the next few years. As per the research report, theglobal edible packaging market, which offered an opportunity worth US$0.77 bn in 2016, is expected to rise at a CAGR of 6.90% during the period from 2016 to 2024, attaining a value of US$1.3 bn by the end of the forecast period. The food and beverage manufacturing segment has acquired the leading position in this market and is anticipated to remain highly attractive throughout the period of forecast. Market for Edible Packaging to Remain Strong in North America According to the report, North America, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa are the prime geographical segments of the worldwide edible packaging market. It further present a regional analysis of this market on the basis of its performance in each of these regions. Among these, North America has emerged as the leading regional market for edible packaging, thanks to the U.S. being both, a prominent producer and consumer of edible packaging, across the world. The North America market for edible packaging held a share of more than 36% in 2016. The regional market is projected to remain on the top of the global market by the end of the forecast period, although with a slight decline in its share, which is attributed to its maturing state. On the other hand, Asia Pacific is anticipated to offer a highly lucrative market to players in the near future, thanks to the rising awareness level of consumers regarding the benefits of edible packaging and the increase in their disposable income, which is impacting positively on their standard of living, fueling the demand for edible packaging in this region. Fill the form to gain deeper insights on this market @ http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=12899 Urbanization and Changing Standard of Living to Have Great Influence on Demand for Edible Packaging "The rising consumption of processed products, increasing household income, and the growing preference for hygienic and durable products among consumers have surfaced as the main driving force behind the growth of the global edible packaging market," says an analyst at TMR. The upswing in urbanization in emerging economies is another important factor that is pushing this market to grow steadily. In addition to this, the rising awareness among consumers about the attributes of edible packaging, such as the easy handling of products despite maintaining their quality and the shelf life is likely to propel this market substantially in the near future. However, the high cost associated with the packaging machines and quality films utilized in edible packaging may hamper the smooth sailing of this market, in the years to come. Apart from this, the escalating usage of modified atmosphere packaging may also limit the market's growth to some extent in the near future, notes the study. Get more information from Research Report Press Release: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/edible-packaging-market.htm The study presented here is based on a report by Transparency Market Research (TMR) titled "Edible Packaging Market - Global Industry Analysis and Forecast 2016 - 2024." The global edible packaging market is segmented into: By Material Type Polysaccharides Lipid Surfactant Protein Films Composite Films By End User F&B Manufacturing Fresh Food Cakes & Confectionery Baby Food Dairy Products Other Food Products Pharmaceuticals Others By Region North America Latin America Europe Asia Pacific (APAC) (APAC) Middle East & Africa (MEA) Top Most Research Reports by TMR: Vacuum Packaging Market - http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/vacuum-packaging-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/vacuum-packaging-market.html Thermoform Packaging Market: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/thermoform-packaging-market.html About Us: Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The company's exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information. TMR's data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports. US Office Contact: Transparency Market Research 90 State Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207 Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Google+: https://plus.google.com/+Transparencymarketresearch TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 03/09/17 -- Canadian institutional investors, who have led the world in their innovative applications of exchange traded funds to realize their investment strategies, are increasingly turning to ETFs not just for equity allocations, but also for smart beta and fixed income strategies, according to a recent Greenwich Associates study. In its fourth annual study of institutional ETF use, sponsored by BlackRock Asset Management Limited (BlackRock Canada), Greenwich Associates found that the increasing innovation in ETF adoption is building on Canadian institutions' strong reliance on ETFs. Participating institutional investors - including asset managers, institutional funds and insurance-related firms - hold an average of 16 per cent of total assets under management in ETFs, and more than a quarter of respondents planned to increase their ETF holdings in the next 12 months. One driver of growth in institutional adoption has been the increasing use of ETFs as an important means to express strategy, as opposed to tactics. In fact, more than half - 58 per cent - of institutions characterize their ETF holdings as strategic in nature, and nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) hold their ETF investments for a year or longer, the threshold normally considered a "strategic" investment. "Institutional investors' use of ETFs has grown in absolute terms in recent years, but this survey shows that it has also grown in diversity and sophistication," said Warren Collier, Head of Canada iShares for BlackRock Canada. "The Canadian industry started using the funds largely for tactical applications, but since then we've seen strategic applications grow to the point where strategy now trumps tactics when it comes to ETF use. And where it gets really interesting is how sophisticated those applications have become." Click here to access the full report. Seizing ETFs' diversity advantage According to the Greenwich Associates study, the benefits of ETFs for institutional investors are varied and broad. Almost 85 per cent cite ease of use as a primary reason for investing in equity ETFs, while 80 per cent say they invested in ETFs because of the speed with which they can execute trades to gain diversified exposures. More than three-quarters cite liquidity, and more than two-thirds cite market access, low trading costs and/or attractive management fees, as primary reasons for using ETFs. Institutional investors are realizing those benefits across a wide range of applications, both strategic and tactical. Two of the top three institutional uses of ETFs - international diversification, cited by 71 per cent of respondents, and core allocation, cited by 55 per cent - are strategic in nature. Institutions are, of course, continuing to use the funds for tactical applications, including portfolio adjustments (68 per cent), rebalancing (47 per cent), transition management (34 per cent) and interim beta (21 per cent). But they have also made ETFs increasingly important components in critical portfolio functions. Nearly half are using the funds in their liquidity management strategies, and two in five employ ETFs as part of risk management/overlay strategies. Liquidity needs drive growth in Fixed Income ETFs Given ETFs' origins as equity funds, it is perhaps not surprising that Canadian institutional use is most mature in equities. Nearly all of the respondents in the Greenwich Associates study invest in equity ETFs: Close to two-thirds invest in U.S. and international funds, and more than half invest in domestic ETFs. Yet they are also taking advantage of the diversity of asset classes today's ETF marketplace offers. For instance, more than 15 per cent of ETF investors use them to gain exposure to commodities, and close to 20 per cent employ them for access to real estate income trusts (REITs). Nowhere is the adoption of non-equity ETFs more apparent than in fixed income. According to Greenwich Associates, close to two-thirds of institutional users invest in bond funds, including more than three-quarters of asset managers and insurance companies. Canadian institutions continue to rely on fixed-income ETFs much more heavily than their counterparts in other countries. On average, Canadian institutional ETF users invest about a quarter (26 per cent) of total fixed-income assets in bond ETFs - more than three times the average allocation among counterpart European institutions, for example. One reason lies in the particularly large allocations by insurance companies, some of which hold 35 per cent of FI assets in ETFs. Why are institutions turning to bond ETFs? The reasons vary, from ease-of-use and single-trade diversification (cited by 71 per cent of respondents) to low management fees (67 per cent) and trading costs compared to cash bonds (52 per cent). The prime motivator for using fixed-income ETFs, however, is liquidity, cited by more than 80 per cent of respondents. According to Greenwich Associates, Canadian institutions have not experienced fixed income liquidity constraints to the same extent as their European and U.S. counterparts have, but the global landscape is clearly shifting in response to new, post-crisis bank capital requirements. Despite their already high level of bond ETF use, continuing concerns over liquidity could well drive even further adoption by Canadian institutions - many of which have been exposed to liquidity constraints when investing in international fixed income. The Smart Beta solution In the continuing low-rate environment, Canadian institutions have had to look beyond traditional securities for returns, and many are turning to smart beta ETFs as part of the solution. Nearly a third (31 per cent) of surveyed institutions invest in these funds - a level of smart beta use that continues to be higher Europe and just below the U.S. Furthermore, more than half of smart beta ETF users plan to increase their allocations to these funds in the next year. The mix of Canadian institutional use of smart betas is evolving. As in last year's survey, multi-factor ETFs continue to be popular, used by half of smart beta ETF investors. Notably, however, half of smart beta investors - more than those who reported using minimum-volatility funds, which dominated institutional use last year - hold dividend/equity-income ETFs. That, according to Greenwich Associates, is a remarkable development - and a sign of institutions' need for new income sources - given that no investors in last year's survey were using dividend ETFs at all. "The results of this year's Greenwich Associates study reflect the major trends that we see in our work with institutional investors on the ground," said iShares Canada's Collier. "On the one hand, institutions are becoming more familiar with the ever-growing range of ETF solutions available to them. On the other, institutional investors are continually finding new and sophisticated ways to apply those solutions, both in response to market forces and to express their strategic views. In an ever-changing investment environment, we expect those trends to continue going forward." Methodology For its current Canadian ETF Study, Greenwich Associates interviewed 53 institutional investors, including 25 asset managers, 24 institutional funds and four insurance companies. The cohort of institutional funds, which includes public pension funds, corporate defined benefit pension funds and endowments/foundations, is the biggest sample size to date for the annual study. Most of the study participants are large institutional investors: 38 per cent have assets under management of more than $5 billion, 18 per cent manage more than $20 billion, and eight per cent manage more than $100 billion. About BlackRock BlackRock is a global leader in investment management, risk management and advisory services for institutional and retail clients. At December 31, 2016, BlackRock's AUM was US$5.1 trillion. BlackRock helps clients around the world meet their goals and overcome challenges with a range of products that include separate accounts, mutual funds, iShares (exchange-traded funds), and other pooled investment vehicles. BlackRock also offers risk management, advisory and enterprise investment system services to a broad base of institutional investors through BlackRock Solutions. As of December 31, 2016, the firm had approximately 13,000 employees in more than 30 countries and a major presence in global markets, including North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East and Africa. For additional information, please visit the Company's website at www.blackrock.com/ca / Twitter: @BlackRockCA / Blog: www.blackrockblog.com/can About iShares iShares is a global leader in exchange-traded funds (ETFs), with more than a decade of expertise and commitment to individual and institutional investors of all sizes. With over 700 funds globally across multiple asset classes and strategies and more than US$1 trillion in assets under management as of December 31, 2016, iShares helps clients around the world build the core of their portfolios, meet specific investment goals and implement market views. iShares funds are powered by the expert portfolio and risk management of BlackRock, trusted to manage more money than any other investment firm(1). (1) Based on US$5.147 trillion in AUM as of 12/31/16 This material represents an assessment of the market environment as of the date indicated; is subject to change; and is not intended to be a forecast of future events or a guarantee of future results. This information should not be relied upon by the reader as research or investment advice regarding the funds or any issuer or security in particular. iShares ETFs are managed by BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited. Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investing in iShares ETFs. Please read the relevant prospectus before investing. The funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. Tax, investment and all other decisions should be made, as appropriate, only with guidance from a qualified professional. 2017 BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited. All rights reserved. iSHARES and BLACKROCK are registered trademarks of BlackRock, Inc., or its subsidiaries in the United States and elsewhere. Used with permission. iSC-2670-0317 Contacts: Contact for Media: Maeve Hannigan T - 416-643-4058 C - 416-564-1540 Email: Maeve.Hannigan@blackrock.com LOS ANGELES, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/09/17 -- Verifi, Inc., the leading provider of payment and risk management solutions for card-not-present merchants, today announced the hiring of Krista Tedder as their Vice President of Product Strategy. Verifi will look to Krista to expand the company's vertical presence both in the US and internationally. Krista's primary focus will be to ensure that the company's existing product lines are market-leading as well as to help develop new services that align the interests of cardholders, merchants and issuers globally. Krista is an industry veteran with more than twenty years' experience in virtually every facet of the payments chain including banking, payments processing and network card brands. Most recently, Krista served in several senior positions at MasterCard Global Processing including Vice President for Fraud and Risk Operations, and Vice President, Risk Management Solutions. Prior to that she worked at First Data where she served as Director of the Company's Product Innovation Group and held responsibility for international debit network security solutions. "Krista is an industry veteran who possesses a keen sense of emerging trends in card payments and fraud," said Matthew Katz, founder and CEO of Verifi. "We will look to her to support our ongoing commitment toward enabling clients to succeed in protecting their payments and maximizing their profits for the long term. Verifi has been fortunate to deliver on those commitments while achieving a more than 30% CAGR to support our reinvestment in the disruptive solutions that assure success for our clients and our company. As payments continue to move toward mobile adoption and more broadly, other connected devices in 'the Internet of Things' era, it is imperative that Verifi continues to evolve our existing solutions and develop advanced solutions that align the interests of all the players in the payments ecosystem. We are pleased to have Krista on board to help our clients mitigate fraud and chargebacks, create efficiency to maximize profits and improve loyalty." Today, Verifi's suite of chargeback mitigation services, including its award winning flagship, Cardholder Dispute Resolution Network (CDRN), services hundreds of thousands of chargeback cases monthly to provide real protection from costly fees, fines or penalties and cardholder dissatisfaction that affect merchants and issuers alike. Serving early-stage to Fortune 500 clients, CDRN integrates directly with top card issuers to provide unmatched accuracy and timely notification of both fraud and non-fraud disputes from the issuer to the merchant. CDRN enables both parties to resolve the dispute before it escalates and become a costly chargeback. CDRN's patented "closed loop" process helps prevent chargebacks while avoiding paying for false alerts that do not become chargebacks. Looking forward, Verifi will be rolling out a new service to enable the sharing of order details in real-time between cardholders, merchants and issuers to resolve billing confusion, reduce friendly fraud and help validate true fraud. By providing a deeper level of data, cardholders can better recall or understand their purchases and avoid filing false cases of fraud or looking to "game the system" that result in unnecessary chargebacks, lost sales and profits along with higher operational costs and unhappy customers. About Verifi Verifi, an award-winning provider of end-to-end payment protection and management solutions, was founded in 2005 to help merchants effectively manage the payments challenges they face every day. Verifi helps merchants safely process payments, combat fraud, prevent and resolve costly chargebacks, as well as increase billings and keep loyal customers. Our best-in-breed solutions and white glove support are trusted by a wide range of industries from emerging companies to the Fortune 500. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, we serve more than 25,000 merchant accounts globally. For more information, visit: www.verifi.com. Contact: Kevin Mercuri kevin@propheta.com 212-901-6914 Live table games pioneer Codeta.com was amongst the first operator to launch Evolution Gaming's new and innovative Double Ball Roulette game. Double Ball Roulette features two balls with the possibility of two winning numbers from a single spin, and has been developed by Evolution in partnership with Games Marketing. The game offers three types of bet: Inside bet: Either ball can land on a number for inside bets to win. The player will win twice as much if both balls land on a number Either ball can land on a number for inside bets to win. The player will win twice as much if both balls land on a number Outside bet: Both balls must land on the desired outcome for outside bets to win, but the player is paid enhanced odds Both balls must land on the desired outcome for outside bets to win, but the player is paid enhanced odds Double Ball Exclusive bet: For the 1,300 to 1 Double Ball Exclusive bet to win, both balls must land in the selected number The dealer pushes a button on a patented device on the wheel to release the two balls, which travel in the same direction and at the same speed, but the second ball always just behind the first. Double Ball Roulette is a world-first in live casino, and has launched to players on Codeta.com as one of handful of initial operators. Codeta.com CEO Edward Ihre, said: "Double Ball Roulette is a brilliant new product and we are thrilled to be able to offer to it to our players at this early stage. "It shows how respected Codeta.com is fast becoming a go-to operator for live table games, and that feedback from our players is valuable to the likes of Evolution Gaming. "Ground-breaking games such as this will be key to driving the live dealer sector forward in 2017, and we are excited to be working with Evolution to remain ahead of the curve." Amy Riches, Marketing Manager at Evolution Gaming, said: "Double Ball Roulette is an exciting and innovative addition to our portfolio, upping the ante for players and delivering an immersive and engaging experience. Codeta.com offers a sleek and intuitive site with a variety of live dealer games including blackjack and roulette from the likes of NetEnt, Evolution Gaming and Authentic Gaming. The site's live dealer games are streamed from dedicated studios, as well as real-life tables on casino floors all over the world, which is known as live-play. Codeta is carving out a name for itself as a pioneer and leader in live table games, but also has a selection of other table games and slots from NetEnt, Play'N'Go, Aristocrat, Novomatic NYX, Microgaming and others. The site is available on desktop, and has also been optimized for play on mobile and tablet devices, both Android and iOS. *** ENDS *** Editor's notes: About Codeta: Codeta.com is a Malta and UK-licensed online casino operator with a focus on live table games. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170309005703/en/ Contacts: GameOn Marketing Ltd Sarah Blackburn, Director T: 0034628499459 WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - U.S. import and exports prices both rise by slightly more than anticipated in the month of February, according to a report released by the Labor Department on Thursday. The report said imports prices edged up by 0.2 percent in February after climbing by an upwardly revised 0.6 percent in January. Economists had expected import prices to inch up by 0.2 percent compared to the 0.4 percent increase originally reported for the previous month. Additionally, the Labor Department said exports prices rose by 0.3 percent in February after edging up by an upwardly revised 0.2 percent in January. Export prices had been expected to rise by 0.2 percent compared to the 0.1 percent uptick that had been reported for the previous month. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Ukraine's agricultural sector today is the main sector with a prospect of building port assets, Head of Ukrainian Sea Port Authority Raivis Veckagans has said. "The current geopolitical situation has slightly changed the segment linked to building terminals. Today investors and cargo owners from agriculture mainly address us. This is the main sector with a prospect of building port assets," he said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine. Veckagans said that now Ukrainian Sea Port Authority is monitoring the situation in the segment and sees projects that have been realized in part of construction of terminal and require dredging works, for example, at Chornomorsk port. "I think that we should have tight contacts with cargo owners who are doing their business in Ukraine. Work with transit flows today is more risky. We face a task of supporting passport depths of water areas and implementing dredging works. Then we will look at the demands of cargo owners for each separate segment," he said. Veckagans said that the authority is holding talks to attract funds. International financial institutions show their interest to the authority. "I want us to have a good result and become a solvent company. This is global practice when a port attracts external funds without direct subsidies from the budget," he said. Commenting on the development of the sector, Veckagans said that in the near term cargo flow will be at the current level, while transit flow would decline. "I hope that the potential of internal exporters would retain cargo flow at the required level if there were no large geopolitical shocks. I would not be super optimistic. The goal of our company is to develop port infrastructure as effectively as possible and revise revenue and spending, understanding that the situation would not be too positive," he said. TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 03/09/17 -- Equifax (NYSE: EFX) today announced the launch of Equifax Ignite, a data analytics powerhouse that can rapidly deliver business insights in a self-serve environment. "Harnessing both structured and unstructured data can be a tremendous challenge for businesses. Equifax Ignite enables a true data democracy - where we're bringing multi-sourced data in one place and then providing access to it at all levels of our clients' organizations, when and where it is needed," said Bill Johnston, Vice-President Data & Analytics at Equifax. "From data scientists who will benefit from direct access to our data warehouse, to executives and managers who want to be able to visualize data through 'apps' on their laptops, we're offering customers greater access to our data and helping them generate insights in the format that best suits their needs." Through advanced analytics such as trended payment data and enhanced risk scores, Equifax Ignite enables the development of precise, targeted insights about consumer behaviours that can help businesses solve complex challenges and make better decisions at every stage of the customer lifecycle. "Three years ago we challenged ourselves to think differently about data. It meant simplifying and speeding up everything, from how we access and manage diverse data sources to the development, testing and deployment of business-specific analytics, scores and models. We know the new capabilities that Equifax Ignite represents may be the missing link for many organizations that have been looking for efficient methods to generate insights for better risk and marketing decisions," said Chris Briggs, Chief Marketing Officer, Equifax. According to Briggs, Equifax Ignite supercharges the company's ability to develop "configurable scores and solutions" with the speed and ease of off-the-shelf products. For example, a solution which could once take months to be in-market can now be ready in weeks or even days. For those clients who want to be in the pilot seat for specific types of analytics, Equifax has also developed two new data access options. Both environments have data visualization tools that make it easy to derive actionable business insights quickly and effectively. -- Equifax Ignite Marketplace - Solutions are delivered in the form of downloadable apps that can be leveraged for visualizing and digesting applicable data, benchmarks, and trends across multiple industries. -- Equifax Ignite Direct - This high-speed solution allows users to conduct their own analytics using direct access to our data warehouse, our attributes, and analytical tools. Seamless integration enables teams to self-serve as they build, test and deploy models that suit their unique needs. This will appeal to clients who have sophisticated analytics shops in house where access to data and Equifax tools can significantly enhance their own capabilities. In the universe of data-driven insights, Equifax Ignite offers expanded capabilities to help propel the creation of high-performing business strategies for thousands of Canadian businesses. With tools that enable comprehensive and holistic views of the customer lifecycle - and through improved data access, transparency, visualization and deployment - Equifax offers a world of data in an even more powerful form. Click here for more information about Equifax Ignite. About Equifax Equifax powers the financial future of individuals and organizations around the world. Using the combined strength of unique trusted data, technology and innovative analytics, Equifax has grown from a consumer credit company into a leading provider of insights and knowledge that helps its customers make informed decisions. The company organizes, assimilates and analyzes data on more than 820 million consumers and more than 91 million businesses worldwide, and its databases include employee data contributed from more than 6,600 employers. Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., Equifax operates or has investments in 24 countries in North America, Central and South America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region. It is a member of Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 Index, and its common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol EFX. Equifax employs approximately 9,400 employees worldwide. Some noteworthy achievements for the company include: Ranked 13 on the American Banker FinTech Forward list (2015); named a Top Technology Provider on the FinTech 100 list (2004-2015); named an InformationWeek Elite 100 Winner (2014-2015); named a Top Workplace by Atlanta Journal Constitution (2013-2015); named one of Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies (2011-2015); named one of Forbes' World's 100 Most Innovative Companies (2015). For more information, visit www.equifax.com Contacts: Andrew Findlater SELECT Public Relations afindlater@selectpr.ca (416) 659-1197 Tom Carroll Equifax Canada MediaRelationsCanada@equifax.com (416) 227-5290 OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 03/09/17 -- Library and Archives Canada, in collaboration with the University of Ottawa and Ottawa 2017, and in partnership with Invest Ottawa and the City of Gatineau, are inviting members of the media to attend the Smart cities: Imagining the future National Capital Region conference on March 13, 2017. An increasing number of cities and urban centres are looking to define themselves as "smart cities," and Canada has joined this global trend. A smart city uses information technology to increase its efficiency and communications, thereby improving its services. Many aspects of its residents' lives are affected, especially quality-of-life areas such as the economy, education, culture and the environment. Now is the perfect time, as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of Canada's Confederation, to join the conversation: we will imagine a future "smart" National Capital Region, and hear what is currently being thought of and carried out in Ottawa-Gatineau, and what the effects may be on residents. This conference will feature key figures from the academic, public and private sectors who will exchange their views on the future of the National Capital Region. Who: -- Guy Berthiaume, Librarian and Archivist of Canada, Library and Archives Canada -- Jacques Fremont, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Ottawa -- Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin, Mayor, City of Gatineau -- Guy Laflamme, Executive Director, Ottawa 2017 -- Eme Onuoha, Vice President, Global Government Affairs, Xerox Canada -- Mark Kristmanson, Chief Executive Officer, National Capital Commission Date: Monday, March 13, 2017 Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Place: Pellan room, 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario Contacts: Media Relations Library and Archives Canada 819-994-4589 or 613-894-7509 BAC.Media.LAC@canada.ca VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/09/17 -- Carl Data Solutions Inc. (CSE: CRL)(CSE: CRL.CN)(FRANKFURT: 7C5)(OTC PINK: CDTAF) ("Carl" or the "Company"), a developer of Big-Data-as-a-Service ("BDaaS")-based solutions for data integration, business intelligence, and Industrial Internet-of-Things ("IIoT") applications, is pleased to announce that further to its press release dated January 17, 2017, it has entered into a securities exchange agreement (the "Agreement") with AB Embedded Systems Ltd. ("AB Embedded"), a leader in control systems and hardware devices, and each of the shareholders of AB Embedded (collectively, the "Shareholders"), pursuant to which the Company agreed to acquire all of the issued and outstanding voting securities of the AB Embedded from the Shareholders and all of the issued and outstanding shares in the capital of AB Embedded Private Limited ("AB Embedded India"), a corporation incorporated in India from the Shareholders and other shareholders of AB Embedded India, if any (the "Acquisition"). In consideration for the Acquisition, the Company agreed to pay the following: i. the payment of an aggregate of $60,000 in cash to the Shareholders, ii. the allotment and issuance of an aggregate of 1,195,066 common shares of the Company (the "Consideration Shares") at a deemed price of $0.31 per Consideration Share, iii.the creation and issuance of an aggregate of 542,509 class A consideration warrants of the Company (the "Class A Consideration Warrants") at a deemed price of $0.32 per Class A Consideration Warrant with each Class A Consideration Warrant entitling the Shareholder to purchase one additional common share of the Company without additional consideration, provided that AB Embedded achieves a minimum of $434,000 in revenue for the 12 month period ending February 28, 2018, and iv. the creation and issuance of an aggregate of 542,509 class B consideration warrants of the Company (the "Class B Consideration Warrants") at a deemed price of $0.32 per Class B Consideration Warrant with each Class B Consideration Warrant entitling the Shareholder to purchase one additional common share of the Company without additional consideration, provided that AB Embedded achieves a minimum of $651,000 in revenue for the 12 month period ending February 28, 2018 (collectively, the "Purchase Price"). In addition, pursuant to the Agreement, at or prior to the closing, the Shareholders agreed to enter into, and cause other shareholders of AB Embedded India, if any, to enter into a share purchase or transfer agreement with the Company and/or the Company's subsidiary, pursuant to which the Shareholders and other shareholders of AB Embedded India, if any, will sell and transfer all of the issued and outstanding shares in the capital of AB Embedded India to the Company or the Company's subsidiary in consideration for the payment of the Purchase Price by the Company to the Shareholders. AB Embedded is a privately held company based in Calgary, Canada, that designs and manufactures control systems primarily in the Oil & Gas sector. These high-performance, high-efficiency systems are designed for all weather environments and are deployed where 100 percent reliability and low-power consumption for long life are essential. Dozens of leading Oil & Gas corporations across North America, and more than 250 natural gas compressor sites in Alberta and Saskatchewan alone, operate with their embedded control systems. Recently, AB Embedded expanded to introduce new "Smart City" products that include water and solid waste management solutions using advanced telemetry to cost effectively collect data from remote locations. AB Embedded is currently organizing several pilot projects in India and North America to test both new products and the telemetry solutions that connect its devices. The Company believes that the Acquisition will contribute to Carl's corporate growth strategy to build and acquire companies with a proven record of success working in data- driven verticals, such as Oil & Gas, Utilities and Resource Development, whose data management needs are growing with the advancement of the IIoT. Carl plans to enhance AB Embedded's solutions using its BDaaS platform to provide additional advanced analytics, reporting and alarming. Upon completion of the Acquisition, the Company believes that Carl along with its subsidiaries, AB Embedded and FlowWorks, will be able to provide turnkey IIoT solutions for progressive, data-centric companies and cities who rely on large amounts of data to properly operate and maintain their infrastructure. Attila Bene, founder and CEO of AB Embedded, is expected to continue with his role to develop, engineer and integrate of their sensors and communications with Carl's existing solutions subsequent to the completion of the Acquisition. He commented, "We are very happy to be joining a company like Carl, so we can offer a more complete solution for our clients. Simply creating the data is only half the job. Making sense out of the information is critical in order to use our systems effectively. Carl's SaaS based solution will provide the necessary means for our clients to properly interpret and respond to the information generated by our hardware networks." Greg Johnston, CEO of Carl, commented, "This transaction is a big step forward to providing a comprehensive solution for infrastructure monitoring. Carl can now provide unique and customized solutions from data collection through to predictive analytics using machine learning. Extracting actionable information from very large data sets is essential in the IIoT age. With the addition of AB Embedded, we expect to begin filling gaps and supplementing existing networks to create even more value for our clients by providing turnkey IIoT solutions." About Carl Data Solutions Inc. Carl Data Solutions Inc. is focused on providing next generation information collection, storage and analytics solutions for data-centric companies. Building on its recent acquisitions, Flow Works Inc., a company that helps its clients analyze and understand all forms of environmental data through a powerful platform of data collection, monitoring, analysis and reporting tools and ETS., Carl continues to develop applications to work with new cloud-based mass storage services and analytics tools (Big-Data-as-a-Service ("BDaaS")). Carl's development platform can accommodate virtually unlimited storage of any type of data. This technology allows Carl to build advanced applications for monitoring, reporting and analysis. Carl's data collection and storage methods allow the company to build smart Software-as-a-Service ("SaaS")-based applications that can collect data from many diverse sources and provide deep insight for decision-making purposes. More information can be found at www.carlsolutions.com. About AB Embedded Pvt. Ltd. AB Embedded Pvt. Ltd. has been executing projects in hardware and software engineering design since 2006 in Calgary, Canada. They focus on embedded systems. Since their embedded systems are engineered to perform specific tasks, their design engineers ensure that customers' cost, power consumption, size, performance and reliability are optimized. Their smart control systems and devices are manufactured specifically for water, solid waste management, industrial control and monitoring in all-weather environments. AB Embedded's high-performance, high-efficiency control systems, are a top choice for the Oil & Gas sector because of their consistent reliability and low-power consumption. AB Embedded believe in constant innovation. They are transforming the way engineers design, prototype and deploy embedded systems for automation, measurement and embedded applications. www.ab-embedded.com On behalf of the Board of Directors: Greg Johnston, President, Chief Executive Officer, Director Carl Data Solutions Inc. The Canadian Securities Exchange (operated by CNSX Markets Inc.) has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. In particular, forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: the completion of the Acquisition; the Company's belief that the Acquisition will contribute to Carl's corporate growth strategy to build and acquire companies with a proven record of success working in data-driven verticals, such as Oil & Gas, Utilities and Resource Development, whose data management needs are growing with the advancement of the IIoT; Carl's plan to enhance AB Embedded's solutions using its BDaaS platform to provide additional advanced analytics, reporting and alarming; the Company's belief that upon completion of the Acquisition, Carl along with its subsidiaries, AB Embedded and FlowWorks, will be able to provide turnkey IIoT solutions for progressive, data-centric companies and cities who rely on large amounts of data to properly operate and maintain their infrastructure; the Company's expectation that Attial Bene will continue with his role to develop, engineer and integrate of their sensors and communications with Carl's existing solutions subsequent to completion of the Acquisition; Mr. Bene's statement that Carl's SaaS based solution will provide the necessary means for clients of AB Embedded to properly interpret and respond to the information generated by AB Embedded's hardware networks; Carl's expectation to provide unique and customized solutions from data collection through to predictive analytics using machine learning; and the Company's expectation to begin filling gaps and supplementing existing networks to create even more value for the Company's clients with the addition of AB Embedded. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements including, without limitation, risks with respect to: delay or failure to complete the transactions contemplated by the Agreement; the inability to successfully integrate the business of AB Embedded; the ability of the Company to establish a market for its services; competitive conditions in the industry; general economic conditions in Canada and globally; the inability to secure additional financing; competition for, among other things, capital and skilled personnel; potential delays or changes in plans with respect to deployment of services or capital expenditures; possibility that government policies or laws may change; technological change; risks related to the Company's competition; the Company's not adequately protecting its intellectual property; interruption or failure of information technology systems; and regulatory risks relating to the Company's business, financings and strategic acquisitions. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws. Contacts: Kimberly Bruce Corporate Communications Carl Data Solutions Inc. (778) 379-0275 kimberly@carlsolutions.com VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - March 09, 2017) - Sarama Resources Limited ("Sarama" or the "Company") announces that it will extend the deadline for participating in the Company's previously announced warrant exercise incentive program (the "Incentive Program") from March 10, 2017 until March 17, 2017. The Incentive Program is intended to encourage the early exercise of up to 10,361,183 warrants originally issued between May 30 and July 4, 2014 (collectively, the "Original Warrants"). As of March 8, the Company has received exercise documents or indications of an intention to exercise Original Warrants which are expected to result in the Company receiving gross proceeds of approximately C$1.5 million. The deadline for the Incentive Program is being extended to allow holders of these Original Warrants to complete the required paperwork and for other holders of Original Warrants to participate in the Incentive Program. Holders of Original Warrants are encouraged to review the February 16, 2017 news release of the Company for additional information on the Incentive Program. Material Change Report A material change report will not be filed 21 days or more prior to closing of the Incentive Program as a result of the timing of the Incentive Program and uncertainty with regards to the quantity of Incentive Warrants issuable to related parties. ABOUT SARAMA RESOURCES LTD Sarama Resources Ltd (TSX VENTURE: SWA) is a West African focused gold explorer with substantial landholdings in Burkina Faso. Sarama is focused on consolidating under-explored landholdings in Burkina Faso and other established mining jurisdictions. Sarama's flagship properties are situated within the Company's South Hounde Project area in south-west Burkina Faso. Located within the prolific Hounde greenstone belt, Sarama's exploration programs have built on significant early success to deliver an inferred mineral resource estimate of 2.1 Moz gold 1,2 Acacia Mining plc is earning up to a 70% interest in the South Hounde Project by satisfying certain conditions, including funding earn-in expenditures of up to US$14 million, over a 4-year earn-in period and may acquire an additional 5% interest, for an aggregate 75% interest in the Project, upon declaration of a minimum mineral reserve of 1.6 million ounces of gold. Sarama holds a 31% participating interest in the Karankasso Project Joint Venture ("JV") 3 which is situated adjacent to the Company's South Hounde Project in Burkina Faso and is a JV between Sarama and Savary Gold Corp. ("Savary"). Savary is the operator of the JV and in October 2015, declared a maiden inferred mineral resource estimate of 671,000 ounces of contained gold 4,5 at the Karankasso Project JV. Sarama has also agreed to acquire a 100% interest in the Bondi gold deposit from Orezone Gold Corporation (refer news release May 24, 2016). Bondi has a historical estimate of mineral resources of 0.3Moz Au (measured and indicated) and 0.1Moz Au (inferred) 6,7 . Together, the South Hounde Project, Bondi deposit and the Karankasso Project form a cluster of advanced gold deposits, within trucking distance of one another, which potentially offers a development option for a multi-source fed central processing facility in the southern Hounde Belt region of Burkina Faso. Incorporated in 2010, the Company's Board and management team have a proven track record in Africa and a strong history in the discovery and development of large-scale gold deposits. Sarama is well positioned to build on its current success with a sound exploration strategy across its property portfolio. CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS Information in this news release that is not a statement of historical fact constitutes forward-looking information. Such forward-looking information includes statements regarding the gross proceeds expected to be received by the Company, the Company's intentions for the use of proceeds from the exercise of the Original Warrants, plans for drilling and geochemical and geophysical surveys at the South Hounde Project, the Earn-In Agreement with Acacia, including the amounts that may be spent on exploration and interests in the South Hounde Project that may be earned by Acacia upon making certain expenditures and estimating a minimum reserve, the potential to expand the present oxide component of the Company's existing estimated mineral resources, and future exploration plans. Actual results, performance or achievements of the Company may vary from the results suggested by such forward-looking statements due to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. Such factors include, among others, that the business of exploration for gold and other precious minerals involves a high degree of risk and is highly speculative in nature; Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves, they do not have demonstrated economic viability, and there is no certainty that they can be upgraded to Mineral Reserves through continued exploration; few properties that are explored are ultimately developed into producing mines; geological factors; the actual results of current and future exploration; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be evaluated, as well as those factors disclosed in the Company's publicly filed documents. There can be no assurance that any mineralisation that is discovered will be proven to be economic, or that future required regulatory licensing or approvals will be obtained. However, the Company believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, Acacia's continued funding of exploration activities, the Company's ability to carry on its exploration activities, the sufficiency of funding, the timely receipt of required approvals, the price of gold and other precious metals, that the Company will not be affected by adverse political events, the ability of the Company to operate in a safe, efficient and effective manner and the ability of the Company to obtain further financing as and when required and on reasonable terms. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Sarama does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except as required by applicable laws. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. QUALIFIED PERSONS' STATEMENT Scientific or technical information in this news release that relates to the preparation of the Company's mineral resource estimate for the South Hounde Project is based on information compiled or approved by Adrian Shepherd. Adrian Shepherd is an employee of Cube Consulting Pty Ltd and is considered to be independent of Sarama Resources Ltd. Adrian Shepherd is a Chartered Professional Member in good standing of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and has sufficient experience which is relevant to the commodity, style of mineralisation under consideration and activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. Adrian Shepherd consents to the inclusion in this news release of the information, in the form and context in which it appears. Scientific or technical information in this news release that relates to the preparation of the Karankasso Project's mineral resource estimate is based on information compiled or approved by Eugene Puritch and Antoine Yassa. Eugene Puritch and Antoine Yassa are employees of P&E Mining Consultants Inc. and are considered to be independent of Savary Gold Corp. and Sarama Resources Ltd. Antoine Yassa is a member in good standing of the Ordre des Geologues du Quebec and Eugene Puritch is a member in good standing of Professional Engineers Ontario. Eugene Puritch and Antoine Yassa have sufficient experience which is relevant to the commodity, style of mineralisation under consideration and activity which they are undertaking to qualify as a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. Eugene Puritch and Antoine Yassa consent to the inclusion in this news release of the information, in the form and context in which it appears. Scientific or technical information in this news release, in respect of the Bondi gold deposit relating to mineral resource and exploration information drawn from the Technical Report prepared for Orezone on that deposit has been approved by Guy Scherrer. Guy Scherrer is an employee of Sarama Resources Ltd and is a member in good standing of the Ordre des Geologues du Quebec and has sufficient experience which is relevant to the commodity, style of mineralisation under consideration and activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. Guy Scherrer consents to the inclusion in this report of the information, in the form and context in which it appears. 1 43.0 Mt @ 1.5 g/t Au (reported above cut-off grades ranging 0.3-2.2 g/t Au, reflecting the mining methods and processing flowsheets assumed to assess the likelihood of the inferred mineral resources having reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction) 2 The effective date of the Company's inferred mineral resource estimate is February 4, 2016. For further information regarding the mineral resource estimate please refer to the technical report titled "NI 43-101 Independent Technical Report South Hounde Project Update, Bougouriba and Ioba Provinces, Burkina Faso", dated March 31, 2016. The technical report is available under Sarama Resources Ltd.'s profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. 3 Sarama has 31% and Savary has 69% ownership interests. 4 9.2 Mt @ 2.3 g/t Au (at a 0.5 g/t Au cut-off) 5 The effective date of the Karankasso Project JV mineral resource estimate is October 7, 2015. For further information regarding the mineral resource estimate please refer to the technical report titled "Technical Report and Resource Estimate on the Karankasso Project, Burkina Faso", dated October 7, 2015. The technical report is available under Savary Gold Corp's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. 6 4.1Mt @ 2.1g/t Au for 282,000 oz Au (measured and indicated) and 2.5Mt @ 1.8g/t Au for 149,700 oz Au (inferred), reported at a 0.5 g/t Au cut-off 7 The effective date of the historical estimate of the Bondi deposit mineral resource estimate is February 20, 2009. For further information regarding the mineral resource estimate please refer to the technical report titled "Technical Report on the Mineral Resource of the Bondigui Gold Project", dated February 20, 2009. The technical report is available under Orezone Gold Corporation's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. For further information on the Company's activities, please contact: Andrew Dinning or Lui Evangelista e: info@saramaresources.com t: +61 (0) 8 9363 7600 Mariehamn, 2017-03-09 15:10 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bank of Aland Plc Annual Financial Report March 9, 2017, 4.10 p.m. Correction of year in the future outlook: The Bank of Aland expects its net operating profit in 2017 to be about the same as in 2016. Bank of Aland Plc Annual Financial Report March 9, 2017, 3.00 p.m. The 2016 Annual Report of the Bank of Aland Plc, with the future outlook for 2017 The Annual Report for 2016 of the Bank of Aland Plc (Alandsbanken Abp) - including the Corporate Governance Statement and the Pillar 3 risk report - was published today in Swedish and English. The Annual Report is available for downloading in PDF format from our website: https://www.alandsbanken.com/uploads/pdf/result/arsredovisn2016en.pdf Future outlook The Bank of Aland expects its net operating profit in 2017 to be about the same as in 2017. The Bank of Aland is especially dependent on developments in the fixed income and stock markets. There is concern about the economic trends in various important markets. For this reason, there is significant uncertainty in our current forecast of the future. Bank of Aland Plc For further information, please contact: Peter Wiklof, Managing Director and Chief Executive, tel +358 40 512 7505 Attached: Annual Report of the Bank of Aland Plc for 2016 Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de The company's growth continues Furla Group closed out another year of exceptional growth in turnover and EBITDA. The Company's expected 2016 turnover is 422 million euros, a year-on-year increase of +24.5% at current exchange rates and +22% at constant exchange rates. Furla Group's EBITDA (up +48% compared to 2015) was nearly double the turnover increase, proving that the Company is able to pursue increases both in turnover and profitability at the same time. International consumers' growing appreciation for the brand and its collections, the Company's significant investments in marketing and its constantly expanding distribution network are among the key factors behind Furla's outstanding performance across all markets and distribution channels. Today, the Company has a direct presence in 100 countries; the number of monobrand stores now totals 444, compared to 415 in 2015, and these are split evenly between directly-owned boutiques and franchises. The Company also boasts wide distribution in multibrand and department stores in 1,200 international locations. In 2016, Furla opened new doors in some of the world's most luxurious shopping destinations, such as rue Saint-Honore in Paris; GUM and Europeisky in Moscow; Brompton Road in London, Nathan Road in Hong Kong, Nanjing Road in Shanghai and various other upscale addresses in the APAC region, particularly in Greater China, South Korea and Australia. Furla's expanded distribution strategy is set to continue throughout 2017. A key opening in Amsterdam is slated for the first half of the year, while in the second half Furla intends to strengthen its presence in China, Australia, Germany and the UK. Furla grew across all markets in 2016. Italy now accounts for 20% of total turnover, an increase of +18% over 2015. Excluding Italy, the EMEA region jumped +23.5%, nearly reaching 29% of total turnover. Japan, which saw an increase of +31.7%, remains the Company's top market, accounting for 24% of sales. The United States accounted for 8% of total sales, with a +16.3% year-on-year increase, while the APAC area grew +28.3%, accounting for 19% of the Group's turnover. Organic growth has been a driving force behind the Company's success: worldwide, like-for-like sales were up +9% in 2016, with a good balance across the different regions. The travel retail sector also grew significantly in 2016, to a total of 262 doors in 63 countries, with a +40% increase in turnover. Furla expects further growth in its global travel retail, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. In 2016, the Company gave its e-commerce a boost with the introduction of the MyFurla project and the Russian version of the brand's online boutique. People remain central in Furla's growth and success. The Company has been actively recruiting new talents and has an increasingly international management team. In addition to its established incentives and bonus program, in 2016 the Group introduced the innovative "Furla for you" project for its 1,669 employees in all countries where Furla is present. With an astute global perspective, the Group developed this special benefits program for its employees, whose different needs reflect the lifestyles, cultures and habits of the many countries where they live and work. This innovative human resources strategy reflects the brand's desire to stay attuned to each market's unique characteristics and favors the wellbeing and productivity of employees. "We are particularly proud of the 2016 results. The investments of the shareholders, our constant efforts in research and product innovation, all the way to distribution, have allowed us to be a leader in the top international markets. What makes the Group special is its ability to respond to consumers' needs all around the world, and, certainly, its desire to recognize and reward the team that is responsible for its growth year after year," said Alberto Camerlengo, General Manager of the Furla Group. Furla.com View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170309005769/en/ Contacts: For Furla Group Yeana Ahn Furla@LindaGaunt.com CINCINNATI, OH--(Marketwired - March 09, 2017) - Swapalease.com, the nation's largest car lease marketplace, reports car lease credit applicants registered a 72.2% approval rate for February, up by 33.3 percent change from January, which had just a 50.0% approval rate. A year ago, the approvals rate was also 72.2% during the same month. After last month's record low approval rate (50.0%), February has shown a significant improvement in the number of lease credit approvals. The last time lease credit approval rates registered this high was October, 2015, when the lease credit approval rate was 75.0%. The rise in February lease applicant approvals came during a month when the pace of new lease originations slowed. According to a report in Automotive News, lease activity on new vehicles was 29.7 percent, down from 33.2 percent in the year-earlier month. "We've had a string of down months lately, but with the volatility in lease credit approvals currently, it was expected that we would see a bounce back in higher approvals," said Scot Hall, Executive Vice President of Swapalease.com. "We do not believe there is anything special about February lease applicants, but it is interesting to know February also saw a high approval rate a year ago." Swapalease.com matches a person wanting out of their existing vehicle lease contract with a car shopper looking to take over a short-term vehicle lease. The marketplace has several thousands of cars and trucks available for transfer to anywhere in the continental U.S. About Swapalease.com: Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Swapalease.com is the world's largest automotive lease marketplace and the pioneer in facilitating lease transfers online. More specifically Swapalease.com matches individuals who want to get out of their lease with people who are looking for short-term lease agreements. Prospective buyers can search the listings for the exact vehicle they want, and then register for a nominal fee, allowing them to use Swapalease.com's safe online system to contact the prospective seller and close the deal. For more information about Swapalease.com or how to exit your lease early, call 866-SWAPNOW or visit www.swapalease.com. Press Contact: John Sternal Merit Mile jsternal@meritmile.com O - 561-362-8888 C - 954-592-1201 PUNE, India, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new market research report "Coronary Stent Market by Type (BMS, BVS, Drug Eluting), Mode of Delivery (Self, Balloon Expandable), Material (Metal (Stainless Steel, CoCr, PtCr, Nitinol), Polymer, Copolymer), & End User (Hospital, Cardiology Center, ASC) - Global Forecasts to 2021" published by MarketsandMarkets, the market is expected to reach USD 10.31 Billion by 2021 from USD 7.16 Billion in 2016, at a CAGR of 7.6% during the forecast period. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 ) Browse 103 market data Tables and 49 Figures spread through 151 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Coronary Stent Market" http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/coronary-stent-market-77411272.html Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report. This report analyzes and studies the major market drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges in North America, Europe, Asia, and the Rest of the World (RoW). The growth of this market is mainly driven by factors such as technological advancements, increasing number of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures, rising burden of CAD, increasing demand for minimally invasive procedures, and rising geriatric population. Moreover, development of bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) and expansion in emerging markets provide significant growth opportunities in the market. However, alternative treatment methods for CAD, stringent regulations for product approval, and numerous cases of product failure and product recall may hinder the growth of this market during the forecast period. Ask for PDF Brochure @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=77411272 The report segments the Coronary Stent Market based on type, mode of delivery, material, end user, and region. Based on type, the market is segmented into bare-metal stents, drug-eluting stents and bioabsorbable stents. The drug-eluting stents segment is expected to account for the largest share of the coronary stents market in 2016. This can primarily be attributed to the advantages of drug-eluting stents over bare-metal stents, such as lower risk of restenosis and other related complications. Based on mode of delivery, the Coronary Stent Market is segmented into balloon-expandable stents and self-expanding stents. The balloon expandable stents segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period due to factors such as increasing research activities to improve this technology, high utilization of these stents, and growing regulatory approvals for balloon-expandable stents. Based on region, the Coronary Stent Market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia, and the Rest of the World (RoW). In 2016, North America is expected to dominate the market, followed by Europe. Asia is poised to be the fastest-growing region during the forecast period. Factors such as large population base, growing prevalence of cardiac diseases, rising adoption of advanced technologies, and low manufacturing costs in the region are expected to drive market growth in Asia. Moreover, the growing focus of major players in this region is expected to boost the coronary stents market in Asia. Speak to Our Experts @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalyst.asp?id=77411272 The Coronary Stent Market is a highly fragmented market, with several big and emerging players. Key market players include Medtronic, plc (Ireland), Abbott Laboratories (U.S.), Boston Scientific Corporation (U.S.), Biosensors International Group, Ltd. (Singapore), BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG (Germany), B. Braun Melsungen AG (Germany), Terumo Corporation (Japan), STENTYS SA (France), MicroPort Scientific Corporation (China), Meril Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd. (India), Vascular Concepts (India), and Translumina GmbH (Germany). Browse Related Reports: Bioabsorbable Stents Market by Material (Polymer, Metal), Procedure (Invasive), Absorption Rate (Slow, Fast), Drugs (Limus drugs, Paclitaxel), Application (CAD, PAD), End User (Hospital, Cardiac Centers) - Global Forecast to 2021 http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/bioabsorbable-stent-market-40983380.html Interventional Cardiology & Peripheral Vascular Devices Market by Type (Angioplasty Balloon, Stent, Catheters, EVAR Stent Grafts, Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, IVC Filter, Plaque Modification, Hemodynamic Flow Alteration, Accessories, Guidewire) - Forecasts to 2021 http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/minimally-invasive-interventional-cardiology-devices-market-548.html About MarketsandMarkets: MarketsandMarkets is the largest market research firm worldwide in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to a multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. M&M's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. The new included chapters on Methodology and Benchmarking presented with high quality analytical infographics in our reports gives complete visibility of how the numbers have been arrived and defend the accuracy of the numbers. We at MarketsandMarkets are inspired to help our clients grow by providing apt business insight with our huge market intelligence repository. Contact: Mr. Rohan MarketsandMarkets 701 Pike Street Suite 2175, Seattle, WA 98101, United States 1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Connect with us on LinkedIn @http://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsandmarkets The biggest contract in Q3 2016 was signed between Qatargas Operating Company Limited and Centrica plc on September 5, 2016, for a period of about five years from 2019-2023. As per the contract, LNG will be imported by the UK to its Isle of Grain terminal from the Qatargas IV terminal in Qatar. Another contract signed between Qatargas Operating Company Limited and RWE AG is the second biggest contract for import of LNG from the Qatargas III terminal. Chevron Corporation and ENN Group are the other key companies to sign contracts in the quarter. Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. High-Output Revolution X Engine and Refined Chassis Deliver More Power and Nimble Handling MILWAUKEE, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --The new Harley-Davidson Street Rod' motorcycle is a muscular middle-weight built to blitz the city streets. An addition to the Harley-Davidson Street' model family, the Street Rod is agile, powerful and tuned for maneuvering through traffic and congestion. Steeped in tough Harley-Davidson Dark Custom' styling, bearing a stance that's poised and aggressive, the Street Rod always looks ready for action. Photo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/476523/Harley_Davidson_Street_Rod.jpg Photo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/476522/Harley_Davidson_Adrenalin_Road.jpg "The Street Rod will put the thrill in any urban commute," said Mathew Weber, Harley-Davidson Chief Engineer for the Street Rod. "We've paired the potent new High Output Revolution X 750 engine with a revised chassis and up-rated suspension components to make the Street Rod quick, light-handling and easy to ride." The Street Rod backs up its performance with a liberal dose of Harley-Davidson Dark Custom styling. "We made this new bike look tough and aggressive," said Harley-Davidson Lead Designer Chetan Shedjale. "This aligns with the environment our riders will experience this motorcycle in. The inverted, black-anodized forks and triple clamps along with a new speed screen combine to add visual mass to the Street Rod front end. The increased ground clearance and new 17-inch wheels give the Street Rod an intimidating stance. Finally, a supercharger-inspired air intake and the deeper growl of the exhaust note draw attention to the High Output Revolution X engine." The High Output Revolution X 750 engine produces 18 percent more horsepower and 8 percent more torque than the standard Revolution X 750 engine (U.S. and Canada markets only). The new single overhead-cam V-Twin engine features a larger air box, a new dual-throat throttle body, revised four-valve cylinder heads and high-lift camshafts, and a higher-volume muffler. The compression ratio is bumped from 11.0:1 to 12.0:1, and the engine redline is increased from 8,000 to 9,000 rpm. "We've improved air flow and then tuned this new engine to maximize mid-range torque," said Weber. "It really delivers a punch between 3,000 and 5,000 rpm, power you can always feel and use in real-world riding situations. Liquid cooling helps maintain that performance and rider comfort in stop-and-go urban traffic." The new Street Rod chassis is engineered to match the performance of the High Output Revolution X engine. The front end features rigid 43mm inverted forks gripped by a lightweight aluminum triple clamp. Fork rake angle is tightened from 32 to 27 degrees to quicken the steering. Coil-over rear shock absorbers have an external reservoir to increase fluid capacity and improve control. The shocks increase the rear suspension travel by 31 percent, to 4.6 inches. A new swing arm is slightly longer to accommodate the taller ride height, and has new performance-inspired styling. Lean angle is increased from 28.5 degrees left and right to 37.3 degrees right and 40.2 degrees left. The Street Rod rolls on light-weight, 17-inch front and rear Split 7 Spoke Black Cast Wheels and new Michelin Scorcher 21 radial tires. Dual 300mm-diameter front disc brakes deliver confident stopping power. Anti-Lock Braking (ABS) and the Harley-Davidson Smart Security System are factory-installed options for the Street Rod. "The Street Rod is the most nimble motorcycle in the current Harley-Davidson line-up," said Weber. "Tires, wheels, suspension and frame geometry are engineered to work together and deliver handling that's light and precise at all speeds." A new seat shape is designed to fit the rider's contour, and seat height is raised by 3.7 inches, to 29.4 inches, to enhance the rider's view forward over traffic. A flat, drag-style handlebar puts the rider in a fist-forward posture on the bike. The Street Rod also features new forged foot controls and aluminum foot pegs that are positioned for a comfortable seating position that also makes it easy for riders to get feet down to the ground at stops. Street Rod styling highlights include a new color-matched speed screen, a short aggressive street fighter-inspired tail, and all-new LED tail lamp and turn signals with a Street Rod signature look. The Street Rod will be offered in three color options: Vivid Black, Charcoal Denim, and Olive Gold. About Harley-Davidson Motor Company Since 1903, Harley-Davidson Motor Company has fulfilled dreams of personal freedom with cruiser, touring and custom motorcycles, riding experiences and events, and a complete line of Harley-Davidson motorcycle parts, accessories, general merchandise, riding gear and apparel. For more information, visit www.h-d.com. *All comparisons made to the Harley-Davidson Street 750 Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said that the needs of the coal sector in mine rescue equipment are financed by 15-20%. "This is our tragedy that due to a lack of financing of many important spheres of life people are killed and suffered. Sufficient funds were not invested neither in coalmines, nor roads, hospitals, infrastructure and social sphere," Groysman wrote last week on Facebook. He said that heads of companies felt well, while saving funds on people: salaries, rescue and safety equipment and labor safety. "The needs of the coal industry in mine rescue equipment are financed by 15-20%!" he said. He said that these are additional several dozens of millions of hryvnias. He promised to solve the issue. As reported, the rock collapsed in a blast at the Stepova coalmine of the Lvivvuhillya company in the village of Hlukhiv, Sokal district, Lviv region in the afternoon on March 2. As many as 172 miners were worked in the coalmine at the time, eight of them died in the explosion. VALCOURT, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 03/09/17 -- BRP Inc. (TSX: DOO) will hold its fourth-quarter and fiscal year 2017 financial results conference call on Friday, March 24, 2017 at 9 a.m. (ET). Jose Boisjoli, president and chief executive officer, and Sebastien Martel, chief financial officer, will discuss the results and address questions from analysts. Media and interested participants may access this call on a listen-only mode. The press release on the fourth-quarter and fiscal year 2017 results will be distributed on a Canadian newswire on Friday, March 24 at approximately 6 a.m. (ET). The details of the conference call are as follows: DATE: Friday, March 24, 2017 TIME: 9 a.m. (ET) This webcast will be live on the Internet here. A slideshow presentation intended for real-time viewing with the conference call will also be available. Both webcast and presentation will be in English only. Investors and analysts can listen in on the call by dialling one of the following conference call numbers: Original English version: 416-340-2217 or Event code: 4260664 800-806-5484 (toll-free in North America) Click for international dial-in numbers. Replay: An archived audio webcast will be available two hours after the event here for 30 days following the original broadcast. About BRP BRP (TSX: DOO) is a global leader in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and marketing of powersports vehicles and propulsion systems. Its portfolio includes Ski-Doo and Lynx snowmobiles, Sea-Doo watercraft, Can-Am all-terrain and side-by-side vehicles, Can-Am Spyder roadsters, Evinrude and Rotax marine propulsion systems as well as Rotax engines for karts, motorcycles and recreational aircraft. BRP supports its line of products with a dedicated parts, accessories and clothing business. With annual sales of over CA$3.8 billion from over 100 countries, the Company employs approximately 7,900 people worldwide. www.brp.com @BRPnews Ski-Doo, Lynx, Sea-Doo, Evinrude, Rotax, Can-Am, Spyder and the BRP logo are trademarks of Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. or its affiliates. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Contacts: For media enquiries: Valerie Bridger Sr. Advisor, Corporate Communications 450.532.5107 valerie.bridger@brp.com For investor relations: Philippe Deschenes Financial Analyst 450.532.6462 philippe.deschenes@brp.com Mariehamn, 2017-03-09 16:00 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bank of Aland Plc Notice to general meeting March 9, 2017, 5. p.m. Notice to convene the Annual General Meeting Notice is hereby given to the shareholders of the Bank of Aland Plc (Alandsbanken Abp) of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) to be held at 3.00 p.m. Finnish time on Thursday, April 6, 2017 at the Alandica Kultur & Kongress auditorium, Strandgatan 29, Mariehamn, Aland, Finland. The reception of persons who have registered to participate in the Meeting and the distribution of voting tickets will commence at 2.00 p.m. on the above date. A. Matters on the agenda of the Annual General Meeting 1. Opening of the Meeting 2. Calling the Meeting to order 3. Election of persons to check the minutes and to supervise the counting of votes 4. Verification of the legality of the Meeting 5. Verification of attendance at the Meeting and adoption of the voting list 6. Presentation of the financial statements, the Report of the Directors and the Auditors' Report for 2016 Managing Director's review. 7. Adoption of the financial statements 8. Decision on allocation of the profit shown in the balance sheet and dividend distribution The Board of Directors proposes that a dividend of EUR 0.60 per share shall be paid for the accounting period January 1 - December 31, 2016, that the record date for dividend payment shall be Monday, April 10, 2017 and that the payment date shall be Wednesday, April 19, 2017. 9. Decision on granting discharge from liability to the members of the Board of Directors and the Managing Director 10. Decision on the number of members on the Board of Directors It is proposed that the number of Board members shall be unchanged, that is, eight Board members. 11. Decision on fees for the members of the Board The Board of Directors proposes an annual fee for its Chairman (EUR 30,000), the Deputy Chairman (EUR 28,000) and each other Board member (EUR 26,000). The Board also proposes an unchanged fee per meeting attended for the Chairman (EUR 1,000) and for each other Board member (EUR 750). Committee fees shall be at the same level. It shall be noted that the fee per meeting for Board members' attendance at meetings of the committees appointed by the Board is EUR 750 per Board member and EUR 1,000 for the committee Chairman. 12. Election of Board members The Nomination Committee proposes the re-election of Board members Anders A Karlsson, Nils Lampi, Goran Persson, Christoffer Taxell, Ulrika Valassi, Anders Wiklof and Dan-Erik Woivalin for a term of office that will run until the end of the next Annual General Meeting. All the persons proposed have agreed to being elected. 13. Decision on the auditors' fees The Board of Directors proposes that the auditors' fees be paid as invoiced. 14. Decision on the number of auditors The Board of Directors proposes that the number of auditors shall be unchanged, that is, three auditors and one deputy auditor. 15. Election of auditors The Board of Directors proposes the re-election of Marcus Totterman and Mari Suomela, Authorised Public Accountants (KHT), as auditors for a term of office that shall run until the end of the next Annual General Meeting. The Board proposes the election of Jessica Bjorkman, Authorised Public Accountant (KHT), as a new auditor for a term of office that shall run until the end of the next Annual General Meeting. The Board further proposes the re-election of KPMG Oy Ab as deputy auditor for a term of office that shall run until the end of the next Annual General Meeting. 16. Closing of the Meeting B. General Meeting documents The above-mentioned proposals by the Board of Directors, this notice convening the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and other documents that shall be available as provided by the Finnish Companies Act are found on the website of the Bank of Aland Plc, www.alandsbanken.fi in Swedish and Finnish. The Board's proposal and the accounting documents are also available at the Company's head office and at the AGM. Copies of these documents and of this notice convening the AGM will be sent to shareholders upon request. The minutes of the Meeting will be available for viewing on the Company's website no later than April 18, 2017 in Swedish. C. Instruction for participants in the Annual General Meeting 1. Right to participate and registration Shareholders who were listed on March 27, 2017 (the record date for the AGM) in the Company's shareholder register, which is maintained by Euroclear Finland Ab, are entitled to participate in the Meeting. A shareholder whose shares are registered in his or her Finnish personal book-entry securities account is listed in the Company's shareholder register. Shareholders wishing to participate in the AGM must register no later than 4.00 p.m. on Monday, April 3, 2017. They may register for the AGM: a) via the Internet at the address www.alandsbanken.fi/bolagsstamma; b) by telephone at +358 18 29 011; c) by fax at +358 18 291228 or d) by letter addressed to Bank of Aland Plc, PB 3, AX-22101 Mariehamn, Aland, Finland. When registering, please state the shareholder's name, personal identity code or business ID number and the name of any assistant or authorised representative and the representative's personal identity code. These personal data will be used only for purposes attributable to the Annual General Meeting and for processing of registrations related to this. If needed, the shareholder and his/her authorised representative must be able to prove their identity and/or authorisation at the Meeting venue. 2. Authorised representatives and powers of attorney Shareholders may participate in the Annual General Meeting and exercise their rights at the Meeting through authorised representatives. A shareholder's authorised representative must show a dated power of attorney or otherwise prove in a reliable manner that he or she is authorised to represent the shareholder. If a shareholder is represented at the Meeting by more than one authorised representatives, who represent a shareholder with shares in different book-entry securities accounts, at the time of registration the shareholder must state on the basis of which shares each authorised representative is representing the shareholder. Any original powers of attorney should be sent to the Bank of Aland Plc, PB 3, AX-22101 Mariehamn, Aland, Finland and be in the possession of the Company before the expiration of the registration period. Please label the envelope "Annual General Meeting" or "AGM". Alternatively, a copy of the power of attorney may be sent by e-mail to bolagsstamma@alandsbanken.fi, in which case the original power of attorney shall be shown at the AGM. 3. Holders of nominee-registered shares A holder of nominee-registered shares is entitled to participate in the AGM on the basis of the shares he or she would be entitled to list on March 27, 2017 in the Shareholder Register maintained by Euroclear Finland Ab. Participation also requires that on the basis of these shares, no later than 10.00 a.m. on April 3, 2017 the shareholder has been listed in the temporary shareholder register maintained by Euroclear Finland Ab. In the case of nominee-registered shares, this shall be counted as registration for the AGM. Registration shall be carried out by the asset manager's account administrator no later than the above-mentioned date. A holder of nominee-registered shares is urged to request instructions well in advance from his or her asset manager regarding entry into the temporary shareholder register, issuance of powers of attorney and registration for the AGM. 4. Other instructions and information Shareholders who attend the Meeting are entitled to ask questions concerning matters being dealt with at the Meeting, pursuant to Chapter 5, Section 25 of the Finnish Companies Act. On the date of this Notice convening the Annual General Meeting, the number of shares in the Bank of Aland Plc totals 6,476,138 Series A shares, which represent 129,522,760 votes and 8,851,210 Series B shares, which represent 8,851,210 votes, or 15,327,348 shares and 138,373,970 votes in all. Each Series A share has 20 votes at the Meeting and each Series B share has one vote, but subject to the limitation on voting rights stipulated in the Articles of Association, Section 7. Mariehamn, March 9, 2017 Board of Directors Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de STOKE-ON-TRENT, England, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Recticel announces that its Insulation division, one of Europe's Leading PIR insulation board manufacturers, plans for a new state-of-the-art production capacity in the UK, enabling the company to significantly increase its production output as well as to create new jobs. The investment by Belgian-based Recticel group is expressing its confidence in the post-Brexit British manufacturing and construction market. The investment is expected to amount to at least 20 million, and start of production is planned in the 3rd quarter of 2018. Kevin Bohea, Commercial Director at Recticel UK, said: "The plans and designs are in place, so this is an incredibly exciting time for Recticel. Following the successful growth of the UK business it became clear we needed to further invest in this country to match the expectation and growth in demand from our customers. This new operation will allow us to support their growth in the foreseeable future." About Recticel Insulation: Recticel Insulation is an experienced and reliable insulation partner that offers high quality solutions to guarantee the daily comfort of the end users. The company strives for innovative and continuously improvement in insulation solutions. Those are the result of years of experience, craftmanship and a passion for polyurethane. The insulation producer is internationally active and operates from four European production facilities. The Recticel insulation products and solutions are available through different sales channels in Europe. Recticel Insulation is part of the stock listed Recticel Group, a well-known European player in the field of polyurethane solutions. Recticel is mainly active in the furniture, automotive and construction industry and employs worldwide about 7.600 people in 27 countries. HOOPP Tops $70.4 Billion in Net Assets with a 10.35% Rate of Return TORONTO, 2017-03-09 17:00 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) announced today that its Funded Status at the end of 2016 was 122%. The Fund's net assets reached a record $70.4 billion, up from $63.9 billion in 2015, following a rate of return on investments of 10.35% in 2016. As a result of the Plan's stable funding position, contribution rates made by HOOPP members and their employers have remained at the same level since 2004 and the Board of Trustees has committed to maintaining these rates until 2018. Investment income for the year was $6.6 billion compared to $3.1 billion in 2015, and the Fund's 10.35% investment return exceeded its portfolio benchmark by 4.23% or $2.7 billion. The Fund's 10-year annualized return stands at 9.08% and its 20-year annualized return is 9.12%. "We are very pleased with our performance this year, particularly given a challenging first quarter and overall, a volatile market. But rather than comparing our annual results against those of peer plans or stock market benchmarks, we consider the true measure of our success to be our funded status as this demonstrates our ability to meet our current and future pension obligations," said HOOPP President and CEO Jim Keohane. "The important value of a defined benefit pension plan is certainty for our members, knowing they won't outlive their retirement income. This is why our strategy puts funding first, an approach which balances the need to generate returns with the need to effectively manage risk," added Keohane. HOOPP's liability driven investing (LDI) approach has served members well by providing stability through challenging markets. It is a holistic, long-term investment approach which considers the Plan's assets in relation to pension obligations, in order to balance risk with returns. For more information about HOOPP's financial results please view the 2016 Annual Report, available on hoopp.com. 2016 Return Highlights HOOPP's liability driven investing approach utilizes two investment portfolios: a liability hedge portfolio that seeks to mitigate certain risks associated with our pension obligations, and a return seeking portfolio designed to earn incremental returns to help to keep contribution rates stable and affordable. In 2016, the liability hedge portfolio provided approximately 38% of our investment income. Nominal bonds and real return bonds generated returns of 3.9% and 6.8% respectively. The real estate portfolio was a significant contributor during the year, with a 12.2% currency hedged return. Within the return seeking portfolio, which provided 62% of the Fund's income, public equities were the largest contributor to investment income, returning 12.9%, while private equity investments returned 15.0% on a currency hedged basis. Other return seeking strategies, particularly absolute return strategies, made significant contributions to the income of the Fund. HOOPP's asset allocation was also a big contributor to the Fund providing a 1% total return. About the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Created in 1960, HOOPP is a multi-employer contributory defined benefit plan for Ontario's hospital and community-based healthcare sector with over 510 participating employers. HOOPP's membership includes nurses, medical technicians, food services staff and housekeeping staff, and many other people who work hard to provide valued Ontario healthcare services. In total, HOOPP has more than 321,000 active, deferred, and retired members. As a defined benefit plan, HOOPP provides eligible members with a retirement income based on a formula that takes into account a member's earnings history and length of service in the Plan. HOOPP is governed by a Board of Trustees with representation from the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) and four unions: the Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA), the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the Ontario Public Service Employees' Union (OPSEU), and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). The unique governance model provides representation from both management and workers in support of the long-term interests of the Plan. For further information or to arrange interviews, please contact: Joe Vecsi, Senior Manager Public Affairs 416 369-9212 ext 4315 For more information on HOOPP, please visit www.hoopp.com. Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de DALLAS (dpa-AFX) - Some AT&T customers were unable to dial 911 for a few hours on Wednesday night in at least 14 states and Washington, D.C., officials confirmed. An AT&T spokesman apologized to customers for the problem and said the 911 service has been restored for customers. 'Service has been restored for wireless customers affected by an issue connecting to 911,' a representative for the company said. 'We apologize to those affected.' However, AT&T, the second-biggest wireless carrier in the United States, did not reveal the reason behind the outage or how many customers were affected. Various law enforcement and government agencies in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington had posted warnings by 9:30 p.m. Ajit Pai, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, on Twitter said, 'We're receiving reports of widespread AT&T 911 call outages. @FCC public safety staff are investigating. I'll post more info once available.' '@FCC AT&T has reported to me that 911 service is now restored. The @FCC will investigate the root cause of the outage and its impact,' he later tweeted. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Are autonomous electric cars the future of urban transport? This is among the topics discussed on Thursday, Ecobuild's last day in London. A panel of experts expressed various ideas on the subject, however a universal agreement seemed to develop, that if the autonomous vehicles revolution materializes, this is going to be an electric vehicles (EVs) revolution too. Jon Lamonte, chief executive for transport in Manchester, told the event that the forthcoming autonomous cars revolution revolves around three questions: who is driving the car?; what is powering the car?; and how many people are in the car? The potential answers to these questions depict the size of the opportunity we can seize, suggested Lamonte. Nobody is talking about autonomous vehicles powered by diesel, he added. The consensus is that we think of autonomous vehicles being electric, thus we can reduce our carbon emissions and improve air quality, Lamonte argued. Similarly, the Manchester county transportation chief told Ecobuild that the goal should be unmanned EVs, which are shared by ... Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/09/17 -- MedMira Inc. (MedMira) (TSX VENTURE: MIR), at the request of IIROC, wishes to confirm that the Company's management is unaware of any material change in the Company's operations that would account for the recent increase in market activity. About MedMira MedMira is the developer and owner of Rapid Vertical Flow (RVF) Technologya. The Company's rapid test applications built on RVF Technology provide hospitals, labs, clinics and individuals with instant diagnosis for diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C in just three easy steps. The Company's tests are sold under the Reveal, Multiplo and Miriad brands in global markets. MedMira's corporate offices and manufacturing facilities are located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and the Company has a sales and customer service office located in the United States. For more information visit medmira.com. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain assumptions, estimates, and other forward-looking statements regarding future events. Such forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties and are subject to factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control that may cause actual results or performance to differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Contacts: MedMira Inc. Hermes Chan CEO 902 450 1588 ir@medmira.com MedMira Inc. Andrea Young Corporate Communications 902-450-1588 ayoung@medmira.com SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/09/17 --Google Cloud Next Conference - Zoomdata, developers of one of the world's fastest visual analytics platform for big data, today announced support for Google's Cloud Spanner and PostgreSQL on the Google Cloud Platform (GCP), as well as enhancements to the existing Zoomdata Smart Connector for Google BigQuery. With these new capabilities, Zoomdata is one of the first visualization analytics partners to offer such deeply integrated and optimized support for Google Cloud Platform's Cloud Spanner, PostgreSQL, Google BigQuery, and Cloud DataProc services. Google Cloud Spanner is the first and only relational database service that is both strongly consistent and horizontally scalable. Zoomdata's Smart Connector for Cloud Spanner is available today for testing on Google Cloud Launcher. It supports key data analytic capabilities, including streaming analytics (Live Mode), aggregate analytics (group by), time series handling, and federated data blending of data from Cloud Spanner and other data sources via Zoomdata Fusion. Zoomdata has also added a Zoomdata Smart Connector for PostgreSQL to its Google Cloud Platform launcher. Optimized to take full advantage of the powerful, object-relational database system, users can now easily connect to and quickly visualize and explore data from PostgreSQL running on GCP. In addition, Zoomdata enhanced its Smart Connector for Google BigQuery to include support for visual drill-through to full record "details," as well as enhancing the speed at which visualizations are generated. "The Zoomdata team is committed to delivering a big data visualization experience that optimizes GCP's core data management services, including support for Google BigQuery," said Russ Cosentino, Zoomdata co-founder and VP, Channels. "As a launch partner for Google Cloud Dataproc, and now offering optimized support for Google Cloud Spanner and PostgreSQL on GCP, Zoomdata is an ideal choice for helping business users deliver value against their data workloads on Google." Zoomdata is an open platform that provides visual analytics solutions for big and fast data. Architected for both cloud and on-premise deployments, its modern architecture delivers visual analysis of huge datasets in seconds. Zoomdata's patented Data Sharpening technology delivers the industry's fastest visual analytics for real-time streaming and historical data. Zoomdata's microservices architecture makes this possible by using Apache Spark as a complementary high performance engine. Zoomdata Fusion enables users to perform analytics across disparate data sources in a single view -- without the need to move or transform data. Zoomdata's market traction and technology innovations have garnered widespread recognition. Gartner placed Zoomdata in the visionary quadrant when the company made its debut in the most recent annual Gartner BI & Analytics Magic Quadrant report and Gartner also named Zoomdata a 2016 Cool Vendor. In addition, Zoomdata CEO Justin Langseth was Honored by Goldman Sachs for Entrepreneurship, the company was named a Ventana Research 2016 Technology Innovation Award for Operational Intelligence, and Zoomdata received the Top Ranking in 2016 Annual Big Data Analytics Market Study from Dresner Advisory Services. Check out Zoomdata's demo at Google Cloud Next booth A6, or sign up for a free trial at https://www.zoomdata.com/resource/google-cloud-platform-zoomdata-cloud-trial/ Download a complimentary copy of Gartner's Magic Quadrant for Business Intelligence and Analytics Platforms from Zoomdata. About Zoomdata, Inc. Zoomdata develops one of the world's fastest visual analytics solutions for big data. Using patented data sharpening and micro-query technologies, Zoomdata empowers business users to visually consume data in seconds, even across billions of rows of data. Zoomdata Fusion enables interactive analytics across disparate data sources, bridging modern and legacy data architectures, blending real-time streams and historical data, and unifying enterprise data with data in the cloud. Delivered in a microservices architecture for elastic scalability, Zoomdata runs on premises, in the cloud or embedded in an application. With offices in Chicago, New York, San Mateo, CA and Reston, VA, Zoomdata is venture-backed by Accel, Columbus Nova Technology Partners, Comcast Ventures, Goldman Sachs, NEA, and Razor's Edge. Editorial Contacts Lonn Johnston for Zoomdata +1.650.219.7764 Email Contact DUBLIN, Mar 09, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Thailand LNG Market Demand & Supply Analysis, By Region, By Application, By LNG Terminal, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011-2025" report to their offering. The LNG market in Thailand is projected to exhibit a CAGR of 7.2% during 2016-2025 Growing demand for electricity, declining domestic production of natural gas coupled with rising utilization of natural gas as feedstocks for petrochemical plants, is boosting demand for LNG in Thailand. Natural gas and LNG imported into Thailand is blended with locally produced natural gas. PTT Offshore LNG terminal was commissioned in 2011 in Map Ta Phut, with an initial LNG handling capacity of 5 MMTPA, which is further forecast to reach 11.5 MMTPA by 2020 in two phases. Expansion of existing LNG terminals, installation of FSRU (Floating Storage Regasification Unit) and growing demand for natural gas as an alternate fuel are major factors anticipated to positively influence the LNG market in Thailand over next ten years. The country mainly imports LNG from Qatar, Australia and Indonesia. Bangkok dominated Thailand LNG market over the past few years, on account of high population density, rising number of industrial units and presence of gas based power plants in this region. Moreover, power sector accounted for highest market share in Thailand LNG market over the past few years, owing to decline in production of natural gas and rising dependence on LNG for power generation. Thailand LNG Market 2011-2025 discusses the following aspects of LNG market in the Thailand: - Thailand LNG Demand & Supply Analysis - Thailand LNG Potential Demand & Supply Gap - Regional Market Analysis (Bangkok, Northern, Central, Western, North Eastern, Eastern, Southern) - LNG Pricing Analysis Key Topics Covered: 1. Product Overview 2. Research Methodology 3. Executive Summary 4. Thailand Primary Energy Consumption 5. Thailand LNG Supply Market Outlook 6. Thailand LNG Potential Demand Market Outlook 7. Thailand LNG Potential Demand Supply Gap Outlook 8. Thailand LNG Regional Market Outlook 9. Thailand LNG Market Outlook 10. Import-Export Dynamics 11. LNG Pricing Analysis 12. Thailand Pipeline Infrastructure Outlook 13. Competitive Analysis 14. Customer & Supplier Analysis For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/k2fb4p/thailand_lng Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 NEWPORT BEACH, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/09/17 -- Saddle Ranch Media, Inc. (OTC PINK: SRMX) announced today that effective February 28, 2017 a change to the Company's control and management has occurred, together with an agreement to spin out its wholly-owned subsidiary and the African American Medical Network ("AAMN"), and an agreement to acquire SkyFidelity, Inc. The acquisition of SkyFidelity, Inc. is expected to close on or before March 15, 2017. As part of this change, Phil Cohen sold all of his holding of 1,000,000 of the Company's "Series B" preferred shares to The Shamrock Investment Trust, of which Timothy P. Peabody Esq. is the trustee, giving the Trust majority voting control of the Company. Also on February 28, 2017, Phil Cohen resigned as Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Director. Timothy P. Peabody was appointed Chairman, President, Chief Executive Officer and Director in his place. Alan Bailey will continue as Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and Director and will provide continuity during this transition process, as well as in the future. Phil Cohen said, "I resigned purely as my decision to pursue other interests. I am delighted that Tim Peabody decided to take up the reins in my place. He is an experienced business entrepreneur and attorney. I am also pleased that the Company has agreed to spin out both Saddle Ranch Pictures, Inc. and AAMN, together with their respective assets and obligations." Tim Peabody said, "I am thrilled to take over the Company reins. I wish Phil Cohen all the very best in his new ventures and to thank him for his stewardship of the Company to this point. I am also excited to fold in SkyFidelity, Inc. with its wholly-owned subsidiary, TriCasade, Inc. We plan to close this acquisition by March 15, 2017. With operations both in central and southern Florida, as well as in Taiwan, SkyFidelity is destined to become a world-class global multi-division technology company with its four operating divisions: Cloud Managed Services (IoT), Solar Power Solutions, Satellite Broadband, and WiFi Camera Security Surveillance (see www.skyfidelityinc.com). We will seek approval to change the Company's name and the trading symbol to better reflect our new business plan." Forward-Looking Statement This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy securities of Saddle Ranch Media, Inc. (the "Company"). Certain statements in this release and other written or oral statements made by or on behalf of the Company are "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Statements regarding future events and developments and our future performance, as well as management's expectations, beliefs, plans, estimates or projections relating to the future are forward-looking statements within the meaning of these laws. The actual results the Company achieves may differ materially from any forward-looking statements due to such risks and uncertainties. These statements are based on our current expectations and speak only as of the date of such statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of future events, new information or otherwise. For additional information, please contact: Alan Bailey ajb2147@gmail.com Phone 310-722-6624 The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will meet for the third revision of the cooperation program with Ukraine on March 20, Director of IMF Communications Department Gerry Rice has said. "The meeting of the Executive Board is scheduled for March 20," he said during a traditional briefing in Washington on Thursday. Rice also confirmed the visit of Ukrainian Finance Minister Oleksandr Danyliuk to the Fund this week. During his trip to the minister met with IMF First Deputy Managing Director David Lipton, and other representatives of the staff to discuss the further policies towards Ukraine. "The whole point of the program is to assist the Ukrainian government and people to meet the severe situation that you have described and to help Ukraine back to sustainable and inclusive growth," Rice said. As for the pension reform, the IMF thinks that the pension reform is crucial to ensure the sustainability of the pension system and to be able to provide better pensions for retired people and for those most in need. "And I think the authorities agree on the need for comprehensive pension reform and so we are working together with them on designing the appropriate pension system," Rice added For his part, the Ukrainian Finance Ministry said on its website on Thursday that the memorandum on economic and financial policy of Ukraine will be published after the IMF Board meeting. Alesta SD Powder Coatings Offers Suitable Extreme Weather Resistance Axalta Coating Systems (NYSE: AXTA), a leading global supplier of liquid and powder coatings, has provided its Alesta SD or Super Durable line of powder coatings for the facade of Central Asia's largest airport, the new Ashgabat International Airport. Alesta SD has been specifically developed to provide better color and gloss stability, making it ideal for commercial building projects such as this, in addition to high-end residential projects. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170309006119/en/ Axalta's Alesta SD powder coatings protect the facade of Central Asia's largest airport, the new Ashgabat International Airport. (Photo: Axalta) Ashgabat International Airport, one of Turkmenistan's most prestigious infrastructure projects, required a facade coating that would be extremely resistant to weather degradation and that would provide lasting gloss and color retention. Willi Musgen, Managing Director of Koln-Color, the company in Cologne, Germany, who handled the coating of the airport's striking 32,000m2 falcon-shaped facade, explains: "As the metal fabricator wanted RAL 9016 HFW Matt Traffic White for the huge shape, we chose Axalta's Alesta SD Matt RAL 9016 knowing it would meet all the requirements. We work with Alesta SD powder coatings very frequently, so we know how the product behaves." Koln-Color received sections of the facade between October 2015 and June 2016 from international facade specialist Christian Pohl GmbH, also based in Cologne, Germany. Once coated in Alesta SD, the panels made of 3mm aluminum were shipped to Ashgabat in sections for assembly. Olaf Duisberg, Architectural Powder Coatings Key Account Manager for Axalta in Germany, adds, "We are delighted to have worked with Christian Pohl and Koln-Color again to realize the architect's vision for this stunning project. Our Alesta SD range is designed for buildings that are exposed to direct sunlight, as it is extremely weather resistant, so it was an ideal choice for the Ashgabat International Airport, helping to keep it looking good for years to come." Thorsten Evenkamp, Vice President and Head of Sales of Christian Pohl GmbH, says, "This was a very important project for us. We had to make sure every aspect of the facade fabrication met the exacting standards and performed at the highest level. We've also worked closely with Axalta for a number of years, so we were pleased to know our work would be protected by, and made to look even better with, Alesta SD powder coating." The international airport project, which is valued at an estimated US$2.3 billion, encompasses 30 buildings on a 350,000m2 site just outside the capital, Ashgabat. It includes two passenger terminals, and will be able to serve more than 17 million passengers and handle more than 200,000 tonnes of cargo a year. The SD or Super Durable designation is one of three widely-used durability levels in the powder coatings industry. Alesta AP or Architectural Polyester powder coatings are suitable for residential or smaller projects in normal climate conditions. Alesta SD powders provide better color and gloss stability, ideal for high-end residential and commercial buildings. And finally, Alesta UD are ultra durable powder coatings designed for prestigious buildings or for regions with high levels of UV radiation. For more information on Axalta's powder coatings, please visit www.powder.axaltacs.com. About Axalta Coating Systems Axalta is a leading global company focused solely on coatings and providing customers with innovative, colorful, beautiful and sustainable solutions. From light OEM vehicles, commercial vehicles and refinish applications to electric motors, buildings and pipelines, our coatings are designed to prevent corrosion, increase productivity and enable the materials we coat to last longer. With more than 150 years of experience in the coatings industry, the approximately 12,800 people of Axalta continue to find ways to serve our more than 100,000 customers in 130 countries better every day with the finest coatings, application systems and technology. For more information visit axalta.com and follow us @Axalta on Twitter and on LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170309006119/en/ Contacts: DA Public Relations Ltd Chantal Bachelier-Moore D +44 207 692 4964 chantal@dapr.com SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/09/17 -- Dataguise, a leader in sensitive data governance, today announced that DgSecure Detect now supports sensitive data detection on Google Cloud Storage (GCS). Integration with GCS extends the range of platforms supported by DgSecure Detect, which helps data-driven enterprises move to the cloud with confidence by providing precise sensitive data detection across the enterprise, both on premises and in the cloud. With DgSecure Detect, organizations can leverage Google's powerful, simple, and cost-effective object storage service with a complete understanding of where sensitive data is located -- an important first step to ensuring data protection and privacy compliance. Dataguise will showcase the sensitive data detection solution for GCS in booth A25 at Google Cloud Next in San Francisco, March 8-10, 2017. DgSecure Detect discovers, counts, and reports on sensitive data assets in real time within the unified object-based storage of GCS. The highly scalable, resilient, and customizable solution precisely identifies and summarizes the location of this data, down to the element level. DgSecure allows organizations to comb through structured, semi-structured, or unstructured content to find any data deemed "sensitive" by the organization. The range of sensitive data that is discoverable by DgSecure Detect is nearly unlimited using the solution's custom sensitive data type definition capabilities. Sensitive Data Detection Capabilities for Google Cloud Storage: Detects high volumes of disparate, constantly moving, and changing data with time-stamping to support incremental change and life cycle management; Supports a flexible information governance model that has a mix of highly invested (curated) data as well as raw, unexplored (gray) data, such as IoT (Internet of Things) data, clickstreams, feeds, and logs; Processes structured, semi-structured, and unstructured or free-form data formats; Provides automated detection and processing of a variety of file formats and file/directory structures, leveraging meta-data and schema-on-read where applicable, and Provides deep content inspection using patent-pending techniques, such as neural-like network (NLN) technology, and dictionary-based and weighted keyword matches to detect sensitive data more accurately. These new capabilities enable enterprises from a range of industries -- including finance, insurance, healthcare, government, technology and retail -- to gain accurate insight on where sensitive data resides in GCS so it can be protected properly. DgSecure helps organizations comply with regulatory mandates for PII, PHI, and PCI data, such as the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and other data privacy and data residency laws. "With support for GCS, Dataguise provides broad cross-platform support of sensitive data detection within the industry's most popular data repositories and platforms, both on premises and in the cloud," said JT Sison, VP, Marketing and Business Development, Dataguise. "Demonstration of DgSecure Detect at Google Cloud Next will be the first public display of the technology, and we invite attendees to meet with Dataguise and Google regarding this innovative solution." For information on how to manage sensitive data in the cloud with confidence, download a new eBook from Dataguise on the subject at http://www2.dataguise.com/l/74402/2016-08-09/5ytl9f. Tweet This: @Dataguise Strengthens Sensitive Data Governance in the Cloud with Support for Google Cloud Storage (GCS) - http://bit.ly/1PzF3FJ cloud Resources: Follow Dataguise on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/dataguise Follow Dataguise on LinkedIn at: http://www.linkedin.com/company/dataguise Follow Dataguise on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/dataguise Contact Dataguise directly at: http://www.dataguise.com/contact_us/ About Dataguise Dataguise gives data-driven enterprises a simple, powerful solution for global sensitive data governance. DgSecure by Dataguise precisely detects, protects, audits, and monitors sensitive data across the enterprise, on premises and in the cloud. Delivering a single, dashboard view of sensitive data security, policies, access, and trends, DgSecure gives IT and business leaders the insights they need to help manage risk and compliance while maximizing the value of information assets. The company is proud to secure the data of many Fortune 500 companies committed to responsible data stewardship. To learn more, visit: www.dataguise.com. Agency Contact: Joe Austin The Ventana Group (818) 332-6166 Email Contact Newly discovered flaw has existed for more than four years DUBLIN and ATLANTA, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Waratek, the virtualization-based application security company, is offering a Virtual Patch for customers to address a new high severity vulnerability announced this week that exposes organizations using the Struts 2 framework to any general code injection attack. The Waratek solution fully remediates this vulnerability with a virtual patch that can be live-updated without taking affectedapplicationsout of production. "Struts 2 users need to take immediate action. Applying the binary patch offered by Apache requires some application downtime," noted John Matthew Holt, Waratek's Founder and CTO. "For users who have made custom changes on Struts source code, it could take days or weeks to upgrade. A virtual patch can be applied immediately while the application continues to run - with no code changes and without restarting the application." The Apache Foundation announced the new vulnerability - CVE-2017-5638 - on Monday, March 6th and the first attacks exploiting the new vulnerability have already been reported. First introduced in Struts 2.3.5 released in October 2012, the vulnerability has been available for Zero Day exploits for more than four years. Even prior to the announcement of the vulnerability, Waratek's core functionality protected against Proof-Of-Concept (POC) exploits of CVE-2017-5638 that perform remote-command execution. The new virtual patch is a specific one-line security rule that fully remediates this vulnerability and was developed in less than one-day after the vulnerability was announced. "This is a critical vulnerability because the attack can be achieved without authentication, and web applications don't necessarily need to successfully upload a malicious file to exploit this vulnerability," advises Holt. "Just the presence of the vulnerable Struts library within an application is enough to exploit the vulnerability." Struts is an open source framework from the Apache Foundation used for web application development. Struts users include large-scale Internet companies, government, financial institutions and other enterprises around the world. About Waratek Waratek is a pioneer in the next generation of application security solutions. Based on patented virtualization technology, Waratek's Application Security Platform is highly accurate, easy to install, simple to operate and does not slow application performance - while providing protection against known and unknown vulnerabilities in current and legacy software in ways competitors cannot. Waratek has received the 2017 Cyber Defense Magazine INFOSEC Leader Award for Application Security, was named 2016's Best Application Security Solution by Government Security News and is the winner of the 2015 RSA Innovation Sandbox Award. JavaWorld notes that "Waratek is the only vendor that can boast of a large-scale production deployment with a Tier 1 global investment bank, the most significant deployment of (runtime protection) that exists for Java technology today." Waratek is based in Atlanta, Georgia and Dublin, Ireland.For more information visit www.waratek.com. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130306/SF71308LOGO TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 03/09/17 -- Darnley Bay Resources Limited (TSX VENTURE: DBL) ("Darnley Bay" or the "Company") is pleased to announce several developments regarding it's 100% owned Pine Point lead-zinc project near Hay River, Northwest Territories. The Company has received the land-use permit which will allow drilling to begin. Simultaneously the Company has signed a drilling contract with a local aboriginally-registered company. The first phase is a 3,500 metre drilling program which is scheduled to commence shortly and will be followed by at least two additional phases of drilling throughout the year. Exploration by past operators totalled approximately 1.3 million metres of core drilling in an estimated 18,406 drill holes, and there are 54 undeveloped lead-zinc deposits on property held by Darnley Bay. These are in addition to the 52 deposits historically mined out by former owner Pine Point Mines Ltd and Cominco (now Teck Resources) between 1964-1987, which totalled 64 million tonnes grading 7.0% zinc and 3.1% lead. Of these 54 deposits, 15 were included in the National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") resource report as detailed in a press release March 3, 2017, while the rest are classified as historical resources. The purpose of the drilling is threefold: to upgrade some of the historical resources as current mineral resource in accordance with NI 43-101; to explore for additional deposits in several under-explored portions of the property; and to obtain sufficient samples for metallurgical testing for a feasibility study. Additionally, the Company has acquired additional properties in the Pine Point area through staking. The new staking adds eight claims totalling 3490 hectares to the approximately 18,000 hectares already held through mining leases and claims by Darnley Bay in the region. The land-use permit applies only to the original 18,000 hectares. Lead and zinc mineralization in the Pine Point area has been found on three main trends known as the North Trend, Main Trend and South Trend. Approximately 30% of ore mined by Pine Point Mines Ltd. and Cominco was from the South Trend, which was discovered after the mine and the town of Pine Point were largely constructed in 1964. The town was partially situated on the South Trend. As a result, little of certain parts of the South Trend were explored in the past. The town of Pine Point has been largely abandoned and reclaimed and the new staking covers approximately 10 km of the South Trend. Since the historically identified deposits are located on average every 1.5 kilometres of strike length on the three trends, the former town site presents a prospective exploration target. Darnley Bay intends to begin an Induced Polarization Survey on the new claims, followed by drilling of any targets which are found, once permits are obtained for the newly staked property. Stanley Clemmer, a Qualified Person under NI 43-101, reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information presented in this press release. Forward-Looking Information This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address future production, reserve potential, exploration drilling, exploitation activities and events or developments that Darnley Bay expects are forward-looking statements. Although Darnley Bay believes the expectations expressed in such statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the statements. There are certain factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. These include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. For more information on Darnley Bay, investors should review registered filings at www.sedar.com. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Contacts: Darnley Bay Resources Limited Jamie Levy President and CEO (416) 567-2440 jlevy@darnleybay.com www.darnleybay.com Renmark Financial Communications Inc. Steve Hosein (416) 644-2020 or (514) 939-3989 shosein@renmarkfinancial.com www.renmarkfinancial.com SHENZHEN, China, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A team from the international Synthetic Yeast Genome Project (Sc2.0 project) have announced the completion of the de novo redesign and synthesis of five more chromosomes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae; chromosomes II, V, VI, X and XII. The researchers also performed an in-depth, multi-dimensional analysis on the yeast strain, and confirmed that the phenotype of the synthetic yeast strain is consistent to that of the wild-type. The BGI research team ("BGI"), one of the Chinese participants, has led the completed redesign and synthesis of the chromosome II which is 770 kilobase pair long, and transformed it into a yeast cell resulting in a synthetic strain that is consistent to the wildtype one in terms of viability. The whole study is published as the cover story on the March 9th special issue of Science. Following breakthrough work with the synthesis of the Mycoplasma genome in 2010, the Sc2.0 project is another remarkable project in synthetic genomics research. The Sc2.0 project is formed by a consortium of a dozen leading yeast laboratories from the USA, UK, China, France, Singapore and Australia, and has set itself the ambitious task of producing the first synthetic yeast genome (16 chromosomes ~14 Mbp) by 2018. With support from China's National High Technology Research and Development Program ("863" Program), Chinese scientists have made a key contribution to the project and come from three leading Chinese institutions: BGI, Tianjin University and Tsinghua University. The initiator and leader of the Sc2.0 project, Prof. Jef D. Boeke, stated: "Working with our Chinese colleagues at BGI, Tianjin and Tsinghua, has been transformational for the Sc2.0 project. The resources that can be bought to bear on this vast and complex project in terms of grant support, state of the art facilities and most of all, human capital in the form of some of the most innovative scientists in Sc2.0, are simply amazing." BGI, as a member of the Chinese team, has led the complete redesign and synthesis of chromosome II (770 Kb in length). The resulting strain shows a viability that is highly similar to the wild type strain. The BGI team applied a "Trans-Omics" approach in order to identify the genotype-phenotype correlation of the synthetic yeast strain at the phenotypic, genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic level. Yue Shen, the first author of the synII paper and the director of the Genome Synthesis and Editing Platform at the China National GeneBank said: "The Sc2.0 project not only promotes the rapid development of the technology, but also provides us with the opportunity to collaborate with international leading teams to learn and master genome synthesis technology together. We now have a more thorough understanding of the model organism yeast, which will help us to explore its potentials in industrial applications." The team also collaborated with the University of Edinburgh on testing physiological function including cell replication and division. Results indicate that the artificial S. cerevisiae genome is highly modifiable, and has high flexibility for DNA element addition and deletion. This success in reengineering the eukaryotic S. cerevisiae genome is another milestone on the way towards creating synthetic life, after the completion of the synthetic prokaryotic genome. Co-corresponding author of the synII paper and leader of the University of Edinburgh team, Dr Yizhi Cai, agreed: "This is a major milestone in synthetic biology and biotechnology. It really shows our excellence in engineering biology at the chromosome level, and it would not be possible without the great collaborations between our Sc2.0 international teams. I look forward to continuing working with this amazing team to complete the entire synthetic yeast genome in the years to come." In 2014, the first of 16 chromosomes were synthesized (synIII) thereby marking an important first step. The next step required an international mission to collaboratively synthesize the other 15 chromosomes that are needed to generate the first fully synthetic yeast genome. This international Sc2.0 Project has just hit a significant milestone. The Sc2.0 team of collaborating scientists believes that, by reengineering the S. cerevisiae genome, they can gain a deeper understanding of the biological mechanisms and responses of organisms, and their adaptability to and evolutionary process in various environments. They hope that the outcome of the Sc2.0 project will help the world to solve grand challenges relating to health, food, energy and the environment. Apparently, this breakthrough is a great inspiration to the international teams. It once again demonstrates the strength of international collaboration in mega science project: integration of resource and specialty which facilitates the completion of missions impossible. Just as the corresponding author of synII paper, co-founder and Chairman of BGI, Prof. Huanming Yang concluded: "Breakthroughs made in this project in recent years shows the importance of international collaboration in science. This international project provides our young team with a great and unique chance to improve and acquire the vision on the development of this field and the spirit of international collaboration." DUBLIN, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Debate hosted by Cosmetic Executive Women and Allergan Panellists questioned if 'Lying about your treatment is the new lying about your age?' and whether 'The biggest betrayal of the sisterhood is the secrecy around having medical aesthetic treatments?' Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN), a leading global pharmaceutical company and maker of Juvederm facial fillers, reveals the outcome of a heated debate tackling the view that women who enhance the way they look, can be seen as frivolous, or even anti-feminist. Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phy1DMus-Z0 The debate, hosted by Cosmetic Executive Women and supported by Allergan, explored new research into women's attitudes towards the quest for beauty and youth. The panellists were Polly Vernon (author of Hot Feminist), Bryony Gordon (author of Mad Girl), journalist Sarah Vine and leading Aesthetic Practitioner, Alison Telfer. Allergan's research with 1,507 UK women revealed 45% of responders believe you can be a feminist and love fillers, and 88% also agreed they should be free to express their beauty in any way they choose.[1] Bryony supported this: "Feminism is all about being able to make your own choices. It's normal to want to look good." Sarah felt: "It's ok to have whatever you want done, it doesn't matter what people think of you, it's what you think of yourself. If you look nice and feel good that's what's great." What the panel unanimously agreed does go against feminism, are the current levels of secrecy surrounding having 'work' done. The research revealed that 38% of women who would consider cosmetic injectables would keep it a secret,[1] with almost half (47%) feeling they'd be judged for being vain.[1] The panel discussed how secrecy was especially prevalent amongst celebrities, many of whom claim not to have had treatment. According to Alison Telfer: "The biggest betrayal of the sisterhood is secrecy i.e. not telling each other when you have had treatment and therefore allowing other woman to think you look that way naturally." While Polly Vernon said: "What I find profoundly uncomfortable is attacking a woman who decides to have treatment, on the grounds that it is anti-feminist. Surely, a definition of feminism includes feeling empowered to age the way you want to, without criticism or judgment." Sarah Vine added: "Lying about your treatment is the modern equivalent of lying about your age!" The panel discussed why stigma around treatment exists and the perception that those who take an active interest in how they age are deemed vain or anti-feminist. Sarah Vine commented on the difference between radical feminism and postmodern feminism: "Some feminists from the 70s felt they had to look 'hideous and hairy' in order to take a stance against the view that women had to be perfectly preened for men. It was ok for feminists back then to think they wanted to look that way and it's ok now for feminists to say I'm taking control of the way I look and the way I age." Both Bryony Gordon and Polly Vernon agreed that by being in the public eye, people think they have a right to judge the way you look. Polly Vernon said: "We are in a state of mutual judgement and need to find a way to break the cycle... age is mired in judgement and resisting age is also judged." Caroline Van Hove, Senior Vice President, International Medical Aesthetics at Allergan says: "In recent years the topic of feminism has generated lots of conversation. At Allergan, we want to empower women to age the way they want, so it felt like the right time to have a candid discussion about women's desire to express their beauty in a way that is right for them. Women are united by an increasing desire to control how their looks evolve with time. This shouldn't mean they are judged negatively - especially when 74% say they are primarily making an effort to look good for themselves, not for others,[2] which closely aligns to a feminist viewpoint." Caroline Neville, President of Cosmetic Executive Women who hosted the debate said: "How we choose to look, and how we choose to age is a decision each woman must make for herself. Judgement amongst women has led to an environment of fear and secrecy, and does nothing to support feminist ideals. This debate has revealed the need for women to start being open, honest, and supportive of one another's choices." Those wanting to find out more information about cosmetic injectable treatments and how to find a reputable practitioner can visit the Juvederm clinic connector tool: https://locator.juvederm.co.uk/ Feminist with Fillers research, carried out Dec 2016 Allergan Global Beauty Data on File 01 2016. (INT/0381/2016) Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW), is a not-for-profit organisation for women working in the cosmetics industry, with over 1,000 members in the UK. They lead the conversation in beauty, addressing topics that are shaping the future of the industry. About Allergan Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is a unique, global pharmaceutical company and a leader in a new industry model - Growth Pharma. Allergan is focused on developing, manufacturing and commercialising innovative branded pharmaceuticals, high-quality generic and over-the-counter medicines and biologic products for patients around the world. Allergan markets a portfolio of high quality products that provide valuable treatments for the central nervous system, eye care, medical aesthetics, gastroenterology, women's health, urology, cardiovascular and anti-infective therapeutic categories. Allergan is an industry leader in Open Science, the Company's R&D model, which defines our approach to identifying and developing game-changing ideas and innovation for better patient care. This approach has led to Allergan building one of the broadest development pipelines in the pharmaceutical industry with 70+ mid-to-late stage pipeline programs in development. Our Company's success is powered by our more than 16,000 global colleagues' commitment to being Bold for Life. Together, we build bridges, power ideas, act fast and drive results for our customers and patients around the world by always doing what is right. With commercial operations in approximately 100 countries, Allergan is committed to working with physicians, healthcare providers and patients to deliver innovative and meaningful treatments that help people around the world live longer, healthier lives every day. For more information, visit Allergan's website at http://www.Allergan.com. Allergan Forward-Looking Statement Statements contained in this press release that refer to future events or other non-historical facts are forward-looking statements that reflectAllergan'scurrent perspective of existing trends and information as of the date of this release. Except as expressly required by law, Allergandisclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially fromAllergan's current expectations depending upon a number of factors affectingAllergan'sbusiness. These factors include, among others, the difficulty of predicting the timing or outcome ofFDAapprovals or actions, if any; the impact of competitive products and pricing; market acceptance of and continued demand forAllergan'sproducts; difficulties or delays in manufacturing; and other risks and uncertainties detailed in Allergan'speriodic public filings with theSecurities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited toAllergan'sAnnual Report on Form 10-K for the year endedDecember 31, 2015 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2016(certain of such periodic public filings having been filed under the "Actavis plc" name). Except as expressly required by law,Allergandisclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements. NEW YORK, NEW YORK -- (Marketwired) -- 03/09/17 -- Editors Note: There is an image associated with this press release. Winning Brands Corporation (OTC PINK: WNBD) www.WinningBrands.com has resumed filing at OTC Markets. This step delivers on the company's announcement in January 2017 that it was ramping-up operations following a quiet period, by implementing measures to restore momentum, increase shareholder value and achieve new goals. Regaining the OTC Markets Current Information Tier requires completion of 2015 and 2016 filings. With the uploading today of Q2 2015 at OTC Markets, the updating process is underway, according to schedule. Q3 2015 and Q4 2015 will be uploaded within one week. 2016 filings will begin shortly thereafter. By this schedule Winning Brands will be granted, and will be operating within, the Current Information "Pink" Tier again in Q2 2017, as planned. This operational progress will support Winning Brands' announcement on January 11, 2017 that the company is preparing a minimum $1.5 Million Regulation A, Tier I filing with the SEC, by means of a Form 1-A. That filing is also scheduled for Q2 2017. The fact that a $1.5 Million securities purchase agreement has already been entered into in connection with the Regulation A plan benefits Winning Brands by removing any uncertainty about participation of subscribers in the Regulation A offering. The updated 2015 and 2016 operating results being filed with OTC Markets show that despite the company's 2015 and 2016 challenge in obtaining capital for marketing, resulting in weaker sales during those past periods, Winning Brands retained operational integrity and managed to continue reducing its losses compared to earlier years. Consistent loss-reduction on a year-over-year basis, over several years, has been a hallmark of Winning Brands performance during its public period. This effective cost control positions Winning Brands as a strong candidate for achieving profitability from its lower cost base when pent-up sales and marketing opportunities are activated. The proceeds of the Regulation A financing will enable this new activity to occur. To enhance future shareholder value for Winning Brands' shareholders beyond the company's original business plan, Winning Brands is placing new emphasis on revenue sharing opportunities with product innovators. This expands Winning Brands' scope of business prospects beyond its legacy sector of environmental cleaning solutions. Winning Brands management considers the combination of restored momentum for its core brands and access to new shared revenue from the pending joint ventures to be the key to its future success. Winning Brands reports that there are already inventor candidates waiting to participate in revenue sharing alliances in response to Winning Brands' innovation outreach at www.InnovatorsCommunity.com. This website recruitment platform for new product launch alliances is generating deal-flow of opportunities that did not exist for Winning Brands previously. The new website has been under development since 2016 at which time the operational structure of Innovators Community was being refined. Winning Brands CEO, Eric Lehner, comments: "Let's be blunt. Most aspiring micro-cap companies don't succeed. The hurdles are too great. However, there is a small group of survivors who become winners. They persist, they adapt, they evolve. The process is Darwinian - it's survival of the fittest. It is from these few micro-cap survivors who have overcome the longest period of learning and challenge that the greatest can actually be expected. Such firms have shown that they have the tenacity to make it. Winning Brands is such a company. We are proven survivors, passionate about what we do and positioning ourselves to go beyond surviving to thriving. The outlook for Winning Brands is definitely improving again. By combining the lessons of our legacy work with the new energy of enthusiastic innovators, we have the best of both worlds for good things ahead." Mr. Lehner maintains a CEO weblog for the benefit of shareholders at www.WinningBrandsCorporation.com/blog. It is a journal of the company's mission, providing answers to many shareholder questions. It is a regular source of public information pertaining to the company pursuant to SEC Fair Disclosure guidelines. ABOUT WINNING BRANDS CORPORATION: Winning Brands is expanding its scope to include cooperative product launches with innovators whose projects can benefit from public company partnership. Winning Brands has previously been, and continues to be, a manufacturer of record for advanced environmentally oriented cleaning solutions such as ReGUARD4 fire service cleaner, KIND, 1000+ Stain Remover, World's Most Versatile Cleaning Solution, and others through its subsidiary Niagara Mist Marketing Ltd by means of contract packaging. 1000+ is an alternative to conventional cleaning solvents for consumers because of its unique desirable properties; VIDEOS Link; WEBSITE Link. The versatility of 1000+ Stain Remover can be seen on FACEBOOK. 1000+ Stain Remover is available to U.S. NAVY personnel at 7 NEX depots in Japan, Spain, Italy and the Middle East; in the U.S. at HOME DEPOT (online), WALMART (online), DO IT BEST HARDWARE stores and many independent retailers. In Canada, the leading chain retailer is LOWES HOME IMPROVEMENT:. 1000+ Stain Remover is also available in select international markets including Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, UK, Serbia and the Caribbean. TrackMoist, ReGUARD4 www.ReGUARD4.com and BRILLIANT www.BRILLIANTWetCleaning.com are industrial products by which Winning Brands serves specialized professional markets. Safe Harbor: Statements contained in this news release, other than those identifying historical facts, constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Safe Harbor provisions as contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements relating to the Company's future expectations, including but not limited to revenues and earnings, technology efficacy, strategies and plans, are subject to safe harbors protection. Actual Company results and performance may be materially different from any future results, performance, strategies, plans, or achievements that may be expressed or implied by any such forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. TrackMoist, 1000+, KIND, ReGUARD4 and BRILLIANT are trademarks of Niagara Mist Marketing Ltd in connection with indicated uses. To view the image associated with this press release, please visit the following link: http://www.marketwire.com/library/20170309-Innovators_Community_1088364_March9.jpg Contacts: Winning Brands INFORMATION and INTERVIEWS: Eric Lehner CEO (705) 737-4062 eric@winningbrands.ca WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - President Donald Trump has repeatedly declared that Mexico will pay for his proposed wall on the southern border, but the top Republican in the Senate has flatly dismissed that claim. 'Uh, no,' Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ken., said with a laugh when asked by Politico's Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer on Thursday if he believes Mexico will pay for the wall. Trump made the construction of the border wall a key part of his presidential campaign, arguing that it is vital to national security. In one of his first acts as president, Trump signed an executive order directing federal funds to be used to begin construction of the wall. Trump has repeatedly claimed Mexico will reimburse U.S. taxpayers even though Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has steadfastly refused to pay for the wall. During his interview with Politico, McConnell also suggested that building the wall is not the best option to secure some parts of the border. 'I'm in favor of border security,' McConnell said. 'There are some places along the border where that's probably not the best way to secure the border.' However, McConnell expressed confidence in Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and predicted Trump would take the retired Marine Corps general's advice. According to media reports, an internal estimate considered by the Department of Homeland Security indicated the wall would cost about $21.6 billion and take more than three years to build. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. DUBLIN, Mar. 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global and China Third-party Logistics Industry Report, 2016-2020" report to their offering. In 2015, global third-party logistics market size hit USD721 billion, a YoY rise of 4.5%, occupying 8.2% of the logistics market size, and increased around USD35.9 billion in 2016, up to USD756.9 billion. In the future, by virtue of high efficiency and highly standardized operation, the third-party logistics market size will grow steadily, expectedly outstripping USD900 billion in 2020, with a share of nearly 10.0% in the logistics market size. China is the world largest third-party logistics market. In 2015, its market size attained RMB1,065.2 billion or roughly USD171.8 billion (up 13.6% year on year), a 23.8% share in global market, and reached around RMB1,200 billion in 2016. Chinese (Mainland China) third-party logistics industry is still in its infancy, and lags behind the developed countries/regions by share in the whole logistic market (developed regions generally above 10.5%, Mainland China around 8.0%), leaving a large development space. Moreover, China's regional trade imbalance also creates certain opportunities for the rapid development of third-party logistics. It is predicted that third-party logistics market size in China will see a CAGR of around 15.0% in 2016-2020. Additionally with not a high market share, Chinese third-party logistics industry also has problems of insufficient demand and low-level demand at present, respectively due to relatively little use of third-party logistics by most traditional companies, and basic and conventional demand of companies which choose third-party logistics and their small demand for high value-added, comprehensive logistics service. Development trend: to improve profitability and maximize operational efficiency, third-party logistics is heading towards largescale, informatization, asset-light and platform. In addition, as E-commerce in China gradually spreads to regions outside the first tier cities, third-party logistics companies make layout in the second- and third-tier cities accordingly. Seen from competitive landscape, third-party logistics market has a low concentration rate, and the players compete fiercely. In 2015, CR10 of global third-party logistics industry was less than 20.0%, of which DHL Supply Chain & Global Forwarding with the largest market size only saw 4.1%; Sinotrans, China's largest third-party logistics company, ranking eighth in the world, only witnessed a market share of 1.0%. Key Topics Covered: 1. Overview of Third-party Logistics 1.1 Definition 1.2 Classification 1.3 Industry Barriers 1.4 Industry Characteristics 1.5 Industry Chain 2. Logistics Industry 2.1 Development Overview 2.2 Operation Mode 2.3 Market Status 2.4 Industry Characteristics 2.5 Development Trend 3. Global Third-party Logistics Industry 3.1 Development Overview 3.2 Market Size 3.3 Market Structure 3.4 Competitive Patten 4. Chinese Third-party Logistics Industry 4.1 Development Overview 4.2 Development Environment 4.3 Market Situation 4.4 Problems 4.5 Development Trend 5. Third-party Logistics Market Segments 5.1 Automobile 5.2 Pharmaceutical 5.3 Cold-chain Third-party Logistics 6. Supporting Industries of Third-party Logistics 6.1 Infrastructure Construction 6.2 Transportation Equipment Industry 6.3 Other Equipment 7. Foreign Third-party Logistics Companies 7.1 DHL 7.2 Kuehne + Nagel 7.3 DB Schenker 7.4 Nippon Express 7.5 C.H Robinson 7.6 UPS 7.7 DSV 7.8 CEVA 7.9 Expeditors 7.10 Others 7.10.1 Dachser 7.10.2 Panalpina 7.10.3 SNCF 7.10.4 Kintetsu 8. Chinese Third-party Logistics Companies 8.1 Sinotrans 8.2 COSCO Shipping Logistics Co., Ltd. 8.3 China Merchants Logistics Holding Co., Ltd. 8.4 China National Materials Storage and Transportation Corporation 8.5 Beijing Changjiu Logistics Co., Ltd. 8.6 Others 8.6.1 China Shipping Logistics Co., Ltd. 8.6.2 Tianjin DTW Logistics Co., Ltd. 8.6.3 Qingdao Haier Logistics Co., Ltd. 8.6.4 Annto Logistics Co., Ltd. For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/ttm5sc/global_and_china Media Contact: Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 The lack of progress in implementing the Minsk Agreements may lead to a new round of military and political escalation in Donbas, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Wednesday. "Over the course of our Normandy Format meeting with foreign ministers of France, Russia and Ukraine held on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, we were promised that all tools of influence would be used to finally secure observance of the truce and the start of what had been agreed a long time ago: the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the line of contact and demilitarization of especially important conflict areas. Apart from that, we urged to lift the blockade of roads and railways since it is harmful to everyone," Gabriel said in an interview with Interfax, commenting about the current situation in Donbas. However, "no one of those promises has been fulfilled to a sufficient degree yet," he said. "This is dangerous because we can slide into a new [round of] military and political escalation at any moment," he said. "And this is to evidence that it's not just adherence to the Minsk Agreements that we need but also the political will to implement them. Otherwise, we will end up standing still and it is people in Donbas who'll suffer," Gabriel said. PHOENIX, AZ -- (Marketwired) -- 03/09/17 -- Uberrito announced today the opening date for its second Phoenix-area location. Uberrito's newest Arcadia restaurant will hold its grand opening Thursday, March 23, 2017 and is located at 4325 East Indian School Road, Suite 150 in the Arcadia Gateway shopping center. The Arcadia restaurant will open as the second Arizona Uberrito location. The nearby Scottsdale location at 4912 E. Shea Blvd., Ste. 108, opened in March 2016. In addition to Uberrito's Phoenix-area restaurants, the company operates five Houston-area locations and has plans for substantial growth. In celebration, Uberrito is offering an exclusive sneak peek invitation to try out the new Arcadia restaurant on Tuesday, March 21, two days before the grand opening. Uberrito will be serving complimentary food -- one free burrito, bowl, salad or nachos combo which includes a drink and a cookie per person -- all day long to registered guests. To receive an invitation, customers can visit https://uberrito-arcadia-sneakeat.eventbrite.com to select a 15-minute registration window. "We look forward to opening our doors and sharing our trademark fresh-Mex food, flavor, variety and experience with the Arcadia community," said Marcus Jundt, CEO of Uberrito. "The Phoenix market has eagerly embraced our first location, and we look forward to continued growth and opportunities in Arizona and the Southwest." Uberrito will soon announce March 23 grand opening specials, free food offers and festivities. All locations offer $5 chicken burritos and bowls every Monday and award double loyalty points to registered loyalty program members on Wednesdays. Uberrito offers unlimited combinations with eight different proteins, 28 ingredients, eight house-made salsas and four flavors of fresh tortillas. Customers wishing to go tortilla free may opt for a bowl, salad or nachos layered in queso. The menu also includes "10 Tasty Tacos" and house-made tortilla soup. About Uberrito The Uberrito concept launched December 2014, building on the success of the former Mission Burrito founded in 1996 in Houston. The fast-casual concept goes above and beyond the basic burrito, offering customers flavor, variety and a unique dining experience. Menu items include unlimited combinations with eight different proteins, 28 ingredients, eight house-made salsas, and four flavors of fresh tortillas. Bowls, salads, house-made tortilla soup and "10 Tasty Tacos" are customer favorites. Visit Uberrito online at http://uberrito.com and on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3117947 Media Contact: April Lynch Principal - Lynchpin Strategic Communications (713) 922-1895 Email Contact OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 03/09/17 -- Focus Graphite Inc. (TSX VENTURE: FMS) (OTCQX: FCSMF) (FRANKFURT: FKC) ("Focus" or the "Company") announces a rectification to the Measured and Indicated mineral resources statement released by the Company on January 24, 2017(1) for its 100%-owned Lac Knife flake graphite project, located 27 km south of Fermont, in the Cote-Nord administrative region of northeastern Quebec. On February 5, 2017, Focus was informed by AGP Mining Consultants that a correction was applied to the classification model which affected the south portion of the resource estimate announced on January 24, 2017. The correction only affected the internal distribution of the Inferred and Indicated resources in the area covered by the latest infill drilling. The grade estimation was not affected by the change. The 2014 infill drilling program successfully upgraded Inferred resources to the Indicated and Measured categories. The upgraded resources are located to the south and outside of the open pit shell that was used for the 2014 Lac Knife project feasibility study(2) ("FEAS"). In the current FEAS mine plan, any additional tonnage located outside of the FEAS open pit shell design would only be mined and processed after the 25-year mine life. Following the adjustment made by AGP Mining Consultants, using a 3.0% graphitic carbon (Cg) cut-off, the revised Measured and Indicated resources at Lac Knife now stand at 13.56 million tonnes grading 14.95% Cg (Table 1). This represents a 42% increase in Measured and Indicated resources compared to the 9.576 million tonnes grading 14.77% Cg reported in the 2014 FEAS (Table 2). The adjustment also translates into a 43% increase in graphite tonnes, from 1.414 million tonnes to 2.027 million tonnes (Table 1). Additionally, there are 840,000 tonnes of Inferred resources grading 13.90% Cg (Table 1). Table 1. Revised Lac Knife Mineral Resource Estimate @ 3.0% Cg cut-off ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tonnage Cg Contained Graphite (t) (%) (t) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Measured 447 000 21.45 96 000 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Indicated 13 112 000 14.73 1 931 000 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Measured + Indicated 13 560 000 14.95 2 027 000 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inferred 840 000 13.90 117 000 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. -- There is no certainty that all or any part of the Mineral Resources will be converted into Mineral Reserves. -- The rounding of tonnes as required by NI 43-101 reporting guidelines may result in apparent differences between tonnes, grade and contained graphite. Table 2: Revised Sensitivity to cut-off change and comparison to the 2014 feasibility study ----------------------------------- Updated Mineral Resource Estimate (3.0% Cg Cut-off base case) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cut-off Tonnes Cg (%) Cg Tonnes ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- greater 440 000 21.66 95 000 Measured than 10.0 ---------------------------------------------- greater 447 000 21.45 96 000 than 5.0 ---------------------------------------------- greater 447 000 21.45 96 000 than 3.0 ---------------------------------------------- greater 447 000 21.45 96 000 than 2.0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- greater 11 227 000 15.86 1 781 000 Indicated than 10.0 ---------------------------------------------- greater 13 021 000 14.80 1 927 000 than 5.0 ---------------------------------------------- greater 13 112 000 14.73 1 931 000 than 3.0 ---------------------------------------------- greater 13 114 000 14.72 1 931 000 than 2.0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- greater 11 667 000 16.08 1 876 000 Measured + Indicated than 10.0 ---------------------------------------------- greater 13 468 000 15.02 2 023 000 than 5.0 ---------------------------------------------- greater 13 560 000 14.95 2 027 000 than 3.0 ---------------------------------------------- greater 13 561 000 14.95 2 027 000 than 2.0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- greater 698 000 15.10 105 000 Inferred than 10.0 ---------------------------------------------- greater 832 000 14.00 116 000 than 5.0 ---------------------------------------------- greater 840 000 13.90 117 000 than 3.0 ---------------------------------------------- greater 840 000 13.90 117 000 than 2.0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 2: Revised Sensitivity to cut-off change and comparison to the 2014 feasibility study ---------------------------------------------- 2014 Mineral Resource Estimate Percent Change (3.0% Cg Cut-off base case) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tonnes Cg (%) Cg Tonnes Tonnage Graphite ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Measured 428 000 23.81 102 000 3% -7% ---------------------------------------------- 432 000 23.66 102 000 3% -6% ---------------------------------------------- 432 000 23.66 102 000 3% -6% ---------------------------------------------- 432 000 23.66 102 000 3% -6% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Indicated 7 466 000 15.77 1 177 000 50% 51% ---------------------------------------------- 9 065 000 14.44 1 309 000 44% 47% ---------------------------------------------- 9 144 000 14.35 1 312 000 43% 47% ---------------------------------------------- 9 146 000 14.35 1 312 000 43% 47% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Measured + Indicated 7 894 000 16.21 1 279 000 48% 47% ---------------------------------------------- 9 497 000 14.86 1 411 000 42% 43% ---------------------------------------------- 9 576 000 14.77 1 414 000 42% 43% ---------------------------------------------- 9 578 000 14.77 1 415 000 42% 43% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inferred 2 196 000 15.81 347 000 -68% -70% ---------------------------------------------- 2 941 000 13.75 404 000 -72% -71% ---------------------------------------------- 3 102 000 13.25 411 000 -73% -72% ---------------------------------------------- 3 116 000 13.20 411 000 -73% -72% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. -- There is no certainty that all or any part of the Mineral Resources will be converted into Mineral Reserves. -- The rounding of tonnes as required by NI43-101 reporting guidelines may result in apparent differences between tonnes, grade and contained graphite. Compared to the model announced on January 24, 2017, the revised model improves the Measured and Indicated resources tonnage by 12% and it contains 14% more graphite tonnes (Table 3). The improvement to the Measured and Indicated resources category is offset by a reduction in the Inferred category amounting to 63% in tonnages and 69% in graphite tonnes. Table 3: Revised model compared to the previous announcement on January 24, 2017 --------------------------------------------------- March 2nd, 2017 Revised resource estimate (3.0% Cut-off) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tonnage Cg Graphite (t) (%) (t) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------- Measured 447,000 21.45 96,000 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Indicated 13,112,000 14.73 1,931,000 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Measured + Indicated 13,560,000 14.95 2,027,000 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inferred 840,000 13.90 117,000 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 3: Revised model compared to the previous announcement on January 24, 2017 ------------------------------ January 24th, 2017 Resource estimate (3.0% Cut-off) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Percent Percent change - Tonnage Cg Graphite change - Contained Tonnage Graphite (t) (%) (t) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------- --------------------- Measured 447,000 21.45 96,000 0% 0% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Indicated 11,654,000 14.38 1,675,000 13% 15% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Measured + Indicated 12,101,000 14.64 1,771,000 12% 14% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inferred 2,299,000 16.20 372,000 -63% -69% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- While the grade for the estimated blocks was not affected by the change, there is an apparent minor variation to the average grade of the combined Measured and Indicated categories at the 3% cut-off due to the redistribution of the higher grade Inferred blocks that were converted to Indicated resources. The updated mineral resource is based on 231 core drill holes totalling 22,505 metres of historic and recent drilling from 2014. This includes 149 surface drill holes totalling 12,041 metres completed since 2010. Mineral Resources have been reported within a constraining pit shell at a cut-off grade of 3.0% Cg. Details on the Mineral Resource Estimation procedures are given in the Company's news release dated January 24th, 2017, available at www.focusgraphite.com and at www.sedar.com. Lac Knife Project The Lac Knife project comprises 57 map-designated claims covering 2,986.31 ha located in Esmanville Township (NTS map sheet 23B/11), 27 km south-southwest of the iron-mining town of Fermont, in the Cote-Nord administrative region of Quebec. Focus acquired a 100% interest in the project in October 2010. A map showing the location of the Lac Knife project is available on the company's website at www.focusgraphite.com. The mineralization at Lac Knife is hosted in biotite-quartz-feldspar paragneiss and schist of the Nault Formation, in association with iron formations of the Wabush Formation. These are equivalent to the lower Proterozoic Labrador Trough rocks affected by the late Proterozoic Grenvillian orogeny. High grade metamorphism and folding associated with the Grenvillian orogeny has resulted in the formation of important concentrations of graphite dominated by value-enhanced large flakes. The Lac Knife project hosts a Measured and Indicated mineral resource(i) of 13.56 million tonnes grading 14.95% Cg (447,000 tonnes Measured @ 21.45% Cg and 13,112,000 tonnes Indicated @ 14.73% Cg) as natural flake graphite with an additional Inferred mineral resource(i) of 840,000 tonnes grading 13.90% Cg. Focus' goal is to assume an industry leadership position by becoming a low-cost producer of technology-grade graphite concentrate. The Feasibility Study filed with SEDAR (www.sedar.com) on August 8, 2014 for the Lac Knife Project indicates the project is economically viable and has the potential to become a low-cost graphite concentrate producer based on 7.86 million tonnes of Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves(ii) grading 15.13% Cg included in the Mineral Resource (429,000 tonnes Proven @ 23.61% Cg and 7,428,000 tonnes Probable @ 14.64% Cg). (i) Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. (ii) The Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources are inclusive of those Mineral Resources modified to produce the Mineral Reserve. The reference point for the Mineral Reserve Estimate is the mill feed. Qualified Persons Pierre Desautels, P.Geo. Principal Resource Geologist of AGP Mining Consultants Inc. Qualified Person under NI 43-101 who is independent of the Company, has review and authorized the release of the mineral resource estimates presented herein. Mr. Marc-Andre Bernier, M.Sc, P.Geo (Quebec and Ontario), a Director of the Company and a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release. About Focus Graphite Focus Graphite Inc. is an advanced exploration and mining company with an objective of producing graphite concentrate at its wholly-owned Lac Knife flake graphite deposit located 27 km south of Fermont, Quebec. In a second stage, to meet Quebec stakeholder interests of transformation within the province and to add shareholder value, Focus is evaluating the feasibility of producing value added graphite products including battery-grade spherical graphite. Focus Graphite is a technology-oriented graphite mining development company with a vision for building long-term, sustainable shareholder value. Focus also holds a significant equity position in graphene applications developer Grafoid Inc. For more information about Focus Graphite, please visit www.focusgraphite.com. Forward Looking Statement This News Release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. All information contained herein that is not clearly historical in nature may constitute forward-looking information. Generally, such forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: (i) volatile stock price; (ii) the general global markets and economic conditions; (iii) the possibility of write-downs and impairments; (iv) the risk associated with exploration, development and operations of mineral deposits; (v) the risk associated with establishing title to mineral properties and assets; (vi) the risks associated with entering into joint ventures; (vii) fluctuations in commodity prices; (viii) the risks associated with uninsurable risks arising during the course of exploration, development and production; (ix) competition faced by the Company in securing experienced personnel and financing; (x) access to adequate infrastructure to support mining, processing, development and exploration activities; (xi) the risks associated with changes in the mining regulatory regime governing the Company; (xii) the risks associated with the various environmental regulations the Company is subject to; (xiii) risks related to regulatory and permitting delays; (xiv) risks related to potential conflicts of interest; (xv) the reliance on key personnel; (xvi) liquidity risks; and (xvii) the risk of potential dilution through the issue of common shares. Forward-looking information is based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable at the time such statements are made, including but not limited to, continued exploration activities, no material adverse change in metal prices, exploration and development plans proceeding in accordance with plans and such plans achieving their stated expected outcomes, receipt of required regulatory approvals, and such other assumptions and factors as set out herein. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. Such forward-looking information has been provided for the purpose of assisting investors in understanding the Company's business, operations and exploration plans and may not be appropriate for other purposes. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is made as of the date of this News Release, and the Company does not undertake to update such forward-looking information except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the accuracy of this release. (1) Refer to Focus news release dated January 24, 2017, available at www.focusgraphite.com and at www.sedar.com. (2) Refer to Focus news releases dated June 25th and August 8, 2014, available at www.focusgraphite.com and at www.sedar.com Contacts: Focus Graphite Inc. Mr. Gary Economo Chief Executive Officer +1 613-241-4040 geconomo@focusgraphite.com www.focusgraphite.com REDLANDS, CA--(Marketwired - March 09, 2017) - Voyager Search, a global leader in geospatial enterprise search tools that find and deliver more than 1,800 different file formats, announced today it has selected seasoned sales executive Craig Schaefer to lead its sales team. As Vice President of Sales, Schaefer will be directly responsible for prospecting and pitching new business, hiring and managing the sales team, and working with Voyager's marketing department to promote customer stories. With his strong background in both channel and direct sales, adding Schaefer to Voyager's already stellar line up of seasoned executives lays the foundation for the company to move aggressively forward with its plans to expand into new markets in 2017. Before joining Voyager Search, Schaefer was Director of Channel Sales for Hewlett Packard Enterprise, where his team was responsible for delivering $500M annually selling Cloud, Hybrid Compute, Storage, Networking, and multiple software portfolios. Before that, Schaefer was Director of Worldwide Partnering and Alliances for the Video Security division of Schneider Electric. His team sold IP video surveillance solutions to Cisco Systems as an OEM offering and developed numerous partnerships with global technology leaders such as IBM, HP, and Verizon. Schaefer joined Schneider from telecommunications leaders Avaya and Nortel, where he held several sales, marketing, and operations management positions. "Voyager has that rare combination of a great technology supported by even better people," said Schaefer. "From the moment I met with Voyager executives, I knew this was something I wanted to be part of. I've enjoyed getting to know our customers while learning about what their data challenges are and how Voyager has helped. I'm looking forward to using that knowledge to empower my team to deliver exceptional business outcomes. That's the customer-led culture that we're building." With consistent growth year over year, Voyager executives knew it was time to hire a dedicated manager with experience taking a sales department to the next level. Schaefer's background in leading teams that sell to companies in a variety of industries was just what Voyager needed. "As a small company, I've thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to roll up my sleeves and work with our sales team," said Voyager CEO and Founder Brian Goldin. "However, with Craig on board I can now turn my attention to other important areas of our business. This is going to be an exciting year for all of us at Voyager, and with Craig at the helm of our sales efforts it's shaping up to be even more successful than the last. We're excited to have someone with such an impressive pedigree on board." About Voyager Search Voyager Search is a leading global provider of geospatial enterprise search tools that connect, find and deliver more than 1,800 different file formats from desktops, servers, and the Web. As the only install and go Solr/Lucene search engine, Voyager's simple user interface, Navigo, offers Fortune 500 businesses, government entities, and multinational organizations throughout the world easy-to-use search, data management, document delivery, and map visualization capabilities. With no custom coding required, Voyager is a true off-the-shelf geospatial intelligence and search powerhouse that supports customers in a variety of industries, including defense, oil and gas, federal and state governments, and mining. Formed in 2008, the company is headquartered in Redlands, California, with additional staff in Washington State, Washington, DC, Vancouver Island, BC, Europe, and Uruguay. For more information, visit www.voyagersearch.com or follow the company on Twitter at @VoyagerSearch. For more information: Jenny Viscarolasaga Director of PR and Marketing Voyager Search Tel: +1 (617) 331-4944 Email: jviscarolasaga@voyagersearch.com COBB COUNTY (dpa-AFX) - Home Depot has agreed to pay $25 million and strengthen its data security practices to settle a lawsuit filed by financial institutions after a 2014 data breach that affected account details of 56 million customers. The company said the offer was not an admission of liability and was being provided to expedite a resolution of the matter. Home Depot agreed to pay $25 million to financial institutions affected by the data breach after years of litigation. In September, 2014, Home Depot announced that its payment data systems had been breached. Investigation revealed that hackers placed malware on Home Depot's self-checkout kiosks in stores across the country, allowing them to steal customers' personal financial information, including names, payment card numbers, expiration dates, and security codes. The stolen information was then sold over the internet to thieves who made massive numbers of fraudulent transactions using the payment cards details. Financial institutions were forced to cancel and reissue the compromised payment cards to mitigate the damage, reimburse their customers for fraudulent transactions, and otherwise incur substantial out of pocket expenses in responding to the data breach. 'Credit unions and their members have unfortunately borne the brunt of lax merchant data security standards. This settlement would be a step toward making them whole again. We believe this settlement represents one of the better outcomes in data breach litigation,' said CUNA President/CEO Jim Nussle. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 03/09/17 -- Itafos (TSX VENTURE: IFOS) ("Itafos" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced private placement of shares of the Company for gross proceeds of US$34,054,074 (which includes the shares for debt transaction described below) at CAD$2.10 per share (the "Offering"). The net proceeds of the Offering are being used to fund the recommissioning of the Company's Itafos-Arraias SSP Operations and for working capital and general corporate and strategic purposes. Pala Investments Limited ("Pala") subscribed for 6,348,000 shares under the Offering and now beneficially owns 6,348,000 shares (or, approximately, 8.0% of the issued and outstanding shares on an undiluted basis). In connection with the Offering, the Company and Pala have entered into an investor rights agreement pursuant to which the Company has granted Pala the right to designate one nominee to the board of directors of the Company provided that Pala holds 5.0% or more of the Company's outstanding shares (on an undiluted basis). Pala is an experienced investor in the mining sector with a strong track record of successful investments and value creation. Pala's team has extensive experience in project development, financing, construction and expansion projects, and seeks to assist companies in which it has long-term shareholdings by providing strategic support in these areas. Zaff LLC ("Zaff"), which is an insider and a related party of the Company, subscribed for a total of 8,388,781 shares under the Offering and received 1,906,541 shares at an effective price of CAD$2.10 to settle an outstanding cash advance of US$3,000,000 recently made to the Company on February 23, 2017. Zaff now beneficially owns, or exercises control or direction over, 65,868,991 shares (or approximately 83.04% of the issued and outstanding shares on an undiluted basis). A director of the Company subscribed for 25,000 shares and an executive officer of the Company subscribed for 32,000 shares under the Offering. As insiders of the Company, the director's subscription and the executive officer's subscription constitute related party transactions under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Investments ("MI 61-101") and TSXV Policy 5.9. The Company has relied on the formal valuation exemption in section 5.5(a) of MI 61-101 and the minority approval exemption in section 5.7(a) of MI 61-101 on the basis that neither the fair market value of the shares distributed to the director or the executive officer nor the consideration to be received for the shares exceeded 25.0% of the Company's market capitalization at the time of the director's or the executive officer's subscription. The TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") has granted conditional approval of the listing of the shares issued under the Offering and final approval of the shares for debt transaction. Final TSXV approval of the Offering is subject to compliance with the customary requirements of the TSXV. The shares issued by the Company will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months plus a day from the date of issuance in accordance with applicable securities legislation and TSX Venture Exchange requirements. This news release does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States. The securities being offered have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and such securities may not be offered or sold within the United States absent U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from U.S. registration requirements. About Itafos Itafos (TSX VENTURE: IFOS) is focused on becoming a significant integrated producer of phosphate based fertilizers and related products. Itafos has an experienced team with significant experience in the business of fertilizer operations, management, marketing and finance. Itafos owns and operates the Itafos-Arraias SSP Operations, which consists of an integrated fertilizer producing facility comprised of a phosphate mine, a mill, a beneficiation plant, a sulphuric acid plant, an SSP plant and a granulation plant and related infrastructure located in central Brazil. Itafos' exploration portfolio includes a number of additional projects in Brazil, including the Santana Project, a high-grade phosphate deposit located in close proximity to the largest fertilizer market of Mato Grosso State and animal feed market of Para State, and the Araxa Project, a high-grade rare earth elements, niobium and phosphate deposit located in close proximity to two operating mines, therefore benefiting from existing local infrastructure. In addition, Itafos owns an approximate 31.3% interest in GB Minerals Ltd. which owns the Farim Project, a high-grade phosphate deposit located in Guinea Bissau and an approximate 29.6% interest in Stonegate Agricom Ltd. which owns the Paris Hills Project, a high-grade phosphate deposit located in Idaho, United States and the Mantaro Project, a high-grade phosphate deposit located in Peru. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements related to activities, events or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, including, without limitation, statements related to the closing of the Offering and the receipt of regulatory approval in respect of the Offering. These statements speak only as of the date of this news release. Forward looking statements are based on a number of factors and assumptions made by management and considered reasonable at the time such statements are made, and forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risk factors include but are not limited to, the Company not obtaining the final approval of the TSXV for the Offering, the Company being unsuccessful in recommissioning the Itafos-Arraias SSP Operations and those factors disclosed in the Company's current Annual Information Form and Management's Discussion and Analysis, as well as other public disclosure documents, available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although Itafos has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate. The forward looking statements contained herein are presented for the purposes of assisting investors in understanding the Company's plans, objectives and goals and may not be appropriate for other purposes. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable securities laws. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Contacts: Itafos Brian Zatarain Chief Executive Officer brian.zatarain@itafos.com www.itafos.com The Blueshirt Group Gary Dvorchak, CFA Managing Director +1 (323) 240-5796 gary@blueshirtgroup.com CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - Australia will on Friday release January figures for home loans, highlighting a light day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. Home loans are expected to sink 1.0 percent on month after adding 0.4 percent in December. The value of loans was up 1.3 percent in December, while investment lending fell 1.0 percent. Japan will see Q1 numbers for the large all industry and manufacturing indexes from BSI; in the previous three months, their scores were +3 and +7.5, respectively. Singapore will provide January data for retail sales; in December, sales fell 1.9 percent on month and gained 0.4 percent on year. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Fluxx, a San Francisco, CA-based vertical-cloud software company focused on grants management, closed a $16m Series B financing. The round was led by Canvas Ventures, with participation from Kresge Foundation and Felicis Ventures. The company intends to use the funds to accelerate its growth and develop new products for the philanthropic community. Led by Jason Ricci, co-founder and CEO, Fluxx provides a mobile and cloud-based grants management solution that integrates grants data with the people and organizations that matter. Through automated workflow management and personalized dashboards, the platform enables every department to access data to make informed decisions. Open APIs support multiple third-party applications including financial management solutions, analytics and reporting tools, and other integrations. Fluxx is used by hundreds of family foundations, community funds, corporate philanthropy arms, and government agencies. Customers include Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, and Knight Foundation. FinSMEs 09/03/2017 Global investment firm KKR closed KKR Americas XII Fund, at $13.9 billion, focused on opportunistic investments in private equity-related transactions primarily in the United States, Canada and Mexico. KKR will be investing nearly $1.4 billion in capital alongside investors through its balance sheet and employee commitments. The fund also received backing from a diverse group of new and existing global investors, including public and corporate pensions, sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies, endowments, private banking platforms, family offices and high net worth individual investors. KKRs Americas private equity platform invests across seven industry teams, including Energy; Financial Services; Healthcare; Industrials; Media & Communications; Retail and Consumer; and Technology sectors. In addition to traditional management buyouts and build-ups, the firm seeks to find opportunities to provide growth capital, as well as minority investments, and public toehold investments where KKR can partner with public companies, leveraging its industry expertise and operational capabilities to add value beyond capital. The Americas private equity team consists of over 60 investment professionals, and is supported by over 20 operational executives in KKR Capstone. The predecessor fund of Americas XII, KKR North America Fund XI began investing in late 2012 and is now fully deployed. It has generated a Gross IRR of 24.0% (net IRR of 18.1%) and a Gross Multiple of 1.5x (net multiple of 1.4x) as of December 31, 2016. With the closing of this fund, KKRs Americas private equity business manages approximately $36 billion in assets under management. FinSMEs 09/03/2017 OncoResponse, a Houston, Texasbased immuno-oncology antibody discovery company, raised approx. $3.5m and closed a $22.5m Series A financing. Backers included HT Family Office, which joined Arch Venture Partners, Canaan Partners, and MD Anderson, Marsh Rice University, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Baxalta, GreatPoint Ventures and the Helsinn Investment Fund. The company, which had previously announced Series A round raises of $7M in October 2016 and of $12.5m in May 2016, will use the funds for its ongoing efforts to interrogate the humoral response of elite responders to cancer immunotherapy to identify antibodies and potential targets for novel therapeutic development. Led by Clifford J. Stocks, CEO, OncoResponse utilizes a clinically validated platform technology to screen antibodies made by the human immune system and identify those with better reactivity to cancer. The company has a strategic alliance with MD Anderson Cancer Center, which provides access to patient samples across multiple cancer indications and to oncology and translational medicine expertise including clinical and regulatory input. In conjunction with the funding, OncoResponse has also appointed Mike Gallatin, Ph.D., Albert Yu, M.D., and Elizabeth Jaffee, M.D. to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), who will join original members James Welsh, M.D. and David Hong, M.D., both investigators at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Kristine Swiderek, Ph.D., CSO of OncoResponse, is chair of the SAB. FinSMEs 09/03/2017 Skoove, a Berlin, Germany-based piano learning platform, raised 1.2m in funding. Backers included IBB-Bet and Egora Holding, which joined existing investor High-Tech Grunderfonds. The company intends to use the capital to scale operations. Co-founded in August 2014 by music technology entrepreneurs Dr Florian Plenge and Stephan Schulz, Skoove provides professional online piano training. Since its launch in 2015, the web-based platform has already provided over 200,000 piano lessons, to beginners and players with existing experience, across 187 countries. In conjunction with the funding, the company is launching on iOS, available to download for free on iPad from within the Apple App Store from 8th March, 2017. Skoove is supported by the Microsoft Ventures Alumni Program globally. FinSMEs 09/03/2017 Neither Moscow nor Kyiv says they may want to broaden 'Normandy format' - German FM Berlin has not received any messages from Moscow and Kyiv that they may want to change the existing format of Ukrainian settlement negotiations, German Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said. "So far, I have not heard a wish either from Moscow or from Kyiv to change the format," Gabriel said in an interview with Interfax when asked about the possibility of 'resetting' the Minsk process on Ukraine and prospects for the United States' inclusion in the 'Normandy format'. "The Minsk agreements describe all of the important issues that would emerge should any new talks begin," he said. With Kerala in the grip of a severe drought, the government today said it will further restrict the use of groundwater by soft drink major Pepsico at Palakkad even as traders have planned to stop the sale of Pepsi and Coca Cola in the state. "The government will take stern measures to restrict usage of groundwater due to prevailing drought and if possible stop Pepsico from drawing it at its plant at Puthussery in Palakkad by using the power vested in it under the State Disaster Management Act," Water Resources minister Mathew T Thomas told the Assembly on Wednesday. Under these special circumstances, the company has to reduce the use of water and the government would take all possible steps in this regard, Thomas said. Meanwhile, Pepsico rejected allegation of "misuse" of groundwater and said abstraction of water by the company has not affected borewell, open well and groundwater discharge structures in any village around the plant. Kerala Vyapari Vyavasai Ekopana Samiti President T Nasaruddin said traders would boycott the sale of Coca Cola and Pepsi as a mark of protest against alleged exploitation of groundwater by the soft drinks majors. "A final decision in this regard would be taken on March 14 after a meeting with the Chief Minister," Nasaruddin said adding "the decision was in tune with a similar resolve of traders in neighbouring Tamil Nadu". In a related development, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan welcomed the move of traders and said government would extend support to the initiative to check the threat to exploitation of water, pollution and lifestyle diseases. In a Facebook post, Vijayan said traders of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu had already decided to stop the sale of Pepsi and Coca Cola and "it is seen from media reports that traders in Kerala are also planning to take up this. It is expected that all traders will become part of this", Vijayan said. Thomas was replying to a submission of CPI(M) veteran and Chairman of State Administrative Reforms Committee V S Achuthanandan, seeking steps to check the use of groundwater by the soft drink manufacturer. Pepsico India said the company has been granted permission by the Kerala High Court to draw up to 6 lakh litres of water per day. "We have been complying with the high court order, until the recent direction of Disaster Management Authority for reduction of water consumption up to 75 percent," it said in a statement. "It is unfortunate that this direction has not considered the high court's order and accordingly PepsiCo has been compelled to reduce its water consumption drastically to only 1.5 lakh litres per day," the company said. "We have been abiding by the law of the land and hence it is disheartening to see the targeted misinformation campaign against us on the alleged misuse of water", Pepsico India Spokesperson Sandipan Ghatak said. Kotak Mahindra Bank's promoter Uday Kotak on Wednesday sold 1.5 percent stake in lender to two Canadian pension funds for an estimated Rs 2,255 crore through open market transactions. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec acquired a total of 2.76 crore shares, amounting to 1.5 percent stake, in the private sector lender. These shares have been purchased from Uday Kotak, the main promoter of the bank. According to block deal data available with the BSE, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought 92 lakh shares while Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec snapped up 1.84 crore shares. The shares were picked up at an average price of Rs 817, valuing the transaction at Rs 2,254.92 crore, the data showed. At the end of December 2016, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board owned 5.76 per cent stake in the lender. Uday Kotak, along with family members, held 33.61 percent stake in the bank as of December 2016, out of which 33.30 per cent is held by Kotak in his personal capacity. The stake sale by Uday Kotak, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of the private sector lender, is part of an effort to comply with RBI's directive. The lender has been asked by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to bring down its promoter shareholding to 30 percent by June 30, 2017. Further, the bank will have to reduce promoter holding to 20 percent by December 31, 2018, and 15 percent by March 2020 in line with the guidelines for new bank licence. Shares of Kotak Mahindra Bank fell nearly 1 percent to close at Rs 824.50 on BSE on Wednesday. Karan Johar picked the wrong woman to bully. If theres one thing we learnt about Kangana Ranaut last year during the Hrithik Roshan scandal, it was that she doesnt back down. Just days after Karan Johar accused Kangana of playing the woman and victim card" too often and suggested that she leave the industry, the actress has replied. And, how! The prevailing sentiment among most people that I spoke with, after the video of Karans dissing Kangana at London School Of Economics surfaced, was that she shouldnt bother saying anything anymore. Whats the point of escalating things? After all, we were taught by our parents to take the high road in an altercation. But when you are being bullied, ignoring it reinforces a sense of powerlessness in the target. Karan belittled, humiliated and insulted Kangana on a public platform. Addressing that bullying on an equally public medium was the only option for the actress to push back. In the Mumbai Mirror interview, Kangana says: Why is Karan Johar trying to shame a woman for being a woman? What is this about the 'woman card' and the 'victim card'? This kind of talk is demeaning to all women, particularly the vulnerable because they are the ones who really need to use them. The 'woman card' might not help you become a Wimbledon champ, or win you Olympic medals, or bag National awards. It might not even land you a job, but it can get a pregnant woman who feels her water is about to break a 'ladies' seat on a crowded bus. It can be used as a cry for help when you sense a threat. The same goes for the 'victim card', which women like my sister, Rangoli, who is a victim of an acid attack, can use while fighting for justice in court For someone who has been ridiculed for her fluency with English, Kanganas reply is very articulate. More articulate than say the man who wondered if she knows what nepotism means. In her reply, Kangana talks about choice and power. Its important to remember that a womans right to choose what she does with her body, her mind and her life is what equality is all about. Kangana has the choice to play whatever card she chooses. Whatever weapon she has choice to use available in her arsenal to take down the bullies whose place of privilege accords them more protection than she has ever had. Karan took potshots at Kangana when she wasnt around to defend herself; her reply makes it very clear that her fight is not against an individual. I am not fighting Karan Johar, I am fighting male chauvinism, she says. One of the most effective ways to stand up to a bully is to fight back with logic and clarity. Her response makes it clear that she didnt need his platform to air her opinions; that they have in fact worked together in a film (Ungli) that his production house produced; that airing their exchange from Koffee with Karan was not a sign of his magnanimity but was done for TRP and, most importantly, that she is a self-made woman who is definitely not going anywhere. Time and again, Kangana has proven that she is exactly the kind of badass that Bollywood needs. It takes a lot to stand up to bullies who are more influential, but Kangana has never cowed down. Who would have thought that Koffee With Karan, a show that its host described as frivolous, would result in lessons on feminism, nepotism, grace and bullying? Definitely not Karan. A Harry Potter actor is fighting to recover in intensive care after being involved in a horrific car crash on Monday, 7 March 2017. Jim Tavare, who appeared in the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, suffered a punctured lung, a broken neck, 15 broken ribs and multiple other injuries in the accident, reports The Hindustan Times. The 54-year-old actor and comedian, who played Tom the Innkeeper for the Leaky Cauldron pub in the hit 2004 film, managed to raise a thumbs up sign in a picture shared on social media by his wife, Laura. The British thespian, who moved to Los Angeles in 2008 after his successful appearance on reality show Last Comic Standing, has also undergone two blood transfusions and requires surgery. His wife Laura relayed the shocking news in a Facebook post to Jim's friends and fans and asked for them to keep the injured actor in their thoughts. She wrote: "Now that his family have been informed, Jim has asked me to let you all know that he was involved in a serious car accident yesterday, a head on collision. He's currently in ICU intensive care. He has 15 broken ribs, fractures in both breastbones, a punctured lung, multiple breaks in his right leg, and a broken neck. " Tavare has appeared in The Sketch Show (which won a BAFTA) and has also recently appeared in David Duchovny's Californication. By Ron Bousso | HOUSTON HOUSTON Senior Saudi energy officials told top independent U.S. oil firms in a closed-door meeting this week that they should not assume OPEC would extend output curbs to offset rising production from U.S. shale fields, two industry sources told Reuters on Thursday.Oil producers led by Saudi Arabia and top non-OPEC exporter Russia are in an uneasy truce with U.S. shale firms after a two-year price war that sent many shale producers to the wall. The Saudis and Russia led a deal to curb output in late 2016 to end a global supply glut that pushed oil prices to a 12-year low.The resulting rise in oil prices has sparked a rush of new output by shale producers, who this week outlined ambitious production growth plans across the United States.Speaking at an industry conference in the U.S. energy capital of Houston on Tuesday, Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said that there would be no "free rides" for U.S. shale producers benefiting from the upturn.Falih's senior advisors went a step further at the meeting on Tuesday evening with executives from Anadarko (APC.N), ConocoPhillips (COP.N), Occidental Petroleum Corp (OXY.N), Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD.N), Newfield Exploration (NFX.N) and EOG Resources (EOG.N)."One of the advisors said that OPEC would not take the hit for the rise in U.S. shale production," a U.S. executive who was at the meeting told Reuters. "He said we and other shale producers should not automatically assume OPEC will extend the cuts."The Saudis called the meeting to exchange views on the market and to gauge the outlook for shale output, both sources said. Both sources spoke about the meeting on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.A spokesman for Conoco declined to comment on the meeting. The five other U.S. companies represented at the meeting did not respond to requests for comment.Saudi energy officials also declined to comment. The meeting came after OPEC Secretary-General Mohammed Barkindo met hedge funds and shale producers in Houston earlier in the week, seeking to widen talks on how to tame the global glut.The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries joined forces with Russia and several other non-OPEC producers last November and pledged to cut production by about 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) for six months starting Jan. 1. Falih said on Tuesday that global inventories had fallen more slowly than he expected in the first two months of the year, although oil market fundamentals were improving as a result of the curbs.On Wednesday, oil prices plunged 5 percent to lowest levels this year after U.S. crude inventories surged to a record high, in part because of rising output from shale producers. The price continued to fall on Thursday. The inventory rise stoked concern that the glut could persist because shale supply, along with more output from Brazil and Canada, could offset output cuts by OPEC and some non-OPEC suppliers.[O/R]The U.S. government expects U.S. oil output to rise 330,000 bpd in 2017, mostly from shale, but some analysts and producers are forecasting the increase could be more than double that amount.OPEC next meets on May 25 in Vienna to discuss supply policy, and is expected to decide there on whether to extend supply curbs implemented on Jan. 1.In a joint news conference on Tuesday, Falih, Russian Oil Minister Alexander Novak, Mexican Deputy Secretary of Energy Aldo Flores, Iraqi Oil Minister Jabar al-Luaibi and Secretary-General Barkindo, said they were happy with compliance by the pact's members so far.Unlike the OPEC and non-OPEC state-run producers that have agreed to curb output, there is no mechanism for U.S. independent producers and global oil majors to restrain output. Their imperatives are commercial, and they produce as much oil as they can at profit. (Editing by Simon Webb and Brian Thevenot) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Douglas Busvine | NEW DELHI NEW DELHI A deal to build six Westinghouse nuclear reactors in India is still alive, but to be viable must be ring-fenced from a financial crisis at the U.S. reactor maker and its Japanese parent Toshiba Corp, people with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.Westinghouse would only provide reactors for the six AP1000 units to be built in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. It would not carry out civil engineering work to build the entire project - an approach that led to cost overruns at its projects in the United States.Toshiba last month booked a $6.3 billion charge arising from those overruns, forcing it to put its core flash-memory chip business up for sale and pull out of building nuclear power plants abroad.Despite the financial crisis, Westinghouse CEO Jose Gutierrez flew in to India last week for talks with state-run National Power Corp of India Ltd (NPCIL) and the Department of Atomic Energy that reports to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said two people who spoke on condition of anonymity. "We still have daily meetings and things are going to plan," said one, echoing comments to Reuters on Feb. 17 by India's atomic energy secretary Sekhar Basu.Westinghouse and NPCIL did not respond to calls and emails requesting comment. U.S.-INDIA NUCLEAR COOPERATION Modi and former U.S. President Barack Obama made finalizing the multi-billion-dollar reactor deal by mid-2017 the centerpiece of their Washington summit last June. That deadline will probably slip but, in an industry inured to lengthy talks, some participants now suggest a final agreement would still be possible by the end of this year. Closing the deal would crown a U.S.-India civil nuclear accord championed by George W. Bush that had been slow to advance because of teething troubles over liability in the event of a nuclear accident.Now, existential doubts over the viability of nuclear power at a global level threaten Modi's ambitious goal of tripling India's nuclear capacity by 2024 to wean Asia's third-largest economy off polluting fossil fuels like coal.Toshiba has asked a Japanese law firm to estimate the potential financial impact if Westinghouse files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to protect itself from creditors and allow it to continue operating. Indian engineering group Larsen & Toubro, a potential partner that has signed a memorandum of understanding with Westinghouse to supply nuclear plant elements and do civil works, still views the India project as viable. "As long as the guarantees are in place, I see no reason why this won't go ahead," Shailendra Roy, head of L&T's power business, told Reuters, without elaborating on the nature of any such guarantees. "I don't think the financial crisis at Westinghouse will affect the execution of the project," he added. "The project is on, it is viable and that is what the government has intimated to us." "SAFEST AND MOST ECONOMICAL" Westinghouse advertises its AP1000 pressurized water reactor, with a generation capacity of 1,110 megawatts, as "the safest and most economical nuclear power plant available". Yet it was the same reactor that was the source of its financial problems in the United States, and construction of a fleet of AP1000s in China has also faced delays. Critical to managing costs is ensuring that any overruns on the construction side of the project would be borne by contractors and not Westinghouse, as is the norm in India, one of the sources said. And, while technical negotiations have reached an advanced stage, more work is needed on the commercial side of the deal that would include financing from the Export-Import Bank of the United States.U.S. ExIm, though, has lacked a quorum on its board of directors, preventing it from issuing loans over $10 million, and the attitude of new President Donald Trump's administration to the India reactor deal remains unclear.Those are grounds enough for scepticism, say some nuclear industry experts and sources in India."I doubt that NPCIL will finalize a deal until there is clarity about Toshiba's exit, and who the new project manager would be," said Rakesh Sood, a former disarmament negotiator and now a distinguished fellow at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi.For a Graphic on "Nuclear power plants in India", click: here (Additional reporting by Tommy Wilkes and Aditya Kalra; Editing by Ian Geoghegan) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Jane Chung | SEOUL SEOUL U.S. oil prices rose in Asian trade on Thursday as high compliance with OPEC's production cuts lent support, although U.S. record crude inventories weigh on market sentiment. U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 climbed 33 cents, or 0.66 percent, to $50.61 a barrel at 0032 GMT, after plummeting 5.38 percent to $50.28 per barrel in the previous session, hitting the lowest level since December.International Brent crude futures LCOc1 were yet to trade after closing 5 percent lower at $53.11 a barrel.Crude inventories in the United States, the world's top oil consumer, surged last week by 8.2 million barrels, handsomely beating the forecast of a 2 million barrel build. [EIA/S] "When combined with the huge speculative long positions in the market, its not surprising that prices sold off so strongly," ANZ said in a note. "However, there is increasing talk of extending the OPEC production cut agreement."Kuwait Oil Minister Essam Al-Marzouq said on Wednesday that OPEC's compliance with an oil output cut exceeded a target, standing at 140 percent in February, while non-OPEC embers compliance was 50-60 percent. Kuwait is set to host a ministerial meeting on March 26, attended by both OPEC and non-OPEC members to review compliance with crude oil production cuts.OPEC and other major oil producers including Russia reached a landmark agreement last year to cut output by almost 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) during the first half of 2017. (Reporting by Jane Chung; Editing by) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Recently, Union minister Venkaiah Naidu said the Centre was contemplating a stricter sedition law to deal with students and people who raise slogans calling for 'azaadi' or 'freedom'. These slogans have also become popular in areas such as Bastar and Jammu & Kashmir. Speaking to India Today, Naidu said, "If raising azaadi slogans is not treason, then I dont know what is. He went on to state, "These people giving slogans are taking to arms in Kashmir, in Chhattisgarh, in Jharkhand. They believe power comes from the barrel of the gun... Sponsors of terrorism (also) believe that they can get azaadi by use of force. The slogan of azaadi is followed by violence." While casual remarks by a senior Cabinet minister about amending a harsh provision of the Penal Code ought to be avoided generally, let us take the minister at his word and examine if there is a case to amend the provision in the Indian Penal Code relating to sedition. Section 124-A of the Penal Code of 1860 as it stands already addresses the minister's concerns. If there is any speech that calls for the overthrow of the government established by law in India via violent means or incites violence to achieve that object, then that speech is seditious speech. So at the outset Section 124-A address the issue of violence. But the broader point, do all calls for Azaadi necessarily constitute treason and do they necessarily translate into violence? By trying to make this case the minister has taken on a burden that even the British Government did not attempt to take on during British Rule in India. Sedition had actually never existed in the original Penal Code as it had been enacted in the year 1860. It was implemented via an amendment in the year 1870 and again changed in 1898 to clarify a few things. Namely, disaffection included all forms of disloyalty and enmity, secondly, disagreeing with governmental measures or administrative asking that they be changed by lawful means without exciting or attempting to excite hatred did not constitute an offence. So what did this effectively mean? It meant that the Indian National Congress could meet in the year 1885 and carry on its activities without all its members being locked up in jail for acts of sedition. In fact, the two famous sedition trials of Indian National Congress leaders during the Independence movement of Gandhi and Lokmaniya Tilak were held because there was a clear instance of violence associated with it. Gandhi with the Chauri Chaura incident and Lokmaniya Tilak with his advocacy of Russian Revolutionary Tactics. Most other leaders of the Congress who were detained under preventive detention laws like the Defence of India Act, 1915 which were later enacted in peace time in 1919 and once more during World War II during war time preventive detention. A fun fact most people will not know is a similar preventive detention laws still remain on our statute books today like the National Security Act, 1980, various laws by the state governments and there is a Defence of India Act that is enacted every time India goes to war to provide for preventive detention. So when the British were ruling in India, an Indian subject at that time, could freely walk into a public square and peacefully advocate for Indian Independence via constitutional methods, further, an Indian subject could also write articles for newspapers as many Indians did, form a peaceful association to advocate for this cause (as was the Indian National Congress). But today, the Indian government says that they need to tighten up the sedition law to reduce the freedom of an Indian citizen to a point where the freedom is less than the freedom Indian subjects enjoyed at the point when they were ruled by a foreign power. Surely, Indian citizens must enjoy the freedom to discuss or advocate peacefully for "Azaadi" without the fear of a criminal prosecution. It must be the government's burden in each case to prove if the speech translated to violence rather than branding all speech as being treasonous. Indian Independence was supposed to be about us living in a country where we could self-actualise our own hopes and ambitions whatever they may be. The country is not at war. There is no emergency that has been declared (despite the so called "undeclared emergency that the left keeps whining about, there is no such emergency and the country is still free), so let people express themselves, advocate their causes and let democracy prevail. We only have to look to Northern Ireland to see how democracy was a far better solution than violence and repressive laws to solve the problem of disquiet. If what the government is saying is true and it is only a minority of people that are making this noise right now, rather than giving their movement moral legitimacy and locking them up, is it not better to engage them in a fair and open debate to prove the pointlessness of their cause? Amending the sedition law right now will only let them beat their chests and say that the country is scared of them, which quite frankly should not be the case. No country should be scared of a bunch of students ever. This is a shifting population that exists on campus. Come their final year, they will line up at the campus placement offices looking for jobs in India's growing economy just like everyone else will. A future in a free open and prosperous India is the argument against "Aazadi", not a stricter 124A. The meeting of NATO-Ukraine Commission at ambassadorial level has been held at the NATO Headquarters, where the sides discussed the situation in the east of Ukraine and in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the prospects of the Minsk process, as well as the situation with the blocking of traffic in the Donetsk region. "The allies expressed concern over the situation with the blocking of coal supply from uncontrolled territories, noting the necessity of resolving the existing contradictions legally," a statement reads released on the website of the Mission of Ukraine to NATO. There was also an exchange of information on Russia's large-scale military activity near Ukraine's borders and NATO and a new wave of escalation of Russia's aggression against Ukraine. The continuing aggravation of the security situation in eastern Ukraine, caused by armed provocations by Russian-backed militants, was discussed. New Delhi: Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal has rejected the AAP government's decision to give Rs 1 crore compensation to the family of ex-serviceman Ram Kishen Grewal who had committed suicide over the OROP issue last year. Sources said that Baijal, on 6 March, rejected the decision of the Delhi Cabinet which had also granted martyr status to Grewal. Last year, the army veteran had committed suicide in the national capital demanding immediate implementation of One Rank One Pension (OROP). "The Lt Governor has turned down the proposal sent by the Delhi Cabinet for his approval, saying it is not in line with compensation policy to provide ex-gratia to servicemen," sources said. In his note to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Baijal said that as mentioned in the Cabinet decision, Grewal had consumed poison on November 1, 2016 during a protest for the implementation of OROP. "This specific case does not fall within the parameters of the scheme for grant of ex-gratia payment i.e death occurring in the discharge of official duty. "Therefore, while I fully sympathise with the family of Subedar (Retd) Late Ram Kishen Grewal, I'm not able to agree to the proposal for payment of ex-gratia relief in this case," Baijal said in the note. He said the position was also explained to the chief minister during his meeting with him earlier this month. This is the first proposal of the Delhi government shot down by Baijal after he cleared a slew of files that were stuck with the LG office during Najeeb Jung's tenure. The move may trigger a tussle between the AAP dispensation and the LG office. Sources said the proposal was also turned down as Grewal was neither associated with any service with the Government of NCT of Delhi, nor a resident of the capital. As per the existing scheme, ex-gratia payment is made in cases of defence, paramilitary forces, the Delhi Police, Home Guard, Civil Defence, Delhi Fire Service personnel dying in discharge of bonafide official duty. "They have to be either working with the GNCT of Delhi/Delhi Police or have their permanent address recorded at the time of joining service as Delhi in case of defence/paramilitary personnel. The situations that qualify for ex-gratia payment are well defined in the scheme," Baijal said. Reacting to the move, Kejriwal today attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Narendra Modi is anti-soldier. Modi ji himself doesn't not provide good food to soldiers and when we are trying to help the family of the deceased soldier, why is he stopping us?" he tweeted. In November, Kejriwal had announced a compensation of Rs one crore for Grewal's family. His suicide had sparked political slugfest as Kejriwal and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi had attacked the Centre for "not fulfilling OROP demand" of the ex-serviceman. Both leaders had also been detained by the Delhi Police when they tried to meet Grewal's family. Gandhi, Kejriwal and other political leaders had reached the army veteran's native village to attend his cremation. In the battle against a highly evolved terror outfit like the Islamic State (IS), we cannot afford to make the kind of mistakes that followed a blast in a Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train on Wednesday, carried out by an alleged IS-influenced home-grown terror group. Apart from the needless confusion created by contradicting voices within India's security establishment, over whether the radicalised youths were "really" linked with IS, we now have a seasoned politician like Digvijaya Singh justifying terrorism, by floating obscurantist theories about the 'causes' of radicalisation. If the first reaction reveals stunning ignorance about IS and how its infectious ideology proliferates across the globe, the second is a cynical attempt to fish in the troubled waters of Indian politics. In an interview with Times Now, the senior Congress leader "requested" the BJP-led government not to 'alienate Muslims in the country' and put forth a problematic causal relationship between victimhood and radicalisation a narrative that IS has exploited to the hilt while furthering its hateful ideology. To say that "Indians will get attracted to Pakistan and Islamic State if equal opportunity is not given to Muslim youth" is a strikingly derisive remark to make, as it hands on a platter to IS exactly the kind of justification it needs to spread its agenda. But that's not all. A report in Times of India quoted Singh as saying that "injustice to Muslims" was making IS "attractive". Blaming the BJP government at the Centre for IS's rise in India, the senior Congress leader said: "Continuous persecution and injustice to Muslims will make Pakistan's wish to create unrest in India attractive. They have to be given a sense of belonging and confidence that everyone is equal." Singh is a former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh. As the once holder of a high Constitutional office, one expects a little more circumspection from him. There is a space and time for politics. This is not it. By using IS as a political motif, Singh is playing with fire, forcing upon a multi-cultural, multi-faith, heterogeneous nation like India a risk it cannot afford to take. His comments forced author Taslima Nasreen, who has been a victim of intolerance that is the sine qua non of IS ideology, to post on social media: An Indian politician said 'injustice to Muslims making Islamic State attractive'! Why is it necessary for politicians to justify terrorism? taslima nasreen (@taslimanasreen) March 9, 2017 The very day that Singh made his ridiculous remark, IS operatives disguised as medical staff entered a military hospital in Kabul and blew themselves up in a suicide attack, killing at least 38 and injuring dozens others. This IS strike follows a November attack at Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in Pakistan's Sehwan, when more than 80 were butchered and another ambush on a relief convoy in Afghanistan that immediately killed six Red Cross employees. The question to Singh is, were these IS operatives in Afghanistan and Pakistan, too, victims of 'discrimination against Muslims'? Despite a global, multi-nation pushback against IS, that involves on-the-ground military action, anti-propaganda measures, cyber warfare, excommunication and other ideological countermeasures, its ideology has proven to be extremely resilient and hard to invalidate. As a report in The Economist points out, since last September, a US-led coalition killed around 15,000 IS fighters and nearly pushed them out of their territorial strongholds, and yet "estimates of the groups force have grown in the same period from around 20,000-30,000 soldiers to as many as 70,000, including 15,000-20,000 foreigners." These 'foreigners' would be a motley crew of youth driven towards Islamic State ideology from all across the globe, including developed European nations. Were Singh's 'theory' true, we would have to say that Muslims all around the globe are being 'victimised'. This is exactly the message that IS wishes to disseminate. The above-mentioned report also quotes Charlie Winter of the Quilliam Foundation (a London-based think tank at the forefront of anti-Islamist propaganda, founded by ex-extremist Maajid Nawaz) as saying that apart from violence, IS feeds on a range of tropes including "mercy, victimhood, belonging and Utopianism in addition to war and murder." Islamic State uses themes like victimhood narrative as a cover to justify its actions and simultaneously extends its appeal. Columnist Ben Shapiro writes in Counter Jihad Report, "If they (IS operatives) werent victims, why would they kill innocents? This cyclical thought process works this way: claim Islamophobia as a rationale for terrorist backlash, then use every sign of backlash against terrorism to reinforce the Islamophobia narrative." At the other end of the spectrum, the contradicting statements of various Indian security agencies on whether the radicalised youths had "real" links with IS is a red herring that will lead us nowhere. As many recent studies have shown, as more and more nations increase their border vigil and scrutinise harder their ports of entry to keep out radicalised youths, Islamic State has started discouraging its followers to travel to their 'Caliphate'. Instead, it disseminates literature through encrypted social media channels, produces sleek propaganda videos and induces the kind of 'self-radicalisation' that has been witnessed in Saifullah. 'Self-radicalisation' itself is a problematic concept in this context. Based on documentary evidence, a report in Indian Express points clearly to the fact that Saifullah was "was appointed military head of a terror group inspired by the organisation (IS) over a year ago". The alleged member of the so-called Khorasan module was found dead with an Islamic State flag and bomb-making manuals and raw materials around him. This clearly points to IS-induced radicalisation. Whether he was actively wooed by an IS operative (NIA claims he was) or became 'self-radicalised' is of academic interest. The point is that he became infected by the IS ideology to the extent that he launched a terror strike and chose to commit suicide instead of surrendering to security forces. Instead of fruitless debates, we should recognise the danger and look for ways to counter it. The academic fraternity to which Delhi University professor GN Saibaba belongs strongly believes that this wheelchair-bound professor of English will get relief from a higher court. While expressing shock and dismay over the courts verdict that sentenced Saibaba along with four others to life imprisonment on 7 March, the fraternity, along with lawyers, has also raised serious doubts over the manner in which the prosecution succeeded in getting the professor and five others convicted of serious charges like waging war against the nation, without presenting any credible evidence. Citing the precedence of DU lecturer SAR Gilani and Chhattisgarh-based medical practitioner and human rights activist Dr Binayak Sen, the DU teachers expressed full confidence that Saibaba would be acquitted. Both Gilani and Sen were convicted of similar charges including sedition, and later got relief from higher courts. "Even though I have not had the opportunity to examine the judgment in detail, the verdict is extremely shocking as there did not appear to have been any credible evidence against Saibaba," said Professor Nandita Narain, a member of Committee in Defence of Dr Saibaba. She added, "There seems to be a witch hunt against those raising issues of human rights violations of tribals through Operation Green Hunt etc. Sen had been framed for similar reasons in false cases. Later, the Supreme Court granted bail to him. Similarly, in Gilanis case, the lower courts had given an extremely harsh verdict but the high court had exonerated him. In Saibaba's case, I am confident that after the appeal in the higher courts, he will be freed." "The recent judgment has not been looked at by the Delhi University Teachers Union (DUTA) which is a composite body with diverse political perspectives. In my personal capacity, I would say the denial of bail by lower courts for a very long time to a 90 percent disabled person was disproportionately harsh, and led to a severe deterioration in his health. This time too, the sessions court ignored his health, as he was supposed to undergo a surgery, and sent him to jail on a life term," added Narain, whos also president of DUTA. Another DU professor of economics and a colleague of Saibaba's, Rajeev Ranjan said, "This verdict is shocking for all of us because we expected acquittal of Saibaba in this case. The life term was unexpected. I havent gone through the 800-plus pages of the order copy, but we followed the trials and found that the prosecution couldnt bring single evidence that could establish Saibabas deep links with the Maoists and his plans to wage war against the nation. Out of 23 witnesses presented before the court, 22 were policemen and the one was a barber. A cock-and-bull story was framed. Were 100 percent sure that the higher courts will acquit him." It is learnt that the teachers association of the Ram Lal Anand (RLA) College, where Saibaba had been teaching, is working on a signature campaign and a petition will be given to the government to reconsider the case. Saibaba was arrested by the Maharashtra (Gadchiroli) police for alleged Maoist links and being a 'Naxal ideologue' in 2014. After the arrest, he was suspended from RLA College. It was on the afternoon of 9 May, 2014, when Saibaba was heading back home from the university that a group of policemen in plainclothes stopped his car, dragged the driver out and drove him out of the university campus. The next morning after his arrest from Delhi, he was flown to Nagpur, where the district magistrate heard his case and sent him to prison. He spent 14 months in jail before the Bombay High Court granted him bail for six months in July last year in view of his deteriorating health condition. He had to surrender and again go back to jail in December. He was finally granted bail by the Supreme Court in April this year and the RLA Colleges governing body constituted a one-member committee to revoke his suspension and reinstate him. Even after getting unconditional bail from the Supreme Court in April 2016, this assistant professor failed to be reinstated at RLA College. Similar to the academicians, Saibabas counsel Rebecca John disagreed with the verdict and said, "Saibaba has been convicted under the draconian law the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for his ideology. There is not a shred of evidence against him to prove his links with Maoists or his supposed plan to wage war against the state. Its completely based on presumptions and conjecture, and not on solid evidence. Were going through the order and will file an appeal, which has to be done within 50 days." "Now the State wants to control the minds of the people, their thinking, speech, etc. Saibabas case is similar to Sen's, as in the latters case police failed to produce any evidence strong enough to prove his Maoist links. We hope to get justice from higher courts," she added. Two questions are worth asking in the wake of the decommissioning of one of the two aircraft carriers of the Indian Navy INS Viraat (the oldest of its kind in the world) on 6 March at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai: One, is an aircraft carrier that costs billions of dollars needed for a nations security, particularly for a developing country like India? Two, if there is, indeed, a need, how many of such carriers should India possess? The first question is highly relevant given the fact that the number of countries possessing active aircraft careers and developing new ones has become fewer and fewer over the years. 50 years ago, there were 14 nations which operated aircraft carriers. According to a latest estimate, that number has come down to eight. Countries such as Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Japan and Netherlands have decommissioned their carriers. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, which controlled the waves of all the Oceans in the previous century, does not have a single active carrier today, though it is constructing two at the moment. Russia, still a super power in military terms, has only one active carrier; it is also constructing one more at the moment. The United States has the largest number of active carriers presently, at 10, with two more under construction. China has only one (but a very poor one in terms of technology and capacity), but it is constructing one more. Obviously, one of the important reasons behind countries forgoing carriers is the growing economic pressure. For instance, when India acquired the remodelled Gorshkov in Admiral January 2014 from Russia and rechristened it as INS Vikramaditya, it cost $2.3 billion. But that was not all. India had to pay Russia another $2 billion for 45 MiG-29K fighters, that will be operating from the carrier. In fact, the cost becomes all the more higher, when one takes into account the helicopters, bombers, supporting ships, missiles, bombers and highly sophisticated electronic equipment that accompany a carrier at all times. In other words, a carries is simply not a big platform on the sea, it is a highly integrated 'floating town' having short runways from which the fighter aircraft can land and take off. It is a ubiquitous fighting system that has enhanced combat power, with extended reach and rapid response capability. Besides, critics point out that the "leviathan" that a carrier is has a very soft underbelly, that is becoming increasingly vulnerable to attacks from missiles and submarines, with little chances of sustaining the damage and surviving. In other words, there are doubts over an aircraft carriers relevance in the ever changing battle-space of modern warfare. Is it then not a helpless 'prima donna', occupying the centre-stage at sea, that needs protection at all times? This is a familiar question one often encounters from Air Force officers, who suggest that more investments in the countrys Air wing, instead of spending billions on carriers, will yield better results in providing air-protection to the Navy's assets in the sea. However, both the above arguments against the aircraft carriers need to be taken with a pinch of salt. All told, in every major conflict that the world has seen in the last 70 years whether it is Vietnam or Falklands aircraft carriers have played a major role. India is a major maritime power having lots of stakes in the Indian Ocean region. An aircraft carrier is the most effective means available today of ensuring sea control, stakes that are not only military in nature (threats from China and Pakistan and dangers of piracy, particularly in the region stretching from the Horn of Africa in the west to the Straits of Malacca in the east) but also economic-driven (keeping sea-lanes free and open as our trade is essentially sea-driven; there are maritime resources under the sea in our exclusive economic zone; protecting the interests of Indians working in almost all the important countries in Australasia, Southeast Asia, West Asia and Africa). In other words, a rapidly rising India must have peaceful and secure seas around it by projecting its 'power'. In military parlance, it is called "sea control". And nothing ensures sea control better than an aircraft carrier. In fact, Indias 2009 Maritime Doctrine clearly stipulates that, "sea control is the central concept around which the Indian Navy is structured, and aircraft carriers are decidedly the most substantial contributors to it.'' The carriers, with a group of accompanying frigates, destroyers and submarines, provide an image of absolute naval dominance of the high seas and thus projects the overall power of the country. And this power projection cannot be quantified in terms of money; the overall accrual to the national power far outweighs the monetary costs. In regard to the factor of vulnerability, no weapon-system or platform has ever been immune to challenges in human history. And yet, the fact remains that aircraft carriers, with improved technologies, have not only survived but also remained a step or two ahead of threats of ballistic missiles, counter-measures and obsolescence. In fact, the last carrier that was sunk was way back in 1945 the USS Bismarck Sea (US Navy) that sank with 318 men onboard when it was hit by two Japanese kamikazes. Carriers today are capable of neutralising hostile ships, aircraft and submarines before they become a threat. In fact, a launch of a weapon against any carrier can be instantly detected, intercepted and destroyed at some point in its ballistic trajectory. As it is, an aircraft carrier can move over 600 km a day, which translates to over one million square nautical miles of ocean area which an adversary has to search. By every means, it is a Herculean task. In any case, given its sheer size, build philosophy and damage control features, an aircraft carrier has an amazing capacity to absorb damage. That is why the Indian Navy has a point when it points out that it cannot remain behind its comparable friends, allies and rivals with aircraft carriers. The US alone has 10 of the 18 aircraft carriers in service with various navies, across different oceans. Now let us move on to the second question: How many carriers should India have? It may be noted that the Indian Navy has been operating aircraft carriers continuously since 1961. With the decommissioning of INS Viraat, India at the moment has only one the 45,000 ton Vikramaditya. However, the 40,000 ton INS Vikrant (formerly Project 71 Air Defence Ship or Indigenous Aircraft Carrier) is under construction at the Cochin Shipyard. It is an indigenous carrier that is likely to be commissioned in 2018. Then there is INS Vishal (IAC-II), the second Vikrant-class aircraft carrier, which is currently in its design phase and will be built by Cochin Shipyard for the Indian Navy. It is intended to be the first super carrier to be built in India, with an increase in displacement and proposals to incorporate nuclear propulsion. Supposed to join the Navy in 2025, this super carrier will weigh 65,000 tons and will be about 300 metres long to host a notional air wing of at least 50 aircraft: 35 strike fighters, three airborne early warning (AEW) platforms, eight anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and utility helicopters, and four support aircraft, aerial tankers, or electronic warfare (EW) platforms. It is expected to be capable of speeds greater than 30 knots (56 km per hour). However, in designing this super carrier, India has sought the help of major global shipbuilders and this "help" includes the possibility of technological collaborations. The United States, it is said, is very keen for such collaborations. In fact, the two countries have already held talks in this regard under the banner of 'the India-US joint working group on aircraft carrier technologies.' In other words, going by the available official literature, India is going to have three operational aircraft carriers by 2030. But senior officials say privately that the ideal number should be six five in active duty and one in reserve to be used in rotation, given that the country has a large coastline and maritime interests that are dependent on safety and security of arguably the worlds most important shipping artery running through the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Sunayana Dumala, the widow of Srinivas Kuchibhotla killed in a hate crime in Kansas, conveyed how it was to spend Kuchibhotla's first birth anniversary following the Olathe bar shooting. "It feels weird to wish you this way. Missing you a lot. Hoping you are celebrating and having fun in your new abode surrounded by wonderful things and people, with only love around," Dumala's bittersweet post said with an image of the couple. Srinivas Kuchibhotla (32), working at the Garmin headquarters in Olathe, was killed in the shooting at a restaurant in Kansas. He was killed when 51-year-old US Navy veteran Adam Purinton opened fire at him and his friend Alok Madasani, yelling "get out of my country". Dumala had recently expressed her desire to go back to the US to fulfill her husband's dream. In this post, she chronicles the aftermath of the hate crime, and how the, "fight must go on towards eradicating hatred from the minds of people." She took the opportunity to focus on the support that she received from friends, family and US citizens and the things that Kuchibhotla loved and respected rather than the fact that the American dream turning into a nightmare for Indian immigrants. Following a long silence, Donald Trump finally denounced the Olathe shooting in his first address to Congress at the Capitol Hill. A slew of hate crimes continue to occur in the United States. A Sikh man was shot and wounded outside his home by an unidentified person who shouted "go back to your own country", just days after Kuchibhotla's murder. Dumala's message of peace over hatred is commendable, but one can wonder if it will stem this trend of attacks against Indian immigrants. An encounter is underway between militants holed up inside a house and security forces in Awantipora area of Kashmir's Pulwama district. According to the ANI, two terrorits have been gunned in the encounter. One of them has been identified as Lashkar-e-Taiba's (LeT) Jahangir Ahamd Ganaie and the second one as Mohd Shafi Shergujari. Terrorist killed in Pulwama encounter has been identified as LeT's Jahangir Ahamd Ganaie, operation underway: CRPF ANI (@ANI_news) March 9, 2017 CRPF: Another terrorist gunned down by security forces in Pulwama (J&K) encounter,identified as LeT's Mohd Shafi Shergujari;total 2 killed pic.twitter.com/B4eZNNUhqJ ANI (@ANI_news) March 9, 2017 A civilian died after clashes broke out between security forces and villagers near the encounter site. J&K: Pulwama encounter underway, civilian dies after clashes between security forces and villagers near the encounter site. ANI (@ANI_news) March 9, 2017 Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Padgampora village of Awantipora around 2.30 am following information about the presence of militants in the area, a police official said. He said the militants opened fire at security forces around 4.40 am, which was retaliated by the law enforcement personnel. The militants were hiding in two houses next to each other. The security officials had brought to the spot the mother of one of the militants holed up inside the houses in an effort to get him to surrender but he has refused to do so, he added. Authorities have, meanwhile, suspended train services between Banihal and Srinagar apprehending that miscreants might target the trains along the south Kashmir tracks. (With inputs from PTI) Srinagar: Amidst the ongoing wave of militancy in the Kashmir valley, the families of the militants and Jammu & Kashmir Police are feeling the heat of threats and stern warnings exchanged between the two parties. The war of words started in December last year, when Zakir Rashid Bhat aka Moosa, the successor of Hizbul Mujahideen Commander Burhan Wani, posted a video on social media warning the cops of consequences if they harass the families and relatives of the militants. "By involving our families, you have made a big mistake. This war was between us, but you have involved our families in this war," said Zakir, in a one minute-long video. The situation escalated further on Monday when, reportedly, a group of around 10 alleged militants barged into a senior police officer's house in South Kashmirs Shopian district at night. The militants threatened the officer's parents, warning them to persuade their son to quit the police force or face consequences. The threat, taken seriously by police, forced the DGP, SP Vaid, to engage with the militants. "They (militants) should not drag the families of cops into the conflict and face us on the ground instead, said Vaid. However, in the ongoing war of words, it is the families of the two parties that are forced to be on tenterhooks. "My son is a militant by his own will. We didn't tell him to join the ranks but why are we being harassed by police and other agencies every now and then? They are recording our mobile phones. We are afraid of talking on phones," said the father of a militant in Shopian. "I was called unnecessarily by police many times. They should face my son not me," he added. A father of a surrendered militant said that the constant harassment was the reason why he had persuaded his son to give up arms. "My house was raided twice in the dead of night by forces. I don't know why the police chief is lying that his force doesn't involve families. They started it first," he said, wishing anonymity for fear of police reprisal. "My family was harassed to such an extent that I had to put all my energy to get my son back from militant ranks," he said. After Monday's incident, many police families are thinking of moving out to Jammu or to government apartments with security. "I'm very nervous after the militants barged into a senior cop's home in Shopian. I'm thinking of sending my son and daughter to Jammu if things escalate," said a senior cop, who is posted in North Kashmir but lives in Srinagar's suburban area. "This can take a dangerous turn. Government should really engage with militants. The governments have failed to hold a dialogue with different groups, including militants. It's getting uglier day by day," he said. "It's true that police has to involve families at times to persuade a militant to give up arms. Otherwise, no amount of counselling would work, given the way they (militants) are radicalised," said the cop. "Government apathy is pitting Kashmiris against Kashmiris," he added. "Do you think your families are safe... in Jammu or other parts of India? We can reach them anywhere... We are capable of doing that," Zakir had said, in the video circulated last year. On 8 March, the Anti-Terrorism Squad of the Uttar Pradesh police neutralised Saifullah alias Ikrama, a dreaded terrorist believed to be inspired by the ISIS. Saifullah belonged to the Islamic State's Khorasan module, which is thought to be behind terror acts in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, although its primary target remains India. But for the timely intervention of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), Saifullah and his associates could have continued to spread their tentacles and perhaps caused unimaginable devastation. It was disappointing to read in one of the prominent national dailies on Thursday that a senior official of the Union Home Ministry raised questions about the encounter, doubting whether the terrorists were really linked to the Islamic State. While it is important to establish which terror outfit the latest module was affiliated to, we must remember that a terrorist is a terrorist. It is naive to think that the Islamic State is dormant in India. It's a common knowledge now that Islamic State has already cast a profound spell on some Indian youth, misled through radicalisation programmes often dictated from Syria. One does not need a Baghdadi to indoctrinate a segment of the Indian youth who have, unfortunately, gravitated towards Islamic State ideology. We have numerous cases of National Investigation Agency-led action busting pro- Islamic State modules in states such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh. Social media is playing an important role in indoctrinating youngsters. Thanks to several pro- Islamic State Twitter handles, it is easy for the youth to fall under the spell of radicals. This help to churn out several Saifullahs who'd prefer attaining 'shahadat' rather than surrendering to the police and divulging their structural and operational details. Such is the grit and commitment of these cadres. This argument is buttressed by the fact that Saifullah, despite being exhorted to surrender, did not oblige. Displaying rare patience, ATS officials also managed to get Saifulla's brother to prevail upon him to surrender. However, all their efforts were in vain. The point is, the ATS only went ahead with its operation after all other alternatives were exhausted. Reverting to the questions being raised by an official in the Home Ministry, it is also alleged that "officials in both states should have exercised restraint before airing premature comments ...". The ministry has recommended a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is fine, but to appeal for restraint has a demoralising impact for state forces, especially when the Uttar Pradesh ATS is relentlessly and decisively neutralising terror threats. As an overseeing apex government body, the Ministry of Home Affairs should exhibit vision, closely coordinate and guide states to ensure that anti-terror operations are sending the right message to the remaining terrorists, thus keeping them demoralised. Unwarranted statements will only weaken police resolve . Islamic State-inspired local terror groups are striking up almost all over the world. Any footprint in India should not come as a surprise but a wake-up call. The question is, are we simply seeing a trailer before the real movie unfolds? Paris, Brussels, Istanbul, Kabul and a host of other places have witnessed several attacks recently. There is hardly any time to assess which group is responsible for what or if they are linked to Islamic State or not. Action should take precedence over such a debate. Also, the morale of the forces engaged (the UP Anti-Terrorism Squad in this instance) must take top priority. Her are two indicators of how challenging this task was: the operation was ed by a senior Inspector General-level officer and it lasted for over thirteen hours. Patience and the use of all possible options to catch the terrorist alive were employed. Thakurganj is a communally-sensitive area and the police had the additional responsibility to ensure there was no collateral damage or a flare-up. During election time, politicians are known to use these situations to polarise the populace and make political gain. The UP police, keeping all this in mind, exercised tremendous restraint and displayed true professionalism. The operation started on the eve of the final phase of UP elections. Imagine the pressure the cops were under. Top officers were reeling under 'threats' of the encounter being declared fake. It was a tough call but in the larger interest, the mission was accomplished despite the looming threat of the issue being politicised. A quick glance at the profile of Saifullah and his cadres would reveal that terrorists under one Atiq Muzaffar were using Lucknow as their headquarters for northern India. Profiles of other associates are available with the intelligence agencies. Although Saifullah's associates look determined to do harm, the Uttar Pradesh ATS has struck hard. It is expected that this would cause some deterrence, at least for the foreseeable future and minimise the number of possible terror strikes. In the meanwhile, let things remain apolitical. Let the National Investigation Agency carry out an independent and professional probe. This is the time to jointly fight terror Islamic State or non- Islamic Stateanything else is of merely academic interest. The writer is a retired IPS officer of UP cadre and a security analyst. He is also a Senior Fellow with India Police Foundation Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said the government and the Lok Sabha sympathises with Mohammad Sartaj, the father of a slain terror suspect, who refused to accept the body of his "traitor" son. Rajnath Singh while addressing Lok Sabha lauded Saifullah's father for his refusal to accept his son's body. "A traitor cannot be my son, straight and simple," Sartaj had said on Wednesday about Saifullah, who is suspected to have been influenced by the Islamic State. Saifullah was killed early on Wednesday after a 12-hour police operation in the wake of the Ujjain-Bhopal train blast. Saifullah's body was found with weapons lying next to him when the doors of the house where he was holed up since Tuesday afternoon were opened at the end of the operation, ADGP (Law and Order) Daljit Chaudhary said during a press conference. The police statement came hours after its Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) killed Saifullah, a resident of Manohar Nagar in Kanpur, in Thakurganj's Haji colony in Lucknow. After police raided the hideout on Tuesday evening, the terror suspect opened fire on the police and refused to surrender despite repeated warnings. Police officials said they tried to neutralise the IS operative and catch him alive but that was not to be. A National Investigative Agency (NIA) team arrived earlier on Wednesday to take the probe forward. The NIA will look into the items recovered from slain Saifullah's hideout, where he was killed by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad. India's leaders, however, claimed that the IS group does not have influence in the country. There have been reports of Indians going to fight for the group in Iraq and Syria, but the numbers are low relative to the size of the population. 'Saifullah and his five associates are self-radicalised,' claims ADGP Daljit Chaudhary The Uttar Pradesh police on Wednesday said the youth killed in an anti-terror operation on Wednesday morning and his five arrested associates were "self radicalised" and were trying to build an Islamic State Khorasan module in Lucknow. The encounter came as Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh police teams carried out arrests of several "self-radicalised" suspects with links to the train blast in Shajapur in MP on Tuesday in which 10 people were injured. Closed-circuit television footage from near the train explosion site in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh state helped police identify the suspects. Among the suspects held are Kanpur residents Mohammed Faisal Khan, Mohammed Imran alias 'Bhai Jaan' and Danish, who are believed to be brothers, according to police officials. Police have also arrested Fakr-e-Alam alias Rishu from Etawah and Atiq Muzaffar, a resident of Kanpur, who allegedly was leading the group. Another person identified as Shailendra has also been held from Auraiya, officials said. "These people were self-radicalised and self-proclaimed believers of ISIS ideology. They had no financing from any foreign source. They were using their own properties and other sources to fund their activities," he said. Speaking about the encounter in Lucknow, Chaudhary said that eight pistols, ammunition, bomb-making equipment, timers, wires and other material were found in addition to gold and cash after the ATS operation ended. "They (suspects) tried several times to carry out small-scale terror activities,... low-intensity bombs but were not successful," Chaudhary claimed. The ADGP also said that two laptops which have been recovered from Lucknow and Kanpur have made it clear that the suspects were self-radicalised and influenced by IS literature available on social media. "They also browsed the internet to learn how to make bombs," Chaudhary said. "We found three passports. Four persons were living in the rented house for a few months. They would meet and frequently do recce. We also found compass, batteries, six mobile phones, 45 gram of gold, foreign currency and literature in Urdu and English," he claimed. Chaudhary also said that three passports, recovered from the flat where Saifullah was killed, were issued by the Lucknow regional passport office. Saifullah's father refused to accept the body Saifullah's father, who was killed in an anti-terror operation in Lucknow early on Wednesday, has refused to take the body of a "traitor". Feeling ashamed of his son's activities, Sartaj refused to take Saifullah's body, saying, "A traitor cannot be related to me, let alone be my son." He said he would have handed over his son to the police if he had even "an iota of inkling" about his activities. "My child has done a wrong thing and I have regrets for it... I would have handed him over to the police had I even an iota of inkling about it... The entire world would have seen and noticed how a father could put his own son in police hands," said Sartaj . "There is no need to hide a disease, else it becomes an incurable wound," Sartaj told PTI. "We are Indian citizens. I was born here, my ancestors were born here," he said, adding, "Almost everyone in the family is sad. But it is more shame than sadness for what he has done." He said even his neighbours are wondering as to how this could have happened to a son belonging to a decent family. On his decision not to take the body, he said he was not concerned about what relatives would say. Sartaj said that his son had left home around two and a half months back after being scolded for not working. He said he had hit his son a day before he left home. Saifullah had contacted his family on Monday last week and told them he was going to Saudi Arabia for a job. "I used to tell him to find some employment, but he would not listen to me. I used to be angry with him, scolded him many times. Around two and a half months back, I slapped him for this. Next day I went to work, when I came back I got to know he has left," he said. Asked if Saifullah had contacted his family after leaving home, Sartaj said: "He called on last Monday, and said he has got a visa to go to Saudi. I said it is your wish," he added. His elder brother Khalid said that Saifullah had told the family that he was going to Mumbai to get a visa for Saudi Arabia, where he wanted to go and get some experience in the leather industry. He had taken the Aadhaar card, passport and other papers before leaving three months back, the elder brother said, adding that he did not answer calls, thereafter, and his mobile phone was usually switched off. He had studied accounts and was a deeply religious youth who offered namaaz five times every day. Saifullah had rented a room in a five-room house in Haji colony in Thakurganj area of the state capital. He was living there for the past three months along with two other friends, who are now at large, police told IANS. The four-year-old house belongs to some Badshah Khan and is looked after by caretaker Abdul Qayyum who lived in the same house with his family. Qayyum, a Madarsa teacher, had fixed the rent at Rs 3,000 after approval from the landlord, the caretaker told the police. Meanwhile, the father of two other men, who have been arrested on terror-related charges, has claimed that they were innocent and has sought a fair probe. The police said more arrests are likely. "We have information about the suspects on the run and we will soon catch them," Chaudhary said. He said some of the suspects were students and two of them had a small business. "While we have made three arrests, others are in our custody. We will book them according to their involvement," he said. Shivraj Singh Chouhan reacts to the incident The police official's statement that the men were not linked to the Islamic State comes as Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, speaking in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, said that those who had orchestrated the train blast arrived from Lucknow and planted the bomb in the passenger train as part of a "pre-planned conspiracy". "The terrorists were influenced by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror ideology and carried out the blast. It was a pre-planned conspiracy," Chouhan said in the Assembly during the ongoing budget session. Chouhan also revealed that the explosion was caused by a pipe bomb, whose pictures were sent to Syria through their mobile phones. A timer was also used in the bomb. "The terrorists planted pipe bombs in the Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train and have links to the IS and we have proof. The explosives discovered have IS markings," he said. NIA to probe MP train blast, Lucknow encounter cases: Rajnath Singh Making a statement in the Lok Sabha on the blast in a Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train and subsequent anti-terror operations in Lucknow, Rajnath Singh also said that the anti-terror operations had helped "successfully avert" a possible threat to national security and that further probe would be handed over to the NIA. So far, six arrests have been made related to the train blast, the minister informed Lok Sabha. "When the Uttar Pradesh police met his father to hand over the body, Sartaj said one who could not be faithful to his country, was no one for him," Singh said in the House. "He said I have worked hard all my life for my family, but this boy has shamed me. I sympathise with the father of Saifullah, I am sure the whole House sympathises with him," the Minister said. "He (Sartaj) had to lose a son. The government is proud of such people, the whole House is proud of such people," the minister said, as members from both treasury and Opposition benches joined him by thumping their desks. Giving details of the train blast and the anti-terror operations, the Home Minister said it was an example of good coordination between state police forces and central agencies. "The events present an excellent example of coordination among the state police and central agencies. Due to the prompt action taken by the police of both the states, a possible threat to national security was successfully averted. Further investigations will be handed over to NIA," Singh said. With inputs from agencies Sartaj, the father of slain Islamic State (IS) militant, Saifullah, is an ordinary man working in Kanpurs leather industry. On Tuesday, his metamorphosis was indeed extraordinary and symbolic of what Indian Islam or the Indian Muslim stands for. Pained by the traumatic experience of his most educated son, Saifullah, being killed in an encounter with the police in Lucknow, Sartaj and his family members decided not to take the dead body of his son. "Joh apne desh ka nahi hua woh hamara kya hoga? (I have nothing to do with the man who did not belong to his country)," he said in voice choked with emotion. Sartaj is a quintessential Indian Muslim. Living in a modest home in Kanpur, he along with his family members work hard to make two ends' meet. Saifullah was a BCom dropout and had held promise for his family. But he is believed to have strayed into a world where religion is used as lethal attraction for deviants. Apparently, there is enough evidence to suggest that Saifullahs transition from an ordinary to boy to a criminal did not go unnoticed in the family. He found resistance at every step as his father and brother tried to stop him and force him to return to a normal life. But they failed. In fact, Saifullahs story of self-radicalisation is indicative of a trend that is gradually spreading among Muslim families in India. Indian intelligence agencies have found many instances where unemployed and educated Muslim youths get hooked onto the cyber world of Islamic militancy and look for a greater objective in life than their own mundane existence. In Saifullahs case, he was tracked down by the Telangana Police which has has dedicated cell in its highly specialised Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). After the Ujjain train blast, the Telangana Police informed the Madhya Pradesh Police about two other members of the group and they were arrested. In a series of followups, the ATS of Uttar Pradesh was informed and two arrests were made in Kanpur. Saifullah was cornered later at a house in Lucknow's Thakurganj, an old part of the city with a mixed population. Obviously, Saifullah was killed by the ATS commandos only after the police was convinced about his complicity in the crime and his resistance to surrender. Unlike the past when the Uttar Pradesh Police was known for its brazen manner of operation, the state police headed by one of the most competent IPS officers in the country (Javeed Ahmed) took every precaution to ensure that Saifullah surrendered. After a brief stand-off, he was eventually gunned down. In the entire story of the radicalisation of Saifullah and his group members, Sartajs decision to disown his son indeed emerges as an extraordinary story. Though pained by the death of his son, he and his family members refused to reconcile with the idea that his son was a traitor. As the evidence corroborates Saifullahs complicity in crime and his involvement with militant activity, the family showed its explicit distaste for the course Saifullah had taken. There is little doubt that Sartaj loved his son as much as a father does. Yet he disowned him as Saifullah was a great letdown for the family that nurses its values as part of an Indian Islam that fiercely resists the virulent variant of Islam preached in distant lands of Iraq and Syria. Twelve trucks with humanitarian aid from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have travelled to the territory of Donbas, uncontrolled by Kyiv, through the Novotroyitske checkpoint, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine said. "Vehicles transported food packages with a total weight of 226 tonnes for the residents of the Donetsk region," the State Border Guard Service said on Thursday. In addition, 80 cars for entry and 45 for exit were present at Mayorske checkpoint on the demarcation line in Anti-Terrorist operation (ATO) zone on Thursday morning; 250 for entry and 50 for exit - at Maryinka checkpoint; 100 for entry and 30 for exit - at Novotroyitske checkpoint; 100 for entry and 15 for exit - at Hnutove checkpoint. At this time, all checkpoints are working normally. Gandhinagar: A young woman from Uttar Pradesh was gagged and whisked away by police when she raised slogans near the podium where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was addressing a gathering of women panchayat members on International Women's Day on Wednesday. Hours earlier, two gangrape victims and an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) activist were taken into preventive custody by the Gujarat Police before they could make a representation before the prime minister, even as a group of women congress members was detained at the party office that was cordoned off. At the women sarpanches convention at Mahatma Gandhi Mandir in Gandhinagar, Shalini Singh, an elected sarpanch from Uttar Pradesh's Thora village of Gautam Buddha Nagar district was dragged out of the auditorium by security personnel who covered her mouth to prevent her from talking. She later told reporters that she was seeking the Prime Minister's intervention about development in her village which was being ignored. "I just wanted to personally put forth demands before the PM as neither the state government nor the central government has been heeding to our request for the last two years," said Shalini Singh, who has an MA and B Ed degrees. At the function to felicitate woman sarpanches for implementing cleanliness drive in their respective villages, Modi called upon them to work on the issues of education, female foeticide, gender equity, other than cleanliness drive. He said that the era of husbands of female sarpanches dominating polity in the rural India was on a decline as women were getting educated and empowered. Over 6000 women sarpanches from across the country attended the event. Earlier in the day, AAP's woman volunteer Vandana Patel, who has been carrying out a campaign against what she describes as increasing cases of atrocities against women in Gujarat, had planned to take along with her the victims of Naliya and Mandvi gang rape cases of Kutch district, allegedly involving some office-bearers of Kutch district BJP to make representation to the Prime Minister. All three were taken into preventive detention by police before they could reach the venue. The victim of the Naliya gang rape was rounded up by the police when she was trying to board an Ahmedabad-bound state transport bus from Bhuj, Kutch's district headquarters. While Patel was detained by before she could reach the venue, the woman sarpanch of Mandvi, who is also a victim of gang rape, managed to address a press conference at Bopal in Ahmedabad. However, she too was taken away by police to an undisclosed location. It was widely feared but this is the new reality in Kashmir. After Army Chief Bipin Rawat warned protesters against disrupting anti-militant operation, the killing of a 15-year-old boy during clashes at an encounter site is a stark reminder of what the valley is going to witness in the coming days. The clashes, between security forces and protesters, who obviously wanted to help militants escape left Aamir Wani, a resident of Begumbagh village of Pulwama district, dead and two more injured. The security forces fired at the mob marching towards the encounter site in Padgampora village, a militancy dominant area in south of Kashmir. This is the first killing of a civilian protester, after the Army chiefs warning to protesters, who flock the encounter sites to try to obstruct the operations and prevent the army from carrying out anti-militancy operations. General Rawat, last month, had warned people against obstructing live encounters. "Those who obstruct our operations during the encounters and are not supportive will be treated as overground workers of terrorists, he said. Rawat's words received sharp criticism from all quarters including mainstream politicians as well Hurriyat leaders. They said General Rawat's words were a direct intimidation. Firstpost had earlier argued that forces are likely to fire more ruthlessly at the unruly mob after the Generals statement and it was likely to lead to a massacre every month. On Thursday, Inspector General of police SJM Gilani and Block Medical Officer, Pampore, Dr Saba, confirmed the teenager's death but police said he was killed by a stray bullet. In the encounter, one Lashkar-e-Toiba militant, Jehangir Ganai, was also killed in the encounter by the forces. The family of the militant was called to persuade him to surrender. Public Addressing System was used to reach out to the trapped militant, according to the police. However, he refused to give up and engaged in a gunfight with forces. Despite Army Chief's warning, people continued to obstruct live encounters by clashing with forces by pelting stones to help the militants escape. At least, on two occasions, the troops were forced to abandon anti-militant operations midway after facing stiff resistance from the local population. When an encounter starts these days in the valley, hundreds of people throng the site of the gun-battle to engage the forces in stone-pelting. It is a plan to deflect the attention of forces from the encounter to give enough room to militants to flee from the scene by diverting the energies of the armed forces. In February 2016, two civilians, Shaista Hameed and Danish Farooq, were killed and 16 injured when the forces opened fire on protesters close to the encounter site in Kakapore in Pulwama. Two more civilians, Adil Reshi and Mushtaq Ahmed Itoo, were also killed in forces' firing last month in Nagbal Frisal village of Kulgam. Heavy clashes were going on between protesters and forces when the news of the death spread. Many people have been injured during these clashes. All of them were shifted to a nearby medical facility. The body of the slain teenager reached his ancestral village when the last reports came in. The situation is said to be tense in the entire area. Chants of death to the dictator grow louder as Iran protests intensify The protests in Iran that were sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini have now entered the 42nd day. The demonstrations are more powerful than ever and so is the crackdown by Iranian authorities. Thousands of mourners defied heightened security measures as they made their way to Aminis burial site in After a high-octane campaigning for over two months, results for the five poll-bound states Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipur will be announced on 11 March. But before the counting of votes begins and the results are out, poll pundits get on to number crunching to predict different scenarios. We at Firstpost have gathered the key pre-poll surveys in one place to get a mood of the election season. The data we are interpreting was collected till January 2017. First, we begin with the comparison of two major opinion polls one conducted by Axis My India and another by CSDS, with the polls of polls aggregated by News18. The polls focussed on three states: Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab. Uttar Pradesh While the findings of Axis-My India gives the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance 173 seats, the CSDS poll gives the alliance 19 more seats, taking its tally to 192. The News18 Polls of Polls, conducted in association with Gramener, a data science company, by aggregating the two polls, gives the alliance 181 seats. The arch-rival BSP continues to face bad news from the pollsters. While the CSDS is charitable enough to place BSP with at least 81 seats, Axis My India predicted that the BSP will win only 41 seats. On aggregation, the News18 master poll predicts that the party will win 57 seats. Let's go to the resurgent BJP. While the Axis My India poll puts BJP on top with 185 seats, the CSDS poll gives the saffron party only 123 seats. On aggregation, the master poll puts the final figure at 160 seats. Uttarakhand My Axis poll predicts a resounding victory for the BJP. While it expects the BJP to win 42 seats, it gives only 25 seats to the ruling Congress. The CSDS poll too gives the saffron party a majority. In the 70-member Assembly, it predicts the BJP to get a simple majority with 36 seats. Congress, the poll predicts, will slump to just 28 seats. The Polls of Polls by News18 puts the cumulative tally at 40 for BJP and 26 for the Congress. Punjab Both the polls predict that the Congress will do well in the election. While the Axis My India poll gives the grand old party, 62 seats, the CSDS survey keeps it at 51, eight short of a majority. As far as debutante Aam Aadmi Party is concerned, it is not expected to win a majority, but if both polls are to be believed, the party is likely to do well for a first-timer. The Axis My India poll gives AAP 42 seats, and the CSDS poll gives the Kejriwal-led party 30 seats. However, it is bad news for the ruling BJP-SAD alliance. While the Axis My India predicts just 13 seats for the incumbent alliance, the CSDS polls seems more charitable, pegging the number of seats it can win at 32. An aggregate of the two polls puts Congress just one short of the majority at 58 seats, while the AAP comes second with 37 seats and the ruling SAD-BJP alliance at just 21 seats. Demonetisation drive and public opinion The five-state election is being held in the aftermath of the demonetisation drive which has been the talking point of politicians and pollsters alike. The election results will also be seen as a referendum on Modi's decision to demonetise the high-value currency notes. All the major pre-poll surveys sought public opinion on the demonetisation drive of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. In general terms, respondents in every poll are by and large supportive of the move. However, the ABP-Lokniti-CSDS poll also comes across respondents who support the idea but are apprehensive about its implementation. While 41 percent of the respondents in Uttar Pradesh are supportive of the note ban, 30 percent are supportive but they lambasted the poor implementation. The India Today-Axis poll recorded 42 percent positive response to the move, while 35 percent of the responses are negative. However, in the Times Now-VMR poll, 63 percent of the respondents in India's largest state supported prime minister Modi's plan while only 32 percent opposed it. India Today-Axis poll Goa The poll predicts a clear win for the BJP in the Goa Assembly, with 25 seats. The Congress, on the other hand, it predicts, will win only 13 seats while the debutant AAP may have to be content with just two seats. The poll also seeks to know people's choice for the post of chief minister of Goa. Around 35 percent of the total respondents want Defence Minister Manohar Parrikkar back as the chief minister. Former chief minister Digambar Kamat came a distant second, with 16 percent of the respondents wanting him to serve a second term. Incumbent Laxmikant Parsekar came third with 15 percent. While Parsekar may not have been a popular chief ministerial choice, people seem to have a high level of satisfaction with his government's performance. Fifty-three percent of the total respondents are reported to have expressed satisfaction with government's performance while only 44 percent of the respondents are unhappy with the saffron party's regime. Uttarakhand On the question of the most popular choice for the post of chief minister, the battle in the hill state seems evenly split between former chief minister BC Khanduri and the incumbent Harish Rawat. Nevertheless, despite being a popular choice for the post of chief minister, respondents are unhappy with his government's performance. Around 56 percent of them answered in negative when asked to rate the government. Punjab Around 54 percent of the respondents are unhappy with the SAD-BJP government's performance. Uttar Pradesh In India's largest and most populous state, the respondents seem evenly divided over their view on the Akhilesh Yadav government. While 49 percent of them are satisfied with the Samajwadi Party's rule, another 44 percent are unsatisfied. Huffpost-CVoter poll Uttarakhand Contrary to the India Today-Axis poll, Huffpost-CVoter poll puts Khanduri as a more popular chief ministerial candidate than Rawat. The poll also predicts a very peculiar hung Assembly in the state with both Congress and BJP winning 34 seats in the 70-member Assembly. In terms of vote share too, both parties are neck to neck with just a difference of 0.1 percent. Goa The poll predicts a hung Assembly in the state. While the Congress is expected to be the single largest party with 16 seats, the BJP is a close second with 15 seats. While the BJP is predicted to be the largest party by vote share with 31 percent of the total votes, the Congress, which the poll predicts will win the most seats, is a distant second with 26 percentage vote share. The "others" play a spoilsport, dividing the anti-incumbency votes yet contributing to a hung Assembly. Manipur The poll also ventured into the northeastern state. While it expects the ruling Congress to lose power, winning just 19 seats, according to it, the BJP is likely to end up being the single largest party with 23 seats. The poll predicts that Trinamool Congress, NPF and independents may win the other 18 seats. The pollster predicts a unique situation in the state, with regional parties winning more votes. ABP-Lokniti-CSDS poll The poll does an in-depth breakdown of Uttar Pradesh's political dynamics. While identifying the caste-based equations in the state, the poll reveals that around 73 percent of Yadavs and 74 percent of Muslim voters are likely to rally behind SP, while Jatavs may remain with the BSP. The poll suggests that while the Kurmi votebank is split between BJP and SP, non-Kurmi OBCs and upper caste voters are likely to boost BJP's chances in the poll. The incumbent chief minister Akhilesh Yadav remains the most popular choice for the top post, with 26 percent of the respondents choosing him over Mayawati a close second with 21 percent. Times Now-VMR poll on Uttar Pradesh The poll gives Uttar Pradesh to the BJP. It predicts the party to win 202 seats, with 34 percent vote share in the 403 member Assembly. According to the poll, the ruling Samajwadi Party, in alliance with the Congress is expected to be a distant second with 147 seats and 31 percent share of the total votes. While the SP is set to be the runner-up in this opinion poll, its chief ministerial candidate Akhilesh emerged as the most popular choice for the top post. See the full comparison of pre-poll surveys here In all likelihood, no one, off the top of their heads, remembers the pre-poll survey figures for the Assembly elections in five states Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur provided by various agencies on or ahead of 1 February, the last day for their publication. And so, to refresh your memory, click here. Nevertheless, all the excitement on Thursday is reserved for the announcement of the exit poll predictions that were delayed by the Election Commission for a day because polling in one constituency in Uttar Pradesh (Alapur) and one constituency in Uttarakhand (Karnprayag) had been postponed due to the death of Samajwadi Party and BSP candidates contesting from these constituencies. Rewind to May 2016 and after results were out for the five states that went to the polls Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, many cursed and criticised pollsters for yet again failing to assess the actual mood of the people. The very same thing had happened in elections held before that those in Delhi, Bihar, Haryana, Maharashtra, the General Election in 2014 and prior ones. More often than not, the pollsters have proven to be wrong. After the actual results are out, analysts analyse who went wrong and who perhaps was the closest. Survey agencies get the flak and move on. And when the next elections roll around, they are back in business. Despite their proven failures, people still look forward to these predictions, before the beginning of the polls as surveys and upon the conclusion of polls as exit polls. Surveys and exit polls add colour to the great democratic festival called elections. It generates business, generates popular excitement those living in states concerned and outside, kills post-poll boredom and makes the wait for the final result interesting. It is also true that while the pollsters often fail to predict the actual numbers, a poll of polls an aggregate of all surveys and predictions gives a broad trend that help work out which way the results could go. It spices up the debate around the outcome, as also keeps the momentum of the polling process going till the votes are counted. Take the pre-poll predictions of various agencies and media houses for Uttar Pradesh for instance. India Today-Axis on 31 January predicted 180 to 191 seats to the BJP, 166 to 178 seats to the Samajwadi Party-Congress combine and 39 to 43 for the BSP. Times Now-VMR on 31 January predicted 202 seats for the BJP, 147 seats to Samajwadi Party-Congress combine and 47 for the BSP. ABP News-Lokniti gave 118 to 128 seats to the BJP, 187 to 197 to the Samajwadi Party-Congress combine and 76 to 86 seats to the BSP. VDP Associates gave 207 seats to the BJP, 128 to the Samajwadi Party-Congress and 58 to the BSP. The Week-Hansa Research gave 192 to 196 seats to the BJP, 178 to 182 to the Samajwadi Party-Congress and 20 to 24 to the BSP. All eyes are now on 5.30 pm when exit polls predictions will start coming in. Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking ownership of the Uttar Pradesh elections, Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi coming together and the presence of AAP in Punjab and Goa has made these elections even more interesting with the results sure to have far-reaching consequences for the states concerned and the national polity. The much awaited exit polls for five states which had Assembly elections are out. And it appears that it is advantage BJP, as the party is predicted to do well in every state except Punjab, where it along with ally Shiromani Akali Dal has been given no chance. For Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress, it's a mixed bag. While AAP is expected to do well in Punjab, it may not be a good debut for the party in Goa. For the Congress, meanwhile, Manipur and Uttarakhand look like the best chance to stay relevant in the national scenario. Three exit polls predict a hung Assembly in the state, but do put BJP in pole position. While Times Now-VMR poll gives the saffron party 17 seats, NewsX-MRC poll puts the figure at 15. On the other hand, India TV-C-Voter keeps the BJP at top with 15-21 seats yet predicts a close contest in the state. Only the India Today-Axis poll predicts a BJP win in Goa, with 18-22 seats. The hill state of Uttarkhand may witness BJP's comeback. According to India Today-Axis poll, the saffron party is expected to win a whopping 53 seats, Times Now-VMR poll keeps the tally at 44 seats. The ABP-Lokiniti poll and the NewsX-MRC poll also give BJP a comfortable majority in Uttarakhand. However, the India TV-CVoter predicts a hung Assembly. According to this poll, both BJP and Congress may end up winning around 29 to 35 seats in the 70-member Assembly. The contest in the northeastern state is tough to call. While all pollsters predict BJP to better its tally in this election, Congress may give it a tough fight. In such a scenario, the Trinamool Congress and the Naga Peoples Front may play the role of the kingmaker. According to the India Today-Axis poll, the grand old party may win 30-36 seats in the 70-member Assembly, allowing Ibobi Singh to rule for a fourth consecutive term as chief minister. This is one state where pollsters have unanimously rejected BJP's chances. Expect for the ABP-Lokniti poll, which gave the SAD-BJP alliance 19 to 27 seats, all other polls have given the ruling alliance seats in the single digits. The main contest it seems is between the debutant AAP and the main opposition Congress party. While AAP is expected to do exceptionally well in the frontier state, only India Today-CVoter has given the party a clear majority. The NewsX-MRC exit poll predicts a hung Assembly with both AAP and Congress winning 55 seats. While India Today-Axis survey gives Punjab to the Congress, the fight is neck and neck according to the ABP-Lokniti poll. However, every pollster is watching Uttar Pradesh with keen attention now. Every poll has predicted BJP to gain substantially, with the India Today-Axis poll even giving the Modi-led party a whopping 251 to 279 seats. The Times Now-VMR poll, on the other hand, points to a possible majority in favour of BJP with 190-210 seats. The poll sees the SP-Congress alliance trail with 110-130 seats, while the Mayawati-led BSP gets 57-74 seats. Others to secure eight seats. MRC-NewsX exit poll data also predicts a lead for BJP in UP with 185 seats. SP-Congress is in second with 120 seats, while BSP with 90 and others parties and independent candidates round up the tally with eight. India News-MRC survey said that the BJP will secure 188 seats, while SP-Congress alliance will get 120. It sees BSP in third with 90 seats. The ABP-Lokniti poll, while giving BJP 164 to 176 seats, predicts a hung Assembly in the state. The first Assembly elections of 2017 after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetisation move are finally over. As we are just hours away from the exit polls projecting which party will win in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand, and Manipur, some political and economic commentators, experts and journalists have already made their predictions. Here is what the experts have to say about the 2017 Assembly election: Uttar Pradesh Many experts have said that it is the saffron party Bharatiya Janata Party which has a significant advantage. Firstpost's Sanjay Singh wrote in an article that despite the SP-Congress alliance, "UP ko kuch aur hi pasand hai (UP likes something else)." "An excessive reliance of the SP-Congress coalition to woo Muslims has given rise to latent Hindutva sentiments across the state. The strategists perhaps erred in calculating the Muslims vote but they are not the only ones who vote. Mayawati too has erred on the same count. Scratch a bit and Hindutva sentiments of non-Yadav and non-Jatav community would come out to the fore. The situation may not be that of 2014 but this factor is certainly there on the ground and that could significantly tilt the balance for BJP," he said in the article. Similarly, Pranav Gupta and Rahul Verma of Lokniti-CSDS hinted in The Indian Express that BJP may win in UP because the party learnt from its mistakes in Bihar and the SP-Congress' "level of popularity may not have lead to conversion of votes in favour of SP-Congress alliance, at least not at the scale achieved by the Mahagathbandhan." Eminent journalist Swaminathan Aiyar also said in The Times of India that the Modi wave was back. "If a wind is blowing from Maharashra and Gujarat through Punjab and Haryana into Odisha, can UP be immune? No, politics in UP today is not local. There is little support for any local BJP leader. The chant you hear everywhere is 'Modi, Modi, Modi,'" he wrote. Surjit S Bhalla also wrote in The Indian Express that UP 2017 was not Bihar 2015 because "a major third party the BSP has been left out of MG (Mahagathbandhan), so the opposition is left with just a G: SP plus Congress." For live updates, follow here. Punjab Firstpost's Sandipan Sharma wrote in this article that even Congress and AAP will perform better than the BJP-SAD alliance, the state may be headed for a hung Assembly. "People in its three regions Malwa, Majha and Doaba can't agree on who is best placed to defeat the BJP-SAD government. In Malwa, which has 69 seats out of the 117 in the state, the consensus is in favour of the AAP. In the other two regions that contribute the remaining 48 seats, the Congress is the first choice," he said. Prannoy Roy also said in an NDTV article that AAP had maximum chances of winning in Punjab. "AAP takes a lot of the Akali foundation away. AAP is weaker in Hindu areas, strong in Sikh areas. It did very well in East Malwa region," he said. The Huffington Post-CVoter pre-poll survey has also said that AAP is set to win Punjab. For more live updates, read here. Goa David Devadas wrote in this Firstpost article that AAP has an advantage in Goa because of a mild undercurrent of support for the party. "Most people see both the established parties, the ruling BJP and the Congress, as jaded. The Congress is still seen as a bastion of corruption. The BJP is viewed as a disappointment although the anti-incumbency sentiment is not nearly as strong as it was against the Congress government five years ago," he said in the article. Another article in Hindustan Times by Chetan Chauhan said that Goa may be headed for a change in guard because of a high voter turnout and the high number of women voters in the state. For more live updates, follow here. Manipur On the day of the first phase of Manipur elections, Kangkan Acharyya of Firstpost said that Congress and BJP were equal contenders in the state. "At least five leaders of the ruling Congress Party joined BJP in recent times including stalwarts like N Biren Singh and Eerabot. On the other hand BJP lost a number of its leaders to Congress including one of its two MLAs Khumukcham Joykishan. With no other party being able to throw much contest, both the national party are racing with equal speed in the Meitei dominated valleys," he said in the article. For more updates follow here. Uttarakhand Firstpost's Uttarakhand correspondent Namita Singh said that Chief Minister Harish Rawat had himself hinted at a Congress defeat. "Harish Rawat has dropped the hints about possibilities of defeat of Congress party as he instructed the party workers and leaders to be prepared for opposition, during his conversation in party office," she said. However, another article in Hindustan Times said that Congress was now confident of a victory because of low voter turnout in Uttarakhand polls. For more updates, follow here. The exit polls released on Thursday projected a win for BJP in the 40-seat Goa Assembly. The exit polls put Congress in the second lead and predicted that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) might not repeat its Delhi success in Goa. Three exit polls Axis My India, C-Voter and MRC have given the BJP an edge over its competitors. The party is likely to win 15 to 22 seats, followed by Congress. MRC predicts 15 seats for BJP, 10 for Congress and AAP seven. Meanwhile, C-voter predicts that BJP may retain Goa with 18 seats and Congress may gain six seats. AAP which is making its debut in Goa might just end up only two seats. C-Voter exit poll predicts that BJP would be the single largest party in Goa. Political commentator Ajay Jha tells Firstpost that based on the exit polls, BJP may form the new government but may not hit the majority mark of 21 seats. "Goa could be headed for a hung Assembly in which smaller parties could come into the picture. Congress winning the maximum 18 seats may open intense efforts and bargaining. As of now it is clear that AAPs attempts to extend its 2014 Delhi experiment may have failed in Goa," he says. The smaller parties and the Independents are likely to be the kingmakers. In 2012 Goa Assembly Election, the BJP in alliance with Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) had won comfortably by defeating the Congress in 24 out of 40 seats. BJP won 21 seats while the MGP won three seats. The Congress won nine seats with NCP. BJP MLA Frances D Souza won with maximum margin of votes. Goa Vikas Party and Independents managed two and five seats respectively. Right after the election, the Cortalim seat had to go for bypolls following MLA Mantanhy Saldanhas death. It was the first time that BJP had won in a significant number of constituencies that had dominant minority population. Opinion polls like India Today-My Axis Poll predicts a clear majority for BJP and the Huffpost-CVoter projected a hung Assembly. India Today-My Axis survey According to the India Today-My Axis Poll, the incumbent BJP is expected to win between 23 and 27 seats, while the Congress will win just 12 to 14 seats. However, it is bad news for the debutant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which the poll predicts won't win more than two seats. The main reason for BJP retaining the tourist state can be attributed to the split in anti-incumbency votes. The poll also sought to know people's choice for the post of chief minister of Goa. Around 35 percent of the total respondents wanted Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar back as the chief minister. Former chief minister Digambar Kamat came a distant second, with 16 percent of the respondents wanting him to serve a second term. Incumbent Laxmikant Parsekar came third with 15 percent. While Parsekar might not have been a popular chief ministerial choice, people seem to have a high level of satisfaction with his government's performance. Around 53 percent of the total respondents were reported to have expressed satisfaction with government's performance while only 44 percent of the respondents were unhappy with the saffron party's regime. If this poll mirrors the actual results on 11 March, then it is good news for the BJP. Huffpost-CVoter poll The poll predicts a hung Assembly in the state. While the Congress is expected to be the single largest party with 16 seats, the BJP is a close second with 15 seats. The "others" seem to make a considerable dent in the prospects of the two major parties. This category, which includes the AAP and the Maharashtravadi Gomantak Party-led mahayuti, is expected to grab eight seats in the 40-member Assembly. The vote share that the parties are expected to garner also tells a story. While the BJP is predicted to be the largest party by vote share with 31 percent of the total votes, the Congress, which the poll predicts will win the most seats, is a distant second with 26 percent vote share. The "others" play a spoilsport, dividing the anti-incumbency votes yet contributing to a hung Assembly. These parties are expected to grab at least 30 percent of the vote pie. However, only 11 March will let us know if any of these pre-poll surveys hold true or are we in for some electoral surprises. The exit polls released on Thursday projected a win for BJP in the 40-seat Goa Assembly. The exit polls put Congress in the second lead and predicted that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) might not repeat its Delhi success in Goa. Three exit polls Axis My India, C-Voter and MRC have given the BJP an edge over its competitors. The party is likely to win 15 to 22 seats, followed by Congress. MRC predicts 15 seats for BJP, 10 for Congress and AAP seven. Meanwhile, C-voter predicts that BJP may retain Goa with 18 seats and Congress may gain six seats. AAP which is making its debut in Goa might just end up only two seats. C-Voter exit poll predicts that BJP would be the single largest party in Goa. Political commentator Ajay Jha tells Firstpost that based on the exit polls, BJP may form the new government but may not hit the majority mark of 21 seats. "Goa could be headed for a hung Assembly in which smaller parties could come into the picture. Congress winning the maximum 18 seats may open intense efforts and bargaining. As of now it is clear that AAPs attempts to extend its 2014 Delhi experiment may have failed in Goa," he says. The smaller parties and the Independents are likely to be the kingmakers. Opinion polls like India Today-My Axis Poll predicts a clear majority for BJP and the Huffpost-CVoter projected a hung Assembly. India Today-My Axis survey According to the India Today-My Axis Poll, the incumbent BJP is expected to win between 23 and 27 seats, while the Congress will win just 12 to 14 seats. However, it is bad news for the debutant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which the poll predicts won't win more than two seats. The main reason for BJP retaining the tourist state can be attributed to the split in anti-incumbency votes. The poll also sought to know people's choice for the post of chief minister of Goa. Around 35 percent of the total respondents wanted Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar back as the chief minister. Former chief minister Digambar Kamat came a distant second, with 16 percent of the respondents wanting him to serve a second term. Incumbent Laxmikant Parsekar came third with 15 percent. While Parsekar might not have been a popular chief ministerial choice, people seem to have a high level of satisfaction with his government's performance. Around 53 percent of the total respondents were reported to have expressed satisfaction with government's performance while only 44 percent of the respondents were unhappy with the saffron party's regime. If this poll mirrors the actual results on 11 March, then it is good news for the BJP. Huffpost-CVoter poll The poll predicts a hung Assembly in the state. While the Congress is expected to be the single largest party with 16 seats, the BJP is a close second with 15 seats. The "others" seem to make a considerable dent in the prospects of the two major parties. This category, which includes the AAP and the Maharashtravadi Gomantak Party-led mahayuti, is expected to grab eight seats in the 40-member Assembly. The vote share that the parties are expected to garner also tells a story. While the BJP is predicted to be the largest party by vote share with 31 percent of the total votes, the Congress, which the poll predicts will win the most seats, is a distant second with 26 percent vote share. The "others" play a spoilsport, dividing the anti-incumbency votes yet contributing to a hung Assembly. These parties are expected to grab at least 30 percent of the vote pie. However, only 11 March will let us know if any of these pre-poll surveys hold true or are we in for some electoral surprises. With only a few days left for the counting, here's a recap of what has unfolded in the last two months. Political dynamics The voting for the Goa Assembly Election 2017 concluded on 4 February. According to the Election Commission's estimates, 83 percent of Goas registered 11.09 lakh votes exercised their right. But a high voter turnout does not indicate a clear anti-incumbency wave. In this multi-pronged fight, there is a possibility that BJP could emerge as the single largest party in a hung Assembly, as Ajay Jha pointed out in this piece. Apart from the ruling BJP and main Opposition party Congress, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are in the fray. The RSS breakaway faction Goa Suraksha Manch (GSM) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) made their debut in this election. While GSM could emerge as the kingmaker, AAP is touted to be the dark horse in the race. Though the BJP seems to be confident of coming back to power, who will be the chief minister remains to be the big question. Laxmikant Parsekar, who holds the chief ministers office, was sidelined with Union minister and former chief minister of Goa Manohar Parrikar spearheading the partys election campaign in the state. The party bigwigs also remained vague on Parrikars return to the state. (Prime Minister) Narendrabhai (Modi) needs him (Parrikar) at the Centre as well. We will decide after elections where Parrikar will be working. But let me assure you that wherever Parrikar may be working, the Goa government will function under his leadership," said BJP president Amit Shah during one of the election rallies. After running a poll campaign against the BJP and the incumbent government, RSS breakaway group GSM dissolved the rebel unit and announced their collective re-entry back into the Sangh. Velingkar also said that all the members of the RSS, who had stepped out of the organisation with him, would be rejoining the shakhas and continue their work as the volunteers of the Sangh. The GSM had got in an alliance with BJPs long-time ally MGP and the Shiv Sena. It remains to be seen whether these three parties will get into an alliance with the BJP if it emerges as the single largest party. Both the Congress and the BJP claimed victory with a comfortable majority ahead of the counting of votes on 11 March. BJP state unit president Vinay Tendulkar said, "The BJP is sure to win 22-23 seats." Even Congress president Luizinho Faleiro claimed, We are expecting 23 to 25 seats. We should have the majority this time. I know that many, including some of our senior leaders, were saying that the Congress will not get more than three seats. The situation is now from minus to plus." Faleiro also said that the Congress was open to support from leaders of other political parties and independent candidates. Meanwhile, the AAP which made its debut in the state is expected to take votes from both the Congress and the BJP. David Davidas writes for Firstpost: This much is certain: AAP is the only party that has positive support across large parts of Goa particularly along the relatively heavily populated coastal belt. Most observers, even among AAP activists, say their support is the greatest in the Christian-dominated Salcete belt in south Goa. However, several Christians and others in north Goa areas like Mapusa too are drawn towards AAP. Key candidates and constituencies Party Candidate Constituency BJP Laxmikant Parsekar Mandrem BJP Rajendra Arlekar Pernem BJP Franciso D'Souza Mapusa BJP Dilip Parulekar Saligao BJP Milind Sagun Naik Mormugao BJP Mauvin Heliodoro Godinho Dabolim BJP Alina Saldanha Cortalim BJP Subhash Alias Rajan K. Naik Cuncolim INC Nilkanth Ramnath Halarnkar Tivim INC Pratapsingh R Rane Poriem INC Vishwajit Pratapsingh Rane Valpoi INC Ravi Sitaram Naik Ponda INC Digambar Vasant Kamat Margao INC Luizinho Faleiro Navelim NCP Churchill Alemao Benaulim MGP Pandurang Alias Deepak Madhav Dhavalikar Priol MGP Ramkrishna Alias Sudin Dhavalikar Marcaim AAP Devendra Krishnaji Prabhu Parsekar Desai Mandrem AAP Elvis Gomes Cuncolim AAP Sandesh Telekar Canacona AAP Giovanni Karl Vaz Mormugao AAP Valmiki Naik Panaji AAP Olencio Simoes Cortalim AAP Santosh Raiturkar Margao The tiny tourist haven of Goa 40 Assembly seats seems to be moving towards a multi-pronged fight. A study of the results of the 2012 Goa Assembly Election showed that in four of the 40 assembly constituencies, candidates won by a margin of less than a thousand votes with the narrowest margin being less than 500 votes in the Sanguem constituency. After a direct BJP versus Congress fight in the previous two Assembly elections, the 2017 polls witnessed a multi-pronged contest. For the first time since 2007, neither Congress nor BJP have gone in for an alliance with smaller parties. With AAP adding flavour to the polling season, it could indeed be anybodys game. Coming to the key candidates, all eyes are on the incumbent chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar. The three-term MLA from Mandrem is leading the ruling BJP's charge. This election will be a test for Parsekar to come out of Parrikar's shadow and become a leader in his own right. Also, in the fray is Subhash Velingkar. The Goa state RSS chief until August 2016, Velingkar was sacked over his opposition to BJP's stance over regional language issue. After splitting from the RSS, he formed the GSM to fight his former party. The GSM has tied up with the MGP, Shiv Sena and Goa Praja Party. According to the latest reports, however, they dissolved the rebel unit and announced their collective re-entry back into the RSS. Elvis Gomes, the former civil servant-turned-politician joined the AAP after taking voluntary retirement in July 2016. Fifty-three year-old Gomes was named the party's chief ministerial candidate by supremo Arvind Kejriwal and is set to fight from South Goa's Cuncolim seat. From the Congress campaign, there is state unit president and two time chief minister Luizinho Faleiro and Digambar Kamat who was the chief minister of the state between 2007 and 2012. While Faleiro is said to be close to Sonia Gandhi, Kamat, on the other hand, is considered to be enjoying the confidence of the Leader of Opposition in the outgoing Assembly, Vishwajit Rane. (With inputs from agencies) Bypolls will be held on 12 April for former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa's constituency Dr Radhakrishnan Nagar in Chennai, announced the Election Commission. Candidates have to file their nominations by 23 March and the counting will take place on 17 April. The seat has been vacant since the AIADMK leaders death on 5 December last year. According to The Indian Express, Jayalalithaa's niece Deepa Jayakumar might contest the bypolls. The announcement was made while she was launching her own political platform called MGR Amma Deepa Peravai. The Deccan Chronicle report said that the poll managers have been asked to be prepared for the bypolls, the official added that election is likely to be held in May. Earlier, the poll managers were asked to be prepared for the bypolls, which is a prestigious seat for the AIADMK. In the last one week, Chief Minister Edapaddi K Palanisami has inaugurated many schemes targeting voters of RK Nagar which has more than 23,000 voters as fishermen, according to party workers. The report said that district secretary and party strongman P Vettrivel and finance minister D Jayakumar are also taking turns to keep the voters and the workers happy by conducting regular events and meetings. Meanwhile, the Madras High Court on Wednesday had dismissed an election petition filed against Jayalalithaa in view of her demise. The petitioner G Pravina had contested the 16 May Assembly election from RK Nagar as an Independent candidate but lost it. In his petition, Pravina had asked that Jayalalithaas election be declared null and void alleging that she was not allowed to campaign in the constituency. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has described the transport blockade of Donbas as unacceptable and has called on Kyiv to take all possible measures to end it. "The blockade of Donbas that is being staged by representatives of nationalistic battalions is unacceptable. We call on the Ukrainian leadership to take all possible measures to end this blockade," Lavrov said at a press conference on Thursday. Imphal: At least, eight BJP workers injured when Congress workers allegedly attacked them during re-polling in Andro constituency of Imphal East on Thursday. The incident took place near Itham Moirangpurel village around 8 am. Re-polling was held at five polling booths falling under Andro constituency of Imphal East. Andro was one of the 38 constituencies which went to polls on 4 March in the first phase of Manipur Assembly elections. Repolls were held on 34 polling stations in eight districts of Manipur on Thursday. One of the injured BJP workers, Thokchom Ningthem said the incident occurred when they went to inspect a booth at Itham Moirangpurel Tumukhong. He said some 10 Congress workers stopped and attacked them on their way using catapults and clubs before they were carried up to the top of a nearby hillock. There the BJP workers were blindfolded and their hands tied behind their backs and brutally beaten up allegedly by the Congress workers. A police team rescued them and brought to JNIMS hospital for treatment. Hospital sources said among the injured condition of the two was critical. They were identified as Nahakpam Rakesh of Yairipok Mathak Leikai and Mohd Abothem of Yairipok Changamdabi. Security has been tightened in the area following the incident, police sources said. On Thursday, as the major exit polls predict their results for Manipur Assembly Election, one clear takeaway is that BJP is enjoying an ascendancy in north-eastern states. The Congress party's 15-year rule Manipur seems to be coming to an end, as exit polls forecast the BJP will likely win the 60-strong Manipur Assembly election. The CVoter exit poll predicted historic gains for the BJP in Manipur, giving them between 25 and 31 seats, while estimating that the Congress would nab between 17 and 23 seats. BJP projected to make historic gains in #Manipur, emerge biggest in #Goa, but fall just short in both: HuffPost-CVoter Exit Poll pic.twitter.com/ym1OgfwUL1 HuffPost India (@HuffPostIndia) March 9, 2017 The CVoter's projection about BJP's ascendancy proves to be correct, this would be a big win for the party which may still fall short of the magic figure of 31. The same party had failed to open its accounts in the 2012 elections. However to form government in the state, the saffron unit might need the support of Naga People's Front (NPF). Though BJP chose contest solo in the polls and contest in all 60 seats, the party may just seek NPF help in forming a government and achieve the magic number of 31. CVoter predictions for Manipur, based on a sample size of 1330, predicting a 36 percent positive swing in vote share compared to 2012 figures. According to the agency, while BJP may witness 33.6 per cent swing in its favour, Congress votes will witness a 12.9 per cent erosion. BJP's positive swing is likely to come at the expense of other politics parties whose combined vote share will go down by 20.6 per cent, according to CVoter. Region wise, the BJP is expected to have swept Outer Manipur and the New Districts, and its inroads in the Inner Manipur constituencies has clearly cut into the Congress' seat share. However the India Today - Axis My India poll estimates that the Congress will win 30 to 36 seats in Manipur and the BJP would win between 16 and 22 seats. Today's Chanakya exit poll gives the Congress 15 seats. The Manipur Assembly term ends on 18 March. Twenty seats have been reserved for SC/ST aspirants. Major parties who contested Congress: Manipur has been a Congress stronghold for over a decade, thanks to the leadership of Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh, a savvy political operator. The previous Assembly election, held in 2012, resulted in a landslide victory for the Congress, giving them 42 seats and allowing Okram Ibobi Singh to be re-elected as chief minister for an unprecedented third consecutive term. Bharatiya Janata Party: The BJP, buoyed undoubtedly by its success in last year's Assam elections, has been upbeat about its chances in Manipur. It has not officially declared a face for the state. The BJP has fielded former ministers N Biren Singh, Yumkham Erabot Singh and Francis Ngajokpa, and MLAs Dr Kh Loken, Z Kikhonbou Newmai and Nemcha Kipgen in the Assembly elections. People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA): All eyes are also Irom Sharmila's PRJA, who, in their mission statement, aspired to build a "self-reliant economy for Manipur". The party, in its initial weeks, tried to cast itself in the mould of the Aam Aadmi Party. Just like Arvind Kejriwal had done with AAP five years ago, the PRJA also took up the cause of corruption. To further cement its place as a whistleblower of Indian politics, the PRJA adopted the "whistle" symbol as well. In fact, its aspirations caught the eye of Kejriwal himself, and the Delhi chief minister even made a donation to Sharmila's party, and urged others to donate generously. The party, with little money or organisation, has fielded five candidates, including two women. Sharmila contested against Chief Minister Singh in Thoubal, Erendro Leichombam in Thangmeibandh, rights activist Najima Bibi in Wabagai constituency in Thoubal district, Bowang Kho, a former student leader, in Karong constituency of the Naga-dominated district of Senapati, and Md Ilyash, a municipal councillor, in Lilong constituency in Thoubal district. Trinamool Congress: The TMC is contesting in 24 seats. In the 2012 Assembly polls, the TMC had bagged seven seats, but later all of its MLAs switched sides joining either the Congress or the BJP. Naga People's Front: The Naga Peoples Front is a regional party which is in power in Nagaland with support from the BJP and is seen as a political force competing with Meitei and Kuki identity politics. Key candidates Okram Ibobi Singh: Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh's reign has been marked by insurgency and turmoil. Running for his fourth consecutive term, Singh has been ruling the state since 2002, a feat made especially impressive considering that Manipur chief ministers usually do not serve out their full terms. His first foray into politics took place in 1984 as an independent candidate from the Khangabok Assembly constituency after which he joined the Congress. In 1990, he won re-election from Khangabok on a Congress ticket and took up a position as the minister in-charge of municipal administration, housing and urban development in the RK Dorendo government. He has been a Congress stalwart ever since. He is running from Thoubal constituency. Okram Surajkumar: Okram Surajkumar, who will be making his debut into politics, has an economics degree from London's Kingston University, is a polo player and a state-level badminton champion. The 29-year-old has claimed he had no political ambitions until recently, and said he felt compelled to run for office after witnessing the difficulties faced by the underprivileged in his district. Surajkumar, the youngest candidate in the state's history to fight Assembly elections, has stated that he would focus on digitisation for the northeast state if elected. Irom Sharmila: The Iron Lady of Manipur shocked many political observers by giving up her 16-year fast against the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (Afspa), and decided to enter politics. She took on chief minister in his own den Thoubal constituency only time will tell if this is a masterstroke or a blunder. Sharmila's popularity in the state could have won her a lot of support, however, her decision to end her hunger strike in 2016 turned a lot of people against her. She is also not viewed as a serious career politician by the people of Manipur. Erendro Leichombam: Trained in Economics at the Soka University of America and in Mathematics at the University of California, Irvine, this 33-year-old Manipuri man refused to live the life of an NRI. He decided to take the plunge into politics after being inspired by Irom Sharmila's fight against Afspa and joined PRJA. The former World Bank Fellow has also served in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). TN Haokip: TN Haokip was appointed as Manipur Congress unit president by Sonia Gandhi in 2016. He is a sitting MLA from Saikot and the Congress is relying on him to carry the constituency. Major constituencies Thoubal: Thoubal is the home of Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh. Two other candidates will attempt to capture it from him: Irom Sharmila and BJP nominee Th Jadumani. However, Singh has an impressive track record, emerging victorious in Thoubal in 2012 and 2007. Political issues Armed Forces Special Powers Act (Afspa): The controversial Afspa has been in force in Manipur since the 1950s. The Ibobi Singh government, responding to pressure from civil rights groups, in August 2004, removed Afspa from Imphal's municipal area. However, the controversial law still remains firmly entrenched in Manipur. But it was only recently that Afspa appeared as an election issue after Sharmila decided to contest the Assembly election. Singh's inability to get the act repealed may determine the electoral outcome. He was quoted by The Times of India report as saying, "We've removed Afspa from Imphal municipal area covering seven Assembly constituencies in 2004. It was not easy. Everyone at the Centre was opposed to it. I managed to convince a very reluctant (then) prime minister Manmohan Singh that state police could handle the law and order of Imphal city. But it was not conducive to remove Afspa from the entire state." Economic blockade: Manipur has been experiencing severe hardship in supply of essential items since 1 November, 2016 after United Naga Council (UNC) imposed an indefinite economic blockade on the two national highways that serve as lifeline for the state. The blockade was imposed following the state government's announcement of formation of seven new districts, four of which have been formally inaugurated. The UNC claims that the creation of new districts in the Naga dominated hill areas will encroach upon and divide the traditional land holdings of Naga tribes. The blockade, however, has not only crippled trade and normal life in the state, it also stoked up the existing divide between the valley and the hill populace. The chief minister has laid the blame for the blockade on the Centre, saying the group the Modi government is holding talks with is holding Manipur to ransom. The blockade was thought to be a set back for the BJP, as it was gaining ground in Manipur and it is being identified with as close to the Naga groups. Naga Peace Accord: On 3 August, 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a peace deal with Nagaland insurgents which rests on a breakthrough formula not involving redrawing of the states borders. This was touted as the Naga Peace Accord, the contents of which were not revealed to the media. The deal allegedly involves creating a mechanism which would create institutions like allowing autonomy to Naga tribes living in Manipur. Congress leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Ibobi criticised the deal made between the Government of India and the NSCN (IM), which is the largest Naga rebel group, and asked the government to reveal the contents of that draft. A report by The Indian Express suggested that a degree of autonomy in Naga homelands would be part of the Naga Peace Accord that hopes to please all factions in the state. This includes a majority of the Meitei people, who are also sensitive about territorial integrity. The BJP hopes to use the Naga Peace Accord as a means to prevail peace in the state and garner votes this election season. Polling in the second and final phase of the Manipur election ended at 3 pm on 8 March. Voter turnout was estimated at 86 percent. In the first phase on 4 March, Manipur witnessed a record turnout of 85.5 percent. While the CVoter exit poll predicts historic gains for the BJP in Manipur, giving them between 25 and 31 seats, the Congress is estimated to get between 17 and 23 seats. BJP projected to make historic gains in #Manipur, emerge biggest in #Goa, but fall just short in both: HuffPost-CVoter Exit Poll pic.twitter.com/ym1OgfwUL1 HuffPost India (@HuffPostIndia) March 9, 2017 However, The India Today-Axis My India poll estimates that the Congress will win 30 t0 36 seats in Manipur and the BJP would win between 16 and 22 seats. In comparison in 2012, the Indian National Congress, under the stewardship of Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh won 42 seats, followed by All India Trinamool Congress 7, Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP) 5, and Naga Peoples Front 4. Either way, this is a sea change for the BJP, as in 2012, they had absolutely no footprint in the state. What a difference five years makes. C-Voter predictions for Manipur, based on a sample size of 1330, predicts a 36 per cent positive swing in vote share compared to 2012 figures. According to the agency, while BJP may witness 33.6 per cent swing in its favour, Congress votes will witness a 12.9 per cent erosion. BJP's positive swing is likely to come at the expense of other politics parties whose combined vote share will go down by 20.6 per cent, according to C-Voter. The Manipur Assembly term ends on 18 March. Twenty seats have been reserved for SC/ST aspirants. Major parties who contested Congress: Manipur has been a Congress stronghold for over a decade, thanks to the leadership of Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh, a savvy political operator. The previous Assembly election, held in 2012, resulted in a landslide victory for the Congress, giving them 42 seats and allowing Okram Ibobi Singh to be re-elected as chief minister for an unprecedented third consecutive term. Bharatiya Janata Party: The BJP, buoyed undoubtedly by its success in last year's Assam elections, has been upbeat about its chances in Manipur. It has not officially declared a face for the state. The BJP has fielded former ministers N Biren Singh, Yumkham Erabot Singh and Francis Ngajokpa, and MLAs Dr Kh Loken, Z Kikhonbou Newmai and Nemcha Kipgen in the Assembly elections. People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA): All eyes are also Irom Sharmila's PRJA, who, in their mission statement, aspired to build a "self-reliant economy for Manipur". The party, in its initial weeks, tried to cast itself in the mould of the Aam Aadmi Party. Just like Arvind Kejriwal had done with AAP five years ago, the PRJA also took up the cause of corruption. To further cement its place as a whistleblower of Indian politics, the PRJA adopted the "whistle" symbol as well. In fact, its aspirations caught the eye of Kejriwal himself, and the Delhi chief minister even made a donation to Sharmila's party, and urged others to donate generously. The party, with little money or organisation, has fielded five candidates, including two women. Sharmila contested against Chief Minister Singh in Thoubal, Erendro Leichombam in Thangmeibandh, rights activist Najima Bibi in Wabagai constituency in Thoubal district, Bowang Kho, a former student leader, in Karong constituency of the Naga-dominated district of Senapati, and Md Ilyash, a municipal councillor, in Lilong constituency in Thoubal district. Trinamool Congress: The TMC is contesting in 24 seats. In the 2012 Assembly polls, the TMC had bagged seven seats, but later all of its MLAs switched sides joining either the Congress or the BJP. Naga People's Front: The Naga Peoples Front is a regional party which is in power in Nagaland with support from the BJP and is seen as a political force competing with Meitei and Kuki identity politics. Key candidates Okram Ibobi Singh: Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh's reign has been marked by insurgency and turmoil. Running for his fourth consecutive term, Singh has been ruling the state since 2002, a feat made especially impressive considering that Manipur chief ministers usually do not serve out their full terms. His first foray into politics took place in 1984 as an independent candidate from the Khangabok Assembly constituency after which he joined the Congress. In 1990, he won re-election from Khangabok on a Congress ticket and took up a position as the minister in-charge of municipal administration, housing and urban development in the RK Dorendo government. He has been a Congress stalwart ever since. He is running from Thoubal constituency. Okram Surajkumar: Okram Surajkumar, who will be making his debut into politics, has an economics degree from London's Kingston University, is a polo player and a state-level badminton champion. The 29-year-old has claimed he had no political ambitions until recently, and said he felt compelled to run for office after witnessing the difficulties faced by the underprivileged in his district. Surajkumar, the youngest candidate in the state's history to fight Assembly elections, has stated that he would focus on digitisation for the northeast state if elected. Irom Sharmila: The Iron Lady of Manipur shocked many political observers by giving up her 16-year fast against the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (Afspa), and decided to enter politics. She took on chief minister in his own den Thoubal constituency only time will tell if this is a masterstroke or a blunder. Sharmila's popularity in the state could have won her a lot of support, however, her decision to end her hunger strike in 2016 turned a lot of people against her. She is also not viewed as a serious career politician by the people of Manipur. Erendro Leichombam: Trained in Economics at the Soka University of America and in Mathematics at the University of California, Irvine, this 33-year-old Manipuri man refused to live the life of an NRI. He decided to take the plunge into politics after being inspired by Irom Sharmila's fight against Afspa and joined PRJA. The former World Bank Fellow has also served in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). TN Haokip: TN Haokip was appointed as Manipur Congress unit president by Sonia Gandhi in 2016. He is a sitting MLA from Saikot and the Congress is relying on him to carry the constituency. Major constituencies Thoubal: Thoubal is the home of Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh. Two other candidates will attempt to capture it from him: Irom Sharmila and BJP nominee Th Jadumani. However, Singh has an impressive track record, emerging victorious in Thoubal in 2012 and 2007. Political issues Armed Forces Special Powers Act (Afspa): The controversial Afspa has been in force in Manipur since the 1950s. The Ibobi Singh government, responding to pressure from civil rights groups, in August 2004, removed Afspa from Imphal's municipal area. However, the controversial law still remains firmly entrenched in Manipur. But it was only recently that Afspa appeared as an election issue after Sharmila decided to contest the Assembly election. Singh's inability to get the act repealed may determine the electoral outcome. He was quoted by The Times of India report as saying, "We've removed Afspa from Imphal municipal area covering seven Assembly constituencies in 2004. It was not easy. Everyone at the Centre was opposed to it. I managed to convince a very reluctant (then) prime minister Manmohan Singh that state police could handle the law and order of Imphal city. But it was not conducive to remove Afspa from the entire state." Economic blockade: Manipur has been experiencing severe hardship in supply of essential items since 1 November, 2016 after United Naga Council (UNC) imposed an indefinite economic blockade on the two national highways that serve as lifeline for the state. The blockade was imposed following the state government's announcement of formation of seven new districts, four of which have been formally inaugurated. The UNC claims that the creation of new districts in the Naga dominated hill areas will encroach upon and divide the traditional land holdings of Naga tribes. The blockade, however, has not only crippled trade and normal life in the state, it also stoked up the existing divide between the valley and the hill populace. The chief minister has laid the blame for the blockade on the Centre, saying the group the Modi government is holding talks with is holding Manipur to ransom. The blockade was thought to be a set back for the BJP, as it was gaining ground in Manipur and it is being identified with as close to the Naga groups. Naga Peace Accord: On 3 August, 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a peace deal with Nagaland insurgents which rests on a breakthrough formula not involving redrawing of the states borders. This was touted as the Naga Peace Accord, the contents of which were not revealed to the media. The deal allegedly involves creating a mechanism which would create institutions like allowing autonomy to Naga tribes living in Manipur. Congress leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Ibobi criticised the deal made between the Government of India and the NSCN (IM), which is the largest Naga rebel group, and asked the government to reveal the contents of that draft. A report by The Indian Express suggested that a degree of autonomy in Naga homelands would be part of the Naga Peace Accord that hopes to please all factions in the state. This includes a majority of the Meitei people, who are also sensitive about territorial integrity. The BJP hopes to use the Naga Peace Accord as a means to prevail peace in the state and garner votes this election season. Auto refresh feeds According to C-Voter exit poll, BJP may clinch Manipur and expand its presence in North-East. There was also heavy anti-incumbency in the state, whereas BJP was projecting closeness to the Nagas. Is Okram Ibobi Singh on his way out? According to C-voter, BJP might clinch Manipur from Congress. The poll predicts that BJP might win 25-31 seats out of the total 60 seats. The poll predicts that Congress might only win 17-23 seats and current chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh could be on his way out from the post. Poll pundits believe that prime minister Narendra Modi's campaigning in the state has made in-roads for the party. C-Voter predictions for Manipur, based on a sample size of 1330, predicts a 36 per cent positive swing in vote share compared to 2012 figures. According to the agency, while BJP may witness 33.6 per cent swing in its favour, Congress votes will witness a 12.9 per cent erosion. BJP's positive swing is likely to come at the expense of other politics parties whose combined vote share will go down by 20.6 per cent, according to C-Voter. The rise of BJP, as projected by exit polls, in this easternmost state is in line with the recent ascendancy it is enjoying in north-eastern states. As in Assam where Congress poll strategist Himanta Biswa Sarma walked over to BJP on the eve of the polls and helped script Congress downfall, in Manipur too six rebel Congress MLAs quit the party and were given tickets by the BJP. If the exit poll projections hold (C-Voter predictions have also been buttressed by India Today My Axis figures), then it would also seem that chief minister O Ibobi Singh's attempt to polarize the electorate between hills and plains didn't work. The rise of BJP, as projected by exit polls, in this easternmost state is in line with the recent ascendancy it is enjoying in north-eastern states. As in Assam where Congress poll strategist Himanta Biswa Sarma walked over to BJP on the eve of the polls and helped script Congress downfall, in Manipur too six rebel Congress MLAs quit the party and were given tickets by the BJP. If the exit poll projections hold (C-Voter predictions have also been buttressed by India Today My Axis figures), then it would also seem that chief minister O Ibobi Singh's attempt to polarize the electorate between hills and plains didn't work. Manipur: IED Blast took place near Singjamei Super Market in Imphal at around 4.20pm; no injuries reported pic.twitter.com/9bWKesT8Hr Even as exit polls come out, violence reigns in the state. A handgranade went off at Singjamei under Singjamei PS in Imphal west this evening at about 4.30 pm. No casualty has been reported till date. The bomb exploded at the road divider in front of the Kumar Variety store at Singjamei Bazar along the Indo-Burma road, police said. The blast took place just a day after an IED exploded in Kasturi bridge in Imphal city on Wednesday evening injuring nine persons. India Today - Axis poll predicts Congress's victory India Today Axis My India poll projected its figures of Manipur and this agency seems to be at variance with C-Voter, predicting that Congress will between 30-36 seats in the 60-seat Assembly, edging past BJP's tally of 16-22 seats. If this is true, this could be the silver lining Congress was hoping for. Polling in the second and final phase of the Manipur election ended at 3 pm on 8 March. Voter turnout was estimated at 86 percent. In the first phase on 4 March, Manipur witnessed a record turnout of 85.5 percent. In Manipur, the only opinion poll has been commissioned by Huffington Post. The HuffPost-CVoter opinion poll estimates bad news for the Congress, predicting that the party will win fewer seats than the BJP. According to the poll, the BJP's vote share in the state will see a huge increasefrom 2.1 percent in 2012 to 32.1 percent in this election. Meanwhile, the Congress' vote share is estimated to fall from 42.4 percent in 2012 to 31.3 percent. The BJP is predicted to win 23 seats in the 60-member Assembly, the Congress is estimated to win 19 seats and the independent and smaller parties are estimated to net 19 seats clearly indicating a hung House. Twenty seats have been reserved for SC/ST aspirants. The Manipur Assembly term ends on 18 March. Major parties who contested Congress: Manipur has been a Congress stronghold for over a decade, thanks to the leadership of Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh, a savvy political operator. The previous Assembly election, held in 2012, resulted in a landslide victory for the Congress, giving them 42 seats and allowing Okram Ibobi Singh to be re-elected as chief minister for an unprecedented third consecutive term. Bharatiya Janata Party: The BJP, buoyed undoubtedly by its success in last year's Assam elections, has been upbeat about its chances in Manipur. It has not officially declared a face for the state. The BJP has fielded former ministers N Biren Singh, Yumkham Erabot Singh and Francis Ngajokpa, and MLAs Dr Kh Loken, Z Kikhonbou Newmai and Nemcha Kipgen in the Assembly elections. People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA): All eyes are also Irom Sharmila's PRJA, who, in their mission statement, aspired to build a "self-reliant economy for Manipur". The party, in its initial weeks, tried to cast itself in the mould of the Aam Aadmi Party. Just like Arvind Kejriwal had done with AAP five years ago, the PRJA also took up the cause of corruption. To further cement its place as a whistleblower of Indian politics, the PRJA adopted the "whistle" symbol as well. In fact, its aspirations caught the eye of Kejriwal himself, and the Delhi chief minister even made a donation to Sharmila's party, and urged others to donate generously. The party, with little money or organisation, has fielded five candidates, including two women. Sharmila contested against Chief Minister Singh in Thoubal, Erendro Leichombam in Thangmeibandh, rights activist Najima Bibi in Wabagai constituency in Thoubal district, Bowang Kho, a former student leader, in Karong constituency of the Naga-dominated district of Senapati, and Md Ilyash, a municipal councillor, in Lilong constituency in Thoubal district. Trinamool Congress: The TMC is contesting in 24 seats. In the 2012 Assembly polls, the TMC had bagged seven seats, but later all of its MLAs switched sides joining either the Congress or the BJP. Naga People's Front: The Naga Peoples Front is a regional party which is in power in Nagaland with support from the BJP and is seen as a political force competing with Meitei and Kuki identity politics. Key candidates Okram Ibobi Singh: Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh's reign has been marked by insurgency and turmoil. Running for his fourth consecutive term, Singh has been ruling the state since 2002, a feat made especially impressive considering that Manipur chief ministers usually do not serve out their full terms. His first foray into politics took place in 1984 as an independent candidate from the Khangabok Assembly constituency after which he joined the Congress. In 1990, he won re-election from Khangabok on a Congress ticket and took up a position as the minister in-charge of municipal administration, housing and urban development in the RK Dorendo government. He has been a Congress stalwart ever since. He is running from Thoubal constituency. Okram Surajkumar: Okram Surajkumar, who will be making his debut into politics, has an economics degree from London's Kingston University, is a polo player and a state-level badminton champion. The 29-year-old has claimed he had no political ambitions until recently, and said he felt compelled to run for office after witnessing the difficulties faced by the underprivileged in his district. Surajkumar, the youngest candidate in the state's history to fight Assembly elections, has stated that he would focus on digitisation for the northeast state if elected. Irom Sharmila: The Iron Lady of Manipur shocked many political observers by giving up her 16-year fast against the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (Afspa), and decided to enter politics. She took on chief minister in his own den Thoubal constituency only time will tell if this is a masterstroke or a blunder. Sharmila's popularity in the state could have won her a lot of support, however, her decision to end her hunger strike in 2016 turned a lot of people against her. She is also not viewed as a serious career politician by the people of Manipur. Erendro Leichombam: Trained in Economics at the Soka University of America and in Mathematics at the University of California, Irvine, this 33-year-old Manipuri man refused to live the life of an NRI. He decided to take the plunge into politics after being inspired by Irom Sharmila's fight against Afspa and joined PRJA. The former World Bank Fellow has also served in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). TN Haokip: TN Haokip was appointed as Manipur Congress unit president by Sonia Gandhi in 2016. He is a sitting MLA from Saikot and the Congress is relying on him to carry the constituency. Major constituencies Thoubal: Thoubal is the home of Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh. Two other candidates will attempt to capture it from him: Irom Sharmila and BJP nominee Th Jadumani. However, Singh has an impressive track record, emerging victorious in Thoubal in 2012 and 2007. Political issues Armed Forces Special Powers Act (Afspa): The controversial Afspa has been in force in Manipur since the 1950s. The Ibobi Singh government, responding to pressure from civil rights groups, in August 2004, removed Afspa from Imphal's municipal area. However, the controversial law still remains firmly entrenched in Manipur. But it was only recently that Afspa appeared as an election issue after Sharmila decided to contest the Assembly election. Singh's inability to get the act repealed may determine the electoral outcome. He was quoted by The Times of India report as saying, "We've removed Afspa from Imphal municipal area covering seven Assembly constituencies in 2004. It was not easy. Everyone at the Centre was opposed to it. I managed to convince a very reluctant (then) prime minister Manmohan Singh that state police could handle the law and order of Imphal city. But it was not conducive to remove Afspa from the entire state." Economic blockade: Manipur has been experiencing severe hardship in supply of essential items since 1 November, 2016 after United Naga Council (UNC) imposed an indefinite economic blockade on the two national highways that serve as lifeline for the state. The blockade was imposed following the state government's announcement of formation of seven new districts, four of which have been formally inaugurated. The UNC claims that the creation of new districts in the Naga dominated hill areas will encroach upon and divide the traditional land holdings of Naga tribes. The blockade, however, has not only crippled trade and normal life in the state, it also stoked up the existing divide between the valley and the hill populace. The chief minister has laid the blame for the blockade on the Centre, saying the group the Modi government is holding talks with is holding Manipur to ransom. The blockade was thought to be a set back for the BJP, as it was gaining ground in Manipur and it is being identified with as close to the Naga groups. Naga Peace Accord: On 3 August, 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a peace deal with Nagaland insurgents which rests on a breakthrough formula not involving redrawing of the states borders. This was touted as the Naga Peace Accord, the contents of which were not revealed to the media. The deal allegedly involves creating a mechanism which would create institutions like allowing autonomy to Naga tribes living in Manipur. Congress leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Ibobi criticised the deal made between the Government of India and the NSCN (IM), which is the largest Naga rebel group, and asked the government to reveal the contents of that draft. A report by The Indian Express suggested that a degree of autonomy in Naga homelands would be part of the Naga Peace Accord that hopes to please all factions in the state. This includes a majority of the Meitei people, who are also sensitive about territorial integrity. The BJP hopes to use the Naga Peace Accord as a means to prevail peace in the state and garner votes this election season. Auto refresh feeds The GDP is estimated to grow at 7.1% in 2016-17 as compared with 7.6% in 2015-16. However, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in December 2016 was 3.4% down from 5.6% in December 2015. Read the report here. According to a report prepared by the New Delhi-based think tank PRS Legislative Research, which analysed President Mukherjee's address to Parliament on 23 February 2016, not all targets of increasing GDP and lowering inflation, fiscal deficit and current account deficit were achieved. The President's address, a day before the Union Budget is presented, sets the tone for the upcoming Budget Session as the broad initiatives taken by the Union government and objectives for the coming year are listed out. Once President Mukherjee's address to the joint session of the Parliament concludes, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will table the Economic Survey 2016-17. Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress has decided not to attend the Parliament for two days. President also congratulated the government for fulfilling the four-decade old demand of One Rank One Pension. The expectation is chief economic advisor Arvind Subramanian will give some idea as to how the demonetisation has impacted the economy in the Economic Survey. After the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes from 9 November, the common man endured much pain hoping that the government's step will finally put an end to black money generation and the evaders will pay a price. However, the government is yet to come out with exact data on how much money has come into the system and what is the amount of black money it may have amassed. This year's Economic Survey is nothing like the previous years'. The reason is the country has been witness to an unprecedented step - demonetisation. Will Economic Survey clear the air about the impact of demonetisation? Towards the budget, there has been demand for higher allocation for the social sector in order o get over the pain of demonetisation. After the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, normalcy is yet to return to rural areas. The cash crunch induced by he note ban has resulted in job losses in the informal sector. As daily labourers returned to their villages, the demand for jobs under MGNREGA has spiked, media reports said. The Economic Survey has realised the risk of the the demonetisation to the country's economic growth and noted the recovery from the negative impact will require policy support from the government. The new estimate this year comes after the the Central Statistical Organisation projected a growth of 7.1 percent on 6 January. The new estimate this year comes after the the Central Statistical Organisation projected a growth of 7.1 percent on 6 January. The Economic Survey has sharply cut the GDP growth for 2016-17 to 6.5 percent, from 7.6 percent last financial year. The Economic Survey has sharply cut the GDP growth for 2016-17 to 6.5 percent, from 7.6 percent last financial year. The currency squeeze was less than perceived. It was higher in December than in November, contrary to the general perception, he said. Demonetisation has affected different forms of money very differently, he said. It simultaneously reduced the supply of cash and by the same token it increased the bank deposits. Caution has to be exercised in analysing the impact of demonetisation. It is an unusual monetary experiment. No real model exist. It is an unusual experiment in the monetary history, Subramanian said. Based on a survey on misallocation of resources for the six largest Central Sector and Centrally Sponsored Sub-Schemes (except PDS and fertilizer subsidy) across districts, the Economic Survey points out that the districts where the needs are greatest are precisely the ones where State capacity is the weakest. This suggests that a more efficient way to help the poor would be to provide them resources directly, through a UBI. The Mahatma as astute political observer, would have anxieties about UBI as being just another add-on Government programme, but on balance, he may have given the go-ahead to the UBI. The UBI is a simple idea based on three principles - universality, unconditionality and agency, said Subramanian at the press conference. The Economic Survey advocates the concept of Universal Basic Income (UBI) as an alternative to the various social welfare schemes in an effort to reduce poverty. The survey juxtaposes the benefits and costs of the UBI scheme in the context of the philosophy of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma may have given go-ahead to Universal Basic Income as anti-poverty scheme He ducked the question whether the government could have done something better. On the RBI's likely interest rate action, Subramanian at the press conference said the market interest rates have already been trending down. Explaining the rationale behind its 6.75-7.5% GDP growth estimate for the next financial year, the Economic Survey said cash will replenished by end March 2017 and the economy would revert to the normal after that. "It says that bank deposits increased sharply through end-December, that they will decline and probably settle at a slightly higher level, it doesn't say how much was the deposit increase or when it is likely to become steady. So also about the RBI balance sheet. Did the CEA anlayse the note ban without any numbers in hand? If yes, it is surprising," Rajesh said. Firstpost business editor Rajesh Pandathil noted that though there is detailed table on the impact of note ban, it has no numbers mentioned anywhere. The Economic Survey, though as expected, had given an impact analysis of the demonetisation but has not given any numbers. Detailed table on impact of demonetisation, but where are the numbers? A Congress MP, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the government wanted to postpone the announcement of E Ahamed's passing. "They announced it at midnight after pressure from his family," the MP said. "The budget should be delayed. Otherwise, it will be an inhuman act," he said. "There is a lot of time. The Budget can be presented tomorrow too." "If they will not show respect, it won't be appropriate," said Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge. "The Budget which they had to present in March is being presented now," he added. House stands in silence for 2 minutes as a mark of respect to departed leader and sitting Congress MP E Ahamed. "The House may go ahead with the presentation of the Budget," she said. "However, the House will not sit tomorrow." "I would have adjourned the House for the day but today, the sitting has been fixed for the Budget, which is a constitutional obligation," said Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. But Sumitra Mahajan said that she has already given her ruling. "As a mark of respect, the House should be adjourned today. Budget should be presented tomorrow," he said. "E Ahamed is a senior leader. He was there for 45 years in the legislative affairs," said Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge in Lok Sabha. Opposition leaders are now shouting in the House even as Arun Jaitley begins to speak. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley begins his fourth Union Budget speech. Wishes the country on the occasion of Vasant Panchami. This could be a broad hint at the government's plans for these sectors, which have large unorganised constituency. Though labour laws have been a major impediment in increasing investment in the sector and it is for the states to breing in reforms in this area now, the Centre could announce sops to boost the sectors. It is also to be remembered that textile was one of the sectors that was hit hard by the demonetisation of the Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. The Survey adds that these sectors provide immense opportunities for creation of jobs for the weaker sections, especially for women, and can become vehicles for broader social transformation in the country. "Apparel and Leather & Footwear sectors are eminently suitable for generating jobs that are formal and productive, providing bang-for-buck in terms of jobs created relative to investment and generating exports and growth," said the survey released yesterday. The Economic Survey may have dropped borad hints at how the governmenet may be planning to push job creation. "India's macroeconomic stability continues to be its fountainhead of its growth. CAD has declined by 1%," says Jaitley. "Growth in a number of emerging economies is likely to recover in 2017 after a poor performance in 2016. Uncertain crude oil prices have had its implication on the emerging economies," says Jaitley. "According to the IMF, India is going to be the one of the fastest growing economies. Inflation has been controlled. The government has launched a massive war on black money. India seen as an engine of global growth," says Jaitley. "Demonetisation is the new normal. Demonetisation seeks to make our GDP bigger, cleaner." says Jaitley. Jaitley resorts to poetry, asks all to embrace the new. This of course celebrates the new thrust towards a cashless economy. "My overall approach while preparing this Budget has been to spend more in rural areas, poverty alleviation through fiscal prudence," says Jaitley. The effects of demonetisation are not expected to spill over to the next year, says the finance minister. However, this goes against the indication in the Economic Survey that was released yesterday. The survey had given a GDP growth projection of 6.75-7.5 pecent for the next year. Experts have been of the opinion that the wide range could be an indication that there could be a spill over effect next year too. Not seeing effects of the demonetisation spill over to next year Not seeing effects of the demonetisation spill over to next year, The effects of demonetisation not expected to spill over to the next year, says the finance minister. However, this goes against the indication in the Economic Survey that was released yesterday. The survey had given a GDP growth projection of 6.75-7.5 pecent for the next year. Experts have been of the opinion that the wide range could be an indication that there could be a spill over effect next year too. Use of Spring festival signals hope. Policy moves from favouritism to transparency and informal to formal. The finance minister is sending a macro message for foreign investors. Increase in agriculture credit and its disbursal along with more coverage of crop insurance scheme is a good step and will be helpful to the farm sector hit by the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. India, which was the 7th largest economy has now become the sixth largest in manufacturing. India Rise! The focus on fundamentals as regards rural sector is a good way to go "Pace of construction of roads has increased to Rs 133 km/day in 2017," Says Jaitley. Mudra Yojna gets special mention. Funds for housing to rural poor under Prime Minister Rural Poor Housing scheme, allocation for MGNREGA has been increased to highest ever with the rider that it will be used to create productive assets. Mark the word eastern India, it had loaded political connotation without Uttar Pradesh word used. The political thrust of Modi government in union budget 2017 is clearly apparent from repeated reference to schemes beneficial to farmers, rural poor, infrastructure, dailts women, youth. Rs 10 lakh crore has been earmarked for credit to farmers in eastern Indian and Jammu and Kashmir. MNREGA funds for asset creation, moving out of the old Dole regime. Housing allocation for rural housing grows 50 percent. The focus is on rural income and demand, and formalising rural economy. Special effort for farmers to double income to be focused on Eastern States. A hint for UP elections? India, which was the 7th largest economy, has now become the sixth largest in manufacturing. India Rise! The focus on fundamentals as regards rural sector is a good way to go. Rural fundamentals in focus; It's a good way to go The way Jaitley spoke of MGNREGA, about increased allocation and the way productive assets would be built including water ponds, is clearly an indicator that Modi government is keen to take political capital out of a scheme that was the shining armour of erstwhile UPA government. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's speech is calculated to consolidate political constituencies for the Narendra Modi government. It begins with unambiguous thrust on agriculture, rural areas and addresses the concerns of women and youth. Obviously a cursory analysis of Jaitley's speech would leave no one in doubt that Modi's preparation for 2019 elections has begun with this budget. Interest waiver, and not loan waiver. It a very good sign for prudential banking. Overall rural allocation is 24 percent higher than last years. Computerisation of Nabard will allow tracking of funds for farmers. Micro irrigation and fertigation will ensure more crop per drop. The additional sops for the farmers include increase in Fasal bima yojana coverage to 40 percent and crop insurance coverage by 50 percent, a Rs 5,000 crore micro irrigation fund and Rs 8,000 crore dairy processing fund. Further, the government will support NABARD to digitise 63,000 primary agri societies, the FM said. Rs 48,000 crore has been allocated to MNREGA from Rs 37,000 crore last year, Jaitley said. But, isnt also due more number of people moving from factory jobs to informal sector? The government has increased the allocation for rural agriculture and allied sectors by 24 per cent to Rs 1,87,223 crore, which should ideally help revival in rural sector post demonetisation impact. But are job losses factored in? Jaitelys speech reaffirms the governments aggressive focus on the rural push, a key item in the governments agenda. Jaitley said this government wants to take one crore households out of poverty by 2019 and complete rural electrification by 1 May, 2018. The FM has almost started from where PM Modi stopped in his New year speech as far as governments big rural push is concerned. More sops were doled out for the farmers. As usual, the bank credit target for agriculture was further increased to Rs 10 lakh credit target this year. Whether the banking system have the capacity to take up the additional burden given the existing high level of bad loans from the segment is a question. Innovation in 4,000 backward blocks will generate rural entrepreneurship. Mason training and skill India development clearly aimed at long-term formalisation of informal occupations. Farmers, rural poor, youth, girls and women, artisans, unprivileged and their concerns of education, infrastructure, loan, jobs and social security were dwelt at length. PM Modi and FM Jaitley realise the burden of expectation that is there on them and it was good to see that FM addressed to that in the beginning. Modi government has used the first half of the budget to address its core social constituency farmers, rural poor, Dalits, women, youth. Remember, this is the third budget of the Modi government and thus most significant to send out a message to those who looked up to this government with certain hopes and aspirations. Good going by the finance minister. He has focused on rural fundamentals micro irrigation and dairy focus, contract farming, water harvesting and infrastructure. The FM has made Rs 1.87 lakh crore allocation for rural and agri sector. Bharat shining! "Service charge for tickets booked through IRCTC to be withdrawn. Tariffs to be fixed as per competition and quality of service," said Jaitley. "Coach Mitra facility to come up. All trains to have bio-toilets," Jaitley said. "500 stations to be made differently-abled with lifts, escalators. Solar power to lit up more stations," he said. "A Rail Raksha Sanraksha Koch with a corpus of Rs 1 lakh cr in the course of five years. Unmanned railway crossings to disappear by 2020. Railway lines of 3,500 km will be commissioned in 2017-18," says Jaitley. "A pilot project with Aadhaar cards containing the health details of senior citizens will be started in 15 districts,"says Jaitley. Concerns of medical students have been addressed for post-graduate education. It is interesting to see that that government decision to allow private hospitals to begin DNB medical courses found a place in the budget. Re-emphasis on cashless economy would boost digital transactions leading to greater financial inclusion, transparency and economic growth: Mehul Turakhia, Director Finance, Directi The finance minister said the government proposes to complete 1,00,00,000 houses by 2019 for houseless and those living in kaccha houses. Towards this, he increased allocation for PM Awas Yojana to Rs 23,000 crore. Jaitleys announcement that affordable housing will be given infrastructure status is an important step. This is a big move that can, at one stroke, give a major push to the affordable housing sector since banks can now lend money to affordable housing projects under infrastructure category. This can also work to boost real estate and construction activities that has slowed in the recent months. Good move, Mr FM! Launching of education portal is a good step. However, investment in schools and educational infrastructure in rural sector is the need of the hour. "New Metro Rail Policy to be announced. It will open up new job possibilities.National Highway Allocation fixed at Rs 64,000 Crore. Airports Authority of India Act to be amended to enable monetisation of land," says Jaitley. Safety deadlines a key deviation from previous Railway Budget. Throughput enhancement will reduce the need to keep increasing fares. Elimination of unmanned rail crossings by 2020 can reduce accidents by 40 %. The fact that FM Jaitley referred to Railway after about 50 minutes of budget speech is an indicator that the government was keen to send out a strong political message that it cared for poor, underprivileged and concerns of youth. It was basically elaboration of what PM Modi had outlined in his 31 December 2016 address to the nation, the day his 50-day deadline for deposits of old demonetised notes had ended. It will depend on the ruling BJP as a party to reach out to electorate in UP, Punjab, Uttrakhand, Goa and Manipur with certain positives. The government to take up second phase of solar power development for additional 20,000 MW. Over 250 proposals for electronics mfg received in last 2 yrs for Rs 1.26 lakh crore, says Jaitley. Agriculture sector announcements are deeply disappointing. Like last year, farmers have got nice words but nothing else. Service charge withdrawal on Railway tickets e-booking a way to encourage e transactions. This will also compel airlines. The increase in railway expenditure focusing on infrastructure creation steady going. National highway will have no speed breaker for smooth motoring. Implementation will be key. Affordable housing as infrastructure is an innovative idea to boost the sector. "IRCON and IRFC to be listed on stock exchanges. There is a proposal to create an integrated PSU oil major. Listing of CPSE will increase accountability," says Jaitley. Specifics on cyber security steps missing. Interface with police and courts required. As many as 125 lakh people adopt BHIM app, but regulator for epayments missing. Increasing target for agriculture credit to Rs 10 lakh crore is nothing but a routine announcement. From 9 to 9.5 to 10. In any case, this is given by the banks, not FM. What the FM could have announced was interest relief. This he is not done. Nor has he announced any measures to ensure that this credit reaches to small, tenant farmers. So net results ZERO. Propose revised mechanism for time-bound listing of PSUs. Shift to digital platforms to benefit the common man, says Jaitley. Defence personnel getting their concession tickets booked in railway through online processes without standing in queue at railways reservation counters with authorised concession warrants is a welcome step. It otherwise sounds a small step but gives great comfort to defence personnel. Modi government would hope to get their goodwill. The finance minister has proposed to create an integrated PSU oil major. Is this the end of current PSU oil marketing companies? The announcement from Jaitley that railway-related state-run companies like IRCON and IRCTC are to be listed on stock exchanges is a bumper move thatll enable the government to unlock the big value of these giants. This is a proposal that has been in the discussions for too long, but no definite decisions have been taken so far. Jaitleys move, in this context, is significant. Total resources to be transferred to states and UTs estimated at Rs 4.11 lakh crore. Allocation of capital expenditure up 25% YoY. Peg fiscal deficit for 2017 at 3.2%, says Jaitley. FM's loud silence on some of the key demands and expectations of farmers: Income security for farmers, higher MSP release of farmers from debt-trap, improvement in irrigation, electricity, fertilizer and seed subsidies. Very disappointed. Rs 10,000 crores for banks recapitalisation is in line, but short of expectations. "Tax-to-GDP ratio very low in India. We are largely a tax non-compliant society. When too many evades tax, the burden falls on those who are honest," says Jaitley. Government decision to bring a law to attach properties of absconders is a significant move. It would enable the government to attach properties of the likes of Vijay Mallya, Lalit Modi and so on, who fled from country. Whether or not this would act as deterrent but would certainly send a strong signal that bhagodas family members wouldn't enjoy the assets and wealth with impunity. Poetry time once again, this time on black money. Opposition, treasury benches join hands in complimenting poet Arun Jaitley. Poetry time once again, this time on black money. Opposition , treasury benches join hands in complimenting poet Arun Jaitley. With regard to fiscal deficit roadmap of 3 years, a long-term view has been maintained. This is consistent with promises made. However, it would require great effort to achieve it. "The thrust of my tax proposal in this Budget is to bring relief to the middle class, boost affordable housing, transparent political funding. Net tax growth at 17% in the last 2 years," says Jaitley. The push towards e-transactions through BHIM and Aadhar enabled payments puts India at the cusp of a digital revolution. "Demonetisation deposits between Rs 2-80 lakh made In 1.09 crore accounts. Post demonetisation deposits above Rs 80 lakh in 1.48 lakh accounts," says Jaitley. Consider this: Presently, state-run banks are severely undercapitalised. At least seven of the PSU banks have less than 8.5 percent Tier-I capital adequacy and one bank less than 8 percent. The problem is worsened with their non-performing assets (NPAs) hitting the roof (nearly Rs 6 lakh crore as on September, 2016 or nearly 8 percent of the total bank credit), and total chunk of stressed assets (bad loans and restructured loans together) jumping to 12-13 percent of the total bank credit. Jaitley should have allocated much more for weak state-run banks. Here, there is a bit of disappointment. Arun Jaitley said government will infuse Rs 10,000 crore this year in public sector banks, which constitute 70 percent of the industry. This is part of the Indradhanush plan to infuse Rs 70,000 crore in PSU banks over five years. Given the mess the banking sector is in, the kind of bad loan problems, analysts were expecting much bigger capital infusion to equip public sector banks, beyond what is already planned. Though the FM has assured that government will make sure banks get additional capital, past evidence shows that capital is yet again going to be a major problem for the sarakari banks. A new law proposed to enable lenders to confiscate assets of absconders living overseas. But existing laws permitted this. Remains to be seen how this new law is drafted and implemented. 'New law to confiscate absconders' overseas properties; need to see the details' "Propose to cut 5% tax for those firms whose turnovers are below Rs 50 crore. 96% firms of the country would be benefitted," says Jaitley. Government expenditure has increased substantially from Rs 5,500 crore proposed last year to Rs 13,200. But it seems to have gone in the pocket of private insurance companies. Share of farmers covered has increased from 21% to only 24%. Sum assured has gone up, not the numbers of farmers covered, nor the claim amount. Who is the government insuring exactly: farmers or companies? PM Fasal Bima Yojana: Who is the government insuring exactly farmers or companies? Propose to make changes in capital gains tax for housing. Holding period for land and building will be reduced to 2 years from 3 years. Instead of build-up area, carpet area will be counted for affordable housing, says Jaitley. Increase in MGNREGA funds is not the decision of the government. The government was forced to do so by Supreme Court. Already done in the supplementary entry budget. Actually capping MGNREGA at Rs 48,000 crore violates SC orders. FM has added only Rs 500 crores while the ministry has asked Rs 5,000 crores. Lower holding period for coming under cpaital gains tax net and shift of year for indexation purpose will be helpful to the real estate sector. "Up to Rs 2,000 can be donated in cash by anyone source to a political party. Political parties can receive donations through digital methods and cheques. Donors can buy RBI bonds and would be able to donate to a political party which can redeem within a specified time. The bond can be bought through cheque or by employing any digital method. Every political party has to file its returns as per Income Tax Act," says Jaitley. Donation to political parties, no more than Rs 2,000 in cash Corporate tax for most companies in the MSME sector reduced by 5 percent. This will give a boost to the MSME sector hit by demonetisation. NO TRANSACTION OVER RS. 3 LAKH WILL BE PERMITTED IN CASH Reducing cash limit for political funding from Rs 20,000 to Rs 2,000 is meaningless. Because there is no limit in number of persons. "Reduce existing rate for income from Rs 2.5 lakh to 5 lakh to 5 % from 10%. 50% saving in income tax if a person is earning up to Rs 5 lakh. Tax forgone due to this step stands at Rs 15,500 crore. The government to levy surcharge of 10% on those who are earning between Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore," says Jaitley. Maximum cash donation a political party can accept from one source has been brought down to Rs 2,000. As per the current norms, any political funding less than Rs 20,000 didnt require to show source. This new change is a step in good direction and will hopefully bring down the flow of black money in political funding. Reduction in corporate tax for SMEs and increased exemption of profits to 3/7 yrs a big boost to the small and 1st gen businessmen of the nation. The popular pressure had grown after demonetisation. It was heartening to hear FM Jaitley talking of brining some amendments to take small but significant steps to cleanse political funding with the admission that political parties continue to accept through anonymous sources and donors fear to entail adverse consequences. The limit for anonymous cash donation has been brought down from Rs 20,000 to Rs 2,000. Government has finally moved one step forward in cleaning a corrupt and non-transparent system of political funding. This was a long-pending demand from the public at large. Though Prime Minister Modi had been talking about it for some time and Election Commission had made certain suggestions to the government, there was a great deal of scepticism on whether or when the Government would actually make a move in this regard. Sunny days ahead for the common man as individual tax rate reduced to 5% for the income bracket of 2.5-5 lakhs. No major change in personal income tax except for change in reduction of rate from 10 percent to 5 percent for Rs 2.5-5 Lakh. Rationalisation of the complete tax structure as per Direct Tax code still seems to be a distant dream. "In the first speech made by Narendra Modi, he talked about bullet trains. Did bullet trains come? No. Safety is the fundamental problem in railways. The safety record in railways is at the lowest," he said. "Some big announcements should have been made for farmers," said Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi after the Union Budget 2017 was presented. Prima facie, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has offered a fine blueprint to revive the economic growth momentum with proposals to push rural sector growth, encourage affordable housing and small companies with a slew of schemes, higher infrastructure spending and tax rebates. The budget also carried some signs of a bold, reformist agenda with steps to cleanse the political funding and proposal to unlock value in firms like IRCTC, even as it shied away from steep corporate tax rate cuts and much-needed funding for weak state-run banks. However, all in all, the budget hasnt failed to meet the general expectations and will aid Indias consumption story by putting more money into the hands of people. The FM has reduced the holding period for land and building from 3 years to 2 years for long-term capital gains purpose. This would help improve invest ability in properties in comparison to shares and stocks where the period is 1 year. By granting infrastructure status to affordable housing, the government acknowledges that affordable housing industry is an important driver of the economy. Affordable housing developers will now be eligible for several government incentives, subsidies, tax benefits and most importantly institutional funding. The status could also mean that the Government may release land specifically for affordable housing development in central locations of major urban centres in India. "With the coming of the GST soon we are looking into a completely new way of looking into the economy," says Madhavan Narayanan. GST will be a new way of looking into the economy: Narayanan "Having one monolith oil organisation would be great. We are talking about a similar banking organisation and that would be great," says Bhaskar. "The entire transport sector has integrated planning. Railways will be able to contribute more effectively now," he said. "In this Budget, there were highways and Iways made. From railways to data speed, from education to health, steps have been taken to fulfill everyone's dream," said Modi. "For this historic budget, the finance minister and his team deserve congratulations," he added. Excise duty on various lengths of cigarettes hiked by 2.5% to 6 % Parts used for the manufacture of LED lights will attract basic customs duty of 5% and CVD of 6%. "This budget is an attempt to give pace to the speed with which the country is changing. This budget is our future," he said. * Tax rates halved to 5% for income of Rs 2.5-5 lakh, tax slabs unchanged * 10% surcharge on people earning between Rs 50 lakh-1 cr * 15% surcharge on annual income above Rs 1 cr to continue * Cash transactions above Rs 3 lakh to banned * Corporate tax for SMEs with turnover up to Rs 50 cr cut to 25%; 96% companies to benefit * Customs duty of LNG halved to 2.5% * Fiscal deficit pegged at 3.2% next year, 3% in FY'19 * Political parties barred from accepting cash donation beyond Rs 2,000 per individual * They can receive donations via cheques, electronic mode; electoral bonds to be issued by RBI * Aadhaar-based health cards for senior citizens; a scheme for them to ensure 8 pc guaranteed returns * FIPB to be abolished; further FDI policy liberalisation * Government to have time-bound procedure for CPSE listing * Railway PSUs -- IRCTC, IRFC, IRCON to be listed * Payment Regulatory Board to be set up within RBI to regulate digital payments * Negotiable instruments Act to be amended to deal with cheque bounce cases * Legislative changes to confiscate of assets of economic offenders who flee country * Demonetisation bold, decisive measure; to help GDP growth, taxes mop up to rise * Effect of demonetisation not to spill over to next year * GST, demonetisation 'tectonic changes' for economy * Service charges on e-tickets booked via IRCTC waived * Capital expenditure of Railway fixed at Rs 1.31 lakh cr * Rail safety fund of Rs 1 lakh cr over 5 years, unmanned level crossing to be eliminated by 2020 * Budget based on 3 agenda -- Transform, Energise, Clean India (TECIndia). MORE PTI JD * 3 yr period for long-term capital gains tax on immovable property reduced to 2 years; base year indexation shifted from April 1, 1981 to April 1, 2001 * Disinvestment target at Rs 72,500 cr, up from 56,500 cr * Gross market borrowing pegged at Rs 6.05 lakh cr * Duty exempted on POS machines and Iris readers for encouraging digital payments * Tax benefits for Start ups to be for 3 out of 7 yrs * FPI to be exempt from indirect transfer provision * Integrated public sector oil major to be created to match global giants * Direct Tax collection growth 15.8%, indirect tax 8.3% * Total expenditure pegged at Rs 21.47 lakh crore * Capital expenditure up 24%; to have multiplier effect * Allocation to states hiked to Rs 4.11 cr * FRBM Committee suggests Debt-GDP ratio of 60% by 2020 * Retail inflation to remain within 2-6 pc * 2 new AIIMS to come up in Jharkhand, Gujarat * Highest ever allocation of Rs 48,000 cr to MNREGA * Farm sector to grow at 4.1% this fiscal, to double farm income in five years * Farm credit target for next fiscal at Rs 10 lakh crore * Fasal Bima yojana increased to 40% of crop area; raised to Rs 1.41 lakh crore in Kharif 2017 season * Infrastructure investment pegged at Rs 3.96 lakh cr * To double irrigation fund corpus to Rs 40,000 cr * Infrastructure status accorded affordable housing * Dairy processing fund with Rs 2000cr corpus to be set up * Rs 1.84 lakh cr allocated for women, child initiatives * Rs 1.87 lakh cr allocated to rural, agri, allied sectors * 1 crore houses by 2019 for homeless * PM Awas Yojana allocation up from Rs 15,000 cr to Rs 23,000 cr * 100% village electrification to be achieved by May 2018 * Rs 31,920 cr allocated for Scheduled Tribes, Rs 4,195 cr for nminority affairs, outcome based budgeting to start * Road sector allocation hiked to Rs 64,000 cr * Innovation Fund to be created for Secondary Education * Allocation of Rs 2.41 lakh crore rail, road, shipping to create jobs, spur economic activity * New metro rail policy to be announced * New crude oil reserves proposed at Odisha and Rajasthan; to take strategic reserve capacity to 15.33 mmt * India on cusp of digital revolution * FDI increased 35 pc to Rs 1.45 lakh crore in H1 FY'17. "The onus lies on us. We should get together and pay the rightful taxes," says financial advisor Surya Bhatia. "Benefit on the corporate side is for the real estate and housing sector. Borrowing cost has been reduced. A number of measures for the benefit of the sector. Holding period from three to two years," says Vishal J Shah, Partner, Direct tax, PwC India. "More clarity on demonetisation and black money was required," says financial advisor Surya Bhatia. A great budget . Heartening to see the government encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit and bringing in financial inclusion through digital means. "Modi government has finally resorted to Nehru-era welfarism but it has not picked on the Nehru era ambition. It has gone on to believe that alms to the poor would help them politically," says Madhavan Narayanan. The trust of the budget is to enhance the tax base and move towards digitisation through several amendments in the act. No change in capital gains tax regime for listed stocks and clarification on non applicability of indirect transfer rules to FPIs and AIFs will be a big relief to the investors and could trigger an immediate rally on the stock markets. One can argue that the Budget could be more ambitious at the cost of fiscal prudence. However, in global macro economic backdrop, the calibration in the Indian economy post demonetisation and much awaited GST which is now on anvil, Budget 2017 is stable fine balancing act, with fiscal prudence, directional spending and no surprises on the taxation front which should lead the country to a sustainable growth path. Budget 2017 sticks to fiscal prudence with a fiscal deficit of 3.2 percent whilst balancing enhanced spending in several socio economic schemes and different aspects of economic development. There is some cheer for individuals as tax rates for income between 2.5 lakhs to 5 lakhs has been reduced from 10 percent to 5 percent. However, an additional 10 percent surcharge has been introduced on income between 50 lakhs and 1 crore which is a dampener for high networth individuals. MSME with turnover up to Rs 50 crores will benefit from lower tax rate of 25 percent and there are some concessions to boost the real estate sector. "Banks have got their punishment for the bad loans and bad assets," says commentator Rajesh Raparia. The FM has given in to strong demands for lower taxes and offered a balm for demonetisation. Those who earn upto Rs 5lakhs will either pay no tax or their tax outgo will reduce to 50%. Our exemption limits have stayed put since a long time. Low income earners have been given relief. Reduction in slab rate to 5% for Rs 2.5L to Rs 5L is applicable to all resulting in minimum tax saving of Rs 12,500 for all. This is likely to boost consumption and put higher disposable income in the hands of taxpayers. This is important for a push post demonetisation and boosting growth. The FM has announced massive reforms in tax rules, including audit and book keeping rules for small and medium businesses. This is bound to boost compliance amongst small taxpayers. Threshold for maintenance of books of accounts for individuals and HUFs turnover limit being increased from Rs 10 lakh to 25 lakh or income limit increase from Rs 1.2 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh. This is a positive step for ease of doing business. These limits have not been raised since a long time. Those companies with turnover under Rs 50 crores now have to pay 25 percent tax instead of 30 percent. Political reform policy wise correct and will be politically correct in the long term "By putting money in agriculture he is trying to stem the migration to urban areas. If farming becomes profitable that would stop migration and the challenge of job creation," says Bhaskar. "We had promised transparency in 2014. The prime minister fulfilled that promise by introducing various schemes," said Amit Shah on the Union Budget 2017. "However, the question remain is the fine print. We have to see where the cuts and gains have been. The expenditure has increased," Aiyar said. "The direction of the Budget is craftsmanlike. It has dealt with intricate issues like demonetisation," he said. "Good thing about the Budget that they tried to stay on course. This government is focussing on efficiency. The government has avoided the temptation of speaking to the voters in Uttar Pradesh or Punjab through the Budget," says Aiyar. "On the economic slowdown, the finance minister has promised a lot of expenditure. I am not sure that in the next one month if the campaign would focus on the Budget. It would be largely local," says author and commentator Sanjaya Baru. Amazing. How has Arun Jaitley fixed fiscal deficit at 3.2 percent of GDP for FY18 while raising capital expenditure by 25%? Sleight of hand? Considering the impetus being given to road infrastructure, manufacturing and affordable housing, the government has put in all the required ingredients to incentivise urban decongestion and the development of new industrial cities around our industrial transport corridors. It is encouraging to see that government is moving forward on payment system regulation. We hope the setting up of a separate payment regulatory board will help in improving interoperability and innovation. The Finance Minister also announced digital infra related measures and we hope all these steps will help more and more people joining the digital ecosystem. As expected Finance Minister made a formal announcement on the launch of AadhaarPay in todays budget and I am confident that this will push digital payments to grassroots levels of the country. FIPB to be abolished. Like NITI Ayog that replaced Planning Commisstion, this may be an act of repackaging passed off as abolition. 'Will FIPB end up as another repackaging, just like NITI Aayog?' "On the economic slowdown, the finance minister has promised a lot of expenditure. I am not sure that in the next one month if the campaign would focus on the Budget. It would be largely local," says author and commentator Sanjaya Baru. "Loan waivers destroy the fabric of loan and borrowing and destroy banks also," Bhaskar said. Insiders admit that most of these parties which have collected ill-gotten monies through various commercial deals have created an army of people who create the list of their contributors in lakhs to turn their black money into white. Since political parties have any army of cadre , they can create this list to show as donors in large numbers. Long before such provision came into existence, political parties have devised mechanism to bypass any scrutiny of their account by creating list of fictious donations. For instance, in Uttar Pradesh, regional parties are believed to have developed a skill in creating a fictitious list of contributors. If union finance minister Arun Jaitley thinks that his move to reduce the individual's contribution to political parties from Rs 20,000 to Rs 2,000 would check influx of corrupt money into the political system, he may find himself pursuing a chimera. "Budgetary allocations are just indicative. If the defence can speed up the procurement process, it would be given as much money as they want," Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on only 6% hike in defence allocation to Doordarshan. "FDI has become much easier at entry point. Only 10% of the FDI require intervention from the parent ministries. 90% of the FDI are immediately invested. FIPB goes through the same set of norms which the ministries go. So the FIPB is abolished to remove a hurdle," Jaitley on the abolition of FIPB. It is a digital economy budget. Government has pushed the digital theme in every area of the budget. Every person from small shops to consumers are pushed towards the digital economy. Tax benefits, incentives to use digital payments and extending loans based on a digital footprint will create a larger merchant ecosystem for digital payments. Incentives for labour intensive sectors including housing, farming and dairy will help SMEs to create new jobs. Focus and attention to bank NPAs, as well as increasing bank capitalisation is a great step towards strengthening the financial system of the country. Finally, the income tax rate changes will encourage more people to report their incomes and create a larger tax net for the country. Overall, it is a great budget that will encourage people to move to the formal economy and derive benefits. The strong emphasis laid on technology in almost all the development areas in the budget reaffirms that technology has been at the forefront of Indias recent economic growth and digital transformation. It has been recognised as an important enabler across initiatives ranging from agriculture to skill development to manufacturing and infrastructural development. The governments focus on making India a digital payment economy will definitely help companies like HP to contribute in technology adoption in rural and semi-urban areas, thereby bringing the Digital India vision closer to reality. We also welcome the finance ministers commitment to introduce and implement Goods and Services Tax (GST) as per schedule and start GST awareness programme from 1 April, 2017 for all stakeholders. The Union Budget 2017-18 is extremely positive for the common man, farmers, small and medium businesses and would drive significant growth in the Indian economy. Governments commitment to make taxation rate reasonable, tax administration fair and expand the tax base are the steps taken in the right direction. The tax relief given by the government for the middle class tax payers will definitely boost the purchasing power, thereby aiding the overall growth of the economy. The major tax relief given to the MSMEs and SMEs with an annual turnover of Rs 50 crores, would enable them to invest in job creation, increase capital expenditure and explore their digital journey. The Budget has failed to address the banking sector problem. Only keeping aside Rs 10,000 lakh crore is not sufficient. The banks already have Rs 6,000 lakh crore NPAs. What we need is good policy implementation. Then India can move mountains. "The Opposition was waiting eagerly for the people to oppose demonetisation. But nothing happened," said Union minister Mahesh Sharma in Lok Sabha. The Opposition MPs didn't seem to like that joke as they began shouting. "Finally the earthquake is here," he said. "I was thinking about how this earthquake came. There must be reason that dharti maa is so angry with us," he added. "Yesterday, there was an earthquake," Modi said, after which some MPs laughed as they probably saw a pun on the word 'earthquake'. "A lot of issues were raised in the debate on the motion of thanks and I am grateful to members of the House for raising these issue," he said. "I thank the President for his address," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Lok Sabha. "Mallikarjunji was saying that it was because of Congress that democracy had prevailed and I had become prime minister," Modi further said. "But the people are aware of the actual situation now," he added. "I was thinking about how the earthquake came. When somebody sees seva in scam, even dharti maa becomes sad, and an earthquake thus follows," Modi said. "But they (Opposition members) have never talked Veer Savarkar or Bhagat Singh fighting for independence. They think freedom was attained only due to one family," he said. "I have earlier also said that earlier governments also contributed to the fight against poverty," Modi said. "We should recognise the power of the people," he said. "No one wants harm for our nation. Everyone wants welfare for the poor," he added. "An ordinary person like me had asked those who could afford it to let go of their gas subsidy," Modi said. "Over 1.2 crore people of this country came forward to sacrifice their gas subsidy," he added. They think Independence was attained only due to one family: Modi in Lok Sabha "For demonetisation, this was the perfect time because the economy was healthy," said Modi. "You know that if there is a disease, and a doctor recommends operation, he talks about keeping the body healthy first," said the prime minister in Lok Sabha. This was the perfect time for demonetisation: Modi in Lok Sabha "Despite MNREGA being there for a long time, there have been 1,035 changes in it," Modi said. "What was the reason that you had to make 1,035 changes since you brought about MNREGA?" said the prime minister. "You have no right to take pride in one of your programmes because since the time of kings, programmes for welfare of poor have been there. Just the names for the programmes have changed," he said. "We also brought about the Income Tax Declaration scheme. We ended over 1,100 obsolete laws," Narendra Modi said in Lok Sabha. According to Congress sources quoted by Times Now, the Opposition is set to push for adjournment following obituary messages. Will this come to fruition? We'll find out very soon. What to expect from this session of Parliament? "Kaun kitna kaam karta hai mujhe bhi maloom hai (I know who does how much work). I know it. Please chale jaiye (go away)," she tells a protesting MP. "Saifullah was identified and the ATS surrounded him and attempted to arrest him, unfortunately, he refused to surrender and opened fire. After 12 hours of firing, the ATS made its way into his safehouse and killed him. Eight pistols, several cartridges, three mobile phones and a few walky-talkies were found in his possession," says Rajnath. "Modi tweets about everything. Why is he so quiet about this? When visiting leaders come, he's hugging them. When someone from China comes, he sits with him on a swing. And now, why is he sitting silently?" rages Kharge. Mallikarjun Kharge says, "The Central government has no strategy to secure its citizens or assure their safety abroad. Ever since Donald Trump came to power, such incidents have been increasing. We are told that the US is the most transparent and democratic on one hand, and that it's the most powerful country on the other hand. And in such a country where so many of our citizens are students and employees, if our youths are being killed, why is the Narendra Modi government sitting quietly?" BJD MP Bhartruhari Mahtab notes that the US recently put out a travel advisory for American travellers coming to South Asia. "Is the Government of India going to put out an advisory for NRIs stating which US states should be avoided?" Reddy alludes to President Donald Trump's slogan of 'America for Americans' as a source of concern, and says, "When Srinivas' body was brought back to India, all of Telangana mourned. I want to know what we are discussing with the US. The external minister must clarify. A proper statement has to be given." TRS MP AP Jithender Reddy says, "The American government has only condemned the crimes against Indians. It has done nothing to get justice or protect Indians... I request Government of India to provide all possible assistance to our fellow Indians living in other countries." 'I want to know what we are discussing with the US' Rajnath Singh answers Rajnath clarifies, "We have taken these incidents seriously. They are saddening and unfortunate incidents. And all steps will be taken by the Government of India to ensure that our citizens in the US are safe and secure. Since the external affairs minister is unwell at the moment, we will issue a full statement next week." AIADMK MP P Venugopal says, "After the killing of the fishermen, we expect the government to act very strongly. Shooting incidents have increased over the years. Pertinent to point out that during peace talks in Chennai, a consensus was reached that Indian fishermen would not be fired upon but this is being violated all the time." "Whether our country grows at 10 percent or not, we must translate this into the greater good of the bottom 10 percent, including our fishermen... We need training programmes to teach them different trades during the no-trawling season," says Tharoor. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor widens the scope of the discussion adding fishermen arrested by Pakistan and those detained by the British in Diego Garcia. A two-minute silence was observed after which Ansari announced that the House would remain adjourned for the day. Soon after the House met for the day after a month-long recess, Chairman Mohammad Hamid Ansari read out obituary references to former members Puttapaga Radhkrishna, P Shiv Shankar, Syed Shabuddin, Rabi Ray and sitting member Haji Abdul Salam. He adds, "This is a new threat and the government must face it. It is a new chapter altogether and unless we discuss it in this house and unless the government focuses on the threat from Islamic State, we are looking at grave danger." BJD MP Jay Panda says, "We've suffered cross-border and homegrown terrorism, but we've been quite resilient against transnational terrorism. But these twin attacks including the train blast that were carried out by Islamic State, indicate a shift. Over the past few months, the government has made 68 arrests, most of whom are educated." Illegal Bangladeshi immigrants BJP MP Nishikant Dubey says, "While we're talking about employment being deprived to citizens of other countries, we should look at the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh who steal our jobs, food and amenities. The citizens of Bangladesh are not citizens of India, therefore, the government must implement measures including at the block-level to ascertain who is a Bangladeshi and who is an Indian. Jai Hind. Jai Bharat" The government has set 1 July as the deadline. All eyes are on the amendments the Congress is going to move. The biggest tax reform has to be rolled out before September, otherwise both the central and state governments will not have the right to collect the taxes. As the Lok Sabha members gear up for the GST Bill debate, all are waiting with bated breath to see whether the supplementary legislations are going to be passed in the current session. "We are going to have a different system from now on," he says explainings the Union, State & Concurrent lists and the Centre's jurisdiction. The finance minister says the entire country will have one tax movement. The Centre and states will split the tax income. The peak rate has been keenly awaited by many companies such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Coca-Cola has actually urged the govenrment to reain the peak rate at 34 percent recently. There are certain goods that are identified as sin goods and luxury items. The cess above 28 percent imposed on these will flow into compensation fund. \ The first tax slab is 0 percent. The next is 5 percent and then 12-18 percent. The fourth slab is 28 percent. Arun Jaitley explains the various tax slabs and the rationale behind the peak rate of 40 percent of more on certain goods. Arun Jaitley explains the various tax slabs; are Coca-Cola and others listening? The peak rate has been keenly awaited by many companies such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Coca-Cola has actually urged the govenrment to reain the peak rate at 34 percent recently. There are certain goods that are identified as sin goods and luxury items. The cess above 28 percent imposed on these will flow into compensation fund. \ The first tax slab is 0 percent. The next is 5 percent and then 12-18 percent. The fourth slab is 28 percent. Arun Jaitley explains the various tax slabs and the rationale behind the peak rate of 40 percent of more on certain goods. Arun Jaitley explains the various tax slabs; are Coca-Cola and others listening? "The intentions can be good but you are bringing anarchy into the country. There will be turnf war between the states and the Centre," Moily says. He points out that the common man will have to file multiple forms. He urged the finance minister to explain how the compliance can be simlified. He wants the tax payers to be educated, made aware of the new system. "One tax one nation is a myth," he says. According to Veerappa Moily, GST will be a technological nightmare. "Officials implementing it will suffer. No ad-hoc provision to make payment, give credit," he says. Will the commercial tax dept be made redundant by GST? What will happen to the staff in the department? Will they lose jobs? "GST hinges on revenue neutral rate. These are now fixed at 0, 5, 12, 18 and 28 percent and above. We will know only after the first year if it's revenue neutral or not," Mahtab says. Bhartruhari Mahtab of the Bju Janata Dal feels it will be illusory to expect too much from GST. Bhartruhari Mahtab of BJD says expecting too much from Bill will be illusory 'We have a competition law in the country. Why is the anti profiteering provision necessary? What is the Competition law for?" he asks. Bhartruhari Mahtab of the Bju Janata Dal is questioning the rational behind the anti-profiteering clause in the GST Bill. Bhartruhari Mahtab asks what is need for anti-profiteering clause? What is competition law for? The MP said that the Centre must look at the pathetic fiscal condition of AP, post the division of the state, and compensate it accordingly. He said that the Telegu state will lose as much as Rs 2000 Crore annually. While lauding the overall GST tax regime, the TDP MP pointed out that the GST will benefit the consumer states, it will add to the agony of other states, including Andhra Pradesh. As for kadva he points out there could be an increase in tax inspections. "This goes against PM's maximum governance, minimum government," he says. According to him, tax compliant hospitals and builders may have a competitive disadvantage. "This can be bitter." As for the meetha, the GST Bill is ushering in a new era. He goes on to explain how the Bill has some positives and negatives of the reform. "But it's healthy and wholesome," he says. Konda Vishweshwar Reddy of Telengana Rashtra Samithi makes the best comparison of the GSt Bill - it is like ugadi pachadi- khatta, meetha and kadva. He also urged the government to not levy higher cess on aerated drinks like Pepsi as this impacts even the common man. He also wants the government to look at the additional cess on consumer durables as this will affect common man. According to him the total cess may even touch 48 percent. Varaprasad Rao of the YSR Congress Party asks are there any plans to bring alcohol and petroleum products within the ambit of GST? She also said there are many hiccups in GST and also sought to know what could be exact impact of the reform on GDP and FDI? "What are the steps you take to protect the data?" she asked reminding that any data theft will cost the country dearly. Sule pointed out GSTN will possess all the data of the taxpayers. Also with the right to decide the tax rate being vested with the GST Council, the supremacy of Parliament in violation of Article 265. He quoted from an article by renowned economist Prabhat Patnaik and asked whether we should sacfricice a basic feature of our federalisation for an uncertain gain? According to him, the present GST Bill abrogates the powers of the state governments. "The BJP, then principal opposition, opposed it only on political considerations," he said. NK Premachandran of RSP accused the BJP of toppling UPA's efforts bring about the reform and taking advantage now to impelement them. Jaitley also said that multiple window taxation system has ailed the economy since long and must be fixed in favour of the common man. Jaitley started off by thanking the members of Opposition for engaging in a debate. He then pointed out that the debate was crucial as once the GST bill becomes an act, it will drastically change the tax regime in the region. "There is no free flow of goods and services in the country. The objective of the new tax regime was to establish such a system that when goods and services flow across company, taxes are levied at a uniform rate and a single window," Jaitley said. GST will aide free flow of goods and services across the country: Jaitley Arun jaitley told the Lok Sabha that the new tax regime is designed in a way that larger impetus is placed on self assessment of tax for the people, barring limited cases of audits. He said this will not only simplify the tax filing process but do away with multiple layers of taxation for the common man. Greater impetus will be on self assessment under GST: Jaitley Arun Jaitley defends GST bill after Oppn arguments, says goods will slightly become cheaper after new tax law INC leader Veerappa Moily, interrupts Jaitleys speaks, asks if GST council is supreme power, who will protect the funds Congress questions the amount of power GST council will wield, says Parliament will no longer have power to debate/ amend taxation laws However, the finance minister added that the Parliament will have the power to send back a suggestion for reconsideration. He also reassured the House that the power to form a legislation is plenary to the Parliament. Jaitley said that the idea that we can deviate from GST council's recommendations is problematic and ill advised as the laws will keep changing depending on the colour of the political party in power. Therefore to protect the structure of federalism that the government is trying to implement it is imperative that the GST council has the power to decide on taxation issues. Jaitley said that one commodity will have a single rate of tax across the country, but it is not necessary that two different commodities enjoy the same rate of GST. For one commodity their will be one rate of tax in the country: Arun Jaitley Jaitley said that the council introduced the provision of a compensation package only for the benefit of manufacturing states as we saw that the transition to GST would affect them adversely while it benefited the consuming state. I didn't make this law, it was 7 Congress finance ministers who did: Arun Jaitley Oppn alleges govt made GST bill a money bill only to override Rajya Sabha, where BJP does not enjoy majority He said he was ready to sit and wait for the Opposition to point out even one precedent when a taxation bill has not been treated as a money bill. "This law seeks to replace the Central Excise law, Service Tax law etc and consolidates them into one. So here is a taxation law that alters the tax regime and replaces existing tax laws then how come it wont be a money bill," Jaitley asked. Arun Jaitley says no precedent of a taxation bill not being a money bill Jaitley sought to reassure the Lok Sabha on the changing tax regime as far as foodgrains are concered. The finance minister said that Agriculture as and industry and foodgrain have always remained exempt from taxes and they always will. "Council will be a permanent body with a political complexion that accommodates everyone and has representatives from every state. Therefore I request the House to pass the bill unanimously drafted by a representative council as is," Jaitley said. Arun Jaitley said that the government has strived to ensure that the GST council is representatve of everybody's interest and the body debating the draft of the bill also included representatives from each state. Jaitley concludes govt stand on new tax regime, requests House to pass it as is Three of the four GST bills passed in the Parliament After the man lynched in Alwar died on Wednesday, the Congress party asked for a discussion on the issue. Mallikarjun Kharge says that the Rajasthan Government failed to act on the issue. He added that this was the fifth such incident in Rajasthan. Rajnath Singh says that the Rajasthan government has taken cognisance of the case and that a FIR has been filed on the issue and people have been arrested. Gaikwad began by saying that the airline staff treated him badly. He also added that he must get justice from the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Gaikwad blames media for launching a trial against him. Ravindra Gaikwad says that the Air India staff assaulted him. He says that the officials of the airline caught him by his collar and his reaction was in defence. I apologise to the Parliament if I've caused any hurt, but not to the Air India official: Ravindra Gaikwad,Shiv Sena MP in Lok Sabha. The scenes turned ugly in the Lok Sabha as Shiv Sena MPs tried to gherao the minister. However, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and other ministers came to Raju's rescue. It is indeed sad that the conduct of this elected representative is just another passing news shower. Everyone seems happy that airlines have banned him from flying, a minor inconvenience that will melt away in a few days. In no way does it highlight the frequent high-handedness by VIPs in India where aviation is concerned nobody said 'enough is enough now, put on your seatbelt and shut up!' The Shiv Sena MP says Airlines imposing travel ban on him is like Mahatma Gandhi being thrown out of train in South Africa. Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi denied that any lynching had taken place in Rajasthan's Alwar. Reacting to this, Leader of Opposition, Ghulam Nabi Azad said that even the New York Times had carried a report on the lynching. Naqvi was addressing the Rajya Sabha amid an uproar over the Alwar incident. As a united Opposition slammed the government for doing nothing against rogue groups thrashing people on the pretext of cow protection, Naqvi said, "This issue is a very sensitive issue. The message should not go from the House that we are supporting cow slaughter. Millions of peoples sentiments are involved in the issue." Dismissing the version of events of the killing of a Muslim man by cow vigilante groups in Rajasthans Alwar amid growing uproar over the alleged murder, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Thursday said, "Jis tarah ki ghatna pesh ki ja rahi hai, us tarah ki ghatna zameen par hua nehi (The version of events presented didnt occur)." Hamare desh mein yeh message nahi jana chahiye ki hum yeh hatya ko samarthan kar raha hai issliye it is a very sensitive issue.. crore logo ke bhavnao se judha hua mudha hai.. hamara aisa koi message nahi jana chahiye ki hum hatiya ke samarthan mein khade hue hai (This issue is a very sensitive issue. There should be no indication or message that we are backing those who are violent. Its an emotional issue for crores of people.) Issliye jis particular state ki barein mein jo baat kar rahe hai, us tarah ki koi bhi ghatna, jis tarah ki ghatna pesh ki ja rahi hai, aise koi ghatna zameen par nahi hui hai. Jis media report ki barein mein bat ki ja rahi hai, us state ki sarkar ne pehle hi condemn kiya hai. (No such incident, as being reported, has taken place on the ground. The media report which are being cited, the concerned state government has already condemned.)" Here's what Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said about the Alwar incident in Rajya Sabha BJYM leader Yogesh Varshney told ANI, "Those who will cut and bring West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee head, I will give that person Rs.11 lakh. Mamata Banerjee never allows Saraswati Puja, fairs during Ram Navami and during Hanuman Jayanti procession, people were lathi charged and brutally beaten up. She organizes Iftar party and always supports Muslims." The remark, which came shortly after a lathicharge which happened at Birbhum district to disperse a rally raising slogans of "Jai Sri Ram" on Hanuman Jayanti, recieved a lot of flak and criticism. After a day of ruckus in Parliament over the "illegal" death penalty given to former Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav, MPs in Rajya Sabha were up in arms after a Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) leader announced a reward of Rs 11 lakh to whoever who beheads West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and gets her head. Actor and MP Jaya Bachchan, along with BJP leader from Bengal Rupa Ganguly, reacting sharply to the comments against Mamata The second half of the budget session of Parliament, which ends on Wednesday, has been favourable to the ruling NDA, which not only managed to push its economic reforms agenda but also put up a united front. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday told the parliamentary party of the BJP that the session was a victory for the Union government. Alleging that people were beaten up brutally by the police, Varshney described Mamata as a "demon" and said, "When I saw the video, I only had one thought... that if anyone gets me Mamata Banerjee's head I will give them 11 lakh." BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi disowned Varshney's comment, saying: "I condemn this type of statement. The state government can take proper action." BJYM leader Varshney issued the outrageous threat while hitting out at Mamata over police action on a rally held on Sunday to mark Hanuman Jayanti in Birbhum district. Scrapping a colonial-era tradition of presenting the Budget at the end of February, for the first time in the history of Independent India, the Government presented the annual accounts on 1 February. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday described the Budget Session as a winner for the treasury benches. He said, the government was able to secure passage of many key bills in the Parliament. Today is the last day of the Budget Session of Parliament. The first half of the session was held from 31 January to 9 February and after a month-long recess the second half of the session began on 9 March. During the session till now, the Lok Sabha has passed 21 bills and the Rajya Sabha 14 bills. They include the Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, The Mental Health Care Bill, The Maternity Benefits (Amendment) Bill, The Payment of Wages (Amendment) Bill, 2017 and the crucial four supporting bills for the roll out of the Goods and Services Tax. TMC's Saugata Roy also strongly condemned the BJP leader's statement urging strong action against people who make such provocations. Meanwhile, BJP has distanced itslef from Varshney's comments, stating that the West Bengal state government is free to take action against him. The matter echoed on in the Parliament on Wednesday as TMC leaders raised the issue in Rajya Sabha, which garnered support from other parties as well. Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha MP Jaya Bacchan expressed anguish on the BJP leader's remark, stating that the BJP was keen on protecting cows but not women. The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2016 and The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2017 is scheduled for consideration and passage in Lok Sabha today. The first part of the Budget Session was very productive as Lok Sabha functioned 113 percent while Rajya Sabha 97 percent. The productivity in the second half of the budget session till now for Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha has been 112 percent and 87 percent. Raising the issue soon after the House assembled to take up the day's business, TMC member Saugata Roy said a BJP youth wing leader had made the "announcement" of giving the reward for beheading Banerjee, after police resorted to lathicharge in Birbhum district to disperse a rally during Hanuman Jayanti. "Mamata Banerjee is not only an elected chief minister but a former member of this House too. It is a serious and alarming behaviour and the House must condemn it. She is a grassroot leader and government must take action on it," he said. The Lok Sabha on Wednesday condemned a BJP youth wing leader's offer for a bounty of Rs 11 lakh to anyone who beheads West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. BJYM leader Yogesh Varshney told ANI, "Those who will cut and bring West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee head, I will give that person Rs.11 lakh. Mamata Banerjee never allows Saraswati Puja, fairs during Ram Navami and during Hanuman Jayanti procession, people were lathi charged and brutally beaten up. She organizes Iftar party and always supports Muslims." The remark, which came shortly after a lathicharge which happened at Birbhum district to disperse a rally raising slogans of "Jai Sri Ram" on Hanuman Jayanti, recieved a lot of flak and criticism. After a day of ruckus in Parliament over the "illegal" death penalty given to former Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav, MPs in Rajya Sabha were up in arms after a Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) leader announced a reward of Rs 11 lakh to whoever who beheads West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and gets her head. Must take steps for protection of women aggressively. You are protecting cows but atrocities being commited on women-Jaya Bachchan, SP in RS pic.twitter.com/ES3sx5AHhW Actor and MP Jaya Bachchan, along with BJP leader from Bengal Rupa Ganguly, reacting sharply to the comments against Mamata The second half of the budget session of Parliament, which ends on Wednesday, has been favourable to the ruling NDA, which not only managed to push its economic reforms agenda but also put up a united front. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday told the parliamentary party of the BJP that the session was a victory for the Union government. Alleging that people were beaten up brutally by the police, Varshney described Mamata as a "demon" and said, "When I saw the video, I only had one thought... that if anyone gets me Mamata Banerjee's head I will give them 11 lakh." BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi disowned Varshney's comment, saying: "I condemn this type of statement. The state government can take proper action." BJYM leader Varshney issued the outrageous threat while hitting out at Mamata over police action on a rally held on Sunday to mark Hanuman Jayanti in Birbhum district. The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2017 also listed in LS for passage today. The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2017 also listed in LS for passage today. Scrapping a colonial-era tradition of presenting the Budget at the end of February, for the first time in the history of Independent India, the Government presented the annual accounts on 1 February. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday described the Budget Session as a winner for the treasury benches. He said, the government was able to secure passage of many key bills in the Parliament. Today is the last day of the Budget Session of Parliament. The first half of the session was held from 31 January to 9 February and after a month-long recess the second half of the session began on 9 March. During the session till now, the Lok Sabha has passed 21 bills and the Rajya Sabha 14 bills. They include the Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, The Mental Health Care Bill, The Maternity Benefits (Amendment) Bill, The Payment of Wages (Amendment) Bill, 2017 and the crucial four supporting bills for the roll out of the Goods and Services Tax. TMC's Saugata Roy also strongly condemned the BJP leader's statement urging strong action against people who make such provocations. Meanwhile, BJP has distanced itslef from Varshney's comments, stating that the West Bengal state government is free to take action against him. The matter echoed on in the Parliament on Wednesday as TMC leaders raised the issue in Rajya Sabha, which garnered support from other parties as well. Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha MP Jaya Bacchan expressed anguish on the BJP leader's remark, stating that the BJP was keen on protecting cows but not women. The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2016 and The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2017 is scheduled for consideration and passage in Lok Sabha today. The first part of the Budget Session was very productive as Lok Sabha functioned 113 percent while Rajya Sabha 97 percent. The productivity in the second half of the budget session till now for Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha has been 112 percent and 87 percent. Raising the issue soon after the House assembled to take up the day's business, TMC member Saugata Roy said a BJP youth wing leader had made the "announcement" of giving the reward for beheading Banerjee, after police resorted to lathicharge in Birbhum district to disperse a rally during Hanuman Jayanti. "Mamata Banerjee is not only an elected chief minister but a former member of this House too. It is a serious and alarming behaviour and the House must condemn it. She is a grassroot leader and government must take action on it," he said. The Lok Sabha on Wednesday condemned a BJP youth wing leader's offer for a bounty of Rs 11 lakh to anyone who beheads West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The second half of the Budget Session will resume in the Parliament on Thursday as politicians and common people wait with bated breath for the results of the elections in five states. We'll have to wait and watch whether the results of the polls in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Manipur, and Uttarakhand will affect the proceedings in both the Houses of Parliament. What is likely to affect Parliamentary proceedings is the issue of attacks on Indians in the US and the anti-terror operation in Lucknow, which will be raised in Parliament on the first day of the second-half of Budget Session, the Congress had said on Wednesday. Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge told IANS that on Thursday, the party will raise the issues of attack on Indians in the US and the anti-terror operation of Lucknow, in which a youth was killed, as well as the bomb blast in a train near Bhopal. "On Thursday, these two issues will be raised. We will decide on other issues to be raised in rest of the session later," Kharge had told IANS. Home Minister Rajnath Singh is expected to make a statement on both issues on Thursday, according to informed sources in the Home Ministry. Meanwhile, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi had said that the government is prepared to take up any discussion opposition parties want. "The government is prepared to discuss all issues raised by the opposition subject to permission of the presiding officers," Naqvi had said. The minister had told IANS that pending bills, including the ones relating to Goods and Services Tax and Enemy Property, are among those on the government's agenda. "There are 20 new bills on the agenda of the government," Naqvi had told IANS. Leaders from different parties felt that the mood of the session will depend on the results of assembly elections in five states. Asked about it, Naqvi did not deny the possible impact of the results of assembly polls to five states on the session. Meanwhile, Hindustan Times reported that leaders from the Opposition are also talking with the Shiv Sena, BJP's ally in NDA, to join the Opposition on a "case-to-case" basis to criticise the BJP. "The Sena has seen how the BJP has crept into its turf in Maharashtra in the last civic body polls. The Sena wants to be more vocal against the BJP on a number of issues even as it is a part of the NDA government," the report quoted a leader as saying. With inputs from agencies In a fast-paced turn of events, BSP turned down Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's offer of joining hands to form the government in case there's a hung Assembly. BSP supremo Mayawati was quoted as saying in CNN-News18 that her party was confident of forming the government on her own. Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday evening had hinted at the possibility of forming a coalition with rival Mayawatis Bahujan Samaj Party, in case the results reveal a hung Assembly in the state. Speaking to BBC Hindi on Facebook live, Akhilesh asserted confidence in Samajwadi Partys chances in the elections. However, he also indicated that if the Samajwadi Party or any other party does not get a majority in the election results, then instead of President's Rule, he will favour an alliance with Mayawati. The chief minister said that he did not want BJP to get the 'remote control' of Uttar Pradesh. Akhilesh said, "I'm not talking about the alliance now because the government is going to be of Congress and Samajwadi party. Rahul and I think similarly. Congress also wants the development of Uttar Pradesh. We do not want a government with religious inclinations." With regards to stepmother Sadhana Gupta joining politics, Akhilesh said, "No one can be stopped from joining politics. Anyone who wants can come in." He also denied having any feud with uncle senior party leader Shivpal Yadav. When asked about his equation with father Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh said: "Netaji campaigned wherever he wanted, I did not say anything." He conceded that Priyanka and Rahul made the Congress-SP alliance happen. Akhilesh said people like Prashant Kishor work in a different manner but given that politics is changing these days, people like him are required. Akhilesh, when asked about Gayatri Prajapati, said that the Supreme Court is supervising the case and he has asked the police to deal with it in an unbiased manner. A woman has alleged that Prajapati had raped her when she met him three years ago. She alleged that she was raped when she fell unconscious after taking tea laced with a sedative. Prajapati took some photos of the victim and then threatened to make them public and continued to rape her for two years. Gayatri Prajapati is a senior Samajwadi Party leader close to both Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav and is the party candidate from Amethi On being asked about the Lucknow encounter, Akhilesh said that police and the government should ensure that no other youth goes into terrorist activities. A recent survey has proved wrong the notion that the Muslim community of Uttar Pradesh behaves like a single vote bank, at least for the ongoing Assembly election in the state. The survey carried out by Crowdnewsing, on the behaviour of Muslim voters in around 10 cities and towns in the state, has found that in a sample space of 2,500 respondents, the Muslim vote is split where 36 percent is bagged by Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP), 55 percent by the Samajwadi Party- Congress alliance, 2 percent by the BJP and the rest to smaller parties like AIMIM. This gives an advantage to the saffron party for parties like BSP and SP massively bank on Muslim voters to vote in their favour. This split of vote has left none of the two parties with a majority leaving BJP grinning, for it still holds sway over the Hindu population of the state. In communally disturbed cities like Shamli and Kairana in western Uttar Pradesh, the Congress-SP alliance seems to have prevailed over the BSP. On the other hand, the Muslim community in many pockets of central and eastern UP seem to have strongly backed Mayawati. Another significant trend the survey found was that in case of a hung assembly, 92 percent of the respondents would bury their differences and come together to deny BJP to form a government in the state. When probed about the reasons behind their dissatisfaction with the BJP, most of the respondents pointed to the party' public positioning against the community. Some 86 percent respondents believe that prime minister Narendra Modi's Shamsham vs Kabristan comment was a direct attack on the minorities. The survey revealed that 59 percent of the respondents felt that the Ram Mandir issue was not an election issue. The issues that received the most prominence in the survey were that of development of infrastructure, roads, water and electricity. Around 44 percent of the people responded to this as the issue that mattered the most to them whereas 23 percent thought that a party's ability to 'prevent riots and communal violence' in the state was most important issue. For 19 percent people 'job creation' was an important issue and a candidate's religion mattered to 12 percent of the respondents. Around 75 percent of the respondents were under 30 years of age. CrowdNewsing is Indias first online community that enables crowdfunding for journalists and changemakers. The Court of Appeal of the city of Kyiv has scheduled an examination of the appeal on the measure of restraint to the temporarily dismissed head of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine Roman Nasirov for March 13, his lawyer, Oleksandr Myroshnyk, said. "The Court of Appeal of the city of Kyiv scheduled an appeal hearing into the case of Roman Nasirov at 11:00 on March 13, 2017," Myroshnyk wrote on his Facebook page on Thursday. According to him, the meeting will be chaired by judge V.P. Hlyniany. "I can say that the process of appeal will be unprecedented from a legal point of view. The defense side is prepared for the process in full," the lawyer said. As earlier reported, Kyiv's Solomyansky District Court on March 7 remanded acting head of Ukraine's State Fiscal Service to 60 days in pretrial confinement, setting a bail at UAH 100 million. Since Saturday evening, Solomyansky district court had been intermittently hearing the motion for choosing a preventive measure for Nasirov. A victory for Samajwadi Party in the election would be vindication of Akhilesh Yadav. A loss would unleash many dark possibilities and critical challenges for him. It was a rather stormy entry into the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections for Akhilesh. He was still fighting a serious battle on many fronts when the election commission sounded the poll bugle. The in-house challengers had to be neutralised and many conspiracies to destabilise him needed to be smothered. The Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav had to be eased out with every ounce of his dignity intact. He had landed in a direct, no-holds-barred conflict with the partys powerful nuts and bolts man Shivpal Yadav. The party was on the brink of a vertical split before the other side gave up the fight. The possibility of a split drove him into a hurried alliance with the Congress. According to poll observers and party insiders, it was an unwise alliance where the Samajwadi Party conceded a quarter of the 403 seats in the state to a party with negligible presence on the ground. It led to heartburn and mini revolts within party ranks and it didnt help that party elders were reluctant to offering the soothing touch. Under him the party had made a definitive generational shift but the new leadership had to find wider acceptance among the partys followers and sympathisers. Father Mulayam, the partys founder, was the natural leader of a social coalition that stood him in good stead all through his active political career. Akhilesh had to prove he was a genuine claimant to that position. He not only had to woo the Yadavs, the traditional backers of the Samajwadi Party, but also the other caste groupings that aligned well with party. With election so close, time was too short for him. Akhileshs biggest challenge, however, was to find a counter to the resurgent BJP. The general election of 2014 was a shocker. The saffron surge under Narendra Modi, had disturbed the traditional poll arithmetic in the state. The accepted caste equations in relation to voting behaviour had gone for a toss. The fact that the party had secured a whopping 43 percent of the vote share called for drastic rethink on poll strategy from others, particularly the ruling Samajwadi Party which had to deal with the incumbency factor too. Akhilesh shifted the debate to performance with some deliberateness. It was risky but Modi had forced a change in the poll idiom and language; others had no other option but to follow. A victory for Akhilesh would thus be a vindication of whatever moves, political or otherwise, he has made in the recent months. A loss would mean going back to the drawing board and starting from the scratch. Lost constituencies may not be easy to get back. It would be a long, arduous task to be back as a political force. Over a month ago when the poll process began or months before the polls when the heat and dust of electioneering had begun to be felt, non-projection of a chief ministerial candidate by the BJP in the politically critical state of Uttar Pradesh was considered to be an obvious disadvantage. But by the time seven-phase election concluded the two prime strategists of BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah had turned that into an advantage or had neutralised that disadvantage. Four exit poll surveys predicted a hung assembly for Uttar Pradesh, with BJP coming out as the largest party, while two poll services thought that the saffron party will sweep the elections singlehandedly. Times Now-VMR exit poll points to a possible clear majority in favour of BJP with 190-210 seats. The poll sees the SP-Congress alliance trail with 110-130 seats, while the Mayawati-led BSP gets 57-74 seats. Others are likely to secure eight seats. MRC-NewsX exit poll data also predicts a BJP win in Uttar Pradesh with 185 seats. SP-Congress in second with 120, BSP with 90 and Others with eight round up the poll. India News-MRC survey said that the BJP will secure 188 seats, while SP-Congress alliance will get 120. It sees BSP in third with 90 seats. ABP News-Lokniti exit poll projects a BJP wave in the first four phases. Todays Chanakya and Axis-MyIndia predicted that BJP will win over 250 seats and form the government on its own in Uttar Pradesh. By deciding to be in his parliamentary constituency Varanasi for three days, from the day of the sixth phase of polling began in Poorvancal regions of Uttar Pradesh to closure of campaigning for the seventh and final phase of polling Modi did a few things unconventionally. His audacious move to come out of the sunroof of his SUV, even take a walk and be face to face with people for hours through the narrow bylanes of Varanasi was noted by riavls and supporters alike. By doing so he took ownership of the BJP campaign in Uttar Pradesh and pitted self versus the rest Akhilesh Yadav-Rahul Gandhi and Mayawati. Now that exit polls are predicting that BJP could form the government in Lucknow, the key question asked in BJP circles and outside is who would wear the crown? Who would Modi want to lead most populous state? The persona of prospective Uttar Pradesh chief minister gains additional importance in view of three facts. First, BJP had gained 73 seats in 2014 parliamentary elections and it would be supremely important for the party to come close to that performance in next parliamentary elections, to be held in two-year time. Second, in the run-up to elections, the BJP had effectively convinced the voters to give a chance to the party so that the centre and state could be aligned for speedy development and better governance. Third, Modi has all along argued that Uttar Pradesh was his karmbhoomi and it was time to prove it to the people. The burden of expectations would be huge on the prospective chief minister and should thus have the capacity to deliver. Home Minister and Lucknow MP Rajnath Singh, the tallest party leader from the state fits the bill. He has right stature and right credentials to lead this biggest Hindi heartland state. He had been chief minister Uttar Pradesh, prior to that he had a minister there and state party chief. Fifteen years ago after he relinquished chief minister's position in March 2002, he moved to national politics be a Union minister and national president of BJP for two terms, five and half years. As a star campaigner for the BJP, he addressed around 120 public rallies in all across Uttar Pradesh and around 140 across five states where elections were being held. Singh has so far expressed his reluctance to return to state politics and yet again be at the helm. But a substantive section of BJP supporters and party workers, which this writer found while covering elections feel that he is the most suitable leader to lead the state. When ahead of the fifth phase of polling Firstpost asked him about taking up chief minister's post in case of BJP win, Rajnath Singh said: "I am the home minister, why should I think for myself?" His remark was cryptic. Singh had been a quintessential organisational man and is known to go by the party decision. In the 1990s when BJP leadership was inclined to have an alliance with Bahujan Samaj Party and offer the chief ministerial post to Mayawati, Singh was opposed to it. In fact, he was the lone significant party leader opposed to this move but once the leadership had taken a decision he abided by it and kept his cool. Party leaders who know Singh closely suggest that if he is asked by Modi to return to Uttar Pradesh to take up the mantle, he wouldn't be averse to it. While Rajnath Singh remains choice number one for most party workers, another leader who has slowly gained a position of reckoning is communication minister Manoj Sinha. An IIT BHU engineering alumnus, Sinha has gained the confidence of Modi and party president Amit Shah. From being Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways, he was elevated to Independent Charge and given all important communication portfolio. He is a quiet party worker and prefers to keep a low profile but he is immensely popular with cadre in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Sinha's only disadvantage is his caste, Bhumihar whose numerical strength is limited to some districts in eastern Uttar Pradesh but then that could turn to be his advantage because he could be taken as a caste-neutral candidate something like Devendra Fadnavis, a Brahmin in Maharastra or like a Raghubar Das in Jharkhand or a Manohar Khattar in Haryana. In Ghazipur, some BJP voters said while they were voting for Modi but it was also a vote for Sinha. It was interesting to note that while addressing public rallies in Mau and Ghazipur, Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati targeted him as 'chhote' (small) minister. Another leader who suddenly has catapulted to claim chief ministerial position is first-time Phulpur MP and state party chief Keshav Prasad Maurya. His candidature stems from the fact that he is leading the organisation in the state and managing party during elections. Also, the argument which goes in his favour is the fact that non-Yadav OBC consolidation in favour of BJP, something that was seen during hey days of Kalyan Singh. If the mandate for BJP is massively pushed by OBCs then someone from the community should be given a chance to lead the state. Maurya's handicap is that he does not have any administrative experience. Managing a state as big as UP is a tough task. A senior BJP leader said, "Though it is clear to us that BJP is going to be party number one but the choice of chief minister would be dependent on the size of the mandate." Akhilesh Yadav's desperate hint at a possible "mahagathbandhan" with Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to keep BJP away in Uttar Pradesh is the political equivalent of the Great Chilean Earthquake of 1960 that measured 9.5 on the Richter Scale. But first a disclaimer: It is important to remember that exit poll figures are projections, not actual numbers with a (plus-minus) three per cent error margin. In a post-Brexit and Donald Trump world, banking on the veracity of exit poll could be risky. However, if these numbers do hold on Sunday, this tectonic shift in Indian politics would mask two equally significant points from the day exit poll results were revealed. It would indicate that a) instead of being Narendra Modi's monumental hubris, demonetisation is actually a touch of political genius; and b) caste-based parties like Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Nitish Kumar's JD-U or Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal can only survive from here on by aligning with each other. If not, the Narendra Modi juggernaut may run roughshod over them. Even giving enough allowance for error in exit poll projections, it seems fairly clear by now that BJP will emerge as the single largest party in UP, falling tantalisingly close to the magic 202-mark in a 403-seat Assembly. A mega poll of exit polls by CNN-News18 and data science company Gramener at 8.11 pm on 9 March suggests Uttar Pradesh is headed towards a hung Assembly, with BJP and its allies projected to get 193 seats, Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance settling for 133 seats, and Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party finishing with 67 seats, and 10 going to "others" category. Among the projections put forward by five voting agencies, India Today-My Axis and Today's Chanakya have predicted massive wins for BJP. The former sees the party winning somewhere between 251-279 seats while Chanakya sees BJP emerging victorious in 285 seats. Other polling agencies, while projecting BJP as the single largest party, are more circumspect. ABP-CSDS puts BJP's figure between 164 and 176, Times Now-VMR between 190-210, India News-MRC gives the party 185, and India TV-CVoter 155-167. The numbers, taken together, project a trend which points clearly to BJP's ascendancy. If one takes 2012 as the base figure, the year last Assembly polls were held in UP, BJP's seat numbers have shot up from 47 to a current average of 193, a massive surge. Even if we are to compare this figure with the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, when BJP had won 73 out of 80 parliamentary seats when the entire country was in the grip of a wave election, it seems that the party, three years later, has pretty much held its own. This is a stunning victory for demonetisation. Through notebandi, Modi has delivered a political narrative few rivals can match. The effectiveness of this narrative is in its success. BJP's unprecedented result in 2014 was due for a correction in subsequent polls. Bihar showed us that if caste-based parties join hands, it's possible to stop the Modi juggernaut. Bihar also proved that while Modi's personal popularity is intact, BJP is not being able to make fresh inroads in the electorate in a way it must when mahagathbandhans are stitched against it. What demonetisation did was turn around BJP's fortunes by making Narendra Modi once again the focal point of all elections, be it Assembly or Lok Sabha polls. It seems to have turned around the erosion of votes that BJP had been facing in the Hindi heartland, and given Modi the kind of power that most politicians would die for. From a reversal in Bihar, BJP is now projected to win UP by a landslide it's the difference notebandi alone has made. The second point stems from the first. Akhilesh Yadav's comment to BBC Hindi on Thursday gives veracity to exit poll projections. To a question on whether SP could join hands with Mayawati post results, the UP chief minister says, "I cannot say anything about the alliance right now because I think we are coming to power with a majority. I have always respected the leaders of the Bahujan Samaj Party. I still think that women, farmers, and youngsters have voted heavily for the Samajwadi Party because the BJP hasn't shown any work of its own. However, we don't know about the circumstances after results. Yes, nobody wants President's Rule in the state. Nobody wants BJP to run the state with a remote control." This not only indicates Akhilesh's nervousness, but also precludes BJP's overtures towards Mayawati should the saffron unit need outside help. As soon as Akhilesh made the statement, Congress and other SP leaders lined up to reiterate the overture, indicating clearly the undercurrent of tension running in the SP-Congress alliance. The mood for Akhilesh's stunning statement was set by senior SP leader Azam Khan in the afternoon when he appeared to preempt a defeat for his party. BSP rejected the outreach with disdain. Since the three major parties in UP have distinct and even mutually antagonistic social bases, it is understandable why Mayawati would play hardball. There is also the question of choosing the chief minister among two projected candidates. However, one wouldn't bet against Mayawati joining hands with SP, in a repeat of 1993. That gathbandhan had ended in bitter acrimony, but in 2017, when regional caste-based outfits are facing an existential crisis from Modi-led BJP, circumstances may force Bua and Babua together. We need to wait just a few more hours for that drama to unfold. Come to the close of the massive electoral exercise in Uttar Pradesh, and six exit polls conducted on the people's mandate in the country's largest legislative Assembly (403 seats) predict a clear win for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). However, four exit poll surveys predicted a hung assembly for UP, with BJP coming out as the largest party, while two poll services thought that the saffron party will sweep the elections single-handedly. Times Now-VMR exit poll points to a possible clear majority in favour of BJP with 190-210 seats. The poll sees the SP-Congress alliance trail with 110-130 seats, while the Mayawati-led BSP gets 57-74 seats. Others to secure eight seats. MRC-NewsX exit poll data also predicts a BJP lead in UP with 185 seats. SP-Congress in second with 120, BSP with 90 and Others with eight round up the poll. India News-MRC survey said that the BJP will secure 188 seats, while SP-Congress alliance will get 120. It sees BSP in third with 90 seats. ABP News-Lokniti exit poll projects a BJP wave in the first four phases: BJP - 102-126 | SP-Cong 98-122 | BSP - 30-46 | Others 0-2 However, Today's Chanakya and India Today-Axis My India have predicted that the BJP will not only emerge victorious in the Hindi heartland but sweep the state with a landslide win. Chankaya put BJP at 285 while Axis-My India projected over 250 seats for the party. Here is the complete tally which lists all exit poll results at a glance. Exit Poll Result (403 seats total) BJP SP-Congress BSP Others Times Now-VMR 190-210 110-130 57-74 8 MRC-NewsX 185 120 90 8 India News-MRC 188 120 90 5 ABP News-Lokniti 164-176 156-169 60-72 2-6 Today's Chanakya 285 88 27 3 India Today-Axis My India 251-279 88-112 28-42 6-16 Complete results of three other exit polls are expected by late Thursday. The outcome of the exit polls were released on Thursday evening, in accordance with the deadline of the Election Commission. Drawing the drapes formally on the seven-phased, three-cornered month-long polling exercise in Uttar Pradesh, votes were cast in Alapur constituency in Sant Kabir Nagar of Uttar Pradesh which was earlier scheduled to cast its mandate on 15 February. The polling was deferred to Thursday after the Samajwadi Party candidate from the constituency passed away. According to polling laws, the results of an exit poll can only be telecast 30 minutes after the polling closes for all phases and states. Opinion Polls: What UP voters thought just before polling began Pollsters, however, are allowed to publish opinion polls that are recorded before polling begins and while polling is on. We took into account five surveys conducted by India Today-Axis, Times Now-VMR, VDP Associates, ABP News-Lokniti, The Week-Hansa Research Media Agencies BJP SP-Congress BSP Others India Today-Axis 180-191 168-178 39-43 14 Times Now-VMR 202 147 47 7 ABP News-Lokniti 118-128 187-197 76-86 - VDP Associates 207 128 58 - The Week-Hansa Research 192-196 178-182 20-24 5-9 Predictions at a glance: Here's what opinion polls conducted in January suggest the outcome of UP polls will be Earlier, four out of five pollsters taken into account had predicted that BJP will come out as the single largest party, however, only two thought it would touch the magical number of 202 to form a government on its own. India Today-Axis and The Week-Hansa Research predicted that the BJP will emerge as the frontrunner in the high-stake poll in what is rightly called the kingmaker state. However, surveys conducted by Times Now-VMR, and VDP Associates found that the BJP will also manage the majority on its own. ABP News-Lokniti was the only opinion poll that predicted that the Samajwadi Party-Congress combine will bag the highest number of seats but will fall short of the majority mark with the BJP trailing closely. All the five opinion polls taken into account predicted a massive setback for Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party, trailing at the third position with considerable seat margin. However, the fact that exit and opinion polls show a BJP lead, predominantly, does not guarantee the saffron party the throne as poll predictions by even the most astute journos have missed the mark in the past. Predicting poll results, especially in a state like UP where polling stretches across seven phases with an electorate of close to 14 crores, remains a fraught business at best. Here the demographics, poll issues and sensibilities of voters in each phase is as different from the other as chalk is from mice. However, the heady mix of politics that the elections in Uttar Pradesh are, they still tempt journalists and media houses to attempt to predict that who is running with a clear advantage. Whether this analysis culminates into actual wins for the saffron party will only be clear on the 11 March, when the UP verdict will be out. Still, we felt that a polling exercise as arduous as Uttar Pradesh does deserve a look back to help our readers analyse and assess the trends emerging from these predictions. As exit poll results have started trickling in, and with 11 march when the final results will be out is not too far-off, here is a recapitulation of all things you need to know about the Uttar Pradesh Election 2017. Key candidates in the fray Uttar Pradesh saw a high-octane pitch to a month long arduous polling exercise with 403 constituencies in the fray. It will decide the fate of over 2,000 candidates, which includes heavy weights like Akhilesh Yadav, Shivpal Yadav, and Sangeet Som among others. Sangeet Som - In Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'sabka saath, sabka vikaas' development pitch, Sangeet Som's communally coloured statements and promises stick out like a sore thumb. The controversial BJP leader, who is an accused in Muzaffarnagar riots and promoting enmity between people after Dadri lynching, is contesting elections from Sardhana. This year too, he courted controversy by allegedly distributing campaign CDs with objectionable econtent related to Muzaffarnagar riots. Azam Khan - An important leader in the Samajwadi Camp, Azam Khan is an influential Muslim leader in the state. He played an instrumental role in saving a cleaving Samajwadi Party during the succession crisis and the battle within the Yadav family. He is contesting elections from Rampur. Abdullah Azam Khan - Azam Khans 27-year-old engineer son, Abdullah Azam Khan, is entering the electoral fray this election season from Swar seat in Rampur. He is the youngest son of the senior Samajwadi Party leader and says he wants to carry forward his family's legacy in politics. Mukhtar Ansari - The UP strongman and his party, Qaumi Ekta Dal, lately switched allegiance to BSP from the SP, after Akhilesh dethroned his father to take over the leadership of Samajwadi Party. The gangster-turned-politician is fighting from the Mau constituency while he is still lodged in jail, since 2005. A four-time legislator from Mau Sadar, Ansari has more than 40 criminal cases, including those of murder and kidnapping, against him. Key contenders and political issues ailing them Bharatiya Janata Party - The ruling party at the Centre is leaving no stones unturned in repeating its sweep in the Assembly Elections. With the prime minister camping in Varanasi for over three days (ahead of the final phase) and addressing 24 rallies in the state, the UP election has become a prestige issue for the saffron party. However, the prime minister's move to demonetise higher value currency notes in November is still fresh in the voters' minds, which caused much distress to the common man. Although Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah have sought to portray it as a major move to weed out black money, it remains to be seen whether or not the cash-strapped sugarcane farmers from western UP or a small trader from Purvanchal, or farm labourers reeling under continuous spells of drought in Bundelkhand bought that narrative. If anything, Shah himself has conceded that the election results in the five states will be the people's mandate on demonetisation. Samajwadi Party - The Yadav Pari-'war' has been grabbing headlines since October last year, when the Yadav scion and UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav finally decided to move out of the shadows of his uncle and father. The high decibel family drama, totally comparable to your average Bollywood thriller, culminated into Akhilesh wresting control of the party out of the hands of Shivpal and Mulayam. That did two things for Akhilesh: One, he was able to shake away the 'three-and-a-half chief ministers' tag from his government and emerge as a decisive leader, two, he could have his say in the ticket distribution and in forging alliances ahead of the crucial polls. However, in that alone lies his strength and his weakness. The mandate in UP will not only be a clear reflection on his work of the past five years, but his latest stint to dethrone his father and ally with the Congress, apparently at the cost of 'Mulayam ke log' and the party workers who were expecting tickets on seats that were compromised to Congress. He will also have to battle the pitched fight launched directly against him and his government by Modi, who commands some charisma and support in the Hindi heartland. Tainted ministers in his cabinet, like Gayatri Prajapati have also raised the mercury for SP. It remains hard pressed for answers as the UP minister, charged of raping a minor girl remains absconding till the time of writing this article. Bahujan Samaj Party - BSP, that has traditionally claimed the unwavering loyalty of Dalit voters in the state was annihilated in the last assembly elections and Lok Sabha polls. However, BSP supremo Mayawati, known for her political astuteness can very well spring a surprise by combining Dalit and Muslim votes breaking away from SP in the wake of Mulayam's forced political exile. However, she too is treading troubled waters as corruption charges leveled against her brothers have revived the memory of allegations against her when she was the chief minister. Alleged splurging of public money, corruption, and a disproportionate asset case against her marred her tenure and contributed to the anti-incumbency factor that brought on the SP win. Mayawati also cannot afford that Muslim votes split between BSP and other players like SP-Congress or the new entrant in the fray, AIMIM. Its victory if it happens is delicately placed on the shoulders of Muslim and Dalit votes combined. Congress - With many poll pundits refusing to count Congress as a serious contender in the crucial polls, the Grand Old Party is perhaps the only party locked in a win-win deal. Rahul Gandhi, flanked by Akhilesh Yadav is drawing unprecedented crowds to his rallies, and the Congress has also forged a mint deal of over 100 seats in the alliance, which many believed it did not deserve. Whether or not the SP-Congress alliance makes it to power, Gandhi will have a respectable exit when drapes are drawn on the election drama. Key Constituencies India's largest state is called the kingmaker and it's for nothing. Uttar Pradesh with over 14,12,53,172 voters, sends the largest number of Members of Parliament to the Rajya Sabha, where both the ruling party and the Opposition vie to stake control. Uttar Pradesh, among the five states which went to polls, has 403 constituencies. In the first phase, communally-sensitive Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Mathura, Hathras, Agra, Firozabad, Etah and Kasganj. In the second phase, districts which are considered to be Samajwadi Party stronghold are in fray and they are: Badaun, Bareilly, Bijnor, Moradabad and Rampur, among others. In the third phase, the 12 districts where polling was held included Farrukhabad, Mainpuri, Etawah, Hardoi, Kannauj, Kanpur rural, Kanpur city, Unnao, Lucknow, Barabanki, Auraiyya and Sitapur. Among the seats that went to polls included the ones where various members of the ruling SP have been fielded: the Lucknow Cantt where Aparna Yadav took on Rita Bhaguna Joshi, the Congress veteran who switched sides and is now fighting on a BJP ticket; Akhilesh Yadav's uncle Shivpal Yadav's Jaswantnagar and cousin Anurag Yadav from Lucknow's Sarojini Nagar seat. The fourth phase was crucial as 53 assembly constituencies of the 12 districts voted. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and BSP supremo Mayawati were among the high profile politicians who campaigned for phase 4. Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's VIP constituency Raebareli was also in the fray. Other districts going to polls in the fourth phase are Mahoba, Pratapgarh, Kaushambi, Jalaun, Jhansi, Hamirpur, Lalitpur, Banda, Allahabad, Chitrakoot and Fatehpur. Phase five, considered to be the deciding factor for BJP, was an interesting one. A total of 608 candidates contested in phase five with a maximum of 24 candidates in Amethi and a minimum of 6 each in Kapilvastu and Etwa seats of Siddharth Nagar district. The Terai region close to the foothills of Nepal and parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh were part of phase five in 51 Assembly constituencies spread across 11 districts. The districts which went to polls in this phase are Balrampur, Gonda, Faizabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Bahraich, Shravasti, Siddharth Nagar, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Amethi, and Sultanpur. In phase six, 49 constituencies spread across seven districts cast their ballot. Important districts included, Maharajganj, Kushi Nagar, Gorakhpur, Deoria, Azamgarh, Mau and Ballia. In phase seven, 40 constituencies spread across seven districts went to polls. Among the important seats in fray, Varanasi Cantt,Varanasi South, Ghazipur, Bhadohi, Jaunpur. Auto refresh feeds Uttarakhand has always voted anti-incumbency, a trend going back to the first ever Assembly election in 2002. Will Harish Rawat be the first ever Uttarakhand chief minister to win an Assembly election? Exit poll results will be out very shortly. The Chanakya exit poll has predicted a comfortable win for the BJP in Uttarakhand, leaving Congress far behind. The MRC exit poll predicts a closer contest, but still says BJP will inch ahead with 38 seats. Congress with 30 seats will come second, the poll says. A CVoter exit poll has said it will be a tied finish in Uttarakhand, with BJP and Congress winning 32 seats each. UKP, BSP and independent candidates are expected to share five seats among themselves. BJP will win 46-53 seats out of 70, while the Congress may have to settle for 12-21 constituencies, according to an India Today-MyAxis exit poll News X-MRC predicted 38 seats for BJP and 30 for Congress, while two seats are for others. As soon as voting ended for the Karnprayag Assembly seat in Uttarakhand, various exit polls started predicting results for parties in the fray. Chankya said BJP might win 53 seats, while giving 15 seats to congress and two for others. Uttarakhand is the only state where there is a direct fight between Congress and BJP. While BJP has tried to travel many extra miles to ensure a victory in the state, pushing its top leaders and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the campaign, Congress has not lagged behind. Uttarakhand the only state to see a direct fight between BJP and Congress Political analysts are finding it difficult to understand the impact of the exit polls, which seem to be giving a clear mandate in favour of BJP in Uttarakhand. In the previous 2012 election, when Congress and BJP finished neck and neck, it was BSP which played kingmaker by lending support to Harish Rawat's Congress government. But this time, none of the exit poll agencies have predicted BSP to do well A selection of exit polls have all given the hill state of Uttarakhand to BJP News X-MRC predicted 38 seats for BJP and 30 for Congress, while two seats are for others. As soon as voting ended for the Karnprayag Assembly seat in Uttarakhand, various exit polls started predicting results for parties in the fray. Chankya said BJP might win 53 seats, while giving 15 seats to congress and two for others. Narendra Modi has constantly reminded the voters about demonetisation, OROP and surgical strikes and other work done by BJP government in the Centre. So, it was between Rawat and Modi till the elections, but BJP can now face a tough challenge projecting a face for state if wins. Kedarnath reconstruction and permanent capital in Gairsain have been the major poll issues for Congress. BJP has been successful in drawing the lines between development verses corruption in the state. Its a fight for survival for the Congress party in the state. The party is losing ground in national perspective being uprooted from many states. By saving its existence in Uttarakhand, the party can heave a sigh of relief. Winning Assembly polls might resurrect it. Uttarakhand is the only state where there is a direct fight between Congress and BJP. While BJP has tried to travel many extra miles to ensure a victory in the state, pushing its top leaders and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the campaign, Congress has not lagged behind. Uttarakhand the only state to see a direct fight between BJP and Congress This is a weighted average based on the past success rates of the agencies. Almost all exit polls in Uttarakhand predicted a big share of seats falling to the BJP. Except C-Voter, which predicted an equal division of seats between BJP and Congress, saying both will win 32 seats apiece. Today-Chankya shows a major difference of seats between the parties, giving 53 seats to BJP and just 15 to Congress. Likewise, India Today-Axis saw 46-53 seats in favour of BJP and between 12-21 for Congress. Political analysts are finding it difficult to understand the impact of the exit polls, which seem to be giving a clear mandate in favour of BJP in Uttarakhand. In the previous 2012 election, when Congress and BJP finished neck and neck, it was BSP which played kingmaker by lending support to Harish Rawat's Congress government. But this time, none of the exit poll agencies have predicted BSP to do well Assembly elections in Uttarakhand ended on 15 February in a fight mainly between the ruling Congress and the BJP. Officials found that the vote percentage was higher than it was in 2012. Polling in 69 of the 70 constituencies in the hill state ended on a peaceful note, Election Commission officials said. Maximum voting was reported from Haridwar (65 per cent) where Chief Minister Harish Rawat is a candidate in one of the constituencies followed by 63 per cent in Uttarkashi. Voters turnout in Uddhamsinghnagar was 63 per cent, followed by Nainital (57), Rudraprayag (54), Bagheshwar (53), Pithoragarh and Dehradun (51), Chamoli and Tehri (50) and Almora (47). This is the fourth assembly polls in the state where 7.5 million voters decided the fate of 628 candidates. Men and women braved inclement weather at some places and voted in large numbers, officials said. Polling in Karnprayag is being held on 9 March; it was suspended due to the death of the Bahujan Samaj Party candidate. According to an official, postal ballots will be received till March 11 morning, the day votes will be counted in all five states including Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand had 10,685 polling stations. A total of 1,409 of them were classified "very sensitive", an official euphemism to mean trouble could be expected there. A polling station at Yamunotri was located at a height of 9,800 feet above sea level. Although the Bahujan Samaj Party is also in the race, the Uttarakhand contest was dominantly between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). with inputs from IANS Exit polls have predicted a close win for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Uttarakhand Assembly election as anti-incumbency hit the Indian National Congress, again. According to the exit polls that were unveiled on Thursday following the single phase polling on 15 February, the anti-incumbency factor would work in BJP's favour, as they are expected to claim between 32 to 53 constituencies in the 70-seat state Assembly. According Firstpost's Uttarakhand correspondent, Namita Singh, Harish Rawat had hinted at a defeat for Congress and instructed his party workers and leaders to be prepared to take up the role of opposition in the Uttarakhand Assembly, during a conversation in party office. Exit polls A series of exit polls conducted by Chanakya, C-Voter, MRC and Axis My India were released on Thursday evening at 5.30 pm. Of these, only C-Voter predicted anything close to a tight contest; their exit poll said Congress and BJP would be tied at 32 seats apiece. The Today's Chanakya exit poll claimed the most one-sided win for the BJP with 53 out of 70 seats. As per the News X-MRC exit poll, Congress is likelyt to win 30 seats again but will fall comfortably short of the BJP's tally of 38. Finally, the Axis My India poll gave Congress between 12-21 seats while said BJP will win between 46 to 53 seats. Opinion polls These results would confirm opinion polls, which were conducted before the polling stage. According to a series of opinion polls, BJP was to beat Harish Rawat's Congress and form a government for the second time in Uttarakhand. The India Today-Axis survey, conducted in all five poll-bound states, predicted a comfortable win for BJP in Uttarakhand, with 40-44 seats out of 70. Another poll, conducted by The Week-Hansa Research, says BJP will clinch between 37 to 39 seats in the state, while Congress may have to settle for just about 27-29. It said the remaining one to three seats may be split between BSP and independent candidates. A third opinion poll, this one held by Lokniti-ABP News, also reached the same consensus: That the BJP will win at least 10 seats more than Congress and comfortably sweep to victory to form a government on its own. The survey had BJP bagging 35-43 seats in the 70-member Assembly, reducing Congress to just 22-30 seats. Major parties contesting Unlike the other states which witnessed Assembly elections last month, Uttarakhand witnessed a straight slugfest between India's two most prominent parties: Congress and BJP. The Congress had won the 2012 Assembly election despite not having a clear majority, thanks to the BSP and independent corporators. It's the same two parties in the fray again this time. The BSP and Samajwadi Party (SP) have a minor presence in the state, but it's negligible and they aren't expected to make a difference to the two big parties' prospects. The Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) takes credit for the formation of the state, but it also doesn't particularly have a connect with the voter-base. Chief ministerial candidates But that is where the similarities between Congress and BJP end. The Congress is a steady party, being led by Harish Rawat since 2013. The party has again projected him as its chief ministerial candidate. On the other hand, the BJP has at least a dozen aspirants to the chief minister's throne, without a single standout figure. The probable chief ministerial candidates for BJP include Congress rebel Satpal Maharaj; former Congress chief minister Vijay Bahuguna; and three former BJP chief ministers Bhagat Singh Kosiyari, BC Khanduri, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. There are also the dark horses Ajay Bhatt, state BJP president; Yashpal Arya, a former senior Congress leader and prominent Dalit leader who switched sides from Congress; and BJP spokesperson Anil Baluni. If the BJP does win, it will be a herculean task for it to finalise one name from them. Key candidates Key Candidates Harish Rawat Incumbent chief minister and Congress leader Vijay Bahuguna Former Congress chief minister, who was forced to step down after the 2012 floods. He rebelled and joined the BJP in May last year. BC Khanduri Vijay Bahuguna's counsin, and a two-time former chief minister of Uttarakhand. Bhagat Singh Koshyari RSS leader and BJP's chief minister of Uttarakhand in 2001 Indira Hrideyesh Congress stalwart, known popularly as 'Iron Lady', she had won the 2012 Assembly election from Haldwani seat by a record margin Satpal Maharaj BJP leader who was an MP from Garhwal constituency, is credited with reforms in Uttarakhand that he initiated as a Union minister Ajay Bhatt Senior BJP leader, Bhatt was elected unopposed as chief of BJP's state unit ahead of the 2017 polls Rohit Shekhar Son of former Uttarakhand chief minister ND Tiwari, Shekhar joined the BJP in January this year Major constituencies Uttarakhand is a small state, with only 70 constituencies. However, there are a few of these which are likely to impact the electoral outcome significantly. The following are the key battlegrounds: - Kotdwar: Congress' Surendra Singh Negi and BJP's Harak Singh Rawat were both part of the Harish Rawat government as Cabinet ministers. However, the latter revolted and joined Bahuguna's camp last year, and joined BJP. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top this year between the two. - Ranikhet: BJP's Ajay Bhatt, the party's state president and leader of opposition in the state Assembly, is contesting against Congress' Karan Mahara, a close relative of the chief minister. - Jageshwar: A tough fight is brewing between Assembly speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal and BJP's Subhash Pandey. This seat is a high priority for BJP, in view of Kunjwal's presence. - Kichcha and Haridwar Rural: Chief Minister Harish Rawat is contesting from two seats. In Haridwar, where Muslim, Thakur and Pahadi origin voters hold the key, BJP has bet on sitting MLA Swami Yateeshawaranand against Rawat. BSP candidate Mukkaram Ali may also create trouble for Rawat by splitting the anti-BJP seats. Meanwhile, Kichcha also has a sizeable Muslim population, and it suits Rawat's candidature here. The BJP has fielded Rajesh Shukla from Kichcha. - Kedarnath: The area faced the brunt of the 2012 floods. Elections to this constituency will test Rawat's popularity and will determine whether people still hold him responsible for delays in relief and rehabilitation work. However, the constituency's sitting MLA, Congress' Shailarani Rawat has joined BJP, forcing Congress to field newcomer Manoj Rawat, a journalist-turned-politician. - Chaubattakhal: BJP has denied a ticket to its sitting MLA, and state president Tirath Singh Rawat, and fielded former Union minister Satpal Maharaj instead. Congress has fielded Rajpal Singh Bisht. Efforts are on to pacify Tirath following denial of a ticket to him. Tiraths support will matter for the party, however, as he is a strong face in this seat. The BJP is leaving no stone unturned to keep Tirath in good humour. Key issues that will determine the poll outcome: As argued by Firstpost in a previous article, the key issues in Uttarakhand have gone from being agrarian in nature to more quotidian everyday issues. Migration, unemployment, women and child health, ecological disasters, depreciating tourism and traditional farming, water conservation, man-animal conflict, illegal wildlife trade, ill-conceived hydropower projects, forest fires and deforestation are all serious issues concerning the voters of the hill state. Whichever party comes to power on Saturday would be the one which addressed these problems in the best possible manner. These issues appear particularly stark since the 2013 cloudburst disaster hit the Kedar valley, badly breaking the state's tourism industry, its economic backbone. Even today, nearly four years after the cloudburst, the state is trying to restore normalcy. A huge flood ravaged Kedarnath, claiming many lives and leaving behind a painful situation. Rivers in spate have always been a problem in Uttarakhand, frequently claiming huge loss of property, and even ruining the state and pushing it to the brink of hopelessness. Destroyed homes, overflowing rivers, dismantled bridges, broken roads, dilapidated shops, and top it all, missing people. The last three years have been a tale of unending woe for Uttarakhand. People are still waiting for compensation, roads and bridges which were damaged are yet to be repaired, and corruption has only spread further. Exit polls have predicted a close finish between the two major political parties of India the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Indian National Congress in the Uttarakhand Assembly election, but have also said the former is better placed to form a government in the hill state. If the exit polls come true, BJP will be forming a government in Uttarakhand for the second time after the saffron party, then led by BC Khanduri, sweep the 2007 Assembly elections. Elections in Uttarakhand have always gone the anti-incumbency way. Ever since the state was carved out of Uttar Pradesh in 2002, anti-incumbency has played a huge role in determining the state's political fortunes. The Congress formed the first government in the state in 2002 but lost the election in 2007. Anti-incumbency played a role again in 2012, when Congress returned to power, defeating the BJP government by a single seat. And if exit polls are to be believed, the trend will continue again this year. Of all the exit polls which were released on Thursday, only C-Voter predicted anything close to a tight contest; their exit poll said Congress and BJP would be tied at 32 seats apiece. The Today's Chanakya exit poll claimed the most one-sided win for the BJP with 53 out of 70 seats. As per the News X-MRC exit poll, Congress is likely to win 30 seats again but will fall comfortably short of the BJP's tally of 38. Finally, the Axis My India poll gave Congress between 12-21 seats while said BJP will win between 46 to 53 seats. In 2012, the Congress, then led by Vijay Bahuguna, had won 32 seats in Uttarakhand, one solitary seat more than Khanduri-led BJP, which won 31. With the prospect of a hung assembly looming large, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which had three seats, supported Congress to help them attain the all-important magic figure of 35. Bahuguna became the sixth Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, while Harish Rawat was named his deputy. A year later, however, when the cloudburst hit and destroyed large parts of the hill state, Bahuguna's shoddy relief and rehabilitation efforts came in from sharp criticism. He was asked to step down as chief minister and Rawat took over. Bahuguna then shifted loyalties and has now moved to the BJP. If the BJP does indeed claim victory, as has been claimed by the exit polls, it would be the second straight time Bahuguna has claimed a victory in the Uttarakhand Assembly. And that might well be the only thing constant in a state where everything is subject to constant change. By Rod Nickel and Amran Abocar | WINNIPEG, Manitoba WINNIPEG, Manitoba Somali-born Abdulrahman Mohamed was a social worker in Grand Forks, North Dakota, for three years. He had a U.S. work permit and earned a promotion while waiting for his asylum claim to be heard.He had an apartment and was sending $350 a month to family in a Kenyan refugee camp. That changed in January. Mohamed and three friends with pending asylum claims were told to meet with an immigration officer to discuss their cases. When his friends went to their meetings they called him to say they had been detained. He has not heard from them since.I started thinking, if I go in, what will happen to me? said Mohamed, 30, who now lives in a Salvation Army homeless shelter in Winnipeg, Manitoba. "I had everything. I had a life. I never thought about coming to Canada, to be honest with you.U.S. immigration officials told Reuters that without more specific personal details about Mohamed's three friends they were unable to confirm his account. Mohamed crossed illegally into Canada on the night of Feb. 19 after being driven close to the border and then walking six hours across snow-covered open ground with a friend. Mohamed and his friend are not alone in making the journey northward. Since Jan. 1, several hundred people, mainly from Africa and the Middle East, have defied wintry conditions to cross illegally into Canada, fearing they will be ensnared in U.S. President Donald Trump's more aggressive effort to crack down on illegal immigrants.What has not been entirely clear until now is who is among this group going north. Reuters interviews with Mohammed and nearly two dozen others show that some of those crossing into Manitoba, are from East Africa - Somalia, Djibouti and Eritrea. Others, including from Yemen and Syria, are crossing illegally into Canada at other points. Some of those now fleeing the United States originally moved there to escape what they said was persecution in their homelands. Reuters could not independently verify their stories.Those interviewed typically fit into three categories: some had pending U.S. asylum cases but feared being detained anyway, others had been denied asylum but still had work visas, while a third group flew into the United States on visitor visas and immediately crossed the border into Canada illegally. Three had failed asylum claims and criminal records that virtually guaranteed their removal under U.S. law. Few of those Reuters spoke to were undocumented workers, who are the main focus of Trump's stepped-up efforts.Canadian police say 183 people have crossed illegally into Manitoba since Jan. 1. Hundreds more are believed to have entered Quebec and British Columbia, according to refugee groups and media reports, although there is no firm data on exactly how many. The flow of migrants to Canada from the United States pre-dates Trumps election, and is partly due to Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus welcome of refugees. But the numbers going northward have accelerated since the first week of February, according to Canada's public safety minister."I CAN'T GO BACK TO SOMALIA" To be sure, former U.S. President Barack Obama also cracked down on illegal immigrants and was dubbed the "deporter in chief" by some dismayed migrant advocates after he expelled more than 400,000 people in 2012, the most by any president in a single year. But under Obama, failed asylum seekers who had no criminal records and were from countries deemed dangerous, like Somalia, were not a priority for deportation. They were allowed to work and had to report regularly to an immigration office. Trump has signaled a much tougher approach - he wants to widen the net to include these asylum seekers, among others. Yussif Abdullaahi, a failed U.S. asylum seeker worked at a manufacturing plant in St. Cloud, Minnesota, before he was told at his check-in to prepare for deportation by April 5 or be detained. "I did not want to abandon my work, but I was worried," he said. After two years in the United States, he left for Canada, giving his car and personal belongings to his brother. Mohamed Daud, 36, left his wife and four step-children - some of whom have green cards making them legally permanent residents, or were born in the United States - and quit his job at a meat-packing factory in Grand Island, Nebraska for Canada, two days ahead of a March 1 check-in with immigration officials. "I cant go back to Somalia and I cant go to jail," said Daud. The asylum seekers interviewed said they feared being killed if they returned to their home countries, either by the government or militant groups like al Shabaab. UNDERGROUND RAILROAD Many of those housed in shelters in Winnipeg have one thing in common: they congregated in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to take advantage of a little reported modern-day Underground Railroad, spread through word of mouth and social media, that lays out the path to Canada.Minneapolis is 650 kilometres (400 miles) from one of the main illegal crossing points into Canada, the town of Emerson in Manitoba. Ibrahim, 27, who said he was afraid to give his last name, lived with his U.S. citizen brother in Seattle and worked as a cleaner. When rumors of raids began to circulate in February, he fled. Instead of making the two-hour car trip to the border with British Columbia, the nearest Canadian province, he bussed halfway across America to Minneapolis. "In Minneapolis, people know how to do it," he said.Those interviewed said the path from Minneapolis typically begins with a connection to drivers, usually Somali friends of friends who have often driven to North Dakota, and know the back roads and unwatched bush trails to Canada. The driver sets a time for departure typically mid-afternoon in order to reach U.S. border towns across from Manitoba under cover of darkness and tells travellers to arrive, cash in hand, at a designated spot. Up to six asylum seekers, often unknown to each other, may pack into a vehicle, each paying between $600 and $1,000, for a silent journey to North Dakota. The drivers typically forbid conversation and give out little information about themselves. Abdullaahi, the St. Cloud manufacturing employee, said his drive to North Dakota was fraught with anxiety. "Every time the driver stopped to pick up someone or slowed down on the highway, my heart jumped. 'What is happening? Why is he stopping, he said. After they have been dropped off, sometimes 20 miles (32 km) from the border, they crunch across snowy fields. Once in Manitoba, asylum seekers phone Canadian police, who take them to the government border office to file claims.Refugee agency staff then take the migrants to Winnipeg to find housing while they await immigration hearings, usually within two months, that will determine if they can stay.Mohamed, the social worker from Grand Forks, is among those now waiting to hear his fate. Despite leaving behind a life that he had built over three years, he has few regrets about his trek north to an uncertain future.What would you do if you knew your family ... is depending on you? Of course you would walk across a field, of course you would walk through snow," he said. (Reporting by Rod Nickel and Amran Abocar in Winnipeg, editing by Ross Colvin) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Bangladesh Parliament recently passed the Child Marriage Restraint Act replacing a law dating back to the British colonial period. The new rule keeps the minimum marriageable age for males at 21 and for females at 18 but relaxes the restriction for "special circumstances" including for girls who elope, are raped or bear children out of wedlock. This controversial child marriage law in Bangladesh which allows children as young as 14 to be married off by their parents was criticised by human rights groups recently. According to the Dhaka Tribune, state minister for women and childrens affairs Meher Afroze Chumki said that provisions that would come under the "special circumstances" will be finalised on 12 March. The minister said that it would include special permission from the court in the case of the marriage of a minor. Human rights groups have criticised the law, saying it would jeopardise the gains Bangladesh has made in cutting the levels of child marriage and improving the health of women and children. "The biggest concern is the law has not set any minimum marriage age for special circumstances, meaning children can be married off at the age of 14-15," said Nur Khan Liton, who represents the Child Rights Advocacy Coalition in Bangladesh. The coalition, which includes international charities such as Save the Children, Action Aid, national charities and rights groups, said the law could be abused and poses a "risk" to children. But a ruling party lawmaker who heads parliament's committee on women's and child affairs said it reflects the reality in villages where 70 percent of Bangladesh's 160 million people live. "We have taken into account the opinion of the Unicef and other experts," said Rebeca Momin, adding that the law also toughens penalties for people violating the minimum marriage age. She said the special circumstances in the law are aimed at protecting rights and giving dignity to children born out of wedlock. Despite making impressive gains in many social indicators in recent decades, child marriage remains rampant in the conservative Muslim-majority country. According to the Independent, activists said "the law effectively sets the marriageable age at zero". Girls Not Brides Bangladesh, in a statement, said that the Act doesn't define what are the special cases. The statement said: "Evidence globally shows that requiring parental and court consent does not protect girls from child marriage. Girls Not Brides Bangladesh expects that it could be widely abused and effectively mean that Bangladesh has no minimum age of marriage." The organisation plans to send a memorandum to President of Bangladesh Abdul Hamid urging him not to sign the bill and said that to define the provisions of special cases is prevent "to prevent the new law from being abused and girls being forced to marry as children." Bangladesh currently has one of the world's highest rates of child marriage. According to figures posted by Unicef on its website, 66 percent of girls are married before the age of 18 and over a third before the age of 15. The previous child marriage law was widely ignored as parents in many poor districts were found to have married off their daughters at the age of 14. Soumya Guha writes for Al Jazeera that members of parliament in Bangladesh that letting girls and boys marry in the special cases category is likely to prevent discrimination. He further writes that if a girl "bears a child out of wedlock or is involved in sexual relations at a young age" she might not be able to marry. He further argues: "The Act, as it currently states, does not require the consent of the girl or boy, in order for a marriage to occur. Her parents and the court may approve if the decision is in the best interest of the under-aged girl or boy. Why not ask the child? Why is his or her consent not important, or even considered?" Early marriage causes millions of girls to drop out of education. New brides are expected to work in their husbands households and are subject to the same hazards as child domestic workers. "Weakening the law is a setback for the fight against child marriage, and sends a message to parents... that the government thinks child marriage is acceptable in at least some situations," Heather Barr of Human Rights Watch wrote after the cabinet approved the law last December. (With inputs from AFP) Brics may soon have more member countries, courtesy China. According to a report in The Times of India, the Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi has come up with the idea of expanding the membership of the five-nation economic grouping too include other emerging economies like Mexico, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. At present the grouping has five member countries Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The Chinese top diplomat was quoted by the publication as saying, " China would explore modalities for Brics-plus, to hold outreach dialogues with other major developing countries". Wang added, We will widen the circle of friends and turn Brics into the most-influential platform for south-south cooperation in the world. The development assumes significance as China will be holding the presidency of the Brics this year. It will be hosting the ninth summit at Xiamen in September. China also added that this years Brics Summit hosted by it will seek breakthrough in political and security cooperation and widen the groupings circle to make it the most influential platform for developing countries. The Times of India reported that the latest idea mooted by China is Beijing's ploy to cut India's influence in the group by roping in more pro-China countries into it. It is to be noted that Pakistan, Mexico and Sri Lanka countries suggested by China has had close ties with Beijing since recent times. Nevertheless, the report also added that the proposal may not get New Delhi's support since the Brics will be focussing on consolidation rather than expansion in view of the economic and political turmoil in Brazil and South Africa. Quoting Swaran Singh, a professor at Institute of International Studies in Jawaharlal Nehru University, the report added that India is still analysing the ramifications of a Donald Trump presidency and would not like to take any politically decisive step in such a scenario. With inputs from PTI The Appeals Court of Latvia has left in force the decision of a lower court on the special confiscation of $26 million belonging to businessman and ex parliament deputy Yuriy Ivaniuschenko from the Party of Regions, deputy head of Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office Yevhen Yenin has said. "His lawyers were unable to prove the legality of the given funds. The decision of the court is final and can not be appealed. Ukrainian investigators have been in constant contact with their Latvian colleagues, who helped confiscate his money in Latvia," Yenin wrote on his Facebook page on Wednesday. Ivaniuschenko lost the ability to recover this money, according to Yenin, who said Ukraine now has the chance to seize the funds once a relevant court decision in Ukraine takes force. The organisers of the successful Womens March on Washington have called for a day of action to mark International Womens Day (8 March) in dozens of cities in the US. A Day Without a Woman, as the event is called in the US, is taking place alongside events in more than 50 other countries around the world. Women are encouraged to avoid engaging in paid and unpaid work or at least wear red in solidarity and avoid spending money. Men as in the case of the Womens March are not excluded from the protest, but they are encouraged to support it, rather than to lead it, by taking over housework, joining A Day Without a Woman events, avoiding the exploitation of sex workers, and publicly supporting the movement. As early reports indicate, many women have indeed heeded the call to strike: in the media, the service industry, education, the justice system to name but a few. International Womens Day has long been associated with international socialist history, which made it way less popular in the US than holidays that were more prone to commercial exploitation, such as Mothers Day. (Incidentally, the two women who were instrumental in achieving the recognition of Mothers Day as a holiday were also social justice activists.) However, the organisers of the Womens Strike are embracing the radical roots of feminist organising. The demands of the the Womens Strike echo many of the Bernie Sanders progressive campaign goals. They include lofty political goals, such as an end to all forms of bigotry. They also include more concrete although not necessarily more realistic in the current political climategoals, such as demands for a universal national health care that guarantees full access to reproductive freedom and an expansion of social security, a hike in national hourly minimum wage to $15, and free childcare and paid family leave. Most important, the event organisers articulate their platform and their demands from a position that never loses sight of how political issues differentially affect people inhabiting gendered and racialised bodies under different economic conditions. The platform makes it clear that the event is organised by and for women who have been marginalised and silenced by decades of Neoliberalism directed towards working women, women of color, Native women, disabled women, immigrant women, Muslim women, lesbian, queer and trans women. From the very beginning, the event was promoted by activists and intellectuals who have called for a feminism for the 99%. The agenda of this new international feminist movement would be at once anti-racist, anti-imperialist, anti-heterosexist and anti-neoliberal. Even the naming of this eventthe Womens Strikemakes an important intervention in the way feminist organising has been happening in the form of lean-in feminism over the past several decades. Lean-in feminism focuses on shattering glass ceilings to allow some women to achieve positions of power as corporate executives or politicians. As opposed to this type of feminism, feminism of the 99% focuses on emphasises the everyday forms of violence that affect the majority of women: domestic violence, but also the violence of the market, of debt, of capitalist property relations, and of the state; the violence of discriminatory policies against lesbian, trans and queer women; the violence of state criminalisation of migratory movements; the violence of mass incarceration; and the institutional violence against womens bodies through abortion bans and lack of access to free healthcare and free abortion. The Womens Strike also emphasises labour that most women have to perform in capitalist societies in the form of unpaid housework and the work of biological reproduction. This sexual division of labour exposes women to work in precarious jobs such as those filled by undocumented workers, the lack of labour rights, or unemployment. Some critics pointed to this complex relationship of women to unpaid and paid work to raise questions about the already existing privileges that allow some women not to work for a day. The supporters of the Womens Strike quickly intervened, Striking is not a privilege. Privilege is not having to strike. They pointed out that there are many ways in which women who support the strike can get involved, such as by organising discussions in their communities or simply refusing to smile to strangers. These forms of protest would not require them to risk losing their sources of livelihood and instead enable them to confront social isolation that exacerbates their exploitation. At the same time, the withholding of labour by more privileged women can draw attention to the plight of those less privileged. The Womens Strike on 8 March revealed faultlines in the womens movement that mirror those that exist in wider progressive politics in the US where the Democratic Party should presumably assume the mantle of leading the anti-Trump resistance. As the recent choice of Tom Perez over Keith Ellison shows, the Democratic leadership attempts to steer the political energy that is building up in the country in ways that they are comfortable with. That strategy is familiar to those who are still angry at the party for favouring Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders in the primaries. The good news is that so far the bulk of the organising has come from the grassroots; people are not waiting for the Democratic Party to lead. As the Womens Strike shows, the inspiration for such organising comes from the Occupy Movement, the Standing Rock protests, and the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Progressive activists are wrestling the notions of feminism, resistance, and politics from the representatives of the pantsuit nation. On 8 March, the International Women's Day, the women's march protestors have called for another disruption not through violence, but by being absent. Women and those who care for them will join together for equity, justice and the human rights of women and all gender-oppressed people, through a one-day demonstration of economic solidarity. According to the Women's March website, anyone, anywhere, can join by making 8 March, 'A Day Without a Woman' by taking a day off from paid or unpaid labour, avoiding shopping (with exceptions for small, women and minority-owned businesses), wearing red in solidarity. Many popular publications in the US will also be joining in solidarity. Bustle and its sister website, aimed at providing news feature content for women, will remain dark for 24 hours. In a letter to the readers, the editors wrote: On March 8, 2017, in honour of A Day Without A Woman, Bustle and Romper will go dark. Meaning, for 24 hours, we will not be creating any new content on either of our sites or on any of our sites' social channels. Because, quite simply, without women, there is no Bustle. There is no Romper. Without our editorial team, which is 97 percent female, we would be unable to produce a site that aims to provide support and a megaphone for women to express how they're feeling about the world. And there's no time like the present to prove just how important those women's voices are to the world to media, to business, and beyond. They will not be publishing any content on social media either for a period of 24 hours. Bustle's editor in chief Kate Ward wrote: Without our editorial team, which is 97 percent female, we would be unable to produce a site that aims to provide support and a megaphone for women to express how theyre feeling about the world. Jezebel, another website that produces topical news articles, opinions and analyses will be run by the male employees of the website. Emma Carmichael, Jezebel's editor-in chief wrote in a post: "The site will still be fully operational, but you wont see any bylines by the women on staff. Instead, Jezebel will be run entirely by the men we work with here at Gizmodo Media Group, while our women writers and editors will be joining the strike and participating in protests." She also said that the intention was not to "give men a platform or to allow them to f*** with our (their) website" but to force men to think about the jobs they are being asked to do and how they differ from their usual everyday work. MTV has flipped its logo to read W, and MTV's employees running the social media accounts will go on strike. A woman runs this account & shes striking today. All posts have been scheduled. Find out more at https://t.co/ptJV1j1hF6 #DayWithoutAWoman pic.twitter.com/0ebDR46MLb MTV (@MTV) March 8, 2017 MTV has also put up a special playlist for women on strike. Popular blogging tool Tumblr's employees have also pledged to go on strike. In a blog post, they wrote: "For us, employees of Tumblr in 2017, a strike isnt as risky. Tech is a male-dominated field, so a single day without women at Tumblr may simply mean a few empty chairs in meetings...We call for the male-dominated tech industry to hold themselves accountable for advocating for these policies. We urge all involved to use the power they have to pressure the current administration to advance equal rights for all women." New York Magazine's The Cut will also not be publishing in solidarity, they will be running old stories. The Cut's editorial director said: The Cut is going to strike as a sign of solidarity with women everywhere as we face the potential rollback of fundamental rights. Teen Vogue, recently in the news for taking important political stands, is also on strike. The editors wrote in a post: "Today at Teen Vogue you wont see the usual coverage that we generally provide on a daily basis. This is because the staff is almost entirely composed of women, and we have decided to participate in A Day Without a Woman to emphasise the impact women have on the economy, workforce, and all of society, through paid and unpaid, seen and unseen labour." By Ahmed Rasheed and John Davison | SULAIMANIYA/MOSUL SULAIMANIYA/MOSUL Iraqi forces aim to dislodge Islamic State militants from west Mosul within a month, despite gruelling urban combat in densely populated terrain, the head of the elite Counter Terrorism Service told Reuters on Thursday. As Iraqi forces advance deeper into west Mosul, they are facing increasingly stiff resistance from Islamic State militants using suicide car bombs and snipers to defend their last major stronghold in Iraq.Their operation to retake the eastern bank of the city, launched in mid-October with support from a U.S.-led coalition, took more than three months. The offensive to recapture west Mosul got underway less than three weeks ago."Despite the tough fighting... we are moving ahead in persistence to finish the battle for the western side within a month," Lieutenant General Talib Shaghati told Reuters at a conference in Sulaimaniya. The few thousand militants still fighting in west Mosul are overwhelmingly outnumbered by a 100,000-strong array of Iraqi forces, but their ruthless tactics east of the Tigris river late last year enabled them to hold out much longer than the government's initial optimistic predictions.Mosul is by far the largest city which Islamic State has held in its cross-border, self-declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria. It has been losing ground in both countries, with three separate forces, backed by the United States, Turkey and Russia, advancing on its Syrian stronghold of Raqqa.In Mosul, CTS forces recaptured the Moalimin and Silo districts on Thursday, according to the commander of the campaign Lieutenant General Abdul Ameer Rasheed Yarallah. Inside the city, CTS are fighting alongside the Federal Police and the elite interior ministry Rapid Response force, which earlier this week recaptured the provincial government headquarters and the Mosul museum.A federal police colonel said on Thursday there were skirmishes close to the museum, where the militants filmed themselves destroying priceless statues and sculptures in 2015."The frontline is just beyond it," said Lieutenant Colonel Hammeed Habib of the Rapid Response forces. "There are snipers stationed in tall hotel buildings on a road beyond that line". The Iraqi army's ninth division and Shi'ite paramilitary forces said on Wednesday they had cut the main road between the city and the Islamic State stronghold of Tal Afar to the west, tightening a noose around the city. There is little doubt Iraqi forces will eventually prevail over the militants, who are both outnumbered and overpowered, but even if it loses Mosul, Islamic State is expected to revert to their insurgent tactics of old. On Wednesday, bomb blasts ripped through a wedding party near Tikrit, which was recaptured by Iraqi forces in 2015, killing more than 20 people.The jihadist group has lost most of the cities it captured in northern and western Iraq in 2014 and 2015. In Syria, U.S.-backed Syrian forces said on Thursday they expected to reach the outskirts of Islamic State-held Raqqa city in a few weeks.[nL5N1GM35Q] The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance including the Kurdish YPG militia, is the main U.S. partner in the war against Islamic State in Syria. The U.S.-led coalition said on Thursday a Marines unit had deployed to help the campaign.In Mosul, civilians are fleeing in greater number as the fighting approaches the densely populated old city, causing alarm that the camps for displaced people are nearly full .About 40,000 people have fled the fighting and hardship in the past 10 days, bringing the total number of people displaced from Mosul since campaign started to more than 215,000, according to United Nations estimates.Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi called on the population to stay in their homes, at the same time urging humanitarian organisations and government agencies to step up efforts to help the tens of thousands who fled.It was from the Mosul old city's grand al-Nuri Mosque that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared his "caliphate" nearly three years go.Baghdadi, an Iraqi whose real name is Ibrahim al-Samarrai, has left operational commanders to fight in the city, moving in a remote, mostly desert stretch, trying to evade surveillance, according to U.S. and Iraqi official. (Writing by Isabel Coles and Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Dominic Evans) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Madeline Chambers and Ralph Boulton | BERLIN/ISTANBUL BERLIN/ISTANBUL Chancellor Angela Merkel told Turkey to stop invoking Berlin's Nazi past in criticising cancellations of Turkish ministers' rallies in Germany, and said she would do everything possible to prevent Turkish domestic conflicts spilling onto German soil.Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who survived an army attempt to topple him in July, is working to enlist the votes of Turks abroad to clinch sweeping new powers in an April referendum. But unease is spreading in Europe over the dispatch of ministers to communities themselves sometimes deeply divided.To the many people with Turkish roots who are German citizens or have lived here for a long time, I say: you are part of our country," Merkel said on Thursday."We want to do everything we can to make sure that possible internal Turkish conflicts are not carried over into this life together (here)."Let us support our way of life together and even improve it where possible. That is a matter of the heart."Some took a harsher line than Merkel. Andreas Scheuer, head of her CSU Bavarian sister party, said the campaigner Erdogan and his henchmen" were not wanted in Germany.The dispute over cancellations has become entangled with other tensions between Turkey and its NATO allies.ROTTERDAM RALLY West European politicians have accused Erdogan of using the coup as a pretext for mass arrests and dismissals that stifle dissent. Erdogan, for his part, accuses European powers of racism, harbouring enemies of Turkey, including Kurdish militants, hardline leftists and people linked to the July coup.Scores of Turks, including diplomats and army officers, have applied for political asylum in Germany, Greece, Switzerland and other countries. Merkel spoke unusually bluntly in the Bundestag lower house of parliament, calling for the release of a German-Turkish journalist being held in a Turkish prison. She said she was saddened by deep differences between the allies.Erdogan's references to Germany's Nazi past were, however, "so misplaced that you can't seriously comment on them". "These comparisons of Germany with Nazism must stop. They are unworthy of the close ties between Germany and Turkey and of our peoples," she said.Turkey's Foreign Minister effectively repeated the comparison within hours."We are not calling the government Nazi. Its practices recall that era," NTV television quoted Mevlut Cavusoglu as saying.Austria has proposed an EU-wide ban on Turkish refereendum rallies. Cavusoglu said on Thursday he would not succumb to "fascists and racists" like Dutch nationalist politician Geert Wilders, who has called for a ban on Turkish rallies in the Netherlands."I will go to the Netherlands, no such obstacle can stop us," Cavusoglu told reporters.Cavusoglu's comments contradicted earlier reports that he had cancelled a Rotterdam rally.The Swiss government said on Thursday it was reviewing a request by financial capital Zurich to block a planned weekend appearance by Cavusoglu for security reasons.The Hilton hotel booked for the rally cancelled the event, saying organisers could not ensure the safety of guests and visitors. Erdogan, a divisive figure but by far Turkey's most popular leader, says the strong presidency is vital to a country threatened by Islamist and Kurdish militant attacks and dogged by a history of unstable coalition governments. (Reporting by Michelle Martin and Madeline Chambers; Writing by Ralph Boulton; Editing by Andrew Roche) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Dan Levine and Mica Rosenberg Several states said on Thursday they would move forward with legal challenges to a revised executive order signed by President Donald Trump this week that temporarily bars the admission of refugees and some travellers from a group of Muslim-majority countries.The new travel order, which is set to take effect on March 16, changed and replaced a more sweeping ban issued on Jan. 27 that caused chaos and protests at airports.The first order was hit by more than two dozen lawsuits, including a challenge brought by Washington state and joined by Minnesota.In response to Washington's suit, U.S. District Judge James Robart in Seattle ordered an emergency halt to the policy last month. That ruling was upheld by an appeals court in San Francisco.Washington state Attorney General Robert Ferguson said on Thursday he planned to ask Robart to confirm that his ruling would also apply to Trump's revised order, which would halt it from being implemented.Ferguson told a news conference the new order harmed a "smaller group" of individuals but that would not affect the state's ability to challenge it in court. He said the burden was on the Trump administration to show that the court ruling from last month did not apply to its new policy. A U.S. Department of Justice spokeswoman declined to comment on pending litigation.The government has said the president has wide authority to implement immigration policy and that the travel rules are necessary to protect against terrorist attacks.New York's attorney general, Eric Schneiderman, said on Thursday he would be joining Washington's lawsuit against the new ban and the state of Oregon said it would join too. The opposition comes on top of a separate legal challenge to the new ban brought by Hawaii on Wednesday. Hawaii had also sued over the previous order and is seeking to amend its complaint to include the new ban. A hearing in that case is set for next Wednesday, a day before the clock starts on the new order. The states and immigration advocates argue the new ban, like the original one, discriminates against Muslims.MORE EXEMPTIONS Trump's new executive order was designed with the intention of avoiding the legal hurdles. While the new order keeps a 90-day ban on travel to the United States by citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, it excludes Iraq. Refugees are still halted from entering the country for 120 days, but the new order removed an indefinite ban on all refugees from Syria.The revisions include explicit exemptions for legal permanent residents or existing visa holders and waivers are allowed on a case-by-case basis for some business, diplomatic and other travellers. The first hurdle for the lawsuits will be proving "standing," which means finding someone who has been harmed by the policy. With so many exemptions, legal experts have said it might be hard to find individuals a court would rule have a right to sue. (Reporting by Dan Levine in San Francisco and Mica Rosenberg in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Peter Cooney) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Jibran Ahmad | Peshawar, Pakistan Peshawar, Pakistan Pakistan has indefinitely closed two border crossings with Afghanistan after opening them for two days to let through Afghans with visas, officials said on Thursday.The official border crossings were abruptly ordered closed last month after a series of attacks Pakistan blames on militants sheltered in Afghanistan, heightening tension between the neighbours.But Pakistan temporarily reopened the crossings on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, to allow the return home of stranded citizens of both countries holding valid travel documents.Two men, a woman and a child were trampled to death in the resulting surge of more than 20,000 Afghans passing through the crossings, said Attahullah Khogyani, the government spokesman for Afghanistan's border province of Nangarhar.Pakistani official Niaz Mohammad, based in the border town of Torkham, said 24,000 Afghans had returned to Afghanistan on foot, while 700 Pakistanis returned home, before the border was closed again at 9.30 p.m. on Wednesday. "There is no clarity on when the border will be reopened," Mohammad said.The closure chokes off a key trading route for landlocked Afghanistan, although it has been working to build trade ties with other neighbours, such as Iran. It also cuts off Pakistani traders from a steady market.On Thursday, about 200 traders and transporters held a protest at Torkham, complaining that cargo on 800 stranded trucks was rotting, particularly meat and fruit. "People have suffered billions of rupees of losses in the past three or four weeks," said one protester, Ali Jan, a transporter."Their loaded vehicles have been standing by the road and there is no indication when the border will be opened." A Pakistani government official, who asked not to be named, said the border would stay closed until Afghanistan took action against a list of 76 "most-wanted terrorists" whose capture and handover by Kabul the Pakistani military demanded last month. Relations between the two countries are tense, with each routinely accusing the other of doing too little to stop Taliban fighters and other militants from operating in its territory. Pakistan has blamed several attacks last month, in which more than 130 people were killed, on Pakistani militants taking shelter in Afghanistan. Afghanistan denies the charges.Last year, Pakistan started building a barrier at Torkham, angering Afghanistan, which rejects a colonial-era boundary line dating from 1893. (Writing by Mehreen Zahra-Malik; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Patricia Zengerle | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 12-9 on Thursday to approve President Donald Trump's nominee as ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, an outspoken bankruptcy lawyer aligned with the Israeli right.The vote was largely along party lines, a contrast with strong bipartisan support for past ambassadors to Israel. Democratic Senator Robert Menendez joined all 11 committee Republicans in backing Friedman, despite concerns about his temperament.Friedman, who has no diplomatic experience, is a long-time friend of Trump who has worked for the New York businessman as a bankruptcy lawyer. In addition to investing in settlements on land claimed by the Palestinians, Friedman favours moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. The relocation is strongly opposed by many U.S. allies because both Israel and the Palestinians claim the city as their capital.Trump's selection of Friedman reflects his shift in policy toward Israel after years of friction between former President Barack Obama and Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu. Unlike Obama, Trump has wavered on the U.S. commitment to a two-state solution, long a bedrock of Washington's Middle East policy, and backed the embassy's relocation. Friedman is also known for using inflammatory language against those with whom he has political disagreements. Democrats said his approach could risk security.'HYPERBOLIC' "The region is incredibly volatile. The last thing we need in this position is someone who has a penchant for over-the-top, hyperbolic, and even false statements," Democratic Senator Tim Kaine said. Friedman has called Obama an anti-Semite, and dismissed the liberal-leaning pro-Israel group J Street as "far worse than kapos," a reference to Jews who worked for the Nazis in World War Two concentration camps.J Street and the Reform Jewish Movement are among groups opposing Friedman's nomination.Friedman was heckled during his contentious February confirmation hearing. He said then that he regretted the use of such language. Senator Ben Cardin, the committee's ranking Democrat, said Friedman also was problematic because he does not explicitly back a two-state solution for Middle East peace.Friedman will next be considered by the full Senate, where Trump's fellow Republicans control a slim majority. He is expected to be confirmed despite continued Democratic opposition.Republican Senator Bob Corker, the Foreign Relations Committee chairman, praised Friedman as an "impassioned advocate" for strong U.S.-Israeli ties."He understands the complexity of issues at stake for the United States and the necessity to support a democratic ally in an important and unstable part of the world," Corker said. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Jonathan Oatis) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. BEIRUT Turkey's military shelled Syrian government forces and their allies on Thursday, causing deaths and injuries, Syrian state media quoted a military source as saying. State-run SANA news agency quoted the military source as saying that the Turkish bombardment targeted Syrian border guard positions in the countryside near the northern city of Manbij. Turkey intervened in northern Syria in August in support of rebel groups with the twin goals of driving Islamic State from its border and preventing Kurdish groups from building an autonomous zone along the frontier. Ankara is particularly concerned about the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia which it regards as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has fought a three-decade insurgency inside Turkey. The area around Manbij has been controlled since last year by the Manbij Military Council, a local militia that is a part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an umbrella organisation of armed groups of which the YPG is also a part. The United States, which supports the SDF in its fight against Islamic State, and is also an ally of Turkey, has said it has taken steps to try to prevent conflict between the two sides. (Reporting by Angus McDowall; editing by Andrew Roche) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Tom Perry | BEIRUT BEIRUT U.S.-backed Syrian forces said on Thursday they were closing in on Islamic State-held Raqqa and expected to reach the city outskirts in a few weeks, as a U.S. Marines artillery unit deployed to help the campaign.The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a militia alliance including the Kurdish YPG, is the main U.S. partner in the war against Islamic State in Syria. Since November it has been working with the U.S.-led coalition to encircle Raqqa.SDF spokesman Talal Silo said: "We expect that within a few weeks there will be a siege of the city."Coalition spokesman U.S. Air Force Colonel John Dorrian said the additional U.S. forces would be working with local partners in Syria - the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian Arab Coalition - and would not have a front line role.Some 500 U.S. personnel are already in Syria to help the fight against IS. A 400-strong additional deployment which arrived in recent days comprised both Marines and Army Rangers, Dorrian said, adding they were there temporarily.Coalition airstrikes killed 23 civilians, including eight children, in the countryside north of Raqqa on Thursday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor said. The coalition said it was investigating the incident.Islamic State is also being fought in Syria by the Russian-backed Syrian military, and by Syrian rebel groups fighting under the Free Syrian Army banner with Turkish backing in northern Syria and Jordanian backing in southern Syria. On the other major flank of the assault on IS, Iraqi forces aim to dislodge the militant group from west Mosul within a month.This week, the SDF cut the road between Raqqa and the jihadists' stronghold of Deir al-Zor province - the last main road out of the city which is bordered to the south by the Euphrates River.Dorrian said the effort to isolate Raqqa was "going very very well" and could be completed in a few weeks. "Then the decision to move in can be made," he told Reuters by telephone.The artillery will help "expedite the defeat of ISIS in Raqqa", he said, using another acronym for Islamic State. The Marines were armed with 155-millimetre artillery guns. Asked if they had been used yet, Dorrian said he did not believe so. "We have had what I would describe as a pretty relentless air campaign to destroy enemy capabilities and to kill enemy fighters in that area already. That is something that we are going to continue and intensify with this new capability."A Kurdish military source told Reuters that further U.S. reinforcements were expected to arrive in the coming days.SDF RULED OUT TURKEY ROLE The U.S. military alliance with the SDF and YPG has strained relations with U.S. ally Turkey, which views the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has waged a three-decade insurgency in Turkey. Fearing deepening Kurdish influence in northern Syria, Turkey has been pressing Washington for a role in the final assault on Raqqa. SDF spokesman Silo said the SDF had ruled out that idea during a meeting with U.S. officials last month."The Turkish side is an occupation force and it cannot be allowed to occupy more Syrian land," he told Reuters. The meeting in northern Syria was attended by U.S. Senator John McCain and U.S. military officials, he said.Dorrian said the Army Rangers were on a different mission to the Marines in a previously announced deployment near the city of Manbij to "create some reassurance" for Turkey and U.S. partners in Syria - a reference to the SDF.Turkey says the Kurdish militia maintains a presence in Manbij. The YPG denies this. Dorrian said a possible role for Turkey "remains a point of discussion at military leadership and diplomatic levels".He added that a new shipment of armoured personnel carriers had been supplied to the Syrian Arab Coalition, part of the SDF which has been vetted by the U.S.-led coalition, since an earlier delivery was announced in late January. (Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Toby Chopra) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Rozanna Latiff | KUALA LUMPUR KUALA LUMPUR North Korea guaranteed the safety of Malaysians banned from leaving the country, Malaysia's prime minister said on Thursday, as two Malaysian U.N. employees left the isolated state in a possible sign that diplomatic tensions had begun to settle.North Korea had barred Malaysians from leaving the country on Tuesday, sparking tit-for-tat action by Malaysia as relations soured over its investigation into the murder last month of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.After earlier this week accusing North Korea of assassinating Kim Jong Nam with a banned chemical weapon and of treating Malaysians like hostages, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has taken a softer line to get his citizens out of the secretive, nuclear-armed state."Diplomatic relations between Malaysia and North Korea will not be severed, as we need to continue communicating with them to find a solution," Najib said in a statement on his blog.But, he added that his government "will not relent from a firm approach" in dealings with North Korea.The departure of two Malaysians working for the U.N.'s World Food Programme (WFP) meant nine still remained at the embassy in Pyongyang. They included three diplomats and six family members."The government of North Korea has given a guarantee of safety," Najib said in a message on social network Twitter. "They are free to do their daily activities, but they cannot leave the country."Najib confirmed on Twitter that the two WFP staffers, Stella Lim and Nyanaprakash Muniandy, had left North Korea and reached Beijing. It was unclear why the pair, who according to a Malaysian government official held U.N. passports, had been allowed to go.Malaysian sources familiar with the matter said negotiations were underway between the two countries to resolve their issues, including the removal of the ban on Malaysians leaving North Korea, but were not expected to end soon. The United Nations has called for calm between Malaysia and North Korea and urged them to settle their differences through "established diplomatic practice."Najib said any negotiations with Pyongyang would be conducted behind closed doors. "I can only disclose that the government is in the process of establishing the reasons and motives behind the actions of North Korea," he said.NEGOTIATIONS BEGIN South Korean intelligence officers say Kim Jong Un had issued standing orders for the elimination of his elder half-brother who was known to have criticised his family's regime. Malaysian police have identified eight North Koreans in connection with the case. They say are three still in Kuala Lumpur, hiding at the North Korean embassy. Malaysia is one of the few countries that has for decades maintained ties with the isolated state. But as relations plunged in the wake of the murder, Malaysia recalled its envoy from Pyongyang and expelled the North Korean ambassador.A source with direct knowledge of the situation said that no other country was involved in the talks now underway, not even its China, which has friendly relations with both."Malaysia has not asked China to get involved," the source told Reuters. "Malaysia wants to resolve this bilaterally relying on its existing good relations with North Korea."Najib said he had spoken by telephone to Mohd Nor Azrin Md Zain, the counsellor at the Malaysian embassy in Pyongyang."Thank God he, his family and the other Malaysians are safe," Najib said on Twitter.Reuters spoke to Nor Azrin earlier in the week."We are still here. We have been given the assurance that nothing has changed," he said. (Additional reporting by Praveen Menon and A.Ananthalakshmi; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. The Committee of the European Parliament on Civil Liberties, Justice and Internal Affairs (LIBE) on Thursday, March 9, approved the draft on the inclusion of Ukraine in the list of third countries whose citizens are canceled visa requirements. The corresponding decision was made at a meeting of the committee on Thursday afternoon: 39 members of the committee voted "for", four were "against" and one abstained. Members of the committee also heard a short report of the committee member on civil liberties, justice and internal affairs of the European Parliament, Michal Boni. The next step will be considering the issue of abolishing short-term visas for Ukrainian citizens by the European Parliament on April 5. In his turn, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko welcomed the decision of the committee. "I welcome the positive decision of the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Internal Affairs on the introduction of a visa-free regime for Ukraine." I am grateful to the speaker, Maria Gabriel, and the members of the Committee for the support of Ukraine and an objective assessment of the reform efforts of the Ukrainian authorities on the proper implementation of the relevant criteria," he wrote on his Facebook page. Poroshenko also instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to intensify the relevant work for the prompt adoption of a positive decision by the European Parliament. As reported, on February 28, representatives of the European Parliament and the EU Council agreed on visa-free travel for Ukrainians to the EU member states. On March 1, the EU Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament talked on granting a visa-free regime to Ukraine. The Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Member States of the European Union (COREPER) confirmed a decision reached within the framework of the triad on March 2. Thus, the completion of the process of liberalization of the visa regime requires several more procedural issues, in particular, consideration and approval of the issue at the plenary session of the European Parliament, scheduled for April 5, and approval by the Council of the European Union. After that, the document must be signed by the President of the European Parliament and the representative of the country presiding in the EU and published in the official journal of the EU. The decision to introduce a visa-free regime will come into force 20 days after publication. Washington: Tulsi Gabbard, the first and only Hindu lawmaker in the US Congress, on Wednesday accused CNN of "sensational and false" reporting about religions after it aired a show which allegedly portrayed Hinduism in a negative light. "CNN on Sunday aired the first episode of a new series called 'Believer' hosted by Reza Aslan. For this episode, Aslan apparently sought to find sensationalist and absurd ways to portray Hinduism," Gabbard, the Democratic lawmaker from Hawaii, wrote on Facebook. The show explores the facts and myths behind the Aghori, a mystical Hindu sect known for extreme rituals. "Aslan and CNN did not just throw a harsh light on a sect of wandering ascetics to create shocking visualsas if touring a zoobut repeated false stereotypes about caste, karma and reincarnation that Hindus have been combating tirelessly," she alleged. "CNN promotional materials and trailers that included a scene showing a group of Hindus under a caption, 'CANNIBALS', perpetuated bizarre and ugly impressions of Hindus and their religion," she charged. The three-term Congresswoman, said while good people across the country are working hard to increase mutual understanding and respect between people of different religions, she is "very disturbed" that CNN is using its power and influence to increase people's misunderstanding and fear of Hinduism. "CNN knows well that sensational, and even false reporting about religions only fosters ignorance that can lead to terrible consequences," she said. "Indeed, Hindus are still reeling after witnessing terrible hate crimes in the last few weeks alone. Our nation celebrates religious pluralism and diversity, and CNN must do more to foster greater respect for people of different religions," she said. Gabbard hoped that CNN and Aslan will engage with the Hindu community moving forward to resolve the pain and outrage that the 'Believer' episode has engendered in the community. In a statement, Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) - USA strongly condemned the airing of the show. "Documentaries like these are a threat to religious harmony in this country. CNN chose to air this blasphemous story despite nationwide request from the community to stop airing," it said. "The show by Reza Alsan is an affront on the ethos of Hinduism and without understanding the foundational aspect of the religion, the anchor only sought to denigrate the religion by showing Cannibalism and talks about a fringe sect called Aghoris in India," OFBJP said. "The story 'Believer' reflects poor understanding of Hinduism on host and sends wrong message to the viewers about Hinduism and its philosophy," it said. However, an eminent Indian American Muslim alleged that certain Hindu groups are "distorting the contents" of the documentary. The Hindu Student Council (HSC) said the documentary focused on the rare Aghora sect, which uses ritual practices with physical objects to invoke Divine grace. By Padraic Halpin | DUBLIN DUBLIN Watershed elections in Northern Ireland have shown Irish nationalists that their goal of uniting with the Republic of Ireland can be achieved, nationalist leader Gerry Adams of Sinn Fein said on Thursday.While the pro-British Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) narrowly remained the largest party after last week's snap elections to the provincial assembly, Sinn Fein surged to within one seat of their rivals and denied unionist politicians a majority for the first time since Ireland was partitioned in 1921.Sinn Fein's calls for a vote to unite the two sides of the Irish border had already increased after Britain voted to leave the European Union in June. Adams said nationalists must now win over unionists to the idea of a unified Ireland two decades after their sectarian conflict over Britain's control of Northern Ireland came to an end."It was very much a watershed election. It clearly was a vote for Irish unity but the unionists still have a majority (among the population) and there is still a big onus on us to persuade them that this is how their future would best be developed," Adams told Reuters in an interview."I don't want to see the unionists in the place that nationalists used to be in. We need an entirely new Ireland, we need an Ireland which unionism is comfortable with, that they have an ownership of and that they agree to."Nationalists were mainly behind the highest turnout at an election in Northern Ireland in two decades, but analysts said this was more a result of anger towards DUP policies and worries over Brexit, than a push for a united Ireland. Support for Irish unity is lukewarm south of the border. Just over one third of people surveyed in the Irish Republic said they would like to see a united Ireland in "the short to medium term", a cross-border opinion poll carried out for the British and Irish state broadcasters found in November 2015. Before debating Northern Ireland's constitutional status, Sinn Fein, the former political wing of the IRA, must reach an agreement with the DUP to restore their power-sharing government at a time when relations are at their lowest point in a decade. They have until March 27 to form a government to avoid either devolved power returning to London for the first time since 2007 or the prospect of a third election in less than a year. "We don't envisage failure at this point. Maybe we won't succeed but there really is no reason why, if the will is there, that these talks don't conclude positively. It's a process and it's very much work in progress," Adams said.SENSE OF EXPECTATION Adams, who was banned from speaking on British airwaves at the height of Northern Ireland's "Troubles", forcing broadcasters to dub his voice with that of an actor, said Brexit had already begun to shift opinions on the subject of Irish unity. Northern Ireland is considered the region of the United Kingdom most economically exposed to Brexit, due to its close trade links to the Irish Republic, an EU member. It will inflict huge damage on every town and village across the island, Adams said."It's not exactly tangible, it's a sense of expectation, a sense of hope, a sense of doabilty," Adams, speaking in Dublin's parliament, where he is a member, said of the feedback his party had received on doorsteps ahead of the election."Ten years ago Scottish independence was a minority occupation for men in kilts. Most people in Scotland hadn't really bought into it but now they have. The same thing is going to happen in my opinion for those of us who want Irish unity." With support rising for secession in Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Thursday her country could hold an independence referendum late next year, just months before Britain is due to leave the European Union.Under a 1998 peace deal that ended 30 years of sectarian violence, Britain's Secretary of State for Northern Ireland can call a referendum if it appears likely a majority of those voting would seek to form part of a united Ireland.Adams said such a decision will ultimately be "above the pay grade" of the minister for Northern Ireland and only be taken by a British government under pressure from an Irish Prime Minister who supports a poll."All of this indicates that we are into a very, very interesting phase of Anglo-Irish history," the Sinn Fein President said.Will that mean the lifelong ambition of a united Ireland coming true in the 68-year-old's lifetime?"It depends how long I live ... But my hope is yes." (Editing by Giles Elgood) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Dustin Volz and Eric Auchard | WASHINGTON/FRANKFURT WASHINGTON/FRANKFURT WikiLeaks will provide technology companies with exclusive access to CIA hacking tools that it possesses, to allow them to patch software flaws, founder Julian Assange said on Thursday.The offer, if legitimate, could put Silicon Valley in the unusual position of deciding whether to cooperate with Assange, a man believed by some U.S. officials and lawmakers to be an untrustworthy pawn of Russian President Vladimir Putin, or a secretive U.S. spy agency.It was not clear how WikiLeaks intended to cooperate with technology companies, or if they would accept his offer. The anti-secrecy group published documents on Tuesday describing secret Central Intelligence Agency hacking tools and snippets of computer code. It did not publish the full programs that would be needed to actually conduct cyber exploits against phones, computers and Internet-connected televisions.Representatives of Alphabet Inc's Google Apple Inc, Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) and Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO.O), all of whose wares are subject to attacks described in the documents, did not immediately respond to requests for comment before regular business hours on the U.S. West Coast."Considering what we think is the best way to proceed and hearing these calls from some of the manufacturers, we have decided to work with them to give them some exclusive access to the additional technical details that we have so that the fixes can be developed and pushed out, so people can be secure," Assange said during a press conference broadcast via Facebook Live.Responding to Assange's comments, CIA spokesman Jonathan Liu, said in a statement, "As weve said previously, Julian Assange is not exactly a bastion of truth and integrity.""Despite the efforts of Assange and his ilk, CIA continues to aggressively collect foreign intelligence overseas to protect America from terrorists, hostile nation states and other adversaries." The disclosures alarmed the technology world and among consumers concerned about the potential privacy implications of the cyber espionage tactics that were described.One file described a programme known as Weeping Angel that purportedly could take over a Samsung smart television, making it appear it was off when in fact it was recording conversations in the room.Other documents described ways to hack into Apple Inc (AAPL.O) iPhones, devices running Google's (GOOGL.O) Android software and other gadgets in a way that could observe communications before they are protected by end-to-end encryption offered by messaging apps like Signal or WhatsApp. Several companies have already said they are confident that their recent security updates have already accounted for the purported flaws described in the CIA documents. Apple said in a statement on Tuesday that "many of the issues" leaked had already been patched in the latest version of its operating system.WikiLeaks' publication of the documents reignited a debate about whether U.S. intelligence agencies should hoard serious cyber security vulnerabilities rather than share them with the public. An interagency process created under former President Barack Obama called for erring on the side of disclosure.President Donald Trump believed changes were needed to safeguard secrets at the CIA, White House spokesman Sean Spicer told a news briefing on Thursday. "He believes that the systems at the CIA are outdated and need to be updated."Two U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials told Reuters on Wednesday that intelligence agencies have been aware since the end of last year of a breach at the CIA, which led to WikiLeaks releasing thousands of pages of information on its website. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said contractors likely breached security and handed over the documents to WikiLeaks. The CIA has declined to comment on the authenticity of the documents leaked, but the officials said they believed the pages about hacking techniques used between 2013 and 2016 were authentic.Contractors have been revealed as the source of sensitive government information leaks in recent years, most notably Edward Snowden and Harold Thomas Martin, both employed by consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH.N) while working for the National Security Agency.Assange said he possessed "a lot more information" about the CIA's cyber arsenal that would be released soon. He criticized the CIA for "devastating incompetence" for not being able to control access to such sensitive material. Nigel Farage, the former leader of the populist UK Independence Party, visited Assange at the Ecuadorean embassy in London earlier on Thursday. A representative for Farage said he was unaware what was discussed.Assange has been holed up since 2012 at the embassy, where he fled to avoid extradition to Sweden over allegations of rape, which he denies. (Reporting by Dustin Volz; Additional reporting by Eric Auchard in Frankfurt, Joseph Menn in San Francisco and Guy Falconbridge in London; Editing by Frances Kerry and Grant McCool) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Ukraine in the United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague (the Netherlands) will show Russia violated international conventions, specifically the convention on preventing financing terrorism and the convention forbidding racial discrimination, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has said. "This week we heard arguments in the ICJ and will show Russia fundamentally violated international legal conventions, which establish international rules," Klimkin said at a joint press conference together with the Foreign Minister of France Jean-Marc Ayrault on Thursday in Paris. The minister emphasized the absurdity of evidence and arguments made by the Russian side represented in the court. "When Russian representatives in the Hague officials speak about hundreds of tanks, armored vehicles, innumerable artillery pieces, rocket launchers and other armaments, which were found in coalmine shafts the entire world laughs. But this is bitter laughter. We understand what we're up against and that's why we must stick with the Minsk agreements and return peace to Donbas," Klimkin said. He added that it is very important that the world community not recognize Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea. "There can be no compromises about the annexation. It will never be recognized [as Russian] territory by our partners or friends. This is the position of all civilized states and all who are familiar with international rules and values," Klimkin said. Interfax-Ukraine to host press conference 'Analytical Report of Consulting Company NAI Ukraine (NAI Global part). Results of 2016 and First Months of 2017 for All Types of Real Estate in Ukraine. Forecast for 2017' On Monday, March 13, at 11.00, the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency's press center will host a press conference "Analytical Report of Consulting Company NAI Ukraine (NAI Global part). Results of 2016 and First Months of 2017 for All Types of Real Estate in Ukraine. Forecast for 2017." The participants will include Founder and CEO of NAI Ukraine Vitaliy Boiko, NAI Ukraine analyst Maryna Hurevych (8/5a Reitarska Street). Admission requires press accreditation. colourbox.com Antrittsreden im Job: Wie stellt man sich am besten vor? Zwei Beispiele von Antrittsreden in Form von Mails ans Haus. Satya Nadella, CEO von Microsoft und Tim Cook, CEO von Apple. Die Mail von Satya Nadella ist vom Februar 2014, nachdem er Microsofts neuer CEO geworden ist. Und die Mail von Tim Cook ist aus dem August 2011, nachdem er als Nachfolger von Steve Jobs CEO von Apple geworden ist. Beide Mails sind fast schon Klassiker. Sie haben nichts vom rauen Ton der Grunder, obwohl Nadella sehr deutlich seine Vision von Change intoniert. Cook dagegen versichert eher, dass alles bleiben wird, wie es ist. Kontinuitat ist der Inhalt seiner Mail. Die 10 goldenen Regeln fur Antrittsreden Nehmen Sie Antrittsreden oder -mails ernst. Sie werden allen im Gedachtnis bleiben Legen Sie Ihr Redeziel fest: Was genau wollen Sie mit der Rede erreichen? Finden Sie Gemeinsamkeiten mit Ihren neuen Mitarbeitern Schauen Sie auch zuruck und zwar positiv-wurdigend Schauen Sie nach vorn und zwar ehrlich. Offene Karten Versprechen Sie nichts, was Sie nicht halten konnen Fokussieren Sie die Rede auf wenige Punkte Halten Sie sich so kurz wie moglich ganz gleich, ob Rede oder Mail Formulieren Sie einfach und klar, so dass Sie jeden Mitarbeiter erreichen Erzahlen Sie auch etwas von sich, Minimum: Was treibt Sie an? Beispiele fur Antrittsreden: Die Mails von Nadella und Cook im Vergleich Ich finde es spannend, beide Antrittsreden nacheinander zu lesen und dabei auf Folgendes zu achten: Lange, Verwendung von We und I und Steve/Bill, Sprache sowie die Dramaturgie. 24 Absatze gegen 4 Absatze. Beide Mails sehr klug im Balancieren von I und We. Beide Mails vergessen nicht, die Grunder und Vorganger zu ehren. Einfache Worte und klare Satze verwenden sowohl Nadella als auch Cook. Beide springen gleich zu Beginn an die Anfange ihrer Karriere bei Microsoft / Apple und enden in der Zukunft. Bilderbuchdramaturgie. Wahrend Nadella ausfuhrlich sich selbst und seine Werte vorstellt, um dann zu den Anforderungen zu kommen, die die Zukunft und auch er selbst an Microsoft stellen, ist Cook da zuruckhaltend. Er spricht weder uber sich, noch uber Change. Die Mail von Nadella ist eine Aufbruch- und Change-Mail, die von Cook versichert Kontinuitat. Fur Visionen ist auerdem zu dieser Zeit bei Apple noch Steve Jobs verantwortlich. Zur Person Thomas Pyczak ist Autor und strategischer Storyteller (www.strategisches-storytelling.de). Bevor er sich 2015 entschied, Romane zu schreiben und Consultant fur Business Storytelling zu werden, war Pyczak CEO und Chefredakteur bei CHIP. Pyczak studierte deutsche Literatur, Linguistik und Philosophie in Hamburg. Fur Nadella ist es aus meiner Sicht viel wichtiger, sich, seine Werte und seine Sicht auf Microsoft und die Zukunft der digitalen Welt zu prasentieren. Genau darin seine Chance, fur seine Vision Zustimmung zu finden. Zustimmung auf einer tiefen und emotionalen Ebene. Ich habe in den beiden Antrittsreden die zentralen Passagen gefettet. MAIL VON SATYA NADELLA AN MICROSOFT dpa/Bernd von Jutrczenka From: Satya Nadella To: All Employees Date: Feb. 4, 2014 Subject: RE: Satya Nadella Microsofts New CEO Today is a very humbling day for me. It reminds me of my very first day at Microsoft, 22 years ago. Like you, I had a choice about where to come to work. I came here because I believed Microsoft was the best company in the world. I saw then how clearly we empower people to do magical things with our creations and ultimately make the world a better place. I knew there was no better company to join if I wanted to make a difference. This is the very same inspiration that continues to drive me today. It is an incredible honor for me to lead and serve this great company of ours. Steve and Bill have taken it from an idea to one of the greatest and most universally admired companies in the world. Ive been fortunate to work closely with both Bill and Steve in my different roles at Microsoft, and as I step in as CEO, Ive asked Bill to devote additional time to the company, focused on technology and products. Im also looking forward to working with John Thompson as our new Chairman of the Board. While we have seen great success, we are hungry to do more. Our industry does not respect tradition it only respects innovation. This is a critical time for the industry and for Microsoft. Make no mistake, we are headed for greater places as technology evolves and we evolve with and ahead of it. Our job is to ensure that Microsoft thrives in a mobile and cloud-first world. As we start a new phase of our journey together, I wanted to share some background on myself and what inspires and motivates me. Die Aussage: ICH GLAUBE FEST DARAN, DASS WIR SINN IN UNSERER TATIGKEIT FINDEN MUSSEN Who am I? I am 46. Ive been married for 22 years and we have 3 kids. And like anyone else, a lot of what I do and how I think has been shaped by my family and my overall life experiences. Many who know me say I am also defined by my curiosity and thirst for learning. I buy more books than I can finish. I sign up for more online courses than I can complete. I fundamentally believe that if you are not learning new things, you stop doing great and useful things. So family, curiosity and hunger for knowledge all define me. Why am I here? I am here for the same reason I think most people join Microsoft to change the world through technology that empowers people to do amazing things. I know it can sound hyperbolic and yet its true. We have done it, were doing it today, and we are the team that will do it again. I believe over the next decade computing will become even more ubiquitous and intelligence will become ambient. The coevolution of software and new hardware form factors will intermediate and digitize many of the things we do and experience in business, life and our world. This will be made possible by an ever-growing network of connected devices, incredible computing capacity from the cloud, insights from big data, and intelligence from machine learning. Die Aussage: ICH BIN EINER VON EUCH, WIR HABEN DIE GLEICHEN ZIELE This is a software-powered world. It will better connect us to our friends and families and help us see, express, and share our world in ways never before possible. It will enable businesses to engage customers in more meaningful ways. I am here because we have unparalleled capability to make an impact. Why are we here? In our early history, our mission was about the PC on every desk and home, a goal we have mostly achieved in the developed world. Today were focused on a broader range of devices. While the deal is not yet complete, we will welcome to our family Nokia devices and services and the new mobile capabilities they bring us. As we look forward, we must zero in on what Microsoft can uniquely contribute to the world. The opportunity ahead will require us to reimagine a lot of what we have done in the past for a mobile and cloud-first world, and do new things. We are the only ones who can harness the power of software and deliver it through devices and services that truly empower every individual and every organization. We are the only company with history and continued focus in building platforms and ecosystems that create broad opportunity. Die Aussage: WIR MUSSEN AN DAS UNMOGLICHE GLAUBEN Qi Lu captured it well in a recent meeting when he said that Microsoft uniquely empowers people to do more. This doesnt mean that we need to do more things, but that the work we do empowers the world to do more of what they care about get stuff done, have fun, communicate and accomplish great things. This is the core of who we are, and driving this core value in all that we do be it the cloud or device experiences is why we are here. What do we do next? To paraphrase a quote from Oscar Wilde we need to believe in the impossible and remove the improbable. This starts with clarity of purpose and sense of mission that will lead us to imagine the impossible and deliver it. We need to prioritize innovation that is centered on our core value of empowering users and organizations to do more. We have picked a set of high-value activities as part of our One Microsoft strategy. And with every service and device launch going forward we need to bring more innovation to bear around these scenarios. Die Aussage: DO MORE, DAS IST UNSER ZENTRALER WERT Next, every one of us needs to do our best work, lead and help drive cultural change. We sometimes underestimate what we each can do to make things happen and overestimate what others need to do to move us forward. We must change this. Finally, I truly believe that each of us must find meaning in our work. The best work happens when you know that its not just work, but something that will improve other peoples lives. This is the opportunity that drives each of us at this company. Many companies aspire to change the world. But very few have all the elements required: talent, resources, and perseverance. Microsoft has proven that it has all three in abundance. And as the new CEO, I cant ask for a better foundation. Lets build on this foundation together. Satya MAIL VON TIM COOK AN APPLE dpa/Monica Davey Team: I am looking forward to the amazing opportunity of serving as CEO of the most innovative company in the world. Joining Apple was the best decision Ive ever made and its been the privilege of a lifetime to work for Apple and Steve for over 13 years. I share Steves optimism for Apples bright future. Steve has been an incredible leader and mentor to me, as well as to the entire executive team and our amazing employees. We are really looking forward to Steves ongoing guidance and inspiration as our Chairman. Die Aussage: NICHTS WIRD SICH ANDERN BEI APPLE I want you to be confident that Apple is not going to change. I cherish and celebrate Apples unique principles and values. Steve built a company and culture that is unlike any other in the world and we are going to stay true to thatit is in our DNA. We are going to continue to make the best products in the world that delight our customers and make our employees incredibly proud of what they do. I love Apple and I am looking forward to diving into my new role. All of the incredible support from the Board, the executive team and many of you has been inspiring. I am confident our best years lie ahead of us and that together we will continue to make Apple the magical place that it is. Tim Fazit: Von Tim Cook lasst sich auf jeden Fall eins lernen: Kurz fassen! Nadellas Mail scheint mir zu lang. Es gibt Wiederholungen, die lassen sich streichen. Das Ziel einer solchen Mail ist ja, sich in seiner neuen Rolle vorzustellen und zugleich das Programm fur die Zukunft zu umreien. Aber bitte so, dass man es sich auch merken kann. Zwei Temperamente, zwei Antrittsreden: Cook kommt sachlich und unemotional ruber, ein kuhler CEO. Bei Nadella mehr Warme, doch fur meinen Geschmack zu viele Erklarungen. Man fragt sich, ob die Leute das wirklich zu Ende lesen. Video: Wann mussen Arbeitnehmer trotz Erkrankung in die Arbeit kommen? Wann mussen Arbeitnehmer trotz Erkrankung in die Arbeit kommen? BlackBerrys partner PT BB Merah Putih today announced BlackBerry Aurora in Indonesia, after some rumors earlier this month. It packs a 5.5-inch HD display, is powered by a quad-core Snadpragon 425 SoC, has 4GB of RAM and runs on Android 7.0 (Nougat). BlackBerry said that the Aurora is specifically designed to appeal to Indonesian customers and is made in Indonesia. It is also the first ever dual-SIM BlackBerry smartphone. BlackBerry said that it has worded closely with BB Merah Putih to ensure that security has been engineered into every layer of Aurora. It will also be offering regular in market security updates from BlackBerry. BlackBerry Aurora specifications 5.5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD IPS display 1.4GHz Quad-Core Snapdragon 425 processor with Adreno 308 GPU 4GB RAM, 32GB internal storage, expandable memory up to 256GB with microSD Android 7.0 (Nougat) Dual SIM 13MP rear camera with dual-tone LED Flash 8MP front-facing camera Dimensions: 152 x 76.8 x 8.55mm; Weight: 178g 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS + GLONASS 3000mAh battery The BlackBerry Aurora comes in Gold, Silver and Black colors and is priced at RP 34,99,000 (US$ 260 / Rs. 17,476 approx.) in Indonesia. It will be available for pre-order till March 12, 2017. Throughout the pre-order period, customers have the chance to receive a special prize as well payment options with a one-year installment, said the company. BlackBerry CEO John Chen has congratulated BB Merah Putih for the launch of the smartphone. Source Salman is planning to enter the smartphone market with his own BeingSmart brand. The actor who owns the Being Human clothing brand, has registered Being Smart trademark for his smartphone venture, according to a latest report from the Economic Times. The smartphones under the BeingSmart brand will be targeted at the entry-to-middle market segment. As per the report, Salman has also selected the Chinese plant and initial phone models that will run on Android and cost below Rs 20,000. Salman is currently building an operational management team to be headed by a professional with leadership stints at Samsung and Micromax, two top industry executives told the publication. The report said that either Salman or members of his family will take direct shareholding in the new venture. The smartphones will be sold through online channels and Being Human retail stores initially and will also be made available in major electronic retail chains as part of a strategic partnership. A share of profits from the Being Smart venture would also be ploughed back into charity and social work that Salman Khan does with the Being Human Foundation. The smartphones with Salmans BeingSmart branding are expected to be launched before the festive season later this year. They will compete with the likes of Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi in the mid-budget segment. Image Source Asian Age Source Check out the new FoneArena Daily video that gives you a quick roundup of the latest technology news. BlackBerrys partner PT BB Merah Putih today announced BlackBerry Aurora Android smartphone in Indonesia. It packs a 5.5-inch HD display, is powered by a quad-core Snadpragon 425 SoC, has 4GB of RAM and runs on Android 7.0 (Nougat). Salman Khan is planning to enter the smartphone market with his own BeingSmart brand. The actor who owns the Being Human clothing brand, has registered Being Smart trademark for his smartphone venture. The smartphones under the BeingSmart brand will be targeted at the entry-to-middle market segment. Western Digital Corporation today announced 256GB SanDisk Ultra microSDXC UHS-I card in India and launched Extreme PRO and Extreme Go USB drives. Googles next Android iteration Android O is expected to be announced at the Google I/O in May. A latest report reveals that the company is working on new smart features for Android O. Deal of the day Up to 45% off on Lenovo Tablets on Amazon. March 9, 2017 in Kyiv, in the office of the Socialists of Ukraine party was held a roundtable of parties and social organizations of the left and social orientation. Representatives of public organizations and political parties, political analysts, journalists, discussed the relevance and prospects of the unification of the left-wing forces in Ukraine.A number of politicians and public activists participated in the event, among them there were Leonid Kozhara and Oleksiy Plotnikov (Socialists of Ukraine), Vitalii Shybko (SPU), Iosif Vinskii (Narodna Volia), Alla Shlapak (Social Justice), Oleksandr Savchenko (Smart Power), Mikhailo Krisko (Spravedlyvist party), Pavlo Viknianskii (Respublika), Oleksandr Potiomkin (Socialist Youth Congress). The roundtable participants supported the idea of unification processes in the left part of the Ukrainian political spectrum to protect the social rights of citizens, to restore peace in the country and to revive the economy. It was decided to continue consultations with representatives of other social and social democratic political forces. A federal criminal investigation has been opened into WikiLeaks Vault 7 publication, a cache of 8,761 documents and files released on Tuesday, said to be taken from the CIAs Center for Cyber Intelligence in Langley, Va. According to the documents, CIA hackers could get into Apple iPhones (NASDAQ:AAPL), Google Android (NASDAQ:GOOGL) devices and other gadgets, such as smart TVs and newer cars. During an interview with Liz Claman on Fox Business, Carbon Black National Security Strategist Eric ONeill said cyber attackers are using undetectable tools that are extremely dangerous, especially in the hands of the enemy. While we are worried about malware attacks, we are also worried about something else called non-malware attacks. These are fileless attacks that cant be noticed by virus sniffers, he said. WikiLeaks, which prides itself in disclosing government secrets, described the cyber intelligence breach as the largest intelligence publication in history. Additionally, former Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chief Counsel Jamil Jaffer said theres a balance between disclosing the vulnerabilities of tech devices and using them for government purposes. The government regularly has to make that call about when to disclose and when not to disclose. And thats a hard call to make, he said. O'Neill said every kind of software will have its flaws and everyone should take the proper security measures when using smart phones and sending emails. Turn on that pass code. Make sure if you got the iPhone you are using the thumb print. Make sure that if someone tries to get in too many times, it wipes, he said. The buzzword healthy on food labels can offer consumers peace of mind and be marketing gold for brands, but many health experts warn those products might not actually live up to their label. Thats why the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is holding a public meeting Thursday in Maryland, to reevaluate its current guidelines and requirements for labeling a product "healthy." Were basically trying to determine if this is something we should be updating because as nutritional values change over time, we too have to look at our definitions that we established a while ago to see if they are still current with nutritional thinking, Deborah Kotz, press officer for the FDA, tells FOX Business. The all-day meeting will feature panelists from top food companies such as Conagra Brands Inc. (NYSE:CAG), KIND LLC, as well as health experts and nutritionists, many of whom argue the FDAs current "healthy" regulationswhich were established in 1993are simply out of date. The system isnt working as well as it could, event panelist Lindsay Moyer, MS, RDN, and senior nutritionist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, tells FOX Business. Fresh fruits and vegetables have to compete with aisles and aisles of processed snack foods that are often marketed to look healthy, she says. Moyer says the major problem with the FDAs healthy definition today is it disregards healthy fats found in nuts, fatty fish and avocado. According to the current regulation, anything with more than 3 grams of fat per serving cannot be labeled as healthy." KIND was the first food company to formally challenge the current FDA fat limit back in 2015 when it filed a Citizen Petition urging the FDA to update its regulations. Because of the nuts in our products which contain a decent amount of saturated and unsaturated fats it didnt meet [the FDAs] nutrient thresholds that were set in place, while at the same time foods like sugary childrens cereals and low-fat puddings actually clear the bar. We thought this was unusual so we petitioned for them to revise it, Justin Mervis, senior vice president and general counsel of KIND Snacks, tells FOX Business. Kotz says the public meeting is a first step toward updating the FDAs healthy label guidelines, and focusing on the type of fat, rather than the amount of fat. By updating the definition, we hope more companies will use the healthy claim as the basis for new product innovation and reformulation, providing customers with a greater variety of healthy choices in the marketplace," Kotz says. The American Society of Civil Engineers issued poor grades for Americas roads, airports and public transportation in its latest infrastructure report card released Thursday, at the same time President Donald Trump is accelerating his push for $1 trillion in investments. The group, which has long advocated for increased spending on infrastructure projects, gave U.S. infrastructure an overall grade of D+, the same grade given in the ASCEs last report in 2013. Roads, aviation and dams were among the categories that received D grades. The ASCE downgraded transit from a D to D-, citing a $90 billion backlog in rehabilitation projects. Rail, inland waterways and ports improved on their grades from four years ago. Rails, the majority of which are owned by the private freight industry, fared the best with a B. The industry spent $27.1 billion on upgrades in 2015, according to the ASCE. The ASCE said Americas infrastructure as a whole requires $2 trillion in investments. Americas infrastructure bill is long overdue, the ASCE said in its report. On Wednesday, President Trump hosted a meeting at the White House with real-estate developers, private-equity leaders and Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) and a proponent of a high-speed transportation system called the Hyperloop. The system is based on a magnetic tube that moves pods at up to 750 miles per hour, and the company, Hyperloop One, has built a test track in the Nevada desert. Trump said during the meeting that states should be required to begin approved infrastructure-upgrade projects within 90 days. According to the Wall Street Journal, Trumps plan will focus on shovel-ready projects and renovations to existing roads, as opposed to building new roads. In his speech to Congress last week, Trump said the $1 trillion plan will be financed through public and private funds. An estimated $200 billion in funding reportedly could come from a tax holiday for companies that bring money back to the U.S. from overseas. The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association on Wednesday called for the tax exemption for municipal bond interest to remain intact. Cities often issue bonds to raise cash for projects. Meaningful public-private partnerships should also be a key component of any plan, as they will ease the burden on the cash-strapped federal government by leveraging our capital markets to create expanded financing options, Michael Decker, managing director and co-head of SIFMAs municipal division, said in a statement. Trucking companies are backing the Trump administrations efforts. Chris Spear, president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations, told FOX Business that investments in road repairs and new highways will pay dividends by lowering costs for both motorists and freight haulers. President Donald Trump will meet with Main Street community bankers on Thursday to learn more about their difficulties in complying with the tougher Dodd-Frank financial regulations enacted after the 2007-2009 financial crisis. The listening session is aimed at helping the Trump administration craft a legislative plan to ease the regulatory burdens on small banks to try to unlock more small business lending and fuel economic growth, a senior White House official told Reuters. The meeting will include chief executives of nine community banks with assets of around $1 billion or less, along with the heads of the American Bankers Association and the Independent Community Bankers of America. ICBA has advocated for a tiered system of regulations that treat smaller banks differently than global financial behemoths, tailoring regulations to a bank's size, business model, complexity and risk. The Trump White House largely shares that view. "The type of regulation that you need for a $700 million bank and the risks they present are very different than those for a $200 billion bank or a $1 trillion bank," the White House official said. "Right now we have a lot of these rules that apply one-size-fits-all. And if you're the small community bank trying to comply with rules that are also applied to much larger institutions, it's very hard to remain competitive." Larger banks are able to spread their higher compliance costs over much bigger asset and employee bases, while smaller banks struggle with high costs and workloads. One of the institutions represented in the meeting, Standard Financial Corp of Monroeville, Pennsylvania, has just nine branches with $488 million in assets and earnings of $559,000 in the quarter ended December 31, 2016. It plans to merge with a rival in southwestern Pennsylvania in a deal that will roughly double its size. Trump officials cited a dearth of applications to form new community banks and around a 30 percent drop in the number of small U.S. banks since 2008. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who is expected to attend the meeting with Trump, along with National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn, said at his confirmation hearing in January that onerous regulations are "killing community banks." Mnuchin, the former CEO of OneWest bank, a regional lender in Southern California, pledged to ease those burdens while maintaining "proper" regulation, "so that we don't end up with a world where we only have four big banks in this country." The bankers are expected to highlight compliance costs associated with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a new regulator created under the Dodd-Frank law. The CFPB is a perennial target for Republicans, who want to shift its funding from the Federal Reserve to annual appropriations by Congress and shift its management, now concentrated in a powerful chairman, to a multi-person commission structure. Another problem to be aired by the bankers, the White House official said, will be post-crisis mortgage regulations that hamper home loans to small business owners who may have irregular income streams. (Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Michael Perry) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Utah Republican Governor Jon Huntsman has accepted President Donald Trump's offer to be ambassador to Russia, an administration official said on Wednesday. The job, which requires Senate confirmation, would put Huntsman in Moscow at a time when U.S.-Russian ties have sunk to a post-Cold War low. Huntsman served as ambassador to China under Democratic President Barack Obama before launching an unsuccessful bid for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. Trump has said he wants to improve relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which deteriorated under Obama over issues including Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea and the two countries' backing of opposing sides in the Syrian civil war. The tensions peaked in December when Obama expelled 35 Russian suspected spies after U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Russia hacked and leaked Democratic emails during the 2016 election campaign as part of an effort to tilt the vote in Trump's favor. The Kremlin has denied the allegations. (Reporting by Steve Holland; Writing by Washington Newsroom; Editing by Peter Cooney) Even as President Trump impresses markets by putting infrastructure investment and renewed manufacturing leadership at the core of his economic agenda, a new report by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) should set off alarm bells in the White House and Congress. The USGSas Mineral Commodity Summary 2017 indicates that the United States is now import-dependent for 50 different metals and minerals a and 100 percent import-dependent for 20. Thatas half of the naturally-occurring elements on the Periodic Table. The trend line is troubling: U.S. mineral dependency is now double what it was 20 years ago. Take the industrial metal copper. Twenty-five years ago, the United States was a net exporter of refined copper, but today imports 36 percent of its refined copper needs. While demand is expected to increase, domestic supply is limited by the fact that there are only three operating copper smelters in the U.S. and a shrinking number of high-grade copper mines. Then there is also the important mineral cobalt, which has applications in everyday electronics and new batteries for electronic vehicles. The U.S. depends on imports of cobalt from countries like the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, despite numerous high quality cobalt deposits across the western states. Minerals and the capability to convert them into metals are fundamental to both infrastructure and the manufacturing sector. Just-in-time manufacturing lines are dependent on a reliable supply of essential materials and parts. If key minerals or metals are suddenly unavailable within North America a due to political instability in a source country, shipping disruptions or restrictions on mining access a the whole supply chain could grind to a halt. To address supply chain vulnerability and import dependence, President Trump and Congress should examine ways to speed up permitting of new U.S. mines and smelters, eliminate duplicative regulations and support policies that encourage resource and materials innovation. The U.S. governmentas process for securing mine permits now takes close to 10 years a one of the longest permitting processes in the world. By comparison, permitting in Australia and Canada, which have similar environmental standards and practices as the U.S., take between two and three years. To be clear, imported materials help maintain price competition and no country a including the United States a is blessed with top-tier deposits of every essential mineral. Nowhere are the mutual benefits of trade more apparent than the integrated supply chains in North America, where inputs from Canada make U.S. manufacturers more competitive and vice versa. Improving Americaas mineral footprint would also boost resource innovation and present even more unique opportunities. At Rio Tintoas Garfield copper smelter in Utah, we are working with the U.S. Department of Energyas Critical Materials Initiative (CMI) to find new ways to fully recover and recycle the minerals that future technologies will require. This means not just looking at more efficient ways to process and extract minerals from the ground, but also aurban mininga of electronic waste. One of the most concentrated sources of valuable metals is in old phones and electronics sent off to scrap. To address this waste of resources, we are testing technology that could help capture the valuable minerals in electronic waste in the copper smelting process. JS Jacques is the CEO of Rio Tinto, a global leader in metals and mining with a 145 year operating history in the United States providing essential materials like copper, aluminum and borates to U.S. manufacturers and infrastructure projects. U.S. President Donald Trump met with small community bankers on Thursday (March 9) to learn more about their difficulties in complying with the tougher Dodd-Frank financial regulations enacted after the 2007-2009 financial crisis. The listening session was aimed at helping the Trump administration craft a legislative plan to ease the regulatory burdens on small banks to try to unlock more small business lending and fuel economic growth, a senior White House official told Reuters. The meeting included chief executives of nine community banks with assets of around $1 billion or less, along with the heads of the American Bankers Association and the Independent Community Bankers of America. The bankers were expected to highlight compliance costs associated with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a new regulator created under the Dodd-Frank law. "Today's discussion is crucial to my jobs agenda and to the American people. Community banks play a vital role in helping create jobs by providing approximately half of all loans to small businesses and that's been dwindling because the community banks have been in big trouble," Trump said. "You probably noticed I signed an executive order on regulation on February 3rd I believe it was, and that's a big executive order and a very powerful executive order, it's taking a lot of the regulation away. You'll be able to loan, you'll be able to be safe, but you'll be able to provide the jobs that we want and also create great businesses," Trump added. Trump officials cited a dearth of applications to form new community banks and around a 30 percent drop in the number of small U.S. banks since 2008. WikiLeaks will provide technology companies with exclusive access to CIA hacking tools that it possesses, to allow them to patch software flaws, founder Julian Assange said on Thursday. The anti-secrecy group published documents on Tuesday describing secret Central Intelligence Agency hacking tools and snippets of computer code. It did not publish the full programs that would be needed to actually conduct cyber exploits against phones, computers and Internet-connected televisions. "Considering what we think is the best way to proceed and hearing these calls from some of the manufacturers, we have decided to work with them to give them some exclusive access to the addition technical details that we have so that the fixes can be developed and pushed out, so people can be secure," Assange said during a press conference broadcast via Facebook Live. Responding to his comments, CIA spokesman Jonathan Liu, said in a statement, "As weve said previously, Julian Assange is not exactly a bastion of truth and integrity." "Despite the efforts of Assange and his ilk, CIA continues to aggressively collect foreign intelligence overseas to protect America from terrorists, hostile nation states and other adversaries. It was not clear how WikiLeaks intended to cooperate with technology companies, or if they would accept his offer. Spokespeople for Alphabet Inc's Google , Apple Inc , Microsoft Corp and Cisco Systems Inc , all of whose wares are subject to attacks described in the documents, did not immediately respond to requests for comment before regular business hours on the U.S. West Coast. But several companies have already said they are confident that their recent security updates have already accounted for the alleged flaws described in the CIA documents. Apple said in a statement on Tuesday that "many of the issues" leaked had already been patched in the latest version of its operating system. WikiLeaks' publication of the documents reignited a debate about whether U.S. intelligence agencies should hoard serious cyber security vulnerabilities rather than share them with the public. An interagency process created under former President Barack Obama called for erring on the side of disclosure. Two U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials told Reuters on Wednesday that intelligence agencies have been aware since the end of last year of a breach at the CIA, which led to WikiLeaks releasing thousands of pages of information on its website. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said contractors likely breached security and handed over the documents to WikiLeaks. The CIA has declined to comment on the authenticity of the leak, but the officials said they believed the published documents about hacking techniques used between 2013 and 2016 were authentic. Assange said he possessed "a lot more information" about the CIA's cyber arsenal that would be released soon. He criticized the CIA for "devastating incompetence" for not being able to control access to such sensitive material. Nigel Farage, the former leader of the populist UK Independence Party, visited Assange at the Ecuadorean embassy in London earlier on Thursday. A representative for Farage said he was unaware what was discussed. Assange has been holed up since 2012 at the embassy, where he fled to avoid extradition to Sweden over allegations of rape, which he denies. (Reporting by Dustin Volz; Additional reporting by Eric Auchard in Frankfurt, Joseph Menn in San Francisco and Guy Falconbridge in London; Editing by Frances Kerry) This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 2022 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. 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With our phone app, you can even get instant notifications on breaking crime news, and watch breaking news as it happens, wherever you are. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have agreed to pay $140,000 to a group of 185 interns who claimed they were overworked, according to a new filing in Manhattan Supreme Court. In the court filings obtained by the New York Post, the interns alleged they worked up to 50 hours per week for months at a time for the Olsen twins. Each intern will receive approximately $530 each and the remaining payout will go to their lawyers if a judge approves the agreement. "It was like 100 degrees outside. Id just be sweating to death," former design intern Shahista Lalani told the Post. She worked for the Oslen's The Row. "I probably carried like 50 pounds worth of trench coats." FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX ENTERTAINMENT NEWS Lalani said she rarely got a break and she and other interns "You're like an employee, except youre not getting paid," Lalani said. "Theyre kind of mean to you. Other interns have cried. Id see a lot of kids crying doing coffee runs, photocopying stuff." The settlement includes interns who worked at the company since 2009. A rep for the Olsens did not immediately return Fox News' request for comment. However, according to the New York Post, the former child stars said the deal was struck "avoid the uncertainties of litigation" according to the court filing. British brews are becoming insanely popular in China. According to Beverage Daily, beer exports from the U.K. experience a 500 percent increase in 2016 due to rising consumer demand throughout the country. Some analysts have cited Chinese president Xi Jinping's interest in beer as contributing to the beverage's rising popularity. In 2015, he was photographed enjoying a beer with former British prime minister David Cameron. But China isn't the only country to have a stronger interest in British brews-- exports to India grew by 417 percent and exports to the EU grew by 5 percent. NORTH CAROLINA WOMAN SUES ANHEUSER-BUSCH AFTER SEEING PHOTO OF HERSELF IN BEER ADS With a total of 1.05 billion pints of beer being sent abroad, the country's beer exports are now valued at $712 million, up $102 million since 2015. Approximately 63 percent of Britains beer exports are for the EU while the remaining 37 percent are destined for other locations around the globe. The increase in brewery exports has boosted beer to the third most valuable food or drink export coming out of the U.K., falling behind only whisky and chocolate in 2016, according to the Food and Drink Federation 2016 export statistics. FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS Top 11 UK exports, 2016, according to the Food and Drink Federation 1. Whisky $4,983,611,523 2. Chocolate $807,298,094 3. Beer $724,548,214 4. Salmon $704,834,272 5. Cheese $607,266,554 6. Wine $596,338,977 7. Gin $578,265,000 8. Beef $542,675,906 9. Soft drinks $520,647,573 10. Wheat $473,734,240 11. Breakfast cereals $469,429,440 Beverage Daily reports that the strong export growth in 2016 was supported by both the industry and government to promote the U.K. food and drink abroad. Critics of the president with a sweet tooth are facing a moral dilemma. Companies like Hershey, Mars and Jelly Belly have become the latest targets of the anti-Trump Grab Your Wallet buy-cott (a pledge to boycott brands through financial inaction) as the National Confectioners Association (NCA) hosts its annual conference at the Trump National Doral resort near Miami this week. Now, the social media sphere is taking aim at NCA members like Hersheys, Mars, Nestle and Jelly Belly for ongoing plans to patronize Trump properties while trying to secure a rollback of government sugar subsidies. DC WAITRESS SHOCKED BY MESSAGE, TIP FROM TRUMP SUPPORTERS Two upcoming gatherings one in September and another in 2018 are currently scheduled for the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. The location of the events may or not may be coincidental but according to the Washington Post the association is trying lobby the administration in favor of the rollback because the subsidies are driving up the cost of their product. We have a very narrow window of time now with the current administration and political dynamics to win this fight, John H. Downs, Jr., the president and chief executive of the association, said in a memo to the board of trustees prior to the meeting in Florida. That document, posted to the groups website, said that successful efforts with the Trump administration could wind up saving the industry $280 million each year-- simply by cutting sugar sugar subsidies. FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS Down is also pushing to eliminate regulations on genetically modified organisms (GMOs), in addition to those related to food labeling. But the mix of politics and sweets is leaving a sour taste in many candy lovers' mouths who taken to social media to voice their concerns over the industry's ties to Trump. Some are even considering making due without chocolate for awhile. Big candy (confectioners) is having meetings at Trump property and wants a revamp of confectioner regs. #conflictsofinterest #LOCKHIMUP puffin98 (@puffin98) March 8, 2017 100% killed my sweet tooth @Hersheys Mars and Jelly Belly lobbying & events at Trump hotels." GOOD LUCK WITH THAT https://t.co/SZdwXt3Qhp Newporter (@sharonhenry101) March 8, 2017 Big Candy is lobbying the Trump administration to ensure that candy is part of a happy and balanced lifestyle. https://t.co/pBFXXXkKfe Nina Teicholz (@bigfatsurprise) March 8, 2017 But rumors of a candy buycott pale in comparison to at least one candy's iconic tie to a former conservative icon. President Ronald Reagan loved his Jelly Belly beans so much (licorice was his reported favorite) that the Herman Goelitz Candy Company provided the Reagan White House with candy for all eight years of Reagans presidency. Previous buycotts of brands linked to Trump, including daughter Ivanka Trump's clothing line, may have spurred an unintended effect of getting Trump supporters to buy such items in droves. According to the Post, however, the NCA's event this week is the first known example in which an interest group with multiple scheduled events took place at Trump properties while Trump was in office. A former farmer from Muleshoe, Texas, got so fed up with his job that he decided to put his knowledge of black-eyed peas to an entirely different use: making pea vodka. Trey Nickels is now the master distiller at the Black Eyed Distillery Co., which claims to be the world's only producer of vodka made with black-eyed peas. And as of Saturday, visitors to the Fort Worth area can try Nickels creation at his companys newly-opened tasting room. Nickels originally came up with the concept for BLK EYE Vodka during a brainstorming session with his brother. Their family farm in Muleshoe, Texas, was flailing due to drought and competition, leaving Nickels scrambling for a solution. CHANNING TATUM LAUNCHES OWN AMERICAN-MADE VODKA BRAND Late at night, I was sitting there thinking, What can we do with all these beans? Nickels told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 2014. My brother said, Lets make beer out of it. And I said, Lets make vodka. Nickels eventually sold his stake in the farm and headed for Fort Worth to pursue his idea. Together with his retired mother Deborah, he set up shop inside a Fort Worth firehouse and began fermenting and experimenting with black-eyed peas. We knew black-eyed peas were loaded with the starch necessary to make the fermented mash that can be distilled into liquor, Nickels said in a press release. We just needed to prove it. Nickels reportedly teamed up with a consultant who helped research the process of turning peas into potable vodka, and the distillery then known as TreyMark Black Eyed Vodka began churning out its signature liquor in 2014. After a brief hiatus in 2016, TreyMark took on investors, and the product was rebranded as BLK EYE Vodka. The company still operates out of the Fort Worth firehouse, which opened to the public on Saturday. Theres also a brand-new tasting room for visitors to sample BLK EYE Vodka cocktails. FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS But does vodka from peas actually taste, like, well vodka? Nickels says the peas produce a neutral flavor thats also ideal for mixing, although a taster from the Forth Worth Star-Telegram claims it has a hint of vanilla with a slightly nutty flavor, reminiscent of sake. Also, by EU standards, what Nickels is distilling isnt technically vodka. In 2008, the European Parliament decided that traditional "vodka" needed to be made from grain or potatoes. (Formerly, it simply referred to "a spirit drink produced from ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin.) And under the new regulations, anything else calling itself vodka needed to list its main ingredient on the bottle, which is why vodkas like Ciroc distilled in France from grapes say exactly that on the label. America, however, has no such regulation concerning the materials used to produce vodka. According to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, vodkas are spirits distilled from any material at or above 95 percent alcohol by volume (190 proof), and if bottled, bottled at not less than 40 percent alcohol by volume (80 proof). They also have stipulations for flavored vodkas, and how those vodkas presents their flavorings on the bottle. An Ohio man has been charged in two separate cases for stealing a total of $3,800 worth of Walmart fishing equipment over back-to-back days last October. 3 SECRETS OF HOOKING A FAT SPRING TROUT ON STREAMERS WLWT reports that Derrick Marcum concealed the crimes by hiding the equipment inside of other merchandise. One day last October, Marcum left a Walmart with five plastic bins filled with tackle, and then tried to carry off two backpacks stuffed with lures from another Walmart the following day. Marcum allegedly paid for the bins via self-checkout without paying for the stolen items inside. PICS: THE BEST FISHING GEAR OF 2017 Warren County prosecutor David Fornshell told reporters that Marcum Pretty much cleared out the aisle. Marcum was arrested for the backpack incident on the day of the theft, but the empty-aisle case remained a mystery until police recently connected the two incidents. The backpack theft totaled $1,300 in fishing gear, while the bin theft was valued at $2,500. RELATED: THE 6 BEST BASS LURES FOR UNDER $5 Two New Hampshire women are facing reckless conduct charges after one allegedly used a dirty syringe to inject the other with narcotics, after she reportedly requested the drugs during childbirth. Felicia Farruggia, 29, reportedly refused to allow anyone to call 911 while she was in labor until she received the drugs, The Boston Globe reported. Rhianna Frenette, 37, allegedly supplied Farruggia with the drugs, which police believe was methamphetamine, during the September incident, according to the report. Frenette attempted to inject Farruggia with an unsanitary syringe at least once before she successfully delivered a dose of the drug, police said in a news release. When paramedics did arrive, Farruggia delivered a baby boy in the driveway while en route to a waiting ambulance. She and the child were taken to a hospital, and the baby was placed in state custody, police said. His urine tested positive for methamphetamine and amphetamine. Thats probably the best place he could be, Lt. Sean Ford, of the Concord Police Department, told The Boston Globe. Ford told the news outlet that Farruggia, who also tested positive for methamphetamine, amphetamine and benzodiazepine, has other children who are also in state custody. This case is just, honestly, absolutely appalling in my mind, Ford said, according to the Associated Press. No one died, but the risk to that child and to the mother. This stuff is just getting out of control. Bail was set at $25,000 for Frenette and $15,000 for Farruggia. A Texas community is mourning the unexpected death of a high school student who suffered a medical emergency during color guard practice on Monday. Classmates of Hailey Cartwright, a 16-year-old sophomore at Crowley High School, wore black or galaxy-patterned clothes on Wednesday in remembrance. Crowley ISD is incredibly saddened by this tragedy and the loss of this beautiful young life, said Dr. Patricia Linares, Crowley ISD interim superintendent, according to Fox 4 News. According to a news release, Cartwright was left unresponsive by an unknown medical emergency during the teams practice. A nurse administered CPR and used a defibrillator on her until paramedics arrived and transported her to Texas Health Huguley Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Our thoughts and prayers are with Haileys family, friends and the Crowley ISD staff during this difficult time, Linares said. Cartwright had also been enrolled in health sciences classes at the Bill R. Johnson Career and Technology Education Center and online through the districts Global Prep Academy. Grief counselors are being made available to students at the districts campuses, Fox 4 News reported. Vietnam veteran Percy Jones is one of thousands who have served in the military and now suffers from depression. Jones fought his battle with depression for years and eventually began isolating himself, making matters worse. I got angry easily and I was always very nervous, Jones told Fox News.I couldnt sleep. I started drinking too much.It got to the point where I was suicidal. I just didnt want to live. Its not just veterans who are at risk of depression, as 11,887 active duty service members received a diagnosis between January and May of 2016 alone. That number adds to the 774,000 veterans who received a possible diagnosis of major depression in 2016. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is providing a new option to help fight the disorder called Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, or rTMS therapy. Its a device that uses an electromagnet charged with electricity that is applied to specific points on the patients head. The powerful magnetic field can then affect the brain cells of the person suffering from depression. The VA purchased 40 rTMS devices to be distributed at facilities across the country. Jones is the first South Carolina patient to receive rTMS therapy. He began seeing Dr. Mark George, the man who invented rTMS therapy, and enrolled in a national trial at the Charleston VA. The therapy involves up to 30 sessions over a six-week period. Jones treatments lasted 30 minutes per day, five days per week, for six weeks straight. Jones says he saw results shortly after enrolling in the trial. In the first week and a half I could feel a difference, Jones said. I started realizing that I was myself again. Kate Beaver, a spokesperson for the VA in Charleston, told Fox News that 60 percent of patients that received the treatment for clinical trials reported their depression improved or disappeared. Some patients who get well will stay well indefinitely, Beaver said. Others may need booster sessions from time to time. Beaver said there are a few side effects that patients experienced during or shortly after getting the treatment: scalp discomfort, headache, facial twitching or pain which can be treated with over the counter pain medications. These symptoms tend to lessen or go away over treatment time, Beaver said. Seizure during treatment is the most serious known risk of TMS, and only a very few cases of seizure have been reported. There is little evidence of risk of seizures using TMS the way it is used for depression. Most insurance companies do not cover the procedure, which could mean thousands in out-of-pocket costs. Terrence Hayes, spokesman for the VA, said the department is currently working with various insurance companies to get better coverage. He said veterans will likely pay a small portion of the overall cost. The full course of therapy is variable and can cost between $6,000 and $12,000, depending upon the patients condition and the number of sessions needed, Beaver said. Twenty rTMS devices, costing up to $100,000, will be delivered this year and 20 more are planned for 2018. This decision came nearly three weeks after President Trump announced that it was his top priority to ensure that veterans get the care they need when and where they need it. Editors Note: This story has been updated to reflect the latest statistics. Its shocking but true: One of the hot trends in plastic surgery right now is labiaplasty, a procedure to trim the vulva's inner lips, aka the labia minora. (Add this to the list of things you shouldnt do to your vagina.) According to statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), labiaplasty procedures spiked 39% in 2016, with more than 12,000 procedures. I am asked about labiaplasty at least once a month, says ob-gyn Jennifer Gunter, MD, who runs a specialty clinic for vulvar conditions at Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco. Five years ago, I was probably asked one to two times a year. Whats behind this (crazy?) craze? Heres a look at the facts. RELATED: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Your Vagina Why the rise? Michael Edwards, MD, a former president of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, told Time that some women with more pronounced labia are devastated. Another plastic surgeon, Richard Swift, MD, on Manhattans Upper East Side, told the New York Post, that women whose labia are enlarged feel uncomfortable in yoga pants. But normal labia minora come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from 2 to 10 cm in length and 0.7 to 5 cm in width, per a study published in the journal BJOG (images NSFW). And its quite common for the labia minora to stick out past the outer lips of the vagina, according to Dr. Gunter, without any discomfort. In a blog post about labiaplasty (also NSFW), she noted that smaller labia seem to have become the cultural norm, perhaps because many female performers in the adult film industry have small labia. Whether this is a self-selecting feature or the result of surgery is hard to know, Dr. Gunter wrote. But if you see a lot of images of small labia minora you are more likely to come to view that as desirable. RELATED: Best and Worst Foods for Sex How pubic hair trends also play a role There is an expression for men, The shorter the bush, the taller the tree, and a similar visual effect happens with female genitalia, says Dr. Gunter. If you remove your pubic hair or trim it significantly, you may start to notice your labia minora. In fact, the rise in labiaplasty has been linked to the popularity of the Brazilian wax. As Barbara Levy, MD, the VP of Health Policy at the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, put it to NBC News, the hairless trend made women more aware of their genital appearance, and plastic surgeons saw dollar signs. RELATED: 10 Best Workouts for Your Sex Life Do larger labia really cause any symptoms? The vaginas smaller, inner folds of skin have an important job: They protect the vaginal openingcalled the vestibulewhich is made up of delicate mucosa tissue, filled with highly-sensitive nerve endings. Some women blame painful sex on the size of their labia. Others suspect their labia are the source of their yeast infections, or other irritation. Even doctors attribute some of these vulvar symptoms to the size of the labia minora. But there is almost always another cause, Dr. Gunter says. If you have vulvar symptoms, talk to your ob-gyn firstnot a plastic surgeon. You might even want to see a vulvar specialist, Dr. Gunter advises. RELATED: 20 Weird Facts About Sex and Love Is labiaplasty safe? A 2014 study found that more than 91% of women who had the surgery felt more satisfied with their genital appearance afterward. But there are no solid figures on complications, and the long-term implications are TBD. We dont know how labiaplasty will affect women as they become menopausal, and their tissues start to change, Dr. Gunter points out. The bottom line Dr. Levy summed up the labia-trimming trend like this: Its one more body part that we as women are being told to be insecure about. But that's not to say that no woman should ever consider the procedure. As with any plastic surgery, the best advice is to make sure you're interested in the procedure for you, rather than some outside pressure. This article originally appeared on Health.com. Those of us who believe that the Constitution means what it says have been arguing since the late 1970s that congressional efforts to strengthen national security by weakening personal liberty are unconstitutional, un-American and ineffective. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which Congress passed in the aftermath of President Richard Nixons use of the CIA and the FBI to spy on his political opponents, has unleashed demons that now seem beyond the governments control and are more pervasive than anything Nixon could have dreamed of. This realization came to a boiling point last weekend when President Donald Trump accused former President Barack Obama of monitoring his telephone calls during the 2016 presidential election campaign. Can a U.S. president legally spy on a political opponent or any other person in America without any suspicion, probable cause or warrant from a judge? In a word, yes. PRESIDENT TRUMP, RESTORE THE CREDIBILITY OF THE IRS. ASK COMMISSIONER KOSKINEN TO RESIGN. NOW Here is the back story. The president can order the National Security Agency to spy on anyone at any time for any reason, without a warrant. This is profoundly unconstitutional but absolutely lawful because it is expressly authorized by the FISA statute. All electronic surveillance today, whether ordered by the president or authorized by a court, is done remotely by accessing the computers of every telephone and computer service provider in the United States. The NSA has 24/7/365 access to all the mainframe computers of all the telephone and computer service providers in America. The service providers are required by law to permit this access and are prohibited by law from complaining about it publicly, challenging it in court or revealing any of its details. In passing these prohibitions, Congress violated the First Amendment, which prohibits it from infringing upon the freedom of speech. The fruits of electronic surveillance cannot be used in criminal prosecutions but can be shared with the president. If they are revealed publicly, the revelation constitutes computer hacking, a federal crime. Nevertheless, some of what was overheard from telephone conversations between the Russian ambassador to the U.S. and former Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Trumps former national security adviser, was revealed to the public -- a revelation that profoundly disturbed the White House and many in the intelligence community and constituted a crime. The original purpose of FISA was to place the judiciary as an intermediary between the nations spies and the foreign agents we all know are among us. The theory was that the NSA would first need to demonstrate to a secret court probable cause that the target of the spying is an agent of a foreign power and this would restrain the NSA from spying on ordinary Americans. This probable cause of foreign agency was a dramatic congressional rejection of the constitutional standard -- namely, probable cause of crime -- for the issuance of warrants. Foreign agency is not a crime. This congressional rejection of constitutional norms began the slippery slope in which the foreign agency standard has morphed by legislation and by secret interpretations of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to probable cause of foreign personhood to probable cause of talking to a foreign person to probable cause of being able to talk to a foreign person to -- dropping the probable cause standard altogether -- anyone who speaks to anyone else who could speak to a foreign person. This Orwellian and absurd expansion was developed by spies and approved by judges on the FISA court. The NSA argued that it would be more efficient to spy on everyone in the United States than to isolate bad people, and the court bought that argument. Hence, FISA warrants do not name particular people or places as their targets as the Constitution requires. Rather, they merely continue in place the previous warrants, which encompass everyone in the country. FISA warrants are general warrants, allowing intelligence agents to listen to whomever they wish and retain whatever they hear. General warrants are expressly prohibited by the Fourth Amendment, which requires that all warrants for all purposes be based on probable cause of crime and particularly describe the person or thing to be seized -- e.g., a conversation -- or the place to be searched. Even though the NSA already has the legal, though unconstitutional, authority to capture any phone conversation or computer keystroke it wishes, its 60,000 agents lack the resources to listen to all conversations or read all electronic communications in real time. But it does capture the digital versions of all computer keystrokes made in or to the U.S. and all conversations had within the U.S. or involving someone in the U.S.; it has been doing so since 2005. And it can download any conversation or text or email at will. That's why the recent argument that Obama ordered the NSA to obtain a FISA warrant for Trump's telephone calls and a judge issued a warrant for them is nonsense. The NSA already has a digital version of every call Trump has made or received since 2005. Because the NSA -- which now works for Trump -- is a part of the Defense Department, it is subject to the orders of the president in his capacity as commander in chief. So if the commander in chief wants something that a military custodian already has or can create -- such as a transcript of an opponents conversations with political strategists during a presidential campaign -- why would he bother getting a warrant? He wouldnt. All of this leads to information overload -- so much material that the communications of evil people are safely hidden in with the mountain of data from the rest of us. The NSA captures the digital equivalent -- if printed -- of 27 times the contents of the Library of Congress every year. All of this also leads to the monstrous power of the NSA to manipulate, torment and control the president by selectively concealing and selectively revealing data to him. The Constitution does not entrust such power to anyone in government. But Congress has given it. All of this also substantially impairs a fundamental personal liberty, the right to be left alone -- a right for which we seceded from Great Britain, a right guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment and a right for which we fought wars against tyrants who we feared would take it from us. Yet after we won those wars, we permitted our elected representatives to crush that right. Those faithless representatives have created a monster that has now turned on us. Repealing and replacing ObamaCare and implementing President Trumps plan to build $1 trillion-worth of infrastructure are massively important for the presidents bold vision to make America great again, but the key to President Trump's success is tax reform. Many congressional Republicans are eager to solve the ObamaCare crisis and have gone forward with what they can do under reconciliation to stop the bleeding. President Trump acknowledged this to congressional leaders in a meeting yesterday. But tax reform as well as an infrastructure plan will be the foundation for giving Republicans the momentum and moral authority to move ahead and fully reform the nations health care system. A stronger, more business-friendly economy will help ease tensions for both health care reform and infrastructure construction. Democrats will have a harder time opposing a Republican president who is overseeing a boost in job creation and economic growth during the long-term health care debate. The Republican repeal effort to reform health care will likely result in a bitter partisan fight. Probably no Democrat will vote to repeal ObamaCare. Once the initial repeal is achieved by a purely partisan vote, we will need to rebuild ties with moderate Democrats to get things done. We will need positive reforms in other areas that will bring some Democrats into a bipartisan coalition. Momentum is exactly what Republicans need to fully liberate this country from the entitlement state system that has dominated American government for a half-century. It is critical that Republicans are strategic about fixing the health care system and that it be surrounded by other issues. After the presidents address to the Joint Session of Congress last week, I predicted his massive infrastructure plan will win over about a third of the Democrats. However, it will face scrutiny from Republicans concerned about finding ways to pay for it even though Im confident President Trump will negotiate a much lower price tag, develop public private partnerships, and reduce costs by eliminating reams of burdensome rules from the Code of Federal Regulations. A stronger, more business-friendly economy will help ease tensions for both health care reform and infrastructure construction. Democrats will have a harder time opposing a Republican president who is overseeing a boost in job creation and economic growth during the long-term health care debate. And increased revenues from business growth will make a large infrastructure plan easier for budget-conscious Republicans to accept especially when a stronger economy is leading the nation toward a balanced budget. The first major step Congress should take is to reform the tax system so companies are incentivized to invest and build factories in the United States and create good-paying jobs. Speaker Paul Ryan has a plan that will do these things through a border adjustment tax, which is the right first step toward tax reform. I recently spoke with a group of about 30 major American investors, and they expressed tremendous support for a border adjustment tax. Under our current tax system, it makes more sense for companies to move manufacturing jobs out of the United States, produce products in lower-wage countries, and then export their goods back to the U.S., because we do not impose corporate tax on imports. Think about that. Our current tax system is essentially designed to drive production out of the United States. Companies who remain in the U.S. pay the highest business tax in the world and pay American workers American-level wages. Meanwhile, they are competing with companies who are paying foreign workers incredibly low wages and paying no corporate taxes. With a border adjustment tax, we would tax imports just like more than 160 other countries that have either a value-added tax on imports, a border adjustment tax, or both. Right now, the United States is in the extreme minority of countries without a border adjustment tax along with North Korea and South Sudan. Reducing taxes on businesses and individuals, and reducing regulations, will cause more companies to invest in America again. The Tax Foundation reports that Speaker Ryans plan will create about 1.7 million jobs in America, and increase Gross Domestic Product by more than 9 percent. Tax reform will provide the boost in jobs and production President Trump and Republicans in Congress need to build legislative momentum and implement the presidents infrastructure plan. Republicans will then be able to move from a clear position of strength as they deliberately and methodically rebuild our health care system. As President Trump focuses on implementing changes across the federal government, theres one agency that desperately needs his attention and his penchant for change the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). For many years now, we have been battling a corrupt IRS in federal court. This is a lawless IRS that wrongly targeted grassroots conservatives during the Obama administration. As I reported here last year, were not the only ones critical of an untrustworthy IRS. Consider the words of a federal appeals court judge. When we appeared before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in 2016 presenting arguments on behalf of 38 organizations that we represent in our federal lawsuit, the court was very critical of the IRS. As Judge David B. Sentelle put it: Its hard to find the IRS to be an agency we can trust. SPIES AMONG US -- CONGRESS HAS CREATED A MONSTER THAT IS COMING FOR US As I reported then: It took a series of orders from federal judges and the ongoing pressure of litigation to get the IRS to finally release a list of the organizations it has targeted. The government released the names of 426 organizations. And, as the Washington Times reports, its clear that many groups were targeted simply because of their conservative-sounding names. According to the Washington Times: Sixty of the groups on the list released last month have the word tea in their name, 33 have patriot, eight refer to the Constitution, and 13 have 912 in their name which is the moniker of a movement started by conservatives. Another 26 group names refer to liberty, though that list does include some groups that are not discernibly conservative in orientation. For years now, we have been calling for changes at the IRS specifically, the removal of IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. The most recent call for Koskinen to leave came last month from House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady. He told reporters: Frankly in my view the most corrupt IRS commissioner that Ive ever dealt with continues in my view to mislead Congress. And until hes removed I dont think the IRS will ever regain its credibility. We agree. President Trump continues to work, as he puts it, to drain the swamp. And theres no better place to focus those efforts than beginning the process of restoring the credibility of the IRS by demanding the resignation of Koskinen. I have repeatedly maintained that we still have an IRS that is corrupt and incapable of self-correction. It was clear President Obama had no intention of removing him. But with President Trump now in the White House, Koskinen must go. The American people deserve nothing less. After years of passively relying on China to supply our military with crucial materials for the production of high-tech weapons systems, the United States is taking some important steps toward restoring its ability to harvest its own so-called rare earths. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., introduced a bill this week that would allocate 1 percent of the Pentagons Major Defense Acquisition Programs overhead budget and transfer that money to a Strategic Metals Investment Fund. The proceeds, as much as $50 million a year, would be used to aid prospective producers of the critical metals that are needed to make the new F-35 fighter jet, rocket-guided missiles, catapults that loft planes off aircraft carriers, GPS systems and other crucial weapons systems. Bellwether previously examined our dangerous reliance on China, which currently mines and manufactures more than 90 percent of the worlds supply of rare earth. The U.S. used to have its own, secure production chain for these important products, but found it was cheaper to import them. The last major American rare earths mine and production facility declared bankruptcy in 2015. My bill has now got the best chance it has ever had, Hunter told me. Ive got White House support. They read your articles and got in touch with me. Hunter credits President Trumps team with bringing a new attitude to the importance of mining critical materials at home, instead of relying on an unreliable supplier like China. In 2010, for instance, China temporarily cut off exports of rare earths in a trade dispute, shocking commodities markets worldwide and driving prices sky-high. Experts in the field say there has been a sea change in attitude since Trumps election. Theres a sense that this administration recognizes the significance of the critical metals gap that weve allowed to develop, says Dan McGroarty, who maintains a Washington-based critical metals industry consultancy. At an industry conference in Toronto this week, bankers and venture capitalists, heartened by the administrations promises, were kicking the tires on potential startup deals, says one attendee, longtime critical metals analyst Jack Lifton. Last year was a desert. This year, there are oases of optimism. People hope this White House is going to follow through on reducing regulations. Thats good for the industry. Those same dealmakers were lying low during the Obama administration, convinced that the U.S. government was hopelessly mired in reliance on China as a supplier and anticipating more of the same if Hillary Clinton moved into the White House. With President Trump vowing to strengthen the U.S. military, and to negotiate tougher with China, entrepreneurs hope domestic production of important elements needs for weapons systems will soon be revived. It might be one of those rare times when government and common sense appear in the same sentence. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are renting a Washington, D.C., home from a Chilean billionaire who bought it after the November election and whose company is embroiled in a dispute with the U.S. government over a mine potentially worth billions of dollars. The six-bedroom house in the capitals Kalorama neighborhood was bought for $5.5 million in late December by a company controlled by Andronico Luksic, according to public records and interviews. Mr. Luksics family is the wealthiest in Chile, by some accounts, and controls a mining, banking and industrial empire that Forbes estimates is valued at $13.1 billion. Ms. Trump and Mr. Kushner are President Donald Trumps daughter and son-in-law. The couple moved into the house with their family around the time of his inauguration. Mr. Kushner is a top White House adviser. The Obama administration in its waning days blocked a Luksic-company plan to build a giant copper-and-nickel mine adjacent to a Minnesota wilderness area, citing environmental concerns. The company and some Minnesota politicians are urging the Trump administration to reverse the decision. Requests for comment from Mr. Luksic were referred to Rodrigo Terre, a relative of Mr. Luksics who manages the billionaires personal investments. Mr. Terre said that a Luksic company, Tracy DC Real Estate Inc., bought the Washington house as an investment and that the rental to the couple was coincidental. He said the couple was paying absolute market value in rent, declining to disclose the amount. He said categorically there was no relationship between the house rental and the Minnesota mining dispute, adding that he and Mr. Luksic had not met their famous tenants. A White House spokeswoman said that the family was paying fair market value, that the mining issue has never come up, and that the couple hasn't met or spoken to the homes owner. The pair werent aware of Mr. Luksics U.S. business interests at the time they agreed to rent the house, she said. Click for more from the Wall Street Journal Rep. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., has been criticized for comments he made about poor not wanting health care but said his remarks were misinterpreted, The Kansas City Star reported. Marshall, an obstetrician, reportedly made the comments in a profile article published on a health care website called Stat. Just like Jesus said, The poor will always be with us, he told the website. There is a group of people that just dont want health care and arent going to take care of themselves. The website said it pressed Marshall on the comment, and he went on, Just, like, homeless people. I think just morally, spiritually, socially, [some people] just dont want health care, he said. The Medicaid population, which is [on] a free credit card, as a group, do probably the least preventive medicine and taking care of themselves and eating healthy and exercising. And Im not judging, Im just saying socially thats where they are. So theres a group of people that even with unlimited access to health care are only going to use the emergency room when their arm is chopped off or when their pneumonia is so bad they get brought [into] the ER. Marshall said in a statement Wednesday that he regretted trying to address several issues with a singular response. He pointed to his 30-year-career where he said he helped patients regardless of their ability to pay, and said he was attempting to illustrate that a health law could not be crafted around any one segment of the population. When I said The poor will always be with us, it was actually in the context of supporting the obligation we have to always take care of people, but we cannot completely craft a larger, affordable healthcare policy around a comparatively small segment of the population who will get care no matter what, he said in the statement, according to The Star. Opponents of President Park Geun-hye gather in the rain during a rally in Seoul, South Korea, on March 1, 2017. Peaceful rallies, which have lasted since a scandal embroiling President Park Geun-hye emerged in late October, have made many South Koreans proud of opening a new chapter in the way to express their opinions. (Xinhua/Lee Sang-ho) South Korea's constitutional court said Wednesday that it will make a final ruling on President Park Geun-hye's impeachment later this week. The ruling on whether to permanently remove Park from office or reinstate her will be made at 11 a.m. local time (0200 GMT) on Friday, the court said on its website. It will be broadcast live as public attention is centered on the impeachment. The pleading sessions had also been aired live through the court's website. The motion to impeach President Park was passed on Dec. 9 through the National Assembly by an overwhelming support. If six out of the eight justices uphold the motion, Park will be forced out of office. If more than three judges reject the bill, Park will be reinstated immediately. The ruling date was set on Friday as the acting chief justice is scheduled to retire next Monday. Former chief judge retired on Jan. 31. A presidential election must be held in 60 days if the impeachment is upheld. Park would then be subject to indictment and detention as she loses the immunities as head of state. Special prosecutors, who had investigated the corruption scandal embroiling President Park for 70 days, identified Park as an accomplice to her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil for multiple charges including bribery. Choi is now in custody for meddling in state affairs behind the scenes and peddling undue influence for personal gains. Preliminary budget documents obtained by The Washington Post show the Trump administration is considering more than $6 billion in cuts to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The newspaper reports that the preliminary budget would slash nearly $2 billion from funds dedicated to public housing. It would eliminate the Community Development Block Grant Program, which funds local improvement efforts and anti-poverty programs. Programs that help fund housing for homeless veterans, disabled people and the elderly would also face substantial cuts. The Post reports that HUD's overall budget would be cut by about 14 percent, to $40.5 billion in fiscal 2018. HUD spokesman Jereon Brown told the Post the budget document "is still a work in progress." The Trump administration is expected to announce its overall budget plan next week. President Trump has said he plans to pay for billions of dollars more for the military by cutting spending on domestic agencies and departments. Trump plans to submit his budget to Congress the week of March 13. Last week, the Associated Press obtained a copy draft of the Environmental Protection Agencys budget proposal from the Office of Management and Budget. The report said the EPAs budget could be reduced by roughly 25 percent, costing the agency about 3,000 jobs. A spokeswoman for the EPA declined to comment at the time, but a top official said in an internal memo that EPA leaders "will do everything in our power to protect our ability to support the mission of the agency in protecting human health and the environment." The Associated Press contributed to this report House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz issued subpoenas Thursday to two ATF agents after they failed to show at a hearing examining the 2011 murder of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Jaime Zapata. I'm tired of hearing from just [Justice Department] management, I want to hear from the people that actually are on the front lines doing this, Chaffetz, R-Utah, said. The committee will now seek to compel testimony from William Temple, special agent in charge of the Dallas Field Division, and Ronald Turk, associate deputy director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, later this month. The hearing Thursday was meant to examine alleged lapses in the ATF's investigation into the trafficking of guns later used in the February attack that killed Zapata and wounded his ICE colleague, Special Agent Victor Avila. An inspector general report was completed more than five years after the committee and Sen. Charles Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, inquired into Zapatas murder. Zapata was killed by members of the Los Zetas drug cartel while on official business in Santa Maria del Rio, Mexico. ATF Acting Director Thomas Brandon said Thursday he did not order Temple and Turk to skip the hearing -- but agreed with their decision not to appear, which drew a bipartisan rebuke from Chaffetz and ranking Democrat Elijah Cummings. That puts us in a kind of awkward position. We got the boss, 'OK guys, you don't have to show up.' And that sends a hell of a message. That's a problem, the Maryland Democrat said. Chaffetz complained ATF continues to insist the committee should not speak with Turk and Temple. Another invited witness, John Craft, a prosecutor in the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, did not appear. But the chairman said due to the lateness of their invitation, he would not receive a subpoena. Questions about the firearms used to kill Zapata surfaced during the separate congressional probe of Operation Fast and Furious and the death of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry. The IG issued its Operation Fast and Furious report in 2012, but did not issue its report on the Zapata case until March 1. According to the report, two weapons used in Zapata's murder were traced back to Otilio Osorio, who bought his gun at a Dallas gun show, and Robert Riendfliesh, who purchased a gun at a pawn shop in Beaumont, Texas. The IG said the ATF were aware in 2010 that Osorio and his brother might be trafficking firearms to Mexico, but they did not follow up or further investigate until after Zapatas death. Otilio Osorio and Riendfliesh were arrested in late February 2011 after the ATF confirmed weapons used in Zapata's murder had been purchased by them. The report faulted ATF for its handling of the case, saying there was "probable cause" to arrest Osorio and his brother "after ATF witnessed the Osorios complete a transfer of 40 firearms on November 9, 2010." The IG said: Overall, we found numerous problems with ATFs assimilation of information concerning [the suspects] ... and the timeliness of ATFs response to mounting evidence that they were committing firearms offenses. Last week, Chaffetz and Grassley sent a letter demanding Justice explain the reason the investigation has dragged on. "It has been nearly five years since the probe was requested. Given the high level of congressional interest in this matter and the seriousness of the allegations, we are perplexed that your investigative work took so long, they wrote. Judiciary Committee Press Secretary Taylor Foy told Fox News that the panel is interested in part in whether government employees involved in the debacle were held accountable. Editors Note: An earlier version of this report incorrectly attributed a comment to DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz and incorrectly described an exchange between him and Chaffetz. Massachusetts lawmakers are threatening to boycott a St. Patricks Day parade after the organizers appeared to exclude a gay veterans group the latest controversy surrounding the inclusion of gay groups in traditionally Catholic parades. The Allied War Veterans Council of South Boston voted to exclude the group OutVets from the parade, The Boston Globe reported. The 9-4 vote was contentious even within the council, with the parade marshal resigning over the vote. The council released a statement Friday saying that the group was not banned, but the issue was over the rainbow flag on the group's logo. "Firstly, OutVets has not been officially notified that they will not be allowed to march in the Parade," the statement said. "OutVets was informed that our Code of Conduct prohibits 'the advertisement or display of ones sexual orientation,' and that the 'rainbow' flag on its banners and logo was in violation of this rule." "The question at hand is not one of inclusion or discrimination," the statement said. "The Council is accepting of all people and organizations, but it will not permit messages that conflict with the overall theme of the Parade." OutVets marched in the parade in 2016 and 2015, after the council reversed a decades-long ban on gay groups from marching in the parade. The apparent exclusion of the group has caused sponsors as well as a wide-range of lawmakers to pull their support from the parade. Boston Mayor Martin Walsh, Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., all pledged to boycott the event. "It is outrageous and disgraceful that a group by the name of Allied War Veterans would decide to ban OutVets from marching in this year's St. Patrick's Day Parade," Moulton, himself a veteran, told MassLive.com. I will not tolerate discrimination in our city of any form. We are one Boston, which means we are a fully inclusive city, Mayor Walsh said in a statement. I will not be marching in the parade unless this is resolved. Anyone who values what our city stands for should do the same. The Allied War Veterans Council did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News, but The Associated Press reported that it had scheduled an emergency meeting to reconsider the vote. The controversy over Bostons parade echoes a similar years-long controversy over the St. Patricks Day Parade in New York City, where Catholic groups sparred with gay-rights group for years over the ability to prohibit explicitly gay groups from marching. Parade organizers softened its ban in 2016, allowing two groups to march, after first allowing an NBCUniversal float in 2015. The South Boston parade, in the south of the city, starts at Gillette Stadium and ends near the Dorchester Heights National memorial. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Former CIA Director David Petraeus said Wednesday that if the U.S. decides to nullify the 2015 deal between Iran and six major powers, the move would likely isolate the U.S. more than it does Tehran. Trump has called the agreement the worst deal ever negotiated. Reuters reported that the Trump administration is reviewing the deal, which could take months. Petraeus, now a chairman of the KKR Global Institute, made the remarks at the Montgomery Summit, a tech investors meeting in Los Angeles. Petraeus pointed to some positives from the deal, including the reduction of Tehrans atomic activities. Yukiya Amano, the head of the U.N. agency monitoring the Iran nuclear deal, said Monday that he emphasized the benefits of the pact in a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. He said he is confident his message was heard. The issue is important because Trump promised to "tear up" the pact during campaigning, saying it fell short of the aim of sufficiently crimping Tehran's nuclear programs. Amano said he told Tillerson last week that because of the deal the IAEA now has the "strongest verification" tools to monitor Tehran's atomic activities. As well, he said, "the nuclear activities of Iran are reduced." The Associated Press contribute to this report With the GOP health care bill under fire, House Speaker Paul Ryan went full wonk Thursday in a bid to sell the legislation to voters and colleagues -- rolling up his sleeves for an extensive PowerPoint presentation. This is the closest we will ever get to repealing and replacing ObamaCare, Ryan said, after wheeling out a television for his de facto seminar broadcast live on multiple news channels. The unusual classroom-style lesson marked Republican leaders' latest effort to get creative in order to keep the legislation on the rails. Down Pennsylvania Avenue, the White House has invited some of the plan's biggest critics -- members of the House Freedom Caucus -- for a night of bowling (and arm-twisting) next week, on top of a separate bowling night apparently being arranged later Thursday at the president's lanes. The speaker's effort to close the deal, in true Ryan fashion, included a spread of charts and graphics as he described the coming death spiral and why the time is now for Republicans to unify behind their plan. "We as Republicans have been waiting seven years to do this -- we as Republicans, who fought the creation of this law and rightly predicted its flaws, Ryan said. Though Ryan and his colleagues have dealt with a rocky reception from conservatives and moderates alike, the plan continues to move along on Capitol Hill. Two House committees -- Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce -- advanced their parts of the legislation on Thursday despite Democratic opposition and concern from other groups. The vote came before dawn in the Ways and Means Committee, after nearly 18 hours of debate, while lawmakers on the Energy and Commerce Committee struggled for nearly 28 hours, with pressed suits and coiffed hair giving way to rumples and wrinkles. The lawmakers guzzled coffee and took breaks in their private cloakrooms but couldn't stray far out of fear they could miss a vote. Ryan, at his demonstration, stressed that the legislation is part of a "three-pronged approach" to repealing and replacing ObamaCare. The Wisconsin Republican explained the first part has to be done through a process known as budget reconciliation. Republicans are using this because its the only procedure available to them to avoid a Democratic filibuster. But the process has bizarre rules that mandate the legislation only deal with certain provisions. GOP leaders say the American Health Care Act would be coupled with administrations actions and other bills to incorporate policies such as buying insurance across state lines. Dubbed Professor Ryan by some on Twitter, the speaker acknowledged Thursday that reconciliation has certain limits but also attempted to counter conservative complaints the bill leaves components of ObamaCare in place by saying those regulations can be ended later. Conservatives have complained the legislation creates a new system of tax credits to replace insurance subsidies and allows insurers to impose a surcharge for lapsed coverage, in place of existing 'mandate' penalties. Moderates have warned the plan does not do enough to preserve Medicaid coverage. Now that the legislation is out of the first two committees, a single measure is expected to be sent next week to the House Budget and Rules committees. Fox News' Chad Pergram and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Nearly two months into the Trump administration, the IRS commissioner House Republicans once threatened with impeachment remains on the job. John Koskinen's continued tenure may be surprising, considering how aggressively Republicans went after him under the Obama administration. But despite a sustained push by congressional Republicans to oust the IRS chief before his five-year term expires this November, President Trump so far has made no move to do so. Just last week, Koskinen was seen in the Capitol and told Fox News he was there to meet with old friends. Asked if he intended to stay on as commissioner during the Trump administration, Koskinen simply said, They havent talked to me. A White House official, asked about the commissioner's future, also told Fox News on Wednesday they had no personnel announcements at this time. House Republicans aren't giving up their quest to show Koskinen the door. President Trump should fire Commissioner Koskinen and replace him with someone that will bring integrity and competence to the IRS, House Judiciary Committee Chariman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., told Fox News on Tuesday. Just days after Trump took office, Republican Study Committee Chairman Mark Walker, R- N.C., along with 53 other House Republicans, also wrote a letter asking the new president to remove Koskinen. The consideration of the impeachment of IRS Commissioner John Koskinen in the House in late 2016 was a clear indication that Congress and the American people have no confidence in Commissioner Koskinen or his ability to discharge his duties, Walker wrote, nudging the president by citing statutory language giving him authority to strip Koskinen of his title. Doing so, he claimed, would restore the credibility of the federal tax authority. We have not received a response to our letter, an aide at the Republican Study Committee told Fox News. We understand, however, the administration remains busy putting its team in place, and we look forward to its response. A White House spokesperson told Fox News they received the January letter and "are currently reviewing it." Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., reportedly also asked Vice President Mike Pence at the GOP retreat in Philadelphia if he would seek Koskinens resignation. According to the report, the vice president told the congressman he would look into the matter and follow up with him the next week. SEKULOW: KOSKINEN SHOULD RESIGN Neither DeSantis nor the VP's office responded to Fox News request for comment on whether there was any follow-up. But DeSantis issued a statement to Fox News saying: The IRS will not be reformed under Koskinens leadership and I urge [Treasury] Secretary Mnuchin and President Trump to take action to replace Koskinen with someone willing to reform this troubled agency. An IRS spokesperson told Fox News, "The Commissioner remains focused on the important tax administration work being done at the IRS, including a successful start to the nation's tax season." GOP angst toward Koskinen stems from claims he obstructed their investigation of the targeting of Tea Party and other conservative groups before he was commissioner. The matter culminated at the end of 2016, when the full House turned back an attempt to impeach him. The controversy itself hasn't died off. Judicial Watch said Wednesday that the IRS reported to a U.S. District Court that it located an additional 6,924 documents of potentially responsive records relating to the FOIA lawsuit on the targeting scandal. Goodlatte said it's outrageous that years have gone by and no one at the IRS has been held accountable for the targeting. At the IRS, the commissioner serves a five-year termthis, after a statute was added in 1998 in a bid to maintain continuity for the American people throughout the tax season in the first year of a new presidency. Koskinen's term is set to end Nov. 13, unless the president were to remove him. Charles Rossotti, an IRS commissioner under then-President Bill Clinton and the first to serve the five-year term, defended the importance of the statute -- telling Fox News while the head of the IRS is a political appointee, he or she is only in charge of administering the tax code. If youre going to run an agency as huge as the IRS, you need time and continuity to make improvements, so the distinction was made as an administrative leadership management position as opposed to a policy position, Rossotti said, citing the demanding situation that surrounds the April tax deadline. You really wouldnt want to have no commissioner when the administration changes just two months before Americans file their returns. While Koskinen is a favorite target of congressional Republicans, he and Trump do have a history. In 1975, when the future president reached an agreement to purchase New York's Commodore Hotel from the bankrupt Penn Central Transportation Company, Koskinen handled the sale of the properties in his capacity as vice president of consulting firm the Palmieri Company, according to a New York Times article. The purchase was one of Trump's first major real estate deals. Fox News asked the White House for comment on the presidents relationship with Koskinen. We dont comment on the Presidents personal relationships, a White House spokesperson responded in an email. Republicans and conservative groups alike say it would be frustrating to keep Koskinen through the end of his term. But Rossotti defended both Trump and Koskinen. When I did the transition to Bush, if someone had come to me and said, 'look, we dont want you here,' I wouldnt have stayed, Rossotti said. But anybody sensible would look at this situation and decide there are a lot of people who need to file their tax returns next month. Fox News Chad Pergram contributed to this report. EXCLUSIVE: One month into the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, the U.S. military conducted the longest combat air assault in history, with roughly 4,000 soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division going deep into enemy territory at night in Mosul. Three years later, the division would carry out its last brigade-size air assault in combat during Operation Swarmer, also in Iraq. Today, many are questioning whether operations of that magnitude could be conducted after budget cuts have stripped the nations premier air assault division of its helicopters. Fox News traveled to Kentuckys Fort Campbell, home to the Armys 101st Airborne Division, for exclusive interviews and to see first-hand how cuts have hurt military readiness. Officials described how the storied division is painfully overstretched. We used to have two aviation brigades here, over 200 aircraft, and now we are down to just one aviation brigade and slightly over 100 aircraft, said Col. Craig Alia, commander of the divisions combat aviation brigade and a veteran of three deployments to Afghanistan. Asked if he could quickly deploy and conduct a brigade-sized air assault similar to the ones in Iraq, Alia admitted, We could not. We dont have the crews to do it. When people think of the 101, the iconic photo of Gen. Dwight Eisenhower greeting the Screaming Eagles before they jumped into Normandy ahead of the D-Day landings, or the hit HBO series Band of Brothers, might come to mind. The 101s military insignia is one of most recognized in the world. But the division recently lost support when the Army disbanded the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade -- which had deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan five times since 2002 -- a victim of congressionally mandated budget cuts known as sequestration, cutting the divisions helicopters roughly in half. Alia said, Army-wide, the service is short 700 pilots, roughly the same deficit as the Air Force. Known on the radio by his call sign, Destiny 6, Alia said the demands on their unit have not reduced, either. So what you have is an inexperienced maintenance group that has to support a high tempo of flight hours, and it has a wear and tear on the force. Maj. Gen. Andrew Poppas, commanding general of the 101st Airborne, said, When you reduce the amount of brigades that you have to deploy, yet the demand on those [brigades] goes up, you are going to have to deploy those more often. That induces stress. AIR FORCE FACES PILOT SHORTAGE President Trump has pledged to rebuild military units like the 101 and recently announced a $54 billion increase in defense spending. Some lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including from his own party, say Trumps plans dont go far enough to repair the damage. Many officers in the division say the problems in the aviation brigade were compounded by President Barack Obama imposing strict limits on the number of U.S. forces who could deploy to Afghanistan. To meet the troop caps, the Army was forced to leave helicopter mechanics at home, substituting civilian contractors to the tune of more than $100 million. As a result, 1,000 Screaming Eagle mechanics were forced to stay home on its last deployment to Afghanistan, losing nearly a year of training in the process. Other aviation units also were forced to leave their soldiers behind, such as the aviation brigade from the 1st Infantry Division based at Fort Riley in Kansas. So this has a direct impact on Army readiness and it also costs us more money, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John Nicholson, said in congressional testimony last month. He said there is currently a 2:1 ratio of contractors to soldiers in Afghanistan. Back at Fort Campbell, while Apache gunships deployed to combat, their aircraft maintainers were stuck at home. As a result, skills atrophied, leading to frustration and morale problems in the unit -- soldiers anxious to test themselves in a war zone, according to their leaders. Our maintainers left back here did not have a fleet of aircraft to work on, said Lt. Col. Kenric Smith, the 101s aviation support commander. All told, the divisions mechanics lost 18 months of experience, said Smith. Adding to the readiness challenge, some of the most experienced Apache mechanics left for other jobs in the Army, he added. Today, the division has an abundance of junior soldiers without the experience of fixing aircraft in a combat zone. Apache maintenance at Fort Campbell that used to take 30 days now takes twice as long, said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Robert Hodgson, an Apache pilot in the divisions Expect No Mercy task force who deployed to Afghanistan over a year ago, after two deployments to Iraq. The Apache is the Armys premier attack helicopter, capable of firing laser-guided Hellfire missiles, 2.75-inch unguided rockets, and a 30-mm. chain gun. The crews we have here are becoming fatigued, said Hodgson. [But] they will do whatever they can to accomplish the mission. As if things werent challenging enough for 101s aviation brigade, Alia says he is about to lose critical experience in the cockpit. So what I am looking at over the next six months is a 50,000-hour loss of flight experience, when veteran pilots leave and 53 new pilots show up out of flight school, he said. The lone bright spot he says is the net increase of two pilots over current levels in the coming months, albeit pilots without much experience. Its not only 101s aviation brigade showing signs of wear and tear. World War II-era buildings dot the 170,000-acre Army post where the maintenance is done in old sheds with extensive water damage and dry rot. It really is held together with buckles and posts, but we continue to use it because its the only facility we have, Col. Rob Salome, Fort Campbells garrison commander, told Fox News. Not everyone agrees that the U.S. military is suffering from a readiness crisis. Robert Hale, a former DoD comptroller who served in the Obama administration, warned the military is exaggerating the readiness problem. This is a time when the services, if you will, want to put their worst foot forward and make clear all the problems that are there," Hale said in Washington last month. "So, I think we need to be a little skeptical." Not so, says another former comptroller from the George W. Bush administration, Tina Jonas. "I have no reasons to doubt their concerns," she said of the services. The Armys second-highest-ranking officer raised alarm when he testified on Capitol Hill last month and said only three of the Armys 58 brigade combat teams could immediately deploy due to budget cuts. When we say fight tonight, that means that unit needs no additional people, no additional training, and no additional equipment. And three is where we're at today, said Gen. Daniel Allyn, the Armys vice chief of staff. Less than two years ago, the Army announced it was cutting 40,000 soldiers. Since the election, it now says it wants 30,000 more. Trump wants to spend $603 billion on defense, 3 percent higher than Obama's defense budget. The chairmen of the Senate and House Armed Services committees have called for spending $640 billion to address readiness problems across the services. "While we cannot repair all of the damage done in a single year, we can and should do more than this level of funding will allow," House Armed Services Chairman Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, said in a statement. A top federal health official has come out against House Republicans ObamaCare repeal plan, exposing division inside the Trump administration even as the White House and Health Secretary Tom Price work to sell the legislation on Capitol Hill. Andrey Ostrovsky, chief medical officer for The Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMCS), tweeted his concerns Wednesday night. Despite political messaging from others at HHS, I align with the experts from @aafp @AmerAcadPeds @AmerMedicalAssn in opposition to #AHCA, he wrote. Despite political messaging from others at HHS, I align with the experts from @aafp @AmerAcadPeds @AmerMedicalAssn in opposition to #AHCA Andrey Ostrovsky, MD (@AndreyOstrovsky) March 9, 2017 He was citing criticism from groups like the American Medical Association and American Academy of Family Physicians. Ostrovsky is a holdover from the Obama administration. But his agency is part of the broader Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which falls under the Department of Health and Human Services -- whose boss is pushing hard to promote the House Republican plan. What were trying to do is to fix the health care system and move it in a direction where patients and families and doctors are making decisions -- not the federal government, Price said Thursday on Fox & Friends, reiterating that the plan is to replace ObamaCare in three phases, with the current legislation representing only the first. GOP leaders are facing pushback on the plan from both the conservative and moderate wings of the party, for different reasons. Conservatives complain the original laws subsidies would be replaced by a new system of tax credits, insurance companies would be able to impose a surcharge for lapsed coverage in place of the existing mandate penalties, and the Medicaid expansion would be allowed to continue in the short-term. However, moderate lawmakers and governors, as well as medical groups, have complained the proposal doesnt go far enough to preserve Medicaid coverage. Amid the debate, House Republicans cleared an initial hurdle early Thursday morning, pushing part of the legislation through the House Ways and Means Committee. The measure would strip the original laws penalty for not buying insurance. Another panel, the Energy and Commerce Committee, is still working on Medicaid and other issues. Ostrovsky is hardly the first Trump administration official to speak out against the agenda at the top. Then-Acting Attorney General Sally Yates famously refused to defend President Trumps initial executive order halting refugee admissions and travel from seven mostly Muslim nations. Trump fired her, before ultimately rewriting the order amid court challenges. We are somehow submerged again in a pointless debate that I thought had been settled: Should media people ignore Donald Trumps tweets? The answer, in my view, is obvious: Hes the president of the United States, everything he says is news, it doesnt matter whether the form is a 140-character message, a YouTube video, a radio address or an answer to a shouted question while walking to Marine One. But the argument has taken on new resonance after Trumps tweetstorm about Barack Obama having ordered him wiretapped during the campaign, a claim for which neither he nor his top aides have offered any evidence. CNNs Anderson Cooper told Stephen Colbert that Ive actually muted the president on Twitter because I just dont want to have that drama in my life. But that was more of a joke, and Cooper made no claim that the tweets werent news. Rachel Maddow told The Wrap that on her MSNBC show, We developed sort of an informal, internal mantra which is that we basically cover them as if they are a silent movie. I stopped covering the Twitter feed. The reason, she said, is that the White House and its chief spokespeople have been called out saying stuff thats not true over and over and over again. Of course, Maddow and everyone else wound up covering the Twitter feed when Trump uncorked the wiretap allegation, because there was such an avalanche of reaction from members of Congress, the intelligence community, the media, and reporters and anchors questioning White House officials about the claim. Now comes Ben Shapiro, editor-in-chief of DailyWire.com, with a National Review piece that makes a different argument from the right. The administration seems divided along two channels: the rhetorical (the Sunday shows, Trumps Twitter, Sean Spicers eminently watchable press conferences, profiles of Steve Bannon in Time) and the active (the executive orders, curbing of regulations, military action abroad). Both provide a real picture of the White House, but heres a suggestion. Instead of treating Trumps rhetoric seriously, wouldnt America be better off if we did ignore it? What if instead of going nuts over a half-baked Trump tweet for a week, we all just recognized that the tweet is what it is: a half-baked Trump tweet? What if we returned to the notion of the president as a constitutional officer with prescribed duties? Now its true, as Shapiro explains, that before FDR and the rise of modern communications, Americans didnt know much about what their presidents were saying day to day. But we live in a real-time world now. My problem with the forget-the-tweets approach is that journalists shouldnt be in the business of decreeing that a presidents words arent news. Whether the president is saying something half-baked, quarter-baked or fully baked, such postings provide an insight into his thinking and approach to the job. And they can have an immediate impact on markets, companies, political institutions and other countries. Even more important is the question of accountability. What if the press had decided to put off-limits some provocative, controversial or fact-challenged tweets by Barack Obama? Wouldnt there have been an uproar on the right about how the media were protecting Obama, even censoring his words? Shapiro does make a telling observation: Most Americans dont care about Trumps rhetoric any more. He and the media have been shouting at each other so long that it all sounds like white noise now. Journalists often forget that everyones not on Twitter, everyones not watching cable all day, everyones not following all the nuances of political and policy debates. And yes, the press doesnt need to go haywire if Trump fires off a tweet about Arnold Schwarzeneggers demise as the Apprentice host. Ultimately, the president will be judged on his performance. But its not the job of the press to say that his words dont matter. This cell phone will self-destruct. And so will this battery, this computer chip and a whole spectrum of military electronics on command just like a real life version of that iconic moment in Mission Impossible. In the Mission Impossible shows and films, the team uses devices that deliver secret messages and can self-destruct on command. This protects the data from falling into enemy hands and putting the team and mission at risk. Forget find my iPhone soon, if your phone or device is stolen, you too may able to order it to self-destruct and protect your personal data whether its family photos or your co-workers phone numbers. Work is underway around the world to create technology that can destroy things if they fall into the wrong hands. INCREDIBLE TECH DETECTS GUNFIRE ACROSS AMERICA In Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology developed a new device that can thwart thieves. The idea is that if your phone is stolen you can trigger your phone to self-destruct in mere seconds. How does it work? The technology, made of polymer and silicon, is placed inside the phone. If your phone is stolen, then you trigger the tech. The self-destruct could be triggered remotely using an app. The tech then harnesses the power from the phone battery. The power fuels the tech to expand seven times its original size. Ultimately, the tech explodes in less than 10 seconds from the time you trigger it. Self-destruct for secrecy With applications in mind for military and intelligence services, the research team ran a series of experiments that revolved around someone trying to remove secret data from its secured location. They developed a number of different ways to trigger self-destruction. THIS FOAM STOPS BULLETS COLD AND PULVERIZES THEM TO DUST If the modified device was moved out of a designated space, a GPS sensor triggered the device to explode. Should someone try to break into a casing that protects the tech, then a pressure sensor would trigger destruction. If the tech-enhanced device was moved from dark to light as if someone tried to take something secret out of your safe, drawer, pocket or bag then it triggered self-destruct. How soon can you modify your phone to self-destruct? The team estimated it would cost around $15, but it is still unclear how soon the tech will become available and whether it will be widely available or restricted. FOR THE LATEST TECH NEWS FOLLOW FOX NEWS TECH ON FACEBOOK Researchers have already discussed the technology in IEEE Spectrum. So what is the US military up to on this front? Lots. The VAPR initiative is one of the most exciting by far. VAPR is a DARPA program and stands for Vanishing Programmable Resources. The general idea is to be able to make devices self-destruct remotely and vanish like vapor. It has already produced lots of astonishing advances to help keep secret data and advanced tech out of the wrong hands. Why? Think of it like Snapchat for military electronics. Just like how you can control who sees your data with Snapchat and it disappears, it is the same idea with this concept. You control who uses your tech. If someone gets a hold of it, you can make it self-destruct or even vanish. 'BIONIC' EYE ON THE FUTURE: FROM 'STAR TREK' VISORS TO 'MISSION IMPOSSIBLE' CONTACT LENSES For the military, this sort of advance could provide lots of advantages. On a battlefield, it can be difficult - if not impossible - to ensure that all tech is recovered. Sensors, for example, could be widely dispersed and recovery could put service members at risk. It is important to preserve tech superiority that the U.S. military leverages against adversaries. It is also important to prevent adversaries from capturing American tech, reverse engineering it, and using it against the U.S and its allies. Melting Military Devices DARPA and the National Science Foundation have supported research into these advances at University of Illinois, for example. Teams there have been working on remotely commanding devices to self-destruct using methods like heat and ultraviolet light. Exploding Computer Chips Another VAPR project DARPA supported is Xerox PARC's computer chip. PARCs advances led to a chip that could be ordered to self-destruct and explode in less than 10 seconds. TOP NEW GEAR FOR HUNTERS IN 2017 The team there recently revealed a chip with circuitry printed on a Corning Gorilla Glass panel. Sound, heat, radio waves and even lasers could be used to trigger the chip to instantly shatter into thousands of shards. Xerox PARC is at the forefront of some truly futuristic advances. This DUST, or Disintegration Upon Stress-release Trigger, program is so good that the self-destruction can take an electronic device and rapidly disintegrate it into such tiny particles they cannot be seen by the naked eye. Coming to an electronic device near you? Beyond the military applications, there are a wide range of potential consumer uses. To have peace of mind their private data wont be exploited, consumers could use the tech to self-destruct their laptops, smart watches, fitness trackers and other wearables in addition to cell phones. SHOT SHOW 2017 IN PICTURES When electronics become obsolete or stop working, then they could be commanded to disintegrate and vanish - rather then add to ever-growing landfills. For enhanced protection of the public from natural disasters, DUST sensors could be widely distributed to help predict hurricanes or give early warnings on earthquakes. When self-destructed, they would decompose in an eco-friendly way. Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), delivers a work report of the NPC Standing Committee during the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 12th NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2017. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling) China's top legislator on Wednesday pledged further conformity to the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee with Xi Jinping as the core. National lawmakers should unite more closely "around the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping as the core," to develop the system of the people's congress and realize the dream of national rejuvenation, said Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, while delivering a work report of the NPC Standing Committee. The endorsement of Xi as the core "reflects the will of all members of the Party, all members of the armed forces and all the people of China," Zhang told nearly 3,000 NPC deputies gathered at the Great Hall of the People. The NPC, the highest body of state power, opened its annual session on Sunday to set the national development agenda for this year. The system of the people's congress enables the people to exercise their power as "masters of the state." It was at the first session of the 12th NPC in March 2013 that Xi was elected Chinese president. He had been elected general secretary of the CPC Central Committee in November 2012 at the 18th CPC National Congress Zhang's remarks echoed Yu Zhengsheng, China's top political advisor, who also voiced conformity to the CPC Central Committee with Xi as the core when the annual session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee opened on Friday. Dubbed as the "two sessions," the dual meetings are among the most important political events where development agendas are reviewed and discussed, and key policies adopted. In reviewing the work last year, Zhang said the NPC Standing Committee advanced legislation in key areas, including developing the system of national security laws, drafting general provisions of civil law and making the law on environmental protection tax. Decisions were made on major issues, including disqualifying 45 NPC deputies elected by the Liaoning Provincial People's Congress for bribing voters and interpreting Article 104 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to oppose any attempt at secession of Hong Kong from China. Zhang announced the national legislature's major tasks for 2017, a crucial year in the journey toward a moderately prosperous society by 2020. The CPC will convene the 19th National Congress later this year to elect new leadership for the next five years. In 2017, effective legislation will be produced to promote national development under the leadership of the Party. The Leading Party Members' Group of the NPC Standing Committee must promptly request instructions from and submit reports to the CPC Central Committee on major issues in legislation, Zhang said. According to the plan, the legislature will revise the Law on Administrative Supervision to turn it into a national supervision law amid efforts to establish a "centralized, unified, authoritative and highly-efficient" national supervision system. The draft general provisions of the civil law was submitted for review after three readings last year. If adopted, it will bring China one step closer to the country's first civil code. Compiling of the individual books will be stepped up so that the civil code could be enacted in 2020. The legislature will also formulate laws on e-commerce, nuclear safety, intelligence and soil pollution prevention, among others, according to the report. "Good laws are a prerequisite for good governance. The legislation plans this year will help crack hard nuts in future reforms which have entered the deep-water zone," said NPC deputy Sun Xianzhong, a researcher with Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. "It reflects Xi's governance thought and the common will of the people." The Party's leadership is also highlighted in the legislature's oversight over the work of the State Council, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate. The NPC and its Standing Committee will strengthen oversight of the implementation of plans for supply-side structural reform and poverty alleviation, both fundamental to building a well-off society, according to the work report. This has been the fifth and last session of the 12th NPC. The legislature will ensure well-organized elections of deputies to people's congresses, including those to the 13th NPC, Zhang said. The election of deputies to the 13th NPC shall be completed in January 2018, according to the draft decision. The legislature will also work to understand, explain, and communicate the new theoretical and practical accomplishments that the CPC Central Committee with Xi as the core has made in upholding and improving the system of people's congress and in advancing the rule of law, Zhang said. "We are closer than ever in history to realizing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and we have greater confidence in achieving this goal and greater capacity to do so than ever before," he said. China stresses the unity of Party leadership, people being masters of the country and the rule of law. "Chinese philosophy of governance includes two concepts: 'minyi,' or public opinion, and 'minxin,' or the hearts and minds of the people," said Wen Yang, a researcher with the Institute of China Studies at Fudan University. "New ideas, thought and strategies of state governance under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Xi as the core have solid foundation of public opinion. Proven successful by experience, they have won the people's hearts," he said. Samsung looks to be making moves right on over to the United States. According to a new report from the Korea Herald, the South Korean tech giant is looking into relocating its manufacturing facilities for home appliances to the U.S. A senior Samsung official confirmed the previously reported rumors on Thursday, which would bring the home appliances division north out of its current location in Mexico. The confirmation came at a media event at which Samsung debuted its newest premium washing machine known as the "Flex Wash." At the unveiling, Suh Byung-sam, executive vice president of the digital appliances business of the consumer electronics division at Samsung, noted that the electronics maker is "seriously reviewing" its options. "The company is observing recent global trends in order to enhance competitiveness abroad," Suh said. "It is considering a plan to open a plant in the U.S. as part of mid- and long-term strategies." More: Apple, LG rise in U.S. smartphone market share as Samsung falters, report says As per a Wall Street Journal report, Samsung is looking at no fewer than five different states to become the new home of its American facilities, with South Carolina is allegedly the most likely candidate. Samsung is planning an initial capital investment of about $300 million. At present, everything remains in planning stages, and specifics have yet to be agreed upon. Should Samsung indeed move a portion of its manufacturing process to the U.S., it could mean an increase in production of refrigerators, washers, dryers, and other home appliances, which could result in Samsung pouring more money into the country. The company says, "This is a complex process that, like all strategic business decisions, will not be made final until it is determined through proper due diligence and planning that it is the best option for Samsung." Samsung is by no means the only South Korean company looking to expand its operations in the U.S. Just last week, LG announced plans to build a new home-appliance manufacturing factory in Tennessee. And it looks like Samsung is feeling the pressure to follow suit. Beauty and the Beast fans, listen up: Adventures by Disney has announced six Rhine river cruises in 2018 centered around the tale as old as time. Guests will cruise aboard the AmaKristina or AmaStella for eight days with plenty of activities geared toward celebrating the villages and culture that inspired the classic film. Families can expect a Beauty and the Beast-themed dinner, screenings of both the original animated film and the 2017 live-action flick staring Emma Watson, unique culinary experiences, as well as a trip to Riquewihr, a quaint French village that resembles Belles hometown. In addition to Beauty and the Beast, Adventures by Disney has planned a variety of other themed river cruises for the year. In September 2018, there will be a new adults-only Oktoberfest sailing through Germany, and the company has doubled epicurean tours along the Rhine. The new itineraries come after Adventures by Disney partnered with Ama Waterways last year to focus on bringing families to the river cruising market. Reservations for all Adventures by Disney 2018 cruises are now available to book. A Hawaiian Airlines jetliner on a flight from Las Vegas to Honolulu was diverted to Los Angeles International Airport Wednesday after a passenger became involved in a dispute with a flight attendant over the prospect of being charged $12 for a blanket, authorities said. The plane landed safely at LAX at about 10:20 a.m., and the 66-year-old man was interviewed by Los Angeles Airport police and FBI agents but was released without being arrested, said Los Angeles Airport police officer Rob Pedregon. His name was not released. According to the preliminary investigation, the flight had taken off from Las Vegas when the man told a flight attendant that he was cold and he requested a blanket, Pedregon said. That's when he was told there would be a $12 charge, and he allegedly made remarks that made flight attendants uncomfortable, Pedregon said. CLICK TO READ MORE FROM FOX 11 LOS ANGELES. A smelly airplane bathroom can easily ruin any passengers flight, but it takes an especially awful stink to bring down a whole plane. Passengers on a recent SpiceJet flight to Dehli, India, experienced just such a smell on Sunday morning, when their plane was diverted due to the unbearable odor emanating from the lavatory. Just minutes after leaving from Bangalore, passengers started complaining about the strong smell wafting from the front of the aircraft, reports The Times of India. The smell eventually grew so strong that it became impossible to bear for both the planes crew and passengers, forcing the pilots to land in Hyderabad, a little over 500 miles into the 2000-plus mile journey. BRITISH AIRWAYS GROUNDS FLIGHT FOR 4 HOURS AFTER FINDING A MOUSE ON BOARD "SpiceJet B-737 operating [as] SG192 had to be diverted to Hyderabad due to very foul smell from forward lavatory coming into the cockpit, a SpiceJet spokesperson explained in a statement. After landing in Hyderabad, the lavatory and cockpit were thoroughly cleaned and ventilated before the aircraft was released for service." Passengers were re-admitted once the aircraft was cleaned, and continued on to Dehli three hours after the emergency landing, AOL U.K. reports. This isn't be the first time an unsanitary bathroom caused a huge stink on a commercial airliner. In 2015, a Dubai-bound British Airways flight was forced to circle back to Heathrow due to an unpleasant odor, which the captain of the flight blamed on liquid fecal excrement, according to one of the passengers. FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS SpiceJet, however, has yet to officially reveal the source of the smell that grounded Sundays flight. A representative for SpiceJet was not immediately available for comment. Royal Caribbean came out with a flurry of announcements Wednesday, including the name and details of their newest and largest ship to date. Heres what you need to know. 1. Symphony of the Seas will be the new largest ship in the world. The newest ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet, which they've named Symphony of the Seas, will launch in April 2018 as the largest ship in the world, surpassing its sister ship Harmony of the Seas. Weighing in at 230,000 gross tons, Symphony will be more like a small floating city than a cruise ship. Its 18 decks will hold a whopping 6,780 passengers 370 more than Harmony with an additional 28 staterooms. The ship is so big that, like Oasis-class Royal Caribbean ships, it will have seven distinct neighborhoods. There will also be a dizzying array of activities on board. Like Harmony of the Seas, the ship will have a 10-story slide, a trio of water slides, and a water park for kids. And, in addition to Royal Caribbean staples like a rock climbing wall, surfing simulator, and aqua theater, there will be some new features, which the line plans to announce soon. The ships inaugural season will be in the Mediterranean, sailing from Barcelona to Naples, but the ship will move to Miami in November, where it will home port before cruising to the Eastern and Western Caribbean. 2. Royal Caribbean is building a brand new terminal in Miami. Royal Caribbean has just broken ground on building a 170,000 square-foot terminal Terminal A, which theyre also calling the Crown of Miami projected to be finished just in time for the arrival of Symphony of the Seas. The new ship, along with Allure of the Seas will home port there when it opens in November. 3. The line is enhancing their private island, CocoCay. Royal Caribbean just signed a multi-year agreement with the Bahamas to employ locals, and to roll out a multi-phase enhancement of their private island, CocoCay. The plans include the construction of a pier and the addition of new vendors and amenities. Both Symphony of the Seas and Allure of the Seas will call on CocoCay by the time the renovation is complete in 2019. Dealing with a drastic rise in the number of fatal overdoses tied to the use of synthetic opioids, lawmakers in Florida introduced on Tuesday a pair of bills that if passed would make it easier to prosecute drug dealers peddling those substances. Florida politicians hope that the matching pieces of legislation -- House Bill 477 and Senate Bill 150 -- will combat the ubiquitous use of synthetic drugs like fentanyl throughout the Sunshine State following a crackdown on prescription painkillers that has led to a spike nationwide in heroin and opioid abuse. The people bringing these drugs in, selling and trafficking them, deserve to be punished as hard and as fast as possible, Florida state Rep. Jim Boyd, the Republican legislator who introduced HB 477, told Fox News. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin. While it has legitimate medical uses -- for example, doctors prescribe fentanyl to cancer patients with an intolerance to other narcotics -- the risk of abuse, overdose and addiction is so high the Food and Drug Administration has classified it as a Schedule II controlled substance. The Drug Enforcement Administration issued a nationwide alert about fentanyl overdoses in March 2015 after more than 700 overdose deaths related to the drug were reported to the DEA in late 2013 and 2014. Since many coroners and state crime labs don't routinely test for fentanyl, the actual number of overdoses is probably much higher. Florida has been particularly hard hit by the opioid epidemic. The latest figures from the states department of health found that there were 779 heroin-related deaths in 2015 -- an increase of almost 80 percent from the previous year -- and in 2016 more people in Miami-Dade County died of opioid abuse than died as victims of homicide. No longer confined to small urban enclaves, heroin and fentanyl have become the scourge of communities throughout Florida, wreaking widespread devastation not only from the ravages of addiction, but the resurgence of deadly diseases associated with drug abuse, Floridas Senate Minority Leader Oscar Braynon, a Democrat representing parts of Broward and Miami-Dade counties, wrote in a letter to Gov. Rick Scott. Braynon added: There is no family, no race, no ethnicity, no income level this epidemic cannot touch, and no effective state bulwark in place to stop it. A spokeswoman for Braynon told Fox News that the lawmaker does not support either pieces of recently introduced legislation. That's because, he says, they do not address the problem of addiction and negatively impact minority communities -- citing the widely criticized mandatory sentencing guidelines for crack cocaine enacted in the 1980s. She added that Braynon wants Scott to have Florida Surgeon General Celeste Philip declare a public health emergency, as it did in 2011 during the pill mill epidemic, to give state agencies wider latitude to address the problem. Braynons Republican counterparts in both houses of the state legislature, however, appear keener on focusing on law enforcement and the justice systems role in combating the epidemic. Drugs are such an insidious thing and when you stop one drug, another one pops up, Boyd said. My bill gets at the law enforcement angle and goes after the dealers and traffickers. Florida law already allows for heroin and cocaine suppliers to be charged with felony murder, but does not address dealers selling fentanyl or a mixture of those drugs. State attorneys are currently looking into the possibility of prosecuting a number of people in cases involving overdoses, but so far not one of the drug dealers has been charged with murder or manslaughter. Boyds bill, which will go up for debate in Tallahassee next month, is backed by the Florida Sheriffs Association and has the backing of the Miami-Dade State Attorneys Office. We think its important to hold these drug traffickers and dealers responsible, Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, the chair of the Florida Sheriffs Associations legislative committee, told the Miami Herald. Theyre responsible for making money off the backs of these victims. Critics of the legislation argue that the tougher penalties will only affect low-level, street dealers -- many of whom are addicts themselves -- and a real disruption in the supply of these drugs can only take place on a larger scale. If your objective is reducing the loss of life and overdoses than you do not spend your money on these kinds of laws, Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, told Fox News. There is a lot of money spent on busting and prosecuting these low-level dealers, but it has no effect on the market. The problem with cracking down on fentanyl and its derivatives is that while these substances may be banned in the U.S., they may not be illegal in their country of origin. China, for example, only last month included carfentanil -- a drug that is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and has been researched as a chemical weapon by the U.S., U.K., Russia, Israel, China, the Czech Republic and India -- on its lists of banned substances. The Drug Enforcement Administration estimates that a kilogram of fentanyl, which sells for between $2,500 and $5,000 in China, can be sold to wholesale drug dealers in the U.S. for as much as $1.5 million and that the demand for the drug due to the prescription opioid crisis has kept the prices high. Advocates for drug policy reform argue that too much money is spent on incarcerating drug dealers when more funding should be redirected at helping addicts kick their habit. These laws are a response to peoples very real fear of opioids, Nadelmann said. But there is zero evidence that these laws make things better and they actually probably make things worse. Boyd admits that treatment and rehabilitation are important aspects of combating the states opioid epidemic, but added that tougher penalties for drug dealers also play a vital role. Its a multifaceted problem so its needs a multifaceted approach to solving it, he said. Federal lawmakers are investigating how a former Iraqi insurgent fighter was able to lie about his identity and still get through Americas extreme vetting process. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions to find out why the terror suspects pending arrest was allegedly spiked just over a week before the election. Trump had run on a tough-on-terror platform and had been critical of President Obamas refugee policy. When [Joint Terrorism Task Force] and the U.S. Attorneys office for the Western District of Texas sought to prosecute this refugee, the local law enforcement and prosecutors allegedly met resistance from officials within the National Security Divisions Counter Terrorism section in Washington DC, Committee chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said in a March 6 letter to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. " ... local law enforcement and prosecutors allegedly met resistance from officials within the National Security Divisions Counter Terrorism section in Washington DC." Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., in letter to DOJ The resistance allegedly occurred a few weeks before the 2016 election, and local authorities believed the lack of progress in this case was handled inadequately, Johnson wrote. The suspect is an Iraqi man who had entered the U.S. under a false name. His real name was not released. Fox News has learned the JTTF confirmed through U.S. Special Forces who encountered the suspect during operations that he claimed to have participated in attacks against American troops as an insurgent. At some point, the Iraqi entered the U.S. through the refugee program. His activities in the U.S. triggered an investigation by JTTF members, who planned to charge him with visa fraud while they investigated possible further charges. Sources say the case demonstrates the challenge of vetting people with little documented history in countries where theres no paper trail. Officials from the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. attorneys office in Western Texas and the Joint Terrorism Task Force refused comment. U.S. officials said earlier this week that nearly a third of the FBIS 1,000 ongoing domestic terrorism investigations involve those admitted to the U.S. as refugees. Claude Arnold, a former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations, said the refugee program is vulnerable to abuse by terrorists seeking to enter the U.S. to harm Americans. Refugees are admitted to the U.S. based on the story they tell of persecution, and they are not required to produce identity documentation or other types of documentation, Arnold said. If the person seeking entry is a persecutor, he would have specificity in his story that matches information obtained by U.S. Customs and Immigration Services personnel adjudicating the events. In the case of terrorists in Iraq, ISIS has taken over whole cities, raising the likelihood of identity theft and document forging, Arnold said. That creates great potential for an ISIS fighter to assume a false identity and engineer a refugee claim, he added. Iraq is not included in the most recent travel ban instituted by President Trump because the Iraqi government has assured the U.S. that information will be provided to properly vet refugees. In the case of Iraq, when we had troops on the ground, we were able to get intelligence on bad actors, Arnold said. Now we rely on the Iraqi government to not only obtain the intelligence, but also to relay it to us. In perhaps the most glaring example of Iraqi terrorists getting into the U.S, two Iraqi refugees living in Bowling Green, Ky., were convicted in 2013 of plotting to help Al Qaeda. The men were also hit with additional charges after their fingerprints matched ones found on IEDs used in Iraq to kill U.S. soldiers. Arnold said it is important not to let politics get in the way of security and justice. Letting the terrorists in to the country through the refugee program can result in citizens and residents being harmed. We cannot afford to make that mistake, Arnold said. Kansas rancher Greg Gardiner got into some of his scorched pastures for the first time Wednesday and surveyed what he likened to a battle zone: carcasses of dead cattle everywhere. "It's pretty much a catastrophe," Gardiner said as he looked out on his ranch near Ashland, charred by wildfires that have burned through hundreds of acres in four states. "It's as bad as a mind can make it." Gardiner cries when he talks about how thankful he is that none of his family members were lost in wildfires that that have led to the deaths of six people. Gardiner's brother Mark lost his home like dozens of other people in largely rural areas of Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado but he is safe. Gardiner figures he lost 500 cattle. Any badly burned animals found still alive are mercifully shot. "A lot of people have gone out and run out of shells and come back to get more shells," said Gardiner, speaking by cellphone. "It's pretty grisly work out here right now, to be honest." He saw a coyote's carcass and wryly stated that there's not even coyotes left to clean up the dead. No wildlife is left as far as he can tell. While cattle producers like Gardiner spent much of Wednesday assessing their losses, fire crews were attempting to extinguish the blazes. Most of the burned land is in Kansas, where more than 1,000 square miles has been consumed in a series of blazes, including one believed to be the largest in the state's recorded history. It is too soon to know yet how many animals perished. In Clark County, where Gardiner lives, ranchers so far have lost about 2,500 adult cattle and at least 1,000 calves, said Randall Spare, co-owner of Ashland Veterinary Center. "It is just horrendous," rancher David Clawson said from his home near Englewood, a Kansas town of about 50 residents where a fire destroyed 12 homes. Ranch hands were among those who have been killed in the fires. In the Texas Panhandle, three ranch hands died trying to save cattle from fires that have burned nearly 750 square miles. Gray County Judge Richard Peet said it appears 20-year-old Cody Crockett was on horseback and his girlfriend, 23-year-old Sydney Wallace, was nearby on foot as fire and smoke swirled around them. Peet says Wallace died of smoke inhalation. Crockett suffered burns, as did 35-year-old Sloan Everett who also was on horseback. Their bodies were found near each other. A fourth person who died in Texas 25-year-old Cade Koch was attempting to drive home when smoke from a separate fire to the north enveloped him. His wife, Sierra Koch, who is pregnant, described her husband as a hard-working, friendly man who "treated everybody with the utmost respect." "He was hard-headed and had a huge heart," she said. In Kansas, the Highway Patrol said Corey Holt, of Oklahoma City, died Monday when his tractor-trailer jackknifed as he tried to back up because of poor visibility on a highway, and he succumbed to smoke after getting out of his vehicle. About 545 square miles also has burned in Oklahoma, where a woman had a heart attack while trying to keep her farm and died. No deaths were recorded in Colorado, where more than 45 square miles burned. On a September afternoon, a man mowing his pasture came upon a suitcase, placed some 25 yards off a Texas interstate, containing the skeletal remains of a young child and a pink dress, adorned with flowers and butterflies, and a note that said "Follow your dreams." Six months later, the identity of Baby Doe remains a mystery. Where she came from and how she died are questions investigators have been unable to answer -- leading them to plead Wednesday for the public's help. "This child belonged to somebody," Madison County Sheriff Travis Neeley told Fox News. "It's heartless," Neeley said. "This child had a family -- a mother and a father. We want to know what happened." The remains -- in an advanced stage of decomposition -- were found inside a dark-colored suitcase on Sept. 17, approximately 75 feet off the southbound lane of Interstate 45 near the town of Madisonville, which is roughly halfway between Dallas and Houston. The child's skull and bones were wrapped inside two white plastic garbage bags. Inside the suitcase were other items: a pair of small white socks, a size 4T pink dress with the brand label Mon Petit and a disposable diaper. There was also a feeding tube, which detectives said might prove critical in identifying the child. The 1.2 centimeter tube was labeled with the code: Mic-Key 14FR. Detectives said clothes and a blanket found near the suitcase are likely unrelated to the case. Neeley said he believes the child was a girl, but DNA testing that would reveal the gender and race is still under way at a forensics lab in Dallas. A dental examination places the age between 2 and 5 years old. There were no obvious signs of trauma to the child's bones, Neeley said, and the remains do not match any known missing children in the town and surrounding counties. "I dont think the child was from the area," Neeley said. "We've had several leads, some of them out of Houston," he said. "They've all been dead ends." The Dallas medical examiner believes the child died at least six months before the suitcase was found. An official cause of death is still undetermined. Neeley said once a full DNA profile is completed, authorities will contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children for additional resources. In the meantime, Neeley said the public is critical in giving the child a face and name. "Somebody, somewhere knows what happened," he said. "We desperately need the public's help." Anyone with information about the case is urged to call the Madison County Sheriff's Office at 936-348-2755. On the south side of Chicago, in one of the city's most dangerous neighborhoods, brazen criminals occasionally hit the gangsters jackpot: they loot freight containers carrying shiny, new guns. The guns boxes and boxes of them are part of shipments that are destined for gun companies or gun shops across the country. But as gangsters have caught on to the practice, they are ransacking these trains and stealing weapons that eventually make their way to the citys blood-soaked streets. "Any time you have individuals who can go in and steal guns from a train, that makes the environment very toxic," said Pastor Cory Brooks, who leads a church around the corner from the freight yard. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said that since 2013, more than 150 firearms have been reported stolen from freight trains. An Associated Press investigation revealed that some were traced to violent crimes and only 16 were recovered. CHICAGO RECORDS 762 HOMICIDES IN 2016, UP 57 PERCENT FROM PREVIOUS YEAR In a city already reeling from one of the most violent crime waves in years, where tens of thousands of firearms are recovered from the streets every year, 150 stolen guns might not seem like a big deal. But one single gun can be linked to at least 14 fatal shootings, according to the ATF. "How in the world are these kids getting these guns? I see them on Facebook. Everybody got guns. They can't go purchase a gun, so where are they getting them from?" said city alderwoman Emma Mitts of the 37th Ward. In one instance, thieves stole more than 100 new Ruger handguns described as "pretty" in comparison to the shoddy, makeshift guns criminals in Chicagos rough streets often use. Brooks and Mitts both partially blame Norfolk Southern, the rail yard, saying it could easily beef up security to protect the sitting freight on its tracks. They said the company needs to do something before the weapons get in the hands of more dangerous criminals. "We need to be concerned about terrorists who could get into these areas unprotected here and steal things and explosives and really hurt our communities," Brooks said. Norfolk Southern told Fox News that it's fully liable for any stolen property. The company said it takes the issue seriously, working with all law levels of law enforcement and recently increasing security around its tracks. POLITICS OF POLICING MAKING CHICAGO CRIME WAVE WORSE? "While we cant discuss the specifics of the ongoing investigations, we are taking significant steps to evaluate and adapt our security protocols, prevent criminal trespass and address community concerns," Norfolk Southern spokeswoman Susan Terpay wrote in an email. While working on this story, Fox News noticed a very responsive presence of security near the train yard. "Norfolk Southerns Chicago-based police department, the largest freight railroad law enforcement force in the city, is increasing patrols of rail yards using uniformed officers in marked cars and K-9 units, Terpay wrote. In addition, the department is conducting undercover surveillance investigations." The company is hoping that beefed-up security at the rail yard would appease neighbors trying to keep guns out criminal hands in one of America's deadliest communities. "It only compounds that damage being done to our city, Brooks said, and it only hurts the individuals who are trying to live here and have a safe environment." (Xinhua) 20:52, March 08, 2017 China will give more seats in its national legislature to workers, farmers, professionals and women, said a draft decision submitted to lawmakers for review on Wednesday. According to the draft decision on the quota and election of deputies to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), the election of deputies shall be completed in January 2018. The total number of the NPC deputies shall be kept no more than 3,000, it said. Overall, there shall be an increase in the proportion of women deputies and deputies elected from grassroots level -- workers, farmers and professionals -- compared with the current 12th NPC. The number of deputies representing migrant workers shall also be increased, while the proportion of deputies representing Party and government officials shall be reduced, the draft decision said. Earlier reports said of the nearly 3,000 deputies to the 12th NPC, about 14 percent are workers and farmers, up more than 5 percentage points from the 11th NPC. The number of professionals also rose by more than 1 percentage point. Party and government officials account for about 35 percent of the 12th NPC deputies, down nearly 7 percentage points. Explaining the draft decision to lawmakers at the fifth annual session of the 12th NPC on Wednesday, Wang Chen, vice chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, warned against frauds in the upcoming NPC election and called for a democratic and law-based election under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Wang called to attention a string of electoral fraud cases found in the past years. In one of the most notorious cases, 45 NPC deputies from northeast China's Liaoning Province were disqualified in 2016 for vote buying and bribery during elections three years earlier. Another major case in 2013 in Hengyang city of Hunan Province saw 56 provincial legislators offering 110 million yuan in bribes to 518 municipal lawmakers and another 68 members of staff. Nearly 500 people in southwest China's Sichuan Province were imprisoned or given administrative penalties in 2015 for fraud in 2011 elections. Wang said since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the CPC Central Committee with General Secretary Xi Jinping as the core has put forward a whole new set of ideas, propositions and requirements on the development of socialist democracy and the system of people's congresses, pointing the way forward for the NPC election. In particular, he said, the investigation and punishment of those involved in the above three cases showcased the CPC Central Committee's commitment and resolve to comprehensively advance rule of law and strict Party governance, and should serve as an important warning for all. He called on authorities to align their thoughts and deeds with the speeches made by Xi and to the requirements of the CPC Central Committee, uphold the CPC's leadership, practise democracy, and abide by relevant laws and disciplines. A Florida man is recovering from a violent road rage attack that he believes happened because he's a supporter of President Trump. Gregg Dunay has a Trump bumper sticker and banner on the car he was driving Tuesday. As he approached an intersection, he realized he needed to turn left, but another driver didn't want to let him in. "I was waving down and I was like, 'Hey, can I move ahead?'" Dunay told FOX 13. GELATO LEADS POLICE TO BURGLARY SUSPECT He said he was stunned by the driver's response. "He rolled down his window and said, 'F Trump...I'm not letting anybody in front of me who has Trump stickers on his car,'" Dunay said. "I said 'That's why we have President Trump because people are attacking other people over a bumper sticker.'" Dunay said the driver later tried to swerve into his vehicle. He eventually was stopped at a traffic light in front of a RaceTrac gas station on 66th Street North in Kenneth City when was blindsided by what happened next. "All of a sudden I see out of the corner of my eye something coming out and when I turned to look, that's when he punched me in my right eye," Dunay recalled. DEFENSE LAWYER'S PANTS CATCH FIRE DURING ARSON TRIAL The punch left him with a deep gash over his eye that needed five stitches. Kenneth City police want to find the driver responsible for the attack. Detectives released surveillance photos from the gas station of the suspected attacker, his passenger and their vehicle, described as a black, newer model Volkswagon Passat or Jetta. "We're focused on the battery that occurred and finding the suspect," said Chief Kevin Riley, adding he wants to speak with with other driver before he can say for sure whether this was a politically-motivated attack. "That may be the case or not the case, we're still investigating." RAPIST'S REQUEST FOR SHORTER SENTENCE BACKFIRES "It was definitely all political," insisted Dunay, who has attended eight rallies for the president as well as the inauguration. "This is crazy! President Trump is our president -- whether you like it or not -- for four years." Anyone with information about the driver should call the Kenneth City Police Department. Click here for more news from Fox 13. A former court-ordered financial guardian in Las Vegas has been arrested and charged in an exploitation scheme involving more than $550,000 allegedly stolen from 150 people. April Parks, owner of the business called A Private Professional Guardian, LLC, was charged along with her office manager, Mark Simmons, her husband, Gary Neil Taylor, and her attorney, Noel Palmer Simpson. A grand jury handed down 270 charges, the Nevada Attorney Generals office, Clark County District Attorney and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police announced in a statement. CHICAGO MAN WHO SPENT WRONGFUL-CONVICTION AWARD ON REBUILDING GANG SENTENCED The exploitation often involved billing schemes such as overcharging for house check-ins and court appearances, according to the indictment. Investigators said the company engaged in the fraud between December 2011 and July 2016. The private practice was not affiliated with the Clark County court system. CHICAGO'S VIOLENT GANGS LOOTING FREIGHT CARS FILLED WITH GUNS The charges included 117 counts of perjury, 73 counts of offering false instrument for filing or record, 42 counts of theft, 37 counts of exploitation, and one count of racketeering. Parks received the most felony charges: 212. Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson expressed his dismay: Guardians are appointed to protect and serve their wards, who are some of the most vulnerable members of our community. Eighth Judicial District judge Jennifer Togliatti issued a no bail arrest warrant for Parks and Simmons. Julian Gregory, Simmons defense attorney, did not respond to calls for comment. Parks bolted from the state -- but police said they caught her Wednesday in East Goshen Township, Pa., and charged her with being a fugitive from justice. Her bail was set at $500,000. Parks was remanded to Chester County Prison pending extradition to Clark County, Nevada. The indictment was the culmination of a two-year investigation and came after the Nevada Supreme Court created a 25-member commission to study guardianship abuse in 2015. Elaine Renoire, President of the National Association to stop Guardianship Abuse, told Fox News, this case has given victims across the country hope. The driver of a 7-ton truck that overturned at Camp Pendleton, California, in 2015 is expected to face court-martial later this year on a charge of negligent homicide. Cpl. Bin Guo, 27, of 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, is accused of failing to slow down when the truck took a turn, resulting in a crash that killed one Marine, 21-year-old Cpl. Bryan Lauw, and injured 18 more, some critically. But his military attorney says there's no evidence he did anything wrong. At an Article 32 investigative hearing Jan. 12, the preliminary hearing officer found there was no probable cause to charge Guo, a military official with knowledge of the case told Military.com. But the convening authority for the case, 1st Marine Division Commander Maj. Gen. Daniel O'Donohue, decided to overrule the officer's recommendation and send Guo to general court-martial on the charge. Negligent homicide is the lowest level of military homicide charges. It does not require proof of malicious intent, only the absence of "due care" resulting in a death. "This is simply a horrible accident. He didn't have any intent for this to happen," Guo's military attorney, Maj. Nelson Candelario, told Military.com. "He didn't act in any way that was negligent." The rollover took place just after 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 10, 2015. Guo, a motor vehicle operator, had been tasked with transporting a number of 1st LAR Marines to and from the range for their annual rifle qualification, according to a military police report obtained by Military.com. He was making a return trip from the Camp Horno range to Camp Las Flores, where 1st LAR was based, traveling southeast along Pendleton's Basilone Road. Aboard the camouflage-colored Oshkosh 7-ton were 17 shooters who had just completed qualifications, Guo, and one other Marine assigned to help with the transport. Shortly after passing the Camp Las Pulgas ammunition supply point, the driver took a curve and apparently lost control of the vehicle. The right rear side of the 7-ton hit a guardrail. As Guo worked to regain control, the truck ran off the roadway, slamming into a wooden electrical pole. "From there, I think the back of the 7-ton then slid left, and at some point began to roll," the Marine assisting Guo, whose name is redacted, wrote in a witness statement. "We rolled about three times. Once we stopped moving, I was still in the cab. I looked over to see if the others were OK, but the Marine in the center was gone and the driver was hanging out of his door." Police photographs of the site paint a grim scene. The truck, which eventually settled upright, sustained severe damage to the cab and bed, and Marines lay everywhere, hurt and bleeding. Lauw died at the scene as a result of blunt force trauma in the crash. Others sustained severe injuries, including spinal fractures, head trauma, facial lacerations and brain bleeds. The injured were transported to six local medical facilities for treatment, one in a medically induced coma. The police report indicates Guo may have taken the curve too fast. The curve had flashing speed reduction signs and a limit of 35 miles per hour. Police investigators note Guo apparently did not slow down when entering it, and that he had been advised on previous days by his passengers to drive more slowly. But the report also leaves open the possibility that the 7-ton's brakes may not have functioned properly in the turn. "It is undetermined if the brakes located on the front axle of [the vehicle] were functioning prior to the collision, or became defective afterwards," the report states. "As a result, the cause of the collision cannot be determined at this time." Guo, who was knocked unconscious by the crash, said he did not remember leaving the range or any following events until he woke up in San Diego's Palomar Hospital, according to a statement included in the report. A trial date for Guo is expected to be set after the conclusion of another Article 32 hearing, taking place Thursday, on an unrelated speeding charge, an official said. If convicted of negligent homicide, he could face up to several years in confinement. -- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at@HopeSeck. U.S. Army generals told lawmakers Wednesday that besides needing more soldiers, a shortage of missiles and the federal hiring freeze create readiness headaches. Senior leaders responsible for Army operations, plans and training, logistics and installation management testified at a March 8 hearing before the House Armed Services Committee's Readiness Subcommittee. The issue has been a key concern and the reason behind proposed funding increases in the upcoming fiscal 2018 defense budget cycle. President Donald Trump has pledged to boost defense spending by $54 billion. The Army is on track to grow the active, National Guard and Reserve force to more than 1 million soldiers, including an active force of 540,000. If the service receives more funding, the first priority is to "fill gaps in our current formations to prevent the development of a hollow force," said Lt. Gen. Joseph Anderson, deputy chief of staff for Army G-3/5/7. But one concern that worries Army officials is a shortage of "preferred munitions" for key weapons systems such as the Patriot, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, and Hellfire missiles as well as precision guidance kits for Excalibur 155mm artillery rounds, according to Lt. Gen. Aundre Piggee, deputy chief of staff for Army G-4. "Today I think we have adequate munitions for our known requirements, however if we had to surge if we had a contingency operation and there continue to be emerging threats which we see around the world, I am very concerned with our current stocks of munitions," Pigee said. Rep. Madeleine Bordallo, a Democrat from Guam, said she wanted to know how the Army is being affected by the federal hiring freeze the Trump Administration ordered about 45 days ago. Anderson said the hiring freeze has forced the Army to use soldiers to run ranges and stand guard at the front gates of bases instead of using civilian contractors to perform these missions. "From my foxhole, all things readiness; going to war capabilities, from force protection to training to running ranges -- that has been the impact," Anderson said. "It has required more borrowed military manpower to compensate on installations, to run those types of facilities, which are the same soldiers which should actually be going through the training." If it's a security or readiness issue, the secretary of the Army has the ability to sign waivers to allow the hiring process to continue, but "that has been the backlash of the hiring freeze from an operational perspective." Lt. Gen. Gwendolyn Bingham, assistant chief of staff for Installation Management, said that "one of the biggest hurts with the hiring freeze has to do with our child development centers." "Currently we have received over 5,000 exemptions to the hiring freeze," Bingham said. "Where we find ourselves is having to in some places diminish our part-time child development services." No child development centers have closed but, "the vetting process along with the background checks and the security clearances that are required" take longer to complete so there will be a lag time before we can bring those new persons on board." -- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com. TRUMPS HARDLINE STANCE ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION APPARENTLY WORKING Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said Wednesday that the number of people illegally crossing the U.S. southern border has dropped 40 percent since President Trump took office. A report from the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol stated that number of illegal border crossings dropped from 31,578 to 18,762 persons. Kelly said the numbers are trending toward the lowest monthly total in five years. President Trump, DHS Secreary Kelly and CIA Director Mike Pompeo will have closed-door meeting at 3 p.m. ET. SAMSUNG REPORTEDLY PLANNING TO SHIFT 500 JOBS FROM MEXICO TO US BOYCOTT BOUNCE: IVANKAS FASHION LINE SURGING AFTER BEING DROPPED BY RETAILERS COMEYS SCARY WARNING TO AMERICANS: ABSOLUTE PRIVACY IN US OBSOLETE FBI Director James Comey said during a cybersecurity conference at Boston College Wednesday that Americans should no longer have the expectations of complete privacy, adding that there was no longer absolute privacy in the U.S. Even our memories arent private," he said. "Any of us can be compelled to say what we saw. In appropriate circumstances, a judge can compel any of us to testify in court on those private communications. There is no place in America outside of judicial reach." VIDEO: LEAKED DOCUMENTS EXPOSE SCOPE OF CIAS HACKING ABILITY DENNIS KUCINICH: NEW WIKILEAKS REVEAL PROOF WE ARE SLIDING DOWN SLIPPERY SLOPE TOWARD TOTALITARIANISM OREILLY, BOB WOODWARD SQUARE OFF ON THE FACTOR Fox News Bill OReilly and Washington Post associate editor Bob Woodward faced off in a testy debate Wednesday night Post's reporting of classified information in stories about the Trump administration. OReilly pressed Woodward on The Posts reporting of former national security adviser Michael Flynns phone calls with the Russian ambassador. Woodward insisted the reporting had been verified. (WATCH THE FULL FACE-OFF HERE) THE OREILLY FACTOR: LEAKERS ARE ACTIVELY COMMITTING TREASON ARRESTS REPORTED AT NYC A DAY WITHOUT A WOMAN MARCH While many women across the country stayed home from work, zipped up their wallets, wore red and attended rallies in a bid to show their economic strength and impact on society to support International Womens Day, some marches got really testy. Some activists in New York City aimed to block traffic around Trump International Hotel & Towers, which reportedly led to 13 arrests. DAY WITHOUT A WOMAN SUPPORTER: THIS DAY WAS OF ACTION, NOT FUN SLIDESHOW: INTERNATIONAL WOMANS DAY IN PICTURES FOR FULL DAY WITHOUT A WOMAN COVERAGE, FOLLOW FOX NEWS ON SNAPCHAT . FOX NEWS OPINION: NEWT GINGRICH: AMERICAN GREATNESS STARTS WITH TAX REFORM Repealing and replacing ObamaCare and implementing President Trumps plan to build $1 trillion-worth of infrastructure are massively important for the presidents bold vision to make America great again, but the key to President Trump's success is tax reform. COMING UP ON FNC 9:00 a.m. ET: Fox News Jennifer Griffin has an exclusive report on how budget cuts are affecting the U.S. premier assault unit, the 101st Airborne Division. 9:30 a.m. ET: Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee joins Americas Newsroom. 12:45 p.m. ET: Press Secretary Sean Spicer holds a briefing. Watch live on FoxNews.com. COMING UP ON FOX BUSINESS Happy Birthday Bull Market! The U.S. Stock Markets bull run turns 8 years old today. Is there a correction in sight? Stay connected to FoxBusiness.com throughout the day for expert analysis. Dr. George Beecher took the oath to do no harm. But the New Jersey physician did plenty of harm, according to Middlesex County prosecutors. And his alleged weapon was the addictive painkiller oxycodone. Beecher, who was indicted last summer, was said to have prescribed a staggering 60,000 tablets of oxycodone to more than two dozen people he never even examined or met. AMID OPIOID EPIDEMIC, DOCTORS EXPAND CARE FOR ADDICTED PREGNANT WOMEN He was ruthless, he made my son into an addict, said David Delmonaco, whose son, Robert, was one of the people who got prescriptions for oxycodone from Beecher even though he never met with the doctor. My son started taking it, he was injured in the military, he had pain, and he quickly got addicted. This doctor just kept writing prescriptions, the highest dosage, three days in a row, and the pharmacy kept filling it. Beechers case is scheduled to go for a status conference on April 7, according to Middlesex County court officials. He is being represented by attorney Robert Galantucci, who could not be reached for comment Thursday. Beecher is one of a record 31 doctors who New Jersey authorities sanctioned in the past 12 months, saying they overprescribed painkillers and other narcotics. New Jersey has pursued criminal charges against some, and imposed sanctions including suspension and taking away their license to practice. DRUG DEALERS WOULD FACE MANSLAUGHTER CHARGES FOR OPIOID OVERDOSES UNDER PROPOSED FLORIDA LAW The crackdown on unscrupulous doctors is part of a concerted effort led by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's administration to fight the opioid epidemic on multiple fronts law enforcement, medical and a preventive educational campaign. Other states also are working to address the opioid prescription epidemic that claims an average of 44 lives every day. More than 600 legislative bills addressing opioid prescriptions are pending in 49 states this year, according to The American Academy of Family Physicians. Last year, there were 1,000. Such legislative actions may have saved Robert Delmonaco. Once a healthy U.S. Army officer and Kean University student who made it into the National Honor Society, he committed suicide in the fall of 2014 at the age of 21. That Dr. Beecher did it all for money, said his father, who still breaks down when speaking of his sons tragic experience. New Jersey, like many other U.S. states, has been hit by an opioid epidemic that led to nearly 1,600 documented overdoses in 2015, an increase of 21 percent over 2014, according to state medical records. It represents the largest number of doctors who have been sanctioned since weve been doing this, New Jersey Attorney General Chris Porrino told Fox News about the sanctions against doctors. Its a very serious problem. Because so many people become addicted through the [initially legal] use of prescription opioids, we feel one very important part of our efforts to prevent addiction is to ferret out doctors who are not following the rules. In New Jersey, authorities learned of many of the wayward doctors through a prescription monitoring program that allows for the tracking of how medication is being prescribed, which doctor is prescribing it and to whom it is being written, Porrino said. So, we can determine whether someone is doctor-shopping, or whether in certain cases a particular physician is prescribing in a way that raises a red flag, he said. Doctors who irresponsibly write prescriptions for such potentially dangerous addictive medications such as opioids, often for the money to be made, in essence are drug dealers in white coats, authorities say. Why they do it is a good question, Porrino said. Its our view that doctors who are doing this are violating not just the law, but their oath and the trust that their patients put in them. Some of them do it for the insurance money they get based on visits, some of them get paid in cash for doing it. Very often its driven by a desire for financial gain. The stakes are too high, say government authorities and physicians, as well as the many people who have fallen victim to addiction, and their loved ones. Four out of five heroin addicts walking the streets started with prescription pain medications, Porrino said. Last week, a grand jury indicted one of the 31 doctors, Byung Kang, 77, who is charged with selling prescriptions for high-dose oxycodone pills to people he knew were addicts and to drug dealers, the attorney generals office said. Kang was indicted in connection with the oxycodone overdose death of 26-year-old Michael Justice. The attorney generals statement about Kangs indictment said that he sold 90-count prescriptions for 30 milligram oxycodone pills to numerous patients for $150 or $200 when the patients had no medical need for the potent pain pillsKangs own records allegedly revealed that he knew many of those patients were addicted to oxycodone or were reselling the pills. A year and a half before Michael Justices death, his mother pleaded with Kang to stop prescribing the pills to her son, the attorney generals statement about the case said. She threatened to report him to police, but Kang continued writing the young man prescriptions without medical justification until his death, the statement said. Beecher was one of the most egregious cases. He and seven other people, who were not doctors, were indicted last year on charges they operated a million-dollar prescription pill ring, authorities said. Beecher also was indicted for a 2013 death under the state's "strict liability" law that allows drug dealers to be charged with a first-degree crime after a fatal overdose. The victim, Jason Stoveken, 30, died of an overdose from painkillers traced back to Beecher. Jason Stoveken's father, Andrew Stoveken, who ran a hearing aid company and shared an office suite with Beecher, also is scheduled to have a status conference at the Middlesex County courthouse in April. His attorney, Steven Altman, could not be reached. Andrew Stoveken was among seven people charged in a separate indictment last year that accused them of involvement in distributing and selling the pills Beecher prescribed. Authorities said Beecher knowingly wrote the prescriptions for oxycodone and Xanax for Stoveken that killed him. "We allege that even after a young man died from narcotics that Dr. Beecher falsely prescribed, Beecher and the victim's own father, defendant Andrew Stoveken, callously continued to profit by supplying tens of thousands of oxycodone pills to drug dealers," Porrino said in a statement. Still mired in the pain over his sons death, David Delmonaco recalls how his former wife, his sons mother, pleaded with Beecher and the pharmacy that handled the prescriptions to stop because they were harming Robert. Delmonaco said they denied they were doing anything wrong, and were dismissive. Lawyers wanted to charge more than they could afford to take action against Beecher, he said. Delmonaco said theres plenty about Gov. Chris Christies administration he does not approve, but he is thankful for the tough response New Jersey officials are applying to the crisis that led to the death of Robert, who had been in and out of rehab. No one would do anything, Delmonaco said of the pleas that were ignored. Nothing was done until Christie and the attorney general. The medical industry acknowledges that opioid addiction has become an epidemic, and that health professionals must do their part to more responsibly handle painkiller prescriptions. That involves a delicate balance, they say, between not prescribing them gratuitously, while at the same time keeping them accessible to the many Americans who experience debilitating pain and genuinely need them to function and to get through the day. Some health professionals and patients who rely or have relied on painkillers criticized the Christie administrations recent signing of a measure that, among other things, imposes a five-day limit on initial opioid prescriptions -- a dramatic drop from the 30-day time period. New Jersey officials have said that people with chronic pain and cancer, for instance, will not be denied the dosage and amount of opioids they need. The pendulum can swing too far one way or too far the other, said Dr. George E. Woody, a psychiatry professor at the University of Pennsylvania who specializes in substance abuse issues. There clearly are situations which are criminal cases, and then there are other cases whether its just a lack of knowledge or sloppiness in prescribing opioids. These are valuable drugs for alleviating agonizing pain, Woody said. Theyve been around for hundreds of years, theyre old medicines and theyre very useful, they make a huge difference in the lives of many people. The American Academy of Family Physicians states on its website that it deems it a priority to find solutions to the crisis of pain management and opioid abuse. At the same time, it notes, We recognize that long-acting and extended-release opioids are powerful drugs that require oversight, but these drugs can be controlled without unduly limiting their proper use. Creating additional prescribing barriers for primary care physicians would limit patient access when there is a legitimate need for pain relief. The crisis has presented the medical profession with a challenge to rethink longtime practices, said Dr. Alan Schwartzstein, a practicing family physician who is vice speaker of the Congress of Delegates for the American Academy of Family Physicians. Doctors prescribed opioids in past as they felt was appropriate, Schwartzstein told Fox News. Around the early 2000s, there was a push to prescribe medicine for chronic pain. We were not adequately treating pain. We have to balance appropriately managing pain, and protecting the public from addiction and overdoses. A man in Florida who raped, beat and left a teen girl for dead outside a public library eight years ago asked for a shorter sentence -- but instead, the judge on Thursday sent him behind bars for the rest of his life. Kendrick Morris originally was sentenced to 65 years in prison for the crime, commited when he was a teenager. GRANDFATHER: INDIANA GIRL'S MURDER 'HAS TORN A HOLE IN OUR FAMILY' He was granted a re-sentencing hearing after a Supreme Court decision that determined lengthy sentences for juvenile offenders are unconstitutional, and that they should have the opportunity for parole. However, a re-sentencing hearing doesn't guarantee a lesser sentence. In Morris' case, it meant more time in prison. Now, instead of 65 years, he is sentenced to life. Morris will be up for a sentencing review in 2031. In 2008, Kendrick Morris -- then 16 years old -- was convicted for a brutal rape at the Bloomingdale Regional Public Library in Valrico that left a young woman blind and paralyzed for life. Click for more from Fox 13. A former Chattanooga, Tenn., school bus driver has been indicted on six counts of vehicular manslaughter in the November crash that killed six children and injured several others. Johnthony Walker was responsible for driving 37 elementary students from Woodmore Elementary School on Nov. 21. Witnesses state he was speeding down a narrow winding road, going at least 20 miles over the posted speed limit of 30 miles per hour. GRANDFATHER: INDIANA GIRL'S MURDER 'HAS TORN A HOLE IN OUR FAMILY' Walker lost control of the bus, striking an elevated driveway, a mailbox, telephone pole and a tree. In addition to the vehicular manslaughter charges, Walker faces four counts of reckless aggravated assault, one count of reckless driving, one count of use of a portable device by a bus driver and one count of reckless endangerment, according to the Hamilton Criminal County Clerks Office court documents. When questioned about the electronic device, police told Fox News they could not go into any particulars of the case due to judicial restraints. Attorneys for the driver wants to freeze all civil litigation against him and his employer, The Times Free Press reported. A dozen lawsuits have been filed in connection with the crash. Walker is currently being held at Hamilton County Jail and is scheduled for arraignment on March 24 before a Criminal Court judge. At least 13 semi-trucks toppled over amid high winds on a rural road in Wisconsin on Wednesday. Sean Chambers, a driver for Chambers Trucking LLS, witnessed the powerful wind gusts and posted a Facebook video on the wreck on Country Road A in Dodge County. "I just couldn't believe it. It was unreal to me," Chambers said, according to FOX6 News. "His back end of the trailer kept coming up off the ground and he was trying to compensate for it, and then after the last hill we went past he just tipped over." GELATO LEADS POLICE TO BURGLARY SUSPECT Chambers said the trailer in the tipped truck was empty. He said he helped the driver get tipped truck out of the rig. Chambers said the incident made him more cautions as he continued on his way to Nebraska. "Only thing you can do is slow down. The faster you go, the harder it is to keep control," Chambers said. A high wind warning was issued for all of southeastern Wisconsin on Wednesday. Gusts reportedly reached 50-70 mph in some areas, according to the National Weather Service. Click here for more news from FOX 6. The fallout from WikiLeaks disclosure of alleged CIA hacking secrets stretched around the world Thursday, as Chinese officials accused the U.S. of stealing secrets and German prosecutors continued to investigate claims about a major American cyber-spying base in Frankfurt. While stateside investigators hunted the source of the leaks -- a trove of more than 8,000 documents that WikiLeaks claims is the entire hacking capacity of the CIA -- foreign officials were examining what the release revealed about the CIAs interests abroad. Routers produced by Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE were named as devices targeted by CIA hackers, Reuters reported, prompting a rebuke from Beijing. "We urge the U.S. side to stop listening in, monitoring, stealing secrets and internet hacking against China and other countries." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang "We urge the U.S. side to stop listening in, monitoring, stealing secrets and Internet hacking against China and other countries," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Thursday. Thousands of miles away, federal prosecutors in Germany were looking into WikiLeaks-derived allegations that the CIA operated a hacking hub out of the U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt. We will initiate an investigation if we see evidence of concrete criminal acts or specific perpetrators, a spokesman for the prosecutor's office told Reuters. "We're looking at it very carefully." The probe may not end at Germanys border. In a release explaining its document dump on Tuesday, WikiLeaks noted that once in Frankfurt CIA hackers can travel without further border checks to the 25 European countries that are part of the Shengen open border area -- including France, Italy and Switzerland. The Frankfurt allegations represent the second awkward disclosure this decade regarding possible U.S. spying on its European ally. A previous WikiLeaks release showed the NSA had snooped on Chancellor Angela Merkels government in 2011. One of the more startling revelations divulged by WikiLeaks is an alleged CIA ability to turn Samsung smart televisions into microphones, technology the anti-secrecy website says was developed in tandem with Britains intelligence services. South Korea-based Samsung released a statement Wednesday saying it was urgently looking into the matter. WikiLeaks said its Tuesday release was less than 1 percent of the total documents it possesses. During a question-and-answer session that was streamed online Thursday morning, WikiLeaks head Julian Assange said the group would work with some of the affected tech companies "to give them some exclusive access to some of the additional technical details we have so that fixes can be pushed out and people can be secured." Meanwhile, those at CIA headquarters are reportedly irritable and frustrated as the agency enters its third day of damage control while simultaneously hunting the mole who gave the files to WikiLeaks. A CIA spokesperson on Wednesday sent an unprompted statement stressing the agencys mission was to aggressively collect foreign intelligence overseas and that the organization was legally prohibited from conducting electronic surveillance. Theyre not developing these capabilities so they can turn them on to us, former CIA covert operations officer and Fox News contributor Mike Baker said. Theres this uniquely American notion that we all live these interesting lives and the government is so interested in what we do. Is it 1984? No. Its not. We do it cause every other country out there is doing it. Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday that the country should form a poverty relief mechanism with long-lasting effects and contain formalism in poverty reduction. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during a panel discussion with national lawmakers from southwestern China's Sichuan Province at the ongoing annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC). It is the Party's solemn pledge to help all impoverished rural population out of poverty under the current standard and delist all poor counties by 2020, Xi said. The nearer toward the deadline, the more difficult the campaign to eradicate poverty will be. That requires the country to clarify the responsibilities, take precise measures and make meticulous efforts, Xi said. China brought 12.4 million people in rural areas above the poverty line in 2016, and there were still 43.35 million people living in poverty at the end of last year. Xi also said China should improve the management, operation and policy systems for integrated military and civilian development, and build industrial clusters and high-tech industrial bases for this purpose. Xi stressed the importance of creating a clean political ecology, calling it "unending work" for the Party. Party members and cadres should consciously conform to the CPC Central Committee in thoughts and deeds, and resolutely uphold the authority of the CPC Central Committee and its centralized and unified leadership, Xi added. Other senior leaders also joined panel discussions with NPC deputies Wednesday. In a panel discussion with lawmakers from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Premier Li Keqiang urged efforts to deliver the promise of improving the lives of all ethnic groups through reform and development, with special focus on poverty eradication. The government should resolutely let go of powers that it should not possess, concentrate on fulfilling its duties and serve enterprises more actively, Li said. Li also called for the region to actively participate in international cooperation and competition by opening wider to foster new strengths. Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, joined lawmakers from China's northeastern Heilongjiang Province, stressing the need to promote economic reform and development and to further deepen the supply-side structural reform. Zhang urged the province to take concrete measures to improve people's livelihood and properly solve their difficulties. In a panel discussion with deputies from south China's Hainan Province, Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, underlined the basic tone of "seeking progress while maintaining stability" as an important principle in state governance and economic development. While maintaining steady growth, the province should grasp the opportunity of the supply-side structural reform and focus efforts on improving economic structure and the quality of supply, said Yu. Joining a panel discussion with NPC deputies from Shanxi Province, Liu Yunshan, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, called for good performance in advancing comprehensive and strict governance of the Party, with a focus on improving intra-Party political culture. Officials should set an example for others by firmly upholding political ideals, morality and values, and pursuing self-improvement, Liu said. Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli joined lawmakers from Hebei, urging the province to be fully engaged in the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. He urged the province to give priority to the cut of excess steel capacity in supply-side structural reform and implement the strategy of innovation-driven development. At least 22 teens were found dead Wednesday in an orphanage in Guatemala after someone apparently set fire to mattresses in the girls' quarters on the rural campus. Virgen de Asuncion, an overcroweded, state-run shelter, houses children up to age 18 who are referred there mostly for cases of domestic violence. It is located on the outskirts of Guatemalas capital city in San Jose Pinula. Distraught parents scribbled their children's names on pieces of paper to pass to shelter staff begging for information. Authorities worked to identify victims, but said DNA tests might be necessary for some of the remains. "I saw the smoke in the place. It smelled like flesh," a 15-year-old girl who was being treated for minor injuries at one hospital said. Piedad Estrada, a street vendor, arrived at the hospital with a photograph of her 16-year-old daughter. She said the teen was pregnant and had been at the shelter for nine days because she ran away from home. Estrada searched hospitals and the morgue, but got no information. "They only took her from me to burn her," Estrada said. "I blame the state for what has happened." The fire followed a 15-hour riot in which hundreds protested their living conditions and demanded to be transferred, according to Guatemalan papers. The orphanage has been criticized for overcrowding, alleged abuse and escapes in the past. The building at the time of the fire housed at least 800, despite having a capacity for 500. Hours after the fire, the government in a statement expressed its condolences to the victims' families and promised a thorough investigation. Jorge de Leon, Guatemala's human rights prosecutor, said in a statement that at least 102 children had been located after escaping from the shelter and more had managed to flee. De Leon said younger children fled the shelter because they were being abused by the elder children. "According to what they say, the bigger kids have control and they attack them constantly," de Leon wrote. "They also complain that food is scarce and of poor quality." He called on authorities "to evaluate whether it is appropriate to have these different groups concentrated in one place." The Associated Press contributed to this report. The United States is considering deploying up to 1,000 soldiers to Kuwait as a reserve force in the fight against the Islamic State terror network in the region, Reuters reported on Wednesday. This is about providing options, a U.S. official told the news agency. VIDEO: MARINES ARRIVE IN SYRIA TO RETAKE RAQQA FROM ISIS Those in favor of the move said having the reserve force located in Kuwait would provide the U.S. a greater capacity to respond to battlefield challenges. Officials reportedly said the decision will be part of the U.S.s strategy review to defeat the militants in Iraq and Syria. The report said that there are about 6,000 troops serving mainly as advisers in the area. Meanwhile, a detachment of U.S Marines arrived in Syria outside the ISIS de-facto capital of Raqqa, a U.S. defense official confirmed Wednesday to Fox News. FATHER OF ISIS TERRORIST REFUSES TO ACCEPT 'TRAITOR'S' BODY The Pentagon is not publically confirming the move, citing operational security. U.S.-backed Iraqi forces fought their way Tuesday into the heart of western Mosul, storming the government complex in this part of the city but quickly pulled back in the face of heavy fire from the Islamic State group. Last week, the troops reached the first bridge from the south in western Mosul, known locally as the 4th Bridge. U.S.-led airstrikes disabled all of Mosul's five bridges last year in a bid to isolate the militants. The United Nations said that by Sunday, it had registered that about 42,000 people fled their homes in western Mosul since the start of the operation last month. The U.N. Office for Humanitarian Coordination, OCHA, said in a statement that 13,350 people fled to government-run areas in one day alone. The troops expect to encounter far more fleeing civilians once they enter deeper into the more densely populated part of the city. The U.N. estimates that about 750,000 civilians are still trapped in their houses in Mosul's western side. Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Five Americans are believed to be held as prisoners in Iran, and the family of one says he is pleading to President Trump -- and all of us to help. "I ask myself and my fellow American neighbors: Where is the justice I have come to associate with America?" Robin Shahini, 46, wrote to his family from an Iranian jail. Shahini was convicted of collaborating with "a hostile government, the U.S an accusation his family denies. He was reportedly sentenced to 18 years in prison. "This charge is unjust and the Iranian government intended to commit this wrong against me, an innocent American citizen, for political purposes. I ask of you, please to not let Iranian government use me," Shahini wrote in his letter. "I ask you beloved citizens and all human-loving individuals to not leave me alone and defend my rights, which is also the right of each and every one of you. Defending me is defending yourselves. Do not let me be alone." SAN DIEGO MAN REPORTEDLY DETAINED IN IRAN Shahini is a graduate student from San Diego who last year traveled to Iran, he says, to visit his ailing mother who suffers from Alzheimers disease. In June, just eight days before he was scheduled to fly home, his family said he was arrested at his mother's home, accused of having once met with the Iranian opposition and criticizing the government on Facebook. His family said he went on a hunger strike on February 15th. They are calling for his release, fearing that he could die behind bars. "I ask him to end his hunger strike," Shahini's sister Fatemeh, told Fox News. She calls his sentence "an unjust conviction," and said "after changing the conditions between Iran and the United States, they did worse to my brother." Shahini's girlfriend, Sevil, who does not want her last name used, said he told her that "they treat him like a terrorist, calling him foreigner, American, in a very insulting way." "He is a hostage because he is American. They see him as a hostage and they really treat him that way." "They are silently killing him," she says. The number of arrests and detentions of visitorsespecially dual-citizens has spiked, warns Lisa Daftari, the editor of the website "The Foreign Desk," who has followed Shahini's case. "In the aftermath of the nuclear deal with Iran, we would expect things to get better," she said. "But we've seen an increase in executions, we've seen an increase in crackdowns against journalists, against dual-citizens, against academics, political dissidents, women's human rights leaders. And this is not what we expected." Daftari also said the arrest and trial of Shahini, and other dual-U.S. citizens like him, serves as a broader propaganda purpose for Tehran. "The Iranian regime is delivering a stern message to Iranians living abroad, not to get involved in political activity, not to speak out against the regime, and they want Iranians to know that they are in fact being watched." IRAN CONFIRMS IRANIAN-AMERICAN HAS BEEN DETAINED Meanwhile, Shahini's loved ones wait and hope. "I am asking all the U.S. citizens and again the U.S. administration to help, as I think he is not going to last long with this situation with all health issues going on," Sevil said. "I'm really demanding that the U.S. administration take action." White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told Fox News that "obviously we are aware of the situation and would refer you to the State Department," when asked about Shahinis plight at the White House briefing. The State Department told Fox News that it is also aware of the reports, and continues to use all the means available to advocate for U.S. citizens who are unjustly detained overseas. The U.S. has issued a travel warning for citizens, and dual citizens, to Iran, warning of the detentions and arrests. Iran does not recognize dual citizenships, which makes the prospect of prosecution greater. Daftari said a strong message could be sent about the imprisoned Americans from the White House. I think President Trump has a great opportunity right now to reach out to the people of Iran, whether they are living in the United States or Iran, to express to them that he understands their human rights abuses, and to do whatever he can in his position to free these prisoners and to improve the human rights conditions in Iran. Fox News has requested comment from Iran's Mission to the United Nations but there has yet to be any comment. Ben Evansky contributed to this report. The religious minorities of northern Iraq are joining forces to form a province of their own in a region that the Islamic State had nearly decimated. Assyrian Christians, Yazidis, Turkmen and other religious minorities have jointly made their case to the central government in Baghdad. The group said the only way to regain stability of the region would be to establish a semi-autonomous zone or province. ISIS TERRORIST'S FATHER REFUSES TO ACCEPT 'TRAITOR'S' BODY For the first time ever, the ethnic and religious minorities of Iraq are banding together to let the world know what they want... Robert Nicholson,The Philos Project For the first time ever, the ethnic and religious minorities of Iraq are banding together to let the world know what they want, Robert Nicholson, executive director of The Philos Project, told Fox News. And what are they saying? We want to stay please help us. The coalition is calling for the creation of the Al Rafidein region, which would include the three northern provinces of Sinjar, Tal Afar, and the Nineveh Plain. ISIS has lost its foothold in the region, triggering a discussion on how to retake it. NETANYAHU MEETS WITH PUTIN, RAISES RED FLAGS ON IRAN The coalition is separate from the ongoing call made by the Chaldean community to establish a new semi-autonomous zone in the Nineveh Plain. While both groups are working independently to create stability in Northern Iraq, they've kept friendly relations. A consensus is emerging, Nicholson says. The minorities of Iraq want to remain in Iraq, but not as victims to be pitied they want to be masters of their own fate. On March 3, the Al Rafidein made its case to the central government in a letter of intent. The Turkmen, Assyrians, Yazidi, Shabak and other minorities are considered to be among the original Iraqi societies, the opening of the Al Rafideins declaration read. After all of the genocide, ethnic cleansing, persecution, abuse and injustice that has happened and is happening, we, the organizations, working in the name of the persecuted national societies in Iraq decided to join in a coalition that brings everyone together in order to defend our presence in Iraq. They coalition aims to obtain national, international and regional support in its efforts to create a region with multiple Iraqi nationalities, religions, and cultures free of racial and sectarian entrenchment. It also said it was acting in accordance with the Iraqi constitution, which allows the formation of new regions and provinces. The coalition strongly believes that the creation of this new province will allow democracy to finally flourish in Iraq. This is just the beginning of the course. We have a lot of hard work in the future, Ali Akram Al Bayati, president of the Turkmen Rescue Foundation, which is also a part of the Al Rafidein coalition, told Fox News. We are trying to have open discussions with all political parties in Iraq. In the end, we will need parliamentary support. Al Bayati, who is Muslim, said he believes that the best way to stabilize Iraq is to set up a government similar to that of the United States. We believe that the fate of Iraq at the end of the day will be federalization, he said. But the question is on what basis? Sectarian? Ethnic? Geographical? We need to establish a new democratic face for Iraq. Away from all extremist ideology. On Tuesday, another coalition, one comprised of the Chaldean, Syriac and Assyrian Christian communities, released a letter also demanding a new province in the region. Out of a sense of responsibility towards our people, particularly all the dangers they are now faced with, read a line from the letter obtained by Fox News, we ask that you use the constitutional powers vested in your position to recognize the following demands. No, the White House did not wrap its phones in tinfoil. But according to Chinese media, a satirical article in The New Yorker about President Trump's attempt to root out any signs of former president Barack Obama was completely factual, The New York Times reported. "Trump turns White House upside down looking for signs of Obama: 'I know hes still here!'" one headline reportedly read. KIM JONG NAM'S SON APPARENTLY SHOWS HIS FACE FOR FIRST TIME SINCE DAD'S MURDER The New Yorker piece by Andy Borowitz was clearly labeled "satire." "According to the sources, Trump contacted staffers Kellyanne Conway and Sean Spicer at approximately 6 a.m. and instructed them to purchase enough tin foil to cover every phone in the building," part of the article read, adding that the president ordered Conway to "wrap it tighter." State-run media have fallen for this kind of satire before. Back in 2012, The People's Daily ran a 55-page photo spread celebrating the North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un winning the title of "sexiest man alive." Who made the call? The Onion. EU leaders have confirmed Donald Tusk for another term as European Council president, despite attempts by Poland to block him. Tusk's home country was the only one of the 28 to vote against him, a French diplomatic source told the AFP news agency. Grateful for trust & positive assessment by #EUCO. I will do my best to make the EU better. Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) March 9, 2017 Poland's prime minister, Beata Szydlo, had written to Theresa May and other European leaders, urging them to oust Tusk during the vote - which came on the first day of an EU leaders' summit in Brussels. TOP POLITICIAN CLAIMS 2ND EU TERM FOR TUSK NOT IN POLAND'S INTERESTS Szydlo has accused her countryman of interfering in domestic politics. Tusk himself served as the country's PM from 2007 to 2014. Tusk, whose initial term expires at the end of May, will play a key role in the Brexit negotiations and will now stay in the job until November 2019. After being confirmed as president again, he tweeted: "Grateful for trust & positive assessment by #EUCO (European Council). I will do my best to make the EU better." The row between Tusk and Szydlo's Law and Justice Party had led to Warsaw proposing a challenger - Polish MEP Jacek Saryusz-Wolski. Click for more from Sky News. The father of a dead Indian man who pledged allegiance to ISIS and was allegedly involved in a train attack that left 10 people injured on Tuesday has refused to accept his body saying a traitor is no son to him. One who indulges in anti-national activities cant be my son, explained Sartaj, dad of Saifullah, who was shot dead by police near the Indian city of Lucknow, a day after the terror strike. ISIS GUNMEN DRESSED AS DOCTORS KILL AT LEAST 30 AT AFGHAN HOSPITAL Its that straightforward, he told The Times of India on Wednesday. We will absolutely not accept a traitors body. He has brought infamy not only to us but to the whole nation, therefore we will not accept his body for last rites. Saifullah, who was said to be in his 20s, was allegedly part of a newly-formed ISIS cell in Kanpur which was made up of at least nine members, including two of his cousins, NDTV reports. On Tuesday, the group unleashed the first-ever ISIS attack in India injuring 10 people aboard a passenger train in Madhya Pradesh with a low-intensity bomb, according to TOI. Read more at the New York Post. A mentally disturbed man attacked travelers with an ax at the central train station in the west German city of Dusseldorf Thursday, injuring seven people before he was captured. Police said three of the seven victims had serious injuries. German media reports indicated that none of the injuries were life-threatening. The suspected attacker was arrested after jumping off an overpass near the train station, the statement said. The 36-year-old man, described as being from "the former Yugoslavia" and living in the nearby city of Wuppertal, suffered serious injuries and was being treated in a hospital. #Dusseldorf: Hauptbahnhof nach vermeintlichen Axtangriff evakuiert. Uber dem Himmel kreisen Helikopter. Stimmung beklemmend. pic.twitter.com/kQbQ3Lc09v Sami Joost (@samijoost) March 9, 2017 "The suspect appears to have had psychological problems," police said. An ax was recovered and officers were searching the area in and around the station, which was closed for the investigation. Police withdrew an earlier report that a second person had been arrested, saying later that they were working on the assumption the man had acted alone. A motive for the attack was not immediately known. "We are not using the words 'rampage' or 'terror,'" a federal police spokesman said. The attack shortly before 9 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET) spurred a large-scale police response in the center of Germany's ninth-largest city. "We were standing on the track, waiting for the train," a station attendant told the German newspaper Bild. "The train came, and suddenly someone jumped out with an ax [and] hit the people. There was blood everywhere. I have experienced a lot, but I have never experienced [anything like] it." Ax attacks are not unheard of in Germany. Last July, a 17-year-old Afghan refugee injured five people on a regional train in the central town of Wurzburg before he was killed by police. The refugee later claimed in a video to be acting on behalf of ISIS. The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story first appeared in The Sun. The death toll in a fire at a youth shelter in Guatemala has risen to 28 after several more girls died overnight of severe burns, hospital officials revealed. Doctors had warned the severity of the burns suffered by many victims put their lives at risk. Nineteen girls were found dead at the scene Wednesday, and spokesmen for two hospitals in Guatemala City said nine more died over night. AT LEAST 3 DEAD AFTER RESCUE HELICOPTER CRASHES IN CENTRAL JAPAN Dozens more remain under treatment. The fire, according to preliminary investigations, was started by some children to protest against alleged sexual and physical assaults at the center. The blaze quickly spread through two dorms. The night before, nearly 60 teens held in the overcrowded state-run shelter flooded through the gates, most only to be caught and locked down in their dorms. AVALANCHE HITS FRENCH SKI RESORT In a message to the nation, Jimmy Morales said he is deeply saddened by the tragedy and that an investigation is probing the causes behind the incident. "Prior to the incident judicial organizations were requested for the immediate removal of minors in conflict with the law to other detention centers to avoid greater consequences. The Government of Guatemala regrets (...) that this request was not attended by courts at the right moment," said Morales. The shelter, located in the Havana municipality of San Jose Pinula, has a capacity of 400 but houses 748 children that include young orphans, victims of violence as well as members of criminal gangs and other offenders, reported family members. Immediately after the incident, Morales ordered the dismissal of the director and announced an internal administrative investigation. The Associated Press and EFE contributed to this report. The world has come to a crossroads in 2017, as globalization backpedaled in America and Europe while tensions continued to brew on the Korean Peninsula and some other places. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday reassured the world that China will continue to be an anchor of stability, an engine of global growth, while championing peace and contributing to multilateral global governance. At a press conference on the sidelines of the annual national legislature session, Wang offered China's solution to the world's hot issues, which include dealing with the Trump administration, de-escalating tensions in Northeast Asia, supporting European integration, and ensuring lasting stability in the South China Sea. The foreign minister said Chinese diplomats have risen to challenges and broken new ground, under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee with Xi Jinping as the core. He summed up Chinese diplomacy with three key words: vision, initiative and consistency. VISION Chinese diplomacy's new vision, put forward by Xi, features dialogue over confrontation, partnership over alliance, forging win-win cooperation, and jointly building a community of shared future for all of mankind. Wang said this vision rises above the old approach of zero-sum games, and can be of great significance to the world. Taking a question on China-U.S. relations, Wang said bilateral ties are "transitioning steadily and developing in a positive direction." Wang said a "very important" phone conversation between Xi and Trump has set the direction and paved the way for China-U.S relations. The two sides are now communicating on future exchanges between their presidents. "There is no reason why China and the United States cannot become excellent partners," Wang said. Su Ge, president of the China Institute of International Studies, said China's preference for cooperation over confrontation is a break from Cold War mentality, which has led to conflicts between traditional and rising world powers in the past. "The approach is an innovation, reflecting the philosophy that countries around the world are tied together and need to march forward through thick and thin," he told Xinhua in an interview. Over the past year, tensions also calmed down visibly in the South China Sea, with ties between China and the Philippines notably improving. Wang said since Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte came into office, the Southeast Asian country has extended a hand of goodwill. "China, of course, will embrace it with open arms of cooperation," he said. On Africa, Wang said there will be no weakening in China's support no matter how the international situation or world economy may evolve. In 2015, China announced 60 billion U.S. dollars funding support for the continent. The support is being implemented through phases. INITIATIVE China in 2013 proposed the Belt and Road Initiative, aiming to build a modern trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along ancient Silk Road routes. It has since won support from over 100 countries and international organizations, with nearly 50 cooperation agreements signed between governments. The initiative made progress at a time when the world's traditional multilateral mechanisms are feared to have lost steam. Wang said it has become the most popular public goods initiative and its implementation has opened a new chapter of openness and win-win cooperation. China will host the Beijing Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in May, with attendance of more than 20 heads of state and government, over 50 leaders of international organizations, and more than 100 ministerial-level officials among the 1,000-plus delegates, he said. This year, China also serves as the rotating chair of BRICS and will host the bloc's ninth leaders' summit in September. Wang noted with optimism that the mechanism will not lose its luster. It will shine more brightly if its members stay united, he added. According to estimates, the share of BRICS gross domestic product in the world economy stood at 21.3 percent in 2013. On purchasing power parity terms, the bloc's economy reached 30 trillion U.S. dollars that year, tailing only slightly behind that of the G7. "The BRICS countries are like five fingers: short and long if extended, but a powerful fist if clenched together," Wang said, citing remarks by Xi. CONSISTENCY BRICS is not the only multilateral mechanism China supports. Wang reaffirmed that China champions multilateralism, openness and inclusiveness amid a growing backlash against globalization and rising protectionism. "In the face of skepticism over the existing international order and system, we have always called for maintaining it, and where necessary, improving it," Wang said. "The consistency and continuity of China's diplomacy are its due responsibilities as a large country." The foreign minister also highlighted consistency in Chinese diplomacy, saying that China has adhered to the path of peaceful development in the face of instability and conflicts. On the Korean Peninsular, where the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) traded missile launches with large-scale military drills held by the United States and Republic of Korea (ROK). Wang compared the two sides to "two accelerating trains, coming toward each other." "Are the two sides really ready for a head-on collision?" Wang asked. "The priority is to flash the red light and apply the brakes." China proposed "double suspension" to defuse the looming crisis -- the DPRK suspending its nuclear and missile activities while the United States and ROK ceasing war games. China is willing to be a "railway switchman" to switch the issue back to the right track, he added. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Russian President Vladimir Putin Thursday, and warned about the dangers of Moscow's encroaching ally, Iran. Greeting Netanyahu at the start of their Kremlin negotiations, Putin emphasized the high level of trust between them. This is Netanyahu's fifth trip to Moscow in the past 18 months, and it follows his talks last month with President Trump. PROPOSED ISRAEL TRAVEL BAN MOVES FORWARD, DRAWS COMPARISONS TO TRUMP'S In a joint photo-op before the meeting, Netanyahu praised Russia's role in fighting the Islamic State terror group and other radical militants in Syria. But he also raised strong concern about the presence of Iranian and Hezbollah forces in Syria. "One of the things that we are fighting together is radical Islamic terrorism," Netanyahu said as he and Putin sat down for talks. ISIS MURDERING COPTIC CHRISTIANS ON EGYPT'S SINAI PENINSULA OVER FAITH Netanyahu was accompanied by his national security advisor, his military secretary and head of military intelligence. Jerusalem is concerned with Iran's presence in the region and its aspiration to form the so-called "Shia Crescent" that engulfs Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen. While acknowledging the success in fighting ISIS, Netanyahu warned about Iran's plans in the region. "Of course, in the past year, there was significant progress in the fight against the radical Sunni Islamic terrorism led by Daesh and Al Qaeda," Netanyahu said, using another word for ISIS. "Russia has made a very important contribution. Naturally, we do not want this terrorism to be replaced by the radical Shiite Islamic terrorism led by Iran." Putin wished Netanyahu a happy Purim, and the Israeli premier responded by saying that in ancient Persia there was an attempt to destroy the Jewish people, but it failed, and that's why the holiday is celebrated to this day. "Today there is an attempt by the continuation of Persia -- Iran -- to destroy the Jewish state. They say it in the clearest terms possible, they engrave it into their ballistic missiles," Netanyahu said. Fox News reported exclusively last month that shadowy Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani visited Moscow and met with high-ranking leaders there. According to the report, Soleimani came to express his displeasure with the Russian government over their relationship with Saudi Arabia and other Arab states. Soleimani is considered to be the architect of Iran's presence in the war in Syria, and he was sent to Moscow in the past to coordinate with the Russians. Before the talks, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied media reports that Moscow has given Israel a green light to strike Iran's proxy Lebanese organization, Hezbollah. Bolivia has doubled the amount of land that can be legally planted with coca plants, the main source for cocaine, whose raw leaf has been consumed for centuries in the indigenous communities along the Andes. On Wednesday, President Evo Morales, a former coca grower, signed the bill into law allowing farmers to plant up to 54,000 acres in coca up from 29,000 under the previous legislation. Bolivia is the worlds third largest cocaine producer after Colombia and Peru. Once the new law goes in effect, Morales government has said it wants to industrialize the added production, but analysts and critics fear it will be diverted to cocaine production. BOLIVIA OPENS 'EVO MUSEUM' DEDICATED TO INDIGENOUS PRESIDENT Opposition lawmakers are planning to sue to block the law, calling it unconstitutional because it breaches international treaties. They said it would turn Bolivia into a free-for-all for drug dealers. The new law will probably lead to increased drug trafficking, said Omar Barrientos, a lawyer who was involved in drafting the existing 1998 legislation, which had the backing of the U.S. Eliminating restrictions on coca production has been a long-standing goal for Bolivia's coca growers, who were organized into a powerful union by President Morales and became his core constituency. But the law never materialized due to infighting among the different unions. "Coca farmers unions have worked on the bill for years, said Fidel Surco, a peasant leader and a senior official in the ruling socialist party, to Fox News. ANTI-IMPERIALISM SCHOOLING NOW A MUST FOR BOLIVIAN OFFICERS Coca leaves have played a central role in the life of Andean communities in Bolivia and Peru for centuries. Men and women in both rural and urban environments chew leaves routinely as they go about their day, using it as a mild stimulant that suppresses hunger, thirst, pain and fatigue. In most Bolivian cities is rare to get in a taxi at night, for example, without noticing the pungent odor of coca leaves being chewed by the driver. Coca leaves are also brewed as tea, promoted as an ingredient for nutritional products and used in cosmetics, shampoo and toothpaste that are sold at "coca boutiques." Government officials have elevated coca to cult status, calling it sacred, and have proposed displaying it on Bolivias national flag. One minister has suggested serving coca leaves with school breakfasts. Morales has been campaigning for the repeal of the 1998 legislation ever since he was president of the Coca Growers Union in Cochabamba. When he took office in 2006 he promised a law to expand coca acreage. He finally delivered nine years later, and analysts say the new bill is likely to give him a boost as he seeks a fourth presidential term he will need the support from the coca growers to get around constitutional term limits. Morales' desperate need to hold onto the politically powerful support for the coca growers forced him to give into their demands and risk international repercussions," said opposition lawmaker Felipe Dorado. Morales announced the new law during a public event Wednesday as some coca farmers listened to his speech chewing on coca leaves. "Coca beat the United States," he said. "The United States just said that Bolivia and Venezuela failed in a demonstrable way in the war against drugs. But the only thing that can be demonstrated is that neither Bolivia nor Venezuela can submit to the United States. The AP contributed to this report. There's a lot of buzz out of Vatican City lately. Pope Francis has made remarks that have gone beyond many of his often progressive-minded statements. "I ask if in this piecemeal Third World War that we are living through, are we not going toward a great world war for water?" he said at a recent conference. A PAINFUL APOLOGY TO A KID AT CHURCH "Global warming continues, due in part to human activity," the pontiff said. "[The year] 2015 was the warmest year on record, and 2016 will likely be warmer still. This is leading to ever more severe droughts, floods, fires and extreme weather events." He also added pointedly that climate change is a "sin against God." So the head of the Catholic Church, the head of billions of Catholics around the globe, has a left-leaning view of environmental politics, in case that wasn't clear to anyone before this. FIVE REASONS NOT TO OBSERVE LENT Last fall Francis said, "Climate change ... contributes to the heart-rending refugee crisis. The world's poor, though least responsible for climate change, are the most vulnerable and already suffering its impact." In response to the growing refugee population in Europe, Francis himself last year brought 12 Muslim refugees from Syria back with him to Rome. And Francis has said in the past, on a different subject: "We do not get dignity from power or money or culture. We get dignity from work." Despite all of his views -- some would say because of them -- the pope, through the power of his position, his humility, and his passionate love of God, has also been bringing more faithful back into the fold. "Pope Francis is putting young professionals back in the pews," noted Fr. Michael Sliney, a Catholic priest based in Westchester County, New York, who is also the New York chaplain of the Lumen Institute, an association of business and cultural leaders in Manhattan. "Last week on Ash Wednesday, I was hearing confessions with three other priests at the Cathedral of Old St. Patrick's in Soho, New York City, for nearly four hours," he said. "We were all going non-stop, with nearly all of the penitents in their mid-to-late twenties." Fr. Sliney is convinced many of the pope's messages during his papacy have resonated with millennials today. "One of Pope Francis' messages that connects deeply with this generation is his sincere concern for the poor, of 'getting your hands dirty,' and of not simply writing checks and attending fundraisers. In the words of Christ, 'Whatever you do to the least of these brothers of mine, you do to me.' This is a beautiful and tangible way to discover the 'hidden' presence of Christ in the marginalized and outcast of our society." Since the pope's election to his post in 2013, he has made plenty of controversial remarks that may not sit well with many in the conservative Christian sphere. It is a widely held belief, for example, that Francis views contraception as a valid way to prevent pregnancy in some cases. When questioned last year about the Zika virus -- which can cause birth defects -- Francis said, "Avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil." Francis also believes in the sanctity of human life, of course. He has said without question that abortion is a "crime" and an "absolute evil." The pope has also urged parents to have fewer children for a more sustainable world. In matters of religion, Francis has suggested it is better to be an atheist than a hypocritical Catholic. "It is a scandal to say one thing and do another," he said. "That is a double life." Francis elaborated: "A totally double life: 'I am very Catholic, I always go to Mass, I belong to this association and that one; but my life is not Christian, I don't pay my workers a just wage, I exploit people, I am dirty in my business, I launder money ...' A double life," Francis emphasized. "And so many Christians are like this, and these people scandalize others." Fr. Sliney said this is a concern he hears "often from non-believers. Although there are many devout and authentic Catholics filling the pews on Sundays, we have our fair share of 'zombie' Catholics as well." He added, "Pope Francis is challenging all of us to consider everyone as part of God's family, and to actively share in his paternal concern for those who are most in need." Still, cardinals in the Catholic Church have clashed over the pope's views. An important question is whether any or all of Francis' remarks have been in response to the new Trump administration in the United States and its views and agenda on a wide range of issues. In a weekly Vatican address in February, for example, Francis said, "A person who thinks only about building walls wherever they may be and not building bridges is not Christian." President Donald Trump apparently has plans to visit Italy in May. It is unclear whether he will meet with Pope Francis while there. Francis did sent a congratulatory message to Trump in January when he was inaugurated. "Upon your inauguration as the 45th president of the United States of America, I offer you my cordial good wishes and the assurance of my prayers that Almighty God will grant you wisdom and strength in the exercise of your high office," Francis told Trump. "Under your leadership, may America's stature continue to be measured above all by its concern for the poor, the outcast and those in need," Francis added. During this Lenten season, it's noteworthy that Pope Francis gave a powerful analogy for reading the Bible. "What would happen if we turned back when we forget it, if we opened it more times a day, if we read the message of God contained in the Bible the way we read messages on our cellphones?" That's a message that few people, no matter their political or cultural views, would almost certainly agree with and appreciate. The son of a former FBI agent who vanished 10 years ago in Iran said Thursday he's hopeful President Trump will make good on his promise to bring his father home. "He can do something that two U.S. presidents havent done," Daniel Levinson told Fox News. "I do not think there has been enough pressure on the Iranians over the years," Levinson said. "Trump is a deal-maker who has no issue using tough language with Iran." "I think he's well-suited to bring my dad home," he said. The younger Levinson spoke on the 10-year anniversary of Robert "Bob" Levinson's disappearance from Iran's Kish Island, where he had traveled on an unauthorized mission to recruit an intelligence source for the C.I.A. Iranian leaders have repeatedly denied knowing anything about Levinson's fate, but U.S. officials have indicated for years they believe the former agent is alive. The White House said Thursday it will "spare no effort" in its quest for answers about Levinson, 68, whose whereabouts remain a mystery. Trump had pledged to make Levinson's case a priority during his presidential campaign. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Thursday the administration "remains unwavering in our commitment to locate Mr. Levinson and bring him home." "We want him back, and we will spare no effort to achieve that goal," Spicer said. The FBI also reaffirmed its commitment to find Levinson -- a 20-year veteran of the agency -- and said it has worked tirelessly to get answers in the case, pursuing every lead collected through interviews, intelligence reporting and contact with foreign governments. "Bob went missing in Iran, FBI Director James Comey said in a statement. "Ten years is an inhumane amount of time to ask a family to wait for word of their loved one," he said. "Our ability to reunite Bob with his family is dependent on this shared commitment and we continue to call on the Iranian government to provide assistance. In March 2015, the FBI increased its reward to $5 million for information that could lead to Levinson's safe return. Levinson, if alive, is the longest-held hostage in American history. Levinson retired from the FBI in 1998. He was working as a private investigator when he traveled to Kish Island, Iran, on March 8, 2007 on a 24-hour rogue assignment. He was last seen leaving the Hotel Miriam on the island and getting into a taxi to go to the airport. Iranian state-run television reported at the time that Levinson was in the hands of Iranian security forces -- but no group officially claimed responsibility for taking him. In October 2009, the FBI told Fox News it had received unconfirmed reports of sightings of Levinson in the Islamic Republic. Two years later, in March 2011, the U.S. government said it "received indications" that Levinson was being held somewhere in southwest Asia. Levinson's wife criticized the Obama administration last year when she learned, through media reports, of a prisoner exchange with Iran that did not include her husband. At the time, Levinson's son, Dan, said it felt like "once again, he's been left behind." Following the release of five American prisoners, President Obama said the U.S. would continue working to find Levinson. When asked by reporters whether Levinson was still alive, then-Secretary of State John Kerry said, "We have no idea." Kerry also said Tehran had pledged to assist the U.S. in its quest for answers. Shortly thereafter, the Iranian government told the Obama administration it had intelligence that an American's remains had been buried in western Pakistan, near the country's border with Afghanistan and Iran, according to Levinson's son. But when Pakistan officials searched the site in question, no remains were found. "Nobody believed that this was true," Levinson told Fox News. "We knew it was a diversionary tactic meant to distract from getting anything resolved," he said. "The facts show he was detained on Kish Island," Levinson said. "If he was moved from that island, it was the Iranian governments responsibility. They did that." The Levinson family, from Coral Springs, Fla., insists he is alive and that Iranian officials know where he is. They last received some visual record of him in video and photos that were sent about five years ago. "When is enough enough? It has been 10 years since Robert Levinson, our amazing husband, father and grandfather, was arrested on Kish Island, Iran, and imprisoned," the family said in a statement Thursday. "For 10 years the government of Iran has been allowed to dodge and weave every time it was asked to come clean about what happened to Bob and send him home. Where is the outrage of this treatment of an American citizen?" they said. Addressing Levinson directly, the family said: Stay strong. "We know you are alive and trying to come home to us ... We will never, never, ever give up looking for you." U.S. troops in Syria are battling more than just ISIS - they are also fighting to keep members of the uneasy coalition arrayed against the terror network from turning on one another. Kurdish and Turkish allies in the fight against ISIS have clashed, even as they ostensibly share the goal of ridding the region of the black-clad jihadist army. American forces recently deployed to Manbij, a liberated city 85 miles northwest of the Islamic States stronghold of Raqqa, at least partially in a bid to keep the peace between their partners. [U.S. Troops] are principally there to ensure ISIS is not able to re-establish itself in the area, Gen. Joseph Votel, commander of the U.S. Central Command, said in testimony on Capitol Hill Thursday. They have the benefit, by virtue of being there also to provide over-watch, and I would add, a measure of assurancenot just for local partners on the ground there, but also for our Turkish partners." Votel acknowledged the delicate alliance - and generations-old enmity - between Kurds and Turks. While both are committed to fighting ISIS, Turkey has long opposed Kurdish autonomy, and considers many Kurds to be terrorists. Kurds, for their part, view Turkey as an oppressor. Americans tend to think of war as a zero sum game with two sides, but in Syria, its a Hobbesian war of all against all. James Phillips, Heritage Foundation "We understand what their concerns are about undue Kurdish influence in that particular area, and the best way we can keep an eye on that is through our well-trained, soft forces on the ground, said Votel, who spoke to lawmakers on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Pentagon officials told Fox News the U.S. presence was increased in Manbij to safeguard the city and bolster the local government, but also to ensure the YPG, or Kurdish People's Protection Units, don't gain a permanent foothold. Although they are doing heavy lifting in the fighting in Syria, the YPG is considered by Ankara a Syrian cousin of the PKK, or Kurdish Worker's Party, which is the Turkish government's bitter domestic enemy. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan frequently refers to the PKK as the separatist terrorist organization. Arizona Sen. John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, noted Erdogan's passionate opposition to Kurdish involvement in the region, and has questioned Washingtons backing of Syrian Kurdish fighters given Erdogan's position. We are working with the Kurds, and arming and training them and they are an effective fighting forcebut they are the same force that Erdogan named a terrorist organizationcalling them a greater threat to Turkey than ISIS, McCain said. This is a complex situation and I think there is a possibility of an impending conflict between Turkey and the Kurds as opposed to us all working together to try to defeat ISIS. McCain asked Votel if he thought the possible scenario was concerning. I do, Votel answered. Meanwhile, the U.S. has its own uneasy alliance with a partner in the fight against ISIS. Russian troops have also deployed to Manbij under a separate deal. A Pentagon official told Fox News the Russian agreement to have a presence in Manbij was reached without input from the United States and did not reflect a softer stance toward Moscow. Our policies toward Russia have not changed, Department of Defense spokesman Eric Pahon said. The Department of Defense is not coordinating military operations with Russian military in Syria. As the disparate groups attempt to unite to deal a death blow to ISIS, Pahon acknowledged it must occur in a "highly complex region." We encourage all forces to remain focused on the counter-ISIS fight and concentrate their efforts on defeating ISIS and not towards other objectives that may cause the coalition to divert energy and resources away from Raqqa, Pahon told Fox News. The coalition will continue to work in close coordination with partner forces and allies to ensure all parties remain focused on delivering a lasting defeat to our common enemy, ISIS. The situation underscores the complicated nature of a multi-faceted war in a region full of hostile players, said Senior Research Fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs at the Heritage Foundation James Phillips. Americans tend to think of war as a zero sum game with two sides, but in Syria, its a Hobbesian war of all against all, Phillips said. McCain was more blunt - and pessimistic. "Unless something changes, I foresee a train wreck here, he said. Dental Fix Rx Signs Master Franchise Agreement for Alberta, Canada Fast-Growing Mobile Dental Equipment Repair Service Franchise Partners with Calgary-Based Serial Entrepreneur, Bringing the Brands First Units to Alberta March 09, 2017 // Franchising.com // DAVIE, Fla. Dental Fix Rx, a North American mobile dental equipment repair service franchise, has signed a Master Franchise Agreement with Calgary-based serial entrepreneur Paige McCutcheon, for the master rights to develop the franchise in the Canadian province of Alberta. As a master franchisee, McCutcheon will operate his own Dental Fix Rx franchise in Calgary as well as spearhead growth within the province by selling Dental Fix Rx franchises to local entrepreneurs. His goal is to add three more Dental Fix franchises by the end of the year and have five units in operation within the next three years. McCutcheon will initially be targeting the Calgary and Edmonton markets for franchise expansion. McCutcheon has a 30-plus year career as a General Contractor and a Logistics Specialist. The first 25 years of his career were spent with an event company, leading development and operations for many high profile events including the 1988 Olympics, The Rotarian World Conference and The World Police & Fire Games, among numerous others. His career then transcended into operations and logistics while working for a premier hospitality organization, where he was responsible for the development and construction of numerous hospitality facilities including restaurants, nightclubs, pubs and remote lodges. He served as lead on several multi-million dollar projects, including ones in urban high-rises and facilities in rural, remote areas where logistics of the development proves challenging. Most recently, he has lead logistics for various development and construction projects throughout North America. As an entrepreneur at heart, I was looking for a new opportunity that had strong profitability potential and a reasonable cost of entry, McCutcheon said. Dental Fix Rx was the answer. There will always be a need for dentistry services, and therefore will always be a need for a repair provider to fix equipment specific to their industry. Whats great about Dental Fix is that the company is a one-stop shop for any dental offices repair needs. Plus, there are no competitors that offer the same depth of services or value to customers. Dental Fix Rx has sold or opened a new unit each week for the past 40-plus months. In 2016, the company signed 40 new franchise agreements, bringing its total footprint to more than 250 franchises throughout North America. Nearly 20 of these franchises are located in Ontario and British Columbia. Company executives expect to sign another 40 franchise agreements in 2017. The dental equipment repair sector is a $38 billion industry, and Dental Fix Rx has the right systems and programs in place to capture it. The company is consistently creating new programs that add value to franchisees and their customers, as well as establishing new relationships for its franchisees with big players in the dental industry. For example, the Darby Group, the nations largest all-telesales dental products distributor, became an equity partner in Dental Fix Rx in 2016. Beyond the equity stake in the company, through this relationship Dental Fix Rx franchisees are able to offer Darby Dental Supply products to dental practices and also provide dental equipment service and repair to Darby Dental Supply customers. Paige is a great addition to the Dental Fix Rx family, said Scott Mortier, EVP of Business Development at Dental Fix Rx. His operational background and history of building lasting relationships makes him an ideal fit to spearhead our brands growth in a completely new market. Were confident that he will ramp up quickly and build a great team in Alberta. About Dental Fix Rx Founded in 2009, Dental Fix Rx is a fast-growing mobile dental equipment repair service franchise that is revolutionizing the dental service industry by delivering immediate, on-demand equipment service, hand-piece repairs and cost-effective consumable products through its network of highly-trained franchise professionals. With local franchise owners serving businesses within their market, Dental Fix Rx completes repairs on-site from mobile repair centers that are equipped to fix a wide range of equipment found in any practice from compressors to chair upholstery. The company has sold more than 250 franchises that service over 18,000 customers throughout North America. For more information, visit www.dentalfixrx.com. For franchise information, call (855) 242-5230 or visit www.dentalfixrx.com/franchise/. Media Contact: Jayne Levy Fishman Public Relations (847) 945-1300 jlevy@fishmanpr.com SOURCE Dental Fix Rx ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Hyatt Announces Plans For First Hyatt-branded Hotel In Algeria Hyatt Regency Algiers Airport Expected To Open In 2018 March 06, 2017 // Franchising.com // CHICAGO Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced today that a Hyatt affiliate has entered into a management agreement with Societe d'Investissement Hoteliere EPE SPA for a Hyatt Regency hotel to be located at Houari Boumediene Airport in Algiers, Algeria. The hotel, expected to open late 2018, will mark the first Hyatt-branded hotel in Algeria. Hyatt Regency Algiers Airport will add to Hyatts growing brand presence in Africa, following the successful openings of Hyatt Place Taghazout Bay in Morocco and Park Hyatt Zanzibar in Tanzania in 2015, which brought the total number of Hyatt-branded hotels in Africa to six. This is a landmark moment for Hyatt Hyatt Regency Algiers Airport will be the first Hyatt-branded hotel in Algeria and further demonstrates the companys commitment to growing its brand footprint in Algeria and throughout Africa, said Peter Norman, senior vice president, acquisitions and development Europe, Africa, and Middle East for Hyatt. The region is home to some of the worlds fastest growing economies, with enticing prospects for both business and leisure travel. Hyatt Regency Algiers Airport will be part of a wider airport expansion in one of North Africas largest cities. The 326-room hotel will be situated directly opposite the airports new terminal and will be the only terminal-linked hotel. Ideally located at the entry to the airport, Hyatt Regency Algiers Airport will offer guests a one-stop experience, designed with everything under one roof. The hotel will provide dedicated airline lounges, a Regency Club lounge, a rooftop swimming pool and a large lobby with an all-day dining restaurant, which will serve as a central gathering point at the hotel for business travellers, conference hosts and leisure travellers alike. Additionally, the hotel will offer a variety of lounge and seating areas to provide guests with the spaces they need, whether for work or relaxation, and more than 4,950 square feet (460 square meters) of meeting and event space. We are delighted to be working on our first project with Hyatt and to introduce the Hyatt Regency brand to Algeria, said Hamid Melzi, president directeur general, Societe d'Investissement Hoteliere EPA SPA. With the hotels prominent location at Houari Boumediene Airport, we believe the globally recognized Hyatt Regency brand will resonate with the growing base of business and leisure travelers visiting the city. For more information, please visit hyattregency.com. The term Hyatt is used in this release for convenience to refer to Hyatt Hotels Corporation and/or one or more of its affiliates. About Hyatt Regency The Hyatt Regency brand prides itself on connecting travelers to who and what matters most to them. More than 175 conveniently located Hyatt Regency urban and resort locations in over 30 countries around the world serve as the go-to gathering space for every occasion from efficient business meetings to memorable family vacations. The brand offers a one-stop experience that puts everything guests need right at their fingertips. Hyatt Regency hotels and resorts offer a full range of services and amenities, including the space to work, engage or relax; notable culinary experiences; technology-enabled ways to collaborate; and expert event planners who can take care of every detail. For more information, please visit hyattregency.com. Follow @HyattRegency on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and tag photos with #AtHyattRegency. About Societe d'Investissement Hoteliere EPE SPA Societe d'Investissement Hoteliere EPE SPA is a company whose shareholders are amongst the most important financial and industrial institutions in Algeria. Since its creation in 1997, the company has developed numerous internationally branded hotels throughout the country. The companys track record further includes the Centre International Des Conferences, the Ecole Superieure d'Hotellerie et de Restauration in collaboration with Lausanne Hotel School, and several residential projects. About Hyatt Hotels Corporation Hyatt Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality company with a portfolio of 13 premier brands. As of December 31, 2016, the Company's portfolio included 698 properties in 56 countries. The Company's purpose to care for people so they can be their best informs its business decisions and growth strategy and is intended to create value for shareholders, build relationships with guests and attract the best colleagues in the industry. The Company's subsidiaries develop, own, operate, manage, franchise, license or provide services to hotels, resorts, branded residences and vacation ownership properties, including under the Park Hyatt, Miraval, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt, Andaz, Hyatt Centric, The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, Hyatt Place, Hyatt House, Hyatt Ziva, Hyatt Zilara and Hyatt Residence Club brand names and have locations on six continents. For more information, please visit hyatt.com. Forward-Looking Statements Forward-Looking Statements in this press release, which are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Our actual results, performance or achievements may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as may, could, expect, intend, plan, seek, anticipate, believe, estimate, predict, potential, continue, likely, will, would and variations of these terms and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by us and our management, are inherently uncertain. Factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from current expectations include, among others, the rate and pace of economic recovery following economic downturns; levels of spending in business and leisure segments as well as consumer confidence; declines in occupancy and average daily rate; the financial condition of, and our relationships with, third-party property owners, franchisees and hospitality venture partners; the possible inability of third-party owners, franchisees or development partners to access the capital necessary to fund current operations or implement our plans for growth; risks associated with potential acquisitions and dispositions and the introduction of new brand concepts; changes in the competitive environment in our industry, including as a result of industry consolidation, and the markets where we operate; general volatility of the capital markets and our ability to access such markets; and other risks discussed in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, which filings are available from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. These factors are not necessarily all of the important factors that could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by any of our forward-looking statements. We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which are made only as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to update publicly any of these forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, new information or future events, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable law. If we update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements. Media Contacts: Sian Martin Hyatt +1 312 780 5797 sian.martin@hyatt.com Simone Loretan Hyatt Europe, Africa and Middle East and Southwest Asia +41 44 279 1226 simone.loretan@hyatt.com SOURCE Hyatt Hotels Corporation ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus United Country Real Estate Launches New Agent Websites Company Provides Agents with Personalized Websites at Discounted Rate March 09, 2017 // Franchising.com // KANSAS CITY, Mo. - United Country Real Estate recently launched thousands of personalized and customizable agent specific websites. The sites were officially announced during the companys annual Training and Awards Convention in February. The sites will be in addition to the more than 3,500 property specific, lifestyle, local office and niche specific websites already established by the company. United Country established the new websites to assist its agents with building a powerful brand and increase their web presence in order to provide a higher level of marketing and customer service to buyers and sellers of lifestyle real estate. The websites are easy to use, SEO centric, customizable and will help agents build their personal brand. Agents got a first look and opportunity to learn more about the sites during convention from the United Countrys technology team. From their inception, these websites were designed to provide agents with branding the most important part of their business, themselves, said David Dickey, chief technology officer. The sites are extremely powerful and unique to the lifestyle segment. There is truly nothing like them on the market as it relates to lifestyle real estate, auctions, SEO and agent branding. United Country is providing the new websites to agents at only half the cost of normal websites with MLS capabilities. In addition to being customizable, the websites are fully responsive and mobile-ready. United Countrys president, Mike Duffy, said it gives their agents the advantage over their competition in the real estate market. For the next 6 months, United Country is providing the new websites to existing agents for a fraction of the cost of other, much less powerful normal agent websites. In addition to being customizable, the websites are fully responsible and mobile-friendly, said Duffy. These new sites took a long time to build, but we wanted them to provide a clear advantage for our agents. We have tested these sites and the test agents have confirmed they are awesome. It was worth the wait to get them right. Once fully rolled out, the web presence of the United Country team is expected to grow by more than 30 percent. For more information about the affiliation or United Country Real Estate, call 800-444-5044 or visit UnitedCountry.com. About United Country Real Estate United Country Real Estate is the leading, fully integrated network of conventional and auction real estate professionals. The company has been an innovator in lifestyle and country real estate marketing since 1925. United Country supports nearly 500 offices and 5,000 real estate professionals across four continents, with a unique, comprehensive marketing program. The exclusive program includes the highest ranked and largest portfolios of specialty property marketing websites, unequaled national print advertising, the largest internal real estate advertising agency, an extensive buyer database of more than 650,000 opt-in buyers and additional proprietary programs to advertise local properties more broadly. National Headquarters 2820 NW Barry Road, Kansas City, MO 64154 816-420-6200 www.unitedcountry.com Media Contact: Angela Smith Public Relations & Social Media Manager 816.620.6241 asmith@unitedcountry.com ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus 5th WALL THEATRE Gottwald Playhouse, 600 E. Grace St., Richmond. 804/359-2003; 5thwalltheatre.org ALTRIA THEATER 6 N. Laurel St., Richmond. 804/592-3368; broadwayinrichmond.com. Rodgers and Hammersteins Cinderella, Tony-winning musical featuring a contemporary take on the classic tale. March 10-11. $43-$83. ARENA STAGE 1101 Sixth St. SW, Washington. 202/488-3300; arenastage.org A Raisin in the Sun follows a family yearning for a better life far from the cramped confines of their Chicago tenement. March 31 to May 7. $40-$90. Intelligence, a world-premiere political thriller, explores the cost of deception and the consequences of speaking truth to power. Through April 9 in Kogod Cradle. $40-$90. CARPENTER THEATRE Dominion Arts Center, 600 E. Grace St., Richmond. modlin.richmond.edu Swan Lake, presented by the Russian National Ballet Theatre. March 10. $20-$27. CAT THEATRE 319 N. Wilkinson Road, Richmond. 804/262-9760; cattheatre.com Disco Lemonade Improv with special guest Starlet Knight. Improvisational one-act play based on audience suggestions. March 11. $12 in advance, $15 at the door. FORDS THEATRE 511 10th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 202/347-4833; fords.org Ragtime, based on E.L. Doctorows novel, confronts both the unbridled optimism and the stark reality of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. March 10 to May 20. $20-$73. KENNEDY CENTER 2700 F St. NW, Washington. 800/ 444-1324; kennedy-center.org Washington National Opera: Dead Man Walking, based on Sister Helen Prejeans real-life memoirs, which also inspired the 1995 film. Through March 11. $45-$300. Washington National Opera: Champion, from Grammy winner Terence Blanchard, tells the real-life story of Emile Griffith, the closeted gay boxer whose knockout of a homophobic rival in the early 1960s led to unexpected tragedy. Through March 18. $35-$300. Shear Madness, a whodunit comedy set in Georgetown. $50 and up.LOW PLAYERS LOW Community Center, 110 Sweetbriar Park Road, Locust Grove. 540/972-6385; lowplayers.org Always Patsy Cline chronicles the friendship between Patsy Cline and a fan, Louise Seger from Houston, who befriended the star in a Texas honky-tonk bar in 1960. March 10, 11, 18 at 7:30 p.m. and March 12 and March 19 at 2 p.m. $29 adults, $25 students. QUILL THEATRE The Branch Museum, 2501 Monument Ave., Richmond. 804/340-0115; quilltheatre.org Historical Reading Series: Soapbox Sisters: An Evening with the Suffragettes, featuring two propaganda plays and an essay by three of the most forward-thinking women of the early 20th century: Mary Shaw, Mary Winsor and Lila Meade Valentine. March 14 at 7 p.m. $16-$20. RICHMOND TRIANGLE PLAYERS 1300 Altamont Ave., Richmond. 804/346-8113; rtriangle.org I Was Here, featuring Billy Christopher Maupin (along with Joshua Wortham and Tristan Dougherty) with new songs, new stories, guest appearances. March 15 at 8 p.m. $20. Choir Boy, a coming-of-age tale about a young man who wants to lead his prep schools gospel choir. Through March 18. RIVERSIDE DINNER THEATER Off U.S. 17 in Falmouth. 540/370-4300; riversidedt.com Saturday Night Fever the Musical based on the 1977 hit movie featuring disco music of the Bee Gees. March 15 to May 7. $45$69. SHAKESPEARE IN THE BURG Hill Schools Shelia Johnson Center for Performing Arts, 130 S. Madison Street, in Middleburg. 703/298-7664; shakespeareintheburg.com Two Gentlemen of Verona, performed by Shakespeare in the Square. April 1 at 7:30 p.m. A brunch, with performances of the winning one-act plays, will be on April 2 at 11 a.m. $45 for Two Gentlemen of Verona, $30 for Sunday brunch.SHAKESPEARE THEATRE COMPANY Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F St. NW, Washington, D.C. 202/547-1122; shakespearetheatre.org King Charles III, a modern history play about Prince Charles accession to the throne following the death of his mother. In association with Seattle Repertory Theatre and San Franciscos American Conservatory Theater. Through March 18. Lansburgh Theatre, 450 Seventh St., Washington, D.C. 202/547-1122; shakespearetheatre.org The Select (The Sun Also Rises) is Elevator Repair Services original adaptation based on the novel The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. Through April 2. SIGNATURE THEATRE 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. 703/820-9771; signature-theatre.org Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing, starring Emmy and Tony winner Debra Monk, is based on the real-life story of Elva Miller. Through March 26. MAX Theatre. Midwestern Gothic tells the story of a small town and a young girl whose wild and twisted imagination drives her to create more and more bizarre diversions. March 14 to April 30. ARK Theatre. VIRGINIA OPERA George Mason Universitys Center for the Arts, Concert Hall, 4373 Mason Pond Drive, Fairfax. 888/945-2468; cfa.gmu.edu. Giacomo Puccinis Turandot is an epic tale of revenge, power and love based on the ancient fable set in imperial China. March 25-26. VIRGINIA REPERTORY THEATRE Hanover Tavern, 13181 Hanover Courthouse Road, Hanover. 804/282-2620; va-rep.org Dancing Lessons, about an awkward professor with Aspergers Syndrome who seeks lessons from his neighbor, an out-of-commission Broadway dancer. Through March 26. $28-$38. Theater Gym, 114 W. Broad St., Richmond. 804/282-2620; va-rep.org Violet tells the story of a young facially scarred womans quest for beauty amidst the image-obsessed landscape of the 1960s. Through March 11. Recommended for ages 13 and up. Contains adult language. $20-$35. WOOLLY MAMMOTH THEATRE 641 D St. NW, Washington, D.C. 202/393-3939; woollymammoth.net. Pike St., a one-woman show by Nilaja Sun, tells the story about a mother whos working hard to keep the electricity flowing for her daughters respirator as a big storm approaches. March 27 to April 23. $20 and up. Compiled by Gail Choochan Four Culpeper-area residents are facing charges in Alexandria accusing them of swindled an 89-year-old woman out of $71,000 for supposedly doing chores around her house. Each of the suspects was indicted on one felony count of conspiracy to obtain money by false pretenses, carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years. They are: Robert R. McCloud Jr., 37, of Culpeper; Pamela Ann McCloud, 32, of Reva; Krystal Marie Mullins, 28, of Culpeper; and Gerald Scott Canard, 25, of Culpeper, according to a news release from the Alexandria Commonwealths Attorneys Office. The four defendants are accused of participating in the scheme in Alexandria between February 2015 and January 2016 in which they claimed to run a contracting business alternately called Trees Unlimited and Unlimited Property Enhancements, according to the news release. The reported victim, who resided in the Taylor Run neighborhood, made payments totaling $71,000 for supposed roof repairs, landscaping and pest removal work and other tasks such as putting mothballs in the attic and the installation of a squirrel alert system, according to the news release. After launching an investigation, Alexandria police detectives and Alexandria Code Enforcement inspected the victims home and saw no evidence of the repairs, the release said. Given the nature of these charges and the fact that other vulnerable seniors may have been victimized, this case constitutes a matter of public import that justifies a limited release of information, Alexandria Commonwealths Attorney Bryan L. Porter said in the news release. He encouraged other members of the public who feel they have been victimized in a similar manner, or knows of someone else who may have been to call the Alexandria Police Department at 703/746-4444. One of two women accused of being involved in a smash-and-grab scheme pleaded guilty in Fredericksburg Circuit Court Thursday, a day after a man involved in the crimes was sentenced. The other woman charged in the case was also expected to enter a plea Thursday, but instead asked for a trial. Shankevia Diane Davis, 25, of Miami, pleaded guilty to three counts of larceny and 13 counts of credit card theft in the case, which stems from three car break-ins in Fredericksburg on Aug. 26. Davis apologized prior to being sentenced. She said she regretted committing the crimes, but that she felt manipulated into committing them. The judge handed Davis a 16-year sentence with all but three months suspended and ordered her to pay restitution. She will split the restitution payment of more than $10,000 with Timothy Ivory Garland and the third defendant, Alexandria Lynn Torres, if Torres is convicted. Torres, 23, of Atlanta, decided in court to ask for a trial, which was set for April 14. Garland, 26, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., entered an Alford plea to three counts of felony larceny, three counts of conspiracy to commit a felony and 13 counts of credit card theft. An Alford plea means a defendant does not admit guilt, but acknowledges that prosecutors have enough evidence for a conviction. He received a 38-year sentence with all but six months suspended. The suspects were accused of being involved in what was known to police as the felony lane gang procedure, prosecutor LaBravia Jenkins said in court on Wednesday during Garlands hearing. In the local case, Jenkins said one of the women identified the cars to target and Garland broke into them. They broke into two cars at the Sport & Health Club in Central Park and one vehicle at the Planet Fitness in the Eagle Village shopping center. Among the stolen items were credit cards, debit cards and checks from the cars, plus a wedding ring worth $7,000 and $2,200 in cash. Prosecutor Justin Witt said on Thursday that police found $8,000 in cash in the suspects car after they were arrested in Hanover County, where they are accused of trying to use the stolen cards and checks. All three suspects face charges in Hanover and the Tidewater area. In Hanover, Garland faces a May 19 trial on identity theft, credit card theft, forgery, racketeering and firearm charges. According to court records, those offenses occurred in late August and early September. Davis and Torres also face credit card theft, racketeering and identity theft charges in Hanover. Davis has a trial scheduled for March 27, while Torres is set to enter a plea that day. Each suspect also faces a felony larceny charge in the Tidewater area, according to Williamsburg/James City County Circuit Court records. By STAR EXPONENT STAFF Two Culpeper-area men were given prison sentences last week for defrauding elderly homeowners in Arlington out of $62,100 in a home-repair case similar to another one in Alexandria that resulted in charges against four other Culpeper-area residents. John Patrick Walsh, 32, of Culpeper and Mark Sisk, 31, of Boston (Va.) were sentenced to serve at least two years in prison and pay $62,100 in restitution to the victims, in addition to several years of probation, according to a news release from the Arlington County Police Department. On Sept. 10, Walsh and Sisk approached the victims residence in the Yorktown neighborhood and fraudulently claimed to be contractors working in the area, according to police. They advised the elderly residents that they were in need of serious home repair and that failure to comply could result in the home catching fire. Throughout the month of September, Walsh and Sisk misrepresented the need for work and provided false information to the victims that work had been performed, police said. Walsh was sentenced to seven years in prison, with all but two years suspended, on the charges of false pretenses and conspiracy. He was ordered to pay restitution to the victims in the amount of $62,100 and ordered to five years of probation upon release from incarceration. Sisk was sentenced to six years in prison, with all but two years and five months suspended, on three charges of false pretenses. He was ordered to pay restitution to the victims in the amount of $62,100 and ordered to three years of probation upon release from incarceration. In the other case, four Culpeper-area residents have been charged with bilking an 89-year-old Alexandria woman out of $71,000 for roof repairs, landscaping and other work that they never performed. Those cases have not gone to trial. Each of the suspects was indicted on one felony count of conspiracy to obtain money by false pretenses, carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years. They are: Robert R. McCloud Jr., 37, of Culpeper; Pamela Ann McCloud, 32, of Reva; Krystal Marie Mullins, 28, of Culpeper; and Gerald Scott Canard, 25, of Culpeper, according to a news release from the Alexandria Commonwealths Attorneys Office. The four defendants are accused of participating in the scheme in Alexandria between February 2015 and January 2016 in which they claimed to run a contracting business alternately called Trees Unlimited and Unlimited Property Enhancements, according to the news release. The reported victim, who resided in the Taylor Run neighborhood, made payments totaling $71,000 for supposed roof repairs, landscaping and pest removal work and other tasks such as putting mothballs in the attic and the installation of a squirrel alert system, according to the news release. After launching an investigation, Alexandria police detectives and Alexandria Code Enforcement inspected the victims home and saw no evidence of the repairs, the release said. Pink buds have blossomed from trees on Spotsylvania Parkways manicured median. Fresh mulch has been spread under many of the birch, plum and cherry trees along a two-mile stretch of the parkway that cuts through the Lees Parke and Virginia Heritage subdivisions. A decorative waterfall sits near the parkways intersection with U.S. 1. The landscaping is picturesqueand expensive. Residents of Lees Parke and Virginia Heritage, a community for adults aged 55 and older, must foot the bill in their homeowners association dues, based on a county-approved Easement and Cost-Sharing Agreement signed in 2005 by Lees Parke developer Fried Cos. and Virginia Heritage developer Lennar Corp. Critics say the pact costs each homeowner more than $100 a year. Some homeowners think it is unfair to bind them indefinitely to a contract they had no say over. But others worry that the parkway will go from scenic to shabby as a result of recently passed legislation to ease the financial burden. Under the bill sponsored by Del. Bobby Orrock, RCaroline County, the Virginia Department of Transportation would take over the parkways landscaping by July 2020, unless the developer-run HOAs and the county work out a new arrangement before then. VDOTs maintenance would be limited to mowing the grass three times a year. It may also cut down trees on the median and alongside the parkway so that crews could mow unobstructedan outcome one homeowner called completely unacceptable. Orrock and Fried Cos. Vice President David Lesser said VDOT would remove trees, though a VDOT spokeswoman said she could not confirm that at this time. VDOT also would shut off the waterfall at the entrance, Orrock said. The House of Delegates and Senate unanimously approved the bill, which Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe must sign or veto by March 27. Lisa Frensley, a Realtor who has lived in Lees Parke since 2007, is upset that most homeowners did not receive notice about the legislation. She acknowledged that the parkways upkeep is expensive, but said its also a selling point for the neighborhood. Home values will decline if VDOT is responsible for landscaping, she said. I know that any homeowner would like to see their HOA dues go down, but not at the expense of trashing the parkway, she said. The Board of Supervisors approved the 2,232-lot Lees Parkewhich includes Virginia Heritagein 2002 with the condition that the developer build the parkway. Fried Cos. also agreed in writing to plant trees, shrubs and perennials along the road. Lesser of Fried Cos. said millions of dollars have been spent on the trees alone. Everyone who purchased homes there knew about the parkway costs, he said, though some residents dispute that. VDOT has told us personally that they would cut down the trees in the median and on the sides and just mow it several times a year as needed for safety, Lesser said. We think this would greatly, greatly hurt the value of the homes in the subdivision and make the community much less desirable to live in. Orrock filed the bill on behalf of a small group of Virginia Heritage residents who dont think they should bear the cost of beautifying a state parkway traveled by thousands of vehicles a day. State legislation passed in 2012 prohibits developers from locking HOAs into contracts for more than five years, he said, but it does not impact earlier agreements. The General Assembly, he said, can always repeal his bill if the county and HOAs do not reach a new contract before July 2020, when landscaping would be turned over to VDOT. Orrock also said hes received conflicting legal opinions over whether his bill could cancel out the existing contract. Im just trying to give [homeowners] an option if they dont want to have to keep doing it forever, he said. They werent at the table, obviously, when the agreement was crafted. Frank Brodersen, one of the homeowners who lobbied for changes, said nobody wants to see weeds in the median. But he says residents deserve a voice at the table, something he hopes Orrocks bill will make possible. Any agreement should follow the 2012 law prohibiting developers from entering into long-term contracts on behalf of HOAs, Brodersen said. He said hes paid about $1,500 toward the parkways landscaping over the 9.5 years hes lived in Virginia Heritage. In a Free LanceStar opinion piece last year, Brodersen and Virginia Heritage resident Ron Witt put the landscaping price tag at more than $200,000 a year. They questioned whether the county could bankroll the parkways landscaping, arguing that the local economy and many residents benefit from the convenient and picturesque roadway that connects to Smith Station Road. Spotsylvania Supervisor Chris Yakabouski, whose Battlefield District includes Lees Parke, said he doubts Spotsylvania would want to pick up the tab because it could set a precedent. More than 1,500 homes have been built in the development so far. Yakabouski said he thinks the entire community should have a say in the matter and do what they want. I dont like when its a top-down decision, especially when some people are left out, Yakabouski said. It doesnt really resolve anything. Brodersen said he just wants to arrive at a just and equitable solution without destroying the appearance of the parkway. Were looking forward to the opportunity to explore the issue in detail with every resident in Lees Parke, he said. (Xinhua) 08:28, March 09, 2017 Huawei, China Mobile, Deutsche Telecom and Volkswagen on Wednesday gave their vision of the future of 5G networks with the publication of the book "5G Service Guaranteed Network Slicing", Huawei Spaininformed in a statement. In the book, the main network providers, operators and their partners explore new business models made possible by the evolution of the current mobile network into the 5G era. The arrival of 5G ultra-wide broadband will allow progress in the world of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the "generation of new industry on an unprecedented scale", the statement said. It will also allow for the growth of other services, such as mobile health services, internet of vehicles, intelligent homes and industries, and better environmental control. The arrival of 5G will bring connectivity to billions of new mobile devices, requiring greater flexibility in network management to cope with the new range of services, with many cloud-based services, using a technique called "network slicing" which allows a network to be segmented to support various different services and business needs. "Huawei is making an effort to build a totally connected and 'cloudified' world through 5G," explained Yang Chaobin, president of Huawei's 5G product line. "5G network slicing allows us to have a logical isolated network based on mobile networks to give different services in the future. Operators, providers, and vertical industries will have to cooperate and open the way for the commercialization of this technology," he said. A car crash in the parking lot of a Wendys in Stafford County resulted in a gas leak that closed the restaurant and several nearby businesses on Wednesday afternoon. According to the Stafford County Fire and Rescue Department, one of the vehicles involved in the crash struck a gas line and remained on top of an underground propane tank, causing a leak into the building. The leak, which occurred around 3:43 p.m., caused the rescue units to evacuate multiple businesses, including the Wendys at 145 Garrisonville Road. Two lanes of the road were closed as a precaution. Rescue units spent two hours on the scene to remove the car from the tank and stop the flow of the gas leak. One driver was taken to an area hospital with injuries that are not life threatening, the fire and rescue department said. Wendys will not reopen until Thursday. Kimberley Hardins favorite Harry Potter series character is Hermione Grangera smart girl like her. Or maybe the brave Harry Potter, himself. But werewolf professor Remus Lupin is one of her favorites, too. Whoever her favorite character is, Kimberley was excited to be sorted into Ravenclaw House Wednesday morning and to attend a potions classjust like she read about in the J.K. Rowling books. She was among the eight students in Amie Canters second- and third-grade class from the Merit School in Stafford who visited the University of Mary Washington to learn about the subtle science and exact art of chemistry in an engaging way with assistant professor of chemistry Leanna Giancarlo. Canters class, called Advanced Concepts for a Better Future, takes accelerated students and helps them delve into in-depth subjects. Last year, their concept was government and students met with mayors and went to the White House. This year, students wanted to learn about being doctors, so they have dissected sharks with UMWs biologists and are beginning to learn chemistry. It helps them focus and drives their interests, she said. It helps them determine what path they might take later in life. The class also has advanced readers who just finished the third book in the series: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Giancarlo didnt exactly teach the students how to bottle fame or brew glory like in the books. Instead she taught them about the three states of matter: gases, liquids and solids. She then showed them the properties of those states through Lego demonstrations and by acting out how molecules behave. Can you see a gas? she asked them. No, the class shouted back. Kind of like Harry Potters invisibility cloak, she said. They nodded along in apparent comprehension. She then had them don wizarding robes (lab coats) and spectacles (protective goggles) to do Harry Potter-themed experiments using household items like water, baking soda, lemon juice, glue and food coloring. The students of Gryffindor HouseAnthony Watkins and Katerina Canningmade Harry Potters Foam and Neville Longbottoms Magic Mystery. Its so good! Katerina exclaimed about the experiments when she and Anthony used corn starch to turn their liquid solution solid. The deal Giancarlo gave the students: If their potions resulted in all three basic forms of matter, they could stay in her class instead of attending potions with Professor Severus Snape, a character from the books. The students sorted into Hufflepuff House were Sajeela Ahmad and Sophia Samsa. Sophia said she liked being a Hufflepuff because they are helpful and I like helping. But potions isnt her favorite aspect of the book. Its so cool, she said. Hermione has a Time-Turner. The students representing Slytherin House were Kaleb Carter and Gavin Wheeler. Like the other students, their experiments were turning out two states of matter, either a liquid and a gas which they could see through bubbles, or a solid and a liquid. Kimberley and fellow Ravenclaw Marlee Howell saw that, too. Their Hermione Grangers Gel turned out a red solid, as did their Luna Lovegoods Oozing Goo. I recognize that from anywhere, Marlee said. Thats goo, so that a solid! Only Giancarlos solo experiment turned out all three states. She demonstrated to the students how dissolving dry ice in water creates a solution with a solid, a liquid and a gas all at once. They should learn young about everything, Giancarlo said about teaching the students advanced concepts. Its fun for them. And its important to spark new knowledge early so they continue learning through middle school, when this sort of interest typically drops off. Organ donation has become a lot easier in China thanks to a simplified registration process brought about by collaboration with the nationally used Alipay online payment platform. Savelife.org.cn, the website sponsored by the China Organ Transplantation Development Foundation, was set up in 2014 aimed at a platform for public organ donation. Savelife.org.cn, or known as love and hope, is the first domestic organ donor registration system. [File photo: China Youth Volunteer] But a complicated registration process and a lack of publicity meant it was largely unknown by the general public. By the end of 2016 there were only a limited number of donors subscribed to the website. The site then upgraded its system on Dec 22, 2016 to use Alipay to help shorten the registration process allowing donors to sign in in just 10 seconds. Alipay's "medical services" page gives a direct link to the registration process for organ donation. [Photo: scol.com.cn] The move has turned out to be a game changer. Over 86 thousand new users had registered to the website three days after the system update, which equals the number who signed up over the last two years. The number then increased to over 100 thousand just two months later. Organ donation in China Over four thousand Chinese citizens donated 11,296 organs including hearts, lungs, livers and kidneys after their death in 2016. An eighty-year-old couple registered for after-death organ donation in February, 2017 in Xi'an. [File photo: Chinese Business View] Statistics also reveal that over 15 thousand organs were transplanted throughout last year, which makes China the second largest country in organ transplantation. Nonetheless organ donation rates in China are still relatively low compared with countries like the United States and parts of Europe where donation rates can reach up to 40 per million of the population. In China it barely reaches 2.98 per million. An earlier survey of organ donation in China shows that 98 percent of respondents are willing to donate. Approximately half of those unwilling were concerned about the complex registering process or don't know where to register their intention to donate. The new upgraded website is expected to make a huge difference to the situation. Gov. Terry McAuliffe has vetoed a bill that would require voters to submit photo ID when requesting a physical absentee ballot, calling it an unnecessary and impractical barrier to absentee voting. House Bill 1428, sponsored by Del. Hyland F. Buddy Fowler Jr., R-Hanover, would require any voter submitting an application for an absentee ballot by mail or by fax to submit with the application a copy of one of the forms of ID acceptable under current law. The bill would exempt from the requirement military and overseas voters and people with disabilities. The requirement would not in any way deter fraudulent voting since it provides no means of verifying the identity of the individual depicted in the submitted photograph, McAuliffe wrote in his veto message. The right to vote is a fundamental tenet of our democracy, and we should be doing all we can to facilitate eligible citizens access to the ballot. This bill would undoubtedly result in the disenfranchisement of qualified eligible Virginian voters and increase the potential for costly and time-consuming litigation. Fowler noted in a telephone interview that people who vote in person on election day or who vote absentee in person already are required to present a form of identification that includes a photo ID. My bill would just kind of close the circle, Fowler said. For people who vote in person, some of the types of photo IDs deemed acceptable under state law include a valid Virginia drivers license or identification card; a valid Virginia DMV-issued veterans ID card; a valid U.S. passport; a government issued photo ID card issued by the U.S. government, the state or a political subdivision; a tribal enrollment ID issued by one of the 11 tribes Virginia recognizes; a valid college or university photo ID from a Virginia school; or an employee ID card with a photo of the voter. Fowler said he is pleased that a majority of his legislative colleagues agreed with me that the bill had merit and would improve the integrity of the ballot. Fowlers bill passed the House of Delegates on a vote of 61-35, on a largely party-line vote. It cleared the Senate on a party-line vote of 21-19. Legislators will consider McAuliffes vetoes and proposed amendments to bills in the April 5 veto session. Overriding a veto would require the votes of two-thirds of the House and two-thirds of the Senate. Lawmakers have never overridden a McAuliffe veto, largely because the Senate is closely dividedRepublicans have a 21-19 edge in the chamber. First-term Irmo Mayor Barry Walker announced Sept. 26 that he had tested positive for the coronavirus. The mayors wife, Susan, also got COVD-19, Walker said on social media. As you know Im a kidney patient and require weekly dialysis, Walker wrote. This virus compromises my immune syste Read moreWhat You Missed: Irmo Mayor Barry Walker gets COVID-19 A Chinese manufacturing tycoon plans to bring 100,000 new jobs to Ethiopia, pledging that his company will help the country to become a new international manufacturing hub. By building factories in Ethiopia, our company has created significant fiscal revenue for local authorities and offers more job opportunities for citizens. In return, we have enjoyed cheaper production costs and preferential land policies, said Zhang Huarong, president of major Chinese footwear producer Huajian Group, at a seminar held by the Center for China & Globalization on March 8. First opened in 2012, Zhangs shoe factory has become a major enterprise in Ethiopia. Its humming production line has created job opportunities for 6,000 locals, offering them an average salary of around 500 RMB per month, a number that is slightly higher than the countrys per capita income. The company has also helped local authorities to obtain more foreign exchange, as its products are favored by many Western companies, including Ivanka Trumpss eponymous shoe line. The harsh living conditions in African countries has scared away many Western companies. Chinese companies, on the other hand, have been working hard to bring industry to Africa, said Zhang. Denouncing Western medias accusations of neocolonialism on the part of China, Zhang noted that Chinese companies have not only helped to spur the development of local economies, they have also brought advanced technologies and management concepts to the continent, offering African nations the opportunity to reshape their economic structures. Though the companys business in Ethiopia is thriving, Zhang noted that there are still obstacles hindering the companys development, including a lack of familiarity with the local people. As a member of CPPCC, China's top political advisory body, Zhang suggested that more favorable policies be made by Chinese authorities for Chinese enterprises in Africa, in an effort to help more people enjoy the benefits of the Belt and Road Initiative. I would like to create 100,000 job opportunities for the African country, and make my company a $10 billion enterprise, Zhang added. 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. The State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of China published a report titled "Human Rights Record of the United Statesin 2016" on Thursday. Following is the full text of the report: Human Rights Record of the United States in 2016 State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of China March 2017 Foreword On March 3 local time, the State Department of the United States released its country reports on human rights practices, posing once again as "the judge of human rights". Wielding "the baton of human rights," it pointed fingers and cast blame on the human rights situation in many countries while paying no attention to its own terrible human rights problems. People cannot help asking about the actual human rights situation of the United States in 2016. Concrete facts show that the United States saw continued deterioration in some key aspects of its existent human rights issues last year. With the gunshots lingering in people's ears behind the Statue of Liberty, worsening racial discrimination and the election farce dominated by money politics, the self-proclaimed human rights defender has exposed its human rights "myth" with its own deeds. -- The frequent occurrence of gun-related crimes led to heavy casualties and the incarceration rate remained high. There were a total of 58,125 gun violence incidents, including 385 mass shootings, in the United States in 2016, leaving 15,039 killed and 30,589 injured (www.gunviolencearchive.org, December 31, 2016). The United States had the second highest prisoner rate, with 693 prisoners per 100,000 of the national population (www.statista.com, April 2016). There had been 70 million Americans incarcerated - that's almost one in three adults - with some form of criminal record (harvardlawreview.org, January 5, 2017). -- Livelihood of middle- and low-income groups was worrisome amid widening income gap. In 2016, the proportion of adult Americans who had a full-time job hit a record low since 1983. Over the last three decades, nearly 70 percent of income ended up in the pockets of the wealthiest 10 percent. The population of U.S. middle-class registered a turning point toward contraction. Besides, one out of seven Americans remained in poverty, with life of 45 million people in strained circumstances. The average life expectancy fell from 78.9 years to 78.8 years as the United States posted a drop in overall life expectancy for the first time in over 20 years. -- Racism continued to exist and racial relations worsened. In 2016, the United Nations' Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent reported to the United Nations Human Rights Council that racial problems were severe in the United States. The colonial history, enslavement, racial subordination and segregation, racial terrorism and racial inequality in the United States remained a serious challenge. Police killings were reminiscent of the past racial terror of lynching. The United States was undergoing a "human rights crisis" (www.un.org, August 18, 2016). -- There was no improvement to the protection of rights of women, children and elders, and the vulnerable groups' rights were seriously violated. Women were paid much less compared to their male colleagues. Women with city government jobs in New York made 18 percent less than men (www.nydailynews.com, April 11, 2016). Women comprised about 60 percent of California workers earning minimum wage or less (www.sandiegouniontribune.com, April 10, 2016). Sexual harassments and assaults took place frequently. Roughly one in four women said they have been harassed on the job (www.usatoday.com, July 7, 2016). A total of 20 percent of young women who attended college during a four-year span said they had been sexually assaulted (www.washingtonpost.com, March 5, 2016). Poverty rate among children remained high and an estimated 6.8 million people aged 10 to 17 are food insecure (www.urban.org, September 11, 2016). Cases of elder abuse happened from time to time and about 5 million older adults were subject to abuse each year (www.csmonitor.com, June 15, 2016). -- The United States repeatedly trampled on human rights in other countries and willfully slaughtered innocent victims. From August 8, 2014 to December 19, 2016, the United States launched 7,258 air strikes in Iraqand 5,828 in Syria, causing 733 incidents with an estimated number of civilian deaths between 4,568 and 6,127 (airwars.org, December 19, 2016). Since 2009, the upper limit of the civilian death toll from U.S. drones stood at more than 800 people in Pakistan, Yemenand Somalia. (www.theguardian.com, July 1, 2016) The issue of illegal detention and torturing prisoners of other countries remained unsolved. -- The United States refused to approve core international conventions on human rights and did not accept UN draft resolutions related to human rights. It still has not ratified core international human rights conventions, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women; the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. At the 71st General Assembly of the UN, the United States voted against draft resolutions related to human rights including "The right to development," "Human rights and unilateral coercive measures," "Promotion of a democratic and equitable international order," and "Declaration on the right to peace" (www.un.org, December 19, 2016). A top nuclear industry executive has made a statement reassuring citizens that China's nuclear power plants boast a high degree of security. "Leak will not occur in China's nuclear power plants, whether currently operating or under construction--even if they are hit by airplanes," said Wang Shoujun, chairman of China National Nuclear Corporation, on March 8. Aside from natural disasters such as earthquakes, another potential risk for nuclear plants is impact from airplanes. Nuclear power plants designed in the past could withstand the impact of small planes. Chinas third-generation nuclear plants, however, designed after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, are able to withstand the impact of commercial aircraft, according to Wang. At the ongoing Two Sessions, Wang, a member of Chinas top political advisory body CPPCC, proposed creating a national Nuclear Science Day to promote knowledge of nuclear technology among the Chinese people. NOTE: this is an archived page and the content is likely to be out of date. Fujitsu today announced that it is making a five-year investment of over 50 million euros (about 6 billion yen) to support digital innovation in France. The goal of the initiative, which is based on collaboration with the French government, is the development of new services and the acquisition of novel technologies. Fujitsu President Tanaka and French Prime Minister Cazeneuve Bernard Cazeneuve, Prime Minister in France, says: "I welcome the engagement of Fujitsu, a world-class actor, which is further proof of France's economic attractiveness, the excellence of French research and the dynamism of French Tech." Tatsuya Tanaka, President of Fujitsu Limited, says: "Fujitsu's vision is to create a Human Centric Intelligent Society by co-creating solutions with customers and partners. To achieve this, Fujitsu aims to grow the number of its partnerships with leading technology companies, research institutions and startups in France, to strengthen its digital business, to significantly increase the scale of its business and to expand its presence in the country." Francois Fleutiaux, Senior Vice President and Head of Sales at Fujitsu in EMEIA, says: "France is a strategically important market for Fujitsu. This is not just because of the high percentage of businesses that see digitalization as a priority, but also for its extensive pool of highly talented mathematicians, digital engineers and its vibrant community of startup companies. We look forward to continuing to advance Artificial Intelligence, by co-creating technologies that will help enterprises embrace the benefits of digital transformation." Background France is Europe's second largest economy and home to its greatest number of Fortune Global 500 companies, many of which have placed a priority on digital transformation. For this reason Fujitsu views France as a strategically important market as it expands its "connected services" globally. The company will apply its extensive knowledge in solutions, systems integration, and infrastructure services, to a wide variety of software that includes cloud and middleware. Fujitsu will then provide its customers with an integrated, end-to-end service. France also has a robust AI ecosystem including skills such as with machine learning and deep learning. Therefore Fujitsu plans for the country to be a key location to develop and expand its digital business. Objective Fujitsu and the French government, including Business France, the national agency supporting the international development of the French economy, have since July 2016 been in talks aimed at combining Japanese know-how and local French expertise, and to contribute to accelerating innovation in France. 1. Establishing a Center of Excellence (CoE) Fujitsu will establish a CoE in Ecole Polytechnique's(1) incubator, Drahi X-Novation(2), which is at the heart of Paris-Saclay, one of the world's preeminent research and technology clusters and that focuses on innovation. From this, Fujitsu will expand the CoE as well as its connections to other innovation ecosystems all around the country. The CoE will work with the Fujitsu Group's research and business development units involved in AI to bring technologies and services that spur innovation in customers' business, primarily in the fields of machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing. Fujitsu will offer the solutions and services generated by the CoE through FUJITSU Digital Business Platform MetaArc, to serve customers in France, the EMEIA region and around the world. In addition, the CoE will offer Fujitsu's IoT, digital marketing, security and other digital solutions to corporate customers, particularly in the retail and manufacturing fields. Going forward, leveraging the CoE's activities, Fujitsu will place particular focus on predictive analytics and other data analysis technologies that lead to solutions to customer management issues, and will further support the digital transformation of French businesses and society. 2. Joint Research in Artificial Intelligence A joint AI research program will be set up by Fujitsu and French research institute Inria(3) starting fiscal 2017(4). The joint research will merge Inria's science with Fujitsu's technologies and will accelerate the development of new AI learning technologies based on cutting-edge mathematics and computer science, with emphasis on the interpretation of IoT data, which poses many challenges for existing technologies. The results achieved through this joint research will be swiftly applied to the "Human Centric AI Zinrai" platform, the framework for Fujitsu's AI offering, and will work to contribute to customers and society. 3. Strengthened Cooperation with Startups Fujitsu already actively works with startups in France. In the past five years, it acquired RunMyProcess(5) and UShareSoft(6). The solutions provided by these companies have been strengthened and are being offered not only in France but also globally to Fujitsu customers through the MetaArc platform. In addition, Fujitsu has been collaborating with Scality(7) since November 2016 on a field trial of intercontinental data center coordination focused on cold data storage. In fiscal 2017, Fujitsu and Scality will expand this project, working with research institutions in France to create efficient scale-out object storage which enables international data sharing. Also in November 2016, Fujitsu entered into a partnership with Bpifrance, France's public investment bank, and is continuing to move forward to identify and strengthen collaboration with promising French startups. 4. Contributing to Digital Human Resource Development The CoE will provide opportunities to participate in actual development projects for startups housed at the Drahi X-Novation Center, where the CoE is located. It will also welcome the talented students and interns of Ecole Polytechnique, who will be offered the chance to participate in research based on actual and real-world business deals. This will actively contribute to the fostering of digital human resources in France. Beyond the current discussions with Ecole Polytechnique, Fujitsu looks to foster similar relationships with major engineering schools and universities that conduct research in France. Toward Continual Development of Japanese-French Innovation Fujitsu is keen to further strengthen the links between France and Japanese businesses and innovation, and is planning to join some of those events for innovation in France and Japan initiatively. Fujitsu plans to maintain its ongoing collaboration with the French government. The company will invite the French government to the Fujitsu World Tour 2017, planned for the summer of 2017, where it will explain the progress of the plans. China's deep sea manned submersible Jiaolong (file photo) China will build an undersea laboratory that is able to simultaneously accommodate dozens of people, said Yan Kai, an NPC deputy and director of China's national key lab for deep sea equipment, according to a Science and Technology Daily report on March 9. "China's deep sea manned submersible Jiaolong can stay in the water for 12 hours and accommodate a few workers; however, the future deep sea space station' could potentially remain underwater for two weeks or even up to several months," Yan explained. Wan Gang, China's minister of science and technology, explained at a national science and technology work conference in January that the deep sea station program is one of the country's "2030 Major Projects" in science and technology, and preparation for the project has already begun. According to Yan, building a deep sea station is no less demanding or difficult than establishing an orbiting space station. The deep sea station must possess a variety of operating equipment, including a small manned submersible in which scientists can travel to and from the seabed. Scientists will also cultivate and study deep sea creatures, explore deep sea minerals, oil and gas, and seek deep sea genes for medical use. Energy is a perennial issue for long stays underwater, but fuel cells and nuclear power offer possible solutions, and new energies may be found in the deep sea, said Yan. The establishment of a deep sea station also involves considerable technological challenges. For example, deep sea exploration requires light, strong and pressure-resistant materials that are difficult to manufacture. In addition, communication, navigation and precise control in the deep sea are essential considerations. Story Highlights 29% of Americans say the U.S. is headed in the right direction Satisfaction level is virtually unchanged from February Republicans remain much more satisfied than Democrats WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Less than a third (29%) of Americans are satisfied with the way things are going in the U.S. in March, essentially unchanged from February. Satisfaction has exceeded 30% once since March 2015, just prior to the November 2016 election. These data, from a March 1-5 Gallup poll, underscore Americans' continued low levels of satisfaction with the direction of the country. The current 29% who are satisfied is below the 37% average since Gallup began asking the question in 1979. Over the years, Americans' satisfaction with the way things are going has ranged from a high of 71% in February 1999 to a low of 7% in October 2008. The high occurred during the dot-com boom, while the low occurred in the midst of the 2007-2009 Great Recession following the passage of the highly unpopular Troubled Assets Relief Program. Republicans Remain Far More Satisfied Than Democrats A majority of Republicans, 54%, say they are satisfied with the direction of the U.S., while 13% of Democrats say the same. Both parties' satisfaction levels are virtually unchanged from last month, despite a flurry of controversy that has beset President Donald Trump's administration, including the resignation of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn over allegations of potentially illegal contact with Russian officials and the withdrawal of Andrew Puzder's nomination for Secretary of Labor in the face of significant opposition. Both Democrats' and Republicans' satisfaction levels shifted substantially between January and February, spanning the final days of Barack Obama's presidency and the beginning of Trump's. Republicans' satisfaction with the direction of the country surged 33 percentage points from 22% in January to 55% in February and then stabilized at 54% this month. The change in Democrats' satisfaction level was less dramatic but still large -- a 14-point decline from 27% in January to 13% in February, with the satisfaction holding steady in March. Satisfaction With the Direction of the U.S., by Party Affiliation January 2017 February 2017 March 2017 % % % U.S. adults 26 30 29 Republicans 22 55 54 Independents 28 23 25 Democrats 27 13 13 Gallup Gallup has previously found shifts in satisfaction levels among party groups after changes in presidential administrations. But the 33-point increase in satisfaction among Republicans in February was the largest shift Gallup has recorded after a change in presidential administration. Bottom Line Despite Gallup's U.S. Economic Confidence Index having risen to a post-recession high of +16 and 87% of Americans indicating they are satisfied with their personal lives, Americans' satisfaction with the direction of the country remains low. Gallup has noted a broad pattern where individuals rate their personal lives or local conditions more highly in comparison with the country as a whole. Therefore, Americans' continued dissatisfaction with national conditions appears to be influenced by more than the health of the economy or how things are going in their own lives. In Gallup's most recent poll, the top problem Americans identified with the country was "dissatisfaction with government or poor leadership," likely contributing to current continued low levels of satisfaction with the direction of the U.S. It is also clear that political concerns are affecting satisfaction: The low readings among Democrats and independents bring the measure down despite much higher levels of satisfaction among Republicans. Historical data are available in Gallup Analytics. China and Pakistan signed a commercial contract for the Dasu hydropower plant on March 8, marking the start of the latters long-delayed energy project. As one of the most important energy projects listed in the Vision 2025 program prepared by the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) in 2001, the Dasu hydropower plant will be built mainly by Chinas Gezhouba Group Co. Ltd. The plant is located 350 kilometers north of Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. Once finished, it will generate 12,000 GWh of energy per annum, shrinking the countrys electricity shortage and creating 8,000 local jobs. According to statistics from WAPDA, the hydropower plant will be operated in accordance with the daily cycle of the nearby river. A 242-meter-high concrete gravity dam and a 74-meter-long reservoir will be built behind the dam. There will also be an underground powerhouse with 12 turbines. Hydropower plants have always been a priority when it comes to infrastructure in Pakistan. The country spends $3.5 billion annually on imported fuel, which is necessary to keep the countrys 9000MW thermal power plants running. This expense accounts for 35 percent of the Pakistan's total imports, China Energy News reported. In addition to the Dasu project, China has also provided funds for the construction of several other hydropower plants in Pakistan. In 2015, Chinas $40 billion Silk Road Fund injected capital into China Three Gorges South Asia Investment Ltd. to develop Pakistans Karot hydropower project and other clean-energy projects, Xinhua reported. Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 9 By Elena Kosolapova Trend: Bosnia and Herzegovina has generally supported the standpoints of Azerbaijan on the issue of sovereignty and territorial integrity, Mladen Ivanic, chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said in an interview with Trend. He noted that Bosnia and Herzegovina supports the existing activities at multilateral level aimed at resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as the activities of the OSCE Minsk Group. Ivanic added that House of Representatives and House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted the resolution on respect and support for sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan in January and February 2013, respectively. He noted that this had great approval and positive reaction in Azerbaijan. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova Readers, we need your help to prove a merry Christmas for victims of domestic violence. Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly said that Frederick and Cindy Riggs had been released from the hospital and had the incorrect ages for both. Cindy Riggs, 52, is at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in fair condition. Frederick Riggs, 54, is in good condition at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center. The Benton County Sheriff's Office has identified the four people involved in Friday's fatal two-vehicle head-on collision on Bellfountain Road. Dustin Ware, 35, of Waldport, died after being transported to Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, the Sheriff's Office said. Alexis Weis, 30, of Albany; Cindy Riggs, 52, of Eugene; and Frederick Riggs, 54, of Eugene, also were transported to the hospital following the crash. Weis remains hospitalized, officials said, but her condition was unknown Wednesday evening. Cindy Riggs was listed in fair condition Thursday in Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland. Frederick Riggs was listed in good condition Thursday at Good Samaritan. According to the Sheriff's Office, Weis was driving a green 1997 Honda Civic south on Bellfountain Road at around 5:40 p.m. Friday when she crossed into the oncoming lane for unknown reasons and crashed into a white 1999 Honda Accord, driven by Frederick Riggs, traveling north. Ware was a passenger in the Civic while Cindy Riggs was a passenger in the Accord. The two vehicles came to a rest about three-quarters of a mile south of Chapel Drive. The crash remains under investigation, but Sheriff Scott Jackson previously has said investigators believe that alcohol was a factor in the crash and that officials were treating the scene as a criminal investigation. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact Sgt. David Iverson at 541-766-6858. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 9 By Elmira Tariverdiyeva Trend: In an open letter to all members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Azerbaijani MP and PACE member Elkhan Suleymanov, president of the Association for Civil Society Development in Azerbaijan (ACSDA), called for wide-ranging reforms given the current dark atmosphere at the institution, the ACSDA said in a press release. Suleymanov said he felt compelled to write his letter following revelations by the Brussels think tank The European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center (ESISC), which on Monday published a comprehensive report (http://www.esisc.org/publications/analyses/11791) uncovering an Armenian Connection network inside PACE that has led a merciless propaganda campaign against Azerbaijan to benefit Armenia. The report titled The Armenian Connection: How a secret caucus of MPs and NGOs, since 2012, created a network within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to hide violations of international law says that these unilateral and untruthful attacks are the tool of a hidden political agenda: to defend Armenias illegal occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and to place the control of all Council of Europe activities in central and eastern Europe in the hands of a small clique that, despite appearances, hides its private interests behind the purview of the defense of human rights. Presenting facts, figures and photos, the 27-page ESISC investigation links some PACE members to Armenia or organizations associated with Armenians. These dangerous politics that associate MPs and larges NGOs must immediately stop, says the report. My country and I were at the receiving end of these attacks and anti-Azerbaijani collusion, Suleymanov said, detailing in his letter how a patchwork of fact and fantasy spread well-prepared slander all over the international media, unfortunately causing irreparable damage to PACE. In particular, he pointed out a Milan court decision, which decided not to bring any charges against Italian politician Luca Volonte, who had been investigated for allegedly accepting bribes by Azerbaijan. All PACE members without exception should respect the Rule of Law, which includes respecting the clear decision by the Milan court, which dropped all charges of corruption, Suleymanov demanded. Suleymanov concluded by noting that deliberately spreading false rumors of corruption is strongly undermining global credibility of the Assembly towards the outside world and new rules should urgently be adopted. 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. Consumers warned : Dubious energy advisers knocking on doors Bonn Beware if you get a knock at the door and someone wants to talk about the energy efficiency of your home. The Consumer Center is warning residents not to engage with shady energy consultants. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken Energy Agency Rhine-Sieg and the NRW Consumer Center are warning about intrusive and dubious energy advisers who are going door to door to make their pitch. They represent themselves as employees of the community or district and offer an energy efficiency survey of the house or a consultation appointment free of charge. Some threaten with a penalty if the offer is not taken. They offer energy advice at no cost but their goal is to get the consumer saddled with expensive and often unnecessary work. The Energy Agency Rhine-Sieg warns against these offers and informs the public that it does not do sales pitches or energy consultations unannounced at the homes of residents. As well, it does not sell the services of those working in the trade. Cherry blossom fest cancellation : Rush on flea market is feared Bonn After the cancellation of the cherry blossom festival this year, the old town flea market is scheduled to take place on April 22nd. According to the city, a resident wants to apply for a permit for the flea market. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken Although the cherry blossom fest is off the table, a flea market may take place in the old town of the Nordstadt on April 22. In a meeting of district representatives of Bonn, there was another discussion about street festivals. It was triggered by a request from Hartwig Lohmeyer, a politician from the Green party who hoped that the city would support residents, for example, with traffic barriers. He said something like that was too much for volunteers to handle. On the one hand, he was opposed to commercialization, but on the other hand he showed understanding that the city needed to have a person responsible in that department. Stefanie Zienitz from the city press office said a private flea market did not need to be registered, only those on public property needed to be registered with the city. Some politicians are now concerned that the flea market in April could somehow turn into a fest, attracting many people and keeping traffic from getting through. Politician Elisabeth Struwe (AfB) said one doesnt need to think about closing areas and blocking off traffic already. Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 9 Trend: First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva has chaired a meeting on the resettlement of refugee and IDP families who are temporarily settled in dormitories in Baku and Sumgayit. Azerbaijans First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva noted that the meeting was dedicated to addressing the problems of Azerbaijanis displaced from their native lands. She said the issue has been in the focus of the Azerbaijani governments attention for more than 20 years. Mehriban Aliyeva hailed the measures taken towards addressing social, educational, employment, housing and medical problems of Azerbaijanis. Azerbaijan's first vice-president noted that nearly 100 state-of-the-art residential complexes for displaced persons have been built in the countrys districts, 250,000 IDPs have been provided with new housing so far. Mehriban Aliyeva said 150 schools, 60 medical centers and kindergartens have been built in these settlements. "Necessary steps have been taken to ensure the employment of these people," she said. "However, many of the displaced families are still living in damaged and destroyed buildings," added Mehriban Aliyeva. The first vice-president underlined the need for taking extra steps to speed up work to improve their living conditions. Azerbaijans First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva noted the importance of resettling refugees and internally displaced persons in new apartments in the cities of Baku and Sumgayit. She also noted that new apartments should be allocated in the new buildings for refugees and IDPs which are being constructed in Baku and Sumgayit. The meeting featured a presentation about the work done to address problems of refugees and IDPs so far. According to the statistics and evidence provided in the presentation, the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict caused damage worth more than $800 billion to Azerbaijans economy. President Ilham Aliyev has signed 55 decrees and executive orders to address social problems of refugees and IDPs and to improve their living conditions since 2003. Ninety-five residential settlements, 151 schools, 58 culture centers, 59 healthcare centers and other infrastructure facilities were built in the country from 2001 to 2016. These measures helped to dramatically reduce poverty among IDPs from 75 percent to 12 percent. Then Azerbaijani deputy prime minister, Chair of the State Committee for Refugee and IDP Affairs Ali Hasanov, Head of Baku City Executive Authority Hajibala Abutalibov, Head of Sumgayit City Executive Authority Zakir Farajov addressed the event. In her closing speech, Azerbaijans First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva said great work has been done to build and reconstruct kindergartens. "But, unfortunately, in some cases these kindergartens do not operate to their full capacity. To tackle this problem, we need to set up a working group that would involve experts of the Ministry of Finance and Baku City Executive Authority." "Today our main target is to provide 4,000 IDP families in Baku and Sumgayit with new apartments. The families living in the most damaged and hardest conditions should be resettled in new buildings as soon as possible," Azerbaijans first vice-president said. Mehriban Aliyeva instructed district executive authorities to put forward proposals on offering employment to refugees and IDPs. Mehriban Aliyeva expressed her confidence that the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be fairly resolved, the countrys territorial integrity will be restored, and refugees and IDPs will return to their native lands. Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 9 By Ilhama Isabalayeva Trend: The latest on the road accident in Baku 12:23 (GMT+4) About 17 injured in a road accident Mar. 9 morning on the Baku-Sumqayit highway were placed in the Sumqayit State Hospital, and four injured were taken to the Baku Clinical Medical Center, two of them are in serious condition, Safaya Ahmadova, head of the press service of Azerbaijans Health Ministry told Trend. One of the injured died right after admission to hospital, she said. Of the number of injured taken to the Sumqayit State Hospital, three were placed in the hospitals traumatology, six in the neurosurgery, three in the surgery department, two in the intensive care unit, and two were rendered outpatient care. Three injured (two from the Sumqayit City Hospital, one from the Baku Clinical Medical Center) were released home. Safaya Ahmadova added that currently, the leading specialists of Azerbaijans Health Ministry have been sent to the hospitals. 11:16 (GMT+4) The number of victims in a road accident Mar. 9 morning on the Baku-Sumqayit highway has increased to five, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Health told Trend. About 20 passengers received injuries and have been taken to hospitals, according to the ministry. The wounded are in fair condition. 10:15 (GMT+4) At least three people died and five received different types of injuries in a road accident Mar. 9 morning on the Baku-Sumqayit highway, Kamran Aliyev, head of the Public Relations Division of the Main Traffic Police Department of Azerbaijan, told Trend. The Ford Transit bus en route from Baku to Sumqayit city collided with a truck, Trends correspondent reported from the accident scene. The bus was transporting students of the Sumqayit State University. Article Protecting the worlds oceans an important goal of Germanys climate diplomacy The worlds oceans are vital to our survival. They regulate the global climate and are a source of food and income for billions of people. Only a very small part of the seas enjoys legal protection, however. Our diplomats are working in New York right now to change this state of affairs. xspraise at 9-03-2017 12:47 AM (5 years ago) (m) A tourist couple visiting Dubai have allegedly been arrested for having sex before marriage after a doctor informed police the woman was pregnant. Iryna Nohai, 27, and Emlyn Culverwell, 29, were enjoying their sunny break when Iryna started experiencing stomach cramaps. A tourist couple visiting Dubai have allegedly been arrested for having sex before marriage after a doctor informed police the woman was pregnant. Iryna Nohai, 27, and Emlyn Culverwell, 29, were enjoying their sunny break when Iryna started experiencing stomach cramaps. Emlyn, originally from South Africa, took his Ukranian fiance to a local hospital where a doctor examined her before discovering she was pregnant. As Iryna lay in her hospital bed, the doctor is said to have notified the authorities she was pregnant and the couple were unmarried. The case was apparently handed to police who arrested the couple for having sex before marriage, which is listed as a criminal offence in the United Arab Emirates. Emlyn's mother Linda said both sides of the family have been desperately searching for answers as to what happens next. Speaking to Netwek24 , she said: "Every time we try to get information, it feels as thought I'm hitting a brick wall. "We don't even know if they have legal representation." Linda claimed the Ukrainian embassy is trying to seek permission for the couple to marry or be deported. While formal charges have allegedly not yet been brought about, Linda said Iryna was undergoing tests to determine how long she had been segxwally active. The couple's families are attempting to send messages of love and find out how they are. Emlyn, originally from South Africa, took his Ukranian fiance to a local hospital where a doctor examined her before discovering she was pregnant.As Iryna lay in her hospital bed, the doctor is said to have notified the authorities she was pregnant and the couple were unmarried.The case was apparently handed to police who arrested the couple for having sex before marriage, which is listed as a criminal offence in the United Arab Emirates.Emlyn's mother Linda said both sides of the family have been desperately searching for answers as to what happens next.Speaking to Netwek24 , she said: "Every time we try to get information, it feels as thought I'm hitting a brick wall. "We don't even know if they have legal representation."Linda claimed the Ukrainian embassy is trying to seek permission for the couple to marry or be deported.While formal charges have allegedly not yet been brought about, Linda said Iryna was undergoing tests to determine how long she had been segxwally active.The couple's families are attempting to send messages of love and find out how they are. Post Reply I am Victor, I write reportage on sport news and latest metro happenings in Nigeria. Posted: at 9-03-2017 12:47 AM (5 years ago) | Hero Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 9 Trend: The 7th Caspian International Road Infrastructure and Public Transport exhibition Road & Traffic 2017 will be held from 26th to 28th April at Baku Expo Center. The Road&Traffic exhibition aims to present the latest achievements in the field of road and tunnel construction, showcase the introduction of modern information technologies in traffic management and the development of solutions to the global crisis in the field of road safety, while providing a forum for a meeting of the manufacturers and operators of public transport. It is a unique platform for businesses to meet with the managers and experts of state road structures of both Azerbaijan and the region as a whole. Companies from Azerbaijan, Germany, Russia, Turkey, USA, the Czech Republic and other countries will present services for road and tunnel engineering and construction, road safety means, traffic barriers, road marking equipment, traffic monitors, software for designing the city infrastructure, intelligent transport management systems, buses and much more. This year Baku Transport Agency will be among the exhibition participants for the first time. The Road & Traffic 2017 exhibition will create ideal conditions to meet with the heads and experts of the regions leading road construction companies, to get acquainted with current and future plans of the government in the field of optimization of the public transport in Baku and other cities of Azerbaijan, and to consider the possibility of participating in these projects. Traditionally, the exhibition will present a number of innovations, including Urban and Cordoba road lightening products and the Novoplast primer. Road&Traffic will take place alongside with TransCaspian/Translogistica the 16th Caspian International Transport, Transit and Logistics exhibition and the 4th Caspian International Boat and Yacht Show CIBS 2017. felicilin at 9-03-2017 11:03 AM (5 years ago) (f) Three boys were brutally murdered by suspected ritualists in need of human blood around 3am on Wednesday at an Islamic school in Tungan Magajiya, Rijau Local Government of Niger State. Three boys were brutally murdered by suspected ritualists in need of human blood around 3am on Wednesday at an Islamic school in Tungan Magajiya, Rijau Local Government of Niger State. The ritualists had attacked five of the boys initially. Three of the boys died instantly while one who was rushed to a nearby hospital died later. The throats of the victims were also removed after being slaughtered and their blood was collected in a container for usage, the deceased boys were between the ages of eight and 13 years old. According to Vanguard, one of the affected Mallam (cleric) whose confirmed that the boys were attacked while sleeping and they cut and removed their throats. The Niger state Command, Police Public Relations Officer PPRO, DSP Bala Elkana, confirmed the incident, saying it was an attack on five boys but three died. Elkana said, It was suspected ritualists because they took away the victims blood around 3am on Wednesday. He stated that investigation is ongoing and that the suspects would be tracked down even as he said two of the victims survived and assured that the suspects when apprehended will be made to face the full wrath of the law. The ritualists had attacked five of the boys initially. Three of the boys died instantly while one who was rushed to a nearby hospital died later. The throats of the victims were also removed after being slaughtered and their blood was collected in a container for usage, the deceased boys were between the ages of eight and 13 years old.According to Vanguard, one of the affected Mallam (cleric) whose confirmed that the boys were attacked while sleeping and they cut and removed their throats.The Niger state Command, Police Public Relations Officer PPRO, DSP Bala Elkana, confirmed the incident, saying it was an attack on five boys but three died.Elkana said, It was suspected ritualists because they took away the victims blood around 3am on Wednesday.He stated that investigation is ongoing and that the suspects would be tracked down even as he said two of the victims survived and assured that the suspects when apprehended will be made to face the full wrath of the law. Post Reply Posted: at 9-03-2017 11:03 AM (5 years ago) | Hero The content you are looking for has either been removed or requires you to login to view Please login below or register for an account With Naijapals.com clarajancita at 9-03-2017 03:58 PM (5 years ago) (f) Hussein Mukhtar the leader of the dreaded terrorist group in Somalia that has killed many people has finally surrendered. The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) on Thursday confirmed that the leader of the militant group al-Shabaab has surrendered to government forces in Baidoa town in southern Somalia. Hussein Mukhtar the leader of the dreaded terrorist group in Somalia that has killed many people has finally surrendered. The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) on Thursday confirmed that the leader of the militant group al-Shabaab has surrendered to government forces in Baidoa town in southern Somalia. The AU mission confirmed that Hussein Mukhtar surrendered to the Somali National Army (SNA) on Tuesday following a government amnesty offer for militants to surrender. The AU mission confirmed that Hussein Mukhtar surrendered to the Somali National Army (SNA) on Tuesday following a government amnesty offer for militants to surrender. Quote AMISOM calls on Al-Shabaab fighters to heed the governments amnesty, AMISOM said in a statement. It called on al-Shabaab militants to lay down their weapons and join the Somali people to rebuild their county. AMISON hopes that other sons and daughters of Somalia who have been misled into terrorist acts will emulate the courageous action of Mukhtar, it said. The Somali government announced an amnesty offer in 2014 to members of the al-Qaida linked group al-Shabaab, which had been launching attacks on government forces and AMISOM. We recalls that Al-Shabab once controlled much of southern and central Somalia and imposed a harsh form of Islamic law that banned music and led to public amputations for accused thieves. Government and African Union troops have recaptured most of the territory, but the militants were still able to kill several members of parliament last year, and launch two major assaults on the presidential palace. The Somali government first offered amnesty to al-Shabab fighters last September, after al-Shababs top leader Ahmed Godane was killed in a U.S. airstrike. Since Godanes death, al-Shababs leaders have been divided, but it has remained a strong fighting force and challenge to the Somali government. In words directed at the militants , then president Hassan Mohamud said he knows many al-Shabab members joined for it said.The Somali government announced an amnesty offer in 2014 to members of the al-Qaida linked group al-Shabaab, which had been launching attacks on government forces and AMISOM.We recalls that Al-Shabab once controlled much of southern and central Somalia and imposed a harsh form of Islamic law that banned music and led to public amputations for accused thieves.Government and African Union troops have recaptured most of the territory, but the militants were still able to kill several members of parliament last year, and launch two major assaults on the presidential palace. The Somali government first offered amnesty to al-Shabab fighters last September, after al-Shababs top leader Ahmed Godane was killed in a U.S. airstrike.Since Godanes death, al-Shababs leaders have been divided, but it has remained a strong fighting force and challenge to the Somali government.In words directed at the militants , then president Hassan Mohamud said he knows many al-Shabab members joined for Quote reasons that made sense at the time, including the need for money, or a sense they were proving themselves to be good Muslims or good Somalis. But, he added, What you did does not have to dictate the rest of your life. Mohamud acknowledged some Somalis are uneasy about amnesty for al-Shabab members. He said those who defect go through a process of supervised rehabilitation and are monitored by Somali security forces to ensure they continue to reject the militant group. He asked Somalis to accept the need for concession and to exercise forgiveness in order to close a dark chapter in Somalias history. Mohamud acknowledged some Somalis are uneasy about amnesty for al-Shabab members. He said those who defect go through a process ofand are monitored by Somali security forces to ensure they continue to reject the militant group.He asked Somalis to accept the need for concession and to exercise forgiveness in order to close a dark chapter in Somalias history. Post Reply I am a metro reporter on Gistmania, I have been publishing news materials for over 5 years Posted: at 9-03-2017 03:58 PM (5 years ago) | Hero Supports Android Nougat This phone not only supports 4G LTE network speed but also the first BlackBerry device in the world to have Android. Nougat being the most advanced operating system of Android, Blackberry Aurora offers this to the user. This Android operating system also makes the BlackBerry Aurora energy consumption lower. Equipped with Dual-sim funtionality It is the first BlackBerry device to be equipped with dual-SIM functionality.Inserting or removing the micro SIM card into the smartphone can be done in an easy way, without the need to use a SIM card ejector like other smartphones. Elegant display and longer battery life The smooth curve on each side of the phone makes it pleasing to hold in the hand and usage of lightweight materials adds to its comfortability. It has AMOLED 5.5-inch display with an HD resolution of 720x1280 pixels. The Wider display allows users to watch videos and access menus with more leverage. The smartphone is equipped with a highly reliable battery with a capacity of 3000mAh, which makes the longer standby time. Availability This phone is available in three different colors - Gold, Silver and Black and can be pre-ordered at a price of Rp. 3,499,000 in various online e-commerce in Indonesia until Sunday, March 12, 2017. Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 9 By Azad Hasanli Trend: The Azerbaijan-Ukraine business forum will be held in Kiev next week as part of Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayevs visit to the Ukrainian capital, said the Azerbaijani Economy Ministry. The Azerbaijani delegation will comprise representatives of the government and entrepreneurs, the ministry said, adding prospects of expanding cooperation are to be mulled during the visit. Trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Ukraine amounted to about $334.2 million in 2016, according to Azerbaijans State Customs Committee. CIA using technique to impersonate Russian hackers: Leaks Iran Press TV Wed Mar 8, 2017 7:30AM The CIA has routinely used techniques that enable the spy agency's hackers to stage false-flag operations in cyberspace and leave behind "fingerprints" of hackers from Russia, according to the latest internal documents published by WikiLeaks. The whistle-blowing website said on Tuesday that it had obtained and published thousands of documents from the Central Intelligence Agency that reveal its hacking and spying secrets. One section titled "Umbrage" details the CIA's ability to impersonate cyber-attack techniques used by hackers in Russia and other countries. The explosive leaks provide potential ammunition to supporters of President Donald Trump, who claim the alleged Russian hacking attacks against the 2016 presidential election could be a false-flag operation carried out by his domestic foes. In theory, the hacking technique enables the CIA to fake digital forensic fingerprints to make the Russians look guilty of infiltrating the Democratic organizations such as the Democratic National Committee (DNC). The CIA rules say agency hackers must deploy cyber tools in a way that could not be traced back to the "CIA, U.S. government, or its witting partner companies," according to WikiLeaks. In addition, the documents showed that the CIA sneaks into high-tech phones and televisions to spy on users around the world. "I suspect many will be outraged by this development, and will assume that the CIA used these techniques broadly to surveil American citizens through their TVs, smartphones, computers, and other devices," Jeff Williams, chief technology officer and cofounder of Contrast Security, was quoted by the Wired magazine. WikiLeaks claimed that nearly all of the CIA's cyber tools have been stolen and are potentially in the hands of foreign spies and former US government hackers and contractors. "I am deeply disturbed by the allegation that the CIA lost its arsenal of hacking tools. The ramifications could be devastating," Congressman Ted Lieu of California said in a statement. "We need to know if the CIA lost control of its hacking tools, who may have those tools, and how do we now protect the privacy of Americans." "The potential privacy concerns are mind-boggling," he said. The anti-secrecy website said it published the documents to expose the hazardous ramifications of the CIA's covert hacking program as well as the massive theft of its cyber weapons. The CIA has declined to confirm whether the documents are genuine. "We do not comment on the authenticity or content of purported intelligence documents," said Heather Fritz Horniak, an agency spokeswoman. The publication has also highlighted profound fear about the vulnerabilities of classified intelligence and documents in federal agencies. "We've got to do a lot more," Senator John McCain told reporters Tuesday afternoon. "If they can hack the CIA, they can hack anybody." "My biggest worry is they showed a capability that they can hack into some of our most important secrets, our most important classified material, that's what bothers me," the Arizona Republican added. Asked if he believed Russia was involved in the CIA hack, McCain sarcastically said, "No, never, never Somebody in the basement of his house smoking cigarettes in his underwear was responsible." The sharp retort appeared to be a reference to Trump's claim before his election that the DNC hacking could have been carried out by anyone from the Chinese to a "400-pound guy" lying in his bed somewhere in the US. The WikiLeaks dump came amid an ongoing feud between President Trump and the US intelligence community over Russia's alleged efforts to influence the November election in favor of the Republican billionaire. Trump has also claimed, so far without offering any evidence, that his successor, Barack Obama, had his telephones tapped during the campaign. The new president called for Congress to investigate his claim. Top Republicans investigating Russia's alleged interference in the US election declined Tuesday to back up Trump's wiretapping allegations. Devin Nunes, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and one of Trump's strongest supporters in the lower chamber, said, "At this point, we don't have any evidence of that." "As you all know, the president is a neophyte in politics. And I think a lot of the things he says, you guys sometimes take literally," Nunes said at a press conference. Meanwhile, White House spokesman Sean Spicer defended Trump's charge against Obama when asked if the president regretted his accusation. "No. Absolutely not," Spicer said during his first on-camera briefing in more than a week. "Why would he withdraw it until it's adjudicated? It's not that he's walking anything back or regretting." However, when he was pressed by reporters for proof, Spicer said, "That's probably a level above my pay grade." "It's not a question of new proof or less proof or whatever," he added. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Leaked CIA Documents Show Frankfurt As Regional Hub For Cyberespionage RFE/RL March 08, 2017 The U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt was the hub for U.S. cyberespionage in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, according to some of the thousands of purported Central Intelligence Agency documents released by WikiLeaks. WikiLeaks on March 7 published what it says are almost 9,000 documents taken from the CIA's Center for Cyber Intelligence that purportedly are part of a U.S. cyberespionage toolkit. The CIA has declined to comment. The German government said on March 8 that it took the publication seriously and was in close touch with U.S. authorities about the issue, but could not verify the authenticity of the documents. Experts who have begun to examine the material said it appears legitimate. The latest release has renewed scrutiny of WikiLeaks. During the 2016 U.S. presidential election campaign, the organization released embarrassing e-mails that had been hacked from key figures in Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign team. The timing of the release of the hacked e-mails has been blamed for influencing U.S. public opinion and undermining Clinton's race against Republican Donald Trump. In January, the U.S. intelligence community issued a report that said, among other things, Wikileaks had been a conduit for the e-mails that were hacked by the Russian military intelligence agency, GRU. That assessment has been embraced by a growing number of U.S. lawmakers and policy makers. "Wikileaks was used by President Putin and Russia to advance their agenda to disrupt our election. So that was clear," Senator Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told RFE/RL. "The information was obtained by Russia; Russia gave it to Wikileaks as part of a strategy that needs to be part of our investigation." The documents appear to reveal internal CIA discussions concerning techniques used to hack devices and showed that CIA hackers could get into Apple iPhones, Google Android devices, and other gadgets in order to capture text and voice messages before they were encrypted with sophisticated software. In Europe, CIA hackers were given diplomatic passports and cover from the U.S. State Department, according to the documents. Operatives would tell German border police that they were entering the country to provide the consulate with technical support. "Breeze through German customs because you have your cover-for-action story down pat, and all they did was stamp your passport," the instructions said, adding employees should take advantage of airline Lufthansa's free alcohol "in moderation" and not leave electronic devices in their hotel rooms for security reasons. If the release does prove to be authentic, it would be another major breach for the U.S. intelligence community at the hands of WikiLeaks, an antisecrecy group led by Julian Assange, and its collaborators. WikiLeaks has been hinting at the release for the past month. It said on March 7 that the CIA had "recently" lost control of a massive arsenal of CIA hacking tools and related documentation. WikiLeaks said that "the archive appears to have been circulated among former U.S. government hackers and contractors in an unauthorized manner" and that one of them "provided WikiLeaks with portions of the archive." CIA spokesman Jonathan Liu said the intelligence agency did "not comment on the authenticity or content of purported intelligence documents." Former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, who has been living in Russia under an asylum deal since his leaks of classified information in 2013, said the documents showed the U.S. government deliberately put the public at risk of attack by leaving vulnerabilities in software and hardware. "The CIA reports show the USG developing vulnerabilities in US products, then intentionally keeping the holes open. Reckless beyond words," Snowden wrote on Twitter. WikiLeaks published only small portions of computer code from the hacking tools drawn from what it said was a data set of several hundred million lines of code, including the CIA's "entire hacking capacity." It did not release the full programs someone would require to carry out an operation and said it wasn't publishing usable code "until a consensus emerges on the technical and political nature of the CIA's program and how such 'weapons' should be analyzed, disarmed, and published." White House spokesman Sean Spicer refused to confirm or deny the authenticity of the materials. But he noted that the alleged theft took place during the administration of Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama. "This alleged leak should concern every single American," Spicer told reporters on March 8, noting also the potential national security implications. With reporting by AP, Reuters, AFP, dpa, Deutsche Welle, and The New York Times Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/us-wikileaks -cia-leak-frankfurt-hub- cyberespionage/28357299.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 Germany Taking WikiLeaks Information on CIA Surveillance 'Very Seriously' Sputnik News 16:53 08.03.2017 Germany is in constant contact with the United States on the issues of cybersecurity and is taking information released by WikiLeaks on Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) espionage seriously, German Foreign Ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer said Wednesday. BERLIN (Sputnik) On Tuesday, whistleblowing website WikiLeaks began releasing what it called an unprecedentedly large archive of leaked information related to the CIA. The CIA can hack smartphones and access encrypted information from Telegram, WhatsApp, Signal and Wiebo messengers, WikiLeaks stated citing confidential information leaked from the CIA. "As you know, we are in constant contact with our US colleagues, you know that the issues of this kind emerge again and again. We take this information very seriously and are in touch on this issue with the US side," he told a briefing. The spokesman added that they had no own data on the documents and he could not judge their authenticity. Commenting on the revelation, Edward Snowden, former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor turned whistleblower, said that alleged CIA files released by WikiLeaks seemed "authentic" and "a big deal." Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address German Domestic Intelligence Marks Increase of Turkish Spying Activities Sputnik News 00:22 09.03.2017 Germany's domestic intelligence service registered a boost in Turkish spying activities. BERLIN (Sputnik) Germany's BfV domestic intelligence service registered a boost in Turkish spying activities in Germany, Hans-Georg Maassen, the agency's head, said on Wednesday. "Now there is a significant rise of activities of the Turkish intelligence services in Germany," Maassen said, as quoted by the DPA news agency. He said that the Turkish intelligence services focused on political opponents of the country's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "We have seen for a long time that the conflicts in Turkey influence the security situation in Germany," Maassen added. German-Turkish relations have significantly deteriorated recently. On March 5, Erdogan drew parallel between the German authorities and Nazis criticizing Berlin for banning Ankara's campaign rallies on German soil ahead of a crucial vote on the constitutional reform in Turkey. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Joint medical exercise hits the beach By Capt. Leslie Forshaw, 920th Rescue Wing Public Affairs / Published March 08, 2017 PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) -- More than 250 military medics from 12 units across the country converged at the 920th Rescue Wing for a joint medical exercise February 27 through March 5 to hone their capabilities for real-world wartime emergencies. The 920th Aeromedical Staging Squadron hosted the fifth annual MEDBEACH, a joint service exercise, to prepare military medical personnel for deployments by offering realistic hands-on scenarios one could encounter during combat. The exercise also provided 920th RQW reservists an opportunity to work hand-in-hand with their active duty Air Force, Air and Army National Guard and civilian counterparts. "This exercise reinforces the total-force concept between services and within our own unit," said Maj. Stephen Grant, the 920th RQW ASTS training coordinator and a Jacksonville, Florida, native. "We try to mimic the most realistic situations possible during the exercise so our troops can walk into a deployment confident in their own skills, and the skills of those deployed with them." MEDBEACH 2017 is designed not only to provide realistic training, but to do it on a budget that saves taxpayers up to $2 million by having military train military. Cost-saving comes naturally to this exercise because one weekend of intense training fulfills several annual training requirements which normally require Airmen to travel to different locations at different times throughout the year. This year's participants will receive up to 60 hours of combat readiness medical evacuation credit and full-scale exercise credit. Medics from the 45th Space Wing also participated in the simulated wartime training. "We don't have medical deployments here; we run a clinic," said Col. Julie Stola, the 45th Medical Group commander. "From the active duty perspective, the reservists do their jobs all the time. This is why we rely on the total-force adage." Grant echoed the importance of the total-force concept of the different components working together. "The working relationship among the 45th SW and 920th RQW is imperative, so it's a no-brainer that we should also train together," Grant said. The work-together, train-together sentiment was the thread that wound its way through the entire exercise. An C-17 Globemaster III aircraft and an Army National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter transported battlefield-injured service members. Utilized in this year's exercise, was a state-of-the-art machine called the Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation machine, more commonly referred to as ECMO, and with it came a specialized team from the San Antonio Military Medical Center in Texas. "This machine is amazing," Grant said. "It takes a patient that would otherwise die from significant trauma to the lungs due to a blast, infections, etc., and allows the lungs to rest by circulating blood through an artificial lung and back into the bloodstream." It's a cradle-to-grave technology because the machine can save a life at any age, Grant said. The MEDBEACH coordinator noted that the exercise's hands-on nature is what makes it so valuable. "These exercises require out-of-box thinking and the ability to work under pressure," Grant said, "just as they would face downrange." The steps taken during wartime injuries are clear, but not always concise. From the time of injury, it's a rush to get that patient off the battlefield and to the care they desperately need. The minute a service member is injured, first aid is administered on site, while a call for help is dispatched to the nearest rescue facility. Then, a recovery unit is sent to pick up the patient usually a rescue helicopter and take them to the closest combat hospital where they are handed to medics to determine their needs. Depending on that outcome, they are treated and either sent back to the United States for continuing care, or back to duty. Combat survival rate is more than 90 percent due to an efficient patient-movement system, Grant said. But due to fiscal constraints and limited manpower, it can be a challenge to keep medical Airmen trained on the latest and greatest. "We have a lot of corporate knowledge here, and a lot of Airmen who have never deployed," said Lt. Col. Corey Anderson, the 920th ASTS commander. "These are the most realistic scenarios most of them will see before an actual deployment. I'm impressed at how well we make realistic training for our members here. It's exciting to be able to provide these realistic training opportunities to our Airmen." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Officials Provide Details of Latest Counter-ISIS Strikes From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release SOUTHWEST ASIA, March 8, 2017 U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today. Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports. Strikes in Syria In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 20 strikes consisting of 25 engagements against ISIS targets: -- Near Abu Kamal, two strikes destroyed two wellheads. -- Near Dayr Az Zawr, 13 strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed six wellheads, three gas-oil separation plants, a vehicle, a fighting position, a vehicle-borne bomb, a weapons storage facility and a tank. -- Near Manbij, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a tactical vehicle. -- Near Raqqa, four strikes destroyed three fighting positions, two tunnels, a vehicle repair facility and a tactical vehicle. Strikes in Iraq In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 12 strikes consisting of 75 engagements against ISIS targets, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government: -- Near Beiji, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and an ISIS staging area. -- Near Mosul, six strikes engaged five ISIS tactical units and an ISIS staging area; destroyed nine fighting positions, four mortar systems, three vehicle-borne bombs, two vehicle bomb factories, two vehicles, a supply cache, an unmanned aerial vehicle launch site, a medium machine gun, an ISIS-held building, a watercraft and a command-and-control node; damaged 11 supply routes and a fighting position; and suppressed two ISIS tactical units and a sniper team. -- Near Qaim, two strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed two vehicles. -- Near Sinjar, a strike destroyed an artillery system and two supply caches. -- Near Tal Afar, two strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed an ISIS-held building, a weapons cache, a tactical vehicle, an ISIS headquarters and an improvised weapons factory. Part of Operation Inherent Resolve These strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The destruction of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria also further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct external operations throughout the region and the rest of the world, task force officials said. The list above contains all strikes conducted by fighter, attack, bomber, rotary-wing or remotely piloted aircraft; rocket-propelled artillery; and some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. A strike, as defined by the coalition, refers to one or more kinetic engagements that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single or cumulative effect. For example, task force officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIS vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of ISIS-held buildings and weapon systems in a compound, having the cumulative effect of making that facility harder or impossible to use. Strike assessments are based on initial reports and may be refined, officials said. The task force does 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Senior Enlisted Military Advisors Call for Budget Certainty By Lisa Ferdinando DoD News, Defense Media Activity WASHINGTON, March 8, 2017 The military's senior enlisted members appeared before Congress today to discuss quality of life issues and advocate for budget certainty to maintain military superiority and recruit and retain the best people. Army Sgt. Maj. Daniel A. Dailey, Navy Master Chief Petty Officer Steven S. Giordano, Marine Sgt. Maj. Ronald L. Green, and Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Kaleth O. Wright spoke to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies. "If you want to continue to retain and attract quality people under the current end strength of our all-volunteer force, we must continue sustainment efforts, as was the case in last year's Congress," Dailey said. Investments in service members is an investment in readiness and the future of the force, he pointed out. Providing the funding to take care of the service members and their families results in improved readiness, he and the other advisors pointed out. "Ours is a life of hardship and we must do what we can to manage it in order to keep our sailors focused on their jobs, satisfied with their service and comfortable in knowing their families are stable," Giordano said. He said providing sailors the ability to devote their full attention and capabilities to the mission is critical in strengthening the force and ensuring successful execution of the Navy mission. "Ensuring the sailors and their families are taken care of guarantees the Navy maintains maritime superiority and readiness," he said. Funding Needed to Maintain Best Personnel The military will not be able to recruit and retain the best people if it is not able to offer them much in the way of incentives and improved quality of life, the senior enlisted advisors said. "The fiscal situation over the past few years, coupled with the drawdown, has caused some of the highest quality Marines to walk away from the Corps with their families," Green said. "If you ask me what you can do for us as a Corps today, I would tell you fiscal certainty," he said. Wright expressed concerns about proposed changes to compensation, specifically in the form of basic allowance for housing, or BAH, in the fiscal year 2017 National Defense Authorization Act. "The regressive nature of the proposed legislation effectively removes BAH as a part of regular military compensation, which could severely limit our ability to recruit and retain our airmen," he said. Such a move, Wright said, would reverse nearly 20 years of legislative action that ensured service members were appropriately compensated in line with the private sector. "While we remain mindful of current budget pressures across the Defense Department, cost savings need to be tempered by the need to retain our talent, which is truly a national asset," he said. Facebook Group is Against Corps Values Green addressed the controversy in which members of a private Facebook group shared explicit photographs of female Marines. Naval Criminal Investigative Service is investigating, he said. "We absolutely denounce the actions of any Marine, presently serving, whether active reserve or veteran, that go against our Corps values of honor, courage and commitment," Green said. Actions that disrespect fellow Marines hurt the force and its combat effectiveness, he said. "Such conduct tears away the very fibers of unit cohesion, our families and, most of all, the trust that sustains us on the battlefield and brings us together as a band of brothers and sisters," Green said. The Corps strives to ensure its people are treated with dignity and respect, he said, adding, "We're all part of the solution or the problem." The commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Robert B. Neller, said yesterday in a video message to the force that the actions were harmful to other Marines, disrespectful and not reflective of the core values of the service. "When I hear allegations of Marines denigrating their fellow Marines, I don't think such behavior is that of true warriors or warfighters," Neller said, noting the investigation is under way and changes will be made, if needed. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Flintlock 2017 Exercise Enhances Interoperability in Africa By Marine Corps Maj. Nicholas Mannweiler U.S. Africa Command SOUTHERN ZONE, Morocco, March 8, 2017 Military representatives from Morocco and the United States held an opening ceremony Feb. 27 for the Flintlock 2017 exercise at the Tifnit training base here, marking another milestone in a relationship between their nations that began in the 1700s. More than 2,000 military personnel from 24 African and Western nations are participating in the 10th annual iteration of the exercise, which continues until March 16 across seven African host nations. The exercise, sponsored by U.S. Africa Command, strengthens security institutions, promotes multilateral sharing of information and develops interoperability among counterterrorism partners from across Africa's Sahara region. Deep U.S.-Morocco Roots African partner special operations forces and U.S. Special Operations Command Africa jointly plan and execute the exercise, highlighting the sense of shared purpose across the continent as partners strengthen themselves and their regional network against violent extremists. For Morocco and the United States, the roots run deep in this partnership. Morocco formally recognized the United States by signing a treaty of peace and friendship in 1786 between U.S. Minister Thomas Barclay and the Sultan of Morocco, Sidi Muhammad, in Marrakesh, according to the U.S. State Department website. The relationship matured with the naming of James Simpson as the first American consul in 1797 in Tangier. Sultan Mawlay Suleiman gifted the consulate a building and grounds to use, marking the first property owned by the U.S. government on foreign shores. In all of American history, no other country has maintained its treaty relationship with America for as long as Morocco. Flintlock 2017 is the most recent in a long line of actions and expressions of solidarity between the two nations. "Morocco plays a key leadership role in Africa and we are honored by the continued partnership and friendship between our two countries. We look forward to working with you over the next few weeks," Morocco's special operations command exercise instructor said. 'A Golden Opportunity' Brig. Gen. Mohammed Benlouali, operations commander for Morocco's Southern Zone, delivered remarks on behalf of the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces. "These types of activities, as well as other joint combined Moroccan-American exercises, are a golden opportunity to further enhance the ties of military cooperation between our two countries," he said. "We will stand ready and willing to take maximum benefit from this period of training to further promote our knowledge and know-how in the field of special forces," he said. Marines from Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command are training alongside their Moroccan peers, refining tactics, techniques and procedures across multiple full-mission profiles. The two forces specifically are training on small-unit special operations forces tactics, weapons training and fire support, lifesaving first aid and trauma care, command and control, and force protection. The shared training experiences will develop the two partners' ability to plan, coordinate and operate as an integrated team and will strengthen the bond between the two countries. The Moroccan Royal Armed Forces have contributed to United Nations peacekeeping missions around the world and provide a center of stability and security across the Sahel region. Countering the threat posed by violent extremist organizations around the world demands proficiency, coordination and enhanced interoperability. While regional security is the main focus of Flintlock 2017, the lessons learned and investments in relationships will allow participants to share the burdens of managing conflicts and improve their ability to provide security solutions that meet threats at their origin, exercise officials said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Polish and U.S. forces conduct CBRN training By Sgt. Justin Geiger March 8, 2017 U.S. Soldiers assigned to 588th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division and Polish soldiers with the 10th Armored Calvary Brigade, participated in a simulated Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear reconnaissance exercise Mar. 7, 2017 at Swietoszow Training Area in Swietozow, Poland to improve Allied capabilities and leverage the power of the Army's "Total Force". The Bi-lateral training event, part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, integrated assets from U.S. and Polish CBRN platoons allowing each platoon to evaluate and assess each other's standard operation procedures. We're having a bi-lateral simulated CBRN training exercise, said Polish Army 2nd Lt. Wiola Wojciak, CBRN platoon leader for 10th ACB. First, our platoon will respond to two simulated CBRN scenarios while the U.S. CBRN Soldiers evaluate our techniques. Afterward, the U.S. Soldiers will conduct the same exercises, as we assess their reactions to the scenarios. Training together provides us the opportunity to improve our techniques and operation procedures. The day's training was broken down into two parts, route and area reconnaissance, where each platoon was evaluated on their ability to assess and react to a CBRN attack. "Today we're conducting route reconnaissance and area reconnaissance training with our Polish counterparts," said Staff Sgt. Jacob Mcintyre, CBRN platoon sergeant, 588th BEB, 3rd ABCT, 4th ID. "This allows us to test interoperability using Polish operating procedures and U.S. CBRN procedures as well." Mcintyre also discussed some of the capability gaps that they encountered during the training exercise. "One issue we ran into is communication," Mcintyre said. "But that was just testing it and seeing how it would work, where it is compatible because we don't have the same frequencies. However, we were able to find a system that works." Training provides the unique opportunity to evaluate and assess each platoons strengths and weaknesses. Training alongside NATO Allies delivers interoperability, increases readiness and improves capabilities. "In this specific instance, not a lot of brigades have CBRN assets at their disposal," said Sgt. Jack Johnson, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 4th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment (Black Jack), 3rd ABCT, 4th ID. "So now we understand that our Polish counterparts have a real high-level capability for CBRN reconnaissance and decontamination." "If friendly forces should ever encounter those threats, we know someone we can call to help take care of our people." ----- U.S. Army Europe is uniquely positioned in its 51 country area of responsibility to advance American strategic interests in Europe and Eurasia. The relationships we build during more than 1,000 theater security cooperation events in more than 40 countries each year lead directly to support for multinational contingency operations around the world, strengthen regional partnerships and enhance global security. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Statement by the NATO Secretary General on the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 08 Mar. 2017 Today, I have spoken to Hashim Thaci and Isa Mustafa to convey the serious concerns of NATO Allies about recent proposals by the Kosovo authorities to transform the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) into an armed force, without a constitutional change. I made clear that unilateral steps such as these are unhelpful, and I urged the Kosovo authorities to remain in close contact with Belgrade. In recent years, NATO has supported the development of the KSF as a professional, increasingly multi-ethnic force. The structure, mandate and mission of the KSF are a matter for local Kosovo institutions in accordance with their constitutional law. However, should the mandate of the KSF now evolve in the way proposed, NATO will have to review its level of commitment, particularly in terms of capacity-building. I made this clear during my visit to Kosovo in February and I reiterated it in my telephone conversations today. I remain in close contact with my counterparts in the European Union. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Baku, Azerbaijan, March 7 By Maksim Tsurkov Trend: The State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) allocated more than $1.23 billion or 1.53 million Azerbaijani manats for the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) project in 2014-2016, says a report on the activity of Azerbaijans Cabinet of Ministers in 2016. The report says that in 2016, in order to finance the Azerbaijani governments share in the Southern Gas Corridor CJSC, SOFAZ transferred 797.4 million manats ($495.2 million) to the countrys Economy Ministry. Expenditures for this purpose accounted for 33.9 percent of SOFAZs planned budget. "The incomplete payment of funds, envisaged in the funds budget for the project, is explained by the attraction of $991.1 million in March 2016 by CJSC Southern Gas Corridor through placement of Eurobonds, denominated in foreign currency, on international financial markets on the basis of state guarantees," says the report. The transfer of payment of the second tranche on acquisition of a 10-percent stake in the Shah Deniz project for 2017, as well as the transfer of various payments on the TANAP and TAP projects for subsequent years can be mentioned among other factors that affected the financing of the CJSC share, according to the report. Under the document, as part of the financing of Azerbaijans share in projects of the CJSC Southern Gas Corridor, $1.232 billion or 1.53 billion manats were spent from SOFAZs budget during 2014-2016. The Southern Gas Corridor is one of the priority energy projects for the EU. It envisages the transportation of gas from the Caspian region to the European countries through Georgia and Turkey. At the initial stage, the gas to be produced as part of the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor projects. Other sources can also connect to this project at a later stage. As part of the Stage 2 of the Shah Deniz development, the gas will be exported to Turkey and European markets by expanding the South Caucasus Pipeline and the construction of Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline and Trans Adriatic Pipeline. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov 38 killed in Daesh attack on military hospital in Afghan capital Iran Press TV Wed Mar 8, 2017 1:54PM At least 38 people have been killed and some 70 others injured in an attack by heavily-armed militants on Afghanistan's largest military hospital in the capital, Kabul. Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri said on Wednesday that four attackers were also killed during the assault on the hospital, which is located in a diplomatic area, home to several heavily-guarded embassies, including the US embassy. "Most of the victims are patients, doctors and nurses," media outlets quoted Waziri as saying. Initial reports had put the death toll at three. Officials revised the figure after security forces checked the buildings in the hospital complex. Media reports earlier said gunmen entered the hospital after a huge explosion and gunfire. Local TV footage showed some of the victims trapped on the ledge of a top-floor window. Medical staff who hunkered down in the hospital wards posted desperate messages for help on social media websites. "Attackers are inside the hospital. Pray for us," a hospital staff member wrote on Facebook. Hospital administrators said gunmen wearing white laboratory coats began spraying bullets after a bomber blew himself up at the backdoor entrance. Abdul Qadeer, a nurse, said, "I saw one of the attackers, armed with an AK-47 and dressed as a doctor, shooting at patients and guards on the third floor." "They shot my friend but I managed to flee... I had to jump over the barbed wire to escape." The Takfiri Daesh terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the deadly six-hour attack, which sparked chaos inside the 400-bed facility. Iran slams terror attack Iran immediately condemned the inhuman and evil attack in Kabul and expressed sympathy with the Afghan government and nation as well as the families of the victims. "The only way to combat the scourge of terrorism in Afghanistan and the region is global resolve and consensus and blocking the paths of spiritual and material aid and support for these terrorist groups," Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Wednesday. Kabul has seen a wave of terrorist attacks on government buildings over the past days. Last week, at least one person was killed and 35 were wounded in attacks on a police precinct in western Kabul. The rise in attacks comes as the Taliban is reportedly preparing for its annual spring offensive in the war-torn country. Taliban has warned the Daesh ringleader, Ibrahim al-Samarrai also known as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, against "waging a parallel insurgency in Afghanistan." The militant group has urged the Daesh leader to keep his men out of Afghanistan and stop supporting those elements that are recruiting young militants in Taliban strongholds. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address More Than 30 Dead In IS Attack On Kabul Military Hospital RFE/RL March 08, 2017 Medical officials said three gunmen wearing white lab coats began firing AK-47 assault rifles within the hospital compound after a suicide bomber blew himself up at the back entrance to the 400-bed facility. General Dawlat Waziri, a Defense Ministry spokesman, said the attack set off a floor-by-floor battle with security forces at the facility, which is known as the Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan Hospital complex and is across the street from the U.S. Embassy. Witnesses inside the hospital at the time of the attack said it was a "massacre." Zahir Khan, who hid under a table and later escaped, said he saw one gunmen who "was shooting at everyonedoctors, patients, and visitors." Patient Zia Zabuli said he was lucky to escape. Hospitalized with a leg wound, Zabuli and three others barricaded themselves inside a room when they saw one of the gunmen approaching. "Together we put beds, chairs, and whatever there was to barricade the door," Zabuli said. After several hours of fighting, the attackers took up positions on the top floor of the hospital. They were shot dead after special forces landed on the roof of the hospital in a military helicopter. The Islamic State (IS) extremist group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement on the site of its propaganda website, Amaq. It said: "Islamic State commandos attack the military hospital in Kabul." Although the attack came as the Taliban ramped up attacks before the start of its annual spring offensive, a Taliban spokesman told media outlets that the group did not know anything about the attack. "Today's Kabul attack has no connection" with the Taliban, the spokesman said separately in a tweet. Last week, dozens of people were killed and wounded in a series of Taliban attacks on a police building and an intelligence-service compound in Kabul. The NATO-led Resolute Support mission said it was ready to assist Afghan security services. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack during a speech on the occasion of the International Women's Day, calling it "an attack on all Afghan people and all Afghan women." The U.S. Embassy in Kabul said it "strongly condemns the attack and offered its condolences to relatives of the victims. "The attack demonstrates the blatant disregard for human life by those seeking to disrupt Afghanistan's democratic progress," the embassy said on its website. "Targeting a medical facility providing care for the brave Afghans working to protect their fellow citizens has no possible justification in any religion or creed." With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/explosion- gunfire-attack-kabul-military -hospital/28356907.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 Thaci: 'No Turning Back' On Kosovo Army Despite NATO, U.S. Warnings RFE/RL's Balkan Service March 08, 2017 Kosovar President Hashim Thaci says there is "no turning back" from his plan to transform the Balkan country's lightly armed security force into a national army, brushing off strongly voiced concern from NATO and the United States. The security force "will be transformed into a Kosovo army," Thaci told RFE/RL on March 8, seeming to dismiss warnings from the U.S. Embassy and the Western military alliance against making the change without amending the constitution. The plan is vehemently opposed by Belgrade and by ethnic Serbs in the northern part of Kosovo, a former province of Serbia that broke away in a 1998-99 war and declared independence in 2008. Frustrated by resistance from ethnic Serbs in parliament to plans for a constitutional amendment to turn the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) into an army, Thaci introduced legislation on March 7 that would make the change without altering the constitution. He called it a "normal step of a sovereign and independent state." But NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he had spoken to Thaci and Kosovar Prime Minister Isa Mustafa "to convey the serious concerns of NATO Allies" about plans to transform the KSF "into an armed force, without a constitutional change." 'Unilateral Steps' "I made clear that unilateral steps such as these are unhelpful, and I urged the Kosovo authorities to remain in close contact with Belgrade," Stoltenberg said in a statement on March 8. He warned that, if Kosovo goes ahead with the change, "NATO will have to review its level of commitment, particularly in terms of capacity-building." NATO advises, trains, and has been helping to build up the security force. The United States also said it was "concerned" and warned: "Adoption of the current proposed law would force us to re-evaluate our bilateral cooperation with and longstanding assistance to Kosovo's security forces." "We support the gradual, transparent transformation of the Kosovo Security Force into a multiethnic force in line with NATO standards," the U.S. Embassy in Kosovo said in a statement. "However, this transformation should be done in accordance with the Kosovo Constitution and through an inclusive and representative political process that reflects Kosovo's multiethnic democracy." 'No Turning Back' Speaking to RFE/RL, Thaci said the proposed change was "not a unilateral step and if anyone thinks this step should be coordinated with Serbia, that will not happen. Belgrade cannot decide for Kosovo, Kosovo has its own institutions, it's a sovereign and independent country." He said that Kosovo has been waiting for ethnic Serb lawmakers to vote on the change for three years and accused them of dragging their feet. "Therefore, there is no turning back. The KSF will be transformed into a Kosovo army," Thaci said. A vote is expected in the coming days. Ethnic Serb deputies, who number just 11 in the 120-member chamber but whose support would be needed to change the constitution, said they would boycott the session. Strained since the 1998-99 war and Kosovo's independence declaration, relations between Pristina and Belgrade have been particularly tense and could worsen further if Kosovo goes ahead with the plan. Kosovo's independence has been recognized by 114 countries but not by Belgrade or by Russia, which supports Serbia on many geopolitical issues. "Serbia will never agree with the formation of Kosovo's army," Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic told a rally on March 7. Vucic is a candidate for president in an April 2 election. Kosovo's existing security force, which was created in 2009, has about 4,000 lightly armed regular forces and 2,500 reservists. Thaci's plan would increase regular forces to 5,000 and reserves to 3,000, and it would retain international military forces deployed in Kosovo to ensure its protection. Some 4,500 troops from 31 countries have been deployed in Kosovo since June 1999, after NATO's 78-day air campaign to stop Serbia's crackdown against ethnic Albanian separatists. Serbia has about 50,000 people in its regular military, not including reserves. With reporting by AP, dpa, and Reuters Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/kosovo-moves- create-regular-army-over-serbian-objections -thaci-vucic/28356811.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 Top U.S. General Says Russia Deployed Banned Missiles To Threaten NATO RFE/RL March 08, 2017 WASHINGTON -- The vice chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff says Russia has deployed a land-based cruise missile that violates the "spirit and intent" of a Cold War-era nuclear arms control treaty -- and that it did so to "pose a threat to NATO." General Paul Selva, the second highest-ranking military officer in the U.S. armed forces, confirmed on March 8 that Russia had deployed its new ground-launched SSC-8 cruise missile. U.S. officials have said Russia has been developing and testing the SSC-8 missile for several years, despite accusations from Washington that it violates the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty). Selva told the House Armed Services Committee in Washington that "the system itself presents a risk to most of our facilities in Europe." Selva said "We believe that the Russians have deliberately deployed it in order to pose a threat to NATO and to facilities within the NATO area of responsibility." Former President Barack Obama has accused Russia of violating the ING Treaty, but Selva's testimony was the first public confirmation of recent news reports that Russia had secretly deployed the missile. Selva said the United States already has raised the issue with Russia. He did not say what options were being considered if the discussions do not lead to results. Selva said "we have been asked to incorporate a set of options into the Nuclear Posture Review," a legislatively mandated report that establishes U.S. nuclear policy, strategy, capabilities, and force posture for the next five to 10 years. U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters at a March 8 briefing after Selva's testimony that the United States thinks Russia "remains in violation" of its INF commitments. Toner declined to make any further comment, saying "it gets into intelligence matters." Selva's remarks further complicate President Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign promise to try to seek more conciliatory relations with Moscow. The New York Times reported on February 14 that Russia now has "two battalions of the prohibited cruise missile." It said one battalion was still located at the Kapustin Yar missile test range in southern Russia while the other "was shifted in December from that test site to an operational base elsewhere in the country." The New York Times report said each missile battalion is thought to have four mobile launchers and "a larger supply of missiles." The U.S. State Department first accused Russia of potential violations of the INF Treaty in a formal statement issued in July 2014. That same month, Obama also informed Russian President Vladimir Putin in a letter about Washington's determination that Moscow was in violation of its INF obligations. In 2016, in an attempt to push the issue of INF Treaty compliance further, U.S. arms control officials called for a meeting between U.S. and Russian technical experts under a treaty provision called the Special Verification Commission. U.S. officials had resisted asking for such a meeting for years, in the belief that any key decisions or concessions would have to be approved first by the Kremlin. Russia has responded to the allegations by accusing Washington of conducting "megaphone diplomacy." Moscow has repeatedly denied that it is violating the INF treaty. The Kremlin has also repeatedly pointed to the deployment of U.S. antimissile defense systems in Central and Eastern Europe, saying the technology is a potential violation. When the INF treaty was implemented, it eliminated an entire category of U.S. and Soviet nuclear weapons delivery vehicles -- including land-based missiles with ranges between 500 km and 5,500 km. With reporting by Reuters and AP Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/nato- general-sela-russia-banned-ssc -8-missiles/28358071.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 News Analysis: Macedonia's Ruling Party 'Playing With Fire' As Political Crisis Continues Zoran Kuka, Robert Coalson March 08, 2017 The key to the current political crisis convulsing Macedonia might just be a single phrase heard on one of the leaked wiretap recordings that shook that Balkan country two years ago. At one point in the tapes, then-Finance Minister Zoran Stavreski and other cabinet ministers are discussing the falsification of economic figures to cover up their corruption and incompetence. And Interior Minister Gordan Jankuloska is heard to say: "One day, we will go to prison for all this." Now, Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov has declined to invite opposition Social Democratic Union (SDSM) leader Zoran Zaev to form a new government, even though Zaev managed to form a coalition with three ethnic-Albanian parties that would control 67 seats in the 120-seat parliament. Ivanov, who was supported for the presidency by the longtime ruling VMRO-DRMNE party, argued on March 1 that the Zaev coalition's platform -- which includes broader legal protections for the Albanian language -- was tantamount to "a platform of a foreign country" and a threat to Macedonia's sovereignty. But such arguments ring hollow for many analysts. "Suddenly they jump to the defense of some national interest and start talking about federalization or other matters that are completely unrelated to the current political situation," said Pero Dimshovski, a former state secretary with the Secretariat of European Affairs. Dimshovski accused VMRO-DPMNE of trying to turn a political crisis into a civic crisis in order to prevent the opposition from taking power and beginning criminal proceedings into abuse-of-power allegations from the party's decade of rule under former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski. 'Politically Exposed' Florian Bieber, director of the Center for Southeast European Studies at the University of Graz, agreed that Ivanov's gambit is "about preventing any kind of criminal investigation." "If the party would lose power," Bieber told RFE/RL, "it would lose many instruments to prevent any kind of serious investigation into the abuses of the past." The timeline of the current crisis in Macedonia began in February 2015 with the revelation that the VMRO-DPMNE had wiretapped some 20,000 people -- civilians, journalists, political opponents, and others. The revelations implicated Gruevski and many other high-ranking officials of the former government in serious accusations of abuse of office, including vote rigging, media manipulation, and embezzlement. Massive antigovernment protests led to a European Union mediation effort that created a Special Public Prosecution (SJO) to investigate the wiretapping, the resignation of Gruevski's government, and the organization of early parliamentary elections that were held in December. The SJO's mandate expires in March and there is little expectation that a VMRO-DPMNE government would extend the probe. In April 2016, Ivanov issued a preemptive pardon to Gruevski and 55 other politicians and associates who were, in Ivanov's words, "politically exposed." The pardons sparked another wave of mass protests, compelling Ivanov to back down and cancel the move in June, on the eve of a visit by Germany's special envoy for Macedonia, Johannes Haindl. 'Ethnicizing' The Crisis Neither the VMRO-DPMNE nor the Social Democrats won a clear majority in December, leading to months of negotiations with the three small ethnic-Albanian parties, including the Albanian Democratic Union for Integration, which had been the ruling party's coalition partner for many years. In the end, Zaev and the Social Democrats were able to forge the coalition -- meaning that Ivanov was seemingly required by the constitution to give him a mandate to form a government. But he didn't. And critics accuse him of playing the ethnic card instead, manipulating tensions between ethnic Macedonians and ethnic Albanians, who make up about one-quarter of the country's population of roughly 2 million. The fact that the SDSM and the Albanian parties have not publicized the text of their coalition agreement has given the ruling party an opportunity to manipulate public opinion against it. "It seems to be an effort to 'ethnicize' a party conflict," Bieber said. "This was a conflict over democracy or over a lack of democracy. And there have been multiple efforts by the ruling party to ethnicize it -- to try to shift attention away from the crisis of democracy to some kind of ethnic issue." "Yes, this is an artificially imposed topic," agreed Alexander Krzalovski, director of the Macedonian Center for International Cooperation. He said the platform of the Albanian parties amounts to nothing more than the implementation of the 2001 Ohrid Peace Agreement that the government signed after a brief conflict with ethnic-Albanian rebels. Ironically, the anti-VMRO-DPMNE protests that developed after the wiretapping revelations included mass participation by all the country's ethnic groups -- Macedonians, Albanians, Turks, Roma, and others. This movement, Bieber noted, indicated that Macedonian politics were becoming less driven by ethnicity. However, since Ivanov stirred up the issue, thousands of VMRO-DPMNE supporters have taken to the streets to protest the so-called Albanian agenda. On March 7, in the latest incident, unknown vandals damaged a museum of the Albanian language in Macedonia's second-largest city, Bitola. The ruling party's tactics are "very dangerous," Bieber said, accusing it of "playing with fire" in order to hold on to power. 'Soft Partition' Of The Country? Dimitar Bechev, a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council, agreed that the ruling party's actions could "further deepen divisions" and even lead to a "soft partition" of the country, undoing all the power-sharing mechanisms that have been created under Western guidance since the country gained independence. On March 2, during a visit to Skopje to discuss the crisis, EU foreign policy chief Frederica Mogherini warned of the potential to spark a conflict. "This is a complicated country in a complicated region," Mogherini said. "We do not need fuel because we already had the fire." The same day, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement accusing the EU and the United States of trying to overthrow the government by supporting the "ultimatum-like demands" of the Albanians and calling for an end to "outside interference in Macedonia's internal affairs." Media in neighboring Serbia have been actively playing up the supposed Albanian threat and encouraging the VMRO-DPMNE protesters. The way out of the crisis remains unclear. VMRO-DPMNE figures have called for another round of elections, but it is doubtful the opposition would agree to participate. On the other hand, Ivanov and VMRO-DPMNE could back down, as they did on the pardons issue. This could come as part of a brokered deal under which the SDSM promised no "vendetta" against VMRO-DPMNE and the Albanian parties agreed to publicize and possibly moderate their platform, analyst Bechev said. Bieber said such a deal would like have to provide "a pathway for [VMRO-DPMNE] to give up power and not fear jail." In the absence of such a deal, Bechev predicted, the country is in for a period of constitutional limbo, paralyzed state institutions, and rising ethnic tensions. Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/macedonia-analysis- albanian-law-political-crisis-gruevski- zaev-ivanov-vmro/28358253.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 Chinese FM Vows Not to Let Other Countries Disturb South China Sea Calm Sputnik News 17:09 08.03.2017 Minister Wang Yi said the hard-won stability in the South China Sea should not be disturbed, just as the US deployed an aircraft carrier in the region. New Delhi (Sputnik) Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday that the dispute over the South China Sea has settled and that Beijing won't let any outside force to disturb the stability of the region. "China will never allow hard-won stability in the South China Sea (SCS) to be disturbed or undermined again," Wang said in his annual address, just as the Donald Trump administration deployed an aircraft carrier in the SCS to assert freedom of navigation. "At this moment, if someone should try to make waves and stir trouble, they will have no support and face common opposition of the entire region," he said. Last year, China waged a major international campaign to ward off the impact of the international tribunal decision dismissing Beijing's claim over almost all of the SCS in response to a Philippines petition. Since then, the situation has changed to Beijing's advantage. The new Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has moved closer to China, agreeing to set the SCS dispute aside for substantial Chinese investment. Wang did point out that under Duterte, the Philippines "has extended a hand of goodwill, so China, of course, will embrace it. China and the Philippines are making up lost time." China's recent South China Sea stance is a "temporary success" and other stakeholders, including the US, will not let Beijing have final say in the disputed region, says Jagannath Panda, Research Fellow, at New Delhi-based Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. "China can play hardball as the US under President Donald Trump is more focused on internal affairs. But all major stakeholders in the dispute and outside powers, such as the US, have significant commercial interests and motive to ensure free navigation in the region. India too, although very elementary, has stakes in free navigation there as declared by our government on different occasions," he told Sputnik. While Wang's statement may once again create an impression of growing Chinese assertion, many experts believe a negotiated settlement should be explored. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Afghanistan: UN mission condemns terrorist attack on Kabul military hospital 8 March 2017 The United Nations mission in Afghanistan has condemned today's terrorist attack on a military hospital in Kabul for which the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) claimed responsibility. "This egregious and morally reprehensible attack targeted people at their most vulnerable, while they were receiving treatment in the hospital, and also targeted the medical staff caring for them," said Pernille Kardel, the acting head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), in a new release. "This cowardly attack reflects a fundamental rejection of the most basic principles of humanity," Ms. Kardel, who also serves as the UN Secretary-General's Deputy Special Representative for that country. "Without question, it amounts to an atrocity, and the perpetrators must be held accountable." According to UNAMA, Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan Hospital treats sick and wounded members of the armed forces and their family members, and is the largest military medical facility in Afghanistan. The release said that attackers reportedly disguised as medical doctors detonated a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device at the entrance gate to the hospital, after which several attackers armed with AK-47s, grenades and suicide vests entered the facility. The armed attackers proceeded to target patients and medical workers before Afghan security forces ended the assault. The number of civilian casualties is reportedly high. UNAMA stresses that attacks on hospitals are violations of international humanitarian law that may amount to war crimes, urging all warring parties to respect and protect all medical workers, clinics and hospitals. UNAMA expresses its condolences to the families and colleagues of those killed in the attack and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured. Afghanistan has been in protracted conflict for more than three decades, which has seen an ever-growing number of civilians killed and poverty reduction and development efforts seriously hampered. UNAMA is mandated to support the Afghan Government and the people of Afghanistan as a political mission. It also promotes coherent development support by the international community; assists the process of peace and reconciliation; monitors and promotes human rights and the protection of civilians in armed conflict; promotes good governance; and encourages regional cooperation. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Philippines Struggles to Reach New Power-Sharing Deal in Restive Muslim Region By Ralph Jennings March 08, 2017 The killing of a German tourist in the Philippines is adding urgency to talks between the government of crime-fighting President Rodrigo Duterte and armed Muslim rebel groups with different agendas. Duterte is trying to talk to the Muslim autonomy-seeking group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as well as a separate organization, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), to figure out how they might manage land near the Sulu Sea where Muslims have lived for centuries. He proposes a federalist government system that could give Muslims a higher degree of power over lands in the archipelago's southwest. Beheadings The killing of 70-year-old German tourist Jurgen Kantner last month at the hands of Abu Sayyaf, a small Muslim group that many Filipinos compare to bandits, raises the urgency for Duterte to draw up a peace and power-sharing plan. "MILF is no problem. They've already committed to the roadmap as agreed upon," said Ramon Casiple, executive director of the Philippine advocacy group Institute for Political and Electoral Reform. "The problem of course are these other groups, particularly those such as Abu Sayyaf, that are already classified as violent, extremist groups." Abu Sayyaf also beheaded two Canadian tourists last year and it regularly kidnaps tourists for ransom. Duterte apologized to Germany for his government's failure to rescue Kantner, and his peace process adviser called for a "stop to this killing of the innocent and the helpless." "The pressure is on the government, having failed to protect the German tourist, so that would add I think pressure on the Duterte government entering the peace talks," said Antonio Montalvan, a newspaper columnist in Cagayan de Oro, a port city near the Muslim region. "It would seem to erode, for example, his credibility in dealing with these terrorist groups." Duterte has doubled up efforts to reach peace and power-sharing deals, but his effort faces skepticism from the public, possible dissent in the Philippine congress and complexities within the Muslim rebel groups themselves. Armed rebels on the southern island Mindanao and the Sulu Sea to its west have stirred up trouble since the 1960s, leaving an estimated 120,000 people dead. The Muslim rebel groups grew out of resentment toward the Catholic Philippine majority and its control over land. Seventeen years of talks led to a peace deal in 2014 between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. But Philippine congress members declined to approve an autonomy-sharing deal called the Bangsamoro Basic Law, named after the region of Mindanao that the MILF would help run. Enthusiasm in congress dropped particularly after a gun battle two years ago with the MILF left 44 special forces troops dead. The peace process also left out the Muslim National Islamic Front, whose leader Nur Misuari is suspected of staging an attack on the Mindanao hub city Zamboanga, killing 140, in 2013. Both fronts support armed units that, like Abu Sayyaf, have used violence against civilians. Duterte campaigned on peace deal Hopes for a new peace effort surged when Duterte took office in June. The Mindanao native had made peace with a communist rebel group in Davao City while mayor there for 22 years. As president he vowed to pursue peace with the Muslim rebels. Duterte called for starting talks early this year with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front on drafting a new Bangsamoro Basic Law. The two sides have assigned details of the new law to a 21-member commission. Duterte is expected to fuse any new agreement with his pursuit of federalism, which would give more rights to local governments throughout the developing Southeast Asian country of 102 million people and more than 7,100 islands. It's still unclear how federalism would work in a Muslim region, said Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, University of the Philippines political science professor and a peace negotiator under the past president. "Will it be a symmetrical type of federal arrangement, meaning all states will be the same, or will it take into account the peculiarities of very special places like Bangsamoro?" Colonel-Ferrer asked. "It's not the case of having an autonomous region in one part of the country. It's about how to structure the political system and how to share power at the national level." The president, known as a tough crime fighter, also met with Misuari, announced peace talks and sought the Moro National Liberation Front's help in rescuing Abu Sayyaf captives, Misuari's group says on its website. The group offered that help, the website says. Duterte signaled in November he might seek talks with Abu Sayyaf as well despite earlier pledges to wipe out the loose-knit 400-strong group militarily. Battles with Abu Sayyaf early in his term killed dozens. Duterte's new efforts are still likely to meet headwinds in the Philippine congress, as citizens in much of the country dispute giving land rights to the Muslim groups, analysts say. Some of those opponents are in Mindanao, a largely impoverished island of 21 million people who resent the Muslim groups' violent rebellions. They may fear that an autonomy deal would threaten the rights of Christians in Mindanao, Montalvan said. Mindanao's multiple Muslim rebel groups and the volatility of those in talks with the government could also shatter any new deals, analysts warn. The Moro National Islamic Front says past Philippine presidents have hurt the process through "deceptive" negotiations. Duterte asked the group in January to avoid harboring terrorists. "The MNLF leadership has expressed high expectations on the Duterte government to prove its worth as a consistent partner," the official MNLF website says. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Lawmakers Moving Quickly on Trump-related Probes By Ken Bredemeier March 08, 2017 U.S. lawmakers are moving quickly to learn more about Russian meddling in last year's presidential election and to try to determine whether there is any substance to President Donald Trump's so-far unfounded claim that former President Barack Obama wiretapped his Trump Tower headquarters in the weeks before the voting. Senators and congressmen on intelligence panels have been visiting the Central Intelligence Agency outside Washington in recent days to look at raw intelligence reports about Russian cybersecurity attacks aimed at helping Trump defeat his Democratic challenger, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The lawmakers say they have been looking at binders of classified information the CIA collected, with more visits planned to the highly secure facility. Both the Senate and House intelligence committees plan public hearings in the coming weeks. The U.S. intelligence community already has concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the hacking into the computer of Clinton's campaign chief, John Podesta, with the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks subsequently releasing thousands of his emails in the weeks before the November election. Many of the emails showed embarrassing, behind-the-scenes efforts by Democratic operatives to help Clinton win the party's presidential nomination. Meanwhile, the Republican majority on the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday asked James Comey, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the country's top law enforcement agency, to brief them on the Russian interference in the election. In addition, the lawmakers said they want information on the "very serious allegations" involving Trump's claim last weekend that Obama ordered a wiretap on him. A spokesman for Obama has said the wiretapping allegation is "simply false," and Trump has not offered any evidence to support his contention. Comey has asked the Justice Department to disavow Trump's allegation, but the agency so far has said nothing. Under U.S. law, presidents cannot single-handedly order a wiretapping, but must obtain a court order, giving judges evidence to justify the electronic surveillance. James Clapper, Obama's director of national intelligence, also has said the the wiretapping did not occur. Senators Lindsey Graham, a Republican, and Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat, said they have asked the Justice Department and the FBI for any wiretapping evidence they might have in connection with Trump's claim. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN: 17 Million People Face Hunger East Africa By Mohammed Yusuf March 08, 2017 U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Wednesday that East Africans are facing starvation and that the situation might worsen if nothing is done to avert the crisis. The United Nations estimates more than 17 million people are facing hunger in nine countries. Somalia is facing its second famine in less than six years, South Sudan has declared some parts of the country in famine, and Kenya's government declared the drought there a national disaster. More than 10 million people are going to bed hungry in Ethiopia alone. Guterres, ending a visit to Kenya on Wednesday, discussed the South Sudan political and humanitarian crisis with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. "We had the opportunity to discuss, to find, identify [a] point of view on how to create conditions for South Sudan to have an inclusive dialogue leading to a true peaceful settlement of the problem South Sudan faces, and at the same time with the humanitarian access to be granted to all parts of the territory," Guterres said. The U.N. leader said violence, looting and blocking aid from reaching those in need had worsened the situation in South Sudan and had put more than 1 million people at risk. Guterres said a major effort would be required to end the crisis and the suffering of the South Sudanese people. Hope for progress "We are not yet there," he said. "We still have many incidents taking place, much fighting taking place, many problems taking place. But the risk of genocide has considerably diminished, and I'm hopeful that with this unity of work with African leadership, IGAD [the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, an African trade bloc], African Union and the U.N., we will be able to move in the right direction, being aware of the enormous challenge that exists." Of 17 million people in urgent need of humanitarian aid, a third live in Somalia, half that country's population. Lack of rain and constant conflict has worsened the situation there. Guterres visited Somalia on Tuesday, where he said the situation was complicated. He said the combination of hunger, fatal diseases, drought, and the continuing struggle to defeat al-Shabab terrorists and to create conditions under which peace could be established "has had a devastating impact on the economy and in the lives of Somalis." People are suffering enormously, he said, and there is "a clear need of support from the international community." The U.N. refugee agency UNHCR is seeking at least $800 million to avert the crisis in Somalia. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 9 By Elena Kosolapova Trend: Kazakhstans Constitutional Council has ruled that the law on constitutional amendments is in line with the Constitution itself. The Constitutional Council of Kazakhstan has ruled that the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Amendments and Additions to the Constitution corresponds to the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, constitutional values, fundamental principles and form of government of the Republic, press service of the Council reported. The constitutional reform envisages transferring some of powers from president to parliament and government. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev put forward the initiative to redistribute powers in December 2016. Kazakhstans Parliament passed the Law on Amendments and Additions to the Constitution on March 6. Hungary's Plan to Detain All Asylum Seekers Sparks Outrage By Henry Ridgwell March 08, 2017 Hungary's parliament has passed a law allowing the detention of all asylum seekers in border camps and the summary return of any illegal migrants back to the country from which they entered. The United Nations' refugee agency, along with several human rights groups, say the policy breaks international and European Union laws, The new policy will be enforced by special personnel. A graduation ceremony was held Tuesday for 3,000 new recruits, which the government calls 'border hunters.' Armed with pistols and pepper spray, they will patrol Hungary's frontiers alongside the police and army. Prime Minister Viktor Orban attended the ceremony, where he said Hungary was "under siege." Orban said, "Migration is the Trojan wooden horse of terrorism. The people that come to us don't want to live according to our culture and customs, but according to their own - at European standards of living." Conflating migration with terrorism is simply wrong, says Amnesty International's Todor Gardos. "This is exactly what many refugees and asylum seekers are fleeing from - is violence and insecurity." Under the legislation, Hungary will detain all asylum seekers in what it terms "shelters," pending the outcome of their applications. The U.N. says that means all refugees, including children, will be held in containers surrounded by razor wire fences. Shifting the burden In addition, police will be allowed to detain migrants anywhere in the country who have crossed illegally, and summarily send them back across the border. Previously, this only applied to migrants detained close to the frontier. Gardos says it's a flagrant abuse of EU and international law. "The measure that the Hungarian authorities have chosen is to avoid properly assessing each application, each irregular migrant or asylum seeker arriving to Hungary. What they are doing instead is just putting the burden of this on other countries. So what we see is that the Hungarian government's deliberate dismantling of its asylum system results in thousands of people being stuck in Serbia," Gardos said. Hundreds of stranded migrants in Serbia live in abandoned buildings or even forest camps. Many say they have suffered violence at the hands of Hungarian police, a charge authorities deny. It's time for Brussels to take action, says Christopher Stokes, director of the aid group Doctors Without Borders. "We want that the European leaders put this issue of abuse that is happening inside of European borders by the Hungarian border police high up on the agenda." Hungary says it is simply securing the external border of the European Union. The government claims to have the support of the Hungarian people - and says there is "a change of mood in Europe" over migration following the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Kosovo Establishes Plan to Create National Army, Flipping Off US, NATO Sputnik News 00:22 09.03.2017(updated 01:23 09.03.2017) Despite backlash from Serbia, the US and the NATO secretary general, Kosovo will add heavy equipment and weaponry to the Kosovo Security Force, essentially transforming the 'security force' into a standing army. Serbian parliament members have said they would block modifications to Kosovo's constitution that would allow the partially-recognized southeastern European country to engage in an arms build-up. But the Kosovo government, by the orders of Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, plans to introduce certain amendments that will allow the country to bypass constitutional concerns. Three years ago, Kosovo made plans for a national army, but heretofore has been unable to overcome Serbian opposition within the Kosovo parliament. We have been waiting for the will of these [Serbian] MPs for three years," Thaci said. "We don't see that coming and we cannot wait for them in eternity," he noted, adding, "we are forced to move with the law and transform the KSF into an army." Speaking with US and western diplomats, Thaci said, "Serbia is against our army," but, "at the same time it fills its airspace with MiG planes." For its part, the US is "concerned by Kosovo's announced intention to change the mandate of the Kosovo Security Force without a constitutional amendment," according to a statement from the US embassy in Pristina. Washington supports "the gradual, transparent transformation of the Kosovo Security Force in a multiethnic force in line with NATO standards." Further, the US said it is ready for a "consultative process with all stakeholders to achieve our shared goal of transforming the Kosovo Security Force," in such a way that it, "contributes to regional stability, and supports Kosovo on its path to Euro-Atlantic integration." NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke with Thaci and Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa via phone to communicate "serious concerns of NATO allies," with respect to Kosovo's militarization, Balkan Insight reports. "I made clear that unilateral steps such as these are unhelpful, and I urged the Kosovo authorities to remain in close contact" with Serbs in Belgrade, Stoltenberg added. NATO has approximately 4,500 troops stationed in Kosovo. The US embassy to Kosovo similarly denounced the move. Moving forward with the amendments would compel the US to "reevaluate bilateral cooperation with and longstanding assistance to Kosovo's security forces." Of Kosovo's 120 member parliament, just 11 are Serbian deputies. They plan to boycott the parliamentary session when the vote will be held. The deputies' support is required to make changes to Kosovo's constitution. Serbian foreign minister Ivica Dacic contended that the new legal measure will create "instability" for Kosovo and surrounding countries. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Marines Arrive in Syria to Aid Raqqa Offensive - Reports Sputnik News 00:09 09.03.2017(updated 00:35 09.03.2017) US marines have arrived in Syria to establish an outpost in support of the operation to retake Raqqa. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) US marines have arrived in Syria to establish an outpost in support of the operation to retake the Syrian city of Raqqa from Daesh terror group, US media reported on Wednesday. The marines belong to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit that departed from San Diego in October of 2016, The Washington Post reported citing US officials. The force includes an artillery battery capable of firing 155-millimeter shells from M777 Howitzers, according to the report. The marines will be supporting US partner forces on the ground that lead the offensive to liberate Raqqa from Daesh codenamed Operation Euphrates Rage. The operation was launched by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on November 5, 2016. Spokesman Adrian Rankine-Galloway told Sputnik that the Department of Defense would not comment on movement of US troops in Syria because of security concerns. "Due to operational security considerations I cannot provide information at this time about movement and deployments of US forces in Syria," Rankine-Galloway said. The US-led coalition of 68 nations is conducting airstrikes, ground-based and rocket-propelled artillery fire against Daesh in Syria and Iraq. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN Rights Chief Decries Trump's U.S. Immigration Policies March 08, 2017 The United Nations human rights chief has warned that U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration policies could lead to collective expulsions of migrants that would amount to a breach of international law. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein said on March 8 that he was also concerned about the new U.S. policy banning entry of people from six Muslim-majority countries for 90 days, announced on March 6 after Trump's initial executive order on immigration was blocked in the courts. In an annual speech to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Zeid said the policy would greatly increase the number of migrants at immediate risk of deportation, regardless of the number of years spent in the United States or family roots. "Expedited deportations could amount to collective expulsions and refoulement, in breach of international law, if undertaken without due process guarantees, including individual assessment," Zeid said, referring to the UN Refugee Convention, which prohibits the forcible return of people who are fleeing war, violence, or persecution. Zeid added that was particularly concerned about the impact of children "who face being detained, or may see their families torn apart." He said that greater leadership was needed to tackle rising discrimination, anti-Semitism, and violence against ethnic and religious minorities in the United States. "Vilification of entire groups such as Mexicans and Muslims, and false claims that migrants commit more crimes than U.S. citizens, are harmful and fuel xenophobic abuses," Zeid said. The UN human rights chief also said he was "dismayed" by what he said were Trump's attempts to "intimidate or undermine" journalists and judges. Based on reporting by Reuters and AP Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/un-rights-chief-decries- us-trump-immigration-policies/28357283.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 Seoul's THAAD gamble to rock regional security People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 14:03, March 08, 2017 As Seoul quickens its steps to set up a U.S. missile defense system, conservative political elements in South Koreaare putting the vital security interests of the country and the region at risk for their own gains. On Tuesday, U.S. and South Korean militaries confirmed that some of the equipment for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) arrived in South Korea. According to the South Korean military sources, the anti-missile system will be operational as early as April. Previously, Washington and Seoul decided to deploy THAAD at the end of the year, a time when South Korea usually holds a presidential election every five years. It is not difficult to note that the change of the schedule for the installation seems to best coincide with a projected reschedule for the presidential race in South Korea. South Korean President Park Geun-hye is now under an investigation on corruption charges and an impeachment trial. It is very likely the country's constitutional court would announce its decision very soon. If Park is to be removed from office, a special presidential election will be triggered and held within 60 days. Political uncertainty inside South Korea is perhaps one of the most important reasons for Washington to speed up the installation as it possibly has to face a new president in Seoul that could change mind on THAAD. Meanwhile, completing the THAAD deployment in the heat of the election could help South Korea's conservative factions play with the voters' fear for the country's security challenges and to turn around its losing battle in the looming election because of Park's flagrant political scandal. So long as they could win the race and remain in power, the conservative factions do not care what THAAD really means for the country and its people. In the eyes of many South Korean politicians, specialists, scholars and ordinary people, the anti-missile batteries, while being of little help to bolster the country's security, are built only to accommodate the strategic security needs of the United States. Instead of promoting peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula, the military build-up would ramp up the risks for a full-blown confrontation in the region. South Korea will be stuck in between and bear the brunt. Already, a large number of protesters in Seongju county, where the missile system is set to be placed, have taken to the street to demonstrate against the THAAD deployment, and urged the government to cancel the plan. In Seoul, the business community accuses the plan of damaging China-South Korea relations and bilateral economic cooperation. Many political parties in the Congress have also blasted the government's approval of the deployment for being unconstitutional, and for turning a deaf ear to widespread objections. In the final analysis, the South Korean government should take heed of the general public's voices, revisit its decision to let THAAD in, and get back to the right and responsible path of working with regional members, so as to eradicate security problems and foster peace in the region for the long run. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Deployment of US THAAD missile system to S Korea poses threat against China Iran Press TV Wed Mar 8, 2017 5:23PM The recent deployment of a US missile system to South Korea not only poses a threat against North Korea, but also threatens the whole region, particularly China, experts say. The US announced the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system to South Korea on Monday. Washington is taking steps "to defend against North Korea's ballistic missiles, such as through the deployment of a THAAD battery to South Korea," White House spokesman Sean Spicer said on Monday. US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said "the US is actively engaged with its partners and allies in the region to address the threat posed by North Korea's weapons programs." "This [THAAD deployment] is not meant to be a threat, and is not a threat to them or any other power in the region. It is a defensive system, and it is in place because of North Korea's provocative behavior," Toner said. Experts, however, say that the US deployment of THAAD missile on the Korean Peninsula is as much a serious warning to China as it is a means to quell the possible threat raised by missile tests conducted by North Korea. "China has signaled very clearly to the US over the last year or two it sees this [THAAD deployment] as a hostile policy toward Chinese security," Robert Ross, a professor at Boston College and associate with Harvard University's John King Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, said to US media published on Wednesday. THAAD is equipped with a powerful detection system known as an X band radar that experts say would destabilize regional security and upset the region's current military balance . Regional powers Russia and China have both strongly criticized the deployment of the US missile system to South Korea. "We are firmly opposed to the deployment of THAAD (missile system) in the Republic of Korea (ROK) by the US and the ROK," China's Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday. The Russian Foreign Ministry said Moscow was also opposed the THAAD deployment on the already volatile Korean Peninsula, Interfax reported on Tuesday. Both countries have vowed to take proportionate measures to counter the new military threat posed by the US THAAD deployment. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China to continue contributing to global stability, growth, peace, governance: FM People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 11:34, March 08, 2017 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Wednesday that China will continue to be an anchor of international stability, an engine of global growth, a champion of peace and development and a contributor to global governance. Wang made the remarks at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People's Congress. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2012, Chinese diplomats have risen to challenges and broken new ground, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with President Xi Jinping as the core, Wang said. "We have accomplished a great deal and opened a new chapter in major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics," he noted. Wang summed up Chinese diplomacy with three key words: vision, initiative and consistency. China's vision is evident by a series of new ideas and thoughts put forward by Xi, including forging partnerships that replace confrontation with dialogue, and alliance with partnership, building a new type of international relationships featuring win-win cooperation, and jointly building a community of shared future for all of mankind. These new ideas and thoughts "reject the old concepts of alliance and confrontation, rise above the old approach of zero-sum games, and have distinct Chinese characteristics and major implications for the world," according to the foreign minister. "They are guides to action for Chinese diplomats in the new era and will have far-reaching implications for human development and progress," he said. In the meantime, Wang said, Chinese diplomats have worked "creatively" to secure and advance the interests of the country and the people. China has established a global web of partnerships, providing a favorable external environment and strategic support for China's development, he said, adding the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative has been promoted, opening a new chapter of openness and win-win cooperation. Putting people at the heart of diplomacy, Wang said, the country has improved consular mechanisms and procedures, and effectively safeguarded the lawful rights and interests of Chinese citizens and businesses abroad. The foreign minister also highlighted the consistency in Chinese diplomacy, saying that China has adhered to the path of peaceful development in the face of instability and conflicts in many parts of the world. "In the face of skepticism over the existing international order and system, we have always called for maintaining it, and where necessary, improving it," he said. Furthermore, China has championed multilateralism, openness and inclusiveness, amid a growing backlash against globalization and rising protectionism, according to Wang. "The consistency and continuity of China's diplomacy are due responsibilities as a large country. It can offset uncertainties in the world and demonstrate China's confidence and firmness of purpose," he said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Chinese Premier: Expand Military Presence in South, East China Seas Sputnik News 01:22 08.03.2017(updated 09:43 08.03.2017) In a move analysts expect will inflame tensions between regional powers in the East and South China Seas, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang called on the National People's Congress for reinforcements to increase manpower in waters Beijing claims are integral to the country's destiny, Chinese media reported. More "provocations from the Chinese side" should be expected, a Beijing source told Hankuk Ilbo, a South Korean news service. A recent Beijing sortie through the South China sea included 13 fighter jets, heavy bombers, and other military aircraft. Japan's defense ministry said the sortie was the largest foreign fleet to transit the region to date, prompting multiple scramblings of Japanese military aircraft. Li proposed more military units in "offshore locations," a clear nod to China's claims over the artificial Spratly and Paracel islands, increasingly militarized locations that have US officials worried, especially US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who asserted that Chinese military construction in the area constituted "illegal" behavior. The Center for Strategic and International Studies argued that Beijing has conducted widespread construction in the South China Sea, including structures that could support missile storage. Chinese state media agency Xinhua's announcement vindicates the suspicions. These activities prompted the deployment of the US Navy's Third Fleet to the South China Sea, "to send a message." According to a UPI report, Beijing also expressed internal support for tougher action in the East China Sea, where China and Japan have long disputed the ownership of two tiny islands known as Diaoyu in China, and Senkaku in Japan. US President Donald Trump stated that the US supports Japan "100 percent" in its claim over the Senkakus, an affirmation contained within Article 5 of the 1951 US-Japan security treaty. In 2014, President Barack Obama expressed that Chinese attempts to secure the islands by armed force would be met with the full might of the US military. Nobody has lived on the Senkakus since the end of World War II, but after rich oil and gas fields were identified in the surrounding waters, China and Taiwan have bickered over regional claims. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Malaysia says curently has no plan to cut diplomatic ties with DPRK People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 13:18, March 08, 2017 Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said Wednesday his country currently has no plan to cut diplomatic ties with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). The Malaysian government still needs a channel to talk and to negotiate with the DPRK, Najib told reporters at the Parliament, adding the current priority is the safety of Malaysian citizens in the DPRK. "We received information that they are allowed to live their lives as usual. They are not confined, can get out, and do normal business. So there is no concern over their safety," he said. Najib said the travel ban on the DPRK citizens in Malaysia will stay while the government is "carefully studying what is the DPRK's (demands) actually." Najib made the remarks after he chaired a National Security Council on Tuesday evening during which he was briefed about the situation. In a strongly-worded statement, he also accused the DPRK of taking Malaysian citizens hostages and called for their immediate release. Malaysia and the DPRK used to enjoy relatively cordial relations until the death of a DPRK man at the Kuala Lumpur airport and the ensuing investigation implicated several DPRK nationals, including a second secretary of the DPRK embassy in Malaysia and an employee from the DPRK national carrier Air Koryo. Malaysian police said the DPRK man, with the passport name of "Kim Chol," was poisoned by a lethal chemical weapon called VX nerve agent. While the DPRK demanded the return of the body, the Malaysian police insisted the next-of-kin come for DNA profiling. Najib said police still need to find the cause of the death of "Kim Chol." "When a murder is committed, especially when a chemical weapon is used, we have to protect the interests of the nation," he said. Ties between Malaysia and the DPRK strained after both sides issued a travel ban on each other's citizens. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN Security Council condemns DPRK's ballistic missile launches People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 14:01, March 08, 2017 The United Nations Security Council Tuesday strongly condemned the most recent ballistic missile launches by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), and urged the country to refrain from further actions. Pyongyang shall "refrain from further actions, including nuclear tests, in violation of the relevant Security Council resolutions, and comply fully with its obligations under these resolutions," the 15-nation UN body said in a press statement. The UN body condemned the March 5 missile launches, saying that "these launches are in grave violation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's international obligations" under relevant Security Council resolutions. Under these resolutions, Pyongyang was banned from testing any ballistic missile technology. The latest launches have sparked strong condemnation from a string of nations. "The members of the Security Council deplore all the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's ballistic missile activities," which "contribute to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's development of nuclear weapons delivery systems and increase tension in the region," the statement said. "The members of the Security Council further regretted that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is diverting resources to the pursuit of ballistic missiles" when its people "have great unmet needs," noted the statement. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday also condemned the test-firings of ballistic missiles by the DPRK, which he said "violate Security Council resolutions and seriously undermine regional peace and stability." According to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, the DPRK fired four ballistic missiles into the eastern waters at about 7:36 a.m. local time (2236 GMT on Sunday). The missiles flew eastward some 1,000 km on average, and three of them fell into Japan's exclusive economic zone. On Feb. 11, Pyongyang successfully test-launched a new type of Pukguksong-2 intermediate range ballistic missile reportedly under the supervision of top leader Kim Jong Un. The council members expressed "serious concern" over Pyongyang's "increasingly destabilizing behavior and defiance of the Security Council by conducting these ballistic missile launches, urging the Asian country to "comply fully with its obligations under these resolutions." Meanwhile, the Security Council also called upon all member states to "redouble their efforts to implement fully the measures" imposed on the DPRK by the Security Council, particularly the comprehensive measures contained in resolutions 2321 (2016) and 2270 (2016). The body highlighted "the importance of maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia at large," reiterating its "commitment to a peaceful, diplomatic and political solution to the situation and welcomed efforts ... to facilitate a peaceful and comprehensive solution through dialogue." The members of the Security Council emphasized the vital importance of the DPRK's showcase of "sincere commitment to denuclearization and stressed the importance of working to reduce tensions in the Korean Peninsula and beyond." The members of the UN body agreed to "continue to closely monitor the situation and take further significant measures, in line with the council's previously expressed determination." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 9 By Elena Kosolapova Trend: Australian-British concern Rio Tinto plans considerable investments in geological exploration in Kazakhstan, the Kazakh Investment and Development Ministry said March 9. The announcement came after a meeting of Kazakh Deputy Minister for Investment and Development Timur Toktabayev with Rio Tinto Geological Exploration Director Dave Andrews and Exploration Director for the Eurasia-Africa Region Ken Tainton. The meeting was held within the International Convention, Trade Show & Investors Exchange (PDAC) mining forum in Toronto, Canada. The meeting was also attended by deputy chairman of the board of Kazakh state company Kazgeology, Eldar Tagash and representatives of the Kazakh embassy in Canada. The parties discussed the current state and prospects of cooperation in geological exploration projects, the draft of the new subsoil code being developed in Kazakhstan and the possibility of increasing investment in geological exploration. Toktabayev invited Rio Tinto to conduct geological exploration for diamonds in Kazakhstans Zhambyl Region jointly with KazGeoTech. Dave Andrews, in turn, noted that Rio Tinto is interested in the new Subsoil Code, and hopes to switch its contracts to the international tax regime (royalties) that will stimulate processing of raw materials in the country. Rio Tinto is a leading global mining and metals group that focuses on finding, mining, processing and marketing mineral resources. It has a workforce of about 50,000 in around 35 countries. China proposes steps to help prevent 'head-on collision' between US, North Korea Iran Press TV Wed Mar 8, 2017 5:42AM China has called on the United States and South Korea to stop joint war games in the Korean Peninsula in exchange for a halt to North Korea's nuclear and missile tests as a step to defuse a looming crisis in the region. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned at a press conference on Wednesday that the US and South Korea on the one side and the North on the other "are like two accelerating trains coming toward each other with neither side willing to give way." "The question is: are the two sides really ready for a head-on collision? Our priority now is to flash the red light and apply the brakes on both trains," Wang said. He expressed hope that "suspension-for-suspension can help us break out of the security dilemma and bring the parties back to the negotiating table." Washington and Seoul launched large-scale annual drills on the peninsula at the beginning of this month amid already high tensions in the area. Pyongyang condemned the military exercises as dangerous nuclear war drills at its doorstep. On Monday, the North also fired four ballistic missiles, three of which went down in waters claimed by Japan as its sovereign territory, according to South Korean and Japanese officials. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe immediately reacted to the launches by saying, "This clearly shows North Korea has entered a new stage of threat." The North Korean ambassador to the United Nations, Ja Song-nam, has also warned that the US-South Korean military exercises are driving the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia toward "nuclear disaster." In a letter to the United Nations Security Council, he warned that the war games "may go over to an actual war and, consequently, the situation on the Korean Peninsula is again inching to the brink of a nuclear war." On Tuesday, the first pieces of a US-made missile system arrived at the Osan Air Base in South Korea. North Korea has long opposed the controversial deployment of the US system in South Korea. It has been using the threat of American aggression as a reason to develop its own missile and nuclear programs. In the drills with South Korea, the US is using nuclear-propelled aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines, nuclear strategic bombers, and stealth fighters. The US has military forces in South Korea on a permanent basis. China is also opposed to the installment of the US missile system in South Korea for its own security reasons. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US, South Korea drills may result in actual war, North Korea warns Iran Press TV Wed Mar 8, 2017 2:41AM Pyongyang has warned that the US and South Korean joint military exercises may lead to "actual war." Addressing a UN-sponsored conference on disarmament in Geneva on Tuesday, North Korean diplomat Ju Yong Choi referred to the drills as "massive and unprecedented" and stressed that they were a "major cause of escalation of tension that might turn into actual war." On March 1, Washington and Seoul kicked off massive annual joint military drills, with the presence of some 300,000 South Korean troops and nearly 17,000 American forces along with strategic US warships and air force resources. The remarks were made shortly after the US announced that the first parts of its THAAD missile system were deployed in South Korea. Washington bumped up the advanced missile system's deployment after Pyongyang announced that its latest missile tests were practice for attacking US military bases in Japan. On Monday, Pyongyang launched four missiles, three of which according to Tokyo went down in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). UNSC strongly condemns N Korea missile test In a Tuesday statement, the United Nations Security Council stressed that it deplored Pyongyang's missile launches, adding that "such activities contribute to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's development of nuclear weapons delivery systems and increase tension in the region and beyond as well as the risk of a regional arms race." The North has been under a UN sanctions regime and arms embargo aimed at blocking its development of nuclear and missile programs since 2006. Following Pyongyang's five nuclear tests, the council has increased sanctions on the country. In its latest statement, the council vowed to "take further significant measures." "The members of the Security Council further regretted that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is diverting resources to the pursuit of ballistic missiles while Democratic People's Republic of Korea citizens have great unmet needs," it said. The statement was released ahead of an emergency UNSC meeting scheduled for Wednesday that is to be convened by the request of the US and Japan. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China Unveils Deescalation Plan for Korean Peninsula Sputnik News 11:20 08.03.2017(updated 11:22 08.03.2017) Beijing suggested Pyongyang should stop launching missiles and halt its nuclear program while Seoul and Washington should cease drills which annoy North Korea. BEIJING (Sputnik) China has offered North Korea to stop launches of its missiles and halt the development of a nuclear program in exchange for the termination of military drills conducted by the United States and South Korea, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday. "As the first step, China suggests that North Korea can cease its nuclear activities and missile launches in exchange for termination of US-South Korean drills," Wang said, stressing that the step will facilitate negotiations with Pyongyang's participation in the future. The minister noted that the situation on the Korean peninsula was escalating. "On the one hand, North Korea ignored protests of the international community and insists on developing its nuclear program, launched ballistic missiles in violation of the UN Security Council resolutions. On the other hand, the United States is carrying out large-scale military drills and increasing pressure on North Korea," Wang noted. He also called on South Korea not to deploy US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile system on its territory. "It is clear that deployment of THAAD is a wrong way China calls on South Korea to stop deployment of THAAD," Wang said. On Monday, the United States announced the deployment of first THAAD elements in South Korea. Seoul and Washington first agreed to deploy THAAD in July 2016 amid South Korea's growing unease about the nuclear program of North Korea that fired four ballistic missiles on Monday. The system is designed to intercept short, medium and intermediate ballistic missiles at the terminal incoming stage. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address DPRK Spends Vital Resources on Missile Program Ignoring Nationals' Needs - UN Sputnik News 07:03 08.03.2017(updated 11:39 08.03.2017) The UN Security Council said in a statement that North Korea spent vital resources on ballistic missile launches while its citizens continued to live in dire conditions. UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) North Korea spends vital resources on ballistic missile launches while its citizens continue to live in dire conditions, the UN Security Council said in a statement. "The members of the Security Council further regretted that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is diverting resources to the pursuit of ballistic missiles while Democratic People's Republic of Korea citizens have great unmet needs," the statement said on Tuesday. Members of the Council condemned all missile launches by North Korea and stressed that such activities lead to increased tensions in the region, contribute to the development of North Korean nuclear weapons delivery systems and fuel arms race in the region. The Council underlined the importance of maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the region as a whole and called on all member states to redouble their efforts to implement fully the sanctions imposed on North Korea by the Council. On Monday, media reported that North Korea fired four ballistic missiles, and three landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone. According to the Japanese Defense Ministry, the missiles did not inflict any damages. South Korean military claimed that the missiles had flown more than 600 miles. On Tuesday, Pyongyang said that the launches were a successful drill to strike US military facilities located in Japan. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Latest ballistic launches by DPR Korea raise risk of regional arms race, UN Security Council warns 8 March 2017 Expressing strong condemnation of the most recent ballistic missile launches carried out by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United Nations Security Council reiterated that the country should refrain from any actions, including nuclear tests, in violation of the relevant Council resolutions, and comply fully with its obligations under those resolutions. "Such [ballistic missile] activities contribute to the DPR Korea's development of nuclear weapons delivery systems and increase tension in the region and beyond as well as the risk of a regional arms race," stressed the 15-member Security Council in a statement issued late yesterday. "[We regret] that the [country] is diverting resources to the pursuit of ballistic missiles while [its] citizens have great unmet needs," the members added. Three of the ballistic missiles launched on 5 March landed in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone. These latest ballistic missile firing follows at least 14 launches between April last year and February this year, as well as a nuclear test in September 2016. These actions are also in violation of a number of Security Council resolutions, including one adopted in March last year that had imposed fresh sanctions on the country. Further in the statement, Security Council members underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in north-east Asian region at large and expressed their commitment to a peaceful, diplomatic and political solution to the situation. They also welcomed efforts by Council members, as well as other States, to facilitate a peaceful and comprehensive solution through dialogue, emphasised the importance of DPR Korea showing "sincere commitment" to denuclearisation, and stressed the importance of working to reduce tensions in the Korean Peninsula and beyond. Earlier this week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had also condemned the missile launches and reiterated his call for the DPR Korean leadership to refrain from further provocations and return to full compliance with its international obligations. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Haley Demands Positive Action from North Korea Before Talks By VOA News March 08, 2017 U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley says the United States must see "some sort of positive action" from North Korea before any discussions to lower tensions on the Korean peninsula can begin. After an emergency closed-door briefing among members of the U.N. Security Council, Haley said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is not "a rational person" and the council is not "ruling anything out" in its reevaluation of North Korea. The council held a special closed-door briefing on North Korea's latest ballistic missile launches, which prompted calls earlier from China for North Korea, South Korea and the United States to take steps to avoid a "head-on collision." Before Wednesday's meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi proposed North Korea suspend its nuclear and missile activities, and in exchange the United States and South Korea halt their joint military drills. Each action has drawn condemnation from the other side, with Wang describing them as "accelerating trains, coming toward each other with neither side willing to give way." Tuesday, the Security Council strongly condemned the North Korean tests and gave its own warning for the potential of a regional arms race. The council statement further expressed regret the government is "diverting resources to the pursuit of ballistic missiles while Democratic People's Republic of Korea citizens have great unmet needs." Ballistic missile tests North Korea fired four ballistic missiles into the sea off Japan's northwest coast on Monday, which coincided with the start of joint U.S. and South Korean annual defense exercises in South Korean territory. The launches prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to reaffirm what the White House called the "ironclad commitment" of the United States to stand with Japan and South Korea in the face of Pyongyang's repeated violations of U.N. resolutions. North Korea conducted two unauthorized nuclear test explosions last year and nearly two dozen rocket launches in a continuing push to expand its nuclear weapons and missile programs. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared in a speech on New Year's Day that his country's program to build inter-continental ballistic missiles had "reached its final stage." His country has been under U.N. sanctions since 2006, along with an arms embargo aimed at slowing the development of its banned nuclear and missile programs. Since then, the United States and a vast majority of world governments have repeatedly demanded the North denuclearize the Korean peninsula. But Western leaders have yet to devise a plan that would either compel the North to cooperate or create incentives for it to do so. Talks stalled China-sponsored talks between North Korea and a six-nation panel have been stalled since 2009, when the communist North pulled out of the negotiations. The North had carried out its first underground nuclear test explosion three years before the talks broke down. The United States has since said the six-party talks could not resume until Kim's regime in Pyongyang would recommit itself to halting all nuclear tests and scrapping its nuclear development program. That policy was agreed to during the administration of former President Barack Obama, and President Trump's government has reaffirmed it. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Video Emerges of Murdered Kim Jong Nam's Son By VOA News March 08, 2017 A man claiming to be the son of the North Korean leader's slain half brother said he and his family are safe and in an undisclosed location, in a video released online. "I'm currently with my mother and my sister," said the man said in a clip posted to YouTube. "We hope this gets better soon," he added. A South Korean intelligence official identified the man as 21-year-old Kim Han Sol, the son of Kim Jong Nam's second wife who lives in Macau. The video was posted by a group called the Cheollima Civil Defense, which says it works to help high-level North Korean defectors. In a statement accompanying the video, the group thanked the governments of the Netherlands, China, the United States and a "fourth unnamed government" for providing assistance to protect the three. Kim Jong Nam was killed in the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on February 13 by assassins using a toxic nerve agent. Authorities in Malaysia have since charged 25-year-old Indonesian Siti Aisyah and 28-year-old Doan Thi Huong, from Vietnam, with murder for allegedly swiping Kim's face with VX nerve agent while he waited to board a flight home to Macau. He died 20 minutes later. Malaysia has blamed North Korea for organizing the killing and is seeking additional suspects in the case. Kim Jong Nam was estranged from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. He reportedly fell out of favor with their father, the late Kim Jong Il, in 2001, when he was caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport to visit Tokyo Disneyland. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Analysts: Military Options Against North Korea Fraught With Danger By Brian Padden March 08, 2017 Frustrated that North Korea has been undeterred by international sanctions, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is conducting a policy review to look for more effective ways to counter Pyongyang's missile and nuclear threats. Adding new urgency to this longstanding security threat is North Korea's accelerated efforts to develop the capability to strike the U.S. mainland with a nuclear tipped intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM.) In January President Trump tweeted "it will not happen," in response to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's statement indicating that his country would soon test an ICBM. U.S. administration officials say that all options are on the table to deal with the increasing North Korean threat, including military action and deploying nuclear weapons in South Korea and Japan. Regional security analysts Grant Newsham with the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies in Tokyo, and Bong Young-shik with the Yonsei University Institute for North Korean Studies in Seoul talked to VOA about the risks and the benefits of some measures being considered. High risk: Military strike Preemptive U.S. military air or missile strikes to take out North Korean nuclear and missile sites are unlikely to end the nuclear threat, and there is a high risk of deadly counterattacks that could draw China and the entire region into war, say these analysts. "Really if a military strike or approach is considered, the U.S. had better be ready to go all in and be ready to finish it," said Newsham. North Korea has hundreds of mobile missile launchers, many of which are kept in underground bunkers that would be hard to detect and target. Even if U.S. strikes could destroy all of the country's nuclear and long-range missile facilities, North Korea could still attack Seoul and other regions near the inter-Korean border with artillery and chemical weapons that could kill millions in South Korea. By taking unilateral military action against North Korea, the United States would be putting its own security needs ahead of its allies in Asia and would likely trigger a regional political backlash. "They will put almost all South Korean citizens against the United States because it is totally against the very purpose of the security partnership between the United States and South Korea," said Bong. Even limited military actions, these analysts say, could too easily draw the United States into another military quagmire that could cause massive devastation and economic ruin. No benefit: Nuclear allies Either deploying American nuclear weapons in South Korea and Japan or allowing them to acquire their own may bolster U.S. support for its allies in Asia, but these analysts say they will not likely restrain North Korea. The United States withdrew tactical nuclear weapons from South Korea in 1991. Subsequently the two Koreas signed an agreement to keep the peninsula free of nuclear weapons. North Korea later walked away from the agreement, citing the threat of a U.S. invasion. Analysts say reintroducing nuclear weapons in the South, and deploying them in Japan for the first time, would likely legitimize the North's nuclear arsenal and justify its efforts to develop long-range ballistic missile deterrence. It would also weaken the international commitment to maintain sanctions against Pyongyang and could spark a global nuclear buildup. Difficult: Effective sanctions Imposing real economic pain remains the best of the bad options to restrain North Korea from continuing to develop its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities. "You have to put North Korea in a situation where the leadership has to decide between the continuous pursuit of nuclear weapons and missiles, and its survival.And I don't think North Korea is very close to being forced to make such a big decision," said Bong. The international sanctions imposed on North Korea have not had a restraining influence so far, in part because of lax enforcement. "They have allowed the regime to get the money they need to survive and that has always been the regime's key vulnerability, the need for money," said Newsham. The North's key economic trading partner China is reluctant to strictly implement crippling measures that might destabilize the region or lead to the collapse of its ally. North Korea has also been able to get around the imposed international restrictions by using companies in friendly countries like China to act as illicit fronts. Last month the United Nations accused North Korea of "flouting sanctions through trade in prohibited goods, with evasion techniques that are increasing in scale, scope and sophistication." To more effectively crack down on North Korea's illicit financial dealings, the United States would likely have to target more Chinese companies that do business with North Korea On Wednesday a Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE Corp. agreed to plead guilty and pay nearly $900 million in a U.S. sanctions case, for dodging export controls in Iran, North Korea, Syria, Sudan and Cuba. However China strongly opposes foreign governments putting unilateral sanctions on Chinese companies and there are concerns that Beijing will retaliate against any increased U.S. pressure or legal actions. Youmi Kim contributed to this report NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China Warns US, North Korea Heading for Collision By William Ide, Joyce Huang March 08, 2017 China's foreign minister has warned that the United States and North Korea are on a collision course, citing rising tensions on the Korean peninsula. He's also urged both sides to take steps to de-escalate the situation. But as Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke out about what he described as a "looming crisis," analysts said his remarks more than anything highlight Beijing's waning influence over Pyongyang and events on the peninsula. Dual suspension Speaking with reporters on the sidelines of annual high-level political meetings, Wang Yi criticized Pyongyang for ignoring international sanctions and opposition to its nuclear and missile programs. He also argued that large scale military exercises by the United States in South Korea were also raising tensions. "The two sides are like two accelerating trains coming towards each other, with neither willing to give way," Wang Yi said, adding: "The question is: are the two sides really ready for a head-on collision?" Wang called on North Korea to first end its nuclear and missile tests and for the United States to halt its military exercises in South Korea. "This suspension for suspension can help us break out of the security dilemma and bring the parties back to the negotiating table," Wang said. At the same time, however, Wang tried to distance Beijing from the ongoing dispute, arguing that the nuclear issue on the peninsula was mainly between North Korea and the United States. Lips and teeth Wang said this even as he noted that China's role was indispensable as ties between the two countries were as close as lips and teeth. Analysts said such calls to return to the negotiating table ring hollow, given that North Korea has shown time and time again its unwillingness to do so. On Monday, North Korea fired four missiles into the sea off Japan's northwest coast, the latest in a series of ballistic missile and nuclear tests in recent months in defiance of United Nations resolutions. In response, U.S. President Donald Trump warned that the threat from North Korea had entered a "new phase." Although Beijing describes relations with the North as being close as lips and teeth, "the harsh reality is that Pyongyang has now acquired very sharp teeth (nuclear-armed missiles over the last two decades) and Beijing's lips are bleeding," said Mohan Malik, a professor at the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu. In an emailed response to VOA, Malik said that given the recent killing of Kim Jong Un's half-brother who was under Beijing's protection the political relationship between Pyongyang and Beijing is at a very low point. "Kim Jong Un is the first North Korean leader who has not undertaken a single pilgrimage to the Middle Kingdom to pay tribute," Malik said, adding that China's longstanding priorities on the Korean peninsula remained the same: "no instability, no war, and no nukes in that order." THAAD upoar And it's not just North Korea that China has lost control over. It's influence over South Korea is waning as well, given the controversial deployment of the controversial Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system. Wang Yi echoed China's strong opposition to the system on Wednesday at the press briefing calling on Seoul to halt the system's deployment and arguing that the move was "not the way neighbors behave." China argues that the anti-missile defense system is a threat to its security. But, despite calls for China to deliver punishing economic sanctions to South Korea over its decision to deploy the system, there is little Beijing can do to reverse the decision, said Ding Xueliang, a professor at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. "Beijing used to be regarded by South Korea as the only foreign country that could exercise some influence on Pyongyang, but after so many years after so many efforts have been put into this process (six-party talks), North Korea has still been doing what it wants to do," Ding said. "South Korea has been terribly, terribly frustrated for so many years. Then, (Seoul) concluded that even if the PRC is so strongly, so angrily against the THAAD system, they have to do it." Increasingly isolated As one of isolated North Korea's few supporters, the international community has long looked to Beijing to help resolve ongoing tensions on the peninsula. But, China has consistently rejected suggestions from countries such as the United States and others that it could be doing more. North Korea's erratic behavior in recent months, has made it increasingly difficult for any country to talk with Pyongyang, analysts said. But that doesn't mean that change is unlikely. Mohan Malik, of the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies, believes change is inevitable, sooner or later. "I suspect that more than any other capital, Beijing has its ears close to the ground in Pyongyang and the PLA (People's Liberation Army) is far more ready than others to install a Beijing-friendly regime in the event of a regime meltdown and to wage and win the next Korean war to establish its supremacy on the peninsula," Malik said. Given Trump's unpredictability and view of himself as a dealmaker, the situation may not be as dire as Beijing is predicting, said Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. "At the moment, we might perceive the situation between North Korea and the United States to be very tense, but you would never know how Trump might actually react to the situation. He might actually decide to reach out to North Korea," Oh said. "There is actually unpredictability from both sides and it is not necessarily a train wreck," in the making. Saibal Dasgupta contributed to this report NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Saba 248 national helicopter unveiled IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, March 7, IRNA -- The Saba-248 national helicopter was unveiled in a ceremony attended by Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan and Vice President for Scientific and Technological Affairs Sourena Sattari on Tuesday. The helicopter has totally been designed and built by the experts of Iran Helicopter Logistics and Renovation Company affiliated to the ministry's Aviation Industries Organization. Addressing the ceremony, Dehqan hailed the project as one of the symbols of the Economy of Resistance which was unveiled in the year of the same name. The current Iranian calendar year (started March 20, 2016) was named by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolition Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei as the 'Year of the Economu of Resistance, Implementation of Action'. The defense minister further noted that given the country's need for the helicopters in middle weight class, Iran Helicopter Logistics and Renovation Company designed and built Saba-248 national helicopter in cooperation with the knowledge-based companies, universities and research and scientific centers. The Saba-248 is a multifunctional helicopter with two engines and eight seats. It can be deployed to a wide variety of missions, including freight and passenger transport missions, rescue operations and aerial photography. The natioanl helicopter can also be used as air ambulance and air taxi, the minister added. Dehqan said that Saba 248 can be offered in the international markets, especially Muslim countries, at a competitive price. 8072**1394 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Tehran, Iran, March 8 By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend: New records from the Iranian Customs Administration has shown that despite much controversy, the country has in fact imported cars from the US over the past year. According to the records, during the 11 months into the current Iranian fiscal year (which started March 20), Iran imported 104 cars from the US, ISNA news agency reported March 8. This comes as a violation of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameneis order. In July he banned the government from importing cars from the US, arguing that the US-made cars belong to a "bankrupt" company and are so "heavy" and of low fuel-efficiency that American people do not fancy to buy them. The Iranian establishment is against the presence of American brands in the country, arguing they symbolize dominance by "arrogant" powers. Iran IAEA envoy questions US call for strict implementation of JCPOA IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, March 8, IRNA -- Iran's Resident Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Reza Najafi said on Wednesday that US delegation can talk about strict implementation of the JCPOA if and only if it fully complies with its obligations under the JCPOA. Najafi made the remarks in an address to the ongoing meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors in Vienna. "While we continue to fulfill our undertakings, we vigilantly monitor the implementation of the commitments of the other parties under the JCPOA in order to reassure the agreement is enduring," Najafi said. Since the Implementation Day Iran has honored its commitment under the JCPOA and the Agency's reports on verification and monitoring of JCPOA in Iran provides a clear testimony to such commitment, Najafi added. He called for reciprocal and full implementation of the measures by all parties, including by E3/EU+3 as the vital basis of the JCPOA and the essential element of the agreement for its permanence. 9341**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address All parties to JCPOA must fulfill commitments, says Iran's IAEA envoy Iran Press TV Wed Mar 8, 2017 3:33PM Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says the 2015 nuclear agreement between the Islamic Republic and the P5+1 group of countries will be "sustainable" only if all parties fulfill their obligations stipulated in the deal. Reza Najafi made the remarks in a Wednesday interview with Press TV on the sidelines of a quarterly IAEA Board of Governors meeting, which focused on a report by the agency's chief, Yukiya Amano, on the implementation of the Iranian nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). During the session in Vienna, "we stressed that the JCPOA is sustainable only if reciprocal and mutual commitments will be implemented," the Iranian envoy said. "We urged the other parties as it is mentioned in the JCPOA to implement their obligations in good faith in a constructive atmosphere and refrain from any measures that could undermine the successful implementation of the JCPOA," he noted Describing the meeting as "positive," Najafi said that "all countries indeed supported continuation of cooperation between Iran and the agency, and they welcomed the implementation of the nuclear-related measures by Iran." "They urged all parties to the JCPOA to implement their commitments and their obligations," he added. Najafi said the meeting gave the message to the new US administration that it should also follow suit and fulfill its commitments under the JCPOA. The Iranian diplomat also reacted to a Tuesday US statement that pledged to show "great strictness" with regard to the JCPOA implementation. The "US can only talk about strictness if and only if it fully complies with all its obligations under the JCPOA," Najafi said. In his latest report on the JCPOA implementation released on February 24, Amano once again verified Iran's adherence to its commitments under the nuclear agreement. Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council - the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China plus Germany - signed the landmark nuclear agreement on July 14, 2015 and started implementing it on January 16, 2016. Under the nuclear agreement, Iran undertook to put limitations on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against the country. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran's defense minister promises strong response to enemy moves Iran Press TV Wed Mar 8, 2017 2:34PM Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan says the country's defensive military power will catch enemies off guard in case of an act of aggression against the Islamic Republic. "The [Iranian] Defense Ministry invests in sectors that would give us the upper hand. In line with this [policy] we have developed a series of defensive systems so that we would not be caught off-guard by the enemy," Dehqan said on Wednesday, adding that Iran's enemies would get surprised by the country's defense capabilities. He added that the US and Israel would start a war against Iran if they had the slightest doubts about the Islamic Republic's defensive capabilities. The minister noted that Iran was focusing on defense projects that would guarantee the country's victory in case of a confrontation, and that the Islamic Republic was fully capable of identifying and foiling potential threats. "We have always stood up against threats," he said, adding that the Iranian nation now feels safe against any threats thanks to the Islamic Republic's defensive might. Iran has managed to attain self-sufficiency in manufacturing necessary military equipment in line with its policy to boost defensive capabilities against potential threats. Tehran maintains that its military power poses no threat to other countries and that its military doctrine is solely based on deterrence. Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iranian minister also reaffirmed Tehran's support for resistance movements. Iran's support for resistance movements has been a major deterrent against adversaries and has marked a defeat for them, Dehqan stressed. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Japan Considers First Strike Options Against North Korea Sputnik News 22:07 08.03.2017(updated 01:23 09.03.2017) In the wake of intercontinental ballistic missile testing by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), legislators in Japan are calling for the nation to adopt a new military posture against its nearby nuclear-capable neighbor. Japan has long stated that its military policy evolved from a stance of self-defense. Since 1951, Japan has largely had its security guaranteed by the US, which operates bases around the Pacific, in northern Australia, and Okinawa, a Japanese prefecture. "If bombers attacked us or warships bombarded us, we would fire back," former defense minister Itsunori Onodera said during a Japanese committee meeting to discuss methods to defend against missiles from North Korea. "Striking a country lobbing missiles at us is no different." One of Pyongyang's main lifelines and only ally among major powers, China, called on the DPRK to halt missile testing to "defuse a looming crisis," according to foreign minister Wang Yi in Beijing. Wang also recommended that South Korea and the US should end joint military drills. The US recently deployed a controversial missile defense system, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, in Seongju county, South Korea. "China has missiles that can hit Japan, so any complaints it may have are not likely to garner much sympathy in the international community," the former defense minister noted. Regarding the switch in posture from 'self-defense' to considering the adoption of a 'strike first' policy, Onodera said that, "technology has advanced and the nature of the conflict has changed." Fellow Liberal Democratic Party members echoed Onodera's argument. "It is time we acquired the capability," said Hiroshi Imazu, chairman of the party's security council. "Without a deterrence, North Korea will see us as weak," he said. Some options include deploying Japan's F-35s, a US-built fifth-generation fighter jet. Japan has ordered 28 joint strike fighters, but their delivery may not come soon enough. Imazu expressed uncertainty over whether the nation's deterrence force would consist of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, or F-35s. For good measure, the US Marines have mobilized almost a dozen F-35Bs to a base in Japan some 40 km southwest of Hiroshima. The growing North Korea threat has had leaders in Tokyo contemplating defense options, even if those discussions have not always been public. "We have already done the groundwork on how we could acquire a strike capability," an anonymous official familiar with Japan's defense planning told Reuters. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Accuses Russia of Deploying Missile in Violation of Arms Control Treaty By VOA News March 08, 2017 The United States has publicly accused Russia for the first time of deploying a cruise missile in violation of a 30-year-old arms control agreement. Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman General Paul Selva confirmed on Capitol Hill the deployment of the land-based missile violates the "spirit and intent" of the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty. Selva's remarks Wednesday before the House Armed Services Committee were the U.S. military's first public confirmation of reports last month that Russia had secretly positioned them. NATO Selva testified the deployment poses "risk to most of our facilities in Europe." He added the move is an attempt by Russia to threaten the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Former President Barack Obama's administration said the SSC-8 cruise missile had been tested in 2014, violating the treaty that bans U.S. and Russian intermediate-range missiles on land. The violation was first raised with Russian officials in 2013 by deputy secretary- general of NATO Rose Gottemoeller, who was then the State Department's highest-ranking arms control official during the Obama administration. After several years of frustration, the United States convened a meeting of a special panel created under the treaty to deal with arms compliance matters last November in Geneva. It was the first meeting in 13 years of the panel, which is comprised of the United States, Russia and the former Soviet republics of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. Russia denied it had violated the treaty and, in turn, accused the United States of violations. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey Pushes Syria Safe Zones By Jamie Dettmer March 08, 2017 Turkey is pushing the idea once again of establishing safe zones in northern Syria and wants the issue on the agenda at the next round of U.N.-led peace talks in Geneva, which are scheduled for later this month. According to Turkish officials, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will advocate for the establishment of the zones in his talks with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, during a visit to Moscow this week. Ankara long lobbied for a safe zone in northern Syria but was repeatedly rebuffed by the Obama administration, notably in 2013 and 2015, amid concerns in Washington that protecting it would entail putting a significant American force on the ground, drawing the U.S. deeper into the conflict in Syria. Trump support Turkish officials say they are more hopeful now than on their previous efforts to get Western backing for the zones because of U.S. President Donald Trump's apparent support for the idea. As a candidate, Trump proposed to "take a big swatch of land" for "the right price" and build "a big beautiful safe zone" that will make Syrian refugees "happier." On January 25, he said the U.S. will "absolutely do safe zones in Syria" for people displaced by the six-year conflict. The U.S. president has not mapped where zones would be located. He has asked the Pentagon and State Department to draft plans, although he has omitted that instruction from recent executive orders. The Turkish Foreign Ministry applauded Trump's January call for setting up the havens, saying, "Setting up safe zones is something Turkey has advocated from the start." Ankara, however, is wary of any U.S.-supported zone being proposed for territory controlled by Syrian Kurds. For Assad, 'not a realistic idea at all' Moscow and Damascus have not been enthusiastic about the idea of safe zones. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told Yahoo News in a recent interview, "Safe zones for the Syrians could only happen when you have stability and security, where you don't have terrorists, where you don't have flow and support of those terrorists by the neighboring countries or by Western countries ...It's much more viable, much more practical and less costly to have stability than to create safe zones. It's not a realistic idea at all." Turkish officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to VOA, say that the circumstances have changed dramatically on the ground since their past big lobbying efforts to secure backing for the establishment of safe zones. With Russia's military intervention in the Syrian war, Assad apparently secure, U.S. special forces on the ground in the Kurdish-controlled northeast of Syria and fragile and tentative cooperation under way in the fight against the Islamic State terror group, the time has come for safe zones to be taken seriously, Turkish officials say. Stemming flow of refugees In the past, Turkey's push for the havens was seen as being tied to its eagerness for Assad's ouster - the zones would have served as protected bases for Syrian rebels, both Damascus and Washington feared. Now, the Turks are marketing the safe zones not as part of a broader effort to topple Assad, a policy aim they have largely abandoned, but as a way to stem the flow of refugees to the West. According to Turkish and Western officials, the safe zones proposal was floated at this week's unusual three-way meeting in southern Turkey among the top commanders of the U.S., Turkish and Russian armed forces. The U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joseph Dunford, had already been lobbied by the Turks on the issue last month during meetings with Turkish military officials. Under the Turkish plan, a formal buffer zone would be established between Afrin, northwest of Aleppo, Syria, and Ayn al-Arab, northeast of Aleppo. A large part of the proposed Turkish zone already corresponds with a swath of land in northern Syria cleared by the Turks and Syrian rebels they back in Operation Euphrates, a military intervention launched last August and aimed at pushing back Kurdish militias and jihadists as much as possible from the Turkish border. Turkey also proposes providing hospitals, large kitchens, and other amenities for the zone. Preventing Kurdish mini-state Turkey's advocacy of a large safe zone in northern Syria isn't as innocent as presented, say Syrian Kurds. They see the proposal as mainly aimed at them and largely an effort by the Turks to prevent Kurdish-controlled territory from becoming a safe zone, one that could be turned into a Kurdish mini-state. And the Kurds and other critics say Ankara's safe zone proposal is a Turkish bid to carve out its own de facto mini-state in northern Syria, one in effect endorsed by Washington and Moscow, whose protection would be guaranteed by U.S. military power. "Turkey is currently shaping a de facto safe zone between Afrin and Jarablus along its border with Syria, part of a demographic battle with the People's Protection Units [YPG] that represents Syrian Kurdish forces," argues Joe Macaron, a policy analyst at the Arab Center, a non-profit research organization in Washington. Speaking at a conference last week at the Global Policy Initiative, a Washington-based research institution, Walid Phares, an analyst who advised the Trump presidential campaign, said there are many important challenges to the proposal for safe zones. "One is where to establish them, two is who will manage them, three is who will fund these zones, and last but not least, is there a regional and international consensus over this initiative," he said. Platforms for regime change? Other key questions, according to analysts at the conference, are: how long the safe zones would be in effect and would they in the end result in Syria being broken up along ethnic lines? Of all the powers involved in discussions about safe zones in Syria, Russia's position will be crucial, said Ilan Berman of the American Foreign Policy Council, a research group in Washington. The Kremlin sees the proposal of safe zones as "a starting point for negotiations with the U.S." "The Russian government wants guarantees the zones will bring stability and also that they will not be used as platforms for regime change," Berman added. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Taiwan has no diplomatic future: China Iran Press TV Wed Mar 8, 2017 9:52AM China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi says Taiwan has no diplomatic future, pointing to the self-ruled island's diminishing number of formal allies across the globe. Speaking on Wednesday at his annual news conference on the sidelines of the ongoing meeting of China's parliament, Wang reiterated that there was only one China in the world and that Taiwan was part of China, adding that the notion was the international community's consensus. "The Taiwan region establishing or maintaining so-called diplomatic ties with any country lacks a basis in international law, has no legitimacy, and inevitably has no future," said the foreign minister. China has exerted increasing pressure on self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing regards as a breakaway province, since Tsai Ing-wen of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party rose to power following a presidential election victory in Taiwan in 2016. Wang went on to say, "The Taiwan authority should be clear about this trend of events. No person and no force can stop China from finally achieving total national unification." China resumed ties with former Taiwan ally Gambia last March, shortly after Tsai won the election. Also in December last year, the West African state of Sao Tome and Principe abandoned Taipei for Beijing. Taiwan used to have as many as 30 diplomatic allies in the mid-1990s, but currently, it maintains official ties with only 21 nations, most of them smaller and poorer countries in Latin America and the Pacific. Meanwhile, Beijing remains deeply suspicious of Tsai, believing that she intends to press for the island's formal independence which constitutes a red line for China. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey has increased 'intelligence efforts' in Germany, Berlin says Iran Press TV Wed Mar 8, 2017 2:43PM Germany's domestic intelligence agency BfV has warned about Turkey's increased espionage activities in Germany, amid souring relations between the two countries ahead of a Turkish referendum to boost the power of the president. "The BfV is observing a significant increase in intelligence efforts by Turkey in Germany," said the agency in a statement on Wednesday. In January, Berlin launched an investigation into allegations of espionage by Turkish clerics working in religious centers across Germany. Prosecutors suspected that the clerics received direct orders from a governmental organization responsible for religious affairs in Turkey. The BfV provided no further details on the alleged spying activities but said widening divisions in Turkey over the upcoming referendum had clearly been mirrored in Germany. Germany is home to more than three million ethnic Turks, the largest population of expats outside Turkey. About half of the Turks in Germany have the right to vote in the April 16 referendum, which aims to boost the authority of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Berlin has ordered the cancelation of a number of rallies related to the referendum in Germany attended by Turkish government officials, saying Ankara could not use the German soil to promote a specific political agenda. The cancelations have affected the already-strained ties between the two sides. The German government has been a vocal critic of Erdogan's massive crackdown on those believed to have played a role in a coup attempt in Turkey in July last year. More than 40,000 have been arrested and over 110,000 have been discharged from their jobs in the crackdown. Germany says Turkey has acted beyond the rule of law. Turkey has accused Germany of not doing enough to condemn the coup and says Berlin continues to protect elements linked to an outlawed Kurdish militant group working against the Turkish government. The relations have hit a fresh low in recent weeks in the wake of Turkey's arrest of a German-Turkish journalist over spying allegations. Deniz Yucel, a correspondent for the German daily Die Welt, was detained after he reported on hacked emails of a Turkish minister who happened to be Erdogan's son-in law. A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that Ankara should provide Berlin with consular access to Yucel. "Of course it is imperative for us to now establish consular contact with Mr. Yucel and to speak to him ourselves," said the official at a regular government news conference in Berlin. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other top-ranking officials in Germany have called on Turkey to release Yucel without any delay. Ankara says it has the right to hold the journalist pending trial under a state of emergency law introduced after the abortive coup. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Germany Warns Turkey Nazi Remark A 'Red Line,' Calls For Dialogue RFE/RL March 08, 2017 German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel has said Germany and Turkey must work toward restoring ties damaged by several diplomatic rows, but warned Ankara that making a comparison to Nazis in any dispute is a "red line that cannot be crossed." Speaking after talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Berlin on March 8, Gabriel said that, despite the differences on both sides, "there is no alternative to dialogue because that is the only way we can return step by step to a normal and friendly relationship." The meeting was the first one between the two governments since the recent arrest of German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yucel in Turkey and a diplomatic row over Turkish campaigning in Germany for a constitutional referendum to enhance President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's powers. Some 1.4 million Turks in Germany are eligible to vote in the April 16 referendum. Several scheduled campaign meetings of Turkish officials with their diaspora in Germany were canceled last week, prompting Erdogan to accuse Germany of "Nazi practices." His remark immediately drew a sharp response from Chancellor Angela Merkel's office, which said the Nazi reference was "absurd and out of place." Gabriel said he addressed the referendum and campaigning by Turkish ministers in Germany as well as Yucel's arrest, which he referred to as "wrong and inappropriate." Yucel, a correspondent for the German daily Die Welt, was accused by Erdogan of being both a German spy and a "representative" of the outlawed Kurdish rebel group PKK -- a claim Germany has dismissed as "absurd." Turkey has not yet allowed any German consular access to him. Cavusoglu, speaking separately to reporters in Berlin after the meeting, said he had told Gabriel that Turkey was "very disturbed" by the cancelation of campaign events in Germany, and added that he had discussed with Gabriel a possible venue for a rally by Erdogan in Germany. Cavusoglu said Germany would take all security measures for Erdogan's rally, but didn't name a location. Some 1.4 million Turks in Germany are eligible to vote in the April 16 referendum. He said that Turkey wanted to continue as friends with Germany, and added that he had agreed with Gabriel to meet again in Turkey at a later date. Meanwhile, Germany's BfV domestic intelligence agency said on March 8 there had been a significant increase in Turkish spying in Germany. No further details were provided. With reporting by Reuters, dpa, and AFP Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/turkey- germany-meeting-rebuild-friendship -step-by-step/28357273.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 Gunboat Diplomacy: Donetsk Forces Prep for Amphibious Attacks by Ukraine's Navy Sputnik News 18:31 08.03.2017(updated 18:43 08.03.2017) The Defense Ministry of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic has announced that it has taken the necessary measures to shore up coastal defenses following an attack on militia positions by Ukrainian Navy patrol boats this past weekend. Observers warn that the attacks could become a regular occurrence, based on a new naval strategy by Kiev. On Sunday, DPR media reported that the Ukrainian Navy had conducted an attack near the front line along the coast of the self-proclaimed republic in the Sea of Azov, using two small vessels based in the Kiev-controlled coastal city of Mariupol. DPR People's Militia deputy head Eduard Basurin said that Navy gunboats had opened fire on militia positions with small-bore weapons and large-caliber machineguns, violating the ceasefire, and that the militia were forced to return fire, leading both Ukrainian boats to promptly leave the area. A day later, a spokesperson from the DPR's Defense Ministry told Russian news agency RIA Novosti that militia "have taken appropriate measures, and are now prepared for these kinds of provocations from the sea" in the future. The probing attack over the weekend was the first of its kind in over two years. The last major engagement involving the Ukrainian Navy in the country's civil war took place over two years ago. But the attack wasn't the first by the Ukrainian military in recent weeks. Last month, Ukrainian forces attempted to break through local militia positions along the coast of the Azov Sea. Ukrainian forces suffered heavy losses with 15 men reported killed, and 20 more wounded. Observers warn that the attacks on coastal areas of the breakaway territories may intensify as the Ukrainian Navy makes progress on the creation of its 'mosquito fleet', which is expected to consist of about 30 modern or modernized small- and medium-sized boats and patrol craft by the end of the decade. Ukrainian Navy deputy chief Andriy Ryzhenko announced the 'mosquito fleet' initiative last October, moving away from the traditional sea- and ocean-going naval concept. The probing attack over the weekend was the first of its kind in over two years. The last major engagement involving the Ukrainian Navy in the country's civil war took place over two years ago. But the attack wasn't the first by the Ukrainian military in recent weeks. Last month, Ukrainian forces attempted to break through local militia positions along the coast of the Azov Sea. Ukrainian forces suffered heavy losses with 15 men reported killed, and 20 more wounded. Observers warn that the attacks on coastal areas of the breakaway territories may intensify as the Ukrainian Navy makes progress on the creation of its 'mosquito fleet', which is expected to consist of about 30 modern or modernized small- and medium-sized boats and patrol craft by the end of the decade. Ukrainian Navy deputy chief Andriy Ryzhenko announced the 'mosquito fleet' initiative last October, moving away from the traditional sea- and ocean-going naval concept. Together with several dozen small patrol boats, minesweepers, command, recon and support ships, Ukraine's Navy presently has one frigate the Hetman Sahaydachniy, one corvette, and one landing cutter, something most local military observers say is insufficient for it to conduct amphibious assaults against Donbass militia positions along the coast, particularly given that most of the vessels are believed to be in a state of disrepair. The 'mosquito fleet' could come to support a broader offensive, however, an eventuality that does seem like a terrifying possibility as Kiev continues to stall the implementation of the Minsk agreements on Ukrainian peace. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 9 By Farhad Daneshvar Trend: Ahead of Nowruz holidays marking the beginning of the new Iranian calendar year, hopes have flared up inside the country that an appeal to nationalism would help made-in-Iran products recover lost ground. Responding to the official calls, a group of Iranians alongside with media outlets have joined a campaign to back domestic production as the officials are looking inward to change the consumption habits of the nation, accustomed to purchasing a wide range of foreign products, aimed at helping the countrys depressed economy to climb out of the deep recession. The campaign calls on all the people across the country to play their part in giving support for the domestic production by purchasing made-in-Iran products. Lets support domestic and Iranian production by purchasing Iranian products over the holiday, the official IRNA news agency urged in a report on March 8 as part of the campaign. In the meantime, the efforts to wean Iran from imports have found its way to social media as some users are echoing their support for the domestic goods by sharing the photographs and addresses of shops that offer solely Iranian goods. The banner in the above photograph reads we proudly sell only Iranian made products. But not everyone finds the campaign helpful as efforts to increase domestic production faces serious head winds with many observers arguing that building confidence in the domestic products must be considered as the first step before producing more goods domestically. Lack of consumer interest and crippling sanctions over the past several years contributed to the closure of numerous factories, increasing Iran's already high unemployment rate. The countrys unemployment rate last summer (June 21-Sept. 21) stood at 12.7 percent; about 23 million people were employed with 3.3 million unemployed. The number of unemployed people over the past four years has annually increased by 500,000. Some 1.2 million job seekers, mostly university graduates, join the countrys job market per year. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Irans nominal GDP would increase from the current $377 billion to $472 billion in five years. This is while made-in-Iran goods have suffered as the domestic producers are still struggling with foreign competition over the market share. The official statistics suggest that Iran's non-oil export over the past years has strengthened steadily, but its total import has also risen. According to the Iranian Customs Administration, the country imported 30.005 million tons of goods, worth $38.415 billion over the current fiscal year (started March 20, 2016). The figure indicates a 3.47 percent surge in terms of value year-on-year. Meanwhile, the official estimations suggest that about $12-13 billion worth of goods were smuggled into the country. Simultaneously, the countrys non-oil exports posted $38.492 billion over the year starting March 20, a rise by 0.21 percent. A Tehran-based boutique owner has told Trend that many customers still appear reluctant to abandon imported goods in favor of home-made ones as they need to restore trust in domestic products, even if they are cheaper. It seems that stoking nationalist sentiment alone is unlikely to help the economy in the long-term. Instead, the officials and producers need to draw up firm plans aimed at improving the quality of products and services to regain consumers confidence. Selva: Nuclear Deterrent is the Joint Force Modernization Priority By Cheryl Pellerin DoD News, Defense Media Activity WASHINGTON, March 8, 2017 The joint force puts the U.S. nuclear deterrent at the top of its list for modernization and recapitalization and these no longer can be deferred, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told House Armed Services Committee members this morning. Air Force Gen. Paul J. Selva and Air Force Gen. John Hyten, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, testified before the House panel on the military assessment of nuclear deterrence requirements. Joining them for the hearing were Navy Adm. Bill Moran, vice chief of Naval Operations, and Air Force Gen. Stephen Wilson, vice chief of staff of the Air Force. Selva said that over the past decade considered decisions have been made to defer some nuclear force modernization to address urgent needs while maintaining a safe, reliable and secure arsenal and delivery capability. "But in making those decisions we have squeezed about all the life we can out of the systems we currently possess," the general added, "so that places an extra premium on a very deliberate long-term investment strategy to replace those systems as existing systems age out of the inventory." Nearing a Crossroads The nation's nuclear deterrent is nearing a crossroads, Selva told the panel. "We are now at a point where we must concurrently recapitalize each component of our nuclear deterrent," he said, "the nuclear weapons themselves, the triad of strategic delivery platforms, the indication-and-warning systems to support our decision processes, the command-and-control networks that connect the president to our field forces, and our dual-capable tactical aircraft that can be equipped with nonstrategic nuclear weapons." Nuclear modernization no longer can be deferred, the general said, adding, "Any disruption of the current program of record for future acquisition plans will introduce significant risk to our deterrent." In his comments, Hyten said that at a time when other nations continue to modernize and upgrade their nuclear forces, nearly all elements of the U.S. nuclear weapon stockpile, delivery systems and other critical infrastructure are operating well beyond their designed service life. "Maintaining strategic deterrence, assurance and escalation control capabilities requires a multifaceted long-term investment approach and a sustained commitment to maintaining a credible nuclear deterrent," the general said, "[and] that nuclear deterrent is only as effective as the command and control that enables it to function." Unpredictable challenges posed by today's multi-domain, multi-threat security environment make it increasingly important to optimize the legacy nuclear command, control and communication, or NC3, systems and leverage new technologies and capabilities, Hyten said. NC3 systems are essential for providing early warning and time-critical information to the National Command Authority for decision making, and effectively directing triad forces in response to a strategic crisis, Hyten explained in written testimony, and "any delay, deferment or cancellation of NC3 modernization will create a capability gap that potentially degrades the president's ability to respond appropriately to a strategic threat." Retaining the Triad In advance of consultations last year with members of the Obama administration on potential options for how to manage the nuclear triad, Selva said the Joint Chiefs met and affirmed the need to maintain a triad. This was largely to manage strategic risks from Russia and China as potential nuclear adversaries, an increasingly aggressive North Korea and its pursuit of nuclear weapons and a potential future entry of Iran into the nuclear arena, he added. "Based on the collection of potential threats and adversaries that exist in the world," Selva said, "the Joint Chiefs affirmed the necessity to maintain a triad and to modernize the weapon systems, the indications of warning and the command and control associated with that triad." Hyten also believes the triad is fundamental to deterrence and should be retained and modernized. "To deter," he added, "you have to have a capability that provides the adversary a calculus that he looks at and decides that his options will fail. If the adversary has capabilities to operate from the sea, from the land [and] from the air, we have to be able to turn all those elements. That's how the triad was developed and that's how we need to go." Qualitative Advantage In Selva's remarks he said the path chosen to modernize and replace the existing nuclear arsenal, "particularly the delivery systems, the indications and warning, and command-and-control," potentially puts the United States in a position to retain its qualitative advantage and capitalize on the advantage over time. The advantage comes with "continuing to have a triad that gives us a ballistic missile force that confounds Russian and Chinese targeting, a bomber force that is resilient enough and capable enough to penetrate enemy air defenses and respond to a nuclear attack, and a survivable portion of that triad, in the case of our strategic ballistic missile submarines, that gives us an ability to respond even if an adversary were to believe that they could execute a decapitating attack on our nuclear capability," Selva said. For those reasons, the general added, "it is our strategy going forward to continue to modernize all three legs of the triad in order to continue to pose unsurvivable targeting challenges to adversaries that match us in number and [are] very close to matching us [in the quality of] delivery systems themselves." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Tupelo, Mississippi , March 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A groundbreaking marketing firm located in Tupelo, Mississippi aims to get unified as the first quarter rolls to a close. Eminence Marketing Solutions took part in several events geared toward unification in their national organization and plan to continue the trend in Tupelo, Mississippi. Director of Operations for Eminence Marketing Solutions, Miguel Palacios explains the importance of unification for the company. Our firm represents some of the largest brands in the nation, he says. With that responsibility, comes huge national goals. Sometimes we start concentrating too much on the big picture and the future of our company and get away from what really matters on a daily basis, our foundation. The company was founded on the idea of paying it forward. Miguel prides the Eminence Marketing associates on the streamlined training process utilized on a daily basis. Since its implementation, Tupelo has consistently been in the spot light for growth and projected revenue. Because of that consistency, Miguel and the Eminence Marketing leaders shifted their focus to their next big feat, community outreach. Miguel and his associates attended an event hosted by the Susan G. Komen foundation in New Port Beach, California where they raised over $4,000 in donations. The Eminence Marketing Solutions team was enlightened by a few of the foundations guest speakers, touching on their personal struggles with breast cancer and how the foundation helped them through. It was truly eye opening, says Miguel. The speakers were so inspirational and dedicated to spreading awareness that it truly unified us. The day after the event, our team met for lunch and made a pact to get involved in local foundations and events in Tupelo to continue our push for building community ties. To further Eminence Marketing Solutions national unification, the largest meeting the company has ever hosted is taking place in Dallas WHEN. This meeting will mark the first ever organizational conference to take place from the east to west coast along with the companys multi million dollar clients. Miguel explains, We realized that our regional meetings are great for local networking, but our opportunity to grow is so much bigger than that. It is incredibly important to show our new associates the extent of our corporate family. To see what Eminence Marketing Solutions has in store for the future, visit www.EminenceMarketingSolutions.com. Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with his Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani in Doha on Wednesday evening, IRNA reported. During the meeting, the two sides discussed bilateral relations and regional as well as international cooperation. Zarif arrived in Qatar on Wednesday afternoon for one-day visit and before holding meeting with his Qatari counterpart, Zarif met with Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tammim bin Hamad al-Thani. Earlier in Augist 2016, Zarif visited Qatar where he discussed bilateral ties and international as well as regional cooperation and efforts for effective confrontation against terrorism and Takfiri groups. Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 9 By Fatih Karimov Trend: The Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi condemned a recent UN report on the state of human rights in Iran. Qasemi said the report of Asma Jahangir, the UN special rapporteur for human rights in Iran, is unfair and politicized, the Foreign Ministrys official website reported March 9. The Islamic Republic has repeatedly stated that it doesnt recognize a report which is prepared by a special rapporteur appointed on the basis of a resolution adopted on political motivations of certain countries, Qasemi added. Asma Jahangir presented her 40-page report on details of human rights violations in Iran during the 34th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. In the report, Jahangir expressed concerns about no improvements in the human rights situation in Iran. She also voiced concerns over juvenile executions, political prisoners being denied medical care, and the Iranian governments use of torture. The report stated that situation in areas like independence of judiciary and lawyers as well as freedom of expression continue to be of serious concern. Qasemi said Iran has already submitted a detailed response to the special rapporteur over the claims raised in the report before she officially publishes it. He further expressed regret that Jahangir had closed her eyes on Iran's various developments in the field of human rights. Its almost time for parents to begin the process of registering students for kindergarten in Danville and Pittsylvania County. When a parent registers a child early for kindergarten, it is a sign that they are thinking about the exciting and sometimes challenging transition to elementary school, Smart Beginnings Danville Pittsylvania executive director Ann Stratton in a news release. Children who are 5 years old by Sept. 30 are required to start kindergarten this fall. To register, parents need: A valid parent or guardian photo ID. The students birth certificate. Birth certificate copies are available at the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles in Danville at 126 Sandy Court Suite C, and in Chatham at 17 S. Main St. A proof of residency. The students up-to-date immunization record. Parents should make an appointment with their physician or the health department in Danville at (434) 799-5190 or in Chatham at (434) 432-7232. Stratton said preparing for kindergarten helps schools as well as the students and parents. When children register early for school, it also helps school administrators to plan for the next year and to be prepared to meet the individual needs of your child, Stratton said. And, if the family has enough time to start talking about and preparing a child for a smooth transition to big school, it is less stressful. Students who do not register on Friday can make an appointment with their elementary school. Parents can also make sure what school their child will attend by calling Danville Public Schools at (434) 799-6400 or Pittsylvania County Schools at (434) 432-2761. Pittsylvania County Schools Superintendent Mark Jones said registering early helps principals with completing student rosters and assigning them to classes. Student evaluations also help teachers know what kind of educational background students enter the classroom with. It helps out in many ways, Jones said. On Thursday evening, three schools will hold Strong Start nights to begin pre-K and kindergarten registration. The events are from 5 to 7 p.m. at Chatham High School, Dan River Middle School and Gretna Middle School. Stratton said parents can take several steps to help their child prepare for the beginning of school. They can, among other things, schedule a visit to their childs school, practice waking up and going to bed on time, read together every day, go to a playground with other kids, let their doctor know about potential developmental delays and talk to their child about the positive aspects of school. Smart Beginnings is one of 13 school readiness coalitions in Virginia. Full removal of the Long Mill Dam would bring the most benefits and the fewest concerns, according to a review by consultants hired by the city. Getting rid of the dam would allow for more flexible design of the proposed riverfront park, said Graham Smith, principal with DHM Design Inc., in Raleigh, North Carolina. Smith presented the review results during a special work session of Danville City Council on Tuesday evening. The dam review was conducted along with a conceptual plan for a proposed riverfront park. The city has been working with consultants to study the Long Mill Dams recreational value and whether it would be a fit for a proposed riverfront park. The riverfront park would be on four acres between the White Mill and the King Memorial Bridge across from the YMCA and accessible from the Riverwalk Trail. The results were prepared by Smith and DHM Landscape Designer Jeremy Arnett, in conjunction with Ward Consulting Engineers, S20 Design and Engineering and Axiom Environmental. Other benefits of the dams removal which would cost between $100,000 and $250,000 would be restoration of natural habitat and an extended view up and downstream of the existing dam showing water rushing over natural rocks in the Dan River, according to the review. Removing the dam would come with no ongoing maintenance costs or dam safety concerns, Smith told councilmen. There are more benefits to take the dam out, Smith said. By removing a giant obstruction, smaller obstructions could be added to get more recreational benefits from the river, he added. The only drawback would be the elimination of visual cues of the dams presence, according to the review. Preparers of the report wrote that there appears to be a natural collection of bedrock stone along this section of the Dan River. Historic mapping identifies Wynnes Falls as the early settlement of what is now Danville, the review points out. This designation may indicate a historic waterfall system that occurs under the dam itself, according to the review. Probing behind the dam found depths ranging from 2 to about 6 feet, reviewers wrote. The dam was likely installed across a part of the river that may have an uneven bottom, according to the review. DHM also looked at two other options for the dam including taking no action (leaving the dam in place) and partial removal. Taking no action would yield no costs and would retain the sounds and continual visual interest provided within the River District, according to the review. Disadvantages would include unknown long-term maintenance or emergency costs as the dam continues to age. The Virginia Municipal League considers the dam an attractive nuisance and it exposes the city to increased liability if someone gets injured. Also, the nearby proposed riverfront park on the southern bank would most likely introduce more people to the area and increase the chance of accidents at the dam, according to the review. During the presentation, City Councilman Fred Shanks questioned Smith about the liability issue. I havent seen the liability yet, Shanks said. Shanks opposed removal of the dam when the city considered options for the structure last year. Smith said the dam is getting older and falling apart. The dam is aging, Smith said. If no action is taken, it would cost money to ensure its safety, he added. DHM would recommend someone makes sure the structure is secure. Shanks said as long as there are buoys, there is no liability. Partial removal would cost about $100,000 to $200,000, with minimal demolition. However, structural improvements or a gate control device may be needed, according to the review. Other advantages of partial removal would include continued visual interest and sound within earshot of water traveling over the dam. Drawbacks would include more rapid weakening of the dam than if its left as is; unknown long-term maintenance and or emergency costs as it continues to age; the attractive nuisance and increased liability concerns and more people increasing likelihood of accidents, according to the review. Council voted in June 2016 to table the matter of what to do with the dam until further research can be conducted on the citys options. Council members wanted additional information. The dam study cost $20,000, with $17,500 covered by a grant from the Community Foundation of the Dan River Region. A Danville man who was accused of starting a structure fire pleaded no contest Wednesday afternoon. Rodney Keith Moore, 43, will be sentenced for arson and public intoxication on April 24. Moore, dressed in a lime green jumpsuit for defendants in violent crimes, sat next to his defense attorney, Lee Smallwood, as they went over his no contest plea. Moore faces a maximum of 10 years and a $100,000 fine for arson, and a $250 fine for public intoxication. On the afternoon of Nov. 4, Danville firefighters and police responded to a structure fire at 219 Ash St. The residence was engulfed in flames, Danville Commonwealths Attorney Michael Newman said in court Wednesday afternoon. Moore was at 213 Ash St., and admitted to officers that he was intoxicated. While he was being detained, Moore smelled of smoke, Newman said in his summary of the evidence. The fire started inside the front door, Newman said. In court, it was revealed that Moore sent text messages to his sister minutes before the fire started. Im going to burn it down, Moore sent in the text, according to Newman. This was the second arson incident to occur in November. The first occurred at a residence in the 900 block of Colquhoun Street. John Petty is still waiting to go to trial for that case. ROCKY MOUNT When Michael Burnette drives through the sprawling 550-acre property thats the future home of Franklin Countys business park, he sees more than the rolling hills. He can imagine an employee who gets to appreciate a view of Cahas Mountain from his office, who heads to the ball field for a pick-up game during lunch or a free concert on Friday evening after work. And he does it all without ever leaving the business park. The county has a clear vision for the modern, campus-style park it wants to create. It will be a place for both work and play, for business and the community. This year the county will take several significant steps toward implementing its vision. Much has been done since the board of supervisors voted to purchase the first property for the park in November 2015. The park has grown in size from 350 to 550 acres. A master plan for the park has been completed. The property was rezoned as a regional enterprise park. The county has submitted numerous grant applications. Its also in talks with prospective businesses. The progress thus far has been largely intangible and behind the scenes, but thats likely to change in 2017, as Burnette said preparation of pad sites and business announcements are on the horizon. The county hopes to put out a request for proposals later this month for utility, road and grading work in the northern region of the park. The plan is to start with two pad sites, approximately 10 acres and 25 acres. The county hopes to have this first phase of the project complete by the end of the year, Burnette said. Businesses that choose to locate in the park will build their own facilities. But they wont really be able to do so until the county has completed some infrastructure work, Burnette said. Some prospects already have been out to visit the park. Burnette said three have been on site and while the county lost out on one of the businesses, its still in talks with the two others who are looking pretty intently. Were having ongoing discussions with prospects right now and hope that well have something announced here in the next few months, he said. The economic development director said he wasnt able to share any information about the businesses yet. Its important to secure prospects early, as the county needs to show businesses are interested in locating in the park before it can begin its work. A road that will be built in the first phase of the project will cross a small stream on the property, Burnette said, and because a body of water will be affected, the county needs approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which doesnt allow speculative work and requires a letter of intent. The county is looking for three types of businesses, Burnette said: those that will invest a lot of money in the county, those that will create many jobs and finally those that bring jobs with higher-than-average wages. The two businesses the county is in talks with now are not large, but they will offer jobs with wages significantly higher than the average for Franklin County. Cline Brubaker, chairman of the county board of supervisors, said hes most looking forward to having that first contract signed, which he hopes will be soon. He expects securing the first business will jump-start the whole project, and get others thinking about locating in Franklin County. That will be a really exciting thing to have happen, Brubaker said. He said he believes the parks proximity to both Roanoke and Virginia Tech will help the county to recruit good employers. Brubaker described the views at the park as amazing, and said he expects the companies the county is hoping to attract will appreciate that, along with the other community benefits the park will provide. Its not an industrial park, Brubaker said its something more upscale and modern, that will appeal to a certain type of business. Nearby residents like Dave Werner are anxious over what kind of businesses the park will attract. Werner and others have voiced concerns about how the park will be developed, but Werner said after seeing the master plan, hes feeling more optimistic about the project. While he didnt move to Franklin County to live beside a business park, Werner said, he does understand the need for economic development. If youre going to do it, make it as much park-like as you can, he said. And from what Ive seen from the master plan, it looks pretty good. The park will have recreation and event spaces, with walking trails, a produce auction and perhaps the countys agricultural fair, among other things. Design work for the event and recreation spaces are under way. Burnette said he hopes the first draft for the events area will be complete by the end of March, and the recreation area by May. There are also plans for public safety services at the park. The county plans to pay tribute to its agricultural heritage, restoring silos on the property, largely for aesthetic reasons. The county hopes to use the wood from barns and some structures that will be taken down for new buildings at the park, like picnic shelters. Were pushing the authenticity of Franklin County, Burnette said. It also plans to renovate some of the propertys buildings, such as a house in the northern part that will serve as office space and a visitor center. Visitor centers are currently located at Smith Mountain Lake, in Rocky Mount and Ferrum, Burnette said, but none on U.S. 220, the main thoroughfare for tourists. Despite the effort to provide community amenities, some neighbors have opposed the project. Tim Poindexter, who owns a house on Pleasant Breeze Road, opted to put his property up for sale when he learned the business park was moving into the neighborhood. But he hasnt had much luck in selling it, even after reducing the price by $10,000. I even offered that house to one of my daughters and she said no, Poindexter said. Now, hes looking into rezoning his property to allow for commercial uses. With the development thats coming, Poindexter said, he thinks he might have more luck selling it that way. VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Mar 8, 2017) - Abacus Mining & Exploration Corporation ("Abacus" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:AME) is pleased to report that the previously announced non-brokered private placement unit offering (the "Offering") has closed. Pursuant to the Offering, the Company has issued 20,400,000 units ("Units") at a price of C$0.05 per Unit, for gross proceeds to the Company of $1,020,000. Each Unit consists of one common share and one-half of a non-transferable common share purchase warrant. Each full warrant will be exercisable to purchase one common share at a price of C$0.08 per common share for three years from the date of closing. No finder's fees were payable on the financing, and all securities issued will be subject to a four month hold period under Canadian securities law. The financing is subject to TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) approval. Upon completion of the financing, the Company will have approximately $2 million in its treasury. Proceeds from the financing will be applied towards the Company's exploration commitments under the Option Agreement for the Willow copper-gold property located in Nevada, and general working capital and corporate purposes. On Behalf of the Board, ABACUS MINING & EXPLORATION CORPORATION Michael McInnis, Chairman, President & CEO About Abacus Abacus is a mineral exploration and mine development company with a 20% interest in the Ajax Project located at the historic Ajax-Afton site southwest of Kamloops, B.C., and an option to acquire up to a 75% interest in the Willow copper-gold property located in Nevada. The Ajax Project is a proposed copper-gold open-pit mine currently undergoing a provincial and federal environmental assessment process. Through KGHM Ajax Mining Inc., a joint venture company between Abacus (20%) and KGHM Polska Miedz S.A. (KGHM) (80%), the Ajax Mine is being funded in large part by KGHM and operated by its wholly-owned subsidiary, KGHM International Ltd. For the latest reports and information on Abacus' projects, please refer to the Company's website at www.amemining.com. Forward-Looking Information This release includes certain statements that are deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that Abacus expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward- looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include changes to commodity prices, mine and metallurgical recovery, operating and capital costs, foreign exchange rates, ability to obtain required permits on a timely basis, exploitation and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward- looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 9 By Orkhan Quluzade Trend: The state of emergency in Turkey, announced in July 2016 after the failed coup attempt, may be extended for additional three months, says Prime Minister Binali Yildirim. Yildirim made the announcement speaking to reporters Mar. 9, Turkish media outlets reported. A three-month state of emergency was declared in Turkey on July 20, 2016 by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after a military coup attempt took place in the country on July 15 night. Since then the state of emergency has been twice prolonged for 90 days on Oct. 3, 2016 and in January 2017. On July 15, 2016 Turkish authorities said a military coup attempt took place in the country as a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. However, the rebelling servicemen started to surrender July 16 and Turkish authorities said the coup attempt failed. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had earlier said the death toll as a result of the military coup attempt stood at 246 people, excluding the coup plotters, and over 2,000 people were wounded. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @o_quluzade Several weeks ago, when Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed a paid maternity leave bill for state employees, Arkansas Personnel Administrator Kay Barnhill couldnt help thinking back to her own experience. When her children were born, she had to use up all of her sick and vacation hours to spend time with them. Paid maternity leave, she says somewhat wistfully, would have been tremendous.Only 13 percent of private-sector workers have access to paid parental leave, and that number isnt likely much higher for state and local government employees.The United States is one of the only industrialized nations that doesn't offer paid parental leave on a national level. The 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act guaranteed job protection for workers to take time off but made no requirements for payment during that period.Some states, like Arkansas, only apply the benefit to mothers, but fathers are increasingly being included too. Theres also been a slow but steady movement toward providing compensation for employees who are caring for children they recently adopted or fostered.At the state level, 10 states -- including Arkansas -- "have some form of paid family leave protections for state employees," says Sadie Kliner, the deputy communications director at the National Partnership for Women & Families.Four of those states' paid parental leave policies can benefit public and private workers. In New Jersey, almost all public- and private-sector employees are automatically covered under its 2008 law. But California's law, adopted in 2002, only applies to public employee unions and the cities and counties that opt in. The same is true in Rhode Island, which enacted its policy in 2013, and New York, where the benefit will become available in 2018. The National Partnership for Women & Families published a chart this month that details the differences in these policies from state to state.In some of the other states, individual government offices have instituted their own policies.In Massachusetts, for example, staff in the offices of the attorney general and in the state treasurer have had paid parental leave since 2015. The 12-week benefit extends to both mothers and fathers with new babies or adopted or foster children.The policy is growing even more prevalent for municipal workers. Austin, Texas; Boston; Hennepin County, Minn.; King County, Wash.; Minneapolis and Washington, D.C.; have all started to offer paid parental leave in the past several years. And within days of the Arkansas law's passage, Seattle expanded its paid parental leave from four to 12 weeks for public workers.Why the increasing interest in paid leave? For most employers, it's because the benefit offers them a clear competitive advantage.Theres high competition in the financial services area, says Massachusetts Treasurer Deborah Goldberg. If you want to hire millennials, theres an expectation of a work-life balance.That's a sentiment that Arkansas' Barnhill echoes.We want to use it to bring younger employees into state government," she says. "In todays marketplace, many single mothers dont have the income to support themselves during that time off.In San Francisco, the proof of their argument is in the numbers. According to Micki Callahan, the city's human resources director, women represent only 10 percent of Twitter employees and 15 percent of Facebook employees in nearby Silicon Valley. But in San Francisco, which offers paid parental leave for public workers, women hold 28 percent of the city's tech jobs. A Los Angeles company is working with hospitals and health departments in Ohio to give away cardboard box beds for every newborn in the state this year in an effort to reduce the high infant-mortality rate.Supporters say these beds -- inspired by boxes provided to every newborn in Finland for decades -- can be used during an infant's first months to reduce the risk of sleep-related deaths.In 2015, 1,005 Ohio babies died before their first birthday, with 150 of the deaths -- about three each week -- being sleep-related. The state's overall rate of 7.2 deaths per 1,000 live births is well above the national rate of 5.9, and ranks Ohio 38th among states.The baby-box initiative is a partnership between the Baby Box Co. and the Cincinnati Health Department, the Richland County Health Department, University Hospitals MacDonald Women's Hospital in Cleveland, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital in Cleveland, Muskingum Valley Health Centers and the nonprofit Babies Need Boxes.The groups want to distribute as many as 140,000 boxes this year. That's about the number of annual births in Ohio."We don't really think that this in itself is going to stop infant sleep-related deaths, but it's a way for us to give parents the education and tools to make that less likely, to help them succeed," said Celina Cunanan, director of midwifery services for University Hospitals in Cleveland and a founding member of Babies Need Boxes Ohio.To get a box, parents must register and complete a 15- to 20-minute course and quiz at www.babyboxuniversity.com that covers prenatal health, safe-sleep practices, breastfeeding, postpartum contraception and pregnancy mental health. Boxes, which include a mattress and are filled with newborn essentials, can be mailed to parents or picked up at various locations.Ohio is the second state that the Baby Box Co. has taken on.It initiated its first statewide program in New Jersey in late January. Since then, more than 7,000 baby boxes have been given to parents, and about 6,000 more are being prepared for shipment. The company also has launched programs in other U.S. cities and in Canada and the United Kingdom, said Jennifer Clary, Baby Box Co. co-founder and chief executive."We believe that every child, regardless of socioeconomic status, has a right to a safe start in life," Clary said in an email. "We're fulfilling a promise to provide a safe sleep environment and education across the globe."Still, these type of sleep boxes have not gained universal acceptance.The March of Dimes has not rung in on the matter. Neither has the Ohio Department of Health, but it said it is "committed to promoting access to all safe sleep environments," said spokeswoman Melanie Amato. The state partners with Cribs for Kids to provide free cribs to families who cannot afford them.CelebrateOne, a local effort to reduce infant mortality in central Ohio, does not endorse the boxes.The organization recommends that newborns be placed in empty cribs or pack-and-play playpens, which CelebrateOne provides free of charge to parents who cannot afford them, said executive director Erika Clark Jones.There were 26 sleep-related deaths among children younger than 1 in Franklin County last year, Jones said, and a goal is to cut that number in half this year.Experts say infants should be placed on their backs, on their own and with no pillows, bumpers, blankets or toys."It just takes one instance of a baby being on an unsafe sleep surface that could have a detrimental outcome," Jones said. "We want to avoid that."Finland's infant mortality rate was 2 per 1,000 live births in 2015, according to the World Health Organization. Health officials there swear by the sleep boxes, which are given to every family.Cunanan said she hopes Americans embrace the Finnish tradition that says all babies are important, regardless of their ethnicity or where they come from."Every baby is important, every life is important," she said. "We want all babies to have a safe start in life."Two baby-box launch events will be held for Ohio parents on Friday. The first is at 10:30 a.m. in the atrium at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, 2101 Adelbert Road in Cleveland. The second event is at 2:30 p.m. at the Mansfield Area YMCA, 750 Scholl Road in Mansfield. Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson said Thursday that the state would take President Donald Trump to court to block enforcement of his new, revamped travel order pausing refugee resettlement and travel from six majority-Muslim countries.Washington state's lawsuit against the first travel ban led a Seattle federal court judge to order a national halt to the executive order, which had caused chaos at airports around the country and led to the cancelation of 60,000 travel visas.At a news conference Thursday, Ferguson said he would file a motion asking the judge in the case, James Robart, to apply the restraining order against the old travel ban to the new one.Ferguson said the state's challenges to the new travel ban remain largely the same as the first one, which it said was discriminatory against Muslims and caused unnecessary harm to the state's residents, universities and businesses.Washington is joined by Minnesota in its suit. On Thursday, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said the state would also file to join the lawsuit.The states follow Hawaii, which filed a complaint in a Honolulu federal court against the revised travel ban on Wednesday.Hawaii's complaint says it objects to the new travel order because it has "profound" and "detrimental" effects on the state's economy and people. The state also argues that the executive order discriminates against Muslims and violates the equal protection and due process guarantees of the Constitution."(W)hile the president signed a revised version on March 6 ... we still know exactly what it means. It is another attempt by the administration to enact a discriminatory ban that goes against the fundamental teachings of our Constitution and our immigration laws, even if it is cloaked in ostensibly neutral terms," the state says in its filing.The state's new complaint amends its initial challenge to an earlier, more comprehensive travel ban issued by the Trump administration in January.A hearing is set for March 15 in Honolulu on Hawaii's request for a national temporary restraining order on the new travel order, which is scheduled to take effect March 16.The intent of both travel orders, Trump administration officials say, is to screen out visitors from countries affected by terrorism until more stringent vetting measures can be put into place.The new order has been stripped of many provisions that federal judges across the country found troublesome in the first one.Trump's new order does not give preference to religious minorities in refugee admissions. It exempts several categories of people from its restrictions, including dual nationals who have U.S. citizenship, green card holders and people who already hold valid visas.Legal experts have said the new travel ban, which applies to citizens of Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Libya, Syria and Yemen (it does not include Iraq as the previous order did), will be tougher to fight in court because of the president's broad authority over immigration enforcement and national security when it comes to noncitizens and those without visas.The Department of Justice has argued in federal court filings this week that several court orders calling for a halt to the first ban do not apply to the new one. In Washington state, government lawyers have filed papers saying that the new order "falls out of the scope" of Robart's earlier injunction. On Wednesday, in the morning, at Government House, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC and Mrs Kaye de Jersey hosted morning tea for Mr Hidehiro Hosaka, Consul-General of Japan in Queensland, and Mrs Kumiko Hosaka. In the afternoon, at Government House, the Governor hosted an afternoon tea for The University of Queensland (UQ) 2017 LEAD Scholarship recipients and their academic supervisors, and Mr Andrew Brice AM, co-founder, UQ Endowment Fund. In the evening, at Government House, the Governor and Mrs de Jersey hosted a reception for International Womens Day where His Excellency addressed guests. Description GIS - 09 March, 2017: The Government of Ivory Coast in collaboration with the Village des Technologies de l'Information et de la Biotechnologie ( VITIB ) has solicited the expertise of Mauritian investors to set up a Biotechnology, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Free Zone in Grand-Bassam based on the model of the Cyber City in Ebene. The Government of Ivory Coast in collaboration with the) has solicited the expertise of Mauritian investors to set up a Biotechnology, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Free Zone in Grand-Bassam based on the model of the Cyber City in Ebene. In this context, a high-level delegation from VITIB and the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Ivory Coast is currently in Mauritius to consolidate its relationship with the Mauritius-Africa Fund and the Board of Investment with regards to investment opportunities in viable projects within the VITIB zone. The Ivory Coast representatives made a presentation yesterday at the Cybertower 1, Ebene Cyber City on the numerous opportunities for investment on the 624 Hectares of land to be developed at Grand Bassam. The different areas identified are namely: Park tower; administrative blocks including; Office towers for ICT companies; Hotels (both business and resort); Residential projects (apartments, villas, bungalows); Shopping mall; Logistics centre; Toll bridge; Energy production (solar and other renewables). Mauritius and the Ivory Coast signed in April 2016, an Investment Protection and Promotion agreement to boost trade and investment as well as reinforce and deepen economic cooperation between the two countries. Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 9 By Orkhan Quluzade Trend: Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree lifting the ban on import of certain types of fruits and vegetables from Turkey, the Russian PM told his Turkish counterpart Binali Yildirim in a phone conversation. The sides discussed restoration of bilateral relations, according to Turkish media outlets. The sixth meeting of the Russia-Turkey High Level Cooperation Council will take place March 10. Turkish and Russian presidents will head the countries delegations at the Councils meetings. (TNS) - Yellow fever has broken out in the jungles outside Brazils most densely-populated cities, raising a frightening but still remote possibility: an epidemic that could decimate that countrys population and spread throughout the Americas, including the United States.In an essay rushed into print by the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday, two doctors from the National Institutes of Health warn that cases of yellow fever, which can kill as many as 10 percent of those infected, have seen an unusual spike in the last few weeks in several rural areas of Brazil.Those outbreaks have been limited to places where there arent enough people or virus-spreading mosquitoes to fuel a rapid run-up in transmission. But they are on the edge of major urban areas where residents are largely unvaccinated, and where humans and insects are packed densely enough to accelerate the diseases spread.Its a perilous moment, made more so by the fact that, while an effective vaccine against yellow fever has been around since 1937, worldwide stockpiles are all but depleted. In a series of yellow fever outbreaks in Angola and Democratic Republic of Congo two years ago, public health officials ran so short of the vaccine that they resorted to giving each person one-fifth of a dose.Only a few companies worldwide manufacture the vaccine, and making additional doses takes a long time, said Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and coauthor of the new essay.In the virtual absence of stockpiled vaccine, wrote Fauci and Dr. Catharine I. Paules, early identification of cases and rapid implementation of public health management and prevention strategies, such as mosquito control and appropriate vaccination, are critical to preventing an explosion of yellow fever.In an interview, Fauci said he considered it unlikely that an outbreak that has been confined to Brazils forest communities would spread to that countrys cities and catch fire.With more than 1,000 suspected cases in Brazil and 371 confirmed by blood tests, its not critical yet in Brazil, he said. But he would worry, he added, if cases of yellow fever begin to turn up in such cities as Sao Paolo, Rio de Janeiro or Brazilia among people who have not come in from the jungles.Fauci said it was important that his office puts it on the radar screens of public health authorities and physicians. Most doctors have never seen yellow fever, which made its most frightening mark in the United States in Philadelphia in the fall of 1793. Brought in by people fleeing an epidemic in the Caribbean, yellow fever swept through the city, killing roughly 1 in 10 inhabitants.Yellow fever is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which circulates in parts of the southern United States. But for yellow fever to gain a foothold in this country, many of those mosquitoes would need to feast on the blood of people who had been infected elsewhere and traveled here. Then, the mosquitoes would have to quickly move on to transmit the virus to others nearby. That chain of events would require a density of mosquitoes, infected travelers and innocent bystanders that, while possible, is improbable.In an era of frequent international travel, any marked increase in domestic cases in Brazil raises the possibility of travel-related cases and local transmission in regions where yellow fever is not endemic, Fauci and Paules wrote.Doctors in the United States should be asking for travel histories from any patients who turn up after a brief, mild illness appeared to go away, but was quickly followed by the hallmark symptoms of yellow fevers intoxication stage high fevers, internal bleeding, severe liver dysfunction and jaundice (hence the name yellow fever), kidney failure, cardiovascular abnormalities, central nervous system dysfunction and shock.Fauci and Paules wrote that it was highly unlikely that we will see yellow fever outbreaks in the continental United States.But, they added, it is possible that travel-related cases of yellow fever could occur, with brief periods of local transmission in warmer regions such as the Gulf Coast states, where A. aegypti mosquitoes are prevalent.Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, acknowledged that while it was too early to panic, the prospect of urbanized yellow fever was one that strikes fear in the hearts of public health officials.he Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads yellow fever does very well in urban areas, where trash and discarded plastic offer ideal breeding sites and humans are readily available to bite. In such circumstances, it doesnt take too many people infected with yellow fever to feed an army of mosquitoes, who will then carry the virus on to the next group, and the next, said Osterholm, the author of a forthcoming book, Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs.Its like throwing a yellow fever match into a gas tanker. Those are the perfect ingredients for yellow fever explosion, he said.If vaccine is largely absent, the resulting conflagration can spread unchecked, he added.Even if Brazils yellow fever outbreaks go to ground in the jungle, Fauci said the scenario now unfolding reminds us of the things we need to see potentially deadly epidemics coming and respond to head them off.Those include good surveillance by doctors and public health officials to detect even small outbreaks; the capacity to ramp up vaccine production quickly; and a public health emergency fund so that government officials can take urgent measures to stamp out disease transmission before an epidemic takes hold.2017 Los Angeles TimesVisit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com (TNS) -- Train derailments and grade crossings have been in the crosshairs of advocates and elected officials for years.Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney, D-Cold Spring, has in the past said there are hundreds of high-hazard and dangerous rail crossings that need significant improvements. He's called for improvements to safety at those crossings."I am getting sick and tired of issuing statements about dangerous train derailments this time only blocks from my office in Newburgh," Maloney said in a statement Tuesday after a train derailed on the city of Newburgh waterfront. "I'm glad to hear reports that no one was killed, but even one injury is too many. It's got to stop."Maloney said there is a need to improve the transportation of hazardous material and invest more in train safety infrastructure."While we don't yet know why the train derailed, we do know that outdated train cars barreling down the Hudson River carrying hazardous materials are literally a train wreck waiting to happen," Maloney said before investigators revealed that the train hit a forklift on the tracks.U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer has also advocated in the past for improving rail crossings, calling it a critical federal responsibility. He's said engineering upgrades are needed in accident-prone areas and investments are needed in education and public awareness about the the dangers near tracks."Senator Schumer will work closely with FRA and other federal safety organizations to quickly get to the bottom of what caused this dangerous accident," said Jason Kaplan, Schumer's spokesman.Riverkeeper, an environmental group, has spoken out for years about the dangers of trains traveling through communities. John Lipscomb, a Riverkeeper patrol boat captain, said it isn't rational to have cargoes that are as dangerous as those that were being hauled in the derailment go through the heart of communities and on the shores of the Hudson River."There are all kinds of restrictions on highway trucks where they can go and where they can't go, carrying particularly hazardous cargoes. There seem to be no such limits on rail carriers, which operate almost autonomously, without public oversight," Lipscomb said. Public CIOs have a jobs problem. It may not be their fault, but it is their problem. As the urgency grows about preserving and creating jobs in an era where human work is being displaced by software, CIOs live and work with the dissonance of technological optimism and sociological pessimism.They are the advocates and architects of applying technologies to the work of government, based on information technologys original promise call it a value proposition, if you will of trading automation for labor. Indeed, technology has helped squeeze efficiencies out of processes and brought much-needed capacity to public agencies during a protracted era when doing more with less was the watch phrase in government.It foreshadowed where we are today. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January, McKinsey and Co. affirmed its projections that 45 percent of all work could be eliminated by existing technologies, putting some $22 trillion in annual wages at risk in the U.S. Delegates also learned that nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of students entering primary school will have jobs that do not yet exist.Reducing headcount within government through technology is one thing, but the wholesale elimination of up to half of all jobs is the making of an unprecedented political crisis.To the degree that public CIOs have the ear (and confidence) of their elected officials, they have the opportunity to help frame the magnitude of the change we are living through and the policy discussions that must follow.The blast zone of what McKinsey calls the automation bomb is wider than we once imagined.It is not like elected officials didnt see this coming. In the 1960s, President John F. Kennedy was prescient in declaring that the major domestic challenge of the era was to maintain full employment at a time when automation is replacing men.A half-century later, what was once seen as a threat to manual and skilled labor jobs is increasingly spilling over into office and knowledge work. Vulnerability to automation is less a matter of the color of your collar than the nature of the work. Machines are learning how to do routine work of all types, both manual and cognitive.It shouldnt be a surprise then that Amazon will hire 120,000 people in its heavily roboticized fulfillment centers across the country to do nonroutine work that machines have not learned to do (yet).Thanks to advances in blockchain technologies that make 100 percent auditing possible, once-specialized fiscal disciplines from clerk to auditor are made routine by software. Even software engineers are feeling the pressure as their work becomes routine and a new generation of physicists in Silicon Valley works on the nonroutine challenge of mimicking the human brain in the race for machine learning and more fully realized artificial intelligence.The slack amid these changing dynamics is taken up by the 30 million independent workers holding multiple jobs in the so-called gig economy who will show up in Labor Department statistics for the first time ever this May.In contemplating a society with no work, governments in Norway and Ontario, Canada, are taking a fresh look at Universal Basic Income to sustain displaced workers. The venture-funded Y Combinator is running a five-year pilot with 500 Oakland, Calif., residents to better understand the real-world effects of this dystopian choice.But in the real world, there is still a lot of work to do. It is nonroutine work. The work of human touch and the work of empathy. Not even the coming singularity can replace people at that.There is a dearth of policy prescriptions to make sense of this. The task of sense-making is anything but routine and that should be the work of policymakers in broad consultations with workers, unions, industry and educators. CIOs need to be part of that conversation, if only out of a sense of self-preservation. (TNS) -- ROME Three city police departments now have a new tool to help inform the public of unsolved crimes and wanted persons.The Mohawk Valley Crime Stoppers unveiled two digital kiosks Tuesday one to be shared by the Utica and Rome Police Departments and one that will go to the Gloversville Police Department that authorities believe will help them solve crimes.Mohawk Valley Crime Stoppers Executive Director James Glorioso Jr. said the digital kiosks which cost about $4,000 each and were purchased through donations supplied by the Carbone Auto Group will be able to display public safety alerts, outstanding warrants and missing person information.The kiosks, which can be updated by administrators and the Mohawk Valley Crime Analysis Network through a secure wireless modem, also will also be to receive Amber Alerts in real time."The support of the community and of the law enforcement community has been great," Glorioso said. "Rome Police Department and Utica Police Department really, in the beginning were kind of working things out, trying to see how this would go and started to see the success of it and really started to grow to the point that we decided to make the investment back into the police departments with this technology."The kiosk also will display information on how to leave a tip, either by scanning one of two QR codes barcodes that can be scanned with a smartphone or by calling 866-730-8477 or visiting www.mohawkvalleycrimestoppers.com . The process is anonymous and anyone who supplies a tip that leads to an arrest can be eligible for a reward up to $1,500.Rome Police Capt. Timothy Bates, board chairman of the Mohawk Valley Crime Stoppers, said the department is seeking to put the kiosk anywhere there is heavy foot traffic such as retail stores, government buildings and perhaps even emergency room waiting rooms.When asked about the success of the crime stoppers program in Rome, he said the department has had "tremendous" results."As of last week we've had 15 arrests of folks wanted on warrants," Bates said. "These are warrants issued by Rome City Court and we put them up. Granted, most of these warrants aren't for what we would consider serious crimes, but we have not been able to find these folks. Crime Stoppers has been great."Bates said the department also intends to use the kiosk to push to get information for the unsolved homicide of Jason Oates on March 28, 2013. Oates, 32, was shot to death in the rear parking lot of the Rome YMCA.Utica Police Lt. Bryan Coromato said the kiosk will lead to greater exposure of the department's current cases."It gets out message out to a good amount of people," Coromato said. "It just expands our reach to more of the population in our area for the cases that need to get solved. Hopefully, we will get positive tips to help solve the cases." The United Nations special envoy for Syria says the next round of peace talks on the resolution of the Syrian war will be held on March 23, Press TV reported. Following a UN Security Council closed-door meeting on Wednesday, Staffan de Mistura said that counter-terrorism will be added to the agenda in the fifth round of the talks. He further called on the participants of the upcoming separate Kazakhstan talks to focus on the challenges of the ceasefire in Syria, stressing that without a robust ceasefire, the talks in Geneva "will be fragile." Referring to the last round of talks in the Swiss city, he said the results of the negotiations exceeded expectations. No one left. Everybody stayed. They were focused. We got an agenda. We got a timeline. We got some agreement of substance, he said. Jean Todt has ruled out a reversion to screaming V10 engines for formula one. Liberty Media's new F1 sporting chief Ross Brawn admitted at the Barcelona test that although the faster cars are good, engine sound is still a major issue for the sport. "I miss the V10 engines," agreed Fernando Alonso this week. "Formula one today has a sound that it does not deserve." Brawn has indicated that Liberty and the FIA should re-think the current hybrid 'power unit' engine regulations beyond 2020. But that plan does not appear to have the support of the FIA president. Asked by the FIA's own Auto magazine about a potential return to V10 or even V12 engines, Todt said: "It would not be accepted by society. "We have a responsibility to run an organisation monitored by global society, and global society will not accept that. "Indeed, I'm sure if you said 'Let's go back to engines from 10 years ago', many manufacturers would not support such a move. I'm convinced a minimum of three out of four would leave," said Todt. (GMM) Sergio Perez has admitted Force India is struggling through the 2017 pre-season. Fourth overall last year, winter testing for the small Silverstone based outfit has been marred by obvious problems and a lack of pace. "It is all solvable, but we need time," Mexican Perez is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport. "Hopefully we'll get it under control for Melbourne or the second race," he said. Perez said the basic problem is missing rear grip and poor handling. But he insisted: "It is not so important where you are at the Barcelona test, but where you end up in Abu Dhabi. "There's a long way to go with these cars. The development speed will be fast." (GMM) Jacques Villeneuve has defended a new sponsorship deal agreed between the Williams team and the Canadian business jet company Bombardier. In the Canadian press, Bombardier's backing of Lance Stroll was criticised on the basis that the company has received state funding, while Stroll's father is a billionaire. "A Canadian sponsor supporting a Canadian driver, what's better than that?" 1997 world champion Villeneuve told the Journal de Montreal newspaper. "We can't criticise this company for using F1. It's an outstanding showcase," he added. "What's the problem?" said Villeneuve. "They have to advertise in one way or another, and there is nothing better than F1 for a company specialising in aviation." And Villeneuve said the Stroll deal would not be costing Bombardier too much anyway. "If it (the branding) is only on the helmet it's not expensive, especially for a company like them," he said. (GMM) Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that an upcoming meeting with Vladimir Putin would be extremely important for the security of Israel, Sputnik reported. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that an upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin would be extremely important for the security of Israel, adding that the victory over Daesh terrorist group, outlawed in many countries including Russia, could not lead to any violent actions by Iran. "This is a very important meeting for the security of Israel. Victory over the terrorism of Daesh [Arabic for Islamic State] cannot lead to an upsurge in terrorism by Iran and its proxies. We will not exchange terrorism for terrorism," Netanyahu said, as quoted on his official Facebook page. According to the statement, one of the meeting's goals would be to maintain the coordination between Russian and Israel on the resolution of the conflict in Syria, while the second goal would be for Netanyahu to express Israel's "strong opposition to the presence of Iranian forces, and those of its proxies, on our northern border and in the Mediterranean Sea in the context of the talks on a settlement of any kind." The statement went on to add that Netanyahu would say at the meeting that the Golan Heights, an Israeli-controlled disputed area on the country's border with Syria, would be off the negotiating table. The Russian and Israeli leaders are set to meet on Thursday. The White House reportedly has offered the job of US Ambassador to Russia to former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Sputnik repoted The White House has offered the job of US Ambassador to Russia to former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, US media reported. Huntsman is working on the paperwork necessary to accept the position, two sources in the Trump administration told Politico on Wednesday. Huntsman served as US Ambassador to China for President Barack Obama, and US Ambassador to Singapore under President George H.W. Bush. Donald Tusk was appointed on Thursday to a second term as president of the European Council, one of the European Unions governing bodies, despite objections from the government of his own country, Poland, that had created an unprecedented confrontation in Brussels, NYTime reported. Poland was overruled by leaders of the 27 other European Union member countries as they gathered for their spring summit meeting. It was the first time such a decision was made without unanimity since the job was created in 2009. The council sets the leaders agenda, and Mr. Tusk will be expected to forge compromise among its fractious membership during a two-and-a-half-year term, during which the countries will debate, and possibly decide, whether the European Union even survives in its current form. Mr. Tusk, 59, was a driving force in last years deal with Turkey to address the migration crisis, and he has coordinated the European Unions response to Britains plan to withdraw. Poland Opposes 2nd Term for Donald Tusk, an Ex-Premier, to Lead E.U. Council MARCH 8, 2017 A Polish E.U. Leader Seeks Middle Ground in a Dispute With Poland JAN. 18, 2016 Malta Takes the Reins of a Frayed and Anxious European Union JAN. 11, 2017 Hes decent, hes effective, hes a very good president, Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands told reporters on Thursday. On Twitter, Belgiums prime minister, Charles Michel, congratulated Mr. Tusk, and Mr. Tusk thanked his supporters, writing, It helped! The right-wing government that took power in Poland in 2015 wanted him out of the job, and it had even suggested without evidence that he betrayed his country. Dalia Grybauskaite, Lithuanias president, told reporters on Thursday that European Union leaders should not be hostages of national politics inside Poland. There had been speculation that Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary, also a right-winger, could support Beata Szydlo, the Polish prime minister. That hope fell away on Thursday when Mr. Orban, arriving at the summit meeting, indicated he would not oppose the choice of Mr. Tusk. The leaders seemed keen to get down to discussions to give an impression of continuity and stability ahead of elections in France, Germany and the Netherlands where anti-European populists have been doing well in the polls. The meeting also was the first time the leaders gathered inside an orblike structure at the heart of their new headquarters, called Europa, which is expected to cost more than 320 million euros, or about $339 million, when the bill is settled. ADS ADS At Baselworld in 2014, Louis Vuitton created a sensation with the launch of the Escale Worldtime, which offered a new way of looking at the universal hour function. This travel watch is unlike any other you may have seen. There are no extra hands, additional windows or subdials. Just 24 time zones, along with 24 abbreviations of cities spread across the globe, allowing the wearer to see at a glance what time it is in Sydney or Los Angeles. The time is shown on three superimposed rotating discs. The large outer disc, on two levels and in eye-catching colour, bears the city initials. It rotates on demand to set the reference city, which is positioned at the 12 oclock position, above the yellow arrow. The inner disc, divided into two semicircles, one white and one navy blue (for day and night), shows the hours. The smallest disc, in the centre, displays the minutes. The movement of the discs, all adjusted via a single crown, is driven by the calibre LV106, a self-winding mechanical movement developed and assembled entirely in-house by the master watchmakers at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton. It provides a power reserve of 38 hours. The only fixed element on the dial is the black triangle topped with a yellow arrow, which sits directly under the non-reflecting sapphire crystal, so as not to hamper the movement of the rotating discs. The dial of the Escale is what gives the collection its signature appeal: the colourful geometric motifs are a reminder of the emblems with which Louis Vuitton customised its clients travel trunks. The multi-coloured stripes, crests, initials and geometric pictograms are hand-painted by craftsmen working in the Fabrique du Temps workshops. No fewer than 38 different colours are painstakingly applied one by one, with a brush, which explains why it takes more than 40 hours to complete each dial. The four lugs of the 41 mm case, in brushed titanium and white gold, are reminiscent of the corner-pieces of LV trunks, and yet another reference to the art of travel, a theme inseparable from the history of the French luxury brand. The Escale Worldtime comes with a navy blue alligator strap lined with yellow rubber-effect calfskin, closed with an 18-carat white gold folding clasp. Comet Biorefining, an industry leader in the production of high-purity cellulosic dextrose, has completed a round of equity financing led by new investor PM Equity Partner. Current investor Sofinnova Partners and new investor Bioindustrial Innovation Canada (BIC) also participated in the financing. Terms of the financing were not disclosed. Comets industrial technology converts agricultural residues into high-purity dextrose for the production of sustainable biochemicals. Comets cellulosic sugar is cost- and quality-competitive with corn or sugarcane-derived products; does not hamper food production; and has a superior carbon footprint, improving the sustainability profile of the produced biochemical. The investment will be used to advance the commercialization of Comets second-generation sugar production platform and fund construction of the companys previously announced 60 million pounds per year dextrose facility in Sarnia, Ontario. In March 2016, with strong support from BIC, Comet Biorefining partnered with the Cellulosic Sugar Producers Cooperative located in Western Ontario. The Ontario farmer group plans to invest in and supply corn stover and wheat straw feedstock to Comets commercial plant. Comet Biorefining operates a demonstration scale plant in Rotondella, Italy, owned by ENEAthe Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development. In February 2016, Comet Biorefining announced the construction of a 60 million pounds per year commercial sugar plant to come online in 2018. The company plans to build, own and operate its own plants and will strategically license its technology to select partners on a worldwide basis to meet the growing demand for bio-based products. Making its world debut at the 2017 Geneva motor show, and featuring Active Lean technology, the new i-TRIL concept represents a proposed viable alternative to A and B segment cars, other EV products, public transport and motorcycles. Toyota unveiled its i-TRIL concept cara vision of mobility in 2030at the Geneva Motor Show. Developed by Toyota Motors Europe (TME) in collaboration with the companys ED design studio in Nice, the new i-TRIL Concept showcases numerous innovative aspects of Toyotas research into ever better and more engaging environmentally-friendly mobility solutions. Toyota developed the i-TRIL with the targeted customer being a sophisticated, single, 30-50 year old active female with two children and a vibrant lifestyle. And she lives in a SMESTO (Small to Medium Sized TOwn). European Union studies on the future of cities have suggested that, rather than further expansion of already vast metropolitan areas such as London and Paris, the continent will witness a steady increase in growth of built-up areas adjacent to existing cities, in the manner of medium-density suburban pockets of development. The number of such SMESTOs in Europe is already significant, and their inhabitants travel extensively to take children to school, shop, visit restaurants and socialise. As such, their sometimes difficult, stop-start mobility requirements are for small, agile and urban-friendly vehicles. Toyotas research with SMESTO-dwelling target customers identified an active mother often torn between Me Time and spending time with her children Kids Happy; increasingly confident in her behavior, she refuses to be a slave to those children. The new i-TRIL Concept embraces and merges this apparent conflict of loyalties through three functions: Active Lean technology; Relaxed Engagement; and the unique One-plus-Two seating layout of the vehicle. Active Lean Technology. Driven by electric motor power and weighing just 600 kg the i-TRIL is some 2,830 mm long and 1,460 mm high. It features 1,200 mm front and 600 mm rear track widths, with a hinge between the rear axle and cabin allowing the vehicle body and front tires to lean while the motorized rear tires remain perpendicular to the road surface at all times. With the front wheels and fenders clearly separated from the main bodyshell to facilitate the leaning of both the former and the latter, the cabin consists of a smooth, dark, cocoon-like central mass with no belt-line or door handles. This is visually overlaid with a surface wrapping which undergoes a seamless transition between the body colour it shares with the front wheel arches and the transparent cockpit glazing, while emphasizing the powerful forward movement inherent in the i-TRILs silhouette. The butterfly-opening doors are hinged on the sloping A-pillars to maximize the opening area and ease of cabin entry to even the rear seat passengers, whilst requiring no more opening room within a car parking space than conventional doors. The robustness of the vehicle architecture and the added width of the rear cabin to accommodate a two-seat bench are reinforced from behind by the full-width combination lamp design above a clearly separate rear axle structure which incorporates the electric motor drive system. The Goodyear CityCube features sensor technology and mixed fitment for i-TRIL With advanced sensor technology and a unique tread design, the CityCube tire can identify a variety of road conditions and transmit this data to the vehicle to support the advanced collision prevention systems. The tilting front wheels inspired Goodyears designers to think about motorcycle tire design. The result is a unique contour shape and mixed fitment, a tall and narrow tire at the front and a wider asymmetric design for the rear. The front tilting wheels fit Tall and Narrow tires with reverse direction, inspired by the symmetric design of motorcycle tires. This helps enhance safe driving and removes water for the larger rear tire, providing better grip. The rear tires have an asymmetric design with a more solid inside part for more cornering stability. Tailored to meet Toyotas exacting requirements, CityCube is designed to be lightweight with low rolling resistance, which is an important feature for future electric vehicle tires. The CityCube also has a reduced groove volume, providing higher mileage and reduces noise levels which can add to a better city life. Using their previous experience with Active Lean technology, Toyotas engineers discovered that a lean angle of 10 degrees proves perfect in combining enhanced stability and grip, greater fun and driving pleasure, and less risk of passengers suffering from car sickness. Allied to 25 degrees of front wheel steering, this technology equips the i-TRIL with a turning circle of just 4 meters (similar to that of the Toyota iQ), making it not only highly engaging to drive at even modest speeds, but also very much at home in even the most congested urban environment. Aspiring an actual driving range of more than 200 km between charges, the new Toyota concept is capable of operating autonomously, but has been specifically conceived to provide such driving pleasure that owners will wish to drive themselves for the majority of the time. From the perspective of Relaxed Engagement, target customers were asked to sample a range of driving positions. They chose a slightly higher, yet relaxed and laid-back driving positionalmost akin to that of a go-kartwith good engagement of the steering module. This latter is important, because the i-TRIL has no pedals, enabling the driver to stretch out their legs in comfort, and wear whatever style of footwear they choose without risk of losing control of the vehicle. The base of the drivers seat features a central rib to offer a snug, highly-supportive fit for the occupants legs. Steering, acceleration and braking is all carried out via drive-by-wire technology. The i-TRIL is operated by left- and right-hand control nodes (in the manner of computer mice or game controllers) which extend towards the drivers hands beneath the stretch fabric covering the manual driving module. During autonomous driving, the left- or right-hand instrument panel extremities automatically illuminate whenever the i-TRIL is about to enter a corner, letting all occupants know which way the cabin is about to lean. There are no other controls or switchgear, and no drivers instrument binnacle. In manual driving mode, a simple head-up display gives the driver all the information they need. A completely new approach to the Human Machine Interface (HMI) focuses on voice activation technology, communicating with the vehicles Artificial Intelligence for the control of multimedia and infotainment systems. One-plus-Two Seating Layout. With its One-plus-Two seating layout, the i-TRIL redefines interior space and spaciousness. Current interior design philosophy hinges on everything being built around the driver, with rear seat passengers very much regarded as second class citizens. Allied to the vehicles Active Lean technology, the i-TRIL interior allows the rear bench seat passengers to become much more involved in the driving experience. It brings the children very much closer to their mother, without actually interrupting her space. It affords far greater forward visibility, uninterrupted by a front seat headrest immediately ahead of them. The front seat headrest is actually fixed to the roof of the vehicle, and pivots down into position when the i-TRIL is switched on. Children also benefit from extensive legroom either side of the front drivers seat. There is room for three adults on board as a result. Careful consideration has been given to how the driver enters and exits the vehicle as easily as possible. When the cabin doors are opened, they remove a section of floor with them to narrow its footprint and make stepping out simpler, with a shorter stride. Moreover, the front seat may be swiveled through up to 20 degrees to allow the driver to both enter and leave the cabin more decorously. The interior has been designed specifically to avoid an overtly automotive feel; rather, the alcantara trim, fabric rear bench seat upholstery and wooden floor finishall made from recycled materials- offer occupants a more comfortable environment styled on a comfortable and exclusive living space in the home. The ribbed texture of the rear bench seat fabric radiates outwards to emphasize the width of the rear cabin space. In addition, the tread pattern to the Goodyear 19 front and 20 rear tires has been exclusively cut to match the design of the interior trim. Despite its clear separation from front (Me Time) to rear (Kids Happy), the interior space is still unified by the overlapping of the front alcantara and rear bench fabric upholstery, and by the ducting system which distributes ventilation airflow. It also is believed to offer the worlds highest power density of 86 kVA / L for two-motor HEVs, thanks to incorporation of full-SiC power semiconductor modules that achieve superior heat dissipation. Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has developed a working model of an ultra-compact silicon carbide (SiC) inverter for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) that is believed to be the worlds smallest SiC device of its type at just five liters volume. Mitsubishi Electrics new SiC inverter offers improved placement, fuel and energy efficiency, and frees up vehicle interior space. Commercialization for HEVs, electrical vehicles (EVs), and others is expected sometime around 2021. With fuel-efficiency regulations growing increasingly stringent, the new ultra-compact SiC inverter is expected to help meet the increasing demand for HEVs by reducing the amount of on-board space that must be allotted to electrical apparatus, such as inverters and motors. To develop this worlds smallest inverter, Mitsubishi Electric created a superior heat dissipation structure that ensures long-term reliability by connecting the power semiconductor modules and heat sink with solder. Going forward, Mitsubishi Electric will continue developing its super-compact SiC inverter for mass production. This development has been partially supported by Japans New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). Technical details will be presented during the National Convention of the Institute of Electrical Engineers (IEEJ) from 15-17 March 2017. China Considering Indias Request to Name Masood Azhar as Top Terrorist China is now considering to support a U.N. resolution to call Masood Azhar an international terrorist. (Photo : Getty Images) Ma Xiangwu, a senior official of the Chinese Communist Party, said that they are now considering to support the ban on terrorist leader Masood Azhar. He said, "We are considering it. We will take a decision on it soon." The top official explained that China wants to study their position carefully as definitions of terrorism can vary in different regions. Advertisement "There are two classifications of terrorism in the world. global terrorism and regional terrorism," noted Ma. "Nevertheless, countering terrorism remains a long drawn process." The Chinese official said, "In Taliban sanctuary, there is a China camp which has around 320 Uyghur terrorists." Ma referred to the domestic terrorism issue when Islamabad cooperated with Beijing in its fight against the separatist groups in the autonomous region of Xinjiang. This was a shift from China's previous position that calling Azhar a terrorist did not have enough solid evidence. China then voted against the U.N.'s resolution. India asked China to reconsider their vote because the entire international community already studied the well-documented actions of Azhar and have decided to support the U.N. Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar said, "On the issue of the 1267 Committee sanctions on Masood Azhar, we again explained to them the rationale for that application and pointed out today that this was really being pursued by other countries, not by India alone." "The fact that other countries were pressing this application showed that there was broad international support for this and concerns about Masood Azhar's activities," he added. India is pursuing the call to classify Azhar as a terrorist because they believe that he is behind the terror attack on the Pathankot air base. Seven security personnel were killed. Azhar is also blamed for the terror attack on the Uri army camp in Jammu and Kashmir last September. Pakistan has been protecting Azhar and banned him from leaving the country. Walking the land is a form of poetry. My preference is off-trail walking, especially in the high deserts of the west. Every curve and slope, drainage and rock outcropping, becomes an experience. There is no better way to observe animals, plants, rocks and soil, the weather, and your own heart rate, and new thoughts and deep old memories. It can be done singly or with a friend. This is the original activity and pace and rhythm of human observation, learning, and thinking. Ken Wright and I exited Dark Canyon by way of the tributary Lean-to Canyon. It was during the early 90s, and it was... Generally speaking, it isnt a policy for this newspaper to publish letters to the editor signed by groups. Of course, exceptions can be made and while a recent letter we received doesnt warrant special treatment, the subject it brings up is worthy of discussion. A letter, signed by the Citizens of Cheyenne, requests the Wyoming senators and representative serving in Washington, D.C. to host a town hall-type meeting with residents in Cheyenne to discuss and explain actions the three have taken during the first months of the year. Wyomings residents, as reported by Wyofile.com,... Rita Drnas delicately paints her bowl during a bowl painting party hosted at Mission at Castle Rock Rehabilitation Center Friday. The bowls are part of a fundraiser hosted by the YWCA. At first, the large bowls didn't look like much, but after the residents at Mission at Castle Rock Rehabilitation Center got their hands on them, they became beautiful works of art. The residents at CRRC painted bowls for the annual Bowls of Caring fundraiser hosted by the Sweetwater County YWCA. Prior to the fundraising dinner, residents throughout Sweetwater County are encouraged to host painting parties where basic bowls are purchased and painted. The bowls are then glazed and fired, and are considered admission to the fundraiser, which takes place March 23 from 4:30-7 p.m. at the Sweetw... The conflict between the groups threatens the peace Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has promised minorities living in that region of the country. (Photo : Getty Images) The Chinese foreign ministry is calling for peace in the Myanmar-China border town. The call was expressed by Geng Shuang, the spokesperson of the foreign ministry, at a press briefing. He said, "The situation in northern Myanmar relates to the peace and tranquillity of the China-Myanmar border." Advertisement "The relevant parties should have an immediate ceasefire to prevent the clashes from escalating and return normal order to the border as soon as possible," he added. Geng explained that China has taken in refugees from the Myanmar-China border town and given humanitarian aid. The spokesperson added, "Since the clashes began, some Myanmar border residents have entered into China on safety considerations." China also offered $3 million to the Myanmar government so a nationwide ceasefire agreement would be signed. The aid from China was for the victims of the insurgency that has been a challenge to Suu Kyi's year-old term. The rebellion is led by Rohingya insurgents. Members of the Chinese-Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) launched attacks on the government, police and military forces in Laukkai, the capital of Myanmar's northeastern region of Kokang. United Nationalities Federal Council Secretary Khu Oo Reh said that the conflict in Myanmar will need help from China. He said, "As we don't really trust each other, we need international involvement." Government spokesperson Zaw Htay admitted that China's support is important to the peace talks. He said China is the key player to encourage all non-signatory groups to come to the table. He added that the government is opening its doors to all to sign the peace pact. "Our State Counsellor is opening the door for all who are non-signatories to sign the nationwide ceasefire agreement and to participate in the political dialogue," he said. Although China has given aid, the government made it clear that they will not meddle. According to Special Envoy for Asian Affairs Sun Guoxiang, China "will not be a judge or an arbitrator. But it would like to see peace and stability in Myanmar." A Kansas abortion clinic that was among the first in the country to open after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade has been inundated with patients. Some drive 10 hours or more to get there, coming from Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and even Louisiana. But thats only if they can get an appointment. Planned Parenthood clinics in the state, including this newest one, are only able to take about 10% to 15% of the patients seeking abortions. Kansas is one of the few states in the region still providing abortions in the wake of the court's ruling. Members of the Supreme Courts conservative majority are questioning the continued use of affirmative action in higher education. In lengthy arguments Monday, the justices wrestled with persistent, difficult questions of race. The justices heard from six different lawyers in challenges to policies at the University of North Carolina and Harvard. Those policies consider race among many factors in evaluating applications for admission. One conservative justice likened affirmative action to giving some college applicants a head start in a footrace. But a liberal justice said universities are the pipelines to leadership in our society and suggested that without affirmative action minority enrollment will drop. China wants to build a 1,000-kilometer water pipeline from Lake Baikal to Lanzhou. (Photo : Getty Images) The pipeline aims to solve the water crisis in China, especially in Beijing. The lack of water supply has worsened because of urbanization, overuse, wastage and pollution. The water source will be the deepest freshwater lake in the world, Lake Baikal. The pipeline will run from Russia and through Mongolia and create the Lanzhou water diversion. Advertisement The most populous country in the world is desperately in need of fresh water. Only 7 percent of the country enjoys a fresh water source. Li Luoli, vice president of the China Society of Economic Reform, said, "Once the technical issues are resolved, diplomats should sit down and talk to each other about how each party would benefit from such international cooperation." "The government should attach great importance to water resources of which there is a severe scarcity and for which there are no alternatives," he added. The pipeline will be especially beneficial to Lanzhou which experienced only 380 millimeters of rain last year. Stepan Svartsev, an academic from Tomsk State University, said, "Water is the same resource as oil, gas, gold, and sooner or later we will start to sell it." He added, "Our country has very large reserves and certain volumes could be sold." Skepticism came from an expert who said, "Technology is not a problem. Diplomatic negotiations will depend on the local government." Apart from convincing other countries to participate in the project, experts also question the cooperation of the local governments involved. The lake is also deemed polluted and is rapidly drying up. A report was released in 2015 that revealed that rotten algae are covering the shores of the lake. The algae manifest that the water is impure and might not be good for human consumption. The algae are called Spirogyra and are not a natural part of the lake's ecosystem. Spirogyra thrives in ecosystems that are full of waste from sewage facilities. You have to be impressed with the hardworking, never-sleeping House Republicans who forced the first Trumpcare vote before the sun came up today. The Ways and Means Committee gave the bill a 23-16 thumbs up. The Energy and Commerce Committee was working even later into the early hours. Ways and Means Republicans shot down all proposed Democratic amendments, even one that sought to incorporate President Trump's promise to provide "insurance for everybody." The committees aren't even waiting for the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office to provide information about the plan's costs and impact such as how many Americans it would and wouldn't cover. Who cares about all that, right? It turns out, lots of people care. Trumpcare is already so unpopular that the White House says don't call it Trumpcare! Well, it's surely not what Trump promised but it's what he delivered. So this baby is his. Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts has said in interviews that he pitched Kong: Skull Island to Warner Bros. as King Kong meets Apocalypse Now. Working with an 84-year-old cinematic character, Vogt-Roberts has injected new life into the property by borrowing heavily from a Francis Ford Coppola New Hollywood classic thats now 38 years-old. The result shows its influence it could have easily been titled Apocalypse Kong but its surprisingly fun and fresh. Its only March, but with the one-two punch of Logan and now Kong, have blockbusters become great again? Kong: Skull Island takes place in 1973, when a motley crew of scientists, cartographers, a photojournalist and a tracker get a military escort to an unknown island from a group of soldiers on their way out of Vietnam. The plan is to check things out before the Russians do, naturally. Kong isnt the only game in town on this island, as they discover from kooky, long-lost American pilot Marlow, (John C. Reilly) shot down in 1944, who survived thanks to the native tribe. Kong is the protector against what he calls the skullcrushers, serpentine dragon-monsters that come up from the earths hollow core. The film is as overflowing with characters as it is with prehistoric monsters, which keeps things moving at a rapid clip. When their helicopters are initially swatted out of the air by the mountain-sized primate, everyone scatters into different groups there are the soldiers, lead by Colonel Packard (Samuel L. Jackson), who goes dark, fast. Denied a satisfactory culmination to Vietnam, he swears revenge on Kong. The other group is led by the peace-niks, if you will, a British tracker named Conrad (Tom Hiddleston) and photojournalist Mason Weaver (Brie Larson), who preach co-existence over obliteration. Skull Island is never boring, but it never sits still. The team of screenwriters privilege the characters, which is a good thing (as is the easy diversity in the casting), but there are just too many here. Coupled with story beats that have to be hit (Kong bonds with a white lady; Kong battles a huge creature; Kong gently picks up a white lady), theres just no room for anyone to breathe. Vogt-Roberts swings for the fences with a bold, bright style, and he leaves everything on the screen. The film is sumptuous and saturated with color, the camera almost never stops moving and visual jokes and puns punctuate the action. The soundtrack is back-to-back 70s classic rock hits, but he knows when to back away for a few moments of stillness and quiet. If anything, the film is almost too indebted to Apocalypse Now, and the book from which it was adapted, Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness. There are the characters named Conrad and Marlow, as well as the shots of silhouettes against a burning orange sun, which are gorgeous, but overused and therefore less powerful, almost a parody. Is this really a King Kong movie or is it just an Apocalypse Now redux? The anti-war, anti-violence message serves as the moral of the story, but the more interesting theme is embodied by Jackson as the colonel who loses his grip with reality in the jungle. Jacksons riveting but brief performance proves why Heart of Darkness remains such an indelible, and influential, tale. Whether you call it fate or divine intervention or just being in the right place at the right time, Scythian knows it has been the beneficiary of it. Eight years ago, the band was playing an unpaid renegade set at the gates of MerleFest, welcoming patrons as they got off the buses. They handed out stickers telling folks they were playing at the open mike tent the following day, and 400 fans showed up to the stage that generally sees fans in the dozens. Unbeknownst to them, one of those fans, standing behind the tent unseen, was none other than Doc Watson, legendary, blind, flatpick guitarist and father of the festivals namesake. The following year, Scythian was the Thursday opening act on the main stage and have not missed a year since, playing multiple times each year and amassing a huge cult following in the process. We didnt even know that until the year after Doc died; one of the volunteers told us, Scythian frontman (vocals, guitar, accordion) Danylo Fedoryka said. We were all scratching our heads, wondering how all this happened, but we surely consider at a blessing. Apparently, Doc took a liking to us. One of the offshoots of all this is that a fanbase sprang up all over North Carolina. Although based in Washington Danylo and his brother Alexander (fiddle, mandolin, bass, vocals) live an hour west in Front Royal, Va. Scythian considers North Carolina its adoptive home state. Folks here are so appreciative of Appalachian music; Id have to say its our strongest state, said Fedoryka sincerely. In no state do teens connect so strongly with our music as here, and if teens connect, you know its because its held in high esteem. People are so kind and relaxed and glad to see us. Every time we cross the state line, I get happy. So, when the five-piece ensemble decided to record a live album last year (the ninth overall), they made sure to tape their show at The Blind Tiger in Greensboro. Their performance and the crowd response was so good, six of the 17 cuts on the CD came from that evening. And that brings us to St. Patricks Day (March 17) and back to Greensboro. In what is the perfect storm of matching band to date to venue, Scythian will play Natty Greenes that Friday. It is a free, all-ages show, beginning at 7 p.m. For the uninitiated, Scythian began as an Irish bar band, but the group is far from your typical Irish band where a pint of Guinness is seemingly hoisted every 10 minutes. In fact, the band members say that stereotype does a disservice to Irish music. My brother fell in love with Irish fiddle and moved to Ireland and immersed himself in the music and culture and heritage, Fedoryka said. Its not really fair that the Irish heritage is so strongly associated with what we know as the curse of the Irish. Likewise, it is inaccurate to call Scythian strictly an Irish band. The group is in every sense a melting pot of influences, including their Appalachian and Ukrainian roots, as well as Celtic, East European Gypsy, American rock and folk, even Klezmer. We want our music to be a representation of who we are, Fedoryka said. Our parents emigrated from Ukraine, and we grew up in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains. They had 10 kids and most of us were classically trained (sister Larissa plays bass, cello and sings in the band). So we had that bluegrass and Ukrainian folk and classical influence early on. When we became a legit band, we would throw in songs and see how the crowd reacted. The people taught us which way to go. Still, the Scythian sound is not a hodgepodge of influences thrown together. Fedoryka explains that there is an ancestral thread that connects all the various influences. The Scythians were ancient Ukrainian nomads and expert horsemen, he explained. They invented the stirrup and were unstoppable in battle. Then the Celts came along and did beat them, but then they started intermingling, marrying each other as well as their respective cultures. So today, there is that biological connection, a strong resonance of spirit. And the aptly named band exudes a joyfulness of spirit that naturally transfers to its cross-generational audience. Theres nothing like seeing three generations dancing together, smiles Fedoryka. Thats why we do as many all-ages shows as we can. Like the one at Natty Greenes. NEW YORK Live from Los Angeles, its La La Land live! Lionsgate has announced that La La Land In Concert: A Live-to-Film Celebration will come to the Hollywood Bowl in May. The live shows will be conducted by composer Justin Hurwitz, who won two Academy Awards last month for his work on the movies music. The show will include a 100-piece symphony orchestra, choir and jazz ensemble, along with the films original vocal recordings from Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone and John Legend. The movie will play along while the musicians perform. Hurwitz said in an interview with The Associated Press that before working on La La Land with director and writer Damien Chazelle, he told his longtime friend that the film would be perfect for the live stage. The process is just beginning, Hurwitz said of prepping for the live dates. Were figuring out how to handle visually and musically the various music elements in the movie, and its a lot of fun brainstorming ideas and solutions. What is exciting is ... to be able to really feature the musicians and show exactly what theyre doing. For the live shows, Hurwitz said they are using the same orchestra contractor from the movie. Following the dates in Los Angeles, the live production will visit Atlanta; San Diego; San Antonio; Nashville, Tennessee; Washington, D.C.; and other U.S. cities. It will also travel internationally to the United Kingdom, Mexico, Italy, Turkey, Switzerland and Canada. Those dates, along with more cities, will be announced later. La La Land won six Academy Awards, including best director for Chazelle and best actress for Stone. Hurwitz won best original score as well as best original song for City of Stars, shared with songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. There have been a couple times where I was in my apartment and I saw two Oscars sitting there (and) it almost took me a second to register what they were. The thought of those gorgeous, iconic statuettes sitting right there in my apartment is a bit surreal, he said. He also said it has been dreamlike to hear people singing my songs back at me because of the films success. When asked if he could see La La Land on the Broadway stage, Hurwitz said: Those conversations havent even started to be honest. ... I think those conversations will happen inevitably, but I dont know if an actual adaptation will happen. Itll just be something we talk about and try to figure out, should it be done, can it be done? Of the best picture flub during the Academy Awards where La La Land was announced the winner before the Oscar was handed to the Moonlight creators, Hurwitz said: I dont know, I havent really thought about it much. But Moonlight is an extraordinary movie and I am very happy for them. Georgina Tyburski Bell is organizing an effort to memorialize the late Mike Carr of Mike Carr Karate and Fitness with a park bench. Carr taught more than 1,000 students during his career. He taught kenpo karate, tai chi, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai and mixed martial arts. He was also a personal trainer and ran a successful DaughterSafe program that taught women and girls of all ages self-defense skills. Carr died Jan. 26, 2017. Bell hopes to raise $2,500 through GoFundMe. To contribute, visit https://www.gofundme.com/MikeCarr. Passion to Purse taking applications YWCA Greensboros Passion to Purse program is accepting applications for enrollment in its spring classes, which will begin in April 2017. Passion to Purse uses the Operation JumpStart curriculum. This is a hands-on, 36-hour training program designed to help aspiring and existing women entrepreneurs determine the feasibility of their business ideas while building essential business planning and preparation skills. Skills learned include: Business development, market research and analysis, pricing and financial projections. Karla Comer, director of the program, said the classes are ideal for a woman interested in seeing if her business can succeed. To download an application, visit ywcagsonc.org/services/passion-to-purse/application/. For information, call (336) 273-3461. GTCC hosting session on massage therapy Guilford Technical Community College will host a general information session for its new Therapeutic Massage program from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday at the Percy H. Sears Applied Technologies Center auditorium (room 120) on the GTCC Jamestown Campus, 601 E. Main St. in Jamestown. The event is free and open to the public. The information session will provide an overview of the program, the massage industry, career prospects and admission requirements. For information, contact program coordinator Nancy Triplett at (336) 334-4822, Ext. ext. 55012 or nmtriplett1@gtcc.edu. Civil rights museum will host author The International Civil Rights Center and Museum will welcome Karen Meadows, author of Pedagogy of Survival, at 2 p.m. Saturday. Meadows book focuses on two desegregation pioneers: Josephine Boyd Bradley (integrated Grimsley High School) and Millicent Brown (integrated Rivers High School in Charleston, S.C.). Meadows narrates their stories, sufferings and pedagogy of survival. The event is free. The museum is at 134 S. Elm St. in Greensboro. For information, call (336) 274-9199. College to host annual job fair Guilford Technical Community College will host its annual Spring Job Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 15 at Medlin Campus Center on GTCCs Jamestown Campus, 601 E. Main St. The event is free for job seekers, including GTCC students, alumni and the general public. The registration fee for employers is $200. The last day to register is today. Employers must be actively hiring in order to participate in the event. To reserve a spot, visit http://bit.ly/gtccjobfair2017. For information, call (336) 334-4822, Ext. 50578. In partnership with the American Heart Associations Greater Guilford Heart and Stroke Walk, Carolina Kia Hyundai of High Point is donating a 2017 Kia Forte Lx to a lucky Heart and Stroke Walk supporter. For every $250 raised in donations, that individuals name gets placed in the drawing for the new car. There are no limits to the number of entries. To get started, residents are encouraged to register at www.guilfordheartwalk.org and begin raising funds online or through friends, family and co-workers. All funds must be raised by April 3 to be eligible to win the car. The 2017 Kia Forte Lx will be awarded to the winner on April 5, which is National Walking Day. The 2017 Greater Guilford Heart and Stroke Walk will be at 9 a.m. May 20 at UNC-Greensboros Kaplan Commons. For information, call (336) 542-4833. GREENSBORO Police are investigating a Wednesday night shooting. Police were called about 11 p.m. to the 2000 block of Armhurst Road for a reported shooting, according to Greensboro police. Officers found a man suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken by ambulance to Moses Cone Hospital, said police Lt. J.H. Marsh. The man is in stable condition and is not cooperating with authorities, said Marsh. Police are unsure if the man was shot where he was found. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (336) 373-1000. GREENSBORO State Bureau of Investigation agents searched the Rockingham County district attorneys office Wednesday as part of a larger investigation into an alleged theft of state money. Also Wednesday, the N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts said in a memo the Superior Court in Rockingham County would be canceled through March 20. Court documents indicate the search warrant was issued as part of an SBI investigation, begun July 17, 2016, into allegation of fraudulent activity in the offices of Rockingham County District Attorney Craig Blitzer and Person/Caswell County District Attorney Wallace Bradsher. According to a request to seal the search warrant, SBI agents specifically were targeting a computer in the possession of the Rockingham County District Attorney. Further information about items that might have been seized in the search are not available publicly. Judge A. Graham Shirley II of Wake County Superior Court approved sealing both the warrant and list of item seized for 90 days. Wake County Assistant District Attorney Deborah Shandles requested the seal to withhold the names of suspects, to prevent incriminating people who are not under investigation and to protect the identities of the SBIs sources. Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman assumed oversight of the investigation last month after a former employee in Bradshers office filed a whistleblower lawsuit in Wake County accusing Bradsher of firing her when he learned she had reported him to the SBI. In her civil lawsuit, Debra Halbrook of Caswell County accuses Blitzer and Bradsher of hiring each others wives, Cindy Blitzer and Pamela Bradsher, to work for them in a scheme to collect more than $100,000 in salaries. Halbrook swore under oath that, to her knowledge, both wives worked very seldom despite collecting full-time salaries. Before Freeman took over, Judge Joe Crosswhite of Iredell County Superior Court oversaw the SBIs investigation. He said in October that he ordered the investigation into both prosecutors offices after learning about the alleged theft of state money. When Halbrooks lawsuit was filed, Crosswhite had been attempting to work with the N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts, or AOC, to find a prosecutor to assume the investigation. Freeman said in an interview in February that, because of the entities involved, this is the type of case her staff usually takes on. Charges have not been filed in either county. But Superior Court cases have suspended in Rockingham County. Mark Pegram, the countys clerk of courts, said he received that information from the AOC in an email Wednesday. He said only one trial had been scheduled for this two-week trial period. That case concluded Tuesday. Superior Court Judge Stuart Albright is assigned to Rockingham County through July. The AOC reassigned him to Mecklenburg County Superior Court for next week. Im just looking to work, Albright said. Im looking forward to being in Mecklenburg County next week. I was reassigned to that courthouse because that is where a judge was needed. A receptionist at the Rockingham County district attorneys office said neither Blitzer nor Chief Assistant District Attorney Mark Keeney were available to speak about the cancellation. Keeney was at the courthouse Wednesday but not in his office. The receptionist said Blitzer was not at work. He missed a court hearing on Feb. 27 because of a medical appointment and has not been in the courthouse since. GREENSBORO Employees fired last week from the Guilford County Animal Shelter say the facility failed to follow proper procedures for spaying and neutering pets, dealing with rescue organizations and thoroughly vetting potential adopters. The shelters director says those policies, most of them recent changes, are part of an overall shift to more progressive trends, all designed to move animals quickly through the facility and into homes. The dispute continues to roil the animal welfare community a week after eight full-time shelter employees were fired. County administrators, citing personnel regulations, declined to comment on the dismissals. The Animal Services Advisory Board, a commissioner-appointed citizen group that advises the county on shelter policies, will discuss staffing tonight at its regular meeting. Each of the eight began their employment under the United Animal Coalition, a now-defunct nonprofit group that ran the shelter for 17 years before losing its license due to animal cruelty and neglect. At least three former animal coalition employees remain employed at the shelter. The eight had been employed at the shelter for years, but all were still considered probationary employees under Drew Brinkley, director of Guilford County Animal Services, who assumed control of the shelter in July. The News & Record spoke to Brinkley and to seven of the fired employees, including Traci Souza, the shelters former rescue coordinator. In addition to serving as a liaison between area rescue organizations and the shelter, Souza assisted customers, updated the shelters social media sites and helped coordinate adoptions. Here are their viewpoints on three issues. Spay and neuter The former employees allege that dogs and cats are leaving the animal shelter without being spayed or neutered, a recent change that seems to clash with the shelters main goal of reducing animal overpopulation in the community. Adopters are asked to bring the animals back later to have the procedure, but many arent returning, Souza said. According to Brinkley, the policy change is part of a new foster-to-adopt program that aims to get animals out the door immediately, rather than asking prospective adopters to wait several days for their pet to be spayed or neutered. This is just a way to move animals through the shelter more rapidly to make sure that theyre getting positive outcomes and that were not creating a bottleneck, he said. People who adopt under the new program must sign a form stating they will bring the animal back to the shelter for surgery by a certain date. If the owner fails to comply, Animal Control officers will follow up in person. Since the program began, 184 animals have gone home, according to shelter data. Just three cases have required follow-ups, Brinkley said. All brought the animal back for surgery. Souza agreed with Brinkleys explanation of the program. The problems, she said, lie with sending animals that arent fixed into the community and then relying on county employees to ensure that the pets owners comply with the adoption agreement. We have no idea whats going on while theyre at home, she said. The owners could have an unfixed female that then gets pregnant. Vetting adopters The shelter recently made changes to the vetting process for prospective adopters, eliminating calls to landlords to confirm pet policies and to veterinarians to ensure that vaccinations are current for any pets already living in the home. Those changes, made about three weeks ago, are part of an overall shift toward a more open adoption program, Brinkley said. Making those calls is a more old-school approach in sheltering, where youre essentially looking for reasons to deny an adoption instead of working with people, he said. Were moving more toward engaging in conversation with people, trying to make positive matches and helping them succeed. The concern, Souza said, is that decreased vetting practices could lead to more animals being returned. According to shelter data, between 20 and 30 pets are returned each month. That rate has held steady since the program began. But its possible animals are being returned elsewhere, Souza said. They could be going to other organizations trying to give them away to rescues, friends or neighbors, she said. We should be making sure that were not sending them into a home where theyre not allowed to have pets or where someone doesnt take care of their existing animals. Were there for customer service, yes, but the bottom line is the animals. Ultimately, Brinkley said, adding roadblocks to the application process only prevents people from getting animals at the shelter. If people want pets, theyre going to get pets, he said. If they come from a shelter, thats a positive outcome for a shelter pet and we know the animals are vaccinated and spayed and neutered. Rescue policy The shelter last week introduced a new policy requiring animals to stay on the adoption floor for seven days before allowing rescue organizations to pull them. The change gives the public more time to meet and adopt those animals, Brinkley said. We have done this in hopes of adding diversity to the pet population we are making available for adoption, he said. Souza said the policy could pose problems for rescue organizations as highly adoptable pets puppies, kittens and purebreds, among others typically dont last a week on the adoption floor. It leaves them with the sick or injured animals, she said. Its a nice way of telling them, We want to work with you but were going to control the situation. Thats not the aim of the policy, Brinkley said. Any animals that have not been adopted after the seven-day period will be available for transfer to a rescue, he said. Additionally, there may be animals that are considered special placements that may have behaviors or medical conditions that we think make them more appropriate to be placed into rescue. We will continue to work with our partners as we have always done to find rescue placements for these pets. We can be better Despite the controversy, Guilford County Commissioner Justin Conrad said the shelter has made strides. Last year, commissioners unanimously approved a policy to allow pit bulls, rottweilers and Chows to be adopted from the shelter rather than euthanized due to their reputation as vicious breeds. Adoption promotions, including a Clear The Shelters weekend, have helped hundreds of animals find homes. The Animal Services Advisory Board is working on spay-and-neuter programs to reduce the population of unwanted animals in the community. And after a year of turmoil, the facility has a permanent leader. But the shelter remains understaffed and many programs and procedures are still being finalized, Conrad said. We still dont have all of our team together, but as we get people in place and build on that consistency, things are only going to improve, he said. Am I happy with where things are now? No. We have a lot of work to do. But I hope people realize that we are taking steps to do that work. We have done a lot of good things, but we can be better and we will. Lotte Stores in China (Photo : Getty Images) South Korean store chain Lotte Group called as "irrational, fabricated rumors" reports which circulated on Sina Weibo that its chairman Shin Dong-bin was interviewed by Global News Eye, a South Korean news portal. In a statement sent to the Global Times, the company denied granting an interview about the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system or the group's business in China, to a news portal, which it said does not exist. Advertisement The post, which went viral on Chinese social media Weibo on Saturday, March 4, claimed that a South Korean news portal interviewed Shin in which he allegedly said that he is not bothered by Chinese protests as "they are philistines and lack courage and integrity," and that the Chinese will buy goods from Lotte once they cut prices. Under an agreement signed on Feb. 28, Lotte has agreed to provide land to the South Korean military for the THAAD deployment, which angered many Chinese netizens who said they will boycott Lotte stores in the country. Following the agreement, protests against Lotte snowballed as many Chinese firms engaged in car, food and cosmetics sectors started to boycott and end their partnerships with South Korean partners. Last week, Chinese snack maker Weilong, announced on its official Weibo account that "we are withdrawing our products from Lotte Mart's stores in China gradually, and we will not cooperate with Lotte anymore."In a statement, Lotte said that the agreement is a political decision and the company "has no choice". The company, however, expressed its continued cooperation with the government, the report said. "Lotte has invested a great sum in the country's policies to develop the Western region and revitalize the Northeast provinces. Before seeing any profits from these investments, the group also contributed more than 10 million yuan ($1.45 million) to public projects in recent years," said Lotte. In a news conference on Thursday, March 2, Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesman Sun Jiwen reaffirmed the importance of the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. "China welcomes foreign companies, including those from South Korea, to set up businesses in China and will protect foreign-funded companies' legal rights and interests on the premise that their operation in China is in line with related laws and regulations," Sun said. WINSTON-SALEM North Carolina Republican legislative leaders may have more incentive but likely no new motivation to expand the states Medicaid program as part of the U.S. House proposal for repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act. The American Health Care Act proposal, as it was introduced Monday, would allow the federal government to continue to fund states expansion programs until Jan. 1, 2020. At that point, enrollment would be frozen into place with no new participants. Studies, such as by the Kaiser Family Foundation, have found that frozen enrollment levels have contributed to significant declines in enrollees over time, either from household income changes or individuals aging into Medicare coverage. Currently, the federal government pays 95 percent of the Medicaid expansion administrative costs for the 31 participating states. GOP opposition North Carolinas GOP legislative leaders have opposed expansion since 2013, with some calling it a non-starter primarily from their concerns that the federal government may not be able to continue to pay its share. Amy Auth, a spokeswoman for Senate leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) said we traditionally reserve comment on congressional legislation until it becomes law. Expansion supporters, as well as several academic studies, have determined that expanding the program could benefit more than 500,000 North Carolinians potentially raising total Medicaid recipients to 2.4 million. Julie Henry, a spokeswoman for the N.C. Hospital Association, said Wednesday that the AHCA represents a starting point for negotiation on legislation that will have far-reaching implications for all Americans. While we appreciate House GOP leaders responsiveness to the need for a phased-in approach, NCHA is concerned those states that did not expand Medicaid will be permanently disadvantaged under this bill. Rep. Donny Lambeth (R-Forsyth) and author of the legislatures Medicaid waiver reform request, said he doesnt believe the AHCA proposal will have any bearing on the thoughts by (GOP) leadership regarding expansion. I think the approach that is more appealing to our congressional delegation is not to penalize North Carolina in setting the funding formulas because the state did not expand Medicaid. The AHCA proposal would provide less funding for non-expansion states as part of setting a fixed funding amount overall. We are talking to our congressional members to appeal to them to treat North Carolina fair when setting the rates, Lambeth said. Henry said it is vital that the final replacement plan sustains coverage gains for vulnerable populations and allows N.C. hospital and health systems to continue their important work to improve the health of the communities they serve. Mixed reviews As expected, the states congressional delegation has varied reactions to the AHCA proposal when it comes to state Medicaid expansion. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-5th) is supportive of the AHCA, saying it will responsibly unwind Obamacares Medicaid expansion in a way that protects patients and strengthens the program for future generations. However, Reps. Mark Meadows (R-11th) and Mark Walker (R-6th) have made clear their objective with ACA repeal is eliminating Medicaid expansion. Meadows is head of the U.S. Houses right-wing Freedom Caucus. We are carefully reviewing this legislation, looking in three main areas of shared conservative concern: protection of the unborn; elimination of Obamacares Medicaid expansion; and ensuring the tax credits are fiscally responsible, Walker said in a statement provided to the Washington Examiner. Rep. Alma Adams (D-12th) said she opposed the AHCA for the potential of terminating the Medicaid expansion, thereby stripping 11 million Americans of insurance, raising costs while decreasing coverage for working families, and forcing seniors to pay premiums that are five times higher than their current rates. When asked about Medicaid expansion, Rep. Ted Budd (R-13th) did not specifically address the issue in his statement to the Winston-Salem Journal. He said one of the main reasons I ran for Congress last year was to repeal Obamacare. Medicaid expansion Expanding the states Medicaid program in 2018-19 is among the top priorities of Gov. Roy Coopers 2017-19 budget when it comes to health care. Cooper plans to expand Medicaid to 624,000 North Carolinians through an initiative that requires the approval of health-care officials in the Trump administration. Cooper said expansion would inject more than $4 billion into our economy annually without additional state costs. While we dont yet know what Congress will ultimately pass, those will remain Gov. Coopers goals under any new system, spokesman Ford Porter said Wednesday. Among Coopers first acts upon becoming governor was beginning the process of submitting an amendment request to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that would affect a state Medicaid waiver request submitted June 1 by the Republican administration of Coopers predecessor, Pat McCrory. Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, claim Cooper is trying to defy a 2013 state law that prohibits the executive branch from making any expansion attempt without the General Assemblys approval. The law is being challenged by Cooper. The legislative leaders sued both the federal and state health and human services agencies on Jan. 13 to stop the amendment request. At that time, the federal DHHS was under the Obama administration. Berger and Moore referred to the state Medicaid program as a welfare entitlement program and Coopers request as an expansion ploy. On Jan. 25, the state legislative leaders and the federal DHHS filed a joint motion that asked for a 60-day stay of litigation. The stay was granted Jan. 27 to allow time for incoming officials in the new (Trump) administration to evaluate the issues in this case. The federal DHHS also agreed to take no action on Coopers expansion request for at least 89 days after approval of a stay. Federal DHHS officials would be allowed to review the amendment proposal and ask for additional information if needed. Mark Hall, a law professor at Wake Forest University who is a national expert on health care, has issued a report in which he determined it made sense economically for North Carolina to expand its Medicaid program. The bill has to cross a number of significant legislative hurdles before it can be enacted, and substantial changes are likely during that process, Hall said. I dont expect to see any new initiative from North Carolina until we know what the final version looks like. GREENSBORO A 36-year-old man wanted in connection with Sunday nights killing in Smith Homes turned himself in to police today. Keith Delfonne Womack, 36, of 1007 Barton St. faces a charge of first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Frank Lashaw Sheard. Greensboro police search for answers in parking lot homicide Police are trying to determine why a man who was fatally shot was in a parking lot late Sunday night and if it may be connected to a 2016 slaying. Sheard, 30, of 879 Burbank St. got into an argument with two other men shortly before gunfire erupted at about 12:20 a.m., according to a Greensboro police news release. Sheard suffered at least one gunshot wound to his torso, police said. Officers responded to reports of the shooting and found him dead in the parking lot. Although investigators developed Womack as a suspect, the third man will not be charged in the shooting. Police are not searching for any other suspects in the shooting. Shortly after Sheards death, investigators were looking into whether it was connected to the Dec. 24 slaying of Michael Antonio Womack, 33, of 706 Devon Drive. Michael Womack was found shot in the 1700 block of Luray Drive. The two shootings are around the corner from each other. Police do not know whether there is a relationship between the two Womacks, according to police spokeswoman Susan Danielsen. Michael Womack was shot over a dispute that was possibly drug-related, police said. He was a gang member, according to the N.C. Department of Public Safety, but had not been validated by Greensboro police. A recently released autopsy report stated that Michael Womack was shot once in the chest, with the bullet hitting a lung and his spine. He also had lacerations on his forehead. Sheard was scheduled on Monday to appear in Guilford County Superior Court on pending drug charges of felony possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, felony possession of a firearm by a felon, felony maintain a dwelling or a vehicle for a controlled substance, misdemeanor possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Keith Womack remains in the Guilford County jail. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate GREENWICH Board of Education member Jennifer Dayton traveled to the Capitol Wednesday to discuss education policy and funding with key legislators in Hartford. As part of the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education Day on the Hill, Dayton and representatives from 61 other districts met with state Sen. Toni Boucher (R-26th District), state Rep. Andy Fleischmann (D-18th District), state Rep. Gail Lavielle (R-143rd District) and state Sen. Gayle Slossberg (D-14th District). The goal was to hear from the legislative leaders how the see the session unfolding in terms of education, explained Dayton, who is the Greenwich BOEs liaison to CABE and an elected representative of Fairfield County school boards for CABE. We have enormous issues to deal with. We have to design a new ECS (Education Cost Sharing) formula. We have to decide how to handle burden of proof and the special education grant to the districts. This was Daytons third trip to the Capitol in the past month to engage with legislators over Gov. Dannel Malloys education policies and budget proposal. Dayton testified to the legislatures Education Committee about the ECS formula on March 1. emunson@greenwichtime.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson In the Made in China 2025 program, the Chinese government will give out large, low-interest loans and research subsidies. (Photo : Getty Images) China is ready to start the next stage of its economic development. A $300 billion plan is expected to overhaul several of Chinas important industries to make the country mostly self-sufficient by 2025. Western businesses, however, are worried that further development of Chinas high-tech industries will ultimately be the cause of their ruin, according to an article by The New York Times. Advertisement The Chinese make it clear that they want to be the global champion, said Joeg Wuttke, president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China. Wuttke published a report on Tuesday, March 7, that discussed the Made in China 2025 program. According to the report, the Chinese government will lend assistance to 10 vital industries, creating an environment that favors Chinese companies. In the Made in China 2025 program, the Chinese government will give out large, low-interest loans and research subsidies from state-owned investment funds and development banks. In addition, the government will also help local players buy out foreign competition. Such a move, Wuttke wrote in the report, would destabilize the businesses of foreign competitors. European and American government officials have already voiced their displeasure in the program, but Beijing remains firm in rolling out the plan, according to The New York Times. We will fully implement our plan for developing strategic emerging industries, said Premier Li Keqiang as he addressed the National Peoples Congress last Sunday, March 5. We will accelerate [research and development] on and commercialization of new materials, artificial intelligence, integrated circuits, bio-pharmacy, 5G mobile communications and other technologies, and develop industrial clusters in these fields, the Chinese Premier added. China also plans to make the country self-sufficient in high-end manufacturing, covering the countrys needs in aircraft, rail equipment, robots, electric cars, agricultural machinery, and ships. Through this, China hopes that the younger generation will be enticed to explore factory work instead of concentrating on higher-paid office jobs. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Forty eight southwestern Connecticut schools have been named Schools of Distinction for the 2015-16 school year by the Connecticut Department of Education. Click through to see which schools were recognized and under what criteria. Statewide, 116 schools were recognized as "Schools of Distinction," meaning they meet the following criteria: - They fall into the top ten percent of schools using the Accountability Index score - They fall into the top ten percent of schools with the highest growth for all students or for the high-needs group (free or reduced price lunch, English language learners, and students in special education) - They fall into the top ten percent of schools (among those without growth) with improvement in Accountability Index. More News Connecticut now measures student performance from 12 different... Each school could receive multiple counts of distinction in the categories of highest performance and highest growth. Danbury, Ridgefield and Greenwich school districts hold the most schools of distinctionsix schools each. We see the success of our schools that have been recognized as one affirmation of our ongoing efforts to enhance all aspects of teaching and learning in Danbury, Danbury Superintendent Sal Pascarella said in a prepared statement. We are also grateful for the diligence, passion and leadership of the teachers and administrators in all of our schools, the superintendent said. We are also thankful for their remarkable efforts in meeting the needs of every student, including those with special needs and those who are learning the English language. Local schools were also scored on the 2015-16 Next Generation Accountability System, which for the first time included year-to-year growth in English language arts and math. "These results demonstrate that when we raise the bar for our students and educators, they rise to the challenge," Governor Malloy said in a press release. "Together, we are reaching new heights and making significant progress in our schools. Our new accountability system is more comprehensive and holistic allowing us to identify and replicate success and target support to the students and schools that need it most. We must continue to be steadfast in our commitment to improve outcomes for all students." HARTFORD Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Wednesday called President Donald Trumps latest travel ban troubling and abhorrent, and said the executive order is a first step to a permanent ban on Muslims entering the country. It does not hide the fact that this is a Muslim ban, Malloy said. I find that troubling and abhorrent. This administration intends to discriminate against Muslims this is intended to be a permanent ban. The new executive order, unlike Trumps first travel ban, excludes Iraqi citizens from a temporary prohibition on entering the country, while six other mostly Muslim countries Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Libya and Yemen are barred from traveling to the U.S for 90 days. The order does not apply to valid visa holders. Trumps earlier ban was halted after the state of Washington gained a federal court injunction. The new executive order is viewed as a correction and an attempt to avoid being blocked by another court. Hawaii was poised on Wednesday to be the first state to challenge the new order and other legal actions are expected. J.R. Romano, chairman of the states Republican Party, said Malloy didnt hold a news conference to condemn the murder last year of Casey Chadwick, of Norwich, by an illegal Haitian immigrant or the death last month of a young Bridgeport mother, Nidia Gonzalez, who was allegedly killed by her Salvadoran boyfriend who had been deported for violent acts. Their priority is protecting people outside this country, not the ones who live in this country, Romano said of Malloy and national Democrats. This is about whats in the best interests of the Democratic Party. Romano said the FBI has said its difficult to determine the background of people living in the countries targeted by the travel ban, adding all Trump is trying to do is gain time to tighten the review process of people seeking to enter the country as refugees or for other reasons. (Malloy) thrusts himself into the national stage and ignores a murder in Bridgeport, Romano said. While he wants to take the national stage, the people in this state are suffering. David McGuire executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut, said its clear what Trump wants. We know the intent, McGuire said. From the start of Trumps campaign he was clear that he wants to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. Its unacceptable and (the new ban) has the same constitutional faults as the original ban. Malloy stood by advice he offered state law enforcement authorities and school officials: Under state law they do not have to help federal authorities deport undocumented immigrants. Malloys memo drew a sharp rebuke from the White House, which accused the governor of failing to follow the laws of the country. But Malloy stopped short of pledging to go to federal court to block Trumps revised travel ban. We will monitor what other states do, Malloy said. We thought Washington and Minnesota were the right plaintiffs. Alok Bhatt, a Hartford immigration rights activist, said Trumps focus on travel bans and deportation of undocumented immigrants has unleashed an ugly side of America. We are seeing that the level of attacks has risen, Bhatt said. We feel a lot of these proposals reinforce negative social attitudes. It is a critical time to organize and talk about what we want the future of our country to look like. Iman Abdul-Shahid Muhammad Ansari, president of the Hartford chapter of the NAACP, said everyone wants to eliminate terrorism. But to attack one ethnic group is misguided and wrong. Its a form of discrimination, he said. I still carry the U.S. Army Leadership Guide in my work bag. In it, initiative is listed as one of the desirable traits of a leader. Its defined as a quality of seeing what has to be done and commencing on a course of action. As I think about what Ive learned after training hundreds of military entrepreneurs, my first reaction is to restate all that we know about military veterans. In general, we know that veterans have the unique experience of military service, often gained under very demanding conditions. From this we, as veterans, mold commonly referred-to traits like dependability, commitment to a cause greater than ourselves, love for our fellow comrades in arms regardless of their background or ethnicity, and a drive to succeed against all odds -- into attributes that benefit us as entrepreneurs. While anyone can argue that these traits are the core DNA that make any entrepreneur succeed, it is the initiative trait that surfaces and stands out among veteran entrepreneurs. Initiative begins when veterans first explore entrepreneurship. We know our military service has made us different from our civilian peers, but we cant put a finger on why were so different, even when we take off the uniform. But, over time we notice that we see the world differently. Given the same set of facts, we see different opportunities than our non-military neighbors. When it comes time to earning a living and finding our way in society, veterans seem to have a greater tendency to lean towards creating their own destiny. Entrepreneurship starts to appeal to us. We take the initiative to consider it. Experienced vetrepreneurs want to help others pursue entrepreneurship. Its not just being an entrepreneur that appeals to us. For those in our ranks who today are veterans operating businesses, the cultural yearn to help our fellow veterans has never left us. It drives us to take the initiative to help those that are just now exploring entrepreneurship. Initiative again takes over. For example, VetToCEO was founded in 2013. Our mission is to help veterans explore entrepreneurship as a viable career path after leaving military service. Our tagline is Same Team. New Mission. Were not alone in that quest. In just four short years, organizations and programs like Boots to Business, Patriot Boot Camp/Techstars, VetsLikeMe, Warrior Rising, Honor Foundation, and event-based programs such as Bunker Labs and VetCon have likewise formed to give veterans familiar programs through which they can dip their boots into entrepreneurship. These programs all have common characteristics, including the fact that they were founded by veteran entrepreneurs with a goal of helping their colleagues. More recently, organizations such as Veteran Business Services, the Vet-Biz Network, Task Force X Capital, StreetShares, VeteranCrowd and others have formed to assist veterans with the extremely difficult task of raising capital for their businesses. All of these organizations have one thing in common -- they were born out of some veteran or group of veterans initiative to help their brothers and sisters in arms. Military experience is an investment that pays dividends. The military invests heavily in building teams that embody a sense of duty to causes greater than oneself. Our military is extremely powerful due to generations of leaders at all levels that have chosen to volunteer for a series of unique tests of character while performing military missions under duress and oftentimes without all the resources normally required to complete the mission. When we leave the military we take this commitment to reaching a goal regardless of our given resources with us to our civilian lives. Having legions of veterans who have these traits in our society is a national asset that must be leveraged for economic contribution and development. Taking these core traits and applying them to entrepreneurship is what creates a successful veteran entrepreneur. There's a growing network of veterans helping veterans succeed as entrepreneurs. VetToCEO has trained over a thousand veterans across 20 cohorts in the past four years. What weve learned is that it takes initiative from the veteran exploring entrepreneurship and those like them that have started or bought businesses to work together to be successful. We have learned that experienced veteran entrepreneurs leap at the chance to help fellow veterans, even if it means starting out with only advice and mentorship. VetToCEO itself is a growing organization of over 60 veteran volunteers all contributing to a program that helps other veterans and transitioning members of the military succeed as entrepreneurs. The innate bond we all have forms the glue that provides us with the chance of being successful as entrepreneurs. In todays world of constant global conflict, the investment of our nation in the 1 percent of us who volunteer to serve is paying dividends to develop new businesses and support business leaders from its military ranks. The programs and funding sources focused on veterans are still rapidly expanding every day. Initiative is alive and well among us, and its awesome to watch. Related: Why Veterans Take the Initiative to Explore Entrepreneurship This Injured Veteran Regained His Passion Building an Electric Bike Business Why This Ex-Marine Left a Desk Job for This Unique Mobile Franchise Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved 11th Street Advert (Photo : Instagram/Song Joong-ki) The THAAD issue may have closed prospects for new commercials for Chinese products for a lot of Korean celebrities, including Descendants of the Sun actor Song Joong-ki who used to endorse Vivo phones in China. New Partner However, a new door has opened to him to be one of the endorsers of an online marketplace, 11th Street, in Thailand. This time, he ditches Park Bo Gum, his bromance partner in three recent Dominos Pizza commercials. Advertisement The 31-year-old actor is paired with a female Thai celebrity. She is Thai actress Mew Nittha with whom he made a brief appearance in Bangkok in February for the stores launch. It also coincided with one of the fan meets of Park Bo Gum in Bangkok when Song Joong-ki was special guest. Following the launch, 11th Street placed outdoor ads on the busiest Bangkok Mass Transit System stations in Chit Lom, Siam and Phrom Pong. The two also have TV and digital ads that went on air on Feb. 16. Rabbit cards, an e-money service in Thailand for mass transit networks, placed Song Joong-kis face on a limited release of the cards, Campaign Asia reported. Successful Campaign The campaign was effective because views on 11th Streets Facebook page exceeded 1 million, according to Cheil Thailand, the agency behind the marketing campaign. Jaebum Ahn, president of Cheil Thailand, said the launch campaign is the initial stage to create high impact awareness of 11th Street among Thai consumers which is already known in Turkey, Malaysia and Indonesia as Elevenia. Cheil Thailand picked Song Joong-ki as endorser of the brand because he is popular in the country following the global success of Descendants of the Sun in 2016. Even Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha is a fan of the blockbuster 16-episode military-medical drama. China and the Philippines have recently reconvened their trade panel to foster their economic ties. (Photo : Getty Images) After a five-year hiatus, the Joint Commission on Economic and Trade Cooperation (JCETC), China and Philippines's trade panel, reconvened on March 7 to foster the countries' economic and trade relations, news outfit Philstar reported. Advertisement The meeting served as the first official trip of Chinese Ministry of Commerce's top officer, Zhong Shan, to the Philippines. During the 28th Philippines-China JCETC convention held in Manila, Zhong acknowledged that the two economies "are strongly complementary to each other," adding that they have "a very strong potential to be tapped to further promote trade growth." According to the commerce chief, China's lucrative market, which boasts of 1.3 billion consumers, "is open to the products and services of the Philippines." Besides trade-related endeavors, China also urges their homegrown companies to invest in and come to the Philippines. The recently held JCETC meeting witnessed Zhong and Philippine counterpart Ramon Lopez agree on projects that will enhance trade and investment between the two nations. One of these undertakings is a six-year development program (2017 to 2022) for economic and trade cooperation. The signing of the said program is slated later this March, "during the visit of a high-level delegation from China," Philstar wrote. Zhong and Lopez also identified priority infrastructure initiatives that will be financed by a Chinese credit facility. China has listed three projects worth $3.4 billion, which include the North-South railway-South Line project, the Chico River Pump Irrigation project, and New Centennial Water Source-Kaliwa Dam project. Nonetheless, China's Ministry of Commerce director general Wu Zhengping noted that "at this moment, [they] do not yet have the companies that will undertake these projects." "Contracts have not been signed so we cannot say at this moment the specific terms and conditions of the loans," Wu further remarked, revealing that they are trying "to launch the first two projects (the Chico River Pump Irrigation and New Centennial Water Source-Kaliwa Dam projects) by the first semester of this year." Meanwhile, the North-South railway-South Line project is scheduled to be launched by the end of 2017. In the same occasion, Lopez reiterated that the ties between China and Philippines were not "completely severed." The JCETC's hiatus was mainly brought about by a territorial dispute in which the two countries were involved. Banking on the current Philippine administration's aim to "rebalance engagements with Asian neighbors," Lopez enthused that the Philippines' Department of Trade and Industry has "worked closely with partner agencies and China's Ministry of Commerce to ensure concrete harvest of quick wins for both sides." "The DTI foresees a more meaningful engagement with China as a good neighbor in the coming years as we work with renewed vigor toward a deepened and strengthened cooperation based on mutual values, goals and results. "As we embark on renewed ties, it is imperative that we look back and recall that, in truth, the ties of friendship between us were never completely severed and continue to this day," he further shared. Garcia in happier, pre-Trump days. Photo: Free Piro/GoFundMe President Trumps immigration crackdown has taken another prized Mexican-food purveyor. Piro Garcia, who used to run two widely celebrated taco trucks in south Houston, was rounded up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials last month. Garcia has been in the U.S. since 1994, when he fled his home country of Guatemala at the end of its brutal civil war. NPR reports that he ended up in Houston, where he started as a restaurant cook; he then built a thriving taqueria business, while living out the immigrant success story under Trumps predecessors Clinton, Bush, and Obama. A few weeks ago, though, he was prepping one of his trucks for breakfast when four ICE agents appeared in ballistic vests, cuffed him, and hauled him away. NPR says hes at a detention center in Houston, awaiting deportation. Locals tell NPR that hes a good and hard-working guy, who had a nice family and always helped people. Everybody loves his tacos, which have 4.9 out of 5 stars on Facebook. Houstonians who frequented the trucks are asking how Garcia qualifies as one of the bad ones Trump talked about in his address to Congress last week the gang members, drug dealers, and criminals that threaten our communities and prey on our very innocent citizens. A friend of Garcias has created a GoFundMe donation page thats already raised almost $5,000 to help offset his legal fees, but it doesnt sound like many in the community are super hopeful, in part because hes had a few minor scrapes with the law a misdemeanor assault charge, trespassing, and a fake vehicle-inspection sticker. Hes never been arrested for anything except his immigration status, though. To keep the taco business going for now, his wife Rosie is working 15-hour days, and running both trucks by herself. Vultos absinthe-washed Miranda. Photo: FDA Whole Foods has recalled a couple of soft raw cheeses over fear that they might have listeria, in addition to their usual notes of cultured butter and wet hay. The company says the products, produced by celebrated New York cheesemaker Jos Vulto, were sold at nine stores in four states, including the Tribeca and Chelsea locations in New York City. The other seven spots are in Albany, Massachusetts, and Maine. FDA inspectors found listeria in one lot of Vultos cheese, and the recall covers the Ouleout and Miranda wash-rind varieties that are plastic-wrapped; have PLU codes 0200305 and 0200306; and are marked with sell-by dates between December 27, 2016, and March 28, 2017. Whole Foods adds its only recalling them out of an abundance of caution, but the FDA says there were additional retailers in New England, the mid-Atlantic, and Chicago, as well as on the West Coast. Its worth noting that Vultos cheeses several of which werent affected by the recall are specifically available at many of New York Citys top cheese destinations, like Murrays Cheese Shop, Eataly, Saxelby, Bedford Cheese Shop, and Bklyn Larder; so it might be smart to double check before setting out your next cheese plate. Update: The CDC has announced that two people have died after consuming Vultos tainted cheeses, and that at least another six have gotten sick. Expect this to reignite the debate over the merits of raw milk. HNA Chairman Chen Feng (Photo : Getty Images) In its recent acquisition move, Chinese conglomerate HNA Group acquired an 80 percent stake in a Beijing-based media company that runs Caijing Magazine, one of the most popular and influential business magazines in the country, China Daily reported. Advertisement The acquisition of the news media company adds to HNA's business portfolio which now includes finance, aviation, logistics, real estate, tourism, hospitality and ecological technology. An employee who refused to be identified confirmed the equity acquisition, and said that the editorial work of the magazine will not be affected and will remain independent. The equity change was made on Dec. 12, according to Tianyancha, a data query system. The actual amount of investment for 80 percent stake was not disclosed. HNA Capital, the financial unit under HNA, now has a majority stake in Beijing Lianban Caixun Cultural Media, while the media organization itself has a 10.91 percent stake. The state-owned media group under State Grid Corp of China will hold the remaining shares. Beijing Lianban also manages the website of Voyage, a travel magazine, and several other Chinese websites, the report said. "The media industry is expected to become an even more important sector with the development of big data. Many investors rely on the data and information provided by the media to make more accurate decisions," Li Xiaojin, a professor of aviation economics at the Civil Aviation University of China in Tianjin, said. "HNA is diversifying its business portfolio, and it seems natural for HNA to acquire a media group to gain more information," Li said. HNA also made a string of acquisitions of overseas assets as part of its intensified global expansion. The company's overseas acquisitions include the acquisition of key stakes in a German airport, Deutsche Bank, Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc., Sky Bridge Capital, and others. Meanwhile, Caijing, like other traditional media, has been into financial trouble in recent years. SEEC Media Group Ltd, which owns the advertising rights of Caijing, has lost nearly HK$200 million ($25.75 million) in 2015, down by 65.05 percent year-on-year. Microsoft has been trying to make the concept of ads in operating systems acceptable for a while now, using Windows 10 as its testbed. We've seen lock screen ads, notification ads telling you that Chrome is eating your battery and you should switch to Microsoft Edge, and even some weird targeted pop-up ads for Chrome users informing them about Microsoft's Personal Shopping Assistant. So by now you should have gotten used to this. That said, Microsoft is ready to take things to the next level - specifically, the Windows 10 File Explorer. That's a pretty essential app that we assume most people use on a day-to-day basis, so here's what you may be presented with the next time you launch it: The ad has started showing up a lot this week, so you may have already seen it. Sure, Microsoft could say that this is simply 'promoting' the OneDrive cloud storage service, which incidentally also comes from Microsoft. But we'll just call it what it is: an ad. And a pretty intrusive one at that. To get rid of it forever (since it may come back if you just click "Not now") you need to go to View > Options in File Explorer and turn off "Show sync provider notifications". And yes, as implied, the drawback is that this will turn off all notifications for all sync providers. There is however no other way to permanently kill the OneDrive ads. One of these days someone will invent an ad blocker for your operating system. We're almost there. Source These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales. If you're in the UK and anxious to get your hands on one of those new Nokia phones, this is for you. Well known retailer Carphone Warehouse has already announced that it will be exclusively selling the Nokia 6 (including the Arte Black edition) in the UK, but now it looks like that may be just a limited time arrangement. Clove, an online retailer from the UK specializing in selling unlocked smartphones, has revealed when we can expect the new Nokias to be in stock in the country. The Nokia 3, 5, and 3310 should all become available at some point in May. Nothing more specific is known at this point. Nokia 3 On the other hand, it's interesting that this company has also listed the Nokia 6, with a purported release in June. So the Carphone Warehouse exclusive for this model could just be for the first month of sales or something like that. If this is true it means that you'll be able to purchase the Nokia 6 in the UK in May too, only to grab it then you'll need to take your business to Carphone Warehouse. If you favor other retailers, then you'll need to wait a few more weeks. This is all preliminary information, mind you, so it's subject to change. Source 1 | Source 2 | Source 3 | Source 4 | Via Pixel is the first phone made by Google itself, and the device received plenty of positive reviews and commentaries since its arrival. However a recently uncovered issue with one or more of the microphones is souring the experience for some users. The problem causes a total audio input block on a call or while recording a video with the camera app. The Google Support Forum was flooded with complaints about microphone failure of Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL devices. According to a lengthy breakdown by Google employee, both phones have a failure-causing physical default in one of the three microphones on the devices. It can also be an issue with a hairline crack in the solder of the microphone component going into the mainframe of the Pixel. On occasion the problem fixes itself when the phone is gripped in a specific manner. Some users managed to get their microphones unstuck with a hairdryer, but this doesnt look like a great idea at all and you are better off contacting customer support. Google is offering replacements for all devices since they are still within the warranty. Hopefully measures have been taken so the new units aren't affected. 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(Photo : Getty Images/Feng Li) While "Ghost in the Shell" is set to hit theaters in the United States on March 31, the sci-fi crime action thriller film directed by Ruper Sanders will premiere in South Korea on March 19. Scarlett Johansson, who plays the lead character The Major, will be in Korea before the premiere. Advertisement On March 17, Sanders and Johansson will visit Korea to promote "Ghost in the Shell." They will be joined by Johansson's co-stars Juliette Binoche and Pilou Asbaek, according to Korea Herald. This should be a great opportunity of Johansson and South Korean actress Song Joong Ki's "Descendants of the Sun" co-star Song Hye Kyo to meet. Not many fans are aware that the two actresses both celebrate their birthdays every Nov. 2. This year, Johansson will turn 33 while Hye Kyo will turn 36. When the latter was born, she was so sick that doctors thought she would not survive, and upon her recovery, her parents registered her birth on Feb. 26, 1982 instead of her actual birthdate. Hye Kyo is set to star in Park Sunwoo's upcoming film "Ships Passing in the Night." Before starring in "Descendants of the Sun," she starred in John Woo's drama film "The Crossing" opposite Chinese actress Zhang Xiyi and Japanese-Taiwanese actor Takeshi Kaneshiro. On the other hand, Johansson has several Japanese co-stars in "Ghost in the Shell." Among them are Yutaka Izumihara, Takeshi Kitano and Rila Fukushima, who played Yukio in "The Wolverine," a red priestess in Game of Thrones" and Tasu Yamashiro/Katana in "Arrow." The casting of Johansson to play The Major in the film adaptation of the Japanese manga of the same name by Masamune Shirow was widely criticized. Many critics believed the role should have been given to an Asian actress. In an interview with Marie Claire, Johansson said she certainly would never presume to play another race of a person. She pointed out that "having a franchise with a female protagonist driving it is such a rare opportunity." Watch the trailer of "Ghost in the Shell" from Paramount Pictures here: Song Joong Ki arrives for the 49th Paeksang Arts Awards on May 9, 2013 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo : Getty Images/Chung Sung-Jun) Jeremy Irons was born in Cowes, Isle of Wight, the largest island in England, on Sept. 19, 1948. Exactly 37 years later, Song Joong Ki was born in Daejeon, South Korea. Aside from having the same birthday, Irons and Song are both famous for their handsome faces and popular TV and film roles. A classically trained actor, the former is one of the few actors who have won the Academy Award, Emmy Award and Tony Away, which is collectively known as Triple Crown of Acting. Advertisement The most recent actor to win the Triple Crown of Acting is Viola Davis, who recently sold her former Los Angeles home for $1.15 million, Mansion Global reported. Both Davis and Irons would agree that it takes years of acting experience that comes along with a series of failures and rejections before to achieve such an acting accomplishment. In an interview with Canton Rep in 2013, Irons was asked to give a piece of advice for young actors. He said the ones who succeed are the ones who do not give up and went on to share an experience when he was a young actor working very long hours offstage and not getting any roles onstage. "I remember calling the principal and moaning, saying I'm not sure I can deal with this," Irons said. "And on the other end of the line, he said, 'Soldier on, Jeremy, soldier on.'" This is something Song should keep in mind. While he appears to be at the peak of his career after playing a soldier in the South Korean drama series "Descendants of the Sun," he still has a long way to go and may even decide to eventually conquer Hollywood in the future. On the big screen, Song is set to star opposite Hwang Jung Min and So Ji Sub in the film "Battleship Island," which will be released later in 2017. The "DOTS" star will play an independent fighter with a mission to rescue a key figure in the independence movement held captive in an island. Irons also has an upcoming film in 2017. He is set to reprise his role as Alfred Pennyworth, the trusted confidant of Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck), in "Justice League." Here is a "Justice League" trailer: Haiti - News : Zapping politics... Shots on the car of the Director of the BMPAD Wednesday in the middle of the day, the car in which was Patrick Norame, Director of the Bureau of Monetization of Development Assistance Programs (BMPAD), his driver and his close security officer suffered shooting at the corner of Casseus and Bellevue streets in Pacot. No victim has been deplored in this aggression whose perpetrators have not been identified. Words of Jovenel Moise "My vision of a self-sufficient Haiti in terms of food goes through a strengthening of agriculture-related institutions... Makes profitable natural resources of Haiti, is a task to which my administration will tackle without delay," declared President Jovenel Moise during a visit to the Faculty of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine of Damien https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20289-haiti-politics-jovenel-moise-promises-$4-million-to-the-faculty-of-agronomy.html Lafontant filled his documents in the Lower House On Wednesday the Prime Minister appointed Jack Guy Lafontant filled he documents required by the Constitution in the Chamber of Deputies which should soon form a Commission to analyze the conformity of the documents deposited Rene Preval, funeral reminder Friday, March 10: exhibition of the body of Rene Preval at the Museum of the National Haitian Pantheon (MUPANAH); Saturday 11 March: Mass sung at the Oxide Jeanty kiosk; Sunday, March 12: Burial in Marmelade, his hometown. 150 cases before the BCEN No fewer than 150 challenge cases concerning local elections have been lodged with the National Electoral Litigation Office (BCEN), said Uder Antoine, Executive Director of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), stressing that they will all be addressed during the month of March. The OHDH calls for the closure of the National Penitentiary The Haitian Observatory of Human Rights (OHDH) calls for the closure of the National Penitentiary for restructuring. These recommendations follow a guided tour of the country's largest prison center, OHDH officials believe that this prison is a center of torture. https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20013-haiti-flash-nightmare-at-the-national-penitentiary.html Condolence Book in Miami The Consulate General of Haiti in Miami informs the public that a book of condolences is open to all those who wish to transmit their words of recomfort, Thursday, March 9 and Friday, March 10, 2017, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, at the Consulate located at 259 SW 13th ST, 2nd Floor, Miami, FL 33130. HL/ HaitiLibre Wang Xueqi, Xu Fan, Jay Chou, Li Xinai and Will Liu arrive at the opening ceremony of the 16th Shanghai International Film Festival at Shanghai Culture Square on June 15, 2013 in Shanghai, China. (Photo : Getty Images/Feng Li) Mandopop superstar Jay Chou, 38, is reportedly starring in a "Now You See Me" spinoff reprising his role as Li, owner of a famous magic shop in Macau. If he is the lead actor of the spinoff, it is likely that he will not be included in the main cast of the third sequel of the heist thriller film franchise. Advertisement This does not mean that Chou is automatically excluded from the cast of "Now You See Me 3." If Li becomes the lead character of the spin-off, the character may still have a brief appearance in the third sequel. There are still no actors confirmed to join the "Now You See Me 3" cast. What has been confirmed is that Jon M. Chu is returning to direct the third sequel after helming the second sequel. It has also been announced that "San Andreas 2" writer Neil Widener and Gavin James are writing the screenplay of the third sequel based on the story by Ed Solomon, Deadline reported. The first instalment of the film series was co-written by Solomon, Boaz Yakin and Edward Ricourt while the second instalment was written by Solomon. Chou's character was introduced in "Now You See Me 2." In the sequel, the Horsemen J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) and Lula (Lizzy Caplan) get supplies at a Macanese magic shop that Li operates with Bu Bu (Tsai Chin). The "Now You See Me" spinoff will be a Chinese-language film co-produced by Lionsgate and Leomus Pictures, a film company based in Beijing, China. Featuring a predominantly Chinese cast, the spinoff will be shot in China. In an interview with Hollywood Reporter, Leomus Pictures CEO Jie Qiu said they are working closely with Lionsgate on the story of the spinoff. He also revealed that a Hollywood writer will be involved to ensure it is aligned with the "Now You See Me" franchise and has the same level of quality. Meanwhile, check out a music video of one of Chou's songs here: A North Sinai police colonel was killed Wednesday night in a bomb attack on a security checkpoint in North Sinai, Egypts interior ministry announced. Colonel Yasser El-Hadidi was killed when a bomb exploded near his patrol in El-Arish, in the vicinity of the citys third police station, the ministry said on its official Facebook page. Three other policemen were also injured in the attack. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes only a few days after the army said security forces arrested 12 "extremely dangerous" leaders of Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis in central Sinai. Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, the main Islamist group battling the Egyptian state in North Sinai, has changed its name from "Sinai Province" to the "Islamic State in Egypt." The leaders had been planning to execute a range of "deadly" attacks in the near future, according to an army statement on Saturday. Egypts army and police forces have been waging a war over the past several years against an Islamist militant insurgency in North Sinai. Recently, security forces operations on the peninsula have extended into its central region, conducting a number of attacks in the area. Hundreds of security personnel have been killed in terror attacks by the militants. The army says it has killed hundreds of militants in intensified comprehensive military campaigns in the governorate. Search Keywords: Short link: 5 FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HAWAII'S UNHINGED LAWSUIT AGAINST TRUMP by Nate Madden, Conservative Review, March 08, 2017 Here we go again. In response to President Trumps rewritten travel moratorium, the state of Hawaii is suing to block it. Here are some key takeaways from the Aloha States complaint: 1. Theyre still going after Trumps campaign promises Literally the first allegations against President Trump have to do with the things he said on the campaign trail, rather than the executive order itself, which the 9th Circuit dangerously invoked in its ruling on the previous executive order. President Trump repeatedly campaigned on the promise that he would ban Muslim immigrants and refugees from entering the United States, reads the document, before listing specific instances, particularly from Syria, and maintained the same rhetoric after he was elected. It goes on to allege: Within a week of being sworn in, President Trump acted upon his ominous campaign promises to restrict Muslim immigration, curb refugee admissions, and prioritize non-Muslim refugees. Once again, even if an executive order contains nothing about banning Muslims, it apparently becomes a Muslim ban when someone says mean things. 2. It deceptively sources and presents its information In an attempt to show a supposedly-negligible effect of the moratorium, the complaint cites a report from the Cato Institute, deceptively alleging that not a single fatal terrorist attack has been perpetrated in the United States by a national of one of these seven countries since at least 1975. The operative word here is fatal. Luckily, nobody was killed by the 72 individuals from the original seven (now six) countries convicted on terrorism charges since the September 11 attacks alone. 3. The personal injuries listed in the case include someones mother-in-law One of the named plaintiffs, Ismail Elshikh, PhD the Imam of the Muslim Association of Hawaii is claiming injury because his non-citizen mother-in-law cant come from Egypt to visit. The new Executive Order will prevent Dr. Elshikhs mother-in-law from obtaining a visa to visit or reunite with her family in HawaiI, reads the document. Under the new Executive Order, however, Dr. Elshikh fears that his mother-in-law will, once again, be unable to enter the country under Section 2(c) of the Executive Order. The family is devastated. Since when does even a U.S. citizen have a Constitutional right to get a visit from his non-citizen mother-in-law? The complaint also makes the same claims about members of Elsikhs mosque, who now supposedly live in forced separation from those family and friends. Apparently, in Elshikhs mind, the travel moratorium also precludes people from leaving the country as well. 4. Theres a lot about feelings going on here Even though the moratorium very clearly isnt a Muslim ban by its language, one of the reasons Hawaii is suing is because Elsshikhs family and mosque feels like it is. So things become Establishment Clause violations when someones feelings get hurt? When did that happen? Dr. Elshikh feels that, as a result of the new executive order, there is now a favored and disfavored religion the state, He also claims that members of his family here in the U.S. are deeply affected by the order, which allegedly conveys to them a message that their own country would discriminate against individuals who share their ethnicity. Wait, is this supposed to be a Muslim ban or an Egyptian Arab ban? Religion isnt race, folks. 5. Hawaii is affected because reasons? Citing many of the same arguments as the last go-round, Hawaiis lawyers also argued that the order has profound effects on the State as a whole. The claims of injury against the state of Hawaii are especially laughable. According to the document, the injuries include not being able to accept students from the zones into the University of Hawaii and, More broadly, the new Executive Order means that Hawaii will be unable to honor the commitments to nondiscrimination and diversity embodied in Case the States Constitution, laws, and policies. Lets just forget for a moment that the Constitution sets Congress as the sole arbiter of U.S. immigration policy and that Congress has passed federal statute granting the president the ability to shut down immigration for national security reasons; Hawaiis feelings are hurt, so their public university and legislature should set immigration policy instead? So here we are again. The fact that the exercise executive power is backed up by 200 years of law, precedent, and the Constitution goes out the window apparently doesnt matter if you hurt someones feelings. But this should come as no surprise. As admirable as the intention was to rewrite the order to stand up to scrutiny (albeit with the mistake of taking Iraq off the list), there was no way to write this to avoid a situation like this. And Hawaii is in the (surprise!) 9th federal circuit, meaning the same backflip-cutting court that produced last month pile of jurisprudential drivel will have yet another chance to rule on the same and similar nonsense arguments. Even in situations where the president has clear authority as he does in this one he will have to scale a wall of black robes and activist decisions at nearly every turn. Unless Congress does as it has before and limit the jurisdiction of the federal courts on issues like these, the administration should expect 3.75 more years of similar rewrites. International Womens Day was a worldwide success yesterday after workplaces all over the globe celebrated with many using the day to promote fair pay and equal opportunities. A number of Australian organisations also put initiatives in place, including public broadcaster ABC which operated with a full-female line up for the day in an effort to showcase the extraordinary breadth of female broadcasting and creative talent. In a statement, the ABC said the idea of the initiative is to reflect the days theme of #BeBoldForChange and focus on the need for change and gender equality in all communities. Vodafone was also among the major firms making headlines on Wednesday, as it announced a global recruitment program designed to support women returning to the workforce after a career break. Set to run across 26 countries with a target of attracting 1,000 recruits within three years, the Vodafone ReConnect program was deemed one of the largest of its kind in the world. We are a company passionate about creating an inclusive environment that values all differences, and thats by design rather than by chance, said the firms New Zealand HRD, Anthony Welton. In New Zealand, the Domestic Violence Victims Protection Bill passed its first reading with all parties showing their support for the legislation which would give victims 10 days paid leave from their employer. Further afield, Iceland became the first country in the world to make firms prove equal pay and the Nordic nation pledged to eradicate the gender pay gap by 2022. The country's government announced a new law that will require every company with 25 or more staff to gain a certificate demonstrating pay equality, proving all employees of the same standing a paid the same regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexuality or nationality. Over in North America, major airline Air Canada operated three flights in its global network with all-female pilots and flight attendants. Two of those were also supported by female ground crews providing customer boarding, aircraft servicing, loading and dispatch. In China, financial giant Citibank celebrated with four days of activities including sessions on mental and physical wellness, personal and professional relationships, and a forum on women in the workplace featuring former minister Jaclyn Tsai and three of the firms top female executives. How did your organisation celebrate International Womens Day? Send your photos or information about any activities to [email protected] Egypt's Minister of Tourism Yehia Rashed said in an interview with the Russian Ria Novosti news agency that Egypt has not made a final decision regarding whether it will increase fees for entry visas. Last month, an official source in Cairo airport told Ahram Online that the foreign ministry informed airport security officials that the cost of entry visas would be increased from $25 to $60 starting 1 March. Days later, the foreign ministry informed its envoys abroad of a cabinet order to postpone the price increase until July. Officials have not announced a reason for the delay, though sources in the tourism sector told Al-Ahram Arabic news website that the decision to postpone came after the foreign ministry received complaints from the tourism industry that the hike would negatively impact the sector. Egypt last increased its visa fee in April 2014 from $15 to $25. The country has struggled to attract tourists pushed away by the political turmoil that followed the 2011 uprising. Tourism sector revenues dropped to $3.4 billion in 2016, a 44.3 percent decline from the previous year, the Central Bank of Egypt said in January. The figure is a far cry from the $11 billion in revenues generated by the sector in 2010, when 14.7 million tourists visited the country. Search Keywords: Short link: (Bloomberg) President Donald Trumps pick to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission has earned $7.62 million since 2015 representing some of Wall Streets biggest firms, including Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Bill Ackmans Pershing Square Capital Management, according to a federal disclosure form. Jay Clayton, the Sullivan & Cromwell partner tapped by Trump, outlined his clients and his potential conflicts in a filing to the U.S. Office of Government Ethics that he signed in January. The breadth of Claytons legal work is likely to provide fodder for Democratic lawmakers, who have already criticized the SEC chairman nominee over his ties to the financial industry. To read this article: The illustrious motor vehicle manufacturer reveals in a press release that it plans to concentrate its efforts to develop land-based control centres and the use of artificial intelligence in autonomous and remote-controlled shipping in the roughly 175,000-resident city in South-west Finland. Rolls-Royce on Wednesday announced that it will establish a research and development centre focusing on autonomous and remote-controlled shipping in Turku, Finland. Finland was selected as the location for the research centre primarily due to its robust maritime cluster and expertise in information and communication technology, Sauli Eloranta, the senior vice president of technology management and innovation at Rolls-Royce Marine, told Kauppalehti. Another key factor was a significant research funding granted by the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation (Tekes) on 8 March, 2017, according to the press release. Rolls-Royce also announced that it plans to invest some 230 million euros worldwide in the development of intelligent shipping technology. A substantial share of the investment will be made in Finland, Eloranta revealed to Helsingin Sanomat. The announcement was met with joy both in Turku and Helsinki. Anne Berner (Centre), the Minister of Transport and Communications, states in a press release that the research and development centre will consolidate the countrys position as a developer and user of autonomous transport solutions and as one of the worlds leading modern maritime technology manufacturers. Aleksi Randell, the Mayor of Turku, estimated similarly that the decision is testament to the expertise in Finland. This is excellent news. For a global technology company such as Rolls-Royce to locate a research and development centre in Turku is a victory for us and all of Finland and first and foremost yet another accolade for the world-class expertise in Finland, he says in a press release. Rolls-Royce's decision to establish its facility in Turku adds a sense of urgency to the plans to improve the availability of higher education programmes in engineering in the region, according to the press release. The Technology Industries of Finland has estimated that the demand for highly-educated professionals in the region will almost double in 20172021, to an estimated 850 per annum. Aleksi Teivainen HT Image: Rolls-Royce Source: Uusi Suomi The strike and sympathy strikes, it points out, are set to take place during one of the busiest times of day at airports, between 3pm and 7pm. Finnair has warned that the industrial action planned for Friday, 10 March, in the labour dispute between the Finnish Aviation Union (IAU) and Service Sector Employers (Palta) is set to have a considerable impact on its operations. Jaakko Schildt, the chief operating officer at the state-owned carrier, states that if the airport security and ground handling staff follow through with their strike warning, the airline will be forced to cancel dozens of flights on Friday. Finnair, he adds, is currently working on an alternative traffic plan and will announce the cancellations during Wednesday and Thursday. We will inform customers whose flights are cancelled directly with text messages and do our best to find a suitable re-routing for them, he promises in a press release. Finnair also reminds that passengers with bookings on Friday or on either of the two other dates affected by the possible strikes 14 March and 17 March will be allowed to change their travel date until 2 April. The strikes are expected to inflict losses of millions of euros on the state-owned airline, according to the press release. It is extremely unfortunate that the strikes can disrupt the travel plans of thousands of Finnair customers during a very busy winter travel season, laments Schildt. We also hope that the strike will not affect the image of Finland as a travel destination. Finnair adds that the planned strikes are also set to disrupt catering and baggage handling services, forcing it to scale down its on-board meal and drink services on both domestic and continental flights. The airline also reiterates its recommendation that passengers who are able to do so should travel only with hand luggage in order not to be affected by the expected disruptions in baggage handling services on 10 March. Normal size and weight limitations will be applied to hand luggage irrespective of the special circumstances, it reminds. Aleksi Teivainen HT Photo: Vesa Moilanen Lehtikuva We have to cancel approximately 100 flights, which is about one-third of our flights on Friday, says Jaakko Schildt, the chief operating officer at Finnair. Finnair has cancelled roughly one-third of its flights on Friday, after the Finnish Aviation Union (IAU) and Service Sector Employers (Palta) failed on Thursday to resolve their dispute over the terms and conditions of employment adopted by Airpro, a provider of airport services, on 1 February, 2017. The cancellations will apply to all domestic flights, to a large share of continental flights and to one long-haul flight scheduled for departure during the work stoppage staged by ground handling and security control staff between 3pm and 7pm on Friday, 10 March, 2017. All affected customers will be informed of the cancellations by e-mail or text message, according to a press release from Finnair. A complete list of the cancellations along with further information about the effects of the ongoing labour dispute is available on the website of the state-owned airline. Finnair says it will also change the departure times of some flights in order to ensure they are not affected by the industrial action. The cancellations unfortunately disrupt the travel plans of thousands of Finnair customers. We are extremely sorry about the trouble and concern this is causing to our customers and are doing our best to find suitable re-routings for customers in this situation, states Schildt. We ask our customers for patience, as contacting thousands of customers and finding suitable re-routing for them unfortunately takes time. The national carrier urges all customers to prepare for delays in services at Helsinki Airport on Friday. Customers are also encouraged to travel only with hand baggage due to the expected, considerable delays in baggage handling services. In addition, the in-flight services of flights operated during the industrial action will be limited, with the exception of long-haul flights, according to Finnair. Finavia, a state-owned airport operator, reminds that a strike warning has also been issued for 39am on 14 March, 37pm on 17 March, 26pm on 22 March, 26pm on 23 March and 26pm on 24 March. No estimates of the effects of the possible strikes on air traffic have yet been released, it adds in a press release. Aleksi Teivainen HT Photo: Markku Ulander Lehtikuva Authorities at Egypt's Red Sea port of Safaga destroyed on Thursday 146 tonnes of bad fish which had been exported to Saudi Arabia, but which the gulf country refused to receive, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported. The decision by the General Organisation for Export and Import control to destroy the eight shipments of fish came after the Gulf Kingdom refused them at its Daba Port saying they were unsuitable for human use. The shipments were then returned to Safaga. The exporters requested an inspection of the shipments upon their return, said Al-Walid Hassan, food control manager at the Safaga Port. A committee of health ministry food safety and animal quarantine experts then examined the fish and confirmed it was unsuitable for consumption. Ten committees of customs, food control, police, environment and other Egyptian official bodies supervised the destruction. Search Keywords: Short link: An Alexandria criminal court sentenced a man to death on Thursday after he was convicted of killing an Alexandria liquor store owner in January, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported. The court had issued a preliminary death sentence which has been approved by the Grand Mufti in February to 50-year-old Adel Soliman for murdering liquor store owner Youssef Lamei. Soliman can still appeal the verdict. A video showing Lamei's murder went viral on social media immediately after the incident. The video showed the bearded Soliman slashing the storeowner's throat twice with a knife from behind as the victim smoked a hookah in front of his store. Investigators at the time said the Soliman confessed to the killing, saying he had warned Lamei against selling alcohol multiple times. The sale of Liquor in Egypt is permitted and regulated by authorities. Search Keywords: Short link: Caroline Sherwin staged a sit-in protest at the hospital when staff told her to go home A young mother believes she may have saved her own life by refusing to leave a hospital emergency department. Caroline Sherwin held a sit-in protest at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda when told to go home by staff. She was frightened she had cancer and demanded to be seen by a specialist. She ended up receiving surgery the next morning. The mother of 11-year-old twin girls had already been waiting for months to find out if lumps in her body were malignant. She had been told she would have to wait a further three months for an appointment with a specialist. One of the growing lumps was in a lymph node. Ms Sherwin said she had reason to worry as four close female relatives had died of cancer in their 30s and 40s. Removed The surgeon who examined her after her 13-hour sit-in removed the node only hours later. Ms Sherwin (37), a hairdresser, from Donacarney, Co Meath, went to the emergency department at Our Lady Of Lourdes last Thursday. "I'd been told I couldn't be seen for another three months. The reality is, I might not have been here in three months," she said. An RCSI Hospital Group spokeswoman said: "We do not comment on individual cases. All patients are treated dependent on clinical need. "Clinical need is assessed and reassessed as required. This can occur in the out-patient department or the emergency department." Ms Sherwin got severe head pains last October and ended up staying four weeks in hospital. 'I had four lumps, three smaller ones on my neck and a large one on a lymph node which tests showed was severely inflamed," she said. 'They did a biopsy and sent me home with a prescription for heavy-duty pain killers. "After three weeks, most of which I spent fretting about the likelihood of having cancer, I was told the biopsy had been unsuccessful and would have to be done again. "First I was told I was being placed on a priority list to be seen by a specialist, but because of the Christmas holiday period the quickest appointment I could get was early January." Ms Sherwin contacted the hospital in January and was stunned to be told that her "priority" appointment had been downgraded to "standard" and was slotted for February 1. After another agonising month-long wait she was told that more lumps had developed and she should have another biopsy. After three weeks of enquiring, she was told last week that it would be another three months before she would be seen by a specialist. "That was the straw that broke the camel's back," she said. "Last Thursday I went into A&E, sat down on a chair and told them I was not leaving until I was properly diagnosed. "After a few hours, in which a doctor did come and speak to me, I was moved from A&E to the Acute Assessment Unit. A different doctor examined the three smaller lumps and told me I would be put on a waiting list to see a specialist. "I made it very clear I wasn't leaving the hospital until this was sorted." Ms Sherwin was told to go home as there were no beds available. "I told them that the big lump on my lymph node had not been looked at and I wasn't budging until it was," she said. "At that stage I was in tears. The tears just kept flowing out of me in pure anger and frustration." Finally, she was told that a surgeon would see her in 30 minutes' time. Surgery "Fair play. That man did come and see me and, having both read my file and examined me, told those who were trying to shoo me out of the place that I had to be kept in as I needed immediate surgery on the lymph node," she said. "He actually said that I had been waiting that long that doing a biopsy was pointless. The lump had to be removed. "I certainly don't regret what I did. I maybe would not have been around in three months' time for that biopsy. "I felt like nobody was giving me the answers I needed. Instead, they just kept moving me along, and still I'm left not knowing if the lumps are benign or malignant." Ms Sherwin will find that out at another appointment on March 27. "I'm 37 with beautiful twin daughters trying to do the best I can, but I don't want to tell them months down the line, 'Sorry girls, they didn't get to me on time'. "I'd advise anyone in the same position to do exactly what I've done." More than 300 human burials may be associated with the Donnybrook Magdalene laundry, Dublin City Council's senior archaeologist believes. Dr Ruth Johnson has reviewed two reports in estimating how many remains might be at the site, which is now the subject of a planning application for an apartment block. The revelation comes as the Religious Sisters of Charity said that all those who died at the laundry were accounted for and there were no unmarked graves. One report reviewed by Dr Johnson was from the Inter-Departmental Committee (IDC), chaired by Martin McAleese. Its findings, published in 2013, reported 167 burials associated with the laundry between 1922 and 1992. Graveyard A Justice for Magdalenes Research report in 2015 said 312 burials took place at the site between 1835 and 2014. The Herald revealed how Dr Johnson submitted an observation on the planning application in which she said the site might contain human remains because it was previously a Magdalene laundry. She has also said the site is "one of archaeological potential". One reason identified for this was its proximity to a historic graveyard seven metres east of the Magdalene laundry. Dr Johnson said the site's "proximity to the historic graveyard raises the potential for the discovery of human remains associated with the long use of this burial ground". Before the application was lodged, the site was inspected by Dr Johnson along with the applicant's archaeological consultants to discuss the scope of the archaeological, social and industrial heritage investigation. The council was unable to clarify yesterday whether the 312 burials reported in the Justice for Magdalenes Research findings were separate from those recorded in the existing cemetery, outside the site. However, Dr Johnson has indicated that the site of the laundry itself should be searched for burials. The Religious Sisters of Charity have said they are not concerned that former residents may be buried in unmarked graves. In a statement to RTE, the order said that all who died during the operation of the laundry could be accounted for; there was a private cemetery on the grounds; and all records were checked by the McAleese Commission. Memorial However, Steven O'Riordan, chairman of the Magdalene Survivors Together support group, said he "wouldn't be surprised at all if there were more bodies" than were accounted for. Meanwhile, Social Democrat councillor Gary Gannon has called on Dublin City Council not to proceed with any sale of the Sean McDermott Street site after a motion was passed at a DCC meeting on Tuesday to prioritise survivors' needs. "It is imperative that we uncover the whole truth of what happened to women and children in these institutions and answer questions that many of the women still have about what happened to them and their children," he said. Mr Gannon called for a memorial to be erected at the former laundry as a priority and for consultations with survivors and other relevant groups. Dublin City Council said it was in total agreement with the motion passed at the council meeting. A man has gone on trial charged with kidnapping a post office worker, his partner and their young baby before robbing more than 600,000 from the man's workplace. It is the State's case that Jonathan Gill (35) was one of a gang of five who together were involved in holding the family hostage in their own home before moving them to a shed about a 90-minute drive away. The couple were threatened with what they believed to be guns and tied up with cable ties. Mr Gill, of Malahide Road, Swords, Dublin, has pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to falsely imprisoning Warren Nawn, Jean Marie Matthews and their 10-week-old baby in Drogheda, Co Louth, between August 1 and August 2, 2011. Bullet He has also pleaded not guilty to robbery of 661,125 at An Post, West Street, Drogheda, on August 2, 2011. Vincent Heneghan SC, prosecuting, said Mr Nawn and Ms Matthews were watching television while their baby girl was asleep beside them when there was a knock at the door. Mr Nawn answered and a man with a scarf on his face threw a pizza box at him before tackling him to the ground. A second man then raided their home and duct tape was put on Mr Nawn's mouth and eyes before he was tied up. The men quizzed Mr Nawn about his workplace while threatening him with what appeared to be a gun. Ms Matthews was also threatened and told she would have a bullet in the back of her head. The couple were separated with one of them being taken into the kitchen while the other was left in the sitting room. They were detained there for about two hours before Mr Nawn was put into the boot of his own car and Ms Matthews and the baby in the front. The family were driven for about 90 minutes before they were put in a shed. Mr Heneghan said the jury would hear evidence that the couple were continually threatened in an aggressive way and had guns pointed at them. At 3.30am the baby became very upset because she needed to be fed. A litre of milk was eventually bought for her and the family were kept in the shed until around 9am the next day. Mr Nawn was then handed his An Post uniform that the raiders had taken from his home. He was also given a phone and told to drive to work. He had earlier been told to call his boss to inform him he would be late. "He followed their instructions because he was put in fear," Mr Heneghan told the jury. He said Mr Nawn met with his boss and told him that his partner and child had been kept and were being told they would be shot. He was instructed to get whatever cash there was in the post office at the time. Mr Heneghan said a cash drop was due and 15 minutes later that money was delivered. The raiders spoke to Mr Nawn's boss, and Ms Matthews was also instructed to call the man and tell him a gun was being held to her head. Mr Heneghan said Mr Nawn was then instructed to take the cash and deliver it to a specific location. He was then told to drive on further, break up the phone the raiders had given him and throw it into the River Boyne. Remote The jury heard that there would be evidence that Mr Nawn's boss was told not to do anything for 30 minutes after Mr Nawn left but he ultimately alerted the gardai who were there when the complainant returned to the post office. Mr Heneghan told the jury that in the meantime Ms Matthews had been put in a car and transferred to a remote location. She was tied to an old bed in a burned-out shed and left there with her baby. She managed to free herself and made her way to an industrial estate where staff called gardai. Ms Matthews was taken to hospital were she was treated having been struck two or three times during her kidnapping. The trial continues before Judge Elma Sheahan and a jury. It is expected to last four weeks. A Fianna Fail politician has proposed the use of lasers to tackle "aggressive seagulls" in North County Dublin. Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee claimed yesterday that such technology has been proved effective in other jurisdictions in order to deter the birds from nesting in urban areas. She told the Seanad that children and older people have been attacked by seagulls in some of Dublin's coastal towns, such as Portmarnock. "It's reached crisis level," she said. Ms Clifford-Lee is one of a number of politicians to have raised the issue of seagulls in recent years. Her Seanad colleague Ned O'Sullivan previously generated headlines after telling the Upper House the seagulls have "lost the run of themselves". Ms Clifford-Lee, whose electoral base is in Portmarnock and surrounding areas, said she believes a cull is required. She said scientists in the UK have examined the use of lasers to tackle the issue and that a similar approach should be considered here. "The lasers are harmless screening devices and are not designed to injured the birds," said Ms Clifford Lee. Cliffs She cited the fall in fish supplies as a factor in seagulls nesting in towns rather than on cliffs. Balbriggan, which has a population of around 26,000, has seen the problem become worse in recent years, according to the senator. "A strategy is needed," she said, adding that she has raised the issue with Heritage Minister Heather Humphreys. In her response to Ms Clifford-Lee, seen by the Herald, Ms Humphreys confirmed that she has received reports that seagulls have caused problems in various housing estates in Balbriggan. "It is claimed that the seagulls, because of their number and habits, are giving rise to public health and safety concerns in the area," she said. Ms Humphreys went on to say that it has been reported that some parents do not let their children outdoors during the summer due to instances of attacks. Schools, businesses and residents' associations have also been in touch with the department. Ms Humphreys said a review of the Wild Bird Declaration will take place next year, which could lead to new measures. Jed Eddison was found in a doorway in Dublin A man found dead in a Dublin doorway had been the victim of a pickpocket attempt shortly before he died, an inquest heard. A rickshaw driver found Jed Eddison (30), of Ballynure, Grangecon, Co Wicklow, dead at the entrance to a Starbucks at 7.30am on October 11, 2015. Mr Eddison, who worked for periods in Saudi Arabia, had been out socialising with friends over the weekend. His mother, Karen, had dropped him in Naas two days before. She spoke to him at 9.45pm on the night before his death. "He was on a street because I could hear the noise. He sounded coherent and normal," she said. Ms Eddison said her son took prescription pills for anxiety, and she worried about him combining these with alcohol. Dublin Coroner's Court heard how Mr Eddison suffered a beating before he attended a party in Clondalkin on the Friday night before his death. Aoibhinn Brady said she not-iced scratches to his face when he arrived at her party. "I got the impression it was someone he knew," Ms Brady said. "He left the next day with the two friends he had arrived with, I think." On the Saturday, Mr Eddison rang a childhood friend, looking for a place to stay. Rifle "I told him I'd be back later and he could call then. He sounded tired, like he needed to sleep," said Darragh Moore. Gardai examined CCTV footage in a bid to trace Mr Eddison's last movements. It showed him in the com- pany of two men on Westmoreland Street at 2am. "He is clearly intoxicated and the two males rifle through his pockets," Gda Kenny told the hearing. "He is leaning against the railings, they are holding him up and then they escort him, one either side and place him in the doorway of Starbucks." Gardai made contact with the man's uncle, Don Murray, who said he had trouble identifying Mr Eddison because of the marks to his face. "I think whoever gave him the beating upset him. He made out he was a strong, tough guy, but really he was like jelly," Mr Murray said. The cause of death was multiple drug toxicities including alcohol, benzodiazepines, heroin and cocaine. Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane said the combined effect of the drugs brought about the young man's death. The jury returned a verdict of death by misadventure. Gardai arrested one of the men seen rifling through Mr Eddison's pockets and a file was prepared for the DPP, but no prosecution was directed. A report into the death of a 14-year-old scout during a coast guard helicopter rescue has found that the winchman who lifted her and a second teenager from the sea at the same time made a "sound decision". The Air Accident and Investigation Unit (AAIU) looked into the circumstances surrounding the death of Aoife Winterlich, who died after being swept into the sea and then falling 45 feet from the door of the helicopter during the rescue operation. Aoife, from Walkinstown, Dublin, was with her troop walking along the coast at Hook Head, Co Wexford, on December 6, 2015, when she was swept into the sea with a fellow scout. The male teenager, who stayed with her, told investigators she was unresponsive from shortly after they entered the water. The Irish Coast Guard centre in Dublin received a call at 2.04pm and was told that a "number of kids" were in the water. A helicopter from a Waterford base was dispatched and arrived at the scene shortly afterwards. When the winchman entered the water and reached Aoife, she was "pale and unresponsive", he told investigators. The boy was supporting her, trying to keep her head above water despite the risk to his own safety. He tried to perform CPR on her before the rescue team arrived. Investigators praised the teenager for his "exceptional effort". The winchman said Aoife seemed to be drifting under the water and he was concerned, based on previous experience, that the casualties would stop trying to swim. "The winchman was also concerned that if he winched one casualty to the helicopter, the other would not be able to remain afloat until he returned," the report stated. Winching both to safety was "considered his only option". However, as the winchman and the two teenagers reached the door of the helicopter and were about to be recovered, Aoife slipped through the harness and fell around 45 feet into the sea. She was in the water for 31 seconds after falling. Afterwards, the crew spent time looking for a third casualty in the water before the male teenager told them there was only the two of them. The helicopter then made its way to hospital. The AAIU noted that due to the high-risk nature of rescue operations, "there is always the possibility for a scenario to develop that has not previously been trained for". Pressure It also highlighted that there is no specific guidance on winching an unresponsive casualty from the water, and the unit recommended that guidance be prepared for all search and rescue teams about the risks associated with winching casualties, whether conscious or unconscious, by use of a helicopter rescue strop (harness). "The investigation considers that the winchman made a reasonable decision given his perception of the prevailing circumstances, the imminent risk to life and the consequent time pressure," the report stated. Aoife died in hospital on December 11, 2015. At her funeral, her brother Martin paid tribute to her as the "teen that we all wanted to be". "Wise and mature when she needed to be, less so when it suited her, Aoife wasn't your average person," he said. Neighbours place flowers and teddy bears at the scene of an apartment fire in Cluainin Cronan on Kilcronan Ave. Clondalkin From the outside, you would scarcely know anything had happened. If anyone had told you that a terrifying fire had claimed the lives of a pregnant woman and three young children, and left another woman fighting for her life, you would not have believed them. The Cluainin Cronan complex of small apartment blocks is a women's refuge in Kilcronan Avenue, Clondalkin, operated by the Sonas charity for victims of domestic abuse. Situated by the still waters of the Grand Canal, it is a small haven of safety and security for those who live there. family CCTV cameras monitor the doors which are opened with keycodes, and security lights illuminate the small car park. But what happened early yesterday morning changed all that for Annemarie O'Brien and her beautiful extended family. The only visual clues to the fire were the blackened windows, and a soot mark above an air vent. It is not known how long Annemarie (27) and her daughter Paris, aged just two, had lived at Cluainin Cronan, but those that knew her say she was looking forward to a new future. Annemarie had reason to be optimistic. She was seven months' pregnant with her first son. Just 30km away is the neat and homely Aughamore Lane site where Biddy O'Brien and her wider family live. One of Biddy's cousins, Joanne Moorehouse, told how Biddy and Annemarie had been brought up practically as sisters by Biddy's mother, even though they were first cousins. Looking over the social media photographs that each woman had posted online, they talk of how they all looked out for each other. Annemarie pouts into the camera in one selfie she posted to her Facebook page, a pose that many young women of her age adopt when it comes to their profile pics. Paris - wearing a pretty pink dress and a straw-type hat with a matching little bag, pink ribbons on both - is the picture of cheeky innocence. Biddy's daughter, Holly, clad in a red coat with a matching hat, stares at the camera with childish wonder, only beginning to understand the world around her. "They are a very close family and everyone is devastated," said Joanne from the back of the Aughamore Lane site of half-a-dozen purpose-built homes for members of the Travelling community. None of Annemarie or Biddy's immediate family were in their homes yesterday as morning turned to afternoon. Instead, they were at bedsides in St James's Hospital and Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin, keeping vigil for Biddy and her little boy Jordan as they clung to life. "The priest is with them," said Joanne as she looked out past the sunny yellow daffodils at the entrance to the small estate, waiting for further news. Tragically, the four-year-old lost his brave battle for life soon after. As afternoon turned to dusk, an eerie silence fell as people tried to come to terms with the devastation that had befallen the families of the victims. One neighbour could not find the words to describe the utter loss and devastation that he was feeling. "I just can't, it's all too much," he said. Back at Kilcronan Avenue, people who knew Annemarie, and who know Biddy, arrived to lay flowers and messages of comfort and regret at the scene. girls Two teddy bears were placed at the railings of the complex to signify the lives of the two little girls whose lives were lost. Local resident Anne Keogh was among those at the scene who wanted to lay some token of their sadness. "I just wanted to pay my respects, it's so sad," she said. "We just wanted to say bye." The floral tributes and teddy bears were symbols of the innocence that had been taken in the tragedy. Families that had so much to look forward to will now have to prepare for the funerals of their loved ones. The North Sinai-based militant group Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, an affiliate of the Islamic State militant group, has claimed responsibility for a bombing that killed a police colonel in North Sinai Wednesday night. The militant group said in a statement released on social media on Thursday that its members planted two explosive devices in El-Arish city targeting a military convey, killing colonel Yasser El-Hadidi and injuring three policemen. Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group in 2014. Egypts army and police forces have been battling a North Sinai-based Islamist insurgency that intensified following the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. Security forces have recently conducted a number of anti-terror operations in central Sinai. Hundreds of security personnel have been killed in terror attacks by militants in recent years, while the army says it has killed hundreds of militants in security campaigns in the governorate. Search Keywords: Short link: The manner of the deaths of Annemarie O'Brien and her daughter Paris will bring back haunting memories of the Carrickmines fire tragedy for her family. Ms O'Brien (27) was related to members of the Lynch family who died when an inferno engulfed a halting site in south Dublin in October 2015. In that incident Jimmy Lynch (39), Willie Lynch (25), his partner Tara Gilbert (27) and their children Jodie (9) and four-year-old Kelsey were all killed. Thomas Connors (27), his wife Sylvia (25) and three of their children - Jim (5), Christy (2) and five-month-old Mary - also died. Ms O'Brien attended the funerals of those victims and, like all members of the community from the area, was deeply impacted by the tragedy. She was particularly close to Ms Gilbert, who was pregnant when she died. In a cruel twist, Ms O'Brien, who has now died at the same age as Tara, was also seven months pregnant. Critical Her two-year-old daughter Paris was also killed when the fire ripped through a home in Kilcronan Avenue, in Clondalkin, in the early hours of yesterday morning. Ms O'Brien's cousin Biddy O'Brien remained in a critical condition in St James' Hospital last night. It is understood that Biddy had been visiting the complex when tragedy struck. Her daughter Holly (3) and son Jordan (4) also lost their lives. Their cousin, Jim O'Brien, who works with the Bray Travellers Community Development Group, told the Herald that the tragedy had reopened still raw wounds. "For another fire to happen like that, it's opened up all the old wounds," he said. Ms O'Brien was raised in the Fassaroe area of Bray, Co Wicklow, and Shankill, Dublin, as was Biddy who was "like her sister". Mr O'Brien described her as a "lovely young lady" and said he was praying that Biddy would pull through. "Anne would be closely related to one of the siblings who married into the Lynch family," he said of her connection to the Carrickmines tragedy. Dark "She was very well liked. I never heard anything bad said about Anne." Mr O'Brien said the community was now facing carrying more coffins. "There are hard days ahead, dark days as I see them," he added. Ms O'Brien was well known in the Bray area and Mr O'Brien said he expected both the Traveller and settled community to come together in mourning. "She loved life," he said. The return of Syria to the Arab League has been advocated by Iraq, following the former's suspension from the League in 2011 The current Arab situation is not ready for Syria's return to the Arab League, Secretary General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit said in a press conference following the 147th annual Arab League meeting in Cairo Tuesday. Aboul-Gheit said in a joint press conference with Algeria's foreign minister said that the issue was off the table and wasn't even a matter for discussion on a bilateral basis. The Arab League meeting saw the absence of several foreign ministers, including those of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and others. It's unclear what triggered these absences from the Cairo meeting. "International and regional powers were the ones dealing with Syria's status and there has been a wish that was being expressed that an Arab contribution is included in this matter, but this is only accomplished through an Arab-Arab harmonisation on the situation there," Aboul-Gheit said, pointing that the issue might be discussed in the upcoming Arab Summit. The suggestion of Syria returning to the League was first brought up by Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim Al-Gaafari, who said that a Syrian comeback was an "extremely important issue." "Arab alienation to Syria should end," he said, saying such estrangement impacts most those of the Syrian nation who need help from the Arab League. He called for a review of an earlier order by the Arab League to ban Syria from participating in the activities of the League. Syria had its membership in the League frozen in November 2011, with the Syrian government crackdown on opposition protests during the Arab Spring cited as the reason. Libya: New meeting On Libya, Aboul-Gheit said that a quadrilateral meeting aiming to push peace efforts in Libya with a first time participation by the European Union, the Arab League, African Union and the United Nations might be held before the end of March. Foreign ministers issued a statement wherein they reiterated their commitment to the respect of the unity, sovereignty and safeguarding of Libyan lands. They also underlined their objection to foreign intervention, except upon the request of the Presidential Council of the Libyan National Accord Government. Cairo has repeatedly announced its commitment to support a political solution in Libya, calling on the Libyan parliament and Presidential Council to refuse any foreign intervention and commit to reaching a political solution. Last month, a trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria was held in Tunis to discuss the situation in Libya, with the representatives of the three countries releasing a statement of support for a Tunisian declaration on comprehensive political reconciliation in Libya. The declaration included six points that reiterated the rejection of foreign military or political intervention in Libyan domestic affairs. The Algerian minister for Maghreb, African and Arab League affairs, Abdelkader Messahel, said that his country doesn't interfere in the domestic affairs of other countries, particularly Libya "There is no single Algerian solider fighting in Libya," he said, accentuating his support for Libyan stability and a return of vital apparatuses, a vacuum of such aids terrorism and terrorists. Palestine still a main issue On Palestine, Aboul-Gheit called on everyone to not preempt events in dealing with the stances of the new US administration lead by President Donald Trump, affirming the League's commitment to the two-state solution. Trump has been a firm supporter of recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital and refraining from pressuring it into making deals with the Palestinians. Speaking Wednesday, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad El-Malki said the Arab League underlined its commitment to the Arab Peace Initiative issued in 2002, stating there was no intention of adjusting the initiative. El-Malki added that Arab foreign ministers affirmed an adamant and powerful position on the importance of resolving the Palestinian crisis via an independent state on the borders of 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital He added that Palestinian leaders were currently working with all Arab states on final preparations for the upcoming Arab League Summit in Jordan, expressing his hope that the summit would witness a bolstering of the Palestinian role. He noted that ministers underlined the dangers posed by Israeli settlements, along with several controversial bills passed recently by the Israeli Knesset. Search Keywords: Short link: Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday that Germany must not allow Turkey to "grow more distant", despite a bitter row in which President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has likened her government to the Nazis. "As difficult as everything is at the moment, as unacceptable as some things are, it can't be in our security and geopolitical interest that Turkey, a NATO partner after all, grows even more distant from us," she told parliament. Merkel vowed to "work for German-Turkish relations, on the basis of our values and in all clarity". Search Keywords: Short link: Two suicide bombers attacked a celebration being held the night before a wedding north of Baghdad, killing 26 people, a police officer and a doctor said on Thursday. The bombings in the Al-Hajaj area, north of the city of Tikrit, also wounded 25 people, the sources said. "The first blew himself up at 8:30 pm (1730 GMT on Wednesday) amid men who were dancing during the celebration," while the second attacked a few minutes later, a police lieutenant colonel said. The bombers detonated explosive belts, the officer said. A doctor at a local hospital confirmed the toll. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State group carries out frequent suicide bombings targeting both civilians and members of the security forces in Iraq. IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad, including swathes of Salaheddin province, where Wednesday's attack occurred, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes and other support have since regained most of the territory they lost. Iraqi forces are now fighting to retake west Mosul, the largest urban bastion still held by the jihadists in Iraq. But recapturing Mosul and the other remaining parts of the country still held by IS will not eliminate its threat, and the group may increasingly turn to bombings such as those in Al-Hajaj if it no longer holds territory. Search Keywords: Short link: Freedom of speech is a privilege. We need to treat it that way. columns Russian President Vladimir Putin is hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for talks expected to focus on the situation in Syria. Greeting Netanyahu at the start of their talks, Putin emphasized a high level of trust between them. Netanyahu hailed Russia's role in fighting the Islamic State group and other radical militants in Syria. At the same time, he warned of the danger posed by radical Shiite groups, an apparent reference to the Hezbollah movement. Russia has sided with Iran and Hezbollah in helping support Syrian President Bashar Assad, but at the same time it has maintained warm ties with Israel. The two nations have coordinated to prevent any possible incidents between their militaries in Syria. Netanyahu's visit to Moscow follows his talks with U.S. President Donald Trump last month. Search Keywords: Short link: Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who has rarely appeared in public since a crippling stroke in 2013, is doing "very well", the country's prime minister said on Thursday. Speculation has mounted about the veteran president's health since he suffered a bout of bronchitis in February, forcing German Chancellor Angela Merkel to cancel a scheduled visit to Algiers at the last minute. But asked about it during a visit to Tunis, Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal said: "He sends you his greetings and is doing very well." Bouteflika, who turned 80 on March 2, has been in power since 1999. He was elected to a fourth term in 2014 but attended his inauguration in a wheelchair and was barely able to mumble through a few paragraphs of his speech and his oath of office. Since then, he has rarely appeared in public, receiving foreign heads of state or government in private at his official residence in Zeralda, west of the capital. On his visit to Tunis, Sellal met President Beji Caid Essebsi and Prime Minister Youssef Chahed and signed several agreements, including on security cooperation. Chahed welcomed the deal, saying the countries "face common threats" including terrorism. "Algeria has extensive experience in the security field and the fight against terrorist groups," he said. He and Sellal also discussed the situation in their common neighbour Libya, which has been wracked by chaos since the ouster and killing of longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Libya has become a transit country for jihadist groups, arms traffickers and clandestine migrants heading for Europe. Sellal said Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria were coordinating their efforts on Libya and had extended their cooperation to include Libya's other neighbours -- Sudan, Chad and Niger. "There are relations between terrorist groups from the Sahel, which has negative consequences for the Libyan problem," he added. He said the only solution to the Libyan conflict was a political deal agreed between Libyans themselves. Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria are working to reboot diplomatic efforts to solve the conflict. They have emphasised their rejection of "any military solution or foreign interference" in Libya. Search Keywords: Short link: The United States is deploying an additional 400 troops to help defeat the Islamic State group in Raqa, the Islamist militants' self-proclaimed capital in Syria, a spokesman for the US-led coalition said on Thursday. "They are temporary forces," US Colonel John Dorrian told reporters in Baghdad, confirming a report in the New York Times, adding that the long-term authorized level of US troops in Syria would remain at 500. IS are facing simultaneous offensives in northern Syria by government forces, Turkish-backed rebels, and a US-supported alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters. Search Keywords: Short link: Sudan summoned on Thursday US charge d'affaires Steven Koutsis to protest President Donald Trump's revised travel ban which bars its citizens from entering the United States. "The US charge d'affaires was informed of Sudan's discontent over the decisions issued by the American adminstration on March 6," the foreign ministry said. "The Sudanese under-secretary informed him that this order failed to reflect Sudan's major cooperation in fighting terrorism." Koutsis is the most senior diplomat at the US embassy in Khartoum. On Monday, Trump signed a revised ban on refugee admissions and new visas for travellers from six Muslim-majority nations -- including Sudan. It came after a first ban -- which had also included Iraq -- was frozen by US federal courts. Khartoum's decision to summon Koutsis came two days after it issued an angry reaction to Trump's new visa ban. "Sudanese citizens have never been involved in any crimes or terrorism in the United States," Sudan said on Tuesday as it condemned Trump's revised ban. On Thursday, Sudanese under-secretary Abdelghani Al-Naiem told Koutsis that Khartoum was in fact looking forward to Washington dropping Sudan from its blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism, the ministry said. Before leaving office, president Barack Obama eased decades-old US sanctions against Sudan, but kept Khartoum on the blacklist. Sudan was designated a state sponsor of terrorism in 1993 and has been subject to a US trade embargo since 1997 over its alleged support for Islamist groups. Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was based in Khartoum from 1992 to 1996. Washington believes Khartoum's terror ties have ebbed, but has kept sanctions in place because of the scorched-earth tactics it has used against ethnic minority rebels in Darfur. An end to fighting in Sudan's hotspots -- Blue Nile and South Kordofan states as well as the Darfur region -- had been set as a precondition for sanctions being lifted. Sudanese officials have however regularly called for improving relations between the two countries. Search Keywords: Short link: Russian President Vladimir Putin urged Israel Thursday to focus on today's "different world" after Premier Benjamin Netanyahu evoked age-old tensions with Iran, ahead of a holiday marking an ancient victory. In a meeting with Putin in Moscow, Netanyahu said Persia had made "an attempt to destroy the Jewish people that did not succeed" some 2,500 years ago, an event commemorated through the Jewish holiday of Purim, which Israel will celebrate Sunday and Monday. "Today there is an attempt by Persia's heir, Iran, to destroy the state of the Jews," Netanyahu said. "They say this as clearly as possible and inscribe it on their ballistic missiles." Adopting a more conciliatory tone, Putin said that the events described by Netanyahu had taken place "in the fifth century B.C." "We now live in a different world. Let us talk about that now," Putin said. Putin's comment came after Netanyahu stressed that while Israel was capable of defending itself, the country -- and the whole world -- remained threatened by radical Shia Islam. "The threat of radical Shia Islam threatens us no less than it does the region and the peace of the world, and I know that we are partners in the desire to prevent any kind of victory by radical Islam of any sort," Netanyahu said. Ever since the Islamic revolution of 1979, Iran has been implacable in its opposition to Israel and has provided extensive support to some Palestinian militant groups. Hardliner Mahmud Ahmadinejad, who served as president from 2005 to 2013, famously called for Israel to be "wiped off the map", a comment that sparked an international outcry. Iranian officials have said the call refers to the state not the people, and underline that the Islamic republic has its own Jewish community. Russia and Iran are allies and both back the Syrian regime in a conflict that has killed 310,000 people since it erupted in March 2011 with protests against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad. Israel has expressed concern over whether the civil war will result in Iran increasing its power in nearby Syria. Netanyahu's office quoted him in a statement as saying after the meeting that he had spelled out to Putin his view of a post-war Syria. "I made it clear regarding Syria that Israel has no objection to a new arrangement in Syria but we strongly object to the possibility that in such an arrangement Iran and its proxies will remain with a military presence in Syria," he said. "I think that this was made clear in the best possible way," he added in the statement. "In my experience with President Putin these things are not only important in order to prevent misunderstanding but ultimately they also have an effect on the ground." Search Keywords: Short link: Dutch officials on Thursday urged nations to boost efforts to create a database of alleged war crimes in Syria, using evidence smuggled abroad by refugees and investigators. "We already have millions of pages and gigabytes of evidence," Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders told a conference gathering more than 150 experts, diplomats, rights activists and international lawyers. "And millions more are waiting -- hidden in suitcases and banana crates, buried in caves and pits," he said, voicing the hope that "we can use that evidence to build airtight cases against those guilty of the worst crimes imaginable." The UN General Assembly agreed in December to set up an investigative mechanism to gather evidence on war crimes in Syria, where the civil war between President Bashar al-Assad's regime and rebels fighting to oust him has raged for six years. It would be the first step towards trying to prosecute those responsible for atrocities in the war which has left more than 310,000 dead and forced millions to flee as refugees. The Netherlands, which already hosts top international courts dealing with the world's worst crimes, has offered expertise and a million euros to help get the database up and running. "After six years of conflict in Syria, the evidence of war crimes, human rights violations and crimes against humanity is overwhelming," Koenders said before the experts met behind closed doors. "Syrians are taking enormous risks to bring the truth to light," he added, recalling how one military police officer fled the country with flash drives hidden in his socks containing over 28,000 photos of deaths allegedly in government custody. Another former civil servant escaped with 1,000 pages taped to his body, allegedly containing top-level orders to use indiscriminate violence. Grassroots investigators smuggled what they said was "proof of war crimes" through a dozen checkpoints hidden in banana crates. "These brave people know that their actions won't save a single victim" as the crimes had already happened, Koenders said. "They put themselves in harm's way for a different reason: because they believe that one day justice will prevail." Koenders said he wanted to see the perpetrators face justice in The Hague -- dubbed the city of peace and international justice -- and urged nations to help fund the investigations. The database is aimed at furthering the work of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism for Syria based in Geneva, which will work under the UN Commissioner for Human Rights. The mechanism needs some $13 million to fund its the first year of its activities which would involve collecting and analysing any available evidence "that can one day be used to find suspects and bring them to trial." "For the past six years, international diplomacy has failed the Syrian people," Koenders said, adding however that "a political solution still eludes Syria and accountability is out of reach for now." Russia, Syria's main ally, and China in 2014 blocked a request by the council that the International Criminal Court begin investigations of war crimes in Syria. But "if justice is our goal, then we cannot sit back and wait until the war comes to an end," Koenders insisted. Search Keywords: Short link: HICKORY The Friends of Ridgeview Library, the Hickory Museum of Art and the Womens Resource Center celebrated the contributions of women whove stepped up to help improve their communities, during an International Womens Day event Wednesday in the Coe Gallery of the museum. The 2017 Community Service awardees included: Patricia R. Johnson, Associate Superintendent of Caldwell County School District in Lenoir; Kay Ying Lo, Catawba County Schools Bilingual Resource Specialist with Catawba County Schools Newcomers Center and Marion H. Love, retired Lenoir-Rhyne University Professor Emeritus, according to a museum press release. The trio was recognized for their work in the community through their professional and volunteer leadership. Educator and community leader Billy Sudderth annually led the Womens History Month anniversary programs in the community, including this years up until his death in October, according to the release. He was an educator in Hickory and Mecklenburg City Schools and NC Agricultural and Technical State University, a member of Mt. Pisgah Methodist Episcopal Church and president of the Friends of Ridgeview Library. Sudderth and longtime community activist Carolyn Elaine Connor Witherspoon were recognized with Legacy Awards. Witherspoon was an educator for Hickory Public Schools, a Ridgeview Library Board member, a member of the Red Hatter Society, a trustee of Friendship Baptist Church and other countless charities that she silently served. Witherspoon also worked with Interfaith Housing to rehabilitate the old Ridgeview Library building into a community center. Sudderth selected the Museum as the site of this years event so it could be held in conjunction with the exhibition Woman Made. The exhibit features more than 100 artworks created by more than 80 artists represented in the Hickory Museum of Arts permanent collection. Retired Grandview Middle School principal Vanessa Howerton honored Sudderth, speaking of his dedication to an annual observance celebrating respect and appreciation of women for their educational, economic, political and social achievements, according to the release. Speaking of the awardees, Howerton said she noticed some common characteristics of the three women recognized during the celebration. She described all three as, women of class, who were willing to serve, knew how to lead and were ready to sacrifice for what they believed. I do know some women whove been involved with change and some of them are educators, Howerton said. Some do not have the label of educator, but they all taught us in some respect either through action or through words. After receiving her award, Johnson said service has always been part of her life. I can remember being 6 years old and wanting to protest with my parents, marching for desegregation. Johnson said. She recalled leading a delegation at her school to walk out because they didnt have fair representation. This is who Ive always been. This is what I do and so I say power to the women, Johnson said. Lo escaped with her family from Laos after the Vietnam War and was especially pleased to be celebrating an International Womens Day. She explained how in her culture men are highly valued and women are considered the caretakers of homes. Ive become a woman who advocates for many, many women in our community in North Carolina, Lo said. Love said she felt like she was with family after receiving her award and admitted she wasnt well informed about International Womens Day until 1990. It tells me that it must not be very much appreciated in this country, Love said. This is why its so terribly important we celebrate here. The first National Woman's Day was observed in the United States in February 1909. The Socialist Party of America designated the day in honor of the 1908 garment workers' strike in New York, where women protested against working conditions, according to the United Nations website. In 1910, the Socialist International, meeting in Copenhagen, established a Women's Day, international in character, to honor the movement for women's rights and to build support for achieving universal suffrage for women. As a result of the Copenhagen initiative, International Women's Day was marked for the first time in 1911. Hickory Museum of Art is located on the SALT Block, 243 Third Ave. NE, Hickory. Admission is free. For more information about museum exhibitions, art classes, field trips, and events, visit HickoryArt.org or call 828-327-8576. Correction - The story published on March 9 stated Billy Robert Sudderth and Pat Smith received Legacy Awards during the International Womens Day celebration. It was Carolyn Elaine Connor Witherspoon and Sudderth who received the Legacy Awards. Smith was the presenter of the award. 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/ Though there is almost nothing that the media love as much as a debate on freedom of expression, theres one aspect of this debate that rarely, if ever, gets discussed: how do we handle the Offensive Publicity Hound (OPH)? If you watch TV regularly, you will know what an OPH is. For instance, when Karan Johar announced that he was a father ---- through a surrogate ---- a politician called Abu Azmi appeared before the TV cameras to denounce Johar and to make innuendos about his sexuality. Some of us may, quite reasonably, wonder why Azmi, a wealthy Mumbai figure who has successfully fought off criminal charges and a jail sentence in the past, has any locus standi when it comes to Johars personal life. He is not generally regarded as a guardian of public morality and is not an expert on relationships or fatherhood. But of course, most TV channels did not wonder about this at all. No sooner had Azmi declared his intention to attack Johar than the OB vans were dispatched and reporters rushed to the spot to get him on camera. Later, after the breathless-reporting phase was over, many channels organised discussions on the subject. As there really was nothing to discuss --- it is not as though Azmi raised questions of a moral or philosophical nature all of these discussions followed the same format. One participant (perhaps Azmi himself, on some channels) was required to be outrageous. Another was required to be as shrill (hysterical is even better) from the opposite perspective. And the other panelists arranged themselves artfully in the middle, taking moderate positions but trying to be at least a little controversial so they could keep getting invited back to such shows. Azmis outburst is only the latest in a series of incidents where OPHs have managed to colonise television prime time. Broadly, the technique employed is always the same: say something really offensive and outrageous, ideally involving a famous person (a Bollywood celebrity is a perfect soft target) or a minority community (something along the lines of why doesnt such-and-such Muslim condemn Pakistani terror?) and hey presto! you are the subject of the evening news. But some OPHs go even further. Had anyone heard of the obscure organisation (no, Im not going to fall into the trap of naming it) that invaded the sets of Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Padmawati and roughed up the director? Probably not. But now the organisation has been named on national television and its leading lights (I use the term loosely) have appeared on prime time debates to discuss their objections to the movie. (Their objections? Well, they havent read the script and dont know what the movie is really about, but hey! Its good to keep these filmi guys from attacking the honour of our community, right!) I could go on. But you probably know of all the other instances. An obscure maulvi somewhere who complains about how a woman is dressed. A so-called sadhu who wants Muslims punished for eating beef. And so on. You have to ask yourself: would any of these people have even made these statements or launched these assaults if he or she had not been sure of getting media coverage? They have all learned that the best way to get on to the media is to be offensive. And the more outrageous the better. All of us in the media know why the OPH strategy works. Newspapers, these days, often take their leads from the previous days TV news. And 24-hour-TV is an all-devouring, hungry monster that demands to be fed news even when none can be found. So the channels look for something or the other to feed the beast. And as for the debates, dont blame the channels, blame the viewers. The ratings will tell you that the kind of TV Indians like to watch most in the evenings is one where there is little footage, only talk. And the talk that gets the highest TRPs is the kind that is constructed like a Battle Royal on the World Wrestling Federation. Anger and conflict are essential. Outrage is useful. And the threats of simmering violence are always welcome. So even while events of consequence that will change the lives of all of us take place outside TV studios, the debates on many channels will reflect an alternate reality. Karan Johars children or some insult to our martyrs will be angrily debated by a small group of men and women who nobody had heard of till they began appearing on TV: screeching small-time politicians, deliberately provocative mullahs, weeping soldiers, saffron-clad medievalists and the like. The Offensive Publicity Hound knows how to make himself famous in this environment. A single insult, a well-delivered jab at a celebrity or even an act of violence is all it takes to be on prime time news these days. When we in the media argue with each other about the publicity we afford these people, two arguments are usually offered. One: our hearts are in the right place; we always condemn their actions. And two: they also have freedom of speech. Both arguments are specious. If 20 OB vans do not land up outside Abu Azmis house, he is not being denied freedom of speech. He can still say what he likes. He is being denied free publicity; an entirely different matter. And as for the condemnation from high-minded anchors, well, Azmi and the other OPHs dont really care what journalists think, anyway. Whats important is to get on to television. In fact, there is only one key issue here and it is not freedom of speech. It is editorial judgment. As long as the Indian media regard every outrageous crank and every attention-grabbing delinquent as being worthy of coverage, we demonstrate an utter and complete lack of judgment. We show ourselves to be no better than the louts who seek to hijack our TV screens. So lets go back to covering the real news. And to focusing on the real issues. Let the Offensive Publicity Hounds bark emptily into the darkness. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Along with academic circles, the turmoil in Ramjas College, Delhi University has affected many from the cultural circuit as well. Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, sarod exponent, laments over the fact that education is now on a downslide. Unfortunately, the politics has become a profession and politicians for their own vested interest are ruining the life of students. This is what the world is watching. We are all watching what is happening in universities in JNU, Gujarat, Maharashtra and wherever its happening now, he says. I feel very sad that even in this 21st century, people are still killing each other on account of religion The maestro is appalled at how the educated world is now resorting to violence as well. Especially in this 21st century, when we are boasting about our education, our achievements, with all due respect to education, I think our education cant create compassion and kindness in a human being. Otherwise, how is it that today PhD has become radical? How have educated people become inhuman and unkind? I think theres some basic problem in the education system of the whole world and schools and colleges have become and industry. I feel very sad that even in this 21st century people are still killing each other on account of religion. I feel very disturbed, as a musician and an artiste. It is essential for artistes to be kind, feels Khan. Its this humane nature that often compels him to perform for the unprivileged and unhealthy section of society. His upcoming performance will be for the concert by Indian Cancer Society. I feel honoured and happy to serve society and people who need my help. I have played in so many blind schools in my life and that has been my best audience. Their world is sound and their applause is really the blessing of my life. The sound of symphony , sarod, violin or cello is the pure form of music. Because language creates barriers, but music breaks them. My father taught me that we all have a common God and common race Its sarod which is his connection with the outside world and its music that keeps him young and healthy. My father, who was my guru, taught me not only music, but the way of life. He tried to convey to all of us, that we have a common God and common race. Ek hi shakti hai jo lati hai duniya mein aur le jaati hai. Unfortunately, no priest of any religion is conveying this message today because every priest is a paid servant, is getting his salary and has a hidden agenda. CATCH IT LIVE What: Artistes Against Cancer 2017 Where: Kamani Auditorium, Copernicus Marg When: March 14 Timings: 7pm to 9pm Nearest Metro Station: Mandi House on Blue and Violet Line SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON More than 20,000 people from Myanmar have fled across the border into China, the Chinese government said Thursday, following months of violence between ethnic rebel groups and government forces, including fighting this week that killed at least 30 people. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said China is calling for an immediate cease-fire, and that authorities in the border area have offered shelter and assistance to the refugees. "We condemn the conflict which brought disaster to innocent people," Geng told a regular news briefing. This week, the Myanmar government said at least 30 people were killed in fighting triggered by a pre-dawn attack by an ethnic rebel group. It said the attack by the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army on the government-controlled town of Laukkai killed five policemen and five civilians. Geng said China is highly concerned about the situation. "We call on all warring factions to be restrained, cease fire immediately, refrain from stoking up the clash and restore peace and stability to the border area with effective measures as soon as possible," he said. This week's fighting was the most dramatic recent violence in the area, where the government and rebels have been contending for territory. Similar fighting has been taking place further north in Kachin state involving other ethnic rebel groups. The rebels say they are countering attacks by the government. Fierce fighting between the government and the rebel group, which represents the Kokang, an ethnic Chinese minority, last occurred in 2015, sending tens of thousands of civilians fleeing across the border into China. The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army is led by ethnic Chinese Peng Jiasheng, who once was chief of the officially sanctioned Kokang administrative zone but was ousted from power in 2009. The rebel army was formed from the remnants of the Communist Party of Burma, a once-powerful Chinese-backed guerrilla force that fought against the Myanmar government in the 1960s and 1970s. Search Keywords: Short link: As stage is set for counting of votes on March 11, the Amritsar police have laid a foolproof security plan to ensure that the counting passes off peacefully. As there are five counting centres in the city, the police commissionerate has decided to deploy 1,000 cops for the purpose and officers of the rank of additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP) and assistant commissioner of police (ACP) will be present at each centre. Talking to HT, Amritsar police commissioner Nageshwara Rao said, As per the plan, 1,000 policemen will be deployed at the counting centres. There will be an inner cordon, outer cordon and then cops will also be present in the parkings. No vehicle will be allowed near the counting centres and no unauthorised person will be allowed to come near the counting area, he said. The police officer added that only authorised mediapersons and the counting agents of candidates will be allowed. In the city also, vigil will be further heightened for the counting day and special nakas will be put up. Notably, the Border Security Force (BSF) is already deployed in the first security ring surrounding the counting area. Outside, their will be no deployment of the paramilitary on that day. Already CCTV cameras are installed outside the counting centers and regular police patrolling will also take place outside the venue. The counting of votes starts at 8:00 AM. On Wednesday, Punjab chief electoral officer VK Singh visited some counting centres and gave instructions for the counting day to officers of civil and police administration. Similarly, the Amritsar (rural) police have also made an elaborate plan to ensure smooth counting of votes. Apart from deploying around 1,000 policemen, we have also made arrangements to ensure that no law and order problem takes place during that day, said senior superintendent of police (rural) J Elanchezhian. The SSP further said that though a lot of weapons have been deposited, still, a close eye will be kept on those getting into celebratory fires or political conflicts. The counting centres Ajnala constituency: Government College, Ajnala Rajasansi constituency: Government Nursing College, Circular road, Amritsar Majitha constituency: Government ITI, Ranjit Avenue, Amritsar Amritsar North: Government Medical College, Amritsar Amritsar West: Auditorium Hall, Khalsa College Amritsar Amritsar Central: Mai Bhago Woman Politechnic College Majitha Road, Amritsar Amritsar East: Khalsa College for Women Amritsar South: Khalsa University for Pharmacy, Amritsar Attari: Main Hall, Khalsa Senior Secondary School Amritsar Jandiala: Government College for Girls, Mall Road, Amritsar Baba Bakala: Mata Ganga Girls Senior Secondary School, Baba Bakala With voting for assembly elections in five states now over, winners and losers will be declared on March 11. But, the Election Commission has allowed publication and broadcast of exit polls from Thursday evening. Past experience shows, exit polls at best can keep the excitement and suspense on and do not often match the final results. Here are a few glimpses from the 2012 exit polls for the assembly elections for Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa: Punjab: No poll predicted a return of the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party combine in Punjab. CNN-IBN gave 60 seats to the Congress in the 117 member house and India TV- CVoter said it would win 65. The party lost the election for the second time in a row with just 46 seats while the SAD-BJP romped home with 68 seats. Assembly elections 2017: Reading the verdict Uttar Pradesh: Exit polls on UP showed the Samajwadi Party in the lead but the tally they predicted ranged between 137-145 (India TV-CVoter) and 232-250 (CNN-IBN The Week). The SP finished with a clear majority at 224 seats in the 403 member assembly. Projections for other parties were mostly off the mark too. No poll got all estimates for the top four political parties right. The BSP, which got 80 seats was shown as winning between 65 and 130 seats by different pollsters. Uttarakhand: Exit polls showed a close fight between the Congress and the BJP. It was. The Congress got just one seat more, 32 compared to the BJPs 31 but some polls had predicted the return of the BJP. Goa: Pollsters showed BJP ahead, giving it around 20 seats in the 40 member assembly. It bagged 24. The Congress, which was predicted to finish with 15-19 seats, was routed and ended with 9 seats. Manipur: The Congress return to power was predicted here but with a reduced tally. New24-Todays Chanakya gave the Congress 25 seats while the CNN-IBN-The Week poll predicted 24-32 seats in the house of 60. The Congress came back with 42 seats. Click here for full coverage on assembly elections 2017 SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Punjab chief electoral officer VK Singh, on Thursday said all arrangements for counting of votes on March 11 have been made. More than 14,000 officials will be involved in the counting process at 54 counting centres in 27 locations. The counting of votes would begin at 8am . Punjab recorded a high voter turnout of 77.4% in the elections to decide the fate of 1,145 candidates, including 81 women and a transgender. The CEO also said District Election Offices in the state, prominent public places and malls would witness TV screens, where live poll-results would be displayed. With a view to ensuring peaceful and flawless completion of whole counting process adequate security arrangements were also put in place, Singh said, adding unauthorised persons would not be allowed to enter the counting centres. Singh said that no body except the Election Observers would be allowed to carry mobile phones into the counting centres. No other officers or candidates or counting agents, security personnel and staff would be allowed to take their mobiles inside the centres, he said. The CEO said the poll results would also be updated on the website of election commission. Capt claims majority, Sukhbir trashes surveys, APP upbeat All three main contenders in the February 4 state assembly polls are expressing confidence of winning enough seats to form the government. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) combine, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are claiming victory despite the exit polls showing no single party bagging enough seats to form the government on its own. All exit polls have given the ruling SAD-BJP alliance less than 10 seats. For the first time, with AAPs entry, the state polls witnessed a triangular contest in most of the 117 assembly constituencies. Reacting to the exit polls, Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh said he was optimistic that his party will get a clear majority with 62-65 seats . The exit polls are indicative of the positive trend in favour of the Congress. The actual results will also be in favour of our party, he said. SAD president and deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal said, The results will prove all surveys wrong. AAPs state in-charge Sanjay Singh couldnt be contacted, but he claimed clean sweep for AAP on Twitter citing different exit polls. The result of by-election to the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat, vacated by Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh in November, will also be declared on Saturday. DEHRADUN: With most of the exit polls Thursday predicting win for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttarakhand, the saffron party erupted in joy. Only India TV-CVoter predicted photo finish for both the ruling Congress and BJP, giving 29-35 seats to both the parties. NDTV predicted 45 seats for BJP and 21 for Congress while News 24 -Chanakya gave 53 seats to the saffron party and 15 to Congress. The India Today-Axis gave between 46-53 seats to BJP and 12-21 to Congress. In the 70-member House, a party needs 36 seats for simple majority. BJP state president Ajay Bhatt termed exit poll predictions on the expected lines. This is the end of the corrupt Rawat government in Uttarakhand. We have been maintaining that we will win, Bhatt said. Uttarakhand had witnessed a high-pitch campaign between Congress poster boy Harish Rawat and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The campaign was apparently less about issues and more about personalities. PM had hit hard Rawat on corruption allegations during his back-to-back rallies in the last leg of campaigning. Party feels that Modis pitch helped them in winning confidence of the voters, particularly youngsters and women. The ruling Congress said that it will wait for the results to be announced on Saturday as exit polls had also failed in the past. Congress president Kishore Upadhyay claimed that the party has better chances of forming the government. In fact, a day after the polls were held on February 15, Rawat had maintained that party could seek help of fringe parties and independents to form government, hinting that Congress may not get enough numbers on its own. Three road shows in a city by a prime minister are perhaps unheard of. But when it comes to poll campaigning, Narendra Modi is no traditionalist. He took Varanasi by storm, reflecting his bonding with the holy city, his Lok Sabha constituency. But it also showed his partys gnawing fears of losing seats. A senior leader quipped, We cant afford to lose Varanasi even if we win UP. There were many concerns, including dissension in the party, and handling them were hordes of Modi cabinet ministers. But perhaps this was not the only reason. Desperation of all major players, including the BJP, grew with every phase in the first-ever triangular contest in the state. Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav had Dimple Yadav joining the road show for the first time in the entire poll season. The last two phases, with 89 seats, were important for the BJP, SP-Congress alliance and BSP to reach the magic figure of 203 in a Vidhan Sabha of 403. Call it the demonetisation effect, the campaigning remained a low-key affair till it touched the third phase of elections. Thereafter, with every phase the tone grew shriller as campaigning reached its crescendo by the time it reached the last two phases that covered prime constituencies of veteran leaders like Narendra Modi and Mulayam Singh Yadav. Mayawati, too, has gambled by shaking hands with Qaumi Ekta Dal of incarcerated mafioso Mukhtar Ansari to pick a couple of seats here. Electioneering, in fact, started on a sombre note with the lead campaigners focusing on development and corruption as their main poll plank. Though the communal zone of the state was covered by the first two phases, the poll speeches were not laced with communal overtones. The Prime Minister had best described the opponents as SCAM (SP, Congress, Akhilesh and Mayawati), accusing them of corruption. Akhilesh and Rahul took him on majorly on demonetisation. It could be because the BJP had already deployed Mahant Adityanath and other leaders in saffron robes to polarise the area on communal lines. Click here for full coverage on assembly elections 2017 However, by the time the political parties entered the third phase, tempers started rising. Prime Ministers comment, Kabristan and Shamshan and Diwali and Ramzan were clearly meant to communally divide the polity. His partys national president Amit Shah soon joined him with his Kasab definition of three opponent parties. Akhilesh and Mayawati also retaliated sharply and then came in the donkeys from Gujarat quip. UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, his wife Dimple Yadav and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi during their roadshow in Varanasi. (Arun Sharma/HT Photo) Political analyst Vipul Mudgal explained, After the first two rounds of voting, the political parties must have assessed their strengths and realised they were very much in the race and needed that last push to turn the polls in their favour. Prime Minister hardly takes time in getting into an intense campaign mode, while BJP got down to galvanising the cadre, Mudgal added. It was also because Poorvanchal was not BJPs strong area and increased tally was vital to their dream to end their 14-year long vanvas and form the government. It had strategically tied up with smaller parties in the East and had also penetrated the lower OBC vote bank. On the other hand both Congress and SP, who had done fairly well in 2012 in the region, struggled to retain their seats as poll partners. Significantly, by the time campaigning came to the sixth phase all the political partys started making emotional pitch to their hardcore caste-based vote banks for a clear majority. Almost all leaders claimed, We are winning this election and now need your support to form a strong and stable government. The voters reacted with aplomb. Now the horses are back in their stables. The safely guarded EVMs are waiting to be opened on March 11. Till then its time to relax, after the high drama, for the lead campaigners. Lull prevails before the storm. Election in numbers: Click here to know more A month is too long a time for things to go wrong. This was precisely the reason why Abu Bhai pitched a tent near the strongroom where EVMs used for Agra South assembly constituency have been locked away after the first phase of polling on February 11. The tent has become the makeshift house for Abu Bhai, 55, for almost a month now. He rarely leaves the tent, prefers offering his namaz there to going to the nearest mosque. I have to keep a watch on the strong room, been doing it for all these days just in case something happened, he said. The Central Industrial Reserve Force and police personnel guarding the EVMs at the barricaded Mandi Samiti complex in Agra do not give him confidence enough. Abu Bhai hopes his hard work would be rewarded with a victory for his party Bahujan Samaj Party. The BSP has three such tents packed with party volunteers who the party candidates from Bah, Fatehabad and other constituencies in Agra district have been meeting frequently for updates on the security scenario. The Bharatiya Janata Party has a tent too. Our party leaders told us to pitch this tent on February 20, and four of us take turns to spend the night while the party arranges the meals, Lal Singh Parihar, the district executive member of BJP, said. The strength of the campers will be increased within 48 hours of the day of counting on Saturday (March 11), so that we keep an eye on the strong rooms of other assembly constituencies too, Parihar added. BJP workers at their tent in Mandi Samiti premises of Agra. (Raju Tomar/HT Photo) The tents are minimalist; party loyalists sleep on bed sheets spread on the ground and spend their waking hours eating together or playing cards. Preetinder Singh, Agras senior superintendent of police, said there are provisions allowing every candidate to keep his or her representatives in tents where EVMs are kept under the tightest of security. Unlike their counterparts in Agra, the candidates of nine assembly seats of Lucknow seem to have faith in Election Commissions security arrangement. Only five candidates have turned up to inspect the 3,360 EVMs since they were kept at the Rammabai Ambedkar Rally Ground after the third phase of polling on February 19. These candidates include BJPs Rita Bahuguna Joshi, contesting the Lucknow Cantonment seat, BSPs Ajay Kumar Srivastava and two independents. The EVMs are under three-tier security. Unarmed UP police personnel provide the first tier, keeping people off at the barricades. Armed policemen and Provincial Armed Constabulary personnel handle the second tier outside the boundary wall of the rally ground. CISF personnel form the third tier inside the ground and outside the strong room within. Such is the security that even the UP police are allowed to enter the ground, Rajeev Kumar, additional district election officer, said. Candidates and their representatives need clearance from the district administration to inspect the strong room. They have to produce a special pass and sign a register every time they pay a visit. Ensuring safety for the peoples verdict is not easy for the security forces personnel. The CISF personnel, with a six-hour shift duty, have it easier than the policemen who have to work in shifts of eight hours. In Gorakhpur, a 16-member police team including two station head officers are deployed at a time outside the strong room about 100 metres from the university building while six CISF personnel take turns to guard the EVMs. Forces outside an EVM strongroom in Allahabad. (Sheeraz Rizvi/HT photo) The Gorakhpur strong room was set up on March 4, the day of sixth phase of polling. Work schedule is not the only reason why the police personnel are envious of their CISF counterparts. They have to arrange their own means while a temporary mess have been set up for the central paramilitary force. How can you expect the police to work actively with such a tiring schedule that affects our health? a police constable asked. The CISF personnel did not grumble. All fine in here except for the mosquitoes, one of them said. The police personnel in Gorakhpur, though, were better off than those guarding the EVMs on the premises of Mundera Mandi in Allahabad. We are working for 12 hours without toilet, electricity, drinking water facilities and proper food. For two weeks since the fourth phase of polling on February 23, we have been sitting hours in a shed without a fan or water, Mohammad Abbas, a police constable, said. We understand we have a duty to perform for the sake of democracy. But we would have preferred a shorter gap between the polling day and the counting day, Sudhir Kumar, another constable, said. (With inputs from Abdul Jadid in Gorakhpur and Kenneth John in Allahabad) There are similarities not only in the voting pattern, but also in the representation given to women in the 2012 and 2017 five-state assembly polls, election commission data shows. In the recently concluded assembly polls in five states, most parties did not give a substantial representation to female candidates, but women voters turned out in droves to elect their new legislators. A similar trend was observed in 2012. The average voting percentage of women in 2012 was 63.38 % which has gone up to 63.53% in 2017. Despite their claims of supporting womens reservation in legislative assemblies and Parliament, most of the parties including the BJP, Congress, Samajwadi Party and Bahuja Samaj Party gave women no more than 10-13% of the total tickets in both 2012 and 2017. Five states that will elect new assemblies are Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Manipur in the ongoing election process. Hindustan Times looked at the data from the previous assembly polls in 2012 to see how women fared. Goa gave tickets to just 10 women for the 40-seat assembly, Manipur to 15 (60 seats), Punjab to 93 (117 seats), Uttar Pradesh to 583 (403 seats) and Uttarakhand to 63 in its 71-seat assembly. In comparison, the 2017 numbers show the number of women candidates in Goa rose to 18, but fell to 11 in Manipur, to 81 in Punjab, 58 in Uttarakhand and 445 in Uttar Pradesh. Read | UP elections: Women winning fewer seats, losing deposits in larger numbers In 2012, only one candidate won the seat in Goa, three in Manipur, 14 in Punjab, 35 in Uttar Pradesh and five in Uttarakhand. A sizeable number of these women candidates between 77 to 82% lost their deposits. Jennifer A Monserrate of the Congress won with the highest margin of 1,151 votes among the women contestants, but was also the lowest margin winner in the overall contest. Okram Landhoni Devi of the Congress from Manipur bagged 9871 votes; in Punjab Chandrajit Kaur Bajwa of the Congress received with 16156 votes, Rajmati of the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh got 35635 votes, and the Congress Indira Hridyesh got 23583 in Uttarakhand these women were the winners with the highest margins. For election reports from the ground, click here. For a breakdown of the data, click here. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON With exit polls pointing to a hung House, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said on Thursday he would not allow the BJP to rule by proxy, hinting at the possibility of tying up with other parties. The Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party is the only remaining big player in the state but when asked about a possible tie-up, Yadav remained ambiguous. I always respected her (Mayawati), and because of this many may construe that there could be an alliance (with BSP). But its hard to say anything about the possibility of joining hands (with her)..., Yadav told BBC Hindi. He said the BJP was a bigger rival than the BSP. While all exit polls put the BJP ahead in the countrys largest state, most predicted a hung House in Uttar Pradesh, where voting was staggered in seven phases spread over a month. Yadavs Samajwadi Party, which joined hands with the Congress, would finish behind the BJP, the polls said. The BSP would finish third. Yadav, however, insisted the mandate would be clear and that, too, in favour of the SP-Congress. No, it is not going to be a hung assembly, he said in the Facebook chat with BBC Hindi. No one would want presidents rule in Uttar Pradesh and that the BJP governs the state through a remote control, he said. For more on the assembly elections, click here. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON One of the main questions nagging the police officials of Madhya Pradesh questioning the three youths accused of planting bomb on the Bhopal-Ujjain passenger on Tuesday, was why they chose Madhya Pradesh and why the Bhopal-Ujjain train? The pipe bomb had exploded near Jabri railway station injuring nine persons. The officials wanted to know whether Mohd Danish, Mohd Atif Muzaffar and Syed Meer Husain wanted to take revenge for the eight SIMI activists killed in a police encounter in November 1, 2016 on the outskirts of Bhopal. Moreover the connection of Ujjain with SIMI very strong as the former SIMI general secretary Safdar Nagori is from Mahidpur in Ujjain district and he was recently given life term by a Indore court. They are not at all influenced by SIMI, though the SIMI and ISIS ideology are similar and neither was revenge any motive, an official closely associated with the interrogation said. The officials said that it appears that the choice of Bhopal-Ujjain passenger was random. Initially they had planned to plant the bomb in the Pushpak Express, in which they had landed in Bhopal, but someone spotted the bag and they had to take it with them and later planted it in the Bhopal-Ujjain passenger, which was stationed in the platform ready to leave. They entered the general compartment, put the bag on the narrow luggage rack and left. Another reason why they chose Bhopal was because Mohammad Danish had stayed in Bhopal earlier and knew the city well. They thought it would be easy to execute their plan here, an official said. Sources said that the ATS which is investigating the case is looking for at least a dozen persons all the country who are said to be part of the group that carried out the train blast and more arrests are likely. Meanwhile, the three accused arrested in connection with the train blast were sent to custody under police remand till March 23 on Wednesday. The ATS showed their arrest on Wednesday evening and booked them under sections 307, 120 (B) and 34 of IPC and also under several sections of The Explosive Substance Act and The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. A team of anti-terrorist squad (ATS), Indore led by SP ATS, Indore Ramji Shrivastava produced the accused in the court of additional district judge Girish Dixit and sought a direction from the court that the accused be remanded to the police custody as they had confessed to have committed the crime and certain other crimes too. The police through the public prosecutor also claimed before the court that the accused had also confessed that they had links with ISIS and they had connections with terror outfits in several states and abroad. The court, however, granted the police remand with two conditions that there would be no torture of the accused in police custody and for there they would be subjected to a medical examination and that the information on their arrest would be given to their kin immediately. Police told the court that since the accused were arrested on Wednesday evening they couldnt give information to their families. However, it would comply with the courts instructions and the information would be conveyed to their families. An Italian couple were killed Thursday when a motorway bridge collapsed on top of their car, police said, as debate sparked over the reasons for the second tragedy of its kind in just over four months. Antonella Viviani, 54, and her husband Emidio Diomede, 60, died at the scene after the bridge, which was undergoing maintenance work, gave way onto the A14 highway near Ancona on the eastern, Adriatic coast of the country. A criminal investigation for manslaughter has been opened and the infrastructure ministry announced its own probe and sent inspectors to the scene. The incident follows a similar one on October 28, when Claudio Bertini, 68, was killed when his car was crushed by a collapsing bridge over the SS36 dual carriageway between Milan and Lecco. That incident was blamed on bureaucratic bungling which led to a fatal delay in the bridge being closed after it was reported to be showing significant cracks. It came down under the weight of an articulated lorry that had been given special permission to carry an exceptionally heavy load and should have been diverted to a different road. The exact circumstances of Thursday's accident were unclear, but the two deaths triggered a debate about the state of Italy's infrastructure. It also prompted questions about whether sufficient checks had been made on bridges and tunnels after three major earthquakes in the second half of last year. The latest accident occured on the coast of the Marche region, whose mountainous interior was close to the epicentres of the quakes. "More casualties that could have been avoided, more interventions post rather than pre, a complete lack of global vision on the security of buildings and infrastructure in Marche," said Serenella Fucksia, a senator for the opposition Five Star Movement. Aside from the earthquake issue, Italy's infrastructure generally is showing the effects of economic stagnation with the country's output now roughly the same as it was two decades ago. Search Keywords: Short link: Bollywood actor Vidya Balan, who released the first poster of her next, Begum Jaan, has said the film has been a great experience, and she is looking forward to its release. I am coming back from Kolkata after promoting the film. It was a great experience. Right now, I am feeling very excited about Begum Jaan and loving the reactions of people. I am looking forward to the release now, Vidya said. The first poster of the Srijit Mukherji directorial has a tagline that reads: My Body, My House, My Country, My Rules. The poster has Vidya Balan sitting with dishevelled hair, holding a hookah pipe in her hand, and she is dressed in a maroon lehenga and an embroidered blouse. Asked if Begum Jaan can be tagged as the boldest film of this year, Vidya said: That I wont be able to tell. She also revealed that the trailer of the film will be released on March 14. Celebrating my family this Women's Day - here's #BegumKiJaan! Trailer out on March 14. pic.twitter.com/Gce9LTBR05 vidya balan (@vidya_balan) March 8, 2017 The film, which is the Hindi adaptation of Bengali movie Rajkahini, will see Kahaani star portraying the role of brothels madam during the partition of India. The film also features Naseeruddin Shah and Gauahar Khan in key roles and is slated to release on April 14. Follow @htshowbiz for more Reacting to filmmaker Karan Johars allegation that she always plays the victim card, Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut has retorted that she was playing the badass card, not the victim or woman card. After Karan said, Im done with Kangana playing the victim card, the Rangoon star told Mumbai Mirror, What is pertinent here is: why is Karan Johar trying to shame a woman for being a woman? What is this about the woman card and the victim card? This kind of talk is demeaning to all women, particularly the vulnerable because they are the ones who really need to use them. The woman card might not help you become a Wimbledon champ, or win you Olympic medals, or bag National awards. It might not even land you a job, but it can get a pregnant woman who feels her water is about to break a ladies seat on a crowded bus. It can be used as a cry for help when you sense a threat. The same goes for the victim card, which women like my sister, Rangoli, who is a victim of an acid attack, can use while fighting for justice in court, she further told the tabloid. On Koffee With Karan, Kangana had called Karan a snooty, flag-bearer of nepotism, who was intolerant to outsiders in the film industry. She also hinted that he is running a movie mafia. Karan later said during his recent interaction at an event in the London School of Economics, Im done with Kangana playing the woman and victim card. I am done! You cannot be this victim every time and have a sad story to tell about how youve been terrorised by the bad world of the industry leave it. Karan further said Kangana was his guest and he had to hear what she had to say. He said he was glad that Kangana knew what nepotism means. I dont think she has understood the entire meaning of the term. What is nepotism am I working with my nieces, nephews, daughters, cousins? And what about those 15 filmmakers, who are not from the film industry, who I have launched and who did the movies. That were not going to talk about! Tarun Mansukhani, Puneet Malhotra, Shakun Batra, Shashank Khaitan they all come from no film background. You give these people film careers and they have a platform to stand on and thats the reverse of nepotism, he said. Kangana also said to the tabloid, I use every card possible. At the workplace, its the badass card to fight cutthroat competition. With my family and loved ones, its the love card. When fighting the world, its the dignity card, and for a seat in a bus, its the woman card. What is important to understand is that we are not fighting people, we are fighting a mentality. I am not fighting Karan Johar, I am fighting male chauvinism. Im also a little surprised at the graciousness he says he displayed in choosing to not edit the jousty bits on the show. While Id have blacklisted the channel if something like that had happened, lets also remember that a channel wants TRPs, and he is just a paid host. Also, the Indian film industry is not a small studio given to Karan by his father when he was in his early 20s. That is just a small molecule. The industry belongs to every Indian and is highly recommended for outsiders like me whose parents were too poor to give me a formal training. I learnt on the job and got paid for it, using the money to educate myself in New York. He is nobody to tell me to leave it. Im definitely not going anywhere, Mr Johar, she added. Follow @htshowbiz for more Be it a corrupt police officer in Jolly LLB 2 (2017) or a ruthless lawyer in No One Killed Jessica (2011) Avijit Dutt has always played characters that leave a lasting impression. Presently working on a solo play, Dutt says that being in Delhi helps him dabble in both theatre and films with ease. The advantage of being in Delhi is you can reject films that dont work with your politics, says the actor. Recollecting his portrayal of police commissioner in the Jolly sequel, he says he agreed to take it up because of the characters relevance to the script. But the story behind the acceptance of this role isnt known to many. My daughter, Avalokita, works in Bollywood and never tells anybody whose daughter she is. When the director of the film, Subhash Kapoor, said to her that he was looking for me, she said to her, If you want to know, hes my father. So Subhash and my daughter came to Delhi to narrate the script and I found it fantastic. For the first time, we had the credits at the beginning of the film as father and daughter and that was wonderful. It isnt always the depth of character that excites Dutt, sometimes its the possibility of fanboy moments. I accepted 2.0 (2017) (the second in the Robot installment) because it was just the curiosity of meeting with this man Rajinikanth, says Dutt. I was just a fanboy and he (Rajinikanth) was such a wonderful human. The first time we met, he talked about how he had seen my films, he meant No One Killed Jessica (2011), and then we talked about the Himalayas. You know, he goes up to the Himalayas every year, incognito. Also, when I was told that the character is the head of ISRO, and it (the film) starts off with my long dialogue with Rajinikanth I said lets try it Besides, I had to also learn three pages of Tamil script that was incredibly difficult! On sets he was enjoying playing a grey-haired character, but off sets, he had to change his hair colours. Dutt, who was shooting simultaneously for Akshay Kumar starrer-Jolly LLB 2, says, In Jolly I was doing a completely negative character, with black hair and in 2.0, I was acting with my own grey hair. So, I had to keep switching hair colours. That was horrible! Whatever little hair I had have been already sacrificed to that experience. A hearty laughs follow his statement. But he doesnt accept every role that comes his way. A very big director gave me a film where I had just two scenes, both with Ranbir (Kapoor), but the character wasnt doing anything, so I said, forget it. And I asked myself later, if I was right in rejecting a big film? But I think I did the right thing, says Dutt talking about the film: Dutt a biopic on actor Sanjay Dutt. Though the actor didnt agree to be a part of the film, yet he says, I spent a lot of time with Sunil Dutt. Dutt saab and I travelled for three months for 27 thousand kilometers, for the peace mission across south Asia. I really loved that man. We were on this journey called the peace mission and were stopped right at the border of Pakistan because Kargil war (1999) went up. Life is full of these amazing ironies. Isnt it? SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Aamir Khan will be celebrating his birthday on March 14. The plans for the big day are work in progress, but the actor already has a few special things in place. The actor, who turns 52, was abroad, until recently, shooting for his prior commitments. However, he has made it a point to be back home on time to celebrate his birthday with his family. While he is known to have low-key celebrations with his closest friends, this time, he will be throwing an extended success bash for his last release Dangal (2016), that fared exceptionally well at the box-office. A source reveals, Aamir is still basking in the success of his last film. So, he decided to throw a bash for the cast and crew members on his birthday. Infact, HT has learnt that the Phogats, on whom the biopic was made, are also planning to join the actor on his birthday. Mahavir Phogat and his daughters Geeta and Babita are planning to come down to Mumbai to celebrate Aamirs birthday. Aamir did attend Geetas wedding in Balali, Haryana in November but after the film released, Aamir really hasnt got the time to meet the family and interact with them, hence this special gesture. All arrangements are being made for their arrival. Look what my daughter and her friends are up to! Thank you Ira!!! Wait till you meet the real Mahaveer ! pic.twitter.com/tJ9lbMcXOh Aamir Khan (@aamir_khan) December 12, 2016 We have also learnt that Aamir intends to keep a special screening of Dangal on his birthday for his closest friends and family. His on-screen daughters, Sanya Malhotra and Fatima Sana Shaikh will also be in attendance. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif will begin filming a song and a few action sequences for their upcoming film Tiger Zinda Hai - the sequel to their 2012 hit film Ek Tha Tiger - with Hollywood action director Tom Sturthers in Austria from March 15. Tiger Zinda Hai is slated for Christmas release this year. Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, the shoot for Tiger Zinda Hai will begin with a song in the freezing locales of Tyrol, Austria, known for its snow-capped mountains and small, quaint villages. The crew also plans to can a few action sequences during the schedule. Hollywod action director Tom Sturthers, known for the stunts in Christopher Nolans Batman series (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and the Dark Knight Rises), is working with Salman and Katrina for Tiger Zinda Hai. It will be very cold to shoot here, but Tyrol is both an unexplored and a stunningly beautiful location. We loved the challenge of shooting here. Tom Struthers will bring in a lot of value with his expertise. That Salman and Katrina agreed to shoot in this freezing cold place, where temperatures fall below minus twenty degrees, just goes on to prove how committed they are to the film, a spokesperson for Yash Raj Film, the producer of the film, said. Meanwhile, Paresh Rawal has joined the cast for a special role in the film. This is the first time ever that Rawal will be seen in a YRF film. Commenting on Rawals involvement with the film, director Ali Abbas Zafar said in a press statement on Thursday, I have always been a fan of his work and what he brings to his characters and I cant wait to see him in this very special role, I am fortunate to be part of a film which is Paresh Rawals first for Yash Raj Films. Salman Khan and Katrina have worked together in Ek Tha Tiger, which centered on the life of an Indian spy of RAW (Salman), code-named Tiger, who falls in love with a Pakistani spy from ISI (Katrina) during an investigation and how Tigers ideology and principles change over time. Follow @htshowbiz for more At 6 am on May 25, 2014, just about a month shy of her 14th birthday, Poorna Malavath, daughter of a poor Dalit agricultural labourer from Telengana, reached to the top of Mt Everest after a 52-day long expedition. She became the youngest girl to conquer the highest peak of the world. But her story of true grit failed to make it to the front pages and most of India remained unaware of her extraordinary feat, until now. Rahul Bose is returning to film direction after 15 years with an eponymous biopic on Poorna. We caught up with the actor/director at the music launch of the movie. Excerpts: The story of Poorna Malavath made Rahul Bose don the directors hat once again (Film still) Why did you not direct anything in between? Because my acting career was very fulfilling from 2002 after I made Everybody Says Im Fine to 2013 after which good roles began to dry up. Thats when I began to look for something I can direct. However, I was only supposed to act in this film, everything else followed organically once I read the story. The first reaction is usually the purest. Do you remember yours when you heard the story? Yes, it was a combination of shame and wonder. Shame because it was unbelievable I hadnt heard of Poornas achievement before. I pride myself in being pretty well-read on both, social subjects and sport and had completely missed this story because it hadnt been reported to the extent it should have been. Wonder because you couldnt ask for anything more to make a mainstream Bollywood script. A poor, uneducated, tribal girl shatters the world record climbing Everest at the age of 13. Fantastic! What is that one thing about Poorna Malavath that has impacted you the most? It is her combination of infectious teenage enthusiasm and the wisdom of a 200-year-old. Once you see 6 bodies on Everest your perspective on life and death, your wisdom of what is important and what is not, your understanding of what the definition of success is changes profoundly. As you said, she is a woman and a tribal and had all the odds stacked against her. Which one do you think is the worse malice plaguing the nation today? Its not about being a woman or a tribal, the greatest evil in society is discrimination - gender, caste, color, race and income. Most people in this country face a combination of these differentiators. Unless and until society moves to a more equitable and less judgmental space, it can never progress. The biopic is based on the astonishing tale of Poorna Malavath, who was just 13 when she climbed the Everest two years ago (Film still) How difficult it is to make a biopic and staying true to the original events given the fact that real life doesnt always have melodrama, songs in chiffon, long drives through winding roads and conniving villains? It wasnt difficult at all when you have such a dramatic story to work with. The original events were so dramatic, so improbable, so thrilling, it was a roller coaster ride just listening to Poorna tell the tale. We have created one fictional character to be the catalyst at a crucial point in Poornas life. Otherwise the rest of the story is pretty close to the bone. In fact, I think Poorna is the acid test. This film is going to show us whether a biopic, sans any star, can pull the audiences to the theatres by the sheer strength of its story. How did you managed to resist the temptation of casting a pretty face as the lead? The most important thing for me in a biopic is believability. We auditioned over 500 girls from the social welfare schools, and shortlisted 109. I was still not convinced. Finally, the 110th girl was our Poorna! Aditi Inamdar is a girl from Hyderabad. Her audition was staggering. She has an innocence coupled with a wisdom that no one can teach you. Aside from that, shes just loaded with talent. Watch out for her. What kind of litmus test did you put before the girls whom you auditioned? There are three things I was testing for in the 500 odd girls we auditioned: talent, the ability to take direction and most importantly, an ability to handle pressure because a film set is all about pressure pressure of time pressure, of money, of costars forgetting their lines, of losing the light etc. Aditis talent was obvious to see. Just before the audition, I asked her about the saddest moment of her life and she told us about the time she lost her grandfather. While narrating the story, she began to cry. It was at that point that I began the real audition. It was amazing how she pulled herself together, took directions, and delivered. I knew I had our Poorna. This seems to be a film that ticks all the boxes to get noticed at the international film festivals. Yet you are not sending it to any. Why? I always believe international festivals are great for movies that need to find and cultivate an audience. Poornas audience is staring at us in the face its every single Indian. Given that, I was certain once the film was ready we would give it a big fat mainstream release. We might go to festivals after the release of the film. Follow @ananya1281 on Twitter Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Amar Kaushiks debut film, Aaba, was the only Indian project chosen in a competition section at this years Berlinale and it went on to win the Special Prize of Generation Kplus (a category for movies for children and young people) International Jury for Best Short Film. The heart-warming story rooted in the simple, daily life of the Apatani tribe, an indigenous people of Arunachal Pradesh, revolves around an orphan girl whose grandfather is battling the terminal stages of lung cancer. The 22-minute short is shot entirely in a remote village of Ziro using local people as actors and part of the crew. We caught up with the director a few days back. Excerpts: A still from Aaba How was it getting such recognition at Berlinale? Winning at Berlinale with my first film as a director is the biggest morale booster, but to be honest, I never expected the film to become this big! I had no idea about the festival circuit before I made Aaba. I made a film, showed it to the right people and with their guidance I sent it to some of the festivals. I received reply from Berlinale saying that they have selected Aaba. While the feeling of being selected was still sinking in, the award got announced. It was the biggest surprise of my life. How are you planning the journey of the film from here on? Right now we are taking Aaba to various film festivals across the globe. These festivals are great platform to showcase a film and get the critics feedback. Why do you think the film resonated so much with the international audience? I am not sure what worked at Berlinale. I guess Aabas honesty and simplicity was able to strike the right chord with the audiences and the jury. I received great response from the audiences. After the screening, people actually came up to me and told me how the film left them emotionally moved and how they connected with the film at a very personal level. Interestingly, the best screening was the one organised for children. They had some very interesting views on my story. How did you come up with the idea of the story? Aaba explores how an impending death impacts a family. It is one of the stories my Mom told us. My parents were posted in the state for a long period of time. My mother was a teacher at government school and Aaba is based on an incident that happened with her. What gave you this particular perspective about death? I think death is one of the most mysterious subjects in the world. Waiting for death can be painful and seeing your loved one waiting for it can be even more unbearable. The story of someone wrapping up chapters of life and waiting for death to arrive left me amazed. When I narrated this story to my friends, they were overwhelmed. I knew this is a story that needs to reach a wider audience. And I knew that it is a story I would want take up as my debut. explores how an impending death impacts a family You have been working in the industry for almost a decade now, why did you choose this subject and this format to make your debut? I have been trying to make a feature film for some time. However, I realised that for most producers and actors, it is difficult to trust capabilities of a film maker whose work they have not seen. So, I decided to make a short film to grab some eyeballs. I picked by the story from my mother, chose Arunchal Pradesh as I am in love with the state, found support in my producers Raj Kumar Gupta and Mitul Dikshit, formed a team that was a mix of technical geniuses and local experts, and put in some real hard work. And Aaba is the outcome of that. We really liked when we saw it and decided to take it to film festivals. And then it bagged an award at Berlinale. I guess all the hard work was worth it and I have managed to do what I initially aimed forgrab a few eyeballs! How was it shooting at a place as remote as Ziro. Why did you choose that particular location? Aaba is the story for Apatani a tribe in Arunchal Pradesh and Ziro is the hub of Apatani tribe. Once I conceptualised the story, I was sure that the dialect and tribe will be Apatani. To make all authentic, I decided to shoot in Ziro too. Being a remote area, we did not have facilities available with us for the shoot but my team managed to pull off an amazing work. What kind of difficulties did you face while shooting? I wanted to make this film before rains. But it took me a more than a month to cast and find the perfect location what I wanted but by then climatic conditions went against us. So, the controlling the costs was a challenge. We also decided to pick locals to form our crew as taking people from Mumbai would have been an expensive affair. This proved to be slightly tough initially but my crew has left me surprised with their hard work and sincerity. Why didnt you opt for professional actor? I think that would have been a mistake. The authenticity, the simplicity and the originality that my non actor actors have added to the film, is something incredible. While writing and visualizing my film in my head, I had locals from Apatani tribe playing the characters. Aaba is their story, about their world, culture and customs. Its about their simplicity and I endeavored to have that simplicity reflected in the film. So, doing it any other way didnt make any sense to me. Any kind of a change or addition in that would have taken away the essence of the story. What was the most challenging part about working with local people? When we started from Mumbai, I knew I have a challenge in hand shooting in an unfamiliar terrain. However, after I reached Arunachal Pradesh and started looking for the people, the real challenge began. While it was not difficult to find right faces, communication proved to be quite a task. Forget teaching them acting, we didnt understand each others language. Thats when I realised that I had to be one of them to make them comfortable and start communicating with me with the help of a translator. So, I spent a month living with the locals in Ziro in their houses. I did this till the time they did not accept me as a part of their family and started initiating conversations with me. I consider this as one of my milestone moments in the journey of Aaba. And you even used their language Aaba has minimum dialogues and whatever we have is in Apatani. I tried this just to keep everything very authentic in the film. I also knew my actors will not be comfortable talking in Hindi and if I had forced a new language upon them that would have impacted their performances. Kaushiks story is rooted in the simple, daily life of the Apatani tribe, an indigenous people of Arunachal Pradesh How is the movie scene in the North-East? Things are changing. There are some great talents coming from Arunchal Pradesh and there some good work happening too. For my film, I got support from local film makers Sange Dorji, Alison Welly and Hally Welly. I think local cinema is slowly catching up and headed towards an interesting phase. The states in this part of the country have some very interesting stories waiting to be told What is your favourite memory of growing up in Arunachal Pradesh? I have spent early days of my childhood in Arunachal Pradesh before relocating to Kanpur. Place where you have spent your childhood always remains special to you. I cherish every moment I spent in Arunachal Pradesh. The most fascinating part is living so close to the nature. I remember walking to school through narrow paths, climbing trees and sighting wild animals often! Growing up in a place like that introduced me to a lifestyle thats focused on living in harmony with nature. Also, I was always fascinated by the traditions and customs followed by the tribal people there, most of which the rest of India has zero idea about. Tell us a bit about your background in cinema. I am a science graduate and wanted to join the Air Force. Like most Indians, I had great interest in Cinema. My interest became stronger when I attended a NSD (National School of Drama) workshop in Kanpur. And before the workshop was over, I had made up my mind that I want to make movies. Like most outsiders who come to Mumbai, I came to the city without much knowledge of how things work here. It didnt help that I knew nobody in the industry. I had heard that here the success stories a few and chances of it not working out for you are far greater. So I was mentally prepared. I wanted to give it one shot it will be great if it clicked otherwise I would pack my bags and go back to Kanpur. I had no formal education in the field so the first thing I decided was to get myself enrolled for a filmmaking course. But all the institutes in Mumbai had by then closed their admissions for that year. So I went to Delhi and took up a course in Mass Communication instead where I got introduces to world cinema. After I came back to Mumbai, I started by interning at TV production houses. Slowly I got noticed and started getting work in movies. I have worked as assistant director, associate director and second unit director in several films including No One Killed Jessica (2007), Aamir (2008), and Go Goa Gone (2013). But, I always dreamt of making my own film. With Aaba that dream has become a reality. But I still have to pinch myself when I think about its journey! Follow @ananya1281 on Twitter Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Taiwans Foxconn, the worlds largest contract electronics maker, is not a favoured bidder for Toshiba Corps memory chip business due to its close ties with China, sources with direct knowledge of the deal said. The Japanese government is worried that selling to bidders close to China may lead to the transference of key technology, the sources said. Toshiba is aware of the governments wishes and will take into account how close bidders are to China in the selection, one of the sources said, adding that Foxconn has production lines in China. Toshiba, the second-biggest NAND chip producer after South Koreas Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, is considering selling the majority - or all - of its marquee flash-memory chip business, as it seeks to make up for a $6.3 billion writedown from its US nuclear unit Westinghouse. Toshiba is valuing its chip business at least 1.5 trillion yen ($13.1 billion), people familiar with the matter have said. Initial bids are due by the end of the month. Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd, said last week it was definitely bidding for Toshibas chip business and that it was very confident it could buy into it. Earlier on Thursday the Nikkei business daily reported that Foxconn has approached South Korean chip maker SK Hynix Inc to explore a joint bid. Foxconn on Thursday declined to comment on Toshiba-related matters. SK Hynix also declined to comment. An industry source familiar with the matter said TSMC, another Taiwanese firm and the worlds largest contract chipmaker, is also deeply interested in Toshibas chip unit. Elizabeth Sun, a spokeswoman for TSMC, said the company was looking at looking at Toshibas chip business but had yet to come to a decision. Sources have said other potential bidders include data storage firm Western Digital Corp which operates a Japanese chip plant with Toshiba, and rival Micron Technology Inc, as well as financial investors such as Bain Capital. Toshiba has sent invitation letters to around 10 potential bidders, one of the sources said. Technology giant Google has announced the acquisition of Kaggle, a start-up that hosts a number of data scientists, for an undisclosed amount at the Cloud Next 2017 conference. Kaggle is going to maintain independent brand for a while... what Kaggle has contributed to the community is democratisation of data, developer community... partnership with Kaggle is going to be very positive for us, said Chief Scientist Google Cloud (artificial intelligence and machine learning) Fei Fei Li here. Founded in 2010, Kaggle is home to the worlds largest community of data scientists and machine-learning enthusiasts. More than 8 lakh data experts use Kaggle to explore, analyse and understand the latest updates in machine learning and data analytics. We are providing them best technology to take advantage of Google Cloud, libraries etc, she said. We must lower the barriers of entry to AI (artificial intelligence) and make it available to the largest community of developers, users and enterprises so that they can apply it to their own unique needs. With Kaggle joining the Google Cloud team, we can accelerate this mission, she pointed out. Kaggle and Google Cloud will continue to support machine learning training and deployment services while offering the community the ability to store and query large datasets. Making Google Cloud technology available to our community will allow us to offer access to powerful infrastructure, scalable training and deployment services and the ability to store and query large data sets, Kaggle co-founder and Chief Executive Anthony Goldbloom wrote in his blog post. Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure, the two public clouds that are bigger than Google Cloud, also offer data science services. Google Cloud already provides Cloud Machine Learning Engine, among other managed services for working on data. Indian stocks are likely to get a boost when trading opens on Friday as investors cheer the likelihood of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerging as the single largest party in Uttar Pradesh a possibility signalled by exit polls. Still, some analysts advised caution, pointing to the 7.7% rise in the Vix volatility index in the past four trading sessions and high stock valuations. As the final phase of polling ended on Thursday in Uttar Pradesh and Manipur, bringing the curtain down on elections to five state assemblies, at least six exit polls predicted that the BJP will end up with the largest tally of seats in UP, Indias largest and most populous state, even if it falls short of a majority. Markets might react positively tomorrow (Friday); however, investors should wait for the final numbers to take a call, said Vaibhav Sanghavi, co-CEO of Avendus Capital Public Markets Alternative Strategies LLP, a hedge fund. Votes will be counted in the five states and results known on Saturday. Exit polls were in favour of the BJP winning in Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand as well. The Congress was tipped to win in Punjab. So far this year, the Sensex and Nifty have gained around 9%, compared to a 8.4% rise for the MSCI Emerging Markets index. With earnings estimate being pared, the current rally has received a leg-up from a liquidity surge. Foreign institutional investors have bought $2 billion worth of Indian stocks in 2017 after selling $4.6 billion in the last three months of the previous year. The market is more concerned about BJP increasing its vote share in UP even if it does not manage to get a majority in the Hindi heartland, said Pankaj Pandey, head of research at ICICI Securities Ltd. He sees a 5% correction in the markets if the outcome of the assembly elections doesnt favour the ruling party at the centre. To be sure, exit polls dont always get predictions right. The 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha elections are the most famous examples of the pollsters getting it completely wrong. The market is heavily banking on BJP winning Uttar Pradesh elections and a hung assembly situation may kick-start a much-needed correction in the market, said Ajay Bodke, chief executive officer (CEO) and chief portfolio manager, portfolio management services, at securities house Prabhudas Lilladher Pvt. Ltd. The markets are teetering on edge of nervousness and hoping for the BJP to win. Scope of the markets disappointment is large if BJP loses on March 11 since investors will be worried about the government taking more populist measure to prepare for the general elections in 2019. Yet others such as Dipen Shah, senior vice-president and head of private client group research, Kotak Securities Ltd and Abhijeet Dey, a senior fund manager (equities) at BNP Paribas Asset Management Co., believe that the exit polls may not evoke much of a reaction since current prices have already factored in a BJP win. The numbers from exit polls indicate either BJP winning, or a hung assembly. The market has moved up in the anticipation of a BJP win, and that possibility is discounted, said Shah. While traders havent built up any hedges or bought downside protection against an adverse election outcome, as Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, there has been an increase in investor nervousness around the time the markets hit a two-year closing high earlier this week. In the last four trading sessions, the India VIX has gained 7.7% to close at 14.39. on Thursday; benchmark indices closed little changed. The increase in valuations is adding to caution. That this rally has been liquidity-driven can be seen in the simultaneous rise of the Sensexs forward price-to-earnings multiple. The Sensex is currently trading at 16.86 times estimated earnings for fiscal 2018, a tad above its five-year average. In any case, if liquidity continues to flow in, the markets may well shrug off any disappointment and move on to other triggers, said experts. The liquidity flow is coming in through the mutual fund route, and that will support the market, said Gautam Trivedi, CEO of Religare Capital Markets Ltd. Stable global markets and recovering commodity prices are also supporting factors, analysts say. The United States on March 22 will host a major meeting of the 68 members of the coalition fighting the Islamic State group, the State Department said Thursday. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will chair the talks, which come as the allies are fighting the jihadists in the Iraqi city of Mosul and closing in on their Syrian "capital" Raqa. On coming to office, US President Donald Trump ordered a review of the military strategy to destroy the Islamic State group, and the still-classified report was delivered to him last month. Tillerson and his fellow foreign ministers will lead the political effort to prepare the ground for stabilizing Iraq and Syrian after the group's last military strongholds are crushed. "Secretary Tillerson has been crystal clear that defeating ISIS is the State Department's top priority in the Middle East," acting spokesman Mark Toner told reporters on a conference call. "Defeating ISIS is the start of a process to create...stability in Syria," he said, adding that the meeting will be the largest of the global coalition since its inauguration. The ministers will update members on progress on the battlefield but also seek new ideas to fight the group's online propaganda, its spread beyond its heartland and recruitment of fighters. On March 23, after the ministerial meeting, a coalition working group including military officers will meet to flesh out plans. Russia, which has forces on the ground in Syria and has expressed a desire to work with US forces against the IS group but is not a member of the US-led coalition, will not be represented. Search Keywords: Short link: Qatar Airways plans to set up an airline in India along with the Gulf nations sovereign wealth fund, its chief executive Akbar Al Baker said today. This will be the first of its kind airline venture in India that would be fully-owned by overseas entities and the proposal comes nearly nine months after the Indian government allowed 100% foreign direct investment in the airlines segment. Qatar Airways, which is among the top three Gulf carriers, has been exploring investment opportunities in the fast- growing Indian aviation market. We are joining hands with the investment arm of State of Qatar to start a domestic airline in India with a 100% investment, Al Baker said at a press meet in Berlin. We are doing this because Indian government has opened up the foreign direct investment in (setting up) an airline in India, he added. While announcing the plan, Al Baker said it is yet to apply to the Indian government. Last June, India allowed foreign investors -- barring overseas airlines -- to own up to 100% stake in local carriers by liberalising FDI regulations. Currently, foreign airlines are allowed to invest only up to 49% in Indian carriers. However, the revised norms provide room for overseas airlines to partner with a foreign non-airline player to set up a 100% foreign-owned carrier in India. While the FDI norms have been relaxed, the government is yet to amend the regulations with respect to Air Operator Permit (AOP). At present, AOP is granted only to an airline where substantial ownership is with Indian entities. On several occasions earlier, Qatar Airways -- which operates a significant number of flights from India to Qatars capital city Doha -- had explored the possibility of buying stake in Indian budget carrier IndiGo. New Delhi: The Reserve Bank of India on Thursday permitted foreign institutional investors (FIIs or foreign portfolios investors (FPIs) to hike their exposure in Kotak Mahindra Bank to 42% from the earlier limit of 40%. The higher investment was permitted under the Portfolio Investment Scheme (PIS) of the RBI. Kotak Mahindra Banks board of directors passed a resolutions and a special resolution by a general body meeting to allow a higher foreign holding in the bank. The Reserve Bank has notified this under FEMA 1999. New Delhi: Toyota president Akio Toyoda and Suzuki chairman Osamu Suzuki on Thursday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss future technological development and plans for Make in India. The Toyota-Suzuki business partnership and future technological developments came up for discussion, a PMO release said. The partnership is expected to bring together Toyotas global leadership in technology and manufacturing, with Suzukis strength in manufacture of small cars, especially in India. It is expected to enable India to use new technological developments, it said. Further, high volumes will enable local manufacture of components required for these technologies. Hence, the partnership will promote Make in India, and contribute to employment generation. It also opens up scope for export of new technology cars from India, the PMO statement said. SELF-RADICALISED Saifullah was operation head of the module. Intelligence agencies came to know about him and a few others in Jan 2016 but failed to track him down LUCKNOW The Uttar Pradesh-based self-radicalised Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) organisation was operational in the state for over two years and Saifullah Khan, the killed member of the terror module, was acting as its operation head. An ATS officer said UPs self-radicalised organisation was formed in January 2015 and the existence of some founder members, including Saifullah, was known to central intelligence agencies since January 2016 but they failed to track him. He said the organisation brought together a group of men, mainly radicalised by Internet reading related to discrimination and violence against Muslims in India. He said the central security and investigation agencies came to know about Saifullah and a few other members after arrest of a Mumbai-based web designer Mudabbir Mushtaq Sheikh, alleged chief of an ISIS inspired organisation of Indian jihadis, on January 22, 2016. He said Sheikh was allegedly involved in recruiting youths for ISIS modules online. The officer said the UP ATS had arrested two alleged ISIS operatives, Mohd Aleem from Lucknow and Rizwan Ahmad from Behraich, on January 23, 2016 on the basis of input provided by central agencies after Sheikhs revelations. The agencies, however, failed to trace Saifullah Khan and others. Moreover, there were no further inputs about the group planning any terror activities, he said. Saifullah was appointed as operation head of the module over a year ago, he said. Sheikh had even pushed the name of Saifullah to make him the organisations head in January 2015 but his ISIS bosses abroad turned down his proposal and Rizwan Ahmad was asked to lead the organisation. Saifullah, however, was made operation head, he said. Box A senior police official said the central agencies failed to trace Saifullah and his associates but Atiq Muzaffar came on the radar of a Telangana police agency through his online activities around six months ago. He said the Telangana agency tipped off Madhya Pradesh police about Muzaffar after coming to know about his involvement in a Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train near Kalapipal, about 80km west of Bhopal, on Tuesday morning. The official said Muzaffars arrest subsequently led to arrests of other members of the organisation in Lucknow, Kanpur, Etawah and Saifullahs killing in a 13-hour encounter with ATS commandos in Haji colony of Kakori area in Lucknow in the wee hours on Wednesday. A fake Rs 2,000 note of Children Bank of India has resurfaced in Delhi. A southeast Delhi resident alleged that he got one such note while withdrawing money from an ATM in south Delhi on March 7. The police have registered a case of forgery and the crime branch is now investigating how a fake note made it to the ICICI bank ATM in Amar Colony. ICICI Bank refused to comment in the matter saying that they are cooperating with the police in the matter. Joint CP (Crime) Praveen Ranjan confirmed the case has been transferred to his unit. Unlike the local police, the crime branch has the expertise to deal with such cases. The fake note has been seized. This is the second such case in a month. Evidence gathered from CCTV footage and a text message from the bank, suggests that Rai had withdrawn the note from the ATM. We are questioning bank authorities and the loader who put the cash in the machine that day, Ranjan said. In his statement to the police, Rai had mentioned that he holds an account with Bank of Baroda and had withdrawn Rs 2,000 on that day. In February this year, police received a similar complaint from a State Bank of India ATM in Sangam Vihar after which a 27-year-old cash loader was arrested. The man had allegedly removed five Rs 2,000 notes and replaced them with fake notes that read Children Bank of India instead of Reserve Bank of India and had other errors and misprints. In the latest case, Chandan Rai, a Nehru Nagar resident, was duped on Tuesday with a similar note after which he informed the police. The note was fake with Childrens Bank of India printed on it. I received a message on my phone that Rs 2,000 was debited from my account, said Rai in his complaint. Police, however, said there is no connection between the two cases. The fake note, which bears the colour of a genuine Rs 2,000 note, reads,guaranteed by the children government... I promise to pay the barer two thousand coupons. The earlier fake note had Churan Lable printed on the note in place of the national emblem in the bottom right corner, and the strip with leaf markings in the bottom left corner. Such fake notes, police said, are offered with churan (digestive powder) in rural pockets of Delhis bordering areas. Before the government banned Rs 1,000 notes on November 8, a copy of Rs 1,000 note was offered with churan packets. They are common and mostly bought by children. Police stations across the city have put on high alert ahead in the backdrop of terror attacks in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Police sources said a note was shared with all districts asking police stations to be alert and keep eye on any suspicious movements. The alert does not specify any group, organisation or person who may be involved in plotting a terror attack, but asks the police to be extra cautious ahead of Holi celebrations and elections results of five states. Following the alert, security has been increased at the citys markets and government buildings. It is a general alert ahead of the festival. Also the election results are due on Saturday when most market places will be crowded. We have asked all station house officers to patrol the markets and use loud speaker asking shoppers to keep an eye on suspicious objects in or near their shops, said a police officer. Quick Reaction Team vehicle , especially those in New Delhi area and market places, have been told to assist local police in checking all vehicles. The Uttar Pradesh police on Wednesday shot dead a gunman near Lucknow, who they claimed was a self radicalized operative of the banned Islamic State terror group. He was shot dead after a 12 hour encounter with the UP anti-terror squad. The terror suspect, Saifullah, had allegedly planted a bomb on a train between Bhopal and Ujjain. Delhi Police registered an FIR against more than 10 students of Jawaharlal Nehru University on Wednesday for allegedly misbehaving with the university vice chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar and confining him to an office on February 27, soon after they called off a blockade. A case was filed at Vasant Kunj (North) police station based on a complaint submitted by VC M Jagadesh Kumar, five days after the incident. Read:JNU protesters call off 20-hour blockade of vice-chancellor over missing student We were examining the allegations after receiving the complaint. Once we found merit in it, we decided to register an FIR, said a senior police officer, adding that the VC has named more than 10 JNU students in the FIR. The students have been booked for wrongful restraint, wrongful confinement and intentionally insulting with an intention to provoke breach of peace. Soon after a fortnight-long blockade against UGC regulations on admission policy ended on February 27, a group of students followed the VC and his staff into the universitys admin block. Read: Students lock up JNU vice-chancellor, senior officials over missing youth The group of students was adamant to meet the vice-chancellor to discuss some issues. But since the VC was unwell, he had called a doctor to visit him. But the students did not allow the doctor to see the vice-chancellor whom they also forcibly confined inside an office, said Chinmoy Biswal, Additional DCP (South), elaborating on the complaint. In his complaint, the VC also alleged misbehavior by the same group of students the next day when he finally agreed to meet them after a woman student threatened to jump from a building. The Delhi government will bear the expenses of treatment in private hospitals to people injured in road accidents, and victims of burns and acid attacks. The move is expected to purge the problem of most private hospitals allegedly turning away accident patients to government hospitals over payment issues. Our aim is to save as many lives as possible. Precious hours are lost when police commute long distances to take the victims to a government hospital, Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain said. The government has selected about 230 private hospitals in the city, which have more than 20 beds, intensive care units, and equipped to deal with emergency cases such as road accidents and burns. Most often private hospitals either dont admit road accident victims or simply stabilise the patients before sending them off to a government hospital. They do this because they are unsure about who would pay for the treatment. We will, Jain said. The scheme will be available from the next two or three days. The government will foot the bill for emergency aid, surgeries and two-week hospital stay in economy or similar budget-category beds and wards. If the patient needs to stay in hospital for a longer period, the regional director of health services can extend the benefit, the health minister said. The only condition is that the accident should happen within New Delhi. Private hospitals must provide details of all road accident, burns and acid attack victims under their care within 12 hours of admitting them. The patients papers, including medico-legal documents, should be submitted to the government to get the free treatment. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Delhi lieutenant governor Anil Baijal has rejected the AAP governments proposal to award Rs 1 crore as compensation to the family of Ram Kishan Grewal, an ex-serviceman who allegedly committed suicide in November last year over the non-implementation of the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme. Officials said Baijal took the decision on March 6 because the death did not occur in the line of duty, as mandated under the existing policy. The proposal, cleared by the Delhi cabinet in December last year, had also granted the martyr status to 70-year-old Grewal. While Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal described the move as anti-army, Grewals son Jaswant said his family was not worried because the AAP government has promised to follow up on its promise. When we spoke to the Delhi chief minister today, he said he will fulfill his promise against all odds. He had said there was no need to worry when our entire family met him in Delhi five days ago, Jaswant added. This is the first major decision of the Kejriwal government to be rejected by Baijal, who has cleared a slew of files that were stuck at the lieutenant-governors office since his predecessor Najeeb Jungs tenure. This specific case does not fall within the parameters of the scheme for the grant of ex-gratia payment i.e. death occurring in the discharge of official duty. Therefore, while I fully sympathise with the family of late subhedar (retd) Ram Kishen Grewal, Im not able to agree to the proposal for payment of ex-gratia relief, Baijal said in a note sent back to the government. Listing certain issues conveyed to the chief minister when he met Baijal in this regard last week, the document said the ex-serviceman was neither a permanent resident of the national capital nor associated with any service linked to the state government. They (people qualifying for compensation) have to be either working with the GNCT of Delhi/Delhi Police or have their permanent address recorded as Delhi at the time of joining service. The situations that qualify for ex-gratia payment are well-defined in the scheme, it added. Grewal was a resident of Bhiwani in Haryana. Reacting to the move, Kejriwal attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for being anti-soldier. Modiji himself doesnt provide good food to soldiers. So, why is he stopping us when we are trying to help the family of a deceased soldier? he tweeted. Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said the compensation should have been cleared by the lieutenant-governor because it was a cabinet decision adopted by an elected government. The government will take up the matter with Baijal again, he added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A 25-year-old man has been arrested for murdering his cousin. The man told the police that he killed his sister because he failed to arrange money for her wedding. The case came to light on Tuesday afternoon, when police received information about the death of Lalita,19, who was found dead inside her house in Patparganjs Hasanpur village. The police spotted bruises on neck of the victims body. Initial investigation showed that at the time of the death, Lalitha was at home with her cousing Tapas Burman. Burman tried to mislead us claiming that he was not at home and that his cousin had committed suicide but during interrogation he broke down, said an investigating officer. Burman had allegedly stranged his sister to death on Tuesday afternoon. Explaining why he murdered his cousin, Burman allegedly confessed that Lalita had been staying with his wife and mother since she was 10. In the past few weeks, he regularly fought with his wife and mother over Lalitas marriage. Fed up with the domestic quarrel in the house and unable to save enough for her marriage, Burman told police he had planned to kill her some weeks ago. An officer, quoting Burman, said he chose Monday to murder Lalita because his wife and mother were away at work and Lalita was alone at home. To ensure the victims cries for help did not alert the neighbours, Burman turned on the radio volume to its maximum at the time of the murder, said Omvir Singh, DCP (East), on Wednesday after Burmans arrest. During Burmans interrogation, police learnt that Lalita had lost her father when she was 10 after which Burmans parents brought her to Delhi. DCP Singh said that Burman was the only earning member in the family. The discussion about Lalitas wedding had also resulted in frequent quarrels between Burman, his wife and mother. Tunisia's national carrier Tunis Air suspended flights indefinitely on Thursday after "physical clashes" erupted between the airline's pilot corps and technicians at Tunis-Carthage International Airport. According to a statement by the airliner, the altercations took place Thursday morning. The airliner referred to the suspension as a step to "preserve the safety of the passengers and its fleet." Local news channels reported that the conflict took place between the crew of a Tunis Air plane bound for Paris and airport technicians, referring to the quarrel as one that involved the use of "violence." Shortly after the incident, Tunisian transport minister Anis Ghedira made statements to the press in which he warned against actions that aim to defame the image of the country, saying there could be "no tolerance for chaos." Tunisia's tourism sector has taken a hard hit since June 2015 after several devastating terrorist attacks, and worries that incidents such as these could drive more tourists away. The country has a state of emergency in force. Thirty-eight people, mostly British holidaymakers, were killed when an Islamic State militant opened fire on them during their stay in the popular resort of Port El Kantaoui, just north of Sousse. The 2015 attack resulted in several European countries banning flights to the country, including the Netherlands, Ireland and Denmark. Germany, France and Spain have lifted their respective restrictions, while the UK's Foreign Commonwealth Office advises against all but essential travel to the country. Search Keywords: Short link: Three international publishers on Thursday announced that they were withdrawing from the Delhi High Court a copyright suit against the sale of photocopied pages of their books in Delhi University. The decision is likely to come as a relief to thousands of students who try to save by not buying all books prescribed as suggested reading for their courses. Putting to an abrupt end a protracted legal battle which started four-and-half-year ago, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press and Taylor & Francis in a joint statement said, We have taken a considered decision not to pursue the Delhi University photocopy shop case further in the courts. In addition to withdrawing the case from the Delhi High Court, the publishers assured that it was not going to take up the issue before any other higher court, such as the Supreme Court of India. We support and seek to enable equitable access to knowledge for students and we understand and endorse the important role that course packs play in the education of students, the statement reads. In December last year, the high court had restored the copyright suit by the publishers, after it was briefly dismissed by a single bench judge of the same court, but limited its scope to the issue of the contents of the photocopied course packs and its relevance to the curriculum. Read more| Take spl licence, publishers tells DU photocopy shop The court had shifted the focus back to the content of the photocopied course packs which it said will have to be tested by experts if they were in line with the objective of the course and justified for the purpose of education. However, it had allowed Rameshwari Photocopy Service located near the Delhi School for Economics in north campus to continue selling copies of chapters from textbooks of the three international publishers to students till the time the issues are settled in court. The publishers had alleged that the photocopy kiosk was causing huge financial losses as students had stopped buying their text books. The University of Delhi had argued that the Copyright Act, 1957 permits students and educational institutions to copy portions from any work for research and educational purpose. Read more| High court refuses to lift stay on DU photocopy shop The photocopy shop had argued that its activity does not affect the market for the publishers since it charges a nominal rate for its services. It had argued that the students cannot afford to buy all the books, extracts of which were mentioned in the syllabi prepared by the Delhi School of Economics. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON One late afternoon we enter a PhD students room at Tapti Hostel in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in south Delhi. This is Umar Khalids residence. The same Umar Khalid whose invitation last month to the The Culture of Protest seminar in Delhi Universitys Ramjas College set off violent protests, counter-protests and prime time news coverage. A 29-year-old Left-leaning student leader, Khalid, was briefly arrested in February 2016 on charges of sedition for allegedly shouting anti-India slogans in JNU. Since then, he has been frequently painted as an anti-national in sections of the media. Wanting to know the man behind the headlines, we arranged to meet Khalid at his hostel (he requested us not to reveal his room number for safety concerns). Khalid has been living off and on in Tapti for five years. His small room looks even more congested because of his collection of books. We spot Karl Marx. Thats actually a collection of the notes Marx made when he was reading material to write Capital, says Khalid. Grundrisse is basically a fragmentary collection of his extremely rich reflections... time and again I pick it up, read some parts and keep it back...only to read some other parts some other day. The shelf includes authors such as Fyodor Dostoevsky and Orhan Pamuk, including books by anti-caste leader BR Ambedkar, whose portrait hangs on the door. We also spot Arundhatis Roys novel The God of Small Things. Khalid read it the second time in Tihar Jail last year. Tihar seemed the best place to go back to the novel. My afternoons there were reserved for Roys beautiful, haunting words, while the first half was spent trying to get a sense of the turmoil outside the jail we would watch TV news and read newspapers. Khalid was in jail with Anirban Bhattacharya, another JNU student imprisoned along with him on the same charges. Both students are out on bail; the trial for sedition is yet to begin. As the evening sets in, Khalid takes us to the hostels roof through a creaky spiral staircase. The view is breathtaking. It is impossible to imagine that this, too, is Delhi. JNU is tucked in an idyllic landscape of rocks and greens. The sun has already set but the westward sky is washed in kitschy orange. Such a sight is impossible to imagine in Khalids room downstairs. The only window looks inwards into another wing of the hostel. Even so, this cramped shabby room is one of Khalids most special places in the world. My room has acquired its present character over the years from various people and books who have been here it is with them I have spent hours joking, talking, debating, he says. I wish that those, who have made their views on me from hearing the news anchors, could visit this room and chat with me here. Then they might perhaps realize Im not the person the TV wants them to believe I am. A Delhi crime branch team probing the missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmad case reached Bareilly on Thursday and went through records related to death cases registered with the Government Railway Police (GRP) here. Ahmad, a native of Badaun, went missing from his hostel on JNU campus after October 15. We have requested GRP officials to share data of death incidents registered with the railway police. We are searching every avenue where we can find Najeeb, said Virender Singh, sub-inspector of Delhi Crime Branch. Over seven incidents of death were reported at Bareilly railway station since October last year. The crime branch team took details of these cases. Najeeb who joined a biotechnology course in JNU in 2016 allegedly had a scuffle with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) members on the night of his disappearance from room no. 106 of Mahi Mandavi Hostel of JNU. Najeebs family has repeatedly alleged that ABVP members on JNU campus were involved in his disappearance. Over 145 days have passed since Najeebs disappearance and police are yet to find any clue about him. How many more days will they keep our child away from us, asked Nafees Ahmad, Najeebs father. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Mohammad Shahabuddin is learning a new language to converse with reticent prison guards who dont speak Hindi and are watching over the controversial politician inside Tihar Jail in Delhi. The strongman of Siwan notorious for allegedly threatening guards and holding lavish durbars for his followers behind bars in several jails in Bihar has been trying to strike conversation with guards from the Tamil Nadu Special Police (TSP) who speak little Hindi. When he is able to catch a Tamil word, he notes it down on a paper. Later, he uses the same words with the TSP guards who keep their reaction limited to smiles, a senior jail official told HT. Awarded life imprisonment for abduction, Shahabuddin sleeps on a mattress on the floor, eats regular prison food and has made no special demands. This change of heart, Tihar authorities say, is an attempt by the former parliamentarian who has 45 criminal cases against him to stay low profile. Neither has Shahabuddin sought any preferential treatment so far, nor are we going to give him any. At the same time, we wont deny him his basic human rights, said Sudhir Yadav, director general of prisons. The RJD leader was shifted to a high-security ward of sub-jail number 2 in Tihar two weeks ago and prison authorities deployed the TSP to counter any possibility of the politician browbeating the guards. As none of them speak Hindi and Shahabuddin doesnt know Tamil, interaction is kept to a minimum. The TSP has guarded Tihar for three decades, their lack of proficiency in Hindi making them less likely to be threatened or influenced. However, some of them had picked up limited communication skills in Hindi, forcing jail officials to deploy a fresh batch for Shahabuddin. Shahabuddin has been spending most of his time reading books on philosophy and law. He seems to be a voracious reader and has taken six books from the prison library. He also spends a considerable part of his morning reading newspapers, added the jail official, who wanted to remain unnamed. Unlike most prisoners who look for every opportunity to visit hospitals outside the jail, he has been content with medical treatment inside jail despite receiving treatment for several medical issues, another official said. He is allowed to meet visitors twice a week, same as every other inmate in his category of high-security prisoners. So far, his visitors have been limited to friends and lawyers, having been visited by an immediate family member only once. Shahabuddin is lodged in the same sub-jail that houses other high-profile prisoners like former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala and gangster Chhota Rajan. Since Chhota Rajan too is produced in court through videoconferencing, the two are lodged in close proximity to each other, but there has not been any interaction between Shahabuddin and the gangster so far, said sources. We are ensuring that the Supreme Court orders in connection to his stay in jail are strictly followed, said Yadav. Visionary earlier, realistic now was how Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal described the 2017 budget that was presented in the state assembly on Wednesday. The budget was the third of the AAP government since it returned to power in 2015. People earlier questioned the big ideas in the budget. But in the past two years, the government has shown that all the ideas could be achieved. Schools are getting revamped, mohalla clinics are opening, Kejriwal said, while lauding deputy chief minister and Delhi finance minister Manish Sisodia for coming up with a budget that showed that it was possible by prudent use of public money. Sisodia on Wednesday presented Delhis third consecutive budget, which was laced with couplets and sarcasm that targeted the Centre for demonetisation. While alleging that the Centre had deciding to implement note ban after just tossing a coin, Sisodia recited a couplet saying sab faisle ho nahin sakte sikke uchhal ke, ye jinda kaumon ke masle hain zara dekh bhaaal ke (Economy cannot be run by tossing coins, you need to do brainstorming for that). Labourers were the worst hit by note ban. I have come across instances where a few them have even committed suicide due to it, Sisodia added. Unlike last year, when the government came up with big ticket ideas such as Swaraj Fund, establishment of District Urban Development Authority (DUDA), proposal of east-west elevated corridor and opening 1,000 mohalla clinics, the budget this year was more about enlisting the achievements of the government in implementing earlier projects and further consolidation of the programmes. Continuing the pattern of allocation, education and health care again got the lions share of the budgetary pie. While the speech didnt say anything on addition of DTC buses, installation of CCTVs and providing free WiFi, Sisodia said all these projects are on and allocation has been made to concerned departments. On Wednesday, for the first time, the budget timings in Delhi assembly were changed. Unlike the post-lunch presentation, the budget presentation was scheduled for noon on Wednesday. The session started about 10 minutes late due to lack of quorum. While the chief minister, finance minister and Opposition members were seated on time, the session was delayed as some AAP legislators trudged in late. In tune with the Centres reforms in the budget-making, the Delhi government also came up with expenditure classified under revenue and capital heads, instead of the traditional distinction of planned and non-plan head. Hailing the announcements in Delhi budget, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) called the budget comprehensive as it has succeeded in addressing some of the issues of citizens as well as the industry. DS Rawat, national secretary general of ASSOCHAM, said: Massive thrust on further improving the social infrastructure, more so in terms of promoting education and healthcare. These policy actions are aimed at transforming Delhi into a world-class urban city. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In a jolt to Delhi governments move to increase minimum wages of labourers, the President has returned Minimum Wages (Delhi) Amendment Bill, 2015, which had a provision for a strict penalty for those violating the labour laws in the city. Delhi labour minister Gopal Rai said it was a sad development and that the matter will be discussed with the chief minister, once they receive the file. This is sad that bill has been returned. Government is trying that the hiked minimum wages, should reach the people. We will again try. We havent received the file and will work out the details after going through the file, said Rai. Rai said that the condition of labourers in the city is pathetic and the government has increased the minimum wage from Rs9,500 to Rs13,500. But even before we hiked the minimum wage, we used to receive complaints that employers do not pay the amount as per the rule. We fear even now the employers will resort to these tactics. For the enforcement of the rule, we had proposed stricter punishment in the amendment bill, Rai added. As per the existing Act, if an employer violates the rules, there is a provision of imprisonment of up to six months and a fine of up to Rs500 only. But, AAP government had proposed to increase imprisonment of up to three years and fine of Rs50,000 to ensure enforcement of the hike. Workers employed through contractors had complained that they are not being paid minimum rates of wages. The national capital experienced light rain and thunderclaps on Thursday, three days ahead of Holi. Weathermen have forecast moderate rains on Friday too. Temperature would drop below normal, oscillating between 26C and 14C. Though the rain will cease by Holi, the temperature would drop to a comfortable 10C to 26C. Some parts of Delhi experienced drizzles until 8.30 am on Thursday, with a reading of 0.3 mm rain. Jaffarpur got the major share of the rainfall. However, rain intensified in the city later between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm, with thunder across many parts of the city. Delhi recorded 2.4 mm rain during this time, with places close to Palam recording the highest. Maximum and minimum temperatures were 28.4C and 14.6C respectively, and winds with speed ranging between 4 and 15 kmph blew across the city during the course of the day. I love the smell of rain; and with that cool breeze, it was the perfect weather for some adrak wali chai and biscuits, or some hot steaming maggi. I just wish it had not been a working day, said Dilip Nair, a resident of Vasant Vihar. According to weather experts, western disturbance has caused the rain. An official at the Regional Weather Forecasting Centre (RWFC) said that moisture in the air has increased under the influence of the western disturbance that is currently over Jammu and Kashmir, and this has caused some thunderstorms and rain. Rain is expected to persist through Saturday, with an official saying that the rain induced by the influence of western disturbance will persist until Friday evening, and there may be some residual rain on Saturday too. After three days of rain, by Sunday, the Holi eve, the maximum and minimum temperatures will drop to 24C and 10C. By Holi, the clouds are also expected to clear, treating the national capital to a sunny, but cool day with temperature ranging between 10C and 26C. There will be no rain on Holi, as far as we can predict, said the official. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has claimed to have created a record on Wednesday by sanctioning a building plan in the shortest possible time of 27 minutes. The plan was sanctioned for construction of a four-storeyed residential complex at Janakpuri with provision for basement and parking area. At 10.44 am, Alok Kumar Agnihotri, an architect, filled the online application for sanctioning of the building plan on a plot measuring 253 square metres. The plot belonged to one Mukesh Gupta and three other people. We found all the documents in place, thus the building plan (ID no. 10038475) was issued in just 27 minutes and 13 seconds to the applicant, said a senior official from the building department. Giving credit of the success to the online system for sanctioning building plans, launched in April 2016, SDMC commissioner, Puneet Goel said, The scheme focuses on single window clearance system. It means the applications submitted by an applicant will be automatically forwarded to concerned departments for No Objection Certificates such as Fire, Airport Authority, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, Forest and Delhi Pollution Control Committee. If the agencies failed to reply in 30 days, then the plans will be deemed sanctioned, said Goel. On the same day, the agency has also approved the building plans for 200 other applicants. The scheme allows the architect to apply for sanctioning of building plan. This saves a lot time as they are professionals and does not make mistakes like residents, said Agnihotri. We are also monitoring the day-to-day functioning of officials to ensure the applications are attended immediately. Officials in other two corporations (north and east) are working equally well, causing a healthy competition among the executive engineers of zones in three corporations, said a senior South Corporation official. All the documents, circulars, building by-laws and master plans are available on the Municipal Corporation of India website www.mcdonline.gov.in for the help of general public and professionals. A 24-year-old student suffocated to death after a residential building in North Delhis Burari went up in flames early on Thursday. Three others received burn injuries, but are out of danger, police said. The fire broke out at a residential building in Gali Number 115 of Veer Bazaar in Burari around 4.10 am. The occupants of the building have told the police that the blaze may have been caused by a short-circuit. The first floor of the house is occupied by the owner and the other two floors have been let out to students from Uttar Pradesh, who are in Delhi to prepare for competitive exams. When the fire started, the students rushed down to escape. Three of them received burns and were rushed to Sushruta Trauma Centre for treatment. One student, Sandeep, panicked and ran upstairs where he was trapped in smoke. Before the fire fighters could rescue him, he had died of asphyxiation, a senior police officer said. The Supreme Court refused on Thursday to strike down the jail term of Delhi-based builder Gopal Ansal, who has been sentenced to one-year imprisonment for a fire in south Delhis Uphaar Cinema that killed 59 people 20 years ago. A special bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi refused to alter its February verdict that sent Gopal to jail for a year. The businessman has already spent a little over four months in Tihar, and he is required to serve seven more months in jail. The court, however, gave him time more time to surrender, even as the earlier deadline expired on Thursday. He has to present himself before the jail authorities by March 20. The bench also disallowed the victims request to send Sushil Ansal, Gopals elder brother, behind the bars. Although the court found Sushil guilty, it had sentenced him to just the period he already served in jail. The 76-year-old was given relief due to his age. Justice Gogoi had on Wednesday refused to adjourn the hearing of Gopals application by a week and declined to give him more time to surrender. Senior advocate Ram Jethmalani wanted the bench to postpone the hearing because he was in Pune for two days. He had asked the court to extend the surrender deadline till the next hearing. However, the bench declined his plea and said the bench would dispose of Gopals application on Thursday. The victims association (AVUT) claimed both Sushil and Gopal were healthy and demanded that they be sent to jail to serve the remaining sentence. The owners, an investigation had found, added extra seats that blocked one of the exits, preventing the victims - 23 of them minors -- from escaping the burning hall after a fire broke out in the transformer room. Most of the victims were asphyxiated. Uphaar cinema fire case Association of Victims of Uphaar Fire Tragedy (AVUT) vs Ansal Theatre and Clubotels June 13, 1997: 59 people die of asphyxia as a fire breaks out in south Delhis Uphaar cinema during the screening of the Hindi movie "Border". Over 100 were injured in the subsequent stampede. 59 people die of asphyxia as a fire breaks out in south Delhis Uphaar cinema during the screening of the Hindi movie "Border". Over 100 were injured in the subsequent stampede. July 22, 1997: Theatre owner Sushil Ansal and his son Pranav arrested in Mumbai by the crime branch of Delhi police. Theatre owner Sushil Ansal and his son Pranav arrested in Mumbai by the crime branch of Delhi police. Nov 15, 1997: CBI files chargesheet against 16 accused, including Uphaar owners Sushil and Gopal Ansal. CBI files chargesheet against 16 accused, including Uphaar owners Sushil and Gopal Ansal. Feb 27, 2001: Court frames charges against the accused under various sections, including sections 304 (culpable homicide), 304A (causing death by negligent act) and 337 (hurt) of the IPC. Court frames charges against the accused under various sections, including sections 304 (culpable homicide), 304A (causing death by negligent act) and 337 (hurt) of the IPC. Jan 27, 2003: Ansals file a plea, seeking repossession of the theatre rejected on the ground that place of incident is to be preserved to appreciate evidence. Ansals file a plea, seeking repossession of the theatre rejected on the ground that place of incident is to be preserved to appreciate evidence. April 24, 2003: Delhi high court awards Rs 180 million compensation to be paid to the relatives of victims. Delhi high court awards Rs 180 million compensation to be paid to the relatives of victims. Nov 20, 2007: Court convicts all 12 accused, including Sushil and Gopal Ansal, in the case and sentences them to two years imprisonment. Court convicts all 12 accused, including Sushil and Gopal Ansal, in the case and sentences them to two years imprisonment. Jan 4, 2008: Delhi High Court grants bail to Ansal brothers and two other accused. Delhi High Court grants bail to Ansal brothers and two other accused. Sep 11, 2008: Ansals sent to Tihar Jail after Supreme Court cancels their bail. Ansals sent to Tihar Jail after Supreme Court cancels their bail. Dec 19, 2008: Delhi high court upholds trial court order, convicting Ansal brothers but reduces their sentence from two years to one year. Delhi high court upholds trial court order, convicting Ansal brothers but reduces their sentence from two years to one year. Jan 30, 2009: Supreme court grants bail to Ansal brothers. Supreme court grants bail to Ansal brothers. Oct 13, 2011: SC delivers Verdict on compensation case, criminal case against 6 accused -- including Ansal brothers -- is still on at the apex court SC delivers Verdict on compensation case, criminal case against 6 accused -- including Ansal brothers -- is still on at the apex court Oct 9, 2012: Victims of the Uphaar tragedy refuse to accept Ansals offer to pay for more damages in lieu of ending the 15-year-old criminal case against the Ansal brothers. Victims of the Uphaar tragedy refuse to accept Ansals offer to pay for more damages in lieu of ending the 15-year-old criminal case against the Ansal brothers. March 5, 2014: SC holds Sushil and Gopal Ansal guilty of criminal negligence in the 1997 Uphaar cinema fire, but leaves it to another bench to decide their punishment. SC holds Sushil and Gopal Ansal guilty of criminal negligence in the 1997 Uphaar cinema fire, but leaves it to another bench to decide their punishment. Aug 10, 2015: Former Chief Justice of India HL Dattu constitutes a three-judge special bench to decide on the quantum of punishment that should be given to the Ansal brothers. Former Chief Justice of India HL Dattu constitutes a three-judge special bench to decide on the quantum of punishment that should be given to the Ansal brothers. Feb 9, 2017: SC orders one year in jail for Gopal Ansal and gives him four weeks to surrender. Sushil Ansal to stay out of jail because of his age. Both brothers still have to pay a fine of Rs 30 crore each. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Egypt has been chosen as the vice head of the World Bank (WB) Board of Governors for Africans for 2017, Egypt's Ministry of Investment and International Cooperation announced on Thursday. According to a statement by Minister Sahar Nasr, the new position paves the way for Egypt to head the board in 2018. The board is now headed by Benin. Nasr said that the position places Egypt "at the core of the ongoing international commercial discussions over the means of enhancing the role of international financial institutions, topped by the WB, while facing challenges like poverty, enhancing the standard of living for lower-income groups and enhancing the private sector's role in society." The Board of Governors for Africans was established in 1963 and is considered the main platform that allows African countries to coordinate their positions on various issues, included in the biannual meetings of the WB and the IMF. The board aims to advance African interests, especially with regard to economic issues of priority such as combating poverty, supporting developmental financing policies and the efforts of attracting foreign investments and focusing on the social dimension in the economic development. Search Keywords: Short link: Over 500 teachers at Jaipurs Sawai Man Singh Medical College, who have been protesting the Rajasthan governments order to make medical officers equivalent to medical teachers, resigned from their posts on Wednesday. The teachers, associated with Rajasthan Medical College Teachers Association (RMCTA), have alleged that the governments March 7 order will introduce a lateral entry into the teaching line and accused it of misleading people by using the word equivalent. RMCTA secretary Dr Dhananjai Agarwal said medical officers are not qualified to teach students in medical colleges as they perform non-teaching duties. He said the government wants teachers from SMS Medical College and other colleges to be deployed as faculty members in the 8 upcoming institutes and replace them with medical officers as faculty members. The Vasundhara Raje government is coming up with colleges in Alwar, Barmer, Bharatpur, Churu, Dungarpur, Bhilwara, Pali and Sikar and the academic session is expected to start from 2017-18. Dr Agarwal said if these medical officers are deployed in the new colleges and made equivalent to medical teachers, then Medical Council of India will cancel the affiliation. If eligibility and experience of these medical officers are made equivalent to medical teachers and seen from the perspective of MCI guidelines, then things would become very clear whether this decision is right or not, he said. We have demanded that the government withdraw this order and if it does not then it must accept our resignations from Thursday. Patients were at the receiving end as teachers boycotted their work at the government-run SMS College, putting additional pressure on resident doctors. Teachers of other government medical colleges in the state have been informed about the matter and their response is yet to come. The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) is expected to release the answer keys of the Combined Higher Secondary Level (CHSL) Tier-I exams 2017 within a week or two. The examinations were held from January 7 to February 8. A senior official at the SSC headquarters in New Delhi told Hindustan Times on the condition of anonymity that the answer keys of SSC CHSL Tier I examination are expected within seven to 14 days. He said that as around 65 lakh candidates have taken the CHSL Tier I examination, anything released in a hurry without proper cross-checking will not be correct. The official also rejected reports published in certain section of the media about the release of SSC CHSL Tier I answer keys. We have not released any answer key in an authorised manner, and any such report is bogus, he said. The examination is being held for the recruitment of around 3,281 postal assistants/sorting assistants, 506 data entry operators, 1,321 lower divisional clerks and 26 court clerks. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Prohibitory orders have been imposed and security stepped up in Gurgaon today as court of additional district and sessions judge, Gurgaon will pronounce its verdict in the Maruti plant violence case in 2012. On July 18, 2012, in an outbreak of violence at the Maruti Suzuki plant in Manesar, Awanish Kumar Dev, general manager (human resource), was killed, and large scale damage was done to the plant. Police booked 148 workers in this case and eight of them are still in jail waiting for the court to decide the case. Workers have threatened to stir if the ruling is against them. Innocent workers were framed in the case. We want their release, else major protest will start, said Khushi Ram, general secretary of Mazdoor Sahyog Kendra, Gurgaon. Ram is one of the 546 permanent employees whose services were terminated after the violence. At least 148 workers were arrested, of which 145 were charged with rioting with weapons, murder, attempt to murder, unlawful assembly, assault, and trespass, among others. Eleven workers are still in jail while others were released on bail. Members of six workers unions of various Maruti facilities boycotted company lunch on Thursday and asked the management to secure the release of all workers. Gurgaon district administration has imposed prohibitory section 144 of the CrPC barring assembly of four and more people and carrying of arms within an area of 500 metres from Maruti Suzuki plant in Manesar and in Gurgaon district courts complex. Sandeep Khirwar, Gurgaon commissioner of police, said additional police force has been deployed to handle any untoward situation. Hardeep Singh, deputy commissioner, has ordered imposition of section 144 of the CrPC from March 10 to 15. We have requisitioned additional police force from police stations across the district. Adequate measures have been taken and additional force had been ordered at sensitive points like Manesar plant, district court, etc. said assistant commissioner of police and Gurgaon police spokesperson, Manish Sehgal. The unions have decided to hold a meeting on March 10 evening and launch a protest if the decision is not in favour of the under-trial workers. Justice should prevail in the case. There is also need to learn that worker-management relationship improves and there is regular interaction so that such incidents are not repeated, said Parveen Yadav, president Gurgaon Udyog Association. Workers are united for welfare of their fraternity and it is now up to the government to secure their future, said Kuldeep Janghu, general secretary of Maruti Udyog Kamgaar Union. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON More than 25,000 workers of major automobile companies in Gurgaon and Manesar on Thursday boycotted food at company canteens in support of Maruti Suzuki workers accused of the July 2012 violence at the companys Manesar plant. A senior executive was killed in the incident. The industry in Gurgaon has its fingers crossed as it awaits the verdict of the case at the court of additional district and sessions judge R P Goyal on Friday. On July 18, 2012, in an outbreak of violence at the Maruti Suzuki plant in Manesar, Awanish Kumar Dev, general manager (human resource), was killed, and large scale damage was done to the plant. Police booked 148 workers in this case and eight of them are still in jail waiting for the court to decide the case. In an appeal released on Thursday, the workers alleged that the authorities are taking a pro-corporate stand to punish them for standing up for their colleagues. More than 25,000 workers today (Friday) gave up food in their canteens to express solidarity with the jailed workers. The workers have been framed but we have full faith in the judiciary and expect a fair decision tomorrow (Friday), Ram Niwas, one of the members of Manesar Dismissed Employees Provisional Committee, said. The Maruti Suzuki Workers Union also asked its members to be present at the district court on Friday. The workers across the industrial belt are united and in one voice want the government to drop charges against those who have been framed wrongly, Kuldeep Janghu, general secretary, Maruti Suzuki Kamgar Union, said. Most of the industry and trade bodies want this case to set a precedent and punish those responsible for violence at the Maruti plant. They also want the government to develop a mechanism to reduce tensions and curb the militant unionism that is rising in automobile firms in the Gurgaon-Manesar belt. The decision is purely legal but the need of the hour is to ensure that industrial relations do not come to such a pass. All stakeholders, including the government, should develop competence to prevent such violence, PK Jain, president, Gurgaon Chamber of Commerce and Industries (GCCI), said. Entrepreneurs said most of the industrial associations in Gurgaon have seen a rise in trade union activity, and a leadership that is becoming aggressive by the day. Apart from that, there is fear that the left leaning unions are pushing workers for more and more compensation and benefits that will turn the industry unviable. VP Bajaj, president, Gurgaon Industries Association, alleged that unless the system of negotiating wages every three years does not end, this kind of agitation and violence is likely to recur. Those responsible for violence must be punished so that in future people think before taking any such action, Bajaj said. Suman Chawla, general secretary, Manesar Industries Welfare Association (MIWA) said the government handled the issue properly, and, after the Maruti incident, there have been very few incidents of violence in Manesar industrial area. HP Yadav, president, NCR Chamber of Commerce and Industry called for a dedicated industrial force to curb workers violence in the region. The Maruti Suzuki Workers Union, which is fighting for the jailed workers and those who were dismissed in the aftermath of the Manesar violence, are despondent as they lack the financial resources to fight the government and other adversaries. On Thursday, a number of trade unions in different companies across the industrial belt issued a warning that they will be forced to take to agitation if justice is not done. Minor mishaps, scuffles and the ongoing construction work made driving on both sides of the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway a harrowing experience on Thursday. It took commuters nearly an hour to reach Rajiv Chowk from Sirhaul toll plaza and vice versa during morning hours. The same journey during non-peak hours takes all of fifteen minutes. According to NHAI officials, construction work being carried out at Iffco Chowk service lane (exit number 6) stalled traffic and gave good grief to motorists and commuters on the day. Many construction workers were deployed at the site. Four earthmovers were seen dispersing cement, mud and construction materials. Owing to the sheer volume and extent of work, the service lane was reduced to a single lane from two. The narrow space prevented vehicles from exiting the spot and such was the chaotic assembly of vehicles that the gridlock extended till Shankar Chowk. On the stretch from Gurgaon towards New Delhi, minor accidents and repairing of a foot over bridge near sector 17 led to a long line of grounded vehicles. A truck and car were involved in a minor mishap near Signature Tower Chowk on NH - 8 and it resulted in a lengthy traffic snarl. The accident took place around 10 am. The accident was minor, but several motorists pulled over to watch the scuffle that ensued between the drivers of the vehicles that were involved in the mishap. This led to several vehicles getting grounded at the scene. Normal traffic flow was restored only after the officials arrived at the spot, a spokesperson for Gurgaon traffic police said. Read I Spotted a traffic violation in Gurgaon? Send proof to police on WhatsApp The foot-over bridge on Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, which is used by the residents of Sector 17 for the commute to a nearby cemetery, was closed for repairs on the day. A crane and several construction workers hindered the movement of traffic and prevented one lane from being accessible to vehicles heading towards New Delhi. This led to a chaotic assembly of traffic near Iffco Chowk. I left office for a meeting in central Delhi (Malcha Marg) at 11 am and had expected to reach by noon. However, due to the repair work (on the foot over bridge) and the minor accident, I was delayed and arrived at 1.30 pm, Anuj Dayal, a resident of New Delhi who works in Sector 24, said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The resident welfare associations (RWAs) in Gurgaon will soon have an online platform enabling them to collaborate with the civic authorities for effective waste management. To be launched on April 1 by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), the portal will enable a focused effort towards waste reduction, compost generation and use of processed waste as manure. The RWAs across different areas would have to commit to segregating and treating waste generated by them. The MCG has decided on a strict implementation of rules pertaining to solid waste management and ensuring people do not burn waste. Rather than focusing on households, we should look to enforce the disposal norms in areas that throw up significant volume of waste. Were doing our best to curb illegal dumping and burning of waste. We have provided enough dustbins and encourage residents to use them and avoid random littering...with the coming of the new portal, we will be able to crack down on the violators, Amit Khatri, additional commissioner, MCG, said. RWAs or any cluster of properties or other residents groups from any sector can to join in this effort to ensure effective waste management. As per the MCG rules, the RWAs will be asked to provide the list of members who are willing to be a part of this initiative. The civic authority would also be required to collect their addresses, property IDs, mobile numbers and online registration details. During online registration, the RWAs will be provided with separate login IDs and passwords. Each RWA will be required to notify a spot or zone for local composting and every such communication has to happen online. We will organise training for domestic hels and residents in segregating waste. Each group will be put through five sessions, Khatri said. The online process will help us raise platforms and provide sheds at the designated spots for local composting, asses the need of shredders, draw up a contract for shredders if so and provide start-up support to the RWAs for effective solid waste management, Khatri said. The MCG will also run public awareness campaigns on YouTube and other social media platforms. The MCG said videos on how to segregate waste will be uploaded on the portal to help residents adapt to the new way. There will also be video presentations on composting methods and the infrastructure required for each method and the best management practices adopted by Hamilton Court, Nirvana and other residential societies. The portal page will also display the toll-free number (1800-180-1817) on which residents can call to register complaints or feedback. The MCG has already installed GPS-enabled devices on garbage lifting vehicles to track their movements. We will keep a close watch on these vehicles and the residents should keep us posted on whether the waste is being collected regularly. If not, action will be taken against the driver and staff assigned the job, Khatri said. The MCG will invest 50,000 at every location to install waste composters. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Chef Gome Galily (32) learnt at an early age that to be good at his craft, he had to create a signature style because of which people would recognise him. The Israel-born chef, who has had stints at Michelin-starred restaurants Noma (Copenhagen, Denmark), and Nahm (Bangkok, Thailand), came up with a different approach with his Goa restaurant, Matsya Freestyle Kitchen one where theres no menu. At his first pop-up in Mumbai, this weekend, Galily will create an eight-course menu, with each course inspired from a particular region. It will bring in dishes with ingredients and techniques from Monaco, Bangkok, Beijing, Rome, and Goa. But the catch is, just like at his restaurant, there will be no menu, and prior booking is mandatory. You call in, make a reservation, and will be asked if you are a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian. You then share your preferences and dislikes, allergies and expectations. After that, you wait for Galily to surprise you at the table. Diners can call and request for the rough menu which will give them an idea of what theyre coming for. But the menu is subject to change depending on tastes, preferences, and availability of produce, says Galily. Galilys pop-up in Mumbai will see an eight-course meal (Photo courtesy: Gome Galily) His restaurant in Arambol, Goa, was away from the tourist madness. So, Galily developed this idea to pique the interest of diners. There was hardly any movement around, and I thought that a new concept would be intriguing for diners, he says. It worked. People started coming in due to the sheer curiosity of not knowing what to expect. But some never understood the concept and thought it was too vague, he says. Galily has a word of advice for the diners: dont come with toddlers. They might get bored looking at their parents gorging on an eight-course meal. And call up and ask for all the information you want. What I love about this is that I feel like Im cooking for myself. I dont have to please anyone, he says. Be there: Gome Galilys pop-up will take place on March 10 and 12, 7pm onward Where: Magazine Street Kitchen, Devidayal Compound, Byculla (E) Price: Rs 4,500; Rs 5,500 (with wine) Call: 2372 6708 Chef Gome Galily English actor Emma Watson has shared an exclusive video with Hindustan Times, in which the 27-year-old actor, who will be seen in the upcoming adaptation of popular animated film, Beauty and the Beast, wishes her fans in India on the occasion of Holi. Namaste India, wishing you a very Happy Holi! And dont forget to see Beauty and the Beast, this March in cinemas near you, she says in the video. According to an insider, this was a way for the actor to connect to her Indian fans. Emma is aware that she has a huge fan base in India. She wanted to reach out to them. She chose Holi as the occasion to connect with her fans, and thus made a special video wishing them, the source said. Emma, who became famous for playing the role of Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film franchise, will be playing the role of Belle in Beauty and the Beast. Belle is a princess who falls in love with her captor- The Beast. The film also stars Dan Stevens (Beast) and Luke Evans (Gaston), and will release in India on March 17. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004) was a superficial sequel to the cult classic original film. There was virtually no difference in the story lines a young girl meets a boy, and goes on a journey of self- discovery and sexual awakening, through dance. Havana Nights followed the same premise, except, this time, instead of it being set in 1960s America, it was set just before the Cuban Revolution, in 1958. Fidel Castro was rallying his assault on the corrupt Fulgencio Batista regime. And amidst the political unrest, a young girl meets and falls in love with a Latin boy. They meet in secret to dance and indulge in sexualised salsa dancing at local clubs. Funnily enough, all Cubans know how to salsa. Oh, and they use it as an expression of freedom. This is Latin American culture as Hollywood sees it. And the cultural appropriation doesnt stop at salsa dancing. Latin America has time and again been depicted by Hollywood as corrupt and unstable. The entire continent, including Mexico which is geographically not included in the region has famously been the other America the different, not-as-good America. Even in Havana Nights, the male protagonist, in the beginning of the film, aspires to move to the US in search of a better life. Stereotypes attached to the people of Latin America are popularly those related to anarchy of thought those of comfort and familiarisation with violent environments. Gloria Pritchett (Sofia Vergara) from Modern Family, for instance, speaks casually of murders in her village, and how women in her family arent averse to killing their husbands if need be. The history of drug cartels, too, are commonly attached to Latin American countries. Popular TV series Breaking Bad largely fostered the belief that Americas drug problem stemmed entirely from Mexico and its drug lords. Even the comedy film, Were the Millers (2013) featured a road trip to Mexico to score large quantities of marijuana. To be fair, the political unrest and corruption depicted, sadly, isnt exactly untrue. But to simply depict it without context or further explication simply fosters stereotypes and lack of critical thought. This is one aspect where Narcos got it right featuring two simultaneous perspectives on the violence in Colombia. It takes us inside the American camp that was looking to eradicate drug trade in Colombia, but also showed us how the Colombian government effectively dealt with the matter at hand. The argument remains that though Narcos is a Netflix property, it was largely administered and executed by Latin American film-makers and producers, giving it authenticity. Yet, there is a gradual, yet certain change in how Latin American culture is depicted. Most recently, Netflixs Sense8 cast three Latin American actors, one in a leading role. It followed the life of a mainstream Mexican actor, without featuring any neighbourhood violence. In terms of cinema, the recent Star Wars instalment, Rogue One, gained brownie points for casting Mexican actor Diego Luna. Moreover, he retained his accent throughout the film, bringing representation to an entire race of people who are bogged down by stereotypes. Pena is a professor of film studies at Columbia University, and former director of the New York Film Festival. Be there: A Panorama of Latin American Cinema is a lecture series on Latin American cinema, organised by Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum in collaboration with Columbia Global Centers, Mumbai. It will be held from March 10 to 14. Where: Dr Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum, Byculla Call:2373 1234 For the full schedule of films to be screened, visit bdlmuseum.org A man was killed and at least 15 others sustained injuries when the Central Academy for Police Training (CAPT) in Kanhasaiya area of Bhopal, which is under construction, collapsed on Thursday night. Bhopal superintendent of police, Siddharth Bahuguna, confirmed the incident. The rescue operation has been completed. In the accident, one died and three were seriously injured. According to police sources, the deceased was identified as Matlu Koda, a resident of Chhattisgarh. He reportedly died on the spot. The Bilkhiriya police and a team of the National Disaster Response Force carried out rescue operations for about two hours. All the victims are residents of Chhattisgarh who had come to Bhopal to work as labourers. They had been residing in the building. Bhopal, MP: Under construction building of Central Academy for Police Training collapses;1 dead,15 injured (1 critical); many feared trapped pic.twitter.com/tY8ISs0j62 ANI (@ANI_news) March 9, 2017 A labourer, Chini Lal, said the double storeyed building collapsed all of a sudden, alleging it was due to the poor construction materials being used. Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh to next to kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each to those seriously injured. Bahia Shehab and Fawzy 'El-Seed' Khalife were awarded the prestigious prize, given annually to one Arab laureate and one from outside the Arab World Egyptian artist Bahia Shehab and French-born Tunisian artist Fawzy Khalife (known as El-Seed) have been awarded the 14th UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture. The awards were announced Monday by Abdullah Al Owais, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Information of the UAE's Emirate of Sharjah, according to Sharjah 24 news website. The prestigious prize is awarded annually to one Arab laureate and one from outside the Arab world. The awards ceremony takes place in Paris annually, and will be held in April this year. The prize was established in 1998, and is given each year to two laureates - individuals, groups or institutions - who, through their work and outstanding achievements, endeavor to disseminate greater knowledge of Arab art and cultureand contribute to the promotion of cultural dialogue and the revitalisation of Arab culture, UNESCO writes on its website. Abdullah Alneaimi, Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to UNESCO, said the award serves to disseminate culture, harmony and co-existence between different cultures, adding that it "not only honors those who are actively spreading Arab culture, but also goes further to raise the voice of moderation and non-violence in the face of extremism rising in many countries." The Director-General of UNESCO selects the winners of the prize based on the recommendation of an international jury of experts in the field of Arab culture. The prize is valued at USD 60,000 and is divided equally between the two laureates. Shehab is a graphic designer and associate professor at The American University in Cairo whose work tackles contemporary design using traditional Arabic script and calligraphy. Her project, titled A Thousand Times No (2010), traces the history of the Arabic letters lam-alif, which spells the word for "no" in Arabic. It was shortlisted for the prestigious Victoria and Albert Museums (V&A) Jameel Prize. El-Seed began exploring the art of graffiti in 1998 in Paris, where he spent his childhood. Upon moving to North America, he started combining street art with his passion for Arabic calligraphy (usually associated with the Quran and religious scripture). The artist likes to mix traditional script with contemporary pop-culture, giving birth to a distinctive urban style. Among his recent iconic works are a multi-building mural in Cairos Manshiyat Nasser area completed last March. For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Search Keywords: Short link: The AIADMK parliamentary board was on Thursday reconstituted, with jailed party general secretary VK Sasikala replacing her predecessor, late J Jayalalithaa as its head. The board chooses AIADMKs candidates for elections and the shuffle comes on a day when the Election Commission announced byelection to the RK Nagar assembly constituency on April 12. The poll was necessitated by the demise of Jayalalithaa in December last year. AIADMK deputy general secretary, TTV Dinakaran, made the announcement in a party release, which was issued with the approval of Sasikala. The parliamentary board has been reconstituted with Sasikala as it chairperson, Dinakaran said. Dinakaran was among those appointed as one of the members. The others in the reconstituted board include AIADMK presidium chairman and school education minister KA Sengotayan and former minister P Valarmathi. The previous parliamentary board headed by Jayalalithaa included expelled party leader and former chief minister O Panneerselvam and his aide E Madusudanan. After three missed deadlines, the Centre has given agencies engaged in the construction of AIIMS-Patna an ultimatum to complete the project by December, this year. Union health secretary CK Mishra asked construction firms to complete all work by December. He was here to review the progress of hospital construction on Wednesday. The project had to be completed by October 2012. Mishra also passed explicit instructions to the superintending engineer to camp here, sort out issues with the agencies, and submit him a report within a week. The construction firms BL Kashyap & Sons Ltd., Nagarjuna Construction Company Ltd and the Ahluwalia Contracts (India) Ltd had complained that their bills were pending in absence of a regular superintending engineer. The superintending engineer of AIIMS Jodhpur has been given additional charge of Patna after the previous incumbent left in October 2014. Our bills worth Rs 14-15 crore are pending with the AIIMS, said PN Pandey of the BL Kashyap & Sons Ltd. The firm has to construct the 960-bed hospital and infrastructure, besides estate services, like internal roads, etc. It is this package, which has been inordinately delayed, as nearly 30-40% work still remains. BL Kashyap & Sons was given the Rs 351-crore hospital package in October 2010, with a completion deadline of two years. However, the firm claimed that it got the project drawings and maps a year after it was handed the project. The Nagarjuna construction firm has completed the construction of the medical college building and is now engaged in auditorium work. Ahluwalia Contracts is undertaking electrical work, even as basic hospital services have been initiated with 200-odd beds. The AIIMS-Patna project has four packages, all of which are running behind schedule. Since December 2012, the deadline has been revised thrice - January 2014, December 2014 and now December 2017. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Union home minister Rajnath Singh asserted on Thursday that the Centre had taken very serious note of the hate crimes against Indians in the United States. I want to assure the House, that the government has taken up incidents against Indians in the US very seriously and the government will give a statement on it next week, Singh said in Lok Sabha after the resumption of the Budget session of Parliament. There have been several incidents of racist attacks on Indians in the US, including the February 22 killing of Hyderabad techie Srinivas Kuchibhotla at a bar in Kansas city and the March 2 killing of Indian-origin businessman Harnish Patel outside his home at Lancaster in South Carolina. The opposition Congress party, however, questioned PM Modis silence on the issue. Such incidents have increased after the new US President (Donald Trump) has taken charge. The Prime Minister tweets on every other issue. Why doesnt he talk on this issue? Why is he silent? He should make a statement today, Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, said. Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress MPs staged a dharna in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in the Parliament complex against the killings of Indians in the US. Carrying placards with slogans such as All Indians are our brothers and sisters, stop attacking them in the USA, parliamentarians from both the Houses demanded a strong response from the Centre. They also held placards, saying: The world is one. All citizens are our brothers and sisters. We must take care of them. The UP Police arrested on Thursday two men, including a retired IAF airman, the alleged mastermind of a suspected terror module whose member was killed after a 13-hour standoff a day earlier. Gaus Mohammed Khan, who was arrested from Lucknow, was the neighbour of 23-year-old Saifullah Khan, the slain suspected militant. The other suspect, Azhar, was nabbed in Kanpur, police said. He had escaped when an anti-terror squad (ATS) raided his home in Kanpur on Tuesday. With the two arrests, all the main members of the IS-influenced module had been nabbed, police said. The module was unearthed after a blast in a Bhopal-Ujjain train in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. Khan was an airman for around 15 years before he took retirement to set up a leather business in his home town of Kanpur, ATS inspector general of police (IGP) Asim Arun said. Khan, who moved to Lucknow three years ago, radicalised young and educated Muslims, Arun said, adding the same group was responsible for the Bhopal-Ujjain train blast He targeted the youth who visited his neighbourhood mosque in Kanpur, another ATS official said. He met Saifullah and others at the same mosque and distributed IS literature among them. He even visited Saifullah Khan in the house where he was gunned down. While the UP Police have stuck to module drawing inspiration from IS, home minister Rajnath Singh didnt mention terror group when he talked about the Saifullah Khan in Parliament on Thursday. On March 5, 2017, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tweeted that unemployment rate falls sharply, as Modi governments efforts to create rural employment are yielding results. The tweet claimed that Indias unemployment rate had fallen from 9.5% in August 2016 to 4.8% in February 2017, based on a report by State Bank of India (SBI) Ecoflash. Unemployment rate falls sharply, as Modi government's efforts to create rural employment are yielding results. pic.twitter.com/p7F4VjHdpe BJP (@BJP4India) March 5, 2017 The unemployment rate in Uttar Pradesh registered the maximum decline during August 2016 to February 2017 from 17.1% to 2.9%, followed by Madhya Pradesh (10% to 2.7%), Jharkhand (9.5% to 3.1%), Odisha (10.2% to 2.9%) and Bihar (13% to 3.7%), Indian Express reported on March 5, 2017. A FactChecker analysis of various data sets reveals that unemployment data in India is either outdated or unreliable, as multiple government reports and analyses give different figures. Indias unemployment rate was 4.68% as on March 5, 2017, which is in sync with the BJPs claim, according to real-time data from the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). Urban India reported a higher unemployment rate (6.13%) than rural India (3.9%). On August 31, 2016, Indias unemployment rate was 9.7%; urban India had higher unemployment (11.14%) than rural India (9.01%), BSE data reveal. Indias unemployment rate was reported to be 3.7% in 2015-16, according to data presented in the Lok Sabha on February 6, 2017, by labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya. However, on the same day, minister for state for planning Rao Inderjit Singh informed the Rajya Sabha, upper house of Parliament, that the unemployment rate was 5% and rising in India, especially among the backward classes (OBCs), IANS reported on February 6, 2017. If the unemployment was declining as per the SBI report, why did the government admit to rising unemployment in Parliament? Over 30% of youth aged 15-29 in India are not in employment, education or training (NEETs), according to this 2017 report by Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Livemint reported on March 6, 2017. India needs 23 million jobs annually, according to a Kotak Securities report, but over the last 30 years, the country has created about seven million jobs every year, IndiaSpend reported on February 23, 2016. The government needs to focus on improving the measurement of employment and wages even as it works towards improving the ease of doing business and enhancing Indias manufacturing and employment capability, economists Dharmakirti Joshi and Dipti Deshpande from CRISIL had written in a column for Financial Express in June 2015. In July 2014, the labour bureau released the provisional results from its sixth economic census. This data pointed towards an increase in job creation rate in India in the last 5-6 years a finding not supported by the NSSO data, sending out a contradictory message, wrote Joshi and Deshpande. Devanik Saha is an MA Gender and Development student at Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex. Published in arrangement with IndiaSpend. The National Green Tribunal on Thursday issued a show cause notice to Kanpur municipal commissioner and the citys water body officials asking why action should not be taken against them for degrading environment. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar, while hearing a matter related to the cleaning of river Ganga, sought a response to allegation of degrading the environment by dumping sludge from the sewage at unauthorised sites. The bench made the remarks after it was informed that cleaning of the sewage in the city started at the beginning of this month and the sludge taken out was being dumped on Bhauti site. The bench had yesterday slapped a Rs 50,000 fine on a scientist from the Environment Ministry but withdrawn it later, warning officials against passing the buck on matters relating to the cleaning of Ganga. The bench had said that in future any such act would lead to a penalty of Rs 50,000. The benchs reaction had come after a scientist appearing for the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) failed to answer its query on what would be the minimum flow of the river. The bench, which is hearing the Ganga cleaning case on a day-to-day basis for expeditious disposal, had earlier slapped a fine of Rs 25,000 each on officers of the Ministry of Water Resources and UP Jal Nigam for filing incorrect information on 30 drains joining the river Ganga in Garhmukteshwar area of Uttar Pradesh. Earlier, the tribunal was told by an experts panel that the functional sewage treatment plants in the Garhmukteshwar area of Uttar Pradesh do not operate as the domestic sewage network is not connected to the main sewerage system. A three-member committee set up by the NGT had said that the Garhmukteshwar stretch of the Ganga should receive special attention as it was the habitat of the critically-endangered Gangetic Dolphin, an indicator species for the rivers ecosystem. In February, the bench had ordered a CBI probe into the execution of the Ganga cleaning project after it noted that Rs 31.82 crore was spent on two sewage treatment plants (STPs) and a 58-km sewerage line project without due analysis and verification of the actual pollution load in the Garh drain and Brijghat drain. Soon, all architecture engineering colleges including all SPAs (Schools of Planning & Architecture) and institutes such as Mumbais JJ School of Architecture and Ahmedabads CEPT University will be out of the purview of the Union human resource development (HRD) ministry. The council of secretaries headed by cabinet secretary PK Sinha last month recommended that these institutes should be brought under the Union urban development ministry to ensure better synergy between what is taught in the institutes and how they are getting translated on the ground. The panel felt the urban development ministry, which deals with urban affair issues is better equipped to cater to the needs of architecture education since bulk of planned building activity and main employment space of practising architects and planners is in urban areas, said a government source. Also, all building activities in urban areas are regulated through various building bye-laws which are standardised by the urban development ministry. The committee has recommended reallocation of Architects Act, 1972 from the HRD ministry to the urban development ministry. The Act provides for registration of architects, standards of education, recognition of qualifications and standards of practice to be complied with by practising architects. The proposal will now go to the cabinet for final approval, a HRD ministry official said. Once the reallocation is done, the Council of Architects created under Section 3 of the Act will come under the urban development ministry. The 52 member council is mandated to regulate not only architectural education but its practice throughout India, besides maintaining the register of architects, an SPA official said. From the budget session that resumes today to exit polls on assembly elections, here are the stories to look out for: 1) All eyes on exit polls for state elections After the two-month long assembly elections process in five states, the political discussion on Thursday will centre on the results of the exit polls that will emerge this evening. The results of UP will be keenly watched, while the AAP and Congress would want to know of projections about Punjab. There was 73% polling in Punjab while Goa had a record-breaking 83% voter turnout. 2) Battle lines drawn, Parliament all set for a stormy start The budget session of Parliament will resume on Thursday even as the political class waits with bated breath for the outcome of the five assembly elections. While the result of the Uttar Pradesh poll is likely to impact the fate of the session, Opposition parties are trying to leverage the recent civic body polls in Maharashtra and Odisha and the developments in Tamil Nadu to stitch together a larger unity against the BJP. The session is like to see a stormy start as home minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to make a statement on the detection of an alleged ISIS module in UP. Read the full story here. 3) CBSE Class 10 and 12 exams begin today The board examinations for class X and XII students of Central Board of Secondary Education begin today. Some 8,86,506 candidates have registered for Class-X examination, 15.73% more than last year, while 10,98,981 students have enrolled for Class-XII exams, a 2.82% increase from the preceding years number. 4) South Korea court to begin trial of Samsung chief Samsungs de facto leader, Jay Y. Lee, is set to stand trial this week on charges of embezzlement and of bribing South Koreas embattled president. Lee, 48, was formally charged last week with bribery in connection with a political-corruption scandal in South Korea that has already led to the impeachment and suspension of South Korean President Park Geun-hye. A decision on her presidency could come as early as this week. 5) Uphaar fire tragedy: SC to hear Gopal Ansals plea The Supreme Court will hear the plea of real estate baron Gopal Ansal who is seeking an extension to surrender for serving the one-year jail term in 1997 Uphaar fire tragedy case. SC had ordered Gopal to surrender on March 9. Arguing that he does not want to undergo the remaining part of his one-year sentence, Gopal Ansal had moved the court seeking parity with elder brother Sushil Ansal, who was let off with the sentence he has already served. You may also want to read: 6) Lucknow encounter: How two runaway friends turned terror suspects in two months The heartbroken and angry father of suspected militant Saifullah, who was killed in a 13-hour standoff with security forces in Lucknow, refused to accept the body of his son who he said was a traitor. Saifullah, a graduate in commerce, had left home in anger two-and-a-half months ago. Before he left, Saifullah informed the family that he was going to New Delhi for a visa to Dubai, where he would look for a job. Around the same time, friend Atif Muzaffar was pressing his widowed mother to let him go and work in New Delhi. Read the full story here. 7) UP election: How campaigning turned bitter with every phase of polling Call it the demonetisation effect, the campaigning remained a low-key affair till it touched the third phase of elections. Thereafter, with every phase the tone grew shriller as campaigning reached its crescendo by the time it reached the last two phases that covered prime constituencies of leaders like Narendra Modi and Mulayam Singh Yadav. Read the full story here. 8) Karnataka loses 715 sq km of green cover to forest fires The onset of summer in Karnataka has spelt disaster for forests across the state, with about 715 square kilometres of green cover reported to have burnt down in fires since February. Bandipur National Park, home to nearly 120 tigers, is one of the worst affected. The prevailing drought condition has worsened the situation. Read the full story here. 9) Apple, Samsung vow to fix flaws after CIA hacking report Apple and Samsung vowed on Wednesday to quickly fix any vulnerabilities in their products following WikiLeaks disclosure of alleged CIA hacking techniques capable of breaking into iPhones and other devices. Read the full story here. 10) Allow visiting captain to bat first, says Farokh Engineer in MAK Pataudi lecture Former India wicket-keeper Farokh Engineer believes the debate on the quality of pitches could end if the visiting team skipper was given the option of batting first. Speaking of pitches in the India-Australia Test series Engineer said: The Pune pitch was sub-standard. There is talk about having a neutral curator. I would say the visiting captain should be allowed to bat first. Read the full story here. 11) Five suicides in two months: CISF must focus on counselling and de-stressing On January 5, a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) sub-inspector used his service revolver to commit suicide at a Delhi Metro station. On January 16, a CISF constable used his service rifle to commit suicide while on duty at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru. Personal problems constitute about 50% of the suicides witnessed in the force; the psychological stress on personnel is bad for the morale of the security force and if unchecked, a stressed out personnel could even be a threat to the public as well. Read the full editorial here. Racing against time to roll out the countrys biggest tax reform, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the government hopes to get Parliaments approval for the crucial legislation needed to implement the Goods and Services Tax (GST) possibly from July. The apex tax body GST Council, headed by finance minister Arun Jaitley, on Saturday approved the Central GST and Integrated GST Bills, clearing the decks for the GST roll out. We hope that there will be a breakthrough on the GST because all states have positively cooperated. All political parties have also extended cooperation in a positive way, Modi told reporters outside Parliament ahead of the second half of the Budget session. We are meeting after a break and the budget proposals will be discussed in details, he said. Urging political parties to participate and support the GST bills, he said: I believe that the level of discussion will go to a higher level. Attention will be drawn towards the issues related to the poor people. We are moving ahead with the consent of all through a democratic process, he said. GST is perceived to unite the country into a common market, shore up revenues and accelerate economic growth by 1-2 percentage points. Following the clearance from the GST Council, the government plans to introduce CGST and IGST Bill. After it is ratified, the states will introduce the State GST (SGST) Bill in their respective legislative Assemblies. The Central and state officials will soon start the exercise to determine which goods and services should fall in which tax bracket and the same will be taken to the Council for approval soon. The GST Council will also have to decide the goods and services that would attract a cess on top of the peak rate to create a corpus that can be used to compensate states for any loss of revenue from implementation of GST in the first five years. The Constitutional amendment that paved the introduction of GST is due to lapse in mid-September this year. India on Thursday said the contribution of the Indian technical professionals helps the US economy become competitive, and added that currently, illegal immigration is the priority of the US administration and not the H1B visa. It is widely agreed that the presence of Indian technical professionals makes the United States more competitive and helps its economy. You would have seen that senior US officials have stated that illegal immigration and not H1B is their priority, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said in a briefing. Speaking on the discussions held between Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar with his interlocutors in the US last week, Baglay said: There was a wide-ranging and strong recognition as well as respect for Indian skills and contribution of the Indian technological manpower to the US economy. Giving Indian perspective on the Indian professionals working in the US, the spokesperson said they were positive for the US economy. Calling the H1B a trade and business issue, he said: Our views have been clearly conveyed to the concerned US interlocutors. We believe that the plans of the US administration for the US economy present an opportunity for the two countries to further consolidate their strong economic partnership. Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar, during his visit to the US last week, said that H1B visas should be considered a trade and services issue and not purely an immigration issue. Jaishankar acknowledged that Trumps administration had a new perspective on the world and that India had to adapt to it and look at new possibilities. The Sultan Al-Kamel Al-Ayyubi shrine is located within Al-Imam Al-Shafie Dome, one of the largest of the Ayyubid era The Sultan Al-Kamel Al-Ayyubi shrine located inside Al-Imam Al-Shafie Dome was subject to looting today when thieves got inside the shrine after cutting barbed wire that covered its window. Head of the department of Islamic and Coptic antiquities at the Ministry of Antiquities, Al-Saeed Helmi. said that the 70-centimetre tall wooden door of the shrine has been stolen as well as a number of tiny wooden decorative elements. Helmi told Ahram Online that a detailed report about the theft was sent to Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany who in turn sent the whole case to the prosecutor general for investigation. The Tourism and Antiquities Police was also called on site to inspect the shrine and collect any fingerprints that could be found in an attempt to trace the criminals. Al-Imam Al-Shafie Dome is considered as one of the largest of its time, built in 1211 AD during the Ayyubid era to venerate Al-Imam Al-Shafie. The dome has four shrines with wooden decorative structures: the first for Al-Imam Al-Shafie, the second for the mother of Al-Sultan Al-Kamel, the third for Sultan Al-Kamel, and the fourth for the family of Abdel Hakam, the family who hosted Al-Imam Al-Shafie. Al-Imam El-Shafie was one of the four great imams whose legacy on juridical matters and teaching eventually led to the Shafie school of fiqh. Search Keywords: Short link: An Indian man in Australia has been accused of impersonating a doctor and working in various hospitals for more than a decade with the immigration minister terming the case as a big failing of the system. Shyam Acharya took the name of another man in India, Sarang Chitale, before he began a new life in Australia, where he registered with the Medical Board of New South Wales (NSW) in 2003, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. He then used the identity of the doctor and pretended to hold a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degrees and membership as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians to gain employment in the NSW public health system. The authorities have been unable to find or contact him saying his current whereabouts are unknown and they are trying to track him with reports saying Acharya could potentially now be in India. Reacting to the report, Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said, Theres obviously been a big failing of the system. The case of accused fake doctor...you necessarily want to make sure that youre getting access to all of the information that whatever government department holds on anyone being investigated by authorities. He said we live in a very different age to 10 or 20 years ago and it was difficult to predict security threats over the near future. So weve just got to make sure that weve got a modern system that is going to deal with people crossing our borders, sharing intelligence with law enforcement agencies and intel bodies and the rest of it. Weve got the best people in the world and my sense, my only requirement, is that we continue that worlds best practice, Dutton said. Acharya first came to Australia on a tourist visa in 2002 and then got a job in NSW health . He worked for NSW Health as a junior doctor from 2003 to May 2014 at four hospitals in Australia and even worked in emergency departments. In 2013, Acharya worked for international pharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca, before moving to medical research group Novatech in 2016. Three militants and a 15-year-old boy were killed on Thursday in two separate gunfights between security forces and rebels in Jammu and Kashmir, police said. Two Lashkar men were killed in south Kashmirs Pulwama that again saw protesters throwing stones at troops, police said. Teenager Amir Nazir, who sneaked close to the site of the gunfight, died when was hit by a stray bullet, state police chief SP Vaid said. Death of another youth in the area fuelled rumours that he was killed during protests but police denied it, saying the man died of a cardiac arrest. A local militant, identified as Mushtaq Ahmed, was killed during a search operation in Malangaam area of Bandipore in north Kashmir. The gun battle in Padgampora of Pulwama broke out after security forces launched a search operation at around 2.30am after they were told about militants hiding in the village, a police official said. Holed up in two adjacent houses, the militants opened fire and the joint team of the army and police retaliated, triggering a fierce gun battle that carried on for more than nine hours. It ended with the death of the two gunmen. Sources identified them as Jehangir Ganai and Shafi Sher Gujri, residents of nearby Queil who were members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. Ganai was reportedly killed in the early hours of the firing. Security forces called Gujris wife to the site to get him to surrender but her pleas failed to yield results. Wailing relatives of 15-year old Amir Nazir, the civilian killed in the encounter between security forces and Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants, during his funeral at Begumbagh in Pulwama district of south Kashmir on Thursday. (PTI) Scores of people were present when Nazirs body was handed over to his family in Begambagh, which is a few kilometers from Padgampora. Eyewitnesses said he had a bullet injury to his neck. The boy was hit by a stray bullet, police chief Vaid said. He somehow managed to reach close to the encounter site and was hit by a stray bullet, most probably from the militant side, he said. The teen is the first civilian casualty after army chief general Bipin Rawat warned locals against preventing forces from carrying out anti-terror operations or searches, saying such people would be considered accomplices and dealt with accordingly. Authorities are concerned about locals rushing to the sites of gunfights, which they say distract the forces and help militants get away. Villagers attending the funeral, however, said troops opened fire and used tear gas against protesters, killing the boy and wounding three men. The villagers had thrown stones at security forces, Vaid said, refuting the charge that troops fired at the protesters. Similar claims were made by locals about the death of Jalialuddin, a resident of Talab Pulwama, who died in a hospital. District police chief Rayees Mohammad Bhat said doctors said Jalialuddin had no internal or external injuries. The cause of death has been stated to be cardiac arrest. Doctors say there has been no bullet or pellet injury. Not even a bone has been broken, he said. This is the second big gun fight in Kashmir in the last four days. On Sunday, two militants and a policeman were killed in south Kashmirs Tral. Train services suspended Train services from Banihal to Srinagar have been suspended temporarily as authorities fear that miscreants might target the trains in south Kashmir. Armys director general of military operations (DGMO) Lt Gen AK Bhatia spoke to his Pakistani counterpart and conveyed Indias concerns over movement of terrorists along the line of control in the border state. The DGMO spoke to the Pakistan army DGMO this morning. He expressed concern regarding the movement of terrorists noticed along the line of control (LoC), army sources said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The ongoing Jat agitation will cast a shadow over Holi festival in Haryana once again as the protesting community has given a call to boycott the festival of colours. Holi, which used to be celebrated with much fanfare in Haryana, was observed in a subdued manner last year as well after the state was rocked by unprecedented violence in which at least 30 people lost their lives, and private properties worth crores of rupees were vandalised and burnt. The residents and victims of the stir, after the violence, had refused to celebrate Holi last year, leaving markets in Rohtak and adjoining districts begging for customers. This time, too, the festival will have few takers as the Jat community has called for a boycott on Holi to mark their protest against the harassment of government while many traders, who have still not been able to come out of losses, have shunned the celebrations. We have lost so many of our community members in the fight of our rights. Still, the government has not supported us. We will observe Black Holi this time and burn effigies of BJP government at all our dharnas (sit-ins) in place of Holika dahan on March 12, Jat leader Yashpal Malik, who is leading the agitation, said. The boycott call has also put in quandary states political leaders, especially as Jat protesters watching them closely. Former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who recently attended a private event celebrating the festival, had to issue a clarification that he had not come to the event to celebrate Holi but to give the message of peace and brotherhood. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The onset of summer in Karnataka has spelt disaster for forests across the state, with about 715 square kilometres of green cover reported to have burnt down in fires since February. Bandipur National Park, home to nearly 120 tigers, is one of the worst affected. Forest minister Ramnath Rai said the park accounted for about 40 hectares of forest land affected by the fire. The prevailing drought condition, due to deficient rainfall for the third consecutive year in the state, has worsened the situation. There has been a 65% deficient rainfall in this area, said T Heeralal, director of the Bandipur National Park. However, Heeralal pointed out that human intervention led to the fire. All fire in India, including this one, is man-made. He said the fire spread because of high humidity, wind speed, the prevailing drought condition, the accompanying accumulation of dried leaves, and human beings. Sidappa Setty, a researcher with Bengaluru-based Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment, said the contribution of lantana camara, an invasive species of shrub, could also be the cause of fire. Backing him, Heeralal said, Because lantana grows to about two metres, if it catches fire, it will convert a ground fire to a canopy fire. He said of the 1.02 lakh hectares in the park, lantana had spread to 75,000 hectares. Of this, about 40,000 hectares was so badly affected that even wild animals found it difficult to pass through the shrub, which is inedible. Bandipur National Park accounted for about 40 hectares of forest land affected by the fire. (HT Photo) Besides, shortage of forest staff was another factor. Bandipur has a sanctioned staff strength of 340 but we have about 230 staff, Heeralal said. However, he rubbished claims that this was the reason the spread of the fire could not be controlled. An increase in staff numbers would not have helped as the conditions for the spreading of the fire wind speed, humidity and drought were present. More than half of the watering holes within the park have dried up while others have barely been kept operational by pumping groundwater. The forest minister has ordered a probe by the Crime Investigation Department. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A BJP leader was injured in an attack by a nine-member gang in the district, police said on Thursday. BJPs Kannur mandal vice-president Sushil Kumar (48) suffered stab wounds in the attack at Talap on Wednesday and has been hospitalised, police said. The assailants came on three motorcycles. Police said a case has been registered but no arrests have been made. BJP has alleged that CPI-M activists were behind the attack. The heartbroken and angry father of suspected militant Saifullah, who was killed in a 13-hour standoff with security forces in Lucknow, refused on Wednesday to accept the body of his son who he said was a traitor. The 23-year-old youth was accused of triggering a blast in the Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train on Tuesday, and officers suspect he was an operative of the Islamic State terrorist groups Indian wing. How can I bury him when he was against the country? I do not want to see his face, father Sartaj Khan said. Saifullah, a graduate in commerce, had left home in anger two-and-a-half months ago. He had a tiff with his father, a supervisor with a tannery, who was unhappy that he remained glued to WhatsApp and did nothing else. He never listened to me, he said, recalling he had scolded his son publicly and even thrashed him in December for his wayward ways. Before he left, Saifullah informed the family that he was going to New Delhi for a visa to Dubai, where he would look for a job. Around the same time, friend Atif Muzaffar was pressing his widowed mother to let him go and work in New Delhi. She was reluctant. I was scared of his anger. I asked him to join his brother in his dairy business. He left without telling me. The friends left Kanpur together. Saifullah was a jovial fellow until his mother died last year. He will leave early in the morning, he will come late at night, if he was home I found him fiddling with his cellphone or the laptop he bought last year; he will not allow anyone to touch the gadgets, he will become hysterical even if a child touched them, his father said. Another friend found Saifullah, Atif and cousin Danish meeting quite often on the banks of the Ganga, close to his home in the Jajmau Teela locality, or in a dhaba along the highway. These boys were fond of tea, they will down several cups. But they wont lift their eyes off their phones all the while. They watched videos quite a lot, said the owner of the highway eatery where Saifullah and his friends used to frequent. Atif dropped out of Aligarh Muslim University after his fathers death in 2013. He was doing a diploma. His father was chairman of the Muslim Association, a group that runs colleges and schools. Atif didnt like being questioned. He will get angry to a point that he can do anything, his brother said. In the past two months, Atif tried calling his mother. But she didnt speak. I was angry with him. He told his sister he was moving to Mumbai where he has landed a job. That was the last time anyone of us heard from him, she said. According to his family members, Atif went for Haj in Saudi Arabia 10 months ago without informing anyone. Investigations revealed he sold a piece of family land for Rs 22 lakh. Saifullah had told his brother he has taken up a job and he would earn so much in this life that the family would be proud. Madhya Pradesh police arrested Atif and another two cousin Danish and a friend from Aligarh for their suspected role in the train blast that left 10 people wounded. Union Minister Hansraj Ahir on Thursday said it was too early to know which terrorist outfit slain terror suspect Saifullah belonged to, amid suspicion that he was influenced by an ISIS module. Saifullah, who is suspected to be linked with the blast in the Bhopal-Ujjain train, was killed in an encounter in Uttar Pradesh yesterday. We have asked for the report. We have not received the final report and full information has not yet come. What can be said from the documents and other material is that he was a terrorist. We will get to know who he was linked with after we get the final report, Ahir, who is Minister of State for Home Affairs, told reporters outside Parliament. In a statement in Lok Sabha on Tuesdays train blast and subsequent anti-terror operations in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said NIA will carry out further investigations into the matter. He said eight pistols, 630 live cartridges, Rs 1.5 lakh, three mobiles phone, four SIM cards, two wireless sets and some foreign currency were recovered from the place where Saifullah lived. The acquittal of former RSS member Asseemanand and six others on Wednesday in the 2007 Ajmer dargah blasts has returned focus to Hindu right-wing terror cases. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) was in charge of probing seven such cases, three of which have concluded at the trail court level. Heres a status check by HT: Malegaon blasts (2006) Four blasts took place outside a mosque in Malegaon in September 2006, killing 38 people. (HT file photo) CASE: Four explosions took place outside a mosque on September 8, 2006, killing 38 people. PROBE: The Maharashtra ATS and CBI chargesheeted nine Muslims. The NIA, which took over the case in 2011, filed another chargesheet naming four alleged Hindu extremists. The special court hearing the case discharged all the Muslim accused arrested by state ATS. STATUS: Trial yet to begin. Samjhauta Express blasts (2007) Powerful bombs ripped through two compartments of the Samjhauta Express train, the rail link between India and Pakistan, during the intervening night of February 18 and 19, killing 68 people. (HT file photo) CASE: Explosions occurred near Dewana railway station in Haryanas Panipat district, killing 68 people, mostly from Pakistan, on the night of February 18. The train was on its way to Lahore from Delhi. PROBE: The NIA has filed chargesheet against eight people, of whom one is dead and two are at large. STATUS: Trial is on. Hyderabad Mecca Masjid blast (2007) CASE: A powerful IED blast in Hyderabads Mecca Masjid area of Hyderabad on May 18, killed 14 people. PROBE: The Hyderabad police rounded up dozens of Muslims but could not get any breakthrough.The case was then handed over to the CBI, which arrested Aseemanad, an accused in the Samjhauta train blasts case also. The first chargesheet was filed by the CBI, then the case was handed over to the NIA. STATUS: Trial is on. Ajmer dargah blast (2007) CASE: A tiffin bomb exploded on October 11 during Ramzan at the Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Dargah in Ajmer, killing three people and injuring 12. Later, three more bombs were recovered from the premises. PROBE: Of 13 accused, three are absconding and one -- Sunil Joshi -- is dead. STATUS: A Jaipur court on March 8 had convicted three persons -- Joshi, Devendra Gupta and Bhavesh Patel -- but let off former RSS member Aseemanand and six others. On March 22, the court sentenced Gupta and Patel to life imprisonment. The magistrate also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on Patel and Rs 5,000 on Gupta. Sunil Joshi murder (2007) CASE: Sunil Joshi, the leader of an alleged Hindu extremist group believed to be behind most of the right-wing Hindu terror cases, was shot dead on December 29, 2007 when he was walking back to his hideout at Chuna Khadan locality in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh. The group included Pragya Singh Thakur, Lokesh Sharma, Sandeep Dange, Ramji Kalsangra, Rajendra Pehelwan, Dhan Singh, Amit Chauhan and Aseemanand. PROBE: After completing the investigation, the NIA handed over the case to the Madhya Pradesh police saying it had not found any evidence to suggest that his murder was linked to the larger Hindu terror conspiracy. The agency alleged that Joshi was killed by his own men as they were unhappy over his misbehaviour with Pragya Singh Thakur. STATUS: Trial ended on February 1, 2017. All eight accused, including Pragya Singh Thakur, acquitted. Malegaon and Modasa blasts (2008) A blast in Malegaon in September 2008 killed six persons. (HT file photo) CASE: Twin explosions took place in Malegaon (Maharashtra) and Modasa (Gujarat) on September 29. Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) mounted on motorcycles were planted at both locations, killing a total of eight persons. PROBE: The Maharashtra ATS claimed to crack the Malegaon case. Pragya Singh Thakur, along with a serving army official, Prasad Srikant Purohit were arrested and chargesheeted in the case. STATUS: The NIA dropped charges against Pragya Singh Thakur and the special court is yet to take a call on it. The Modasa blast case was closed by the NIA citing lack of evidence. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A 13-year-old minor girl lost her vision in one eye, for resisting rape at Pokhariya village of Naugacchia sub-division in Bhagalpur, 230 kms east of Patna recently. The accused, Genu Sharma, 22, has been arrested. The girl, a resident of Katihar, had come visiting her grandparents at Pokhariya village under Gopalpur police station of the district, when the incident took place on March 6. Acting on the complaint of her aunt, the police registered a case the following day. The victim had gone to the field for ablutions in the evening, when the accused tried to outrage her modesty. The girl raised an alarm, which attracted the attention of some villagers who rushed to her rescue. This incensed the accused, who reportedly pierced a nail into her left eye. The girl was undergoing treatment at the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College Hospital (JLNMCH), Bhagalpur, where she was referred to from the Naugacchia sub-division hospital. JLNMCH superintendent Dr Ram Charitra Mandal said, The cornea of the girls left eye has been damaged. There is blood in her eyes now. We will run an urltrasound on her eye, but chances of restoration of her vision are bleak. Confirming the incident, station house officer (SHO) of Gopalpur police station, Shiv Kumar Yadav, said the accused had been arrested. He held the girl by her hand and tried to drag her with the motive to commit rape. The girl had come to meet her grandparents a week before the incident, the SHO added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The navy is expected to induct its first Scorpene-class submarine, named Kalvari, this June, sharpening its underwater warfare capabilities. This will be followed by the commissioning of the second French-designed diesel-electric attack submarine, Khanderi, in December. Kalvari and Khanderi are two of the six Scorpene submarines being constructed in the country with technology transfer from French firm DCNS under a Rs 23,562-crore programme called Project 75. The Scorpene is expected to become the main conventional submarine of the Indian fleet and replace the ageing Russian Kilo class and German HDW vessels that are almost three decades old. The Scorpene project, plagued by cost overruns and missed deadlines, is important as the navys underwater attack capabilities have blunted over time. India operates 13 ageing conventional submarines and an Akula-II nuclear-powered attack boat leased from Russia. All six submarines are expected to join the Indian fleet over the next three years, with a third boat, Vela, likely to be launched in the coming months. As India gets ready to expand its underwater fleet, HT gives you the lowdown on why building submarines is extremely complex using data accessed from the navy: NUMBER OF MANHOURS TO ASSEMBLE: Submarine: 2,500,000 Frigate: 1,200,000 Boeing 777: 50,000 Tank: 5,500 Khanderi, the second of Indian Navys Scorpene class stealth submarine, was launched in January. (HT file photo) ASSEMBLY PARTS: Submarine: 500,000 Frigate: 170,000 Boeing 777: 100,000 Tank: 14,000 INS Betwa, the frontline Brahmaputra-class frigate, will be operational again by September 2018. (HT file photo) NUMBER OF SUPPLIERS: Submarine: 1,600 Frigate: 600 Boeing 777: 550 Tank: 600 There are 100,000 assembly parts in a Boeing 777. (Livemint file photo) NUMBER OF SYSTEMS: Submarine: 108 Frigate: 60 Boeing 777: 40 Tank: 25 It takes 5,500 manhours to assemble a tank. (HT file photo) CONSTRUCTION TIME (in months): Submarine: 60 Frigate: 22 Boeing 777: 14 Tank: 7 The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016 which will raise the maternity leave for working women in public and private sector from 12 weeks to 26 weeks for the first two children. The maternity leave beyond the first two children will continue to be 12 weeks. The bill will now be sent to the President for his assent before it becomes an Act. It has already been passed by the Rajya Sabha during last winter session. Read: Cabinet gives nod for increase in maternity leave from 12 to 26 weeks Recognising that women who adopt or use a surrogate to bear a child also need time to bond with the child in the initial months, the bill also extends a 12-week maternity leave to adapting and commissioning mothers. The commissioning mother has been defined as one whose egg is used to create an embryo planted in surrogates womb. However, the bill has left out surrogate mothers from the benefit -- an issue over which the government had faced criticism from the opposition benches in the Rajya Sabha during the winter session. The bill also makes it mandatory for employers in establishments with 30 women or 50 employees, whichever is less, to provide creche facilities either in office or in any place within a 500-metre radius. The International Labour Organizations (ILO) Maternity Protection Convention mandates a minimum 14 weeks of maternity benefit to women but recommends that countries should increase it to 18 weeks. Read: Why arent new mothers taking their maternity leaves? The bill is gender-neutral that will allow even a male employee to take his child to a creche, if it is far away from the mothers workplace. It also allows employers to permit woman to work from home if it is possible to do so. This has been done to help new mothers. However, we have left it for the employers to decide, said a senior Union labour ministry official. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Dogged by controversy, the 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, infamous as the pellet gun used against stone-pelters in Kashmir, is all set to guard the offices of the countrys largest bank, State Bank of India (SBI). SBI authorities will buy as many as 11,000 of these five-shot compact weapons, made by the Indian Ordnance Factory at Ishapore, around 40 km north of Kolkata, and phase out the single and double-barrel 12-gauge shotguns that its security guards have been carrying for decades. Since the new gun can fire a variety of ammunition made in the popular 12-gauge calibre, bank guards can continue with the standard lethal ammunition they have used all these years. For the record, the so-called non-legal ammunition responsible for the death and blinding in the Valley is issued only to security forces of the government. For Rifle Factory Ishapore (RFI), the countrys oldest weapon manufacturing unit set up by the British and makers of several firearms including the INSAS assault rifle used by the army, paramilitary and police, the agreement with SBI has led to the single largest civilian contract. We have produced the first batch. According to the agreement, we have to deliver 11,000 guns to SBI over a period of three years. These will be however be sold only through authorised gun dealers in every state, Ratneshwar Varma, general manager, RFI, told HT. The new guns will be given to our security guards who are posted according to requirement, which is essentially determined by the size and location of branches and the amount of cash they handle - C Mohan Mitra, chief general manager of SBI SBI has 17,000 branches and more than 48,000 ATMs of its own across India. The numbers go up if one adds its sister banks. Each gun will retail for around Rs 75,000, inclusive of taxes, said a dealer. The most popular among all types of shotguns used by civilians, police and military across the globe, the pump-action is named so because every back and forth movement of the lever located beneath the barrel extracts an empty shell from the chamber and loads a fresh round from the tubular magazine. Thus, it is possible to load and fire in quick succession till the magazine is empty. The civilian version has a 20-inch barrel that meets Arms Act regulations on non-prohibited weapons. The army version has an 18-inch barrel and is prohibited. Also, the new gun has been given a ferrous metal receiver and not the lighter aluminium one seen earlier. Interestingly, the gun has prominent front and back sights seen on rifles that fire single projectiles at much higher velocity and with pin-point accuracy. The 12-gauge No. 1 ammunition that banks buy, fire volleys of lead or steel balls that may cover an area of up to two feet after travelling a certain distance. The need to align front and back sights for precision shooting doesnt really arise, said a veteran shooter who examined the new shotgun. C Mohan Mitra, chief general manager of SBI, told HT: The new guns will be given to our security guards who are posted according to requirement, which is essentially determined by the size and location of branches and the amount of cash they handle. Asked whether the guns would be given to security personnel deployed in crime-prone areas or Maoist-infested pockets, he said: Not essentially. The amount of cash handled by a branch is important. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON India petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan and US energy secretary Rick Perry discussed growing cooperation between the two countries in the energy sector in the first minister-level interaction with the Trump administration on Wednesday. In view of Indias growing demand for energy estimated to escalate to 30% of the total incremental demand over the next 25 years the minister told reporters that Indias engagement with the US acquires a completely different dimension. I had an open and free discussion with secretary Perry about it, he added. The two officials also discussed the export of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) to India from early 2018. Indian investments in LNG and Shale sector in the US by both the government and the private sector were also discussed. Pradhan is on a three-day visit to the US, during which he also travelled to Boston and Houston. He attended the CERAWeek in Houston where he announced the new bidding round for exploration of oil and gas in India that will start from July 2017. In Houston, Pradhan met his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Russia, Sri Lanka, Canada and CEO of ADNOC (State company of UAE). Saudi minister Khalid Al-Falih told him about the new business environment in India, Pradhan said, adding, specially the speed with which things get done now. And he also recalled feeling all charged up after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the minister added. He also met several industry leaders and experts such as BP CEO Bob Dudley and IEA executive director Fatih Birol. He also met Governor of Texas Mr Greg Abbott. In Boston, the minister addressed students and faculty at MIT, Harvard Kennedy School and Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University. At MIT, he met Ernest Muniz, the former US energy secretary. The army will repatriate two 16-year-old boys from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir across the Wagah border on Friday after they were cleared of charges in the Uri attack that killed 19 soldiers last year. In a statement, the army said the director general of military operations (DGMO) informed his Pakistani counterpart about the repatriation, while expressing concern about terrorist movement along the Line of Control. The individuals will be repatriated through Wagah border on 10 March, said the statement. This comes a day after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) told a Jammu court that it didnt find any proof of involvement of Class 10 students Faisal Husain Awan and Ahsan Khursheed in the September 18 Uri strikes. Four suicide attackers targeted the infantry brigade headquarters in Uri, resulting in the death of 19 soldiers. Two days later, villagers in Uri apprehended Awan and Khursheed from the area. The boys were handed over to the army and during initial interrogation, the boys said they acted as guides of four Uri suicide attackers. Read | NIA releases 2 Pakistani teens arrested for Uri attack But later during the boys, who study in the same school, said they confessed about the Uri attack as they were scared of being beaten. Awan and Khursheed are natives of Pitha Jandgran and Khiyana Khurd villages respectively in the PoK. The villages are just an hours journey on foot from the LoC The boys told the NIA, which was probing the Uri attack case, they left their home and inadvertently strayed across the LoC after a girl complained of misbehaviour. The NIA found their testimony credible as technical evidence suggested they had crossed the LoC two days after the Uri attack. The NIA filed a closure report in their case but didnt attribute the reasons for their leaving home to pressure of studies from parents. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Rajeev Yadav and Shahnawaz Alam set out to document hate speech after the communal riots in eastern Uttar Pradeshs Mau in 2005. The duo began following Yogi Adityanath, recording his speeches. The acerbic ones, put in the public domain, invited sharp reactions. They had learnt making documentaries at Jawaharlal Nehru University and Allahabad University, and armed with video footage, they wanted to take on the harbingers of hate in court. Our agenda was fighting communalism, Alam, who now works from Lucknow, said. Documentary was a way to capturing the faces of hatred and how they poison the minds. Their fight changed after UPs Special Task Force picked up Tariq Qasimi and Khalid Mujahid from Azamgarh for involvement in the 2007 serial blasts. The two were shown as arrested on December 22 that year from Barabanki railway station with RDX and other weapons. Family members said Qasimi and Mujahid were detained for 20 days illegally and forced into confession. Yadav and Alam converged on this case and a movement was born. Mayawati, chief minister then, formed a judicial commission headed by RD Nimesh to investigate the charges against Qasimi and Mujahid. The Nimesh panel report submitted in 2012 confirmed the fears: both had been implicated by the overzealous police. But Qasimi had been handed life imprisonment by then, and Mujahid died in police custody soon after the report was submitted. The report made the newly-installed Akhilesh Yadav government recommend a CBI probe into the case. This case was the trigger for Rihai Manch, an advocacy group, Alam said. The Manch resistance against repression, as they describe it formed panels of lawyers to provide legal assistance to people trapped by police deceit. The narrative then was simple; you could not question the police if it had labelled someone as a terrorist, their view did not merit a trial, Asad Hayat, who provides free legal advice to the forum, said. Many believed there should be a mechanism that allowed us access to court for people arrested so we could effectively challenge the police theories in the court of law, he said. But it was not easy for the advocates of terror accused. Lawyers Mohammad Shoaib in Lucknow and Randhir Singh Sumar in Barabanki were beaten up. Bombs went off on the court premises in Lucknow, Faizabad and Varanasi. The advocacy group, whose associates include former Lucknow University vice-chancellor Roop Rekha Verma, began holding Jan Sunvani to help people with court cases. Such public hearings were attacked in Pratapgarh and other places. Our agitation over the Batla House encounter in Lucknow was stopped with brutal use of force, Anil Yadav, a Manch activist, said. It was clear to the advocacy group that they were facing a motivated political resistance, and that fighting it would not be easy. But we knew what we were doing. We wanted to build a counterview in the society, we wanted this problem to be recognised, Alam said. They succeeded in stirring the public consciousness, which helped them ensure justice to several terror suspects. Records show that there have been more acquittals in cases that might not have ended in acquittals before 2007. Read| Lucknow encounter staged to polarise votes in UP in BJPs favour: Advocacy group Rihai Manch Till date, the Manch has helped 14 people charged with terrorism be acquitted. The change is visible. An arrested person is now referred to as a terror suspect, the acquittals not only in UP and other places have helped in building the counter narrative, Alam said. Apart from giving legal assistance, Rihai Manch highlights through social media the loopholes in cases such as the Bhopal encounter of eight Students Islamic Movement of India men. Some time ago, the advocacy group organised money to furnish Rs 10,000 bail bond for four Bengali workers who were cleared of terror charges in UP. In the Lucknow and Madhya Pradesh operation this week, it asked the police if it was staged to polarise voters for the last phase of elections. We should not be seen as working only for Muslims, whose representation is quite less in our movement, Alam, who has co-authored a book on the Akshardham terror attack with Rajeev, said. Pakistan military on Thursday rejected Indian Armys concerns over the movement of terrorists along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir and asked it to share evidence. Armys Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt Gen AK Bhatia on Thursday spoke with his Pakistani counterpart and conveyed Indias concerns over the movement of terrorists along the Line of Control. Pakistan military spokesman Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor confirmed the contact between the officials of the two armies on the hotline. Indian concern on terrorists movement along LoC were strongly rejected during (the) hotline (call). Indian Army asked to look inward, share evidence, Ghafoor tweeted. Indian Army sources had earlier said, The DGMO spoke to the Pakistan Army DGMO this morning. He expressed concern regarding the movement of terrorists noticed along the Line of Control (LoC). The Pakistani DGMO was also informed about the repatriation of two Pakistani nationals apprehended in Uri. On February 8, for the first time ever, a sitting high court judge was hauled up before the Supreme Court to answer for a contempt charge. A seven-judge bench of the top court issued contempt notice to Justice CS Karnan of the Calcutta high court. In response, Justice Karnan invoked his identity as a Dalit and issued a letter stating that the characteristic of this order clearly shows the upper caste judges are taking law into their hands and misusing their judicial power by operating the same against a SC/ST Judge with mala fide intention of getting rid of him. A seven-judge bench for a contempt hearing is unprecedented it is usually handled by two- or three-judge benches, and very rarely by a five-judge bench and showed how seriously the Supreme Court was taking this case. It suggests that the court has reached the end of its tether while handling Justice Karnan, a judge who has had frequent run-ins with fellow judges in the Madras high court (where he was originally elevated) and the Calcutta high court, apart from the Supreme Court itself. In 2011, Karnan had called a press conference to accuse a fellow high court judge of caste discrimination on the ground that the judge who sat next to him deliberately touched him with his foot. In 2015, he interrupted arguments going on in another courtroom in the Madras HC regarding judicial appointments, demanding to be heard. In April 2015, he began suo motu contempt proceedings against the chief justice of the Madras high court, Sanjay Kishan Kaul, accusing the latter of harassing and belittling him because he was a Dalit and by giving him insignificant and dummy portfolios. The Supreme Court stayed the same. Karnan then accused Kaul of corruption in February last year, following which the top court transferred him that month, which Karnan issued a stay order on. When a two-judge Supreme Court bench lifted his stay order, he asked the Chennai police to book a case against the two judges under the SC/ST (atrocities) Act. The top court threatened to haul him up for contempt for some of the statements that he made, but Karnan apologised saying that his mental balance was severely affected. He finally took charge at the Calcutta high court after a private meeting with then-Chief Justice of India TS Thakur. This time around, Karnan has been hauled up for sending a letter to the Prime Minister with a list of sitting and retired high court and Supreme Court judges whom he wants interrogated by investigative agencies on the grounds of corruption. Karnans shenanigans have exposed many weaknesses in the higher judicial institutions, and point to much more than the acts of just one man. A Pattern of Judicial Indiscipline To say that Karnans acts over the last few years have been judicial indiscipline is to understate it. Using its contempt jurisdiction, and by removing him from administrative and judicial work in early February, the Supreme Court has tried to ensure that he cannot cause further damage. There has been a pattern to most of these incidents he makes an allegation against fellow judges, no proof is offered and he doesnt push it further, until the next incident and provocation. His judicial work has also stirred controversy recently, he had a verbal altercation in open court with his fellow judge in the Calcutta high court where they differed in controversial circumstances over granting bail to the accused in the Kolkata flyover collapse case. This highlights a constitutional problem that the framers of the Constitution did not, for some reason, foresee: How do you discipline a judge short of impeachment? Impeachment by Parliament is a long-drawn-out and difficult process. As it should be in a constitution where judicial independence is rigorously protected. Whatever misbehaviour a judge is alleged to have committed should be serious enough for Parliament to sit up and take notice before removing her or him from office. It is also the only sanction that can be imposed on an erring judge. This leaves us with two problems: What to do when Parliament is disinclined to act on serious misbehaviour, and how to address less serious breaches of judicial discipline. At present, there are certain informal measures that can be taken against an erring judge: change their workload to different cases, relieve them of all judicial work, or transfer to another high court. The first two can be done by the chief justice in charge of the high court, while the last requires the cooperation of the government. There is no way for the public (or even the judge) to know why a judge might have been penalised this way and what behaviour crossed the line. There also remains a gap in severity between these measures and impeachment. The contempt proceedings suggest an attempt to fill this lacuna in the institution. However, a question also needs to be asked: How did someone who seems to make headlines more often for non-judicial than judicial reasons, get appointed as a judge of a High Court? And are there others like him within? The Tumultuous Appointment Process In India, appointment of judges has a tumultuous history. Till 1971, the Chief Justice of Indias recommendation was treated as gospel by the government. In the 1980s, the Centre tried to exercise more control over the appointment process by seeking more power to recommend judges to the High Courts and the Supreme Court. A significant change occurred in 1993 with the Supreme Courts judgment in SCAORA v Union of India, which brought the appointment of judges (especially senior most top court judges) under the judiciary. Today, the appointment process follows the recommendation by the five senior most Supreme Court judges (including the Chief Justice of India), which is binding on the Centre that issues the formal order of appointment. Known as the collegium method of appointment, the process is utterly opaque and arbitrary, causing deep dissatisfaction all around. The Parliaments crude attempt at reforming this unsatisfactory system by replacing it with the National Judicial Appointments Commission was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2015 as being a violation of the Constitutions basic structure. Karnan was appointed as an additional judge of the Madras high court in 2009, upon the recommendation of the collegium of judges headed by then-Chief Justice of India, KG Balakrishnan. Karnans name was, in fact, first recommended by then-chief justice of the Madras high court, AK Ganguly. These are the only undisputed facts about Karnans elevation to the Madras high court. As with other judicial appointments, there is no official record as usual of the basis on which he was considered fit for appointment, what criteria were examined and whether any material against his elevation was considered and rejected. While the Constitution does not prescribe any criteria beyond 10 years of legal practice and citizenship for a lawyer to be appointed as a High Court judge, in practice its usually at least 15 years and someone with a reasonably well-established practice in the High Courts. (This is not always followed, as many successful lawyers do not want to give up a lucrative practice for harsh work conditions and worse government pay.) Ganguly himself, now retired, when asked by the media about Karnan, could not recall why Karnan was elevated in the first place. Karnans bio on the Calcutta HC website states that after graduating from Madras Law College in 1983, he practiced civil law in the Madras High Court, was appointed legal adviser for Metro Water, was government advocate for the state and later, the Centre. However, a brief search of legal databases shows Karnan does not seem to have had a thriving practice or been involved in important cases before the Madras High Court. Ganguly has reportedly said that Karnan was elevated keeping in mind the need to have Dalit representation in the higher judiciary. He was representing a particular caste that should have been represented in the choice of judges. Therefore, I thought he should be considered, he said. The representation of Dalits has been and continues to be abysmally low in the higher judiciary. The most reliable figures are from 2002, when it was found that there was only one judge in the Supreme Court and only 25 out of 625 HC judges who belonged to the Scheduled Castes. No Dalits currently serve in the Supreme Court, and there are no reliable figures maintained either by the Supreme Court or the Department of Justice on the representation of Dalits in the higher judiciary. Anecdotally, however, it is unlikely that more than five percent of High Court judges are Dalits. Integrity Under the Scanner The controversy surrounding Karnan is part of a larger problem in the judiciary rather than a one-off problem. Late in 2016, the Supreme Court initiated contempt proceedings against former SC judge Markandey Katju for his ill-thought-out comments against judges. Multiple judges of High Courts and the Supreme Court have faced accusations of sexual harassment. In 2011, two High Court judges, PD Dinakaran and Soumitra Sen, faced impeachment proceedings for corruption and abuse of office, but resigned before removal. Nirmal Yadav of the Punjab and Haryana High Court also faced charges framed by a CBI court for allegedly receiving a bribe as a sitting judge in 2008. Credibility is a problem that is plaguing the judiciary, and judges make up a veritable chunk of it. Never mind that its quick enough in punishing disobedience through contempt, the judiciary will always find it hard to command the respect of citizens if its not run honourably and by the right men and women. The blame for the poor choice of judges in the 1970s and 80s could perhaps be attributed to the government, but currently the judiciary lacks such excuses. Even admitting that sometimes a poor appointment might have been made, there has been no effort to create a transparent mechanism to discipline judges who overstep the lines of propriety. The in-house procedure to examine and act on complaints against judges is seldom used and, in any case, works with little transparency. Like with appointments, the whole process is shrouded in secrecy with corridor gossip substituting for facts and informed debates. Those with legitimate grievances against a judge have little recourse from the judiciary itself, or for that matter, any other institution. Similarly, it must also be difficult for Karnan to be caught in such a caste-lopsided institution, and it remains to be seen how much and to what extent Karnan will fight the SCs latest move. The next date of hearing in the SC is 10th March, and he is due to retire on 12th June this year. The contempt case is still sub judice but its not clear what the Supreme Courts endgame in these proceedings is. Its powers under the contempt jurisdiction are vast but do not extend to removing a High Court judge, something that can only be done through impeachment by the President. Whatever they choose to do in the context of Karnan, the SC judges must be aware that there is a larger problem that they cannot wish away that of a judiciary whose credibility is slowly ebbing away. (Published in arrangement with GRIST Media) A consortium of banks, led by the State Bank of India, on Thursday told the Supreme Court that liquor baron Vijay Mallya had taken it for a ride and urged it to initiate contempt proceedings against him for willfully breaching the courts orders. The banks also sought that the apex court direct him to bring back $40 million, which Mallya had allegedly transferred to his children. Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the banks, told the bench of Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice and U.U. Lalit that Mallya has been mocking the Indian judicial system by willful, contumacious conduct and has taken the Supreme Court for a ride. Apart from the public dues, he siphoned $40 million. It was willful, contumacious conduct, trying not only to breach the court orders but to put it out of reach (of Indian courts), the banks submitted. Mallya received $40 million from British firm Diageo Plc in February last year and transferred the money to his children in flagrant violation of various judicial orders, including those passed by the Debt Recovery Tribunal and the Karnataka High Court, Rohtagi told the court. Mallya concealed the fact of receiving $40 million and diverting the money to his son Siddharth Mallya and daughters Leanna Mallya and Tanya Mallya, said Rohatgi and senior advocate Shyam Divan, who too appeared for banks. The banks accused Mallya of contempt of court as he did not disclose this $40 million among the assets the Supreme Court had ordered him to reveal so that the banks could recover the loan amount. Senior advocate C.S. Vaidyanathan, appearing for Mallya, opposed the plea of banks, saying all his properties are attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and he is entitled for an equal and fair treatment. After a daylong hearing, the bench reserved the order on plea by a consortium of 13 banks, which had lent thousands of crores of rupees to Mallya over a period. Mallyas lawyer also submitted that he has no property of which he has any control as everything has been attached. Opposing the initiation of contempt of court proceedings against Mallya, Vaidyanathan also accused the judiciary of targetting him, of treating him worse than a terrorist with no access to the rule of law. Why is this case so unique? he asked, seeking to know why Mallya was being targetted when banks have seven lakh crore rupees worth of non-performing assets. Why was Mallya made the poster boy of loan defaulters?, he asked. During the hearing, Rohatgi told the court that the government is taking steps to get Mallya back. We have requested the British government to deport him back. Now believed to be in Britain, Mallya owes Rs 9,200 crore to these banks. While Rs 8,000 crore worth of his properties have been attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, he also has income tax dues of about Rs 2,000 crore. Santosh Yadav, a Bastar-based journalist who was arrested for his alleged links with the Maoist in 2015 and released from jail after 17 months, said on Thursday he will continue to raise the plight of tribals in the area. Yadav was arrested by the state police in October 2015 on suspicion that he had links with Maoist leader Shankar in Darbha area of Chhattisgarhs Bastar. He was booked on charges of rioting, criminal conspiracy and associating with a terrorist organisation. The Supreme Court granted bail to Yadav on February 28. I want to devote my life to social service for the tribals of Bastar. Journalism is my passion and I will continue it until the end. Working in Bastar as a journalist is very difficult and dangerous but the voice of the tribals should reach to the world, Yadav told Hindustan Times. Patrakaaron ko Naxalion ka pratinidhi mana jaa raha, ye sharmindigi valee baat hai (Journalists are being treated as representatives of Maoists which is shameful), Yadav said. Innocent tribals are killed and jailed branding them as Maoists which should be stopped. He was lodged in Jagdalpur jail but was later shifted to Kanker jail after he reportedly protested against the substandard food given to the inmates. We demanded reading material and good food and started a satyagraha in Bastar jail. It was a 14-points demand list and I was leading the satyagraha for which I was badly beaten up and shifted to Kanker jail. In Kanker jail also, a constable had badly beaten me. In Bastar jail, the condition of the inmates is very bad, he said. Yadavs arrest led to a protest by journalists who organised a march to the chief ministers house in Raipur. Journalists, especially women, have been under fire in Bastar region. In 2016, Malini Subramaniam of Scroll was allegedly attacked by unidentified people and had to leave Bastar later. In the same year, Alok Prakash Putul of BBC was also forced to leave Bastar, where he had gone to report on a story. The police also arrested Sai Reddy in 2008 and Samaru Nag in 2015 under the Chhattisgarh Special Security Act. In addition, there have been reports of journalists facing threat from groups backed by the police. Critics say the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party government has used these charges to clamp down on free speech and independent political reporting from the mineral-rich region that has seen several local and Maoist uprisings. But the BJP has refused to back down, saying journalists in Chhattisgarh were safer than anywhere else. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Rajasthan transport minister Yunus Khan has informed the house that buses running under Lok Parivahan Sewa (LPS) in the state will be given separate bus stands within three months. On Thursday, he informed the assembly that LPS was started to provide safe and easy transportation service. The transport department gave permits on 476 routes. Till date, 1,563 permits have been given. In December 2015, chief minister Vasundhara Raje started the LPS services, where private operators were roped in to run the bus service. The service faced resistance and at some places led to clashes between the Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation (RSRTC) employees and LPS operators - as both government and LPS buses were running from the same stand. Accepting this, during question hour Khan said that while advertising for LPS service it was mentioned that the buses would be running from RSRTC bus stands, but reports of resistance started coming from Bikaner, Naguar, Hanumangarh, Sikar and other districts and the decision was withdrawn. Be it roadways or private operators, everyone has to abide by the law and run buses on the permitted routes. No one, will be allowed to take law in their hand, he said. The minister said that in the last 20 years, on an average 4,591 buses were part of the RSRTC fleet, which are runing on 6,000 routes, whereas private buses are operating on 44,000 routes. In the last one year, 1023 new routes in rural Rajasthan have been introducted. LPS service has been started on 476 of 16,338 nationalised routes, said Khan. Places near Metro station in Jaipur have been designated for LPS. All district collectors have been asked to identify places for LPS stands. In the next three months, new bus stands will be there for these buses, he said. Replying to question raised by MLA Shanker Singh if the government wanted to close down LPS in order to support roadways, Khan said that the government has provided financial assistance to roadways from time to time. In the last three years, around Rs 1110.73 crore have been given, whereas the last government gave Rs 930.32 crore. The government is providing other financial and administrative assistance to roadways in order to overcome losses, he said. In another question, mines minister Surender Pal Singh informed the house that in last three years 3209 cases of illegal bajri mining has been caught, 258 FIRs has been lodged and Rs 11.87 crore penalty has been recovered. The Sawai Man Singh Medical College teachers, who have boycotted work in protest against the state governments March 7 order to keep medical officers at par with medical college teachers, have decided to intensify their agitation if the directive is not withdrawn. Rajasthan Medical College Teachers Association (RMCTA) president Dr SS Yadav said a delegation met health minister Kali Charan Saraf at the assembly on Thursday and informed him that the governments order to make medical officers equivalent to medical college teachers is not a fair decision. We showed him the guidelines and norms of Medical Council of India and told him that the council will not recognise the colleges, where medical officers take up the job of teaching, and students will be in soup. Dr Yadav said the medical officers who are posted at primary health centres, community health centres cannot teach the students. RMCTA secretary Dr Dhananjai Agarwal said: The minister has assured to look into the matter, but till the government does not roll back the order, we doctors will continue with our agitation. He said there has been information of medical college doctors submitting their resignations across the state, many have gone on mass leave. The minister was not aware about the repercussions of this order and we have given him the day to think about the decision. Senior vice president of the association, Dr RK Jain, said: We are taking care of emergency services, intensive care units, attending to deliveries, post mortem, MLC so that patients do not suffer. We will decide our future course of action after the governments response. The protest comes at a time when the state government is planning to eight new medical colleges at Alwar, Barmer, Bharatpur, Churu, Dungarpur, Bhilwara, Pali and Sikar. To get MCI recognition, the government has decided to give lateral entry to medical officers by making them equivalent to medical college teachers based on their number of years of experience. The SMS Medical College has 550 medical teachers. Dr Agarwal said the Medical Council of India may cancel affiliation of colleges, where the new rule gets implemented. If eligibility, experience of these medical officers, made equivalent to medical teachers, are taken into consideration in tune with MCI guidelines, then the decision would hold no water. Muzaffar Ahmed Rather, a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) member on death row has started hunger strike in Dumdum jail demanding TV set, a proper bed, TV, newspapers and better food. He refused to take food since March 6 and was shifted to the jail hospital the next day as he became weak. Thirty-year old Rather was one of the three who were handed out capital punishment on January 22 this year, and was since then lodged in solitary confinement in a condemned cell in Dumdum Central Jail. Read: NIA claims Lashkar-e-Taiba behind terror attacks at Uri, Handwara army camps Incidentally, Maoists are known to resort to hunger strikes in jails to press for their demands. Jihadists take to it only rarely. The death row convict has gone on hunger strike for the past three days. But facilities such as TV sets can only be given with permission from higher authorities of the state jail department. We are requesting him to withdraw the fast, said a senior jail department official. Youths pelting stones in Kashmir. (PTI Photo) As a condemned prisoner the petitioner has the rights and facilities of division 1 prisoner and has requested the jail officials many times in this regard. For his physical and mental health and wellness he requested for better food, mattress and pillow, daily news paper and a TV set either provided by jail authorities or on his own expenses. And in response got nothing but only tasteless food, which is served to patients.., read Rathers petition. Read: Clashes between protesters, security forces after Friday prayers in Srinagar Arrested in 2007, Rather has spent over 10 years behind the bars. Incidentally, the other two who were also given death sentence -- Mohammed Younus and Abdullah -- were terrorists from Pakistan. Rather hails from Anantnag in Kashmir. A fast track court in North 24 Parganas district gave him capital punishment. The jail official told HT that Rather was given the same food that was meant for all prisoners in the jail. He also pointed out that the other two convicts Mohammed Younus and Abdullah had no problem with it. In April 2007 Border Security Force personnel arrested four persons trying to enter India through the Bangladesh border at Petrapole in North 24 Parganas district. Two of them were Pakistanis, while two were Indians. Later they were charged with sections relating to waging war against the state. Read: Pakistan puts Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed under house arrest The fourth person was Abdul Nayeem Karim alias Sheikh Sameer who was a resident of Maharastra. He later managed to escape when he was being taken to Mumbai in connection with the Aurangabad Arms Haul case. They had plans to attack army camps in Jammu and Kashmir, but before they could carry it out they were caught by BSF and handed over to Bangaon police station, an officer of Bengal police said after the conviction in January. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday used the proverb like father, like son, ostensibly to make a point that he was the natural heir to SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadavs legacy. Sometime you get to do certain things in natural course, he said while quoting the proverb. Releasing three volumes of collection of Mulayam Singh Yadavs speeches in state assembly at an event held at Vidhan Sabha, Akhilesh said: Netaji (Mulayam) had to come here to release the book but since he could not make it, I got an opportunity to do the honours. Although chief minister did not elaborate, many feel that since the observations came a day after SP patriarchs wife Sadhna Yadav spoke on family feud to a news agency, the comment could be construed as an answer to a few of the political statements she made. I do not know who misled Akhilesh but he respects me and Netaji a lot. I have kept family united. Dharmendra and Akhilesh have been made MPs and I have done all these but in a hidden manner, Sadhna had said. On the book, chief minister said it would serve as a useful document to those who would like to know about Netaji, the issues and the policies during these days. The book would also be useful to those who would like to conduct research or understand the socialism, said the chief minister. A cursory glance on the book also throws light on Mulayams anti-Congress stance. The manner in which the Congress is running the government, it seems that all norms have been done away with, Mulayam had been quoted while speaking on a debate under rule 53 of state assembly on police lathi charge on students holding demonstration in Kanpur on March 18, 1975. In another speech in the house (July 11, 1990) Mulayam as UP chief minister) has been quoted saying that there was probably only one person (late Rajiv Gandhi) in the Congress who had qualification to become the Prime Minister. On our side, however, we have dozens who are eligible to become the PM, said Mulayam while quoting names of late Jyoti Basu, V Rajeswar Rao, Nambudripad, Devi Lal and Chandrashekhar. Sadan main Samajwad a collection of speeches of Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey in the assembly was also released on the occasion. Read more| UP election: How campaigning turned bitter with every phase of polling SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Two days before the mayoral election, in which the BJP voted for the Shiv Senas candidate, the party held an overnight training session for its newly elected corporators. The training, at the RSS-linked Rambhau Prabhodini Mhalgi training and research institute at Bhayandar, gave the newly inducted councillors lessons on how to be more vigilant during the functioning of the Mumbai civic body, to usher in transparency in administration. The BJP conducting a session for the 82 newly elected representatives is not new, but this time, its theme and timing was crucial. The workshop indicates exactly how the BJP will corner the Sena in the two years leading up to the 2019 Assembly polls. The councillors role was made clear: act as the opposition, while supporting the ruling party. Among those who gave lessons to councillors were CM Devendra Fadnavis, city chief Ashish Shelar and senior accounting and auditing officials from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. The lessons included how to read budget documents and standing committee proposals, tips on how to recognise flawed tender documents and how to get work done at the ward level. There is a reason why we stayed away from all positions of power in the BMC, not just the mayors post. With our strength of corporators almost at a par with the Senas, in all important committees, especially the standing committee, we will play a crucial role. In any case of mischief, we will oppose the tender or contract and not allow it to be passed, said a senior party leader and legislator who was at the session. This will also force the Congress to oppose such proposals or explain how it is willing to compromise with the Sena. The standing committee in the BMC had once been publicly dubbed as the understanding committee, by former CM Vilasrao Deshmukh, pointing to the tacit understanding of councillors of all parties while handing out contracts for civic works. BJP, which has been a junior partner in the ruling alliance for the past 15 years, has an insiders view and is best poised to take on the system and the Sena on its own turf. The partys strategy is to expose Senas mismanagement in the BMC, by blaming it for badly done work, pick on contracts and projects that reek of nexus and favouritism and build up an atmosphere against it in the run up to the 2019 Assembly polls. The party indirectly started building the pressure on its ally in the state assembly just a day earlier, by calling for a special investigation team probe in the road scam. In the coming days, the party is likely to oppose the Sena on handing out of pre-monsoon and road works, among others. The CM, in his lecture to councillors, stressed on why the party had decided to take transparency as a political plank, pointing out that after the 2014 polls, it was clear the credibility of politicians and parties was at an all-time low. The Sena-BJP alliance worked on the Hindutva plank, but clearly that is no longer as relevant as development and anti-corruption, said a BJP minister. He added the partys role in the BMC from now on would be with an eye on the 2019 elections and its potential tally in Mumbai in those polls. The BJPs support to the Sena in the mayoral elections is then, just the calm before the storm. READ MORE BJP-Shiv Sena rivalry will cost Mumbai, delay policies and projects Data crunching, war rooms, a solid plan: BJP nearly won Mumbai SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Maharashtra government plans to form a panel of women legislators and police officers, who will suggest how to make the state safer for women. Shiv Sena leader Neelam Gorhe raised the issue in the state legislative council on Thursday through a calling attention motion. She added that several women worked at IT companies, which required them to work at odd hours. Deepak Kesarkar, minister of state for home, said several measures had been put in place to ensure womens safety and that the police had been sensitised on the issue. However, he said the state would constitute a committee of women representatives to see what additional steps could be taken. We will form a committee of two women legislators each from the upper and lower houses of the state legislature, along with three women police officers. The committee will be given a month to submit a report. Its suggestions will be implemented, he said. Last month, 25-year-old Infosys engineer Rasila Raju was murdered at her workplace in Pune. She had been clocking in extra hours at work at the time. Over the past fortnight, six women politicians said they had received threats and lewd text messages. These include five legislators, one of whom is Gorhe. Read List steps taken for safety of women who work late: Bombay high court to Maharashtra govt While others celebrate womens day, six women politicians in Maharashtra flag issue of safety Maha is most unsafe for women in India: NCRB SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Kurar police on Wednesday arrested a 52-year-old man for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor girl in Malad east. According to officials at the Kurar police station, the elderly man is a neighbour of the victim. The incident came to light after the girl confided in her parents on Wednesday evening. Based on the complaint given by the parents to the Kurar police station, the accused man lured the 12-year-old girl into his house and touched her inappropriately. The police said the accused also sexually assaulted the minor girl and threatened her against telling anyone about the incident. The girl who is a school student stays with her family. The Kurar police have registered a case for sexually assaulting a minor girl against the accused under sections of Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. We are trying to find the sequence of events. For now, we have arrested him based on the parents complaint. He will be produced before a metropolitan court for police custody, said L Vhanmane, senior inspector at Kurar police station. READ MORE 10 minors sent to child welfare committee for sexually abusing 12-year-old boy Mumbai man gets life for raping daughter for seven years SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Shiv Sena leaders heaved a sigh of relief as the Bharatiya Janata Party opted out of the mayoral race after the February 21 civic polls threw a fractured mandate. The Sena could get its mayor elected and became the ruling party in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Indias biggest and richest civic body that governs the financial capital of the country. However, winning mayoral election was probably the easy part. The difficult part will be to rule the civic body without having majority in the civic house. A look at the hurdles the Shiv Sena is likely to face while running the BMC: Ruling the BMC without majority in civic house The Shiv Sena has been ruling the BMC for two decades now. During this period, it always was close to majority or had clear majority with allies like BJP. This time, it has 84 members in the house of 227 and the BJP, with its 82 members, has given conditional support.It also has support of four Independents. Without BJP, it will need 26 more votes to get its proposals cleared. It means the Sena will need to take the BJP into confidence for any major decision that needs to be cleared by the civic house of elected representatives. If not, it will need support of other parties like Congress (31 members), Nationalist Congress Party (9), Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (7) and Samajwadi Party (6). This will be a tightrope walk and Sena cant push through its agenda. Facing an aggressive BJP in the run-up to the 2019 assembly polls The Sena is the largest party in the civic body but the BJP is a close second with just two members less than the former. With BJP announcing that it would support the Sena only for the proposals that are in the interest of the city, there are clear indications that the tussle between the two parties will continue. It means the Senas decisions will be under scanner by the BJP which will try to show the citizens how the Sena can be a bad choice to run the city. The problem for the Sena is, the BJP was its partner in power for two decades and its Mumbai leaders know the formers ways of functioning in the civic body. Fulfilling the expectations of the people Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray made lots of promises while seeking votes in civic polls. Now since his party is ruling the BMC, there will be expectations from him. Fulfilling them will be quite a task considering the way the BMC functions. With a hostile BJP and aggressive Opposition, every failure of the Sena in the BMC would be highlighted. Battling this would be quite a task for Thackeray and his team. Significantly, there will be interference of the state government in BMCs functioning. Municipal Commissioner has more powers than the ruling party and he reports to urban development department headed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Competing with the BJP led government The next assembly elections are due in 2019. In a bid to retain its tally of 15 seats or even winning more, the BJP is likely to go whole hog in wooing Mumbai citizens in next two years. Chief Minister Devendra is personally supervising mega infrastructure projects such as seven new metro routes, developing an international finance centre, building a sealink to connect Mumbai with the mainland and the coastal road on Mumbais west coast. The BJP plans to showcase work on these projects as its achievements in the next assembly polls. The Sena will have to plan civic projects to show its performance but it may not match the state governments capacity when it comes to finance and planning. Mahadeshwars controversies Allegations against Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar is an embarrassment for the Sena. He is accused of occupying a flat in a housing project meant for civic employees and forcibly buying a flat from a retired BMC employee. Further, he is accused of drawing salary from a government aided college even as he was contesting elections. An independent candidate has filed a case against Mahadeshwar and if he is found guilty of violation of rules, he faces disqualification. In that case, it will be an unwanted headache for Thackeray. READ MORE Shiv Sena wins the race, now can it run the BMC? A fire broke out across a 500m-stretch of mangroves at Charkop in Kandivli on Thursday. This is the second time this year that the citys mangroves were charred and the tenth such, since 2016. Residents alleged that unidentified people had been dumping garbage and lighting fires to clear the trees and build illegal shanties at the site. It took the fire department an hour to douse the flames this time. These incidents are on the rise because people want to enter the areas illegally and construct structures, said Mili Shetty, Charkop resident. Since temperatures are rising and the leaves are dry, the wind on this stretch allows the fire to spread faster. The fire was doused after residents saw smoke emanating from the stretch behind a compound wall where mangrove trees were ablaze, and informed the Mumbai fire brigade. We have been receiving regular calls from residents complaining about fires, especially from sector 8. There is a lot of garbage that is dumped at the site, which leads to the recurring fires, said an official from the Mumbai fire control. In the first week of February, a number of mangrove trees caught fire at the same location. It had taken two hours to douse the fire, after complaints were made. State mangrove cell officials said that residents had been told not to dump garbage at the site. Mangrove trees do not catch fire easily as they have a lot of water stored near the roots. Since this area is not marked as a reserved forest, it does not fall under our jurisdiction, but we will inform the police and civic body to sensitise citizens, said Makarand Ghodke, assistant conservator of forest, Mumbai Mangrove Conservation Unit. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials said that the issue was a matter of concern and they had already initiated action. We have instructed a team to patrol the area, fine anyone who is found dumping garbage and identify the ones responsible for lighting fires. A letter will be dispatched to the local police station so that they can look into the matter, said Sahebrao Gaikwad, ward officer, R south. WHAT ARE MANGROVES Mangroves are salt-tolerant plants, trees, shrubs or ground fern of tropical and subtropical intertidal regions of the world. The specific regions where these plants occur are termed as mangrove ecosystem. These are highly productive but extremely sensitive and fragile. Besides mangroves, the ecosystem also harbours other plant and animal species. Why should you care? Mangroves act as a buffer zone between land and sea, protecting the land from erosion Mangroves absorb the impact of cyclones They are a breeding ground for a variety of marine animals Mangroves also absorb carbon dioxide, making air cleaner to breathe READ MORE After Kapil Sharma, owners of 53 Versova bungalows booked for mangrove destruction Green tribunal fines Mumbai builder 40 lakh for destroying Khandala hill SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Before Mumbai went to the polls last month, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government said it would regularise tenants living illegally in transit camps and buildings redeveloped by the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA). The departments dealing with the issue, however, have been against the proposal for months and have told the government that regularising these 22,002 tenants will be contempt of court. There are 8,858 families that live illegally in 56 Mhada transit camps illegally because, while the transit camps are meant as alternative accommodation for tenants of cessed building that are being redeveloped, these residents got the rights transferred fraudulently. Similarly, 13,144 families are illegal tenants of buildings redeveloped under the SRA scheme these illegal tenants bought the flat from the legitimate residents before the lock-in period of 10 years. Tenants in slum rehabilitation buildings are not allowed to sell their flats for 10 years. Days before the civic polls, the BJP had said these tenants can be regularised after paying a penalty for the illegal stay. When the proposal came before the cabinet on January 9, however, officers from the housing department opposed it, warning that such a step could be against high court and Supreme Court rulings. The cabinet then appointed a sub-committee of six ministers headed by housing minister Prakash Mehta. During the first meeting of the sub-committee on Thursday, officials from the housing and law and judiciary departments told the committee regularising illegal tenants may be in contempt of court. Both the Bombay HC and the Supreme Court have ruled against regularisation of illegal tenants. The courts had also rapped the government for not evicting such residents for years. Any amendment in the existing act, with a retrospective effect for regularisation, would set a bad precedent. We have been opposing the move since the beginning, said an official from the law and judicial department. Shiv Sena leader and transport minister Diwakar Raote,who is a member of the sub-committee, backed the officials and opposed the regularisation. Mehta has now asked the officials from the two departments to work out a way to regularise these tenants by levying a certain penalty. READ MORE Regularising illegal homes will lead to more cases, HC tells Maharashtra govt SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Shiv Senas Vishwanath Mahadeshwar was elected Mumbais 76th mayor, after the party came to power for the fifth time in a row in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. The mayor of Mumbai is a prestigious post but it has limited powers. The mayor can get things done if he has a clear majority in the civic house. It has also been a stepping stone for some politicians who made it big in state or national politics. Here is a look at them: Yusuf Meherally Yusuf Meherally, a socialist leader, was well known for his contribution to the freedom struggle. He was jailed by the British when he was elected Mumbai mayor in 1942. Meherally was at the forefront of the Quit India movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi in Mumbai, and is credited with coining the Quit India slogan. SK Patil A Congress leader, he was elected mayor for three consecutive terms. Once described as the uncrowned king of Bombay, he went on to become union minister in governments led by Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. His reign in Mumbai ended after George Fernandes defeated him in 1967. Shiv Sena leader and former Lok Sabha speaker Manohar Joshi. (Vijayanand Gupta/HT Photo) Manohar Joshi The Shiv Sena mayor in 1976-77, he went on to become chief minister of Maharashtra, union minister and also Lok Sabha speaker. For a long time, he was regarded as Sena Chief Bal Thackerays trusted aide. Late Congress leader and former Union minister Murli Deora. (HT File) Murli Deora Mayor in 1977-78, Deora later took over as Mumbai Congress president and handled the party unit for more than a decade. He was the Congress contact person with corporate India. Deora also had a long stint as south Mumbai MP and was petroleum minister in Manmohan Singhs government. NCP leader Chagan Bhujbal (HT File) Chhagan Bhujbal Another Shiv Sena mayor who went on to become deputy chief minister of Maharashtra and also state president of the Nationalist Congress Party. Sudhir Joshi A Shiv Sena mayor in 1973-74, Joshi missed the post of Maharashtra chief minister as he was considered too soft a person for the same. Thackeray chose Manohar Joshi who is also a relative of Sudhir Joshi. The latter was made revenue minister and later education minister in the Sena-BJP government. Datta Nalawade A former mayor who also became speaker of the Maharashtra assembly. Diwakar Raote He is currently transport minister of Maharashtra and one of the key Shiv Sena leaders. Chandrakant Handore He became mayor after the Congress-RPI alliance snatched power from the Sena in 1992-93. He later became a minister in the Congress government in the state. There are several former mayors who became legislators. Prominent among them are Ramesh Prabhoo, Vishakha Raut and Sunil Prabhu. An FIR was registered by the cyber cell of the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) police on Wednesday after Bollywood film producer Boney Kapoor complained on Tuesday that his Twitter account has been hacked by an unidentified person in December 2016. According to Kapoor, the unidentified person hacked into his twitter handle - @BoneyKapoor - and asked for Rs 10,000 from one of his acquaintances. . Deputy commissioner of police, cyber, Akhileshkumar Singh said that the accused tried to extort money from others as well. When Kapoor learnt about it, he immediately changed the password and managed to retrieve his twitter account. The police registered a FIR under section 419 (impersonation) of IPC and 66c (identity theft) and 66d (Punishment for cheating by personation by using computer resource) of IT Act. If convicted, the accused may face imprisonment up to three years and fine. The Shiv Sena came to power for the fifth time in a row in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, with its nominee Vishwanath Mahadeshwar elected Mumbais 76th mayor on Wednesday with the backing of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Mahadeshwar, an educationist and three-term councillor, defeated Congress candidate Vithal Lokare by securing 171 votes in the house of 227. The Senas councillor from Worli, Hemangi Worlikar, was elected deputy mayor. Though the BJP backed the Sena, it was clear their ties would remain stormy. The new mayor did not thank the BJP in his speech and Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray remained combative as ever in his references to the BJP. Thackeray, who visited the civic house soon after Mahadeshwar was declared elected, thanked Mumbaikars and the Marathi Manoos for the victory. Without crumbling under pressure we showed our rivals who is the number one party in Mumbai, he said in an apparent jibe at the BJP. The two parties had parted ways after a quarter of a century and contested the civic polls separately. After a lot of posturing by both sides the BJP, which won 82 seats to the Senas 84, decided not to contest the mayoral election, but its leaders have put the Sena on notice. Manoj Kotak group leader of BJP, said, On orders from our partys city chief to support Sena, we did. We will work as watchdogs in the civic body and will support or oppose depending on how transparent a proposal is. Another BJP leader, who asked not to be named was even more forthright. Matoshrees [Uddhav Thackerays residence] authoritarian control over the BMC is over. The Sena will be under pressure to deliver but at the same time it will be under our constant scrutiny, he said. The Congress has the numbers to help the Sena in the civic body but they will be forced to target the latter instead of cosying up to the Sena, he added. On Wednesday, the Congresss mayoral candidate got just 31 votes, with the Nationalist Congress Party and the Samajwadi Party abstaining. The Senas 171 votes included its 84 members and four independents, BJPs 82 and Geeta Gawli of the Akhil Bharatiya Sena. Seven members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena remained absent. Winning the mayoral elections will probably be the easy part for Thackeray and his party. The tough part will be ruling the civic body for the next five years, especially during the next two and a half years in the run-up to the 2019 assembly polls. The Sena doesnt have a clear majority in the civic house. It has 88 members (including 4 independents) on its side and is 26 short of a simple majority. This means it will have to rely on either the BJP or smaller parties such as the NCP, MNS and Samajwadi Party to get its proposals passed in the civic general body. This will be sharp in contrast with what the Sena was doing for past two decades. It was clearly the largest party and Matoshrees writ ran large in the BMC headquarters. Now, it is up against an aggressive and expansionist BJP, which can be expected to team up with the opposition to corner the Sena over certain issues. Further, the Sena will have limited say in the civic decision making as the municipal commissioner has more powers and he reports to the urban development department headed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. This means the acrimony witnessed during in the civic polls will continue. A glimpse of what is to come was visible on Wednesday as the mayor was elected. While the Sena corporators were hailing Thackeray, BJP members responded with slogans hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi. For Mahadeshwar who won by a huge margin of 140 votes, the ride may not be smooth personally either. He stands accused of grabbing a flat meant for BMC employees and of taking a salary from a government-aided college. The charges if proved can get him disqualified. I will make sure that various projects of the BMC are fast tracked so that better services can be given to the citizens, he said. The Shiv Sena staged a show of strength outside the civic headquarters after it won the mayoral election. Thackeray addressed the crowd from a makeshift stage alongwith the newly elected mayor. In a victory march later, Thackeray along with son and Yuva Sena chief Aditya Thackeray marched on foot to Hutatma Chowk, memorial to martyrs ofin the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement. They were accompanied by the Mayor and newly elected Sena corporators. At Hutatma Chowk, too, Thackeray took potshots at the BJP, in an indication that the tussle was far from over though the civic polls are. Our fight against hypocrisy will continue, he told the media. He also said the Shiv Sena will continue to demand loan waiver for farmers in the state an issue which is being pushed jointly by the Sena and the Opposition Congress and NCP. Though they may continue sniping at each other, both the Sena and the BJP need each other to continue in power the BJP in the state and the Sena in Mumbai. READ MORE Mumbai mayor election: Five scenarios Mumbai mayor election set stage for another BJP-Sena tiff While studies have proven that marriages between cousins increases the chances of birth defects, research reveals that many families in the M-East ward (Shivaji Nagar, Govandi) continue with the tradition. Because of this, a large number of children living there suffer from birth defects. According to a recent study by a non-government organisation (NGO) Apnalaya, 85 of the 580 people registered with their disability programme are children born out of consanguineous marriages (marriage between first and second cousins, or uncle and niece). Another 150 (75 couples) of the 580 people were themselves in a consanguineous marriage. The disabilities include bone problems, speech impairment and visual impairment. Studies reveal that if parents are unrelated then the risk of having a child with a birth defect is 1%-2%. This rises to 5%-6% if parents have common ancestors. Such marriages are common in Muslim and South Indians communities, the study states. Arun Kumar, CEO, Apnalaya said, With this study, we want to undertake an awareness building in the community because a large number of people still do not accept that there is a link between consanguineous marriages and birth defects. The data also revealed that men and women disagreed on whether marrying ones cousin can cause birth defects. 84% of women interviewed agreed that there is a co-relation, but only 15% men said that there is a link. Some women who did not support consanguineous marriages said that their opinion was of little significance since the husbands are the decision-makers, the report states. Girls facing disability are also more stigmatised in comparison to the boys as the pressure for marriage for disabled girls increases at an early stage, Kumar said. The average age for girls getting married is just 17, the report reveals. The study states that parents opt for marriages within families as it is their tradition, families are known, their daughter remains in the same family and also economic reasons like property remaining within families. The M-East ward ranks the lowest in human development indices in the city with an average life expectancy of 39 years. It houses large slums and one of the biggest dumping grounds, which poses a health risk. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Shiv Sena leader Trushna Vishwasrao, who lost the recently held BMC elections to Congress Sufiyan Vanu, has filed a case demanding Vanus disqualification. The Sena leader has alleged the first-time corporator violated the election code of conduct. She also alleged Vanu had circulated messages on social media, suggesting she was involved in the 1993 riots in the city. Vishwasrao confirmed the court admitted the case and said the hearing was on April 11. My area (Antop Hill) did not witness any untoward incident during the riots. Still, he (Vanu) has spread wrong messages on social media suggesting my involvement, which ate into my vote share. He should be disqualified for seeking votes on religious lines. In January 2017, the Supreme Court outlawed seeking votes in the name of religion, caste, race, community or language. It said candidates could not seek votes in the name of religion, caste, race, community or language. Vishwasrao is Sena vibhag pramukh and the former leader of the house who lost to Vanu by 127 votes from ward number 179 in Wadala. She has now been elected as a nominated councillor in BMC by the party. Vanu, however, denied all allegations. He said it was Vishwasrao who used a religious tone to garner votes. I have videos where Vishwasrao has sought votes on religious lines. READ MORE Shiv Sena suspends members involved in Kochi moral policing incident SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Wednesday may have been the Shiv Senas day in the sun, as it seated its mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, but running the Mumbai civic body is going to be a tightrope walk for the party. The Shiv Sena has held the reins of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for two decades always being miles ahead of the other parties in terms of its strength in the house. The 2017 verdict, however, delivered a fractured mandate and the Sena got just two seats more than friend-turned-foe Bharatiya Janata Party. This means, for every major decision in the house, the Sena will have to expend time and effort to get the BJP on board, or bolster its numbers by talking to smaller parties. There will also be immense pressure on Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to perform, as he had taken the lead to splinter the alliance with the BJP before the polls. As this is Senas fifth straight term with most numbers, there could be a rise in anti-incumbency sentiments if it fails. The BJPs strategy also has the Sena on edge. Mangesh Satamkar, a Sena corporator from Sion, said, The BJPs strategy is still unclear. They were posturing in a way, as though they were preparing to fight us in the BMC. But at the eleventh hour, they decided to give up the mayors post, and even voted for our candidates on Wednesday. We will know only once the house has two or three meetings if their support is two-faced. The Sena will have to determine its strategy accordingly. The Sena has the highest numbers in the house 84 votes and the support of four more independents. If the BJP wants to stall or push proposals against the Senas wish, it will have to cozy up to other parties. Within a few meetings, we will know what BJPs equations with other parties on the floor are, he said. The BJP has often clashed with the Sena in the BMC, even when the two parties were partners in administration, especially over the past two years when relations got increasingly choppy. The two parties, still allies at the state and Centre, did not see eye-to-eye on several issues related to the civic body, such as an unconditional approval to Mumbais participation in the Centres smart cities scheme, giving BMC land for construction of a Metro corridor, policies for parking and open spaces, among others. In 2015, the BJP and Sena were directly pitted against each other over the controversial issue of closing abattoirs during the Jain festival of Paryushan. Despite these differences, however, BJP corporators never ended up voting against the Sena while the two were allies. This time, the situation is vastly different. The two parties are already at loggerheads, having called each other goons and extortionists, during campaigns. The BJP almost trebled its strength in BMC, and has declared it will act as a watchdog to ensure transparency the very tool it used to berate Sena during campaigning . Sunil Shinde, Sena legislator who was a senior corporator feels the slim difference between the parties votes and recent tussles will not hamper decisions important to citizens . It may come in the way where there are ideological differences. Everyone wants a Metro, but Sena is asking if it should be built in a green zone. Even these issues can be solved with discussions. The chairmen of committees need to be capable of reasoning with corporators and getting them on board. READ MORE Mumbai gets its 76th mayor as Shiv Sena wins fifth term in a row Shiv Sena activists turn moral police, chase away youngsters from Marine Drive in Kerala SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Three men were sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment recently or cheating a gold trader of Rs2.35 crore by promising him gold at very cheap rate. In 2014, the accused had lured the complainant saying they will use their contacts to clear gold items seized by customs department and will sell him at cheap rate. Unfortunately, no money could be recovered as the accused splurged it all. According to Vile Parle police, the FIR was registered on June 24 in 2014 under IPC sections of 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 34 (common intention). The arrested accused Sadanandrao Ganna, 54, Sureshkumar Loda, 54 and Arvind Mehta, 60 have been convicted for criminal breach of trust and sentenced to two years rigorous imprisonment. The three have also been convicted for cheating and sentenced to three years rigorous imprisonment. The imprisonment will not run concurrently and so the accused will have to spend five years in jail. Apart from that each of them will have to pay Rs 50,000 as fine. The punishment was awarded by magistrate Chaya Patil of Andheri magistrates court and assistant public prosecutor for the case was Anil Nandgiri. The complainant Hirachand Gulecha, 52, is a gold trader and runs a shop in Zaveri Bazaar. Gulecha was introduced to main accused Ganna by Suresh Sharma, another accused against whom the order is pending as he has approached the high court. Sharma was a trusted friend of Gulecha. Ganna told Gulecha that he has contacts in the customs department and he can get him 15 to 18 kilograms of gold which was seized by the department from smugglers. The police however found that they had no such plan and their intention was to cheat Gulecha. Second convict Loda ran a company named Fine Diamond and he permitted Ganna to open an office in Vile Parle and bank account in his companys name. Ganna used to meet Gulecha at this office. Gulecha deposited a total of Rs 2.35 crore in the given bank account. Loda got Rs 60 lakh for allowing Ganna to use his companys name. Ganna told Gulecha that the third convict Arvind Mehta an agent in Chennai has contacts with the customs department. Mehta received Rs 1 crore from Ganna. After giving the money there was no communication from Ganna for a week. When Gulecha went to his Vile Parle office it was locked. After realizing he has been duped he rushed to Vile Parle police station. We could not make any recovery in the case as they splurged all the money on parties and hotels. They also paid all their debts, said a police official. Ganna was traced within 48 hours from Chennai and brought back. Ganna never got bail and has already spent over two years in jail. After the order the rest two accused were taken into custody. All three have been sent to Nashik jail. READ MORE Man gets five-year rigorous imprisonment for killing pregnant wife UT to recommend rigorous punishment for snatchers Highlights Software engineer Punam Punyakar Gajbhiye strangled by live-in partner in Thanes Badlapur city. Vijay Sanjay Jharkad allegedly murdered her after she tried to end the relationship due to her familys disapproval. The couple used to fight often. Punams body was sent for post-mortem and then handed over to her family for last rites. A 30-year-old software engineer was strangled to death by her live-in partner after they had a fight over the issue of their marriage in Badlapur of Maharashtras Thane district on Wednesday, police said on Thursday. The engineer has been identified as Punam Punyakar Gajbhiye and belongs to Nashik. She was living in Badlapur since the past three years and worked with an IT firm at Kanjurmarg in Mumbai, police said. Vijay Sanjay Jharkad strangled Punam with her scarf late on Wednesday after she told him that she will not be able to continue the relationship with him as her family members were against it. After the incident, Jharkad locked the door and fled from the spot to his friends place. The 22-year-old met his friend in a nearby area and told him about the murder. Vijays friend alerted us and soon we rushed to the spot and in a few hours, we caught Vijay. He will be produced in court today (Thursday), an officer at the Badlapur west police station said. Punam met Jharkad, a mobile repairer in Badlapur, a few years ago and got into a live-in relationship with him. Both were staying in the same room which had been bought by Punam six months ago. They were staying together from the past two and a half years and it was after Punams family came to know about them they used to have arguments and fight every second day, deputy commissioner of police (Zone 4) Sunil Bhardwaj said. Punam, who earned well, took care of Jharkad and his daily expenses and had also invested in his mobile shop. Bhardwaj added that Punam had divorced her husband three years ago and was living with Jharkad and initially her parents, who live in Mumbai, did not know about their relationship. But when they came to know about Jharkad, they objected to it and asked Punam to come to Mumbai. We have arrested the accused and he has confessed to the crime. Apart from that, he also confessed to having daily quarrels over their marriage, investigation officer, M Polekar, said. Punams body was sent to the Central Hospital for post-mortem and her family was alerted about the incident. Her body has been handed over to her family for final rights. Jharkad was arrested under section 302 (punishment for murder) of the Indian Penal Code. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Ghaziabad district administration will deploy around 600 police and para military personnel for security and another 500 personnel for vote counting on March 11 when the election results are to be announced. The three-tier security will comprise Central paramilitary forces along with police who will ensure safety and security and will not allow any victory procession by winning candidates. According to officials, the counting, which will start at 8:30am, will take up the entire day and will be done in 30 rounds for each of the five assembly segments of the district. The fate of 53 contesting candidates is sealed in 2,494 electronic voting machines (EVMs) kept at Govindpuram grain market. There will be an absolute ban on any victory procession by candidates or their supporters. They will be escorted back home after declaration of results. A total of 14 counting tables will be setup for Loni, Murad Nagar, Ghaziabad and Modi Nagar while 28 tables will be set up for the Sahibabad constituency during the counting, said Nidhi Kesarwani, district magistrate and district election officer. The counting will start with the postal ballots and thereafter the EVMs will be opened in the presence of observers. On February 11, the day of voting, the five constituencies of Ghaziabad district recorded an average of 55.8% polling, with Modi Nagar constituency recording the highest at 62.92% . Yet again, Sahibabad fared badly and could muster only 49.25% voting, despite hectic voter awareness campaigns by the administration. Read more: UP polls: Low turnout in Sahibabad, Ghaziabad affected overall polling percentage Ghaziabad district has 24,97,069 eligible voters out of which 13,93,394 cast their votes. These include 7,90,600 men and 6,02,788 women voters apart from six from the others category. The trends after each round of counting will be displayed at the media centre in the Govindpuram counting centre. The data will also be uploaded to a software connected to the Election Commission of India website. We will have two companies of Central paramilitary forces deployed in the district till the end of Holi (on March 13). Strict action will be taken against those involved in any anti-social activity and those who even try to disrupt the counting process, said Deepak Kumar, senior superintendent of police (SSP), Ghaziabad. A total of 53 candidates contested the election from the district, including six from Loni, 14 from Murad Nagar, 11 from Sahibabad, 13 from Ghaziabad city and nine from Modi Nagar assembly constituencies. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In yet another twist to the Audi car crash case, Raj Kumar, who had certified Syed Imtiyaz Qadri as Ishaq of Bareilly, has filed a police complaint against Qadri, his family and truck driver Ishaq. Ishaqs driving licence was allegedly used by Qadri to obtain bail from a Ghaziabad court. The complaint came to light after Qadri, who claimed to be the man driving the Audi that rammed an autorickshaw on January 28 in Ghaziabad killing four people, was exposed as an imposter. Raj Kumar, who hails from Bareilly, is already in dock as he is the case pursuer of Qadri and has been summoned by Ghaziabad crime branch to record his statements. Qadri allegedly used the driving licence of his former co-tenant Ishaq Ahmad, a truck driver, and appeared as Ishaq Ahmad before a Ghaziabad court to obtain bail in the Audi case. We received a complaint from the district court (Bareilly) in which one Rajkumar, resident of Nawabganj, has alleged that he was manhandled by Imtiyaz Qadri and his family and also by Ishaq Ahmad and his family members on February 8, said sub-inspector Bachhu Singh Yadav, in charge of Rithora police post of Nawabganj, Bareilly. I have recorded the statement of Ishaq Ahmed. We will send the reply to the court after recording the statement of the other accused persons, Yadav said. Ghaziabad Audi Q7 Crash: Real Ishaq Ahmed says he was framed, files police complaint Truck driver Ishaq Ahmad said he was shocked to hear about the complaint. I was coming back home when the police summoned me to the police post. The police showed me a complaint filed by Raj Kumar against me and my relatives and also against Qadri and his family. He has alleged that we beat him up on February 8, Ishaq said. This is done only to harass me in the Audi case as I am to record statements before the Ghaziabad crime branch. Raj Kumar is the case pursuer of Qadri who surrendered before court misusing my driving licence, Ishaq said. Audi crash: Impostors aide feigns ignorance over his identity, death of four Last week, a team of crime branch officials had gone in search of Raj Kumar to Bareilly but his house was found locked. The team had left a notice, requiring him to appear at Ghaziabad for recording his statement. Neither Raj Kumar or the other man, who gave sureties for Qadris bail, has appeared despite notices, an official from the Ghaziabad crime branch said. The Audi belongs to neurosurgeon Dr Manish Rawat who works at Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi. The Audi hit an autorickshaw near Hindon canal in Ghaziabad on the intervening night of January 27 and 28, killing four persons on the spot. The doctor fled the spot but turned up before the police a week later, claiming that he was present in the car but it was driven by his driver Ishaq Ahmad. On January 31, Ishaq Ahmad surrendered before a Ghaziabad court and was granted bail. When an HT team reached the address mentioned in surrender application, it found that Ishaq Ahmad was a truck driver who did not appear before the Ghaziabad court. Ishaq Ahmad identified the person who surrendered before the court as Syed Imtiyaz Qadri, his former co-tenant. Later, before a police raid on February 5, Qadri and his family fled their house at Peerwada and are still not traceable. Police officers privy to the probe said that Qadri was in Ghaziabad for the first time on January 30 and January 31 when he surrendered in court and reached Bareilly on the night of January 31. Qadris landlady Shabnam has already told police that Qadri was in Bareilly when the accident took place in Ghaziabad. She had also told investigators that Qadris wife Ayesha told her that her husband was paid to appear as the driver in the case. A 30-year-old woman allegedly chopped off her husbands penis after the man refused to have a physical relationship with her for 10 years of their marriage. The couple hails from Bulandshahr and has been living in Ghaziabad for the past eight years. Police said the couple has no children and they fought often over the issue. The incident took place at 9.30am on Thursday. She told the police that her husband mentally tortured her by not having a physical relationship with her and avoided having children with her. Frustrated by his behaviour, she picked up a kitchen knife and attacked him when he came out of the bathroom, said Anil Kumar Yadav, circle officer, Indirapuram. The police lodged an FIR at Khoda police station and also arrested the woman who said she had no choice but to hurt her husband. The victim man is a cab operator and owns two Innova MUVs. He used boast about his manhood and told me that he can have children with other women but not me, the woman told the police. I still tolerated him. I dont know the reason why he hates me. Often, he used to ask me to leave. We got married in June 2006. He used to assault me and often abused me and my sisters. I have tried my level best to persuade him to have children but he had no physical relations with me, she said in her statement. We had fight over the same issue on Wednesday night.I have no regrets as I suffered a lot of humiliation and mental torture. I had no answers when my relatives asked me the reason for not having children, she said. Following the incident, the man was admitted to Jaypee Hospital in Noida. The brother of the victim said, The doctors have performed a surgery on my brother. He had just come out of the bathroom when she attacked him. As my brother lay drenched in blood, she latched the room from outside and walked off. My brother called the police, the victims brother said. Apart from the private part, she hurt him nowhere else. We have also informed her family members about the incident. My brother has also given his statements to the police, he said. Doctors at the Jaypee Hospital said the victim is still critical. The patients penis had been cut off. We have performed the surgery. He is in a critical situation but we are hoping that he will survive. In such cases, the patient is able to reproduce after the surgery, said Dr Saurabh Gupta, surgeon, Jaypee Hospital. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Jewar assembly constituency will be the first in the district to come out with election results as it is the smallest of the three constituencies of Gautam Budh Nagar, the district administration-cum-election commission office said on Wednesday. Polling for the three seats of Gautam Budh Nagar district took place on February 11 in the first phase of elections. Counting of votes and announcement of results will take place on March 11 along with other assembly constituencies in the state. As Jewar has only 25 rounds with 3,22,448 voters, we will be able to finish counting for the seat by 1:30pm. With 35 rounds of counting, Noida is the biggest assembly constituency, so we will be announcing the result by 2:30pm. Results for the Dadri assembly constituency will be out by 2pm as it has 30 rounds of counting, said Amit Kumar, subdivisional magistrate and returning officer for Noida. Read more: UP Elections 2017: Jewar witnesses 66% voter turnout Administration officials held a meeting with all parties agents on Thursday at Balak Inter College in Bisrakh, Greater Noida, ahead of the counting day on Saturday. Counting of votes will begin at 8am at the Phool Mandi in Noida phase 2 and results for all 403 assembly seats in the state are expected to be announced by 4pm, according to officials. Jewar is the smallest assembly constituency in the district. Noida is a large assembly seat in terms of number of voters. Like Jewar, there are many other small assembly seats, results for which will be declared one or two hours before the larger constituencies, said an official of the Election Commission of India. On February 11, of the 12,86,431 voters in the districts three constituencies, only 7,30,699 cast their votes with a total polling percentage of 56.8%. The Noida assembly seat registered the lowest polling percentage of 48.55. Jewar registered the highest with 65.33%, followed by Dadri with 60.22%. Of the 5,23,559 voters in Noida, only 2,54,197 exercised their franchise. In Dadri assembly segment, 2,65,210 out of a total of 4,40,424 registered voters cast their vote. In Jewar, the figure was 2,11,292 out of 3,22,448 voters. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The acquittal of Swami Aseemanand and six others in the 2007 bombing at the Ajmer Sharif mausoleum in Rajasthan comes as no surprise. More than three dozen witnesses out of 149 turned hostile or, in other words, refused to confirm to the court what they had earlier told the police and officers from the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Perhaps, a similar fate awaits a spate of court cases involving militant Hindu nationalists, including the bombing of Samjhauta Express that killed about 70 people in 2007. Dozens of witnesses in that case have already turned hostile in court. In all, the NIA is investigating seven cases in which Hindu right-wing groups are suspects. These cases involving attacks where Muslims were targeted -- were handed to the federal agency by the previous UPA government. This is also when the NIA made most of the arrests, including that of Swami Aseemanand who faces charges in at least two other bomb attacks. The other cases were the bombings in Maharashtras Muslim-dominated Malegaon town in 2006, blasts at Hyderabads Mecca Masjid the following year and bomb attacks in Gujarats Modasa and Malegaon in 2008. The seventh was the murder of former Hindu activist Sunil Joshi in Madhya Pradeshs Dewas in 2007. Joshis murder investigation was handed to the NIA as it was suspected that his killing was part of a larger Hindu right wing conspiracy against Muslims. But over the past three years, the pace of investigation has slackened and witnesses have turned hostile in cases where the accused belonged to organisations close to the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The collapse of cases involving right-wing Hindu groups coincide with the BJPs rise to power. And such speculation has only been further fed by claims of the NIAs former special public prosecutor, Rohini Salian, that she was asked to go soft on the investigations into the 2008 Malegaon blast. She was removed as the special public prosecutor after this. Sample this. The NIA has not been able to arrest any absconding accused in these cases since 2014, the year the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance came to power. The arrest of such absconders as Sandeep Dange, Ramchandra Kalsangra and Ashwini Chauhan is necessary to unravel any larger Hindu right-wing conspiracy. The first indication of change in the course of investigations into these cases came when the Union home ministry under Rajnath Singh refused permission to the NIA to challenge a court order granting bail to two accused - Devender Gupta and Lokesh Sharma in the Mecca Masjid blast case. In August, 2014, the NIA filed charges in Joshis murder against five accused, including Pragya Singh Thakur. But the agency said his murder was not linked to any wider militant Hindutva conspiracy. The agency said Joshi, considered the ring leader of Hindu extremists blamed for half a dozen blasts in the country, was killed by his own men as he misbehaved with Pragya Singh Thakur. The NIA termed Joshis killings as a simple murder and asked the Madhya Pradesh government to carry the case forward. In February, a court acquitted all the accused in the case. Around the same time, the Punjab and Haryana high court granted bail to Aseemanand, who is also the prime accused in the Samjhauta train bombing. The next month, the government told Parliament that the NIA had decided not to challenge the bail order in the Supreme Court. Aseemanand is also an accused in the Hyderabad Mecca Masjid blast. In May 2015, the NIA closed its probe into the Modasa blast, citing lack of evidence. Last May, the NIA let off Pragya Singh Thakur in the 2008 Malegaon bombings even though she had been formally charged by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad seven years earlier. The court is yet to approve the NIAs decision to drop charges against Thakur. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A miscreant snatched a bag from a doctor in sector 7 of Panchkula on Wednesday night. Dr Prabdeep Sohi, resident of sector 7, has a clinic Raviva Clinic in sector 17 D in Chandigarh. He had left his clinic around 7:40 pm with Rs 4.8 lakh cash and laptop in his bag. The moment he reached his house and got out of his car, one unidentified person snatched his bag. According to the doctor, the miscreant was carrying a knife in his hand. In the bag there was a laptop (Apple mac), a diary and a cash of around Rs 4.8 lakh. The police said that as per the incident, it was snatching and a case was registered under section 379 A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). It happened in a moment. When I reached up to the gate of the house, my wife was standing there. The snatcher came from behind and snatched the bag. We ran after him. He crossed the road and someone was waiting for him in car. After that the police were called, said Dr Sohi. On the lines of Haryana khaps, a panchayat in Sri Hargobindpur town of Gurdaspur on Wednesday passed a resolution for social boycott of all families that enter into marital alliance within the village. At the receiving end are families of Balwinder Singh and Dilbag Singh, who married women of the same village, Dakoha, about 35 kilometres from here, despite objections raised by the brides kin and panchayat. The resolution, a copy of which is available with HT, directs Dakoha residents not to maintain any relations with the two families, and goes on to warn of same punishment to other guilty families in future. Village sarpanch Pritam Singh said in the past couple of years, more than a dozen girls and youths from the village have solemnised weddings with each other, against the wishes of their families. He said the extreme step was taken to check such incidents. The Dakoha panchayat has also warned of strict action against any youth of the village found having relations with a local girl. Such boys will be handed over to the police, and will be banned from entering into the village, states the panchayatnama (resolution), which carries signatures of all members of the panchayat. The panchayat has also appealed to the Akal Takh jathedar to order granthis not to solemnise weddings of couples from the same village. Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das is facing a unique form of protest by local tribals, disgruntled over his governments alleged anti-tribal decisions and policies. Now, every time he pays homage to tribal freedom fighters, local tribal outfits purify the place, claiming that his presence had polluted the holy area. A tribal community purified Birsa Pahari on Tuesday in Jamshedpur East, home constituency of Das, after he garlanded the Birsa Munda statue in the area during a programme a day before. It was the second such event custom in last two months in Kolhan division after CMs visit. In January this year, tribals had purified Kharsawan Shahid Sthal claiming that the CM had desecrated the site by paying homage to the martyrs on January 1. They also charged Das with taking anti tribal decisions, including CNT-SPT amendment Act. Tribals have been organizing protests against the CM for his governments approach towards tribal laws, including amendment in Chhotanagpur Tenancy (CNT) Act and Santhal Pargana Tenancy (SPT) Act. Tribal leaders claimed that Das has been taking steps to deprive them from those rights that Birsa Munda and other leaders had secured after much struggle and sacrifice. A group of around 100 youths under the banner of Birsa Seva Dal (BSD) rushed to Birsa Pahari in Birsanagar on Tuesday. They purified the statue and the pahari with water and put mud on the plaque, inaugurated by the CM on Monday. Das had inaugurated the pahari after its beautification and garlanded Birsa Munda statue to pay homage. Senior leader of the BSD, Kunjan Lakra said, By garlanding the Birsa Mundas statute, the CM has disrespected the leader who sacrificed his life for the rights of tribals. It was Mundas struggle that ensured the CNT and SPT Acts for tribals. With amendments to these two laws and paving the way for purchase of tribal land by general public, Das has taken steps to deprive tribals of their rights. He is hatching a conspiracy to end tribal existence in Jharkhand. The state government, in December 2016, passed the CNT-SPT amendment Act Bill allowing acquisition of tribal lands for development and welfare works in Jharkhand. After the purification custom, the district police rushed to the site to control the situation. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders also visited the site and cleaned the mud over the plaque. BJP leaders said a group of local residents in CMs home constituency are trying to create differences among tribals and non-tribals. Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das on Wednesday launched Tejaswini scheme worth Rs 600 crore on the occasion of International Womens Day targeted at empowering young women through education and employment. State women and child welfare department in collaboration with the World Bank will run the scheme in 17 of 24 Jharkhand districts for women in the age bracket of 14 to 24 years. Das launched the scheme in presence of Governor Droupadi Murmu and state social welfare minister Louis Marandi in Ranchis Dhurwa. The empowerment scheme will impart informal education up to class 10 to all the beneficiaries in the targeted districts and provide skill development lessons for livelihood. In the first phase, the scheme will be implemented in Ramgarh, Dumka, Khunti and Chatra. In the second phase, Deoghar, Bokaro, Dhanbad, Palamu and Godda will fall under the purview of the scheme. In the third and final phase, the scheme will be implemented in Latehar, Kodarma, Jamtara, Lohardaga, Saraikela Kharsawan, Simdega, Pakur and East Singbhum. The state government plans to start the scheme in all the 17 districts by 2019 and run the project for a period of five years, officials said. Under the scheme, the government will also give incentives worth Rs.1 lakh through direct benefit transfer (DBT) in three instalments to the ones who complete their educational and vocation training. We are committed to empower and uplift women through education and livelihood opportunities. The government will also give smartphones to at least one lakh woman entrepreneurs to boost the digital India drive, said Das. Governor Droupadi Murmu urged the woman in state to work hard and earn the respect they deserve. Even the last person of the society should get the benefits of the scheme, she said. Women and child welfare minister Louis Marandi said one of the objectives of the scheme was to give opportunities to the women to successfully venture out in the fields of fisheries, agriculture and animal husbandry. Meanwhile, The IPS Officers Wives Association felicitated women who excelled in different fields at the RIMS auditorium. IG (Organised Crime), Sampat Meena addressed the gathering on womens safety and concerns. Governor Murmu also attended the event. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON TV actor Piyush Sahdev, who made his television debut with Meet Mila De Rabba and was last seen in Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke, has lost a whopping 38 kilos in a short span of three months. He will soon return to his show, Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke. The actor had reportedly suffered a serious knee injury while shooting a stunt sequence Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke, and had to take a break from the show. Post his injury, he started gaining weight and ended up at 108kg. Quality means doing it right when no one is looking. - Henry Ford pic.twitter.com/KzSyYSVwsx piyush sahdev (@piyushsahdav) October 20, 2016 A Times of India report quoted Piyush as saying, I put on a lot of weight while recuperating, but didnt opt for any quick-fix formula. Instead, I decided to lose weight without fat burners and get six-pack abs without steroids, which was tougher and took longer. I am glad I succeeded. I now weigh 70 kg. Morning will come, it has no choice!! - Marty Rubin #beach #actor #actorslife #photooftheday @gagananandphotography A post shared by Piyush (@piyushsahdev) on Jan 8, 2017 at 4:31am PST Talking about a healthy way of losing weight, the actor further told TOI, Youngsters are choosing cosmetic techniques to get good bodies, which is quite a serious issue. If you ask them to trek for three km, most of them will not be able to. There is no focus on inner strength and true fitness. The irony is that our industry has created this pressure to look good, no matter what the consequences. Courageous people do not fear forgiving, for the sake of peace. - Nelson Mandela pic.twitter.com/Cma9RkIId6 piyush sahdev (@piyushsahdav) September 29, 2016 Piyush has also essayed the role of Ram in Devon Ke Dev Mahadev and worked in the popular serial, Geet. Follow @htshowbiz for more Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmahs fans were in for a shock when Bhavya Gandhi, who played Tappu on the popular show, recently quit to pursue a career in films. The shows producer Asit Modi, however, didnt mince his words in a recent interview when he came down heavily on the actors unprofessional behaviour, saying it was unbearable. A post shared by TARAK MEHTA KA OOLTAH CHASHMAH (@tmkoc_sabtv) on Mar 6, 2017 at 9:10pm PST In an interview to Daily Bhaskar, Asit said: Honestly, it was sad to see Bhavya quitting our show when we needed him the most. I was like a father figure to him and I supported him throughout these years. He signed a Gujarati movie without informing us. I did not interfere in it as long as my show did not suffer. We were shooting a special Republic Day episode and Tappu was required for it. Surprisingly, Bhavya refused to shoot. I was disheartened to see his behaviour towards me and my team. Throughout these years, I always cooperated with him, but one cannot bear this kind of unprofessional behaviour. We had no other option rather than replacing him with a new face, he added. A post shared by Bhavya Gandhi (@bhavyagandhi97) on Sep 3, 2015 at 12:21am PDT It seems like fame and success has gone into his head. But he should not forget that it was Tappus character which made him so popular. Anyway, I have no grudges against him and now my whole concentration will be on Raj and Tappu Sena, Asit told the website. Recently, when an online portal got in touch with Bhavyas mother asking her the reason behind his exit, she revealed that Bhavya had landed a plump role in a film and has been getting a lot of movie offers. This, she said, was the reason why Bhavya decided to quit the show. Meanwhile, the makers have found a replacement for Bhavya on the show: Raj Anadkat will be playing the new Tapu and he has started shooting as well. He was earlier seen in Sony TVs Ek Rishta Saajhedari Ka. Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah was also in news recently when noted playwright Taarak Mehta, the inspiration behind the show, passed away. Follow @htshowbiz for more The famously controversial Danish director, Lars Von Trier, has now begun to speak after his self-imposed dictum, I keep my mouth shut. After his disastrous joke about Hitler at the 2011 Cannes soon after his Melancholia was screened and he was declared persona non-grata, he decided not to utter anything in public. He went around with a band on his mouth. But Von Trier is now back in action and back to mouthing his favourite one liners - which are really jokes, but some may get offended, like half the world did after his Nazi comment. At a recent media gathering close to Bengtfors in Sweden, the auteur quipped I chose Matt Damon and Uma Thurman because they obviously cannot read. Cannot read? Von Trier was on the set of The House That Jack Built -- a blood curdling 12-year saga of a serial killer, played by Damon. As Von Trier spoke to the press, his two main actors, Thurman and Damon sat on either side of him. The helmer continued: There were so many people we sent the script to, who said they would do anything to work with me, except on this script. And then there were two, who said yes and I asked, are you sure? And they said, yeah yeah yeah. I think we should make a little test of their reading abilities. Von Trier has always been known -- ever since his first films like Europa Europa, Breaking The Waves, Dogville, Manderlay and so on -- for his dry humour -- which can often be caustic. Can one imagine even directors as celebrated as Adoor Gopalakrishnan or Girish Kasaravalli or Anurag Kashyap or Mani Ratnam taking the kind of liberty which Von Trier is so renowned for? Call Von Trier brazen or bold or just funny. The House That Jack Built is a title that we would associate with a fairy tale. But this is no such story, and Von Trier has said that he hated stories about angels, witches, goblins and pretty little girls. But on a closer examination, all of us who have grown up on such fiction will now realise that fairy tales were not just goody-goody. Cinderella had a wicked step-mother and step-sisters. Little Red Riding Hood had to confront the big bad wolf which had devoured her grandmother. Yes, there was the fairy godmother and the woodcutter coming to the rescue. Lars Von Trier is known for his works like Europa Europa, Breaking The Waves, Dogville and Nymphomaniac (seen above). It is too early to know who would come to the rescue of all those potential victims of Jack in Von Triers plot. But we do know that the movie is set in the America of the 1970s, and travels a dozen years - when we see how Jack the killer (reminds one of Jack the Ripper, who killed prostitutes in the eerie nights of gas-lit Londons Whitechapel district in 1888) evolves. He almost makes it a fine art of murdering women. And Von Trier is well known for his brutally forthright manner of making cinema. His depiction of sex in works like Idiots and Nymphomaniac are classic examples of this. I dont find anything especially interesting about serial killers, Von Trier added. Its more the women. For some strange reason all the women I have been with have been crazy about serial killers. That might have something to do with me (!) Also, I thought I could fool people to go into the cinema. There are so many books and films and TV-shows about serial killers. But still I picked it up - of course I know I cant do something drastically different but I had fun writing it. And now comes the bombshell, when he blurts out that there is a relationship between the act of killing and the act of creating art...Oh yes, you have to be a cynic to do both. It is rumoured that The House That Jack Built will be at Cannes in 2018, and Von Trier will be back on the Croisette with his caustic wit and innocent do-not-kill-me sheepish smile! Follow @htshowbiz for more ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop At least 22 people were killed and 40 others injured when a bus veered off a highway in Jajarkot district of western Nepal on Thursday, officials said. Krishna Chandra Poudel, chief district officer of Jajarkot, said 13 people died instantly and nine more succumbed to their injuries in a hospital in the district. The bus was going from the district headquarters of Khalanga to Khara, a remote village, when it met with an accident, he said. The bus was carrying more than 60 passengers while traversing what is considered one of the most dangerous mountainous highways in Nepal. Rescue efforts at the remote side were hampered by lack of light. Seven years ago, Tie Feiyan, now 25, jumped from a four-metre bridge into a rapid flowing river in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan to save a drowning man. Tie shot to national fame and, in 2013, walked nervously up the steep steps to the Great Hall of the People in Beijing as the youngest deputy of the National Peoples Congress (NPC), Chinas rubber-stamp Parliament. Into her fourth year as one of the 3,000-odd NPC deputies less than 23% of whom are women Tie is now the second youngest among Chinas parliamentarians and one of just two born in the 1990s. I didnt apply. The people of Yunnan (a province in Chinas southwest) advocated my election to the NPC, they voted me as a delegate, she told Hindustan Times on the sidelines of the ongoing NPC session. A business administration graduate, Tie, from the minority Hui community, was employed at a toll booth near Zhaotong town in Yunnan when the turn of events changed her life. Tie said the NPC platform has helped her to highlight a problem in China that she encountered while growing up in a village in Yunnan the plight of left-behind children or those left behind in villages by parents when they migrate to work. China has around 61 million left-behind children, millions of whom are looked after by ageing grandparents. Tie proposed to the NPC that an online database should be created for such children so that authorities can monitor them and ensure their well-being. According to the proposal, instead of blindly helping them, I have suggested our government build a profile for each left-behind child, find what they really need, organise and use social resources and help them correctly, she said, adding many live in rural and remote areas. Sometimes, Tie said, even more than financial help, the children need psychological care. Tie said the online database can include the childs family condition, the status of guardians, income and the environment in school. Her proposal takes into account the situation across the country though Yunnan province has a large number of such children. Tie is also curious about the status of women in India, especially their social standing and whether they experience sexual bias at work. As a woman, I paid attention to Indian womens protection of rights...such as (reports that) women are frequently assaulted sexually. From our Chinese experience, it is unimaginable that it can happen so frequently in public places, she said. Tie is called jiu ling hou or post 1990s among older NPC peers but her attitude to work can hardly be described as precocious. Ask the man she saved from drowning. A 24-year-old Belgian woman has been charged with terrorism offences on suspicion she helped people plotting an attack in Europe, prosecutors in Brussels said Thursday. Identified as Molly B., the woman was arrested during an overnight raid on a house in western Belgium which took place between Tuesday and Wednesday, the federal prosecutors office said in a statement. The investigation shows indications of assistance being provided by the woman to persons with the intention to commit an attack in Europe, it said. She was charged with participation in the activities of a terrorist organisation. It said the investigation was completely independent of the probes into the November 2015 attacks in Paris and the March 2016 bombings in Brussels. No weapons nor explosives were found in the raid. Belgium has remained on high alert since March 22 last year when three home-grown suicide bombers attacked Brussels airport and a metro station near EU headquarters, killing 32 people and wounding hundreds more. The Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq claimed responsibility for the bombings that investigators say were carried out by the same cell that slaughtered 130 people in Paris on November 13, 2015. The Central Intelligence Agency on Wednesday accused WikiLeaks of endangering Americans, helping US rivals and hampering the fight against terror threats by releasing what the anti-secrecy site claimed was a trove of CIA hacking tools. A CIA spokesperson would not confirm the authenticity of the materials published by WikiLeaks, which said they were leaked from the spy agencys hacking operations. Nevertheless, said spokesperson Heather Fritz Horniak, The American public should be deeply troubled by any WikiLeaks disclosure designed to damage the intelligence communitys ability to protect America against terrorists and other adversaries. Such disclosures not only jeopardise US personnel and operations, but also equip our adversaries with tools and information to do us harm, she said. Horniak defended the CIAs cyber operations, which the WikiLeaks materials showed focused heavily on breaking into personal electronics using a wide range of malware systems. It is CIAs job to be innovative, cutting-edge, and the first line of defence in protecting this country from enemies abroad, she said. Massive leak On Tuesday, WikiLeaks published nearly 9,000 documents it said were part of a huge trove leaked from the CIA, describing it as the largest-ever publication of secret intelligence materials. This extraordinary collection, which amounts to more than several hundred million lines of code, gives its possessor the entire hacking capacity of the CIA, it said. The documents showed that CIA hackers can turn a TV into a listening device, bypass popular encryption apps, and possibly control ones car. Most experts believe the materials to be genuine, and US media said Wednesday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is opening a criminal probe into the leak. The source of the materials remained unclear. The investigation could focus on whether the CIA was sloppy in its controls, or, as The Washington Post reported, it could be a major mole hunt for a malicious leaker or turncoat inside the agency. WikiLeaks itself said the documents, hacking tools and code came from an archive that had circulated among US government hackers and private contractors. An investigation would come as the CIA is already enmeshed in a politically-charged probe into Russias alleged interference in the US election last year in support of President Donald Trumps campaign. WikiLeaks, which has stunned the US government with a series of publications of top secret political, diplomatic and intelligence materials, said the publication Tuesday was only the first of a series of releases of CIA hacking materials. That raised concerns that the site could release the actual hacking tools it obtained along with the documents. Experts worry those could fall into the hands of anyone, including US enemies and criminals. Tech sector scrambles for fixes The WikiLeaks documents detailed the CIAs practice of exploiting vulnerabilities in hardware and software, without ever informing producers of them. The CIA allegedly found ways to hack into personal electronics from leading companies like Apple and Samsung, Android phones, popular Microsoft software, and crucial routers from major manufacturers. The documents suggest it can also infiltrate smartphones in a way that allows it to get around popular messaging encryption apps. The tech sector was scrambling to understand how their products were at risk. While our initial analysis indicates that many of the issues leaked today were already patched in the latest iOS, we will continue work to rapidly address any identified vulnerabilities, Apple said in an emailed statement. Were confident that security updates and protections in both Chrome and Android already shield users from many of these alleged vulnerabilities, Google director of information security and privacy Heather Adkins said in a released statement. Our analysis is ongoing and we will implement any further necessary protections. Samsung and Microsoft both said they were looking into what WikiLeaks revealed. Encryption apps safe Joseph Hall, a technologist with the Center for Democracy and Technology, a digital rights organisation, said the documents raise questions about the US governments pledge last year to disclose vulnerabilities to technology firms. That pledge means security flaws should get back to the companies so they can get fixed, and not languish for years, he said. The American Civil Liberties Union commented in a tweet: When the govt finds software security holes, it should help fix them, not hoard them and leave everyone vulnerable. Companies that make encryption programs and apps targeted by the CIA said the revelations show the agency has not been able to break their software. Open Whisper Systems, which developed the technology for the Signal encryption app, said the CIA documents showed that Signal works. None of the exploits are in Signal or break Signal Protocol encryption, the group said in a tweet. The existence of these hacking tools is a testimonial to the strength of the encryption, said Steve Bellovin, a Columbia University computer science researcher, in a blog post. The death toll from a brazen attack on Afghanistans largest military hospital by terrorists disguised as medics has risen to 49 with dozens wounded, a senior health official said on Thursday. Salim Rassouli, director of Kabul hospitals, said 49 people had been killed in the attack on Sardar Daud Khan Hospital on Wednesday and at least 63 were injured. Some uncertainty remained over the exact figures and one security official said more than 90 people had been wounded. Earlier estimates had put the number of dead at 38, with 70 injured. The Islamic State claimed the attack through its Amaq news agency. The group also posted photos that it said were taken by its fighters within the hospital and an image of the five fighters who were purportedly involved in the attack. The terrorists rampaged through the 400-bed hospital, shooting doctors, patients and visitors and battling security forces for almost six hours in a sophisticated operation. Survivors spoke of barricading themselves in hospital rooms to escape the terrorists who were armed with automatic weapons and grenades and who began their attack after a suicide bomber blew himself up at a backdoor entrance. Mohammad Nabi, a doctor at the hospital who escaped with a broken leg, said it had been difficult to comprehend what was going on initially as the terrorists in doctors white coats took out concealed weapons and began shooting. We were shocked when we saw AK-47s in their hands firing, he said. They killed our patients in their beds and they killed our doctors. An injured Afghan patient is wheeled into position at an X-ray machine at a hospital in Kabul on March 9, 2017, after he was injured in an attack on the main military hospital in the Afghan capital. Terrorists wearing white medical coats stormed the Sardar Daud Khan Hospital on March 8, killing 49 people and wounding more than 70 other in a six-hour attack. (AFP) The attack on the military hospital, located close to the heavily fortified US embassy, underlined warnings from security officials of an increase in high profile attacks in Kabul this year. The UN Security Council issued a statement condemning the attack and urging all states to cooperate with the Afghan government to bring those responsible to justice and to prevent and suppress the financing of terrorism. Afghans mourned as funerals were underway following the deadly attack. Defence ministry spokesman Mohammed Rodmanesh said experts were scouring every inch of the hospital, badly damaged during the attack, for evidence of the IS claim. Rodmanesh said despite the IS claim, Afghan authorities must do our own investigations to know who is responsible. Afghan forces have been under increasing pressure by the Taliban and also from IS militants, mostly in countrys east. IS fighters, most believed to be former members of the Pakistan-based Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have established a stronghold in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar on the border with Pakistan. The IS fighters are battling both Afghan security forces and the Taliban. Despite repeated strikes by US and Afghan forces which American commanders believe have killed a third of their fighters, they have also claimed several high profile attacks in Kabul that killed scores of people. A unique exhibition on the lesser known history of Anglo Sikh wars in the mid-19th century using augmented reality technology opens this week in the east Midlands town of Leicester, bringing the conflicts to life through artefacts captured by the British. Titled Anglo Sikh Wars: Battles, Treaties and Relics 1845-1849, the exhibition supported by the local council runs from March 11 until June 4. The artefacts modelled on 3D include swords, manuscripts, paintings, other battlefield objects and the Kohinoor diamond. The series of conflicts between the East India Company and the erstwhile Sikh empire are grouped under the First Anglo-Sikh War (1845-46) and the Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848-49). The conflicts ended in the defeat of the Sikh armies and the annexation of Punjab in 1849. The exhibition programme includes lectures and workshops by military historians, researchers and experts from the Victoria & Albert Museum. Gurinder Singh Mann, head of the Sikh Museum Initiative, told the local media: The Anglo Sikh Wars brought into conflict the Sikh empire and the East India Company, and culminated in a bloody series of battles that lasted four years. This exhibition will bring to light the most important aspects of those forgotten wars and take visitors on a unique journey through a vital piece of history for both communities. As well as rare paintings and portraits, visitors of all ages will have an opportunity to engage with all aspects of the war through interactive displays and exhibits. Assistant lord mayor of the Leicester city council, Piara Singh Clair, said: We are delighted to support the Sikh Museum Initiative with this exhibition, which has been supported by the heritage Lottery Fund. The team have worked really hard to create a first- class experience which will be well worth a visit. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Novtej Singh Dhillon and his former wife, Sarina Thiara Dhillon, who were directors of a number of hotel companies in Britain, have been disqualified by regulators from acting as directors for manipulating accounts and causing a bank losses of 31.767 million. While Novtej was disqualified for 11 years, Sarina faced the same restriction for four-and-a-half years. Both face other restrictions that come with being disqualified to act as company directors, Britains Insolvency Service said. The regulator said its investigation found Novtej caused, and Sarina allowed, their companies - which ran several hotels - to operate in a manner which lacked probity. The Dhillons used the various companies for personal expenditures that were attributed by the group accounting department to director loans, it said. In court, a judge reportedly described Novtej as a man who regards truth as a merely optional extra when doing business. Cheryl Lambert, chief investigator at the Insolvency Service, said: In this case, Mr Dhillon was responsible for the construction of a long term and complex web of lies, by manipulating the internal financial systems of a group of companies. Additionally, the sale of a very large asset was claimed to be occurring resulting in almost 13m of further lending being made, which were then used within their empire of companies and which allowed the Dhillons to continue to benefit from their continued operation. Novtej, Lambert said, took no action to prevent the long-term implementation of deceit, while benefiting from the continued operation of the companies and the increased funds from overdraft extensions. This activity goes to the very core and basis of the economic system, with Mr Dhillon knowingly creating a scheme to obscure his activities and the real position in relation to the companys trading and solvency, she added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Indian community in the United States is alarmed after a man stalked several families in Ohio for days before uploading a video of them on a local anti-immigration website. The video features photos and videos of Indian families and argues that Indians have taken over the area and pushed out Americans by taking away their jobs. The episode has disturbed many, especially because of the persistent stalking of the families that went unnoticed. This also comes days after the shooting of Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla in Kansas and similar race attacks elsewhere. If youre in the United States, heres what you should do when you sense someone is stalking youas suggested by the National Center for Victims of Crime, which partnered with the US Department of Justice office on violence against women to create the Stalking Resource Center. Stalking is unpredictable and dangerous. No two stalking situations are alike. There are no guarantees that what works for one person will work for another, yet you can take steps to increase your safety. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. Trust your instincts. Dont downplay the danger. If you feel you are unsafe, you probably are. Take threats seriously. Danger generally is higher when the stalker talks about suicide or murder, or when a victim tries to leave or end the relationship. Contact a crisis hotline, victim services agency, or a domestic violence or rape crisis program. They can help you devise a safety plan, give you information about local laws, weigh options such as seeking a protection order, and refer you to other services. Develop a safety plan, including things like changing your routine, arranging a place to stay, and having a friend or relative go places with you. Also, decide in advance what to do if the stalker shows up at your home, work, school, or somewhere else. Tell people how they can help you. Click here to learn more about safety plans. Dont communicate with the stalker or respond to attempts to contact you. Keep evidence of the stalking. When the stalker follows you or contacts you, write down the time, date, and place. Keep emails, text messages, phone messages, letters, or notes. Photograph anything of yours the stalker damages and any injuries the stalker causes. Ask witnesses to write down what they saw. Contact the police. Every state has stalking laws. The stalker may also have broken other laws by doing things like assaulting you or stealing or destroying your property. Consider getting a court order that tells the stalker to stay away from you. Tell family, friends, roommates, and co-workers about the stalking and seek their support. Tell security staff at your job or school. Ask them to help watch out for your safety. (Source: Stalking Resource Center, a programme of the US National Center for Victims of Crime) Irans Revolutionary Guards Corps has successfully test-fired a naval missile, the semi-official news agency Tasnim said on Thursday, a move likely to heighten concern in Washington, whose warship operate in the waters near Iran. Tasnim said the missile, called the Hormuz 2, could destroy moving targets at sea at ranges up to 300 km (180 miles). The missile was built in Iran, Tasnim said. The naval ballistic missile called Hormuz 2 this week has successfully destroyed a target which was 250 km away, said Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGCs Aerospace Force, according to Tasnim. The missile test is the latest event in a long-running rivalry between Iran and the United States in and around the Strait of Hormuz, which guards the entrance to the Gulf. About 20 percent of the worlds oil passes through the waterway, which is less than 40 km wide at its narrowest point. Most recently, several Iranian fast-attack boats came within 600 yards (550 meters) of the USNS Invincible, a tracking ship, forcing it to change direction. A Revolutionary Guards commander told Iranian state media on Wednesday that it was the fault of the U.S. ship, warning the United States of the irreversible consequences of such unprofessional actions. In January, a U.S. destroyer fired three warning shots at four Iranian fast-attack boats near the Strait after they closed in at high speed and disregarded repeated requests to slow down. Iraqs defence ministry says a twin suicide bombing targeting a village wedding north of Baghdad has killed at least 20 people. The ministry says two suicide bombers walked into the wedding party in al-Hajaj village, near the city of Tikrit, on Wednesday evening. It says up to 13 people were wounded. Tikrit is about 130 kilometers, or 80 miles, from Baghdad. It didnt provide more details and there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack but suspicion is likely to fall on the Islamic State group, which has staged similar attacks in the past. IS has also used large-scale attacks in an effort to distract from its losses as Iraqi forces battle to retake all of Mosul, the countrys second-largest city from the Sunni militant group. President Donald Trumps daughter and son-in-law are renting a house from a foreign billionaire who is fighting the US government over a proposed mine in Minnesota. The Wall Street Journal reports that Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are renting a $5.5 million house in Washingtons Kalorama neighbourhood from Andronico Luksic. One of the Chilean billionaires companies is suing the federal government over lost mineral right leases for a proposed copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota. Luksics company, Twin Metals Minnesota, filed suit in September to force renewal of its leases. The lawsuit remains pending. Luksic bought the Kalorama property after the November presidential election. Former president Barack Obamas administration announced in December it would not renew mineral rights critical to the proposed $2.8 billion Twin Metals project near Ely, near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, about 250 miles north of Minneapolis. Ivanka Trump and Kushner, the presidents senior advisor, moved into the property around the time of President Trumps inauguration in January. Luksic still lacked the business license necessary under Washington law to collect rent on the property as of earlier this week. A law firm representing Luksic said the necessary forms will be submitted shortly. The White House said the couple is paying fair market value for the home and hasnt met Luksic nor discussed the mine with him. Rodrigo Terre, a relative of Luksic, said there is no connection between the house rental and fight over mineral rights. Rob Walker, an ethics lawyer at the law firm Wiley Rein, said the arrangement may pose an appearance problem, because deservedly or not, critics may still question the propriety of entering into any significant transaction with an individual with these apparent interests before the administration. President Trump could reverse the Obama administration decision to protect this part of the National Wilderness Preservation System from mining. His interior secretary Ryan Zinke has advocated for increased mining on federal lands. While threats have targeted Italy, especially its capital, Rome, the victims of most terrorist attacks are Muslims, Italian President Sergio Mattarella said on Thursday. Threats have been made against Italy, particularly Rome. But we often forget that most of the victims of these cruel attacks around the world are Muslims, Mattarella told fortnightly Italian Jesuit magazine Civilta Cattolica. For this reason it is mistaken to reduce terrorism in our times to a war of religion, he said. Mattarella praised the anti-terror role being played by Italian police and intelligence services. They are working with great ability and commitment. Their preventive action is unknown to the public, unseen and untold but it is the most important and precious, he said. A Nepalese man was killed when Indian border guards allegedly opened fire following a dispute over the construction of a culvert on Sano Khola river along the frontier with India, local residents said on Thursday. The Indian embassy in Kathmandu denied any firing by Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel deployed on the Indian side of the border and said there is a need to maintain calm. The incident occurred in Kanchanpur district in southwestern Nepal that borders Indias Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh states. Govinda Gautam, 20, of Punarbas municipality in Kanchanpur district, was hit by shots allegedly fired by SSB personnel from Sampurnanagar outpost, local residents said. He died while being taken to hospital. After Gautams death, hundreds of people demonstrated outside the hospital where his body was kept. Personnel from Nepal Police and Armed Police Force were deployed in the area to control the situation. In response to queries from the local media, the Indian embassy said in a statement that it is categorically denied that there was any incident of firing by Sashastra Seema Bal. The SSB, which is under Indias home ministry, is responsible for guarding the India-Nepal border. A dispute erupted in the area after a border pillar went missing some time ago, and both sides have made claims and counter claims over some pieces of land. The Nepalese side was building the culvert in an area that is claimed by the Indian side. The situation became tense on Thursday after SSB personnel, who were accompanied by residents of the Indian border town of Basahi, allegedly fired in the air. Nepalese residents said the SSB personnel contended that digging for the culvert was being done in Indian territory. The Indian embassys statement said there is a need to maintain calm and let survey officials of both sides discuss the location of border pillars before any construction work is undertaken. It added that officials had been directed to cooperate to defuse the situation. Manohar Prasad Khanal, the chief district officer of Kanchanpur, told the local media that Nepalese nationals in the border area had been protesting since the morning after Indian authorities objected to the construction of the culvert. Local residents also accused the SSB personnel of manhandling Nepalese citizens living in the border areas and shutting the border. The construction of the culvert was started on Wednesday after an agreement was reached by the two sides following a dispute that lasted more than a month. Entries into the United States by inadmissible persons were down 40% from January to February, the US government said Wednesday, hailing this as progress on President Donald Trumps southern border security focus. The drop in apprehensions shows a marked change in trends, said Homeland Security chief John Kelly. Trump took office January 20. Since the administrations implementation of executive orders to enforce immigration laws, apprehensions and inadmissible activity is trending toward the lowest monthly total in at least the last five years. Kelly said this was key because Customs and Border Protection usually sees a 10-20% increase in apprehensions of illegal immigrants from January to February. Instead, this year we saw a drop from 31,578 to 18,762 people -- a 40% decline, he stressed, arguing that this meant fewer people were taking the huge risk of putting their fate in the hands of human traffickers. Early results show that enforcement matters, deterrence matters, and that comprehensive immigration enforcement can make an impact, said Kelly, one of Trumps closest allies on tightening US-Mexican border security and the presidents controversial pledge to build a wall there. During his campaign, Trump, 70, appalled Mexicans and many Americans by calling Mexicans who crossed the border illegally into the US, drug dealers and criminals. Hispanics or Latinos are the largest US minority; most US Hispanics are of Mexican descent or immigrants from Mexico. Pakistan has again closed the two main border crossings with Afghanistan after a temporary, two-day opening that enabled nearly 35,000 people to cross the border, officials said. The crossings were initially closed after a string of militant attacks in Pakistan last month killed over 125 people. Islamabad has accused Kabul of failing to take action against Pakistani militant sanctuaries in Afghanistans border regions. Kabul has denied the allegation. Pakistani soldiers check the identity of citizens returning from Afghanistan at the border town of Chaman. (REUTERS) Border management officials Fayyaz Khan and Irfan Toor said on Thursday that the Torkham and Chaman crossings would be shut indefinitely. The crossings are major arteries for trade and commerce between the two neighbours. Pakistan and Afghanistan have long accused each other of failing to combat extremists who operate along the porous frontier between the two nations. Energy-deficient Pakistan has awarded two contracts worth Rs 180 billion to a Chinese firm for constructing part of a hydropower project on the Indus river in northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. Pakistans Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) and China Gezhouba Group Company (CGCC) signed the agreements on Wednesday for carrying out the main civil works in the first stage of the Dasu hydropower project. This stage of the project, expected to be completed in 2021, will generate 2,160 MW of electricity. The selection of the contractor was done through international competitive bidding among pre-qualified Chinese firms, Dawn newspaper reported on Thursday. The project is being constructed on the Indus river, upstream of Dasu town in Kohistan district of the province. The World Bank is partially funding stage-I, while a major chunk of funds is being arranged by Wapda from its own resources and with the sovereign guarantee of the Pakistan government. Power minister Khwaja Asif said the project is critical to Pakistans energy needs and will herald a new era of affordable electricity generation. Pakistan faces a huge energy crisis and governments have failed to rapidly augment the countrys electricity generation capacity. the country faces a shortage of up to 8,000 MW, according to reports, leading to power cuts for hours in several parts. Asif said the government will lay foundation stones for two other dams this year. Wapda chairman Lt Gen (retired) Syed Muzammil Hussain said the total cost of the first phase of the Dasu project was estimated at $4.2 billion. Hussain said the second phase - capable of generating 2,160MW - would not take a long time given the fact that the main dam will already be available and the second stage will involve only setting up a power house at an estimated cost of $2 billion. Dasu project director Javed Akhtar and CGGC representative Tan Bixuan signed the contracts on behalf of the two firms. Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday for talks focusing on the situation in Syria and Israeli concerns about the role of Iran and its proxies there. Greeting Netanyahu at the start of their Kremlin negotiations, Putin emphasized a high level of trust between them. Netanyahus visit to Moscow follows his talks last month with US President Donald Trump. Netanyahu praised Russias role in fighting the Islamic State group and other radical militants in Syria. At the same time, he raised strong concern about the presence of Iranian and Hezbollah forces in Syria. One of the things that we are fighting together is radical Islamic terrorism, Netanyahu said as he and Putin sat down for talks. Of course, in the past year, there was significant progress in the fight against the radical Sunni Islamic terrorism led by Daesh and al-Qaida, he said, using the Arabic acronym Daesh to refer to the Islamic State group. Russia has made a very important contribution. Naturally, we do not want this terrorism to be replaced by the radical Shiite Islamic terrorism led by Iran. Russia has sided with Iran and Hezbollah in helping support Syrian President Bashar Assad, but at the same time it has maintained warm ties with Israel. The two nations have coordinated their actions to prevent any possible incidents between their militaries in Syria. The threat of radical Shiite Islam threatens us no less than it does the region and the peace of the world, and I know that we are partners in the desire to prevent any kind of victory by radical Islam of any sort, Netanyahu said. Before the talks, Putins spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied media reports that Moscow has given Israel a green light to strike Hezbollah. It has nothing to do with reality, Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. It hasnt been discussed, and there is no talk about it. Amnesty International on Thursday accused the Saudi-led Arab coalition battling rebels in Yemen of using banned cluster munitions in raids on residential areas. The Brazilian-manufactured munitions were fired in a February 15 attack on three residential districts and agricultural land in Saada province of northern Yemen, a stronghold of the Shiite Huthi rebels, it said in a statement. Two people were wounded in the attack, said Amnesty, which has also reported that the coalition used cluster munitions in October 2015 and May of last year. The coalition absurdly justifies its use of cluster munitions by claiming it is in line with international law, despite concrete evidence of the human cost to civilians caught up in the conflict, said Lynn Maalouf, research director at Amnestys Beirut regional office. Cluster munitions are inherently indiscriminate weapons that inflict unimaginable harm on civilian lives, she said. Amnesty called for Brazil to join the Convention on Cluster Munitions and for Saudi Arabia and coalition members to stop all use of cluster munition. Separately, Human Rights Watch in December accused the coalition of firing Brazilian-made rockets containing the outlawed munitions near two schools in Saada, killing two civilians and wounding six including a child. The December 6 came a day after Saudi Arabia joined the US and Brazil in abstaining from a UN General Assembly vote that overwhelmingly endorsed an international ban on cluster bomb use. The weapons can contain dozens of smaller bomblets that disperse over large areas, often continuing to kill and maim civilians long after they are dropped. The Saudi-led coalition, which has come under repeated criticism over civilian casualties in Yemen, acknowledged in December it had made limited use of British-made cluster bombs but said it had stopped using them. The conflict in Yemen has left more than 7,400 dead and 40,000 wounded since the coalition intervened on the governments side in March 2015, according to the UN. At least 20 civilians, including some children, were killed in suspected U.S.-coalition airstrikes on a village east of the Islamic State groups de-facto capital in Syria, activists reported Thursday. The report comes as the militants come under mounting pressure by rival U.S.-backed and Russian-backed forces working to seize the capital, Raqqa. Also on Thursday, engineers restored two water pumping stations that feed water to the countrys largest city, Aleppo, in territory captured by the Syrian government from IS militants this week, state media reported. Aleppo, once Syrias industrial capital, suffered for years from severe water shortages as the government and opposition fighters contested the city and the Islamic State group controlled its upstream source the pumping stations at the town of Khafseh on the Euphrates River. Pro-government forces defeated the rebels in the city just before the new year and took Khafseh from IS militants earlier this week. Residents in Aleppo have depended on wells and water deliveries arranged by the government, charities and the U.N. childrens agency, UNICEF. Imad al-Khal, 64, a resident of al-Aziziyeh neighborhood in Aleppo, told The Associated Press that municipal water hasnt reached her home in nine weeks. In the area east of Raqqa, the activist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently reported at least 20 civilians were killed in airstrikes Wednesday night on Matab Village. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, however, said the strikes occurred before dawn Tuesday and killed 23 people, including eight children. It was not possible to reconcile the two accounts the Islamic State group maintains a tight grip on communications from its territory. The Observatory and RBSS get their information from closely guarded local contacts. Russian and Syrian aircraft are not known to operate in the area, according to the Observatory. The group said U.S.-led coalition aircraft were believed to behind the attack. The coalition did not confirm the strikes and there was no immediate indication which nations aircraft were involved. U.S. officials said Wednesday that a couple hundred Marines have deployed into Syria with heavy artillery guns, as part of preparations for the fight to oust IS from Raqqa. The United States is deploying an additional 400 troops to help defeat the Islamic State group in Raqa, the jihadists self-proclaimed capital in Syria, a spokesman for the US-led coalition said on Thursday. They are temporary forces, US Colonel John Dorrian told reporters in Baghdad, confirming a report in the New York Times, adding that the long-term authorized level of US troops in Syria would remain at 500. IS jihadists are facing simultaneous offensives in northern Syria by government forces, Turkish-backed rebels, and a US-supported alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters. The additional US troops include a Marines artillery unit being deployed with 155mm howitzers in support of the Raqa offensive. It also includes US special operations troops equipped with Stryker armored vehicles, which have been sent further north to the Manbij region to deter clashes between Turkish forces and the Americans Kurdish-Arab allies. US special operations forces have been inside Syria since 2015, advising and training the Kurdish-Arab fighters, who are grouped under the umbrella of the Syrian Democratic Forces. The buildup comes amid calls by US President Donald Trump for new plans to accelerate the pace of the war against the Islamic State group. US media reports say the plan involves the deployment of artillery, attack helicopters and additional special operations forces. The US military estimates that there are 3,000 to 4,000 jihadists entrenched in Raqa, a city of 300,000. An Irishman and a French woman on Thursday spoke about waves the size of buildings after being rescued from a terrifying ordeal when their yacht capsized in wild weather off Australia. Nick Dwyer, 55, and Barbara Heftman, 44, were sailing from New Zealand to Sydney as part of a years-long circumnavigation of the globe when disaster struck. Treacherous seas broke their rudder then rolled their 12-metre boat, forcing them to activate an emergency beacon on Tuesday. A New South Wales police vessel responded, battling six-metre swells and gale force winds on a 13-hour voyage to reach the yacht and safely haul the pair on board. Nick Dwyer and Barbara Heftman interviewed in Sydney after being rescued off Australia's southeastern coast. (AP/ TV grab) We encountered enormous seas, waves the size of buildings coming at you constantly, winds that you cant stand up in, seas breaking, whiteness everywhere, Dwyer told reporters after abandoning ship and arriving in Sydney late on Wednesday. We werent sure whether we were going to be rolled again and each time a wave hit, we thought is the one thats going to take us? It wasnt really until the low (pressure system) hit us and we got capsized that we felt we really couldnt survive this one without assistance. He added that it was the worst weather they had ever encountered on their decade-long global adventure, calling their rescuers absolute heroes. Police sergeant Paul Farquharson told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation the couple was overjoyed to see the rescue team. Theyd been bobbing around on a 40-foot boat for the last four days and spent the last 10 years at sea so to hop on board our boat was a bit of a luxury for them, he said. Keen to revitalise links with the Commonwealth after Brexit, International Trade secretary Liam Fox on Thursday highlighted Indias growing economy and told the first ever meeting of trade ministers of the 52-member group that free trade was the future. A leading Brexiteer, Fox, one of the key ministers responsible for negotiating Britains exit from the EU including the European Single Market noted latest IMF forecast that India is one of the few countries whose goods and services are likely to grow the fastest in the next five years. India is represented at the two-day meeting by Commerce secretary Rita A. Teotia, who highlighted the steps taken as part of the Narendra Modi governments ease of doing business initiative, and on creating an export-oriented economy. India is the largest country in the Commonwealth that has a combined population of 2.4 billion. Fox said: (The Commonwealth) Secretariat has organised a summit next month, designed to help developing Commonwealth nations benefit from Indias global value chains, tapping into the diversification of their export markets and improvements to their supply chain capacity. According to the secretariat, there is a distinct Commonwealth advantage characterised by shared values, a common language, familiar institutions and similar legal and regulatory systems: This makes two Commonwealth countries trade on an average 19 to 20 per cent more with each other as compared to their non-Commonwealth partners. Fox added: I have long believed that free trade is one of the most powerful tools we have to help those in greatest need around the world. As we establish our own position after we leave the European Union, Britain will proudly carry the standard of free and open trade as a badge of honour. Insisting that Brexit did not mean Britain was turning protectionist, Fox said: Protectionism can be a seductive but a false friend. I have described it as the class A drug of the trading world it can make you feel good at first but you will pay a terrible price in the long term. Finance minister Arun Jaitley said during his recent visit to London that British ministers had repeatedly conveyed the non-protectionist message, but formal talks on entering into a free trade agreement could only begin when Britain leaves the EU, expected in 2019. A group of Conservative MPs have demanded that Britain signal a more relaxed approach to visitors and migrants from India and the Commonwealth. The MPs are due to meet the immigration minister to open separate, fast-track visa service at UK ports for Commonwealth citizens. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A flight from Las Vegas to Honolulu was diverted to Los Angeles on Wednesday after a passenger refused to pay $12 for a blanket and was accused of being unruly, police said. The incident unfolded after the Hawaiian Airlines flight took off from Las Vegas and the passenger -- a 66-year-old man -- requested a blanket as he was cold, Officer Rob Pedregon, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles airport police, told AFP. When told he would have to fork out $12 for the blanket, the unidentified man got upset and demanded to speak to a corporate representative from the airline, Pedregon said. During the in-flight call he allegedly said I would like to take someone behind the woodshed for this and the pilot deemed that to be threatening behaviour and ordered that the plane be diverted to Los Angeles, he said. Police and FBI agents met with the passenger and crew when the plane landed in Los Angeles and determined after questioning both sides that no crime had been committed, Pedregon said. The man voluntarily abandoned his flight and caught another one, he said. Pedregon said the incident may not be the oddest he has handled but it ranks right up there. You know, if I was a passenger on board that plane I would have paid the $12 dollars for him, he chuckled. A leading Republican lawmaker has called for a radical reset of United Statess ties with Pakistan and urged new congressional hearings, joining a mounting demand for harsh measures to discipline an appalling ally and quasi-adversary. Something must change in our dealings with a terrorist-supporting, irresponsible nuclear-weapons state, and it must change soon, Congressman Ted Poe, who heads the House of Representatives subcommittee on terrorism and non-proliferation, wrote in an op-ed authored jointly with James Clad, a former Pentagon official, in National Interest magazine on Wednesday. Acquiescing in the current trends is not an option, they added. Saying its time that the United States sets, unilaterally, the limits of its indulgence, the authors have made three main suggestions: One, dont let the next crisis in South or Southwest Asia deflect our focus (from Pakistan). Two, dont rush to shore up Pakistans balance of payments via the IMF or other intermediaries, as weve done in the past, and, three, Let China pay that, if the Pakistanis wish to mortgage their future in that way. And at a closed-door briefing for 45 congressional staff on Tuesday called The Appalling Ally, Poe asked for a new series of Pakistan-focused hearings on Capitol Hill in upcoming months, saying, The problem cannot be ducked any longer. The new congress may just have picked up from where the last one left off, with lawmakers of both chambers frequently calling Pakistan a duplicitous ally and a Frenemy and asked for it to be named a state sponsor of terrorism. The op-ed and the hearing come just weeks after a bipartisan group of South Asia experts urged the Trump administration to be ready to adopt tougher measures toward Islamabad, even the threat of declaring it state sponsor of terrorism. Since May 2011, when Osama bin Laden was found and killed in a house just miles from Pakistans elite military school in Abbottabad, the one-time ally has been in a precipitous fall in US eyes, as a haven for all hues of terrorists. Lawmakers killed a proposal by the Obama administration in 2016 to sell Pakistan new F-16 fighter jets over Islamabads failure to act against terrorists form tis soil, specially the Haqqani Network that is battling US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan. They have also sought to tie up US financial assistance to Pakistans counter-insurgency measures, but as Poe and Clad argued in their piece, Pakistan has become a quasi-adversary, receiving hundreds of billions through the years in direct and indirect US support, a strange hostage-like arrangement in which we pay Islamabad to do what it should be doing anyway The new administration, which is still struggling to staff up, has not yet indicated if it has plans for Pakistan, but as a candidate, Trump had expressed concerns about the region, Pakistans nuclear weapons, and the fear of them falling in wrong hands. Islamabads nuclear arsenal, said to be the fastest growing in the world, is a major concern in the US. Robert Gallucci, a leading expert on non-proliferation, is reported to have said at the closed-door briefing, While other countries have also sought nuclear weapons, Pakistans headlong accumulation of so many warheads amounts to a unique non-proliferation challenge so far unrestrained by outsiders diplomacy. In conclusion, Poe and Clad argued, Theres a tendency to think of Pakistan as part of a troubling duality, with India and Pakistan in a death spiral. Thats out of dateand we have our issues with India too. A US Marines artillery unit has deployed to Syria in recent days to help local forces speed up efforts to defeat Islamic State at Raqqa and the campaign to isolate the city is going very, very well, the US-led coalition said on Thursday. Coalition spokesman US Air Force Colonel John Dorrian said the additional US forces would be working with local partners in Syria - the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian Arab Coalition - and would not have a front line role. The additional deployment comprises a total of 400 US forces - both Marines and Army Rangers. It adds to around 500 US military personnel already in Syria, Dorrian said. The SDF, which includes the Kurdish YPG militia, is the main US partner in the war against Islamic State insurgents in Syria. Since November it has been working with the US-led coalition to encircle Raqqa, main urban bastion of IS in Syria. This week, the SDF cut the road between Raqqa and the jihadists stronghold of Deir al-Zor province - the last main road out of the city. Islamic State is also being fought in Syria by the Russian-backed Syrian military, and by Syrian rebel groups fighting under the Free Syrian Army banner with Turkish backing in northern Syria and Jordanian backing in southern Syria. Dorrian said the effort to isolate Raqqa was going very very well and could be completed in a few weeks. Then the decision to move in can be made, he said. The additional forces had arrived in the last few days, he told Reuters by telephone. The artillery will help expedite the defeat of ISIS in Raqqa, he said, using another acronym for Islamic State. The Marines were armed with 155-millimetre artillery guns. Asked if they had been used yet, Dorrian said he did not believe so. We have had what I would describe as a pretty relentless air campaign to destroy enemy capabilities and to kill enemy fighters in that area already. That is something that we are going to continue and intensify with this new capability. We are talking about an additional 400 or so forces in total, and they will be there for a temporary period, he said. A Kurdish military source told Reuters the extra US forces were deployed as part of a joint plan between the SDF and US-led coalition to capture Raqqa, and further US reinforcements were expected to arrive in the coming few days. Dorrian said the Army Rangers were on a different mission to the Marines in a previously announced deployment near the city of Manbij to create some reassurance for US-allied Turkey and US partners in Syria - a reference to the SDF. Turkey views the YPG as a threat to its national security and says the Kurdish militia maintains a presence in Manbij. The YPG denies this. Fearing deepening Kurdish influence in northern Syria, Turkey has been pressing Washington for a role in the final assault on Raqqa. Dorrian said a possible role for Turkey remains a point of discussion at military leadership and diplomatic levels. We have always said we are open to a role for Turkey in the liberation of Raqqa and will continue that discussion to whatever logical end there is. Two women from the US Marine Corps, one still on active duty, have came forward as victims of a clandestine all-male social media network of military personnel and veterans under investigation for sharing nude photos of female colleagues. The existence of a private Facebook group called Marines United and its surreptitious distribution of explicit images of women in the armed forces - often with obscene, misogynist commentary - came to light in published reports over the weekend. Initially uncovered by The War Horse, a non-profit news site run by Marine veteran Thomas Brennan, the scandal was first reported on Saturday by the California-based Center for Investigative Reporting through its radio podcast Reveal. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service has opened an inquiry into the matter and senior lawmakers on Capitol Hill immediately denounced the activity. The Marines top commander, Gen Robert Neller, weighed in with a videotaped rebuke on Tuesday, calling the disclosures an embarrassment to the corps. I dont think such behaviour is that of true warriors, he said. Former Marine Erika Butner (right) and attorney Gloria Allred hold photos of Butner in uniform at a news conference in Los Angeles as she and another active-duty female Marine said photographs of them were secretly posted online without their consent. (AP) On Wednesday, two women identifying themselves as victims appeared with their Los Angeles-based attorney, Gloria Allred, urging others to come forward and calling on Neller to meet with victims in person. I can tell you that this exact behaviour leads to the normalisation of sexual harassment and even sexual violence, said Erika Butner, 23, who served in the Marines for four years before leaving the service last June. Butner said she learned months later that she was among numerous women from all branches of the military whose pictures were posted without permission to a shared digital drive and organised by name, rank and military base. In some cases, contact information was included, she said. She was accompanied by Marisa Woytek, an active duty Marine who said in a written statement that while she was fully clothed and appropriately dressed in the photos posted of her, those images drew comments suggestive of sexual violence. Woytek told The New York Times the pictures were taken from her Instagram account without permission, and she was alerted by friends who sent her a screen shot. I love the Marine Corps, she said, but after seeing that, I wouldnt re-enlist. The US Code of Military Justice explicitly outlaws distribution of sexually explicit photos of others without their consent as an offence punishable by court marital. The Facebook group in question is reported to have nearly 30,000 followers, mostly active duty US Marines, Marine Corps veterans and British Royal Marines. CNN reported on Wednesday that group members, rather than halting their network once exposed, moved to other pages with more restrictive access. The photo sharing, involving thousands of images, began weeks after the first Marine infantry unit was assigned women on January 5, Reveal reported. WikiLeaks will work with technology companies to help defend them against the CIAs hacking tools, founder Julian Assange said Thursday. The move sets up a potential conflict between Silicon Valley firms eager to protect their products and an intelligence agency stung by the radical transparency groups disclosures. In an online news conference, Assange acknowledged that some companies had asked for more details about the CIA cyberespionage toolkit that he purportedly revealed in a massive disclosure earlier this week. We have decided to work with them, to give them some exclusive access to some of the technical details we have, so that fixes can be pushed out, Assange said. Once tech firms had patched their products, he said, he would release the full data of the hacking tools to the public. The CIA has so far declined to comment directly on the authenticity of the leak, but in a statement issued Wednesday it suggested that such releases are damaging because they equip adversaries with tools and information to do us harm. Assange began his online press conference with a dig at the agency for losing control of its cyberespionage arsenal, saying that all the data had been kept in one place. This is a historic act of devastating incompetence, he said, adding that, WikiLeaks discovered the material as a result of it being passed around. Assange said the technology was nearly impossible to keep under wraps or under control. Theres absolutely nothing to stop a random CIA officer or even a contractor from using the technology, Assange said. The technology is designed to be unaccountable, untraceable; its designed to remove traces of its activity. The CIA wouldnt confirm Wednesday that the material came from its files, although no one is doubting that it did. The CIA wouldnt talk about whether there was any investigation underway to figure out how the material ended up on the internet for all to see. And the agency wouldnt say whether it suspects that a mole lurking inside the CIA secretly spirited the material to WikiLeaks, or whether the CIA could have been the victim of a hack. The WikiLeaks disclosures were an extraordinary coup for a group that has already rocked American diplomacy with the release of 250,000 State Department cables and embarrassed the Democratic Party with political back-channel chatter and the U.S. military with hundreds of thousands of logs from Iraq and Afghanistan. The intelligence-related documents describe clandestine methods for bypassing or defeating encryption, antivirus tools and other protective security features for computers, mobile phones and even smart TVs. They include the worlds most popular technology platforms, including Apples iPhones and iPads, Googles Android phones and the Microsoft Windows operating system for desktop computers and laptops. WikiLeaks has not released the actual hacking tools themselves, some of which were developed by government hackers while others were purchased from outsiders. However, the group is now saying that it will. If sharing were to occur, it would be an unusual alliance that would give companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft, Samsung and others an opportunity to identify and repair any flaws in their software and devices that were being exploited by U.S. spy agencies and some foreign allies, as described in the material. Security experts said WikiLeaks was obligated to work privately with technology companies to disclose previously unknown software flaws, known as zero-day vulnerabilities because consumers would have no time to discover how to defend themselves against their use, and with companies that design protection software. WikiLeaks has said the latest files apparently have been circulating among former U.S. government hackers and contractors. The clear move is to notify vendors, said Chris Wysopal, co-founder and chief technology officer of Veracode Inc. If WikiLeaks has this data then its likely others have this data, too. The binaries and source code that contain zero days should be shared with people who build detection and signatures for a living. One clear risk is that WikiLeaks revealed enough details to give foreign governments better opportunities to trace any of the sophisticated hacking tools they might discover back to the CIA, damaging the ability to disguise a U.S. government hackers involvement. Thats a huge problem, said Adriel T. Desautels, the chief executive at Netragard LLC, which formerly sold zero-day exploits to governments and companies. Our capabilities are now diminished. Apple said many of its security vulnerabilities disclosed by WikiLeaks were already fixed. In a statement late Tuesday, it said its initial analysis showed that the latest version of the iOS system software for iPhones and iPads fixed many of those flaws. Apple said it will continue work to rapidly address any identified vulnerabilities. ___ Satter reported from Paris. Associated Press Michael Liedtke in San Francisco contributed to this report. STANLEY WEINTRAUB, published his first biography, about Lawrence of Arabias postwar years, in 1963. Since then he has been writing about other notable lives, and about wars, from the rebellion in America to Korea, with many of his books combining both aspects. Before beginning his writing career, he earned a Bronze Star in Korea as a young Army officer. He has published books about the American Revolution, the American Civil War, World War I, the Spanish Civil War, World War II, and the Korean War, as well as biographies of American and English figures of political, cultural and military significance. A former Guggenheim Fellow, Stanley Weintraub is Evan Pugh Professor Emeritus of Arts and Humanities at Pennsylvania State University. 1. How did you become interested in military history? As a boy in the 1930s I collected bubble-gum war cards. I still have nearly 200 about the Japanese conquests in China, the Italian invasion of Ethiopia, and the Spanish Civil War. When I was 10 I even began, in school copybooks, a history of the emerging world war, but that was aborted when I realized that the attempt was beyond me. A dozen years later I was in a real war, as an Army officer in Korea, earning a Bronze Star. For me publishing about war really began with books about the postwar Lawrence of Arabia [Private Shaw and Public Shaw: A Dual Portrait of Lawrence of Arabia and George Bernard Shaw, 1963] and my war [The War in the Wards, 1964]. Since then Ive written about the American Revolution, the Civil War, both world wars, and more about Korea. 2. What drew you to writing this book? Research on the 1918 Armistice led me to a moving earlier moment when the shooting stopped: the 1914 Christmas Truce. That led to five further books about wartime Christmases. In continuing my World War I research, I found that Prime Minister David Lloyd George in mid-1917 summoned General Edmund Allenby and urged him to retake Jerusalem as a Christmas present for the British people, who were disillusioned after three years of war. The harsh desert campaign succeeded just in time. The recovery of the holy city after 500 years of Turkish rule even occurred on the first day of the festival of Hanukkah. I was hooked. Jerusalem was iconic in our culture. I have visited twice, and a piece of ochre Jerusalem stone is on my desk. 3. Does writing energize or exhaust you? When research is extensive enough to organize the results into likely chapters there is an emotional high to begin writing. Not necessarily at the possible beginning of the narrative, but at a chapter opening that propels the keys. The back storythe flashbackswill come. In my books I have begun at Whistlers funeral, at Lawrences encountering Shaw, at Victorias Jubilee, at the false armistice in 1918, at MacArthurs Old Soldiers Never Die address to Congress after his sacking. Whatever energizes the first pages is the initiative. Exhaustion comes at frustrating stoppages, at events breaking off, or in biographies when one must kill off a subject with whom one has lived so fully. That can evoke real tears. 4. What is your favorite period to write about? My earliest research was on the Victorians and their era. Bernard Shaw called himself an old Victorian but long survived the queen. To me the Victorian dawn of invention, change, progress, and expectations for fruitful continuity ended abruptly not with her demise in 1901 but with the cataclysm of the war of 19141918. The fragile peace that followed was only an interval between world wars. My lasting interest, even at age 88, is that long Victorian afternoon, especially its unhopeful sunset. My newest book and several recent and unrelated essays continue that passion. 5. What kind of research do you do, and how much research do you do before you begin writing? Technology and time have drastically altered research methods. When I wrote about the 1918 Armistice I could still interview survivors of that war, and I could examine letters and diaries of participants. I traveled long distances to archivestwice around the globeto pursue documentation. After 49 years of teaching, now long passed, I have a legion of former students, fans of my books, and other valued resource persons to volunteer legwork. And of course the magical internet to summon up material not on library shelves or in accessible collections. E-mail has replaced postage. Photocopy has replaced pricey photostat. Long ago I often sent stamps to elicit prepaid replies. I used onion-skin paper to make copies. I resorted to expensive long-distance telephone. But I still rely on a sense of sufficiency to begin writing. 6. Whats next for you? What are you working on? I am back to World War II. An abiding interest of mine has been Franklin D. Roosevelt, beginning with his entry into government as an energetic assistant secretary of the navy during World War I. Now I am working on his difficultly as president with the ambitious, autocratic Charles de Gaulle, known for his height as well as his hauteur as deux metres. My working title is Deadlock. I have accomplished enough research to have drafted a first chapter unlike anything else in print on this fraught relationship. I plan also to assemble published and unpublished pieces into a book about the British royals, beginning with George III. Age has slowed me, but writing is an activity in which I can indulge while sitting down. MHQ After an emergency landing in Sweden, a B-17G became a bargaining chip for hundreds of American internees. During World War II, 143 U.S. Army Air Forces aircraft made unscheduled arrivals in neutral Sweden, 69 of them B-17 Flying Fortresses. Ten of the bombers were handed over to the Swedish government, slated for conversion into 14-seat airliners for use on the Sweden-Scotland route. In return, hundreds of interned USAAF personnel were repatriated. The Fortresses were designated F-17s in Swedish service, with the F honoring Felix Hardison, the U.S. air attache who had greatly assisted in the exchange. The first F-17 entered service with Swedish Intercontinental Airlines in early October 1944, and the last was withdrawn on August 7, 1947. Through a fortuitous series of circumstances, one of those converted bombers survives today, now restored to its original configuration. B-17G-35-BO, serial no. 42-32076, was one of 4,035 B-17Gs built by Boeing in Seattle, Wash. After delivery to the USAAF on January 24, 1944, the new Fortress was ferried across the Atlantic, arriving at Burtonwood on March 2. Subsequently assigned to the 401st Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group, Eighth Air Force, at Bassingbourn, it was one of the first 50 Fortresses sent to Great Britain in bare metal finish rather than camouflage. The B-17G was assigned to Lieutenant Paul C. McDuffee, whose crew chief, Tech. Sgt. Hank Cordes, named it after a popular Andrews Sisters song, Shoo Shoo Baby. The new bombers first mission, against Frankfurt, came on March 24, 1944. McDuffee and his crew went on to fly 20 missions in Shoo Shoo Baby, including two raids on Berlin. Arguably their most interesting sortie took place on April 9, when Gdynia on the Baltic coast in Poland was the assigned target. The 91st Bomb Group war diary entry for that mission reads 9-4- 44. Gdyniarecalled, with a cryptic addition: 1 A/C Marienburg, Completed. The story behind this terse entry is remarkable. McDuffee and his crew took off from Bassingbourn in miserable weather. Entering a holding pattern, the lieutenant spotted a formation of Forts from another bomb group, though he couldnt see any other 91st B-17s. Wed found a home, McDuffee recalled, and we werent about to be dispossessed! The Forts were heading northeast, toward the Baltic Sea, but their target was not Gdynia. South of Sweden they turned toward the German coastline. McDuffee recounted: When we approached the coast the navigator immediately picked up Gdynia and Danzig, which obviously were not the targets, and we changed to a course of 190 degrees. About that time we hit a terrific flak barrage and hundreds of fighters. We opened the bomb bay doors and headed for the target when the others did, though we really didnt know what it was. Having bombed a target at Marienburg, the crew encountered an unusual problem. A shell burst ahead and above us, McDuffee said, emitting what appeared to be a big puff of brown smoke. Immediately, another burst just above us, and the whole plane was covered with what looked to be brown tobacco juice. The windows and windshields were completely covered, and the wipers only made it worse. The only way we could see to fly for the rest of the trip was to slide back the windows a bit and sort of stick one eye out. Just after McDuffee landed at Bassingbourn, having been airborne for 12 hours and 55 minutes, his engines stopped dead due to fuel exhaustion. When he asked how many other Forts had made it back, the response was, Nobody, because nobody else left! Due to a malfunctioning radio, Shoo Shoo Baby hadnt received the recall message. McDuffees last mission in Shoo Shoo Baby took place on May 24. Command then passed to Lieutenant Robert J. Guenther, formerly McDuffees copilot. It appears that the third Shoo was added to the bombers name at this juncture. Guenthers first mission as aircraft commander came on May 27. Two days later, he and his crew participated in a raid on an aircraft factory at Posen, Poland. The navigator, 2nd Lt. J.M. Lowdermilk, recalled: [I] always got to the plane late, as the rest of the crew was ready to go, and I remember that as I walked up to the plane Bob [Guenther] asked me if I knew the way to Sweden because we might run out of gas. I stated that I did and that I had the course charted. This was all in jest, but I have actually wondered what would have happened had this been overheard by the ground crew, since actually we did go to Sweden. As they neared the target, the bombers no. 4 engine began smoking, so it was shut down. Further trouble cropped up over the target, when another engine was damaged by flak. Knowing Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby was a sitting duck, the crew decided to head for Sweden. As we approached the coastline, said Lowdermilk, Bob was interested in knowing whether or not it was Sweden. I confidently stated that it was, but after the flak started coming up as we got over land, I wasnt so sure. All of it was low, and I believe the Swedes were just telling us Dont try anything. Just before we reached land we lost the third engine, and we were losing altitude fast. A Swedish fighter came up and led us to Malmo, where a B-24, also in trouble, landed just ahead of us. Guenther touched down at Bulltofta airfield, outside Malmo. Shoo Shoo Shoo Babys crew was repatriated in late October, but the aircraft remained in Swedish hands. Following diplomatic wrangling, a deal was struck in which hundreds of interned USAAF aircrewmen were repatriated in re turn for 10 B-17s, including three spare recovery airframes. Saab converted seven of the Forts at Linkoping. All military equipment was removed, two passenger cabins (seating six and eight) were installed and the bomb bay was converted into a cargo compartment, complete with mechanical lift. In October 1945, the last two Fortresses were transferred to the Danish airline DDL. One of them, the converted Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby, was subsequently registered as OYDFA, and remained in DDL service until early 1948. On April 1, 1948, it was sold to the Danish army air corps, which used the F-17 for aerial survey duties over Greenland. Withdrawn from service in 1954, the former bomber was sold the next year to the French Institut Geographique National (IGN). It was issued the civil registration F-BGSH in January 1956, and again rebuilt. This time the nose section was modified and two cameras were installed in the belly for aerial survey flights. On its last flight, on July 15, 1961, the front fuselage was damaged in a ground collision, after which the venerable Fortress was simply pushed to the side of the airfield at Creil and left there. F-BGSH had flown a total of 3,364 hours. In 1968 Australian aviation historian Steve Birdsall researched F-BGSHs provenance and notified the U.S. Air Force Museum of its unusual history. Unlike most surviving Fortresses, it had been flown operationally in WWII. The French would eventually donate the airplane to the USAF. Disassembled, it was trucked to Frankfurt in 1972, then shipped to the U.S. With no plans to restore the bomber to flying condition, its main wing spars were cut up to ease transport. As the museum had limited funding, the B-17 remained stored in 27 crates. In 1977 Tech. Sgt. Michael Leister of the 512th Organizational Maintenance Squadron at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware contacted the USAF Museum about the possibility of restoring one of their aircraft, with work to be carried out by Air Force Reserve volunteers. Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby was chosen for the project, and the dismantled B-17 was trucked to Dover in July 1978. On hand to receive the crated Fortress was former pilot Paul McDuffee and Stanley T. Wray, one-time commander of the 91st Bomb Group. It was an emotional moment for McDuffee, who said, Ive just got to go over and kiss herthen did just that. The 512th Antique Aircraft Restoration Group was formed to oversee the project. Work continued for a decade to return the bomber to B-17G configuration and flightworthy status. In the end, instead of retaining its original natural metal finish, Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby was painted olive drab. The rebuilt Fortress was flown to Dayton on October 14, 1988. Now that the B-17G has been on display at the Air Force Museum for 25 years, plans call for it to be moved to the National Air and Space Museums Udvar-Hazy Center. In exchange, NASMs B-17D Swoose was transferred in 2008 to Dayton, where it is currently being restored for display. This feature originally appeared in the May 2014 issue of Aviation History. Subscribe here. Although never flown in combat by Americans, Martins Baltimore still emerged as one of the top Allied workhorses in the Mediterranean. By the spring of 1944, German troops on Crete and outlying islands were facing growing supply shortages. With air superiority largely in Allied hands, air transport was proving nearly impossible and sea transport hazardous. Nevertheless, in the early hours of June 1, a German convoy of four merchantmen protected by a destroyer, four armed auxiliaries and aircraft slipped out of the Greek port of Piraeus and headed for Crete. It immediately became a high-priority target. Within hours, an attack force of 72 Allied bombers and fighter escorts began stalking the convoy. Representing squadrons from the British Royal Air Force (RAF), the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and the South African Air Force (SAAF), the attack force included a variety of aircraft. Mustangs and Spitfires provided protective cover, joined by Wellingtons, Marauders and rocket-armed Beaufighters that made up part of the strike element. But the bulk of the force consisted of an American-made bomber few people remember today, the Martin A-30 Baltimore. Variants of the Baltimore bomber played a major role in air operations throughout the Mediterranean. Designed in the late 1930s as a low-level attack bomber, it was largely a scaled-up version of the Glenn L. Martin Companys Model 167 Maryland then in use by the French air force. The Baltimores 48-foot-long fuselage was longer and much deeper than its predecessors, but it retained the Marylands narrow width, endowing the newer plane with a distinctive fish-like silhouette. Its 61-foot wingspan housed two beefy 1,600-hp Wright GR2600-A5B5 Double Cyclone engines that gave the Baltimore a top speed of more than 300 mph, meaning the bomber could often outrun enemy fighters. Cruising speed was 220 mph, with a service ceiling of 24,000 feet and a fully loaded bombing range of 950 miles. An auxiliary tank, designed to fit into the bomb bay, could extend that range for ferrying or reconnaissance missions. Called the Model 187 by Martin, the Baltimore briefly held the designation A-23 while it was being considered by the U.S. Army Air Corps. But the Americans favored Martins B-26 Marauder and Douglas A-20 Havoc (called the Boston by the British). The French purchased the Model 187 to replace its aging Marylands, and the bomber first experienced combat during the Battle of France. Once Paris capitulated, the French contract was subsumed by the British, who renamed their Model 187s after the city where they was built, Baltimore, Md. Aircrews simply called it the Balt. Later variants provided to the British under Lend-Lease would be designated A-30s by the U.S. Army Air Forces. This, however, was a technicality. Under Lend-Lease, only armaments in the U.S. inventory could be loaned to England. The A-30s were therefore delivered to the USAAF and then immediately transferred to the RAF. Eventually the Baltimore would see combat with almost every Allied air force in the Mediterraneanincluding the British, Australian, New Zealand, South African, Greek and Free French air forces, as well as the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force, formed in southern Italy after Romes surrender. But ironically it would never see active service in the USAAF. The Baltimores crew consisted of a pilot, a navigator-bombardier, a top turret gunner and a radio operator who doubled as a gunner. In an emergency, auxiliary flight controls in the Plexiglas-enclosed nose allowed the navigator-bombardier to fly the plane. The Balts main punch was its 2,000-pound bombload, but it also carried a powerful sting for aerial combat. Each wing held two forward-firing .303-inch Browning machine guns. The original Baltimore, the Mk. I, had another Browning on a flexible mount in an open cockpit just aft of the pilot. This was replaced in the Mk. III with a Boulton-Paul turret packing four .303-inch machine guns, which in turn was replaced in the Mk. IV by a Martin 250CE turret, with a twin .50-caliber mount. The radio operator manned two machine guns on a flexible ventral mount in the Balts aft-facing belly window. In addition to the R/Os guns, there were four fixed machine guns facing down and to the rear, operated by a foot pedal, to counter any fighters that flew under the ventral gunners field of fire. In later models, all these weapons were replaced by .50-caliber guns. Despite minor problems with early models, the Baltimore was well received by RAF pilots, who found it sturdy and easy to fly. One British test pilot wrote: The aeroplane is nice to handle in all conditions of flight and at all loads. Its maneuverability is good and evasive action is easy. The aeroplane is extremely good on one engine; maintaining height with the greatest of ease on one engine even with the propeller of the dead engine unfeathered. Unfortunately, that only applied once the Balt got into the air. If the aircrafts powerful engines werent perfectly synchronized during takeoffs and landings, it had a nasty habit of ground looping. More Baltimores, in fact, were damaged or lost to ground loops than to enemy action. Eventually a landing procedure was developed by which the pilot approached the airstrip at low power and gunned the engine only a few feet off the ground. Once the wheels touched down, power was reduced again. Despite its ungainliness on the ground, the Baltimore became one of the Mediterraneans top workhorses. Arriving just as Field Marshal Erwin Rommel launched his 1942 offensive, two squadrons of Baltimores were thrown into the British defense of El Alamein. Flying in their original role as low-level attack bombers, the Balts suffered heavy casualties from groundfire and enemy fighters. When bombing from a medium altitude with fighter escort, however, they became a potent ground support weapon, incurring relatively few casualties. In that latter role, the Baltimores helped perfect RAF Air Marshal Arthur Tedders concept of tactical carpet bombing. Nicknamed the Tedder Bomb Carpet, this tactic involved a six-aircraft formation called a box. Three boxes were formed into V-formations, or vics. Two waves, each containing one vic, or 18 aircraft, would attack in succession from heights of 10,000 to 12,000 feet. The intent was to lay a tight bomb pattern as close as 800 yards from British lines. Protected by fighter escorts, Baltimores and Bostons bombed with such regularity and so few casualties that the Germans and Italians nicknamed the enemy formations the Eighteen Imperturbables. An RAF Balt pilot, speaking to workers at the Baltimore plant, described a carpet bombing attack this way: An area some 400 feet wide and 1,200 yards long was enveloped in a great cloud of dust after the Baltimores dropped our bombs. A tremendous fire broke out and a black pillar of smoke rose to 1,000 feet. Aircraft on the ground and large store dumps were destroyed in this Baltimore show. While squadrons of Baltimores were earning their bones tearing up the Afrika Korps, other Balt units were adapting their aircraft to hunt German shipping and U-boats in the Med and the Aegean Sea, and attacking enemy air bases on Crete and other islands. Here too Baltimore crews suffered teething pains. In June 1944, 16 Baltimores, including eight from RAAF No. 454 Squadron, were assigned to Operation Thesis, a raid to avenge the Nazis execution of 100 civilians accused of assisting British commandos. Thesis involved a coordinated attack on German strongholds in Crete, beginning with a saturated fighter sweep and followed by bomber attacks. It did not go well. Coming in low behind the fighters, the Baltimores encountered concentrated anti-aircraft fire as they approached Suda Bay. We were now under 100 feet and the ground fire was intense, 454s Squadron Leader Lionel Folkard recalled. We had flown less than half way to the target before we suffered serious damage. My aircraft was the first to be hit. When I took stock, I found the port engine was on fire and I was wounded in the left leg, also my right arm was hanging by a shred, and I was losing a great deal of blood onto the cockpit floor. Folkard crash-landed near Heraklion on a beach laced with land mines. Miraculously, he and his crewall of them woundedsurvived to become POWs. Others werent so lucky. Of the eight 454 Squadron Baltimores on the raid, only two returned to base. Thirteen of the 32 Australian crewmen were killed. Nearly all the Baltimores on the raid sustained severe damage. As in North Africa, the Baltimore moved away from low-level attacks to bombing from medium altitudes. The Big Strike, as veterans of the June 1 convoy attack called it, was a classic example of such an antishipping mission. Once the German convoy slipped out of port, Baltimore reconnaissance aircraft began stalking it, constantly reporting its position while dodging escorting fighters and flak from destroyers. It was approaching evening when the strike force finally intercepted the enemy ships. Marauders went in first, followed closely by the Baltimores. It was about 7 p.m. and still daylight when we attacked, said Squadron Leader George Gray, who had replaced Folkard at 454 Squadron. We managed to straddle a merchant ship and the South African Baltimores another. The rocket Beaus had a go at the merchant ships and some of the rockets went straight through without damaging them significantly.There was a lot of flak from the destroyers, but we were high enough to get away with it. The initial attack left one cargo ship sinking and two more burning, one of which sank later that night. The next day the same strike force again targeted the survivors, which by now had reached port. The sky was filled with flak from both shipboard and land batteries. Six Beaufighters were lost, while the Germans lost another merchant ship and a destroyer. One German merchantman had initially escaped to sea, but it was caught with the help of radar-equipped Baltimores. This last ship was badly damaged by the bombers, and finally finished off by a British submarine. With the fall of Axis North Africa in May 1943, the Baltimore squadrons moved on to see combat in Sicily and Italy. In those campaigns the squadrons continued to provide close ground support with the Tedder Bomb Carpet, but also developed a new tactic dubbed intruder raids. These involved lone Balts, flying between 6,000 feet and the deck under the control of ground radar, intercepting and harassing enemy night movements. For this mission, the Baltimores were modified with new bombsights and racks for dropping illumination flares. The bombers turret guns were also recalibrated for ground strafing. RAAF Pilot Officer Alf Warner, another member of 454 Squadron, described an attack on a bridge crossing the Adige River during April 1945: The bridge was being used by the retreating Germans. As usual, we went in low using guns against the defenses on the bridge and skip bombing with 250-pounders.Having dropped half our bomb load, we pulled away, pilot and gunners having a whale of a time. Baltimore squadrons chased the Germans the entire length of the Italian peninsula to the Po River. The 13th Hellenic Squadron, along with squadrons from Italys Co-Belligerent 28th and 132nd groups, all equipped with Balts, flew missions in the Balkans in support of Marshal Titos partisans in Yugoslavia and Italian troops fighting the Germans in Albania. The end of the European war saw the quick dismantling of Baltimore squadrons. The last RAF Balts were used in Kenya for aerial mapping and insect control spraying until other aircraft replaced them in 1946. For a time, the U.S. Navy used a Baltimore to test supersonic airfoils. That Balt was donated to the Baltimore Public Schools system, but neither it nor any of the other 1,574 Baltimores built by Martin survive today. Outside of a few memorials that have been established by former Baltimore squadron members, there are few reminders left of the Martin A-30 Baltimore. It is the forgotten bomber of WWII. Longtime writer and editor Martin Hill is a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy reserves, and currently serves as a medical service corps officer in the California National Guard. For further reading, he recommends: Alamein to the Alps: 454 Squadron, RAAF 1941-1945, by Mark Lax (available for free download at 454-459squadrons.org. au/downloads.html); and Martin 187 Baltimore, by Tony OToole. Originally published in the May 2014 issue of Aviation History. To subscribe, click here. Half Moon Bay, CA (94019) Today Mainly cloudy. A few peeks of sunshine possible. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 57F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A steady rain this evening. Showers continuing overnight. Low 46F. S winds shifting to WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. The Illegal border crossing has decreased up to 40 percent in President Donald Trump's first full month in office. The Border Patrol and U.S. Customs have reported that crossing into the country has dropped from 31,578 to 18,762 people. Usually illegal immigrants increase from 10 to 20 percent during the month of January to February. It turns out that the Trump administration has stayed focused on this issue and they made sure to decrease illegal immigrants into the country. Trump had signed an executive order to increase border security, he also authorized the construction of his border wall during the first few days of his presidency as per Fox News. Further to the debating illegal immigrant issues, the president will hire around 5,000 additional border patrol officers to ensure fast track deportations. The administration has clearly implemented and executed orders to enforce immigration laws. The latest decrease in border crossing is certainly welcoming news for Trump, who campaigned on illegal immigrant crackdown. The Homeland Secretary John Kelly stated that they will remain vigilant and respond to any changes in these trends. The numbers of illegal border crossings will increase between March and May. Kelly further said that the decrease in apprehensions shows a marked change in trends. The earlier results show that enforcement and deterrence matters, the administration believes that the comprehensive immigrant enforcement can make a huge impact. Trump's administration also seeks to hire 10,000 ICE agents to speed up the deportations. Based on the report 40 percent of illegal border crossing have decreased and the administration believes that during the peak time of border crossings there will not be an increase. Trump during one month of his administration has focused on many other issues, including the travel ban from seven major Muslim countries. According to the president Muslims are not allowed to be in the country as he strongly believes that they are the key to terrorism in the world. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. In the spring of 2009, I visited El Paso. While Id been there before, for this trip my plan was to fly into the city, rent a car, and then continue to Marfa like Id done in the past. But when I told a friend that I would be in her hometown, she insisted I spend a few meals in the city before hitting the road. The food is unlike any youve ever had, she said. She gave me a list of places to try and one of them was Carnitas Queretaro. As the name implies, this is a pork-centric restaurant that specializes in said little meats and my plan was to try the namesake dish. The morning I visited, however, a server walked past me carrying a plate of enchiladas. They were bright red and smothered with white molten cheese, and it was so fragrant that as she passed I turned my head to follow the plate to its destination. A few minutes later, the server approached my table to take my order. I nodded to where shed dropped off the enchiladas and said I wanted the same. When my enchiladas arrived, a light steam rose from the hot plate. On it were two soft corn tortillas smothered in that rich, vibrant sauce along with a blanket of melted cheese. I took my first bite, and they were earthy, chewy, and creamy with a touch of heat. The red chile sauce made them distinct from other cheese enchiladas Id had in Texas, but they were still familiar. They were excellent and I loved them. Now, typically Tex-Mex cheese enchiladas have a sauce made with ancho chiles, which is a dried poblano pepper that is earthy with bittersweet hints of raisins and chocolate. In El Paso, however, the dried chiles commonly used come from long, green chiles, what people may refer to as Hatch chiles, which are in the same family as Anaheim chiles. These chiles, which can be called New Mexico chiles or chiles colorado, differ from anchos in that they are fruitier, though they too have that earthy essence. While neither is terribly hot, I do find that New Mexican chiles can sometimes be more fiery than anchos. While Ive returned to El Paso several times since that visit, when I was recently looking at photos from my trip in 2009, it occurred to me I had never attempted to make those red chile cheese enchiladas at home. That needed to change. Fortunately, I happened to have some New Mexican chiles in my pantry, and so I began to craft my sauce, which is the foundation of the dish. Red chile sauce is ubiquitous in El Paso and while most recipes are similar I discovered that no family makes their sauce the same way. For mine, I decided to go with lots of garlic, onion, cumin, and oregano, along with broth and the dried chiles, which made a flavorful sauce. Some may strain the sauce or add flour to thicken it, but I found if you pureed it long enough in the blender you could eliminate those steps. For the enchiladas, I used Monterey Jack since in El Paso white cheese is preferred over the yellow cheese more popular throughout the rest of the state. To serve, a garnish of thinly sliced onions, pickled jalapenos, and a scoop of guacamole made them complete. The resulting plate was just as I remembered, and these hearty, cheesy enchiladas were West Texas-style comfort food at its finest. And as I took each bite, I thought about how wonderful it is that Texas with its vast and varied landscape contains such a diverse and delicious cuisine. Im glad that I followed my friends advice to spend time eating in El Paso, and I look forward to visiting again soon. For luxury hotels, coming up with new ideas for innovation is one of the hardest things. However, looking outside the industry, there are some examples of pioneers presenting practical, tangible ideas for overcoming some of the typical barriers to innovative thinking among luxury hoteliers. Here are a few examples to look at and a few recommendations for preparing to address them. Luxury innovation at Montreux Jazz When Claude Nobs created the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1967, he invented a new world, combining high quality music performances, uniqueness of improvisation and jam sessions never seen elsewhere, in a drop-dead gorgeous location that had seduced artists for decades from Byron to Kokoschka. The main reason why Miles Davis followed, however is purely Claude Nobs, the innovator, the former cook, who gelled it all together. The lifestyle concept of the Montreux Jazz Festival was embodied in a miniature version at Claude Nobs chalet "The Picotin". A mix of private and public space, sharing intimacy with strangers. Guests you didn't know, who knew Claude like you, sat with you and shared their passion and delicious food. Claude Nobs was pure hospital item, greeting strangers in a friendly and generous manner. He created value and meaning. Along the way, Claude Nobs and Mathieu Jaton kept innovating. Maybe as music enthusiasts, they were more open than others to the idea of perpetual change. Fashion, technology, food, they fearlessly dared to change the formula every year. Innovation included partnering with craftsmen and multinationals alike, broadcasting concerts in 3D, changing location in a dramatic manner, boldly offering free events magnifying the lifestyle experience for all, creating a foundation for young artists and an academy, demonstrating authenticity regardless of commerce. Give and you shall receive. Despite the fierce competition of tens of imitators, the in numerous threats they were exposed to, Montreux Jazz Festival is still growing and prospering after half a century. What can hospitality learn from the Montreux Jazz festival experience? Recently, a poll of the "coolest brands" in the UK showed that the only hospitality brand that made it to the top ten, alongside Chanel, Apple and Ray-Ban was Glastonbury, another cultural event. Another powerful and meaningful brand that was built with minimal direct advertising, compared to the budgets spent by multinational chains. Luxury innovation: between tradition and change There used to be a time when hospitality created excitement, sympathy and affiliation, a lot more than Airbnb does today. The excitement can be read in Arthur Young's 1787/1788 travelogue in France when he stepped in the Henri IV hotel in Nantes. "I am in doubt whether the hotel de Henri IV is not the finest inn in Europe. Dessein' at Calais is larger but neither built, fitted up nor furnished like this, which is new." The whole experience included supper, wine at the hotel and culture going to the nearby Comedie theatre. It appealed to every dimension of his human nature, his palate and his brain, not least to his pouch, as he insisted on the pleasant surprise of how little this new experience cost him. Rousseau too was excited when he first entered a "restaurant", the first of which, the famous Hotel D'Aligre in Paris served a healthy beef stew all day. It was invented by another utopian like Marie-Antoine Careme who invented haute cuisine half a century later and rejected "decadent" traditional cuisine. Careme insisted on the "need to offer novelties every day", dishes "less spicy", "less aromatized" and "healthier". His breach in tradition, the opposite of harmony that we value, required courage. Innovation like scientific truth is seldom what everyone believes. Later, the Grand Hotel de Monte Carlo, the Lucerne Grand Hotel National and the Savoy saw Auguste Escoffier and Cesar Ritz join their creative talents to innovate again, creating the modern luxury hotel. Two Ticinese brothers innovated in America with the Delmonico restaurant. Nine generations of hard working hoteliers and restaurateurs have thus created an extraordinary industry which employs tens of millions of workers, brings joy and culture to the world. We connect people like no smartphone ever will. This is why we are so precious to the online world. However by no means have we become eternal. Some of the threats we face come from the IT industry, like the sharing economy, or from existing moguls such as Expedia, a spin-off of Microsoft, which in turn spun off Tripadvisor. Tripadvisor sales last year were higher than Hilton's. Net profits were the same as Accor. Additional external threats come from geopolitics, as terrorism casts its dark shadow over our staff and our guests in Paris or Istanbul More threats come from macroeconomics, in the shape of currency instability, or from climate change which alters our locations and ruins our investments. Snowless mountain resorts, stormy coastal beaches, draught, forest fires etc. Our guests' behaviors are affected durably. Finally, along the way, hospitality must bring along 51 per cent of humankind. Men invented the man-dominated world of kitchen and hospitality. Yet women represent the majority of our workforce as well as the 21st century consumption decision makers. Still, we value what we do. Our infatuation with our business model is good news because it gives us motivation. But it is also the greatest peril we face. We need to start loving less what we do so we can start changing and adapting. Chefs will shrug off any suggestion of robotization of kitchen, even though flexible robots of 2016 allow immense progress, better quality, fresh food, personalized dishes, and greater affordability. Hotels will shrug off the idea that they need to reinvent themselves as social clubs, and that rooms don't matter that much anymore, as guests rent beds on Airbnb. Marketing professionals will shrug off the idea that brands are actually worth a lot less than what balance sheets show. The Montreux Jazz Festival experience holds more marketing insight than any advertising campaign. Guest fetishism, our obsession with customers who do not know what they want is holding back our creativity. And divided we stand. Fierce competition contributes to our blindness, delusion of grandeur, oblivion of history. Carlos Martin-Rios Ecole htelire de Lausanne HES-SO // University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland +41 21 785 18 20 EHL View source ROCKVILLE, Md. Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), Lieben Group, LP, and Nivea Hospitality celebrate the opening of the first Sleep Inn hotel to feature the brand's recently evolved interior and exterior design, opening just nine months after the concept was announced. The newly constructed 62-room Sleep Inn & Suites in Galion, Ohio, is located at 6698 Brandt Road, just off U.S. Route 30, and designed to appeal to both business and leisure travelers. Sleep Inn, an all-new construction hotel brand that is a leader in the midscale lodging segment, unveiled its newest design concept less than one year ago at the Choice Hotels Annual Convention in May 2016. The updated prototype's enhanced look and feel builds upon the success of Sleep Inn's simply stylish design, created to meet travelers' tastes and behaviors, as well as appeal to developers as an efficient hotel to build and operate. Most importantly, the new prototype remains cost neutral to its predecessor, cementing Sleep Inn's already strong value proposition for owners. A brand that appeals to both travelers and developers nationwide, Choice Hotels signed 51 new Sleep Inn agreements in 2016, pushing the overall Sleep Inn pipeline to more than 100 locations. This pipeline includes an innovative dual-brand concept with the extended-stay brand MainStay Suites, enabling hoteliers to tap into two types of demand while delivering construction and operational efficiencies through shared public space, back of house facilities and hotel staff. "The immediate adoption of this new Sleep Inn prototype speaks to the strength and positive momentum of the Sleep Inn brand," said Brian Quinn, vice president of franchise development for Choice Hotels. "Sleep Inn is a leader in its segment in both key operating metrics and development activity. While other companies are trying to penetrate the midscale market, Choice's Sleep Inn brand has an established presence with nearly 500 hotels open and under development across North America." At the Sleep Inn & Suites Galion, Ohio, guestrooms include generously sized flat-screen TVs, spa-like baths featuring frameless glass showers, and free-standing vanities. The hotel also features a fitness center, indoor pool, business center, and is the only hotel in the nearby vicinity to provide 24-hour free shuttle van service. Travelers can also enjoy the complimentary Sleep Inn Morning Medley hot breakfast buffet, free high-speed Internet and free newspapers. Playful "Dream Tips" displayed throughout the hotel offer creative ideas to help guests "Dream Better" when they turn out the lights after a day of work or play. "Choice Hotels is a trusted and proven partner for us on other hotel projects. When we saw the Sleep Inn design and success metrics, we signed up without hesitation," said Robert Schlabach, managing partner of Lieben Group, LP. "We are proud to lead the next generation design of the Sleep Inn brand and help to exceed expectations of its guests. From check-in to check-out, Sleep Inn truly has broad and lasting appeal." Since the Designed to Dream prototype first rolled out with a system-wide renovation initiative in 2010, the Sleep Inn brand has continued to steal market share and generate RevPAR growth that has outpaced the midscale lodging segment every year for the last five years. In 2016, the Sleep Inn brand's RevPAR grew at more than double the rate of the rest of the overall segment. To learn more about the Sleep Inn & Suites Galion, Ohio go to www.choicehotels.com/Sleep-Inn. About Choice Hotels Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) is one of the largest lodging franchisors in the world. With nearly 7,000 hotels, representing nearly 600,000 rooms, in 35 countries and territories as of March 31, 2022, the Choice family of hotel brands provides business and leisure travelers with a range of high-quality lodging options from limited service to full-service hotels in the upscale, midscale, extended-stay and economy segments. The award-winning Choice Privileges loyalty program offers members benefits ranging from everyday rewards to exceptional experiences. For more information, visit www.choicehotels.com. 2022 Choice Hotels International, Inc. All rights reserved. SOURCE Choice Hotels International, Inc. Forward-Looking Statement This communication includes "forward-looking statements" about future events, including anticipated hotel openings. Such statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including construction delays, availability and cost of financing and the other "Risk Factors" described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, any of which could cause actual results to be materially different from our expectations. Addendum This is not an offering. No offer or sale of a franchise will be made except by a Franchise Disclosure Document first filed and registered with applicable state authorities. A copy of the Franchise Disclosure Document can be obtained through contacting Choice Hotels International at 1 Choice Hotels Circle, Suite 400, Rockville, MD 20850, [email protected]. 2022 Choice Hotels International, Inc. All Rights Reserved WASHINGTON, D.C. The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) released a new report today that examines the rise of commercial activity taking place on Airbnb nationwide. This study, Hosts with Multiple Units A Key Driver of Airbnb Growth, reveals that Airbnb's business is moving even further away from true home sharing: 81% of Airbnb's U.S. revenue $4.6 billion comes from whole-unit rentals (those rentals where the owner is not present during the time of the rental). Airbnb has allowed the growth of "illegal hotels" that are often unregulated properties operating in residential neighborhoods, and as others have pointed out, are disrupting communities, impacting affordable housing and jeopardizing safety and security for guests and neighbors alike. The study, conducted by a leading real estate research company CBRE Hotels' Americas Research and funded by the American Hotel & Lodging Education Foundation, echoes a growing body of research that shows Airbnb "hosts" renting out two or more entire home units are the fastest growing segment of Airbnb's business in the U.S., generating nearly $2 billion in revenue nationally in 2016, or 40% of Airbnb's entire-unit national revenue, and 37% of entire-unit revenue in the 13 markets studied (over $700 million). This comprehensive national review of Airbnb operations covers October 2014 to September 2016, with a spotlight on 13 of the nation's largest markets: Austin, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Oahu, Portland, OR, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. What's more, hosts listing multiple homes for rent are the fastest growing segment of Airbnb's business. Strikingly, hosts with 10 or more properties are generating a quarter of all multi-host revenue, roughly $175 million in the 13 markets studied. The analysis also indicates this troubling national trend is getting worse, although there are some signs in key markets that stricter short-term rental regulation may be effective at curbing illegal hotel activity. Key findings: In the U.S., hosts renting out two or more entire-home units generated nearly $2 billion in revenue in 2016. In the 13 markets highlighted, revenue reached $700 million. 81% of Airbnb's U.S. revenue $4.6 billion comes from whole-unit rentals (those rentals where the owner is not present during the time of the rental), rising from 78% in the prior year. Each of the 13 cities studied saw an increase in the total number of listings by multi-unit hosts. In Nashville, Seattle, Oahu, and New Orleans, the growth of the number of units managed by multi-unit operators more than doubled and Nashville saw an increase of more than 160%. The markets with the highest share of total revenue derived from multi-unit hosts are Miami (57.9%), Oahu (53.5%), and New Orleans (42.3%). In almost every market examined in the report, the percentage of revenue from multi-unit hosts increased from 2015 to 2016, with the two notable exceptions being New York City and San Francisco, where policymakers have enacted regulations to limit abuse by commercial operators and ensure short-term rentals represent true home sharing. Revenue growth for entire-home properties increased by an average of 76% in the 13 markets studied. Nashville (+283%) was the fastest growing market followed by Oahu (+187%) and New Orleans (+144%). "Once upon a time Airbnb might have simply been a home sharing company, but this analysis shows that's just a fairytale now," said AHLA President and Chief Executive Officer Katherine Lugar. "This report provides a stark contrast to the picture that Airbnb presents to policymakers and the public and sheds light on why the company has largely refused to take even basic steps to stop illegal hotel operators, because these actors drive the overwhelming and growing - portion of its revenue. Indeed, it appears that Airbnb is actively supporting this commercial activity rather than trying to operate within the boundaries of the law. Today we are calling on Airbnb to finally come clean, tell the truth to the communities where it operates and crack down on the illegal hotels that it facilitates." "This report confirms a devastating national trend that is exacerbating the affordable housing crisis in cities across the country," said Peter Cohen, Co-director of the Council of Community Housing Organizations. "Affordable housing advocates from coast to coast agree: Airbnb in particular and the short-term-rental industry in general is facilitating a housing crisis by incentivizing property investors to convert homes and apartments into illegal hotels, thus decreasing the available housing stock and driving rent prices up. This is clearly no longer a mom and pop "hosting" activityit's become a profitable commercial enterprise. Rather than rein in this "hotelization" of our housing, Airbnb lets them flourish and everyday working families pay the price." "Businesses belong in commercially-zoned areas not in residential neighborhoods," said John Stern, President and Chairman Emeritus of Nashville Neighborhood Alliance, Inc. "By enabling these businesses, Airbnb and all Short Term Rental Properties are hurting our neighborhoods and damaging our communities. Some areas are now practically ghost-towns with investors buying houses just to rent them out to partiers on the weekends. And parents that want to raise their families in a close-knit neighborhood instead face a revolving door of strangers causing mayhem. We want to keep the neighbors in neighborhoods." The full report, Hosts with Multiple Units A Key Driver of Airbnb Growth, is available for download on the AHLA website, beginning at 11:30am EST on March 9, 2017: https://www.ahla.com/issues/illegal-hotels About the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) is the sole national association representing all segments of the U.S. lodging industry. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AHLA focuses on strategic advocacy, communications support, and workforce development programs to move the industry forward. Learn more at www.ahla.com. Katie Longo AH&LA It looks like you've reached a page that doesnt exist (anymore). Please use the navigation or search above to find content on Hospitality Net. Go back to home Following Chance The Rappers $1 million donation to Chicago public schools, many people including Michelle Obama praised his brave generosity. However, The Chicago Sun-Times chose to dig up Chances child support woes saying it could hurt his public image. In response, Lil Chano shared an IG video with his daughter and his baby mama Kirsten Corley. When his daughter squealed at the camera Chance translated, she said Sun-Times get the fuck back. The Chicago Sun-Times journalist Mary Mitchell brought up the rappers child custody battle saying, you cant hand out money to benefit children you dont know and come off looking like you are being stingy when it comes to your own child. Chance and Corley are in court seeking an arrangement for child support for their daughter. Still, they were united against the tabloid in the clip. Yall better do your jobs and stop worrying about how good my family is, he said. Chance later deleted the video. Chance The Rapper Nike has just unleashed official images of four upcoming Air Jordan 4 releases, as well as some comments from the man behind the iconic design, Tinker Hatfield. With the IV, I kind of went away from the exotic and went more technical, Hatfield says. Theres not a big inspirational story, its a little bit more like, were gonna do this new mesh, were gonna make this a little lighter, and its still gonna look a little different. The Air Jordan 4, originally introduced in 1989, is among the all-time favorites when it comes to Michael Jordans signature sneakers and this upcoming lineup features some exclusives from the past as well as a limited edition collab with KAWS. The white/black/royal Motorsport Air Jordan 4 was originally given to 16 members of MJs racing team but will finally be available to consumers for the first time, reportedly on March 25th. Additionally, Jordan Brand will be releasing an Alternate black version that is scheduled to drop on June 17th. The pristine all-white Pure Money Air Jordan 4 will be returning in OG form on May 13th, featuring Pure $ text embroidered behind the sneakers heel tab. Lastly, the limited edition KAWS x Air Jordan 4, featuring KAWS unmistakable XX branding and glow in the dark soles, will be releasing sometime this Spring. Take a look at the official images in the gallery above and let us know which pair youre most excited for. AJ4s Right wing blogger, media personality and all-around troll, Milo Yiannopolous is apparently a big fan of hip hop. So much so that he stopped by North Broward Detention Facility to take a picture for the Gram, captioning it #FREEX and tagging XXXTENTACIONs official account @heroinfather. The problem is, Milo was at the wrong prison. While XXXTENTACION does have an outstanding armed home invasion and aggravated battery charge in Broward County, hes actually currently being held in a different detention facility Paul Rein Detention Facility. The two are located near each other, so we can see how Milo made the mix-up. We arent sure how X feels about Milo, who has made a name for himself by making aggressive statements against things like feminism, Black Lives Matter and Islam. Yiannopolous was recently let go from his former employer Breitbart News after prior comments surfaced that seemed to show the alt-right icon giving implicit support to pedophilia between men and boys. He clearly has a lot of time on his hands after getting fired, since he can take tourist trips to detention facilities in Florida. This may not only be an attention-seeking move by Yiannopolous. He recently posted a photo of a playlist he made, and its exclusively filled with hip hop (including XXXTENTACION). Check it out below. xxtentacionmilo As many as 5,000 young musicians will take part in the ESB Feis Ceoil 2017 competition at the RDS between 27 March 27 7 April. The beloved classical music competition run by Feis Ceoil Association has been held annually before Easter in Dublin since 1896. A showcase performance of the most outstanding competitors from this years Festival will perform at a special Gala Concert in the National Concert Hall at 7.30pm on Wednesday, 26 April. ESB Feis Ceoil is an event of major significance in the development of musical talent in Ireland, says Laura Gilsenan, CEO of ESB FeisCeoil. By promoting excellence in learning andperforming music we can equip young musicians with skills that can last them a lifetime. The musical competitions at Feis are open to everyone to enjoy, and those who arent participants can come along as an audience member. For a 5 daily ticket, all of the competitions, from opera performances to childrens choirs, are open to the public. Information is available at www.feisceoil.ie, to help audiences choose which performances they would like to see. Tickets can be bought daily at the RDS. Since 2007, the Feis has worked closely with the sponsorship team at ESB. Both organisations have similar heritage, nationwide scope and a commitment to promoting excellence. The collaboration won the Best Long Term Partnership Award at the Allianz Business to Arts Awards in 2016. In response, Pat ODoherty, Chief Executive of ESB said, One of the things we want to do with any sponsorship is to make something better because we are involved. It goes much deeper than swapping a logo for the title rights. "I am a strong believer that partnerships do get better over time. ESB has always appreciated the important role the arts play in every aspect of Irish life, especially in the next generation. It is a core value of ESB and it was important that our partnership with Feis Ceoil reflect this. Over the years, Feis Ceoil and ESB have continuously thought about innovative ways of keeping the partnership vibrant. Feis Ceoil started some new competitions such as the ESB Choir of the Year and a competition for amateur conductors in partnership with RTE Concert Orchestra the first of its kind in Ireland. For further information check out the website www.feisceoil.ie This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Shrinking corporate travel budgets took a toll on local air travel last year, with the Houston Airport System reporting a 1.2 percent drop in the overall passenger count. "Because of the contraction in the energy sector worldwide, the business of energy is not driving the airline industry in Houston," said Mario Diaz, director of the Houston Airport System. The airport system's overall passenger count fell to 54.5 million people last year. The biggest airport, Bush Intercontinental, reported a 3.3 percent drop to 41.6 million passengers. United Airlines, the major player at Bush, likewise said its domestic and international passenger volume fell about 4.5 percent. United's local decline was in line with a decrease in available seats, spokesman Jonathan Guerin said. United ended service last year between Houston and several energy markets due to a drop in demand from energy business travelers. It also shifted some capacity away from Houston, which can be done by changing the size of an aircraft or the frequency on some routes. The overall drop at Houston's airports could have been worse, Diaz said, if it weren't cushioned by growth in international travel. Bush Intercontinental reached a record with 10.8 million international passengers, up 1.5 percent from 2015. Hobby Airport had 801,163 international travelers, up from 145,085 in 2015. Southwest Airlines began offering international flights from Hobby in October 2015, so last year was the airport's first full year of international service. Diaz said these new flights - and the additional traffic that Southwest funneled through Houston to connect with these flights - contributed to a 6.1 percent increase in passengers at Hobby Airport, to 12.9 million people. Looking ahead, Diaz said 2017 passenger counts will depend on what happens with oil prices and the energy sector in Houston. The airport system will receive a more significant boost if energy companies emerge from this downturn with a renewed focus on exploration, production and deal making that requires traveling around the world. Houston-based airline consultant Pete Garcia expects the recovering energy sector will help make 2017 a strong year for the Houston Airport System. "We'll make up that decline and add some to that," Garcia said. United is also optimistic, Guerin said, as "the energy market is starting to make a slow comeback now." Separate from energy, United recently announced twice-daily flights from Bush Intercontinental to Springfield, Mo., and said it will increase the frequency of its flights to Atlanta and Charleston, S.C. Michael Boyd, president of aviation consulting firm Boyd Group International, said being connected to myriad destinations around the world is more important than the number of people who fly on those routes. "At an airport system as big as Houston, a 1.2 percent change either way is meaningless," he said. Hasan Jamali/STR U.S. oil prices fell more than 5 percent on Wednesday to their lowest point in more than two months after the government reported that crude stockpiles have climbed again to record levels. Crude inventories have climbed for nine consecutive weeks as U.S. production has recovered along with oil prices in recent months, raising questions about the effectiveness of the agreement of major oil producers, led by OPEC and Russia, to cut output by about 1.8 million barrels a day. Crude settled in New York Wednesday at $50.28 barrel, down $2.86. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate CERAWeek is going on in Houston this week and there's no shortage of news or insights coming from one of the industry's most important conferences. NO WINNERS, NO LOSERS. TROPHIES FOR EVERYONE. Scott Pruitt, head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said Thursday power utilities should be able to decide how to supply electricity to the grid without government regulators picking "winners and losers." The comments, following statements made earlier in the day Thursday during an interview on CNBC's "Squawk Box" questioning the role of human activities in climate change, signaled a decided shift away from recent U.S. efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions by pushing the power sector away from fossil fuels. "When regulators act in such a way to displace investments that you made within two to three years after you did it, you get a lot of stranded cost," he said at the CERAWeek energy conference. "Stranded costs are being born by consumers in a way I don't think is healthy for having a pro-growth, pro-environment agenda." Read more: Pruitt signals pullback on U.S. climate policy *** WHEN SAVING DOESN'T NECESSARILY PAY U.S. oil prices tumbled below $50 a barrel on Thursday, down about 2 percent to the lowest settlement since the day before OPEC solidified plans to cut oil production in late November. The price decline came a day after the Energy Department reported a surge of crude in the nation's oil storage tanks in the last week, when the U.S. commercial stockpile grew by 8.2 million barrels. Read more: Oil prices settle at lowest point since before OPEC cut agreement *** A DISSENTING VOICE The global demand for oil could peak as soon as the late 2020s as the world continues to rely more on natural gas and renewable energy sources, Royal Dutch Shell CEO Ben van Beurden said Thursday at the CERAWeek by IHS Markit conference in Houston. Van Beurden acknowledged he disagrees with many of his energy CEO counterparts who contend oil demand will grow for several decades to come. That's partly why Shell said Thursday it's divesting from most of its Canadian oil sands position by selling its acreage in an $8.5 billion deal to Canadian Natural Resources. Van Beurden said the world must dramatically reduce its carbon dioxide emissions to meet Paris climate accord goals. But he emphasized that doesn't mean eliminating the use of fossil fuels. Read more: Shell CEO: Peak oil demand could arrive in late 2020s *** WHAT'S WITH THE NAME? As land in West Texas' prolific Permian Basin gets more expensive and harder to secure, oil companies are looking at the potential of other fields, from the Gulf of Mexico to Argentina. "There are 'sweet spots' that haven't really been tackled yet," said Frank Patterson, executive vice president of Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake Energy Corp. The big, easy oil fields have been found, he said, but that doesn't mean other big finds aren't lurking. "You just have to get good at what you do," Patterson said. Read more: Beyond the Permian: Is Dead Cow the next big field? *** NOT A DROP TO DRINK Wastewater injection faces an uncertain future in West Texas' prolific Permian basin, and companies working there will have to consider how else to dispose of water produced by fracking, said Alex Archila, the asset president of shale at BHP Billiton, a mining and exploration company. "Water, as I said of the Permian, will be a huge issue past a certain amount that you can inject," said Archila. "And then it will be other solutions that the industry will need to figure out." BHP Billiton is a Melbourne-based company with a presence in Houston and land in the Permian. Archila, who spoke on a panel at the CERAweek energy conference, said companies working in the Permian face two challenges when it comes to water: getting enough water for fracking and getting rid of underground water released by fracking. Read more: Water poses problems for the energy industry in the Permian *** WORLD TOUR While "globalization" has evolved into a dirty word in many nationalist movements around the world, the growth of liquefied natural gas to power much of the world is pushing back against such political trends. Shipping LNG on vessels across oceans will increasingly help fuel both the developing and developed world from emerging Asian markets to Europe to Latin America, said Michael Stoppard, IHS Markit chief global gas strategist. "LNG has moved from being a continental or regional business to being a, dare I say, globalized business," Stoppard said. "It is gas and not oil that will lie at the heart of your global volume growth." Read more: LNG exports push back against anti-globalization trends *** BLAME IT ON THE COWS (NOT THE DEAD COW) Peter Thiel, the technology investor and adviser to President Donald Trump, questioned the global push toward restricting carbon emissions as "group think" while speaking Tuesday. "I'm not sure I'm an extreme skeptic of climate change but I have my doubts about the extreme ways that people try to push it through," he said. "Even if climate change is quite as bad as people think it is, if we group think we're more likely to misdiagnose the problem. Maybe it's methane emissions, and the real problem is eating steak." The question of how the Trump administration will handle climate change is a central issue for energy companies, as they face the prospect of a shift to a lower carbon economy. Read more: Trump adviser Peter Thiel questions 'group think' of restricting carbon emissions *** LOOKING FOR HELP Saudi Arabia's energy minister says OPEC won't extend its international deal to curb oil production past this summer if other countries don't do their part to cut output. "We will not bear the burden of free riders," Khalid Al-Falih said Tuesday. "Saudi Arabia will not allow itself to be used by others. My colleagues have heard that privately, and now I'm saying it publicly." In November and December, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries announced an agreement within the cartel and with major oil-producing countries like Russia to cut crude output by just under 1.8 million barrels a day. The pact helped lift oil prices into the $50-a-barrel range and solidify a sluggish recovery, stirring investors' hopes that the oil glut in global crude inventories would dissipate and lift prices higher. Read more: Saudi minister says continuing OPEC cuts depends on inventories, cooperation *** NO REST FOR THE WARY ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance says he isn't letting anyone at his company rest easy now oil prices have leveled off. Even as Lance said he sees "light at the end of the tunnel" on prices, he told CERAWeek attendees he continues to implore his executives to make operations more efficient and drive down the break even price on projects. "Prices could snap back in the next couple years but my fear is you could see low prices on the backside," he said. "You need a price model that embraces the volatility." Read more: ConocoPhillips CEO: 'Embrace the volatility' *** Get in-depth news and analysis about the energy industry at FuelFix.com. Far too many companies still believe that for a woman to appear professional, she needs to wear high heels, preferably a skirt and stockings. Feminists in Britain are calling balderdash. Parliament on Monday called on the government to get tough on companies that require women to wear high heels. They haven't passed a law yet, but they say they will if companies don't come correct on their own. Office dress codes are a tricky thing, and I can already imagine the reaction of older readers who think this is yet another example of the nanny state running rampant in Britain. But rather than get worked up over the government telling a business what they can or cannot do, consider for a moment the liberty of the women who are forced to balance on 2- to 4-inch heels and wear uncomfortable clothes to meet outdated ideas about what's professional. Is a woman any less effective as an attorney or an accountant if she wears slacks and comfortable shoes? And if you think the requirement to wear a tie is somehow equivalent, take a minute to read Lucy Rycroft-Smith's essay for Quartz.com entitled, "Switching to men's clothing taught me that the world doesn't want women to get too comfortable." As an experiment, Rycroft-Smith decided to wear only men's professional clothing for a month, donning tailored suits and ties. She found that not only were the clothes more comfortable and confidence boosting, men paid much less attention to her figure and more to what she had to say. And men's clothes are so much more convenient, even after she added feminine touches such as jewelry and unconventional ties. "Among the major advantages I've discovered so far: plentiful pockets, simpler dressing decisions, and easier temperature control," she writes. "But the biggest revelation for me was the huge difference in my physical and emotional comfort. I'm a forthright, intellectual woman who's never had a problem with confidence. But I've spent 20 years wearing clothes designed to make me feel ill at ease in both my body and mind." RELATED: Companies benefit when women sit on the board This is not an argument for mandatory Mao suits that eliminate gender differences. But it is a plea to consider individual rights and even how high heels can cause physical harm. "High heels put the foot at an angle and pull muscles and joints out of alignment, so the effects aren't limited to the feet," Dr. Sajid Surve writes for the American Osteopathic Association. "It's not unusual for people who spend lots of time in high heels to have low back, neck and shoulder pain because the shoes disrupt the natural form of the body." Women's wear is already fraught enough, whether it is men fetishizing girl's school uniforms or bosses taking female employees to lunch at Hooters. Women should not be required to cause themselves physical harm and discomfort to be taken seriously in the workforce. RELATED: Texas women run nearly one million businesses Would I prefer that professional dress codes were not a matter for political debate? Of course. But I would also expect that employers encourage their workers to display their professionalism in gender-neutral ways. Policies would change very quickly if men were required to walk a mile in high heels. Jiyeon Lee, a South Korean expat, doesn't serve Korean barbecue at her Heirloom Market BBQ in Atlanta. She and her husband, the Texas-born Cody Taylor, serve American barbecue with Korean touches. Example: pungent gochujang-marinated pork, smoked over oak and hickory wood and served as a sandwich crowned with kimchi coleslaw. In Austin, Miguel Vidal has mated the ingredients of his Mexican ancestry with those of his Texas upbringing at his celebrated Valentina's Tex Mex BBQ. Think house-made corn tortillas with smoked brisket, guacamole and tomato serrano salsa. Ready or not, change has come to Barbecue Country. Often viewed in black and white, the world of slow-smoked Southern barbecue is being transformed by the immigrants of contemporary America. "A lot of the cultures coming here have something they call barbecue," says Thomas W. Hanchett, retired staff historian of the Levine Museum of the New South in Charlotte. "They are now becoming part of the South and using this language of barbecue. What had been foreign, international traditions are becoming American traditions." Of course, from its earliest days, Southern barbecue has been a polyglot cuisine. Its origin combined Caribbean and Native American techniques of indirect smoking with European meats (pork and beef, mainly) and African-American flavorings. More than a century ago, Mexicans in California and Texas contributed a style known as barbacoa in which cow heads are roasted in a pit in the ground. Germans are generally believed to have created the mustard sauce of South Carolina. The German influence, along with Polish and Czech, is also big in Texas, where in the 1880s and 1890s those immigrants' meat markets were the ones selling barbecue, says Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn. Apparently, such culinary influences were not always appreciated. Vaughn emailed me a link to an archived copy of an 1875 front page of the Dallas Daily Herald that showed a strain of anti-immigration that persists through American life to this day. "A German sausage factory has been established in Austin," one item in a column entitled "The Herald's Compress" reads. "It may not be amiss to remind our city authorities that this is a splendid opportunity to dispose of our surplus dog crop." Objections aside, those immigrant groups affected barbecue culture all over the state. But in central Texas it became a signature barbecue style, characterized by slow-smoked beef and coarse-ground, spicy sausage. Greeks have influenced American barbecue as well, with the most famous example being Charlie Vergos, a son of immigrants. He founded the famous Memphis barbecue restaurant Charlie Vergos Rendezvous where, in the late 1950s, he concocted a spice rub for pork ribs that combined Greek herbs, such as oregano, with traditional barbecue spices. Dabbed with vinegar while cooking, the creation became known as the Memphis "dry" ribs style, so called because they're not sauced (or "wet"). In its multicultural history, stretching back before the formation of the country, barbecue might be the one true indigenous American cuisine. Curiously, barbecue is viewed as unchanging. But, from the foods we smoke to the way we smoke them, barbecue is constantly evolving. "What we think of as barbecue today would have been unrecognizable to eaters a century ago," Robert Moss, author of "Barbecue: The History of an American Institution," told First We Feast. "We don't need to redefine barbecue in America; it's already busy redefining itself, and the new flavors of immigrant communities are an important part of that evolution." Cultures around the world enjoy some kind of fire-cooking tradition. But for the most part, they're different from what we've come to expect when we walk into a Southern barbecue restaurant. Korean barbecue is thin-sliced meats grilled quickly over a direct (typically, gas) fire, while the Indian tandoor uses a clay oven, and Sichuan duck is smoked over tea leaves, then frequently fried. Southern barbecue is big meats such as beef brisket, pork shoulder and ribs slow-smoked using an indirect fire of hardwoods. Heirloom BBQ Market, opened in 2010, represents a melting-pot approach to barbecue. The brisket, for example, is injected with a Korean version of miso before bathing low and slow in smoke inside an all-wood cooker imported from Texas. Drawing on the Korean little-plates tradition of fermented and pickled vegetables, Lee, who was a pop star in South Korea, saw an opportunity. "It's a really good pairing with the heavy meat dishes, with all the pickles and vegetables," she says. "At first, it was, 'Is this a barbecue restaurant?' But people in Atlanta, it's a melting pot and very diverse, and people are open-minded about trying something new." Taylor said Heirloom experienced some initial resistance from barbecue purists but overcame it with glowing press attention. He says the idea behind what appears exotic is actually simple. "We decided to just go with what we brought from our house, ingredient-wise and feeling-wise," Taylor says. "Just be yourself. That's what barbecue is all about." While the fusion trend inhabits a small corner of the barbecue firmament, similar cultural mash-ups are occurring nationwide. At Kimchi Smoke in northern New Jersey, owner Robert Cho, a Korean-American, smokes the kimchi that tops the smoked pork, which he piles onto a flour tortilla. He calls the creation a Korean Redneck Taco. In Charlotte, the husband-and-wife team of Tim Chun and Lisa Kamura at the Seoul Food Meat Co. turn out meats marinated in Korean flavorings and served with pickled radish and sides of Sriracha cracklins, ramen mac-and-cheese and soy-pickled deviled eggs. At the food truck Honky Tonk Kid BBQ in Waco, David Gorham serves a rotating menu of "global fusion," which combines traditionally smoked Texas meats with an international flair. Its recently concluded Italian menu featured a smoked meatball sub with a fire-roasted marinara sauce, plus side dishes such as citrus and fennel coleslaw. "I just want to introduce people to different flavors and different cultures," Gorham says. "I just want people to know there are other flavors out there, and we can all get together, and that's what barbecue should be." In New York, Hometown Barbecue offers a lamb belly banh mi alongside traditional pulled pork sandwiches, Izzy's Smokehouse and Main House BBQ serve kosher barbecue (beef, chicken; no pork), and pastrami is on barbecue menus all over town. "We have so many great barbecue restaurants that they have to distinguish themselves," says Eater critic Robert Sietsema. "We have a universal constituency that loves sweet and sour flavors. The flavor palette is being preserved with a smokiness that people long for." In Texas, smoked meats such as brisket and pork are finding their way into tacos instead of the more traditional white bread. "Whether serving (barbecue) as tacos rather than sandwiches or with beans and rice and stuff like pico de gallo as a garnish instead of pickles and onions, we're seeing the Mexican influence a lot more," Vaughn says. In Southern California, pastrami tacos have long been a thing. But recently, restaurants have emerged that specialize in a form of lamb barbacoa popular around Mexico City. In Mexico, a wood fire burns hot and long in a hole in the ground, and the retained heat cooks marinated lamb. At his two Aqui Es Texcoco restaurants - one outside San Diego, the other in Los Angeles - Francisco "Paco" Perez simulates the process using a gas oven and, to provide a semblance of smoke and a hint of bitterness, maguey leaves, which smolder. He seasons the meat traditionally, with chile de arbol, guajillo, onions and garlic. "People want to know traditional dishes," says Perez, who is originally from Guadalajara and began cooking the dish at a restaurant in Tijuana owned by his mother. "I think my food represents my culture, and so I want to introduce Americans to that." Barbecue has functioned the other way as well - as a cuisine that immigrants and their descendants use as an entry point to claim America. Chinese-American Robin Wong and his brother Terry, who grew up in the diverse Houston suburb of Alief, operate barbecue pop-ups in Houston with a Vietnamese childhood friend named Quy Hoang. Although they sometimes experiment with Asian flavors, to Wong, barbecue is a unifying food in a diverse world. "Our normal menu is straight Texas barbecue," he says. Tyson Ho, a Chinese-American, smokes classic Carolina whole hog in his Brooklyn restaurant, Arrogant Swine. "This is my tiny part of preserving American history and creating my spot in the American story," Ho says. "When you grow up neither white nor black in the U.S., it is hard to find a piece of America that is yours. It is hard to find something that you're heir to. So, cooking barbecue is my way of grabbing hold and saying, 'This is mine.'" This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate AUSTINTexans could save time and money each year if the state ditches its vehicle inspection requirements, according to one North Texas lawmaker. Sen. Don Huffines, R-Dallas, filed a bill Thursday to abolish the state's annual vehicle inspection mandate. In a press conference, Huffines argued that state inspections do not make roads safer, pointing to 34 states who have dropped the requirement. "It's a ripoff to Texas taxpayers," Huffines said. "It has nothing to do with safety." All Texas vehicles are required to receive an annual vehicle inspection and registration. A vehicle must pass an inspection no earlier than 90 days before its state registration expires. The state fee for an inspection is $14.25. After a vehicle is inspected, the owner must renew its registration in order to receive a window sticker to demonstrate compliance with state law. The registration fee for cars and light pickup trucks is $50.75. Under Huffines' bill, vehicle owners still would be required to pay for an annual registration, but they would not be required to receive an annual vehicle safety inspection. In homes with multiple vehicles, Huffines said, families could save nearly $40 each year. "This is a nonpartisan issue. It affects over 50,000 Texans every day, seven days a week," Huffines said. His office estimates that the end to vehicle inspections will save Texans $150 million each year. The bill would redirect resources into a new initiative for hiring and training troopers to detect unsafe vehicles. "This is a tax cut Texans will feel," Huffines said in Thursday's press conference. A 2015 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that although state vehicle safety inspection programs enhance vehicle safety, "The benefits and costs of such programs are difficult to quantify." The report also found little evidence to show that inspection programs reduce crash rates, and there is no difference in crash rates in states with inspection programs compared to those without. Three other state senators have signed onto the bill, including Houston Democrat John Whitmire and Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio. Huffines said he expects more senators to sign on. He said he also has worked on the bill with the offices of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Gov. Greg Abbott. "I'm very confident that they think this antiquated program has outlived its usefulness," Huffines said. His bill would not challenge enhanced emissions inspections that are required in the state's 17 most populous counties. Those tests are required by the federal government in counties like Harris, Dallas and Travis, where authorities have determined that air quality requires additional regulation. The legislation's biggest challenger is the Texas State Inspection Association, a coalition of inspection station owners who worked with the state to develop its current vehicle inspection program. Members of the association testified in the Senate Transportation committee early last year against any legislation that would end the mandatory inspections. Greg Cole, a board member of the association and president of Express Automotive Group in Houston, said vehicle safety inspections are necessary to ensure that roads are safe. The safety inspection fails at a 5 percent rate, Cole said, or 1.5 million vehicles each year. "It is a minimal safety inspection that if your car does not pass, it should be fixed because it's not safe," Cole said. "It's a set of eyes to look at all of those very critical but very basic safety parts of the vehicle." Cole argued that the process is not inconvenient and often can be done at the same time as an oil change. "Without a safety program, ultimately you have a lot of unsafe vehicles driving around on your streets," Cole said, adding that the burden would fall to law enforcement officials. Texas State Inspection Association will fight the legislation, he said. Huffines tried to pass similar legislation in 2015, but the bill never got a committee hearing. He said he is hopeful this time will be different and said those doing inspections should not be concerned. "That group will still be able to do the emissions test, and that's the big money maker for them," Huffines said. "This is not a big money maker." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 2 1 of 2 Pearland ISD Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Sara D. Davis/Stringer Show More Show Less A Houston-area school administrator who aroused controversy last year when he compared laws protecting the rights of transgender people to "legalizing pedophilia and polygamy" is speaking out again on the subject. John Kelly, the superintendent of the Pearland Independent School District, testified Tuesday in support of SB 6, which would require transgender people to use bathrooms in public schools and colleges and government buildings that correspond to their "biological sex" as listed on their birth certificate. The measure also would prohibit cities and counties from adopting anti-discrimination ordinances permitting transgender people to use public bathrooms that match their gender identity. After terrorizing southwest Houston neighborhoods with a two-month crime spree, four accused gang members linked to a slew of violent cases have been hit with charges ranging from burglary to sexual assault. The suspects have been linked to at least 10 crimes and are accused of breaking into homes near Bellaire Boulevard and Beltway 8 in a series of five home invasions and three robberies, Houston Police Department Chief Art Acevedo said this week. "These people are pretty much your worst nightmare," said Stephen Hendrie, a sergeant with HPD's midwest divisional gang unit. The four suspects charged with aggravated robbery are: Marqus Sirls, 20; Teveon Stockton-Williams, 24; Khiana Washington, 18; and Mohagany Ireland, 20. Sirls, who has a criminal record in Harris County dating back to at least 2013, is also facing two counts of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, aggravated sexual assault and burglary with intent to commit sexual assault. Four years ago, he was arrested as a juvenile and sentenced to five years of probation for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, according to court records. In 2015, he was sentenced to 10 days in jail for criminal trespassing and given deferred adjudication for stealing a woman's cell phone. Two days after his most recent arrest, Sirls' lawyer filed a motion requesting a psychiatric examination, citing a history of mental health problems including bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder, a condition characterized by hallucinations and delusions. A judge granted the motion the same day. Sirls and his co-defendents are all gang members, according to police, who declined to offer more specifics so as not to give the group publicity. The court-appointed lawyers for Stockton-Williams and Ireland both said they were unaware of any gang involvement. Sirls' lawyer declined to comment. The accused robbers were arrested Feb. 22, thanks to a tip from a private security company that four suspects were driving a black Nissan Maxima. During the arrest, officers found two guns and stolen items. Although the crew's recent spree kicked off Jan. 14 with a Carvel Lane robbery, they've also been linked to one Bellaire robbery in January 2016. Acevedo cautioned that the "extremely violent" crew could be behind other robberies. "Common sense will tell you that they've committed many more crimes," he said. And despite the recent arrests, more members are still at large. "I know that we still have more suspects that are tied to these crimes that we're looking for," Acevedo said. "We want to make sure these people - once they're properly convicted in a court of law - that they're put away for a long time." Stockton-Williams, Ireland and Sirls are being held in the Harris County jail, while Washington is out on bail. They're due back in court at the end of the month. A Houston-area legislator has filed several bills targeting the Harris County Department of Education, renewing his assault on the agency that provides special education therapy services to hundreds of students. State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Republican whose district covers much of northwest Harris County, said he was upset that the HCDE board last week rejected a proposed "sunset review" to evaluate the need for the continued existence of the department. Bettencourt has introduced three separate bills that would study closure, or alternatively prevent it from collecting property taxes or eliminate it outright. "I'm going to keep filing bills until we get what I think is an adult response from trustees," said Bettencourt, who has concerns about the agency's financial accountability. "It's very disappointing that the board wouldn't vote for a sunset review." James Colbert Sr., the superintendent of the HCDE, said that although bills that would hamper or close the department have been proposed before, he's perplexed by the multiple bills filed by Bettencourt. "One calls for a sunset review, one calls for abolishment. It seems odd to ask for two different things, especially as you're asking for it to be abolished," Colbert said. "It makes you wonder what is going on." Bettencourt said he would prefer to see the department undergo a sunset review to study its closure than close it outright. The bills are the latest in a nearly decade-long battle waged by conservative lawmakers in an effort to shutter the agency. Those who want to see the department close often say it's the epitome of bureaucratic waste, where most money is spent on reaching out to businesses for its cooperative purchasing program or on administrators' salaries. But department officials and its supporters say it provides 53 percent of all special education therapies in Harris County, runs multiple alternative schools and provides preschool to 1,300 students in Northeast Houston for the federal Head Start program. A similar bill was filed in late February by Dallas-area lawmakers that would abolish Dallas County Schools, the only other county-wide department of education in the state. But even HCDE's popular programs, such as Head Start, are on the chopping block. The HCDE board voted last week to continue operating its 15 Head Start preschool centers after Trustee Mike Wolfe complained that too much in the way of local tax dollars was spent subsidizing the program and that another agency could run the centers more efficiently. Some of the critics' concerns lie with the department's school choice partners. The department partners with businesses to offer school districts a bulk deal on goods and services such as computers, food, furniture and consulting. The program also prevents districts from having to go through bidding processes in obtaining such items. Fiscal conservatives, including Bettencourt, argue that a government agency should not be subsidizing private businesses. At the beginning of public comment at last Tuesday's meeting, for example, some who spoke bemoaned the fact that several business owners stood up and thanked the HCDE for operating the program and helping their businesses grow. Last year the program netted the department $3 million in profit, which Colbert said was used to subsidize local programs. "Any profit we bring in helps draw down the fee structure for Harris County ISDs," Colbert said. "Why use (the program) to justify 1,000 people losing their jobs or students losing services?" Bettencourt said there are more problems at the department than just the purchasing program. He said HCDE duplicates services provided by groups such as the Region 4 Education Services Center and is not transparent, allegations Colbert denies. Colbert said calls to close HCDE seem tied to political attacks on public education. "Truth be told, isn't all of public ed in that place right now? Every legislative session is about accountability and funding," Colbert said. "I find it odd (we) don't hear more stories or more people stepping up and advocating for public education, it's always about finding ways to tear it down, pick it apart and find what's wrong with it." Editor's note: An earlier version of this article mistakenly reported the status of legislation dealing with Dallas County Schools. An unusual bipartisan coalition of lawmakers and judges has teamed up to back broad reforms in Texas that could eliminate cash bail for nonviolent offenders who are not deemed dangerous or a flight risk. Bills introduced simultaneously in the House and the Senate this week by Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston and state Rep. Andrew Murr, R-Junction, would require all judges statewide to use a proven risk assessment tool and quickly determine within 48 hours whether a defendant accused of a nonviolent crime might be eligible for a so-called personal bond a measure that carries a financial penalty only if the person fails to show up for court. Now, many defendants who can't afford to pay bail are left in jail, even for minor crimes. The proposals have been hammered out by jurists and legislators following reports that show more than 1,100 people died in Texas jails in the last decade - most of them pretrial detainees such as Sandra Bland, who committed suicide in the Waller County jail after being locked up after a traffic stop. Nonviolent defendants detained after the first hearing would be re-evaluated within 10 days. And judges would be required to seek alternatives for those deemed mentally ill or disabled. Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, who is backing the measures, said he and other members of the National Conference of Chief Justices of the United States generally have concluded that America's bail bond system "simply doesn't make any sense." He said he'd like to see Texas follow the model of New Jersey, Washington D.C., Kentucky, Arizona and other states in pursuing reforms that restrict or eliminate monetary bail for defendants who pose no real risks. Hecht said bail reforms elsewhere already have saved taxpayers' money by eliminating unnecessary jail expenses and spared hardships for low-risk defendants who often lose jobs, homes or their health while being locked-up awaiting trial. "There are constitutional problems, there are practical problems, there's a burden on taxpayers change is just the right thing to do," he said. "We're just talking about low-level crimes we're not talking about crimes of violence. So across the country, there's been an effort to change bail procedures to get away from high bond and jail time in all of these low-level crimes." Hecht chairs the Texas Judicial Council, 22-member group that includes Murr. Sharon Keller, the presiding judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is vice chair. He said the council studied bail reforms and recommended changes last fall. But the Texas bills are expected to face fierce opposition by the bond industry, which is simultaneously monitoring a federal court challenge to a fairly rigid bail schedule used for years by Harris County judges. Industry supporters say bondsman help make sure low-level defendants appear in court - and track them down when they fail to appear. They also get families involved, since relatives often must post cash or property to back bail bonds even when commercial bondsman are involved. "We have a very conservative governor; lieutenant governor senate and house. To get all that through, there's going to be a real battle and our lobbyists are talking to them," said Michael Kubosh, a Houston city council member and long-time commercial bondsman. "They're not going to want to let crime run rampant and give everybody free bonds." The proposed reforms are being announced this week as Harris County lawyers have been in federal court defending its bail system against a civil rights lawsuit that alleges that county judges routinely violate defendants' constitutional rights by routinely jailing poor misdemeanor offender. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Maranda ODonnell, a 22-year-old single mother held two days on a charge of driving without a valid license because she couldn't afford bail. In Harris County, 55 people died in pretrial detention from 2009-2015, including defendants arrested for misdemeanors such as trespassing and driving while intoxicated. Among them was a father detained after returning his kids late to his ex-wife in violation of a civil court order, the Houston Chronicle found. "Had risk-based pretrial release been used a couple of years ago, it would surely have saved Sandra Bland's life. It might also have saved the life of Vincent Dewayne Young who committed suicide in the Harris County jail the day before Valentine's Day last month," said Sandra Guerra Thompson, a University of Houston law professor in an email supporting the bills. Whitmire said he is also proposing to seek a constitutional amendment that would empower Texas judges to deny bond to wealthy criminals considered to be extremely violent and dangerous but who under the current system frequently win release after posting bail as large as $100,000 or more. Typically, Texas judges can deny bond in only capital murder cases; the proposal would expand that authority. "We've got a real serious problem in this state that we've got people being held in county jails because they can't come up with money for a bond," he said. "They either sit in an overcrowded jail or something happens to them or they get a payday lender loan or they plead guilty to something they might or might not have done. On the flip side, you've got human traffickers and violent drug dealers that get a high bond but have resources." If the proposed legislation is approved, risk assessment tools used by larger counties such as Travis County, or a model tool developed by the Houston-based Arnold Foundation could be made available to all Texas judges to allow them to measure the defendant's risk of failing to appear and potential danger to the community. The legislation also says that defendants are entitled to have lawyers present at pretrial detention hearings not a common practice today. Any given day, the Harris County jail is crowded with 1,500 or more misdemeanor offenders awaiting trial - a system that the county sheriff, the district attorney and the public defender have all described as broken.The county has spent more than $1.2 million in legal fees so far defending county court-at-law judges and hearing officers named as defendants in the civil case pending in the Southern District of Texas. Kubosh said he agrees that truly indigent defendants often don't get personal bonds in Harris County. But he argues that bondsmen actually save the county money by helping ensure that those who are released on commercial bond follow court conditions and by tracking down those who fail to appear. With fewer commercial bonds, he argues, "you're going to see a spike in people thumbing their noses at the courts... you'll see huge increases in warrants." Videotapes of 2016 Harris County bond hearings, held via videolink 24 hours a day, show that many defendants in misdemeanor cases are never questioned about their ability to pay. Those who ask for personal bonds because of family hardships, jobs or other valid reasons are routinely denied or treated rudely. Such scenes, including a judge who doubled a bond after a female defendant said "yeah" instead of yes," were presented in federal court this week as evidence of unconstitutional activity. The recordings also prompted Whitmire to file a formal judicial misconduct complaint that remains pending against several Harris County hearing officers. Dr. Ron DePinho resigned as president of MD Anderson Cancer Center Wednesday, ending a tumultuous tenure that began with high ambition and a "Moon Shots" promise to cure the disease, but which soon became mired in faculty unrest, questions of conflict of interest and financial difficulties. DePinho seemed to take blame for the problems in a frank and, at one point, emotional video e-mailed to employees of the elite cancer center. But he also cited numerous achievements during his nearly six years as the head of what is still the top-ranked cancer institution in the nation and claimed he had done his "very best." The institution posted the video and a statement by University of Texas System Chancellor William McRaven thanking DePinho for his service. "I believe it is time for a change in leadership at MD Anderson," DePinho said in the video. "As a result of months of self-reflection and deep engagement with the chancellor and our Board of Visitors, it became clear to me that this great and noble institution needs a new president who will inspire greater unity and a sharp operational focus on navigating the tectonic changes in healthcare delivery and economics." The move was not unexpected on campus, where faculty had speculated years of controversy had finally taken too much of a toll for DePinho to continue in the job. In off the record conversations with the Chronicle, some faculty interpreted last month's appointment of a chief operating officer to run the institution as a transitional move before a change was made. The appointment followed operating losses of more than $460 million over 16 months and the January layoffs of 778 employees. DePinho spoke of no future plans. A spokeswoman said it is not yet clear if he will serve the institution in another role. His end date as president is still being discussed, said the spokeswoman. DePinho said in the video he informed McRaven and regents he's resigning "effective as soon as possible," but wrote in accompanying comments that the chancellor asked him to stay until the end of the legislative session. 'A cost for that change' DePinho called the MD Anderson presidency "a tough, tough job," and said he pushed "all of you and the institution very hard." He cited numerous accomplishments, including the extension of MD Anderson's global reach "to a network of premier institutions that touches nearly one-third of the human population" and his Moon Shots program, launched several years before the Obama administration's initiative, that selected difficult cancers to try to cure. But he said "there was a cost for that change," and acknowledged he had "added to that cost." "I could have done a better job administratively, a better job listening, a better job communicating," DePinho said. "Forgive me for my shortcomings. I regret them, but I was and continue to be committed to saving lives and reducing suffering, to help MD Anderson accelerate the march toward prevention and cure, particularly for the underserved. I've done my very best." In his statement, McRaven praised "the vision and passion for ending cancer, with new ideas and innovations, that set (DePinho) apart from other top candidates" when he was named president in May 2011. "Over the past 5 years, President DePinho did exactly what he pledged to do," wrote McRaven. "Elevate the scientific enterprise through the recruitment and retention of world class researchers, accelerate the translation of intellectual property, develop new collaborations with other institutions and hospitals, and put internal teams of the world's best clinicians and researchers together to mobilize MD Anderson's quest to speed up development for new and more effective treatments." But MD Anderson insiders said McRaven was less impressed behind the scenes. In a meeting with faculty two years ago at which he vowed to fix the "broken" relationship between the hospital's leadership and faculty, he categorized DePinho as neither a born leader nor "someone who will never get there" but someone he hoped to be able to work with. The meeting was scheduled in the aftermath of a faculty senate resolution that stopped just short of a no-confidence vote, citing "a climate of fear" and "pervasive dissatisfaction" at the institution. In the past month, DePinho was again the subject of a possible no-confidence vote in the senate. Discontent galvanized after a recent UT System audit into an abandoned $62 million project to apply IBM supercomputer Watson to cancer found significant financial irregularities. In a response, McRaven asked whether "similar deficiencies might be noted for other large, complicated contracts at MD Anderson." DePinho, an internationally renowned Harvard geneticist who lacked both significant administrative and clinical experience, was considered something of a surprise pick when he was selected to head MD Anderson. But he was touted as a bold choice, a heavyweight at the forefront of the revolution in personalized medicine and good bet to elevate MD Anderson's basic sciences and drug development efforts, which lag considerably behind the institution's clinical reputation as the best in the world. Stocked up on researchers From the beginning, he was fearless in his public comments. In San Antonio in 2011, as part of MD Anderson's "A Conversation With a Living Legend" fundraiser, he said he expected a cure for cancer would be found on his watch. If not, he said, he'd consider his tenure a failure. He added, "And I will not fail." A year later, he unveiled his $3 billion Moon Shots initiative, an ambitious plan to mount attacks in the next decade on cancers that annually account for nearly 750,000 cases and more than 260,000 deaths. DePinho toned down pre-launch language that the effort would seek to cure the cancers, but the initiative was still criticized for raising expectations the center couldn't possibly meet. All the while, DePinho was stocking up on researchers to plunge into the business of drug development. He imported industry scientists from Dana Farber, Harvard's cancer hospital. The problems started in 2012. The chief of the state's $3 billion taxpayer-funded cancer-fighting agency accused DePinho and MD Anderson of influencing the agency's board to award it a $20 million commercialization grant, after which the cancer center withdrew its proposal. Three board members had ties to the MD Anderson project, including one who served on the board of Aveo Oncology, a biotech company founded by DePinho and his wife, Dr. Lynda Chin. The same month, DePinho touted an Aveo kidney cancer drug on-air to a CNBC TV host when she asked what companies were doing the most promising work in cancer research. Documents later showed that 11 days before the appearance, Chin attended a meeting with the FDA at which negative trial results with the drug were discussed. DePinho apologized for his comments, but said he never discussed the FDA meeting with his wife. In 2013, it was revealed that despite financial difficulties at the cancer center, officials signed off on $550,000 worth of office upgrades requested by Chin, including $210,000 for the installation of translucent glass on some of the office's interior walls and a pair of $5,000 lounge chairs. Chin was transferred to a job with the UT System in 2015. Throughout the problems, faculty chafed. Four surveys found low morale. More than half of clinical faculty said an administration demand to increase clinical revenues was compromising patient safety. The American Association of University Professors censured the institution after DePinho dismissed two professors recommended for tenure renewal by the institution's tenure and promotion committee. On Wednesday, two former faculty senate chairmen who were on the senate during DePinho's tenure, said in a statement they "strongly endorse" the change in leadership, noting the group has been on record for some time that action was required. "Perhaps Dr. DePinho's initiatives were well intended, but they were risky, not well thought out, and have contributed to the serious financial conditions at the institution and a precipitous decline in faculty morale," wrote Dr. Borje Andersson and Randy Legerski. Time to change priorities In the video, DePinho pointed to what he considered his numerous achievements: the recruitment of dozens of star faculty; the enhancement of the center's research competitiveness; and the elevation of the reputation of the center's graduate school program and training programs. The achievements were praised in a statement by Tom Johnson, a member of MD Anderson's Board of Visitors. "Ron, you gave the mission of 'Making Cancer History' your very best," Johnson wrote. "He is a highly experienced and visionary cancer leader (and) an entrepreneur who searches for new medicines and new technologies with which to defeat cancer. And he gathered around him an unbelievably strong team of peers." In the video, DePinho's voice cracked as he talked about his father, whose death of colon cancer motivated DePinho's early career switch from clinical medicine to basic cancer scientist. "His suffering ignited and defined the intensity of my fight," said DePinho. But DePinho added that it had become time to change priorities. "I need to return to my passion of conducting translational science and helping others doing great science, to drive ideas to clinical impact that matter for patients," he said. "I need to focus on the cancer moon shot. I need to be a father and husband of my still young family, and at this time in our nation's history, I need to be more intensely engaged with the national cancer and health policy landscape." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate They called him Iron Bill. It wasn't just for his strength and stamina - it was his calm in the face of leaping flames and his grace in light of deep personal loss. For nearly four years, former Houston Fire Department Captain William Dowling battled the effects of catastrophic injuries sustained fighting a 2013 blaze that killed four of his comrades. But after two days in a Colorado hospital, the beloved local hero died Tuesday of complications stemming from the fire that took his voice and both his legs. Line-of-duty honor On Wednesday, Houston Fire Department officials sporting black-shrouded badges gathered to remember the 13-year veteran firefighter whose passing is now considered a line-of-duty death. "We have all been inspired by his perseverance and his determination and his endurance and it has earned him the nickname Iron Bill," Executive Assistant Chief Richard Mann told reporters. Officials said Dowling will be given a full line-of-duty-death funeral once his body is returned to Houston. The day of the blaze, crews responded to the scene of a long-smoldering midday conflagration at an Indian restaurant and attached motel on U.S. 59. About 15 minutes after firefighters rushed the burning building, the roof collapsed. Robert Bebee, Robert Garner, Matthew Renaud and Anne Sullivan were all killed. Dowling, one of 13 injured, was crushed under debris. He narrowly survived, but doctors had to amputate both his legs during his six-month hospital stay. When he was released, he had lost his ability to talk and sustained brain damage. "The past four years have been challenging beyond comprehension for Captain Dowling and his family," Mann said. "His courageous battle to overcome disabling injuries that he sustained on May 31 has been overwhelming." Response 'progress' In the aftermath of the deadliest fire in the department's history, investigators found multiple flaws in the handling of the blaze. "There has been significant progress on the recommendations that were made," Mann said Wednesday. In 2016, the Dowlings moved to Colorado, and his family posted smiling pictures of the former Marine dressed up for the town's annual parade and hitting the slopes in a modified ski apparatus. The 43-year-old hero leaves behind a wife and three children. "Although we know Captain Dowling is in a better place and he's with the other four firefighters that were lost on that fateful day, we will greatly miss the inspiration that he has been to all of us," Mann said. "He may be gone, but he will never ever be forgotten." A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers and judges is backing broad pretrial detention reforms in Texas that could eliminate cash bail for nonviolent offenders who are not deemed dangerous or a flight risk. Legislation introduced this week in Austin would require judges statewide to determine within 48 hours whether a defendant accused of a nonviolent crime might be eligible for a so-called personal bond based on factors such as prior criminal offenses and past failures to appear in court. Personal bonds carry a financial penalty only if a person fails to appear in court. Now, with Harris County in federal court litigating allegedly unconstitutional cash bail requirements, thousands of defendants statewide remain in jail awaiting trial simply because they are too poor to afford even nominal bail for minor crimes like trespassing and shoplifting, and other nonviolent offenses. Under the legislation, nonviolent defendants who were detained after the first hearing within 48 hours would be re-evaluated within 10 days. Judges would be required to seek alternatives for those deemed mentally ill or disabled. The legislation, introduced simultaneously by Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, and Rep. Andrew Murr, R-Junction, has been hammered out by jurists and legislators following reports that show more than 1,100 people died in Texas jails in the past decade - most of them pretrial detainees such as Sandra Bland, who committed suicide in the Waller County Jail after being locked up following a traffic stop. Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, who is backing the measures, said he and other members of the National Conference of Chief Justices of the United States generally have concluded that America's bail bond system "simply doesn't make any sense." He said he'd like to see Texas follow the model of New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Kentucky, Arizona and other states in pursuing reforms that restrict or eliminate monetary bail for defendants who pose no real risks. Hecht said bail reforms elsewhere already have saved taxpayers' money by eliminating unnecessary jail expenses and spared hardships for low-risk defendants who often lose jobs, homes or their health while being locked up awaiting trial. "There are constitutional problems, there are practical problems, there's a burden on taxpayers - change is just the right thing to do," he said. "We're just talking about low-level crimes - we're not talking about crimes of violence. So across the country, there's been an effort to change bail procedures to get away from high bond and jail time in all of these low-level crimes." Hecht chairs the Texas Judicial Council, 22-member group that includes Murr and Sharon Keller, the presiding judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, who serves as vice chair. Hecht said the council studied bail reforms and recommended reforms last fall. But the Texas bills are expected to face fierce opposition by the bond industry. "We have a very conservative governor, lieutenant governor, Senate and House," said Michael Kubosh, a Houston City Council member and long-time commercial bondsman. "To get all that through, there's going to be a real battle, and our lobbyists are talking to them. They're not going to want to let crime run rampant and give everybody free bonds." Kubosh and other industry supporters say bondsmen help make sure low-level defendants appear in court - and track them down when they fail to appear. They say they also get families involved, since relatives often must post cash or property to back bail bonds even when commercial bondsman are involved. He and other advocates are simultaneously monitoring a federal court challenge to a fairly rigid bail schedule used for years by Harris County judges even for low-level misdemeanor offenses. The bills were introduced a day prior to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez's testimony in Houston on Wednesday in the federal civil rights case challenging the constitutionality of imposing monetary bail for minor offenses if defendants cannot afford to pay it. The sheriff is among a group of roughly a half-dozen top county officials - including County Judge Ed Emmett and the new district attorney, Kim Ogg - who say the bail system should be restructured so it doesn't differentiate between rich and poor defendants. Gonzalez told Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal the pretrial release program as it currently operates is arbitrary, unfair to poor defendants and undermines public safety. "I personally do not believe it's a rational system," said Gonzalez, a former City Council member with nearly two decades of local law enforcement experience. "It should be equal protection for everyone." Harris County Criminal Court at Law Judge Darrell Jordan, on the bench since January, also testified Wednesday before Rosenthal about his experience as a defense attorney and now as judge who must make dozens of bail decisions each day. He has begun releasing misdemeanor defendants on personal bonds if they have no holds. If they have risk factors or holds he has a conversation to see what they can afford. Jordan said he's seen in other courts that innocent defendants often plead guilty if they can't make bail, just so they can get out and maintain their livelihoods. The county is in the process of reforming its system of assessing defendants' flight risk and setting bail. In the meantime, plaintiffs are asking Rosenthal to impose a temporary injunction, making immediate fixes so that bail is made easier for nonviolent defendants. Rosenthal asked Jordan if he believed the county would stop running a system in which people plead guilty because they are poor without an injunction. His answer: "No." In Harris County, 55 people died in pretrial detention from 2009-2015, including defendants arrested for misdemeanors such as trespassing and driving while intoxicated. Among them was a father detained after returning his kids late to his ex-wife in violation of a civil court order, the Houston Chronicle found. "Had risk-based pretrial release been used a couple of years ago, it would surely have saved Sandra Bland's life," said Sandra Guerra Thompson, a University of Houston law professor in an email supporting the bills. "It might also have saved the life of Vincent Dewayne Young who committed suicide in the Harris County jail the day before Valentine's Day last month." Whitmire, sponsor of the reform legislation in the Senate, said he is also proposing to seek a constitutional amendment that would empower Texas judges to deny bond to wealthy criminals considered to be extremely violent and dangerous but who under the current system frequently win release after posting bail as large as $100,000 or more. Typically, Texas judges can deny bond in only capital murder cases. Whitmire's proposal would expand that authority to deny bond. "We've got a real serious problem in this state that we've got people being held in county jails because they can't come up with money for a bond," he said. "They either sit in an overcrowded jail or something happens to them or they get a payday lender loan or they plead guilty to something they might or might not have done. On the flip side, you've got human traffickers and violent drug dealers that get a high bond but have resources." If the proposed legislation is approved, risk assessment tools used by larger counties such as Travis County, or a model tool developed by the Houston-based Arnold Foundation, could be made available to all Texas judges to allow them to measure the defendant's risk of failing to appear and potential danger to the community. The legislation also says that defendants are entitled to have lawyers present at pretrial detention hearings - not a common practice today. On any given day, the Harris County Jail is crowded with 1,500 or more misdemeanor offenders awaiting trial. The county has spent more than $1.2 million in legal fees so far defending county court-at-law judges and hearing officers in the federal civil rights case before Judge Rosenthal. Kubosh, the commercial bondsman, said he agrees that truly indigent defendants often don't get personal bonds in Harris County. But he argues that bondsmen routinely save the county money by helping ensure that those who are released on commercial bond follow court conditions and by tracking down those who fail to appear. With fewer commercial bonds, he argues, "you're going to see a spike in people thumbing their noses at the courts ... you'll see huge increases in warrants." Videotapes of 2016 Harris County bond hearings, held via videolink 24 hours a day, show that many defendants in misdemeanor cases were never questioned about their ability to pay. Those who ask for personal bonds because of family hardships, jobs or other valid reasons were routinely denied and sometimes treated rudely. The videotapes, including one in which a judge doubled a bond after a female defendant said "yeah" instead of yes," were presented in federal court this week as evidence of unconstitutional activity. The videotapes also prompted Whitmire to file a formal judicial misconduct complaint that remains pending against several Harris County hearing officers. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate After spending more than a year in a state mental hospital, the man accused of gunning down Harris County Deputy Darren Goforth has been declared competent to stand trial for capital murder. Thin and disheveled, Shannon Miles, 32, stood quietly before state District Judge Susan Brown Wednesday to enter a plea of not guilty in the 2015 shooting of Goforth at a northwest Harris County gas station. It wasn't until Miles began taking medication for diagnosed mental illnesses that he was able to regain his competency, said his attorney, Anthony Osso. "Now we can proceed with the trial," he said. Still unresolved are whether the Harris County District Attorney's Office will seek the death penalty and whether Miles will pursue an insanity defense. "The most serious responsibility of a district attorney is to seek the death penalty," District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement. "As a result, a team of senior prosecutors form a committee that reviews capital cases, and will review this case, to determine how we will proceed." Miles' attorneys will determine whether to pursue an insanity defense, which can be difficult to prove in Texas. "Insanity would be the outcome you're looking for, but don't interpret this to mean that we're moving with an insanity defense," Osso said. "Whenever you have a competency issue and you have someone who has the mental illness that our client suffers from, you have to cover all bases and the logical next step is to examine the issue of sanity." In criminal law, competency refers to whether a person is fit to stand trial and is tied to that person's mental state during the legal proceedings, said Amanda Woog, a criminology expert at the University of Texas at Austin. "Sanity or more frequently, insanity refers to whether the person can be held legally culpable for a criminal act and is tied to that person's mental state when the alleged crime was committed," she added. The Harris County Deputies' Organization released a statement Wednesday expressing relief that Miles was finally found competent to stand trial. The organization said members are confident that justice will be served. "Deputy Goforth's murder is a deep loss and tragedy," according to the statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the Goforth family." The ruling Wednesday came after more than a year of evaluations and hearings to determine if Miles was mentally capable of understanding the charges against him. He has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and psychosis, and spent more than a year in the North Texas State Hospital in Vernon. If his lawyers decide to pursue an insanity defense, they must convince a jury that he did not know that what he was doing was wrong at the time because of a "severe mental disease or defect," according to state law. The fact that Miles fled the scene of the shooting could be used against him. One of Houston's highest profile insanity cases came in 2001 during the trial of Andrea Yates, who confessed to drowning her five children in their bathtub. She was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, but the verdict was overturned on appeal. In a second trial in 2006, Yates was found not guilty by reason of insanity and was committed to a state mental hospital. Miles is accused of shooting Goforth on Aug. 28, 2015 after the deputy had finished filling up his police cruiser. Miles is accused of running up behind Goforth, putting a gun to his head and firing. After Goforth fell, Miles then stood over him and emptied his pistol, prosecutors said. He was arrested the next day. Miles' mental health is a central issue in the capital murder case. With the help of medication, Wednesday was the first time Miles understood why he was in the courtroom, Osso said. He was declared incompetent to stand trial in February 2016, and hospital psychologists concluded in September that he was competent. But the defense argued he wasn't healthy enough to stand trial, and the judge agreed. "That's a big concern of ours," Osso said. "In Texas, you can force-medicate to restore competency to be tried, but you cannot force-medicate someone for the purpose of executing them." Miles appeared before the judge Wednesday handcuffed to a waist chain and wearing the yellow jail uniform typically reserved for prominent inmates. He remained silent during the hearing. His 6-foot-3-inch frame appeared slimmer and his hair and beard were untamed. "There's been some indication that our clients conditions has been deteriorating," Osso said, noting Mile has been prescribed a psychotropic medication regiment at the jail. The state and defense experts agree Miles' condition will deteriorate if he doesn't take his medication, Osso said. The next hearing is scheduled for April 18. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate AUSTIN - A controversial bill governing public bathroom access for transgender people sailed out of committee in the early-morning hours Wednesday and is almost certain to win passage by the full Senate before heading to the House, where it is expected to meet with indifference or outright opposition from several high-ranking lawmakers. A top priority of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Senate Bill 6 would require people to use bathrooms in public schools and colleges and government buildings that correspond to the "biological sex" listed on their birth certificates. It also would prohibit local jurisdictions, including cities and counties, from adopting anti-discrimination ordinances permitting transgender people to use public bathrooms that match their gender identity. SB 6 drew large and sustained crowds to the Capitol on Tuesday, including the more than 400 people who signed up to speak. At the hearing, which lasted nearly 20 hours, the vast majority testified against Sen. Lois Kolkhorst's measure, which they called discriminatory and said would drive transgender Texans even more into the shadows. Gov. Greg Abbott remains publicly uncommitted on the bill, even as Patrick previously said that the only opposition from the state's top three leaders comes from House Speaker Joe Straus, a Republican from San Antonio. 'Not a fan' Talking to reporters Tuesday, Straus again said he opposes SB 6 and implied that it is not a top priority for most Texas residents. "Clearly, I'm not a fan of the bill that they're discussing in the committee today, but I'm focused 100 percent on the House's priorities," he said. "We'll worry about our agenda and making progress on some issues that I think are important to every Texan." The full Senate, controlled by Republicans largely supportive of Kolkhorst's bill, is expected to approve the measure as early as next week. Sen. Eddie Lucio of Brownsville, the lone Democrat in the upper chamber to back SB 6, said he would work with Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, to amend the bill before the Senate's 31 members vote on it. At Tuesday's hearing, he did not reveal specific changes but mentioned hate crimes protection and local control. Before the Senate State Affairs Committee finally voted at 4:50 a.m. Wednesday, Kolkhorst said she would continue meeting with stakeholders and left open the possibility of further changes to her proposal, dubbed the "Texas Women's Privacy Act." It may not be enough. Rep. Helen Giddings, a Democrat from DeSoto, is vice chair of the House State Affairs Committee, where the bill likely will be referred once it passes the Senate. While the bill will not be dead on arrival, she said it may have a hard time making it out of committee. "I don't know that it can be made any better," Giddings said. "I wouldn't say that the bill is not going to get a hearing, but I'd be surprised if it passed out of committee." Sees little support Citing business concerns that the bill would harm the state's economy, she said the House seems to have bipartisan coalition of lawmakers who could stop Kolkhorst's measure. "Just in informal discussions with members, I haven't found anybody who believes that this bill is a credible solution to any problem," Giddings said. "We obviously will lose visitors and businesses, but most importantly, in my mind, is that it's not going to make a single person safer. That's what I'm hearing." At Tuesday's hearing, Houston Sen. Paul Bettencourt pointedly challenged Chris Wallace, the Texas Association of Business president, on the merits of a study the group publicized that said the bill would cost Texas $8.5 billion in GDP. Bettencourt and other GOP senators attempted to dismiss the charge that has become a major point of contention among business-friendly Republicans in the House. Harold Cook, a longtime Democratic operative in Austin, said the hundreds of people who showed up at the Capitol could embolden House Republicans to stop the bill. "Republican members of the House may well be uncomfortable with the idea of transgender Texans, but I also hope that they're a lot more uncomfortable with the idea of victimizing vulnerable Texans, many of whom are children," Cook said. He cautioned, however, that the bill may not be that easy to defeat. "There are so many other pet bills Patrick is sending over that might be more successfully bargained over, vouchers being the one that first comes to mind," he said. "The problem with predicting these session end-games is that, as the end of the legislative session nears, leverage can turn one dime. Suddenly, something that was given up for dead back in March rises from the dead in May." WASHINGTON - With some conservatives in open revolt against the Republican plan to replace Obamacare, tea party stalwart Ted Cruz and his wife Heidi had a family dinner at the White House Wednesday with President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump. The private meeting, which Cruz described as "social," represented the apex of their personal and political reconciliation after their bitter feud in the GOP presidential primaries, when Trump posted an unflattering picture of Heidi Cruz on Twitter, and then threatened to "spill the beans" on her after Cruz called him a "coward." While the two camps have long since holstered their guns - some of Cruz's top aides now work in the White House - the meeting also resembled a summit between rival GOP factions in the debate over a Republican leaders' plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. While Trump told the House Republican whip team Monday that the White House "has their back" and wants to "move swiftly" on their health care bill, Cruz has joined with the House Freedom Caucus and other conservative groups in raising significant concerns about the bill. "As drafted," Cruz said Wednesday, "I do not believe this bill would pass the United States Senate." But, in an olive branch, he added, "I am encouraged and optimistic that we can resolve these differences." Given the Republicans' slim majority in the Senate, the Texas senator could become a key player in bridging the divide among Republicans. Also among the dissidents are Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Mike Lee of Utah, both of whom have blasted the bill. In four years in the Senate, Cruz has shown little hesitation to take on leaders in his own party. With conservatives coalescing around the Trump presidency, however, Cruz also has shown a willingness to work with the new administration. Practical politics dictate that the Texan keep his powder dry. On Wednesday, he signaled that he is more than willing to talk, noting that Trump had tweeted on Monday that the health care bill "is now out for review and negotiation." "I think that is exactly right," Cruz told reporters Wednesday, hours before his trip to the White House with Heidi Cruz and their two young daughters, Caroline and Catherine. Cruz said that while he fully expected to discuss Obamacare replacement legislation, the dinner was "an opportunity for our families to visit together and spend some relaxed time in the residence." He said his daughter Caroline was particularly excited about seeing the White House after learning last year, at age 7, that it has 35 bathrooms: "She said, 'You know what? The entire second-grade class could all go pee at the same time.'" The invitation, Cruz said, came in a telephone call from Trump "several weeks ago." At the time, it already was clear that Cruz, who long has pressed for a full and immediate repeal of President Barack Obama's signature health care law, could end up in a clash with GOP party leaders who have been urging a gradual unwinding of the law to avoid disrupting the marketplace and throwing millions off the insurance rolls. In an opinion piece in Politico last week, Cruz said the starting point in any GOP health care bill must be the full repeal legislation passed by the Republican-led Congress in 2015 and later vetoed by then-President Obama. "First principle: Honor our promise," Cruz wrote. "When you spend six years promising, 'If only we get elected, we'll repeal Obamacare,' you cannot renege on that promise. Failure is not an option." That has been the position of a host of influential tea party and conservative groups, including frequent Cruz allies such as Heritage Action for America, the Club for Growth and FreedomWorks. Their leverage stems partly from holdouts like Cruz in a closely-divided Senate, as well as the 30-member House Freedom Caucus, which was joined by Paul and Lee in a Tuesday press conference attacking the bill. Among them was Texas U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, who nevertheless expressed some hope for a deal with Trump and the GOP leadership. "I think amidst the horse excrement we can find a pony around here somewhere," Gohmert said before the cameras. "And that's what we're going to be looking to have. I think we'll have a racehorse as long as we get good amendments when we're done." The Obamacare replacement proposal, crafted in party by The Woodlands Republican Kevin Brady, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, has been panned by a number of hard-right critics as "Obamacare Lite" and "Obamacare 2.0." Heritage Action CEO Mike Needham, penning a piece Wednesday in the conservative Daily Signal, said the GOP plan unveiled Monday "would keep in place the fundamental architecture of Obamacare." It would protect people with pre-existing medical conditions, and allow young adults to stay on their parents' insurance plans until age 26, both popular provisions of the Affordable Care Act. The GOP plan also includes refundable tax credits as part of a safety net for the poor to obtain health coverage, a mechanism that Needham calls simply "a different subsidy delivery vehicle." The bill's backers say that tax credits long have been enshrined in Republican orthodoxy. Brady, presiding over the committee's first open deliberations on the bill Wednesday, defended the long-awaited rollout as a "critical step" in the GOP effort to dismantle Obamacare's taxes and coverage mandates. Instead, it would impose a 30 percent penalty on consumers who have gaps in their health coverage. While many of the details have yet to be worked, out, Brady said, "Relief is on the way." House Speaker Paul Ryan, meanwhile, described the bill as a starting point, noting that some of the conservatives' desired policy changes will come later in legislation that does not have to meet the strictures of Senate rules to avoid a Democratic filibuster. GOP leaders also face headaches on the other side. At least four Senate Republicans have signaled that they cannot support measures in the Republican plan that would weaken the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion in their states. With 52 Republicans in the Senate and 51 votes needed to pass a basic measure to dismantle Obamacare, GOP party leaders have little room for internal dissent. For that reason, the White House has begun to court conservative critics in and out of Congress, dispatching surrogates to conservative talk radio programs in key states and districts. "We're going to be aggressively talking about the solution we have for health care," White House spokesman Sean Spicer said. "You will see a lot of travel and a lot of activity by the president and all of the administration." On the eve of Cruz's White House visit, Trump singled out Paul, tweeting, "I feel sure that my friend @RandPaul will come along with the new and great health care program because he knows Obamacare is a disaster!" Senate leaders also welcomed Trump's overture to Cruz. "It's good for the president to continue to build relationships with members of Congress," said Texas U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican in the chamber. Cornyn, who called the House Republican bill "a great start in the right direction," said he also welcomes the views of Cruz and other GOP critics. "I know Senator Cruz and other members want to get to 'Yes,' because they realize the importance of that promise we made and the consequences if we don't keep that promise," Cornyn said. "Everybody is being given an opportunity to make suggestions and participate." Not a solution Regarding "School choice is necessary for real change" (Page A13, Tuesday), Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's conclusion that Texas needs "school choice" for real change doesn't address the real need. Patrick's statement that he has made education "one of my top priorities since the day I was elected" rings hollow. How do we have underfunded schools, special-needs children totally ignored and funding decreased, all while our lieutenant governor has made it his priority? Thank goodness it was a priority or we would really be in trouble. I'm not opposed to school choice, but that doesn't fix our education problem. If it was such a great solution, why haven't more schools been established or expanded since the lieutenant governor states there is a current waiting list of 130,000 students. His proposal would only add another 25,000 to 50,000 students to enroll in a choice program, but there are already 130,000 waiting. The numbers just don't add up. Where are these additional schools going to come from if they can't meet the demand that is already there? In the same edition there is an article about need for increased spending on education ("Legislature sees start of school reform effort," Page A3, Tuesday). The lieutenant governor needs to get off of his political agenda and start the real job of fixing education. The private sector can take care of itself and create additional charter schools for the 130,000 students on the waiting list. Fund our public schools. Ken McKee, Pearland A weak case Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick tries to make a case for school choice vouchers by stating that special-needs children are particularly disadvantaged with the lack of choice. I don't know how much money Patrick plans to throw at vouchers for private schools, but the average tuition for private schools in Houston is more than $19,000, and special-needs schools are usually at the top end. (Crossroads in Houston is $27,000, and Briarwood, the largest special-needs school in Houston with 458 students, is $20,000). According to Private School Review, there are only 50 special-needs private schools in all of Texas and they serve only 4,500 students. One school in Houston has only five students. In addition, most of these schools serve only high-functioning students, and tuition does not cover the very expensive costs of diagnostic tests, which parents are to supply for admission. Patrick has no intention of covering tuition for these needy students who are not accepted at most private schools which is why public schools near current charters have an increased ratio of special-needs students, up to 35 percent of student body in some cases. Joanna Pasternak, Houston A Houston man already facing one sex crime has been charged with another. Jonathan Southworth, 30, of 123 Remington Circle, was arrested Tuesday and charged with felony second-degree statutory rape. The alleged incident stemmed from 2012 with a then 16-year-old girl, according to a probable cause statement from Texas County Sheriff James Sigman. Southworth also faces felony sodomy charges for allegedly inappropriately touching a 14-year-old girl in June 2016. He was arrested in August and released after posting $500,000 bond. A trial date is scheduled to be set April 4. Sigman said the most recent victim came forward Aug. 30, 2016 12 days after Southworths first arrest. She told Sigman that she and Southworth had engaged in sexual intercourse four years earlier at his home off Oak Hill Drive in Houston. The victim said Southworth contacted her via Facebook and told her she looked older than 16. She told Sigman she knew Southworth from her job in Houston. She said they continued to communicate on social media and later met up. Sigman said Southworth allegedly provided alcohol to the victim and took her to his residence, where they engaged in consensual sex. The victim said it occurred one time and that she was intoxicated. Sigman asked the victim if she and Southworth had ever exchanged nude photographs. She said Southworth sent her a picture of his private parts but that she had not sent him any photos. Southworth also faces two drug charges felony possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor unlawful use of drug paraphernalia stemming from a search of his residence related to the first alleged sex crime. The trial for that case will also be set April 4. PDF: Southworth probable cause statement 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. 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. "I've got to say that I've been utterly appalled, as I know other members of the House have, at the sheer scale of this issue in New Zealand, she said. The Human Rights Commission also welcomed the news and Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner Dr Jackie Blue said the unanimous support proved how important the issue is to everyone. It is not often that a members bill gets the support of all parties at first reading. I am truly proud of parliaments unanimous acknowledgement that the public, along with business, should have their say on this very important bill, she said. Workplaces have a huge role to play in addressing this issue and there are already a number of businesses who have put active family violence policies in place to do that. This bill has the potential to enable all New Zealand workplaces to offer their staff this much-needed support. The Warehouse Group is among those that have already put an official policy in place and since 2015 employees who have been a victim of domestic violence have been entitled to an extra 10 days off. The group also provides unpaid leave for employees who require time off to support a family violence victim. Cinema has brought us some of the greatest love stories of our time: Jack and Rose, Harry and Sally, Maria and Tony. But lovers not often seen on the big screen are same-sex couples (save for a handful such as "Brokeback Mountain's" Ennis and Jack and "The Kids Are All Right's" Jules and Nic), much less biracial same-sex couples. Advertisement And for Calgarian filmmakers Levi Holwell and Gabe Romero, they wanted to share those often forgotten love stories. Centred around the love shared by same-sex biracial couples and the discrimination they face, "Civil" is a short film that came out of a need to make more queer art. "A lot of us were in a post-Orlando state, where all the wounds were reopened and it just sort of felt like, 'This can't be happening, not again,'" Romero, 23, told The Huffington Post Canada. "I knew I wanted to make something political that would add to the conversation and not have me standing idly on the sidelines." Advertisement After stumbling upon Stanley Kramer's 1967 film, "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner," and taking note of its iconic monologue performed by Spencer Tracy about interracial marriage, Romero and Holwell, who met in a high school film class, made the words in the film the "heart of their project." "As for you two and the problems you're going to have, they seem almost unimaginable ... But you do know, I'm sure you know, what you're up against. There'll be 100 million people right here in this country who will be shocked and offended and appalled and the two of you will just have to ride that out, maybe every day for the rest of your lives. You could try to ignore those people, or you could feel sorry for them and for their prejudice and their bigotry and their blind hatred and stupid fears, but where necessary you'll just have to cling tight to each other and say 'screw all those people!'" "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner (1967) "The really scary part about the speech is that it was written 50 years ago and it feels more relevant than ever," Romero said. "That was the most eye opening thing about making the project. Seeing how much has happened since then and still seeing the discrimination today." Advertisement He continued, "Some people still have an issue with biracial couples, let alone a same-sex one. The speech gave us a glimpse to how people felt then and how people feel now. How society just replaces one with the other. We couldn't have made without it." Being both gay and Latino, Romero found himself very underrepresented in the media. He was only seeing the white gay experience on screen and he wanted to move forward to portray more inclusivity in this narrative. "I can't state enough how important representation matters," he told HuffPost Canada. "I'm a stat, a stereotype and a fetish with no face. No face means no voice, no way of communicating who I am, where I came from, and what I do. Being able to make art lets me share that." For 22-year-old Holwell, his involvement filming a short documentary during last year's Montreal Pride Parade, an experience he calls one "of the most beautiful" in his life, had a big influence with his involvement with "Civil." Advertisement "With me being straight, I did at first raise some concerns to Gabe about my involvement in the film. We talked a lot about what the film should look and feel like, and our approach to it. After those conversations, I felt like there was room for me to make a real contribution," he said. " [I wanted] to do my part in sharing the important story that 'Civil' was trying to tell." "Anybody could make a case, a hell of a good case, against your getting married. The arguments are so obvious that nobody has to make them. But you're two wonderful people who happened to fall in love and happened to have a pigmentation problem, and I think that now, no matter what kind of a case some bastard could make against your getting married, there would be only one thing worse, and that would be if knowing what you two are and knowing what you two have and knowing what you two feel you didn't get married." "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner" (1967) Holwell and Romero made it their priority to cast people who identify as LGBTQ. Most screen partners were complete strangers, and the filmmakers each agree that's what made the experience raw and beautiful. "I think that speaks to the universal themes that the film is trying to get at, this common humanity among all of us," Holwell said. "We typically associate intimacy with people we know extremely well and deeply trust, yet if we are willing to open ourselves up, and give and receive love more freely, we can connect more frequently in surprising and beautiful ways." Using Alberta's landscape as their backdrop, the duo wanted the location to convey a level of simplicity and humbleness and keep the focus of the short film on their performers. Advertisement "We chose to turn our focus towards creating visuals that could capture love up against a backdrop that would be unwavering in its indifference, and to me thats what nature is," Holwell noted. "Everything is equal up against it, and thats what all love deserves to be treated as." Both filmmakers agree there is a timely need for this film, with the news showing us daily that people who are seen as different are discriminated against. But for the conception and execution of this film, it was always humanism first, politics second. "We both knew that the film was unmistakably political in nature and that was a part of why we were excited to share it with people. It felt like what we were making was trying to serve a purpose bigger than just ourselves," Holwell said. "I believe that any work of art has to move you emotionally before it can move you intellectually. If you watched it and were emotionally moved, then I think you are more likely to be more outspoken in a political sense afterwards. That's certainly my hope anyways." Advertisement "We need more of this, more people of all backgrounds telling their stories and using film to show the world what hasnt been seen," Romero continued. "We live in the age where a film dealing with black homosexuality won Best Picture at the Academy Awards. The audience is willing and ready, we just need to keep up with the speed at which things change and move forward. We can't lose sight of how far weve come and how far we need to go 'Civil' is a reminder of that." Also on HuffPost U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley says the United States must see "some sort of positive action" from North Korea before any discussions to lower tensions on the Korean peninsula can begin. After an emergency closed-door briefing among members of the UN Security Council, Haley said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is not "a rational person" and the council is not "ruling anything out" in its reevaluation of North Korea. The council held a special closed-door briefing on North Korea's latest ballistic missile launches, which prompted calls earlier from China for North Korea, South Korea and the United States to take steps to avoid a "head-on collision." Before Wednesday's meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi proposed North Korea suspend its nuclear and missile activities, and in exchange the United States and South Korea halt their joint military drills. Each action has drawn condemnation from the other side, with Wang describing them as "accelerating trains, coming toward each other with neither side willing to give way." Tuesday, the Security Council strongly condemned the North Korean tests and gave its own warning for the potential of a regional arms race. The council statement further expressed regret the government is "diverting resources to the pursuit of ballistic missiles while Democratic People's Republic of Korea citizens have great unmet needs." Canadian MPs got a lesson in governing Wednesday from 338 young women. In celebration of International Women's Day, Equal Voice filled the House of Commons with women between the ages of 18 and 23 to represent every riding in the country. You outshone us, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May told the women after their speeches. You showed us the way. You spoke from the heart and we need your voice every day, every day, until you take your places as elected Members of Parliament. Advertisement One of the delegates, Maymuna Mohamed, called for a federal policy on menstrual leave, saying: We shouldnt have to bear pain for the sake of mens comfort. If these symptoms were associated with any other illness, we all know we would most likely get sick leave. And Shrosh Hassana alluded to the recent controversy over Liberal MP Iqra Khalid's motion to condemn Islamophobia. Islamophobia is a heavy word but it is heaviest for those who are on the receiving end of it, Hassana told the House. My heritage is not a political platform to campaign on, unless cherished as complex and as rich as its people. This is my Canada and there is no seat for hate here. Advertisement Watch the video above to see more of the powerful statements delivered in the House. Also on HuffPost U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham joked at a CNN town hall last week that he had "never met an illegal Canadian." Graham made the comments on Mar. 1, at a town hall with U.S. Senator John McCain. The pair had been asked about immigration to the U.S., and how they felt about families being separated by President Donald Trump's position on immigration reform. Advertisement "Have you ever wondered why we're not being overrun by illegal Canadians? We got two borders, one with Canada, one with Mexico. I've never met an illegal Canadian. They may be out there. I'll go look for them," Graham said, according to a CNN transcript of the event. "People come in from poor countries to work here. They come to Myrtle Beach, Canadians do. They enjoy themselves, they go swimming in March, and they go home. We're glad to have them. Nobody else swims in March," he continued. "We got two borders, one with Canada, one with Mexico. I've never met an illegal Canadian. " It's relatively easy for Canadians to visit the U.S., which is one reason there might be many more "illegal Canadians" in the country than Graham thinks. The U.S. is cracking down on illegal immigration from Mexico, and the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Customs and Border Protection agency has asked companies to submit proposals to build a wall along the country's southern border. Trump has also signed an executive order that bans travel from six Muslim-majority nations, and suspends the country's refugee program indefinitely. Advertisement But Canadians with a passport can enter the U.S. without a visa, and can stay for up to six months at a time. In 2012, approximately 801,000 Canadians were living in the U.S., most of them legally, according to the Migration Policy Institute. DHS released a report on visa overstays in 2015. Out of 527,000 foreign nationals who overstayed their visas (which were issued either for business or pleasure), 93,000 were Canadian and 42,000 were Mexican. The number released by DHS may not capture the full picture. It doesn't account for Canadians who left the country via land border crossings, or those who came to the U.S. without a visa and stayed longer than six months. Pew Research estimated that out of 11 million unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S. in 2014, 100,000 were Canadian. Canadian immigrants may also be less visible than immigrants from other countries. Most of them speak English, have health insurance and experience a lower poverty rate than immigrants from other countries, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Advertisement "Its not as though they are not there, but they would be a little difficult to pick out, even if you were trying," demographer Bob Warren told Politifact. However, with new crackdowns at the U.S. border, some Canadian travellers are suddenly facing more scrutiny. A Canadian doctor who also carried an Afghanistan passport was questioned for hours at the border before being let into the country, according to The Guardian. A Muslim Canadian was denied entry after being interrogated about her religion. Follow The Huffington Post Canada on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Also on HuffPost The experts at Lonely Planet have compiled a list of spring break ideas this year, that go beyond Disney parks and college student hotspots to include night kayaking in Puerto Rico and surfing in Nicaragua. For last-minute bookers and Easter weekend travelers, there's still time to reserve a first-quarter getaway, this time that offers more than a spring break cliche. Advertisement Take inspiration from Lonely Planet's list of top 10 spring break destinations 2017. Here's a selection: Hawaii, The Big Island March marks the end of high season in Hawaii, presenting the best opportunity to visit for travelers on a budget. Those who aren't afraid of crowds, however, might want to head out in April for the Merrie Monarch Festival, a three-day hula competition. Whistler, British Columbia Likewise, when the weather warms the snow begins to melt, the crowds also begin to thin in April, ushering in deals and discounts during the off season. Longer days also mean more daylight to hit the slopes. Advertisement Culebra and Vieques, Puerto Rico "These two sister islands are the things that tropical dreams are made of: white sand, sparkling blue sea and slow living," editors note. A must-do while there? Book a nighttime kayak trip, for an unforgettable "Avatar"-like experience with bioluminescent marine life creating a glow-in-the-dark ride. Southern Baja California, Mexico Far from the madding crowds of Los Cabos is Baja California Sur, where nature-loving visitors can swim with sea lions, kayak, whale watch and help with turtle conservation. Advertisement Tampa Bay, Florida If you want to avoid the drunken college crowd, head over to Fort De Soto Park, a stretch of beach that spans 11 km and features nature trails and wildlife spotting. Asheville, North Carolina Food lovers will want to bookmark this option, as Asheville, North Carolina offers a thriving foodie and craft beer scene delivered with southern hospitality. After gorging on good comfort foods, walk it off at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park which is located within easy striking distance. Eva Mendes couldnt be happier to raise two daughters with Ryan Gosling. In fact, in a new interview with Shape magazine, the 43-year-old revealed shed rather be with their kids than keep up with public appearances. What people don't know about me is that I love being home, she said. Instead of hitting the red carpet, I'd rather be with our girls. Advertisement Eva Mendes launches Estee Lauder New Dimension Skincare at Nordstrom Aventura in 2015. Mendes and Gosling are parents to two daughters: two-year-old Esmeralda Amada and 11-month-old Amada Lee. Ever since the two started their family, the actress has kept a low profile, opting to stay at home with the kids than be Goslings date during award season. At the Golden Globes this year, Gosling recognized this when he accepted his award for Best Actor for the musical La La Land. While I was singing and dancing and playing piano and having one of the best experiences Ive ever had on a film, my lady was raising our daughter, pregnant with our second, and trying to help her brother fight his battle with cancer, the Canadian star said. Advertisement If she hadn't have taken all that on so I could have this experience, there would surely be somebody up here other than me. Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. Mendes has always put family first and even gave both her daughters the same name, Amada, in honour of her grandmother. Although Mendes has been keeping away from the public eye lately, she admits shes been keeping busy. Not only is she raising two little girls, but shes also trying to lose the baby weight she gained while pregnant with her second child. In some ways, it's been more challenging to get back in shape after my second daughter, she said. Yet it's not as hard as I thought it would be, because I'm always running around with the kids. I never sit down I'm on the move all day. Advertisement Also on HuffPost The family of an indigenous Thunder Bay woman is still angry that she was handed a $155 jaywalking ticket just days after being seriously injured in a car accident last month. Geraldine Mamakwa, 46, was crossing the street to catch a bus Feb. 13 when she was hit by a vehicle, according to the Toronto Star. Advertisement Her sister MaryEllen Thomas told The Huffington Post Canada that Mamakwa was left with a broken leg so serious she needs physiotherapy to learn to walk again, along with a fractured skull and psychological trauma. Two days after the accident, Mamakwa called her in tears to say that police had visited her hospital room to hand her a collision report and a jaywalking ticket. Thomas told HuffPost she couldnt believe that the vehicle was travelling eight kilometres an hour based on her sisters injuries. Advertisement She also said people jaywalk across that stretch of street all the time when she stood there for about an hour on Thursday morning, she noticed 21 people cross the road. For a couple of blocks, there are no crosswalks. Mamakwa also has impaired mobility and vision due to a previous battle with brain cancer. But what really shocked her sister was how police delivered the fine. Mamakwa had just had surgery to repair her leg on Feb. 15. She was in no condition to deal with this, Thomas said. For an officer to go in like that, and hand her these things, that to me, was very callous. Mamakwa has pleaded not guilty to the charge and has a date in provincial court on May 4, Thomas said. In a letter sent to Thunder Bays police chief and its mayor, Mamakwas father Gerry McKay, CEO of the Independent First Nations Alliance, said he was concerned that the accident was a hit-and-run. Advertisement But police and a witness both told CBC News that the motorist stayed at the scene. "For an officer to go in like that, and hand her these things, that to me, was very callous." Rachel Wilson, who was driving down the street, told CBC that she saw Mamakwa cross the road, but that the truck was going so slowly that she assumed the woman would make it. Then she saw her on the ground. "I consoled her as best as possible but the person who hit her never left, never left [the] scene," she said. "The cops were there, the ambulance had come, traffic was kind of rerouted down the next street." But regardless of what happened, McKay said in his letter, he is displeased by how his daughter was treated by police, calling their actions callous and unbalanced. He wants an apology for her. 'She was not fair game to be run down without consequences' Both he and Thomas also are angry that she was quickly considered to be at fault. "Whether or not Geraldine was jaywalking, she was not fair game to be run down without consequences," he said. Advertisement "The driver must realize that he is in control of a potentially lethal weapon and do all in his power to avoid striking a pedestrian, regardless of the circumstances. McKay sees her experience as part of a pattern of how indigenous people are treated by law enforcement, especially in cases when they've been injured as pedestrians. "I still question the circumstances of the accident, and the conduct of the investigating officer," Thomas said. Follow The Huffington Post Canada on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Also on HuffPost The son of Kim Jong-nam, who was assassinated in Kuala Lumpur last month, appeared on YouTube on Wednesday for the first time since the hit on his father. In the 40-second clip posted by a group calling itself Cheollima Civil Defense, which purports to help North Korean defectors, Han-sol says, "My name is Kim Han-sol, from North Korea, part of the Kim family." He then holds up what looks like a North Korean diplomatic passport to the camera, but the details are blacked out. "My father has been killed a few days ago. I'm currently with my mother and my sister. We are very grateful to..." he continues before the sound cuts off and his mouth is covered by a black bar to prevent lip-reading. When the sound returns he says, "...and we hope this gets better soon." Kim Han-sol, the son of Kim Jong-nam, talks to camera in this screen grab from an undated YouTube video. The group claims Kim Han-sol fled his home in Macau with the help of the U.S., Chinese and Dutch governments as well as one other, unnamed country. Kim is now believed to be living abroad under the protection of a foreign government along with his mother, Ri Hye-kyong, and sister Sol-hui. After the clip surfaced, the NIS said the individual "appears to be Kim Han-sol." It is unclear why the group decided to post the clip now. Intelligence sources said the aim appears to be to quell controversy over whether the victim who was murdered with VX nerve agent in Malaysia was really Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Cheollima Civil Defense said in a statement that it was asked to help Kim Han-sol and his family following the assassination and that they were relocated to a safe place. The group added the clip would be the "first and last statement on this particular matter and the present whereabouts of this family will not be addressed." Kim Han-sol shows his passport in this screen grab from an undated YouTube video. According to intelligence sources, Kim left Macau after his father's assassination and fled to a Southeast Asian country. One intelligence source said he searched for a Western country that could protect him and appears to have gotten in touch with the Dutch government, which has been interested in North Korean human rights issues, through his European friends from school. "Through the Dutch ambassador, who serves as the country's diplomatic representative to both North and South Korea, the Dutch government asked for the cooperation of the South and U.S. governments to protect Kim, who was smuggled out of Macau to a third country. The unnamed fourth government mentioned by Cheollima Civil Defense may be South Korea," the source said. The source added that Kim and his family could not have left Macau without the help of Beijing. Transit points being mentioned are Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan or Thailand, which all house regional offices of the CIA. It is unclear whether he traveled with his sister. The intelligence source said, "There was information that Kim Sol-hui was living in Switzerland, so she may have met up with her family in a third country." The Cheollima Civil Defense website is registered by a company based in Panama, but that could simply be a proxy. Panama is a major transit point for shady North Korean diplomats and also served as a conduit to smuggle Cuban cigars abroad. Read this article in Korean A Conservative senator raised some eyebrows earlier this week after calling religious teachers of Canadas residential school system well-intentioned during a debate about the over-representation of indigenous women in Canadian prisons. Sen. Lynn Beyak delivered her remarks on Tuesday after the red chamber resumed discussion over a senate Liberals inquiry exploring the surging number of incarcerated indigenous women. Advertisement Mistakes were made at residential schools in many instances, horrible mistakes that overshadowed some good things that also happened at those schools, she said. Hedging her speech as a broad look at timely indigenous issues facing the country, the Ontario senator called the work of some residential school officials remarkable. Its these stories that go unacknowledged for the most part and are overshadowed by negative reports, she said. Politicians criticized the Conservative senators comments. Beyaks remarks are unfortunate and misguided, said Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett on Thursday. An open letter by MP Dan Rusnak, chair of the indigenous Liberal caucus, asked Beyak to apologize for her ignorant and harmful comments about the residential school system. Advertisement NDP MP Romeo Saganash called on the senator to resign. Beyaks office told The Huffington Post Canada on Thursday the senator had nothing to add in regards to her speech when asked for comment. In a 2015 report titled The Survivors Speak, some former students said they felt a sense of uplift in acquiring skills, participating in recreational and sporting-activities, and in making friendships. The report was released by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which heard from 6,000 witnesses across the country. But for most students, the report describes how residential school stripped children of their language and culture as well as a chance to learn skills to embrace traditional economic opportunities. Academic success was elusive to most students, it concluded. Advertisement Its estimated that approximately 150,000 indigenous students went through Canadas residential schools a system of institutionalized assimilation and child neglect that took children away from their homes. Canadas last residential school closed in 1996. Senator talks where valuable dollars should be spent Beyak, who was appointed by former prime minister Stephen Harper in 2013, also spoke at length about calls for the federal government to rename Langevin Block to one that doesnt memorialize a father of Confederation who supported the residential school system. The Prime Minister's Office is located in that building. Given the significant number of Aboriginals throughout Canada who had converted to Christianity and voluntarily placed their children in church-run residential schools decades before Confederation, it cannot be said that Sir Hector-Louis Langevin was one of the architects of the Indian residential school, she said. The calls to change the name from the building were raised by Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde and supported by aboriginal MPs. Advertisement Despite the discord in the debate topic, Beyak did acknowledge the work of the commission as excellent. She eventually circled back to the original topic and said the focus on changing the name of Langevin Block is a distraction from the important matters raised by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It will take valuable dollars away from more substantial indigenous needs, including the needs of incarcerated indigenous women, she said. Sen. Sinclair shocked Despite accounting for four per cent of the overall population, aboriginal peoples make up of about 20 per cent of Canadas prison population. And within that system, indigenous women are the fastest growing demographic. According to Sen. Kim Pate, 37 per cent of women incarcerated in federal prisons are indigenous. Following Beyaks speech, Sen. Murray Sinclair thanked the Conservative senator for the elucidation of her view of Canadas indigenous history before admitting he was a bit shocked by some of her comments. Advertisement Sinclair chaired the TRC and presented its final report, containing 94 recommendations for calls to action, in 2015. I am a bit shocked, senator, that you still hold some views that have been proven to be incorrect over the years, but, nonetheless, I accept that you have the right to hold them, he said. He added that Beyak failed to mention important facts related to the topic of Sen. Pates inquiry into the situation of the growing number of marginalized indigenous women in Canadian prisons: I notice that you didn't actually speak to the issues that were raised in the inquiry by Senator Pate, and that is the issue of incarceration of indigenous women and, particularly, the presentation that Senator Pate made with regard to the connection between the over-incarceration of indigenous women in the prisons of our country; and the connection of those incarceration rates to the history of oppression and violation that has come about because of residential school experiences; and the connection to the history of abuse that has gone on in the schools; and, in particular, the sexual violations that have occurred for indigenous women in the area of 50 per cent of those who have identified having compensation claims under the independent assessment process. Do you have a view with regard to whether or not those facts that have been disclosed by both the TRC report and Senator Pate are accurate, or do you have anything you wish to say about that? Asked by the Senate speaker if she wanted more time to answer Sinclair, Beyak said no. I can answer that later, she said. With a file from The Canadian Press Also on HuffPost The former chief of a Nova Scotia First Nation says a Molotov cocktail thrown at his truck last week was an act of revenge taken by drug dealers and it's time for the Mi'kmaq community to start banning such individuals. Alex McDonald, a longtime band councillor, told APTN News that drug-related crimes are increasing in SipekneKatik First Nation, and that councillors and other concerned citizens who speak out about the problem are being targeted in violent and dangerous ways. Advertisement "It has gotten worse," said McDonald, citing a violent home invasion two weeks ago and other instances of people's tires being slashed. "Its just that people are quiet about it because theyre scared." McDonald says the solution to the problem is to ban anyone charged with drug-related offences from the reserve. Other First Nations have banished people It's a step that several First Nation communities across Canada have acted on in recent years, with band members casting referendum ballots approving the banishment of problematic people. The Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation in Saskatchewan banished six non-band members in the fall of 2016, and gave warnings to more than a dozen members because of a crystal meth problem. Advertisement Saskatchewan's Muskoday First Nation, Mistawasis First Nation and the Lac La Ronge Indian Band have also banished people to help control crime. And just last week, the Atikamekw community of Obedjiwan in northern Quebec, expelled a suspected cocaine dealer, reports CBC News. "Its just that people are quiet about it because theyre scared." The chief of Saskatchewan's Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, Bobby Cameron, has said he supports bands that want to exile criminals. "We're talking about some communities here that have drug dealers that are selling to 10-year-old kids. What would you guys do? Honestly. You got a 10-year-old kid that's doing crystal meth. The next day, they kill themselves. Are you going to let it continue or are you going to banish these drug dealers?" Cameron asked during an address to legislature in November. However, Val Napoleon, who holds the Law Foundation Chair of Aboriginal Justice and Governance at the University of Victoria, told Postmedia last fall there are some issues surrounding eviction and banishment that need to be considered more closely. Advertisement "The concerns are whether particular actions are going in the long run to be more harmful to families and communities, whether by just sending problem people to other indigenous communities or into a city, youre not really helping them," she said. "Theres a whole range of questions." Follow The Huffington Post Canada on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Also on HuffPost: Unlimited data has made a sudden comeback to U.S. wireless plans, and the result could be the demise of public Wi-Fi, experts predict. But that isnt happening just yet in Canada and experts are divided on whether it will happen here at all. Advertisement After instituting data caps some six years ago, all four of the U.S.s major wireless players AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon announced the return of unlimited data in recent months, with pricing ranging from US$50 to US$90 a month. The result is that you could see a big switch away from Wi-Fi, Tim Farrar, founder of Telecom Media Finance Associates, told Bloomberg. Your coffee shops may be less compelled to provide Wi-Fi for you now. Thats a behavioural change among consumers that Canadas telecoms arent yet moving towards. "It's such a hyper-competitive environment in the U.S.," tech blogger Rose Behar told the CBC. In Canada, however, data overage charges have undoubtedly been a large source of revenue." Advertisement None of Canadas major wireless providers currently offer unlimited data, and, according to the CBC's research, only one regional one does MTS in Manitoba, which was recently bought by Bell. Freedom Mobile, formerly Wind Mobile, offers a plan that allows users to use free data past their cap, but at reduced speed. Rogers' flanker brand, Chatr, offers the same thing in certain cities and regions. Tech blogger Peter Nowak argues that the presence of smaller but aggressive wireless providers in the U.S. market, namely Sprint and T-Mobile, is creating a more competitive environment south of the border. These smaller players resell space on their networks to mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) such as Google Fi, creating even more competition. That dynamic doesnt exist in Canada. End of story, Nowak wrote earlier this month. But others say unlimited data could one day come to Canada. One of the big three Bell, Rogers or Telus is going to say 'OK, we'll get ahead of this and we'll launch it, Behar predicted. Advertisement But she warns pricing on those unlimited plans is likely to be higher than in the U.S. "I think that when it happens, it's not going to be all we dreamed of." Also on HuffPost A bail reform bill named in honour of an Alberta RCMP officer killed in the line of duty is one step closer to becoming a law after 27 Liberal MPs joined with opposition members to vote in its favour. Advertisement Shelly MacInnis-Wynn, the widow of Const. David Wynn, reportedly burst into tears from her place in the gallery as the results were announced and the Conservative bench erupted in applause. NDP and Bloc Quebecois MPs joined the Tories in supporting S-217, as did Green Party Leader Elizabeth May. In a free vote, 128 Liberal MPs opted not to support the bill, including Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould. S-217 easily passed the Senate last year and was tabled in the House in October by Alberta Tory Michael Cooper. It seeks to change the wording of the Criminal Code to demand that the Crown disclose an assailants criminal history and outstanding charges during bail hearings something that was not done in the case of Wynns killer. Advertisement The Mountie was gunned down in January 2015 by career criminal Shawn Rehn, who was out on bail despite dozens of outstanding charges. When Cooper introduced S-217, he noted that Rehns charges and prior convictions were not mentioned during the bail hearing because of the loophole that makes revealing such information discretionary. There is no doubt in my mind that had Wynns Law been the law, Constable Wynns killer would have remained behind bars where he belonged, and Constable Wynn would be alive today, Cooper said at the time. The government made it clear in November that it would not back the bill. Sean Casey, parliamentary secretary to the justice minister at the time, said Liberals were concerned S-217 could unnecessarily complicate and lengthen the bail process and remove discretion from the Crown. Cooper pressured Wilson-Raybould about the matter several times in the House in the last four months. The justice minister often responded that the government is in the midst of a criminal justice review with the provinces and territories. Advertisement Cooper thanked Wilson-Raybould in question period Tuesday for taking the time to meet with MacInnis-Wynn in Ottawa. But the St. Albert-Edmonton MP also pointedly asked her to explain just when it is okay for the criminal history of a bail applicant not to be disclosed. Wilson-Raybould said she wanted to reiterate the empathy she has for the Wynn family, but again said bail reform is part of the work Liberals are doing in terms of modernizing the criminal justice system. MacInnis-Wynn also spoke at a press conference in Ottawa with Cooper, urging MPs to pass the bill. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was pressed about S-217 at a town hall meeting in Saskatoon in January. Trudeaus concession that he did not know much about the bill raised the ire of Tories. On Wednesday night, Cooper took to Twitter to thank Liberal MPs who put public safety ahead of partisan politics. Advertisement #HoC passes #wynnslaw. Grateful to handful of Lib MPs who put public safety ahead of partisan politics in getting it passed #cdnpoli#cpc Michael Cooper, MP (@Cooper4SAE) March 8, 2017 The bill is now headed for further study at the House justice committee. With previous files Also on HuffPost GIPhotoStock via Getty Images Governments in Canada and the US were to slow to respond to the horrors being caused by misuse of prescription painkillers. But they are now doing so even as advocates press them to do more, more quickly. Yet Prime Minister Trudeau has just announced that he has no plans to legalize non-medical use of drugs beyond marijuana. This is a bluntness he may regret. Responsible voices are taking a public health perspective on the opioid crisis rather than seeing the criminal law as any solution. There aren't cries to arrest users and lock then up as a means of ending the epidemic. Rather, actions are being taken, some of which require changes to the law, to address the emergency and in the name of "harm reduction": naloxone is being distributed to immediately deal with overdoses, more safe injection sites are being opened up, good Samaritan laws are being passed so that people can call for help for an overdose without fearing prosecution and so forth. Lately, there are increasing demands for more drugs to be legalized as a major element in confronting this epidemic. The Prime Minister's statement seems to turn aside these pleas. Advertisement The War on Drugs has been a failure. It has not succeeded in its main goal: to end the drug trade. Rather, it has created an illicit market with huge social and economic costs to society: unjust incarceration, an untaxed industry run by thugs, tainted substances, and exploited children. What is the path away from criminalization amid the calls to legalize, generally, and the urgent need to address the opioid epidemic, in particular? In fact, there are three sets of challenges each of which requires a different strategy. The first involves marijuana. That drug will be legalized and regulated in Canada in the next few years. As marijuana is legalized we'll learn lessons, not only in terms of that drug, but in terms of how to regulate non-medical use of drugs generally. The second involves a variety of drugs which are receiving less attention because the spotlight is so focussed on marijuana and opioids: such substances as cocaine, LSD, crystal meth etc. They, too, can be dangerous, including being tainted by those in the illicit market. These drugs give rise to a range of issues (what would be the source of legal supply?) and may come to be regulated in different ways because of patterns of use, risk involved, availability of legal markets and so forth. It could also be that the path away from criminalization, at least for some of them, could be staged: first, decriminalization (ie, no sanctions for possession and use); then, after a period for assessment, legalization and regulation. The third focusses on opioids. Here the central question should be: what does the public health approach require to confront this epidemic? If the health community determines that a course of action is required then any legal barriers which exist should not stand in the way and should be removed. If the Prime Minister wants to characterize these changes as "harm reduction" rather than "legalization" so be it. An immediate example is the provision of medical grade heroin (an opioid) to some of those who are dependent; an option which has existed in Switzerland for some years. Advertisement As experts determine such availability is the right course for some individuals any legal and other roadblocks should be ended. Legalization of all non medical use of drugs is an attainable goal. But confronting the opioid crisis is an urgent and unprecedented call to action. Public health experts and their activist allies are leading the way. Let's not get caught up in complicated and protracted arguments about legalization of all drugs. Let's focus on public health experts telling us what is needed to face the opioid crisis in the name of "harm reduction" or otherwise. . Let's remove legal barriers that stand in the way. The alarm bells are ringing. Prime Minister - please rethink your position. It's time we began talking about the real state of the middle class when, in the city of Toronto, more than 50 per cent of the population are working an endless cycle of contract work. An urban worker recently told me that everyone he knows is just one bike accident away from poverty. Justin Trudeau is perpetuating a myth about the middle class. Justin Trudeau is perpetuating a myth about the middle class. In reality, it has devolved into a new working class that is both white collar and blue collar -- a world defined by massive levels of student debt, sky-high housing prices and the perpetual cycle of short-term contract work without benefits. Just that other day I was talking with a university professor who is working the endless cycle of underpaid contracts unable to support her family. Twenty-five years ago she would have been the symbol of white-collar, middle-class success. But now she is part of the new economy where people are being left behind. Advertisement When it comes to the middle class, Justin Trudeau and I come from very different places. My parents were the children of miners. Going to university wasn't an option. They quit high school and got jobs. When my Dad was 40 he finally had enough money to go back to school and eventually became a professor of economics at a community college. We moved to a town house in Scarborough -- seven people, three generations in a little house, but they could afford the house. They took the TTC to work every day. That [middle class] world that I came from is gone. It was systematically dismantled by successive Liberal and Conservative prime ministers. Our neighbours worked at the many factories dotting Scarborough or in the white-collar offices that served them. Those jobs provided pensions, the weekend and the ability to buy homes. These families knew that their children could pay for a university education just by holding down a summer job. That was the middle class. But that world that I came from is gone. It was systematically dismantled by successive Liberal and Conservative prime ministers who told us that shipping jobs offshore while giving tax breaks to the wealthy would benefit us all. There is no greater proponent of this ideology than the present prime minister. Look at his huge tax break for those "wanting to join the middle class." Under the PM's plan, someone making $50 to $100 an hour gets the biggest break while those making $23 an hour or less get zero. Maybe the PM thinks that bankers and cabinet ministers are the struggling middle class? Maybe he just doesn't know families struggling to get by at wages way less than $23 an hour? Advertisement I got into politics to speak for those who have been left off the political and economic map of this country. And over the years I have seen more and more people being left behind. The prime minister's Bobby McFerrin "don't worry, be happy" code of economics just doesn't cut it. It's time we called for more rather than continuing to be told to accept less. Unless politicians start to talk honestly about real issues, more and more people tune out the political bafflegab. A healthy economy is like a healthy eco-system, requiring balance and diversity at every level. It's time we restored some equilibrium. I will focus my efforts on ensuring that government policies redress this imbalance. The single biggest culprit of temporary contract work in Canada is the federal government. These policies of deliberate precarity need to be addressed. The federal government also provides billions to companies in subsidies, loans and investments. It's time these dollars were linked to creating stable jobs. You want money from the feds -- you better commit to ensuring jobs and training. Advertisement And we need to tackle education. Burdening this generation with the costs and debt of being ready for an ever-changing workplace is no way to build a 21st century economy. This is underscored by the fact that the workplace is about to be upended by massive automation. The middle class was eroded away by a series of deliberate political choices. We now need to begin making the deliberate economic choices that will turn a precarious generation into a truly creative and empowered generation. It's time we called for more rather than continuing to be told to accept less. It's time we started to dream big again and its time we fought to make it a reality. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook Also on HuffPost: How often do you think about going to the restroom? Other than the usual "Oh geeze, I have to go!" That's probably the extent of it, right? Using the restroom is a basic human need. It doesn't matter if you're Justin Bieber or Oprah. We all use the restroom. Unfortunately, it's not that easy for everyone to use a public restroom. For transgender, intersex or gender nonconforming individuals, the restroom or change room can be a place of anxiety and fear. Imagine being so anxious about entering the restroom that you prefer not to leave your house. That's terrible, right? Advertisement What does it mean to be transgender/intersex/gender nonconforming? Transgender -- a person whose gender identity does not correspond with their birth sex. Intersex -- a person born with reproductive anatomy that does not conform to what is understood as male or female. Gender nonconforming -- person who does not follow society's ideas of how they should look or act based on the sex they were assigned at birth. How many people are transgender in the U.S.? It's difficult to know. Discrimination and fear prevent many transgender people from coming forward. In 2016, the University of California-Los Angeles Williams Institute found that there are about 1.4 million transgender people in the U.S., which equates to roughly 0.6 per cent of the adult population. In 2014, of that 1.4 million, 41 per cent of transgender or gender nonconforming people have attempted suicide. That is a staggering rate. Advertisement During my transition, I was approached in both the male and female restrooms, even at LGBTQ establishments, and was told that I do not belong there. Though you may see that many states have laws and ordinances that protect from discrimination based on sex, age, religion, disability or race, not many states include protection from discrimination based on gender identity. Gender identity is the central issue to transgender and gender nonconforming people. According to GLAAD, existing LGBTQ laws protect only 48 per cent of the U.S. population. The Obama administration introduced Title IX to protects the right of transgender, intersex and gender nonconforming students to use restrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity. A few weeks ago, the Trump administration rescinded Title IX. Secretary Betsy DeVos stated that the issue is best solved at the state and local level, and that "[s]chools, communities, and families can find -- and in many cases have found -- solutions that protect all students." Advertisement The problem with the statement is that it implies other students need protection from transgender students. This is troubling when statistics demonstrate that transgender students are susceptible to bullying and are at an extremely high risk for self-harm. Transgender, gender nonconforming and intersex people are not sexual deviants. The rest of the student population does not need protection from them. This line of thinking creates unnecessary fear at the thought of encountering a transgender or gender nonconforming person in a public restroom. I went to the University of Toronto, University College in Ontario, Canada. I graduated in 2008. The restrooms at University College were gender neutral. At the time, I did not understand how progressive that was. I and do not recall a single person having any kind of issue in the restroom. In fact, as a result of the restrooms being gender neutral, I found that all genders regarded each other with heightened respect. I moved from Toronto to California to attend law school, and settled in Long Beach. Though Long Beach is a very progressive city for LGBTQ people, I find that it's not as accessible and comfortable for transgender people. For example, many local bars and venues that I frequent have designated "male" and "female" restrooms. In the men's restroom, there are urinals, but only a toilet in the middle of the floor with no stall and virtually no privacy. I have found that the lack of stall in a men's restroom is common in establishments across North America. Advertisement During my transition, I was approached in both the male and female restrooms, even at LGBTQ establishments, and was told that I do not belong there (and I am being polite -- the terms used were not). I know many other transgender people who have been approached or assaulted in the restroom. In fact, a paper by the Williams Institute found that in Washington, D.C., 70 per cent of transgender people surveyed reported being verbally harassed, physically assaulted or denied access entirely. What are my options when I need to use the restroom in an establishment that designates a "male" and "female" space? I can use the women's restroom (which does not go over well, considering I have a full beard); use the men's restroom (with frequently no stall and risk being approached or assaulted because my genitalia is different); hold it and not go; or leave and patronize another establishment. As history has shown us, "a separate but equal solution" is not equal. And I'm a grown adult. I cannot imagine the range of emotions a child would go through in a similar situation at school. The reversal of Title IX by the Trump administration is particularly despicable because Title IX was meant to protect CHILDREN of a marginalized group. The reversal creates a separation between transgender, intersex and nonconforming people and the rest of the population, and implies that they are not worthy of the very basic protection of being able to use the restroom or change room that aligns with their gender identity. It's important to instill in children a general respect for others and to teach them that difference should be celebrated and not feared. Advertisement Some have suggested the creation of a third bathroom. A third "all-gender" bathroom is not an appropriate solution. As history has shown us, "a separate but equal solution" is not equal. Either eliminate the male/female designation or simply allow people to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity. HOW TO HELP: Be a buddy to a trans person! Make sure that they exit the restroom safely. Contact your local government and local establishments. If you own an establishment, put up an LGBTQ safe space sign: Use the app Refuge Restrooms to mark safe bathrooms for transgender people: Donate to the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund: Donate to the Transgender Crisis Hot Line: Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook Also on HuffPost: PeopleImages via Getty Images Shot of a diverse group of business people joining their hands in a symbol of unity This is a story of courage; this is a story of hope. It's a narrative about incredible women uniting for an important purpose. I think that's only appropriate on International Women's Day. It is also very difficult to write. There is, however, a highly happy ending, so please bear with me. Advertisement When stressful things happen, everyone responds differently. Our job isn't to judge, but our job is to try to understand, to learn and to grow. For me, this story starts when I was 16. I struggled with bulimia from 16- 18 years of age. It was one way that I could cope and have some control during an uncontrollable situation when I was attending a private school called Grenville Christian College. Grenville's founders were members of the Community of Jesus, described in a 1981 Boston Magazine story as a cult that practiced physical and psychological abuse. Last year, W5 did an expose on the school while I was traveling with the Live The Smart Way Expo. It brought up so many negative memories; however, I faced them. At each city I visited, a fellow student or a former abuser would attend my keynote. Each time, I chose to forgive. I use the word choose, because forgiveness truly is a choice. The reality of what I went through and the impact that it had on my health - and the resulting struggle with an eating disorder - was significant. Advertisement But, I wasn't alone. Eating disorders are rampant. They are more widespread than one would think. People fall into them for different reasons, and I was reminded last year of why I struggled with mine. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, more than 500,000 Canadians suffered from some sort of eating disorder in 2005. A 2010 survey by Queens University in partnership with the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada revealed that by grade ten, 39 per cent of girls believe that they are fat. Eating disorders are the MOST fatal of all mental illnesses, with a mortality rate between 18-20 per cent. I first went public with my struggle in February 2013 during eating disorder awareness week. I am not sure why I chose to go public about it at the time. I think that I felt that as a healthy living advocate, people needed to understand that I had needed to come a long way to get to where I was, and that I am still not perfect. Our secrets make us sick, and I wanted others to feel that it would be ok to talk about it. It was a scary move, and it could have sunk my career. But, sometimes you need to do things that scare you in the name of the greater good. Not long after I joined a panel for International Women's Day 2013 at Ryerson University, produced in collaboration with Ryerson's Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. At that I participated in discussion and debate about the proper representation of healthy women's body images in the media and sports. Advertisement I now advocate tirelessly in the health and fitness sectors that health is so much more than a size or a number on a scale. The truth is, health truly is about mind, body, and spirit. One of my advocacy pieces is that I am a healthy women's body image advocate with Hopewell, an organization that supports individuals struggling with an eating disorder as well as their families and friends. I am regularly asked to support and consult with teenage girls who are in crisis- to get them to view food as a friend and not the enemy. The story isn't over In February 2017 National Initiative for Eating Disorders invited me to visit Parliament along with Madame Sophie Gregoire Trudeau and several other women, at which we shared our stories and advocated for more work to be done to support people struggling with eating disorders in Canada. Sophie shared her personal struggle with bulimia. I stood there with tears in my eyes because I could relate at such a deep level with the pain and the shame that often accompanies an eating disorder. I also rejoiced too, because freedom comes from telling your truth, your story. I am so happy to tell you that a motion was introduced in the House of Commons after Eating Disorder Awareness Week (February 1-7) and our appearance on Parliament Hill. The motion seeks to coordinate efforts between the provinces, territories, and indigenous communities to develop a coordinated Canadian Strategy on Eating Disorders! Advertisement We have so much more work to do, but I believe! Special thank you to National Initiative for Eating Disorders (NIED) and Madame Sophie Gregoire Trudeau and Hopewell for their endless advocacy with this important issue. This story is far from over because so much more work is needed. I hope to be at the forefront of this important evolution. I don't care about the glory, but I do care about the people who this affects. I believe in people unifying together, despite their pain, and triumphing together for good. Happy International Women's Day. To all the women who have stories to tell- please tell those stories. Our daughters, sons, our nieces, and grandchildren will thank you. Much love Kathy Smart Dean Mitchell via Getty Images Female caregiver helping senior man get up from couch in living room - Indoors By Margaret McGregor and Lisa Ronald Late last year, a large trans-national insurance company, Anbang, announced its intention to purchase a majority interest in Retirement Concepts, a Canadian for-profit nursing home chain. Retirement Concepts currently receives funding from a number of provincial governments to provide nursing home care, and is the highest billing provider of assisted-living and residential care services in British Columbia. The sale was approved by the federal government in mid-February -- and it is concerning for a number of reasons. Advertisement Firstly, the transaction appears to be part of a trend for private investment companies to purchase properties that generate profits by leasing the property back to a second private for-profit operator. In this case, the likely scenario may be that Anbang will lease the property back to Retirement Concepts, the previous private for-profit owner, who will continue to provide the services. Why do this? Research shows that the typical business model for such arrangements is associated with offering a high return on capital and maximizing cash extraction. The property assets owned by the private equity firm are separated from the daily operations of providing resident care. The former builds-in high shareholder returns through a number of strategies including requiring the daily operating business to pay burdensome debt and rent payments. Some companies have gone bankrupt as a result, leaving residents and families in the lurch - and obscure relationships among multiple companies can make it very difficult to pin down responsibility when things go wrong. In the UK, such a lease arrangement became so costly that when the government refused a request from the operator to help pay for these increasing costs, the Southern Cross chain of 750 publicly-funded for-profit-owned homes declared bankruptcy. This left residents and families with great uncertainty and governments facing public scandal. Advertisement Allowing the growth of a private equity service delivery model in Canada will undermine the federal government's stated priority of building a high-quality sustainable system of community-based care for seniors. Secondly, under these large corporate structures it is often difficult to identifythe entity ultimately responsible for the care of this vulnerable population. If patients and families have complaints or governments have quality concerns, the lines of accountability in such large corporate structures are often poorly defined. Thirdly, the size and complex corporate structure of these large corporations make it extremely difficult to enforce financial accountability and reporting on how public resources are spent. It is also difficult to create and enforce regulations that require facilities to spend a defined amount of public funds on staffing or to limit spending on administration. Fourth, once large companies own nursing home property, governments become increasingly dependent on these chains for services and are less able to terminate contracts, remove residents from poorly performing facilities, ensure standards are maintained or control the costs of care. Fifth, when such ownership is transnational in nature, the introduction of government regulations requiring facilities to spend a defined amount of public funds on staffing or to limit spending on administration may be contested under international trade agreements. Advertisement The pressure to make a profit often leads to cost-cutting measures such as reduced staffing that undermines the quality of seniors' care. The ten largest publicly-funded private for profit nursing home chains in the U.S. have been found to have lower nurse staffing hours for example, compared to government facilities. Publicly-funded private for-profit chain facilities in Ontario have also been found to provide fewer hours of care. The evidence is clear: Large-scale private equity investments in nursing home facilities too often jeopardize the quality of care and put seniors' health at risk. What can be done now? Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Jane Phillpott, Minister of Health should commission a panel on how governments can address the challenges of privatization and marketization of nursing home chains across the country. Our seniors deserve no less. Malaysia has arrested 140 illegal North Korean workers in an apparent bid for leverage in a diplomatic row over the Feb. 13 assassination of Kim Jong-nam at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Immigration officials and police in Sarawak on Tuesday and Wednesday rounded up some 140 North Koreans who were working at a construction site, the Straits Times reported. They had no work permits but worked on visitor visas. North Korea earlier banned all Malaysians in the country from leaving, effectively holding them hostage over a Malaysian police investigation that has put the blame for the hit squarely on the North Korean regime. Malaysia retaliated in kind. But there are only 11 Malaysian embassy staff and UN officials in North Korea, whereas an estimated 1,000 North Koreans live in Malaysia, earning hard currency for their isolated leadership. Kuala Lumpur estimates that most of them are illegal workers. The Malaysian government has drastically stepped up security along the borders with Thailand and Singapore to prevent North Koreans from slipping out. But Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said there are no immediate plans to cut off all ties with North Korea. "At the moment they are still on because it provides us with a channel," he told parliament. "We have to maintain ties because we have means to negotiate." The Ontario Medical Association is upset with the Ontario government, but not over money this time. They are concerned that the government is trying to tighten discipline procedures for misbehaving doctors and other health professionals. For a change, I agree with the government. These new changes could result in discipline panels being made up of a majority of independent lay people rather than health professionals and create more greater transparency. Advertisement The government has been pushed into this position by the Toronto Star which has published numerous exposes on doctors who have either gotten off or have had light sentences meted out. The Star has also done a number of editorials on the topic. While their emphasis has been on sexual abuse, I believe that all matters should be dealt with more severely. Health professions are allowed to regulate themselves under the Regulated Health Professions Act, and Ontario has 26 such colleges. Each college is made up of members of that profession elected by their peers and a minority of public members appointed by the government to represent the interests of the public. Members of each profession discipline themselves when a member is accused of an infraction such as sexually abusing a patient, failing to meet the standards of the profession, and so on. In 2012, the Canadian Medical Association Journal looked at the problems of self-regulation by doctors. The author, Roger Collier, said that "the problem with this collegial form of regulation, however, is that professions tend to be protective of their members. This is not really that surprising; individuals belonging to any group tend to be protective of their own kind." His penalty was to engage in a process of self-learning and write and submit a 2,000-word report on what he had learned. For a number of years, I was a public appointee to the College of Opticians of Ontario where I did sit on discipline panels and, in the past six months, I've represented two people who have appealed what we considered to be erroneous decisions by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) to the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board (HPARB). The first case was reported on by the CBC. When I was on the Opticians Council, I became aware that the college had secretly hired a psychiatrist to provide them with an assessment of an elected member whom they did not like and I knew roughly what the report said, although I never saw it nor did I know the name of the doctor. That individual and a second elected member of the college, both of whom were also elected by their peers to be on the executive, were removed from executive a few years later, and one of them was removed from his elected position on the council itself. This was analogous to the House of Commons removing a member of Parliament who had been elected by his constituents. They are both suing the college and, thanks to disclosure, they received the name of the psychiatrist who conducted his assessment along with his report and the minutes of the meeting when this course of action was decided upon. The assessment was completed by the psychiatrist without ever seeing the person in question, and he based his diagnosis only from selected letters and emails that he was given. A complaint was filed with the CPSO, but they dismissed the complaint as they felt that it was suitable for a psychiatrist to determine that someone they had never met and who had never seen medical records for the person could diagnose them with a probable mental illness. Advertisement . The matter was appealed based on numerous arguments, including the fact that a doctor cannot diagnose someone they have never seen. We just received the decision by HPARB signed on March 6 and received by me on March 7. The HPARB panel has ruled that CPSO must reconsider this case as they did not feel that the doctor should have been exonerated. Aside from a seeming reluctance to find fellow professionals guilty, the other problem is exemplified by another case I helped with at HPARB. When a complaint is received, it is investigated by a college committee and either dismissed, referred to a discipline panel or some finding of guilt and a penalty are decided upon. Cases that don't go to the discipline committee for a trial -- but where a finding of guilt is found at the committee -- are often not reported on the doctor's public register. In this second case, a mother from Richmond Hill was very concerned with the psychiatrist her son had at MacKenzie Health, also located in Richmond Hill. She managed to find another psychiatrist for her son and filed a complaint against the original doctor. The CPSO complaints committee did find that the doctor was deficient in nine areas of his treatment and his practice, including not having a clear diagnosis of what was wrong with his patient, making it difficult to determine appropriate treatment, excluding the family and illegible medical reports. His penalty was to engage in a process of self-learning and write and submit a 2,000-word report on what he had learned. The finding of guilty will not appear on his public register for others to see, as his penalty was considered remedial and CPSO did not consider the doctor's deficiencies to be of a serious nature. Why did it take a death for the regulatory officials to realize that she was not properly trained? The mother was upset with this, as she considered that the deficiencies of the doctor were severe and he deserved more than to write a 2,000-word paper. She was also concerned because many staff at the hospital were aware that she had a dispute with the doctor and had filed a complaint. Because the results of her complaint are secret, no one will know that she was right and the doctor wrong, and she will be perceived by the staff as a troublemaker should she or her son require treatment at that hospital. Advertisement As I assisted her in her appeal, I do have all records pertaining to the case, including the decision by the CPSO committee and I argued her case at the HPARB panel. We are still waiting for the decision of HPARB on this case. Meanwhile, her son is doing significantly better with his new psychiatrist. Another more egregious case, in my opinion, was that of a complaint filed against Toronto family doctor Benhaz Yazdanfar and her Toronto Cosmetic Clinic. Dr. Yazdanfar was not a trained surgeon, but she was performing cosmetic surgery and, when Waterloo physician and quack watchdog Dr. Terry Polevoy saw her ad soliciting surgical patients, he investigated and filed a complaint against her with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. Polevoy argued that she was not trained as a surgeon and should not be performing cosmetic surgery. The college investigated and ruled that she was qualified, so Polevoy appealed that decision to the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board. During the 16 months it took the appeal board to meet and consider the case, one of Dr. Yazdanfar's patients, 32-year-old real estate agent Krista Stryland, died after her liposuction procedure. The appeal board still upheld the College decision and dismissed Polevoy's complaint. However, because of Ms. Stryland's death, the college investigated and Dr. Yazdanfar was permanently banned from practicing surgery and her medical license was suspended for two years. Why did it take a death for the regulatory officials to realize that she was not properly trained? I suspect that the situation in the Richmond Hill mother's case above is not unique as the Bill before the legislature states that "the public register for members of health regulatory colleges will include more information, including: any specified continuing education or remedial programs required by a panel of the ICRC" See bullet point 4. Advertisement Once the government bill is passed, such remediation as required in the case of the Richmond Hill mother's doctor will have to be on the register, but unless the mother wins her appeal and this case is sent back to the CPSO, then this doctor will not have his finding appear on the register. These changes being proposed are logical and should make for greater transparency. Health professionals need to be accountable to the public they serve and that accountability should be apparent. This is not the case now. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook Dan Dalton via Getty Images This week Ottawa was hit by an event Ontario's doctors are warning we'll be seeing more and more often in our future: hospitals are overrun with patients sick with the flu, hitting up to 120% overcapacity. The sad truth underlying that is the fact that hospitals are routinely running too close to maximum capacity much of the time, so an outbreak can easily send them over the edge. Worse is the fact that the we are on the verge of a grey tsunami, as our population ages and threatens to destroy our struggling health care system. Hospitals in large cities face additional pressure as they are both referrals centres that receive patients from the periphery and are hammered by increasing urban populations locally. Advertisement I can guarantee you that every hospital that has faced an overcapacity crunch has at least a few and probably a large number of doctors that are actively worried about what the future holds for their institution and their community. We face a patient population whose needs will only increase as the government chooses instead to cut and mismanage front line services like medicine and nursing. Physicians have been warning about bed crises and the overloaded health care system for years. Unfortunately, the government is more interested in blaming doctors for providing too many services than it is engaging us in solving problems like chronic hospital bed shortages. But while in the recent past, those worried doctors were easier to ignore or dismiss, in the past few years we've hearing doctors speaks out in loud and more organized voices. We witnessed a watershed moment in medical politics March 7, when the OMA announced the results of 2017's Council elections. Advertisement A large number of old guard incumbents lost their seats to newly engaged grassroots advocates and doctors voted in record numbers. This election is a clear call for invigoration of the OMA, who's questionable actions in the recent past have frustrated its members. This is a united voice calling for reform, and sending a message to the government that we need to have our concerns about health care addressed and responded to. Over the past 3 years that physicians have gone without a contract, disparate voices have been coming together via social media to share ideas, frustrations and plans for fixing Ontario's broken health care system. Unfortunately grassroots advocates soon learned that the slow-moving and inward-looking OMA wasn't too interested in listening to them. Soon they were moving ahead their own actions, like public rallies and a live map of clinics closed due to unilateral government cuts. As grassroots voices grew louder and more organized, the old guard in both the OMA and the government did what the old guard always does: dismiss, deny and discredit. They told anyone who would listen that the grassroots movement represented just a fringe group of doctors with radical views not worth listening to and that the majority of moderate physicians don't agree with. With this recent election we can finally put the lie to the fantasy of a so-called "moderate" majority that wants to uphold the status quo. This is actually the second such massive sea change vote in the past 6 months, the first being the large majority that rejected the proposed contract the OMA pushed extremely hard for. "The government can no longer cling to the falsehood that loud, angry doctors are just tiny splinter group, trying to whip up trouble in name of a bigger pay cheque." So this is my question: can we stop calling grassroots physician advocacy a "fringe" movement now? Seriously, how many big democratic wins does a movement need before you can actually admit that it represents a majority viewpoint? Advertisement The government can no longer cling to the falsehood that loud, angry doctors are just tiny splinter group, trying to whip up trouble in name of a bigger pay cheque. The majority of doctors are unhappy with this government and unhappy with the direction of health care. If two critical votes with large voter turnout can't convince you that doctors are pushing for health care reform, then you are relying on alternative facts to bolster your misconception. As we head into another round of contract negotiations with a recalcitrant government, I would hope our health minister is now listening to what physician advocates have been saying for the past few years. Contrary to another misconception, this is not just about physician pay. Doctors have been clamoring for a greater role in health care governance and organization, where we can use our front line knowledge and experience to try to fix problems like chronic hospital bed shortages and a single flu outbreak bringing a hospital to its knees. If the government will stop maligning us for daring to oppose a hard cap to the physician services budget, maybe they can partner with us to improve the system for everyone. The grey tsunami is just around the corner, doctors can see it coming and have turned out in record numbers to demand change, will the government listen? Andrew Francis Wallace via Getty Images TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 19 - Premier Kathleen Wynne during a year-end interview with Rob Benzie and Martin Regg Cohn in her Queen's Park office, December 19, 2016. (Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star via Getty Images) The hydro plan Premier Wynne announced last week is the most expensive band aid in Ontario's history. To stop the Liberal's bleeding poll numbers, the Premier is going to borrow $14 billion dollars over the next decade. She says her baind aid will reduce electricity prices by 17 per cent. This is on top of the $1 billion per year her HST cut on hydro bills will cost. Advertisement That's a $24,000,000,000 dollar band aid, costing each household about $5,000. The premier has said nothing about what programs will be cut to pay for her Band-Aid. $14 billion in interest payments may be good for bankers, but not for you and me. When I think about where I want my tax dollars to go, big banks aren't on my list. $1.4 billion per year would pay for 20,000 nurses in Ontario. It could save some of the 11 schools slated to close in Ottawa and dozens more around the province. It would go a long way to improving regional transit links. It could build hospitals, protect our water; the list goes on. "These shell games have cost billions. None of them have worked." This is what happens when politicians mess up the hydro file and become desperate to buy votes. You end up paying big time. Don't get me wrong. We have a real affordability crisis on our hands. No one should have to choose between food and heat. But I think you deserve more than a Band-Aid. You deserve permanent, long-term solutions so we can put that $14 billion into public services, instead of banks. Advertisement Here's the thing -- we do have better options! But first the government needs to stop repeating the mistakes of the past. In 2002, Ernie Eves froze electricity rates. Debt went up and cost us billions. In 2011, Dalton McGuinty moved two gas plants and we paid $1.1 billion. Then he added another subsidy that had us borrowing $1.1 billion a year. Now Wynne's 25 per cent rebate is just the latest in a long line of shell games on hydro. These shell games have cost billions. None of them have worked. "Right now our provincial electricity surplus means Ontario has to sell excess power at a loss. If we need additional power, Quebec water power is much less expensive." We should be looking at how we can provide relief to those who desperately need it now, and also save in the long run. Here's a plan on how we can get there: First stop: target programs to provide rate reductions for people who need it the most. Electricity rate increases are unaffordable for people with low/fixed incomes. The increases are punishing anyone on electric baseboard heating. Advertisement Across the board cuts like those supported by the NDP and Liberals are tax cuts for the rich. Wealthy homes use more energy and benefit the most by these programs. Instead, it is more financially responsible and effective to target price cuts for those in need. This can best be achieved by putting more money into programs like the Ontario Electricity Support Program. 2. Next, tackle the expensive elephant in the room: nuclear. The Premier must say no to the nuclear lobby. No nuclear project has delivered on time or budget. Increases in the Global Adjustment (GA) are driving up electricity prices. 46 per cent of the increase in the GA is due to nuclear power. Two companies operate nuclear plants in our province: privately owned Bruce Power and publicly owned Ontario Power Generation (OPG). Between 2002 and 2016, their rates rose by 54 per cent and 60 per cent. And now OPG is asking for a massive price increase over the next decade to finance the Darlington Nuclear plant rebuild. Instead of pouring billions more into nuclear power, let's close Pickering Nuclear on time in 2018. This will save us money by reducing Ontario's electricity surplus. Right now our provincial electricity surplus means Ontario has to sell excess power at a loss. If we need additional power, Quebec water power is much less expensive. Advertisement 3. Help people and businesses save money by saving energy. Energy efficiency and conservation are the lowest cost energy solutions. We will all save money now and forever by figuring out how to use less energy to power our businesses and homes. A Green Building fund will help us do this and create thousands of jobs. We can finance this fund with the billions in savings from cancelling the planned nuclear rebuilds. 4. Stop the privatization of Hydro One. This will prevent financial losses to Ontario's treasury and prevent future electricity price increases. Selling off Hydro One puts the Liberal's short-term desperate economic and political needs ahead of good public policy. The Liberals' expensive hydro Band-Aid won't build an efficient electricity system. It won't reduce costs in the system. And it will cost all of us billions. We deserve better in Ontario. We need honest solutions based on good public policy to get out of this hydro mess. Advertisement Binging and purging are at core of current pop culture and social media. Binging means to watch all episodes of Stranger Things in one sitting, and purging is when you decide to finally delete dozens of old high school classmates from your Facebook account. But for me, binging and purging will only ever be the methods to my madness; of my bulimia. After a relationship ended abruptly in my second-year at university, I became suffocated with social anxiety. Despite being surrounded by friends, my low self-confidence and body image issues made me feel alone and isolated. My anxiety manifested itself in my desire to eat in secret, quickly snowballing into a textbook case of a bulimic's binge-and-purge cycle. When this wasn't enough, I began abusing laxatives and doubled or tripled the recommended daily doses. Advertisement Simple tasks like picking food from a restaurant menu or a trip to the grocery store or dressing myself in front of a mirror became painfully difficult. Any mention of food, weight, appearance, or fitness were triggers. I was drowning; shackled to a ball and chain, thrown into water, and expected to swim. Our culture is slowly shifting towards discussing mental health openly, but conversations about specific mental illnesses, like eating disorders, are moving at a snail's pace. On the heels of Bell Let's Talk campaign and National Eating Disorders Awareness Week in Canada, we're still riding a self-congratulatory high of "ending the stigma surrounding mental health." Though the $6,585,250 raised for Bell Let's Talk record-setting, we need much more than a monetary figure to herald its success. Talking about mental health by dancing lightly around it is as ineffective as not talking about it at all. We need a two-way dialogue that digs into the frank realities of these illnesses. We speak in platitudes about the "road to recovery" with eating disorders, like there's an easily-replicable strategy, like winning a board game. My recovery was a hellish game of snakes and ladders: I'd make progress and then have a setback and slide back to start. At work, I withdrew further into myself as I gave flaky excuses to cover-up my weekly psychotherapy appointments and support group meetings. I avoided parties with my friends for fear of triggers or rejection if anyone found out about my illness. Even as I made leaps and bounds in therapy, I still felt like I was barely treading water. Advertisement Each sufferer's journey is different, but each one of us is part of an alarming statistic. Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, Lady Gaga, Janet Jackson are among some of the public figures who have come forward to share their experience in coping with an eating disorder. As much as reading their stories gave me the comfort of strength in numbers, I still thought that my circumstance was an embarrassment to discuss with even my closest friends and family members. My concerns about how others might treat me if I revealed my disorder were -- and still are -- very real. There are still many who think that having an eating disorder is a luxury, or somehow glamourous. I've overheard women in gym locker-rooms bemoan that they wish they were anorexic, or "had bulimia." Far too often, eating disorders are the punchline in a TV sitcom, a meme on Instagram, or referred to as a glorified "New Year, New You" fad. Let me say this: that there is absolutely nothing glamourous about jabbing your fingers repeatedly down your throat to vomit in a toilet, or hollowing out your insides like a jack-o'-lantern by way of laxatives. There's nothing funny about the fact that eating disorders have the highest mortality rate among girls and women than any other mental health condition. Each sufferer's journey is different, but each one of us is part of an alarming statistic. In a report of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women in November 2014, it states that "[a]t any given time in Canada, as many as 600,000 to 990,000 Canadians may meet the diagnostic criteria for an eating disorder, primarily anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorder." According to the National Eating Disorders Association, eating disorders can cause a wide range of health complications including heart and kidney problems, gastric ruptures, high blood pressure, and death. Eating disorders can affect anyone -- men, women, teens, persons of colour -- eating disorders do not discriminate, but seeking treatment does. My recovery wasn't smooth, but eventually, I came up for air. I come from a middle-class family in the GTA, and so I could afford psychotherapy. My loving family and supportive boyfriend drove me to and from appointments, attended group therapy sessions, and endured the emotional baggage that comes with caring for a loved one with an eating disorder. This can't be said for all sufferers: what about those without the means or income to get to treatment, or those who live in rural or northern regions where specialized treatments are not as readily accessible? These questions of privilege need to be addressed in the context of mental illness discussions -- far more complex than just a once-a-year tweet and an accompanying hashtag. Advertisement If the Canadian government truly cares about the mental health of its citizens (especially its youth), they need to assess the benefits of investing in psychotherapy and treatment centres. In the long-term, it will improve the quality of our health-care system and our economy, to say noting of the emotional and psychological well-being of our friends, family, and communities. Member of Parliament Carol Hughes (Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing) recently called for a pan-Canadian framework and strategy to cope with eating disorders. I hope parliamentarians carefully consider a national strategy, given the renewed interest in funding mental health programs in this country. Let's not lose sight of why we started this dialogue in the first place. It's been nearly seven years after my first bulimic episode. My recovery wasn't smooth, but eventually, I came up for air. Even now it's not easy, but I know my triggers and possess the ability to cope and deflect my symptoms. I'm not a picture-perfect success story. After all, perfection was what I craved in the first place. My bulimia no longer controls me. I didn't drown. Many aren't as lucky. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook Most people come to Barbados for sand, surf and sun. I ended up searching for a Super Gun. Designed and built in the 1960s by a Canadian ballistics engineering genius named Gerald Bull, the massive artillery piece today sits rusting amid encroaching foliage, on the island's southeast corner, just down a hill from the end of an airport runway. It, no less than the Avro Arrow, is a reminder that Canada had great aeronautical aspirations in the 1950s and early 1960s -- aspirations that ultimately came to naught. Bull, a native of North Bay, Ontario, is, to this day, a highly controversial character. Educated at the University of Toronto and a professor at McGill, Bull was convinced that a very large gun would provide a better (and cheaper) means of testing the aerodynamics of objects destined to reach orbit and return. Advertisement He even believed that a gun, if sufficiently large, could be built that would launch objects into space without the need to use a rocket at all. By 1961 Bull was able to convince both the American and Canadian governments, as well as McGill, to fund the building of just such a Super Gun. The scheme, called HARP (High Altitude Research Project), was sited in Barbados, in the parish of Christ Church. McGill had a long-standing relationship with Barbados -- indeed, there is still a research facility on the island to this day -- and Bull felt it was the perfect place to assemble and fire his gun, which eventually reached 120 feet in length and set a record in 1963, firing an object 58 miles (92 km) skyward. At its peak, the project employed more than 300 individuals, the majority local islanders. While the gun was in many ways a technological marvel, rockets were becoming more reliable. Funding began to dry up. A CBC correspondent alludes to the lack of Canadian support when interviewing Bull -- Bull is circumspect in his response, but in truth he was reportedly already embittered by the Canadian government's earlier cancellation of the Avro Arrow project. Advertisement The next stages of Gerald Bull's career read like something of Faustian fable. Seemingly in love with the technology he had helped to create, he pressed on with increasingly dubious sponsors, including the apartheid government of South Africa (who were looking for an artillery piece that could reach rebel strongholds in Angola). This foray ended badly, with Bull spending time in a U.S. federal penitentiary for violating a U.N. arms embargo. (Bull had been granted retroactive U.S. citizenship -- itself an unusual and murky move -- in the 1970s. He was thus subject to U.S. jurisdiction). Next Bull went to work for Iraq, in the person of Saddam Hussein. In the late 1980s Iraq was in conflict with Iran -- and had also been a long-standing enemy of Israel. Research and development of a gun that could potentially fire a projectile hundreds of kilometers caused more than a little unease in several Middle East capitals. This also ended badly. By March 1990 Bull was dead, executed "professionally" in (or just outside -- accounts differ) his suburban Brussels apartment. Israel's MOSSAD is considered by many the most likely perpetrator, although some point to Iran and possibly even the CIA. One could argue that Gerald Bull was a prototype for Walter White, the brilliant chemist from the epic "Breaking Bad" TV series who, when thwarted by business partners and a U.S. health care system that forces one into bankruptcy, goes over to the dark side. Did Canada's lack of financial support push Gerald Bull into the arms of repugnant regimes? Or was he simply an obsessed opportunist? Let the debate begin. Advertisement His most fitting memorial is in Barbados, seldom visited or even recalled. But if you visit the island, this somewhat bizarre relic of Canadian history is still accessible and worth a short hike and perhaps an hour of your time. Overlooking the sea, the Super Gun site today features a decaying bunker, the gigantic gun barrel tilted seaward, and other objects scattered about. It is technically owned by the Barbados military, which periodically (and somewhat ironically) use it for small arms practice. There was nothing small about Bull and his dreams -- and that was arguably his ultimate undoing. Robert Waite is a professor at Seneca College and a frequent writer on travel Dear Minister Ahmed Hussen, Many of us cheered when you were recently made the Immigration Minister. We felt that as an immigrant Canadian you would surely bring to your position a new and hopefully more compassionate perspective on what it may mean to be Canadian. But our cheers were short lived. You have brought disappointments to some hearts, mine included. On Monday March 6, 2017 you deported Len Van Heest, a Canadian for the last 59 years. Yes, a Canadian but without the citizenship papers. At the age of seven months and in diapers, he legally landed in Canada with his family. At 16 he was diagnosed with a bipolar disorder. He has several convictions for assault, mischief and uttering threats -- all stemming from and related to his mental illness, the bipolar disorder. His last offence was in 2012. Mr. Minister, obviously as a minor under the old law, Van Heest would have been unable to apply for his citizenship on his own -- assuming that he even realized or knew in his mental state about the need for him to do so. His parents may not have applied their minds to this issue before he became a "criminal" and therefore barred from receiving Canadian citizenship. Advertisement Mr. Minister, you had the legal power and discretion to stop Van Heest's deportation. You chose not to because you didn't see it as fit and proper to do so. His deportation means that you must have felt the mentally ill Van Heest was responsible for not applying for citizenship that he had to before he had reached a certain age. It also implies that you and your officials felt it was just and fair for Canada to hold a mentally ill man responsible for piling up a criminal record that disqualified him from ever applying for Canadian citizenship, even though he had entered Canada as an infant. The mentally ill Van Heest -- criminal or not -- is the product of Canada. Citizen or not, he is undeniably Canadian. If he is a criminal, he is a Canadian criminal. Minister, above all Van Heest's deportation was made possible by the regressive legislative changes the Harper regime had made lowering a convicted immigrant's prison sentence threshold for making him/her "inadmissible" to Canada and therefore deportable. It is unacceptable that your government has neither changed, nor is it planning to change this unfair law that makes someone like Van Heesst -- a Canadian for all practical purpose -- deportable. But on the other hand you recently testified in support of your government's Bill C-6 that will amend Harper government's law that enabled Canada to revoke the Canadian citizenship of convicted terrorists holding dual citizenships. Under Bill C-6 the revoked citizenships of convicted terrorists including that of Zakaria Amar -- the ring leader of the Toronto 18 who wanted to commit mass murder and behead the Canadian prime minister -- would be reinstated, re-bestowed upon them. Advertisement You have the power to allow him back into Canada. You should use it. Mr. Minister, you passionately and eloquently argued: "When you are a Canadian citizen you shouldn't feel less valued just because you have dual citizenship with another country." You also said an individual whose citizenship was already revoked will have it reinstated. Mr. Minister, I support your government's view that one Canadian is like another despite some holding dual citizenships -- a Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian. But in my view a Zakaria Amar is much less deserving of Canadian citizenship and compassion than a Len Van Heest. Minister, I am deeply troubled and disappointed at your missing compassion and eloquence in defence of Van Heest; mentally ill Van Heest; a 59 year long Canadian; and so what if not so on paper. Van Heest's was and is exactly the kind of case in which you should have used your ministerial power and discretion to keep or allow anyone into Canada. In my humble opinion, you made a serious error of judgement by deporting Van Heest. You have the power to allow him back into Canada. You should use it. My dear minister, It is never too late to do the right thing. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook When you think of dynamism, innovation and thought leadership, what do you imagine? I bet you're thinking about Facebook, Snapchat, political leaders and cutting edge concepts. Let's stop right there. 21st century norms and systems have conditioned us to think that only the great, creme de la creme of society can reach the top and create immense value. From your education right through, you'll be prepared to get a job or maybe start a business, but is that progressive? Our society needs social leaders - people willing to wear their hearts on their sleeves and stand up for what they believe in to bring about the change this world needs in so many aspects. Advertisement I met two incredible people doing that just this week. Joy Donnell and Jordan Anthony Swain joined me for a deep conversation about their latest hit campaign 'What If Movie Icons Wore African Fashion'. Vanichi Magazine has partnered with The Africa Channel to present a PSA that expands the definitions of mainstream fashion. What If Movie Icons Wore African Fashion? (#WIMIWAF) is a creative fashion editorial that reimagines iconic Hollywood film characters in modern, handcrafted fashion from designers of Africa and the Diaspora. The concept was devised by Vanichi's Editor-in-Chief Joy Donnell and Joy served as Co-Creative Director alongside Jordan Anthony Swain, Vanichi's Global Creative Director. My conversation with Joy and Jordan touched on the beauty in simplicity, the values behind what diversity really means and how we can all live a more purposeful, harmonious and entrepreneurial life expressing our individuality so naturally. Advertisement Joy says: "Movies can teach us how to dream. They ignite our imaginations. They tap into our deepest humanity. They help us escape. They fire us up. They're the art of making make-believe feel tangible. That's why billions of dollars are allotted around the world every year on every continent to bring a story to the screen. Often, we find ourselves drawn to certain characters that become iconic for the things they say, the obstacles they overcome, and even the things they wear. Some of these films become permanently embedded in culture for their design elements alone. In these cases we see the fashions on the screen inform the runway, too. For instance, a 2013 remake of The Great Gatsby with Leonardo DiCaprio inspired numerous fashion collections from Banana Republic to Marchesa. The film even won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design. That's just one example of how one movie affected pop culture almost instantaneously. If movies wield this type of power, it's not a stretch to say that they can also expand our definitions of what is "mainstream." The fashions we see on these characters can create trends or have longer resonance, becoming the new classics. Yet, diversity has been an ongoing problem in Hollywood and affects things both behind and in front of the camera. In some cases, the hierarchy of power structures have kept some cultures from ever being part of the dialogue in the first place, although that culture itself has often been a source of inspiration or a backdrop within the plot structure. I've watched Hollywood movies my entire life. I've seen films set in 1940's Vietnam to 1990's Congo. Yet, I can't really recall a main character that is considered "iconic" that dressed in fashions that weren't designed by European brands or the European Diaspora. So I wanted to ask a different question: What If Movie Icons Wore African Fashion? Advertisement The Africa Channel wants to answer this question. As an award-winning network, The Africa Channel showcases the African continent's most outstanding English language television series, specials, documentaries, feature films, music, biographies and more. Its programming presents a window into the complexity and richness of modern African life, thus demystifying the continent for an American audience. The Africa Channel and Vanichi partnered to present What If Movie Icons Wore African Fashion? as more than an editorial. #WIMIWAF is a public service announcement to telescope and celebrate the diverse fashion emerging from Africa and its people. Designers featured range from couture to ready to wear labels and clothing to handmade accessories and jewelry. Within these looks, viewers will find exquisite examples of tailoring, beadwork, leathersmithing, metalworking and innovative design that is inherent to the peoples of Africa. The UK champions equality, legislates to stamp out discrimination and has a judicial system that upholds those values. Occasionally, it may be harder to identify discrimination, but once seen or heard we get a nagging feeling that something is wrong. A Great British Nag, you might call it. Similarly, it is difficult to ignore the outcome from court battles which, although given by senior and experienced judges, gives you that very same nag. One such judgment passed my desk this week and one that I wanted to share. Marriage is both an institution and a concept that everyone understands; one we enter as individuals, but recognise as a society. Lawyers may consider it substantially the same as a civil partnership except in name. However, a name or label is important and through pressure groups and awareness campaigns, parliament was persuaded that having something which was the 'same but different' for same-sex couple was no longer good enough. Enter stage left the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013. Whilst undoubtedly an impressive piece of legislation and an example of successful political manoeuvring by LGBTI pressure groups, the full impact of marriage equality was not as thoroughly thought through from the other side of the coin. This was brought into focus recently when an opposite-sex couple, Ms Steinfeld and Mr Keidan, sought to enter a Civil partnership (CP) but were rejected because the Civil Partnership Act 2004 prohibits opposite-sex couples entering a CP. Advertisement Despite two consultations and a debate by parliament, neither have persuaded the Government to extend CPs to opposite sex couples. Instead, according to a recent case in the Court of Appeal, the Government has a "wait and see" policy to assess the possible uptake of CPs by same-sex couples before they consider introducing it to opposite-sex couples. Are you getting that nagging feeling yet? Some facts to consider: The Office of National Statistics believed there to be over 3 million opposite sex cohabiting couples in the UK in 2016. This is the fastest growing group over the last 20 years, as couples move to live together in a possible precursor to marriage (Families and Households in the UK: 2016). Ms Steinfeld and Mr Keidan led a legal challenge against the bar on CPs for opposite sex couples because they had deep rooted and genuine ideological objections to an institution they considered patriarchal. They believe that CPs better reflect their relationship and how others should perceive their relationship, including any future children who should be brought up to understand the equality in their parents' relationship. So long as they remain unmarried cohabitees they are not afforded economic protections such as inheritance or taxation. Whether you like the concept of marriage or not, equality should surely allow both same-sex and opposite-sex couples the same choices. You can have a civil ceremony of marriage already without requiring the religious element and be registered by a civil registrar, but it is still marriage; why not simply allow a CP? Advertisement In their legal challenge they relied on a breach of Article 14 (the prohibition of discrimination) and Article 8 (a right to respect for private and family life) of the ECHR. In 2016, The High Court disagreed and so the couple appealed. Three Court of Appeal judges gave detailed analysis of the case and had different reasons for their conclusion but each were very critical of the Government's position and apparent justification for the discrimination. Is it perhaps instead a matter of money? The introduction of the legislation and engaging the civil service, the government argues, is a real cost and could be reversed later if CPs are removed but surely cost cannot alone be the key reason to wait for the removal of discrimination - as Lady Justice Arden observes, were this the case then discriminatory legislation would rarely be removed. While the public purse is obviously a factor, it should not be determinative and nor should it be used to support ongoing discrimination faced by opposite-sex couples who are entitled to hold beliefs against marriage. Any form of discrimination requires strong justification to be permitted, especially when based on sexual orientation. Lord Nicholls once said that discrimination is a truly insidious practice and, left unchecked, it can breed resentment and bring the law into disrepute. Although unanimously finding the discriminatory practice, a majority decision the Court of Appeal agreed the Government had a legitimate and justified aim in seeking time to undertake a proper assessment and form a policy. Children are growing up in a tolerant country with greater equality, rights and protection than ever before, but is the law doing enough to keep pace with our modern society and modern families? The UK is the only ECHR state to give same-sex couples two options for legal recognition of their relationship, but opposite-sex couples only one. While cases like this just continue to nag me, I take some solace from the Court of Appeal making it clear that time is ticking for the Government to eliminate the discrimination. william87 via Getty Images Photo: Pixabay 1.The Danes are officially the happiest nation on Earth. In the UN's 'World Happiness Report' they come first with a score of 7.5 out of 10, compared to Britain which comes 23rd with a score of 6.7. Advertisement 2.And it's not just down to cosiness and candles. The Danes are richer than us too - with wealth per head of around 39,000 compared to 34,000 here. 3.Danes are happier than Brits with their health service - with a satisfaction level of 89% versus 82% in the UK. 4.Perhaps that's because they spend more of their money on health - 10.8% of gross domestic product (GDP) against 9.1% in the UK. 5.More is spent on state education too - around 9% of GDP compared to about 6% in Britain. 6.Generally, more is spent on social protection and wellbeing in Denmark - 29% of GDP versus 22% in the UK. Advertisement 7.Fewer Danes are out of work - 4.2% against 4.8% in the UK. And unemployed Danes get generous benefits. 8.Denmark's wealth is spread more equally than the UK's. Denmark scores 0.24 against the UK's 0.37 in the 'Gini co-efficient' where 0 means everyone has the same and 1 means one person has everything. 9.How do they do it? Simple. They have the highest taxes in the world. Income tax rates start at 30% and go up to 52%, compared to 20%-45% in the UK. VAT is 25% compared with 20% in Britain. 10.And they're proud of it. Look at the website of the Danish tax authority, SKAT. It doesn't start off by talking about tax, but the services that taxes pay for. It says: "The Danish welfare state is, among other things, based on the concept of citizens having equal access to the different services paid for by taxes." It then explains how everyone gets help when out of work or ill, all children get education etc. And then it unapologetically adds: "The tax rate in Denmark is one of the highest in the world, as Denmark has a very large public sector." Just imagine that last sentence with 'the UK' substituted for 'Denmark'. It wouldn't happen, would it? Ever since Margaret Thatcher, people in Britain have been told that tax and public spending are dirty words. Remember how David Cameron spun it in the 2015 election "... the tax, the waste, the spending, the debt, all the things that got us into a mess...". We're all against waste, but without taxes and spending we wouldn't have roads, schools, hospitals or an army. And the 'mess' wasn't caused by taxes and spending so much as rescuing failed private sector banks. Advertisement There is a reason why the happiest country in the world is also the highest taxed. It's because they use tax to invest in excellent public services. They believe in the concept of a society that everyone contributes to and benefits from. They realise that taxation, rather than being an evil, is the subscription fee you pay for a civilised society. Photo: Pixabay fotojog via Getty Images Under normal circumstances, there might have been good reason to be aggrieved that an unelected House of Lords has forced the elected House of Commons to rethink a piece of legislation. This was a piece of legislation based on the vote of the people in a referendum to leave the European Union that the commons had passed on to the upper chamber of parliament. But as the collective national paroxysm that is Brexit continues to push and pull at British politics, we know that these are anything but normal circumstances. On March 7, the House of Lords passed an amendment to the Brexit bill, calling for parliament to be given a "meaningful" vote on the final deal reached between the UK and the EU on the terms of its withdrawal from the bloc. An earlier amendment, calling for all EU nationals currently living in the UK to be given a guaranteed right to remain, was also passed on March 1. Advertisement The right-wing press - and the more extreme Brexiteers in government - have already portrayed peers as undemocratic, working to frustrate the will of the British people. But this is a time for sober minds and sober reflections on the course of parliamentary democracy. Real scrutiny The first thing to reflect on is that on this piece of legislation in particular, the Lords were actually handed a far more significant role by the commons itself. The total absence of any meaningful opposition from Labour meant that the bill on triggering Article 50 received little real scrutiny before it was passed to the Lords. No matter one's position on the legislation, or on Brexit as a whole, the role of the opposition is to challenge, to push, to scrutinise the legislation the government puts before it. The three-line whip imposed by the Labour leadership in favour of the Brexit bill meant that despite the rather tepid debate that took place there, this role was totally abandoned. And this goes beyond the role of the party sat on the opposition benches at any given time: this is about the purpose of both houses of parliament as the British legislature. Its role is, as the name suggests, to legislate - to contribute to the drafting of legislation, along with the government, and to make sure that it is the right legislation that is being drafted. The importance of this role is amplified significantly when the legislation is contentious. Therefore on the Brexit bill - the first piece of legislation on an issue so contentious it has divided a nation by 52% to 48% - if the opposition in the commons failed to do its job, where would the much-needed scrutiny stem from? It had to be the House of Lords, and this is indeed the reason it exists. Advertisement In this whole process, one of the fail-safes of a bicameral parliament has been on display. If the lower house has failed to produce legislation properly, this is exactly what the upper house should be doing: stepping in and providing scrutiny where scrutiny has been lacking. The point of an upper chamber All of this provides pause to reflect on this legislative arrangement as a whole, and the exact nature of the problem of having an unelected second chamber. The main problem is not that an unelected Lords is always and forever extensively involved in amending legislation. You can count on one hand the amount of times in the past two parliaments that the Lords has made significant interventions into legislation drafted in the commons - for example, on George Osborne's cuts to tax credits in 2015 and the so-called Dubs Amendment on unaccompanied minor refugees in 2016. Rather, the problem is the opposite: because they are unelected, the Lords know that they have little legitimacy to play a more meaningful role than the one they do now, and this often relegates them to the role of rubber-stamping legislation. True, they do provide valuable scrutiny, but often it is on the finer detail of legislation at committee stage rather than the merits of legislation as a whole. In truth, a fully professionalised, fully elected upper chamber - something akin to the US senate - would be welcome, as would the involvement of its members in the policy making process. But this seems a long way off, and until Britain gets there, we should welcome the one or two pivotal moments when the Lords steps in to provide scrutiny on contentious and pressing issues. The Brexit bill will now head back to the House of Commons, where the government has said it intends to defeat the Lords' amendments. But it's important to keep their additions to the bill in perspective: this is not an anti-democratic move made to subvert the will of the people. This is the lower and upper houses of the UK parliament, in spite of its myriad problems and its very British idiosyncrasies, working at its best: scrutinising, challenging, and making sure that the government and the nation as a whole have got it right on how we start the Brexit process. Advertisement Ill will between China and Korea is deepening over Seoul's decision to let the U.S. station a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery here. Many Chinese package tours to Korea are being canceled. Korean Air saw reservations on flights between the two countries from earlier this week until April 30 plunge 10 percent compared to the same period a year ago. "We need to monitor the situation further, but we're considering using smaller planes or cutting the number of flights," a Korean Air spokesman said Wednesday. On Asiana Airlines, reservations on flights from China to Korea from Feb. 15 until late this month dropped nine percent on-year. Flights between Korea and China accounted for 21 percent of total sales at Asiana. China's National Tourism Administration set March 15 as the start of a ban on so-called zero-dollar tours to Korea so cancellations may rise further. The tours cost almost nothing but mean that the Chinese groups are herded from one shopping outlet to another and heavily leaned on to buy. Gyeongbok Palace is sparsely visited on Wednesday. /Newsis Meanwhile, the signs are massing that China is running a concerted campaign. Some economists forecast Korea's GDP growth to fall by more than one percentage point if the campaign persists. Beijing fears that the powerful radar of the THAAD battery, which is being deployed in southern Korea, could be used to spy on its military activities, a charge Korea and the U.S. deny. The IBK Economic Research Institute in a report said Korea's tourism and cultural contents industries -- soap operas and K-pop, which have many Chinese fans -- will take a direct hit, resulting in a GDP growth decline of 0.59 to 1.07 percentage points. That would translate into losses of up to US$15 billion. Jang Woo-ae at the institute said, "In addition to the direct impact, we may also suffer from declines in job growth, new investments and added value of related companies. Korea's exports to China account for 45.9 percent of its GDP compared to 17.9 percent for Japan, so we could suffer far more than Japan during its territorial spat" over the Japanese-controlled Senkaku islands, which China calls Diaoyu. Credit Suisse also forecast Korea's GDP will fall 0.5 percentage points should Chinese economic retaliation go on for a year. Hyundai Research Institute and NH Investment and Securities project GDP growth will fall between 0.25 and 0.5 percentage points. A street in the Myeong-dong shopping district in Seoul is deserted on Monday. /Newsis China is also continuing a Draconian health-and-safety crackdown on Lotte Marts in China. Closures over one safety violation or another rose from 16 to 55 on Wednesday alone, halting business at more than half of the conglomerate's 99 outlets there. Lotte provided the land where the THAAD battery will be stationed. And now retaliatory measures are also impacting a chocolate factory Lotte built in China as a joint venture with Hershey's. A Lotte staffer said a surprise safety check on Monday found fire hazard problems and the factory is afraid of an imminent order to halt production. Lotte expects to be slapped with a minimum one-month production halt. The factory was established in 2007 with Lotte owning a 51-percent stake. It generates around W80 billion in annual revenues (US$1=W1,150). The news that President Trump is about to sign yet another Executive Order, which will apparently reinstate the Muslim Travel Ban into the United States. Such an Order will no doubt raise tensions even further and will probably do nothing to further define and address the 'extra checks' apparently made against dual-national UK Muslim travellers only. At the same time, we hear from the NYC & Company, the tourist promotion body for New York City, that they are recording a drop in tourist numbers to the City. It is suggested that the numbers of inbound tourists to the City will continue to fall, but it is also feared that falls in inbound tourism will also be replicated throughout the entire country. It is no surprise to me that tourist confidence is falling, given the wild rhetoric coming from politicians and some parts of the 'new' media. Against this backdrop, I am certain that this has influenced intending holidaymakers to take their hard-earned currency to another destination, where they feel safe or indeed where extreme opinion and unnecessary checks are not offered. For many UK Citizens, particularly UK Muslims, keen to visit the United States either for pleasure or to visit family, this is proving to be a difficult time, resulting in decisions resting between choosing to stay or go. Like most travellers, they will be looking at US government websites and complying with all entry requirements, as did the young teacher from South Wales who was prevented from boarding an aircraft in Reykjavik en-route to the United States. As we discovered, not only was he separated from his school party and his responsibilities, but he was also not provided with any explanation as to why he was refused entry (it is important to note that even if you have an ESTA for entry to the USA but are then subsequently denied entry, you have no right of appeal because at the time of applying for your ESTA, you agree to waive all rights to appeal!). This incident only reinforced the fear amongst all those who demonstrably comply with the law and travel obligations, that any travel bans or additional orders provided to border agencies, are indiscriminate and simply do not serve the original purpose, that being to prevent undesirables from entry into that country. Advertisement To try and help UK Muslims in particular, intending to travel to the USA (even if you are not a UK Muslim, you should also consider these points if you have visa stamps from any of the banned countries in your passport), I have devised a pre-travel action plan, which should help them consider and deal with any uncertainty surrounding their travel plans to the United States: Check with the USA's ESTA programme as to any updated information they may have or indeed require from you before you travel - it pays to keep a watch on extra requirements! It is vitally important that you keep a check on all news and developments within the United States up to the point that you travel (keep a check on FCO advisories) - this could include important information about any extra checks; Advertisement Before you travel, speak with your airline - they are in a difficult position because they have to comply with entry requirements and they can be fined if they allow someone to travel to an entry-restricted destination. You should talk to them about your concerns - obtain their guidance; No matter at what stage you are at, if you are about to book your trip, or have already booked and have obtained your ESTA and you have any uncertainty about travel to the USA, contact the US Embassy in the UK and seek their guidance; Make sure that you speak to your Travel Insurer and advise them of your travel intentions and what actions you have taken. Pay heed to their advices as they should guide you on how to deal with any difficulties that you may encounter; Always make sure that you put all such requests to your airline, travel company, travel insurer or the US Embassy in writing and ensure that they too respond to you in writing. By creating a paper-trail, you can demonstrate that you have acted in good faith and that you are doing your best to comply with laws or additional checks in an environment that has already proven to be changing quickly; Make sure that you check all documentation provided by your travel insurance policy, airline and travel company. Determine whether there is cover or help for any difficult situation you may find yourself in - keep a record of contact details on your phone; Advertisement When you travel, make sure that you carry the UK Embassy/Consulate telephone number with you - if you are detained, call that number first for assistance! The UK faces increasingly unpredictable energy demands as a result of a number of factors on both the supply and consumption side. At the same time, the country's commitment to reducing its reliance on fossil fuels means that both Government and industry are looking at new, more sustainable, ways to meet demand. Most recently, the UK signed up to a pledge to keep global temperature increases well below 2C above pre-industrial levels as part of the Paris Agreement. To deliver on this promise, a diverse energy mix that includes renewables, and in particular solar and wind, will be needed. Battery power The most exciting area in energy management is the falling costs associated with battery technology. This is opening up new market opportunities, creating an ever-growing business case for investment in energy storage. Advertisement The National Grid has made a significant move towards a future that embraces energy storage. By committing to support battery storage on a large scale, the increased investment will mean a reliable source of real-time energy to balance the entire grid. The initiative centres on the provision of frequency response services called Enhanced Frequency Response (EFR) which are being procured to help National Grid balance the power system. As part of this service batteries will release small and frequent bursts of energy with a response time of less than 1 second to help balance the electricity grid. With current predictions indicating that the grid's frequency response requirement will increase by 30-40% in the next five years, it's clear that EFR is the beginning of the growth of battery technology in this sector. But we don't need to wait long at all: energy storage projects such as those in locations like Cleator and Glassenbury which have a combined capacity of 50MW, plan to be fully operational this year. In total, the EFR tender process will result in the creation of an estimated 200MW of storage capacity. This will give the National Grid greater control over frequency deviations with a cost savings of up to 200m. Greater capacity, lower cost Energy storage enables more renewable energy sources to be integrated into the UK's overall power supply. This is in addition to helping to balance energy supply and demand more effectively and increasing energy security for an evolving power network. Advertisement Energy storage is not a new concept. Large scale pumped hydro storage has been part of the UK's energy system for many years. In fact, 3.523GW of electricity storage projects are currently operational of which the majority are pumped hydro. But, the introduction of lithium-ion batteries, coupled with falling costs and increased funding for research and development, means that the technology now has the potential to increase the UK's capacity for energy storage. UK playing catch up Although the UK and Europe have traditionally been leaders in renewable energy adoption, the UK lags behind the US when it comes to energy storage. Parts of the US, as well as Europe and South Korea, have invested heavily in battery and EFR with many plants up and running. California, for example, has eliminated the use of diesel back-up generators and plans to install 1,200MW of energy storage by 2020. Other countries are researching ways to harness the technology such as peak shaving - a technique that allows power generated at non-peak times to be saved for busy times. The UK, on the other hand, as part of a wider commitment to non-nuclear energy innovation, is just starting to invest seriously in energy storage. Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire, for example, is currently home to the biggest operating battery energy storage system in the UK. The battery plant contains 6MW of energy and cost much less than building a third main power line from the National Grid. A village in South Yorkshire is running a trial of solar technologies that uses smart batteries to store its renewable energy. The move will allow the community to run on solar 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. As requirements continue to grow, storage will help to create a smart grid that can ensure energy is always available when and where it's needed. Investment in energy storage will help the UK tackle the negative effectives of climate change, and boosts its use of renewable sources. Advertisement Deborah Harrison via Getty Images I love my life, but there have been times when things have hit the fan. I lost my Auntie, who was like a second mum to me. At the age of 38 I was told that I'd end up in a wheelchair by the time I was 45, if I carried on doing high impact exercise. Then I ended up in hospital to get a lump in my breast checked out - luckily it was fine. But these experiences have taught me so much. My Auntie's death taught me to love the life that I have and to not take anything for granted. She used to be a nun and wasn't scared of dying. In fact, after she died I had a dream where she told me that in Heaven she's 'just so free.' It's led me on a path where I'm more open to ideas of spirituality. Advertisement I was devastated when I couldn't run any more, or teach lots of my aerobics classes. However, that experience taught me to listen to my own body and do what it needs. I've replaced my love of running with a love of yoga and my body is thanking me for it. Image: author's own As I spent time in hospital with other women, waiting to get tests, I became grateful that I had my health. Some women were given bad news that day and I often wonder how they can hold it together - raising families, holding down jobs and maintaining relationships, whilst going through their own health issues. I knew that I had nothing to complain about, and months later when I suffered from carpal tunnel, unable to get my kids dressed for school due to the numbness in my hands, I was still grateful for what I could do. Advertisement So many women reading this will be going through tough times. If that's you, then I have some key 'go to' tips for you to try. I call them my 11 commandments for happiness. They're written tongue-in-cheek and for those of you who are religious, please don't take offence! 1.Thou shalt eat food that will nourish your body, rather than food that will harm it. 2.Thou shalt get enough sleep. (I'm one to talk as I thought I was surviving well on five hours of broken sleep for five years. I was an idiot.) 3.Thou shalt take time out. From work, your chores, for yourself. Little and often. We all need to recharge. 4.Thou shalt exercise to gain strength, flexibility and to keep your heart healthy. Don't overdo it and don't make excuses not to do it. Make sure you do exercise that's fun. 5.Thou shalt know what makes you happy and do it. Try doing at least one thing a day that makes you smile - from a nice bubble bath, reading a chapter of a good book, to having a night out. 6.Thou shalt focus on your breathing. (The golden thread breath got me through my three labours - along with a TENS machine - the days I was running on empty, it helped me through my grief after the death of my Auntie and it helps me stay grounded when everything seems to be going wrong. To do the golden thread breath you just breathe in slowly, then out nice and slowly - imagining that a golden thread is coming out of your mouth, bringing you closer to your goal. When I was in labour I imagined the golden thread bringing me closer to a healthy baby. When my kids are fighting, I imagine that the golden thread is bringing me closer to a quiet moment!) Advertisement 7.Thou shalt listen, listen, listen. Listening is the key to good communication. Listen to your kids, your partner, your family, your friends, your body and your heart. 8.Thou shalt meditate. (There are numerous studies that show the massive benefits meditation can bring, including more control over stress, depression and negative emotions. You can try all sorts of meditation from candle meditation, where you stare at the flame of a candle. Mantras are where you repeat a word over and over. Walking meditation is where you head outside and focus on each thing that you see, really living in the moment.) 9.Thou shalt treat everyone with kindness, including yourself. Judging others and comparing yourself to others only makes you feel bad. You don't know what each person you meet is dealing with, so give them a break. Give yourself a break too - do your best in any given situation, learn from your mistakes and celebrate each success 10.Thou shalt believe in yourself and in others. We all put ourselves down, with the voices in our head saying 'I can't do that, I don't have time for that, I'm not good enough, I'm too fat' etc. Ban the words 'should' and 'can't' from your vocabulary and start telling yourself that you can do the things you want to. You'll be amazed by the results 11.Thou shalt give thanks and be grateful. Always say 'thank you' and think of at least three things you're grateful for at the end of the day, no matter how bad it's been. This simple act keeps you grounded and happy. By R Parulan Jr. via Getty Images Buddhism is variously described as a spiritual tradition, a religion and a philosophy. Now I can't possibly do justice to the ancient wisdom of Buddhism in a short post like this. And I in no way want to distort or dilute these ideas. But as a psychologist I have been astounded at the psychological insight that is to be found in Buddhist teachings. Though I don't doubt that you would benefit more from them if you were, I believe that you do not have to be a practicing Buddhist to benefit from Buddhist ideas. Many of these teachings are relevant to any human being, especially in this materialistic and often troubled world that we find ourselves in. Advertisement 1.The importance of gratitude As human beings we are designed to be constantly moving forwards in our lives, goal-directed and grasping for more..... and more..... and yet more. This plays well to the business model of our western capitalist society because it means we can be sold more...and more......and yet more. There is no end to this wanting. But Buddhism emphasizes the need to pay attention to what we already have. It's easy to take for granted many things in our lives - the health of our children, that we will have a meal today, that we have a roof over our heads. When we look at our lives relative to many others in the world, there are often many things we notice that we might be grateful for. Another thing that Buddhism reminds us to be grateful for is that we are alive at all. Think about all the events that had to take place since the beginning of time in order for you to be born. For instance every single one of your ancestors, going right back to the very first inklings of life in the primordial soup, had to meet and procreate at the exact moment that they did. And that's mindboggling enough without thinking about the statistics involved once you factor in eggs and sperm and the biology of it all! 2.The real meaning of karma Any time a driver cuts in front of our car to change lane, only to find themselves stuck in a slower lane of traffic, my husband will giggle gleefully. "Well that's karma for you!" he'll say. But is it? Like my husband, many people think that karma is the universe's way of teaching you a lesson. Of getting you back. Advertisement But there is nothing supernatural or mysterious about karma. A Buddhist understanding of karma is simply the idea that our thoughts and our actions have consequences. So good thoughts and kind actions contribute to good karma and future happiness. However, bad intent and unkind actions lead to bad karma and future suffering. Another way of understanding how karma works is similar to the concept of conditioning. It is well known by psychologists that if you behave in a certain way, through the psychological phenomenon of conditioning you increase the chances that you will behave in that way again. So if I shout at my children today, I am more likely to shout at them again tomorrow. If I can resist the urge to shout and can find another way to deal with a situation in which I might have shouted, I will be less likely to shout tomorrow. 3.What does this moment require? There are frequently moments in life when we feel overwhelmed, and it can sometimes feel like we are being pulled in a million different directions. In these sorts of situations our minds may be filled with unhelpful thoughts. But rather than asking of ourselves, "What is bothering me?" we should ask of ourselves "What does this moment require of me?" Once we have established the answer, we should do it. Advertisement Next time you are feeling overwhelmed (and consequently frustrated, resentful or irritated) stop ruminating about things that have happened in the past or that you are worried may happen in the future and focus on the exact moment and what needs to be done.Go on - try it! 4. Mindfulness Very often we are so caught up in the endless stream of thoughts going through our minds that we don't notice much of what is going on around us. And yet at every single moment of our lives there is a virtually infinite amount of stimuli that we could choose to pay attention to instead of these thoughts. So you could choose to pay attention to what you can hear. However faint, even if it is just the sound of your own breathing, there will always be some sound you can hear. Or you could choose to pay attention to the way your feet feel inside your shoes or the way your back feels where it touches the chair. When we can do this, even for just a few moments, we notice a calm feeling which is a reflection that our mind has stop flitting about from one thought to another and is momentarily focused on something other than our thoughts. This is what we mean by mindfulness. Very simply, it is about non-judgmental awareness of what is happening at any single moment. 5.The Middle Way The Buddhist path is often called the "Middle Way" and can be thought of as one that runs between extremes. The Buddha believed that the wisest path in life was one of moderation. So whether it is striking a balance between being isolated and alone or being excessively dependent on others for company; over-exercising or not exercising at all; living a life of obscene over-indulgence or punitive austerity - life is about balance and Buddhism recognizes this. Advertisement Buddhism can provide answers to those who are seeking to answer questions about meaninglessness and purpose in life. It teaches a way of life that Buddhists argue is the only way to attain true happiness. Lent provides a very convenient time frame to give up some of our guilty pleasures. Whether it be a far too 'cheeky' in your Nando's obsession or finding your chocolate love affair has reached the next level. The next six weeks or so give even the non-religious among us a chance to prove we can withhold our most hard-to-break vices. That's why I have decided to clear my dating folder on my phone and kiss goodbye to my dating apps. "Just find someone in a bar, like I used to back in my day" - those reassuring words from my parents that it will all work out in the end have been passed onto me at several points during the last few months. Back when they were dating, the idea of using a mobile phone to find a future partner would have seemed as bizarre as using said device to pay for a pint of milk in the supermarket. The constant harping back to the past with rose tinted spectacles may make television script writers a quick buck, however it is arguably true that those days in which us Millennials were never a part of, were easier to find true romance. Nowadays dating has become a game, an actual sport whereby points are allocated on the number of matches you get on your mobile phone. Dating today has changed from nervously asking someone in the office whom you've fancied for some time to commit to going for a drink to a world of online algorithms. Advertisement Take Tinder. Although this app has only been available since 2012 and was once described as the 'shallowest dating app ever' it has revolutionised how we find a potential mate. When I lived in London I would see fellow commuters suck up any free WiFi during the 15 seconds at a tube stop only to break the hearts of a person opposite them with the swipe of a finger. The app claims to have created more than 8 billion matches since it hit the market, with an average of 1 billion swipes every single day among its users. So many matches means that the opening line is absolutely key to drawing attention to yourself, although opening up with "my dad just died" is certainly one way to stand out from the crowd. Tinder recently found its way into glamour magazine, Marie Claire, which reported that if you are photographed with glasses on, it reduces your chances of matching with someone by 12%. Even as a proud member of the glasses community, I have not let such statistics get in the way of finding a match on Tinder or striking up a conversation on Grindr. Both these apps offer the ability to connect with a pool of people that far outweighs the number of conversations you could have on an average night out. Grindr in particular provides a lifeline to many gay and bisexual men who live in remote communities and wish to reach out to other men. Over the past few months I have reached for both these apps in my attempt to find a potential partner. The thrill of a new Tinder match or bleep via Grindr provides a degree of spontaneity that has injected new excitement into the age old tradition of dating. Like many fellow singletons, my dating experiences have been varied to say the least. Having said that, I have met some very interesting people along the way. Although recalling one incident did result in me having to reassure relatives that my flat in Edinburgh is not in fact haunted after informing them that I had been recently ghosted. One of the biggest attractions of using apps is that they take the pressure off having to ask someone 'out on a date'. There's no face-to-face rejection, it's all done via a screen where any emotional outpouring can easily be masked with a light-hearted LOL or emoji. Advertisement However, I've decided to make a change and in ditching dating apps for the next few weeks, I have set myself a challenge that will hopefully allow me to unshackle myself from the addiction that can be easily found among some online daters. It's estimated that the average Tinder user will spend up to 90 minutes on the app each day. I am going to try and take back that lost time by channelling my energy into other pursuits. Whilst I may still roll my eyes upon being told to just catch the eye of someone whilst I sip on a drink in a pub, I'm going to take onboard the advice of my parents who've spent nearly a quarter of a century together, happily married. Eye Ubiquitous via Getty Images (I love Greece)! I have been a huge fan of Greece ever since I watched, My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I fell in love with the passionate culture and humorous attitude. I always enjoyed going to Greek restaurants in my hometown, Florida, where it was usual to dance on tables, while throwing napkins in the air and shouting, "Opa!" However, growing up in America, I did not have many opportunities be exposed to authentic Greek culture. When I lived in London for my Masters degree, my whole idea of Greece changed. While the UK was considered part of the EU, Greeks were (and still for the time being are) able to come freely to work, study and live. Half of the students in my program were Greek. I was thrilled to meet educators from Greece and learn more about the country I had always dreamed of visiting. Except, I soon noticed that the Greek students kept to themselves. I saw them sit with each other, study and take breaks together. I didn't see them socialize much with people from other countries. Advertisement I remember having a silent meltdown one day, feeling homesick, missing my family and friends. I was exhausted from looking at my computer screen all day. I wanted to quit. That was when I saw my soon-to-be first Greek friend. She was on the phone, speaking passionately in Greek. I could not understand a single word she was saying, but by her body language I thought she might have been feeling similar. I did not want to intrude on her conversation, but I felt like she needed a friend just as much as I did. When she hung up the phone, I decided to approach her and ask how she was doing. She stared at me for a moment. Then her response described exactly how I was feeling. We began talking. She told me she did not think her English was too good but she really wanted to improve. I told her I always wanted to learn more about Greece and get to know her peers, but I felt like they were keeping to themselves. To my surprise, she told me she felt the same way about the American students. From that day forward, the Greeks and the Americans became great friends, the British students too! We all sat mixed together and went to Greek restaurants in London together. We also enjoyed exploring the British culture with one another. Advertisement Over spring break, my friend invited me to stay with her and her family in Athens, Greece. I was ecstatic. I could not wait to see if life was similar to, My Big Fat Greek Wedding! "Travel the world. Understand different cultures. Be inspired by beauty everywhere. Make friends all over. Be a citizen of the world. Stay close to what makes you feel alive." Why visit Greece this spring? According to National Geographic Traveler Magazine, spring is one of the best times of the year to visit gorgeous Greece. It is the time of year when you will find magical blooming wildflowers, wonderful weather, great options for hotel accommodations and not too many crowds. You can enjoy exploring this vibrant country comfortably by foot or car, and in March and April the temperature will feel just right. Here are 4 Must-See and Do Things in Athens Greece this Spring: 1. Visit the Parthenon and the Acropolis Museum. The Parthenon is one of the most magnificent creations in the world and is known for its magnificent monument on the Acropolis. It was dedicated by the Athenians to the Greek goddess, Athena Parthenos. Walking up to the top of the hill, you will find the best views of Athens. The Acropolis Museum focuses on the findings of the archaeological site of the Acropolis of Athens. The Museum consists of 4,000 objects, each an impressive artifact found on the rock. Advertisement 2. Walk around Plaka. After exploring the Parthenon and the Acropolis Museum, take a stroll back down the hill to Plaka, a historical neighborhood in Athens. This is found on the Northern and Eastern slopes of the Acropolis. Plaka is a rustic, antique like village, and it is full of life. You will find beautiful narrow side streets with outdoor seating for phenomenal Greek food. The buildings and atmosphere impresses the locals, travelers, and will greatly inspire artists and photographers. 3. Drink an iced Frappe Coffee. This coffee was accidentally invented by a Nescafe representative in Thessaloniki, and it is now known for being the most ordered coffee beverage among foreign tourists and Greek's youth. Before visiting Athens, I was a non-coffee drinker. Now, I recommend having it at least once a day, because when you leave you will miss it dearly. 4. Take a day trip to Cape Sounion (Sounio) to see Poseidon's temple. Sounion is known for it's world-renowned archaeological site and was one of my favorite half-day excursions. The smooth drive from central Athens takes you through hills alongside the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas, which will absolutely stun you with some of Greece's most beautiful views. Advertisement Cape Sounion is home to the ancient Greek temple of Poseidon, also known as the god of the sea in classical mythology. It was constructed on a cliff and it's ruins are now overlooking the Aegean Sea as well as upscale Greek summer homes. After visiting this breathtaking site, make sure to have a ouzo lemonade at a local seaside restaurant. The food will impress you each and every time! (enjoy yourself)! JUSTIN TALLIS via Getty Images It was a pity that the Chancellor chose International Women's Day, when the global and UK focus might have been on the discrimination and disadvantage that affect more than half of the UK's and the world's population, as the day to deliver the 2017 Budget. My day was split in two: first I was joining staff and students from the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University in a celebration of the Day. Its theme was "Be Bold for Change", and I took as my starting point the much-loved slogan "Well behaved women seldom make history". Advertisement I stressed the way in which women can make change when they get together, support each other and help each other - and the urgent need for such change in the midst of our economic, social, environmental and political crises. I then turned my attention to the Budget - a stark contrast, for what was lacking from Philip Hammond's speech was both boldness, and solidarity. For the people of Sheffield, South Yorkshire and the North, it was a huge disappointment. You might call it an insult. The Chancellor spoke glowingly of people "enjoying the security and dignity of work" and in one of a number of nods to Women's Day referred to the "higher proportion of women in work than ever before". Advertisement He confirmed the already announced increase in the 7.50/hour to what should be called the "over-25s minimum wage". Now we have what I call "Philip Hammond's fake living wage". (He's taken it over from George Osborne - who we yesterday learnt is being paid 650,000 a year by a US fund manager - for working one day a week, a day he's apparently got spare from his work as an MP.) For nobody is 7.50.hour a genuine living wage. That's currently set by the independent Living Wage Foundation at 8.45 in the rest of the country and 9.75 in London. In Sheffield, and South Yorkshire generally, where as a recent Resolution Foundation report highlighted, the gross median pay is barely 11/hour, with the typical worker taking home 43/week less than the rest of the UK "security" is a word that rings particularly hollow. Hidden in the official budget figures - not mentioned in Hammond's speech - is the prediction that real earnings will still be below the pre-crisis peak at the end of the parliament. For the 30% of women workers on less than the real living wage, that means more desperation, more impossible struggles to make ends meet. There's little sign of "security" and work-provided "dignity" for them, let alone for the under-25s working beside colleagues doing the same job for even less pay. And in failing to even mention housing, Hammond entirely ignored the plight of many desperate private renters, denied the stability and security of social housing. Advertisement Hammond's words denied the reality for public sector workers who've seen a 15% cut in real pay since 2010, with a further 9% cut planned by 2020, while they struggle to care and provide services in underfunded, overloaded institutions. The Budget announcement increasing of the higher rate tax threshold to 50,000 means nothing to these workers. Indeed, with the further slashing of already historically low corporation tax about which Hammon boasted, it means less money for the hard-pressed NHS and social services - for which the extra funding in the budget will not meet even the most urgent needs. Some is directed towards further privatisation, taking our health service even further away from its founding principles. Rhetoric about "collecting the taxes that are due" rings hollows when in almost the same breath the Chancellor promises that the fuel duty tax freeze will continue, costing the Treasury billions while the price of public transport soars. And offers even further tax breaks to the oil and gas industry that's already costing tens of billions of pounds each year. Both those decisions point to a further gaping hole in the budget, the failure to tackle the huge, pressing issue of climate change - the one that the world agreed in Paris little more than a year ago to act on with great urgency. When he was Foreign Secretary back in 2015, Hammond made a promising-sounding speech on climate change calling for action that offered some small hope he might have taken a different approach on the issue to Osborne. Any hopes of that how have been clearly dashed. So what did this budget specifically offer Sheffield and the North? "Crumbs" is the best answer. We might see a little of the 690 million fund for tackling urban traffic condition, 300 million of general research funding, and no doubt there'll have been a frisson of interest at the Advanced Manufacturing Park at 270 million for technologies such as robotics & driverless vehicles. Advertisement For the many university students in Sheffield and the North, hope has come not from the Chancellor, but the House of Lords, which has defied the government's plans for further rises to tuition fees that most already will never be able to pay back. Hammond claimed his plans "won't saddle children with debt". That's demonstrably false. What hope could we find in the budget? Well I'm drawing it from a perhaps unlikely item. Promised was 5million for projects to celebrate the centenary of the 1918 Representation of the People Act, as the Chancellor put it, "the decisive step in the political emancipation of women in this country". I'm glad because it will provide a chance to highlight again the lack of reform in Westminster in the past century. Women getting the vote was the last significant change there - and the celebrations will be a great opportunity for campaigners calling for a proper democracy for the UK, not our current government with the support of just 24% of eligible voters, paired with an unelected House of Lords. It is generally agreed that there are 3 basic human needs: Competence Relationships Autonomy But if we feel vulnerable and open to criticism, or are knocked-back by even the smallest of set-backs, then it is all too easy to believe that we're powerless to act, incompetent, unable to relate, and doubt our-self in every area of our life. So, what is Self-Worth? Is it something mysterious, unattainable, unknowable, and in plain-fact, indefinable? Or, can we pin it down? Is it, in fact, tangible, mutable, something complete, knowable and in plain-sight? Is it pride, without arrogance? Is it self-awareness, without pretension? I rather like to think of it in the following ways: A Phoenix-like vitality A most congenial place to inhabit; & As Albert Camus would describe, "An invincible summer in the midst of winter" Self-Worth is part of my essence and defines me - Yet I know that I am always a work in progress, more sinning than sinned against, yet also constantly creating and recreating myself through action, and always with the possibility to be in constant motion and commotion. Advertisement I need then an Anchor Fear of failure may keep us close to the shore, as it is a fundamental instinct to protect our sense of self, our competence and our reputation. For myself though, the fear of not doing can be worse, and worse still that can mean I drift. I need to accept and permit myself to just Be and Mindfulness allows me to be fully self-aware, able to understand complex emotions, have the capacity for empathy and remain rooted in the moment, accepting whatever is. It is then my Anchor! But it is not the only one! Common Purpose Self-worth - self esteem - self respect - self regard - common regard - shared purpose... The value and worth I place upon myself and how I perceive my value to the world and to others, is also anchored in how I see my place and my role in the world. My self-worth is something that takes me beyond myself and gives me common purpose. "The small work hard to serve themselves in a big way. The big however work hard to serve the world in a small way", Simon Sinek. Advertisement My 8 Top Tips To not feel of worth is ultimately a judgement we make on our-self - It is however, one we should never make wittingly, no matter how bad we feel, no matter what others tell us they think about us, and no matter whatever slings and arrows of outrageous fortune life throws at us. So, if you feel in clear and present danger of making that judgement - If your self-worth has tanked - or, has never even got out of the starting gate - here are a few things I have done in the past to get back on track: I seek to Understand: I try my utmost to understand, make sense of and peace with what's affecting my sense of self and self-worth I fake it till I Make It: Optimisim creates resilience. William Blake wrote that each minute was "60 iron doors and 60 golden palaces". I choose Golden Palaces even if in the moment I don't feel particularly optimistic. Also I never confuse my faith that I will prevail in the end, with the discipline to confront the facts, however brutal, of my current situation I cultivate Wellness: I take care of myself both physically and emotionally - Even if I just walk more and spend just 5 minutes each day doing absolutely nothing, but appreciating the silence and the moment, because that can be enough and enough is all you need Advertisement I Assert: I practice being assertive and reaffirm my right and entitlement to be just who I am I set myself a Challenge: Something that's always outside my comfort zone and I don't just try to achieve it, I try to knock it out of the Ball Park I Never Talk Myself Down: The Brazilian lyricist and novelist Paulo Coelho writes, "The less you respond to negative people, the better your life will become" - So, no colluding with the negativity that others may lay at your door I Relate: As John Donne the 17th century English metaphysical poet and Cleric wrote, "No one is an island" and how right he was - Yet if our self-worth has got up and gone, or never even checked-in, it is all too easy to withdraw and push people away - Don't! Everyone needs what Dennis Charney, Dean of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, calls a Tap Code i.e. a set of individuals in their life that they can count on, share feelings with, ask for advice; & Don't be Afraid to Ask for Help: You owe yourself that much! And believe me we are better together We increasingly live in an interconnected world. There will be 50 billion connected electronic devices globally by 2020 and the evidence tells us that as social animals we do better emotionally and intellectually when we are part of something bigger, so don't cut yourself off. And when you replace your self-doubt with self-worth, this is what you might see: "I saw a medley of haphazard facts fall into line and order... but its true, I saw for myself, it's very beautiful and it's very true", C P Snow. Advertisement Jacky Naegelen / Reuters Every week I hear stories and get updates about people who St Mungo's outreach teams are trying to help off the streets. I also try as much as possible to meet people myself so I can see first-hand how things are working and understand more about the issues that homeless people face, and the challenges for our outreach colleagues. Recently I heard about Peter*, a 45-year-old man from Poland. Peter had lived and worked in Poland and then the Netherlands with his partner for many years before moving to London with hopes of work and a better life here in the UK. However, once in London things didn't work out as he hoped. After working in construction as a machine operative, his life was turned upside down when relationship with his partner broke down and she returned to the Netherlands. Advertisement Peter dealt with his sudden loneliness by drinking and then moved onto using cocaine. Eventually he lost his job and soon after his accommodation. He, like many others, in a similar situation ended up sleeping rough on the streets of London. Our outreach team met him on the streets and offered support. Initially Peter refused to engage with us. We didn't give in though and kept visiting him on a regular basis. Eventually as winter and freezing temperatures set in he became more willing to talk and think about what to do. Peter began to talk about returning to Poland and getting help with his alcohol and drug use. He realised he could not "get clean" without support and that he couldn't access treatment in the UK. He hadn't considered that he might be able to get the treatment he needed in Poland. Through our supported reconnection service, we worked with Peter to make this option a reality. My colleagues told me that Peter completed his treatment in Warsaw and is now in full time skilled employment assembling electrical components. Just days before my outreach colleagues met up with him again in Poland he had finally been helped into his own flat. Peter was proud to tell us about his work and show us pictures of his flat where he enjoys having his friends and sister visit him. As they chatted, he reflected on the moment he arrived at the treatment agency in Warsaw and was met by his sister who had gone there to welcome him back. Advertisement You might wonder why we couldn't help Peter to get the help he needed in the UK? The simple answer is he, like many others, had become stuck on the streets. Government policy meant he wasn't eligible for housing or publicly funded support services in the UK. This situation has led many people to become destitute and eventually very unwell on our streets. We know of some who have died. In London about 57% of people sleeping rough are non-UK nationals. That means their options are legally limited when it comes to accessing housing, treatment services and any other welfare assistance that is possible for UK citizens. Our Routes Home service, funded by the Mayor of London, works with vulnerable people like Peter. Last year, the team helped over 60 people who had really complex and high support needs to voluntarily return to their home country into accommodation and treatment with the support and assistance they needed. When we met Peter he didn't have many choices. We didn't want him to die on the streets of London. We wanted him to have a second chance. That meant persevering with him, and working with many different agencies and being realistic about the legal and practical limitations he faced. When our outreach teams meet people who are sleeping rough but have no support needs and are able to work, our focus is on helping them to find a job as the only way to stay in the UK and resolve their homelessness. Where people have physical or mental health needs or have issues around substance use, we work with partners in the UK and in people's home countries to ensure they can receive appropriate housing and support, often through our Routes Home service. When they have complex immigration issues, we also support people to get legal advice through Street Legal, our partnership with migrant charity Praxis and Refugee Action UK. Advertisement Working with migrants who are sleeping rough is challenging and complex work. We often get asked about the approach we take and the partners we work with, in particular what our relationship is with the Home Office in such cases. In terms of our approach, our first response to non-UK nationals sleeping rough is always to offer help and support, ensuring people understand their rights and entitlements and, where possible, are provided with assistance to take up options in the UK including work and housing. Where this is not possible, and people are not eligible, St Mungo's will offer services to provide treatment and housing options in home countries through supported reconnection like Routes Home. In areas where local authorities have decided to engage the Home Office to take action against individuals or groups of rough sleepers, St Mungo's outreach teams work alongside the Home Office teams to provide support and advocate on behalf of vulnerable individuals. This decision to be present on the street during such operations means we can ensure that the best solution for vulnerable people is sought and that any work being done with individuals to resolve their homelessness is not jeopardised by Home Office interventions. I am very clear about our approach, which has been developed over many years and is based on the realities of what we face out on the street every night working with people sleeping rough, often in extremely desperate conditions. Our position is clear: our role is to support and advocate on behalf of people sleeping rough so they can move on with their lives and leave homelessness behind them. One day Steve Jobs showed up in my cubicle with a man that I didn't know. He didn't bother to introduce him; instead, he asked, "What do you think of a company called Knoware?" I told him that the company's products were mediocre, boring, and simplistic--nothing that was strategic for Macintosh. The company didn't matter to us. After my diatribe, he said to me, "I want you to meet the CEO of Knoware, Archie McGill." Advertisement Thank you, Steve. Here's the kicker: I passed the Steve Jobs IQ test. If I had said nice things about crappy software, Steve would have concluded that I was clueless and that was a career-limiting or ending move. Working for Steve Jobs wasn't easy, and it wasn't pleasant. He demanded excellence and kept you at the top of your game--or you were gone. I wouldn't trade my experience working for him for any job I've ever had. This experience taught me that you should tell the truth and worry less about the consequences for three reasons: Telling the truth is a test of your character and intelligence. You need strength to tell the truth, and intelligence to recognize what is true. People yearn for the truth--that is, telling people that their product is good just to be positive doesn't help them improve it. There's only one truth,so it's easier to be consistent if you're honest. If you are dishonest, you have to keep track of what you have said. Flashpop via Getty Images I'm an historical novelist. I spend a lot of time inhabiting the past. History isn't a series of dates - to understand it is to be experiential. How it feels to ride sidesaddle or the terror of pre-antibiotic medicine helps to draw characters that shed light on where we come from. I'm fascinated by women's history - much of it hidden or lost. You can tell a lot about an era by what it deems acceptable for women. In my time I've trawled archives to build my fictional worlds. I've discovered women are almost always defined by how they look. When Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, supported Charles James Fox for Prime Minister at the end of the 18th century, nary a newspaper article rolled off the press without a description of her outfit. Some things don't change. But then again, some do. One thing is sure though, changes to women's societal roles take a long time to gain acceptance. Advertisement Last year, increasingly frustrated by the lack of recognition for female historical figures and spurred on by the controversial nature of putting a woman on a banknote, I created a perfume to memorialize the past's amazing women. The resulting company, REEKperfume, launched last autumn, with its first scent, Damn Rebel Bitches in memory of the Jacobite women so named by the Duke of Cumberland who apart from dispensing verbal lashings, sent troops to subdue these rebels with orders to rape at will. Maggie Craig's book of the same name put flesh on the bones of these extraordinary ladies - every bit as brave as the female resistance fighters of WWII, they inhabited a world as dangerous. My favourite, Lady Nithsdale, broke her husband out of the Tower of London in 1716. I love the idea of perfume in remembrance. Only 15% of the UK's statues are raised to women, most to Queen Victoria. But statues fall into the category of historical fact. I prefer the experiential. It struck me that perfume was a very female way way to memorialize- think of the scent of your mother's perfume or the soap you used as a child. For me, Damn Rebel Bitches quickly became a day-to-day rebellion - a silent way to honour my heroines. Change is a long road and only possible because someone did something that seemed shocking at the time. With this in mind, when it came to shooting the company's campaign images, there was no question of doing anything other than taking a stand. Working with photographer, Bethany Grace and art director, Molly Sheridan, we invited models from size 8 to 22. The youngest was in her 20s. The oldest, almost 80. They had underarm hair, wrinkles, curves and creases - and every one of them was beautiful. We did not retouch a single shot. When we unveiled the images, I hadn't realised how shocking they would be in the face of a billion-pound industry that sells a sanitized and unattainable version of female beauty. The response online was a rainbow. While some women found the images liberating, others were offended. 'This looks like a pig,' one woman said of a size 10 model, aged 24. It was particularly telling that some of those criticizing the pictures seemed to feel guilty doing so. At one point it felt as if a body-shaming army was camped on our social media doorstep. Advertisement Feminism is a broad church. There are times it seems the true cause of equality is lost in squabbling over whether you can be a feminist if you hold certain views, choose to wear make up or take time off work to have children. This amounts to a game of 'my feminism is more feminist than yours'. It is sad when competing feminisms don't extend to supporting other women's choices and, for that matter, their bodies. Not that all the troops coming at us were feminists - there were those close to the beauty industry who found what we had done challenging and some women who had clearly been conditioned about what models 'ought' to look like. Shocked, in part, by the response to our campaign we decided we wanted to go further and take a stand against objectifying our models. Uniquely for a beauty brand we gave them a voice by starting a blog. It's called Bitches Unite. We like the word bitches - we'd like to reclaim it. There aren't enough positive words for women to stand alongside the myriad terms of abuse. We asked our models to choose which images of them we used and also to talk about their perceptions of beauty. In balance we invited male feminists, perfumers and activists to talk about what inspires them. Smelling good is important, we said, we love our perfume, but we also love our people. fotoVoyager via Getty Images When Philip Hammond became the Chancellor of the Exchequer in July 2016, he was given a major task of steering the economy in the right direction and to avoid the negative impacts of Brexit. On Wednesday, he delivered his first and final spring budget. As announced in the 2016 Autumn statement, the 2017 spring budget would be the final one and from next year it will become the 'Spring statement'. The Autumn statement will be replaced with the 'Autumn Budget' and the inaugural one will be held this year. The Economic Forecast: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has raised the economic growth forecast by 0.6% from 1.4% to 2%. This shows that the economy is expected to perform better than originally expected. Brexit meant there was some risk to the economy however the OBR believes that the economy is likely to perform well this year. The national debt is currently at an approximated 1.7 trillion. Borrowing has been forecasted to be at 51.7bn in 2016/17 and 58.3bn in 2017/18 and therefore the UK will be borrowing '1 for every 15 spent'. Borrowing will increase next year and this could be due to the fact that the Government will need to be prepared for extra funds needed if the Brexit process takes a toll on the economy. However, the chancellor said at the dispatch box that 'I report today on an economy that has continued to confound the commentators with robust growth.' Advertisement Education: A new route of education for 16 to 19 year olds is being devised by the Government and will be introduced in Autumn 2019. The 'Technical levels' will give students the chance to be trained and be given industrial placement opportunities to experience work life. This is similar to Apprenticeships but the focus will be on the education aspect as well as the industrial placement. Details are still yet to emerge about how they will work. 300 million will be made available for research programmes and 1,000 new PhD places for academics. The PhD places will focus more on STEM subjects and this will help with the latest industrial strategy. 270 million will be invested into the industrial strategy challenge fund. Overall, this will help research intensive universities and businesses. A total of 110 new free schools will be created by the Government as well. The new free schools could help with the provision of education. Tax and Work: National Insurance contributions increasing for self-employed people who make a profit of over 16,250. It will increase by 1% to 10% next year and then to 11% in 2019. The national insurance contribution tax increase has been controversial. Philip Hammond said that a 'strong economy requires a tax system that is competitive, a strong society requires one which is fair'. It is thought that he has broken the Conservative Party's election manifesto, where it was promised that National insurance contribution tax wouldn't be increased. The Liberal Democrats leader stated that 'targeting the self-employed' essentially 'betrays Theresa May's pledge'. The National living wage will rise from 7.20 an hour to 7.50 in April. The rise mainly affects people over the age of 25, however those aged between 21-24 will get 10 pence rise to 7.05. Therefore, the Government haven't realistically raised the minimum/ 'living wage' significantly for under-25's. The Tax-free dividend allowance will be cut from 5,000 to 2,000. Advertisement Healthcare: A 2 billion fund, which will be invested into social care. The 2 billion fund to social care has been welcomed but there are calls that the figure should have been higher. This comes after an increase in 'pressure' on NHS services and investment in social care would help reduce that. In addition, the 425 million being invested into the NHS will help to ease the pressure but it's been described as a 'sticking plaster' and not enough capital for the service. There was hardly any mention of Brexit in the Budget and this was unusual because Article 50 is expected to be triggered at the end of this month as part of Theresa May's so called 'Brexit timetable'. This could mean that the Chancellor may be saving some key points and policies, which may vary because of the economic impacts of Brexit and these could be announced at a later date. The SNP economic spokesman said that the chancellor not mentioning the Brexit would mean that the country may not be able to 'mitigate the damage' of Brexit. Peter Nicholls / Reuters The following blog is an open letter on behalf of Will Quince MP, David Burrowes MP, David Warburton MP, Derek Thomas MP, Geoffrey Cox QC MP, Tim Loughton MP and Jason McCartney MP When the Government announced that no further child refugees would be brought over under the Dubs Scheme, we were deeply disappointed. We did not accept that there was only room for 400 vulnerable children, not when there are 217 local authorities with responsibility for safeguarding children. This is why we tabled an amendment to the Children and Social Work Bill. Advertisement To be clear, what this amendment didn't do was require the Government to re-open the Dubs scheme. Whilst many have painted this as a way of bringing further children over to the UK from Europe, there was nothing in the wording to make this happen. Rather, New Clause 14 to the Children and Social Work Bill would have required local authorities to report annually to the Secretary of State on their capacity to safeguard children in their area, including unaccompanied child refugees who could be transferred into the area from abroad. In addition to joining up information from different councils so that we could make sure that individual areas aren't being put under disproportionate pressure, we could get transparency about just how much capacity there is for vulnerable child refugees to be brought over. However, when this was pushed to a vote, we abstained on the motion. Why? Because the Government has listened to our concerns and has moved in the right direction. The Government has committed to publishing a safeguarding strategy for unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children by 1 May. They have also committed to updating Parliament annually on delivery against the safeguarding strategy, and will be publishing regular updates on the number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children transferred to the UK. Advertisement Further, they are in contact with local authorities on their capacity to take unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. No-one will deny that councils such as Kent and Croydon continue to take the bulk of spontaneous arrivals, and will be seeking to ensure a fairer distribution. Can more be done to help vulnerable children currently in Europe? Of course - we will continue to raise this matter with the Home Office and we will be holding the Minister to his commitments. However, the Government made moves to address our concerns on this issue and should be commended for doing so. Whilst more can always be done, we fully recognise the significant contributions the Government has already made to hosting, supporting and protecting the most vulnerable children affected by the migration crisis in Europe and in the Middle East. In brief, the Government gave sufficient commitment to do what our amendment asked which is to regularly publish a safeguarding strategy in May providing details of the capacity of local authorities to support vulnerable children in the UK and including unaccompanied asylum children. The challenge before May is now for the Home Office to not close the Dubs scheme prematurely and clarify capacity of local authorities. Will Quince is the Conservative MP for Colchester David Burrowes is the Conservative MP for Enfield Southgate David Warburton is the Conservative MP for Somerton and Frome Derek Thomas is the Conservative MP for St Ives Geoffrey Cox QC is the Conservative MP for Torridge and West Devon Tim Loughton is the Conservative MP for East Worthing and Shoreham Volunteer in Reno County The Volunteer Center of Reno County, a United Way Agency, is a central clearinghouse for volunteer opportunities in Reno County. Embattled FBI Director James Comey Pulls Out Of SXSW Appearance FBI director James Comey has announced that he's canceling a planned address at SXSW, citing scheduling conflicts. Comey had been slated to be interviewed at the festival by Newseum CEO Jeffrey Herbst. Stepping into replace Comey at the event will be former FBI General Counsel James Baker. Comey has been front and center in American politics in the last year, first with the politically charged investigation of former Sec. of State and 2016 Democratic Presidential nominee Hilary Clinton's private email usage. Then, in October, Comey threw a wrench into the election when he raised questions about Clinton's email again, apparently without any justification. Now, after the election, he's been pulled into the debate about President Trump's apparently baseless charges that former US president Barack Obama wiretapped Trump's campaign. Media reports have stated that Comey has privately asked the U.S. Justice Department to dispute Trump's claims. via Celebrity Access Share on: In the wake of the European Commissions dangerous proposal to require user-generated content platforms to filter user uploads for copyright infringement, European digital rights advocates are calling on Internet users throughout Europe to stand up for freedom of expression online by urging their MEP (Member of European Parliament) to stop the #CensorshipMachine and save the meme. Last year, the European Commission released a proposed Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market, Article 13 of which would require all online service providers that store and provide to the public access to large amounts of works or other subject-matter uploaded by their users to reach agreements with rights holders to keep allegedly infringing content off their sites including by implementing content filtering technologies. Weve talked at length about the dangers of this proposal, and the problems with filtering the Internet for copyright infringement. For one thing, its extremely dangerous for fair use and free expression online. This week, two EU-based organizations are calling on Internet users to stand up for their rights to lawfully use copyrighted works, and to call on the European Parliament to remove Article 13 from the proposed directive. Bits of Freedom, a Netherlands-based organization, launched a campaign website where you can save the meme by contacting an MEP and urging them to delete Article 13. The site calls attention to the proposed directives impact on popular legal uses of copyrighted content, like parody, citations and oh, noes! memes, and provides a handy tool for getting in touch with your MEP. Simultaneously, the activist group Xnet, with support from EFF, EDRi, and several other digital rights groups released this video highlighting how Article 13 would give copyright holders the ability to censor a wide swath of online expression. Digital rights advocates arent the only ones seeing problems with this proposal. Article 13 has been criticized by academics and academic research centers, and members of the EUs startup community as well. And earlier this month, an important committee charged with reviewing the proposal, the European Parliament Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, criticized Article 13 as incompatible with the limited liability regime currently in effect in the EU under the e-Commerce Directive, legislation the committee refers to as enormously beneficial. The committees report warns of Article 13s negative impacts on the digital economy [and] internet freedoms of consumers, as well as its potential effect on market entry for online services. The Committee also criticized the proposals call to implement technological filtering solutions, explaining [t]he use of filtering potentially harms the interests of users, as there are many legitimate uses of copyright content that filtering technologies are often not advanced enough to accommodate. Theres still time to stop Article 13 before it becomes law in the EU. The proposed directive must pass through several more rounds of review by European Parliament Committees, followed by an informal trialogue, where the European Parliament, the European Commission, and the Council of the European Union try to agree on the text of the directive, before it finally moves to consideration by Parliament. If youre in Europe, you can take action to stop Article 13 by going to savethememe.net. If youre not, you can share that link with your European friends. Source: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/03/eu-internet-advocates-launch-campaign-stop-eus-dangerous-copyright-filtering Vermont State Police Arrest Man in Arlington Murder Case ARLINGTON, Vt. A Sunderland man was arrested on Wednesday in the murder of an 81-year-old Arlington woman in January. State police said Timothy Butler, 31, was arrested at about 3 p.m. while in a vehicle at Arlington Recreation Park. Butler was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Shaftsbury barracks for processing. The body of Helen Jones was found in her Buck Hill Road home on the night of Jan. 4. A subsequent autopsy showed that she died from multiple stab wounds. Police found evidence of a forced entry into home and investigations were looking at burglary as a possible connection to the crime. This investigation, led by the Major Crime Unit, is ongoing as detectives continue to conduct interviews and gather evidence in this case. Following the arrest, detectives executed a search warrant at Butler's residence located on North Road in Sunderland. "This case was solved because of the dedicated focus and tireless efforts of state police detectives, troopers, [State's Attorney] Erica Marthage and the Bennington County state's attorney's office," Public Safety Commissioner Thomas D. Anderson said. "The Major Crime Unit was formed two years ago so that highly trained detectives are able to quickly and singularly focus on the most serious and horrific crimes committed in Vermont. The arrest in this case clearly shows the value of the Major Crime Unit in apprehending and bringing to justice those who prey on the most vulnerable Vermonters." Butler was taken to Marble Valley Correctional Facility and is being held without bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday, March 9, at 2 p.m. in Bennington County Superior Court's Criminal Division on charges of first-degree murder and burglary. A press conference will be held at the courthouse immediately following arraignment. Drury High's comedy troupe stages an 'I Love Lucy' murder-mystery on Friday. Wait, is that rat poison? Cast members have been working on their improv skills. PreviousNext Drury Comedy Troupe Hosts Murder-Mystery Dinner Fundraiser ADAMS, Mass. "Lucy, what have you done?!" That may well be a question not for Lucy's show biz husband, Ricky, but for the audience trying to figure out a murder-mystery at Ricky's nightclub (aka the Bounti-Fare) on Friday. "Trouble at the Tropicabana," a spoof of the classic "I Love Lucy" series with movie moguls, kingpins, slapstick, music and dancing is being produced by the Drury Stage Company Comedic Arts Service Troupe to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. Music and theater instructor Kate Caton said the seven-member troupe will perform the audience-participation, murder-mystery by Tony Schwartz and Marylou Ambrose (Tonylou Productions) as a service-learning project. She said the murder-mystery seemed like a good fit for the troupe members, who are still fresh from the musical "Copacabana" and ready to flex some of their newly honed improvisational muscles. "We were practicing our improv skills not knowing this was going to happen so that they would feel comfortable doing something zany without a script," she said. "We were doing elementary school shows and part of it was scripted and part of it was not. That's what makes this work. We practice improvisation, comedy, and slapstick." Caton said the stage company's set builder is involved in Northern Berkshire Habitat for Humanity and when he brought up the opportunity, the troupe jumped at the opportunity to give back. First Church of Congregational in Dalton is hosting. Troupe members will play well-known "I Love Lucy" characters Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel, and also movie-mogul heiress Celia B. DeMilo, notorious gangster Mr. Big, and Ricky's cousin Rosita. The show starts off in Lucy and Ricky's living room, then switches to Ricky's club, the Tropicabana. There may be dancing, singing, Lucy and Ethel may get into or cause some trouble, and there may even be a conga line. But someone definitely will be murdered and it will be up to the audience to figure out who did it. Caton said the show starts as soon as attendees sit down at their tables, where they will mingle with the cast of characters. The cast will perform acts in-between a multicourse chicken dinner. It will then be up to the audience members to solve the crime. "They will have ballots on the table and they have to figure out the motive and who they think did it," Caton said. "Then we find out who was right." Clarksburg Looking at Reductions for Fiscal 2018 CLARKSBURG, Mass. Town officials are looking at $100,000 in cuts just in the preliminary fiscal 2018 budget but were warned Wednesday at least double that is needed. "I've drafted where I think I can make some reasonable cuts to the budget," said Town Administrator Carl McKinney. "I've cut $100,000 for next year's budget out of this year's budget, and we're still going to need to cut another $105,000 or find some other revenue stream. ... "It's going to be a very lean year." McKinney's draft budget of $4.25 million is down about $111,000 from this year's budgeted $4.37 million, or 2.5 percent. About $40,000 is shaved from the town budget trainings, supplies, salaries, Town Hall operations and legal services. Another $70,000 is cut from the school budget, which is now proposed at $2.8 million including McCann Technical School. Revenues are based on the governor's budget, which shows receipts of $2.449 million, up $100,000 and largely Chapter 70 school aid, and charges of $242,699, up $62,000 over this year. Chapter 70 aid is $1.79 million with another $269,598 for school choice, up $66,000 over this year. School choice goes directly to the school. On the other hand, the town side is being charged $227,176 for school-choice and charter-school sending, up $53,000 over this year. McKinney said the town's net minimum spending for all school grades is $2,428,411, according to the state Department of education. Net school spending is $400,000 over that: the elementary is $2.46 million, down about $94,000 over this year, and McCann is $342,000, up $23,000. "I'm not advocating going to minimum spending because I think our school does a wonderful job," he said. "We don't produce much in this town but we do produce a well-rounded, well-educated student ... Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts 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 IndyArts email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Renown abstract painter Sir Howard Hodgkin has died at the age of 84. The Turner prize recipient - often labelled one of Britain's greatest contemporary painters - died peacefully in hospital in London. Sir Nicholas Serota, director of the Tate galleries, paid tribute to Hodgkin, calling him "one of the great artists and colourists of his generation." "His sensuous, intense paintings were infused with his love and understanding of late 19th-century French painting, especially Degas, Vuillard and Bonnard, and by his feeling for the heat and colours of India, which he visited on many occasions," Serota continued. Over the past 30 years Howards international standing has continued to grow with major exhibitions in Europe and America. His characteristic subject, the memory of a meeting or a conversation with a friend, resulted in paintings that radiate the emotions of life: love, anger, vanity, beauty and companionship. Notable deaths in 2016 Show all 42 1 /42 Notable deaths in 2016 Notable deaths in 2016 Debbie Reynolds was an American actress, singer, businesswoman, film historian, and humanitarian. She died on December 28 in Los Angeles Rex Notable deaths in 2016 Actress Carrie Fisher died on December 27 aged 60 Rex Notable deaths in 2016 Comedian and Actor Ricky Harris died on December 26 aged 54 Rex Notable deaths in 2016 British singer George Michael died on 25 December aged 53 Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Rick Parfitt OBE was an English musician, best known for being a singer, songwriter and rhythm guitarist in the rock band Status Quo. He died on December 24 in Marbella, Spain Rex Notable deaths in 2016 Lord Jenkin of Roding died at the age of 90 on the 21 December PA wire Notable deaths in 2016 Rabbi Lionel Blue died on the 19 December Rex Notable deaths in 2016 Zsa Zsa Gabor died on December 18 Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Leonard Cohen died on 7 November Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Grand secretary of the Orange Order Drew Nelson died on 10 October aged 60 after a short illness PA Notable deaths in 2016 Aaron Pryor, the relentless junior welterweight died Sunday, Oct. 9, at the age of 60 at his home in Cincinnati after a long battle with heart disease AP Notable deaths in 2016 Polish Director Andrzej Wajda died on October 9, aged 90 Reuters Notable deaths in 2016 Stylianos Pattakos has died following a stroke on 8th October. He was 103 years old. AP Notable deaths in 2016 Dickie Jeeps, was an English rugby union player who played for Northampton. He represented and captained both the England national rugby union team and the British Lions in the 1950s and 1960s. He died on 8th October. He was 84 Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Duke of Westminster Billionaire landowner the Duke of Westminster, Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor has died on 9 August, aged 64 Rex Features Notable deaths in 2016 Christina Knudsen Sir Roger Moores stepdaughter Christina Knudsen has died from cancer on 25 July at teh age of 47 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Caroline Aherne The actress Caroline Aherne has died from cancer on 2 July at the age of 52 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Christina Grimmie Christina Grimmie, 22, who was an American singer and songwriter, known for her participation in the NBC singing competition The Voice, was signing autographs at a concert venue in Orlando on 10 June when an assailant shot her. Grimmie was transported to a local hospital where she died from her wounds on 11 June Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Kimbo Slice Former UFC and Bellator MMA fighter Kimbo Slice died after being admitted to hospital in Florida on 6 June, aged 42 Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Muhammad Ali The three-time former heavyweight world champion died after being admitted to hospital with a respiratory illness on 3 June, aged 74 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Sally Brampton Brampton who was the launch editor of the UK edition of Elle magazine has died on 10 May, aged 60 Grant Triplow/REX/Shutterstock Notable deaths in 2016 Billy Paul The soul singer Billy Paul, who was best known for his single Me and Mrs Jones, has died on 24 April, aged 81 Noel Vasquez/Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Prince Prince, the legendary musician, has been found dead at his Paisley Park recording studio on 21 April. He was 57 Notable deaths in 2016 Chyna WWE icon Joan Laurer dies aged 45 after being found at California home on 20 April Notable deaths in 2016 Victoria Wood The five-time Bafta-winning actress and comedian Victoria Wood has died on 20 April at her London home after a short illness with cancer. She was 62 Notable deaths in 2016 David Gest The entertainer and former husband of Liza Minnelli, David Gest has been found dead on 12 April in the Four Seasons hotel in Canary Warf, London. He was 62-years-old PA Notable deaths in 2016 Denise Robertson Denise Robertson, an agony aunt on This Morning for over 30 years, has died on 1 April, aged 83 Notable deaths in 2016 Zaha Hadid Dame Zaha Hadid, the prominent architect best known for designs such as the London Olympic Aquatic Centre and the Guangzhou Opera House, has died of a heart attack on 31 March, aged 65 2010 AFP Notable deaths in 2016 Ronnie Corbett British entertainer Ronnie Corbett has passed away on 31 March at the age of 85 2014 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Imre Kertesz Hungarian writer and Holocaust survivor Imre Kertesz, who won the 2002 Nobel Literature Prize, has died on 31 March, at the age of 86 REUTERS Notable deaths in 2016 Rob Ford Rob Ford, the former controversial mayor of Toronto, has died following a battle with a rare form of cancer. The 46-year-old passed away at the Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto on 22 March Notable deaths in 2016 Joey Feek Joey (left) passed away in March after a two-year cancer illness. She was part of country music duo, Joey + Rory, with her husband Rory (right) Jason Merritt/Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Umberto Eco Italian writer and philosopher Umberto Eco died 19 February 2016 aged 84 EPA Notable deaths in 2016 Harper Lee Harper Lee, the American novelist known for writing 'To Kill a Mockingbird', died February 19, 2016 aged 89 2005 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Vanity Vanity, pictured performing in 1983, died aged 57 REX Features Notable deaths in 2016 Dave Mirra The BMX legend's body found inside truck with gunshot wound after apparent suicide aged 41 Notable deaths in 2016 Harry Harpham The former miner became Sheffield Labour MP in May after many years as a local councillor. He died after succumbing to cancer, at the age of 61. Notable deaths in 2016 Dale Griffin The Mott the Hoople drummer died on January 17, aged 67 REX Notable deaths in 2016 Rene Angelil Celine Dion's husband and manager Rene Angelil has lost his battle with cancer on 14 January, aged 73 2011 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Alan Rickman Legendary actor Alan Rickman has died on 14 January at the age of 69 after battle with pancreatic cancer. He is largely regarded as one of the most beloved British actors of our generation with roles in Love Actually, Die Hard, Michael Collins, and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and an illustrious stage career 2015 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Maurice White The Earth, Wind & Fire founder died aged 74. The nine-piece band sold more than 90 million albums worldwide and won six Grammy awards Notable deaths in 2016 Lawrence Phillips Former NFL star found dead in prison cell on 13 January in suspected suicide, aged 40 AFP/Getty Images Hodkin's work is held in numerous prestigious galleries around the world, including the British Museum, Tate and MoMA in New York. Notably, the painter designed one of 12 official posters for the 2012 Olympics poster. Titled Swimming, the abstract piece depicts a person swimming. Howard Hodgkin - 'Swimming' (London 2012 / Getty) In 2006, The Independent named Hodgkin one of the 100 most influential gay people in Britain, appearing on that year's Pink List. Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Samuel L. Jackson has tried to clarify his controversial comments criticising the casting of black British actors in films concerning Americans race relations. The Kong: Skull Island actor made the initial comments while speaking to New York radio station Hot 97 about the film Get Out, which stars British actor Daniel Kaluuya as an African-American man who interacts with white liberal Americans. There are a lot of black British actors in these movies, he said. I tend to wonder what would that movie would have been with an American brother who really feels that. Daniel grew up in a country where theyve been interracial dating for a hundred years What would a brother from America have made of that role? Im sure the director helped, but some things are universal, but [not everything]. Films to get excited about in 2017 Show all 13 1 /13 Films to get excited about in 2017 Films to get excited about in 2017 Star Wars: The Last Jedi Director: Rian Johnson Rian Johnson Cast: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and Lupita Nyong'o Plot: No details yet, but it will continue directly on from Rey coming face-to-face with Luke at the end of The Force Awakens. Release Date: 15 December 2017 Films to get excited about in 2017 Thor: Ragnarok Director: Taika Waititi Taika Waititi Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Tessa Thompson, Jeff Goldblum, Karl Urban, and Mark Ruffalo Plot: Story details are minimal as of now, but Thor's third return to screen has already been teased to feature a loose adaptation of the famous 'Planet Hulk' storyline. Release Date: 27 October 2017 Films to get excited about in 2017 You Were Never Really Here Director: Lynne Ramsay Lynne Ramsay Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Alessandro Nivola Plot: A war veteran's attempt to save a young girl from a sex trafficking ring goes horribly wrong. Release Date: Unknown Films to get excited about in 2017 Annihilation Director: Alex Garland Alex Garland Cast: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, and Oscar Isaac Plot: A biologist's husband disappears. She thus puts her name forward for an expedition into an environmental disaster zone, but does not quite find what she's expecting. The expedition team is made up of the biologist, an anthropologist, a psychologist, and a surveyor. Release Date: Unknown Films to get excited about in 2017 Wonderstruck (image from Far From Heaven) Director: Todd Haynes Cast: Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams, and Amy Hargreaves Plot: The story of a young boy in the Midwest is told simultaneously with a tale about a young girl in New York from fifty years ago as they both seek the same mysterious connection. Release Date: Unknown Films to get excited about in 2017 Mother (image of Darren Aronofsky) Director: Darren Aronofsky Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Michelle Pfeiffer, Domhnall Gleeson, and Ed Harris Plot: A couple's relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence. Release Date: Unknown Films to get excited about in 2017 The Killing of a Sacred Deer (image from The Lobster) Director: Yorgos Lanthimos Cast: Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, and Alicia Silverstone Plot: A surgeon forms a familial bond with a sinister teenage boy, with disastrous results. Release Date: Unknown Films to get excited about in 2017 Blade Runner 2049 Director: Denis Villeneuve Denis Villeneuve Cast: Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Robin Wright, and Jared Leto Plot: Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K, unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what's left of society into chaos. K's discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard, a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years. Release Date: 6 October 2017 Films to get excited about in 2017 Lady Bird (image of director Greta Gerwig) Director: Greta Gerwig Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, and Lucas Hedges Plot: The adventures of a young woman living in Northern California for a year. Release Date: Unknown Films to get excited about in 2017 The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara (image of director Steven Spielberg and star Mark Rylance) Director: Steven Spielberg Cast: Mark Rylance, Oscar Isaac Plot: The Kidnapping Of Edgardo Mortara recounts the story of a young Jewish boy in Bologna, Italy in 1858 who, having been secretly baptized, is forcibly taken from his family to be raised as a Christian. His parents' struggle to free their son becomes part of a larger political battle that pits the Papacy against forces of democracy and Italian unification. Release Date: Unknown Films to get excited about in 2017 How to Talk to Girls at Parties Director: John Cameron Mitchell John Cameron Mitchell Cast: Elle Fanning, Ruth Wilson, and Nicole Kidman Plot: An alien touring the galaxy breaks away from her group and meets two young inhabitants of the most dangerous place in the universe: the London suburb of Croydon. Release Date: Unknown Films to get excited about in 2017 The Dark Tower Director: Nikolaj Arcel Nikolaj Arcel Cast: Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey, and Tom Taylor Plot: Gunslinger Roland Deschain roams an Old West-like landscape in search of the dark tower, in the hopes that reaching it will preserve his dying world. Release Date: 28 July 2017 Films to get excited about in 2017 Suburbicon Director: George Clooney George Clooney Cast: Matt Damon, Julianne Moore, Josh Brolin, and Oscar Isaac Plot: A crime mystery set in the quiet family town of Suburbicon during the 1950s, where the best and worst of humanity is hilariously reflected through the deeds of seemingly ordinary people. When a home invasion turns deadly, a picture-perfect family turns to blackmail, revenge and betrayal. Release Date: 24 November Speaking to the Associated Press at Kongs US premiere on Wednesday, Jackson said that, while the public didnt quite misunderstand the quote, he was trying to critique the system rather than the actors. It was not a slam against them, but it was just a comment about how Hollywood works in an interesting sort of way sometimes, he said. After complimenting his British peers, he continued: Were not afforded that same luxury, but thats fine, we have plenty of opportunities to work. I enjoy their work. I enjoy working with them when I have the opportunity to do that. Jacksons initial comments angered numerous British actors including Star Wars: The Force Awakens actor John Boyega, who responded on Twitter saying: Black brits vs African American. A stupid ass conflict we don't have time for. Numerous black British actors have been cast in Hollywood films concerning race relations, including David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King in Selma and Chiwetel Ejiofor in the Oscar-winning 12 Years A Slave. Meanwhile, Jackson recently appeared on James Cordens Late Late Show and reenacted numerous performances from throughout his career within 10 minutes. Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Exciting details about upcoming Star Wars film The Last Jedi have surfaced following a Disney sneak peek. Disney's annual shareholders were shown a first look as Episode VIII and, thankfully, Los Angeles Times reporter Daniel Miller was there to tease some key details According to Miller, the opening scene - as previously reported - picks up directly where the Force Awakens left off: with Rey (Daisy Ridley) stood opposite a hooded Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) atop a mountain. Only now we know what Hamill's beloved Jedi says; as Rey hands him back his old lightsaber, he asks her: Who are you? Just last year, four separate sources seemed to confirm that Skywalker's opening line was something else altogether. Other clips shown to the audience included characters Chewbacca, Jon Boyega's Finn and a military-uniform clad General Leia Organa in what will be s posthumous appearance from Carrie Fisher; she didn't speak in the scene. Walt Disney Company's co-chairman and chief executive Bob Iger, who described the film as a perfect chapter in the iconic Skywalker family drama said: Carrie Fisher has been an iconic part in this franchise from the very beginning, he said. We all miss her. She has great talent and wit. Were proud that this movie coming up is part of her legacy. The film will unsurprisingly be suitably epic with Rian Johnson's film taking place across various breathtaking locations, including mountains, forests, deserts and oceans. The Force Awakens director JJ Abrams believes the film will score one key cast member an Oscar. Star Wars: Episode VIII - The last Jedi is released 15 December. Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Independent Climate email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Twenty-two professors from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have written to Donald Trump to say that climate change poses a serious risk to humanity, disavowing a retired colleague who claimed it did not. The letter was sent after Richard Lindzen, an emeritus professor at the renowned institute, urged the President to withdraw the United States from international efforts to limit global warming, claiming such actions were not justified by the science. Professor Lindzen is one of only a handful of actual climate scientists who disagree with the overwhelming consensus among experts on the issue that climate change is real and will increasingly lead to devastating storms, deadly heatwaves, drought and other problems around the world unless action is taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Signed by various associate, assistant, emeritus and full professors, the MIT climate scientists' letter said: It has come to our attention that our colleague Richard Lindzen, professor emeritus at MIT, has sent a letter urging you to withdraw from the UN climate convention, claiming that actions with respect to global climate are not scientifically justified. As his colleagues at MIT in the program in atmospheres, oceans and climate, all of whom are actively involved in understanding climate, we write to make it clear that this is not a view shared by us, or by the overwhelming majority of other scientists who have devoted their professional lives to careful study of climate science. The risks to the Earth system associated with increasing levels of carbon dioxide are almost universally agreed by climate scientists to be real ones. These include, but are not limited to, sea level rise, ocean acidification, and increases in extreme flooding and droughts, all with serious consequences for mankind. It said that various scientific bodies, such as the American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union, had backed the scientific consensus. We owe it to future generations to remain engaged with the international community to seek the widest possible efforts to understand and mitigate those threats, the letter added. Professor Lindzen is recognised as a climate scientist by others in the field even though they profoundly disagree with him. However one leading climatologist, who has worked on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes reports, described him as someone who enjoyed taking a contrarian position. In his letter to Mr Trump last month, Professor Lindzen wrote: The US and other governments have undertaken actions with respect to global climate that already have, and will continue to cause serious social and economic harm with no environmental benefits. Restricting access to fossil fuels has very negative effects upon the well-being of people around the world. It condemns over four billion people in still under-developed countries to continued poverty. There is clear evidence that increased atmospheric carbon dioxide is environmentally helpful to food crops and other plants that nourish all life. It is plant food, not poison. 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Show all 10 1 /10 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the sea ice, near McMurdo Station, Antarctica Kira Morris 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Floods destroyed eight bridges and ruined crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have been in retreat, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating flooding when the banks break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while bringing drought to others. Hira Ali 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Smoke filled with the carbon that is driving climate change drifts across a field in Colombia. Sandra Rondon 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Amid a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft searches for somewhere dry to take shelter. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to sea level rise, which is expected to make tens of millions of people homeless by 2050. Probal Rashid 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Sindh province in Pakistan has experienced a grim mix of two consequences of climate change. Because of climate change either we have floods or not enough water to irrigate our crop and feed our animals, says the photographer. Picture clearly indicates that the extreme drought makes wide cracks in clay. Crops are very difficult to grow. Rizwan Dharejo 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave inside the Svinafellsjokull glacier in Iceland, which she said had been growing rapidly. Since 2000, the size of glaciers on Iceland has reduced by 12 per cent. Tom Schifanella 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A river once flowed along the depression in the dry earth of this part of Bangladesh, but it has disappeared amid rising temperatures. Abrar Hossain 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A shepherd moves his herd as he looks for green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, northern India. The region has been badly affected by heatwaves and drought, making local people nervous about further predicted increases in temperature. Riddhima Singh Bhati 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A factory in China is shrouded by a haze of air pollution. The World Health Organisation has warned such pollution, much of which is from the fossil fuels that cause climate change, is a public health emergency. Leung Ka Wa 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Water levels in reservoirs, like this one in Gers, France, have been getting perilously low in areas across the world affected by drought, forcing authorities to introduce water restrictions. Mahtuf Ikhsan His views on poverty in the developing world appear somewhat out of date. Renewable technologies like solar have recently become significantly cheaper than fossil fuels as a source of electricity in many developing countries, resulting in a boom based largely on pure economics. The greening effect, in which plant growth is boosted by extra carbon, is real and is often cited as a benefit of global warming by sceptics, who ignore or dismiss the predicted negative effects. However plants will not absorb enough carbon to prevent the rise in temperature and the associated extreme weather conditions. The Global Warming Policy Foundation, the UK-based sceptic think tank, adopts a lukewarmist position. This accepts all climate science up to the present date, but claims the predicted temperature rises in the future are exaggerated. The forecasts are based on computer models that have been shown to be remarkably accurate. 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 }} The CIA is refusing to acknowledge the leak of a huge set of its secrets. This week, WikiLeaks published the first of what it calls the 'Vault 7' files, including a whole host of hacking and spying secrets. The more than 9,000 files appeared to contain many of the most sensitive and important pieces of information that the CIA has and Julian Assange has promised that more is coming. But the CIA has gone almost completely dark and is refusing to react or even acknowledge any disclosure. Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty It will not tell journalists whether or not the files are legitimate, though few doubt that they actually are. It has also refused to tell journalists whether it will look to find out how the files came to be leaked on the internet, or whether it thinks they came from a hack or someone within the agency leaking them. Without acknowledging any breach, the CIA warned: "The American public should be deeply troubled by any WikiLeaks disclosure designed to damage the intelligence community's ability to protect America against terrorists and other adversaries. Such disclosures not only jeopardize U.S. personnel and operations, but also equip our adversaries with tools and information to do us harm." The White House also refused to acknowledge the fact of the disclosure at all. "It is our policy as a government not to confirm the authenticity of any kind of disclosure or hack," said press secretary Sean Spicer. The WikiLeaks disclosures were an extraordinary coup for a group that has already rocked American diplomacy with the release of 250,000 State Department cables and embarrassed the Democratic Party with political back channel chatter and the U.S. military with hundreds of thousands of logs from Iraq and Afghanistan. The intelligence-related documents describe clandestine methods for bypassing or defeating encryption, antivirus tools and other protective security features for computers, mobile phones and even smart TVs. They include the world's most popular technology platforms, including Apple's iPhones and iPads, Google's Android phones and the Microsoft Windows operating system for desktop computers and laptops. WikiLeaks has not released the actual hacking tools themselves, some of which were developed by government hackers while others were purchased from outsiders. The group indicated it was still considering its options but said in a statement Wednesday: "Tech companies are saying they need more details of CIA attack techniques to fix them faster. Should WikiLeaks work directly with them?" It wasn't clear whether WikiLeaks a strident critic of Google and Facebook, among others was serious about such action. If that sharing should take place, the unusual cooperation would give companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft, Samsung and others an opportunity to identify and repair any flaws in their software and devices that were being exploited by U.S. spy agencies and some foreign allies, as described in the material. Additional reporting by Reuters 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 }} American International Group, the global provider of commercial property insurance, said it plans to open an insurer in Luxembourg to write business in the European Economic Area and Switzerland once the UK exits the EU. This is a decisive move that ensures AIG is positioned for whatever form the UKs exit from the EU ultimately takes, Anthony Baldwin, chief executive officer of AIG Europe, said on Wednesday in a statement. We are ensuring that our clients and partners experience no disruption from the UKs EU exit. Financial firms are shaping their Brexit plans after Prime Minister Theresa May announced in January that the UK would leave the EUs single market in 2019, likely spelling the end of passporting, where companies seamlessly service the rest of the bloc from their London operations. AIG currently writes business in Europe from a single insurer based in the UK. The New York-based company has more than 2,000 employees based in London and has already been cutting staff there and in other cities as part of a separate cost-cutting initiative. The reorganisation is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2019, and AIG will retain an insurer in the UK for sales in that market, according to the statement. Nicola Ratchford, a spokeswoman for the insurer, said the company has a few employees already in Luxembourg. She said there might be shifts in the leadership ranks in Europe, but that it is too soon to know how many workers will move, or to comment on real estate decisions. AIG chief executive Peter Hancock said before the Brexit referendum last year that hed consider an operations hub in continental Europe if UK voters opted to leave the EU. Luxembourg is among European cities seeking to attract banks and insurers that are looking to open EU hubs. Business news: In pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Business news: In pictures Business news: In pictures Flybe collapses Airline Flybe has collapsed. All future flights on the Exeter-based airline have been cancelled leaving more than 2,300 staff facing an uncertain future, and wrecking the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. The chief executive, Mark Anderson, said: Europes largest independent regional airline has been unable to overcome significant funding challenges to its business. AFP via Getty Business news: In pictures Future product placement will be 'tailored to individual viewers' Marketing executives say that product placement in films and televison shows on streaming services such as Netflix may be tailored to individuals in future. For instance, if data shows that a viewer is a fan of pepsi, a billboard in the background of a shot would host an advert for pepsi, while for a viewer known to have different tastes it could be for Coca-Cola Paramount Business news: In pictures Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share" Business news: In pictures No deal, no tariffs The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers Getty Business news: In pictures Fingerprint payment NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint NatWest/PA Wire Business news: In pictures Mahabis bust High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019 Mahabis Business news: In pictures Costa Cola Coca-Cola has paid 3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant PA Business news: In pictures RIP Payday Loans A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30 PA Business news: In pictures Musk irks investors and directors Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks Getty Business news: In pictures Jaguar warning Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures Spotif-IPO Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures French blue passports The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rues contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. Business news: In pictures Beast from the east economic impact The Beast from the East wiped 4m off of Flybes revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airlines estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year. Luxembourg, a founding member of the EU, offers us a secure location in a stable economy with an experienced and well-respected regulator in continental Europe close to many of our major markets, Baldwin said in the statement. AIGs Europe segment had about $5.4bn (4.4bn) in operating revenue last year, about 11 per cent of the insurers total, according to the companys most recent annual report. Bloomberg Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Independent Climate email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The worlds largest sovereign wealth fund has warned it could reduce investment in companies guilty of heavy pollution or corruption. The ethics watchdog for Norway's $900bn sovereign wealth fund, built from surpluses made by the country's oil industry, will this year recommend that the fund exclude or put on a watch list several companies in the oil, cement and steel industries for emitting too much greenhouse gas, according to Reuters. With shares in 9,000 companies, the fund has about 1.3 per cent of every listed company in the world, which means its decisions to drop or reinstate shareholdings or exclude companies considerably weight among investors. Recommended Most cars sold in Norway are now either electric or hybrid In an interview with Reuters, Johan H. Andresen, chairman of the fund's independent Council on Ethics, said it was already working on the first recommendation over emissions, expected to come by July. "It will be a company either in the oil or concrete industry ... We have to start with the worst and make our way through the industries," he said, adding that there would be a "small handful" of recommendations to the board in 2017. The fund may also exclude several companies in the defence, telecoms and arms industries this year over the risk of corruption, he added. Mr Andresen didnt identify which companies may be targeted for exclusion. The fund has become a more active investor in recent years, trying to use its growing heft in markets to influence company behaviour. Last year, the fund unveiled the first list of miners and power producers to be excluded from its portfolio following a ban on coal investments. 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Show all 10 1 /10 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the sea ice, near McMurdo Station, Antarctica Kira Morris 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Floods destroyed eight bridges and ruined crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have been in retreat, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating flooding when the banks break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while bringing drought to others. Hira Ali 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Smoke filled with the carbon that is driving climate change drifts across a field in Colombia. Sandra Rondon 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Amid a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft searches for somewhere dry to take shelter. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to sea level rise, which is expected to make tens of millions of people homeless by 2050. Probal Rashid 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Sindh province in Pakistan has experienced a grim mix of two consequences of climate change. Because of climate change either we have floods or not enough water to irrigate our crop and feed our animals, says the photographer. Picture clearly indicates that the extreme drought makes wide cracks in clay. Crops are very difficult to grow. Rizwan Dharejo 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave inside the Svinafellsjokull glacier in Iceland, which she said had been growing rapidly. Since 2000, the size of glaciers on Iceland has reduced by 12 per cent. Tom Schifanella 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A river once flowed along the depression in the dry earth of this part of Bangladesh, but it has disappeared amid rising temperatures. Abrar Hossain 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A shepherd moves his herd as he looks for green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, northern India. The region has been badly affected by heatwaves and drought, making local people nervous about further predicted increases in temperature. Riddhima Singh Bhati 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A factory in China is shrouded by a haze of air pollution. The World Health Organisation has warned such pollution, much of which is from the fossil fuels that cause climate change, is a public health emergency. Leung Ka Wa 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Water levels in reservoirs, like this one in Gers, France, have been getting perilously low in areas across the world affected by drought, forcing authorities to introduce water restrictions. Mahtuf Ikhsan The exclusions were based on new criteria introduced by the government in February last year impacting companies that base at least 30 per cent of their activities or revenues on coal. Additional reporting by Reuters 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 }} The frustrating ritual of assembling Ikea furniture is set to become a thing of the past. Ikea has developed a new range of products to simplify the assembly of flat-pack furniture by eliminating the need for bolts, screw drivers and allen keys. The Swedish retailer designed a new type of joint, called wedge dowel, which enables furniture parts to snap together like a jigsaw puzzle for easier and quicker assembly. Recommended Ikea is planning to sell a line of rugs made by Syrian refugees The company first tested the new click-together system five years ago across its Regissor storage products. It now intends to roll out the design across its entire furniture range, starting with the wooden Lisabo table, which is currently on sale. The furnitures panels come with small ribbed protrusions, which easily slot into pre-drilled holes in the panels theyre meant to connect to. In an interview with design magazine Dezeen Ikeas range and supply chief Jesper Brodin claimed that he was able to put together a table that normally takes him 24 minutes in three minutes. (Ikea) We're constantly looking for new ways to innovate in product design to make the assembly and disassembly of our products easier for our customers, an Ikea spokesperson told the Independent. In the future we will also look into how we can use the wedge dowel design in more of our products but currently it is only being used in a small number of ranges such as Reggisor, Valje and Lisabo," Ikea added. 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 }} Campaigners have accused the Government of using post-Brexit trade deal negotiations to deepen corporate interests in African countries at the expense of ordinary people across the continent. International Trade Secretary Liam Fox will meet with representatives from Commonwealth countries in London on Thursday in a bid to promote free-trade deals between Britain and African countries, a plan that has been internally dubbed empire 2.0 by some Whitehall officials. The event is organised by the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC), a group backed by large corporations with business interests in Africa, including mining companies, Gem Diamonds and Firestone Diamonds, British multinational equipment manufacturer JCB, and engine manufacturer Rolls Royce, which is currently embroiled in an international bribery scandal. Campaign group Global Justice Now said the CWEIC has a particular interest in breaking into healthcare markets in the Commonwealth. It has established a Commonwealth Healthcare Business Group that has written to ministers in all 53 Commonwealth countries asking for their top health investment priorities. They CWEIC says The Healthcare Business Group will then consider how best the private sector can help meet those priorities. Mamadou Goita, executive director of IRPAD/Afrique in Mali, which promotes development in the continent, said: Africa has had quite enough of having terms of trade forced on it by Britain. Oiling the wheels of Britains economy with cheap products and cheap labour has cost our farmers, our workers and our business people dearly. Africans welcome trade but on fair terms which preserves our independence, Mr Goita said. But weve had enough of the sort of exploitation that bleeds our countries of wealth and resources. Business news: In pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Business news: In pictures Business news: In pictures Flybe collapses Airline Flybe has collapsed. All future flights on the Exeter-based airline have been cancelled leaving more than 2,300 staff facing an uncertain future, and wrecking the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. The chief executive, Mark Anderson, said: Europes largest independent regional airline has been unable to overcome significant funding challenges to its business. AFP via Getty Business news: In pictures Future product placement will be 'tailored to individual viewers' Marketing executives say that product placement in films and televison shows on streaming services such as Netflix may be tailored to individuals in future. For instance, if data shows that a viewer is a fan of pepsi, a billboard in the background of a shot would host an advert for pepsi, while for a viewer known to have different tastes it could be for Coca-Cola Paramount Business news: In pictures Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share" Business news: In pictures No deal, no tariffs The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers Getty Business news: In pictures Fingerprint payment NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint NatWest/PA Wire Business news: In pictures Mahabis bust High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019 Mahabis Business news: In pictures Costa Cola Coca-Cola has paid 3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant PA Business news: In pictures RIP Payday Loans A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30 PA Business news: In pictures Musk irks investors and directors Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks Getty Business news: In pictures Jaguar warning Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures Spotif-IPO Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures French blue passports The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rues contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. Business news: In pictures Beast from the east economic impact The Beast from the East wiped 4m off of Flybes revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airlines estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year. Nick Dearden, the director of Global Justice Now, said: Unfortunately for Liam Fox and his plans for empire 2.0, Britain no longer rules the waves, and cant dictate the terms of trade to poorer countries in quite the way that it once could. But that doesnt mean that Fox wont try to fleece African economies in the interests of putting as much cheap stuff as possible on Western supermarket shelves. 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 }} Tesco will pay back almost 10m to current and former workers after a system error led to them being paid less than the national living wage. Britains biggest supermarket chain said around 140,000 workers were affected, each of whom will receive around 40 on average. The reimbursement will take place by the end of this month. The underpayment came to light when Tesco implemented a new payroll system and reviewed its old one. The company found calculation errors were made when staff made voluntary contributions from their wages to benefits such as pensions, childcare vouchers and cycle-to-work schemes. The current national minimum wage is 7.20 an hour for workers who are 25 and over and 6.95 for 21- to 24-year-olds, but after incorrect deductions were made, some employees wre paid less than these levels. Chief executive Matt Davies said: As soon as our own review identified this issue we took immediate action to resolve it and establish which colleagues are affected. We've apologised to our colleagues and our priority now is to talk to them about how this affects them individually, and make any necessary payments. We expect payments to be up to 40 for the majority of affected colleagues. Tesco has notified HM Revenue & Customs and shopworkers union Usdaw of its mistake. Biggest business scandals in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Biggest business scandals in pictures Biggest business scandals in pictures Volkswagen emissions scandal VW admitted to rigging its US emission tests so that diesel-powered cars would looks like they were emitting less nitrous oxide, which can damage the ozone layer and contribute to respiratory diseases. Around 11 million cars worldwide were affected. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Martin Shkreli and Turing Pharmaceuticals Martin Shkreli became known as the most hated man in the world after his drug company, Turing, increased the price of a 62-year-old drug that treated HIV patients by 5,000% to $750 a pill. He was charged with illegally taking stock from Retrophin, a biotechnology firm he started in 2011, and using it pay off debts from unrelated business dealings. Shkreli, who maintains he is innocent, and says there is little evidence of fraud because his investors didn't lose money. Biggest business scandals in pictures Panama Papers: Millions of leaked documents expose how worlds rich and powerful hid money - April 2016 Millions of confidential documents have been leaked from one of the worlds most secretive law firms, exposing how the rich and powerful have hidden their money. Dictators and other heads of state have been accused of laundering money, avoiding sanctions and evading tax, according to the unprecedented cache of papers that show the inner workings of the law firm Mossack Fonseca, which is based in Panama. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Google's tax avoidance Google reached a deal with the HM Revenue and Customs to pay back 130 million in so-called back-taxes that have been due since 2005. George Osborne championed the deal as a major success. But European MEPs have since called for the Chancellor to appear in front of the committee on tax rulings to explain the tax deal. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Rogue trader A French court cut the damages owed by rogue trader Jerome Kerviel from 4.9bn (4.2bn) to just 1m (860,000). The court ruled on that Kerviel was partly responsible for massive losses suffered in 2008 by his former employer Societe Generale through his reckless trades. Kerviel has consistently maintained that bosses at the French bank knew what he was doing all along. AP Biggest business scandals in pictures Barclays CEO under investigation for trying to identify whistleblower - Monday Paril 10 Authorities have launched an investigation into Barclays chief executive officer Jes Staley for trying to identify a whistleblower, the bank said on Monday. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) are both investigating Mr Staley after the bank notified them that Mr Staley had tried to identify the author of two anonymous letters, which were sent to the board and a senior executive in June 2016. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures UK to crack down on bank money laundering after reports of 65bn Russian scam, City minister says - March 2017 The Economic Secretary to the Treasury has vowed that the Government will crack down on money laundering practices, after several of the UK's biggest banks were accused of processing money from a Russian scam, believed to involve up to $80bn (65bn). Reuters Biggest business scandals in pictures Former HBOS bankers convicted of bribery and fraud over 245m loan scam - February 2017 Two former HBOS bankers were among six people found guilty of bribery and fraud that cost customers and shareholders hundreds of millions of pounds, the BBC reports. Lynden Scourfield, 54, a manager at HBOS, forced struggling clients to use the services of his friends David Mills, 60, and Michael Bancroft, 73. In return, the two businessmen arranged sex parties, cash and lavish gifts. On Monday, the three were convicted at Southwark Crown Court on accounts including bribery, fraud and money laundering. Mark Dobson, another manager at HBOS, Alison Mills, and John Cartwright were also convicted. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Lloyds chief apologises for damage caused by affair allegations - August 2016 Antonio Horta-Osorio, the chief executive of Lloyds Bank, has broken his silence over allegations about his private life admitting he regrets any "damage done to the group's reputation". In a message sent to the bank's 75,000 employees, the banker said that anyone can make mistakes while insisting that staff had to maintain the highest professional standards. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Christine Lagarde faces court over 340m Bernard Tapie payment - July 2016 The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, must stand trial in France over a payment of 403 million (now 340m, then 290m) to tycoon Bernard Tapie, a France's highest appeals court has ruled. The court rejected Ms Lagarde's appeal against a judge's order in December for her to stand trial over allegations of negligence in her handling of the affair. Ms Lagarde could risk a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a fine of 15,000 euros if convicted. Reuters Biggest business scandals in pictures HSBC senior manager arrested in FX rigging investigation at JFK airport in New York - July 2016 A senior executive at HSBC has been arrested at New York's JFK airport for his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to rig currency benchmarks, according to reports. Mark Johnson, global head of foreign exchange cash trading in London, was reportedly arrested on Tuesday. He will appear before a federal court in Brooklyn on Wednesday charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, Bloomberg said. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Former PwC employees found guilty in 'Luxleaks' tax scandal - June 2016 Two ex- PricewaterhouseCoopers staffers were found guilty in Luxembourg of stealing confidential tax files that helped unleash a global scandal over generous fiscal deals for hundreds of international companies. Antoine Deltour and Raphael Halet face suspended sentences of 12 months and 9 months and were ordered to pay fines of 1,500 (1,230) and 1,000 (822) for their role in the so-called LuxLeaks scandal. Despite the minimal sentences, the ruling was described by Deltours lawyer as shocking and a terrible anomaly. The ruling puts on guard future whistle-blowers, Deltour told reporters.The LuxLeaks revelations sped beyond Luxembourg, causing European Union regulators to expand a tax-subsidy probe and propose new laws to fight corporate tax dodging, while EU lawmakers created a special committee to probe fiscal deals across the 28-nation bloc. Reuters Biggest business scandals in pictures Goldman Sachs dealmakers lavished Libyan officials with prostitutes to win contract - June 2016 A former Goldman Sachs dealmaker trying to persuade Gadaffi-era Libya to invest $1 billion with the investment bank procured prostitutes and invited Libyan officials to lavish parties in the hope of winning the business, the High Court heard on Monday June 13.The Libyan Investment Authority sovereign wealth fund is suing Goldman Sachs for inappropriately coercing its naive staff into giving its sovereign wealth fund cash to the bank to invest in products they did not understand. The products were designed to generate big profits for Goldman, the LIA claims.Goldman denies wrongdoing and says the LIA was treated as an arms-length customer Reuters Biggest business scandals in pictures Former boss of BHS said his life was threatened - June 2016 Darren Topp, the former boss of BHS, has said former owner Dominic Chappell threatened to kill him when he challenged him over a 1.5 million transfer out of the business. MPs on the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee asked Mr Topp about a 1.5 million transfer Mr Chappell made from BHS to a company called BHS Sweden. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley admits paying workers below the minimum wage - June 2016 Mike Ashley admitted paying Sports Direct employees below the minimum wage at a hearing in front of MPs. The company founder said that workers were paid less than the statutory minimum because of bottlenecks at security in an admission that could result in sanctions from HMRC. Reuters Biggest business scandals in pictures Mitsubishi admits improper fuel tests - April 2016 Mitsubishi has admitted to using false fuel methods dating back to 1991. The scale of the scandal is only just coming to light after it was revealed in April that data was falsified in the testing of four types of cars, including two Nissan cars. AP Biggest business scandals in pictures Quindell, the scandal-ridden insurance firm Quindell was once a darling of AIM but its share price fell in April 2014 when its accounting practices were attacked in a stinging research note by US short seller Gotham City. In August the group was forced to disclose that the 107 million pre-tax profit it had reported for 2013 was incorrect, and it had in fact suffered a 64million loss. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Toshiba Accounting Scandal The boss of Toshiba, the Japanese technology giant, resigned in disgrace in the wake of one of the countrys biggest ever accounting scandals. His exit came two months after the company revealed that it was investigating accounting irregularities. An independent investigatory panel said that Toshibas management had inflated its reported profits by up to 152 billion yen (780m) between 2008 and 2014. Biggest business scandals in pictures FIFA Corruption Scandal Fifa, football's world governing body, has been engulfed by claims of widespread corruption since the summer of 2015, when the US Department of Justice indicted several top executives. It has now claimed the careers of two of the most powerful men in football, Fifa President Sepp Blatter and Uefa President Michel Platini, after they were banned for eight years from all football-related activities by Fifa's ethics committee. A Swiss criminal investigation into the pair is ongoing. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Libor fraudster City trader Tom Hayes, 35, has become the first person to be convicted of rigging Libor rates following a trial at London's Southwark Crown Court. Hayes worked as a trader in yen derivatives at UBS before joining the American bank Citigroup in Tokyo. He was fired from Citigroup following an investigation into his trading methods. He returned to the UK in December 2012 and was arrested following a two-and-a-half year criminal investigation by the SFO. Getty Usdaw national officer Pauline Foulkes said: We continue to work with the company to ensure all staff affected are informed and that their pay is corrected and reimbursed as a matter of urgency. Our priority now is to agree measures with Tesco to ensure this doesn't happen again. In the meantime we are providing our members with the support and advice they require. In February, Argos owner Sainsbury's was fined 1.5m by HMRC for paying workers less than the minimum wage. The company reimbursed around 37,000 current and former Argos workers a total of 2.4m after incorrect payments were discovered. Argos scheduled unpaid staff briefings before they had clocked on to their shifts, and security searches that could happen after workers had finished a shift. Last month, HMRC named 360 businesses, including Debenhams, Subway and Lloyds Pharmacy, who had failed to pay the statutory minimum wage. 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 }} Sir Howard Hodgkin, who has died aged 84, was something of a rebel, though anyone meeting him for the first time would not readily have guessed so. His voice, always fairly plummy, made him sound the very epitome of respectability, though he was by no means a ready talker on the subject that concerned him most: painting. Painting was his life-long passion, of course he knew that he wanted to be a painter and nothing but a painter from the age of five, immediately after he had drawn a picture of a woman with a red face and bushy hair but he always found it difficult to talk about that which consumed him until his dying day. In fact, he could be maddeningly obtuse, high-handed, and even downright patronising when questioned about his own work. Or just puzzlingly, vexingly silent, looking down. Or, after a long pause, he might say something to you such as the following: "I think you will find that I have already answered that question in a statement I made in the autumn issue of Art for Arts Sake." Or some such. This was maddening in the extreme. There was a reason for it though. According to Howard, paintings existed to be looked at, absorbed, slowly and painstakingly, by the eye. He thought that nothing should come between the painting and the scrutinising eye, and certainly nothing as vulgar as mere words, which he once described as the Englishmans disease. When in the presence of the great ones his two favourites were Poussin and Seurat the better part was an awestruck, reverential silence. Why sully the air with useless and inadequate words? I first met him in the year 2000 at his studio less than 50 yards from the British Museum. The visit proved to be something of an unfolding surprise. You entered by what for all intents and purposes seemed like the front door of a substantial Georgian house, and then you were quickly shuffled though and into a vast space of a much more utilitarian character altogether, with brick walls painted a stark white, which looked as if it had been built for a purpose other than comfortable human accommodation. That was true. The space itself had once been a dairy, though not since the Second World War. Now it was Howards painting studio, though you would not easily have known that fact either because there were no paintings to be seen, not when I first casually glanced around. In fact, I later discovered that there were indeed paintings in that room, several of them, but they were turned to face the wall like prisoners due to suffer some terrible fate and covered with white sheets. Howard would turn one round to face you if you really insisted, but they were never on open public display. Howard was cagey about showing new work. To anyone. Paintings often took him years to make, sometimes more than a decade you can find evidence of his tortoise-slow making process if you read his exhibition captions and it would not have been quite right, you guessed, to happen upon something in the making. It would have been a bit of a violation, and even perhaps an act of impertinence. It is also true to say that he was cagey about having paintings on display at all, his own or other peoples, in the studio or elsewhere. Perhaps they were safer, less threatening of the possibility of violent confrontation, when kept under wraps. Recommended Renowned abstract painter Howard Hodgkin dies aged 84 I call him a rebel, but he was also quite a well-connected rebel. It was entirely appropriate that he should have made Bloomsbury his home and place of work because he was one of the riper Bloomsberries himself. In fact, he was a cousin of the painter and critic Roger Fry. Howard himself was born in Hammersmith, west London in 1932, and his father worked as a manager for Imperial Chemical Industries. In fact, quite a few of his forebears had been fairly illustrious, from the distantly related Luke Howard (1772-1864), the so called "father of meteorology", who first identified cloud formations, to the physician after whom Hodgkins disease was named, and the poet Robert Bridges. 'Close-Up' The rebellious side to Gordon Howard Eliot Hodgkins to give him his full name nature was put on full display during his school days. He got into the habit of running away from the various boarding schools to which he was sent. He was then dispatched to Eton, where he stayed put for just 18 months before running away from that establishment too. Eton, he told me once, had been horrible. Well, almost horrible. What exactly did he do there? "Messed about". In fact, there was a little more to it than that. His art teacher during his brief sojourn at Eton, a man called Wilfred Blunt (brother to the treacherous art historian Anthony), introduced him to Indian miniature painting, and that passion for Indian miniatures Howard owned a considerable collection stayed with him life-long. One of the things he loved so much about Indian miniatures were the elephants. That always struck me as odd because as a painter Howard had little to do with nature. In fact, he had almost nothing to do with the mimetic representation of people or animals or objects at all, and less and less so as he grew into his maturity as an artist. Unsurprising, you might say. After all, wasnt Howard Hodgkin fundamentally an abstract painter? In fact, was he not one of our greatest abstract painters of the post-war period? 'Hello' The answers to two those two questions are both puzzling and complicated rather like Howards own character. When asked about the question of abstraction versus representation, and where exactly he himself stood, he would repeat what was to become his mantra (you find this artfully crafted statement of his popping up everywhere, cut-and-pasted by one idle journalist after another): "I am a representational painter, but not a painter of appearances. I paint representational pictures of emotional situations." So there you have it, clear as mud. He is. And yet he most certainly isnt, perish the thought. He regarded his paintings as distilled memories, evocations of remembered places and people. They always looked and felt warm, emotionally. There was nothing severe or angular or geometric or austere or dry or even pessimistic about Howards work, never any suggestion that what he was up to might be distantly related to the poker-faced disciplines of science or arithmetic. It was all about the upwelling and perhaps even the overwelling of human feeling. It was the kind of painting which always kept some idea of its subject in mind. Although he never painted animals, he was happy to remember the human animal in its various social situations. What is clear about his paintings is that they are loaded often almost overloaded with emotion and mood. His brush strokes, often quite as gorgeous as an excellent bit of hair styling, make that evident: the great, sweeping symphonic curves; the luscious tampings; those rainbow-like arcs; that habit he had of letting the paint bleed over onto the frame (which would often be shriekingly kitschy), as if everything was far too uncontainable. The shapes could be unusual he was even known to paint on a circular breadboard. He preferred board to canvas because board could be attacked; board could resist the painters punishingly relentless daily assault; a painting on board could be reworked for just as long as was necessary. In fact, for quite as long as it would take to unlock the image. His paintings often feel luscious, loaded with sensuality. The titles of the individual works also feel like a bit of a tease, perhaps even a private joke. Here are a few of them, plucked forth at random: Close Up, Strictly Personal, Blushy, Hello. Those titles are entirely characteristic. They sound casually anecdotal. They edge, though somewhat coyly, in the direction of storytelling. You could call them low-brow entry points to high art. They might even be happy, you sometimes felt, to enjoy a second life as captions in Hello! magazine. That first conversation with him in 2000 went very badly indeed. He barely told me anything that I wanted to know. He scolded me or went silent on me for most of our so-called conversation. Things were a little easier the second time around. By then, he recognised me, of course. A little more of himself seemed to emerge from the shadows. I recognised that he himself was nervous. Dont expect many quotes he warned me beforehand on the phone. Dont expect me to say very much. You can make it all up if you like. Was that last a joke? A joke. Which meant that we were likely to be better company for each other. 'Blushing' Once unbuttoned, I discovered, Howard could be a very emotional man. We began to talk about the role of the artist in society. This time we were sitting in the basement of his studio, where he kept a library of several thousand books. It was a fairly dark environment for a conversation, illuminated only by desk lamps. Perhaps that also made things a little easier, the slight whiff of secretiveness. He wanted to read something to me, he told me, an extract from a novel by Somerset Maugham, which would illustrate perfectly the idea of the nobility of the artists calling. He scurried away to find it with great eagerness I remember thinking that he looked a little like Alices white rabbit as he hurried away from me into the penumbra and then, having returned with a book of some age, he read it to me, the chosen extract, at some considerable length, and as he did so, his eyes brimmed with tears. It was maudlin stuff, in the extreme, but it had moved him deeply. It took some time for Howard to be singled out as a painter of some promise. His first solo exhibition was at Arthur Tooth & Sons in 1962, when he was 30 years old. Tooth was more than happy to show him. In fact, the gallery wanted to show him more frequently than Howard wanted to be shown, and he baulked at the alarming generosity of the offer. He knew how difficult it would always be to squeeze a painting out of himself. He did not want to turn himself into a production line. And then the exhibitions followed steadily, culminating in a retrospective at Tate Britain in 2006, which then travelled on to the Reina Sofia in Madrid. It encompassed 50 years of work. Nicholas Serota, in his catalogue introduction, praised the subtlety and the energy of the work, its vitality and its versatility. 'Strictly Personal' I feel that Howard did quite not become the kind of painter that the more cerebral part of his nature rather wanted to be. He loved the idea of of being a classical artist whose work respected the unities and like Poussin had a strong sense of composition, but his actual nature, his instincts, seemed to be fighting a rearguard action against what his brain desired. He was, in short, a Romantic at heart, though one who played his cards close to his chest. Even his professed love of classicism seemed slightly suspect. He would talk a great deal about the classicism of Poussin and his compositional rigour, but what he loved about one particular Poussin which he once described to me so lovingly it is in the Dulwich Picture Gallery, and it is called Rinaldo and Armida - was its brilliant use of colour, and, more specifically, the ravishing orange of Rinaldos shorts. (Howard himself was a brilliant colourist and one of his great early passions was Matisse, one of the greatest colourists of them all.) So when he once stated that he longed to make pictures that would speak for themselves and have the finality of something that observed the classical unities, he failed to mention that it was equally important for him to share his feelings and he did that, supremely well, life-long, this tongue-tied man. Gordon Howard Eliot Hodgkin (Sir Howard Hodgkin), artist: born Hammersmith 6 August 1932; died 9 March 2017 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 }} Austerity risks eroding the rights of ethnic minorities in the UK as money is diverted away from protecting them, the Council of Europe has warned. The day after Chancellor Philip Hammond delivered his budget, the council published a report stating that: Many persons belonging to minority communities still experience disparities in employment, wages, health issues, access to care and political representation. Austerity measures have exacerbated the situation. The councils assessment of the UKs compliance with the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM), also warned of rising levels of online hate crime and criticised politicians including Nigel Farage for engaging in anti-immigrant rhetoric. The council, which is separate from the EU, and responsible for the European Court of Human Rights, acknowledged that many UK authorities had tried to build up strategies for achieving more equality for ethnic minorities. But the report by the councils Advisory Committee on the FCNM stated: Austerity measures may have an impact on implementation. In a context of strained resources the government needs to strike a fair balance between budget cuts and provision of resources to ensure greater equality. The report said that the UK Government did not consider central and local government budget cuts to have disproportionately affected persons belonging to national and ethnic minorities. It also acknowledged that the Equality and Human Rights Commission did not consider that the substantial cuts to its budget had prevented it from carrying out its watchdog duties. But the reports authors went on to say: Nonetheless, the persisting budgetary cuts combined with a pronounced trend of shifting duties onto local authorities (who are also subject to these cuts) and outsourcing human rights protection to the private sector, may take a toll on the protection of certain rights of persons belonging to national and ethnic minorities. Human rights attacks around the world Show all 10 1 /10 Human rights attacks around the world Human rights attacks around the world China Escalating crackdown against human rights activists including mass arrests of lawyers and a series of sweeping laws in the name of national security. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Egypt The arrest of thousands, including peaceful critics, in a ruthless crackdown in the name of national security, the prolonged detention of hundreds without charge or trial and the sentencing of hundreds of others to death. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Gambia Torture, enforced disappearances and the criminalisation of LGBTI people; and utter refusal to co-operate with the UN and regional human rights mechanisms on issues including freedom of expression, enforced disappearance and the death penalty. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Hungary Sealing off its borders to thousands of refugees in dire need; and obstructing collective regional attempts to help them. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Israel Maintaining its military blockade of Gaza and therefore collective punishment of the 1.8 million inhabitants there, as well as failing, like Palestine, to comply with a UN call to conduct credible investigations into war crimes committed during the 2014 Gaza conflict. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Kenya Extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances and discrimination against refugees in its counter-terrorism operations; and attempts to undermine the International Criminal Court and its ability to pursue justice. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Pakistan The severe human rights failings of its response to the horrific Peshawar school massacre including its relentless use of the death penalty; and its policy on international NGOs giving authorities the power to monitor them and close them down if they are considered to be against the interests of the country. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Russia Repressive use of vague national security and anti-extremism legislation and its concerted attempts to silence civil society in the country; its shameful refusal to acknowledge civilian killings in Syria and its callous moves to block Security Council action on Syria. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Saudi Arabia Brutally cracking down on those who dared to advocate reform or criticise the authorities; and committing war crimes in the bombing campaign it has led in Yemen (pictured) while obstructing the establishment of a UN-led inquiry into violations by all sides in the conflict. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Syria Killing thousands of civilians in direct and indiscriminate attacks with barrel bombs and other weaponry and through acts of torture in detention; and enforcing lengthy sieges of civilian areas, blocking international aid from reaching starving civilians. Getty Images The report concluded: Persons belonging to national and ethnic minorities are overall in a better place with regard to reducing educational gaps, [but] many persons belonging to minority communities still experience disparities in employment, wages, health issues, access to care and political representation. Austerity measures have exacerbated the situation. The report also warned that in the UK online hate speech is on the rise, in particular towards Muslims. It added: Vilifying comments against gypsies, travellers and Roma are seldom firmly rejected. Criticising the way the debate about immigration was sometimes framed, it said: The European and domestic debate on migration has helped to foment episodes of intolerance against minorities as well as anti-immigrant rhetoric in social media, in the political arena, particularly by certain politicians, and in society at large. The reports authors also admitted that they were Seriously concerned that sections of the media share responsibility in spreading intolerant and racially hostile narratives and behaviours to society at large by the way they sometimes portray incidents and events. As an example of anti-immigrant rhetoric from politicians, they singled out former Ukip leader Mr Farages 2015 comment: I think perhaps one of the reasons the polls show an increasing level of concern [about Muslim immigrants who do not want to integrate] is because people do see a fifth column living within our country, who hate us and want to kill us. During the same Channel 4 interview, Mr Farage had claimed that previous immigrant groups had sought to integrate while adhering to their own religion, whereas: There is an especial problem with some of the people whove come here and who are of the Muslim religion who dont want to become part of our culture. So there is no previous experience, in our history, of a migrant group that comes to Britain, that fundamentally wants to change who we are and what we are. That is, I think, above everything else, what people are really concerned about. His remarks sparked an angry reaction from Britains Muslim community and were contested by the Muslim Council of Britain. 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 }} Milo Yiannopoulos has hit back at Glasgow University students after they launched a campaign against his candidature to be rector. The far-right commentator, who rose to notoriety for his inflammatory, anti-immigrant views, is one of 12 names put forward for the prestigious position. He has personally accepted an invitation to take part in the election process but is still considering whether he will be attending a hustings in the Scottish city next week. Students have voiced their opposition to the nomination of the former Breitbart editor, who has been dubbed a spokesperson for the so-called alt-right movement, and a petition demanding for him to be removed has amassed 3,400 signatures. But Mr Yiannopoulos, who was one of Twitters most notorious trolls until he was permanently banned from the site after claims he helped lead the racist and sexist abuse of Ghostbusters actor Leslie Jones, has condemned the letter as pointless virtue signalling. The term virtue signalling refers to the act of expressing opinions with the sole intention of demonstrating your moral correctness on the issue. The controversial columnist, who is a vocal Donald Trump supporter, suggested his close-minded detractors were simply trying to silence him because they do not agree with him. The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters My sellout college tour of the United States showed me that free thinkers need help more than ever on campus, and Im convinced the situation is the same in the United Kingdom, he told the Huffington Post. Safe space culture weakens the minds and emotional fortitude of the young. The entire point of higher education is learning, growing and confronting challenging ideas, he added. If a student is not equipped for debate and discussion, they may want to apply to a nearby Tesco. School isnt for them. But Hollie Hallam, the Glasgow University student who launched the petition against him, told The Independent Mr Yiannopoulos opinions were tantamount to hate speech rather than free speech. Addressing his latest statement, Ms Hallam said: It's more of the same provocative garbage that skirts the actual reasons as to why students and the wider community don't want him here. He clearly has an excess of time since having to resign from Breitbart, so it's possible that he could attend hustings, she added. In the wake of his controversial remarks about paedophilia, Mr Yiannopoulos has resigned from Breitbart News. The far-right publication, which is the most widely-read Conservative site in the US, was previously fronted by President Trumps chief strategist Steve Bannon. Since the comments, Mr Yiannopoulos has also had a lucrative book deal with a prestigious publisher pulled and his appearance at Conservative Political Action conference dropped. The Kent-born journalist, who has previously described Islam as a cancer and suggested transgender people are mentally ill, has hinted that he might attend the hustings next week, saying it is only one plane ride from Miami. On Sunday, Mr Yiannopoulos claimed one visit to Glasgow would secure him the election, saying: Currently investigating whether a trip to Glasgow is feasible. One trip from me and I'd be sure to win the election. Ms Hallam said a protest had been organised against Mr Yiannopoulos' nomination for the hustings next Thursday. Nevertheless, not everyone is against the decision to shortlist him. A Facebook page titled Milo for Rector University of Glasgow has garnered just over 3,000 likes. The page says: Free speech matters, and electing Milo symbolises the end of the intolerant, authoritarian silence-everyone-who-disagrees-with-me attitude of these people. It is dangerous to our University, to our society, and frankly to our lives. Mr Yiannopoulos previous stops at universities in the US have often attracted heated protests. Last month, Berkeley University were forced to call off a talk by him after demonstrators threw smoke bombs, started fires and smashed windows. The furore prompted Mr Trump to threaten to cut the universitys federal funding. Whats more, an event featuring Mr Yiannopoulos, who recently used a talk to publicly name and mock a transgender student, was also called off after protests erupted in January. Students at Glasgow University will vote on whether they want Mr Yiannopoulos to be their rector on 20 March. Although the role of rector is a largely ceremonial one, the person in the position is supposed to chair the universitys court and be the voice of students among the higher tiers of the university. Candidates require the support of 10 students to get on the ballot paper. The current rector is exiled NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. Other candidates nominated this year include human rights lawyer Aamer Anwar, former Liberal Democrat MP Vince Cable, PissPigGranddad, an American internet celebrity fighting with the Peoples Defence Unit in Syria, and Lady Hazel Cosgrove, the first woman to be appointed a Senator of the College of Justice. Some of Mr Yiannopoulos' rival candidates have voiced their concerns about him. Mr Ameer Ibrahim, the President of Glasgow University Students Representative Council, told The Independent: We would advise that all of our students make an informed decision regarding who they will vote for in the upcoming elections. "We highly value our student community, one which is diverse, and challenge views and ideas on a daily basis. Some important points to recognise when deciding who to vote for in this upcoming election are who will be a strong voice at the highest level within the University, which candidate reflects the values of our University, which candidate will be approachable to all students at the University, which candidate will value our whole student community, and which candidate is best placed to represent the views of students. 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 }} Thousands of women have gone on strike in towns and cities across Northern Ireland and the Republic to protest the countries' abortion bans, as part of a day of action organised to coincide with International Women's Day. Women wore all black and were encouraged to take the day off work as well as refraining from performing emotional labour, unpaid gendered expectations placed on women. The largest march was held in Dublin, where protesters blocked off O'Connell Bridge, baring banners urging legal reform and chanting. Recommended These are the real injustices faced by women who seek an abortion The rally culminated outside Leinster House, the Irish parliament building. The crowd shouted "Get your rosaries off my ovaries", in reference to the influence of the Catholic Church on local legislation, as well "Not the church, not the state, women must decide their fate". Coalitions representing Irish artists, midwives, trade unions and students unions were among those who marched in the strike. Members of the public brought home made signs including hand painted images of wombs dipped in glitter and feminist slogans. Outside Leinster house, anti-abortion protesters confronted them, holding large images of aborted foetuses and shouting that the women had not realised they were dealing with real children's lives. The UK's own abortion ban, explained in 3 minutes An attending police officer said they were unable to provide an estimate as to crowd figures. Ruth Coppinger, a member of the Irish parliament for the Anti-Austerity Alliance, addressed the crowds to call for urgent reform of the laws. She later told The Independent: "It's been a hugely important day. It was very important and necessary that young people in particular turned out. "This is a new generation, they're not going to be told to wait and the whole concept of bodily autonomy for young people is very different even from my generation. The church doesn't have power." Danielle Roberts, from the Belfast Feminist Network which also marched in the rally to represent Northern Ireland, told The Independent: "Reproductive rights are human rights and without bodily autonomy nobody can really be free. Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights Show all 5 1 /5 Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights REUTERS Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights REUTERS Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights REUTERS Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights REUTERS Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights REUTERS "It's very important that we change the laws North and South. Were here in solidarity- a lot of our struggles are the same." In the Republic of Ireland, abortion is a criminal offence, carrying a 14 year prison sentence. This is due to a clause in the constitution which grants unborn foetuses the same citizenship rights and legal protections as women. In order for this clause, known as the eighth amendment, to be removed, a country wide referendum would need to be held. Recommended Women turning to illegal abortion pills in rising numbers The government has set up a Citizens Assembly to poll Irish people's views on whether to repeal the eighth amendment but critics say progress is not happening soon enough. In Northern Ireland, abortion is illegal despite being part of the UK and women face life in prison for having terminations as they are legally considered murder. A November 2016 court ruling saw a judge declare the abortion ban to be a breach of international human rights law. However, the Northern Irish parliament voted to keep the ban in place, due to a high prevalence of evangelical Christian and Roman Catholic members of parliament. Under international law, the UK is the state actor responsible for ensuring the ban is overturned, but Prime Minister Theresa May has thus far declined to comment on or act in relation to the issue. A woman in Belfast is currently awaiting trial accused of "committing" an abortion by helping her 15-year-old daughter access abortion pills after she had an unplanned pregnancy. International Women's Day also saw strikes, rallies and actions take place around the world in response to local issues of gender inequality. 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 Prime Minister of Luxembourg has signalled that Britain can reverse Article 50 after triggering it if the country decides it still wants to say to Europe, we love you. Xavier Bettel said it could be that during the Brexit procedure of divorce, the UK is able to decide it is not able to go through with the split. His intervention comes amid claim and counterclaim over whether the Article 50 process is reversible or not, something which is yet to be legally tested. Recommended Pret A Manger is facing a Brexit staffing crisis Answering a question from The Independent, Mr Bettel said he still felt that the June referendum in the UK was launched for political reasons and had been a mistake, Asked whether Article 50 was reversible, he said: We are waiting for Article 50, I wont do speculation, but its a procedure of divorce ... now they ask for the divorce, we wait for the letter to confirm that they want a divorce, then we start the procedure of divorce. Maybe during the procedure of divorce they will say we love you that much that we are not able to conclude that divorce. Ms May is expected to trigger Article 50 in the next few weeks, starting a two-year countdown during which a deal must be struck to set future relations with the EU. If no agreement can be reached then the country would still drop out of the bloc, but without any future trading arrangements in place something Ms May has threatened she is not afraid of, but which ex-Tory Prime Minister Sir John Major called the worst possible outcome. Article 50 is actually reversible, author of the Brexit treaty clause says Downing Street has repeatedly stated that Article 50 will not be reversed, while many Conservatives claim it is irreversible. But the author of Article 50 has already ridiculed claims that the treaty clause cannot be stopped once it has been invoked. Lord Kerr told peers during a parliamentary session last month: If, having looked into abyss, we changed our minds about withdrawal, we certainly could - and no-one in Brussels could stop us. The peer is one of a number of people who has claimed authorship of the clause. He was Ambassador and UK Permanent Representative to the European Communities and European Union in the 1990s. 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 Irish Taoiseach has signalled that Britain will have to pay a Brexit divorce bill when it quits the EU, which could be up to 60bn by some estimates. Enda Kenny arrived at the EU Council meeting in Brussels to tell reporters the level of the bill owed by the UK will have to be determined. It comes after a report by a parliamentary committee said that the UK may not be legally bound to pay any separation settlement. Speaking to reporters as he arrived at the summit, Mr Kenny said: When you sign on for a contract you commit yourself to participation and obviously the extent of that level of money will be determined. Chief negotiator for the European Commission Michel Barnier has indicated the Bill may be the first issue the UK has to deal with in Brexit negotiations. Mr Kenny added: Mr Barnier is the lead negotiator for the European Union and obviously Britain will have a say. But that no more than any other problem will have to be faced, it will have to be dealt with and it will be dealt with. A recent report from the Lords EU Financial Affairs Subcommittee said the Government would be in a strong legal position to avoid payment should the upcoming Article 50 negotiations result in no post-Brexit deal. How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Show all 8 1 /8 How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Weetabix Chief executive of Weetabix Giles Turrell has warned that the price of one of the nations favourite breakfast are likely to go up this year by low-single digits in percentage terms. Reuters How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Nescafe The cost of a 100g jar of Nescafe Original at Sainsburys has gone up 40p from 2.75 to 3.15 a 14 per cent risesince the Brexit vote. PA How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Freddo When contacted by The Independent this month, a Mondelez spokesperson declined to discuss specific brands but confirmed that there would be "selective" price increases across its range despite the American multi-national confectionery giant reporting profits of $548m (450m) in its last three-month financial period. Mondelez, which bought Cadbury in 2010, said rising commodity costs combined with the slump in the value of the pound had made its products more expensive to make. Cadbury How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Mr Kipling cakes Premier Foods, the maker of Mr Kipling and Bisto gravy, said that it was considering price rises on a case-by-case basis Reuters How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Walkers Crisps Walkers, owned by US giant PepsiCo, said "the weakened value of the pound" is affecting the import cost of some of its materials. A Walkers spokesman told the Press Association that a 32g standard bag was set to increase from 50p to 55p, and the larger grab bag from 75p to 80p. Getty How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Marmite Tesco removed Marmite and other Unilever household brand from its website last October, after the manufacturer tried to raise its prices by about 10 per cent owing to sterlings slump. Tesco and Unilever resolved their argument, but the price of Marmite has increased in UK supermarkets with the grocer reporting a 250g jar of Marmite will now cost Morrisons customers 2.64 - an increase of 12.5 per cent. Rex How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Toblerone Toblerone came under fire in November after it increased the space between the distinctive triangles of its bars. Mondelez International, the company which makes the product, said the change was made due to price rises in recent months. Pixabay How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Maltesers Maltesers, billed as the lighter way to enjoy chocolate, have also shrunk in size. Mars, which owns the brand, has reduced its pouch weight by 15 per cent. Mars said rising costs mean it had to make the unenviable decision between increasing its prices or reducing the weight of its Malteser packs. iStockphoto Their analysis argued the UK would be under no obligation to pay the divorce bill being discussed by the European Commission, which EU officials have suggested could be between 40bn and 60bn, nor would it have to honour EU budget payments agreed by former prime minister David Cameron. More conservative estimates put the potential bill at 15bn, with the money meant to cover budget contributions to 2020, as well as pension payments for European officials. Chancellor Philip Hammond has said the UK would abide by its international commitments, but has also characterised the bill as a a piece of negotiating strategy that we are seeing in Brussels. He added: We are a nation that honours its obligations and if we do have any bills that fall to be paid we will obviously deal with them in the proper way. 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 }} Austerity is set to continue well into the 2020s and the current decade is now on course to be the worst for pay growth since the Napoleonic wars, according to an analysis of the Budget by a leading think tank. The Resolution Foundation said Britain was braced for an unprecedented 15 years of further spending cuts and low pay growth and urged Philip Hammond, the Chancellor, to revisit support for lower-income households in future budgets. In the think tank's analysis of Mr Hammonds first Budget on Wednesday it is argued that both the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) and the Chancellor largely ignored a chance to respond to better than expected economic news. Mr Hammond told MPs as he delivered his Budget statement that Britains economy would grow faster than expected in the next financial year by 2 per cent, up from 1.4 per cent. But the Resolution Foundation finds that real average earnings are only set to return to the peak before the financial crash by the end of 2022 15 years on. This decade, they add, is also set to be the worst for pay growth for 210 years. Torsten Bell, director of the Resolution Foundation, said: Spring Budget 2017 offered the Office for Budget Responsibility and the Chancellor the chance to respond to better than expected economic news in recent months, following grim forecasts about the outlook for Brexit Britain back in Novembers Autumn Statement. Both have largely ignored it. The Independent's cartoonist on the Chancellor's Budget The big picture from yesterdays Budget is that the big squeezes on both the public and family finances have been prolonged well into the 2020s. On the public finances, the focus on good news this year has hidden the fact that the OBR has stuck to its pessimistic guns from the Autumn Statement about the fate of Brexit Britains economy. The weak medium-term outlook for borrowing means were still only halfway through the fiscal consolidation that was supposed to have finished by now. The think tank adds that by 2020 a single person working full-time on the minimum wage will be 380 worse off. How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Show all 8 1 /8 How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Weetabix Chief executive of Weetabix Giles Turrell has warned that the price of one of the nations favourite breakfast are likely to go up this year by low-single digits in percentage terms. Reuters How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Nescafe The cost of a 100g jar of Nescafe Original at Sainsburys has gone up 40p from 2.75 to 3.15 a 14 per cent risesince the Brexit vote. PA How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Freddo When contacted by The Independent this month, a Mondelez spokesperson declined to discuss specific brands but confirmed that there would be "selective" price increases across its range despite the American multi-national confectionery giant reporting profits of $548m (450m) in its last three-month financial period. Mondelez, which bought Cadbury in 2010, said rising commodity costs combined with the slump in the value of the pound had made its products more expensive to make. Cadbury How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Mr Kipling cakes Premier Foods, the maker of Mr Kipling and Bisto gravy, said that it was considering price rises on a case-by-case basis Reuters How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Walkers Crisps Walkers, owned by US giant PepsiCo, said "the weakened value of the pound" is affecting the import cost of some of its materials. A Walkers spokesman told the Press Association that a 32g standard bag was set to increase from 50p to 55p, and the larger grab bag from 75p to 80p. Getty How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Marmite Tesco removed Marmite and other Unilever household brand from its website last October, after the manufacturer tried to raise its prices by about 10 per cent owing to sterlings slump. Tesco and Unilever resolved their argument, but the price of Marmite has increased in UK supermarkets with the grocer reporting a 250g jar of Marmite will now cost Morrisons customers 2.64 - an increase of 12.5 per cent. Rex How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Toblerone Toblerone came under fire in November after it increased the space between the distinctive triangles of its bars. Mondelez International, the company which makes the product, said the change was made due to price rises in recent months. Pixabay How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Maltesers Maltesers, billed as the lighter way to enjoy chocolate, have also shrunk in size. Mars, which owns the brand, has reduced its pouch weight by 15 per cent. Mars said rising costs mean it had to make the unenviable decision between increasing its prices or reducing the weight of its Malteser packs. iStockphoto According to the Resolution Foundation, the UK is on course to meet the Governments fiscal objective of eliminating the deficit by 2025. Mr Hammonds predecessor, George Osborne, had intended for the deficit to be eliminated by the end of this Parliament an objective delayed by the current Chancellor. Mr Bell added: And while the OBR at least delivered some good news on borrowing, the family finances picture has actually deteriorated since the autumn. Britain is set for a return to falling real pay later this year, with this decade now set to be the worst for pay growth since the Napoleonic wars. Some households will feel the pinch more than others. The combination of weak pay growth and more than 12bn of benefit cuts means that for the poorest third of households this parliament is actually set to be worse than the years following the financial crisis. Of course, the OBR forecasts can and should change. Tackling the living standards squeeze facing low- and middle-income households should be a priority for future Budgets. 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 }} Philip Hammond has refused to bow to demands from his own MPs for a U-turn on National Insurance hikes for millions of self-employed workers. The Chancellor faced down protests from at least ten backbenchers, saying: No Conservative likes to raise taxes of course and of course Im always prepared to listen to and talk to our backbenchers. But we have made a decision here, to make the National Insurance system a little bit fairer. Mr Hammond also sought to shift the argument from claims the increases will hit white van man by pointing out partners in large law firms were being asked to pay a bit more. This is a basic question of fairness to the 85 per cent of the population who work and who get their National Insurance deducted every week from their pay packets, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. The defiance came despite howls of anger from all sections of the Conservative party and a likely Commons revolt which could yet defeat the measure. The Budget announcement will see the nine per cent rate of Class 4 NI contributions go up to ten per cent in April 2018 and to 11 per cent a year later. According to the Treasury, 1.6m self-employed people will pay 240 on average more every year but no-one earning less than 16,200 will be worse off. Earlier, Conservative backbencher Anne-Marie Trevelyan become the latest Tory MP to speak out against the change, arguing it was a clear breach of the 2015 party manifesto. Ms Trevelyan suggested a revolt was already being planned, by bringing forward an amendment to the Finance Bill to strike out the increases. We need to halt this particular decision now, she said. I think we need to put this on hold so we can have a proper review Those who are out there working hard at their own risk no-one is going to be pick up their holiday pay they have got to be sure that a Conservative Government understands and backs them and doesnt use them as a cash cow. John McDonnell tried to put Labour at the head of efforts to block the NI hikes, insisting a large number of people dont want to be in self-employment. I hope a number of Conservative MPs will stand with us and say to the Chancellor think again, the Shadow Chancellor said, adding: We will be opposing this because it is wrong. Most damagingly for Mr Hammond, the 2015 Conservative manifesto explicitly ruled out rises in National Insurance, VAT and income tax during the lifetime of the current Parliament. Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis except themselves Show all 6 1 /6 Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis except themselves Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis except themselves The elderly We acknowledge that there are pressures on the health service, there are always extra pressures on the NHS in the winter, but we have the added pressures of the ageing population and the growing complex needs of the population, Theresa May has said. Waits of over 12 hours in A&E among elderly people have more than doubled in two years, according to figures from NHS Digital. Getty Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis except themselves Patients going to A&E instead of seeing their GPs Jeremy Hunt has called for a honest discussion with the public about the purpose of A&E departments, saying that around a third of A&E patients were in hospital unnecessarily. Mr Hunt told Radio 4s Today programme the NHS now had more doctors, nurses and funding than ever, but explained what he called very serious problems at some hospitals by suggesting pressures were increasing in part because people are going to A&Es when they should not. He urged patients to visit their GP for non-emergency illnesses, outlined plans to release time for family doctors to support urgent care work, and said the NHS will soon be able to deliver seven-day access to a GP from 8am to 8pm. But doctors struggling amid a GP recruitment crisis said Mr Hunts plans were unrealistic and demanded the Government commit to investing in all areas of the overstretched health service. Getty Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis except themselves Simon Stevens, head of NHS England Reports that key members of Ms Mays team used internal meetings to accuse Simon Stevens, head of NHS England, of being unenthusiastic and unresponsive have been rejected by Downing Street. Mr Stevens had allegedly rejected claims made by Ms May that the NHS had been given more funding than required. Getty Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis except themselves Previous health policy, not funding In an interview with Sky Newss Sophy Ridge, Ms May acknowledged the NHS faced pressures but said it was a problem that had been ducked by government over the years. She refuted the claim that hospitals were tackling a humanitarian crisis and said health funding was at record levels. We asked the NHS a while back to set out what it needed over the next five years in terms of its plan for the future and the funding that it would need, said the Prime Minister. They did that, we gave them that funding, in fact we gave them more funding than they required Funding is now at record levels for the NHS, more money has been going in. But doctors accused Ms May of being in denial about how the lack of additional funding provided for health and social care were behind a spiralling crisis in NHS hospitals. Getty Images Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis except themselves Target to treat all A&E patients within four hours Mr Hunt was accused of watering down the flagship target to treat all A&E patients within four hours. The Health Secretary told MPs the promise introduced by Tony Blairs government in 2000 should only be for those who actually need it. Amid jeers in the Commons, Mr Hunt said only four other countries pledged to treat all patients within a similar timeframe and all had less stringent rules. But Ms May has now said the Government will stand by the four-hour target for A&E, which says 95 per cent of patients must be dealt with within that time frame. Getty Images Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis except themselves No one Mr Hunt was accused of hiding from the public eye following news of the Red Crosss comments and didnt make an official statement for two days. He was also filmed refusing to answer questions from journalists who pursued him down the street yesterday to ask whether he planned to scrap the four-hour A&E waiting time target. Sky News reporter Beth Rigby pressed the Health Secretary on his position on the matter, saying the public will want to know, Mr Hunt. Sorry Beth, Ive answered questions about this already, replied Mr Hunt. But you didnt answer questions on this. You said it was over-interpreted in the House of Commons and you didnt want to water it down. Is that what youre saying? said Ms Rigby. Its very difficult, because how are we going to explain to the public what your intention is, when you change your position and then wont answer the question, Mr Hunt. But the Health Secretary maintained his silence until he reached his car and got in. Getty David Cameron took to the road, repeatedly promising to stand by the pledge and contrasting it with the jobs tax which he claimed a Labour government was planning. The Chancellor argued the pledge only applied to NI contributions paid by employers and employees not to the Class 4 type levied on the self-employed. This became clear when Parliament later passed a law to enact the manifesto commitment, he said. The measure will only raise 145m a year in the short-term, but the Treasury fears it will lose billions in future unless it acts, as self-employment grows. 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 has defended a rise in National Insurance contributions for the self-employed at a summit in Brussels, saying the increases made the tax system "fairer". But the backing for the proposal came after Number 10 refused four times to rule out a review of the controversial plan, which had raised suspicions of a U-turn. Ms May said the full effects of the reforms would be set out in a paper this summer, insisting the changes would make the system fairer and more progressive. "This is a change that leaves lower-paid self-employed workers better off, it's accompanied by more rights and protections for self-employed workers, she added. Recommended Hammond refuses to reverse tax hike despite growing Tory rebellion Earlier, her spokesman said the Prime Minister agreed with her Chancellor, Philip Hammond, that the measure was fair and necessary to close a tax loophole. However, he pointedly refused to rule out re-opening the Budget, just one day after it was delivered after at least 11 Conservative MPs called for an urgent rethink. Asked to state there would definitely be no review, the spokesman replied repeatedly by saying: The point of this Budget is to address an unfairness that has existed for some time. The fudge came as it emerged that a separate Bill will be needed to push through the increases in NI, potentially making it easier for Tory rebels to defeat them. The measure will not be part of the Finance Bill, which will enact the Budget, which is more difficult for backbenchers to amend let alone vote against. Asked by The Independent if the Prime Minister was concerned about a defeat, her spokesman replied: In terms of what will happen with the legislation, clearly Im not going to speculate. Meanwhile, Iain Duncan Smith became the most high-profile Conservative MP to say the Budget announcement broke an election commitment. The 2015 Conservative manifesto explicitly ruled out rises in National Insurance, VAT and income tax during the lifetime of the current Parliament. Budget 2017: Seven key points And David Cameron took to the road, repeatedly promising to stand by the pledge and contrasting it with the jobs tax which he claimed a Labour government was planning. I think there is always a problem if you make an absolute pledge at the time of an election and then you subsequently you dont [keep it], Mr Duncan Smith said. We all saw what happened to President Bush senior, read my lips, so some of us were slightly concerned at the time about making pledges that lock you in. To add to No.10s dilemma, Lord Tebbit told the London Evening Standard: Its a bit of a dogs dinner. I think we need to encourage people to be self-employed rather than discourage them. I dont mind dealing with rich lawyers or wealthy people who take their pay through fake companies to avoid tax. But the local plumber is not in either category. And Conservative MP Stephen McPartland a former opponent of tax credits cuts told the BBC: It is not acceptable and it cannot be allowed to proceed. Downing Streets possible wavering came after the Chancellor refused to bow to demands from his own MPs for a U-turn, saying: We have made a decision here, to make the National Insurance system a little bit fairer. The Budget announcement will see the nine per cent rate of Class 4 NI contributions go up to ten per cent in April 2018 and to 11 per cent a year later. According to the Treasury, 1.6m self-employed people will pay 240 on average more every year but no-one earning less than 16,200 will be worse off. Mr Hammond argued the manifesto pledge had not been broken, because it only applied to NI contributions paid by employers and employees not to the Class 4 type levied on the self-employed. This became clear when Parliament later passed a law to enact the manifesto commitment, he said. The measure will only raise 145m a year in the short-term, but the Treasury fears it will lose billions in future unless it acts, as self-employment grows. 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 }} Nicola Sturgeon has said next year is a common sense time to hold a second referendum on Scotlands independence. The Scottish First Minister also said 2018 was an ideal time for another attempt because the UKs post-European Union deal would look a little clearer. It comes after the Governments second Brexit defeat in the House of Lords as peers backed calls for a meaningful parliamentary vote on the final withdrawal terms. Im not ruling anything out, said Ms Sturgeon, speaking to BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg. Im going to continue to take things forward at the pace that I think is right for the country. Asked if autumn 2018 was a likely date, she replied: Within that window, of when the outline of a UK deal becomes clear and the UK exiting the EU, I think would be a common sense time for Scotland to have that choice, if that is the road we choose to go down. More than 55 per cent of Scotland voted to remain in the UK in 2014 at a time when leaving the EU was a distant pipe dream for Eurosceptics. But Ms Sturgeon has said she has a "cast-iron mandate" for a second referendum because 62 per cent of Scottish voters opted to remain in the EU last June. She has also justified an independent Scotland with the success of North Sea oil, but reports this month said the industry was in dire need of fresh capital after prices fell to 12-year lows. Jacqueline Minor, the European commission's head of representation in the UK, also said an independent Scotland would have to queue up to join the EU and would not be enrolled automatically. But SNP economic spokesman Stewart Hosie also told BBC Breakfast today that a hard Tory, cliff-edge Brexit makes a second independence referendum more likely. A looming threat of another Scottish bid to leave the union further complicates Prime Minister Theresa Mays negotiations with the other 27 member states. But under current constitutional conventions, London would have to approve a second Scottish plebiscite. Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale responded furiously to the latest comments, alluding to Ms Sturgeon's column in the The Times last week in which she said she was holding off referendum talk. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images 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 This is yet another attempt by Nicola Sturgeon to sow division and uncertainty, at a time when the country needs to pull together more than ever," said Ms Dugdale. The First Minister has been all over the place - one week she threatens a vote, the next week she backs away from one. Nicola Sturgeon could provide much-needed clarity on Scotland's future by ruling out another independence referendum altogether. Scottish Labour will never back independence and we will oppose a second referendum because we believe that together we're stronger. Brexit: Britain's Biggest Deal will air on BBC Two at 9pm. 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 }} Nigel Farage has been spotted visiting the Ecuadorian embassy in West London where Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been claiming diplomatic asylum since 2012. A source close to Mr Farage confirmed to The Independent that the Ukip politician was at the embassy to visit Mr Assange. Mr Farage, who reportedly stayed in the building for 40 minutes, was photographed emerging from the embassy, which is near the Harrods department store, accompanied by the producer of his LBC Radio programme, Christian Mitchell. Recommended Pope Francis issues veiled warning about Donald Trump He initially told the BuzzFeed News website that he could not remember what he had been doing inside the building, adding: I never discuss where I go or who I see. Mr Farage, the former leader of Ukip who still leads the partys group of MEPs, has no known links to Ecuador. The Ukip politician enjoys a cordial relationship with US president Donald Trump and had reportedly offered to act as a go-between between the Presidents administration and the UK. Mr Assange has meanwhile been accused of sympathy for Mr Trump. In January this year he said that he believed the outgoing administration of Barack Obama had been trying to delegitimise the Trump administration as it goes into the White House. Nigel Farage's most controversial moments Show all 12 1 /12 Nigel Farage's most controversial moments Nigel Farage's most controversial moments When he unveiled that 'breaking point' poster during the referendum Mr Farage was accused of deploying Nazi-style propaganda when he unveiled a poster showing Syrian refugees travelling to Europe under the next Breaking point. Users on social media were quick to compare the advert to a Nazi propaganda film with similar visuals and featuring Jewish refugees. The poster was particularly controversial because it was unveiled the morning of the killing of Labour MP Jo Cox Rex Nigel Farage's most controversial moments When he said hed be concerned if his neighbours were Romanian In May 2014 Mr Farage was accused of a racial slur against Romanians after he suggested he would be concerned living next to a house of them. I was asked if a group of Romanian men moved in next to you, would you be concerned? And if you lived in London, I think you would be, he told LBC radio during an interview. Asked whether he would also object to living next to German children, he said: You know the difference Bongarts/Getty Images Nigel Farage's most controversial moments When he said the EU campaign was won 'without a bullet being fired' Nigel Farage has said the next Prime Minister has to be a Leave supporter AFP/Getty Nigel Farage's most controversial moments When he resigned as Ukip leader and came back days later After failing to win the seat of South Thanet at the general election, Nigel Farage stepped down as Ukip leader as he had promised to do during the campaign. Days later on 11 May he un-resigned and said he would stay after being convinced by supporters within the party. Well see how long his resignation lasts this time AP/Matt Dunham Nigel Farage's most controversial moments When he blamed immigrants for making him late Mr Farage turned up late to a 25-a-head meet the leader style event in Port Talbot, Wales in December 2014. Asked why he was late, he blamed immigrants. It took me six hours and 15 minutes to get here - it should have taken three-and-a-half to four, he said. That has nothing to do with professionalism, what it does have to do with is a country in which the population is going through the roof chiefly because of open-door immigration and the fact that the M4 is not as navigable as it used to be Getty Nigel Farage's most controversial moments When he wanted to ban immigrants with HIV from Britain Mr Farage has used his platform as Ukip leader call for people with HIV to be banned from coming to Britain. Asked in an interview with Newsweek Europe in October 2014 who he thought should be allowed to come to the UK, he said: People who do not have HIV, to be frank. Thats a good start. And people with a skill. He also repeated similar comments in the 2015 general election leadership debates Getty Nigel Farage's most controversial moments When he defended the use of a racial slur against Chinese people Defending one of Ukips candidates, who used the word ch**ky to describe a Chinese person, Mr Farage said: If you and your mates were going out for a Chinese, what do you say you're going for?" When he was told by the presented that he honestly would not use the slur, Mr Farage replied: A lot would Lintao Zhang/Getty Images Nigel Farage's most controversial moments When he said parts of Britain were like a foreign land The Ukip leader used his 2014 conference speech to declare parts of Britain as being like a foreign land. He told his audience in Torquay that parts of the country were unrecognisable because of the number of foreigners there. Mr Farage has also previously said he felt uncomfortable when people spoke other language on a train Screengrab Nigel Farage's most controversial moments When he said the British army should be deployed to France At the height of trouble at Britains Calais border Mr Farage proposed a novel solution. The Ukip leader called for the British army to be sent to France to put down a migrant rebellion. In all civil emergencies like this we have an army, we have a bit of a Territorial Army as well and we have a very, very overburdened police force and border agency, he said. If in a crisis to make sure weve actually got the manpower to check lorries coming in, to stop people illegally coming to Britain, if in those circumstances we can use the army or other forces then why not AFP/Getty Nigel Farage's most controversial moments When he said breastfeeding women should sit in the corner Mr Farage sparked protests from mothers after he told women to sit on the corner if they wanted to breastfeed their children. I think that given that some people feel very embarrassed by it, it isnt too difficult to breastfeed a baby in a way that's not openly ostentatious, Mr Farage said. He added: "Or perhaps sit in the corner, or whatever it might be AFP/Getty Images Nigel Farage's most controversial moments When he said the gender pay gap exists because women are worth less At a Q&A on the European Union in January 2014 Mr Farage said there was no discrimination against women causing the gender pay gap. Instead, he said, women were paid less because they were simply worth far less than many of their male counterparts. A woman who has a client base, has a child and takes two or three years off - she is worth far less to her employer when she comes back than when she went away because that client base won't be stuck as rigidly to her portfolio, he said Getty Nigel Farage's most controversial moments When he said he actually couldnt guarantee 350m to the NHS after Brexit During the EU referendum campaign the Leave side pledged to spend 350 million a week on the National Health Service claiming that this is what the UK sends to Brussels. Nigel Farage didnt speak out against this figure and also pledged to spend EU cash on the health service and other public services himself. Then the day of the election result he suddenly changed his tone, saying he couldnt guarantee the cash for the NHS and that to pledge to do so was a mistake Getty Mr Assange, an Australian political activist, entered the embassy in June of 2012 to claim diplomatic asylum. His entry into the embassy came the month after the UK Supreme Court ruled that he should be extradited to Sweden to face questioning over allegations of rape and molestation. He denies the allegations against him. In February last year a UN panel ruled that Mr Assange had been arbitrarily detained by UK and Swedish authorities since 2010. 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 }} Downing Street has denied Theresa May dodged reporters at an EU summit to avoid questions about the National Insurance hikes controversy. The Prime Minister was running late when she arrived in Brussels and wanted to crack on with work, her spokesman said. Meanwhile, No.10 was also forced to insist she had full confidence in a Government minister who said there was a need to apologise to voters over the row. Ms May raised eyebrows in Brussels when she skipped the usual red carpet entrance for EU leaders which would have allowed her to be questioned, entering the venue by a different door. Asked to explain why, her spokesman said: She was running a bit late and thought the most important thing to do was get into the building and crack on with work. It came after No.10 refused four times to rule out a review of the controversial increases in NI for self-employed workers, raising suspicions of a retreat. The spokesman pointedly refused to rule out re-opening the Budget, just one day after it was delivered after up to 18 Conservative MPs demanded an urgent rethink. Ms May is due to face reporters at a press conference this evening, after holding talks with fellow leaders on migration and economic growth. The Budget announcement will see the nine per cent rate of Class 4 NI contributions go up to ten per cent in April 2018 and to 11 per cent a year later. According to the Treasury, 1.6m self-employed people will pay 240 on average more every year but no-one earning less than 16,200 will be worse off. Embarrassingly for ministers, the 2015 Conservative manifesto explicitly ruled out rises in National Insurance, VAT and income tax during the lifetime of the current Parliament. That embarrassment grew when Guto Bebb, a Government whip as well as a minister in the Wales Office, told the Welsh-language BBC Radio Cymru: "I believe we should apologise. I will apologise to every voter in Wales that read the Conservative manifesto in the 2015 election. Asked whether Mr Bebb could face the sack over his comment, the spokesman said: We have heard a number of opinions expressed today. The point is that this is a Budget about creating a better future for Britain while addressing an unfairness in the tax system. 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 Amazon Echo smart home device may play a role in solving a murder case in a town in the US state of Arkansas. James Bates is on trial for the November 2015 murder of his friend Victor Collins at Mr Bates home in Bentonville, and has agreed to have audio data from his Amazon Echo device turned over to prosecutors on the case to aid in their investigation. Amazon, according to court records, turned over the data the same day it was requested. But last month, Amazon filed a 90-page document contesting the police request for the recordings from 21-22 November 2015, arguing that both the users speech and the transcript of the devices response to the users commands are both protected under the First Amendment to the US Constitution. Recommended Amazon argues AI assistant Alexa has free speech rights in murder case The Amazon Echo, a voice controlled artificial intelligence 'assistant', like many smart home devices such as Google Nest, are always on. Amazon confirmed to the Washington Post that the Echo is always in listening mode, but begins recording, and storing that audio file, once given a wake word that triggers the recording - like a user saying Alexa. Now that Mr Bates has agreed that the audio recordings are turned over to the police, Amazon has cover to turn over the data, Mark Testoni, President of software company SAP National Security Services, told The Independent. However, the Amazon Echo murder case is indicative of a broader issue: the privacy concerns of companies and law enforcement investigations. Another such case was that of Apple resisting the request of the FBI for the company to assist the agency in accessing encrypted Apple devices which had been confiscated during counter-terrorism and criminal investigations. Apple also argued that it would be a violation of the privacy of its users to do so. However, Mr Testoni explained, we give our privacy over all the time to companies in disclosures on iPhone apps, but were reticent for companies to turn that over to the government. The problem, Mr Testoni said, is that new sources of data that werent even thought of ten years ago are having to be regulated by policies and laws formed in the 1980s that really only related to telecommunications companies phone records. So much more data is being collected now by smart home devices, said Mr Testoni. He expects that the US will have to have a healthy public policy debate. Most companies would welcome policy that balances private security and law enforcement activities. The underlying problem, according to Mr Testoni, is formulating policy and regulations that will take into account the rapid forward progress of technology. He explained that many regulations have barely caught up with the internet and weve had that for 25 years. Until then, he thinks we will see more stories of companies like that of Amazon or Apple resisting the FBIs request to weaken encryption on devices confiscated in counterterrorism and criminal investigations in order to access them. 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 }} Women's group in Brazil are reacting with anger after President Michel Temer praised females in his International Women's Day speech for taking care of homes, nurturing families and checking prices at supermarkets. Temer made the comments in a ceremony at the presidential place Wednesday. The unpopular leader also said Brazilian women have more chances to join the labour market now beyond taking care of domestic affairs and he said women are treated as second-class citizens in other parts of the world, without providing details. But his praise of women as homemakers outraged activists who accused him of playing down the role of women in society. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Show all 13 1 /13 Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Ida Wells An African-American journalist and activist born in Mississippi in 1862, she wrote prolifically on the fight for womens suffrage as well as the struggle for civil rights. She documented the practice of lynching black people in the southern states showing how it was often used as means of controlling or punishing black people who competed with whites rather than as a means of justice for crimes. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Lotifa El Nadi Egypts first female pilot born in 1907 in Cairo. Although her father saw no need for her to pursue secondary education, expecting her to marry and have a family, she rebelled and worked as a secretary and telephone operator at a flying school in exchange for lessons as she had no other means to pay for the training. Her achievements made headlines around the world when she flew over the pyramids and competed in international flying races. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Frida Kahlo A Mexican painter and activist born in Mexico City in 1907, her work has been celebrated internationally as emblematic of Mexican national and indigenous traditions and by feminists for its honest depiction of female experience. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Lina Bo Bardi A Brazilian architect, born in Italy in 1914, she devoted her life to the promotion of the social and cultural potential of architecture and design. She is also celebrated for her furniture and jewellery designs. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Olga Skorokhodova A Soviet scientist born into a poor Ukranian peasant family in 1911, she lost her vision and hearing at the age of five. Overcoming these difficulties in a remarkable way, she became a researcher in the field of communication and created a number of scientific works concerning the development of education of deaf-blind children. She was also a teacher, therapist and writer. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Miriam Makeba A South African singer and civil rights activist born in Johannesburg in 1932, she was forced to work as a child following her fathers death. She became a teenage mother after a brief and allegedly abusive marriage at 17, before she was discovered as a singer of jazz and African melodies. After becoming hugely successful in the US and winning a Grammy, she became involved in the civil rights struggle stateside as well as in the campaign against apartheid in her home country, writing political songs. Upon her death, South African President Nelson Mandela said that her music inspired a powerful sense of hope in all of us. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Sally Ride An American astronaut and physicist, she was born in Los Angeles in 1951 and joined NASA in 1978 after gaining her PhD. She became the first American woman and the third woman ever to go into space in 1983 at the age of 32. Prior to her first space flight, she attracted attention because of her gender and at press conferences, was asked questions such as, Will the flight affect your reproductive organs? She later worked as an academic at the University of California, San Diego. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Halet Cambel A Turkish archaeologist born in 1916, she became the first Muslim women to compete in the Olympics in the 1936 Berlin games as a fencer. She declined an invitation to meet Adolf Hitler on political grounds, and after the conclusion of the Second World War, she trained as an architect and later worked as an academic in Turkey and Germany. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Ada Lovelace An English mathematician and writer born in 1815, she became the worlds first computer programmer. The daughter of poet George Byron, she is chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine, and was the first to recognise the machine had applications beyond pure calculation, creating the first algorithm intended to be carried out by such a machine. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Rukmini Devi An Indian dancer and choreographer credited with reviving Indian classical dance, she was born in 1904 and presented her form of dance on stage even though it was considered low and vulgar in the 1920s. She features in India Todays list of 100 people who shaped India having also worked to re-establish traditional Indian arts and crafts and as an animal rights activist. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Cecilia Grierson An Argentine physician, reformer born in Buenes Aires in 1859, she became the first woman in Argentina to receive a medical degree having previously worked as a teacher. Women were barred from entering medical school at the time, so she first volunteered as an unpaid lab assistant before she was allowed to train as a doctor. She was acclaimed for her work during a cholera epidemic before going on to found the first nursing school in Argentina. The harassment she experienced at medical school helped make her a militant advocate for womens rights in Argentina. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Lee Tai-young Koreas first female lawyer and judge born in 1914 in what is now North Korea, she was also an activist who founded the countrys first legal aid centre and fought for womens rights throughout her career. Her often mentioned refrain was, No society can or will prosper without the cooperation of women. She worked as a teacher, married and had four children before she was able to begin her legal career after the Second World War, becoming the first woman to enter Seoul National University. She also fought for civil rights in the country and was arrested in 1977 for her beliefs, receiving a three-year suspended sentence and a ten year disbarment. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Suzanne Lenglen A French tennis champion born in 1899, she popularised the sport winning 31 championships and dominating the womens sport for over a decade. She was the first female tennis celebrity and one of the first international women sports stars, overcoming a childhood plagued with ill health including chronic asthma which continued to plague her in her adult life. At 15, she became the youngest ever winner of a major championship and lost only seven matches during her entire career. She received widespread criticism for her decision to turn professional, but defended her right to make a decent living in the days when the grand slam tournaments paid a relative pittance to the winners. Temer took over as president in May and he initially appointed an all-male Cabinet. Now his 28-member Cabinet has two women. AP 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 top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee wants to speak with the British author of an unsubstantiated report alleging the Russian government had compromising material on President Trump. Representative Adam Schiff told MSNBCs Rachel Maddow on Tuesday that he was more than willing to meet author Christopher Steele in any manner that he is comfortable, even if it meant connecting with him on his own turf instead of in the House Intelligence Committees hearing room. Schiff added that other members of the committee would join me in that. His entreaty to Steele comes just one day after Schiff and committee Chairman Devin Nunes (Republican-California) announced they would hold an open hearing on March 20 - the first of their investigation into Russias alleged meddling in the 2016 elections. The panel chiefs invited the FBI director, the director of national intelligence, and the former heads of the CIA and the Department of Justice to testify at the hearing. Nunes added that he would welcome the testimony of anyone else with information pertinent to the investigation, and would be willing to accommodate a closed-door forum for those with concerns about the sensitivity of the information they planned to disclose. Steele could potentially fall into that category - though Nunes did not mention him specifically. The former MI6 officer reemerged Tuesday after several weeks in apparent hiding. He eschewed the opportunity to comment on the firestorm set off by BuzzFeeds publication of his secret, unsubstantiated report alleging Trumps ties to Moscow range from financial entanglements to salacious trysts. The report initially gained notoriety after intelligence community officials elected to brief then-president elect Trump on a summary of its contents, delivered alongside an official assessment that alleged Russian authorities masterminded a series of cyber hacks and disclosures of hacked information in an attempt to steer the presidential election in Trumps favour. Not everyone on Capitol Hill believes that assessment - or other accusations that Trump team members colluded with Kremlin authorities to advance the presidents candidacy - is entirely accurate. I dont believe that to be the case, Nunes said this week, when asked if he believed there was any coordination between the Trump team and Moscow. I dont think the evidence exists for that. The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Nunes noted that the investigation was in its early stages - a warning being repeated by leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee as they dig in on a similar probe. The American people deserve to hear all of the facts, Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner (Democrat-Virginia) said Wednesday, having recently returned from a visit to CIA headquarters at Langley where he said he and a small group of other senators combed through a first round of documents in big, big binders pertaining to the investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the election. The 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 Trumps controversial claim that Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower during the 2016 election campaign has been dismissed by the former director of both the National Security Agency (NSA) and the CIA. Michael Hayden replied with a categoric no when asked on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert whether the former President had ordered surveillance on Mr Trump's office. "In the 1970s, we took the authority to direct that action out of the hands of the President and we put it in the hands of the federal court system, said the retired US Air Force general. General Hayden agreed that this power had been removed from US leaders after the Watergate scandal, when the Democratic headquarters were spied on with the knowledge of President Richard Nixon. Mr Nixon was forced to resign over the scandal. Special Report: Watergate - the untold story Show all 4 1 /4 Special Report: Watergate - the untold story Special Report: Watergate - the untold story pg-32-watergate-1-reuters.jpg Reuters Special Report: Watergate - the untold story pg-32-watergate-2-ap.jpg AP Special Report: Watergate - the untold story pg-32-watergate-3-ap.jpg AP Special Report: Watergate - the untold story pg-32-watergate-4-corbis.jpg Corbis The only part of the US Government that has the authority to authorise wiretaps is "a federal judge, General Hayden explained. Mr Trump made the allegation on Twitter, but has subsequently failed to provide any evidence to back up his claim. On Saturday morning, he seemed to have forgotten that he was the President of the United States, General Hayden said, when asked why Mr Trump would make such allegations. He said Mr Trump could have contacted former Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, and FBI director James Comey to relay his suspicions, instead of sharing them with his 26.2 million Twitter followers. General Hayden also responded to a report from WikiLeaks which claimed the CIA is hacking smart phones and televisions to spy on their owners. Recommended CIA refuses to acknowledge huge WikiLeaks files release I can tell you that these tools would not be used against an American, he said. Mr Obama was said to be "furious" about the allegations which saw Mr Trump brand him a sick or bad man. His official spokesman, Kevin Lewis, strenuously denied them on his behalf. A cardinal rule of the Obama Administration was that no White House official ever interfered with any independent investigation led by the Department of Justice, he said in a statement. As part of that practice, neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any US citizen. Any suggestion otherwise is simply false. 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 }} Among the many questionable claims that have come from the White House over the past month and a half, one of the most questionable came from an unexpected source: Chief of Staff Reince Priebus. Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference last month, Priebus asserted that the policies President Trump had outlined to that point met with the approval of 80 percent of the American public. We considered that claim and determined it to be true - if you considered only Republicans to be Americans. An expansive new poll from Quinnipiac University allows us to look at the question more closely. The pollsters gauged public opinion on a broad range of issues that have already emerged from the Trump White House - policy on Russia, transgender school bathroom use, deportations. On only one did more people agree with Trumps position than oppose it. Here is the data, broken out by party. In those situations where support or opposition tops 50 percent, the bars are slightly darker in colour. (The Washington Post (The Washington Post) (In most cases, the question posed by the pollster was whether Trump should or should not take an action. The question on policy toward Russia was approve/disapprove. Support for Trumps position on transgender students is to oppose bathroom choice. On deportation, the question was whether Trump was being too aggressive; support for Trump in this case was a combination of acting appropriately and not aggressive enough. Gaps in the bars indicate those responding who werent sure of their opinion.) On nearly every issue, Trump gets majority support only from Republicans. In the case of lowering taxes on the wealthy, he doesnt even get that. In every case where the results are about split, both overall and within party responses, more people oppose Trumps view than support it. But notice infrastructure, if you havent already. Spending more money to improve roads and airports (among other things) meets with overwhelming approval. More than 90 percent of the members of each party agree that such spending would be warranted. This highlights the partisanship that locked Washington over the past eight years. Infrastructure spending is popular, and President Barack Obama consistently called for new spending, but no major infrastructure spending bill passed the Republican-controlled Congress. The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters That same partisanship is clear in the various policy measures displayed above. Republicans generally strongly approve of Trumps positions, and Democrats generally oppose them. This is why opinions are split on so many issues and why the opinions of independents usually align so closely with the overall value. And this isnt new to Trump, either. Obamas approval ratings were often mired in the mid-to-upper-40s because of the same split of support, just in the opposite direction. The Quinnipiac data does make very clear, though, that any claim to a mandate for his policies by Trump is simply incorrect. The only group that consistently agrees with what Trump is doing is his base of Republican voters. So far, thats been more than enough for him to be successful. The 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 }} White House aides are reportedly stalling the appointment of new staff members because they are scrutinising candidates' social media profiles for criticism of Donald Trump. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is said to have complained that Mr Trumps advisers are resisting his efforts to get the Treasury up and running by blocking his staff picks. Sources told Bloomberg that his choices for deputy secretary, undersecretaries for domestic finance and international affairs, general counsel and several other posts are still awaiting approval from the Trump administration. Mr Mnuchins choice for the Treasurys most senior lawyer Brent McIntosh was reportedly met with heavy resistance from the White House after his Twitter account was flagged as hosting potentially negative content about Mr Trump. Mr Trump has not addressed the claims however he denied reports of infighting and disorder under his administration on Twitter. He tweeted: Don't let the FAKE NEWS tell you that there is big infighting in the Trump Admin. We are getting along great, and getting major things done! Mr Mnuchin announced highly ambitious economic growth targets earlier this month when he gave his first interview as Treasury Secretary. He told The Wall Street Journal that lacklustre economic growth since the financial crisis had been the result of policies introduced by the Obama administration. These could be reversed, he said. He added that under Mr Trump, the government aims to sustain growth of three per cent or higher annually. A White House spokesperson told Bloomberg there was no effort to block his choices, for political or other reasons, but declined to discuss specific individuals. The Independent has separately contacted the White House and the Treasury for comment. 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 }} After spending months rehashing the brutal GOP primary campaign and bragging about his victory, President Donald Trump has quietly launched a charm offensive, reaching out to former rivals whose help he now needs. The latest on his list: Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who has said he has significant concerns about the GOP health care bill Trump is pushing for passage. The president and first lady hosted Cruz and his wife, Heidi, and their two daughters for dinner Wednesday night - a day after Trump broke bread with Senator Lindsay Graham, another rival, over lunch. Trump has also been spending time with Senator Marco Rubio, giving him a ride to Florida on Air Force One last week and hosting him and his wife for dinner at the White House. He met recently with Governor John Kasich of Ohio, hosted Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey and his wife for Valentine's Day meatloaf, and had a working lunch with Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin - all former campaign foes. The meetings come as Trump continues to lob unsupported accusations at his predecessor in the White House, Barack Obama, alienating a potential source of guidance as he's turned his focus toward selling a legislative agenda that he'll need every possible ally to pass. That means wooing former rivals like Cruz and Senator Rand Paul, whom Trump has spoken to several times since taking office, including this week, said Paul's spokesman Sergio Gor. But the 2016 Republican campaign was uniquely brutal, leading to some awkward interactions. During the campaign, Trump not only went after Cruz, giving him the nickname 'Lyin' Ted,' questioning his faith and bizarrely suggesting his father may have been involved in the Kennedy assassination. He also went after Cruz's wife, re-tweeting an unflattering photo of her next to his wife and threatening to spill the beans on her. Cruz responded by calling Trump a snivelling coward and labelling him a pathological liar and utterly amoral. Cruz also declined to endorse Trump in his Republican Convention speech. Press secretary Sean Spicer ignored a question Wednesday about whether the President intended to apologise to Heidi Cruz, saying instead: I think they're looking forward to a great dinner. This is a president that's going to engage with everybody that can help join in proposing ideas and thoughts and opinions on how to move the country forward. So he looks forward to dinner tonight with Senator and Mrs. Cruz as he has with several others, he said. Spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders noted the president has been holding meeting after meeting as he tries to sell the health care bill. I think there's outreach to most of Congress, she said. Cruz, who met with the president a week after the election, seemed equally willing to bury the hatchet. He told reporters ahead of the dinner that the president had called him several weeks ago and invited him and his family to dinner, and said, we're very much looking forward to it. It's principally a social dinner but I'm sure the conversation will turn to the repeal of Obamacare and I have serious concerns about the House bill as drafted. I do not believe the House bill as currently drafted would pass the Senate, he said. Trump has in the past marvelled at politicians' abilities to move on, even after brutal election campaigns. It's a very strange phenomenon, he recently told Fox News, describing his ability to get along with Obama, despite their nasty election rivalry as Obama campaigned on behalf of Democrat Hillary Clinton. What amazed me is that I was vicious to him in statements, he was vicious to me in statements, and here we are getting along, we're riding up Pennsylvania Avenue, talk - we don't even mention it, he said. I guess that's the world of politics. Trump's latest unsupported claim on Twitter that Obama ordered wiretaps on Trump, has apparently chilled those relations a bit. Even Graham, one of Trump's fiercest critics during the primary, seems to agree with the idea of moving past the campaign rhetoric. After their lunch, Graham praised Trump, saying he was strongly committed to rebuilding our military which is music to my ears. President Trump is in deal-making mode and I hope Congress is like-minded. Graham also appeared to forgive the president for once reading out his personal cellphone number to a rally crowd. How good was the meeting? I gave him my NEW cell phone number, Graham tweeted. Jason Miller, who worked for Trump's campaign and transition, said that Cruz and other past rivals are eager to find ways to work together. The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters I think there's a feeling of optimism and confidence that we can actually pass a conservative agenda, he said. Yet there is one rival candidate who has yet to make nice with the president: former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. While Bush has been in touch with members of the Trump administration, he has yet to make an appearance with Trump and his spokeswoman Kristy Campbell said he has no immediate plans to dine with the president. AP 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 Trumps landlord is a Chilean billionaire suing the US government over a multi-billion dollar mine, it has emerged. Donald Trumps daughter, and husband Jared Kushner, who is a senior adviser to the US President, started renting a $5.5 million home in Washington DC around the time of the inauguration. The ultimate owner, Andronico Luksic, is lobbying the government to persuade it to give the green light for a huge and environmentally controversial mine in Minnesota. It raises yet more questions over Mr Trumps family ties to big global business and its potential to corrupt the administration. It is a political-appearance question, said ethics lawyer Rob Walker, of Wiley Rein LLP. Deservedly or not, critics may still question the propriety of entering into any significant transaction with an individual with these apparent interests before the administration. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports how Tracy DC Real Estate Inc, which Mr Luksic owns, bought the six-bedroom house in the Kalorama neighbourhood in late December. The famous couple moved in towards the end of January after a broker, according to a White House spokesman, put it all together. But the newspaper claims the house was not listed for rent on the Metropolitan Regional Information System, which advertises listings. Trevor Potter, a Republican lawyer who chaired the Federal Election Commission, said: To me, the favour is having a house made available to them on short notice. Mr Luksics family is reportedly the wealthiest in Chile and Forbes values its mining, banking and industrial empire at $13.1bn. In September, Twin Metals Minnesota LLC, a Luksic firm, sued the US government in a federal court over the preliminary move by the Interior Department to deny renewals of two mineral leases. In its waning days in December, the Barack Obama administration officially blocked the leases, despite the firm reportedly spending $160,000 on lobbying Congress. It means another Luksic company, Antogagasta PLC, cannot tap into an estimated $40bn in minerals. The area sits on US Forest Service land, next to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, which is a 1.1m acre tract of lakes and forest protected by government since 1926. A Twin Metals spokesman told WSJ it has asked Mr Trumps team to reverse the mineral-lease decision. The fact Mr Luksic is effectively providing a roof over Mr Trumps daughters head may raise questions over whether the US President owes the South American tycoon anything in return. Rodrigo Terre, a relative of Mr Luksic who manages his investments, said there was categorically no relationship between the house and the Minnesota dispute. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty Mr Luksic admits meeting Mr Trump once at a New England Patriots game about four years ago. Mr Luksic tweeting in Spanish has since called the WSJ article lamentable because the house and mine are two completely independent subjects. He also tweeted: I do not know Trump or any member of his family. Four or five years ago I greeted him at the Patriots stadium in Boston. Mr Terre said the company bought the Washington house because it wanted to capitalise on Mr Trumps victory by offering rental for government employees. The Independent has also contacted the White House for comment. 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 }} President Donald Trump has offered former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman the position as US ambassador to Russia, a high-profile and sensitive post amid investigations into the contacts between Russian officials and the Trump campaign. Trump made the offer to Huntsman earlier this week, according to a White House official not authorised to discuss the move publicly until it is announced. Huntsman has indicated that he will accept the post, the official said Wednesday. The former governor did not immediately return a request for comment. Huntsman has twice before served as an ambassador. He was the nation's top diplomat to Singapore under President George H.W. Bush and then served in that role in China under President Barack Obama. Huntsman, who ran for president in 2012, was also briefly under consideration to be Trump's Secretary of State. The former governor, a Mormon, had an up-and-down relationship with Trump during last year's campaign. He was slow to endorse any candidate for the Republican nomination though did back Trump once he became the presumptive nominee. But Huntsman then called for Trump to drop out after the October release of a 2005 video in which Trump is captured on a hot microphone making lewd comments about women. He said then that the campaign cycle has been nothing but a race to the bottom and called for Trump's running mate, then-Indiana Governor Mike Pence, to top the GOP ticket. Trump also went after Huntsman during his tenure as ambassador to Beijing. In a series of tweets in 2011 and 2012, the celebrity businessman called Huntsman a lightweight and weak and claimed that China did a major number on us during his tenure. Trump has repeatedly disparaged Huntsman on Twitter (Donald J. Trump/Twitter) But Huntsman and Trump buried their differences during the transition, the official said. If confirmed, Huntsman would become one of the highest-profile US ambassadors, helming the diplomatic mission to a country that has that has seen its relationship with the US deteriorate in recent years, particularly after accusations that Russia meddled with last year's 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 Huntsman would also take the post amid ongoing investigations into contacts between Trump's team and the Kremlin. Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was forced to resign after misleading Pence about the nature of his conversations with the Russian ambassador to the United States. And Attorney General Jeff Sessions has faced Democratic calls for his resignation after he did not say in his Senate confirmation hearing that he had two conversations with that same ambassador. Sessions has recused himself from any investigation of Trump's ties to Russia. AP 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 Office of Government Ethics has expressed consternation that Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway was let off the hook for advising Fox News viewers to "go buy Ivanka [Trumps] stuff." OGE director Walter Shaub wrote in a letter to the White House that he was concerned regarding Ms Conways "misuse of position". Ms Conway made the remarks during a Fox News interview in early February and was quickly rebuked by Democrats. The previous day, Donald Trump had attacked retailer Nordstrom on twitter for choosing to drop his daughters brand. Recommended White House rebuffs ethics office call to discipline Kellyanne Conway The OGE recommended disciplinary action due to national rules which forbid executive branch employees from endorsing products. The OGE has limited power - it can only recommend disciplinary action when it comes to the executive branch. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Ms Conway "has been counseled". Stefan Passantino, Deputy Counselor to the President, decided not to take disciplinary action, saying in a letter on 28 February that Ms Conway had been speaking "in a light, off-hand manner while attempting to stand up for a person she believed had been unfairly treated." In response, Mr Shaub criticised the White Houses "extraordinary" assertion that OGE regulations do not apply to the Presidents staff. Kellyanne Conway tells Americans to 'go buy Ivanka's stuff' "Not taking disciplinary action against a senior official under such circumstances risks undermining the ethics program," Mr Shaub wrote in a letter dated 9 March. "It is critical to the public's faith in the integrity of government that White House employees be held to the same standard of ethical accountability as other executive branch employees," he added. Jason Chaffetz, Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, wrote to the OGE recommending an investigation on 9 February. Mr Chaffetz was recently shouted down at a town hall in Utah, where the audience chanted: "Do your job." He has not investigated Mr Trump's alleged conflicts of interest or ties to Russia, but he tweeted that what Ms Conway did was "wrong, wrong, wrong". Nordstrom was just one of several retailers that decided to stop selling the Ivanka Trump brand. Nordstrom said the decision was based on poor sales figures, not politics. Mr Trump replied online that the store was treating his eldest daughter unfairly. Ms Conway pitched in the following day on Fox & Friends. "It's a wonderful line," she said. "I own some of it. I fully I'm going to just, I'm going to give a free commercial here: Go buy it today, everybody. You can find it online." Ms Conway has made several gaffes in recent weeks. These included being photographed with her feet up on the sofa in the Oval Office, referring to the "Bowling Green massacre" in Kentucky which never happened - she later apologised - and justifying Sean Spicer's incorrect statements by calling them "alternative facts". 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 }} Mitch McConnell did not mince his words when asked whether Mexico would reimburse the US for the border wall. "Uh, no." The Senate Majority Leader's response during a Politico interview dashes the hopes of Republicans and taxpayers as to who will foot the mounting bill which could end up as much as $20 billion, according to various estimates. Recommended Mexican politician climbs border wall to make point about Trump policy Mr McConnell's remark also casts doubt on confident assertions made to the contrary by the President and House Speaker Paul Ryan, who recently said on MSNBC that there were "several ways" Mexico could pay up. In January, the bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget found that $120 per US household would be added to the national debt. Donald Trumps key campaign pledge was to keep out the "bad dudes" and his solution was to build a 1,900-mile wall across the southern US border. Shortly after entering office, the new President signed an executive order to begin construction of the wall, which would run through deserts, swamp land and rocky terrain. Much of the border is covered by a metal fence already. Donald Trump orders construction of Mexico border wall At first he insisted Mexico would pay for the wall, but this assertion was flatly contradicted by current Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, and former President Vicente Fox. "We are not paying for that f***ing wall," said Mr Fox. Mr Trump then said the US would pay for the wall first and be reimbursed. Mr Pena Nieto also dismissed this, and cancelled his first visit to Mr Trump in Washington DC. The incident has made relations between the US and Mexico rather frosty so early on in Mr Trump's first term. 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 }} Sophie Gregoire Trudeau has sparked outrage for her International Womens Day message which urged women to use the day to celebrate men who promote gender equality. The Canadian Prime Ministers wife shared a photo of herself and Justin Trudeau and encouraged others to post a photo with a "male ally" on social media to commemorate the day. Ms Gregoire Trudeau, a former television presenter, suggested the inclusion of men would create a movement which is more inclusive towards both genders. Lets celebrate the boys and men in our lives who encourage us to be who we truly are, who treat girls & women with respect, and who arent afraid to speak up in front of others, she wrote beneath a photo of herself and Mr Trudeau, a self-described feminist, holding hands in ski wear. Take a picture holding hands with your male ally & share it on social media using the hashtag #TomorrowInHand. Together, we can create a movement that inspires more men to join the fight to build a better tomorrow with equal rights & opportunities for everyone because equality matters. People suggested Ms Gregoire Trudeaus post was tone deaf, utterly ridiculous, and shameful. They argued she had missed the point of International Womens Day and claimed 364 days of the year were centred around the celebration of men. "Why do we have to celebrate men on international women's day? I am puzzled," Bibi Ebel asked in a popular comment on Facebook. "There are so many things that can be done to celebrate women, and yet the call goes out to celebrating men. Allies and unity are crucial, but so is womanhood." We could make International Women's Day one thing that we don't make about men. Instead, lets take a picture holding hands with a woman who has encouraged us to be who we truly are, added Jennifer McDade. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Show all 13 1 /13 Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Ida Wells An African-American journalist and activist born in Mississippi in 1862, she wrote prolifically on the fight for womens suffrage as well as the struggle for civil rights. She documented the practice of lynching black people in the southern states showing how it was often used as means of controlling or punishing black people who competed with whites rather than as a means of justice for crimes. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Lotifa El Nadi Egypts first female pilot born in 1907 in Cairo. Although her father saw no need for her to pursue secondary education, expecting her to marry and have a family, she rebelled and worked as a secretary and telephone operator at a flying school in exchange for lessons as she had no other means to pay for the training. Her achievements made headlines around the world when she flew over the pyramids and competed in international flying races. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Frida Kahlo A Mexican painter and activist born in Mexico City in 1907, her work has been celebrated internationally as emblematic of Mexican national and indigenous traditions and by feminists for its honest depiction of female experience. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Lina Bo Bardi A Brazilian architect, born in Italy in 1914, she devoted her life to the promotion of the social and cultural potential of architecture and design. She is also celebrated for her furniture and jewellery designs. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Olga Skorokhodova A Soviet scientist born into a poor Ukranian peasant family in 1911, she lost her vision and hearing at the age of five. Overcoming these difficulties in a remarkable way, she became a researcher in the field of communication and created a number of scientific works concerning the development of education of deaf-blind children. She was also a teacher, therapist and writer. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Miriam Makeba A South African singer and civil rights activist born in Johannesburg in 1932, she was forced to work as a child following her fathers death. She became a teenage mother after a brief and allegedly abusive marriage at 17, before she was discovered as a singer of jazz and African melodies. After becoming hugely successful in the US and winning a Grammy, she became involved in the civil rights struggle stateside as well as in the campaign against apartheid in her home country, writing political songs. Upon her death, South African President Nelson Mandela said that her music inspired a powerful sense of hope in all of us. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Sally Ride An American astronaut and physicist, she was born in Los Angeles in 1951 and joined NASA in 1978 after gaining her PhD. She became the first American woman and the third woman ever to go into space in 1983 at the age of 32. Prior to her first space flight, she attracted attention because of her gender and at press conferences, was asked questions such as, Will the flight affect your reproductive organs? She later worked as an academic at the University of California, San Diego. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Halet Cambel A Turkish archaeologist born in 1916, she became the first Muslim women to compete in the Olympics in the 1936 Berlin games as a fencer. She declined an invitation to meet Adolf Hitler on political grounds, and after the conclusion of the Second World War, she trained as an architect and later worked as an academic in Turkey and Germany. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Ada Lovelace An English mathematician and writer born in 1815, she became the worlds first computer programmer. The daughter of poet George Byron, she is chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine, and was the first to recognise the machine had applications beyond pure calculation, creating the first algorithm intended to be carried out by such a machine. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Rukmini Devi An Indian dancer and choreographer credited with reviving Indian classical dance, she was born in 1904 and presented her form of dance on stage even though it was considered low and vulgar in the 1920s. She features in India Todays list of 100 people who shaped India having also worked to re-establish traditional Indian arts and crafts and as an animal rights activist. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Cecilia Grierson An Argentine physician, reformer born in Buenes Aires in 1859, she became the first woman in Argentina to receive a medical degree having previously worked as a teacher. Women were barred from entering medical school at the time, so she first volunteered as an unpaid lab assistant before she was allowed to train as a doctor. She was acclaimed for her work during a cholera epidemic before going on to found the first nursing school in Argentina. The harassment she experienced at medical school helped make her a militant advocate for womens rights in Argentina. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Lee Tai-young Koreas first female lawyer and judge born in 1914 in what is now North Korea, she was also an activist who founded the countrys first legal aid centre and fought for womens rights throughout her career. Her often mentioned refrain was, No society can or will prosper without the cooperation of women. She worked as a teacher, married and had four children before she was able to begin her legal career after the Second World War, becoming the first woman to enter Seoul National University. She also fought for civil rights in the country and was arrested in 1977 for her beliefs, receiving a three-year suspended sentence and a ten year disbarment. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Suzanne Lenglen A French tennis champion born in 1899, she popularised the sport winning 31 championships and dominating the womens sport for over a decade. She was the first female tennis celebrity and one of the first international women sports stars, overcoming a childhood plagued with ill health including chronic asthma which continued to plague her in her adult life. At 15, she became the youngest ever winner of a major championship and lost only seven matches during her entire career. She received widespread criticism for her decision to turn professional, but defended her right to make a decent living in the days when the grand slam tournaments paid a relative pittance to the winners. 364 days a year I am all up to holding hands with my favourite men and creating partnerships and alliances that will support equality, read one of the top-ranked replies. But today I dont want to celebrate men. I want to remember all women who protested against not being able to vote, talked about unequal pay, stood up to the society, protecting our rights and freedoms. Some argued Ms Gregoire Trudeaus post shared parallels with the much-criticised mantra of All Lives Matter. The phrase has come under heavy criticism from the Black Lives Matter movement in the US. They argue the counter-term misunderstands the phrase Black Lives Matter and interprets it as meaning black lives matter more than any other lives when in actual fact it is an attempt to highlight the fact that black people's lives are relatively undervalued in the US and they are more likely to be the victims of police brutality. Others argued her husbands policies did not match his often-touted feminist credentials and labelled him a lip-service feminist. Recommended Sophie Gregoire Trudeau prompts debate after asking for more help Nevertheless, not everyone was angered by the message, with many voicing their support for her decision to include men. Ian Stumpf said: "Ma'am, despite the backlash you're taking over this, I'd like to say thank you for the spirit of inclusion it was clearly meant in. Ms Gregoire Trudeau rushed to defend the controversial post, which garnered almost 4,000 comments, just hours later. Well, now were having a conversation! Thanks to everyone for your feedback and pics! Love it, she said in a second post. Our goal is gender equality, and fighting for it is going to require men and women working together raising our boys and girls to make a difference, hand-in-hand. This is about recognising that we should be allies on this journey". Speaking at an event on Wednesday, she said she had written the post because she wanted men and women to be unified in the fight for equality. Conservative MP Michelle Rempel countered her view, saying: "It looked like the PMO sat around and said, 'How can we make International Women's Day about a photo of Justin Trudeau. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington 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 Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Barack Obama reportedly rolled his eyes at Donald Trumps allegations over alleged wiretapping during the US election. His representatives have denied that the former President made any kind of surveillance order on Trump Tower, leaving such powers to the Justice Department. A source close to Mr Obama told NBC News he felt the claims undermine the integrity of the office of the President but do not undermine his own integrity, because he didn't do it. Former director of national intelligence denies there was a 'wiretap' at Trump Tower [Mr Obama] is much more concerned by President Trump kicking people off their health insurance, not staffing the government, not being prepared for a crisis, rolling back regulations so that corporations can pollute the air and water and letting mentally unstable people buy guns with no problems whatsoever, the source was quoted as saying. He cares about all those things much more than what President Trump tweets at the TV each morning. Mr Trump made the allegations in a stream of tweets early on Saturday morning, where he accused the former administration of Cold War-era McCarthyism. Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my wires tapped in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found, he wrote. How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy! [sic] In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Show all 30 1 /30 In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump President-elect Donald Trump acknowledges guests as he arrives on the platform at the US Capitol in Washington DC Getty Images In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump looks on during the 58th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington AP In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump President Donald Trump shakes hands with Justice John Roberts after taking the oath at inauguration ceremonies swearing in Trump as the 45th president of the United States Reuters In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump President Donald Trump raises his fists after his inauguration on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol Getty In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump U.S. President-elect Donald Trump greets outgoing President Barack Obama before Trump is inaugurated during ceremonies on the Capitol in Washington Reuters In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump resident-elect Donald Trump arrives on the platform of the US Capitol in Washington DC Getty Images In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Attendees partake in the inauguration ceremonies to swear in Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States at the U.S. Capitol in Washington DC Reuters In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump US President Donald Trump delivers his inaugural address during ceremonies at the US Capitol in Washington DC Getty In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump U.S. President Donald Trump waves with wife Melania during the Inaugural Parade in Washington DC Reuters In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Protesters registered their rage against the new president Friday in a chaotic confrontation with police who used pepper spray and stun grenades in a melee just blocks from Donald Trump's inaugural parade route. Scores were arrested for trashing property and attacking officers AP In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Demonstrators protest against US President Donald Trump in Washington DC Getty Images In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump A woman holds a sign before the start of the Presidential Inauguration of Donald Trump at Freedom Plaza in Washington DC Getty Images In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Anti-Trump protesters prepare banners for a protest against the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, in Berlin REUTERS In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Demonstrators shout slogans against US President-elect Donald Trump in Washington DC Getty Images In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Demonstrators march, block foot traffic and clash with U.S. Capitol Police at the entry checkpoints for the Inauguration of Donald Trump Alamy Live News In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Demonstrators display a banner as people arrive for US President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration in Washington DC Getty Images In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump A man displays a placard as people lineup to get into the National Mall for the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump in Washington DC Getty Images In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Protesters demonstrating against U.S. President Donald Trump raise their hands as they are surrounded by police on the sidelines of the inauguration in Washington DC Reuters In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump A demonstrator wearing a mask depicting Donald Trump protests outside the US Embassy in London Getty Images In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Demonstrators hold placards as they protest outside the US Embassy in London Getty Images In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Former US President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush arrive for the Presidential Inauguration at the US Capitol Rex In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden share an umbrella as President Donald Trump delivers his inaugural address at the inauguration in Washington DC Rex In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton arrive on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington Reuters In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump U.S. Vice President Mike Pence takes the oath of office on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC Getty Images In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Advisors to President-elect Donald Trump, Kellyanne Conway and Steve Bannon depart from services at St. John's Church during the Presidential Inauguration in Washington Reuters In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Protesters demonstrating against U.S. President Donald Trump take cover as they are hit by pepper spray by police on the sidelines of the inauguration in Washington DC Reuters In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump An activist demonstrating against U.S. President Donald Trump is helped after being hit by pepper spray on the sidelines of the inauguration in Washington DC Reuters In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump A police officer tries to tackle a protester demonstrating against U.S. President Donald Trump Reuters/Adrees Latif In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Police arrest and detain a protester in the street in Washington DC Rex In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump A police officer falls to the ground as another shoots pepper spray at protesters demonstrating against U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the inauguration in Washington DC Reuters No evidence was immediately produced to support the allegations, which Mr Trump has now asked the House and Senate intelligence committees to investigate. Sean Spicer, the White House spokesman, admitted that the President had not spoken to the FBI director over the claims but that theres no question that something happened. When asked why Mr Trump wanted Congress to investigate if he already had solid evidence of wiretapping in October, Mr Spicer said it was a question of appropriateness. Mr Obama's representatives said neither he nor any other White House official had ordered surveillance on a US citizen and his director of national intelligence, James Clapper, said nothing matching Mr Trump's claims had taken place. Following the tweets, FBI Director James Comey privately asked the Justice Department to dispute the President's claim because he believed the allegations to be false. Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress on 28 February (Getty Images) (Getty) The leaders of the congressional inquiry into Russia's alleged efforts to sway the US election have called on the Justice Department to produce any evidence on the issue. Declaring that Congress must get to the bottom of Mr Trumps claim, senators Lindsey Graham and Sheldon Whitehouse asked the Acting Deputy Attorney General and Mr Comey to produce the paper trail created when the Justice Department's criminal division secures warrants for wiretaps. The most senior Republican and Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary crime and terrorism subcommittee said they would take very seriously "any abuse of wiretapping authorities for political reasons". A statement added: We would be equally alarmed to learn that a court found enough evidence of criminal activity or contact with a foreign power to legally authorise a wiretap of President Trump, the Trump Campaign, or Trump Tower." The senators are seeking warrant applications and court orders, which they said can be scrubbed to protect secret intelligence sources and methods. Under US law, a federal court would have to had found probable cause that the target of the surveillance is an agent of a foreign power in order to approve a Fisa warrant authorising electronic surveillance. 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 }} Donald Trumps rhetoric has encouraged acts of terror in his own country, the head of a leading American Jewish organisation has said. Speaking to The Independent the day after four of his organisations US offices were targeted by bomb threats, Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), said Mr Trump had helped create a situation where racist extremists felt emboldened. He also raised fears about elements of the UKs Brexit campaign, saying: We are concerned about the rise of populism. Donald Trumps victory, the Brexit vote, the election victories of far-right politicians in different parts of Europe: these things are concerning. Often and Im understating here these populist movements do not turn out very well for minorities, particularly for Jewish minorities. We all need to be watching very carefully to make sure things move in a direction that acknowledges that inclusivity and immigration and pluralism contribute not only to the dynamism of our economies, but also to the health of our societies and the richness of our democracies. Recommended UN human rights chief attacks Donald Trump Mr Greenblatt, whose organisation combats hate crime and anti-Semitism, criticised Mr Trump for both his campaign rhetoric and his slowness to condemn about 140 bomb threats to US Jewish institutions that have occurred since January, the month the 45th President took office. These, he said, had gone way beyond threats to the ADLs offices in Atlanta, Boston, Washington and New York, with evacuations of schools and homes for older people leading to threatened pre-school children being hustled out of classrooms, elderly patients being wheeled out of their care programmes. Other minorities had been similarly affected, said Mr Greenblatt, with some suffering fatalities. Two weeks ago, in Kansas, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, an Indian immigrant was shot dead after allegedly having been mistaken for an Iranian. In January, just hours after Mr Trump announced a travel ban against citizens from seven majority-Muslim countries, a Texas mosque was burned down. These criminal acts are designed to terrorise the community, said Mr Greenblatt. Lets be clear, they are terror. In our current environment, he added, The extremists feel emboldened. Mr Greenblatt, a former aide to Barack Obama, said this was partly due to social media providing extremists with an easy way to contact like-minded individuals under the cover of anonymity where before they were hiding behind their white hoods, in cornfields, under the cover of night. But a second big factor, he said, was a kind of political rhetoric that has moved from the margins right into the mainstream. Referencing some of the more incendiary statements from Mr Trumps or members of his administration, Mr Greenblatt said: Words have consequences. When you describe the Mexicans coming across the border as murderers and rapists, you should not be surprised when it kicks up an anti-immigrant fervour. When you describe Islam as more of a [political] ideology [than a religion], you should not be surprised if anti-Muslim sentiment is kicked up around the country. When you tweet out images that are sourced from white supremacist websites, when you fail to remember the six million Jews who died in the Holocaust on Holocaust Remembrance Day, you should not be surprised that they [extremists] feel emboldened. Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Show all 14 1 /14 Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Isis: "Some of the candidates, they went in and didnt know the air conditioner didnt work and sweated like dogs, and they didnt know the room was too big because they didnt have anybody there. How are they going to beat ISIS?" Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On immigration: "I will build a great wall and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me and Ill build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Free Trade: "Free trade is terrible. Free trade can be wonderful if you have smart people. But we have stupid people." PAUL J. RICHARDS | AFP | Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Mexicans: "When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best. Theyre sending people that have lots of problems. Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists." Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On China: "I just sold an apartment for $15 million to somebody from China. Am I supposed to dislike them?... I love China. The biggest bank in the world is from China. You know where their United States headquarters is located? In this building, in Trump Tower." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On work: "If you're interested in 'balancing' work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable." AP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On success: "What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate." Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On life: "Everything in life is luck." AFP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On ambition: "You have to think anyway, so why not think big?" Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On his opponents: "Bush is totally in favour of Common Core. I don't see how he can possibly get the nomination. He's weak on immigration. He's in favour of Common Core. How the hell can you vote for this guy? You just can't do it." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Obamacare: "You have to be hit by a tractor, literally, a tractor, to use it, because the deductibles are so high. It's virtually useless. And remember the $5 billion web site?... I have so many web sites, I have them all over the place. I hire people, they do a web site. It costs me $3." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Barack Obama: "Obama is going to be out playing golf. He might be on one of my courses. I would invite him. I have the best courses in the world. I have one right next to the White House." PA Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On himself: "Love him or hate him, Trump is a man who is certain about what he wants and sets out to get it, no holds barred. Women find his power almost as much of a turn-on as his money." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On America: "The American Dream is dead. But if I get elected president I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before and we will make America great again." GETTY Mr Greenblatt added: A lack of words has consequences. When you soft-pedal on anti-Semitism and fail to call it out, you should not be surprised if extremists feel the wind at their backs. By not speaking out against this firmly and forcefully, by not rejecting it with the same kind of energy he has brought to criticising Broadway plays or comedy shows that is certainly part of the reason why we are in this situation. Mr Greenblatt also described the way Mr Trump accused a Jewish reporter of lying and ordered him to sit down after being asked a question about rising anti-Semitism, as a terrible moment, a moment where we saw the alt-right rejoicing, because it was a realisation of their hopes. But, like Jake Turx, the reporter who asked the question, Mr Greenblatt stressed that he did not believe Mr Trump was himself anti-Semitic in any way. Rather, said Mr Greenblatt, Mr Trump was a man whose own daughter Ivanka was Jewish, having converted to marry Jared Kushner, an Orthodox Jew. Mr Trump was, therefore, the first US president to have Jewish children and grandchildren. This man has a closer relationship to the Jewish people than any president in US history. At the same time, his lack of calling out [anti-Semitism] firmly has in part contributed to this environment. It is perplexing. Mr Greenblatt said, however, that he had been encouraged by recent signs that the Trump administration was finally starting to speak out clearly against anti-Semitism. He was, he said, greatly encouraged by Mr Trump beginning his first speech to Congress by saying that threats against the Jewish community and the Kansas shooting remind us that we are a country that stands united in condemning hatred in all its forms. Mr Greenblatt also praised Vice President Mike Pence for joining a community clean-up of a vandalised Jewish cemetery outside St Louis, Missouri. Mr Greenblatt said: We wish it had been sooner, but it is important. The administration is starting to send the right messages, which is great and important. Calling on Mr Trump to convene a task force to come up with a strategy for addressing anti-Semitism and other forms of race hatred, Mr Greenblatt added: What is critical is to follow up words with action, with a policy plan to really address anti-Semitism. It is important for him to show moral leadership, not just in word, but in deed. I am optimistic that will happen. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington 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 Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} There are now four grounds to impeach Donald Trump and a fifth is "on its way", according to former Labour Secretary Robert Reich. Posting on Twitter, Mr Reich outlined the four reasons he thinks Mr Trump could be impeached. He said Mr Trump is "'unfaithfully' executing his duties" by accusing former President Barack Obama of "undertaking an illegal (and impeachable) act." Donald Trump signs revised travel ban Last weekend, Mr Trump accused Mr Obama of wiretapping his phones in Trump Tower, though he provided no evidence for his claim. A spokesman for Mr Obama denied he ever ordered the wiretapping of any US citizen. Mr Reich also said although part of the constitution forbids government officials from taking things of value from foreign governments, "Trump is making big money off his Trump International Hotel by steering foreign diplomatic delegations to it, and will make a bundle off China's recent decision to grant his trademark applications for the Trump brand decisions Chinese authorities arrived at directly because of decisions Trump has made as president." China recently granted preliminary approval for dozens of Trump-branded businesses, including new hotels, spas, massage parlours and personal security services. The former Labor Secretary also said Mr Trump's ban on travel from six Muslim-majority countries violates the 1st Amendment of the Constitution, which bans any law "respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." He also said Mr Trump "labelling the press the 'enemy of the people' and choosing whom he invites to news conferences based on whether they've given him favourable coverage" could be another reason for impeachment, as he said it violates the 1st Amendment on the freedom of the press. Finally, he wrote: "Article III Section 3 of the Constitution defines 'treason against the United States' as 'adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort.' Evidence is mounting that Trump colluded with Russian operatives to win the 2016 presidential election." Mr Trump has repeatedly denied his team had contact with Russian officials during the 2016 election, but was revealed to have met with Russia's US ambassador at the height of his campaign. The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters "The question is no longer whether there are grounds to impeach Trump. The practical question is whether there is the political will," Mr Reich concluded. "As long as Republicans remain in the majority in the House (where a bill of Impeachment originates), it's unlikely. "Another reason why it's critically important to flip the House in 2018." Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington 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 Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trump is dangerous and drastic steps must be taken to protect the public from him, two leading psychiatrists have warned. The Presidents erratic behaviour, including repeated failure to distinguish between reality and fantasy and paranoid claims of conspiracy, cast doubt over his ability to react rationally in a crisis, they said. In a letter to the New York Times, Judith Herman, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and Robert Lifton, a lecturer in psychiatry at Columbia University, said they were not attempting to diagnose Mr Trump. We are in no way offering a psychiatric diagnosis, which would be unwise to attempt from a distance," they wrote. "Nevertheless, as psychiatrists we feel obliged to express our alarm. We fear that when faced with a crisis, President Trump will lack the judgment to respond rationally. The military powers entrusted to him endanger us all. We urge our elected representatives to take the necessary steps to protect us from this dangerous president. Last month, 35 mental health professionals wrote to the newspaper warning the grave emotional instability indicated by Mr Trumps behaviour made him incapable of serving safely as President. This drew some criticism as it is usually frowned upon among psychiatrists to give a professional opinion of the mental state of someone they have not examined in person, as dictated by a passage in the American Psychiatric Associations code of ethics known as the Goldwater rule. Stephen Colbert on Trump's wiretapping claims: Someone get this guy a Xanax Professor Herman and Dr Lifton gave the Presidents unsubstantiated claim that Barack Obama ordered a wiretap of his phones during the presidential campaign as an example of his irrational behaviour. Even within the space of a few weeks, the demands of the presidency have magnified his erratic patterns of behaviour, they wrote. We are struck by his repeated failure to distinguish between reality and fantasy, and his outbursts of rage when his fantasies are contradicted. Without any demonstrable evidence, he repeatedly resorts to paranoid claims of conspiracy. Most recently, in response to suggestions of contact between his campaign and agents of the Russian government, he has issued tirades against the press as an enemy of the people and accusations without proof that his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, engaged in partisan surveillance against him. Harvard Law School professor Noah Feldman said if Mr Trumps allegations regarding Mr Obama were proved false, a major scandal would arise that could lead to his impeachment. The President recently posted a series of early-morning tweets in which he accused his predecessor of ordered the wiretap. Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism! he wrote. Is it legal for a sitting President to be wire tapping a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW! Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Show all 28 1 /28 Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Brian Adcock Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Dave Brown Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Brian Adcock Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Dave Brown Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Dave Brown Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Brian Adcock Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Dave Brown Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Dave Brown Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Dave Brown Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Brian Adcock Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Dave Brown Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Brian Adcock Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Dave Brown Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Brian Adcock Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Dave Brown Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Brian Adcock Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Dave Brown Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Brian Adcock Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Brian Adcock Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Christian Adams for Daily Telegraph Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Martin Rowson for The Guardian Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Christian Adams for Daily Telegraph Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Morten Morland for The Times Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Bob Moran for Daily Telegraph Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Christian Adams for Daily Telegraph Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Morten Morland for The Times Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' KAL for The Economist Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Martin Rowson for The Guardian How low has President Obama gone to tapp [sic] my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy! Mr Trump did not provide any evidence for his claims and his spokespeople have consistently refused to do so. Professor Feldman said that, if the allegations are true, the scandal would be of Watergate-level proportions but that a similar sized controversy would also result if they are proved to be unsubstantiated. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington 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 Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The State Department has approved resuming arms sales to Saudi Arabia previously blocked by Barack Obama. A multi-million dollar technology for Riyadh was blocked by the former President during the final months of his administration over human rights concerns. Saudi Arabia is leading a mostly Arab coalition targeting Houthi rebels in Yemen with air strikes. An annual report by UN experts who monitor the conflict in Yemen, seen by Reuters, said the Saudi-led coalition had carried out attacks that "may amount to war crimes" accusations Riyadh rejects. Saudi foreign minister: Donald Trump 'is a friend to everybody' By approving the measure, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson may have given an indication the Trump administration will seek closer ties with Saudi Arabia in the Yemen war. Officials say the deal will need White House approval to go into effect. Last year, Mr Obama's administration approved a $1.15bn (921m) deal for the sale of tanks and armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia. The deal was opposed by more than 60 members of the House of Representatives, who signed a letter calling for Mr Obama to delay. However, in his final months in office, Mr Obama decided to halt the current deal on precision-guided military technology. The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Yemen has been divided by nearly two years of civil war that pits the Iran-allied Houthi group against a Western-backed coalition led by Saudi Arabia. At least 10,000 people have been killed in the fighting that has unleashed a humanitarian crisis on the impoverished country. If the White House agrees with the State Department's position, the administration would notify Congress about the intended sale, where it could encounter resistance. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington 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 Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Hawaii has become the first state to sue to stop President Donald Trump's revised travel ban. State attorneys asked the federal court in Honolulu to issue an emergency order halting Mr Trump's new executive order restricting travel from six Muslim-majority countries. The order also temporarily shuts down the US refugee program. It does not apply to travellers who already have visas. The state had previously sued over Mr Trump's initial travel ban, but the lawsuit was put on hold while other cases played out across the country. Donald Trump signs revised travel ban Hawaii's lawsuit says the order will harm the state's Muslim population, tourism and foreign students. "Hawaii is special in that it has always been non-discriminatory in both its history and constitution," Attorney General Doug Chin said. "Twenty percent of the people are foreign-born, 100,000 are non-citizens and 20 per cent of the labour force is foreign-born." US District Judge Derrick Watson granted the state's request to continue with the case and set a hearing for 15 March the day before Mr Trump's order is due to come into effect. The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters The state will argue at the hearing that the judge should impose a temporary restraining order preventing the ban from taking effect until the lawsuit has been resolved. Hawaii's complaint says it is suing to protect its residents, businesses and schools, as well as its "sovereignty against illegal actions of President Donald J Trump and the federal government". The order affects people from Syria, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Libya. Imam Ismail Elshikh of the Muslim Association of Hawaii, a plaintiff in the state's challenge, says the ban will keep his Syrian mother-in-law from visiting. Trump's "executive order inflicts a grave injury on Muslims in Hawaii, including Dr. Elshikh, his family, and members of his mosque," Hawaii's complaint says. A federal judge in Seattle issued a temporary restraining order halting the initial ban after Washington state and Minnesota sued. The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals refused to reinstate the order. Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Independent Climate email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trumps pledge to free America from dependence on foreign oil has accelerated after his administration unveiled plans to sell off 73 million acres of water in the Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas exploration. The US Interior Department released a statement saying it would offer offshore Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida for development. The proposed sale, scheduled for August, would include all available un-leased areas in federal waters in the Gulf. "Opening more federal lands and waters to oil and gas drilling is a pillar of President Trumps plan to make the United States energy independent," Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said. The sale is expected to yield between 0.211 to 1.118 billion barrels of oil and from 0.547 to 4.424 trillion cubic feet of gas. Oil reserves as close as three miles from the US coastline could be tapped. Walter Cruickshank, the acting director of Interiors Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, claimed the sale would ensure both orderly resource development and protection of the environment. Underneath the Atlantic Ocean: Stunning video shows deepwater Barack Obamas administration gave the green light to a similar proposal to lease tens of millions of acres of oil and gas-rich territory in the Gulf. But the former president was forced to ban oil drilling along Americas Atlantic coastline after mounting pressure from environmental groups and the Pentagon, who feared offshore oil rigs would interfere with naval operations. The area was hit by a major environmental disaster in 2010 when a BP-operated rig spilt 4,900,000 barrels of oil into the surrounding waters. The Deepwater Horizon rig The Deepwater Horizon incident made drilling in the Gulf hugely controversial. Mr Trumps America First Energy Plan, published on the White House website within hours of his inauguration, promised to take advantage of the estimated $50 trillion (41 trillion) in untapped shale, oil, and natural gas reserves, especially those on federal lands that the American people own. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington 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 Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the United States most senior law enforcement officer, may have met Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak even more times than he was recently forced to admit. Mr Sessions has already been accused of lying under oath by Democrats and has amended prior testimony about encounters with the Russian ambassador to the US, to say he had met with Mr Kisylak twice during Donald Trumps presidential bid. But it now appears the two men are likely to have met a third time. In April 2016, during Mr Trumps presidential campaign, Mr Sessions and Mr Kislyak both attended a small event at which Mr Trump made a foreign policy speech. A cocktail meet-and-greet hosted by US conservative organisation the National Interest took place in a private room at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington DC. About two dozen people were present, according to the organisation, and it was immediately followed by Mr Trumps address in which he called for an improved US-Russian relationship. During the address, Mr Kislyak was seated in the front row. It is not known whether Mr Sessions and Mr Kislyak spoke directly. During his Attorney General confirmation hearing in January, Mr Sessions was asked directly about contacts between the Trump Campaign and Russian officials. Mr Sessions replied: I didnt have, did not have communications with the Russians. It later emerged Mr Sessions had spoken to Mr Kislyak on at least two occasions: once at the Republican National Convention in July 2016, and once at his Senate office in September 2016. But Mr Sessions defended his January response this week. He said: I did not mention communications I had had with the Russian ambassador over the years, because the question did not ask about them. But he did admit that he should have been more careful in his testimony, adding: I should have slowed down and said, 'but I did meet one Russian official a couple of times.' The Mayflower event was not mentioned in Mr Sessions amended testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Following the revelations about his meetings, Mr Sessions agreed to step aside from an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, despite still having the support of the President. When Mr Trump was asked this week if Mr Sessions should remove himself from the investigations into Russian influence in the election, the President said: I don't think so at all. I don't think he should do that at all. Jeff Sessions steps aside from Russia investigations Speaking to The Independent, Associate fellow of the US programme and council at Chatham House, Leslie Vinjamuri said: He [Mr Sessions] went out of his way to say that he hadnt had any communications in that hearing, and that is what I think really disturbs people, this sort of voluntary lying. It was volunteered. And it certainly reads as deceit. The question then is why? Why go that extra step, it wasnt necessary, and there have been plenty of people who have said he was confused, or that he didnt think that was a meeting. That all seems like window dressing. But there is a pattern of people wanting to deny contact, and that is what is disturbing. Mr Trumps national security adviser Michael Flynn was forced to resign last month, after it emerged he had been in very frequent contact with Mr Kislyak ahead of Mr Trumps inauguration, and tried to cover up the conversations. The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Mr Flynn admitted giving incomplete information to the Vice President over whether US sanctions on Russia were discussed during phone calls in December. Ms Vinjamuri added: Given the background context, youd think he [Mr Sessions] would bend over backwards to be honest about the nature of the communications. You would put everything out there to be as clean as you could be, given you are the attorney general of the United States of America. Its a deeply disturbing pattern of behaviour. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington 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 Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trumps revised Muslim travel ban is under mounting attack, as the state of Washington joined with New York and Oregon to challenge the presidents proposal. The announcement by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson came a day after Hawaii launched its own lawsuit against Mr Trumps order, which freezes entry to the US for citizens from six Muslim-majority countries. Washington was the first state to sue over the original ban, which resulted in Judge James Robert in Seattle halting its implementation around the country. Mr Ferguson said the state would ask the judge to rule that his temporary restraining order against the first ban also applies to Mr Trumps revised action. According to Reuters, Mr Ferguson said the although the new order harmed a smaller group of individuals, that would not affect the states ability to challenge it in court. New York's attorney general, Eric Schneiderman, also said on Thursday he would be joining Washington's lawsuit against the new ban. In August of 2017, Donald Trump decried the courts' role in the travel ban The new order, signed on Monday and set to go into effect on March 16, was designed to avoid some of the legal opposition. More than two dozen lawsuits were filed around the country against the first ban, which sparked both nationwide and international protests. The revisions replace the original order and include explicit exemptions for legal residents or existing visa holders and waivers are allowed on a case-by-case basis for some business, diplomatic and other travellers. While the new order keeps a 90-day ban on travel to the United States by citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, it excludes Iraq. Refugees are still halted from entering the country for 120 days but the new order removed an indefinite ban on all refugees from Syria. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington 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 Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Russia has deployed a long-range missile that threatens the US and Nato and violates an international arms treaty, a senior American general has claimed. Paul Selva, vice chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the House of Representatives' Armed Services Committee that Moscow had intentionally deployed the weapon in order to threaten the West. "The system itself presents a risk to most of our facilities in Europe and we believe that the Russians have deliberately deployed it in order to pose a threat to NATO and to facilities within the NATO area of responsibility," he said. The deployment of the land-based cruise missile violates the spirit and intent of the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) between the US and Russia, Mr Selva added. Russian leaders do not intend to return to compliance of the treaty, he suggested, adding that US officials had raised the issue with Moscow. His comments mark the first time US officials have confirmed media reports last month relating to the deployment of the nuclear-capable SSC-8 missiles, which is said to have taken place late last year. During the Armed Services Committee hearing, US military officials also gave their support to the START agreement between America and Russia that seeks to reduce both countries stock of nuclear weapons. The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Mr Trump appeared to question the value of the treaty after it was reported he had told Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, that the deal was not beneficial to the United States. But military leaders told congressmen the treaty was needed to prevent an arms race. "I have stated for the record in the past, now I'll state again that I am a big supporter of the New START agreement," said Air Force General John Hyten, the head of U.S. Strategic Command. "The risk [of scrapping the agreement] would be an arms race, we are not in an arms race now." 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 Roman Catholic diocese in southern India is considering using security cameras and other measures to curb sexual abuse by priests after a vicar was arrested on charges of raping a teenage girl, a spokesman said Thursday. The bishop of the Mananthavady Diocese has also removed the Reverend Robin Vadakkancheril from his job as vicar of St. Sebastian church in Kottiyoor and from conducting any priestly functions, said the Reverend Nobel Parackal, a media officer for the diocese in Kerala state. Vadakkancheril was arrested late last month after a 17-year-old girl from his parish gave birth to a baby. Investigating officer Sunil Kumar said police are searching for at least five nuns who allegedly helped the priest cover up the rape and subsequent pregnancy. Kumar said the girl, after initially refusing to name the father of the baby, said the priest had raped her in the place where the church provided computer lessons. Kumar said the girl's family was bitterly poor. Her child has been placed in a local orphanage and the girl is being looked after by the town's child welfare committee, he said. Parackal said there were no previous complaints on record against Vadakkancheril. Sexual violence against girls and women is endemic in India and the shame associated with such incidents makes victims and families hide the crime. The girl never told her family about the rape and when her pregnancy became apparent her parents never made a complaint. A child protection group tipped off the police after the teenager gave birth at a local hospital, Kumar said. The case is one of several in which Indian priests have been accused of abusing minors, indicating that scandals that have convulsed the Catholic Church in the United States, Europe and Latin America have not spared Asia. In 2011, the Asian bishops' conference convened a special meeting on abuse and warned that drastic and immediate measures were needed to deal with the issue. 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 Vadakkancheril case has come to light as the Vatican tries to recover from the resignation of prominent abuse survivor Marie Collins from Pope Francis' sex abuse advisory commission, citing frustration over resistance to the commission's proposals within the Vatican. It also comes ahead of Francis' expected visit to India and Bangladesh later this year. AP 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 }} Bollywood star Kangana Ranaut has launched an attack on male chauvinism after she was criticised by film director Karan Johar. The so-called Queen of Bollywood has responded to claims by Johar that she uses the victim and woman card and should quit acting if she has so many issues. Johar made the comments as a response to Ranaut claiming he was the snooty flag-bearer of nepotism on his chat show. What is important to understand is that we are not fighting people, we are fighting a mentality. I am not fighting Karan Johar, I am fighting male chauvinism, Ranaut told the Mumbai Mirror. He is nobody to tell me to leave it. Im definitely not going anywhere, Mr Johar. Renaut has won three National Film Awards, arguably the most prominent film award in India, and is considered to be one the biggest starts in the industry. In her response she also suggested Johar should think about his daughter. ..Now that Karan is the father of a little daughter he should provide her with all these cards, the `woman card and the `victim card, as also the `self-made-independent-woman card, and the `badass card that I flashed on his show, she added. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. 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 Johar directed the blockbuster hits Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kabhi Kushi Kabhie Gham and hosts his own talk show, Koffee with Karan. He is considered to be one of the most influential figures in Bollywood. 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 }} Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has pleaded for help from mayors in Muslim parts of the south of the country to deal with Islamist militants, and has threatened to impose martial law there if the problem is not tackled. The largely Roman Catholic Philippines has been struggling to thwart two small but violent Isis-linked groups behind kidnappings, piracy, bombings and the recent beheading of a German captive. I plead before you because I do not want the trouble in [the southern island of] Mindanao to spin out of control, Mr Duterte told mayors in a speech in Davao. Because then, as President, I will be forced, I will be compelled, to exercise the extra-ordinary powers, he added. He added: Help me. If not, you know, martial law, then I have to authorise the military just to arrest them, detain you. The Philippines is fighting Abu Sayyaf militants on two remote islands in the south. The government is seeking the support of separatists who are talking peace with the government to root out groups with extremist agendas. After years of denials by the Philippines that Isis is seeking a foothold in the country, Mr Duterte's administration says it is now certain that local rebels are in contact with Middle East extremists and receiving funds. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty Mr Duterte has warned of a contamination and the possibility of Isis fighters driven from Iraq and Syria taking refuge in the Philippines. Defence secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Abu Sayyafs kidnappings were a national embarrassment, with the number of hostages increasing to 31, from 18 when Mr Duterte came to power on 30 June. It's giving me a headache, he told reporters, adding the military's deadline to eliminate the militants by June was unrealistic. Sometimes, I couldn't sleep at night. He said the army would move an infantry division to Jolo island, an Abu Sayyaf stronghold where most of the captives are held. A marine and naval task force would be deployed to tackle piracy. Mr Lorenzana said the Philippines would jointly patrol southern seas with Indonesia and Malaysia from April, creating a sea lane for the merchant ships Abu Sayyaf has been intercepting. Reuters 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 }} Angela Merkel has told Turkey to stop comparing German authorities to the Nazis in a deepening diplomatic row over the cancellation of rallies supporting increased powers for Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Turkish President accused Germany of fascist actions reminiscent of the Third Reich after several municipalities moved to block events involving his ministers. Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, also made the parallel ahead of a visit to Hamburg as he attempted to drum up support for President Erdogan ahead of an upcoming referendum. German Chancellor Angela Merkel with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim prior to a bilateral meeting during the 53rd Munich Security Conference on 18 February (AP) This is a totally repressive system, he told the Hurriyet newspaper. All practices resemble those of the Nazi era. Ms Merkel told the Bundestag she was saddened by the deepening divisions between allies despite common causes, such as fighting Isis. She said they should try to overcome their differences but that Nazi comparisons were unjustifiable and so misplaced that you cant seriously comment on them. We will not allow the victims of the Nazis to be trivialised these comparisons of Germany with Nazism must stop, the Chancellor added. They are unworthy of the close ties between Germany and Turkey and of our peoples. Turkeys foreign minister effectively repeated the comparison within hours, saying that he was not calling current German ministers Nazis, but that their actions were reminiscent of that era. We have not called anyone a Nazi, Mr Cavusoglu said. Our President made a comparison in reference to certain practices. The trend in Europe at the moment reminds us of pre-World War Two Europe. In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Show all 17 1 /17 In pictures: Turkey coup attempt In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish President Erdogan attends the funeral service for victims of the thwarted coup in Istanbul at Fatih mosque on July 17, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey Burak Kara/Getty Images In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Soldiers involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge with their hands raised in Istanbul on 16 July, 2016 Gokhan Tan/Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt A civilian beats a soldier after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 July, 2016 REUTERS/Murad Sezer In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Surrendered Turkish soldiers who were involved in the coup are beaten by a civilian Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Soliders involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wave flags as they capture a Turkish Army vehicle Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt People pose near a tank after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 July, 2016 Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers block Istanbul's Bosphorus Brigde Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt A Turkish military stands guard near the Taksim Square in Istanbul Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Pierre Crom/Twitter In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers secure the area as supporters of Recep Tayyip Erdogan protest in Istanbul's Taksim square AP In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Murad Sezer/Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers detain police officers during a security shutdown of the Bosphorus Bridge Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish Army armoured personnel carriers in the main streets of Istanbul Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Chaos reigned in Istanbul as tanks drove through the streets EPA/TOLGA BOZOGLU In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks to media in the resort town of Marmaris Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Supporters of President Erdogan celebrate in Ankara following the suppression of the attempted coup Reuters The Prime Minister, Binali Yildirim, told reporters in Ankara that Germany seems to be taking sides in the upcoming referendum when asked about Ms Merkels comments. He said Germany may be disturbed that a yes vote is likely in the referendum, but that if it is interfering in the process it amounts to meddling in another countrys affairs and is very wrong. Around 1.4 million Turks living in Germany will be eligible to cast a ballot in the vote on 16 April, which could replace the parliamentary system with an executive presidency using constitutional amendments that have alarmed human rights groups. At least four German local authorities have withdrawn permission for pro-Erdogan campaign events, while several rallies have gone ahead and the central government has emphasised it was not involved in the decisions. A spokesman for Mr Erdogan lambasted Germany over the bans, claiming they revealed a tragicomedy on attitudes towards the Turkish government and interference in the referendum. Ibrahim Kalin said: A huge anti-Turkey, anti-Erdogan attitude is being systematically produced and serviced to the world, especially through Germany. Accusing authorities of favouring no campaigners including Kurdish groups classed as terrorists by Ankara, he added: This is a worrying picture for Europes future and fundamental values. All cancellations have cited safety and administrative issues but the move has been linked to concern over the post-coup crackdown seeing thousands of people detained in Turkey, including a Die Welt journalist jailed on terror charges after reporting on government corruption. President Erdogan is seeking massively increased powers that have alarmed the international community The German government has called the allegations against Deniz Yucel, whom President Erdogan has accused of being both a German spy and a representative of the outlawed Kurdish PKK rebel group absurd and vowed to fight for his release. Bilateral ties have deteriorated significantly in the last year over a series of rows, from a legal case over a German comedian who poked fun at President Erdogan to a parliamentary vote calling the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman forces genocide. Relations have also worsened between the two countries over alleged orders for Turkish authorities to spy on members of the Hizmet movement in German schools, Ankaras operations against Kurdish groups and threats to renege on the EU-Turkey refugee deal. President Erdogan has threatened to scrap measures aimed to prevent asylum seekers crossing to Greece over diplomatic rows with Europe, while Germany also has reconnaissance aircraft stationed at a Nato base in Turkey for anti-Isis missions. Some politicians have called for an outright ban on any Turkish campaigning in Germany but Ms Merkel said the country would continue complying with the values of freedom of expression, the press, speech and assembly. These values apply, and they also guide us when it comes to whether Turkish politicians can appear in our country, she added. As difficult as everything is at the moment, and as unacceptable as some things are, its not in our foreign security or geopolitical interests that Turkey, still a Nato partner, becomes further distanced from us. Germany is also working to retain relations with Russia as divisions continue over the Kremlins involvement in the Ukrainian conflict. During a visit to Moscow, foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel warned of the danger of a new arms race, expressing concern over both military build-up in the Baltic region by Russia and exorbitant military spending increases in Washington. 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 }} Anti-terror police have sealed off Dusseldorf station in Germany after reports of an attack involving a man armed with an axe. Five people are believed to have been injured and images posted on social media showed paramedics treating the wounded. One victim is said to be in a serious condition but none of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening. A suspect has been detained by police but the motive for the attack is currently unknown. Reports suggest the attacker tried to flee by jumping off a bridge but was detained by officers. Trains are not stopping at the station. A member of station staff told German newspaper Bild: "We were standing on the track, waiting for the train. The train came, and suddenly someone jumped out with an axe and started hitting people. There was blood everywhere. I have experienced a lot, but I have never experienced anything like this." Eyewitnesses reported how injured people were taken from the station. Local police urged people not to speculate about the motive for the attack, dismissing unfounded claims as "useless". The attack comes months after a terrorist attack on a Christmas market in Berlin killed 12 and injured 56 more after a lorry was driven into crowds of shoppers. The German government has announced that increased security has been put in place as a precaution at public buildings, major events, transport hubs and large public gatherings. 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 }} Donald Tusk has been reelected president of the European Council, angering the right-wing government of his native Poland and triggering a bitter dispute between Warsaw and Brussels. The head of Polands ruling Eurosceptic Law and Justice party (PiS) seized on his re-election to attack the EU for being dominated by Germany and accused the blocs leaders of breaking rules to force through his appointment. Jaroslaw Kaczynski denied the row would prompt Poland to consider leaving the EU, but said: "The rule that high-ranking officials should have the backing of their country was broken. Recommended Donald Tusk says Donald Trump poses existential threat to Europe Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski told news site wPolityce.pl: "A very dangerous European relationship is being born -- a toxic relationship that could harm many states. "We know now that it is a union under Berlin's diktat. Beata Mazurek, a spokeswoman for the countrys ruling nationalist party, added that his re-election - despite protests from Poland - was a bad sign for Europe. "This will no longer be a union of unity, she warned. Unconfirmed reports suggested Poland would block a statement released by the EU after the summit, which concludes on Friday. Mr Tusks reappointment was fiercely opposed by PiS, which earlier threatened to derail the EU summit being held in Brussels. The EC president is a former prime minister of Poland who is closely tied with the countrys centrist opposition. Warsaw had portrayed the issue as a battle to protect national interests in the face of increasing power centred in Brussels. The move now means all three main political institutions - the European Council, Commission and Parliament - are run by centre-right politicians. As a result, EU leaders have agreed to discuss the party political balance in top appointments, Malta's prime minister said. The most senior centre-left officials are Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who heads the Eurogroup of euro zone finance ministers, Juncker's Dutch deputy at the European Commission, First Vice President Frans Timmermans, and foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini from Italy. The row has highlighted a deepening split between eastern members reluctant to cede more powers to Brussels and richer western states keen to deepen EU integration. 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 }} People smuggling in Europe has expanded so dramatically in recent years that it is now comparable to the illegal drugs market, a report has warned. Criminal networks offering services facilitating illegal movement within the EU has emerged as one of the most profitable and widespread activities for organised crime in Europe, according to the latest major crime report by EU's law enforcement agency. Europols Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment warns the migrant smuggling business has become a large, profitable and sophisticated criminal market, comparable to the European drug markets, as continuing conflicts and economic pressures in Africa and the Middle East continue to act as push factors for irregular migrants travelling to the EU. Smuggling services and the trafficking of human beings generate the largest numbers of organised crime gangs and continue to generate the greatest profits among the various criminal markets, generating an estimated EUR 4.7 billion to EUR 5.7 billion at the height of the refugee crisis in 2015. More than 510,000 illegal border crossings between border-crossing points at the external border of the EU were registered in 2016, with nearly all of the irregular migrants arriving in the EU along these routes using the services offered by criminal networks at some point during their journeys. The report warns that existing migratory routes are often used by organised human trafficking gangs to exploit to traffic victims within the EU. While the migration crisis has not yet had a widespread impact on the trafficking of human beings for labour exploitation in the EU, some investigations show that traffickers are increasingly targeting irregular migrants and asylum seekers in the EU for exploitation, the report states. Irregular migrants in the EU represent a large pool of potential victims susceptible to promises of work even if this entails exploitation. It adds that unaccompanied minors are at particular risk to these types of exploitation, highlighting the significant increase in the number of lone child refugees present in the EU as a result of the migration crisis and the fact that this group is likely to be targeted by traffickers. The report comes a month after the UK Government announced the closure of the Dubs scheme, a measure intended to offer vulnerable unaccompanied minors a safe passage to the UK, in a move that was condemned by major charities and public figures who claimed it places lone refugee children at risk of falling victim to illegal smuggling and trafficking networks. Responding to the findings, Debbie Beadle, head of youth development at ECPAT, a leading childrens rights organisation in the UK campaigning against child trafficking, warned that child refugees travelling to and within the EU are being left to the whim of adults, placing them at severe risk of exploitation. Ms Beadle told The Independent: Children are all the more vulnerable to these criminal networks. They cannot organise their own travel adults are going to organise it for them and arrange their movement. They are therefore left to the whim and motivations of adults. Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis Show all 7 1 /7 Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis The Solidarity With Refugees group said Saturdays protest aimed to show our Government and the world that Britain is ready to welcome more refugees. Rex Features Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis People march through central London as they take part in a protest rally organised by Solidarity with Refugees in a bid to urge the Government to take more action on the migrant crisis Press Association Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis The protest comes days before world leaders meet to discuss crisis at UN General Assembly Press Association Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis Demonstrators made their way from Park Lane to Parliament Square in London on Saturday afternoon Press Association Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis Marchers chanted refugees are welcome here and waved banners reading no-one is illegal and lets help people Press Association Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis The march was supported by charities and groups including the Red Cross, Asylum Aid, Save the Children, Hope Not Hate, Oxfam and the UN Refugee Agency Rex Features Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis In the wake of Alans death, David Cameron pledged to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees in the UK over the coming five years but there have been additional calls to re-home those who have already reached Europe, as well as asylum seekers coming from other conflict zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan Rex Features Sometimes parents may pay for their childs travel, but they can be tricked by criminals who then sell them onto exploitation. Often children fall prey to doing what adults tell them, ending up in situations where they are exposed to severe dangers. We see a lot of illegal routes into the UK being used. Were seeing lots of children being smuggled into airports on false documents, or coming on the back of lorries. Because theres a lack of cohesion and communication between police forces and local authorities were seeing that these children are popping up all over the UK, often unbeknown to the state. Margot Bernard, of Calais-based charity Auberge des Migrants, told The Independent the scale of people smuggling networks in the area were growing again six months on from the demolition of the 'Jungle'. The conditions in France are a growing concern. There is a very strong Mafia network operating in the Dunkirk camp, which is of course very dangerous. In Calais, criminal networks are starting to retake control over certain areas, said Ms Bernard. People are on the streets and are particularly desperate; minors in particular are very vulnerable. Theyve been telling us they fear for their safety. Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis Show all 7 1 /7 Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis The Solidarity With Refugees group said Saturdays protest aimed to show our Government and the world that Britain is ready to welcome more refugees. Rex Features Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis People march through central London as they take part in a protest rally organised by Solidarity with Refugees in a bid to urge the Government to take more action on the migrant crisis Press Association Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis The protest comes days before world leaders meet to discuss crisis at UN General Assembly Press Association Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis Demonstrators made their way from Park Lane to Parliament Square in London on Saturday afternoon Press Association Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis Marchers chanted refugees are welcome here and waved banners reading no-one is illegal and lets help people Press Association Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis The march was supported by charities and groups including the Red Cross, Asylum Aid, Save the Children, Hope Not Hate, Oxfam and the UN Refugee Agency Rex Features Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis In the wake of Alans death, David Cameron pledged to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees in the UK over the coming five years but there have been additional calls to re-home those who have already reached Europe, as well as asylum seekers coming from other conflict zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan Rex Features Its mostly smugglers who are trying to organise facilitating peoples journeys to the UK on lorries and then making them pay. The concern in that, particularly for children and people on their own, when they dont have the money there are high risks of exploitation. A particular case highlighted in the report tells how in November 2016 a Spanish investigation supported by Europol resulted in the arrest of 16 suspected traffickers and the rescue of nine minors. The criminal network, composed mainly of nationals from Bosnia and Herzegovina, traded the victims from one group to another for an estimated 5,000 euro each, according to the report. More than 5,000 international organised crime groups are currently under investigation in the EU, state the findings, with a sharp increase in the proportion of gangs involved in more than one criminal activity at 45 per cent now compared to 33 per cent in 2013. 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 couple have been detained in the United Arab Emirates for having sex outside of marriage, according to a relative. The South African man and his Ukranian fiancee were reportedly arrested after a doctor in Abu Dhabi who treated Ms Nohai for stomach cramps discovered she was pregnant. Emlyn Culverwell 29, and Iryna Nohai, 27, have not yet been charged by authorities in the Islamic country, who are reportedly still investigating. South Africa's foreign ministry said it was unable to help the couple as it is a matter of domestic UAE law, the South African News24 website reports. Mr Culverwells mother, Linda, said she was unable to get any answers from either the authorities in Abu Dhabi, the South African Embassy in the UAE or the South African consulate there. Mr Culwerwells employer, Yas Waterworld, told his family formal charges have not yet been brought because Ms Nohai is apparently undergoing further tests to determine how long she has been sexually active. For heavens sake, how can they supposedly determine that? his mother said. It must feel as if she is being raped by the authorities. The only thing they did which was wrong, was to fall in love. It makes no sense. We are trying to get messages to the two to say we love them and that they shouldnt be worried... what concerns me most, is that we actually havent got a clue how they are. All the Department of International Relations is prepared to say is that we have to be patient, but there are three lives at stake here. A spokesperson for the department, Nelson Kgwete, said the couple was being prosecuted in terms of UAE laws and that the South African Government could do nothing about it. The South African Government is aware of the case, but unfortunately cannot provide legal assistance. As [the] department all we can do is monitor the situation and try to ensure that they are fairly treated." In 2008, a British couple, Vince Acors and Michelle Palmer, were given jail sentences for having sex in public in the UAE after they were caught together on a Dubai beach although they had their sentences suspended when they signed a court document agreeing to marry on their return to England. The promised marriage did not happen, not least because Mr Acors had a wife already. In the UAE, all sex outside marriage is illegal, although in Dubai, a blind eye is usually turned to unmarried western couples who co-habit. An unmarried woman who gives birth in the UAE may encounter problems registering the birth of her child, according to advice from the British Government, which says: To get a birth certificate from the UAE authorities, you must provide a marriage certificate and the authorities may compare the date of the marriage against the estimated date of conception. 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 }} Witnesses to the botched US special forces raid in Yemen that left a Navy commando and several children dead have rebuffed Donald Trumps account of the highly successful mission. The eight-year-old American daughter of an al-Qaeda propagandist was among those killed in the raid on al-Ghayil village on 29 January the first authorised by the new US President. He and his defence chief General James Mattis claimed it generated large amounts of vital intelligence that will lead to many more victories in the future but residents said a targeted building was blown up in air strikes before the material inside could be accessed and the potential target of the mission was not there. Trump comforts grieving widow of US Navy SEAL by congratulating her on amount of applause Villagers interviewed by The Intercept investigative website said they were awoken by the sound of gunfire as Navy Seal Team 6 stormed the settlement in the middle of the night. As commandos were pinned down in a battle that lasted almost an hour, helicopter gunships allegedly bombarded the entire village, razing homes to the ground and killing many of their inhabitants, as well as more than 120 goats, sheep and donkeys. Five-year-old Sinan al-Ameri saw his mother shot dead from behind as she ran for her life carrying her 18-month-old son. The infant was found alive next to her dead body the following morning. She was hit by the plane. The American plane, Sinan said. Shes in heaven now. The Intercepts investigation in al-Ghayil concluded that at least 16 women and children died in the raid, where Navy Seal William Ryan Owens was killed. Capt Jeff Davis, a spokesperson for the Pentagon, claimed al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) had deployed female fighters to defend a compound. The [female fighters] ran to pre-established positions as if theyd trained to be ready and trained to be combatants and engage with us, he told a press briefing. So, some of the enemy killed in combat are in fact female. Eight-year-old Nawar Al-Awlaki was reportedly shot in the neck and died after bleeding out for two hours, her grandfather said Witnesses refuted the claim, telling The Intercept the prospect of a woman fighting was shameful in Yemeni culture, although AQAP propaganda channels named at least one woman that fought [US troops] with her own gun. Six other American soldiers were injured and a military aircraft was blown up by US forces after being damaged in a crash landing. Official statements said the operation aimed to gather valuable intelligence on AQAP operations but residents and US special operations officials told The Intercept it was more likely to be the groups leader Qassim al-Rimi. He mocked Mr Trump in a statement issued days after the raid, which centred on the homes of Sheikh Abdulraouf al-Dhahab and Abdallah al-Ameri. Al-Dhahab has family ties to AQAP, with American propagandist Anwar al-Awlaki who was killed in a 2011 drone strike - marrying his sister. Their eight-year-old daughter, Nawar, was among the children shot dead during the raid. One resident said al-Ameris home was used as a makeshift guest house by passing al-Qaeda militants but that as it was obliterated in air strikes, the possibility of retrieving laptops or any other intelligence material was destroyed. The situation in Yemen Show all 14 1 /14 The situation in Yemen The situation in Yemen Houthi supporters trample on a US flag during a gathering mobilizing more fighters into several Yemeni battlefronts, in Sana'a, Yemen EPA The situation in Yemen People carry the coffins of men, who were killed in the recent Saudi-led airstrikes during their funeral, in the Old City of Sanaa, Yemen AP The situation in Yemen Pro-government fighters give food to Yemeni children on the road leading to the southwestern port city of Mokha. Yemeni rebels are putting up fierce resistance in a key Red Sea port city where they are encircled by pro-government force Getty Images The situation in Yemen A Yemeni stands in front of a graffiti protesting US military operations in war-affected Yemen, in Sana'a, Yemen. According to reports, US Special Forces troops allegedly disembarked from US helicopters in the Yemeni town of Yakla and attacked several houses belonging to members of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, killing three high-ranking Al-Qaeda members and nine civilians, six women and three children. One American serviceman has been killed and three injured in the attack EPA The situation in Yemen US Special Forces troops allegedly disembarked from US helicopters in the Yemeni town of Yakla and attacked several houses belonging to members of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, killing three high-ranking Al-Qaeda members and nine civilians, six women and three children. One American serviceman has been killed and three injured in the attack EPA The situation in Yemen A Yemeni female fighter supporting the Shiite Huthi rebels, and carrying weapons used for ceremonial purposes, takes part in an anti-Saudi rally in the capital Sanaa Getty Images The situation in Yemen Yemeni female fighters supporting the Shiite Huthi rebels, and carrying weapons used for ceremonial purposes, take part in an anti-Saudi rally in the capital Sanaa Getty Images The situation in Yemen A boy shouts slogans next to pro-Houthi fighters, who have been injured during recent fighting, during a rally held to honour those injured or maimed while fighting in Houthi ranks in Sanaa, Yemen Reuters The situation in Yemen Balls of fire and smoke rise from a Houthi-held military camp following alleged Saudi-led airstrikes, in Sana'a, Yemen EPA The situation in Yemen Yemenis search under the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa Getty Images The situation in Yemen A Yemeni boy looks on as Yemenis search under the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa Getty The situation in Yemen A Yemeni boy sits amidst the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa AFP/Getty The situation in Yemen Marine One with US President Donald Trump flies with a decoy and support helicopters to Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, for the dignified transfer of Navy Seal Chief Petty Officer William 'Ryan' Owens who was killed in Yemen Getty Images The situation in Yemen US President Donald Trump aboard the Marine One to greet the remains of a US military commando killed during a raid on the al Qaeda militant group in southern Yemen on Sunday, at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, US Reuters Capt Davis claimed the raid would help the US gain a deeper insight into the groups planning to help prevent terrorist attacks against innocent civilians in the United States and our coalition-partner nations. He added that 14 al-Qaeda operatives were killed in the assault on what he described as a compound, although photos of al-Ghayil show no fortified or walled-off buildings. Mr Trump was not in the situation room during the operation and signed it off over dinner with military commanders, according to his White House spokesman Sean Spicer, who called it a very, very well thought-out and executed effort. US military officials previously said "almost everything went wrong" with the raid, which was allegedly carried out without sufficient intelligence, ground support or back-up. No information on seized material has been released, with a video posted online by the US Central Command on 3 February emerging to be 10 years old. AQAP has capitalised on the Yemeni civil war to expand its areas of control in an ongoing Islamist insurgency, as well as being linked to foreign terror plots including the 2015 Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris. A spokesperson for the Pentagon declined to comment on details in The Intercept report, referring The Independent to previous statements. The Department of Defense is conducting three separate reviews into the raid one on civilian casualties, one on the death of Chief Petty Officer Owens and one on the loss of the Osprey aircraft. It has been followed by a series of precision air strikes in the region this month, which local Yemenis claim have killed more civilians. 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 Israeli law to limit the Muslim call to prayer from mosques has won preliminary approval though opponents have denounced the measure as racist. One of the bills would ban summons to worhsip via loudspeakers between 11pm and 7am, effectively banning one of the first of five daily calls emanating from the mosques a little before dawn. The second proposal would place a limit on the volume of loudspeakers in residential areas at all hours. Supporters of the bill say it is aimed at improving the quality of life of people living near mosques who have been losing sleep, while opponents say the legislation, sponsored by right-wing parties, impinges on the religious freedom of Israel's Muslim minority. Arabs make up almost 20 per cent of the population and have long complained of discrimination. Hackers make Israeli TV play Muslim call to prayer after parliament tried to ban it "You are committing a racist act," said Ahmed Tibi, an Arab lawmaker, told supporters of the legislation. The proposed law refers in general terms to "houses of worship", but it has been dubbed the "muezzin law" by the Israeli media, in reference to the man who chants the Muslim call to prayer. "This is a social-minded law that aims to protect citizens' sleep, without, God-forbid, harming anyone's religious faith," Motti Yogev, one of the bill's sponsors, said during a debate punctuated by shouting matches between the bill's backers and detractors. Tzipi Livni, a leader of the centre-left Zionist Union party and a former foreign minister, said "proud Israelis" should join together in opposing legislation that would only "spread hate and ignite tensions" between Muslims and Jews. The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Show all 10 1 /10 The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Medics evacuate a wounded man from the scene of an attack in Jerusalem. A Palestinian rammed a vehicle into a bus stop then got out and started stabbing people before he was shot dead AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Israeli ZAKA emergency response members carry the body of an Israeli at the scene of a shooting attack in Jerusalem. A pair of Palestinian men boarded a bus in Jerusalem and began shooting and stabbing passengers, while another assailant rammed a car into a bus station before stabbing bystanders, in near-simultaneous attacks that escalated a month long wave of violence AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Getty Images The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinians throw molotov cocktail during clashes with Israeli troops near Ramallah, West Bank. Recent days have seen a series of stabbing attacks in Israel and the West Bank that have wounded several Israelis AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Women cry during the funeral of Palestinian teenager Ahmad Sharaka, 13, who was shot dead by Israeli forces during clashes at a checkpoint near Ramallah, at the family house in the Palestinian West Bank refugee camp of Jalazoun, Ramallah AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies A wounded Palestinian boy and his father hold hands at a hospital after their house was brought down by an Israeli air strike in Gaza Reuters The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinians look on after a protester is shot by Israelis soldiers during clashes at the Howara checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus EPA The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies A lawyer wearing his official robes kicks a tear gas canister back toward Israeli soldiers during a demonstration by scores of Palestinian lawyers called for by the Palestinian Bar Association in solidarity with protesters at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, near Ramallah, West Bank AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Undercover Israeli soldiers detain a Palestinian in Ramallah Reuters The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinian youth burn tyres during clashes with Israeli soldiers close to the Jewish settlement of Bet El, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, after Israel barred Palestinians from Jerusalem's Old City as tensions mounted following attacks that killed two Israelis and wounded a child During the heated debate, Arab legislator Ayman Odeh rose from his seat, with a copy of the bill in his hands. "This law will not be implemented, I am tearing it up," he said, as pieces of paper fell to the floor. He was ejected from the chamber. The two versions of law won initial approval and will go to committee for further discussion before any final vote in parliament, in what could be a lengthy process. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously expressed support for the bill, saying "citizens of all religions" have complained about excessive noise from muezzins. Under the proposed law East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed in a move not recognised internationally, would be included in the ban. But since the measure covers only residential areas, al-Aqsa mosque, Islam's third holiest site located in a religious compound in Jerusalem's walled Old City, would be exempt. Last year, hackers took control of an Israeli news channel and broadcast the Muslim call to prayer in an apparent protest against the controversial bill. 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 }} Archaeologists claim they have unearthed a 600BC palace underneath a holy shrine in Iraq destroyed by Isis. The local researchers say there is an extra network of chambers beneath the Nebi Yunus shrine containing what Muslims and Christians believe is the tomb of the Prophet Jonah in eastern Mosul. But it was the Islamic extremists who first started digging tunnels down to the palace after blowing up the shrine in 2014. It is reportedly the first evidence of Isis tunnelling during their searches for ancient artefacts to plunder. Recommended Isis driven out of Syrian city of Palmyra for second time The tunnels are apparently home to a marble cuneiform inscription of King Esarhaddon thought to date back to the Assyrian empire in 627BC. There are Assyrian stone sculptures of a demi-goddess, depicting the sprinkling of the water of life, in other parts of the tunnel. Only a handful of cuneiforms from this period have been discovered by modern day archaeologists. The objects dont match descriptions of what we thought was down there, so [the destruction of Isis] has actually led us to a fantastic find, said Professor Eleanor Robson, chair of the British Institute for the Study of Iraq, speaking to The Telegraph. The Nebi Yunus shrine was discovered wrecked and crumbling by Iraqi soldiers Reuters/Azad Lashkari (Reuters/Azad Lashkari) Theres a huge amount of history down there, not just ornamental stones. It is an opportunity to finally map the treasure-house of the worlds first great empire, from the period of its greatest success. Former Mosul museum curator Layla Salih, who discovered the King Esarhaddon inscription, believes Isis looted hundreds of objects before Iraqi forces recaptured. I can only imagine how much Daesh discovered down there, she said. The tunnels are reportedly in danger of collapsing imminently because of Isis rudimentary digging techniques Isis is believed to have destroyed thousands of years in culture almost overnight as it retreated from Mosul in November. Damascus claimed in January that Isis recaptured Palmyra and destroyed part of the city amphitheatre facade. 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 }} The first state visit by a British Royal to Israel will go ahead this year, Whitehall sources have suggested. The Royal Family has historically always rejected Israeli invitations for official state visits, although individual members have visited the country in a personal capacity, and attended state funerals. Reuven Rivlin, the Israeli President, extended the invitation via Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson at a meeting in Jerusalem earlier this week. The proposed visit would coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, a historic statement of commitment by the British government to support the establishment of a Jewish state in the Middle East. This is a very important year in the history of the relations between Israel and the United Kingdom, Mr Rivlin said. Theresa May recently told a meeting of the Conservative Friends of Israel that the Government would be actively celebrating the centenary of the Declaration. It demonstrates Britains vital role in creating a homeland for the Jewish people. And it is an anniversary we will be marking with pride, Ms May said. The Declaration was written by Liberal Foreign Secretary Minister Arthur Balfour, and committed the British Government to [favour] the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people. However, the document also stated: Nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine. This remains a point of contention for the Palestinian community. At the time of the declaration, Palestinians made up around 90 per cent of the population in what is now the state of Israel. After the establishment of the Israeli state in 1948 and the Arab-Israeli war which followed, an estimated 700,000 people fled or were expelled from their homes. Pro-Palestinian academics have called on the British government to apologise for the disastrous role of the Balfour declaration, calling it the biggest social injustice of our time. Ben Jamal, Director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said: "It is grossly inappropriate for the royal family to make an official visit to Israel 100 years after the Balfour declaration. The consequences of this dispossession are still experienced by Palestinians today, whether living as unequal citizens within the state of Israel, as refugees or under military occupation. The British government should be reflecting on its complicity in these events, offering an apology to the Palestinian people and putting pressure on Israel to abide by international law." Tales from the West Bank: Palestinian Raja Shehadeh chronicles life during occupation Show all 8 1 /8 Tales from the West Bank: Palestinian Raja Shehadeh chronicles life during occupation Tales from the West Bank: Palestinian Raja Shehadeh chronicles life during occupation westbank_1024x768.jpg EPA Tales from the West Bank: Palestinian Raja Shehadeh chronicles life during occupation 5431774.jpg AFP/Getty Images Tales from the West Bank: Palestinian Raja Shehadeh chronicles life during occupation 5431776.jpg Bassam Almohor Tales from the West Bank: Palestinian Raja Shehadeh chronicles life during occupation 5431775.jpg Getty Images Tales from the West Bank: Palestinian Raja Shehadeh chronicles life during occupation 5431777.jpg Getty Images Tales from the West Bank: Palestinian Raja Shehadeh chronicles life during occupation 5431778.jpg Bassam Almohor Tales from the West Bank: Palestinian Raja Shehadeh chronicles life during occupation 5431779.jpg Getty Images Tales from the West Bank: Palestinian Raja Shehadeh chronicles life during occupation 5431780.jpg Getty Images If a Royal visit does take place, the Queen is unlikely to be able to make the journey, as she has she cut back on most overseas travel for health reasons. The Prince of Wales is more likely to make the trip, given his attendance at former Israeli President Shimon Peres funeral last year. A spokesperson for Clarence House, the official residence of the Prince of Wales, told The Independent that the Prince of Wales overseas visits are only made at the request of the government. They could not confirm whether the Prince would be visiting Israel. However, they did point to the Princes strong and growing relationship with the Jewish community. The Israeli Embassy in London declined to comment on the proposed visit. 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 }} Hundreds of US marines have arrived in Syria armed with heavy artillery in preparation for an assault on Isis de-facto capital of Raqqa. A spokesperson for US Central Command told The Independent a Marine Corps artillery unit would provide greater agility to enable and expedite our Syrian partnered forces defeat of Isis in Raqqa. The strategy adopted by the Coalition remains the same we will continue to work by, with and through partnered forces to defeat Isis in Iraq and Syria, he added. Our partners in Syria face an entrenched foe and like the Iraqis, will require additional support. Col John Dorrian, a spokesperson for Operation Inherent Resolve, said the artillery unit and additional Army Rangers had arrived in recent days but would not have a frontline role. Kurdish-led forces launch offensive on Syria's Raqqa We are talking about an additional 400 or so forces in total, and they will be there for a temporary period, he told Reuters. The deployment bolsters around 500 special forces troops who are already on the ground to train and support the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who have driven Isis out of swathes of territory in northern Syria. With backing from US-led coalition air strikes, the Kurdish-led alliance has been fighting to isolate Raqqa city for months, blocking another main road out of the stronghold this week. The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit has arrived in the region armed with 155mm howitzers ready to be positioned for the offensive. The move mirrors tactics ahead of the assault on Mosul in neighbouring Iraq, where the US set up bases outside the city of use as logistics and heavily artillery hubs. Progress by Iraqi forces has slowed after in the western half of the city as Isis responds with car bombs, drones, suicide attacks and ambushes after digging tunnels between houses and setting booby traps for advancing troops. The battle could act as a blueprint for a future assault on Raqqa, where up to 4,000 Isis fighters have been reinforcing the city of 300,000 residents for three years. The marines deployment is believed to have been planned under Barack Obamas administration, with details of a new plan to defeat Isis yet to be made public after being sent to the White House last month. 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 Under existing limits put in place by the Obama administration, the military can have up to 503 troops in Syria but temporary personnel like the latest deployment do not count against the cap. The US is also preparing to send hundreds of service personnel to Kuwait to be ready to join battles against Isis if needed. The marines arrival risks worsening tensions with Turkey, which considers some groups in the US-backed SDF to be terrorists and is supporting Free Syrian Army factions to push them back from the Turkish border. Despite being allies in the fight against Isis, skirmishes have broken out between the SDF and rival groups of rebels deployed by Turkey, who want to push Kurds out of the city of Manbij and back east of the Euphrates river. The Manbij Military Council has handed territory on the frontline over to Syrian government forces in efforts to form a buffer between the two sides, while the US has deployed dozens of army troops in what the Pentagon called a reassure and deter mission. Flying American flags and moving in large armoured vehicles, they have been stationed on the outskirts of Manbij to prevent clashes. Capt Jeff Davis, a spokesman for the Pentagon, said: It's a visible reminder, for anybody who's looking to start a fight, that the only fight that should be going on right now is with Isis. The converging frontlines near al-Bab between parties in the Syrian civil war. Territory controlled by Isis is seen in black, the Syrian government in red, Turkey-backed opposition in blue/green, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic forces in yellow and Kurdish territory occupied by government forces in orange (Liveuamap) Turkey has been angered by the US overt support for the SDF, whose main component the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) is accused of links with the terrorist PKK. Binali Yildirim, the Prime Minister, voiced his opposition to the US choosing to cooperate with the YPG in the Raqqa offensive. If this operation is carried out in this manner there will be a cost for Turkey-US relations, because the YPG is a terrorist organisation, he said. Col Dorrian claimed the US was open to a role for Turkey in the liberation of Raqqa and would continue discussions on military and diplomatic levels. The commander said the effort to isolate Raqqa was going very, very well" and could be completed in a few weeks, adding: Then the decision to move in can be made. Talks have been held between Russian, Turkish and American commanders in an effort to avoid a full-blown proxy war in northern Syria but deep-seated ideological differences between multiple factions are expected to spark continued fighting. Vladimir Putins forces are supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, alongside Iranian troops and Lebanons Hezbollah militant group. Turkey called for Assad to step down at the start of the civil war and is supporting opposition groups, but has quietened its anti-regime rhetoric with a growing focus on pushing back Kurdish groups that have set up an autonomous region stretching almost the entire length of the Syrian border. Britain, the US and EU are also calling for political transition but have shifted initial support of rebel groups to specifically anti-Isis operations, focusing on the SDF. Syrian Democratic Forces fighters hold up their weapons before the offensive on Raqqa (Reuters/Rodi Said) US-led coalition air strikes have hit targets around Raqqa in recent days, destroying three Isis fighting positions, two tunnels and vehicles on Tuesday. More than a dozen civilians were reportedly killed in a bombing raid on a village east of the city, during battles between Isis and the SDF. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said six children were among 14 members of the same family who died in an air strike on Thursday. Investigations by the US-led coalition have so far confirmed at least 220 civilians killed in air strikes against Isis in Syria and Iraq, although the Airwars monitoring group puts the figure at more than 2,500. "We have had what I would describe as a pretty relentless air campaign to destroy enemy capabilities and to kill enemy fighters in that area already, Col Dorrian said. "That is something that we are going to continue and intensify with this new capability." Isis and al-Qaeda linked extremist groups have been excluded from peace talks in Geneva, which will open for a fifth round of discussions on 23 March. Staffan de Mistura, the UN special envoy for Syria, said governance, a new constitution, elections and counter-terrorism would be the main issues on the table, but little progress was expected between warring parties. Russia, Iran and Turkey are participating in a separate meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan, over attempts to secure a ceasefire between the regime and rebels near Damascus. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for weekly expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel 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 Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Six years after the devastating Japanese tsunami, Im on the edge of what was the disaster zone, watching professionals breakdance over a cocktail mixed by a hip-hop DJ. Bar Sugar Shack is one of the few places you can get a drink around here. On March 11, 2011, the port of Onagawa was dwarfed and then drowned by an incoming wave that reached apocalyptic heights of over 50 feet. Where were sitting is Ground Zero land that was briefly at the bottom of the sea that afternoon. Onagawa was destroyed by the 2011 tsunami (Getty Images) (AFP/Getty Images) Tonight, the Bi-Hive Crew, a visiting breakdance troupe, is turning headspins on the dancefloor. Later, Tokyo rapper Rino Latina II will be performing live. Owner and bartender Shuhei Sakimura is himself a hip-hop DJ and street artist. His dream, he tells me, is to host big-name US rappers here in his tiny hometown on Japans Tohoku coast, an area which is still recovering from near annihilation. Like who, I ask? Like Nas, he says in a heartbeat, mixing me an Onagawa Highball. Its a cocktail he developed with representatives from Johnnie Walker whisky, whose Japanese distributors at The Kirin Brewery Company are sponsors of the ports ongoing recovery. The brands slogan, Keep Walking, has been adopted as a kind of motto for the post-tsunami spirit, and a general openness to investment and entrepreneurship has made Onagawa a kind of model village for regional reconstruction. Shuhei Sakimura spraypaints the local fishermen's storage space, giving Onagawa its new look (Keisuke Hirai/Onagawa Days) Today, a new commercial development called the Seapal Pier stands on raised ground along the waterfront, with stylish wooden storefronts designed to resemble traditional Japanese machiya. Neighbouring units include a gourmet coffee house, a Spanish tile factory, a workshop where electric guitars are carved from local cedar trees, and Garuya Beer Bar, dedicated to craft beers, which serves a hops-heavy, home-brewed Onagawa Ale. Terms like "hipster" would never have applied to Onagawa before the tsunami. Nothing like this existed here when Sakimura was younger, he says; the only thing for teens to do was hang around outside the train station, and the only work available was in the local fisheries, the town hall or the vast paper mill in nearby Ishinomaki, where he used to work. The Garuya craft beer bar, one of Onagawa's new inhabitants (Yosuke Komatsu) All these buildings and businesses were swept away by the tsunami along with Sakimuras childhood home, his grandmother, and his younger brother. But from the shock and grief came a certain resolution. As D-Bons his street art name hes dedicated himself to fostering a creative scene and youth culture in a town that had never really had one. And his art, music and bar have become part of an international effort to remake Onagawa as a viable destination. The project is based around the word kizuna, meaning something like heart-connection, which is how Sakimura describes his art. Fishermen (whose industry has recovered to almost pre-disaster levels) commission him to spray-paint their units with brightly coloured murals and slogans. Domestic travel operator JTB has spearheaded a Tohoku Kizuna campaign, highlighting the areas dramatic shoreline of thick pine forests, sinuous coastal mountains and deep blue fjord-like inlets. The hipster openings are bringing a new kind of person to Onagawa (Yosuke Komatsu) Meanwhile, UK operator Inside Japan which offered volunteer placements for tourists as part of its post-disaster trips runs a popular Northern Soul package, which brings customers from Britain, Europe and the US to this quiet, rural corner of Honshu island. Since the wreckage has been cleared, recent itineraries have assigned a native guide from Ishinomaki to relate to visitors their experiences of the tsunami, and survey those razed and haunted areas where the damage is still very much in evidence. The idea is to help educate travellers about the tsunami, contribute to the recovery, and highlight the beauty of the region, which is really spectacular, says Inside Japans James Mundy. Japan Rail also offers the popular Kenji tour, named after famous local poet Kenji Miyazawa, shuttling day trippers in from Tokyo to pay respects, take photos and spend money in Onagawa. They arrive on the recently reopened local line at the towns new train station. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Shigeru Ban, its already a landmark: a luminous, cartoonish-looking structure with a hat-shaped roof that follows the contours of surrounding mountains. A modern train station is part of the new Onagawa landscape (Stephen Phelan) For my visit, town schoolteacher and outdoorsman Ikuo Fujinaka invites me on a trek up a peak called Kuromori, where hes been commissioned to map out routes for hiking trails and nature walks. Some of these are traced over older, overgrown footpaths, lined with Shinto shrines placed long ago to appease those capricious wind and water gods who both threaten and protect fishermen. From the hushed, cedar-covered summit we can hear the earth-movers clearing and terracing hillsides for new housing at safer elevations, well above sea level. This enormous project has delayed the towns return to life. Like thousands of others who lost their homes, Fujinaka himself has been consigned to a cramped emergency housing unit since the tsunami, though his own plot of land is finally ready for building. He has mixed feelings about the altered, tourist-oriented Onagawa that seems now to be taking priority, but he understands the thinking. Craft beer is now a thing in Onagawa (Yosuke Komatsu) Before the disaster, this was an old town, for old people, he says. Im old too, but I know we need more young people to survive. Hes less sure that Onagawa actually needs a hip-hop venue like Bar Sugar Shack, or a craft beer bar, but hes willing to give them a try. We end the day in Garuya Beer Bar with pints of Onagawa Ale. The evening rolls on, and the place fills up with a cross-section of the post-tsunami community. Fujinaka knows many of them: town planners, fishing boat owners, geriatric care workers from the hospital up the hill. Others are strangers, shoppers, sightseers, happy to be here and keen to mingle. We talk about the beer, the weather, Donald Trump. We toast to new homes and beginnings. Theres a lot of laughing, and no mention of the tsunami. Travel essentials Getting there Onagawa is best reached via Sendai, the biggest city in the region and the nearest major transport hub. Asiana and ANA operate flights from London to Sendai via Incheon, Seoul, from 747 return. Alternatively, the Shinkansen bullet train runs from Tokyo. Local JR bus and train services run to Onagawa via Ishinomaki. Inside Japans Northern Soul package includes a visit to the region and a guided tour of the former disaster area by a local survivor. The trip is 14 nights and costs from 3405, excluding international flights. Staying there Ishinomaki is the best option for accommodation, as many hotels and ryokans (traditional Japanese inns) there have reopened since the disaster. Kikuchi Ryokan provides warm, Tohoku-style hospitality in a traditional family-owned inn. Doubles form 57, B&B. More information Japan National Tourist Organisation Inside Japan Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for weekly expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel 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 Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Passengers aboard easyJet flight 8275 from Gatwick to Madrid on Wednesday encountered two surprises. The first: they were kept waiting on the ground for nearly two hours because of a strike by French air-traffic controllers. The second: all six crew members on the Airbus A320 were women. The arithmetic shows this to be a rare event. While many cabin crew are female, men outnumber women by around 16 to one on the flight deck. When I checked on the flight-deck gender split three months ago with all the leading airlines serving UK passengers, a remarkably consistent pattern emerged: at British Airways, easyJet, Monarch and Ryanair, just 6 per cent of crew are female. Flybe performs slightly better than the norm; 7.5 per cent of the airlines pilots are female, while just 3 per cent of Thomsons pilots are women. Recommended Male pilots outnumber females by 16 to 1 All other things being equal, only one flight in about 300 to and from the UK is flown by two women; 17 have have one male and one female pilot; and the remaining 282 are two-man operations. But not all other things are equal, because the proportion of captains who are female is even smaller than that 6 per cent. At Thomas Cook Airlines, for example, 8 per cent of first officers junior pilots are female, but among captains, the proportion of women falls to below 2 per cent. Worldwide, the figures are even worse, with only 3 per cent of pilots worldwide female raising the odds of a two-woman flight crew to a shocking one in 1,000. Pilots were warned about the French strike by a Notam a NOtice To AirMen, which most of the time is well aimed. Royal Brunei's all-female flight deck made headlines last year (Royal Brunei Airlines) As the captain of that easyJet flight said, It is hard to think of another high-profile profession where women are so under-represented. She is Kate McWilliams, at 27 years old also the worlds youngest female commercial captain. The flight on International Womens Day was more than just a gesture: easyJet has set an ambitious target of increasing the proportion of its female pilots, aiming for 20 per cent of new-intake pilots by 2020. The airline has named an Airbus A320 jet after the pioneering female aviator, Amy Johnson, and that was the aircraft used for the pioneering Gatwick-Madrid flight. It wasnt the first time an airline has highlighted the high-altitude gender gap; a year ago, Royal Brunei Airlines operated its first all-female-pilot service, with a twist of irony to Saudi Arabia where conservative clerics ban women from driving. Given the hostile attitude to homosexuality in the Sultanate, I fear we may be waiting rather longer for the Bruneian carrier to dispatch a flight with openly gay pilots. Across at easyJets giant rival, Ryanair, one female pilot has become an online celebrity as well as a role model: Maria Pettersson, from Gothenburg, combines her work as a first officer with a travel and lifestyle blog. Talking of lifestyle: could one reason for the gender imbalance be the uncertain and disruptive schedule that pilots have to handle? I dont believe so, because there are plenty of female cabin crew who cope with equally onerous rosters. Civil Aviation Authority flight-deck rules that apply only to women pilots dont help. Pregnant women can fly as a passenger on easyJet up to the 35th week of gestation, but under CAA regulations the limit is 26 weeks. After this point, the certificate shall be suspended, instructs the authority, adding a provision that makes having a baby sound like an affliction: The suspension shall be lifted after full recovery following the end of the pregnancy. To see how the rails compare with the skies, I asked Eurostar how many of its train drivers are female. Just two out of 62, which means that men outnumber women by 30 to one. Gender stereotyping in transport seems deeply ingrained as do the attitudes of some men. When I first wrote about the easyJet initiative to recruit more female pilots, one reader added this unhelpful comment: I wonder if theyd give my mother-in-law a job. Cant be much difference between flying a broomstick and flying a plane. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for weekly expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel 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 Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The first confirmed effect on flight bookings to the United States since President Trump first issued a travel ban has been revealed by the boss of the giant Dubai-based airline Emirates. Within a week of his inauguration, the new President issued a controversial executive order banning nationals from seven mainly Muslim countries from the US. Sir Tim Clark said that travel ban triggered a immediate fall in booking rates from Dubai to the US of over one-third. Speaking at the ITB travel fair in Berlin, Sir Tim said: The first US travel order saw the booking velocity fall by 35 per cent overnight. The effect it had was instantaneous. Since then, he said, bookings had regained some ground but were still not back to the predicted levels. When will it recapture the original booking curve is anyone's guess, he said. Previous surveys citing a Trump slump have been based on online searches, rather than actual sales. Emirates has a massive presence on US routes, with at least 10 flights a day to a range of cities - including three daily A380 Superjumbo services to New York. Yet at the same travel fair a day earlier, one of Sir Tims rivals had claimed the travel ban had had no effect. Akbar Al Baker, chief executive of Qatar Airways, told The Independent: My business is to make sure that when I deploy my aeroplanes they are full, and that passengers are able to go in and out of the country. We didnt see any drop in traffic. We havent seen any drop in demand for our flights to the United States, he said. The average load factor the proportion of seats occupied fell by 2.6 per cent to North America, against a global increase of 0.6 per cent on February 2016. That corresponds to eight fewer passengers on a Boeing 777 typically used on routes from the UK to the US. Last month Dara Khosrowshahi, president and chief executive of travel giant Expedia, said: We have seen an effect on trading on a short-term basis. The weekend of the executive order, certainly we saw a negative effect on trading. But he added: We havent seen any meaningful effect at this point, which is good news. Well be watching it closely. Officials seeking to market the city of Chicago to both domestic and foreign tourists have faced an uphill struggle after a series of tweets from President Trump. Activists protest Donald Trump's proposed Muslim ban Show all 11 1 /11 Activists protest Donald Trump's proposed Muslim ban Activists protest Donald Trump's proposed Muslim ban People listen to speakers at a demonstration against racism and conservative presidential candidate Donald Trump's recent remarks concerning Muslims on December 10, 2015 in New York City. Dozens or demonstrators and activists converged at Columbus Circle to denounce the politics of Trump and the treatment of Muslim refugees both in America and Europe. Spencer Platt/Getty Activists protest Donald Trump's proposed Muslim ban People listen to speakers at a demonstration against racism and conservative presidential candidate Donald Trump's recent remarks concerning Muslims on December 10, 2015 in New York City. Dozens or demonstrators and activists converged at Columbus Circle to denounce the politics of Trump and the treatment of Muslim refugees both in America and Europe. Spencer Platt/Getty Activists protest Donald Trump's proposed Muslim ban People listen to speakers at a demonstration against racism and conservative presidential candidate Donald Trump's recent remarks concerning Muslims on December 10, 2015 in New York City. Dozens or demonstrators and activists converged at Columbus Circle to denounce the politics of Trump and the treatment of Muslim refugees both in America and Europe. Spencer Platt/Getty Activists protest Donald Trump's proposed Muslim ban People listen to speakers at a demonstration against racism and conservative presidential candidate Donald Trump's recent remarks concerning Muslims on December 10, 2015 in New York City. Dozens or demonstrators and activists converged at Columbus Circle to denounce the politics of Trump and the treatment of Muslim refugees both in America and Europe. Spencer Platt/Getty Activists protest Donald Trump's proposed Muslim ban People listen to speakers at a demonstration against racism and conservative presidential candidate Donald Trump's recent remarks concerning Muslims on December 10, 2015 in New York City. Dozens or demonstrators and activists converged at Columbus Circle to denounce the politics of Trump and the treatment of Muslim refugees both in America and Europe. Spencer Platt/Getty Activists protest Donald Trump's proposed Muslim ban People listen to speakers at a demonstration against racism and conservative presidential candidate Donald Trump's recent remarks concerning Muslims on December 10, 2015 in New York City. Dozens or demonstrators and activists converged at Columbus Circle to denounce the politics of Trump and the treatment of Muslim refugees both in America and Europe. Getty Activists protest Donald Trump's proposed Muslim ban People listen to speakers at a demonstration against racism and conservative presidential candidate Donald Trump's recent remarks concerning Muslims on December 10, 2015 in New York City. Dozens or demonstrators and activists converged at Columbus Circle to denounce the politics of Trump and the treatment of Muslim refugees both in America and Europe. Spencer Platt/Getty Activists protest Donald Trump's proposed Muslim ban People listen to speakers at a demonstration against racism and conservative presidential candidate Donald Trump's recent remarks concerning Muslims on December 10, 2015 in New York City. Dozens or demonstrators and activists converged at Columbus Circle to denounce the politics of Trump and the treatment of Muslim refugees both in America and Europe. Spencer Platt/Getty Activists protest Donald Trump's proposed Muslim ban People listen to speakers at a demonstration against racism and conservative presidential candidate Donald Trump's recent remarks concerning Muslims on December 10, 2015 in New York City. Dozens or demonstrators and activists converged at Columbus Circle to denounce the politics of Trump and the treatment of Muslim refugees both in America and Europe. Spencer Platt/Getty Activists protest Donald Trump's proposed Muslim ban People listen to speakers at a demonstration against racism and conservative presidential candidate Donald Trump's recent remarks concerning Muslims on December 10, 2015 in New York City. Dozens or demonstrators and activists converged at Columbus Circle to denounce the politics of Trump and the treatment of Muslim refugees both in America and Europe. Spencer Platt/Getty Activists protest Donald Trump's proposed Muslim ban People listen to speakers at a demonstration against racism and conservative presidential candidate Donald Trump's recent remarks concerning Muslims on December 10, 2015 in New York City. Dozens or demonstrators and activists converged at Columbus Circle to denounce the politics of Trump and the treatment of Muslim refugees both in America and Europe. Spencer Platt/Getty The state of Illinois has launched an expensive ad campaign with the slogan Are you up for Amazing? But the spend is up against tweets from the nations leader about the murder rate in Chicago, which Mr Trump described as carnage. The Canadian island of Cape Breton, part of Nova Scotia, has reported a surge in interest from American visitors since it set up the website cbiftrumpwins.com, ahead of the presidential election. Bookings rose 16 per cent, year on year. The website promises visitors: In Cape Breton, we value diversity! Here, you can hear a number of other languages, like French and Mi'kmaq, even Gaelic! But everybody also speaks English, just like you! 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 }} Driving out of London last weekend, I actually missed the turning to Oxford (not brilliantly signposted, but I know where it is), because of a short item deep down in the midday news headlines on the radio. The Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, it said, would be going to Moscow in the coming weeks, the first UK foreign secretary to beat that path in five years. Now, it may be that the news item, rather like the Oxford sign, was shaped and positioned in such a way as to be inconspicuous. It has since been rather lost in the general press of other news, as it was probably meant to be. But the Foreign Office announcement, slipped out on a Saturday morning, before the orgy of sport and the Sunday Budget previews, deserves more attention than my gasp of surprise at first hearing. This is, first, because it amounts to an enormous foreign policy U-turn, one of the most definitive by any UK government in many years. Second, because it is that rare creature in the currently grim world of diplomacy: a move in the right direction that could play a small part in the making of a better world. This is not, of course, how the Foreign Office presented it. The emphasis from the diplomatic spinmeisters was all on what this visit was not. As reported by the BBC, this is what an unidentified Foreign Office source said. This is not a return to business as usual ... It does not signal any shift in UK policy towards Russia. He is not going in order to reset the relationship... This is not about cosying up, in fact quite the opposite. Ex-MI6 agent behind Trump Russia dossier breaks silence All of which might lead you to conclude that Boris Johnson was setting off on a mission to read the riot act to those pesky Russians, in the manner of an imperial envoy setting off with his retinue to a troublesome colony. Would any concessions be made, any of the condemnation softened? Perish the thought: The Foreign Secretary will continue to be robust on those issues where we differ. So the official line is that Boris is setting off in due course on the first foreign ministerial visit to Russia for five years to give the Russians a tongue-lashing and drum home the UKs known positions on the conflicts of the moment, such as Syria and Ukraine. Which he may well do, if only for forms sake. But this is not the point. The point is that there has been no face-to-face contact at this level since 2012 and that Johnson is going there; Sergei Lavrov, his opposite number, is not coming here. The precedence is clear. It is the UK that has altered its position, not Russia. Nor, although the announcement came out of the blue, was the policy shift completely without preparation. While UK ministers in general and Boris Johnson in particular have been notably harsher in their language about Russia than their counterparts in Europe or the pre-Trump United States Johnson has accused Moscow of war crimes in Syria, for instance, and called for demonstrations outside the Russian embassy the Foreign Secretary has recently started to hint at a different approach. In January, when he gave his first major foreign policy speech as Foreign Secretary at the foreign affairs think tank, Chatham House, he tucked in a remark about dialogue not being incompatible with a tough line on Russia. He went a little further at the Munich Security Conference last month, when he said: You have got to engage with Russia, but you have to engage in a very guarded way... Both phrasings, though, passed almost unnoticed. In the first case, because of a typically Johnsonian wordplay about elephants and tusks; in the second, because all the focus at Munich was all on the new US President and what his real intentions were for US security. 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 Even if the ground was prepared at least a little for the UK policy shift, however, the timing of the announcement still surprised. One sympathetic explanation sympathetic to Johnson, that is was that the very ferocity of his anti-Russia rhetoric since his arrival at King Charles Street had gained him space for a rapprochement without appearing soft, and this was all part of the plan. Perhaps. But there are hard-headed reasons why the UK might consider a policy change to be in its interests now and the sooner and sharper the better. One is the general thawing towards Russia that is in progress in much of old Europe, where the dangers of isolating Russia are increasingly seen as greater than the risks of engagement. President Vladimir Putin has gradually been brought in from the cold chamber where he was confined after Russias annexation of Crimea, and elections in France and Germany could speed the change further. Another is the extent to which the UK has been excluded from talks whether over Ukraine, where the running has been made by Germany, or over Syria, where the baton of peace-convenor has been passed from the US to Russia. Choosing not to take part is one thing; not being invited quite something else. Theresa May has also seemed less dogmatic about Russia than her predecessor. When she became Prime Minister, one of her earliest calls was to Putin. There was also a cooling towards China. Was she perhaps troubled by the glaring inconsistency in official UK attitudes to the two? What really changed the calculation, though, was surely the election of Donald Trump. His desire for a new US opening to Russia has got him into all sorts of difficulties at home, and it may be that the much-vaunted meeting with Putin has been put on hold. If the Trump administration eventually decides on an overture to Russia as I still think it will then the UK, already distanced from the EU, risked becoming perilously isolated or looking like a poodle again if it left its U-turn too late. In the event, the timing of the Boris-to-Moscow announcement was probably about as good as it gets. Only days before, the Government had been given something like cover for a policy change, when the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee published its report on relations with Russia. While there was a generous amount of Cold War sabre-rattling, the bottom line was that attempts to isolate Russia had been counterproductive and that it was high time for the UK to re-engage or risk being left out on a limb. The report can now be cited to rebuff any objections that MPs or the Foreign Office might make. It will not, of course, be a simple matter for the UK to re-set relations with Russia. The mood of MPs though less of the Lords is hawkish in the extreme. There is one dominant view of Syria and one of Ukraine both of which put Russia in the dock and brook no dissent. But a UK rapprochement with Russia has to happen: standing alone against Putin would leave the UK looking not principled, but irrelevant. If the only way such a major policy change can be undertaken is to pretend it is not happening, that is regrettable. But better the pretence and the U-turn than the dead end our two countries are trapped in today. 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 }} Were getting used to the new President now and starting to envy Americans. At least you know your leader is concentrating, when at two in the morning he puts messages on Twitter such as Mexicans have been stealing my biscuits. Disgrace!!! Buy your own Digestives Pedro!! Or Muslim terrorists blow up Tuesdays across Europe! Bad guys make weeks shorter!!! Must attack them with werewolves. This week he even mentioned how he respects women on International Womens Day, and to prove it on that day he grabs women by the arse rather than the pussy, because he knows how to show respect. In the daytime he can elaborate on his theories more fully. So Trump sent his press secretary to explain his revelation that Barack Obama had been tapping his phone. According to his spokesman, the crime Trump accused Obama of may have happened, because I think thats what we need to find out. The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters You cant get any clearer than that. For centuries the human race has been bogged down by red tape, such as the requirement to provide evidence whenever you accuse someone of a crime. Now we can dispense with that, and accuse people of whatever we fancy with no tiresome paperwork. He can say Michelle was taking nuclear missiles out of the Pentagon and giving them to Venezuela in return for crystal meth, and when someone asks his spokesman was she really?, he can say I think thats what we need to find out. Similarly hes claimed three to five million people voted illegally in the election, all of them for Hillary Clinton. Weaker characters would feel the need to produce a smidgen of proof for this mass fraud, or at least suggest the name of someone whod voted illegally, and claim that if one person was guilty its almost certain another three to five million must be as well. But now we dont need to waste time like that, because evidence is politically correct twaddle. Ex-CIA chief says it would've been impossible for Obama to wiretap Trump What a breakthrough it would be if the whole legal system worked like this, and anything was true if someone said it was. A random stranger could tell the police See that bloke by the bus stop? He shot my rhino. Then off to jail hed go, saving all the expense of courts and juries, and life would be one uncertain cavalcade of fun, as we all went backwards and forwards to prison because someone on magic mushrooms said wed stolen the Taj Mahal or given their kids dinner money to Isis. In case its not enough that Obama hacked his phone, Trump told us on Tuesday: 122 vicious prisoners from Guantanamo Bay were released by Obama and went back to the battlefield. But of the people he was referring to, 113 had been released by George W Bush before Obama became President. That shows how sneaky Obama is he was using his powers as President years before he was President. I expect he knocked on the door at Guantanamo Bay and said, Im the President, release everyone, and hed have been able to impersonate George W Bush accurately, because of all the hours he spent listening to him while he was tapping his phone. The education system would be liberated by this method, with tedious books replaced by marvellously imaginative chaos. History teachers could say, In 1854 the ancient city of Pompeii was blown up by a volcano planted by terrorist Muslims who were very bad. Students could write on an exam paper that Eskimos were furry Muslims who couldnt set things alight as it was too cold for the matches, and that would get them an A, as long as they added this was something they needed to find out. So by removing the need for facts, at a stroke the whole of America would be three times as clever. Its also becoming unnecessary to disprove something that seems to be true. Various senior figures in his government inform us theyve never been to Russia, then film emerges of them skating down the dome of the Kremlin and they tell us to stop making a fuss and thats the end of it. Its possible there is a logic to Trumps pronouncements, as a batch of them usually emerge when hes facing an awkward time. So the discovery of Obamas phone-tapping came as he was being questioned over his latest exclusion order. This seems to be a pattern, so next time hes in trouble, hell announce the penguins in the White House zoo have died because Hillary Clintons eaten all their fish, or we should celebrate because womens breasts are three times as big since his inauguration. The temptation is to assume he cant keep getting away with this, as hes not playing by the rules. But hes rewritten the rules. And politicians everywhere will want to copy him. Philip Hammond will send out tweets at 3.30am saying, New National Insurance rates will stop bad Chinese stealing our elderly!! GIVE MY AUNT BACK MAO-TSE-TUNG!! But the threat of mass protests probably does concern him. Already, theres enough of a worry about what will confront him here, that the Government keeps rearranging his visit, possibly confining it to Scotland, and making it in summer when it will be harder to arrange a demonstration. So hell probably end up here for twenty minutes at two in the morning, except thats when hell pop to the toilet and send out a tweet saying, Just met Queen. Great guy! Offered her Brexit deal for Stonehenge and Duchess of Cambridge. What an ass!! So theyll have to put him in disguise, dressed in a burqa, and sneak him back to the airport. 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 }} In 1989, Donald Trump bought the hobbled Eastern Airlines Shuttle between Boston, New York and Washington DC, hastily stuck his name on the side of its aging 727s as well as pink faux-marble basins in the loos in the vague hope the fiddles and upgrades would make it soar again. With typical braggadocio he then made an ill-fated run at buying American Airlines. Why not? First came a crash-landing when the nose-gear of one of his planes jammed. By 1992, the whole flying ball of twine had unravelled and he was forced to sell up to US Airways, years later bought by the aforementioned American Airlines. It was a debacle he doesnt mention much but one he surely came to regret. Ive got Trump Air/Trumpcare shivers. Right now, the Republican Party standing in as the Trump Organization nowadays is attempting to overhaul and refurbish another entity they dont like the look of. That would be Obamacare. And it looks to me like they are making similar mistakes, rearranging the decor with little to no idea whether what theyll be left with will fly. You thought airlines were complicated. Healthcare spending may account for one fifth of the American economy by 2020. It took the Democrats almost two years to craft and usher through the American Care Act (Obamacare), but after concocting a replacement with all new livery it will now, excitingly, be called the American Healthcare Act in secret, speaker Paul Ryan wants it passed by the House by yesterday. Hasty doesnt come close to describing whats going on. The Ways and Means Committee stayed up until 4am on Thursday to give it its imprimatur. On Wednesday, chief Trump Air purser Sean Spicer offered proof that the new era of small government has arrived by wheeling a trolley into the press room adorned with two piles of paper, one very tall, the other very short. The tall one was the Obamacare law, the shorter the Ryan replacement. Look at the size! he gushed. This is the Democrats! right hand on big pile. This is us hand on short pile. He is running a kindergarten there in the West Wing. Short is good, so long as all the systems are in place to ensure flight. Which now looks doubtful. Already stripped out are the assorted tax elements built into Obamacare to keep it financially viable, mostly on richer Americans who could afford them and the healthcare industry itself. Gone is the requirement that everyone buy coverage or face tax penalties, a provision meant to give the insurance companies guaranteed numbers of customers so they could comply with other provisions, like not denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. No one would be so dumb as to begin pushing a law as crucial as this one without having some notion of the likely consequences of it. That, to labour the metaphor, would be like taking the cockpit controls blindfolded. Except that thats exactly what Ryan is doing. The Congressional Budget Office, CBO, exists precisely to forecast the likely financial impact of proposed new laws for federal coffers and indeed for the populace at large. Has it done that yet for Trumpcare? It has not. Last we heard, it will be ready to offer numbers next week. But Ryan couldnt wait. Terrified? The good news may be that Ryan has met, er, turbulence. His biggest problem in the House are members on the right who contend that what he is offering is merely Obamacare-Lite. They note, for instance, that while subsidies that Democrats devised to help the poorest Americans buy coverage will be gone, theyll be replaced by a system of tax credits. They dont see much of a distinction, particularly since it will entail the government writing cheques again for those so poor they dont pay any federal income tax in the first place. There is some of that in the Senate too, where majority leader Mitch McConnell means to take up the new law and pass it before the Easter recess. (Yup, all done and dusted and sent to Trump for his signature in the space of a few weeks.) Senators Rand Paul and Mike Lee of Kentucky and Utah are in revolt. But there are some moderate Republicans, like Susan Collins of Maine, who have opposite concerns that Trumpcare will lead to millions losing coverage. While the CBO scratches its head, some private bodies have already done the math. Its not good, especially if you are a poorer or older American. The Kaiser Foundation has published an interactive map showing how much insurance costs would rise or fall for different age groups in all counties in all states. Lets see. In Palm Beach County where Mar-a-Lago is, a 60-year-old could expect to see a 38 per cent drop in federal help to buy coverage. In Grant County, Nebraska, which fell especially hard for Trump, a person of the same age can expect $16,950 in federal subsidies now and only $4,000 in tax credits if Trumpcare passes as it is now. This bill would weaken Medicares fiscal sustainability, dramatically increase health care costs for Americans aged 50-64, and put at risk the health care of millions of children and adults with disabilities, and poor seniors who depend on the Medicaid program for long term services and supports and other benefits, AARP senior vice president Joyce Rogers warned Congress. Ryan has a large enough majority, that he could lose about two dozen of his members and still get his bill through. The outlook for passage in the Senate is far less certain, however. With 52 of the 100 seats in his control, Mr McConnell would survive two defections (with Vice President called in to break a tie) but not three. A parade of moderate Republicans is already vowing not to pass the bill as is, but rather to open up it up for amendments. That, however, is when the whole process may be spin apart because the only consensus about this on Capitol Hill rests with the Democrats who want Obamacare left alone. Republicans are all over the shop. You wouldnt know this from Trump, who took to Twitter on Thursday to dispel all doubts about the enterprise. Despite what you hear in the press, healthcare is coming along great. We are talking to many groups and it will end in a beautiful picture! he wanted the country to know. He tried something of the same salesmanship upon purchasing his shuttle airline nearly thirty years ago. Its a diamond, its an absolute diamond, he boasted. Except that it wasnt. The Republicans are prying open Obamacare and trying to make into something else for the sake of it. Or for the sake of ideology. They may come seriously to regret that too if it crash-lands. 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 }} A problem out of sight is a problem out of mind or at least that seems to be the case for some homelessness charities in London, who, it has emerged this week, have been helping to deport migrants particularly those from Romania, Poland and other Eastern European countries rather than supporting them into housing. The sole purpose of St Mungos, Thames Reach, and Change Grow Live the charities in question is to end homelessness. Specifically, the core vision of St Mungos, as stated on their website, is a world in which everyone has a place to call home and can fulfil their hopes and ambitions. Thames Reachs mission, similarly, is to ensure that every service user has a decent home, supportive relationships and a fulfilling life. How exactly does supporting people into a fulfilling life and a stable home include collaborating with the Home Office and sending them packing back to the countries they chose to leave in the first place? In May 2016, Theresa May toughened the rules surrounding Eastern European nationals, so that they can be arrested and deported if found sleeping rough for just one night. Corporate Watch has released a report about the joint visits to rough sleepers carried out by Immigration and Community Enforcement teams (ICE) and homeless charity outreach workers. Their aim is to gather intelligence in order to identify nationals who are in contravention of their EU treaty rights to remain in the UK by rough sleeping. Thames Reach, St Mungo's and other partners are keen to emphasise that their work with Immigration Enforcement works toward voluntary reconnection, assisting Eastern European nationals who fall on hard times, after life in the UK doesnt go according to plan, are given the means to return home. However, FOI reports indicate that there is nothing voluntary about the reconnections, more often than not they end in detention and enforced deportation. 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 There is no record of how many end up back on the streets in their home countries as no evaluation has been made of the outcomes faced by these rough sleepers by either Thames reach or St Mungos, who have provided the reconnection services between them since 2009. What we do know of homelessness in Eastern European countries is bleak: according to the report, one Romanian NGO study reported 300 rough sleeper deaths in Bucharest in 2009. In 2012, during a severe winter, more than 200 rough sleepers in Russia, 74 in Romania, 135 in the Ukraine and 82 in Poland died. Its no fluke that over half of rough sleepers in London come from this demographic. Jobs promised on arrival fail to transpire; seasonal employment dries up along with the accommodation that went with it; exploitative wages are too low to pay equally unscrupulous landlords and in worst case scenarios some will have escaped from forced labour. Recommended Donald Trump is a breath of fresh air for America Then, when hard times fall, there is no safety net beneath them as access to Jobseekers Allowance and Housing Benefit has been severely restricted since 2014. The only option is rough sleeping, the penalty for which, since 2016, is deportation. Funny: its as if EEA nationals have been set up to fail in the UK. And now the last buffers against all of this charities are no longer neutral spaces, where you can ask for guidance and support. Instead, they have become an auxiliary of Theresa Mays hostile environment for migrants. 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 }} Funny how another nations sectarian hatred comes seeping over the national frontier of its neighbours. Mexico is now fighting off the US Presidents wall mania. Justin Trudeaus Canada looks squeaky clean compared to America. You can forgive the Prime Ministers vanity Trudeau is now posing Tom Cruise style, eyes narrowed in love towards his wife in her cringe-making Womens Day photo-op with her husband. Not long ago, the same couple blessed the cover of Vanity Fair. But hes the guy who walks tall on immigration, welcomes Syrian refugees with affection, tells them theyre home and generally makes Trump look like a scumbag. But the contagion has already arrived in Canada. Inspired by the racism of the Trump regime, we now find that a Canadian Conservative Party leadership contender wants to give newly arrived immigrants a values test. Are men and women equalunder the law? they would be asked. Is it ever OK to coerce or use violence against an individual who disagrees with your views? Do you realise that to have a good life in Canada, you will need to work hard to provide for yourself and your family, that you cant expect to have things you want given to you? This tosh is, of course, doubly racist. Since only Muslims supposedly rate women as second-class citizens, this snide question is obviously directed at them. And since the question assumes a Muslim would actually announce that they do not regard men and women as equal, the question also treats them as simpletons. Tory leadership contender Kellie Leitchs set of Canadian Values were released on the very day that Oklahoma Republican John Bennett published his own American questionnaire for Muslim constituents who want to meet him. His question number one was: Do you beat your wife? Donald Trump signs revised travel ban He might as well have asked Muslims: Do you lie? Maybe this is all just a trifle childish, although we might remember that the former Canadian Tory Prime Minister, whose party leadership Leitch wants, came close to producing laws that would make criticism of Israel a hate crime. Leitch herself obviously regards Muslims as not only violent misogynists but also scroungers hence the insulting question about whether they realise theyll have to work hard in Canada. But the contagion doesnt end with Leitch. For only a few days ago, the right-wing National Post in Toronto carried a stunning story whose sectarian thread obviously pushed it onto the front page but without its racist content being explicitly pointed out by the writer. The first two sentences, however, will certainly alert The Independent readers as to what is to come. Trump, the paper announced, has been single-minded when it comes to immigration, pledging to keep certain people out, especially if they happen to be from Mexico or some Muslim nations. But a bipartisan bill introduced in the House of Representatives would actually open the door wider to one group: older Canadians who winter south of the border. Faced with an avalanche of tourist cancellations from Canada and Europe now that the Trump regime is settling into a racist border policy, congressmen are desperately hoping that the Promoting Tourism to Enhance our Economy Act will help to keep the cash flowing into America because it aims to let Canadians of 55 and over who own or rent property in the US stay there for an extra two months a year. The 55-year old lower age limit for property owners or renters suggests to you that wealthy white Canadians might be the tourists which Republicans (and Democrats, one should add) have in mind. And youd be right. Because this is the villainous explanation for the bill which would allow certain Canadians to spend more time per year in America than in their native land provided by its cosponsor, Republican Ted Yoho of Florida: We want people with good standing to come here and stay as long as they care. We come from similar backgrounds, we believe in the same thing. Theres no assimilation [necessary]. The morals and mores we have are pretty much the same as they have, so its pretty much an easy transition. I have spared readers the endless sic markers which would otherwise be littered across this paragraph. But let us dwell briefly on the semantics. Similar backgrounds doesnt sound to me like an invitation to 55-year-old Muslim Canadian immigrants. As for no assimilation necessary... Well no, there wouldnt be, would there, since those friendly, older, ever-so-similar Canadians would be from the same background as older Florida Americans. New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban Show all 27 1 /27 New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban Ethnic Yemenis and supporters protest against President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen on February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. At least 1,000 Yemeni-owned bodegas and grocery-stores across the city shut down from noon to 8 p.m. today to protest the order. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban Men pray during a protest by ethnic Yemenis and supporters over President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen on February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. At least 1,000 Yemeni-owned bodegas and grocery-stores across the city shut down from noon to 8 p.m. today to protest the order. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban Ethnic Yemenis and supporters protest against President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen on February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. At least 1,000 Yemeni-owned bodegas and grocery-stores across the city shut down from noon to 8 p.m. today to protest the order. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban Men pray during a protest by ethnic Yemenis and supporters over President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen on February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. At least 1,000 Yemeni-owned bodegas and grocery-stores across the city shut down from noon to 8 p.m. today to protest the order. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People gather for evening prayer at a rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally with flags at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally with flags at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally with flags at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally with flags at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally with flags at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban A Yemeni business owner places a sign on the gate of his store February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Across the city, Yemeni owned bodega and grocery-stores will shut down from noon to 8 p.m. to protest President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen. It is expected that over 1000 stores will be closed in protest with workers and owners participating in an afternoon rally in Brooklyn. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban A Yemeni business owner places a sign on the gate of his store February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Across the city, Yemeni owned bodega and grocery-stores will shut down from noon to 8 p.m. to protest President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen. It is expected that over 1000 stores will be closed in protest with workers and owners participating in an afternoon rally in Brooklyn. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 02: Yemeni business owner Musa closes the gate to his store February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Across the city, Yemeni owned bodega and grocery-stores will shut down from noon to 8 p.m. to protest President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen. It is expected that over 1000 stores will be closed in protest with workers and owners participating in an afternoon rally in Brooklyn. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban A Yemeni business owner closes the gate to his store February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Across the city, Yemeni owned bodega and grocery-stores will shut down from noon to 8 p.m. to protest President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen. It is expected that over 1000 stores will be closed in protest with workers and owners participating in an afternoon rally in Brooklyn. Spencer Platt/Getty Which means that 55-year old Muslim Canadians and older are not quite the chaps whom Republican Yoho wants to welcome in Florida. Morals and mores, well, we know what that means folk who dont, in the immortal words of Oklahoma Republican John Bennett, beat their wives. As for an easy transition, that pretty much says it all. White non-Muslim Canadians welcome, Muslim Canadians of any colour, dont waste your time in coming to the border. In fact over these past few days, Ive met quite a few Canadians regular visitors south of the border who have no intention of visiting the States for the present either because they are Muslims or because they object most profoundly to the racist, sectarian ideology now being peddled by the Trump regime. These include a prominent doctor who has chosen not to attend a medical conference in the US, even though he is a 100 per cent Canadian citizen. One Quebec-born Canadian citizen was stopped by US immigration last month and ordered to hand over his mobile phone so that American officials could look through his Facebook page. He was a Muslim. And this works both ways. While Canadian immigration authorities have the resources to document hundreds of refugees crossing from the US over ice and snow and seeking asylum without passing through official crossing points if they try to pass through Canadian border posts, they can be turned back on the grounds that the US is their country of first asylum this could change in the spring. Warm weather will mean easier transit through forests and fields. Canadian civil rights groups now fear that their government will privately urge American Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly to enforce restrictions on immigrants trying to reach the border from within the United States. And Kelly is expected in Ottawa within days to discuss this very policy. Thats exactly how a sectarian anti-Muslim President in one country can infect the lives of thousands outside as well as inside his borders. That an American representative can try to seduce one group of Canadians to holiday in the US while indicating there will be no welcome for another group because they are of the wrong colour, religion or ethnic origin shows not only contempt for Canada but a deliberate attempt to divide a multicultural nation into its constituent parts. Its a custom not far removed from the Middle East. When the Sunni Muslim Saudis needed to call upon the Pakistan army longstanding mercenaries of the Saudi regime when their own Saudi soldiers cant handle a battle to help in the Yemen war, Riyadh asked Pakistan to send only soldiers of the Sunni Muslim faith. Shiites would not be welcome. The Pakistani parliament rightly expressed its outrage that a Muslim nation (Saudi Arabia) should attempt to sectarianise its armed forces. So will the Canadian government now cooperate with any US attempts to prevent Muslims crossing the border to seek asylum in Canada? Will it seek just such cooperation? Its a very serious question. Canada has every right to protect its own sovereignty. But if by doing so, it assists a malicious and dishonest US president to pursue a policy of racism, it will be forced to decide whether security or morality governs Canadas national interest. Thus does a political contagion slip across a national border even more quietly than the refugees on the ice and snow. 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 }} Millennials have had to get used to being characterised as lazy, selfish and narcissistic. Now this much maligned generation face the more serious accusation of being traitors to their country. In the wake of this week's Wikileaks dump of top secret files, a former CIA director has broken cover to point the finger at the millennial generation for the growing trend in damaging security blunders. "I dont mean to judge them all," Michael Hayden told BBC2's Newsnight on Thursday, "But this group of millennialssimply have different understandings of the words loyalty, secrecy and transparency than my generation did." Just so everyone is in no doubt who he is talking about, Hayden named Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning as the worst cases of millennial treachery. Whistleblowing controversies of the last decade Show all 12 1 /12 Whistleblowing controversies of the last decade Whistleblowing controversies of the last decade Edward Snowden NSA leak Articles in The Guardian revealed that the US and the UK spied on foreign leaders and diplomats at the 2009 G20 summit. Reuters Whistleblowing controversies of the last decade WikiLeaks' US diplomatic cables leak In 2009, former US soldier Chelsea Manning, downloaded hundreds of thousands of classified US Government documents, and passed them on to Jullian Assange's whistleblowing website WikiLeaks. Among the documents were 250,000 State Department diplomatic cables. One disclosed the close relationship between Russian President Vladimir Putin and then-Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, the Guardian reported. Allegations included "lavish gifts", lucrative energy contracts and the use by Berlusconi of a "shadowy" Russian-speaking Italiango-between. Getty Images Whistleblowing controversies of the last decade WikiLeaks' US diplomatic cables leak WikiLeaks' US diplomatic cables leak: In a revelation which bruised the UK's 'special relationship' with the US, WikiLeaks published conversations by US commanders criticising Britain's military operations in Afghanistan. Getty Images Whistleblowing controversies of the last decade WikiLeaks' US diplomatic cables leak WikiLeaks' US diplomatic cables leak: One document disclosed startling levels of corruption in Afghanistan, including an incident involving the then vice-president, Ahmad Zia Massoud, who was reportedly stopped and questioned in Dubai when he flew into the emirate with $52m in cash. Getty Images Whistleblowing controversies of the last decade WikiLeaks' US diplomatic cables leak Another cable documented fears in Washington over Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme, in a volatile country with a strategic position in the Middle East. PA Whistleblowing controversies of the last decade WikiLeaks' US diplomatic cables leak Day four of the gradual drip of leaks exposed allegations that Russia and its intelligence agencies are using mafia bosses to carry out criminal operations, with one cable reporting that the relationship is so close that the country has become a "virtual mafia state". Getty Images Whistleblowing controversies of the last decade Edward Snowden NSA leak In 2013, The Guardian published classified US National Security Agency (NSA) documents, from a then anonymous whistleblower. Four days later he was exposed as former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. A month after the initial leak, the New York Times allegeded that the NSA received emails, video clips, photos, voice and video calls, social networking details, logins and other data held by a range of US internet firms. Whistleblowing controversies of the last decade Edward Snowden NSA leak Since Snowden revealed that the US had eavesdropped on German Chancellor Angela Merkel's phone, German-US relations have been strained. In May 2014, Mrs Merkel said still had significant differences with the United States over surveillance practices and that it was too soon to return to business as usual," according to the New York Times. Getty Images Whistleblowing controversies of the last decade Edward Snowden NSA leak On 7 June, The Guardian published the Presidential Policy Directive 20, whcih included a list of potential targets for cyber-attacks by the US Government. Rex Features Whistleblowing controversies of the last decade Samy Kamkar iPhone and Android expose In April 2014, hacker and researcher Samy Kamkar revealed that Android phones collect user location data every few seconds. Files are then transited to Google several times an hour. Getty Images Whistleblowing controversies of the last decade Samy Kamkar iPhone and Android expose It is believed Apple and Google are using the data to better target adverts to smartphone users, according to The Guardian. Getty Images Whistleblowing controversies of the last decade Samy Kamkar iPhone and Android expose The two companies have since justified the collection of data. In a letter to the US congress Apple confirmed it collected the data and said that, in order to be useful, "the databases [of tower and network locations] must be updated continuously". A Google spokesman told the Guardian Android phones explicitly asked to collect anonymous location data when users turned them on. Getty Images "So we bring these people into the agency good Americans all, I can only assume but again, culturally, they have different instincts than the people who made the decision to hire them and we may be running into this different cultural approach." So has Hayden helpfully identified a glitch in the cultural makeup of the millennial generation or is he simply looking for a new scapegoat for an old problem? In the digital age the skills of the professional gamer and amateur hacker have become highly prized assets among the CIA and GCHQ who actively recruit from the geek generation for their code breakers. This is the reason why so many millennials work for internet companies like Google and Facebook or join hacking groups like Anonymous and Lulz or even a whistleblowers' portal (such as Wikileaks). But it is hardly the fault of the millennial generation that because hacking is a young person's game their talents are suddenly in demand. Edward Snowden addresses Facebook fake news claims The truth is treachery is not a new phenomenon that can be laid at the door of one particular generation. Britain and America's history is littered with cases of young (and not so young) spies who have committed acts of treachery or whistleblowing (depending on your point of view) for all kinds of reasons. Nevertheless, motives such as idealism and ideology do seem to have played a greater influence over younger spies. Britain's most notorious gang of double agents, the Cambridge Spy Ring, were all twenty-somethings when they started passing on secrets to the Soviets in the 1930s and 1940s. More recently David Shayler and Annie Machon, who blew the whistle on an MI5 plot to kill Colonel Gaddafi, were only in their late 20s when they first felt the stirrings of betrayal in the 1990s. But it is not just twenty-somethings who commit acts of treachery. The most famous American double agent, responsible for the deaths of at least ten American agents, was well into his 40s when he started passing secrets to the KGB. Aldrich Ames compromised more CIA "assets" than any other mole in history until Robert Hanssen's arrest seven years later in 2001. Hanssen, a career CIA officer, was 39 when he started his Soviet spying career. Perhaps this shows that when it comes to treachery no generation is more culpable than any other. What Hayden and the rest of his baby boomer generation forget is that in the age of the internet, secrets are much harder to keep while the tools of the whistleblower and the leaker are capable of causing catastrophic damage. The security services in the UK and America have sophisticated vetting procedures which are supposed to spot high-minded young men and women who might one day put principle before country. But history shows us that no system of secrecy is perfect. Demonising a new generation for one of the oldest sins of all is a desperate attempt to avoid confronting the urgent problem of protecting state secrets in a digital age. Robert Verkaik is the author of "Jihadi John, the Making of a Terrorist" Irish language campaigners protest over Stormont's failure to introduce an Irish language strategy An influential collection of European nations has said it regrets the lack of progress on an Irish Language Act. The Council of Europe urged the UK Government to help create the political consensus necessary to adopt the law. It is the continent's leading human rights organisation and includes foreign affairs ministers from every member state. It said: "The advisory committee regrets that there has been little progress on the Irish Language Bill or a strategy for the development and enhancement of the Irish language." The Stormont Executive has faced legal action over its alleged failure to comply with a St Andrews Agreement pledge to adopt an Irish language strategy. The lack of official protection featured prominently in Sinn Fein's election campaign. The Council received evidence that unionist opposition could be bypassed if the UK Government legislated. It said: "The Advisory Committee sees appropriate legislation by the Northern Ireland Assembly as a necessity to protect and promote the Irish language and calls on the UK Government to help create the political consensus needed for such adoption." About a tenth of the population have some ability in Irish. The campaign for a law giving official protection is a touchstone equality issue for Sinn Fein. DUP leader Arlene Foster has said more people speak Polish, and the DUP has withheld its support. Sinn Fein's Caral Ni Chuilin said the report highlighted the British Government's failure of the Irish language community. She said: "The report rightly points out the British Government's shortcomings on issues of legislation, strategy and provision. "We support the call in this report, and from the Irish language community, that the British Government must take immediate action. "We need an Irish Language Act; and we need it now." Religious orders which ran institutions where children were abused have paid just 13% of the bill for a long-running inquiry, redress and compensation, the state's financial watchdog has found. The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, known as the Ryan inquiry, and the Redress Board cost a total of 1.5 billion euro (1.3 billion) by the end of 2015, according to the Comptroller & Auditor General (C&AG). In the dying days of the government in 2002 then education minister Michael Woods arranged a controversial indemnity deal with 18 religious orders that they would hand over property, cash and assets worth 128 million euro (111 million) to cover some of the costs. The C&AG said 21 million euro (18 million) of this was left to be transferred to the State at the end of 2015. But the audit also revealed that a second deal was agreed after the Ryan report was published in 2009 - cataloguing decades of abuse and cover-ups in institutions for children - which agreed to an additional 353 million euro (306 million) of cash and property being handed over. That was subsequently reduced to 226 million euro (196 million) in 2015. The C&AG's office found only 85 million euro (73.7 million) from the new deal has been handed over. The watchdog called for the redress scheme to be evaluated in the hope that lessons can be learned for future inquiries. "As the redress scheme and Commission draw to a close, an evaluation of both would be useful. This should identify lessons learned and improvements which can be applied to any future redress schemes and/or commissions of inquiry," the C&AG said. The watchdog added: "Both the cost to the State and the time required to bring the process to a conclusion have hugely exceeded original estimates." It said government policy was to pursue the cost of redress on a 50:50 basis making the religious congregations liable for 760 million euro (658 million). The Ryan report laid bare the physically and psychologically abusive regimes operated by religious orders in church and state-run institutions over several decades of the 20th century. Eighteen religious orders were identified, but no abusive priest or nun was named and the Christian Brothers struck an immunity deal before giving evidence. Critics of the indemnity and compensation deals struck with the government suggest the orders should have known the extent of the abuse in children's homes, orphanages, industrial and reform schools. The C&AG's audit also revealed that by the end of 2015, a total of 970 million euro (840.5 million) has been paid out to 15,579 people with the average award 62,250 euro (54,000). Another 176 million euro (152 million) has been spent on health, housing, educational and counselling services for the survivors of abuse. The C&AG's audit gave a breakdown of the contributions by the 18 orders. At the end of 2015 the total payouts by the religious congregations included 139.9 million euro (121 million) in cash, 10 million euro (8.6 million) in counselling services and 48 properties valued at 42.8 million euro (37 million). Arrangements to transfer another 15 properties under the original 2002 indemnity deal are ongoing. The report also revealed that the arrangement for the transfer of 353 million euro (306 million) worth of cash and properties struck in 2009 on the back of the Ryan report was revised in 2015 after the Christian Brothers withdrew an offer on 49 school playing fields. The 127 million euro (110 million) worth of land is being transferred to the Edmund Rice Schools Trust, the C&AG said. Sean Fleming, chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, said: "The contributions made by the congregations to date, and the delay in making those contributions, are unacceptable and this is an issue of serious concern." The report on the financial costs of the abuse of thousands of the Republic's most vulnerable children was released amid ongoing debate on whether the Mother and Baby Home inquiry should be extended. The horrors of an underground chamber holding substantial numbers of remains of babies where the institution in Tuam, Co Galway once stood have already been confirmed. An interim report on the inquiry is due later this month. Education Minister Richard Bruton said if the religious orders pay up on all the offers on table it will come to 21% of the 1.5 billion euro bill. "Ordinary members of the church, who look to these organisations as sources of authority and good, will be among the most let-down by these developments," he said. "Unfortunately, after today's report we have to ask questions as to why organisations with stated missions to serve the public and uphold moral codes are apparently placing so little importance on those values". Mr Bruton said it was hugely disappointing and massively frustrating that arrangements with congregations for payments and transfers of assets have gone in reverse. The Christian Brothers said it was on course to meet its commitments under the 2009 deal. Br Edmund Garvey, province leader of the order, said this was despite dramatic falls in property values. He said another 10 million euro (8.7 million) in cash was being paid this year. Br Garvey also said the playing fields would ultimately benefit the state even though they are being transferred to a trust associated with the order. "These measures, together with prior transfers by the Christian Brothers, will bring total contributions to redress, welfare and education to over 600 million euro (521 million)," he said. The Sisters of Mercy said it honoured all of its commitments as part of the redress scheme. But it said the values of some properties are now lower than they were when the 2009 deal was arranged. "The congregation has always made clear that the value of its contribution was subject to the fluctuations in value attaching to individual properties," the order said. Thirty insurance firms have either sought authorisation to set up here in recent months due to Brexit or expressed an interest, the Central Bank has said. The day after US insurer AIG announced it was setting up an operation in Luxembourg, in a blow to Dublins post-Brexit ambitions, the regulator here said five companies have sought authorisation as insurance or reinsurance undertaking since November, and another five have signalled a firm intention to do so. A further 20 insurance entities have contacted the Central Bank to discuss authorisation, Sylvia Cronin, director of insurance supervision, said. Unlike other financial sectors, insurance firms are not generally waiting for Article 50 to be triggered before implementing their strategies on location, she said at a KPMG organised event. AIG, which already has an office here but doesn't write business, said yesterday that from 2019 it is proposing to have two AIG subsidiary insurance companies in Europe - one in the UK to write UK business and one in Luxembourg for EEA and Swiss business. AIG currently writes business in Europe from a single insurance company based in the UK. Ireland made a pitch for the insurance giant, with senior executives meeting both Finance Minister Michael Noonan and Financial Services Minister Eoghan Murphy last year. The sheer complexity of implementing the UK's decision to leave the EU was grasped on this side of the Irish Sea within days of last summer's referendum. In Ireland, most people could see right away what a hard Brexit might mean for Irish business, the economy and of course the issue of the Border. As Theresa May's UK government prepares to trigger Article 50 and begin the exit negotiations, it seems highly unlikely that talks deciding the nature of the UK's new relationship with the EU will begin any time soon. The divorce talks come first and then the basis of the new relationship comes later. The Europeans are in no hurry. In the UK, most of the business community know what they are facing. Some of the public do too. But there are large swathes of the Tory Party and the British media which remain utterly naive about what is going to happen. In fact, the challenges facing the British economy from a hard Brexit, in which it leaves the EU single market and the customs union, are so enormous it is hard to believe that such an outcome will actually emerge when all of the talking is over. Here is some perspective. During the week the chief executive of Dublin Port told RTE Radio that around 80pc of the freight arriving in Ireland lands at the port. Every day between 5.30am and 7.30am some 230 trucks roll off ships and head straight out to the Irish motorways as no customs levies apply or have to be checked. Put together, the head of Dublin Port said, these trucks would stretch to 9km, so you can imagine the size of the customs holding area that would be required to make them wait for customs clearance. One possible solution is to stagger their arrival more, build a very large holding area, hire dozens more customs officials and live with the delays. Some of their cargo is fresh food, which is plugged into a whole UK/Ireland retail distribution chain. That might all have to change. If customs have to be applied on goods arriving in the EU (Dublin) from the UK, the same would be true in the other direction. Let's look at the port of Dover in England. In 2015 some 2.6 million trucks arrived at Dover Port. Add on the other 1.6 million using the Channel Tunnel and you get 16,000 trucks per day, based on a five day week, passing through these two locations. The scale of cargo arriving in UK ports from the EU is astonishing. Whatever about bulk containers that would be left in port for a while anyway, the roll-on roll-off lorry freight would present an enormous new logistical nightmare. In 2015, roll-on roll-off freight arriving from France to the UK reached 18.1 million tonnes. It was 12.6 million from the Netherlands, 8.2 million from Belgium and 5.8 million from Ireland. The total roll-on roll-off traffic into UK ports from the EU per year is around 50 million tonnes. The standard delays could run into days at these ports even if the UK hires thousands of customs officers. There will be 300 million new customs declarations to be processed per year at UK ports with a hard Brexit. Supply chains would have to be completely re-organised and supply arrangements that currently exist might have to be replaced using more domestic suppliers. Perhaps the British government will tough it out on all of that chaos by arguing that it will provide an incentive for British industry to plug these gaps and make more stuff at home. It would be very tough medicine for British business and consumers to take. The same product lines would simply not be available and the price of everything would go up. Listening to a British radio station the other day I heard an advertisement that is not unusual to hear in Ireland, but is very rare in the UK. The ad was part of campaign to encourage British food companies to export. Ironically, it talked about the benefits of Britain's "wonderful" food industry and how companies should consider selling abroad. The ad was encouraging food companies to avail of information and expert help from state agencies. This is deeply ironic given that UK has had a single EU market in which to sell its food produce for decades, but chooses the eve of turning its back on that market to encourage smaller British food companies to start exporting. Perhaps the UK's hard Brexit stance is a clever negotiating tactic. Perhaps they are serious about it and will go through with it. Or perhaps, they are serious about it right now, but when confronted with the reality they will blink and opt for something more akin to "Brexit lite". The answer won't become clear for some time. No wonder UK Treasury secretary Philip Hammond is setting aside a 27bn Brexit contingency fund. That may be just the beginning. Here in Ireland, businesses and the Government have to plan for the worst and hope for something better. Aside from the disruption to business supply chains, your average Joe is also likely to be affected by a hard Brexit in a number of different ways. The boom in online shopping may be somewhat curtailed when customs charges are added to the price of goods purchased in the UK. Irish customs officials at Dublin Airport sometimes do question shoppers arriving back from Christmas trips to New York, to establish what tariffs may be due on their purchases. This has all to do with personal travel allowances. At the moment you can only bring in goods worth 430 into Ireland from outside the EU without incurring customs duty and Vat. The goods must be for personal use or gifts and any item above that price triggers Vat and duty at the full value of the item. Here is an example from the Revenue Commissioners. If you buy a cotton dress for 800 the customs duty would be 12pc or 96. The Vat payable would be 206.08, bringing total duties and Vat to 302.08. Your 800 dress will end up costing 1,102.08. So imagine the chaos at the Border with the North if customs officials are not only checking commercial trucks and vans, but also randomly spot-checking cars to see if people are exceeding personal travel allowances. Border smuggling will definitely be back. What are the options here? In order to facilitate the thousands of people travelling to work on either side of the Border every day, the customs could turn a blind eye to private vehicles unless they had reason to suspect there were criminal levels of smuggling going on. You can't enshrine "turning a blind eye" into legislation. It simply doesn't work. Alternatively, no personal allowance limits would apply on the island of Ireland between the Republic and the North, but would apply at external ports and airports. However, that would create a need for customs checks between Britain and Northern Ireland to combat the North being used as a channel for massive scale smuggling. I don't see the DUP in Northern Ireland signing up to that one. Besides, the DUP does not even appear to support the idea of making Northern Ireland an exceptional case on anything. If they do, they haven't said it. Of course, there is a counter argument about online shopping. If the cost of online shopping in the UK rockets, then people will do less of it and they may return to traditional bricks and mortar retail outlets in Ireland. That might be good for Irish retailers. However, the customs and tariffs regime will apply on the price of the UK-sourced goods in those shops anyway. Prices will simply go up if the British follow through on a hard Brexit. This month might be historic as the beginning of a very long and difficult journey for the UK that will drag Ireland down with it. Equally, it may be the beginning of a journey into realism about the true impact of a hard Brexit. The Irish agri-food industry is 'clutching at straws' talking about opportunities from Brexit, IFA president Joe Healy has said. The IFA has outlined its policy paper on Brexit, and the organisation states that no other member state or sector is as exposed to the impacts of the UK leaving the EU as the Irish agri-food sector. Mr Healy said that the implications of a hard Brexit are stark, with the Irish meat sector facing a 1.5bn fall in exports, and dairy exports falling by over 600m. Threat "Brexit presents the biggest threat in our lifetime and no other sector is as exposed to Brexit as the agri-food sector," he said. IFA chief economist Rowena Dwyer said Ireland is already feeling the impact of Brexit. The Irish agri-food industry is extremely exposed to the impact of Brexit, as 40pc of the country's agri-food exports are destined for the UK market. The land border with Northern Ireland means there is also a huge amount of cross-border co-operation on food processing and trade flows. The industry must face high tariff protection that applies to major agricultural products. The IFA said that Irish agriculture must stand at the forefront of the Government's and the EU's negotiating position. "With 22 million farmers and 40 million related jobs, there is a wider strategic objective here to maximise the future value of the EU farming and food sector," Mr Healy said. Incomes The IFA said the key priorities for the farming and the food sector include the maintenance of the closest possible trading relationship between the UK and EU, while preserving the value of the UK market. A strong CAP budget following the UK's departure, which is critical for farm incomes, farm output and economic activity in rural Ireland, is also a top priority. The report stresses that if the UK leaves the single market and customs union, there must be a Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement between the EU and the UK. This should include tariff-free trade for agricultural products and food; the maintenance of equivalent standards on food safety, animal health, welfare and the environment; and application of the Common External Tariff for imports to both the EU and UK. A Northern Ireland cattle dealer who duped a farming family into buying poor quality animals walked free from court this week when his three-month jail term was suspended for two years. Dungannon Magistrates Court also heard that 56-year-old David Lee is set to lodge an appeal to fight to clear his name of fraud. District Judge John Meehan told the fraudster he had treated his victims and farming regulations "with complete disregard". Last month Lee, from the Carrickaness Road, was warned he was "on the knife edge" of custody when DJ Meehan adjourned the case to allow him time to find restitution for his victim. This week, the court heard the 6,000 (6,800) restitution is with Lee's solicitor but payment has been postponed as Lee intends to fight to clear his name of the fraud convictions. In addition, Judge Meehan also fined Lee 2,000 (2,300). Lee had earlier pleaded guilty to 14 offences of failing to notify the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) of cattle movement and following a part heard contest, was convicted of three other offences of fraud by falsely representing that two calves he sold to Patrick McGorrey had only been moved twice, providing a false statement to the DARD and failing to keep a herd register, all committed between May 25 and October 8, 2015. Describing how the McGorry family were left "swimming on their own" after they unsuspectingly bought poor quality cattle from Lee in 2015, Judge Meehan previously said that not only had they been left out of pocket with ongoing vet bills but Lee had also run rough shod over the rules and regulations of cattle movement. Recounting the facts, the judge described how the offences arose as a result of dealings Lee had with the McGorrey family. Mr McGorrey snr, a man in his 70s, agreed to buy two calves having been assured specifically they had only been moved twice. But when Lee came to deliver the animals, he had six cattle with him so the family "felt deposed to purchase" them as well, and even though it was dark and the animals couldn't be properly inspected, they handed around 4,000 to Lee. In any event Lee told them if there was any problems, he would take them back, but then ignored their calls when it transpired there were numerous medical problems with the cattle and the two calves had been moved more than twice. Describing Lee's evidence as "unreliable," Judge Meehan said during his testimony he "didn't answer questions, raised red herrings and didn't address the issues at all." Highlighting that fact, in relation to Lee failing to keep a herd register, the judge described how DARD inspectors found 40 animals were missing from Lee's farm, so he claimed they had been lost or stolen. Further investigations revealed however that he had in fact sold eight of them to a woman which as the judge put it, "out sought embarrassment in a man who is probably difficult to embarrass in any way." While defence barrister Blaine Nugent tried to suggest Lee's record keeping had been "shambolic," Judge Meehan was scathingly critical of Lee, who had breached the "proper system of verification and traceability". Mr Nugent also suggested that father-of-six Lee had stayed out of trouble for a number of years. But as the judge revealed, he had numerous offences, with a criminal record dating from 1976 including animal cruelty, dishonesty offences, harassment and motoring offences. Well-known Co Laois dairy farmer David Hyland is jetting off to the United States to participate in a major dairy conference. He will share his experience on herd expansion with fellow farmers at the conference organised by the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin (PDPW). David farms in partnership with his brother Paul and their mother Lucy and together run a mix of Holstein and Jersey cows in their 480 strong milking herd. His cows are currently averaging 5,700 litres, with 4.45pc butterfat and 3.7pc protein quality statistics. Last year the Hylands received an average 31.2c/l for their milk but they do receive a winter bonus of 8c/l for milk produced in the four-month period from November. All milk is supplied to Glanbia who have a contract to supply Diageo, the owners of the Baileys Irish Cream brand. To secure a winter supply of milk the company pays the bonus which is worth an extra 50,000 to the Hylands each year. "It's a welcome increase to our income each year," said David. "Averaging the bonus out over the year means an overall increase of around two cents a litre to our milk price. "The milk we produce from November through to mid-February is used for the production of the Baileys. "The supply contract from Glanbia means there is guaranteed supply for the Baileys manufacturers through the winter months when milk production is generally dropping." Concentrates David says the farm's cost of production for milk runs around 14c/l for the common costs including fertiliser, concentrates and water, but is realistically around 22c/l when all farm costs are added in. He feeds around 800kgs of concentrates per cow per year but the cows milk predominantly off grass. One of the more unique traits of the Hyland farm is that the dry stock are all kept in cubicles outdoors. The farm has 700 free stall cubicles in total in various locations but 400 of these are located outdoors. The dry cows are quite content to lie on the outdoor cubicles which have mats in place and are swept clean every day. David says he is very much looking forward to the conference. "I will be in Madison and the surrounding area for a week and am looking forward to meeting fellow farmers and perhaps visiting some local farms there. "It will be a good experience to witness how farmers produce milk on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean," he added. Meeting him at the conference is Rodney Elliott originally from Fermanagh but who is now farming in South Dakota milking 4,500 cows. Rodney and his family sold their farm in Co Fermanagh in 2006 and they now run Drumgoon Dairy producing an average yield of 11,650 litres per cow per year. In an unusual call out for Fethard RNLI recently, the volunteer lifeboat crew came to the aid of two bulls that had fallen from cliffs in the Broomhill area. In difficult conditions with an incoming tide and a large sea swell the two animals in distress were brought to safety by the incredible efforts of the lifeboat crew on the day. Fethard RNLI was already out when the call for assistance came in to the lifeboat station. The crew were about to go on exercise with their neighbours in Kilmore Quay RNLI Friday (24 February) when at 10:45am the lifeboat was tasked to the Broomhill area at Waterford harbour to a report of two bulls that had fallen from a cliff. Fethard lifeboat was launched from Duncannon and on scene at Broomhill by 11.20am. The lifeboat crew assessed each animal and decided to attempt a rescue as one was stranded in the gully with the incoming tide. The second animal was 10 feet above the water on rocks further north and was relatively safe at that time. The helm veered the lifeboat down into the gully and crew member Eoin Bird entered the water with a rope, swimming 50 yards in dangerous and difficult conditions to reach the stranded animal that had fallen approximately 15 metres. Eoin made a halter and placed it around the animal. He then swam back to the lifeboat which then towed the animal clear of the rocks. The animal was brought alongside the lifeboat and one of the crew held its head safely above water for the one and a half kilometre journey to Templetown bay where it was safely landed ashore to be taken into the care of the owner. The volunteer lifeboat crew then returned to the scene where a halter and rope had already been placed on the second animal ready to recover it. Fethard lifeboat then towed the animal off the rocks and brought it ashore to the waiting owner. Commenting on the callout Fethard RNLI Deputy Launching Authority Hugh Burke said, This was a rescue with a difference for our volunteers but we do train for every type of scenario. Nobody wants to see animals in distress or difficulty and we are happy to launch to bring them to safety. Conditions on the day were fairly lively with a two metre swell. The rescue involved excellent boat handling by our lifeboat Helm John Colfer and great work by Eoin and Finola to bring the two animals to safety. It was one we wont forget in a hurry. The crew on the day were Lifeboat helm John Colfer and crewmembers Eoin Bird and Finola Foley. Shore crew were Thomas Nolan and Tim Bradley. YOUR BUSINESS LIVE, a major new event for Irelands SME sector, has been launched this morning by Minister of State for Employment and Small Business Pat Breen. The two-day SME event, which takes place on October 17 and 18 2017 in the RDS Simmonscourt, Dublin, will gather together executives, decision-makers, entrepreneurs, owners and managers from around the country to network, learn and do business. Vodafone Ireland has been announced as a title sponsor for YOUR BUSINESS LIVE supported by Ibec, the Small Firms Association (SFA) and Enterprise Ireland. SMEs account for 99.8 per cent of all active businesses in Ireland. Speaking at the launch of the Independent News and Media event, Minister Breen said SMEs employ 70pc of people working in the private sector. Central to the Irish economy and job creation, SMEs have shown great resilience and strong growth, said Minister Breen. At the same time, they continue to face significant challenges including external factors. As Minister of State for Employment and Small Business, I continue to address the need to support Irelands SMEs. YOUR BUSINESS LIVE 2017 will facilitate interaction and collaboration among business decision makers, start-ups, owners and managers, providing the opportunity for Irish SMEs to showcase innovative new products and services, in addition to gaining industry knowledge and insights. The event will also create a new marketplace for the broad range of Irish SMEs from start-up and micro, to small and medium businesses, as well as export led, across industry sectors. We are very proud to sponsor the new Your Business Live Event said Claire Reynolds, Head of Small and Medium Enterprise at Vodafone Ireland. This is a unique and important event which will not only give SMEs a platform to showcase their products and services, but also provide opportunity for knowledge sharing, collaboration and networking. The SME sector is very important to Vodafone Ireland and we understand that SMEs need to be supported by a range of innovative technologies and converged communications solutions. One of the critical issues facing SMEs today is insufficient broadband access and we are working hard through our joint venture with ESB, SIRO, to provide a 100pc fibre-to-the-building broadband network with 1 gigabit speeds for the first time in Ireland. "One of our key areas of focus is to support local businesses by investing and empowering local communities and delivering equality of access to 1 gigabit broadband speed as a key growth enabler. Irelands leading entrepreneurs are endorsing YOUR BUSINESS LIVE, whose event director is entrepreneur Sean Gallagher. They include David Bobbett, H&K International; Brody Sweeney, Camile Thai; Ray Coyle, Largo Foods; Vincent Cleary, Glenisk; Eamon Moore, EMIT; and Greg Clarke, Digicom. Dearbhail McDonald, Group Business Editor, INM, said that YOUR BUSINESS LIVE was the essential new event for Irelands SME leaders and aspiring entrepreneurs. Irelands SMEs are not just the backbone of Irelands economy, they are also our most innovative and resilient businesses, said Ms McDonald. These entrepreneurs and their teams are the true champions of the recovery who have pushed through the hard yards, turning each setback into a comeback. Mr Gallagher said that YOUR BUSINESS LIVE 2017 will be an exciting exhibition supported by an extensive programme of seminars and workshops given by some of Irelands most inspiring business leaders. An ideal place to learn, network and be inspired, YOUR BUSINESS LIVE will be Irelands biggest and most important event of the year for the SME Sector, said Mr Gallagher. I have long been a champion of the SME sector. This is because of the great courage and bravery they have in setting up businesses and creating jobs, often in places where larger multinationals never can. In many ways these small and medium sized businesses are the glue that holds our communities together. View the website here Cairn subsidiary Capricorn Ireland has signed a "farm out agreement" with Europa Oil and Gas for a fee of $6m that will see the company take a 70pc interest in the operation of a licence off the west coast of Ireland. Stock photo Cairn subsidiary Capricorn Ireland has signed a "farm out agreement" with Europa Oil and Gas for a fee of $6m that will see the company take a 70pc interest in the operation of a licence off the west coast of Ireland. The company has also made a commitment to invest as much as 39.8m towards drilling costs at projects being developed by Providence Resources off the Irish coast. Oil and gas exploration company Cairn Energy is to ramp up its operations off the Irish coast, having invested in two separate drilling wells for a combined upfront cost of $8.2m(7.7m). Cairn subsidiary Capricorn Ireland has signed a "farm out agreement" with Europa Oil and Gas for a fee of $6m that will see the company take a 70pc interest in the operation of a licence off the west coast of Ireland. Capricorn will use "3D seismic" technology to explore the viability of the well, with future exploration dependent on the test results. Further farm-outs are being targeted of Europa's licence position off the Irish coast. Meanwhile, Irish oil and gas exploration company Providence has also signed an agreement with Cairn that will see the company take a 30pc interest in Providence's frontier exploration licence. As part of the deal, Capricorn Ireland will pay 45pc of drilling costs at Providence's 53/6-A exploration well, subject to a cap of $42m (39.8m). Capricorn will pay $2.82m on a pro rata basis. Providence will still be the operator of the well which is located around 220 miles off the south-west coast of Ireland. As a result of the transaction, the resulting equity in the well will be Providence 56pc, Capricorn 30pc and Sosina 14pc. Should the joint venture partners agree to a further appraisal of the drill in the future, Capricorn will pay 40pc of the costs. The UK report into the gender gap across different ethnic groups found that Irish women in Britain were the only group to earn more than men. Photo: PA Irish women in the UK earn more than men on average, according to a new report. The UK report into the gender gap across different ethnic groups found that Irish women in Britain were the only group to earn more than men. The study released yesterday by the Fawcett Society in conjunction with Manchester University, studied the gender pay gaps of women from different ethnicities including Irish, white British, Chinese, Indian, black African as well as Pakistani and Bangladeshi. On average, the study shows Irish women in full-time employment in the UK earn 17.5pc more than British men working full time, and 3.7pc more than Irish men based in the UK. This is because Irish women in the UK tend to be an older demographic and are thus likely to be in more senior positions within their organisations, the report stated. Meanwhile, the Irish Central Bank here has urged financial firms to hire more women to senior management roles. Expand Close Repeal the Eighth protesters gather on OConnell Bridge in Dublin. Photo: Gerry Mooney / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Repeal the Eighth protesters gather on OConnell Bridge in Dublin. Photo: Gerry Mooney It said that men made up 80pc of the applications for approvals to serve in senior management roles at Irish financial firms since 2012. The Bank said it "is concerned regarding the continued evidence of a lack of diversity at the most senior levels of regulated firms". "There is a strong body of research, including research undertaken by Central Bank staff, that a lack of diversity increases the risks of groupthink, poor decision-making and cultural issues in firms," Ed Sibley, director of credit Institutions Supervision, said. The chief executive of majority State-owned lender Permanent TSB has refused to rule out repossessing the homes of mortgage defaulters and warned that a payout to taxpayers would be delayed if the bank failed to agree a solution to its bad loans problem with the Government. Jeremy Masding, speaking at the publication of PTSB's annual results yesterday, insisted his "default position" was to avoid repossessions. His comments underline the challenge ahead for the bank as it attempts to tackle legacy loans and recover its appeal to investors. He also stressed he had no intention of merging with a larger rival, claiming a sale at this phase in the bank's recovery would leave taxpayers' "money on the table". Despite notching up an operating profit of 188m in the 2016 financial year, PTSB has yet to reach the key milestone of returning a dividend to its main stakeholder, the Irish taxpayer. Mr Masding said the bank would have a "clearer view" on how to deal with its non-performing loans, which were whittled down by 700m last year to 5.9bn. A total of 13,000 mortgages, or 2.6bn, remain in arrears and Mr Masding said around 1,500 borrowers refuse to engage with the bank. Failure to address bad loans would derail plans for a dividend pencilled in for the 2018/19 financial year and eat into its improving return on equity (REO) - a key measure of a bank's profitability, he said. The bank notched up an REO of 7pc in 2016, up from 2pc in 2015, even after it incurred a pre-tax loss of 266m. But, after completing a five-year restructuring plan, PTSB faces a tough battle ahead in its attempts to deal with its remaining distressed borrowers. Owen Callan, an analyst with Investec, said the bank's options were "limited" and that it may have little option other than to foreclose the mortgages or repossess homes. But this would be "tricky", socially and politically - as would a second option of selling the loans to vulture funds, he said. While the bank's non-performing loans represent an obstacle to growth, Mr Masding stressed the cost of regulation was also a hefty burden. He took a swipe at the bank levy and said he hoped the regulator would apply a "better and fairer calculation" over time. Shares closed down 2c to 2.74 each yesterday. Finance Minister Michael Noonan's meeting with the buyers of Nama's Project Eagle portfolio the day before the closing date for bids is set to be criticised in a report by the Public Account's Committee (PAC). Sources said the meeting with representatives of US property firm Cerberus will be described as "not procedurally appropriate" in the PAC report, despite objections by the four Fine Gael members of the committee. The final report, including the criticism of Mr Noonan's meeting, was passed nine votes to four during a private meeting of the committee last night. It is to be published next Tuesday. The minister's spokesman declined to comment ahead of that publication. Mr Noonan previously rebutted criticism of the Cerberus meeting contained in a leaked working document prepared for the PAC. He raised concerns that he was never questioned about the meeting when he appeared at the PAC and said he should have a right to reply. Mr Noonan insisted the meeting "wasn't inappropriate in any way whatsoever" and that he didn't interfere with the Nama's commercial decisions. The PAC has spent months examining Project Eagle after the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) last year found that a probable loss of 190m (223m) was incurred in the 1.6bn sale in 2014. Nama has rejected this finding. The main Irish arm of US drug firm Mallinckrodt has applied to the High Court to reduce its share capital by almost $4bn (3.78bn). It has raised speculation that it could mark the beginning of a wave of similar actions by US pharma companies as they gear up to repatriate offshore funds to America. President Donald Trump is considering a corporate tax holiday for firms that bring money back home. The decision by Mallinckrodt plc to reduce its share capital could create distributable reserves that could then be paid by way of a dividend to the Irish company's US parent. Trump has said that he may temporarily tax repatriated profits at a 10pc rate rather than at the current 35pc US corporate rate. That could also see tech companies such as Apple and Microsoft send cash back to the US from subsidiaries in Ireland. The US president has claimed that repatriating offshore company funds would add two million jobs in the United States. American companies have about $1.3 trillion (1.2 trillion) stuffed offshore. With a market capitalisation of $5.2bn (4.9bn), Mallinckrodt, which is headquartered in St Louis, Missouri, is a speciality drug maker and seller and a relatively small player in the global pharmaceutical sector. Mallinckrodt plc generated revenue of $3.38bn (3.2bn) in the financial year to the end of last September, and net income of $643.7m (609m). Its shares, listed on the New York Stock Exchange, have slumped by about 40pc since last August. At the end of last September, it had shareholder funds of $5.2bn (4.92bn), including the $3.99bn (3.77bn) held in its share premium account. In 2015, Mallinckrodt announced a $500m share buyback plan. That was boosted by $1bn at its AGM last week. The 150-year-old company, has had operations in Ireland for 20 years. A spokeswoman for Mallinckrodt insisted the decision to reduce its capital was not linked to profit repartiation, however. She said the pharma company wants to create additional distributable reserves to give the company greater flexibility in capital allocation, including a continued share repurchase programme. It is the third rise in the price of postage stamps in the past two years. (Stock image) The price of a stamp is set to jump to 1, and a "significant number" of post offices will close. Head of An Post David McRedmond also warned of a large number of job losses in the semi-State company. There are now fears of large-scale closures from the 1,300 post offices in the company's network. Mr McRedmond said the price of stamps will go from 72c to 1. This is a rise of almost 40pc, one of the sharpest increases in the price of a stamp in years. It is the third rise in the price of postage stamps in the past two years. The last increase took effect in July. Expand Close Minister Denis Naughten: Aim is to protect five-day delivery. Photo: Tom Burke / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Minister Denis Naughten: Aim is to protect five-day delivery. Photo: Tom Burke Experts said the rise of 28c in the cost of sending a letter will further discourage people from using the postal system, pushing more people to use email. An international stamp will rise from 1.10 to around 1.35, a rise of 23pc. Business users on a typical bulk rate will see prices of stamps go up from 50c to 57c. Higher prices for postage are expected to be implemented from mid-April. Communications Minister Denis Naughten defended the huge rise in the cost of sending a letter. He said TDs had voted to lift the price cap on the price of stamps to help An Post become viable. "The purpose of the legislation is to protect the five-day delivery service," he said. The move comes as mail volumes have fallen heavily. The latest annual report for An Post shows mail volumes fell by 35pc in 2015 compared with a peak in 2007. Mr McRedmond warned that a large numbers of postal workers are set to lose their jobs. Read more: Rural groups furious over plans of large-scale closure of post offices and banks His comments come after rural groups reacted with fury to a recommendation in a report for the Government that large numbers of post offices may have to close. A group devising a future strategy for An Post, chaired by businessman Bobby Kerr, has said 80 offices may have to close. Asked if 80 post offices, mainly in rural areas, would be shut down, Mr McRedmond would not put a number on it. "There will certainly be a significant number of closures," he said on the 'Today With Sean O'Rourke' programme. "There are far too many of them," he added. Mr McRedmond said that after the post office closures there will still be a large number of branches per head of the population. An Post is currently considering the Kerr Report and the number of closures in conjunction with consultants McKinsey. An Post's board will decide on this in the next few weeks, he said. The emphasis will be on co-locating post offices by providing post offices in supermarkets, he said. He revealed that An Post is losing 10m a year, but denied reports that the semi-state company would not be able to pay its 9,000 staff next month. He said the overall staff numbers in An Post have fallen by 1,700 in the last decade, and said a similar reduction was likely in the next few years. Mr McRedmond revealed that the Kerr Report recommends a State bailout of 58m for An Post, but he said the postal company is not seeking a bailout. The petitioners challenged the Constitutional amendment that enabled the government to make a special 10% quota for the advancement of any economically weaker section. Data volumes are "exploding" and Irish marketers should note that more data has been created in the past two years than in the entire previous history of the human race, media agency Carat points out in its media forecast report for 2107. Production barriers and video costs will continue to fall, while the opportunities to distribute video content will increase. Young people already spend more time watching online video than broadcast TV. Brands are able to make what they want, when they want. "The key to success will be the idea and the quality of content to support the idea," said Carat's ceo Ciaran Cunninghamm, who expects total media spend this year to amount to 921m. "The ability of media through mobile devices to connect brands and commerce is increasing, the emphasis is moving from advertising to brand experience (mobile, web, social) and programmatic is becoming a real and dominant force," Cunningham insisted. While Carat goes for a 4.6pc increase in spend this year, Core forecasts a 3.3pc jump. Core claims search and display continue to fight for share of advertising investment. Search's share of digital spend stands at 51pc, but is likely to dip below 50pc within two years. Display, on 38pc, is growing and, due to its role as a direct response-only channel, it's changing; it now has the scale to create mass market reach for brands. The prevailing issue in social media is fake news and Core says Facebook and Twitter are rightly being called to account. A verification pledge is needed to win the confidence of marketers. Concerned advertisers don't want their brand placed in spurious environments. Core sees 'live television' at time of transmission as accounting for most TV viewing as the medium's ad revenue increases by 2.5pc to 243m. While the resilience of live TV may come as a surprise, over three-quarters of video viewing is on home TV sets. There's still a high propensity to watch sport, current affairs and one-off events live and they tend to draw big audiences. Streaming services like Amazon Prime and Netflix are seen as the biggest threat to traditional broadcasters, but perceptions often differ from the reality: 24pc of homes in Ireland subscribe to Netflix and just 1pc have signed up to Amazon Prime. While subscription numbers matter, viewing time is the key metric. Ipsos MRBI reports that on average these services only account for 3pc of daily video consumption among all Irish adults. For viewers aged 15-34, it increases to 6pc. The total share of viewing compares to just half of UTV Ireland's all-adult audience last year. * The annual Media Awards have one notable absentee this year. WPP's GroupM, comprising Mindshare, MediaCom, MEC and Maxus, have not entered the awards, nor will the respective group agencies be taking tables at the gala dinner in the Clayton Hotel on April 20. It is understood that GroupM intends to promote media-buying excellence in other ways. The Media Awards are open to agencies, advertisers and media owners, with a 150 fee per entry across 23 categories. Guests also book tables for the gala dinner. The awards are organised by The Brainfood Store, a consortium which includes Alchemy Events' Des Doris, Omnicom ceo Dave Harland and Core Media chief digital and media officer Justin Cullen. The GroupM move coincides with the news that TBWA\Dublin has decided against entering local creative awards. TBWA's executive creative director John Kane says the Omnicom agency's focus switches to "globally recognised award shows", including the Cannes Lions, D&AD and the Clios. TBWA clients include Bank of Ireland, BMW, and McDonald's. * Dynamo's client services director Charlotte Barker has been named this year's IAPI Doyenne winner. The award salutes future women leaders in Ireland's marketing communications industry. IAPI launched Doyenne four years ago to address the gender imbalance in adland where just 18pc of women from IAPI agencies are senior managers. The industry census highlights the gap between women and men taking the top jobs, despite adland being split 50:50. The judges described Barker as a young person of vision and ambition, intent on shaping a brand design agency by aligning creativity, consumer insights and commercial expectations. TBWA\Dublin strategic planner Katie Jones won this year's IAPI Doyenne rising star glass gong for her work on HSE and the Department of Justice campaigns. * Mars boasts the sweetest outdoor campaign around with its MaltEaster 48-sheet poster featuring special bunny ears made up of more than 2,000 replica 3D Maltesers, with the tagline "Who are you going to chew the ear off this Easter?". Irish International created the idea, media by Mediavest and PML, planning by MediaCom and special build by Eclipse Media. Top hats off to all concerned, minus the rabbits, of course. Michael Cullen is editor of Marketing.ie; cullen@marketing.ie Adrian Weckler tries out Apple Pay to buy coffee at a shop in Dublin city centre It's been a while coming. But this week, Apple Pay finally went live in Ireland. In thousands of locations across the country, you can now swipe your phone or Apple Watch against a contactless terminal to pay for something. Launch partners using the system include supermarkets such as SuperValu, Dunnes Stores, Lidl, Aldi, Centra and Marks & Spencers. Other retails chains such as Insomnia, Boots and Harvey Norman also accept the payment system as do petrol stations such as Applegreen and Amber Oil. But Apple Pay is designed to work almost anywhere that ordinary contactless credit and debit cards work. The system works by incorporating Mastercard or Visa contactless debit and credit cards. It can also be used shopping online or within apps. Apple Pay can be used by anyone with an iPhone 6, iPhone 7 or iPhone SE. It can also be used with newer iPad models, MacBooks after 2012 and all Apple Watches. The purchasing limits for Apple Pay are identical to those of contactless Visa and Mastercard cards. Per-transaction limits vary according to individual retailers. There will be no additional charge to using the phone as a payment method. Transactions using iPhones are validated by using a fingerprint or a pin code. However, the payment system is limited at launch to cards issued by Ulster Bank and KBC bank. "We ultimately want to bring Apple Pay to as many users in Ireland as possible," said Jennifer Bailey, the Apple vice president in charge of Apple Pay. "But even if your primary bank isn't involved today with Apple Pay, you can still use Apple Pay with Boon prepay." Boon is a prepay system that works by downloading an app and topping up via a prepaid digital Mastercard. It works in any shop whose terminals accept the Mastercard contactless logo. Payment transactions with Boon need to be authorised with a pin code. A spokeswoman for AIB said that the bank is "in discussion with a number of payment service providers, including Apple" but that the bank is "not in a position to confirm timing of such payment development at this time". The introduction of Apple Pay means that almost all Irish smartphone users can now use their handsets as payment cards. In December, Google launched Android Pay in Ireland with Mastercard or Visa contactless debit and credit cards issued by AIB or KBC. Visa, which is the largest contactless card company here, says users of its contactless cards complete over three million transactions per week using the system. It says that the average Irish purchase value made with a Visa Debit contactless card is now 12.72, indicating a mixture of casual purchases in convenience shops and bigger items in department stores. Apple says that Apple Pay is safer than using a traditional credit or debit card because each transaction is protected with either Touch ID or a passcode. It also says that card numbers and identities aren't shared with the retailer or merchant and that the card numbers aren't stored on your device or on Apple's servers. "Apple doesn't know what you bought, where you bought it or how much you paid for it," said Bailey. "We thought about security from the beginning. So that means that with Apple Pay, your credit card isn't stored on your iPhone or with merchants. It's encrypted on the secure element in your drive. There's a one-time dynamic code that's used each time." The company says that Apple Pay retains anonymous transaction information "such as approximate purchase amounts". It says that "this information can't be tied back to you and never includes what you're buying". Adding a card to an iPhone or an iPad is done through the Wallet app on the device. For an Apple Watch, it's done through the Watch app on an iPhone. For iPhones that are lost or stolen, the card can be disabled through icloud.com/find or by ringing the bank and cancelling the card in the normal way. Apple also says that products bought using Apple Pay on an iPhone or Watch can be returned, with the balance recredited using the gadgets themselves at the retailer's payment terminal. KBC's director of innovation, Eddie Dillon, said that there has been a 76pc increase in "mobile usage" among KBC bank customers in the last year. KBC is the only bank operating in Ireland that has both Apple Pay and Android Pay available to its customers. "We've got to be doing this," said Dillon. "We're a digital-first bank, we're not opening new bank branches. "We've been inundated with requests from customers about doing stuff like this. You can expect to see more of this from us." Ulster Bank director Maeve McMahon described its Apple Pay move as "innovation". "We know from talking to customer that they're excited about this," she said. Apple Pay's launch in Ireland leaves customers of Bank of Ireland and Permanent TSB out of luck for mobile payments, with neither bank supporting Apple Pay or Android Pay. A spokeswoman for Bank of Ireland declined to comment. A spokesman for Permanent TSB said that the bank's "focus" is on other things at present. "We have recently rolled out a major overhaul of our current account offering and that has been our focus over the last few months," said a Permanent TSB spokesman. "We are exploring options in the mobile pay space over the coming months with a view to deciding the best approach." Recent figures from the US suggest that Apple Pay is the most widespread mobile payment system used by consumers. The figures from Boston Retail Partners say that more retailers accept the mobile payment system than any other mobile payment system, including Paypal. "People in Ireland are used to tap and pay so they'll be very comfortable with Apple Pay," said Apple's Jennifer Bailey. "The satisfaction rating is as high as 97pc. We know that customers in Ireland will make Apple Pay a part of their routine." Under European law, the telecoms regulator is responsible for enforcing compliance with the roaming regulation. Stock photo: PA The telecoms regulator is to investigate controversial new data roaming allowances proposed by the Irish mobile operator Three. The new allowances would drastically reduce a Three customers EU roaming data provision, even after an EU law abolition roaming fees kicks in this June. We are aware that a mobile operator has recently informed its customers of new contractual arrangements that purport to draw a distinction between a contractual data allowance and an unlimited all-you-can-eat-data service benefit, a Comreg spokesman told Independent.ie. We have sought information from the operator concerned so that we can assess whether the operator is in compliance with its existing obligations, as well as with the new roaming rules that will come into force on 15 June. It is the first time that the telecoms operator has commented on the controversy. Last week, the European Commission criticised Threes plans saying that there is no loophole by which part of the domestic data allowance could be regarded as gift or side benefit and would therefore not count when traveling abroad. This week, the Irish Communications Minister, Denis Naughten, warned that Comreg and Irish mobile operators would be expected to adhere to the new European roaming rules. There are serious consequences for non-compliance, the Comreg spokesman told Independent.ie. Over the past year, we have brought several criminal prosecutions, have imposed fixed penalty notices on operators and have taken other action to bring operators into compliance. In order to avoid prejudging the outcome of compliance investigations, we generally do not comment on compliance matters until we have completed an investigation. However this should not be taken as implying a lack of concern on our part. Read More Three plans to offer as little as 1GB of roaming data on its plans after the roaming abolition law is introduced. The company says that it cannot translate its all you can eat data allowances, which equate to 60GB, into roaming allowances because of onerous costs of up to 7.70 per gigabyte charged by other European operators. But the European Commission has warned that mobile operators cannot partially implement the new roaming law. There is no loophole by which part of the domestic data allowance could be regarded as gift or side benefit and would therefore not count when traveling abroad, said a spokesman for the Commission. Doing so would appear like a clear case of circumvention, for which there is no basis in the Roaming Regulation. Thus, under the new rules operators will not be allowed to offer only half a roaming experience to clients. However, the Commission spokeswoman later confirmed that exceptional circumstances apply to mobile packages with unlimited data or which are considered very cheap. A formula is currently being agreed whereby such unlimited data packages can be quantified for the purposes of roaming allowances. However, the spokeswoman said that an operator offering an all you can eat allowance at home for 20 per month, such as Three, might be obliged to offer at least 5GB of roaming data. Three has also raised the prices of its monthly mobile plans. Its bill pay customers have received notice of a 5 monthly rise, while prepay customers will receive fewer benefits and have their credit period shortened. We remind consumers that the mobile market is competitive and they have a choice of providers, said the Comreg spokesman. Customers who are notified of a change to their contractual conditions have the right to withdraw from their contract without penalty and switch to another provider within the relevant notice period. Under European law, the telecoms regulator is responsible for enforcing compliance with the roaming regulation. Stock photo: PA The government has intervened in Irelands data roaming row, urging the telecoms regulator Comreg to make sure Irish mobile operators adhere to roaming rules when roaming fees are abolished across the EU in June. The intervention comes a week after the European Commission warned Irish mobile operators that they must not attempt to reclassify data allowances to avoid adhering to the new EU roaming law. "The new EU rules clearly cover data services, along with voice and SMS," said Communications Minister Denis Naughten. "There is no exemption for the data services, only exceptional limits in case of unlimited or very competitive offers. The Irish Commission for Communications Regulation, ComReg, is the competent statutorily independent regulatory authority for telecoms and as such will be the authority which will regulate the Roam Like At Home regime in Ireland from 15 June 2017. "I would expect all mobile operators to be fully compliant with Irish and EU legislation, including Roam Like at Home from 15 June 2017. "ComReg will have a role in scrutinising all existing and new mobile market offerings to ensure full legal and regulatory compliance." Mr Naughten was responding to a parliamentary question put by Labour TD Sean Sherlock about what the government intended to do to ensure Irish mobile operators do not overcharge Irish consumers after the roaming law is introduced. Last week, Irish mobile operator Three announced plans to offer as little as 1GB of roaming data on its plans after the roaming abolition law is introduced. The company says that it cannot afford to translate its all you can eat data allowances, which equate to 60GB, into roaming allowances because of onerous costs of up to 7.70 per gigabyte charged by other European operators. But the European Commission has warned that mobile operators cannot partially implement the new roaming law. "There is no loophole by which part of the domestic data allowance could be regarded as gift or side benefit and would therefore not count when traveling abroad," said a spokesman for the Commission. "Doing so would appear like a clear case of circumvention, for which there is no basis in the Roaming Regulation. "Thus, under the new rules operators will not be allowed to offer only half a roaming experience to clients." However, the Commission spokeswoman later confirmed that exceptional circumstances apply to mobile packages with unlimited data or which are considered very cheap. A formula is currently being agreed whereby such unlimited data packages can be quantified for the purposes of roaming allowances. However, the spokesman said that an operator offering an all you can eat allowance at home for 20 per month, such as Three, might be obliged to offer at least 5GB of roaming data. A spokesman for Comreg, which is tasked with monitoring compliance among Irish operators, declined to comment on Threes plans. Steven Barlett, ceo and co-founder of Social Chain, has turned his agency into a global phenomenon with cutting-edge digital marketing techniques using varied platforms Grabbing attention amid the general noise of social media is something that market influencers must be able to tackle consistently. Those who are successful in this battle manage to spread their message to a wide group of followers - and that's a skill that companies want to be able to capitalise on. Steven Bartlett (24) co-founded the globally successful Social Chain marketing agency, a firm which was non-existent a mere three years ago. Ahead of his visit to the Aviva Stadium in Dublin for the DMX event, the young entrepreneur shared the story of the company's overnight success. Using 'The Thunderclap', the Social Chain ceo targets consumers on a number of different platforms on a simultaneous basis - and many global brands have taken notice. Social Chain has attracted millions of dollars in funding and has a rapidly expanding workforce with offices currently in London, Manchester, New York and Berlin. "With the Thunderclap, this was one of those times where we looked at the conventional way of how things were done. In this case, advertising, and we thought there was a better way for it to be done, so we went with our instinct," Bartlett told the Irish Independent. "This is something that we've always done throughout the history of the company, and it's no surprise that this way of thinking has led to great results for us. When we first executed a Thunderclap, nobody had ever advertised on Twitter, on communities like that, in that way before, so how could a book tell us the correct way for that to be done? "It couldn't, so we had to trust that we, as young people, with a great understanding of how that platform and those communities worked, would understand the best way to talk to other young people and have the most impact," he said. Social Chain has access to hundreds of large social communities that cover varying interests from movies and sports, to fashion to fitness. Working with a large network of influencers, the innovative team take a product or service or event and talk about it across all of these communities and influencers at the same time," in one blast". "It's effective because each piece of content is tailored to the voice of the community it is being posted on to, therefore, for the audience, it's seamless," said Bartlett. For a long time business and brands have used celebrities and iconic figures to market their products to a larger audience, so influencer marketing is not new. But Bartlett believes this trend is changing. "Increasingly we are seeing individuals growing serious social followings, shifting this model on to more 'everyday' public figures on social media," he said. "It has already monopolised marketing in 2016, so it is exciting to see how this will evolve in 2017." Social Chain hasn't worked with any firms in Ireland as yet but Bartlett says "there is so much opportunity there though, so I'm sure it is just a matter of time". TV3'S Pat Kenny Tonight show is often recorded hours before it is broadcast. The show, which airs on Wednesdays at 10pm, is recorded in front of a studio audience earlier in the evening. A spokesman told the Herald that when the show is recorded depends on the topic of the day, and added that it could be "live or pre-recorded". "This flexibility allows us to react," he said. "If pre-recorded, it's rec- orded between eight and nine and broadcast at 10. "The programme is live throughout the gallery and that allows for viewer participation. "It's all dependent on the topic of the day." The station's website describes it as a "current affairs discussion programme with live studio audience". However, although viewers may be seen as "participating" with social media commentary, the presenter and panel cannot interact with comments as they could on a live broadcast. Aoibheann McCaul has revealed that most of the actors on Fair City need second jobs to make a living. The Malahide woman stars as Caoimhe Dillon in the long-running soap but she is planning to branch out into drama teaching to supplement her income as she does not work regularly throughout the year. "Everybody has a second gig. I do voiceovers all the time. No one is in there 50 weeks of the year or whatever. I think most actors on Fair City do voiceovers," she said. The actress revealed that many of the voices people hear on TV ads are done by Fair City actors. Other stars on the show like Maclean Burke, who plays Damien, have gone in an entirely different direction for their side career. "Maclean has a windows business. A lot of the actors, you wouldn't know, but they are the voices you hear in ads constantly," Aoibheann told the Herald. "I would like to do a bit of youth theatre. I'm actually training as a drama teacher. "I came through youth theatre myself and I wrote my thesis on the need for drama at second level education for social and personal development and that's what youth theatre is all about." Aoibheann also hopes to work with special needs children and host confidence-building classes for people who struggle with public speaking. "I'd maybe work with people with special needs through drama and maybe businesspeople who are too scared to get up and present something because that's something that a lot of people who don't come through drama are lacking in," she said. The Dubliner is currently taking a break from Fair City and will return to Carrigstown next month. Aoibheann did not appear in last night's all-female episode, a first for the series, but she was thrilled it happened. "I think it's great. Why not?" she said. Video of the Day Last year it was revealed that actors in the RTE drama earn nearly 460 a day. However, former Fair City actress Caroline Grace Cassidy, who played Aoife Coleman for three years, said most of the actors worked for only four or five months out of the year. "People are always very surprised, but 20-25 weeks is the longest contract that they get," she said. "They film it in such a way that they're in for those weeks. For the smaller ones, you'd really need a second job." TG4 aired a two-part series on Ireland's wildlife in a stunning documentary that's been winning rave reviews online. Eire Fhiain has been dubbed Ireland's answer to Planet Earth. With amazing wildlife footage and the knowledge and enthusiasm of director Eoin Warner, the two-part documentary gripped viewers as it brought to life the incredible natural wonders of Ireland's Atlantic realm. The first episode, which aired last Wednesday, focused on the Skellig Islands, Kilkenny and the Blasket Islands. Viewers encountered Puffins, secretive Shearwaters, Humpback Whales, the last herd of ancient Red Deer in Killarney as rutting season commenced, Barn Owls and the common lizard of Ireland's limestone desert - the Burren. Expand Close Director and presenter Eoin Warner. Credit: Eire Fhiain / TG4 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Director and presenter Eoin Warner. Credit: Eire Fhiain / TG4 The team went to extraordinary lengths to capture the shots that transfixed audiences. Using the latest camera technology - night time, macro and slow motion - the scenes were probably better than some of the action movies we've seen this year. And viewers found it hard to believe that this magic was captured in Ireland. Expand Close Puffins in Kerry. Credit: Eire Fhiain / TG4 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Puffins in Kerry. Credit: Eire Fhiain / TG4 The second and final episode, which aired last night, lived up to the promise of the first. Viewers who had been spellbound by the show's premiere had spread the word and encouraged friends to tune into the second episode as Twitter blazed with the #EireFhiain hashtag. "One of the best Irish wildlife documentaries I've seen. Everyone should watch," wrote one user - a sentiment that was echoed by many. Expand Close The common lizard of the Burren. Credit: Eire Fhiain / TG4 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The common lizard of the Burren. Credit: Eire Fhiain / TG4 Eoin travelled across the sheltered Connemara Islands, in the last episode, before heading to Mayo to encounter some of Ireland's hardiest long-distance travellers - The Whopper Swans - who travel to Ireland every autumn to escape the bitter chill of Iceland. Viewers also met Basking Sharkes, who are now thriving in Irish waters, Red Squirrels of Donegal and the star of the show, the Golden Eagle. Expand Close The Golden Eagle. Credit: Eire Fhiain / TG4 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Golden Eagle. Credit: Eire Fhiain / TG4 The overarching achievement of the show is reminding audiences how spectacular Irish wildlife is. There's a whole world of wonderment waiting to be explored, right on our doorstep. Something that should never be taken for granted. President-elect Donald Trump, left, and President Barack Obama arrive for Trump's inauguration ceremony at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S. January 20, 2017. REUTERS/J. Scott Applewhite/Pool/File Photo House Republican Bill 1275 has another, catchier name. The "Worlds Greatest Healthcare Plan of 2017" - its official title - has been introduced by Texas Representative Pete Sessions and begins its long slug through the House and Senate before hitting the Presidents desk. It is just one bill introduced by disgruntled Republicans who are fighting it out to have a new plan that completely repeals Obamacare. The American Medical Association said the Trump-approved House GOP Bill, different to the above, would "reverse the coverage gains" of Obamacare, and cause millions of people to lose coverage. As lawmakers wade through the House GOP Bill, introduced by Donald Trump on Monday, to make revisions over the coming months, they might notice that the Trump administrations boast that it has taken away the parts of Obamacare that people do not like, for example, being fined if they do not purchase coverage, is inaccurate. The penalty still applies but this time Americans will pay to their insurance provider, not the government. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer proudly declared the document dedicated 50 pages to detailing how Obamacare would be repealed. He then wheeled out Tom Price, the new Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, who pointed to the 900-page Affordable Care Act of 2010. "Notice how thick this is?" he asked reporters, comparing the stack of paper with the Republicans new, much slimmer document. Mr Price also mentioned the phrase "conscience clauses", hinting that the new plan might not cover birth control. No public statement has been made on that issue yet - women had no co-pay access to contraception under Obamacare - but critics have suggested Republicans will use the excuse of the Congressional Budget Office's scoring of the plan - in other words, making sure it is financially viable - to not cover contraception. Democrats claim the healthcare replacement plan will not protect the most vulnerable Americans. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer criticsied the cut to Planned Parenthood funding, which provides millions of people with access to mammograms, cancer screenings and maternity care. He said it also reduced protection for young people, LGBTQ people, people of colour, rural communities and those on low incomes. "Simply put #Trumpcare is a mess for the American people. We Democrats will fight tooth & nail to put your access to healthcare first," he wrote on social media. Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill said Mr Trumps plan is repeating the same mistakes of Obamacare but "on steroids". "Jamming bill, no cost estimate, no [Democratic] votes," she wrote on Twitter. Some Republicans, like Senator Tom Cotton insist Obamacare 2.0 is "moving too quickly", while some of his colleagues say it does not go far enough to help provider competition. Mr Trump said state competition would be addressed in the second and third phase of the roll-out. Senator Rand Paul, who tried and failed to get hold of the bill while it was guarded by police at Capitol Hill, declared the bill was nothing but "Obamacare-lite". US Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio has introduced another bill for a "clean repeal" of Obamacare, scrapping all taxes and subsidies of the Affordable Care Act. On paper, the most popular provisions of Obamacare remain, but the tweaks are in the small print. It maintains medicaid expansion until 2020 - relied upon by many of Mr Trumps own supporters - but will institute a cap thereafter on how much states can spend on medicaid. There is no cap at the moment. The new plan keeps a tax credit system, but changes it to age and income-based instead of being solely dependent on income. This new policy leaves older Americans as the most exposed, as they get more tax credits but there is no cap on what the insurance companies can charge them. Older people were cited to pay three times that of young people under the former government; this will raise to five times under Mr Trump. The new plan also keeps youths on their parents insurance plan until the age of 26. There is no discrimination for pre-existing conditions, as before, but the new plan can charge you up to 30 per cent on one's premium for any lapse in coverage. For example, if a patient is chronically ill and leaves their job and has no coverage for more than 63 days, the patient will have to pay 30 per cent more for their monthly healthcare costs for 12 months. "Go online, read it for yourself," urged House Speaker Paul Ryan at a press conference. He said the most important aspect of the new bill was that it "returned power" to states, doctors and patients. "This is what good, Conservative healthcare reform looks like. It is bold and it is long overdue and it us, fulfilling our promises." It is yet to be seen what exactly the new plan will look like by the time it reaches the President's desk, but there is bound to be elements that look familiar from 2010. More than half of Americans - 54 per cent - were happy with Obamacare, according to the most recent survey from the Pew Research Centre - its highest level in years. On Wednesday Sean Spicer insisted that Obamacare "got the entire system shattered". "The issue was, in an attempt to solve a problem that affected a very specified, fine group of people, that affected the whole healthcare market." Gardai have arrested a man in his 60s after he allegedly tried to abduct a two-year-old child from a south Dublin supermarket. The abduction attempt was allegedly carried out in the Lidl Supermarket in Terenure, Dublin 6, on February 26. Gardai received a report that a man had tried to lure the two-year-old boy out of the busy store while his mother was shopping. Elderly The child's mother has alleged that she let go of her son's hand for a brief moment while pushing a shopping cart. She turned around to see an elderly man leading the young boy by the hand out of the supermarket. The man was then approached by the mother and he released the child's hand before leaving the premises. A complaint about the incident was made the following day at Terenure garda station. As part of their investigation gardai reviewed CCTV of the incident that was caught on cameras within the store. Following their inquiries, gardai arrested a man in his 60s last Wednesday in relation to the allegation. He was questioned for several hours before being released without charge. A file will be prepared for the DPP to consider if any charges will be brought. The arrested man had not come to the attention of gardai previously and officers are carrying out an extensive probe into the incident. A source said that the young child was left "extremely shaken" by the incident and that the attempted abduction has led to serious concern among parents in the area. Abduction A Garda spokesman told the Irish Independent: "On February 27, gardai in Terenure received a report that there had been an attempted abduction of a young child at a premises on the Rathfarnham Road, Terenure on February 26. "The incident occurred at approximately 4.20pm. "A male was arrested on March 1 and detained in Terenure under the provisions of section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 as amended. "He was released without charge and a file is being prepared for the DPP." An Irish millionaire and his estranged wife have settled a dispute over a 576,000 holiday home in rural Ireland after staging a "Titanic" divorce court battle in London. Michael and Margie Hanley - who had lived together in Wentworth, Surrey - both wanted the house they jointly owned in the village of Cornamona, County Galway. Mr Justice Holman analysed evidence at a public trial in the Family Division of the High Court in London over two days. But lawyers on Wednesday told him that an agreement had been reached which would see Mrs Hanley become the owner of the Cornamona property. The judge had said the couple would split cash and assets totalling between 11m and 16m in the wake of their marriage breakdown. He said they had together run up lawyers' bills of more than 800,000 (922,000) on a ''Titanic battle'' - and he described the figure as ''phenomenal''. Expand Close Michael Hanley leaves the Family Division of the High Court in London. Photo: PA Wire / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Michael Hanley leaves the Family Division of the High Court in London. Photo: PA Wire Mr Hanley (60) who has retired after a career with multinational conglomerate GE, told how their 33-year marriage hit the rocks after he discovered that his wife had an affair. Mrs Hanley (56) who denied adultery, said Mr Hanley had told her that she could have the house in Cornamona and was ''punishing'' her. Mr Justice Holman told them he was "very, very glad" that agreement had been reached. "Obviously I regret it could not have been sooner and some of these massive costs saved," he said. "It has been very painful for me to listen to what really is a very sad story because for so long you together achieved so much and I am sorry it has ended in the way it has. "But in all events you are on the threshold of new lives and I wish all possible happiness in those new lives." The judge heard that the couple had lived in Europe, the Far East and the United States because Mr Hanley's work had taken him abroad. They had built the house in Cornamona about 16 years ago and had gone there for holidays and at Christmas. Mr Hanley wanted it to be a retirement base. Mrs Hanley, who still lives in Wentworth, said she should have the Cornamona house because generations of her family had lived in the village. Mr Justice Holman heard that there had been suggestions of Mrs Hanley living elsewhere in Cornamona. He also raised the possibility of the pair, who have grown-up children, using the house at different times of the year. But Mrs Hanley told him: ''We are getting divorced. The village isn't big enough for both of us.'' Mr Justice Holman had been scheduled to hear closing legal arguments from barristers on Wednesday before making a ruling. But a barrister leading Mrs Hanley's legal team told him that agreement had been reached. Stewart Leech QC said under the agreement Mrs Hanley would become the owner of the Cornamona house and the house the couple had shared in Wentworth. Stephen Trowell QC, who led Mr Hanley's legal team, said "everybody" was bound by the agreement. Neither Mr nor Mrs Hanley wanted to comment outside court. Mrs Hanley was hugged by one of her lawyers as she left. A former priest has been convicted of raping a child in his parish ten years ago. The 63-year-old is already serving a lengthy sentence for sexually abusing a different child six years ago. On Thursday, a Central Criminal Court jury convicted him of six counts of oral rape, defilement and sexual assault in his home between 2005 and 2006. The victim was aged between 10 and eleven at the time. The man had denied the charges. The trial heard the priest befriended the boy before starting to invade his personal space and make sexual comments. This progressed to several incidents of sexual abuse. At one stage the priest told the child to go home and Google gay porn. The boy's father noticed this in the family computer's internet search history and confronted the child. He told his father he looked it up because he was curious. During the abuse the priest told the child it was a natural thing. The victim told prosecuting counsel Conor Devally SC that he believed him because hes a priest, everybody loved him, everybody trusted him 100 percent. He victim said the priest started getting dirty when he showed him around his house. He began sexually assaulting the child. He drove him home afterwards. A similar incident happened some time later when the priest directed the boy to perform sex acts. He said the priest told him anything we do is private. I think I blocked out a lot of incidents, the victim said. It actually torments me more in my mind but maybe its good that I dont remember some of them. He said he stopped going to the priest's house after sixth class and didn't have much to do with him after that. He disclosed the abuse to his GP in 2013. Asked why he didn't say anything sooner, the victim said it was private and confidential and I didnt want anyone to think of me as the boy who was abused. Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy remanded the accused in continuing custody until March 27 when a victim impact statement will be available to the court. The man pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the youth on a date between September and December 2013 at an apartment in Lahinch. (Stock photo) A 41-year-old Co Clare man has publicly confessed to the congregation of his local Christian church to sexually assaulting a 16-year-old surfer in Lahinch, Co Clare, in 2013. At Ennis District Court yesterday, representatives from the man's small church pleaded with Judge Patrick Durcan to show leniency to the man they describe as an "excellent Christian and an asset and blessing to the Church". In the case, the man pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the youth on a date between September and December 2013 at an apartment in Lahinch. Inspector Tom Kennedy said that the youth was staying in the man's apartment with a friend and found himself sharing a bed with the man. Insp Kennedy said the boy was awoken to find the accused had his hand on his penis and was holding it. He said the youth jumped out of bed and informed gardai of the assault. Judge Durcan said the matter could be resolved without criminalising the man and said that the matter could be struck out if the man pays 1,000 to the Court Discretionary Fund by July. Jonathan Gill (35) of Malahide Road, Coolock, Dublin, arrives at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court where he pleaded not guilty to falsely imprisoning a post office worker, his partner and their daughter in Drogheda between August 1 and 2, 2011. Pic Collins Courts. A man has gone on trial charged with kidnapping a post office worker, his partner and their young baby before robbing more than 600,000 from the man's workplace. It is the State's case that Jonathan Gill (35) was one of a gang of five who together were involved in holding the family hostage in their own home before moving them to a shed about a 90-minute drive away. The couple were threatened with what they believed to be guns and tied up with cable ties. Mr Gill, of Malahide Road, Swords, Dublin, has pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to falsely imprisoning Warren Nawn, Jean Marie Matthews and their 10-week-old baby in Drogheda, Co Louth, between August 1 and August 2, 2011. He has also pleaded not guilty to robbery of 661,125 at An Post, West Street, Drogheda, on August 2, 2011. Vincent Heneghan SC, prosecuting, said Mr Nawn and Ms Matthews were watching television while their baby girl was asleep beside them when there was a knock at the door. Expand Close Jonathan Gill (35) of Malahide Road, Coolock, Dublin, arrives at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court where he pleaded not guilty to falsely imprisoning a post office worker, his partner and their daughter in Drogheda between August 1 and 2, 2011. Pic Collins Courts. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jonathan Gill (35) of Malahide Road, Coolock, Dublin, arrives at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court where he pleaded not guilty to falsely imprisoning a post office worker, his partner and their daughter in Drogheda between August 1 and 2, 2011. Pic Collins Courts. Mr Nawn answered and a man with a scarf on his face threw a pizza box at him before tackling him to the ground. A second man then raided their home and duct tape was put on Mr Nawn's mouth and eyes before he was tied up. The men quizzed Mr Nawn about his workplace while threatening him with what appeared to be a gun. Ms Matthews was also threatened and told she would have a bullet in the back of her head. The couple were separated with one of them being taken into the kitchen while the other was left in the sitting room. They were detained there for about two hours before Mr Nawn was put into the boot of his own car and Ms Matthews and the baby in the front. The family were driven for about 90 minutes before they were put in a shed. Mr Heneghan said the jury would hear evidence that the couple were continually threatened in an aggressive way and had guns pointed at them. At 3.30am the baby became very upset because she needed to be fed. A litre of milk was eventually bought for her and the family were kept in the shed until around 9am the next day. Mr Nawn was then handed his An Post uniform that the raiders had taken from his home. He was also given a phone and told to drive to work. He had earlier been told to call his boss to inform him he would be late. "He followed their instructions because he was put in fear," Mr Heneghan told the jury. He said Mr Nawn met with his boss and told him that his partner and child had been kept and were being told they would be shot. He was instructed to get whatever cash there was in the post office at the time. Mr Heneghan said a cash drop was due and 15 minutes later that money was delivered. The raiders spoke to Mr Nawn's boss, and Ms Matthews was also instructed to call the man and tell him a gun was being held to her head. Mr Heneghan said Mr Nawn was then instructed to take the cash and deliver it to a specific location. He was then told to drive on further, break up the phone the raiders had given him and throw it into the River Boyne. The jury heard that there would be evidence that Mr Nawn's boss was told not to do anything for 30 minutes after Mr Nawn left but he ultimately alerted the gardai who were there when the complainant returned to the post office. Mr Heneghan told the jury that in the meantime Ms Matthews had been put in a car and transferred to a remote location. She was tied to an old bed in a burned-out shed and left there with her baby. She managed to free herself and made her way to an industrial estate where staff called gardai. Ms Matthews was taken to hospital were she was treated having been struck two or three times during her kidnapping. The trial continues before Judge Elma Sheahan and a jury. It is expected to last four weeks. Jonathan Gill (35) of Malahide Road, Coolock, Dublin, arrives at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court where he pleaded not guilty to falsely imprisoning a post office worker, his partner and their daughter in Drogheda between August 1 and 2, 2011. Pic Collins Courts. A postal worker has described how he believed he would never see his partner and baby again during a kidnapping and robbery in County Louth. Warren Nawn told a jury how he was tied up and beaten before being sent to An Post to collect 600,000 from An Post while his partner, now wife, and baby were held by armed raiders. During his evidence Mr Nawn said that he believed he would never see his family again when he thought he was about to be stopped by a garda car on the way to pick up the money. He said the raiders repeatedly threatened to kill his family if anything went wrong and at one point Ms Nawn was threatened with rape. It is the State's case that Jonathan Gill (35) was one of a group of five who together were involved in holding the family hostage in their own home before moving them to a shed about a 90 minute drive away. Mr Gill of Malahide Road, Swords, Dublin has pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to falsely imprisoning Warren Nawn, Jean Marie Nawn and their baby in Drogheda between August 1 and August 2, 2011. Mr Nawn told Vincent Heneghan SC, prosecuting, that he was having a relaxing day off and was watching television when he opened his door to a man holding a pizza box and covering his face with a scarf. The man had a gun and ordered Mr Nawn to the ground before bringing him inside. Another man arrived and they wrapped masking tape around his eyes, hands and mouth and started asking him about his work in An Post. One raider said, a mad b*****d, madder than me, is coming and he would have no problem raping her, indicating Ms Nawn. He also told Mr Nawn to remember the baby they found by the river in Mayo. Another man, who Mr Nawn described as the bossman arrived and continued to question him. This man threatened to put a bullet in the back of Mr Nawn's head if he was lying. Mr Nawn said he was physically lifted up and put in the boot of his own car which was then driven for 90 minutes to a farmyard. He did not know where his family was at this time. At the farmyard he saw his partner and child and all three were held overnight. The bossman gave Mr Nawn detailed instructions on how he should go into work in the morning and wait for a cash van delivery before bringing the money to the LMFM studio carpark. Mr Nawn told counsel that it was clear that the bossman had very detailed knowledge about where he worked but didn't seem to know the names of the streets and bridges in Drogheda. In the morning the raiders put his work uniform on him and drove him to Drogheda. As Mr Nawn was leaving, Ms Nawn told him to do what they said. He replied that he would do whatever it took to keep them safe. When he was dropped off, Mr Nawn drove to work while in phone contact with the raiders. He said he was speeding, overtaking traffic and breaking traffic lights and that he became very concerned when he saw a Garda car with its lights on. He said he thought he would be stopped and would never see his family again. However, he was able to continue to work where he told his manager about the kidnapping, as instructed by the raiders. He filled two large bags with money and drove towards LMFM. There he was told to drive to a overpass and throw the money over the side. When he did so he was told he had thrown the money at the wrong place and was instructed to retrieve it. Mr Nawn climbed into some briars to get the cash but was then told to leave it. He was then told to drive to the Boyne Cable Bridge and break up the phone he was given before throwing it in the river. Having done this, he returned to work where gardai were called. He refused to speak to officers because he was still concerned about his family's safety but began co-operating when it was confirmed they were safe. Mr Nawn identified the pieces of a phone which had been recovered from the river by gardai as the one he was using. He also identified cable ties which had been left on his wrists. The trial continues before Judge Elma Sheahan and a jury of five women and seven men. It is expected to last four weeks. Two Dublin men have been found guilty at the Special Criminal Court of murdering dissident republican Peter Butterly four years ago. Mr Butterly (35) was shot dead on March 6th, 2013 outside The Huntsman Inn, Gormanston, Co Meath in what the court described today an "ambush". Four men were originally charged with the murder. One of the men, David Cullen, subsequently turned State witness, and his murder charge was dropped. The fourth man, Dean Evans (24), of Grange Park Rise, Raheny, Dublin, failed to turn up for the trial, and was not located by gardai. Edward McGrath (35), of Land Dale Lawns, Springfield, Tallaght and Sharif Kelly (47), of Pinewood Green Road, Balbriggan had both denied the murder. Mr McGrath was also convicted of firearms offences on the same date. The court heard that both men were arrested by gardai after a "callous, brutal and premeditated murder, both performing their assigned roles". McGrath, wearing a disguise of a black wig, had driven a stolen silver Toyota Corolla to the Huntsman Inn carpark. It was alleged that Dean Evans was a passenger in the back of the car, behind the driver's seat, and that he shot Mr Butterly. McGrath then drove the Corolla away from the carpark and up Flemington Rd. He stopped the car in a laneway. The court heard that this was where the car was to be destroyed. Further back the road, Sharif Kelly was in a green Opel Zafira. Clothes with Mr Evans' DNA were found in the boot of the car. It was the second trial of McGrath and Kelly. The first trial collapsed in January 2015 after 55 days. Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding, remanded both men in custody until April 7th, when they will be sentenced. More to follow... Immigration and work permit charges were dismissed against two Irish fishermen who used a marine agent to hire Filipino sailors to work on their Cork-based trawler. Stock picture Immigration and work permit charges were dismissed against two Irish fishermen who used a marine agent to hire Filipino sailors to work on their Cork-based trawler. Pat O'Mahony (51) and Leonard Hyde (63) had insisted to Cork District Court they always understood the UK agency they hired would ensure full compliance with all Irish visa, work permit and passport regulations. Both also vehemently insisted that the two Filipino fishermen involved were treated with every consideration and respect while they worked on the 'Labardie Fisher' trawler operating from Crosshaven, Co Cork, in 2015. Mr Hyde and Mr O'Mahony described the ordeal they faced over the Garda investigation and prosecution as "a two-year nightmare". "It was two years of absolute torment," Mr Hyde said. "You have no idea - it was hard, very hard. Health-wise it has been very stressful for all of us and our families." Mr O'Mahony said it had been two very difficult years. "We are just very thankful it is all over, lads. The support (from fishermen) was brilliant - absolutely brilliant. "It was a life-changer for us. So thank God that justice was done." Judge Aingeal Ni Chonduin dismissed all charges against the men. The trial heard that other fishermen who used the same agency and route to bring Filipino sailors into Ireland even had those staff given safety training by State agencies. One Irish trawler had used the same route and procedures to hire Filipino sailors 10 years ago. The judge said that "mindset" was a central issue - and she had a doubt whether the men ever realised what they were doing was not in proper compliance with regulations. Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation (ISWFPO) official John Tattan said as far as he understood, in 2015 what the two men had done was entirely in compliance with regulations. Mr O'Mahony of Eltin's Wood, Kinsale, Co Cork, and Mr Hyde of Four Winds, Weaver's Point, Crosshaven, Co Cork, had denied all charges. The O'Donohue family, Eamonn and Sharon together with their kids Sarah (14) and twins Alex and Lucy (12) A letter outlining a daughters love for her father and heartache at his loss was read out at the funeral of a kayaker who tragically died at the weekend. Father-of-three Eamonn O'Donohoe(46) went missing while kayaking on Lough Ree in Co Roscommon on Saturday morning. He was unconscious when located by search and rescue teams and died at Portiuncula Hospital on Saturday evening. The IT worker and kayaking enthusiast was originally from Dublin but lived in Kiltoom, Athlone, Co Roscommon with his wife Sharon, daughters Sarah(14) and Lucy(12) and son Alex(12). Fr Michael McManus spoke of the communitys sadness and state of shock at his untimely passing at Mass of the Resurrection in the Church of the Risen Christ in Ballybay, Co Roscommon this morning, where hundreds of people attended to pay their last respects. On the day he died, the experienced kayaker was doing the thing he loved best after his family, he explained. He said Eamonn was enjoying his favourite pastime planning to meet his wife Sharon and family at Hodson Bay. Expand Close Eamonn O'Donohoe was an "experienced water enthusiast" / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Eamonn O'Donohoe was an "experienced water enthusiast" Fr McManus read a letter written by Eamonn's daughter Sarah. She expressed thanks for the overwhelming kindness and support from their neighbours, friends, schools and kayaking community in recent days. We are so grateful to you all, she wrote. Read More My Dads death has come as such a shock to all of us. He was a happy, healthy young man. It still doesnt feel so real. Only last Friday he got home from work and asked me how my day was. My heart still aches over the fact we lost him the next day, she wrote. Sarah said Daddy was such a kind intelligent person. His personality was so unique, I never met anyone else like him. Dad loved our family very much, my mother especially. They were two soul mates. Their love for each other could be sensed by everyone. He loved his kids. He was so proud of his two daughters and had a son Alex to carry on the ODonohoe name. She recalled how her father would, without fail, help out neighbours whenever they had issues with phones or computers. She said he loved his work and it had brought him so much fulfilment. Through his passion for kayaking, Mr ODonohoe made friends throughout Ireland, she explained. He would always bring a spare kayak for the races so that others could try them out, she wrote. Sarah recalled how my Dad and I volunteered with the kayaks to help with water rescue to support swimmers for the Athlone Triathlon 2015. Life wont be easy without my Dad but I know everything will be ok. I love you so very much. I hope you are enjoying your time in heaven, she wrote. Gifts reflecting Mr ODonohoes life were brought to the top of the church as the mass began. Lucy brought a macaroni recipe, indicating their closeness as they made this recipe together. Alex brought up his Dads kayaking paddle, a token of their mutual bond in sport. Sarah carried a family photo. Mr ODonohoes nephew Rory brought his uncle's first kayaking trophy while another nephew Liam carried Eamonns computer mouse as a sign of his love for his work. Fr McManus passed on a message from the Bishop of Elphin, Kevin Doran, who had contacted him to offer his sincerest sympathy to the ODonohoe family. On behalf of the family, Fr McManus thanked the emergency services, Lough Ree Yacht Club, RNLI, Irish Coast Guard, An Garda Siochana, Garda Water Unit, the ambulance crew and the doctors and nurses at Portiuncula Hospital. They also thanked the local community, Ballyboy NS and the different organisations who formed a guard of honour. Mr ODonohoe was laid to rest in Kiltoom Cemetery following the mass. He is survived by his wife Sharon, son Alex, daughters Sarah and Lucy mother in law Kay Ryan, brother in law Martin and his wife Maria, sister in law Carmella, nephews Liam and Rory. A pregnant woman who died in a horrific apartment fire was "excited" after finding out that she was expecting her first son, a close friend has revealed. Annemarie O'Brien (27), who was seven months pregnant, died along with her daughter Paris (2) in the fire at Cluainin Cronan, Kilcronan Avenue, Clondalkin, at around 2.30am yesterday. Her cousin Biddy O'Brien's daughter Holly (3) was also pronounced dead yesterday morning and Biddy's son Jordan (4) died from his injuries in the afternoon. Biddy was fighting for her life last night at St James' Hospital. Expand Close AnneMarie O'Brien (27) who was seven months pregnant / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp AnneMarie O'Brien (27) who was seven months pregnant Gardai have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire. The initial indications are that it was caused by an electrical or wiring fault linked to the TV or the area close to the appliance. Joanne Moorehouse, who is a cousin of Biddy O'Brien, told the Herald of the families' devastation. Ms Moorehouse, who was also close friends with Annemarie, said the mum-to-be was looking forward to having a baby boy which was due before the summer. "We are both pregnant and I only bumped into Annemarie in Holles Street on Tuesday," said Joanne. "She told me she was expecting a boy and was really excited. She said she was looking for a house to bring up Paris and the new baby in and was in Clondalkin hoping that housing would come through for her soon. Expand Close Paris O'Brien / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Paris O'Brien "We're all devastated. We just want to know what happened." It is believed that Biddy had been visiting her cousin with Holly and Jordan when the tragedy struck. Biddy lives in Aughamore Lane, Shankill, where devastated neighbours and loved ones were last night trying to come to terms with the tragedy. Parish priest of Shankill Fr John O'Connor said the community would rally to support the victims' families. "I don't think there's really any words that could respond to this awful tragedy," he told the Herald. SHOCKING Expand Close Holly O'Brien / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Holly O'Brien "I think it's absolutely awful. I was speaking to the dad of the two children earlier today and it's just so sad. "His wife [Biddy] is still in hospital and in a bad way and we can only pray that the Lord will spare her. The loss of three children is just shocking. "I married that couple and my heart bleeds for them. They're very good and caring people and will be missed terribly. "All we can do is put everything in God's hands and to console those who are bereaved." It has also emerged that this is the second fire tragedy to hit Annemarie's family. Her brother Andy O'Brien, who was 20 at the time, died in a container fire in Bray in 2011. Expand Close Biddy O'Brien remains in hospital / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Biddy O'Brien remains in hospital Andy's remains were found in a prefab to the rear of the local church on the morning of January 25, 2011. At the time of her brother's death, Annemarie wrote a message of tribute to him on Facebook. "Love you Andy," she wrote. "Sleep tight bro. Thinking of you always. Miss u more than anyone could imagine. RIP." Originally from the Fassaroe area of Bray, Andy had been sleeping away from home for a number of nights, at several locations, including the place where he ultimately lost his life. The shed in the church grounds was often used as a shelter for people with nowhere else to go. At the scene of yesterday's fire Garda Inspector Ken McLaughlin, of Clondalkin Garda Station, said officers and Dublin Fire Brigade would carry out a full investigation. He confirmed that all five people caught up in the fire were in the one apartment at the time of the incident. A full technical examination is due to take place. "We're at the scene of a terrible tragedy and I would like to express our sincere sympathies for the families of those that are involved in this incident," he said. "At the moment we're keeping an open mind on the incident." Expand Close Jordan O'Brien (4) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jordan O'Brien (4) Gardai are appealing for witnesses to call Clondalkin Garda Station on 01-666 7600, the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda station. Yesterday Taoiseach Enda Kenny issued a message of condolence to the victims. "I want to tender our sympathy on the death of a young mother and three children who lost their lives from smoke inhalation in a fire early this morning and to the others who have been injured," he said. NUMB Children's Minister Katherine Zappone said her thoughts and prayers were with all those affected by the horrific incident. Sinn Fein TD Eoin O Broin said in a statement: "My thoughts are with the bereaved families, friends, and members of this tight-knit local community this morning. "The death of three young children and a young woman is a tragedy and the people here in Kilcronan are numb with shock and sadness at this devastating loss of life. "My thoughts are also with those seriously injured in the fire who are being cared for in hospital." The Prison Service has admitted it was hours before officials realised a murder suspect was mistakenly released. Michael Lawrence Smith was "released erroneously" by the Prison Service on Tuesday, and failed to return to Maghaberry Prison. The 38-year-old, who is charged with the murder of Belfast man Stephen Carson, was last seen in the Finaghy area of south Belfast at around 12.30pm on Tuesday. He had applied for compassionate bail on Monday to attend his son's confirmation, which was strenuously objected to by police and subsequently rejected by a judge. Despite the bail refusal Smith was released from Maghaberry high-security jail at lunchtime on Tuesday. Northern Ireland Prison Service head Ronnie Armour said Smith, who police described as "dangerous and with a history of violence," was taken to the confirmation from the prison by a family member. It was only at 4.30pm - the time Smith was supposed to return had he originally got bail - that the error to release him in the first place was discovered and "appropriate action taken". Mr Armour said the release was down to "human error". Read More "This is a very significant mistake, a very serious mistake," he told the BBC. Asked if they were close to tracking the escaped prisoner down, Mr Armour said that given the police investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment. "I deeply regret what has happened, this is a blow to public confidence and I understand the anger among the public. That is why it is important we understand what happened, how it happened and work to ensure it doesn't happen again." Smith is accused of murdering Mr Carson, who was shot dead at his home in front of his nine-year-old son and partner in February 2016. He is also awaiting trial on a number of other offences. Mr Armour apologised to the Carson family for the additional anxiety the release of Smith had caused. Pressure has been mounting on the police to explain why the release was not publicised to the public until 24-hours later. Detective Superintendent Kevin Geddes said the police were made aware that Smith failed to return to Maghaberry Prison on Tuesday night and at that stage immediately started an investigation into his whereabouts. Mr Geddes said: "Less than 24 hours later was an appropriate stage in the investigation to make the public aware and appeal for information to help us locate him". He described Smith as "dangerous", saying he had an "extensive history of violence". Alliance MLA Trevor Lunn called for a full investigation into Smith's disappearance - and why it took a day for the public to be informed that he was on the loose. In a YouTube video appeal, Detective Superintendent Kevin Geddes urged Smith to hand himself in, and warned the public against approaching the murder suspect. He said: "I would make three appeals: the first is to Michael himself - please give yourself up. Next I would talk to his family and friends. Please either persuade him to give himself up or contact the police and tell us where he is. "And thirdly to members of the public: do not approach him, he is dangerous, but if you know where he is phone 999 and get in touch with the police." Mr Smith is described as being of medium build, 1.87m tall, 106kg in weight, with brown eyes and brown hair. Distinguishing marks include scars on his arms, shoulders, head, neck and right cheek. "We have a duty of care to protect the public and in this instance we failed. "It is important we understand how this happened and I have launched an internal investigation. In the mean time I want to ensure the public we have taken steps to strengthen our procedures to make sure this does not happen again." Taoiseach Enda Kenny with ministers Mary Mitchell OConnor, Charlie Flanagan and Shane Ross at the launch of the strategy. Photo: Mark Condren Taoiseach Enda Kenny could find himself at the centre of an EU bust-up today as a row rages over Donald Tusk's presidency of the European Council. Mr Kenny, who is due to step down as Taoiseach in the coming weeks, has been tipped as a potential compromise candidate to replace Mr Tusk in Brussels. However, sources say the Taoiseach remains among 26 of the EU's 28 leaders rallying around the under-pressure incumbent. In an unprecedented development, Mr Tusk's re-election is opposed by the government of his native Poland, which has put forward an alternative candidate, MEP Jacek Saryusz-Wolski. Tensions between Mr Tusk and the Polish government have been mounting for years, with PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski holding Mr Tusk 'morally responsible' for a 2010 plane crash that killed then-president Lech Kaczynski, his twin brother. "I am not the one responsible for clashes," said Mr Tusk yesterday. "I know my role, as president of the European Council: I am and I should be also in the future impartial and politically neutral." Expand Close EC President Donald Tusk. Photo: PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp EC President Donald Tusk. Photo: PA Rumours have abounded in Brussels about possible alternatives to Mr Tusk, with French President Francois Hollande and German foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel getting media mentions. The 'Sunday Independent' revealed at the weekend that Mr Kenny is now also seen as a potential candidate. But the idea of having somebody waiting in the wings was described last night by one senior EU diplomat as "audacious". Even with Poland - and possibly Hungary - against him, Mr Tusk is expected to win a second term. While EU leaders prefer to make decisions unanimously, they are not bound to do so. EU leaders, including Mr Kenny, will gather in Brussels today for talks on the future of Europe ahead of the bloc's 60th anniversary in Rome at the end of March. The bloc is wrangling over its post-Brexit future, with divisions emerging between countries such as France and Germany, who want to push ahead on defence or migration plans without recalcitrant states holding them back, and eastern countries fearful of being isolated. Speaking in advance of the meetings, the Taoiseach said: "The March European Council has a broad-ranging agenda. Obviously efforts to address migration remain a central priority for the Union." He added: "Discussions on the future direction of Europe are also crucial, particularly as we respond to the various challenges we face. "We must remain united at 27, focus on our core values that remain central to our peace and prosperity, and co-operate in areas where we agree and where Europe can add value. Completing the single market and supporting jobs through trade are good examples of where Europe really works for citizens." "I will be emphasising these points in discussions over the next two days," he added. Meanwhile, Mr Kenny told a meeting of Fine Gael's parliamentary party last night that the St Patrick's Day trips which are planned by ministers will be Brexit-focused. The Taoiseach said that he will be outlining during his US trip that he hopes to see amendments to a 1960s act which discriminates against Irish immigrants. The meeting also heard from water committee members who said that Fine Gael's "steadfast position" is that there must be water meters installed in new builds. From water to rent rises, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail have clashed on many issues in recent months. But perhaps a power-sharing deal isn't as far away as you think - as the two parties united and declared war on a common enemy: the seagull population. In what has become what feels like an annual event, the issue of pesky gulls was raised again in the Seanad yesterday. Fianna Fail senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee proposed the use of lasers to tackle what she described as "aggressive seagulls" in North Dublin towns like Balbriggan. "The lasers are harmless screening devices and are not designed to injure the birds," Ms Clifford-Lee said, adding that the issue has reached "crisis levels". She claimed that such technology has proven effective in other jurisdictions in order to deter seagulls from nesting in urban areas. Expand Close Lorraine Clifford-Lee. Photo: Tom Burke / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Lorraine Clifford-Lee. Photo: Tom Burke Ms Clifford-Lee is one of a number of politicians to raise the issue of seagulls. Her Seanad colleague Ned O'Sullivan previously generated headlines after telling the Upper House that the seagulls have "lost the run of themselves". But Ms Clifford-Lee, whose electoral base is in Portmarnock and surrounding areas, said she does believe a cull is required. She said scientists in the UK have examined the use of lasers to tackle the issue and that a similar approach should be considered here. The senator cited the fall in fish supplies as a factor in seagulls nesting in towns rather than cliffs. "A strategy is needed," Ms Clifford-Lee said. In response, Heritage Minister Heather Humphreys admits that her department has received reports that seagulls have caused problems in various housing estates in Balbriggan. "It is claimed that the seagulls, because of their number and habits, are giving rise to public health and safety concerns in the area," the minister said. Ms Humphreys went on to say that it has been reported some parents do not let their children outdoors during the summer due to reports of attacks. Schools, businesses and resident associations have also been in touch with the department. Ms Humphreys said a major review of the 'Wild Bird Declaration' will take place in 2018, which could lead to new measures. New research seems to prove the theory that brainy people spend more time lazing around than their active counterparts. Findings from a US-based study seem to support the idea that people with a high IQ get bored less easily, leading them to spend more time engaged in thought. And active people may be more physical as they need to stimulate their minds with external activities, either to escape their thoughts or because they get bored quickly. Researchers from the Florida Gulf Coast University gave a classic test dating back three decades - to a group of students. The need for cognition questionnaire asked participants to rate how strongly they agree with statements such as "I really enjoy a task that involves coming up with new solutions to problems", and "I only think as hard as I have to". The researchers, led by Todd McElroy, then selected 30 thinkers and 30 non-thinkers from the pool of candidates. Over the next seven days both groups wore a device on their wrist which tracked their movements and activity levels, providing a constant stream of data on how physically active they were. Results showed the thinking group were far less active during the week than the non-thinkers. The findings of the study, published in the Journal of Health Psychology, were described as highly significant and robust in statistical terms. But the weekends showed no difference between the two groups, something which has not been able to be explained. Researchers suggested the findings could lend weight to the idea that non-thinkers get bored more easily, so need to fill their time with physical activity. But the downside to being brainer and lazier warned Mr McElroy was the negative impact of a sedentary lifestyle. He suggested that the less active people, no matter how clever they are, should aim to raise their overall activity levels to improve their health The British Psychological Society quoted the study, saying: "Ultimately, an important factor that may help more thoughtful individuals combat their lower average activity levels is awareness. "Awareness of their tendency to be less active, coupled with an awareness of the cost associated with inactivity, more thoughtful people may then choose to become more active throughout the day." Despite highlighting an unusual trend, generalising the findings should be done with caution due to the small sample of participants, it added. US President Donald Trump has proposed slashing State Department and foreign aid budgets by nearly 40pc. Now European diplomats are warning those cuts would be dangerous and expose European allies to further Russian aggression. Six eastern European envoys, including the Ukrainian foreign minister, testified before the US senate this week to urge stronger US leadership in the region to hedge against Russia. While lauding US military assistance and recent troop deployments to the Baltic region under the Nato flag, they also warned cutting funding to non-military assistance measures could strengthen Russia's so-called hybrid warfare tactics. "We will not feel safer when the budget for such projects will be essentially cut," Polish Ambassador Piotr Wilczek told a panel of Senate Appropriations Committee members. "We hope that it's just a kind of deliberation - a kind of tweeting, not really a decision. Because this sounds very dangerous," he said. Mr Wilczek, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, and the ambassadors of Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia and Georgia all joined the panel urging the senate to keep the flow of military and non-military aid flowing to eastern Europe. They pointed to the importance of US foreign military assistance, but also smaller government-funded efforts, from Voice of America to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, to the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, that play an outsized role in bolstering post-Soviet democracies and countering Russian aggression. All are potentially on Mr Trump's budget chopping block. State and foreign aid could see their budgets slashed by 37pc, if the White House's opening salvo in the federal budget process sticks. His proposed cuts showcase "a troubling disregard for the important role [the State Department] plays in US national security, especially in regards to the transatlantic relationship", wrote Rachel Rizzo, research associate with the Centre for New American Security. But it's not just Mr Trump's budget proposals that are rattling allies. During the campaign, he brushed off US commitments to Nato allies and openly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin. Top White House officials misled Congress on meetings with Russian diplomats during the presidential campaign season, which toppled Mr Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and hamstrung Attorney General Jeff Sessions as Congress prepares to investigate Russia's interference in the US election. Since his election, Mr Trump has rowed back on his Nato scepticism. But allies are fearful he could neglect or even spurn European allies to forge more co-operation with Moscow. The stakes are especially high for Ukraine and Georgia, both grappling with Moscow's illegal annexation of swaths of their countries. Mr Klimkin, Ukraine's foreign minister, detailed for Congress the size of Russia's military footprint. In eastern Ukraine, he said the Kremlin has poured in 4,200 regular troops and 40,000 militants, more than 400 tanks, and 1,000 artillery platforms. Some 23,000 Russian troops are in occupied Crimea, he added. The Baltic states, unlike Ukraine or Georgia, are under Nato's protective umbrella as full members. But they're also staring down the barrel of Moscow's military might. Russia bulked up its military hardware on Nato's borders in the Baltic States and regularly conducts massive snap military exercises to showcase its force. Kaliningrad, the Russian exclave sandwiched between Lithuania and Poland, has become the "most militarised region in Europe", Mr Wilczek warned. In October last year, Russia deployed nuclear-capable missiles to the region. Some defence experts now doubt Nato could reinforce the Baltic states quickly enough in the unlikely event Russia invaded. Nato is funneling troops led by US, Canadian, German, and British contingents to the Baltic states to deter that scenario. The deployment "makes a very substantial difference in terms of credibility of Nato's deterrence", former Nato Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow said. Mr Vershbow, also former US ambassador to Moscow, said a conventional Russian invasion was highly unlikely, but what's more troubling is Russia's hybrid warfare - prodding US allies with subversive economic or political manoeuvres to undermine their strength. That's where US foreign aid matters, helping fortify democratic institutions and counter Russian propaganda. Eerik Marmei, Estonia's ambassador in Washington, told the senate that Russia's hybrid antics weren't limited to the former Soviet Union. "We, as neighbours to Russia, are just a bit more used to witnessing such behaviour," he said. "Upcoming elections in the Netherlands, France, and Germany are a perfect theatre for the Russian disinformation warriors," he added. The Lithuanian Ambassador Rolandas Krisciunas said Russian spies tried to "aggressively" meddle in his country's domestic politics, adding Moscow was bankrolling Russian-speaking groups in the Baltic states to "incite ethnic tensions". The European envoys largely sidestepped the elephant in the room: Mr Trump's possible ties to Russia. But lawmakers did not. "We understand the interference you've had. We now count ourselves among those who are facing the same kind of interference," Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy told the European diplomats. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said: "If we forgive and forget regarding our own election, we'll invite future aggression by other countries." Les Skinner, 72, who is the oldest cooper in England, at his cooperage in Bootle, Liverpool It is a skill dating back to the Romans but England's oldest working cooper is bowing out, leaving the country with just a lone barrel-maker. Les Skinner, 72, is looking to sell up after six decades in the business in Liverpool, one of only two coopers keeping the dying industry alive south of the border. Once a mainstay of trade as the world's spirits and spices passed through the port of Liverpool, plastic, aluminium beer barrels and containerisation have seen the demand for new barrels, and the repairing of old ones, collapse. Mr Skinner started as an apprentice in 1960, when Liverpool alone had dozens of coopers for the thousands of dockers unloading the ships before mechanical handling took over. "A barrel is a wheel," Mr Skinner said. "Even if it weighs half a ton, you can roll it." Cutting the wood, normally chestnut or oak, making the staves and jointing and hammering it all together, normally takes up to five hours for a 40 gallon barrel, and costs around 450. Mr Skinner, who at one time employed six men, has kept the business afloat by making decorative barrels and supplying Hollywood with props, including casks needed for films such as Robin Hood and Assassin's Creed. His five year indentured apprenticeship certificate still sits proudly on the wall of his workshop but it will close for good when a buyer is found for the site on Canal Street in Bootle. Around 200 coopers still trade in Scotland, some directly employed by the distillers, but once Mr Skinner retires it leaves only one other cooper in England, Yorkshire-based Alastair Simms. Mr Skinner added: "It's a shame really, I talked my son into going into something more technical and permanent. It's hard, physical work." Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi at the Fifth Session of the 12th National Peoples Congress (NPC) in Beijing Picture: AFP The United States and North Korea are like two speeding trains set for a "head-on collision", China's foreign minister warned yesterday. Wang Yi urged both sides to avert a "looming crisis" on the Korean peninsula, where missile tests by Pyongyang and joint military exercises by South Korea and the US were raising tensions. "The two sides are like two accelerating trains coming towards each other," Mr Wang told reporters in Beijing. "The question is, are the two sides really ready for a head-on collision?" Mr Wang said China was playing the role of the signalman, adding: "Our priority is to flash the red light and apply brakes on both trains." The diplomat used frank language to call for a halt in North Korea's nuclear weapons programme, which he said was being pursued "in violation of UN Security Council resolutions". "Holding nuclear weapons won't bring security, using military force won't be a way out," Mr Wang said, on the sidelines of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's parliament. "There remains a chance of resuming talks, there is still hope for peace." He said Pyongyang should drop its weapons programme in exchange for the US and South Korea halting military exercises. "To defuse the looming crisis on the peninsula, China proposes that as a first step, North Korea may suspend its nuclear and missile activities in exchange for the halt of the large-scale US-South Korea exercises," Mr Wang said. Such a "dual suspension" would allow all sides to return to the negotiating table. Mr Wang borrowed a phrase from Communist China's founder, Mao Tse-tung, saying that China and North Korea remained as close as "lips and teeth". He said that As a neighbour, Beijing understands it should help to resolve tensions in the region. But he added: "The nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula is mainly between North Korea and other states". North Korea fired four ballistic missiles into the sea off Japan's north-west coast early on Monday, in an apparent angry response to the joint US-South Korean drills, which began last week. Meanwhile, the US said on Tuesday that it had begun deploying an anti-missile system in South Korea which is directed towards the nuclear-armed North. Beijing and Russia oppose the system, which is known as Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD), as they see it as a threat to their own security interests. ( Daily Telegraph London) Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] British national and former news correspondent David Fox listens to an Indonesian interpreter during his trial in Bali, Indonesia (Firdia Lisnawati/AP) A British former war correspondent has been sentenced to seven months in prison for possessing hashish by a court in Indonesia. The sentence announced at Denpasar District Court in Bali was less than the one-year prison term sought by prosecutors. David Fox was arrested on October 8 along with Australian Giuseppe Serafino on the tourist island, where police confiscated a total of 10.09g (0.36oz) of hashish from Fox's clothing and house. With time already served, Fox is due for release in May. Through his lawyer, Fox thanked supporters and said he accepted the court's judgment. "I am very grateful for this lenient sentence," he said. Fox, 55, worked for Reuters for 20 years but was fired in 2011 for making an off-colour remark on an instant-messaging system while covering the 2011 Japan tsunami and nuclear reactor meltdowns. In his indictment, presiding Judge Erwin Djong noted Fox's testimony that he used hashish to cope with the trauma suffered from covering conflicts but said there was no justification for drug use, which was a negative influence on Indonesia's youth. Bali police first raided Serafino's house in the beachside town and resort area of Sanur, where they seized 7.32g (0.26oz) of hashish. His arrest led to the detention of Fox at a bar run by Serafino. Prosecutors have also sought a one-year prison term for Serafino, 49, who is being tried separately. His sentencing is expected on Tuesday. Indonesia has extremely strict drug laws and convicted traffickers are often executed. More than 150 people are on death row, mostly for drug crimes. About a third of them are foreigners. Eighteen people convicted of drug-related offences, mostly foreigners, have been executed since President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo took office in October 2014. AP The new chief of the US Environmental Protection Agency has said he does not believe that carbon dioxide is a primary contributor to global warming. EPA administrator Scott Pruitt said measuring the effect of human activity on the climate is "very challenging" and that "there's tremendous disagreement about the degree of impact" of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. "So, no, I would not agree that (carbon dioxide) is a primary contributor to the global warming that we see," Mr Pruitt told CNBC's Squawk Box. Mr Pruitt's view is at odds with mainstream climate science, including Nasa and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The two agencies reported in January that earth's 2016 temperatures were the warmest ever. The planet's average surface temperature has risen by about 2F since the late 19th century, "a change driven largely by increased carbon dioxide and other human-made emissions into the atmosphere", the agencies said in a joint statement. Environmental groups seized on Mr Pruitt's comments as evidence he is unfit for the office he holds. "The arsonist is now in charge of the fire department, and he seems happy to let the climate crisis burn out of control," said Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune. Mr Pruitt "is spewing corporate polluter talking points rather than fulfilling the EPA's mission of protecting our air, our water, and our communities," Mr Brune said, noting that the EPA has a legal responsibility to address carbon pollution. Senator Brian Schatz said the comments underscore that Mr Pruitt is a "climate denier" and insisted politicians will stand up to him. "Anyone who denies over a century's worth of established science and basic facts is unqualified to be the administrator of the EPA," Mr Schatz said in a statement. Mr Pruitt previously served as Oklahoma attorney general, where he rose to prominence as a leader in co-ordinated efforts by Republican attorneys general to challenge former president Barack Obama's regulatory agenda. He sued or took part in legal actions against the EPA 14 times. Mr Pruitt said during his confirmation hearing in January that climate change is real - breaking with President Donald Trump and his own past statements. Mr Pruitt told Democratic senators that he disagreed with Mr Trump's earlier claims that global warming is a hoax created by the Chinese to harm the economic competitiveness of the United States. "I do not believe climate change is a hoax," Mr Pruitt said. The Republican has previously cast doubt on the extensive body of scientific evidence showing that the planet is warming and man-made carbon emissions are to blame. In a 2016 opinion article, Mr Pruitt suggested that the debate over global warming "is far from settled" and he said "scientists continue to disagree about the degree and extent of global warming and its connection to the actions of mankind". AP German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she will 'not allow the victims of the Nazis to be trivialised' (Markus Schreiber/AP) Comments from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other officials accusing Germany of "Nazi practices" cannot be tolerated and need to stop, Chancellor Angela Merkel has told parliament. In her strongest comments so far about Mr Erdogan's statement, Mrs Merkel said the Nazi comparisons were "sad" and "so incredibly misplaced that one really can't comment, but they cannot be justified". "We will not allow the victims of the Nazis to be trivialised," she said. "These comparisons with the Nazis must stop." Mr Erdogan made the comment on the weekend after several German municipalities cancelled events in which Turkish cabinet ministers had planned to address rallies in Germany in support of a national referendum on constitutional reform that would give the Turkish president more powers. Officials have cited problems with overcrowding and fire safety, and other issues About 1.4 million people of Turkish descent living in Germany are eligible to vote in the referendum. In a step back from the heated rhetoric of recent days, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters in Ankara on Thursday that Germany seems to be taking sides in the upcoming referendum, but he did not repeat the Nazi comparison. Asked about Mrs Merkel's comments, Mr Yildirim said Germany "may be disturbed" that a yes vote is likely in the referendum, but that if it is interfering in the process it amounts to "meddling" in another country's affairs and is "very wrong". Some rallies have gone ahead, and Mrs Merkel's government has emphasised it was not involved in blocking the others, but must respect the decisions of local authorities. But as the rhetoric in Ankara has escalated, German officials have been expressing increasing irritation with Turkey. Adding to the tension has been Turkey's arrest in February of German newspaper reporter Deniz Yucel, whom Mr Erdogan has accused of being both a German spy and a "representative" of the outlawed Kurdish rebel group PKK. Mr Yucel, a reporter for Die Welt with German and Turkish citizenship, was detained in Istanbul over his reports about a hacker attack on the email account of the country's energy minister. Germany has dismissed Mr Erdogan's claims about Mr Yucel as "absurd", and Mrs Merkel told parliament that the government is working "with all its means" to secure Mr Yucel's freedom. She told politicians that in all of her government's talks with Turkey, she and other German officials have emphasised Turkey's need to respect "freedom of opinion, freedom of speech and freedom of the press". The first face-to-face meeting between German and Turkish officials in the wake of the recent diplomatic friction came on Wednesday when foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel and Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu sat down over breakfast at a Berlin hotel. Mr Gabriel called the meeting "good, honest and friendly, but also hard and contentious" and the two sides agreed to meet again in Turkey. AP European Union leaders have confirmed Donald Tusk for a second term as council president, overcoming weeks of strong opposition from his native Poland. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel tweeted "congratulations", and Mr Tusk sent a tweet saying: "Thank you for keeping fingers crossed and for heart-felt support. It helped." The government in Warsaw had argued that the decision should be delayed because of its displeasure with Mr Tusk, a bitter political rival. But other leaders won out, insisting there was no appetite for a delay. "I don't see how one country could oppose this solution when all the others are in favour," said French President Francois Hollande, echoing comment from many of the bloc's 28 leaders. The job is one of the bloc's most prestigious. It involves chairing summits, co-ordinating the work of the member countries and making sure the 28 nations speak as much as possible with one voice on the international stage. The EU is facing a plethora of challenges, not least the imminent divorce proceedings as Britain leaves the bloc, and does not want to be caught in an institutional quagmire over the position of a leader. Mr Hollande said that "with a Europe that has to affirm its unity, a Europe that needs to be firm in the face of a certain number of pressures it faces, there is every reason to confirm here the nomination of Donald Tusk". Poland's nationalist government had proposed little-known Polish EU politician Jacek Saryusz-Wolski to replace Mr Tusk, whose current term ends on May 31. Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo said it was unheard of to confirm a president without the consent of his home nation. "Nothing without us, without our consent," she said upon arrival for the summit. "This is a matter of principles." Mr Tusk is a former prime minister who has a long and bitter rivalry with the leader of Poland's current governing party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski. The government argues that Mr Tusk supports the domestic opposition in Poland and has failed to protect the country's interests in the EU. German Chancellor Angela Merkel offered Mr Tusk public support in a pre-summit speech to politicians in Berlin. "I see his re-election as a sign of stability for the entire European Union and I look forward to continuing working with him," Mrs Merkel said. Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who chaired the election, acknowledged that several member nations are unhappy that all major EU posts are held by members of the centre-right European People's Party (EPP). But he said "they don't want to sacrifice President Tusk because of that, because they think he has done a good job". Apart from Mr Tusk, EPP politicians Jean-Claude Juncker and Antonio Tajani head the EU's executive commission and the European Parliament, respectively. Mr Muscat said a more equitable spreading of posts would need to be addressed some time over the coming months. The British government abandoned an election pledge not to increase National Insurance contributions in the budget, as the chancellor announced a clampdown on tax breaks for the self-employed. Philip Hammond scrapped David Cameron's 2015 manifesto commitment as he revealed plans to raise an extra 2bn (2.3bn) from entrepreneurs by the end of the parliament. The UK's National Insurance levy on the profits of the self-employed, currently 9pc, will rise to 10pc next year and 11pc in 2019. Mr Hammond said he had acted to address a multibillion-pound shortfall in National Insurance, which is due to expand as more Britons choose to work for themselves. A preliminary review had found that lower rates of tax relative to employment were driving the trend, the chancellor added, and under the current regime those in employment face an "unfair" burden. Mr Hammond also sought to raise more money from self-employed people who work via a personal service company and pay themselves via dividends. The tax-free dividend allowance will be slashed from 5,000 to 2,000 from next year, raising 2.6bn over the parliament. The move will hit roughly as many ordinary investors as self-employed people, Mr Hammond said, although only those with more than 50,000 in stocks and shares outside Isas will be affected. "Employed and self-employed alike use our public services in the same way, but they are not paying for them in the same way. The lower National Insurance paid by the self-employed is forecast to cost our public finances over 5bn this year alone. That is not fair to the 85pc of workers who are employees," he said. Anna Soubry, the Conservative MP, said the scrapping of the 2015 manifesto commitment "could be the first U-turn" and warned it "will not be popular". Tax breaks for the UK's self-employed will be cut, despite stronger growth this year than expected. The Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR), the British government's fiscal watchdog, revised down its borrowing forecasts over the next five years and said Britain's debt share would also fall faster than it thought just four months ago. UK growth this year is now forecast at 2pc, up from 1.4pc in November. However, the OBR trimmed its growth forecast for 2018 to 1.6pc, from 1.7pc, and said growth over the following two years would also be weaker than previously thought. Borrowing this fiscal year is now expected to be 51.7bn. This is 16.4bn lower than the OBR's November forecast and also lower than its pre-Brexit vote projection of 55.5bn.( Daily Telegraph, London) Ashley Cooke, the boyfriend of Shana Grice, arrives at Lewes Crown Court, where Michael Lane is on trial accused of the murder of Shana whose body was discovered at her house in Chrisdory Road, Brighton. Gareth Fuller/PA Wire Michael Lane arrives by van at Lewes Crown Court, where he is accused of the murder of Shana Grice, whose body was discovered at her house in Chrisdory Road, Brighton. Gareth Fuller/PA Wire Ashley Cooke, the boyfriend of Shana Grice, arrives at Lewes Crown Court, where Michael Lane is on trial accused of the murder of Shana whose body was discovered at her house in Chrisdory Road, Brighton. Gareth Fuller/PA Wire Shana Grice who was found murdered at her Brighton home. Sussex Police/PA Wire A jilted boyfriend said he was "not right in my head" after being confronted by his ex-girlfriend for slipping into her home and watching her sleep weeks before he allegedly slashed her throat, a court heard. In an audio recording, Michael Lane, 27, apologised to Shana Grice, 19, and said he needed to be "locked up or something" after stealing her back door key and going into her bedroom as she slept. Lewes Crown Court heard Miss Grice hid under her duvet when she heard footsteps approaching her bedroom and then a man breathing in her room last July 9. When Miss Grice looked out of her bedroom window shortly afterwards, she saw Lane walking away from the property. In the audio recording played to jurors, Miss Grice confronted a tearful Lane about his actions, telling him: "I just think it's just so wrong and so out of order. "You could have done anything. You could have done anything else. You could've stood outside my mum's house like you used to, you could've done that, but not while I'm sleeping, that's just weird." Expand Close Michael Lane arrives by van at Lewes Crown Court, where he is accused of the murder of Shana Grice, whose body was discovered at her house in Chrisdory Road, Brighton. Gareth Fuller/PA Wire / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Michael Lane arrives by van at Lewes Crown Court, where he is accused of the murder of Shana Grice, whose body was discovered at her house in Chrisdory Road, Brighton. Gareth Fuller/PA Wire Lane replied: "Okay, look I'm sorry, yeah." He added: "Obviously something's not right in my head and I don't know what it is but I know I need to find out or be locked up or something." Lane pledged he would not contact Miss Grice again, and she replied: "No, I think that's for the best." Lane urged Miss Grice not to mention the incident to anyone. Expand Close Ashley Cooke, the boyfriend of Shana Grice, arrives at Lewes Crown Court, where Michael Lane is on trial accused of the murder of Shana whose body was discovered at her house in Chrisdory Road, Brighton. Gareth Fuller/PA Wire / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ashley Cooke, the boyfriend of Shana Grice, arrives at Lewes Crown Court, where Michael Lane is on trial accused of the murder of Shana whose body was discovered at her house in Chrisdory Road, Brighton. Gareth Fuller/PA Wire He was arrested and issued with a police caution the same day for taking the key. Weeks later, on August 25, Lane allegedly waited until Miss Grice was alone in her shared bungalow before letting himself in and slitting her throat and torching her bedroom in Chrisdory Road in the Mile Oak area of Brighton, East Sussex. Her body was found face-down on the bed in her smoke-filled room after her concerned colleagues reported she had failed to arrive at work. Lane is accused of murdering Miss Grice after she decided to renew a relationship with her ex-boyfriend Ashley Cooke. Prosecutors claim Lane refused to accept their break-up and decided no-one else could have a relationship with Miss Grice, telling a friend: "She'll pay for what she's done." Jurors have heard Lane stalked her in the months leading up to the killing, and placed a tracker device on her car. Expand Close Ashley Cooke, the boyfriend of Shana Grice, arrives at Lewes Crown Court, where Michael Lane is on trial accused of the murder of Shana whose body was discovered at her house in Chrisdory Road, Brighton. Gareth Fuller/PA Wire / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ashley Cooke, the boyfriend of Shana Grice, arrives at Lewes Crown Court, where Michael Lane is on trial accused of the murder of Shana whose body was discovered at her house in Chrisdory Road, Brighton. Gareth Fuller/PA Wire Miss Grice and Mr Cooke had complained about their tyres being repeatedly deflated, and of Lane turning up unannounced at places she would be, including at the supermarket. Miss Grice's housemate, Emma King, told the court: "She said (Lane) was bothering her. He liked her and texted her and wouldn't leave her alone." Lane also wrote to Miss Grice following their break-up, asking her to reimburse him for gifts, meals out and parking tickets he paid for during their relationship, Ms King said. Lane, of Thornhill Rise, Portslade, denies murder. The youngest MP in the House of Commons went viral after she was seen mouthing 'You talk shite, hen' to a Conservative Minister. Scottish politician Mhairi Black did not impressed after Tory Minister Caroline Nokes spoke about the UK Government plan to withdraw housing benefits for 18-21 year olds. Skip to one minute 13 seconds to see for yourself. This is not the first time the SNP politician has received viral fame, after racking up more than 10 million views online following her maiden speech. In her speech, the then 20-year-old attacked to Conservative Government and Labour's limp opposition. "I have heard multiple speeches from Labour benches standing to talk about the worrying rise of nationalism in Scotland, when in actual fact all these speeches have served to do is to demonstrate how deep the lack of understanding about Scotland is within the Labour Party," she said. "I, like so many SNP members, come from a traditional socialist Labour family, and I have never been quiet in my assertion that I feel it is the Labour Party that left me, not the other way about. "The SNP did not triumph on a wave of nationalism; in fact nationalism has nothing to do with whats happened in Scotland. We triumphed on a wave of hope, hope that there was something different, something better to the Thatcherite neo-liberal policies that are produced from this chamber. Hope that representatives genuinely could give a voice to those who dont have one." Ms Black, who represents Paisley and Renfrewshire South, is the youngest MP since the 17th Century. The wreckage of the Messerschmitt fighter was found by schoolboy Daniel Kristiansen on his familys farm Picture: Reuters A Danish schoolboy has discovered the remains of a Messerschmitt fighter plane that crashed on his family's farm during World War II. The unusual find came about as a result of a joke by the boy's father. Klaus Kristiansen told his 14-year-old son Daniel there had long been family rumours that a German fighter plane had been brought down on the family's farm, in Birkelse in northern Denmark, in 1944. When Daniel was given a school project about the war, Mr Kristiansen jokingly suggested that he go out and look for the aircraft. "I jokingly told him to go out and find the plane that is supposed to have crashed out in the field," he told a Danish radio station. Equipped with a metal detector, they began scouring the fields. To their surprise, the metal detector started beeping. They began digging with spades but failed to find anything so brought in a mechanical excavator. The father and son began to find fragments of the aircraft at a depth of around 12ft. They eventually recovered the engine of the Messerschmitt Bf 109, bullets from its machine guns and even the remains of its pilot. "We found a motor, then suddenly we found parts of bones, and parts from the pilot's clothes," Mr Kristiansen told the BBC. "Then we found some personal things - books, a wallet with money...either it was a little Bible or it was 'Mein Kampf' - a book in his pocket. We didn't touch it, we just put it in some bags." Mr Kristiansen immediately contacted the authorities to tell them what he and his son had discovered. US tech giant Google sought to reassure users of Android-powered phones and its Chrome operating system that it has already protected them from many of the security weaknesses disclosed by the anti-secrecy site WikiLeaks. The news came about 36 hours after WikiLeaks released thousands of documents that it claims show a broad programme by the CIA to turn everyday gadgets such as iPhones into snooping tools by exploiting previously undisclosed software flaws. Apple had previously said it fixed many of the problems that made iPhones and iPads vulnerable. The Android software, which Google gives away to device makers, powers about eight out of every smartphones in the world. Google said it is still analysing the documents released by WikiLeaks and will take any other additional security steps. Earlier, t he CIA warned that Americans should be "deeply troubled" by WikiLeaks' disclosure of documents that purportedly detail ways the agency does its hacking. Spokeswoman Heather Fritz Horniak said the agency would not comment on the authenticity of the documents released or on the status of any investigation into the source of the documents. The agency said such disclosures not only jeopardise US personnel and operations, but also equip American adversaries with tools and information to damage national security. Intelligence and law enforcement officials are still reviewing the cache of more than 8,000 documents which describe clandestine methods for bypassing or defeating encryption, antivirus tools and other protective security features intended to keep the private information of citizens and corporations safe from prying eyes. US government employees, including President Donald Trump, use many of the same products and internet services purportedly compromised by the tools. The documents describe CIA efforts - co-operating with friendly foreign governments and the US National Security Agency - to subvert the world's most popular technology platforms, including Apple's iPhones and iPads, Google's Android phones and the Microsoft Windows operating system for desktop computers and laptops. The documents also included discussions about compromising some internet-connected televisions to turn them into listening posts. One document discusses hacking vehicle systems, indicating the CIA's interest in hacking modern cars with sophisticated on-board computers. WikiLeaks has a long track record of releasing top secret government documents, and experts who sifted through the material said it appeared legitimate. AP Hawaii attorney general Doug Chin speaks at a news conference in Honolulu announcing the state has filed a lawsuit over Donald Trump's travel ban (AP) Hawaii has become the first US state to file a lawsuit against President Donald Trump's revised travel ban, saying the order will harm its Muslim population, tourism and foreign students. Lawyers for the state filed the lawsuit against the US government in federal court in Honolulu on Wednesday. The state had previously sued over Mr Trump's initial travel ban, but that lawsuit was put on hold while other cases played out across the country. The revised executive order, which comes into effect on March 16, bars new visas for people from six predominantly Muslim countries and temporarily shuts down the US refugee programme. It does not apply to travellers who already have visas. "Hawaii is special in that it has always been non-discriminatory in both its history and constitution," Attorney General Douglas Chin said. "Twenty percent of the people are foreign-born, 100,000 are non-citizens and 20% of the labour force is foreign-born." Separate news conferences were planned on Thursday by Mr Chin in Honolulu and Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson in Seattle to discuss lawsuits filed against the travel bans. Washington state and Minnesota challenged the initial travel ban from the administration. Mr Chin, who noted the state has budgeted about 150,000 US dollars (123,000) for an outside law firm to help with the lawsuit, said people in Hawaii find the idea of a travel ban based on nationality distasteful because they remember when Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps during the Second World War. Hawaii was the site of one of the camps. People in Hawaii know that the fear of newcomers can lead to bad policy, Mr Chin said. The move came after a federal judge in Honolulu said earlier on Wednesday that Hawaii can move forward with the lawsuit. US district judge Derrick Watson granted the state's request to continue with the case and set a hearing for March 15 - the day before Mr Trump's order is due to come into effect. The US Department of Justice declined to comment on the pending litigation. The state will argue at the March 15 hearing that the judge should impose a temporary restraining order preventing the ban from taking effect until the lawsuit has been resolved. Hawaii's complaint says it is suing to protect its residents, businesses and schools, as well as its "sovereignty against illegal actions of President Donald J Trump and the federal government". The order affects people from Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Libya. Imam Ismail Elshikh of the Muslim Association of Hawaii, a plaintiff in the state's challenge, says the ban will keep his Syrian mother-in-law from visiting. Mr Trump's "executive order inflicts a grave injury on Muslims in Hawaii, including Dr Elshikh, his family, and members of his mosque", Hawaii's complaint says. A federal judge in Seattle issued a temporary restraining order halting the initial ban after Washington state and Minnesota sued. The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals refused to reinstate the order. While Hawaii is the first to sue to stop the revised ban, the restraining order is still in place and could apply to the new one too, said Peter Lavalee, a spokesman for the Washington attorney general's office. University of Richmond Law School professor Carl Tobias said Hawaii's complaint seemed in many ways similar to Washington's successful lawsuit, but whether it would prompt a similar result was tough to say. He said he expects the judge, an appointee of former president Barack Obama who was a long-time prosecutor, to be receptive to "at least some of it". Given that the new executive order spells out more of a national security rationale than the old one and allows for some travellers from the six nations to be admitted on a case-by-case basis, it will be harder to show that the new order is intended to discriminate against Muslims, Mr Tobias said. "The administration's cleaned it up, but whether they have cleaned it up enough I don't know," he said. "It may be harder to convince a judge there's religious animus here." Mr Tobias also said the fact that Hawaii's lawsuit includes an individual plaintiff could be significant because some legal scholars have questioned whether the states themselves have standing to challenge the ban. AP Forensic scientists at a house in Herne, Germany, after the death of a nine-year-old boy (Marcel Kusch/dpa via AP) Police hunting for a 19-year-old suspect who boasted online about the killing of a nine-year-old boy have searched a hospital in western Germany, but came up empty-handed. A witness had tipped off police, saying he had seen suspect Marcel Hesse at a hospital in Moenchengladbach, 80 kilometres (50 miles) south-west of Herne, where the boy was killed on Monday night, the dpa news agency said. After their investigation, authorities found that the person spotted was not Hesse, police said. Authorities have said Hesse posted boastful pictures of the boy's body, clearly showing stab wounds, on a web forum and may have injured himself in the hand. A nationwide manhunt for Hesse was launched on Tuesday. Police have described Hesse as potentially armed and asked people not to approach him if they see him. AP The highly erratic conduct of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is usually as much a source of general bemusement as it is a cause for genuine concern Picture: Reuters Iraqi forces battled Isil militants in their stronghold of Mosul yesterday and took control of the last major road leading west from the city, before bomb blasts ripped through a wedding party near Tikrit, killing more than 20. The blasts in the village of Hajjaj, reported by local officials and medics as suicide attacks, were not immediately claimed, although Isil has carried out similar actions. A police source said two blasts hit the wedding and two more targeted security forces at the scene shortly afterwards. There were ongoing clashes between security forces and militants in the area, he said. Inside Mosul, troops battled Isil militants, who hid among the remaining civilian population and deployed snipers and suicide car bombs to defend their last major Iraq stronghold. The US-backed campaign to crush the militants saw Iraqi forces recapture the eastern side of the city in January. Militants used car bombs in a counter-attack on Tuesday night around the Nineveh governorate building, Major General Ali Kadhem al-Lami of the Federal Police's Fifth Division said. "Today we're clearing the area which was liberated," he said. Military officials had said that Rapid Response troops, an elite interior ministry division, recaptured the provincial government headquarters on Tuesday. They also took the central bank branch and a museum where militants had filmed themselves destroying priceless statues in 2015. Maj Gen Lami said most of the fighters that had fought around the governorate building were local, but some were foreigners. "An order was issued for foreign fighters with families to withdraw with them. Those who do not have a family should stay and fight, foreign or local," he said. The FBI and department of justice have been asked to hand over any evidence that Barack Obama wiretapped Donald Trump or his campaign, in a bid to get to the bottom of the president's explosive allegations. Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator for South Carolina, and Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat senator for Rhode Island, jointly signed a letter yesterday addressed to both organisations, requesting clarification. "The president has asked Congress to look into whether or not his campaign was wiretapped by the Obama administration," Mr Graham said, shortly after his letter was made public. "I will take up that challenge." He continued: "The whole purpose of this is to see if a warrant was issued, directed at the Trump campaign." Meanwhile, Mr Obama reportedly "rolled his eyes" when he saw Mr Trump's tweets accusing him of wiretapping. Mr Obama believes his successor's claims "undermine the integrity of the office of the president", a source told NBC News. However, Mr Obama did not believe his own integrity had been impugned because "he didn't do it". Mr Graham and Mr Whitehouse have asked James Comey, the FBI director, and Dana Boente, the acting deputy attorney general, to respond. Mr Boente is in charge of any potential investigation after Jeff Sessions, the attorney general, recused himself following revelations of a meeting with the Russian ambassador which he failed to disclose. "We request that the department of justice provide us copies of any warrant applications and court orders - redacted as necessary to protect intelligence sources and methods that may be compromised by disclosure, and to protect any ongoing investigations," they wrote. Mr Comey yesterday spoke at a cyber security conference in Boston, refusing to take questions and not discussing the specifics of wiretapping. But the FBI director was reportedly "incredulous" about Mr Trump's accusations. Mr Comey has reportedly asked the justice department to publicly refute Mr Trump's accusations - something it has yet to do. Denial But the White House has said Mr Trump does not accept Mr Comey's denial, and has called for an investigation. It would be illegal for the president to authorise a wiretap. The White House struggled yesterday to answer whether it believes Mr Trump is the target of a counterintelligence investigation. When first asked whether Mr Trump is the subject of such a probe, press secretary Sean Spicer said the White House needed to find that out. "There's obviously a lot of concern," he said. Mr Spicer added that the question is the reason why Mr Trump has asked Congress, specifically the House and Senate intelligence committees, to include the issue in its investigation into Russian involvement in the 2016 campaign. Mr Spicer revised his response later in the briefing after an aide handed him a note. "I just want to be really clear on one point, which is there is no reason that we have to think that the president is the target of any investigation, whatsoever," Mr Spicer said. "There's no reason to believe that he is the target of any investigation. I think that's a very important point to make." As the controversy rolled on, Mr Trump's administration was setting the stage for its healthcare reform. Two Republican-controlled committees, the energy and commerce committee and the ways and means committee, yesterday examined the Bill, with a view to it moving to a full house vote next week. But Republicans can only afford to lose two Republican votes in the Senate, and 22 in the House - assuming all Democrats vote against it. Meanwhile Hawaii became the first US state to file a legal challenge to Mr Trump's revised travel ban, which restricts travel from six predominantly Muslim countries. In a court filing, Hawaii said it would seek a temporary restraining order. The state took similar action against Mr Trump's original and more sweeping executive order signed in January. Legal arguments in the case are expected to be heard on March 15, a day before the new order is set to take effect. ( Daily Telegraph London) Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] Pope Francis, seen here on his Instagram page, acknowledged he is "fallible" Pope Francis said 'populism is evil and ends badly, as the past century showed' (Gregorio Borgia/AP) Pope Francis has said the Catholic Church must study whether it is possible to ordain married men to minister in remote communities facing priest shortages. In an interview published with Germany's Die Zeit, Francis stressed that removing the celibacy rule is not the answer to the Catholic Church's priest shortage. But he expressed an openness to studying whether so-called "viri probati" - or married men of proven faith - could be ordained. "We must consider if viri probati is a possibility. Then we must determine what tasks they can perform, for example, in remote communities," he was quoted as saying. The "viri probati" proposal has been around for decades, but it has drawn fresh attention under history's first Latin American pope thanks in part to his appreciation of the challenges facing the church in places such as Brazil, a huge Catholic country with an acute shortage of priests. Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes, a longtime Francis friend and former head of the Vatican's office for clergy, is reportedly pressing to allow viri probati in the Amazon, where the church counts around one priest for every 10,000 Catholics. Francis has shown particular openness to receiving concrete proposals for ordaining married men as well as his own pastoral concern for men who have left ministry to marry. He has maintained friendship with the Argentine widow of a friend who left the priesthood to marry, and he spent one of his Friday mercy missions last year visiting men who had left ministry to start families. He has also said that while he favours a celibate priesthood, celibacy technically can be up for discussion since it is a discipline of the church, not a dogma. In the interview, Francis also confirmed Colombia was on his travel plans for 2017, as well as India and Bangladesh. He ruled out Congo, which had been rumoured, but mentioned Egypt as a possibility. Francis has also recently said he hoped to visit South Sudan. He also repeated his warning of the dangers of rising populism in Western democracies, saying "populism is evil and ends badly, as the past century showed". In the first major interview that Francis has given a German newspaper, the pope was asked whether he experienced moments in which he doubted the existence of God. He responded: "I, too, know moments of emptiness." But he pointed out that periods of crisis are also a chance to grow, saying a believer who does not experience that remains "infantile". AP WikiLeaks will work with technology companies to help defend them against the CIA's hacking tools, founder Julian Assange said. The move sets up a potential conflict between Silicon Valley firms eager to protect their products and an intelligence agency stung by the radical transparency group's disclosures. In an online news conference, Mr Assange acknowledged that some companies had asked for more details about the CIA cyber-espionage toolkit that he purportedly revealed in a massive disclosure earlier this week. "We have decided to work with them, to give them some exclusive access to some of the technical details we have, so that fixes can be pushed out," Mr Assange said. Once tech firms had patched their products, he said, he would release the full data of the hacking tools to the public. In response to Mr Assange's news conference, CIA spokeswoman Heather Fritz Horniak said: "As we've said previously, Julian Assange is not exactly a bastion of truth and integrity. "Despite the efforts of Assange and his ilk, CIA continues to aggressively collect foreign intelligence overseas to protect America from terrorists, hostile nation states and other adversaries." The CIA has so far declined to comment directly on the authenticity of the leak, but in a statement issued on Wednesday it said such releases are damaging because they equip adversaries "with tools and information to do us harm". Mr Assange began his online news conference with a dig at the agency for losing control of its cyber-espionage arsenal, saying that all the data had been kept in one place. "This is a historic act of devastating incompetence," he said, adding that "WikiLeaks discovered the material as a result of it being passed around". Mr Assange said the technology was nearly impossible to keep under wraps - or under control. "There's absolutely nothing to stop a random CIA officer" or even a contractor from using the technology, Mr Assange said. "The technology is designed to be unaccountable, untraceable; it's designed to remove traces of its activity." The CIA would not confirm on Wednesday that the material came from its files, although no one is doubting that it did. The agency would not talk about whether there was any investigation under way to work out how the material ended up on the internet for all to see. And it would not say whether it suspects that a mole lurking inside the CIA secretly spirited the material to WikiLeaks, or whether the CIA could have been the victim of a hack. The WikiLeaks disclosures were an extraordinary coup for a group that has already rocked American diplomacy with the release of 250,000 US state department cables and embarrassed the Democratic Party with political back-channel chatter and the US military with hundreds of thousands of logs from Iraq and Afghanistan. The intelligence-related documents describe in various levels of detail how the CIA bypasses anti-viruses, hacks into smartphones and even hijacks smart TVs. Among the affected products are some of the world's most popular technology platforms, including Apple's iPhones and iPads, Google's Android phones and the Microsoft Windows operating system for desktop computers and laptops. WikiLeaks has not released the actual hacking tools themselves, some of which were developed by government hackers while others were purchased from outsiders. However, the group is now saying that it will. If sharing were to occur, it would be an unusual alliance that would give companies such as Apple, Google, Microsoft, Samsung and others an opportunity to identify and repair any flaws in their software and devices that were being exploited by US spy agencies and some foreign allies, as described in the material. Security experts said WikiLeaks was obligated to work privately with technology companies to disclose previously unknown software flaws, known as zero-day vulnerabilities because consumers would have no time to discover how to defend themselves against their use, and with companies that design protection software. WikiLeaks has said the latest files have apparently been circulating among former US government hackers and contractors. "The clear move is to notify vendors," said Chris Wysopal, co-founder and chief technology officer of Veracode. "If WikiLeaks has this data then it's likely others have this data, too. The binaries and source code that contain zero days should be shared with people who build detection and signatures for a living." One clear risk is that WikiLeaks revealed enough details to give foreign governments better opportunities to trace any of the sophisticated hacking tools they might discover back to the CIA, damaging the ability to disguise a US government hacker's involvement. "That's a huge problem," said Adriel T Desautels, the chief executive at Netragard LLC, which formerly sold zero-day exploits to governments and companies. "Our capabilities are now diminished." Apple said many of its security vulnerabilities disclosed by WikiLeaks were already fixed. In a statement late on Tuesday, it said its initial analysis showed that the latest version of the iOS system software for iPhones and iPads fixed many of those flaws. Apple said it will "continue work to rapidly address any identified vulnerabilities". AP Rhode Island voters will head to the polls Tuesday to choose the first new face to represent the state's 2nd congressional district in 20 years as leading candidates Seth Magaziner and Allan Fung vie to replace the retiring James Langevin, who has served in the role since 2001. The tightly-contested congressional race is just one of a number of important contests taking place Tuesday as the state will also select its next Governor, voters will decide the fate of a number of high-priced ballot initiatives and towns up and down Rhode Island select their local officials in a number of highly-divisive and politicized town council and school committee races. Do you believe the results of this years election will make a positive or negative impact on your community? Let us know in this week's poll question below. You voted: India is embracing luxury at its best. This increasing sense of brand-consciousness among Indians is principally attributed to the countrys burgeoning aspirational and younger middle class. At the same time, increased internet penetration has also contributed to this consumer behavior, allowing consumers to search and satisfy their desire to own and possess designer brands. Taken together, these factors will help Indias luxury sector grow by about 30 to 35 percent over the next three years across categories as diverse as fine dining, electronics, luxury travel, luxury personal care, fashion, and jewelry. Investing in Indias luxury sector Indias share of the global luxury market is presently 1 to 2 percent; sales of luxury goods grew faster in India than anywhere else in the world in the last few years. An annual sector trends report from the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and research agency Kantar notes that between 2015 and 2016, the Indian luxury market grew from US$14.7 billion to a whopping US$18.6 billion, at a growth rate of 25 percent year-on-year. The CII-Kantar report also breaks down the share of the countrys luxury market geographically. North India accounts for 40 percent of spending on luxury products and services, with the Delhi National Capital Region leading the consumption share, followed by Punjab and Haryana. Southern and western India, each, account for around 25 percent and eastern India lags in the luxury market with a 10 percent market share. With their growing affluence, Indias Tier-II and Tier-III cities are also emerging as new reservoirs of luxury spending. Scope for foreign companies With the rapid rise of online shopping for luxury brands in India, it is expected that online luxury stores will see investments of US$35 billion in 2016, which will double by 2020. Previously, the traditional luxury clientele in India consisted of those who mostly shopped on their trips abroad. This trend still continues and needs to be tackled by luxury brands entering or operating in India. Nevertheless, the modern Indian luxury consumer base is expanding, with a growing middle and upper middle class earning higher disposable incomes. Moreover, 70 percent of Indias population is younger than 35 years, and youngsters are highly discerning consumers due to increased awareness through the internet, growing influence of Western culture, and expansion of modern retailing. Yet, while Indias consumer base is steadily growing and is more liberal in its spending habits, the desire for value proposition poses the greatest challenge. In this regard, luxury brands will have to contend with such perceptions even as they differentiate themselves on the price platform. Indias FDI policy Authorities allow 100 percent foreign direct investment (FDI) in single-brand retailing and 51 percent in multi-brand retailing. This opens up opportunities for international luxury brand companies when strategizing their business operations in the Indian market. For instance, many French brands have already made plans to invest in India and open stores in the short term. Established brands such as Louis Vuitton and LOreal are expanding further and increasing their investments, while some companies are recalibrating their joint venture partnerships to widen their Indian presence. The removal of the cap on foreign ownership in single-brand retail and liberalization of FDI limits in multi-brand retail should encourage international brands to invest more. Reflecting optimism over FDI liberalization, Tikka Shatrujit Singh, chief representative in Asia for LVMH, the French parent firm of Louis Vuitton and other global luxury brands, comments This was the last frontier to be opened. It will make India a preferred market. Indias competitive luxury market These growth trends and drivers are some of the reasons why, apart from China, India is viewed as the most promising among all emerging markets. Indias luxury spend is on par with the UAE, far ahead of Turkey, Thailand, and Argentina, and growing faster than Singapore and Australia. Further, even as China is poised to become the worlds second largest luxury market by 2020, its ageing population and the growing chasm between its haves and have-nots, is throwing up tremendous challenges to its political and economic stability. With the recent slowdown in the luxury sector in China, global markets have shifted their focus to players in India. Indias luxury sector is still in its emergent phase and will have many opportunities for future expansion and diversification. The government, too, has taken progressive steps to make the process of entering the Indian market easier. Key among these are the Make in India, Digital India, and Smart Cities initiatives. Cumulatively, they seek to work on the gaps in Indias infrastructure (both physical and digital), expand the urban ecosystem in a sustainable manner, and revitalize the job market. While these reforms are expected to help bring in more luxury brands to the country over the next few years, a young demography, strong economic fundamentals, and rising income levels serve to be the force multipliers responsible for the future growth of Indias luxury market. Kabul, Mar 9 (IBNS): Pakistan has condemned the terrorist attack on a hospital in Kabul city of Afghanistan on Wednesday which left at least 30 people killed. "We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this heinous terrorist attack and convey our prayers for early recovery of the injured," the Pakistan government said in a statement. "Pakistan reiterates its unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. In this regard, we reaffirm our commitment to cooperation with the Afghan government and the international community for the elimination of the scourge of terrorism," it said. At least 30 people were killed as terrorists attacked Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan Military Hospital in Afghanistan's capital Kabul on Wednesday, media reports said. The attack left 50 others injured, reports said. Syed Ismael Kawasi, public relation officer of the MoPH, told Pajhwok Afghan News the injured had been shifted to Wazir Mohammad Akbar Khan and Emergency Hospitals. Militant group ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack. Washington, Mar 9 (IBNS): The US on Thursday condemned the militant attack at a hospital in Afghanistan's Kabul city which left at least 30 people killed. "The U.S. Embassy strongly condemns todays deadly attack on an Afghan National Army Hospital in Kabul," read a statement issued by the US Embassy in Kabul. "The attack demonstrates the blatant disregard for human life by those seeking to disrupt Afghanistans democratic progress. Targeting a medical facility providing care for the brave Afghans working to protect their fellow citizens has no possible justification in any religion or creed. We extend our deepest heartfelt condolences to the families, friends, and colleagues of the victims of this senseless and cowardly act," it said. At least 30 people were killed as terrorists attacked Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan Military Hospital in Afghanistan's capital Kabul on Wednesday, media reports said. The attack left 50 others injured, reports said. Syed Ismael Kawasi, public relation officer of the MoPH, told Pajhwok Afghan News the injured had been shifted to Wazir Mohammad Akbar Khan and Emergency Hospitals. Militant group ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack. China was opposing India from being registered under National Security Guard (NSG), till this time there is no change in its attitude. During the 19th Security conference, one of the China's representative said that Pakistan is much better in nuclear weapon record than India. China's representative Jiang Woo said that there's no difference in the level of both the countries, both the countries stand the t same position, so both should be registered under NSG. China's representative alleges that India and Pakistan, both the countries have friendly relation with China, it this case, supporting any on of the country will be unjustified for other. Also Read: UP Assembly Elections 2017: 56 percent voting recorded till 4 pm in 7th phase Do you know why Holi is considered the biggest festival of Hindus?? 5 reasons why Holi of Indore is considered best Bhopal: Mysterious Shahjahanpur attack is still a mystery to be solved, as Uttar Pradesh police allege that they haven't found any evidence in Shahjahanpur blast issue. Recently, news came that Madhya Pradesh police have got evidence against ISIS, and personnel alleges that the hand behind this blast may be of ISIS. The evidence showed by MP police confirm that this blast is linked with ISIS. Personnel uploaded some of the pictures of on social media, which shows that evidence is against ISIS, as the pipe, from which the blast was carried out was spotted with the Islamic trademark. Also Read: No change in China's attitude for NSG issue supports Pakistan for nuclear weapons' record UP Assembly Elections 2017: 56 percent voting recorded till 4 pm in 7th phase Do you know why Holi is considered the biggest festival of Hindus?? Yash Raj Films' 'Tiger Zinda Hai', sequel to the record making blockbuster 'Ek Tha Tiger', has a grand scale and truly global, larger than life feel befitting a sleek, stylish spy drama. The film will go on floors this March 15 in the freezing locales of Tyrol, Austria with Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif. Ali Abbas Zafar will be directing it. For the film`s action and stunt sequence, well known Hollywood stunt performer Tom Stuthers will be in charge. With its snow-capped mountains, icy surroundings and small, quaint rural hamlets marking the territory of this province in Austria, conditions of filming here are challenging. The film`s team will take on this challenge and shoot a beautiful song sequence and also film slick, edge of the seat action here. Tom Sturthers, who is known for the eye popping stunts in Christopher Nolan`s Batman series (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and the Dark Knight Rises), stunts in Tiger Zinda Hai are bound to set the adrenaline pumping. A YRF spokesperson said, "It will be very cold to shoot here, but Tyrol is both an unexplored and a stunningly beautiful location. We loved the challenge of shooting here. Tom Struthers will bring in a lot of value with his expertise. That Salman and Katrina agreed to shoot in this freezing cold place, where temperatures fall below minus twenty degrees, just goes on to prove how committed they are to the film." With Salman Khan and Katrina together in this film and some mind blowing action and stunts, expect Tiger Zinda Hai to keep you entertained. The film will also travel to various other locations abroad during the course of its shoot. 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No worries for refund as the money remains in investor's account." www.indiainfoline.com is part of the IIFL Group, a leading financial services player and a diversified NBFC. The site provides comprehensive and real time information on Indian corporates, sectors, financial markets and economy. On the site we feature industry and political leaders, entrepreneurs, and trend setters. The research, personal finance and market tutorial sections are widely followed by students, academia, corporates and investors among others. For many Americans, race is a topic that we most freely discuss with people who look like us. Brad King, a journalism professor at Ball State University and the founder of local writing collective The Geeky Press, wants to shake things up a bit by giving Hoosiers a place to share their reflections on race with the world. King feels that race and class are the spine of this county, but that the majority of Americans arent willing to have honest conversations about the topic with people from diverse backgrounds. Thats why King wanted Hoosiers to share their race-related experiences and perspectives with others via the written word. There will never be a time in America when race and class will not be relevant. We dont really carve out spaces where we are sharing experiences without trying to convince people, but I can make you empathize with a thing you dont like by sharing a story, said King. Kings experiences in college made him interested in the topic of race. My mentor, the baddest dude Ive ever met in my life, was an African-American teacher at Berkeley. Im from one of the poorest places in the country. I was angry, and he recognized what that was and took me under his wing. When I went to Berkeley, I was surrounded by people from all different backgrounds and I began to understand my experiences through the lens of others, said King. Providing insight into the experiences of others is what he hopes the anthology Dear America: Reflections on Race will do. As the second publication by the Geeky Press, King says this project will take a more serious tone than their previous work. The first book we put out was a goofy one called Bad Jobs and Bullsh*t. We said the next thing we do should not be stupid. We reached out to a lot of writing communities so that its not just a bunch of white people writing about race, said King. King says this project isnt exclusively for seasoned writers, but also everyday people who want the opportunity to use their creativity to shed light on serious issues. The Geeky Press is accepting submissions in the form of creative nonfiction, fiction, scripts, poetry, photography and videography. All submissions, including those that do not end up in the print version of the book, will be considered for publication on youshareproject.com, a website that aims to share stories about the human experience. After the book is published, King plans to bypass the typical large book release party in favor of multiple small, intimate gatherings where Hoosiers can talk about the stories in the book and the way race has affected them personally. He hopes the conversations will increase understanding among people from various backgrounds. You cannot experience the stories of other people and be ignorant; you just cant. Or you would have to work very hard to do it. When we can find ways to cross over into the experiences of others, we will see the anger, the joy, the fear that is common in all of us, he said. For more information on Dear America: Reflections on Race, visit thegeekypress.com. The Geeky Press Looking to meet other writers in the greater Indianapolis area? The Geeky Press is a large, loose collective of writers who meet up for readings, retreats and weekly events. Stay in the know regarding their upcoming events by visiting meetup.com/The-Geeky-Press-Writers-Meet-Up. Visit thegeekypress.com for more information. Though African-Americans make up 28 percent of the citys population, only 14 percent of the citys police force is Black. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) is currently in the process of recruiting new officers, and they hope recent efforts will assist in diversifying the police force. We are using bus ads, billboards, social media sites, radio, community events and attending career fairs, including those at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, said Sgt. Ida Williams with the IMPD. Having a diverse police department definitely reflects more positively within the community, not to mention that it helps us to be more sensitive and effective in dealing with issues involving minority communities. Over the past few years, city leaders have promised to diversify the police force in Indianapolis. Last summer, IMPD had one of the most diverse recruit classes in its history, with minorities making up 40 percent of the class. IMPD is eager to build on their efforts this year and recruit a diverse and competent police force. We are looking for people who are community oriented and who want to serve something bigger than themselves. We are looking for individuals who are not looking for just a job, because this is not just a job, said Williams. Potential officers must hold a high school diploma or GED, be between 21 and 36 years of age by date of appointment, and have a clean record with no felonies or misdemeanors. After a recruit applies online, they will be required to complete a written exam, oral interviews, physical ability tests and background screenings. The process typically takes nine months from the time an applicant takes a written exam and is sworn into the police academy. Williams hopes minorities will apply, because personal experience has shown her that having a diverse police force helps people of color feel more comfortable with and connected to the police force. Its no secret that when we have a diverse workforce it helps us better address the community that we serve. It helps us to be well-rounded in our everyday police work. For me, as a Black female, when I show up on the scene of anything and there are other folks that look like me, I get a positive reaction because people want to see us in the community. Whether Im working Black Expo or downtown New Years Eve, I think when folks see people who look like them it kind of makes everybody more comfortable. The deadline to apply for the April written test is March 19. If you do not have access to a computer, you may complete an online application at the City-County Building, Room T1541, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, call the recruiting office at (317) 327-IMPD or visit joinimpd.indy.gov. Join IMPD The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department in Indianapolis is currently recruiting for Sworn Police Officers. Apply at joinimpd.indy.gov before March 19. Call (317) 327-IMPD for more information. Homeownership is considered by many to be a rite of passage and a crucial component of the American Dream, but for many in the Black community, that dream is being deferred. According to the 2016 State of Housing in Black America report by the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) which was created in 1947 to secure equal housing opportunities for people of all races homeownership rates in 2014 stood at 41.2 percent among Blacks, compared with 68.5 percent among non-Hispanic whites. Numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau show the rate of Black homeownership is the lowest its been since discrimination was legal, which is concerning for community leaders. Homeownership has become an indispensable part of being a full participant in American society, National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial said. An erosion of homeownership rates among African-Americans represents not only a devastating financial loss but a barrier to full participation in the American dream. The NAREB report cites many reasons for the disparity, including how credit scores are tabulated, lenders hesitancy to extend credit to borrowers with lower credit and lower down payments, a lack of affordable housing inventory and the lack of exposure to long-term homeownership, among many others. To begin chipping away at the disparity, NAREB along with the NAACP and the National Urban League are partnering with Wells Fargo, which has pledged $60 billion in lending and set a goal of creating 250,000 African-American homeowners by 2027. NAREB President Ron Cooper said the program is a solid and meaningful start for more Black Americans to become homeowners and wealth-builders. The bank is the first financial institution to acknowledge publicly Black Americans wealth-building potential which could be greatly improved through homeownership, Cooper said in a statement. Wells Fargo has a spotty history when it comes to its dealings with minority communities. In just one recent case, the New York Times reports, An investigation by the DOJs civil rights division found that mortgage brokers working with Wells Fargo had charged higher fees and rates to more than 30,000 minority borrowers across the country than they had to white borrowers who posed the same credit risk. Wells Fargo brokers also steered more than 4,000 minority borrowers into costlier subprime mortgages when white borrowers with similar credit risk profiles had received regular loans. Wells Fargo has also been named in complaints alleging discriminatory practices in the maintenance of foreclosed properties. Amy Nelson, executive director of the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana, said she cant speak for Wells Fargo or about this program specifically, but some programs like this one are prompted by settlements related to fair housing complaints. There have been some other lenders that, as part of settlement agreements, have agreed to put money back into neighborhoods that have been impacted by what occurred or by trying to increase homeownership to persons of color as a result of what occurred, Nelson said. The Recorder reached out to Wells Fargo for more details about what prompted the creation of the program, and whether it was part of a complaint settlement. A spokeswoman said: Wells Fargo made its announcement last week as a direct action to positively impact the declining homeownership rate among African-Americans. Currently its 42 percent and represents the lowest homeownership rate among ethnic minorities. Demystifying the process Locally, two women mortgage specialist Diana Rice-Wilkerson and Janis Bradley, who owns JB Real Estate Consultants are working to address the issue in more ways than one. Both women are board members of the Central Indiana Realtist Association (CIRA), the local arm of the NAREB, and they host The Home & Finance Show on WTLC 1310-AM, which is focused on demystifying the home buying process. Rice-Wilkerson said the Wells Fargo program sounds positive on the surface, but shes more concerned with the lenders long-term practices. Im more interested in, what about your guidelines which now have people denied who shouldnt be are you going to change those so you can get more credit-worthy people into homeownership? Bradley voiced similar concerns. What strings are you loosening up to help people get into homes? The key is for them to be able to stay in the house. How is it helping them get and stay in the home? Rice-Wilkerson said shed like to see lenders be more forthcoming with information for potential borrowers, especially those who are denied. She said many potential homebuyers arent aware that each lending institution has its own set of requirements called an overlay so when their application is rejected at one bank and theyre not told why, they might assume theyre ineligible everywhere. I can live with that if, when the lender denies the borrower, they specifically indicated the reason they were denied was because of their overlay, she said. We just need to have the information so we can make good decisions. Bradley said misinformation keeps some potential homebuyers from beginning the process at all. People hear horror stories and dont really know the facts. What they hear most of the time is that they have to put down 20 percent, because thats what you hear on TV, she said. People think they need excellent credit. Sometimes our clients think they have challenged credit and end up not having an issue at all. Rice-Wilkerson said some popular credit monitoring tools, such as Credit Karma, can skew peoples view of what constitutes a sufficient credit score. If you pull up your credit scores on Credit Karma, it could have a 670 or 680. They consider that a fair credit score, which is really not true in the mortgage industry, she said. When we see a 660, were excited. I think a lot of information thats out there is bogus; its not the complete story. Another misconception, Bradley said, is the idea that its always cheaper to rent than to buy. People also wrongly think a past bankruptcy or foreclosure disqualifies them from buying a home for several years or indefinitely. Those are the things were trying to get out, to let them know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. The Home & Finance Show airs on WTLC 1310-AM on the first, second and third Saturdays of the month from 12 p.m. Find more information at homeandfinanceshow.com. Dr. Joy J. Moore will bring her wealth of knowledge and experience to the Hoosier state this summer as she joins the staff of Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University as associate professor of homiletics and Christian ministry. Moore, who comes to Indiana from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, is an ordained Elder in the West Michigan Conference of the United Methodist Church. While at Fuller, she served as an assistant professor of preaching and was the founding associate dean of the William E. Pannell Center for African American Church Studies. Prior to that, Moore served as associate dean for Black Church Studies and Church Relations at Duke University, where she also was a visiting professor of preaching. The Recorder caught up with Moore to discuss her life and experiences as a Black woman in theology and academics, as well as her future in Indiana. The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper: Tell us about your background in ministry and theology. What brought you to this point? Moore: I am excited to be returning to the Midwest. Chicago is my home. In truth, what brings me back is my mom. Her health is declining and Im an only child, so as much as I hoped shed come out to California, shes bringing me back home. I like to say that I had the privilege of being raised in a Christian home and a part of a Christian community that taught us our responsibility as Christians in the world. Its not that I have this celestial ATM that fights my enemies and hits them with lightning rods but rather that we are image bearers of God and Gods good. We were taught as kids to be ambassadors for Christ. It was a privilege to be raised in my community on the south side of Chicago, and several of us still keep in contact. We were in a small town in the middle of the big city. My grandmother was ordained in the Baptist church. I was surrounded by this witness to the promising goodness of God. You have had decades of experience in both the church and academic sectors. When did you first decide to go into ministry work, and how did you know this was a good fit for you? When I was a preteen I said, OK, Ill do this, Ill go into ministry, which sounded like a good idea, being raised in the church and all. Then I realized, when you go to high school and you tell people youre gonna be a preacher, youre not going to be real popular. I went and kind of renegotiated the contract with God. I said, You must have meant teach, right? Not preach? I got my undergrad in elementary education and taught sixth grade math. I thought that I had landed there and realized the issues that the kids were facing, even though I was a kid myself in my early 20s, the most important thing I could do wasnt just getting them into algebra by high school. I realized that the issues they were dealing with then were life threatening, and that the promise of God Id been graced with was the best thing I could offer. I got back involved with the church. The church I was in in Evanston, Illinois, required that we go to seminary if we were to be leaders in the church. I went to Garrett, a Methodist seminary. I said to God, Ill get involved, but I wont quit my job or move. Those were my conditions. I thought I could put limits on God, because I didnt want to do this preach thing. I realized at Garrett that my theological perspective was Wesleyan. That was the beginning of this journey that led me eventually to being ordained in the United Methodist Church, and my credentials are in Michigan, where I served as pastor. What was pastoring like for you? I enjoyed working in a local church and pastoring those congregations. In west Michigan where I served, it was primarily Anglo, so I found myself in cross-racial ministry. I sometimes say I have the experience of being in a gap in history, because it wasnt as bad as some experiences we have today. The things weve experienced in the past decade, its clearly haunting for many people of color right now. I pastored in suburban churches and in rural congregations in Michigan. I had kind of a gamut of experiences, yet I still had this desire to go back to the campus. I like to say that I got my first couple of jobs according to my birth certificate. I was invited to go to Kentucky and attend Asbury Seminary to do their ethnic ministry and womens ministry program. While there I was encouraged to get my Ph.D. and apply for a faculty position. I took that opportunity and went to London, England, and got my Ph.D. in practical theology and was then invited to Duke Divinity School to work as an administrator. The dean asked me to do the Black Church Studies program, and thats where Fuller found me. Tell me more about this gap in history, as you describe it. The church that I went to as a child that was most formative for me was pastored by a woman. I was ordained by a woman in Michigan. There was never a question (regarding womanhood) for me in accepting this call to ministry. My only hesitation was as a teen wanting to be popular. When I teach preaching, I tell the women that their primary role is to offer the hope of God made known in Jesus Christ. When they look out into a congregation and they see predominately people who have only seen men in the pulpit, just their being there shows the world has changed. Fuller was a bit of a change of pace from Duke, I presume. What was that experience of moving from one coast to the other? I was thrilled to see the diversity there, and I enjoyed the weather. I came out and I was captivated by the community and I didnt expect as vibrant a church as I found. They had for 40 years been running a Black pastors program and wanted to turn it into a center, and so I accepted the opportunity to come here in the fall of 2012. 2014 was the 40th anniversary of the program, and in January 2015, we launched the William E. Pannell Center for African-American Church Studies. Panell, who is identified as an evangelical Christian, wrote a book The Coming Race Wars?: A Cry for Reconciliation specifically targeting the evangelical community. That reminds me of the movement being led by Rev. William Barber and the Repairers of the Breach. Did you interact with him while at Duke? Absolutely. I had an opportunity while at Duke to work with him and actually left just as he was beginning the Moral Monday gatherings in North Carolina. Several of my colleagues continued to be active in that work, because the realities that are true in North Carolina are spreading across our nation. Youll be at Indiana Wesleyan in the summer. What does this move mean to you personally? I had known about Wesleyan from my time at Asbury. A lot of students from Indiana Wesleyan and from the Wesleyan denomination came there for school, because there was no Wesleyan Seminary. I actually watched as Wesley was established, and I greatly appreciated the intentionality with which this institution was being created. I particularly respected the fact that it was interdisciplinary. It came full circle. Even though Fuller is more reformed from a theological context, William Pannell was Wesleyan. I realized that this conversation about reconciliation and being the people of God across lines of diversity and this hope that needs to be brought to a hostile world has been very well articulated through the theology of John Wesley. Our society definitely needs to understand how all Gods children can live together. The Wesleyan Church speaks that message most clearly. Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur was quick to respond on Bollywood actor Randeep Hoodas apology. It seemed like she was waiting for this opportunity. Earlier, Randeep Hooda tried to clarify his stance for laughing at Gurmehar Kaurs troll, which mocked her statement - Pakistan didnt kill my father, war did. However, he recently apologised for his remark and said that he should have been careful. When the news reached Gurmehar Kaur, she responded to it in the most kickass manner. Heres what she tweeted: "I didn't tweet my hands did" https://t.co/K5EHmTlJbe Gurmehar Kaur (@mehartweets) March 8, 2017 Randeep Hooda apologised for his insensitive reaction, and said in a statement that he was misunderstood on the whole scenario. Heres what he said: I have faced this (trolling) before and will have to face it in future too but for a young individual, to face this would be very traumatic and she shouldnt have gone through this. So, finally the feud is over, we guess! Nationalist Congress Party leader Vidya Chavan has threatened to beat Ram Gopal Varma with shoes if he doesnt apologise for the nasty Womens Day tweet, which mentioned Sunny Leone. Meanwhile, a police complaint has already been filed against him by Vishaka Mhambre in regard to the same sexist tweet. dnaindia.com Ram Gopal Varma has been making headlines since yesterday. It all started with this tweet: I wish all the women in the world give men as much happiness as Sunny Leone gives Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) March 8, 2017 The tweet didnt go down well with many, who lashed out at him on Twitter. Later, a police complaint was lodged against him in the same regard. And now, Nationalist Congress Party's leader Vidya Chavan has threatened that he didnt apologise, they will beat him up with shoes, and also start a Joota Maaro Andolan. He should apologise for his remark, if he doesn't we will try to beat him with shoes: Vidya Chavan, NCP on Ram Gopal Varma pic.twitter.com/G54Zhcy6Fa ANI (@ANI_news) March 9, 2017 However, Ram Gopal Varma is not giving up. He is all set to fire back at those who try to put him down. Great @PawarSpeaks shud kick u out for threatening to take law into hands in our sovereign democratic country ..u r a disgrace to his ideals https://t.co/YdfZmBOJgH Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) March 8, 2017 If u don't apologise to threat of taking law into ur own hands,will formally register complaint, so let me know . Please note @PawarSpeaks https://t.co/YdfZmBOJgH Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) March 8, 2017 Right or wrong @Awhadspeaks expresses his feels but when others do he will take law into his hands WAHH! God save this country's democracy pic.twitter.com/xQpcydm696 Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) March 9, 2017 Political debates often derail us from the works that are more important at the given time. And that's why a gym in the US has banned news channels because gym members kept getting into political debates, arguments while leaving their workouts. Reutersss A Scranton, Pennsylvania YMCA has banned 24-hour cable news channels like MSNBC, Fox News and CNN from their facility TVs because gym members kept getting into political arguments. Some of the debates got so heated that other members had to intervene in order to defuse the escalating situation. [T]here was one near-fight that was broken up by another member that was just about ready to go physical, and weve had members step forward saying theyve felt a little uncomfortable about the arguments that were going on in the politics, Trish Fisher, the gyms chief executive, told a local news channel earlier this week. Reuters Fisher told The Washington Post that the decision to unsubscribe the news has invited mixed reviews. However, the atmosphere in the gym now is calmer as members now focus more on the workout. Terming his son as "anti-national", Sartaaj, the father of Saifullah, the ISIS terrorist killed by UP Anti-Terrorism Squad on Tuesday night said the family will not accept his dead body. #WATCH: Sartaj, father of Saifulla says,"Ye desh-hitt mein nahi tha hum usse naraz hain,aise deshdrohi ki laash nahi lenge" #LucknowTerrorOp pic.twitter.com/bGMxHlokJM ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 8, 2017 Talking to ANI, Sartaaj said Saifullah had left home a couple of months ago after he beat up his son for not working. He added that in the last conversation Saifullah had with the family, he told them that he was going to Saudi. ANI Meanwhile, the family of Muhammad Faisal and Mohammad Irfan, who were arrested by the ATS said the duo were innocent. The allegations are false. Faisal took care of a shop, and Imran is married has a daughter," their father told ANI. This comes even as the Police probing the Ujjain train blast believe they have ample evidence to link the attacks to Islamic State militants in Syria. The ATS which led the operation in Lucknow in which Saifullah was killed has recovered evidence suggesting the connect. ANI ISIS flag, train timetables, 8 pistols, 650 rounds of ammunitions, explosives materials, gold, cash, passports and SIM cards recovered from the encounter spot. While six people have been arrested in Madhya Pradesh, police said they believe at least two people linked to the group is still at large. ANI The "mastermind" of the train terror strike has been identified as Atif Mujaffar alias Al-Qasim, a well-off engineering student from Aligarh and the self-proclaimed 'emir' (chief) of the so-called the "Khorasan module" in India. Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday said the terrorists had sent the pictures of the pipe bomb used in the train blast to Syria. BCCL He told ANI news agency that the terrorists, who hailed from Kanpur and Kannauj had made plans to rush back to Lucknow once their nefarious plans to set off the bomb had come through. "The explosives recovered from them had inscriptions on it saying 'ISIS- we are in India'. The terrorists even uploaded the picture of the pipe bomb they had placed in the train and the then sent it to Syria. So it's proof that they were related to ISIS." At least nine people were injured after the explosion on the Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train while it was on run in block section between the Jabdi and Kalapipal stations. BCCL Security analysts said the attack, the first of its kind by ISIS in India is a matter of concern. "I think the ISIS persons have been operating, have been there for quite some time. And unfortunately some of the political class and the government and also some agencies are trying to downplay the threat and failing to take action that is required," former Jammu and Kashmir Police chief M M Khajuria told ANI. Investigators said the low-intensity blast was a trial run and the ISIS module was planning major strikes. Kansas Governor Sam Brownback has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing his deep regret over last month's tragic murder of a 32-year-old engineer, Srinivas Kuchibhotla. Brownback's letter comes after the Kansas incident sent shock waves among Indians in the US and across the world. Reuters In the letter to PM Modi, dated March 3, he wrote: "Words cannot express the sorrow that we feel for Srinu's wife, Sunayana, and his family in Hyderabad." Read more 1. After Being Boycotted In Tamil Nadu, Pepsi Stops Production In Kerala Due To Lack Of Water After international beverage companies Coke and Pepsi stopped production due to boycott by the locals, it is time for Pepsi to pack its bags at its bottling plant in Kanjikode, in Kerala because of water shortages, the India Resource Center has confirmed. Pepsi A team led by Professor P. S. Panikkar, an eminent social activist and member of the Kanjikode Paristithy Kaval Sangham, a government-appointed watchdog group, tried to enter the PepsiCo factory premises in Kanjikode yesterday to ascertain if PepsiCo was abiding by the state government orders to reduce water extraction but the team was denied entry by the staff and security. Read more 2. Lakes In Bengaluru Are So Polluted That They Will Make The City Inhabitable By 2025 Over the years, Indias only IT hub has attracted engineers and computer science professionals from all over the country. BCCL Not entirely anticipating this boom, Bengaluru has now become a notorious example of urban planning gone wrong. Residents of New Delhi and Mumbai, who used to once envy the citizens of Karnatakas capital city for its greenery, lakes and clean air, now breathe a sigh of relief of not taking the plunge and moving there. Lakes in Bengaluru are catching fire at a consistent frequency. And that's only because they are extremely polluted. Read more A three-judge bench, headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi, has declined Uphaar Cinema owner Gopal Ansals plea to extend the date of surrender He is due to surrender today, will have to complete the remaining part of his sentence for the 1997 fire tragedy. PTI Gopal Ansal and his brother Sushil owned the Uphaar Cinema in south Delhi, where 55 movie-goers died after the theatre caught fire in 1997. Gopal's lawyer and senior advocate Ram Jethmalani requested the court to postpone the hearing in the case after the nine-day Holi break. But, the bench denied his request and scheduled the hearing for March 9. Read more 4. Mass Marriage Of 104 Differently-Abled Couples That Took Place In MP Sets A New World Record Most of us take our life for granted. We whine, complain, and grumble over petty things that can be resolved too quickly. But have we ever thought about the plight of those who've been denied the gift of a fully-functional body? AP Time and again, differently abled people have proved that the only mantra for success is a strong will and one is as fit, capable, competent to do anything in life as they think they are. Read more 5. Indian-Origin Canadian Woman Stopped From Entering The US, Asked To Get Immigrant Visa To Cross The Border Amid the raging criticism of Donald Trump's travel ban comes this incident of an Indian-origin Canadian woman who was denied entry into the country. 39-year-old, Manpreet Kooner, a resident of the Montreal city of Canada, was travelling along with her friends when she was asked to step aside by the officials at the airport. Facebook/Manpreet Kooner After a six-hour long interrogation, the officials asked Kooner to produce an immigrant visa if she wanted to cross the borders. Read more A group 30 farmers staged a protest on Trichy district collectorate campus by holding dead rats in their mouths. They were demanding that the state government declare Tamil Nadu as a drought-hit state. BCCL The farmers, owing allegiance to the Desiya Thennidiya Nadhigal Inaippu Sangam, said water crisis had affected paddy cultivation in the state, pushing them into poverty. The protesters held dead rats in their mouths to make the statement that they were forced to eat rat meat due to poverty. Later, the farmers rolled on the campus. BCCL The protesters were led by Desiya Thennidiya Nadhigal Inaippu Sangam president P Ayyakannu. They said their frustration over the inaction of the state government to react to the plight of the farmers in the state had forced them to stage such a protest. BCCL "More than 40 farmers died following the paddy crop failure in Delta districts. We made several appeals to the Trichy district administration to apprise the state government of our demand for compensation. Yet, there was no response," said Ayyakannu. Police had to wait for two hours until the farmers dispersed and joined the agriculture grievance day meeting chaired by Trichy district collector Dr K S Palanisamy. BCCL Reacting to their protest, the district collector said the farmers' petitions had already been forwarded to the state government. A three-judge bench, headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi, has declined Uphaar Cinema owner Gopal Ansals plea to extend the date of surrender He is due to surrender today, will have to complete the remaining part of his sentence for the 1997 fire tragedy. PTI Gopal Ansal and his brother Sushil owned the Uphaar Cinema in south Delhi, where 55 movie-goers died after the theatre caught fire in 1997. Gopal's lawyer and senior advocate Ram Jethmalani requested the court to postpone the hearing in the case after the nine-day Holi break. But, the bench denied his request and scheduled the hearing for March 9. On February 9, a three-judge bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi, sentenced Gopal Ansal to one year in jail, we were asked to surrender within four weeks. He has already spent four months in jail and will now complete the remaining seven months. AP The court, however, spared his brother Sushil Ansal, 77, due to age and health complications. Back in December 2008, the Delhi high court slashed the sentences of the two brothers from two to one year and the Supreme court granted them bail and levied a fine of Rs 30 crore on the Ansal brothers; to be paid as compensation to the immediate families of the victims. In March 2014, the case was referred to a three-judge bench to review the quantum of the sentence. PTI The Ansals, who co-owned the Uphaar cinema in south Delhi, were held guilty of "criminal negligence" but escaped jail terms beyond a few months after the top court's 2015 order. Neelam Krishnamurthy, who lost her son and daughter to the fire. She started a campaign against the Ansals and set up an Association of the Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT). On February 9, Krishnamurthy expressed extreme disappointment with the top court's ruling and said, 'I have lost faith in the judiciary. Have been let down very badly. Rich and powerful enjoy special powers. SC judgement shows rich hv special rights,can walk away by killing children by paying for trauma centre:N Krishnamoorthy,AVUT on #UpharCase pic.twitter.com/ZHxiNNCNkN ANI (@ANI_news) 9 February 2017 In afternoon of 13 June 1997, a huge fire broke out during the screening of Bollywood film Border. While most of the victims died of suffocation, others were injured in the stampede that followed. A group of farmers in Sonipat district in Haryana have written to the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to intervene with the Wanda Group of China, which has been offered huge tracts of land by the Haryana government for setting up of a $10 billion industrial township in Kharkhoda. BCCL In a letter addressed to Li Keqiang, Bhoomi Bachao Sangharsh Samiti of Kundal, which has been protesting against the acquisition of nearly 3,000 acres for the past five years, said that farmers have not given possession of land to the Haryana government and they won't do so "till their last breath". The association that claims the support of over 10,000 families of farmers in the region has demanded higher compensation under the new land acquisition law and other benefits such as allotment of developed plots. They have also said that affected farmers have already challenged the land acquisition process for nearly 2,800 acres and the matter is still pending in the Supreme Court. The Saimiti has also claimed that the state government has not shared the details of locals' protest with the Chinese investor. BCCL/Representational Image In January 2015, Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) had signed a memorandum of understanding with Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda to develop Wanda Industrial New City in Kharkhoda. The huge tracts of fertile farmland was originally acquired during Bhupinder Singh Hooda government to set up an industrial model township, which never took off due to farmers protest. "We the farmers and working class of India request the Chinese authorities to take necessary action in this regard and deter this deal as this sets a wrong precedence and thus results in poor image of a communist country working for the survival and benefits of the common man," the Samiti has submitted to the Chinese government. Samiti president Hasraj Rana said they had no other option left than approaching China. Yesterday, on the auspicious occasion of International Women's Day, a lot of organisations around the world went gaga over its celebration. Women employees were bestowed with roses, gift cards, scrumptious nourishment etc. and while all of this looked super cool on social media, my mind wandered off to its insignificance. (Also read: Women Take To Streets In India And the US To Announce That Patriarchy Won't Be Tolerated) mtcowgirl If society, organisations, companies, peers, and the world really wished for women's happiness, why not start with equality? In a bid to do away with hypocrisy and finally get something substantial on board, Iceland will soon become world's first country to have equal pay for all women employees. (Also read: Despite A 21-Place Jump, India Is Still Ranked At 108th On The Annual Global Gender Gap Index!) The country is demanding this from all the employers to prove that they offer equal pay regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexuality or nationality. Iceland will require equal pay by 2022. Minister Thorsteinn Viglundsson says, Equal rights are human rights. #internationalwomensday Dan Pontefract (@dpontefract) March 8, 2017 This country's government will now ask all the organisations with more than 25 employees to prove that they are paying equally for work of equal value. The country aspires to eradicate the parity in gender pay by 2022. linkedin Thorsteinn Viglundsson, Iceland's Equality and Social Affairs Minister said on Wednesday, 'International Women's Day that "the time is right to do something radical about this issue.' This is certainly not the first time that the country has come forward to facilitate women, the revolution goes back to 1975. Icelandic women took to the streets demonstrate the indispensable work of women for Icelands economy and society and to protest wage discrepancy and unfair employment practices. womensviewsonnews 90% of Iceland's women population left everything that they were supposed to do and went on the streets to protest. Last year in October, thousands of Icelandic women left work at 2:38 p.m to protest against the pay gap. (Also read: Thousands Of Women In Iceland Left Work At The Same Time To Fight The Gender Gap In Wages) Therefore, this change that might seem too sudden isn't one, after all. It's not safe to say that years and years of protest, hard work and harsh disapproval have fetched these women something that they've deserved all along. Kansas Governor Sam Brownback has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing his deep regret over last month's tragic murder of a 32-year-old engineer, Srinivas Kuchibhotla. Brownback's letter comes after the Kansas incident sent shock waves among Indians in the US and across the world. Reuters In the letter to PM Modi, dated March 3, he wrote: "Words cannot express the sorrow that we feel for Srinu's wife, Sunayana, and his family in Hyderabad." He wrote about how Kansans were awed by Sunayana's grace and the courage with which she dealt with her husband's death. In her address to the media, Sunayana said that she moved to Kansas without her family or close relatives. Noting this, Brownback assured that all of Kansas will nourish and love her in the difficult months ahead. Reuters Paying homage to Srinivas Kuchibhotla, the governor said that, "He brought with him his immense talents and education and passion. His story is similar to the thousands of Indian diaspora who have called Kansas home over generations." "Our state has thrived because of their contributions," Brownback wrote and added that he would like to personally welcome Indians to his state. "Acts of hate and intolerance have no place in Kansas. Since our founding, Kansas have fought against injustice and senseless hatred. We are recommitted daily to protecting our family, our neighbors, our guests. We find wisdom and peace in the Sanskrit mantra 'Satyameva Jayate'," Brownback said. Reuters Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, was killed and Alok Madani, another Indian of the same age, injured in a shooting by navy veteran Adam Purinton, who yelled terrorist and get out of my country before opening fire on them in Kansas last month. Over the past few weeks, there has been a slew of race-related crimes in the US. Harnish Patel was killed outside his Lancaster house in South Carolina and Deep Rai shot at in Kent, Washington. The safety of Indians living the country has become a matter of serious concern. In the wake of these incidents, Indian envoy reached out to the State Department to express his "deep concerns" over such tragic incidents. India's Ambassador to the US Navtej Sarna emphasised the need to stop such incidents and protect the Indian community. Amb @NavtejSarna underlined need to prevent such incidents and protect Indian community 2/4 @MEAIndia @SushmaSwaraj India in USA (@IndianEmbassyUS) 5 March 2017 with all agencies concerned to ensure speedy justice. 4/4 @NavtejSarna @MEAIndia @SushmaSwaraj India in USA (@IndianEmbassyUS) 5 March 2017 With PTI inputs Animal cruelty, it seems, is going severely unchecked in China. After last year's horrific incident where men in rural China boiled a dog alive, here comes another horrific tale of dog slaughter that will send chills down your very soul. youtube grab A petition is currently underway, calling for the strictest action against murderers who not only skinned a dog alive but also killed humanity by third degree. The petition, submitted by Fernie Ferrara, reads, "Probably the worst part of it all is the fact that the dog is still alive, he howls in despair, begging to be rescued, but there is no one there for him. A mans hand can be spotted tearing up his fur. In just a matter of minutes, the dog dies, leaving this planet in the most inhumane way. I cannot even begin to imagine the suffering this poor baby went through in his final moments." One look at the image and the horror palpitates. (The image was blurred keeping in view the savagery of the act.) dailypetition.com Boiling and skinning dogs alive in China, for the dog meat market, has become extremely normalised. It is appalling how such acts of barbarism, that manage to stir the world into pain, fail to stop the hands that torture helpless animals. Were excited to announce that indmin.com is now part of fastmarkets.com. A new look and an improved experience means you can still stay ahead of this fast-moving 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. A verbal "tit-for-tat" between Ankara and Athens continued on Thursday , with the Greek foreign ministry replying with a laconic statement to official Turkey's attack against the Greek president of the republic , who this week referred to a standing defense of the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty. Disgraceful: U.S. Support for War Crimes in Yemen Continues By Daniel Larison March 09, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " American Conservative " - As expected, the Trump administration is undoing the minimal, belated limits that the previous administration put on arms sales to the Saudis: The State Department has approved a resumption of weapons sales that critics have linked to Saudi Arabias bombing of civilians in Yemen, a potential sign of reinvigorated U.S. support for the kingdoms involvement in its neighbors ongoing civil war. The proposal from the State Department would reverse a decision made late in the Obama administration to suspend the sale of precision guided munitions to Riyadh, which leads a mostly Arab coalition conducting airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen. U.S. support for the Saudi-led war on Yemen has been a disgrace for almost two years, but this latest decision shows that the new administration is going to compound the earlier errors that Obama made in enabling that war. The U.S. has been deeply complicit in the coalitions war crimes and its role in creating one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, and thanks to Trump and Tillerson that complicity is only going to get worse. Millions of Yemeni civilians will continue to suffer and many thousands will die, and all so that our government can placate our despotic client states. Break Free From The Matrix Get Our Free Daily Newsletter Only the Israeli Dead Matter: Israels Failure at Investigating Its Bloody Wars By Ramzy Baroud March 09, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - At a glance, Israel appears a true democracy. Take a closer look and that facade of democracy will soon dissipate, turning into something else entirely. Tuesday 28 February was one of those moments. The chain of events was as follows: An official Israeli State Comptroller issued another report on the Israeli governments handling of the July 2014 war on Gaza; it chastised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon among others for the lack of preparedness and for their mishandling of the subsequent 51-day conflict; Netanyahu reacted angrily; Yaalon took to Facebook to defend his record; the opposition in the Israeli Knesset went on the offensive; politicians lined up, taking sides; a media frenzy followed; the country was in an uproar. This is not a precedent. It is a repeat of a recurring scenario that often follows Israels military plunders. When such reports are issued, Israelis sort out their differences in fierce parliamentary and media battles. While Israelis begin to examine their failures, demanding accountability from their government, western mainstream media finds the perfect opportunity to whitewash its own record of failing to criticize Israels military onslaught at the time. (Over 2,200 of whom over 70 per cent were Palestinian civilians were killed and thousands more wounded in Israels so-called Operation Protective Edge in 2014.) According to US media logic, for example, Israels investigation of its own action is a tribute to its thriving democracy, often juxtaposed with Arab governments lack of self-examination. When Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982, instigating a war that resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Lebanese and Palestinians, culminating in the Sabra and Shatilla Massacres, a familiar scenario ensued: The United States did its utmost to prevent any international intervention or meaningful investigation, while Israel was allowed to investigate itself. The outcome was the Kahan Commission Report, the conclusion of which was summarized by international law expert Professor Richard Falk: The full measure of Israels victory is rather its vindication, despite all, as a moral force in the region as a superior state, especially as compared to its Arab rivals. The US media touted Israels moral victory, which, somehow, made everything okay and, with a magic wand, wiped the record clean. The Washington Post editorial led the congratulatory chorus : The whole process of the Israeli reaction to the Beirut massacre is a tribute to the vitality of democracy in Israel and to the countrys moral character. Break Free From The Matrix Get Our Free Daily Newsletter This sorry state of affairs has been in constant replay for nearly 70 years, ever since Israel declared its independence in 1948. International law is clear regarding the legal responsibility of Occupying Powers but since Israel is rarely an enthusiast of international law, it has forbidden any attempt at being investigated for its actions. In fact, Israel abhors the very idea of being investigated. Every attempt by the United Nations, or any other organization dedicated to upholding international law, has either been rejected or failed. By Israeli logic, Israel is a democracy and democratic countries cannot be investigated over their armys involvement in the death of civilians. This was, in fact, the gist of the statement produced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office in June 2010, soon after Israeli army commandos intercepted a humanitarian aid flotilla on its way to Gaza and killed ten unarmed activists in international waters. Israel is an Occupying Power under international law and is held accountable to the Fourth Geneva Convention. The international community is legally obliged to examine Israels conduct against Palestinian civilians and, needless to say, against unarmed civilians in international waters. Israels record of investigating itself, aside from being spun to praise Israels moral superiority, has never been of any help for Palestinians. In fact, the entire Israeli justice system is systematically unjust to occupied Palestinians. The Israeli rights group Yesh Din reported that out of the 186 criminal investigations opened by the Israeli army into suspected offenses against Palestinians in 2015, just four yielded indictments. Such indictments rarely yield prison sentences. The recent indictment of Israeli soldier, Elor Azarya, sentencing him to a now postponed term of 18 months in prison for the killing in cold blood of an alleged Palestinian attacker is an exception, not the norm. It has been years since an Israeli soldier was sentenced. In fact, several thousand Palestinian civilians have been killed between the last time a manslaughter conviction was handed down to an Israeli soldier in 2005 and Azaryas indictment. Azarya, now perceived by many Israelis as a hero, has received such a light punishment that it is less than that of a Palestinian child throwing rocks at an Israeli occupation soldier. Some United Nations officials, although powerless before the US backing of Israel, are furious. The 18-month verdict also stands in contrast to the sentences handed down by other Israeli courts for other less serious offenses, notably the sentencing of Palestinian children to more than three years imprisonment for throwing stones at cars, UN human rights spokeswoman, Ravina Shamdasani , said in response to the Israeli court decision. While pro-Israel social media activists and media pundits went on to praise the supposedly unmatched Israeli democracy, a campaign in Israel to pardon Azarya continues to garner momentum. Prime Minister Netanyahu is already on board . Not only is the Israeli justice system unjust to Palestinians, it was never intended to be so. A careful reading of the recent comptrollers remarks and findings would clarify that the intent was never to examine war against a besieged nation as a moral concept, but the governments inability to win the war more effectively: the breakdown of intelligence; Netanyahus lack of political inclusiveness; the death of an unprecedented number of Israeli soldiers. Israels appetite for war is, in fact, at an all-time high. Some commentators are arguing that Israel might launch yet another war so as to redeem its mistakes in the previous one, as stated in the report. But war itself is a staple for Israel. Hard-hitting Israeli journalist Gideon Levys reaction to the comptrollers report says it best. He argued that the report is almost a plagiarized copy of the Winograd Commission Report which followed the 2006 Second Lebanon War. All wars since 1948 could have been avoided, Levy wrote in Haaretz . But they were not, frankly, because Israel loves wars. Needs them. Does nothing to prevent them and, sometimes, instigates them. This is the only way to read the latest report, but also all such reports, when war is used as a tool of control, to downgrade the defenses of a besieged enemy, to create distraction from political corruption, to help politicians win popular support, to play, time and again, the role of the embattled victim, and many other pretenses. As for Palestinians, who are neither capable of instigated or sustaining a war, they can only put up a fight, real or symbolic, whenever Israel decides to go for yet another bloody, avoidable war. No matter the outcome, Israel will boast of its military superiority, unmatched intelligence, transparent democracy and moral ascendancy; the US, Britain, France and other Europeans will enthusiastically agree, issuing Israel another blank check to defend itself by any means. Meanwhile, any attempt at investigating Israeli conduct will be thwarted, for Israel is a democracy and, for some reason, self-proclaimed democracies cannot be investigated. Only their sham investigations matter; only their dead count. Dr. Ramzy Baroud has been writing about the Middle East for over 20 years. He is an internationally-syndicated columnist, a media consultant, an author of several books and the founder of PalestineChronicle.com. His books include Searching Jenin, The Second Palestinian Intifada and his latest My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gazas Untold Story. His website is www.ramzybaroud.net . The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Oh, That Traitorous WikiTrump Nothing so trivial as the technical proof were all being spied upon can be allowed to threaten or add nuance to established narrative By Pepe Escobar March 09, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " Asia Times " - The massive WikiLeaks Vault 7 release is an extremely important public service. Its hard to find anyone not concerned by a secret CIA hacking program targeting virtually the whole planet using malware capable of bypassing encryption protection on any device from iOS to Android, and from Windows to Samsung TVs. In a series of tweets , Edward Snowden confirmed the CIA program and said code names in the documents are real; that they could only be known by a cleared insider; the FBI and CIA knew all about the digital loopholes, but kept them open to spy; and that the leaks provided the first public evidence that the US government secretly paid to keep US software unsafe. If thats not serious enough, WikiLeaks alleges that the CIA has lost control of the majority of its hacking arsenal; several hundred million lines of code more than what is used to run Facebook. Someone among the former US government hackers and contractors ended up leaking portions of the CIA archive (Snowden II?). WikiLeaks also stressed how the CIA had created, in effect, its own NSA maximum unaccountability included. Even though millions already knew without the technical details that they were being spied upon by their iPhone or their 4K Samsung, the Vault 7 revelations are far more relevant and practical to the average citizen than the 24/7 hysteria fingering President Trump as a Putin puppet. Intel sources are volunteering the still unexplored Vault 7 treasure trove is more crucial than what Snowden himself revealed. And still, vast corporate media sectors embedded with the neocon/neoliberal galaxy are spinning that Vault 7 benefits Trump by changing the subject from alleged Russian hacking interference in the US elections and possible Obama administration-ordered hacks of Team Trumps communications. So, if anyone hasnt got the message, the song remains the same. WikiLeaks + Snowden + Russia + Trump = the bad guys. CIA deploying its own NSA around the world = the good guys. After all, CIA spokesman Jonathan Liu duly issued a non-denial denial. Break Free From The Matrix Get Our Free Daily Newsletter Loony mainstream factions are even advancing that the Russians leaked the CIA info to WikiLeaks, thus fueling more suspicion that Russia will interfere in upcoming French and German elections. May I have an Orwellian iPhone, please? As were mired deep in an Orwellian total screen environment, already conceptualized by Baudrillard in the go-go 1980s, nothing so trivial as the technical proof were all being spied upon could alter the (im)balance. The US is already ravaged by a vicious sociopolitical war and no threat to established narratives allows for nuance. The implication is that, as it stands, there wont be a US-Russia reset anytime soon despite hosting invitations from Iceland, Finland or Slovenia; the neocon/neoliberal galaxy nestled in powerful deep state factions will do their best to deny it. It hardly matters that Trump absolutely does not want war: his entire domestic US economy remix could not possibly allow it. The Pentagon now is essentially an extended special ops unit: it cannot possibly fight a land war (Iran? North Korea? Ukraine?) Russia, on the other hand, would be ready for war if needs be. The S-500 missile defense system is being deployed: some analysts (not the Ministry of Defense) are sure its already protecting the whole Russian landmass. China, by 2021, will have more than 1,000 very mobile warheads, or hidden in those submarines lounging in Hainan. By that time, both Iran and Pakistan will be deep into a strategic defense network with Russia-China, via the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, shielded with their own S-400 and S-500 systems. Putin is not playing chess. Hes playing Go and if we look at the board, reality is indeed painful. Moscow is all but deciding the practical future of Syria, in Astana. Russia virtually wrote the Minsk II agreements, routinely broken by Kiev. Crimea as part of Russia is a fait accompli. Novorossiya for all practical purposes is already a totally autonomous region, with the economy working in rubles. Erdogan owes his imminent regime change in reverse a presidential sultanate? to Putin, as Russia warned him about the military coup hours in advance, according to several Russian media sources. Moscow protected Irans energy industry during the hardcore OPEC negotiations. Putin all but designed the Russia-China strategic partnership. Beijing has managed to convince Moscow that One Belt, One Road and the Eurasia Economic Union should be connected, merged and tackled as a win-win Eurasia integration process. If Russia eventually loses economic preeminence across the Central Asian stans, it maintains its paramount military/security status. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov never ceases to stress that our relations with China are at their best level ever in our two countries history. Add to it a geo-economic gambit; hints of key factions of European business elites getting ready to hitch themselves to Chinas growing slowly but surely monetary/financial clout, linked to Beijings imperative of preventing a collapse of global supply chains. Xi Jinpings inclusive globalization, announced in Davos, sounds more and more like a reality in the making. In contrast to reality, where China-Russia expand their strategies without exceptionalist illusions, 24/7 neocon/neoliberal hysteria offers a constant barrage of childish, pathetic eruptions. As the self-delusion school of foreign policy refuses to admit Moscow will not sell out China and Iran for a deal with Washington, the last refuge of the scoundrels is cognitive dissonance; fear of Russia incited to cold war 2.0 heights. So, relax, global citizen; the CIA is benign and benevolent, even when theyre watching you. You have nothing to fear but fear itself and its name is Russia. The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Big Brother Spying by America By Stephen Lendman March 09, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - US spy agencies trample on Bill of Rights protections. Their spying domestically and abroad is pervasive. Anything goes is official policy, rule of law principles circumvented. Edward Snowden earlier said he hoped his revelations would make people worldwide aware of how their freedoms and protections are compromised. Mass surveillance goes on in ways few people realize. Numerous techniques are used - metadata collected unrelated to national security without court authorized warrants. Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, Skype, YouTube, Apple, and major telecommunications companies are complicit in spying on their customers. Phone conversations are recorded, emails collected and stored. New WikiLeaks documents revealed that the CIA (and presumably the NSA, FBI and other US spy agencies) can circumvent encryption, turn television sets into listening devices, and monitor people in ways Orwell never imagined. If its information is accurate, Langley has over 1,000 malware systems and other software, able to infiltrate and control personal electronics. Documents WikiLeaks obtained perhaps came from the agencys Center for Cyber Intelligence - operating in Langley, VA and Washingtons Frankfurt, Germany consulate. Via Twitter, Snowden said the document trove looks authentic. Sophisticated spying capability leaves everyone vulnerable, including foreign leaders and the president of the United States. William Binney is a cryptanalyst, mathematician, creator of the NSAs global surveillance system turned whistleblower. Agency activities are unconstitutional, he stressed. Earlier he said were perilously close to a totalitarian state. The NSA and other US intelligence agencies can spy on virtually everything we do. Information obtained is laundered, making it look legitimate. Binney calls it a total corruption of the justice systema totalitarian process, (meaning) we are now in a police state. Break Free From The Matrix Get Our Free Daily Newsletter Monday on Fox News, he said Trump is absolutely right to claim he was wiretapped and monitored. His phone calls, everything he did electronically, was being monitored. Everyones electronic communications are monitored and stored. Big Brother is real. Binney called the FISA court irrelevant. Whats going on is outside of the courtsoutside of the Congress. He designed the system enabling this type sophisticated spying on anyone. Americas intelligence community was likely behind sensitive leaks about Trump, gaining firsthand knowledge of his communications by monitoring him electronically. Its unclear whether Congress will subpoena spy agency officials to testify under oath about Trumps accusations - and if so, how far will it go in exposing what likely went on. Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net . - His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III." http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html - Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Justice Mohammed Idris of the Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday dismissed objections raised by the former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, and two others, to the admissibility of some documents sought to be tendered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The former governor had on Tuesday urged the court to reject the documents, which the EFCC seek to tendered through one of its witnesses, Onovie Oghenevo, on the ground that the certification of the documents by the commission did not follow due process. But in his ruling, Justice Idris held that the letter is original and need no certification. The judge, who cited an Appeal Court decision on Orizu Vs Onyegbuna, stated that its a settled law that a document with attachment has to be admitted with the attachment. The letter and its attachments has the same weight, in the circumstances, the letter and its attachments is admissible in evidence, he held. Kalu, a former Commissioner for Finance in the state, Udeh Jones Udeogu and Slok Nigeria Limited were arraigned before Justice Mohammed Idris on a 34 count charge of conspiracy, Fraud and money laundering. They pleaded not guilty to the charge. Also during Wednesdays proceedings, the first prosecution witness, Oghenevo, told the court that all the bank instruments, which includes managers cheques and bank drafts, obtained by the defendants were issued at the Umuahia branch of the defunct Mammy Bank, but presented at its Apapa, Lagos branch. The witness also stated that 23 drafts paid to different people were drawn at Government House, Umuahia, Abia State. He further testified that the cheques were issued on April 7, 2005, by Imaga Okoro, M. A. Udoh, Romanus Madu, and one James, at Government House, Umuahia, Abia State. However, the witness while being cross-examined by Mike Ozekhome (SAN), informed the court that none of defendants names were in the drafts or the cheques. He also told the court that they were not the persons that issued instructions for the issuance of the drafts. Oghenevo also claimed that a draft of of N2.5 million paid in favour of Slok was issued from the Orji Uzor Kalu Campaign Fund, and that the draft was not issued from the Government House, in Umuahia. He also told the court that he was not the one that approved the payment, neither did he supervised the approval. The second prosecution witness, Christiana Ohiri, had already started giving his evidence when the defence notified the court that her name was not included in the prosecutions list of witnesses. The witness, who is a Branch Manager at one of the nations financial Institution, had told the court, before the objection was raised, about how the branch was contacted by the banks head office towards the end of October 2006 requesting for some source documents for some transactions that were done earlier in the year. She said, Some of the transactions were listed and we retrieved others from our archives and sent to Lagos. I did not know what the head office want to do with the document. By 2007, I was invited by EFCC and certain questions were asked about the documents the bank sent to the commission. There were a couple of accounts we were maintaining for Abia State. These included; Abia State Board of Internal Revenue Account, Abia State Judiciary and Government House, Umuahia, the witness said. It was at point when EFCC lawyer, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) sought to tender the bank response to EFCCs request and the statement of account of Government House, Umuahia, as exhibits that the defence objected. The defence objected to the admissibility of the statement of account on the ground that it failed to meet up with the provisions of Section 84(b) of the Evidence Act regarding certification. Kalus lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) equally raised objection to the appearance of the second prosecution witness in court on the ground that her name was not included in the list of witnesses. He described the witness as a busy body and meddlesome interloper. In his reply, Jacobs urged the court admit the documents as well as allow the witness to give evidence in the matter, saying that the objection raised by the defendants was unfounded, and aimed at resuscitating the objection that was earlier overruled by the court. The prosecutor informed the court that though the name of the witness was not listed but her statement, which was used in the earlier trial of the defendants from High Court to Supreme Court, were in page 471-477 of the Proof-of-Evidence. Adding that the agency had been calling the witness since 2008, and used her evidence when the matter was fresh. He therefore urged the court to admit the documents as well as, allow the witness to continue with her evidence. The judge has adjourned till today for ruling on the arguments. The alleged offences according to the EFCC are contrary to sections 17(c) 16, 14(1)(b)17(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2003, and sections 427 of the same Act. Source: Leadership SA to the President on media and publicity shared on his facebook page that PMB called Niyi Adebayo, former governor of Ekiti State. To commiserate with him on the passing of his father Major General Adeyinka Adebayo, the governor of the defunct Western Region. Below is the details of the conversation the President had with Niyi Adebayo as posted by Adesina: President Muhammadu Buhari Wednesday described the late former governor of the defunct Western Region, Major-General Adeyinka Adebayo, as a true patriot. In a telephone call from London to the son of the late general and former governor of Ekiti State, Niyi Adebayo, the President lamented that Nigeria will surely miss the uncommon patriotism and nationalism which General Adebayo typified. The President also commiserated with the people of Ekiti State and the entire Yoruba race, noting that the late octogenarian while standing firmly for the unity of the country, also fought for the interest of his people as the President of the Yoruba Council of Elders. President Buhari prayed that Almighty God will console the Adebayo family and grant the soul of the departed elder statesman eternal rest. Mr Niyi Adebayo, while thanking President Buhari for the call and commiserations, also wished the President good health. Source: BreakingTimes by the Osun state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party to initiate actions towards holding local government elections in accordance with recent judgement of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. A 21- day ultimatum has been given to the Oyo state Governor,by the Osun state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party to initiate actions towards holding local government elections in accordance with recent judgement of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. The Party also hailed the decision of the Supreme Court of Nigeria on the judgement it delivered in the case SC/102/2013 between the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission and Governor Rauf Aregbesola last week Friday which nullified the dissolution of the OSSIEC by the governor and directed that all entitlements of the Rtd. Justice Titus Oyeyemi-led OSSIEC be paid in full by the state government. In a release issued by the State Chairman, Hon. Soji Adagunodo in Osogbo yesterday, the party said with the judgement of the apex court of the land on this matter, the state governor was duty bound to immediately conduct elections into Local Governments in the State. Adagunodo said failure of the governor to hold such elections within a reasonable time frame and not later than August this year, will amount to a contempt of court and a breach of the express provisions of the constitution which Mr. Aregbesola swore to uphold on assumption of office. The Osun PDP also made references to another decision of the Supreme Court where Justice Olabode Rhodes Vivous led four other justices of the highest court to describe as executive recklessness the acts of state governors running local governments with caretaker committees. He noted that the combined effects of these judgements have made any further running of the local governments by unelected persons as illegal and unconstitutional. Adagunodo said Governor Aregbesola must also account for all monies disbursed to these illegal caretaker committees and sole administrators in the last six and a half years of his administration. He said if the governor refuses to initiate processes for the conduct of local government elections within the next 21 days, the PDP in Osun state will commence legal action to commit anyone purportedly acting as council managers or sole administrators to court for contempt and also secure relevant consequential orders against the governor himself. The party also urged all stakeholders in the local governments in the state to remain vigilant as the custodians of the democratic power of choice who must not at any time be governed by anyone not freely chosen in an election. ( Breaking Times ) The Land owners in petroleum exploration area of Alkaleri Local Government of Bauchi State have called on oil companies engaged in exploration to pay compensation to members of the community in Baranbo area. The community complained of damage to economic trees, resulting in the disruption of economic activities of the people. Malam Abuabkar Mustapha , a farmer in Baranbo, said that the activities of the companies had resulted in the felling of trees which would affect the socioeconomic life of the farming community. He said that most farm owners whose lands were used as either quarry sites or oil exploration were not compensated, adding that farming had been hindered on the sites. He said, I harvest about 100 bags from a piece of land but the oil companies came without any agreement and started their activities; meaning that we will not use this land for the 2017 rainy season farming and no compensation yet. He noted that the economic trees were vital as their leaves and seedlings were used to produce food items and other domestic purposes as well as a means of exchange in markets. Also, Malam Garba Umar, a farmer and resident of Baranbo community, said the yields from a particular farmland produced over 1,000 bags of grains. He expressed the fear that exploration on the sites had deprived him the means of livelihood. He lamented that the promise earlier made by the companies to employ the youth in the community was reneged as only six were engaged. While inspecting the oil exploitation site, Gov. Abubakar Abudullahi expressed the readiness of the government to pay compensation on farmlands once the natural resources were fully identified. He cautioned members of the community against the indiscriminate sale of lands and urged the settlers to take action to protect their equipment against vandalism. Also, the Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Company, Maikanti Baru, represented by the Group General Manager, Frontier Exploration Services, Dr Mazadu Bako, said that work was going on in the area to explore petroleum resources. (NAN) Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson has expressed his appreciation to the family of Late Head of State of Nigeria, General Sani Abacha for the creation of Bayelsa State during his tenure. This was stated by Mr. Dickson in a message to Mrs. Abacha, who turned 70 on March 4. He described the wife of Nigerias late military dictator as a courageous, peaceful and loving woman. He recalled the events that led to the eventual creation of Bayelsa. Mr. Dickson added that the government and people of Bayelsa will remain eternally grateful to the Abacha family for that singular act of love and concern for Bayelsans and the Ijaw nation in general. The governor paid tribute to the matriarch of the Abacha family, stressing that her love, support and wise counsel, are some of the driving forces behind the historic decisions of the late military Head of State. He prayed God to grant her sound health, long life and a happier future with the rest of the Abacha family. (NAN) The exodus from the crisis-ridden Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) continued on Tuesday with the defection of hundreds of its members to the All Progressives Congress (APC) across Eket Federal Constituency. Receiving the defectors at his residence in Eket, Barrister Bassey Dan-Abia (Junior), a former Member of House of Representatives for Eket Federal Constituency, who defected to the APC on Monday, commended them for taking a bold and courageous decision to follow him to the APC. He called on them to respect constituted authorities especially the APC-led Federal Government and assured them that the Federal Government had a lot of goodies for the state, particularly Eket Federal Constituency which is the oil-producing hub of the state, going about the firm promises made by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo during his visit to the state last week. Dan-Abia, a former PDP state officer, admonished the new APC members to avoid politics of blackmail, character assassination and mudslinging against opponents, adding that politics should be played with decorum and without bitterness. He urged them to embark on grassroots campaign to win more members to the APC. He used the opportunity to debunk the claim of a rift with his uncle, Barrister Bassey Dan-Abia (Senior), the former Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), warning mischief-makers against sowing seeds of discord in a united family. Source: Leadership The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has affirmed its commitment to getting Nigeria out of recession before the end of 2017. The was resolved during the FEC meeting chaired by the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, who clocked 60 on Wednesday. Although members of the Council may not have rehearsed very well, they honoured Professor Osinbajo with a warm song. The meeting was brought to a close with the cutting of the birthday cake as some of the ministers joined the Acting President in a photo session. Briefing journalists on the outcome of the meeting, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udo Udoma, said the 2017 budget has been structured to pull Nigeria out of recession. The Minister added that the government was anxious to get the budget passed in order to begin its implementation. He also noted that the release of the budget would fast-track the implementation of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) recently released by the Ministry of Budget. The Council thereafter, approved the contract for the construction of the Greater Abuja Water Supply Project at the cost of $470 million. The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Mohammed Bello, stressed the importance of the project to provide potable water to residents of the greater part of the FCT. ( Channels Television) Ghanaian-American rapper, Vic Mensa have reportedly been arrested for carrying a pistol without the proper permit. The rapper, whose real name is Victor Kwesi Mensa, was driving when he was pulled over by a stop light. Police say his car had illegal tinted windows when they pulled him over in Beverly Hills last week, reports say. He was then arrested when he confessed to police officers that he was carrying a gun in his car. The Chicago native presented a concealed carry permit that, according to TMZ, is only valid in another state. He was booked and spent the night behind bars. The 16 Shots rapper was charged with a felony count of carrying a concealed weapon. And after one night in jail, he was released on $35,000 bail. Last year, Beverly Hills police accused Mensa of robbing a department store after he spent $4,000 there. Mensa, in turn, accused the officers of racial profiling. Vic is a Grammy-nominated American rapper from Chicago, Illinois. He is currently signed to Jay Zs Roc Nation. All flights are now headed to the Kaduna airport as the Abuja International Airport was shut down today officially for the next six weeks. All flights are now headed to the Kaduna airport as the Abuja International Airport was shut down today officially for the next six weeks. Our Aviation correspondent, who has been monitoring the situation in Kaduna reports that the first day of operations at the facility has been with mixed feelings. On Wednesday, passengers queued to obtain their tickets and process their traveling documents at the check in counter inside the new terminal building. The police, Customs and Immigration officials were also on ground to provide the necessary security checks to ensure safety of passengers and their luggage. Ethiopian Airline has landed at the airport to resume international flight operations despite all other foreign airlines not ready to move to Kaduna State. At exactly 11:30 am on Wednesday, the Ethiopian Airline opened landing operations at the International Wing of the airport in the admiration of passengers and aviation workers. The arrival of the international carrier signals the commencement of both domestic and international flight operations at Kaduna airport. Security has equally been beefed up at the airport and its environs. The Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of operations, Joshak Habila was on ground to monitor the exercise. Meanwhile, the Federal Road Safety Corps has designated three out posts along the Kaduna -Abuja highway and near the airport for emergency situation. While, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), says it had licensed over 200 taxis and buses to operate shuttle services from the Kaduna International Airport beginning from Wednesday. Some passengers who arrived the Airport from Abuja to board their flight outside the country say the ordeal of getting through the terminal building of the airport and process their papers is better imagined than experienced. But, there are also those who were satisfied with the level of facilities and services at the airport . Reacting to the complains made by some passengers, the Managing Director of Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria(FAAN) Saleh Dunoma , says there is no cause for alarm as all teething challenges that will hamper smooth operations will be addressed today. He assured that FAAN and other relevant agencies will intervene in the current sad experience at the airport and create an environment that gives passengers respect and dignity while they use the airport. However, the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo is expected in Sokoto state enroute the Kaduna airport. Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Sulaimon Lasun Yussuff has appealed to the warring Hausa and Yoruba communities in Ile Ife, in the state Osun to sheath their swords. The Deputy Speaker in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Wole Oladimeji regretted that the crisis had led to loss of several lives and properties. Lasun who emphasised harmonious relationship among ethnic groups stated that there is need to live and work together for the unity and growth of the country. It is most disturbing to hear that such crisis broke out among the two tribes that have been living together in that area for a very long time to the extent that several lives and properties were lost, he said. He noted that the unity of the country should be paramount in our mind irrespective of tribe and religion, so fighting ourselves would continue to elude us the great nation we are all clamouring for. We should always be our brothers keeper and learn how to tolerate one another instead of engaging in fight, thereby destroying our hard earn property. Lasun however, appealed for tolerance, perseverance and learn how to live together in harmony, and also to have it at the back of our mind that Nigeria is one indivisible country. Source: Leadership Argungu Fishing Festival is one of the major festival celebrated annually to mark the end of the centuries-old hostility between the Sokoto caliphate region and the Kebbi kingdom in the northern part of Nigeria. The festival was initiated in the year 1934 in Argungu, Kebbi State. The Argungu Fishing Festival is an annual 4 days event in Kebbi State, Nigeria. It is mostly celebrated in the month of February after the end of all farming activities. The festival started initially in the form of religious rites as an informal family and communal affair. The Argungu festival has undergone several changes and modifications which makes the event more stylish and developed. More than 30,000 fisherman had taken part in the annual Argungu fishing festival. The main event of the festival is the fishing contest in river Mata Fada, where fishing nets and traditional gourds made with calabashes are been used. The fisherman who catches the biggest fish wins a prize of $7500. In the year 2005 the winner caught a fish weighing 75kg, that is the biggest fish that have been caught in the festival till date. The evolution of the festival at Argungu seems to go hand with the socio economic development of the people of Kebbi. The fishing festival has become an international event in which people from Africa, Europe, America and other continents would converge in the ancient town of Argungu to witness the festival every year. The festival was taken over by the Kebbi State Government because of its growing popularity and economic potentials. Gen. Yakubu Gowon together with Alh. Diori Hammani of Niger Republic were the first head of states to attend the Argungu festival in the 1970. Since then the festival has been visited by all presidents of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The festival also attracts governors from different states in the country most especially the northern states governors. Argungun festival is currently one of the most popular festivals in Nigeria which attracts tourist all over the world. If you want to visit Nigeria, try and visit around February, spending at least a week Argungu during the fishing festival will give moments to always remember. The Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu has frozen accounts of the 18 local government area of the state. It was gathered that the government had sent circular to all the 18 council areas to inform them of its decision, reports have it that salaries of the political appointees in the 18 local governments had been stopped as their names have allegedly been removed from the payment voucher of the government. The affected appointees include secretaries of the councils, personal assistants, special advisers, chiefs of staff among others. Sequel to the freezing of the accounts, reports have it that the local government chairmen would not be able to have access to the accounts of their respective councils again until further notice. The source said, The government has frozen the councils accounts since last week and all the council chairmen are aware already. The implication of this is that the chairmen have been rendered powerless financially because they will not be able to take or spend any money from the councils purse henceforth. When contacted, the state chairman of the Ondo State chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, Mr Bayo Alarapon, who confirmed the development said the association had not yet decided on the next action on the matter. Alarapon, who is the chairman of the Akure South Local Government said, We have not really gone into the matter, but we are already into it and whatever we decide later, we will let the world know. The Acting President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has once again affirmed the nations commitment to support the ECOWAS-led mediation process, and the full swift restoration of peace in Guinea-Bissau. He said this after a closed door meeting with the Prime Minister of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Embalo, in Kaduna State. The meeting lasted for over 45 minutes and had in attendance, the Minister of State Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Bukar Ibrahim, Deputy Governor of Kaduna state, Bala Bantex, top security officials and other government functionaries. Speaking to reporters after the closed door meeting, Prof. Osinbajo expressed deep concern over the protracted political and institutional crisis, due to the inability of political stakeholders to reach a lasting and consensual solution. He however, said that as longtime allies, the Nigerian government will continue to partner with Guinea-Bissau in the areas of security and economy. Guinea-Bissau has been in the throes of power struggle since August 2015, following the removal of the Prime Minister, Domingos Pereira by the countrys President, Jose Vaz. The Yobe state Governments idea of renovating schools as part of the post insurgency plans of uplifting the standard of education in the state, has received a pat on the back by students and teachers in the state. According to them, the plan to revive education by creating a conducive teaching and learning environment, has greatly encouraged school attendance as well as given them confidence while in school. Yobe state, located in Nigerias northeast, is among the states that have suffered insurgency as the Boko Haram militants vowed to abolish western education; a decision that was strongly resisted by government at all levels. The students were full of joy as the governor arrived Government Secondary School Fika, to assess the progress of the ongoing renovation work. Ishaya Aliyu, an SS3 student of the school said: With the fencing of the entire school, it has given us enough confidence that we are secured. We now perform our academic activities without any fear unlike before when our school was not fenced. Similarly, Titus David thanked the state government for the repair works on their classes, laboratories, library, hostels and staff quarters saying such gesture has further strengthened us as we now have a good environment. Ibrahim Modu, on the other hand, was of the opinion that the renovation work has given them a sense of belonging as it has increased students enrollment thereby boosting their morale. The principal of the school, Ibrahim Mamuda, also expressed joy over the renovation which he says has greatly encouraged teaching and learning in the school. He stressed that previously, students were seeking for transfer to other urban schools but the situation has changed as they have been having influx of parents seeking admission for their wards. Formally, parents were relocating their wards to more urban cities like Potiskum and Damaturu, among others but with the development, it has greatly increased our population as more and more parents are seeking for admissions to their children. Speaking after the inspection visit, Governor Ibrahim Gaidam called on the students to reciprocate the gesture with hard work and to shun drugs and other social vices capable of destroying their future. Furthermore, he advised them to remain focussed, while assuring them that his administration would spend hugely in making them comfortable. Responding to the problems of electricity and water supply in the school and Fika town, the governor directed the secretary to the State Government, Baba Mallam Wali to interact with the Fika community for urgent intervention. I am directing the Secretary to the State Government to liaise with the school Authority and the Fika community to find lasting solution to water and electric problem of Fika town. We, the People of South Africa, declare for all our country and the world to know: That South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white, and that no government can justly claim authority unless it is based on the will of all the people; That our people have been robbed of their birthright to land, liberty and peace by a form of government founded on injustice and inequality; That our country will never be prosperous or free until all our people live in brotherhood, enjoying equal rights and opportunities; That only a democratic state, based on the will of all the people, can secure to all their birthright without distinction of colour, race, sex or belief; And therefore, we, the people of South Africa, black and white together equals, countrymen and brothers adopt this Freedom Charter; And we pledge ourselves to strive together, sparing neither strength nor courage, until the democratic changes here set out have been won. The adoption of the foregoing declaration at the Congress of the People in Kliptown, on 26 June 1955, changed the anti-apartheid struggle from the passive and non-violent civil resistance, which was adopted with the influence of Mahatma Ghandis nonviolent civil disobedience to a life and death struggle. The draconian apartheid regime in South Africa came into force in 1948, following the triumph of Afrikaans National Party in an all-white election. Political thinkers had described the struggle against apartheid as one big tree. The blood, tears and sweat of those who died in the struggle was the water that watered the tree. The tree began to bud and bear fruits with the release of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela in 11 February, 1990. Finally, the fruits began to ripe for harvest when the first democratic elections took place in 1994. Analysts had opined that, the emergence of a truly democratic South Africa in 1994 was the first step towards a fair, equitable and just social and economic order. This assertion was based on the fact that, long years of apartheid system of government conferred automatic economic advantage on the minority Afrikaans. According to Economists, over 85 percent of the countrys economy is controlled by the white South Africans. The Mandela & CO led struggle was only for political freedom, haven attained political power, the succeeding generation was well positioned to take up the fight against economic imbalances and injustices. The evidence of that would better measured by the improvement in the economic life and prospects for the traumatized, battered and impoverished ordinary South Africans. However, twenty two years after the historic election that heralded Nelson Mandela as the first democratically elected president of the rainbow nation, the benefits of the 1994 transition is yet to trickle down on the ordinary South Africans, especially the youths. Over the last 22 years, the standard of governance has deteriorated rapidly. Even the Africa National Congress, ANC, formed in 1912 to champion the cause of the black South Africans has witnessed internal implosion with the breakaway of a faction to form Democratic Alliance, DA, made up of white South Africans and renegade member of the ANC. Also, the youth leader of ANC, Julius Malema broke away to form Economic Freedom Fighters Party after consistent brawl with the elders over the worsening economic fortune of ordinary South Africans. The ANC has watched its fortune wear away from the 62 percent vote in 1994 to the abysmal performance in the 2016 municipal elections. Experts adduced corruption of the ruling class as responsible for the inability of the ANC to feather its initial goodwill. The same reason accounts for why the economic benefits of the 1994 freedom is yet to trickle down on ordinary South African. Observers wonder why the South African youths are turning against migrants, instead of holding their leaders accountable. Their anger, analysts say, should have been directed at leaders like President Jacob Zuma, who was indicted for using 23-28million dollars of tax payers money to renovate his lousy and expansive house in Nkandla region. The youths, analysts say should have vent their frustration on post Thabo Mbel Mbeki few powerful clique, who suddenly become super rich at the expense of their impoverished fellow South Africans. The youths should have join forces with the Julius Malema led Economic Freedom Fighters Party to vote out the corrupt regime in South Africa, instead of directing their anger in wrong direction. International affairs analysts, Dr Gideon Akomofayi told LEADERSHIP that, South African youths are failing to realize that, Nigeria is also taking its fair share of migrants too. He said, what is happening in South Africa is like Nigerian youth turning their anger against millions of Nigerien, Togolese, Ghanaian, Benoniose in Nigeria. It is a popular believe that South African youths are not productive, innovative and hard working. This insinuation has been echoed for the umpteenth time by the countrys president, Jacob Zuma, who went as far as describing South Africans as lazy. This has made an average youth in South Africa, love luxurious life with little work. To be able to cope with the life of women, wine and partying, many of them indulge in crime. Every other minute, a woman is being raped in South Africa. Robbery takes place in broad day light. Analysts say, with or without xenophobic attacks, the country will continue to witness violence. The 2016 South African crime statistics released by the South African Police, shows that crimes continue to increase in the country. According to the data, overall crime in South Africa has increased between 2015 and 2016, with 2.1 million crimes reported in the 12 months measured. All general categories of crime decreased, except for contact crimes, which remained stubborn, the SAPS said. Provincially, Limpopo and Mpumalanga crime levels increased, while all other provinces decreased. The Northern Cape remained stable, the SAPS said. The SAPS said that the 2016 statistics were compiled in conjunction with Stats SA to assure that the process was subject to the tightest quality control. This came after criticism in 2015 that the police statistics were unaudited, bringing into question its reliability. Stats SA says that, while the data released is not yet on the same level as other statistical information, it is compliant with required legislation, and is thus endorsed. The biggest crime category to increase over the past year is robbery of cash-in-transit vehicles, though this is off of a relatively low base. Between April 2014 and March 2015, there were 119 reported cases of these robberies in the April 2015 to March 2016 period, this jumped 15.1% to 137 cases. In terms of sheer number of crimes, however, the biggest increase was in cases of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, which saw 7,598 more cases reported in 2016. This was also the third highest percentage increase across all crime categories at 11.1%. General theft and drug-related crimes remain the biggest problems in the country, with over 340,000 and just under 260,000 reported crimes in those categories respectively though this is an improvement from 2015. Source: Leadership The state of Hawaii has filed a lawsuit against President the U.S Donald Trumps new travel ban. The lawsuit was filed in a federal court in Honolulu on Wednesday, National Public Radio reported. In a statement, Hawaii Attorney-General Doug Chin called the new executive order nothing more than Muslim Ban 2.0. Chin said: under the pretense of national security, it still targets immigrants and refugees. It leaves the door open for even further restrictions. Our office is reviewing the new order and will decide what next steps may be necessary. The justice department so far has declined to comment on the lawsuit, according to reports. Trump signed on Monday a fresh executive order halting new visas for people from six majority-Muslim countries and suspending refugee admissions for 120 days. The new order, which takes effect March 16, bans tourist, immigration and most other entries to the U.S. from six countries for 90 days: Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Iraq, which was included on the previous ban issued Jan. 27, is no longer on the list. NAN It was an emotional goodbye for the people of Minna, Niger State, following the retirement of Reverend Jeremiah OConnell. The moment when both men shed tears while saying their goodbyes. The Sheik hugged Father OConnell for about 3 minutes, thanking him for all he has done for the people of Nigeria, especially the people of Minna. The emotional moment between the Catholic priest and the Islamic cleric comes at a time when there is so much hate in the country between both religions. According to the people of the community, Rev. OConnell touched many lives and he can never be forgotten for his good deeds. Father OConnell was conferred with the traditional title JAGABAN Ilmin Mai Martaban Minna. He served in a Government Secondary School in Minna as a Principal for 50 years. Following his retirement, he will be returning to Ireland. Source: TheSun 1. Early life Chief Agho Obaseki Godwin Obaseki is a son of the famous Obaseki family. One of the familys most popular sons was Chief Agho Obaseki, who was the great great grand son of the Obi of Nsukwa, in the now Aniocha region of the Delta state of Nigeria. As a young child, he went to St. Matthews Anglican primary school, Benin city. His secondary education was at Eghosa Anglican Grammar school, also in Benin city. 2. Education After secondary school, he attended the University of Ibadan where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Classics. For his MBA in Finance and International Business, he attended the Columbia University and Pace University in New York, the United States of America. He is also a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Stock Brokers, Nigeria, and an alumnus of the Lagos Business School Chief Executive. 3. Family life Mr Godwin Obaseki with his wife Mrs Betsy Obaseki Apart from being from the famous and illustrious Obaseki family. He is married to Betsy Obaseki. 4. Career Godwin Obaseki has held many official posts within Edo state Godwin Obaseki was the chairman of the Edo state Economic and Strategy Team (EST), which was inaugurated by Governor Adams Oshiomole in March 2009. He also serves as an executive board member of several private companies including Afrinvest, Dorman Long Engineering Limited, Pillar Oil Limited, Seric Impianti International Limited. He was the founding secretary of a New York based US Africa Chamber of Commerce in 1992, which promoted US organisations doing business in Africa. 5. Obasekis NGO Godwin Obaseki is also a trustee in a family NGO He also serves as trustee, in the Dr Jackson Owen Obaseki Foundation, a family owned NGO, which is involved in providing free educational and health services to the less priviledged people. 6. Achievements He was the chairman of the following entities: Tax Assessment Review Committee for Edo State Internal Revenue Service (TARC). Committee on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME). Committee on the Implementation of the Law Establishing the Edo State University of Science and Technology, Uzaire He was also the secretary, committee on Contributory Pension Scheme. On Thursday, September 29, he has been declared as the governor-elect of Edo state. Popular Nollywood actress, Tonto Dikeh has finally come out of the closet to explain the details of her failed marriage. In an interview with Media Room Hub, the mother of one revealed that her estranged husband really humiliated her, and that the Nigerian Embassy in Ghana has nude photos/videos of her when she ran to them during one of their fights. The actress also showed evidence that her husband, Churchill always beat her up. She also denied having any issues with her mother in-law. She also said she is aware that Rosy Meurer is the reason Churchill abandoned her and his son, that she has been sleeping with her husband. She also revealed that her husband bought her birthday car gift for her and that two other women have contacted her to inform her that they have kids for her husband. She revealed was and is still a born agin Christian and that she attends Mountain of Fire Ministry. Tonto speaking on her marriage said Its a bitter experience for me to talk about. I am here because I will be helping someone somewhere. I dont want to say things to bring down my husband I am praying for strength. She said that see loved her husband with all of her heart and that she did not want to give up on the marriage even though she was abused but She questioned that if her husband was ashamed of what he was doing why then does he do them.? Justice Mojisola Olatoregun of Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday convicted and sentenced a Lagos based trader, Okwudili Eboro to 10 years imprisonment for drug trafficking. The judge handed down the verdict after Eboro pleaded guilty to a one count charge of illicit drug dealing brought against him by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). The convict, who was arraigned before the court in November 2012, had initially pleaded not guilty to the charge but he changed his plea on Thursday after he was re-arraigned by the NDLEA. In the charge, the convict was said to have been arrested in September 2012, at the departure hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, during the outward clearance of an Ethiopian Airline flight to Addis Abba. The prosecutor, Fingere Dinneys had told the court that the convict, without lawful authority exported about 4.3kg of Methamphetamine, a drug similar to Cocaine and Heroin. He said that the offence contravened the provisions of sections 11 (b) of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation, 2004 While reviewing the facts of the case Dinneys tendered various evidence before the court including a statement of the accused, a request for scientific aid form, a drug analysis form as well as a bulk exhibit. In his statement made to the NDLEA which was read in open court, the convict said he was a trader at Lagos Island before his business suffered a collapse. According to him, in the process of looking for help he came across an old friend, one Daniel who promised to help him with the sum of 5000 dollars, if he could transport a bag of Metaphetamine to Indian. I decided to do it because my wife was pregnant at that time, and also had a high blood pressure, his statement said Following his guilty plea, the trial judge, Justice Olatoregun convicted him as charged. However, before his sentence, counsel to the accused Mrs Vivienne Ekwegh, urged the court to tamper justice with mercy. She said that the accused was a first offender and urged the court to be lenient with his sentence. Delivering judgment, Justice Olatoregun sentenced the accused to a term of 10 years imprisonment beginning from the date of his arrest. She also ordered that the convict forfeits the sum of 2000 dollars recovered from him during his arrest, to the Federal Government. The judge however gave the convict an option of N10 million fine. Source: Leadership The Ogun State Police Command says it has arrested two persons who have been impersonating as men of Nigeria Army in order to extort and maltreat innocent people in Agbado area of the state. The two fake soldiers were Joseph David and Adebayo Olanrewaju. The state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said they were arrested following a complaint from a lawyer, Paul Oniyo and Chima Solomon that the two suspects who put on military camouflage accosted them, beat them up and inflicted injuries on them over a minor disagreement. Upon their complaint, he said, the Divisional Police Officer of Agbado Division, Abioye Shittu, a chief superintendent of police, led detectives to the scene where the suspects were arrested and brought to the station. On interrogation, Oyeyemi said, it was discovered that the two acclaimed military men were mere impostors thriving on illegality for sustenance. He said items recovered from them were various military hard wares, cap and a camp bed. Meanwhile, the state Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Iliyasu, has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspects to State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Abeokuta for further investigation. What's the best way to get a good answer to a tough question? Ask a bunch of people, and make a competition out of it. That's long been Kaggle's approach to data science: Turn tough missions, like making lung cancer detection more accurate, into bounty-paying competitions, where the best teams and the best algorithms win. Now Kaggle is rolling into Google, and while all signs point to it being kept as-is for now, there will be jitters about the long-term prospects for a site with such a devoted community and an an idiosyncratic approach. [ Docker, Amazon, TensorFlow, Windows 10, and more: See InfoWorld's 2017 Technology of the Year Award winners. | Cut to the key news in technology trends and IT breakthroughs with the InfoWorld Daily newsletter, our summary of the top tech happenings. ] Here are three other sites that share a similar mission, if not explicitly followed in Kaggle's footsteps. (Note that some sites, like CrowdAnalytix, may consider accepted solutions in contests as works for hire and thus their property.) CrowdAI A product of the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland, CrowdAI is an open source platform for hosting open data challenges and gaining insight into how the problems in question were solved. The platform is quite new, with only six challenges offered so far, but the tutorials derived from those challenges are detailed and valuable, providing step-by-step methodologies to reproduce that work or create something similar. The existing exercises cover common frameworks like Torch or TensorFlow, so it's a good place to acquire hands-on details for using them. DrivenData DrivenData, created by a consultancy that deals in professional data problems, hosts online challenges lasting a few months. Each is focused specifically on pressing problems facing the world at large, like predicting the spread of diseases or mining Yelp data to improve restaurant inspection processes. Like Kaggle, DrivenData also has a data science jobs listing board -- a feature people are worried might go missing from Kaggle post-acquisition. CrowdAnalytix Backed by investors from Accel Partners and SAIF Partners, CrowdAnalytix focuses on hosting data-driven problem-solving competitions, rather than sharing information that result from them. Contests are offered for finding solutions to problems in categories like modeling, visualization, and research, and each has bounties in the thousands of dollars. Some previous challenges include predicting the real costs of workers' compensation claims or airline delays. Other contests, though, aren't hosted for money, but for providing a competitive option to learn a related discipline, such as the R language. This is a rogue wave photo taken from the deck of the RV Cape Henlopen in the western North Atlantic during the Atlantic Remote Sensing Land/Ocean Experiment (ARSLOE) The crest of the rogue propogates from the right to left. Credit: H. Mitsuyasu Inset figure: Surface elevation of groups in each period band displayed on axes of time and logarithm of period in seconds. All 32 periods are displayed and their sum (divided by 20) is graphed along the time axis. The Andrea crest is at 862 s. Credit: Donelan, et.al. Photo: H. Mitsuyasu Graph: Donelan, et.al. University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science scientist Mark Donelan and his Norwegian Meteorological Institute colleague captured new information about extreme waves, as one of the steepest ever recorded passed by the North Sea Ekofisk platforms in the early morning hours of Nov. 9 2007. Within the first hour of the day, the Andrea wave passed by a four-point square array of ocean sensors designed by the researchers to measure the wavelength, direction, amplitude and frequency of waves at the ocean surface. Using the information from the wave seta total of 13,535 individual wavescollected by the system installed on a bridge between two offshore platforms, the researchers took the wave apart to examine how the components came together to produce such a steep wave. The data from the 100-meter wide wall of water moving at 40 miles per hour showed that Andrea may have reached heights greater than the recorded height of 49 feet above mean sea level. They also found that rogue waves are not rare as previously thought and occur roughly twice daily at any given location in a storm. The findings showed that the steeper the waves are, the less frequent their occurrence, which is about every three weeks at any location for the steepest rogues. The Andrea crest height was 1.63 times the significant height (average height of the one third highest waves). Optimal focusing of the Andrea wave showed that the crest could have been even higher and limited by breaking at 1.7 times the significant height. This establishes the greatest height rogues can reach for any given (or forecasted) significant height. Rogue waves are known to have caused loss of life as well as damage to ships and offshore structures, said Mark Donelan, professor emeritus of ocean sciences at the UM Rosenstiel School. Our results, while representing the worst-case rogue wave forecast, are new knowledge important for the design and safe operations for ships and platforms at sea. ### The study, titled The Making of the Andrea Wave and other Rogues, was published in the March 8 issue of the journal Scientific Reports. The authors include: Donelan and Anne-Karin Magnusson from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. The work was partly performed within the ExWaMar project (ID 256466/O80) funded by the Norwegian Research Council. ConocoPhillips provided the wave data. About the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School The University of Miami is one of the largest private research institutions in the southeastern United States. The University's mission is to provide quality education, attract and retain outstanding students, support the faculty and their research, and build an endowment for University initiatives. Founded in the 1940's, the Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science has grown into one of the world's premier marine and atmospheric research institutions. Offering dynamic interdisciplinary academics, the Rosenstiel School is dedicated to helping communities to better understand the planet, participating in the establishment of environmental policies, and aiding in the improvement of society and quality of life. For more information, visit: http://www. rsmas. miami. edu and Twitter: UMiamiRSMAS Spacer.com.au Pty. Ltd., an Australia-based peer-to-peer self-storage marketplace, has acquired U.S.-based Roost Shared Storage Inc. and will rebrand the business as Spacer.com. The deal includes Roosts customers, database and technology platform, according to the source. The move enables Spacer to replicate its services in the United States. Weve always had global aspirations, and were ready to move into the worlds largest self-storage market, Spacer CEO Mike Rosenbaum told the source. The other exciting part of the deal is Roost has built up fantastic partnerships in the U.S. including Zip Car and Maven Drive, which is owned by General Motors, to provide peer-to-peer car spaces for them. Were growing 30 percent month on month, and our investors couldnt be happier. Roost launched its peer-to-peer service in San Francisco in 2014. It received $1.2 million in funding at a $6 million valuation last year. Its staff of 10 will be retained by Spacer, which effectively will double its number of employees, according to the source. Last April, Spacer partnered with Paris-based peer-to-peer storage business Costockage to jointly expand service to Asia. When Spacer moves into a new market, its goal is to grab up to 10 percent of the local self-storage market, Rosenbaum told the source. Spacer enables people in need of storage to find available space in their local area from businesses and homeowners. All rental payments are made through Spacer, which collects a 15 percent commission. The company raised $1.2 million from angel and private investors in October 2015. The Scott County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a zoning permit for a mixed-use project in Gate City, Va., last week that will include self-storage as well as a country store with a deli. The parcel at the intersection of Warm Springs and Yuma Roads was recently purchased by Paul Fields, a 50-year resident, according to the source. During a March 4 public hearing, Fields told the board he had attempted to purchase the land once before, but was outbid. When it went up for sale again, he grabbed it, he said. That community down here is 17 miles long, from the red light in Weber City to the state line, Fields said. A lot of people live there. I thought it would be a good opportunity to give some service for the community. The storage units will be built first because they wont require lights or water, Fields said. The country store and deli will come later. Several residents have asked Fields about the store and when it will open, he added. He also spoke with neighboring property owners, who are in favor of the project. County board members agreed the development was a good move for the area. No members of the public attended the meeting. Work on the site has already begun, the source reported. An old barn has been removed and dirt has been hauled in to fill out the property. Find Local Storage (FLS), a consortium of self-storage owners who operate an online facility directory, has hired Michelle Jordan as executive director. Shell be responsible for driving business expansion and new-product development, as well as helping the company continue to identify and connect with partners to increase revenue and profit for its members. Michelle brings over 25 years of experience in management, finance and marketing, making her a tremendous asset to Find Local Storage, said Ian Burnstein, co-founder and president of the Storage Business Owners Association LLC and an FLS managing partner. As we continue to focus on providing quality leads and rentals to our growing member base, it was imperative to add the executive director position. Michelle will bring energy and vision to Find Local Storage. A graduate of St. Edwards University, Jordan has served as CEO of the Texas Emergency Services Retirement System, controller for marketing firm Go Local Interactive, and chief financial officer for the Texas Department of Agriculture. As a business owner, she has provided website-development, bookkeeping and recruiting services, and assisted with the administration duties for a family-owned storage company. Find Local Storage has a strong reputation as a company that empowers self-storage owners, Jordan said. I am honored to be a part of the company and believe my unique background will help [FLS] expand its opportunities in the market. I look forward to playing a role in its continued growth. Launched in 2013, FLS offers a lead-generation platform that generated more than 40,000 calls for its member facilities last year, according to a press release. Allied World has announced the launch of three new products in the professional liability space.The insurer has launched directors and officers liability, architects and engineers professional indemnity and miscellaneous professional indemnity as it looks to grow its footprint in the Australian market.The launch of these three primary policies represents the next step in Allied Worlds journey towards becoming a highly recognised provider of professional liability products, solutions and claims services in the Australian market, Kym Beazleigh , vice president, professional liability, Australia, said.Beazleigh said that there is more to come from Allied World as it looks to use its global presence to strengthen its Australian offerings.Each of the three new products will be targeted at small to medium and large companies domiciled in Australia with a maximum capacity of $10 million.The miscellaneous professional indemnity cover is designed for professional service providers such as management consultants, engineers of all disciplines and accountants, among others.The product launch comes after Allied World announced a pair of new hires for its business earlier this year. Beazleigh joined the firm from Zurich , in January, and Karsten Buescher was made vice president, onshore construction, Australia, in February. Far North homeowners could receive the federal governments response to their concerns on exorbitant home insurance premiums by May.Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch met a reinsurance adviser last week to discuss the possibility of establishing a community-owned, catastrophe mutual insurer to drive down premium costs.The proposed mutual insurer would cover cyclone risk for private companies, allowing them to offer more affordable insurance for other risks such as theft and fire, according to a Cairns Post report.They [insurers] cant hide behind cyclones to justify higher prices in any other insurance they are offering. The mutual will cover that and it wont be distributing profits to anybody other than the policyholders, Entsch told the publication.Basically, this product will be available to every single company that offers insurance.It will certainly encourage others, who may not want to take the cyclone risk, to come into the market because that is covered for them.The Insurance Council of Australia maintained that the best way to reduce premiums is to mitigate cyclone risks, an opinion supported by three independent reports.Cairns Mortgage Brokers director Roger Ward was of the opinion, however, that the issue requires stronger market intervention.It is a little bit like trying to get a promise from a fox that if you let all the chickens out, he wont eat them, he said. These corporations are what they are and they are there to make a profit for their shareholders. Brightway Insurance has announced that it will begin operations in New York through Brightway, The Milano Agency. Its offices will be located in Tarrytown and will open its doors on March 13. The agency is owned by Mike Milano.In addition, the company said it will undertake an expansion in Texas through Brightway, The Siva Family Agency, which is owned by Siva Govindarajan, in Plano. This will be Brightways third agency in the state.Were thrilled to expand into New York and into new markets in Texas. We have a team of more than 220 professionals who provide agency ownerswith A to Z support Brightway president Talman Howard said in acompany statement.The firm provides bespoke home, auto, flood, umbrella and business insurance policies from a diverse selection of insurance companies. It is one of the largest privately held personal lines independent insurance companies in the US. The shareholders of Virginia-based insurer Genworth Financial Inc. have voted to approve the proposed acquisition of the company by investment firm China Oceanwide. Genworth announced the potential deal, which is valued at around US$2.7 billion, in October 2016.The company said that 96% of votes cast were in favor of the transaction, representing 71% of total outstanding shares of common stock.Both Genworth and Oceanwide expect the deal to be completed by mid-2017. However, it still has to leap around a dozen regulatory approval hurdles including the Virginia Bureau of Insurance, as well as regulatory agencies of Delaware, New York, and North Carolina.The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States must also approve the sale, along with authorities in other countries where Genworth is present.Its a big milestone, Genworths president and CEO Thomas McInerney told the Richmond Times-Dispatch after the companys special shareholder meeting on Tuesday morning at the Westin Richmond hotel.We have done all the filings, and we have had a lot of dialogue back and forth with (regulators), McInerney said. They tend to wait to really get going until after shareholders have voted.He added that the Virginia Bureau of Insurance is likely to schedule a public hearing on the proposed deal.Genworth, which provides mortgage insurance and long-term care insurance, agreed to be acquired by China Oceanwide after suffering losses for several years, primarily from its long-term care insurance business. In February last year, it cut 330 jobs as it aimed to lower costs after stopping sales of its traditional life insurance and fixed annuity products.McInerney shared that there are post-acquisition plans for Genworth to offer long-term care insurance in China. It's critical to help clients make the most of the plans they have Next month, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) will enact changes that include a range of premium increases and agents need to be ready.The changes, effective as of April 1, are mostly tied to rate increases, which vary between different flood zones and different types of properties, Cynthia DiVincenti, vice president of government affairs and business quality assurance, Aon National Flood Services, told Insurance Business.Register today for your last chance to save $300 on Flood Risk 2017 Texas.Overall, premiums will go up an average of 6.3%, with primary residence premiums increasing by an average of 5% and non-primary residence premiums increasing an average of 24%.Aon NFS has released a guide for agents ahead of the move Making Sense of April 2017 NFIP Changes which is available online.DiVincenti said that primarily, agents need to understand the premium increases, so when their customers actually receive a renewal bill and they see that the premium is higher than it was last year and they call their agent, they have that awareness.Another key point for agents is what wont be changing which includes deductible factors, federal policy fee and HFIAA surcharges, among others.This impacts agents pretty heavily because theyre not paid commission on those fees, assessments or surcharges, and the last couple of years those have been pretty substantial so thats been kind of a hit to them to not get any commission on that, DiVincenti explained.Beyond the April changes, the programs pending reauthorization is a key focus for the industry.Obviously the industry is looking for Congress to act sometime before September 30 to pass legislation for a long term, and what we hope would be a timely reauthorization, DiVincenti said.After the market was totally disrupted by the many lapses and extensions to the program between 2008 and 2012, the industry is hoping that Congress wont allow that to happen again.The program is looking for a minimum reauthorization of five years, which DiVincenti says would create good market stability, and is accepting of some potential reform.If the reform encourages or facilitates growth in the private flood insurance market, we think thats good for the program.Find out more about the flood insurance landscape at the Flood Risk 2017 masterclass in Houston, Texas on May 11, where national and regional experts will unite to explore key issues surrounding flood risk and insurance, and best-practices for mitigation. Reports of the forthcoming budget structure has caused controversy amid news that flood insurance increases in New Jersey will be used to sustain the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in order to free up funds for the wall President Donald J. Trump promised to build along the US-Mexico border.Budget documents leaked to media outlets have been said to reflect a 10% slash in FEMA funds, which maintains the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), among others. The program is currently $25 billion in debt.Citing reports from the Washington Post, Ashbury Park Press said that the (Office of Budget and Management) has been asked to come up with a plan to limit the extra payment for homeowners with lower-value homes.President Trump now wants to pay for his giant wall on the backs of New Jersey storm victims and other homeowners who pay flood insurance US Senator Robert Menendez told Ashbury.The publication further quoted FEMA figures, which reveal that flood insurance rates rose by 9% in 2016, and will increase by an average 6.3% this year. If surcharges and fees are applied, the former rate of $878 will rise to $1,005. Its been a busy start to 2017 for Ryan Specialty Group (RSG) the firm has snapped up Trident Marine Management, Interstate Insurance Management as well as two other outfits through its Swedish and Danish operations.RSGs founder and CEO, Patrick Ryan, said the decision to buy Trident and Interstate was based on the complex space they occupied.Theyve got tougher risks - we like to be engaged in working in lines of businesses where you can differentiate yourself, differentiate your expertise, Ryan said, referencing Tridents energy and marine specializations on top of Interstates trucking focus.The strategy adopted by RSG is driven by wholesale or retail brokers who ask the company for facilities and specialty lines, Ryan said.In energy, youve got a range of risks that the energy companies incur making it a fertile ground for creativity and specialization, he explained. Interstate in truck is the same principle. Trucking and commercial auto are very complicated risks and are topically difficult.Ryan advised insurers put considerable planning into their M&A strategy.They should really have a well-defined strategy that they stick to. We stick to our strategy religiously. We dont look to grow as a result of acquisitions alone, its very important for every business to grow market share organically, Ryan said.We blend acquisitions with that organic growth to increase our market share, to increase lines of business, our geographic coverage and new specialty lines.There were three priorities Ryan listed insurers should take into account when looking at acquisitions.You cant just say I want to grow through acquisitions, because, historically, acquisitions do not work. Strategy first, Ryan said, mentioning RSG made no purchases in 2014 because there werent any fits.Secondly, and critically is culture. It has to be a cultural fit. You can find a wonderful business that fits your strategy but the cultures clash. Particularly with a professional service business like an insurance broker or an underwriting business: cultural fit is critical.RSG wont buy a company if the strategy makes sense but the cultures arent aligned, Ryan said, adding that scale and accretion arent reason enough for growth.We bring in cohesive solutions to our clients. Its so important the cultures fit because, if not, were not going to have cohesiveness, Ryan said.The third is price, it always comes after the first two. With price, you just have to factor in your return. New York City on Tuesday landmarked some lavish public interiors at the Waldorf Astoria to save them as the hotels Chinese owners start a renovation that will produce hundreds of private condominiums. Nine members of the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously to preserve two dozen original spaces of the grand Park Avenue hotel that opened in 1931. The commission must approve any future changes. Chinas Anbang Insurance Group Co. bought the Waldorf in 2015 for nearly $2 billion from Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. The makeover involves converting hundreds of guest rooms into condominiums, while Hilton will continue to run a diminished hotel when it reopens in two to three years. The landmarks vote protects parts of the first three floors of the 47-story building, including the grand ballroom and balconies, the entrance floor mosaic assembled with 140,000 marble tiles, and the lofty lobby with its chiseled tower supporting a small Statue of Liberty. Also landmarked are vestibules, foyers, lounges and arcades graced with gilded plaster reliefs, metalwork and exotic wood paneling. Anbang issued a statement praising the commissions action. Anbang knows the Waldorf Astorias history is a large part of what makes this hotel so unforgettable. That is why we fully supported the commissions recommendations for designation of the Waldorf Astorias most important public spaces and applaud the commission on achieving landmark status for them. The Waldorfs exterior was landmarked in 1993. The hotel hosted U.S. presidents, royalty and celebrities for eight decades before closing on March 1. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics New York Prime Minister Theresa Mays team increasingly expect the U.K. to trigger the start of Brexit talks in late March, according to two British officials and a European Union diplomat. While the end of next week remains an option if May can secure parliamentary approval, signs are mounting in both London and Brussels that she will hold back until after a March 25 summit of EU leaders in Rome. All three officials asked not to be named as the matter is private. While she still aims to make her move this month, May is constrained by events and must first wait for Parliament to pass a bill granting her the power to start two years of negotiations. After that, she is likely to want to avoid a clash with the Dutch election on March 15, or with the Scottish National Partys conference on March 17-18. Italian officials have also signaled that they do not expect the U.K. to interfere with their March 25 celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, the EUs founding agreement. The British government is absolutely on course to trigger Brexit this month, Mays spokesman, James Slack, told reporters on Tuesday. EU President Donald Tusk, speaking to reporters in Brussels ahead of a leaders summit that begins on Thursday, said that he expected the Brexit talks to begin soon. After official notification is received from the U.K., EU officials will need more or less 48 hours to respond with draft guidelines on the coming negotiations for the remaining 27 EU governments to consider. A special summit will then take place to finalize the negotiating strategy probably in April, he said. Related: Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Topics Europe Markel International, the London-based specialist insurer and Markel Corp. subsidiary, has launched a surety offering, following the appointment Damian Manning to head the new team and David Chandler as senior underwriter. The business will initially focus on opportunities in the UK, Ireland and Continental Europe with the intention to expand to other regions outside North America, the company said in a statement. Manning has over 19 years of experience in the credit and surety business, having started his career as a broker at Aon Trade Credit and moving to Aon Surety and Guarantee in 2002. For the last six years, he has worked as London markets surety manager for Aviva and immediately prior to that as surety manager for the UK and Ireland at Coface. Chandler joined the industry as claims handler with Euler Hermes in 2006, moving to Coface as credit risk underwriter in 2007. Here, he joined the surety operation in 2010 and most recently worked as risk director- bonding for Euler Hermes UK. The addition of surety is a natural extension to our offering and provides a full range of complementary products across our portfolio, said Ewa Rose, managing director of the trade credit, political risk and surety business. The new launch is in response to high broker and client demand and we look forward to providing much needed capacity to the market. It also increases our ability to design new and exciting products by combining the skill-sets and experience across our underwriting team. Source: Markel International Related: Topics Leadership New Markets The African Risk Capacity (ARC) has teamed up with the African Development Bank (AfDB) to help African nations strengthen their resilience to weather-related risks. The ARC and the AfDB will work together to develop their member states understanding of the value of risk transfer tools, while enhancing risk management infrastructure and policy, said a statement issued by the two agencies. A particular focus of the partnership will be on recurrent disasters such as drought, floods and tropical cyclones as well as on improved resilience and speedier recovery after disasters, the statement added. On March 7, ARC and AfDB signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to formalize the partnership. This partnership with AfDB will complement ARC as we will jointly train and prepare countries to better manage weather-related risk and mainstream insurance into their disaster management plans, said Mohamed Beavogui, United Nations assistant secretary general and director general of ARC. The partnership will help member states lay the foundations for a robust approach at the national level around disaster risk financing, said Frannie Leautier, senior vice president, AfDB. About ARC and AfDB The African Risk Capacity (ARC) was established in 2012 as a specialized agency of the African Union (AU) to help 32 member states improve their capacities to better plan, prepare and respond to weather-related disasters by providing, through sovereign disaster risk insurance, targeted responses to natural disasters in a more timely, cost-effective, objective and transparent manner. The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) was founded in 1964 to contribute to the economic development and social progress of African countries. It comprises three entities: the African Development Bank, the African Development Fund and the Nigeria Trust Fund. Source: African Risk Capacity (ARC) and African Development Bank (AfDB) Related: Topics Mergers & Acquisitions A three-year-old Des Moines, Iowa-based business startup accelerator focused solely on the global insurance industry has developed into a streamlined organization with more applicants, more investors and more mentors than in past years, its managing director says. Weve matured as an organization, said Brian Hemesath, managing director of the Global Insurance Accelerator (GIA), which was created in 2014 as an initiative of the Greater Des Moines Partnership. Financially backed by insurance carriers, GIA held its first startup class, or cohort, in 2015. Each year GIA selects six applicants to participate in the 100-day program in which budding companies work with mentors to develop their business model, which must serve the insurance industry in some way. The startups receive $40,000 in seed money and for the first time this year, housing for the duration of the program. At the end of the 100 days, each company presents its business plan at the annual Global Insurance Symposium in Des Moines. This year, demo day is slated for April 26. The GIA received its initial funding from seven Iowa-based insurance companies. It now boasts 10 investing insurers, two of which are located out of state. Hemesath said he expects to add even more carrier-investors for next years cohort, including additional insurance companies from outside Iowa. The mentor pool, which is populated with insurance professionals from all sectors of the industry, has also grown and diversified. There are now 110 insurance-centric mentors from across the United States plus a few from other countries working with the program, Hemesath said. Weve garnered a lot of interest in what were doing and the companies are realizing that our program is not only really easy to support but weve been able to attract some really great talent, he said.r Grinnell Mutual Insurance Co., headquartered in Grinnell, Iowa, and six other Iowa insurers each committed to providing $100,000 in funding each year for at least three years. Grinnell President and CEO Larry Jansen was an enthusiastic supporter of the program from the beginning. I had two ideas when I went with this. One was that if they could bring some new ideas to us as a company, to help us produce and grow more business from a technology standpoint, I thought that would be a great situation for us. The other piece was if I could find some companies that we can invest in from an investment standpoint, almost like a venture capitalist, we would do that, as well, to help grow revenue in the company, Jansen said. So far Grinnell has invested in a startup from each of the previous two years Drive Spotter from the 2014 class, which is developing technology and telematics for the trucking industry, and InsuranceSocial.Media from the 2015 class, which is developing social media platforms for agencies. The Global Insurance Accelerator, to me, fit exactly in my vision of energizing [Grinnell], moving us forward, growing this company to a billion-dollar company in the next decade, and focusing on technology, Jansen said. He added that Grinnell would continue its support of the program going forward. More Applicants, Greater Maturity Hemesath said the number of applicants to the program has steadily increased, along with the maturity level of the startups, in terms of the products theyve developed. He cited one of this years participants, Boston-based InsuranceMenu, which has created a platform for distributing employee benefits to the small business market, as a prime example. Theyve been around now two years, and they have paying customers, are making revenue and have a real product thats in the market. We didnt have a company like that two years ago and we have three now this year. Three of our six have products in the market generating revenue, Hemesath said. A fourth participant has a marketable product and the final two are at the early concept stage, but the concept was fascinating enough to us that we wanted to bring them in, he said. Nabil Aidoud, one of the founders of InsuranceMenu, said that like the insurance industry itself the GIA as a startup accelerator is unique. Insurance is a complicated industry with a lot of stakeholders, and the GIA has done an amazing job of bringing these different stakeholders together who traditionally dont collaborate that well, and have created this little sort of mini ecosystem built around attracting startups, and innovating around that. Youre not going to find that in a lot of the other accelerators across the country or across the world, he said. The InsuranceMenu product aims to transform how employee benefits are distributed to the small business market, Aidoud said. With 48 million Americans working for small businesses, those firms typically need an independent agent to help guide them through the decision-making process involved providing benefits to their employees, he said. Unfortunately, because of the fragmentation at the small business market level, as well as the agent level, not a whole lot is standardized. This is where InsuranceMenu comes in. We make it easier for the employer. We make it more profitable for the agent and we bring the carriers closer to this target segment. The product is geared toward both agents and carriers, and to helping the agent community work more effectively with the carrier community, he said. While there may be an assumption that once a company gets a product to the market its good to go, the truth is once the product is marketable a whole new set of questions arise. Thats what makes the GIAs mentoring program so effective, Aidoud said. Its really amazing to be able to ask questions without having to worry about people perceiving you as being immature or not ready for full-time production. To be able to talk to potential customers about my long-term distribution model and get their take, thats a very privileged position to be in, he said. Hes been paired with mentors from both the carrier side of the industry and the distribution side. They are helping me not only by giving me their perspective, but theyre also connecting me to other experts. Whats great is that over the course of the program, we get to work with mentors who help us refine our business model, refine our pitch, get us to think about the important things, Aidoud said. Retaining Talent While its not the aim of the program, some of the talent attracted by the GIA has remained in Des Moines, Hemesath said. Including the current cohort, the GIA has fostered 18 companies, Hemesath said. Of the 12 that have completed the platform, three of those are in Des Moines, and two of those relocated to be here one from California, and the other one from Germany. Aidoud said InsuranceMenu also plans to establish a presence in Des Moines. At least six other insure tech startups not associated with the GIA are now located in Des Moines, as well. In addition, eight out of the 12 companies that participated in the GIA over the past two years are making money in the insurance industry or an affiliated industry, and thats the important thing, Hemesath said. We really want them to go off and be successful, wherever home is. Related: The Global Insurance Accelerator 2017 Cohort Find Bob | Toronto, Ontario | www.findbob.io A growth, transition and succession planning tool for financial advisors and insurance agents, utilizing machine learning and elements of gamification for asset protection. Sentrys | Belgrade, Serbia | www.sentrys.co A data-protection platform providing data security for consumers, vehicle manufacturers and insurance companies. MotionsCloud | Munich, Germany | www.motionscloud.com Mobile and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for insurers which streamline and automate claims processes to provide a better customer experience and settle claims faster. RE-Sure | Detroit, Michigan | www.re-sure.com A blockchain-enabled, app-driven, smart insurance product designed for the on-demand economy. InsuranceMenu | Boston, Massachusetts | www.insurancemenu.com A dynamic, data-driven platform geared toward local insurance agents, creating process efficiencies while bringing insurers closer to the customer. ViewSpection | Tucson, Arizona | www.viewspection.com A platform providing a transparent, collaborative method for agents and policyholders, as well as underwriting, claims and loss control departments, to share information and maximize service while preventing fraud. Topics Carriers Agencies InsurTech Market Training Development Iowa The private lawyers who reached a proposed $25 million settlement last November with then President-elect Donald Trump, resolving class action claims that Trump University real estate seminars were a fraud, did an objectively fantastic job for their clients. Over the course of seven years, Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd won key procedural rulings that left the previously intractable Trump with no good option but to resolve the case before his presidential inauguration. The settlement, according to Robbins Gellers Feb. 17 motion for final approval of the deal, will allow some 6,000 Trump University students to recover at least half of what they paid to attend the seminars an unusually robust recovery for a fraud class action. Robbins Geller even agreed to waive its litigation fees and costs in order to assure the judge overseeing the case, U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel of San Diego, that the firms only interest was getting the best possible deal for Trump University students. At the time Robbins Geller filed the motion for final approval last month, more than 2,000 Trump U students had already submitted paperwork to get money back from the $25 million settlement fund. No students had objected to the deal. That changed Monday. A Florida bankruptcy lawyer and former Trump University student named Sherri Simpson filed an objection to the proposed settlement, arguing that a critical provision in the deal violates her constitutional due process rights and runs afoul of class action rules. If Simpson turns out to be right and one leading class action scholar said she may be President Trumps entire $25 million agreement with Trump University students could blow up. THE NO-OPT-OUT PROVISION Simpsons objection is based on settlement language barring class members from choosing not to accept the class deal and instead litigate against Trump on their own. The Trump side insisted on the provision, called a no opt-out clause, to assure the $25 million settlement would buy the president a final, global resolution of Trump University allegations. Trump University students had a chance to opt out of the class action back in 2015, after Judge Curiel certified them to litigate as a group. (The judge later clarified that the class action could establish Trump Universitys liability but that damages would have to be calculated on a case-by-case basis.) But class members received the 2015 notice before Trump agreed to settlement terms. The notice said in a parenthetical that Trump University students would get another chance to opt out when and if the case settled. Simpsons lawyer, Gary Friedman, contends the settlement breached her constitutional due process rights because she never got that second chance to opt out once she knew the actual terms of the deal with Trump. Friedman and Simpson also contend that the federal rules of civil procedure call for judge to provide class action plaintiffs an opportunity to opt out of settlements for money damages even if they have previously declined a chance to litigate outside of the class. Nobody in this class got constitutionally adequate notice of their right to opt out, Friedman said. End of story. Friedman said his client, who paid $19,000 to attend a three-day Trump University seminar and receive a year of mentoring, will not be satisfied unless the defendants admit they were wrong and pay triple damages: Shes very angry. She felt humiliated, he said. She wants a public trial for the purposes of vindication. The law on class members due process and procedural opt-out rights is unsettled, said law professor Elizabeth Burch of the University of Georgia, who said theres surprisingly little precedent to guide Judge Curiel. The facts of this case, in which class members had an opportunity to opt out before the two sides reached a settlement, are particularly unusual, Burch said, because most class actions for money damages are certified only at the time of settlement, so class members receive notice of their opt-out rights at the same time they are informed of settlement terms. Burch said Simpson and her lawyer, Friedman, have raised not frivolous concerns about an open question of law. POLITICALLY MOTIVATED The lawyers who negotiated the Trump University settlement disagreed. Trump counsel Daniel Petrocelli of OMelveny & Myers told me Simpsons objection is a political dig. Last February, during the Republican primaries, Simpson was featured in an anti-Trump ad by the American Future Fund political action committee. During the presidential campaign, she appeared in a second ad, this one produced by the Not Who We Are PAC. Shes obviously politically motivated, Petrocelli said. The objection has no merit. Class lawyer Patrick Coughlin of Robbins Geller said Simpson had a chance to bail out of the class in 2015 and didnt take it. A technical legal argument can always be made that people should get a second opt-out, he said. But in this case, he said, the argument makes no sense. Class members understood their right to opt out when they received notice in 2015, as evidenced by the dozen or so Trump University students who said at that time that they didnt want to be part of the class. Depending on how many class members file claims, Coughlin said, students could end up getting all of their money back and thats without a certified damages class. For Simpson to pop up now and put the entire settlement at risk, Coughlin said, is frivolous. If Judge Curiel agrees with Simpsons constitutional argument, he must allow her and presumably, other class members to opt out of the settlement. If he finds no due process violation, he has discretion under the rules of civil procedure to deny class members a second chance to opt out. Judge Curiel strongly urged the class and the defendants to reach a settlement after the presidential election and before President Trump was inaugurated. (Reporting by Alison Frankel. Editing by Alessandra Rafferty.) Topics Lawsuits Education Universities Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. on Wednesday won the dismissal of a lawsuit claiming it defrauded shareholders about its ability to protect customers from at least seven norovirus, E.coli and salmonella outbreaks that erupted in 2015. U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla in Manhattan said shareholders failed to show that Chipotle improperly concealed the seriousness of food-borne illness outbreaks, the status of a federal probe into an E.coli outbreak, and how its alleged inability to monitor food safety raised the risk of outbreaks. There is no indication in the complaint that Chipotles projections were inconsistent with or did not account for the companys assessments of the impact of the food-borne illness outbreaks, Failla wrote in her 47-page decision. As long as the public statements are consistent with reasonably available data, corporate officials need not present an overly gloomy or cautious picture of current performance and future prospects, she added. Chipotles share price fell 47 percent in just over five months from its August 2015 peak above $758. The Denver-based company was linked in November 2015 to a multistate E.coli outbreak, and the next month to a norovirus outbreak that sickened at least 80 Boston College students. It has apologized for food safety lapses, and offered free and discounted food to regain customers and their trust. Failla also rejected claims that founder and Chief Executive Steve Ells, former Co-Chief Executive Monty Moran and Chief Financial Officer John Hartung intended to commit fraud by making highly suspicious sales of more than $210 million of Chipotle stock in the three months before the first outbreak. The plaintiffs are led by the Construction Laborers Pension Trust of Greater St. Louis, and Germanys Metzler Investment GmbH. Their lawyers did not respond to requests for comment. Failla said the plaintiffs may try to bring their proposed class action again. A Chipotle spokesman had no immediate comment, saying the company generally does not discuss pending litigation. All of the defendants are represented by the same law firm. Ells and Moran were co-chief executives from January 2009 until last December, when Moran stepped down. Last month, Chipotle said sales rose for the first time in five quarters. Chipotle shares were up 73 cents at $405.63 on the New York Stock Exchange in afternoon trading. The case is Ong et al v. Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 16-00141. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Richard Chang) Topics Lawsuits Legislation New York Carolina Giselle Berrio, a/k/a Carolina Slocum Berrio, Karrie, 37, of Lafayette, Louisiana is the latest defendant to plead guilty to being involved in a large opioid pill mill operation, according to U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas. Specifically, Berrio pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. She faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine not to exceed $1 million. Sentencing is scheduled for June 16, 2017. In March 2015, a federal grand jury in Dallas indicted 23 individuals, including Berrio, on offenses related to their participation in a prescription drug distribution conspiracy. That indictment alleged that from at least May 2013 through July 2014, the defendants participated in a scheme to illicitly obtain prescriptions for pain medications, such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, and then distribute those controlled substances for profit. As part of the conspiracy, individuals, often homeless or of limited means, were recruited and paid to pose as patients at medical clinics, including the McAllen Medical Clinic in Dallas, to obtain prescriptions to fill those prescriptions at designated pharmacies. To date, 29 defendants have pleaded guilty, including one doctor, one clinic owner, two pharmacists, and numerous co-conspirators, to their involvement in the conspiracy and several have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from probation to 48 months in federal prison. According to plea documents filed for Berrio, on Dec. 18, 2013, Berrio negotiated to purchase a quantity of oxycodone 30mg pills from co-conspirator Cornelius Robinson, her supplier. Robinson asked for a higher price to deliver the oxycodone to Berrio in Lafayette, Louisiana, and a lower price if Berrio picks up the pills in Houston. Robinson agreed to supply Berrio with oxycodone 30mg at $18.50 per pill, and Berrio agreed to pick up the pills in Houston, Texas. Berrio sought 300 oxycodone 30mg pills with the intent to distribute them at a later time. In addition, Berrio admits to purchasing oxycodone 30 mg pills from Robinson in both May and March of 2014. Co-defendant William Hopkins, a/k/a New York, 54, of Dallas, was sentenced last week by U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater to five years probation with intermittent confinement (weekend incarceration) for 52 weeks. Hopkins pleaded guilty in November 2016 to one count of unlawful use of a communication device. According to documents filed for Hopkins, in a telephone call on Aug. 15, 2013 Hopkins, a recruiter, admonishes a recruit to be available because a driver is trying to pick up the recruit to take him to the doctors office. Hopkins encourages the recruit to show up by saying, This is your money, meaning the recruit will be paid to go to the doctors office to obtain oxycodone or hydrocodone. This Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Louisiana State Police, the Grand Prairie Police Department, the Dallas Police Department, the Houston Police Department, the Arlington Police Department, the Greenville Police Department, the Parker County Sheriffs Office, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Diplomatic Security Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Walters prosecuted. Source: U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Texas Topics USA Texas Louisiana Law Enforcement Drugs Proposed Oklahoma legislation heading to the Senate would exempt property owners from civil action if they destroy drones not regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration. The proposed bill, authored by Republican Sen. Ralph Shortey, passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee with a unanimous vote Feb. 21, the Tulsa World reported. Shortey, who said the issue has become a big problem, cited an incident in 2015 when a drone was shot down during a pigeon shoot being held to raise money for Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe. Showing Animals Respect and Kindness, an animal protection advocacy group, was filming video of the event on private property. Shortey said the measure doesnt mention how the drone should be taken down, whether it is with a gun, a net or another device. He also said the measure doesnt exonerate a person participating in a criminal activity, such as discharging a wea on where its prohibited except for self-defense. It doesnt matter how you damage that thing, Shortey said. As a private citizen, you have a reasonable expectation of privacy above your property where the public does not have access and that is under 400 feet. Stephen McKeever serves as chairman of the governors Unmanned Aerial Systems Council, which opposes the legislation. He said drones are classified as an aircraft and that its against federal law to shoot down an aircraft. So, the bill opens itself up to the state pre-emption of federal law, McKeever said. McKeever argued that the bill encourages the discharge of a weapon within a residential area, which against state law. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Property Oklahoma RPA Insurance Services, a Parsippany, N.J.-based insurance agency focused on providing business insurance products and services to specialized market segments throughout the U.S., has hired Rick and Jennifer Gross to the companys newly-formed Boca Raton, Fla., oce. They will focus on acquiring and servicing commercial real estate, construction and restaurant/hospitality accounts in their new roles. The Grosses have a combined 30 years experience as independent agents specializing in habitational and commercial real estate lines of business, including condominium associations and apartment buildings/complexes, and other commercial buildings such as strip centers, oce buildings, warehouses and shopping malls. As independent agents, they also insured restaurants and lounges, along with construction and trade contractors. In addition, Joanne Kowalczyk recently joined RPA as the retail client service leader for U.S. operations. Kowalczyk brings more than 25 years of insurance and reinsurance underwriting, sales and brokerage account management experience to her new role. Prior to joining RPA, Kowalczyk was senior vice president at Aon plc where she helped establish the rms healthcare practice. She has held leadership positions at Employers Reinsurance Corp. and at Marsh Inc., where she placed all types of property and casualty lines for large, national accounts. Source: RPA Insurance Services Topics Florida A Clackamas County, Ore. woman has filed a lawsuit against vacation-rental website Airbnb, saying the site facilitates discrimination against black users. The Oregonian/OregonLive reported that Patricia Harrington has filed a class-action lawsuit accusing Airbnb of violating Oregons public accommodation laws. The lawsuit claims that Airbnbs practice of allowing hosts to review a prospective guests full name and photograph before accepting a reservation allows hosts to reject clients based on their race. An Airbnb spokeswoman said the company strongly opposes bias and discrimination. Harrington, who is African American, has not used Airbnb, but her attorney says she has the right to use the platform without providing her full name and photo. The lawsuit seeks an injunction that would allow Harrington and other black users to join the site and access listings without providing photos or full names. Related: Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Oregon Two people were found guilty of felonies and two others were charged in connection with insurance fraud investigations in Washington by Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidlers criminal investigations unit. Alhagie Abdoulie Kanaji, 37, was found guilty of filing a false insurance claim, a felony, in King County Superior Court, after a three-day trial. According to the investigators, Kanaji was involved in an auto collision in July 2014 in Seattle. An eyewitness to the accident took a photo of Kanajis car and license plate. Kanaji filed a claim with GEICO, saying his car was vandalized while it was parked at a friends house in Marysville. GEICO declared the car a total loss and paid Kanaji nearly $3,700. Later, an investigation discovered that Kanajis vehicle was involved in the collision and wasnt in fact vandalized. Brandon Johnson, 38, pleaded guilty in King County District Court to a charge of attempting to file a false insurance claim. He was sentenced to 20 hours of community service that he must complete by May 31 and six months probation, along with paying $163 in court fees. According to investigators, Johnson was in a collision with an uninsured motorist the afternoon of Jan. 27. He purchased an auto policy from Esurance for his 2014 Kia Optima that evening, then filed a claim on Jan. 30 for a collision he said occurred at midnight that day. Esurance determined the photos were taken on Jan. 27, before he purchased the policy. Esurance denied the claim, then referred the case to Kreidlers CIU. Kelsey Gearring, 23, was charged in Asotin County Superior Court with one count of filing a false insurance claim and one count of attempted first-degree theft, both felonies. According to investigators, Gearring filed a $9,600 auto claim with Allstate for a June 28 collision, saying she hit a deer with her SUV. On June 23, Gearring changed her auto policy to include comprehensive and collision coverage; prior to that, she had only liability insurance on her 2008 GMC Acadia. Investigators determined that Gearrings accident could not have happened on June 28 because she was in Asotin County jail that day for violating a restraining order and the accident actually occurred June 22 before she added coverage to her car. Furthermore, she did not hit a deer, but ran off the road when she was distracted while driving. Trevor W. Irving, 32, of Seattle, was charged with one count each of first-degree theft and first-degree identity theft, both felonies, in Thurston County Superior Court. According to investigators, Irving was an insurance agent who collected nearly $49,000 in unearned commissions from Farmers Insurance by submitting 41 fake auto insurance policies for 11 consumers without their knowledge and for himself using cars he did not own. Farmers discovered the theft during an audit and reported it to the commissioner for an investigation. Farmers was able to recover more than $32,000 before the company fired Irving. Topics Auto Fraud Washington Annual CEPS-Intereconomics Conference: A Fiscal Stabilisation Function for the Eurozone The Five Presidents Report of 2015 has called for a macroeconomic stabiliser at the EMU level that would be capable of dealing with asymmetric shocks. A European unemployment benefits scheme (EUBS) is one potential stabilisation mechanism, although other proposals for devising risk-sharing tools that could be deployed across the Economic and Monetary Union have surfaced over the years. This high-level conference will explore and compare the advantages and disadvantages of the various schemes entertained. Which one is best suited for the member countries of EMU? Which one holds out the greatest promise of reducing the risk of deep recession? Do such schemes inevitably lead to moral hazard or are there practical safeguards that can be built into their provisions to minimise this risk from materialising? Are any of these proposal politically feasible in the near term? Join us and share your views on these important questions. Studies and conclusions will be published end of May in the coming issue of Intereconomics. Value investing is a strategy where investors actively look to add stocks they believe have been undervalued by the market, and/or trade for less than their intrinsic values. Like any type of investing, value investing varies in execution with each person. There are, however, some general principles that are shared by all value investors. These principles have been spelled out by famed investors like Peter Lynch, Kenneth Fisher, Warren Buffett, Bill Miller and others. By reading through financial statements, they seek out mispriced stocks and look to capitalize on a possible reversion to the mean. In this article, we will look at some of the more well-known value investing principles. Buy Businesses, Not Stocks If there is one thing that all value investors can agree on, it's that investors should buy businesses, not stocks. This means ignoring trends in stock prices and other market noise. Instead, investors should look at the fundamentals of the company that the stock represents. Investors can make money following trending stocks, but it involves a lot more activity than value investing. Searching for good businesses selling at a good price based on probable future performance requires a larger time commitment for research, but the payoffs include less time spent buying and selling, as well as fewer commission payments. 1:23 Watch Now: How Does Value Investing Work? Love the Business You Buy Into You wouldn't pick a spouse based solely on their shoes or hairdo, and you shouldn't pick a stock based on cursory research. You have to love the business you are buying, and that means being passionate about knowing everything about that company. You need to strip the attractive covering from a company's financials and get down to the naked truth. Many companies look far better when you judge them beyond the basic price to earnings (P/E), price to book (P/B) and earnings per share (EPS) ratios and look into the quality of the numbers that make up those figures. If you keep your standards high and make sure the company's financials look as good naked as they do dressed up, you're much more likely to keep it in your portfolio for a long time. If things change, you'll notice it early. If you like the business you buy, paying attention to its ongoing trials and successes becomes more of a hobby than a chore. 3:19 Erez Kalir: Investopedia Profile Invest in Companies You Understand If you don't understand what a company does or how, then you probably shouldn't be buying shares. Critics of value investing like to focus on this main limitation. You are stuck looking for businesses that you can easily understand because you have to be able to make an educated guess about the future earnings of the business. The more complex a business is, the more uncertain your projections will likely be. This moves the emphasis from "educated" to "guess." You can buy businesses you like but don't completely understand, but you have to factor in uncertainty as added risk. Any time a value investor has to factor in more risk, they have to look for a larger margin of safety that is, more of a discount from the calculated true value of the company. There can be no margin of safety if the company is already trading at many multiples of its earnings, which is a strong sign that however exciting and new the idea is, the business is not a value play. Simple businesses also have an advantage, as it's harder for incompetent management to hurt the company. Find Well-Managed Companies Management can make a huge difference in a company. Good management adds value beyond a company's hard assets. Bad management can destroy even the most solid financials. There have been investors who have based their entire investing strategies on finding managers that are honest and able. Warren Buffett advises that investors should look for three qualities of good management: integrity, intelligence, and energy. He adds that "if they don't have the first, the other two will kill you." You can get a sense of management's honesty through reading several years' worth of financials. How well did they deliver on past promises? If they failed, did they take responsibility, or gloss it over? Value investors want managers who act like owners. The best managers ignore the market value of the company and focus on growing the business, thus creating long-term shareholder value. Managers who act like employees often focus on short-term earnings in order to secure a bonus or other performance perk, sometimes to the long-term detriment of the company. Again, there are many ways to judge this, but the size and reporting of compensation is often a dead giveaway. If you're thinking like an owner, then you pay yourself a reasonable wage and depend on gains in your stock holdings for a bonus. At the very least, you want a company that expenses its stock options. Don't Stress Over Diversification One of the areas where value investing runs contrary to commonly accepted investing principles is on diversification. There are long stretches where a value investor will be idle. This is because of the exacting standards of value investing as well as overall market forces. Towards the end of a bull market, everything gets expensive, even the dogs. So, a value investor may have to sit on the sidelines waiting for the inevitable correction. Time an important factor in compounding is lost while waiting to invest. So, when you do find undervalued stocks, you should buy as much as you can. Be warned, this will lead to a portfolio that is high-risk according to traditional measures like beta. Investors are encouraged to avoid concentrating on only a few stocks, but value investors generally feel that they can only keep proper track of a few stocks at a time. One obvious exception is Peter Lynch, who kept almost all of his funds in stocks at all times. Lynch broke stocks into categories and then cycled his funds through companies in each category. He also spent upwards of 12 hours every day checking and rechecking the many stocks held by his fund. However, as an individual value investor with a different day job, it's better to go with a few stocks for which you've done the homework and feel good about holding long term. Your Best Investment Is Your Guide Anytime you have more investment capital, your aim for investing should not be diversity, but finding an investment that is better than the ones you already own. If the opportunities don't beat what you already have in your portfolio, you may as well buy more of the companies you know and love, or simply wait for better times. During idle times, a value investor can identify the stocks they want and the price at which they'll be worth buying. By keeping a wish list like this, you'll be able to make decisions quickly in a correction. Ignore the Market 99% of the Time The market only matters when you enter or exit a position the rest of the time, it should be ignored. If you approach buying stocks like buying a business, you'll want to hold onto them as long as the fundamentals are strong. During the time you hold an investment, there will be spots where you could sell for a large profit and others where you're holding an unrealized loss. This is the nature of market volatility. The reasons for selling a stock are numerous, but a value investor should be just as slow to sell as to buy. When you sell an investment, you expose your portfolio to capital gains and usually have to sell a loser to balance it out. Both of these sales come with transaction costs that make the loss deeper and the gain smaller. By holding investments with unrealized gains for a long time, you forestall capital gains on your portfolio. The longer you avoid capital gains and transaction costs, the more you benefit from compounding. The Bottom Line Value investing is a strange mix of common sense and contrarian thinking. While most investors can agree that a detailed examination of a company is important, the idea of sitting out a bull market goes against the grain. It's undeniable that funds held constantly in the market have outperformed cash held outside the market that is waiting for a downturn to end. This is a fact, but a deceiving one. The data is derived from following the performance of market measures like the S&P 500 Index over a number of years. This is where passive investing and value investing get confused. In both types of investing, the investor avoids unnecessary trading and has a long-term holding period. The difference is that passive investing relies on average returns from an index fund or other diversified instrument. A value investor seeks out above-average companies and invests in them. Therefore, the probable range of return for value investing is much higher. In other words, if you want the average performance of the market, you're better off buying an index fund right now and piling money into it over time. If you want to outperform the market, however, you need a concentrated portfolio of outstanding companies. When you find them, the superior compounding will make up for the time you spent waiting in a cash position. Value investing demands a lot of discipline on the part of the investor, but in return offers a large potential payoff. Apples virtual assistant Siri is widely regarded as being inferior to Google Now and Assistant in terms of the functionality it offers. However, a report from Reuters highlights that Siri has a key advantage over other virtual assistants in the market: the number of languages it supports. The report also highlights the process that goes behind adding a new language to Siri. Siri in total supports 21 languages and has localisation support for 36 countries. In comparison, Google Assistant supports only four different languages while Amazons Alexa does even worse at two. However, the report cites Oren Etzioni, chief executive officer of the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Seattle, who says that Apple has squandered its lead in the virtual assistant space. Siri is the oldest of the all the virtual assistants on the market right now, and it should have had a better speech recognition and answering algorithm but that is not the case. The report comes just days after Google opened up its Pixel-exclusive Google Assistant to all Android devices running Marshmallow and Nougat. The report also reveals that when Apple starts working on adding a new language to Siri, it first brings in a team of humans to read the passages in a range of accents and dialects. These passages are then hand written so that the computer learns the exact representation of the spoken text. In addition, the company also captures sounds in a variety of voices post which Apple tries to build a language model. After this comes thedictation mode where user audio recordings are captured, made anonymous and then transcribed by humans to reduce errors in speech recognition. Then Apple deploys dictation mode, its text-to-speech translator, in the new language, Acero said. When customers use dictation mode, Apple captures a small percentage of the audio recordings and makes them anonymous. The recordings, complete with background noise and mumbled words, are transcribed by humans, a process that helps cut the speech recognition error rate in half. Apple then proceeds to hire a voice actor to record the new language and once enough data has been collected for the most commonly asked questions, it releases the new language to the public. Then as the company collects more data from users, it rolls out tweaks to the language every couple of weeks. However, as per Charles Jolley, the creator of a virtual assistant called Ozlo, this is not an optimal way to scale a virtual assistant for more languages. He says that there is a limit to the number of script writers you can hire in every language. The solution is to synthesize the answers, but that is still some years away from happening. Incidentally, Viv a virtual assistant developed by the original creators of Siri specifically solves this problem. The startup was acquired by Samsung last year and its technology will likely be seen being used on the Galaxy S8 this year on Bixby Samsungs own answer to Google Assistant and Siri. Building on its strength, Siri will soon start supporting Shanghainese, a dialect that is spoken only around Shanghai in China. Do you think Siris strong localisation support give it an edge over other virtual assistants despite its limited functionality? [Via Reuters Two Dublin men have been found guilty of the murder of dissident republican Peter Butterly who was shot dead outside a pub in Meath in March 2013. Edward McGrath from Springfield in Tallaght was found to be the driver of the car that carried the gunman to the Huntsman Inn in Gormanston. The more ambitious targets will maintain a squeeze on US rivals Nike and Under Armour, which have both been losing sales to the German brand in their home market, where Adidass retro Superstar was the top-selling shoe of 2016. We are still in catch-up mode in north America, chief executive Kasper Rorsted told journalists, saying that the US accounts for a third of global sportswear sales but is the only market where Adidas significantly lags Nike. Rorsted, the Danish former head of consumer goods firm Henkel, replaced long-serving boss Herbert Hainer in October with a mandate to improve profitability after activist shareholders took stakes in Adidas in 2015 as the German firm fell further behind Nike in the US. Yesterday, Adidas reported a 41% increase in net profit to 1bn for 2016, helping drive its share price up by over 9.4% to a record high. Even before Rorsted took over, Adidas had made significant strides, lifting marketing spending and shaking up its US business, helping its shares rise two-thirds in the last year even though its profitability still lags that of Nike. Adidas more than doubled its share of the US athletic footwear market to 10% in January, but remained far behind Nike on 45%, according to market data firm NPD. Rorsted said Adidas would keep investing heavily in the US, including in staff, infrastructure, marketing and in-store fittings, noting that retailers such as Foot Locker and Dicks Sporting Goods were positive about the brands future. Rorsted said he wants to expand the use of technologies such as 3D printing, and double the ecommerce sales target for 2020 to 4bn out of an expected 25bn to 27bn total, and from 1bn achieved in 2016. Nike has set a target to reach $7bn in ecommerce sales by 2020. For 2017, Adidas forecast sales growth of between 11% and 13%. n Reuters EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager is seeking to re-impose penalties of nearly 800m for a cargo cartel thrown out on procedural grounds by an EU court in 2015. The final amount of the fines could differ slightly from those imposed earlier. Many of the airlines hoped to reach a settlement to limit follow-on lawsuits from customers and avoid more court fights with the EU, the sources said. Any proposed border tax is at its heart, he said, a way of promoting US exports and disadvantaging imports into the US. It would prospectively turn the US into the biggest tax haven on the face of the earth. And, of course, in this part of the world, which has made a lot of headway by having corporate-friendly policies, this is alarming. In an address to the annual event, Danny McCoy will warn that failure to take more decisive steps to relieve pressure on transport, housing, education and health infrastructure risks creating serious long-term economic and social problems. Mr McCoy will say: We must not let the austerity mindset of the crisis dictate economic policy into the future. To benefit from the economic opportunities that now exist, we need to massively ramp up infrastructure spending. But the Government is not embracing this ambition. Mr McCoy will outline Ibecs case for prioritising once off capital investment, saying prudent management of day-to-day expenditure would be the most effective way to protect the public finances from a future downturn. Private public partnerships should be strongly considered, he will add. Ireland remains at the very bottom of the EU league table for infrastructure spend yet we are in a global race for investment. Government will remain the primary funder of infrastructure projects, but there is a growing role for the private sector. It is vital that Government increases its ambition around PPPs and reviews the current unnecessary cap on their use, he will say. He is to criticise what he calls a poor transport network, a jaded health infrastructure, an under supply of quality housing, and an education system at capacity, saying they will not only hold the country back economically but will cause social problems for generations to come. On the proposed National Planning Framework, Mr McCoy will say: We must progress the Framework without delay to address the growing imbalance between Dublin and the rest of the country. "We have an opportunity to address our economic and social challenges, but only if it is underpinned by an all-Ireland approach to planning and increased State investment across our regions. The conference at Dublins Convention Centre, which will be attended by President Michael D Higgins, will include discussions on geopolitical impacts on world business and Ireland. Dairygold has successfully applied lean management techniques inside its business for five years, and says a farm level programme is seen as a natural progression. The term lean was first coined by a Massachusetts Institute of Technology research team, to describe Toyotas business in the late 1980s. Now, after initial farm trials, Dairygold has extended the Lean Farm programme to a pilot group of 15 milk suppliers who recently received training. The co-op, with assistance from Teagasc, will support the farmers in examining their work, to see where benefits can be achieved. On successful completion of the Lean Farm pilot programme later this year, Dairygold intends to roll it out to a wider supplier base. One of the early farmer participants, 2016 Milk Quality Award winner Sean Moher, said: For me, one of the benefits was the standardisation of the calf rearing routine. Now Im getting that work done in less time, with less effort, giving me more time for the family, generally improving my work-life balance. "Its all about organising yourself and finding the easiest way to do a job, and then standardising that method or approach. Sometimes it can be as simple as having your tools at the point of use, eliminating wasted time searching for them. It starts to make your day a lot easier. Working smarter, saving money. Dairygold Chairman, James Lynch said: Lean is a proven methodology that can really simplify and improve work practices while improving safety, quality and ultimately the bottom line in any business. It allows farmers to work smarter not harder saving them time, effort and money. Tim Healy, Head of Dairy Operations, said, Farmers are working harder for longer hours, and we believe that lean can be applied to help address this. Secondly, our farmers have seen how successful the programme has been inside the factories, and were keen to apply lean tools and techniques in their own farming businesses. Launching IFAs Brexit strategy, Mr Healy cited ESRI estimates a hard Brexit had a potential reduction of EU trade to the UK of over 60% for dairy and 85% for meat. He said it was clear farming and food must be top of the Brexit agenda, not only in Ireland, but at EU level. Translating this to an Irish context would mean a fall of 1.5bn in meat exports, with dairy exports falling by over 600m, he said. Simply put, no other member state and no other sector is as exposed in these negotiations. "UK is our closet market, of high value with similar preferences. If the UK exits the single market and customs union, there must be a comprehensive free trade agreement between the EU and UK. The IFA is proposing tariff-free trade for agricultural products and food between the EU and UK, plus maintaining equivalent standards on food safety, animal health, welfare and the environment. It also suggests using a common external tariff for imports to both the EU and UK. The farmer organisation has reminded the Government Irish farming is particularly vulnerable to Brexit, the destination for 40% of all Irish food exports. The EUs high tariff protections on agricultural products will make Irish exports to the UK uncompetitive versus non-EU products. The IFA has also highlighted the unique nature of animal health co-operation with Northern Ireland, and cross-border trade flows. The budget for the Common Agricultural Policy will also be reduced as the UK is a net contributor. Joe Healy said: With 22 million farmers and 40 million related jobs, there is a wider strategic objective to maximise the future value of the EU farming and food sector. Mr Healy said the farming and the food sectors priorities are the maintenance of the closest possible trading relationships between UK and EU, while preserving the value of the UK market. A strong CAP budget following the UKs departure is also vital for the future of Irish farming. IFA livestock chairman, Angus Woods, said: The UK is the market for 50% of Irish beef exports. "Its a high-value market and consistently pays about the EU average. Any reduction in access to, or the value of the UK market, would have a very negative impact on the Irish beef sector, and potentially the overall European beef market. IFA deputy president, Richard Kennedy, added that a third of Irish dairy exports went to the UK in 2016. He said Irish cheddar cheese volumes of 78,000 tonnes represented 82% of all cheddar imported by the UK last year. Retaining our tariff-free access is critically important, particularly for cheddar exports, said Mr Kennedy. The loss of this, or any negative impact on access, could have a destabilising impact on the overall value of the Irish dairy sector. The IFA will continue to promote these issues with the Government, the EU Commission and other European farmer groups in the coming months. Elaine Farrell has been appointed IFAs Brexit co-ordinator for the campaign. IFA is to host a Brexit event on Monday, April 24, in Goffs, Co Kildare. EU Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan, Agriculture Minister Michael Creed, IFA representatives and industry leaders will attend. Circuit Court president Mr Justice Raymond Groarke set aside a date especially to deal with the future of a German shepherd, also known as the alsatian wolfhound, who, he was told, has already attacked twice. After hearing that the authorities have still done nothing about a dog known to have bitten twice, Mr Justice Groarke branded their failure to act as an absolute disgrace. Barrister John Nolan told the Circuit Civil Court that when Milo OBrien, 8, knocked on a neighbours door to inquire if they had seen his own missing pet dog, he was attacked and bitten by their alsation which lunged at him from behind the front door. Mr Nolan, acting for Milo, now aged 10, and his mother Anne OBrien, said the boy had been bitten on his left leg by the dog, owned by Stephen Collier, Knocknagin Rd, Balbriggan, Co Dublin. He said Milo, of Knocknaginra, Balbriggan, as well as suffering two wounds to his leg, had developed psychological trauma as a result of the attack and still had to live with the knowledge that the dog which attacked him was still living next door. Mr Nolan said Alliance Assurance, with which Mr Collier had an insurance policy that also covered pets, had offered Milo a settlement of 25,000. I fear that if this offer is not accepted by the court, Alliance may raise an issue of an exclusion clause in the policy regarding animals governed by the Control of Dogs Act, said Mr Nolan, asking the court to approve the offer. Mr Nolan said a clause in the Alliance policy excluded cover for dangerous dogs as specified in regulations made under the Control of Dogs Act unless they were at all times muzzled and under effective control. He said while the dog was not muzzled, the question remained had it been under effective control. He said the Injuries Board had, with the consent of Alliance, assessed damages for Milo at 25,000. A medical report showed evidence of teeth marks on the boys left shin, puncture wounds, and superficial laceration consistent with the bite of a dog. Mr Nolan said Milo had been left with two small scars. Mr Nolan said the dog involved in the attack was still living at the Collier homestead which Milo had to pass regularly. Mrs OBrien said the attack, in August 2015, had been reported to the authorities, which were told the same dog had been involved in a previous attack. Owners who allow dangerous dogs to roam around off-lead and without a muzzle are almost entirely ambivalent about the fact that if their pets stepped out of line they could do untold harm, particularly to children, said the judge. He said that on his way to court yesterday, he saw a dog, clearly a wonderful pet but also capable of committing untold harm to someone, neither on a lead nor muzzled. There is no real enforcement by the State, dog wardens, or local authorities regarding the running free of these animals, said Mr Justice Groarke. This was a different case in that the dog was behind the front door and while the natural affection for the beast is understandable it annoys me intensely when I see the hurt that these dogs do. People seem to think their dog is an exception to the rule. He said it was an absolute disgrace that the authorities, having been told this was the second time the dog had been involved in an attack and bitten someone, had not stepped in and dealt with the animal. Mr Nolan told Mr Justice Groarke that Milo did not have a fear of dogs before the attack but now was frightened of them. Having the dog remaining nearby his home had created a worry for him. Approving the 25,000 settlement, Mr Justice Groarke said he would hold on to the matter and put it in for mention in two weeks. I am concerned that there is a degree of pain and suffering continuing for this young lad because the dog continues to live near him and I want to make sure that it is dealt with, said the judge. Dogs that require short, strong leads The Control of Dogs Regulations 1998 impose additional rules in relation to the following breeds and strains and cross-breeds of dog: American pit bull terrier, English bull terrier, Staffordshire bull terrier, Bull mastiff, Dobermann pinscher, German shepherd (Alsatian), Rhodesian ridgeback, Rottweiler, Japanese akita, Japanese tosa and Bandog. The rules state that these dogs must be kept on a short, strong lead by a person over 16 years who is capable of controlling them, be muzzled whenever they are in a public place and wear a collar at all times bearing the name and address of their owner. The rules on muzzling and leashing do not apply to dogs used by State bodies and bona fide rescue teams or to guide dogs for the blind. Annmarie OBrien, 27, who was seven-months pregnant, and her daughter Paris, aged two, perished, along with relations, Holly, aged three, and Jordan, aged four. Brigid Biddy OBrien, aged in her 30s and the mother of Holly and Jordan, remained in critical condition last night. Sources said the women were cousins and close friends and from the Glendruid halting site in Shankill, south Dublin. It is the latest fire tragedy to hit members of the Travelling community in south Dublin and follows the mass tragedy at Carrickmines halting site in October 2015, which claimed the lives of 10 people, including five children and a pregnant woman. Annmarie OBrien and her daughter were staying at the Sonas Clondalkin Supported Housing complex in west Dublin, and Brigid OBrien and her two children were visiting. Emergency services were called to the complex on Kilcronan Road at around 2.30am yesterday after residents saw smoke coming from the door of an apartment. All five occupants were taken to separate hospitals. Annmarie, Paris and Holly were pronounced dead a short time later. Jordan, who was in a critical condition at Crumlin Childrens Hospital, passed away yesterday afternoon. A child after placing flowers and teddy bears at the scene of the fire on Kilcronan Ave, Clondalkin. Picture: Colin Keegan The Garda Technical Bureau yesterday began a major examination. They are trying to establish how the fire started and how the smoke and flames spread and are liaising with Dublin Fire Brigade. Early indications suggest that there may have been an electrical cause to the fire, which broke out in the livingroom. It is understood that a television is being examined in this regard, though sources said other factors could be involved. An examination is under way to determine if all smoke alarms were operating, amid some reports that a fire alarm was going off. Speaking at an event marking International Womens Day at Aras An Uactharain, President Michael D Higgins said: I want to express my sympathy to all those affected by the tragedy in Clondalkin. The women involved would have been represented here today and all our hearts must go out to these women and children. Insp Ken McLaughlin said the fire was a terrible tragedy. Sonas staff said they were heartbroken and devastated by the tragedy. Leonard Hyde, aged 62, of Four Winds, Weavers Point, Crosshaven, Co Cork, and Pat OMahony, aged 51, of 69 Elton Wood, Kinsale, Co Cork, were accused of having no work permits for non-Irish staff and knowingly facilitating their entry into the State, contrary to the Illegal Immigrants (Trafficking) Act 2000. Judge Aingil Ni Chonduin, at Cork District Court, said the mindset of the accused was an important aspect of the case. Dismissing the charges, she said: They face very serious charges before the court and if an element of doubt creeps in, it must be given to the accused. That is what I intend to do with the charges before the court. Solicitor David Browne, for the accused, said: It is a question of mental intention. They have been very honest and forthright. They have said at all times they did not know it was illegal, they did not know it was wrong, they had no grounds for suspicion that it was illegal or wrong. This was not a scheme to bring in people illegally. It is an odious and serious crime and this is not one for which this legislation was brought in. Inspector John Deasy said two Filipino fishermen had been met in Belfast and brought to Cork. The reason these people came through Belfast was if they presented at Cork or Dublin Airport or Ringaskiddy port, their legality in the jurisdiction would have come under the scrutiny of immigration officers. By coming through Belfast, they bypassed that safeguard of the State. This was a calculated scam to get people without employment permits to come into this country knowing full well they should not be here. The co-owners of the Labardie Fisher said they paid their agent Diamond H Marine Services and Shipping Agency to do all the paperwork, visa applications and so on in relation to the two Filipinos in 2015. They also said the law was changed the following year to provide atypical contracts to facilitate Filipino fishermen working on trawlers. Mr OMahony said that far from trying to conceal his trip to Belfast, he posted it on Facebook and told all his friends. Most of the boats in the country were using the same system. I am shocked I am here [in court] today to be honest. Mr Hyde said: We were informed by the agent if they were working on the boat 12 miles out and living on the boat, they were covered. Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation official John Tattan said, in 2015, what the two men did was entirely in compliance with regulations. Afterwards, Mr Hyde said: It was two years of absolute torment. Trying to fish and put up with all of this. Mr OMahony said: The support [from fishermen] was brilliant, absolutely brilliant. It was a life-changer for us. We never harmed anyone in our lives. So thank God that justice was done. Disabilities Minister Finian McGrath, following scathing criticism from opposition TDs, will today bring a new motion before the Dail which will see the case of 46 other people who stayed in the foster home included in the inquiry. The Government initially sought to exclude the others in the home to allow the commission concentrate on the case of Grace, but yesterday a major climb down was announced in chaotic circumstances in the Dail. It has been confirmed to the Irish Examiner that on foot of the scathing criticism during the Dail debate, a command went from Taoiseach Enda Kennys office to Mr McGrath to shut the issue down and relent to opposition demands. The intervention from Mr Kenny and from Health Minister Simon Harris, who entered during the debate to inform Mr McGrath of the instruction, followed a change of heart from Fianna Fail. On Tuesday night, the party had supported the original terms of reference, but changed tack on foot of a meeting between leader Micheal Martin and two whistleblowers connected with the case in Leinster House. Enda did not want to take leaders questions with this issue still raging. They had to shut it down, said a senior Government source. Last night, Cabinet ministers held a meeting over the phone to approve the new terms of reference after agreement was reached with the opposition which will also examine the extent of the HSE cover-up and the alleged maltreatment of whistleblowers involved in this case. Speaking during a Dail debate which was delayed by 20 minutes because not enough TDs were in attendance and finished 30 minutes early for the same reason, Mr McGrath initially defended the original terms, strongly insisting anyone who knows me knows I dont do exclusion. Criticising the original terms of reference, Waterford Fine Gael TD John Deasy described the actions of the HSE as Kafkaesque. Was it a conspiracy and cover-up? Yes, it was. As I have stated previously, it was a concerted and organised attempt to hide information and conceal the truth by a clique of HSE managers. It was an orchestrated attempt to protect officials and an organisation who failed people in state care in a catastrophic manner on a number of levels, he said. Kilkenny Fianna Fail TD John McGuinness said the inquiry needed to be expanded and to fail to do so would mean the State has become those individuals abusers. Mr McGuinness also referred to the case of a girl, highlighted on the front page of the Irish Examiner yesterday, who had been anally raped with implements at the home: How disgusting is that, yet this case will not be included in the commission of inquirys remit. We should be ashamed of ourselves. At leaders questions, Mr Kenny told Mr Martin that the concerns raised by TDs will be fully addressed in the new terms of reference. Let us make sure that it is right and proper, comprehensive and that it covers all the issues that deputies have quite rightly raised. Meanwhile, President Michael D Higgins welcomed the establishment of the commission of inquiry. I also want to welcome the Governments decision to set up a commission of investigation to examine the alleged abuse of an intellectually disabled young woman, known as Grace, at a foster home in the South East, he said. The whistleblower who first raised the Grace case last night said she welcomes the reported amendments to guarantee the inclusion of matters recommended by Dignam and acknowledged the work of TDs John McGuinness and John Deasy. The minister said there is no business case for such a service, although US border pre-clearance facilities are in place in both Dublin and Shannon airports. Norwegian Airlines has announced it will fly from Cork, Dublin, and Shannon to non-hub airports in New York and Boston, starting from July 1. Meanwhile, Icelandic airline Wow Air plans to serve eight US and Canadian cities from Cork via Reykjavik. The company says that service will commence early next year. Mr Ross replied to a question in the Dail from Cork East TD, Kevin OKeeffe, who said he was deeply dissatisfied with the ministers decision, which he said would put Cork at a disadvantage compared to Dublin and Shannon. Cork Airport has had a number of major wins in the past number of months, with new routes opening, said Mr OKeeffe. Top among these new developments has been the decision by Norwegian Airlines to offer direct flights from Cork Airport to locations on the east coast of America. For passengers travelling to the United States, pre-clearance is a very attractive facility and one which the Department of Transport should consider to support the recent investment by Norwegian Airlines, and the future development of the airport, he said. Wow Air is due to launch flights this May from Cork, via Reykjavik, to eight major cities across the US and Canada. Mr OKeeffe said that Mr Rosss reply, which was just two lines, is indicative of the way he prioritises his role, and, I suspect, communities outside of the M50. While securing pre-clearance rights may not possible in the near future, as the airline is only establishing itself at the airport, the department should be looking to the future, and its role in supporting the growth of routes to other locations in the United States, said Mr OKeeffe. Cork Airport is a major employer in the region, and any effort that can be made to secure its future should be explored. Norwegian Airlines, which is the sixth-largest low-cost carrier in the world, fought a two-year battle to get US department of transport approval for the flights. Samsungs highly anticipated Galaxy S8 flagship smartphone will feature facial recognition technology for security purposes if a new report from The Investor is to be believed. Previous rumours about the Samsung Galaxy S8 have anticipated the device to include an iris scanner but the new report claims the smartphone will feature both iris and facial forms of biometric recognition security. As the Irish Examiner reported earlier this week: A controversial conference about Israel is to go ahead in Cork at the end of the month but will be jointly staged at City Hall and University College Cork. The full title of the conference is International Law and the State of Israel: Legitimacy, Exceptionalism and Responsibility. Thursday, March 9th, 2017 (9:30 am) - Score 62,331 A nasty Intel Puma 6 chipset (x86 SoC) bug, which has caused latency spikes and packet loss for owners of Virgin Medias latest SuperHub 3 (ARRIS TG2492S/CE) cable broadband router in the United Kingdom, will soon be patched by a new firmware release. At the end of last year we reported that various Intel Puma 6 based routers (e.g. Arris Surfboard SB6190, Hitron CGNV4 and Compal CH7465-LG etc.), not just the SuperHub 3, all appeared to be suffering from the aforementioned problem and this was particularly noticeable on ultrafast (200Mbps+) broadband connections (here). In short, the Central Processing Unit (CPU) inside the modem component of the router was taking on too much work while processing network packets, which caused the chipset to run a high-priority maintenance task every few seconds. Owners noticed that this task was occupying the CPU a bit too much and causing momentary latency spikes (increases of 200 milliseconds+), including a little packet loss. Big spikes in latency, even if only occurring for a moment, are no good for response time sensitive Internet applications like fast paced multiplayer video / computer gaming. At the time Intel said they were aware of an issue with the Puma 6 system-on-chip software that impacts latency and are working to address it. Virgin Media does have a partial fix for this but the full solution still needs to come from Intel. The good news is that Intel finally put out an engineering release with new Puma 6 code in February 2017, which claims to resolve the problem. The code has been slowly making its way out to hardware manufacturers and they in turn have started to work it into beta firmware. Early results look promising. Naturally we queried this with Virgin Media and they informed us that their parent, Liberty Global, had held a meeting with Intel last Monday (6th March 2017) where the issue was discussed. The good news is that a fix is coming, albeit not immediately. A Spokesperson for Virgin Media told ISPreview.co.uk: The firmware update is currently being tested and should be issued in the coming months. At present the new update is only in the very early stages of closed testing. Anything that changes a key aspect of how the chipset works will need a lot of Quality Assurance (QA) work before being distributed to a wider base of testers. Only after that will it finally make its way out to everybody else, which is why Virgin Media is being coy with their time-frame. The last thing that any ISP would want to do is issue a fix for one thing and in the process end up breaking a whole bunch of other stuff. Credits to Carl for pointing us to Intels update. NOTE: This article is not directly related to the separate performance issues that appear to have been occurring on Virgin Medias wider broadband network this week. UPDATE 20th June 2017: Last week we asked for an update on the Intel Puma 6 latency fix for Virgin Medias SuperHub 3 (aka Hub 3.0) routers and were told that the field trials of a new firmware update are due to begin shortly. Sadly we dont know any more than that. The incredible potential of the Internet of Things (IoT) is the possibility that it will connect everything: From containers in the bowels of ships in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, to factory floors in Detroit, to exercise software in Pasadena. Of course, these things wont all be connected to each other. They will, however, be broadly included in a logically connected worldwide network of networks. Thats a nice notion. The tricky part, of course, is figuring out how to do it. In some cases, IoT networking will require high speeds and significant amounts of data to be transmitted. A remote diagnostic procedure on an at-risk patient must do more than report every five minutes that the subject has a heartbeat. But there are virtually endless applications that require very little data to be transmitted. This huge class of applications will often be supported by LTE Category M1 (LTE-M). RCR Wireless provides looks at how Capstone Metering, one of AT&Ts early adopters of LTE-M, is using the technology. Capstone Metering, which is already used by 148,000 water authorities in the United States, offers leak detection and provides analysis necessary to change use patterns. The meter-as-a-service approach is sold through AT&T and Capstone. Its a far more economical and effective approach than deploying field staffs to manually check meters. Cat M-1 could make its business more robust and efficient and cut its costs. A good primer of Cat M-1 is offered by DZone, where the sense is that the technology could end up being the cohesive, ubiquitous glue that holds the IoT together and give it a chance to fulfill its promise. (Of course, myriad other questions from standards to use cases also must be solved for this to happen.) The technical explanation is that Cat M1 uses 1.4 MHz of spectrum and offers average upload speeds of 200 kilobits per second (kbps) to 400 kbps. Perhaps most importantly, it has a battery life as long as 10 years. The piece cites coverage, security and efficiency as other advantages. It will also be freely available: The fact that Verizon will launch it with an open environment will ensure ubiquity, the factor that makes trends go real. Now, more makers and developers will be able to launch IoT projects. Cat-M1 announcements are appearing with frequency. At Mobile World Congress (MWC) last week in Barcelona, Rhode & Schwarz said that its working with Qualcomm to verify operation of the MDM9206 global Cat M1/Cat NB-1 dual mode LTE modem for use on the narrowband IoT. Last month, Ericsson reported that it and Sierra Wireless successfully conducted network and device testing of LTE-M networking on Telefonicas Spanish network. The test, the release said, validated interoperability of Cat-M1 functionality in chipsets used in Sierra Wireless modems running in Ericssons Packet Core and Radio equipment. 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. Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Android Pay are all reportedly expanding to more European markets. Apple Pay is expanding to Italy and Ireland while Android Pay has launched in Belgium. Samsung Pay, on the other hand, is adding Sweden to its list of supported countries. Apple Pay Comes To Ireland And Italy Reports suggest that Apple Pay will start its Ireland support March 7. Specifically, the payment service is starting with two banks - UlsterBand and KBC. These two financial institutions are multi-national banks and already support Apple Pay in other markets. Italy is likewise expected to support Apple Pay in the coming days. Phone Arena said that right now, the Italian Apple website already shares the details regarding the mobile payment service. Additionally, bank names have likewise been revealed ahead of the Apple Pay's Italy launch. It was said that UniCredit, Carrefour, and Boon will be the first banks to support the Apple service in the country. Android Pay And Samsung Pay Hitting More European Android Phones Android Pay is now in its tenth supporting country. As per GSM Arena, Google has launched its payment service in Belgium wherein up to 85,000 retailers will now be accepting Android Pay. Banks like BNP Paribas Fortis, Fintro and Hello will all be supporting Google's mobile payment service in the country. Carrefour, McDonald's, H&M and Media Markt, among other retailers will accept Android Pay as well. As for Samsung Pay, reports suggest that the service will be launching in Sweden soon. It was said that there could even be a March 9 event in the country to reveal all the details about Samsung Pay. Samsung's service is currently supported in over ten countries worldwide with the most recent addition being India. There are still no clues as to when the service will launch in Sweden but reports suggest that it will be in 2017. During the Google Cloud Next conference in San Francisco earlier this week, the search engine announced its acquisition of Kaggle. The startup has been responsible for hosting competitions between data scientists that want to stand out in their field. Though the details of the deal were not shared, it is evident that both parties will benefit from the same. As noted by Venture Beat, Kaggle competitions have been a platform for data scientists to make a name for themselves and help land jobs. These competitions hosted challenges that were provided by other companies. The acquisition will not change this and even the team will stay in place. However, it will not work under the distinctive brand of Google Cloud. "We must lower the barriers of entry to AI and make it available to the largest community of developers, users and enterprises, so they can apply it to their own unique needs," said Fei-Fei Lei in a blog post, who is Google Cloud AI and Machine Learning's chief scientist. She then stated that the company's partnership with Kaggle will help accelerate this belief and mission. By buying Kaggle, Google is opening its brand to the data science community. The company is definitely not a stranger to the industry, but this new acquisition is sure to help solidify its role in an every growing field. And with artificial intelligence branching out into fields like autonomous driving and deep learning, there is arguably no better time for the move. But while Google has a clear and distinct end goal, the acquisition also opens several doors to the relatively small startup. By making the Cloud technology available to the community, more powerful infrastructures are becoming accessible to the people. Kaggle's blog post noted that the said advancement also provides scalable training and deployment services, as well as a larger storage facility for data sets. Nintendo Switch is back at GameStop, sort of. GameStop just announced it is accepting pre-orders for the Switch console which will come bundled with other Nintendo accessories and games. However, interested parties will have to part with a lot more than the $300 the device was originally priced. Nintendo Switch bundles will be available at GameStop for $509.99 and $599.99. The less expensive Starter Bundle One includes the Nintendo Switch console, gray L and R Joy-Cons (instead of the neon colored ones), "Super Bomberman R", "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild", and the latter game's expansion pass. For an additional $90, Starter Bundle2 buyers can get a Joy-Con Charging Dock, a 64 GB SanDisk microSD card, a Nyko power kit, a hybrid cover, and a case. They also get more games in "Just Dance 2017" and "Snipperclips: Cut It Out, Together!" in addition to the new Zelda game. Fans of the hybrid console may be better off spending $500 to $600 on the Nintendo Switch bundles instead of looking for alternatives or giving in and buying overpriced stand-alone Switch consoles sold by scalpers, particularly those on eBay and other online retail sites. Forbes noted that the Nintendo Switch Starter Bundle One is only available at GameStop's physical stores. The Starter Bundle 2, meanwhile, can be pre-ordered in store and online at GameStop's official website. According to GameSpot, the Nintendo Switch bundles will arrive on Easter Day which falls on April 16, a Sunday. GameStop is also offering $125 in store credit to those who would trade in their Nintendo 3DS or Wii U. The store credit will then be applied toward the purchase of a Nintendo Switch. Those interested to get their Switch at $125 less the original and are willing to let go of their old Nintendo handheld consoles may do so only until March 19. The Nintendo Switch bundles, meanwhile, are available for pre-ordering right now. Update 9/12/17: Apple has officially announced the iPhone 8 and the iPhone X at its Apple Park event. Apple is still selling tens of millions of iPhone 7s every monthbut all everyone can talk about is whats coming next. After all, 2017 marks the iPhones 10th anniversary, so Apple is reportedly gearing up to make this years model extra special. If you passed on the iPhone 7 to wait for the iPhone 8or the iPhone 7s or whatever name Apple decides to useit sounds like the next phone could be the design refresh you were waiting for. Just dont expect the headphone jack to return. Well keep track of the latest rumors and how plausible they are, and well put them in one spot (this one!) so you can pop on over whenever you want to read the latest. Whats the latest? The rumor: First we had the HomePod firmware leak. Now we have the iOS 11 leak. 9to5Mac has gotten its hands on the final build of the next iPhones OS, and it confirmed a lot of the rumors we had heard about iPhone 8. (Actually, make the iPhone X.) And thats not all we learned. 9to5Mac also uncovered more images of the bezel-less design with the tell-tale notch, Face ID for unlocking, the new navigation bar, and something new, a possible True Tone display. Additionally, there will reportedly be a new feature called Animoji, which will let users create animated emoji based on their specific expressions, as well as new Portrait Lighting modes in the camera app to enhance bokeh images. Got all that? Plausible? Its hard to believe that the two biggest iPhone leaks can from Apple itself, but here we are. It would have to be a pretty elaborate subterfuge for the information gleaned from the leaked iOS GM to not be real, but all will be revealed Tuesday. Well whatta you know, supply will be constrained The rumor: Apple spent the summer ramping up production of its new iPhones, but glitches that occurred will result in short supply and shipping delays. This is according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. The WSJ also says that the iPhone manufacturing process is a bit more involved compared to that of a Samsung phoneSamsung is the provider of the OLED screens for the iPhone. The report also says that the initial sales period is expected to start on September 22, ten days after the September 12 event. Plausible? There have been reports all summer long about shortages with the OLED screen that Apple plans to use. With only one supplier and assembler, delays arent surprising. Be prepared to wait an extended period after placing your order. New UI elements The rumor: After reading about all the hardware changes allegedly due for the iPhone 8, we had some questions. How will the virtual home button work? How do we access Siri? How do we get to the multitasking carousel? A new report from Bloomberg Technology answers many of them. According to Mark Gurman, Apple is planning on introducing some interesting changes to the iPhone 8 version of iOS 11. Most notably, there will be a redesigned Dock with a new interface similar to the one on the iPad version of iOS 11, which is accessible from anywhere. Below that will be a thin, software bar across the bottom of the screen in lieu of a home button. According to Gurman, users will be able to drag the bar up to the middle of the screen to unlock the phone. A similar gesture will launch the multitasking carousel while using the phone, and then another flick upwards will close the app and return to the home screen. Apple will be embracing the camera notch at the top of the screen, showing a definitive cutout at the top of apps with non-black backgrounds and dividing the status Save and exit bar into two halves when on the home screen. Plausible? Absolutely yes. Gurmans sourcing is usually excellent, but even beyond that, the changes outlined here are smart and sensible. Without a home button, swiping and tapping will take on even greater prominence in iOS 11, and it seems Apple has struck a balance between simplicity and efficiency with the new bar at the bottom of the screen. Swiping up to both unlock and switch apps might actually be even more intuitive than tapping the home button, but we still have one question: Will we still be able to access Siri by long-pressing? Will Sept. 12 be the day? The rumor: The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple will hold an event at its new Apple Park campus on September 12 for the media and special guests. Apple will reveal three new iPhones: two iPhone 7 models, and a model to mark the products 10th anniversary. Plausible? The rumor of the September 12 event date has picked up a lot of steam lately. The date makes a lot of sense; Apple could start taking orders at the end of that week, and the new iPhones would start shipping to customers by the end of the month. This is a pattern that Apple has done in the recent past. Prices start at $999? The rumor: The New York Times Brian X. Chen wrote an analysis on why the iPhone has been so successful for ten years. He also mentions that the upcoming iPhone release will include a premium model priced at around $999, according to his sources. He also says that the premium model will have a smaller bezel, facial recognition, and charging via magnetic induction. Plausible? Chens report is consistent with rumors of a premium phone with a premium price tag. The features he mentioned also align with the rumors. It looks like the iPhone 8 is going to be an expensive phone. iPhone 8 mockups The rumor: iPhone 8 mockups, prototypes, and dummies are making the rounds in the tech media. People are creating physical models based on the rumored specifications and what was revealed in the HomePod firmware. If youre interested in what people think the next iPhone will be like, here are a few stories and videos to check out. Plausible? The HomePod firmware dig revealed a lot about the upcoming iPhone, especially about the screen, so the the mockups of the iPhone screen seem the most plausible. A lot of other thing about the designlike whether it will have a glass or metal back, and the camera alignmentis still speculative. Limited production and no rose gold? The rumor: The trusted analysts at KGI Securities are predicting some good news and bad news in terms of the new iPhone launch next month. Good news: Three new modelsa 4.7-inch iPhone 7s, a 5.5-inch iPhone 7s Plus, and a 5.8-inch OLED iPhone 8will arrive in September. This contradicts an earlier rumor that the OLED iPhone 8 was behind schedule and wouldnt go on sale until late October. Now for the bad news: KGI is also predicting that only two to four million OLED units will be available at the beginning, with Apple ramping up production to 45 to 50 million later next year. Even worse? KGI said that the new iPhones will only come in three colors: black, silver, and gold. Plausible? After previous rumors of delays, it sounds like Apple is willing to do anything to get the OLED iPhone out in time. Even if that means making only a very-limited supply at first, and having to sacrifice a wider range of color options. It may also be wishful thinking, but its hard to believe that Apple would make a new special anniversary iPhone that does not come in a new exclusive color. Especially after the jet black and red options proved to be so coveted, and rose gold has now been embraced as a signature Apple color. Hopefully more color options will become available in 2018 as OLED production ramps up. Again, wishful thinking. Facial recognition and all-screen confirmed? Steven Troughton-Smith The HomePod firmware contains an image that looks an awful lot like the rumored iPhone 8. The rumor: Weve been hearing for weeks that the iPhone 8 will ditch the home button for a radical new design built around a new OLED screen that covers nearly the entire front of the handset. But as with all rumors, weve been skeptical. However, it appears as though an eagle-eyed iOS developer has uncovered the truth. Steven Troughton-Smith dug into an early firmware release for Apples upcoming HomePod speaker and found a treasure trove of information about the iPhone 8. Most notably, it seems to confirm that the iPhone 8 will dump Touch ID. According to Troughton-Smith, the pre-release firmware includes several references to a new BKFaceDetectStateInfo string, which seemingly refers to a new face detection biometric system. The iPhones camera may also be able to recognize your face, even if its laying down on a table. Additionally, the firmware contains a small icon of the iPhone 8, and it matches up nearly perfectly with the rumors, right down to the camera cutout at the top. The rumor, part two: And thats not all the HomePod firmware has revealed. Troughton-Smith has unearthed a few more goodies about the next iPhone, most notably the likely screen resolution. He uncovered references to a resolution of 1125 x 2436, which would give the iPhone 8 a 5.15-inch 3x Retina display at 521ppi, making it the highest resolution iPhone screen ever. Back in February, highly accurate tipster Ming-Chi Kuo predicted this exact size for the iPhone 8. However, he explained that the full size of the screen would actually be 5.8 inches at 1242 x 2800, with part of the bottom reserved for the virtual home button and other functions. Troughton-Smith also discovered references to a home indictator rather than a home button, so its likely that Kuo was right on the money. Additionally, tap to wake functionality, a popular feature on Android phones, will likely make an appearance, but Troughton-Smith sees nothing to indicate under-the-display Touch ID. Plausible? Um, yeah. Of all the rumors weve readand thats no small numberthis is the most believable. Unless Apple is trolling us hard, its pretty clear that the iPhone 8 will have a new facial recognition biometric and a completely new design. While the pieces here dont necessarily confirm the rumor that Touch ID will be going away, it certainly lends credence to the idea, especially in light of the home button-less image and home indicator reference. At any rate, with each passing day (and rumor) were getting more and more excited about the iPhone 8, whatever it costs. @evleaks Evan Blass posted this render of an all-screen iPhone 8 in an Urban Armor case on @evleaks. Frickin laser beams in the friction camera?! The rumor: We already know that Apple is hard at work at a killer AR framework that lets developers create amazing virtual experiences, but Fast Company reports that Apple is working to add a rear-facing 3D vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser system to the iPhone 8. What that means to us is a killer way to lock in on what the camera sees. According to the site, the new sensor will accomplish two tasks, enabling better depth detection for augmented reality apps, and implementing more accurate autofocus for photography. As it stands Apple has done some amazing things with ARKit, but all eyes are on the iPhone 8 to bring it to the next level. Fast Company cautions that the feature might not be ready for this years phoneor might be limited to the higher-end modelsbut one thing is for sure: A laser sensor in the iPhone 8 would certainly give Apple a needed boost in the AR race. Plausible? Apples augmented reality ambitions were all speculation until WWDC, but now that ARKit has landed, its clear that AR is a big part of Apples iOS roadmap. And the next iPhone is the perfect device to showcase what the new tech can really do. A depth-detecting laser sensor incorporated into a next-generation dual-camera system will instantly make the iPhone 8 the most intriguing handset for AR, giving it an edge that might actually make it useful for something more than capturing Pokemon at the park. Delayed wireless charging and a sky-high price tag? The rumor: Its all but confirmed that the iPhone 8 will have wireless induction charging built in, like many of its Android peers. Theres even some images that suggest a wireless charging coil. Some new speculation from Daring Fireballs John Gruber suggests it might not be ready when the handset launches. In a tweet he writes, Ive heard that inductive charging might be late, waiting for iOS 11.1 (a la Portrait mode last year). One of the premier features of the iPhone 7 Plus is Portrait Mode, which blurs the background around your subject to create a depth effect, but early adopters had to wait a few weeks to get it. If you remember, the iPhone 7 launched on Sept. 16, but Portrait Mode didnt arrive until over a month later, on Oct. 24. It would be a bummer if wireless charging were similarly delayed on the iPhone 8, but because Gruber also says the charger will be sold separately, we might be waiting a while before the accessories ship anyway. Gruber also opines on the price of the iPhone 8, or as he calls it, the iPhone Pro. In a lengthy post on his site, he concludes that the new OLED model will likely start at $1,200 for 64GB of storage. Thats a sky-high price for sure, but rumors have been swirling about the four-figure price of the iPhone 8 for a while now. Plausible? John Gruber doesnt play the rumor game all that often, but when he does, he generally has solid information. As such, both of these nuggets are entirely possible. Its not uncommon for Apple to delay features until theyre just right, so it would sooner delay wireless charging than ship a buggy version. Gruber also lays out a surprisingly compelling argument for such an expensive phone. In short, Apple will be fighting supply issues for months to come, so it needs to offer a reason for tens of millions of people to buy the regularly priced models releasing alongside it. A $300 difference in price would certainly fit the bill. Goodbye Touch ID? The rumor: After months of conflicting reports that put the iPhone 8s fingerprint sensor either under the display or on the rear casing (as with Android phones), often-accurate KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has dropped a bombshell (via StreetInsider): The iPhone 8 wont have a Touch ID sensor at all. Apple is reportedly dumping fingerprint support in favor of facial recognition, which will be enabled by a new 3D-sensing front camera. The report also backs the existence of the camera cutout at the top of the screen, which will give the 5.8-inch iPhone 8 bragging rights as the phone with the highest screen-to-body ratio, besting even the Samsungs super-slender Galaxy S8. Plausible? Its starting to look like this is going to happen. A previous post on Reddit floated this idea, and now one of the most accurate tipsters in the Apple universe has backed the claim. Touch ID has had a major impact on the security of our iPhones, not just with unlocking, but also with secure files, Apple Pay, and App Store purchases. In our experiences with facial recognition, its not nearly as accurate or convenient, and hackers have had better luck with spoofing it. Well have to see what Apple does here, but this seems like a worse move than killing the headphone jack. Waterproofing and wireless charging The rumor: The iPhone 8 will feature both waterproof capabilities and wireless charging, according to a report in Nikkei Asian Review. The information comes from Wistron, one of Apples assembly companies, which told shareholders on Wednesday that the new features will alter the assembly process a bit. Apple made last years iPhone 7 the first to be considered water-resistant, and weve heard previously that Apple is seriously considering wireless charging. Its unclear, though, whether the all-new 2017 iPhone will sport these new capabilities. Plausible? It makes sense that Apple would want to take the iPhone 8 one step further in terms of water-resistance, so making it technically waterproof is the next logical step. Apple is notoriously cautious in designating its products waterproof or even water-resistant, though, so well see if the company makes this claim in the upcoming iPhones. As for wireless charging, this seems likely. Apple joined the Wireless Power Consortium last year, and previous rumors have indicated that all new iPhone models being released this year will feature wireless charging. So if youre going to bet on an all-new feature, wireless charging is as close to a safe bet as well get before launch date. When will it come out? The rumor: There are conflicting theories regarding the iPhone 8s launch window. Some have speculated that Apple may miss the traditional September launch window because a lot of custom-ordered parts, including pieces for the display, wireless charging, and printed circuit boards, wont be ready by September, according to the latest findings from Nikkei Asian Review. The iPhone 7s models are expected to come out on schedule, however. In this report, an analyst from research company IHS Markit confirmed that Samsung is now the exclusive OLED supplier for the new iPhones, because Samsung specializes in manufacturing curved smartphone displays. However, the analyst says Samsung is facing challenges in delivering what Apple wants, even though theyve cranked out close to 75 million curved iPhone displays so far. This is not the first time weve heard that Apple has faced roadblocks during the iPhone 8s production. This follows an earlier report from reputable KGI analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, which reported that the iPhone 8 will be out in October or November due to these supply issues. Previously, Digitimes reported that Apple was facing delays in developing its proprietary fingerprint sensor for the new OLED-equipped iPhone 8 (if, indeed, that feature will remain on the phone). Additionally, Japanese news site Macotakara reported that STMicroelectronics, the new supplier of the iPhones 3D camera sensors, needed more time to ramp up mass production. With all these production issues, some reports even suggest the iPhone 8 wont come out until 2018. Rumors being what they are, analysts at JPMorgan had predicted Apple would take the wraps off its new iPhone at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, based on a note obtained by 9to5Mac. This is something the company hasnt done since 2010and didnt do this year, after all. Plausible? At first, it seemed very unlikely that Apple would miss its typical September launch date. Plus, Digitimes doesnt have the best track record when it comes to iPhone rumors. But now that Nikkei Asian Review and Ming-Chi Kuo are jumping on board, this rumor gets a credibility boost. Apple is tinkering with assembling OLEDs for the first time, as well as incorporating new camera sensors and fingerprint sensors (if the latter is still a feature). If there were an iPhone model that required a little more time, the iPhone 8 would seem to be it. Were not surprised the JPMorgan prediction fell through. During the companys second-quarter earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook said people were pausing their iPhone purchases because they saw rumors of upcoming iPhones and wanted to wait. Announcing an iPhone 8 in June and not making it available to buy until September would all but kill Apples iPhone businessat least without hefty discounts to spur sales. Whats with the delay? The rumor: The 3D Touch feature on the iPhone 8 has been a real pain for Apple. According to AppleInsider, Apple is still trying to get 3D Touch to work properly on the iPhone 8, and this will push the production schedule to October or November. In addition, Apple is reportedly paying more than double to get 3D Touch on the iPhone 8. AppleInsider previously reported that TPK Holdings is charging between $18 and $22 to implement 3D Touch on the OLED iPhone 8. The same company currently charges between $7 and $9 per current iPhone. The price increase stems from the fact that implementing 3D Touch on an OLED display requires putting the sensors between a glass sandwich. Plausible? Even if the iPhone 8 doesnt come out until way later this year, Apple shouldnt be too worried. A new, souped-up iPhone would be perfect for the holiday shopping season, and investors are already drooling about the higher demand it could trigger. Its also possible that Apple has come across some unexpected costs in producing the all-new iPhone 8, especially because is the companys first time building in an OLED display. The iPhone 8 is already rumored to command a higher price tag, so even if Apple has to pay more to provide the same features, its margins will remain intact. Concept video based on CAD schematic? The rumor: A new concept video has surfaced that renders some of the most prominent rumors about the iPhone 8. The video showcases the iPhone 8s OLED display, as well as the vertically aligned rear camera system. Based on a factory computer-animated design schematic, the video is courtesy of French gadget leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer, known as OnLeaks on Twitter. Plausible? Hemmerstoffer has a good track record when it comes to iPhone rumors. Last year, he posted a photo of the iPhone 7 case months before the device was unveiled. However, even Hemmerstoffer admits the latest video may not be 100-percent accurate because Apple is testing various prototypes of the iPhone 8. I cant confirm this is 100% accurate, he tweeted. Watch the video below. Microsoft's .NET Core is now making its way to Raspberry Pi developer boards, and an official .NET 2.0 Core is coming from the software company later this year. The .NET Core for Raspberry Pi and instructions to install it are available on the Github site. The .NET platform can be used to develop mobile, PC, and server applications and services. The Raspberry Pi 3 board can serve as an entry-level PC or be used to develop smart gadgets, robots, or internet-of-things devices. Microsoft recently opened up the programming framework for .NET Core, and separate from the Raspberry Pi move, Samsung is adopting it for the Tizen OS platform. Tizen is a Linux-based OS being developed by Samsung used in smartwatches and other devices. The version of .NET Core for Raspberry Pi is fairly rudimentary, more of a stepping stone to the final version of .NET 2.0 Core. The Raspberry Pi has an ARM processor, and a version of .NET Core is being adapted for that architecture. "We can confirm there is an ARM32 version of .NET Core out on GitHub," a Microsoft spokesman said in an email. "It is an implementation of .NET Core that Samsung, Microsoft, and the community are working on. We are making it available to customers ... so they can use it on Raspberry Pis, IoT, etc." The .NET Core build on Github will work with Ubuntu 16.04 and Windows 10 IoT Core, which are both supported by Raspberry Pi. Support for the .NET Core will be through Github and not official Microsoft support channels, the spokesman said. "This development work is part of the 2.0 wave of .NET Core, which is coming later in 2017. We have nothing yet to share on Microsoft support for ARM32 outside of Tizen, the spokesman said. A Tizen roadmap states that native ARM32 support for .Net Core will come around October this year. "Samsung will be shipping their Tizen platform on both .NET Core x86 and .NET Core ARM32. They will build their own supported releases of this just like Red Hat builds their own supported releases of .NET Core," the Microsoft spokesman said. Customers who want support for .NET Core on the Tizen platform will have to go through Samsung, the same way Red Hat customers would get support for .NET Core on their platform. 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. Feds laud $83M to better Pell Bridge The congressional delegation of Rhode Island was in Jamestown to celebrate an $82.5 million grant to upgrade the bridge that connects Conanicut Island to Newport. U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, a... Local author, illustrator collaborate on book A local woman has turned her digital cross-country teatimes with her granddaughter into a childrens book. Tuesday Tea, written by Debby Furness Saletin and illustrated by Maryann England, both of... Local group asks for rental rules changes A group of residents is expected to present its recommendations on how to improve the ordinance that governs short-term rentals. Member Ron Ratcliffe said the item is scheduled to be... Some bosses choose to lead with fear, while others lead with kindness and show compassion for their employees who need it the most. Recently, one CEO showed how being supportive can make a difference in a persons life, especially if that said person is about to have the biggest day of her life. In a video posted by HSBC Bank in Taiwan (via Mashable) one of its employees, Jennifer, revealed that her parents dont approve of her relationship with her girlfriend, Sam, and that they refused to attend their wedding. My parents are strongly against it, Jennifer said. Whenever my father sees Sam, he will push her out and tell her to get lost. The HSBC employee also said that she and her partner were afraid to come out as they thought that people would make fun of them. Moreover, Jennifer said that she was worried about her work, as she was concerned that clients would stop banking with HSBC if they found out that they have a lesbian employee. Soon, she realized that some clients were supportive, which gave her one less thing to worry about. Jennifer said that her parents have stopped communicating with her and decided to boycott her wedding. However, her boss and her co-workers have been supportive of her wedding plans, and even the countrys HSBC CEO, John Li, offered to walk her down the aisle. The video shows the brides waiting to make their entrance, with Jennifer holding on to Lis arm. They were greeted with loud cheers, and the employee recalled that the CEO advised them not to be nervous and to walk slowly. We cried because we never thought we would make it this far, said Jennifer. Same-sex marriage is not recognized in Taiwan, which means that Jennifer and Sams wedding was symbolic. However, Jennifer said that the wedding is really for the LGBT community and they hope that their actions will encourage people and create respect among different communities. HSBC is one of the few companies which openly supports LGBT couples. Last year, HSBC Hong Kong debuted two new colored lion statues they named Stephen and Stitt at the HSBC Main Building Plaza, saying that they stand for pride and unity. The lions have been painted in rainbow colors to show support for the LGBT community. For more, check out Jobs & Hires report on how to lead with kindness. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne may not be in favor of General Motors' decision to sell its European operations. However, the Fiat Chrysler CEO is still open to a potential merger with the U.S. carmaker, according to a report on USA Today. In a bid to leave Europe after the United Kingdom voted to exit the European Union, General Motors announced that it is selling its European Opel and Vauxhall brands to Peugeot parent company PSA Group, Jobs & Hire previously reported. Marchionne said he does not believe that the return on invested capital that General Motors will get from the sale of Opel and Vauxhall justifies the terms of the transaction. He acknowledged that General Motors is looking to achieve better profitability, but he believes that General Motors is throwing out all the potential benefits from the European operations. The Fiat Chrysler CEO, however, is not deterred from his plan to make a deal with General Motors. He expressed willingness to continue wooing General Motors to close a deal. CNBC reported that Marchionne had also talked about Volkswagen at the Geneva Motor Show. He said that Matthias Mueller is putting on a brave face for saying that he was not really worried about the deal between General Motors and PSA Group. Although he still wants a tie-up with General Motors, the Fiat Chrysler CEO said the transaction may or may not happen during his tenure. Marchionne is expected to resign from his CEO role in 2019. Back in 2015, Marchionne informed General Motors that he thinks that a merger with Fiat Chrysler will be beneficial for the shareholders of both companies. The transaction could generate billions in cost savings for both companies, according to the Fiat Chrysler CEO. However, General Motors CEO Mary Barra rejected his proposal. Email Links to our top local news stories of the day, Monday through Saturday. The first step has been cleared of the regulatory and shareholder approvals required for British American Tobacco Plc to secure full ownership of Reynolds American Inc. Reynolds independent board of directors announced Jan. 17 that it had accepted BATs second offer, in which BAT would acquire the 57.8 percent of Reynolds that it doesnt already own. The companies said Thursday that a federal anti-trust waiting period related to the transaction has expired without requests for additional information by the U.S. Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission. The Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 gives those federal agencies the ability to ask questions related to potential anti-trust concerns. The expiration of the acts waiting period satisfies the transaction closing condition related to U.S. antitrust approval, the companies said. The expiration could be a sign that BATs purchase of Reynolds will go as smoothly as many analysts have projected. By comparison, both Reynolds and Lorillard Inc. received FTC requests for additional information in August 2014 about six weeks after Reynolds announced what became a $29.5 billion offer for its Greensboro rival. The FTC approved the Reynolds-Lorillard deal on May 26, 2015. A key element of the deal was the companies agreeing to sell four traditional cigarette brands and blu-eCigs for $7.1 billion to Imperial Brands Plc. That deal closed 17 days later on June 12, 2015. The BAT-Reynolds transaction still requires approval by both companies shareholders and regulatory clearance from Japan as it relates to Reynolds $5 billion sale in January 2016 of the international rights to Natural American Spirit super-premium traditional cigarette to Japan Tobacco. The companies continue to expect the transaction to close in the third quarter of 2017. Olivetree Financial analyst Tyler Tebbs has said he expects the companies shareholder votes to take place by Aug. 10, and the deal to close by Aug. 12 if the regulatory process goes smoothly. BAT said Reynolds would become its largest global subsidiary, with Reynolds shareholders owning 19 percent of BAT. There is a $1 billion breakup fee for each company. Wells Fargo Securities analyst Bonnie Herzog said she believes there is relatively low risk that shareholders vote down the deal given the $1 billion breakup fee and the benefit both sides would see if any corporate tax reform materializes. We continue to believe BAT/Reynolds as a combined company will compete more effectively in growing the reduced-risk product industry and maximize profits given Reynolds high-margin, cash-rich U.S. combustible cig business. Reynolds had 5,550 full-time and 50 part-time workers companywide as of Dec. 31, 2016. The company has not provided a public local workforce count in several years. Reynolds is estimated to have between 2,000 and 2,200 local employees, the majority of whom work at its Tobaccoville plant. However, the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce lists Reynolds with 3,000 employees as of July 2016. BATs revised offer was valued Jan. 17 at $29.44 in cash and $30.20 in BAT shares, or $59.64 per share overall. The breakdown is $24.4 billion in cash and $25 billion in British Tobacco American depository receipts, known as ADR, that are valued at 0.526 BAT shares for each Reynolds share. According to Investopedia, an ADR is a stock that trades in the U.S. but represents a specified number of shares in a foreign corporation. BAT plans to establish a Level III ADR with the New York Stock Exchange. A Level III ADR is considered by Investopedia as the most prestigious of the three levels, in part because it can be used to raise capital through a public offering. Tebbs said he expects the two underlying regulatory steps with the Securities Exchange Commission and NYSE registering and listing the ADRs to be very smooth. He projects the SEC will complete its review between mid-May and early June. However, the key risk that merger arbitrage investors face is the devil in the details of the expected timing of the shareholder votes relative to the BAT and Reynolds dividends ex-dividend dates of Aug. 18 and Sept. 9, respectively. The BAT ADR will have an approximate equity value of $28 billion, and should attract increase sell-side coverage and investor relations effort on the U.S. side of the Atlantic, Tebbs said. Reynolds shareholders will benefit from the issuance and receipt of new ADR shares as part of their merger consideration, as they will be in U.S. shareholders home market and they will trade, clear and settle according to U.S. market conventions. BAT said in a Jan. 18 regulatory filing that it has no plans to close or move the head office in Winston-Salem, nor make any significant changes to the current high-quality manufacturing facilities in North Carolina and Tennessee, nor to the trade marketing team. BAT is confident that not only will the great majority of jobs in the Reynolds family of companies be preserved following completion, but in the future, as a stronger, combined organization, we believe there is a possibility of U.S. job growth and expansion. Nicandro Durante, BATs chief executive, stressed that the company has a strong track record of successfully integrating acquisitions and remains committed to Reynolds Americans U.S. workforce and manufacturing facilities. BAT has identified three main areas for cost synergies that are expected to produce at least $400 million in annual savings by completion of the third year of the deal. They are in procurement, product development and head office roles that need to be relooked at, Durante said. Q: Over the past several months I have been in restaurants around Forsyth County that do not have roll paper towels in the restroom, only a hand dryer. Well then of course you have to grab the handle to open the restroom door. How is this not breaking some sort of health code? Im just imagining a cook grabbing that germ-infested handle and going back to preparing dishes in the kitchen. A.H. Answer: The North Carolina Food Code allows for mechanical air dryers, saying in section 6-301 that each handwashing sink should be provided with individual, disposable towels; a continuous towel system that supplies the user with a clean towel; a heated-air hand drying device; or a hand-drying device that employs an air-knife system that delivers high velocity, pressurized air at ambient temperatures. Any of those techniques are accepted. But there is an extra safeguard. All food service employees are required to wash their hands in the food service area (kitchen, wait station, etc.) when they return to their work station after using the restroom in addition to washing their hands before leaving the restroom, said Sheryl Emory, environmental health supervisor with the Forsyth County Department of Public Health. In some cases, the employees use an employee restroom that is for employees only and do not use the public restroom so there may be a different option for hand drying in the employee restroom. Q: For several weeks before Christmas, Christies Hallmark stores had a sale offering bonus points for various things. Several prizes supposedly were given away, though I never saw or heard who might have won. I racked up a lot of points. Now the store has closed. When will I get proof of my bonus points and how they can be used? L.H.P. Answer: Assuming you are referring to the contest Christies Hallmark stores had in November and December, winners were notified and those prizes were handed out when the contest ended on Dec. 31. If you are referring to Hallmark Golden Crown Points rewards program, however, those points should remain in the system. You can contact the company at (800) HALLMARK, go to www.hallmark.com, or check with other Hallmark stores in the area for assistance. The Christies Hallmark in Kernersville closed at the end of February, when the owners could not come to terms on a new lease, but other locations remain in the area. Those include stores in Winston-Salem at Thruway Plaza and North Summit Square shopping centers, in Greensboro at Friendly Center, and in Clemmons. Q: I am part-Cherokee, and I love watching Walker, Texas Ranger. Something touches me. What I want to know is, is Chuck Norris part-Indian? Is there any way you can find out? I would like to have his address so that I may write him. M.T. Answer: Norris has said in interviews that he is part-Irish, on his mothers side, and part-Cherokee, on his fathers side. His fan mail address is P.O. Box 872, Navasota, TX 77868. Pazuzu Algarad, an avowed Satanist accused of killing one of two men buried for five years in the backyard of a Clemmons house, apparently killed himself the day before he was due in Forsyth District Court, officials said Wednesday. Algarad, 36, who was facing a first-degree murder charge, was found unresponsive with a wound to his arm at 3 a.m. Wednesday at Central Prison in Raleigh, where he had been since May 13 on a sealed safe-keeping order. Prison officials tried to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead at 4:20 a.m. State prison officials notified the Forsyth County Sheriffs Office at 5:40 a.m. Wednesday. Algarads death comes about a year after the skeletal remains of Joshua Fredrick Wetzler and Tommy Dean Welch were found in the backyard of a now-demolished house on Knob Hill Drive in Clemmons where Algarad lived with his girlfriend, Amber Nicole Burch, and his mother, Cynthia James. Algarad and Burch were each charged with first-degree murder and accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. Officials have not released many details of Algarads death, including how he died, what kind of wound he had, whether there were any weapons in his cell or if he had ever attempted suicide. This was Algarads second time at Central Prison. He was first sent there in December 2014 on a safe-keeping order and stayed until mid-April. Keith Acree, a spokesman for the N.C. Department of Public Safety, has said that a transfer for safe-keeping can be for three reasons security, mental health disorders or medical conditions. Pamela Walker, a spokeswoman for the agency, said Wednesday that Algarad was housed with the general population and that prison officials conduct bed checks every hour, along with additional formal counts several times a day. She said an autopsy has been requested. She said she could not release more information because of the investigation. Officials did not say Wednesday whether Algarad was under suicide watch. The State Capitol Police Department, along with the Raleigh/Wake City-County Bureau of Identification, is investigating the circumstances of Algarads death. Jim ONeill, Forsyth County district attorney, said at a news conference Wednesday that it would have been at least a year before Algarads case would have gone to trial. The background Arrest warrants allege that Algarad killed Wetzler in July 2009 and that Burch, 25, helped Algarad bury Wetzler. The warrants also allege that Burch killed Welch in October 2009 and that Algarad helped Burch bury Welch. Krystal Nicole Matlock, 29, is charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder and is accused of helping bury Wetzler. Algarad, Burch and Matlock were all scheduled to appear in Forsyth District Court today, though the case would likely have been continued. Burch and Matlock remain in the Forsyth County jail. Missing for five years On Oct. 5, 2014, Forsyth County sheriffs deputies executed a search warrant at 2749 Knob Hill Drive in Clemmons. They soon found skeletal remains later identified as belonging to Wetzler and Welch. Wetzler disappeared in July 2009, and Welch vanished in October 2009. Sheriffs detectives have not said what connection, if any, Welch and Wetzler had with Algarad and Burch. According to autopsy reports, Welch was shot once in the back of the head and Wetzler was shot at least seven times, including three times in the head. Stacey Carter, Wetzlers former girlfriend and the mother of his son, said Wednesday that a sheriffs detective called her about 11 a.m. and told her about Algarads death. She said she wasnt surprised. She said since Wetzlers body was found, she has been focused on helping with a documentary about the case called American Monster that she hopes will help raise awareness on mental illness. You cant throw them away, Carter said about people who suffer from mental illness. I think we live in this throw-away society. She said there needs to be more efforts at intervention and prevention so that children suffering from mental illness dont grow up and hurt people. We need to address mental illness just like we would if smallpox came back, Carter said. A woman who said she was Welchs aunt said the family did not want to comment. Mother worried Algarad would kill himself Algarads mother worried that her son might kill himself one day. In 2010, psychiatrists had interviewed Cynthia James while Algarad awaited trial on accessory after the fact to involuntary manslaughter. That was in connection with the June 2010 death of Joseph Emmrick Chandler, whose body was found near the Yadkin River. Psychiatrists wanted to see if Algarad was competent to stand trial. He was eventually convicted of the charge. Algarad, according to the psychiatric report, had told psychiatrists at the now-closed Dorothea Dix Hospital that he had practiced a Sumerian religion that involved the monthly sacrifice of a small animal. He said he would have to perform the ritual during what he called the black moon and asked if he could get out of the hospital to perform it. James told psychiatrists that she was afraid Algarad might try to kill himself if he could not perform the dark moon sacrifice. Law-enforcement officials have said that Algarad had performed satanic rituals and animal sacrifices at the Knob Hill house. Pentagrams and other Satanic messages were scrawled onto the walls of the house, and there were what appeared to be animal carcasses. The house was deemed unfit for human habitation by Forsyth County inspectors and later demolished. A life is lost ONeill declined to comment on how Algarads death might affect the pending cases against Algarads co-defendants. In any case where a life is lost ... he has a family and he has friends and we dont celebrate the loss of life in these sorts of situations. It is sad for them and out of respect for them we just wouldnt have any further comment on it, ONeill said. A friend of Burchs who lives in South Carolina said she was not shocked that Algarad had died. Im not the kind of person to wish death on anybody, said Burchs friend, who spoke to the Winston-Salem Journal last spring about Burch, and did not want to be named in the articles. I think he got what he deserved, either way. It is not for me to judge. I am not shocked. It is a full moon. Halloween is just around the corner. Im a true believer in karma: You get what you get. She said last year that Burch had gone from being a cheerful woman who people had nicknamed Bubbles to someone who never bathed and who had filed her teeth to give them sharp points. The friend wondered then and wonders now if Algarad brainwashed Burch. The last moments of Tommy Dean Welchs life were spent sitting on a couch just before Amber Nicole Burch grabbed a .22-caliber rifle and shot him twice in the back of the head in October 2009, a Forsyth County sheriffs detective said in court Thursday. Moments before, Burch, 27, had announced that she would kill Welch, and her boyfriend, avowed Satanist Pazuzu Algarad, told her she knew where the gun was and that it was loaded. Three months before, Algarad had used that same rifle to fatally shoot Joshua Fredrick Wetzler. Both men were shot while Algarads mother, Cynthia James, was in the house. In Wetzlers case, she saw her son in July 2009 standing over Wetzler with a rifle in his hand and went back to her bedroom to finish getting ready for work. When she went to leave, Algarad was still standing over Wetzler, and made the statement that he needed to make sure Wetzler was dead, and shot Wetzler again, Detective C.E. Meadows said. Wetzlers body stayed in the house for several weeks before Algarad called Burch, who was in South Carolina, to ask her to come back and help bury Wetzler. Both men were buried in the backyard of the house at 2749 Knob Hill Drive in Clemmons. It would be five years before deputies from the Forsyth County Sheriffs Office found their remains. According to autopsies, Welch was shot in the back of the head, and Wetzler was shot three times in the head and at least four times around the torso. On Thursday, Burch pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, armed robbery and accessory after the fact to murder. Forsyth County prosecutors allege not only that she killed Welch but that she helped Algarad bury Wetzler. Per a plea arrangement, Judge Beecher R. Gray of Forsyth Superior Court gave her three consecutive sentences that totaled 30 years and eight months to 39 years and two months in prison. Burchs guilty pleas Thursday marked part of an ending to one of the most bizarre murder cases in Forsyth Countys history. But it left many questions still unanswered, chief among them being why were Welch and Wetzler killed. Prosecutors said there was no clear motive, and Algarad, who was charged with first-degree murder in Wetzlers death and accessory after the fact to murder for helping Burch bury Welch, killed himself while inside Central Prison in October 2015. Court documents show that Algarad regularly performed Satanistic rituals and animal sacrifices at the house. Algarad was born in San Francisco in 1978 and his birth name was John Alexander Lawson. He changed his name to Pazuzu Illah Algarad in 2002, saying in an affidavit that the name change was for religious reasons. According to a psychiatric report connected to an unrelated criminal case, Algarad told psychiatrists at the now-closed Dorothea Dix Hospital in Raleigh that he had practiced a Sumerian religion that involved the monthly sacrifice of a small animal. After Burch, the only remaining co-defendant is Krystal Nicole Matlock, 30, who is charged with accessory after the fact to murder. Prosecutors say she helped Burch and Algarad bury Wetzlers body. She is scheduled to appear in Forsyth Superior Court the week of April 3. No clear answers One of the biggest questions in the case is how did Wetzler and Welch end up at 2749 Knob Hill Drive. That wasnt really answered in Thursdays hearing. Meadows said the investigation indicated that Wetzler had lived at the house for at least two to three weeks before he was shot to death in July 2009. Stacey Carter, Wetzlers former girlfriend and the mother of his now-12-year-old son, said she last saw Wetzler in July 2009. She didnt report him missing until six months later after he failed to make contact with his family during the Christmas holidays. His car was found behind his apartment complex four months after he disappeared. Carter said Wetzler often hit the road for a few months and that he liked going to music festivals and listening to jam bands such as Widespread Panic and the Grateful Dead. Welch, who loved cars and was the oldest of three boys, had been planning to meet up with family members at his brothers apartment in Clemmons. Meadows said that the last time anyone saw Welch alive was around 7:30 p.m. one day in early October at a gas station. Algarad and Burch picked up Welch from a different gas station later that night and took him to their house, where they hung out and drank alcohol. Forsyth County prosecutors Jonathan Friel and Brian Taylor said there was no clear reason why Burch and Algarad killed Welch and Wetzler. Its not clear why James, who attended Thursdays hearing, was not criminally charged for not reporting the killings and subsequent burials to law-enforcement when they happened in 2009. Meadows said James saw Burch and another woman carry Welchs body to the backyard and saw Burch with a rifle in her hand shortly after Burch shot Welch. Forsyth County District Attorney Jim ONeill declined to comment because the case against Matlock is still pending. Burch and Algarad were both convicted of assaulting James in separate incidents in 2010 and 2011, according to court documents. Forsyth County prosecutors also didnt mention during the hearing that Forsyth County Sheriffs deputies executed a search warrant at 2749 Knob Hill Drive in February 2010. ONeill declined to comment on that search, and that search warrant and the search warrants executed in October 2014 are sealed by court order. On the first two rows of Courtroom 5A sat members of Welchs family, many wiping tears from their eyes as they heard the excruciating details of how Welch died. This is obviously an emotional moment for Tommys family, Taylor said in court. They have a lot of questions, chief (among them) is why. Abusive relationship Friends say that Burch, who graduated in 2008 from Rock Hill High School in Rock Hill, S.C., changed when she started dating Algarad. Julie Boyer, Burchs attorney, said Algarad physically and psychologically abused her repeatedly throughout the relationship. Boyer said law enforcement was called to the house for domestic violence reasons. A friend of Burchs told the Winston-Salem Journal in 2014 that she and Burch went to Bible study together when they lived in Rock Hill. That changed after she met Algarad. She fell into his lifestyle and fell into his identity, she said. Boyer said Algarad had significant mental health issues. When he was convicted of accessory after the fact to involuntary manslaughter in connection to the shooting death of Joseph Emmrick Chandler. Part of his sentence required him to get mental-health treatment. Burch provided transportation, and during one session, the mental health professional pulled Burch to the side and suggested she should get mental health treatment as well, Boyer said. Burch didnt say anything in court, but Boyer said Burch is remorseful for what she did. Friel said the case was difficult and complex. Prosecutors had considered pursuing the death penalty against Burch, but after consulting with the N.C. Attorney Generals Office, they determined there were not statutory aggravating factors that would qualify the case for the death penalty, he said. Stacey Carter, Wetzlers former girlfriend and the mother of his son, said Thursday was the first time she had seen Burch. She still has a lot of questions. A state prosecutor says in court papers filed Tuesday in federal court that John Robert Hayes has not offered any reliable evidence that he is innocent in the killing of two men outside a Winston-Salem illegal drink house in the 1990s. Hayes, 44, is serving two life sentences after a Forsyth County jury convicted him of two counts of second-degree murder. Forsyth County prosecutors allege Hayes fatally shot Waddell Lynn Bitting and Stephen Joel Samuels on July 25, 1993, as they came out of Deuce-Deuce, an illegal drink house at 910 E. 22nd St. A drink house is a club that sells alcohol without a license. Mark Rabil, Hayes attorney, filed an appeal in U.S. District Court in the Middle District of North Carolina in North Carolina, asking the court to overturn Hayes conviction and grant him a new trial. Rabil argued in the appeal that Forsyth County prosecutors failed to turn over evidence favorable to Hayes and that Winston-Salem police officers gave misleading testimony about the ballistics evidence. Rabil also said Hayes trial attorney, Warren Sparrow, did a poor job representing him. Prosecutors with the N.C. Attorney Generals Office, which is representing Forsyth County prosecutors in post-conviction appeals, have argued that Hayes petition was filed too late. Rabil has said that new evidence proves that Hayes was wrongfully convicted and timing doesnt matter. Peter Regulski, a prosecutor with the N.C. Attorney Generals Office, disputes that in new court papers filed Tuesday. He said the evidence that Rabil has presented in the petition is neither reliable nor compelling to prove that Hayes is innocent. Rabil said that Forsyth County prosecutors failed to turn over evidence that three eyewitnesses Cynthia Coleman, Mary Geter and Anita Jeter gave inconsistent statements. For example, Coleman told Winston-Salem police that the shooter was between 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 8 inches tall and wore his hair in plats or dreadlocks. But Hayes was 6 feet tall and had short unbraided hair at the time of his arrest. Rabil also said in the petition that 10 other witnesses identified a number of other shooters with possible motives and that Winston-Salem police never disclosed that they found two shell casings near the porch of the drink house. Rabil said those two shell casings contradicted the testimony of Geter and Jeter, who said that Hayes had gone to a blue car parked on the street, pulled out a gun and started shooting. Police only mentioned during the trial 12 shell casings that they found on the street. According to Rabil, Anita Jeter also failed to tell the jury that she worked at the drink house. But Regulski said a man found the two shell casings and turned them over to police. Theres no way of telling how reliable the man would be or where exactly he found the shell casings, Regulski argues. He said the two shell casings may have bounced on the porch from the sidewalk after Hayes fired his gun. Colemans statement saying that the suspect wore dreadlocks isnt inconsistent, Regulski said. Petitioner provides no credible evidence that he did not wear dreadlocks on the date of the murders, he said. The jury was always aware that there were multiple shooters the night that Bitting and Samuels were killed, Regulski said. Reguski also dismissed the fact that a third person, Kenneth Evans, was shot and identified a different shooter. He said Evans doesnt know who shot him or who shot Samuels and Bitting. Rabil said in an email Wednesday that Regulskis argument is circular. First, the State criticizes the defense for not presenting the new evidence of innocence and reasonable doubt which the State hid from Mr. Hayes for over 20 years, he said. This is not the same as the defense sitting on evidence of innocence and waiting years to present it to a court. It was hidden by the State. Rabil also pointed to a footnote in Regulskis brief: In perhaps a not so odd coincidence, Petitioners trial counsel testified at the MAR (Motion for Appropriate Relief) hearing that Petitioners father attended the trial and that he wore dreadlocks. This footnote is no different than saying any black man might have committed this crime because any black man might have worn his hair in dreadlocks, Rabil said. Of course, white people can wear their hair in dreadlocks. Rabil said this reminds him of the Kalvin Michael Smith case. Smith is serving up to 29 years in prison on a conviction of assaulting Jill Marker, an assistant manager of the now-closed Silk Plant Forest store on Silas Creek Parkway, on Dec. 9, 1994. The assault left Marker with severe brain injuries. She lives in Ohio under 24-hour care. Rabil pointed to Smiths recent appeals that have centered on an affidavit by former Winston-Salem police officer Arnita Miles, which says that Marker identified her assailant as a black man. That affidavit, which was never introduced in court, contradicts Miles written police report that Marker was incoherent and could not identify her attacker. Winston-Salem police spent six months looking at Kenneth Lamoureux as a suspect, a white man with a history of violence whom witnesses say was at the store on the day of the attack. Laura Brewer, a spokeswoman with the N.C. Attorney Generals Office, declined to comment because the case is pending. A Republican senator who was a primary sponsor of controversial House Bill 2 has introduced a bill that would provide a state highway patrolman as protection for former governors, with the focus on Gov. Pat McCrory. State Sens. Dan Bishop, R-Mecklenburg, and Brent Jackson, R-Sampson, submitted the bill, Senate Bill 229, on Thursday. If approved, the new law would go into effect Dec. 1. It represents the follow-through on Bishops pledge last month to provide additional protections for one year to not only former governors, but also former legislators and court officials. The year would start either when their term ends or from when they resign from their post. The impetus for the bill appears to be an incident during President Donald Trumps inauguration ceremonies in which McCrory and individuals with him were followed by protesters chanting shame! and calling McCrory a bigot for his support of HB2, known primarily the bathroom bill. A video that captured the incident was posted on social media and widely shared. State law already allows the secretary of the Department of Public Safety, at the governors request, to assign two patrolmen to the governors office for the purpose of protection. The patrolmen can be assigned other duties. The salary of the patrolmen is paid by the governors office. SB229 would provide a patrolman on an occasional basis to a former governor for protection if requested by the current governor. Travel, lodging and other expenses would be covered by the governors office. Bishop called the protesters a chanting mob and ubiquitous leftist rioters and questioned if the mob fell upon the former governor by coincidence or if they stalked him. Bishop told The News & Observer of Raleigh in February that his legislation would make it a crime to threaten, intimidate or retaliate against a present or former North Carolina official in the course of, or on account of, the performance of his or her duties. However, SB229 does not list specific criminal penalties. On Thursday, Bishop issued a statement in which he said "this extension of an existing, well-structured law is a prudent step to deter and prevent harm from the targeting of former officials as they transition back to private life." American Civil Liberties Union N.C. policy director Sarah Gillooly expressed concern in February that Bishops proposed legislation could limit citizens rights. Peoples right to criticize politicians whether in a newspaper, at a meeting or on a public street is the very heart of what the First Amendment protects, Gillooly said at that time. Everyone deserves protection from violence, but politicians who run for and serve in public office shouldnt get special treatment to shield them from criticism. On Thursday, the NC ACLU chapter said were glad to see that the bill doesnt seek to criminalize peoples right to criticize politicians in public. Political analysts have said McCrorys narrow re-election loss to Democratic challenger Roy Cooper likely was caused by growing opposition in urban areas to HB2s anti-discrimination restrictions and opposition in Iredell and Mecklenburg counties related to toll lanes on Interstate 77. HB2 is known primarily for requiring individuals, including those who are transgender, to use public restrooms and locker rooms based on the gender listed on their birth certificates rather than gender identity. The law also excludes sexual orientation and gender identity from statewide anti-discrimination protections, overrules local nondiscrimination ordinances, and prohibits local government entities from requiring a set hourly wage from third-party contractors working on a project. WASHINGTON Here is what Attorney General Jeff Sessions should have said when he stepped up to the podium and addressed reporters last week at the Justice Department: At long last, have you left no sense of decency? Sessions is the victim of the type of McCarthyite character assassination that the left used to condemn. Remember when accusing people without evidence of coordinating with the Kremlin was frowned upon? No longer, apparently. In fact, what Sessions faced may be worse than McCarthyism. At least McCarthy was right when he claimed that there were Russian spies in the State Department (see Hiss, Alger, among others). On Meet the Press last weekend, former Obama director of national intelligence James Clapper declared that the U.S. intelligence community he headed until a few weeks ago had found no evidence of any collusion between members of the Trump campaign and Russian intelligence. No evidence. The suggestion that Sessions was colluding with the Russians and tried to cover it up is preposterous. Sessions was asked during his confirmation hearings by Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., about allegations contained in an unsubstantiated dossier that there was a continuing exchange of information during the campaign between Trump surrogates and intermediaries for the Russian government. Sessions replied, Senator Franken, Im not aware of any of those activities. I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and I did not have communications with the Russians, and Im unable to comment on it. He was clearly referring to the allegations Franken had just cited of a continuing exchange of information between the Russians and Team Trump. His answer was truthful. He was later asked in a written question from Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.: Have you been in contact with anyone connected to any part of the Russian government about the 2016 election, either before or after election day? Sessions answered No which, again, was truthful. In hindsight, he could have clarified that he had met Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak in his Senate office in his official capacity as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. But why would he? A host of Democratic lawmakers including then-Sen. Mary Landrieu, La., and Sens. Maria Cantwell, Wash., Bob Casey, Pa., Amy Klobuchar, Minn., Jack Reed, R.I., Sheldon Whitehouse, R.I., and Claire McCaskill, Mo. have also met with Kislyak. Thats not surprising. Its their job. Sessions was not asked about official meetings. Then the Wall Street Journal breathlessly reported that Sessions had in fact met with the Russian ambassador at the GOP convention. The Trump administration says Attorney General Jeff Sessions was acting as a then-U.S. senator when he talked to Russias ambassador at an event during last years Republican National Convention in Cleveland, the Journal reported, but Mr. Sessions paid for convention travel expenses out of his own political funds and he spoke about Donald Trumps campaign at the event, according to a person at the event and campaign-finance records. This could be the biggest non-story of a year. To clarify: Then-Sen. Sessions traveled to a political event the Republican National Convention using campaign money, not taxpayer money, as the law requires. The Russian ambassador was there as one of about 80 ambassadors participating in an official diplomatic program, coordinated with the Obama State Department. He and Sessions met at a public event where Sessions spoke. How, exactly, is this a scandal? Answer: Its not. But that has not stopped leading Democrats from calling for Sessions resignation or leading news organizations to report on the a parade of new revelations linking the Trump campaign to Russia. Please. And is it really just pure coincidence that the Sessions story broke just after Trump delivered a widely acclaimed address to Congress? The stench of politics runs high. Sessions has recused himself from any official investigation of the Trump campaign, as he should. As a former Trump campaign official, he rightly concluded he should not be involved in any investigation of the Trump campaign to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. The Senate Intelligence Committee has launched an investigation into whether there was any collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian intelligence, as it should. Americans deserve a careful and dispassionate inquiry so that we can get all the facts. And if any actual evidence emerges of some sort of wrongdoing, those facts should be exposed and those responsible held to account. But if not, then it is entirely possible that Donald Trumps embrace of Vladimir Putin during the 2016 campaign is nothing more than an example of bad policy judgment (much like his embrace of Syrias murderous president, Bashar Assad). Embracing dictators is wrongheaded, but it is not a crime. As for the witch hunts, some in the media need to take a long, hard look in the mirror. If they do, they may see old Tailgunner Joe staring back at them. This weeks event: President Trump alleges that President Obama tapped his phones in Trump Tower last year. John Harrison: 1. One has to wonder when the carnival will end. Who of sound mind would accuse a former president of criminal activity without evidence, then follow that by accusing him of releasing recidivist jihadis from Guantanamo? All of which amounts to tactics to divert attention from Russia, immigration, health care and real issues. A powerful, complex nation cannot be governed by stream-of-consciousness tweets that demean it in the eyes of the world. Charles E. Wilson: 1. Accusations like this are probably intended as a smokescreen. Sometimes the media will cover alt-facts while neglecting to cover real issues. Is President Trump in danger of his pants actually catching fire? Clint Johnson: 5. We know someone in or associated with the Obama administration was apparently wiretapping or listening or tracking the Trump campaign because that is how Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn was 'caught' talking to the Russians. Edward Snowden released thousands of documents showing how past administrations were interested in knowing just about everything about everyone. Did President Obama personally approve a wire tap? Maybe or maybe not. What we do know is that the last administration was filled with sore losers who did and are doing everything they can to damage the Trump administration. I consider that more outrageous and dangerous to the Republic than discovering that Attorney General Jeff Sessions shook hands with the Russian ambassador in his office. The entire scenario that the Russians put Trump into office by somehow rigging the election against Hillary Clinton is ludicrous on its face. People voted against Clinton as much as they voted for Trump. That's the reason she lost; not some cockamamie Democrat-inspired conspiracy scenario that the Russians rigged our elections. Shih-Ni Prim: 0. The allegation is not supported by any evidence and seems to originate from some right-wing conspiracy theory. Such an allegation from a president is simply ridiculous and embarrassing. JoAnn Dunn: 5. President Trump has access to intelligence that may indicate that former President Obama was involved in wiretapping Trump Tower. New evidence revealed Tuesday describes how the CIA may have access to all of us through our TVs and cell phones. We do know for certain that, unlike former presidents, Obama does not plan to go quietly into retirement. I wonder how Democrats would have reacted if George W. Bush had purchased a mansion two miles from the White House and built a huge wall around it. We can only pray that the new administration and those of us who still love our country can withstand all the destruction that is plotted every day throughout America. Don Witte: 0. Why would you believe anything he says? John Wayne Lambeth: Our current political state is more like a bad divorce than a smooth transition of power from the left to President Trump and conservative leadership. Anything is possible, and Obama and Clinton? I don't trust either one. I don't know all the facts, nor does anybody else. If Trump has proof, bring it out so we all can see what it is. And then we can see about the allegations. Hayes McNeill: 0. Trumps weekend tweet-storm was a product of rage and calculated deflection. Angered that his week had been overshadowed by Russian entanglements and furious at being deprived of Sessions, his shield against widening investigations, he picked up a wild story -- completely untrue -- and used it to divert attention from his finances and from his involvement with Soviets. Though bogus, the story was hyperbolic enough both to shift the attention of the press and to feed his followers, who believe anything he says. He doesnt understand how government works and, like a petulant child, he only cares about himself. Jim Monroe: 5. The president seems to want to give us a play-by-play of everything that he hears and does. If we think about it, during our lives, we hear a lot of crazy stuff. We are able to dismiss most of it while President Trump enjoys telling us about it. I seriously doubt that he made this up by himself, which means that someone told him about it. He's tied into a lot of fringe news outlets and advisers, and it's like rumors get started. We're living in an era of fake news and it's up to us, the citizens, to determine what we do and don't believe. Carroll Leggett: 0. The notion that all Washington should scramble each time Donald Trump tweets some poppycock is ridiculous. Washington gets little enough done as it is without chasing rabbits when Trump gets grumpy or wants to dominate the news. I keep waiting for responsible politicians from both parties to start saying, as President Reagan once said, There he goes again! Isnt that what the rest of us are saying? Andrew Smiler: 0. Another unsupported claim that could be easily proven/disproven (as he could release information from the FISA court). We should all understand this for what it is: an attempt by the sitting president to deflect attention from his administration's connections with our enemy, Russia. Mike Walker: 1. No. Try blaming the Russians. They seem to be in fashion as catchall culprits. Not since Marlon Brandos Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now murmured of the horror has such a brooding beast lurked deep within a war-ravaged jungle as the King Kong of Kong: Skull Island. Yes, the big ape is back, this time with a rollicking Vietnam War backdrop and the Creedence Clearwater-thumping soundtrack to match. The year is 1973, Nixon is pulling troops out of Vietnam and American explorer Bill Randa (John Goodman) has convinced a senator (Richard Jenkins) to bankroll a quick expedition on the way out to an uncharted South Pacific island where myth and science meet. Unlike Kurtz, we dont have to wait long for our errand boys a cobbled-together team led by Lieutenant Colonel Packard (Samuel L. Jackson) to encounter Kong on the exotic island. As soon as a swarm of helicopters penetrates the islands permanently stormy perimeter, Kong starts swatting them away like flies, and the soldiers fresh off the failed war find themselves in another gruesome quagmire. Whats a gorilla got to do with Vietnam? Well, thats the 800-pound metaphor in the room. Kong: Skull Island is the latest in a long line of reboots going back to the 1933 original. The disappointment of Peter Jacksons lavish but bloated 2005 attempt pushed producers to explore some other kind of evolution for the chest-pounding primate. Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts has uprooted the tale from its imperialist origins and brought Kong in as a stand-in for the folly of Vietnam. The shift, which follows a brief World War II preamble, gives Kong: Skull Island a strange and surreal energy. An Apocalypse Now with monsters is about as bizarre a fit as youd expect. It is, at least, not the cookie-cutter monster movie it might have been, and Vogt-Roberts who fills his movie with napalm gas, a chattering Nixon bobble head and fireballs in dense jungles gleefully plunges into his cartoonish, digitally rendered heart of darkness. The result is grim and goofy. Kong: Skull Island is never quite sure which it wants to be, but Vogt-Roberts is having too much fun to care. The team includes a British ex-spy (Tom Hiddleston), a self-described antiwar photojournalist (Brie Larson) and a handful of Vietnam vets under Packards command. The island, shot in Hawaii, is a verdant, mountainous paradise thats filled other gargantuan creatures a giant octopus, a long-legged spider and, it turns out, John C. Reilly. He pops up as Hank Marlow, a WWII pilot downed on Skull Island decades earlier, whose long years there have left him a little nutty. Theres something here about the tragic sacrifices and wasted heroism of soldiers, used as pawns against the wrong foes. Jacksons Packard a bloodthirsty cowboy who wants to stay in the rodeo takes the mission as a happy reprieve from the peace time he fears, but his infantry men wish they could just go home. Whereas Reillys instinct is to lean into the movies absurdities, Jackson solemnly readies for a mano-a-mano showdown with Kong. By then, it has turned out that Kong isnt the real enemy, but Packard is undeterred. When others want to call in the cavalry, he glowers: I am the cavalry! Ultimately, the films Vietnam setting is less about warfare and history than finding an intoxicating canvas for a pretty old story. Kong: Skull Island is more about the monster clashes and, as the post-credit clip (a true commercial) proves, setting up future installments. A wider kaiju-verse is planned. King Kong, like many before him, has merely been drafted into a war not of his choosing. RALEIGH Activists implored a state legislative panel Tuesday to soften or scrap a bill that would make life more difficult for unauthorized immigrants and local governments that dont cooperate in apprehending them. The N.C. House Judiciary II Committee got an earful from immigration lawyers, health care workers who treat unauthorized immigrants and several other advocates who oppose the measure titled the Citizens Protection Act of 2017. Youre keeping my patients from coming to me, said Dr. Alison Stuebe, a Chapel Hill obstetrician who said some of her patients either undocumented or related to someone who lacks proper credentials were so afraid of arrest they fail to keep appointments critical to their own health and to that of the fetus. The bill under consideration would withhold six types of state tax money from local governments that give sanctuary to unauthorized immigrants, make it easier to keep such immigrants in jail until their status is sorted out, and require the state Attorney General to move quickly to investigate local governments accused of not complying with state laws involving immigration. Sources of revenue that could be withheld from a non-complying community include tax collections on the sale of beer and wine, telecommunications services, tires, and piped natural gas, as well as state Department of Transportation aid to municipalities. The proposal also would allow any resident of a community that he or she believes is ignoring such laws to file a lawsuit against that local government to force the issue. And in a variety of situations, it would make it easier for authorities to keep unauthorized people in jail awaiting final action on their case by denying bail under the theory no condition of release will reasonably assure they wouldnt flee. To that point, the committee of eight Republicans and four Democrats heard powerful testimony from Caldwell County resident Chris Storie, whose brother was killed in a 2011 car wreck caused by an intoxicated, undocumented immigrant who fled prosecution twice once from the hospital shortly after the crash that occurred during a Kill Devil Hills vacation, and then a second time after he was taken back into custody but a judge lowered his bail to an amount he could afford. If he was a citizen, he wouldnt have known how to flee like illegal immigrants know how to do, Storie told the committee. Storie was the lone speaker to vigorously support the measure at Tuesdays meeting, but her personal story put a human face on the other side of the problem. The committee has a strong Guilford County contingent with three of its 12 members hailing from the Triad, including Reps. John Blust (R-Greensboro), John Faircloth (R-High Point) and Pricey Harrison (D-Greensboro). Blust chairs the committee and Faircloth is one of several vice chairmen. Blust said he had come into the meeting thinking that the committee might vote Tuesday on the proposed measure, House Bill 63, but decided to delay that until the committee meets again next week. We clearly dont want to rush something through, Blust said. The bill introduced by state Rep. Harry Warren (R-Salisbury) also would crack down on people who provide counterfeit drivers licenses and other fake IDs to anybody, regardless of their immigration status. After the meeting, Harrison said that as the proposal now stands, she believes it is full of holes with a strong potential to trigger miscarriages of justice. Were going down a road where its probably going to be declared unconstitutional, she said. And Im troubled by the overall signal it sends to the immigrant community. Stuebe, the Chapel Hill obstetrician, said after the meeting that if legislators could not find reason enough to question the proposed measure by calling on their basic sense of humanity, they should consider the many thousands of dollars it costs the government when an impoverished newborn spends weeks in intensive care with health problems triggered by the mothers failure to receive proper medical treatment before birth. HANK: Think of a farmer. Got a picture? Butit might be. Okay. And because this is our dear Jungle Red, the image in your brain may not be a man.Butit might be. My wonderfully talented pal Wendy Tyson has been thinking about this. And of course, this is the perfect week for it. Then again, every week is the perfect week. Until the most perfect week, sometime which I hope is soon, when we never have to discuss it again. Fighting Farmers and Other Ladies Who Launch I just launched my second Greenhouse novel, BITTER HARVEST. The series, which lives on the cozier side of mystery, features environmental-lawyer-turned-organic-farmer Megan Sawyer. and shoot a gun. Farming is hard work, and getting not one but two businesses going takes all of Megans resources. She hits headwinds, of coursenot the least of which involve murder. Megan returns to her roots in the small, historic Eastern Pennsylvania town of Winsome to revive her familys organic farm and turn an abandoned storefront into a natural foods shop and cafe. Shes joined in her quest by a motley crew of friends and family, including her spirited eighty-four-year-old grandmother, Bonnie Bibi Birch, who knows how to knead doughshoot a gun. Farming is hard work, and getting not one but two businesses going takes all of Megans resources. She hits headwinds, of coursenot the least of which involve murder. Megan has pulled herself up by the bootstraps. Shes an Everywoman of sorts, a modern-day food warrior bent on showing the world what regenerative farming can do. To that end, she fights the good fight every day, struggling to keep the sign up and the doors open. Battling injustice? Simply part of the gig. I recently engaged in a heated conversation with a man who was touting the attributes of self-made men. Theyre all across the country, he said. They started businesses, often from nothing. Theyre what makes America great. with a man who was touting the attributes of self-made men. Theyre all across the country, he said. They started businesses, often from nothing.what makes America great. , but because he made it quite clear by tone and intonation that he wasnt using men as a gender catch-all. He meant Men. His statements, made with the fervor of a true believer, gave me pause. Not because of the political nature of his responses (and no surprises, this was in the context of a political discussion)by tone and intonation that he wasnt using men as a gender catch-all. He meant Men. and women deserve recognition, I said. There are plenty of women who have sacrificed all to start a business or champion a cause. I agree that self-made menwomen deserve recognition, I said. There are plenty of women who have sacrificed all to start a business or champion a cause. Crickets. Id seen some of this guys easy dismissal occur in my own books, in the townsfolk of Winsome: the zoning commissioner who refused Megans permits (he was bludgeoned to death in chapter three, by the way), long-time family friends who characterized Megans efforts as sweet or cute, and the young Chief of Police who felt Megan had set herself up to fail. But for Megan, as with so many real-life women, the threat of failure was never an excuse not to commit. I was working on my third Greenhouse Mystery at the time, and the conversation stayed with me long after it should have. Perhaps becausethe zoning commissioner who refused Megans permits (he was bludgeoned to death in chapter three, by the way), long-time family friends who characterized Megans efforts as sweet or cute, and the young Chief of Police who felt Megan had set herself up to fail. But for Megan, as with so many real-life women, the threat of failure was never an excuse not to commit. fictional backlash Megan encountered isnt so fictional. I heard it in my counterparts condescending tone. I read it in the articles and opinion pieces condemning the peaceful womens marches. I see it in the faces of people whose contempt for the opposite sex is thinly veiled beneath colloquial attitudes and old-fashioned platitudes. I, a lawyer and author who never saw gender as an impediment to success, was suddenly reminded of sexisms insidious nature. Eventually I realized that the conversation hit a nerve because theI heard it in my counterparts condescending tone. I read it in the articles and opinion pieces condemning the peaceful womens marches. I see it in the faces of people whose contempt for the opposite sex is thinly veiled beneath colloquial attitudes and old-fashioned platitudes. I, a lawyer and author who never saw gender as an impediment to success, was suddenly reminded of sexisms insidious nature. In many ways, Megan is fashioned after the strong women in my own life. Women who launched themselves at the world, often quietly succeeding in the face of great adversity. My great-grandmother was such a woman. She arrived in America from Italy at age eleven and found herself married to a practical stranger five years later. She didnt speak English, was not wealthy, didnt wear the right clothes, didnt practice the right religionand she had to feed a family of eight during the Great Depression. Nevertheless, she persisted in learning the language, understanding the culture well enough to buy and sell houses for a profit. She was a house flipper before it became fashionable. Self-made? Absolutely. Unsung? That, too. Of course, strength is not confined to one gender. Nor is perseverance. Nor is the term self-made. There are amazing men out there doing amazing things. But that doesnt mean we shouldnt recognize and celebrate the women whove sacrificed to better our world. Megans a fighter. She fights proudly alongside the other female sleuths of our time, outsmarting bad people and seeing to it that justice prevails. But like many of her fictional counterparts, shes fashioned after real-life heroes. HANK: I think of all the new babies being bornmy little nephew Silvio, just two weeks old. Debs and Hallie and Roberta have new members of their families. Dear Reds, who is the newest member of your family? Or the youngest person you know? What would you wish for them? What advice would you give them? And a copy of BITTER HARVEST to one lucky commenter! Wendy Tyson is an author, lawyer and former therapist whose background has inspired her mysteries and thrillers. Wendy has written four published crime novels, including Dying Brand, the third novel in the Allison Campbell Mystery Series, which was released on May 5, 2015. The first in the Campbell series, Killer Image, was named a best mystery for book clubs in 2014 by Examiner.com. Wendy is also the author of the Greenhouse Mystery Series, the first of which, A Muddied Murder, is due to be released in spring 2016. Wendy is a member of Sisters in Crime and International Thriller Writers, and she is a contributing editor for The Big Thrill , International Thriller Writers online magazine. Wendy lives with her husband, three sons and three dogs on a micro-farm just outside of Philadelphia. [JURIST] A UN rights expert on Thursday urged [press release] the international community to help protect civilians in the northern and central regions of the country amid growing violence and crime sprees. Suliman Baldo [official profile], the UN Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Mali, reported increasing attacks and incidences of theft targeting humanitarian workers in the region following a recent eight-day stay in the country. Baldo says the increase in violence came after several violent extremists groups unified under the Al Qaeda name in an attempt to hinder the process of the UNs peacekeeping operation as well as the implementation of a peace agreement between the Bamako and Tuareg rebel groups. As a result, Baldo says that the citizens of the effected region lack access to basic social services including forcing closes to stay closed, which Baldo argues deprives Mali children of their right to education. The Mali crisis [BBC backgrounder] began in 2012 after a military coup was stage. The five primary Islamist rebel groups involved in the crisis are Ansar Dine, Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (Mujao), al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the Signed-in-Blood Battalion and the Islamic Movement for Azawad (IMA). Mujao quickly captured the northern region of Mali, an area known for its drug production. This prompted a French military offensive in January of 2013 to drive the militants out of the region. Another rebel group, known as the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), lent their support to French troops in 2013 and declared the northern region of the country the independent nation of Azawad. The rebel groups signed a peace treaty [Al Jazeera report] with the Malian government in June 2015. Country Bird Holdings, the South African poultry processor, has warned it will shut one of its three abbatoirs in the country if the government does not provide the industry with support amid the dumping of products into the market from the EU. Marthinus Stander, Country Bird Holdings CEO, said the future of its abbatoir in Mahikeng was under threat with the company facing competition from cheaper imports. We will close our Mahikeng abattoir in the absence of sufficient protection from the dumping of portions into our market by the EU. Minister Davies has also requested producers to not close operations, pending government action. Remember, that we are not against trade; we are against the unfair and illegal practice of dumping, Stander told just-food. South Africas poultry processors have warned for a number of months about the pressure on the industry from imports from the EU. Companies have sought to make changes to their production; in January, RCL Foods scaled back operations at one site that led to the loss of more than 1,000 jobs. Rob Davies, South Africas Trade and Industry Minister, said last week the countrys government would not allow the domestic poultry industry to be decimated. In January, the South African government set up a taskforce to work on issues such as competitiveness. Stander said some 963 jobs could be lost if Country Bird Holdings shuts its site in Mahikeng. He wants South Africas government to introduce sufficient measures to stop dumping, which he said would be a combination of trade and technical measures. Stander said the measures would have to be in place before the end of April, which is when Country Bird Holdings would decide whether to close the abbatoir. KEARNEY Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado and U.S. Department of Interior officials are shifting their focus from one big project to several smaller ones to complete Platte River Recovery Implementation Program goals to reduce river depletions that affect habitat used by threatened and endangered species. That one big project the J-2 water-retiming reservoirs on the south side of the river between Overton and Lexington was determined to be too expensive and was put on hold last fall. Alternative projects were reviewed at the PPRIP Governance Committee meeting Tuesday and Wednesday at Executive Director Jerry Kennys Headwaters Corp. office in Kearney. Of the 37,300 acre-feet of depletion reductions still needed, J-2 was expected to provide 30,600 a-f. The new direction will continue projects that already divert high river flows, when available, into irrigation canals and Elwood Reservoir for groundwater recharge that eventually benefits the river. New projects are broad-scale recharge from shallow water spread over a large land area and using slurry wall technology to store water for retimed releases in aquifers or sandpits. The slurry walls are liners that will be around an impermeable clay base in the Nebraska projects. Kenny said the walls will be made of a bentonite-sand mix. It is estimated a combination of such projects could reach a 40,000 a-f goal by 2024 or 2025. Its still pretty early in the process. We dont have any of the ground. Were always looking for cheap water. Maybe theres a magic pot of water out there, Kenny said Tuesday. He told the Hub last week the first broad-scale project will be on 400 acres at NPPDs Cottonwood Ranch west of Elm Creek. Seth Turner of Headwaters Littleton, Colo., office said Tuesday the design and permitting work will be done this year, construction could start a year from now and the project could be fully operational by 2019. A committee selected HDR Inc. of Omaha from among seven engineering firms submitting design work proposals. Kenny will negotiate and prepare a contract for Governance Committee approval by an email vote before the next meeting in June. The four slurry wall options and their costs were: a non-functioning pilot-scale project on program land near Elm Creek, $700,000-$1.2 million; a functional pilot project at the same site yielding 150-400 a-f of water, $1.6 million-$3 million; full-scale aquifer storage project on a 116-acre site yielding 800 a-f a year, $5 million; and full-scale gravel pit project on 60 acres yielding 2,000-3,000 a-f per year, $6 million. The Water Advisory Committee recommended building a functional pilot project while simultaneously looking for a gravel pit no longer being mined to develop as a full-scale project. The slurry wall itself is not that expensive, Kenny said. The expensive part is digging the hole if it doesnt exist. If we need five to eight full-scale projects (to get the water needed), my thinking is you use the first full-scale as your pilot, CNPPID Natural Resources Manager Mike Drain of Holdrege said, adding that a functioning pilot project costs about half as much as a full-scale project, but yields far less water. Although motions to support that idea and the WAC recommendation were introduced at Tuesdays meeting, concerns on both sides resulted in the motions being withdrawn. One concern was how much time would be involved to acquire a site, build the structure for a full-scale project and then determine if the slurry wall technology works. However, the Governance Committee learned from the executive directors staff in closed session Wednesday about a potential site that could be developed more quickly. Kenny told the Hub that because of the new information about the site and the slurry wall technology, it was decided to move ahead with a full-scale sandpit water retention project. He could not release information yet about the location. Another issue raised Tuesday that influenced the motions withdrawn was a mention that Nebraska might want to partner with PRRIP on some projects to meet its individual responsibility to reduce river depletions. Nebraska Department of Natural Resources Director Jeff Fassett told the Hub Wednesday there may be opportunities to do some joint projects based on the same share of river credits as was planned with the J-2 project. Or, Nebraskans could look at doing some projects on their own. Fassett said money the state and other Nebraska partners had earmarked for the J-2 project remains in a Nebraska Community Foundation account and is available for other water projects. Also Wednesday, Kennys staff reviewed projects, environmental studies and schedules for a plan to extend the programs first 13-year increment, which ends in 2019, to 2020-2032. That would allow time to complete the water goals. Governance Committee members were asked to start educating state and federal officials and decision makers about the programs accomplishments and need for an extension. Congressional approval will be required, and an extension agreement eventually must be signed by the secretary of interior and three governors, some of whom may be new in 2019. Funding decisions also will be required by states and in Washington, where administration changes have produced uncertainty. Getting additional funding is not a slam dunk. But we remain optimistic that aspects of the Platte Program have broad appeal, Kenny said, including the grassroots input and basin approach to addressing water issues. Medical professionals have the right to protect people thats what a federal appeals court in Florida unanimously ruled in mid-February when it said doctors cant be penalized for discussing gun safety with their patients. It was a well-deserved comeuppance for the gun lobby which sought to muzzle doctors when they talked to their patients about gun safety, but the court didnt buy the argument. Lawmakers in Florida had passed a state law in 2011 that threatened to rescind doctors licenses and impose fines if they asked patients simple questions about weapons storage. But doctors, and especially pediatricians, regularly discuss safety surrounding guns, pools and other important health-related issues with their patients. The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages pediatricians to discuss firearm safety with their patients. One in three American homes with children have guns, and 1.7 million kids live in homes with loaded firearms. Its the reasonable thing to do, and absolutely in keeping with the medical professions mission to protect and sustain human life. Gun accidents are a leading cause of child deaths, and when doctors make recommendations, their patients are three times more likely to safely store their guns. Missouri in 2014 passed a bill making it more difficult for doctors to ask patients about firearm safety but falling short of an outright gag order. Gun safety groups say the law nevertheless helps stifle doctor-patient discussions about guns. A 2016 study by the Washington University School of Medicine showed that only 13 percent of families were asked by their pediatricians about household firearms. The reports researchers found that laws like Missouris and Floridas have likely increased physicians uncertainty about what they can say and their concern that discussing the topic may be received negatively. Almost three-quarters of gun-owning parents surveyed by the Washington University researchers say they want their kids physicians to advise them about household gun safety. The National Rifle Association suggests that such doctor-patient discussions impinge on gun owners privacy, but every patient has a right to tell the doctor to mind his or her own business. But the conversation could cause gun owners to think twice before carelessly leaving a gun where a child could access it. If its a question between privacy and saving lives, the latter priority should prevail. St. Louis Post-Dispatch A deadly incident at the states maximum security prison in Tecumseh last week has again put a public focus on the important work of reforming the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services. In my first two years as governor, corrections reform has been a top priority to ensure we are protecting public safety. Working with the Legislature and courts, we have begun to address challenges with our prison population, successfully lobbied for additional investments, improved staffing and recruitment, expanded programming opportunities, and assessed security needs. One of the first areas we worked to address during my first legislative session is our prison population. Nebraskas prisons have been full for decades. Governors and Legislatures since at least the 1980s have worked to address this challenge. In 2015, the Legislature made changes to the states sentencing laws to better utilize parole and supervised release for non-violent criminals. Instead of growing, the states prison population has started to decline, falling from 5,392 in May 2015 to 5,236 last month as changes take effect. In the last two years, NDCS Director Scott Frakes and I have successfully worked with the Legislature to secure new investments in NDCS. In 2015, we worked with the Legislature to secure an additional $37 million over two years for the agency to improve operations, hire additional behavioral health staff, and expand security staffing. In 2016, the Legislature and I agreed upon an additional $26 million to expand existing prison facilities, which will allow for the addition of 148 more beds as well as much-needed programming space. While the $26 million expansion is built, NDCS is working in other areas to improve its facilities. A 100-bed temporary unit will help alleviate stress on our system while the expansion is built. Frakes has been working to establish mission specific housing, and is advocating for another $75 million investment in housing to help deliver better programming for elderly inmates and those with behavioral health needs. Last summer, Frakes and the Council of State Governments unveiled an analysis of programming in NDCS facilities. Good news: Our corrections system provides quality programming. The analysis recommended re-sequencing existing programming and better utilizing staff to deliver programming. My administration has worked with non-profits to expand privately funded programming opportunities, including developing entrepreneurial skills. Recruitment and retention of staffing has also been a focus for Frakes. Last year, the Legislature provided $1.5 million to assist the agency with developing new retention strategies which include paying bonuses and work-life balance initiatives. Finally, Frakes has worked to improve the security of NDCS facilities. Last year, he worked with his wardens to conduct a system wide security audit. The problems in corrections did not occur overnight, and they wont be solved overnight. It has taken a multi-year focus from all three branches of state government, and my office continues to prioritize reform. The next critical step for NDCS is working with the Legislature to secure the funding needed for their budget request. Properly addressing mental health is key to successful reentry and reducing the recidivism rate. Over ninety percent of the people who enter our corrections system eventually return to our communities. Pete Ricketts is governor of Nebraska. Nursing professor Carole Robinson led a study that aimed to answer what do caregivers need when one of their family members wants to die at home. The Ministry of Transportation expects to tender construction of the John Hindle Drive extension in a few weeks, now that technical issues have been resolved. The long-sought 1.6-kilometre road will link north Glenmore with UBC Okanagan. #education minister Yoon appoints new education minister President Yoon Suk-yeol appointed his new education minister Monday, his office said, completing the lineup of his first Cabinet. Lee Ju-ho, a professor at the Korea Development ... #Jongga Food company Daesang forms joint venture in Poland to expand kimchi in Europe Food company Daesang Corp. said Monday it has formed a joint venture with a Polish fermented food maker as the South Korean maker tries to expand the traditional fermented vegetabl... 269 Shares Share A report in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) shows that too few women with recently diagnosed breast cancer and at high risk of a BRCA genetic mutation received appropriate genetic counseling. And that testing for the mutation is a missed opportunity not only to improve treatment for these patients but also to prevent some breast, ovarian and other cancers in the first place. This study makes the difficult point that when it comes to routine screening for genetic abnormalities in women (and men, for that matter) who may be at increased risk, we simply arent doing the job. The situation may well be worse than this report suggests, especially considering that in some areas of the country Medicare doesnt even cover preventive testing for the BRCA mutation. And this is more than 20 years after the test was first discovered and placed into clinical practice. I guess sometimes it takes a long time for the way we care for our patients to catch up with the science that we know works. But twenty years!? Uh, that seems like a long, long time. First, the report: The researchers looked at women who were diagnosed with breast cancer in Georgia and California from July 2013 to September 2014. Surveys were sent to these women two months after their surgery. These were women who had non-invasive DCIS up to Stage II breast cancer based on the size and presence of cancer in the lymph nodes. Generally, these women have a good prognosis. The questions the researchers asked included whether the women wanted BRCA testing and if they had spoken with a doctor or other health professional about getting tested, if they had spoken with a genetic counselor and if they had in fact been tested. The researchers also looked at whether there was information in a womans family history, ancestry and clinical information to suggest that the woman, in fact, should be considered for BRCA testing. 2529 women responded to the survey, from a number of ethnic groups. Seven in 10 women had some college education, which certainly indicates this was a group that was more educated. Among the women in the study, 773 had a high risk of having the mutation. Of those, about seven in 10 had talked with a health professional about testing, four in 10 had a session with a genetic counselor, and a little over half had a test. For the women at high risk of having BRCA mutation and who were not tested, the most common reason was that the health professional had not recommended getting the test. Fourteen percent of the women who did not get tested said it was too expensive and 11% just didnt want it. So what does all this mean? First, we have to remember that this study looked at women who had already been diagnosed and treated for DCIS or breast cancer. You would think that would get them and their health professionals to focus on relevant information, like their family risk and the possible need for genetic testing. Yet 30% of those women never had the conversation about their risk. Half of the women at high risk never even had the test, even though it would help them know whether they were at high risk not only for breast cancer but for other cancers as well, particularly ovarian cancer. And without information about their own risk, they couldnt alert their daughters, their mothers, their sisters, their aunts, their cousins or even the male members of the family that they too may need to be alert to the possibility that they could have a BRCA genetic abnormality and could be at a high risk of getting cancer during their lifetimes. There is another important wrinkle to this unfortunate story: The implication, although not stated, is that the women in this study were never tested before their breast cancer diagnosis, even though they were at high risk. But not to worry about that, since as mentioned above in some states women on Medicare may not have access to the test before they get the cancer. You see, the folks who oversee payment for Medicare services here in Georgia have declined to cover the BRCA test unless a woman has already been diagnosed with breast and/or ovarian cancer and has an appropriate family history. So in this study where women were already diagnosed with breast cancer, they would have coverage. But if they wanted to prevent breast and/or ovarian cancer, they would be plain out of luck when it comes to Medicare paying for the test. Thats right: if a woman walks into a doctors office in Georgia and adjoining states and has Medicare and has a family history that suggests she may have a BRCA mutation. And she wants to know what she can do to reduce her risk of breast and ovarian cancer, the government wont pay for the test until she gets the disease. Now, in this era of prevention, that doesnt make a lot of sense, does it? (I recently participated in a conference call representing a Georgia medical professional society where this decision was made on the basis that Medicare covers treatment of illness, not prevention services. Medicare does cover some screening tests, but those have either been legislated by Congress or approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. BRCA testing is not on the list. So whether you get coverage can depend on where you live. Makes sense, doesnt it? Nope.) I could go on, but I suspect you get the point: We arent doing what we need to do to find women and men at risk of BRCA genetic abnormalities let alone others that are less common but no less important, such as Lynch syndrome. The irony is, even with all the attention given to the promise of genetic testing, its not happening as routinely as it should, especially given our increasing attention to quality medical care and the use of health information technology to improve the care doctors offer and consumers receive. There is something you can do. You as a consumer and a patient should know about your family. And if you have concerns, you should discuss those with a health professional. And if it appears you are at increased risk, you should be counseled on your options so you can make an informed choice whether or not you want to be tested or in fact need to be tested. After twenty years, its about time we all stepped up to the plate about getting the BRCA test into the mainstream of medical care. After all, the life you save may be your own. J. Leonard Lichtenfeld is deputy chief medical officer, American Cancer Society. He blogs at Dr. Lens Cancer Blog. Image credit: Shutterstock.com 1K Shares Share After writing about the coming demise of the Affordable Care Act, I began to think, again, about why it costs so much to deliver health care in this country. If it were cheaper, legislation to make health care a right, rather than the randomly distributed privilege it is now, would be so much easier. Medical costs doubled every decade from 1960 through 2000. This happened in tandem with the rise of comprehensive health insurance. Today the vast majority of health care is paid for by some sort of health insurance. Hospitals and physicians spend a huge amount of time generating information to convince insurance companies to pay us. Patients arent usually aware that more than half of the time doctors or nurses spend at work is used to document what we do. These days it is primarily on a computer. The documentation can be helpful to communicate our thoughts and plans to colleagues or keep a record of what happened so we can create a history that caregivers can read at some future time. But the majority of it is to prove to insurance companies that we worked hard, and we did what we were supposed to do. There are also many employees hospitals or a clinic who are employed primarily to communicate with insurance companies so we can be paid. Ive heard it estimated that 50 percent of human hours in a hospital is devoted to billing. This rings about true, though I think that if we were to examine all of the adjustments we have made over the years that are due to our payment system, we would find the percentage to be higher. In an attempt to make us do our jobs better, we are monitored for the quality of our care as measured by adherence to certain guidelines for serious diseases in the hospital. It is cumbersome to develop the tools we need to report on, for instance, how we treat sepsis (overwhelming infection). The data regarding how to do this best is still actively evolving, and new recommendations seem to show up in the good journals a few times a year. By the time we have our tools developed, the newest recommendations have changed, and insurance companies are still judging us based on outdated guidelines. The amount of administrative complexity associated with insurance billing is huge and requires the insurance companies to employ large numbers of people. Each of these peoples salaries and the new large buildings they sit in are part of medical costs and are reflected in insurance premiums that become part of the cost of delivering health care. Insurance includes not only private health insurance companies, like Blue Cross and Humana, but also federal and state administered insurance, Medicare and Medicaid. Public and private payers have very similar inefficiencies built into their systems. Public insurance providers, at least in theory, have another level of inefficiency built in since they not only are large bureaucracies using elaborate schemes for paying for services delivered to people who are far removed, but they also require expensive legal processes to be funded. There are other parts of the equation that add up to high medical costs, and some of them have their very own devoted blog posts. A third-party payment system, such as we have, along with fee-for-service payment for medical care are a recipe for rising costs. It would be jolly to dismantle such an inefficient system, except that it would also be economically horrific on a national and possibly global scale. Nine percent of Americans are directly employed in the health care industry. This doesnt include all of the people employed because we have a large and growing health care industry. It doesnt include the postal worker who delivers health related junk mail, the construction workers who build the new health insurance building, the people who polish the Mercedes-Benz of a hospital CEO, the devoted teachers who educate health care workers or the many other individuals who thrive or survive because the health care industry is booming. Reducing costs by making a major cut in the way we do business, getting rid of private insurance companies for example, would have far reaching consequences on employment and the economy. This is one of the reasons that changing the way we do health care is so tricky. Perhaps we want to continue to spend lots of money on health care because it is a quirky thing we Americans like to do. Even so, it seems like it should be possible to have better outcomes for all of the money we spend. We ought to be able to winnow out the parts of the system that dont add value. In order to make such changes, we should go slow, creating alternatives that prove their value and edge out present less functional systems. Creating a national health care system, a single payer, seems almost attractive enough to make what would be a massive and potentially catastrophic change. Canada and France, both of whom have systems that provide health care for every citizen at a cost that is lower than that in the U.S., use single payers. In Canada, with which I am more familiar, this makes billing incredibly simple and actually possible for a doctor to do him or herself quickly and without help. Patients do not pay for anything except for most drugs, dental care and some other necessities that are specifically excluded from coverage. Instead they pay a hefty income-adjusted tax to pay for the entire system called Medicare. There are some private health insurance companies that people sometimes use to pay for those things that are not included in Medicare coverage, but this is a small fraction of the health care industry. It could be argued that we have tried very hard to make a health care system work with a hodgepodge of public and private funding and that it clearly hasnt worked with rising prices and far from universal coverage even with changes wrought by Affordable Care Act. A single-payer system is the cure for our ills. A single payer could negotiate with providers of health care services, setting prices and examining new technology based on its costs and benefits. There are problems, both practical and theoretical, with this answer. As far as the theoretical issues, it is usually better to allow private businesses to create solutions to needs such as health care since they can be more innovative and more flexible than large governmental agencies. If the federal government designs a health care system, there will be a tendency to create one size fits all solutions, which dont lend themselves to the truth that every person is different and has somewhat different health care needs. Practical aspects include the fact that we have a federal government which is far too influenced by powerful lobbies and thus probably cant negotiate better prices. Other creative solutions to improve quality with innovative ideas require the ability of lawmakers to work together, listen to each other and develop compromises, which they appear unable to do. There is also a pervasive distrust in the federal government that means that the majority of constituents would likely not trust them to manage health care. It would, in fact, be a huge change in how things are done, and the road would be very bumpy. It is tough to think our way to a perfect and universal health care system. It will require small and sometimes courageous steps in the right direction based on a shared concept of what we want as both providers of health care and consumers. It will require leaders who thrive on working together to find new solutions. It may involve private insurers as well as public, and it may even transition to a true single payer. In the end, it will need to be a flexible and high-quality way to provide good health to everyone at a price that we can afford without pinching the rest of the economy. Janice Boughton is a physician who blogs at Why is American health care so expensive? Image credit: Shutterstock.com What I do for thirty seven dollars and five cents 761 Shares Share The building contractor chatted pleasantly while I checked his blood pressure, waist circumference, cholesterol levels, fasting glucose and urine protein. We discussed bowel and prostate cancer screening in detail, and I gave him written information as we were out of time. As I signed his script for the blood pressure medication, he winked. That was easy money for you, wasnt it? Thirty-seven dollars and five cents is the value the government places on up to twenty minutes of my time. This figure, the amount a practice receives from Medicare for a standard consultation, hasnt changed in four years, and under the current government, will not change for another three. But are the pennies well spent? Lets see. Tuesday. 0830 Nineteen-year-old homeless girl slouches in chair while I explain why she needs the medication that keeps her out of hospital. After nine minutes her body language changes. Oh. If someone had just told me that I wouldve taken it. Can I get a chlamydia check while Im here? 0846 Eleven minutes assessing a feverish toddler. Are you dying of meningococcal septicemia, or do you have a cold? Repeat this consultation six times today. 0901 Stoic man, whose wife of forty years is in hospital, vaguely requests a check up. After ten minutes, he mutters that he has a funny feeling in his shoulder, probably nothing. Ask nurse to do an ECG. 0914 Fifteen minutes with a young man who just lost his leg. Together make a list of the things he will think about when he cant take his mind off the gun in his uncles garage. (0932. Check Stoic Mans ECG and send him in an ambulance to the hospital. Three hours later he is having heart surgery. Continues to care for his wife at home.) 0940 Three minutes silence with a woman with finger marks on her neck in case today she wants to talk. Nope. Talk about migraines instead. Maybe next week. 0953 Insert contraceptive implant into giggling eighteen-year-old. 1004 Attend to eighteen-year-old who has fainted. Phone call from nursing home three new urinary tract infections, someone is delirious, and Berts family are here from Perth wanting to talk to me. Can I come by at lunch? 1010 Determine whether eighty-nine-year old is fit to drive on public roads. 1027 Explain to young man that, contrary to Dads information, men as well as women can carry sexually transmitted infections, and he should be treated for that discharge. Screen him for depression. Not depressed, yet, but he is injecting testosterone and has a secret abscess hell let me see. 1045 Explain to woman with nine years of symptoms unresponsive to dry needling, pyrrole supplements, crystal healing, and zinc replacement that she probably has celiac disease. 1056 Reassure first-time mom with post-natal depression that she is not evil. Organize support. 1115 Shout at ninety-two-year old that shes gained four kilograms of fluid, and her medications need jiggling or she will be back in hospital. Receive beatific smile in return. Jiggle medications. Stop the four least useful of her fifteen medications and arrange to review tomorrow. 1132 Repeat child with fever consultation. 1148 Repeat child with fever consultation. Notice child has stopped growing. Rebook to investigate. 1203 Advise local butcher she should invest in Hepatitis A vaccine prior to Thailand trip, for all our sakes. 1212 Phone call from lab blood count from yesterdays patient with the night sweats looks weird. It looks like cancer. Call hematologist. Hes busy. 1218 Repeat child with fever consultation. 1230 Notice suspicious looking mark on bricklayers forearm while taking blood pressure. A notorious no-show, I wont see him for six months. Biopsy today. 1254 Lunch! Call the hematologist again. Call the patient with the weird blood to request he come in today. Quick reading to brush up on weird blood. Paperwork. Visit nursing home. General practice costs seven percent of the Australian health budget. The frontline is starved, and the idea that we can build a tower to Mars with the money well save by starving it further, is madness. GPs save Medicare money by keeping people out of that economic sinkhole, The Hospital. If we keep one patient per week out of intensive care, five per week out of hospital, we are worth it. I assess three to four infants per day who dont need a bed in emergency, and I send the declining asthmatic who does. I jiggle medications to keep people stable. Last month I saw a socially isolated man who wanted to quit the cannabis making him psychotic. I saw him second daily for a fortnight, encouraging him through withdrawal. I can only imagine the cost of an admission to the mental health unit for drug-induced psychosis, but its probably more than $185.25. I invest time in saving Medicare money by listening, examining and explaining that often an expensive test isnt going to change what we know or do. Having invested eleven years and over a hundred thousand dollars in my eyes, ears, and mind, utilizing these before a multinational pharmaceutical and/or pathology company seems both wise and cost-effective. But the more I get squeezed, the less time Ill spend. The government doesnt want to pay me, and neither do the people. While my rent, fees, insurance and the cost of living goes up, my income doesnt. Can we all stop looking surprised when we have to pay a GP? People in Saba jackets complain to me about crap bulk billing doctors. Its like whining that McDonalds gave you reflux. For GPs, its becoming one or the other a gap payment, or eight patients an hour. I havent burnt out yet, but soon Ill have to start either charging a gap or doing Botox parties of an evening. If you want better care, pay a gap, or write to your member of parliament. Preferably both. You get what you pay for, because your government wont. If I charge the building contractor the private fee of $70.00, he is immediately refunded $37.05. Of that $70.00, thirty-five per cent goes to the practice for rent, software, electricity, equipment, and to pay the receptionist and nurse. After tax and student debt, I receive $24.56. I bulk billed him, which means I made $13.01. That dizzying sum covers sick, holiday and maternity leave, superannuation and around $8,000 per year in fees, insurance, and continuing training. So no, it wasnt easy money. Elizabeth Oliver is a physician in Australia who blogs at that lady doctor, where this article originally appeared. Image credit: Shutterstock.com TWENTY eight Transition Year students from Colaiste Pobail Osrai are about to embark on the trip of a lifetime to New York, a 5 day holiday which will see them march in the St Patricks Day Parade. The close-knit group have fundraised tirelessly for months to help finance the New York tour. They ran a sold-out fashion show at Langton House Hotel, hosted an after-school disco at Gaelscoil Osrai, packed groceries in SuperValu Loughboy and organised an Irish film in The Ormonde Hotel which was supported by schools across the city. Transition Year Co-ordinator, Mary Ross Sloyan, is one of three teachers who will accompany the group to New York on March 16, the eve of St Patricks Day. Also heading State-side with the group are Muinteoir Narrell and Muinteoir Keith, popular class teachers at the all-Irish school. I really wanted something different this year- a trip to stand out as Irish and celebratory at the same time, Mary said. Our school celebrates its 25th Anniversary this year. 25 years is a milestone for the Colaiste. Its been fabulous to have been a part of its exponential growth since I joined the staff ten years ago. New York encompasses Ireland particularly on a day when so much of New York and the rest of the world turns green and our little nation is celebrated world-wide. I couldn't have done it without the help of the class teachers Narrell Ni Bhroin and Keith O Muiri; the pupils and parents of the Colaiste. A big thanks and shout out to them all, she said. Among the lucky group travelling is student and class spokesperson, Brian McCormack. He said the whole class is looking forward to a fantastic few days. The school is also thrilled to announce 'Kilkenny Tourism' as their official sponsor for the trip, he added. While State Side, the Colaiste wants to share what Kilkenny has to offer. With the help of Kilkenny Tourism, will be able to promote county Kilkenny. Weve a very busy schedule for the few days. Were planning to appreciate the city through the Empire State Building Experience on our first day, before we march in the parade. That will be an amazing experience something we will remember for the rest of our lives. Were also visiting the Top of the Rock, the Museum of Modern Art, Central Park, the American Museum of Natural History, Planet Hollywood and will be travelling to the Statue of Liberty by ferry. We also plan to pay our respects at the 9/11Memorial and Museum and see the spectacular School of Rock on Broadway. The school has thanked everyone who supported the various fundraisers and looks forward to celebrating the remainder of its 25 Anniversary with a host of events over the coming weeks and months. The eagerly awaited, multi-award winning new Peugeot 3008 is now on sale in Ireland. The first vehicles will arrive in dealer showrooms this month. Featuring the latest-generation Peugeot iCockpit with digital instrumentation as standard, the all-new 3008 SUV is a sophisticated and stylish vehicle that combines efficiency and high-levels of safety and technological equipment. The range starts from 25,995 (ex-works) for the entry level Access 1.2 130bhp PureTech petrol version. Des Cannon, Managing Director at Gowan Distributors Limited, Peugeot Importers in Ireland said: A huge sales success in Europe already, and with 17 international awards under its belt, demand for the new 3008 is outstripping supply in every country where it has already been launched. Over 100,000 units have now been ordered in just four months, breaking records for the company. Furthermore, the brands objective of moving upmarket is now clearly coming into fruition, with 86% of sales to date attributed to level three Allure, level four GT Line and the range-topping GT trims. With the new Peugeot 5008 SUV, which arrives this Summer, Peugeot here are looking forward to increasing their performance in the all-important C-SUV segment. There is a choice of five trim levels - Access, Active, Allure, GT Line and GT versions. Engine lineup There is a wide range of petrol and diesel engines. The 1.2-litre PureTech 130bhp turbo petrol engine, with CO2 emissions from just 117g/km, was voted International Engine of the Year in its category for the second-year running, earlier in 2016. This engine is available with a 6-speed manual gearbox or with Peugeots latest generation EAT6 6-speed automatic transmission. The 1.6 THP petrol 165bhp EAT6 6-speed automatic has emissions from 129g/CO2. Four BlueHDi diesel engines are available, trim dependent, with CO2 emissions from 103g/km and power ranging between 100, 120, 150 and 180bhp. The 2.0 litre BlueHDi 150bhp version is matched to a 6-speed manual gearbox, whilst the 1.6 BlueHDi 120bhp version is available with a choice of a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed EAT6 automatic gearbox. Equipment The range-topping GT version comes equipped as standard with a refined 2.0 litre BlueHDi diesel 180bhp 6-speed automatic. Standard features on level one Access models include the revolutionary Peugeot iCockpit interior comprising a compact steering wheel, a configurable 12.3" head-up digital instrument panel, an 8 capacitive touchscreen, multifunction steering wheel, Bluetooth, USB connectivity and 3 x 12V sockets. Boasting a 5-star Euro NCAP safety rating, the new 3008 SUV range includes a host of safety equipment ordinarily only available on top-of-the-range models, from level one - Electronic Stability Programme, six airbags, cruise control with speed limiter, speed limit information with Intelligent Speed Adaptation, driver attention alert Level 1 and lane departure warning feature as standard. Other standard features on Access models include 17 steel wheels, a spare wheel, remote control central locking with dead-locking, one-touch electric front and rear windows with pinch protection, central front armrest with butterfly-wing opening and illuminated chiller compartment. Allure versions (29,855 ex-works) have all the rest plus a Safety Plus Pack to include Active Blind Spot Detection (ABSD), Active Lane Keeping Assistance (LKA), and Advanced Driver Attention Alert (DAA3). Also added is Peugeot Smartbeam Assistance, door mirror mounted LED courtesy approach lights, front parking aid, a front bumper scuff plate in Lion Grey, black front wing trim with chrome detail, stainless steel door sill scuff plates and 18" diamond cut alloy wheels. Interior features Interior features include driver seat lumbar adjustment, a foldable front passenger seat with picnic table, tinted rear side windows, blue ambient lighting to front door panels/storage/footwells and cupholders, Brumeo fabric dashboard/ front and rear door panel finish, a satin chrome front door panel recess trim and leather effect and cloth seat trim. The GT Line level four model (33,225 ex-works) boasts as standard over the Allure model, self levelling full LED headlamps, LED fog lamps with cornering function, LED sequential scrolling front indicators, door mirror mounted LED Peugeot Lion approach lights, black diamond roof, panoramic opening sunroof with electric blind and blue ambient lighting, Peugeot Open and Go keyless entry and push button start, Park Assist (parallel & row) with front and rear camera and 360 degree vision (Visiopark 3) and a Smartphone charging plate. The top-of-the-range GT 2.0 litre BlueHDi automatic version (44,395 ex-works) will feature, over GT Line versions, a grey oak dashboard, front and rear door panel finish, full grain leather and satin steel chrome gear lever, Mistral full grain perforated leather steering wheel. Advanced Grip Control, optional from level two Active models (325) comes as standard on the GT version. Question: If I take Social Security at age 62 and then pay back the benefits within 12 months to erase the penalty for claiming early, is it true I get to keep the interest I earned while I had the money? Answer: Yes, but dont get too excited. Prior to 2010, when Social Security imposed the 12-month limit for withdrawing an application and repaying benefits, it was often advised that people who didnt need the money use this do over procedure to get what amounted to an interest-free loan from the government. If you claimed benefits at 62 and repaid them at 66, you might be playing with $100,000 or more of house money. The 12-month window restricts that opportunity. Also, note that if you receive benefits in one calendar year and pay them back in the next, youll likely have to pay tax on the benefits in year one. You can recoup the tax, but its complicated. [QUESTION2]I understand how delayed-retirement credits boost Social Security benefits by 8% for each year that one delays claiming between age 66 and age 70. But do cost-of-living adjustments during the years you wait amplify the advantage to more than 8% a year?[QUESTION2END] Subscribe to Kiplingers Personal Finance Be a smarter, better informed investor. Save up to 74% Sign up for Kiplingers Free E-Newsletters Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplingers expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail. Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplingers expert advice - straight to your e-mail. Sign up Answer: Yes. COLAs are built into benefits starting at age 62, the earliest age at which you can claim benefits, even if you dont claim at that time. Heres an example worked up for us by Baylor University professor William Reichenstein, head of research for consulting firm Social Security Solutions. Lets say your benefit at age 66 is estimated at $2,000 a month, but you decide to wait until age 70 to claim. Youll get eight years of compounded COLAs based on the full retirement age benefit of $2,000bringing the monthly benefit up to $2,533, assuming an average annual COLA of 3%. Youd also get four years of 8% delayed-retirement credits calculated on the $2,533 benefit. That extra 32% brings the total monthly benefit at age 70 to $3,343. (Yes, a 3% COLA may seem high considering 2016s 0% and 2017s 0.3%. But the annual average COLA since automatic adjustments started in 1975 is 3.8%.) (Adds details) TOKYO, March 9 (Reuters) - Prices for liquefied natural gas (LNG) spot cargoes for Japan, the world's top buyer, rose to a two-year high in February, official data showed on Thursday. The average price for contracts for LNG cargoes signed during February was $8.50 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), according to monthly data from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), which was up 10 cents from the previous month and the highest since January 2015. Additionally, the average price of spot LNG cargoes that arrived in Japan last month was $8.80 per mmBtu, which was the highest since February 2015. Spot gas prices in Asia had fallen to $6.20 per mmBtu by the end of February from around $7.50 per mmBtu earlier in the month, according to data on Thomson Reuters Eikon, as demand from key markets in North Asia dipped amid forecasts of a warmer-than-average spring. METI surveys spot LNG cargoes bought by Japanese utilities and other importers, but excludes cargo-by-cargo deals linked to benchmarks such as the U.S. Henry Hub natural gas index. It only publishes a price if there is a minimum of two eligible cargoes reported by buyers. The following table lists the monthly average prices in mmBtu for contracted and arriving spot LNG cargoes. Prices are converted to delivery on an ex-ship basis. Year Month Contract price Arrival price 2017 Feb $8.50 $8.80 2017 Jan $8.40 $7.30 2016 Dec $8.00 $6.80 2016 Nov $7.00 $5.90 2016 Oct $6.10 $5.70 2016 Sept $5.70 n/a 2016 Aug n/a $5.40 2016 July $5.80 $6.00 2016 June n/a $4.50 2016 May $4.10 $4.30 2016 April $4.20 $5.80 2016 March n/a $6.80 2016 Feb $6.50 $6.90 2016 Jan $7.10 $7.90 2015 Dec $7.40 $7.50 2015 Nov $7.40 $7.50 2015 Oct $7.60 $7.90 2015 Sept $7.40 $7.70 2015 Aug $8.10 $7.70 2015 July $7.90 n/a 2015 June $7.60 $7.60 2015 May n/a n/a 2015 April $7.60 $7.90 2015 March $8.00 $7.60 2015 Feb $7.60 $10.70 2015 Jan $10.20 $13.90 2014 Dec $11.60 $15.10 2014 Nov $14.40 $14.30 2014 Oct $15.30 $12.40 2014 Sept $13.20 $11.30 2014 Aug $11.40 $12.50 2014 July $11.80 $13.80 2014 June $13.80 $15.00 2014 May $14.80 $16.30 (Reporting by Osamu Tsukimori; Editing by Christian Schmollinger) PARIS, March 9 (Reuters) - If France abandoned the euro, as called for by National Front leader Marine Le Pen, it would lead, in the short term, to a period of serious uncertainty and impoverishment of France, IMF chief Christine Lagarde was quoted as saying on Thursday. "(A euro exit) would open, in the short term, a period of very grave uncertainty, great imbalance and impoverishment of France," the French managing director of the International Monetary Fund said in an interview with Le Parisien newspaper. (Reporting by Adrian Croft) Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication. * NSE index down 0.11 pct, BSE index 0.05 pct lower * Exit polls due out later in day * Dr. Reddy's, GAIL (India) decline By Darshana Sankararaman March 9 (Reuters) - Indian shares were little changed on Thursday after two consecutive sessions of declines, as sentiment remained subdued ahead of the results of state elections, including that of the country's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh. Exit polls are due out around 1730 local time (1200 GMT), and have often been wrong in the past, but any clear trend showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in front could trigger buying by investors. Actual results will be announced on Saturday, and will help to shape the next two years of Modi's government as it heads for the 2019 general election. "Markets are trading very cautiously ahead of the exit poll results this evening," said Neeraj Dewan, director at Quantum Securities. "A BJP win could take the market very close to the new high." The broader NSE index was down 0.11 percent at 8,914.80 by 0552 GMT, while the benchmark BSE index was 0.05 percent lower at 28,887.16. Among the losers, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd fell as much as 4.65 pct to its lowest since August 2014 after the U.S. drug regulator issued form 483 with 13 observations for a manufacturing facility at Visakhapatnam in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. GAIL (India) Ltd declined as much as 5.13 pct to its lowest since Feb. 15, as shares of the integrated energy company started trading ex-bonus. (Reporting By Darshana Sankararaman in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu) (Kitco News) - Its been one year since the launch of Canadas first regulated equity crowdfunding platform for the mining sector and the creators behind it said that its growth, while slow, has been consistent. Chad Williams, president of Redcloud the creators of the Klondike Strike -- said the online investment platform accounts for up to 10% of financing deals. However, he added that he is confident this will be the new financing trend of the future. We are committed to growing the platform to democratize the financing sector, he said. It always takes time for investors to embrace new technology. One factor that has helped the platform grow is improving investor sentiment in the mining sector. Williams said the positive sentiment instigates the early start of a bull market. However, its not just investor capital flowing into the sector; William said that one trend they are seeing is that mining companies themselves are providing financing for other projects. Traditional funds are still there but they are losing some of their influence as the sector is providing financing for itself, he said. Although money is flowing back into the sector, Williams said that it is still an uneven recovery. While investor sentiment is growing there is not the unbridled speculation that usually occurs at the end of a bull market. Ultimately, there are still a lot of skittish investors in the marketplace, he said. The environment is improving but still there are still challenges, he said. I would say that 95% of companies are still finding it difficult to raise money. For the companies with the right stories there is money out there. (Adds stock reaction, details) MILAN, March 9 (Reuters) - French dairy group Lactalis has raised the price of an offer for shares in Parmalat it does not already own to 3 euros per share after complaints from some investors that its previous bid undervalued the Italian dairy group. Parmalat was relaunched in 2005 after going bankrupt following a financial scandal and Lactalis won control of it in 2011. The French company is now seeking to buy the 12.26 percent of Parmalat it does not already own with the aim of delisting the group. Lactalis' investment vehicle Sofil, which had previously offered 2.8 euros for each Parmalat share, said on Thursday its revised offer would be extended until March 21 from an original March 10 deadline. Parmalat shares rose 5.6 percent by 0920 GMT to 3.030 euros each. Parmalat activist investor Amber Capital, which owns 3 percent of the dairy company, said last week the price for the takeover should be increased to at least 3.50 euros per share. Retail shareholders in the Azione Parmalat association had also raised doubts about the price of the bid. Parmalat, which collapsed in 2003 with a 14 billion euro hole in its accounts, was restructured by turnaround expert Enrico Bondi. Funds clawed back through a number of lawsuits helped the company to build up a large cash reserve. Parmalat is still awaiting the outcome of a lawsuit with Citigroup and Amber has argued that Lactalis would deprive minority shareholders of potential benefits from the result of this case by taking full control of the Italian group. "Despite the pending claim with Citigroup, the offer price is now in line with our target price ... we suggest to accept the offer," Daniele Ridolfi, analyst at broker Kepler Cheuvreux, said in a note for clients. The response from investors to Lactalis' bid has been cool so far. They have tendered only 0.26 percent of the group's capital which increases Lactalis' stake to 88 percent. The French group, a private company controlled by the Besnier family, needs to reach a threshold of 90 percent of the total capital to delist the dairy group. (Reporting by Silvia Aloisi and Francesca Landini, editing by Valentina Za and Jane Merriman) (Adds details, quotes) By Pavel Polityuk KIEV, March 9 (Reuters) - Ukrainian coal producer DTEK Energy said on Thursday it had idled its largest mines in territory controlled by pro-Russian separatists due to a blockade on rail traffic on the Ukrainian side of the eastern front line. The blockade by a group of Ukrainian lawmakers and military veterans has held up industrial shipments from rebel-held areas since early 2017, prompting the Ukrainian authorities to warn of potential monthly economic losses of up to 4 billion hryvnias ($150 million) as long as it is in place. In response to a question from Reuters on the status of its Komsomolets Donbassa mine in the separatist-held part of Donetsk region, DTEK Energy's press service said: "It's in idle mode." Two of DTEK Energy's other mining operations in rebel-controlled territory, Rovenkyanthracite and Sverdlovanthracite, had also been idled, it said. The three mining groups produced about 9 million tonnes of coal in 2016, accounting for over 30 percent of DTEK Energy's total output. Asked why DTEK Energy had stopped mining coal at these sites, the spokeswoman said: "Well, where can it be transported to?" She did not give further details. The trade squeeze has highlighted the complicated economic relationship between the two sides and represents a new phase in a periodically violent stand-off that has killed more than 10,000 people in the last three years. The Ukrainian government has warned that the country could suffer rolling blackouts if anthracite supplies from mines such as those idled by DTEK do not resume to thermal power plants. On Thursday, Ukraine's largest steel mill, owned by ArcelorMittal , said its output had not yet been hit by the blockade, but expressed concern about limited power and raw material supplies. "Possible consequence of (the) blockade can result in decrease of production since even now the company experiences the lack of coals grades ... which are the crucial raw materials for sintering and steelmaking," ArcelorMittal's Kryvyi Rih said in a statement. Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine's biggest exporter, said it had a crisis plan in case the government announced a state of emergency in the energy sector linked to the coal shortage. The government in Kiev opposes the blockade, but has sought to negotiate with pro-Ukrainian activists rather than forcibly break up the encampments on eastern rail lines. In response to the blockade, separatist officials have seized control of some Ukraine-registered businesses in rebel-held territory and vowed to sever all trade ties. DTEK Energy, which along with steelmaker Metinvest is part of the business empire of Ukraine's richest man, Rinat Akhmetov, said it was still in control of its assets in separatist territory. Previously, Metinvest, Ukraine's largest producer of steel, said if separatists took control of mills or mines it would be forced to halt production in the affected operations. Metinvest and DTEK are the main employers in Ukraine's eastern Donbass region. ($1 = 26.8600 hryvnias) (Writing by Alessandra Prentice, editing by David Evans) Former sex slave victim Ahn Jeom-soon, 90, holds the hand of a statue symbolizing women such as herself who were mobilized for the Japanese military before and during World War II, at the unveiling ceremony for the statue in the German municipality of Wiesen, Wednesday. / Yonhap By Kim Bo-eun A statue symbolizing victims of sexual slavery by the Japanese military during WWII was installed in Germany's municipality of Wiesent, Wednesday, marking International Women's Day. While similar statues have been established in the United States, Canada, Australia and China, this is the first one to be set up in Europe as a means to promote global awareness of comfort women. Around 100 people gathered for the ceremony marking the statue's opening at Nepal-Himalaya Pavilion Park in Wiesent in the Resenburg District, including Ahn Jeom-soon, a 90-year-old victim from Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young pushed for the statue to be set up in the southwestern city of Freiburg, but obstruction from Japan prompted the change in location. Last September, the committee for the statue was launched with members of women's, religious and civic groups. The committee raised funds for the statue and other activities promoting awareness. Students hold signs that read "Arrest Park Geun-hye" and "No spring without Park Geun-hye's impeachment" at Dongguk University in Seoul, Thursday, on the eve of a historic Constitutional Court impeachment ruling on whether to remove or reinstate Park as president. / Yonhap Police raise public alert level to highest By Lee Kyung-min Supporters and critics of President Park Geun-hye are gearing up their rallies to the greatest intensity possible to express their opinions, with the Constitutional Court set to deliver its ruling on her impeachment at 11 a.m. today. The National Police Agency raised the public alert level to the highest today, dispatching about 20,000 police officers to guard against possible violent clashes near the court, Gwanghwamun Square and Cheong Wa Dae, including all adjacent areas in downtown Seoul. Both groups began to stage rallies near Gwanghwamun late Thursday, vowing to continue their efforts until Saturday. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), the second-largest umbrella union here and the organizer of the anti-Park Geun-hye candlelit vigil rallies, said they will gather near the square at 7 p.m. Thursday before marching toward the court. "The Constitutional Court was established to protect the public against abuses of power under authoritarian regimes," a KCTU official said. "We expect the court will deliver an 8-0 ruling to uphold the impeachment." Now that the ruling is imminent, the group added, the future course of action should focus on the "post-impeachment roadmap," by increasing their demands on the state prosecution to put Park behind bars. By Kim Se-jeong A major investor decided to divest from the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) because of its business activities with coal. Norges Bank Investment Management, the manager of Norway's pension fund and the world's largest sovereign wealth fund, had been investing in the company for several years. Last year's investment was $23 million. The decision came after the bank's analysis of businesses they invested in by the coal criterion. KEPCO is Korea's largest utility company and has several subsidiaries producing electricity using coal. The company said it has no comment. KEPCO was among 10 companies the bank dumped. The others are Evena from Brazil, Great River Energy and Otter Trail Corporations from the U.S., CEZ from Czech Republic, HK Electronic Investments & HK Electric Investments from Hong Kong, Huadian Energy and SDIC Power Holdings from China, PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna from Poland and Malakoff Corp from Malaysia. The decision may not be a big blow to Korea's largest utility company because the amount of the investment is relatively small but environmentalists said the decision carries great significance. "The decision demonstrates that coal not only poses an environmental threat but is becoming a less attractive business," Greenpeace Korea activist Son Min-woo said. "Coal is the main source of electricity in Korea, and KEPCO which is a public company is pushing to build eight new coal power plants. This is the time for the government to reconsider using coal to generate power. Korea needs to search for a new source of energy that is emission-free." With the consequences of climate change being felt so strongly, environmentalists predict fossil fuel businesses will become less attractive. The Norwegian fund's move sets an example for other businesses around the world. The firm reviews companies periodically by categories of environment, corporate governance and others. The bank also cut its investment in other Korean companies in the past. In 2015, the pension fund manager excluded POSCO and Daewoo International from the investment list, citing environmental damage the two companies' business practices caused. In the same year, POSCO also received a complaint from an Australian lawmaker who claimed the coal export terminal the company was building at Abbot Point and a railway connection posed environmental threats. In a letter sent to the Export-Import Bank of Korea, Larissa Waters, a senator from Queensland, warned against the bank's plan to finance the project, saying it was inconsistent with Korea's commitment to fighting climate change. Korea relies heavily on fossil fuels and a lot of the imported fossil fuel is used to make power. Coal is mostly from Australia, China and Indonesia and accounts for almost 40 percent of the country's electricity. In 2015, Korea vowed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 37 percent by 2030 from the projected emissions levels. South Korea's military said Thursday the joint annual exercises with the United States will continue as planned one day after China requested a halt. On Wednesday, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi proposed that North Korea suspend its nuclear and missile activities in return for a halt in the war drills by Seoul and Washington. In response, Moon Sang-gyun, spokesman for South Korea's defense ministry, said in a press briefing, "The joint exercises will continue without a halt. It is a purely defensive annual drill." On March 1, South Korean and U.S. troops kicked off a two-month exercise, Foal Eagle, involving ground, air and naval forces. The allies also plan to start a two-week computer-simulated command post exercise, called Key Resolve, on March 13. The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier is scheduled to arrive in Busan around March 15 to participate in the Foal Eagle exercise. The U.S. Air Force's F-35B stealth fighter will also take part in the ongoing war game to hone its precision ground strike capabilities, military officials said. The U.S. is expected to deploy other strategic assets, such as the B-1B and B-52 bombers, with the tiltrotor V-22 Osprey to make an appearance, in a show of force against the North, which fired off four ballistic missiles on Monday in its latest provocations. They all flew about 1,000 kilometers before landing in the sea near Japan. The missiles were analyzed by the military as "improved versions" of short-range Scud-ER missiles with a range of 500-700 km. (Yonhap) By Arthur I. Cyr The good news is that the United States presidential campaigns and election mercifully have come to an end. The bad news is that political fallout from that remarkably crude and coarse collective experience lingers, distorting and at times corrupting the possibility of the sort of serious, disciplined discussion of foreign policy worthy of a great power such as the U.S. Although the Cold War has been over for approximately a quarter of a century, many of our politicians and much of our media continue to demonize Russia, successor state to the enormous Soviet Union and empire of client states. One result is promotion within the public of exaggeration of the true power of Russia and the effectiveness of the long-term though not all-powerful autocratic leader Vladimir Putin. Make no mistake, he is a cunning as well as effective power player. Putin not only survived but advanced professionally in the KGB, the brutal, murderous Soviet secret policy. He spent part of his career in communist East Germany, an extreme totalitarian state constructed on the ruins of the Third Reich. Yet Russia's history does not translate into great international power or even reliable domestic political control today. The 2014 annexation of Crimea, which was part of the Soviet Union until 1954, reflects traditional Russian insecurity about reliable access to the global oceans. A home port of Russia's Black Sea fleet is in Crimea, where support for Russia is strong. The European Union (EU) and the Obama administration aggressively protested the invasion and imposed sanctions, no idle gesture given the structural weakness of Russia's economy. For the U.S. as well as the EU and NATO, effective policy must be put in broad historical context. George Kennan, probably the most perceptive American analyst of Russia, wrote in 1954 that Soviet leaders "are not like us." War to the death with Nazi Germany has had a profound continuing impact on the nation, including the current generation. Totalitarianism fed traditional anxieties regarding territory and national security. Contemporary Islamic extremism adds to ethnic tensions. Putin has successfully contained various separatist movements in Russia, notably in Chechnya. Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov was previously a powerful separatist leader, but for some time has been Moscow's ally. The tough-talking officials of the George W. Bush administration pressed eastern expansion of NATO, including membership by both Georgia and Ukraine. Georgia launched a military attack on breakaway South Ossetia. In reaction, the Russian Army in 2008 invaded. President Nicolas Sarkozy of France brokered the cease fire; the Bush administration did nothing. Ethnic instability is endemic here and throughout the former Soviet Union. During World War II, Soviet dictator Josef Stalin without warning deported Meskhetian Turks from Georgia as part of a vast relocation of an estimated 1.5 million people to Central Asia and Siberia. Ukraine is entangled with Russia historically, in complex ways. The Russian revolution in 1917 sparked an independence movement. After years of struggle, Ukraine eventually was absorbed into the Soviet Union. Given this history, essential caution should define U.S. policy. Kennan insightfully advocated "containment" as the most effective response to Soviet communism, and that strategy remains the best. During the Cold War, U.S.-Soviet cooperation included the arts, science and militaries. Today, shared goals including destroying the Islamic State make limited military cooperation worth at least exploring. Russia continues a tradition of making political mischief elsewhere. Attempted disruption of the U.S presidential election was a well-publicized distraction, not a security threat. Arthur I. Cyr is Clausen Distinguished Professor at Carthage College and author of "After the Cold War." Contact acyr@carthage.edu. Renault Samsung Motors Co. is recalling more than 94,000 units of its SM6 midsize sedan sold in South Korea for a range of issues, including loose plastic covers on pedals that could cause unsafe driving, the transportation ministry said Thursday. According to the ministry, the plastic cover of the accelerator and brake pedals in certain SM6s can break away, possibly leading to an accident. The recall affects 50,110 SM6 cars produced between Oct. 5, 2015, and Oct. 24, 2016, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a press release. The South Korean unit of French automaker Renault S.A. is also recalling an additional 43,959 units of the midsize sedan, produced between Nov, 26, 2015, and Nov. 11, 2016, for various problems that include defective brake lights. The ministry said the brake lights may fail under certain conditions. Such a failure is also in violation of the country's vehicle safety regulations, for which the South Korea-based carmaker will be imposed a fine of up to 611 million won ($533,000), it added. Meanwhile, the ministry said Jaguar Land Rover Korea, the local importer of the two luxury brands, will make a safety recall on some 2,100 cars sold here. A software problem in the transmission of 1,265 units of the Range Rover Evoque SUV and the Land Rover Discovery Sport could cause the gear to shift to the neutral position, causing the car to lose power while driving and possibly leading to an accident, the ministry said. The company will also be recalling 922 Jaguar XF cars, produced between May 1, 2013, and June 30, 2015, for problems related to fuel hoses and the fuel cooling system that could lead to a fuel leak and fire. More than 500 Maserati cars of four different models will be recalled for defective fuel hoses that too may lead to a fuel leak and fire. The Maserati cars, imported and distributed by FMK Korea, were produced between Aug. 22, 2013, and Jan. 5, 2015. The four vehicle models subject to the recall are the Maserati Ghibli 350, the Ghibli S Q4, the Maserati Quattroporte GTS and Quattroporte S Q4. (Yonhap) By Yoon Ja-young Woomi Construction Founder and Chairman Lee Kwang-rae Woomi Construction Founder and Chairman Lee Kwang-rae had his biography published, which details the life of the entrepreneur who nurtured a small building company into a leading player in the apartment construction industry. Born in Gangjin, South Jeolla Province, in 1933, he grew up in poverty after his father passed away. After finishing high school, he came to Seoul with the determination to go to college. He worked at the Namdaemun Market to earn money for tuition, but it was far from enough. He joined the military instead at the age of 22 and fought in the Vietnam War. He became an officer, but decided to start his own business at the age of 40. After thorough preparation, he started an electronics component manufacturer with his military retirement funds. However, he shut down the venture as his business partner suddenly passed away. He returned to his hometown to start a hog breeding business, only to be hit by swine fever. Despite the failures, he did not give up. He decided to enter the housing construction market. Construction companies at that time often caused consumer complaints with shoddy work, but the 84-year-old chairman recollects that this meant opportunities for him. "From the beginning, I decided that I should build a house sticking to basic principles, to gain trust from consumers." His business was successful. Woomi Construction built Samjin Mansion in 1982, its first multi-unit housing project. It soon advanced into the apartment construction market. Lee recollects that he fully dedicated himself to building a good apartment. He visited mockup houses of other construction companies more than 100 times. He even lived at his office for a while to save more time to study how to build a good apartment. He would leave for the construction site at 5 a.m., returning at midnight. Woomi Construction recorded 1.6 trillion won in sales last year, selling 8,335 apartment units around the country. Though it is a mid-tier company, apartments built by Woomi Construction are known for neat completion. Residents of an apartment complex it built in Dongtan, Gyeonggi Province, even set a small monument there in appreciation of Lee's effort. Woomi Construction also faced crises, when the country's construction industry was hit by a liquidity problem. "It seemed like a desperate situation at that time. But as we look back, these were growing pains that one should face to become an even better company, a stronger player," he recollects. In his biography, the chairman advises young people to work with self-direction. "Even if you are a minor employee, try to work from the CEO's point of view. I am sure they will become a CEO someday if they continue to work like that," the chairman says. South Korean President Park Geun-hye is facing impeachment. / Korea Times file By Minnie Chan The impeachment of South Korea's President Park Geun-hye may have dragged the country into political chaos, but it may also help to heal a diplomatic rift with Beijing over the planned deployment of a US missile shield. Analysts say recent overtures from Korean opposition parties' over the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system which could delay, if not prevent, its deployment are being viewed positively by Beijing. Eight lawmakers from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) landed in China this week to meet China's foreign minister, Wang Yi, and other top officials to convey their belief that the decision to deploy THAAD should be left to the next president. Their visit, which came even as the South Korean defence minister, Han Min-koo, reiterated Seoul's commitment to THAAD, has fuelled speculation that the deployment of the system is not yet a done deal. The DPK's Moon Jae-in, who is the favourite in this year's presidential election, has already suggested rethinking the deployment. China is concerned that even thought a THAAD system on South Korean soil would not be able to intercept Chinese missiles, its X-band radar surveillance system would be able to monitor missile tests on its northern and eastern coasts. The US claims that in South Korea the system's radars would have a detection range of 600km far enough to monitor launches from North Korea, but not from China. However, the radars can be configured to have a detection range of 2,000km, putting Chinese launches well within its surveillance arc. Zhang Tuosheng, director of the Centre for Foreign Policy Studies at the China Foundation for International and Strategic Studies, said Beijing feared Washington's agreement with Seoul was part of a US plan for a regional missile defence network that would grow to encircle China by including Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam and even Taiwan. Seoul insists it needs THAAD not to target Beijing, but to protect its 50 million population who face a daily nuclear threat from the North. "The North Korea nuclear threat is like liver cancer to the South. Seoul needs to take drugs because of the cancer, and THAAD is the medicine," a retired senior diplomat told This Week in Asia. Under current plans, the system would be deployed in May. Yet the vote by South Korea's parliament to impeach Park over a scandal involving the political influence of her long-term friend Choi Soon-sil may have changed the equation. On December 22, the Constitutional Court of Korea began a six-month-long hearing to decide whether to accept or reject Park's impeachment. A presidential election, previously scheduled for the end of 2017, could be brought forward if the court upholds the impeachment vote. Even disregarding that vote, Park's prospects look dimmer by the day already she has been abandoned by 29 of the lawmakers in her ruling Saenuri party, which had previously held 128 of the 300 seats in parliament. Any successor to Park would be "very likely" to delay the deployment of THAAD, said Zhang. The DPK's Moon, who lost the last presidential election to Park by 3 percentage points, has already added uncertainty to the THAAD debate by saying the next administration should reconsider the deployment. How much of that is political manoeuvring by Moon is unclear. A diplomat who has spent more than a decade working on the Chinese mainland said even if Moon came to power he would be incapable of stopping the deployment altogether. "It would be impossible for [Park's successor] to make a complete U-turn on deploying THAAD, but maybe they could slow the process or try to adjust some details to make China happy. The system is [too big a part of] the complicated South Korea-United States security alliance," he said. That alliance is the legacy of the armistice agreement signed by the US, North Korea and China in 1953 that brought an end to the Korean War and led to the establishment of the 250km long, 4km wide Korean Demilitarised zone that separates the two Koreas. The South has remained suspicious of Pyongyang's intentions ever since and has often accused Pyongyang of breaking the agreement. In one of the most serious incidents, North Korean forces in 2010 fired about 170 artillery shells at Yeonpyeong Island, killing two civilians and two marines and injuring more than a dozen. Seoul also believes Pyongyang to be behind the sinking earlier that year of its navy corvette, the ROKS Cheonan. It claims a torpedo fired by a North Korean midget submarine caused the sinking, which resulted in the loss of nearly half the ship's 104 crew. It also believes the North has dug up to 20 tunnels beneath the heavily fortified border to serve as invasion routes into the South. Four such tunnels were discovered in the 1970s following the defection of an engineer from the North, while a retired South Korean general in 2014 claimed there may be up to 80. Given such aggression not to mention the North's relatively frequent nuclear threats diplomats in Seoul are exasperated by Beijing's apparent inability to comprehend their fear of the North. They question China's constant lobbying that the two sides should keep up dialogue, even in the aftermath of Pyongyang's two nuclear tests this year. Beijing is opposed to South Korea's plans to deploy an American built anti-missile system, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence. / Korea Times file "We are very disappointed because we thought that China, which shares a common cultural background with us, would understand our problem. On the contrary, the US seems more like it understands our difficulties," said one Sino-Korean scholar in Seoul. EXO has recently performed in one of the biggest K-pop concerts in the Philippines, together with some of the brightest Korean and Filipino stars. Because of this, they went on to proclaim that they are in love with the Philippines. The group's members, Suho, Kai, Chanyeol, Baekhyun, Chen, Sehun, D.O. and Xiumin, had all performed more than 30 songs in every show segment of the concert. According to Manila Bulletin, EXO had performed various songs and remixes, such as "Monster", "Mama", "Wolf", "Thunder, "Playboy", "White Noise" and "Artificial Love". With this, they had definitely energized the crowd, thanks to their vibrant performances and charming looks. To show their support, the fans waved out their EXO light sticks as they sang aloud simultaneously with the boy group. Reports also suggest that Chanyeol had studied in the Philippines more than 10 years ago, which is why the Filipinos have a special place in his heart. He then adds that he think of the Philippines as welcoming, soft and beautiful. After saying it, he then showed his deep gratitude to his fans. On the other hand, Suho says that he wants to visit Boracay and Cebu. He adds that Manila is his favorite place because of the warm welcome that he together with the group experienced. According to B World Online, Suho tells all of their fans that the Philippines are awesome and previous. Baekhyum adds to the praise that EXO received, as he says that the recently held concert was one of the most impressive concerts they ever had. Finally, Suho, together with the entire EXO group vows to return to the Philippines. To sum it all up, EXO can clearly be seen to have given the Philippines a special memoir. Truly, K-pop has spread throughout the globe, the Philippines being one of its centers in the Southeast Asian region. A proposal to ban the sale of medical marijuana food and drink products failed in the Arkansas Senate on Thursday. Opponents argued the proposal would undermine a voter-approved initiative legalizing the drug for people with a host of ailments. The Senate voted 15-11 in favor of the measure to ban so-called pot edibles, but it needed at least 24 votes to advance to the state House. Republican Sen. Gary Stubblefield said the move was needed to prevent dispensaries from selling pot-laced candy or other products that would appeal to children. The Senate approved a motion that would allow him to bring the proposal up again later. Arkansas voters in November approved a constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana. The state is set to begin accepting dispensary applications in July. Kinky Boots, first a hit British movie and then a hit Broadway musical, is making a return visit to San Diego as part of its long-running national tour. Based on the 2005 film, which was inspired by a true story, Kinky Boots is about a man who inherits a failing shoe factory and ends up forming an unlikely partnership with a flamboyant drag queen to produce a wildly successful line of high-heeled boots fetish footwear for drag artists. With a book by two-time Tony-winning writer Harvey Fierstein and music and lyrics by 1980s pop icon Cyndi Lauper, the show opened on Broadway in 2013, was hailed for its heart and soul, and took home six Tonys, including Best Musical and Best Score, adding a 2016 Olivier Award for Best New Musical after its London opening. Broadway San Diego originally brought Kinky Boots here in 2014, at the start of the national tour. This time, one of the cast members is a young woman who got her start in La Jolla. Meryn Beckett, now 27, said she was born in New York, and moved to La Jolla when she was 8 years old. Soon after being enrolled in Torrey Pines Elementary, she went to see a performance at San Diego Junior Theatre in Balboa Park with her father, who was also an actor. It was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and I remember turning to my father and saying: I have to do this! she said in a recent interview. They were having auditions for The Wizard of Oz, and I was heartbroken when I didnt get a part, but then I tried out for A Midsummer Nights Dream, and I made it, and ended up doing tons of shows with them over the next 11 years. And theyll be doing that same show, my first, at the exact same time Im here with Kinky Boots on my first national tour! So I really feel that this is full circle for me. Besides Junior Theatre, and several musicals with the J*Company at La Jollas Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, Beckett credits her teachers with encouraging her to continue her studies at Boston Conservatory Theater. Now based in New York, she is currently Assistant Dance Captain and Swing in the touring Kinky Boots. The Swing is a shows super-hero, she explained. If anyone gets sick, I go on. Ive played all my roles multiple times. Its a lot of work, but its taught me so much, and nothing is ever routine. Every time Im onstage, its different, and I get to experience the show from a different point of view. In Spokane, the tours last stop before San Diego, Timothy Ware took over the lead role of drag queen Lola, while the previous Lola, J. Harrison Ghee, moved on to Broadway. The original Lola standby on Broadway, Ware will be in Lolas boots at San Diego Civic Theater. We were the third city to have Kinky Boots when it began its tour, said Christann Heideman, associate marketing director of Broadway/San Diego. Our audiences were definitely fans of the production, so were excited to be bringing it back. IF YOU GO: Meryn Beckett is scheduled to be onstage 8 p.m. Friday, March 10. Kinky Boots, plays matinee and evening performances, March 9-12, at San Diego Civic Theatre, 3rd and B St., downtown San Diego. Tickets: $22-$117. (619) 570-1100. broadwaysd.com Whether looming over us in a museum or flying or galloping along in a movie dinosaurs have been frightening and fascinating us ever since their bones were first discovered. From the Greek, dinos saurus, the word means terrifying lizard. Where did they live? When and why did they die out? While scientists can now answer many questions about dinosaurs, they are still uncovering whole new varieties of these ancient reptiles. Replicas of 16 of these Ultimate Dinosaurs are now on display at the Natural History Museum (theNAT) in Balboa Park. All are from countries in the Earths Southern Hemisphere, including South America, Africa, India and Australia. They evolved separately from the more familiar dinosaurs in the Northern Hemisphere, when the giant land masses broke apart approximately 250 to 65 million years ago, carrying the ancient creatures into the beginning of continents we know today. Thirty years ago, many of these were unknown to science, explained Tom Demere, curator of paleontology at theNAT. They were still in the ground, waiting to be discovered. Up until recently, he continued, paleontologists made discoveries in the northern countries, but now international and Argentinian teams are making significant discoveries in the Southern Hemisphere. This dinosaur exhibit is unlike any seen before, added Judy Gradwohl, president and CEO of theNAT. Ultimate Dinosaurs features species virtually unknown to North Americans. They are interesting and different looking from when we were kids. Beth Redmond-Jones, senior director of public programs, agrees. These are dinosaurs that people didnt know about before, they are not a part of pop culture. From South America, they include Eoraptor, one of the earliest and smallest dinosaurs (approximately three feet, 25 pounds), Velociraptor, a distant relative of modern-day birds that grew to 16 feet and had plumage, and Giganotosaurus, one of the largest land predators (43 feet long, 13,200 pounds). From Africa, they include Suchomimus, with a long snout like a crocodile; Ouranosaurus, a plant eater with a spiny sail along its back; Majungasaurus, a meat eater thought to be cannibal; and Rapetosaurus, a long-necked sauropod from Madagascar. These dinosaurs add more numbers and variety to the total family tree, which is now bushy, said Demere. In addition to the 16 skeleton castings, the exhibit includes augmented reality (AR) segments bringing the dinosaurs to life and videos showing the drifting apart of the Earths original land masses that carried the dinosaurs to different continents. The exhibit ties together plate tectonics, how land masses moved and how dinosaurs evolved with a lot of moving maps showing giant continents and shrinking oceans, a great opportunity to learn, said Demere. Redmond-Jones pointed out, The real specialness is seeing the whole thing in context and size. The large one (Giganotosaurus) is overwhelming, there is nothing as large. The exhibit shows people when, where, how to continue the story, which is a lot more than T-Rex (Tyrannosaurus Rex). It also includes many hands-on activities for learning. We want to engage with a variety of ages and levels, added Redmond-Jones. We are still finding dinosaurs, trying to understand the time during which they lived, asking questions and the exhibit promotes scientific inquiry and expanding our vision and understanding. CEO Gradwohl shares this idea. Its an exciting time in the life of the museum, she said. Gradwohl, who is a native Californian, joined theNAT last summer after 30 years at the Smithsonian. This science is still young, but its important to be out there, excavating in San Diego County, making exciting discoveries, sharing vision. Ultimate Dinosaurs was created by the Royal Museum of Ontario in Toronto. It then traveled to Minneapolis and Cleveland before showing at theNAT in San Diego, the first on the West Coast. IF YOU GO: Ultimate Dinosaurs, runs through Sept. 4, at San Diego Natural History Museum, 1788 El Prado in Balboa Park, San Diego. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Tickets: $8-$28, some discounts. In addition, the museum will offer related programs, including kids camps, family days, story times, lectures and films. (877) 946-7797. sdnat.org A state law requiring all single-stall public restrooms be designated gender neutral went into effect March 1 and high schools in the 92037 ZIP code were quick to comply. Restrooms with numerous stalls that can be used by more than one person arent included in the California law. The Bishops School (7607 La Jolla Blvd.), home to 800 students in grades 6-12, has a total of five gender-neutral restrooms. We support transgender students as we support all of our students, wrote public relations director Suzanne Weiner in an e-mail. We continue to consider how Bishops can be a safe environment for all of our students. With a student body of nearly 1,150 from age 3 to grade 12 La Jolla Country Day School (9490 Genesee Ave.) told La Jolla Light all the single stall restrooms within the premises are gender neutral, but didnt provide a specific number. Our students have the right to choose the bathroom consistent with their gender identity, wrote Jennifer Fogarty, assistant director of marketing. She added that the school strives to create and implement policies and practices supportive of the students. As shared by our Head of School to the community recently, We are steadfast in our commitment to creating a gender-inclusive world for all people. Officials at La Jolla High School (750 Nautilus St.) said at least eight restrooms within the school are available to all genders. The 1,550 students, grades 9-12, who attend the 14.4-acre campus enjoy a gender-neutral restroom outside of every multi-stall public bathroom. We are concerned about everyones safety and everyone being treated fairly and we dont allow any intolerance, said school nurse Kori King. The goal of the school is to keep all of our students safe. Muirlands Middle School assistant principal Brenda Montgomery said providing gender neutral restrooms has not been an issue at this point in time. She assured that the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) hadnt brought it up yet, but were prepared to make sure that every student has the same opportunities. We will address that issue and comply with all the laws as soon as we are required to, and make sure all our students are safe. SDUSD policy allows students to use the restroom that corresponds to their gender identity exclusively and consistently asserted at school, according to its Nondiscrimination of Transgender Students administrative procedure. Where available, a single stall restroom may be used by any student who desires increased privacy, regardless of the underlying reason, the document explains. The implementation of the gender-neutral public restroom state law comes at a political moment when transgender student advocates are preparing to fight the federal administration, which recently rescinded a directive specifying that transgender students have the right to use the public restroom matching their gender identity. Congress member Susan Davis (D-San Diego) led a Democratic effort within the Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee of the House urging new Education Secretary Betsy Devos to protect transgender students, and 13 Congressional representatives signed a letter directed to the federal education administration. We recommend that you convene groups of State and District leaders to discuss best practices for supporting transgender students, provide resources for school employees that detail how they can create inclusive environment, and highlight examples of schools that implement these best practices effectively, reads the letter, sent Friday, March 3. Historic ties of north Meck span throughout region Though the north Mecklenburg area didnt see significant population growth until a few decades ago, its rich history dates back to the Revolutionary War. That was the basis of... An easier-than-expected first mammogram experience HUNTERSVILLE Scheduling a cancer screening probably ranks somewhere on your to-do list between "clean out the garage" and "donate those clothes that don't fit." Sure, you'll get to it at... PRESS RELEASE Chinese Foreign Minister Warns of War Danger in Korean Peninsula March 8, 2017 (EIRNS)Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, during a press conference on the sidelines of the National Peoples Congress, yesterday, warned that events on the Korean peninsula could spin out of control and into war. "The two sides are like two accelerating trains coming toward each other, and neither side is willing to give way," he said. "Our priority now is to flash the red light and apply brakes." Wang Yi called on South Korea to stop the deployment of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system, the first elements of which arrived in South Korea yesterday. "Its not the way neighbors should behave to each other, and it may very well make the R.O.K. less secure," he said, calling on Seoul to refrain from going too far along the wrong path. Wang warned that those who pursue the THAAD deployment in South Korea will end up hurting themselves, as well as others. "Chinas suggestion is, as a first step, for North Korea to suspend nuclear and missile activities, and for the U.S. and South Korea to also suspend large-scale military drills," Wang said. Such a "dual suspension" would allow all sides to return to the negotiating table, Wang said. "Holding nuclear weapons wont bring security; using military force wont be a way out," Wang said. "There remains a chance of resuming talks; there is still hope for peace." Experts consulted by the Associated Press suggested that Wangs proposal, which was reportedly put forward without prior consultation with either the United States or Seoul, is aimed at putting pressure on U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who arrives in the region later this month, to discuss, among other things, the North Korean problem. According to a State Department release, Tillerson will arrive in Tokyo on March 15, continue on to Seoul on March 17, and then travel to Beijing on March 18. PRESS RELEASE U.S., Russian Militaries Jointly Keep Turks from Attacking the Kurds in Manbij March 8, 2017 (EIRNS)A replay of U.S. and Soviet troops meeting on the Elbe at the conclusion of World War II? The Times of London illustrates its coverage of U.S. and Russian troops in Manbij, Syria, with that very image, noting that this is the closest cooperation on the battlefield between Moscow and Washington since World War II. No such encounter as the Elbe handshake has actually occurred, but the Russians and the Americans are only five miles apart, patrolling villages to the west of Manbij in order to keep Turkish and Turkish-backed FSA forces from attacking Kurdish militias in the city, as the Turkish government has repeatedly threatened to do, but which both Moscow and Washington have been seeking to prevent. With the U.S.-Russian presence outside the city, the Turks seem to be backing down. It "makes no sense to launch an operation in Manbij without the co-operation of Russia and the United States," Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirm said after the tripartite meeting between the military chiefs of the U.S., Turkey, and Russia in Antalya, Turkey, yesterday. A Pentagon official said, yesterday, that the U.S. troops are in Manbij to "reassure and deter." The Russians, who brought relief supplies for the local population with them, are embedded with Syrian army forces who have liberated most of the territory between the Kuweires air base outside of Aleppo city and the Euphrates River and south of Al Bab and Manbij. Syrian troops are reportedly not in Manbij, itself, but are patrolling areas to the west and south. In a short time, Viet Thanh Nguyen has encircled the American literary consciousness: first with his mind-bending 2015 novel The Sympathizer, then last years cultural history Nothing Ever Dies and now with eight short stories entitled The Refugees. Nguyen, the Aerol Arnold Chair of English and professor of English and American studies and ethnicity at USC, has called refugees the zombies of the world because they are haunted, unwanted at home and abroad. In Black-Eyed Women, the first tale in his new collection, his characters do share such qualities with the undead. The narrator is a 38-year-old Vietnamese refugee, working as a ghostwriter and living in near silence with her mother. She leads a denatured American life her gender unclear until the ninth page. Then her brother, who died 25 years earlier aboard their boat as they were fleeing Vietnam, begins visiting both women as a ghost. He appears to still be 15, still wet from swimming the Pacific. Advertisement Black-Eyed Women is imbued with much more melancholy than horror, such woe being proof, the narrator says that we did not belong here. In a country where possessions counted for everything, we had no belongings except our stories. The telling doesnt come easily. Nguyen has said Black-Eyed Women went through at least 50 drafts over perhaps 14 years. Such intense labor contrasts with The Sympathizer, a more experimental novel that the writer said flowed from its now-celebrated first sentence: I am a spy, a sleeper, a spook, a man of two faces. Nguyen, himself a refugee, is drawn to dualities, as he writes in the prologue to Nothing Ever Dies: I was born in Vietnam but made in America. I count myself among those Vietnamese dismayed by Americas deeds but tempted to believe its words. The narrators mother in Black-Eyed Women comforts herself by watching Korean soap operas, which she rented by the armfuls. She tells her daughter, If we hadnt had a war . . . wed be like the Koreans now. Saigon would be Seoul, your father alive, you married with children, me a retired housewife, not a manicurist. Wistfulness threads through The Refugees like an anthem of displacement. The text is barbed with subtle humor that is wry and painful. The resulting stories are beautiful in their astringency and shifting points of view, but no reader will set them down feeling jolly. Nguyens writing travels along a spine of moral reckoning. Someone Else Besides You is a father-son story that excavates basic questions of masculinity, told by the son, who was thirty-three, but my father didnt think anyone was a man until he fathered children. The patriarch, a former Vietnamese paratrooper, is still fit enough to parade in his camouflage uniform through Little Saigon; he accuses his divorced son of running to fat. The pair make an unannounced and disastrous visit to the sons ex-wife, which precipitates some vandalism and, perhaps, a glimmer of resolution for the younger man. Throughout The Refugees, characters live in fractured families and wrecked partnerships; they come up against and practice subterfuge and duplicity. In The Transplant, a California gambler is conned by both his loneliness and a new Vietnamese acquaintance to stash counterfeit goods in his Orange County garage. The mark mistakenly believes the traffickers father saved his life with a donated liver. As with all of Nguyens stories, the title The Transplant has multiple meanings. One of the best entries is The War Years, narrated by an adult remembering when his parents ran a Vietnamese grocery in San Joses Little Saigon. In 1983, he witnesses his parents being shaken down by two forces: a stranger with a revolver and a fellow refugee, Mrs. Hoa, who aggressively collected money to fund a quixotic insurrection against Vietnams Communist regime. The narrators mother casts herself as the family savior: Five cents is my profit on a can of soup. As my mother drove, she kept her foot on the brake, not the accelerator. My head bounced back and forth on the headrest like a ball tethered to a paddle. Ten cents for a pound of pork, twenty-five cents for ten pounds of rice. That woman wants five hundred dollars from me, but you see how we fight for each penny? Nguyen, whose parents ran a little grocery, uses The War Years to meditate on honor, debt, memory and the gritty currency of survival. A few stories such as The Americans and Id Love You to Want Me seem at a loss for an ending, but overall, the collection casts a formidable spell, especially at this political moment when refugees are both a lightning rod and an abstraction. The aching final story, Fatherland, centers on a feckless playboy in Vietnam who survived brutal years in a Communist labor camp. He has had two sets of children one who fled with their mother to the United States, and a replacement set, with the same names. Now he gives tours to Americans visiting the infamous tunnels dug during the war years. His in-country daughter Phuong watches: In a few days, or a week, or two weeks, [the tourists] would leave, their most vivid memory about this day being the funny experience of crawling on their knees through a tunnel, with a vague memory of the passionate little tour guide and his somewhat quirky English. Were all the same to them, Phuong understood with a mix of anger and shame small, charming, and forgettable. Very little is forgettable in these lapidary stories. Particularly the collections dedication: For all refugees, everywhere. Long manages the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards for the Cleveland Foundation. The Refugees Viet Thanh Nguyen Grove: 224 pp., $25 The Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) campus is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The Fifty Years lobby display incorporates newspaper clippings as early as 1969 and artifacts exploring the museums genesis from a modest building to its current incarnation as a principal contemporary art venue. Current displays include Process in the Main Gallery; the Masking exhibition in the Braunstein Gallery; and Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here in the Teaching Gallery, film screenings and public readings. Open Monday through Saturday with free admission and contributions welcome. Fox News has reached a financial settlement with a former contributor who contended an executive at the company sexually assaulted her in 2015. The company has been plagued by sexual harassment claims since ousted Fox News chief Roger Ailes was sued by former anchor Gretchen Carlson last July. But contributor Tamara Holder, who is said to have received a $2.5-million settlement, is the first to publicly make a sexual assault claim. For the record: An earlier version of this article said Ailes was sued by former anchor Gretchen Carlson last June. Holder, who ended her association with Fox News at the end of 2016, announced the settlement in a joint statement with the company released late Wednesday. Advertisement In September 2016, Fox News contributor Tamara Holder reported an incident of sexual assault at Fox News headquarters from the prior year, the statement said. Immediately after Ms. Holder notified Fox News of the alleged incident, the Company promptly investigated the matter and took decisive action, for which Ms. Holder thanks the network. Fox News offered no further comment. People familiar with the case who were unauthorized to discuss the matter publicly confirmed details of the settlement, which was first reported in the New York Times. That report said that Holder accused Francisco Cortes, vice president in charge of Fox News Latino, of sexually assaulting her in his office at Fox News headquarters in midtown Manhattan. The alleged incident occurred in February 2015, according to a person briefed on the details of the case. Holder reported the alleged incident Oct. 21, 2016, and Cortes was terminated from Fox News on Oct. 27. Jay Sanchez, an attorney for Cortes, declined to comment on the matter. I am presently considering Mr. Cortes legal options, Sanchez said. A representative for Holder was not available for comment late Wednesday. Holders settlement was negotiated by Los Angeles-based attorney Lisa Bloom of The Bloom Firm. Holder was a liberal commentator on such shows as Hannity. A bio on Holders website describes her as a television host, attorney and stand up comic. She started her run as Fox News contributor in 2012. Fox News has paid out a number of settlements to women who complained of being sexually harassed since Carlsons case was first filed. That case was settled for $20 million shortly after Ailes exited the company. Ailes, who settled out his contract for $40 million before leaving, has denied all charges of sexual harassment made against him. But getting rid of Ailes for his alleged misconduct probably encouraged other women to come forward with allegations against Fox News. It does validate the claims in some way and I think that that can potentially be a motivating factor for other women who have a similar story to come forward because they think theyll be believed, Kate Gold, a partner in the labor employment group at Los Angeles-based Drinker Biddle & Reath, told the Los Angeles Times last year. A former local Fox TV reporter, Lidia Curanaj, 38, alleged in a suit filed in U.S. District Court in December that she was not hired by Fox News because she refused to submit to sexual advances by Ailes when he interviewed her in 2011. She also contends that her career at Fox-owned TV station WNYW was harmed because of sexual discrimination. Former Fox News personality Juliet Huddy contended in a letter from her lawyers sent to Fox News last August that her opportunities at the company ended in retaliation because she refused sexual advances by Fox News anchor Bill OReilly that began in 2011. No lawsuit was filed but Huddy was paid a six-figure monetary settlement. Earlier settlements of sexual harassment claims paid out while Ailes was running the network have drawn the scrutiny of federal prosecutors, who are looking into whether the payments should have been reported to the shareholders of its parent company, 21st Century Fox. Fox News has said no one at the company has been subpoenaed in the investigation, which was revealed in a court case by Andrea Tantaros, another Fox News personality who is suing over sexual harassment. A judge recently sent the suit to legal arbitration. In her suit, Tantaros described the atmosphere at Fox News as a sex-fueled Playboy mansion like cult. stephen.battaglio@latimes.com Twitter: @SteveBattaglio ALSO Fox News paid to make a sexual harassment allegation against Bill OReilly go away Federal prosecutors are probing sexual harassment settlements paid out by Fox News Race, privilege and a bad attitude: Why are Nate Parker and Casey Affleck being treated differently? Being a scrum master may sound like something a rugby player does, or a job that does not sound all that inviting to many. But for people who know how to run software projects according to certain quick-changing, small-group management principles, it is one of the 25 highest-paying jobs in the United States, and there are more than 2,000 openings for it. That is according to Glassdoor, the job and salary website, which released its third-annual list of the best-paying jobs in America this week. In addition to the obscure-sounding scrum master, the list includes 10 other technology-related jobs, as well as six healthcare job titles and three finance-industry careers. Very few of the jobs among the top 25 are not solely related to those three industries. High pay continues to be tied to demand skills, higher education and working in jobs that are protected from competition or automation, Glassdoor chief economist Andrew Chamberlain said in an emailed statement. That is why we see several jobs within the technology and healthcare industries. Advertisement Yet while jobs from the tech industry dominate the list once again, not one tech job ended up in the top five. Instead, healthcare jobs showed up in four of the top five spots. For the third year in a row, physicians took the top slot, with a median base salary of $187,876. Pharmacy managers ($149,064) and pharmacists ($125,847) popped up at No. 2 and No. 5, respectively. Medical science liaisons ($132,842) -- specialists who work for pharmaceutical or biotech companies to establish relationships with medical experts -- came in at No. 4. Patent attorneys rounded out the top five, at No. 3. Other healthcare jobs that were new to the list this year include nurse practitioner (No. 14, $104,144) and physician assistant (No. 7, $112,529, which also showed up in 2015). To create its list, Glassdoor relies on salary reports from U.S. employees who filled out information on its site over the last year, and only considers job titles that have at least 100 salary reports for the list. Therefore, the list is limited in scope by who submits reports, and to some extent, by how those people choose to describe or categorize their jobs. As a result, the list is meant to be more of a general snapshot than a comprehensive study. For the everyday job seeker, it provides more of a guide, Glassdoor spokeswoman Allison Berry said. It certainly is not a perfect science. To try to improve the data behind the list, Berry said the company developed a statistical algorithm this year that controls for factors such as location and amount of experience. It strips some of the biases we might have for our data, such as if were getting a lot of salary reports for data scientists in San Francisco, or data scientists with six years of experience, Berry said. Glassdoor also attempts to normalize various job titles into groups to help with variation in how people define their roles, which makes it difficult to compare job titles across different years. The analysis excludes C-suite level jobs, Glassdoor said in its methodology, and examines only base pay. Other new jobs on the list for 2017 included plant managers ($97,189, No. 21) and nuclear engineers ($94,852, Nov. 24). Jena McGregor writes for the Washington Posts On Leadership section. ALSO WikiLeaks says it will work with tech firms to defeat CIA hacking RadioShack files for bankruptcy protection for the second time in two years Uber to ban Greyball tool it used to stymie regulators Knotts Berry Farm is getting in on the latest theme park craze: putting visitors in a virtual world created primarily by software engineers instead of carpenters and welders. The new VR Showdown in Ghost Town, which opens next month at the Buena Park theme park, will put virtual reality headsets on up to 16 visitors at a time, letting them shoot futuristic blasters at robot creatures in a battle to save the historic ghost town. Many new theme park attractions in Southern California rely on 3-D technology and motion simulating seats, including the new Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and Despicable Me: Minions Mayhem rides at Universal Studios Hollywood. (The park ditched the Harry Potter 3-D but said it wasnt because riders complained about nausea.) Advertisement But smaller regional parks are turning to virtual reality headsets to immerse visitors in a new world without the expense of building sets, erecting towers and installing hydraulic powered seats. Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia began last year to strap virtual reality headsets to riders of its Revolution roller coaster to give them the sensation of flying through space as they shoot at alien aircraft. Similar virtual reality elements were added to roller coasters at nine Six Flags parks across the country. SeaWorld Orlando also announced plans to add virtual reality goggles to its Kraken roller coaster, taking riders on an underwater adventure. Industry experts say virtual reality headsets represent a new way for smaller theme parks to attract new guests without making a huge investment. Its a very cheap way to add a new attraction or extend an older attraction, said Martin Lewison, a theme park expert and business management professor at Farmingdale State College in New York. A major benefit of using virtual reality headsets is that the experience can be changed or overhauled simply by writing new software for the headsets. At Six Flags over Georgia, the park added virtual reality headsets last year for riders of a roller coaster called Dare Devil Dive. But the park announced last week that it is instead adding the virtual reality headsets for riders of a 100-story drop tower ride, dubbed Drop of Doom VR. The new ride lets parkgoers on the tower ride shoot at giant, mutant spiders. Another advantage to the virtual reality headsets is that the world seen by parkgoers is interactive, so the experience is never the same twice. At Knotts Berry Farm, the new attraction lets visitors score points by destroying the bad robots and completing objectives, said Ivan Blaustein, director of product integration at VR Studios, the company that created the headsets and software for the theme park. One of the drawbacks of using virtual reality headsets, said Lewison, is that each headset needs to be cleaned after every use, which can reduce the number of people who can ride the attraction per day. Knotts Berry will be charging an introductory price of $6 to try the new attraction, on top of the regular park admission price. Dont expect to see virtual reality headsets used at major theme parks like Disneyland or Universal Studios Hollywood, Lewison said. When visitors pay ticket prices of at least $99 to enter Disneyland or Universal Studios, he said they expect to see expensive animatronics and movie-quality sets that create an immersive world. Theme park purists dont like it, Lewison said. Theyd much rather go on a $250-million ride at Disneyland than throw a mask strapped to a Samsung smartphone over my eyes. hugo.martin@latimes.com To read more about the travel and tourism industries, follow @hugomartin on Twitter. Southern California fast-food executive Andy Puzder on Thursday blamed Democrats for the collapse of his nomination to be Labor secretary, even though he admitted he withdrew after being informed there was not enough support among Senate Republicans to confirm him. I think the big problem here was the left and the Democrats really didnt want a successful businessman who started out as a working-class kid. That really was their worst nightmare for the Department of Labor, Puzder told Fox Business Network in his first public comments since withdrawing on Feb. 15. So they were going to do anything they possibly could to try and keep me out of that office, he said. Advertisement Puzder, chief executive of CKE Restaurants Inc., the parent company of the Carls Jr. and Hardees chains, said he was disappointed he would not get to serve in President Trumps Cabinet. Puzder told Fox Business Networks Neil Cavuto that it was difficult to watch the other Cabinet secretaries at Trumps address to Congress last week. It was kind of heartbreaking. But Im fine, he said. Im going to continue to try to fight for workers rights and free enterprise. Im not giving up after this. Trump says businesses cant borrow because of Dodd-Frank. The numbers tell another story Puzders nomination faced withering attacks by Democrats, unions, workers rights advocates and fast-food employees. They criticized him for labor law violations at his companys restaurants and his opposition to a significant increase in the federal minimum wage. But a growing number of Senate Republicans began having significant concerns about Puzders nomination because of decades-old allegations of spousal abuse by his wife who since has recanted the accusations and Puzders admission that he had employed a housekeeper who was in the U.S. illegally. Puzder said a top administration official called him to say that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), an outspoken backer of the nomination, told the White House he didnt think there were enough votes for confirmation. With strong Democratic opposition, Republicans couldnt afford to lose the votes of more than two GOP senators from their slim majority. I didnt want to tilt at windmills, he said. Once you had three senators who wouldnt support you in the Republican Party, you were done. Obama saw low-wage workers as struggling moms. Trump may see them as suburban teens Puzder said that he had been looking forward to addressing critics at his hearing and that the White House offered to back him if he wanted to continue to fight. After his withdrawal, Trump moved quickly to find a replacement and the next day nominated former Justice Department official R. Alexander Acosta as Labor secretary. His confirmation hearing is Wednesday. Puzders confirmation hearing was delayed four times because senators were awaiting his financial disclosure and ethics paperwork from the Office of Government Ethics. Puzder said Thursday he turned in the paperwork in early January, but the delays in processing it gave opponents a chance to build their case against him. Some Republican senators also became concerned about voting for him after the backlash they received for confirming another controversial nominee, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, in early February, Puzder said. I think I would have been confirmed had the hearing gone as originally scheduled in January, he said. Puzder said he was not bitter and would consider serving in government in another role. But, he added, I wouldnt want to go through this process again. jim.puzzanghera@latimes.com Follow @JimPuzzanghera on Twitter Video blogger Natalie-Tasha Thompson shares updates about her life on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Snapchat. But the one place she knows her family, including her grandmother, will check is Facebook. So she posts there too. For now, thats the biggest thing Facebook has going for it. With 1.9 billion users, the worlds largest social network spans generations from great grandparents to middle schoolers. But apps such as Snapchat and Musical.ly are threatening to undercut that advantage by poaching the attention of youth. Advertisement For instance, the percentage of Android smartphone-using 13-to-18-year-olds in the U.S. that check the main Facebook app at least once a month has fallen to less than 69% from nearly 81% in 2015, according to research by 7Park Data. Facebooks response has been to mimic Snap Inc., the now-publicly traded Los Angeles company behind Snapchat, by copying its novel features in hope of holding onto users. Facebook needs to maintain itself as a funky, cool place to hang out with your friends because in the digital ecosystem world, user engagement is everything, said Richard Windsor, an analyst at Edison Investment Research. The companys latest initiative came Thursday in announcing the launch of Day a clone of Snapchat Stories. The feature on Facebooks Messenger chat app lets people share with a select group of contacts ephemeral video diaries that string together chronologically and auto-delete after 24 hours. Friends can watch Days from the Messenger homepage or in a chat window. Users can see who has watched their Day. For viewers, its the ability to fill up your inbox with friends updates and catch up on them on your own time, said Josh Elman, a venture capitalist at Greylock Partners who once worked at Facebook. Users like Thompson are finding Day and other copied features helpful. Though she must duplicate her Snapchat posting efforts, it ensures the older members of her family not yet hip to Snapchat can stay up to date. She shares big highlights on Facebook to the delight of her extended family, but Day lets her share smaller, quirkier memories that she doesnt want preserved. Its a way-easier way for family to see what Im up to, she said. Thompson also described Facebooks take on Snapchats editing tools as more customizable and relatable. In the words of a Facebook official, the goal is to have so much goodness that people always find something engaging to use on the app. Snap sees the copycat features as a potential threat, informing would-be investors of the risk imitators pose ahead of its initial public offering last week. Most of the Snapchat knockoffs in the Facebook universe havent resonated with users. For instance, the Facebook-owned Instagram app tried to handpick users posts to place into compilations about big events such as New Years Eve or the Oscars. But the highlights videos, similar to a popular feature on Snapchat, didnt generate enough viewership to justify continued investment, according to former workers on the initiative. Instagram has instead focused on using lists and filters to automatically generate topical highlights. So far, only Instagrams take on the video blogs Snapchat pioneered appears to have affected Snapchat usage. And the reception to features such as Day is hardly universal among Messengers hundreds of millions of daily users. Jody Milward, who consults companies in Australia on their Facebook profiles, said people quickly stopped using Day during testing. Youre really there to have one-on-one chats, she said of Messenger. I would say there is confusion between what has traditionally been a private space now becoming more public. Changing the norms on a well-established service is difficult, technology analysts say, meaning its unlikely Facebook will ever become a perfect imitation of Snapchat. Consider how AOL and Yahoo frequently imitate the features of Gmail, yet the Google service maintains a more youthful image. Or how despite Samsungs efforts to make its Galaxy S phones resemble iPhones, the Apple device still has a more elite reputation. Facebook benefits from being a steady, gathering place for all. Snapchats model is a smaller community that expects product evolution. Snapchat as an underdog can take bigger risks and condition users to a mantra of change, said Joseph Bayer, an Ohio State University assistant professor who studies Snapchat and Facebook. But the bigger company isnt retreating. Facebook has courted popular users like Thompson by inviting them to its offices in Menlo Park and Playa Vista to help craft Day and other elements of Messenger. For example, Thompson helped developed digital stamps that can be affixed to images adornments her generation considers to be conversation starters. Shes behind ones that say Bee yourself and Lets avocuddle. Facebook also is pushing Day viewing on its desktop website. Snapchat users personal stories must be viewed on a mobile device. In demos last year, Facebook officials avoided using the term stories to describe Day, choosing instead generic terms such as the spot. Stan Chudnovsky, the head of product for Messenger, said in an interview that his team is committed to doing things no one in the industry is doing even if initial inspiration comes from competition. Visual messaging is a trend and people are sending hundreds of millions of photos every day, so why not give them ability to send even more, he said. Youll flock to it. paresh.dave@latimes.com / PGP Twitter: @peard33 UPDATES: 2:35 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details about Messenger Day and Snaps early statement to investors about imitators. This article was originally published at 10:25 a.m. In 2009, Los Angeles magazine put a picture of Antonio Villaraigosa, newly elected to a second term as mayor, on its cover beneath a blaring single-word headline: Failure. His successor, Eric Garcetti, who has now earned his own second term, has never faced that kind of hostility from the media. Yet neither has he whipped up a great deal of excitement. Widely but not wildly popular, Garcetti, 46, has largely packaged himself as a back-to-basics mayor, a persona that tends (by design, presumably) to keep his political instincts and sizable ambition tucked away from public view. Thats not to say that Garcetti doesnt have an opportunity to put a major imprint on the city. This is especially true when it comes to the subjects central to this column, including civic architecture, urban planning and the design of public and green space across Los Angeles. Advertisement FULL COVERAGE: Spring arts guide 2017 In fact, the confluence of two factors means that Garcetti has a chance to shape the public character of Los Angeles more profoundly than any mayor since Tom Bradley, who served five terms between 1973 and 1993. The first is that because of L.A.s decision to shift its elections from March of odd years to November of even ones, to sync with state and federal voting, Garcettis second term will stretch for five and a half years. If he serves the term in full a fairly big if, and one well come back to hell occupy the mayors chair for essentially a full decade, nearly two years longer than anyone else in the term-limits era, which began after Bradley left office. The second factor is that Garcetti is presiding over an L.A. that is reinventing itself in some fundamental and controversial ways. My term for this emerging city is the Third Los Angeles, following the streetcar-filled and civic-minded First L.A. of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and the car-dominated, innovative and deeply privatized Second L.A. of the postwar decades. This nascent Third Los Angeles is a post-suburban city. It has given up on the infinite expansion that Los Angeles once took for granted the notion that growth itself is among our chief industries and is turning inward, adding denser development to its central core. It is investing heavily in mass transit and trying to repair its public spaces while facing the specter of climate change. It is his capacity to shape that rising city, to give it a stronger sense of coherence and equity than its had so far, that gives Garcetti a chance to be one of the most consequential mayors in modern L.A. history. (It helps that he is genuinely engaged by and knowledgeable about subjects like architecture and planning.) Hell attempt to do so while beating back opposition from homeowners groups and others who are keen to defend what we might think of as their Second L.A. privileges: high housing prices, which protect their equity; low property taxes under Californias Proposition 13; and an approach to urban design that sees taming congestion as L.A.s most important civic responsibility. L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti walks down to the L.A. River after a press conference. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) For all the talk of Garcettis preternatural caution, he has already not only identified but grabbed hold of some powerful levers for transforming Los Angeles and the wider region. Among the most notable are the expansion of mass transit, the remaking of the Los Angeles River and the citys bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Each of those efforts is a potential legacy project for Garcetti; taken together, they could make up an achievement on which to hang a national reputation. But in the first two cases tellingly, in terms of his style he has stayed to one degree or another in the background. As mayor, Garcetti has his own seat and appoints three others on the board of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which is now the owner of a huge war chest of funding more than $100 billion after the approval of Measure M last fall. That still leaves him well shy of direct control of Metro, a county agency that will be arguably the most important patron of civic architecture and public-space design in Los Angeles over the next two decades. At least in public-relations terms, a good deal of river policy including the controversial decision to ask Frank Gehry to oversee a new master plan for its 51-mile length flows through River L.A., a nonprofit that was founded by the city but has its own leadership and board. The future of the river also depends heavily on decisions made in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. A milestone in the revitalization effort came earlier this month with the news that the city had completed the $59.3-million purchase of the 41-acre G2 parcel along its banks in Cypress Park. It is a piece of land that suggests both the potential and the complexity since it requires major environmental remediation of turning land along the river from eyesore to public amenity. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti addresses the media and public gathered at Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles as plans to bring the Olympics back to Southern California go forward. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) Then theres the Olympics bid. That also began as an independent effort, though Garcetti later moved it in-house at City Hall. The wild cards, as so often is the case in Los Angeles, are jobs, housing and public education, along with a crime rate that has begun to rise after years of decline, and the uncertainty of Californias relationship with the Trump White House. The growth of the tech industry in L.A. hasnt been enough to offset the continuing hollowing out of the regions industrial base. Opposition to development from slow-growth groups has kept the supply of residential units artificially low, exacerbating the housing crisis. Garcetti could be much more forceful in confronting the more strident forms of that opposition. It would also be helpful to hear him articulate what developers owe the city in terms of making their projects as public-minded as possible. Forget giant, attention-getting new buildings for a moment: How can we make the typical new mid-rise apartment block a better piece of architecture? Finally theres the if I mentioned earlier the reason the headline on this column includes an asterisk. Garcetti will come close to reaching the decade mark as mayor only if he serves a full second term. Hes rumored to be considering a run for governor or senator next year. Villaraigosa, for his part, began to rebound after that magazine cover, though not immediately. His final year or so in office was surprisingly effective: He pared down his list of priorities, concentrating in particular on helping guide an earlier phase of the transit expansion. Thats one more reason those extra 18 months could be crucial for Garcetti and his legacy, assuming he sticks around. Los Angeles is a huge, spread-out city that can seem ungovernable. Each City Council office makes up a fiefdom whose power comes at the expense of the mayors office. It can take six or seven years to really figure out how to run this place. Even a mayor as diligent as Garcetti and he continues to remind me of a student who hands in his term papers a couple of days early can use all the extra time in office he can get. For more on Garcettis plans for his second term, including a discussion of the future of the L.A. River, debates over housing and development and the 2024 Olympics bid, please join me for an onstage conversation with the mayor at 7:30 p.m. March 22 at Occidental College. Admission is free with registration. Details: www.oxy.edu/ThirdLA SIGN UP for the free Essential Arts & Culture newsletter christopher.hawthorne@latimes.com Twitter: @HawthorneLAT See our complete guide to spring arts events in L.A. ALSO Spring Arts Events Guide 2017 Why Iceland? L.A. Phils Reykjavik Festival highlights amazing music coming from an unlikely place Chicano art pioneer Frank Romero is still painting, still loves cars and still defends ugly palm trees Icelandic people enjoy bending the rules. This is bad if youre a banker but great if youre an artist, says Sigtryggur Siggi Baldursson, former drummer of the seminal Icelandic alt-rock band the Sugarcubes, which catapulted vocalist Bjork to international stardom in the late 1980s. The cataclysmic financial meltdown that decimated the Icelandic krona in 2008 did nothing to dampen the rich musical culture that had been blossoming in the remote Nordic island for decades. But now the country with a population of a little more than 300,000 boasts such a thriving music and arts scene that the Los Angeles Philharmonic is hosting the 17-day Reykjavik Festival at Walt Disney Concert Hall, beginning April 1. The festival, curated by Icelandic composer and conductor Daniel Bjarnason and L.A. Phil conductor laureate Esa-Pekka Salonen, features an eclectic mix of classical, contemporary, choral, chamber, symphonic, pop, experimental and electronic music, including a three-night stand by the influential post-rock band Sigur Ros accompanied by the L.A. Phil. The festival will showcase the work of 50 composers and more than 60 musicians and artists, with 18 world premieres, three art installations and more than 24 hours of music. Advertisement FULL COVERAGE: Spring arts guide 2017 Bjork will make her Disney Hall debut May 30 in what the L.A. Phil is calling a special extension to the Reykjavik Festival. She will perform with an orchestra, timed with the Bjork Digital exhibition at the Magic Box at the Reef opening May 19. We are few and we seem to punch above our weight somewhat culturally. Johann Johannsson, composer Taken as a whole, Bjarnason says, the festival represents a compelling snapshot of the countrys unique musical landscape one that first caught the eye of L.A. Phil Chief Operating Officer Chad Smith about five years ago, when he heard a Bjarnason piece for multiple cellos performed during the L.A. Phils Green Umbrella new music series. The composition was one of the most extraordinarily fresh pieces of music Smith had heard. It prompted him and L.A. Phil President Deborah Borda to begin visiting Iceland to learn more about the musical environment from which it came. What they found was a tightknit community of artists unbound by convention and devoted to a genre-bending DIY culture. Composers writing music for orchestras and string quartets worked in recording studios with pop and electronica artists at night. Rock n rollers also played in string ensembles and sang backup on tours with multiple bands. The fluidity extended from the front of the stage to the back of the house to studio isolation booths and beyond. L.A. is going to have in its midst some of the most interesting artists in Iceland not just some, an impressive collection of them. Chad Smith, L.A. Phil Chief Operating Officer The incredible depth and breadth of live and new music happening on stages and in recording venues across Reykjavik was eye-opening, Smith says. For a few days in April, L.A. is going to have in its midst some of the most interesting artists in Iceland not just some, an impressive collection of them. In addition to Bjarnason and Sigur Ros, highlights include a concert by one of Icelands most prominent record labels and collectives, Bedroom Community, founded by Valgeir Sigurdsson with Nico Muhly and Ben Frost. Composer Johann Johannsson (The Theory of Everything, Arrival) will be in concert with the American Contemporary Music Ensemble. Ambient electronic band Mum will perform in the U.S. for the first time in eight years as part of an immersive opening night extravaganza programmed in partnership with the Sugarcubes Baldursson that includes amiina, JFDR, dj. flugvel og geimskip, and Skuli Sverrisson + Olof Arnalds, as well as the work of visual artists Shoplifter (Hrafnhildur Arnardottir) and Siggi Eggertsson. The event will include the U.S. premiere of the four-hour, single-take film Driving at the Speed of the Nordic Sun by Xarene Eskandar with music by Bjarnason. Festival musicians, most speaking from Iceland, attributed the extraordinary flourishing of music on the island to three things: the diminutive population, the countrys relatively short musical history and something intangible about the land itself that unknowable sense of place and culture that contributes to most notable artistic scenes. Its in the air you breathe and the images outside your window when you wake up, says Bedroom Communitys Sigurdsson. Its in the quality of the light the long, dark winters and the bright, endless summer nights. The weather is a big part of it too, he says. It changes fast, like turning a page in a book. Musically, were young, says Sigur Ros bassist Georg Holm, echoing a point raised by Bjarnason, who mentioned that the countrys symphony orchestra wasnt founded until 1950. When you begin with nothing, you just start creating and theres great freedom in that. And because there are so few people, everyone has to collaborate in order to survive, adds Johannsson, who curated a series of concerts in 1999 called Kitchen Motors that invited artists from differing backgrounds and disciplines to join forces. Theres a really strong sense of community within musical circles, were very supportive of each other, says Orvar Poreyjarson Smarason, a founding member of Mum. If youre an Icelandic musician or artist you never need to focus on just one thing, there are just too few people to do that. You can do pretty much whatever you like. The success of Bjork served as a huge catalyst as well, says Bjarnason. It changed the way Icelandic music saw itself. There was a sudden focus on Reykjavik and the music that came out of here, he says. All of a sudden bands were thinking about an international audience instead of a local one, and that persists today. Says Johannsson, We are few and we seem to punch above our weight somewhat culturally. In the 90s there were maybe one or two bands that could dream of playing somewhere outside of Iceland, says Smarason, who formed Mum in 1997. Around now weve lost count. You could never dream of making a list. Even this amazing festival doesnt cover one-fourth. Baldursson says the defining characteristic of all the bands is a desire to make music on their own terms, rather than trying to chase an established ideal. Its not a sound, its an attitude, he says of Icelandic music in general. In small societies people diversify more than they do in bigger societies. There are pros and cons, were not all geniuses, we make mistakes as well. Holm shares Baldurssons self-deprecating humor, especially when he talks about Sigur Ros performance with the L.A. Phil. Its either going to be a huge success or a massive failure, he jokes, adding that performing with an orchestra on this scale is a complicated undertaking. This is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime thing for Sigur Ros. Holm, in his summer country house with his wife and children, recalls driving home recently while listening to a radio show about the Icelandic national character. At one point it was mentioned that when Icelanders are abroad, they always want to come back home. This is something Holm, a man who has toured the world many times with his band, can relate to. Nobody seems to have accurately pinpointed why there is so much music and creativity here, but this whole island is so inspiring and beautiful, he says. You always feel at home when youre in Iceland. You feel the warmth in the coldness. Reykjavik Festival Where: Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles When: April 1-17 Tickets: $25 and up Information: (323) 850-2000, www.laphil.org jessica.gelt@latimes.com @jessicagelt See our complete guide to spring arts events in L.A. ALSO Spring Arts Events Guide 2017 Aimee Mann embraces the darkness on her new album, Mental Illness How Pasadenas A Noise Within theater troupe builds a future on the past Diego Riveras Cubist masterpiece arrives at LACMA This female photographers goal? To change perceptions of black men Kate Shindle was performing concerts on a cruise ship in the Bahamas when the musical Fun Home opened on Broadway in 2015. The show won five Tony Awards that year, including best musical, but she had yet to see it. Shindle was at the Tonys ceremony that year, and she could feel the importance of the moment a win for that rare Broadway musical about the life of a lesbian, with a book and original score by two women. When she finally did see Fun Home, Shindle thought, Oh, Im gonna get that job. The character of Alison, a graphic novelist coming to terms with her sexuality and the death of her father, was enough to lure Shindle away from the plum gig that paid an absurd amount of money toward a role she felt destined to play. Advertisement Shindle tells that story sitting on a couch in the plush green room backstage at the Ahmanson Theatre, where Fun Homes first national tour is running through April 1. It makes her laugh for good reason. I have made that decision about other things, and it doesnt always work out, she says. Shindle is a hard-working actress who mostly cut her teeth in New York and regional theater; she knows what it feels like to go without work for months and months. But from time to time, things do have a way of coming together for her in remarkable ways. Viewed in context, the positive happenings in Shindles life have less to do with luck and more to do with her driven personality and her passion for politics, art and activism, all of which she thinks about often and with intensity. She was crowned Miss America in 1998, the first year she decided to seriously compete for the title. And she was voted president of the Actors Equity Assn. in May 2015 the youngest person and only the third woman to hold the office for the labor union, which represents more than 50,000 actors and stage managers nationwide. Ultimately, being Miss America gave me access to parts of America that most AIDS activists couldnt get into, and I was profoundly happy about that. Kate Shindle She has landed roles in two other national tours, including Sally Bowles in Cabaret, but Fun Home marks the first time she has taken a national tour out from the rehearsal room, and its certainly the largest tour shes done, with some long, luxurious six-week stops. She realizes the privilege of this position, calling it 100% awesome. It makes her reflect on the 99-seat theater controversy that has roiled the Los Angeles scene since a month before she took office at Equity. The 99-Seat Agreement, which the union passed, covers local companies performing in L.A. County theaters with fewer than 100 seats. The change required small companies to increase actor pay from a tiered stipend (often $7 to $25 per performance) to a minimum hourly wage for all work, including rehearsals as well as time spent on set for performances. After an extended battle, the changes took effect Jan. 1 of this year. As some theaters scramble to adjust to the new normal, the jury remains out about whether the agreement will effectively kill small-theater life in the city, as opponents fear. Although Shindle realizes shes speaking from a privileged perch inside one of the citys largest, most esteemed and well-funded theaters, she has fond memories of doing a 99-seat show at the Blank Theatre in Hollywood in 2002 while she was in town for pilot season. That show saved my sanity, she says. I believe small theater reminds people that they are, in fact, actors, even if theyre not getting TV auditions at that particular moment. It gives them a chance to do what they love. On the other hand, for a union, the idea that actors should not aspire to a living wage is a bitter pill to swallow, she says. The compromise Equity made, Shindle adds, was to create membership rules that effectively provide wage requirement exemptions for more than 70% of the regularly producing 99-seat theaters in the county. To these companies, many of which worry that the exemption could be rescinded at any moment, Shindle would like to say: If anyone even brings up starting to move the membership companies out of that waiver before the end of my first term [in 2018], and if Im re-elected, before the end of my second term, Im going to smack them in the head. We have to let this settle and we have to be sensitive to the fact that were all artists. Shindle is not one to mince words a quality that made her a particularly unusual Miss America. She was more interested in her cause of choice than in signing autographs, which made her want to stab myself in the eyes with a fork. Her cause was HIV/AIDS prevention and education, and she devoted her reign to it via appearances at places like high schools, state assemblies and food pantries. Ultimately, being Miss America gave me access to parts of America that most AIDS activists couldnt get into, and I was profoundly happy about that, she says. It seemed ridiculous that we knew how to stop the spread of it but we werent because people didnt want to talk about the things that spread it. After her term as Miss America was up, she finished her senior year at Northwestern and moved to New York to make a career in acting. Being a former Miss America sometimes helped and sometimes didnt. She remembers a director once scanning her resume and noting the Miss America mention in a way that made her feel positive she wouldnt get the role. Still, one part led to another, and she carved out a living that turned into a good life. I have zero complaints, she says. There are challenges, but Im a pretty happy actor right now. Kate Shindle, left, onstage with the two other versions of her Fun Home character: Abby Corrigan as Medium Alison, and Alessandra Baldacchino as Small Alison. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) Adding to her sense of accomplishment is her feeling that Fun Home is particularly important in the current cultural climate. The musical is based on a graphic-novel memoir by Alison Bechdel, and it chronicles three stages of her life and the challenges she faced growing up gay in a family ruled over by an often-tyrannical father who turns out to be a closeted gay man who eventually commits suicide. Shindle plays Alison during her third stage of life when shes a grown woman reflecting on the family drama. I feel like theres a real risk of burnout talking about politics all the time, and were going to have to adjust to that, Shindle says. In the meantime, the idea that you have to recognize your own identity, and that bad things can happen when youre not permitted to, is a message that I think is awfully relevant. Shindles zest for politics is palpable to those who work with her in Fun Home, says actress Abby Corrigan, who plays Middle Alison during her super-awkward teen phase. Shes very analytical and smart, Corrigan says of Shindle. Whenever she overhears a conversation and shes passionate about it, shell pop right in. Its never small talk. The same can be said of Shindle when shes being interviewed. She likes to talk about big themes and big ideas. For now, a show like Fun Home is the perfect package, representing everything she loves about being an actor and an activist. Fun Home Where: Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles When: 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays; ends April 1 (call for exceptions) Cost: $25-$125 (subject to change) Info: (213) 972-4400, www.centertheatregroup.org Running time: 1 hour and 40 minutes, no intermission jessica.gelt@latimes.com @jessicagelt ALSO: Review: Fun Home weaves tragedy and comedy into an original American musical Fun Home composer Jeanine Tesori hears the music in everyday life Diego Riveras Cubist masterpiece arrives at LACMA At the Hammer Museum, Jimmie Durhams art throws some well-aimed stones This female photographers goal? To change perceptions of black men From the outside, the red warehouse on West Avenue 34 in Lincoln Heights looks like every other industrial building on the block the sort of place that might deliver drilling and clanging. But slip past the front door and you are greeted by a wonderland of art. Bright canvases are arrayed around the space in various stages of completion. Ceramic dog creatures peer out from vitrines. A neon sign dangles from the rafters, illuminating the words Car Radio and a stylized bolt of lightning a ray of energy that seems to infuse the room with a crackle. Sitting amid the clutter is painter Frank Romero, head covered by a luminous mane of white hair, working his way through a burrito from Chanos. You have to try the Loco Burrito, he advises me, as he cradles a swaddle of tortilla filled with beans and salsa. Its stuffed with a whole chile relleno. Romero is known for capturing expressive scenes of Southern California in his paintings: Looping freeways, historic architecture and streams of automobiles the latter most famously rendered in a mural on the 101 Freeway in downtown L.A. He is the subject of a sprawling spring retrospective at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach. FULL COVERAGE: Spring arts guide 2017 The Arrest of the Paleteros, 1996, by Frank Romero part of the artists retrospective at MOLAA. (Courtesy of Cheech Marin ) We were very much involved in the cultural revolution that was happening at the time. Frank Romero, on his work with Los Four Dreamland, as the show is called, brings together more than 200 works from throughout his career including the socially and politically minded works for which he is renowned. Among these, the 1996 canvas, The Arrest of the Paleteros, which was inspired by police crackdowns on street vending and now belongs to actor and comedian Cheech Marin, a collector of Chicano art. Thats only about 10% of what Ive done, Romero says of the show. It was an impossible task. Born and raised in Boyle Heights, the artist has had a brush in hand from the youngest age. As a kid, he copied storybook art. In his teens, he attended a summer program at the Otis College of Art and Design, where he got to check out exhibitions by the likes of influential ceramicists John Mason and Henry Takemoto. In the late 1950s, he enrolled at Cal State L.A. and became friends with the then-budding artist Carlos Almaraz an encounter that would ultimately change the course of his life. With Almaraz, along with fellow Mexican American artists Beto de la Rocha and Gilbert Lujan, he formed the collective Los Four in the 1970s. In 1974, they became the first Chicano artists to have their work displayed at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The art collective Los Four. From left: Gilbert Lujan, Carlos Almaraz, Frank Romero and Beto de la Rocha. (Oscar R. Castillo Photographic Archives) Romero, 75, is as active as ever, painting daily, joyously munching on illicit chocolate chip cookies (he is diabetic), telling rambling stories and delivering deadpan one-liners with a twinkle in his eye. I pass for white, he says. You know you pass for white because when the police stop you, they call you sir. In this edited conversation, Romero talks about how film influenced his career, how he ended up working as a graphic designer in the studio of Charles and Ray Eames, and how he got caught up in the cultural revolutions of the 1960s and 70s. You grew up in Boyle Heights. What was the neighborhood like when you were coming up? I grew up in the 1940s and 50s. My mother was one of 14. We owned the town. I had hundreds of cousins. Everybody was a relative. For Thanksgiving, they would sit 15 at a table and we would eat in shifts all day long at my grandfathers house. To get downtown, youd take the P Car on 1st Street or the R Car on Whittier. Itd cost 10 cents and wed go to the Warner [Bros.] Theatre. I remember seeing The King and I there. For regular shows, wed go to the Joy Theatre [in Boyle Heights] where they had serials. It was so noisy in there with the children that the owners would turn off the movie every 15 minutes to tell everyone to shut up. Has film been important to your painting? Film was important. Ive done Fred [Astaire] and Ginger [Rogers] dancing. Audrey Hepburn and Anthony Perkins did a movie called Green Mansions. The movie wasnt so hot, but the book was wonderful. I did a painting based on it. Frank Romero sits among his paintings and various works in progress in his sprawling Los Angeles studio. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) I dont know how to do anything else. Ive done it all my life. Frank Romero, on his life as a painter Why does film intrigue you? Theyre stories. Channel 5 was the major television station in those days and they showed old films. I grew up with these incredible films. The Count of Monte Cristo I watched that like 55 times. Rose of the Rio Grande, The Swiss Family Robinson, all the Rough Rider films. I still watch Turner Classic Movies. Its been an incredible influence on my life. You took fine arts classes while at Cal State LA, but ended up working in graphic design for seminal figures such as Charles and Ray Eames. How did that come about? I was going to school and someone said, You should get this job with Lou Danziger [a graphic designer who taught at Art Center School, later known as Art Center College of Design]. He sent me to Charles and Ray Eames. This was in the 60s. And I did graphic design for them just picked it up. It was very exciting. I did materials for a Thomas Jefferson exhibition. I did film titles. I did posters. I did a film for the Polaroid Land Camera. The biggest thing I ever did there was a history of the computer for IBM. I learned discipline there. I also had to take care of Ray Eames. She was an eccentric. They were strange people very elitist. But they were the hot potatoes. You also did a graphic design stint at A&M Records. For Tom Wilkes, he was the big art guy there. There were interesting and strange people in that office. I met Karen Carpenter there. I met Phil Ochs there. Phil and I became quite close. It was Brazil 66. It was Tijuana Brass and Herb Alpert. There was Ike and Tina Turner. I did liner notes and stuff like that. Eames was elitist, high design. This was musicians. It was more show business. Following some of these jobs, you and Almaraz, Lujan and De La Rocha formed Los Four. How did that come about? That was a political move. Wed sort of heard about the Chicano Moratorium [a 1970 protest against the Vietnam War] and there were the walkouts at Garfield High. And one day Carlos pulls up with this guy who had been publishing a magazine called Chisme Arte [a publication devoted to Chicano cultural issues]. That was Gilbert Lujan and he had all of these radical ideas. In those days, we were Mexican American. White people often would call me Spanish. If you were more liberal, you were Mexican American. The whole idea of being Chicano was very radical. We decided we would do a Chicano art show. We saw the idea of being a collective as very interesting. Carlos was embracing communist ideas. And I was interested in the idea of working collectively. So we would have these horrible meetings at my house in Angelino Heights where we would scream at each other. [Laughs.] Sign up for our weekly Essential Arts & Culture newsletter Harbor Freeway, 2010, by Frank Romero. (J. Emilio Flores, Cal State L.A. / Courtesy of Patrick ELA.) How was Los Four a break from what you had done in the past? I had been making elitist art. The kind of stuff youre taught in art school. There was a Picasso-esque thing going on. Id studied with [Italian painter and muralist] Rico Lebrun and Herbert Jepson from the Jepson Art Institute. It was very academic. But Los Four we were getting involved with idea of being Chicano. I was doing protest art. Carlos was working for Cesar Chavez. Beto and Gilbert got together with [painter] Gronk [Glugio Nicandro, a member of the art collective Asco] and they started a Day of the Dead parade in East L.A. We were very much involved in the cultural revolution that was happening at the time. We would do things like make one giant painting collectively. Theres one of those paintings in the show. We were doing murals. It all became part of history. Then the City Council wouldnt let you paint a mural without their approval and that was the end of the mural movement. Your work has continuously featured iconic aspects of Los Angeles: Palm trees, cars, freeways. What intrigues you about these symbols? Its so much Los Angeles. My father loved to drive. I grew up in a car driving everywhere. Thats what I know about California. Cars were a part of the culture. Thats all you talked about as a young man. Gilbert and I talked about it a lot. Carlos used to say that palm trees were so ugly, but theyre all Ive ever known. I dont know a Dutch elm from a maple. Frank Romero stands before his mural Going to the Olympics on the 101 Freeway. (Oscar R. Castillo Photographic Archives) In an interview, you once described yourself as a historian. Why? Its all stories. Theres a painting of a bonfire in the show [Bonfire at Evergreen Playground, 2016]. That was from the 40s and 50s. Every Halloween the city of Los Angeles would build a pyre of wood and then burn the whole thing to the ground. Every Halloween! You wouldnt do that now because of fire hazards and pollution. But that was a story. And theres the death of Ruben Salazar [the journalist killed by sheriffs deputies during the Chicano Moratorium]. I didnt go to the Chicano Moratorium because I had a 3-year-old child, but that was a story. I was there when they closed Whittier Boulevard to cruising. That also became a painting. That was my first major piece. But basically, thats what I do: I tell stories. Does Los Angeles still hold inspiration for you as a painter? I like L.A. Its easy to live here. Now I live in France half the year, but thats a different situation. Ive been in L.A. so long and Ive done so much. Im the kid who helped save the Watts Towers from Mayor [Sam] Yorty. I was 19 and I was hired to sit in front of the Watts Towers to collect money for the cable tests to prove that the towers could stand. In those days, we were 'Mexican American.' White people often would call me 'Spanish.' Frank Romero, on the identity politics of the '60s Do you still paint every day? I dont know how to do anything else. Ive done it all my life. Before you walked in, I painted that orange background and Im going to draw a horse on it. That ones in oil. For giant paintings, I do acrylic. Ive done everything at some point. I tell everyone Im self-educated, but its a lie. Im old enough now that I can lie and change the stories and make them up. +++ Dreamland: A Frank Romero Retrospective Where: The Museum of Latin American Art, 628 Alamitos Ave., Long Beach When: Through May 21 Info: molaa.org or (562) 437-1689 carolina.miranda@latimes.com @cmonstah See our complete guide to spring arts events in L.A. ALSO Spring Arts Events Guide 2017 International art invades the suburban Coachella Valley: The best of 'Desert X' Margaret Atwood brings back 'Angel Catbird' and looks ahead to 'The Handmaid's Tale' What finally broke the 'no Chicanos' rule at the reemergent Museum of Latin American Art Carlos Almaraz's time is coming, nearly 30 years after death On the 20th anniversary of the Notorious B.I.G.s death, Sean Diddy Combs led a remembrance on social media in the form of two videos describing the artists first meeting one that resulted in Biggie, a.k.a. Christopher Wallace, being signed to Bad Boy Records, which released B.I.G.s debut album, Ready to Die. First thing I could remember was how big and black he was, Diddy said, recalling their sit-down at a soul food place. Hed seen a picture of Biggie, he said, but in person this guy is really a big guy ... and he's really, really, really dark-skinned. This is during a time when ... dark skin wasn't in. FLASHBACK: See the L.A. Times front page the day after B.I.G. was killed Combs was surprised that B.I.G. wasnt interested in ordering food at a restaurant Diddy described as some peoples only reason to go to New York. That, the Bad Boy founder said, was when he realized, This was really his dream he couldn't even eat. Faith Evans, Biggies widow, said on The Breakfast Club morning radio show Thursday that she hasn't been able to find closure since her husbands 1997 murder the criminal case hasnt been solved but has decided to move on and live with the great memories of B.I.G. that we have. (See how The Times covered the story here.) On social media, Evans was heavily promoting her upcoming album, The King & I, which features duets by her and Biggie. (She told The Breakfast Club the project was originally supposed to come out last year.) Elsewhere on social media, Hamilton mastermind Lin-Manuel Miranda explained B.I.G.s role in his smash Broadway show, and Nas , Cypress Hill, Busta Rhymes and La La Anthony marked the day. Missy Elliott got specific about why Biggie was different, Maxwell shared how he had learned of the rappers death and the Roots Questlove announced special plans for a tribute Thursday night at New Yorks Brooklyn Bowl. The New York Nets , who call Brooklyn home, will honor their native son on Sunday during their game against the New York Knicks at Barclays Center , the local NBC affiliate reported. The rappers kids and his mom, Voletta Wallace, will be there; a pop-up shop will feature Biggie-themed merchandise and his music will be played throughout the evening. The Nets also plan to renovate the gym at the Brooklyn middle school attended by a young Chris Wallace. Finally, the Notorious B.I.G. got a New York City-style shout-out in Times Square. cdz@latimes.com @theCDZ With Brimstone, a story of innocence and evil in the Wild West, filmmaker Martin Koolhoven has created a kind of endurance test. Its not a matter of the movies length even at 2 hours, the handsomely shot drama is well-structured and moves with assurance. The American frontiers raw beauty pulses with mystery and dread, and before the harrowing tale finally repels us, it draws us in with the powerfully expressive face of Dakota Fanning, as a mute midwife, hunted and hyper-alert. But whatever the writer-director may have set out to say about this resourceful survivor or the plight of women in brutally benighted times, in the end, he seems more intent on putting the audience through the wringer along with his characters. The films acts of cruelty and gruesome violence accumulate like a finely tuned torment. Ultimately, Koolhoven is asking not how Fannings Liz can persevere, but how much a viewer can take. The on-screen tormentor is a character known only as the Reverend (Guy Pearce), who delivers sermons about the promised land with a deranged ferocity and a Dutch accent. Tracking Liz across the West (the film was shot in Germany, Spain, Austria and Hungary), he tells her at one point, Im here to punish you, and at another, I am here to save you. For the Reverend, theyre one and the same. Advertisement Even before the scarred preacher arrives at the remote outpost where Liz is building a new life, she senses danger in the air, a stirring in the virgin woods that no one else can see. How Liz and the Reverend are connected and why soon after his arrival, they each go to the others house in the middle of the night, armed with a knife is gradually revealed. Dividing his story into chapters (Exodus, Genesis, Retribution), Koolhoven moves back through time to trace the ordeals of the teenage Liz (Emilia Jones), from the horror show of her home life, complete with Bruegels rendering of hell on her bedroom wall, to a mining-town brothel named, aptly, Franks Inferno. Her first glimpse of a world beyond her oppressive upbringing arrives in the form of a compassionate thief (Kit Harington, of Game of Thrones). Later, a couple of prostitutes (Vera Vitali and Carla Juri) take the teenager under their wing, their grit and defiance an eye-opening contrast to her mother, a crushed spirit played by a ghostly Carice van Houten. But in different ways, they all must pay for the sin of being female. The role of misogyny within organized religion is a topic worth exploring; here its a driving force that lapses into an afterthought. Certain strains of Good Book piousness are just an excuse for very bad behavior ask Robert Mitchums itinerant man of God in The Night of the Hunter, an obvious antecedent. The Reverend, played with unnerving Calvinist fervor by Pearce, enters the story as a riddle, a monster whose dimensions shift from the supernatural to the psychological. His attempts to insinuate himself into the household that Liz shares with her husband (William Houston), stepson (Jack Hollington) and young daughter (Ivy George) are truly cringe-inducing to the point where, late in the proceedings, an exchange between the Reverend and the 8-year-old girl makes you think about the actors and how they got through it. Given that Koolhovens previous feature, the World War II coming-of-age drama Winter in Wartime, was staid and conventional, his penchant here for inventive barbarity is surprising. He stages an early, potent scene involving a breech birth tellingly, it takes place in the aisle of a church with welcome discretion. Soon, though, the storys progress is marked by slaughter, evisceration and mutilation. The suffering is apportioned to animals and humans alike, perhaps a reminder of our place in the universe. But the way Koolhoven refuses to look away from slow deaths and instant atrocities only drains the story of any supposed higher purpose. As the sequences that bookend Lizs story make clear, Brimstone is meant to celebrate a warrior. Yet however heroic a figure Fannings Liz may be, however much this fine actress makes us feel her terror and determination, any sense of triumph is steadily, grindingly undone. A film that ostensibly aims to expose the subjugation of women spends an awful lot of time hurting and humiliating them. ------------- Brimstone Rating: R, for brutal bloody violence, strong sexual content including disturbing behavior, graphic nudity and language Running time: 2 hours, 28 minutes Playing: Laemmles Music Hall, Beverly Hills See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour Movie Trailers calendar@latimes.com Love & Taxes is an amusing, endearing trifle based on a monologue by writer-star Josh Kornbluth. Directed by Joshs brother, Jacob, the film gently engages as it swings between bits from Joshs autobiographical stage show about his life-changing struggle with the Internal Revenue Service and sketch-like reenactments of his twisty underdog tale. The story flashes back on how schlubby man-child Josh, while working as a legal secretary to a gung-ho San Francisco tax attorney (Warren Keith), is forced to face his chronic failure to file his taxes, a tradition inherited from his stick-it-to-the-man dad (Robert Sicular). Although Joshs mission to square his debt sends him into a vortex of bureaucracy and need, it also strangely opens the door to new show-biz opportunities including a screenwriting gig for a Hollywood producer (Harry Shearer) and to finding a sweetly neurotic girlfriend, Sara (Sarah Overman). Advertisement Saras eventual pregnancy and firm conditions for marrying Josh add useful ticking-clock tension. That it all somehow leads to revisiting Josh and Jacobs (Anthony Nemirovsky) fortuitous collaboration on their first feature (a 2001 Sundance Film Festival entry), the office comedy Haiku Tunnel, feels a bit self-serving. Still, the movies wryly optimistic tone, Woody Allen-esque flights of fancy and enjoyable cast, including Helen Shumaker, Nicholas Pelczar and former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, make for a fun concoction. ------------- Love & Taxes Not rated Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes Playing: Laemmle NoHo 7, North Hollywood; Art Theater, Long Beach See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour Movie Trailers calendar@latimes.com Over the last few years, Scientology has gone from being a mysterious, controversial religious movement to being extensively criticized in books, movies and TV series. So theres nothing really new revealed in Louis Therouxs documentary My Scientology Movie although the veteran British journalists approach to the subject is original enough to be entertaining. Therouxs great coup is to garner the participation of Mark Rathbun, a former high-level Scientologist who helps stage reenactments of some of the intimidation and indoctrination techniques that he either witnessed or facilitated. Like many British documentarians, Theroux adopts the pose of the curious naif, asking so many innocently needling questions that he eventually gets under Rathbuns skin, stoking his guilt and paranoia. Almost inadvertently, the dynamic between the two illustrates what its like for people to be at odds with their own faith. Advertisement Not everything My Scientology Movie tries works. Theroux and director John Dower get around the unwillingness of practicing Scientologists to sit for interviews by hiring actors to play some of the organizations biggest names which is a stunt thats never as meaningful or revelatory as is intended. Still, its hard to deny the edge-of-the-seat drama that the filmmakers generate whenever they calmly push back against the cameramen and operatives whove been assigned by the church to follow them around Los Angeles and intimidate them. As he uses Rathbuns old tactics against his observers, Theroux raises troubling questions about psychological warfare and how devoutness shades into fanaticism. ------------- My Scientology Movie Not rated Running time: 1 hour, 39 minutes Playing: Arclight Hollywood See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour Movie Trailers calendar@latimes.com Theres sweep and gloss to The Ottoman Lieutenant, but this well-intentioned, sumptuously shot tale of love and war, directed by Joseph Ruben, lacks the emotional depth and romantic grandeur to fulfill its epic ambitions. Just before the start of World War I, 23-year-old Lillie (Hera Hilmar), an independent, idealistic Philadelphia nurse, travels to a hamlet in then-Ottoman Turkey to assist at a needy medical facility. But upon arriving first in Istanbul, Lillie winds up with a military escort, the dashing Ottoman army lieutenant Ismail (Michiel Huisman). Its not if these two will lock lips but when. War breaks out and Lillie digs in at the busy medical mission run by its troubled founder (Ben Kingsley) and an earnest, younger physician, Jude (Josh Hartnett), who also falls for Lillie. Can the bespectacled doc compete with the swashbuckling soldier? Two guesses. Advertisement In the war, the Turks are fighting the Russians, Christians and Muslims are at odds and the Armenian genocide seems to be occurring largely off-screen. If all we had was Jeff Stockwells simplistic script to go by, itd be hard to know quite whom to root for. Fortunately, theres actual history. The Icelandic Hilmar is the weakest link here, low on the kind of vibrant beauty and passionate presence her iconic-type part demands. Hilmars indefinite American accent, even more evident in her wan voice-overs, doesnt help. ------------- The Ottoman Lieutenant Rating: R, for some war violence Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes Playing: In general release See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour Movie Trailers calendar@latimes.com The category-defying French writer-director Olivier Assayas has acquired a few favorite themes over the years globalization and its discontents, technology and its perils, beautiful women in trouble. For all that, he has proved remarkably disinclined to repeat himself. To watch a triple bill of Irma Vep, Demonlover and Summer Hours, to name three of his more memorable works, is to embark on a six-hour journey from the playful to the sublime by way of the completely deranged. Yet its a journey set in motion by the same restless, searching intelligence the sensibility of an artist who sees a world in perpetual flux, and who has never stopped finding new ways to chart its endlessly evolving patterns. In Personal Shopper, his moody, frequently baffling and thrillingly assured new picture, Assayas has chosen to channel his ideas into a willfully preposterous genre exercise. It begins as a chilling ghost story, accelerates skillfully into a breathless railway thriller, takes a sharp left turn into whodunit territory, and ends somewhere astride the abyss separating this world from the next. Advertisement The movie is a quietly profound portrait of grief and loss, and perhaps Assayas most surprising attempt yet to grapple with the anxieties of modern life a global condition in which strange new connections are forged and seemingly rigid boundaries are violated. It is also, first and foremost, a testament to the eerie powers of Kristen Stewart, a movie star who has now twice pulled off the trick of chipping away at her celebrity and redefining the boundaries of her talent in the same instance. In Clouds of Sils Maria, her 2014 collaboration with Assayas, she played the resourceful assistant of a famous actress (Juliette Binoche), in a sharp, vivid turn that won Stewart the French film industrys Cesar Award for supporting actress. In Personal Shopper, Stewart is Maureen Cartwright, another American expat working for a difficult Gallic celebrity in this case, a high-profile narcissist named Kyra (Nora von Waldstatten) whos too busy jet-setting to appear in more than two scenes. We are with Maureen at every step, and the camera, nimbly manipulated by the cinematographer Yorick Le Saux, follows her as she rides her motorcycle from one Paris atelier to another, picking up leather pants, glittering Cartier accessories and other extravagances with which to fill Kyras enormous closet. Personal Shopper is a gripping portrait of solitude, which is to say its a hell of a one-woman show for Stewart. But while being a celebrity stylist may pay the bills, it isnt her true calling. Maureen is a medium, and shes trying to make contact with her twin brother, Lewis, who died recently of a heart attack the result of a congenital defect that may one day also claim Maureens life. Night after night, she roams Lewis abandoned old house on the outskirts of Paris, wandering from room to shadowy room and murmuring her brothers name. Assayas doesnt hold back here; you can sense the shivery fun he must be having with all the creaky conventions of the horror genre. He delights in spooking Maureen with self-operating faucets, rattling chandeliers and even a freakily inspired burst of digital ectoplasm. Its not immediately clear whether these apparitions are actual manifestations of the paranormal, or if they are merely emanations from Maureens rattled psyche a testament to the power of suggestion and a hallmark of haunted-house classics going back to The Turn of the Screw. More mysteries and more displays of directorial virtuosity await once Maureen hops the Eurostar to London, and finds herself being stalked en route by a string of unnerving text messages of unknown provenance. The ensuing 20-minute back-and-forth is the films Hitchcockian centerpiece, a virtually silent, brilliantly sustained sequence in which Assayas turns an iPhones familiar interface the sound of a new-message alert, the blinking dots that indicate another communique is on the way into a harbinger of purest dread. Are the texts coming from Lewis or from someone else trying to exploit the situation for some nefarious purpose? Assayas leaves that question and many others unanswered; he turns Personal Shopper into a thriller of teasing existential menace. The films larger concern seems to be that technology has, to some extent, made ghosts of us all, reducing us to fleeting, spectral presences ostensibly more connected to one another but in fact more isolated than ever. You might be too engrossed in Maureens adventure to notice that she crosses the English Channel and barely breaks eye contact with her device. She rarely sees her boss, who communicates entirely via handwritten notes. In her free time, Maureen Skypes halfheartedly with her long-distance boyfriend (Ty Olwin), though she prefers to watch video lectures on Hilma af Klint, the Swedish artist and spiritualist whose abstract paintings sought to evoke a higher, invisible plane of existence. By movies end, Maureens e-stalker has become her closest companion. Assayas turns an iPhones familiar interface the sound of a new-message alert . . . into a harbinger of purest dread. Personal Shopper is a gripping portrait of solitude, which is to say its a hell of a one-woman show for Stewart, the rare actress who can blur into the background and magnetize the camera in the same scene. Rarely has the sight of someone quietly, urgently going about her business seemed so riveting. Stewarts style is so unaffected that it takes a while to realize that Maureen is registering the effects of a profound, soul-shaking trauma, one that threatens to destabilize her very understanding of who she is. Theres a wisp of all-too-relatable millennial anxiety to Maureens plight: Uncertainty about the future has left her noncommittal about her job, her relationships, even her attachment to the mortal realm. Its fitting that her character is a medium, a stand-in, a go-between whether shes trying to interact with the dead or buying couture that she herself will never wear, except in her darkest fantasies. That fantasy becomes reality when Maureen, crossing one of many boundaries, sheds her sensible sweater and T-shirt and tries on first a stunning black bondage gown, then a shimmery sequined Chanel number. Assayas lingers on the sensuality of these moments, held rapt by his leading lady and her stealthy, shape-shifting beauty. Her character may not know who she is or where shes headed, but on the evidence of her finest screen performance to date, Kristen Stewart knows exactly what shes doing. ------------ Personal Shopper MPAA rating: R, for some language, sexuality, nudity and a bloody violent image Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes Playing: Arclight Cinemas, Hollywood, and the Landmark Theatre, West Los Angeles See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour WATCH: Kristen Stewart talks about the free-form aspect of making her short film, Come Swim, which screened at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. Movie Trailers justin.chang@latimes.com @JustinCChang ALSO Cannes: Kristen Stewart in Personal Shopper, and other grief-haunted heroines Kristen Stewart directed a film about her past breakups (and maybe Robert Pattinson) Review: Kristen Stewart and Laura Dern anchor Kelly Reichardts remarkable Certain Women Kristen Stewart and Juliette Binoches unexpected dynamic in Clouds of Sils Maria Indie focus: Olivier Assayas revisits the tumult of his youth Review: Riding the circle of life in absorbing Clouds of Sils Maria If youve heard of the Cronut, New York City pastry chef Dominique Ansels doughnut-croissant pastry, which he invented in 2013, youre likely aware of the hybrid food movement. Its a trend that could very well have started with Los Angeles chef Roy Choi five years earlier, when he decided to put Korean bulgogi on a tortilla and sell it from his Kogi BBQ truck. That desire to mash two craveable foods together continued in 2013, with Keizo Shimamotos ramen burger, a patty enveloped by a bun made of pressed ramen noodles. These were the pioneers who started a nationwide chain reaction, sending ripples of inspiration through kitchens around the country. Because when hybrid foods work, they tend to become phenomena. (When they dont, they really dont, and well leave it at that.) But the mash-up trend seems to be peaking, with hybrid foods popping up way beyond bakeries, food festivals, food trucks and county fairs. Some of these are highly Instagrammable, but most are far from delicious. Theres a doughnut shop in Mission Viejo putting chocolate doughnuts inside its breakfast burritos. You get the idea. To help navigate this complicated landscape, heres a list of hybrid foods youll probably want to try. And yes, theyll look pretty great in your Instagram stories too. Advertisement Lobster elote The lobster elote (a lobster cooked with butter and garlic, topped with cheese and corn) from Dos Chinos at 4th Street Market in downtown Santa Ana. (Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times) Hop Phan, the chef behind the Latin-Asian fusion Dos Chinos food truck and stall at 4th Street Market in downtown Santa Ana, created what looks like something out of a Discovery Channel special. A couple years ago, Phan says he ran across an article about the increasing lobster population, so he decided to put lobster on the menu. But he wanted to do it in a way that would look crazy when people carried it around, so he decided on the lobster elote. He splits and deep fries whole Maine lobsters, then tops them with garlic aioli, a mound of grilled corn, Monterey Jack cheese, fried shallots, blackened scallions, cayenne pepper and cilantro. Its everything you could ever want from elote, the classic Mexican street corn, and a Maine lobster bake, served in a disposable foil bowl. Grab a stack of napkins then go at this thing with your hands. And dont be afraid to lick the shell. 201 E 4th St. #139 Santa Ana, (714) 383-0414, www.doschinos.com. Puffle A red velvet Puffle (a Hong Kong-style egg waffle ice cream cone) from Cauldron Ice Cream in Santa Ana. (Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times) Part egg waffle, part waffle cone, the Puffle is the creation of Cauldron Ice Cream in Santa Ana. Inspired by the egg waffles found all over Hong Kong, this ice cream cone looks like edible bubble wrap. And the name could very well be a Pokemon character. The thicker cone is light and airy, and creates the perfect ratio of ice cream to waffle. It also comes in multiple flavors, including red velvet. Fill the cone with any ice cream at the shop, then add toppings. And if you request a rose, the person behind the counter will use a scoop to shape the ice cream into a flower. Theres been a consistent line at the Orange County ice cream shop since they started serving the Puffle last summer. 1421 W. MacArthur Blvd., Ste F, Santa Ana, (657) 245-3442, www.cauldronicecream.com. Chowder fries Chowder fries (French fries topped with clam chowder and bacon) from Slapfish in Huntington Beach. (Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times) Slapfish chef-owner Andrew Gruel is no stranger to extravagant dishes. On the menu at his many SoCal Slapfish locations (he also has plans to open restaurants in London and South Korea), are griddled beef patties with lobster meat and caramelized onions; fries topped with caviar; and fish tacos the size of hubcaps. But the one dish that seems to be on everyones table is the chowder fries. Its a dish the company started serving on its food truck, and one that carried over when the first brick-and-mortar location opened in 2013 in Huntington Beach. Its a bowl of French fries covered in a blanket of rich New England-style clam chowder, full of diced potato and bits of clam. The fries are also showered with bacon. Youll want to use a fork for this one. Multiple locations at www.slapfishrestaurant.com. Pizza dumplings The margherita pot stickers at Orsa & Winston in downtown Los Angeles have the flavors of a margherita pizza -- San Marzano tomatoes, garlic, basil and mozzarella cheese. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) Chef Josef Centeno has a knack for incorporating varying flavor backgrounds into his cooking, at all six of his L.A. restaurants. It all started with the baco, a flatbread he created at Baco Mercat, the first restaurant in his growing empire, which opened in 2011. So it should come as little surprise that hes making something akin to Margherita pizza gyoza. I really wanted to have fun with the Japanese influence of Orsa & Winston and what better way than to combine pizza and gyoza? said Centeno. So he started making dumplings filled with burrata and tomato. The dumplings have that crunchy, lacy bottom layer all the best gyoza tend to have. And the luxurious burrata turns these dumplings into the fanciest iteration of pizza pockets ever. They are available at lunch, Tuesday through Friday, until they run out. 122 W. 4th St., Los Angeles, (213) 687-0300, www.orsaandwinston.com. Cruffin pudding A Cruffin pudding (a chocolate croissant/muffin/bread pudding pastry) from Mr. Holmes Bakehouse in Highland Park. (Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times) Mr. Holmes Bakehouse built its entire business on the idea of hybrid pastries. When the first one opened in San Francisco in 2014, people lined up for something called a cruffin, a croissant-muffin hybrid covered in sugar. The bakery continues to create wacky combinations, including another hybrid pastry called cruffin pudding. Imagine a crumb cake, a croissant, bread pudding and a muffin all in one. And it looks like a popover, only made with chocolate and white chocolate croissant bread pudding, in the shape of a muffin. The cruffin pudding is topped with a vanilla crumble and a drizzle of white chocolate. Pull apart the Frankenstein pastry and youll find certain bits are crunchy, flaky, and doughy, but its all sweet. Theres also a savory version called garlic gorilla bread made with croissant dough, garlic, Gruyere and chives. 111 S. Ave 59, Los Angeles, (323) 739-0473, mrholmesbakehouse.com. Cro-Dough Maple and bacon Cro-Doughs are available for customers at Rockenwagner Bakery in the Mar Vista neighborhood in Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) Many bakers have come up with their own version of Dominique Ansels Cronut, among them Hans Rockenwagner, the celebrated baker behind Rockenwagner Bakery. Made with Rockenwagners croissant dough (the fat content was adjusted to make it crispier), the Cro-Dough is filled with pastry cream, the top is coated in a thick sugar glaze, and theres even more sugar around the pastry, much like the Cronut. You can pull apart the layers, savoring each one individually, if you can stand it. Most people finish this thing in a couple of bites. 12835 Washington Blvd., Los Angeles, (310) 577-0747, rockenwagner.com. Elote pizza The elote pizza, as served at Rose City Pizza in Rosemead. (Glenn Koenig/ Los Angeles Times /) Why not combine Mexican street corn with pizza? Thats the question Rose City Pizza owner Brian Nittayo posed to his team one day at his pizzeria in Rosemead. He had first thought to start selling the corn on a stick with different toppings, but decided that turning it into a pizza was an even better idea. The pizza starts with a thin layer of dough and is then topped with mozzarella cheese, buttered corn kernels, Parmesan cheese, chili powder, a squeeze of lime juice, a drizzle of Sriracha aioli and cilantro. Its everything you love about elote, with extra cheese, on a crispy crust. 3588 Rosemead Blvd., Rosemead, (626) 280-8885, www.rosecitypizza.com. Pho tacos Pho tacos (meat cooked in pho broth on a taco with Sriracha, hoisin sauce and bean sprouts) from Rakken Tacos in Commerce. (Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times) A bowl of pho and a plate of tacos are two of the most craveable foods. At Rakken Tacos, a small restaurant in a shopping center in Commerce, owner Ken Nguyen is putting the two together in his pho tacos, also known as phocos, which were created after a friend suggested the combination. Nguyen, who turned his 626 Night Market stall into a full-blown brick-and-mortar restaurant last February, simmers flank steak in a pho broth overnight, so it tastes of star anise, clove and cinnamon. The steak is diced, then piled onto a corn tortilla with some typical pho accouterments: shaved onions, bean sprouts, a drizzle of hoisin-Sriracha sauce. And theres just enough broth in the taco to give you the sensation of sipping a bowl of pho. 2444 S. Atlantic Blvd., Commerce, (323) 318-2588, www.rakkentacos.com. Incumbency and the political establishment once again reigned supreme in Los Angeles City Council contests. Six sitting councilmen eclipsed their rivals by margins as high as 54 points. A seventh the most vulnerable appeared to narrowly avoid a runoff, pending the count of some outstanding ballots. And in the race for the sole open council seat, in a swath of the San Fernando Valley that is hostile to City Hall because of pent-up feelings of neglect, the two candidates who made it into the runoff are city insiders. Advertisement This is a pretty good day for the political establishment in Los Angeles, and probably unexpectedly so, said Raphael J. Sonenshein, executive director of the Edmund G. Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State L.A. Sonenshein said the presence on the ballot of Measure S designed to crack down on larger developments could have stirred the races. But the populist revolt many expected to come out in support of the measure never materialized and it lost badly, Sonenshein said. Measure S had the potential to not just upset development policy in the city but put incumbents at risk. It didnt play out that way even though it was extremely well funded, he added. City Hall kind of dodged a bullet. Unseating a City Council incumbent is a tall order. Officeholders tend to have large financial advantages, the backing of key groups, such as labor, and the endorsements of prominent elected leaders, such as Mayor Eric Garcetti. The last time an incumbent was voted out was in 2003, and it took a prominent former Assembly speaker Antonio Villaraigosa to do it. Councilman Gil Cedillo was the most vulnerable incumbent in Tuesdays election, facing an unusually strong challenge from bike activist Joe Bray-Ali. At the incumbents election night party at the Ebell Club in Highland Park, every updated round of vote tallies showed Cedillo losing ground in the 1st Council District. The bar had run dry, the food had all been eaten, the music stopped and Cedillo was huddling behind closed doors with advisors. Most of his supporters had left thinking he was probably headed into a runoff. Shortly after midnight, the county registrar-recorders website posted updated results showing that Cedillo had received 50.98% of the vote, with 100% of the precincts reporting avoiding a runoff by just 129 votes. The remaining supporters stormed the private room, circled Cedillo, started chanting Si se puede! Si se puede! and stomped on the wooden floors. We took advantage of our advantages experience matters and we had faith, Cedillo said. The county registrar announced Wednesday afternoon that about 294,900 ballots largely provisional and late mail ballots still needed to be counted, as well as an unknown number of mail ballots that have been postmarked by Tuesday that the office receives by Friday. Its unknown how many of these ballots are from Cedillos district. An update is scheduled for Friday. Paul Mitchell, a voter data expert who has no stake in the race, said the uncounted ballots could force a runoff. Its going to be one we have to watch for the next three or four days as they count ballots, he said. It will be a nail-biter. Cedillos campaign pointed to its Tuesday night vote total as a reason for optimism. There are still a lot of votes left to be counted, but we feel good about how we performed with both vote-by-mail and election day voters, said Derek Humphrey, an advisor to Cedillos campaign. Bray-Ali countered that he was confident he and Cedillo would compete through the May election. As far as this campaign is concerned, the runoff election started yesterday, he said. We continue to build coalitions for change and will make certain the votes are counted accurately and fairly. Councilman Paul Koretz, the incumbent in the 5th Council District, was thought to be in jeopardy of a runoff because of a well-funded rival. He conceded that he had some concerns Tuesday night, before the results came in and he ended up winning 66% of the vote. The other incumbent councilmen on the ballot had similarly large victories Mitch OFarrell with 60%, Curren Price with 63%, Mike Bonin with 70%, and Joe Buscaino with 74%. Councilman Bob Blumenfield was unopposed. The lone open seat was in the 7th Council District, which covers part of the San Fernando Valley. The areas elected councilman, Felipe Fuentes, resigned in September to become a lobbyist. Since then, City Council President Herb Wesson has represented the district. Twenty candidates vied for the seat, all but guaranteeing that no one would gain a majority in the primary and win the seat outright. But the two candidates headed for the May 16 runoff are not outsiders railing against the system; rather, Monica Rodriguez and Karo Torossian are very much part of it. Rodriguez served on the citys Board of Public Works and was endorsed by Garcetti. Torossian worked for Councilman Paul Krekorian as a policy advisor. Both received large campaign contributions and key endorsements. Bill Burton, a Democratic strategist who did not work on this race, said its not surprising that the candidates with the traditional campaigns rose to the top. The establishment is in power for a lot of reasons because often they know how to run races and put together good campaigns, Burton said. In that area, the change candidates didnt run very compelling campaigns. I think this is a moment where outsiders can be very well positioned, but youve got to do the work. seema.mehta@latimes.com Twitter: @LATSeema Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti made history in his romp to reelection on Tuesday: His 81% share of the vote was higher than any of his predecessors had won in more than a century. But Tuesdays election once the ballot count is complete is likely to break another record for low voter turnout in an L.A. mayors race, according to Dean Logan, the Los Angeles County registrar of voters. So despite his impressive vote share, it appears that Garcetti won with fewer votes just over 202,000 in the initial tally than at least a half dozen L.A. mayors: James K. Hahn, Richard Riordan, Tom Bradley, Sam Yorty, Norris Poulson and Fletcher Bowron. Advertisement Logan expects the final turnout will fall 1 or 2 percentage points below the record low of 17.9% of registered voters in 2009, when Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa won reelection. That would be my best back-of-the-napkin estimate, Logan said. Tens of thousands of ballots have not yet been tallied, so Garcettis vote will inevitably climb by the time the results are certified at the end of the month. Still uncounted are provisional ballots cast by voters whose eligibility needs to be verified; mail ballots that were turned into polling places on election day; and mail ballots postmarked by the Tuesday deadline but received later. Its already clear, however, that turnout was dismal, a reflection of the citys sometimes apolitical nature, a lackluster campaign, and perhaps some voter exhaustion from last years circus of a presidential election. Starting in 2020, Los Angeles elections will be consolidated with state and federal elections, a shift aimed at boosting turnout. For now, Garcetti has won less than half the nearly 432,000 votes that Bowron won in 1950. The citys current population of nearly 4 million is double what it was in the Bowron era. Garcettis 81% share of the vote, in a race against 10 largely unknown rivals, easily broke the record of 68% set by Bradley in his 1985 run for reelection. It was certainly higher than I expected, Garcetti told reporters Wednesday morning outside a bagel shop in Larchmont. It also gave Garcetti a new edge in his budding rivalry with Villaraigosa, who won just 56% of the vote in his 2009 race against a similarly weak field of challengers. Villaraigosa is now running for governor, and Garcettis refusal to rule out joining the race poses a threat to his candidacy since both would compete for the same base of Southern California voters. Garcetti far surpassed the 152,613 votes that Villaraigosa won in 2009. But Garcetti will be hard pressed to reach the 289,116 votes that Villaraigosa drew in 2005, when he ousted Hahn. michael.finnegan@latimes.com Twitter: @finneganLAT ben.welsh@latimes.com Twitter: @palewire Times staff writer Dakota Smith contributed to this report. ALSO: Whats next after Measure S? L.A. must tackle the issues brought up during the campaign, advocates say Election? What election? Apathy abounds as L.A. votes Garcetti wins reelection in landslide as City Council incumbents prevail Beneath warm afternoon skies, scores of people gathered outside Los Angeles City Hall on Wednesday to mark International Womens Day. They joined thousands around the globe who organized in support of womens equality, turning the lawn at Grand Park into a rally full of speeches, poetry and lots of red outfits. Politics stood front and center as many participants came to protest President Trumps positions on abortion, transgender rights and healthcare. Advertisement Theres just so much going on every day, said Paige Mueller, 32, of Hollywood. Its important for everyone to get out and fight for those who cant speak up for themselves. With chants and fists thrust into the air, rallygoers shared their messages through colorful signs and T-shirts with slogans such as: Fight like a girl, We are the resistance and I didnt come from your rib, you came from my vagina. Some pushed for equal pay, others rallied to represent women who could not afford to take the day off to protest. Grace Bryant, 18, and her classmates from American University Preparatory School said they joined the event because their global studies teacher encouraged them to speak up. Were here to protest the everyday micro agressions women face, Bryant said. The judgment and false expectations. Mikiko Convis from Tarzana showed up dressed like Wonder Woman, a character she said she had admired growing up. Im here to inspire, the 29-year-old said. To show women that we can do anything just as well as the guys. The once-proud Republican said she has struggled with recent political changes and was worried about the future. Thats why we are here, in Los Angeles and across the globe, she said. Some women shimmied to the disc jockeys music alongside their daughters, including Katie Robison, 28, of Montecito Heights and her little one, 3-year-old Kiri. She loves all the action, Robison said. And its important for me to send this message of empowerment to her early on. Onstage, one of the youngest speakers, Vanessa Tahay of Cleveland High School, made the crowd go silent with a speech about her mother, who cleans houses. The Guatemalan girls voice quivered as she spoke: My mother has been taught to bow her head in respect. She bows and apologizes for a broken plate. Her knees are tired of cleaning floors. Her hands are tired of picking up broken glass. Her tongue is tired of saying: Im sorry in broken English. At home, Vanessa said, her mother supports the family and has taught her to be proud of her indigenous heritage. Out on the lawn, Grace Hong, 23, looked on. She said her boss, who runs a fashion public relations company, gave her and co-workers the day off. She also gave them materials to make signs and red outfits from the companys closet. Hongs colleague, Nick Segodi, towered over her in red high heels. I didnt know how I would feel being here, Hong said of attending her first rally. I feel powerful. I think together we can make a change. esmeralda.bermudez@latimes.com @LATBermudez Beneath the mudslinging and big money that dominated this weeks school board elections, a serious battle is being waged over competing visions of local education: one sees progress and the need for stability; another sees failure and prescribes radical change. Candidates supported by teachers unions financial muscle have positioned themselves as defenders of traditional schooling. Backers of charter schools, which are mostly nonunion, spent even more money to put forward an opposing group of candidates. In recent elections, the two sides have been vying for control of the nations second-largest school district. On Tuesday, charter advocates won one race by reelecting Monica Garcia. The other two contests will be settled in a May runoff that could hand charter supporters control of the board. Advertisement Tuesdays elections did little to answer the question of whether charter school supporters have mustered the political backing to overpower the unions. But they did all but assure that the lead-up to the runoffs will be more heated, more expensive, and nastier. Whoever prevails, the debate will continue over charter growth in a district that has the most charters and charter students of any school system in the nation, about 16% of enrollment. Predictions about what will happen if their numbers increase sharply split along the charter/union divide. The traditionalists believe that these privately operated charters by siphoning off enrollment and funding are on their way to eroding L.A. Unifieds ability to serve its remaining students, especially those, such as the disabled, who are more expensive to educate. Charter partisans see the opening of academic opportunity for students stuck in schools that have performed poorly for generations. If the charter faction attains its first board majority, it will break a longstanding ideological deadlock, said Charles Kerchner, senior research fellow at Claremont Graduate Universitys School of Educational Studies. In the past the losing side has always fought back, Kerchner said. But charters have more political clout now, so the change could be a tipping point. The growth of charter schools is hardly L.A. Unifieds only worry. Enrollment decline caused not only by charter growth but by gentrification, lower birth rates and reduced immigration has hurt a school system with high fixed costs related to building maintenance, lawsuit settlements and underfunded pension and health-benefit obligations. Although all state school districts face a financial bind caused by an underfunded state pension fund, L.A.s financial woes are exacerbated by its decision, years ago, to provide retiree health benefits, and by the extension of benefits to part-time, low-salaried workers and their families. But the charter vs. union controversy has become a kind of shorthand for each sides hopes for L.A. Unifieds future, often obscuring other issues. Both sides say they also see the local contests as a leading indicator of how Californias education landscape could shift. This race in L.A. has huge state implications, said Alex Caputo-Pearl, head of United Teachers Los Angeles. The state has to deal with the issue of either regulating charters in some way or losing the civic institution of public education. L.A. sets the tone for education policy in the state, and so we want to be able to be part of that discussion and thats why were engaged in these types of races, said Richard Garcia, elections director for the California Charter Schools Association. Both sides are likely to pour more than a million more dollars into the most expensive school board elections in the country. One runoff is in District 6, the east San Fernando Valley, where charter-backed Kelly Gonez will face union-supported Imelda Padilla. The other is in District 4, which includes the Westside and part of the west Valley, where school board president Steve Zimmer, with union support, will face charter ally Nick Melvoin. The financial might and influence of charter advocates seems to be growing. The number of charter parents is increasing and the number of teachers represented by unions is decreasing, which limits union financial resources. The ability of unions to collect automatic dues from teachers also is under assault at the national level. But pro-union Los Angeles, in a state with a powerful teachers union lobby, is well situated to resist. And while the ascent of the pro-charter Trump administration portends more federal help and funding for charters, its local political poison. The state charter association may have praised the selection of new U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, but its endorsed local candidates denounced her. Regardless, if the charter-backed candidates prevail, it means there will be a very clear and uninterrupted pathway toward large-scale expansion of new charter schools within L.A. Unified, said Zimmer. It means much less oversight and accountability for the charter schools already authorized. A probe by the districts inspector general recently led to an FBI raid on Celerity Educational Group, a nonprofit that manages that six charter schools in L.A Unified. For their part, charter operators have complained that district oversight is needlessly bureaucratic and burdensome and occasionally hostile. Zimmer says the district is making meaningful progress on graduation rates, student achievement and restoring morale in its workforce, and that a pro-charter majority would threaten that. The district is certainly calmer since the departure of Supt. John Deasy in late 2014. With the backing of philanthropists and key civic leaders, Deasy had pushed hard for shutting down or restaffing persistently low-performing schools, for using test scores as a significant portion of teacher evaluations and for limiting teacher job protections. He also wanted to end seniority rights that led to the layoff of younger, lower-salaried teachers during times of budget cuts. One such young teacher who was laid off and later hired back is Melvoin, who taught for two years in the district before going to law school and working for education-reform groups. One of the main themes of our campaign has been change versus more of the same, he said Wednesday in an interview in which he cited ongoing budget woes and below-the-state-average student achievement. For voters who want something new and who want a more collaborative approach to the charter-district relationship and more urgency around student achievement, thats what we are offering, he said. Yes or no on charters is an irrelevant question, Melvoin said at one candidates forum. Charters are one part of that solution, he said, until there are zero families on waiting lists to get into them. There could not be a bigger contrast between candidates, said Jeanne Allen, head of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Education Reform, which backs expanding options for parents, including charters and government-supported scholarships for private schools. The status-quo backed Zimmer wants voters to give a broken system another chance, as they have asked and received year after year. The reform-backed slate believes justly that its time for L.A. to have a innovation mindset, to have people who seek to see and act in wholly new ways, to break free from the top-down, monolithic structure known as LAUSD. Education historian Diane Ravitch, who endorsed Zimmer, interprets the divide differently. Reformers have grand ideas for shaking up the system blowing it up, changing everything, blowing up teacher education, imposing national standards overnight, turning schools into teacher-proof institutions, she wrote in a blog post Wednesday. Reformers are impatient. It is good to be impatient. But it is even better to understand the consequences of what you propose. To read the article in Spanish, click here Notorious B.I.G. was leaving a music industry party at the Petersen Automotive Museum, sitting in the front passenger seat of a Chevrolet Suburban, when his killer pulled up alongside in a dark Chevy Impala. As the SUV idled at a stoplight, the gunman opened fire, hitting the 24-year-old rap star, who was also known as Biggie Smalls, four times. He was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead shortly after 1 a.m. on March 9, 1997. For the record: A previous version of this article said that ex-LAPD Officer David A. Mack quit the force in 1999. It was Det. Russell Poole who quit in 1999. The fatal round entered his right hip and ripped through his liver, lung and heart. Advertisement Despite numerous investigations by the Los Angeles Police Department, lawsuits, books and a plethora of allegations, the 20-year-old slaying of the performer whose real name was Christopher Wallace remains officially unsolved. Wallaces slaying came just six months after rap rival Tupac Shakur was gunned down in Las Vegas. The two killings would become forever intertwined as observers theorized that the violence was fueled by an East Coast-West Coast rivalry. Shakurs death also remains unsolved. In Wallaces case, many of those who investigated the killing say the likely culprits are long-gone gangsters. Exactly who they were and what motivated them remains a mystery. The shooter is most likely dead. You cannot ask him who paid him, said Kevin McClure, a former LAPD captain who oversaw the investigation and is now the Montebello police chief. We dont know who gave the money. McClure shut down a task force on the killing in 2010 because it was spinning its wheels. We kept pounding the doors on the same cold leads, he said. Like many cold cases, however, someone may come forward in the future with answers, McClure said. As with many of L.A.s legendary unsolved cases, it is assigned to a member of the LAPDs elite Robbery-Homicide Division. Det. Daryn Dupree currently has the Wallace investigation. Dupree also worked on the Grim Sleeper serial killer case. It is an open case. We are still actively investigating, and we constantly discuss the disposition of the case with the district attorneys office, said Capt. William Hayes, who heads the division. The slaying has spawned a cottage industry of books, documentaries and magazine articles exploring possible conspiracy theories. A couple of movies are also in the works. Notorious B.I.G. was in the passenger seat of this SUV when he was shot in March 1997. (George Wilhelm / Los Angeles Times) Among the theories pushed by one now-deceased LAPD detective was that dirty cops connected to the Rampart corruption scandal were involved in the slaying. In 2006, then-LAPD Chief William J. Bratton, who was fed up with speculation over the killing, launched the task force of senior homicide detectives in an effort to hunt down the killer. The probe followed a wrongful-death lawsuit filed against the city by the rappers mother, Voletta Wallace, and other relatives. In court documents, the family alleged that ex-LAPD Officer David A. Mack conspired with rap impresario Marion Suge Knight, then the owner of Death Row Records, to have Wallace ambushed. The family contended in the suit that Mack arranged for a college friend to carry out the attack. Mack, the college friend and Knight have all denied any involvement. The family dropped the lawsuit in 2010. The theory that the three conspired to kill Wallace was first advanced in 1998 by then-LAPD Det. Russell Poole, an investigator in the Robbery-Homicide Division who worked about a year on the case. Poole will be played by Johnny Depp in an upcoming movie on the investigation. Poole began scrutinizing Mack after he was arrested in December 1997 on suspicion of bank robbery. Mack was later convicted of robbery and is serving a 14-year prison term. Poole quit the police force in 1999 after a series of disputes with his superiors. He died in 2015. Document: Autopsy of Christopher Notorious B.I.G. Wallace The 2006 LAPD task force examined two different theories for the killing. The first hypothesis was that Wallace was killed by a member of Comptons vicious Southside Crips gang as part of a bicoastal rap feud linked to Shakurs death, law enforcement sources said. The investigators developed a second theory that Wallace was killed in retaliation for Shakurs death by a Blood gang member hired by Knight. Knight, who is now facing a separate murder charge, has repeatedly denied any involvement in Wallaces killing. The task force worked with a 72-volume murder book, the collection of evidence in the case, that was kept in its own office. Task force member Greg Kading, in his book Murder Rap, alleged that now-deceased Wardell Poochie Fouse a Mob Piru Blood gang member from Compton shot Wallace. He wrote that the killing was revenge for Shakurs slaying and that powerful East Coast hip-hop figures were behind the Vegas slaying. While no one has ever been arrested in Shakurs death, Las Vegas police named Orlando Anderson, a reputed Crips member, as the suspect in the slaying. Anderson died a year later in a drug-related shootout at a Compton carwash. richard.winton@latimes.com Twitter: @lacrimes The California Coastal Commission on Wednesday approved a $30-million proposal to renovate the last of 46 oceanfront cottages at historic Crystal Cove State Park in Orange County. Commissioners unanimously granted a development permit to rebuild 17 dilapidated cottages that will increase low-cost rental units at the park, which occupies a stretch of scenic coastline between Laguna Beach and Corona Del Mar. When finished, the cottages will help meet the parks heavy demand for overnight stays and complete a thorough renovation of the Crystal Cove Historic District a cluster of dwellings considered the last example of a Southern California beach colony from the 1920s. Advertisement Because of the persistent efforts of so many, full public access to Crystal Cove has been achieved. Susan Jordan, director of the California Coastal Protection Network Our organization, California State Parks and the California Coastal Commission have been working together on this project for almost two decades, said Laura Davick, vice president of the Crystal Cove Alliance, a nonprofit that has worked to preserve the park. This is the last part of the journey. In addition to rebuilding the cottages, the proposed work includes grading, a 650-foot beachfront boardwalk, utility lines, new drainage systems, landscaping, expanded parking and mitigation for environmental impacts. The renovated dwellings will create 22 affordable rental units, including a dormitory-style lodge. Prices will range from $35 a night for a private lodge bed to $245 a night for the largest cottages that sleep up to 10 people. Jim Newland, an assistant state park superintendent in Orange County, said the new units will double Crystal Coves overnight accommodations. The project is a model in itself, Newland told the commission at its meeting in Ventura. It protects public resources and provides public access. Commission officials said the project will help address increasing concerns that there are not enough affordable accommodations at the beach for low-income families and individuals. Recent studies by UCLA and San Francisco State show that the cost of visiting the beach and staying there is becoming too expensive for many people, especially low-income people of color who live inland. Researchers found, for example, that the average Californian is willing to pay about $118 a night for lodging in beach areas. But, according to the commission, a room at a budget hotel along the coast during the summer is $135 to $260 a night. The commission also reports that since 1989, about 24,720 economy rooms in coastal regions have been lost due to remodels and closures of hotels and motels. Such affordable accommodations now make up only 5% of the available rooms in beach areas. The state bought the 3.2-mile-long Crystal Cove area from the Irvine Co. for $32.6 million in 1979 and opened it as a park the next year. Today, it has more than a million visitors annually. The way was cleared for preservation of the beach colony in early 2001 when citizens groups and environmentalists defeated a proposal to build a luxury resort on the site that would have included 73 units, three swimming pools and a 150-seat restaurant. State officials canceled the project after years of protests and bought back a 60-year lease of the coastal land held by the developer. Because of the persistent efforts of so many, full public access to Crystal Cove has been achieved, said Susan Jordan, director of the California Coastal Protection Network. The restoration of the first 22 Crystal Cove cottages was completed in 2006. Thirteen became available for overnight visitors, while park operations, education programs and food concessions moved into the other nine. Seven more renovated cottages opened between 2009 and 2011, with five as rental units. In addition, the current restoration project includes a $1 million endowment for education programs at the park for underserved youth and students. With the cooperation of UC Irvine, classes are offered in marine science, park ecology and environmental studies, including climate change, coastal erosion and sea level rise. dan.weikel@latimes.com Follow me on Twitter @LADeadline16 ALSO State finds dozens of violations at Banning Ranch oil field Yes, Californias drought is all but over, and the dramatically revived Cachuma Lake proves it When it rains, Los Angeles sends billions of gallons of free liquid gold down the drain A lawsuit has been filed against an off-duty Los Angeles police officer who fired his gun during a videotaped clash last month with several teenagers in Anaheim. Christian Dorscht, a 13-year-old boy who was grabbed by the police officer, filed the suit along with his parents on Feb. 28. The suit alleges that Officer Kevin Ferguson violated the boys civil rights and caused the plaintiff emotional distress. It also claims that Ferguson assaulted and falsely imprisoned the boy. The lawsuit marks the beginning of what could be a lengthy legal battle over the Feb. 21 encounter, which remains under investigation by police in both Anaheim and Los Angeles. Videos of the clash, posted online, renewed the debate over how officers use force whether on-duty or not and prompted protests in Anaheim. Advertisement Attorneys for Ferguson and Dorscht did not immediately return calls for comment Thursday. Anaheim police say the violent exchange between Ferguson and a group of teenagers began when the off-duty officer confronted them about walking across his property on their way home from school. The lawsuit says Ferguson was standing outside his home, drinking a beer, when he became irate that a girl walked across his lawn and started shouting profanities at her. Dorscht told the officer to talk to the girl in a nicer manner, the lawsuit states. Anaheim police said Ferguson tried to detain the 13-year-old after the boy made a threat that led the officer to believe that he was going to shoot him. In the video, the boy denies the remarks, saying he said he was going to sue the officer. Video of the incident shows Ferguson grabbing the teen by the collar of his sweatshirt and appearing to backpedal while holding onto him. A large group of teenagers follows, some filming the incident, others demanding that Ferguson release their friend. After several tense minutes, another teen rushes at Ferguson, knocking the officer backward over a row of hedges. In the ensuing struggle on the video, Ferguson draws his firearm and fires a single shot. No one was struck, and Anaheim police said Ferguson fired into the ground, but the sound of the shot sent the group of teenagers running, according to the video. The lawsuit claims Ferguson never identified himself as a police officer or showed his badge. Anaheim police said a 13-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats and battery. A 15-year-old also was arrested on suspicion of battery. The lawsuit says that Dorscht was one of the teenagers arrested and that the arrest was unreasonable and not justified, describing Dorscht as a victim in a brutal attack. Ferguson, who was not arrested, joined the LAPD in 2013 and works out of the Hollywood division. He remains on-duty but is not working in the field, according to the LAPD. Fergusons attorney has defended his actions, saying he fired the shot to defuse an escalating situation. Ferguson had been punched in the face, attorney Larry Hanna said, and other teens were coming at him. Nearly 300 people staged a protest in Anaheim shortly after the video went viral, resulting in some property damage and vandalism at Fergusons home. 23 people were arrested. Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait said last month he was troubled by the video. Like many, I am deeply disturbed and frankly angered by what it shows, he said of the footage. The video shows an adult wrestling with a 13-year-old kid and ultimately firing a gun. It should never have happened. The Los Angeles Police Protective League, which represents rank-and-file officers like Ferguson, dismissed the lawsuit as a shakedown in a statement Wednesday. We hope that this lawsuit determines why multiple young adults chose to physically assault a police officer and what the parents of these young adults could have done to teach their children right from wrong, the statement read. james.queally@latimes.com Follow @JamesQueallyLAT for crime and police news in California. ALSO Burglars snag $500,000 in valuables from home of Lakers Nick Young Killing of woman after church by apparent gang crossfire outrages community Earthquake on the beach: Scientists think a 7.4 temblor could reach from L.A. to San Diego UPDATES: 3:05 p.m.: This story was updated with information from the lawsuit and additional details from the confrontation. This story was originally published at 8 a.m. The California Highway Patrol asked prosecutors Wednesday to charge 106 people in connection with violent clashes last summer between neo-Nazis and counter-protesters at the state Capitol that left seven people stabbed. The CHP presented a 2,000-page investigative report to the Sacramento County district attorneys office in connection with the fighting during a permitted white nationalist groups rally that left 14 people injured and resulted in thousands of dollars in property damage. Investigators provided prosecutors with many hours of video that captured the violent confrontation as several hundred anti-Nazi protesters attempted to block the rally by the Traditionalist Worker Party that was permitted for the Capitol grounds last June. CHP investigators are asking prosecutors to consider charging the 106 individuals with 514 misdemeanors and 68 felonies. Advertisement As a result of our investigation, which included conducting hundreds of interviews and reviewing many hours of video evidence, we are asking the Sacramento County district attorney to bring charges ranging from unlawful assembly to assault with a deadly weapon, said CHP Capt. Daniel Lamm, who oversees the agencys Capitol Protection Section. Our role is to protect free speech, but not when that speech involves violence. According to investigators, one of the underlying problems they faced in the months-long probe was that many of those in the violent clashes obscured their faces. Our investigators had to deal with people disguising themselves with bandannas and masks, said CHP spokeswoman Fran Clader. They went through videos, social media and hours of news footage to identify the perpetrators. In the wake of the brawl, CHP commanders placed the blame for the violence on counter-protesters, including members of the anti-fascist organization Antifa Sacramento, which had promoted a Shut Down Nazi Rally event on its website. A similar melee broke out in Anaheim earlier in 2016 when members of the Ku Klux Klan announced they were holding a rally at a park. Counter-protesters showed up early and waited. When the first klansmen arrived, they were set upon by the group. Three people were stabbed at the Anaheim rally. More than 100 CHP and Sacramento police officers were at the park to keep the peace, but the ground spans five city blocks and violence broke out intermittently. Sacramento police found a loaded gun, but the CHP didnt recover any knives or other weapons. All the injuries were sustained by either white nationalists or counter-protesters, but specific totals werent available, officials said. The Traditionalist Worker Party said on its website that it had planned a Sunday rally in conjunction with the Golden State Skinheads to make a statement about the precarious situation our race is in after brutal assaults at Donald Trump campaign events in California. The violence erupted around 11:45 a.m., when word spread that roughly 30 people had shown up. Counter-protesters swarmed them and a fight immediately broke out, according to the CHP. As hand-to-hand fighting raged on the grounds, the historic domed Capitol was locked down, with staffers and tourists inside. After the melee, the Traditionalist Worker Partys vice chairman, Matt Parrott, blamed leftist radicals for instigating the violence. Counter-protesters charged that the neo-Nazis had provoked the violence. richard.winton@latimes.com Twitter: @lacrimes The hundreds of immigrant detainees housed in Orange Countys largest detention facility have been served foul, slimy lunch meat; used moldy showers; and contended with inoperable phones, according to the findings of an internal inspection issued Wednesday. Some detainees said they had to rinse their acrid lunch meat off with water before eating it, according to the report by the Department of Homeland Securitys Office of Inspector General. The review, which was based on an unannounced inspection in October and interviews with detainees and staff members, found that the poor conditions violated standards set by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Advertisement In addition to unsafe food handling, the inspectors found that high- and low-risk detainees were housed together and that the Orange County Sheriffs Departments method for imposing solitary confinement for discipline violated ICE standards. After the inspector generals review, ICE said in a statement Wednesday that staff promptly remedied issues related to bathroom cleanliness, food storage and detainee phone access. In response to the inspectors findings, the Sheriffs Department referred to newly instituted practices at the facility, including a new lunch meat vendor and staff compliance meetings. The Sheriffs Department remains committed to the health and safety of all immigration detainees, Lt. Lane Lagaret, a spokesman for the department, said in a statement. Since 2010, immigration detainees have been housed at two facilities run by the Sheriffs Department: the Theo Lacy Facility in Orange and the James A. Musick facility in Irvine. As of Wednesday, 528 detainees were housed at Theo Lacy, which has beds for up to 3,442 men, mostly jail inmates. The facility separates inmates from immigration detainees, most of whom are awaiting immigration court proceedings or deportation by ICE. But the jail inmates and detainees eat the same food, underscoring the significance of the unsafe food practices. According to the report, meat marked with a keep frozen label was stored in a refrigerator with no date showing how long it had been thawing. Lunch meat and ground beef were stored without coverings in large, walk-in fridges. The lunch meat was stored without wrapping, labels or information on its contents or expiration. Five detainees interviewed as part of the inspection said they were repeatedly served lunch meat that smelled and tasted bad, which they rinsed with water before eating. In the housing areas, inspectors found dirty showers with mold, trash and mildew. Detainees were given a scrub brush and all-purpose cleaner to wash the shower stalls themselves, but the report said such a practice is ineffective all-purpose cleaners dont eliminate mildew and violates ICE standards, which require detainees to clean only their immediate living area. Inspectors found high-risk detainees in the least restrictive barracks, while medium- to low-risk detainees were kept in more restrictive modules. The report said this housing practice violates ICE standards, which bar mingling of high- and low-risk detainees. Sheriffs Department officials were faulted for disciplining detainees by putting them in solitary cells with no access to visitors, recreation or group religious services. Those in solitary cells were kept there for up to 30 days, during which they could access one book and were released only briefly every other day for showers. ICE standards call for those in disciplinary housing to receive visitors, enjoy recreation and have access to telephones and reading materials. The inspector general also found that grievances by detainees were not being tracked to ensure sufficient follow-up. ICE said that in response, the agency worked with onsite leaders to improve methods for documenting detainee complaints, according to a statement. ICE also said it valued its longstanding relationship with the Sheriffs Department, according to the statement. A spokesman for the Sheriffs Department said the concerns raised by the inspection have been addressed and rectified. The Sheriffs Department said that it was in the process of retaining a new lunch meat vendor and that lunches would be in prepackaged boxes with expiration dates, not prepared at the facility. The jail facility instituted group meetings to discuss issues over compliance with standards and has a compliance officer onsite for the majority of the month for additional oversight. Two more inspections were scheduled for 2017. matt.hamilton@latimes.com Twitter: @MattHjourno ALSO Some Measure H supporters remain cautious as late ballots are tallied CHP seeks charges against 106 people in state Capitol clash between neo-Nazis and protesters Man killed, woman seriously injured in Long Beach shooting that may have resulted from road rage UPDATES: 8:25 p.m.: This article was updated with a statement from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This article was originally published at 7:50 p.m. At a time when many refugees fleeing war yearn for escape to America, Tony Alsabaa dreams of going home to Syria. He misses his mother. The 5-year-old, a U.S. citizen, left Damascus in August and came to Los Angeles in order to receive medical treatment for a rare disease that leaves him with infections in his spine and unable to walk without a back brace. Tonys Syrian mother, Maisaa Assaf, sent him to the U.S. alone in August, after she was denied a visa for a second time during the waning months of the Obama administration. Advertisement Its now been seven months since the boy last saw his parents, and he has never met his 4-month-old sister, Emily. Tony has juvenile idiopathic arthritis a rare disease that leaves him sweating from high fevers and throbbing pain in his bones. The doctors Tony visited in Syria lacked proper facilities because of the civil war thats been raging for years, and his parents feared driving throughout the country because of bombing, said his aunt Fadaa Assaf, with whom he lives in Santa Clarita. Now in the U.S., he takes seven medications each day; twice a month, he visits Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, his aunt said. He either died in Syria or we sent him here, she said. We dont know what the future holds, but we need his parents to be here. He either died in Syria or we sent him here. We dont know what the future holds, but we need his parents to be here. Fadaa Assaf, Tonys aunt Now, with President Trumps new travel ban signed on Monday, his family faces an even steeper uphill battle to reunite Tony and his parents. Their plight highlights the uncertainty and confusion thousands of American families with relatives from the six nations impacted by the new order will face when it takes effect March 16, law experts said. To have an absolutist policy that altogether blocks people from certain countries fails to recognize the individual situations of families. Immigrants dont live in isolation, said Marielena Hincapie, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center. Trumps actions imposes a 90-day-ban on the issuance of new visas for citizens from six Muslim-majority countries: Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Libya, Syria and Yemen. Assaf, whose family is Christian, cannot reunite with her son unless she is granted a valid U.S. visa before March 16. The new travel ban includes a waiver that experts say is one way the boys parents might be able to gain entry to the United States if his mother does not receive a visa before the deadline. Waivers are decided on a case-by-case basis and would grant citizens from the six countries entry if they are visiting a close family member who is a U.S. citizen and if they can show that denying them entry would cause undue hardship. Because the executive order is new, it is difficult to know how this provision will be interpreted and whether the standard of showing undue hardship would be difficult to meet. A serious illness of a child is a compelling circumstance, but it remains to be seen how they will apply the waiver provision, said Grace Meng, senior U.S. researcher at Human Rights Watch. The other alternative is for the boy to be returned to Syria before completing his medical treatment a risky choice. Since arriving in the U.S., Tony has spent almost two months hospitalized because of his condition, his aunt said. The disease was not recognized in Syria, and this has led to a rough course for Tony, Dr. Bracha Shaham from Childrens Hospital Los Angeles said in a statement. He was in significant pain and unable to walk when he was admitted in January but is doing much better. He will need specialized pediatric rheumatology treatment for years. Tonys mother gave birth to him in 2011 when she was in the U.S. visiting family. They stayed a few months before returning to Syria. Now Tony lives with his uncle Amil Rebz, an Uber driver, and his aunt Fadaa Assaf, who works as a cashier. On a Saturday afternoon, Tony gripped his aunts iPhone and stared at the screen. His mother was on the other line, Skyping Tony from Damascus, where it was nearly 2 a.m. Daily Skype calls over his aunts iPhone are the only way the boy is reminded of his mothers face and the sound of her voice. On this day, Tony tossed the phone on the couch and buried his head in his grandmothers lap. His aunt handed him the phone again, and insisted in Arabic that he speak with his mother. He started to cry. Sometimes he does that, his aunt said. Other times hell Skype with her for two hours nonstop. melissa.etehad@latimes.com Follow me on Twitter @melissaetehad ALSO HBOs Cries From Syria focuses on children in refugee crisis Op-Ed: Message from Syria to the United States: Well never again believe your lofty rhetoric Federal agents are reinvestigating Syrian refugees in U.S. who may have slipped through vetting lapse UPDATES: 1:05 p.m.: This story has been updated with comment from Dr. Bracha Shaham. This article was originally published at 5 a.m. As he was laying down the bass riffs for Ray Charles, Tina Turner and the Beach Boys in the recording studios of L.A. his music filling the soundtrack of the 1960s, a different musical reputation was growing 2,500 miles away. But it wasnt the bass guitar that had drawn Hawaiian musicians to Lyle Ritz. It was the ukulele. Years before Ritz became a member of the fabled group of session musicians known as the Wrecking Crew, he had had a musical affair with the ukulele, recording several albums. Advertisement He wasnt a fan of the traditional island melodies, but was intrigued at how he could coax jazz from an instrument that looked so small and powerless. When he was later invited to perform at a ukulele festival in Honolulu, he discovered that while hed been performing in near-anonymity in the studios, he was the stuff of legend in Hawaii. Ukulele players had been listening to his albums, imitating him, building on his music. When he finally arrived in the islands in the mid-80s, a legion of fans awaited him. Ritz, who became the standard bearer for ukulele jazz and expanded the versatility and possibilities of the instrument, died March 3 in Portland, Ore. He was 87 and had continued to as he put it noodle with the ukulele well into his 80s, even as age slowed his hands. I dont play as many notes as I used to, he told the Honolulu Star in 2002, but theyre better ones. Born Jan. 10, 1930, in Cleveland, Ritz came west and attended Occidental College before transfering to USC, where he learned to play the tuba. He also put his hands on a ukulele for the first time when he got a part-time job at Southern California Music Co. in downtown L.A., where he was expected to demonstrate how to play the instrument for prospective customers. And one day somebody wanted to see this beautiful, nice big tenor uke, Ritz told NPR in 2007. I picked it up and played a few chords on it, and I was gone. During the Korean War he was drafted and assigned to band duty at Ft. Ord outside Monterey, learning to play the stand-up bass. When he came back to L.A. while on leave, he stopped by the music store and fiddled around on a ukulele, unaware that jazz guitarist Barney Kessel was in the shop. The chance meeting led to a contract with Verve Records and eventually two albums, How About Uke? and 50th State Jazz. Neither recording was a huge seller but their existence alone slowly paved the way for what would become ukulele jazz. Roy Sakuma, a longtime ukulele teacher and founder of Hawaiis annual ukulele festival in Waikiki, told NPR that as a youth, he would sit by the record player and listen to How About Uke? over and over again. All these fantastic chord harmonies that just, you know, took music to a whole new level on the ukulele. But at the time, the influence of his music had yet to unfold and he slowly lost interest in the instrument. The bass guitar paid better, and so did rock n roll. The Wrecking Crew was a prolific group of session musicians that provided muscle and distinction to an entire playlist of albums in the 60s the Beach Boys, the Byrds, Herb Alpert, and Sonny and Cher. Thats the Wrecking Crew on Simon and Garfunkels Bridge Over Troubled Waters and the Mamas & the Papas California Dreamin. And thats them on the Beach Boys Good Vibrations. Brian Wilson, the voice, songwriter and architect of the Beach Boys influential catalog of songs, considered the Wrecking Crew to be his sonic muse. They inspired me to reach higher ground, Wilson said in Sound Explosion! Inside L.A.s Studio Factory with the Wrecking Crew, a 2016 book on the session musicians. Some of the session musicians, like Glen Campbell, Leon Russell and Jack Nitzsche, found fame. Others remained practically anonymous, even while their music drifted from radios and record players across America. For Ritz, it brought him back to the ukulele. In 1985, after years of session work and movie soundtracks, Ritz was invited to perform at the Ukulele Festival. Impressed that hed unknowingly touched so many musicians, he moved his family to Oahu, where he continued to perform and record. in 2007, he was inducted into the Ukulele Hall of Fame. Anything you want, you can express on the uke, he told Ukulele Magazine. Its an honest-to-goodness musical instrument, and itll do anything. Ritz is survived by his wife, Geri; a daughter, Emily Ritz Miyasato; a stepson, Thomas Ritz; and two granddaughters. steve.marble@latimes.com twitter.com/stephenmarble In the days since House Republicans unveiled a replacement to the Affordable Care Act, some GOP governors have a message: Not so fast. The proposed legislation, which is supported by President Trump, would, among other things, make significant changes to Medicaid programs that have been expanded under the Affordable Care Act, also commonly referred to as Obamacare. The current healthcare law has provided hundreds of billions of dollars of new federal aid to states in order to help them expand Medicaid coverage to low-income adults, who were not previously covered. Advertisement So far, 31 states more than half overseen by Republican governors have voluntarily signed on to expand their Medicaid coverage. But under the new Republican proposal, the federal funds currently available would be phased out starting in 2020. Moreover, the new proposal would cap how much federal aid is provided to states for Medicaid. Ohio Gov. John Kasich was among the Republican governors voicing discontent with the proposal thats drawn fire from liberals and conservatives. Phasing out Medicaid coverage without a viable alternative is counter-productive and unnecessarily puts at risk our ability to treat the drug addicted, mentally ill, and working poor who now have access to a stable source of care, Kasich said in a statement Wednesday. Nearly 700,000 Ohioans have benefited from Medicaid expansion under Obamacare. Its a statistic Kasich widely touted on the campaign trail in his failed quest for the Republican presidential nomination last year. (Many Republicans scoffed at his support for tenets of Obamacare.) In January, Kasich sent letters to Republican leaders, including House Speaker Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin, urging them to allow states to keep funds for Medicaid. We strongly recommend states be granted the flexibility to retain the adult Medicaid coverage expansion, he wrote. In Nevada, the number of people covered by Medicaid has doubled since the implementation of Obamacare from 320,000 to 640,000. Gov. Brian Sandoval wants lawmakers to seek more input from governors in crafting the replacement legislation and has expressed some skepticism about the new proposal. Hes asked the states Department of Health and Human Services to assess the statewide fiscal impacts of the Republican-led House proposal. My priority is to protect those who now have access to healthcare and ensure they are able to maintain coverage, Sandoval said. Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner, a Republican who represents a state that tilts heavily Democratic, told the Chicago Tribune when talking about the new healthcare proposal that his constituents wont do very well under the changes that theyre recommending, which is a big concern to me. I want to make sure that people in Illinois are not left in the lurch or that, you know, theres a lot of pressure to reduce insurance coverage for people in Illinois, he said. Im very concerned about that. In Illinois, about 3 million are on Medicaid, with about 650,000 people insured under the Medicaid expansion. According to the states Department of Human Services, Illinois will receive an estimated $14.1 billion in federal money this year to support Medicaid expansion. For both Kasich and Sandoval, supporting Medicaid expansion under Obamacare, a politically polarizing topic that Democrats widely support and Republicans denounce, has proven beneficial. Both won reelection in 2014 in states that are perennially battlegrounds after backing components of Obamacare. Republican governors from states that have eschewed Medicaid expansion widely support replacement legislation. Democrats, who have assailed the new legislation as stripping healthcare from the most needy, insist the current proposal is flawed. Its clear and you see it Democratic and Republican governors alike believe this is a bad deal for states, said Jared Leopold, a spokesman for the Democratic Governors Assn. Now is the time for a lot of these Republicans to speak up and say where they stand on this extremely important issue. Some of those Republicans, such as Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who is seeking reelection next year, have not come out in opposition to the new bill. In letters similar to those penned by Kasich, hes touted the success of Medicaid expansion in his state, where 260,000 Marylanders have healthcare coverage as a result of the current healthcare law. He said his office is assessing the new measure. Still, some Maryland Democrats, such as Rep. John Sarbanes, whose district spans Annapolis, called on the governor to speak up. The residents of Maryland are looking to you for support in preserving the important ACA reforms that have allowed so many of them to access affordable, accessible and high quality health care, he wrote in an open letter to Hogan this week. kurtis.lee@latimes.com Twitter: @kurtisalee ALSO Obamacare 101: Whats in the House Republicans replacement plan? Republican leaders up pressure on party naysayers to support Obamacare replacement Hiltzik: Heres the secret payoff to health insurance CEOs buried in the GOP Obamacare repeal bill Good morning. Its Thursday, March 9, and heres whats happening across California: TOP STORIES Bye bye Measure S ... Now that Measure S has lost, affordable housing advocates say that Los Angeles must tackle the issues brought up during the campaign. We have nothing to be cocky about, one advocate said. The fact is, we should just be so thankful and appreciative that the voters understood the importance of continued construction of residential and commercial projects in our city. Los Angeles Times Advertisement but Measure H passes At the county level, Measure H, which is a quarter-cent sales tax increase for anti-homelessness measures, passed in a squeaker. See how your neighborhood voted. The results are pretty fascinating. Los Angeles Times More election news A grim milestone on election night, which is likely to make history with L.A.s lowest voter turnout ever. Los Angeles Times What voters decided about pot regulations in L.A. Daily News A nail-biter in Beverly Hills. Beverly Hills Courier Voters in Redondo Beach derailed a huge waterfront development. Daily Breeze And the epic battle between teachers unions and charter school forces for control of the L.A. school board could be coming to a head. Los Angeles Times When water is gold It kills me when I see all the water running off, said Deborah Weinstein Bloome, senior policy director at the environmental group TreePeople. The great rains of this winter have led to a new problem: How to store all that runoff? This water would come in handy during the summer months, when the region is parched and residents and businesses rely on imported water supplies. Los Angeles Times L.A. STORIES Sports flash! The fortune of Chargers owner Dean Spanos begins with his father who was a bologna baron before building a multibillion-dollar empire. Now the Spanos legacy is at stake with the teams move to Los Angeles from San Diego. Los Angeles Times And in Lakers news: The feud between the Buss siblings over control of the Lakers is really heating up. Growing up, Johnny was the kid who brought the ball to the park and when things didnt go his way, he took the ball and ran, Jeanie Buss said of her brother. ESPN Star leather man! Meet Ali Mushtaq, the son of Pakistani immigrants, who is also the winner of Mr. Long Beach Leather. Los Angeles Times From on high: A very cool video of L.A. from above. Curbed Los Angeles POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT Smoke up! With the passage of Measure M, Los Angeles is taking its first big step toward regulating recreational marijuana. KPCC New gubernatorial candidate: Republican businessman John Cox formally announced his candidacy for governor. He joins a crowded field of candidates hoping to succeed Gov. Jerry Brown. Los Angeles Times A Day Without a Woman: Men and women in Los Angeles took part in rallies and refrained from shopping in solidarity with A Day Without a Woman. The day of action was timed to coincide with International Womens Day, a United Nations-designated day marked with strikes and rallies around the world to celebrate the achievements of women and call for gender equality. Los Angeles Times Plus: Here are eight L.A. women you shouldve been thinking about on International Womens Day. Los Angeles Times CRIME AND COURTS Police shooting: Sheriffs deputies shot and killed a man at a Ladera Heights gym after he was found swinging an electric razor over his head. Los Angeles Times Police want your help: Surveillance video shows three gunmen killing a Placentia man. The shooting occurred in mid-January. Los Angeles Times Human trafficking roundup: With the help of a Stockton business owner, 10 people were arrested in a human trafficking operation in San Joaquin County. Sacramento Bee Charges filed: Prosecutors have filed murder charges against four new suspects in the slaying of beloved Little League president Frank Navarro outside a downtown San Jose bar last month, bringing the total number of those implicated in his death to six. Mercury News THE ENVIRONMENT Emissions fight: As the Trump administration preps to gut emission rules, its setting itself on a collision course with California. Wired A raisin in the sun: Californias raisin farmers are struggling. More and more, these farmers in the San Joaquin Valley are pulling up their raisin vineyards and planting more profitable crops like almonds or clementines. Marketplace CALIFORNIA CULTURE Remembering a vintner: One of the Central Valleys pioneering wine grape growers died last month at 95. Angelo Papagni is one of the people credited with turning the central San Joaquin Valley into a wine behemoth. Fresno Bee Expensive beauty: The latest remake of Beauty and the Beast cost Disney $300 million to produce, and the studio is banking that this revival will make them tons of money. New York Times Grim anniversary: Twenty years ago today, the rapper the Notorious B.I.G. was shot and killed in the Miracle Mile area. Here is a look at how this still-unsolved killing left a lasting mark on many players on the Lakers and other L.A. ballers from that time. The Undefeated Watch and read: The discovery of drugs that can treat HIV and prevent AIDS has changed the lives of countless men in the Bay Area. Heres the story of some of those men who continue to live. San Francisco Chronicle CALIFORNIA ALMANAC Los Angeles area: sunny Thursday, partly cloudy Friday. San Diego: partly cloudy Thursday, sunny Friday. San Francisco and Sacramento area: partly cloudy Thursday and Friday. More weather is here. AND FINALLY Todays California memory comes from Lori Harris: Our Sunday morning drives from Van Nuys to Santa Barbara always felt like you were going somewhere special. The beautiful rolling hills of Agoura, a peek at Jungleland in Thousand Oaks. Then came the vista at the grade to Camarillo wide open before us. I remember sitting in the backseat of our VW Bug looking at all the eucalyptus trees that lined the 101 and I knew we were halfway there. Those trees always made me feel like we were on vacation. You knew you were going somewhere beautiful in California if you passed those trees. For some reason Santa Claus was in Carpinteria, which never made sense to me since I knew him to be at Santas Village in Arrowhead. When we got to Santa Barbara, we would hit the sand first and end the day with a walk through all the displays of art that were along the boardwalk. I do not remember the drive home. Pretty sure I was asleep from all the activities and the visual beauty. I really miss those eucalyptus trees that were along our 101. If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. Send us an email to let us know what you love or fondly remember about our state. (Please keep your story to 100 words.) Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Benjamin Oreskes and Shelby Grad. Also follow them on Twitter @boreskes and @shelbygrad. Los Angeles voters resoundingly rejected Measure S, the slow-growth, anti-development proposal on Tuesdays ballot. That was the right choice. The initiative would have imposed a destructive two-year moratorium on real estate projects that require exemptions from the citys existing (albeit outdated) land-use rules. It also would have worsened the citys housing shortage by, among other things, making it harder to build low-income and homeless housing. But even the most adamant opponents of Measure S have conceded that it highlighted very real problems with Los Angeles planning and land-use system. For years, mayors and City Councils have failed to do comprehensive land-use planning. The General Plan, the citys blueprint for growth, hasnt been updated in 20 years, and the 35 community plans, which spell out what can be built where, are decades old in some cases. Because the plans are outdated, proposed developments are often considered on a case-by-case basis, with council members dictating whats appropriate on particular sites based on the desires of developers, many of whom are campaign donors. Advertisement Its a system that produces too little housing to meet population needs, results in poorly planned communities and feeds distrust and NIMBY attitudes because there are no firm rules, just political negotiation. The concerns over density, traffic and gentrification are not going away because the forces behind them are not abating. Proponents may have failed to pass Measure S, but they can rightly claim victory for forcing the mayor and the City Council to get serious about doing real planning. The council has voted in recent weeks to require community plans to be updated every six years and to increase developer fees to pay for that work. The dedicated funding is especially important because past attempts to update community plans fell victim to budget cuts during the recession. The council also voted to bar developers from picking their own consultants to produce traffic studies and environmental impact reports. And several council members have proposed banning political contributions from developers with projects currently or recently before city decision makers. These are all good steps toward rebuilding trust in City Hall. But this is just the beginning. Measure S tapped into the angst that many Angelenos feel about how growth and development are changing their communities, and in some cases displacing their inhabitants. The concerns over density, traffic and gentrification are not going away because the forces behind them are not abating. Planners, residents and city leaders must figure out how to reconcile those concerns with the need for housing, jobs and economic growth. In the coming months, the Planning Department will begin the four-year process of updating the citys General Plan, which will lay out how the city will provide the housing, water, open space and public services sought by local residents. This is a once-in-generation chance to set the big-picture vision for how Los Angeles should grow. To succeed, the process must be inclusive and transparent. The department has already begun updating community plans, giving city officials and residents the opportunity to reach consensus on which streets and neighborhoods can accommodate more housing (and which should not), as well as to identify the infrastructure such as sidewalks, parks and libraries needed to support new housing. There will be fights over density and building heights in communities, but residents cant just say no to growth and new development; they have a responsibility to figure out where the city should say yes. But all these new plans will be useful only if developers and the City Council and mayor abide by them. Developers cannot treat zoning as a mere suggestion. And council members cannot continue to run their districts as fiefdoms, allowing themselves to grant exceptions regardless of what the plans say. Spot zoning changing land-use rules to accommodate a specific project should be reduced to a rare exception. This is a huge cultural shift for a city built on speculative development, but a necessary change if Los Angeles leaders want to prevent another destructive attempt at ballot-box planning. The failure of Measure S should be the beginning of reform, not the end. City leaders promised to finally fix the broken land-use process, and they need to follow through. Voters are watching. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook Talk about whiplash. During the brief era of Donald Trump, black people have been living in trepidation and silent outrage, grappling with the meaning of a man who took office largely on the promise to nullify or reverse whatever Americas first black president, Barack Obama, had accomplished good, bad or indifferent. Seeing our historical gains dissolve at the whim of white rage is all too familiar for black folks, which is not to say that the last two months havent been a shock. That Trump is not just another white politician but one who is spectacularly unqualified to be president makes the setback that much more racially charged, and ominous. I keep thinking about what I heard on line at my polling place in November. Two women stood behind me, discussing the election season in low tones and with grim resolve. That Trump, one muttered to the other. Hes the worst kind of cracker. She wasnt reflexively insulting Trump or pushing back against his penchant for nasty name-calling by using a term for white folks that some consider as offensive as the N word. She was recognizing with justifiable dread what Trump and Trumpism would beget: Black people dragged back not just to the struggles of the 1960s weve grown used to that but all the way back to slavery, back to a racial caste system that tolerated, even encouraged the ugly attitude about blacks (and others) that Trump displays on a regular basis. Advertisement The 45th president is unapologetic about his racial ignorance; he disregards anyone he sees as the other. True, the president is not the product of the unrepentant racist tradition of the South. He is not technically a Dixie holdover who embraces the false romance of the Lost Cause, not exactly the kind of Southerner blacks of certain generations experienced firsthand and conjure when they say cracker. But Trump surely owes a lot to the cracker tradition, which, by the way, has never been confined exclusively to the South. It is, in my estimation, the source of his electoral victory, the thing that propels his persistent popularity among those who see his open antipathy toward people of color and his refusal to be politically correct as courageous. His critics and the Democratic Party leadership still stubbornly focus on the economy, on jobs, as the thing that got Trump over. Theyre wrong. The 45th president is unapologetic about his racial ignorance; he disregards anyone he sees as the other. He fairly exudes entitlement, and he embodies the notion of white privilege, which before his victory was finally beginning to be understood by all Americans as morally problematic. That bit of progress, and so much else, has been stalled, perhaps even reversed all part of the disruption Trump is determined to effect. For black people, whose activism across generations has been one long, unending fight against not just powerlessness but invisibility, Trump is a vivid, daily unnerving expression of the America we hoped wed left behind, the America that oppressed us and didnt think too much about it, the impervious white America that considered inequality not just normal, but necessary, part and parcel of what makes America great. I thought about this as Black History Month coincided with the administrations chaotic beginnings. Among the many bizarre moments we witnessed: Trump inadvertently revealing how little he knows about the great abolitionist Frederick Douglass, his cluelessness about the Congressional Black Caucus, and his meeting with a group of historically black college presidents that produced a photo op but no plan for shoring up these institutions. The president shrugs off everyones disbelief at his antics. Thats his modus operandi whenever hes called on his lies and incomprehension. But I find his fumbling of basic black history, and his nonchalance about it, especially dispiriting. This is black marginalization writ large, just as Obamas time in Washington was black visibility and possibility writ large, or larger than it had been. Whatever else he did, Obama expanded black presence and our expectations of better times. Trump is hellbent on shrinking them down. Yet the absence of black voices in this maelstrom is glaring. This nation, in which we have invested so much, is not at all focused on what black people think about the great and terrible shifts in our political fortunes, let alone the arc of racial justice. Right now, immigrants are having a moral moment, as well they should. Trumps revised ban on refugees and newcomers, especially Muslims, is still unconscionable. The deportations being carried out by the unshackled agents of ICE are downright thuggish. But as we oppose these policies we should recognize that the effort to marginalize and contain immigrants has its roots in ideas of who belongs and who doesnt, who should assimilate and who shouldnt, that were fixed in slavery and have been more or less acceptable ever since. People correctly argue that immigrants belong in America by virtue of their hard work, their sacrifice and especially by their belief in a country built on an ideal of inclusion immigrants are America. By that measure (and many others), black people are America too. We have always been. Thats a truth that we including Trump can ill afford not to see. Erin Aubry Kaplan is a contributing writer to Opinion. Her latest book is I Heart Obama. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand Facebook To the editor: The accompanying photo of the demonstrator waving the Mexican flag is reflective of the shameless politics being exploited by the likes of opinion writer Harold Meyerson and state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles), who has introduced a bill to in effect turn California into a sanctuary state. (L.A. faces a moral test: How will we respond to deportation threats? Opinion, March 5) Despite the fact that California now has the nations highest number of people living in poverty as well as the countrys largest unlawful population, Meyerson and De Leon seek to make our state an ongoing magnet for people illegally transitioning across our southern border. Whats worse is the amount of time, money and effort being devoted in defense and support of this illegal population while forsaking the critical needs of the remaining untold millions of lawful California residents. Advertisement Jim Redhead, San Diego .. To the editor: There are reasons to support or oppose deportations of persons in the country illegally. However, there is something wrong with Meyersons couching resistance to the law in terms of morality. How is it moral to encourage persons to disobey the law? How is it immoral to enforce the law? Shouldnt it be our goal to want all persons to respect the rule of law? David Marcus, Los Angeles Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook A craftsman from Huanxian county, Gansu province, shows puppets at a cultural expo. [Photo by Li Shengli/China Daily] A couple of deft hands deploying legions of figurines and telling stories with a few bamboo sticksthis is the art form of Daoqing Piying, a type of shadow puppetry from Huanxian county, Gansu province. The folk art dates back to before the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), and was exported to West Asia and Europe during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), according to local records. It was listed among the first group of national intangible cultural heritage items in May 2006. Because the county neighbors Shaanxi province and the Ningxia Hui autonomous region in Northwest China, the local variety of shadow puppetry has absorbed characteristics from other art forms in nearby regions. A Huanxian shadow show is performed along with Daoqing, a type of local opera that combines the styles of neighboring regionsQinqiang Opera in Shaanxi and Longju Opera in Ningxia. In addition to maneuvering a puppet, the leading puppeteer generally performs all the songs and spoken parts in a show, regardless of the roles' gender, accompanied by four or five people on musical instruments and the chorus. Such puppet shows may last three to four hours, China Intellectual Property News reported. "The striking difference between the Huanxian puppetry and those of other regions is that our puppets are made from cattle hides, rather than commonplace donkey hides," said Gao Qingwang, an inheritor of the puppetry in the county and also a master of puppet making. To date, more than 100 Daoqing Piying operas have been preserved. Most of them are adapted from folklore, historical legends and classical novels. To promote intangible cultural heritage, the authorities have invited senior puppeteers to local schools for training or lecturers. Li Yansheng, a painter at the China National Academy of Painting and a deputy of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said: "Intangible cultural heritage is the root of the Chinese people. Its preservation is one of the most pressing issues of improving our cultural confidence." In Ningxia, intangible cultural heritage has also been employed as a means to reduce poverty in rural areas. Zhao Xiulan, an inheritor who runs an embroidery program in Wuzhong, has trained hundreds of rural residents since last November, many of them from poor families, including some disabled women. After learning the embroidery skills, they could earn up to 3,000 yuan ($430) a month, Zhao said. Zhao's company, Xiulan Embroidery Charity, was founded in 2013 and has signed labor contracts with more than 200 embroidery workers, the majority of whom are her former trainees. The company generated nearly 3 million yuan in annual sales last year. The autonomous region's officials told Xinhua News Agency that they have supported 34 companies involved in making cultural products with strong local flavors and 25 cultural programs to help more villagers escape poverty. The House Republicans newly unveiled plan to repeal and replace Obamacare is already in political trouble because it neither repeals nor replaces. Rather than being a complete repeal, it retains some elements of Obamacare more properly known as the Affordable Care Act. This infuriates hard-line conservative members of Congress, as well as anti-government billionaires like the Koch Brothers, because they think it maintains new and unacceptable government entitlements. At the same time, the GOP proposal is anathema to moderate Republicans and pretty much all Democrats because it does not really replace the ACAs approach to healthcare with an improved system. Rather, it radically changes the balance in who benefits. The winners in the plan announced so proudly by House Speaker Paul D. Ryan are wealthy people who would no longer be taxed to help pay the medical expenses of the poor, as well as businesses of a certain size that would no longer be required to provide healthcare for their employees. Over 10 years, Americas richest citizens would be relieved from paying $310 billion in taxes. Meanwhile, millions of folks who could no longer afford health insurance premiums would be returned to dependence on hospital emergency rooms when they get sick. Advertisement Besides eliminating the tax on the well-to-do, the GOP plan also removes the requirement that everyone buy some sort of health insurance. With those two pieces deleted from the equation, adequate government subsidies for those who cannot afford healthcare costs would be impossible to maintain while premiums themselves would likely skyrocket for many people because insurance companies would have many fewer healthy people in their client pools. 1 / 51 la-1491523602-y7ephyarj1-snap-image (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 51 la-1491368625-0bgh58ihw8-snap-image (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los angeles Times) 6 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 51 Trump inspires millions to take to the streets -- to oppose him. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 51 Cartoon caption contest winner at the DENT conference in Sun Valley, Idaho: Jon Duval, executive director of the Ketchum Community Development Corporation. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 51 Old radicals and big media descend on Selma (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 51 Horsey imagined the creation of the Ann Coulter phenomenon in this cartoon from 2007. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 51 This David Horsey drawing is a reconfiguration of a cartoon he first published in 2006. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 51 Donald Sterling, owner of the L.A. Clippers, should give Cliven Bundy a call. After Sterling loses his NBA franchise and the deadbeat Nevada rancher loses his cattle, the two old racists will both need a buddy. Maybe they can team up together and open an all-white rodeo. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 51 Besides sending a chill up the spine of the international community, Vladimir Putin has accomplished one other thing by seizing Crimea and threatening the rest of Ukraine: Putin has brought back the bear. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 51 The right-wing insurrection at the Bundy ranch in Bunkerville, Nev., has taken another weird turn with new revelations about the family history of Cliven Bundy. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 42 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 43 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 44 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 45 / 51 David Horsey / Los Angeles Times (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 46 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 47 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 48 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 49 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 50 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 51 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) A key part of Ryans scheme is to transform Medicaid into a program of block payments to the states. No one doubts that those payments would be significantly lower than what states get under the ACA, thus leaving states with the terrible choice of choosing to raise taxes to bridge the gap or abandoning the poorer people in their states to fend for themselves. For now, the president has embraced Ryans plan and, as a result, Democrats have been quick to brand it Trumpcare, certain it will prove to be a stinking albatross around his neck. In his endorsement of the House GOPs bill this week, Trump betrayed no grasp of what the plan really does: It follows the guidelines I laid out in my congressional address a plan that will lower costs, expand choices, increase competition, and ensure healthcare access for all Americans, Trump said. This will be a plan where you can choose your doctor. This will be a plan where you can choose your plan. And you know what the plan is this is the plan. And were going to have a tremendous I think were going to have a tremendous success. Actually, this is nonsense. Rather than doing what Trump says it does, the Republican healthcare proposal will put millions of people in a worse position than they are in now, including quite a few of the older, white, blue-collar voters who enthusiastically supported Trumps candidacy and believed his promise that he would deliver healthcare for everybody with much lower deductibles and cheaper cost. Even the authors of the GOP plan would cross their fingers behind their backs before they made such claims. The critics, both on the right and the left, know better. Those on the right are philosophically opposed to any sort of socialistic governmental guarantee of healthcare for all. (Theyd get rid of Medicare, if they could.) This first version of Trumpcare may reduce that guarantee, but it still maintains pieces of it and pays for that niggling generosity with deficit spending. On the left, the guarantee of universal healthcare as exists in countries like Germany and Canada and the rest of the economically advanced world is the ultimate goal. When Obamacare was passed back in 2010, many liberals saw it as just a first step, a flawed compromise with the insurance industry that was modeled on Republican Gov. Mitt Romneys healthcare program in Massachusetts. There will be very few, if any, Democratic votes for Ryans healthcare plan and, already, it appears there are too many Republican defectors to get it through the Senate. Not even passage in the Republican-dominated House is certain. A repeal that doesnt repeal and a replacement that doesnt replace seems like such an obviously lame idea that even someone as undiscerning and incurious as Donald Trump may eventually figure out just how politically untenable it is. David.Horsey@latimes.com Follow me at @davidhorsey on Twitter TV ads target lawmakers on the fence over Gov. Jerry Browns plan to raise gas taxes to repair roads By Patrick McGreevy Gov. Jerry Brown talks to Steve Glazer in 2011, when Glazer was still an advisor to the governor and before he was elected to the Senate. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) With supporters of a road repair bill still counting votes, a coalition of business and labor leaders on Friday began running television and radio ads that target eight legislators who have not yet committed to vote for the measure. The Fix Our Roads Coalition is spending $1 million on a statewide, week-long ad blitz that urges legislators to vote next week for Senate Bill 1. The bill would raise gas taxes and vehicle fees to generate $52 billion the first 10 years to repair crumbling roads, highways and bridges, and expand mass transit. We are closer than ever to finally passing a transportation funding package to fix our long-neglected and crumbling roads, said Michael Quigley, executive director of the California Alliance for Jobs, which is co-funding the commercials. These new ads are part of an all-out grassroots, earned media, advertising and social media campaign to support passage of this bill by next week. In addition to ads that call on legislators to support the bill, eight advertisements call on legislators by name to support the plan. Those targeted include Sens. Steve Glazer (D-Concord) and Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres), and moderate Democratic Assembly members Adam Gray of Merced, Rudy Salas of Bakersfield, Sabrina Cervantes of Corona, Sharon Quirk-Silva of Buena Park and Al Muratsuchi of Torrance, as well as Republican Catharine Baker of San Ramon. The bill needs a two-thirds vote in both houses, which would require all of the Democrats to support the measure. Cannella and Baker are being wooed by Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders to step in if one of the Democrats gets cold feet. Representatives of Cannella and Glazer said earlier this week that they were still weighing the issue. Brown and legislative leaders have called for the Legislature to act by Thursday, after which time the lawmakers head out on spring break. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Former Assembly Speaker John A. Perezs views on the L.A. congressional race he dropped out of By Christine Mai-Duc (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Before he suddenly dropped out of the running citing health reasons, former Assembly Speaker John A. Perez was widely considered the favorite to replace Xavier Becerra in the 34th Congressional District. With Perez out, the race is wide open and isnt likely to be decided Tuesday, when 24 candidates compete in the primary. Instead, the top two vote-getters regardless of party are expected to advance to a June 6 election. (If any one candidate receives more than 50% of the vote Tuesday, its all over). Perez offered his thoughts on the race in an interview published Friday by Politico. Some of his major points: Perez said he thinks state Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez is significantly ahead of the pack and will make the runoff. A cluster of candidates, including Alejandra Campoverdi, Wendy Carrillo, Arturo Carmona, Maria Cabildo and Robert Lee Ahn, are in a close enough race that any one of them could advance. If Carrillo were to move forward, Perez says, the narrative in the runoff would be about which candidate is more progressive and whos an insider versus an outsider. Perez says if he were the front runner, Campoverdi is the one Id be most concerned about running against due to her connections in Washington and her national profile, which could create a new level of viability. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement To fight against human trafficking, this state senator wants to train motel employees to spot signs of abuse By Jazmine Ulloa Former Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins (D-San Diego). (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times) State Sen. Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) wants to increase services for human trafficking survivors and make it easier in court to put away their abusers. Flanked by prosecutors and hotel industry officials at a news conference Friday in San Diego, the former Assembly speaker announced new housing and mental health assistance for victims and introduced legislation that would require hotels and motels to train their employees to spot signs of human trafficking. Another of her proposals would expand the character evidence that prosecutors can bring forth at trial against defendants charged with selling victims for sex or labor. The bills are meant to attack a multibillion-dollar trade that has a wide sweep in California, home to three cities on the FBIs list of 13 top human trafficking destinations: San Diego, San Francisco and Los Angeles. National human trafficking hotline calls across California generated 1,323 cases in 2016 nearly twice as many as any other state. Atkins is among lawmakers pushing the issue at the Capitol, where legislation has focused on targeting traffickers, protecting victims and addressing what advocates say is a law enforcement culture in which child survivors sometimes are treated like criminals. But funding for victims services and programs has been an obstacle. A bill by Atkins to develop pilot projects in three counties to address the commercial sexual exploitation of youth sailed through the Legislature without opposition last year only to be vetoed by the governor. Her second bill for a statewide task force died in the Senate appropriations committee. Atkins latest proposal to provide training for motel employees follows a similar bill by Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens). It failed in the last legislative session amid opposition over costs to businesses. That hasnt stopped Atkins from trying again. Hotels are ground zero for sex trafficking in this state, she said in a statement. Sex traffickers are exploiting some of the most vulnerable people in our society, including children. These victims are often hiding in plain sight, and traffickers take advantage of the fact that many hotel employees dont recognize the signs. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print State Controller Betty Yee says Californias tax collection agency has been mismanaged and needs a complete overhaul By Patrick McGreevy Citing a review that found widespread mismanagement at the state Board of Equalization, State Controller Betty T. Yee on Friday called for stripping the panel of responsibilities for tax administration and audit and compliance functions so it can focus on handling taxpayer appeals. Yees proposal came in response to an evaluation by the state Department of Finance that found board officials were improperly redirecting resources and employees to pet projects in their districts. In order to rebuild taxpayer trust, meaningful reform is essential, said Yee, who serves as an ex-officio member of the board. I urge the Legislature and the governor to strip the board members of all statutory functions and permanently move these duties and assigned staff to a separate new department under the governor. The Department of Finance review found the board had difficulty providing complete and accurate documentation in response to inquiries, and various levels of management were not aware of and could not speak to certain actions, including the informal establishment of a call center, creating an unofficial office location and inconsistent use of community liaisons. The evaluation said personnel records showed workers assigned to administrative jobs that they were not doing, having been transferred to help board members in their districts. Even though each elected board member has a $1.5-million budget to cover office costs, some members borrowed workers from the head office, taking them from jobs that involved bringing in tax money and having them instead reach out to board members constituents, the review found. The redirection of workers violated state budget rules. In addition, the reviewers said the board provided 11 different versions of its proposed sales and use tax allocation adjustment and the Department of Finance found errors and omissions throughout. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Sen. Kamala Harris has opened a gubernatorial fundraising account but she has no plans to run for governor, aide says By Seema Mehta (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times) Sen. Kamala Harris opened a campaign fundraising account to run for governor in 2026, but that does not mean Californias newest U.S. senator has any plans to seek the office. Harris plans to use the account to store the $1 million in leftover funds from her successful 2014 reelection campaign for attorney general, said Sean Clegg, Harris political spokesman. Harris left her post as state attorney general mid-term when she was elected in November to the Senate seat opening created by the retirement of Barbara Boxer. She faced a March 31 deadline to shutter the attorney general account, and under election law cannot mingle money raised for state campaigns with funds raised to run for federal office. Its purely political bookkeeping, Clegg said. The 2026 date could raise eyebrows because after the 2018 gubernatorial election, that will likely be the next time the governors office is open because its occupant is termed out. But Clegg said Harris did not open an account for a lower office like lieutenant governor as politicians in similar situations typically do because, he said, we werent interested in being cute about it. So we designated the only potential future office one could conceivably contemplate, although were not contemplating it, he said. Were focused on the job were doing. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement This California lawmaker wants to crack down on toys and electronics that pick up conversations and personal information By Jazmine Ulloa State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), left (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press ) A California state senator wants to prevent companies from selling products that can listen in on conversations and collect personal information from unknowing consumers. Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) has filed legislation that would require manufacturers to equip their Internet-connected devices, including toys, clocks, kitchenware and electronics, with certain security and privacy features. Dubbed the Teddy Bear and Toaster Act, Senate Bill 327 takes aim at the so-called Internet of Things, the inter-networking of everyday devices that some tech and privacy experts say amounts to a growing industry with little oversight. The more we know and the more we learn about the Internet connection of all sorts of devices, many are realizing that we dont know the extent to which these devices are invading our lives, Jackson said. Under her proposal, companies would have to design their products so that they alert consumers through visual, auditory or other cues when they are gathering data. They would have to obtain user consent when they intend to transfer the information. And they would have to disclose at point of sale whether the devices are capable of sweeping up sensitive data, so that customers can take that into account while shopping. Most states, including California, have privacy breach laws to protect personal information. The proposal, which would extend those provisions to consumer devices, could be the first of its kind nationwide. But it is expected to garner wide opposition from retailers and manufacturers. A My Friend Cayla doll (AFP/Getty Images) Still, supporters point to growing privacy concerns. Some toys, like the My Friend Cayla doll banned in Germany, prompt children to give personal information, such as their parents names and their addresses, and their manufacturers reserve the right to target young buyers in direct marketing campaigns. Other smart devices lack the most basic security features that make them vulnerable to a hack or coordinated cyberattack. In a statement, James P. Steyer, CEO of Common Sense Kids Action, which is sponsoring the bill, said such toys and electronics can put consumers at risk. These products get rushed out to the market without the privacy issues being addressed in advance, and then consumers end up paying the price, he said. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print President Jerry Brown? Dont rule it out, governor quips By Patrick McGreevy Gov. Jerry Brown and state legislative leaders appealed Thursday for support for a proposed gas tax and vehicle fee increase to fix the states roads and bridges. (Patrick McGreevy / Los Angeles Times) In arguing for approval of a new transportation package on Thursday, Gov. Jerry Brown appeared to enjoy himself in refusing to shoot down a supporters suggestion that he run for president even as he noted his 79th birthday is next week. Standing next to other elected officials and construction workers at the rally in in Concord, Brown argued that gas tax and vehicle fee increases are needed to address a backlog of much-needed repairs to Californias crumbling system of roads, highways and bridges. Im telling you the truth because why would I lie to you? Brown said. I dont think Im running for office. All Ive got left is lieutenant governor, treasurer and controller. Or president, someone in the crowd shouted. Brown responded that he would be 82 when the next presidential election comes around. But you know, dont rule it out, he quipped, drawing laughter and applause. Lest the comment turn into a national story, an aide later clarified the governors intentions: He was joking. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Gov. Jerry Brown is making appeals to legislators for votes on his new transportation plan one district at a time By Patrick McGreevy Gov. Jerry Brown stumps for the new transportation funding plan on Thursday in the Bay Area city of Concord. (Patrick McGreevy / Los Angeles Times) Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders on Thursday took their campaign for higher transportation taxes and fees to the Bay Area district of state Sen. Steve Glazer (D-Concord), one of the holdouts in the state Senate who has not yet committed to vote for the package. Surrounded by dozens of construction workers, Brown warned that if the transportation bill unveiled on Wednesday isnt approved this year, it may not happen in the foreseeable future. There is nothing more fundamental in the business of government than making sure the roads and bridges dont fall apart, and they are falling apart, Brown said. Glazer recently withheld his vote from a bill proposing a similar plan for repairing state bridges, roads and highways, and on Wednesday, a spokesman said he had still not committed to any plan but wanted to review the detailed proposal before taking a position. Construction workers at the rally held signs that pictured crumbling roads and said, Senator Glazer Fix This Now. Vote for SB 1. Brown said Glazer, his former senior advisor, does not disagree with the intent of the bill. He loves this plan, but he has another idea on his mind and he wants to marry the two and see if he can get some outcomes that I dont want to get into at this particular place, Brown told reporters. Sen. Jim Beall, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, said Glazer wants the transportation funding bill to include a clause barring employees of Bay Area Rapid Transit from going on strike. Beall said that is a labor-relations issue that cannot be included in the bill raising taxes. You cant do that, Beall said. A spokesman for Glazer said the senator is still undecided on the bill. The senator is continuing to have conversations with the principals, said Steve Harmon, a spokesman for Glazer. He declined to comment on Bealls statement. Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) said there may be similar rallies in Los Angeles and Riverside in the coming days. Two other Democrats who have not yet committed to the plan are Riverside Sen. Richard Roth and Woodland Hills Sen. Henry Stern. Brown acknowledged that there is work to do to secure the two-thirds vote needed in both houses of the Legislature to raise the base excise tax on gasoline by 12 cents per gallon, to a total of 30 cents per gallon, and to create a new annual vehicle fee that would average $51 based on the value of the car or truck. Rendon said approval of the transportation bill would cost the average California motorist an extra $10 per month, which he said is a deal compared to the current cost of $720 in annual vehicle repair costs required because of running over potholes and other rough road conditions. Hoping to force a Senate vote on the package early next week, Brown was accompanied to the Concord news conference by Rendon and Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles). They urged lawmakers to support the bill, which would generate $5.2 billion annually for the first 10 years for road and bridge repairs, mass transit improvements and other projects to reduce congestion. Glazer, known as a maverick in the Legislature, was Browns campaign manager during the 2010 gubernatorial election and remained a senior advisor to the governor before running for the state Senate in a special election in 2015. ---- 1:23 p.m.: This article was updated with a statement from a representative for state Sen. Steve Glazer. This article was originally published at 12:42 p.m. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Who will be Californias next governor? New poll shows Newsom leads with 1 in 3 voters undecided By Seema Mehta (Nick Ut / Associated Press) In the race to replace termed-out Gov. Jerry Brown, the largest number of voters in a new statewide poll does not favor a candidate in the race. About 1 in 3 voters said they were undecided, according to the survey by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies. Among candidates who have entered the race, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom holds a strong lead with 28% of the vote, followed by Republican businessman John Cox with 18%, according to the poll, which was released Wednesday. Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa clocks in at 11%, state Treasurer John Chiang at 8% and former state schools chief Delaine Eastin at 3%. Because the race is far away and public campaigning has not yet started in earnest, the poll could primarily be an indicator of name recognition. The field of candidates is also likely to grow. Newsom has several natural advantages: He was the first person to enter the race in 2015 and has a large fundraising edge. He has perhaps been the candidate most in the spotlight among the Democrats running, notably for his support of the marijuana legalization measure on the November ballot. Cox may have benefited from being the lone Republican in that version of the poll. Pollsters conducted a second version of the poll with five additional potential candidates, none of whom have announced a run for governor in 2018 San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer, California Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon and former state Controller Steve Westly. Newsom still led the pack to come in at 24%. The two Republicans, Faulconer and Cox, tied at 11% each. Faulconer has said he does not plan to run for governor. Garcetti, Villaraigosa, Chiang, Steyer, De Leon, Westly and Eastin all placed in the single digits. Steyer and Westly have the personal wealth to self-fund a campaign, giving them time to decide whether to enter the race. Westly unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2006, losing in the Democratic primary to state Treasurer Phil Angelides. In the 2018 contest, the two candidates who receive the most votes in the June primary will move onto the November general election. The poll of 1,000 registered voters in California was conducted online in English and Spanish between March 13 and 20, and has a margin of error in either direction of 3.6%. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California legislators team up to expand John Muir National Historic Site By Sarah D. Wire Californias senators and Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord) filed legislation Thursday to add 44 acres to the John Muir National Historic Site. The John Muir Heritage Land Trust has offered to donate the additional land to the National Park Service, which operates the site, and the bill would authorize the agency to accept the parcel. The time John Muir spent with his daughters at their scenic home and its neighboring property played a major role in launching the national parks movement. Expanding the existing park to preserve more of this history and beauty is a fitting tribute to Muirs legacy of protecting land for all to enjoy, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said in a statement. Located about 30 miles east of San Francisco, the John Muir National Historic Site consists of Muirs Alhambra Valley home and 325 acres outside of Martinez. DeSaulnier said in a statement that expanding the property is a fitting celebration of his legacy, and will offer nature-goers greater access to enjoy the beauty of the East Bay. DeSaulnier sponsored the same bill last year, which passed the House unanimously but was not considered by the Senate. Feinstein and former Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) carried the Senate version, which died after a committee hearing. Such bills often take a few attempts to pass, even without major opposition. Muirs writings helped inspire the creation of the National Park Service, starting with his lobbying of Congress to protect the Yosemite Valley from dams. He also was a founding member of the Sierra Club. Californians owe him a debt of gratitude, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) said in a statement. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Californias attorney general could investigate local police shootings under new legislation By Liam Dillon Attorney John Burris, center, comforts Robert and Deborah Mann, family members of Joseph Mann, who was killed by Sacramento Police in July, after a news conference on Oct. 3, 2016. (Rich Pedroncelli / AP) Californias attorney general could investigate local police shootings under a new bill authored by a Sacramento lawmaker. Democratic Assemblyman Kevin McCartys Assembly Bill 284 would allow local police departments or district attorneys to ask Atty. Gen. Xavier Becceras office to independently investigate police shootings of civilians. The legislation was prompted by high-profile police killings of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., Eric Garner in New York City and last summers police shooting of Joseph Mann, a mentally ill homeless man, in Sacramento, according to McCartys office. In all three cases, local prosecutors declined to charge the officers. There is a growing skepticism and a perceived conflict of interest, of the current process of local district attorneys investigating local police, said a fact sheet on the bill provided by McCartys office. Given that they work so closely, it is a valid question of whether this is the most transparent process for the public. There is a growing appetite, both at the national and local level, to create a better and more transparent system for [police shootings] that is fair to police, families, and the community in order to restore public trust. McCartys bill would make state investigations voluntary in these cases and would be implemented only if lawmakers also give Becceras office money to pay for the effort. In 2015, McCarty tried to pass legislation that would have made state investigations of local police shootings mandatory, but that bill failed to make it out of legislative committees. This year, lawmakers have generally scaled back prior efforts to change the states rules governing police discipline and transparency. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Former offenders will help award millions in Proposition 47 grants to rehabilitate inmates By Jazmine Ulloa We have listened to law enforcement talk about how horrible Prop. 47 is, said Vonya Quarles, an advocate for the formerly incarcerated. Now we have a chance to help the people who are hurting. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)) California officials will begin the process this spring of awarding $103 million in grants to programs for inmates centered on rehabilitation, substance abuse and reentry into society. The efforts will be funded with dollars saved from prison spending under Proposition 47, the sweeping 2014 ballot measure that downgraded six drug and theft crimes to misdemeanors and allowed defendants to renegotiate their punishments. For the large coalition of criminal justice advocates that poured millions into getting the proposition passed and that has closely tracked its implementation, this is a long-awaited step. Other states have passed similar laws, but California is the only state to invest those savings into services meant to help people stay out of prison. On the executive committee helping award the grants are formerly incarcerated people who know the system from the inside. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement What would single-payer healthcare look like in California? Lawmakers release new details By Melanie Mason Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) A proposal in California for a single-payer healthcare system would dramatically expand the state governments presence in medical care and slash the role of insurance companies. New amendments released Thursday fill in some key details on the universal healthcare measure proposed by state Sens. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) and Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), although the biggest political question how it would be paid for remains unanswered. Under the proposal, which was announced in February, the state would cover all medical expenses for every resident regardless of their income or immigration status, including inpatient, outpatient, emergency services, dental, vision, mental health and nursing home care. Insurers would be prohibited from offering benefits that cover the same services as the state. The program would eliminate co-pays and deductibles, and patients would not need to get referrals to see eligible providers. The system would be administered by an unpaid nine-person board appointed by the governor and the Legislature. A universal healthcare system run by the government has long been a dream of liberals, with many rallying behind insurgent Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders proposal for Medicare for all in the 2016 race. After a GOP effort to replace Obamacare stalled last week, Sanders said he intends to introduce a nationwide single-payer bill in the U.S. Senate. Proponents in California, who are no longer playing defense to preserve the Affordable Care Act, also touted a broader healthcare plan. With Republicans failure to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Californians really get what is at stake with their healthcare, Lara said in a statement. We have the chance to make universal healthcare a reality now. Its time to talk about how we get to healthcare for all that covers more and costs less. The cost sure to be the biggest hurdle for the measure so far remains unknown. The authors say they intend to pay for the program through broad-based revenue, but details of a funding proposal have not been hashed out. Gov. Jerry Brown sounded wary of a sprawling single-payer plan while speaking to reporters last week on his trip to Washington D.C. Where do you get the extra money? This is the whole question, Brown said. The bill is sponsored by the California Nurses Assn., which already has been rallying its members in support of the bill, SB 562. There has been a seismic shift in our political system through grassroots activism; we have an inspired, motivated base that will make its voice heard, RoseAnn DeMoro, the labor groups president, said in a statement. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California backs San Francisco court challenge of Trump administration threat to withhold funds from sanctuary cities By Patrick McGreevy Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra said Wednesday he has filed an amicus brief supporting San Franciscos court challenge to President Trumps order targeting so-called sanctuary cities and counties that refuse to enforce federal immigration laws. The move marks a half-dozen times the state has filed briefs supporting legal challenges to various Trump orders. Last week, Becerra filed papers supporting a lawsuit by Santa Clara County. That case and San Franciscos challenge the legality of the Trump administrations threats to withhold federal funds from states and local jurisdictions that the administration deems to be sanctuary jurisdictions. Becerras brief cites Californias interest in protecting state laws and policies that ensure public safety and protect the constitutional rights of its residents. Threatening to take away resources from sheriffs and police officers in order to promote misguided views on federal immigration policy is reckless and puts public safety at risk, Becerra said in a statement. It is the right and responsibility of California and each state under the Constitution to determine how it will provide for the safety and general welfare of its residents and to safeguard their constitutional rights. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti asks the federal government to define a sanctuary city By Sarah D. Wire View Instagram post Amid a new call from the Trump administration to cut off federal funds to so-called sanctuary cities, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and LAPD Chief Charlie Beck had a question for the head of Homeland Security on Wednesday: What exactly is a sanctuary city? Garcetti and Beck joined a bipartisan handful of mayors and law enforcement leaders from across the country in Washington to air their concerns about President Trumps recent executive orders on immigration to Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly. Los Angeles is among the jurisdictions often called sanctuary cities that dont assist with federal immigration enforcement. State and local leaders in California have said they will continue to protect people in the country illegally despite the Trump administrations threats. After the closed-door meeting, mayors and police chiefs said their main request for Kelly was for a firm definition of what the federal government considers a sanctuary city. We think that as long as were complying with federal law then we shouldnt be labeled with whatever label intimates that were not, Beck said. Were looking for clarification; we are looking to be involved in the conversation so that decisions arent made that affect us without our input. Homeland Security spokesman Dave Lapan said the department is working on a definition but does not have a timeline for when it would be finalized. Although there is no legal definition of the term, the administration has seemed to define sanctuary jurisdictions as ones that dont comply when Immigration and Customs Enforcement asks them to detain prisoners after they have served their sentences so they can be picked up for deportation. Multiple federal courts have said the detainer orders differ from an official warrant and are not legal justification for holding someone who has served his or her sentence or is no longer under arrest. Los Angeles is one of several cities in California that does not hold people for immigration officials without a warrant, and Garcetti said that is going to continue. We see it as abiding by the Constitution, because there is case law that says we cant hold people for longer than permitted, Garcetti said after the meeting. Lapan said the Department of Homeland Security is working on ways to address concerns about the legality of holding someone for immigration officials, as well as the concerns of mayors of cities that have laws instructing law enforcement officers not to comply with immigration officials. Part of having this discussion is to find out, How can we get around this? Lapan said. If we are dealing with a criminal alien, somebody who is both in the country unlawfully and has committed crimes, the best place for us to take them into custody is in a jail or prison. Thats the safest for everyone, both our officers and the communities. Garcetti also disputes the administrations assertion that it can withhold federal funds from cities that dont comply with ICE orders. Garcetti pointed to a 2012 Supreme Court decision that said the government couldnt withhold Medicaid funds if states chose not to expand access to the program under the Affordable Care Act. I think we all feel on very strong constitutional and legal footing that it was decided in the Obama administration you cant put a legal gun to the head, a financial gun to the head of jurisdictions, whether its states or localities, and take their money if you dont agree with what they are doing in a different area, he said. Garcetti invited Kelly to visit Los Angeles. We need to make sure that we also are showing the perspectives of everyday people in cities like Los Angeles, he said. Garcetti also attended California congressional Democrats weekly lunch and met privately with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) before appearing on an immigration panel hosted by House Democrats. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Anti-discrimination measure or blow to religious freedom? California bill sparks debate on employer codes of conduct By Melanie Mason Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego) (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) A measure that would bar employers from firing workers for having an abortion or giving birth to a child out of wedlock is getting pushback from religious groups who say such a bill would prevent them from requiring employees to act in accordance with their faith. Under the bill by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego), employers would not be able to discipline or fire workers for any reproductive health decision, such as pregnancy, in-vitro fertilization or abortion. What this bill does is make sure that people can make the best healthcare decisions for themselves and for their families without the fear that theyll risk their livelihoods in doing so, Rebecca Griffin of NARAL Pro-Choice California, a sponsor of the measure, said at a Wednesday afternoon hearing at the Capitol. A teacher at a Christian college in San Diego was fired in 2012 for becoming pregnant while unmarried. The school said her pregnancy violated its employee code of conduct, which prohibited premarital sex. In 2015, San Francisco Archibishop Salvatore Cordileone sparked a backlash when he proposed a new morality clause in the faculty handbook and contract for local Catholic schools that opposed same-sex marriage and certain reproductive medical procedures. With employees being fired for code of conduct violations in other states, proponents said California should set an example for the country, Right now, while were facing a federal government that is attacking reproductive freedom at every turn and condoning the type of discrimination that this bill prohibits, we feel like this is the time for California to take a stand for our values and make sure that our workers have the best protections possible, Griffin said. But the proposal faces opposition from religious groups, who argue such codes of conduct are integral to the relationship with their workers. The bill would specifically deny religious employers our 1st Amendment protections to infuse our codes of conduct with the tenets of our faith, said Sandra Palacios of the California Catholic Conference. The reaction from religious groups was not uniformly negative. The Rev. Rick Schlosser, executive director of the California Council of Churches, which represents mainline Protestant and Orthodox denominations, pointed to the diverse positions on reproductive issues among his groups members to explain his support for the bill. Any legislation that limits peoples ability to make their own moral decisions is harmful to religious freedom, said Schlosser. But other religious groups said the measure threatened to undermine the very purpose of requiring their employees to abide by a code of conduct. An organization specifically chartered to support or oppose a specific set of beliefs or actions cannot fulfill its mission without requiring adherence to a code of conduct, wrote Jonathan Keller, president of the conservative California Family Council, in an opposition letter. Assemblyman Tony Thurmond (D-Richmond) asked why such codes of conduct should govern a personal decision an employee makes out of the workplace. Our community covenant does say that our employees are required to uphold our biblical values, and that certainly is a round-the-clock priority for us, responded Phillip Escamilla, the public policy chair of William Jessup University, a Sacramento-area evangelical Christian college Gonzalez Fletcher, herself a practicing Catholic, said she was not trying to unfairly target religious institutions. But, she said, she was trying to combat an inherent sexism that comes with enforcing such codes of conduct. A female employees reproductive decisions such as entering an abortion clinic or being pregnant out of wedlock can be seen by her employer, Gonzalez Fletcher said. A males decisions to whether or not theyre going to abide by a conduct never rise to that level, she said. So that inherent difference in how women and men are treated with these types of decisions just show how little privacy women are able to maintain. The bill, AB 569, cleared the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee, its first legislative threshold, on a 4-2 vote. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Gov. Jerry Brown, legislative leaders propose raising $5.2 billion annually to repair Californias roads and bridges By Patrick McGreevy (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) Acknowledging that the states transportation system has been neglected, Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders on Wednesday announced a proposal to raise gas taxes and vehicle fees to generate more than $5 billion annually for repairing Californias crumbling system of streets, highways and bridges, as well as to increase mass transit. It remains uncertain whether Brown will be able to muster the two-thirds vote in both houses of the Legislature needed to approve the new revenue sources, which include a 12-cent-per-gallon increase in the existing 18-cent base excise tax on gasoline. The package also includes a new, annual vehicle fee that would average about $48 based on the value of the car. The package was announced at a news conference on the Capitol steps attended by Brown, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) and Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles). California has not approved an increase in the base excise tax on gas for 23 years, according to Brian Kelly, secretary of the California State Transportation Agency. As a result, the state faces a $130-billion backlog of repairs to state highways and bridges and local streets. There is sizable money here to make things better, Kelly said. People are going to get improved neighborhood streets. They are going to get improved highways and bridges, more faith that they are traveling on safe structures. And we are going to invest to improve the congestion into our trade corridors and congestion on their commute. Assembly and Senate Republicans released a joint statement opposing the plan. Californians already pay some of the highest gas taxes in the nation, the statement said. The transportation proposal announced by the Capitol Democrats is a costly and burdensome plan that forces ordinary Californians to bail out Sacramento for years of neglecting our roads. Brown has set a deadline of April 6, the day before the Legislature leaves on its spring break, to have the new package voted on by lawmakers. Because Republicans have generally opposed the tax increases, the package may need the vote of every Democrat to get the two-thirds majority for passage. Three Democratic senators had been holding off their support before the new plan was released. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Election officials say mistake on Korean language ballots substantially smaller than previously thought By Christine Mai-Duc (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) Los Angeles County election officials say a mistake made on Korean-language sample ballots in the upcoming 34th Congressional District race likely affected fewer than 780 voters. The error, which listed the races 23 candidates in the wrong order on some Korean-language sample ballots, was discovered last week after Korean American voters pointed out their mail-in ballot materials looked different than English-language sample ballots sent to the same home or apartment building. Initially, election officials said they didnt know how widespread the problem was. As a precaution, they sent bilingual notices and corrected sample ballots to all 8,251 voters in the district who received Korean-language sample ballots. None of the sample ballots enclosed with actual mail-in ballots were affected, officials say. In a letter to election officials and L.A. County supervisors Tuesday, the Korean American Coalition called it a violation of federally protected voting rights. The letter asked officials to host a 24-hour hotline for Korean-speaking voters until election day, provide more information on the scope of the error and extend the mail-in voting deadline for those who had received the misprinted ballots. In a response sent Wednesday morning, County Registrar Dean Logan said the error was limited to a small number of sample ballots in a single print run of 777 sample ballots. Based on the agencys review, Logan wrote, it appears that substantially fewer than the 777 voters were affected. The registrars office says it is extending the hours of operation for its voter hotline and staffing it with Korean-speaking operators. Voters concerned that they may have been affected can call 1-800-815-2666 and select option 3 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. this weekend. Voters will also see additional signage at polls addressing the issue and Korean-speaking poll workers will be instructed to remind voters to check their ballots. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Talks at Capitol focus on boosting California transportation funding by some $5.2 billion annually By Patrick McGreevy On Highway 1 in Big Sur, the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge has buckled, cutting off a community of hundreds from schools and isolating renowned businesses from customer traffic. (Robin Abcarian / Los Angeles Times) With a deadline looming, Gov. Jerry Brown is winding up negotiations with legislators in hopes of reaching an agreement on a plan that would provide at least $5.2 billion annually for a transportation backlog that includes repairing Californias aging and crumbling system of streets, highways and bridges, officials said Tuesday. Those close to the talks said an agreement on the package could be announced as early as Wednesday afternoon. The question remains whether Brown and leaders can muster the two-thirds vote needed to approve a phased-in gas tax increase of up to 12 cents by the April 6 deadline set by the governor. Key senators remained uncommitted to any plan as of Tuesday. And a new voter-approved rule requires a bill to be in print for 72 hours before it can be passed. The bill needs approval in both houses. Assembly Democrats were briefed on the evolving plan behind closed doors on Tuesday and some officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment, said talks are progressing on a plan that would provide the bulk of money to a fix-it first program of road repairs divided evenly between state projects and those of cities and counties. Money would also be dedicated to mass transit, bicycle, pedestrian and trucking routs for ports. The proposal also would include reforms proposed by lawmakers, including Republicans, that would hold officials accountable for proper use of the money, including a requirement for regular audits, creation of an inspector general position and a ballot measure requiring new money to be spent on transportation projects. Sen. Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) authored a bill that would put a measure on the ballot, saying Tuesday such guarantees are required given the urgency of the deferred maintenance backlog, and the additional burden we are asking Californias taxpayers to carry. John Myers contributed to this report. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Advertisement Watch: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director attends community meeting in Sacramento Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Gov. Jerry Brown calls for countermovement against Trumps colossal mistake on climate change By Evan Halper California Gov. Jerry Brown warned that President Trump has just made a colossal mistake in gutting the federal governments effort to combat climate change, which will ignite a response Trump is unprepared to handle. It defies science itself, Brown said in a call to The Times shortly after Trump signed an executive order that aims to bring an abrupt halt to the United States leadership on global warming. Erasing climate change may take place in Donald Trumps mind, but nowhere else. Yes, there is going to be a countermovement, Brown vowed, predicting Trumps actions will mobilize environmentalists in a way President Obama never could. I have met with many heads of state, ambassadors. This is a growing movement. President Trumps outrageous move will galvanize the contrary force. Things have been a bit tepid [in climate activism]. But this conflict, this sharpening of the contradiction, will energize those who believe climate change is an existential threat. Brown and other big-state governors and mayors are moving swiftly to fill the global leadership vacuum Trump created with Tuesdays directive, which stops short of officially pulling the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord of 2015. I see Washington declining in influence, but the momentum being maintained by California and other states aligned with China and those who are willing to do something, said Brown, who will be traveling to China soon for meetings on climate. There is a growing activism on the part of millions of people who will not stand by and let Donald Trump effectively tear up the Paris agreement and destroy Americas climate leadership and jeopardize the health and well-being of so many people. In the face of Trumps retreat on climate change, Brown said California will step up its own efforts to push others toward clean energy. We are not fully meeting the challenge of climate change yet, he said. We are doubling down on our commitment. We are reaching out to other states in America and throughout the world and other countries. We have plenty of fuel to build this movement. This is real, Brown said of the threat created by climate change. The nations of the world have recognized it in Paris. I will continue doing my best to work with and rouse the world community, whatever the politicians in Washington do or dont do. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California and its allies hint at new legal battles over Clean Power Plan By Chris Megerian California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) President Trumps effort to roll back the Clean Power Plan could quickly run into legal challenges from California and its allies across the country. State Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra and his counterparts from states including New York, Massachusetts and Oregon said they wont hesitate to protect those we serve including by aggressively opposing [Trumps actions] in court. The joint statement was also issued by Chicago, Philadelphia, New York and other cities. Californias stance isnt surprising because the state joined Obama administration efforts to defend the Clean Power Plan in 2015. Further legal action could underscore the determination of local and state governments to push forward with fighting climate change even as Trump withdraws federal regulations. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Meeting climate change goals will require billions for transportation and housing improvements, reports say By Liam Dillon A major push to get Californians out of their cars and onto their feet, bikes and public transit is essential if the state wants to meet its aggressive goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions 40% below 1990 levels by 2030, according to new reports from the state and UC Berkeley researchers. Californians will have to drive an average of 1.6 miles less a day and regional government agencies believe it will cost billions of dollars to make the mass transit and housing improvements needed for that to happen. UC Berkeley researchers argue in a new study that a boom in dense housing across the state will bring major greenhouse gas reductions and economic growth. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California expects to be unscathed as Trump targets Clean Power Plan By Chris Megerian A solar farm in Kern County (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) Although Californias leaders may protest President Trumps announcement Tuesday that hes scrapping the Clean Power Plan, his decision is expected to have little effect on a state already marching toward renewable energy. In fact, greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation in the Golden State are already below what the federal government would have required by 2030, and theyre expected to drop even further. Rollback of the Clean Power Plan is pretty much irrelevant to California, said Frank Wolak, a Stanford University economist who has advised state leaders on climate regulations. The federal rules, enacted by former President Obama as part of his campaign against climate change, were intended to push states away from coal and toward cleaner energy sources. But that was already underway in California. Los Angeles, one of the last places in the state to rely on coal, was already planning to stop importing electricity from out-of-state coal plants by 2025. In addition, state law requires California to generate half of its electricity from renewable sources such as solar and wind by 2030, and state Senate leader Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) has suggested pushing even further. When it comes to fighting pollution and climate change, there are some areas where California relies on the federal government. For example, they share authority on regulating vehicle emissions, and Trumps preparation to roll back federal rules has caused alarm here. However, theres less of a concern when it comes to generating electricity. Trumps moves have caused some anxiety among California companies that are developing clean energy technologies and looking for new markets to sell them. Bob Keefe, executive director of Environmental Entrepreneurs, said the Clean Power Plan would have been a huge economic catalyst. President Trump is basically telling Californias more than 40,000 clean-energy businesses and the 500,000 workers they employ that they dont matter to him, he said. Rail cars filled with coal in Wyoming (Ryan Dorgan / Associated Press) Its an open question how Trump could affect various efforts for California to integrate its electricity grid with neighboring states, an idea that has failed to gain traction so far. Advocates of the concept say regional cooperation could expand the market for renewable energy, but the lack of federal pressure to cut emissions could dampen enthusiasm in places such as Utah and Wyoming, which rely on coal. They dont have the Clean Power Plan bearing down on them, said Don Furman, who directs the Fix the Grid campaign thats seeking closer relationships among West Coast states. Ralph Cavanagh, an attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said he doesnt expect changes to the Clean Power Plan to harm efforts to create a regional electricity grid, because of the falling cost of renewable energy. The rationale is stronger today than it was yesterday, he said. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California GOP lawmakers introduce bills to boost healthcare and jobs for veterans By Liam Dillon Sen. Janet Nguyen (R-Garden Grove) speaks at a press conference introducing a package of bills aimed at helping California veterans. (Liam Dillon / Los Angeles Times) Republican state lawmakers unveiled a package of six bills Tuesday aimed at improving job training and healthcare services for California veterans. Our veterans have served this country bravely and it is only right for us to recognize their contribution and see that when they do come home they receive the care and assistance they deserve, said state Sen. Janet Nguyen of Garden Grove, who authored three of the measures. The six bills are: Senate Bill 410 from Nguyen and Assembly Bill 353 from Assemblyman Randy Voepel of Santee, which would expand hiring preferences. for veterans. SB 409 from Nguyen and SB 485 from state Sen. Jim Nielsen of Gerber, which would increase mental health services and oversight at state veterans homes. SB 411 from Nguyen, which would pay some military reservists $100 a month once they turn 50 if theyve served for 10 years or more. SB 197 from Sen. Pat Bates of Laguna Niguel, which would waive state and local sales taxes for nonprofits that donate facilities to the U.S. Department of Defense a measure aimed at helping construction of a mental health care facility at Camp Pendleton in San Diego County. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print These Los Angeles girls went to Capitol Hill to ask the Senate to fight new immigration enforcement efforts By Sarah D. Wire Fatima, left, and Yuleni Avelica, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y) and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) during a news conference on Capitol Hill. (Zach Gibson/Getty Images) Fatima Avelica, 13, was training for the Los Angeles Marathon with her father before he was arrested by immigration agents last month after dropping Fatimas sister off at her Lincoln Heights school. Fatima had to pause repeatedly, pressing her fingers to her eyes, as she told the story to reporters at a news conference in the Capitol on Tuesday. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) handed handkerchiefs to Fatima and her sister Yuleni Avelica, 12. The girls had medals from completing the marathon dangling around their necks. Democratic senators held the news conference to urge their Senate colleagues to reject President Trumps request for $3 billion to hire thousands of new immigration agents, expand detention facilities and build a wall among the southern border as part of his pledge to deport millions of people in the country illegally. The White House has characterized the moves as necessary for public safety. Californias Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris said Trumps immigration enforcement orders are too broad, sweeping up nonviolent offenders or people accused of the civil offense of being in the country illegally. She called the executive orders, which vastly broadened who can be targeted for deportation and leaves a lot of discretion to local immigration officials misguided and misinformed. Its irresponsible to paint a whole population of people as racists and murderers and bad hombres, she said, referencing one of Trumps own lines about immigrants. Its actually ignorant and we cant afford to run our country that way. The girls father, Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez, a Mexican citizen, has lived in the U.S. for 25 years. ICE officials cited two misdemeanor convictions as the reason for his arrest. His four daughters were all born in the U.S. Fatima said the family is waiting for word every day on whether he will be deported. Fatima said she now wants to become an immigration lawyer. Its like a new marathon for me, and I know I can finish it, Fatima said, tears welling up again. But, I need my coach there. I need my dad. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Gov. Jerry Brown, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo blast President Trump on climate change By Chris Megerian California Gov. Jerry Brown (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Gov. Jerry Brown joined with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday to criticize President Trumps pending announcement to roll back climate regulations and insist that their states will push forward anyway. Dismantling the Clean Power Plan and other critical climate programs is profoundly misguided and shockingly ignores basic science, they said in a joint statement. With this move, the Administration will endanger public health, our environment and our economic prosperity. Brown and Cuomo represent the two largest states with the most ambitious goals for fighting global warming, and theyve already set equivalent targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Theyre also pushing to generate half of all their electricity from renewable sources by 2030. With or without Washington, we will work with our partners throughout the world to aggressively fight climate change and protect our future, Brown and Cuomo said. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (Spencer Platt / Getty Images) Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print To stem rising prices, a California lawmaker is taking on how hospital chains craft their contracts By Melanie Mason Amid concern that sprawling hospital chains are leading to higher prices, a California state senator is trying to clamp down on how hospital networks craft their contracts to win market dominance. Sen. Bill Monning (D-Carmel) is offering a measure that would prohibit hospitals from certain contracting practices he sees as anti-competitive, such as requiring health plans to contract with all affiliates of the hospital or mandating that health plans agree to binding arbitration for antitrust claims. Weve lost a level of transparency thats affected affordability and access and fairness, Monning said in an interview. Multi-hospital chains are becoming prominent throughout the country, with proponents saying such mergers make care more efficient and better coordinated. But a recent USC study found that while hospital prices in California have grown overall, the costs are higher in the states largest chains. Once you control a market, you can artificially increase costs, said Monning, adding those higher prices can spill over to neighboring hospitals, too. Competitors think if they can charge this much for a hip replacement, were going to as well, Monning said. Another study by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute found premiums in Northern California were 30% higher than those in Southern California, in part because of the dominance of a few healthcare systems in the north. Micah Weinberg, the institutes president, said hospital consolidation was a logical issue to look at, particularly because healthcare coverage expansion under the Affordable Care Act is now under less threat from Congress following the failure of the House Republicans replacement bill. We have to double down on the real work, which is getting people access to quality healthcare and affordable costs, said Weinberg. One of the biggest barriers to that is the lack of competition among healthcare providers. Weinberg said much of the question is a matter of federal antitrust enforcement. Its really difficult to do things at the state level that are effective here, he said. Still, consolidation has increasingly come under scrutiny in California. The state attorney generals office under Kamala Harris, now serving as U.S. senator, investigated consolidation of hospital and physician groups, and the effect on consumer prices. Last year, the healthcare trust for the United Food and Commercial Workers union, sued Sutter Health, alleging antitrust violations. The Pacific Business Group on Health, an organization that represents major companies such as Wells Fargo and Chevron, also raised alarms on Sutters requirement that firms use arbitration to resolve disputes--or face higher rates for Sutters healthcare services. The business group is a supporter of Monnings bill, as well as the California Labor Federation. The California Hospital Assn. has not taken a position on the bill. ------------ FOR THE RECORD March 29, 2017, 1:52 p.m.: A previous version of this article reported that the Pacific Group on Health sued Sutter Health. The United Food and Commercial Workers healthcare trust filed the suit. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Los Angeles assemblyman returns to work in Sacramento after more than two-week absence By Melanie Mason Assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas (D-Los Angeles) (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) After more than two weeks away from the state Capitol, Assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas (D-Los Angeles) was back at work Monday, with his staff blaming the absence on unspecified medical reasons. Im not going to comment on what the illness was, said his chief of staff, Darryl Lucien, who added that the legislator was feeling better Monday. Ridley-Thomas, 29, was not available for an interview to discuss his absence. He originally went on leave March 7. At the time, he did not specify an illness and so Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendons office considered him to be on personal leave. Under legislative rules, those absences did not allow him to receive per diem payments a subsidy intended to offset the costs of traveling and living in Sacramento. On March 21, he informed Rendons office that he was on medical leave, thus becoming eligible for the $183 per diem. Lucien said the original personal leave request was an error and that all of Ridley-Thomas time away from work was for health reasons. Its medical leave, Lucien said. He has a doctors note that was submitted, excusing him for the time he was out. Ridley-Thomas was not entirely absent from legislative work during that time. While on leave, he yanked one high-profile piece of legislation a measure that would exempt tampons and other feminine hygiene products from sales tax from a hearing in the Assembly Revenue and Taxation committee, which he chairs. The bills author, Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens), said she spoke directly to Ridley-Thomas about a request to amend her bill days before that committee hearing. Lucien said Ridley-Thomas was working on a very limited basis, fielding calls from members to the extent he was able to speak with them. A fellow Democrat, Assemblyman Bill Quirk of Hayward, stepped in to chair the Revenue and Taxation panel during a March 13 hearing. A subsequent hearing on March 20 was canceled. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Adam Schiff calls on Devin Nunes to remove himself from Russia investigation By Sarah D. Wire Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank) on Monday urged fellow Californian Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Tulare) to remove himself from their investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Before late last week, Schiff had gone out of his way not to be critical of Nunes throughout the fledgling investigation. They have held the top positions on the House Intelligence Committee for two years, and have served in Congress together for more than a decade. This is not a recommendation I make lightly, as the Chairman and I have worked together well for several years; and I take this step with the knowledge of the solemn responsibility we have on the Intelligence Committee to provide oversight on all intelligence matters, not just to conduct the investigation, Schiff said in a statement. After much consideration I believe Chairman should recuse himself from involvement in investigation/oversight of Trump campaign & transition pic.twitter.com/jpfA1x80Si Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) March 27, 2017 Nunes last week surprised many when he told reporters that conversations between Trump and his transition team may have been accidentally picked up during legal intelligence gathering. Nunes briefed the media and President Trump before informing his committee. A spokesman for Nunes, who was a member of Trumps transition team, said Monday he obtained the information from a source on White House grounds, which raised even more questions. Nearly a week after Nunes announcement, committee members still havent seen the evidence, Schiff said. There was no legitimate justification for bringing that information to the White House instead of the committee. That it was also obtained at the White House makes this departure all the more concerning, Schiff said. Nunes spokesman would not comment on calls for the chairman to recuse himself. House Democrats have called for an entirely independent investigation, but short of that were coalescing around the call for Nunes to step aside. Among others, Schiffs Intelligence Committee colleagues Reps. Jackie Speier (D-Hillsborough) and Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin) have also called for Nunes to step aside from the investigation. The House and Senate intelligence committees are both investigating allegations that Russia tried to interfere with the presidential election and what, if anything, the Trump campaign knew about it. So far, too many people in the White House and administration, and now the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, have betrayed their duty to conduct an independent, bipartisan inquiry into the Trump teams ties with Russia, Swalwell said in a statement. Chairman Nunes should no longer be anywhere near this investigation, let alone leading it. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) said in a statement that Nunes had tarnished the chairmanship. She also said it was long overdue for House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) to ask him to recuse himself from the investigation. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Blasting federal action on immigration, Californias chief justice warns the rule of law is under threat By Patrick McGreevy California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye warned Monday that the rule of law in state is under threat. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye did not mention President Trump by name in her annual State of the Judiciary speech Monday, but she blasted federal actions on immigration and warned that the rule of law in the state is under threat. In addressing the Legislature, she also called on members to end years of underfunding of the state court system. The chief justice said the rule of law has failed repeatedly in the state, including when her husbands parents were among 120,000 Japanese Americans put in internment camps during World War II. Simply put, the rule of law means that we as a people are governed by laws and rules, not by a monarch, she said. People take the rule of law for granted until it is under threat, she added. I submit to you today that the rule of law is being challenged, she said. We are living in a time of civil rights unrest, eroding trust in our institutions, economic anxiety and unprecedented polarization. Cantil-Sakauye cited a report by the Southern Poverty Law Center that California was home to 79 ethnic hate groups more than any other state. Our values and our rules and laws are being called into question, and all three branches of government and the free press are in the crosshairs, she said. Without naming Trump, the chief justice criticized recent federal enforcement of immigration laws in which agents have gone into courthouses to take immigrants into custody. She said it was concern over the rule of law that caused her to write to the U.S. attorney general and the Homeland Security secretary recently, asking them to refrain from conducting immigration raids at or near courthouses. When we hear of immigration arrests and the fear of immigration arrests in our state courthouses, I am concerned that that kind of information trickles down into the community, the schools, the churches. The families and people will no longer come to court to protect themselves or cooperate or bear witness, she said. I am afraid that will be the end of justice and communities will be less safe and victimization will continue. The chief justice also repeated her concerns about the lack of sufficient funding for the judiciary even as legislators are adding laws by the thousands. Since 2011 when I became chief justice, 6,408 bills have become law in California, while the judicial branch budget has been shrinking, Cantil-Sakauye said. I have said before that we are on the wrong side of justice when it comes to funding our courts. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Its not just Berniecrats: Korean voters could also swing L.A.'s congressional race in a big way By Christine Mai-Duc Robert Lee Ahn, center, is the only Korean American candidate running in a field dominated by Latinos in the 34th Congressional District race. (Christine Mai-Duc / Los Angeles Times) The crowded race to replace Xavier Becerra in the 34th Congressional District, which includes most of Los Angeles Koreatown, appears to be bringing Korean American voters out in large numbers. Thats in part because in a field dominated by Latinos, Robert Lee Ahn has a shot at becoming the only Korean American in Congress and the first Korean American Democrat to be elected to the body. Ahn, a businessman and former L.A. city planning commissioner, has raised a formidable amount of money in a short period of time, much of it from donors in the Korean American community. His campaign spent weeks helping register voters at Koreatown malls and restaurants, and says they registered more than 600 new voters so far. Part of our campaign is to build awareness and get the community more civically engaged, Ahn said on a recent Friday morning as his campaign embarked on a 34-hour voter registration drive outside the BCD Tofu House restaurant. As a Korean American, obviously thats a natural base of mine. Inside, Ahn shook hands with supporters and navigated the lunchtime rush to ask for voters support table side. Some of it may be paying off. More than a quarter of the 10,841 mail-in ballots turned in for the race so far were cast by Korean American voters, according to an analysis of surnames, birthplace and translated ballot materials by Political Data. Koreans make up just 6% of registered voters in the district. Nearly half of Korean American voters who have already cast a ballot in the race did not vote in the March 7 city elections. Ahn, who has said hell bring a business sensibility and common sense to the office, says he has been running a campaign that reaches out to all kinds of voters. But the fact that there hasnt been a Korean American in Congress for more than 20 years means his candidacy has gotten plenty of attention from the Korean American press. I think people recognize the importance and historic nature of this election, Ahn said. I think theres a hunger for a voice ... and theres a palpable frustration of not being heard, not being properly represented, and I think thats what were seeing in the early returns. But the result of those early votes so far is unclear, particularly after elections officials disclosed that a number of Korean-language sample ballots had been misprinted with the candidates listed in the wrong order. Those who used the faulty sample ballots to cast their vote could have inadvertently voted for a candidate they didnt intend to support, and officials still dont know how widespread the problem is. Ahn isnt the only Korean American candidate to energize the community in recent years. David Ryu, the first Korean American elected to the L.A. City Council, rode to victory in 2015 with the help of a wave of support from Koreatown leaders. I believe a political awakening is occurring in the Korean American community all over the nation, but especially here in L.A., said Joon Bang, executive director of the Korean American Coalition. Our community is evolving and its beginning with understanding the power of their vote. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Nothing short of blackmail: California Senate leader denounces plan to cut funding from sanctuary cities By Jazmine Ulloa California Senate Leader Kevin de Leon. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) California Senate leader Kevin de Leon on Monday called U.S. Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions move to cut federal funding from so-called sanctuary cities nothing short of blackmail. In a statement, De Leon (D-Los Angeles) said Sessions and the Trump administration stuck to alternative facts when describing immigrants and sanctuary counties and cities, where local policies limit the cooperation of law enforcement agencies with federal authorities on immigration laws. Instead of making us safer, the Trump administration is spreading fear and promoting race-based scapegoating, he said. Their gun-to-the-head method to force resistant cities and counties to participate in Trumps inhumane and counterproductive mass-deportation is unconstitutional and will fail. De Leon was responding to an earlier announcement made by Sessions at a White House press briefing. Sessions urged all states and local jurisdictions to comply with federal immigration laws and said it would be a condition for receiving federal grants. Jeff Sessions: "countless Americans would be alive today. And countless loved ones would not be grieving" if sanctuary cities were ended. pic.twitter.com/sEgH3bvPwi BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) March 27, 2017 State leaders are still calculating the fiscal impact of the move in California, where the Senate leader has filed a bill that would prevent state and local law enforcement agencies from using resources to enforce federal immigration laws. Data shows sanctuary counties have lower crime rates than comparable nonsanctuary counties #SB54 https://t.co/rKZDsB8x8E Kevin de Len (@kdeleon) March 27, 2017 Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California National Guard official tells legislators forced bonus repayments will be resolved by mid-summer By Melanie Mason A top official for the California National Guard told state legislators Monday that he hopes lingering issues from the soldiers being forced to repay enlistment bonuses will be resolved by mid-summer. A Times investigation last year found that the Pentagon demanded thousands of soldiers repay enlistment bonuses up to a decade after going to war in Iraq or Afghanistan. The claw-back came after audits revealed vast overpayments of bonuses, due in part to mismanagement and pressure to hit enlistment targets. The Times story prompted outcry that soldiers, who were not at fault for accepting the bonuses, were now facing financial hardship. Matthew Beevers, the deputy adjutant for the California National Guard, told a joint hearing of the Senate and Assembly Veterans Affairs committees that just over 1,000 soldiers currently hold debt due to the bonus recoupment. Soldiers who are affected by the repayment demand must go through a federal waiver adjudication process, which Beevers described as unnecessarily long, complex and resource-intensive. He said the state-run Soldier Incentives Assistance Center was working with those who need to navigate the complex process to get those debts waived. "[If] you got a bonus and you completed your obligation and for some reason, you werent entitled to it, weve done everything we can do ensure that those soldiers get to keep those bonuses and we continue to do that today, Beevers said. Beevers said the state is trying to locate all soldiers who may be carrying debts due to the enlistment bonus. For those who complete the federal adjudication process, around 50% get their debts waived, he said. At the end of the day, there might be 600 or so soldiers out of 16,000 who might have to pay money, which is a very very small number, he said. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Former California legislator Henry Perea will lobby for the oil industry in Sacramento By Chris Megerian (Tomas Ovalle / For The Times) As lawmakers debate the future of Californias climate policies, the oil industry is boosting its lobbying firepower with a former Democratic assemblyman from Fresno who has bedeviled environmentalists in the past. Henry Perea resigned his Assembly seat to work for a pharmaceutical group. Now hes jumping to the Western States Petroleum Assn. as a senior vice president, a role hes scheduled to start on May 1. Henry brings us unique expertise, said a statement from Catherine Reheis-Boyd, the associations president. He understands our state, our industry and how smart public policy can ensure Californias continued leadership in environmental protections while maintaining a diverse, vibrant economy. While serving in the Assembly, Perea led the so-called moderate caucus of business-friendly Democrats. He played a key role in stalling 2015 legislation that would have created tough new targets for reducing oil consumption. Environmentalists have made progress since then, successfully pushing through legislation to lower greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Now these issues are being debated again as lawmakers consider whether to extend the states cap-and-trade program, which is intended to provide a financial incentive to reduce emissions. The oil industry supports extending the program, but its working to ensure favorable terms and to loosen the states other regulatory plans. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Democrats out with ads targeting Rep. Mimi Walters for supporting GOP healthcare bill By Sarah D. Wire Republicans didnt vote on their plan to replace the Affordable Care Act on Friday, but Democrats already have ads out criticizing vulnerable GOP House members like Rep. Mimi Walters of Irvine for backing the bill. The Internet ads, paid for by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, will target 14 Republicans who voted for the bill in the House Budget, Ways and Means, and Energy and Commerce committees. The ads will run for at least a week on social media sites, including Facebook and Instagram. Walters knowingly voted for a bill to raise premiums and deductibles, slap an age tax on older folks, and rip insurance away from 24 million hardworking Americans. Its critical that voters in Californias 45th District know where Walters stood on this harmful legislation, DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Lujan said in a statement. Walters, who serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee, was one of the earliest supporters of the bill among the California Republican delegation. Rep. Walters is committed to improving and expanding healthcare choices, lowering costs and protecting taxpayers. Her votes in the House reflect those principles and she will not be deterred by campaign ads created in Washington, D.C., by Nancy Pelosis political committees, said her campaign consultant, Dave Gilliard. The DCCC has already announced plans to target Republican representatives of the seven California congressional districts that backed Hillary Clinton for president. Clinton won Walters Orange County district by 5 percentage points. Walters was elected for a second term with 58.6% of the vote. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Gov. Jerry Brown says California wont be running to the courthouse every day to fight President Trump By John Myers With many of his fellow Democrats demanding multiple challenges to President Trumps proposals, Gov. Jerry Brown said this week he will continue to support a more measured approach. Were going to fight very hard. But were not going to bring stupid lawsuits or be running to the courthouse every day, Brown said during an appearance Sunday on NBCs Meet the Press. Were going to be careful. Well be strategic. The governors interview, taped on Thursday in Washington, came at the end of a four-day visit where he sought common ground on issues ranging from transportation to disaster relief. Brown also took aim in a visit to Capitol Hill at the now-failed Republican healthcare proposal. In the interview, Brown acknowledged that he is seeking a different path forward than Californias legislative leaders and other Democrats who are aggressively pushing back on a variety of Trump proposals. Well, if everythings a lawsuit, yeah, were in trouble here. I do curb the exuberance on either side, he said. People like to escalate. Republicans do that, and Democrats also do that. So Im there somewhat as the senior statesman now, and Im going to keep everything on an even keel. The governor used the national television interview to repeat recent suggestions that California has a number of projects that are ready to go should Trump make good on his promises to fund a major infrastructure effort. But Brown staunchly defended Californias acceptance of immigrants, including those who are in the U.S. illegally. He argued that immigration has been a major boon to the states economy and invoked the teachings of Christianity to criticize Trump and his fellow Republicans. Trumps supposed to be Mr. Religious Fellow, and I thought weve got to treat the least of these as we would treat the Lord, said Brown, who trained to become a Jesuit priest in his youth. So I hope he would reconnect with some of these conservative evangelicals, and theyll tell him that these are human beings, theyre children of God. They should be treated that way. The programs host, Chuck Todd, asked Brown whether he could offer national leadership for Democrats in the Trump era. The governor, who ran unsuccessfully for president three times, said he was willing to speak out in any way he could be helpful. Following last weeks historic defeat of a bill to replace the Affordable Care Act, Brown also offered Trump advice on how to help the economically struggling states whose voters put him in the White House. Its going to take some income support from the federal government, the governor said. Its going to take healthcare. Its going to take the kind of programs that the Republican Party traditionally doesnt like. So heres the dilemma. Yes, Obama was not able to help those people in the way they felt they had a right to. But Mr. Trump, now the burden is on you. And you better figure it out, or youre not going to be there again. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Small donations play big role in the 34th Congressional District By Christine Mai-Duc Congressional candidate Kenneth Mejia raised 90% of his money from small donors in the most recent campaign finance filing. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) More than 17% of individual contributions to all candidates in the 34th Congressional District came in small donations of less than $200, according to the latest campaign finance reports. The reports, which cover fundraising and spending between Jan. 1 and March 15, show that more than $250,000 of the $1.4 million raised by the candidates in the race came from un-itemized small donors, or those who gave less than $200 and are not named in campaign finance reports. Three candidates who raised a significant chunk of money from small donations were Arturo Carmona, Wendy Carrillo and Kenneth Mejia, all of whom are vying for votes from supporters of former presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has preached the need to rid politics of special interest money. Many of the candidates have sent email pitches to supporters asking for donations of $10, $20 or $27, the amount made famous by Sanders, who often cited the number as the average donation given to his presidential campaign. Carmona, a former Sanders campaign advisor, raised the most in small donations, with $57,125, or 52% of his total. Small donors gave Carrillo $25,948, about 32% of her fundraising total and Mejia, an accountant and Green Party candidate, received nearly 90% of his total funds, or $31,957, in amounts of $200 or less. Federal law does not require candidates to itemize, or report the names of, donors who give below that amount. Alejandra Campoverdi raised $44,210 from small donors, who made up 28% of her haul, while Raymond Meza raised 48%, or $14,764 of his money from small-dollar contributions. UPDATE: 7:45 p.m. This post was updated to clarify that the numbers reported are based on un-itemized donations of $200 or less to candidates. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Robert Lee Ahn raised the most money by far in latest campaign finance reports for L.A.'s congressional race By Christine Mai-Duc Robert Lee Ahn, left, and Vanessa Aramayo, second from left, join the other candidates for the 34th Congressional District. (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles TImes) Congressional candidate Robert Lee Ahn far outstripped some of the top fundraisers in the 34th Congressional District, taking a surprise lead in campaign finance reports filed Thursday. The reports cover fundraising and spending between Jan. 1 and March 15 and will be the last numbers well have before the April 4 primary election, in which 24 candidates are running. Ahn, a former L.A. city planning commissioner, raised a whopping $338,702 in contributions and loaned himself an additional $295,000, bringing his total to more than $630,000 raised since January. Ahn, an attorney and the only Korean American candidate in the race for a district that includes Koreatown, got more than $100,000 in contributions from donors with Korean surnames. The closest behind Ahn was Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez, who raised $244,766 over the same period, the majority of it from political action committees, including many donations from fellow legislators in Sacramento. Sara Hernandez, a former teacher and L.A. City Hall aide, was close behind Gomez with $224,783 raised. Alejandra Campoverdi, a former White House staffer and former Los Angeles Times employee, raised $156,432. Ahn has also spent the most money so far this year, at $352,538, and has $271,271 in the bank, more than any other candidate. Gomez ended the period with $274,830 cash on hand, while Hernandez and Campoverdi have $149,990 and $122,961 left to spend, respectively. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Dispute in California Senate leads to ethics complaint against leader Kevin de Leon By Patrick McGreevy Then-state Sen. Isadore Hall III, left, talks with Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon in Sacramento last year. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Republican state Sen. Andy Vidak on Friday filed an ethics complaint asking for an investigation into whether Democratic Senate leader Kevin de Leon engaged in an improper cover-up of threats allegedly made by former state Sen. Isadore Hall III against a group of farmers. Anthony Reyes, a spokesman for De Leon, defended the decision not to investigate allegations against Hall. With due respect, the state Senate doesnt waste taxpayer resources investigating dubious hearsay accounts of private conversations held in hotel lobbies and thats what Senator De Leon clearly and politely communicated to Senator Vidak, Reyes said. Any suggestion otherwise is patently ridiculous. Hall, a Democrat from Compton, was appointed in January to the state Agricultural Labor Relations Board by Gov. Jerry Brown. The appointment was opposed by farm industry groups, including the Western Growers Assn., which complained he received contributions from the United Farm Workers for his unsuccessful campaign for Congress last year. Vidak said that he had heard from multiple people that on Feb. 28, the evening before Halls confirmation hearing in the Rules Committee, Hall allegedly made threats in an obscenity-laced tirade in the lobby of the Sacramento Hyatt Hotel that he would get the farmers opposing his appointment, the senator wrote in a letter to the Senate Legislative Ethics Committee. The board is a quasi-judicial agency that rules on disputes between farm worker organizations and growers. The alleged threats were made to four farmers who are members of the California Fresh Fruit Assn., Vidak said. Vidak said he had formally asked De Leon, as chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, to have the panel investigate the allegations and report the findings to the Senate. On Thursday, Vidak said, De Leon allegedly informed him that there would be no investigation. Senator De Leon told me yesterday that he and the leadership of the CFFA have worked things out so Hall wont be investigated,'" Vidak said in a statement Friday. Is this really how the Senate handles reports of threats and intimidation by someone pending a Senate confirmation vote? The association called the allegation that it worked out an agreement with De Leon baseless and false. The group said in a statement that Vidak did not talk to its members before he filed the complaint. If he did, he wouldve learned there is no agreement and that CFFA remains opposed to the confirmation of Senator Hall, the group said. Hall declined to comment on Vidaks complaint, said J. Antonio Barbosa, the boards executive secretary, responding on his behalf. Further, his testimony at his Senate Rules Committee confirmation hearing makes clear that he will be fair and impartial, make sound decisions, and speak to growers and farmworkers, Barbosa said. Reyes disputed Vidaks allegations. Chasing goofy conspiracy theories might fly on President Trumps Twitter feed, but it has no place in the California Legislature, Reyes said. In his letter to the ethics panel, Vidak says his complaint is that the Senates confirmation process of gubernatorial appointees may have been compromised in this situation. He asked for an investigation into whether credible information about potential criminal activity by an unconfirmed gubernatorial appointee has been intentionally ignored/withheld, and whether a member of the Senate Rules Committee is making arrangements with representatives of private organizations to bury investigations of gubernatorial appointees. Updated at 4:40 p.m. to include a comment from the California Fresh Fruit Assn. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print L.A.'s GOP congressman: It is hard to find a consensus on something that impacts more than 1/6th of our economy By Sarah D. Wire A handful of California Republicans had declined to take a position on the House GOPs healthcare bill, and now they wont have to. Rep. Steve Knight (R-Palmdale), the only Republican who represents L.A. County, said he was conflicted up until the vote on the bill was canceled Friday afternoon. In the past two weeks my colleagues worked to build a consensus on how best to repair our flawed healthcare system and build a patient-centered system that works for the American people, Knight said in a statement after the vote. We learned that it is hard to find a consensus on something that impacts more than 1/6th of our economy and the lives of almost every American. Saying they didnt have enough votes to pass it, House Republican leaders canceled a vote on their healthcare bill minutes before vulnerable Republican members like Knight would have had to vote on the effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Knights district is among seven Republican districts being targeted by Democrats in 2018, and several of the members who represent those districts never took a stance on the bill, saying they were worried about the effects on their districts and were still hearing from constituents. Experts estimated millions of Californians would have lost insurance under the bill. Just two of the targeted members, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa) and Rep. Mimi Walters (R-Irvine), said they would vote for the bill. Walters had no comment after the bill was pulled, but the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee came out swinging, with committee spokesperson Evan Lukaske saying, Walters now owns this until election day. Other targeted members seemed to brush off President Trumps plan to let Obamacare go its way for a little while. Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford), who didnt take a stance on the bill, said afterward Congress needs to keep working on healthcare. Congress must come together to enact legislation to stabilize our healthcare market, reduce federal spending, and ensure we are able to maintain access to healthcare for Americas most vulnerable populations. Any potential solution must be thoughtfully considered, he said in a statement. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) flirted with voting against the bill, saying he was not yet prepared to support it, but never committed either way. The [GOP bill] was an imperfect approach and I believe that we can do better, he said in a statement. We will go back to the drawing board and get this right for each and every American concerned with high costs in their healthcare and ever-dwindling choices and access to care. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Despite threat of legal battle with Trump, California stays the course on vehicle emission rules By Chris Megerian Electric cars charge at a San Diego utility. (Rob Nikolewski / San Diego Union-Tribune) California will keep pushing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, state regulators decided Friday, even though President Trump is preparing to roll back rules in Washington. The restrictions represent a key part of Californias battle against climate change, and theyre intended to force automakers to build cleaner cars and sell more electric vehicles. Environmentalists cheered Fridays decision from the Air Resources Board. Were very disappointed by what were seeing at the federal level, so today feels warm and welcoming, said the Sierra Clubs Kathryn Phillips. California has the unique ability to set tougher standards than the federal government, but Fridays decision could put the state on a collision course with Trump. Under the presidents direction, federal officials are examining whether to loosen vehicle rules that were finalized in the waning days of the Obama administration. The California Air Resources Board meeting in Riverside this week. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) At risk is the existence of a national standard on vehicle emissions, something the auto industry has prioritized to reduce the complexity of its manufacturing operations. We should all be getting back to work on this, said John Bozzella, who advocates for international car companies as head of the Assn. of Global Automakers. Mary Nichols, chair of the Air Resources Board, questioned the industrys commitment to higher standards given their request for Trump to review the rules. What were you thinking when you threw yourself upon the mercy of the Trump administration? she said. A dozen other states have adopted Californias standards as their own, and environmentalists hope Fridays decision will foster a broader market for electric cars. This agency has seen federal administrations come Amid the Republican backlash against federal scientists who write rules governing everything from movie theater popcorn to offshore oil drilling, stories abound of overburdened businesses, heavy-handed civil servants and crushing paperwork. But another story, one involving a deadly household material, offers a lesson in what can go wrong when government experts are shackled, as currently envisioned under a sweeping regulatory revision bill gliding toward President Trumps desk. For the record: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Yogin Kothari; he is a lobbyist for the Union of Concerned Scientists. The story has also been updated to accurately reflect lobbying expenses by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The GOP-backed legislation revives many of the rule-making hurdles that for years crippled the governments ability to respond to the asbestos-exposure epidemic, which has been blamed for tens of thousands of American deaths. Advertisement I dont think lawmakers are focusing on how extreme this legislation is, said Paul Billings, lobbyist for the American Lung Assn., which has joined several major public health groups imploring congressional leaders to apply the brakes. It has been viewed as this abstraction that creates improvements in the regulatory process. This would undermine bedrock public health laws. The linchpin of the 87-page proposal is a directive to regulators that may be impossible to meet. They would have to prove they have taken the least costly option possible to business before imposing any major new rule. A similar mandate became stifling when applied for decades to the regulation of chemicals such as asbestos because it allowed companies to keep rules at bay by continually arguing for cheaper approaches. The Environmental Protection Agency gave up trying to ban the substance in 1991, after a federal appeals court ruled it had not proved its regulation was the least financially burdensome approach. The decision became a rallying point for overhauling the Toxic Substances Control Act, which guides EPA authority over such chemicals. The act finally was revised last year, and in November, the EPA announced asbestos was among the first chemicals it was targeting with its new authority to require safety reviews. This would undermine bedrock public health laws. Paul Billings, lobbyist for the American Lung Assn. By then, however, there was not much left for the EPA to do on asbestos, after legions of cancer victims took matters into their own hands with civil actions that bankrupted the industry. But the years of government inaction took their toll. A quarter-century later, nearly 15,000 Americans still die annually of diseases caused by asbestos exposure during their lifetime, according to the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization. The new GOP regulatory overhaul bill, which swiftly passed the House in January without committee debate, would apply the same test that hobbled regulators on asbestos to every major rule the government wants to impose. That includes setting Clean Air Act limits for how much toxic pollution can be released into the air in dense, asthma-infested urban areas like Los Angeles. Car safety, food safety, worker safety and consumer product safety rule-making also would be affected. The far-reaching plan has been overshadowed by more immediate headlines springing from the White House, where wiretapping conspiracies, travel bans and Obamacare repeal anxieties are consuming the oxygen. Even the regulatory revision blueprints name the Regulatory Accountability Act is sleep-inducing, masking the gravity of a proposal the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has placed among its top political priorities at a time when its influence in Washington has surged. The chamber, which spent nearly $104 million in federal lobbying last year, is aggressively lobbying for and promoting the bill, HR 5. It alerted lawmakers just before the measure passed the House in January that it is a long-standing priority for the chamber that is long overdue. Lawmakers were cautioned in the letter against supporting any amendments that would moderate the proposed law, warning that such action could reflect unfavorably on the politically potent voting scorecard that the organization publishes to rank lawmakers. While there are several dramatic proposals before Congress to rein in federal rule-makers, lobbyists are advising clients that the bill is one that actually stands a good chance of advancing to a president who is urgently looking to deliver a blow to the bureaucracy. A few moderate Democrats in the Senate already have expressed interest in helping the GOP leadership secure the 60 votes it needs for passage. Supporters offer a cache of statistics that frame the bill as a common sense plan to give corporations some influence over a regulatory process they say is suffocating them. They point to a spike over the past 15 years in complex federal rules costing businesses more than a billion dollars, and showcase estimates concluding the rules have become such a drag on the economy that they are costing the average American family $15,000 per year. There is a legitimate question of whether you really need this continued churning and accumulation of all these regulations, said Susan Dudley, who worked on regulatory revision at the George W. Bush White House and is now director of Regulatory Studies Center at George Washington University. But others warn the legislation threatens to go considerably further than slowing the churn of rule-making. It directs agencies that for decades have used science alone in crafting major public health and worker safety protections to change course and find the most cost-effective approach for business. Its not hard to look down the line and see the problems this would create, said Thomas McGarity, professor of administrative law at the University of Texas. He cited several major public safety challenges with which regulators are wrestling and the potentially tragic consequences of cutting corners on oversight, from undrinkable water in cities like Flint, Mich., to blueprints for self-driving 18-wheelers. Beyond requiring a cost analysis, the legislation also would put dozens of new obstacles on federal agencies before they can finalize a new rule a process that already takes years. Companies that dont like the approach would be empowered with a bounty of new opportunities to file legal challenges and demand reviews. Yogin Kothari, a lobbyist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, sees irony in it all: Their solution to too much bureaucracy and red tape is adding more red tape. Clean Air Act enforcement, which is based on a painstaking analysis of such factors as how many lives would be saved and cases of asthma averted, could be altered drastically. The toll those rules take on corporate profits would gain new currency. Public health officials warn that enforcement of tobacco laws also would be inhibited. The Consumers Union advised lawmakers that other landmark protections, including the Consumer Product Safety Act and the Securities Exchange Act, would be weakened substantially. This dangerous proposal would do severe damage to protections consumers depend on, the group wrote to lawmakers. Yet the bills champions in Congress are undeterred. Among them are Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), who took to the House floor the same day Consumers Union sent its plea. It is time we demand the voice of the American people be heard, Collins said just before casting his vote in favor of the bill, rather than letting the others up here, separated in cubicles, decide what is best. evan.halper@latimes.com Follow me: @evanhalper ALSO Lazarus: Republicans make killing consumer protections a top priority Steven Mnuchin wins slim vote for Treasury secretary now he goes to work on taxes and regulations Trump says businesses cant borrow because of Dodd-Frank. The numbers tell another story The owners of a Washington wine bar have sued President Trump over what they claim is unfair competition, saying he is using the power of the presidency to lure business to his luxury hotel near the White House. The action, filed in District of Columbia Superior Court late Wednesday, is the latest legal attempt to pressure Trump over the unprecedented potential conflicts presented by his worldwide business holdings including the Trump International Hotel, in a former Post Office building that Trump is leasing from the federal government. Trumps hotel and its restaurants are now a hot spot for lobbyists and foreign diplomats and others looking to buy favor with the Trump administration, according to the owners of Cork restaurant and their lawyers, who spoke to reporters Thursday. Advertisement Look, we all know that Washington, D.C., is a company town, said Khalid Pitts, who co-owns the restaurant with his wife. Why wouldnt they go to a place that most pleases the president of the United States? Diane Gross and Khalid Pitts, owners of Cork Wine Bar, take part in a news conference about their lawsuit against President Trump over his Washington hotel on Thurssday. (Mandel Ngan / AFP/Getty Images) Pitts said that his restaurant, 1 miles from Trumps hotel, has lost business recently, though he offered no specific examples. He also acknowledged that his 70-seat restaurant faces tough competition from newer eateries in his neighborhood, a hotspot in Washingtons booming restaurant scene. Before the election, the legal complaint says, the government of Azerbaijan had an event at Cork; after Trump won, the Azerbaijani embassy held a holiday party at Trumps hotel. Pitts, a social activist and former candidate for city council in Washington, owns the business with his wife, Diane Gross, a Democratic lawyer who once worked as counsel for former Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland. The suit is not a political attack on Trump, they said. This is about something that is patently unfair, Gross said. The lawsuit is not seeking financial damages, but rather a court order requiring Trump to end the conflict. Alan Garten, a lawyer for the Trump Organization, called the lawsuit a publicity stunt completely lacking in merit. Michael Short, a White House spokesman, declined to comment. Before taking office in January, Trump said he was stepping aside from his business and turning management over to his sons. But he has held on to the ownership. His lawyers say it would be unfair to expect Trump to sell off his worldwide real-estate holdings. The lawsuit charges that the president is now in conflict with a clause in his lease that says federal officials may not participate in or benefit from the deal. Since his inauguration, in effect, Trump has become his own landlord. The General Services Administration, which manages the property, has not yet addressed the question of whether it considers Trump is in violating the lease. Steven L. Schooner, a former government lawyer and ethics expert who is part of the legal team, accused the agency of a total abdication of responsibility. Noting that the lease calls for regular renegotiations over payments, Schooner said the GSAs employees are now in the impossible position of negotiating with the sons of the president who appoints their agency head. The GSA did not respond to a request for comment. Another lawsuit contends that the hotel could invite violations of the emoluments clause of the Constitution, which forbids federal officials from accepting payments from foreign governments. Trumps lawyers said they would donate any profits from foreign governments to the treasury. But Schooner, calling that idea nonsensical, says he hasnt heard of any such payments. joseph.tanfani@latimes.com Twitter: @jtanfani ALSO: GOP leaders turn up the pressure on reluctant Republicans to support Obamacare replacement Trumps travel ban contains a tool that could change how the U.S. conducts foreign policy Iraqis relieved to be left off Trumps new travel ban Adam Schiff views documents White House says back Trump surveillance claim By Michael A. Memoli (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press) Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) traveled to the White House Friday to view documents President Trump has said partially vindicate his claim that his predecessor ordered surveillance of him during the campaign. In a statement, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee said he was told they were precisely the same materials viewed previously by the committees chairman, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Tulare), which Schiff said should now be shared with the full panel membership. Nothing I could see today warranted a departure from the normal review procedures, Schiff said, adding that he could not discuss the contents of the documents, which remain classified. Nunes was shown the documents last week by White House officials surreptitiously, then announced to reporters the next day that he needed urgently to go to the White House to brief Trump about them. Schiff, in his statement, said that the White House has yet to explain why senior White House staff apparently shared these materials with but one member of either [Intelligence] committee, only for their contents to be briefed back to the White House. Schiff also had a brief but cordial meeting with Trump during his time at the White House, a spokesman said. White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters earlier Friday that other Democrats have been invited to the White House to view the materials, which he said would shed light on their investigation. Both the House and Senate Intelligence Committees are conducting separate reviews of Russian interference into the 2016 election; Trump has asked each panel to also probe his own claim that his predecessor engaged in wire tapping of his phones at Trump Tower during the campaign, an assertion that has been denied by Nunes as well as the heads of the FBI and intelligence agencies. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Mnuchin regrets plugging The Lego Batman Movie, pledges to exercise greater caution in the future By Jim Puzzanghera Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Friday told a top government ethics official he should not have publicly plugged The Lego Batman Movie a film in which he has a financial stake and promised to exercise greater caution in the future. I take very seriously my ethical responsibilities as a presidential appointee and the head of the Department of the Treasury, Mnuchin wrote to Walter Shaub, director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics. On Monday, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) asked Shaub to determine whether Mnuchin had committed an ethics violation last week when he discussed the movie during an event hosted by the Axios news website that aired on C-SPAN2. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Rep. Adam Schiff says its too early to consider an immunity deal for Michael Flynn By Associated Press The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee says its too early to consider an immunity deal for President Trumps former national security advisor. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) says that Michael Flynn even discussing possible immunity in exchange for protection from prosecution is a grave and momentous step because of the seniority of his former position. Schiff says the House Intelligence Committee is interested in hearing Flynns story, but there would have to be coordination with the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Justice Department on the terms. The House and Senate intelligence committees and the FBI are investigating Russias meddling in the 2016 election. The investigation includes scrutiny of Flynns ties with Russia. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump administration admonishes California chief justice over claim that agents are stalking immigrants By Del Quentin Wilber U.S. Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions (Mark Wilson / Getty Images) The Trump administration on Friday fired back at Californias top judge, disputing her characterization this month that federal immigration agents were stalking courthouses to make arrests. In a letter to Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, leaders of Trumps Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security objected to her description of federal agents conduct. As the chief judicial officer of the state of California, your characterization of federal law enforcement is particularly troubling, wrote Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, objecting to Cantil-Sakauyes use of the word stalking. They said agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were using courthouses to arrest immigrants in the U.S. illegally, in part, because California and some of its local jurisdictions prohibit their officials from cooperating with federal agencies in detaining such immigrants under most conditions. Sessions and Kelly told Californias top judge that she should consider taking her concerns to Gov. Jerry Brown and the cities and counties that limit local law enforcements involvement with immigration agents. Cantil-Sakauye, a former prosecutor who rose through the judicial ranks as an appointee of Republican governors, said through a spokesman that she appreciated the Trump administrations admission that they are in state courthouses making federal arrests. Making arrests at courthouses, in my view, undermines public safety because victims and witnesses will fear coming to courthouses to help enforce the law, she said Friday. She expressed disappointment that courthouses, given local and state public safety concerns, were not listed as sensitive areas offlimits to agents. Federal policy lists schools, churches and hospitals as sensitive areas. The letter from the Justice Department officials defended the arrests of immigrants at courthouses. By apprehending suspects after they have passed through security screening at courthouses, federal agents are less likely to encounter anyone who is armed, the letter said. The arrest of individuals by ICE officers and agents is predicated on investigation and targeting of specific persons who have been identified by ICE and other law enforcement agencies as subject to arrest, they wrote. Cantil-Sakauye had asked the Trump administration on March 16 to stop immigration agents from seeking immigrants at the states courthouses. Courthouses should not be used as bait in the necessary enforcement of our countrys immigration laws, she wrote in a letter to Sessions and Kelly. Her letter did not say which courthouses had been the location of such stalking, but judges and lawyers in Southern California have complained of seeing immigration agents posted near courts. She said she feared the practice would erode public trust in the state courts. Sessions and Kelly urged Cantil-Sakauye to speak to Brown and other officials who have enacted policies that occasionally necessitate ICE officers and agents to make arrests at courthouses and other public places. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Back in the spotlight, Hillary Clinton takes aim at Trumps budget By Evan Halper Hillary Clinton stepped back into the spotlight this week after laying relatively low since the election, and she had some advice for President Trump: Tear up the White House budget plan. Clinton was at the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security to bestow an award named in her honor to Colombian leaders who helped bring an end to war in that country and elevate the role of women in the peace process. She spoke of the progress the world has made in advancing womens rights since she spoke forcefully on the issue two decades ago when the U.N. gathered world leaders to address it in Beijing. But she warned that progress is threatened by Trump. We are seeing signals of a shift that should alarm us all, Clinton said. This administrations proposed cuts to international health, development and diplomacy would be a blow to women and children and a grave mistake for our country. Clinton then raised the letter signed by 120 former generals and admirals beseeching the Trump administration not to make the cuts. These distinguished men and women who have served in uniform recognize that turning our back on diplomacy wont make our country safer. It will undermine our security and our standing in the world. A lot has changed since Clinton was on the campaign trail, but some things about her style on the stump havent. She pulled out a favorite line from last year as she began to talk about a study that backed up her point about the damage Trumps budget plan could do. Here I go again, Clinton said to whooping and cheering from an audience of mostly female students, talking about research evidence and facts. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Seeking a way forward, Trump increasingly finds himself at odds with his own party By Michael A. Memoli (Evan Vucci / Associated Press ) President Trump won his office in spite of the best efforts of some in his party. Now, the tenuous nature of the bonds between Trump and the GOP are increasingly on public display as the president openly feuds with conservatives and White House officials debate whether to reach out to Democrats in order to restart his domestic agenda. The latest and strongest evidence came Thursday as Trump escalated his political battle against the members of the House Freedom Caucus, the conservative lawmakers who helped block the healthcare bill he backed. Early in the morning, he said on Twitter that the caucus would hurt the entire Republican agenda if they dont get on the team. We must fight them, & Dems, in 2018! he added. It was an extraordinary message, suggesting that Trump might try to back challengers in primaries against lawmakers of his own party something few presidents have tried, none with much success. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Tillerson tells NATO allies to pay more, do more to fight terrorism By Catherine Stupp Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday promised NATO allies that the United States will stand by their side but also expected them to spend more on defense and do more to fight terrorism. Tillerson participated in a day of discussions with foreign ministers from the 27 other NATO member nations, his first with the full roster of allies, who were sent scrambling last week to accommodate the top U.S. diplomat after he said he could not attend the meeting originally planned for early April. The United States is committed to ensuring NATO has the capabilities to support our collective defense. We understand that a threat against one of us is a threat against all of us, Tillerson said. But, he added, as President Trump has made clear, it is no longer sustainable for the U.S. to maintain a disproportionate share of NATOs defense expenditures. The United States is amping up pressure on NATO members to increase their defense spending to 2% of gross domestic product, in line with a 2014 agreement among the alliances 28 member countries to meet the target by 2024. Only five NATO countries meet the 2% threshold. The U.S. spends 3.61% of its GDP on defense, more than any other member of the alliance. Tillerson said that if countries have not met the 2% spending goal by the end of the year, they should at least have a concrete plan that clearly articulates how, with annual milestone progress commitments, the pledge will be fulfilled. Pressure to meet that strict deadline is likely to upset some allies. German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel told reporters before Fridays meeting that he thinks it would be completely unrealistic for Germany to bring its military defense spending up to 2% of GDP. I dont know any politician in Germany who thinks that this would be reachable or desirable, Gabriel said. Germany is increasing its military spending this year to $39 billion, or 1.2% of its GDP. Gabriel rejected the Trump administrations focus on military expenditures, arguing that humanitarian aid and Germanys spending to take in refugees should be considered part of the defense budget. Tillerson also called on allies to take a greater role in the fight against terrorism. NATO can and should do more, he said. Fighting terrorism is the top national security priority for the United States, as it should be for all of us. Tillersons earlier announcement that he would skip the meeting struck a nerve among the alliance members, coming at a sensitive time when tensions between the Trump administration and NATO allies have soared. The schedule change caused an awkward protocol shuffle, with a handful of foreign ministers unable to make it to Brussels. What was supposed to be a two-day meeting was compressed into half of a day. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg tried to cast optimism on the last-minute schedule change, calling it a sign of the strong transatlantic unity and flexibility of our alliance that we were able to find a date. The foreign ministers meeting is crucial because it lays the groundwork for a NATO summit with heads of state in May, which will be President Trumps first overseas trip since taking office. Tillersons day of talks at NATO headquarters in Brussels follows visits from Defense Secretary James Mattis and Vice President Mike Pence, who attempted to dispel fears that the Trump administration will seek to loosen ties with the alliance. Trump called NATO obsolete in an interview published days before his inauguration. He later insisted, during German Chancellor Angela Merkels visit to the White House earlier this month, that the U.S. will maintain its strong commitment to the alliance. Tillerson arrived in Brussels on Friday morning after meeting Thursday in Ankara, Turkey, with that countrys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to discuss terrorism and Syria, though the leaders failed to reach an agreement on how to combat Islamic State. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump weighs in on Michael Flynns request for immunity President Trumps former national security advisor, retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, is seeking immunity from prosecution in return for testifying to the House and Senate intelligence committees, a congressional aide said. The development was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. Gen. Flynn certainly had a story to tell, and he very much wants to tell it, should the circumstances permit, his lawyer, Robert Kelner, said in a statement. No reasonable person, who has the benefit of advice from counsel, would submit to questioning in such a highly politicized, witch-hunt environment without assurances from unfair prosecution. On Friday morning, Trump tweeted his support for Flynns request. Flynn was ousted as Trumps national security advisor last month after news reports disclosed that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence about phone conversations with Sergey Kislyak, Russias ambassador to the U.S. The calls were picked up by U.S. surveillance targeting the Russian envoy, and a description of the contents was leaked to the Washington Post after the Justice Department warned the White House that Flynn could be subject to blackmail. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Former national security advisor Michael Flynn seeks immunity By David S. Cloud President Trumps former national security advisor, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, has been seeking immunity from prosecution in return for testifying to the House and Senate intelligence committees, a congressional official confirmed Thursday. The negotiations were first reported by the Wall Street Journal. In a statement, Flynns lawyer, Robert Kelner, said Gen. Flynn certainly had a story to tell and he very much wants to tell it, should the circumstances permit. No reasonable person, who has the benefit of advice from counsel, would submit to questioning in such a highly politicized, witch-hunt environment without assurances from unfair prosecution. Trump fired Flynn three weeks into the new administration after news reports disclosed that he had lied to White House colleagues, including Vice President Mike Pence, about his contacts with Sergey Kislyak, Russias ambassador to the U.S. In December, Flynn had telephone conversations with Kislyak in which he discussed sanctions that the Obama administration had recently imposed on Russia to punish Moscow for its interference in the 2016 presidential election. Flynn denied to Pence and other officials that he had discussed the sanctions with Kislyak. So far, the committees, which are investigating Russian interference and whether anyone close to Trump colluded with Moscow, have not taken Flynn up on his offer, the Journal reported. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump administration appeals Hawaii judges order against travel ban By Jaweed Kaleem The Department of Justice has appealed a Hawaii court order that brought President Trumps travel ban to a national halt. The government has argued that the president was well within his authority to restrict travel from six Muslim-majority countries and put a pause on refugee resettlement. The appeal Thursday to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals came a day after U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson in Honolulu refused to dismiss his temporary block of the travel ban that he issued on March 15. With the appeal, the government is now fighting to reinstate the travel ban in two appeals courts on opposite ends of the country. That increases the likelihood that one of the cases will make it to the U.S. Supreme Court. Earlier this month, the Department of Justice appealed a Maryland district judges order against the travel ban to the U.S. 4th District Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va. Both rulings in Hawaii and Maryland said Trumps executive order discriminated against Muslims. Watson and U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang in Maryland cited Trumps campaign promises to suspend Muslim travel to the U.S. as proof of his orders anti-Muslim bias. The Hawaii ruling is broader than the Maryland one. It blocks a 90-day pause on travel to the U.S. from nationals of six majority-Muslim countries and a 120-day moratorium on new refugee resettlement. The Maryland ruling only halted the ban on travel into the U.S. by citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The 9th Circuit, which has jurisdiction over nine Western states, is the same court where a panel of three judges denied a government request last month to reverse ruling against the first travel ban by a federal judge in Washington state. Trump, in turn, lambasted the bad court and signed a new executive order on travel on March 6 that was modified in an attempt to survive court challenges. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Senate heads for nuclear option if Democrats filibuster Gorsuch nomination By Lisa Mascaro One of the Senates most serious jobs confirming the presidents choice for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court has devolved into a game of political chicken. Senators are heading toward an institution-defining showdown next week as Democrats promise to try to block President Trumps nominee, Judge Neil M. Gorsuch, with a filibuster, a rarely seen maneuver for high court appointments. Republicans are threatening to respond by changing long-standing Senate rules to circumvent the 60 votes that would be needed to overcome a filibuster. Instead they would allow confirmation with a simple majority. The outcome has the potential to not only shape the future of the Supreme Court which has been without a full bench since the sudden death of Justice Antonin Scalia last year it also could crush one final vestige of bipartisanship in the Senate, altering the upper chamber for years to come. The battle over the Supreme Court seat was always expected to be a partisan affair in todays heated political climate. But the polemics intensified after the Republican majority denied President Obamas nominee, Judge Merrick Garland, a confirmation hearing ahead of last years presidential election. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Scalias seat has been vacant longer than any Supreme Court justices in nearly 50 years By Colleen Shalby (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) Its been more than 400 days since Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalias death left his seat vacant. With Republicans having blocked a vote on then-President Obamas nominee, Judge Merrick Garland, and with Senate Democrats now making plans to filibuster President Trumps nominee, Judge Neil M. Gorsuch, it could take even longer to replace Scalia. Its not unheard of for a justices seat to remain empty for a considerable amount of time. Pew Research Center did the math and found that the longest gap was 841 days, in the mid-1840s, from the time of Henry Baldwins death to his replacement Robert Griers confirmation. But the last time in recent history that a vacancys duration in this range occurred was after Abe Fortas resigned in 1969. It took 391 days to fill that seat, an interval that ended in 1970 when Harry Blackmun the justice who authored the courts landmark opinion in Roe vs. Wade was confirmed. Blackmun was President Nixons third pick to fill that seat. The second-longest vacancy in recent years occurred in 1988. It took 237 days to fill Lewis Powells seat after he retired, with Anthony Kennedy succeeding him. Its been 58 days and counting since Trump nominated Gorsuch. Heres how his waiting time from nomination to confirmation stacks up against the current justices: Elena Kagan: 87 days Sonia Sotomayor: 66 days Samuel A. Alito Jr.: 82 days John G. Roberts Jr.: 23 days Stephen G. Breyer: 73 days Ruth Bader Ginsburg: 50 days Clarence Thomas: 99 days Anthony M. Kennedy: 65 days If Gorsuch is confirmed soon, he wont start considering cases until the courts new term in October. And if hes not confirmed? Trump would nominate another successor to Scalia theres no limit on how many times he can do that. Until Scalias seat is filled, lower courts decisions serve as tie-breakers. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Sens. Manchin and Heitkamp become first Democrats to announce support for Gorsuch By David Savage Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota became the first Democrats to say they will vote for Judge Neil Gorsuch and not support the effort to filibuster his confirmation to the Supreme Court. Their announcements came as no surprise. Both are centrists who have to run for reelection next year in states that voted overwhelmingly for Trump. After considering his record, watching his testimony in front of the Judiciary Committee and meeting with him twice, I will vote to confirm him to be the ninth justice on the Supreme Court, Manchin said. I have found him to be an honest and thoughtful man.... I have not found any reasons why this jurist should not be a Supreme Court justice. Heitkamp said she was impressed with Gorsuchs record as a judge. This vote does not diminish how disturbed I am by what the Republicans did to Judge [Merrick] Garland, referring to the GOP-led Senates refusal last year to consider President Obamas choice to fill the seat of the late Justice Antonin Scalia. But I was taught that two wrongs dont make a right, she said. The Republican majority in the Senate needs six more Democrats to join with them if they hope to stop the expected filibuster of President Trumps Supreme Court nominee. It takes 60 votes to end the debate under the Senates current rules. But the 52 Republicans may vote to simply eliminate this requirement if the Democrats stand firm against Gorsuch. On Monday, the Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to approve Gorsuch on a party line vote and send the nomination to the Senate floor. A final vote is expected April 7. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print White House invites lawmakers to see intelligence material after New York Times report By Noah Bierman The White House has invited House and Senate intelligence committee chairs to review documents that it says were recently discovered by national security staff that could help determine whether information gathered about American citizens was mishandled. White House spokesman Sean Spicer would not say whether these are the same documents that Rep. Devin Nunes, the Tulare Republican who chairs the House intelligence committee, said he reviewed last week. Nunes has refused to identify his sources. Some saw his disclosure as an attempt to give credence to President Trumps widely refuted claim that President Obama had ordered wiretaps on his phone during the campaign. Nunes said the material he reviewed suggested that intelligence agencies had incidentally collected information about Trump or his associates. He has declined to be more specific or share the information with the committee. But the New York Times reported Thursday, citing unnamed sources, that two White House officials helped Nunes get access to the documents. And now the same information may be provided to other members of the Intelligence committee. In a letter to the bipartisan group of intelligence leaders sent Thursday, White House Counsel Donald McGhan said administration lawyers would supervise the review given the sensitivity of the documents to protect the extremely sensitive intelligence sources and methods. The letter calls on the committee to investigate the possibility that classified information was inappropriately gathered and handled and whether civil liberties of American citizens were violated. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told reporters that he welcomed the chance to review the materials, though he said he would be obligated to share them with the rest of his committee. More troubling to Schiff, he said, was the cloak and dagger stuff and circuitous route that the White House national security staff appears to have used to disseminate the materials in that secret meeting with Nunes. Schiff said White House staff may have been trying to launder information through the committee, rather than simply providing it directly to the president. If that was designed to hide the origin of the materials, that raises profound questions about just what the White House is doing, Schiff said. We need to get to the bottom of whether this was some sort of stratagem by the White House. In a letter to McGhan, Schiff said answering the White Houses questions would require asking intelligence agencies how the information in the documents was gathered. I hope you will confirm to the committee whether these materials are the same as those first shared with Nunes, Schiff wrote. 2:11: This story was updated with staff reporting Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trumps team: A network of ties to Russia By Angelica Quintero The FBI is investigating possible coordination between people associated with the Trump campaign and Russian authorities during the 2016 election. The U.S. intelligence community has said it is confident that the Russian government directed hacking operations and intended to interfere with the U.S. election process. Take a look at how some high-profile people have been drawn into the investigation. See the graphic Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Former RNC official is first to depart senior West Wing staff By Michael A. Memoli A former top Republican National Committee official and ally of White House chief of staff Reince Priebus will depart her West Wing post in the first significant shake-up of President Trumps senior staff. Politico first reported that Katie Walsh, the deputy White House chief of staff, will leave to take on an advisory position with political groups that were formed to support the presidents agenda from the outside. Walsh had served as chief of staff at the RNC when Priebus was party chair. At the White House, she served in a similar capacity under Priebus, tasked with overseeing the senior staff and the scheduling operation. Though White House officials denied the move was a signal of disharmony within the senior ranks, her departure spoke to issues dogging the new administration a top-heavy operation in the West Wing and also the inability of the president to sustain the kind of grassroots support for his agenda that proved key to his electoral win. It was abundantly clear we didnt have air cover when it came to the calls coming into lawmakers, and nobody can fix this problem like Katie Walsh, Priebus told reporters later, according to Time. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Putin: Read my lips, there was no Russian meddling in U.S. vote By Ann M. Simmons Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto during the International Arctic Forum in Arkhangelsk, Russia, on Thursday. (Sergei Karpukhim / AFP/Getty Images) Calling the accusations lies, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday denied that Moscow meddled in last years U.S. elections. Read my lips, no, Putin said during a panel moderated by CNBC, according to a report on the news agencys website. All those things are fictional, illusory and provocations, lies, the Russian president said. All these are used for domestic American political agendas. The anti-Russian card is played by different political forces inside the United States to trade on that and consolidate their positions inside. Putins comments came as the Senate Intelligence Committee was set to begin a hearing entitled Disinformation: A Primer in Russian Active Measures and Influence Campaigns, which will focus on understanding the method of Russias active disinformation campaign and assess the extent of Moscows interference. FBI Director James Comey confirmed earlier this month that his agency was investigating Russias intrusion into the 2016 poll and whether there was any collusion between Moscow and President Trumps campaign. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump levels extraordinary threat against GOP conservatives; Ryan says he understands presidents frustration By Noah Bierman House Speaker Paul D. Ryan commiserated with President Trump Thursday after the president launched a Twitter assault on the group of rebellious Republicans known as the Freedom Caucus. I understand the frustration, I share the frustration, Ryan told reporters Thursday, when asked to respond to Trumps threat to campaign against fellow Republicans. Freedom Caucus members, who back limited government and have defined themselves in opposition to the Washington establishment, have been a major headache for GOP leaders. Ever since the Republicans took control of the House in 2010, conservative refusal to back key bills to fund government agencies has forced GOP leaders to negotiate with Democrats for the votes they need. Freedom Caucus members helped lead the charge against former Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio). The caucus was blamed by many Republicans last week for torpedoing the leaderships plan, backed by Trump, to make significant changes to Obamacare. Still, Trumps threat to fight them in the 2018 elections was an extraordinary step. Trump had previously made electoral threats against wayward members of his party, but Thursdays tweet was especially direct, threatening to treat them the same way as Democrats. The Freedom Caucus will hurt the entire Republican agenda if they don't get on the team, & fast. We must fight them, & Dems, in 2018! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 30, 2017 Freedom Caucus members have begun pushing back aggressively. A spokeswoman for the group argued on Twitter that Trump did not have his facts right and that Republican moderates were equally responsible for sinking the healthcare bill. View Twitter post Finding Trump supporters to challenge Republicans in a primary would be hard and could further thrust the GOP into civil war. Trump, despite low poll numbers nationally, remains popular in core Republican districts. Many members of Congress, however, ran ahead of him in their districts in the last election. The president has also suggested he might be open to cutting deals with Democrats, something the White House has discussed but not followed through on. That would also be difficult, given the rancor on the left. Ryan said Thursday that the best path is for Republicans to come together on healthcare and other issues About 90% of our conference is for this bill to repeal and replace Obamcare, and about 10% are not. And thats not enough to pass a bill, he said. What I am encouraging our members to do is to keep talking with each other until we can get the consensus to pass this bill. But its very understandable that the president is frustrated that we havent gotten to where we need to go, because this is something that we all said we would do. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Pence casts tie-breaking vote to advance bill that would let states withhold federal funds from Planned Parenthood By Lisa Mascaro Republicans needed Vice President Mike Pence to cast a tie-breaking vote Thursday in the Senate to advance legislation that rolls back rules preventing states from withholding certain federal funds to Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers. With opposition from two Republican women, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Republicans did not have enough votes with their slim 52-seat majority to advance the bill. Pence, a longtime opponent of abortion, arrived to cast the vote breaking the 50-50 tie and will be expected to do so later Thursday on final passage. We just saw a historic moment, said Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) It is a sad day for the United States Senate. The measure rolls back a regulation finalized at the end of President Obamas administration that explicitly prevented states from denying federal Title X family planning funds to clinics, like Planned Parenthood, that also provide abortion services. Under longstanding practice, no federal funds can be used for abortions, but federal family planning money can flow to the clinics to provide other healthcare services. Some Republican-led state governments had been moving in recent years to choke off Title X funds from any clinics that offered abortion service. The Obama rule sought to prohibit such practices. The bill Thursday, sponsored by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), has already cleared the House. It is part of a series of bills being passed by Congress under the so-called Congressional Review Act, which allows federal regulations put in place during the final days of the previous administration to be undone by simple majority passage. Passage by the Senate later Thursday would send it to the White House for President Trumps signature. Busy day in D.C., but always happy to make time to meet visitors touring the Capitol. pic.twitter.com/4q6JG8wP0E Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) March 30, 2017 Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Senate committee narrowly approves Acostas nomination to be Labor secretary By Jim Puzzanghera (Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP) A Senate committee on Thursday narrowly approved R. Alexander Acosta to be Labor secretary, moving to fill one of President Trumps few remaining vacant Cabinet posts. The nomination of Acosta, a law school dean and former Justice Department official, was approved by a 12-11 vote by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. All of the panels Republicans supported the nomination; all of the Democrats were opposed. If confirmed in a full Senate vote, which is expected soon, Acosta will be the only Latino in Trumps Cabinet. A date for the final vote hasnt been set. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Follow the money and the trail of dead Russians, expert urges senators By Del Quentin Wilber (Susan Walsh / Associated Press) The Senate Intelligence Committee hearing Thursday into Russian efforts to influence the November elections has been a long history lesson, tracing Moscows decades-long efforts to use misinformation to undermine democracies. But Clinton Watts, of the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security at George Washington University, provided a roadmap to better understanding the Kremlins efforts. He urged senators and the U.S. government to follow the money to figure out how misinformation websites and social media outlets are being funded. While the Russians conducted their hacking in the Internets shadows, their efforts to influence the election was hardly a secret, he said. You can hack stuff and be covert, but you cant influence and be covert, he said. You have to ultimately show your hand. And thats why we have been able to discover it online. The second way to trace Russian influence was more ominous: Follow the trail of dead Russians, he said. There have been more dead Russians in the past three months that are tied to this investigation, he added. They are dropping dead, even in Western countries. Watts didnt finish the thought but was likely referring to a spate of deaths of high-profile Russians, some of which appeared to be assassinations although others appear to have been from natural causes. With the daytime execution of a Russian politician in Ukraine last week, at least eight Russian politicians, activists, ambassadors and a former intelligence official have died since the U.S. election. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Russia has stepped up efforts to influence elections, experts tell Senate panel By David S. Cloud (Susan Walsh / Associated Press) Moscow has stepped up its interference in U.S. and European elections, using social media, hacking and other tools to undermine public confidence and to raise doubts about the U.S as an ally, Russia experts told the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday. The committee was taking testimony from experts in Russian propaganda and intelligence operations as part of its investigation into Moscows meddling in the 2016 election. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the top Democrat on the panel, emphasized that in addition to examining the broad topic of Russian efforts to influence the election, the panel also must seek to answer whether President Trumps campaign had contact with Russian officials last year, noting the the FBI has opened its own probe. I will not prejudge the outcome of our investigation. We are seeking to determine if there is an actual fire, but there is clearly a lot of smoke, Warner said. Dr. Eugene Rumer, Director of the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told the panel that Russian President Vladimir Putin probably viewed Moscows meddling in the U.S. election as an unqualified success. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Tillerson meets Turkish officials to seek support for battle against Islamic State in Syria By Umar Farooq Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Thursday met for more than two hours with Turkeys president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as they hoped to shore up troubled relations between their nations. Making his first trip to Turkey, Tillerson became the highest-ranking Trump administration official to hold a face-to-face session with Erdogan, an increasingly authoritarian leader who is also a NATO member and key ally in the fight against Islamic State in Syria. The meeting went longer than planned. Turkey and the United States disagree sharply on how to combat Islamic State: Washington supports Kurdish militias that Erdogan regards as an arm of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which Turkey and the U.S. consider a terrorist organization. Trying to fight against Daesh through terrorist organizations such as ... extensions of the PKK, would be like shooting yourself in the foot, Erdogans senior advisor, Ibrahim Kalin, said ahead of Thursdays meeting. Daesh is a pejorative Arabic acronym for Islamic State. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Hawaii judge extends national halt on Trumps travel ban By Jaweed Kaleem Donald Trump in San Diego in May. (John Gastaldo / San Diego Union-Tribune)) The Hawaii federal judge who brought President Trumps revised travel ban to a national halt this month extended his order blocking the bans enforcement. The move Wednesday sets the stage for the Justice Department to appeal to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse the ruling. U.S. District Judge Derrick Watsons original order halting the travel ban was issued March 15, a day before the ban was to go into effect, in the form of a temporary restraining order. At a hearing in Honolulu on Wednesday, federal lawyers asked Watson to either dismiss that order or narrow the restrictions to apply to fewer parts of the travel ban. Instead, Watson said he would turn the order into a preliminary injunction, which has the effect of extending his order blocking the travel ban for a longer period. Watson said he would keep intact the restrictions on the travel ban -- a block of its 90-day moratorium on travel to the U.S. from nationals of six majority-Muslim countries and its 120-day pause on new refugee resettlement. If the Justice Department appeals the case, it will be heard in the same court that upheld a national halt to Trumps first travel ban last month after a Seattle federal judge ruled against it. The administration has already appealed to the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals a Maryland judges more limited March 16 ruling that stopped enforcement of the travel orders country-specific ban. Both the Hawaii and Maryland judges found Trumps executive order to discriminate against Muslims. They used the presidents campaign statements promising to suspend Muslim travel to the U.S. as evidence of the orders anti-Muslim bias. Government lawyers have argued that the president is not singling out Muslims but instead acting within his power to restrict immigration and safeguard national security while better vetting procedures are developed to prevent potential terrorists from entering the U.S. Trump has said hell take the case over the travel ban to the U.S. Supreme Court. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Ivanka Trump gets formal White House role, with ethics obligations but no pay By Michael A. Memoli (Brendan Smialowski / AFP-Getty Images) Ivanka Trump is taking on a more formal White House role with a title but not a paycheck a move intended to quell ethics concerns raised about her status in her fathers administration. In a statement, the White House noted that the presidents elder daughter already had an unprecedented role in the administration different from that of previous presidential children. She now will take the title of special advisor to the president, and therefore assume the same responsibility to abide by ethics standards that other federal employees have, the statement said. The decision demonstrates the administrations commitment to ethics, transparency and compliance, the administration said. Although Ivanka Trump already had a West Wing office as does her husband, senior advisor Jared Kushner she now will have increased opportunities to lead initiatives driving real policy benefits for the American public that would not have been available to her previously, a White House spokesman said. The announcement came on a day when President Trump sought to promote his administrations commitment to empowering women. He delivered remarks at an East Room event that included other top women in his Cabinet, including U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Small Business Administration head Linda McMahon. Ivanka Trump held a roundtable with female business owners earlier, Press Secretary Sean Spicer said. Earlier Wednesday, leading Senate Democrats sent a letter to the Office of Government Ethics raising concerns about the increasing, albeit unspecified position Ivanka Trump had held and the potential conflicts of interest that her government position might trigger with her personal businesses, including a retail clothing brand. The letter from Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) asked the agency whether Trump would be required to divest herself of personal assets or if she could be required to recuse herself from certain functions. Trumps new position was first reported by the New York Times. In a statement to the paper, Trump said she was acting in response to ethics concerns, but noted she already had been voluntarily complying with all ethics rules. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Russia inquiry one of the biggest congressional probes in decade, senators say By David Lauter Sens. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), right, and Mark Warner (D-Va.). (Susan Walsh / Associated Press) The Senate Intelligence Committees probe into Russian involvement in the 2016 U.S. presidential election will be one of the biggest investigations in years and has already involved an unprecedented level of cooperation between Congress and U.S. spy agencies, the panels chairman said Wednesday. At a Capitol Hill news conference, the committee chairman, Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, and its ranking Democrat, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, emphasized the bipartisan nature of the panels efforts, drawing a determined, though unstated, contrast with the partisan dysfunction of a parallel investigation in the House. The committee will go wherever the intelligence leads us, Burr said. And he pointedly refused to endorse White House statements that investigators inevitably will find that there was no collusion between President Trumps campaign and the Russians. It would be crazy to try to draw any conclusions at this point, Burr said. We know that our challenge is to answer that question to the American people, Burr said, referring to the issue of Trumps involvement. Warner said he had confidence in Richard Burr to run a fair investigation and produce a bipartisan conclusion. Warner said Americans should not lose sight of what the investigation is about: An outside foreign adversary effectively tried to hijack the election and favor one candidate over the other. They didnt do it because it was in the best interest of the American people, he said. "[Russian President] Vladimir Putins goal is a weaker United States. The Russian action should be a concern of all Americans regardless of party affiliation, he added. The committee staff already has reviewed thousands of pages of intelligence documents and has begun scheduling interviews with a list of 20 preliminary witnesses, who will be questioned in private before the panel holds public hearings, Burr said. He strongly implied that one of the potential witnesses is retired Gen. Michael Flynn, who was fired from his post as national security advisor to Trump after the disclosure that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence and others about his contacts with Russias ambassador to the U.S. You would think less of us if the committee had not talked with Flynn, Burr told reporters. The witnesses, including Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law and advisor, will be questioned when the committee is ready, he said. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Justice Department watchdog finds DEA cash seizure program may pose risk to civil liberties By Del Quentin Wilber A Ukiah, Calif., police officer works with a dog to search for drugs or cash in a motorists car on May 14, 2014. (Francine Orr/ Los Angeles Times) The way the Drug Enforcement Administration seizes cash and other assets may pose a risk to civil liberties, the Justice Departments internal watchdog reported Wednesday. The Justice Departments inspector general also determined that the agency does not measure or track how its asset seizure activities advance criminal investigations. Over the last decade, more than $28 billion has been seized through the departments asset forfeiture program. The effort and others in states have generated intense controversy in recent years, with critics contending that many seizures are unfair because some who lose their assets are never charged with crimes. Law enforcement officials, however, say that seizing property and cash is a key tool in disrupting criminal organizations and compensating the victims of crimes. Former Atty. Gen. Eric Holder in 2015 limited how state and local authorities can obtain seized funds by working with federal agents. In its report released Wednesday, the inspector general examined 100 cases in which the DEA seized cash. Eighty-five of the cases involved interdiction at transportation hubs, such as airports or parcel centers. Nearly 80 of those seizures resulted from the direct observation of agents or local police. The inspector general and the Justice Department have raised concerns in the past about such stops and searches, in part, due to the potential for racial profiling. Of the 100 cases, the DEA could verify that only 44 advanced ongoing investigations, led to a new investigation, or resulted in an arrest or prosecution, the inspector general found. When seizure and administrative forfeitures do not ultimately advance an investigation or prosecution, law enforcement creates the appearance, and risks the reality, that it is more interested in seizing and forfeiting cash than advancing an investigation or prosecution, the report said. The inspector general also found that the Justice Department does not provide enough training or require state and local officers working on federal task forces to be trained on asset forfeiture policies. The Justice Department responded in a letter to the inspector general that its analysis was flawed and its sample significantly underreported the amount of seized funds that are ultimately returned. In a statement, Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said, Asset forfeiture is a powerful and effective law enforcement tool, allowing the department to compensate victims, deprive criminals of the proceeds of their crimes, remove the tools of crime from criminal organizations, and deter crime. The department believes that the ongoing public debate about asset forfeiture is healthy, she added, but as outlined in our formal response, we strongly disagree with large swaths of this report and its flawed methodology that failed to address the essential role asset forfeiture plays combating some of the most sophisticated criminal actors and organizations, including terrorist financiers, cyber criminals, fraudsters, human traffickers, and drug cartels. 9:23 a.m.: This story was updated with Justice Department comment. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Hoax. Con job. Chinese plot. Trump tweets have bashed climate science for years By Michael Finnegan President Trump signs an executive order Tuesday to rescind Obama administration policies on climate change. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press) As President Trump moved to halt federal efforts against global warming on Tuesday, he avoided an important phrase: climate change. It was the same story during his campaign for president; Trump rarely mentioned it. When he pledged in May to withdraw the United States from the Paris treaty, a pact among nearly every nation on Earth to reduce the carbon emissions that cause global warming, it was one of the few occasions when Trump broached the topic. Trumps muted approach made political sense. To reject science is to risk alienating millions of moderate voters who support action to stop global warming. But before Trump started running for president, he often bluntly attacked climate science. Some highlights from his Twitter feed: Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Supreme Court rules in favor of merchants who want to advertise credit card fees By David Savage Supreme Court rules on swipe fees (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press)) Merchants may soon have the right to tell customers that they will pay a surcharge if they use a credit card rather than pay with cash. The Supreme Court cast doubt Wednesday on laws in California, New York, Florida and seven other states that make it illegal for sellers to impose a surcharge on credit card sales. In a 8-0 decision, the justices said these laws regulate speech and may be challenged as violations of the 1st Amendment. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said these laws do not prevent merchants from offering a discount for those who pay cash. Rather, they simply forbid disclosing that a posted price includes a surcharge of 2% to 3% for using a credit or debit card. Merchants want to pass the fees along only to their customers who choose to use credit cards, he said. They also want to make clear that they are not the bad guys -- that the credit card companies, not the merchants, are responsible for the higher prices. But the ruling Wednesday was only a partial victory for the five New York businesses, including a hair salon and an ice cream parlor in Brooklyn, that sued to challenge the ban on advertising or disclosing surcharges for using credit cards. The U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in New York had upheld the law on the grounds it was a price regulation, not a speech restriction. Roberts and the high court disagreed. What the law does is regulate how sellers may communicate their prices, he said. A merchant who wants to charge $10 for cash and $10.30 for credit may not convey that price any way he pleases. He is not free to say '$10, with a 3% credit card surcharge. But the justices did not strike down the state laws, instead sending the case back to the New York court to decide whether this speech regulation could be justified. Sometimes, laws are used to regulate the words of commercial transactions to prevent buyers from being fooled or confused. Until recently, the major credit card companies had imposed contract restrictions that prevented merchants from disclosing surcharges. But those provisions have challenged and knocked down. That in turn led to new legal challenges against the state laws which forbid sellers from disclosing these surcharges. The case decided Wednesday was Expressions Hair Design vs. Schneiderman. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trumps poll numbers are low. But the people who put him in office say its not time to judge him yet By Noah Bierman Its been five months since the euphoria of a Donald Trump rally at the local arena brought optimism to this former Democratic stronghold. The snow from a long winter has begun melting into the rocky soil, and the digital sign in a torn-up parking lot blinks hopefully: Warm days are coming. President Trump has yet to deliver jobs or the repeal of Obamacare. But here, in an area crucial to his unexpected election victory, many residents are more frustrated with what they see as obstruction and a rush to judgment than they are with Trump. Give him six months to prove himself, said an information technology supervisor. Give him a year, said a service manager. Give him four years, said a retired print shop owner. Give the man a chance, said Crystal Matthews, a 59-year-old hospital employee. Theyre just going to fight him tooth and nail, the whole way. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print To fight womans defamation claim, Trump cites the Bill Clinton-Paula Jones case which the president lost By David Savage President Trump is citing Bill Clintons famous sexual harassment battle in his effort to block a California womans lawsuit claiming Trump lied about groping her in the Beverly Hills Hotel in 2007. Problem is, Clinton lost that bid for legal immunity when the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in 1997 that the chief executive is not shielded from responding to a civil suit regarding his private behavior. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement House sends Trump bill to kill landmark broadband privacy regulations By Jim Puzzanghera Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) sponsored the repeal bill. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images) The House voted Tuesday to kill landmark privacy restrictions for Internet service providers and sent the bill to the White House, which indicated President Trump would sign it and invalidate the rules before they go into effect. The measure, approved largely along party lines, repeals tough new Federal Communications Commission regulations that would require broadband companies to get explicit customer permission before using or sharing most of their personal information. The data include health information, website browsing history, app usage and the geographic information from mobile devices. The rules also tighten data security requirements. Republicans, along with AT&T Inc., Charter Communications Inc., Comcast Corp. and other providers of high-speed Internet service, strongly opposed the rules. They argued that the restrictions are tougher than those for websites and social networks that also collect and use the highly valuable consumer data, which companies use to target advertising. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print U.S. commander says theres a fair chance that coalition airstrike is responsible for civilian casualties in Mosul By W.J. Hennigan Rescuers are still recovering bodies from a suspected U.S. airstrike in the Iraqi city of Mosul. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) The top U.S. general commanding the fight against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria said that the U.S.-led coalition was probably responsible for a blast that killed more than 200 people. If we did it, and I would say theres at least a fair chance that we did, it was an unintentional accident of war and we will transparently report it to you, Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend told reporters Tuesday via teleconference from Baghdad. He made the comments in response to witness reports that an airstrike by the U.S.-led coalition leveled a large apartment block and killed scores of civilians, including women and children, in west Mosuls Jadidah neighborhood on March 17. My initial assessment is that we probably had a role in these casualties, Townsend said. But investigators are still trying to determine whether other factors -- possibly including repeated airstrikes in the neighborhood or an explosive device accidentally or deliberately planted near the building -- could have led to its collapse. The fact that the whole building collapsed contradicts our involvement, Townsend said. The munition that we used should not have collapsed an entire building. So thats one of those things were trying to figure out in the investigative process. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Gov. Jerry Brown calls Trump energy plan a colossal mistake that will galvanize climate change activists By Evan Halper Gov. Jerry Brown. (Gregory Bull / Associated Press) California Gov. Jerry Brown warned that President Trump has just made a colossal mistake in gutting the federal governments effort to combat climate change, which will ignite a response Trump is unprepared to handle. It defies science itself, Brown said in a call to The Times shortly after Trump signed an executive order that aims to bring an abrupt halt to the United States leadership on global warming. Erasing climate change may take place in Donald Trumps mind, but nowhere else. Yes, there is going to be a counter-movement, Brown vowed, predicting Trumps actions will mobilize environmentalists in a way President Obama never could. I have met with many heads of state, ambassadors. This is a growing movement. President Trumps outrageous move will galvanize the contrary force. Things have been a bit tepid [in climate activism]. But this conflict, this sharpening of the contradiction, will energize those who believe climate change is an existential threat. Brown and other big-state governors and mayors are moving swiftly to fill the global leadership vacuum Trump created with Tuesdays directive, which stops short of officially pulling the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord of 2015. I see Washington declining in influence, but the momentum being maintained by California and other states aligned with China and those who are willing to do something, said Brown, who will be traveling to China soon for meetings on climate. There is a growing activism on the part of millions of people who will not stand by and let Donald Trump effectively tear up the Paris agreement and destroy Americas climate leadership and jeopardize the health and well being of so many people. In the face of Trumps retreat on climate, Brown said California will step up its own efforts to push others toward clean energy. We are not fully meeting the challenge of climate change yet, he said. We are doubling down on our commitment. We are reaching out to other states in America and throughout the world and other countries . We have plenty of fuel to build this movement. This is real, Brown said of the threat created by climate change. The nations of the world have recognized it in Paris I will continue doing my best to work with and rouse the world community, whatever the politicians in Washington do or dont do. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump orders government to dismantle Obamas climate change policies By Evan Halper President Trump ordered an abrupt halt to Americas crusade against climate change. (March 29, 2017) (Sign up for our free video newsletter here http://bit.ly/2n6VKPR) President Trump on Tuesday ordered the federal government to retreat from the battle against climate change launched by President Obama, issuing a directive aimed at dismantling the core policies that have made the U.S. a global leader in curbing emissions. The plan unveiled by Trump reflects an about-face for the U.S. on energy, and it puts into jeopardy the nations ability to meet the obligations it agreed to under the global warming pact signed in Paris with 194 other nations. It would shelve the landmark Clean Power Plan that mandates electricity companies reduce their emissions. It seeks to dislodge consideration of climate throughout the federal government, where it has been a factor in every relevant decision in recent years. My administration is putting an end to the war on coal, Trump said. I am taking historic steps to lift the restrictions on American energy to reverse government intrusions and to cancel job killing regulations. Under the order, the government will abandon the social cost of carbon that regulators had painstakingly calculated and begun factoring into their decision on permit applications and rulemaking. Restrictions on methane releases at oil and gas drilling facilities would be eased. Agencies will also stop contemplating climate impacts as they launch into new projects, and restrictions on coal leasing and fracking on federal lands will be lifted. The directive, for which progressive states and environmentalists have been preparing for months, is certain to set off years of litigation and conflicts between Washington and state capitols. Some of the most far-reaching policies Trump is seeking to bring to a halt cannot be canceled unilaterally and require lengthy administrative proceedings. But others he can end with the stroke of his pen. Smoke rises from the Colstrip Steam Electric Station, a coal-burning power plant in Colstrip, Mont., on July 1, 2103. (Matt Brown / Associated Press) Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement A trade war is brewing inside the White House between rival camps By Don Lee Soon after President Trump took office, an executive order was quietly drafted to suspend talks with China on an obscure but potentially far-reaching treaty about bilateral investment. After eight years and two dozen rounds of negotiations, the treaty terms were almost in final form. Pulling out after so much time and effort would send a clear message that the Trump administration meant to take a new and tougher approach to China. But the executive order never even got to the presidents desk. It was quietly shelved, according to sources inside and outside the White House, at the behest of former Goldman Sachs President Gary Cohn, now Trumps top economic advisor. Killing the order was a small victory for a White House faction that supports free trade and the global economy. But it was only an opening skirmish in what promises to be a long and bitter struggle over trade policy that so far is being waged behind the scenes in the Trump administration. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Supreme Court reverses death sentence for Texas inmate who could not tell time or name the days of the week By David Savage The Supreme Court set aside a death sentence on Tuesday for a Texas inmate who as a 13-year-old could not tell time or name the days of the week, concluding he should not be executed in light of his mental disability. In a 5-3 decision, the justices reversed the Texas state appeals court that had restored a death sentence given to Bobby James Moore, a 57-year old prisoner who shot and killed a store clerk in a botched robbery in 1980. At issue was whether Moore had a mental disability that would make his execution cruel and unusual punishment under the 8th Amendment. The justices banned states from executing prisoners with a mental disability, but they left states some flexibility to set the standards. But three years ago, the justices faulted Florida authorities for relying almost entirely on I.Q. scores. In the Texas case decided Tuesday, the justices said state judges had ignored ample evidence that Moore had severe mental disability as a child. That evidence was not overcome by the fact that he had adapted well in prison, they said. At 13, Moore lacked the basic understanding of the days of the week, the months of the year and the seasons; he could scarcely tell time or comprehend the standards of measure, said Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. After failing every subject in the ninth grade, Moore dropped out of high school. Cast out of his home, he survived on the streets, eating from trash cans, even after two bouts of food poisoning. After fatally shooting the clerk in the 1980 robbery, he was sentenced to death. The Texas courts reexamined his sentence after the high court abolished capital punishment in 2002 for defendants with a mental disability. A state judge listened to experts and set aside Moores death sentence, But the states criminal appeals court disagreed. Its judges said Moore had demonstrated adaptive strength by living on the streets and carrying out a robbery, and therefore did not qualify as having a severe mental impairment. Ginsburg said the state judges had relied on an outdated understanding of mental disability, and her opinion in Moore vs. Texas said the state court must reconsidere its decision. Justices Anthony M. Kennedy, Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan agreed. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. dissented. While he agreed the states authorities may have used outdated standards, Moore had I.Q. scores ranging from 69 to 79 that show he did not have the significantly sub-average intellectual functioning that would exempt him from the death penalty. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito agreed. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print The Freedom Caucus roars back to relevance to challenge Trumps agenda and strategy By Lisa Mascaro When House Speaker Paul D. Ryan pulled the plug on the GOPs Obamacare overhaul, lawmakers spilled out of the Capitol basement, angry, frustrated and stunned. But Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), leader of the conservative and rebellious House Freedom Caucus that led the fight against the bill, was uncharacteristically quiet, downplaying his political victory and mulling over the next move. After coming together to battle President Obama and becoming a driving force in the Republican Party, this 30-member-plus bloc of deficit hawks and right-flank conservatives had appeared for a while to be pushed aside by the movement that swept President Trump into office. But after helping defeat the GOP healthcare overhaul, the Freedom Caucus has roared back to relevance as a political power in the Trump era. It has reasserted itself as not just a renegade assemblage of mostly back-bench lawmakers, but as a core block of votes that Trump will need to push past the healthcare debacle to tax reform, budget battles and other issues. These guys saved the Republicans, said Adam Brandon, president of FreedomWorks, a group that organized a North Carolina rally on Monday in honor of Meadows. As beaten and battered as they are, weve got a group thats willing to take the hard decisions. If youre going to drain the swamp, these are the guys who are going to do it. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print White House stopped Yates testimony about Russian meddling in presidential election, lawyer says By Associated Press A lawyer for former Deputy Atty. Gen. Sally Yates said in letters last week that the Trump administration had moved to squelch her testimony in a hearing about Russian meddling in the presidential election. In the letters, attorney David ONeil said he understood the Justice Department was invoking further constraints on testimony she could provide at a House Intelligence Committee hearing that had been scheduled for Tuesday. He said the departments position was that all actions she took as deputy attorney general were client confidences that could not be disclosed without written approval. The Washington Post first reported the letters. A person familiar with the situation confirmed them as authentic to the Associated Press. The White House called the Post story entirely false. Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Tulare), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and part of Trumps transition team, last week announced that the committee was canceling the planned public hearing with Yates and two former Obama administration intelligence officials the former director of national intelligence, James Clapper, and former CIA Director John Brennan. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Did Mnuchin cross an ethical line in plugging The Lego Batman Movie? A senator wants to know By Jim Puzzanghera (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press) A Democratic senator wants to know if Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin committed an ethics violation when he publicly plugged The Lego Batman Movie, a film in which he has a financial stake. A former Hollywood financier, Mnuchin was asked at the end of a question-and-answer session on Friday hosted by the Axios news website to name a movie people should see. Well, Im not allowed to promote anything that Im involved in. So I just want to have the legal disclosure, youve asked me the question and I am not promoting any product, Mnuchin said at the event, which aired on C-SPAN2. But you should send all your kids to Lego Batman, he said. The crowd laughed. But Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, wasnt amused. Hes asking the U.S. Office of Government Ethics to look into the comments. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Venezuela hits back in showdown with OAS, U.S. over democracy By Tracy Wilkinson The Venezuelan foreign minister had harsh words Monday for the regional organization that is considering sanctioning her country for its failure to hold democratic elections. Delcy Rodriguez, the foreign minister, accused the Organization of American States of wanting not to punish Venezuela but to destroy it. Rodriguez appeared at an OAS panel convened in Washington. D.C., after the United States and 13 other of the hemispheres nations united to demand the leftist Venezuelan government free political prisoners and set a date for long-overdue elections. Failure to do so, the 14 countries warned, could trigger a decision to suspend Venezuela from the 69-year-old regional body. OAS Secretary-General Luis Almagro, a former Uruguayan foreign minister, has been especially critical of Venezuelas embattled government. He noted that President Nicolas Maduro canceled both a referendum that could have recalled his government and later regional elections, after the opposition made huge gains in parliamentary voting in 2015. In addition, thousands of people have been arrested for their political beliefs, Almagro said, including opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, who has been in jail for three years. But Rodriguez, in a speech to the OAS panel, said Venezuelas revolution continues strong. She accused Almagro of being a stooge of the U.S. government, a lying mercenary who is a traitor to everything a Latin American diplomat should represent. He lacks independence when he voluntarily bows to the wishes of the most powerful nation of this organization -- and becomes its spokesman, Rodriguez said. Although the OAS has often been accused of pro-Washington tendencies, 13 nations in addition to the United States have joined to condemn Venezuela, a significant shift in Latin America away from populist regimes. Other leftist-ruled countries, like Bolivia, have said they will support Venezuela. Rodriguez said the accusations against her government were unilateral, unjustified and biased. She called on the OAS to suspend discussion of Venezuela, but another session was scheduled to proceed on Tuesday -- the same day Maduros Socialist Party is planning big anti-imperialism marches at home. All of the countries most critical of Venezuela, including the United States, say suspension of the oil-rich, Caribbean country from the OAS should be a measure of last resort. Despite its oil wealth, Venezuela is in the throes of an economic and humanitarian disaster, with severe shortages of food and medicine and skyrocketing inflation and homicide rates. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions criticizes sanctuary cities but offers no new policies By Michael A. Memoli Decrying the safety risk posed when cities dont cooperate with federal immigration authorities, Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions repeated previous statements that the Trump administration would seek to deny so-called sanctuary cities some federal grant fun Decrying the safety risk posed when cities dont cooperate with federal immigration authorities, Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions repeated previous statements that the Trump administration would seek to deny so-called sanctuary cities some federal grant funds, but offered no new policies. Despite his high-profile appearance at the White House briefing room, Sessions merely reiterated Obama administration policy related to immigration. Justice Department officials said any new measures would be weeks or months in the future. The Obama administration issued instructions last July that required any cities applying for Justice Department grant programs be in compliance with federal law requiring cooperation between local, state and federal agencies with requests from the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Sessions noted that any jurisdiction applying for grants from his department would have to certify that compliance. The Justice Department already has been requiring that, which indicates that police and sheriff departments which currently have Justice Department grants already have been asserting that they are meeting the requirements of federal law. Although many cities have policies that they, or critics, characterize using the label sanctuary, those policies do not necessarily mean they are violating the law. Sessions did say that the Justice Department could in the future institute additional requirements, but announced none. Fundamentally, we intend to use all the lawful authority we have to make sure that our state and local officials, who are so important to law enforcement, are in sync with the federal government, he said. He did offer a warning to jurisdictions considering adopting sanctuary status. The California legislature is considering a proposal to institute the designation statewide; Sessions, though, singled out Maryland for a similar proposal. That would be such a mistake, Sessions said, while noting Marylands Republican governor opposes the change proposed by the heavily-Democratic legislature. Sessions cited a high-profile case in San Francisco where a 32-year-old woman was killed by man who had been previously deported multiple times despite a request by immigration authorities to continue his detention to illustrate the administrations case against such policies. Countless Americans would be alive today and countless loved ones would not be grieving today if these policies of sanctuary cities were ended, Sessions claimed. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Devin Nunes plot thickens, as his spokesman concedes he met source for surveillance claim at White House By David S. Cloud The day before the House Intelligence Committee chairman revealed that conversations by Trump transition officials may have been inadvertently picked up by U.S. surveillance, he met with the source of the information at the White House, his spokesman said Monday Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Tulare), went to the White House because there was a facility there for reviewing classified information, said Jack Langer, a spokesman for Nunes, who has refused to divulge the identity of his source. Chairman Nunes met with his source at the White House grounds in order to have proximity to a secure location where he could view the information provided by the source, Langer said. The latest news added another twist to a bizarre series of events last week: On Monday, FBI Director James Comey testified before Nunes committee that his investigators were looking at possible coordination during the presidential campaign between Russian officials and people close to Preisdent Trump. Tuesday night, Nunes went to the White House where someone showed him documents related to U.S. intelligence surveillance, according to his statement. On Wednesday, Nunes announced to reporters that he had seen evidence indicating that people close to Trump had been subjects of surveillance during the transition. He then went to the White House, saying that he needed to brief Trump about the revelations. On Thursday, Nunes apologized to committee members for not having shown the evidence to them before briefing the president. Later that day, his spokesman conceded that Nunes did not know for sure that any Trump aides had actually been subject to surveillance, just that their names had appeared in intelligence reports, which could have resulted from other people talking about them. That sequence of events could buttress Democrats claims that the episode last week was a White House ploy to shift attention away from the FBI investigation. Democrats already have been saying Nunes should be disqualified from heading an inquiry into whether Trumps aides had improper contacts with Russia. Nunes statement left several questions unanswered. One is why he would have had to go to the White House unless his source worked there, because members of Congress have access to a secure facility at the U.S. Capitol. Asked to explain Nunes actions, Langer said in an email, The information comprised executive branch documents that have not been provided to Congress. Because of classification rules, the source could not simply put the documents in a backpack and walk them over to the House Intelligence Committee space. He added: The White House grounds was the best location to safeguard the proper chain of custody and classification of these documents, so the Chairman could view them in a legal way. Last week, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer had dismissed speculation that the White House had supplied Nunes with the information, saying that the suggestion did not pass the smell test. He added, however, that he did not for sure what Nunes had told Trump or where his information came from. After Nunes apologized to members of his committee Thursday and promised to thoroughly investigate the surveillance, several lawmakers said Nunes had promised to provide them the surveillance information he had received. That has not occurred yet. In his first statement last week, Nunes said he was concerned that some Trump transition officials identities might have been improperly revealed in intelligence reports, despite rules requiring them to be kept confidential in most cases. The Chairman is extremely concerned by the possible improper unmasking of names of U.S. citizens, and he began looking into this issue even before President Trump tweeted his assertion that Trump Tower had been wiretapped, Langer said. Whether any officials names actually were unmasked is unclear. The ranking Democrat on the committee, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) has questioned Nunes assertions about improper unmasking. But Schiff noted that he has not seen the documents Nunes claims to have seen. Schiff had no comment on the news that Nunes had seen the documents at the White House. UPDATES 10:20 a.m.: This article was updated with staff reporting. This article was originally published as an Associated Press report at 9:06 a.m. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Venezuela in showdown with OAS, U.S. over political prisoners By Tracy Wilkinson The besieged leftist government of Venezuela is under mounting pressure after the United States and 13 of the hemispheres other leading nations demanded the release of political prisoners and other pro-democracy concessions. The Organization of American States, the regions main collective body, has threatened to suspend Venezuela because of what it called the autocratic repression imposed by President Nicolas Maduro. Maduros foreign minister, Delcy Rodriguez, will appear Monday before an OAS panel in Washington to plead her governments case. This comes after members of the Venezuelan delegation stormed out of OAS meetings last week, according to diplomats. OAS Secretary-General Luis Almagro, in a report on Venezuela, noted that Maduro canceled both a referendum that could have recalled his government and later regional elections, after the opposition made huge gains in parliamentary voting in 2015. A Maduro-controlled Supreme Court then stripped the parliament of much of its power. In addition, thousands of people have been arrested for their political beliefs, Almagro said, including opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, who has been in jail for three years. The OAS is demanding Venezuela hold elections or risk suspension from the group, a drastic measure. The last time a country was suspended was when the military and right-wing politicians staged a coup against the elected president in Honduras in 2009. Under OAS regulations, a country can be suspended when the democratic order is altered. Venezuela is in the throes of a devastating economic and humanitarian crisis. The oil-rich country has among the highest homicide and inflation rates in the world and suffers from severe shortages of food and medicine. The Maduro government angrily condemned the OAS actions as imperialist interference and vowed to resist. Adan Chavez, brother of the late Hugo Chavez, the socialist strongman who set Venezuela on its revolutionary path, claimed the OAS was plotting a coup against Maduro. Maduro views much of his opposition as right-wing oligarchs who have long repressed the poor. Although the OAS has often been accused of pro-Washington tendencies, it is significant that 13 nations in addition to the United States are united in condemning Venezuela. This marks a shift away from populist regimes in much of Latin America. The Trump administration, which has shown little interest in Latin America beyond Mexico, did issue instructions to diplomats to find ways through the OAS to put pressure on Venezuela, according to people familiar with the matter. Those instructions came despite parallel administration plans to slash funds to the OAS and other multilateral institutions like the United Nations. Trump recently spoke by telephone to the presidents of Chile and Brazil and in both cases discussed Venezuela, the White House said. And he met at the White House with Lilian Tintori, the wife of Lopez, the jailed opposition leader, as she lobbied for her husbands freedom. The Treasury Department earlier this year slapped sanctions on Venezuelas vice president, Tareck El Aissami, alleging he was a major drug trafficker, charges he denied. Were not pushing for Venezuelas expulsion from the OAS at this time, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said late last week. However, we do think the OAS is the appropriate venue to deal with the ongoing situation in Venezuela, he said. Elections are essential to securing accountability, and the Venezuelan people deserve a voice in creating solutions to the myriad economic, political, and social and humanitarian challenges that they face. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump takes to Twitter to blame GOP hard-liners over healthcare failure By Laura King (Mandel Ngan / AFP-Getty Images) President Trump on Sunday blamed fellow Republicans and two influential conservative advocacy groups for last weeks failure of the GOP healthcare plan. The president had said on Friday that it was the fault of Democrats that House Speaker Paul D. Ryan pulled the measure from consideration rather than putting it forth for a floor showdown that the GOP leadership would have lost. In a Sunday morning tweet, the president appeared to shift culpability to the House Freedom Caucus, a conservative group of GOP lawmakers who were key to depriving Trump and his camp of the votes needed for passage. Democrats are smiling over the bills failure, Trump declared on Twitter. The Freedom Caucus, he said, had saved President Obamas Affordable Care Act with the help of Heritage Action and the Club for Growth, two organizations that had opposed the GOP measure. The chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), declined to engage in any sparring with the White House, instead predicting that a Trump-led Republican effort to overhaul Obamas signature healthcare legislation eventually would move ahead. At the end of the day, the most valuable player will be President Trump, he said on ABCs This Week. Meadows also insisted there had been no conversation about any attempt to force out Ryan, who is being blamed for failing to marshal sufficient support for the measure he had spearheaded. Trump so far has refrained from public criticism of the speaker, but again on Twitter he specifically urged followers to watch a Fox News segment on Saturday night, featuring commentator Jeanine Pirro excoriating Ryan and calling for him to be ousted. That gave rise to speculation that Trump would seek to force the speaker to take the fall for the debacle. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print After the GOP healthcare bill fizzles, Trump blames the Democrats and says he learned a lot about loyalty By Brian Bennett President Trump addresses the cancellation of a vote Friday on the GOPs plan to overhaul the Affordable Care Act. After failing to land a deal on the healthcare bill, President Trump on Friday blamed Democrats, even though the GOP controls Congress and the White House, and made few overtures across the aisle when pushing the bill. When you get no votes from the other side -- meaning Democrats -- it is really a difficult situation, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office after a revolt by Republican lawmakers forced House leaders to stop a vote in their bid to overhaul the Affordable Care Act. Trump insisted that the current healthcare law, commonly known as Obamacare, will collapse under its own weight, and then Democrats will want to make a deal with the White House. I truly believe the Democrats will come to us, Trump said. In the meantime, Trump is moving his attention to pushing through a tax reform bill, he said. We will probably be going really hard for the big tax cuts and tax reform -- thats next, he said. Trump, who has spent decades negotiating real estate deals and seeing many of them fall through, seemed sanguine discussing the effort he put into getting a healthcare reform bill passed. This was an interesting period of time, Trump said. We learned a lot about loyalty and we learned a lot about the vote-getting process. Trump stopped short of blaming House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and avoided singling out the group of conservative Republican lawmakers, who dug in their heels in opposition. Lawmakers in the House Freedom Caucus that largely stood against the bill are very good people and friends of mind, he said. I was disappointed because we could have had it, he said. Im a little surprised, he said. When asked by a reporter if he would reach out now to Democrats for ideas on how to get a deal, Trump said, No, I think we need to let Obamacare go its way for a little while. Then well see how things go. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Tillerson will meet with NATO counterparts, after all By Tracy Wilkinson Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will meet with NATO allies next week in Brussels, a move that could quell controversy over his earlier decision to skip a long-planned summit of the transatlantic alliance. The State Department said Friday that Tillerson added a stop at NATO headquarters in Brussels to a previously scheduled trip to the Turkish capital of Ankara. Tillerson will be in Ankara on Thursday to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other senior Turkish officials to discuss the fight against Islamic State militants in Syria and to reaffirm Turkeys important role in ensuring regional stability, the State Department said. The next day, he will go to NATO, the State Department said. NATO officials were attempting to put together a session with the other 27 allied nations. Earlier this week, news that Tillerson would miss the NATO ministerial meeting set for April 5-6, roiled the alliance. Administration officials said Tillerson would have to be in Washington to attend President Trumps first face-to-face meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping on April 6-7. At the same time, Tillersons aides announced he would be traveling to Moscow the following week. Criticism was swift from European allies but also from several former American diplomats and key U.S. lawmakers, who said the decision raised questions about the Trump administrations commitment to NATO. During his campaign, Trump called the alliance obsolete, although more recently he has voiced support for it while also demanding members spend more money on defense. In response, Tillersons aides said they were exchanging possible alternative dates with NATO to attempt to arrange a meeting in which all parties could participate. It was not yet clear if next Fridays meeting will take the place of the April 5-6 session, which as of late Friday remained on NATOs formal calendar. Diplomats considered the ministerial meeting as especially important because it will lay the groundwork for a May 25 NATO summit of heads of state and government, which Trump has said he will attend. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Charter promises Trump something new ($25-billion investment) and something old (20,000 jobs) By Jim Puzzanghera Charter Communications Chief Executive Thomas Rutledge. (Mandel Ngan / AFP/Getty Images) The chief executive of Charter Communications committed in a meeting with President Trump on Friday to invest $25 billion on broadband infrastructure while joining a trend of business leaders touting previously announced job creation at the White House. In the case of Charter Southern Californias dominant cable-TV and Internet service provider Chief Executive Thomas Rutledge said he expected to hire 20,000 new U.S. employees over the next four years. Charter had made the hiring promise in 2015 when it was purchasing Time Warner Cable. The new development was the time period in which it will occur. Nevertheless, Trump indicated the job creation was triggered by his election. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Threats made against Hawaii judge who ruled against travel ban By Jaweed Kaleem (George Lee / The Star-Advertiser via AP) The Hawaii federal judge who brought President Trumps revised travel ban to a national halt last week has become the target of threats. U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson has received the threats since his March 15 ruling, according to FBI spokeswoman Michele Ernst. Ernst said the FBI is ready to assist but declined to provide more information. The U.S. Marshals Service also said it would not give details. The U.S. Marshals Service is responsible for the protection of federal judicial officials, including judges and prosecutors, and we take that responsibility very seriously, the agency said in a statement. While we do not discuss our specific security measures, we continuously review the security measures in place for all federal judges and take appropriate steps to provide additional protection when it is warranted. Watson, a judge in the U.S. District Court of Hawaii in Honolulu, issued a scathing 43-page opinion against the travel ban the day before it was to go into effect. He wrote that, despite the bans stated secular purpose, Trumps own words marked the executive order as a fulfillment of the presidents campaign promise to temporarily bar Muslims from coming to the U.S. The illogic of the governments contention is palpable, Watson said. In response, Trump said Watsons ruling was terrible and makes us look weak. Trump has vowed to take the travel ban case to the U.S. Supreme Court. An appeal of a separate Maryland federal judges ruling against the travel ban is currently pending in the U.S. 4th District Court of Appeals. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print House GOP gives up on healthcare bill as Trump suffers first legislative defeat By Lisa Mascaro Unable to muster enough support from his own party, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan again postponed a vote Friday on the GOPs plan to overhaul the Affordable Care Act. The move came at the request of President Trump, who just Thursday night issued an ultimatum that lawmakers should hold the vote regardless of the outcome. It was the second time House GOP leaders had to delay a final reckon Yellow fever has broken out in the jungles outside Brazils most densely-populated cities, raising a frightening but still remote possibility: an epidemic that could decimate that countrys population and spread throughout the Americas, including the United States. In an essay rushed into print by the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday, two doctors from the National Institutes of Health warn that cases of yellow fever, which can kill as many as 10% of those infected, have seen an unusual spike in the last few weeks in several rural areas of Brazil. Those outbreaks have been limited to places where there arent enough people or virus-spreading mosquitoes to fuel a rapid run-up in transmission. But they are on the edge of major urban areas where residents are largely unvaccinated, and where both humans and insects are packed densely enough to accelerate the diseases spread. Advertisement Its a perilous moment, made more so by the fact that, while an effective vaccine against yellow fever has been around since 1937, worldwide stockpiles are all but depleted. In a series of yellow fever outbreaks in Angola and Democratic Republic of Congo two years ago, public health officials ran so short of the vaccine that they resorted to giving each person one-fifth of a dose. Only a few companies worldwide manufacture the vaccine, and making additional doses takes a long time, said Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and coauthor of the new essay. In the virtual absence of stockpiled vaccine, wrote Fauci and Dr. Catharine I. Paules, early identification of cases and rapid implementation of public health management and prevention strategies, such as mosquito control and appropriate vaccination, are critical to preventing an explosion of yellow fever. In an interview, Fauci said he considered it unlikely that an outbreak that has been confined to Brazils forest communities would spread to that countrys cities and catch fire. With more than 1,000 suspected cases in Brazil and 371 confirmed by blood tests, its not critical yet in Brazil, he said. But he would worry, he added, if cases of yellow fever begin to turn up in such cities as Sao Paolo, Rio de Janeiro or Brazilia among people who have not come in from the jungles. Fauci said it was important that his office puts it on the radar screens of both public health authorities and physicians. Most doctors have never seen yellow fever, which made its most frightening mark in the United States in Philadelphia in the fall of 1793. Brought in by people fleeing an epidemic in the Caribbean, yellow fever swept through the city, killing roughly 1 in 10 inhabitants. Yellow fever is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which circulates in parts of the southern United States. But for yellow fever to gain a foothold in this country, many of those mosquitoes would need to feast on the blood of people who had been infected elsewhere and traveled here. Then, the mosquitoes would have to quickly move on to transmit the virus to others nearby. That chain of events would require a density of mosquitoes, infected travelers and innocent bystanders that, while possible, is improbable. In an era of frequent international travel, any marked increase in domestic cases in Brazil raises the possibility of travel-related cases and local transmission in regions where yellow fever is not endemic, Fauci and Paules wrote. Doctors in the United States should be asking for travel histories from any patients who turn up after a brief, mild illness appeared to go away, but was quickly followed by the hallmark symptoms of yellow fevers intoxication stage high fevers, internal bleeding, severe liver dysfunction and jaundice (hence the name yellow fever), kidney failure, cardiovascular abnormalities, central nervous system dysfunction and shock. Fauci and Paules wrote that it was highly unlikely that we will see yellow fever outbreaks in the continental United States. But, they added, it is possible that travel-related cases of yellow fever could occur, with brief periods of local transmission in warmer regions such as the Gulf Coast states, where A. aegypti mosquitoes are prevalent. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, acknowledged that while it was too early to panic, the prospect of urbanized yellow fever was one that strikes fear in the hearts of public health officials. The Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads yellow fever does very well in urban areas, where trash and discarded plastic offer ideal breeding sites and humans are readily available to bite. In such circumstances, it doesnt take too many people infected with yellow fever to feed an army of mosquitoes, who will then carry the virus on to the next group, and the next, said Osterholm, the author of a forthcoming book, Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs. Its like throwing a yellow fever match into a gas tanker. Those are the perfect ingredients for yellow fever explosion, he said. If a vaccine is largely absent, the resulting conflagration can spread unchecked, he added. Even if Brazils yellow fever outbreaks go to ground in the jungle, Fauci said the scenario now unfolding reminds us of the things we need to see potentially deadly epidemics coming and respond to head them off. Those include good surveillance by doctors and public health officials to detect even small outbreaks; the capacity to ramp up vaccine production quickly; and a public health emergency fund so that government officials can take urgent measures to stamp out disease transmission before an epidemic takes hold. melissa.healy@latimes.com @LATMelissaHealy ALSO As obesity keeps rising, more Americans are just giving up Computers can now challenge and beat professional poker players at Texas hold em Pregnant women with Zika are 20 times more likely to have a baby with a birth defect, CDC says Actors at the Spanish-language TV network Telemundo have overwhelmingly voted to unionize with SAG-AFTRA, bringing to a close a protracted dispute between Hollywoods largest union and NBCUniversal, which owns the network. SAG-AFTRA said Wednesday that 81% of eligible voters chose to unionize in a balloting process that began Feb. 7 and lasted four weeks. Miami-based Telemundo, which was acquired by NBCUniversal in 2001, is the largest employer of Spanish-language performers in the United States, providing work for hundreds of actors on its programs. Anuncio The vote marks a victory for SAG-AFTRA, which has been trying for years to extend union benefits to actors who work on the networks popular shows. This is a historic moment, said Gabrielle Carteris, president of SAG-AFTRA, in an interview. Those performers deserve to have protection. Carteris said the vote demonstrated the power of SAG-AFTRA, which formed in 2012 with the merger of two rival unions and represents about 160,000 individuals. The union said that a total of 124 individuals submitted anonymous mail-in ballots, with 91 voting in favor of the measure and 21 against it. Twelve ballots were challenged and werent counted. The vote was administered by the National Labor Relations Board, which chose the 124 participants based on the amount of time actors have worked on telenovela dramas and other shows. In the weeks ahead, SAG-AFTRA is expected to sit down with Telemundo to hammer out a collective bargaining contract. The contract is intended to primarily cover telenovela performers, including actors, guest stars, dancers and stunt workers, according to Susan Davis, a lawyer who represents the union. Among the points of negotiation will be benefits, overtime pay and residual payments. We have every reason to be optimistic, said Davis. A Telemundo spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday that while we are disappointed with this result, we remain committed to all of our employees and will move forward with the negotiation process after the election results have been certified by the NLRB. The spokesperson added: We continue to be dedicated to making Telemundo a great place to work and to Telemundos long-term success. SAG-AFTRA has asserted that Telemundo pays its performers half of what English-language actors earn on other NBCUniversal-owned networks, and that Telemundo doesnt provide its telenovela actors with healthcare, contribute to their pensions or pay standard overtime or residuals. NBCUniversal has stated that Telemundo would start offering healthcare and retirement benefits to performers starting in 2017, but declined to elaborate. SAG-AFTRA began its fight with NBCUniversal about 15 years ago and has kept up the pressure as Telemundo has grown in popularity. The union has argued that NBCUniversal maintains a double standard by allowing its English-language performers to unionize while refusing the same right to Spanish-speaking actors. Last year, the union produced a commercial blasting NBCUniversal. The company refused to air the Spanish-language spot during Telemundos live broadcast of its popular Premios Tu Mundo awards show. Telemundo competes with Univision Communications for Spanish-speaking viewers in the United States. But unlike Telemundo, Univision doesnt produce original scripted dramatic content in the United States, relying instead on a program licensing agreement with Grupo Televisa, with the work covered by the Mexican actors union ANDA. The recent Telemundo vote means more financial security and power for actors, said Pablo Azar, who has appeared in numerous series on the network, including the recent La Fan. We have a voice now, said the 34-year-old Mexico-born actor who resides in Miami. We can actually decide how we want our future to be. david.ng@latimes.com Twitter: @DavidNgLAT UPDATES: 4:20 p.m.: This article was updated to note that SAG-AFTRA has been trying for years to extend union benefits to Telemundo actors. 2:40 p.m.: This article was updated with comments and information from SAG-AFTRA leaders and members. This article was originally published at 12:30 p.m. Fan Jinshi has spent half a century fighting an uphill battle to preserve the ancient Buddhist wall paintings at Dunhuang, Gansu province. [Photo/ccdi.gov.cn] If it had not been for Fan Jinshi and her team, the world cultural heritage at Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes in a remote Chinese desert might have long been destroyed by sand, weather or humans. Born and raised in Shanghai, Fan has spent half a century fighting an uphill battle to preserve the ancient Buddhist wall paintings at Dunhuang, in Northwest China's Gansu province. "It was not that I favored my job over my family, I just could not bear the guilt of having our ancestors' legacy destroyed," she told in Beijing while attending the annual session of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). The 1,600-year-old Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes are a huge collection of Buddhist art -- more than 2,000 Buddha figures and 45,000 square meters of paintings spread among 735 caves. It is China's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. Desert Warfare Archaeologist Fan was sent to Dunhuang after graduating from Peking University in 1963. Her college sweetheart was assigned a teaching job in Wuhan, thousands of miles away. While in Dunhuang, a desert outpost then, Fan lived in an abandoned temple. At first, she did not even dare go out to the toilet at night. "I saw a pair of shining eyes in the dark. I thought it was a wolf," she said, before finding out that the eyes belonged to a donkey. To protect the treasures from sand and dampness, Fan and other workers put doors on the caves, planted trees and started monitoring temperature and humidity in the caves. They also control the number of visitors. "The carbon dioxide people exhale in the caves accumulates and will damage the paintings, so we allow a maximum of 3,000 tourists each day." In the late 1990s, with tourism booming nationwide since national holidays were extended, the local government planned to go public with Dunhuang Mogao, but found Fan firmly in their way. "The legacy would have been destroyed if it had been listed," she said. The academy has now photographed and cataloged online all the sculptures and paintings. "Despite our efforts to minimize damage, we can't completely stop them from being eroded. But the digital database will last." Fan was grateful when her husband joined her in Dunhuang in 1986 after 19 years of separation. Her two sons grew up in Shanghai with their aunt. "I have not been a good mother or wife. With regard to my family, I'm full of guilt," she said. To teach his students about religions essential role in history, John Muir Middle School social science teacher Barry Sarna takes his students on an annual field trip to tour different places of worship in the community. Sarna led the field trip again last week, and his seventh-grade students got an up-close look at a 100-year-old Torah at Burbank Temple Emanu El and listened to organ music at Burbank First United Methodist Church. As part of the seventh-grade state standards, Sarna teaches his students about early Christianity, Islam and the Protestant Reformation. About a dozen years ago, he decided to take his students on a field trip to bolster his classroom lectures. Join the conversation on Facebook >> I wanted to bring my seventh-grade curriculum to life. My hope is that they will come away understanding that there is more that binds us together than separates us, Sarna said after the field trip. I especially think this is important in todays world when there is so much misunderstanding about people who have different ideas and beliefs than ours. The students also visited St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church and St. Ephraim Syriac Orthodox Church. Student Rachel Tomasck said she was impressed to see several religions practiced in Burbank. Although we learned about these different religions in class, it was eye-opening to see them in person and how they practice their religion. It was amazing to see how Burbank has so many contributions of religions, Rachel said. Her classmate Madison Gomez added: I learned a lot about these places that I might have never [known]. These houses of worship were more similar than different. -- Kelly Corrigan, kelly.corrigan@latimes.com Twitter: @kellymcorrigan The remaining 17 cottages in need of restoration at Crystal Cove State Park will get that care after the California Coastal Commission on Wednesday unanimously approved the work. Commissioners at their meeting in Ventura granted a coastal development permit to the California Department of Parks and Recreation, which owns the coastal enclave between Laguna Beach and Newport Beach, and the nonprofit Crystal Cove Alliance, to renovate the final group of 46 cottages that date to the 1930s and 40s and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The vote marks a major step forward for the cottages, which faced demolition at one point when a developer proposed a luxury resort on the land. But plans never materialized amid a wave of opposition led by Laura Davick, whose family has had ties to Crystal Cove since 1937. Its a huge milestone for our organization and Crystal Cove State Park to finally move this project to the next stage, Davick, who founded the alliance and is its current vice president, said in a phone interview after the vote. Decades ago, the cluster of vintage cottages were favorites of people who loved the bohemian feel of the beach colony. But the property was sold, and the tenants were told to leave. After the development scare, the cottages sat empty and in disrepair. Finally renovation began, and the first 22 restored cottages opened to the public in 2006. The latest restoration will involve partial dismantling of the structures, with every effort being made to reuse the original materials, according to a Coastal Commission staff report. The project includes construction of a 650-foot-long boardwalk on caissons and a 20-by-120-foot wall to protect two of the cottages from potential erosion, as well as the addition of eight spaces to a bluff-top parking lot, according to the staff report. Proposed rental rates range from $35 per night in a dorm-room bed to $245 per night for a cottage that can hold six or more people, the staff report said. One of the cottages would have at least 11 beds and be available for up to 36 nights per year for students from low-income families as part of an education program. Students and park visitors will learn about our dynamic and changing coastline because of the effects of climate change and experiment with innovative solutions, according to an alliance news release. This is an exciting project, Coastal Commission member Gregory Cox said. Its going to be one of the crown jewels of the state park system. The cost for restoring the 17 cottages and infrastructure, which includes undergrounding utility lines and building retaining walls, is estimated at $30 million, Davick said. The state and alliance will work through this year to finalize cost estimates for construction, according to the news release. Restoration could begin as soon as 2018. bryce.alderton@latimes.com Twitter: @AldertonBryce As she reflected recently on the accomplishments of female leaders who preceded her, one thing became clear to Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley. I have to get busy, Foley said Wednesday as she addressed a crowd of about 125 people at Mesa Verde Country Club. Theyve made enormous contributions. Foley and the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce partnered to put on a luncheon honoring seven women who served as the citys mayor since it incorporated in 1953. In December, Foley became the eighth member of that group. There are some high heels to fill in this room, she quipped. Foley said its fitting the luncheon was held Wednesday, as it coincided with International Womens Day. I think what youll see about the women were recognizing today is that they brought to Costa Mesa a desire to make it really family-oriented, to celebrate the arts, to make sure we have quality of life and that we are fiscally responsible, she said. Five of the honorees Arlene Schafer, Mary Hornbuckle, Sandy Genis, Libby Cowan and Linda Dixon were on hand for the event. Norma Hertzog-Wagner, the citys first female council member and mayor, and Karen Robinson, the first African American to serve on the council, were unable to attend Wednesday. A series of presentations focused on topics the honorees championed while in office and showed how their efforts still have influence today. Hertzog-Wagner worked to institute the citys sign ordinance and was instrumental in bringing South Coast Repertory to its current location near the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Schafer, who currently serves on the Costa Mesa Sanitary District board, also supported the arts locally and played a vital role in opening the Pacific Amphitheatre at the OC Fair & Event Center. Hornbuckle, who is now vice president of the Coast Community College District board, pushed to create the Costa Mesa Foundation, and her support of the nonprofit Share Our Selves helped that organization succeed and grow. Genis, the current mayor pro tem whom Foley called the fiscal wonk of the City Council, persuaded the council to pull city money out of the Orange County investment pool before the countys bankruptcy in 1994, saving Costa Mesa millions of dollars. Cowan focused largely on community beautification and was a major advocate for landscape and streetscape improvements citywide. Dixon championed the citys mixed-use development plan and creation of its arts district. She pushed to change the city motto from Hub of the Harbor Area to the current City of the Arts. Robinson, whose council stint was cut short by her appointment as an Orange County Superior Court judge, emphasized the importance of building up budget reserves. For Hornbuckle, events like Wednesdays are an honor but also bring to mind how many people go unrecognized for their efforts to support and improve the city. None of us mayors could do anything by ourselves, she said in an interview after the event. It requires a village to build a town, and I think we have worked hard at making Costa Mesa a wonderful community. The impact strong female leaders can have wasnt lost on Cowan, who praised those who paved the way for her to serve on the council. When I was growing up, it was always very important for me to see women in strong roles, and the same thing still goes today, she said in an interview. Its very important for our young people to see women in strong roles. It gives them something to shoot for, something where they say, I can do that. Costa Mesas female mayors Norma Hertzog-Wagner (1977-78, 1984-86) Arlene Schafer (1980-82) Mary Hornbuckle (1990-92) Sandy Genis (1992-94) Libby Cowan (2000-01) Linda Dixon (2001-02) Karen Robinson (2003) Katrina Foley (2017) Source: City of Costa Mesa luke.money@latimes.com Twitter: @LukeMMoney An Orange County Superior Court judge heard a request Wednesday for a temporary restraining order that would prohibit the Newport Beach City Council from finalizing its decision to rescind approval of the Museum House condominium development. After about an hours discussion in his Santa Ana courtroom, Judge Geoffrey Glass did not issue a ruling on the request, which was filed by the Orange County Museum of Art. He did not indicate when a ruling would be issued. OCMA is looking to sell its property at 850 San Clemente Drive in Newport Center to developer Related California, which proposed to build Museum House there. OCMA would use the funds from the sale to build a new facility in Costa Mesa. The City Council approved Museum House, a 100-unit, 25-story luxury condominium tower, last year before rescinding its decision in February following a certified petition drive by local activist group Line in the Sand, which called for a public vote on the project. OCMA filed a lawsuit in January challenging the validity of the petition, saying it lacked some required documents and the font was too small to read. The museums request for the temporary restraining order seeks to prevent the council from taking a procedural second vote March 14 to rescind its approval. Much of Wednesdays discussion in court consisted of Glass expressing frustration with OCMAs attorney, Darryl Wold, because Glass was unable to find or easily reference Wolds new and old court filings. Line in the Sand attorney Beverly Grossman Palmer argued against one of the main contentions in OCMAs lawsuit that the petition font was smaller than the 8-point size required by state elections code. Palmer said OMCAs counsel erroneously referred to a law that guides statewide referendums, not local ones. Because the supposed 8-point requirement does not apply to local referenda and there are numerous state laws acknowledging that 6-point font is a sufficient size for important warnings, petitioners will not be able to demonstrate that the referendum petition was non-compliant with applicable law, Palmer wrote in Line in the Sands argument filed late Tuesday. Wold contested Palmers assertion, saying municipal referendums were incorporated into the state law he cited. OCMA has said it would like a restraining order to be in effect for three to four months, enough time for the court to make a decision on its lawsuit challenging Line in the Sands petition. OCMAs president and board chairman, Craig Wells, said in a filing Tuesday that the museum has outgrown its Newport Beach facility and needs to build something bigger at Costa Mesas Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Wells said the museum is heavily reliant on the purchase price Related was willing to pay for OCMAs land an amount that hasnt been made public. bradley.zint@latimes.com Twitter: @BradleyZint One look at Glendale City Council candidate Mark MacCarleys history and it would be difficult to question his commitment to civil service. A retired U.S. Army general and business owner, MacCarley, a Glendale native, joined the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department shortly after law school in a reserve capacity, including 10 years on the sheriffs Montrose Search-and-Rescue Team. He also spent 12 years as an active-duty Army officer, serving during the height of the United States conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, earning the rank of a two-star general before retiring the Army uniform. Join the conversation on Facebook >> Still, MacCarley will tell constituents that hes not running as some sort of military candidate, but as a Glendale resident who wants to continue a commitment to his community. This time around, he would like to be a member of City Council, where MacCarley said he can bring the broad scope of his military service to a position that can help resolve the citys challenges. The council people that are elected are going to have to develop some form of consensus or work with at least two other council members in order to drive forward a vision thats consistent with what the people of Glendale want, and thats what I learned overseas, MacCarley said. Its all about bringing people together. MacCarley currently runs a law firm and was previously involved in multiple philanthropic and community organizations including the Verdugo Mental Health Assn., the Bridge-Away Across Drug Rehabilitation Center and the Family Service Center. Running with a campaign that wants to Make Glendale Livable Again, MacCarleys platform is influenced, in part, by what he says are the detrimental changes hes seen in the city since returning from military service. At the forefront of the MacCarley campaign is slowing down luxury development which he said may require a one-year moratorium and supporting local law enforcement officers as they handle a 20% increase in violent crime, according to midyear crime statistics released last summer. With those two issues in mind, MacCarley said building a better relationship between the city and small businesses will help in funding services that go toward public safety and reducing traffic congestion brought on by recent development. Small business is the engine that generates the revenues that infuse the city with the necessary funds to address my No. 1 and 2 [priorities], MacCarley said. Last year, MacCarley ran as a Republican in the state Assemblys District 43 primary, but failed to make the runoff, trailing in third place behind Ardy Kassakhian and the eventual winner, Laura Friedman. If you ask me why [Im running for City Council] and I know this is absolutely alien to most people but its a motivation that those of us who have served know, its this concept of selfless service, MacCarley said. It means you dedicate yourself to do the right thing at the right time regardless of personal cost. -- Jeff Landa, jeff.landa@latimes.com Twitter: @JeffLanda Three individuals arrested at a Harter Lane home last week in connection with a La Canada residential burglary were arraigned at a Pasadena courthouse Monday on charges of felony burglary and felony grand theft, a sheriffs detective reported Wednesday. Sgt. Alan Chu with the Crescenta Valley Sheriffs Station said a 36-year-old white male appeared in court on a charge of grand theft and is scheduled for a March 22 hearing. The other two suspects a 36-year-old Latina female and a 23-year-old black male were arraigned on charges of burglary Monday and released on their own recognizance pending future court dates. Join the conversation on Facebook >> The [district attorney] was thinking of only filing misdemeanor charges, Chu said Wednesday, indicating the suspects prior histories and the fact the burglary was simply a property crime were considerations. But I think we were able to convince them to file felony charges. The arrests were made the morning of Thursday, March 2, four days after deputies responding to a family disturbance call at 5209 Harter Lane recognized several pieces of furniture that strongly resembled items stolen from a vacant home on Noren Street weeks earlier. "[The furniture] had been taken out of another house that was for sale, Chu said in an interview at the scene of the arrests. It was pretty unique. Sheriffs detectives were able to positively identify the stolen furniture from photos provided by the home staging company that owned the pieces and had arranged them in the Noren Street house, according to Chu. A search warrant for the Harter Lane home was prepared, and sheriffs deputies and detectives returned to the property around 7 a.m. Thursday to execute the warrant, Chu said. Three adults at the property were arrested for burglary. It remains unclear whether the three suspects and a number of other adults and children seen on the property Thursday were living there legally. Real estate listings online indicate the 2,833-square-foot residence was a foreclosed home. Posted on a gate leading to the property next to a No Trespassing sign was a piece of paper titled Notice of Lawful Use of Space and Peaceful Inhabitation [sic]. The notice informed law enforcement officers and state officials of the inhabitants rights to remain unmolested. Failure to follow state laws may result in legal action taken against you, the notice read. A La Canada resident asking to remain unnamed out of concern for the safety of her family, contacted the listed owner, Altisource Asset Management in the Virgin Islands, about the status of the property and was told the company was aware the occupants were living there illegally. We are required to file a formal complaint, which we have done, Altisource general counsel and secretary Stephen Grey replied in an email to the residents request. The occupants of the home did not respond to the complaint and the attorney has already submitted the default judgment and writ to the court. There is an expected lock-out/removal of the squatters in the near future. Chu acknowledged there was a dispute as to whether the people occupying the Harter Lane home were allowed to be there, but said the issue was not under the purview of the sheriffs department. That is a civil matter, he said Wednesday. -- Sara Cardine, sara.cardine@latimes.com Twitter: @SaraCardine Presidents Day week may have been uneventful for some, but it found La Canada resident Peggy Grande on a whirlwind, bicoastal tour for a perfectly timed memoir about the decade she spent working at the side of President Ronald Reagan. The President Will See You Now: My Stories and Lessons from Ronald Reagans Final Years details Grandes ascension from patriotic Pepperdine University senior working as a sales clerk at Nordstrom to executive assistant of the former president from 1989 to 1999. The book hit the stands on Feb. 21 and has been selling steadily at events and speaking engagements, including the Conservative Political Action Conference just outside the nations capital, where the mother of four signed copies and recorded an interview for a syndicated radio show. Join the conversation on Facebook >> Shes appeared on the Today show and has spoken to radio stations across the nation, averaging from one to four interviews each day to share her memories of Reagan not only as a statesman, but as a kind and gracious person. Its been terrific to see how the book has been received, Grande said, describing her first literary effort as a personal sketch that took two months to write. I sat at a desk for eight to 15 hours a day so I could immerse myself in those years its a much deeper, more interesting and personal book than it would have been if Id just scratched things out here and there. Grande spent the books opening night in La Canada at a signing hosted by Flintridge Bookstore & Coffeehouse, where more than 60 people came out to hear her personal anecdotes about Reagans life post-White House. Gail Mishkin, who handles marketing and events for the store, said many who turned out to hear Grande speak bought multiple copies of the book, some as gifts for others. I think she was really just telling the story, as a young person, of the towering impact this figure had on her, Mishkin said of the author. It seems like it was a very personal relationship. Grande opens The President Will See You Now with news of Nancy Reagans March 6, 2016, passing. That historic moment provides a personal jumping off point for the author, who fondly recalls applying for a college internship at the former presidents Century City office, almost on a lark. I made a list of 10 places in L.A. Id love to intern with of course Ronald Reagans name was on that list, said Grande, an avid fan of presidential facts who grew up in the conservative-leaning city of Brea. That was the only phone call I got. It was on her initial interview that she met The Great Communicator in person. She recalled her nervousness as he approached and introduced himself. Grande secured the college internship and was later hired on as executive assistant, first to former administration member Fred Ryan (now publisher and chief executive of the Washington Post) and then to Reagan himself. Husband and Glendale native Greg Grande recounted how excited his then-girlfriend was to land the assignment of a lifetime, and what an honor the position became for her in the decade that followed. Her capturing those memories in a book and sharing them with others seems like a natural and graceful next step, he said. Were all kind of amazed people are still interested in these stories. Its been fun to see her totally thrive and excel, he said of his wifes successes. Im bursting with pride no doubt about that. Peggy Grande will speak at a book signing Saturday at noon at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, and at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books April 22 and 23. I hope whoever reads this will feel theyve been given a peek behind the screen, and theyll jump on my shoulder and come to work with me, she said. -- Sara Cardine, sara.cardine@latimes.com Twitter: @SaraCardine In 1987, the number of homeless people living on the beaches in Venice soared. On Aug. 9, 1987, staff writer George Stine reported in a front page Los Angeles Times story: Angry Venice Beach residents and merchants, alarmed at an influx of homeless some drawn by free food and more tolerant law enforcement, others rousted by the crackdown on downtowns Skid Row are demanding tougher policing and accusing City Hall of official neglect. A group of neighbors who charge that the police have adopted a hands-off policy toward the homeless a charge the police deny gathered 1,000 signatures on a three-page open letter in less than a month. Advertisement The local police ... have been told not to do anything, the letter says. " ... These people know that the police have a hands-off policy ... and are taking full advantage of it. Problems in Venice have been neglected by the City of Los Angeles for years. Spurred by community outrage, an emergency task force of officials, residents and homeless has been meeting since July 9 and will make recommendations Thursday. City Councilwoman Ruth Galanter, whose district includes Venice, refused to discuss the problems caused by the homeless in the Venice area. However, an aide said Friday that the councilwoman will set up her own study group within two weeks. The chairwoman of the Venice Homeless Task Force, Mary Ann Hutchison, said that 5,000 homeless live on or near the beach in Venice and Santa Monica. The situation on Venice Beach is the worst I have ever seen it, said Mary Clare Molidor, the supervising Los Angeles deputy city attorney for the Westside and chairman of the criminal law enforcement subcommittee of the Venice task force. The problem has reached the point where something has to be done, she said. You cannot look the other way. Homeless people have lived on Venice Beach for several years, but the crisis atmosphere stems from the arrival within the last six months of hundreds of homeless who have been flocking to the more tolerant atmosphere on the strand, according to officials and residents. Dec. 1, 1987: A camper on Venice Beach who calls himself the Rev. Mike Estelle sits in his tent. (Boris Yaro / Los Angeles Times) Susan Chevalier, an organizer of the petition campaign, said some vagrants are coming from the downtown area to a more inviting place. The recognition that this is an inviting place is attracting them from other parts of the city also. Tent City has rules and regulations and there are none here. Doc, a retired physician who gives away food on the beach on weekends in tandem with the St. Josephs Center, which provides meals during the week, estimated that the number of homeless people on Venice Beach has doubled in the last 3 1/2 months. We have had an increase because they are chased out of downtown, he said. That is what they tell us.". The full story by George Stein: Homeless Flock to Beach, Angering Venice Residents is online. The Los Angeles City Council passed a new ordinance sponsored by City Councilwoman Ruth Galanter banning overnight camping on beaches. In January 1988, the law went into effect. A story in the Jan. 21, 1988, Los Angeles Times reported that, The one-two punch this week of a winter storm and a new law that bans overnight camping on the beach sent about 150 transients packing to temporary shelters, cheap motels and, in some cases, the streets. Aug. 8, 1987: A hammock is attached to a palm tree at a Venice Beach homeless encampment. (Iris Schneider / Los Angeles Times) Oct. 20, 1987: James Moore sits on his couch at a homeless encampment on Venice Beach. (Lisa Romerein / Los Angeles Times) Jan. 17, 1988: Some of the homeless people at Venice Beach fight the wind while driving stakes into the sand after one of the tents was blown down. (Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times) The brazen killing of a young white rhinoceros in a zoo outside Paris was probably carried out by organized crime and showed the sort of intricate planning that usually goes into art heists, French police said Wednesday. Authorities are attempting to track down the poachers who broke into the private zoo, killed the rhino and sawed off its horn. In what officials say is the first crime of its kind in Europe, the intruders smashed through a secured gate at the Thoiry animal park, as well as two other locked doors monitored by security cameras, overnight on Monday. Five members of zoo staff live at the animal reserve, about 30 miles west of Paris, but none reported hearing gunshots. Advertisement On Tuesday morning, shocked zookeepers found the dead animal, named Vince, a 4-year-old who had been shot several times in the head. His large horn had been hacked off with a chainsaw. The poachers had begun removing the smaller horn but fled before finishing the task. In an autopsy Wednesday, two large caliber bullets were removed from the animals head. They were sent to the French gendarmeries criminal research institute for analysis. On the zoos Facebook page, the owners described the slaughter as a tragic act of barbarity. Vince, who arrived at Thoiry in 2015 from a zoo in Holland where he was born at the end of 2012, shared his enclosure with a second male rhino, Bruno, age 5, and a female one, Gracie, 37. Bruno, left, and Gracie rest at the Thoiry Zoo, near Paris, on March 8, 2017. (Christophe Ena / Associated Press) The surviving pair escaped the massacre and were unharmed, the zoo added. Vince was found this morning by the keeper who was very attached to him and is deeply upset. This odious act was carried out even though there were five staff members living on site and security cameras, read the Facebook announcement. It said the animals second horn had been partially cut, leaving us to think the criminals were disturbed or their equipment failed. Colomba de La Panouse-Turnbull, deputy general director of the zoo, said the two remaining rhinos were subdued and seemed aware of the trauma. For sure, it must have been very harrowing for them to hear the gunshot and the sawing during the night of the attack, La Panouse-Turnbull told Le Parisien newspaper. We are extremely shocked and upset: Its supposed to be a sanctuary for the animals here. French police said the rhinos horn would probably be sold on the black market for up to $55,000 to buyers in Asia probably China or Vietnam where it will be ground down and used for its supposed aphrodisiac or cancer-curing qualities. Rhinoceros horn is often referred to as ivory when it is in fact made of keratin, like human fingernails. A police spokesperson told Agence France-Presse that it was a very complicated, very unusual case and that the eight-inch horn had probably been stolen to order. It looks like organized crime. Theres probably a network behind the thieves and a good chance that the horn was sold even before it was stolen, as happens with paintings. We have to act quickly or in three days the horn is already in China, an unidentified police source told the news agency. Thoiry director Thierry Duguet told journalists Wednesday that the zoo had received hundreds of calls from people around the world offering support. Vince was a southern white rhinoceros, a subspecies of the endangered white rhino species, one of the largest and heaviest of the worlds land animals. The species, which lives across southern Africa, was driven to near extinction in the 20th century through poaching, but its numbers have reportedly risen to about 21,000 animals in the wild today. Willsher is a special correspondent. ALSO Scientists discover that white rhino dung has a lot in common with a Facebook post Vietnam, the biggest hub for illegal rhino horn trafficking, has done little to stop it French conservatives, lacking a Plan B, reel as Fillons presidential campaign seems to implode A blaze that killed at least 34 girls at a shelter for troubled youths erupted when some of them set fire to mattresses to protest rapes and other mistreatment at the badly overcrowded institution, the parent of one victim said Thursday. Officials said they are still investigating who started the fire Wednesday at the long-criticized shelter on the outskirts of Guatemalas capital. It houses troubled and abused boys and girls as well as juvenile offenders. In addition to the dead, several girls were badly burned and were fighting for their lives. Advertisement Someone ignited mattresses in a dormitory that held girls who had been caught the day before during a mass breakout attempt, authorities said. Victims were brought to hospitals by the dozens, some partially naked, with large flaps of skin hanging from their bodies. A day later, distraught parents haunted hospitals and the morgue, passing scraps of paper scrawled with the names of loved ones they hoped to find. Geovany Castillo said his 15-year-old daughter, Kimberly, suffered burns on her face, arms and hands but survived. She was in a locked-in area where girls who took part in the escape attempt had been placed, he said. My daughter said the area was locked and that several girls broke down a door, and she survived because she put a wet sheet over herself, Castillo said. She said the girls themselves set the fire, he said. She said the girls told her that they had been raped and in protest they escaped, and that later, to protest, to get attention, they set fire to the mattresses. Another surviving 15-year-old girl said male residents had apparently been able to enter at least some of the girls dormitories before the fire. She and others took refuge on a roof for fear of being attacked and saw the fire break out in a nearby building. I saw the smoke in the place, she said. It smelled like flesh. The state-run Virgin of the Assumption Safe House has long been the subject of complaints about abuse, inadequate food and crowded and unsanitary conditions behind its 30-foot wall. The shelter was built to hold 500 young residents but housed at least 800 at the time of the fire. Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales blamed the disaster on the courts, accusing them of ignoring a request by his administration to transfer juvenile offenders out. Before the fire, the government had asked the appropriate authorities to immediately transfer youthful offenders to other detention centers, to avoid greater consequences, the presidents office said in a statement. The government regrets the fact that those authorities did not heed that request in an opportune way, something which could have prevented the tragedy. Jorge de Leon, Guatemalas human rights prosecutor, said in a statement that during the mass breakout the evening before the fire, at least 102 children who escaped had been found, but that others managed to flee. He said younger children fled the shelter because they were being abused by older residents. According to what they say, the bigger kids have control, and they attack them constantly, De Leon said. They also complain that food is scarce and of poor quality. In 2013, a 14-year-old girl was strangled by another resident, investigators said. Authorities said DNA tests might be necessary to identity some remains. A doctor at one hospital asked parents waiting outside for information to come back with photographs, dental records and details about tattoos or other distinctive features. Piedad Estrada, a street vendor, arrived with a photograph of her 16-year-old daughter. She said the teen was pregnant and had been at the shelter for nine days because she ran away from home. Estrada searched at the hospitals and the morgue but received no information. She showed the photo to workers at one hospital, but they said they had five girls who were completely bandaged, so they could not be sure. They only took her from me to burn her, Estrada said. I blame the state for what has happened. UPDATES: 2:10 p.m.: This article was updated with a new death toll. 1:05 p.m.: This article was updated with a new death toll and more interviews with parents. 6:25 a.m.: This article was updated with the latest death toll. This story was originally published at 4:35 a.m. Hongcun village in East China's Anhui province [Photo/Xinhua] "I am proud my home village has preserved its traditional style," said Tashi Yangjen, the only deputy to the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) from the Luoba ethnic group. With 3,600 people, Luoba is one of the smallest ethnic minorities in China. Tashi Yangjen, 36, grew up in a mountainous Luoba village in Shannan prefecture in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, though the prefecture was officially reclassified as a city in 2016. As an NPC deputy, the first suggestion Tashi Yangjen submitted to the NPC session in 2013 was on retaining the traditional design of Luoba homes, which are usually thatched with straw. She was worried that the outlook of the village would change as the government revamped and rebuilt village homes, mostly built with stone, wood and straw. Her proposal was a success. In May 2014, the government approved a plan to preserve the Luoba village. Now there are 23 new homes built with reinforced concrete in the village that look almost the same as traditional Luoba homes. Their roofs are not covered by straw, but metal that resembles straw. Tashi Yangjen's suggestions as an NPC deputy were not just about housing. She also proposed that Luoba culture be protected, including language and clothing, as well as improved infrastructure. Things are getting better for Luoba people. There is a sewage treatment service in her home village, in addition to a garbage disposal facility. A small factory for making Luoba costume is being built. Upon completion, about five Luoba people will work there making souvenirs and Luoba dresses, which usually feature red, black or white stripes. Together with traditional dress, Luoba women often wear accessories, including long necklaces and headwear made of blue beads. The Luoba ethnic group has no written language. "The spoken language of the Luoba is also protected, as traditional words are collected and Luoba children are able to learn them from preschool education," Tashi Yangjen told Xinhua during the ongoing annual session of the 12th NPC. Tashi Yangjen's suggestions also include improving the subsidies offered to residents living in border regions. This year she plans to submit a proposal to build more public facilities, including small parks where people can get together for events. "The people's congresses are good because deputies' motions and suggestions are responded to," she said, adding the system is sound because it entitles ethnic minorities, however small, to have at least one NPC deputy. A twin suicide bombing struck a village wedding north of Baghdad as the wedding party gathered in the evening hours, killing at least 26 people and wounding dozens, a government spokesman said Thursday. The attack, which took place late Wednesday, began when one suicide bomber wearing an explosives-laden belt walked into the wedding party assembled in an open area in Hajaj, near the city of Tikrit, about 80 miles from Baghdad. The bomber detonated his explosives, only to be followed by the second attacker who blew himself up when people had gathered to help the victims of the first explosion, provincial spokesman Ali Hamdani told the Associated Press. He said 26 people were killed, most of them children, and up to 67 were wounded. Advertisement There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack but suspicion is likely to fall on Islamic State, which has staged similar attacks in the past. The wedding party was for a family that had been displaced from Iraqs western Anbar province and that is affiliated with a major anti-Islamic State tribe there. Islamic State had captured Tikrit during its blitz across Iraq in the summer of 2014 when the Sunni militant group seized nearly a third of the countrys territory. Iraqi forces drove the militants from the city in April 2015, but Islamic State has since then managed to launch deadly attacks in and around Tikrit. Islamic State has also used large-scale attacks in an effort to distract from its losses as Iraqi forces battle to retake all of Mosul, the countrys second-largest city, from the group. Iraqi forces in Mosul have over the past week fought their way into the heart of the western part of the city, separated by the Tigris River from the eastern sector, capturing a government complex and the citys antiquities museum where Islamic State had destroyed priceless relics. Mosul fell to Islamic State in the summer of 2014, along with Tikrit and large swaths of northern and western Iraq, but now remains the militant groups last significant urban area in the country. ALSO Trump talks tough on Iran, but can he bring jailed Americans home? In Mosul, desperate families dodge bullets to reach safety: Theres a sniper here The teachers are unpaid and danger is ever present, but Mosuls schools are reopening UPDATES: 4:20 a.m.: Updated to raise the death toll from 20 to 26. This article was first published at 11:45 p.m. Suobhe Altmmo had fled to Libya in 2012 hoping for a better life. He and his wife and children settled in the coastal town of Zawiya, where he planned to work as an electrician. But soon the country was engulfed in anarchy, and outsiders became targets of violence. It was too dangerous to send the children to school or even leave the house. Libya was overrun with uneducated militiamen with nothing to do, said Altmmo, who is 35. It seemed no better than his native Syria, where he had spent four years as a political prisoner. Advertisement And so he fled again, crowding on to a ramshackle, wooden boat with hopes of crossing the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. He, his wife and four children including 8-month-old twin girls were among 513 migrants rescued from five boats this month and brought aboard a ship operated by the non-profits SOS Mediterranee and Doctors Without Borders. The Times interviewed more than two dozen migrants on board the ship, the Aquarius, during the 10-day rescue mission. Their stories offer a glimpse of the chaos that Libya has become, where migrants are regularly shot in the street, kidnapped for ransom or forced into slavery. Migrants told of employers refusing to pay them after months of work and threatening them with violence if they quit. Some who had spent time in migrant detention centers in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, said they witnessed migrants being sold to visitor for 150 dinars, or just over $100. Oussama Omrane, a Tunisian who has worked on rescue ships since 2015, said Libya is like a house with no owner. When Moammar Kadafi still ruled Libya, the country welcomed foreigners especially those from sub-Saharan Africa who could provide manual labor in his oil rich economy. Foreigners accounted for 1.5 million of the countrys 5.5 million people. Most did construction and domestic work. But Gadaffis ouster in 2011 set the country on a path to anarchy as politicians split into two rival administrations one in the capital Tripoli, the other in the western city of Tobruk and Islamic State militants temporarily seized towns along the coast. Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates back an unpredictable military leader, Khalifa Haftar, who has sided with the Tobruk government. The countrys breakdown has spurred a massive backlash against immigrants there. Roughly half a million have left the country in recent years, including 166,000 who fled across to the Mediterranean Sea to Italy in 2016. The numbers are up significantly the first two months of this year. An estimated 300,000 foreigners are now considering leaving, according to the International Organization for Migration, a United Nations agency. The harrowing stories told by the migrants on the Aquarius show why. In all but one case, the international groups operating the boat made the migrants available for interviews on the condition that their surnames not be used. The groups were concerned about the privacy of the migrants and possible repercussions for relatives still in Libya. Shamim, one of several migrants from Bangladesh on board, was working as a tailor in Libya when he was attacked in the street, knifed and robbed of his passport. He managed to find a police station, where officers demanded $1,000 to help him and asked him to contact relatives in Bangladesh for the cash. When he failed to raise the money, he was kept on starvation rations in a cell for three months, then sent out to work and forced to give his wages to the police. He looked weak and thin and far older than his 22 years. In Libya they see us as animals not humans, said Sumon, another 22-year-old Bangladeshi. He had been working as a perfume maker. His employer forbid him from going out alone because of the danger he would be kidnapped and held for ransom. The conditions finally spurred Sumon to flee the country. Isaac, 30, left his 11-year-old daughter back home in Ghana two years ago and found work in Libya as a builder. But he had seen so much violence that he decided to get out before he became a victim. If your employer pays you, which is rare, his friends will come round the next day to rob you, he said. And if you ever get a chance to spend the money, the police will arrest you as you walk to a shop and beat you up. Paul, 32, also from Ghana, described being robbed at gunpoint while leaving a supermarket. Unsatisfied with their haul, the robbers bundled one of Pauls friends into the trunk of a car and demanded 500 dinars, or $357, to release him. On the streets, it seemed as if everybody had an AK-47. Libyans want to steal everything you have, he said. Raymond, 31, had come to Libya last year with hopes of earning enough money to travel to Europe for surgery he needed after being shot in the face during a robbery back home in Ghana. His left eye was badly damaged. He was living with other migrants from sub-Saharan Africa when a group of young Libyans armed with machine guns robbed their house and killed three of the occupants. There is an old slavery mentality making a comeback these days in Libya, he said. Killing anything black makes them happy. Libya has also become a hub for traffickers who offer women most of them Nigerian jobs in Italy, then force them into prostitution when they arrive by threatening to hurt or kill relatives back home if they refuse. Elizabeth Ramlow, an American medic on the ship, said many of the single Nigerian women on board were likely victims. They talk of being gang raped in Libya with other Nigerian women by the very people bringing them, she said. Dora, 20-year-old from Nigeria, said Libya was supposed to be a transit point in her journey to Italy. But she wound up spending seven months there five of them in a jail where she was being held arbitrarily and fed a little as once every three days and raped only once, she said. Kington is a special correspondent. All material is subject to strictly enforced copyright terms & conditions and cannot be repurposed or reproduced. 19882022 Latin American Financial Publications Inc. The Panama Papers investigation has this week received the William Brewster Styles Award and it is the fourth major American Journalism prize. The papers have got the award for Business, Economic reporting from Scripps Howard Foundation. According to PR Newswire, the Scripps Howard Awards celebrate excellence in journalism during 2016 in 17 categories, with prize money of $180,000. The winning journalists and news outlets demonstrated courage and integrity. The Panama Papers stories should have resulted in long time impact, at the same time enacted new laws and deceptive government practices, and saved lives. The series, which illuminated offshore tax havens and shook up politicians around the world, was coordinated by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, at the time a project of the Center for Public Integrity. The Styles Award also recognized McClatchy newspapers and the Miami Herald, who were partners in the project. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists has reported, the Herald and more than 100 media partners collaboratively to investigate a trove leaked documents from inside Mossack Fonseca. This is a law firm in Panama that sells offshore companies and other complex corporate structures. The judges from the award committee noted that the Panama Papers project exposed offshore hideaways tried to megabanks, bribery scandals, drug kingpins and network people close to Russian president Vladimir Putin. Besides this, the judges also noted since the probe "governments and corporations in 79 countries have opened at least 150 inquiries, audits, and investigations" However, the Scripps Howard Awards celebrates excellence in journalism in a total of 17 categories. The Scripps Howard Foundation is the philanthropic is the philanthropic arm of the E.W Scripps Company. In this year apart from Panama Papers others winner included Pro Publica, The Atlanta Journal-constitution, The Houston Chronicle, The Oregonian and the East Bay Times. Meanwhile, the Panama Papers series has previously been honored with an Editor and publisher award. They have also awarded with Barlett and Steele award. Children mysteriously disappearing in Oregon state parks David Paulides was trained as a law man. But as he discovered over 400 cases of people going into the wilderness and never coming back, most often within the National Park System as well as in Oregon State Parks his investigative and sleuth skills prompted him to dig into newspaper archives [while] badgering federal agencies for public records, reports Koin.com. But this time, getting lost may not have been about having the appropriate survival skills. He says that many people go into the woods monthly and dont come back. He also shares great concerns and skepticism about the little ones who disappear: There are so many missing kids in Oregon, its ridiculous. Paulides research has blossomed into books, the website Canammissing.com, which is dedicated to understanding the complexity and issues of searching, rescuing, and investigating people missing in the wilds of North America, and a soon to be released movie entitled Missing 411. As Paulides gathered stories of the disappeared and the missing and looked for common clues, he began to see patterns of geography where the missing were often lost. One of the thirty clusters hes developed centers around Crater Lake, Oregon, in the midst of Crater Lake National Park. Recently an eight-year-old boy named Sammy went missing. He was sensitive and scared of bright lights and sounds due to autism, so the rescue squads used canines instead of their ordinary horns or whistles. But there was no scent to be found, even after multiple days of searching. Another boy of the same age was separated from his family eight years ago during a snow storm. In this instance, the rescuers found no tracks and no trace. Some of the children that have been rescued have had very unusual circumstances, says Paulides. He discusses cases where very young children are alleged to have walked twenty miles at night, or climbed to phenomenal heights, over 3000 or 4000 feet. Allnewspipeline.com tells of an interview with Paulides on Coast to Coast, where he reported that some of the children who had been rescued in the parks told investigators about the creatures they had seen. These children didnt know each other or had never spoken to each other, yet their descriptions of these creatures were exactly the same. In a presentation Paulides gave in Australia in early 2017, he is introduced as the American lawman who, in 2004, was drawn into the Sasquatch (Bigfoot) research, and organized DNA testing samples of material deemed to be from Bigfoot. We also discover that the year was 2009 when David Paulides discovered that the National Park Service does NOT keep, nor has it ever kept, the names of any person missing in their parks. As an investigative reporter and former law man, Paulides doesnt share conspiracy theories, he shares the facts that he has discovered the cases he researched about thousands of missing persons. In this video presentation, he gives a fascinating talk about his search for truth. Search and rescue workers who are at the front lines of these difficult tasks have agreed and disagreed with Paulides conclusions. One reviewer at Quora.com wrote that the U.S. Government seems to be complicit in covering up thousands of missing persons cases. That statement shouldnt be a mystery to anyone. RELATED: Read more mysteries at Unexplained.news Sources: Koin.com CanamMissing.com YouTube.com AllNewsPipeline.com YouTube.com Quora.com Congresswoman says US is supporting terror groups in Syria that murder, rape innocent civilians Theres been a lot of talk across the internet about the United States supporting terrorists in the Middle East. From photos released from abandoned ISIS hideouts with U.S. made weapons, to reports of collaborating with ISIS in Syrian airstrikes, one must wonder just how much longer the truth will be suppressed from the public. Many investigative journalists have said that the U.S. actually created ISIS. The claims of supporting terrorist groups arent rhetoric from conspiracy theorists theyre just plain facts. (RELATED: Read more about the fight against terrorism.) The support of terrorist groups is something thats supposedly being continued on President Trumps watch. After the President is finished building his cabinet, it wouldnt be shocking if he brings this information to the publics attention. Between recent revelations about Obama wiretapping Trump Tower, and The New York Times admitting that Obama sabotaged his transition, Trump is ready to make the previous administrations horrible actions transparent. Will there ever be evidence brought to light showing undeniably that Barack Hussein Obama was using American taxpayer dollars to support terrorism? It appears there is already undeniable proof, at least according to what Hawaiian Congresswoman, Tulsi Gabbard, had to say. She has been preaching about the real issues in Syria since her return from a trip just weeks ago. Theres no such thing as moderate rebels Rep. Gabbard heard of the suffering by the people of Syria and decided to plan a secret trip to the country to see what was happening. What Gabbard found astonished her. She saw evidence first hand that the U.S. was supporting terrorists. While she met with various citizens in Syria, they overwhelmingly asked why the United States and its allies have been supporting the terror against them. The U.S. supported groups, after all, have been murdering and raping countless innocent civilians. Talking points by lawmakers in Washington have indicated that the U.S. has been supporting moderate rebels. But is there even such thing as moderate-rebels? After returning to the U.S., Gabbard appeared on CNN to speak about the situation in Syria. To much surprise, she claimed that the U.S. has been helping terrorists. During the interview, the Congresswoman said that moderate-rebels dont exist. Every rebel group in the region is causing terror by murdering and raping innocent civilians. She also claimed that the major rebel groups in the region fighting are affiliated with Al Qaeda and ISIS. Tapper appeared shocked when she claimed that the U.S. has been funding these groups to fight against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. As reported by YourNewsWire, Gabbard said: The reality is, Jake and Im glad you bought up that point every place that I went, every person I spoke to, I asked this question to them. And without hesitation, they said there are no moderate rebels, who are these moderate rebels that people keep speaking of?' Regardless of the name of these groups, the strongest fighting force on the ground in Syria is Al-Nusra or Al-Qaeda and ISIS. That is a fact. There are a number of different other groups, all of them are fighting alongside, with or under the command of the strongest group on the ground that is trying to overthrow Assad. It is apparent that our tax dollars have been paying to give support to terrorists who are murdering and raping innocent people on the other side of the world. With President Trump looking to live up to his pledge of destroying ISIS, we may end up killing the very people we have been supporting all along. Robert Willis is the original Punk Right-Wing Millennial. You can read his blog at BloodyRubbish.com, and follow him @debateless Sources: YourNewsWire.com NaturalNews.com Mar 9, 2017, 2:01pm ET ITC considers import ban on Ford hybrids from Mexico The ITC has launched an investigation into allegations of patent infringement. The US International Trade Commission has agreed to launch an investigation into Ford's hybrid vehicles after receiving a patent infringement complaint. "The products at issue in the investigation are passenger vehicles that use hybrid electric power with certain types of controllers," the ITC wrote in a news release. "The complainants request that the USITC issue a limited exclusion order and cease and desist orders." The dispute was submitted by Paice LLC and Abell Foundation, Inc, both based in Baltimore, Maryland. If the ITC sides with the complainants, Ford could be barred from importing hybrid versions of the Fusion and Lincoln MKZ from factories in Mexico. Paice claims to have collaborated with Ford from 1999-2004, allegedly working with more than a dozen executives and engineers that performed "detailed modeling and component design work" on the belief that both companies would reach a business agreement. "In the end, Ford declined to take a license from Paice," the company said in a statement. "Tellingly, Ford licensed Toyota's hybrid technology, and Toyota later took a global license for all of Paice's patented technology." Paice's press releases focus on patent disputes, lawsuit settlements and licensing agreements involving defendants. The latest statement frames the company as an engineering firm, but it appears to have later drifted toward a litigation strategy. Such businesses are commonly referred to by the derisive term "patent troll." Ford's history includes a notable example of a patent infringement battle as the company was in its infancy. The automaker was sued in 1903 by a patent attorney who used amendments to delay his 1879 automobile patent application until the automotive industry was beginning to grow. Henry Ford fought the lawsuit after all other major automakers folded and agreed to pay royalties. A judge eventually sided with Ford in 1911, agreeing that Ford's use of a four-stroke engine provided sufficient distinction from the two-stroke design described in the patent. Ford has not yet released public statements outlining its plan to defend against the allegations in the ITC complaint. The ITC cautions that it has not yet made any decision on the merits of the case, which will be sent to an administrative law judge for an evidentiary hearing. Mar 9, 2017, 9:19am ET Honda Clarity EV, plug-in hybrid to debut in New York A teaser image suggests styling will not diverge from the Clarity Fuel Cell. Honda has confirmed plans to reveal the Clarity Electric and Clarity Plug-in Hybrid at the forthcoming New York International Auto Show. A teaser image accompanying the announcement suggests there won't be much to reveal in terms of aesthetics, as the EV and PHEV appear to share the same styling as the current Clarity Fuel Cell, though Honda promises each will have "unique design elements." The Clarity Electric will be the second model in the series, arriving as the claimed "first affordable, midsize, five-passenger" EV. Recent reports suggest the focus on price and size has required Honda to compromise driving range, potentially offering just 80 miles on a full charge. The company expects the third model in the family, the Clarity Plug-in Hybrid, to be the volume leader with an all-electric driving range of more than 40 miles and a 'hyper-efficient' gasoline-hybrid extended driving mode. Honda expects electrified vehicles to account for two-thirds of its global auto sales by 2030. Bethlehem Mayor Bob Donchez vows to work with the eventual new owners of the Sands casino to fulfill the redevelopment promises the Sands made at the former Bethlehem Steel property. Bethlehem Mayor Bob Donchez gave his annual state of the city address Thursday. (lehighvalleylive.com file photo) Donchez spoke of that commitment Thursday morning during his annual State of the City address at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, in the shadows of the former Steel blast furnaces. The remarks were made as part of the Business Leaders Breakfast, hosted by the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce. The comment was the only brief acknowledgement of the pending casino sale that Donchez made during a speech focused on Bethlehem's stronger financial footing, its continued investments in its downtowns and quality of life issues, such as its fight against blight. The Sands is in negotiations with MGM Resorts International over the sale of the nearly-eight year-old Sands Casino Resort Bethelehm. Sands Bethlehem President Mark Juliano emailed employees last week to alert them of a possible sale. While the Sands is the most successful casino in the state, there's been little non-gaming redevelopment of the property, such as the former Steel General Office building and No. 2 Machine Shop, as Sands first promised. And the fate of a $90 million casino expansion announced in November remains in limbo with the potential sale to MGM Resorts International. Sands officials did not respond to a request seeking an update on the expansion plans. In his fourth year as mayor, Donchez said he is proud to say that Bethlehem is a much stronger city financially. He pointed to the city's recent upgrade to an A bond rating and the 2017 zero tax-increase budget. "I am pleased to announce that the state of the city is strong," said Donchez, who is running for re-election this year and is the only candidate on the May 16 primary election ballot. Overall expenses have been cut by $15.4 million, while revenue is up $4.2 million. "We are leaner, stronger and it is our ability to work together, with city council, that has made this progress possible," Donchez said. Donchez plans to work to bring further development to the former Steel property as well as invest in both of the 275-year-old city's downtowns. During the speech, he announced Lehigh University's $645,000 commitment to continue to sponsor the South Side ambassadors, who pick up trash, clean graffiti, pull weeds, offer directions and take on other beautification efforts, for another three years. The program launched in 2014 and the funding was set to expire later this year. The city's 2017 budget invests in the downtowns through streetscape projects and capital improvement aimed at enhancing visitors' experiences in business districts, Donchez said. A downtown market analysis will help the city hone in on the market demand and existing gaps, and then work to recruit the sorts of businesses that can succeed in Bethlehem, he said. Donchez is known for focusing on the not-so-sexy city services that residents rely upon, like road repaving, strong public safety and blight remediation. Keeping in line with that, Bethlehem is exploring implementing a 311 line, a non-emergency 24-hour number where residents can report complaints, like potholes or graffiti, Donchez said Thursday. The city is studying the 331 line as part of its state-mandated 911 center consolidation with Northampton County. Donchez also touted his hard line toward blighted properties, pointing to the city's takeover as conservator of the former Goodman Furniture building on Third Street. Bethlehem is currently soliciting proposals from developers interested in rehabbing he anchor building. "This will end years of negative impact it has created for the neighborhood," Donchez said. "Let me be clear: if blighting a building is not enough to get the attention of the property owner, the city is prepared to take control of these buildings and facilitate their redevelopment." Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @sarasatullo and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. The body discovered Tuesday north of the Lehigh Canal towpath in Bethlehem Township has been identified as the remains of a Bethlehem man reported missing last month. Jeremy Raisanen (Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com) Jeremy Raisanen, of Garrison Street, was 41, according to Northampton County Coroner Zachary Lysek. A recreational metal detector user reported the discovery of the body Tuesday afternoon on an abandoned railroad bed along the Lehigh River due south of Quarry Road, and just east of Wilson Avenue, authorities said. The cause and manner -- natural, accidental, suicide, homicide or undetermined -- remained under investigation, Lysek said Wednesday. Nothing in the investigation suggests there is any danger to the public, Lysek noted. Raisanen's body appeared to have been there for a brief time, Lysek had said. Bethlehem police had announced last month that Raisanen was reported missing Feb. 22 by his wife, saying his family was concerned about his wellbeing. Bethlehem Township police also responded to Tuesday's incident, and firefighters recovered the body. Raisanen's aunt started a gofundme.com account to assist his family with expenses. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. John Petruzzelli, Bethlehem Catholic principal John Petruzzelli, principal of Bethlehem Catholic High School for seven years, will leave after this school year to become principal of St. Joseph's Preparatory School in North Philadelphia. He announced his move to students and parents on March 8, 2017. (Courtesy photo) John Petruzzelli says the last day has been bittersweet. Petruzzelli, principal of Bethlehem Catholic High School for seven years, will leave after this school year to become principal of St. Joseph's Preparatory School in North Philadelphia. He announced his move to students and parents Wednesday. "It was a tough decision but an easy decision," Petruzzelli, 48, said Thursday morning. "I've had seven incredible years here, and if you would have told me when I started that I'd have such a tremendous experience, the kids and families and faculty have just been amazing. "I'm leaving a place I love to go to a place I love." Petruzzelli is a Philadelphia native who served as dean of students at St. Joseph's -- an all boys school known as "the Prep" -- from 1998 to 2004. From there he served as associate principal at St. Elizabeth's in Wilmington, Del., from 2004 at 2010 before coming to the Lehigh Valley. He'll start his new job July 1 and stay on at Becahi through the end of the school year, he said. Petruzzelli lives in Bethlehem and belongs to Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish. He plans to move to be closer to his new job, but he said that won't be easy. "It was an emotional day yesterday when the announcement came out," he said. "I've loved living in the Valley. The people, the culture, it's been a great experience." St. Joe's Prep has about 900 students compared to Bethlehem Catholic's 750. Besides having worked there previously, Petruzzelli has other ties to the school. He has many family friends and nephews who have attended. "I grew up in Northeast Philadelphia and my whole family is still down there," said the graduate of Archbishop Ryan High School. In an email to parents Wednesday, Petruzzelli said he was blessed and privileged to share time with Bethlehem Catholic students and families. "I cannot express enough, my thanks for the warm hospitality, support and friendship that has been extended to me over these past seven years," he said in his message. "This community has touched my heart in so many ways at so many different times. I am very grateful." Petruzzelli holds an undergraduate degree from St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia and a master's in secondary school leadership from Wilmington University. At St. Joe's Prep, he will succeed Jason Zazyczny, who was principal for five years and is returning to the history department as a faculty member. The Rev. John W. Swope, president of St. Joe's Prep, said school leaders are looking forward to Petruzzelli's return. "In his 26 years in the education field, John has worked in nearly every aspect of secondary education and will bring those positive experiences with him to this position," he said in a statement. Jim Deegan may be reached at jdeegan@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @jim_deegan. Find lehighvalleylive on Facebook. UPDATE: Trucker charged with homicide in wife's death Bethlehem Township police were awaiting the conclusion of an autopsy on Thursday morning to determine if they should file more charges against a Georgia trucker whose wife died in a "suspicious" manner on Wednesday. Maurice Butch Adams, 42, of Norcross, Georgia, is charged in an incident in Bethlehem Township after which his wife, Catrina, died March 8, 2017. (Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com) Maurice "Butch" Adams, 42, of Norcross, Georgia, was charged Wednesday night with reckless endangering another person after his wife Catrina Adams, 43, fell from his truck and later died at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg, township police Chief Dan Pancoast said. Catrina Adams was pronounced dead at 12:16 p.m. after the 11:15 a.m. incident in the parking lot of the View Inn and Suites at 3191 Highfield Drive, authorities said. The autopsy, which is expected to determine the cause and manner of her death, was being overseen by the Lehigh County Coroner's Office and a township police inspector. Police labeled her death suspicious. Catrina Adams got into the cab of Maurice Adams' truck and during a "domestic incident," climbed out the passenger side and fell to the ground, Pancoast said. Surveillance video shows her getting up and falling at least two more times before Maurice Adams began to drive the truck -- it was a cab without a trailer -- out of the parking lot, Pancoast said. As the truck pulled away, Catrina Adams can be seen on the ground where the driver's side of the truck had been, the chief said. She had bruising on her neck and blood in her mouth when paramedics arrived, Pancoast said. A doctor told a detective at the hospital that Catrina Adams suffered a skull fracture, according to a police affidavit. At this point in the investigation, Pancoast said, he can't say if the victim was hit by the truck. in addition to the video, several people witnessed the incident, Pancoast said. A number of them called 911, he added. A township police investigator drove the ambulance to the hospital as paramedics tried to save Catrina Adams' life, Pancoast said. Maurice Adams initially told police his wife was suffering dizzy spells before the fall, Pancoast said. He was arraigned before District Judge John Capobianco and sent to Northampton County prison in lieu of $50,000 bail, according to court records. He remained jailed on Thursday morning. Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Easton continues to grow as an arts community amid a drop in crime, steady taxes and hundreds of millions of dollars in new investment, Mayor Sal Panto Jr. said Wednesday. Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. delivers his annual state of the city address Wednesday, March 8, 2017, to city council. (Kurt Bresswein | For lehighvalleylive.com) Panto presented his state of the city address to city council, a nearly half-hour address that he'll reprise during a sold-out breakfast March 16 hosted by the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce at Lafayette College's Marquis Hall. Challenges remain, primarily with ever-increasing pension debt and stubborn problems such as property blight and addiction to opioid painkillers and heroin. On the whole, though, Panto described a city "in a time of remarkable change." "What I've described to you tonight is just a fraction of the work that we've been able to do in partnership with you, our citizens and our business leaders, to improve livability and opportunity in our city -- and only a glimpse at all the work that still lies ahead," Panto told council. "And that is why, tonight, I report to our residents and city council that we are a city of optimism and unity. Together, we can and will build the better, brighter future we all want for our city and our children -- the future that is now so clearly within our reach." Here is a look at some highlights from Panto's address. Finance Easton hasn't raised property taxes in nine years, or sewer or trash fees for eight years, and enjoys an A+ bond rating, the mayor said. As a barometer of Easton's financial health, Panto pointed to growth in the city's year-end fund balance from $3.35 million to close 2009 to $7.44 million at the end of 2015. "Make no mistake: We still face tremendous financial challenges -- primarily the unfunded pension liabilities and salary and benefit expenses that outpace revenue growth," Panto said. "Our annual pension legacy contribution has increased by more than an additional $5 million, but it doesn't help." He called for pension reform by the state Legislature as key to a solution. Crime Panto, who previously served as mayor beginning in 1984, was elected in November 2007. Weeks later, three people were shot to death at a home on North 13th Street. "It was a very bad time for the city," Panto said. "Gangs were running rampant, violence, drugs and shootings were much too often occurrences." In 2016, the city saw overall crime drop by 4.34 percent from 2,213 to 2,121 reported crimes, Panto said, citing federal Uniform Crime Report statistics provided by the Easton Police Department. The most serious Part I offenses dropped by 8.8 percent, he said. This year, city police are scheduled in September to move into a new headquarters on North Fourth Street, police Chief Carl Scalzo said Wednesday. Panto and Councilman Peter Melan on Wednesday both touted improved public safety communications coming for residents and businesses, via a new Nixle.com account set to start in about a month. "In our ongoing work to create safe and clean communities for all of our residents, there is one issue that remains a challenge for all of us today: the opioid crisis," Panto said. "We all know someone who's been impacted by this epidemic, and we see it playing out on our streets every day. "At the city, our police and emergency responders feel the impacts most acutely, but rampant opioid use affects every department in every part of the city. Our police department and our fire department are using Narcan on a much more regular basis." The mayor thanked Northampton County and Gov. Tom Wolf for making available to the city doses of naloxone, the opioid-overdose antidote whose brand names include Narcan. Panto called ensuring community safety always his No. 1 priority. Toward that end, he also commended the fire department for responding last year to 1,658 fire calls, 265 medical emergencies and 559 non-emergency calls. All told, firefighters saved 88 percent of $12 million worth of property at risk of destruction by fire, Panto said. On tap for 2017 for the fire department is the purchase of a new $575,000 pumper truck for the city by Lafayette College, Panto said. Blight The mayor pointed to increased cooperation between the city's public safety staff and code enforcement as it tackles properties deemed blighted. "Our Vacant Property Review Board has been busy taking more and more of our vacant properties through the blighted certification process, which enables the city to take the property by eminent domain and sell to private developers," Panto said. "We declared war on blight! Just this week, 16 letters were sent to owners of properties we are taking through the certified blighted list." Development Easton in 2017 will continue to see progress from developer Mark Mulligan on his $100 million restoration and adaptive reuse of the former Simon Silk Mill at North 13th Street and Bushkill Drive. Eight businesses have opened there, and the first apartments are slated to be finished in the next month. Work is scheduled to continue into 2018 on the property, which is home to 18 buildings on 16 acres. Other projects in the pipeline include transforming Heritage Lanes on South Third Street into a multi-story, mixed-use development, new apartments at the Wells Fargo Bank building off Centre Square and a new $70 million science building on Lafayette's campus in addition to the college's residential and commercial expansion on McCartney Street. "Priority projects include the Black Diamond site" on South Side, which Vice Mayor Sandra Vulcano cheered from the dais, "and a new hotel in the central business district; Centre Square improvements; a complete makeover of Wood Avenue; a streetscape project for the 13th Street corridor," Panto said. "The three-quarters of a million-dollar improvement to Hugh Moore Park will be completed this spring." Then, of course, there's the $130 million Da Vinci Science City planned at South Third and Washington streets, to be home to a 500,000-gallon saltwater aquarium while providing a big attraction to complement The Crayola Experience. City council on Wednesday approved applying for a $407,200 non-matching grant from the BB&T Economic Growth Fund of the Lehigh Valley Community Fund to study potential visitors to the center, eyed to open in June 2021. In addition, the city recently completed a comprehensive plan titled, "Transform, Unify and Thrive" to help guide planning and development going forward. Businesses Panto touted business growth citywide, not just in the Downtown, and pointed to some of the city's newest restaurants springing up in the West Ward: 1001 Thai and Daddy's Place on Northampton Street, and J's Steaks and Subs at the former Uncle Wesley's on Wood Avenue. He also applauded Weyerbacher Brewing Co., which is celebrating its 21st anniversary this year, in leading the resurgence in beer-brewing in the city. Two Rivers Brewing Co. is going strong at the former Mount Vernon Hotel at South Sixth and Northampton streets, and Sole Artisan Ales is close to beginning to brew at the silk mill as well as open a brew pub at Northampton Street and Larry Holmes Drive. Arts and festivals Pennsylvania Bacon Fest and the Easton Garlic Fest have grown into major draws in the autumn in the city, Panto said. He also promised "a big announcement" coming for the venerable Heritage Day and said the city would be adding "one or two more festivals" this year. Recreational events such as these dovetail with the city's reputation as an arts community, evident in its galleries, shops and investment by Lafayette College along North Third Street. "Easton is becoming an arts destination," Panto said. "From the neighborhoods to Downtown, art is a focal point. The Karl Stirner Arts Trail is being used more and more." Another partnership with Lafayette is adding art installations throughout the city, Panto said. "In closing, I am honored, once again, to stand before you in a time of remarkable change in Easton," Panto said. "Preparing our city for a better future doesn't come easy -- it takes a lot of work and collaboration. "Looking ahead to the projects we have before us, I am confident that the results of our work over the past nine years will serve as a solid foundation for building a stronger and more prosperous future for Easton." Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. A trooper investigating a 911 call in Lehigh County was sucker punched by a woman as he tried to calm her down, Pennsylvania State Police said. State police were called a little before 7:30 a.m. Thursday to a home in the 4400 block of West Grant Street in Washington Township. Donna Hoffman, who lives at the residence, was in a bedroom and was irate and yelling, according to police. When Trooper Miroslav Djindjiev began speaking with Hoffman in an attempt to calm her down, she allegedly punched the trooper on the left side of his face. Djindjiev told the 48-year-old Hoffman she was under arrest, and she refused to submit to being handcuffed, state police said. Eventually, Hoffman was taken to the ground and handcuffed. Hoffman is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and harassment. She was sent to Lehigh County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Warren County is "Kim country," according to local Republicans. The party recently endorsed New Jersey Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno in her campaign to succeed Chris Christie for the state's highest office, according to an announcement on Guadagno's Facebook page. In the last few days, Guadagno has also announced similar endorsements from other county Republicans, including Hudson, Ocean and Passaic. "Over the past 7 years, she has worked hard for Warren County and we know Kim will continue to fight for Warren County as governor," the announcement said, citing Warren County Republican Committee Chairman Doug Steinhardt. The lieutenant governor appeared at a number of Warren County municipal reorganization meetings in early January, and was a guest speaker at a county GOP event last month. On the other side of the ticket, the long-quiet Warren County Democratic Committee recently held its first nominating convention in more than a decade, backing the candidacy of Phil Murphy, a former ambassador to Germany. The Democrats have promised a full slate of candidates for state- and county-level races, hoping to make inroads in the reliably Republican county. Registered Republican voters outnumbered Democrats in the county 27,679 to 16,472 as of Feb. 28, according to state department figures. There are 27,973 unaffiliated voters in the county. Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. A wildfire Thursday spread from a wooded area in Slatington onto two properties, damaging two homes, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry. It was reported about noon along the 200 block of Diamond Street in the Lehigh County borough. "Luckily it was close to a road and no houses burned down," Assistant District Forester Rick Deppen said from the scene. "If this would have been in the middle of nowhere, this would have really taken off, but it was easy access for the firefighters." No one was reported injured, and the fire was out as of mid-afternoon, Deppen said. The fire affected only 0.38 of an acre as a westerly wind fanned it onto the residential properties. In addition to the two homes, a shed, pool, outdoor toys and pickup truck cap were damaged, he said. "There was quite a bit of damage," Deppen said. "Those houses back up to a wooded hillside. It's not more than, probably less than, 80 feet and you're in a wooded area." Deppen responded to investigate the fire and said he had an idea of the cause but wasn't ready to release it as the probe continued. Firefighters also dealt Thursday with brush fires reported in Bushkill, Oxford and Mansfield townships. The National Weather Service said the region was facing "an enhanced risk for the spread of wildfires for the rest of the afternoon. Relative humidity values are in the teens and lower 20s with west winds 15 to 25 mph with 30 to 35 mph gusts." Conditions were expected to improve after sunset, with rising relative humidity and diminishing winds ahead of rain forecast to change over to snow for the Friday morning commute. Quick moving storm will produce a swath of snowfall tonight-Friday across eastern OH, much of PA, the NYC metro area & southern New England pic.twitter.com/hcFvzVuMHP NWS Eastern Region (@NWSEastern) March 9, 2017 Weather service forecasters were predicting 3 inches of snow for the Lehigh Valley and slightly higher amounts to the north and west. I know everyone's excited for Tuesday's potential, but we have tonight/tomorrow AM first. EPAWA final call: https://t.co/vlHUj0xTvi pic.twitter.com/0jpUquXAuG Bobby Martrich EPAWA (@epawawx) March 9, 2017 "The snow will become moderate to heavy at times late tonight and early Friday morning before tapering off late in the morning." the weather service said in a forecast update. "Lingering snow showers may occur Friday afternoon and evening. ... "Roads will become snow-covered and slippery. Poor visibility in heavier snow will create hazardous traveling conditions. The Friday morning commute will likely be affected." Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Laois Rose Kate Hyland, has just returned from an emotional volunteering trip to a Belarus asylum with Adi Roche and Chernobyl Children International. It was the toughest thing I've ever had to do, but it was also the best experience, I hope to go back again very soon, said the Clough lady. She was accompanied by 17 fellow roses including the 2016 Rose of Tralee Maggie McEldowney, and her teaching colleague at Portarlington Presentation Primary NS, Dearbhladh Walsh the Abu Dhabi Rose. The Roses stayed in the Vesnova Childrens Mental Asylum where 170 young victims of the Chernobyl nuclear tragedy of 30 years ago are instituitionalized. Babies are still being born with horrific deformities and illnesses linked to the radiation. The Roses spent their time working with the worst affected children giving them one to one care and attention which they dont get from one end of the day to the other. They met us with open arms and smiles, I was heartbroken to leave, if I could have taken some home I would. I have learned that the power of affection can transcend all languages and disability barriers, said Kate, who said the experience unified the group of Roses even more. She thanked everybody who donated to her Vesnova fund, and asks everyone to light a candle or donate to CCI, on International Chernobyl Day, April 26. Dearbhladh also found it hard to leave the children. They are the most endearing, loving, affectionate people you could ever meet. You could not put a price on the joy they brought to our lives and hopefully we brought to theirs. It was heartbreaking to walk away, but the work Adi and her volunteers do is something we can all be proud of, she said. Adi Roche is voluntary CEO of Chernobyl Children. "This is the fifth year that the Rose of Tralee Festival have sent volunteers to Belarus. They bring such an energy and love to the unfortunate children of Vesnova. They are wonderful ambassadors for their familes, communities and the festival," she said. There is still time to apply for the 2017 Laois Rose Selection, with the Leinster Express as exclusive media partner. See www.roseoftralee.ie for the entry form. County councillors are set to demand that Portlaoise be upgraded to a hub by national planners. A new National Planning Framework is at the infant stages of being formed, replacing the National Spatial Strategy, which left Portlaoise out of the loop for national jobs and grants, instead identifying Tullamore, Mullingar and Athlone. Director of Services, and Town Manager for Portlaoise, Kieran Kehoe says they will not be found wanting in their submission for Portlaoise. Well put in an extremely strong submission around Portlaoise. There is a recognition that the national Spatial Strategy failed becauses the towns identified as hubs declined while Portlaoise grew, he said. He listed the new infrastructure in the county town that leaves it open for expansion. Portlaoise has rail and road, new schools, new wastewater facilities and we will be on the Dublin water supply. Its all there, why go reinvest in another town, when there is already the investment here, and people are choosing to come and live here, he said at the February meeting of Portlaoise Municipal District. Portlaoise is a complete gateway feeding out to the west and south. It will grow, Im not saying it will be a city, but it will grow as it needs to, he said, while welcoming a separate submission that the six Portlaoise MD councillors are eager to send in. Cllr Catherine Fitzgeralds motion was to form a special committee to lobby concerns over the new National Planning Framework, and all six councillors wanted in on it. As far as Im concerned, we were left out of the National Spatial Strategy. In spite of that, we developed way ahead of the other three towns, and that was down to the council and the community groups. It is absolutely essential that we have an input, I want to see a submission from the elected members as well as the council. Its for the benefit of the whole county, for generations to come. The importance cant be overstated. This will affect infrastructure, education, the hospital, jobs and industry. It is important for us to be in there battling as hard as we can, said Cllr Fitzgerald. Public consultation is now open. The deadline for initial submissions on the framework is March 16. Senior health service managers and clinicians have finally engaged in discussions with doctors in Portlaoise hospital, but they refused to make a commitment to row back on an extensive downgrade. While they did not attend the meeting, Laois GPs have already shot down one of the proposals discussed to partly replace A&E. A delegation made up of HSE hospital group management and others met today with a body of senior doctors at the Midlands Regional Hospital Group Portlaoise. Management was represented by Dr Susan O'Reilly, Chief Executive of the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group (DMHG) and Trevor O'Callaghan, Chief Operations Officer also of the DMHG. Also present was Dr Michael Power, National Clinical Lead for Critical Care (ICU) and Dr Colm Henry, National Clinical Advisor and Group Lead for Acute Hospitals in the HSE. The meeting was called at short notice and doctors believed that it would be used by the HSE's Dublin Midlands Hospital Group to prepare the ground for an extensive downgrade. The Leinster Express understands that there was a frank exchange of views between both sides on what the future holds for the hospital. Doctors tried to get some details on what is contained in the plan for the hospital authored by Dr O'Reilly. Management are understood to have staunchly refused to discuss its contents. A source told the Leinster Express that management declined to engage in meaningful discussion on the future of A&E, paediatrics and maternity services. However, there was discussion around other related points. It is understood that a two to five year timeframe was set out for the reconfiguration of the hospital. However, it was accepted that any change would depend on finding capacity for patients in other hospitals that would no longer be treated in Portlaoise. A possible replacement for an A&E was discussed. It has been suggested that a 24-hour Acute Medical Assessment Unit would operate instead. However, the viability of this was challenged by Portlaoise consultants who said the loss of A&E would mean Portlaoise would not have the services to support such a unit. Management were also forced to admit that no such a unit exists in Ireland. While there was a feeling of 'groundhog day' among the Portlaoise doctors, they also felt that they were listened to and some of the arguments for the retention of service did get through to some of those on the management delegation. The Portlaoise doctors also put forward their alternative plan for the hospital with management. In a statement the DMHG said 'investment and development' at the hospital had been discussed. They said it also discussed ongoing operational advancements and longer-term developments. It said these included: expanded day ward capacity, a new medical assessment facility, and additional consultant staff; challenges in attracting and retaining medical staff; the recent report of the Health Information and Quality Authority; status of a plan for the safe and sustainable provision of services at the hospital. The statement said the DMHG recently extended a meeting invitation to the local GP community to continue discussions on how best to deliver safe and sustainable provision of services at the hospital. It said this invitation remains open. The DMHG confirmed that has developed an Action Plan for hospital services in the midlands and this plan has been submitted to the Department of Health for its review. In a written statement Dr O'Reilly said: All of us management, healthcare professionals and the community as a whole share a commitment to ensuring that the patients of Portlaoise Hospital receive the highest possible standard of care. The progress of the past 18 months pointed to by HIQA is due in no small part to the commitment of everyone at the hospital. "HIQA continues to underline outstanding challenges, including the disproportionality high dependency on agency staff at the hospital. We will continue to work on meeting these challenges collectively as we await overall direction from the Department of Health, she said. GPs turned down an opportunity to meet Dr O'Reilly and others due to the absence of a plan and other details. They are due to meet Minister for Health Simon Harris this month. They responded to today's meeting. "GPs look forward to meeting with Dr O'Reilly and colleagues when there is clarity regarding the future of services at the hospital. We have made huge efforts to engage with the DMHG management team over the past number of years, to no avail, in an effort to support and mould a plan that would be acceptable to our patients, our family's, friends and the wider community. "We have consulted with our hospital colleagues to formulate our own plan which is practical, cost effective and best supports our patients. It also supports the retention of services at the hospital. We are opposed to any downgrade of services at the hospital. "It is unlikely that we would be able to support a medical assessment unit in the absence of a fully functioning ED. Without an ED there will be no Acute paediatric or maternity services," the said. Minister Harris has the final say on Portlaoise. Downgrade is a policy issue and the HSE has no power under law to set policy. This rests with the Minster. The Department issued a statement to the Leinster Express in the wake of Wednesday's meeting. "The Department of Health and the HSE are committed to securing and developing the role of Portlaoise Hospital within the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group. "The most important issue in relation to any changes at Portlaoise Hospital is that patient safety and good quality outcomes must come first. Reports on Portlaoise Hospital in recent years point to the need for reconfiguration of some services to ensure that patients are treated in the most appropriate setting by specialist staff that can safely meet their needs. The HSE has submitted the draft plan to the Department and it is currently being reviewed in detail. The statement said that once there is an agreed position on the draft plan, it is intended that the Hospital Group will engage further with all interested parties, to ensure that the needs of patients, staff, the local and wider community are addressed. "Any changes to services at Portlaoise, once approved, will be undertaken in a planned and orderly manner and will take account of existing patient flows and demands in other hospitals and the need to develop particular services at Portlaoise in the context of overall service configuration in the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group," he said. A Catholic Bishop and Disocesan admistrator who oversee the majority of Laois parishes have signed up to a group statement of Irish Bishops in response to the shocking findings in Tuam and emerging revelations at other Mother and Baby homes run by the church. While Portlaoise's Parish priest has told parishioners the church is "ashamed" of what has emerged in Tuam, the Bishop of Kildare & Leighin Denis Nulty deferred to a joint statement from the Irish Bishops conference. Monsignor Michael Ryan, as Diocesan Administrator for Ossory is also co-signature of the statement. In it the Bishops say the "appalling story of life, death and adoptions related to Mother and Baby Homes has shocked everyone in Ireland and beyond these shores". They said that 'sadly', it is a reminder of a time when unmarried mothers were frequently judged and rejected. "We remember in prayer the deceased who suffered so much and their loved ones who continue to experience emotional and psychological hurt," said the statement. The reiterated 2014 position which stated that the "culture of isolation and social ostracising was harsh and unforgiving". The Bishops said that the way forward is "to seek the truth", to reveal and address the damage of the past, and to the best of our ability, ensure that mothers and children are cherished and respected and never stigmatised again. They said it is also critical for Ireland, as a society, to thoroughly examine this dimension of our social history and to consider the legacy it has left us as a people. The Bishops said that is also important at parish level to ensure that burial sites are appropriately marked so that the deceased and their families will be recognised with dignity and never be forgotten. Priests have addressed the matter on a number of occasions during the Portlaoise Parish Novena. During the Ceremony of Light Ceremony for Confirmation candidates at the start of the Novena in Portlaoise, Msgr John Byrne, told families that "we as a church are ashamed" of the "harshness" revealed in Tuam. Bishop Nulty will be in Portlaoise Parish this week for Confirmation and the closing day of the Novena. A Laois TD has claimed guidelines on the building of wind farms will be delayed indefinitely after it emerged that alternative proposal will have to be tested before being implemented. Fianna Fail TD Sean Fleming made the claim after getting a response raising the status of review with the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Simon Covney Householders and anti-turbine groups have hoped that new guidelines would prevent the building of wind farms near homes. The also hope it will limit the size and scale of farms. Huge turbines have been proposed for Laois. The Minister said that in light of the commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government to finalise the review of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines and on-going policy and legal developments in this area, his Department is continuing to advance work on the proposed revisions to the Guidelines and related matters. The Minister said this was being done conjunction with the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment, in order to bring the various issues to a conclusion as early as possible. He said he expected to be in a position to make a statement on the matter in the coming weeks, outlining the timelines for implementation of the various elements. However, he said a review of the revised guidelines would then have carried out. "As part of the overall review, and with regard to the recent ECJ Judgement in Case C-290/15 on the Belgian/Wallonian wind energy guidelines, it is proposed to undertake a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of the proposed revisions to the 2006 Guidelines - in accordance with the requirements of Directive 2001/24/EC on the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment - before they are finalised," said Minster Coveney. The Laois TD claimed this amounted to an indefinite delay of new guidelines for county councils around Ireland. There are serious issues with the current wind energy guidelines. They simply do not take on board many concerns that local communities have regarding proposals that have been put forward to build wind farms in their localities. The Government promised new guidelines to address these issues but no timeline has been given for their publication," he said. The TD Minister Covney's reply as alarming. "The Minister has not said when he will publish the guidelines. Worryingly, he stated that a Strategic Environmental Assessment will have to be undertaken prior to the publication of the new guidelines following a decision of the European Court of Justice. This nationwide Strategic Environmental Assessment that has to be undertaken is a colossal task which may take two years or more to complete. It will be even longer before the new wind energy guidelines are published," said Dep Fleming. The Laois TD said this is a serious situation as the delay in publishing the new guidelines means councils are stuck with the old ones for the foreseeable future. "Wind farm development proposals will continue to be considered under guidelines which are obsolete and are no longer fit for purpose, especially in view of the height of some of the new turbines which was never contemplated by the original 2006 guidelines. We cannot continue to have situations where windfarms are built in close proximity to peoples homes, schools and community centers. Local concerns need to be taken on board when deciding on wind farm planning applications," he said. Dep Fleming said the public and Government Ministers have lost confidence in the 2006 guidelines. While this resulted in an agreement to replace them, he said Minister Coveney must act. "Its shameful that the Minister for Planning is presiding over guidelines in which he himself no longer has confidence in. There should be a moratorium on all planning decision on wind farms until this is sorted out, he said. An Athy man was handed down a two year suspended sentence at Naas Circuit Court yesterday for growing cannabis at his house. Damian Draganik (36) of No 11 The Avenue, Coneyboro, Athy appeared before the court charged with possession of cannabis under Sec 15 of the Misuse of Drugs Act. The court heard gardai searched his house and found a cultivation operation of cannabis plants. Judge Michael OShea was informed the accused smoked cannabis. The court heard the plants were seedling plants, and were for the defendants own use. He also planned to give some to his friends when they matured. Judge OShea was informed Mr Draganik is a Polish national who has been an Irish citizen since 2012. He has a wife, a six month old child and is living in Athy. His barrister said his client had since given up cannabis and is clean. He pleaded guilty to the charge, was fully co-operative and expressed his remorse. He has no previous conditions. The Probation Report said the defendant had a low risk of reoffending. Judge OShea accepted the cannabis plant were for the defendants own use and to give to his friends. Taking into consideration the nature of the charge and mitigating factors, he sentenced the defendant to two years in jail, but suspended the term for two years, on the condition that the defendant would not come to the attention of the gardai during that time. Mitchell Ryan, the 22 year old son of Monasterevin woman, Patricia Ryan has written a hard hitting letter to the Minister for Health in the wake of the news that a life changing drug is to be pulled for Alpha-1 lung sufferers. Mitchell, who himself is a carrier of the condition and currently lives in China, penned the letter recently after the news emerged that the drug will no longer be freely available. The HSE recently made the decision not to fund the drug Repreeza, a medical treatment that aids those who are suffering from the Alpha-1 lung condition. There are currently 17 people in Ireland who are receiving the drug to treat the condition, but the fact that it costs 100,000 a year per patient has led to the HSE withdrawing their funding of the programme. The Alpha-1 Foundation have met with the HSE in recent days to protest against their decision to withdraw funding for the drug, but Health Minister Simon Harris has not yet bowed to the pressure from the group. Patricia Ryan who ran as a candidate in the last General Election, said her son is a carrier and is raising awareness of her son's letter since hearing that the HSE are cutting funding for what he describes as a life-changing drug. "We are still waiting on a reply from the Minister," said Patricia. "The condition is like a genetic emphysema - it effects the liver and the lungs. Mitchell is a carrier but there are 17 people here with the full blown condition." In his letter to Minister Harris Mitchell Ryan outlines the continued need for the drug as follows: Dear Mr Harris, It has been brought to my attention that more than 20 people in Ireland who have severe Alpha-1 lung disease are facing the loss of life-changing augmentation therapy within weeks following its rejection by the Health Service Executive (HSE). The patients, who have genetic emphysema, are due to see their use of the augmentation therapy marketed in Ireland as Respreeza now provided through a compassionate-use program end in a number of weeks, the deadline set by the manufacturer, CSL Behring. Some Alphas in Ireland have been on the treatment for up to a decade, and fear a rapid deterioration of their condition if it is no longer available. This is upsetting news. An application to receive the treatment, which costs more than 100,000 euros per patient, was rejected by the HSE drugs group. The drug is the only specific treatment for Alpha-1 lung disease. The Irish Alpha One Foundation says the treatment has been life-changing for patients. It says the data supports the cost-effectiveness of the drug and its clear and persistent treatment benefit leading to greater life expectancy and a reduced need for lung transplantation. Now surely this treatment is cheaper than having to go through a number of transplants, which will in some cases be the sad truth. The NCPE estimated it would cost 37 million euros over five years to provide Respreeza to affected patients. Now i know that seems like a lot of money, however it IS life changing treatment and these people need it. Alpha's are terrified of losing this treatment and so am I. I am asking you to review the case and perhaps help the people that will suffer if this drug is not available. I will be awaiting a reply from you, hopefully soon. Mitchell Ryan. The HSE were contacted by the Leader and have yet to comment. Major water mains repair works is to be carried out in Kildare town and Maynooth, Irish Water announced this morning. The project will also involve connecting hundreds of properties directly to the new water mains. In Kildare town, this will affect properties in Assumpta Villas, Campion Crescent, Clearmore Terrace/Academy Street, Lourdesville, Magee Terrace, Melitta Road and Rowanville/Curragh Road. In Maynooth, the properties concerned are in ONeill Park and Old Greenfield. According to Irish Water, preliminary site investigative works will start in the coming weeks, with construction starting next winter. Residents will be contacted if the project team need to carry out surveys of properties supplied by shared backyard services. The purpose of these surveys will be to identify the least disruptive method to connect the water main to residents property. Surveys will only be carried out upon agreement with residents. Irish Water says the project will reduce leakage on the network, and lead connectinos will be replaced if encountered. Irish Water says it will try to minimise impact on residents, businesses and road users. They will involve some short-term water shut offs for a number of hours over a day or two in each area when the pipes are being connected to the system. Residents and businesses will be advised in advance. A member of the Air Corps found guilty of prodding his commanding officer with his finger and using abusive language towards him has lost an appeal against his conviction. Commandant Nile (Niall) Donohoe (54), then squadron commander of No. 4 Support Wing, had denied assaulting his commanding officer and using insulting language towards him during an altercation at Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel on August 10, 2007. Having been found guilty by a board of Defence Force members, Cmdt Donohoe was fined 10 days pay and sentenced to a reduction to the fourth point of the pay scale for the rank of Commandant by a military judge at McKee Barracks on June 12, 2015. Cmdt Donohoe had an appeal against his conviction dismissed by the Court of Appeal today, Thursday. Giving judgment in the three-judge court, Mr Justice John Edwards said the military prosecution arose out of an interaction that occurred on Friday, August 10, 2007, between Donohoe and Lieutenant Colonel John Moloney at the Lt Col's office at Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel, Co Dublin. The Director of Military Prosecutions contended that Cmdt Donohoe assaulted Lt Col Moloney and used insulting language towards him. Lt Col Moloney's evidence was that he contacted Donohoe to visit his office to sign some documentation relating to complaints Donohoe had previously submitted. His evidence was that Cmdt Donohoe became verbally abusive towards him. Lt Col Moloney said Cmdt Donohoe approached me and squared up to me and later prodded him in the chest with his finger. I stood my ground and then turned away to avoid any further trouble and, after I turned away, he called me a piece of shit, Lt Col Moloney said. In revised submissions, Mr Justice John Edwards said the appeal focused on issues such as the selection process for, and the composition of, the Court Martial Board or jury; alleged prosecutorial misconduct, alleged prosecutorial bias/conflict of interest and alleged non-disclosure. Martin Giblin SC, for Cmdt Donohoe, submitted that the board of Defence Force members or jury was not properly constituted and that the Director of Military Prosecutions (DMP) failed to inform his client of the details of his chain of command, despite request. Mr Giblin contended that in order for Donohoe to know whether the members of the Courts Martial Board selected in this case were in fact eligible to serve, he had to be able to ascertain both in what chain of command board candidates were serving and indeed what chain of command Cmdt Donohoe was serving. Mr Giblin contended that Donohoe attempted to obtain this information before his trial and it was withheld from him by the military hierarchy and the military prosecuting authorities. He said he only received a definitive answer to his enquiry when his present commanding officer, a Colonel Mannion, wrote to him on May 10 2016. Having received the document, Mr Justice Edwards said Donohoe "now believes that a suspicion that he had long harboured" - namely that members of the Court Martial Board were ineligible to hear his case because they were in the same military chain of command - he now wished to introduce the letter in support of an argument that he was not lawfully tried. Cmdt Donohoe stated that he could not identify or challenge members of the panel of jury because my chain of command had not been definitively identified at that time and was not so identified until May 2016. Even if that was so, Mr Justice Edwards said, it was remarkable that Donohoe still has not identified the members of the Court Martial Board who were said to have been in the same chain of command. In a letter dated December 8, 2016, Major General Kevin Cotter, Deputy Chief of Staff (Support), stated that Colonel Mannion's letter "while not incorrect, did not bear the meaning which the defendant (Donohoe) seeks to attribute to it". The DMP conceded that the selection methodology employed by the Courts Martial Administer had changed since March 2015, but it was maintained that this was irrelevant to whether a person serving in the same chain of command was appointed to his Court Martial Board. Mr Justice Edwards said Donohoe could not show that the supposed new evidence represented material that could not reasonably have been known or acquired at the time of the trial. The Court of Appeal was also satisfied that he had not demonstrated that the contents of Col Mannion's letter and related correspondence, might have a material and important influence on the result of the case. There had been no engagement with Major General Cotter's "categoric assertion" that "the actual position is that no-one serving in the same chain of command was appointed to the Court-Martial Board in this case, Mr Justice Edwards said. Mr Justice Edwards, who sat with Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan and Mr Justice Alan Mahon, said the court was not disposed to uphold any other grounds of appeal. He said the court was satisfied that Donohoe's Court Martial was satisfactory and his conviction safe. The appeal was therefore dismissed. A Cork man with some 431 previous convictions appeared at Naas District Court on Thursday, March 9. Anthony OSullivan (30), of 7 Araglen Court, Deanrock Estate, Togher, Cork, appeared at the March 9 sitting. He pleaded guilty to driving with drugs in his system and dangerous driving on the M7 at Newhall on December 20, 2016. Garda Inspector Mel Smyth said the driver of a Garda patrol car looked into his rear view mirror on the two lane motorway and saw a car coming behind him. It was dark, raining and visibility was poor. The driver, Mr OSullivan passed the patrol car and move into its lane in front of it. He was driving extremely fast and ended up travelling at 160 kph in the 120 kph zone for around two kilometres before he was stopped. It was found he had cannabis in his system. Inspector Smyth said Mr OSullivan had 431 previous convictions. Judge Desmond Zaidan, said: Surely this has to be the worst record in Ireland. Inspector Smyth said his list include eight for dangerous driving, 81 for having no insurance, 132 for driving licence related matters, 5 for giving a false name and address, 6 for drink driving, 15 for the un-authorised taking of a car, 7 for driving while disqualified, 3 for attempted robbery, 6 for burglary, 7 for criminal damage, 11 for theft, 8 for selling and supplying drugs, 12 for other drugs offences and seven for public order. His first conviction at the age of 15, was for driving offences. At this stage Judge Zaidan said: Im tired writing it down. Asked by the judge why he behaved like this, Mr OSullivan said he was addicted to both drugs and cars, the latter, which he had been buying and selling. His most recent offence was on May 19 2015 at Cork Circuit Court, when he received a five month sentence and a fifteen year driving ban. Judge Zaidan asked: How can we help him? Tim Kennelly, solicitor, representing the Cork man said the accused, who committed his first offence when he was fifteen, was a decent guy and very polite who had entered an early guilty plea. Mr Kennelly suggested to the Court about restorative justice. The judge said that prison had not helped Mr OSullivan. He also said it would be on his conscience if Mr OSullivan, who is currently in jail in Cork, killed someone. Mr OSullivan said he he had been an apprentice in the motor trade. The accused told the Court said he had a drug problem and was waiting for treatment. The judge remanded him in custody for a month to April 6 so that the Probation Services could prepare a report on him. 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. With offices in Naas, Kildare, Newbridge, Athy and Leixllip, the Local Employment Service (LES Obair) is celebrating 20 years of service. The unemployment crisis caused by the recession necessitated a shift of focus for the LES, which responded by offering its services to all unemployed people, including those recently unemployed, it said. Now with the welcome news of the drop in unemployment the LES, which since 2012 the LES are under contract to the Department of Social Protection, and can again focus its expertise and resources on those who are deemed distant from the labour market. By working with a smaller caseload, it pointed out staff can offer more intensive and ongoing supports and assist in preventing the drift by many into long term unemployment. The focus of the 20th anniversary event on March 6 was to tackle the challenge of responding to the needs of a changing work environment and to use innovative practices to meet the challenges. The LES is a community based service helping jobseekers to move from social welfare to education, training and work. From 2012-2015 the number of people, who secured jobs nationwide worked out at an average of 9,000 per year, many of whom were long term unemployed. On Monday March 6, Eoghan Murphy, Minister of State at the Departments of Finance and Public Expenditure & Reform, formally opened the event celebrating 20 years of the Local Employment Service Network in St. Andrews Resource Centre in Dublin. LES was established as a not for profit, publicly funded employment service, reporting directly to the then Department of Enterprise & Employment, all but two of these (including Kildare) were managed by Partnership Companies, whose remit is to tackle poverty and disadvantage. It was rolled out across 26 areas of the country, concentrating on areas of high unemployment. The contact for the local Kildare offices are: Naas 045 895555, Kildare town 045 521950, Newbridge 045 435666, Athy 059 8632685, and Leixlip 01 6245414. Further information from the LES website A full time manager must be appointed to spearhead the recovery of economic life in Naas town centre. Thats the view of David Fitzsimons of Retail Excellence, the largest retail industry trade body in Ireland. Mr Fitzsimons told local business owners at a meeting in the town on Wednesday night that while the work of volunteers to steer the town centre towards a meaningful recovery is important, a full time coordinator is needed - and Kildare County Council should be approached to at least part fund this. He said such an appointment has been in made in Limerick City, which has had a significant retail makeover which has led to the opening of 42 new stores in 18 months. Volunteers only work for a period; you have to have a full time person, he told a meeting organised by the Naas Lions Club last night. He also said that work will have to be done to achieve a correct retail mix which will bring people back into the town instead of seeing them travel to Newbridge or Dublin. Mr Fitzgerald also said that local businesses would have to decide on what the core centre of the town and to concentrate on how attractive businesses are within this area, which can be extended. He believes Naas is in a strong position to achieve retail growth because of the size of the population. NLC president Alice Fennelly said that while Naas has been the subject of depressing headlines recently, it is a vibrant place at night and has a very healthy housing market. A man who was sentenced this morning, March 9, at Naas Circuit Court for dangerous driving, which lead to the death of his friend, has admitted that the incident was the biggest mistake of his life. Keith Jackson Fleming, 25, with an address at Glenshane, Kilteel, was sentenced to four years in prison, after he pleaded guilty to a charge of dangerous driving causing death on November 28, 2015 at Old Milltown, Kill. Mr Jackson Flemings friend, Dara Ooi Cottuli from Clane, was fatally injured in the crash, and died approximately a week later. In a moving victim impact statement, Mary Kobani, the mother of Mr Cottuli, said that it had been her honour to be his mother for 21 years and said she didnt recognise herself since his death. She said that she and her son had had a special bond and that he was kind, affectionate and fun. She said that her son received a death sentence, but that she and the rest of his family had received a life sentence. The court heard evidence that on the day in question, Mr Jackson Fleming, Mr Cottuli and a third man, Declan Martin, spent much of the day together and had, at some point, made their way to the Kilteel Inn where three or four rounds of drink were bought. The defendant denies that he had as much to drink as his companions. He says they drank some of his drinks. They had travelled there in Mr Martins girlfriends car, a silver Opel Vectra. At a certain point that evening, the three men were refused further drink at the the Kilteel Inn, and left some time later. Believing that Mr Martin was too inebriated to drive, the defendant got behind the wheel of the car. A number of minutes later, a number of people living in Old Milltown were disturbed by the sound of a loud bang. They emerged from their homes to find that the car had hit a hedge and a gate pier, spun around and came to a rest on the other side of the road overhanging a ditch. The court heard that Mr Martin got out of the car, and tried to move Mr Cottuli, who was in the back seat and was clearly very injured. When that failed, he got into the front passenger seat of the car and, leaning over the defendant who was in the drivers seat, tried to re-start the car. There had been rain that day and the road surface was wet at the time. Eventually the occupants were removed to hospital. While there, Mr Jackson Fleming was approached by Gardai who asked him to give a breath sample. He refused. However, at a later date he made a statement to Gardai and was cooperative with them. He admitted he had been drinking that evening and had taken D10s and Xanax, both of which are relaxants. He was very remorseful and very sincere in that, his barrister told the court, and had reached out to apologise to the family of the late Mr Cottuli, although they were not receptive. He said that Mr Cottuli was a good friend of his and that he regretted the incident, saying that it had been the worst week of his life and that he wished hed stayed at home that day. A Probation Report indicated that he was genuine in his remorse and that he was a moderate risk of reoffending. In sentencing him, Judge Michael OShea noted that the message is that if you consume alcohol you should not sit behind the wheel of a car. He sentenced the defendant to four years in prison, but suspended the final year. He also disqualified him from driving for 10 years, to kick in after he had been released from prison. A 29 year-old former bank worker has been jailed for 18 months for stealing over 80,000 from three customer accounts over a three-year period. Gary Fields, with an address at Tinryland, Co Carlow pleaded guilty to a sample of 10 charges at Naas Circuit Court today, March 9. This was systematic theft over a considerable period of years, said Judge Michael OShea. He handed down a three-year jail term, but suspended the last 18 months on the condition that Mr Fields does not come to the attention of the gardai in the 18 months following his release. Sgt David Hanrahan gave evidence that he had spoken to a lady in September 2015, who noticed suspicious activity on her Ulster Bank account. On further investigation, it was discovered 56,175 had been taken from her account in 41 transactions over three years. Ulster Bank became aware of the problem. It was discovered that Gary Fields used his username and password to access the account and when approached by the bank, he admitted he was to blame. He was suspended and later resigned. It transpired that two more customers were affected. They were contacted by the bank and they realised money had also been taken from their accounts in 34 transactions totaling 19,400 and 19,995 respectively. The court was told Ulster Bank had paid back the customers, who had accounts at branches at Newbridge, Naas and Carlow. The thefts occurred between April 2012 and September 2015. Judge OShea was informed the accused admitted his guilt at the first opportunity to gardai. His barrister said his client had a serious gambling addiction, which had begun at an early age when he started playing poker. He later went on to travel the country to play poker games, and also went online gambling. He said his client was just 24 when the thefts began, and it started out with small sums before they increased over time. He said the fact that he used his own username to access the accounts showed he was not trying to cover his tracks. The court was told Mr Fields did not show any benefit from the money he stole because he gambled it all away. His barrister pointed out he began chasing his tail, as it were, trying to win back the money he lost. In his own words, he said it was like an avalanche going downhill that just didnt stop. Judge OShea was informed Mr Fields had a bank draft for 10,000 for Ulster Bank, and wanted to repay the full amount he stole, although his defence acknowledged this may not be possible given the sum involved. The court was informed he secured a very good Leaving Cert before going on to study Computer Networking and Communications at Carlow IT. He also completed his banking qualifications, and in a subsequent job after he departed the bank was a team leader. The court heard he was back living at home in Carlow, had been in a relationship and has a young daughter. Judge OShea was informed he was a good father. Mr Fields is now attending Gambling Anonymous and was trying to get into a residential treatment centre, but couldn't afford it. References from previous employers were handed in. Judge OShea acknowledged that the reason he stole the money was to fuel his gambling habit. However, he said it was his view, that he did benefit from the theft in that he used the money to spend on gambling. He acknowledged the defendants career prospects in the banking industry had been destroyed. He said the trust of the customers and the banks had been breached by the defendant. He credited the bank for its swift response in repaying the victims. He took into account the defendants personal circumstances, the fact he pleaded guilty at the earliest possible stage, co-operated with gardai, had only one previous conviction for speeding, and showed genuine remorse for his actions. He noted the Probation Report said he was at low risk of reoffending. However, he pointed out the bank was at the loss of a substantial amount of money, which was unlikely to ever be paid back in the foreseeable future. North West Hospice has teamed up with Loughan House Open Facility in Blacklion again this year to produce fresh, locally grown shamrock for St Patricks Day. Residents at the Blacklion facility have grown 2,500 pots of shamrock to be sold in the build-up to St Patricks weekend in aid of North West Hospice. Shamrock will be available to buy from our wonderful Volunteers throughout Carrick-on-Shannon and Sligo town on March 9 and from the hospice offices in Wine Street Car Park. Shamrock costs 2 per pot and can be re-planted or worn on our national day. If you are available to spare an hour or two and volunteer to help your hospice on these dates please call us on (071) 9170523. If you are a retailer and would like to sell some on your premises then please call us. Further details on locations are available from www.northwesthospice.ie or on our Facebook page. Speaking about the project, Bernadette McGarvey from North West Hospice said We are extremely grateful to Loughan House for their ongoing support through this shamrock project. Management and staff at the facility have been extremely supportive towards North West Hospice and have been wonderful partners to work with. The residents have done a brilliant job, growing close to 2,500 of these fresh, beautiful shamrocks on our behalf this year. Our partnership with Loughan House is a great example of how different groups in the community can work together to great success. We hope everyone in the North West will support our hospice and wear their shamrocks with pride this year! North West Hospice is dedicated to the provision of palliative care for those living with life-limiting illness, and their families, in Sligo, Leitrim, South Donegal and West Cavan through the provision of consultant-led specialist palliative care. To continue to provide the current level of service we need to raise in excess of 1 million every through fundraising events, donations and bequests. Postmasters are to hold a protest outside the GPO next Tuesday, March 14 at 11am saying they will resist any Post Office closures driven by An Post. The Irish Postmasters Union (IPU) also demanded the immediate publication and implementation of the completed Post Office Network plan Chaired by Bobby Kerr. IPU General Secretary Ned OHara said Government must immediately intervene and stop An Post from stalling the 56m Network development plan. An Posts Group Chief Executive, David McRedmond, has said that the company wants to stall any decision on planning for future of the Post Office Network until at least next May, while it works on a separate Post Office strategy of its own, and has signalled the potential for significant Post Office closures. Ned OHara said that Postmasters had signed up to the Post Office Network Strategy Board report (Chaired by businessman Bobby Kerr), which was completed before Christmas, and includes a structured plan to sustain and develop the Post Office Network over four years, and includes a Government investment of 56m. Postmasters are calling on Communications Minister Denis Naughton and the Government to intervene immediately. An Taoiseach Enda Kenny visited Kiltyclogher on Friday last where he paid tribute to the village's most famous son, Sean MacDiarmada, and also attempted to address the concerns of many in relation to Brexit. A visit to MacDiarmada's cottage was followed by a tour of the Kiltyclogher Heritage Centre where he viewed artifacts relating to 1916 and the life of Sean MacDiarmada. That was followed by a visit to the village's Community Centre where he addressed local representatives and members of the community in relation to a number of issues including Brexit, broadband and the proposed cross-border Greenway that it is hoped will span from Sligo to Blacklion and on as far as Enniskillen. Explaining the reasons for his visit to the Leitrim Observer, An Taoiseach said, I committed to Tony McLoughlin some time ago that if I had the opportunity to come to Sean MacDiarmadas cottage that I would. It has been a privilege to visit the original cottage, to see some of the original items that are still in it but also to hear a very detailed account of Sean MacDiarmadas life. I was struck by the quality of his writing here in his own hand, the night before he was executed. Addressing the issue of Brexit which has the potential to significantly impact on Kiltyclogher and other border towns and villages An Taoiseach attempted to alleviate local concerns when he said, I want to assure them of two things. We are not going back to what I see on the walls here, of roads being blown up, and we are not going back to a situation of custom posts on the border and thats agreed between our own Government and the British Government. Re-emphasising the point that there will be no return to days of old when villages such as Kiltyclogher were synonymous with check-points and road closures An Taoiseach said, It is a political challenge because the border in the past brought with it sectarian violence and all of those elements of criminality that came along with that. Kiltyclogher is now a peaceful village and everybody wants to get on with their lives and we want to work with that for the future. That is essential in the context of negotiating Brexit. Obviously the economy of the Republic and Northern Ireland is of paramount importance to us and given the practical issues that arise everyday across the border these are issues that will be foremost in our priorities in the discussions that we have both with the British Government and as part of the EU negotiating team in the time ahead. Following his recent announcement that he will address the issue of his leadership of the Fine Gael party upon his return from a St Patrick's Day meeting with American President Donald Trump, An Taoiseach touched on his visit to America stating, I hope to work with the American administration in the interests of continuing the participation of Ireland and the United States and the opportunity to provide work and careers for so many people. We employ 100,000 Americans from 50 states at the moment. Thats very different to when Sean MacDiarmadas family emigrated to the United States when we were totally dependent on the remittance sent back from the States at that time. During his public address in Kiltyclogher's Community Centre An Taoiseach also referred to the fact that Northern Ireland voted against Brexit and voiced his belief that should a time arise when the majority of citizens north of the border are in favour of a united Ireland then the north should be welcomed back into the EU. People voted north and south in 1998 on the Good Friday Agreement. You voted on the basis that this was an international agreement that will be lodged in the United Nations and it is legally binding and overseen by the Irish Government and British Government. If at some future time the people of Northern Ireland decide by their vote that they wish to join the Republic that can be so, that is in the Good Friday Agreement. I want to see that when these negotiations are completed that that language is put in there. Not just for the reason that people in the North would be able to join the Republic but if they so wished but also in that when Brexit happens and Britain leaves it leaves with Northern Ireland - a part of this island currently in the EU would no longer be in the EU. What I want to see happen is that language of the Good Friday Agreement be contained in the result of the negotiations so that if at some stage in the future that happens then Northern Ireland will not have to reapply to join the EU and will not have to wait 20 years to do it but could join seamlessly the way East Germany was assimilated with West Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall. These are serious political issues and they have a dimension that will effect the children here. 59% of readers surveyed in a Leitrim Observer online poll have 'terrible' mobile phone coverage and a further 36% says that their coverage is very much ' hit and miss', highlighting just how difficult it is for those in the Co Leitrim area to use mobile networks. The poll, put up by the Leitrim Observer on Saturday, March 4, had attracted over 200 responses by Monday evening last. Others chose to vent their anger via our facebook page with one reader noting: Steve Dolan We're on 3. Unbelievably bad since October. I live in Glenade only a few miles from Truskmore and have only one place in the house where I can attempt a call. Even then the signal just disappears despite me standing still. Got rid of Eircom. They told us that they probably would never bring Broadband up our road even though we live next door to a National School. We're paying an absolute fortune for QSAT B/B as no one else could supply. With 3 children in the house needing the internet it's hard and a bloody disgrace. Another said that the problem was widespread observing: One mile outside any Town or Village in Leitrim and in particular Carrigallen ( No Service ). This comes just days after, Fianna Fail TD for Sligo/Leitrim, Marc MacSharry hit out at the Minister for Communications for failing to take action on poor mobile phone coverage in the North West. Despite claims of 90% coverage by some mobile operators, the reality on the ground is that coverage in many parts of the country is completely sub-standard, Deputy MacSharry notes. The Deputy says coverage in the North West as practically non-existent and says that mobile phone providers are focusing on large urban areas and leaving the rest of the country out of the loop. Fianna Fail is now calling the Minister for Communication, Denis Naughten, to establish a universal service obligation to guarantee a minimum standard for mobile phone services throughout the country. As Minister for Equalities in the recent coalition government, Lynne Featherstone was the originator and architect of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013. She has received various accolades and awards for her work on equalities. In his book Gay Shorts (2015), the former Conservative Party politician turned broadcaster and member of the LGBT community, Iain Dale said that: Same-sex marriage will be associated with Lynne Featherstone in the same way that we associate David Steel with the 1967 Abortion Act and Roy Jenkins with the legalisation of homosexuality. In the hours following the icy gales of Storm Doris, I caught up with Lynne at Tauntons most distinguished hotel, The Castle. The previous evening, she spoke at a party fundraiser in East Devon. After our interview, she was heading off to another commitment,as the guest speaker at the Bridgwater and West Somerset Liberal Democrats annual dinner. She is certainly a woman in demand! Among the bustling crowd of Saturday night revellers, who were making good use of the historic hotels bar and restaurant, Lynne and I managed to find a table and a couple of chairs, tucked away in a reasonably quiet corner. In the hour that I had with the Lib Dem peer, I wanted to cover a lot of ground. Obviously, the subject of her new book Equal Ever After was going to dominate much of the conversation. Besides the same sex marriage bill, I wanted to find out more about the former MP and her life before and after her time as Minister. You are a north London girl, could you tell me a bit about your childhood? I grew up in a block of flats. I went to the local primary school and won a scholarship to the independent girls day trust, South Hampstead High School for Girls. I wanted to go with all my friends to Camden High, but my headmistress convinced my mother to allow me to sit the entrance exam, which I passed. My mother didnt believe in education. She was a child of an immigrant, and for her it was all about surviving financially. She wanted me to go out to work and not get ideas above my station! I wanted to be an actor. They do say politics is show business for ugly people! I gave up acting to become a designer because my mother said to me if there was one thing worse than acting it was art school. Therefore, I wanted to go to art school. I was always the rebel! You didnt become involved in politics until you were around 40 years of age, relatively late in comparison with other politicians. What did your previous adult life entail? I went to Oxford Polytechnic (now Oxford Brooks University) to study Design for three years. I led my first campaign there, which was to save Art. The powers that be were closing my course because they wanted to convert to a university. I got the whole college out. We had marches, and I gave a radio interview, which was my first ever media. We won. It did eventually become a university but not until after Id left! This experience gave me a taste for campaigning. Although I wasnt particularly partisan, I did think about politics at that time, but no party appealed to me. It was the mid-seventies. The Liberals were a small band, and the party was engulfed in the Thorpe affair. The Tories had this disastrous three-day working week. When Labour got in, they were equally as awful. I dont even remember about the Greens. Therefore, I walked away and became a designer. I worked for a big architecture and planning company before setting up my own business. I was a designer for twenty years, including for transport consultants. This stood me in good stead when I became Chair for Transport for London. You never know when something is going to come in useful. Besides those that youve just mentioned, what other skills in your previous career helped you with your political career? Many more transferable skills than you would have thought. The basis of being a designer is about resolving a problem, usually financial. Youre really looking at what someone does, what their messages are, how they are communicating those messages and how to reach their target market. Bingo, its the same as politics. Ive found that all of my twenty years in design have not been wasted in terms of a political career. Although I didnt know I was going to have a political career at the time. You dont come from a conventional political background. Your parents werent involved in politics, you didnt go to a university, didnt do PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics), no previous parliamentary experience, why politics? There were many drivers in. Firstly, I had that taste for campaigning in my early twenties. Then I got angry at the world. When Thatcher was Prime Minister, I thought she was creating a very selfish world and, at that point, I had two young children. I did not want this type of world, so I thought I should do something about it. I started volunteering at a local hospital and noticed that the nurses were too busy to spend enough time with patients. They were literally run off their feet. The hospital couldnt afford to purchase their own equipment. Every piece of equipment on the ward was donated. Without this generosity, the health service would fall apart. I thought how do you change this? That was a crisis and, sadly, the NHS is still in a crisis. The only way this could change was to either own the multinational, which was clearly out of my reach, or get involved in the political process because somewhere in there is how you change things. Thats literally when I joined the political party. Although I didnt know which one to join. Why the Lib Dems then? I researched all the political parties and their policies. I was never going to be Conservative. They are not really me, although I think some of their policies are okay. Greens are a single-issue party and are not serious enough. Labour are controlling, and I cannot be controlled. I will not belong to an organisation that says you have to be regimented. If you dont say or do the right thing then you are not included. You can see this now with Momentum. I know its an extreme version, but even generally Labour was much more command-and-control. I liked the idea of the Liberals. Im obviously a natural Liberal. The last time I had looked at them, they were six men in a taxi! They were now the Liberal Democrats. They had a really sound hook that I could hang my political hat. They werent perfect, no party is an exact fit, but I could be comfortable within them. It was a good choice. You do not choose Lib Dems for a political career. You choose them because you believe that you are a liberal. Who were your main political influences? Did you have a political hero? Shirley Williams. She is stunning. She is an amazing politician. Shirley is a role model for both men and women. Funnily enough, she was the originator of polytechnics. I thought polytechnics were a magnificent idea of a sort of mixed economy of students. I dont like segregation amongst students. In your quest to become an MP, its fair to say that it wasnt a straightforward or easy journey. You stood as a Lib Dem in the Labour stronghold of Hornsey and Wood Green in 1997. After two unsuccessful attempts at winning the seat, you overturned a huge majority to beat your Labour nemeses in 2005. After one defeat most candidates fall into the political wilderness, what made you continue? I dont really count the first election in 1997. We did little work in my own constituency and spent the majority of the time helping the neighbouring candidate, Simon Hughes. Essentially, I stood as a paper candidate. We were 26,000 behind in 1997, but we cut that amount in half at the 2001 election. This was one of the top two biggest swings in the country, so it gave me the confidence that we could win the next time around. To be honest, I thought from the start it would take eight years and it did. To be continued * Rob May is a Political History PhD student and Lib Dem activist. The slough of despond which we find ourselves in comprises not just being severed from 49 parliamentary seats two years ago, but the backdrop to this: one where social democratic and liberal endeavours are losing their credibility throughout Western Europe. A well-timed response to the cultural aspect of this was posted last February calling for a `counter-narrative` of our own `myths and stories`. Here are some of my pointers at not letting the devil have all the best tunes. To get some visceral appeal some have proposed that we embrace some kind of English patriotism, others that the call for `Freedom` should be our watchword. Richard Dawkins has opined that we rebrand ourselves as the` European party`. All of these ideas as interesting as they are strike me as a search for shortcuts. Yet, as Roland Barthes said `The key to the treasure is the treasure`. We only need to enhance what we are a newish party with a left but non-authoritarian ethos and to do so with style. Being non-conformist and rationalist type people, Liberal Democrats tend to spurn style as being pomp and circumstance. Thus along have come the trendy neo-righties the Bo Jos and the Farages who have been able to portray themselves as human and anti-pomposity. The liberal love of thinking aloud, of diversity and informality is just not coming across. Somehow we have to prove that being popular need not involve being populist. Image-wise, when I think of Corbyns Labour I behold a `Citizen Smith` archetype: which all too many of them seem happy to live up to. The Tories meanwhile, live-in-the-real world, mate their `real world` and are welcome to stay there. As for the Lib Dems I get a nebulous picture of a well meaning gent.in sandals with socks. More lately though -thank you Express/Mail! we have been cast as Remaniacs chucking cold water over the Brextrick daydream. This lends us an edge beyond being the `Nice Party` which we should welcome. We have some sound bites, but we could do with a credo. A while back the Communist Party of Britain was selling mugs with the slogan `Doubt Everything` on them. Marx said that once, but I wish we had. One that sticks in my mind, from a while back, is `Freedom for All, not a Free for All` but suggestions on a postcard. A few cultural icons would not go amiss either. The Tories and UKIP have claimed the body of Churchill, and despite the ironies of this, they are welcome to him. There is, however, a personage who is an intrinsic part of British culture, and a Liberal Party man: Charles Dickens. And while we are talking about great British writers: did not Martin Amis once endorse us? Can we not get him back? The statist left have been masters of conveying their historical lineage. Who does not associate the Labour Party with 1945 (and thereby the National Health Service)? We Lib Dems do sometimes mutter about 1906 that Liberal landslide that ushered in the first old age pensions but this is not embroidered into our conversation. Lloyd George may be still conjured up in parts of Wales, but has been forgotten about elsewhere. Last but not least: consider our party colour. (Should anyone doubt the significance of colour to political ideas then they need to remember just what a masterstroke the Ecologists adoption of the colour Green was). Our own colour, amber, is a cheering and vivid one: the hue of embers, of mornings, andgetting geared up to Go. `Style`, said Rachael Zoe, `is a way to say who you are without having to speak`. Are you ready for the amber kick-start? * Edward Crabtree is a Lib Dem member who lives and works in Russia. Im increasingly conscious that one really important group has become invisible in the storm around Brexit: the people who actually voted for it. Canvassing recently my ear was firmly bent by someone who voted Leave and is worried about the NHS. The promise of 350 million per week might have evaporated on the morning after the referendum, but her concerns have not. Shes not angry at the lie: for her this is just one more in the chain of politicians lies. The worry is real. One of the memorable moments in Laura Kuenssbergs documentary on the referendum had Leave voters in Sunderland saying now people in London have got to listen to us. Instead we have a prime minister saying Brexit means Brexit and talking of the will of the people, but who reacted to being reigned in by the courts by bring a bill before parliament to give her huge powers in the Brexit process. This sounds like a land grab from No.10 rather than an attempt at listening. What happens now to the people who felt left behind? People who voted Leave because life is hard were not voting for it to become harder. Cornwall voted for Brexit, and now finds the London will not provide the money they have been receiving from Brussels. People were persuaded that immigrants are to blame for many of lifes woes: that doesnt mean they voted to find out the hard way that that is not true. Some have suggested that the Brexit vote was a form of self-harm. Thats not an irrational act: its what people do when the pain from things they cant control is too great, and alleviated by a pain they can. When people are in that place, the first thing to do is to listen to them. Many of these people are traditional Labour voters, who they now seem to be ignoring. With honourable exceptions, it feels instead as if Labour and Conservatives are competing to out-UKIP UKIP. Our system expects the opposition to be a government in waiting: right now it is missing in action, failing to hold the government to account over Brexit, and failing to engage with those who would lose most from a hard Brexit. The brutal criticism of traditional socialism is that it has to keep people poor so they go on voting socialist. New Labour was a valiant attempt to get out of that space that Corbyns Labour rejects. The Liberal Democrat perspective on this is a game-changer. Our emphasis on community-based politics means we start in a different place. A world where no-one is enslaved by poverty has a different feel from the toxic language of envying the wealthy: its an invitation instead to create opportunity and possibility. Its a hope-filled message when hope (rather than fantasy) is missing. That is a more subtle message than can be conveyed in the heat of parliamentary by-elections, but it sits naturally with the community dimension of local election campaigns. Personally, I think the Liberal Democrat messaging on diversity is about trying to change the whole of society for the better. Freedom from enslavement by poverty is one important aspect of this. The deafness and ineptness of the two big parties are creating a need for the Liberal Democrats: can we step up to it? Can we show that listening was not confined to one badly-worded question on 23 June 2016? * Mark Argent was the Liberal Democrat candidate in Huntingdon Constituency in 2019 and blogs at markargent.com/blog. TWO brothers who were separately being sought by gardai surrendered themselves together earlier this week so they could keep each other company in Limerick Prison, a court has heard. Paul ODonoghue (31) and Liam ODonoghue (28) both of Lenihan Avenue, Prospect pleaded guilty to public order charges when they appeared before Limerick District Court on Tuesday having presented themselves to gardai the previous day. Judge Marian OLeary was told the defendants had both previously failed to appear in court resulting in Bench Warrants being issued for their arrest. Sergeant John Moloney, prosecuting, said Paul ODonoghue was arrested in the early hours of February 5, 2016 after gardai were alerted to a disturbance near the junction of Byrne Avenue and Talbot Avenue. He was extremely intoxicated and was shouting and roaring, he said. Keith ODonoghue was before the court to face charges relating to an incident at Lord Edward Street on October 22, last. Judge OLeary was told he was extremely intoxicated and abusive when approached by gardai. Solicitor Sarah Ryan said her clients, who each have more than 20 previous convictions, have now seen the light having spent Monday night in Limerick Prison. The brothers, she said, were detained in a cell together and had to sleep on matresses on the floor because of the overcrowing situation. They had never been beyond the reception area of the prison before, it was not a plesant experience. They did not like it, she said. Ms Ryan said her clients had made a decision to go to prison at the same time to keep each other company and she said the experience was one they dont want to repeat. Judge OLeary said she was willing to take the brothers at their word and she adjourned sentencing to September 13, next, requesting that a Garda Progress Report be available on that date. THE sod was turned on a new 10m office block in the Shannon Free Zone this Wednesday. The high-spec 55,000 sq ft facility, located on the newly named Airport Avenue, is the first speculative new-build by Shannon Commercial Properties, a Shannon Group Plc company as part of a 25 million first phase redevelopment programme at the Free Zone. In excess of 120 construction jobs will be sustained during construction, with "significant jobs" promised after its completion by May of next year. The versatile new building will comprise four 13,500 sq ft. floors and is suitable for single or multiple tenancies. Minister of State at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Pat Breen launched the building and, attending the sod turning, said that the investment had the capacity to attract significant new employment into the region, specifically "hundreds of jobs into the Shannon Free Zone. Shannon Group CEO Matthew Thomas said the company was building in response to market demand. "We worked closely with the IDA on our research and know that this type of high-end office space is in demand at the moment and without having put a shovel to soil, we have already received enquiries. "To that end, we are confident that this investment will further strengthen the investment in the Shannon Free Zone and will bring significant jobs to Shannon, Clare and the Mid-West region. Shannon Group chair Rose Hynes said: "Our objective is to deliver the type of investment that will facilitate major job creation, either from IDA clients or the indigenous sector. "Ireland remains an extremely attractive investment location and in a national context Shannon, not least because of the presence of an international airport, is a key asset. Our challenge prior to this has been a lack of appropriate facilities to fully capitalise on this opportunity but we are quickly addressing that through this and other investments," she added. Shannon Commercial Properties CEO Ray ODriscoll added that the investment would "deliver a very significant return for the region due to the high specifications of the building and also because of the market demand for high-end office space". IRISH Water has pleaded guilty to criminal charges relating to delays upgrading a water treatment plant in West Limerick. The utility, which is being prosecuted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), pleaded guilty at Dublin District Court on Wednesday to 11 breaches of Waste Water Discharge (Authorisation) regulations. Most of the charges relate to offences elsewhere in the country but two relate to the water treatment plant in Dromcollogher. Solicitor Maeve Larkin, prosecuting, said one of the charges relates to the failure of Irish Water to commence the first phase of urgently needed upgrade work by the December 31, 2015 deadline. EPA inspector John Feehan said the second charge relates to the discharging of water with excessive pollutants. Judge John Brennan was told the first phase of the upgrade works will not be completed until 2018 and that the plant is now trying to deal with seven times the amount of water it was designed to handle. Prior to Irish Water taking control of the facility in 2014 the Department of Environment had set aside the funds for the work. Judge Brennan noted that Irish Water was co-operative with the EPA in relation to all the cases and will pay the costs associated with the prosecution. Adjourning the matter for two weeks for sentence, he commented that the guilty plea had prevented the need for a trial as long as a tribunal. SENATOR Kieran ODonnell has held talks with Health Minister Simon Harris with a view to getting the ground floor ward at St Johns re-opened. It was confirmed this week that the entire ground floor of the city centre hospital is now out-of-use after five more beds were closed. This is in addition to 15 beds which were closed last year. Hospital chief executive Fearghal Grimes blamed the closure on a 2m funding shortfall from the HSE. But its net funding from University Hospital Limerick has in fact increased marginally. Mr ODonnell said the closure of beds is unacceptable, and confirmed he held talks with Mr Harris after the news filtered through this Wednesday. One of the primary issues in terms of hospital care for people in the Mid-West has been the lack of bed capacity. On one hand, we have funding to proceed with the design for a 96-bed unit on the grounds of the hospital. And yet at the same time, they are closing beds in St John's, the Fine Gael man said. These beds are urgently needed. Its a city centre hospital. It takes a huge level of pressure off University Hospital and is an integral part of how this hospital works, Mr ODonnnell said. Fellow Senator Paul Gavan, Castleconell, added: Its deeply ironic that on the same day that Finance Minister Michael Noonan was there to cut the ribbon for the Bon Secours private hospital (formerly Barringtons) that our city centre public hospital was closing its entire ground floor. This shows you where this governments priorities really lie. In a statement, Mr Grimes said he had been left in an impossible position by the cuts. St Johns Hospital is a step down facility, providing bed support to University Hospital. We have clearly outlined to the HSE, the negative impact this level of funding will have on services, but as of yet, no additional funding has been provided. We very much regret having to take these decisions, he said. In a statement, UL Hospitals group said it acknowledges the challenges faced by St Johns Hospital, which are similar to those faced by hospitals within the group and all around the country. It noted that the net allocation of funds to St John's had increased marginally in 2017, despite seeing its own net allocation decrease in the same period. We look forward to working with management at St Johns Hospital to ensure that the beds closed this Monday are reopened as soon as possible, said the spokesperson. University Hospital had 31 patients waiting on trolleys in the emergency department and wards in Dooradoyle, according to figures released by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation. HUNDREDS of people are expected to descend on the city this Saturday for a major demonstration in protest at Irish Cements plans for its Mungret site. Limerick Against Pollution (Lap) is organising the march which starts from 2pm outside City Hall in response to proposals by the firm to use solid recovered waste and used tyres to make cement, rather than petroleum coke. Residents are concerned that burning used tyres will release a number of toxic emissions into the air including dioxins, furans and sulphur dioxide which will in turn cause a range of health problems. However, Irish Cement has always maintained that due to the fact the burning will take place at such a high temperature, there will not be an increase in emissions into the air. In fact, the company says it is necessary for it to reduce its carbon emissions. In the run-up to Saturdays march, the reforms have been raised in three occasions in the Houses of the Oireachtas by Willie ODea in the Dail, and twice in the Upper House by Kieran ODonnell and Maria Byrne. The Fianna Fail TD said the Irish Cement plans have profound consequences for my region. He asked whether the Department of the Environment, the HSE, or the EPA had undertaken a public health risk assessment. Incineration on the scale envisaged brings huge dangers, but there appear to be no plans in place to guard against these dangers. What reassurances can the minister give us now that the burning of 90,000 tonnes of industrial waste, including tyres, solvents and plastics will not have an adverse effect on air quality to the detriment of the community, he asked. The minister responsible, Denis Naughten was not present. In his place Education Minister Richard Bruton said: The role of the minister in waste management is to provide a comprehensive legislative and policy framework through which the relevant regulatory bodies, such as local authorities and the Environmental Protection Agency, operate. Mr ODea said his response is of cold comfort to residents of Mungret, Raheen, Ballinacurra and Clarina and all those other heavily populated districts which will be immediately affected if this proposal proceeds. Mr Naughten was present in the Seanad this Wednesday, however, responding to a question from Mr ODonnell. The Limerick senator has made a formal request to the EPA to install a permanent air quality monitoring station at Mungret. Good practice ordains that one of the sites for monitoring air quality should be at the Irish Cement site. There is a major concern among people living in the area. Many have young families. They are very reasonable people and they have concerns about the emissions from the plant, he said. In response, Mr Naughten said the EPA is proposing an extra monitoring site in Limerik City but declined to reveal where. Elsewhere, Finance Minister Michael Noonan this week met members of Lap over their concerns. Obviously some of the concerns are well-founded, and I hope they would be taken into account by the local authority and the Environmental Protection Agency, he said. Mr Noonan declined to reveal his own personal view on the proposals, only saying: I live in the area and I have views. Asked if he had made a submission to the EPA, which is deliberating on awarding Irish Cement a licence, he said this is something he never does. I have to maintain my neutrality as Finance Minister, he said. But the former Education Minister Jan OSullivan was one of more than 2,000 people who did make their views known. The Labour TD said: Im not sure protest marches at this stage will make a difference one way or another. I can see the balance between the people who currently work there, and the people who are concerned about health. But the first concern has to be health. If there is any danger to peoples health, then that has to be the priority. MR GAY Limerick has won fundraiser of the year at the national final in Cork, after raising over 1,200 to help with the facial reconfiguration costs of those receiving treatment for HIV. Dr Christian Moretti, 32, an Italian native, author, and a secondary school teacher in county Limerick, was up against seven other hopefuls to take the crown on Saturday night last. While he missed out on claiming the overall title, he said he has had an amazing experience as Mr Gay Limerick, and would encourage others to fly the flag for tolerance and equality in Limerick, when his successor takes over the role in July. It has been an absolutely fantastic experience and I have had an amazing year. There are no words to describe it. I would recommend it to everyone. I have had to face some discrimination and homophobia, but by and large the people of Limerick have been extremely supportive, he told the Limerick Leader. He has personally raised over 1,200 in recent months for St James hospital in Dublin, the designated charity of this years event, for the services in helping people with HIV. Some 7,000 has been raised overall through this years event, which will help those affected by HIV. While the latest medication allows people with HIV to live out a normal life expectancy, some earlier medication has had an adverse impact on the facial muscles of patients. The money raised will help pay for collagen injections to restore the facial tissue and the dignity of the patient to resume a full life in society. Some of these costs are paid for by the State, but in some cases further rounds of treatment are necessary. A teacher in Colaiste Chiarain in Croom for the past six years, Dr Moretti has also used his role to raise over 700 for Pieta House, the suicide prevention charity. Dr Moretti, a native of Abulia, in southern Italy, said he always wanted to give something back to Limerick because it has been such a good place to me. I came here for a job six years ago and Limerick is my home now. I absolutely love the school, and I love Limerick, he said. Also a promising novelist, he has published his latest work, with the prestigious Italian publishers, Edizioni Croce, based in Rome. MINISTER for Finance Michael Noonan has said any suggestions that he may have to step down as a result of an inquiry into his involvement in the 'Grace' case are ridiculous and very unfair. Minister Noonan, who is due to be examined by the commission of inquiry, told the Limerick Leader that it was a coincidence that he was Minister for Health at the time. He previously explained that he passed on the correspondence he received to the relevant authorities, and has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the case. Asked by the Limerick Leader if the commission of inquiry could put pressure on him to step down early from the party, Mr Noonan replied: I don't see the connection. That's a ridiculous question. I have nothing to do with the 'Grace' case. I have made public statements on this already, and I have nothing to add to the statements Ive made already. I always cooperate with any commission of inquiry. It was a coincidence I was Minister for Health at the time. I have had no direct involvement whatsover in the 'Grace' case. He said he did not watch Claire Byrne Live, which was broadcast on Monday night on RTE, which focused on the Grace case. The Minister added that certain elements of the media are trying to make a connection between my future and the 'Grace' case and there's absolutely none. He added that it was very unfair to pursue that line of questioning. Last month, he confirmed he was made aware of the Grace case around 1996 and the matter was passed on to his junior minister, Austin Currie. We were told that the young woman in question, or young child in question, had been removed from the foster home, he said. Some weeks later, it transpired that the South Eastern Health Board officials, who had made the decision, had reversed the decision for some reason. The inquiry, which was established this Tuesday, will centre on a decision to remove 'Grace' from her foster home in the southeast in 1996 after allegations of abuse, and the subsequent reversal of that decision after representations were made by the foster father in question. 'Grace', who has severe intellectual disabilities and is unable to speak, remained in the care of the foster family for 20 years, until July 2009, despite repeated allegations of physical and sexual abuse. She was one of 47 children the family cared for over the years. The foster father wrote to Mr Noonan, who served as Minister for Health at the time, in August 1996 asking him to intervene in the case to ensure that 'Grace' remained in their home. The extent of the contacts made with Mr Noonan, the former minister of state Austin Currie and Department of Health officials will be examined by the commission. Mr Noonan was also the subject of widespread public criticism this week when he appeared at the official announcement of the takeover of Barringtons' private hospital in Limerick by the Bon Secours Health System, given to the connection of the religious order to the scandal in Tuam. It's just more fake news, Mr Noonan said. The Bon Secours hospital group are not the convent. Months ago I was asked to do this and agreed to do it. His appearance outside the hospital was also criticised in the Dail by the People before Profit deputy Brid Smith, who claimed that the Bon Secours group, now the largest private hospital group in the country, was built on the bones of the dead Tuam babies. Minister Noonan said that if deputy Smith is confident in her assertions she should make them without Dail privilege. He also dismissed suggestions last month relating to his possible early retirement, in line with a heave against the Taoiseach, as fake news. Financial correspondence for the Bon Secours Health System company shows that at least one member of the order is still director of the company, while two other nuns resigned from the company in 2015. Labour deputy Jan OSullivan said that the terms of reference of the Grace inquiry need to be expanded to include other children who came under the case of the foster family in question. She said there needs to be clarity about why the decision was made to not remove Grace from care, and who made that decision. Deputy OSullivan said the case also begs the question of the welfare of over 2,000 children under the care of the State who have not been assigned a social worker. "There are still many vulnerable children out there in the system," she said. "We have to get to the bottom of issues, such as those in the 'Grace' case, and the Tuam babies, for the sake of their families, and for people to have confidence in the system, in terms of how we care and look after the most vulnerable of children." Limerick City and County Council has confirmed it has granted Irish Cement planning permission for an extension to its facility in Mungret. In a brief statement issued this Thursday evening a spokesperson for the local authority stated permission for the controversial development has been granted subject to 16 conditions. The decision comes less than 48 hours ahead of a protest march this Saturday against the development which has been organised by Limerick Against Pollution. BREAKING: Irish Cement have been granted planning permission by Limerick City and County Council. https://t.co/iUySWrbO73 Cllr Daniel Butler (@DanielButlerFG) March 9, 2017 Disappointing but not surprising to see the council have given permission to Irish Cement for their plans to burn... https://t.co/Kk1qAmsdcP Cian Prendiville (@cianpaaa) March 9, 2017 Residents in the Dooradoyle, Raheen and Mungret areas of Limerick have expressed concern in recent months about the environmental impact of the 10m plans, which first came to light last year. Irish Cement says it wants to use solid recovered waste and tyres in cement production, rather than fossil fuels which is currently the case. Despite the concerns of residents, the company has always insisted the proposed changes will not lead to an increase in emissions at the plant. Limerick City and County Council says it will not be making any further comment on the matter. WITH over 7,000 tree species in Ireland, just 22 are native to this country and all of them can be found at the ancient site of Lough Gur. And to mark National Tree Week which runs until this Sunday - tree expert and the Leaders nature columnist Albert Nolan launched the new tree trail for the tourist destination. For tree huggers and tree novices, this is the week to take the plunge in Lough Gur and explore all native tree species located in one beautiful place. The tree trail took over a year to plan and put in place. On Sunday, tree expert Albert Nolan launched the new trail for Lough Gur. Undeterred by poor weather, crowds turned out to investigate the microcosms that exist on each and every part of the lofty giants. In association with Limerick Council, expertly crafted timber signs stand before each tree to give an overview of the uses of and in some cases the mythology of each tree. Younger visitors are treated to a tricky tree trivia section on each map that stir curiosity. All answers can be found on the tree plaques or if you ask at the Lough Gur Heritage Centre, the guides there will be happy to help. Lough Gur Development welcome all visitors to Lough Gur for tree week to avail of the newly launched free tree trail map of the area. In 2016, environmental consultant Eanna Ni Lamhna visited Lough Gur to mark out the magic and significance of each tree. Apr 29, 2021, 8 PM The firm of Daniel F. Kelleher sold this fault-free example of the 1880 special printing of the 15 Webster Banknote for $27,600 during its Feb. 21-23 Flagship sale. Daniel F. Kelleher sold this lightly used $6 newspaper stamp of 1894, one of just 16 recorded as certified by the Philatelic Foundation, for $28,800. Auction Roundup By Matthew Healey, New York Correspondent The firm of Daniel F. Kelleher, in Danbury, Conn., held another of their Flagship sales Feb. 21-23. An 1880 special printing of the 15 Webster Banknote (Scott 199), described as one of the few among the 37 known examples to be free of faults, sold for $27,600, including Kellehers 20 percent buyers premium. A 2 Washington-Franklin with compound perforations measuring 12 by 10 (Scott 423B), of which just 32 are known, realized $10,200, while a lightly used $6 newspaper stamp of 1894 (PR101), one of just 16 recorded as certified by the PF, brought $28,800. Connect with Linns Stamp News: Sign up for our newsletter Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page. March 7, 2017 Its Time for the U.S. to Recognize Israels Sovereignty over the Golan Heights Dear Friend of FLAME: As weve noted over the last few months, Donald Trumps ascent to the Presidency portends well for Israel and us Israel advocates. On the other hand, while Mr. Trump has been quick to act on other campaign pledges, his steps to restoreand improvethe U.S. relationship with Israel have until now been optical, not substantive . While the Presidents attitude toward Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have certainly been friendly, his commitments to Israel have yet to result in concrete changes . While its too early in the Trump administration to begin hard pressure, Mr. Netanyahu used his recent visitand substantial political capital with the Presidentto push not for relocating the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, but for U.S. recognition of Israels sovereignty over the Golan Heights. While both changes in U.S. policy would clearly benefit Israel, for many reasons, recognition of the Golan as Israeli territory would bring more benefits , both to Israel and the U.S. Quick background: Following the Arabs attack on Israel in 1967, and their ignominious defeat in just six days, Israel, for security reasons , took control of the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza from Egypt, Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria. Since that time, Israel has made peace with Jordan and Egypt, relinquishing rights to water and lands, most notably the Sinai, which was returned to Egypt. Syria has steadfastly resisted a reasonable deal for peace, in fact insisting on a full return of the lost Golan lands , which would lead to a security disaster for Israel. From a military standpoint, the Golan Heights provide the perfect view and attack platform over Israels vulnerable central Galilee plain. Certainly the unfolding of Syrias sorry history over the last six years has supported Israels refusal to relinquish this precious strategic territory. The notion of Irans Hizbollah terror surrogates or ISIS seizing the Golan from Syriaeither of which would have been likelyrepresents an unthinkable existential nightmare for the Jewish state. This weeks FLAME Hotline featured article, by Matthew Brodsky, lays out a compelling justification for the Trump administration to show leadership on the Golan questionand in the process do the United States a great favor on the Middle East chessboard. Brodsky, senior Middle East analyst at Wikistrat and former director of policy at the Jewish Policy Center in Washington, D.C., argues that this is an opportunity for the U.S. not only to do Israel a valuable favor, but also to leverage influence against Russia and Iran. Once youve reviewed this concise and convincing piece, below, we recommend you contact your Senators and Representative, recommending that they support such an action. Finally, I hope youll also quickly review the P.S. immediately below, which describes FLAMEs current hasbarah campaign to expose five despicable media myths about Israels settlements in Judea and Samaria. Best regards, Jim Sinkinson President, Facts and Logic About the Middle East (FLAME) P.S. Youve no doubt often read in the N.Y. Times and other mainstream media of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land or settlements regarded as illegal by the international community. Yet these objective-sounding phrases represent malicious propaganda disguised lies told so often that millions of Americans believe them. In order to make Americansespecially college and university studentsaware of this media treachery, FLAME has just begun publishing a new position paper: Israeli Settlements: Obstacle to Peace? This paid editorial, exposing the five greatest myths about the settlements, is appearing in magazines and newspapers, including college newspapers, with a combined readership of some 10 million people. In addition, it is being sent to every member of the U.S. Congress and President Trump. If you agree that this kind of public relations effort on Israel's behalf is critical, I urge you to support us. Remember: FLAME's powerful ability to influence public opinionand U.S. support of Israelcomes from individuals like you, one by one. I hope you'll consider giving a donation now, as you're ablewith $500, $250, $100, or even $18. (Remember, your donation to FLAME is tax deductible.) To donate online, just go to donate now. Now more than ever we need your support to ensure that the American people and the U.S. Congress end our support of blatantly anti-Semitic, global jihadist organizations. As of today, more than 15,000 Israel supporters receive the FLAME Hotline at no charge every week. If youre not yet a subscriber, wont you join us in receiving these timely updates, so you can more effectively tell the truth about Israel ? Just go to free subscription. Why the U.S. Should Recognize Israeli Sovereignty over the Golan Heights Netanyahus request for the US to recognize Israels annexation of the Golan Heights represents a bold move that would help accomplish several American objectives in the Middle East By Mathew R.J. Brodsky, Jerusalem Post, February 28, 2017 The biggest news to come out of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus visit to Washington is not whats grabbing most headlines. Rather, its his decision to ask the US to recognize Israels sovereignty over the Golan Heights. It comes at a time when US President Donald Trump is seeking to reinvigorate US relations with its Middle East allies and entertaining new strategies to solve a myriad of challenges facing the United States. In that context, Netanyahus idea should prompt more than a casual review from Washington. Israel captured two-thirds of the Golan territory from Syria in the 1967 war and annexed it in 1981, to the international communitys consternation. The strategic highlands represented less than one percent of Syrian land area, yet under their control it served as a forward operating position from where Syrian artillery regularly shelled northern Israel and the Palestinian Fatah organization launched regular cross-border raids. What the Trump administration decides to do about Syria necessitates an even more important decision, about Russia. Seeing clearly where Russian President Vladimir Putins interest intersect with or diverge from Americas will serve as a keystone in crafting a coherent, wider Middle East strategy that fulfills Trumps twin objectives of destroying Islamic State (ISIS) and pushing back against Iran. At the same time, Washingtons definition of Moscows regional role will have direct implications for Israels security posture and intelligence sharing. There are several reasons why recognizing the annexation of the Golan Heights would benefit both the US and Israel. Whether the previous Syrian-Israeli peace attempts were conducted under Hafez Assad during the 1990s and 2000, or overseen by his son Bashar in 2008 and 2010, the results were the same: the Syrian leaders demanded more than either Egypt or Jordan received in their agreements, while offering significantly less in return. In essence, they were asking Israel to pay a premium for several additional decades of Syrian belligerence. The initial attempts at making peace under the Obama administration shifted from the land-for-peace formula to a land-for-realignment theory where it was believed that Syria could be flipped from the Iranian orbit. The idea that Tehran and Damascus merely shared a marriage of convenience was absurd at the time. President Obamas later decision to respect Tehrans equities in Syria demonstrated his belated understanding that Assads rule in Syria was a core Iranian interest. At this point, there is nothing Syria is able to offer Israel or the US that couldnt be secured by engaging with Russia or Iran instead. In fact, the risk of returning the Golan Heights should be measured against the fact that Iran is actively setting up another forward command along Israels border with Syria. It comes at a time when Israelis are acutely aware that the reward for giving up land has been the shower of rockets and mortars from Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. Had Israel accepted Hafez or Bashar Assads previous territorial demands for peace, Iran, Hezbollah or ISIS would be threatening Israel today from their perch along the Golan plateau. Weakening Irans hand in Syria and beyond is also beneficial for the US given President Trumps professed desire to come to an understanding with Russia. The moment has arrived for the Trump administration to realize that Putins interests do not align with Americas. Russias latest arms shipment to Syria the largest to date since they sashayed into Syria unopposed by the previous US administration in 2015 is not designed to crush ISIS. Its purpose is to keep Assad in power, provide security for its Iranian client and increase the Russian threat to NATOs southern flank by upgrading and expanding its Mediterranean base in Tartus, making its presence a permanent feature in the Middle East. Putins message to the US is clear: Russia is back, prepared to defend its former Soviet client state, and all roads to solving the conflict lead to Moscow. With that understanding should come the realization that prying Russia apart from Iran through bilateral discussions is likely as vacuous as the hope Syria could be flipped from Iran. As Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Lee Smith points out, these are strategic partnerships, not marriages of convenience. The way to change the Russian-Iranian dynamic isnt by talking to Putin, its by devaluing Iran as a strategic asset to Moscow through sanctions, clandestine operations, cyberwar and a variety of other measures. Capitalizing on Netanyahus idea will help the US limit Russias reemergence as a Middle East power broker after a 40-year absence. Rather than being encouraged by the Obama administration as a result of a self-inflicted red line wound, their influence will be checked against American interests. That is not to say that Washington and Moscow cannot cooperate where their interests align. Destroying ISIS should be a common goal. But the days of supporting a fundamentally flawed nuclear deal with Iran by giving in to Putin, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Bashar Assad are over. Yet another benefit from recognizing the Golan Heights as Israeli is the manner in which it could help reset the moribund peace process with the Palestinians and provide new options for US senior presidential adviser Jared Kushner. It removes the idea that the June 4, 1967 lines are sacrosanct in peace agreements while lessening the damage caused by the recent anti-Israel UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution. That unreasonable decision not only fixes those lines as the starting point for negotiations but also entitles Palestinians to pre-1967 Israeli territory as a part of mutually agreed land swaps. This approach mistakes the possible outcome of negotiations with the starting point of peace talks. Its no wonder, then, why the Palestinian Authority prefers to avoid direct negotiations with Israel. They pocket benefits and concessions as a reward for their avoidance and belligerence. UNSC Resolution 242 has long served as the cornerstone of Middle East peacemaking and it called for the return of territory (not all territory) in exchange for peace. At this point, Israel has returned 80% of the land it gained in the 1967 war. Syria has missed the boat; the ship has already sailed. Regarding the Palestinians, the depth of the Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank may only match the depth of peace they are offered. Much has changed since the disintegration of the Soviet Union and convening of the Madrid Peace Conference over a quarter century ago. American policy should also adjust to reflect the lessons learned from past successes and failures. Israel is no longer perceived as enemy number one by the rulers of the Arab states. While they would no doubt oppose an American recognition of the Israeli Golan Heights, they have a better understanding of their priorities and would be more accepting if it was presented as part of a region-wide plan that works in their favor. Besides, given the choice between aligning with Russia or a reanimated America determined to reward its allies and push back against its adversaries, most Arab states will likely lean to the West. With the changing of the guard in Washington comes the pursuit of new objectives in Syria, the region and beyond. America has pushed the land-for-peace boulder uphill for decades and reached a point of diminishing returns. There should be penalties rather than rewards for truculent defiance, whether Syrian or Palestinian. Netanyahus request for the US to recognize Israels annexation of the Golan Heights represents a bold move that would help accomplish several American objectives in the Middle East, while jettisoning policy prescriptions that have long lived past their expiration dates. HOME SUBSCRIBE DONATE PR FOR ISRAEL HOTLINE ARCHIVE ABOUT CONTACT US THIS MONTH'S AD APPEARED IN PUBLICATIONS REACHING 10 MILLION READERS IF YOU SUPPORT PUBLISHING FLAME'S BOLD PR MESSAGES, PLEASE HELP US!! FLAME is the only organization that defends Israel with paid editorial hasbarah messages placed in media nationwide every month: The dire threats from Iran, Hamas and Hizbollah, the injustice of BDS, Palestinian anti-Semitism and more. If you support a bold voice that tells the truth about Israel in American media, please donate now. FLAME'S WEEKLY HOTLINE E-NEWSLETTER FLAME's Hotline e-newsletter keeps you up to date on the most important pro-Israel advocacy issues and features our choice of the week's most informative and thought-provoking article on Israel and the Middle East. If you only subscribe to one pro-Israel news service, make it the FLAME Hotline. Find not too frequent updates from the Livesay family here Three new species of massive, furry "birdeater" spiders have been discovered, with dozens more stricken from the grouping. In a new paper published in the open-access journal ZooKeys, researchers cleaned house on the genus Avicularia, a group of hairy tarantula spiders that was, in the words of lead study author Caroline Sayuri Fukushima, "a huge mess." Fukushima, a researcher at the Instituto Butantan in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and her colleagues sorted out the genus, which was first described in 1818. They narrowed the number of Avicularia species from more than 50 to 12, including three new species of Avicularia that hadn't been noted before. They named one of these species after Maria Sibylla Merian, a naturalist born in 1647 who famously painted an illustration of an Avicularia spider eating a bird. [See Amazing Photos of Goliath Birdeater Spiders] "This illustration gave origin to the name of the genus and the popular name birdeater spiders," Fukushima told Live Science in an email. "People [in] that time did not believe in her observations, saying that a spider eating a bird was a female fantasy. But now we know she is right!" A tangled web A 1705 illustration by naturalist Maria Sibylla Merian shows a tarantula eating a bird. Merian's observation was disbelieved at the time, but Avicularia tarantulas really do eat birds, bats and other small vertebrates. (Image credit: Maria Sibylla Merian/Wikimedia Commons) Over the years, other scientists added more and more spiders to the genus, but no one ever had a good sense of what made a tarantula an Avicularia, other than that they are large and fuzzy, and live in trees, feasting on everything from insects to bats to small birds. Most Avicularia species grow around 5 or 6 inches (12 to 15 centimeters) in length, and many are popular pets for tarantula enthusiasts. [Ewww! See Photos of Bat-Eating Spiders] "The reasons to do this work were the necessity of solving the many problems of the genus (which were causing confusion to other genera, too), but also the chance to do something hard, big, important and new regarding tarantula taxonomy," Fukushima wrote. And hard it was. The project took years, Fukushima said. The researchers had to track down ancient specimens from museums around the world, puzzling out original descriptions in Latin, French, Dutch, Portuguese and German. The scientists compared the anatomical characteristics of these old identifications with those of spiders from modern zoos and museums. Naming new spiders Untangling the mess of Avicularia required creating a new genus, Ybyrapora, to encompass certain Brazilian spiders that dwell in rainforest trees, the scientists said. Researchers also moved two species of Caribbean spider that were previously in the Avicularia genus to a new genus called Caribena. Finally, the scientists established a new genus called Antillena for a species of Dominican Republic tarantula identified in 2013 as Avicularia rickwesti. The spider is large and mostly reddish, with a distinctive red "oak leaf" pattern on its black abdomen. Ybyrapora diversipes was once considered to be in the Avicularia genus, but new research establishes a new genus for this iridescent specimen from the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest. (Image credit: Rogerio Bertani) The discoverers of A. rickwesti wrote in the journal Zoologia at the time that the species was quite different, anatomically, from other Avicularia spiders, but noted that it didn't fit in any other genus, either. The researchers also named three new species of spider in the Avicularia genus. One, A. caei, is found only in Brazil. Another, A. lynnae, can be found in Ecuador and Peru. A. merianae, found only in Peru, was given its name in honor of the naturalist Merian. "Despite her great work for natural science, she is poorly recognized when compared with male naturalists of that time," Fukushima explained. Original article on Live Science. Eye of the Fly The tiny robber fly reaches about 6 millimeters in length, about the size of a grain of rice. (Image credit: Sam Fabian) The tiny robber fly reaches about 6 millimeters in length, about the size of a grain of rice. But despite its small size, the fly boasts visual abilities that rival that of the dragonfly, which is 10 times larger and can carry bigger eyes. [Read the full article on fly eyes] A speedy predator The robber fly, genus Holcocephala, perches on branches and launches itself at prey flying overhead. New research published March 9, 2017, in the journal Current Biology finds that these flies can see prey smaller than 2 millimeters up to 100 of their own body lengths away. (Image credit: Paloma Gonzalez-Bellido) The robber fly, genus Holcocephala, perches on branches and launches itself at prey flying overhead. New research published March 9, 2017, in the journal Current Biology finds that these flies can see prey smaller than 2 millimeters up to 100 of their own body lengths away. Wide Eyes The compound eyes of the robber fly. (Image credit: Paloma Gonzalez-Bellido) The compound eyes of the robber fly. These flies have a concentrated area of 78 micron-diameter lenses in the center of each eye, more than double the size of the lenses near the edges, which are just 20 microns across. These wide lenses allow more light in, which then focuses on unusually small light receptors that are set far back from the lens. The result is a sharp central area of vision. Tasty meal A robber fly perches with its prey after a successful hunt. (Image credit: Sam Fabian) A robber fly perches with its prey after a successful hunt. Researchers strung silver beads on fishing wire to mimic prey and videotape flies in their rapid airborne attacks. Fly Eyes A transmission electron microscope image of Holcocephala showing the enlarged lenses toward the center of the eyes. (Image credit: Trevor Wardill) A transmission electron microscope image of Holcocephala showing the enlarged lenses toward the center of the eyes. [Read the full article on fly eyes] Hopeful Mates A female robber fly sits on a perch at midday as a male passes by. (Image credit: Ann Pettigrew) A female robber fly sits on a perch at midday as a male passes by. During the middle of the day, hopeful robber fly males often approach females hoping to mate. Satiated Fly A robber fly sits with an unfortunate prey insect. (Image credit: Sam Fabian) A robber fly sits with an unfortunate prey insect. The flies probably inject their victims with a paralytic toxin and then with enzymes that dissolve the prey's tissues from the inside out. Eye Sizes A comparison of the (false-colored) eyes of the robber fly (left), the dragonfly (center) and the killer fly (right). (Image credit: Sam Fabian/CAIC center) A comparison of the (false-colored) eyes of the robber fly (left), the dragonfly (center) and the killer fly (right). The dragonfly has the best vision of any known insect, but the robber fly has evolved to see nearly as sharply. [Read the full article on fly eyes] Shapely Eyes A comparison of the eye shapes of the dragonfly (top), robber fly (middle) and killer fly (bottom). (Image credit: Sam Fabian/CAIC center) A comparison of the eye shapes of the dragonfly (top), robber fly (middle) and killer fly (bottom). The eyes are falsely colored and the head sizes are not to scale in reality, the dragonfly dwarfs the other two species in size. Eye Adaptations This slide shows one of the eyes of the robber fly Holcocephala, with annotations explaining the adaptations that make the fly's vision so sharp. (Image credit: Current Biology/Wardill and Fabian et al. ) This slide shows one of the eyes of the robber fly Holcocephala, with annotations explaining the adaptations that make the fly's vision so sharp. A long focal length between the fly lenses and the light receptors deeper in the eye has the effect of "zooming in" and creating an area of high acuity in the fly's visual field. The fly's peripheral vision, on the other hand, is not as impressive. Look Into My Eyes A scanning electron microscope image of the eyes of the robber fly Holcocephala. (Image credit: Sam Fabian/CAIC center) A scanning electron microscope image of the eyes of the robber fly Holcocephala. These rice-grain-sized flies have excellent vision due to the large lenses clustered at the center of their compound eyes. They are also capable of split-second aerial attacks on prey, during which they constantly adjust their trajectory to ensure a collision course. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Ever have the urge to drive a tank? How about shoot a real tank round, a Howitzer, or fire a mortar round? Then you'll want to check out DriveTanks, located about two hours west of the Alamo City at the Ox Ranch in Uvalde, and advertised as the "only location in the world where you can drive and fully shoot functional tanks, artillery, machine guns and other weapons of war." The company offers packages, costing from several hundred to several thousand dollars, that allow military buffs to get the behind the wheels of real tanks from various countries including the U.S., Russia and Germany. Riders can try a "war zone tank course" with obstacles, drop-offs and a "few other surprises," according to the website. RELATED: Six Flags Fiesta Texas kicks off 25th year this weekend Since DriveTanks doesn't set an age limit, children as young as 8 have fired machine guns and 12 have driven the tanks, according the company's FAQ page. RELATED: Part of the San Antonio River Walk is now an official Texas Paddling Trail Prices include seating for up to five people, but only one driver per booking. Course runs usually last 15 to 20 minutes, plus additional time to fire the tank, as explained on their website. "You will actually blast the real thing," DriveTanks.com promises. "Don't be fooled by imitations. you can't say that you've shot a tank, unless you really shoot a tank. mmendoza@mysa.com Twitter: @MaddySkye This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The Laredo delegation wrapped up their visit to the nations capital on Wednesday night, and both Rep. Henry Cuellar and Mayor Pete Saenz called it a successful, fruitful trip. The group, consisting of city and county officials, members of the private sector, and Nuevo Laredo Mayor Enrique Rivas, attended about 40 meetings over the course of these three days. Name the agency, and weve had meetings with them, Cuellar said. In my opinion, theyve been extremely, extremely successful. I think theyll bare a lot of fruit in the near future. The topics of discussion seem to have hovered around border issues like security, immigration reform, international bridges, NAFTA and transportation. The delegation was able to voice their perspective on these issues to people like the directors of Border Patrol, Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security. RELATED: Q&A with Texas Sen. Judith Zaffirini The delegation also met with Texas senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn. Saenz said the delegation, in a unified voice, expressed to the senators that they do not want a physical wall here and that NAFTA needs to stay intact for the sake of Laredo and the whole country. Cornyn agreed with the delegation, and has been very vocal in his support of a virtual wall rather than a physical wall, Saenz said. Cruz, on the other hand, seems to be cautious on the position hes taking on all of these issues, according to Saenz. Senator Cruz had some reservations. Hes still somewhat insisting on a physical wall of some sort, Saenz said. He said that hes still reviewing the input from other communities on the border area here in Texas. Hes keeping an open mind. At the time of the interview, about an hour before the Laredo Night party, Cuellar said 91 members of Congress had confirmed that they would attend. The fact that we get to mingle with different members and with different agency heads is so important, Cuellar said. Laredo, by far, has made itself known up here in Washington. Whether you're heading to the beach or enjoying a staycation at home next week, there's quite few things you need to know first. Click through the slideshow before leaving for spring break. 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 team of five Islamic State suicide fighters assaulted a military hospital in the Afghan capital yesterday. The number of reported casualties has steadily climbed, with dozens killed and many more wounded. The United Nations mission issued a statement condemning the attack. The UN explained that the Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan Hospital in Kabul is the largest military medical facility in Afghanistan and treats sick and wounded members of the armed forces and their family members. This egregious and morally reprehensible attack targeted people at their most vulnerable, while they were receiving treatment in the hospital, and also targeted the medical staff caring for them, Pernille Kardel, the acting head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), was quoted as saying in the UNs press release. Kardel added that the massacre amounts to an atrocity, and the perpetrators must be held accountable. The Islamic States Amaq News Agency quickly claimed responsibility, posting pictures of the terrorists responsible and also a statement. Separately, the so-called caliphates Khorasan province released an image of the jihadis. The photo can be seen above. The operation began when a suicide bomber drove a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) into an entrance in the rear of the hospital. Four others, wearing explosive vests, then rushed in. Both Amaq and the UN report that the jihadis were dressed as hospital staff, a move that was undoubtedly intended to sow confusion among the patients, doctors and nurses. The Islamic State describes its terrorists as inghimasis, who are well-trained guerrilla fighters prepared to die in battle. They are different from traditional suicide bombers in that they dont detonate their explosive belts at the outset of the fight, but instead first battle their enemies with light arms or other weapons. They immerse themselves in the battle before killing themselves. This is how the raid was conducted in Kabul, as the Islamic States inghimasis reportedly engaged in a lengthy firefight, using AK-47s and grenades, before Afghan security forces finally pinned them down. Only then did they detonate their suicide vests. As FDDs Long War Journal has reported in the past, both the Islamic State and al Qaeda use inghimasi fighters in their operations. In January 2016, the Islamic States Khorasan province claimed responsibility for an inghimasi assault on the Pakistani consulate in Jalalabad. Seven members of Afghan security forces were reportedly killed. Jalalabad is the capital of Nangarhar province, where the Islamic States branch in Afghanistan is based. [See FDDs Long War Journal, Islamic State province claims attack on Pakistani consulate in Jalalabad.] Al Qaeda uses inghimasis as well. A team of al Qaeda suicide terrorists were used in the battle for Aleppo last year. Another group of inghimasis raided the Syrian regimes military intelligence buildings in Homs earlier this month. The jihadists killed Bashar al Assads intelligence chief in Homs after fighting through security and infiltrating his office building. [See FDDs Long War Journal report, Syrian military intelligence official killed in suicide assault in Homs.] Amaq News claims that upwards of 400 people were killed or wounded at the military hospital in Kabul. This is likely an exaggeration. Still, according to the UN, the number of civilian casualties is reportedly high. Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal. Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here. Many have read the book by Immaculee Ilibagiza, Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust. In Left to Tell, Immaculee shares her miraculous story of how she survived during the Rwanda genocide in 1994. She and seven other women huddled silently together in the cramped bathroom of a local pastors house for 91 days. In this captivating and inspiring book, Immaculee shows how to embrace the power of prayer, forge a profound and lasting relationship with God, and discover the importance of forgiveness and the meaning of truly unconditional love and understanding through our darkest hours. She will speak on Wednesday, March 15, at 6:45 p.m. at St. Ann Church in Stoughton. In her presentation, she will share her amazing story, focusing on the power of prayer, the importance of forgiveness, and the meaning of truly unconditional love. All are invited to attend this evening of inspiration, reflection, and growth in our faith. Her life Immaculee Ilibagiza was born and raised in a small village in Rwanda, Africa. She enjoyed a peaceful childhood with her loving parents and three brothers. Education was very important in her household, so it was no surprise that she did well in school and went on to the National University of Rwanda to study electrical and mechanical engineering. It was while she was home from school on Easter break in 1994 that her life was transformed forever. On April 6 of that year, the Rwandan presidents plane was shot down over the capital city of Kigali. This assassination of the Hutu president sparked months of massacres of Tutsi tribe members throughout the country. Not even rural communities like hers were spared from house-by-house slaughtering of men, women, and children. To protect his only daughter from rape and murder, her father told her to run to a local pastors house for protection. The pastor quickly sheltered her and seven other women in a hidden three by four foot bathroom. For the next 91 days, she and the other women huddled silently in this small room, while the genocide raged outside the home and throughout the country. Turned to prayer While in hiding, anger and resentment were destroying her mind, body, and spirit. It was then that she turned to prayer. Prior to going to the pastors home, her father, a devout Catholic, gave her a set of Rosary beads. She began to pray the Rosary as a way of drowning out the anger inside her and the evil outside the house. It was that turning point towards God and away from hate that saved Immaculee. In addition to finding faith, peace, and hope during those three months of hiding, Immaculee also taught herself English. She was already fluent in Kinyarwanda and French. Using only a Bible and a dictionary, she spent countless hours in that cramped bathroom learning her third language. After the genocide After 91 days, Immaculee was finally liberated from her hiding place only to face a horrific reality. She emerged from that small bathroom weighing just 65 pounds and finding her entire family brutally murdered, with the exception of one brother who was studying abroad. She also found nearly one million of her extended family, friends, neighbors, and fellow Rwandans massacred. After the genocide, Immaculee came face-to-face with the man who killed her mother and one of her brothers. After enduring months of physical, mental, and spiritual suffering, Immaculee was still able to offer the unthinkable, telling the man, I forgive you. Sharing her story In 1998, Immaculee emigrated from Rwanda to the United States where she continued her work for peace through the United Nations. She shared her story with co-workers and friends who were so impacted by her testimony they insisted she write it down. Three days after finishing her manuscript, she met best-selling author Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, who, within minutes of meeting her, offered to publish her book. Dyer is quoted as saying, There is something much more than charisma at work here Immaculee not only writes and speaks about unconditional love and forgiveness, but she radiates it wherever she goes. Immaculees first book, Left to Tell; Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust (Hay House), was released in March of 2006. It quickly became a New York Times Best Seller. Her story has also been made into a documentary entitled The Diary of Immaculee. Immaculee has written six additional books: Led by Faith: Rising from the Ashes of the Rwandan Genocide, Our Lady of Kibeho, If Only We Had Listened, Visit from Heaven, The Boy Who Met Jesus, and The Rosary. Today, Immaculee is regarded as one of the worlds leading speakers on faith, hope, and forgiveness. She has shared this universal message with world leaders, school children, multinational corporations, churches, and at events and conferences around the world. A major motion picture about her story is under production with an international release in theaters in 2018. Elliott Wave Analysis of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) I have been monitoring this stock for while for an edge to the INDU/SPX. Back in Jan 2017 I was expecting at least a new high for wave [v] to end wave 3. Before Fast forward, not only has BRK.B made a new high for wave [v] of 3, it's also pushed above the fibbo target for wave 3 where wave 3 = wave 1 x 1.618, which is a common target for a 3rd wave of an impulse wave. I think the bulls now want to tread carefully, if wave 3 is close to ending we can expect a decent pullback soon for wave 4. Any pullback for wave 4 should also align with a pullback on the SPX/INDU. Short term, I would like to see a minor new high to then make a clear 5 wave move for wave [v] of 3. Its then I think the bulls may want to think about taking some profits off the table, as if I correct we can expect a substantial pullback for wave 4 towards the 160.00 - 165.00 area. I am targeting a move towards 19500 on the INDU and 2200-30 on the SPX for their respective wave [4] corrections, so that should see a pullback to around the 160.00 - 165.00 area for BRK.B for its wave 4 correction. Until next time, Have a profitable week ahead. Click here to become a member You can also follow us on twitter What do we offer? Short and long term analysis on US and European markets, various major FX pairs, commodities from Gold and silver to markets like natural gas. Daily analysis on where I think the market is going with key support and resistance areas, we move and adjust as the market adjusts. A chat room where members can discuss ideas with me or other members. Members get to know who is moving the markets in the S&P pits* *I have permission to post comments from the audio I hear from the S&P pits. If you looking for quality analysis from someone that actually looks at multiple charts and works hard at providing members information to stay on the right side of the trends and making $$$, why not give the site a trial. If any of the readers want to see this article in a PDF format. Please send an e-mail to Enquires@wavepatterntraders.com Please put in the header PDF, or make it known that you want to be added to the mailing list for any future articles. Or if you have any questions about becoming a member, please use the email address above. If you like what you see, or want to see more of my work, then please sign up for the 4 week trial. This article is just a small portion of the markets I follow. I cover many markets, from FX to US equities, right the way through to commodities. If I have the data I am more than willing to offer requests to members. Currently new members can sign up for a 4 week free trial to test drive the site, and see if my work can help in your trading and if it meets your requirements. If you don't like what you see, then drop me an email within the 1st 4 weeks from when you join, and ask for a no questions refund. You simply have nothing to lose. By Jason Soni AKA Nouf 2016 Copyright Jason Soni AKA Nouf - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors. 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. Wall Street Stock Market Syndicate Still at Work Maybe they benefited from divine intervention or maybe they were just lucky. Either way, the students and staff of St. Francis High School in Mountain View, California must be pretty happy right now. In 2012 the school took a chance, investing $15,000 in a small, little-known app maker called Snapchat. Last week the school sold two-thirds of its shares for $24 million when the stock went public. Im sure theyre still giving thanks. Other people took home some dough that day as well. The co-founders, Bobby Murphy and Evan Spiegel, both cashed out $272 million. Their remaining shares make them both members of the billionaires club.All told, the company sold 145 million shares and insiders/early investors sold 55 million shares. The company netted around $2.4 billion to fund expansion and operations, while the individual sellers walked away with the remaining $1 billion.This part of the story is fun, but it cant hold a candle to the folks that really got away with all the cash the syndicate.The early investors and insiders took a chance on a company that currently generates revenue, but hemorrhages cash. In 2016, Snapchat brought in $404 million and lost $515 million. And theres no end in sight.For the uninitiated, Snapchat is essentially a photo- and video-based social networking service. Its a hit mostly among teenagers and millennials, but parts of other demographics have caught on too. Direct messages, or snaps, disappear forever after someone views them. The app also has group chat and story features, and many big media and publishing brands have their own channels within Snapchat.The company has 158 million daily users, so clearly those involved think theres a way, perhaps somewhere in the distant future, to turn those eyeballs into dollar signs.Stock investors that bought shares the day of the IPO also see some hope. The shares priced at $17, but opened at $24. Those buyers who were allocated shares in the IPO before trading opened earned a cool 40% instant profit.Which brings us back to the mob, er, syndicate.Long ago, in a galaxy far away, I worked on Wall Street. I learned the ins and outs of investment firms and eventually landed on a bond trading desk. Equity IPOs were part of the learning curve. We had to know how all of it worked.Back then, attractive private companies like Snapchat would interview investment firms and choose a lead underwriter, whod then put together a syndicate of investment firms to file all the paperwork necessary and handle the initial public offering of shares.To fetch the highest price, the syndicate would go through the expensive, time-consuming process of generating sales material about the company and then holding dog-and-pony shows around the country to highlight the coming offering. This all culminated in the day of the offering, when the company and the underwriters found out if their marketing efforts were going to pay off.For this effort, the syndicate of firms earned an eye-popping fee that could run between 5% and 10% of the funds raised. I cant say the fee earned was in line with the efforts. It always seemed extravagant. But now, things are wildly out of proportion.On Snapchat, the underwriter charged a modest fee of 2.5% of the funds raised, which works out to a mere $85 million. But, as they say in late-night TV ads, Wait, wait! Theres more!In addition to this upfront fee, the underwriters have a 30-day option to purchase 30 million shares at the IPO price of $17, minus an underwriters discount. So not only do the mobsters, er, investment bankers, earn the difference between the current price of the shares and the IPO price, they also get an additional break.At the close of opening day, this would have been at least an additional $210 million, bringing their IPO fee to a nifty $295 million.Now, lets review the heavy lifting that Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs had to do to snatch this fee from Snapchat. They had to file all the documents required by the SEC, verify holdings of early investors, map out the number of shares the company and insiders would sell, and gauge interest from investors to determine the appropriate price for the shares.A handful of associates with working knowledge of SEC filings and telephones could have done all of these thingsWhat syndicate members didnt have to do was introduce anyone in the investment world to Snapchat. The app store on everyones smartphones handled that. So the most time-intensive, personality-driven part of the process, the marketing of the company and selling shares to potential investors, was done for them.And yet they earned almost $300 million. What a job!These firms will go to great lengths to explain how much groundwork they had to lay ahead of the IPO, and how their research departments will support Snapchat in the years to come. But all that masks the real reason that companies, even ones that seem the newest of age like Snapchat, still use Wall Street. Theyre scared that investment bankers will give them the cold shoulder if they cut them out.If a company goes public without prominent underwriters, it risks such companies refusing to follow the stock in their research department, which precludes the clients of the investment firms from buying the stock.And then theres the matter of getting loans from these companies later, or further rounds of stock sales. Essentially, if companies dont play ball, Wall Street can put financial hurdles in their way for years to come.It sounds a lot like another syndicate the one that controls the docks, garbage pickup, and cement in New York.Im guessing Murphy and Spiegel, the co-founders, dont care. They did walk away with more than a quarter of a billion dollars in cash, after all.But this is one more area, like politics, where I thought the internet was going to dramatically reduce the influence of money. I thought information would flow so freely as to cut out the middlemen, resulting in lower fees and greater access across the board.That might be true one day, but the Snapchat IPO proves that today it still pays to be a member of the syndicate. Rodney Follow me on Twitter @RJHSDent By Rodney Johnson, Senior Editor of Economy & Markets http://economyandmarkets.com Copyright 2017 Rodney Johnson - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors. Rodney Johnson Archive 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. STUART-The walls of the Patrick County Branch Library are alive with color, form and designs for the next two months. The art display from students across Patrick County is celebrating Youth Art Month, which is March. Art will be on display through April. About 200 people attended a reception for the exhibit on Tuesday evening, Library Branch Manager Garry Clifton estimated, out of the total of 349 visitors the library had that evening. Grace Helms teaches art at Stuart and Meadows of Dan elementary schools. Garry is so kind, she said. We have so many things up. In the entrance, long strings of colorful origami cranes hang from the ceiling, as well as mobiles made of rounded coat hangers and string designs. Art projects cover the walls throughout the library, and a display area also is set up. The women of Two Hands Projects a bunch of moms who do service projects with kids, Helms said as well as the mothers of private art students, baked cookies for the event. A table was laden with punch, a variety of chocolate chip, sugar and other cookies and fruit. At the end of the table sat 11-year-old Sam Pendleton, who played several tunes on the banjo. The sixth-grader said he has been taking lessons from Charlie Chaney on Main Street in Stuart for the past two years. A group of students also sang at the event. Prizes were given out: lapel pins, magnets and crayon rounds, made from the melted stubs of old crayons. Several of the pieces of art from Helms classes were group projects, on large papers with an element made by each student. That included images of a community by second-graders; a flower vase with Van Gogh-style paper flowers made by kindergarteners; and self-portraits of first-graders with hot-air balloons. A seventh-grade class painted a large cougar, and sixth-graders painted an American flag. Several of the art collections were optical illusions, such as the silhouette of a hand that looks 3-D because of the way stripes across it were drawn. There were zentangle pieces and abstracts. Some abstracts were blocky and angular, while others, such as by first-graders, were fluid and circular. Linda Daumen, who is in her 18th year teaching art, teaches students in pre-kindergarten through seventh grade at Blue Ridge Elementary School in Ararat and Woolwine Elementary School. One of the projects her students did was Dot Day Challenge. She put a colored dot on the paper of each, and they created designs around them. The range of designs was as vast as a clown with balloons to a flower to a solar system. Students of different ages made hearts for pre-kindergarteners and kindergarteners, a wide range of reds, purples and pinks with designs; for fourth-graders, large heart designs fractured by shapes made with straight lines; and for second-graders, woven hearts. Sixth-graders drew and painted landscapes showing log cabins for a lesson in one-point perspective, one of the most difficult things for me to teach, Daumen said. Daumens fifth-graders created abstract portraits, after studying different types of portraiture. Some students had made 3-D Day of the Dead masks cut from gallon milk jugs. The trick to that was getting them to bring them in, she said with a laugh. Art by students of Susan Service, who teaches at Hardin Reynolds and Patrick Springs elementary schools, also was on display. Cameron Collins, 9, one of Services fourth-grade students at Hardin Reynolds, said that one of his recent art projects was to make a portrait of a pug dog. I like to do cars or animals, he said. Camerons favorite medium is markers, because I like how its dark. You can really see it. It stands out. Third-grader Camille Gonzalez, 8, of Stuart Elementary School, had drawn a 3-D striped hand. Closely set pink and green lines scrawl across the paper, with curves indicating the shape of a hand. It gives the idea of the way a blanket drapes over a hand. Camille explained that to make the art piece, she drew an outline of her hand with pencil. She drew lines straight across the page, but at the hand, the curved upward to suggest the shape. Then she erased the pencil guide marks. It was kind of hard for the fingers, but it was really cool, she said. I liked it. Twin sisters Xena and Dana Wilcox, both 8 and in third grade at Meadows of Dan Elementary School, had made cut-paper snowflakes for the exhibit. Each said they are used to cutting out snowflake designs, but the ones for the exhibit were more challenging because they are smaller than the size they usually make, so their cuts had to be more precise. Xena said of her impressions of the art exhibit, I think I loved it. While she was looking around at the art, I was very interested in some of the books here, and it seems that everyone is interested in all the books and everything everybody has made. Kirk Renegar, the principal at Hardin Reynolds Elementary School, called the event fantastic, an opportunity to celebrate the work of our students a wonderful marriage between the school system and community to have here at the library. COLLINSVILLEA Henry County man pleaded guilty to multiple charges Wednesday, including drug possession with intent to distribute and eluding police. William Bradley Rea of Collinsville pleaded guilty to two felony charges (possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and feloniously eluding police) and pleaded guilty to several misdemeanor charges in connection with the chase incident on July 18, 2016. He also was charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute (on May 18, 2016) but pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of possession of methamphetamine. On July 18, 2016, a sheriff's deputy got behind a 1998 Ford pickup on Bowles Road and ran the license plate. After learning there were fake tags on the truck, he tried to initiate a traffic stop. Instead of stopping, the other driver sped up. According to information from the Sheriff's Office, the vehicle wound through the area of Kings Mountain Road and Daniels Creek Road, before heading north on Daniels Creek Road, reaching a top speed of 80 mph. The vehicle came out onto Virginia Ave. at the end of Reed Creek Drive. At this point, the truck was heading southbound in the northbound lane. Due to the excessive speeds and what the Sheriff's Office called reckless driving by the suspect, deputies deployed spike strips on Virginia Avenue, just below Reed Creek Drive. That stopped the truck and the driver was taken into custody after a short food chase. Deputies also found methamphetamine and marijuana inside the truck. In court on Wednesday, Judge David V. Williams found Rea guilty of the charges, ordered a presentence report and set sentencing for June 14. HENRY COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT Also, in Henry County Circuit Court on Wednesday, Stacy Allen Triplett of Bassett, who had been found guilty of unlawful wounding and statutory burglary, received sentences totaling 15 years in prison, with 11 years of that suspended on conditions including supervised probation, good behavior and payment of $317.19 restitution. On May 13, 2016, Triplett allegedly knocked on the door of a Bassett man with whom he was acquainted, but entered before the man could let him in. The victim testified at a preliminary hearing that Triplett accused him of hitting Tripletts brother in an earlier altercation and asked Triplett why. The victim alleged that Triplett drew back his fist and hit him in the face, and that Triplett had a silvery, socket-like object in one of his hands. The victim said he took a swing at Triplett after Triplett hit him. The altercation continued outside the apartment and Triplett continued hitting him and pinned him down, the victim alleged. The victim said he suffered two cuts above his eye that required 13 to 14 stitches, and a fractured nose. Triplett pleaded not guilty to the charges and disputed the victims account of what happened. TODAYS WORD is crux (kruhks). Example: Even after hours of debate, we were no closer to the crux of the issue. WEDNESDAYS WORD was dowager. It means a woman who holds some title or property from her deceased husband, or an elderly woman of stately dignity, especially one of elevated social position. Example: Margaret Dumont made a career out of playing the respectable dowager who was often the comic foil of the Marx Brothers. Business seminar How do you start a business? Like many things, you first have to lay the foundation. Longwoods Small Business Development Center wants to help with that, through a free seminar at the New College Institute. The class, entitled Building the Foundation for Your New Business, will touch on the basic elements of planning a business, like entrepreneurial ability, different legal types of organizations, financing requirements and information needed to prepare and present a business plan. The event will take place on March 23, from 5:30 to 7pm at NCI, which is over at 191 Fayette Street in Martinsville. Because theres limited space, people have to register by calling (434)-395-2086 or emailing baldwinjr2@longwood.edu. TODAY IS: National Barbie Day Introduced to the world at the American International Toy Fair in New York on March 9, 1959, Barbie was one of the first toys to be extensively marketed on television. It is estimated that more than one billion Barbie dolls have been sold worldwide in more than 150 countries. Barbies full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts, and her boyfriend, Ken Carson, was introduced by Mattel in 1961. Book sale The Friends of the Library Book Sale for the Bookmobile Fund will be on March 18 at the Patrick County Library. The sale will run from 10 am to 2 p.m., with all proceeds going to the Bookmobile Fund, to help replace the current 18-year-old vehicle. There will be several thousand books to choose from, ranging between 50 cents to $1. For more information, call the library at (276)-694-3352. School Board The Henry County School Board will have its monthly meeting on Thursday at 6 p.m. The event will take place in the Summerlin Meeting Room, on the first floor of the Henry County Administration Building in Collinsville. TRIVIA QUESTION: Its Marx Brothers trivia week at the Stroller. Although they didnt share a scene, what was the last film to feature Groucho, Harpo and Chico Marx? WEDNESDAYS TRIVIA ANSWER: There were five Marx Brothers. Groucho, Harpo and Chico were the most famous of the brothers; who were the other two? The answer is Gummo and Zeppo. Zeppo appeared in several of the earlier Marx Brothers films, usually playing the straight man or the romantic lead. Gummo was part of the Marx Brothers vaudeville act, but he left acting when he was drafted into the U.S. Army during World War 1 and never appeared in any films. Radioshackwestfield.jpg The Radio Shack in Westfield will close this weekend. (JIM KINNEY/ THE REPUBLICAN) SPRINGFIELD -- Radio Shack employees in Greater Springfield have been told that stores in West Springfield at Century Plaza, in Chicopee on Memorial Drive, at Springfield Plaza and in the Westgate Shopping Plaza in Westfield will all close by the end of this month. Stores on King Street in Northampton and in Great Barrington are the only stores in this part of the state not scheduled to close, but their future certainly remains in doubt. The stores are corporate-owned. Radio Shack parent General Wireless Operations Inc. field for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week and plans to close 200 of its 1,500 stores. Stores in Lenox and Pittsfield are also reportedly set to close. The Westfield location has been conducting a going-out-of-business sale for months but is expected to finally shut down on Sunday. It's been a long decline for Radio Shack, which had a hard time adjusting to competition from online shopping and relied too heavily on its cellphone business. A 2015 bankruptcy resulted in stores closing in the Holyoke and Hampshire malls and on Cooley Street in Springfield. Those stores were corporate-owned as well. Local franchisee Ira Brezinsky rebranded his Radio Shack stores in the Big Y Plaza in Greenfield and in Brattleboro, Vermont as BRW Electronics after signing up with a different distributor. He took the Radio Shack concept back to its roots by selling all soldering guns, batteries and electronic gear for hobbyists. Smith and Wesson 1.jpg 1/31/17-Springfield-The exterior of Smith and Wesson in Springfield. ((Dave Roback / The Republican)) SPRINGFIELD -- The parent company of gunmaker Smith & Wesson has plans for a half-million-square-foot, $55-million distribution center in Missouri. "When complete, it is expected that the center would serve as the central distribution facility for most of American Outdoor Brands' products," American Outdoor Brands, the newly named parent company of Smith & Wesson, announced in a news release. Work is expected to begin in the next several months and take 18 months to complete. American Outdoor Brands formally applied for economic development bonds from the state of Missouri, according to the Missourian newspaper, which also reported the price tag. The new distribution center will be in Boone County, just outside Columbia. As Smith & Wesson, the company bought Columbia-based Battenfield Technologies in 2014. American Outdoor Brands said the new distribution and office center will consolidate the Battenfield operation and its 100 employees who now work nearby. The facility will mean 328 new jobs, including 154 new jobs in the first three years, American Outdoor Brands said in a news release. James Debney, President and CEO of American Outdoor Brands, said in a news release: "We continue to focus on our vision of being a leading provider of high quality products for the shooting, hunting, and rugged outdoor enthusiast. By executing our strategy and delivering growth organically and through targeted acquisitions, we have successfully grown to multiple operating divisions that serve a large addressable market and represent more than 18 respected consumer brands. Establishing a national distribution center will allow us, over time, to harvest synergies across our business. Our meetings with representatives of Missouri and Gov. (Eric) Greitens demonstrated that they are business-friendly and understand what we need as a company to be successful." Smith & Wesson has 1,758 full-time employees, according to its annual report. Some 1,462 are engaged in manufacturing and most of those workers are at the company's factory on Roosevelt Avenue in Springfield. The company has been hiring recently. The news release doesn't say how, or even if, the Missouri expansion will change operations in Springfield. A company spokeswoman didn't respond to questions Wednesday. Smith & Weson also has a plastics factory in Deep River, Connecticut, which it bought in 2014. Smith & Wesson reported that sales for its most recent quarter beat those from the same time period a year before. Quarterly net sales were $233.5 million compared with $210.8 million for the same period last year, an increase of 10.8 percent. But American Outdoor Brands said sales were soft at the tail end of that quarter, in November and December, and it cut expected its expected earnings forecast. Analysts say gun sales will suffer with a Republican in the White House. Gun enthusiasts acquire more firearms when Democrats are in power because they fear increased regulation. In a video accompanying his news release, Gov. Eric Greitens talks about Missouri being a "great Second Amendment" state. staples32jpg-51bec54d045f29c0.jpg (File photo / Associated Press) Staples will close approximately 70 of its North American retail locations this year, the office supply retailer announced Thursday. The Framingham-based business is not currently disclosing which stores will close. There are Staples locations throughout Massachusetts, from Orleans on the Cape to Pittsfield in the Berkshires and several dozen locations in between. "I'm increasingly confident that we have the right plan and the right team to transform Staples and get back to sustainable sales and earnings growth," Shira Goodman, Staples' chief executive officer said in a statement. "I am particularly proud of our ability to grow our delivery business by continuing to enhance our offering and satisfy our business customers." Staples closed 48 of its more than 1,6000 stores in 2016. The company attempted to merge with Office Depot, but the deal was blocked by a federal judge last year. BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- MGM Resorts International, corporate parent of the $950 million MGM Springfield casino now under construction, has reached a deal to buy the Pennsylvania's Sands Bethlehem for approximately $1.3 billion, according to the Allentown Morning Call. Sources told the Morning Call that both MGM and Sands have worked out a deal and are now in a period of "due diligence" before making a formal announcement. The sale, which would need approval from authorities in Pennsylvania, could take months to complete. It would give Las Vegas-based MGM an even bigger East Coast presence. The company reentered the Atlantic City market by buying a half interest in the Borgata, the largest casino in Atlantic City, in August 2016. MGM in January bought out its partner, Boyd Gaming, and took full ownership of the Borgata. MGM opened its $1.4 billion National Harbor casino resort in Maryland in December. The 14-acre MGM Springfield project in the city's South End is set to open in the fall of 2018. MGM executives have said they plan to market the East Coast resorts together with Las Vegas properties. MGM already has a large database of gamblers developed through its "M life Rewards" program. Las Vegas customers in the database who live in the east will get marketing materials for these resorts, for example. And an MGM Springfield customer would be encouraged to take a Vegas vacation at MGM's properties there. Opened in 2009 on part of the former Bethlehem Steel site, the Bethlehem Sands has 2,500 employees and attracts 9 million visitors a year. Sands has talked about a $90 million expansion. Like the Sands, the MGM Springfield project involves a redevelopment of an urban setting. This isn't the first time Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson has shopped the Bethlehem Sands to potential buyers. He worked on a rumored deal with Tropicana and Carl Icahn back in 2014. The Bethlehem Sands is about a four hour drive from Springfield. The Borgata is about five hours away. Massachusetts State House The Massachusetts State House in Boston. (Gintautas Dumcius/MassLive.com) As hundreds of women gathered in Downtown Crossing to rally for women's rights and reproductive rights, more than a hundred activists took to the Massachusetts State House with a separate agenda. The State House News Service reports more than 100 anti-abortion activists congregated outside the State House press room on Wednesday in an attempt to pressure Governor Charlie Baker to defund public money to Planned Parenthood. The opposing protests, which both fell on International Women's Day, illustrate a striking contrast in how women in a blue state like Massachusetts view reproductive rights. Andrew Beckwith, conservative and President of the Massachusetts Family Institute, led the group, according to the News Service. Some protesters spilled over from a lobby day with Beckwith's group, Catholic Citizenship and the Renew Massachusetts Coalition. The push to defund Planned Parenthood, a clinic that offers reproductive healthcare like cancer screenings and contraception to 31,000 patients in Massachusetts, stems from its ability to offer abortions. Though no federal funding can be used for abortion under law, activists like those at the State House on Wednesday believe public funds should not go toward any other health services at places that allow abortions. Governor Baker is pro-choice, and believes it is up to women to decide whether or not they want or need an abortion. In face of potential congressional cuts to Planned Parenthood funding and use of Medicaid at the clinics, the governor announced last week that he would protect funding of PP in Massachusetts. Baker said in January that he supports the causes of the Women's March, which were voiced again at the rally downtown on Wednesday. "On many of those issues -- gay rights, gay marriage, right to choose, women's health, pay equity, those are all issues I've had very specific and particular positions on for a long time," Baker said. "I support the points of view and the message of a lot of people who were part of the march." The Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts criticized budget cuts by the Gov. Baker in December, including $180,000 to family planning funding. Anti-abortion protesters told the News Service that the state should focus on medical care instead of "political activity" at Planned Parenthood that harms families in Massachusetts. Gov. Baker avoided the protesters by opting for a different exit from the press room. "It is time for women to be at the big kid's table," City Councilor and East Boston teacher Annissa Essaibi George told a sea of red and pink Wednesday afternoon. She is one of four women who serve on Boston's 13-seat City Council. As a teacher who felt that educators' voices were not being heard, Essaibi George said she was motivated to run for local office. The mother said she teaches her boys that women can be leaders, but notes "there aren't enough of us yet." Essaibi George spoke to an audience of hundreds of men and women who came to the center of Downtown Crossing on Wednesday to partake in "A Day Without a Woman" rally. The protest, part of a national women's strike coinciding with International Women's Day, included speakers from activist groups across Boston who advocate for women's rights, immigrant rights, equal pay and more female representation in government. Among them were the Boston Teacher's Union, the Women's Institute for Leadership Development and Building Pathways. "Whether you're interested in running for office or know someone who is that you can help...it's your obligation, it's your responsibility to get out and do that," Essaibi George told the crowd. Other speakers included Suzanne Lee, President of the Chinese Progressive Association. Lee said that the celebration of International Women's Day is nothing new: the Chinese Progressive Association has worked on women's issues for 40 years. What is new, Lee said, is the momentum from the nationwide Women's March in January. "We want to use this opportunity to continue that spirit, call attention," Lee said. "Women's work is not done, we are long from done, and there are some deep-seeded societal issues that we've been working on." Rally-goers held signs that read a variety of slogans like "Women's Rights is Human Rights," "If you are not angry you are not paying attention" and many more. Some signs directly attacked President Trump, while others criticized the influence of "corporate greed." These criticisms are part of what the Women's March calls its "Unity Principles." Besides women's rights, protesters who follow these principles demand environmental action, LGBTQIA rights and reproductive rights - meaning legal, safe access to birth control and abortions. Though rally-supporters take a fairly unanimous stance of pro-choice, there remains a real controversy surrounding abortion throughout the country that deter some from joining the movement. According to a Pew Research Survey in January, about 40 percent of women in America believe abortions should be illegal in all or most cases. At the rally in Boston on Wednesday, one man stood on the outskirts of the crowd with a sign picturing fetuses with text that read "I want to be a doctor" and a list of other professions. A man wearing a "You're Fired!" Donald Trump shirt stood next to him. But the few opponents did not subtract from the event's enthusiasm. Natalicia Tracy, PhD and lecturer of sociology at the University of Massachusetts Boston, summarized what seemed to be on the minds of many at the rally: "We are a country of immigrants, of women, and we will not bow down." The OUTVETS logo, courtesy outvets.com. Though a symbol of luck and promise in Ireland, it appears the colors of the rainbow are too explicit for some. The South Boston Allied War Veterans Council voted 9-4 on Tuesday to ban OUTVETS, a gay veterans organization based in Boston, from the city's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. The organization announced on Wednesday that it was the rainbow logo and flag that the Council did not approve of. Bryan Bishop, founder of OUTVETS and an Air Force veteran, told media on Wednesday that the rainbow logo, displayed on the group's patch and on the flag they carry, was considered a symbol of sexuality by the Council. "If they want me to change my logo, if they want me to change the identity of this organization to satisfy their discrimination, absolutely not," Bishop told outlets like WCVB on Wednesday. OUTVETS has marched in the parade for the last two years, and it remains unclear why the rainbow symbol poses a problem this year. Both Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Governor Charlie Baker announced on Wednesday that they will not march in the parade if OUTVETS is not allowed to participate. "It's a veterans parade. Veterans' groups should be allowed to march in the parade," Governor Baker said on Wednesday. "If veterans' groups aren't allowed to march in that parade, I will probably do something else. I won't march." In a Facebook post Thursday morning, the group expressed its gratitude for the support of those who oppose the Council's ban: "We hope for a positive resolution to this situation. OUTVETS will continue to advocate for all Veterans who are looking for help. Our organization is one of inclusion. We foster a welcoming environment for all who have served, are serving or who are merely passionate about Veterans...A thought to ponder: LGBTQ Veterans are the most under represented demographic in the Veterans community." A second vote is expected to take place sometime on Friday. AMHERST - While the students are away, area chefs will play with menu offerings and show what dining diversity looks like. For the second year in a row, the Amherst Business Improvement District will host Restaurant Week beginning Monday and continuing through March 19. That coincides with spring break for area colleges. Some restaurants will be offering meals they don't always offer, and diners will get to try them for a set fee. "It's an opportunity to flex our cuisine muscles," said Matt Yee, owner of Johnny's Tavern, 30 Boltwood Walk. He said the restaurant will offer "something different than what we usually serve." That includes mini salmon poke tacos as an appetizer and seared rare tuna for an entree. Ann Tweedy, marketing and communications director with the BID, said the week of dining will be a chance to "celebrate diversity and eat internationally." She said the diversity of restaurants "shows how we have grown as a town" and that the influence of international students has contributed to that. She said people might not realize how international the dining scene has become here. This year, diners will be able to sample handmade dumplings called momos from Himalaya Friends Corner, a Nepalese-Tibetan restaurant at 61 Main St., or a jojeh or chicken kabob from Top Kabab, a Persian restaurant at 31 Boltwood Walk. Both eateries opened last year. Then there is Chez Albert's return to Restaurant Week, offering French fare including cod filet with sauce vert. Thirteen restaurants are participating, and meals range from $15 to $30 for a three-course meal depending on the restaurant. Tweedy said old favorites returning to Restaurant Week included the Lumber Yard at 383 Main St. and Judie's at 51 North Pleasant St., among others. Attracting diners is a chance to showcase the downtown as well. The Massachusetts Cultural Council awarded the town a $5,000 grant to help launch the newly established Amherst Center Cultural District. Yee said Restaurant Week "stimulates a little traffic through a slower week." Last year, he said, Johnny's Tavern did great. "It's a great thing," said Town Manager Paul Bockelman, who plans to dine out. He said there's the opportunity to try something new "or get your old favorite. It's a good deal." A woodstove in the kitchen of a Warwick home ignited nearby combustibles, causing the fatal fire that took the lives of five people Saturday, fire officials said Thursday. State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey, Warwick Fire Chief Ronald P. Gates and Warwick Police Chief David Shoemaker shared the cause of the fire Thursday. Lucinda Seago, 42, and four of her children, ages 7, 9, 12, and 15, were killed in the fire. Her husband, Scott, and one child escaped the blaze alive. "This is a small community of neighbors helping neighbors and our hearts are heavy with the loss the Seago family has suffered," Gates said. The fire at 405 Richmond Rd. in Warwick was reported to the fire department at 12:45 a.m. Saturday. The single family home was fully engulfed in fire by the time firefighters arrived. Local firefighters received support from 15 fire departments in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont, as well as two emergency medical service companies. The home was located on a dirt road too narrow for more than one fire truck, officials said Thursday. Responding firefighters shuttled water in their pumpers from a pond nearby, efforts made more difficult by sub-zero temperatures that froze equipment. "I know the men and women of the Warwick Fire Department and the mutual aid companies fought this fire with everything they had," Gates said. Firefighters.jpg The City of Chicopee appointed six new firefighter recruits on Wednesday. Pictured: Gregory Pray, Preston Bailey, Christopher Drobnak, Eric Rogers, Valeri Stein. Missing from the photo is Zachary Gates. (Benjamin Strepka ) CHICOPEE - Chicopee appointed six new fire fighter recruits to the city's fire department on Wednesday--all of whom are residents of Chicopee. After completing a 10-week training program the recruits will be officially sworn in as fire fighters, said Benjamin Strepka, Special Projects Manager for Chicopee Mayor Richard Kos. "It's important to maintain our level of public safety, both in police and fire," said Mayor Kos. "I welcome our new recruits and thank the City Council for their support in funding our budget going forward." The new recruits are: Preston Bailey Christopher Drobnak Zachary Gates Gregory Pray Eric Rogers Valeri Stein The city's Fire Chief Deam Desmarais thanked the Mayor and other officials on Wednesday. "Again the Fire Department would like to thank the Mayor and the City Council for continuing to support the Fire Department by maintaining our staffing levels at the highest levels possible," Desmarais said. "We look forward to being able to assign these candidates to fire and ambulance apparatus after completion of training at the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy." cannabis city.jpg Jessica Mann, left, gives change to a customer following a recreational marijuana purchase at Cannabis City, Tuesday, July 7, 2015, in Seattle. The store was the first shop in Seattle to sell legal recreational marijuana on July 8, 2014, the day such sales became legal in Washington state. (Ted S. Warren / Associated Press File Photo) EASTHAMPTON -- The Planning Board heard from diverse sectors of the public during a Tuesday night discussion on local zoning and recreational marijuana. Youth advocates asked the board to limit the visibility of retail pot shops so as to avoid "normalizing" the drug. Businessman David Boyle said marijuana establishments should not be allowed downtown or in the Highway Business zoning district. Local resident Phil Knight dismissed marijuana "scare tactics" and said establishments should be treated just like bars and package stores. Marty Klein, an artist who teaches marijuana cultivation, said Easthampton could become a pot destination, with "marijuana-friendly bed and breakfasts" and "tasting rooms" similar to the city's three craft breweries. The discussion was informational in nature, and ensued after City Planner Jessica Allan provided the board with an update on the relevant issues. Massachusetts voters in November legalized recreational marijuana use by adults. The office of State Treasurer Deb Goldberg must now craft regulations around cannabis business entities. Meanwhile, cities and towns across the state are struggling with how to write local zoning codes. Several who spoke were with the Easthampton Healthy Youth Coalition, a group with a federal grant to fight teen substance abuse. Paul McNeill described himself as a public health professional with a primary focus on substance abuse prevention. He said one of his top concerns for teens and children is "overexposure and normalization" of marijuana use. McNeil pushed for keeping marijuana businesses in the mill district, instead of "the downtown walkable spaces near the elementary schools." He said he is concerned about marketing and signage, as well as advertising that could appeal to the the youth market. As for cafes where cannabis products could be consumed on site, McNeil said there is no data on how much can be safely consumed. "We have no clue," he said. McNeil asked the board to establish a 500-foot buffer zone between marijuana businesses and any school, and said he does not want to see greater access to addictive substances in Easthampton, a "family-friendly place." Ruth Ever, coordinator of the Easthampton Healthy Youth Coalition, asked the board to consider various questions in their planning. "What kind of message is being sent to our young people? How much exposure do we want our children to have to this drug? Are our laws adequate to ensure that those under the age of 21 can't get access?" She quoted a letter from the Massachusetts Municipal Association which said cities and towns have a responsibility to ensure the new law is implemented in a responsible manner that protects the public interest. "What do we want our community to look like when we walk down the street? How many pot shops would there need to be before it doesn't feel family-friendly any more?" she asked. Ever said the public health community had to "fight tooth and nail" around issues related to alcohol and tobacco, and that it "should not be this hard to protect our young people from drugs." Like McNeil, she warned against "normalizing" marijuana use through advertising and marketing, and said that many teens erroneously believe that pot is harmless. Boyle, chairman of the city's Economic Development and Industrial Commission, said Easthampton should not "try to capitalize" on the marijuana business, which he described as a "race to the bottom." "I don't think it's the same as the microbreweries," he said. "If I had my way as a benevolent dictator, I wouldn't have (marijuana shops) in the downtown or the highway business district." Shannon Hicks, clinic director for the Center for Human Development, said she has seen a "major uptick in substance abuse disorder" over the past year, and asked that the board keep issues of teen and adult addiction in mind in crafting their rules. Resident Andrew Shelffo read a letter from the the Williston Northampton School. The letter noted that the private school's "hundreds of high school-aged children" walk into downtown Easthampton every day. "Unfortunately, many teens believe marijuana is safe," Shelffo read. "And widespread availability next to shops they already know and love would only reinforce this impression." Marijuana is harmful to adolescent health and impairs concentration, memory, decision-making and academic performance, the letter stated. Tricia D'Andrea, a parent and longtime Easthampton resident, spoke out against "head shops" and "vape shops" that sell marijuana paraphernalia. Klein presented another point of view. After describing his marijuana growing workshops, he asked the Planning Board to reject "the old stigma and the old thinking" in crafting regulations. "Someday I would like to see -- the way we have craft breweries now -- that maybe we'll have establishments with special strains of marijuana that they've bred, and people can go in there and sample the strains, and sit there and enjoy it." Klein said he would like to see marijuana regulated the same way as alcohol. While admitting that data and research is scanty on the issue of impairment, he suggested that there's a difference between drunk driving and stoned driving. "There's an old expression that drunks run red lights, and stoners watch them turn green," Klein quipped. He listed various issues, such as whether a business could "have a live plant on display," or whether a bed-and-breakfast could offer marijuana. Knight, speaking last, countered that the board should honor the will of the people who voted to legalize marijuana, and should not "demonize it" or "always put it in the back room." "I'm certainly not advocating marketing to children," he said. "But we should also take into consideration all the other people who do want marijuana in the town." The state regulations are due on March 15, 2018. A yet-to-be-named Cannabis Control Commission could start issuing licenses for marijuana stores, grow rooms and cafes quickly thereafter. Allan has suggested that the city consider imposing a temporary moratorium on marijuana businesses so as to create a window of time to craft a good zoning bylaw. Planning Board chairman Jesse Belcher-Timme said there will be more opportunities for public input as the discussion continues. Any zoning change would require a joint public hearing with the Ordinance Subcommittee followed by an affirmative vote of the full City Council. Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com HOLYOKE - A 16-year-old girl has been charged with making a bomb threat last week at Holyoke High School, police said. The girl, whose name was not disclosed due to her age, is charged with leaving a note in the bathroom that indicated there was a bomb in the building. She was arrested at 10:20 a.m. Thursday. Her arrest was the result of an investigation by the school resource officer, Holyoke police and fire departments, and the Massachusetts State Police and state fire marshal's office. The girl is charged with threatening to comit a crime, disturbing a school assembly, distrubing the peace, and threatening to use deadly weapons, explosives or other deadly devices. She is due to be arraigned in Holyoke Juvenile Court. Holyoke Police Chief James Neiswanger and School Superintendent Dr. Stephen Zrike issued a statement that pledged a firm stand against such threats. They also thanked the work of all the agencies involved in bringing a "swift outcome as the safety of the students is always paramount to all involved." A 50-year-old Haverhill man has pleaded not guilty to charges related to the alleged rape of a disabled woman. Joseph Gagnon faced rape, abuse, and assault and battery charges in Haverhill District Court on Wednesday, reports. A judge set Gagnon's bail at $5,000 and ordered him to wear a GPS monitor and not contact the victim, who according to Essex District Attorney spokeswoman Carrie Kimball Monahan was in the adult foster care system living legally under his wife's care. SPRINGFIELD -- A 43-year-old city man on Thursday in Hampden Superior Court denied a murder charge in connection with the death of 58-year-old Framingham resident Michael Hanson. Kenny Lopez, who is represented by Johnathan Elliott, denied the murder charge in Springfield District Court in January, but the case has now moved to Hampden Superior Court. He was ordered held without right to bail. According to records in Springfield District Court Lopez is accused of fracturing Hanson's skull with a single punch in July. Kenneth Lopez, 43, of Springfield A social worker and Northampton native, Hanson worked for the state Department of Youth Services and later for the state Department of Children and Families. In August, Springfield police arrested Lopez on robbery and assault charges in connection with Hanson's death. The murder charge was added in December after a medical examiner ruled the death was a homicide, records show. According to statements in the District Court file, Lopez met the victim at Carregan's Pub on Maple Street in Springfield late on July 29. At closing time, Hanson and his companion offered Lopez and one of his friend's a ride home, the reports show. The companion, listed as Witness 1, told police she was driving Hanson's car, but they pulled over when Hanson said he wanted to drive. Outside the car, Lopez punched Hanson on the side of the head, knocking him unconscious, the companion told police. Lopez went through Hanson's pockets and pulled out his wallet. After examining it for money, he dropped it on his chest, the companion said. Lopez's friend, identified as Witness 3, offered a somewhat different account. As they drove from the bar, Hanson's companion announced that she wanted to buy some cocaine, the friend said. Speaking in Spanish, the companion kept telling Lopez that "the old man (Hanson) had money," the friend said. When the car pulled over on Bay Street, the companion again reminded Lopez about Hanson's money and her desire for cocaine, the friend said. Lopez then "hit the old man hard in the head/neck area," knocking him down, the friend said. "The old man was snoring, as he was knocked out," the friend said, adding that Lopez was a former Golden Gloves boxer, the report said. Lopez grabbed the victim's wallet, and then threw it on his chest, the friend said. Both men fled the scene, with Lopez saying he was "upset he didn't get anything," the friend said. Hanson's companion, after getting him back into the car, drove to a friend's house and left him in the passenger's seat, the report said. Around 7 a.m., someone spotted him in the vehicle and called police. He was taken by ambulance to Baystate Medical Center, where he was treated for head trauma, the report said. He died 10 days later, the report said. Born in Northampton, Hanson was a graduate of the University of Massachusetts and also worked on his family's farm in Framingham, according to his obituary. NEW SALEM -- All was well on the Quabbin Reservoir's Prescott Penninsula Thursday morning as state wildlife biologists paid a visit to a hibernating mother bear and her three cubs. The team sedated the mother, denning in a hollow at the base of small tree, and weighed all four and assessed their health as part of an ongoing study of 18 collared bears in central and Western Massachusetts. The cubs, probably born in late January or early February, were not sedated. Participants held the cubs and tucked them under jackets and coats to keep them warm while the biologists weighed the mother and checked on the fit and condition of her GPS tracking collar. The cubs, although squalling at times, were mostly quiet as they regarded the humans inhabiting the suddenly bright world around around them with wide eyes. The little bears, which had surprisingly big claws, often yawned and appeared at times to even drift into sleep. The adult female, known as a sow, weighed in at 222 pounds and her three cubs -- two males and a female -- weighed 4.8, 4.3 and 5 pounds, respectively. No sling was needed to contain the cubs for their weighings. A winter cap did the job quite nicely. "She looked great," biologist David Wattles said of the mother. "She had three healthy cubs, the number she produced for her last litter, so she is a nice, mature successful mother." Wattles, Black Bear Project leader for MassWildlife, said he and wildlife biologist David Fuller quietly approached the den about 9:30 a.m. and Fuller used what's known as a jab pole to administer the drug -- a blend of immobilizer and tranquilizer -- to the sow. The act serves as kind of a moment of truth for bear biologists because sometimes the startled bear takes off before the drugs kicks in. In this instance, that's exactly what happened. This particular bear, known as No. 426, wanted nothing to do with the intruding humans and ran about a quarter-mile before the drugs kicked in. "We found her on the ground with the telemetry," Wattles said. Team members used a sled to haul the sow back the den and then proceeded with the weighing. Afterwards, they used the sling to drag the sow, rear-end first, back into the den, removed a blindfold of sorts that had been used to protect her eyes from drying out and laid her head to rest on freshly-cut cushion of evergreen boughs. The cubs were carefully slid in alongside her and the entrance to the den was blocked with a larger array of boughs and branches. The entire exercise, from the initial jab to the final placing of the last bough, took about two hours. Wattles said 16 of the collared bears are female and two are male. They have been working to examine each of the 18 this late winter, following similar procedures that they used Friday morning. The vast majority of the collared bears are in the Connecticut River Valley and towards the western side of Worcester and the bulk of those bears are in the eastern Connecticut River Valley. "The population is expanding east," said Marion Larson, chief of information and education for MassWildlife, who also participated in the New Salem event. This winter, the biologists collared a female bear in Lee and this spring they hope to collar more bears in Western Massachusetts, Wattles said. Bear 426, Friday morning's bear, is located in the most remote area of the study "and she represents our bears in natural habitats as compared to some of the other bears which are in more heavily developed portions of the landscape," Wattles said. Contrary to popular belief, black bears don't go into true hibernation in the winter. Rather, they sleep soundly in their dens from November or December until early March to mid-April, but may wake up to forage in mild weather. Larson said food supply is the determining factor in whether bears hibernate or not. Some of the bears in the Greater Northampton area, for example, stay active all winter long because they have learned to raid bird feeders, compost piles and trash and garbage containers. "Those bears are heavier than their brethren in rural areas just 10 or 15 miles away," Larson said. Larson stressed that now is the time for Western and Central Massachusetts residents to start putting their bird feeders away before they start attracting bears. "They haven't been eating for a few months and they are hungry," she said. Boston, Worcester and Springfield are among the top 20 cities for St. Patrick's Day celebrations, according to WalletHub, a social networking site focused on personal finances. Two cities came in ahead of Boston, home of the Celtics, to nab the No. 1 and No. 2 slots: Buffalo, New York, and Madison, Wisconsin. Iowa's Cedar Rapids came in between Boston and Worcester, grabbing the No. 4 slot. Springfield received the No. 15 slot, behind Chicago and ahead of the Missouri city that is also named Springfield. Chicago has 201,530 residents who say they are Irish-American, and the city dyes its river green to celebrate the day. It shouldn't be a surprise that Massachusetts cities pop up at the top of the rankings: 20.2 percent of Massachusetts residents claimed Irish ancestry in 2015, according to the US Census. In New Hampshire, the number is 20.6 percent. In Braintree, a community south of Boston, 40.2 percent of the population says it has Irish ancestors, the Census reported. Scituate and Marshfield Hills, also located south of Boston, have high percentages. WalletHub arrived at the rankings by looking at 200 cities across the country and noting whether they have a St. Patrick's Day parade, the share of the Irish population, Irish pubs and restaurants per capita, the average beer price, DUI-related fatal incidents per capita, and traffic congestion. Pittsburgh, Akron, Tampa, Philadelphia and Cleveland rounded out the top 10 after Worcester. Grand Rapids, Michigan, came in last at No. 20. According to WalletHub, revelers across the world will drink 13 million pints of Guinness on St. Patrick's Day, and on average spend $38. Source: SPRINGFIELD -- The U.S. Marshals led a multi-agency raid on a School Street apartment Thursday morning to apprehend a man wanted on three homicide warrants out of Puerto Rico. According to Dave Milne, public affairs spokesman for the U.S. Marshals out of Springfield, marshals from his office as well as Connecticut were joined by Springfield police and Massachusetts State Police as they descended on an apartment building at 47 School St. early Thursday morning. Luis Lebron-Rivera, 27, ran out the back door of the abandoned apartment, according to Milne, but he didn't get far as approximately 20 officers were on the scene. He was subdued and taken into custody. Milne said Lebron-Rivera was found with several fake IDs, and refused to identify himself, while police worked to confirm his identity. Milne said Lebron-Rivera was previously a resident of San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he was wanted in connection with a triple-homicide committed in 2011. Milne said the murders were believed to be gang-related. The warrants were just signed on Jan. 5 of this year, according to Milne, and he will next be arraigned in Springfield District Court on fugitive from justice charges, relating to his extradition to Puerto Rico on the homicide charges. A worker is in critical condition after he fell more than 20 feet off of some scaffolding at a Marriott Hotel Wednesday evening, WCVB.com reported. The worker fell off of the Boston Marriott at Copley Place around 4:36 p.m. Authorities told WCVB that the scaffold was about two floors high. WHDH.com reported that the man was hanging a banner outside of the hotel when he fell. Workers say the man was unable to speak as he was placed onto a stretcher. He was taken to Tufts Medical Center, WHDH reports. Police are investigating the accident and investigating how the man fell. WOMEN-ANALYSIS Jane Matt, Ruthie Mundell and Alex Winter worked Wednesday at Community Forklift, a building material salvage warehouse in Hyattsville, Md. (Washington Post photo by Petula Dvorak) By Petula Dvorak The Washington Post The cardiac surgeon at Washington Medical Center performed a life-saving operation. The police chief in Portsmouth, Virginia, fought crime. The hard-hats at the salvage company in Hyattsville, Maryland, had a productive day. All because women went to work. A day without women? Can't happen. Women make up 47 percent of America's workforce and they are conscientious to a fault. On Wednesday, the vast majority of them worked. A Day Without a Woman strike orchestrated by activists who wanted to prove how vital women are through their absence was possibly the worst thing ever to ask women to do. Because go ahead and ask a bee to stop buzzing, a Kardashian to stop posing, President Donald Trump to stop bronzing those won't happen either. Working is what women do. Even the women I know who could and did stay out of their workplaces in protest, went home and furiously wrote post cards, called members of Congress, stayed busy. "I can't imagine not coming to work," said Jane Matt, 29, who works at Community Forklift, the construction salvage place in Hyattsville. "I'm here to challenge every single sexist comment, assumption or act every single day. I do it by working." Hard-hat on, walkie-talkie on her hip, Matt dashed between helping construction workers wrestle vintage windows into the warehouse to sorting granite slabs with customers. Community Forklift is a great workplace for women. One of her bosses is Ruthie Mundell, a 38-year-old woman who has been a director at the company for 11 years. The CEO of the company is Nancy J. Meyer. Much of the company is female-run and its very existence makes its statement every day. Like cardiac surgeon Jennifer Ellis and Portsmouth Police Chief Tonya Chapman, Matt works in a male-dominated field and holds her own. In those worlds, skipping work goes against a lifetime of striving to show that women can do the work. So they showed up. And so did women all across the country: presentations were given, people were hired, planes were flown, reports were written, troops were moved and murders were solved. These women love their jobs, have proven they can do them and even though statistics show they're still paid about 20 percent less than their male counterparts and they make up a fraction of upper management they couldn't imagine not showing up for work. "#ADayWithoutWomen strike? Not for me ... what would my patients do? I'm proud to be a woman, a nurse and have a job that I Love!" tweeted Patriot Nurse. Some of that determination may have been rooted in fear. Fear of losing status. Fear of losing respect. Fear of being painted as ungrateful. All valid fears. "Women already have enough to overcome at the workplace," a banker friend told me on Facebook. "I worry that this type of protest does more harm than good." The strike also asked women to also stop their unpaid labor. In other words make your own dinner guys. I tried this. At 8:05, there was still no food on the table. The youngest child was on his fourth banana. I caved and reheated last night's turkey chili. "I'm done now. You do the rest," I declared. Gusty, on the eve of middle school science night, don't you think? Banana boy put himself to sleep and science night was moving along. Then it all came crashing down with a 10 p.m. meltdown by two males who couldn't find the glue stick. They needed the Uterine Tracking Device to help. I gave in again. Because even if we do decide to stop work, we know the mess we'll have to clean up the next day. And there were plenty of women who worked out of real fear. And necessity. "If I don't work, we don't eat," a 68-year-old worker at a Maryland Target told me Wednesday morning. She didn't think she'd keep her job, even if she called in sick or took a legitimate vacation day. Think she's paranoid? Check out how unkind social media was to those who protested: "An ungrateful woman missed work without a valid excuse. I fired her and hired an unemployed man. #daywithoutwomen #adaywithoutwomen" And this one: "Notice: to all of my employees- if you miss work for this... Your fired! #daywithoutwomen Yes, organizers figured out that though women make up 47 percent of the nation's workforce, they are nearly 55 percent of the country's hourly workforce. Women are also either the primary or only breadwinners in 42 percent of the nation's households. Organizers suggested to women that if they had to work, they could wear red to show their support. This was not lost on the Target lady, who quickly pointed out to me that her entire team's Target red could be her way in to address the disrespect she still feels on the job every day. "I couldn't take the day off. But when we do our morning huddle, I'm going to point out that every one is wearing red," she said. "And because we're all wearing red, we can at least think about equality." BOSTON -- MassHealth, the publicly subsidized health insurance for poor people, is on track to cover 2 million people next year -- around 30 percent of the Massachusetts population. The program is taking up 40 percent of the state budget, crowding out spending on other expenses, like education. To help address the rising costs, Gov. Charlie Baker has proposed a controversial new fee on employers who do not offer adequate health insurance. At a budget hearing before the Ways and Means Committee on Thursday, lawmakers indicated that while they are sympathetic to the problem, they have questions about the Baker administration's proposal. Secretary of Administration and Finance Kristen Lepore said the administration is open to other ideas and is talking to businesses, who currently oppose the proposal. "We've said all along this is a proposal," Lepore said. "If someone else has a better idea on how to accomplish this, then yes, we're open to any other suggestions that anyone else would have." When Massachusetts passed universal health care in 2006, it included a $295-per-employee assessment on companies that did not offer adequate health insurance to their workers. That assessment was repealed in 2013 to conform with the federal Affordable Care Act. But Baker officials say that as a result of the Affordable Care Act, people with access to employer-based coverage for the first time became eligible for MassHealth, if their income qualifies. According to state officials, there are at least 300,000 people working full time in Massachusetts who are enrolled in MassHealth, costing more than $1 billion. "Clearly, we have an issue, where we're seeing movement of employees from employer-sponsored coverage onto the state's public assistance program," Lepore said. Baker wants to use the fiscal 2018 budget to reinstate an employer fee -- a $2,000-per-employee assessment on businesses with at least 11 employees that do not offer health insurance. The standards would be higher than in the 2006 law for the amount of the insurance costs businesses must pay and the percentage of workers who must use the coverage. The proposal would require businesses to pay at least $4,950 per full-time employee toward that worker's health insurance. It would require 80 percent of employees to accept the businesses' insurance plan. Companies say the proposal is unfair. Small business plans are often expensive, so even if a business offers insurance, employees may choose to use their spouse's insurance or buy insurance individually. The business could then be penalized. At the budget hearing, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Brian Dempsey, D-Haverhill, said the growth in MassHealth costs "is cause for great concern." Ways and Means Committee Chairwoman Sen. Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, said she agrees with Lepore that having MassHealth take up 40 percent of the budget "does not leave us that much left for all the program and services we want to fund." But some lawmakers had concerns about specifics of Baker's proposal. State Sen. Eileen Donoghue, D-Lowell, asked if Baker officials would consider applying the assessment only to companies with more than 25 or 50 workers. Donoghue said that could "help very small businesses that may be between a rock and a hard place" where the insurance plans they have access to are expensive and they face a penalty if employees do not take them. State Sen. Vinny deMacedo, R-Plymouth, wondered if Massachusetts' congressional delegation is working to address the issue as Congress considers repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act. "With changes we're seeing at the national level, does our federal delegation understand and are they working towards addressing the issue which allowed individuals to leave private insurance and go to MassHealth?" deMacedo asked. "Since change is happening at a federal level, clearly this is a negative aspect of the ACA that's become very real for those of you who have to budget this." State Sen. John Keenan, D-Quincy, worried about part of Baker's proposal that would put a moratorium on new insurance mandates -- a move intended to keep the cost of insurance down. Keenan said MassHealth offers better coverage for substance abuse treatment than many private insurance plans, so individuals with drug addiction who are eligible for MassHealth may be inclined to take it even if they have access to a private plan. Keenan worried that, without a new mandate requiring private insurers to cover substance abuse treatment, the migration to MassHealth will worsen. Lepore said the administration has been talking to businesses in a "collaborative dialogue" to consider adjusting the proposal. Lepore said she hopes the federal government will give Massachusetts flexibility to make the changes it wants. On the issue of mandates, Lepore said small businesses already find that purchasing insurance is unaffordable, which is one reason they are dropping coverage or offering less generous plans. Mandates could add to those costs. "Employers want to offer a set of robust benefits to employees," Lepore said. "It's to the point of becoming increasingly difficult for them to do so, because it's cost-prohibitive." Lepore said the Baker administration is still reviewing the impact of the bill proposed to replace the federal Affordable Care Act. She said she is interested to see the scoring of the Congressional Budget Office when it comes out. Attorney General Maura Healey, whose office monitors health care cost trends, said her office is looking at the proposal closely and has been talking regularly with insurers, hospitals, community health centers, state officials and the congressional delegation. "We need to make sure that we don't lose ground, that people have access to health care, and that health care be more affordable than it is currently," Healey said. lepore.JPG Secretary of Administration and Finance Kristen Lepore testifies before the Ways and Means Committee's budget hearing on March 9, 2017. (Shira Schoenberg / The Republican) The state Legislature's consideration of the fiscal 2018 budget officially kicked off Thursday with a first public hearing at the Statehouse -- the beginning of a months-long process that will result in a new budget being signed by Gov. Charlie Baker by the start of the next fiscal year in July. The budget hearings began as the state is seeing lower-than-expected revenue growth, and leading lawmakers acknowledged that it could be a difficult budget process. Lawmakers have predicted revenue growth of 3.9 percent, or around $1 billion in new taxes out of a $40.5 billion state budget. Ways and Means Committee House Chairman Rep. Brian Dempsey, D-Haverhill, said that money must be spread across myriad programs and priorities, "requiring us to make difficult choices and targeted investments." Although Massachusetts' unemployment rate is low -- 3.2 percent in January -- tax revenues so far have come in $134 million below projections for the current fiscal year. Dempsey said modest tax growth, rising costs and uncertainty about federal policies in Washington will all make balancing the budget in fiscal 2018 "a difficult task." Ways and Means Committee Senate Chairwoman Sen. Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, said lawmakers "recognize that we have to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars while preserving services and programs for the most vulnerable residents in our state and ensuring we invest in the commonwealth's future -- its resiliency, health and prosperity." Baker in January proposed a $40.5 billion state budget -- an increase of $1.65 billion, or 4.3 percent, over projected spending in the current fiscal year. The money will pay for increased spending on local aid, MassHealth, education, substance abuse services, child protection, and homelessness prevention, among other programs. Baker found the additional money, above projected revenue growth, through several tax changes. For example, one major tax change would gain the state an additional $30 million by requiring certain online retailers who do business in Massachusetts to collect sales taxes, even if they do not have offices here. Baker is also proposing a $2,000-per-employee fee on employers who do not offer adequate health insurance. Businesses say the way the proposal is structured unfairly penalizes businesses, including some who do offer insurance. Secretary of Administration and Finance Kristen Lepore said the budget proposal eliminates a structural deficit, by using just $95 million in one-time revenue. It puts money into the state's rainy day fund, slows the rate of spending growth and protects core state services. "It is essential that we maintain restraint to keep spending in line with recurring revenue growth to ensure the state's long-term fiscal stability," Lepore told the Ways and Means Committee. But Lepore also stressed the fiscal challenge posed by growing MassHealth caseloads. MassHealth accounts for 40 percent of state spending, is on track to cover 2 million people and "continues to threaten to crowd out spending on other important programs like education and local aid," Lepore said. She said the assessment on the employers is a way to keep costs under control, by stopping the migration from commercial insurance to state-subsidized insurance. Lepore said Baker's budget makes investments in improving clinical services at Bridgewater State Hospital, fighting homelessness, treating substance abuse, hiring new caseworkers at the Department of Children and Families, and offering a new tax credit to business that hire unemployed veterans. The House and Senate will now take Baker's proposal under consideration as they develop their own versions of the state budget. In addition to Lepore, the state's constitutional officers, including the attorney general, treasurer, auditor, secretary of state and inspector general, are all expected to testify Thursday. Public hearings on specific sections of the budget will then be held around the state. A hearing on education and local aid at UMass Amherst is scheduled for Wednesday, March 29. Galvin Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin (Republican file photo) Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin warned that federal immigration policies could make it more difficult to count immigrants in the 2020 Massachusetts census -- which could jeopardize state funding and potentially a congressional seat. "Given the current climate, counting immigrants, whether documented or undocumented, is going to be very challenging," Galvin told Massachusetts lawmakers at a Ways and Means Committee budget hearing on Thursday. "We need to make sure we come up with an effective way to count them." The national census, which is taken every 10 years, is used to measure data about state population patterns and who is moving where. It is also used for funding decisions -- for example, about where the federal government should build roads or schools. The federal government uses census data to reimburse states for costs that are tied to population, such as public education or transportation. It is also used to apportion congressional districts, and Galvin said Massachusetts is on the cusp of potentially gaining another congressional seat. "When you look at the numbers, it's damn close," Galvin said. Under federal law, everyone living in the U.S. is supposed to be counted based on where they live, no matter whether they are in the country legally or illegally. But Galvin noted that, at least today, immigrants are worried about their standing in the country, especially given President Donald J. Trump's recent travel ban, which briefly affected not only new immigrants but green card and visa holders before it was stayed by a federal judge. "When you're saying to people 'Hi, we're here from the federal government, are you here?' I think it's going to be challenging," Galvin told reporters after the hearing. Galvin said counting immigrants is often challenging because of language barriers. He acknowledged that the situation can change by March 2020, when the census is conducted. But he noted that state officials must start preparing now, doing things like collecting addresses. "We would be shortchanged if we didn't make sure we counted our immigrant citizens and immigrant residents," Galvin said. "Massachusetts, considering its size, has a significant number of immigrants ... from a wide array of countries. It's really an international destination." "Because of our educational institutions, because of our hospitals, we have a lot of folks here from around the world so we want to make sure they all get counted so we get credit for them," Galvin said. Galvin said every 10 years, the census turns up new immigrant groups in Massachusetts. "It's a challenge getting our count up to where we believe it is," Galvin said. "We believe they're here. We know they're here. It's making sure they're included in the census." "Hopefully by then the climate will have improved, but we don't know that," he continued. "If we had to do it today, it would be extremely challenging." The census is not the only area of state government impacted by federal immigration policy. Also at the Ways and Means Committee hearing, Attorney General Maura Healey asked for a $76,000 increase to her office's wage enforcement division, to bring its total budget to $3.9 million. The office has seen an uptick in complaints over the last six months, which she attributed partially to outreach the office has been doing in multiple languages. Healey said immigrants have always been vulnerable to wage theft, but there is particular concern today among the immigrant community due to Trump's rhetoric and policies. "There is tremendous fear and anxiety among immigrants and immigrant communities," Healey said. "Immigrant workers have always been vulnerable in this area. I think they are feeling especially vulnerable right now." Healey encouraged any worker who has been the victim of wage theft to report it to her office. Medical Marijuana Problems In this Feb. 17, 2016 photo, marijuana plants grow at the home of Jeremy Nickle, in his backyard in Honolulu, Hawaii. (The Associated Press) The Supreme Judicial Court on Thursday will take up the question of whether a business can fire an employee for using medical marijuana outside of work. The case, Cristina Barbuto vs. Advantage Sales and Marketing, pits businesses that want to set their own rules about drug use against workers who want to be able to treat their medical conditions with marijuana. "It's an issue of people with disabilities who are trying to get medical treatment that the voters of Massachusetts and several other states decided was appropriate for them to be able to use, and whether employees should have to choose between their livelihoods and medical treatment that gets them relief for chronic pain or other medical issues," said attorney David Russcol, who represents a coalition of organizations that filed a brief supporting Barbuto, including the ACLU, the Union of Minority Neighborhoods, and lawyers' groups focused on employee labor law, gay rights and the rights of individuals with mental health problems. Barbuto, 35, of Brewster, filed the case in Suffolk Superior Court in 2015. Barbuto says she worked for only one day for Advantage Sales and Marketing, promoting products in a supermarket, before the company fired her. The reason: Barbuto failed a required drug test by testing positive for marijuana. She had previously told the company she used medical marijuana, with a doctor's recommendation, to treat symptoms of Crohn's disease. A human resources manager told Barbuto that the company follows federal law, not state law, and marijuana is still illegal under federal law. Barbuto sued -- arguing, among other things, that the company discriminated against her because of her disability. A Suffolk Superior Court judge dismissed the discrimination and other charges, leaving only a charge of invasion of privacy, which the judge put on hold pending the appeal. Barbuto is asking the Supreme Judicial Court to overturn the Superior Court ruling and find that the law protects her from being fired for legally using medical marijuana. Barbuto's attorneys argue that while Massachusetts law lets employers prohibit the use of marijuana on-site, it does not allow an employer to punish a worker for using medical marijuana when she is not at work, as long as the marijuana use does not affect her job performance. They argue in a court brief that Massachusetts' disability protection law, which requires an employer to make reasonable accommodations for a disability, gives Barbuto a right to work even after failing a drug test. But attorneys for Advantage Sales and Marketing argue that Massachusetts' medical marijuana law only provides protection from criminal prosecution and civil penalties. It is silent on protections at work. "In a first-of-its-kind test case, Barbuto is asking this Court to extend the scope of the Act from a narrow decriminalization statue to an expansive statute providing job protection from adverse employment actions - despite no language in the Act supporting such a result," wrote attorneys for Advantage Sales and Marketing. The company says there is nothing to restrict a company from firing an at-will employee for using medical marijuana, even if she is not on the job at the time. Eleven other states have anti-employment discrimination protections written into their medical marijuana laws, but Massachusetts does not. The legal groups representing employees argue in their brief that requiring a company to accommodate off-site medical marijuana use is no different than requiring a company to provide reasonable accommodations for any other disability. But the National Federation of Independent Business, in a brief supporting the company, counters that nothing in the Massachusetts law requires companies to go against federal law and accept marijuana use. The case is being heard months after Massachusetts voters voted to legalize the use of recreational marijuana. But the case is based specifically on the medical marijuana law and will not necessarily affect policy related to recreational marijuana use. "I don't think it's the contention of anyone involved in the case that people who are using recreational marijuana should be entitled to the same accommodation," Russcol said. Related Photos: Extravaganj 2016 C6d-gRpXQAA0Z6S.jpg A storm total snow prediction graphic, released by the National Weather Service Thursday morning. Dig out your snow boots once more. Snow expected again on Friday. The National Weather reports snow is likely overnight into Friday morning, reporting a 60 percent chance of snow across Massachusetts. "Snow fall rates near 1-2 inches an hr are possible," meteorologists with the National Weather Service wrote. "Anticipate a rough Friday morning commute." Southeastern Massachusetts will get hit the hardest, with the National Weather Service currently predicting Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and the lower Cape Cod seeing six to eight inches of snow Friday. Communities in Norfolk and Plymouth County are expected to get between four to six inches of snow, according to estimations released by the National Weather Service Thursday morning. Boston, Springfield and Worcester are likely to get between two and three inches of snow Friday. Communities near the northern state line are expected to see little to no snow, as is Berkshire County. Oregonians could learn how much Intel pays in state taxes and find out how much Nike receives in tax breaks if lawmakers pass corporate tax disclosure bills being considered by the House Revenue Committee. Democrats have praised the bills for their attempt at transparency, while Republicans question the benefits of additional disclosure. By Anna Marum [email protected] Full Story: http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/03/oregon_corporate_tax_disclosure.html#incart_river_home Every spring for many years now, the UM School of Business events schedule is packed with employer visits, networking events and career opportunity nights. A large part of the impressive turn-out by local, national and even global firms is due to the consistent efforts of the schools career development team to not only bring in these firms but also ensure that the participating students are adequately prepared. As Estella Anderson, the Director of Career Development describes, "Our school is the only school in the state of Montana with a Career Development program dedicated to preparing students with skills they will not learn in the classroom. With this, we are able to provide our students with training, assistance and workshops in preparing resumes, interviewing and multiple other topics surrounding professional skills and the other components that make them employer ready." Among the many national and global firms that consistently recruit the University of Montanas business students is FAST Enterprises https://www.fastenterprises.com/ , a national and global IT firm providing software and consulting services to government agencies. Over the years, FAST has been steadfast in its recruitment of UMs business students, and, as FAST associate Heidi Sayler explained during their recent recruiting visit, they are always looking for more UM graduates to join their team. Full Story: http://www.business.umt.edu/stories/2017-3-fast-enterprises.php 2017-03-17 15:30:00 Helena Middle School Auditorium Contact: [email protected] U.S. Senator Jon Tester today announced he will host an in-person town hall meeting in Helena next Friday focused on public lands and Montanas outdoor economy. Montana is home to a $6 billion outdoor economy and with recent votes in the House of Representatives making it easier to sell off public lands, Tester wants to hear from Montanans about what they need from Congress to protect Montanas way of life. "Montana has made it loud and clear: our public lands are not for sale," Tester said. "Montanans know that but some folks just dont get it. I want to gather feedback from the folks who get out into Gods country every weekend and hear from them about how to protect access, expand recreation opportunities, and keep Montana the Last Best Place." Town Hall Meeting Helena Middle School Auditorium 1025 N. Rodney St Helena, Montana Friday, March 17, 2017 3:30 p.m.4:30 p.m. The announcement comes after Testers Great Falls Town Hall, numerous public events across Montana, over a dozen health care events, and an unprecedented volume of phone calls, emails, and letters from Montanans who want to engage in important policy discussions. The event is free and open to the public. Any media outlets interested in attending are asked to RSVP to Luke Jackson [email protected] Tiaras glittered during the Marion City Councils first regular meeting for March as the 2017 Miss Mountain Glory and Miss Mountain Glorys Outstanding Teen formally received their crowns. Near the beginning the meeting, Kaitlyn Helton, 17, was crowned as Miss Mountain Glory and Piper Styles, 14, was crowned as Miss Mountain Glorys Outstanding Teen. Director of Student Services Natalie Gouge placed the crown on Helton and Mayor Steve Little presented Helton with her sash. Marion Business Association Director Freddie Killough placed the crown on Styles and Little presented her with the sash. They will represent the city of Marion and the Mountain Glory Festival at the Miss North Carolina/Miss North Carolinas Outstanding Pageant in June. In November, Helton was crowned Miss McDowell High School and Styles was crowned Miss Titan. In order to compete in the statewide competition, the girls cannot represent a high school, so were instead named as ambassadors for the Mountain Glory Festival. In previous interviews, Helton said her community platform will be raising awareness for the theater arts in the elementary schools. She is now working with Eastfield Global Magnet School to start a theater club. Styles said her platform will be about raising awareness of Alzheimers disease. Both girls visit Glenwood Elementary once a month to mentor and tutor young girls. Heather Kaylor is a teacher at McDowell High and is the executive director of the Miss Mountain Glory pageant. At Tuesdays meeting, she said this year marks the 80th anniversary of the Miss North Carolina pageant and there is a $20,000 scholarship for the winner. The winner can also go on to compete for the Miss America title. Staff Writer Ginny Rhodes contributed to this article. A 12-year-old East Iredell Middle School students morning bus ride was interrupted Wednesday when he was left stranded in an unfamiliar neighborhood four miles away from school. His bus driver, Maria Sanchez, 43, of Tarrington Dr., Statesville, now faces a charge of misdemeanor child abuse for forcing the boy to get off the bus at the intersection of Bell Farm Road and Skyland Drive about 8 a.m., according to an Iredell County Sheriffs Office press release. The driver reported that the boy was misbehaving, according to a sheriffs office press release. The release said that Sanchez is also a teachers assistant in addition to being a bus driver. Iredell-Statesville Schools Public Information Officer Susie Wiberg said that Sanchez was suspended with pay pending the outcome of an investigation by the system. Without a cellphone or any other way to contact his family except for the phone numbers he memorized, the student knocked on a strangers door and hoped for the best, according to his aunt, Brandi Keane. Thank God the homeowner was a lovely lady and that he didnt knock on someone elses door, Keane said. She called his mom who was at work and I came and picked him up and took him to school Hes very good in stressful situations. He said he was kind of upset and just didnt know what to do I was completely in shock, shaking and crying I was so upset. I couldnt imagine how he felt. Iredell Sheriffs Capt. Mike Bova said Sanchez returned to pick the student up 15 minutes later but he was already at school by then. This isnt the first issue the family has had with the driver, Keane said, but they have never experienced anything like this. They take it on a day-to-day basis, she said. If hes good in the morning, he can ride in the afternoon. This is just awful. I dont care if she calls him a problem child. She shouldnt have done this. Keane said the child can only hear out of his left ear and was trying to talk to friends across the aisle. He had his feet in the aisle, leaning out trying to hear the conversation from what hes saying, she said. Hes never going to forget this Hell never ride her bus again. Sanchez was issued a $2,000 secured bond. She has an initial court date of May 1. Reporter Shawn Taylor contributed to this story. GREENSBORO The teen driver in a fatal single-vehicle rollover will be charged with a misdemeanor in the death of a classmate, an employee of the district attorneys office said today. Diana Sanchez Varela, 15, was killed on Feb. 24 when the Chrsyler 300M she was riding in overturned about 12:15 p.m. Varela, who was a back-seat passenger, was partially ejected from the sedan through the sunroof and pinned under the car, said Master Trooper Chris Knox. She was not wearing a seat belt and died at the scene of the crash, in the 3300 block of Wall Road near Osborne Road. At least one other passenger wasnt wearing a seat belt and it is unclear about two other people in the car, Knox said. The 15-year-old driver was wearing her restraint. The driver's name has not been released because shes a juvenile. Knox said the driver was traveling at about 80 mph in a 45 mph zone at the time of the crash. It is unknown where the students were going when the wreck happened. Nora Murray, spokeswoman for Guilford County Schools said the school does not allow students to go off-campus for lunch. The wreck happened near Southern Guilford High, at 5700 Drake Road where the driver and passengers attended school. The driver was taken to Moses Cone Hospital as a precaution, Knox said. Other surviving passengers are reported to have fled. The driver of the car will be charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle in juvenile court, said Walt Jones, assistant district attorney in charge of the High Point office of the Guilford County Prosecutor. She has not yet been served with the juvenile petition, Jones said, but that is expected to happen this month. According to state statute, the charge can only be elevated to a felony if the driver is impaired. She is the only person to face charges in connection to the wreck. The owner of the vehicle will not be charged, according to the Highway Patrol and Jones. We were told not to pursue charges based on a lack of knowledge on the owners part that the teen had the vehicle, Knox said. Jones said the car was left at the drivers house by someone unrelated to the family. A GoFundMe account has been set up to raise money for hospital expenses and to bring Varela's body to Mexico, according to the website. by Chase Martin , March 8, 2017 The majority of retailers say they are ready to make changes to adopt the Internet of Things within the next five years. Interest in using IoT devices, sensors and analytics to track customers in stores and inventory throughout the supply chain is expected to grow in that period, according to a recent study. The study, conducted by Research Now and Qualtrics for Zebra Technologies, comprised a global survey of 1,700 executives across multiple retail segments. While more than half (67%) of retail executives said they have already implemented IoT capabilities in some form, almost all (96%) said they are ready to make changes needed to adopt the Internet of Things. More than a quarter (26%) said they plan to roll out an IoT initiative within the year. This interest in the Internet of Things from retailers in turn means opportunity for marketers and advertisers, according to Tom Moore, retail and hospitality industry lead at Zebra Technologies. The main impact to marketers and advertisers is being gained through insight to shopper traffic patterns and dwell times enabling merchandisers with business intelligence to maximize the use of the store floor for selling, Moore told the IoT Daily. Executing a digital strategy in stores provides powerful insights similar to what retailers receive from their e-commerce sites, he said. More than three quarters (78%) of retail executives said integrating e-commerce and in-store experiences is important or critical to business. Almost as many (76%) said the same about connecting the online activities of a customer with their in-store actions, according to the study. When it comes to in-store tracking, around a third (35%) said they currently have the ability to know when specific customers are in their stores. Three quarters (75%) said they plan to have that capability by 2021. However, tracking customers doesnt end at the physical walls of stores. Although fewer than a quarter (22%) of retail executives said they currently can be alerted when a customer is in the parking lot to pick up an online order, almost three quarters (71%) said they plan to have this capability in five years. Here are the tracking and personalization capabilities retailers expect to have by 2021: 79% -- Individually customized store visit 75% -- Know when specific customers are in a store 75% -- Real-time location-based customer assistance alerts to deploy employees 74% -- Know where specific customers are in a store 74% -- Alert when loyal customers walk into a store 71% -- Alert when a customer is in a parking lot to pick up an online order Retailers adopting IoT will definitely impact consumers through better in-store service, more informed store associates and the ability to transform the shopping experience with a frictionless online and in-store experience and product availability and visibility that meets customer expectations, Moore told the Daily. That same study also found that 70% of retailers plan to be utilizing beacons for location-based marketing in stores by 2021, as the IoT Daily recently reported (70% Of Retailers Investing In Beacons For Location-Based Marketing). by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, March 8, 2017 Even through the Internet of Things can involve devices or machines talking to each other, the conversation is generally silent. No more. In a rather offbeat twist, an ad agency has given voice to elevators so they can have conversations in real time, allowing people to hear machines talk. Hasan & Partners, the Finland agency, formerly part of IPG, had a long-time global elevator client that wanted to more easily describe its elevator monitoring capabilities. As an ad agency, we wanted to show the world that Kone has a world-leading elevator service, Tobias Wacker, creative director at Hasan and Partners told me from Finland yesterday. The agency worked with Kone to connect selected elevators in different countries around the world. The elevators send data from sensors and controls about their day-to-day performance. That data, basically computer code, is collected, processed and given a voice. Literally. Anyone can go online and hear the elevators speak. The elevators that speak are in Sweden, Illinois, Finland and France and all are translated into English. Wacker said the agency used IBM Watsons text-to-speech system and all the speaking is in real time. Its real data in real time, said Wacker. Everything is real. The approach was taken to introduce a new level of service of elevator maintenance. This connects elevators to the could so nobody needs to call for repairs in the future, Wacker said. AI and the Internet of Things is so hot right now that we wanted to do our part to show the world that this is what the Internet of Things means. This is an actual conversation, by voice I heard, from an elevator in Illinois yesterday. The conversation is between the elevator and the Kone cloud: On my way down to floor 0. I confirm Please verify landing accuracy on floor 6 No worries, near perfect Just rode 8.1 meters down to floor 4 I copy, youre on floor 4 On my way down to floor 3 Roger. Thats down to floor 3 Speed 1.4 m/s Received Minimal bounce while landing on floor 3 Measured, good landing Please verify external noise level Measuringslightly elevated Noticed vibration while going up A bit, yes. Analyzing Ready to ride Wait for passengers Slight vibration on the way up Measured as below average Highly accurate landing on floor 4 Good job Slight vibration on the way down Measured. Hardly noticeable Conversations started by an elevator may not be the most exciting, but they do bring to life the concept of machine-to-machine communication. The Information is in real time, so we cant really dramatize it, said Wacker. Making elevators speak may actually be enough. by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, March 8, 2017 Media companies including ABC, Yahoo and NBC recently prevailed in a copyright lawsuit brought by Kali Kanongataa, a father who accidentally livestreamed the birth of his son on Facebook and then unsuccessfully sued the companies for displaying a brief portion of the video. Now, the companies are asking to recover at least $140,000 in attorneys' fees and court costs from Kanongataa and his lawyer. "This litigation was an ill-advised abuse of the Copyright Act and judicial system," ABC, Yahoo and others say in papers filed last week with U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan in New York. They add that Kanongataa and his lawyer "tried to cash in on claims that were clearly barred by the fair use doctrine." Kanongataa filed copyright infringement lawsuits against ABC, Yahoo, NBC, COED Media and other media outlets last September, several months after he livestreamed his son's birth through Facebook Live. ABC's "Good Morning America" ran an item about the stream and showed a brief, 22-second excerpt of the 45-minute video. A snippet of the video also appeared on Yahoo (which has a partnership with ABC), NBC and other companies. advertisement advertisement Kanongataa said later that he thought his family in the Polynesian island Tonga would be able to view his son's birth, but didn't expect it to be seen by the public at large. He argued that the media outlets didn't have the right to broadcast portions of his video. The media companies asked Kaplan to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that they had a fair use right to incorporate a portion of the live stream into an item about the growth of streaming video. Kaplan threw out the cases against ABC, Yahoo, NBC and COED Media last month. Last week, those companies filed a motion to recover their legal bills from Kanongataa under the Copyright Act's "fee-shifting" provisions, which enable the winning party in a copyright dispute to seek reimbursement for attorneys' fees. The companies say fees and costs totaled around $60,000 for ABC and Yahoo, $50,000 for NBC and $31,000 for COED. ABC and NBC said in their papers that they offered Kanongataa settlements, which he rejected. "Throughout the litigation, defendants counsel explained to plaintiffs counsel that defendants uses of the video fit squarely within the fair use doctrine and that plaintiffs claims were very weak," they say in their legal papers. "Nonetheless, NBC and ABC each tried to reach a nuisance settlement with plaintiff before moving to dismiss the complaints against them. Their efforts did not succeed because plaintiff stubbornly adhered to inflated settlement demands." In a rare move, the media companies also argue in their motion that Kanongataa's lawyer should be liable for any judgment -- in part because he allegedly "pursued claims that clearly lacked merit." "Defendants recognize that plaintiff may not have sufficient personal resources to pay in full a judgment for fees," the companies write. "However, defendants believe the record is clear that these cases were meritless from the outset, and then were pursued in bad faith. As a result, defendants request that plaintiffs counsel be held liable for the payment of defendants attorneys fees and costs." The Liebowitz Law Firm in Valley Stream, New York -- which represented Kanongataa, according to court papers -- didn't respond to messages seeking comment. by Tanya Gazdik , March 8, 2017 Cesar brand dog food is launching a digital campaign showing that dogs arent just a mans best friend. Breaking on International Womens Day, the program highlights the special bond between women and their dogs. Created by BBDO San Francisco, the integrated campaign features a video that reveals at the end that the people seen throughout the video, who are in traditionally masculine roles (cop, farmer, mechanic, biker) are women with dogs who will go anywhere with them. The campaign also features 14 stories from real women with photos shot by Elias Weiss Friedman of The Dogist, as well as stories from actress Lucy Hale and several social influencers. Images and stories from Hale, the women featured in the video and the real women photographed as part of this series can be found online at Facebook.com/Cesar and Instagram.com/CesarCuisine. Hale and female influencers are also supporting the campaign by sharing their real-life stories about their furry best friends using #WomansBestFriendToo. advertisement advertisement The brand also partnered with the Huffington Post on two articles -- the first is about making 5 common phrases more inclusive, while the second will feature some exceptional women and their canine companions and will launch in the coming week, said Jeremiah Palmer, senior brand manager, Cesar brand. We believe that the best way to reach consumers with this message is by being a part of the conversation, Palmer tells Marketing Daily. Digital media is the best outlet to support that belief. The Cesar brand has never exclusively focused on men or women in this way but instead has focused on its core brand message of Love Them Back and making sure all of its campaigns speak to that message by highlighting shared experiences between dogs and their owners. While the phrase 'mans best friend has been a part of history for over a century, we know thats only half the story, Palmer says. Launching our Womens Best Friend,Too campaign on International Womans Day created the perfect opportunity for Cesar to insert the brand into a powerful and timely societal conversation. With this campaign, were turning that old saying on its head by celebrating women everywhere and spotlighting real women who perfectly demonstrate the meaningful relationships between strong women and their furry best friends. The campaign truly celebrates strong women and the love between them and their dogs, he adds. by Tobi Elkin @tobielkin, March 9, 2017 Conde Nast, NBCUniversal and Vox Media joined forces Thursday to deliver mobile video and branded content across all three of their digital networks. The partnership between the TV network giant and key publishers to sell ads across all three of the companies' properties is a move to demonstrate scale and reach and to compete with Facebook and Google. The goal is also to reach millennial consumers. Together, the three companies will reach more than 200 million millennials, they said. The partnership involves Conde Nasts Spire, along with Vox Media and NBCUniversals Concert advertising platform. As part of the deal, the companies have jointly developed two new ad products focused on mobile video, branded content and targeted data. Conde Nasts Spire combines digital behavioral data with online and offline purchase data. It offers advertisers the ability to optimize and personalize their campaigns in real-time. The ability to target consumers across social media was recently added to Spire. advertisement advertisement Concert was launched by Vox Media and NBCUniversal in April 2016 to offer ad solutions in brand-safe environments at scale. The companies said Concert currently provides five times the engagement of other premium advertising platforms. Our goal always is to deliver for our marketing partners scalable, high-quality advertising experiences aligned with the targeted data they need to reach consumers in a trusted environment, stated Linda Yaccarino, chairman, advertising sales and client partnerships, NBCUniversal. by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, March 9, 2017 Class-action activist Theodore Frank is appealing a decision that approved Google's $5.5 million settlement of a class-action alleging that it violated Safari users' privacy by circumventing their no-tracking settings. The deal, approved last month, requires Google to donate more than $3 million to six schools and nonprofits -- Berkeley Center for Law & Technology, Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, Center for Democracy & Technology, Public Counsel, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, and the Center for Internet & Society at Stanford University. Those groups must agree to use the money for projects related to online privacy. advertisement advertisement The lawyers who brought the case will receive $1.925 million, but individual Web users won't receive anything. Frank, a well-known activist who founded the Washington-based Center for Class Action Fairness, unsuccessfully urged U.S. District Court Judge Sue Robinson in Delaware to reject the deal. He argued that the agreement should have provided funds to individual Safari users, as opposed to the nonprofits -- several of which already had relationships with Google. Frank suggested that individual users could submit claims to the court, as happened when Facebook created a $20 million fund to allegations that it violated a California law with its "sponsored stories" program. Alternatively, Frank said, individuals could be compensated through a lottery process. Robinson rejected those arguments, noting that the nonprofit fund recipients research and advocate for online privacy. She said in her ruling that donations to those groups are "an effective and beneficial remedy" in the case. Frank this week filed the paperwork to appeal the decision to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals. The class-action stemmed from Google's involvement in the "Safari hack" -- a privacy scandal that came to light in 2012 when researcher Jonathan Mayer published a report stating that Google (and other companies) circumvented Safari's privacy settings and set tracking cookies. After doing so, Google was able to serve ads to Web users based on their Internet activity, Mayer reported. Google confirmed Mayer's report when it came out, and said it had stopped tracking Safari users or would soon do so. News of the hack also resulted in charges by the Federal Trade Commission and other officials; Google ultimately agreed to pay $22.5 million to settle with the FTC, and an additional $17 million to settle with a group of state attorneys general. Frank is also challenging a separate privacy settlement entered into by Google several years ago. That matter stemmed from allegations that the company "leaked" search users' names to publishers and advertisers through referrer headers -- the information that is automatically transmitted by Google to publishers and advertisers. (Some queries, like people's searches for their own names, can offer clues to users' identities.) Google settled that matter by agreeing to pay around $6 million to six nonprofits -- Carnegie Mellon University, World Privacy Forum, Chicago-Kent College of Law, Stanford Law, Harvard's Berkman Center and the AARP Foundation -- and more than $2 million to the attorneys who brought the lawsuit. Frank recently asked the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to vacate the deal, arguing that search engine users who were affected by Google's practices won't receive any money.The 9th Circuit is scheduled to hear argument in that case next week. by Sara Guaglione , March 9, 2017 The Association of Magazine Media found in its first Magazine Media 360 Brand Audience Report of 2017 that total magazine audience across print, Web, mobile Web and video grew to 930 million in January, a 3.7% increase compared to the same month a year ago. The report covers 128 magazine media brands from 30 companies, representing 95% of magazine readership. The print and digital audience of these magazine media brands increased by 5.4% compared to January 2016. The Web audience -- which includes desktop and laptop readers -- dropped 7.6% versus a year ago, a sign of audiences continuing to shift to mobile devices. Video continues to be the fastest-growing platform for publishers, and its audiences grew by 57.5%. While mobile Web audiences were growing by double-digit numbers in previous reports, January 2017 saw a modest increase of 1.7%. advertisement advertisement MPA believes this was due to several factors, including comScore implementing new technology to its January 2017 Mobile data reporting to detect and eliminate invalid, non-human traffic. Plus, several of the larger reported brands had technical issues with inoperative tags on their mobile Web pages, causing problems with reports of audience numbers. The top five magazine brands with the most total audience for January 2017 were ESPN The Magazine, People, Forbes, Allrecipes and WebMD. The top five magazine brands with the greatest percentage growth in total audience for January 2017, compared to a year ago, were Marie Claire, Elle Decor, Teen Vogue, W and Autoweek. Last month, MPA released the Brand Audience Report for 2016. It found that ESPN The Magazine, People and Forbes delivered the largest magazine media audiences, and domino, The New Yorker and Harpers Bazaarshowed the greatest percentage of growth for the year. Researchers have known for a while that heart disease and depression influence each other. However, a new study investigates the impact of depression on heart disease over a long period of time, and finds the psychological disorder to increase mortality risk. Share on Pinterest New research looks at the long-term effects of depression on people who have also experienced a heart attack. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that every 42 seconds , an adult in the United States has a heart attack. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, and in the U.S., a heart disease-related death occurs every minute. Depression is also a major health concern. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, the disorder affects more than 15 million U.S. adults. Additionally, major depressive disorder is the leading cause of disability among those aged between 15 and 44. New research to be presented at the American College of Cardiologys 66th Annual Scientific Session suggests that there may be a link between these two conditions. The study focused on people who received a diagnosis of heart attack, stable angina, or unstable angina. These conditions are forms of coronary heart disease the most widespread type of heart disorder and were responsible for approximately 365,000 deaths in 2014, according to the CDCs latest statistics. Depression doubles mortality risk for people with heart attack The researchers led by Dr. Heidi May, Ph.D., a cardiovascular epidemiologist at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City, UT investigated the health records of nearly 25,000 patients registered with the Intermountain Health System. These patients were also clinically followed for an average of almost 10 years after receiving their initial diagnosis of coronary heart disease. Overall, 15 percent of these patients were also diagnosed with depression after their heart disease diagnosis. This proportion is considerably larger compared with the general population estimate of 7.5 to 10 percent. Additionally, the researchers adjusted for risk factors, age, gender, medications, and depression onset, as well as heart attack, chest pain, and follow-up complications. After all of the adjustments, depression was revealed as the strongest predictor of death in the group. In fact, people with depression were twice as likely to die compared with people without depression. Of the 3,646 people who were diagnosed with depression, 50 percent died during the study. By comparison, only 38 percent of those who did not receive a depression diagnosis died over the course of the study. A new study reveals that a small molecule produced by a fungus may stimulate the regeneration of axons the slender, thread-like projections that carry electrical signals between nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The researchers believe that the discovery could lead to much needed new drugs that repair damage to the central nervous system. Share on Pinterest Researchers found that a small molecule called fusicoccin-A stimulated regeneration of damaged axons. This image of the effect of treatment shows axons (stained greed) and the tips of growing axons, called growth cones (stained red). Image credit: McGill University Axon damage is a feature of injury to the central nervous system, such as that which occurs in traumatic brain injury, stroke, and spinal cord injury. It is the main reason for disability that results from these conditions. Unfortunately, once they are damaged, axons do not regenerate easily. Also, recent research suggests that in the case of traumatic brain injury, axons can continue to degenerate even years after injury and may play a role in the development of Alzheimers disease-like changes in the brain. The new study led by McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and published in the journal Neuron concerns a family of proteins called 14-3-3 that show some ability to protect nerve cells or neurons. Senior author Alyson Fournier, a professor of neurology and neurosurgery at McGill, heads a laboratory that has been investigating 14-3-3 and looking for ways to stimulate axon regeneration. Axon damage affects millions of people Every year in the United States, there are more than 1.5 million cases of traumatic brain injury, at an annual healthcare cost of over $60 billion. Figures published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that every year, more than 795,000 people in the U.S. have a stroke. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the overall population and the leading cause of serious long-term disability among U.S. adults; more than half of stroke survivors aged 65 and over experience reduced mobility following a stroke. The annual cost of stroke to the nation is estimated to be $33 billion this includes the cost of healthcare, drugs, and missed work days. According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, estimates from several studies suggest that the number of people in the U.S. living with spinal cord injury is between 243,000 and 347,000. The number of new cases per year is around 17,000. Axon damage occurs not only in strokes and brain and spinal cord injuries, but also in many other diseases, including multiple sclerosis and a range of neurodegenerative disorders. Among Swedish women, being overweight or obese early in pregnancy was associated with increased rates of cerebral palsy in children, according to a study appearing in JAMA. Despite advances in obstetric and neonatal care, the prevalence of cerebral palsy has increased from 1998 through 2006 in children born at full term. Few preventable factors are known to affect the risk of cerebral palsy. Maternal overweight and obesity are associated with increased risks of preterm delivery, asphyxia-related neonatal complications, and congenital malformations, which in turn are associated with increased risks of cerebral palsy. It is uncertain whether risk of cerebral palsy in offspring increases with maternal overweight and obesity severity and what could be possible mechanisms. Eduardo Villamor, M.D., Dr.P.H., of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and colleagues conducted a study that included women with children born in Sweden from 1997 through 2011. Using national registries, children were followed for a cerebral palsy diagnosis through 2012. Of 1,423,929 children included (average gestational age, 39.8 weeks), 3,029 were diagnosed with cerebral palsy over a median 7.8 years of follow-up. Analysis of the data indicated that maternal overweight (body mass index [BMI] of 25 to 29.9) and increasing grades of obesity (BMI 30 or greater) were associated with increasing rates of cerebral palsy. Results were statistically significant for children born at full term, who comprised 71 percent of all children with cerebral palsy, but not for preterm infants. An estimated 45 percent of the association between maternal BMI and rates of cerebral palsy in full-term children was mediated through asphyxia-related neonatal complications. The authors note that although the effect of maternal obesity on cerebral palsy may seem small compared with other risk factors, the association is of public health relevance due to the large proportion of women who are overweight or obese. "The number of women with a BMI of 35 or more globally doubled from approximately 50 to 100 million from 2000 through 2010. In the United States, approximately half of all pregnant women have overweight or obesity at the first prenatal visit. Considering the high prevalence of obesity and the continued rise of its most severe forms, the finding that maternal overweight and obesity are related to rates of cerebral palsy in a dose-response manner may have serious public health implications." A study led by Ravi Bansal, PhD, and Bradley S. Peterson, MD, of The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles, has found structural differences in the cerebral cortex of patients with depression and that these differences normalize with appropriate medication. The study, published in Molecular Psychiatry, is the first to report within the context of a randomized, controlled trial, the presence of structural changes in the cerebral cortex during medication treatment for depression and the first to provide in vivo evidence for the presence of anatomical neuroplasticity in human brain. "Our findings suggest that thickening of the cerebral cortex is a compensatory, neuroplastic response that helps to reduce the severity of depressive symptoms," said Peterson, director of the Institute of the Developing Mind at CHLA and professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. "Patients off medication have a thickened cortex, and the thicker it is, the fewer the symptoms they have. Treatment with medication then reduces the severity of symptoms, which in turn reduces the need for biological compensation in the brain - so that their cortex becomes thinner, reaching thickness values similar to those in healthy volunteers." The investigators acquired anatomical brain scans at baseline and again at the end of the 10-week study period for 41 patients with chronic depression, while 39 healthy volunteers were scanned once. This study was conducted with adult patients treated at Columbia University, when Peterson and Bansal were faculty members. Patients were randomized to receive active medication duloxetine, a selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, or placebo. During the trial, patients receiving medication experienced significant improvement of symptoms compared with patients receiving placebo. In medication-treated patients, cortical thickness declined toward values found in healthy volunteers while placebo-treated patients showed a slight thickening of the cortex. According to Bansal, a researcher at CHLA and professor of pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, this finding suggests that placebo-treated patients continue to require compensation for their ongoing symptoms. "Although this study was conducted in adults, the methodology developed - pairing a randomized controlled trial with MRI scanning - can be applied to many other populations in both children and adults," said Bansal. "Also, our observations of neuroplasticity suggest new biological targets for treatment of persons with neuropsychiatric disorders." David J. Hellerstein, MD, of the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons also contributed to the study. Funding was provided in part by NIH grant K02-74677, Eli Lilly, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the University of Southern California. New findings from Rockefeller University researchers could guide the development of potent combination therapies that deliver more effective and durable treatment of leukemia. In recent work published in Nature, they show it's possible to deactivate cellular programs involved in tumor growth by disrupting a protein that regulates genes. At the center of this research are proteins called histones, which provide a physical support structure for the genome, and can also help regulate gene expression. Chemical modifications to histones can turn nearby genes on or off, and the cell interprets these chemical marks with the help of a variety of "reader" proteins. Once they recognize and bind to the chemically modified histones, the reader proteins recruit other factors that coordinate gene activation or inhibition. This process can become derailed in cancer, and drugs that selectively inhibit a class of readers known as BET proteins have already shown early promise in treating certain tumors. Now a multi-institutional research team - led in part by David Allis, Joy and Jack Fishman Professor and head of the Laboratory of Chromatin Biology and Epigenetics - has uncovered similar therapeutic potential for another, recently-identified class of reader proteins. These proteins share a structural feature called a YEATS domain, which specifically recognizes histones modified with a type of chemical mark called an acetyl group. "The functional importance of this reading activity by the YEATS domain was unknown," says Liling Wan, a postdoctoral fellow in the Allis lab and lead author on the study, but she also notes strong evidence linking these proteins to cancer. Dangerous fusion The genomes of cancer cells can become extremely jumbled, with DNA strands breaking and reattaching to each other in unnatural ways that disrupt gene function. In some people with leukemia, cells feature genomic rearrangements that fuse the gene encoding a protein called MLL with that of various YEATS domain-containing proteins, including one known as ENL. Such rearrangements are linked with a particularly poor prognosis, and are especially common in extremely young patients. "In infants, it occurs in more than 70 percent of acute lymphoid leukemia and in more than 35 percent of acute myeloid leukemia cases," says Wan. When she and colleagues set out to explore whether ENL can spur cancer, they selectively deleted its gene from the genome of various leukemia cell lines. They found that mice transplanted with ENL-depleted leukemia cells fared much better than those receiving unmodified leukemia cells: their cancer cells did not divide as quickly, and they survived longer. These results made the researchers suspect ENL acts as an engine for tumor growth - one that could potentially be stalled with a well-designed inhibitor. The researchers also demonstrated that ENL activates cancer-related genes by binding to acetyl-modified histone sites throughout the genome. By engineering mutations in cells that render the YEATS domain dysfunctional, they were able to show this part of ENL is critical for the protein's leukemia-promoting effects. New ideas for leukemia therapy BET proteins, the class of reader proteins for which drugs are already being developed, don't have a YEATS domain, but they recognize histone acetyl marks via a structural element known as the bromodomain. When the researchers tested the effectiveness of a bromodomain inhibitor drug, JQ1, in mice with leukemia cells carrying YEATS-disrupting mutations in ENL, this two-pronged attack proved much more effective than the drug alone - suggesting it might be possible to create effective combination therapy regimens. "We look forward to the development of new drugs that can block YEATS domain function, perhaps working in concert with existing bromodomain inhibitors that are already in clinical trials," says Allis. Wan says the multi-institutional team of American and Chinese scientists who conducted this study will be extending their collaboration in order to delve deeper into the role of ENL in cancer. Leukemia may not be the only class of malignancy powered by this protein, and Wan says there is evidence for YEATS mutations in certain pediatric kidney cancers. "It seems to suggest a more broad function for the reader role of ENL in other cancer types that we have no knowledge about so far," she says, "and that's something we are very interested in investigating in the near future." Up to 20 percent of U.S. veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan developed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder from trauma experienced during wartime, but new neuroscience research from The University of Texas at Austin suggests some soldiers might have a hormonal predisposition to experience such stress-related disorders. Cortisol - the stress hormone - is released as part of the body's flight-or-fight response to life-threatening emergencies. Seminal research in the 1980s connected abnormal cortisol levels to an increased risk for PTSD, but three decades of subsequent research produced a mixed bag of findings, dampening enthusiasm for the role of cortisol as a primary cause of PTSD. However, new findings published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology point to cortisol's critical role in the emergence of PTSD, but only when levels of testosterone - one of most important of the male sex hormones - are suppressed, researchers said. "Recent evidence points to testosterone's suppression of cortisol activity, and vice versa. It is becoming clear to many researchers that you can't understand the effects of one without simultaneously monitoring the activity of the other," said UT Austin professor of psychology Robert Josephs, the first author of the study. "Prior attempts to link PTSD to cortisol may have failed because the powerful effect that testosterone has on the hormonal regulation of stress was not taken into account." UT Austin researchers used hormone data obtained from saliva samples of 120 U.S. soldiers before deployment and tracked their monthly combat experiences in Iraq to examine the effects of traumatic war-zone stressors and PTSD symptoms over time. Before deployment, soldiers were administered a stress simulating CO2 inhalation challenge to examine their cortisol and testosterone reactivity to stress. Researchers found that soldiers who exhibited less change in both testosterone and cortisol levels in response to the challenge were more likely to later show PTSD symptoms in response to combat stress in Iraq. However, soldiers who showed an elevated testosterone or an elevated cortisol response to the CO2 inhalation challenge were less likely to develop PTSD. "The means through which hormones contribute to the development of PTSD and other forms of stress-related mental illness are complex," said Adam Cobb, a UT Austin clinical psychology doctoral candidate and co-author of the study. "Advancement in this area must involve examining how hormones function together, and with other psychobiological systems, in response to ever-changing environmental demands." Knowing this, the scientists suggest future research could investigate the efficacy of preventative interventions targeting those with at-risk profiles of hormone stress reactivity. "We are still analyzing more data from this project, which we hope will reveal additional insights into risk for combat-related stress disorders and ultimately how to prevent them," said Michael Telch, clinical psychology professor and corresponding author of the study. These findings add to a series of published reports from the Texas Combat PTSD Risk Project, a study funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency aimed at identifying biological, psychological and environmental vulnerability factors that predict the emergence of PTSD and other psychological problems among soldiers deployed to Iraq. Article: Dual-hormone stress reactivity predicts downstream war-zone stress-evoked PTSD, Robert A. Josephs, Adam R. Cobb, Cynthia L. Lancaster, Han-Joo Lee, Michael J. Telch, Psychoneuroendocrinology, doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.01.013, published online 19 January 2017. OTTAWA March 9, 2017 /CNW/ - Issue Health Canada is advising Canadians that GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare Inc. has initiated a voluntary recall of certain Buckley's syrup products from stores. A defect with the plastic seal may cause it to fall into the bottle and present a potential choking hazard if swallowed. This seal is a circular plastic layer that is clear or semi-transparent and approximately 1.7 cm in diameter, pictured below. The affected products are indicated for use by adults and children above 12 years old. Buckley's Jack and Jill children's syrup is not part of the recall as it uses a different seal. Who is affected Consumers who have bought or used these products. Affected products Buckley's Complete, DIN 02279703, 150 & 250mL Buckley's Complete Mucus Relief, DIN 02357232, 150 & 250mL Buckley's Cough & Chest Congestion, DIN 02289164, 150 & 250mL Buckley's Cough Mucus & Phlegm, DIN 02346451, 150 & 250mL Buckley's Original Mixture, NPN 02239538, 100 & 200mL Buckley's Original Mixture Night Time , DIN 02230939, 100mL What consumers should do According to GSK Consumer Healthcare Inc., consumers should follow the dosing instructions listed on the label. Do not drink directly from the bottle. Pour the syrup into a teaspoon and check for the plastic seal before consuming. Consult with your health care professional if you have used these products and have health concerns. Contact GSK Consumer Relations at 1-800-250-8866 if you have questions about this recall. Report adverse events to health products to Health Canada by calling toll-free at 1?866?234?2345, or by reporting online, by mail or by fax. Report complaints about health products to Health Canada by calling toll-free at 1?800?267?9675, or complete an online complaint form. What Health Canada is doing Health Canada is monitoring the company's recall. If new safety information is identified, Health Canada will take appropriate action and inform Canadians. For more information Stay connected with Health Canada and receive the latest advisories and product recalls using social media tools. To learn more about natural health products and other self-care products, visit Canada.ca/selfcare-products. Egalement disponible en francais SOURCE Health Canada Advertisement In early January, CAMTech and Lattice selected five CAMTech-X Ambassadors and held a two-day training session in New Delhi to prepare them for leading individual hack-a-thons in each of the five cities. "The Ambassador trainings were a great way to share key hack-a-thon planning methods and strategies with passionate members of our community in the medtech space," said Dr. Kris Olson, Director at CAMTech. "This new model allows us to amplify what we have found to be effective processes across India to catalyze focused med-tech innovation.We have been able to leverage our experience in the field, learn from our partners, and work together at a larger scale to ensure others can succeed." "Planning for such a large, unique event has taken tremendous preparation and depends on solid experience organizing and leading hack-a-thons", said CAMTech-X Ambassador Nikhil Muppavarapu, Associate at KIIT-TBI, Bhubaneswar. "Thanks to CAMTech and Lattice's expertise and prior success with these events, we are well prepared to hold five simultaneous hack-a-thons across the country."Over 95% of this year's applicants are from India, reflecting a commitment to the "Make in India" initiative and the event's focus on product development and innovation in India. The event also marks CAMTech's 16th medtech hack-a-thon. Over the course of the two days, participants will work around the clock to pitch healthcare problems, form teams, prototype solutions, and develop business models before presenting their ideas to a panel of judges from the fields of medicine, public health, engineering, and business, reflecting CAMTech's cross-sector approach to innovation."We are very hopeful that CAMTech-X: Jugaadathon will help identify the next wave of disruptive technologies that can increase access to healthcare for India's urban poor," said Muppavarapu. The winning teams from each hack-a-thon will receive mentorship from CAMTech and have an opportunity to travel to New Delhi on June 17th, 2017 to present their innovations to investors, corporate partners, healthcare organizations and other stakeholders, who will award two grand prizes. In addition, all CAMTech-X: Jugaadathon teams from the five sites will have an opportunity to apply for a 100-day post-Jugaadathon award, where up to five teams will be selected to travel to New Delhi and receive $250 USD toward their travel to compete in the June 17th finals.The grand prize winner in New Delhi will receive 10 Lakh rupees and six months of incubation support. CAMTech-X: Jugaadathon locations are as follows: Bengaluru: Information Knowledge Park (IKP) EDEN Mumbai: Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE)- IIT-Bombay Bhubaneswar: Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University Manipal: Manipal University New Delhi: Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) (ANI-Businesswire India)Source: ANI Advertisement Florida is home to 77 sites that currently are or have been classified as Superfund sites by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Using cancer incidence data collected by the Florida Department of Health, the researchers looked for cancer clusters, or "hot spots," of cases that were higher than normal. Because pediatric cancers often are genetic and not attributed to environmental factors, only adult cancers were included in the study. The researchers did not distinguish between different types of cancer."The findings show spatial differences - as well as gender differences - across Florida in adult cancer incidences," Leary said. "This work is novel because it is another piece of evidence to support an environmental cause of cancer. While it would be premature to say these differences are attributed to Superfund sites, there does appear to be an association. More research is needed to determine what this relationship is and why it exists, but identifying that a difference exists is a necessary first step.""Our results can help public health agencies adjust policies and dedicate more efforts to areas with cancer hot spots," said Alexander Kirpich, postdoctoral associate at the University of Florida and co-author of the study. "These results support the link between toxic environmental waste and adverse health outcomes, but more efforts are needed to better understand this link and what it means for residents in these counties."The study, "Superfund Locations and Potential Associations with Cancer Incidence in Florida," recently was published online in. Research reported in this publication was supported by the University of Florida and the University of Missouri School of Medicine.Source: John Hopkins They came; they played; they created Group Therapy. That was the first time back on 10th November, 2012. The last time Above & Beyond was here, in 2015, they played Vh1's Supersonic Arcade Tour. Dance musics favourite trioJono Grant, Tony McGuinness, and Paavo Siljamakihave given their fans something they would never forget for the rest of their lives. Group Therapy. Anjunadeep. A&B Acoustics. And a connection to last a lifetime. Cut to 2017. Were in the middle of the week and the only thing we are looking forward to is the group of three people, four dates, four cities, two words and a myriad of emotions. Above & Beyond has transcended music. The name is no longer just about a group of EDM artists with successful radio shows that have become a cult among followers the world over. Above & Beyond, today, is a feeling. It connects people around the world in the most inexplicable way. Its the music that you can feel pump through your nerves and get the blood rushing through your body. Its like adrenaline and serendipity forged in to one beat. I dont expect each one of you to understand it. So, I got the man who made it all possible, back in 2007, Nikhil Chinapa to explain what it's really like. Skylar Greene Photography "I honestly can't put a finger on what exactly it is about them; but, Above & Beyond have a hold on the world when it comes to EDM. They have a large and very loyal fan base that's spread across te world. They have the power to move the crowds with their music. I've seen grown men cry their eyes out at Above & Beyond concerts," he reveals. "Their concerts should be attended with friends; that's when it really hits you--the level of emotions and the connection with the music." Chinapa was on the way to Delhi from Gwalior, on a train, after which he would be taking a flight to Chennai for Above & Beyond's first gig happening in the country after 2012. A lot has changed since the last time the group was here. Chinapa first got Above & Beyond to India back in 2007 when the EDM scene in the country was still emerging into what it is today. It's been all of 10 years since their first tryst with India. "They dropped their Group Therapy album; and then, there was We're All We Need," Chinapa, who has become good friends with them over time, recounts. "But, they haven't changed at all, as a band. Their music has evolved with time." We got two of the group's loyal fansJashoda Madhavji, Founder, DNH Media and Sahil Gupta, Owner, Tabula Beach Cafe, ArribaMexican Grill & Tequileria and The Hungry Monkeyboth of whom shared their experiences from their last encounter, back in 2012. TATW (Trance Around The World) laid a benchmark of sorts for other dance music gigs that followed suit in India, says Jashoda. They (Above & Beyond) broke away from the tons of monotony that crosses our paths on a daily basis and set a whole new standard in the emerging EDM festival circuit back in the days. Facebook Ive seen Above & Beyond perform live about three, or four, times. And every single moment is etched in my head forever. Its almost like it happened yesterday, Sahil tells us. Bangalore was better than anywhere else because it was an intimate crowd of around 3 to 4 thousand people gathered at an amazing location to experience Above & Beyond. There was Mat Zo and Andrew Bayer, amongst others and all of them played their best. But, Ill not bore you on what Above & Beyond really means for millions of fans across the globe. Ill tell you, instead, why you should cancel all other plans over the coming weekend, if youre in Hyderabad, Bangalore or Mumbai, and head to Above & Beyonds second tour in the country for five simple reasons. 1. For The Group Therapy What was TATW 450 became ABGT 001! Group Therapy happened to the world, for the very first time and that set us out on a whole new journey, on a whole new path. It was euphoria and ecstasy and it was pure magic. Every time they said 'Live from Bangalore India', hearts would skip beats, Sahil tells us. What started at a live show in Bangalore went on to become a worldwide phenomenon that would continue to create ripples for years to come. Chinapa reveals that fans are in store for a very nostalgic experience this time around as Above & Beyond will be dropping one of their popular tracks from 2008. "The crowds will recognise it, instantly. And the best part about the track is that it's not at all dated; so, it bodes well with the current trend in the music circuit, as well," he informs. Whos to tell what new and historic the group will be giving us this time around? But, we can only let our imaginations run wild with the thought of it. 2. For The Transcendence Rukes If you ever listen to the group, youll notice the amount of variety in each of their tracksfrom an Anjunabeats to a Group Therapy; from a Tri-State to their Acoustics; every song, every beat and every tune is unique and strikes a chord that is more than just about the dance. Each of their song tells a story and instills a feeling. Their music comes from a very deeper space; its not your average commercial EDM soundtrack; its not your quintessential party hit; its not monotonous and its definitely not repetitive. They always put out emotionally divine sets and its never a rare sight to see teary-eyed front rowers, Jashoda explains. "They transport the listeners on a very personalized journey of yearning and love, heartbreak and pleasure through their music and thats why a lot of music enthusiasts can relate to their music, she adds. And never mind how many times you listen to it, on loop, it will always feel differently. It stirs you the way EDM doesnt always and frankly, its incomparable. 3. For The Crowd Facebook One of the aspects that each and every Above & Beyond concert can boast about is a well-informed crowd that knows what theyre there for. You will always witness a well synchronized crowd at their gigs who have been long standing patrons of their work and are just in rhythm with every synch. Youd never find the concert wannabes! Jashoda affirms. The crowd is niche, exclusive and aware of Above & Beyond. Above & Beyond generally shy away from an overtly commercial playlist and they seem to have upheld that logic over the years by restricting their gigs to an intimate gathering, she adds. "I have a friend who wasn't into EDM music; but, after listening to Above & Beyond's Acoustic performances, she was a convert!" 4. For The Slogans Skylar Greene Photography If theres one thing theyre known for, aside from the music, its their enthralling slogans that get everyone pumped up. Back in 2012-13, Sahil remembers, every single time they mentioned a first time in India, the crowd went berserk; it was like a palpable energycontagious and explosive. If youve been one of the lucky few to have ever attended an Above & Beyond concert in your lifetime, you know this to be true. Life is made up of small moments like this, Who knows the lyrics and This is Group Therapy. It gets you every single time, unfailingly. 5. For The Experience Rukes If you were to restrict yourself only to a handful of EDM concerts to attend in the world, in your entire lifetime, Above & Beyond will top that bucket list. Ive been to many concerts around the world; but, theres nothing like an Above & Beyond concert; its easily one of the best experiences, ever," Sahil says. The Above & Beyond concert is easily one of the best concert experiences you can give yourselffor the informed crowd whos emotions and rhythms are perfectly in synchronization with the trios instinctive music; for the euphoric and nostalgic feeling that you experience every single time; for the awareness that youre a part of a larger awakening; for the sense of being a part of the Group Therapy family. It has people crying because of the intense emotional awakening it brings about in them. It takes over and nothing beats that. I remember crying because I simply couldn't control the tears in my eyes, Sahil reminisces. Honestly, weve given you more legit reasons than you would ever need to experience the phenomenon that is Above & Beyond. If you havent bought your tickets, yet, heres where you should be heading right this second. Without much further ado, Ill just say this: See you next weekend when we create more such moments like this! With more and more celebrities giving in to the fad of dissociating oneself from F word, it seems like theres still a long way to go before womens rights becomes a fight for every person in the world and not just women alone. But theres always hope and Alia Bhatts latest interview does shine bright! Filmfare In an interview with PTI, the stellar actor addressed the topic of feminism and women empowerment and busted quite a few myths surrounding it. "Being a feminist is not only limited to girls. Even a man can be a feminist. It is about equality and everyone believes in equality. People usually misunderstand the essence of feminism. It is not about male bashing. There you go, she said it. Feminism isnt about hating men. Thats misandry. Filmfare She also said she doesnt believe women deserve special treatment, only the same treatment as men. "I am not saying women are greater than men. I don't believe it is the right way to put it. I just feel there should be similar treatment (for both)," she said. "If you are not campaigning for women rights you are not a feminist, that is also a big confusion. Even if I don't campaign, I am a feminist. As the youth of today, I don't want more conversation on women empowerment because I feel that it is all talk and I don't understand this talk. Equality is our birth right." She added. Filmfare Were hoping every man out there reads this and understands what feminism really is and more importantly, what its not. Along with his extremely successful Bollywood career, Salman Khans Being Human clothing brand is also a big hit. Now, he has decided to venture into the smartphone business as well. It has been reported that he has registered the Being Smart trademark for smartphones targeted at the entry-to-middle market segment. Moreover, he has also selected a Chinese plant, along with initial phone models that will run on Android and will cost below Rs. 20,000. For Being Smart, Salman is currently assembling an operational management team which would be headed by a professional with leadership stints at Samsung and Micromax. Twitter BeingSmart will be positioned against the Chinese smartphone brigade Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi at a time domestic handset makers such as Micromax and Intex are facing tremendous competition, said a source. And, like the Being Human apparel line, proceeds from the profit will be ploughed back into charity and social work that Salman Khan does with his Being Human Foundation. Even though the phones will only be available online at first, they will also be sold at a few large cellphone and electronic retail chains later on, through strategic partnerships. Salman has been thinking of entering the smartphone business for about two years now but the few Indian brands that had shown interest eventually backed out because of the high royalty charges he demanded. But this time, Salman is himself driving the show and searching for an investor. He expects to launch the devices in the next two quarters and definitely before the festive season, another executive said. Twitter Since he is Salman Khan, he will probably beat iPhone sales in India when this comes out! Its time for Bhai to smash the smartphone industry. Alternate Foreign Minister Giorgos Katrougalos met with EU Commissioner, Dimitris Avramopoulos, in Brussels today, in a very friendly and constructive climate. Mr. Katrougalos thanked Mr. Avramopoulos for the actions he has taken to extend through 2017 the pilot programme for granting visas to Turkish citizens visiting Northern Aegean islands for tourist reasons. Mr. Avramopoulos' efforts were made in response to a relevant request promoted systematically by the Foreign Ministry since the expiration of the previous programme (28 October 2016) and actively supported by local communities. Mr. Katrougalos also briefed Mr. Avramopoulos on the Greek government's views on issues within the Commissioner's competencies. KOYLTON TOWNSHIP A convicted murderer who was on parole has been arraigned in a Feb. 21 abuse and death of a dog in Tuscola County. Terrance Mathis, 66, of Kingston, was arrested on charges of killing and torturing a dog, which had been found with its top jaw wrapped and its throat cut, according to the Tuscola County Sheriffs Office. UPPER THUMB With gusts reaching as high as 55 miles per hour, roughly 800 people in Huron County were left without power on Wednesday, according to DTE Energy. And as of late Wednesday afternoon, a restoration time still has not been set. Roneisha Mullen, spokesperson for DTE, told the Tribune they first started receiving calls regarding power outages around 10 a.m. At this time, we are unable to provide an estimate until a full assessment of the situation has been completed, Mullen said, adding DTEs first priority is addressing downed wires. DTE crews will be working 16-hour shifts around the clock to restore power and additional crews from Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee and Pennsylvania will be in Michigan on Thursday to assist, according to a 4:30 p.m. post on DTEs Twitter page. The high winds also crashed DTEs power outage map several times Wednesday. Fire departments from all over the county were called out to handle downed wires, according to the Huron County Emergency Services. Port Hope and Owendale fire departments were each called to opposite ends of the county to assist with dangerous wires. Huron County EMS said it received roughly 15 calls about trees down. The Huron County Road Commission was busy Wednesday taking care of trees that fell in roadways throughout the county some in Caseville and others on M-19. Elsewhere in the state, more than 180 students at an early childhood center in Barry Countrys Woodland Township were bused to a nearby high school after winds blew part of the centers roof away, M.Live.com reported. A roof also was partially blown off Birch Run High School. DTE has advised customers of a few storm tips to keep in mind as power is restored: Never drive across a downed power line. If a power line falls on your vehicle, remain inside until help arrives. Always operate generators outdoors to avoid dangerous buildup of toxic fumes. Turn off or unplug all appliances to prevent an electrical overload when power is restored. Leave one light switch on to indicate when power is restored. Dont open refrigerators or freezers more than absolutely necessary. A closed refrigerator will stay cold for 12 hours. Kept closed, a well-filled freezer will preserve food for two days. To the editor: Here are six bullet points assembled that every citizen in Huron County should read and ponder as we decide the future of Huron County. We need to demand a full spectrum of wind turbine testing including low frequency noise. The following applies: 1. It is widely recognized by acousticians that the sound that penetrates a building and causes sleep disturbance comprise primarily the low-frequency components from a noise source. 2. Although the higher frequency dBA components are the most audible outside, these are not the components that are the dominant disturbing components inside. So simply measuring dBA levels does not necessarily relate to sleep disturbance. 3. To avoid sleep disturbance, the World Health Organization at first sight recommends an internal sound pressure level of no more than 30dBA, which is considered to correspond to 45dBA outside. But they also qualify this by stating that where significant low-frequency noise is present, a lower limit is necessary. 4. In a peer-reviewed paper Wind Turbines and Health; A Critical Review of the Scientific Literature in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, published in November 2014, funded by Canadian Wind Energy Association and authored amongst others by K. Kaliski, it clearly states that wind turbines can cause sleep disturbance in the range 40-45dBA. This is entirely consistent with the World Health Organizations caveat regarding sources with low-frequency noise components. 5. In their discussions of appropriate ordinance levels, the planning commission repeatedly emphasized their objective of avoiding health impacts for residents of Huron County. Yet none of the professional INCE acousticians advising Huron County, including K. Kaliski, warned that 45dBA was an inadequate standard, and that 40-45dBA can cause sleep disturbance. 6. So it is only to be expected that some residents of Huron County are experiencing problems. Competent INCE acousticians should have made this clear before endorsing 45dBA, since this leads to precisely the problems that some residents are encountering. Robert W. Gaffke Port Hope As U.S. leaders debate how to deal with Russia's latest arms treaty violation, a key lawmaker said he's open to exploring ways to hasten deployment of new nuclear weapons. Rep. William "Mac" Thornberry, a Republican from Texas and chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said he "would be willing to support" speeding up the fielding of the nuclear-capable long range standoff weapon, known as LRSO, or the B61-12 nuclear bomb on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Both programs both in various stages of development. "We see what the Russians are doing; they're not going to stand down out of the goodness of their heart, and so some sort of strong action is important," Thornberry told reporters late Wednesday on Capitol Hill. His comments came just hours after Air Force Gen. Paul Selva, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Thornberry and other lawmakers on the panel that Russia had deployed a land-based cruise missile and stands in violation of the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty. Selva said Moscow violated the "spirit and intent" of the pact -- which bans all land-based cruise missiles with a range between 500 and 5,500 kilometers (310 and 3,410 miles) -- by equipping two battalions with the cruise missile. One was placed at Russia's missile test site at Kapustin Yar and another at an unspecified location, The New York Times has reported. Echoing Selva at the briefing, Thornberry added, "You're not going to get rid of a Russian capability by not having a capability of your own." Asked whether the U.S. should withdraw from the treaty as it did in 2002 from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with the former USSR, Thornberry said, "I'll let lawyers consider a legal status of a treaty in which the Russians are in clear violation of." The congressman's comments about the B61 and LRSO cruise missile also come the same day as nine Senate Democrats said they want to cap funding on the LRSO program in an effort to slow its development, according to Defense News. The LRSO is intended to replace the air-launched cruise missile, ALCM, program, scheduled to end by 2030. Sen. Ed Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and eight senators introduced the bill, which would limit funding for a new nuclear-armed air-launched missile "at 2017 levels until the Trump administration submits a Nuclear Posture Review to Congress," according to a press release. During the hearing, Selva said it was premature to comment on the ongoing review, which was ordered in January as part of President Donald Trump's executive action to rebuild the nation's military. But the general hinted that should diplomatic talks with Russia fail, the Pentagon was already preparing options to deal with Russia's violations. "We've begun an investigation of a series of potential strategy changes, many of which will have to be incorporated in the nuclear posture review," Selva said. In contrast, the last NPR under then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that even though Russia continued "to modernize its still-formidable nuclear forces," the U.S. and Russia were "no longer adversaries, and prospects for military confrontation have declined dramatically." The U.S. has already signaled the possibility of moving faster to equip the F-35 with the latest B61 variant. The latter differs from the LRSO in that it falls like a bomb and isn't capable of cruise-missile flight. In January, Air Force Brig. Gen. Scott Pleus, who directs the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program's integration office, told Military.com the Mod gravity bomb set to be retrofitted on the Joint Strike Fighter sometime between 2020 and 2022 could happen sooner than planned. "It would definitely be possible," he said. -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214. 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... One month into the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, the U.S. military conducted the longest combat air assault in history, with roughly 4,000 soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division going deep into enemy territory at night in Mosul. Three years later, the division would carry out its last brigade-size air assault in combat during Operation Swarmer, also in Iraq. Today, many are questioning whether operations of that magnitude could be conducted after budget cuts have stripped the nation's premier air assault division of its helicopters. Fox News traveled to Kentucky's Fort Campbell, home to the Army's 101st Airborne Division, for exclusive interviews and to see first-hand how cuts have hurt military readiness. Officials described how the storied division is painfully overstretched. "We used to have two aviation brigades here, over 200 aircraft, and now we are down to just one aviation brigade and slightly over 100 aircraft," said Col. Craig Alia, commander of the division's combat aviation brigade and a veteran of three deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Asked if he could quickly deploy and conduct a brigade-sized air assault similar to the ones in Iraq, Alia admitted, "We could not. We don't have the crews to do it." When people think of the 101, the iconic photo of Gen. Dwight Eisenhower greeting the Screaming Eagles before they jumped into Normandy ahead of the D-Day landings, or the hit HBO series "Band of Brothers," might come to mind. The 101's military insignia is one of most recognized in the world. But the division recently lost support when the Army disbanded the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade -- which had deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan five times since 2002 -- a victim of congressionally mandated budget cuts known as sequestration, cutting the division's helicopters roughly in half. Alia said, Army-wide, the service is short 700 pilots, roughly the same deficit as the Air Force. Known on the radio by his call sign, "Destiny 6," Alia said the demands on their unit have not reduced, either. "So what you have is an inexperienced maintenance group that has to support a high tempo of flight hours, and it has a wear and tear on the force." Maj. Gen. Andrew Poppas, commanding general of the 101st Airborne, said, "When you reduce the amount of brigades that you have to deploy, yet the demand on those [brigades] goes up, you are going to have to deploy those more often. That induces stress." President Trump has pledged to rebuild military units like the 101 and recently announced a $54 billion increase in defense spending. Some lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including from his own party, say Trump's plans don't go far enough to repair the damage. Many officers in the division say the problems in the aviation brigade were compounded by President Barack Obama imposing strict limits on the number of U.S. forces who could deploy to Afghanistan. To meet the troop "caps," the Army was forced to leave helicopter mechanics at home, substituting civilian contractors to the tune of more than $100 million. As a result, 1,000 Screaming Eagle mechanics were forced to stay home on its last deployment to Afghanistan, losing nearly a year of training in the process. Other aviation units also were forced to leave their soldiers behind, such as the aviation brigade from the 1st Infantry Division based at Fort Riley in Kansas. "So this has a direct impact on Army readiness and it also costs us more money," the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John Nicholson, said in congressional testimony last month. He said there is currently a 2:1 ratio of contractors to soldiers in Afghanistan. Back at Fort Campbell, while Apache gunships deployed to combat, their aircraft maintainers were stuck at home. As a result, skills atrophied, leading to frustration and morale problems in the unit -- soldiers anxious to test themselves in a war zone, according to their leaders. "Our maintainers left back here did not have a fleet of aircraft to work on," said Lt. Col. Kenric Smith, the 101's aviation support commander. All told, the division's mechanics lost 18 months of experience, said Smith. Adding to the readiness challenge, some of the most experienced Apache mechanics left for other jobs in the Army, he added. Today, the division has an abundance of junior soldiers without the experience of fixing aircraft in a combat zone. Apache maintenance at Fort Campbell that used to take 30 days now takes "twice as long," said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Robert Hodgson, an Apache pilot in the division's "Expect No Mercy" task force who deployed to Afghanistan over a year ago, after two deployments to Iraq. The Apache is the Army's premier attack helicopter, capable of firing laser-guided Hellfire missiles, 2.75-inch unguided rockets, and a 30-mm. chain gun. "The crews we have here are becoming fatigued," said Hodgson. "[But] they will do whatever they can to accomplish the mission." As if things weren't challenging enough for 101's aviation brigade, Alia says he is about to lose critical experience in the cockpit. "So what I am looking at over the next six months is a 50,000-hour loss of flight experience," when veteran pilots leave and 53 new pilots show up out of flight school, he said. The lone bright spot he says is the net increase of two pilots over current levels in the coming months, albeit pilots without much experience. It's not only 101's aviation brigade showing signs of wear and tear. World War II-era buildings dot the 170,000-acre Army post where the maintenance is done in old sheds with extensive water damage and dry rot. "It really is held together with buckles and posts, but we continue to use it because it's the only facility we have," Col. Rob Salome, Fort Campbell's garrison commander, told Fox News. Not everyone agrees that the U.S. military is suffering from a readiness crisis. Robert Hale, a former DoD comptroller who served in the Obama administration, warned the military is exaggerating the readiness problem. "This is a time when the services, if you will, want to put their worst foot forward and make clear all the problems that are there," Hale said in Washington last month. "So, I think we need to be a little skeptical." Not so, says another former comptroller from the George W. Bush administration, Tina Jonas. "I have no reasons to doubt their concerns," she said of the services. The Army's second-highest-ranking officer raised alarm when he testified on Capitol Hill last month and said only three of the Army's 58 brigade combat teams could immediately deploy due to budget cuts. "When we say fight tonight, that means that unit needs no additional people, no additional training, and no additional equipment. And three is where we're at today," said Gen. Daniel Allyn, the Army's vice chief of staff. Less than two years ago, the Army announced it was cutting 40,000 soldiers. Since the election, it now says it wants 30,000 more. Trump wants to spend $603 billion on defense, 3 percent higher than Obama's defense budget. The chairmen of the Senate and House Armed Services committees have called for spending $640 billion to address readiness problems across the services. "While we cannot repair all of the damage done in a single year, we can and should do more than this level of funding will allow," House Armed Services Chairman Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, said in a statement. Jennifer Griffin currently serves as a national security correspondent for FOX News Channel . She joined FNC in October 1999 as a Jerusalem-based correspondent. You can follow her on Twitter at @JenGriffinFNC. Lucas Tomlinson is the Pentagon and State Department producer for Fox News Channel. You can follow him on Twitter: @LucasFoxNews Depending on your PT test, the order of swimming may best be determined by where it is in the order of events of that test. AGCO Corporation AGCO declared that it has been awarded a multi-year, statewide contract by the State of Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget. Through the deal, all eligible agencies will be able to buy AGCOs Massey Ferguson tractors and implements through a pre-negotiated contract, effective immediately. This contract will expand AGCOs products and services offerings. On the other hand, the agreement provides the state agencies of Michigan competitive pricing on the entire portfolio of AGCOs Massey Ferguson tractors and implements, sold, serviced and supported by Massey Ferguson dealers within Michigan. Moreover, state agencies, local government entities, private non-profit institutions of higher education, and other authorized political subdivisions can purchase equipment such as tractors, mowers, box blades and other attachments, using Term Schedule Contract 071B7700094 now, through Jan 12, 2021. AGCO Corporation Price AGCO Corporation Price | AGCO Corporation Quote AGCO remains focused on cost and expense reduction. In addition, the company will continue to make long-term investment to raise efficiency of factories, improve service levels and strengthen product offering. However, AGCO underperformed the Zacks categorized Machinery Farm industry over the past one year, mainly owing to soft industry demand for farm equipment. The companys shares gained around 16.4% during this period, compared with roughly 31.2% gain recorded by the industry. AGCO currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Key Picks Better-ranked stocks in the same space include Deere & Company DE, Casella Waste Systems, Inc. CWST and ACCO Brands Corporation ACCO. All the three stocks sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Deere has a positive average earnings surprise of 60.50% for the last four quarters. Casella Waste generated a remarkable positive average earnings surprise of 165.21% over the trailing four quarters. ACCO Brands has delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 24.74% in the past four quarters. 8 Stocks with Huge Profit Potential Just released: Driverless Cars: Your Roadmap to Mega-Profits Today. In this latest Special Report, Zacks Aggressive Growth Strategist Brian Bolan explores a full-blown technological breakthrough in the making autonomous cars. He also spotlights 8 stocks with tremendous gain potential to feed off this phenomenon. Click to see the stocks right now >> 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 Deere & Company (DE): Free Stock Analysis Report AGCO Corporation (AGCO): Free Stock Analysis Report Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (CWST): Free Stock Analysis Report Acco Brands Corporation (ACCO): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Military courts issue being made controversial: Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri PAT Chairman Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri has said that the federal government has made the matter of extension in the tenure of the military courts controversial. He said that those who are throwing spanners in the works of the military courts should tell the nation as to what alternate arrangements they have put in place to punish the terrorists. He said that urgent decisions need to be made in order to rid the country of menace of terrorism. He said that a system that failed to dispense justice to families of martyrs of Model Town despite passage of 28 months, how will it provide justice to the hundreds of thousands of families affected by terrorism? He said that the rulers should take steps to safeguard the interests of 180 million people without letting any expediency creep in. Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri expressed these views while talking to senior PAT leaders through telephone yesterday. He said that whether it is Justice Baqir Najfi report, or news leak, or report of Justice Qazi Faez Isa or Panama leaks case, the role of the government appears to be suspect in every case. He said that those who mask truth in the garb of lie and have no remorse in murdering justice do not have any right to occupy top public offices. He said that the Prime Minister divided the responsibility of the Panama on his late father and children. He said that dragging the late father in the Panama controversy is not right and denial of his favors. Dr Qadri said that an effort was made to hoodwink the SC through the Qatari letter. He said that Nawaz Sharifs speech in the Parliament that he made to explain his asset is enough to send him to jail. He said that the rulers have no qualm of conscience while telling lies before the nation and elected constitutional forum. He said that the Planning Minister made a dishonest statement in the Parliament with complete planning yesterday. He told the Senate that Rs. 4800 billion were spent to achieve Millennium Development Goals in last five years, which is a complete lie. The PAT Chairman said that it is strange that Rs. 1000 billion were allegedly spent annually for provision of health, education, sanitation, clean drinking water, social welfare and population planning but the people have remained unaware of this bounty being spent on them. He said that after expenditure of Rs. 1000 billion, every city of Pakistan should become New York, London and Paris in terms of facilities. He said that according to the ground realities, Pakistan is among the countries that showed poor performance with regard to achieving MDGs. He said that the country was required to achieve 100% literacy rate by 2015 under the MDG but the reality is before everyone to see. * U.S. PPG makes 21 bln euro bid for Akzo Nobel * Akzo Nobel rejects unsolicited offer * Dutch group says to spin off specialty chemicals * Days before Dutch election, foreign takeovers in focus * Shares rise 14 pct to near record levels (Adds estimate on value of chemicals division, details on advisers, political reaction) By Toby Sterling AMSTERDAM, March 9 (Reuters) - Dutch paints and coatings maker Akzo Nobel NV rejected a 21 billion euro ($22 billion) bid from larger U.S. rival PPG Industries Inc on Thursday, saying instead it wanted to "unlock value" by spinning off its chemicals business. PPG's unsolicited offer comes just days before an election where the vulnerability of the biggest Dutch companies to foreign takeover has been an issue. Underlining such concerns, the country's Economic Affairs Minister Henk Kamp said the proposed deal was "not in the interest of the Netherlands." Akzo Chief Executive Ton Buechner said the maker of Dulux paint was best placed to create value itself and was looking at floating or selling its specialty chemicals arm, which accounts for roughly a third of sales and earnings, with a 2016 operating profit of 629 million euros on sales of 4.8 billion euros. The cash and share offer from PPG was "unsolicited, non-binding and conditional" and worth around 83 euros per share, Akzo said. The bid represented a 29 percent premium to Akzo's closing price of 64.42 euros on Wednesday and its shares almost 15 percent to 73.95 euros on Thursday, nearing all-time highs. Pittsburgh-based PPG confirmed its approach on Thursday, saying its proposal was "attractive and comprehensive." "We believe a combination is a very compelling strategic opportunity," said CEO Michael McGarry in a statement, adding he believed it was in the interest of shareholders, employees and customers as well. "PPG...has devoted has devoted significant time and resources to analyzing a potential combination of PPG and AkzoNobel and is confident in its ability to execute and complete the proposed transaction," it said. Story continues But Buechner said Akzo's management and supervisory boards had concluded that the PPG proposal failed "to reflect the long-term value creation potential of the company". PPG's offer was also risky because cost savings were uncertain, it would lead to a highly leveraged company, and it stood a good chance of being blocked by regulators, he added. However, analysts said there could be merit in a deal. "In our view, Akzo Nobel could in large parts be a good fit for PPG in a fragmented global coatings market," said Kepler Cheuvreux analyst Christian Faitz in a note. Faitz said the pair were the two biggest players, with PPG holding 12 percent of the market and Akzo another 9 percent. "One significant overlap would be in automotive refinish, while all other segments except for decorative paints in Europe would be a good complementary fit," he said. In the United States, paintmaker Sherwin Williams is in the process of buying Valspar in a deal worth $11.3 billion. DUTCH TAKEOVER DEFENCES Analyst Jauke de Jong of AFS Group in Amsterdam said he thought regulators would oppose the deal on antitrust grounds and he doubted PPG could overcome Akzo opposition. "AkzoNobel has sufficient takeover defences to block a hostile takeover," he said. Like many Dutch companies, Akzo Nobel has strong defences in place against a hostile takeover. Under a 1928 provision, members of its supervisory board hold "priority shares" granting them the right to make binding nominations to the management board or amend the company's articles of association. Buechner said Akzo had intended to announce plans to sell or float the specialty chemicals division later this year, but had brought forward the announcement after PPG's offer. ING Bank analyst Stijn Demeester said the division could be sold for around 9 times 2016 EBITDA of 953 million euros, or around 8.6 billion euros. "The reason to do that would be that it would lead to a re-rating of the rest of Akzo's businesses" which trade at a discount to peers, he said. People close to the matter said that Akzo would likely market the asset to peers such as BASF, Sabic, Celanese and Eastman as well as private equity groups. If Akzo does spin off the division, it will be the latest in a series of European companies to attempt to unlock greater shareholder value by doing so. In a such event, the unit would likely fetch a lower valuation, possibly around 8 times its core earnings, one of the people said. Akzo's specialty chemicals business makes ingredients used in industrial processes and products, including polymers, salt and chloralkalines used for making everything from foodstuffs to household products, paper, vehicles and constructing buildings. Akzo, which has net debt of 1.25 billion euros, fell short of analyst earnings estimates in the last three months of 2016, as its marine and energy sectors weighed. Restructuring costs also pressured results. In January PPG reported adjusted full year operating income of $1.55 billion. It has net debt of $3.8 billion and a market capitalisation of $27 billion. Akzo is being advised by Lazard and HSBC. PPG is being advised by Goldman Sachs. ($1 = 0.9471 euros) (Additional reporting by Thomas Escritt, Arno Schuetze, Thyagaraju Adinarayan and Danilo Masoni; Editing by Alexander Smith and Keith Weir) Employee Assistance Program Whatever the problem, we want to help. About the benefit An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a free, confidential service to help you and your immediate family members with a wide range of problems. Its available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. EAPs can help you by providing information, support and referral services to assist you with life concerns. The assistance may be provided by phone, online and/or face to face counseling. We are pleased to offer employees two options to access services: EAP is administered by: Mercy EAP and UNUM Altona Mining Ltd.: Project Cloncurry: Ressourcen-Upgrade Bedford Altona Mining Ltd.: Project Cloncurry: Ressourcen-Upgrade Bedford Die Mineralressource der Lagerstatte Bedford erhohte sich auf 4,8 Mio. Tonnen mit 0,80% Kupfer und 0,21 g/t Gold. Zunahme des enthaltenen Kupfermetalls um 124% und des enthaltenen Goldes um 191%. Die gesamte Mineralressource des Projekts Cloncurry betragt jetzt 1,67 Mio. Tonnen enthaltenes Kupfer und 0,4 Mio. Unzen enthaltenes Gold. Altona Mining Limited (Altona oder das Unternehmen http://www.commodity-tv.net/c/mid,5428,Company_Updates/?v=297328) gibt eine neue Mineralressourcenschatzung fur die Lagerstatte Bedford bekannt. Die Lagerstatte befindet sich auf dem sich vollstandig in Unternehmensbesitz befindlichen Kupferprojekt Cloncurry in der Nahe des Mt Isa in Quensland. Bedford liegt 6km sudostlich der geplanten Tagebaumine und Aufbereitungsanlage Little Eva und befindet sich auf bewilligten Bergbaupachtgebieten. Die neue Ressourcenschatzung umfasst: 4,8 Mio. Tonnen mit 0,80% Kupfer und 0,21 g/t Gold fur 38.000 Tonnen enthaltenes Kupfer und 32.000 Unzen enthaltenes Gold. Die Ressource wird zu einem unteren Cut-Off-Gehalt von 0,3% angegeben und ist als angezeigt und geschlussfolgert klassifiziert. Eine vollstandige Aufstellung finden Sie in Tabelle 1 und 2. Eine detaillierte Zusammenfassung der Hilfsdaten und Methodik wird in Anhang 1, der Tabelle 1 der 2012 Edition of the JORC Code gegeben. Die gesamte Mineralressource des Projekts Cloncurry betragt jetzt: 290 Mio. Tonnen mit 0,58% Kupfer, 0,05 g/t Gold fur 1,67 Mio. Tonnen enthaltenes Kupfer und 0,4 Mio. Unzen enthaltenes Gold (Appendix 2). Die neue Mineralressourcenschatzung fur Bradford basiert auf einem neuen geologischen Modell, das durch detaillierte Oberflachengeochemie und geologische Kartierungen gestutzt wird. Das neue Modell wurde ebenfalls von zwei zusatzlichen Kernbohrungen gestutzt, die fur metallurgische Proben und geotechnische Studien niedergebracht wurden. Fur die Mineralressource wird nur sulfidisches Erz angegeben, das sich von 20m bis 140m unter die Oberflache erstreckt. Eine Oxidationszone, die sich von der Oberflache bis in Tiefen von 20m bis 30m erstreckt, wurde in die Ressourcenschatzung nicht eingeschlossen. Die Zunahme gegenuber der Schatzung aus dem Jahr 2012 ist in erster Linie das Ergebnis des besseren Verstandnisses der Kontinuitat und der Geometrie. Basierend auf Kartierungen der ubertagigen Abbaustatten und einer hoher auflosenden Beprobung des Kupfers im Boden konnten die vererzten Strukturen besser abgegrenzt werden. Eine Zunahme der Tonnage resultiert aus neuen Dichtedaten, die aus Bohrkernen gewonnen wurden im Gegensatz zu fruheren konservativen Schatzungen. Die Lagerstatte Bedford ist Teil der Minenentwicklung Little Eva und der Produktionsbeginn ist im Jahr 2 des Minenplans vorgesehen. Das neue Modell deutet das Potenzial zur Erweiterung der Erzvorrate Bedford an. Optimierungen der Tagebaugrube sind als Teil der Projektoptimierung geplant. Geologie Die Lagerstatte Bedford ist ein Eisen-Oxid-Kupfer-Gold (IOCG) -Vererzungssystem, das fur den Bezirk Cloncurry typisch ist. Die benachbarte Lagerstatte Little Eva ist eine typischere IOCG-Lagerstatte mit Ahnlichkeiten zur groen Lagerstatte Ernest Henry 70km sudostlich. Die Lagerstatte ist in einer steil nach Westen einfallenden Scherzone beherbergt, die nach Norden bis Nordnordost streicht. Die Scherzone ist zwischen 50 und 120m machtig. Darin kommen gestaffelte und uberlappende vererzte Strukturen vor. Am besten ist die Vererzung uber eine Streichlange von 2,5km in zwei getrennten Zonen entwickelt, Bedford North und Bedford South. Individuell vererzte Strukturen in Verbindung mit Erzgehalten (>0,3% Kupfer) besitzen wahre Machtigkeiten zwischen 5 und 12m. Die Stratigrafie der Wirtsgesteine umfasst ein Nord- bis Nordnordoststreichen, maig bis steil nach Westen einfallende geschichtete Abfolge von Amphibolit- und Biotitschiefer. In diese Gesteinsabfolge drangen konkordant Granit und pegmatitahnliche Intrusions-/Lagergange ein. Die vererzten Strukturen in Bedford South sind zum groten Teil schichtungsparallel. Laut Interpretation streichen die vererzten Strukturen in Bedford North von Nord nach Sud und kreuzen die nach Norden bis Nordost streichende Stratigrafie. Sekundare nach Nord bis Nordost streichende Zwischenstrukturen werden entlang der Schichtung/Schieferung gefunden. Magnetit-Biotit-Alterationsparagenesen mit Quarzgangen kommen konzentriert in den vererzten Strukturen mit einer starken Feldspat-Hamatit-Alteration im Liegenden vor. Das dominante Erzmineral ist grobkorniger Kupferkies (mit untergeordnet Magnetit, Pyrit, Magnetkies und Gold), der innerhalb von Quarzgangen, Brekzienfullungen und eingesprengt im Wirtsgestein vorkommt. Die Lagerstatte ist an der Oberflache nicht aufgeschlossen. Eine unregelmaige 20 bis 30m machtige Verwitterungszone mit sekundarer Kupferoxidvererzung bedeckt die Lagerstatte. Ressourcendefinition und Modellierung Die Bohrungen werden zum groten Teil in Abstanden von ungefahr 25m im Streichen und 25m in Fallrichtung uber den Hauptzonen niedergebracht. Die Abstande zwischen den Bohrlinien nehmen im Streichen von den Hauptzonen auf 100m zu. Die Bohrungen umfassen 99 RC- und 2 Kernbohrungen mit einer Gesamtlange von 10.139m. Alle Bohrungen wurden von West nach Ost niedergebracht, um die ungefahren wahren Machtigkeiten der Vererzung zu durchteufen. Die RC-Bohrungen wurden mittels eines Face Sampling Bohrhammers durchgefuhrt. Eine kleine Anzahl von RAB-Bohrungen (13) wurde verwendet, wo keine anderen Daten zur Verfugung standen und die aus RAB-Daten abgeleiteten Ressourcen werden als geschlussfolgert klassifiziert. Die Proben wurden routinemaig in 1m-Abstanden fur das Protokollieren und Analyse gesammelt. Alle Proben wurden zur Multielement-ICPAES und/oder AAS-Analyse an angesehene Labors geschickt. Qualitatssicherungs-/Qualitatskontrollproben wurden routinemaig zugegeben und uberwacht. Die Qualitatsuberwachung gewahrleistete, dass die Genauigkeit und Prazision dieser Analyse akzeptabel ist. Geologische 3D-Modelle, die aus den Daten der ubertagigen Kartierungen, detaillierten Oberflachengeochemie und den Bohrungen erstellt wurden, wurden zum Beleg der Ressourcenschatzung verwendet. Die Ressourcenschatzung wurde mittels Blockmodellmethodologien im Einklang mit geplanten semiselektiven Bergbauparametern durchgefuhrt. Kupfer- und Goldgehalte wurden mittels herkommlichen Kriging im Blockmastab geschatzt. Eine Nachbereitung der Daten durch gleichmaiges Konditionieren wurde angewandt, um Blockgehalte mit einem selektiven Bergbaumastab zu schatzen. In situ Dichtewerte basieren auf physikalischen Messungen, die an Bohrkernen durchgefuhrt wurden, und auf Vergleichsdaten aus den benachbarten Lagerstatten. Fur Fragen wenden Sie sich bitte an: Alistair Cowden Managing Director Altona Mining Limited Tel: +61 8 9485 2929 altona@altonamining.com David Tasker Professional Public Relations Perth Tel: +61 8 9388 0944 David.Tasker@ppr.com.au Jochen Staiger Swiss Resource Capital AG Tel: +41 71 354 8501 js@resource-capital.ch Uber Altona Altona Mining Limited ist ein an der ASX notiertes Unternehmen, das sich auf das Projekt Cloncurry in Queensland, Australien, konzentriert. Das Projekt beherbergt Mineralressourcen, die ungefahr 1,65 Mio. Tonnen Kupfer und 0,41 Mio. Unzen Gold enthalten. Es ist vorgesehen, eine Kupfer-Gold-Tagebaumine und Aufbereitungsanlage mit einer Kapazitat von 7 Mio. Tonnen pro Jahr zu entwickeln. Die Entwicklung ist genehmigt mit einer geplanten Jahresproduktion1 von 38.800 t Kupfer und 17.200 Unzen Gold uber mindestens 13 Jahre. Eine endgultige Machbarkeitsstudie wurde im Marz 2014 veroffentlicht. Altona hat eine Rahmenvereinbarung mit Sichuan Railway Investment Group zur vollstandigen Finanzierung und Entwicklung des Projekts durch deren Tochtergesellschaft in Hongkong, China Sichuan International Investment Limited, geschlossen. Der Abschluss der Transaktion ist vor dem 31. Juli 2017 geplant. 1Bitte beziehen Sie sich auf die ASX-Pressemitteilung Cost Review Delivers Major Upgrade to Little Eva vom 13. Marz 2014, die die Information bezuglich dieses Produktionsziels und die prognostizierte Finanzinformation, die auf diesem Produktionsziel basiert, zusammenfasst. Das Unternehmen bestatigt, dass alle wesentlichen Annahmen, die das Produktionsziel unterstutzen und die auf diesem Produktionsziel basierenden Finanzprognosen, die in der oben genannten Pressemitteilung erwahnt werden, weiterhin gultig sind und sich nicht wesentlich geandert haben. Aussage der kompetenten Person Die Informationen in diesem Beicht, die sich auf Explorationsziele, Explorationsergebnisse, Mineralressourcen oder Erzvorrate beziehen, basieren auf einem Bericht von Herrn Frank Browning, MSci (Hons), MSc, GAIG. Herr Browning ist ein Vollzeit-Mitarbeiter des Unternehmens und verfugt uber funf Jahre der entsprechenden Erfahrung. Er ist aber kein Vollmitglied der AIG. Der Bericht wurde von Herrn Roland Bartsch, BSc (Hons), MSc, MAusIMM betreut und gepruft und diese Pressemitteilung beruht auf von Herrn Bartsch zusammengestellten Informationen. Herr Bartsch ist ein Vollzeit-Mitarbeiter des Unternehmens und verfugt uber ausreichendes Wissen und Erfahrung uber diesen hier vorliegenden Vererzungs- und Lagerstattentyp. Seine Tatigkeiten qualifizieren ihn als kompetente Person gema den Regeln des 2012 Edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves. Herr Bartsch stimmt den hier eingefugten Informationen, die auf seinen Informationen basieren, in Form und Kontext je nach Erscheinen zu. Die Ausgangssprache (in der Regel Englisch), in der der Originaltext veroffentlicht wird, ist die offizielle, autorisierte und rechtsgultige Version. Diese Ubersetzung wird zur besseren Verstandigung mitgeliefert. Die deutschsprachige Fassung kann gekurzt oder zusammengefasst sein. Es wird keine Verantwortung oder Haftung: fur den Inhalt, fur die Richtigkeit, der Angemessenheit oder der Genauigkeit dieser Ubersetzung ubernommen. Aus Sicht des Ubersetzers stellt die Meldung keine Kauf- oder Verkaufsempfehlung dar! Bitte beachten Sie die englische Originalmeldung auf www.sedar.com , www.sec.gov , www.asx.com.au/ oder auf der Firmenwebsite! Tabelle 1: Bedford Mineralressource bei 0.3% Kupfer Cut-off Tonnen Kupfer (%Gold EnthalteneEnthaltene (Mio.) ) (g/t) s s Kupfer Gold (Tonnen) (Unzen) erkunde- t angezei2.3 0.95 0.23 22,000 17,000 gt geschlu2.5 0.66 0.19 16,000 15,000 ssfolge rt Total 4.8 0.80 0.21 38,000 32,000 Anmerkung: Gesamtsummen konnten aufgrund Rundens abweichen. Tabelle 2: Bedford Mineralressource bei verschiedenen Cut-off-Gehalten Cut-off GTonnen Kupfer EnthaltenGold Enthalten ehalt (Mio.) (%) es (g/t) es Kupfer Gold (% Cu) (Tonnen) (Unzen) 0 29.2 0.19 56 0. 51 ,000 06 ,000 0.15 7.1 0.61 43,000 0.17 39,000 0.2 5.9 0.70 41,000 0.19 36,000 0.3R 4.8 0.80 38,000 0.21 32,000 0.4 4.1 0.88 36,000 0.22 29,000 0.5 3.4 0.97 33,000 0.24 26,000 R Fur Mineralressource angegebener Cut-Off-Gehalt. Tabelle 3: Vergleich der Bedford Mineralressourcesdchaetzungen ueber Cut-off-Gehalt von 0.3% Kupfer Tonnen Kupfer (%Gold EnthaltenEnthalten (Mio.) ) (g/t) es es Kupfer Gold (Tonnen) (Unzen) 2017 Schat4.8 0.80 0.21 38,000 32,000 zung 2012 Schat1.7 0.99 0.20 17,000 11,000 zung % Anderung182% -19% 5% 124% 191% http://www.irw-press.at/prcom/images/messages/2017/39181/Altona_DE_NEU.001.jpeg Figure 1: Cloncurry Project location map http://www.irw-press.at/prcom/images/messages/2017/39181/Altona_DE_NEU.002.jpeg Figure 2: Little Eva Project layout including Bedford http://www.irw-press.at/prcom/images/messages/2017/39181/Altona_DE_NEU.003.png Figure 3: Bedford North block model cross section N7767750. Block colour represents ordinary kriging derived copper grade. Estimation domains and surface datasets utilised in modelling are also labelled http://www.irw-press.at/prcom/images/messages/2017/39181/Altona_DE_NEU.004.png Figure 4: Bedford South block model cross section N7766425. Block colour represents ordinary kriging derived copper grade. Estimation domains and surface datasets utilised in modelling are also labelled http://www.irw-press.at/prcom/images/messages/2017/39181/Altona_DE_NEU.005.png Figure 5: Oblique three dimensional view (looking northeast) of the classified resource model excluding oxide (Unclassified) and low grade envelope domains (Inferred) APPENDIX 1: TABLE 1 OF THE 2012 EDITION OF THE JORC CODE The table below is a description of the assessment and reporting criteria used in reporting the Exploration Results that reflects those presented in Table 1 of The Australasian Code for the Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves. Section 1: Sampling Techniques and Data Criteria Commentary Sampling The drilling dataset incorporates 24 Rotary techniqu Air Blast (RAB), 99 Reverse Circulation (RC) es and 2 diamond drill holes for a total of 11,061m. RAB accounts for 8% of drilled metres and was only utilised in the absence of RC or DD sampling (13 holes w ithin resource area ), where the tenor and thickness of mineralisation is consistent with results from adjacent drill sections and overlying Cu-in-soil geochemistry. All mineralisation delineated by RAB drilling is classified as Inferred Resources. 84% of samples were collected at 1m intervals. The remainder were collected at 2m intervals, with a small quantity of partial metre sample lengths (<1%). Approximately 2-3kg sample weights were obtained from each interval for geochemical analysis. 2 RC drillholes were completed by CRAE in 1990 (1.6% of drilling dataset). All remaining drilling was conducted by Altona Mining (or precursor company Universal Resources) between 2003 and 2015. CRAE RC and Universal RAB sampling procedures are not available. Altona RC samples were collected directly using a trailer mounted cyclone and cone (35%) or triple deck riffle splitter (65%). A small number of wet intervals were sub-sampled with a scoop (<1%). Altona diamond core sampling was guided by geology, with quarter or half core submitted for analysis. All samples were collected into pre-numbered calico bags, packed by Altona staff into polyweave or bulka bags and shipped by truck to laboratories in Townsville. Drilling RAB drilling specifications are not available. techniqu RC holes were drilled using 5.375, 5.5, or es 6 face sampling hammers. HQ3 and NQ3 core sizes were used in diamond drilling. Holes were drilled at a dip angle of ~-60o to intersect mineralisation at optimal true width angles. Drill Core recovery was measured and RC sample sample recovery visually estimated. recovery Recoveries are considered to be excellent averaging > 90%, and typically 100%. Lower recoveries were occasionally observed in the hole collars (top few metres). The majority of samples were dry. Every individual RC sample was collected into the cyclone prior to cone splitting. RC sample bias due to preferential loss/gain of fine/coarse material is considered well within acceptable limits. Best practice methods were used for diamond coring to ensure the return of high quality core samples. Logging All Altona drill holes were logged by geologists at the rig using Altona standard logging procedures. Altona logging was qualitative and quantitative including, colour, lithology, mineralisation, alteration, sulphide and oxide mineralogy, sulphide and oxide amount, texture, grain size and structure. Representative drill core and RC chips have been retained. Sub-sampl CRAE RC and Universal RAB sampling procedures ing are not techniqu available es and . sample Altona RC samples were split at an 87.5% : preparat 12.5% ratio using cyclone and cone or riffle ion splitter to obtain a ~2-3kg sub-sample for analysis. Occasional wet intervals were sub-sampled using a scoop. Diamond core intervals were halved or quartered to produce sub-samples. Samples were sent to ALS or SGS Analabs Laboratories in Townsville for sample preparation and analysis. Both are independent commercial certified laboratories that use industry standard preparation including drying, crushing and pulverisation. Typical sub-sample sizes are considered representative for typical copper mineralisation in the Cloncurry Project area. Quality The majority of samples (98%) were analysed of at SGS Analabs in assay Townsville data as outlined below. and Copper was analysed using a mixed acid laborato digestion (hydrochloric, ry tests perchloric, hydrofluoric) followed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICPAES) with a re- assay of ore grade (>1% Cu) samples by AAS . From 2003 to 2006 Gold was analysed using a 50g fusion followed by aqua regia digestion of the Au/Ag prill with a AAS determination. In 2009 Gold was analysed by fire assay with AAS finish. Quality Control comprised standards (certified reference materials for gold, copper and blanks) inserted into the sampling sequence at a ~1:20 ratio, to test the accuracy of laboratory analysis for each sample batch. Field duplicates were also collected at a ~1 : 20 ratio to control sampling precision, involving the riffle splitting of bulk RC samples or splitting of diamond core sub-samples. Duplicate data display acceptable accuracy and precision. Results for standard reference materials do not exhibit positive bias beyond Altonas two standard deviation benchmark. Field duplicate 2nd split were submitted to an u mpire laboratory on a 1:20 basis and compared well . No geophysical tools were used to determine the results reported here. Verificat Results were checked by several Altona ion of personnel. sampling and No twinned holes. assaying Field logging data was primarily collected using a laptop and uploaded into the company Datashed database and validated by company database personnel. All assay files were received in digital format from SGS Analabs Laboratory. Data was uploaded into the Altona Datashed database and validated by company database personnel. No manual data inserts took place. No adjustments have been applied to the results. Location CRAE collar locations were measured using a of data hand-held points GPS. Altona RC and diamond collar locations have been surveyed by licensed surveyors using a DGPS with approximately 0.1m or better horizontal accuracy. Elevation accuracy is considered to be less than 0.5m. RAB holes have reported accuracies from 0.005 to 3m. 25% of Altona RC and diamond drill holes have been down-hole surveyed with professional gyro systems, 6 9% have down-hole camera surveys and the remaining 6% have collar orientations only. The Grid is GDA94 MGA Zone 54. Data Drilling has typically been completed at 25m spacing intervals along 25m spaced east-west sections. and Section line spacing increases to 50-100m distribu outside the main mineralised tion zones. The majority of samples were collected at 1m downhole intervals. Other sample lengths do not exceed 2m. Orientati Mineralisation in Bedford South strikes on of NNE-SSW, changing to a N-S orientation in data in Bedford North. Both zones exhibit steep relation westerly to dips. geologic al Drilling was completed to the east at -60 structur degree dip, such that with changing e mineralisation dip, true widths are estimated to vary from 80-100% of down hole intercepts. No bias is considered to result from drilling direction. Sample Samples from RC and diamond drilling were security collected and bagged into pre-numbered calico bags at the drill site during the drilling operation. Unique sample numbers were retained during the whole process. Samples were collected and delivered to SGS Analabs as they were collected. Samples were stored in Altona facilities in Cloncurry prior to transport to Townsville. All samples were then catalogued and sealed prior to dispatch to laboratory by Altona staff. Audits QA/QC samples were routinely monitored by the or database manager and geologist on a batch and reviews campaign basis. The accuracy of key elements such Cu and Au, was acceptable and the field duplicate assay data was unbiased and shows an acceptable level of precision. No external audits or reviews have been undertaken. Section 2: Reporting of Exploration Results Criteria Commentary Mineral Bedford is within Mining Lease 90164; 100% tenement owned by Altona and Mining. land tenure No joint ventures apply. status There are agreements in place with the native title holders, the Kalkadoon people and with landholders. No significant historic sites or national parks are located within the reported exploration site. The Mining Lease was granted in late 2012 and is in good standing. Explorati CRAE completed mapping (Bedford South) and on done ground magnetics, followed by 5 reconnaissance by RC drill holes in other 1990. parties Universal Resources completed RAB (43 holes), followed by RC (97 holes) and diamond drilling (3 holes) from 2003 to 2009. Altona Mining completed an additional diamond drill hole in 2015, as well as assaying a previously unsampled geotechnical diamond hole. In 2015 Altona also completed detailed mapping and high resolution soil sampling over Bedford North on a 20 x 10m spacing. Geology Bedford deposit is interpreted to be part of the broader Iron-Oxide-Copper Gold (IOCG) style mineral system common to the Cloncurry district. Bedford host lithology is characterised by a north to north northeast striking, steep west dipping interlayered sequence of amphibolite and biotite schist, underlain by psammite and intruded concordantly by planar granite and pegmatite intrusions. Alteration appears to be zoned, with magnetite-biotite alteration and quartz veining concentrated in ore zones, above a strongly feldspar-hematite altered foot wall. Sulphide mineralisation is associated with a steep west dipping shear zone and comprises chalcopyrite and pyrite in planar bodies that can be parallel or slightly oblique to bedding. Copper oxide species occur above top of fresh rock, in a ~20 to 30m zone of variably weathered bedrock. Ore formation is interpreted to be structurally controlled, with brittle fracturing facilitating hydrothermal fluid flow and accommodation of metal sulphide precipitation. Structural development at interfaces between rocks of contrasting competency is evident . Moderate to shallow northerly plunging ore shoots are interpreted to be the result of the low angle in tersection of transgressive mineralised structur es and more competent stratigraphy. Drill Exploration results are not being reported hole for the Mineral Resource area. Drill hole Informat information is provided in the Mineral ion Resource estimation section. Data Exploration results are not being reported aggregat for the Mineral Resource ion area. methods Relations Exploration results are not being reported hip for the Mineral Resource between area. minerali sation Drilling azimuths are considered to be widths approximately perpendicular to the strike and and dip of the mineralisation resulting in intercep unbiased true t widths. lengths Diagrams Refer to the Figures 1 to 5. Balanced Exploration results are not being reported reportin for the Mineral Resource g area. Other Exploration results are not being reported substant for the Mineral Resource ive area. explorat ion data Further Additional work in the future will consist of work diamond core drilling for metallurgical and/or geotechnical testwork sampling, as well as infill and exploration step-out RC drilling for resource definition purposes. Section 3: Estimation and Reporting of Mineral Resources Criteria Commentary Database Data used for estimation is stored within a integrit SQL Server database and is managed using y DataShed software. The structure of the drilling and sampling data is based on the Maxwell Data Model. Drill data is logged directly into digital logging systems and uploaded to the database by the database administrator (Altona standard procedures since 2005). Laboratory data has been received in digital format and uploaded directly to the database. (Altona standard procedures since 2002). In both cases the data was validated on entry to the database, by a variety of means, including the enforcement of coding standards, constraints and triggers. These are features built into the data model that ensure that the data meets essential standards of validity and consistency. Original data sheets and files have been retained and are used to validate the contents of the database against the original logging. Validation of existing collar, downhole survey and assay data was completed. Validation steps included: Drillhole collar locations were compared to the topographic surface. Downhole deviations of all drillhole traces were examined and problematic surveys were excluded. All data (e.g. assay, bulk density, RQDs, core recovery) was checked for incorrect values by deriving minimum and maximum values. Lithology data was checked to ensure standard rock type codes were used. Meta-data fields were checked to ensure they were populated and that the data recorded was consistent. Site Numerous site visits have been undertaken by visits Mr Bartsch and Mr Browning. Geologica Confidence in the geological interpretation l of the deposit is moderate to high. Good local interpre constraints exist on the spatial extent and tation geometry of separate lithological and structural components through the integrated analysis of surface mapping, surface geochemistry, surface geophysics, drill hole logging, downhole geochemistry, magnetic susceptibility and radiometrics. Drilling and high resolution soil samp ling (10mE by 25mN) provide good deposit scale constraints on the geometry and continuity of mineralisation. Bedford deposit is interpreted to be part of the broader Iron-Oxide-Copper Gold (IOCG) style mineral system common to the Cloncurry district. Mineralisation occurs at surface, is exposed in sub-crop, and is confirmed through drilling in the main zones down dip to ~140m vertical depth below surface. The deposit is hosted within a steep west dipping shear zone striking north to north northeast. The shear zone varies from 50 to 120m wide with internal arrays of mineralised structures. Mineralisation has been defined in two separate zones, Bedford North and Bedford South, the shear zone is however through going. The overall deposit extends over a strike length of 2.5km; the northern zone 1.15km and southern zone 850m long. Within the shear zone individual mineralised structures associated with ore grade mineralisation (>0.3% copper) are planar and have true widths ranging from 5 to 12m. Host stratigraphy comprises a north to north northeast striking, moderate to steep west dipping interlayered sequence of amphibolite and biotite schist, underlain by psammite and intruded concordantly by narrow planar granite and pegmatoidal dykes/sills. In Bedford South mineralised structures are interpreted to be bedding/foliation parallel. In Bedford North the main mineralised structures are interpreted to trend north-south stepping across north northeast striking stratigraphy, with the development of a set of secondary north northeast linking structures along bedding/foliation. Moderate to shallow northerly plunging ore shoots are interpreted to be the result of the low angle intersection of transgressive mineralised structures and more competent stratigraphy. Magnetite-biotite alteration and quartz veining are concentrated in the ore zones, above a strongly feldspar-hematite altered foot wall. The dominant ore mineral is coarse grained chalcopyrite (with minor magnetite, pyrite, pyrrhotite and gold) which occurs within quartz veins, breccia fill and disseminations within the host shear zone. An irregular 20 to 30m thick zone of weathering with oxide mineralisation blankets the deposit. Although the top of fresh rock is well defined variability of copper mineral species within the weathering profile is not well understood. Geological interpretation was completed on a sectional basis; from which polylines were interpolated to create 3D solid wireframes for mineralisation and surfaces for weathering interfaces. The main mineralisation domains were defined using grade constraints. A nominal cut-off grade of 0.3% Cu was used to define boundaries between strongly mineralised structures and a weakly-mineralised low grade envelope, which was itself separated from unmineralised rock by a 0.1% Cu grade shell. Three main geological domains were defined based on observed internal consistency in geological characteristics: north-south trending mineralised structures, north-northeast trending linking mineralised structures and low grade envelopes. Statistical and geostatistical analysis verified the domain definition by confirming statistical homogeneity and the presence of distinct continuity characteristics. Contact analysis informed the selection of hard domain boundaries for estimation. All domains were further subdivided using a top of fresh rock surface to separate oxide mineralisation and primary sulphide mineralisation. Dimension The main zone of mineralisation extends over s a strike length of 2.5km, including a distinct 1.15km long northern zone Bedford North and 850m long southern zone Bedford South. Mineralisation dips broadly west at 70-80. Mineralisation occurs at surface, is exposed in sub-crop, and is confirmed through drilling in the main zones down dip to ~140m vertical depth below surface. The deposit remains open to north and south along strike, down dip and between the two zones. Estimatio Drillhole sample data was flagged from n and estimation domain modellin wireframes. g techniqu Sample data was composited to a 1m downhole es length. The influence of extreme outliers was reduced by top-cutting, with top-cut levels determined by a combination of qualitative (grade histograms, lognormal probabilty plots) and quantitative analysis (decile analysis). Top-cuts were applied to nine gold and two copper samples, less than 1.5% of samples in affected domains. Variography was completed to characterise copper and gold continuity in each sulphide domain. Nugget varies greatly as a proportion of overall variance in different domains, recording changes in the degree of small scale variability and/or errors. High influence is modelled in the north-south mineralised structures, accounting for ~30% of copper and 13% of gold variability. Geometric anisotropy is consistent with the geological model, with variogram reference planes striking north to north-northeast and dipping steeply west (70-80). A shallow (20-25) northerly plunge is also evident on this plane. Directional variogram model ranges include: North-south mineralised structures 54m along strike, 90m down dip, 3.8m across plane. North-northeast linking mineralised structures 52m along strike, 30m down dip, 4m across plane. Low grade envelope 55m along strike, 40m down dip, 6m across plane. Drillhole spacing ranges from 25m to 100m along strike; 25m on-section spacing is typical. Grade estimation was into parent blocks of 10mE by 20mN on 10mRL via ordinary kriging. Three estimation passes were completed with search ellipse orientations derived from principal directions of continuity in the variogram. Search distances in the first search were optimised by domain type using quantitative kriging neighbourhood analysis. These distances were doubled and subsequently trippled in the second and third estimation passes. Search parameters in the second and third estimation passes for the north-south trending mineralised structures were further optimised, with reduced minimum and optimum sample numbers improving local accuracy at the transitions between dense and sparse sample data. Post-processing of the ordinary kriged panel data by uniform conditioning was used to estimate copper grades at the selective mining unit (SMU) scale of 5mE by 5mN by 5mRL. The ordinary kriged copper and gold panel model grades were visually validated against the input drillhole data. Comparisons were also carried out between domain wireframe and domain block model volumes, average domain sample and domain block grades, as well as grade-tonnage curves for different estimation methods. Moisture Tonnes have been estimated on a dry basis. Moisture content has not been tested. Cut-off The Mineral Resource is reported above a 0.3% paramete copper cut-off grade and within 140m of the rs surface, to reflect current commodity prices and open pit mining. Mining Planned extraction is by open pit mining. factors Mining factors such as dilution and ore loss or have not been assumpti applied. ons Metallurg No metallurgical assumptions have been built ical into the resource factors models. or assumpti Preliminary metallurgical and mineralogical ons testing on samples from sulphide mineralisation support recovery and indicate that economic concentrate grades can be achieved. Environme The Bedford resource is included as a ntal component of the Little Eva Project covered by factors a granted Environmental Authority or (EA). assumpti ons Baseline and ongoing studies form part of EA requirements. Analysis of simulated tailings fluids and solids prepared through laboratory scale test work indicates favourable environmental results for the neighbouring Little Eva deposit. Simulated sulphide and oxide tailings were found to be benign in terms of potential for formation of acidic, saline or metalliferous drainage. By nature of similar setting to Little Eva, in-part shared host rocks and low sulphide content, no adverse environmental considerations have been built into the resource model. Bulk 23 in-situ bulk density measurements were density collected by Altona personel from BFD163 in 2015. Values are based on physical measurements conducted on core samples using the weight in air / weight in water method. Samples were primarily collected from partially weathered rock. Excluding two outliers an average density of 2.78 was returned. In-situ bulk densities applied to the resource estimate are: oxidised rock 2.4 t/m 3, and, fresh rock 2.8 t/m3. These values are considered conservative. Classific Bedford Mineral Resources have been ation classified on the basis of confidence in geological and grade continuity using the drilling density, geological model, modelled grade continuity, estimation passes and conditional bias measures (slope of the regression and kriging efficiency) as criteria. Measured Mineral Resources none defined Indicated Mineral Resources have been defined in areas where drill spacing is 25m by 25m or less, extending t o a down dip extent of up to 25m below drilling. Block grades were primarily calculated in the first estimation pass. Further drilling is percieved unlikely to result in material change. Inferred Mineral Resources have been defined in areas where extension of mineralisation is supported by sparse drill data (50-100m spacing along strike) and good continuity in Cu-in-soil anomalism. A significant proportion of block grades have been calculated in later estimation passes. The classification considers all available data and quality of the estimate and reflects the Competent Persons view of the deposit. Audits The geological interpretation, estimation or parameters and validation of the resource reviews models has been internally reviewed by Altona staff. Discussio The assigned classification of Indicated and n or Inferred reflects the Competent Persons relative assessment of the accuracy and confidence accuracy levels in the Mineral Resource / confid estimate. ence APPENDIX 2: SUMMARY OF MINERAL RESOURCE ESTIMATES FOR THE CLONCURRY PROJECT DEPOSIT TOTAL CONTAINED MEASURED INDICATED INFERRED METAL TonneGrade CopperGold TonneGrade TonneGrade TonneGrade s s s milliCu Au tonnesouncesmilliCu Au milliCu Au milliCu Au on on on on % g/t % g/t % g/t % g/t LITTLE EVA PROJECT Little Eva105.90.52 0.09 546,00295,0037.1 0.60 0.09 45.0 0.46 0.08 23.9 0.50 0.10 0 0 Turkey 21.0 0.59 123,00- 17.7 0.59 3.4 0.58 Creek 0 Ivy AnnA 7.5 0.57 0.07 43,00017,000- 5.4 0.60 0.08 2.1 0.49 0.06 Lady Clayr14.0 0.56 0.20 78,00085,000- 3.6 0.60 0.24 10.4 0.54 0.18 e A Bedford 4.8 0.80 0.21 38,00032,000- 2.3 0.95 0.23 2.5 0.66 0.19 Sub-to153.30.54 0.09 829,00430,0037.1 0.60 0.09 74.0 0.52 0.07 42.2 0.53 0.11 tal 0 0 OTHER DEPOSITS BlackardA 76.4 0.62 475,00- 27.0 0.68 6.6 0.60 42.7 0.59 0 ScanlanA 22.2 0.65 143,00- 18.4 0.65 3.8 0.60 0 Longamundi10.4 0.66 69,000- 10.4 0.66 A LegendA 17.4 0.54 94,000- 17.4 0.54 Great Sout6.0 0.61 37,000- 6.0 0.61 hern A CarolineA 3.6 0.53 19,000- 3.6 0.53 Charlie Br0.7 0.40 3,000 0.7 0.40 own A Sub-to136.70.61 840,00- 27.0 0.68 25.0 0.64 84.7 0.59 tal 0 TOTAL 290.00.58 0.05 1,668,430,0064.1 0.63 0.05 99.0 0.55 0.05 126.90.57 0.04 000 0 A This information was prepared and first disclosed under the JORC Code 2004 Edition. It has not been updated since to comply with the JORC Code 2012 on the basis that the information has not materially changed since it was last reported. All other resources classified and reported in accordance with JORC Code 2012 edition. Note: Tonnages are dry metric tonnes and have been rounded, hence small differences may be present in the totals. See ASX release of 23 October 2007 and 26 July 2011 (Longamundi, Great Southern, Caroline and Charlie Brown), 23 April 2012 (Ivy Ann and Lady Clayre), 03 July 2012 (Blackard and Scanlan) and 22 August 2012 (Legend) for full details of resource estimation methodology and attributions. Little Eva is reported above a 0.2% copper lower cut-off grade, all other deposits are above 0.3% lower copper cut-off. -ef81b56f5cda5326.JPG Michigan's labor force grew in January on two fronts: More people held payroll jobs than a year earlier, and more people were seeking employment. Those groups combined to generate a 5.2 percent unemployment rate for the state in January, according to a report released on March 9. That rate compares to a 4.8 percent rate for the U.S., according to state officials. "Michigan's slight January jobless rate increase was primarily due to the continued entry of individuals into the state's workforce seeking employment," said Jason Palmer, director of the Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives, in a news release. "The state's unemployment rate has been very steady since mid-2015, and the state workforce has grown by nearly 2.0 percent over the past year." From January 2016 to January 2017, payroll jobs in Michigan increased by 94,000 or 2.2 percent, which outpaced the national gain over this period of 1.6 percent, according to Gov. Rick Snyder's staff. Michigan's workforce and total employment levels have recorded consistent monthly gains, according to the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget. From the data: From January 2016 to January 2017, total employment rose in Michigan by 77,000 or 1.7 percent. During that time, while the state's workforce grew by 89,000 or 1.9 percent. Both outpace national total employment and labor force growth rates of 1.0 and 0.9 percent respectively. Since January 2016, the number of unemployed in Michigan increased slightly, while the number of unemployed showed a marginal decline nationwide. Unemployment in the Detroit-Dearborn-Warren area, representing the largest area in Michigan, went from 5.5 percent to 5.8 percent year over year. Those numbers also show the gain in total employment: According to the state, total employment in the Detroit metro area increased by 31,000 or 1.6 percent, "while the number of unemployed rose by 9,000 or 8.0 percent. The net impact was a 39,000 or 1.9 percent gain in the area's workforce. " A few more key points from the data: The January increase in construction jobs continued a mostly upward trend in this sector that began in July, the state said. It with the biggest gainer, at 6 percent. Leisure and hospitality services in Michigan recorded the second highest percentage job growth rate at 4.1 percent. Non-automotive manufacturing workers are earning less, on average. Wages declined $21.92 year over year, falling from $898.23 to $876.31. Transportation industry workers - or those making automobiles - are making substantially less this year: Their average earnings fell $185 per week from $1,180.09 to $995.09. SwitchRendering.jpg Switch has estimated it will bring a total investment of $5 billion and creation of 1,000 jobs over the first 10 years of its operations. (Rendering Courtesy of Switch) GAINES TOWNSHIP, MI -- Switch, the Nevada company that bought the former Steelcase pyramid last year, announced it has opened the "largest, most advanced data center campus in the Eastern U.S." at the building on 60th Street SE. Switch bought the pyramid-shaped building last year and began converting the office furniture maker's "Corporate Development Center" into a $400 million data center designed to serve customers in the eastern half of the United States. "The campus, designed for up to 1.8 million square feet of data center space and up to 320 megawatts (MW) of power, marks Switch's strategic expansion across the country to serve major key markets including Chicago, Ashburn, New York, Washington D.C. and Toronto, all just milliseconds away," the company said in an announcement on Thursday, March 9. Switch has estimated it will bring a total investment of $5 billion and creation of 1,000 jobs over the first 10 years of its operations. The privately held company specializes in storing and managing the "cloud data" for large clients such as eBay, Intuit, Hitachi, JP Morgan Chase, Sony, Boeing Cisco, EMC, Google, Amazon, Time Warner, Eli Lilly, Activision ("Call of Duty") and Fox Broadcasting. The first phase of the project was aimed at redeveloping 225,000 square feet of data center space inside the seven-story pyramid that Steelcase abandoned in 2010 as sales and profits fell during The Great Recession. Switch executives said they expect to hold an official "grand opening" event at the Switch Pyramid later this year. Since assuming control of the property last year, Switch and its general contractor, Lansing-based Chrisman Co., have brought more than 700 people to the site in construction and mission-critical positions, the company said. "Almost 99 percent of these workers are Michiganders, reflecting Switch's commitment to support local economic development by hiring from the local workforce," the company said. "Switch expects that hundreds more people will be employed as the campus is built out." "(Switch founder and CEO) Rob Roy's vision has turned one of the most iconic buildings in the country into the foundation of what we believe will be the most advanced technology ecosystem campus in the eastern U.S.," said Switch Executive Vice President for Strategy Adam Kramer. "Since the announcement of Switch's expansion into Michigan, the state has been attracting the tech world's attention, defining the region and the state as an epicenter for technology that runs the internet of absolutely everything." Development and permitting has begun on the first 471,248-square-foot Switch GRAND RAPIDS 1 data center on the property surrounding the pyramid, the company said. It will be the first of several data center facilities planned on the site. "The campus is expected to be in continuous expansion for at least 10 years, making it a constant source of construction work and growing employment," the company said. "The entire campus is powered by 100-percent green energy, cementing Switch's leadership in sustainably running the internet," the company said. Switch decided to purchase the pyramid and locate in West Michigan after the state legislature and Gov. Rick Snyder approved changes in late 2015 that waived the sales taxes and property taxes on equipment Switch will operate inside the facility. "We took very seriously our commitment to creating public policy that would enable and encourage new companies like Switch to make Michigan the most competitive state in the region for economic development," said Michigan State Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof, R-West Olive, in a statement distributed by Switch. "Having the technology backbone of the internet right here in Michigan up and running ahead of schedule definitely delivers on the vision of that policy," Meekhof said. "Switch's investment, local employment, and community commitment have exceeded our expectations for what was possible when they first approached us about coming to West Michigan," said Birgit Klohs, President and CEO of The Right Place, Inc. "From an economic development perspective, Switch has established a new industry in the state and our region, bringing new opportunities to existing businesses and attracting new interest from outside technology and related companies," Klohs said. ANN ARBOR, MI - Ann Arbor-based nonprofit Avalon Housing is getting financial assistance from the city to build 70 new low-income apartments. The City Council voted unanimously this week to approve the affordable housing development now being called Hickory Way Apartments. The council agreed to help facilitate the project by granting an exemption from property taxes and a waiver of a portion of the city's development fees. Avalon plans to build two three-story apartment buildings on the west side of Maple Road, north of Pauline Boulevard, on a narrow strip of land just north of the Hansen Nature Area, which is next to the Grace Bible Church. Many of the apartments are expected to be affordable for people making no more than about $19,000 per year. All of the units would be restricted to people with incomes at or below 50 or 60 percent of the area median income, with up to half of the units potentially available for people at or below 30 percent of AMI. The project required annexation, zoning and site plan approval, for which there were $19,210 in city fees. The council agreed to waive half those fees. The council also approved Avalon's request for roughly $130,000 in affordable housing grant funds to help cover water service fees. Under the city's fee system for new developments, it's projected there would be a water connection fee of $210,818, a sewer connection fee of $274,574, a fire suppression fee of $167,546, and $129,000 in footing drain disconnect fees, for a total of $781,938 that Avalon would have to pay. The city's $130,000 grant helps cover some of the costs to make the project more financially feasible. Avalon also is seeking $13.2 million worth of low-income housing tax credits through the Michigan State Housing Development Authority to fund the project. The city's $130,000 grant is contingent upon Avalon receiving the credits. The project also has been awarded $300,000 in federal HOME funds through the Washtenaw Urban County, with potentially another $400,000 coming. Avalon's current budget for the project shows more than $16 million in costs, with other potential funding sources including $1.4 million from conventional financing, $500,000 from the Federal Home Loan Bank and a $305,773 sponsor loan. Avalon stated in a funding application in November it anticipated there would be 63 one-bedroom apartments and seven two-bedroom apartments, with at least 21 of the apartments to be permanent supportive housing, with project-based vouchers through MSDHA, and targeted to people who are homeless or with special needs and with incomes under 30 percent of AMI. The city put $65,000 into its affordable housing fund in 2007-08, plus another$65,000 in 2008-09, as part of the annual budget. The $130,000 was earmarked to assist lower-income households as part of the city's water-meter automation program at the time. Additional expenses were expected related to the deteriorated condition of water service for some residents, and concerns that they would not be able to afford the repairs as part of the city-mandated program. The funds were never spent and have remained in the affordable housing fund under a separate line item for water utility purposes. The city's Housing and Human Services Advisory Board discussed allocating the funds to an affordable housing project to assist with the costs for water service. Avalon applied and the board recommended approval. Council members expressed excitement about the project this week, as it helps the city make incremental progress on its goal of expanding the supply of affordable housing so people with modest incomes can live in the city. "Avalon neighbors make great neighbors," said Council Member Chuck Warpehoski, D-5th Ward, noting Avalon has several properties in the city where its affordable housing tenants live. Some council members expressed concerns that the city's development fees are part of the city's affordability problem. "The cost of our capital recovery charges for each unit in this development is over $11,000," Warpehoski said. "I think that creates a significant challenge as we look forward to trying to meet our housing affordability goals and I think it's something we're going to need to circle back at." Warpehoski said he has talked to people who want to redevelop their properties but find the city's upfront water and sewer fees to be a hindrance. The city essentially makes property owners and developers buy into the city's water and sewer systems, paying for existing infrastructure. The requirement for property owners to come up with the entire capital cost at the beginning of a project can become a challenge, Warpehoski said. He said he talked to one business owner who wished he had an option to increase his monthly water and sewer bills over the course of five or 10 years to make the payments, so the costs weren't a barrier to getting the doors open. He said that would have been a much easier pill for him to swallow. Warpehoski acknowledged the city already has studied the issue and tried to get its rates right. "We made some important steps, but based on the barrier that these kinds of fees create and the hardship these kinds of fees create for a developer like Avalon Housing to be able to offer an affordable product, and for others, I think it's something we're going to need to circle back on," he said. Council Member Jack Eaton, D-4th Ward, agreed with Warpehoski, saying the city must take another look at its fee structure. "Because a property owner who simply wants to build a home in this town is faced with some rather daunting expenses," he said. "But a developer who wants to bring online market-priced housing has some incredible expenses up front." Eaton said there are people who have decent incomes who still can't afford to buy into Ann Arbor's housing market in part because of all of the costs and fees the city attaches to new developments. Council Member Jane Lumm, an independent from the 2nd Ward, said she's excited about the Maple Road project, saying Avalon has a good track record in Ann Arbor and 70 affordable apartments will be a significant addition. According to information provided by the city, the city's affordable housing fund has a balance of $3,860 in uncommitted general funds. Similar to the $130,000 separate line item related to water service, there is an additional small amount, $6,762, available from the sidewalk repair fund. Council Member Zachary Ackerman, D-3rd Ward, said there has been a lot of talk about affordable housing, but the city essentially has no money budgeted for it. "We have spent down our affordable housing fund from an operations perspective, from a physical capital perspective, and this will now spend down our fund from a water and stormwater perspective," he said. "I highlight this because these are fairly dire circumstances for a city that prices its neighbors out very quickly. This is not where we want to be as a community and we need to be doing more and everything to address those concerns." Ackerman said the city needs to be concerned that both low-income people and people with moderate incomes are being priced out of Ann Arbor. "We are pricing out more kinds of people and we're doing it more quickly every year," he said. Ackerman said he hopes there will be more conversation about how to make further progress on affordable housing by facilitating new development, including on downtown properties such as the Y Lot, Library Lot and Kline Lot. "We have the opportunity ahead of us to talk about the use of our public lands, especially in our downtown where we can build densely," he said. "We have opportunities in front of us to do really important things when it comes to housing the people we need to be housing." In the case of the Library Lot and the Kline Lot, those are properties the city owns, and the Y Lot could revert to the city. "These are opportunities -- and these are assets the city holds -- to house the people we need to be housing, and we have sat on our hands for too long while those opportunities have passed us by," Ackerman said. "And we're going to have those opportunities again in the coming years." Amazon Prime This story was delivered to BI Intelligence "E-Commerce Briefing" subscribers. To learn more and subscribe, please click here. Amazon launched its Prime subscription service in Mexico on Tuesday, indicating a major push by the tech giant into the country's crowded e-commerce market, according to The Wall Street Journal. Prime membership in Mexico will cost $23 annually, and will include free video-streaming services similar to those offered in the US. The launch of Prime will also expand Amazon's free shipping options in the country. Free one-day shipping will be available to members in Mexico City, Guadalajara, Puebla, and Queretaro, and free two-day shipping will be available to members nationwide. Amazon initially expanded to Mexico in 2015, offering customers in the country free shipping on orders over $38, with delivery typically taking several days. Amazon Prime's perks and shipping benefits may help the e-commerce giant steal share in a crowded market. Several companies claim a piece of Mexicos business-to-consumer e-commerce market, and market share is increasingly being distributed evenly among them. The share of current market leader, MercadoLibre, dropped from 21.2% in 2011 to 9.5% in 2016. Amazon may be able to use its free two-day and one-day shipping an enticing benefit for online shoppers to become a market leader in Mexico and fill the vacuum left by MercadoLibre's decline. However, MercadoLibre has already responded to Amazon's move, announcing that it plans to spend $100 million to expand its own free shipping options. Uncertain trade policies in the US could make it difficult for Amazon to compete in Mexico. Amazon plans on using its existing distribution centers in the US to ship goods quickly and cheaply to Mexico. It currently has only two fulfillment centers in Mexico and plans on opening a third in 2017. However, the Trump administration has repeatedly threatened to pull the US out of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). If it follows through on that threat, Mexico could enact new tariffs or other restrictions on goods coming from the US that could erode Amazon's competitive advantage in free and fast shipping. Story continues Amazon will also face additional challenges in addressing the largely unbanked population in Mexico. Although more than half the population uses the internet, only 19% of Mexicans have a credit card, and debit card ownership is minimal. Amazon is addressing these consumers by partnering with convenience store Oxxo to allow customers to purchase prepaid Oxxo cards or Amazon gift cards in cash to make their online purchases. Several other e-commerce companies in Mexico have similarly partnered with Oxxo. Although Amazons free two-day shipping is usually the companys most potent competitive advantage, it will first have to address Mexican consumers' unfamiliarity with online payments to grow its market share. If Amazon increases partnerships that allow shoppers to use cash for online purchases, it could be poised to become a market leader in the country. To receive stories like this one directly to your inbox every morning, sign up for the E-Commerce Briefing newsletter. Click here to learn more about how you can gain risk-free access today. More From Business Insider Vawters_Smith_Wright.jpg Deshawn Vawters, Raymon Smith and Tracy Wright (Courtest WCSO) ANN ARBOR, MI -- One of three men charged in connection with a gang-related Ypsilanti Township shooting will serve up to 30 years in prison, according to court records. Deshawn Vawters, 23, was sentenced 15-30 years in prison by Judge Archie Brown in the Washtenaw County Trial Court Wednesday, March 8, records show. Vawters, along with Tracy Wright, 19, and Raymon Smith, 21, were charged with attempted murder after they were accused of shooting two men in a parked car at a March 2016 party celebrating the life of Keandre Duff, who was killed at a party almost a year earlier, records show. The three men arrived at Duff's father's home in the 700 block of Oswego in Ypsilanti Township around 11 p.m. the night of March 14, 2016, according to testimony at the preliminary examination. Duff's father was hosting a party with about 40-50 people one what would have been his son's 21st birthday, records show. A witness who was at the party testified he saw Vawters, Smith and Wright wearing hoods, carrying guns and flanking a slow-moving car coming down the street, approaching the party. The witness said the three men opened fire on a parked car. The shooters then fled, the man testified. One man, Damon Etchinson, was shot in the head and was unconscious. He was later taken to the hospital in critical condition. A second man, Javaunte Mackson, was shot in the buttocks, records show. Vawters, 23, had been a victim in two separate shootings in the Ypsilanti area before the March 2016 incident. The witness at the Oswego shooting referenced the dispute between two Ypsilanti gangs, Rakk Life and Finesse, as a possible motivation. The gang clash has been a part of two previous homicides: 17-year-old Keon Washington in 2014 and Duff in 2015. Duff was charged in Washington's murder, but the charges were dismissed for lack of evidence. Tariq Jackson, 18, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Duff's case in February. Wright, Smith and Vawters initially were charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, four counts of assault with intent to murder, possession of a firearm by a felon, felony firearm, carrying a concealed weapon, four counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and conspiracy to assault with intent to murder. The counts of carrying a concealed weapon were dismissed early in the court proceedings, records show. On Feb. 8, Vawters pleaded no contest to four counts of assault with intent to murder, one count of conspiracy to assault with intent to murder and a felony firearm. The other counts were dismissed per the plea agreement. He was sentenced to concurrent terms of 13-30 years on the four assault with intent to murder charges and the conspiracy charge. The felony firearm charges carries a mandatory two-year sentence that runs consecutive to the other counts. Smith and Wright took the same plea deal as Vawters on Wednesday, Feb. 22, records show. Smith's sentencing is set for March 29. Wright's is set for April 5. Christopher_Taylor_041316_RJS_01.jpg Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor (File photo | The Ann Arbor News) ANN ARBOR, MI - Mayor Christopher Taylor is standing in support of a City Council member's decision to not recite the Pledge of Allegiance. In a statement issued on Thursday, March 9, Taylor said he disagrees with Council Member Sumi Kailasapathy, D-1st Ward, on many things. And because Taylor recites the pre-1954 pledge, without "under God," while Kailasapathy does not recite the pledge at all at council meetings, Taylor said they must not see eye to eye on this matter, either. "I would like, however, to express my full support for her personal decision to not recite the Pledge of Allegiance at council meetings," Taylor said. "Actions are more important than pledges, more important than oaths." Through her years of service on City Council, Taylor said, Kailasapathy has been "consistent and true in her fidelity to the core principle of our republican form of government - government of, by, and for the people." Pledge or no pledge, he said, Kailasapathy is a conscientious representative of the 1st Ward, a proud American, and a strong voice in defense of "liberty and justice for all." Taylor's remarks came after Kailasapathy discussed her position on not reciting the pledge in an article published by The Ann Arbor News/MLive. Her position has sparked a spirited debate among people commenting on the article. "I love this country passionately, and I love the democracy and I'll do anything for that, but it cannot be reduced to just standing up and taking an oath. I think that really narrows it," said the Sri Lanka native. "I consider myself an international citizen, and also I feel countries and government can create mistakes, so having allegiance to humanity and people and honesty, truth and all that good stuff is more important than just a mere flag." This story was updated at 1 p.m. Thursday. BLISSFIELD TOWNSHIP, MI - The Red Cross is still monitoring the situation in Lenawee County amid a massive power outage across the state. The organization opened up a shelter in Blissfield Township, 11 miles southeast of Adrian Wednesday. By Thursday, the shelter was officially closed. Red Cross spokesman, Armando B. Falcon, said one person sought shelter in Blissfield. The Red Cross is still working in conjunction with Lenawee Emergency Management, Falcon said. Officials estimate the severe winds that blew through Michigan Wednesday, March 8, left 3,000 Blissfield Township residents without power, according to a press release from the Red Cross. DTE still estimates about 875,000 people are without power throughout the state following Wednesday's wind storm. The Red Cross offered the following tips to stay safe during a power outage: Use flash lights in the dark, not candles. If you are using a generator be sure you understand the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning and how to use generators safely. Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. An unopened refrigerator will keep foods cold for about four hours. A full freezer will keep the temperature for about 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed. Turn off or disconnect any appliances (like stoves), equipment or electronics you were using when the power went out. When power comes back on, surges or spikes can damage. equipment. If electrical power lines are down, don't touch them. Keep your family and pets away. Report downed lines to your utility company. For more tips on how to be prepared during a disaster, visit www.redcross.org/prepare. ANN ARBOR, MI - Mayte Green knelt over a piece of posterboard with her 6-year-old daughter Syliva Castro-Green on Wednesday, March 8, coloring in bright letters that spelled "Resist." The Ann Arbor mother and daughter spent the afternoon in the "solidarity space" set up at the University of Michigan's North Quad building, talking with other women who joined the local Women's Strike to observe International Women's Day. "I wanted to show her what resistance for women might look like," Green said of Sylvia. "I think it is very important to teach her at this age that women still don't have equality and that she grows up learning to stand up for herself as a woman and as a citizen." Green and Sylvia were among 31 people who filled the North Quad room at 2 p.m. Dressed in red T-shirts, sweatshirts, sweaters and hijabs, they made signs and banners for the march and rally that started in downtown Ann Arbor at 5 p.m., participated in a clothing swap and read books. The space acted as a gathering place for those who were able to skip work as part of "A Day Without A Woman" on Wednesday. The Ann Arbor event aligned with the platform of the International Women's Strike USA organization, which hoped International Women's Day would prompt further action to take a stand against not just President Donald J. Trump's "misogynist policies, but also against the conditions that produced Trump, namely the decades long economic inequality, racial and sexual violence, and imperial wars abroad." The gender wage gap, access to adequate health care, reproductive rights and general equality with men were among the top issues women at the Ann Arbor event would like to see addressed. Tiffany Ng, an assistant professor of music at UM, decided to strike from her job as UM carillonist on Wednesday, which meant the bells that usually sound throughout the day stood silent. "I think it's a powerful instance of symbolism for the carilloners not to be playing (Wednesday) because that is a voice that is heard across campus. That voice was silenced," Ng said. She also held a teach-in on gender issues in music professions instead of teaching her regular class Wednesday evening. Robert Vogt, CEO of automotive engineering firm IOSiX in Ypsilanti, said he gave his employees the option to take Wednesday off. Five of his 12 employees are women, he said, and one person missed work Wednesday. "I feel like the current political climate is so hostile to women, minorities, LGBTQ people and pretty much anyone who isn't a white male, and therefore protest is very much encouraged," Vogt wrote in a message to The Ann Arbor News. About 150 people - mostly female students - gathered at the Eastern Michigan University Student Center Wednesday afternoon for an International Women's Day rally and a march across campus in support of the Women's Strike, said Beth Currans, one of the organizers of the event. "We intentionally invited a diversity of students to speak," said Currans, who organized the event with her fellow associate professor of women's and gender studies Solange Simoes. "They definitely brought a wide range of points of view that highlighted the importance of having an inclusive vision for feminism. ... It's just really thinking about how all of these categories overlap when we say 'women.'" Kate Rosenblatt, 33, of Ann Arbor, and UM student Jessica Matczak also said they would like to see the women's movement expand to be more inclusive of people of all gender identities, sexual orientations and races. "I'm really excited about the possibilities of a strike like this having a more capacious understanding of feminism, one that includes women of color, working class women, immigrants," Rosenblatt. "I think the strike has the ability to really sort of visibly illustrate the extent to which women are workers and our labor helps the world goes round." Like Green, Kimberly Linton, of Dearborn, felt it was important to have her children join her at the Women's Day rally in Ann Arbor. She was accompanied by her daughter, Sophia, 8; son, Xavier, 14; and nieces, Bree Rafko, 16, and Brooke Rafko, 14, who live in Ann Arbor. "There comes a point when posting on Facebook isn't enough," Linton said. "I wanted to also include my kids because this is it for the democratic process for them for awhile (until they're old enough to vote). Taking them with me to Election Day and taking them with me to stuff like this is a way for them to be involved in our democracy." Linton is a high school teacher who took a personal day so she could participate in the Women's Strike, and she said she was careful not to discuss the cause with her students. Acknowledging her privilege in terms of her home life and occupation, Linton said she felt a responsibility to participate in the strike on behalf of others who don't have the same advantages. Gari Stein, 70, of Ann Arbor, is concerned about policies proposed by the Trump administration that she thinks are taking away people's rights. Stein joined the Ann Arbor Women's Day event, and she said she has participated in other peace movements and in the Women's March in Ann Arbor in January. "I think it's up to the people now because the politicians aren't doing it," she said. YPSILANTI TOWNSHIP, MI - Ypsilanti Township wants a West Willow house declared a public nuisance after police say they found heroin, prescription drugs and 10 pit bulls on the property during a probation check. The township filed a lawsuit in the Washtenaw County Trial Court Feb. 23, court records show. The lawsuit seeks to declare the property at 2368 Pine Ridge Court a public nuisance - which could padlock the house for up to a year - because of the alleged drug activity and because it was harboring more than the four dogs allowed by the township. In the meantime, the township is seeking a restraining order which, if granted by the court, would empty and padlock the house and prevent use of it by the owner, or anyone else, for the specified time period as a means to abate the public nuisance activity for the benefit of the community, according to Mike Radzik, the township's director of the office of community standards. The home's owner would continue to be responsible for property taxes and to maintain the residence. A Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office report attached to the lawsuit says police are seeking to charge a 62-year-old woman and her 63-year-old husband with several drug-related felonies. The husband is accused of snatching heroin away from a police officer during a search of the house and trying to dispose of it in the backyard of another residence. He has yet to be charged with anything connected to the Jan. 24 search of the home, records show, but recently was put back on parole with the Michigan Department of Corrections, records show. He has past convictions for drug-related crimes. The woman is charged with resisting arrest in the case and also has past criminal drug charges, according to court records. She is being held in the Washtenaw County Jail with no bond, jail records indicate. Ypsilanti Township officials say drug dealing will not be tolerated in their neighborhoods. "If you deal drugs in Ypsilanti Township neighborhoods, we will use every tool available under the law to shut you down," said Radzik. "The availability of heroin in our community and the opioid epidemic has taken and destroyed so many lives. We applaud the efforts of the sheriff's office and the court to hold those who sell drugs responsible, and we will support those efforts by holding property owners accountable whenever and wherever it is allowed to occur." Home search The township's lawsuit claims the woman bought the house in February 2016 for $48,000 and that she lived there with her husband. She was on probation for a case stemming from a 2015 drug arrest. Her probation conditions required her to go to drug treatment, but when she didn't show up for several appointments, officials decided to check on her, the lawsuit claims. Probation Officer Annette Johnson and Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office Lt. Lisa King arrived at the home on Pine Ridge for an unannounced check of her home, which should have been drug and alcohol-free per her probation. Johnson and King were greeted at the door by three of the pit bulls, but officials later found 10 in the house, which is in violation of township rules, the complaint says. The woman agreed to a search of the house. When officers found suspected heroin in a cupboard next to the kitchen, the man snatched it from the officer and attempted to flee into the backyard and dispose of them in a neighbor's yard, the complaints says. Police found 288 bindles of heroin, the lawsuit claims. Police also found a separate baggie of suspected heroin, oxycodone for which the couple didn't have a prescription, needles and other drug paraphernalia and $1,170 in cash, according to the suit. The man subsequently confessed that he possessed a large quantity of heroin and sells it at the property, making about $1,000-$2,000 per week, according to the police report. Police are seeking to charge the woman with possession with intent to sell heroin, possession of opiates with no prescription, possession of narcotics equipment and probation violation. So far, however, she's only been charged with one count of resisting a police officer in that case, records show, with a preliminary exam set for March 28. Her Ypsilanti-based attorney, Joseph Hall, declined to comment when reached by phone. An evidentiary hearing in the lawsuit is scheduled for March 17, records show. FREEMAN TWP, MI -- Heavy winds claimed the lives of two people in Clare County when a tree fell onto their moving vehicle. On Wednesday afternoon, March 8, Maxwell Muessig, 20, was driving a Mini Cooper east on M-115 Highway through Clare County's Freeman Township. In the car with him was 23-year-old Margaretta Potter. As they neared the border between Clare and Osceola counties, a large tree fell on the Mini Cooper's roof. The tree had been blown over by high winds, according to Michigan State Police troopers. Troopers from the Mount Pleasant Post responded to the crash site at about 4:25 p.m. Medical personnel pronounced both Muessig and Potter deceased at the scene. In Osceola County, wind gusts blew as high as 53 mph on Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. Muessig hailed from Midland, while Potter was a resident of Jamestown, Rhode Island, troopers said. Clare County Sheriff's deputies, Mobile Medical Response, and Lincoln Township firefighters assisted troopers. The crash remains under investigation. Town Hall meeting to discuss 2017 Bay City Housing Improvement Strategy City Manager Rick Finn listens at a town hall meeting earlier this year. (Jacob Hamilton | MLive.com) BAY CITY, MI -- The Bay City Commission found no wrongdoing by City Manager Rick Finn with regards to accusations made by one his department heads that Finn attempted to manipulate data in a city study. The unanimous decision came down in a special meeting Wednesday, March 8, two days after the commission met in a closed door meeting with Finn and the city's attorney to investigate the accusation. "I think there was a misunderstanding," said City Commission President Larry Elliott, 9th Ward. "There was a miscommunication between the two of them. Unfortunately, it happened. I don't think either party is at fault. But this communication happened, we reviewed it and now it's resolved." Elliott was referring to a a Feb. 11 email sent by Bill Bohlen, the city's public works director. Bohlen accused Finn of attempting to manipulate data for a study that recommended rates for how much residents pay for garbage collection. The study recommended four options, all of which include rate increases over the next five years and various changes to services. Finn asked Bohlen to come up with a modified version of an option that might include an agreement with Bay County on acquiring a transfer station, days before Bohlen was scheduled to present the study to the City Commission. "As a professional, I will not manipulate the spirit and data of the report... to improve what is appearing to be your agenda. I will not compromise my integrity to try and sway the commissions' opinions on a decision that will be discussed on Monday night," Bohlen wrote in his email, which was also sent to Elliott and Mayor Kathleen Newsham. The email was obtained by The Bay City Times/MLive through a Freedom of Information Act request. The City Commission met in a closed session Wednesday evening for nearly an hour to review the incident before returning to the Commission Chambers to approve a resolution stating that no fault was found in the personnel issue between Finn and Bohlen. Following the vote, Finn told The Bay City Times/MLive that the email was a "total misunderstanding." "I think at this point, it's a misunderstanding and I accept that," he said. "I find no fault with (Bohlen) and I would also say that Bill is one of our better department heads and I look forward to working with him until I depart." Since the email was sent out in mid-February, Bohlen has reported to Deputy City Manager Dana Muscott. Finn said he doesn't see that changing right away. "I plan to talk with Bill, offer my hand of friendship and let bygones be bygones." Bohlen called the event unfortunate but said he is glad a decision has been made. "My goal as a public servant is to operate in the best interest of the residents of the city of Bay City," he said. "That's where my intentions were and continue to be. "If the situation were to arise again, I would have done the same thing. I have no regrets." Bohlen said he would meet with Finn following Wednesday's vote. In his email, Bohlen outlined his concerns about "magic" being used to create a desired outcome and accused Finn of deceptive practices involving George Martini, the city's fiscal services director. "You have stated repeatedly that George needs to work his magic on numbers and I'm truly questioning your definition of magic at this point, which is now pushing me into an uncomfortable situation as a professional," Bohlen wrote. "Now we sit in the 13th hour of a report that has been in the works for over 12 months, and you do not like the outcome so you want George to work his magic again. I cannot and will not be party to these actions that you're requesting of me." Martini said that Finn has frequently referenced "working magic" on the city's financials, but he only viewed it as terminology. Finn, who previously declined to comment on the email, said that Martini "does a fantastic job for the city." "He's a good numbers man and he's responsible for the city doing so well financially," he said. "I want to clarify that when I say, 'George can work his magic,' it is clearly recognition of his excellent ability to work with numbers." Wednesday's special meeting was billed as a "city manager review/evaluation." Elliott told The Bay City Times/MLive that it was time for Finn's annual review, despite the manager receiving an evaluation in August, seven months ago. The meeting, however, only reviewed the incident between Finn and Bohlen. It did not include the commission reviewing Finn's performance as a manager. "I didn't mean to disguise it as that," Elliott said, when asked Wednesday evening. "It was a review, but I think I misworded it." Bay County burglar sketch.jpg Michigan State Police troopers' composite sketch of a burglar operating in northern Bay County. ( ) BAY COUNTY, MI -- Police are hoping the public can help them identify a man who has been burglarizing northern Bay County homes of money and prescription drugs. Since January, Michigan State Police troopers have investigated three incidents wherein this man arrived at a home and knocked on the door or rang the doorbell. If a resident answered the door, the man would ask about a pet he had lost. If the homes appeared unoccupied, the man would check the structure for unlocked doors and windows. If the man found an opening, he would enter the house and steal cash and medications, troopers report. "These incidents occurred in the middle of the day when most people are away from home or at work," troopers noted in a press release. A car, possibly a Chrysler 300, police say was used by a burglar operating in northern Bay County. The incidents happened in Fraser and Pinconning townships. Witnesses described the man as being in his mid-20's, with white or light-skin, dark hair, and a thin build. He drove a black car, possibly a Chrysler 300 with chrome wheels and accents on the B-pillar and window frames. Troopers released a composite sketch of the suspect and photos of his vehicle. They are asking anyone who recognizes the suspect or has additional information to call Detective Sgt. Bill Arndt at 989-495-5559. Quincy Almond BAY CITY, MI -- A registered sex offender accused of leading police on a drunken high-speed chase has accepted a plea deal. Quincy C. Almond, 34, on Wednesday, March 1, appeared in Bay County Circuit Court and pleaded guilty to one count of second-offense operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and no contest to two counts of assaulting, resisting, or obstructing police. In exchange, the prosecution agreed to dismiss a third count of assaulting police and single counts of driving while license suspended, denied, or revoked and third-degree fleeing police. Almond's trial was to begin March 7. Circuit Judge Harry P. Gill is to sentence Almond at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, April 17. The charges stem from an incident that began about 10:45 p.m. on Nov. 5. Police dashboard camera footage, obtained by The Bay City Times/MLive via a Freedom of Information Act request, shows a Michigan State Police trooper attempt to pull over a red 2008 Saturn Astra driven by Almond as it heads east on Salzburg Road toward Lafayette Bridge. The Astra briefly comes to a stop between South Erie and South Wenona streets, before abruptly taking off again. The Astra proceeds over the double-hump bridge as the trooper pursues and radios the situation to colleagues. Just before Broadway Avenue, the trooper attempts to pull alongside the fleeing car, only for the Astra to turn south down Marsac. As the Astra blows through numerous stop signs, the trooper radios that it is hitting speeds of 60 mph. The Astra turns onto another side street and comes to a stop, but once again takes off. Over the next few minutes, more law enforcement officers join the chase as the Astra zig-zags down various South End neighborhood streets in a failed effort to shake his pursuers. The Astra nearly hits a parked van and darts through alleys, consistently ignoring stop signs. When the chase moves onto northbound Broadway, the Astra's driver's side door repeatedly swings open. Just before the former Jamie's Dairies location at 1023 Broadway St., the Astra veers to the left and the lead trooper crashes his patrol vehicle into its side. Seconds later, Almond exits the Astra and flees east, then west. Two troopers attempt to nab him, but he sidesteps them. Off camera, troopers and a Bay County Sheriff's deputy catch Almond and arrest him. Troopers first attempted to pull him over after having received multiple calls of the Astra being driven recklessly as it headed east on U.S. 10 from northbound Interstate 75. The deputy and one trooper suffered knee pain as a result of the scrap, while the trooper who pursued Almond suffered neck pain, court records show. Almond had a small contusion above his left eye and minor swelling under his right eye, but refused medical treatment. Once in police custody, Almond apologized for not stopping and took full responsibility for the incident. He added the Astra belonged to his girlfriend, who lives on Marsac and whom he was on his way to see. Almond told police he had consumed six 16-ounce beers earlier in the day. "He further stated that he was trying to jump from the car and lose the police but could not get a large enough lead," police wrote in their report, contained in court files. At the Bay County Jail, Almond submitted to Breathalyzer tests. The results indicated his blood alcohol levels were at 0.23 and 0.24, court records show. In Michigan, a person is legally intoxicated when his or her blood alcohol content hits 0.08; a person is considered super drunk when the blood alcohol content reaches 0.17. In May, Almond was convicted on a drunken driving charge. Almond in November 2005 was convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in Saginaw County. He is required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life. MIDLAND, MI -- When Max Muessig's grandfather died in December 2015, he told his father, Mark, that he was going to transfer from the University of Vermont back home to Michigan State University. Life's too short to be away from family, he told his dad. A heart wrenching tragedy this week made that sentiment all too true. Muessig, 20, and his girlfriend, Maggie Potter, 23, were in Traverse City this week for spring break. On Wednesday, March 8, they were traveling to Midland, where they planned on having dinner with Muessig's mom, Barb. Wind gusts across the state that day eclipsed 50 mph. Some areas experienced 70 mph gusts. While driving his Mini Cooper east on M-115 through Clare County's Freeman Township, near the border between Clare and Osceola counties, the strong winds blew over a large tree that fell on the roof of the moving vehicle. Mark Muessig said the impact killed the couple instantly. Michigan State Police troopers from the Mount Pleasant Post responded to the crash site at 4:25 p.m. Medical personnel pronounced Muessig and Potter dead at the scene. The crash remains under investigation. The couple planned to spend time at Muessig's family cabin in Luzerne over the weekend before the 20-year-old would take his girlfriend to the airport and she would fly back to Boston, where she was pursing a career in event planning. Instead, parents of the couple are now planning funerals for their children. Muessig, a 2015 Midland Dow High School graduate, met Potter at the University of Vermont, where he studied political science. "Maggie was fortunate at such an early stage in life to have found her soulmate, Max," said Potter's father, Ted. "They shared many core values and were looking forward to a promising future together." Muessig's sister, Taylor Hodson, said when she met Potter for the first time this past summer, she was greeted with open arms and a big hug. "I immediately knew that they were meant to be," Hodson said. "I hoped that she would be my sister-in-law someday." Muessig transferred to MSU in the fall of 2016. A near straight-A student at Midland Dow, he had aspirations of becoming a lawyer and then getting into politics. "He was very witty, humorous, very caring and loving," said his father, Mark. "And he was always fair. He always wanted to do the right thing. That's why he wanted to get into politics." Hodson said her brother had talked about wanting to work as a court-appointed attorney. "He wanted to help people and really make a difference," she said. Potter also wanted to make a difference in people's lives. From an early age, she fell in love with weddings. She would hone in on the flowers, the church and the happy families, her father said. "Maggie truly believed there was magic in a wedding," he said. "Weddings made her believe in real life fairy tales. "Maggie loved being being a part of that magic. It gave her one of the most rewarding feelings in the world." After graduating last spring from the University of Vermont with a degree in psychology and a minor in Spanish, a language she was fluent in, her father said. She interned with an event planning firm in Rhode Island before moving to Boston with a friend to pursue work in that field. Potter was able to travel across Latin America, Europe and Asia. She was involved with various causes at college, including promoting alcohol safety and developing anti-hazing policies. In addition to her father, she's survived by her mother, Penelope, and brother, Gus, 25. Muessig is survived by his mother, father and sister. Funeral services are pending. Muessig and Potter's time spent together was precious. Separated by 800 miles, they would frequently fly back and forth to spend time with each other. Potter flew to Michigan for Thanksgiving. Muessig flew east for Christmas. An East Coast snow storm around Valentine's Day delayed his flight and gave him an extra day with his girlfriend. "They were lucky to have each other," Hodson said. Mexican telecom behemoth America Movil SAB AMX recently declared that the Mexican telecom regulatory authority popularly known as the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) has stepped up antitrust rules against the company. The IFT wants America Movil to separate out a large part of its fixed-line infrastructure. Notably, America Movil has both wireline (Telmex) and Wireless (Telcel) operations. In 2014, the government of Mexico introduced major reforms within telecommunications sector. The IFT identified America Movil as a dominant player in this market. Both Telmex and Telcel control nearly 70% of the Mexican market. As per the IFTs reformed norms, the maximum hold of a company in the market has been restricted to 50%. Recently, the IFT has evaluated the stringent measures that were imposed on the company on Mar 2014. As part of these reforms, the IFT has banned America Movil from charging national roaming fees. Further, the company will now have to share infrastructure with other operators particularly in the local loop (last mileage) segment. Interconnection fees charged by the company are under close scrutiny as well. In a bid to avoid stringent regulatory measures, America Movil has taken several steps over the last couple of years. In Dec 2015, the company spun-off the wireless tower division Telesites and is likely to divest some non-core wireless and fixed-line assets in the future. In Nov 2015, America Movil received approval from the IFT regarding the prices it can charge as interconnection fees. In Jul 2016, Telmex decided to gradually lower rates for calls from land lines to mobile phones by about half by 2018. The pre-tax call rate from landline to mobile phones will come down to MXN 0.342 ($0.0185) per minute in 2018 from the current rate of MXN 0.6763 per minute. The companys decision to reduce fixed-line-to-mobile call rates in phased manner bears testimony of its compliance with regulations. Story continues Meanwhile, the Mexican telecom market has become intensely competitive. Beside incumbent firm Telefonica SA TEF, U.S. telecom behemoth AT&T Inc. T has entered into the fray. Further, the IFT granted permission to cable TV and media giant Grupo Televisa SA TV to start wireless operation. However, the company is yet to take any decision in this regard. According to Reuters report, the IFT recently ordered America Movil to create an independent entity from fixed-line unit Telmex to offer competitors access to infrastructure. Nevertheless, the company has criticized the latest IFT resolution and may legally challenge the decision. Price Performance of America Movil In the last six months, the stock price of America Movil gained a considerable 16.12% in contrast to the Zacks categorised Non-US wireless industrys decrease of 6.41% in the same time frame. America Movils prepaid mobile business is the U.S. is performing well. Further, Mexicos telecom sector has witnessed strong growth in 2016. Continuation of this momentum will help the company to expand top-line growth. Nevertheless, America Movil, which has been ruling the Mexican market for quite some time now, has been witnessing a decline in profit margin in the region. Stringent regulatory measures and intensifying competition are the primary factors behind the underperformance. We believe these are primary reasons behind the stock to carrying a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. 8 Stocks with Huge Profit Potential Just released: Driverless Cars: Your Roadmap to Mega-Profits Today. In this latest Special Report, Zacks Aggressive Growth Strategist Brian Bolan explores a full-blown technological breakthrough in the making autonomous cars. He also spotlights 8 stocks with tremendous gain potential to feed off this phenomenon. Click to see the stocks right now >> 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 AT&T Inc. (T): Free Stock Analysis Report Telefonica SA (TEF): Free Stock Analysis Report Grupo Televisa S.A. (TV): Free Stock Analysis Report America Movil, S.A.B. de C.V. (AMX): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research BAY CITY, MI -- A backyard bonfire on an unseasonably pleasant afternoon took a violent turn when a 26-year-old woman stabbed a teen, witnesses testified in court. Jennifer L. Horner, shackled and wearing an orange jumpsuit, looked on as the witnesses took to the stand in her preliminary examination the afternoon of Wednesday, March 8. Horner is charged with assault with intent to do great bodily harm, assault with a dangerous weapon, and carrying a weapon with unlawful intent stemming from an incident that happened Feb. 18. Kevin Grochowski testified he was at 1206 Sixth Street at about 5:30 p.m., where several people were attending a bonfire. Among the attendees was Rockyon A. Poole, now 18. At some point, Horner -- whose mom is the landlord of 1206 Sixth Street -- arrived and acted in a way that prompted Poole to ask her what was wrong. "She started yelling, saying she didn't want to talk to him," Grochowski said. "Then, I seen her stab him in the left side of the chest and she said something about her father's house and Rocky said he didn't do it. There was conflict between both of them." Poole was seated in a chair when he was stabbed, Grochowski said. Immediately afterward, he stood up and briefly grappled with Horner, then ran toward a car and said he needed to go to a hospital. Horner took off, while her mother drove Poole to McLaren Bay Region hospital. Grochowski said he and his sister, Crysta Grochowski, recovered a blood-stained paring knife and handed it over to responding police. Bay City Public Safety Officer Adrianna Mysliwski testified she and other officers responded to the address in reference to a stabbing complaint. "When I responded to the location, I met with a couple witnesses and we were told go through the house to search for the suspect," she said. "We went through the entire house, but were unable to locate the suspect." Mysliwski later went to the hospital, where she encountered Poole in the emergency room. He had a stab wound to his left shoulder area, she testified. After a few more witnesses testified, Bay County Assistant Prosecutor Bernard J. Coppolino asked Bay County District Judge Timothy J. Kelly to bind Horner's case over to Circuit Court for trial. Defense attorney Bruce K. Mannikko opposed this. Kelly ruled in Coppolino's favor. The date of Horner's next court appearance is pending. A Social Security Administration and disability judge in Livonia is criminally charged after being accused of illegal sexual contact with an employee. Prosecutor Kym Worthy has charged Judge Henry Perez, 74, with three counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, a misdemeanor punishable by up to two years in prison. At 7 a.m. on Dec. 28 Perez called a 33-year-old employee into his office and proceeded to have "inappropriate sexual contact" with her by rubbing his body against her against her will, Worthy's office says. The judge, who is currently on leave, is expected to arraigned at 11 a.m. Friday in Livonia's 16th District Court. It's not clear if he is currently being paid. According to the recording in the judge's office, the building was closed Thursday due to a power outage. According to FederalPay.org, a website that monitors the salaries of federally paid employees, the average annual salary for a Social Security Administration law judge is about $160,000. "These allegations are very troubling," Worthy said in a statement. "This type of charged behavior will not be tolerated no matter your station in life." VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 9, 2017 / Barisan Gold Corporation (BG.V) (OTC PINK: BRSGF) (the "Company") has entered into a Conditional Sales and Purchase Agreement ("CSPA") with a private Indonesian company whereby the private Indonesian company has agreed to purchase Barisan Gold's 80% equity interest in each of PT Gayo Mineral Resources and PT Linge Mineral Resources. As per the terms of the CSPA, the private Indonesian company will pay the Company a total of US$1,000,000 (equivalent to approximately $1,300,000 Canadian dollars). Closing of the transaction is subject to final due diligence by the private Indonesian company, shareholder approval at a special general meeting (date to be announced soon), a number of regulatory approvals in Indonesia and TSX Venture Exchange approval. The transaction is expected to close during the second calendar quarter of 2017. The proceeds will be used to finance the previously announced Lithium projects and to review other opportunities in technology metals. A finders' fee of $100,000 is to be paid to an arm's length company in association with the transaction. Financing In light of the above-mentioned sale, the Company has revised its plans for the previously announced non-brokered private placement (see September 8th, 2016 News Release) to a post consolidated (1 for 5) price of $0.10 per unit to raise gross proceeds of up to $500,000. Each unit will consist of one common share of the Company and one non-transferable share purchase warrant. Each whole share purchase warrant shall be exercisable to acquire one additional common share of the Company for a period of 24 months at a post consolidated (1 for 5) price of $0.15 per share purchase warrant. The Company intends to use the proceeds from the private placement to finance exploration on the Railroad Valley Lithium brine property, and the Black Canyon Lithium clay property, as well as general administrative purposes. The private placement is subject to acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange. All the securities issued under the private placement are subject to resale restrictions under applicable securities legislation. Story continues The offering will be non-brokered; however, the Company may pay finders' fees in accordance with the rules and policies of the TSX Venture Exchange. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, visit the Company's website at www.barisangold.com, or contact the company at: Vancouver T: +1 604 365 6681 E: info@barisangold.com Caution Regarding Forward Looking Statements Certain statements in this News Release, which are not historical in nature, constitute "forward looking statements" within the meaning of that phrase under applicable Canadian securities law. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements or information concerning future work programs at the Company's Upper Tengkereng Porphyry prospect, results and timing of any work programs, the Company's performance or events as of the date hereof. These statements reflect management's current assumptions and expectations and by their nature are subject to certain underlying assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or events to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Those risks include the interpretation of drill results; the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with our expectations; commodity and currency price fluctuation; failure to obtain adequate financing; regulatory, recovery rates, refinery costs, and other relevant conversion factors, permitting and licensing risks; and general market and mining exploration risks. Forward-looking statements should not be construed as investment advice. Readers should perform a detailed, independent investigation and analysis of the Company and are encouraged to seek independent professional advice before making any investment decision. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward looking statements to reflect events or changes in circumstances that occur after the date hereof. SOURCE: Barisan Gold Corporation [March 09, 2017] FollowMe by Ringdale Partners With IDC's Digital Security Conference to Address Growing Data Security Risks for Enterprise Organisations BURGESS HILL, England, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Ringdale, a leading provider of secure document output management solutions, will be attending IDC's Digital Security Conference, 28th March, London, United Kingdom. Ringdale's FollowMe team will meet with top IT Security professionals to highlight how the world's largest organisations leverage FollowMe to prevent valuable data loss and meet tightening industry compliance regulations in an evolving era of digital security. (Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/476805/FollowMe_Ringdale_Logo.jpg ) The FollowMe team will be discussing the demands of 'digitalisation' on key print security areas, including: Enterprise-grade m obile print security - Securing workflow for office staff, remote workers and guest users with one solution to enable printing from all PC, laptops, mobile phones and tablet devices - Securing workflow for office staff, remote workers and guest users with one solution to enable printing from all PC, laptops, mobile phones and tablet devices FollowMe Data Loss Prevention (DLP) increased data security - Identifying high risk data areas, then monitoring, tracking and archiving sensitive information - Identifying high risk data areas, then monitoring, tracking and archiving sensitive information Industry compliance - Minimising the risk of security breaches and industry compliance violations with detailed print data monitoring and custom auditing tools - Minimising the risk of security breaches and industry compliance violations with detailed print data monitoring and custom auditing tools Federate document security across all office locations and printer brands - Apply consistent security measures across entire printing environment, including branch or regional office locations Eric Crump , Director of Strategic Alliances, Ringdale. IDC Digital Security Conference is held on the 28th March at America Square Conference Centre London. For more information, visit IDC Digital Security Conference web site About Ringdale Ringdale invented FollowMe and the print roaming technology in 1997 and has continued to be at the forefront of the industry for over three decades. With offices in the United States, United Kingdom, Singapore and Japan, Ringdale has a strong global partner network and relationships with the world's leading printing manufacturers including Brother, Canon, Hewlett Packard, Lexmark, Konica Minolta, Kyocera Mita, Oce, OKI, Ricoh, Samsung, Sharp, Toshiba and Xerox. To learn more about FollowMe by Ringdale, please visit www.followme.ringdale.com SOURCE FollowMe by Ringdale [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Wednesday, March 8 is International Women's Day. Women and men around the world will celebrate in support of gender equality and equal opportunity for all. Some will participate in organized protests like A Day Without A Woman, and the International Women's Strike. For many Americans, the election of Donald Trump represented a step back for the feminist movement. Whether or not meaningful progress for womens rights takes place under the new U.S. President, there remain severe inequalities across nation. These issues include a gender pay gap, a lack of flexibility in the workplace during pregnancy and early motherhood, and a lack of women holding positions of political influence. While no state has achieved gender pay equality, a number have made substantial progress in closing the earnings gap and in other areas, like electing women to office, funding pre-K programs, and passing laws that allow women to stay in the workforce when they have children, should they so choose. On the other hand, a number of states remain extremely unfavorable to women in every major category. 24/7 Wall St. reviewed and ranked the 50 states based on measures of gender equality. ALSO READ: The World's 31 Mega-Cities Perhaps the most egregious component of gender inequality in the U.S. is the wage gap. Though the severity of the wage gap varies by state, nationwide, the typical woman working full time earns 80 cents for every dollar a man earns. No state has a larger gap than Wyoming, however, where women earn roughly 64 cents for every dollar. With lower incomes, women are also far more likely to live in poverty than men. In an interview with 24/7 Wall St., Julie Anderson, a research associate at the Institute for Women's Policy Research, explained why the wage gap exists. According to Anderson, the largest contributor to the wage gap is occupational segregation. Men are more likely to be hired in higher paying, managerial roles than women. Though the share ranges from state to state, nationwide, fewer than 40% of management positions are held by women. Story continues According to Anderson, women are also far more likely than men to work in low wage, part-time jobs. Since the wage gap only measures the incomes of men and women working full time, the problem is even more pronounced than the data indicates. Maternity, Anderson explained, can lead to lower overall incomes for women, particularly as raising a child can often lead women to exit the workforce for good. If a family has to choose between someone being fully engaged in work and someone being a caregiver, the logical choice is the one who earns less will be the one to back off, and in most cases that will be the woman in the family. While the Family & Medical Leave Act of 1993 mandates that most working mothers must be allowed 12 weeks maternity leave, a number of states have additional policies in place both for public employees and the private sector workforce. Many states extend the minimum number of weeks, allow women to use sick days to cover pre- and post-natal care, and, in some cases, mandate paid leave for both mothers and fathers. Another state policy that has shown to be advantageous to young mothers is a taxpayer-funded pre-Kindergarten program. Besides being instrumental in childhood development, pre-K programs give parents the opportunity to leave their children somewhere safe during the day. Anderson explained that as mothers are more often tasked with the responsibility of watching young children, this means women avoid the expenses of private daycare, and also will have an easier time returning to the workforce. Eight states have no taxpayer-funded pre-K, and partially as a result rank among the worst for women in the country. Female representation in government is also an important aspect of gender equality, and elected government positions are held primarily by men. Nearly half of all states have never had a female governor and women comprise an average of less than 25% of state legislatures. According to Anderson, this is problematic both because it may discourage women from running for elected office and because male politicians are less likely to implement reform related to gender equality. Anderson explained that while women are less likely to run for office, when they do, they tend win at the same rates as men. See how your state ranks in gender equality. 1. Rhode Island > Female earnings as pct. of male: 85.8% (5th highest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 43.6% (5th highest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 1.4% (11th lowest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 27.4% (18th highest) Across a range of measures related to health, leadership, and financial security, Rhode Island is the best state in the country for women. With mandated special accommodations for pregnant workers and expansions to the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 for both private and public sector jobs, Rhode Island has taken considerable steps to address gender inequality. Female representation in leadership roles is also an important component of gender equality. In November 2014, Rhode Island voters elected Gina Raimondo as governor. Raimondo is one of six sitting female governors in the country and the first in Rhode Island history. 2. New York > Female earnings as pct. of male: 88.7% (the highest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 41.6% (12th highest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 23.9% (11th highest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 24.4% (24th lowest) Nationwide, women earn only 80% of what their male counterparts earn. While the pay gap exists in every state, it is smallest in New York, where women earn 88.7% of the median male salary. Providing state-funded pre-K programs for three- and four-year-olds is important for gender equality as it allows for both parents to participate in the workforce. New York spends an above average amount on pre-K programs per student. In addition, 23.9% of three- and four-year-olds in the Empire State are enrolled in a public pre-K program, far more than most states. 3. California > Female earnings as pct. of male: 85.7% (6th highest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 40.7% (19th highest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 12.9% (23rd highest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 25.8% (20th highest) Women hold a relatively high share of government leadership positions in California. Of all 55 of the state's congressional representatives, 38.2% are female. Included among them are some of the most influential leaders in Washington. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who represents the states 12 District, was the first female Speaker of the House in U.S. history. Additionally, both California senators are female, including Senior Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who is vice chairperson of the Intelligence Committee and a member of the Appropriations Committee. 4. Oregon > Female earnings as pct. of male: 80.8% (20th highest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 40.8% (17th highest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 8.2% (22nd lowest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 31.1% (9th highest) A strong pre-K program can be extremely beneficial for women who might otherwise have to take additional time off or pay out of pocket for childcare. And Oregon has one of the best-funded pre-K systems in the country, with $8,648 in state money apportioned per child. Oregon has a number of other mother-friendly policies. It is one of just a handful of states to mandate that private sector companies with at least 10 employees allow workers to use paid sick days for prenatal or postnatal care. 5. Connecticut > Female earnings as pct. of male: 82.4% (14th highest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 40.4% (22nd highest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 16.2% (18th highest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 28.3% (15th highest) By a number of measures related to health, financial security, and legislation, Connecticut is the fifth best state for women in the country and the second best in New England. The pay gap between men and women is slightly smaller than it is nationwide, and Connecticut voters have elected more women to fill state legislature and congressional delegate seats than is typical. Of the 37 female state governors in U.S. history, two served in the Nutmeg State. Elected in 1974 to the highest office in state politics, Ella Grasso was the first female governor in Connecticut and the first in the country not to be married to a former governor. 6. Hawaii > Female earnings as pct. of male: 84.1% (8th highest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 42.5% (9th highest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 1% (10th lowest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 28.9% (14th highest) In every state in the country, a larger share of women than men live in poverty. In Hawaii, however, just 52.3% of women in the state live in poverty, compared to a national share of 55.4%. This relatively small gap can likely be explained in part by the states relatively small gender pay gap. Women in the state earn 84 cents for every dollar earned by the typical male. Nationwide, the typical female worker earns only 80% of the median earnings for men. ALSO READ: Cities Where Crime Is Plummeting 7. Vermont > Female earnings as pct. of male: 83.8% (9th highest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 43.6% (5th highest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 54.6% (the highest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 40.6% (2nd highest) Pre-K can be invaluable to mothers -- in addition to aiding in their childs development at a crucial age, it affords them the opportunity to work, and also helps them avoid otherwise costly daycare services. This July, roughly two years after the pre-K mandate law was initially passed, Vermont became the first state in the country to officially implement universal, publicly-funded, pre kindergarten programs for three- and four-year-old children. As of the 2014-2015 school year, the state already had the highest enrollment, at 54.6%, and this figure will likely rise in the coming years. 8. New Jersey > Female earnings as pct. of male: 82.0% (16th highest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 37.6% (8th lowest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 23.6% (12th highest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 30.0% (11th highest) New Jersey spends more on pre-K education than any other state. The state allocates the equivalent of $12,149 per child on pre-K education, well more than double the national average. In addition to the states higher spending per student, New Jersey has relatively high pre-K enrollment -- 23.6% of three- and four-year-olds in New Jersey are enrolled in state pre-K programs. Early childhood education is important for cognitive development and allows both parents to participate in the workforce. 9. Washington > Female earnings as pct. of male: 79.0% (24th highest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 40.9% (15th highest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 5.6% (19th lowest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 33.3% (4th highest) Female representation in positions of political power can be instrumental in creating policy favorable to gender equality. In Washington, 41.7% of the states congressional delegation is female. While that seems low, it is actually the fourth highest percentage among states. Less than 20% of Congress is female. The state is also one of just seven to have had more than one female governor in its history. 10. Massachusetts > Female earnings as pct. of male: 83.1% (13th highest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 43.9% (3rd highest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 7% (21st lowest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 25.5% (21st highest) In Massachusetts, the typical woman working full time earns $51,343 a year, more than in any other state in the country. Despite the relatively high earnings, women in the Bay State earn an average of 83 cents for every dollar men make. Legislation in Massachusetts protecting working women is also lagging behind some other states. Under the Family & Medical Leave Act of 1993, workers across the country are allowed to take 12 weeks of unpaid time off of work for a number of reasons, including childbirth and caring for an ill child. Massachusetts has expanded on that law for public sector workers but has not taken significant action to increase protections for private sector workers. 11. New Mexico > Female earnings as pct. of male: 84.6% (7th highest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 43.0% (7th highest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 15.1% (22nd highest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 26.8% (19th highest) Women are more likely to have influential leadership positions in New Mexico than in most other states. Statewide, women hold 43% of jobs in management, slightly more than is typical across the country. Furthermore, the state is one of only six in the country with a female governor, and Congresswoman Michelle Grisham has represented the New Mexicos 1st district in Washington since 2013. The state could improve conditions for women by expanding pre-K programs to admit three-year-olds. Currently, New Mexico is one of nearly two dozen states to have no taxpayer funded pre-K programs for three-year-olds. 12. Minnesota > Female earnings as pct. of male: 81.1% (17th highest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 37.9% (11th lowest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 0.9% (9th lowest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 33.3% (4th highest) One third of Minnesotas state legislature and a fifth of its congressional delegation are female, including the states senior senator, Amy Klobuchar. While women have a larger than typical role in Minnesota politics, they are notably underrepresented in management jobs. Only 37.9% of management roles in the state are held by women, one of the smaller percentages in the country. As is true nationwide, women earn less than men in Minnesota, despite higher high school diploma and bachelors degree attainment rates. 13. Maryland > Female earnings as pct. of male: 83.6% (11th highest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 43.7% (4th highest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 20.2% (15th highest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 31.4% (7th highest) Nationwide, women are more likely than men to live in poverty. The discrepancy is especially stark in Maryland. Women represent 58% of all people living below the poverty line in the state, the largest share in the country. Women do hold a relatively large share of powerful jobs in Maryland, however. Nearly 44% of management jobs in the state are held by women, and 20% of the states congressional delegation is female, including senior Senator Barbara Mikulski, who has been serving since 1987. After serving in the U.S. Senate longer than any woman in history, Mikulski is not running for reelection in 2016. 14. Maine > Female earnings as pct. of male: 78.5% (22nd lowest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 45.3% (the highest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 18.3% (16th highest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 29.0% (12th highest) Gender inequality is not an issue in terms of representation in Maines congressional delegation. The gender split among the states representation on Capitol Hill is 50/50 and includes Susan Collins, who has served as a senator for nearly two decades. Maine is also notable for the large share of women working in management positions. Women hold more than 45% of all management jobs in Maine, the largest percentage of any state in the country. 15. Illinois > Female earnings as pct. of male: 79.2% (23rd highest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 39.3% (22nd lowest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 23.4% (13th highest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 31.1% (9th highest) Women working in public sector jobs in Illinois enjoy more family benefits than their private sector counterparts. While women in both the private and public sector in the state benefit from employer pregnancy accommodations and right-to-pump laws that expand on federal regulations, only public sector workers have the option of more time off than is granted under the federal Family & Medical Leave Act of 1993, which allows 12 weeks of unpaid time off from work for a number of reasons, including childbirth and caring for an ill child. 16. Delaware > Female earnings as pct. of male: 88.5% (2nd highest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 43.0% (7th highest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 3.7% (17th lowest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 24.2% (23rd lowest) Nationwide, working women earn an average of 80% of their male counterparts wages. In Delaware, while income inequality still exists, it is considerably less pronounced. The typical salary among a woman working full time is 88.5% of the typical mans salary. ALSO READ: Youngest County in Every State Women hold relatively few elected political positions in Delaware. Though women comprise 24% of the state legislature, roughly in line with the corresponding national average, none of the states three congressional delegates are female. 17. Wisconsin > Female earnings as pct. of male: 78.3% (21st lowest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 38.4% (16th lowest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 32.5% (6th highest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 25.0% (22nd highest) State funded pre-K programs, while important for childrens cognitive development, also allow both parents to participate in the work force. More specifically, they can allow mothers to work and maintain financial independence without having to pay for private daycare or pre-K programs. In Wisconsin, a state that invests $3,802 per child on day care services, 63.7% of four-year-olds are enrolled in a taxpayer-funded daycare program, a larger share than in all but four other states. 18. New Hampshire > Female earnings as pct. of male: 76.4% (14th lowest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 40.2% (23rd highest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 0% (the lowest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 29.0% (12th highest) Women hold considerable political power in New Hampshire. The state is one of only six to have a sitting female governor, and three out of four of the states congressional delegates are women, including both senators. Despite considerable female representation in elected office, however, there are few legal provisions in place for pregnant women in the workplace. Neither public nor private sector employers in New Hampshire are required to make in-office accommodations for pregnant employees. 19. Colorado > Female earnings as pct. of male: 80.8% (21st highest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 38.4% (16th lowest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 15.7% (21st highest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 42.0% (the highest) Women have considerable influence over laws in Colorado. Off the 100 state legislators, 42 are women, the largest share of any state in the country. Women are less likely to have powerful roles in non-elected positions, however. Only 38% of management positions in Colorado are held by women, compared to 40% nationwide. 20. North Carolina > Female earnings as pct. of male: 85.9% (4th highest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 41.0% (13th highest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 10.9% (24th highest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 22.4% (20th lowest) Nationwide, the typical salary for a woman working full-time is only about 80% of a comparable male salary. In North Carolina, the wage gap is slightly smaller. Women in the state earn about 86% of what men make. State laws in North Carolina do not go especially far to protect women in the workplace, however. The state has not passed major legislation to expand federally mandated provisions concerning family leave for private sector jobs and pregnancy accommodations for both private, and public sector workers. 21. Florida > Female earnings as pct. of male: 86.6% (3rd highest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 39.9% (23rd lowest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 38.2% (3rd highest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 25.0% (22nd highest) State sponsored pre-K programs make it easier for women with young children to work and remain financially secure. Floridas pre-K program is one of the most successful in the country as more than three-quarters of four-year-olds in the state are enrolled. There is room for improvement, however, as the state does not offer taxpayer-funded pre-K for three-year-olds. The state could also do more to expand working womens rights in the private sector. While public sector employees can take more than the 12 weeks unpaid time off for family issues mandated by the federal government, private sector workers have no such guarantee. 22. Arizona > Female earnings as pct. of male: 83.5% (12th highest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 42.0% (11th highest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 4.2% (18th lowest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 35.6% (3rd highest) Women have greater influence on Arizona law than in nearly any other state. Roughly 36% of Arizonas state legislature is comprised of women, a higher share than all but three other states. Additionally, four of Arizonas governors have been women, including Janet Napolitano, who went on to serve as the Secretary of Homeland Security under President Barack Obama. Despite the share of women elected to state government, Arizona has some of the weakest family-related workplace protections in the country. Accommodations for pregnant workers are not mandated, and there are no paid or extended unpaid leave guarantees for workers in either private or public sector jobs. 23. Alaska > Female earnings as pct. of male: 77.9% (19th lowest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 40.2% (23rd highest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 1.5% (12th lowest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 28.3% (15th highest) More than 15% of women in Alaska do not have health insurance, which is the second highest percentage in the country. A lack of insurance may mean some women are unable to get the care they need, and this can affect outcomes related to health issues specific to women, such as pregnancy. However, the states rate of maternal death during childbirth and its infant mortality rate are each among the lowest in the country. 24. West Virginia > Female earnings as pct. of male: 70.6% (3rd lowest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 40.7% (19th highest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 39.5% (2nd highest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 14.9% (6th lowest) While women typically earn less than men nationwide, the gender pay gap is an even bigger issue in West Virginia. Women working full-time typically earn less than 71% of what men earn. Nationwide, women earn 80% of the typical male salary. Still, women in West Virginia with young children are more likely to work, and remain financially secure, than in many other states due to the taxpayer-funded pre-K program. In West Virginia, 39.5% of three- and four-year-olds are enrolled in a state-funded pre-K program, the second largest share in the country. 25. Arkansas > Female earnings as pct. of male: 78.9% (24th lowest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 40.0% (25th lowest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 29.9% (7th highest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 20.0% (15th lowest) Women are clearly underrepresented in elected office in Arkansas. None of the states six congressional representatives are female and the state has never had a female governor. Despite the lack of female representation in Arkansas politics, the state has a taxpayer-funded pre-K system that makes it easier for both parents to participate in the workforce. Slightly more than 21% of three-year-olds in the state are enrolled in public pre-K. 26. South Carolina > Female earnings as pct. of male: 80.9% (19th highest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 42.3% (10th highest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 25.8% (10th highest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 13.5% (4th lowest) Having a high share of women in positions they have historically been excluded from is a good sign that progress has been made toward gender equality in a state. In South Carolina, 42.3% of those employed in management positions are women, one of the higher shares in the country. ALSO READ: America's 25 Most Affordable Housing Markets While South Carolina women are more likely to hold positions of power in the workplace, they are grossly underrepresented in politics, outside of current Governor Nikki Haley. The state is one of 13 with no women in Congress.. In addition, just 13.5% of the state legislators are women, the fourth-lowest share of any state. 27. Louisiana > Female earnings as pct. of male: 68.0% (2nd lowest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 44.6% (2nd highest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 16% (20th highest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 11.8% (the lowest) Policies that allow flexibility for time off after childbirth for both women and men can be instrumental in ensuring workplace equality. Louisiana has a number of policies conducive to gender equality in the workplace. State employers are legally required to allow a minimum of six weeks leave during pregnancy, and as much as four months, if there are complications. Unfortunately, complications after pregnancy are more common in Louisiana than most states. The states infant mortality and maternal mortality rates are among the highest in the country. 28. Nevada > Female earnings as pct. of male: 83.7% (10th highest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 41.0% (13th highest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 1.9% (13th lowest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 33.3% (4th highest) Nevada has not expanded on any federally mandated protections for private or public sector workers related to family leave or pregnancy accommodations. In addition, at 7.2%, Nevada has the highest female unemployment rate of any state in the country. Women face more challenges in Nevada than in many other states despite the relatively large share of female state legislators. Of the 63 legislative seats in Nevada state government, one third are held by women, one of the largest percentages in the country. 29. Tennessee > Female earnings as pct. of male: 81.0% (18th highest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 39.1% (21st lowest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 10.1% (25th highest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 17.4% (11th lowest) A woman has never been elected governor in Tennessee, and a smaller than average share of both the state legislature and the states congressional delegation are women. In addition, women in Tennessee are less likely to hold management positions than women nationwide. Despite the states many shortcomings in terms of gender equality, Tennessee lawmakers have expanded on the federal Family & Medical Leave Act of 1993, allowing both private and public sector workers to take more than 12 weeks of unpaid time off from work. Reasons for taking leave include childbirth and caring for an ill child. 30. Iowa > Female earnings as pct. of male: 76.7% (16th lowest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 33.8% (3rd lowest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 32.8% (5th highest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 22.7% (21st lowest) Jobs in management tend be higher paying, and in Iowa, men are are far more likely to have management roles than women. Only one in three management positions in the state are held by women, a smaller share than in all but two other states. The state does have its place in the historic fight for womens rights in the U.S., however. Carrie Chapman Catt, a leading figure in the womens suffrage movement and founder of the League of Women Voters, spent much of her childhood in Iowa and was educated at what is now Iowa State University. 31. Nebraska > Female earnings as pct. of male: 78.8% (23rd lowest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 34.7% (5th lowest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 22.1% (14th highest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 22.4% (20th lowest) That women are less likely to be hired for upper-level and management positions, also known as the glass ceiling, appears to be a serious problem in Nebraska. Just 34.7% of all management positions in the state are held by women, the fifth lowest percentage in the country. Despite this problem, Nebraskas gender pay gap is not as severe as in some states. The typical female worker earns $36,834, or 78.8% of the median earnings for males in the state. 32. Pennsylvania > Female earnings as pct. of male: 78.9% (25th lowest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 40.0% (25th lowest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 8.9% (24th lowest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 18.2% (12th lowest) Women hold very few elected positions in Pennsylvanias government. The state has never had a female governor and none of its 20 congressional delegates are women. Furthermore, only 18% of the state legislature is female, one of the smaller shares of any state. With relatively few female politicians, Pennsylvania is not typically the site of major progressive legislation related to maternity. There are no mandated pregnancy accommodations or paid sick time or family leave for public or private sector employees in the Keystone State. 33. Michigan > Female earnings as pct. of male: 74.3% (9th lowest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 38.8% (19th lowest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 16.1% (19th highest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 20.9% (17th lowest) Women are more likely to stay employed when states mandate more flexible time off policies during and after pregnancy, and when they provide accommodations for parents with newborn children. Of the 14 major policies we reviewed related to maternity, Michigan is one of just nine states that does not impose requirements on public or private employers in any of these categories. 34. Kentucky > Female earnings as pct. of male: 82.0% (15th highest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 38.0% (12th lowest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 17% (17th highest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 16.7% (8th lowest) Womens interests are likely not fully represented by elected officials in Kentucky as less than 17% of the state legislature and none of the eight congressional delegates are female. Perhaps, not surprisingly, the state has some of the least progressive worker protections regarding pregnancy and family leave in the country. Kentucky women are also far more likely than those in other parts of the country to be financially insecure. More than one in four women in Kentucky live in poverty, one of the largest shares in the country. 35. Georgia > Female earnings as pct. of male: 80.7% (22nd highest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 40.2% (23rd highest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 29.7% (8th highest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 23.7% (22nd lowest) Georgia offers a state-funded pre-K program that makes it easier for women with young children to participate in the labor force. The program is a relative success as well over half of all four-year-olds are enrolled. There is room for improvement, however, as three-year-olds are not eligible for the program. Due to the size of its population, Georgia has one of the largest congressional delegations of any state. Despite its size, and the increased opportunity for gender diversity, none of the 16 congressmen that represent the Peach State on Capitol Hill are women. 36. Texas > Female earnings as pct. of male: 78.9% (25th highest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 37.9% (11th lowest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 27.6% (9th highest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 19.9% (14th lowest) Female representation in political office can be instrumental in advancing issues of gender equality. In Texas, however, only 7.9% of the states congressional representation is female, and less than one in four members of the state legislature are women. ALSO READ: The Most Dangerous Cars in America On the other hand, Texas is one of just seven states to have had more than one female governor in its history. Miriam Ma Ferguson, elected in November 1924, was the first in the state, and one of the first female governors in the nation. 37. Missouri > Female earnings as pct. of male: 77.9% (18th lowest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 40.9% (15th highest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 2.8% (15th lowest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 24.9% (25th highest) Over the nearly two centuries Missouri has been a state, it has never once elected a female governor. While many state governments have been headed exclusively by men, Missouri lags behind a majority of them in a number of measures related to gender equality. In addition to having some of the weakest worker protections regarding pregnancy and family leave in the country, both the gender wage gap and the share of women in poverty in Missouri are higher than the national figures. 38. Oklahoma > Female earnings as pct. of male: 73.2% (7th lowest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 35.3% (6th lowest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 37.4% (4th highest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 13.4% (3rd lowest) In 2011, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin became the first woman to hold the states highest office. Fallin is one of just six sitting female governors. On the whole, however, female representation in government in Oklahoma is lacking. Only 13.4% of state legislators are women, the third-lowest share in the country. Oklahoma is one of just 13 states with no female representatives in the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives. 39. Ohio > Female earnings as pct. of male: 74.7% (10th lowest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 38.3% (13th lowest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 3.5% (16th lowest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 25.0% (22nd highest) With a relatively large population, there is greater opportunity in Ohio for gender diversity among congressional delegates. Still only three of the states 18 congressional representatives are women. The gender pay gap in Ohio is worse than it is nationwide, and public sector workers are not immune. According to a 2014 investigation published by the Associated Press, women in Governor (and former Republican presidential candidate) John Kasichs administration earn nearly $10 an hour less than their male counterparts. 40. Virginia > Female earnings as pct. of male: 77.8% (17th lowest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 40.5% (21st highest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 8.9% (24th lowest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 17.1% (9th lowest) In Virginia, 36.9% of women have a bachelors degree, more than in all but six other states. But despite their higher educational attainment, women in the Old Dominion State experience some of the worst gender inequality in the country. Women comprise only 7.7% of the states congressional delegation and 17.1% of the state legislature, each among the lowest shares of any state. Women also comprise 56.5% of all state residents living below the poverty line, slightly more than is typical. 41. Kansas > Female earnings as pct. of male: 76.6% (15th lowest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 35.9% (7th lowest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 10.1% (25th highest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 24.8% (25th lowest) When women hold elected office, they are more likely to introduce legislation that helps marginalized groups. In Kansas, less than a quarter of the state legislature is comprised of women and only one of the six elected officials that represent the state on Capitol Hill is female. With few female lawmakers, Kansas does not offer some protections that are common elsewhere for women in the workforce. There are no major state mandated pregnancy accommodations and no paid family leave for either private or public sector employees. 42. Alabama > Female earnings as pct. of male: 76.1% (13th lowest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 38.7% (17th lowest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 6% (20th lowest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 14.3% (5th lowest) Alabama has one of the highest poverty rates in the country, and it is an even greater problem for women in the state. One in four women live in poverty, and they account for 56.5% of the states poor population. The states substantial wage gap is a significant contributing factor. The typical female worker in the state earns 76 cents for every dollar earned by her male counterpart. 43. Montana > Female earnings as pct. of male: 72.5% (6th lowest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 37.9% (11th lowest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 0% (the lowest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 31.3% (8th highest) By some measures, Montana has a history of giving women opportunities to influence public affairs. In 1914, several years before the 19th Amendment was passed, Montana became one of the first states in the country to give women the right to vote. Today, women account for more than 30% of the state legislature, a higher share than in most states. However, the state is behind by some other important measures of womens equality. For example, it is one of just eight to have no state-funded pre-K programs. 44. Indiana > Female earnings as pct. of male: 75.9% (12th lowest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 40.8% (17th highest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 0% (the lowest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 20.7% (16th lowest) State-funded day care programs are important as their presence means families are not forced to make tough decisions in balancing careers and child care. Indiana does not offer taxpayer-funded pre-K, however, and as a result, many parents with young children must either leave the workforce or incur the high cost of private daycare. Women are also less likely to hold elected office in Indiana than in most other states. In the 200 years since Indiana became a state, a woman has never once been elected governor. 45. North Dakota > Female earnings as pct. of male: 71.1% (5th lowest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 31.1% (2nd lowest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 0% (the lowest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 19.1% (13th lowest) One of the most important measures of womens equality in the workplace is their ability to be promoted to higher-paying roles. In North Dakota, just 31.1% of all management occupations are held by women, a smaller share than in any state except for South Dakota. North Dakota is one of just eight states with no pre-K funding, which can help young families save money on childcare, and makes it easier for mothers to return to work after having children. 46. South Dakota > Female earnings as pct. of male: 78.1% (20th lowest) > Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women: 29.3% (the lowest) > Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K: 0% (the lowest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 21.0% (18th lowest) There are eight states that provide no pre-K funding, and South Dakota is one of them. With no state-funded pre-K program, women with young children are less likely to be able to participate in the workforce, ultimately making them more likely to be financially dependent. ALSO READ: The Richest Countries in the World Those women who are working in the state earn considerably less than their male counterparts. The typical full-time salary among women in the state is only $33,268, well below the $42,605 salary of the typical male worker in South Dakota. 47. Utah > Female earnings as pct. of male: 71.1% (4th lowest) > Pct. of mgmt. jobs held by women: 34.5% (4th lowest) > Pct. of children enrolled in state pre-K: 0% (the lowest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 15.4% (7th lowest) Few states have a wider gender pay gap than Utah. The typical male worker in the state is paid $50,741, while his female counterpart earns $36,060, or nearly $15,000 less. The substantial gap between male and female earnings in Utah is likely due in part to unequal pay for the similar work. It can also potentially be attributed to the kinds of jobs women tend to hold in the state. If educational attainment is any indication, Utah women may be less represented in jobs that require a college degree, and are usually higher-paying. Just 29.3% of state women have a college education, compared to 34.4% of men in the state. 48. Idaho > Female earnings as pct. of male: 73.5% (8th lowest) > Pct. of mgmt. jobs held by women: 38.8% (19th lowest) > Pct. of children enrolled in state pre-K: 0% (the lowest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 27.6% (17th highest) The earnings gap between men and women in Idaho is one of the worst in the country. The typical male in the state working full time earns $43,264, while the typical working female earns only $31,808, the lowest median salary of any state except Mississippi. In addition to earning less, women are underrepresented in public office. All four of the states congressional delegates are men and a woman has never been elected governor of Idaho. 49. Wyoming > Female earnings as pct. of male: 64.4% (the lowest) > Pct. of mgmt. jobs held by women: 39.1% (21st lowest) > Pct. of children enrolled in state pre-K: 0% (the lowest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 13.3% (2nd lowest) In 1869, Wyoming became the first state in the country to grant womens suffrage, roughly five decades before Congress passed the 19th Amendment. Despite being a leader in this important milestone, conditions in Wyoming today are some of the least favorable for women. No state, for example, has a wider gender pay gap than Wyoming. The typical female worker earns $36,064, or just 64.4% of the $55,965 male median earnings in the state. 50. Mississippi > Female earnings as pct. of male: 75.7% (11th lowest) > Pct. of mgmt. jobs held by women: 38.4% (16th lowest) > Pct. of children enrolled in state pre-K: 2.2% (14th lowest) > Pct. legislative seats held by women: 17.2% (10th lowest) While poor economic conditions affect many Mississippi residents, women are more likely to be negatively affected. The typical salary among women working full time in Mississippi is $31,110, the lowest of any state in the country and equal to roughly $0.76 for each dollar earned by men in the state. The workplace in Mississippi, for both private and public sector jobs, is not especially accommodating for pregnant women or those with families, as Mississippi has not passed any significant legislation expanding on federal protections laid out in 1993s Family & Medical Leave Act. The lack of consideration for working women may be due in part to a lack of female leadership in state government. Only 17% of Mississippis legislature is female, one of the smallest such shares in the country. Methodology To determine the worst states for women, 24/7 Wall St. developed a methodology based on the Center for American Progress 2013 report, The State of Women in America. In its third year, our report utilized the same methodology as last year, making state rankings, and state improvements or declines relative to the 2015 report, directly comparable. We divided a range of variables into three major categories: economy, leadership, and health. Unless otherwise noted, all data are for 2015. Data in the economy category came from the U.S. Census Bureau and included male and female median earnings for full-time, year-round work as well as high school and bachelors educational attainment rates. The percent of children enrolled in state pre-kindergarten and state spending per child enrolled in pre-kindergarten came from the National Institute for Early Education Research. The leadership category included data on the percent of women in management occupations from the Census. It also included the share of state and federal legislators who are women from the National Conference of State Legislatures and the U.S. House of Representatives Archives, respectively. From the National Governors Association, we also looked at states that currently have female governors. Data on political representation are current as of this writing. The health section incorporated Census data on the percent of women who were uninsured. Female life expectancy came from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, an independent health research center affiliated with the University of Washington. Additionally, we looked at infant mortality rates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as maternal mortality rates from the National Womens Law Center. State policies relating to maternity leave, sick days, and time off came from the National Partnership for Women and Families. Data on a states decision to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act came from the Department of Health and Human Services. State rankings on each of these measures were averaged to determine a score for each category. Possible scores ranged from 1 (best) to 50 (worst). The three category scores were averaged to create an indexed value that furnished our final ranking. Related Articles you are here: live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Moneycontrol Research Iconic investor Warren Buffett, who for the long considered airlines as a death trap for investors, reportedly picked up stakes in four US carriers in the third quarter of 2016. Ever since the Sage of Omahas newfound love for airlines came to be known, Indian investors have piled into stocks from the sector. In the past one month, Jet Airways and SpiceJet have rallied 11.5 percent and 17 percent respectively, outperforming a 2.6 percent gain in the Nifty. Recent press reports indicate that GoAir would like to strike when the iron is hot the company is readying plans to go public and may want to ride the Buffett wave. So what has changed for the industry? A lot, according to Buffett. The value investor has seen quite a few fundamental factors turning positive in the space. Firstly, gains are coming from consolidation in the industry that has cooled capacity expansion. Secondly, airlines are turning profitable not only due to falling crude prices but also ancillary revenue from unbundled servicescharging for checked bags, seat upgrades, food and other things. Thirdly, Buffett is bullish on the US economy. The airline industry can only do well if the broader economy does well, which is something Buffett anticipates. Finally, while the exact acquisition cost of his airlines position isnt known, he nevertheless bought them relatively cheap when crude had already rallied from its lows. So is there wind beneath the wings for Indian carriers? If we follow Buffett, some of the fundamental factors support the Indian aviation sector too. There is no gainsaying that India remains an attractive market which has been growing at a healthy clip - passenger growth has remained above 20 percent for the 13th consecutive month.Like US markets where the top four carriers control 66.5 percent of the market, the Indian market too is virtually a four-player market the top four carriers have cornered close to 82.2 percent share.Ideally speaking, this should have translated into decent pricing power. However, yields (Measure of average fare paid per mile, per passenger) are falling due to hyper competition as nearly all airlines are reporting very decent Passenger load factor (capacity utilisation). Overall industry load factor is at a high of 88 percent. In Q3 FY17, Indigo, SpiceJet and Jet Airways have reported 16.5 percent, 10 percent and 3.5 percent yoy drop in yields. It is down 10 percent in January despite rise in crude prices and the strength of the US Dollar. Hence, despite the improvement in load factor, earnings of airline companies have weakened as they face the twin headwinds of softer yield and rising crude (fuel nearly 40 percent of costs). On the ancillary revenue front, while the growth at 14 percent in the last two years look healthy, its share at 14 percent is unlikely to move the needle in any meaningful way in the near future. The over-leveraged balance sheet of the industry is partly to blame as existing players fight it out to retain market share. Other than Interglobe Aviation (which operates market leader IndiGo), the other two listed entities namely SpiceJet and Jet Airways have high leverage and low-interest coverage ratio. The state-owned Air India has total debt of Rs 46,000 crore. So unless the vicious cycle of high leverage resulting in desperation to retain market share and hence lower yield is broken, financial performance will be contingent on windfalls like falling crude prices. Here, a debt recast at Air-India may be a useful first move. The fan followers of Buffett in India should keep a hawk eye on yields before turning fundamentally bullish on Indian airlines, and that holds true for GoAir as much as anyone else. business Gained mkt share in rail segment but lost in road: CONCOR Credit Suisse turns cautious on Container Corporation of India (CONCOR), and says the company is losing advantage in their top six terminals to the private sector. business Qatar Airways keen to launch a domestic airline: Jayant Sinha This will be the first of its kind airline venture in India that would be fully-owned by overseas entities. The proposal comes nearly nine months after the Indian government allowed 100 percent foreign direct investment in the airlines segment. Gujarat Minister Rohit Patel faced embarrassment when Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel disowned his comments made today in the Assembly about note ban, following which the Speaker expunged his comments from the records.Rohit Patel, who is the Minister of State (MoS) for Finance and Industry in the BJP government, expressed his views about demonetisation while answering BJP MLA Zankhana Patel's query about VAT income.Rohit Patel said he is in favour of further restrictions on high value notes. He also made some more comments on the issue, which were later removed from the records.Sensing the gravity of his minister's comments, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani asked him to stick to the point and give specific answer the question instead of elaborating on the note ban decision taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November last year.When Patel was answering some sub-questions raised by other members, Nitin Patel, who handles the Finance portfolio, interrupted him and told the House that whatever his junior minister has said was his personal opinion, not of that of the Gujarat government."Whatever views expressed by Patel were his own, not of Gujarat Government. It is the prerogative of Centre as well as Reserve Bank India to decide which currency notes should be banned. The state government does not have any say in it," Nitin Patel said.Taking a jibe at BJP government over the goof-up, Leader of Opposition Shankersinh Vaghela asked Nitin Patel to make sure that his junior minister comes inside the House after doing some "homework", so that the government can save itself from making clarifications later.Later, Speaker Ramanlal Vora expunged Rohit Patel's comments on notes ban from the records. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Moneycontrol Research Rarely does an initial public offering have everything going right for it. Either the fundamentals of the company are not good or the sector is going through a rough patch or the promoter group does not give investors confidence. Even if all these parameters are met then the issue price is too expensive, leaving very little on the table for the new investor. But Avenue Supermarts, which runs the D-Mart supermarket chain, has everything going for it. Its fundamentals are the best in class, the segment of retailing sector that its in is growing at a rapid pace. The biggest plus in the company are its promoters who have taken a pragmatic approach in charting its growth plan. Finally, the IPO hits the market at nearly the same valuations as that of its peers despite having exceptionally strong fundamentals and a brighter future. Background Avenue Supermarts (ASL), incorporated in May 2000, offers a wide range of products with a focus on foods (53 percent of revenue), non-foods FMCG (20 percent) and general merchandise & apparel (27 percent) product categories. These stores operate under the D-Mart brand. ASL operates 118 stores across 45 cities with retail business area of 3.59 million sq.ft, located in Maharashtra (59 stores), Gujarat (27), Telangana (13), Karnataka (7), Andhra Pradesh (4), Madhya Pradesh (3), Chhattisgarh (1) and NCR (1), Daman (1) and Rajasthan (2). Majority of its stores are in western India with the company having plans of expanding its stores in other parts of the country. ASL operates 118 stores with a retail business area of 3.57 million sq. ft. with plans of adding 0.5 million sq. ft. every year. Issue Details The Rs 1,870 crore IPO of ASL will be in the price range of Rs 295-299. The main aim of the issue is to repay debt of the company. Out of the proceeds of the issue Rs 1,080 crore will be utilised to retire debt and Rs 366.60 crore will be used for construction and purchase of fit-outs of new stores. The remaining funds will be for general corporate purpose. The Differentiator Unlike its peers in the industry ASL operates largely on an ownership model with nearly 90 percent of the stores being owned. On the other sites it enters on a long-term lease arrangements for a period of 30 years. Its new store addition follows a pattern. ASL opens stores using a cluster approach which focusses on having sites close to each other for efficient supply chain. Unlike other players D-Marts are found in densely-populated residential areas with a majority of lower-middle, middle and aspiring upper middle class consumers. Its 21 distribution centers and 6 packing centers forms the backbone of its supply chain. Rather than offering discounts, ASLs business model is based on the concept of offering value retailing to their customers using the Every Day Low Cost/ Every Day Low Price (EDLC/EDLP) strategy. The company ensures low cost products for its customers by keeping its procurement and operations costs low. The company also benefits from lower fixed costs as it does not have to bother about rentals. The majority of products stocked by the company are everyday products forming a part of basic rather than discretionary spending. This ensures frequent churning of products and is not affected by seasonality or macro-economic conditions. Financial Performance ASLs expansion of store count has come without any stress to the balance sheet. From 1 store in 2002 to 118 presently the company has a debt to equity ratio of only 0.74, with the peak being in FY16 of 0.79. The companys success of its EDLC/EDLP can be judged from its inventory turnover ratio which stands at over 14 times, signifying that its inventory is churned in every 26 days compared to between 50-60 days in the industry. The company has managed to keep its logistics engine well-oiled and its suppliers happy. Average payable days stand at only 8 days with an industry average of anywhere between 80-100 days. Its branches continue to grow every year as measured by Like for Like (LFL) growth of 21.5 percent. Revenue from sales per retail business area in sq. ft. has also increased from Rs 15,324 in FY12 to Rs 28,136 in FY16. Total number of bills cut has also gone up from 31.8 million in FY12 to 84.7 in FY16 and 80.1 in the nine months of current fiscal. As a result the companys revenue has increased from Rs 2,210 crore in FY12 to Rs 8,590 crore in FY16, a robust 40.4 percent CAGR. Profit on the other hand has grown at a faster pace of 51.6 percent thanks mainly to an improvement in its operating margin from 6.2 percent in FY12 to 8.8 percent presently. The key financial parameters of Return on Net worth and Return on Capital Employed are both above 22 percent, nearly twice the industry average. Valuation ASLs IPO at the upper end of Rs 299 per share values the company at a price to earnings of 39 times. Though prima facie the valuation may look expensive, it is in line with other players in the industry. Being the most efficient and financially strong company, ASL is likely to command a premium over the industry when it is listed. As proceeds of the IPO are to be used to retire most of its existing debt, the interest cost saving will reflect in the bottomline. In the first nine months the company had an interest outgo of Rs 90.7 crore on a borrowing of Rs 1,371 crore. Its interest cost is nearly 15 percent of a profit before tax of Rs 606.3 crore in the nine months of the current fiscal, a big chunk of which can get added if a major portion of debt is retired. Future Prospects The business model followed in making D-Mart stores successful is difficult to follow for other established players in the industry, primarily because the companies have already invested heavily in infrastructure and changing their business line will be difficult. But more importantly it would need a culture change in these organisations to be as nimble footed as ASL. As for the threat from e-commerce, ASL is on a strong footing as compared to other players in the sector, given its EDLC/EDLP (everyday low cost/everyday low price) model. E-commerce companies find it difficult to compete in basic products of daily consumption but are happy competing in the high-margin discretionary space of garments, fashion ware, watches and furniture. Conclusion ASL is a good IPO to apply for, though given the rush that the issue is likely to see and the strong premium in the kerb market, one has to be lucky to get an allotment. Multi-stage assembly elections in five Indian states Uttar Pradesh (UP), Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa, and Manipur ended on Wednesday. Markets are eagerly awaiting the results to be declared on March 11 and the exit polls have only whetted their appetite for the actual numbers. The investor community by and large has been quite positive on quite a few big, bold and fundamental reforms have happened in India. The subsidy reform and anti-corruption drive have struck the right chord with investors. While the government is viewed as a strong and reformist one, the Street has largely reconciled with the reality that these are fundamental reforms and it will take time for the results to manifest, and Mr Modi needs another term as Prime Minister to carry forward the work, else all of it could be unwound quite quickly. Hence, in that context, the UP election results assume importance as the contest is seen as a midterm referendum on Modis policies. The five states put together account for 20 percent of Lok Sabha seats. Whats the expectation? The exit polls predict significant gains for BJP in UP and formation of government cant be ruled out. Most polls suggest that BJP will defeat the incumbents in the state of Uttarakhand. In Goa, several polls expect the BJP to emerge as the largest party, but differ on whether it can win a majority of seats. The forecast for Punjab is clearly a defeat for the ruling NDA coalition and a close contest between Congress and AAP. In Manipur, the BJP looks like having an edge. This should be music to the ears of the markets. However, if past experience is any guide, exit polls are at best a good indicator of the trend. Hence, if we follow the trend on UP, it wouldnt be an overestimation to expect that BJP might emerge as a single largest party. Even if it doesnt cross the 50 percent seat mark, such an outcome is unlikely to rattle the markets beyond a day. Suppose the exit polls go completely wrong for UP. The worst outcome of the election for the markets would be if BJP emerges as the second-largest party. The markets fear that such an outcome could embolden and unify the opposition, and could, to an extent, increase the possibility of more populist polices in the run-up to the 2019 general election. Memory is short-lived Markets have witnessed accurate and not-so-accurate exit polls in the past. However, in each of these occasions, the ultimate reaction of the markets hasnt been too dissimilar. Markets witnessed similar high decibel assembly elections in 2015 as well. The first one was the Delhi Assembly Election in February 2015 that saw a landslide victory for AAP, the upstart challenger, much to the BJPs embarrassment. The result was unexpected as the exit polls predicted a close call. The markets digested the result with minor hiccups with the index barely remembering the outcome for three trading sessions. The Bihar assembly election that was held in November 2015 (almost one and a half years after the formation of the NDA government at the Centre) was also viewed as a verdict on the Governments initial performance and got disproportionate attention. Here again, the exit poll was a close call between the challenger Mahagatbandhan and NDA, and the final result was clearly a disappointment for the BJP (with 58 seats) as they bagged lower seats than even the most pessimistic polls had predicted. Markets opened 2.1 percent lower after the result, but staged a smart intra-day recovery and lost 0.5 percent on the first trading day post-election. While the Index gyrated for couple of days more, the event, on expected lines, was forgotten beyond two trading sessions. With the fundamental interest in India at a decent high, any correction will be bought by smart money waiting on the sidelines. So this too shall pass! (Adds comments from Mexico's Electricity Commission, paragraphs 9, 10) By Marianna Parraga HOUSTON, March 9 (Reuters) - A pipeline network with spare capacity could allow Mexico to export oil and gas from its flagship offshore Trion project to the United States, the head of Mexico's oil regulator said on Thursday. The deep water Trion development, with prospective reserves of almost 500 million barrels of oil, was farmed out in December by state-run Pemex to Australia's BHP Billiton , which became the operator of the $11 billion project. The ailing Mexican oil company, which kept a 40-percent stake, jointly shares for the first time the risks and rewards of a potentially lucrative project with a private producer. Although a development plan has yet to be submitted, the consortium could use a cheaper and quicker option of getting production to the United States by using pipelines that serve the neighboring Great White field on the U.S. side of the Gulf of Mexico, Juan Carlos Zepeda, head of the national hydrocarbons commission (CNH), said on the sidelines of CERAWeek energy conference in Houston. The Great White field, operated by Royal Dutch Shell Plc , BP Plc and Chevron Corp, is producing around 70,000 barrels per day (bpd), leaving 50 percent available capacity in a crude line and a gas line connected to the United States, Zepeda said. "There are only 39 kilometers (24 miles) from the Trion field to the Great White's facilities," Zepeda told Reuters, noting that building a pipeline to Mexico's shore would be more expensive and time consuming. The pipelines from Great White field on the U.S. side of the Perdido Fold Belt, the world's second-deepest oil and gas production hub, are operated by U.S.-based Williams Cos as part of its 1,370-mile (2,200-km) network of gas and crude lines in the Gulf of Mexico. Other options for Trion production include building pipelines to the nearest ports, most likely Mexico's Tampico or Brownsville in Texas, or setting up a Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facility. Story continues A prominent Latin American crude exporter, Mexico is also a gas importer, so Trion could help the country reduce imports. In the meantime, Mexico's gas imports are expected to reach 5 billion cubic feet (BCF) per day soon, from around 4 BCF per day in recent months, said the CEO of Mexico's Electricity Commission, Jaime Hernandez. Another block awarded by Mexico to China's state-controlled offshore oil producer CNOOC, which in December gained a foothold in Mexico's deepwater, is even closer to Great White. "The (Pemex and BHP) consortium must submit an appraisal in the coming 180 days, including test wells, to confirm the field's extension and then a development plan must also be submitted," Zepeda said. Early production of light crude from Trion is expected for 2023, Pemex's director Jose Antonio Gonzalez Anaya said earlier this week in Houston. "For Pemex this is historic deal. For 80 years, Pemex never had a partner with whom to share risks or equity," he said. The project had been put aside in early 2016 due to the company's budget cuts and resumed nine months later as part of Mexico's long-waited oil reform. MORE LICENSES COMING The CNH, which oversees contracts and runs oil auctions in Mexico, is offering 15 blocks for exploration and production in shallow water under profit sharing agreements and 26 onshore blocks under licenses, with results expected in June and July. A new deep water bidding round in the coming months is expected to offer blocks mostly in the same basins of Perdido and Salina. As in previous offshore auctions, licenses will be offered by the government to operate these blocks, Zepeda detailed. The last bidding round in the short term will be the first for so-called unconventional resources. Onshore blocks with shale oil and shale gas reserves close to the Eagle Ford basin in Texas will be offered, as well as areas in the Tampico Misantla formation, which is estimated to hold some 35 billion barrels of oil, mostly in shale rock. (Reporting by Marianna Parraga in Houston. Additional reporting by David Alire in Mexico City; Editing by Marguerita Choy and David Gregorio) 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, Rabbis installation at Keneseth Israel will get a boost of student creativity FILE - In this June 12, 2017 file photo, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson speaks with with residents of Chicago. Superintendent Johnson visited New York to learn how it has achieved success in fighting crime. Johnson came home with ideas aimed at increasing community trust by using technology to get Chicago police officers out of their squad cars and putting new cadets in neighborhoods to walk the streets. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford, File) FILE - In this June 12, 2017 file photo, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson speaks with with residents of Chicago. Superintendent Johnson visited New York to learn how it has achieved success in fighting crime. Johnson came home with ideas aimed at increasing community trust by using technology to get Chicago police officers out of their squad cars and putting new cadets in neighborhoods to walk the streets. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford, File) CHICAGO (AP) Even before President Donald Trump tweeted a threat to send "in the Feds" to curb Chicago's gun violence, he was saying on the campaign trail that there was a simple solution to the bloodshed: police should get tougher. Chicago should follow the lead of New York City, Trump's administration has said, and crack down on even the smallest offenses. It turns out Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson visited the New York Police Department weeks before the Trump administration advice. But what he gleaned from a city that has achieved long term success in fighting crime was more nuanced than a Trump-inspired police crackdown. Johnson came home with ideas aimed at increasing community trust by using technology to get Chicago police officers out of their squad cars, and putting new cadets in neighborhoods to walk the streets and talk to locals. "We are only as strong as the faith the community has in us," Johnson said. Gaining that community trust will be a tall order in a city suffering from a toxic brew of rising violent crime in some of its poorest neighborhoods along with anger at police after the release in 2015 of a video showing a white police officer shooting black teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times. That lack of faith has had grave consequences in Chicago where many people living in high-crime neighborhoods are reluctant to help police solve them. While the number of homicides surged to the highest in nearly two decades last year at 762, the percentage of those murders solved by police fell ten points to 26 percent, according to a University of Chicago Crime Lab study. In New York, police solve about 70 percent of homicides. "We need them (witnesses) to come forward and give us the information so we can put these bad guys in jail," Johnson said. In one example of Chicago's dilemma, the police department is struggling to draft a new policy on the use of force. An October proposal prompted concern from the police union that the restrictions were so tight officers would put themselves in danger to comply. A new draft released Tuesday would give police more latitude in deciding when to fire their weapons, which pleased the police union but prompted concern from community activists about excessive force. Story continues All this is a sharp contrast with New York, where the NYPD during the 1990s turned to the "broken windows" policing strategy of cracking down on minor offenses championed by then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani. That policy helped drive the number of homicides down in one decade from more than 2,200 a year to fewer than 700. Since then, the number of homicides in New York has continued to decline. In January the police department announced that there had been a near record low 335 homicide in 2016 less than half the tally in Chicago, which has less than half the population. And New York has done this with a lighter policing touch. The NYPD has been making a targeted effort to repair damaged relationships with minority communities. Use of the "stop-and-frisk" tactic that disproportionally affected black and Hispanic men has plummeted in the past three years. Low-level possession of marijuana is now considered a ticketable offense, and overall arrests dropped 20 percent in 2016 from the year before. Since his visit to New York, Johnson has begun applying what he learned about community policing with some encouraging results. In New York, the department started giving officers smartphones that are equipped with policing apps linked to federal and state databases. Statistics show the officers are relying on those phones more and more. In Chicago, those phones are part of a strategy that includes sensors installed around neighborhoods that alert officers immediately where and when a gun is fired and a computer system that takes information about arrests, 911 calls, gang activity and other data and predicts where violent crime might occur. That gives officers instant access to information both when they are in their squad cars and out on the street. This is significant because there has been a growing concern that as officers become more dependent on technology, they are more reluctant to get out of their squad cars. "You are never going to get the community to like you or trust you if all you did was race by at 30 mph and get out of your cars only to jack somebody up," said Jim Bueermann, president of the Police Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based research organization. "It is absolutely important to get them (officers) out of their cars." In two of Chicago's most violent police districts where the technology was introduced last month, the number of shootings dropped dramatically compared to February 2016 60 percent in one and 40 percent in the other. Johnson was also impressed with how rookie officers in New York are assigned to more experienced mentors around the city. Trainees are pulled from the academy to spend a week at a precinct house, in a patrol car and then walk the beat over a nine-week period. The goal is to get those officers into the community to meet people and learn how to interact with them. "Police officers are giving their cellphone numbers and email addresses to residents so that they can have a constant dialogue," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said after a speech in Chicago on March 3. "Arrest is the last resort, not the first one," he said. Johnson liked that strategy so much that he will begin putting cadets from the training academy into communities this year. When they return to the academy, the hope is that the cadets will be better versed on the neighborhoods and their residents. ___ Eds: Corrects paragraph 10 to show that New York police said the number of homicides last year was a near-record low 335, not a record low. March 09, 2017 Snake-Oil Alert - Encryption Does Not Prevent Mass-Snooping The WikiLeaks stash of CIA hacking documents shows tools used by the CIA to hack individual cell-phones and devices. There are no documents yet that suggest mass snooping efforts on a very large scale. Unlike the NSA which has a "collect it all" attitude towards internet traffic and content the CIA seems to be more interested in individual hacking. This suggests that the CIA can not decipher the modern encrypted communication it adversaries use. It therefore has to attack their individual devices. But it does not mean that the CIA can not engage in mass snooping. The New York Times description is wrong: Some technical experts pointed out that while the documents suggest that the C.I.A. might be able to compromise individual smartphones, there was no evidence that the agency could break the encryption that many phone and messaging apps use. If the C.I.A. or the National Security Agency could routinely break the encryption used on such apps as Signal, Confide, Telegram and WhatsApp, then the government might be able to intercept such communications on a large scale and search for names or keywords of interest. But nothing in the leaked C.I.A. documents suggests that is possible. Instead, the documents indicate that because of encryption, the agency must target an individual phone and then can intercept only the calls and messages that pass through that phone. Instead of casting a net for a big catch, in other words, C.I.A. spies essentially cast a single fishing line at a specific target, and do not try to troll an entire population. The difference between wholesale surveillance and targeted surveillance is huge, said Dan Guido, a director at Hack/Secure, a cybersecurity investment firm. Instead of sifting through a sea of information, theyre forced to look at devices one at a time. Snake-oil alert: Right diagnosis, wrong conclusion and therapy. If the CIA breaks into an individual Samsung Galaxy 7 it can record what is typed on the screen, and whatever gets transferred via the microphone, camera and loudspeaker. No encryption can protect against that. But why should the CIA break into only one Galaxy 7? It is wrong to conclude that the CIA can therefore not "intercept such communications on a large scale". It can. Easily. If you can break into one individual Samsung Galaxy 7 you can break into all of them. This can be automated. The CIA also breaks into internet routers and network infrastructure systems. By watching the network traffic flowing by the CIA (and NSA) systems can "see" who uses encrypted communication. They can then launch programs to silently take over the communicating devices. Then the communication can be recorded from the devices and read in the clear. There is nothing at all that prohibits this to take place on a massive scale. The reaction to the Snowden leaks about gigantic NSA snooping on internet lines led to an increased use of encryption. Suddenly everyone used HTTPS for web traffic and the user numbers of Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp and other encrypting communication applications exploded. But encrypted traffic still sticks out. One can detect an encrypted skype call by watching the network traffic on this or that telecom network. One can detect what kind of end-devices are taking part in a specific call. With a library of attack tools for each of the usual end-devices (Iphone, Android, Windows, Mac) the involved end-devices can be silently captured and the call can be recorded without encryption. The Times writes: "Instead of casting a net for a big catch, in other words, C.I.A. spies essentially cast a single fishing line at a specific target, and do not try to troll an entire population." It is right in one sense. There is not one central point in the river of traffic where one casts the net. But it is wrong in to conclude that the CIA or other services would then use "a single fishing line". What hinders them from using hundreds of fishing lines? Thousands? Hundred-thousands? Wide use on encryption simply moves the snooping efforts from the networks towards the end-devices. It might be a little more expensive to snoop on hundred-thousands of end-devices than on a few network backbones but budget or manpower restriction are not a problem the NSA and CIA have had in recent decades. To tell users that it encryption really restricts the CIA and NSA is nonsense. Indeed it is irresponsible. The sellers of encryption are peddling snake-oil. The dude from "a cybersecurity investment firm" the Times quotes is just selling his rancid wares. Your neighbor snoops on your open WLAN traffic? Yes, chat encryption might prevent him from copying your session with that hot Brazilian boy or girl. But it does not prevent professionals from reading it. For that you would need secure devices on both ends of the communication. Good luck finding such. Posted by b on March 9, 2017 at 19:28 UTC | Permalink Comments The following mug shots are taken from the top bond amounts from the week of Feb. 12-18: Charles Edward Hallyburton Jr., 52, of 3791 Bennett Road, in Morganton, was charged with four counts of misdemeanor failure to appear. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $150,000 secured bond. His trial date was set for March 20. David William Pope, 62, of 6570 Camp Meeting Road, in Connelly Springs, was charged with felony trafficking methamphetamine. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $75,000 secured bond. His trial date was set for March 20. Harvey Jerome Jenkins Jr., 36, of 605 King Arthur Drive, in Gastonia, was charged with five felony counts of trafficking heroin, five felony counts of sell or deliver a schedule I controlled substance, three felony counts of possession of a schedule I controlled substance with intent to manufacture sell or deliver, three felony counts of manufacturing a schedule I controlled substance, two felony counts of sell or deliver a schedule II controlled substance and one felony count each of possession of a schedule II controlled substance with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver, manufacturing a schedule II controlled substance and maintaining a dwelling, vehicle or place for drugs or controlled substances . He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $50,000 secured bond. Amanda Dawn Silver, 30, of 4191 Norman Caraway Drive, in Morganton, was charged with two counts of misdemeanor probation violation. She was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $50,000 secured bond. Her trial date was set for March 20. David Allen Pearson, 47, of 2670 Mount Home Church Road, in Morganton, was charged with felony possession of a weapon by a felon and habitual felon. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $50,000 secured bond. His trial date was set for March 20. Ashley Renee Day, 26, of 1940 Colridge Court, in Connelly Springs, was charged with one felony count each of breaking and entering into an auto, trailer, boat, aircraft or watercraft, motor vehicle theft and possession of stolen goods and one count of misdemeanor larceny by trick. She was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $40,000 secured bond. Dustin Rick Durham, 31, of 5000 Silver Creek Church Road B, in Morganton, was charged with one count each of felony possession of a schedule II controlled substance, misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia and probation violation. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $30,000 secured bond. His trial date was set for March 20. Sammy Lee Hensley Jr., 27, of 4388 Silver Creek Church Road, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor probation violation and failure to appear. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $26,000 secured bond. His trial date was set for March 20. Joseph Michael Hallyburton Jr., 32, of 475 Bryant Road, in Morganton, was charged with one felony count each of possession of a schedule II controlled substance, habitual felon and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $25,000 secured bond. His trial date was set for March 20. Jesse James Carswell, 37, of 1208 Cypress Blvd. 101-A, In Virginia Beach, Virginia, was charged with felony embezzlement of property by office or employment. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $25,000 secured bond. His trial date was set for March 20. David Loransa Young II, 27, of 4295 South Fork Ave., in Hickory, was charged with misdemeanor probation violation. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $25,000 secured bond. His trial date was set for March 20. The following mug shots are taken from the top bond amounts from the week of Feb. 19-25: Refugio Antonio Reyes, 51, of 119 Myrtle St., C, in Morganton, was charged with three felony counts of indecent liberties with children. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $75,000 secured bond. His trial date was set for April 3. Michael Terrell Perkins, 35, of 475 Bryant Road, Lot 5, in Morganton, was charged with one felony count each of possession of a schedule II controlled substance with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver, trafficking cocaine and one misdemeanor count each of possession of a schedule VI controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $50,000 secured bond. Jordan Alexzander Rivera, 25, of 232 10th Ave. SE, in Hickory, was charged with felony first or second-degree burglary. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $50,000 secured bond. Justin Wayne Singleton, 28, of 3206 Windy Hill Drive, Lot 3, in Valdese, was charged with one felony count each of possession of a schedule II controlled substance and probation violation and one misdemeanor count each of possession of drug paraphernalia and probation violation. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $49,000 secured bond. His trial date was set for April 3. Joseph Stephens Kaveh, 23, of 106 Burke Drive, in Morganton, was charged with five counts of felony trafficking LSD and three felony counts of sell or deliver a controlled substance. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $45,000 secured bond. Kevion Rashad Corpening, 22, of 3898 NC Highway 126, in Morganton, was charged with one felony count each of breaking and entering into autos, trailers, boats, aircrafts or watercrafts and larceny of a firearm and one misdemeanor count of larceny of property; receiving or possession of stolen goods. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $35,000 secured bond. Amy Lynn Penley, 44, of 7903 Old NC Highway 10, Lot 5, in Hickory, was charged with felony possession of methamphetamines and one misdemeanor count each of driving while impaired, possession of drug paraphernalia and probation violation. She was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $35,000 secured bond. Johnathon Andrew Mayfield, 31, of 2009 Laurel St., Lot 3, in Valdese, was charged with four counts of felony forgery-uttering and one felony count each of obtaining property by false pretense and identity theft. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $30,000 secured bond. Ronnie Darnell Smith, 57, of 370 11th Ave. NE, Unit A, in Hickory, was charged with felony habitual felon. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $25,000 secured bond. Bradley Neal Robinson, 34, of 139 Walker Road, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor failure to appear. He was issued a $25,000 secured bond and released. His trial date was set for April 3. Short of ISA ideas? This week as part of our Guide to ISA Investing we reveal the top rated and top performing stock and fund ideas as well as sharing where the experts stash their cash, the latest news from the 2017 Budget Report and how to reduce your tax bill. Looking for ISA investment ideas? Who better to take your cue from than the professional fund pickers? Using the Morningstar X-Ray Tool, we took a look under the hood of six of the biggest and best fund-of-funds in the business. We compared the underlying holdings of F&C MM Navigator Progressive, managed by Gary Potter and Rob Burdett, Fidelity Multi-Asset Income, managed by Eugene Philalithis and Nick Peters, Jupiter Merlin Balanced and Jupiter Merlin Income, run by John Chatfeild-Roberts team, Old Mutual Managed and Schroder MM Diversity. The top 10 holdings across all six funds are listed below, with Morningstar analyst views where applicable. Schroder Special Situations Sterling Liquidity Plus This institutional fund is not available to UK private investors. It invests in financial bonds, with holdings including gilts, and corporate debt issued by Lloyds Bank, UBS and ABN Amro. It is listed in Luxemburg and is the largest holding across the portfolios at 4%. Despite this being the largest allocation across all the fund-of-funds it is only held by one manager, Marcus Brookes of Schroder MM Diversity. Brookes has a huge 23% in Special Situations Sterling Liquidity Plus. This is the second most popular fund, with a 3.9% allocation across the six portfolios. It is held in both Jupiter Merlin portfolios. Chatfeild-Roberts and his team were earlier backers of the Evenlode Income fund, significantly swelling assets under management when they first invested in 2014. Evenlode is invested in UK listed dividend-paying stocks, managed by Hugh Yarrow, formerly of Rathbones, and has a five-star performance rating. Yarrow recently told Morningstar that investors should be wary of businesses growing their dividends through cheap debt. The third most popular fund, with a 2.8% allocation across the group is held by Jupiter Merlin Balanced and F&C MM Navigator Progressive. Another top performing fund, this receives a five-star performance rating. It also ranks highly in Morningstars sustainability rating, with four globes. The fund, run by Charles Park and James Findlay aims to achieve a return above the performance of the Russell 1000 Index. Its largest holdings are technology stocks and financial services companies. This Bronze Rated, five-star fund makes up 2.7% of the group holdings and is in the portfolios of both Jupiter Merlin funds. The Fundsmith Equity fund remains an attractive choice for investors seeking global equity exposure, says Morningstar analyst Muna Abu-Habsa. Terry Smith launched the fund in Nov 2010 on the back of the success he achieved as an investment advisor to the Tullett Prebon pension fund; over his tenure the fund has moved from a deficit to a surplus, she explains. Smith is a well-known personality, having headed up a number of FTSE companies, and he is an original thinker, often demonstrating his willingness to bet against the crowd. This Bronze Rated, five-star fund makes up 2.5% of the group holdings. This is a solid quant-led offering for investors seeking exposure to North American equity, says fund analyst Fatima Zhizou. The funds poor performance during the financial crisis not only led to analyst departures but also to a change in its process in 2009. But we now consider this team to be sufficiently resourced and we are particularly encouraged with recent years stability in the core portfolio management team. This Neutral Rated fund makes up 2.2% of the group holdings. The 18 months to the end of November 2016 were challenging for this higher-yielding UK equity-income fund, but we continue to have conviction in its long-term prospects, say Morningstar fund analysts, who downgraded the fund following a period of flux and underperformance. This Silver Rated fund is held by both Jupiter Merlin portfolios, with a 2.1% allocation across the six fund-of-fund portfolios we put under X-Ray. The approach is best described as high-conviction, long-term, and contrarian in nature, and it sees manager Neil Woodford combine his macro views with bottom-up stock selection. Fund analyst Peter Brunt says Morningstars confidence is growing in this fund. He continues: It is managed by one of the most talented fund managers in the equity income sector, and, after some initial teething problems, we are reassured to see a period of increased stability at Woodford Investment Management. This Bronze Rated fund is held by both Jupiter Merlin portfolios, with a 1.9% allocation across the six fund-of-fund portfolios we put under X-Ray. Brunt says this fund is a solid offering for investors seeking a UK equity-income fund with a contrarian value approach. The nature of the fund's approach can result in periods of underperformance, but manager Ben Whitmore has proved his ability to add value over the long term. This Silver Rated fund also has a five-star performance rating. Fund analyst Brunt says this too is a ompelling offering for investors looking for a value-biased larger-cap UK fund. It is also managed by Whitmore, whose approach reflects his genuinely contrarian and value-oriented investment philosophy. He uses quantitative screens to identify companies that have attractive characteristics based on two key metrics: Graham-Dodd P/E ratio and a Greenblatt screen that ranks companies based on their earnings yield and return on capital. Qualifying stocks are then subject to fundamental analysis before being added to the portfolio, which is unconstrained relative to the FTSE All-Share benchmark. This fund aims to achieve a return in excess of the benchmark by exploiting a wide range of investment opportunities in, amongst others, the fixed income and currency markets, using derivative strategies where appropriate Gautam Gupta, a finance manager from London, has been investing for around fifteen years. He says: I started looking at ways to invest my spare cash when I began my second job, in London, in 2001. I started off investing in property and individual shares. I enjoyed researching and reading up about individual companies. The main advantage of an ISA is the savings on capital gains tax Despite some strong gains, Gupta says that, over time, this strategy became unsustainable, admitting: It is very time-consuming to keep on top of all the information for a large number of companies. As a result, he switched some of his holdings into mutual funds instead. I found it easier to invest in these funds, but a few years down the line I became more aware of the higher charges on some of these funds, he added The fees he was being charged became more apparent to Gupta following the Retail Distribution Review, a regulatory initiative which forced asset managers, financial advisors and platforms to become more transparent about charges. In some ways my investment strategy has come full circle. I do still invest in some mutual funds, but tend to favour company shares, investment trusts and ETFs, where the charges are more competitive, he says. Gupta uses his annual ISA allowance and also has a few pensions. The main advantage of an ISA is the savings on capital gains tax. But in most cases my investments are not anywhere near the CGT threshold, he added. Which Stocks Have Delivered? Over the years Guptas investments have produced mixed returns. One of his better investments has been in BAE Systems (BA.). In fact, he has very recently taken profits from this stock. Over the past few years he also describes Vodafone (VOD) as a solid performer in his portfolio. BAE Systems has a two-star valuation rating from Morningstar meaning analysts consider it to be overvalued. The stock has risen in value by 20% over three years. It is up by 33% in the last year alone, according to Morningstar, comfortably beating the returns on the FTSE 100, which itself has had a buoyant 12 months. Jeffrey Vonk, equity analyst at Morningstar points out that BAE, one of the worlds largest defence contractors, has had a bumper year, with results ahead of expectations. However, he said that the companys shares still look overvalued at current levels, despite an expectation that many countries, including the US, will increase defence spending. Vodafone, has seen its share price slip marginally over the past 12 months, but it has been a steadier performer over five and 10 years. Morningstar equity analysts say that recent price falls mean the company is trading below its fair value estimate of 2.40 per share. The company has a narrow moat, meaning it has some protection from competitors moving into its market. Analysts point out that in recent years Vodafone has gone through a transitional period, going from worlds largest mobile-only telecom firms to a diversified operator, offering converged mobile and fixed-line services in most of its developed markets. This it said should put it in a better position to grow in future. Which Stocks Have Not Delivered? Gupta admits not all of his investments have been as profitable: There have been a few shares that were good for a long time, and produced decent returns, but then all these gains were lost. He says probably the worse example of this was Tanfield Group (TAN), an AIM-listed investment company. Back in 2007 shares in this company were rocketed to peak of 10.17 according to Morningstar data. Gupta said the shares starting sliding from this point: Rather than sell out I held on, hoping that these shares would come good again. I even invested more via a new rights issue. But it turned into quite a horror story. In July 2008, after complaints from analysts about poor standards of disclosure and weak financial controls, the share price plunged from 3.70 to 60p. Today shares in the company are trading at just 14p. Gupta says: I lost around 99% of the money Id invested in this company. It certainly had a big influence on how I subsequently invested my money. But although Gupta is more cautious as a result of this experience, this does not mean he is shying away from smaller company investments. In fact, he says this is where he think the best gains are to be made at present. At the moment many assets look very expensive both in the bond and equity markets. Im taking profits from bigger blue chip shares, but I think its quite hard to find good investment opportunities in the UK. Im on the look out for smaller company investment trusts with potential, but many look over-priced at present, he said. Overseas Investment Opportunities Gupta is looking for investment opportunities overseas, saying: At the moment Im actively putting my money into a couple of investment trusts that invest in India. He points out the Indian stock market has been steadily increasing in value over the past few years, and the rupee has appreciated against other currencies. The two trusts he invested in are the Aberdeen New India Investment Trust (ANII) and the India Capital Growth fund (IGC). These are both pretty small trusts, he says. But returns to date have been encouraging. The Aberdeen trust has a four-star performance rating from Morningstar, while the India Capital Growth fund has a three-star rating. Both funds have also been trading on substantial discounts, offering opportunities for investors like Gupta. He adds: These are long term holdings. I am confident as the Indian stock market continues to develop they should provide reasonable returns. Samsung Group chief, Jay Y. Lee arrives at the office of the independent counsel team in Seoul, South Korea, February 19, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji By Suyeong Lee SEOUL (Reuters) - The head of South Korea's Samsung Group, Jay Y. Lee, denies all charges against him, his lawyer said on Thursday, at the start of what the special prosecutor said could be the "trial of the century" amid a political scandal that has rocked the country. Lee has been charged with bribery, embezzlement and other offences in a corruption scandal that has already led to the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye. Lee, who is being detained at Seoul Detention Centre, did not attend court. A defendant does not have to turn up during a preparatory hearing, held to organize evidence and set dates for witness testimony. The date of the next hearing will be decided next week. Lee's defense denied all charges against him on his behalf, saying that the special prosecution's indictment cites conversations, evidence or witnesses the prosecution did not actually hear, investigate or interview according to the rules - or states opinions that are not facts. "It is unclear what kind of order Lee Jae-yong is supposed to have given," Song Wu-cheol, defending Lee, told the court, using his Korean name. "The indictment cannot have statements that can create prejudices in the court about the case," Song told reporters as he left court. The Samsung Group has repeatedly denied wrongdoing. Among the charges against Lee, 48, are pledging bribes to a company and organizations linked to a friend of President Park, Choi Soon-sil, the woman at the center of the scandal, to cement his control of the smartphones-to-biopharmaceuticals business empire. Lawyers for defendants being tried with Lee - former Samsung Group Vice Chairman Choi Gee-sung, former Samsung Group President Chang Choong-ki and former Samsung Electronics President Park Sang-jin - also denied all charges. The courtroom, seating more than 150, was packed with press and spectators with some who had waited in line since morning to get a seat. At one point during the hearing, which lasted about an hour, an elderly woman in the audience began yelling and was dragged out by court officers. It was unclear what she was saying. Story continues Legislation appointing the special prosecutor states that the current lower court trial should be finished within three months of the indictment on Feb. 28. "We are preparing hard, thinking that the upcoming Samsung trial ... could be the trial of the century that the entire world will be watching," special prosecutor Park Young-soo told reporters last week. President Park, daughter of a former military strongman, has had her powers suspended since her impeachment by parliament in December. Should the Constitutional Court uphold the impeachment, she would become the country's first democratically elected president to be thrown out of office. A decision is due on Friday. (Reporting by Suyeong Lee; Writing by Joyce Lee; Editing by Nick Macfie) NAR Looks at Generational Buying Patterns With the decades of attention the Baby Boomers got vis-a-vis their homebuying habits, and all the worry about the same lavished on Millennials for the last few years, the two intervening generations, X and Y, were relatively ignored. Now the National Association of Realtors (NAR) has released a report evaluating generational differences among recent home buyers and sellers. NAR divided the Boomers and Millennials each into older and younger cohorts but seems to have permanently misplaced Gen Y. That group was apparently absorbed by their Gen X ancestors, perhaps with a trailing birth year or two swept up with the older Millennials. But at least the NAR-defined Gen X, currently aged 37 to 51, is getting some attention. Their homebuying history and habits are looked at along with those of younger millennials (ages 26 and under); older millennials (ages 27-36); younger boomers (ages 52-61); older boomers (ages 62-70); and the Silent Generation (ages 71-91) in NAR's just released Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends study. NAR surveyed persons who purchased a home between July of 2015 and June of 2016 and found, "A growing number of millennials and younger boomer buyers have children living at home; student debt is common among Gen X and boomer households; and more millennials are buying outside the city." NAR's chief economist Lawrence Yun acknowledges that much of the recent homebuying attention has centered on the challenges Millennials have faced. Lost in that discussion, he says, "are the numerous Gen X households who bought their first home, started a family and entered the middle part of their careers only to be rattled by job losses, falling home values and overall economic uncertainty during and after the Great Recession." NAR's survey found that Gen Xers were delayed by debt from buying even longer than were Millennials and were the most likely generation to have sold a distressed property or to have delayed selling because their existing home was underwater. They were also the generation with the largest total ($30,000) of student loan debt. "Gen X sellers' median tenure in their previous home was 10 years, which puts many of them selling a property they bought right around the time home values were on the precipice of declining," said Yun. "Fortunately, the much stronger job market and 41 percent cumulative rise in home prices since 2011 have helped a growing number build enough equity to finally sell and trade up to a larger home. More Gen X sellers are expected this year and are definitely needed to ease the inventory shortages in much of the country." Buying by the Gen X cohort rose 2 percentage points to 28 percent this year and was the highest share they have had since 2014. Millennials were the largest group of recent buyers for the fourth consecutive year with a 34 percent share, down from 35 percent a year earlier. Baby boomers accounted for 30 percent of the market, and the Silent Generation for 8 percent. The survey also revealed how rising rents in many areas is influencing younger boomers to keep their adult children in mind when buying a home. They were the most likely group to purchase a multi-generational home, most frequently citing as a reason that their younger adult children had either moved back home or never left. "The job market is very healthy for young adults with a college education, but repaying student debt and dealing with ever-increasing rents on an entry-level salary are forcing many to either shack-up with several roommates or move back home," said Yun. "This growing trend of delayed household formation is one of the main contributors to the nation's low homeownership rate." Student debt however appears to be affecting every generation. Millennials were most like to have such debt (nearly half do) but they typically owed less ($25,000) than the next older group. Sixteen percent of both older and younger boomers also reported having student debt with a median balance of $10,000. When debt was named as the largest barrier to saving for a down payment Millennials were most likely to cite student debt (55 percent), followed by Gen X (29 percent) and younger boomers (9 percent). "Repaying student debt also appears to be slowing some current homeowners who went to graduate school and now can no longer afford to sell and trade up because of their loans," added Yun. He said an NAR survey last year found student debt is preventing many from selling a home to buy a new one. Roughly two-thirds of millennial buyers are married, unchanged from recent years, but what has changed is the size of their families. In this year's survey, 49 percent of millennial buyers had at least one child, which is up from 45 percent last year and 43 percent two years earlier. The need for more space at an affordable price is increasingly pushing this age group out of the city. Only 15 percent of millennial buyers bought in an urban area, down from 17 percent last year and 21 percent the year before. Yun said 85 percent of Millennial buyers viewed their home purchase as a good financial decision, the largest of any group, pointing out that this this bodes well for strong future demand as more of the generation settles down with families. Nearly 90 percent of survey respondents said they purchased through a real estate agent with a slightly higher percentage among Millennials. Only 8 percent of buyers bought a for-sale-by-owner property, the lowest in the survey history. NAR survey was mailed to recent home buyers last summer with respondents given the option to respond by mail or on-line. Just under 5,500 buyers responded to the survey Mount Pleasant, SC (29464) Today Mainly sunny. High 79F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Clear to partly cloudy. Low around 65F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. University School of the Lowcountry students took second-place honors at the SCISA Middle School Quiz Bowl. Team members include, seated, from left: Caitlin Paskman, Kessler Kseutner-Eady, and Charlotte Adragna; and standing, from left: Leo Vaglienti, Bailey Chave and Conor Seng. A constitutional amendment balancing state and federal power will be an issue in the 2018 election cycle if Roman Buhler has his way. Buhler encouraged members of Midland County Republican Women on Wednesday to play a role in spreading the word. MCRW is one of the largest groups of National Federation of Republican Women in the country, Buhler said. If people here try to get involved and encourage people to get involved, it could be a model. Buhler is national director of the Madison Coalition, an organization that aims to balance state and federal power. He asked the MCRW to consider the Regulation Freedom Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which would curb the power of federal regulators. The history of the American government is mostly about passing laws and electing presidents, Buhler said. The real turning points have been passing amendments. ... If were going to bend the way government works, were going to have to pass the Regulation Freedom Amendment. Two-thirds of states favoring the Regulation Freedom Amendment could force Congress to propose it, according to a document distributed at the meeting. The speaker said its an appropriate time for the amendment because Republicans control legislatures in 33 states. For Grace Jones, first vice president of programs for MCRW, Buhler provided a permanent solution to limiting federal government power. She previously heard the speaker and invited him to this months luncheon. What really resonated with me about the message was, he provides an avenue to protect the amendment from future Democrats in office, Jones said. We want to believe we will always have representation in office, but it wont always be that way. Buhler thinks groups such as MCRW could convince state legislators to prioritize the amendment. All over the country, we have found Republicans who have found theres not so much to lose, Buhler said. Were convincing people its the right solution. Its about getting them to think about it as much as other ideas. I think a grassroots effort will pay off. Passing state resolutions could force Congress to propose the Regulation Freedom Amendment by 2018, according to the meeting document. Buhler said after the meeting the idea could spread quickly because of the prevalence of the digital age and public support for government regulation. People are already looking for solutions for the problem, Buhler said. Its not an idea no ones talking about. The [start] is in Midland. Its already on the shelves, and we need it in all Wal-Marts in the country. MCRW President Carla Smith expects some members to mobilize after Buhlers talk. She said the club has focused on bolstering membership numbers to increase political involvement. We want to increase membership, not for sheer measures of having a larger club, Smith said. The unity in numbers is for grassroots efforts, to have more people calling people, going door to door, contacting our congressmen. Since the Pavlis Honors College at Michigan Technological University came on the scene two years ago, it has done more than offer a new take on the concept of an honors collegeit is redefining the way we think about honors education. Traditionally, honors programs at colleges and universities require a high grade point average (GPA) for admission and continued involvement. With Pavlis now in its third year, Dean Lorelle Meadows along with her faculty and staff believe more than ever that a students potential for success is much more than a reflection of their GPA. In fact, GPA doesnt even factor into admission to the Pavlis Honor College, only a students commitment and motivation to achieve their individual goals. The Pavlis Honors College is one of the first honors programs to look beyond a students grades when considering admission, a concept Meadows says is gaining attention nationwide. Meadows and Assistant Dean of Academic Programs Mary Raber presented their honors model at the 51st Annual National Collegiate Honors Council Conference in Seattle recently. The positive reception they received indicates other universities are interested in following and potentially emulating what Michigan Tech has started. "Reframing honors by removing GPA as a consideration for admission and enrollment is a matter of equity and access and also of honoring the whole student and everything they do to enhance their learning, Meadows says. D80 Conference attendees participated in a Design Thinking Workshop, facilitated by Tech's University Innovation Fellows, that challenged them to develop a prototype for transporting water long distances using supplies such as cardboard boxes, discarded shopping bags, and empty beverage containers. When you think about honors programs across the country offering opportunity only to students who arrive at college prepared to thrive in a traditional classroom environment and on standardized tests, you miss out as a university on the talent at your doorstep. Honors programs across the country are grappling with challenges associated with diversifying their student body. Challenging the use of a very limiting measure such as GPA as a filter can be a way to make a difference and value what every student brings to our campus." While GPA is not a factor in acceptance to the honors college at Michigan Tech, academics is certainly a key factor, and the colleges students are consistently showing achievement both in and out of the classroom. "Our students are intrinsically motivated to learn deeply. They demonstrate this through their commitment to a program that asks them to go over and above their major and take their education out into the world, notes Raber. To fulfill the requirements needed to graduate from the honors college, students are expected to complete five primary components in their honors program; an academic enhancement, an immersion experience, an honors project, a leadership or mentorship activity and a seminar series. These components were derived from the very things that the best college students do. The honors college simply works with students to identify and focus these experiences, supporting them as they define their own long-term vision. All components are coupled with reflection to facilitate deeper and more transformative learning. While Michigan Tech has redefined what an honors college is, students like Brad Turner and Kemin Fena are redefining what it means to be an honors student. "Our students are intrinsically motivated to learn deeply." Mary Raber Turner, a fourth-year software engineering major, is on the colleges Student Advisory Board and is very involved with Michigan Techs new Innovation Center for Entrepreneurship (ICE). With the support of ICE, Michigan Techs new makerspace, The Alley, recently opened its doors to the campus community. As student director for the project, Turner incorporated a design thinking process to reconfigure the old bowling alley into a multi-functional makerspace for students and faculty to move ideas from concept to prototype and potentially to market. Turner works part-time as a product designer for Handshake, a Michigan Tech startup now headquartered in Silicon Valley. He currently leads many student-focused projects that will help redesign the job search experience for all Handshake users. When asked how Pavlis has contributed to his success, Brad replied "The honors college has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for me. It has connected me with an amazing network of peers and mentors and supported me in turning my dreams into reality. I can't imagine where I would be today if I hadn't joined the college, but I can tell you it wouldn't be nearly as exciting as what I'm doing today!" Kemin Fena, a fourth-year student majoring in biomedical engineering, is passionate about community service. In 2014, she spent her summer in Lima, Peru, volunteering at El Hospital del Nino with a non-profit organization called Aprendo Contigo. Fena says that her experiences in the Pavlis Honors College have helped her grow and develop into the confident person she is today. "The network of people that I have met through the Pavlis Honors College has helped me develop a strong professional skill set and nourished my passion for service work, cultural diversity and medicine. I am confident that my experiences in the PHC will contribute to my future successes and help me achieve my dream of working to provide medical care to underserved populations around the world, she says. Fena is an active member of the Houghton-Portage community through her service work at UP Health Center-Portage, Portage Pointe Nursing and Custodial Care Center, Right Start UP and Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly. Despite these volunteer commitments, she made time to travel to Allentown, Pennsylvania, earlier this year to conduct an oral history interview with Honors College namesake and Michigan Tech alumnus, Frank Pavlis. Fenas video tells the story of a young man born to a modest Michigan farming family who grew to be one of Michigan Techs most successful graduates. You can view the full oral history of Frank Pavlis here. loading... Born in 1916, Pavlis continues his role as the colleges chief benefactor. With his generous donation of five million dollars, he envisioned a graduate who takes advantage of experiential learning opportunities to lead from adversity and greet life's challenges with a positive outlook. This gift is bringing Pavlis vision to life by providing students with unique opportunities that enable them to develop and grow into successful scholars and leaders. Tom Porter, a member of the Pavlis Honors College External Advisory Board and alumnus of Michigan Tech, is excited for the direction of the new college. Porter says, "While GPA has been the universally accepted measure of student success, it is insufficient to predict a successful career and indeed a successful life. It is the attributes of motivation, dedication, perseverance, teamwork, leadership, and social and organizational awareness that separate the average career from the stellar and impactful. The Pavlis Honors College was conceived and designed to encourage, develop, teach, recognize and honor these critical skills and attributes. If I were a recruiter visiting Tech today, I would look first for Pavlis Honors College students." Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigans flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure. van jones CNN commentator Van Jones said there is a risk with President Donald Trump that no one is talking about. "There's a danger that we all start to become Trump that we normalize Trump emotionally. There's a danger that we all become fear-based and fear-driven and that we give in 100% to this us-against-them hysteria," Jones said on his program, "The Messy Truth" on Wednesday night. Jones pointed to criticism he received over remarks he made about Trump last week after the president delivered a speech to a joint session of Congress. Jones commented on the moment that Trump applauded the widow of a US Navy SEAL who died during a January raid in Yemen. Jones said at the time that Trump "became president of the United States" at that moment. "That wasn't just a compliment that was a warning," Jones said Wednesday night. "I saw Trump as a serious threat from day one ... I thought he was a serious threat then, I think he's a serious threat now. Today." Jones argued that, for many, Trump's temperament and his policies are still the major cause for concern. "For millions of people, people I love and I work with, and I know and I care about, Trump is the scariest villain. You've got people living in fear." Jones had similar remarks on election night after it became clear that Trump had collected enough electoral votes to win the presidency: "It's hard to be a parent tonight for a lot of us. You tell your kids, don't be a bully. You tell your kids don't be a bigot. You tell your kids do your homework and be prepared. And then you have this outcome, and you have people putting children to bed tonight, and they're afraid of breakfast." Jones argued that one of the dangers of Trump who has demonstrated a strong aversion to criticism and dissent is that citizens at large might adopt those habits and "refuse to take the risk that there may be some good in the people we disagree with." Story continues NOW WATCH: 'Does the president have a credibility problem?': Watch Spicer defend Trump's incorrect tweet about Guantanamo Bay prisoners More From Business Insider Restaurant Bill Cash For years, restaurant owners have argued that a higher minimum wage means pricier meals. Now some restaurants in states that recently raised the minimum wage including Arizona, California, and Colorado are putting the proof in customers' checks. Surcharges of 3% to 4% to pay for higher labor costs are "the emerging new norm," a spokeswoman for the California Restaurant Association told The Wall Street Journal. Restaurateurs say they're adding the surcharge because the alternative of increasing the prices of individual menu items can cause customers to pick a less expensive option or simply ditch the restaurant altogether. The surcharge also allows restaurants that opposed minimum-wage increases to highlight the consequences. "We want people to understand there is a cost," David Cohn, the owner of 15 restaurants in San Diego, told The Journal. "How do we stay in business with margins shrinking and competition increasing?" But many customers don't react well to surcharges especially if they believe them to be politically motivated. In 2015, a Buffalo Wild Wings franchisee dropped a surcharge related to the Affordable Care Act after angry diners protested the fee. People have used social media to protest the rise of surcharges. So @SammysWPizza adds a 4% Surcharge to support minimum wage increases vs just raising the prices. Sorry but that rubs me the wrong way! pic.twitter.com/qyXb5qPAUS Matthew De Santis (@Matt_De_Santis) February 19, 2017 Any restaurant that wants to tax me for complying with a barely acceptable minimum wage will lose my business. Ashley Lynch (@ashleylynch) February 20, 2017 In February, the W Seattle hotel dropped its minimum-wage surcharge after a tweet complaining about it went viral. Story continues Shameful - @WHotels "surcharge" for paying its workers a living wage. Where's surcharge for CEO's pay? #fightfor15 pic.twitter.com/MqHN5fFqWY Eric Beinhocker (@EricBeinhocker) January 31, 2017 "Rather than just raising prices naturally, these restaurant managers are making an overtly political statement when they add minimum wage surcharges to their menus," Paul Constant wrote in the Seattle-based blog Civic Skunk Works in February. "They are protesting the fact that they have to pay their workers a living wage." NOW WATCH: Here's the massive gap in average income between the top 1% and the bottom 99% in every state More From Business Insider Update at 3 p.m.: This afternoon the incoming chief administrator for Calaveras County briefly talked with Clarke Broadcasting. Timothy Lutz, whose official first day as the new chief administrative officer (as earlier reported, below) is slated for April 1st, is clearly anticipating his new role for a number of reasons both professional and personal. Although he will be keenly missing his wife and two young daughters, ages one and three, while the family is in the process of transitioning their household from Tulare to Calaveras over the next several weeks, Lutz shares that he anticipates logging some quality FaceTime helping to tuck the little ones in on the away nights. As for his selection from among a half-dozen finalists interviewed for the position, Lutz surmises, I think, for me, it was stressing not only my long-term goal of wanting to raise my family in the Calaveras area but also to really become a part of the community and make it a better place. While Lutz says he is fully aware of many challenges on the horizon that will require hard work, he emphasizes that he will be bringing plenty of enthusiasm and is particularly looking forward to helping the county become more fiscally sound. As for the countys current issues with its fledgling, possibly potentially short-lived, legal commercial cannabis cultivation industry, Lutz allows that the topic certainly came up over the course of the interview process. Not so much my opinion as much as concerns for and against, he qualifies. Certainly, he states, There is the potential of significant revenue that the county so desperately needs, and at the same time, there is genuine concern as to the safety, on where grows should or could be allowed. While it has been a statewide issue in a lot of counties, I think Calaveras just became one of those early ones where everything it came to a head in light of the Butte Fire devastation and then a lot of opportunities to come in and start to have a large-scale commercial grow. Recounting Tulare Countys recent, related experience, Lutz shares that its board of supervisors a few months ago passed an initial urgency ordinance not to regulate but, for the time being to prohibit any commercial cultivation in the county. He adds it will obviously need revisiting after all the countys cities have an opportunity to weigh in and the board members have the chance to hear regarding constituents concerns. Undoubtedly, the Calaveras supervisors are currently in a very tricky spot, according to Lutz. From the CAO perspective, my hope is to come in, provide support to the departments and help implement the policy decisions that the board comes to ultimatelyregulation or banning of the cannabis grows. Original Post at 11 a.m.: San Andreas, CA No fooling, come April 1st, Calaveras County will hand over administrative reins to a new chief. Interim Chief Administrative Officer Manuel Lopez has served in the role since shortly after the retirement of Shirley Ryan last December. The incoming CAO, Timothy Lutz, most recently served as the director of fiscal operations for Tulare County, with management oversight of its health and human services $440 million budget as well as the countys offices of emergency and animal services. In addition to ten years of experience with Tulare County, Lutz brings experience in environmental health, human, social, aging and vets services, and holds a bachelors degree in psychology and a masters in business administration from Cal-State Fresno. His annual salary, not including benefits, is listed on the county website at $179,192. A northern California native, Lutz, who grew up in Pollock Pines, states, I am tremendously grateful for the support of the Board of Supervisors and am excited to get working on implementing the boards key policies, working to develop a long-term, strong county financial plan and support the needs of the employees and residents of Calaveras County. Too, he adds, My family and I are very much looking forward to getting back to the Northern Sierra Nevada mountains with its beautiful small towns and rural character. Update at 4:30 p.m.: Tuolumne County sheriffs officials report they are actively seeking a man with outstanding warrants who skipped out of a travel stop near a school earlier today, forcing a brief lockdown. As reported below, Kevin Sovereen remains at large and sheriffs officials are asking anyone with knowledge of his whereabouts to call their office. A Sonora woman who was a passenger in a vehicle he was driving, Carly Boehm, age 40, of Sonora was subsequently booked into the Tuolumne County Jail on drug charges. Her photo has been added to the slideshow in the image box. She currently faces a possession of controlled substance paraphernalia charge from todays incident as well as charges stemming from two warrants out on her from Santa Clara County: hit and run property damage and contempt of court. Update at 11:35 a.m.: The lockdown at Sierra Waldorf School has been lifted. While the reason for the lockdown a male driver who escaped from a nearby traffic stop just before 11 a.m. has not yet been located, he was identified as Kevin Sovereen, a wanted subject in Tuolumne County, according to sheriffs spokesperson Sgt. Andrea Bensen. Sovereen is described as unshaven, with short brown hair. He was wearing aviator sunglasses, a blue sweatshirt and blue jeans. To view photos of him, click in the image box. Sovereen has a previous history of evading arrest, also drug-related offenses, including for sale, as reported here. Sgt. Bensen adds that an empty gun holster was found on the floorboard of the vehicle he ran from, after pulling over on French Flat Road. Deputies did locate the gun in the vehicle and have a female passenger, Carly Bohem, in custody with drug charges pending, details of which are yet to be publicly released. Again, the public is asked to call 911 or the sheriffs office with any sightings of a suspicious male in the area at 533-5815. Update at 11:15 a.m.: A lockdown at a Jamestown school was initiated after a pursuit by deputies of a vehicle that did not yield in response to a nearby traffic stop. According to Tuolumne County Sheriffs spokesperson Sgt. Andrea Bensen, while deputies did finally pull over the vehicle, which was being driven by a male who is now being sought, after taking off on foot. Deputies are searching near the French Flat area and a deputy was dispatched to talk with school officials. The public is asked to avoid the area during the search and please call 911 or the sheriffs office with any sightings of a suspicious male in the area at 533-5815. Original Post at 11:09 a.m.: Sonora, CA Sierra Waldorf School in Jamestown is currently on lockdown. According to Tuolumne County Sheriffs officials, who made the announcement shortly before 11 a.m., deputies are currently searching the area for a subject who ran on foot from a vehicle during a pursuit that had just occurred. We will pass along more information as it comes into the news center. Immigrant rights advocates marched on the state capitol Wednesday, railing against Republican bills to crack down on so-called sanctuary cities that could stand a strong chance of passing given the Trump administration's tough-on-immigration initiatives. Immigrants protested a pair of bills in Tallahassee cracking down on sanctuary cities The bills fine cities and counties for refusing to arrest undocumented immigrants The measures (HB 697/SB 786) would fine cities and counties up to $5,000 per day for refusing to arrest undocumented immigrants subject to federal deportation orders. Similar legislation passed the House last year but failed to gain traction in the more moderate Senate. The activists at Wednesday's rally, however, acknowledged that November's election has caused the political pendulum to swing toward immigration hard-liners, led by President Trump. With the ideological makeup of the 40-member Senate changing as well, a sanctuary cities crackdown now faces improved prospects in the upper chamber. "We're here to make sure that they are listening," said Pamela Gomez of Tampa, whose parents are undocumented. "That our stories are not the scapegoats to their political games, that they understand that it's not right to tear children from their parents, that it's not right that the farm working, the working families that make up your community, that put food on your table, take care of your children -- those are the targets of these hateful bills." The legislation's supporters are couching it as a critical tool in compelling local governments to enforce federal immigration laws. Echoing the president, they point to instances of heinous crimes perpetrated by undocumented immigrants living in sanctuary cities. "Where was the sanctuary for all of the other Americans who have been so brutally murdered and who have suffered so, so horribly?" Trump asked a sympathetic crowd at last year's Republican National Convention. But critics argue the bills amount to a xenophobic overreaction to a problem that largely doesn't exist. "We see already that our families are targeted, that given the rise of the hate and the rhetoric with the Trump administration, families are more vulnerable to these attacks," Gomez said. Smoke from two large brush fires in Christmas and Bithlo caused some visibility issues on Thursday in east Orange County. 2 brush fires in Bithlo, Christmas destroy more than 200 acres of land Drivers were turned away due to visibility concerns Weather forecast: Mostly sunny, dry for Thursday RELATED story: Fire officials: Be careful driving near east Orange brush fires The Orange County Sheriffs office and the Florida Forest Service are keeping a close eye on visibility issues in east Orange County due to the two big brush fires in the area. A portion of Fort Christmas Road was closed earlier Thursday morning because of visibility issues and drivers were turned away until the smoke cleared. The smoke is from this 125-acre fire nearby. Florida Forest Service firefighters worked though the day and night Wednesday to contain it and put it out, with firefighters continuing to keep an eye on it. And if that was not enough, there was another brush fire Wednesday, with 85 acres scorched at Hal Scott Regional Preserve near Bithlo. And without a lot of rain, dry conditions will continue to make Central Florida prime for brush fires. WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Acting Inspector General of Social Security, Gale Stallworth Stone, is warning citizens about a nationwide telephone imposter phishing scheme. The Social Security Administration (SSA) and its Office of the Inspector General (OIG) have received several reports from citizens across the country about persons receiving phone calls from individuals posing as OIG investigators. The caller indicates an issue exists pertaining to the persons Social Security account or Social Security number (SSN) and directs the person call a non-SSA telephone number to address the issue. The reports indicate the calls include a recording from a caller stating she is Nancy Jones, an officer with the Inspector General of Social Security. The recording goes on to say the persons Social Security account, SSN, and/or benefits are suspended, and that he or she should call 806- 680-2373 to resolve the issue. Citizens should be aware that the schemes details may vary; however, citizens should avoid calling the number provided, as the unknown caller might attempt to acquire personal information. OIG investigators occasionally contact citizens by telephone for investigative purposes, but they will not request sensitive personal information from a citizen over the phone. If a person receives a similar suspicious call from someone alleging to be from the OIG, citizens may report that information to the OIG at 1-800-269-0271 or online via https://oig.ssa.gov/report. Acting Inspector General Stone said, This phishing scheme is targeting unsuspecting persons for the purpose of Social Security benefit theft or identity theft. She warns citizens to be cautious, and to avoid providing personal information such as your SSN or bank account numbers to unknown persons over the phone or internet unless you are certain of who is receiving it. You must be very confident that the source is the correct business party, and that your information will be secure after you release it, Stone said. If a person has questions about any communicationemail, letter, text or phone callthat claims to be from SSA or the OIG, please contact your local Social Security office, or call Social Securitys toll-free customer service number at 1-800-772-1213, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, to verify its legitimacy. (Those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can call Social Securitys TTY number at 1-800-325-0778.) * Will hold news conference on Friday * In strong position before January 2018 election * Zeman has pushed for better ties with Russia and China * Strong admirer of U.S. President Trump (Adds second source, Zeman quote, details) PRAGUE, March 9 (Reuters) - Czech President Milos Zeman told supporters on Thursday he would seek a second term in 2018, ending speculation over whether he would run again. Zeman, who has pushed for better ties with Russia and backed Donald Trump in the U.S. vote last year, announced his decision at an annual party at Prague Castle to celebrate the anniversary of his election in 2013, two participants who asked not to be named told Reuters. Other media outlets also reported Zeman's comments. "I announce to you that I decided to run again for the office of president," Zeman told the gathering, according to mobile phone video shown on Czech Television. Zeman will hold a news conference on Friday to officially announce his decision to the public. Zeman, 72, won his country's first ever direct presidential election four years ago, remains its most popular politician and is in strong position for the January 2018 election. While governments run domestic and foreign policy, the president can hold leverage over the European Union country's cabinets, as well as appoint central bankers and nominate ambassadors and constitutional court judges. Zeman's first term has been marked by battles with a Social Democrat-led government, sniping at journalists, warnings about Muslim immigration to Europe and efforts to improve relations with Russia and China. He opposes EU sanctions imposed on Russia over its annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its role in a rebellion in eastern Ukraine - measures which the centre-left cabinet backs. He was one of the few European leaders to vocally back Trump's campaign last year. ELECTION SEASON Zeman will play a role in naming the next prime minister after a parliamentary election in October in which no party is likely to secure a majority. Some analysts say Zeman may tie this to support for him. Story continues A former Social Democrat leader, Zeman split with the party after it failed to completely back him in his first attempt at the presidency in 2003 in a vote among parliamentarians. He ran as an independent four years ago. Zeman so far has only one serious challenger next year: businessman and writer Michal Horacek, who launched his campaign last November with the motto "We can do better". Zeman was out of politics for a decade before his 2013 victory. Instrumental in his comeback were several businessmen with interests in Russia, including the president's top adviser Martin Nejedly, who did business in Moscow and had a joint venture with Russian oil firm Lukoil in the Czech Republic. Zeman was the only EU leader to attend a World War II victory ceremony in Moscow in 2015. He has also helped steer the country toward China and welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to Prague last year. This week, the richest Czech businessman, Petr Kellner, met with Zeman to discuss economic ties with those countries, both of which Zeman aims to visit this year. In April Zeman will meet Trump at the White House. (Reporting by Robert Muller and Jason Hovet; editing by Andrew Roche) MERIDEN Its not only Middlesex Community College leaving downtown Meriden. The local office of the Social Security Administration has relocated to the east side of the city. The federal agency recently moved from the fourth floor of 1 W. Main St. to 321 Research Parkway, taking dozens of employees. According to leasing agent Bob Gaucher of OR&L Commercial, the U.S. General Services Administration leased 6,162 square feet of space in the Research Parkway office building in November. An agency representative could not be reached to comment on the number of Social Security employees or the reason for the move. The state Department of Children and Families leases offices on three floors of 1 West Main St, and also rents two floors at 55 W. Main St., where the community college is currently located. According to Alan Solomon, the propertys landlord, DCFs lease at 55 W. Main St. is set to expire soon. A spokesman for the state Department of Administrative Services said there are about 94 DCF employees at 1 W. Main St., and the state is in negotiations with Solomon over their future needs at 55 W. Main St. He would not comment on whether DCF will remain in the building. State Rep. Emil Buddy Altobello, D-Meriden, said DCF let lawmakers know a couple of years ago that it wanted to occupy the entire building at 1 W. Main Street. One of their reasons was to bolster security at the department without affecting Social Security Administration employees or customers. Altobello said it would make sense if DCF were leaving 55 W. Main St. to move that operation down the road. They wanted 1 West Main for quite a while, Altobello said. We (lawmakers) are not allowed to go anywhere near these leases. There are strict protocols. On Tuesday, the Meriden Board of Education approved an agreement allowing Middlesex Community College to move operations to Platt High School, starting in the next school year. The Social Security office and Middlesex are leaving West Main Street at a time when the city is trying to bolster downtown foot traffic in the hopes of filling vacant storefronts. Were losing them left and right, said Wagid Yousef, owner of Ninas Cafe on West Main Street. Yousef said he served Middlesex faculty more than the students and catered weekly events for the school. He is remodeling his upstairs space to attract a nighttime clientele that he feels can better sustain his business. Midstate Chamber of Commerce President Sean Moore said the Social Security office, like the courthouse and DCF, arent strong supports for local businesses. If DCF leaves 55 W. Main St., the building wont stay empty long, he said. Youre going to have a pivotal building with amazing access to parking, Moore said. What is the next highest and best use of the building? Moore said the students and faculty at Middlesex are a regular audience but their frequency at local businesses is limited by semesters and class times. They are different than cultivating a regular, loyal customer base, Moore said. They arent really an economic driver because they dont create habits that businesses need to thrive. mgodin@record-journal.com 203-317-2255 Twitter: @Cconnbiz HARTFORD Officials remembered late state representative Betty Boukus during an annual ceremony for Prudence Crandall, the states heroine. Secretary of the State Denise W. Merrill, who hosted the ceremony alongside a statue of Crandall in the Capitol, said Boukus fought to make sure Connecticut knew the story of Prudence Crandall, and made sure that wed never forget. It was one of two ceremonies Wednesday remembering an area lawmaker, as the House and Senate both memorialized the late Mary Fritz. Boukus, of Plainville, died in December. Fritz, of Wallingford, died in July. Both succumbed to cancer. The Crandall statue was placed on the first floor of the Capitol in 2009. Boukus pushed for the statue after receiving a letter from some Bristol students that year. Merrill also credited Boukus with helping to create the annual ceremony remembering Crandall, who became the states official heroine in 1995. Wednesdays ceremony coincided with International Womens Day. Merrill said it seemed appropriate to celebrate Boukus along with Crandall because of their mutual interest and support for education. Rep. William Petit, R-Plainville, who defeated Boukus for her seat in November, agreed. Petit, who attended the ceremony, said his niece and nephew enjoyed touring the capitol with Boukus because of her knowledge of the buildings history and monuments. I think this was part of her legacy... she loved to educate children, he said. Crandall began running the Canterbury Female Boarding School in 1831, and a year later accepted Sarah Harris, the daughter of a free African-American farmer, into the school. When residents harassed and threatened Crandall, she opened a new school to teach only African American girls. The state legislature passed the so-called Black Law in 1833 that required a school to obtain permission from its host town to admit black students from other states. Crandall had admitted black students from several states and continued to teach them, and she was arrested that summer. While the case was ultimately dismissed by the state Supreme Court on procedural grounds, Crandall closed her school amid ongoing threats and violence. The Black Law was repealed in 1838. The legislature also memorialized Fritz. Rep. Mary Mushinsky, D-Wallingford, said Fritz loved her district and worked hard throughout her time as a lawmaker. She was a high-energy legislator if you worked with her or against her, you learned this very fast, Mushinsky said. Rep. Craig Fishbein, R-Wallingford, who won Fritzs seat, credited her with turning him into a politician. I wouldnt be here without Mary, because she taught me at least three things compassionate tenacity, that get er done attitude, and doing the right thing doesnt necessarily mean doing the party thing, he said. msavino@record-journal.com 203-317-2266 Twitter: @reporter_savino Dallas Criminal Lawyer, John Helms, Offers Insight on How and When Past Bad Acts Can Be Used Against You and Also When They Cannot DALLAS, TX / ACCESSWIRE / March 9, 2017 / In Bill Cosby's criminal sexual assault case, a Pennsylvania state court judge recently ruled that one accuser, in addition to the alleged victim in the case, can testify that Mr. Cosby once drugged and sexually assaulted her. The judge made this ruling despite the fact that Mr. Cosby has never been convicted of sexually assaulting this woman. The judge also ruled, however, that twelve other accusers who would have said basically the same thing could NOT testify against Mr. Cosby. How does this make sense, asks Dallas criminal lawyer Helms? The answer requires us to dig into one of the most difficult areas of evidence law - the use of an accused person's "prior bad acts" in a criminal trial. On one hand, evidence law in most jurisdictions says that, in general, a person's prior bad conduct should not be admissible to show that the person has the kind of character that would mean the person would commit the alleged crime. For example, normally, the mere fact that someone has robbed a bank before is not admissible to show that the person is guilty of bank robbery in a given case. This is because the law does not want juries to decide someone is guilty just because the person has done something in the past. This general rule applies even more strongly if the past bad act is not even the same type of crime. So, the argument that someone has sold illegal drugs in the past would be even weaker as evidence that the defendant is the kind of person who would rob a bank. On the other hand, there are times when evidence of past bad acts shows more than just that a person has the character of someone who would commit the crime. For example, if Joe Smith has committed past bank robberies in which he always wore a trench coat and a clown mask, always burst in and fired a warning shot with a pistol, and then yelled, "Hit the floor, losers!"- the fact that the robber of the bank in question wore a trench coat and a clown mask, fired a warning shot with a pistol, and shouted, "Hit the floor, losers!" would be admissible to show that it was Joe Smith who robbed this bank. This is not because it shows that Joe is the kind of person who robs banks. It is because the WAY he robs banks is like his signature or calling card, and this indicates that he was the one who did it. Story continues In the Cosby case, Mr. Cosby is accused of giving a woman a drug that made her unconscious, or at least made her unable to stop his sexual advances. Mr. Cosby does not appear to deny that he gave the woman a drug. He also does not deny having sexual activity with her. His defense appears to be that he believed she consented to sexual activity despite the drug and that he did not believe the drug prevented her from consenting to sex. In other words, he seems to claim that he thought the drug was like a glass of wine - that it would relax her, but that she would still be able to give genuine consent to sex. Now, let's consider the possible testimony of the other twelve accusers. Mr. Cosby is not on trial for sexually assaulting them, but the government wanted them to testify that Mr. Cosby gave them a drug, that he had sex with them, and that they deny having consented to the sex. Since Mr. Cosby does not deny that he gave a drug to the alleged victim in the case and does not deny that he had sex with her, the fact that he had given other women drugs and had sex with them does not prove that he is guilty UNLESS their testimony shows that Mr. Cosby knew the alleged victim in this case did not have the ability to give consent. Here is an example of hypothetical testimony that might do that. Let's say a woman testified that the drug made her unconscious, that she woke up and found Mr. Cosby molesting her, and that she told him to stop and that she had been unconscious. If this happened before the incident for which he is on trial, it would show that he knew that the pills could make someone unconscious, but he kept doing it even though he knew it was possible that the woman was unconscious and could not consent. It is possible that the Pennsylvania judge thought that only one of the twelve witnesses had something to say that would bear on the consent issue. It is also possible that the judge did not want too much emphasis to be put on Mr. Cosby's encounters with other women in case an appeals court says their testimony should not have been allowed. If an appeals court says the testimony about other instances was not proper, having only one witness like that, rather than twelve, might make it more likely that the verdict could still be upheld based on all of the other evidence. This is what lawyers call "harmless error." If there is too much emphasis on other alleged victims during the trial, it is much less likely that the error of allowing their testimony would be harmless. Evidence of "prior bad acts" like this involves tricky issues of evidence law as applied to the detailed facts of the individual case. This kind of evidence can also be extremely damaging to the accused's case, and often unfairly. Experienced criminal defense lawyers will try to keep this kind of evidence out, if possible, with motions to the judge before trial. It is critical for a criminal lawyer to understand the nuances of both the law and the facts in order to protect the rights of the accused. If you, a family member, or someone you know has been charged with a crime, or have been convicted and need help with an appeal in the Dallas area, contact Dallas criminal lawyer John Helms at (214) 666-8010 or fill out the online contact form. You can discuss your case, how the law may apply, and your best legal options to protect your rights and freedom. Source: http://johnhelms.attorney/dallas-criminal-lawyer-cosby-case-past-can-come-back-haunt/ SOURCE: John Helms Law Firm via Submit Press Release 123 This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Facing a menu of unpalatable fare-increase proposals to cover losses from declining ridership, BART directors Thursday rejected the idea of raising the lowest fares and had little taste for a plan to discard a discount on high-priced tickets. However, the board held onto the possibility of putting a surcharge on rides taken using paper fare cards and reducing BARTs discount rates for youths, seniors and disabled people. The directors did not vote on fare increases, which they say are needed to help fill a projected $25 million to $35 million budget gap, but they discussed which fare proposals should undergo a mandated federal civil rights study so that they can be considered when the board assembles a spending plan for the budget year that starts in July. Directors are also looking at raising parking fees, increasing advertising, making service cuts and continuing hiring freezes. Earlier in the meeting, directors voted to allow more trains to be wrapped in advertising and to let advertisers set up charging stations for electronic devices, information kiosks and other displays in stations. The expanded advertising could raise an estimated $1.2 million. But the boards decision to rule out minimum-fare increases and dump the high-value discount, which combined would have raised about $4 million a year, makes service cuts and parking charges more likely. Board President Rebecca Saltzman said the decision shows the directors want to take a balanced approach to solving the budget problem. The board does not want to make up the whole deficit by increasing fares, she said. We also have to look at other ways of bringing in new revenues. We want to be creative with how we handle the budget shortfall. The board seemed more amenable to charging extra to people who use BARTs paper fare cards that come with a magnetic strip as long as machines dispensing Clipper cards are available in all stations. Placement in all BART stations is supposed to happen by January. BARTs staff had also recommended that the board study raising the minimum fare of $1.95 to $2.25, and reducing discounts for youth, seniors and people with disabilities to 50 percent from 62.5 percent. At the suggestion of director Nick Josefowitz, of San Francisco, board members also considered a study on eliminating the high-value discount ticket program, which allows riders to purchase a $64 ticket for $60 or a $48 ticket for $45. Raising the minimum fare came under immediate attack from directors who said it would hit BARTs poorest riders hardest and make short BART rides, often one or two stations, more costly than bus rides that go a lot farther. That, said Saltzman, could drive a deeper drop in ridership. Josefowitz called it a regressive fare increase. Directors were more amenable to at least studying a plan to add 50 cents to the cost of each magnetic paper ticket, but 10 percent and 20 percent surcharges would also be studied. Few directors liked the idea of reducing BARTs youth, senior and disabled discounts, but all agreed it should be studied. They also want to study a plan to extend the youth discount to age 18 if it were reduced to 50 percent. It now ends at 13. Director Joel Keller, of Brentwood, said the board needs to get serious about studying fare increases, as odious as they may be. They all suck, he said of the fare increase options. But we have to be responsible. Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan Americas workforce will only grow over the next two decades if immigrants replace retiring Baby Boomers, a report from the Pew Research Center finds. In Wednesdays report, Pew projects that the U.S. working-age (25-64) population will grow from 173 million in 2015 to 183 million in 2035. But without new immigrants, the number of working-age Americans would drop to 166 million. As Baby Boomers retire, the number of U.S.-born working-age adults with U.S.-born parents will account for a smaller share of working-age population: 66 percent in 2035, down from 74 percent in 2015. The Pew report echoes what many economists have been saying: The U.S. needs immigrants as Baby Boomers retire, and an unusually large share of working-age Americans choose not to look for work. An aging workforce and disappointing gains in productivity have dragged down U.S. economic growth, which came in at a lackluster 1.9 percent annual rate from October through December. The report comes as President Trump calls for the construction of a border wall to keep Mexicans from crossing into the United States in search of work. He also supports stepped-up deportations of immigrants living in the U.S. without permission. Pews projections are based on current rates of immigration and combine legal immigrants with those who enter the United States illegally. Financing $400 million for Instacart San Franciscos Instacart, which delivers groceries on demand from stores, said Wednesday it has raised $400 million in new financing, led by Sequoia Capital. The company is now valued by investors at $3.4 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal. The infusion brings Instacarts total backing to $674.8 million, according to Crunchbase. Instacart said it expanded from 18 to 25 markets in the past year and will double the area it serves this year. New grocery partners include Publix, Schnucks and the operator of Food Lion and Giant. The 135 retailers who already use Instacart for deliveries include Whole Foods and Costco. Instacart, which is not yet profitable, generates revenue in several ways: a delivery fee paid by consumers, a markup on items it delivers, and ads from consumer packaged-products companies like Nestle, Procter & Gamble, General Mills and PepsiCo. Energy Thiel warns of group think Peter Thiel, the PayPal co-founder who is an adviser to President Trump, questioned the global push toward restricting carbon emissions as group think while speaking Tuesday at an energy conference in Houston. Im not sure Im an extreme skeptic of climate change, but I have my doubts about the extreme ways that people try to push it through, the Houston Chronicle quoted him as saying. Even if climate change is quite as bad as people think it is, if we group think were more likely to misdiagnose the problem. Maybe its methane emissions, and the real problem is eating steak. Courts Mechanic sues American A mechanic at Chicagos OHare International Airport is suing American Airlines for fraud, claiming he was recruited under a fast-track pay program that was dropped two months after he was hired. The suit, which seeks class-action status, was brought by Thomas Ballard, who alleges that many workers had their two-year flight to top-scale pay abruptly grounded by the airline. Ballard was making more than $30 an hour at another airline when he met with American in March 2015. The flex incentive program offered credit for previous employment and a two-year track to an hourly wage of $48, the suit says. Hired in June 2015 to work for American as an aviation maintenance technician at OHare, Ballard took a pay cut to $25.70 per hour under the premise that he could nearly double his pay within two years. By August, just several months removed from a secure position with another employer, Ballard learned that American was rescinding the incentive program, meaning it would take him eight years not two to reach the top pay rate, the lawsuit alleges. Chronicle News Services Drew Angerer / Getty Images As expected, RadioShack filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection from creditors, outlining plans to close about 190 stores of 1,500 nationally in the coming few weeks and find buyers for hundreds more or shutter them if unsuccessful. RadioShack is based in Fort Worth, Texas, with owner General Wireless controlled by Sprint and the New York City-based hedge fund Standard General. The retailer has nine stores in southwestern Connecticut in Danbury, Fairfield, New Canaan, Stamford, Westport and Wilton, which have posted signs proclaiming everything must go and clearance prices of up to 50 percent. State Sen. Carlos Uresti has been sued for fraud in connection with his involvement in a San Antonio frac sand company that went bankrupt in 2015. Denise Cantu of Harligen said Uresti, a San Antonio Democrat, and others tricked her into believing that she was investing with the now-defunct FourWinds Logistic to buy and sell frac sand, according to a lawsuit she filed in Hidalgo County in January. In actuality, the suit says, company officials distributed her money amongst themselves. Federal District Court Judge Marcia Crone this week adopted a recommendation to dismiss five more defendants, including the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 479, from the dwindling number remaining in a conspiracy and defamation suit brought by former BISD contract electrician Calvin Walker and BISD employee Jessie Haynes. Magistrate Judge Keith Giblin recommended that claims against the local union and four of its members, David Gonzales, Steven Lisle, Chris Kibby and Duwayne Hermann Jr., be dropped from the suit in February. A crew of car thieves has been active in Greenwich, stealing three cars this week alone. Police believe the team of thieves has been active in other nearby communities, as well, and investigators are sharing their information on the car-theft ring across the region. Including the three cars that went missing this week from Greenwich, a total of 14 vehicles have been stolen from Jan. 1, according to Greenwich police. Weve had a series of motor-vehicle thefts, said police spokesman Lt. Kraig Gray, Our detectives are working with several other jurisdictions in other areas. Were working with the theory that Greenwich and other affluent communities are being targeted. The car thieves are hardly mechanical or criminal masterminds: in every case, theyve opened an unlocked door, turned a key in the ignition switch and driven away with the goods. The vehicles have been unlocked with keys within, said Gray. The easiest thing to do is to lock your car doors and take your keys with you, the lieutenant continued. The cars have been taken from a number of different neighborhoods in town, and there appears to be no specific geographic pattern. All over the place, the police spokesman said. The cars stolen by thieves are late model luxury cars, including BMW, Audi, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz. A wave of car thefts in Greenwich is not new. Two Bronx men, Ronald and Raymond Tejada, brothers, were busted in August of 2015 and accused of stealing cars, mainly in downtown Greenwich. Ronald Tejada was given an 18-month sentence last year. Raymond Tejada is still awaiting a legal disposition on the criminal charge against him. rmarchant@greenwichtime.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate STAMFORD The Diocese of Bridgeport announced Thursday the new name and leadership team for its new consolidated pre-K to eighth-grade Catholic school. The Catholic Academy of Stamford, which will open this fall, is a combination of the citys four parochial elementary and middle schools Holy Spirit, Our Lady Star of the Sea and St. Cecilia elementary schools and Trinity Catholic Middle School. Pat Brady, whos now principal of St. Thomas Aquinas School in Fairfield, has been named head of school. She will serve as the chief academic, education and executive officer of the academy and will report to the board of directors. Trinity Catholic Middle School Principal Abbey Camillery has been appointed campus principal for the academys sixth- to eighth-grade division. Natalia Cruz, who serves as principal of Our Lady Star of the Sea, has been named campus principal for the pre-K through fifth-grade division. All three administrators are creative, innovative, and visionary leaders that are committed to ensuring a strong future for Catholic education in Stamford, Superintendent of Catholic Schools Steven Cheeseman said in an announcement to parents. The new school name received the highest number of votes in recent a parent survey. The diocese said it added the word Catholic so it wouldnt be confused with Stamford Academy, a charter high school in the city. The Catholic Academy will initially operate from two campuses. Students in pre-K through fifth grade will go to St. Cecilia on Newfield Avenue, while middle school students will stay in their current building a few blocks down the road. The middle school division will be permanently relocated for the 2018-19 school year to a new, renovated lower level in the Trinity High building, which is on the same property as the current middle school. Renovations will also begin in 2018 in the current Trinity Middle School building, which in 2020 will accommodate all of the elementary school students. The consolidation comes after years of declining enrollment at Catholic elementary schools in Fairfield County. Diocese spokesman Brian Wallace said enrollment at the new school is already going extremely well, with nearly 470 students registered. The number represents about 80 percent of current enrollment at the existing four elementary and middle schools. Although the move is expected to significantly help the dioceses financial struggles, some parents are worried about larger class sizes and potential staffing cuts. All affected employees interested in working at the new school were asked to apply for a spot. Cheeseman said Brady was chosen because of her experience and since she understands the challenges at hand as well as the vision moving forward. The Shelton resident, who plans to move to Stamford, has won several awards and has degrees in elementary education, elementary school administration and history. Camillery and Cruz joined the diocese last summer. Camillery, a Stamford resident, was instrumental in creating an Innovation Lab and introducing science, technology, engineering and math programs to Trinitys curriculum, the diocese said in the announcement. Cruz, who is fluent in Spanish, has helped build a strong sense of community, especially among the Latino population, the diocese said. She lives in the Bronx, N.Y. Parents and community members can meet the new administration and board of directors at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 19 at Trinity Catholic High School. noliveira@stamfordadvocate.com, 203-964-2265, @olivnelson BRIDGEPORT An employee in the City Attorneys Office has been placed on administrative leave for allegedly threatening to bring a firearm to work. Bridgeport police and the Office of Labor Relations are investigating a complaint filed last Friday by paralegal Danielle Kripps against a receptionist hired last year. According to sources, Kripps alleged that the receptionist made a comment about going home and returning with a gun. Kripps filed a complaint with the police, which the department declined to make public. Bridgeport Police Department doesnt disclose records under pending investigation that havent resulted in an arrest, or that may consist of uncorroborated allegations or information that may be prejudicial, said Rowena White, director of communications for Mayor Joe Ganim. Dwayne Harrison is head of the union that represents both Kripps and the receptionist, the National Association of Government Employees. Harrison emphasized that the matter is under investigation and so far there is no solid proof. My main goal is to keep all NAGE members working together and getting along, Harrison said. We have to allow labor relations to do their due diligence. And if theres a police investigation, of course we dont want to interfere with that. We wait to see what the outcome is. City Attorney R. Christopher Meyer declined comment. Washington, joined by Oregon and New York, will challenge the "illegal and unconstitutional" provisions of President Trump's revised travel ban, and ask U.S. District Judge James Robart to keep in place a restraining order issued against Trump's earlier, more sweeping Muslim ban. While the revised travel order "narrows the scope" of Trump's earlier ban, said Attorney General Bob Ferguson, it still prohibits travel from six predominantly Muslim countries and bars refugees from Syria for 120 days. "There is still a case that the state and people in the state are harmed by this revised order," Ferguson told a Seattle news conference. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM Show More Show Less 2 of 3 GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM Show More Show Less 3 of 3 The Attorney General noted that Judge Robart's restraining order is still in place, and that actions contained in Trump's revised order are restrained. The state will argue that the current preliminary injunction applies to the president's new Executive Order. Or, to put it another way, the 45th president cannot just act unilaterally and put a new ban in place. "It cannot be a game of whack-a-mole for the court," Ferguson aid. "The temporary restraining order we've already obtained remains in effect." And, he added, it is time for the 45th President to live with and respect the law. "You cannot tweet your way out of it: It doesn't work that way in court," said Ferguson, alluding to late night missives from Trump, including his reference to Robart as a "so-called judge." Oregon is on board. Ferguson has gained a new ally and collaborator in New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, with whom he talked last night and again this morning. Schneiderman delivered a broadside against the White House in announcing Thursday that New York is joining the suit. "President Trump's latest Executive Order is a Muslim Ban by another name, imposing policies and protocols that once again violate the Equal Protection Clause and Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution," said the New York AG. Massachusetts announced late Thursday that it is joining the suit. "President Trump's second travel ban remains a discriminatory and unconstitutional attempt to make good on his campaign promise to implement a Muslim ban," said AG Maura Healey. The states will be filing an amended complaint early next week. "Our amended complaint will add allegations concerning the second Executive Order," said state Solicitor General Noah Purcell. Hawaii has filed a second, separate suit seeking a temporary injunction against what its attorney general calls "Muslim Ban No. 2." The revised Trump travel order is designed to withstand federal court challenge. It removed Iraq from the list of seven predominantly Muslim nations from which travel is barred. It exempts existing visa holders. It has softened language that gave preference to Christian refugees, when the United States again allows refugees to enter. The revised ban, set to take effect March 16, impacts "a smaller number. There's no way around that," Ferguson said. Still, the state has been consulting with colleges and universities, as well as major employers. There are still student, accepted for study, who won't be able to come here, plus scholars and teachers who won't be allowed in. As to businesses, said Purcell, "They certainly feel that it does affect them." Tomball's May city council race has been cancelled after respective candidates went unopposed through the deadline to seek office. Newcomer John F. Ford was named to council position 1, replacing Field Hudgens, who did not seek re-election. Lori Klein Quinn maintains council position 5. Ford, 58, has been a physical therapist for over three decades but has also been involved with the city for many years. He previously served on the city's zoning committee and the board of adjustments, stepping down about a year ago, he said. A 1981 graduate of Texas Women's University - a school he selected for its physical therapy program - he describes himself as a lifelong learner. "I approach life as a learning experience," Ford said. "I still feel like I learn something every day." Ford said neighbors and community members suggested he run because of his previous city experience and understanding. He also said he's motivated by Tomball's growth. "As I see development happening all around us, it's exciting, but as a citizen and now council member, I want to see it done right," he said. He said he hopes to assure development is not rushed or in need of re-examination later. He said downtown development and mixed-use districts are particularly of interest to him. Ford sees greater opportunity with Tomball attracting day-trippers from Houston if the former develops properly. He hopes Tomball's small-town feel can lure more people looking to enjoy that atmosphere. He's looking forward to working with a council which he feels has great synergy with local entities and little friction amongst each other. He said he's looking forward to contributing his expertise in zoning and development. "My purpose is to add my experiences and viewpoint to council in a helpful manner but if constituents want certain points presented I'll present it," Ford said. "I'm just a regular guy and I want to hear from people what they want in Tomball." Lori Klein Quinn replaced Preston Dodson at the end of his term in 2014. Quinn owns the financial planning firm, Klein Wealth Management, which has operated with local families and businesses since 1983. She's a certified public accountant and financial planner. Hudgens was elected in 2011 and served two terms as councilman. He opted not to seek re-election. Hudgens graduated from Texas A&M University in 1992 and South Texas College of Law in 2002. He's a partner with the Steele Law Group and serves as counsel for clients in various industries. The Womens March that spilled millions into the streets in January was no one-off, thousands of women loudly declared Wednesday from one end of the country to the other. It was the beginning of a movement. From San Francisco to Washington, D.C., they punched home their point with their own bodies, gathering in protests to show what life is like at the workplace without women. Some events were organized by leaders of the marches in January, others by leaders of the more radical International Womens Strike, but the message was the same: demanding an end to gender discrimination of all kinds at a time when many women feel under attack by the Trump administration. Theres empty desks and phones ringing off the hook today, and we dont care because we are here, Elizabeth Lanyon, who works at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, told a crowd of more than a thousand people that gathered on the steps of San Francisco City Hall in the late morning. Between yells of approval, she praised the warrior women who showed up, saying, Were here to say, No more. Were not standing for it. All of the rallies were held on the annual International Womens Day, and the Bay Area events appeared to have no counterprotests. They were staged in conjunction with demonstrators in dozens of cities, and in at least 50 nations around the world. Several school districts around Washington, D.C., were closed for a lack of teachers due to those who joined the strike, and a march in the nations capital briefly blocked streets around the White House. In the Bay Area, the rallies in San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland and San Jose were called International Womens Strike, A Day Without a Woman, or Gender Strike. Though President Trump was a focus of much of the anger for his actions including his talk of stripping money from Planned Parenthood because it provides abortions, and his appointment of mostly men to his Cabinet organizers said the issue was larger than the president. There are no days without women, and these issues go far beyond whoever is president, said Andrea Morell, 77, of Oakland, who carried a sign at the San Francisco protest reading, Defend abortion rights. This is one of the most important fights we have today. Just take abortion rights, for one they should be under the 14th Amendment, she said, referring to the constitutional guarantee of equal protection under the law for all citizens. Its about equal personhood, control of our lives as equal people. The mood in front of City Hall was festive, with balloons and flags waving, people doing yoga on the lawn and lots of happy chatter among a mixed crowd of many races and ages. But the demonstrators message was serious, demanding equality in a society they said often overlooks the contributions of women. Pointing to growing organizations such as Indivisible and the planners of the Womens March, many said Wednesdays strike was part of what will be a protracted battle. Women in this country have been energized as never before, said Julie Wertz, 55, who took time off her graphic design job to raise money for Planned Parenthood at the rally. We cant take equality for granted anymore. We are just getting started. San Francisco Board of Supervisors President London Breed urged the crowd to make sure the next generation is not left out of the equation. When they tell you to be quiet, you get louder, she said. The crowd was mostly female, but as at the days other events there were scores of supportive men in attendance, like Rio Roth-Barreiro, 37, who took the day off from his Web development job. Its always been important to support women, but its especially important now, he said. On the other side of the bay, the scene was similar. Cardboard signs expressing support for womens issues and bright, pink pussy hats - an emblem of solidarity that emerged in Januarys march - flooded Oaklands Frank H. Ogawa Plaza outside City Hall as the sun went down. The event was largely peaceful, with police reporting one arrest when two men got into an altercation. Norma Gallegos, 34, who had come from San Francisco to join about 1,000 others for the evening rally, held aloft a sign from her Freedom Socialist Party that read, Women hold up the world. They can tear down capitalism. She said the American system, as it stands, suppresses the voice of women. Women have been put in this position not just socially but also economically, Gallegos said. We need to have discussions on how to change that right now. At UC Berkeley in the late morning, a couple hundred women of all ages students, professors, campus workers, Berkeley residents stood in lower Sproul Plaza holding signs with slogans like We are not your maids and Hands off our bodies. One of the oldest strikers was 83-year-old Sheila Goldmacher, who took the stage to exhort the younger generation to take up the torch of equal-rights activism. I stand before you today as a woman, a Jew, a lesbian feminist, a socialist, the mother of three, the grandmother of four and the great-grandmother which I never thought Id live to see of two, Goldmacher said. Im on the way out. Youre on the way up. Dont ever forget that. The San Francisco City Hall gathering was followed in the afternoon by a Gender Strike at Justin Herman Plaza, where hundreds massed before marching to nearby federal immigration offices to rail against Trumps effort to step up deportations of people who are in the country without permission. Unease rippled through the plaza with the arrival of about six masked anarchists at 12:30 p.m. No violence today, guys, one woman in the crowd yelled as they passed. San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Michael Bodley contributed to this report. Kevin Fagan, Filipa Ioannou and Jenna Lyons are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: kfagan@sfchronicle.com, fioannou@sfchronicle.com, jlyons@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @KevinChron, @obioannoukenobi @JennaJouno WASHINGTON U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) on Wednesday submitted a statement to the Congressional Record to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the capture of the Texas Lost Battalion, the 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery Regiment from Camp Bowie in Brownwood, by the Imperial Japanese Army on Java on March 8, 1942. That unit included a sizable contingent from Hale, Floyd and surrounding counties. This week, we remember the brave men of Texas who gave so much to preserve freedom in the Pacific and survived the greatest horrors of World War II. Soldiers of 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery Regiment from Camp Bowie Texas, a Texas National Guard unit, were fighting alongside Australian forces on Java, an island in Indonesia, against invading Japanese forces, Cornyn said. Although strong by historical standards, local and area sales tax payments are continuing to lag from the blistering pace set a year ago when a number of wind turbine projects were under construction and dozens of construction crews were busy in Plainview and surrounding communities replacing roofs damaged from a series of hailstorms in 2015. On Wednesday, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced the distribution of $619.7 million in local sales tax allocations for March, 5.8 percent more statewide than in March 2016. For the 15 taxing entities in the Herald circulation area that take advantage of the option to assess a local sales tax levy on top of the existing state sales tax, Hegar is distributing $532,928.15 in payments this March. Thats down 2.62 percent from March 2016 when the state returned $547,245.63 to the participating cities and counties in Briscoe, Castro, Floyd, Hale, Lamb and Swisher counties. For the calendar year-to-date (January, February and March), the payments total $1,908,329.30 for 2017. Thats off 0.93 percent from the same period in 2016, when participating entities received $1,926,215.78. The March allocations are based on sales made in January by businesses that report tax collections on a monthly basis. Plainviews March payment totals $283,936.35. Thats 9.26 percent below the payment for March 2016 of $296,139.34. For the year-to-date, the citys payments are down just 0.69 percent, falling from $1,040,811.89 in 2016 to $1,033,594.65 now. For Hale County, the March allocation was $107,272.24 which is down 3.07 percent from a year ago when it received $110,679.06. The year-to-date total for 2017 is $403,524.52, which is down 1.18 percent from the 2016 year-to-date total of $408,348.21. Both the city and county are essentially flat year-to-date with 2016, commented Mike Fox, executive director of the Plainview-Hale County Economic Development Corp. While that is not ideal, the good news is that the city has taken in more than a million dollars and the county more than $400,000 and we still have most of 2017 ahead of us. My hope for our local businesses is that sales activity will pick up as our local farmers begin preparation for their new crop year, Fox adds. Spring break is just ahead and hopefully increased sales will be generated from that as well. I remain optimistic for economic growth for both Plainview and Hale County for 2017! Eight cities and counties in the Herald circulation area received smaller payments in March as compared to a year ago, while seven saw increases. For the year-to-date, nine are showing a decline in payments while six are running ahead of 2016. Percentagewise, the largest decline for the March payment cycle was posted by Abernathy which saw a drop of 24.04 percent, followed by Hale Center, down 11.18 percent; Lockney, off 9.97 percent; Petersburg, down 9.26 percent; Plainview, off 4.12 percent; Floydada, off 3.23 percent; Hale County, off 3.07 percent; and Tulia, down 0.62 percent. The largest percentage increase in March was reported by Edmonson with a huge jump of 160.9 percent, from $113.98 in 2016 to $297.38. Swisher County saw its payment rise 40.41 percent; Olton, 29.2 percent; Kress, 11.75 percent; Hart, 10.6 percent; Silverton, 4.8 percent; and Castro County, 1.29 percent. Sales tax allocations were both up and down across the state. The cities of Houston, San Antonio, Fort Worth and Austin saw noticeable increases in sales tax allocations, Hegar said. The cities of McAllen and Sugar Land saw noticeable decreases. Current and year-to-date payments, and changes from 2016, for area taxing entities include: --Abernathy, $14,017.52, -24.04%; $46,906.59, -14.54% --Castro Co., $11,725.80, 1.29%; $46,076.86, -8.29% --Edmonson, $297.38, 160.9%; $791.52, -60.08% --Floydada, $27,344.86, -3.23%; $88,809.90, -16.05% --Kress, $1,095.14, 11.75%; $3.460.95, -8.29% --Hale Center, $7,018.35, -11.18%; $25,117.78, 6.49% --Hale Co., $107,272.24, -3.07%; $403,524.52, -1.18% --Hart, $2,721.33, 10.6%; $10,251.69, 4.16% --Lockney, $10,449.58, -9.97%; $31,071.96, -3.13% --Olton, $15,503.56, 29.2%; $44,423.28, 2.33% --Petersburg, $3,248.26, -9.26%; $11,093.35, -12.69% --Plainview, $283,936.35, -4.12%; $1,033,594.65, -0.69% --Silverton, $4,975.64, 4.80%; $16,866.66, 4.68% --Swisher Co., $16,588.04, 40.41%; $54,154.28, 44.13% --Tulia, $26,764.10, -0.62%; $92,185.31, 8.37% AUSTIN -- Teachers who commit sex offenses would automatically lose their teaching certificate under a bill unanimously approved by the Senate Wednesday. Senate Bill 7 author and Houston Sen. Paul Bettencourt says that the number of inappropriate teacher-student relationships has grown dramatically. He pointed to a 43 percent increase in investigations into such cases in the first five months of this fiscal year as compared to last, up to 97 cases. Some of these cases involve the youngest student populations. "Members, when we have teachers having sexual relationships at elementary schools, I would consider this literally an epidemic," he said. Part of the problem, say bill supporters, is that when a teacher is guilty of sexual misconduct, many times they come to an arrangement with the administration to resign rather than get fired, to avoid legal liability for the school district. The problem is compounded when the teacher applies to work at a new school. When looking into the employment history, the new administration sees a clean record, and the teacher's former employers might not even tell the prospective hirers about past incidents. This practice, called "pass the trash," leaves students vulnerable to a sexual predator at school, and parents, other teachers and administrators are none the wiser. "We're talking about the health and safety of our kids," said Bettencourt. "We cannot afford that these issues be swept under the rug anymore." In addition to the automatic revocation of teaching privileges for offending teachers, administrators who don't report sexual misconduct by teachers to the state would face criminal charges. If it is discovered the administrator intentionally helped to cover up the offense, he or she could face state jail time. It includes provisions to aid the Texas Education Agency in investigating these cases. The bill also expands the reporting requirements from just superintendents to include principals. An amendment to the bill added by Plano Sen. Van Taylor would strip any teacher convicted of certain sexual offenses involving students of their state pension. "Under no circumstances should a teacher who preyed on children receive a reward for that crime," he said. All 31 members of the Senate co-sponsored the bill, leading to unanimous passage. The Senate also passed a bill Wednesday aimed at protecting the First Amendment rights of pastors in delivering sermons. In 2014, the City of Houston issued civil subpoenas for the sermons of five area pastors they believed were opposing a local equal rights ordinance from the pulpit. The city eventually withdrew those demands, but bill author Joan Huffman says the action caused a national outcry. Her bill, SB 24, would make it illegal for a government entity to subpoena a preacher's sermons for civil proceedings. "This bill is narrowly tailored to protect First Amendment rights and prevent government over-reach and intimidation," she said. This bill also received unanimous support from the Senate. The Senate will reconvene Monday, March 13, at 2 p.m. Chris Marquette / Hearst Connecticut Media WESTPORT Although he was re-elected to the General Assembly just four months ago, state Rep. Jonathan Steinberg, D-136, has formed an exploratory committee for unknown office. On March 3, Steinberg filed an initial registration for an exploratory committee seeking an undetermined office with the State Elections Enforcement Commission under the name Jonathan for Westport. The committees treasurer is listed as Allen Bomes, RTM 7. WESTPORT In a clunky protective suit and trying to reach a woman struggling in the Saugatuck Rivers current, Firefighter Earl Hill made the choice to let go of the rope tethering him to sure safety. Assured by another firefighter approaching in the water and other emergency officials converging on the scene, his sole focus was on getting to the drowning woman. The current was pulling her away from what would have been Earls tether, said Fire Chief Robert Yost recalling the actions that saved the womans life. He made the decision to have them let go of the rope, so that was his individual act of bravery. He really put himself at risk. Working under a unified command, police, firefighters and EMS worked to rescue the woman from the cold and churning river, as heavy rain fell the night of Feb. 25. The woman later identified as Stephanie La Mendola had been in a car with her husband, Richard La Mendola, that went into the river off a State Boat Launch near Elaine Road around 7 p.m. Rescuers found the car and Lamendola, 76, who died from drowning that night. Police suspect no foul play and are considering the role of the dark, rainy conditions and other circumstances that may have contributed to the accident. Hill and the crew hes a part of were just a minute away from the Bridge Street Bridge when the call came in. They raced to the area, where Hill put on an exposure suit and moved to the dock behind Parker Mansion restaurant to jump into the water. Realizing his 150-foot tether wouldnt let him reach the woman, Hill could see firefighter Ted Crawford entering the water from the opposite bank and a firefighter and police officer boarding a civilian boat to commandeer it and come pull the woman from the water. He could see firetrucks and police cars all around. Its not that big of a deal for me because I feel safe because all of my brothers and sisters are there, he recounted, describing his thoughts as he signaled for his crew to let go of the rope. Its a team, so if something goes wrong with me, Teds going to get there. Were going to help the person in distress. If something really bad happens to me, Ive got all these other people that are there that are going to help me or whoever needs help. At that point, Im just like swim, keep swimming. Swim as hard as you can, said Hill, a member of the Westport Fire Department since 2003 who formerly worked as a professional lifeguard and in EMS. Originally from Florida, he now lives with his wife and six-year-old twin daughters in Newtown. Hill reached the woman and Crawford arrived just seconds later, holding the woman above water on each side. The boat was there a moment later to bring her to the dock. You have to go as fast as possible because theres a minimal amount of time we have to make a rescue like that, said Crawford, a Connecticut native and Westport firefighter since 2011 who lives with his wife, son, and daughter in Bethlehem. Hypothermia was a significant concern and if the woman slipped under the water, the rescues could lose track of her in a situation where seconds counted. Yost watched from a dock with a flashlight on Hill as he made the call to untether himself. The chief was concerned for Hill, in the water and very exposed. He kept his light on Hill, relieved that Crawford was close and the boat reached the men quickly. There were a couple of seconds there where this could go horribly wrong, he said. After the rescue, both Hill and Crawford moved onto the next task at hand, searching for the man missing in the river. Hill patrolled the shoreline and ran a search pattern near the boat ramp later, remaining suited up. Crawford switched to work with the Dive Team. He is a member of the joint police-fire unit. It feels good that we were able to do our jobs and help somebody, Hill said. But Crawford added, I feel bad we werent able to rescue both victims though, so its kind of bittersweet. lweiss@hearstmediact.com; @LauraEWeiss16 This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Two World War II veterans sat side by side Wednesday as they were reunited with a B-17 bomber at its new home in Conroe. Mounted guns and radio communications equipment are still inside the 20-foot-tall, 74-foot-long B-17 Flying Fortress Texas Raiders with a 104-foot-long wingspan, which still requires a duck of the head for a peek into the world of those who served in WWII, like veterans Curtis Blair, 97, of Spring, and R. B. Kelley, 92, of Conroe. But on April 8, the public will have a chance to get a glimpse of the experience with cockpit tours of the flying museum starting at 10 a.m. and flights in the afternoon at General Aviation Services on the north side of Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport, where the bomber has been relocated. The bomber will be maintained and operated by the Commemorative Air Force Gulf Coast Wing, which is a group of volunteer members who use the aircraft as an educational tool to honor and remember those who served in WW II. Conroe/Lake Conroe Area Chamber of Commerce President Brian Bondy, CAF President and CEO Stephan C. Brown and the Gulf Coast Wing of Houston, which operates the iconic bomber, welcomed the B-17 to Conroe and recognized Blair and Kelley. "When you are among American heroes, a couple who flew in this exact plane or one just like it, it really humbles me to be a part of something like this," Bondy said. "Hopefully there will be a long, long relationship between the community, the Commemorative Air Force and the airport because it is an economic engine just by itself." Kelley enlisted in the Army Air Corps as soon as he graduated from Conroe High School, he said. He served as a Ball Turret gunner while stationed in England when the B-17 he flew in was shot down with nine people on board on February 14, 1945. "We bombed Dresden, Germany and were hit over the target by the enemy," said World War II Veteran R. B. Kelley. "We lost one engine. The formation (of P-51 war planes which protected the bomber from enemy fire) went off and left us 800 miles from England (where he was stationed)." The heavy bomber turned west to go to France. With two of its four engines lost, Kelley said a third engine went out. "I don't know (what was going on in the cabin at the time), he said. "We were throwing everything out of the airplane to lighten it up. We hit the ground in Dijon, France in a plowed field. Weren't anybody hurt. We were beat up and bruised up but no broken bones." There's a reason the "sturdy" aircraft is called "the Flying Fortress", CAF Wing Leader Wayne Kennedy said. While Kelley's unscathed crew survived the crash, they remained in danger as they didn't know whether they were behind enemy lines. "We didn't know where we were," Kelley said. "We were there 30 minutes when we saw a Jeep coming, (it was U.S. Army General) George Patton's group - 'Old Blood and Guts. It was the surprise of my life. I was scared. I've met a lot of prisoner-of-war guys who have been captured. Since we weren't hurt, we would've ended up in a POW camp, and that's the last place you would want to be." Since then, Kelley has flown in a B-17 and B-24 to complete another 21 missions, and twice in the Texas Raiders at air shows in the Conroe and Houston area. Today, he meets every Wednesday at Lone Star veterans group at Storage 105, which he said includes about 15 WWII veterans. For WWII veterans like Kelley and the men in his group, having Texas Raiders in Conroe is meaningful. "I think it is the greatest thing to ever happen," Kelley said. "I'm glad. It will be a drawing card. It teaches kids. We need to get the kids involved. Kids don't know what patriotism is." Former Montgomery County Judge and retired U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Jimmie Edwards III attended the ceremony. Edwards, a Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient who served in Vietnam from 1968-69 before losing his legs in a bombing, is spearheading an effort to move and expand the Montgomery County War Memorial. "It's fantastic," Edwards said. "It will help the whole area. Not only is it great to see and to learn, but it is a learning experience and a remembering experience." Completed in 1945, Texas Raiders is one of the last 20 B-17's ever built. While WWII combat ended before Texas Raiders flew overseas, the warplane served during the Korean War. The aircraft's military career included scouting, search and rescue and weather reconnaissance. After the war, this B-17 went on to become a seismic survey aircraft and in 1967 was acquired by the CAF to be restored to her military configuration. Of the 12,731 B-17 aircraft which saw combat, only about nine B-17 bombers still fly, according to information from CAF. According to Blair, he is the only surviving WWII veteran of the 12 young men from his Fort Worth neighborhood who enlisted in 1941. "I'm the last one left," said Blair, who served as B-17 Flight Engineer after he enlisted in the Army Air Corps at the age of 21. "It brings back memories." For more information, visit www.B17TexasRaiders.org BERLIN, March 9 (Reuters) - Emirates will press ahead with plans to launch flights on Sunday to Newark in the United States via Greece, despite attempts by members of the U.S. Congress to block the route, the airline's president said on Thursday. Twenty-five members of Congress have written to U.S. President Donald Trump asking him to stop the flight over accusations Emirates and other Middle East airlines have violated the U.S. open skies agreement. "We're not changing it. We have breached no terms of the air service agreement that allows us to do that," Emirates President Tim Clark told reporters at the ITB travel fair in Berlin. Major U.S. carriers Delta Air Lines, American Airlines Group Inc and United Continental Holdings Inc have campaigned for more than two years to get the U.S. government to intervene in a dispute over subsidies. The U.S. airlines say Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways have received $50 billion in state subsidies in violation of the U.S. open skies air services agreement. The Gulf airlines have repeatedly denied the accusations. The latest Emirates route is contentious for some because it will stop to pick up passengers in Athens on its way to Newark from Dubai, its second so-called fifth freedom flight to the United States. Fifth freedom flights are where an airline from one country operates between two different countries, the other Emirates flight to the United States being its route to New York which stops to pick up passengers in Milan. Trump acknowledged at a White House meeting with U.S. aviation executives on Feb. 9 that U.S. carriers were under pressure from foreign airlines. (Reporting by Victoria Bryan; additional reporting by Alexander Cornwell in Dubai; editing by David Clarke) This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The Texas Education Agency on Wednesday launched a special accreditation investigation into the San Antonio School for Inquiry and Creativity, the same day it suspended operations at the local charter school district. Commissioner of Education Mike Morath authorized the investigation in response to a referral by the TEA's Fingerprinting Audit Unit and an initial review by the agency's Special Investigations Unit, according to a letter sent to SASIC's superintendent and president of the board of trustees. Investigators will look into the same allegations that caused SASIC to be suspended: possible lack of compliance with state requirements governing the criminal history of employees and protection of the health, safety and welfare of students. RELATED: San Antonio charter school ordered to suspend operations at all 4 campuses At board meetings last month, parents and employees complained that students were served undercooked and spoiled cafeteria food that made them ill, and that the district was not conducting criminal background checks on employees. The TEA also cited allegations that SASIC is operating at least two unapproved sites, Monticello High School at 5300 Heath Road, and SASIC Preparatory Academy, a middle school at 2507 Fredericksburg Road. SASIC's website lists four schools, and Board President Denise Fritter told the Express-News on Wednesday that the district operates four campuses. However, a Facebook post from January touts the opening of a fifth campus, Monticello Kinder Academy at 4106 San Pedro Ave. The district would not immediately list the names and locations of its schools Thursday. Fritter said Wednesday the district enrolls about 550 students. TEA investigators will also look into allegations of nepotism and failure to comply with state data reporting requirements, according to the letter. Paula Monroe, a spokeswoman for SASIC, did not immediately return a phone call for comment Thursday afternoon. Text "Breaking" to 48421 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com amalik@express-news.net Twitter: @AliaAtSAEN This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate When Justin Cantu, 16, walked into his Advanced Placement computer science classroom Wednesday morning, he saw a little boy at a table, flexing a golden hand. Thank you, said Zack Robbins, 6, eating an apple while he grabbed plastic trinkets with plastic fingers. You made my robot hand. Cantu, a sophomore who constructed the hand using a 3-D printer at the School of Science and Technology, was speechless. He placed his flesh-and-blood hand in Zacks prosthetic one, and they shook. It was a project that Ill remember for the rest of my life, Cantu said. For reasons doctors arent sure of, Zacks right hand never fully developed, said his father, Lee Robbins. With nubs for fingers, Zack, a first-grader at Wiederstein Elementary School, only could use that hand to balance things against his torso, Robbins said. Prosthetic hands can cost $10,000, but Robbins found e-NABLE, a network of volunteers who use 3-D printers to create free prosthetics for those in need. The closest volunteer was in Houston, at a Harmony charter school with a 3-D printer. To save the Robbins family multiple trips to Houston, an employee of that school contacted Resul Aslan, the science, technology, engineering and math coordinator at San Antonios School of Science and Technology. PREMIUM: TLU athlete has unusual surgery before getting prosthetic Like Harmony, SST is an open-enrollment charter district, with campuses in San Antonio, Houston and Corpus Christi. The charter network offers a rigorous curriculum, including advanced placement, dual credit and career and technical education courses. SSTs only secondary school in San Antonio, off Loop 410 on the Northeast Side, already had a 3-D printer in the computer science classroom. When Soruc Murat, the computer science teacher, asked for student volunteers to work on the hand, Cantu doubted it could be done but for personal reasons, he wanted to try. Cantus cousin walks with a prosthetic limb after losing his leg two years ago in a shark attack. It kind of felt like destiny that I had the chance to do this, Cantu said. e-NABLE gives out prosthetic hand designs created by doctors so anyone with a 3-D printer, and some skill, can manufacture the parts. Cantu and Murat measured Zacks hand and wrist to customize the design for him. Zack wanted a gold-colored hand like Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars. Then Cantu spent several 90-minute class periods and time after school, printing and building the hand. When Cantu went home, he continued researching, figuring out how to make it smoother. The materials cost less than $50 and the project took less than a month. No way in the world have I ever thought that you could make a prosthetic hand so cheap and fast, Cantu said. After my first day of working on it, I got this motivation that I just couldnt stop and I wanted to do it, so it was done. The hand fits like a glove over Zacks palm. Fishing line runs through the fingers, which close to grip things when Zack moves his palm down. In the classroom Wednesday morning, Zack sat before a heap of toys, including a skull, a tub of Play-Doh, three-sided dice and tiny guitar trophies. Many of the objects were also made with the 3-D printer. Zacks father showed him how to pinch the items between the thumb and fingers of his new hand. Zack needed both hands to pick up a large spool of what looked like green wire, which he gazed at, intrigued. Abel De Leon, the schools dean of academics, explained that the green material was filament for the 3-D printer. Thats what your hand looked like before, De Leon told Zack, who proceeded to attack the filament with a Darth Vader figurine. Zack then went behind the teachers desk and used his prosthetic hand to pick unused hand parts out of a plastic cup. He spotted a roll of black electrical tape on the floor. I really want to play with this tape, really bad, Zack said, prompting De Leon to offer it to him for keeps. Yay, I can keep this tape, Zack said, attempting to pick it up with his new hand. No, Robbins said. Daddy has electrical tape. Ill show you some at home. I can keep it, Dad, Zack insisted. PREMIUM: Veterans learn potential for 3D printers With just one functional hand, Zack has trouble drinking milk without spilling it on his shirt, Robbins said. Zacks experience has taught his parents how many simple things require two hands. Now, Zack will be able to tie his shoes and use zippers and buttons. I think its going to be a game-changer, said his mother, Jill Robbins. Zacks right hand doesnt fit exactly under his new one; so Cantu will have to boil the palm of the prosthetic and bend it into a slightly sharper curve. Cantu estimated the adjustment would take less than a day to make. Cantu said the prosthetic hand project was practice for a future career in the medical field or biochemical engineering. Ive always wanted to create things for people, he said. The School of Science and Technology plans to register with e-NABLE so students can continue to produce prosthetic hands for people who need them. Were just really thankful for an opportunity to be of service and proud of our kids, De Leon said. amalik@express-news.net Twitter: @AliaAtSAEN For more in-depth content, subscribe to expressnews.com and experience interactives, videos and stories you can't get anywhere else. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A Brenham woman who says she was wrongfully charged in the 2015 biker gang shootout that left nine dead and 177 people arrested has filed a $350 million federal lawsuit against the City of Waco, McLennan County, the district attorney, police chief and other investigators. Morgan English, 32, filed the suit Wednesday in federal court in Austin, contending officials violated her constitutional rights and lied to authorities in wrongly claiming that she was a known member of a criminal motorcycle gang who participated in ongoing criminal activities. MYSTERY: 12 key unanswered questions in the Waco biker case "This is especially outrageous because a perjured arrest affidavit was issued for a young lady who arrived at the restaurant parking lot minutes before the shooting began," said Randall Kallinen, the Houston civil rights attorney who is representing her. "Morgan English has now been portrayed all over the world as involved in a mass homicide. Her lawsuit is very different from others that have been filed following the melee nearly 22 months ago." Authorities have pointed to a judge's gag order that prohibits them from commenting publicly about what happened in Waco. English and her husband, William, drove to Waco that May for what they thought would be a quarterly meeting of a motorcycle group called the Coalition of Clubs and Independents to discuss bike-related legislation. 'Highly misleading' But after the couple arrived and started walking from their Nissan Sentra to the meeting spot at the Twin Peaks restaurant, they heard shots ring out and took cover. They later learned that police had staked out the scene in anticipation of a face-off between members of the Cossacks and Bandidos motorcycle gangs. When the smoke cleared, nine bikers were dead - and "most deaths were from law enforcement gunfire," the suit alleges. Afterward, the Englishes stayed at the scene to answer questions from police and eventually were charged with engaging in organized criminal activity. They were held on $1 million bond, but the charges were later dropped. GANG OR CLUB?: For Bandidos, the distinction matters after Waco biker shooting The suit says officials lied to gain court approval for Morgan English's arrest warrant. She is neither a member of a criminal street gang nor does she regularly associate in the commission of criminal activities, and she was not wearing gang insignia, according to the suit. Authorities used the same affidavit for every one of those accused, even when evidence was clear that the information was false, the suit says. "In the aftermath of the incident at Twin Peaks, defendants apparently concluded the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution ceased to apply, and could be ignored given what they perceived as an immediate need to announce the reestablishment of law and order in their town," the suit states. But the problems did not stop after the mass arrests, the suit says, with local authorities giving out information to the media that was "inaccurate, exaggerated and highly misleading." The number of guns seized after the shootout was "grossly overstated" and the photos distributed to the media included knives that were legal to carry but "with blades extended in an effort to appear as menacing as possible." 'Blatantly false' Days later, District Attorney Abelino Reyna publicly implied that those arrested were guilty because "if they're victims, then they shouldn't have any problem coming to law enforcement and cooperating and, at least in the first round of interviews, we ain't getting that." But English's suit contends that claim is "blatantly false" and that she and many of the other suspects cooperated with authorities. The suit is seeking actual and punitive damages. Various law enforcement and government agencies in Texas and other states around the U.S. are reporting that AT&T customers are unable to call 911 from their cellphones. San Antonio Police Department spokesman Douglas Greene confirmed that their dispatch center is being affected by the outage. AT&T customers can reach the San Antonio Police Department for emergencies at (210) 207-7273. The Bexar County Sheriff's Office can be reached for emergency response at (210) 336-6000. * City shelters asylum seekers on boat after govt cuts funds * Muslim immigration dominates debate in March 15 election * Fears for nation though migrant numbers lower than thought * Populist Wilders pushes policy to anti-immigrant right * Once liberal Dutch now among EU's toughest on immigration By Anthony Deutsch GRONINGEN, Netherlands, March 9 (Reuters) - Dozens of migrants are sheltering on a former hospital ship in a Dutch canal, beneficiaries of a "Bed, Bath, Bread" programme for asylum seekers. But their hopes of settlement are dimming with the anti-immigrant right poised for a surge at the ballot box. Polls suggest the far-right ticket will double its vote in the March 15 election, riding perceptions that many years of Muslim immigration threaten to erode Dutch national identity. Despite statistics showing there are fewer foreigners in the Netherlands than commonly believed, many voters feel Muslim immigrants are failing to integrate and running down a once-generous health and welfare system. Even if firebrand nationalist leader Geert Wilders does not enter the next ruling coalition given the refusal of "establishment" parties to work with him, he has managed to push the mainstream political agenda to the anti-immigrant right. In the northern coastal town of Groningen, dozens of mainly Muslim men and women - Africans, Arabs and some Iranians - sit at bare tables and chat quietly in the living quarters fashioned out of a ship where hospital patients were once treated. They are awaiting decisions on appeals of government rejections of their asylum applications, a process that has dragged on for years during which the Netherlands began to crack down hard on economic migrants. In the meantime, they are grateful for the refuge from the harsh North Sea winter. Groningen opened its "Bed, Bath, Bread" facility for 100 asylum seekers in January after the government of conservative Prime Minister Mark Rutte cut off BBB funding, and it plans to expand capacity to 300 people later this year. Story continues About 30 other Dutch cities and towns run BBB shelters too. They accommodate thousands of asylum seekers in legal limbo. "Four years ago I was alone. You know how life is outside, without help, but at this moment I am grateful," said Moussa Sall. He said he fled political violence in Guinea, West Africa and drifted across Europe before arriving in Groningen. Sall and his cohorts were aware and worried about swelling anti-immigrant sentiment represented by Wilders, leader of the anti-Islam Party for Freedom (PVV), but seemed loath to discuss sensitive domestic politics. "I would like to stay here and work as a hairdresser. I have started learning the language. It's not possible to go back to my country for the moment. It's dangerous for me," said Sall. POPULIST PRESSURE That is not the position taken by Rutte's government, which under the populist pressure of Wilders has imposed some of the toughest immigration policies in the European Union since 2012. It has cut off funding for BBB facilities and shortened the period of shelter for failed applicants to 28 days unless they agree to leave and stay in semi-detention prior to deportation. The government has also expanded the list of "safe" countries to which rejected migrants can be legally returned and outlawed the wearing in public of face veils by Muslim women. The nationalist current changing Dutch politics reflects a deep souring of public attitudes towards immigrants in a country long known for liberalism and multicultural tolerance, rooted in centuries of maritime history. The welcome showered on hundreds of thousands of Moroccan and Turkish workers a few decades ago has turned to resentment at open-door, pro-EU policies under mainstream parties that may drive 20 percent of voters into the PVV's arms at the polls next week. That could make Wilders' party the biggest in parliament, though it is still unlikely to enter government as all its mainstream rivals have vowed to ostracise the PVV. But diverging views among a handful of contending parties in the election about how many immigrants to accept and where to shelter them could make the formation of the next government a complex, prolonged affair. IMMIGRATION HAS RISEN, NOT SOARED The percentage of non-Western immigrants in the founding EU member state rose from 7.5 percent of the population in 1996 to 12.1 percent in 2015, according to Statistics Netherlands. In 2015, when a record 1.2 million asylum seekers - often Muslims fleeing Syria's civil war - flowed into the EU, the Netherlands took in 43,000 of them, roughly in line with the 28-nation bloc's average. That year, the Netherlands accepted 2,546 asylum seekers per one million inhabitants, compared with 5,441 in Germany and 1,063 in France, according to Eurostat. The Dutch intake fell by half in 2016 thanks to an EU deal with Turkey that curbed migration via that country to neighbouring Europe. Yet the perception of the number of Muslims in the Netherlands greatly outstrips reality. A 2016 Ipsos poll found most Dutch believed 19 percent of the country's 17 million population is Muslim, rather than the actual 5 percent. Ipsos found a similar gap between perceptions and truth in France. Wilders condemns Moroccans for being over-represented in Dutch crime and welfare statistics. He wants to close the border to non-Western immigrants, shut down hundreds of mosques and take the Netherlands out of the EU. Jesse Klaver, a Greens politician, said Dutch culture was not threatened by immigration but by an intolerant far right. "We are not a racist country. It's not about immigrants or Islam. It's about social, economic problems. People who have to pay too much tax and can't make a living," he said. LAWSUITS Groningen and other municipalities decided to pay for migrant shelters themselves after talks with Rutte's cabinet about funding the BBB programme collapsed. Several lawsuits ensued, including by asylum seekers who won the right to shelter in Amsterdam. Groningen officials said they were honouring a 2014 decision by the European Committee on Social Rights, part of the Council of Europe rights watchdog, that the Dutch must provide shelter and medical care to the homeless as a fundamental human right. Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, accused mainstream parties of not standing up to populists ahead of elections in the Netherlands, Germany and France, but instead adopting their policies for short-term political gain. Such criticism has not swayed Rutte's conservatives. He published an open letter in January, weeks before election campaigning began, telling immigrants to accept Dutch values and blend in or go home. Immigrants reacted with consternation and anger in social media posts. A poll last month found that 40 percent of Turks and Moroccans no longer feel at home in the Netherlands. (Additional reporting by Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; editing by Mark Heinrich) This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate San Antonio City Council unanimously agreed Thursday to enter into a complex annexation agreement with Converse in an effort to bring municipal services to an unincorporated part of Northeast Bexar County thats lacked them for decades. Now its up to council members in Converse, a suburban city of about 22,000 people, to decide whether to annex this 12-square-mile, unincorporated area a part of the county just north of Interstate 10 East that San Antonio officials once considered annexing, but scrapped because of the financial losses the city would incur. The area, an island wedged between San Antonio and Converse, has historically suffered from a lack of basic services and investment, though it also includes many new neighborhoods and undeveloped land. To sweeten the deal for Converse, San Antonio officials agreed to cede several commercial corridors to the suburban city and some additional areas, including the Northampton neighborhood currently in District 2. Thats about 3.6 square miles the city is giving up, eventually resulting in a loss of almost $4 million a year in various revenues for San Antonio. As part of San Antonios vote Thursday, the city released the first 600 acres of the total area it eventually will relinquish to Converse. PREMIUM: Annexation could triple the size of Converse If Converse approves the agreement, the annexation plan would be phased in over 17 years. By its conclusion in 2033, Converses population would be more than 68,000 and the city would grow to more than 22 square miles, greater than triple its current size. The projected population increase doesnt take into account the effects of any new residential development in these areas. Converse will add 85 police officers and 57 firefighter and EMS positions over a 20-year period to accommodate the new growth, said San Antonio Deputy City Manager Peter Zanoni. Converse Police Chief Fidel Villegas said his department is looking at working out of storefronts or adding substations as new areas are added into the city, with a goal of making sure officers can still make emergency calls in less than 10 minutes. At its current 7-square mile size, Converse police make emergency calls in about 3 minutes and non-emergency calls in 7 minutes. The Converse vote is tentatively scheduled for March 21. Converse Councilwoman Deborah James, who attended Thursdays meeting, currently doesnt support the proposed deal because she thinks officials in her city have rushed the agreement to a vote. She was one of three new people elected to council in November, and James believes they havent had enough time to study annexations implications. Public meetings to discuss the proposal, scheduled for this week and next, are being held too close to the council vote, she said. Im not against expanding out, James said. What Im against is it was done too fast. She added that some residents in the unincorporated areas have expressed concerns their taxes will go up if they are annexed. James fears the city may struggle to provide services for the areas once they are absorbed. Zanoni said Converse will gain a net of $8.6 million at the end of 20 years, if the annexations are executed. PREMIUM: Editorial board says Converse plan is a win for all The deal could prove a political win for San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor, following the citys decision last summer to drop this area from its annexation plan. Taylor, who is running for re-election, said she wanted to find another way to address residents problems in the area. This agreement really does underscore the importance of developing regional solutions to the challenges that face us, Taylor said. We are all neighbors. District 8 Councilman Ron Nirenberg, one of Taylors challengers in the mayors race, and District 5 Shirley Gonzales have previously opposed San Antonios decision to annex other parts of the county. While both briefly referenced their concerns Thursday, they supported the Converse plan. Several annexation bills pending in the state Legislature could render most of the San Antonio-Converse plan moot. Two annexation bills filed this session by state Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, and state Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, would mean residents in an area being considered for an annexation must vote yes or no before they could be absorbed into a city. Should these bills pass, the new laws would go into effect in September. That means Converse would have to go to the voters in the unincorporated area every time they wanted to annex a new part of the county. Zanoni, with San Antonio, said both cities have agreed to try to work together to implement the annexation plan even if the legislation passes. vdavila@express-news.net "Want coverage that digs deeper? Visit ExpressNews.com for expanded stories, analysis, video and more." A jury Wednesday found a San Antonio man guilty of murder for shooting his live-in girlfriend to death on Christmas Day 2014 and sentenced him to 35 years in prison. Benjamin Poehlmann, 34, who uses a wheelchair, had faced up to life in prison. This weekend is looking like a wet one for the San Antonio area. Jared Allen, a National Weather Service meteorologist, told mySA.com that scattered showers with possible thunderstorms are expected through Sunday. The Texas State Aquarium is currently sixth in a race to be named the country's best according to a USA Today Readers' Choice poll, and there is still time for you to make a difference. Voters can cast a ballot for their favorite aquarium by March 31. RELATED: From atop border fence, Mexican lawmaker slams Trump's proposed wall Men and women alike tweeted what Trump said before an interview with Access Hollywood in 2005 when was caught on a hot mic saying: "I did try and f--- her. She was married. And I moved on her very heavily. In fact, I took her out furniture shopping. She wanted to get some furniture. I said, 'I'll show you where they have some nice furniture.' "I moved on her like a b----, but I couldn't get there. And she was married. Then all of a sudden I see her, she's now for the big phony t---s and everything. She's totally changed her look. "I've gotta use some Tic Tacs, just in case I start kissing her. You know I'm automatically attracted to beautiful-- I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. "And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the p----. You can do anything." Austin police have charged 36 people with 21 still being sought in connection with possession or distribution of K2, a synthetic drug authorities have described as a "total drain" on resources in the city's downtown area. The charges were the result of a lengthy operation that began after the conclusion of a similar one in October, according to Lt. Oliver Tate. Of the dozens charged, five suspects were already in jail and 10 more were arrested in the course of the investigation. Around 60 volunteers and San Antonio Police Department officers searched through the city's West Side Wednesday night after a 12-year-old boy went missing after school. He was found around midnight, a little over three hours after a neighborhood alert was issued in the Villages of Westcreek and roughly eight hours after he went missing. Investigators on Tuesday arrested a man in connection with a 2015 rape case in Universal City after matching his DNA to what was found in the victim's body, according to court documents. Lonnie Duane Williams, 41, is charged with first-degree felony aggravated sexual assault, punishable by five to 99 years or life in prison. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 ROBERT MCLEROY/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Google Maps Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Police are searching for two suspects in the robbery of a fast-food restaurant Wednesday night in Selma, and who are believed to be connected to a string of similar robberies earlier this week in the San Antonio area. According to a statement from Selma Police Chief Dave Padula, the robbers hit the Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers in the 8300 block of Agora Parkway around 11:30 p.m. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The 35-year-old man accused of shooting a pregnant teenager, killing her and the unborn child he had fathered, was released from custody by immigration agents about one month prior to impregnating the victim for the second time. Armando Garcia-Ramires, 35, faces two charges of capital murder in connection with Monday's shooting and remains in the Bexar County Jail on a $2 million bond. RELATED: SAPD: Man charged in pregnant teen's shooting death fathered unborn child who died and toddler ICE agents first arrested Garcia-Ramires, who is originally from Mexico, on Jan. 19, 2011, through the criminal alien program of San Antonio, according to Nina Pruneda, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Garcia-Ramires was brought before a judge and taken into ICE custody, Pruneda said in a written statement. He later posted bond and was released on Feb. 7, 2011. ICE agents arrested him again on April 3, 2016, and an immigration judge granted him bond on May 11. He was again released from custody. RELATED: 35-year-old man faces capital murder charges in death of pregnant girl, 15, and unborn child Police have said Jennifer Delgado, the 15-year-old victim, was nine months pregnant when she was shot multiple times in the head Monday at an apartment in the 1100 block of Babcock Road. Police confirmed earlier this week that Garcia-Ramires was the father of Delgado's unborn child and her 1-year-old boy, who was unharmed in the incident. Based on the timeline provided by police, Garcia-Ramires apparently impregnated Delgado sometime around June 2016, the month after he was released from custody for the second time. RELATED: 11-month-old boy dies after apparently drowning in Seguin On Tuesday, ICE placed an immigration detainer on Garcia-Ramires following his release from University Hospital, where he received treatment for injuries sustained during a failed suicide attempt near the apartment complex where Delgado was killed. It is unclear when or how Garcia-Ramires first came to the San Antonio area, but he has never been removed from the U.S. since his arrival, according to Pruneda. A GoFundMe page was recently created to help raise money for Delgado's family following her killing. Text "Breaking" to 48421 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com cdowns@mysa.com Twitter: @calebjdowns This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A leader connected to an organization with links to the Zetas drug cartel and another man associated with numerous seized illegal marijuana cultivation sites in East Texas are being sought by authorities, a news release said Wednesday. Eduardo Ramirez Pineda is considered a leader with the drug trafficking organization near Tyler and was overseeing daily operations of at least 15 marijuana cultivation sites across East Texas. Authorities are also looking for Benito Duarte Ramirez, who is also believed to be involved in the operation, according to a Smith County news release. RELATED: DNA leads to arrest in 2015 rape case in which woman was left 'for dead' Those cultivation sites were found in Smith, Houston, Sabine, Upshur, Anderson, Morris, Van Zandt, Henderson and Harrison counties. Operation Joint Venture, a task force established in July 2015, helped destroy three sites and seized about 22,000 marijuana plants. The Smith County Sheriff's Office, Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigation Division and Drug Enforcement Administration initiated these seizures, according to the news release. RELATED: Capital murder charge for man who posed on Facebook with fake $20s The task force has also started arresting numerous Mexican nationals involved in this growing operation. Thirteen state arrest warrants have been issued with bonds of $200,000 each. The bonds for the Pineda and Ramirez are $400,000. Three people were arrested Wednesday, the news release said. RELATED: 17-year-old accused of killing parents will stand trial as adult Between July 2015 to November 2016, about 77,000 marijuana plants have been seized from 15 sites by the task force. The DEA's formula for estimating the amount of marijuana seized shows the plants seized would have produced about 169,400 pounds of marijuana worth about $600 per pound. That means the marijuana seized would be worth more than $101.6 million, according to the news release. Text "Breaking" to 48421 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com twhite@mysa.com Twitter: @tylerlwhite This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Alice Police Officer Matthew Murphy made what appeared to be a routine a traffic stop on Dec. 1, 1974. A second officer rolled up on the scene at West Main Street and U.S. Highway 281 a few minutes later and found Murphy with several gunshot wounds. Murphy, 33, was taken to a local hospital where he later died. RELATED: Gov. Abbott, DPS offering bigger rewards to help solve South, Central Texas cold cases Now, the Texas Department of Public Safety is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or people responsible for Murphy's death. The shooting made Murphy the first police officer to be killed in the line of duty in Alice, a town about 50 minutes west of Corpus Christi. Murphy's then-partner, Albert "Tito" Bernal told The Paris News in 1993 that he and Murphy were working a drug investigation that year and one of the suspects told the officers a contract was out for their lives. "(The suspect) said, 'I hope it's not true, but they say you're a narc, you and your friend.' I said, 'Do I look like one of those guys?," Bernal said. RELATED: San Antonio man indicted in pair of cold case killings Witnesses told investigators a two-door car left the area of the shooting. Police believe there were multiple people in the car. Investigators couldn't find the car in the area after the shooting. To be eligible for the cash rewards, anyone with information about the murder of Officer Matthew Murphy can provide anonymous tips by calling the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477) or texting the letters "DPS" followed by thetip to 274637 (CRIMES) from a cell phone. Scroll through the gallery to see more unsolved homicides in South Texas. An Odessa man was arrested Monday for allegedly riding a bicycle out of a Target store with hundreds of dollars in stolen merchandise, including the bicycle, according to the Odessa Police Department. Adan Salcido, 36, was charged with theft of property with at least two prior convictions, a state jail felony. The president who gave the joint session address on last Tuesday night wants Washington to put aside "trivial fights" and "compromise." He actually said this: "The time for small thinking is over. The time for trivial fights is behind us," that president said. "From now on, America will be empowered by our aspirations, not burdened by our fears." Who was that masked man who stood dully reading a prepared text from a teleprompter to predictable applause from Republicans and silence from Democrats - a testament to the ugliest partisan divide I have seen in this country since Vietnam? Earlier in the day, there were reports that the president of the United States, who as a candidate called Mexicans "criminals" and "rapists," might have finally realized that he was wrong, and was agreeing that those without papers who have been living and working in this country, and who have committed no crimes, deserve a path to citizenship. During the campaign, that widely accepted view was dismissed as "amnesty" and used by Team Trump to drive another wedge between Americans. The idea that Trump moved us past identity politics ignores that he just played it differently, pitting us against each other. Better that we blame you than blame each other, I tell myself. But that man, the one who was finally willing to consider reason and compromise, was not the president who addressed Congress on Tuesday. He was still selling his divide and conquer message. Someday, a Democrat will be saying, "Tear down that wall, Trump." (For those who don't remember, that was President Reagan's famous call on Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin wall.) Who would think so many of us would be missing the Reagan-Bush years of conservative sanity? There was, of course, a moment that did remind everyone that this was in fact the same guy we saw on the stump. President Reagan initiated the tradition of having unheralded average American heroes sitting with Mrs. Reagan during addresses to Congress. It has now, sadly, become a sort of pat routine, and there was little doubt who would make Tuesday's TV moment. After his father, out of conscience, chose not to meet with Trump, who else but the widow of the slain Navy Seal from the raid in Yemen which Trump, so far, has declared a success, and then blamed on the generals and President Obama, and then declared it a success again. Or perhaps I am missing a step. None of that interfered with the stirring television moment, nor should it, for Mrs. Owens. For Trump, on the other hand, it can hardly be seen as a "buck stops here" moment. So the president behaved and read his speech, but if the country is any more unified on Wednesday than it was on Tuesday, you could fool me. The strategy of the man who won the White House has been to disdain the kind of Republican conventional orthodoxy that a Jeb Bush or even John Kasich were offering up as candidates, and that the man on the podium dutifully read last night. Someone got to him. They took control of the teleprompter, and even the president can't ad lib. They got the old-time Republicans and the RINOs (in their view, not mine) in Congress of their back, and that will be that. In the meantime, the administration of the man who ran for president issued the most divisive and unconstitutional executive order I've seen, and when a Bush-appointed judge did his job and so ruled against the travel ban, the president attacked him, to the dismay of even his own Supreme Court nominee. The appointees of the man who ran for president are now taking steps to dismantle the laws empowering the Departments they now run. Which president is the one in charge? @realdonaldtrump. The tweeter. Does anyone doubt it? And that speech? Who could tweet that? In the course of a few days, President Donald Trump showed how thoroughly he has conquered conservative activists and the Republican Party. At the Conservative Political Action Conference, the attendees would have carried him in on a litter if they had been afforded the opportunity, and Republicans applauded everything he said in his address to the joint session of Congress. The GOP reaction to Trumps speech was one of the nights fascinating subplots: Would Republicans applaud protectionism? Of course. Would they give a standing ovation to an infrastructure program that would have had them scowling in disapproval if President Barack Obama proposed it? Yeah, why not? Would they enthusiastically greet talk of paid family leave and investments in womens health? By all means, sign them up. Trumps ecstatic reception from the right over the past week is testament to the sheer gratitude of the GOP rank and file that Trump, against all expectations, vanquished the House of Clinton. But something more fundamental is going on, though. We are witnessing the end of Reaganism, and among the very people who were supposed to be most supportive of it. This doesnt mean that Trump and Congress wont pursue conservative policies tax cuts, a defense buildup and deregulation all have a distinctly Reaganite ring but the defining commitment of Reaganism to cutting the size of government is clearly fading. If this commitment was always easier to enunciate than to effect, the aspiration was nonetheless important. Neither Ronald Reagan nor Newt Gingrich succeeded in paring back government, but they slowed its growth. And limited government was an organizing principle for the right. This year at CPAC, Steve Bannon offered a different principle. He posited that nationalism unites the right, and that limited-government conservatives are just one element of the broader coalition. This view encapsulates the change wrought by Trump in part because Reaganism had become so stale. The conventional Republicans in the 2016 primary race hewed to Reaganism as a creed frozen in amber circa 1981. It didnt need significant updating; it just needed reassertion with feeling. They were too rigid, too insular and too nostalgic. They were beaten by someone who was none of those things (actually, Trump was nostalgic, but not for the Reaganism of the 1980s). Whereas they mistook all of America for a CPAC ballroom, Trump existed outside the ideological consensus of the GOP and picked up on issues that didnt enter the worldview of politicians obsessed with the glories of the 1980s, like wage stagnation. Trump took his heterodox mix of policies, won the election and then could show up at CPAC and in Congress venues where he was largely disdained 12 months ago and bask in the adulation of eager Republican converts to Trumpism. This Trumpism is still a work in progress. As expressed in his speech to the joint session, it is a jumble of populism (the dominant strand, with its emphasis on protectionism and immigration restrictionism), conventional GOP priorities (tax cuts, deregulation, etc.), and Ivanka-ism (family leave, womens health). The only thing that doesnt fit is limited government. Trump wants both guns and butter, a military buildup and nation-building at home. He is not overly concerned with how to pay for this, or for his tax cut. Social Security and Medicare, an enormous swath of the budget, appear to be off-limits. The risk is that Trump may give us the rhetoric of Andrew Jackson, with the fiscal discipline of Lyndon Johnson. Yet no one can be certain where this is headed. It is possible that the Republican majorities in Congress will impose more fiscal restraint on the president than he is inclined to impose on himself. And the staying power of Trumps reorientation of the right will depend much on the success or failure of his administration. Perhaps Reaganism, one way or the other, will emerge again, although for now, its former guardians and enthusiasts have fallen hard for something else. comments.lowry@nationalreview.com At long last, Bexar Countys trash problem is on the cusp of a real cleanup. Will the latest legislative effort move the mounds of garbage that have (unfairly) defined some Bexar County neighborhoods for years? We should all hope so. State Sen. Jose Menendezs Clean up Bexar County legislation hasnt received the attention it deserves trash sure isnt sexy but its arguably one of the most important local bills this legislative session. Why? Because San Antonio shouldnt have neighborhoods where children walk through piles of garbage to get to school. Such basic decency is worth cheering for, right? Senate Bill 1229, and its companion, House Bill 2763, would empower Bexar Countys Commissioners Court to require trash service in unincorporated areas. Think of neighborhoods on the Northeast Side such as Camelot II and the Glen where numerous landlords have refused to require trash service at their properties, creating a festering public health crisis. Those two neighborhoods have received considerable public attention, but sadly, the issue is county-wide. Maybe its not quite as extreme in other parts of the county, but there are plenty of trash hotspots out there. Trash woes are particularly prevalent in unincorporated areas that also fall in the city of San Antonios extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), a 5-mile buffer that extends beyond city limits where its unclear if the county can mandate trash service. This would change if Menendezs bill becomes law. Bexar County could mandate trash service in the ETJ. So, if a given neighborhood spins out of sanitary control, the county can intervene. Also, landlords that own two or more rental properties in the ETJ would be required to have trash service. They also would have to register their properties with the county. But the bill is also nimble in its approach. It affects just Bexar County, so residents in other counties are not affected. Property owners and neighborhoods can keep their existing trash service, so no one is going to be forced to change service. And as for competition, Bexar County can contract with either public or private service providers, which means those private companies are not at risk of losing business. If anything, they stand to gain customers. I think people from Bexar County who have seen how bad this is definitely agree and see (the need for legislative action), Menendez said. There are a lot of people who just see this as a basic issue. I ran the bill by Mark Hurley, president of Water Meadow Inc., which owns numerous rental houses in the Camelot II area, and the lone concern he raised surprised me. It simply does not go far enough, he said. It should be all the landlords and the owners in that area. Hurley thought focusing on landlords with at least two properties created an unnecessary loophole since there are plenty of out-of-town landlords who only own one property. From his perspective, one trashy house fuels another. But the general point of the legislation is to crack down on slumlords while not micromanaging individual property owners. Menendez has to thread a certain needle here respecting rural property rights, ensuring trash service companies dont lose customers, honoring existing service so the bill becomes law. For years, former State Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon has championed legislation such as this, and for years that effort has come up short. If Menendez can break this cycle, it will be a great benefit to the community. It will also be a fabulous way to honor McClendons service, and a feather in the cap of rookie state Rep. Barbara Gervin-Hawkins, who is championing this bill in the House. Anyone who has followed the trash saga in Camelot II knows the pilot program between the city of San Antonio and Bexar County has been a smashing success. Streets and alleys are significantly cleaner, and bills are being paid. Its worked so well, the city will likely extend the pilot program to the Glen neighborhood. But its just a pilot program. Temporary and limited. This legislation, combined with Converses likely annexation of 12 miles in Northeast Bexar County, would end the regions trash problems. No more emergency cleanups that change nothing. No more garbage oozing and seeping down the street. The legislation deserves bipartisan support from the Bexar delegation. May we never again have another neighborhood blanketed in trash. jbrodesky@express-news.net Wow, we went from no drama to all drama in the blink of an eye. An embattled President Trump spent the weekend raging in frustration at his inability to control events and his administration is just in its second month. How will he make it through a year? Let alone four? And how long before Trump campaign insiders whose names have surfaced in reports about Russian contacts start lawyering up? How long before nervous political allies start backing away? How long before Republicans in Congress start putting self-interest and, one dares to hope, the national interest above party loyalty? According to widespread news reports, Trump was furious that any momentum he gained from his speech to Congress was halted in its tracks by revelations about Attorney General Jeff Sessions meetings with the Russian ambassador. Sessions had testified in his confirmation hearing that I didnt have did not have communications with the Russians, which turned out to be what my grandmother used to call a lie. The next morning, according to The Washington Post, Trump exploded in anger. The day after that he simmered with rage, the newspaper reported, as he summoned his senior aides to chew them out. Trump was apparently irate that after he had said publicly that there was no need for Sessions to recuse himself from any investigation into the Russia connection, Sessions had gone before the television cameras to do just that. The attorney generals recusal was obviously a necessary and proper step, but necessity and propriety do not seem to matter to the president. Sessions bowed to reality. But Trump won the White House by creating his own reality, built on what adviser Kellyanne Conway called alternative facts. He has not learned that actual facts do not just go away, even if the president tries his best to ignore or deny them. Id suggest that Trump reflect on this fact: The Post and other news organizations apparently had no trouble getting inside sources to dish about the presidents mood swings. While Trump fumes about leaks from the intelligence community and the entrenched federal bureaucracy, his closest aides are bending journalists ears with self-serving narratives. After he and others were taken to the woodshed by Trump on Friday, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus reportedly spent an hour calling reporters and trying vainly to convince them on a not-for-attribution basis, of course that no woodshedding had taken place. On Saturday morning, at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Trump fired up his Twitter account to make an unprecedented and apparently wholly unfounded allegation: that then-President Obama had ordered wiretapping of the Trump campaign. The White House press office later doubled down by demanding a congressional investigation of this alleged snooping. Trump must be unfamiliar with the adage about being careful what you ask for. A spokesman for Obama denied there was any wiretapping, as did Obamas director of national intelligence, James Clapper, who was in a position to know. FBI Director James Comey reportedly pressed Justice Department officials to issue a statement denying the presidents unsupported claim which Justice has so far declined to do. What if Congress grants Trumps demand, however, and launches an investigation? Any serious inquiry, it seems to me, would necessarily have to look into the alleged reason for the alleged wiretapping: contacts between the Trump campaign and the Russians. A congressional probe would take as its starting point the consensus of the U.S. intelligence community that the Russian government meddled in our election with the aim of boosting Trumps prospects of victory. If the Republican leadership in Congress denies his request for an investigation, he suffers an embarrassing public rebuke. If the request is granted, however, Trump sets in motion a process he will not be able to control. It is one thing to take office determined to disrupt traditional ways of doing things. It is quite another to flail wildly at imaginary enemies, wounding oneself in the process. What on earth will the third month of the Trump presidency be like? eugenerobinson@washpost.com WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who was fired from his prominent White House job last month, has registered as a foreign agent with the Justice Department for $530,000 worth of lobbying work that may have aided the Turkish government. A lawyer for the former U.S. Army lieutenant general and intelligence chief said in paperwork filed Tuesday with the Justice Department's Foreign Agent Registration Unit that Flynn was voluntarily registering for lobbying that "could be construed to have principally benefited the Republic of Turkey." Under the Foreign Agent Registration Act, U.S. citizens who lobby on behalf of foreign government or political entities must disclose their work to the Justice Department. Willfully failing to register is a felony, though the Justice Department rarely files criminal charges in such cases. They routinely work with lobbying firms to get back in compliance with the law by registering and disclosing their work. Flynn's attorney did not respond to questions about whether the Justice Department or FBI had contacted Flynn about his lobbying activities. Flynn's consulting firm, Flynn Intel Group Inc., had previously disclosed to Congress that it worked for Inovo BV, a Dutch-based company owned by a Turkish businessman. But neither Flynn nor his company had previously filed paperwork with the Justice Department, which requires more extensive transparency about work that benefits foreign governments and political interests. In the filings with the Justice Department, Flynn's attorney, Robert Kelner, noted they served as a termination of the registration, saying the firm had ceased operations in November, the same month the lobbying contract ended. Under a Trump administration ethics pledge that post-dated his company's work, Flynn agreed not to lobby for five years after leaving government service and never to represent foreign governments. Story continues Calls to phone numbers associated with Flynn and his firm weren't answered. Kelner, his attorney, declined to comment through a spokesman for his law firm, Covington & Burling. Reached Wednesday afternoon, an official at the Turkish embassy in Washington said he would refer the questions to the embassy spokesman. The spokesman did not immediately respond. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday afternoon. Trump fired Flynn last month for misleading Vice President Mike Pence and other administration officials about his contacts with Russia's ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak. As a key member of Trump's transition team last December, Flynn spoke by phone several times with Kislyak during the period when former President Barack Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats from the U.S. and levied new sanctions in response to Russian election-related hacking. According to the new paperwork, Flynn's firm took on the Turkish-related lobbying work last August while he was a top Trump campaign surrogate. Flynn's consulting firm said its lobbying work ended in November, when the company ceased operations. Flynn Intel disclosed in its filing that the company was invited by its Turkish client, Ekim Alptekin, to meet with Turkish officials in New York in mid-September. Among those officials, the documents said, were Turkey's ministers of foreign affairs and energy. Flynn's company did not name the officials but reported the two worked for Turkey's government "to the best of Flynn Intel Group's current understanding." In late October and early November, Flynn wrote an op-ed promoting Turkey's political and business affairs that was later published in The Hill, a Washington-based political newspaper. In the new filing, Flynn disclosed that in writing the op-ed, he relied on research conducted as part of the Inovo BV contract. But Flynn's filing emphasized that neither Inovo BV nor the Turkish government directed him to write the article. He also said he was not paid for the op-ed. Related: For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android. ___ Associated Press writer Julie Bykowicz contributed to this report. For many years the famous Crystal Palace dinner theater in Aspen featured a cabaret song that every audience loved: The Peanut Butter Affair. It told the story of a CEO who had gone to work one day, without properly washing his face, and still had a lump of peanut butter on his chin. But none of his employees dared to tell him. When he got home, though, his wife told him it was there and he was appalled. But he was even more appalled when he showed up for work over the next few days and eventually every jerk from the chairman to the clerk had a lump of peanut butter on his chin. That spoof of underlings who witlessly mimic their bosses came to mind as I listened to Trump aides and allies justifying the presidents Saturday morning Twitter rant alleging without any evidence that President Barack Obama ordered Trump Tower phones be tapped during the 2016 campaign. It seemed like the whole Trump team was putting peanut butter on their chins. The only question was who had the biggest lump. My vote goes to deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who told ABCs This Week that Trump is going off of information that hes seen that has led him to believe that this is a very real potential. Unspecified information that hes seen? UFOs that hes seen? How is that a standard for accusing his predecessor of a vile crime? Give that woman a four-year supply of Peter Pan. More troubling was watching an honorable soldier, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, dab on some Skippy and defend Trumps claim on CNN, saying that the president must have his reasons. Then why doesnt the secretary of homeland security know them and why doesnt the president share them? Trump ran for office promising to protect Americans from terrorists, immigrants and free trade agreements. But who will protect us from him? If our president is willing to casually throw under a bus our most elemental principles of presidential conduct such as, you dont accuse your predecessor of a high crime without evidence, just to divert attention away from your latest mess we have a real problem. We have so many big, hard things we need to do, but big hard things can only be done together. And that takes a leader who can bring us together to do things worthy of our energies and dedication. But it also requires trust in the integrity of that leader that when things get tough, the leader wont bail and shoot his aides and followers in the back. There is not a GOP congressman or U.S. ally abroad who today is not asking: Can I trust this guy when the going gets tough, or will Trump lay a fact-free Twitter rant on me? Government moves at the speed of trust, observes Stephen M.R. Covey in his book The Speed of Trust. There is one thing that is common to every individual, relationship, team, family, organization, nation, economy, and civilization throughout the world one thing which, if removed, will destroy the most powerful government, the most successful business, the most thriving economy, the most influential leadership, the greatest friendship, the strongest character, the deepest love. That one thing is trust. Despite a bizarre number of meetings with Russians, no proof has surfaced that Trumps team colluded with Russia. What our top three intelligence services have declared, though, is that Russia did hack our election on Trumps behalf. Without an electoral process we can trust, were sunk. One day soon something will happen in North Korea, the South China Sea, Ukraine, Iran that will require Trump to make a judgment call. He will have to look the American people in the eye and say: Trust me I decided this based on the best information and advice of the intelligence community. Or, Trust me, we needed to work with Russia on this. And who will believe him? There is nothing more dangerous than a U.S. president whos squandered his trust before he has to lead us through a crisis. Or as the Peanut Butter song warns, Strange to think what a guy can do just because everybody thinks hes right. Thomas Friedman writes a column for the New York Times. An old Marine told me that Marines guard Marines from the other side. And when one of their brothers is being threatened, the Devil Dogs (aka Marines) will go wild on them for eternity. Yes, but what about the sisters? Do the Devil Dogs protect them, too? What about the female Marines whose nude photos were posted to a Facebook group where comments ranged from raunchy to suggestions of violence? The questions arise as the Defense Department begins an investigation into recent revelations about the Facebook group, Marines United, which the Associated Press reports was comprised of active-duty and retired male Marines along with some Navy Corpsmen and Royal British Marines. Some of the nude shots were grabbed from Instagram, which mostly prohibits nudity. Others were shot surreptitiously. Most were passed along a testosterone-rich grapevine. More than two dozen active-duty women in the photographs were identified by their rank, full name and location. Needless to say, the women were horrified to learn that they had been sexually objectified by their peers. Wilfredo Lee /Associated Press The young women who knowingly had their photos taken apparently thought that viewers would be of their own choosing. One can imagine, however, that a libidinous corpsman who discovers a picture of a semi-nude or nude female Marine might be inspired to share it. Isnt sharing the operative terms in todays narcissistic, show-and-tell-all culture? The difference and the distinction, however, is that the Marines United boys club basically stole the images and used them without the subjects consent. Marines being Marines? Or are they guilty of something more sinister, potentially deserving court martial? To the civilian mind, the answer is rather simple: The Pentagon, now fully infiltrated and indoctrinated by modern feminists, has decided to put women in combat (thank you, President Obama). Therefore, women must be treated as men. But what about the vice-versa? Must men be treated as women? That is, should they be trained to be more sensitive? If so, can you simultaneously create sensitivity in the desensitizing, killing culture that breaks down an 18-year-olds humanity and instills in him an instinct for extreme brutality? Put another way, how stupid are we? Theres a reason we say in times of great peril, Send in the Marines, and its not because of the few brave, committed women among them. But try to find someone in todays military willing to say so. Two of my regular Marine correspondents, Jack and Russ, both of them Vietnam vets, explained the culture that creates killers and how this environment isnt conducive to civilian norms. Jack, who told me the afterlife story, is my brother. Russ is a retired Methodist minister who counsels veterans navigating post-traumatic stress disorder. Neither they nor I intend to justify the Facebook group but rather aim to illuminate the mindset that might have led to it. It aint Hollywood, says Jack. It is stinky, bloody, sweat-soaked, soil-your-britches killing and being killed. You push that (expletive) down so far in your guts that it comes out 50 years after the job is done. Thats PTSD. Russ explains the culture in somewhat more polished terms. Marines embrace the warrior archetype more than other branches. The shadow of this is patriarchy, misogyny and brutality. We are trained to be killing machines, deadening all emotion except anger. Were told we dont have the luxury of sensitivity, so we objectify everything, including women. Still, hes optimistic, saying that we need to return to the embodiment of the hero archetype in the medieval knight. Aggressiveness can be coupled with honor, nobility and compassion. Maybe so. But knights typically didnt joust with women, which may be the most salient inference. That said, chivalry has a place here. An apology to the women who exposed themselves to the few, not the proud, would be appropriate both as gesture and punishment. kathleenparker@washpost.com A big debate seems to be raging about whether President Donald Trumps unsubstantiated charge that President Obama wiretapped his phones represented strategic Trump or hair-trigger, uncontrollable, tweeter Trump. And that debate is unworthy of what just occurred. A sitting president, in a tweet storm, just accused his predecessor of breaking the law to plant wiretaps to undermine his candidacy. He did so absent credible evidence, at a time when news cycles were consumed with Attorney General Jeff Sessions recusing himself from any Justice Department investigation into Russian interference in the election. And it occurred with pressure mounting on Congress to investigate ties and contacts between the Russians and the Trump camp. It was a smear, based on alt-right sources that didnt even point to what Trump charged. Based ironically on the kind of anonymous sources that Trump thunders about, they reported that authorities had asked a special court to grant a wiretap. But they dont say Obama ordered the actions. Two players from pertinent agencies have specifically denied any wiretaping former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper denying it outright Sunday and FBI Director James Comey reportedly asking the same day that the Justice Department deny it and, in so doing, rejecting Trumps assertion. And President Obama, through an aide, has also denied this. So, now Trump has asked for Congress to investigate, though credible evidence of a White House sponsored wiretap does not exist and, therefore, no evidence exists of a crime or political impropriety being committed. It is a by-now familiar sequence of events. Faced with controversies generally of his own making, first candidate Trump and now President Trump punches back with a spurious charge or action to distract from the controvery. This takes over the news cycle. It is likely unreasonable at this point to expect the president to resist his pugilistic tendencies. They undermine his presidency and the publics faith in him and his administration more than anything his critics can accomplish. They do harm to the institution. But it is reasonable to expect that more thoughtful heads in government not be distracted from the task at hand investigating Russian meddling in the election. And do it with a special counsel with indictment powers. Re: Thats not my goal, Your Turn, Saturday: It seems that every time the congressman (Rep. Lamar Smith) disagrees with a comment in the Express-News, he sends a letter to Your Turn and gets published every time. He has enough money in his war chest to defend himself. The congressman apparently rules his domain by reading newspapers and thinks more about the New York Times than what his constituents have to say or need. He has been in the Congress too long. Pablo Garcia Expecting decency Re: Trumps threshold, Your Turn, March 2: We should be concerned that Trump is a sexual predator, stiffed contractors out of their pay, a fraud, used the Trump Foundation for personal use, and was disrespectful to a distinguished POW and a reporter (which was seen by the world), a wife cheater and a pathological liar. I personally expect our president to be a decent human being concerned for the welfare of everyone in the United States. Carlota Sierra Bullying ploy Re: SCUC a finalist for best school board in Lone Star State, Metro, Feb. 28: The article begins, Three Bexar County school boards were operating under increased state oversight and a trustee in a fourth was arrested on federal wire fraud charges Feb. 16 . Why would anyone begin an article poking fun (albeit true statements) at other districts trustees before praising SCUC. It reminds me of the bullying tactics used by school kids during recess. Shame on you for promoting this behavior. Frank R. Trevino Hateful vitriol After listening and reading the news daily, I have concluded that liberals (or whatever they call themselves today) are not nice people. We should be thankful that Hillary Clinton did not win the election, as they are showing their true selves by continuing their nasty comments about everything President Trump. Just be thankful you personally are not on the receiving end of their hate. Alton Fischer Above the law? I am dumbfounded at the reaction to what I consider Jeff Sessions act of perjury last week. Here is the U.S. attorney general, the nations highest law enforcement officer, committing perjury in front of a senate committee and the world. Hes going to submit an amendment to the question Sen. Al Franken asked him, basically changing his answer so he wont be accused of perjury. What is this? Is Sessions above the law? Does this mean everyone sitting in jail for perjury can now submit an amendment to his testimony and be subsequently freed? All I can say is, how in the heck are government and civics teachers explaining this to their students? Olga Sharer Tossing stones Re: Praised for flood prevention, front page, Feb. 4: Leon Valleys fire chief stated that flooding in his city was the result of irresponsible upstream development in San Antonio. While I have no doubt theres substantial truth to this, Leon Valley isnt a completely innocent victim in this. Runoff from all those large parking lots and commercial rooftops along Bandera Road in Leon Valley gushes downhill unchecked and into Huebner Creek, exacerbating flooding in the El Verde Road area and further downstream from Leon Valley. I havent seen any effort by Leon Valley leaders to mitigate this irresponsible development in their own backyard. Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones. Brian Purcell Free country This is for those who are miffed about folks who did not attend President Donald Trumps inauguration. The last time I checked, we still live in a democracy and it is our right to go wherever we desire and to see whomever we choose. Harold Estep TIJUANA, Mexico After manning a machine gun on a combat helicopter as a U.S. Marine during the liberation of Kuwait, Antonio Romo came back to the United States traumatized by the death and carnage he saw. He says he turned to alcohol and narcotics to try to quiet the nightmares, and made multiple suicide attempts. With addiction, he fell into dealing, and was arrested for selling cocaine. And after getting out of prison, Romo was deported in 2008 to Mexico, from where he had migrated illegally at age 12 to Lynwood (Los Angeles County). Today hes part of a group of dozens of U.S. military veterans, most of them former legal residents but noncitizens, who were deported after criminal convictions and who for years have tried to convince multiple administrations to let them return. They acknowledge committing serious crimes such as felony drug dealing, but argue that they did their time and being kicked out of the country amounts to being punished twice. Now these veterans are pinning their hopes on the new administration of Donald Trump, and their cause presents a sharp conflict for two of the new presidents stated priorities: Trump has promised to support the military and veterans; at the same time, he has also moved to ramp up deportations of immigrants in the United States illegally particularly those convicted of crimes. President Donald Trump has said that he supports veterans, but ... the 48-year-old Romo said, his voice trailing off. Either congressional legislation or a presidential executive order could open the door for Romo and the others. In September, then-candidate Trump suggested he would be open to letting immigrants who serve stay in the U.S. even if they came illegally. I think that when you serve in the armed forces, thats a special situation, and I could see myself working that out, Trump said at NBCs Commander-in-Chief Forum. Absolutely. The United States has recruited foreign-born soldiers since the mid-19th century, and between 1999 and 2008, more than 70,000 of them enlisted, according to a report by the American Civil Liberties Union. Service has provided an expedited path to citizenship, with more than 109,000 veterans becoming naturalized Americans between 2001 and 2015, according to U.S. government statistics. The Deported Veterans Support House in Tijuana says it has documented at least 301 cases of veterans being deported to about 30 countries. More than 60 of them are Mexican. Many deported vets like Romo gravitate to Tijuana to be closer to relatives in Southern California, some of whom are U.S. citizens and can cross the border to visit. Maria Verza is an Associated Press writer. JAKARTA, March 9 (Reuters) - The Indonesian unit of Freeport-McMoRan Inc is targeting to resume production of copper concentrate on March 21 at its giant Grasberg mine in Papua, its spokesman said on Thursday, amid an ongoing stoppage of concentrate exports. "Ships have already begun to arrive," Freeport Indonesia spokesman Riza Pratama told reporters. While it cannot export concentrate Freeport will adjust its output to the amount it can process at Indonesia's main copper smelter, Pratama said, referring to PT Smelting on the main island of Java. (Reporting by Wilda Asmarini; Writing by Fergus Jensen; Editing by Tom Hogue) THE Constitutional Court (ConCourt) yesterday raised the age of se_xual consent from 16 to 18 in a landmark ruling with far-reaching consequences. The ruling follows an application by two Harare women seeking to nullify the age of consent set at 16, saying it violates the rights and protection of girls in terms of the Constitution which set the legal age of marriage at 18. The women, Loveness Mudzuru and Ruvimbo Tsopodzi, who were 19 and 18 at the time of the application, approached the court through their lawyer, Tendai Biti, challenging the Customary Marriages Act. Yes, the ConCourt handed down the judgment holding that the age of se_xual consent is 18 years of age, not 16, and that no one may marry a child who is below 18, Biti told NewsDay yesterday. The women argued that 16 years as the age of consent was indirectly discriminating against girls based on gender, compromising their health, education, human dignity and best interests. They argued that raising the age of consent to 18 would at least deter, especially older men, from engaging in relationships with girls under the age of 18. In 2016, the ConCourt outlawed child marriages and struck off the statutes section 22(1) of the Marriage Act, which, for decades, had allowed children under the age of 18 to formally get married. In their application, the two women who were married off before the age of 18, argued that early marriages violated the countrys Constitution. They argued that section 22 of the Marriages Act which sets 16 years as the legal age of consent violates section 78 of the supreme law, which stipulates that anyone who has reached the age of 18 has a right to have a family. NewsDay Breaking News via Email This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settings ACCEPT In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is. Yogi Berra1 As Theresa Mays self imposed deadline of March 31 for triggering Article 50 approaches, the Financial Times Martin Wolf has assembled some trade data that supports the argument that we and many others have made: that the UK is in a very poor bargaining position in Brexit, yet is deludedly overplaying its hand. A few UK readers get annoyed when we go through the many real world constraints that the UK faces in negotiating a Brexit and in the possible futures it might have outside the EU. They get angry and declare us to be enemies of national sovereignity and/or defenders of evil Eurocrats. The problem is that virtually all of these Brexiteers are selling Brexit theory, and Brexit theory is in turn a bunch of empty promises that the likes of Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson sold them, starting with that theyd turn over 350 million a week in savings to the NHS. They walked that one back right after the election results came in. The fact is that the UK is a small open economy. That means, like it or not, the UK will remain in large measure subject to the rules and regulations of the EU because it will sell goods and services to them. The UK is too small to have one set of products made to lower/different UK standard and another for EU export. The only areas in which the UK will be able to free itself from EU rules are environmental and labor regulations, where the majority of UK voters like the EU standards, which are almost certain to be more citizen-friendly than what the Tories will implement on behalf of their big business buddies. Similarly, as various experts have already warned, the UK is almost certain not to see a reduction in immigration post Brexit. The only way to change these boundary conditions would be if the Tories were to embark on a total-war-level effort to make the UK economy more self sufficient. Nothing of the sort is in the offing. And on top of that, the negotiation planning ranges from pathetic to counterproductive. The Tories seemed unaware of the fact that there was no such thing as a default to the WTO if their Brexit talks founder, even though parties as remote as this site has flagged that as an impediment prior to the Brexit referendum. They government has apparently been trying to get some sort of special treatment from the WTO and not surprisingly isnt getting much of anywhere. Apparently its news to them that the WTO operates by consensus, and with 162 members, thats hard to achieve, and lacks any sort of established procedure for making decisions otherwise. And let us not forget that the WTO Director-General warned the UK several times before the vote that WTO deals take years to negotiate (as in typically more than five, and the approval process can easily take more than a year), that there were other countries in the pipeline and the UK would not be able to jump the queue. Its not hard to imagine that new entrants who got in the hard way would not support the UK demanding all sorts of waivers. Mind you, the WTO cock-up is one of numerous examples of the Government living deep in its own bubble and sadly, via a boosterist press, persuading large swathes of the British public that its reckless and destructive course of action is prudent and noble. I could easily cobble together a 5,000 word post from the archives on other major Tory delusions and misrepresentations, but Ill refrain in the interest of not trying your patience. The high level problem is that Theresa May is playing a game of chicken and just like the Greeks dealing with the Troika, has managed to persuade herself that the UK is in the better position and the EU will capitulate. EU officials have tried telling the UK in God knows how many ways that they have non-negotiable boundary conditions. Yet May & Co. keep ignoring consistent messages from numerous EU officials, including Merkel. The UK has managed to achieve the difficult feat of creating near unanimity within the EU (the fractiousness of Poland and Hungary wont affect the negotiating stance). Former Irish Prime minister John Bruton described the downside of May committing the UK to a hard Brexit when the EU is very unlikely to offer concessions: In working out the orientation to be given to the negotiators, the crucial thing is for the European Council to work out what would be its best alternative to a negotiated agreement (BATNA). It is important to have an alternative ready because there is every possibility that no agreement will be reached within the two year time frame for negotiation, and ratification, of a withdrawal agreement. Mrs May has said that, for her, no deal at all preferable to a bad deal. Her BATNA, so to speak, is no deal at all. No deal would mean the UK simply crashing out of the EU overnight, sometime before the end of March 2019. This no deal scenario would be an overnight halt to flights, to trade and to commerce. There would be immediate, massive currency instability. From the point of view of pure negotiating tactics, maybe it not surprising that Mrs May would threaten no deal. But to do so, in the absence of a well crafted fall back position, is something the UK cannot really afford. It vindicates Tony Blairs description of the UK government as not driving the (Brexit) bus, but rather being driven by partisan and ideological forces it has not tried to control. In the absence of a real alternative to a hard Brexit, it is on auto pilot heading towards a cliff. While most experts agree that negotiating the terms of a divorce in the two year exit period should be possible, getting a new trade deal in place is a completely different matter. While the US has been able to to that, that is because US bi-lateral trade deals are not negotiated. The US dictates terms and the counterparty might at most get a few tweaks. Negotiated trade pacts take longer. And even more important, the UK needs a services deal for its overly large banking sectors. Services agreements take much longer than trade deals. Even if the two sides had adequate staffing and good will, it would be pretty much impossible to get everything done in 24 months (yes, an extension is in theory possible, but that would require approval of all the 27 remaining members of the EU and no one thinks that will happen). Let us not forget theres already the hugely contentious of the UKs overdue payments to the EU plus other exit charges, which the EU estimates at 60 billion. Given the EUs better bargaining position, it can simply stand pat and let the clock run out if the UK does not make a reasonable counterproposal. And thats only one of many fractious issues to be settled. Martin Wolf believe that the UK cant try the Whoops, just kidding! approach if it realizes it backed itself in a corner with Brexit. Do not forget that the Article 50 process provides for automatic departure in 24 months in the absence of an agreement, and there is no provision allowing for an Article 50 process to be revoked. Per Wolf: I have no objection in principle to the idea that the application to leave could be reversed once the nature of Brexit became clearer. It is certainly no less patriotic to wish to remain than to leave. Moreover, the result of a referendum on a particular date cannot be sacrosanct for all time. It is possible that the electorate will change its mind. Those Brexiters who insist on parliamentary sovereignty can also not object in principle to a parliamentary vote on the terms of the deal that is actually reached, set against the option of remaining in the EU. Yet, in practice, this option is highly implausible. This is partly because it would shatter the stability of the Conservative party at a time when there is no credible opposition. Yet what is even more important is the view of the rest of the EU. I find it impossible to imagine that after two years of hard negotiations, the UK would be allowed to get away with saying to its counterparties that the deal they have offered is so bad that it has decided to stay inside, almost as a form of punishment. This would violate all norms of decent behaviour. I suspect that any attempt to withdraw the Article 50 application in these circumstances would be rejected by the members, supported by the European Court of Justice. The latter would view such whimsical behaviour as incompatible with the survival of the EU itself. And Wolf shows that contrary to the brave talk of Brexit fans, the UK indeed has more to lose than the EU does from the failure to reach an understanding: The overriding objective must be to achieve the best possible deal on trade. The reality, however, is that the UK has a weak hand: without a deal, it would have its trade disrupted and relationship with the continent in tatters. Its counterparts know this. The UK does far more of its trade with the rest of the EU than the rest of the EU does with the UK. It has more to lose. Former prime minister Sir John Major has laid out the best approach: The most successful results are obtained when talks are conducted with goodwill: it is much easier to reach agreement with a friend than a quarrelsome neighbour. But, behind the diplomatic civilities, the atmosphere is already sour. Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform, adds: At a time of global uncertainty . . . Britains decision baffles its partners. They feel snubbed, hurt and (at least in some cases) insecure. As much as Donald Trump is the favorite whipping boy of the media, no matter how bad a President he ultimately turns out to be, the US has both enough checks and balances and economic/institutional inertia that the damage will be incremental. In fact, the real danger of Trump is it will allow the Democrats to go much further in a pro-corporate/neolibearal/pro-surveilllance state direction and declare it to be progress Because Trump. By contrast, the Tories are ideologically and operationally incapable of doing the sort of national emergency planning necessary to manage a Brexit transition and implement a national industrial strategy. It is thus very likely that history will treat May as a far worse failure as a leader than even the Derided Donald. ____ 1 Yes, I know that the attribution to Yogi Berra is depicted as inaccurate. But its too pedantic to go through the list of possible sources for this quote. The quest to crystallize time Nature. I guess the crystal is bigger on the inside? Pot For Pets: Owners Treat Sick Animals With Cannabis CBS Goldman Sachs lessons from the quant quake FT. This time its different? Looking for Hidden Black Money? London Might be the Place to Start The Wire (J-LS). Thank Goodness Nukes Are So Expensive and Complicated Wired UN experts denounce myth pesticides are necessary to feed the world Guardian (Furzy Mouse). Second Warmest U.S. February on Record: Chalk It Up to Greenhouse Gases Weather Underground Brexit UPDATE 1-EU makes progress on Monte Paschi rescue planVestager Reuters The Dutch Trump Is Even More Toxic Than the Real Thing The Intercept Syraqistan China? If Tillerson gets it wrong in Asia, the consequences could be catastrophic Asian Correspondent India has highest bribery rate among 16 Asia Pacific countries: Transparency International Times of India. And competition was tough! Vault 7 Top tip: Unplug your WD My Cloud boxen now The Register. I have never understood why storing personal data in The Cloud is a good idea, despite Apples constant nudges for me to do so. The FCC Helped Make the Internet Great: Now, Its Walking Away Wharton School GOP senators new bill would let ISPs sell your Web browsing data Ars Technica New Cold War Russia: The Conspiracy Trap NYRB. Excerpted by Greenwald yesterday. Important! 2016 Post Mortem The Exhaustion of American Liberalism Shelby Steele, Wall Street Journal Health Care Trump Transition Stuck between gangs and Trump, migrants halt in Mexico France24 Israels New Travel Ban: A Survival Kit for Activists Stopped at Israels Airport Haaretz Guillotine Watch The Experts Guide to Crying at Work Bloomberg. Recent research from the Harvard Business School has found the secret to turning tears into workplace gold: make them evidence of your professional passion. Will that work in an Amazon warehouse? Inquiring minds want to know! Class Warfare The Hamilton Hustle Matt Stoller, The Baffler. Excellent, even for the excellent Stoller. Is It Better to Be Poor in Bangladesh or the Mississippi Delta? The Atlantic. Interview with Angus Deaton. Must read (and pay careful attention to Annie Lowreys questions). Day Without a Woman Protests Held Across U.S. WSJ How Should We Then Live? The Archdruid Report. More fun with Schopenhauer! Sound waves boost older adults memory, deep sleep Science Daily. I guess falling asleep to a podcast is a smart move for me, then Sleeping Through the Night Is a Relatively New Invention New York Magazine Antidote du jour (via): See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here. BRUSSELS, March 9 (Reuters) - European Union leaders arrived in Brussels for talks on Thursday that will touch on migration, security, the western Balkans and the bloc's economy. The summit, however, is all but certain to have a bumpy start with Poland's eurosceptic government opposing the re-election of compatriot Donald Tusk as chairman of EU leader summits. Below please find comments by EU leaders as they arrived for talks. BELGIAN PM CHARLES MICHEL "We need a decision today in favour of Donald Tusk. It hope we can reach an agreement quickly to allow Donald Tusk to continue his function as the head of the European Council." Asked whether it was a missed chance for May that the Brexit notification has not come at this summit? "Yes, it was the goal to send a notification as quickly as possible. I have noticed that also in the UK there are now and then difficulties with getting a majority in the parliament." GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL "Germany will support the re-election of Donald Tusk." HUNGARY PM VIKTOR ORBAN "We support the candidate of the EPP." (European People's Party candidate is Tusk) "He (Tusk) was not evaluated personally at all. European politics is organised on a party basis and the EPP has a candidate." "Central Europeans have different kind of history, different basic instincts on many issues. We try to be good Europeans but at the same time we want to remain Polish and Hungarian and Czech and so on... That difference is obvious on the issue of migration, but now the central European issue is becoming more general." MALTA PM JOSEPH MUSCAT "The rules are clear. It is not up to me or the Polish government or up to Donald Tusk whether this takes place today and how it takes place today. There are rules in the treaty, rules of procedure and we will have to follow those rules." "If someone asks for a vote ... (and) we do think the Polish government will ask for a vote, then a vote will be taken." DUTCH PM MARK RUTTE "The Netherlands supports the candidacy of Donald Tusk... Story continues He is always fair as chairman with his eye on the ball. In very turbulent times he has kept a cool head and always put the solution first rather than the problem." FRENCH PRESIDENT FRANCOIS HOLLANDE "I support Tusk for the reasons of continuity, coherence and stability. It's an obvious candidate." "I don't see how one country can block a solution supported by all the others." POLISH PM BEATA SZYDLO "Nothing should be decided without our consent. Today in this building it would be good to recall this main principle of community building. I will do that. "There is no agreement for a member state that has a different opinion not to be heard. It is about principles. Those who disregard this principle, do not build unity but disunity." "I will never agree to the primacy of force over principles. For Poland it is obvious that principles are not to be traded and there is no agreement that the European Council president is appointed without the consent of the country he comes from." (Compiled by Philip Blenkinsop, Julia Fioretti, Robet-Jan Bartunek, Gabriela Baczynska) Phonon nanoengineering: Vibrations of nanoislands dissipate heat more effectively (Nanowerk News) Europium silicide has for some time attracted the attention of scientists. Recognized as being promising for electronics and spintronics, this material has recently been submitted by a team of physicists from Poland, Germany and France to comprehensive studies of the vibrations of its crystal lattice. The results yielded a surprise: deposited on a substrate of silicon, some structures of europium silicide appear to vibrate in a way that clearly broadens the possibilities of designing nanomaterials with tailored thermal properties ("Anomalous Lattice Dynamics of EuSi 2 Nanoislands: Role of Interfaces Unveiled"). The nanoislands are completely isolated (left) or adjoining each other (right). (Image: IFJ PAN) The vibrations of atoms in the crystal lattices of materials, known as phonons, are not chaotic. Instead, they are governed by the lattice symmetry, atomic mass and other factors. For instance, the atoms deep in the solid oscillate differently than on its surface, and still differently when the material forms, for example, nanoislands i.e. small atomic clusters on a substrate. An international team of physicists, composed of scientists from the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IFJ PAN) in Cracow, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the European Synchrotron (ESRF) in Grenoble, have for the first time comprehensively examined how the vibrations of the crystal lattice of europium silicide (EuSi 2 ) change depending upon the nanostructures arrangement on a substrate of silicon. The study yielded remarkable results: a new type of vibration was observed in the sample in which the EuSi 2 nanoislands were in contact with each other. "Usually nanoengineering means modifying material on a scale of nanometres, or billionths of a metre. The research on europium silicide in which we participated allows us to offer something more: phonon nanoengineering, i.e. engineering in which not so much the structure of the material is carefully designed as the vibrations of atoms in its crystal lattice," says Dr. Przemyslaw Piekarz (IFJ PAN). Europium silicide forms a crystal, in which each europium atom is surrounded by 12 silicon atoms. The system exhibits what is known as tetragonal symmetry: the distance between atoms in one direction is different than in the two remaining directions. This metallic compound readily binds to silicon, and also has a record-breakingly low so-called Schottky barrier (i.e. the barrier of potential energy electrons encounter on their transition from the metal to silicon). Such materials are of interest today in view of their potential application in nanoelectronic systems, for example, in MOSFET technology used in the production of modern processors. However, at low temperatures EuSi 2 also exhibits interesting magnetic properties, which makes it attractive for the successor of electronics - spintronics. The surface of nanoislands is marked in brown, solid EuSi2 crystals in yellow, and the silicon surface in black. Two interfaces are visible: between the nanoislands and the silicon surface (blue), and the source of new vibrations -- the interface between two nanoislands (green). (Image: IFJ PAN) Although compounds of rare earth metals and silicon play a fundamental role in heat transport, among others, their lattice vibrations have not to date been comprehensively studied. Meanwhile, in nanoelectronic systems where heat is generated in large amounts, thermal properties of a material became as important as the magnetic or electric properties. A group led by Dr. Svetoslav Stankov (KIT, Germany) has developed a procedure for the preparation of epitaxial EuSi 2 nanostructures by depositing, in ultrahigh vacuum conditions, small amounts of europium atoms on a heated substrate of single crystalline silicon. Moreover, by careful adjustment of the temperature of the substrate and the amount of europium atoms they were able to tailor the morphology of the prepared EuSi 2 nanostructures on the silicon surface. "In this experiment we focused our attention on four europium silicide samples forming: a uniform film, which could be regarded as a solid crystal, a tightly pleated film, and two different assemblies of nanoislands," explains Dr. Stankov and adds: "A nanoisland is a discrete cluster of self-organized atoms on a surface reaching sizes of several tens of nanometres with a height of a dozen or so nanometres. It turned out that especially interesting are the samples in which the EuSi 2 nanoislands are completely isolated from each other and those where the nanoislands are in close contact with each other." The samples were prepared in the ultra-high vacuum system at the nuclear resonance beamline of the ESRF synchrotron in Grenoble by the KIT group and investigated in situ by nuclear inelastic scattering (NIS). "NIS is a state-of-the-art method for direct measurement of the energy spectrum of atomic vibrations of nanomaterials with very high resolution. In this experimental technique the sample is illuminated with high energy photons, selected so that their absorption by atomic nuclei excites or annihilates lattice vibrations of a certain kind, yielding the element-specific phonon density of states," adds Dr. Stankov. Theoretical studies at the IFJ PAN were carried out ab initio, based on the fundamental laws of quantum mechanics and statistical physics, using PHONON software written by Prof. Krzysztof Parlinski (IFJ PAN). The Cracow group dealt not only with modelling the vibrations of the crystal lattice of structures of europium silicide, but also determining the conditions for conducting experiments in the ESRF synchrotron. "In Grenoble only the vibration energies of europium atoms were recorded. The curves obtained from the measurements agreed very well with our calculations for the solid crystal and the surface. We could supplement these data with our predictions for the movements of silicon atoms, which helped to better interpret the results," says Prof. Parlinski. Particularly interesting results were obtained for the samples with nanoislands. In the case of a substrate coated with discrete nanoislands a significant increase of the amplitude of vibration of europium atoms was observed, up to 70% relative to the vibrations in the crystal. Such a large increase translates into significantly greater possibilities in the field of heat transfer. The most interesting effect appeared, however, in the sample with nanoislands adjoining each other. Namely, additional vibrations with a characteristic energy were found at the interfaces between the nanoislands. Although theoretically predicted earlier on, their existence was confirmed experimentally for the first time. They constitute another 'gateway' through which material can discharge heat into the environment. By means of the adjoining nanoislands a significant increase in the efficiency of heat transfer in nanostructures becomes a reality. "In the analysis of materials scientists usually look at the properties of a sample of fixed morphology. We have described a whole spectrum of possible surface morphologies of EuSi 2 . An advanced theoretical model and precise measurements have allowed us for the first time to exactly trace how the vibrations of the crystal lattice of a nanomaterial change depending on its arrangement on the substrate," stressed Dr. Piekarz. New material regrows bone (Nanowerk News) A team of researchers repaired a hole in a mouses skull by regrowing quality bone, a breakthrough that could drastically improve the care of people who suffer severe trauma to the skull or face. The work by a joint team of Northwestern Engineering and University of Chicago researchers was a resounding success, showing that a potent combination of technologies was able to regenerate the skull bone with supporting blood vessels in just the discrete area needed without developing scar tissue and more rapidly than with previous methods. The results are very exciting, said Guillermo Ameer, professor of biomedical engineering at Northwesterns McCormick School of Engineering, and professor of surgery at Feinberg School of Medicine. A schematic representation of the experimental design. Supported by the China Scholarship Council, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, Chicago Community Trust, and National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, the research was published last week in the journal PLOS One ("Repair of critical sized cranial defects with BMP9-transduced calvarial cells delivered in a thermoresponsive scaffold"). Russell Reid, associate professor of surgery at the University of Chicago Medical Center, is the articles corresponding author. Reid, his long-time collaborator Dr. Tong-Chuan He, and colleagues in Hyde Park brought the surgical and biological knowledge and skills. Zari P. Dumanian, affiliated with the medical centers surgery department, was the papers first author. This project was a true collaborative team effort in which our Regenerative Engineering Laboratory provided the biomaterials expertise, Ameer said. Injuries or defects in the skull or facial bones are very challenging to treat, often requiring the surgeon to graft bone from the patients pelvis, ribs, or elsewhere, a painful procedure in itself. Difficulties increase if the injury area is large or if the graft needs to be contoured to the angle of the jaw or the cranial curve. But if all goes well with this new approach, it may make painful bone grafting obsolete. In the experiment, the researchers harvested skull cells from the mouse and engineered them to produce a potent protein to promote bone growth. They then used Ameers hydrogel, which acted like a temporary scaffolding, to deliver and contain these cells to the affected area. It was the combination of all three technologies that proved so successful, Ameer said. Using calvaria or skull cells from the subject meant the body didnt reject those cells. The protein, BMP9, has been shown to promote bone cell growth more rapidly than other types of BMPs. Importantly, BMP9 also appeared to improve the creation of blood vessels in the area. Being able to safely deliver skull cells that are capable of rapidly regrowing bone in the affected site, in vivo as opposed to using them to grow bone in the laboratory, which would take a very long time, promises a therapy that might be more surgeon friendly, if you will, and not too complicated to scale up for the patients, Ameer said. The scaffolding developed in Ameer's laboratory, which is a material based on citric acid and called PPCN-g, is a liquid that when warmed to body temperature becomes a gel-like elastic material. When applied, the liquid, which contains cells capable of producing bone, will conform to the shape of the bone defect to make a perfect fit, Ameer said. It then stays in place as a gel, localizing the cells to the site for the duration of the repair. As the bone regrows, the PPCN-g is reabsorbed by the body. What we found is that these cells make natural-looking bone in the presence of the PPCN-g, Ameer said. The new bone is very similar to normal bone in that location. In fact, the three-part method was successful on a number of fronts: The regenerated bone was better quality, the bone growth was contained to the area defined by the scaffolding, the area healed much more quickly, and the new and old bone were continuous with no scar tissue. The potential, if the procedure can be adapted to treat people that suffered trauma from car accidents or aggressive cancers that have affected the skull or face, would be huge, and give surgeons a much-sought-after option. The reconstruction procedure is a lot easier when you can harvest a few cells, make them produce the BMP9 protein, mix them in the PPCN-g solution, and apply it to the bone defect site to jump-start the new bone growth process where you want it. Ameer said. Environmental researchers are developing new biosensors for testing water (Nanowerk News) Biologists from the University of Tubingen are part of an interdisciplinary team which has developed novel biosensors that enable pharmaceutical products to be detected more effectively in water. These sensors can measure two types of pharmaceutical substances beta-blockers and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in real-time and in low concentrations. The research was recently published in Water Research ("Two novel real time cell-based assays quantify beta-blocker and NSAID specific effects in effluents of municipal wastewater treatment plants"). The principle behind the new biosensors: The receptor binding of the drugs immediately generates a fluorescence signal in the exposed cells which measures its intensity. (Image: M. Frey) As a consequence of demographic change, the consumption of medicines is increasing in industrial nations. Large amounts of pharmaceutical agents are already deposited at waste treatment facilities through waste water. As these substances usually cannot be removed effectively, surface water organisms are subjected to a cocktail of drugs. Just a few micrograms per liter are enough to cause harmful side effects in fish. In the joint project EffPharm biologists, biochemists and analytical chemists are working to find a solution to the problem. The project is funded by the German Environment Agency (UBA) and coordinated by ecotoxicologist Professor Rita Triebskorn. The working group headed by Dr. Manfred Frey from the Steinbeis Innovation Center for Cell Culture Technology at the Mannheim University of Applied Sciences has succeeded in developing cell-based biosensors for two classes of drugs. These biosensors can detect the binding of such substances to their target molecules (receptors) in treated waste water in real time. At the University of Tubingen, Professor Rita Triebskorn and Professor Heinz Kohler from the Animal Physiological Ecology working group have demonstrated how sensitive these biosensors are. They were able to detect very low concentrations of the drugs at levels which are harmful to water organisms. Dr. Marco Scheurer from the Water Technology Center in Karlsruhe showed that the new biosensors capture a large proportion of the compounds that had previously been detected by complex and time-intensive chemical analysis. The newly developed biosensors have many more advantages in contrast to previous approaches. After the biosensor cell lines are exposed to drugs in water samples, a fluorescence signal appears within seconds. In contrast to conventional sensors, the biosensors detect the effect of chemicals in the cell in real-time and avoids misleading information which may occur in sensors that take several hours to generate a signal. Thanks to their mechanism of action, the biosensors can detect future beta-blockers or NSAIDS without knowing their exact chemical structure. NATO Deputy Secretary General, Rose Gottemoeller, ended a two day visit to Iceland on Wednesday (8 March 2017) by addressing students at the University of Iceland on how NATO is adapting to a new security environment. Ms Gottemoeller explained how NATO represents the gold standard in multilateral security cooperation and how it is strengthening its collective defence in Europe and doing more to fight terrorism. Iceland, a founding member of NATO, is a highly valued Ally and although the country has no standing army, it has made important financial and civilian contributions to NATO missions in the Balkans and Afghanistan. Ms Gottemoeller arrived in Iceland on Tuesday (7 March 2017) evening for talks with Icelands Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson. The two discussed the current security situation and Icelands contribution to NATO. On Wednesday (8 March 2017), the Deputy Secretary General met with the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs. She also gave a speech at a NATO Resources Conference in Reykjavik, which has been discussing how the Alliance can best use its financial resources to adapt to the new security environment. Ms Gottemoeller stressed the importance of common funding, which enables Allies to join together to boost their defence capabilities, such as with NATOs fleet of AWACS surveillance aircraft. General Petr Pavel, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee visited Cairo, Egypt on 6-7 March 17. During his visit he met with the Chief of staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces, General Mahmoud Hegazy. The Generals discussed global security and regional challenges, with a special focus on the current situation in Libya. They also exchanged views on furthering practical military-to-military cooperation and increasing coordination between NATO and Egypt. General Pavel stated Egypt is a valuable and active Mediterranean Dialogue partner. Meetings such as these are important as they improve our situational awareness of the regional security challenges while also allowing the Alliance to explain firsthand its current policies and activities. Egypt joined the Mediterranean Dialogue in 1994 and signed a Security Agreement with NATO in 2009. The Dialogue reflects the Alliances view that security in Europe is closely linked to security and stability in the Mediterranean. (Natural News) For seven years, Californias Department of Public Health (CDPH) kept information and a set of guidelines, meant to inform the public about the health risks associated with cell phone radiation, well-hidden from the public. While invisible to the naked eye, high-tech devices including your mobile phone, laptop, and tablet all emit electromagnetic fields (EMFs) which may be silently harming your health. While cell phone companies and the government usually dont talk about the dangers of cell phone radiation, they can no longer keep it a secret that there may be a problem. In fact, most user manuals of high-tech devices warn not to keep these devices too close to the body. Furthermore, it was recently found that Health officials in California drafted a secret document that contained concerns about cell phone radiation as early as 2010. Last year, Joel Moskowitz, the director of the Center for Family and Community Health at UC Berkeleys School of Public Health, sued the public health department after his requests to publish the guidelines were repeatedly denied. Though the instructions are dated April 2014, Joel Moskowitz said that the document was actually created seven years ago, periodically updated, but never released to the public. The secret report was finally released earlier this month under a court order. Cell phone use increases the risk of brain cancer and other health issues The two-page document, titled Cell Phones and Health, summarizes scientific studies that suggest long-term use of cell phones may increase the risk of brain cancer and cause fertility problems, among other health issues. It explains that frequent use of EMF emitting cell phones kept close to the head and body can negatively effect nearby cells and tissues. In the fact sheet, state health officials inform the public how to reduce the exposure to the radiation emitted from cell phones. They suggest to increase the distance between you and your phone by using a headset, the speaker phone function, and text messaging. They also recommend to keep phones away from your sleeping area and not carry them in your pockets or close to your body, unless they are switched off. Furthermore, they note that EMFs can penetrate deeper into a childs brain than in an adult brain, underlining the importance to limit cell phone use for kids to an absolute minimum. Pregnant women and their unborn babies are also at greater risk. Even though the cellular industry continues to insist theres nothing to worry about, with some in Silicon Valley saying the science doesnt support the fact sheet, Moskowitz isnt giving up his fight. While the release of the document is a step in the right direction, Joel Moskowitz said the CDPH has violated the Public Records Act by not following the judges original ruling. The document was not released as instructed, but rather had new lettering stamped across the front, essentially creating a new document. Moskowitz said, that lettering states that the document is a draft and not for public release when the judges tentative ruling stated exactly the opposite that the document was not a draft, and must be publicly released. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the guidelines were never released out of fear of creating unnecessary panic. Joel, however, told the newspaper that they could have saved some lives if they had been published by the department seven years ago. Given the clear health risks associated to EMFs, he added that it is disconcerting that it has taken so long to make the guidelines available to the public. Especially if you know that the World Health Organization declared cell phone radiation a possible carcinogen in 2011. Stay informed about more EMF news at EMF.news. Sources: SanFrancisco.CBSLocal.com SaferEMR.com EWG.org NaturalNews.comPDF (Natural News) A Russian military expert, retired army colonel and former spokesman for the Defense Ministry says in a recently-published tabloid article that one asymmetrical response Moscow has taken to counter the massive amounts of money the U.S. spends on its military is to seed the Atlantic coastline of America with self-burrowing nuclear bombs. In a recent article, published in the Russian paper Komsomolskaya Pravda, titled, Trump-Pump-Pump And Our Big Bang, Viktor Baranetz explained that Moscow is deploying mole missiles that dig themselves in and sleep until they are given the command to detonate, thereby creating a massive tidal wave that would overwhelm certain major American coastal cities. According to the Middle East Media Research Institute, which monitors such communiques, a spokesman for the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, denied those claims, telling reporters who asked about the article, This sounds strange, to say the least, and so I would suggest that you not take newspaper reports like this seriously. (RELATED: Russia Planning To Field Defense-Evading Hypersonic Missiles By 2020) However, Baranetz nevertheless stood by his claims and, to some observers, he seems credible. The U.S. is the permanent world champion in the size of its military budget almost $600 billion, which is 10 times more than Russias, he wrote. Even if we add together the military budgets of the top ten countries in the world, they would not reach the American budget! Now it turns out that even that is not enough for Donald Trump. He intends to increase defense expenditure by $54 billion. This money would be enough to maintain five Polish armies. Or 10 Ukrainian ones. He goes on to say that Trump is attempting to buy the loyalty and support of the U.S. military a concept that may be necessary for Russia to maintain power, but one that does not apply to our military, which follows the orders of the commander-in-chief, regardless who he or she may be. And besides, most servicemen and servicewomen surveyed said they preferred Trump over his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. Still, Trump does want to boost military spending, which the Pentagon says is necessary to rebuild and revitalize a force badly worn down and then neglected during the Obama administration. For their part, Baranetz and other Russian military officials believe that President Trump is being goaded into spending more on the U.S. military as a bulwark against the Russian armed forces, which they say are beginning to become a threat once more. Former Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Army Yuri Baluyevsky is certain that the idea to increase defense expenditure was presented to Trump by the U.S. military, who argue a lot about the power of the Russian army, realizing this is an opportunity to get new money. Fair enough. But how is Moscow planning to counter this new influx of cash, if it materializes, since it cannot hope to match U.S. military spending anytime soon? Says Baluyevsky, Russia will not compete with the U.S. in defense expenditure. We are in a different weight class. For us, the main question is how to ensure Russias defense at a lower cost. I am sure that we have already found asymmetrical responses. I dont see a big problem here. Baranetz assures readers that the commanding generals use of the term asymmetrical response isnt just a fancy phrase. He goes on to say that one such response has been the development of nuclear warheads capable of modifying their course and height, thereby making it impossible for U.S. missile defense computers to lock onto them and destroy them. (RELATED: Geopolitical Observers See World War III Developing Once More In Europe, As Civil Unrest Fears Grow) Or, for example, the Americans are deploying their tanks, airplanes and special forces battalions along the Russian border, he wrote. And we are quietly seeding the U.S. shoreline with nuclear mole missiles Oh, it seems Ive said too much. I should hold my tongue. Now, this could be carefully placed propaganda or it could be 100 percent accurate. After all, a Russian spy vessel was spotted near the U.S. coast near a Connecticut sub base recently; could it have really been deploying mole missiles? J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel. Sources: MEMRI.org GoodGopher.com MilitaryTimes.com (Natural News) As healthy eating habits continue to take the country by storm, the New York City public school system has recently made waves by replacing some of their Kelloggs brand cereals with a healthier alternative. Back to the Roots brand cereal, which is created by a small company from California, will be taking Kelloggs place on school breakfast trays around the city. The New York City public school system is one of the largest school systems in the nation, and district officials report that some 254,000 children eat breakfast at an NYC school every day. Last year, Kelloggs discontinued several types of their Kashi brand cereal. Two of these Kashi cereals had been featured on the public school systems menus, prompting the need for replacement. Kashi has often been advertised as Kelloggs healthier cereal option. Kashi, of course, is really anything but healthy and the brand has come under fire in the past for their misleading labeling practices and use of questionable ingredients. For example, in 2015, it was found that their cereals contained high levels of glyphosate, and previous research found that they used GMO soy ingredients in their GoLean line of cereals. Rather than simply choose some other products off of Kelloggs vast line of cereals, school officials decided to hold a taste testing featuring new brands. Ultimately, Back to the Roots was chosen as the favorite, even by students. Better still, the newly chosen cereal company boasts lower amounts of sugar and sodium, as well as fewer calories overall, than any cereal by Kelloggs. The new brand is also free from preservatives, contains no artificially added vitamins, and all of its cereals are certified organic. For a breakfast cereal, which are notoriously processed, thats a pretty good rap sheet. Eric Goldstein, the chief executive of the Office of School Support Services, told The New York Times, Breakfast is really important to us, and were trying to get our menu to where we want it to be. In the world we live in, though, there are so many constraints, so being able to offer Back to the Roots cereals for us is like a breath of fresh air. The choice to switch away from Kelloggs was also driven by mounting pressure from Congress, the state, and parents. The demand for schools to make better choices about their school food programs is certainly high, there are no doubts about that. Unfortunately, only two kinds of cereal on the districts public school menus are being replaced. The school system will still be offering conventional choices from the likes of General Mills, Post Foods and even Kelloggs. Regardless, school administrators do feel good about themselves for offering at least a few healthier choices. However small the transition may seem, it appears that Kelloggs cannot really afford to take any more financial hits. The companys stock has practically been in free-fall, and the company has all but decimated their workforce. In February of this year, Kelloggs announced that they would be closing up 39 distribution centers and laying off approximately 1,000 employees. Massive cutbacks had already been announced in January, along with the firing of 250 employees making the February announcement all the more alarming. Breitbart reports that these cutbacks were announced after the cereal company openly decided to cut advertising with Breitbart News at the end of 2016. In November, Kelloggs had said that Breitbarts conservative readers were not aligned with [their] values as a company. Apparently, the news outlets 45 million readers heard this message loud and clear, as many joined boycotting efforts against the cereal giant. Smaller companies that are offering alternative, healthy products will continue to make their way into the mainstream and garner more support especially if food giants like Kelloggs continue to drop the ball. Sources: Breitbart.com Investopedia.com NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) The measure of any successful society is the level of trust that is maintained between those in positions of power and the people. When the government and its various agencies are disciplined and transparent, then the country thrives. On the contrary, when that power is abused and the laws are ignored, the peoples trust, and the country as a whole, collapses. In America, the people are justifiably growing more and more weary of the government. Secret meetings and backroom deals have practically become commonplace, and corruption has reached unprecedented levels. Take the IRS scandal for example, where the Internal Revenue Service was caught explicitly targeting conservative organizations and denying them tax-exempt status. This was not only a blatant example of corruption and federal overreach, but also a devastating blow to the trust level between the people and the government. Similarly, in 2013, Edward Snowden famously revealed the unconstitutional spying and surveillance that was taking place within the National Security Agency. At first, the NSA attempted to cover their tracks by telling the public that the data collection only involved phone numbers and email addresses, not the actual content of those emails or phone conversations. It was soon revealed, however, that this was not true. And so it goes. In their latest information dump, WikiLeaks has revealed that the CIA was allegedly planning to carry out assassinations by hacking into cars and trucks. (RELATED: Read what a CIA whistleblower said about climate engineering and vaccine damage). The hacking is made possible by utilizing the phones geolocation software to gain control over the vehicles control system. WikiLeaks claims that the Central Intelligence Agency has been participating in a global hacking initiative involving the United States and European nations. WikiLeaks alleges that the CIA was looking at infecting the vehicle control systems used by modern cars and trucks so that they could carry out secretive and nearly undetectable assassinations. They claim that infected phones can be instructed to send the CIA the users geolocation, audio and text communications as well as covertly activate the phones camera and microphone. These phones include both iPhones and Android devices. After the CIA obtains this information, Wikileaks claims, it could then bypass the encryption of WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, Wiebo, Confide and Cloackman by hacking the smart phones that they run on and collecting audio and message traffic before encryption is applied. In addition to the hacking of vehicles, WikiLeaks also claims that the Central Intelligence Agency is capable of gaining control over Microsoft Windows users and Smart TVs. WikiLeaks has dubbed the information stolen from the CIA as Vault 7, the contents of which will gradually be revealed to the public over the next few weeks. As you may recall, a similar method was used when WikiLeaks released the information regarding the DNC and John Podesta, Hillary Clintons campaign manager. Shockingly, the thousands of pages of information that have already been released account for only 1 percent of the total information inside Vault 7. In response to all of the information that has already been released and will continue to be released over the coming weeks, the CIA has reportedly stated that it has no comment on the matter. Further, the spy agency explained, The CIAs mission is to aggressively collect foreign intelligence overseas to protect America from terrorists, hostile nation states and other adversaries. It is CIAs job to be innovative, cutting-edge, and the first line of defense in protecting this country from enemies abroad. America deserves nothing less. There is no telling what will further be revealed about the CIA, but based on what we have already learned from the hacking organization WikiLeaks, much of it will most certainly be damning. Sources Mirror.co.uk Breitbart.com DailyCaller.com (Natural News) On 11 March 2011, Japan was hit by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake, followed shortly thereafter by a huge tsunami, leaving 16,000 people dead and 160,000 homeless. The Fukushima Daiichi power plant, one of the 15 largest in the world, sustained serious damage in the disaster, resulting in the meltdown of three nuclear reactors. The Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) the company that operated the plant before the disaster has spent the last six years trying to contain the mess and figuring out how to clean it up. In spite of all their efforts to contain the radiation and prevent it from contaminating the groundwater, TEPCO has made very little progress. It is estimated that the decommissioning of the plant will take 40 years and cost many billions of dollars. Part of the problem is the fact that radiation levels are so high that humans would die if they got close, but it is vital to try to find out what damage has been sustained. Robotic engineer, Hiroshi Endo, told the LA Times that what happens inside a nuclear reactor after a meltdown is unknown, and the environment is less predictable than space. TEPCOs solution has been to send more than 100 robots in to try to assess the damage, but this plan has proven less than satisfactory, because the radiation is proving to be too much for the robots, and they, too, keep dying. (RELATED: Find out how radiation from Fukushima has tainted U.S. milk supplies.) Last month, TEPCO sent a robot built by Toshiba Corp into the No. 2 reactor core to try to find the 600 tons of debris and nuclear fuel trapped by the disaster. It died in less than a day without getting to the grate that would have given the company a view of the area where they suspect the residue is located. Robots sent in on two previous occasions met with similar fates; one got itself stuck in a gap, and the other was abandoned after finding no fuel despite six days of searching. Naohiro Masuda, the head of decommissioning for TEPCO, has acknowledged that they will have to start thinking out of the box if they are ever going to be able to examine the bottom of the core and determine where the melted debris is located. And that out of the box thinking needs to happen quickly if they are to meet their schedule of beginning the actual clean-up work in 2021. Radiation levels remain incredibly high at the plant. Last month, TEPCO used a remote-controlled camera and a special measurement device to take readings of the radiation levels near the core of reactor 2. While levels at the core were 73 sieverts per hour immediately after the disaster, they have now reached as high as 530 sieverts per hour. Humans exposed to this level of exposure would die almost immediately, while a robot could survive no longer than two hours. Scientists are unsure whether the radiation levels have risen considerably, or if they are only now being measured accurately for the first time. They also worry that since readings can still only be taken at a distance, the true radiation levels could be far higher. Either way, the findings cast further doubt on TEPCOs ambitious plan to start cleaning the site up in only four years. In the meantime, the radiation in the area has had a devastating effect on the regions agriculture, and thousands of people remain displaced from their homes. It can only be hoped that TEPCO will come up with a better solution to determining the extent of the damage than dying robots, and they need to do so soon. Sources for this article include: Mashable.com JapanTimes.co.jp NaturalNews.com (Natural News) Alt-Left liberals have their own set of facts for just about every issue, and they usually dont comport with real facts. Nowhere is that more true than in science, where liberals often reject sound, replicable studies in favor of their own political/ideological worldview. In late January, talk show host and Infowars founder Alex Jones cited studies proving that atrazine the principle chemical in many herbicides acts as a chemical castrator for certain species, thereby changing their gender and altering the species, especially in certain species of frogs. As reported by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, at Medicine.news, Jones was attacked after making the connection during a recent broadcast, though he not his critics was exactly right. As the lab science director of CWC Labs, I not only conduct mass spec analyses of pesticides and herbicides in foods, but I also have access to a massive library of published books describing the toxic effects of hundreds of different pesticides. Atrazine is widely documented as a powerful chemical castrator that transforms males into hermaphrodites, the animal kingdom version of a metrosexual. Its also widely present in the U.S. water supply. It is undoubtedly one of the chemicals currently responsible for the mass feminization of men in modern society. (RELATED: Reduce Pest Infestation Of Your Marijuana Plants With Natural Products) Adams went on to republish an excerpt from the book, Our Daily Poison From Pesticides to Packaging, How Chemicals Have Contaminated the Food Chain and Are Making Us Sick (click here). As Natural News has often reported, atrazine is also known to cause birth defects. In the book noted above, Adams said one of the most incredible passages is as follows, at it relates to the findings of Tyrone Hayes, a brilliant scientist who has studied how atrazine affects the endocrine systems of males: We observed that atrazine reduced the size of the larynx, which is the voice box in the males. Since they sing to seduce the females, this meant they were sexually handicapped. We also observed very low levels of testosterone among the adult males; some of them were hermaphrodites, which means they had both ovaries and testes. In certain cases, the males became homosexuals and coupled with other males, adopting a feminized behavior; sometimes they had eggs in their testes instead of sperm. Ultimately, atrazine acted as a very powerful chemical castrator that is biologically active at 1 ppb, and even 0.1 ppb. Thats not conjecture or supposition that comes from directly measuring the effects of atrazine on male endocrine and reproductive systems. (RELATED: We have launched two news websites covering all this: Atrazine.news and Pesticide.news. We already run Glyphosate.news as well.) In 2010 we reported on a study linking atrazine to the human birth defect known as gastroschisis, a condition in which a newborns intestines partially develop outside the body. Sometimes, other organs are similarly affected as well, according to researchers from the University of Washington at Seattle, who examined all infants born with the condition between 1987 and 2006. They found that cases of gastroschisis were most common in infants whose mothers lived less than 16 miles from areas where surface water was highly contaminated with atrazine, we reported. Women who had given birth in the springtime between March and May, when atrazine is used most often,were found to be more likely to have a child with disease. As they do with the global warming hoax, the Alt-Left prefers to ignore facts and science to advance their personal agendas. The attack on Jones and similar attacks on Adams over the years have their roots in opposition to these indy media pioneers and their zeal to report the truth, no matter who is made to feel uncomfortable. J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel. Sources: Medicine.news GoodGopher.com NaturalNews.com Mankind may be on the verge of reviving extinct species, including the woolly mammoth. Well, not actually the woolly mammoth, but its genetic cousin. This is courtesy of a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. George Church, the scientist leading the race for the woolly mammoth's return, announced on a report from BBC that they could produce a hybrid embryo in as easily as two years. He explained that the goal is to use a gene-editing tool, CRISPR, to produce a hybrid elephat-mammoth called the mammophant. This means DNA from the woolly mammoth will be integrated with the Asian elephant.The resulting embryo, the scientists predict, may more or less have small ears, long hair, and cold-adapted blood -- all qualities of the woolly mammoth. According to The Guardian, the effort has only gone up to making mammophant cells. However, they are now on the verge of creating embryos in the lab. The scientists plan to use elephant skin cells to produce the embryo via cloning. According to the Guardian, hopefully, the nuclei of the "edited" cells will be placed into the original elephant egg, to be stimulated in order to develop embryos. Read Also: Thirsty, Lonely Woolly: Earth's Last Mammoth Went Extinct Due to Water Scarcity However, it's not all good news. Others raised ethical concerns about the move. While the "hybrid" may help preserve the already endangered Asian elephant, others are concerned about its reception in society. Matthew Cobb from the University of Manchester said that these new mammophants may not get good reception with its original Asian elephant peers, which has to be an issue to be dealt with entirely. The woolly mammoth has vanished around 4,000 years ago. They used to roam Asia, Africa, North America and Europe during the Ice Age. The ancient animal has become the target of a lot of de-extinction efforts. Church's method, the one that uses CRISPR, has been the most-successful so far. Another issue raised is because there are no actual woolly mammoth DNA that can be harvested, it will be very unlikely that actual "woolly mammoths" from the past are created. Even if mammophant embryos are to be created soon, their growths are also not guaranteed as the current conditions of the planet may very well be deadly for them. Read Also: Rare Discovery: Mammoth Skull Found in California May Belong to a Transitional Species A global electric vehicle revolution is set to conquer the world stage. Next stop? Norway. Norway has recently used electric vehicles (EV), and experts predict that EV is set to dominate the rest of the country in less than a decade. This will make Norway running in 100 percent pure EV by the year 2025. Currently, the percentage of EVs in Norway is only five percent, but it was a huge leap from a few years back. Read Also: Hawaii to Use 100% Renewable Energy, Electric Cars by 2045 -- How Will They Do It? According to Think Progress, Norway plans to promote EVs by implementing a 25-percent exemption on value added tax on new cars. Last December, the country also broke a record by having 100,000 EVs running all over the country. Experts estimate that by 2020, this will blow into 400,000/. Norway's transportation minister said the use of coal-dependent cars by 2025. The EV boom is due to several factors, such as the massive production of EV batteries in China, making the EV cars' price drastically cheaper. The Economist notes that EV sales are currently skyrocketing at a global scale, and according to Navigant Research, there will be more than 37 million EVs worldwide. Norway's stance on EVs is a good indicator that other countries may step up their game on EVs as well. Interestingly, it seems that America is the only country not entirely committed in solving the crisis with coal dependence, especially because President Donald Trump has not expressed his support on global warming. Read Also: Study Explains How Autonomous Cars Are Safer Without Real Driver Assistance One of the few remaining giant tusker elephants in South Africa has been killed by poachers. During an aerial routine reconnaissance last January, the body of Satao II, estimated to be 50 years old was found at the Tsavo National Park.The information was just announced Monday. It is estimated that there are only 25 remaining giant tusker elephants in the world; 15 are in Africa. With Satao II gone, the number has gone down. These giant tuskers have tusks that nearly reach the ground, making them an attractive target of poachers who profit from the elephant's ivory. Richard Moller of Tsavo Trust, a group of conservationists told AFP that Satao II's tusks were remarkably gigantic. The other one weighed 51.5kg and the other 50.5kg. Fortunately, Satao II's ivories were intact when they found him. "I am pretty gutted really. This particular elephant was one that was very approachable, one of those easy old boys to find. Many are the others are much more difficult to see," Moller said. "He has been through lots of droughts and probably other attempts at poaching." Reports from the park said he was killed by poisoned arrows. National Geographic notes that Tsavo Trust and Kenya Wildlife Servie were able to catch the criminals who ruthless killed the giant. The two poachers were armed with an AK-47 firearm, 12 poisoned arrows, and three bows. They are believed to be responsible as well with the three other elephants that had recently been poached in the same area. Giant tusker elephants are considered valuable in the ecosystem especially for their kind. Because they have been alive for decades, they have gathered experiences from which the younger elephants learn from. "Every great tusker killed by poachers is an irreplaceable loss to the gene pool and does irrevocable damage to the ancient knowledge carried forward from these sentient beings," Paul Oxton, founder and director of Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation, told The Dodo. Satao II, was named after Satao who was killed in 2014 by poachers using poisoned arrows as well. His face was hacked off and his tusks were taken to be sold for ivory. US, China and Hong Kong are among the largest markets for ivory. At the start of every year, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists announces the "time." The clock stands as reminder of how close the planet is to midnight, a symbol for catastrophe or the end of times. This year, the clock edged closer than it has ever been since the Cold War: it's now only two-and-a-half minutes from midnight, according to a report from The Atlantic. The history of the clock Vox put together a video that explained the development of the Doomsday Clock. Martyl Langsdorf designed the Doomsday Clock for the cover of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists magazine, but it quickly popularized and became a worldwide symbol for the deadly and very real threat of nuclear apocalypse. Although the threat of atomic bombs have ceased, the Bulletin continues to update the Doomsday Clock annually. Existential threats are now taken in consideration, different catastrophes that threaten to devastate or wipe out humanity. Many acclaimed scientists like Stephen Hawking, Susan Solomon, Lisa Randall, and Freeman Dyson are involved with the Bulletin. Two and a half minutes until midnight "This is the closest to midnight the Doomsday Clock has ever been in the lifetime of almost everyone in this room," Lawrence Krauss, a theoretical physicist at Arizona State University and the chair of the Bulletin's board of sponsors, told The Atlantic. "It's been 64 years since it was closer." The only time it was closer was two minutes before midnight back in 1953, after both the United States and the Soviet Union tested hydrogen bombs. It remained stuck at that time for seven years. At a press conference earlier this year, the scientists making up the Bulletin revealed that their concern for the words of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin affected the movement of the clock. "Nuclear rhetoric is now loose and destabilizing," Thomas Pickering, American diplomat who served under George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton's administrations, explained. "We are more than ever impressed that words matter, words count. However, chief of all threats in modern society is climate change, which scientists stressed should be addressed directly by administrations. Other existential risks that were taken into account in this year's time included cyber warfare, biological weapons with the rise of gene-editing technology, and even the dangers of fake news. Detectives investigating the 2014 shooting death of 20-year-old Ernesto Castro at a Sunnyvale park have received a tip on a possible suspect vehicle, police said Wednesday. Last month, police offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for Castro's killing. A gold or tan Honda Accord or Civic with a visible sunroof and seven-spoked rims was seen in the area at the time of Castro's killing, police said. Castro was shot in the neck around 2:30 a.m. on Aug. 2, 2014. Emergency crews responding to Encinal Park tried to save him before he died at the scene. A woman was also shot during the incident, but was treated at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center for injuries that were not considered life-threatening. Police are investigating the shooting as gang-related. Anyone with information about the killing or the Honda has been asked to call Detective Hutchison at (408) 730-7174. Anonymous information can be submitted at http://svcrimestopper.org. Simple chores, like taking out the trash and folding laundry, send stabbing pains rushing through Silvia Youngs frail body. It feels like my internal organs are wrapped in barbed wire, Young said, struggling to sit upright in her dining room chair. Every move hurts. Sometimes, I cant even breathe. The 46-year-old Danville woman consulted more than 25 doctors over the last three decades to treat endometriosis, the puzzling condition causing her debilitating pain. There is no known cure or cause for the illness, but experts are acutely aware of the damage it wreaks on a woman's reproductive system. In severe cases like Young's, tissue similar to endometrial lining grows outside the uterus and bonds like glue to other organs, fusing them together. Patients often find themselves plagued by a lifetime of pain, compounded with infertility issues, repeated invasive surgeries and medical bills totaling tens of thousands of dollars. The condition, for which there will be an awareness march at San Franciscos City Hall on March 25, has also been linked to heart disease and some forms of cancer. An estimated 5 million women suffer annually from endometriosis in the United States, yet four medical experts and nine patients told NBC Bay Area its commonly dismissed as a non-serious ailment and frequently misdiagnosed. Some women are turned away and labeled "drug seekers," while others languish in silence. The average patient waits almost 10 years for a proper diagnosis a decade in which endometrial lesions are left to breed and organs have time to bond like glue. The San Francisco march is meant to empower women to come forward with their stories. For too long, advocates say, women have been told to hush up about ailments affecting reproductive health, a trend of mass silencing that results in inferior care. Raising awareness is really all we can do at this point, said Young, who co-founded the online hub Unite Endo and runs an online-only campaign, #31FemTruths, for women who cant physically participate in the march due to pain. Theres a lot of shame with this condition, so being vocal about what we go through and coming out of the shadows could help make change. EndoMarch.org Advocates are also hoping the visual display will produce more funding for research. The National Institute of Health estimates $11 million in funding for studying the condition in 2017, a pittance compared to conditions that affect a similar number of people, such as diabetes. Women are literally killing themselves because of this, said Dr. Peter Gregersen, a New York-based researcher who has been studying genes that could be linked to endometriosis. But the funding is pathetic. There are endless stories of the travails that these women have, and most gynecologists dont know a lot about it, or they have an attitude about it that is not commensurate with its degree of severity. Because the disease can only be diagnosed through exploratory surgery, called laparoscopy, many doctors will wait until a patient presents with infertility to investigate, Gregerson said. By then, any lesions could have spread to other organs. But thats not the only roadblock stymying diagnoses. Long-established gender biases in healthcare may be partly to blame, too. Studies have shown that women are treated less seriously compared to male counterparts when presenting with pain in emergency rooms. Unfortunately, I think a lot of doctors dont really believe women are having this much pain, said Dr. Andrew Cook, a Los Gatos reproductive endocrinologist who specializes in pelvic pain disorders. Lack of proper training, lack of believing the patient. There are a lot of factors in play. Some women are also taught that immensely painful periods one of the telltale symptoms of the condition are to be expected. The culture says to them, well, pain isnt abnormal, Gregerson said. '"Maybe pain is something you should suck up. So, the condition isnt treated unless its severe. Peggy Santa Maria, a 63-year-old Los Gatos woman, worked for decades to have her condition taken seriously by insurance providers and doctors. Along with her husband, she now runs the Endo Inn out of her home, a safe space where women can stay free of charge before and after surgery. Just to be believed can be a huge relief, Santa Maria, who is also the President of the Endometriosis Association of San Francisco, said. To cry with someone, to hold them and become better through the tears. More than 100 women have walked through her doors in search of someone with whom they can commiserate. Endo Stat For low-income women living with the condition, additional hurdles abound after diagnosis. Visits to an endometriosis specialist are often deemed out-of-network, leaving many women scrambling to find care. Denita Espino, a San Jose woman who relies on Medicaid for healthcare coverage, knows the burden all too well. For years, her gynecologist prescribed birth control pills and doled out drugs for pain management, but nothing alleviated her crippling cramps. She was then presented with a cure-all hysterectomy, a surgery in which the uterus is removed. Desperate to live pain-free, Espino went through with the surgery. It didnt help. Instead, doctors stopped taking her pain seriously, she said. She was dismissed as a drug seeker, a label given to many endometriosis sufferers who demand pain management. She cant afford to see experts in thoracic endometriosis, a rare form of the disease that could be causing the sharp pains in her chest that she equates to getting stabbed over and over again by Freddie Krueger. I feel bullied by the doctors, she said, wiping away tears. Like it was just a way to get me out. It has ruined my life, and I know its not going to be over until I die. Sometimes, the pain is so severe she passes out. Its just not fair, Espino said. If you have money, if youre privileged, this is more manageable. But if you cant afford the treatments, youre forgotten about and pushed to the side. Its like your body doesnt matter. Its like you dont matter. Espino now counsels women about the added struggles that befall low-income women with the condition. Though she wants to participate in the march, she cant go due to constant pain and is counting on allies to show up in her stead. Its not uncommon for women suffering from endometriosis to find themselves haunted by unsuccessful surgeries, according to Dr. Tamer Seckin, a gynecologic surgeon who co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America. In his practice, he has seen teen girls given unnecessary hysterectomies by doctors who are not properly trained in other methods, such as excision therapy, which is the procedure he and Cook recommend. It involves meticulously cutting lesions away and separating organs that have fused together, but its an expensive operation. A hysterectomy is not going to help if the endometriosis has grown outside the uterus Seskin said. I have had girls at the age of 17 given hysterectomies. Its indiscriminately prescribed as treatment. Its hard not to shed tears when you see these women. After the march later this month, Young, Espino and Santa Maria hope to reach other women who may be suffering in silence. Meanwhile, Cook, Seckin and Gregerson are working within the medical community to increase awareness about the need for early intervention and proper treatment. All agree: when womens pain is taken more seriously, outcomes will improve. Better funding and treatment will follow, they hope. I just want everyone to know about it, so we can do something, Espino said. Were not depressed. Were not sad and were not wrong. Were human. And all were asking for help. A woman, who had just withdrawn money to buy a cake, balloons and decorations for her daughters upcoming birthday, was robbed at gunpoint in San Franciscos Mission District late last Friday, police said. The U.S. Army veteran, whose 1-year-old baby was in the back seat, parked her car in an apartment complexs garage on Florida Street around 10:30 p.m. Two men, believed to be between 20 and 30 years old, approached her as she climbed out of the vehicle, according to police. One aimed his gun at the woman and demanded her car. The second man, who police believe was unarmed, opened the rear door and yanked the victims daughter out of her car seat. A woman, who had just withdrawn money to buy her daughters birthday cake and decorations, was robbed at gunpoint in San Franciscos Mission District late last Friday, police said. Michelle Roberts reports. Police said the suspects also noticed the womans backpack, which had been placed on the passenger seat. They took the bag, which contained personal items and money, but handed the baby back to her mother. The encounter was caught on a surveillance camera, and police are using the footage to seek the publics help in identifying the suspects. Video shows that one man was wearing jeans, a gray hooded sweatshirt and a cap. The other, who has glasses and appears to have long hair, was clad in jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt with white print. The womans wallet has since been recovered, but minus her money, police said. San Francisco Police Department About 30 minutes later on Friday, a carjacking was reported on the 600 block of Hampshire Street. San Francisco police are now investigating whether the two crimes are connected. The men remain at large and are considered armed and dangerous. Police urge anyone who sees them to call 911. People with information about the case can also leave anonymous tips at 415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD. Seven people were injured when a man wielding an ax rampaged through a German station, jumped off an overpass and was arrested Thursday, NBC News reported. Three victims were seriously hurt in the 8:50 p.m. (2:50 p.m. ET) attack, Dusseldorf police said "We were at the track waiting for the train. The train arrived, and suddenly someone jumped out with an ax and struck at the people," the national newspaper Bild quoted a witness as saying. "There was blood everywhere. I have never experienced anything like that." Police at one point reported two people were arrested, but later clarified there is only one suspect, a 36-year-old man from the former Yugoslavia with apparent mental problems. Hospitals, doctors and consumer groups mounted intensifying opposition to the Republican health care bill as GOP leaders labored Wednesday to rally a divided party behind their high-stakes overhaul drive. Lawmakers cast Congress' initial votes on the legislation as House Speaker Paul Ryan praised the proposal as "what good, conservative health care reform looks like." The American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association and AARP, the nation's largest advocacy group for older people, were arrayed against the GOP measure. Seven years ago their backing was instrumental in enacting President Barack Obama's health care statute, which President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are intent on erasing. The hospitals major employers in many districts wrote lawmakers complaining about the bill's cuts in Medicaid and other programs and said more uninsured Americans seem likely, adding, "We ask Congress to protect our patients." Groups representing public, children's, Catholic and other hospitals also expressed opposition. America's Health Insurance Plans, representing insurers, praised GOP provisions like erasing health industry taxes but warned that proposed Medicaid changes "could result in unnecessary disruptions in the coverage and care beneficiaries depend on." In epic sessions that stretched past midnight into Thursday morning, leaders began pushing the legislation toward passage by two House committees Ways and Means, and Energy and Commerce. GOP leaders faced rebellion within their own ranks, including from conservative lawmakers and outside conservative groups. Top Republicans knew if the upheaval should snowball and crush the legislation it would be a shattering defeat for Trump and the GOP, so leaders hoped approval by both House committees would give them momentum. In words aimed at recalcitrant colleagues, Ryan, R-Wis., told reporters: "This is what good, conservative health care reform looks like. It is bold and it is long overdue, and it is us fulfilling our promises." The last was a nod to campaign pledges by Trump and many GOP congressional candidates. Outnumbered Democrats used the panels' meetings for political messaging, futilely offering amendments aimed at preventing the bill from raising deficits, kicking people off coverage or boosting consumers' out-of-pocket costs. They tried unsuccessfully to insert language pressuring President Donald Trump to release his income tax returns, and failed to prevent Republicans from restoring insurance companies' tax deductions for executive salaries above $500,000 a break Obama's law killed. There were signs of growing White House engagement, and perhaps progress. Trump met at the White House late Wednesday with leaders of six conservative groups that have opposed the GOP legislation, and several voiced optimism afterward. "I'm encouraged that the president indicated they're pushing to make changes in the bill," said David McIntosh, head of the Club for Growth, though he provided no specifics. Underscoring Trump's potential impact, Energy and Commerce Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., said of GOP holdouts, "A lot of them, they maybe haven't felt the inertia that comes with Air Force One landing in their district." The legislation would defang Obama's requirement that everyone buy insurance a provision deeply disliked by Republicans by repealing the tax fines imposed on those who don't. That penalty has been a stick aimed at pressing healthy people to purchase policies. The bill would replace income-based subsidies Obama provided with tax credits based more on age, and insurers would charge higher premiums for customers who drop coverage for over two months The extra billions Washington has sent states to expand the federal-state Medicaid program would begin ending in 2020, and spending on the entire program would be capped at per-patient limits. Around $600 billion in 10-year tax boosts that Obama's statute imposed on wealthy Americans and others to finance his overhaul would be repealed. Insurers could charge older customers five times more than younger ones instead of the current 3-1 limit, but would still be required to include children up to age 26 in family policies, and they would be barred from imposing annual or lifetime benefit caps. "We will answer President Trump's call to action," said Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, adding later, "Relief is on the way." Democrats said the Republicans would yank health coverage from many of the 20 million Americans who gained it under Obama's statute, and drive up costs for others because the GOP tax breaks would be skimpier than existing subsidies. And they accused Republicans of hiding bad news by moving ahead without official estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office on the bill's cost to taxpayers and anticipated coverage. "The bill sabotages the marketplaces where close to 10 million Americans today get coverage and starts a death spiral from which we will never recover," said Ways and Means' top Democrat, Richard Neal of Massachusetts. On the Republican side, conservatives in particular were up in arms, saying the tax credits would be too expensive and the phase-out of Obama's Medicaid expansion too slow. One conservative group, FreedomWorks, was launching digital and social media ads opposing the legislation, while others like Americans for Prosperity, backed by the wealthy Koch brothers, were working against the legislation. Numerous GOP centrists and governors were also antagonistic, worried their states could lose Medicaid payments and face higher costs for hospitals having to treat growing numbers of uninsured people. A Massachusetts man charged with a random stabbing at a Rhode Island pharmacy has been ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation after acknowledging he attacked a woman. Judge Mary McCaffrey asked Jacob Gallant if he knew why he was in court on Wednesday. She was trying to determine whether Gallant was competent to understand the court proceedings against him. Gallant, formerly of Westport, responded that he was there because he "attacked a young woman the other day." Police say he stabbed 18-year-old Rite-Aid employee Alyssa Garcia at least eight times on Sunday. Gallant is charged with assault with intent to murder. His lawyer says Gallant will live with a relative in Rehoboth if he posts bail. Gallant's family told police he's struggling with the death of his grandmother. A transgender equality bill is causing some controversy at the State House in New Hampshire. If passed, New Hampshire would become the last state in New England to put transgender protections into law. Lawmakers could vote on the bill as early as Wednesday night, but likely Thursday morning. Advocates say those who vote against it have probably never met a transgender person. It took 64-year-old Gerri Cannon decades, a wife, and children before finally revealing her lifelong secret. It had eaten away at me, it was terrible, Cannon said during a Wednesday interview. As a transgender woman in New Hampshire, Cannon says shes suffered the consequences. I came out at work and I was laid off, actually, I was fired, Cannon said. A bill being considered by lawmakers would make that kind of discrimination illegal by including gender identity to already existing anti-discrimination laws. It means I can live my life normally, Cannon said. The measure has already passed a Republican-controlled committee and is expected to pass the House. But we did find strong opposition from some Republicans representatives. Look at all the pedophiles registered in the State of New Hampshire, said Rep. Al Baldasaro. This gives them an opportunity to walk into any ladies room and say, my state of mind is female. Cannon says those fears are unfounded. The transgender community does not cause these problems, she said. She and her friend Linds Jakous, who is a non-binary transgender person, says the proof is in the 18 other states where the transgender community is protected by law. The sky hasnt fallen and the sky wont fall here in New Hampshire, Jakous said. When we asked Governor Chris Sununu his take on the bill, he told NBC Boston he has no personal opinion on it and will be monitoring what happens in the State House. It is a cold January afternoon as Father Richard Conway walks through the neighborhood surrounding St. Peters Parish in Dorchester like he does every week. As he walks, he is constantly stopped by the many people he knows around the block and, in turn, he offers them the Portuguese blessing. This regular exercise, often with a police officer by his side, isnt for the 79-year-olds own health. It is meant to diagnose and calm the troubles in his community that might need some spiritual medicine. NBC Boston This Boston neighborhood certainly has its fair share of problems, and Father Conway has seen them firsthand growing up in the city. He is not one to sit around and wait for solutions to arrive. You look at the gospels, and what was Jesus doing? He was out there talking to people, said Conway. You cant do it behind the desk, you cant do it in the office. I think you have to be out where the people are. Speaking in Portuguese, he stops into the local stores to see how the owners are doing and share a few jokes, but Father Conway is focused on a particular group of people in this neighborhood - gangs and the young men who might join them. Here, the gangs are usually named after the streets on which they are formed, like Norton Street. It is these same streets that Father Conway has walked throughout the week to reach out to the gang members since he took a position at the church here nine years ago. Whitney A. Irick Some of these young men wont even cross through another neighborhood territory for fear of setting off a rival gang. While things have improved in recent years, Dorchester is another Boston neighborhood struggling with the realities of gang violence. Conways solution? Get to know the young men and their families, offer the, alternatives, and let them know the church is here to help them. He is armed with a booklet of after-school activities, job openings and other resources that will help keep them out of trouble. The biggest problem we have, especially in neighborhoods like this, is single-parent families, said Conway. Fifty percent of the families in this neighborhood here are single parent. They dont have the time to get involved. That is where Father Conway sees the church taking a role to fill that gap. He often visits young men in jail to show support during their incarceration and after they are released. Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan Many of these men dont see a bright future in their lives, like one 25-year-old he visited who was in prison on a murder charge. I asked him, Where do you see yourself in 10 years and how can I help you get there? He laughed and said, In 10 years from now Ill either be dead or doing hard time. That man was soon released and moved out of town to escape the gang influence, which is what many in the neighborhood are forced to do if they want to stay out of trouble. Others dont escape this life and end up becoming victims of gang-related violence. This means there are far too many visits to jail, the courthouse, and funerals. Father Conway has seen it all - a young man jailed for defending himself against a gang member, a college-bound man shot for being in the wrong neighborhood and a young man shot after being mistaken for his brother. He constantly tries to work with different gangs to come up with truces to prevent further violence, but a ceasefire is usually impossible. He even had one man approach him asking Gods forgiveness prior to going after a rival gang member who had shot him in the foot. Of course he refused that request, but he does often seek help from a higher power to help him with his work here in the city. I pray for the neighborhood every day. I pray for the neighborhoods of our three parishes, two of the neighborhoods have had a lot of violence, I also pray every day for the people who have to work in those neighborhoods. The police, the fire, the street workers. They are there all the time and you hope they are going to be safe. The Chicago Teachers Union said it is considering another one-day walkout as the district says it may have to end the school year early. "If the board goes ahead with a threat of canceling three weeks of school, we would view their action as massive violation of our contract and that could provoke a strike," CTU President Karen Lewis said Wednesday. The union won't be voting on any possible strike just yet, however. Lewis noted that the House of Delegates would vote Wednesday on whether or not it wanted to open the idea up for discussion with the union, along with other "ways to respond to the crisis in CPS." "No union action will be taken until discussed and approved by the House of Delegates and general membership," she said. Chicago Public Schools said its school year could end as early as June 1 if its civil rights suit against Illinois isnt quickly resolved, according to court documents released last month. The Chicago Public Schools Board of Education, along with five parents of CPS students, filed a lawsuit Feb. 14 accusing the state of Illinois of violating students civil rights by perpetuating an unequal funding system. Chicago students, who are overwhelmingly students of color, are learning in a separate but unequal system, CPS CEO Forrest Claypool said in a release. The message from the State is that their educations matter less than children in the rest of Illinois, and that is both morally and legally indefensible. In a statement, the Chicago Teachers Union called the suit a "cynical political ploy designed to divert attention from failed leadership and flawed decision-making of Mayor Emanuel, who has failed to adequately pursue progressive revenue for the city's school." The CTU said the mayor could "drain the TIF surplus and reinstate the Corporate Head Tax to plug this budget hole," adding the the district is "broke on purpose." The lawsuit is the latest development in an ongoing battle between CPS and Rauner, who vetoed a bill in December that would have injected the district with an additional $215 million in state funding to meet its June 30 teacher pension payment. Based on that veto, CPS announced the institution of a spending freeze on $46 million of non-salary funds on Feb. 6. The Governors $215 million cut blew a hole in the CPS budget that is forcing painful choices, and we should all work to avoid students losing days of instruction and teachers losing days of pay," CPS spokesperson Emily Bittner said in a statement in response to the possibility of a teacher walkout. "We hope that all Chicagoans can stand united against Gov. Rauner's racially discriminatory funding, which is at the root of CPS funding challenges. The governor has been at the center of the growing battle surrounding CPS funding, most recently taking part in a failed meeting with Chicago musician Chance the Rapper, who then donated $1 million of his own money to the district while urging Rauner to "do your job." Rauner also traded barbs with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday over his December veto. Should the union approve a strike, it would be the second one-day walkout in a little more than a year. Last year, teachers held a one-day strike on April 1. "What happened last year? We took a one-day strike and all of a sudden money materialized that hadnt been there before," Lewis said. The union said this year, if a walkout takes place, it will happen on May 1, a day Lewis said will be "a massive day of protests." A final vote on the matter would be held in April. "Some people will say, 'Well if you strike wont you be losing another day of pay?' But I would say if we dont fight back, if we stay at home and they threaten us with furloughs and school closures, if we cower under the covers, then we are never going to stop these fights," she said. Gov. Bruce Rauner accused some of Illinois top Democrats Wednesday of colluding to create a crisis and shut down the government. A judge ruled in favor of Comptroller Susana Mendoza Tuesday in her battle with Rauner over how to pay nearly 600 state employees. On Wednesday, Attorney General Lisa Madigan petitioned the Illinois Supreme Court to stop state workers pay as long as there isnt legislative appropriation. Rauner claimed Mendoza and Madigan are both answering to the attorney generals father, House Speaker Michael Madigan, the governors chief political nemesis. This is clearly part of a coordinated activity, coordinated pattern, between the attorney general, our comptroller and, frankly, our speaker, who coordinates it all, to create a crisis and shut down the government, Rauner told reporters. All three Democrats rebuffed the governors accusations Wednesday. Its the sort of delusional babble that we hear more and more from him as the governor becomes more and more desperate, Speaker Madigans spokesman Steve Brown told the Chicago Tribune. Attorney General Madigans spokeswoman told the Tribune that Rauner is clearly desperate to shift blame onto anyone but himself. He needs to stop the baseless finger-pointing and do his job. Meanwhile, Comptroller Mendoza accused Rauner of bullying, rejecting his claim that she takes her orders from Speaker Madigan. On International Womens Day, Gov. Rauner accused me of taking my orders from the boys, Mendoza said in a statement. Theres only one person that tells me what to do and thats my mother. And today I honor her by continuing to stand up to him, the biggest bully in the state." Rauners comments were sparked by a ruling Tuesday in St. Clair County Court that gave Mendoza the authority to decide which funds to use to pay state employees. She wants to now take money out of some special purpose revolving funds that have money in them that gets used for rent and facility costs to keep essential government services running, Rauner said. "We believe her goal is to deplete those funds and then create a crisis, create a government shutdown to force either stopgap deficit spending or ultimately a tax hike without any changes to our system. Thats wrong. We will continue to advocate against it and every day we will say, Please Comptroller Mendoza dont deplete those funds, he added. The governor instead encouraged lawmakers to pass Rep. Avery Bournes bill that would create a continuing, permanent appropriation for state employees, with or without an official budget. He noted that lawmakers have already passed continuing appropriations for themselves and should do the same for other state employees. They work every day, they deserve to get paid on a regular basis for their work, he said. Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson headed to Springfield Thursday to attend a hearing about a new gun bill he has repeatedly pleaded with lawmakers to pass. The Illinois Senate hearing will discuss a bill calling for harsher penalties for repeat gun offenders. Rather than giving judges leeway to sentence repeat offenders from three to 14 years, the new proposal calls for a seven to 14-year sentence. "Ive been a police officer for 28 years. Ive seen too many lives torn apart and too many parents lose a child," Johnson told lawmakers Thursday. "Quite frankly, as an African American leader, Im disgusted. As a cop, Im angry. We can do better. We must do better." Johnson testified in support of the bill, calling it a "pivotal and incremental step in holding repeat gun offenders accountable and making our streets safer." "Let me be clear: I am not seeking to mass incarcerate minorities, establish mandatory minimums, or take guns out of the hands of people who hold them legally," Johnson told legislators. "This legislation gives judges guidelines to sentence repeat gun offenders at the higher end of the already existing sentencing range. It also contains predicating violent offenses that will classify an individual as a repeat gun offender to ensure that we're not casting a wide net, but instead, using a spear to pinpoint the individuals that are driving the violence on our street." Johnson and other Chicago officials have long called for tougher penalties for such offenses. "Theres no deterring to taking a life when you know youll likely be out of jail in a matter of months, Johnson said following the recent fatal shooting of an 11-year-old girl last month. The child was one of two kids fatally shot within hours of each other. Just days later, a 2-year-old boy was also killed in a shooting on the citys West Side. "We have yet another innocent child that's become a victim of gun violence," Johnson said at the time. "Our children should not have to keep paying the price for repeat gun offenders." A 26-year-old man was ultimately charged in the shooting that killed the toddler and Johnson was quick to note the accused man was a known offender. "As is the case, time and time and time again, the offender, 26-year-old Devon Swan is no stranger to CPD or the criminal justice system," Johnson said at a news conference announcing the charges Saturday afternoon. "He's a convicted felon who has been arrested nine times, including previous gun arrests for unlawful use of a weapon, armed robbery, escape from custody and numerous narcotic arrests. He's also a documented gang member who's been identified by the department on our strategic subject algorithm to be at higher risk as an offender or victim of gun violence." Erika Barber of suburban Arlington Heights said she watched in horror in early 2009 as her stepfather, William Ruppel, repeatedly jolted in the final six hours of his life. Dozens of times, Barber said. He lifted up out of bed. Made a noise. Ruppel was under home hospice care after being diagnosed with two forms of leukemia. Months earlier, he had received an implantable cardioverter defibrillator for a heart condition. The device, also known as an ICD, can deliver a shock to someone experiencing cardiac arrest. I knew immediately that the defibrillator had not been turned off when he was discharged to hospice, Barber said. I could not believe that that was a step that got missed. Ruppel had elected not to have resuscitation. Barber said she and the hospice nurse contacted medical staff, who told them to use a magnet to deactivate Ruppels defibrillator. However, Barber said she was not in the state of mind to process what that meant. I had no concept of that and the hospice staff didnt know, either, Barber recalled. She said a representative of the ICD manufacturer eventually arrived and deactivated the device with a computer. Barber said her stepfather died within minutes. NBC 5 Investigates has learned similar jolting incidents have happened to hospice patients with ICDs, according to independent medical and hospice experts. Dr. Bradley Knight, a cardiac electrophysiologist at Northwesterns Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute, said some hospice patients still have a very fast rhythm at their terminal states and thats what an ICD is designed to treat. As a result, hospice patients often choose to deactivate the shocking functions of their ICDs, which can also serve as pacemakers. Most patients, when theyre transferred to hospice, have healthcare providers who are taking care of them that should be aware that they have an implantable defibrillator and that conversation should be made far earlier than when it reaches that stage, Knight said. The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization issued a position statement in 2008 for hospices to establish procedures and protocols that would provide available safeguards for patients with ICDs. It is important that hospice workers know what to do, said Dr. Michael Mencias of MJHS Hospice and Palliative Care. Hospice workers are trained, or should be trained, about how to go about that discussion with patients and families about what an active ICD means, what the experience feels like, what the implications are of deactivating it. Barber is pushing for lawmakers to take defibrillator education a step further. She said Do Not Resuscitate and Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) forms should include a checkbox for patients to indicate they have a defibrillator and whether they want life-sustaining treatment performed. The more people that are familiar with your wishes and your treatment plans, the better, Barber said. A spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Health said current POLST forms include a line for patients to add information regarding implanted devices. Still, the state considers the topic to be a conversation starter between doctors, hospices and patients families. Mencias said an estimated 1 million Americans have implanted defibrillators and 150,000 ICDs are implanted every year. Illinois corrections officials were convinced convicted wife killer Drew Peterson was such a threat to security, that they began trying to find ways to transfer him out of the state prison system as early as last October. Without explanation, Peterson was transferred out of the Illinois Department of Corrections last month to the Federal Correctional Center at Terre Haute, Indiana. Internal documents obtained by NBC 5 Investigates, show that in a memo dated Oct. 5, 2016, prison official Doug Stephens warned acting Corrections Director John Baldwin, that Peterson was a threat to safety and security of the department. Stephens said Illinois should seek placement of Peterson outside the state prison system due to his former position as well as his conviction of Solicitation/Murder for Hire of the Will County States Attorney. With his placement outside of Illinois Department of Corrections, Stephens wrote, it is imperative this offender be continually monitored through his mail, as well as telephone conversations due to his former actions. Informed of the documents Wednesday evening, Petersons attorney Steve Greenberg said he saw no rationale for security concerns regarding his client. I have no idea why he was transferred, Greenberg told NBC 5. I think what IDOC wanted to do was they just wanted him out of their jail for whatever reason. Greenberg argued that Illinois has plenty of experience dealing with a wide variety of convicted criminals. Theyve had people who have inflicted great violence on other inmates, inflicted violence on guards, this is just them getting rid of their responsibilities for whatever internal reason, he said. And were not going to complain about it, because hes in a better place. Better, Greenberg says, because Menard penitentiary where Peterson had been housed, is an awful, awful place. Anywhere is better than Menard, he said. And based on my conversations with him, he is perfectly happy to be in this facility. The files show that things began to move fast after Federal corrections officials accepted Peterson and assigned him to Terre Haute February 10th. Offender is to be transported with NO PERSONAL PROPERTY OF ANY KIND, Illinois corrections official Kathy Greer warned in a confidential email Feb. 16. The information regarding this move should be treated as highly confidential, and limited to only staff needed to complete this transfer. Greer advised that Peterson should be transferred with a two week supply of his medications. Maybe hes a celebrity, Greenberg said. I know he gets a lot of media requests, maybe other inmates were looking up to him and they just used this opportunity to lujack him to somewhere else. The documents, obtained through an open records request under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, were accompanied by a memo informing NBC 5 about other confidential files they were not providing. Among the documents withheld, were Interstate Corrections Compact records pertaining to Petersons transfer from state to federal custody. The memo also stated that IDOC was also withholding certain emails, which included pre-decisional discussions between IDOC staff concerning processing the transfer of custody, and others relating to security issues. While he said he did not see any of the security issues Illinois officials cited, Greenberg said he was happy his client was, at least for now, in federal hands. You know in state prison if you do something to an inmate like Drew Peterson, other inmates might look up to you, he said. In federal prison, theres lots of people like that---it just doesnt happen. I can tell you, he has no idea why he was transferred. Armed robbers are targeting people sitting in their cars in Chicagos Uptown neighborhood on the citys North Side, police said Wednesday. Police said the first armed robbery happened at 1:45 p.m. on Feb. 28 in the 4800 block of North Magnolia Street. The second occurred Tuesday at 1:40 a.m. on the 5700 block of North Clark Street, police said. In both incidents, police say, the suspects approached their victims as they sat in cars. Police say those suspects robbed all of their victims at gunpoint and then fled the scene. Chicago police are encouraging people not to sit in their cars for long periods of time and if they notice anything suspicious to call 911. Chicago musician Chance the Rapper announced Tuesday that he was named the grand marshal of the 2017 Bud Billiken Parade and will organize the event, which is scheduled for Aug. 12. Your boy Chance the Rapper, Im the grand marshal of this years Bud Billiken Parade, Chance said in an Instagram video. Maybe you dont know what that means. Im coordinating the Bud Billiken this year. Chance, who was named the parades grand marshal last month, promised to bring along some friends to the event. [[415727543, C]] The Bud Billiken Parade, which has been held annually on Chicago's South Side since 1929, is the second largest parade in the country and celebrates the start of the upcoming school year. Following unsuccessful meetings last week with Gov. Bruce Rauner, the Grammy Award-winning artist made headlines on Monday when he announced that hes donating more than $1 million to Chicago Public Schools as the underfunded district continues to languish amid the states ongoing budget impasse. Last month, organizers also announced that the South Shore Drill Team would participate in this years parade after withdrawing from last years event for the first time in decades. For 35 years, about 170 of the award-winning performers have marched in the parade, but after learning that parade organizers were limiting entries to 100 performers, members of the team made the difficult choice to abandon the long-standing tradition for the 2016 parade. Previous Bud Billiken attendees include Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, and then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama, who served as the parades grand marshal in 2007. We finna turn up, Chance said in the Instagram video. Come through Aug. 12th." The grandfather of one of two Indiana girls slain last month pleaded with the public Thursday to review evidence police have released and provide authorities with tips that could lead to an arrest. Mike Patty, whose 14-year-old granddaughter, Liberty German, was killed along with 13-year-old Abigail Williams, urged people to study two grainy photographs of a man police consider to be the main suspect in the killings and an audio recording of a male voice saying "down the hill." The photos and audio came from Liberty's cellphone. Police have hailed her as a hero for recording potentially crucial evidence. Patty said anyone who has noticed that a friend, relative or acquaintance had recently changed their appearance such as by shaving a beard or who is acting uncharacteristically strange should pass that on to authorities through a tip line. He urged people not to second-guess themselves about whether something they've noticed is significant. "If you think it could be, but then say, 'No he's not like that,' go with your initial instinct. Let law enforcement run that information and make that determination," he said during a news conference in Delphi, about 60 miles northwest of Indianapolis. "However small it may seem, it's extremely vital that we get every tip we can get. Please, we need your help." Patty said he still believes the killer or killers will be found. He said the slayings have "torn a hole in our families that will never heal." German and Williams were found dead on Valentines Day in woods near the northern Indiana town of Delphi. The friends had vanished the day before while hiking during a day off of school. Chicago police recovered a stolen car in the West Garfield Park neighborhood only to have it then stolen back from them hours later, authorities said. Police say officers found a stolen black 2014 Dodge Challenger in the 4100 block of W. Adams on the citys West Side late Wednesday before bringing it back to the 11th District Station to complete the necessary paperwork. Around 12:30 a.m., while vehicle was being processed, someone stole car again while it was sitting in the 11th District parking lot, police said. The 11th District station is about a mile and a half from where the vehicle was originally located by officers. Authorities said it was stolen by unknown offenders, leaving them to search for the thief and the vehicle once again. Area North Detectives are investigating the incident. Runners hitting Chicago streets for this year's Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K will not only get to enjoy the start of running season in the city, they'll get a grand tour of Chicago while they're at it. While participating, runners start in Millennium Park to race through Chicagos Near North Side, then down through the Loop heading south, back east to Printers Row and finishing strong in Chicagos very own Grant Park. Over the duration of 4.97 miles, runners and spectators alike will see some of the best sights Chicagos Loop area has to offer. Heres what you can expect to see in each mile of the race: Start Line Loop/Millennium Park: At the start of the race, runners can enjoy the views of Millennium Park, including Cloud Gate The Bean, Maggie Daley Park and the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. On the run to the first mile marker, runners will also be able to see the Chicago River while crossing over Columbus Drive and passing NBC Tower. Mile 1 Near North Side/Magnificent Mile: Runners reach the first mile on the border of the Near North Side and the Magnificent Mile. Runners begin this mile with a view one of the greatest shopping areas Chicago has to offer, spying The Shops at North Bridge as they run down Grand Avenue. While crossing over the Bataan-Corregidor Memorial Bridge on State Street, runners pass House of Blues Chicago and the Marina Towers. Continuing on to the second mile, runners see all the shops the North Loops State Street has to offer. Mile 2 Upper Chicago Loop: Runners race into the heart of Chicago's Loop. In this mile, runners see the financial and governmental sides of the city. Winding through the Loop, runners pass the John C. Kluczynski Federal Building, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and Chicago City Hall. As a reminder to save time for a night out, runners pass the Cadillac Palace Theatre right before hitting mile marker three, home of Chicagos best Broadway shows. Mile 3 Lower Chicago Loop: Runners continue through Chicagos Loop to Mile Marker three. Runners dash through the city seeing the Willis Tower; and then run under Chicagos I-290 Eisenhower Expressway to Harrison Street. They then head under Metras Rock Island Train Platform and the LaSalle Street Station leading them past the US Citizenship and Immigration Services building and into Printers Row. Mile 4 Printers Row: Once at the fourth mile marker, runners get a glimpse at Chicagos small neighborhood known as Printers Row. In the final mile, continuing down Harrison, if runners look to their left they will see some of Columbia Colleges street art, including a large "Harmony" display and portrait of a moose blowing bubble gum. Turning south onto Michigan Avenue, runners finish strong with the landscape of Grant Park to the left and high-rises, colleges and hotels to the right. In the final stretch down Roosevelt Road to Columbus Drive, runners grace Grant Park with views of Rosenberg Fountain, the famous Agora headless iron figures and Grant Skate Park. Finish Line South Loop/Grant Park: The finish line puts runners in the middle of Chicagos Grant Park in Upper Hutchinson Field. Runners can enjoy a Post-Race Party in the park with live music from Chicagos Stache and food, refreshments and a free beer with their race bib ticket while taking in the sight of the city. A Chicago man who won a massive $25 million wrongful conviction award against the city of Chicago is headed back to jail, after a video filmed showed him and a co-defendant shooting a man in broad daylight on the city's Northwest Side. Federal Judge Harry Leinenwebber sentenced Thaddeus Jimenez to just over nine years in prison Thursday on weapons charges, saying he was shocked at the video, which he said was one of the most flagrant violations of human rights he had seen during his years on the bench. ***WARNING: Video may be disturbing to some viewers.*** Video released following a sentencing hearing Thursday shows two gang members shooting a man in broad daylight on Chicagos Northwest Side. Jimenez had received a remarkable new lease on life after being jailed at the age of 13 for the murder of a 19-year-old man. After 16 years in prison prosecutors moved to vacate his conviction and he eventually was awarded $25 million in a wrongful conviction suit against the city. Federal prosecutors said Jimenez used his portion of the proceeds, about $12.5 million, to rebuild the Simon City Royals street gang, which he ran by showering recruits with cash, cars, and other favors. Defendant used his multi-million dollar civil award to elevate his status within the gang, prosecutors wrote. Defendant spent millions of dollars on luxury vehicles for himself and other gang members. Investigators said on Aug. 17, 2015, Jimenez and a lieutenant, Jose Roman, loaded Gucci bags with ammunition and set out in Jimenezs Mercedes convertible to find someone to shoot. A cell phone video shot by Roman from the passenger seat, showed the two brandishing guns, taunting passers-by, and boasting of their status on the streets, as Ave Maria played on the car stereo, and a police radio crackled underneath. You dont understand, we are the police over here, Jimenez declares on the video. We are the law enforcement over here, we are the ruling government in our own communities. Speaking of the actual police in the neighborhood, he warns, They cant protect you from us, thats for sure. Theyre going to get it too if they get in the way. On the video, the two are seen cruising the streets for blocks, professing their street superiority. But its when they encountered a former member of the Simon City Royals in the 3500 block of West Belle Plaine Avenue that the episode turned truly violent. Why shouldnt I blast you right now? Jimenez asks 33-year-old Earl Casteel as Casteel walks toward the car to greet the gang leader. Hey, you my brother, Casteel says. I aint got nothing against you, man. Without warning, Jimenez is then seen reaching over his door, firing two shots into Casteels legs. Investigators said a high speed chase ensued, with the pair crashing the Mercedes in the 3800 block of North St. Louis. This money was intended to make him whole---it had no strings attached, said prosecutor Kathryn Malizia, who told the judge that the millions paid by the City of Chicago ended up recruiting gang members, nearly a dozen of whom now face gun charges themselves. This defendant is a serious danger to the public. Jimenez declined to address the court. But when his turn came, Roman expressed remorse and vowed he could change. I would like to apologize to the guy that got shot, and my family, he told the judge. At age 24, I see that gangs, guns, and prison are not what I want for my life. But the judge was unmoved, noting that when Roman said, I wasnt really thinking, that didnt offer much of an excuse. If that was the defense, the judge said, we could empty out the prisons. Roman received a sentence of 85 months in jail. Jimenez drew a term of 110 months, just over nine years. Why in the world, having the experience of a lengthy prison term in prison you would want to go back is beyond me, the judge said. He conceded that all criminals might not be deterred by the sentence, but noted, We can deter you. After court, defense attorney Steve Greenberg declared that the system had let Jimenez down. This is someone who was raised by the prison system, Greenberg said. They treated him like an animal. He shouldnt have been there, and when he got out, no one would help him. We as a society do nothing, he said. We tell these people sorry, we wrongfully convicted you, and we set them out on their own. Jimenez girlfriend Jessica Taylor called him a lost individual. You think about it, youre 13, in jail for 16 years, she said. What are you going to do with that amount of money? Judge Leinenwebber said he had to believe investigators had done their homework when they found that Jimenez had exhausted his multi-million dollar windfall. But just in case, he assessed a fine of $50,000. He also faces a $6.3 million dollar judgment in Cook County Circuit Court, won by Casteel, the man he shot. Jimenez and Roman still face state charges in connection with the shooting, which could land them in jail for up to 30 years. * New law aims to tackle rising poverty * Critics say it barely scratches surface * Italy's welfare system patchy, skewed towards pensions By Isla Binnie ROME, March 9 (Reuters) - Parliament approved on Thursday an anti-poverty package aimed at providing financial relief to the growing number of hard-up Italians battered by years of economic stagnation and high unemployment. It is the first such attempt in Italy to set up a permanent safety net for poor families, with the lion's share of the national welfare budget traditionally earmarked for pensions. However, opposition parties say it does not go nearly far enough and the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) has promised a much more ambitious "citizen's wage" should it win power at the next election, which is due by early next year. The government says it will offer up to 480 euros ($506) a month to the needy, favouring couples with young children and jobless people aged over 55. It has put aside 1.6 billion euros for 2017 and promises more funding in the years ahead. The cash will come with strings attached, including demands that dependent children go to school, that they are vaccinated and that the unemployed commit to seeking a job. "It is basically a programme like the ones almost all European Union countries have, aimed at supporting people living in poverty," Raffaele Tangorra, the Labour Ministry's director general for social policies, told Reuters. The rate of severe material deprivation in Italy rose to 11.5 percent in 2015 compared with a fall in the EU average to 8.5 percent, latest EU data shows. Those living in "absolute poverty" rose to 4.6 million people, or 7.6 percent of the population, in 2015, up from 6.8 percent in 2014, national statistics office ISTAT says. Critics of the new law say it barely scratches the surface of the problem, and even the Treasury says that the funds earmarked so far only would only amount to 660 euros per year per family for those classified as worst off by ISTAT. Story continues For years, heavily indebted Italy has focused its welfare resources on the elderly, spending 15.8 percent of its gross domestic product on pensions - the highest ratio in the OECD club of developed nations. ISTAT says less than 1 percent of welfare spending goes on tackling poverty and social exclusion. Various unemployment benefit programmes do not run beyond two years, leaving many of Italy's army of jobless struggling to make ends meet. Unemployment has hovered close to or above 12 percent since 2013, while youth unemployment has been stuck around 40 percent. "There is no doubt that today the great emergency in this country is linked to poverty," Tito Boeri, president of welfare agency INPS, told a Senate Commission in January. The government is now committed to activating the law within six months. "BIG MOTHER" The M5S, which heads opinion polls, promises the most comprehensive welfare assistance of any major party, with a pledge to top up a single person's income to 780 euros a month, while a family of four would be guaranteed at least 1,482 euros. The party, founded by the comic Beppe Grillo, has compared its plan with a pilot scheme in Finland, which earlier this year became the first EU country to offer a universal basic income of 560 euros a month for the unemployed. The M5S says the scheme would cost 17 billion euros a year, a heavy burden for a nation with one of the EU's biggest debt mountains, but one the party says is worth shouldering. "A country that isn't able to help the poor isn't ready to take on any challenges whatsoever," said Filippo Nogarin, the M5S mayor of the northern city of Livorno which ran a micro-trial last year in absence of any national programme. One hundred unemployed residents received 500 euros a month for six months in a scheme which will be repeated this April. "There are lots of people like me (living in poverty). It was new for us and I was ashamed," said Tito Saccomani, 61, who received the handouts after his decorating firm folded. "The state should be like a big mother that thinks of everyone as her children and doesn't just act strong with the weak," he told Reuters. Former prime minister Matteo Renzi, locked in a leadership battle within the ruling Democratic Party (PD), has dismissed the M5S plan, saying with a basic safety net now in place, the emphasis should be placed firmly on job creation. "We need to revolutionise our welfare spending, however, the answer is not a universal wage but work for citizens," he said last month following a fact-finding trip to the United States. ($1 = 0.9459 euros) (Reporting by Isla Binnie; Editing by Crispian Balmer and Alison Williams) A bobcat sighting in Middletown earlier this week has some residents talking. Jeremy Glazewksi was on a sales call on Timber Ridge Road when he saw a bobcat in the area. He spotted the bobcat around 10 on Monday morning and took photos. He posted the photos on social media and the word spread-- including at the Stables at Westfield, which is located around the corner from where the bobcat was spotted. Its nice that someone actually put that notification out there. We havent seen the bobcat. Our main concern is the safety of the horses and our people that are here on our property," said Dan Abbate, owner of the farm which houses about twenty horses. Abbate said he has been keeping an extra eye on the horses. They may be a little bit spooked by it if anything but as long as Im here," he said. Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) wildlife biologist, Chris Vann, said bobcats are seen more frequently during the summer months. But its likely this one was spotted because bobcats mating season began in February. Bobcats tend to have a bigger range of mating periods. The males may be more active looking for mates so that looked like a big male," Vann said. He said people should leash their pets while taking them out at night because thats when bobcats are most active. Im on the look out regardless, I dont want anything surprising me! Believe me!" Middletown resident, Ann Riza, said. DEEP has not received any complaints about the bobcat sighted in Middletown. NBC Connecticut reached out to Middletown Animal Control. We have not heard back from them. A 26-year-old Hartford man is dead after a shooting at a Hartford housing complex Wednesday night. Police responded to 2441 Main St. around 9:15 p.m. after Shotspotter and 911 callers alerted police to shots fired in the area. As officers responded to the scene, they were directed next door to 45 Alan Green Way, where they found Stephen Payne in a second-floor unit. He'd been shot several times in the torso, according to police. Paramedics tried to revive Payne, but he was pronounced dead at the scene at 9:34 p.m. "The victim did have two different identifications on him, which is problematic for our officers, so we're going to wait for fingerprints to come back," Deputy Chief Brian Foley said before the identification was made. Police said it appears there were shots fired inside and outside of the building. "Shotspotter told us there were three shots outside. We have a lot more shell casings than that at this point," Foley said. Payne was a resident of 45 Alan Green Way, according to police. Major Crimes detectives are investigating and anyone with information is asked to call Hartford Police. On the same day Gov. Dannel Malloy called for the General Assembly to cover the federal share of Planned Parenthood reimbursement in the event a Republican healthcare reform bill becomes law, the president of Planned Parenthood visited the state. "It would be a shock," Malloy said, if federal reimbursements for Planned Parenthood services were to be blocked under the new healthcare bill being pushed by Republicans in Congress and President Donald Trump's administration. Breast screenings, cervical screenings, all kinds of work being done by them and it would be a gigantic loss," Malloy added Wednesday evening, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England honored Judy Tabar, the President of the region, for her 20 years of service. Cecile Richards, the President of Planned Parenthood nationally, traveled to New Haven for the event. She said she's working to make sure Planned Parenthood services are protected. Richards said, "I think what were looking at is an administration and a congress that is trying to roll back the clock." The measure in Congress, which only needs a simple majority in both the House and Senate to go to President Trump's desk for his signature, would remove Planned Parenthood as a healthcare provider that would be reimbursed for services provided to Medicare and Medicaid patients. "Theyre actually saying to women, you can no longer choose the healthcare provider of your choice,'" Richards said. "We are actively working with Democrats and Republicans to make sure that doesnt happen." Malloy proposed having the state cover the costs where the federal government wouldn't. Last year, the state of Connecticut paid out $8.9 million for Planned Parenthood services. The federal government reimbursed $5.3 million of that, meaning if the new healthcare proposal went through, Connecticut would be on the hook for the entire bill. Rep. Themis Klarides, the top Republican in the House, said she wouldn't rule out covering the entire bill in the state budget, but did caution that any spending plan will be very tight and such an expense would have to fit. There are 17 Planned Parenthood locations in Connecticut, and 70,000 total patients were seen last year by locations in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Richards, who had praise for Malloy, said she would rather see the federal government deal with ensuring Planned Parenthood is protected, rather than working with states. We want to fight this first in Congress. I really believe the proposal that Congress has made, the proposal that Speaker Ryan has put forward isnt good for women, it isnt good for families and it isnt good for women of all parties." A Waterbury police officer shot a suspect Thursday afternoon and the states attorney office is investigating. Waterbury police were trying to stop a stolen vehicle at Wood and Orange streets around 4:30 p.m. and the driver, later identified as 18-year-old Rashamel Rogers, of Waterbury, fled and hit a Waterbury police vehicle, a telephone pole and an officer who had gotten out of his car, police said. One of the responding officers fired twice and shot Rogers in the abdomen and shoulder, police said. Rogers was taken to St. Mary's Hospital, then LifeStar flew him to St. Francis Hospital. His injuries are not life-threatening, police said. The Waterbury police officer who was hit by the car was taken to Waterbury Hospital and has been released. The investigation is ongoing and police have not released the names of the officers involved in the incident. WikiLeaks will work with technology companies to help defend them against the CIA's hacking tools, founder Julian Assange said Thursday. The move sets up a potential conflict between Silicon Valley firms eager to protect their products and an intelligence agency stung by the radical transparency group's disclosures. In an online news conference, Assange said some companies had asked for more details about the CIA cyberespionage toolkit that he purportedly revealed in a massive disclosure on Tuesday. "We have decided to work with them, to give them some exclusive access to the additional technical details we have, so that fixes can be developed and pushed out," Assange said. The digital blueprints for what he described as "cyberweapons" would be published to the world "once this material is effectively disarmed by us." The CIA did not respond directly to Assange's offer, but it appeared to take a dim view of the announcement. "As we've said previously, Julian Assange is not exactly a bastion of truth and integrity," CIA spokeswoman Heather Fritz Horniak said, adding that the CIA's work would continue "despite the efforts of Assange and his ilk." White House press secretary Sean Spicer says President Donald Trump has "grave concerns" about the release of classified material and thinks the CIA systems are outdated. Asked during a press briefing Thrusday whether the president believes Assange should be imprisoned for publishing classified documents, Spicer declined to answer and referred reporters to the Justice Department to comment. Spicer's response prompted the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., to ask Attorney General Jeff Sessions directly if the DOJ believes "Assange has broken the law and is the Department aggressively pursuing his detention and prosecution?" "Frankly, it is amazing that I even have to ask this question of the Administration in light of the Intelligence Communitys formal assessment that Mr. Assanges website is a known outlet for foreign propaganda and in light of Mr. Assanges history of recklessly endangering the lives of Americans through his illegal disclosures," Sasse wrote in a letter to Session Thursday. "Nevertheless, because Mr. Spicer referred this matter to DOJ, I am now asking you," he added. Assange had plenty of criticism for the agency himself, blasting it for having lost control of its "entire cyberweapons arsenal," something he described as "a historic act of devastating incompetence." The fate of the arsenal is not completely clear. WikiLeaks has not released the actual digital espionage tools themselves, just documentation related to them which describe in various levels of detail how the CIA bypasses anti-viruses, hacks into smartphones and even hijacks smart TVs. Assange has not explicitly said how he knows that the arsenal is circulating or even that he has a full copy. Assange did offer some hints, suggesting that spies, former intelligence officials and contractors had been sharing the cyberespionage tools behind the CIA's back potentially to feed the for-profit market in spy software. "WikiLeaks discovered the material as a result of it being passed around a number of different members of the U.S. intelligence community, out of control, in an unauthorized fashion," Assange said. "It looks like not only is that material being spread around contractors and former American computer hackers for hire, but now may be in the black market." If true, that would be a serious concern for ordinary internet users. There are already signs that international law enforcement is worried. Europol's chief Rob Wainwright told The Associated Press that the CIA breach could provide "a handy how-to-do hacking manual" for nefarious actors of all stripes. "There is a potential here for a much more widespread impact in the way that it might fuel an increase in cybercriminal activity," he said. Assange said the CIA breach showed that this kind of technology was nearly impossible to keep under wraps or under control. "The technology is designed to be unaccountable, untraceable; it's designed to remove traces of its activity," he said. The probability of Assange being taken up on his offer is uncertain. Some of the alleged CIA cyberespionage tools disclosed by WikiLeaks are obsolete, meaning that his help may not be needed in many cases. Even in the case of live vulnerabilities it's not clear how Assange's offer would be seen by American companies or how the mechanics of such a collaboration might work given the CIA's hostility. Even under normal circumstances, the process of flagging software flaws to technology companies can be fraught. "When vendors receive information about a vulnerability, they look at it from a political perspective," said Adriel T. Desautels, the chief executive at Netragard LLC. "Especially with highly complex ones, they can sit in the hands of a vendor for years, two to three years, until they receive external pressure to move on something." Assange appeared to nod to those concerns in his conference, saying it was up to the public to demand that companies moved quickly on WikiLeaks' offer. "It is important to put pressure on those companies," he said. More than 125,000 people are expected to turn out along Greenville Avenue for the 38th annual Dallas St. Patrick's Day parade on Saturday, March 11, 2017, of course the Dallas Mavericks are the presenting sponsor of the annual two-mile parade through Dallas. Here's what you need to know to survive the crowds and your own drinking habits. DASH DOWN GREENVILLE: Even before the parade begins, runners will hit the street for the 22nd Annual St. Paddy's Day Dash Down Greenville at 8 a.m. Registration ends March 10. CLICK HERE for the 5K's official website. RE-ROUTING: The parade begins at 11 a.m. and travels south on Greenville Avenue. It begins at Greenville at Blackwell Street and ends at SMU Boulevard. Here's the parade's official Facebook page. Roads on and near the parade route will close by at least 10 a.m. While there will be plenty of police and signage to make sure you don't run into one of the 90 floats, trying to drive around the area will be an exercise in patience. Re-route significantly if you're just passing through the area to avoid the traffic or head out as early as 7 a.m. to find a legal parking spot and a good place to watch the parade. CLICK HERE for parade map. PRIME PARKING: Hitting the parade after-party on Lower Greenville? Parking is, and has always been, the scourge of Lower Greenville, so pay extremely close attention to posted signs -- temporary no parking signs have already gone up in the area and resident parking only signs are posted in neighborhood areas. Carpooling is a great idea for parking reasons, but it's not the only option. FORGET THE CAR: There are other ways to get to the festivities, DART has teamed up with rideshare services Uber and Lyft to help get you there. First-time riders can even get free rides to and from the DART stations. Uber says use the promo code 'DFWSPD17' to get $10 off your first two rides. Lyft says use the promo code 'LYFT2DART' for $5 off your first five rides. Do the rest of the Metroplex a favor and don't drive to the party. Jumping on a DART train to Mockingbird Station, Lovers Lane Station or Park Lane Station are convenient and easy ways to make sure you're not taking up parking space, nor drinking and driving. DART provides a special page to help you navigate Saturday's festivities. Shuttles to the party will be available at DART's Mockingbird Station. Taxi stands will also be posted on Greenville Avenue at the conclusion of the event. DRINK RESPONSIBLY: No alcohol can be brought to the event area, and Dallas police will be enforcing all city ordinances, such as 6-6.1, which addresses public consumption of alcohol, especially outside the designated area of the block party. As in years past, officers will exercise some discretion with enforcement, but don't push your luck of the Irish. PARTY AFTER THE PARADE: This isn't a "watch and leave" parade -- Lower Greenville businesses, restaurants, bars, and music venues will all be ready for the day-long party. 15,000 are expected for the block party that runs from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nearby bars stay open until 2 a.m. BREW FEST RETURNS: Brew Fest returns for its second year. According to our friends at GuideLive it'll pop up in the Office Depot and Meadows Building parking lots, both are near the intersection of Lovers Lane and Greenville Avenue. It'll highlight beer, obviously, as well as food trucks, exhibitors and a DJ station. MAVERICKS ON DISPLAY: Mavs Corner, featuring food trucks, exhibitors, a Mavs retail shop and Mavericks' entertainers will be at the corner of Lovers Lane and Greenville Avenue. You'll also want to be on the look out for the Mavs presence in the parade with two floats, the Mavs Express bus, Mavs Dancers, Mavs mascots and ManiAACs on hand. IT'S SHOW TIME: Starting at noon in the Energy Square parking lot (corner of Greenville and University), the Dallas Observer presents a concert by Jimmy Eat World, Rooney and The Unlikely Candidates. Admission is $15 in advance and the event is for ages 21 and up. BE READY FOR RAIN: Green-tinted beer might be in-season for the party, but don't forget to sip something other than spirits. Bring cash to buy bottled water from the street vendors or bring your own. The high Saturday will be 74 degrees. NBC 5's meteorologists are calling for mostly cloud and breezy conditions with a 60 percent chance for scattered showers and thunderstorms after noon. Click here for the NBC 5 Meteorologists' written forecast. Going to the party? Send in your photos of the event to isee@nbcdfw.com and we'll highlight the best in a gallery and on the air! More: Official Website for the 38th Annual Dallas St. Patrick's Parade & Festival | GuideLive Guide to the Dallas St. Patrick's Parade and Festival The chair of the planning and zoning commission in Anna revealed this week that she is transgender, spurred into action by Senate Bill 6, or the "bathroom bill." Janine Johnson is better known as John Johnson around the city of Anna. For the last four years that she has been on the planning and zoning commission, she has attended meetings as a male. Monday evening, Johnson said, was time to show her true self. "Coming out has not been nearly as difficult as living a lie," Johnson said. The 69-year-old is still legally named John and her license lists her as a male, which is why Johnson operated within the city as a male. The position is a voluntary and unpaid. But Johnson is now confidently trading in her suits for skirts. "Believe me, it takes a whole lot of energy to hide your true self from the world," Johnson said, adding that she knew she was a girl in a boy's body at the age of 4. A traumatic experience as a child at age 10 left her living as a man for much of her life. Johnson began transitioning in 2004, when she was 56 years old. She hopes to live as a "full-time female" in the future and said the reaction has been primarily positive. Johnson said she was inspired to come out by the hotly debated Texas bathroom bill. "It strikes me as the epitome of stupidity," Johnson said. "In my opinion, it is one of the most bigoted, hateful attempts at legislation that I have ever encountered in my life." The bill passed a Senate committee after 13 hours of testimony from the public. Next, it will head to the full Senate for a hearing. Johnson is the second Collin County city leader to open up recently. Earlier this year, the mayor of New Hope, Jess Herbst, revealed that she is transgender. People nearly came to blows Thursday as the Dallas Police and Fire Pension Board imposed new restrictions on lump-sum withdrawals from Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP) accounts. Pension administrator Kelly Gottschalk said the fund's current balance of approximately $2 billion leaves no excess liquidity for large withdrawals at this time. Members will receive base benefits and a maximum of $3,000 a month from DROP accounts but not larger sums. "We can't have this situation balanced on our backs," said police retiree Dale Erves. "We've given it all. We gave a pound of flesh." Lump-sum withdrawals were first stopped in December after a lawsuit was filed by Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings to stop a run on the fund. Members were told that larger withdrawals might resume if finances improved, but the new policy approved at Thursday's meeting reduces that chance. A police retiree who declined to give his name had to be separated from pension board member Clint Conway by retired Deputy Police Chief Julian Bernal in a heated discussion after the decision to limit benefits. "I call on this board to take the action, sue the city to fund this plan," the police retiree said. "The fact that you people want to regulate like a spigot the amount of money that's taken out of here, that these people have earned all their lives, is beyond reason." The frustration comes as city and state leaders debate a long-term fix for the troubled fund, which is estimated to be $3.5 billion short on obligations and could be insolvent in less than 10 years. State Rep. Dan Flynn, R-Canton, filed a bill Tuesday that would increase contributions from the city and employees, reduce future benefits to current employees and permanently convert DROP accounts to annuities only paid in limited amounts over time. "It's a very complicated bill. We are a very complicated pension system. The bill is 177 pages and very difficult to read," Gottschalk said. "We have some areas we believe are of great concern to us that were a little bit of a surprise." One of the biggest concerns is that Flynn's bill still leaves a gap of at least $450 million. Options offered so far to fill that remaining gap include a so-called "clawback" on future retiree benefits or diverting sales tax money that Dallas residents currently provide to the Dallas Area Rapid Transit agency (DART). Dallas City Councilman Scott Griggs, also a member of the pension board, supports taking $36 million a year in DART sales taxes to recapitalize the pension fund over time. "It's part of the local option penny," Griggs said. "If anyone else has another source of funds, let me know, but that's taxpayer money and I think the taxpayers would like to come out and have a vote on it." Griggs proposed a November referendum on the sales tax option which would also require action by the Texas legislature as part of the pension fix. Griggs said Dallas is 600 officers short of authorized strength, partly because of pension uncertainty. "We've got to solve this pension crisis because the pension crisis has turned into a public safety crisis," Griggs said. Councilman Philip Kingston, also a member of the board, asked to have a resolution in favor of Griggs' sales tax plan posted for a future pension board vote. "A November election on 'Save the Pension System' by moving a little bit of sales tax, I think that's a no brainer," Kingston said. "It will instantly improve the city's bond rating. It will not substantially adversely affect DART service." Employee members of the pension board welcome greater taxpayer support to help fix the pension. "You can talk all day long about you can't afford it, you can't afford it. You look at the construction in Uptown. The reality is, maybe you can afford it," said board member Tho Tang Ho, a Dallas police representative. Board member Gerald Brown, a Dallas Fire-Rescue retiree, said other sources could be considered, too. "Chicago is taxing everything to put into their funds," Brown said. "There's water, the city sells water to everybody." Council members Jennifer Gates and Erik Wilson, who also serve on the pension board, were cool to the sales tax idea. Gates said the city's options are limited. "We can 'up' on just property taxes, and there's a cap related to it," Gates said. Wilson argued the fund is overestimating investment returns and the sales tax transfer Griggs suggests will not fill the gap. "It's not going to be as simple as it may seem," said Wilson. Mayor Rawlings and DART officials opposed the sales tax shift. The mayor supported reducing future benefits to retirees who received large lump-sum withdrawals in the past. A group led by several former Dallas mayors has launched a campaign against using taxes for a pension fix. The pension fund Wednesday launched its own campaign to promote public safety employees and secure retirement to help hire and keep employees. The four City Council members on the pension board have taken over the mayor's lawsuit to limit DROP payments. Though retirees left unhappy, Kingston said additional court action is unlikely at this time after the DROP restrictions imposed Thursday. "Today's action gave me great hope that the board is acting responsibly," Kingston said. The pension problems are blamed on years of risky, over-valued real estate investments that failed to return enough for generous interest promised in DROP accounts. Investments have been revalued and interest payments reduced. Current board members have also said an FBI investigation of past officials is underway. By Luc Cohen and Gram Slattery BUENOS AIRES/SANTIAGO, March 9 (Reuters) - At least three Japanese trading companies are evaluating bids on upcoming rail contracts in Argentina, part of a major infrastructure boost planned by President Mauricio Macri this year, Japan's ambassador said. The companies, including Marubeni Corp, Mitsubishi Corp and Mitsui & Co Ltd, are particularly interested in sales of passenger rail cars in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area, and could submit bids as a consortium, said Noriteru Fukushima, Japan's ambassador in Argentina. Argentina's government is boosting infrastructure spending in order to make up for decades of underinvestment, create jobs and spur growth ahead of legislative elections in October. It has announced $14 billion in improvements to the Buenos Aires metropolitan rail system, as well as the $16 billion 'Plan Belgrano' collection of road, rail and airport projects to improve freight and passenger connections between Argentina's poor, remote northern provinces and eastern ports. Fukushima said the companies had not made any concrete decisions on bidding, as in many cases the tenders for the projects had not yet been published. He expects strong competition from firms from China and elsewhere. A Marubeni spokesman said in an email on Thursday that the company is "aware of this project and seeking further information at this stage." Last year, Marubeni won a contract to provide Automatic Train Stop technology to Buenos Aires rail. A Mitsui spokesman said the company was not involved in Plan Belgrano and otherwise declined to comment, while Mitsubishi representatives in Japan and Argentina did not respond to requests for comment. Fukushima said company representatives had visited Argentina and met with authorities to learn about the projects. The companies are also interested in road projects, he said. "Every month, various people come," Fukushima said in a Wednesday interview. Other Japanese companies are also interested in bidding on $1.6 billion in improvements to a freight rail line connecting the Mendoza wine region and the grains belt to eastern ports, said a source familiar with the companies' thinking. Story continues The interest comes amid warming bilateral ties. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe became the first Japanese prime minister in decades to visit Argentina when he met with Macri in November, and Macri plans to visit Japan in May. Japanese companies have announced $1.3 billion in investments in Argentina since Macri took office in late 2015, Fukushima said in a presentation this week. Overall, foreign companies have announced investment plans worth about $33 billion in Argentina under Macri. (Writing by Luc Cohen; Editing by Caroline Stauffer and Jonathan Oatis) The Metro Homeless Alliance Thursday will reveal new information about homelessness in the city of Dallas in the 2017 State of Homeless Address. Members of the homeless commission will also attend the meeting and discuss the some of the factors that have led to an increase in the homeless population within the city. Its very disheartening to see the homeless population grow, said Tanya Ragan, who was a part of the Homeless Commission. Almost a year after Tent City was cleared out, men and women looking for shelter are back forming new camps in the same area. We have come full circle. Since 2015, we started with 40 homeless camps and now we are up to 200. The youth population and our veteran population has grown, said Ragan. The lack of housing options is a major factor. The shelters remain at capacity, and every month turn away at least 20 teens, 30 families, and more than 600 domestic violence survivors. According to the latest report from the city of Dallas, 1,100 homeless men and women were given housing vouchers worth $8 million, but many of those vouchers went unused. A lot of us have vouchers, but we cant get a landlord to accept them, said one man who is now living underneath I-45. We need landlords to accept people with vouchers and that has to be city wide. It cannot be from a few districts. It needs to be a position as a city we are willing to take to take care of the people here. These are citizens, these are people. These issues cant be about politics, she said. Since the Homeless Commission has formed there have been some positive aspects. There are some good things that have come out of the commission. They are doing a better job of educating the public about homelessness, more partnerships have been formed, and awareness is increasing, but we still need real practical change, said Ragan. Now that the initial commission is ending, members are calling for a Citizens Homeless Commission to provide innovative ideas and transparency. The mayor and the county feel passionate about this issue, but we really need a citizens board and citizen commission driving the conversation and quite honestly holding our city leaders accountable. If we dont do something now, the problem will continue, said Ragan. The 2017 State of Homeless Address was scheduled Thursday at the Goodwill Industries of Dallas between 9 a.m to 11 a.m. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, says he has concerns about the new health care bill released by Republicans in the House of Representatives. "The current House bill, I don't believe would pass the Senate, but I am actively working with my colleagues in the Senate, with my colleges in the House, with the administration to improve the bill," Cruz said. Cruz says the House bill spends too much, does not do enough to promote competition or expand choices and make premiums for affordable. "There are a number of things that need to be changed. We need to repeal the damaging portions of Obamacare that are driving up premiums, so that premiums are more affordable, so that it's easier for people to access quality health care. On the Medicaid component, we need to make sure that we are not creating an unsustainable entitlement going forward that bankrupts the federal government. We need to be instead looking to reform these programs to encourage work to encourage able-bodied adults to go out and get jobs and provide for their families," Cruz said. NBC 5 spoke to Cruz on Wednesday before he headed to the White House for dinner with President Donald Trump. The two had a difficult campaign against each other, but have met since the election. "A few weeks ago, President Trump called me and invited me and the family to come over for dinner at the White House. So tonight, Heidi and I, and both our girls, are going to join the president for dinner. It should be a lot of fun. I know our girls are really excited. They have never been to the White House residence before, and I hope it will be a terrific evening," Cruz said. Cruz is the lead sponsor on a bipartisan bill that is now on its way to the president's desk after the House approved the NASA Transition Authorization Act. "Texas leads the country in space. Space exploration is a big, big deal for the state of Texas. Thousands of high-paying jobs depend upon a vibrant space industry," Cruz said. Gov. Jerry Brown is asking for federal assistance with the infrastructure damage from late January storms that caused flooding, mudslides and power outages. Tuesday's request follows two other petitions for federal help that President Donald Trump's administration granted last month to assist with earlier storm damages and the emergency at Oroville Dam. Brown's office said Tuesday the governor also declared a state of emergency for 53 of the state's 58 counties due to late January storms. All nine Bay Area counties were among the 58 counties listed. The request says February storms' damage, including the crippling of Oroville Dam's two spillways, is being assessed. After five years of drought, California saw record-breaking precipitation this year that led rivers and creeks to break their banks. The governor's office says six people died in the state during the January and February storms. Emily Cordera already had a lot on her mind as a 15-year-old new mother. But since a stray bullet killed her own single mom last summer, she hasn't missed a day of school and still searches for someone to come forward with information about the shooting. "I always keep in mind that my mom's not with me physically but her spirit is always with me, and I always do what she would have wanted me to do," Cordera said. Dianey Santos waited at a bus stop at the intersection of South Broadway and West 83rd Street in South Los Angeles on June 17, 2016 when two men nearby began arguing just before 9:45 p.m. The 39-year-old was caught in the crossfire when one man pulled out a gun and the other fled in the other direction. Surveillance cameras captured the pandemonium as the intended target ran away. "This was an innocent person waiting for the bus," Los Angeles Police Department Detective Shawn Svoboda told NBC4. He said the shooter was brief but dangerous: "It looks like he doesn't even know where he's shooting." Police officers and Cordera have already announced a $50,000 reward for any information in the case that could lead them to Santos's killer. For now, Cordera, her nine-year-old sister, and her infant son are being raised by their godparents. Cordera's English teacher said she didn't have any inclination of her family's tragedy. "It was not until one day when she was sharing the video of her mother being shot on the news that I learned what happened. I burst into tears," Barbara Minton said. "No child should have to experience that." Detectives said that the intended target lived to talk with police but hasn't been helpful in finding the shooter. The city of Los Angeles honored Cordera with a certificate of recognition for bravery for her efforts on Wednesday. Marijuana advocates rejoiced this week with the passage of Measure M, a Los Angeles city ordinance that takes shop pot shops out of legal limbo with the state and opens the door for greater industry regulation and growth. "This is huge for the country," said Virgil Grant, the president of the LA-based marijuana advocacy group the Southern California Coalition, according to KPCC. "Everybody is sitting back, looking at what move the number one cannabis producing state and city is going to do. And we're gonna deliver." But the budding battle is not over yet: a ruling from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors next week could decide the fate of marijuana stores across Southern California. A showdown between marijuana trade groups and the City Council seemed imminent on the March 7 ballot. Mayor Eric Garcetti and council members had proposed Measure M which affirmed the powers of the city government to oversee, permit, and tax the Los Angeles marijuana market. Officials say this was intended to bring about 135 LA shops into compliance after the state launched the dispensary licensing process but the city had no system in place. The United Cannabis Business Alliance, a collection of marijuana dispensaries, had organized an alternative called Measure N on the same ballot. It gave preference to the existing 135 stores in the licensing process. The group ultimately threw their support behind Measure M, though their proposal still appeared on the ballot and was rejected by voters. With the industry and the government officials reaching an agreement and now approved by almost 80 percent of voters the regulations could be put in place as soon as this fall. Measure M established tax rates and criminal penalties for unauthorized cannabis activities, but the city still has to decide on the qualifications for cannabis business owners, locations of the storefronts, industry advertising, and more. Pot advocates still have to sort through regulation on the county level. Marijuana stores in unincorporated LA County are at risk of a unilateral shutdown by the sheriff's office while the government figures out its licensing plan. "Our biggest thing right now is showing them that its a bad policy to go closing the dispensaries," said Jonatan Cvetko, who co-founded a group of marijuana industry stakeholders in unincorporated LA County called Angeles Emeralds. "To do that several months prior to having the regulations rolling out doesnt make any sense." Cvetko, who works with marijuana providers, said that cultivators, dispensaries, and other members of the industry are working together to prove their potential to the county. "All the different operators have realized we do need each other and we need to stick together to make this work," he said. Representatives of the District Attorney and the sheriff were scheduled to report to the LA County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, but Cvetko said that the presentation had been postponed until March 14. When word arrived in May 2016 that Voodoo Doughnut, one of the ultimate edible icons of the great city of Portland, Oregon, would make its Southern California debut, pastry-loving people around LA nodded, collectively and enthusiastically. Because here's the thing: There's always room for more doughnut consumption 'round this region, a place that's basically worn a delicious crown made of doughnuts for decades, and has refused, politely, and with kindness, to ever give that doughnut crown up. In short? Welcome, Voodoo Doughnut. You're now open on Universal CityWalk, as of Thursday, March 9, though let it be known it is a soft opening, which is restaurant parlance, or restaurantese, if you prefer, for "just getting going." A soft opening, though, fits well for a spot selling oh-so-soft, easy-to-bite delectables that are sometimes garishly decorated, and named, as is the famous way of Voodoo Doughnut. Doughnut types have included the Grape Ape mmm, grape dust and lavender sprinkles and the Arnold Palmer doughnut, which boasts hint o' both lemonade and iced tea. Have you seen this founded-in-2003 indie doughnut shop on a food show or in a magazine? Very likely. Have you queued up, in the rain, in Portland, for a maple bacon bar? Many have. Do you happen to know that LA isn't the first out-of-state outpost for the delightfully daffy doughnut-porium? It's not. There are shops in Denver, Austin, and beyond. (And "delightfully daffy," of course, is said in a complimentary manner, an ode to the company's panache.) LA still will not relinquish its doughnut crown, nor should it: We like our fried, doughy, sometimes round, sometimes fritter-shaped, sometimes globular goodies, and that's that. It's tradition. It is, in fact, the way of things. But trying treats from points beyond our own doughnut-devoted metro is part of what wearing a doughnut crown entails, too. One thing to note, if you can't wait: The soft opening has "limited hours" for the time being, so keep that in mind if you head up the hill for an Arnold Palmer. After spending months rehashing the brutal GOP primary campaign and bragging about his victory, President Donald Trump has quietly launched a charm offensive, reaching out to former rivals whose help he now needs. The latest on his list: Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who has said he has significant concerns about the GOP health care bill Trump is pushing for passage. The president and first lady hosted Cruz and his wife, Heidi, and their two daughters for dinner Wednesday night a day after Trump broke bread with Sen. Lindsay Graham, another rival, over lunch. Trump has also been spending time with Sen. Marco Rubio, giving him a ride to Florida on Air Force One last week and hosting him and his wife for dinner at the White House. He met recently with Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, hosted Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey and his wife for Valentine's Day meatloaf, and had a working lunch with Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin all former campaign foes. The meetings come as Trump continues to lob unsupported accusations at his predecessor in the White House, Barack Obama, alienating a potential source of guidance as he's turned his focus toward selling a legislative agenda that he'll need every possible ally to pass. That means wooing former rivals like Cruz and Sen. Rand Paul, whom Trump has spoken to several times since taking office, including this week, said Paul's spokesman Sergio Gor. But the 2016 Republican campaign was uniquely brutal, leading to some awkward interactions. During the campaign, Trump not only went after Cruz, giving him the nickname 'Lyin' Ted,' questioning his faith and bizarrely suggesting his father may have been involved in the Kennedy assassination. He also went after Cruz's wife, re-tweeting an unflattering photo of her next to his wife and threatening to "spill the beans" on her. Cruz responded by calling Trump "a sniveling coward" and labeling him a "pathological liar" and "utterly amoral." Cruz also declined to endorse Trump in his Republican Convention speech. Press secretary Sean Spicer ignored a question Wednesday about whether the president intended to apologize to Heidi Cruz, saying instead: "I think they're looking forward to a great dinner." "This is a president that's going to engage with everybody that can help join in proposing ideas and thoughts and opinions on how to move the country forward. So he looks forward to dinner tonight with Senator and Mrs. Cruz as he has with several others," he said. Spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders noted the president has been holding meeting after meeting as he tries to sell the health care bill. "I think there's outreach to most of Congress," she said. Cruz, who met with the president a week after the election, seemed equally willing to bury the hatchet. He told reporters ahead of the dinner that the president had called him several weeks ago and invited him and his family to dinner, and said, "we're very much looking forward to it." "It's principally a social dinner but I'm sure the conversation will turn to the repeal of Obamacare and I have serious concerns about the House bill as drafted. I do not believe the House bill as currently drafted would pass the Senate," he said. Trump has in the past marveled at politicians' abilities to move on, even after brutal election campaigns. "It's a very strange phenomenon," he recently told Fox News, describing his ability to get along with Obama, despite their nasty election rivalry as Obama campaigned on behalf of Democrat Hillary Clinton. "What amazed me is that I was vicious to him in statements, he was vicious to me in statements, and here we are getting along, we're riding up Pennsylvania Avenue, talk we don't even mention it," he said. "I guess that's the world of politics." Trump's latest unsupported claim on Twitter that Obama ordered wiretaps on Trump, has apparently chilled those relations a bit. Even Graham, one of Trump's fiercest critics during the primary, seems to agree with the idea of moving past the campaign rhetoric. After their lunch, Graham praised Trump, saying he was "strongly committed to rebuilding our military which is music to my ears. President Trump is in deal-making mode and I hope Congress is like-minded." Graham also appeared to forgive the president for once reading out his personal cellphone number to a rally crowd. "How good was the meeting? I gave him my NEW cell phone number," Graham tweeted. Jason Miller, who worked for Trump's campaign and transition, said that Cruz and other past rivals are eager to find ways to work together. "I think there's a feeling of optimism and confidence that we can actually pass a conservative agenda," he said. Yet there is one rival candidate who has yet to make nice with the president: former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. While Bush has been in touch with members of the Trump administration, he has yet to make an appearance with Trump and his spokeswoman Kristy Campbell said he has no immediate plans to dine with the president. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt said Thursday he did not believe carbon dioxide was a primary contributor to global warming, a view contradicted by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NBC News reported. It is also at odds with Pruitt's own promises during his nomination hearing before the U.S. Senate. "I think that measuring with precision human activity on the climate is something very challenging to do and there's tremendous disagreement about the degree of impact, so no, I would not agree that it's a primary contributor to the global warming that we see ," Pruitt told CNBC's "Squawk Box." "But we don't know that yet ... We need to continue the debate and continue the review and the analysis." But if Pruitt doubts the global scientist consensus that carbon dioxide is causing the Earth to warm, he did pledge during his confirmation hearing to regulate it in accordance with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling and an EPA finding that it was threatening public health. "I also believe the Administrator has an important role when it comes to the regulation of carbon dioxide, which I will fulfill consistent with Massachusetts v. EPA and the agency's Endangerment Finding on Greenhouse Gases respective of the applicable statutory framework established by Congress," he wrote in response to a series of questions about greenhouse gases. The Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that the EPA did have the authority to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in automobile emissions. It further found that under the Clean Air Act, the agency could not avoid taking action unless it determined that greenhouse gases did not contribute to climate change or explained why it could not make that determination. Two years later, the then-EPA administrator signed a so-called Endangerment Finding that said the current and projected concentrations of carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere were threatening the public health of current and future generations. It also said that the emissions of the greenhouse gases from new motor vehicles contributed to greenhouse gas pollution. When Pruitt was asked during his hearing whether he would review the finding, he said, "There is nothing that I know that would cause a review at this point." But he also said in his interview on Thursday that Congress had not addressed the issue of carbon dioxide. "Congress has addressed this in the Clean Air Act," countered the Sierra Club's chief climate counsel, Joanne Spalding. "They've already said EPA is the expert agency that has that role." To overturn its finding that carbon dioxide endangers public health, the EPA would have to provide a rationale for reaching the opposite conclusion and build a new scientific record. "There's no scientific basis for the claim that carbon pollution does not endanger public health and welfare," Spalding said. "It's really impossible for them to do it....It would be a fool's errand frankly." The Sierra Club, which highlighted Pruitt's written testimony, accused him of misleading Congress and urged his removal. "As Pruitt testified before Congress, it is the legal duty of the EPA to tackle the carbon pollution that fuels the climate crisis, but now he is spewing corporate polluter talking points rather than fulfilling the EPA's mission of protecting our air, our water, and our communities," the Sierra Club's executive director, Michael Brune, said in a statement. Another environmental group, 350.org, compared Pruitt's statement to a doctor saying cigarettes do not cause cancer. "Pruitt's statement isn't just inaccurate, it's a lie," said spokesman Jamie Henn. "He knows carbon dioxide is the leading cause of climate change, but is misleading the public in order to protect the fossil fuel industry." Pruitt's comment is contradicted by findings across the global scientific community. NASA says on its website that "humans have increased atmospheric CO2 concentration by more than a third since the Industrial Revolution began. This is the most important long-lived 'forcing' of climate change." The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a group of 1,300 independent scientific experts across the world, said in its Fifth Assessment Report that "there's a more than 95 percent probability that human activities over the past 50 years have warmed our planet" and "a better than 95 percent probability that human-produced greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide have caused much of the observed increase in Earth's temperatures over the past 50 years." In response to Pruitt, Climate Nexus, a group focused on the effects of climate change, compiled responses from some leading climate scientists. Ben Santer, a climate researcher at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, said in response: "Mr. Pruitt has claimed that carbon dioxide caused by human activity is not 'the primary contributor to the global warming that we see.' Mr. Pruitt is wrong. The scientific community has studied this issue for decades. The consensus message from many national and international assessments of the science is pretty simple: Natural factors can't explain the size or patterns of observed warming." And Noah Diffenbaugh, a professor in the School of Earth, Energy and Environmental Sciences and Kimmelman Family Senior Fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, said "It's clear that we are already being impacted by climate change here in the United States. To deny that reality not only is a denial of scientific evidence but it also threatens the safety and security of Americans who face increasing odds of extreme events like the California drought, the flooding from Superstorm Sandy, and the heat wave that decimated crops in the mid-west in 2012." Meanwhile, The Associate Press reported that Mustafa Ali, the head of the EPA's environmental justice program, resigned in protest over the Trump administration's proposal to slash funding intended to help poor and minority communities nationwide. Ali's resignation letter urges Pruitt to reconsider proposals to cut EPA's budget, including environmental justice grants, by one-quarter. Ten years after a former FBI agent from South Florida working on an unauthorized CIA mission disappeared in Iran, his family hopes U.S. President Donald Trump will do something America's last two presidents have been unable to achieve: Finally bring him home. Robert Levinson's family told The Associated Press this week that Trump's background as a deal-making businessman and his harder line on Iran could be an asset in finally determining what happened to the investigator, whose 69th birthday is Friday. They described the heartbreak of seeing other American prisoners in Iran freed while the mystery surrounding his disappearance remains. They also acknowledged the challenge of keeping his case in the public eye, as he now has been held captive longer than any American in history, if he remains alive. We believe people can survive 10 years under any circumstances. In the worst places, people survive. We know Bob is alive,'' his wife, Christine Levinson, told the AP. Everyone else has gotten out of Iran, but Bob has been left behind every single time. It's now time for him to be returned home to his family.'' The Coral Springs resident disappeared from Iran's Kish Island on March 9, 2007. For years, U.S. officials would only say that Levinson, a meticulous FBI investigator credited with busting Russian and Italian mobsters, was working for a private firm on his trip. In December 2013, the AP revealed Levinson in fact had been on a mission for CIA analysts who had no authority to run spy operations. Levinson's family had received a $2.5 million annuity from the CIA in order to stop a lawsuit revealing details of his work, while the agency forced out three veteran analysts and disciplined seven others. Since his disappearance, the only photos and video of Levinson emerged in 2010 and 2011. He appeared gaunt and bearded with long hair, and was wearing an orange jumpsuit similar to those worn by detainees at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay. The video, with a Pashtun wedding song popular in Afghanistan playing in the background, showed Levinson complaining of poor health. Levinson's family believes his diabetes and high blood pressure could be under control with his weight loss. I'm not as worried about his health,'' his son, Dan Levinson, said. I understand people thinking it being over 10 years and fearing the worst, but we don't believe that.'' The FBI now offers a $5 million reward for information leading to Levinson's safe recovery and return. The agency released a statement Thursday saying that "ten years is an inhumane amount of time to ask a family to wait for word of their loved one." The White House also released a statement saying in part that "the Trump Administration remains unwavering in our commitment to locate Mr. Levinson and bring him home. We want him back, and we will spare no effort to achieve that goal." Rumors have circulated for years, with one account claiming he was locked up in a Tehran prison run by Iran's paramilitary Revolution Guard and U.S. officials suggesting he may not be in Iran at all. Dawud Salahuddin, an American fugitive living in Iran who is wanted for the assassination of a former Iranian diplomat in Maryland in 1980, is the last known person to have seen Levinson before his disappearance. Iranian officials have been less than forthcoming. Former hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad suggested in an interview with the AP in 2010 that his country already had suspicions about Levinson before the nature of his trip became public knowledge. Of course if it becomes clear what his goal was, or if he was indeed on a mission, then perhaps specific assistance can be given,'' Ahmadinejad said. Levinson's family said they've written letters to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and moderate President Hassan Rouhani with no response. Iran's mission to the United Nations did not respond to a request for comment about Levinson. That lack of response, even with the U.N.'s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issuing a report in January that held Iran responsible for addressing ``the situation of Mr. Levinson without any further delay,'' has the family believing Trump's harder line on Iran might finally force the country to release him. We know if President Trump chooses (to be involved), he's a dealmaker. That's what he does. It's going to require negotiating with the Iranians to get him out of there,'' Levinson's son Dan said. He's very well-suited to be able to do this. We're hopeful for that.'' Florida Sen. Bill Nelson addressed Levinson on the Senate floor Thursday, calling on Iran to make good on a promise to return him to America. We also urge the president and our allies to keep pressing Iran to make clear that the United States has not forgotten Bob and we wont forget him until hes home," Nelson later said. White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters on Monday that the Trump administration was in contact with Levinson's family and said we continue to hold out hope'' that he could be safely returned from Iran. Another White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case, said administration officials recently held a call with members of the Levinson family, who were assured that the case is a priority for the Trump administration. The Levinsons hope to meet personally with Trump in the coming months. We'll never, ever give up hope,'' his daughter, Stephanie Curry, said. We'll never give up hope he's coming home to us.'' The 36th edition of Carnaval Miami's Cooking Contest was held Tuesday evening. Six in the Mix host Roxanne Vargas emceed the event. The contest offered a culinary stage to students, vocational and general public chefs of the future. There were three rounds of tastings and a final round to crown Leslie Gonzalez from the General Public category as the overall winner. She not only earned bragging rights for her salmon burger but a $500 cash prize, too. Mariana Rodriguez, host of Acceso Total on our sister station Telemundo 51 was one of the night's judges. Carnaval Miami is a key fundraiser for the Kiwanis Club of Little Havana. The foundation supports the Latin community of South Florida all year long. (Adds company responses, Sasse comment) By Dustin Volz and Joseph Menn WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO, March 9 (Reuters) - Wikileaks will provide technology companies with exclusive access to CIA hacking tools that it possesses so they can patch software flaws, founder Julian Assange said on Thursday, presenting Silicon Valley with a potential dilemma on how to deal with the anti-secrecy group. If the offer is legitimate, it would place technology companies in the unusual position of relying on Assange, a man believed by some U.S. officials and lawmakers to be an untrustworthy pawn of Russian President Vladimir Putin, to share cyber vulnerabilities stockpiled by a secretive U.S. spy agency. It was not clear how WikiLeaks intended to cooperate with the companies. The group published documents on Tuesday describing secret Central Intelligence Agency hacking tools and snippets of computer code. It did not publish the full programs that would be needed to actually conduct cyber exploits against phones, computers and Internet-connected televisions. "Considering what we think is the best way to proceed and hearing these calls from some of the manufacturers, we have decided to work with them to give them some exclusive access to the additional technical details that we have so that the fixes can be developed and pushed out, so people can be secure," Assange said during an online press conference from the Ecuadorean embassy in London. Assange took refuge at the embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden over allegations of rape, which he denies. Microsoft Corp and Cisco Systems Inc, whose wares are subject to attacks described in the documents, said in response to Assange that they welcomed submissions of any vulnerabilities through normal reporting channels. "We've seen Julian Assange's statement and have not yet been contacted," a Microsoft representative said. "Our preferred method for anyone with knowledge of security issues, including the CIA or Wikileaks, is to submit details to us at secure@microsoft.com so we can review information and take any necessary steps to protect customers." Story continues Representatives of Alphabet Inc's Google, Apple Inc, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and Huawei, whose products were also featured in the CIA catalog, did not answer requests for comment. Responding to Assange, CIA spokesman Jonathan Liu, said in a statement: "As weve said previously, Julian Assange is not exactly a bastion of truth and integrity." "Despite the efforts of Assange and his ilk, CIA continues to aggressively collect foreign intelligence overseas to protect America from terrorists, hostile nation states and other adversaries." WikiLeaks' disclosures this week caused alarmed in the technology world and among consumers because of the potential privacy implications of the cyber espionage tactics that were described. One file described a program known as Weeping Angel that purportedly could take over a Samsung smart television, making it appear it was off when in fact it was recording conversations in the room. Other documents described ways to hack into Apple iPhones, devices running Google's Android software and other gadgets in a way that could observe communications before they are protected by end-to-end encryption offered by messaging apps like Signal or WhatsApp. Several companies have already said they are confident that their recent security updates have accounted for the purported flaws described in the CIA documents. Apple said in a statement on Tuesday that "many of the issues" leaked had already been patched in the latest version of its operating system. WikiLeaks' publication of the documents reignited a debate about whether U.S. intelligence agencies should hoard serious cyber security vulnerabilities rather than share them with the public. An interagency process created under former President Barack Obama called for erring on the side of disclosure. CIA SECURITY President Donald Trump believes changes are needed to safeguard secrets at the CIA, White House spokesman Sean Spicer told a news briefing on Thursday. "He believes that the systems at the CIA are outdated and need to be updated." Two U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials told Reuters on Wednesday that intelligence agencies have been aware since the end of last year of a breach at the CIA, which led to WikiLeaks releasing thousands of pages of information on its website. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said contractors likely breached security and handed over the documents to WikiLeaks. The CIA has declined to comment on the authenticity of the documents leaked, but the officials said they believed the pages about hacking techniques used between 2013 and 2016 were authentic. Contractors have been revealed as the source of sensitive government information leaks in recent years, most notably Edward Snowden and Harold Martin, both employed by consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton while working for the National Security Agency. Assange said he possessed "a lot more information" about the CIA's cyber arsenal that would be released soon. He criticized the CIA for "devastating incompetence" for not being able to control access to such sensitive material, and asked whether Obama or Trump were made aware of the breaches. Assange's group released Democratic emails during the 2016 presidential campaign that U.S. intelligence agencies say were hacked by Russia to try to tilt the election against Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. He is regarded with distaste by many in Washington, although Trump, then the Republican candidate, supported the group's email releases last year. Ben Sasse, a Republican senator, said in a statement on Thursday that Assange should "spend the rest of his life wearing an orange jumpsuit." He is "an enemy of the American people and an ally to Vladimir Putin" who has "has dedicated his lifes work to endangering innocent lives, abetting despots, and stoking a crisis of confidence in the West," Sasse said. (Reporting by Dustin Volz; Additional reporting by Eric Auchard in Frankfurt, Joseph Menn in San Francisco and Guy Falconbridge in London; Editing by Grant McCool and Frances Kerry) Authorities in Miami-Dade have arrested five suspects for human trafficking in the past week and have rescued a teen girl and a young mother with an infant child. The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office announced the arrests Thursday. Officials said the victims are mostly local and include some runaways. In one case, a man and woman turned a 16-year-old girl from Vero Beach who they met on Miami Beach into a prostitute, authorities said. The pair, 20-year-old Jakeara Peak and 33-year-old Alexander Brown, are facing numerous charges including human trafficking, lewd and lascivious battery on a child and interference with custody. Peak and Brown were being held without bond Thursday, Miami-Dade jail records showed. Attorney information wasn't available. In another case, a man was arrested for beating a woman who refused to prostitute herself, authorities said. Another man was arrested for advertising a woman on the internet. Officials said officers from City of Miami, Miami Beach and Miami-Dade police departments collaborated on the arrests. A former Miami-Dade police officer learned her fate in court Thursday after she was convicted for issuing a false report against her husband. Saintamen Edwards will serve no jail time, but she was sentenced to four years of probation. In December, she was found guilty of official misconduct. Back in 2013 then-police officer Edwards issued false reports against her husband who was a shoe salesman. Edwards used her power as a cop to get her husband in trouble with his employer by falsifying reports of him selling fake designer shoes. The employer's son is an attorney and noticed something was wrong with the reports. When he contacted Miami-Dade Police, they couldnt find a record of the reports. An internal affairs investigation eventually traced the bogus reports back to Edwards computer. Her estranged husband was in the courtroom for the sentencing. He made no comment. In addition to four years of probation, Edwards is ordered to 500 hours of community service. "A very sad and unfortunate situation and it has irreparably affected her life so no matter what happens her life is not going to be the same. She lost her job as a police officer," said Edwards attorney Harry Solomon. Her attorney asked the judge to grant Edwards a new trial, but the request was denied. Miami-Dade Criminal Court Judge Martin Zilber said Edwards conviction was a black mark on all police officers. Edwards' attorney said he is appealing the jury's verdict which would then put Wednesdays sentence in jeopardy. Casey Anthony -- the Florida woman accused, then acquitted, of killing her 2-year-old daughter -- spoke with The Associated Press five times over a weeklong period. During the interviews, she talked about her love for her daughter, Caylee Marie, and showed photos of her and artwork she finger-painted. Anthony maintains her innocence in the death and insists she doesn't know how the last hours of Caylee's life unfolded. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS: "You were convicted of one thing." ANTHONY: "Lying to the cops. People lie to the cops every day. Cops lie to people every day; I'm just one of the unfortunate idiots who admitted that they lied." AP: "Was the lying out of panic?" ANTHONY: "My dad was a cop, you can read into that what you want to." AP: "Touching on the convicted for lying, is there anything you regret with that? Would you rather get your story straight from the beginning? What didn't you keep straight?" ANTHONY: "Here's the problem. Even if I would've told them everything that I eventually told to the psychologist who evaluated me and the two psychologists who evaluated me over the course of three years -- I hate to say this, but I firmly believe I would still have been in the same place. Because cops believe other cops. Cops tend to victimize the victims. I've never tried to make myself a victim. I see why I was treated the way I was, even had I been completely truthful." AP: "What weren't you truthful about?" ANTHONY: "It was things that I didn't know at the time." AP: "About how she died?" ANTHONY: "I didn't know at the time. I'm still not even certain as I stand here today sure about what happened." AP: "To your understanding, how did she die?" ANTHONY: "I don't know." AP: "What about drowning?" ANTHONY: "Everyone has their theories, I don't know. As I stand here today, I can't tell you one way or another. The last time I saw my daughter, I believed that she was alive and was going to be OK, and that's what was told to me." AP: "She was being babysat? With your parents?" ANTHONY: "No, my father told me she was going to be OK. That she was OK." AP: "So your parents had her?" ANTHONY: "My dad did. My mom was at work." AP: "The next thing you know she is missing? How did it play out?" ANTHONY: "I did what I was told. I don't remember too much of what happened. Again, there were several psychological evaluations. Even after everything transpired, even months, even within a year, I don't have personal knowledge of these things, because, and this isn't my belief, I read the evaluations. I wasn't present during whatever happened. If I was, something would've showed up. There would be some recollection; there would be some memory. I was living at home with my parents. What I remember is, every day we had a routine, and whether it was the day I was working or not working, Caylee and I got up and had breakfast, we said goodbye to my mom, between 7 and 7:30." AP: "Give me the situation when things went wrong. All of a sudden, is it like, 'Where is Caylee?' Is that how it went?" ANTHONY: "No. What I remember is, being in bed, and my mom coming in before she left for work, and saying goodbye to us. And then waking up several hours later not knowing where she was." AP: "Don't you wish you know what happened?" ANTHONY: "Absolutely. Absolutely, every single day." AP: "It's just a blank spot? What the hell happened?" ANTHONY: "It's not even that it's something that's outside of me that if I knew at this point -- if I knew what actually happened, I'd be able to fill in those blanks. I've done enough research, I've done enough psychology seminars, I've been tested, I've gone to the psychological evaluations, talked about this to the point where I've been in a puddle and not able to talk about it for days afterwards. She is still the central part of my life, the central part of my being, always will be. If I am blessed enough to have another child -- if I'd be dumb enough to bring another kid into this world knowing that there'd be a potential that some jackass, their little snot-nose kid would then say something mean to my kid -- I don't think I could live with that." Orlando attorney Mark Lippman issued the following statement on behalf of George Anthony: "After years of silence, Casey Anthony has decided to complete an interview and has once again pointed to George Anthony, her father, as a suspect in the disappearance and death of his granddaughter, Caylee Anthony. George, who has continued to try and move forward from this tragedy and who was vindicated on multiple occasions, is once again forced to relive the hints, rumors, lies and allegations that are being made by Casey Anthony. He has specifically stated that his heart hurts even more now. The 9th annual Miami Beach Gay Pride announced Wednesday the marshals for this year's parade. NBC 6/Telemundo is a proud sponsor of the Miami Beach Gay Pride. For the first time, the Miami Beach Gay Pride honors four marshals who have significantly contribute to the LGBTQ community. This year's celebrity grand marshal is TV Personality and Human Rights Campaign supporter Ross Matthews. He will lead the loud and colorful parade that's expected to draw more than 130,000 spectators this year. The advocate marshals are iHeart Radio's Elvis Duran and the Morning Show's and legendary bartender "Uncle" Johnny Pool. Pool bartended at the famous Stonewall Inn in the 1960s. Activists Liebe and Seth Gadinsky will serve as ally marshals. We are really proud to expand our Marshal program this year, said Mark Fernandes, chair of the Pride board. As an organization and an event, it is critical that we embody the diversity and inclusiveness of the entire community we serve. We can think of no better way to live up to that promise than by celebrating the accomplishments and efforts of these four outstanding leaders. Miami Beach Gay Pride runs April 7-9. The three-day weekend kicks off with a VIP reception Friday, Saturday beach party and festival and Sunday's parade and festival. The state agency overseeing Everglades restoration projects plans to pay people to kill Burmese pythons in the wetlands. The South Florida Water Management District said in a statement Thursday that 25 people will be selected for a 60-day pilot program that aims to remove the invasive predators from state-owned lands. Officials say pythons are decimating populations of native Florida mammals, which deprives panthers, alligators, bobcats and birds of their primary food source in the Everglades. Starting April 1, participants will be given special access to python-infested district property in Miami-Dade County. They'll be paid minimum wage ($8.10) up to eight hours each day, plus $50 per python. They'll receive extra money for snakes measuring longer than 4 feet and for eliminating python nests with eggs. To be eligible for the job, applicants must be at least 18 years of age, have a valid driver's license and email address, posess a smart phone that can be tracked through GPS, have not been convicted of a felony or wildlife-related offense within the last five years, and must submit to a criminal background check. Participants are allowed to use firearms to remove pythons, said South Florida Water Management District. Registration begin Friday at https://www.sfwmd.gov/our-work/python-program What to Know Enger Javier spent two years at Rikers awaiting a murder trial in the death of Hansell Arias only to have the charges against him dismissed He was exonerated by surveillance video of the 2012 crime scene that showed him on a sidewalk, not involved in a murderous chase The Bronx district attorney's office says its investigation into Arias' death is ongoing A 27-year-old Bronx man jailed for two years at Rikers awaiting a murder trial before the charges against him were dropped has reached an $800,000 settlement with New York City, he exclusively told NBC 4 New York's I-Team. Enger Javier had been accused of stabbing a man named Hansell Arias to death in a brutal attack in Claremont in 2012. Javier had repeatedly denied any involvement in the slaying, but it wasn't until February 2016 that the district attorney dropped the charges against him. "To be honest with you, it dont change nothing because they give me money but the cops still have their jobs," Javier said. "The DA is still doing the same thing. Maybe they do this to someone else. Theres gonna be another Enger. Javier originally filed a $20 million notice of claim against the city for false arrest and malicious prosecution. He said he decided to settle to avoid a long legal process. A spokesman for the city's Law Department said in a statement that "settling this case was in the best interest of the city." Surveillance video from the crime scene had shown Javier standing on a Bronx sidewalk, holding a soda cup, as a group chases Arias, who by that point had already been stabbed in front of a nearby mechanic shop. One of the attackers can be seen running after Arias holding a knife; Arias is then stabbed again and beaten until he collapses in a McDonald's parking lot and dies. The video clearly shows Javier wasn't involved. Javier says the critical video surfaced only after private investigator Manual Gomez, who was hired by the family, got his hands on it. By then, Javier had been at Rikers for years. "He's not a part of this," Gomez said of Javier as he reviewed the video. "There are five individuals that attacked [Arias]. There's one main stabber and then there's two more that assisted in the beating. These are the guys that did the killing." Gomez claims he has identified the real killers -- all members of a notorious street gang called the Trinitarios -- and tracked them to Facebook, where he says one boasted about the Arias murder. Gomez claims he has also provided a mountain of evidence to the district attorney's office and homicide detectives in the 44th precinct that implicates at least two of the gang members in other crimes, including a 2010 machete attack in Manhattan. They have not been arrested. "I don't understand that," Gomez said. "These are serial killers." Arias' twin brother, Jansell, told the I-Team he provided many of the same names to detectives. "I'm very upset. This has been going on for four or five years now and everything has been the same," he says. Jansell Arias said hes not convinced Javier wasnt somehow indirectly involved in his brother's slaying, and he doesn't think Javier should get any money from the city. But he says he's most angry no one has been held accountable for the death of his twin. "He hasnt really gone to peace," Jansell Arias said. "My mom is frustrated. He is my twin, so every time I call her or Facetime her, she sees him when she sees me. She gets all teary and stuff. Javier declined to comment on Arias' statement and again stressed he was innocent. "I haven't put this behind me. I still think about this every day, all the lies in court, the DA lying in the front of the judge. It was unbelievable," he said. The district attorney's office said it is actively investigating Arias' death and that a new prosecutor has been assigned to the case. A spokewosman said 13 witnesses have been re-interviewed, including six videotaped by Gomez. One participant pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in May 2016 and was given a one-year sentence, she said. Paterson Mayor Joey Torres appears to be taking his time turning himself in, one day after he and three city workers were indicted in a state corruption investigation. Torres stayed away from news cameras outside his home Wednesday, and was picked up around the corner before heading to City Hall. For now, that's where he appears to be staying, protected in his second-floor office by security. He's not legally bound to turn himself in right away, but it's frustrating to residents who first voted him out of office seven years ago before he got his seat back in 2014. "How much more damage will the community suffer behind the moves that are made by this administration?" said Lynda Gallashaw, a citizen activist who tried to launch a recall vote of the mayor last year. "We're not satisfied at all. We're told that we're broke, that we're in debt -- and yet jobs are being handed out." Meanwhile, Paterson Department of Public Works employee Joseph Mania surrendered at the state police barracks in Totowa Wednesday. He, along with Timothy Hanlon and Imad Elmowaswes, allegedly performed private jobs at a warehouse owned in part by Torres' daughter while on the city's time. Mania's attorney, Ray Flood, told News 4 his client will plead not guilty and that they were looking forward to going to court. The mayor of New Jersey's third-largest city was the subject of months of I-Team reporting on municipal workers being paid to do private jobs for him and his relatives. "This is a case of old-school public corruption and abuse of power," Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino said at a news conference announcing the charges Tuesday. "Mayor Torres allegedly treated city workers like his personal handymen, treated taxpayer dollars like his own." Torres released a statement Tuesday saying, "I fully intend to vigorously defend myself against these allegations, and I look forward to the opportunity to present all of the facts in a court of law. I am confident when the full story is told, I will be vindicated." First elected to Paterson's city council in 1990, Torres became mayor in 2002 and was re-elected in 2006. The Democrat lost a bid for a third term in 2010 but re-gained his seat in 2014. Through much of 2016, Torres refused to answer questions about a series of I-Team stories that appeared to show city employees doing private jobs for him, from washing his scooter and building bookshelves to doing construction at his nephew's would-be beer business. When the I-Team caught up with him before the first report in March 2016, Torres said in an email no employees had ever done private jobs for him while on overtime. "Please be advised that at no time has any city employee, on city time, or overtime, or paid with taxpayer dollars, ever performed work for me at my home, or anywhere else," he wrote. The I-Team later obtained records that seem to show that at least eight employees had indeed been earning overtime during the same periods they were seen on camera doing private work at the mayor's home and the planned beer business. But the mayor never responded to requests for further explanation. Torres is the second prominent New Jersey mayor to face criminal charges in the last four months. In an unrelated case, Passaic Mayor Alex Blanco pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges on Nov. 18 and resigned from office. A concurrent federal investigation into Torres is underway, the I-Team has reported, but there have been no charges in that probe. A passenger was killed in a collision between a tractor-trailer and a small SUV at a Long Island intersection Wednesday, authorities say. The collision happened at the intersection of Route 109 and Main Street in Farmingdale just after 2:30 p.m. It sent both vehicles into a utility pole and a parking lot of a nearby car shop. A passenger in the SUV was pronounced dead on the scene, Nassau police said. Hempstead Turnpike is closed between Fulton and Main as police investigate. An evacuation was ordered at the Jewish Children's Museum in Brooklyn Thursday morning as police investigated a bomb threat, the latest in a string of threats targeting Jewish groups in the city and across the nation, officials said. Police responded to the museum on Eastern Parkway after getting a call around 9:30 a.m. The nature of the call to police wasn't clear, but state Sen. Jesse Hamilton, who represents Crown Heights and other neighborhoods in the area, said the museum had received a bomb threat. Gov. Cuomo also confirmed the threat, adding that it came via email. He spoke to reporters alongside Devorah Halberstam, the mother of Ari Halberstam, whose death at age 16 in a 1994 terror attack inspired the museum's creation. The museum is dedicated in his honor. "This is a museum that is a monument to tolerance," Cuomo said, calling the threat "one of the cruelest ironies yet" in the rash of anti-Semitic crimes reported across the nation and in the city in recent months. "This was a museum that was built in the memory of Ari Halberstam. And Devorah, God bless her, took that pain and put it in a positive place by building a museum of tolerance, saying we all have to live together." "Being a New Yorker means we accept everyone in the spirit of community and in the spirit of acceptance and in the spirit of tolerance," the governor added. "And these threats, these activities are repugnant to that very concept." It wasn't known how many people were in the building at the time of the evacuation, but traffic delays were reported in the area as authorities investigated. "Its suffering, very, very deep suffering as a parent to know that there are people out there that are so full of hatred and they cant let it go," said Devorah Halberstam, who marked the 13th anniversary of her son's death last week. "We all will stand together, and do stand together against these messages of evil and hate." The evacuation comes two days after a series of bomb threats prompted evacuations of Jewish facilities across the country, including several in New York. Authorities have been looking into more than 120 bomb threats called into nearly 100 JCC schools, child care and other similar facilities across the nation since January. No injuries have been reported in any of the cases and no devices have been found. The FBI is assisting in the probe. What to Know Trimeka Crum, 35, was arrested for allegedly leaving a girl from her day care on a Queens street The 5-year-old girl wandered into a bodega, where a worker called police The girl was reunited with her guardian, an aunt who called to report her missing Wednesday night A day care worker is facing criminal charges after she allegedly abandoned a little girl on the streets of Queens. The girl was ultimately reunited with her family, but only after wandering to a bodega, where a worker called police. The 5-year-old girl walked into the bodega in Far Rockaway Wednesday evening, according to police. The store owner, Carlos Cruz, told News 4 the girl, Essiah Love Miller, was hungry but OK. "We were just wondering who she came with, how she got here," said Cruz, owner of Three Brothers Supermarket. Police say Trimeka Crum, 35, was supposed to drop the girl off near her home and make sure she got inside safely. Instead, Crum allegedly dropped the girl off on a sidewalk and left. "I think we were more afraid than her. She was really brave and not crying at all," said Cruz. Essiah gave Cruz her name but did not know her home address, authorities said. A worker called police around the same time her aunt, who is also her guardian, called to report her missing. The girl was reunited with her aunt and is in good health, police said. "I'm so happy she came into the store. She was safe and not wandering around or ask someone in the street," said Cruz. Crum is being charged with child endangerment. Crum's attorney, Dorothy Hughes, told reporters after her arraignment Thursday that it was a "misunderstanding." According to Hughes, Crum had an arrangement with the girl's family to drop her off every day. She was supposed to either walk the child upstairs or call her older sibling to come down and get her. Crum dropped off Essiah at the front door Wednesday, watched her go inside and then waited two minutes, said Hughes. Essiah never came back out, so Crum left. "We are glad that she is safe and sound," said Hughes. Crum's day care, which she ran out of her home on Mott Street, was licensed at the time but faced at least six violations dating back to July 2016. Those violations included a worker with a missing CPR certification and a failure to submit proof of training. Everything was corrected, according to state inspectors. But Thursday evening, the state suspended and revoked the license based on the city's Department of Health recommendation. One grandmother defended Crum, calling her "the sweetest person." "My other granddaughter has been here since she was six years old, since she was a little baby," said Georgia Edwards. A 31-year-old teacher has been arrested after a teen student filed a report alleging she was harassed by him at a New Jersey high school. Francisco Pereira, of North Arlington, was arrested last Friday, the Hudson County Prosecutor announced Thursday. He was charged with three counts of criminal sexual contact, two counts of endangering the welfare of children, two counts of harassment and once count of luring or enticing a child. A 19-year-old female student filed a report Feb. 16 with the Hudson County Sheriff's office stating that she was harassed by a teacher at County Prep High School in Jersey City, officials said. Authorities said futher investigation revealed two additional 17-year-old female victims, also students at County Prep High School. Pereira was held at the Hudson County Correctional Facility until his first court appearance last Saturday. Officials said he was released on his own recognizance with a no contact order for the school and the victims. His next court appearance is scheduled for April 27. New York City's head of police intelligence said Thursday that investigators believe one man using a voice changer and phone spoofing device is behind a large number of the scores of threats made against U.S. Jewish institutions this year. John Miller, speaking on a news program Thursday morning, described the attacks as coordinated. The spoofing device makes it appear the call is not coming from the number the man is using, and makes it appear it's coming from within the institution, he said. "We have an offender with some technical prowess here," Miller said. The Anti-Defamation League says 148 threats targeting Jewish institutions have been received across the country since January. On Thursday, a Jewish children's museum in Brooklyn was evacuated for a few hours after police investigated an emailed bomb threat. One arrest has been made in the threats, a St. Louis man accused of making eight of the calls in an effort to harass his ex-girlfriend. Juan Thompson has asked a federal judge in Missouri to release him on bond as he faces the federal charges out of New York. Thompson's lawyer declined comment. Miller said the NYPD is working with federal officials who are the lead investigators on the case. He said he's working with institutions in New York to help them manage responses to the threats. "Most of the time, the person who's legitimately trying to do harm doesn't call ahead to diminish the amount of harm he or she is doing," he said on "CBS This Morning." Gerber Products Company is voluntarily recalling its Cheese Ravioli Gerber Pasta Pick-Ups product to clarify egg labeling to make it easier to identify foods that contain allergens. The recalled products have "Egg" included in the ingredient list but was not listed in the "Contains" statement, according to Gerber. The product's universal product code is 159070. The New York-based company advises anyone with egg allergies to not consume the product. All other Gerber products, including other Gerber Pasta Pick-Ups, are appropriately labeled, said the company. If consumers have additional questions, they can contact Gerber any time at 1-800-510-7494 or email Gerber on the company's website. A child was struck and killed by a pickup truck at a trailer park in Morrisville, Bucks County, Pennsylvania Wednesday afternoon. Falls Township Police were called to the Bel-Aire trailer park on Bristol Pike at 3:11 p.m. for the report of a child who had been struck. When they arrived they found a 5-year-old boy who had been hit by a pickup truck inside the park. The boy lived at the trailer park with his parents and four other siblings. Investigators say witnesses began attacking the driver of the pickup truck after the crash. The man was forced to leave the scene of the accident due to the attacks and drove a short distance away before stopping and calling 911, according to police. The responding officers and paramedics performed CPR on the child. The boy was taken to Aria Bucks Campus Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The driver of the pickup truck is cooperating with police and submitted to a blood test. No charges have been filed but police continue to investigate. Anyone with information on the crash is asked to call Sgt. Chris Clark or Officer David Gold at 215-949-9100. The 370 nurses and technicians who staged a two-day strike at Delaware County Memorial Hospital say they are set to return to work Friday, but will continue to push for better staffing levels and a new contract. The two side are set to return to the bargaining table on March 14. The two-day strike at the Drexel Hill, Pa., hospital was held March 5 and 6. Prospect Medical Holdings, which acquired Delaware County Memorial when it purchased the Crozer-Keystone Health System last summer, said because of the strike they had to bring in replacement workers from staffing agencies under five-day contracts at a cost of $1.5 million. That meant the striking workers could not return until March 10. The nurses and their union, the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, called the action a lock out. Hospital officials, in a statement, said under federal labor law, even after strikers have offered to return to work, there may be a delay in their return if a staffing agency has imposed a minimum as is the case here. The National Labor Relations Board does not consider such a delay in return to work to be a lockout. To read full article, click here. For more business news, visit Philadelphia Business Journal. Nuisance Snow Impacts Morning The damaged Delaware River Bridge connecting the Pennsylvania and New Jersey turnpikes reopened late Thursday. The damaged bridge was originally slated to be shut down through at least early April as crews work to repair a major crack in the span's steel, but repairs took less time than expected. The eastbound lanes of the bridge opened around 10:00 p.m. Westbound lanes were opened around 10:45. [[415834483, C]] We pledged to reopen the bridge as soon as we could do so safely, said New Jersey Transportation Commissioner Richard T. Hammer, who serves as chairman of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority board. Thanks to a round-the-clock effort involving dozens of engineers, contractors, scientists, and other workers, we are able to get that done much sooner than we expected with every confidence that it will be safe for the motorists who depend on it. A large vertical crack was discovered by an worker inspecting a new paint job in January. The fracture was located in a truss holding up the bridge's road deck on the Pennsylvania side. Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission Many people were greatly inconvenienced by this closure over the last seven weeks, and I know that everyone is excited to get this bridge reopened and to see their lives return to normal, said PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton. Without a doubt, this incident was a bad dream for the two turnpike agencies and the contractors and consultants on our team, but a nightmare for customers and neighbors. The bridge, which carries 42,000 vehicles a day between the two highways, was immediately shut down and remained closed causing major detours and traffic trouble. It's not clear what caused the crack to form or how long it had been there. The repair team was able to bolster the truss with a temporary splice and use hydraulic jacks, each capable of lifting 600 tons, held by 80-foot-high towers, to re-align the truss. The bridge was re-aligned and officials say the workers were able to build a permanent splice to repair the fractured truss. Earlier in the week, test loads were driven over the bridge to determine it was safe to re-open. .@PA_Turnpike announced Eastbound is NOW OPEN on the Delaware River Turnpike Bridge! Westbound expected to open approx. 10:45pm. tonight. PennsylvaniaTurnpike (@PA_Turnpike) March 10, 2017 We will continue to monitor loads and stresses on the bridge, said NJTA Chief Engineer Robert Fischer. The temporary sensors will remain for now. In the coming months, we expect to install a system for monitoring the health of the bridge over the long term. PA Turnpike Chief Engineer Brad Heigel confirmed that two mis-drilled holes were identified as the primary factors that lead to the fracture in the truss. He also said that weeks of hands-on inspection of the entire bridge and extensive inspection found no other such holes. We continue to look at other factors such as air temperature and loads like heavy trucks or high winds that may have had an impact when the fracture occurred, Heigel said. But getting a definitive answer as to why it happened is akin to solving a 60-year-old mystery perpetuated by unseen offenders. We may never know for sure what all the factors were that caused the fracture, Heigel said. Two days after Pennsylvanias elected fiscal watchdog argued for the financial benefits of legalizing recreational marijuana, Governor Tom Wolf had a different take on the hot button issue. I dont think Pennsylvania is ready for it, Wolf told NBC10 Wednesday. I think thats important. This is a democracy and you cant move ahead of the electorate. How do you do it? Wolf continued. How do you regulate it? Who can buy it? How do you tax it? Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said Monday that the state could bring in $200 million or more annually by raking in tax revenues from the legalization of recreational pot. DePasquale cited the financial benefits the legal marijuana industry has had in Colorado as part of his reasoning. The regulation and taxation of the marijuana train has rumbled out of the station across the United States, DePasquale said. The question is whether Pennsylvania is going to miss its stop. DePasquale predicted legalizing recreational marijuana would bring $200 million to Pennsylvania each year, helping to close deficits. Governor Wolf believes Pennsylvania should first focus on medical marijuana before even considering the idea of legalizing recreational use. Pennsylvania has legalized medical marijuana and is in the process of setting up a system to grow, sell and regulate it. We ought to get that right and see how that goes, Wolf said. I ran on legalizing medical marijuana. Wolf also said he supports decriminalizing marijuana in a way thats similar to what hes seen in Philadelphia in order to lower arrests and keep pot smokers out of prison. Why should we destroy families, destroy lives, hurt the economy and add expenses by incarcerating people who have done something that really does not at this point merit that kind of penalty? Wolf asked. Wolf told NBC10 it would be wise to do more research on recreational marijuana and to wait for other states like Colorado, Washington and Maine to figure it out first. SEATTLE (AP) -- The Latest on Hawaii's lawsuit and legal efforts by other U.S. states challenging President Donald Trump's travel ban (all times local): 1:55 p.m. Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson says President Donald Trump's revised travel ban has "the same illegal motivations as the original." Ferguson on Thursday asked a federal judge to block the new order by ruling a temporary restraining order against the first ban to also to the revised executive order. In the original lawsuit targeting the first ban, Ferguson said it was unconstitutional and hurt the state's businesses and universities. Ferguson says his message to Trump about the revised order is "not so fast" and that courts must decide the issue. ___ 1:00 p.m. U.S. District Judge James Robart in Seattle has granted Oregon's request to join Washington and Minnesota in their lawsuit opposing President Donald Trump's travel ban. Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum asked to intervene in the lawsuit on Feb. 22, arguing that it is harmed the state in the same way as Washington claims. She says the executive order has hurt Oregon, its residents, employers, agencies, educational institutions, health care system and economy. She adds that the travel ban forces Oregon to violate its own laws against discrimination. ___ 11:50 a.m. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey says her state is joining Washington state's lawsuit against President Donald Trump's revised travel ban. The Democrat said Trump's travel ban "remains a discriminatory and unconstitutional attempt to make good on his campaign promise to implement a Muslim ban." Healey said Thursday that she decided to consolidate legal efforts by joining other states, led by Washington, to challenge what she called the administration's "unlawful immigration policies." Healey's office has voluntarily dropped its case in Massachusetts against the first version of the travel ban. Other states opposed to the travel ban are consolidating their efforts with the Washington state lawsuit. Story continues New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement Thursday that his office is also joining the lawsuit. He is calling the revised executive order "a Muslim ban by another name." ___ 11:15 a.m. A religious leader's mother-in-law living in Syria is playing a large part in Hawaii's lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's travel ban. Imam Ismail Elshikh of the Muslim Association of Hawaii is a plaintiff in the state's challenge. He says the ban will prevent his Syrian mother-in-law from visiting him. Hawaii Attorney General Douglas Chin says people like Elshikh's mother-in-law have fewer rights than U.S. citizens. But Chin says the imam is a U.S. citizen, has rights and would be prevented from seeing his mother-in-law. The mother-in-law is awaiting approval of a visa to see her relatives in Hawaii. Chin says the woman and others have become victims because of the ban's "standardless set of waivers and exceptions that weren't set by Congress." ___ 11:05 a.m. Massachusetts is joining Washington state's lawsuit against President Donald Trump's new travel ban. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, a Democrat, said Thursday is state is consolidating legal efforts and joining fellow states led by Washington state in challenging the revised travel ban barring new visas for people from six predominantly Muslim countries and temporarily shutting down the U.S. refugee program . Healey's office voluntarily dismissed its travel ban lawsuit on Thursday. She says Massachusetts will join the Washington and Minnesota case next week when an amended complaint is filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle. ___ 11 a.m. Hawaii's lawsuit challenging the travel ban focuses heavily on damage to the state's economy and mainly tourism. Hawaii Attorney General Douglas Chin says the tourism angle is unique because the state relies so heavily on visitors and Hawaii officials have a right to defend the economy. Chin told reporters Thursday that the state has already been hurt by the proposed ban even though it doesn't go into effect until March 16. Chin says officials have already received of people are already less inclined to travel to the United States. He also says people may fear traveling even within Hawaii because they would be forced to encounter a federal agent every time they get on a plane to visit a neighboring island. ___ 10:55 a.m. Hawaii Attorney General Douglas Chin says his state cannot stay silent on President Donald Trump's travel ban because of Hawaii's unique culture and history. The new travel ban order comes just after the 75th anniversary of the Feb. 19, 1942, executive order by President Franklin Roosevelt that sent Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps during World War II. That order was put in place after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Hawaii had an internment camp. ___ 10:50 a.m. Hawaii Attorney General Douglas Chin says the state is defending its tourism-linked economy as part of its lawsuit against President Donald Trump's revised travel ban. He said Thursday the state depends heavily on tourism, believes the revised ban would hurt the state's economy and that Hawaii state officials have right to defend it. Hawaii on Wednesday became the first state to sue the administration over its revised travel ban. The executive order that goes into effect March 16 bars new visas for people from six predominantly Muslim countries and temporarily shuts down the U.S. refugee program. It doesn't apply to travelers who already have visas. Hawaii also says the order will harm its Muslim population and foreign students. ___ 11:35 a.m. New York's attorney general says his state will join Washington state's lawsuit against President Donald Trump's travel ban. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman in a statement Thursday calls the executive order "a Muslim ban by another name." Legal challenges to the ban are mounting. On Wednesday Hawaii filed its own lawsuit against Trump's revised travel ban, saying the order will harm its Muslim population, tourism and foreign students. Washington state won an initial effort to block Trump's first travel ban and is asking a judge to block the revised ban. ___ 11:30 a.m. White House spokesman Sean Spicer says the administration is confident the revised U.S. travel ban will stand up to legal scrutiny. The state of Hawaii was the first state to sue after President Donald Trumps' revised travel ban was announced Monday. Hawaii says the ban would be harmful to its Muslim community and the island state's tourism economy. Spicer said during the White House briefing Thursday that administration officials "feel very confident with how that was crafted and the input that was given." Trump issued the revised executive order after a federal judge in Seattle issued a temporary restraining order halting the initial travel ban order after Washington state and Minnesota sued. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that decision. Washington state is asking a judge to extend his order to block the revised ban. ___ 11:15 a.m. Washington state is asking a federal judge to block President Donald Trump's revised travel ban. Washington was the first state to sue over the original travel ban, which resulted in a federal judge in Seattle halting its implementation around the country. Attorney General Bob Ferguson on Thursday said the state would ask the judge to extend his temporary restraining order against the first ban to Trump's revised order. Trump's revised ban bars new visas for people from six predominantly Muslim countries: Somalia, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Libya and Yemen. It also temporarily shuts down the U.S. refugee program. Unlike the initial order, the new order says current visa holders will not be affected and removes language that would give priority to religious minorities. Hawaii on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against Trump's revised travel ban, saying the order will harm its Muslim population, tourism and foreign students ___ 11:10 a.m. Washington state's attorney general is asking a federal judge to affirm that an order blocking President Donald Trump's first travel ban will also apply to a revised travel ban. Attorney General Bob Ferguson in Seattle made the announcement about the legal challenge to the revised travel ban. The new ban goes into effect March 16 and bars new visas for people from six predominantly Muslim countries and temporarily shuts down the U.S. refugee program. ___ 7:40 a.m. Officials from two states that have filed legal challenges against President Donald Trump's travel bans plan to discuss their lawsuits later Thursday. Separate news conferences are planned Thursday by Hawaii Attorney General Douglas Chin in Honolulu and Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson in Seattle. Hawaii on Wednesday became the first state to sue the administration over its revised travel ban. The executive order, which goes into effect March 16, bars new visas for people from six predominantly Muslim countries and temporarily shuts down the U.S. refugee program. It doesn't apply to travelers who already have visas. Hawaii says the order will harm its Muslim population, tourism and foreign students. A federal judge in Seattle issued a temporary restraining order halting Trump's initial travel ban order after Washington state and Minnesota sued. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that decision. Police in Chester County arrested a woman accused of swindling elderly people in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Department announced Thursday that they had arrested April Lynn Parks, 52, a day earlier after being tipped off that she was at a business along Enterprise Drive in East Goshen Township, Pennsylvania. An indictment claims that Parks was operated a business in Nevada that was supposed to care for elderly people and people with disabilities. Parks faces one felony count of racketeering, 33 felony counts of theft, 19 felony counts of exploitation of an older person, 18 felony counts of exploitation of and older person/vulnerable person, nine felony counts of theft, 74 felony counts of offering false instruments for filing or record and 58 felony counts of perjury in Nevada, police said. Parks was arraigned in Chester County and sent to jail on $500,000 bail as she awaited extradition to Clark County, Nevada, police said. Police didn't reveal what Parks was doing in Chester County. A New Jersey man, who investigators said told them he is sexually attracted to girls, sat behind bars in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania on charges that he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl he met in an online chat room. Police said they discovered 46-year-old Anthony Luciani of Summit had sex with the Berks County girl in 2010 after arresting him in an underage chat room sting operation in February. Authorities said the suspect told investigators that he was attracted to underage girls -- ages 12 to 15 -- and had sex with "at least six" minors. He and the 14-year-old had sex while her parents were away, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a news release. Police have not located the five others. "Our investigation of this case is active and ongoing," Shapiro said. "We are doing everything we can to gather additional information and find every one of Mr. Lucianis victims. We encourage anyone with information to contact us immediately by calling our hotline at 1-800-385-1044. Every childs safety matters to us." A Montgomery County judge arraigned Luciani on several charges Wednesday including two counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child along with charges from the sting operation. Luciani remained jailed Thursday morning, unable to post $500,000 bail. NBC10 reached out to Luciani's attorney for comment but North Wales, Pennsylvania-based Stephen Geday said it was too soon to comment on the case. [[415714273, C]] Mother Divine, the widow of Father Divine and leader for decades of a religious movement he founded that advocated racial equality and provided free food to thousands of people, has died. Sweet Angel Divine, her legal name, died Saturday at Woodmont, the movement's Gladwyne headquarters, the Emil J. Ciavarelli Family Funeral Homes said in an obituary on its website. The movement doesn't publicize birthdates, but Mother Divine was believed to have been 92 years old, The Philadelphia Inquirer said. An archivist for Father Divine's library and museum, Christopher Stewart, told the newspaper her death was related to old age. Mother Divine was born Edna Rose Ritchings. According to a Time magazine account, she moved from Canada in early 1946 and went to Philadelphia to meet the Rev. Major Jealous Divine at the International Peace Mission Movement, which he founded in New York during the Great Depression to promote racial equality, celibacy and devotion to the Kingdom of Heaven. The two married that year and maintained that they never consummated their marriage, in keeping with Father Divine's devotion to celibacy. Father Divine urged believers not to drink, smoke, swear, gamble or borrow money and to pool their resources and practice communal living. He also barred them from marriage and rejected racial identity, urging people to think of themselves simply as Americans. Critics said those teachings were overshadowed by Father Divine's claim to be God, a declaration Mother Divine insisted was made modestly. The church's key activity was operating dining halls that provided free food to people. Later the mission began charging for the meals, but only a few cents. After Father Divine's death in 1965, Mother Divine led the movement for decades. She sold off many of the landmark properties Father Divine amassed with donations from the faithful in the 1930s, '40s and '50s, including the Divine Lorraine Hotel and Unity Mission Church in Philadelphia. For a 2003 interview, Mother Divine left Father Divine's big chair empty at their stunning hilltop estate in Gladwyne, pulling a chair alongside it and telling a reporter with a smile, "Father is here with us." At the time, believers, most in their 70s and 80s, still gathered regularly to sing religious and patriotic songs and listen to recordings of Father Divine's sermons. "Basically we have not changed," she said. "We just don't have the people we once had." Musing on the demise of all eight of the mission's cafeterias, she said, "Maybe feeding three generations of people is enough." A viewing for Mother Divine will be held at the Woodmont Estate along Spring Mill Road in Gladwyne Thursday from 4 to 8 p.m. Her enshrinement will be held at a later date. [[267090591, C]] State police are investigating after at least one local officer fatally shot an armed 91-year-old man during a standoff at his western Pennsylvania residence. Police from New Castle and surrounding departments responded after a woman reported that her uncle, Frank Wratny, had fired shots at her during a dispute about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. That occurred in Union Township, which is next to New Castle about 45 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. Police say Wratny came to the front door about 90 minutes later and confronted police with a firearm, prompting at least one officer to shoot, killing Wratny. The state police are investigating because the involved departments cannot. The Lawrence County district attorney will also review the shooting, which is standard in police-involved shootings. Efforts to reach Wratny's family were not immediately successful Thursday. Police are looking for a man in a series of violent sexual assaults at a New Jersey intersection since January. Irvington police say the man threatened women with a handgun near the intersection of Grove Street and Nye Avenue, near the Newark border, often between 3 p.m. and 3 a.m. Police say the most recent incidents happened between Jan. 17 and March 7. The suspect is approximately 35 years old and between 5-feet-4 and 5-feet-8 in height, police say. He was seen wearing a dark colored hooded jacket. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Irvington Police department at (973) 399-6603. Get ready for the box, San Diego -- we're bringing SoundDiego LIVE to the Music Box in Little Italy on March 30 with KFM-BFM's Robin Roth hosting! For our 54th party ("SoundDiego LIV"!), we've decided to head back to the Music Box, where we packed the place last year with help from Little Hurricane and Grizzly Business. We'll have tons of happy hour freebies from our craft-beer partner, Belching Beaver Brewery, and Music Box for those who RSVP beforehand and we'll be showcasing FOUR great live acts! Can't beat that. RSVP NOW for SoundDiego LIVE on March 30 at Music Box! The Music Box -- formerly Anthology -- has three amazing floors to take in a show and has been the site of hundreds of great performances since its re-opening in 2015. We took off the gloves booking this one, which will be headlined by the North County boot kickers of Trouble in the Wind, who are got nominated for Best Country or Americana Album at the 2017 San Diego Music Awards. Not entirely sure about that category -- SoundDiego's own Dustin Lothspeich included it in his list of Best San Diego Rock Albums of the first half 2016 -- and our staff called it a runner-up for San Diego Album of the Year. No matter, talent wins out. They'll be joined by psychedelic garage rockers Big Bloom and Oh, Spirit. "Trouble in the Wind have come a long way since their days as a high school trio in 2006 called Cactus Bob," Roth said. "They won a San Diego Music Award in 2014 and are nominated for one this year. Im really looking forward to seeing Big Bloom as well. Any band who cites Stevie Nicks, Bikini Kill, Joni Mitchell and Cherry Glazzer as influences is a win in my book. Rounding out the lineup are Oh, Spirit, who'll be bringing the '60s influences and an indie rock vibe. The beauty of this SoundDiego LIVE is that each band brings a different sound to the table." Bonus: We'll have a very special guest opening up the show: "I love the Dabbers," Roth said. "The noise-pop, bass and drums duo of Zack and Shelby is a great addition to the lineup!" The party starts at 7:30 p.m., so be sure to show up early for some Belching Beaver suds, and be prepared to have fun! Of course, a SoundDiego LIVE party wouldn't be complete without dishing out some happy-hour freebies to folks that RSVP -- so get on it! RSVP NOW for SoundDiego LIVE on March 30 at Music Box! A shrinking number of San Diego homeowners owe more money on their house than it is currently worth, according to Zillow's 2016 Q4 Negative Equity Report. In San Diego, the percent of mortgaged homeowners in negative equity, or underwater decreased from 7.9 percent in 2015 Q4 to 6.1 percent in 2016 Q4. The term "underwater" is used to describe a homeowner who owes more on a mortgage than the home's current value. While the decrease is significant, said real estate analyst Gary London, the numbers do not tell the whole story. "What Zillow doesnt tell you is what neighborhoods these underwater homes are in and those numbers would be almost entirely reflective of homes in the South Bay and East County," said London. "There will be very few homes within 10 miles of the coast that would be part of that overall percentage." Even though the number is meant to reflect the region, London said, the issue of homeowners underwater is more acute in certain parts of the region than others. "If youre a North County homeowner, say you live in Carlsbad, San Marcos, certainly any of the coastal communities, you would find that these percentages would be way lower," London said. "If you were in Chula Vista, or El Cajon, you would find that these percentages would be high, and you would find that there would be more of these underwater homes like that." "Where the problem continues to fester is in South County and East County, where the greatest trauma was felt in terms of underwater homeowners and sub prime," London added. "Thats the nuance here." The other factor to the equation: how San Diego compares to the rest of the nation. San Diego's declining number of underwater homeowners goes hand in hand with nationwide numbers. Across the U.S., fewer homeowners are underwater on their mortgages, though more than half of those owe more than 20 percent of more than what their homes are worth. "Were in relatively good shape," London said. "Were not as good shape as the San Francisco, San Jose region, for instance, but were in a lot better shape than the Midwest or the rust belt cities." By the end of 2016, 10.5 percent of homeowners with a mortgage were underwater, down from 13.1 percent the previous year, the report finds. During that same year, 1.2 million homeowners who owed more on their house than it was worth were able to resurface; however, five million across the U.S. remain underwater. In San Diego, 44.6 percent of underwater homeowners were within 20 percent of positive equity in 2016 - down nearly four percent from 48.3 percent the previous year, the report finds. It's a number that means the market is coming closer to having fewer and fewer homeowners underwater, London said. "To me, that means the market is within shooting distance of curing this problem almost completely," London said. The San Diego region tends to be doing better than the nation because of the strong economy behind it, he said. "So really the rule here is that the stronger the economy, the more peoples income, the more they're able to cure any problems with their housing and most importantly, the more value there is in housing, because housing prices have been up substantially in places where the economic growth is greatest, and you need to build new homes," London said. Within two years, London said, San Diego could reach the peak bubble price point of 2006. That's another way of saying housing prices have appreciated to near historical highs. Though San Diego's housing market is doing better, it's hard to compare it to other parts of the county. "All real estate is local," London explained. "Its very hard to compare San Diego to Indianapolis; there are a lot of other things that go on." "(The numbers) dont say much other than our economy and our housing market is stronger than Indianapolis (for example)," London added. Homicide investigators have released the picture of a man killed in a brutal December attack in the hopes of finding the person responsible. Gregory Huser, 66, was found dead on December 12 along Park Boulevard. The road runs along the perimeter of Balboa Park and leads to the parking area of the San Diego Zoo. Someone called 911 at approximately 2 a.m. to report finding Huser's body in a grassy area. SDPD homicide detectives said Huser suffered major head trauma and may have been sleeping on the embankment when he was attacked. There have been no arrests. On March 9, San Diego County Crimestoppers released Huser's photo. San Diego police want anyone who may have been in the park on December 12 to contact them. The SDPD Homicide Unit can be reached at (619) 531-2293. Anyone can call the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477. A death of a woman killed in a gang shooting is shedding light on gang violence in the neighborhood, and how the community is dealing with it. On Tuesday around 9 p.m., 55-year-old Escondido resident Catherine Kennedy was driving east on Grand Avenue when she was struck by a stray bullet, causing her to lose control of the car and crash into an unoccupied, parked vehicle, police said. Kennedy was a volunteer youth minister at St. Timothy's. Her husband, Kevin is involved in the religious education program. She is survived by her husband and 24-year-old daughter, Alicia De La Rosa. "I was devastated," said Kennedy's friend Teri Cudmore. "There are just no words. I am hoping that it is none of my teens I taught in the past." Cudmore joined several other religious community leaders and St. Timothy's parishioners for a private prayer service for Kennedy Wednesday night. "I felt it was necessary to pray for this totally unnecessary thing that has happened. It stunned us all, friend Barbara McCoy said. Police said gang members were shooting at each other in the 1800 block of E. Grand Avenue at the time. This was an innocent victim driving down the street we believe coming home from a church function and just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, said Escondido Lt. Justin Murphy. Residents who live in the area told NBC 7 that gang violence has been an issue for years. The violence can be stiffling: many residents did not want to speak on camera with NBC 7 or identify themselves for fear of retaliation. For a period of time, residents said, things were pretty bad: rival gangs were fighting and inciting violence. Then, several months ago, police started patrolling the area and things improved, residents say - but the problem persists. Escondido Police say they have talked to City staff and they are cracking down on registered gang members. Lt. Justin Murphy said in his 19 years with the department, he has never seen a shooting like this before. We generally have a gang problem but I would not say its this kind of violence that were used to seeing in Escondido," he said. "This is certainly outside of the norm for what we generally see on a daily or weekly basis in Escondido. Its not something were used to seeing. A mom in the complex, who did not want to be identified, said that as soon as it gets dark, she avoids going outside. Another concern for some are the kids playing outside. "They actually play outside and they play," one resident, who did not want to be identified, told NBC 7. "That's their little green thing, that electrical box, that's their table and play games and stuff like that. So it's a tragedy, if it would have happened earlier, one of those babies could have gotten hit. We're talking elementary school kids from Oak Hill." Veronica Urrutia lives near where the shooting took place but was not at home at the time. Urrutia said there has been gang violence in the area but shes never heard of shooting from a vehicle. Thats so sad. Innocent people just dying like that I think is just sad, she said. Barbara Allen has lived in the same apartment for seven years and said the violence has increased over the last year. Its gotten ridiculous on the street, Allen said. What do you do, she asked. Word of Life Church, located just a block away from where the shooting happened, is tagged by gangs regularily. On Wednesday, demonstrating Parishes, who did not know Kennedy, were sending a message to the neighborhood. We're here to let our community know that we are here for you. We also speak to the gang members of Escondido, please stop the violence, Word of Life Church pastor Mark Madore said. The suspects in the shooting have not been identified yet. Escondido police have asked the public for help to solve the crime. Police are also asking for the community to call them with any information on gang activity. There is an anonymous tip line, for people who may be fearful of speaking out. The local lifeguards union is considering the possibility of breaking away from the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD). The issue was discussed Wednesday night during a union meeting at the Marina Village. Union head Sgt. Ed Harris said members are concerned about dispatch changes which routes all water-related 911 calls the fire department instead of directly to lifeguards who have historically made all water rescues. It adds a step that slows down the process getting someone there to help you," explained Harris. The issue with the new system played out earlier this year at the La Jolla Children's Pool, said Harris. He said lifeguards were called out late to save a woman swept off a cliff. After the incident happened in January, a city spokeswoman told NBC 7 she is looking into the incident further to find out why lifeguards were not dispatched. Katie Keach said the change was only meant to impact inland water rescues. This change does not apply to 911 calls pertaining to coastal water rescue emergencies, calls pertaining to Mission Bay rescue emergencies, or calls to water emergencies for any other bodies of water. These calls will continue to be routed as per current protocols by SDPD, Keach said. Changes to swift water rescue teams are also a concern for the union. Lifeguard Adam Larkin said he is concerned about water training for firefighters. When we're going in, we have to know who our backup is. All lifeguards we work with, we all know each other and train and we have each others backs," Larkin said, adding, "thats not to say fire might not have our back." Lifeguards say this is nothing against the firefighters who they often work with and respect. They said they are just concerned about consistent water training and the possibility firefighters could be moving in on their jobs. The lifeguard union heads said they presented their grievances to Mayor Kevin Faulconer's office Wednesday after they weren't resolved by the fire department. NBC 7 reached out to a spokesman for the mayor after hours, but have not received a response. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the SDFD Chief Brian Fennessy sent NBC 7 a statement on Thursday, which read: "In the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, we are in the business of saving lives and keeping our neighborhoods safe. That was never more evident than during the recent storms when lifeguards and firefighters worked together for the common good and saved lives. Its unfortunate that Local 911 leadership would suggest public safety has been compromised in some way to score political points. Nothing could be further from the truth. Using scare tactics like that as a public safety professional is irresponsible and dangerous. Statewide, the services that local lifeguards provide fall within the scope of local fire departments. Creating a separate department for lifeguards would be unprecedented, do nothing to improve public safety and increase costs. We are going to continue to respond as one department and not let politics get in the way of doing the right thing for the public we are sworn to serve." FILE - In this Feb. 22, 2017, file photo, Lee Jae-yong, center, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics Co., arrives at the office of the independent counsel in Seoul, South Korea. Samsung lawyers have denied all charges brought against Lee Jae-yong, the billionaire heir to Samsung, in a massive corruption scandal that has ensnared the country's president. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File) SEOUL, South Korea (AP) Samsung lawyers denied on Thursday all charges brought against Lee Jae-yong, the billionaire heir to Samsung, and questioned the legitimacy of the indictment in a massive corruption scandal that has ensnared the country's president. Lee's lawyers told a preliminary hearing that prosecutors are unfairly trying to create an impression Lee is guilty by mentioning a past conviction of his father and by depicting Lee as having absolute control over a strategy office that allegedly engaged in bribery. They asked prosecutors to rewrite their statement of allegations and to correct its depiction of the strategy office as a team working only for the benefit of the Samsung founding family. The 48-year-old Samsung Electronics vice chairman was arrested and indicted last month on bribery, embezzlement and three other charges that could entail at least five years in prison if he's proven guilty. He is represented by an army of 13 attorneys at Bae, Kim & Lee LLC that includes former senior judges. Both prosecutors and Samsung have high stakes in the case. The court must issue a ruling by the end of May. Judge Lee Young-hun accepted the prosecutors' objection that they had no prior notice when Lee's lawyers tried to display a PowerPoint presentation laying out what they said was "the fundamental problem" in the prosecution's case. Lee's lawyers claimed state prosecutors from outside the special prosecution team that investigated the case are unqualified to join the prosecution team. Prosecutors immediately refuted that contention. The judge said he will review the arguments. Four other Samsung executives also were charged. Like Lee, they were not at Thursday's hearing and, through their lawyers, denied all allegations brought against them. Prosecutors believe Lee and his aides used Samsung corporate funds to bribe President Park Geun-hye and one of her close friends in exchange for supporting a smooth leadership transition at Samsung. Samsung gave or promised to give 43.3 billion won ($38 million) to four entities controlled by Choi Soon-sil, Park's friend, who has been charged with misuse of power and meddling in state affairs. Story continues Prosecutors allege the money was given to obtain government backing for a contentious merger of two Samsung companies in 2015 that served as a key step in passing corporate control to Lee from his ailing father. Lee is the highest profile figure arrested during the probe into the influence-peddling scandal that has brought indictments of former presidential aides and dozens of others. The Constitutional Court is due to announce a final ruling Friday on whether to remove or reinstate Park after the parliament voted in December to impeach her. The hearing Thursday ended in one hour. It was interrupted twice by an elderly woman who yelled that she wanted to ask a question before she was escorted out by the court's security. Prosecutors and Samsung lawyers agreed to review by the end of next week a body of evidence that run 20,000 pages. The three judges on the panel did not set the next trial date. The ruling at the Seoul Central District Court, which can be appealed twice, will determine whether Lee can return to the helm of South Korea's largest conglomerate, which was founded by his grandfather. It may also affect public opinion on the legitimacy of his inheriting leadership of Samsung from his father. Some view the case as a test of whether South Korea can root out deep-seated collusion between government and business leaders. It's also seen as a test of whether the judicial system can end a tradition of leniency toward white collar crimes committed by chaebol, as family-controlled South Korean business groups that dominate the economy are known. A scary night for people who were at a hookah lounge in Rolando. San Diego Police said someone fired several shots into the Blue Nile Hookah Lounge on El Cajon Blvd. about 11:50 p.m. Wednesday. "I heard two bullet shots through the glass," said Sharmarke Abdisalan, who was inside the lounge. "Everybody starting shouting, 'bullets, bullets.' Then I jumped through the chair. I actually couldn't run because I have a prosthetic leg. I almost broke my leg. I tried to hide in the chair." Abdisalan said people ran for cover. No one inside was injured. Police are looking for the shooter. Investigators found several bullet casings outside the lounge. They are interviewing witnesses and checking for surveillance video. No other information was available. Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday for talks focusing on the situation in Syria and Israeli concerns about the role of Iran and its proxies there. Greeting Netanyahu at the start of their Kremlin negotiations, Putin emphasized a high level of trust between them. Netanyahu's visit to Moscow follows his talks last month with U.S. President Donald Trump. Netanyahu praised Russia's role in fighting the Islamic State group and other radical militants in Syria. At the same time, he raised strong concern about the presence of Iranian and Hezbollah forces in Syria. "One of the things that we are fighting together is radical Islamic terrorism," Netanyahu said as he and Putin sat down for talks. "Of course, in the past year, there was significant progress in the fight against the radical Sunni Islamic terrorism led by Daesh and al-Qaida," he said, using the Arabic acronym Daesh to refer to the Islamic State group. "Russia has made a very important contribution. Naturally, we do not want this terrorism to be replaced by the radical Shiite Islamic terrorism led by Iran." Russia has sided with Iran and Hezbollah in helping support Syrian President Bashar Assad, but at the same time it has maintained warm ties with Israel. The two nations have coordinated their actions to prevent any possible incidents between their militaries in Syria. "The threat of radical Shiite Islam threatens us no less than it does the region and the peace of the world, and I know that we are partners in the desire to prevent any kind of victory by radical Islam of any sort," Netanyahu said. Before the talks, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied media reports that Moscow has given Israel a green light to strike Hezbollah. "It has nothing to do with reality," Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. "It hasn't been discussed, and there is no talk about it." Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan are expecting a second baby girl, the Facebook founder announced Thursday in a post that paid tribute to his and his wife's sisters. "When Priscilla and I first found out she was pregnant again, our first hope was that the child would be healthy," Zuckerberg wrote. "My next hope was that it would be a girl. I cannot think of a greater gift than having a sister and I'm so happy Max and our new child will have each other." Max Chan Zuckerberg was born in November 2015, her father announced on Facebook soon afterward. The couple also pledged to donate the lionshare of their Facebook wealth to their charity. In announcing his second daughter, Zuckerberg shared childhood family photos of his and his wife with their families and what their sisters taught them: "to learn from smart, strong women" in Zuckerberg's case, "the importance of family, caring for others and hard work" in Chan's case. "We are all better people because of the strong women in our lives -- sisters, mothers and friends," he wrote. He and Chan tied the knot at a small ceremony at his Palo Alto, California, home in 2012. They met at Harvard and have been together for more than nine years before getting married. [NATL] Celebrity Baby Boom: Christian Slater u0026 Wife Welcome Daughter More than 50 official 19th century U.S. presidential pardons are missing and potentially being sold on a black market, the News4 I-Team learned. The pardons handwritten by U.S. presidents and officially delivered to convicts vanished from the National Archives. Many were lost from a theft two decades ago at a National Archives facility in Philadelphia and are actively being pursued by agency investigators. The pardons include several written to freed prisoners by former Presidents Ulysses Grant, James K Polk and John Tyler. Though the recipients are unknown figures of the 1800s, including thieves, counterfeiters and booze-runners, the pardons are a valuable underground commodity because they include authentic signatures of former presidents. They're historical items," National Archives investigator Mitch Yockelson said. "They belong at the National Archives, which means they belong to the American people." Illegal sales of the pardons have been attempted through online marketplaces and at antique shows or stores, Yockelson said. A longtime National Archives employee took a large number of pardons from the Philadelphia offices and later pleaded guilty to theft and served a federal prison sentence. But many of the pardons had disappeared into a black market before the worker was charged, said former FBI agent Bob Wittman, who cracked the case. "This mans job is to protect this material, and here he is taking it," Wittman said. Thefts of historical records are often inside jobs executed by employees or patrons with close ties to the organization holding the documents, Wittman said. Among the document stolen from the Philadelphia offices is a handwritten pardon from President Tyler, a Virginian who was the first vice president to assume office after the death of a president in 1841 following William Henry Harrison's death a month into his administration. The pardon was delivered on parchment to former U.S. Postal Service letter carrier Frederick S. Fisher of the Philadelphia Post Office who was convicted of stealing $5 from a parcel in Pennsylvania. The underground value of the pardon is enhanced because both President Tyler and the prisoner are lesser known figures in U.S. history, Yockelson said. This is one of the reasons these things are taken," he said. "A thief will say this is something that I can sell, because it is obscure. It's unique." Anyone with tips or information to share with federal investigators should email MissingDocuments@nara.gov. Reported by Scott MacFarlane, produced by Rick Yarborough, and shot and edited by Jeff Piper. The hunting, camping and outdoor gear store Cabela's now has a store in Northern Virginia. Cabela's opened a nearly 80,000-square-foot store store in Gainesville, Virginia, Thursday morning -- complete with an archery range, the store's signature "Conservation Mountain" and the feel of a huge hunting lodge. Getty Images The store on Wellington Branch Drive, near the Jiffy Lube Live performance venue, is about 35 miles from D.C. The next closest locations are in Newark, Delaware, and Henrico County, Virginia. At a grand-opening ceremony Thursday morning, a store employee cut a ribbon in front of the store with an arrow shot from a bow, rather than the usual oversize scissors. The first 500 adults in line at the store were set to receive a Cabela's gift card worth as much as $500 and a chance to win one of three Remington firearms. The National Rifle Association Museums donated a display to the store that chronicles the history of military long guns, according to the NRA Blog. Hunters and fishers featured on the Outdoor Channel and Sportsman Channel are scheduled to make special appearances at the store Saturday and Sunday. A youth BB gun range and youth archery range will be available over the weekend, and David A. Keene, the coauthor of "Shall Not be Infringed: The New Assaults on Your Second Amendment," is set to appear. See the Cabela's website for more information. A violin worth thousands of dollars is back in the hands of its rightful owner after a carjacking suspect left behind a major clue during his crime spree, police say. On Wednesday, March 1, Mary Kim was in the parking lot of the Barnes & Noble at 12089 Rockville Pike in Rockville, Maryland, when a man with a gun stole her car. "He said drop the keys and...give me your bag," Kim said. Inside her 2004 Lexus was the $6,000 violin Kim's mother gave her. The violin was made in France in 1891. Kim is studying to get a graduate degree in music and had been on her way to a music lesson the day she was carjacked. Kim said she didn't think she would ever see the violin, or her car, again. But Kim was reunited with the violin on Wednesday after police arrested the carjacking suspect, 27-year-old Michael Rothenberg. Montgomery County Police Detective Ed Drew recovered Kim's violin from a pawn shop, which had bought it for just $200. Police said a few days after the carjacking, Rothenberg used the stolen Lexus during to rob a 7-Eleven on MacArthur Boulevard and on Monday, he drove it to a gas station he allegedly robbed at gunpoint in Howard County. As Rothenberg drove away from the gas station, he wrecked the Lexus and carjacked a Mini Cooper to continue his getaway, according to police. But police said they discovered a key clue left behind in the stolen Lexus -- Rothenberg's driver's license. Rothenberg was arrested on Monday and charged with armed robbery and armed carjacking, police said. A 34-year-old Washington man has admitted discussing a plot to disrupt an inaugural ball with an acid attack. Media outlets report that Scott Charney pleaded guilty Tuesday in D.C. Superior Court to conspiracy to commit assault. If he performs 48 hours of community service, the criminal record will be expunged. Attorney Shan Wu says Charney didn't have any acid and "had not intended to injure anyone in any way.'' Charney was arrested hours ahead of the Jan. 19 DeploraBall. Police said they successfully foiled a plan to spread acid through the National Press Club's ventilation system. Conservative activist James O'Keefe had secretly recorded Charney and two others discussing the plot. Protest leaders said the group knew it had been infiltrated and the conversation was a ruse. The call came from what looked like a government number. When an immigrant in New York City answered, the voice on the other end told him he was in the U.S. illegally and would have to pay $1,550 to stay. It was scam, carried out by one of a number of con artists who have been exploiting immigrants' heightened fears of deportation by posing as federal agents and demanding money, authorities say. Such scams have been around for a long time, but there has been a flurry of reported cases since Donald Trump was elected president on promises to get tough on immigrants in the country without permission. Police in Lynn, Massachusetts, warned immigrants to be on guard last month after a family reported getting a call from a person who claimed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would raid their home if they didn't wire money. In Illinois, authorities are looking into reports from about 10 Chicago-area residents with ties to Ecuador who said a woman posing as a lawyer reached out through text messages and Facebook, falsely warned people they had a pending immigration case and demanded money for visa and tax help. And in Greenville, South Carolina, prosecutors charged a man last week stealing more than $70,000 from a group of immigrants by pretending to be a federal agent. The defendant, Michael Ruiz, 53, had been released from prison in New Jersey in September after serving a seven-year sentence for scamming immigrants by posing as an immigration officer and telling them he could help them get documents or bring relatives to the U.S. A lawyer for Ruiz didn't return a call and email seeking comment. With anxieties running high over Trump's accelerated efforts to round up and deport immigrants, "scammers can thrive more than ever," said New York City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, a Democrat from a Queens district with a large number of Spanish-speaking immigrants. The targets of such rip-offs are often reluctant to go to the police for fear of exposing their immigration status. That has made it difficult to investigate such schemes or determine how common they are. "It's very hard to persuade people, especially now, to come forward and file a complaint," said Raluca Oncioiu, director of immigration legal services for Catholic Charities. The New York attorney general's office, Catholic Charities and ICE have urged immigrants to contact them about such shakedowns. And the attorney general issued an alert last week warning people not to fall for such scams. Real ICE agents, it said, "will never ask you for money or threaten detainment or deportation if you do not pay them." The cases reported in New York include the immigrant who got the phone call demanding $1,550 and a person in suburban Orange County who received a text from "ICE" telling him he needed to pay $479 if he wanted to stay in the U.S. Perhaps the most brazen example in New York City was recorded this month, when a woman called Van Bramer's office to report that four men wearing ICE jackets approached her husband on a Queens street and told him they would take him into custody unless he gave them all his money. He gave them $250. The couple have since resisted efforts to coax them into helping police find the men. "I think there's a great deal of fear and also a bit of embarrassment about what happened," the councilman said. "They called because they wanted to let people know about it so it might not happen to others." RadioShack has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time in just over two years, putting the future of the nearly 100-year-old electronics retailer in doubt. Once known as the place to buy batteries and obscure electronic parts, RadioShack has struggled to hang on to customers as more people shop on Amazon.com and other online retailers. It redesigned its stores about three years ago and stocked its shelves with popular headphone brands and the latest gadgets. But that didn't attract more shoppers, and the retailer filed for bankruptcy protection in 2015. After that, it tried to lure smartphone-loving shoppers by opening Sprint wireless carrier shops within 1,200 RadioShack locations. But that didn't help, either. CEO Dene Rogers said Thursday that mobile phone sales were "surprisingly poor," especially in recent months. RadioShack said it is in the process of closing 200 stores and will evaluate its options for the remaining 1,300. Of those remaining locations, Sprint Corp. said it will turn "several hundred" of them into Sprint-only stores, but declined to give a specific number. RadioShack, based in Fort Worth, has nearly 5,900 employees, according to bankruptcy paperwork filed on Wednesday. The company said it will try to "preserve as many jobs as possible." Its stores are open for business, but RadioShack said that anything sold at them cannot be returned for a refund. Its website, however, will continue to accept returns on items bought from RadioShack.com. The company said that those holding a RadioShack gift card have until April 7 to spend it at stores. RadioShack, which was founded in 1921, is owned by General Wireless Operations Inc., which bought the brand after its 2015 bankruptcy. New York-based hedge fund Standard General is a shareholder in General Wireless. Federal, state and local officials announced a 31 count indictment against 16 defendants, including 8 members of the so-called Orange Street Killers, in Hartford on Wednesday. The gang was named because most of its activity was concentrated around Orange, Arbor and Cherry Streets in Hartford's Parkville neighborhood. "These are neighborhoods. We are standing right in front of a playground where children are playing. Violence cannot and will not be tolerated in these neighborhoods," Deirdre Daly, U.S. attorney for Connecticut, said. The charges in the indictment include firearms, robbery and drug offenses, including the seizure of 1,200 bags of heroin. "I want you to look at who got arrested," Hartford Deputy Police Chief Brian Foley said. "This is not just the neighborhood people getting arrested. This is not just Hartford people getting arrested. This is people from around the entire region that are getting arrested. And the heroin problem is not just a Hartford problem, but a regional problem if not a national problem." The FBI and Hartford Police Department teamed up in the investigation, which also nabbed 3 members of other local gangs. Names of 16 arrestees: RUBEN TORRES, a.k.a. Rube, Ru, and T, 25, of Hartford ANTWANE WILLIAMS-BEY, a.k.a. Buck, 26, of East Windsor MICHAEL CHAPMAN, a.k.a. Nice and Mizzo, 25, of New Britain CHARLES TURNER, a.k.a. Rell and CJ, 26, of Hartford TAYRENCE WILLIS, a.k.a. T and T-Franklin, 24, of Hartford TYRRYQ RODRIGUEZ, a.k.a. Ty, Little Ty and Tye Bangs, 19, of Hartford ERIC SMITH, a.k.a. Hood, 29, of Hartford ADRIAN CRUZ, a.k.a. Ray, 28, of Hartford BRENDAN SALMON, a.k.a. One Eye, 23, of Hartford NOEL MONTANEZ, 18, of Hartford JHOVANY VALDES, 40, of East Windsor WILLIE DEAS, a.k.a. Debo and Flee, 21, of Hartford MARCUS GARY, 33, of South Windsor YOLANDA LOZADA, a.k.a. Sexy, 38, of East Hartford JAMAL JOHNSON, 29, of Hartford BUELL FRENCH, 36, of Hartford Parents hoping to enroll their children in one of Bostons 25 charter public schools found out Wednesday night as blind lotteries took place around the city. It was a night filled with nerves and anticipation. I was hoping, crossing my fingers that her number would come out, said parent Rita Pantaleo. Not good, its not going to happen for him, said disappointed grandparent Nydia Mendez. But despite the long odds, it was good news for some. Im really grateful and Im so happy, said parent Heureuse Etienne. Shes been accepted. The tension was not as dramatic this year as in years past. Everything is now electronic and numbers pop up on a screen in seconds. Most parents find out by email, but some still show up in person to see the results. Chances are slim with so few seats available to accommodate the interest. At the Brooke Charter School, for example, there were 941 applications for just 170 spots in Kindergarten at its various campuses. You want the best for your kids but its a lottery, said parent Breanna Manora. So really its all luck. In all, there were about 9,200 children who applied for charter schools in Boston this year for just 2,100 open seats. The Massachusetts Charter Public School Association says there was a spike in applications this year, most likely because its easier to apply via an online common application for all of Bostons charter schools. City officials in Cambridge, Massachusetts, say they are now cracking down on owners of properties that leave buildings vacant for long periods of time. Jennie Song owns Dado Tea, a few doors down from the shuttered Harvard Square Theater and says the void is hurting the rest of the business ecosystem on Church Street. "I think something should be happening there, its been closed for way too long," said Song. Cambridge City Counselor Leland Cheung blames theater owner Gerald Chan, who bought the property more than two and a half years ago. Cheung says several businesses nearby like Fire and Ice have closed because of the lost foot traffic from the theater. "Its gotten to the point where he keeps saying, 'there is something coming, there is something coming', but nothings ever come," said Cheung. The council has now given Chan and his Morningside Investment Group until the end of the month to come up with detailed plans for developing the theater. Otherwise, the council might try to pass a new ordinance and fine owners who leave buildings vacant for long periods of time or even claim eminent domain and take the property. "Were going to set a new precedent so he doesnt continue doing what he is doing, and that no one else tries to emulate him," said Cheung. Chan is a Harvard University graduate who donated $350 million to the School of Public Health that's now named after his father. NBC Boston reached out to Chan and Morningside Investment Group but requests for comments were not answered. Chan has also been quietly buying up millions of dollars worth of real estate in Harvard Square, like the former American Express Travel building thats also sitting empty. "Its his, he can do what he wants. Ultimately thats his proper legal standpoint," said neighbor Lonnie Smith. For long time Harvard Square business owners like Song, this is all now turning into the theater of the absurd. "It makes no sense," said song. The city council is planning to discuss the possibility of the Gerald Chan ordinance, even if he does respond with a detailed plan for the theater by the end of the month. In the meantime, there's a petition to save the theater online. A family in Belmont, Massachusetts, is asking for the public's help in finding their missing dog. The family said Cooper vanished Thursday from the family's enclosed yard after being alone for only 30 minutes. Cooper is not only a beloved pet, but he's also a therapy dog for Harvard Medical School. A spokesperson at Harvard said flyers have been placed all over campus in hopes of finding the dog. "We, his family, and the Harvard community are devastated and are looking to get the word out to the public. If someone has him, we ask that they have a change of heart. If someone sees him anywhere, please return him to his family or the Harvard Medical Library no questions asked." Cooper's owner has offered a reward for his return. Anyone with information can call 617-935-2278. A former high-ranking Rhode Island lawmaker is scheduled to plead guilty to a number of federal criminal charges. Ray Gallison, a Democrat and former chairman of the powerful House finance committee, agreed Thursday as part of a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to mail fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and filing false tax returns. Gallison has acknowledged taking nearly $678,000 from the estate of a dead client for whom he was executor. He also acknowledged taking money from a nonprofit group that listed him as assistant director. The group was funded by state grants, and Gallison apparently never actually did any work. He also admitted taking $8,900 from the trust of a person with special needs. He resigned from the House in May. A Massachusetts man is facing a number of charges in connection with an armed robbery at a Dudley liquor store. Police said Zachary Coghlin, 27, of Dudley, was taken into custody Wednesday night following an investigation. Authorities said on February 19, a clerk at Martys Liquors on West Main Street was threatened with a knife by a man who demanded money. The suspect then fled the scene with an estimated $2,500 in cash. The robber was wearing distinctive clothing and covered his face with what was believed to be a shirt, according to police. Through an investigation, authorities were able to identify the man as Coghlin and applied for an arrest warrant. Among the charges Coghlin faces are armed robbery while masked, disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, larceny, assault while armed, conspiracy and obstruction of justice. Police said while being transported to the police station to be booked, Coghlin intentionally banged his head on the inside of the cruiser causing a cut to his forehead. He was taken to Harrington Hospital at Hubbard for medical treatment. He could now face additional charges. Coghlin is being held on $10,000 bail pending his arraignment Thursday in Dudley District Court. Minors will still be allowed to get married in New Hampshire, after a bill to raise the minimum marriage age to 18 failed. The House on Thursday rejected the measure, with Republicans arguing it would hurt young military members and pregnant teenagers. GOP Rep. David Bates says raising the age would make it impossible for 17 year olds who join the military to marry before they deploy resulting in more children being born out of wedlock. Backers of the bill say minors shouldn't be able to marry if they can't drink alcohol, buy a car or sign a contract on their own. Existing law allows girls to get married at 13 and boys at 14 if they have court and parental approval. Police say the body of a Maine woman who disappeared more than a month ago has been found. Forty-year-old Kerry Rear was last seen on Jan. 22 at the Lil' Mart convenience store in Sanford. Police had described her as being disoriented, wet, and in stocking feet. They said she left the store and returned a short time later asking about making a bank deposit. Police say Rear's body was found on Wednesday afternoon in a wooded area roughly 600 feet from the store. The body has been taken to the state medical examiner's office in Augusta to confirm her identity and cause of death. Investigators wouldn't say whether her death appeared to be suspicious. Police are looking to identify a man after an assault in an East Boston neighborhood on Monday evening. Authorities said a woman was on Brooks Street at about 6:30 p.m. when a man allegedly indecently assaulted her as she was entering a building. The man then fled on foot down the street and onto Condor Street. The suspect is described as 18-25 years of age and five feet six inches tall. He was wearing a gray sweatshirt and khaki pants. Around the same time, a woman who works at a local tow yard said a man came running into the lot. At first, workers thought he was being robbed, because he was frantically running. "He was scared. But then we asked him to call the cops in Spanish and he was saying, 'no'," said the woman, who did not want to be identified. "It seems like he was trying to cut through, but the lot doesn't cut through." A photo was captured of the man and now police are looking to speak with him. In the meantime, police are urging women to be aware of their surroundings, keep their heads up and walk in groups. Women in the neighborhood say they are already being extra vigilant. "We always keep our eyes open for each other, try to watch, it's a little nerve wrecking right now," said resident Dottie Diechdue. Anyone with any information on the man's identity is asked to contact detectives assigned to the Sexual Assault Unit at 617-343-4400. As police continue investigating what has been described as a "fight club" in Vermont's Rutland County, one of the presumed club's suspected brawlers was charged with aggravated assault stemming from an incident Wednesday night. Video recently surfaced online of teens brawling in at least three violent match-ups. Girls were among the combatants in the videos shared online, and it appears from off-camera voices in the videos that the encounters were anticipated. Rutland police and school administrators described the filmed brawls as being part of an apparent "fight club." "Social media is both a blessing and a curse in terms of what can be seen and broadcast and spread," observed Mary Moran, Rutland's school superintendent. Moran said colleagues around the country have seen similar "fight club" situations, though no one seems to know what might be motivating kids to do this. Moran told NBC Boston the fight videos were taken on weekends or outside of normal school hours, and involved some Rutland students, but also people from other towns and even some young adults. Moran said she heard of one scheduled fight that apparently did not end up occurring. "Watch your children, take care of your children, and let us know if you hear anything," Moran advised the Rutland community. Moran said her office is working closely with Rutland police and the Rutland County State's Attorney as the investigation into the videos progresses. Moran said there are many positive things happening in Rutland, so she described the videos that surfaced as a major disappointment to the community's ongoing efforts to make the city a more pleasant and healthier place to be for all residents. Law enforcement sources tell NBC Boston one of the fighters in the videos is 18-year-old Maverick Gero of Mount Tabor. Gero appeared in court Thursday afternoon after police said he assaulted an 18-year-old man Wednesday evening in Rutland. That alleged assault did not appear to be directly related to the earlier group of videos posted online, sources noted. Investigators said Gero punched an 18-year-old man in the face multiple times, causing facial injuries and a chipped tooth. Gero denied an aggravated assault charge and was released on a 24-hour curfew under his mom's supervision. According to police paperwork filed with the court, in an interview with an officer, Gero claimed he roughed up the young man after he was "running his mouth about [Gero's] family members." During the Thursday court appearance, Judge Cortland Corsones ordered Gero to not have contact with a number of people, including several juveniles. A Rutland County prosecutor told the court Gero is involved in other pending cases. After the hearing, NBC Boston asked Maverick Gero for his side of the story, and whether he was involved in a fight club involving brawls recorded on camera. Gero declined comment, but did briefly claim he is not involved in an organized fight club. The videos of the fights are still under investigation. Sources told NBC Boston it's a very complex case, in part because of the need to track down people who appear to be witnessing those bare-knuckle brawls. School superintendent Moran said her office has advised parents and neighboring communities to be alert to the possibility of fights, following the discovery of the videos. Mark Cuban Billionaire businessman Mark Cuban pitched his own plan to fix the Affordable Care Act on Wednesday, amid the House Republican effort to unravel the law. He detailed the idea on his blog, Blog Maverick. It amounted to single payer coverage for chronic physical and mental illnesses and life-threatening injuries, and standard insurance for all other healthcare. The owner of the Dallas Mavericks and star of ABC's "Shark Tank" encouraged readers to "shoot holes" in the plan. Cuban wrote: "Whether it's Medicaid or a new program, every single person in this country should be covered 100% for chronic physical or mental illness and for any life-threatening injury. "The premiums that we are paying to insurance companies as individuals or as company coverage for these significant risks would go from the insurance companies to the IRS. Only the cost of covering the whats left would continue being paid to the insurance companies. "It would not be hard to do the math. Every insurance company does this analysis already. The government does this analysis already. We all would end up paying more in taxes, but less in insurance and healthcare costs over time. "There would be no mandates. There would be no individual penalties. No tax credits. No subsidies. No offsets or deductions for buying higher end insurance. This will be single payer (yes I know it's a dirty phrase in this country) for chronic physical or mental illness and for any life threatening injury. "Everything not covered by the above can be covered by insurance sold on the free market, managed by the states, sold across state lines, without government interference." House Republicans released their proposal to replace the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare, earlier this week. But while the proposal has been endorsed by President Donald Trump and his administration, many in the more conservative wing of the GOP have slammed the proposal, such as Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, who believe it amounts to "Obamacare Lite" or "Obamacare 2.0." Story continues Cuban has flirted with the idea of a presidential bid in the past, recently telling Business Insider "we will see" when asked if he was considering a run at the White House. A recent poll showed that, if he was the Democratic nominee running against Trump (Cuban is not currently registered with a political party), the billionaire businessman would be in a neck-and-neck race with the sitting president. NOW WATCH: 'F--- you for that': Milo Yiannopoulos attacks the media in a press conference after resigning from Breitbart More From Business Insider Federal marshals say a suspect in a triple homicide in Puerto Rico has been captured in Massachusetts. A spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service says 27-year-old Luis Lebron-Rivera was tracked to a vacant apartment in Springfield. About 20 federal, state and local law enforcement officers surrounded the building Thursday morning and caught the suspect as he tried to escape out a rear door. The spokesman says Lebron-Rivera was found with several fake IDs, and refused to provide his real identity. Lebron-Rivera, previously a resident of San Juan, Puerto Rico, is wanted in connection with a triple homicide in 2011 that is thought to be gang related. He will be arraigned in Springfield on a fugitive-from-justice charge. It wasn't immediately known if he has a lawyer. A Massachusetts man's fight for the right to end his own life compassionately may be in jeopardy. Doctor Roger Kligler, of Falmouth, filed a right-to-die lawsuit after being diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer. He had been given anywhere from five years to seven months to live. With the help of advocacy group Compassion and Choices he filed the lawsuit against the Attorney General and the Cape and the Islands District Attorney seeking the right to have the option to end his own life. I want the court to give me the right to be able to make a choice, said Klingler. On Wednesday, a Suffolk Superior Court Judge heard a motion to dismiss the suit, with representatives for the attorney general and district attorney arguing the topic had already been voted down in 2012 and that it was better tackled by the legislature. Without the court legislating from the bench, we would be missing all of these procedural safeguards, said Rob Quinan, Assistant Attorney General. But Kliglers team argues the medical profession would put safeguards in place, requiring two doctors approval, a terminal illness diagnosis with six months to live and a determination of mental competence. It would protect the prescribing physicians from a criminal prosecution, said John Kappos, Klinglers attorney. Klinger says he loves his life and family but does not want to suffer. I want the court to be able to let me know that at the end of my life I dont have to go through undue suffering, said Klinger. Gov. Chris Sununu says although he's disappointed by news that the state is losing a top-tier NASCAR race to Las Vegas, the New Hampshire Motor Speedway remains a key player in the state's tourism industry. Sununu, a Republican, says the state looks forward to welcoming race fans to the track at Loudon in July and partnering with the New Hampshire Motor Speedway to identify new events that could call New Hampshire home. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board of directors approved a race sponsorship agreement with the track and parent company Speedway Motorsports Inc. on Wednesday. SMI is shifting one of the New England track's two NASCAR Cup Series races to Nevada. The race traditionally has been held in New Hampshire in September. The change takes effect in 2018. In Arundel, Maine an urgent search is underway for an elderly woman with Alzheimer's, at the same time Maine State Police are investigating her husband's suspicious death. Police say family members found Matthew Coito, 63, dead in his kitchen Wednesday afternoon. His wife, Sue Kim Coito, 65, was nowhere to be found. There were no signs of a break-in, and the couple's cars were all accounted for. "We don't have the full story of what happened here," said Maine State Police Sgt. Chris Harriman. Investigators are calling the husband's death "suspicious," pending the release of the Maine State Medical Examiner's autopsy. They do not know when Matthew died, or when Sue Kim went missing, but say the couple was last seen over the weekend. "It's frustrating, because it's a scary situation," said neighbor Sylvie Ward, who lives a few doors down from the Coitos. "We don't know who killed the man, and god forbid this lady is in the woods." Maine Game Wardens used four K9 teams to search the wooded area surrounding the couple's home on Campground Road Thursday. "If we don't find her today, the search is going to expand tomorrow," said Sgt. Harriman. Matthew's twin brother, Mike Coito, declined to be interviewed on camera -- but told necn that his brother was a quiet, private guy who recently retired to care for his wife's worsening condition. Sue Kim Coito is described as 5'2" and about 130 lbs. Anyone with information is asked to call Maine State Police in Gray at 207-657-3030. If President Donald Trump's proposed budget is passed in its current form, funding to monitor and clean up toxins in the Great Lakes would virtually disappear. In Trump's preliminary budget, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) would be slashed by 97 percent, dropping from $300 million to about $10 million. The Environmental Protection Agency is the single-largest financer of the GLRI. If the EPA funding is slashed as proposed, scientists ability to measure toxins in the water would be greatly diminished, said longtime Lake Erie researcher Jeff Reutter. That money goes to programs like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Sea Grant College Program, which monitor toxin levels via satellite images and scientists' daily trips to buoys on Lake Erie. Federal funding has gone up and down over the years, but Ive never seen anything of this scope, Reutter said of the proposed cuts. He has been working on Lake Erie since 1971. Trump has vowed to roll back many environmental regulations enacted by former President Barack Obama. He proposed to cut about 25 percent of the EPA's budget and slash about 3,000 jobs, or 19 percent of the agencys staff, according to the budget outline released in late February. Environmental justice programs and the climate protection budget would be cut by 79 percent and nearly 70 percent, respectively. Trump and his EPA administrator, Scott Pruitt, have made skeptical comments about climate change. Trump once called climate change a "hoax." Before Pruitt became the EPAs new leader, he sued the agency more than a dozen times as the attorney general of Oklahoma. During his presidential campaign, Trump said that he is a proponent for clean water. On his campaign website, he called the need for safe drinking water one of the "real environmental challenges," as opposed to "phony ones." The Great Lakes make up about 95 percent of the U.S.s freshwater supply, and about 20 percent of the worlds freshwater, according to the EPA. The lakes contamination could lead to economic and health consequences. If we lose the U.S. EPA, if the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative goes away, if NOAAs satellite program goes away, so does our ability to manage all of the fresh water in the country," Reutter said. "I would be very concerned for human and environmental health. We know how important it is to protect human health, environmental health, coastal citizens and jobs. Molly Flanagan, the vice president of Alliance for the Great Lakes, said that without funding multiple threats would arise: halted clean-up of the lakes and beaches, the inability to detect and warn people of water toxicity and the potential invasion of ocean-based aquatic species. The proposed budget cut to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is the worst possible scenario, carrying "devastating impacts," Flanagan said. "If you were to see cuts, you would see a number of GLRI programs grind to a stop," she said. "Thirty million people depend on the Great Lakes for drinking water, jobs and recreation." Despite this, she said she is hopeful that Congress will step in and fight for the restoration initiative, which has historically had bipartisan support. Two senators from across the aisle are fighting the proposed budget cuts to the lakes, their offices told NBC. Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat, was just named to a subcommittee with jurisdiction over the Safe Drinking Water Act and other critical issues. Sean Savett, a spokesperson for Duckworth, said she would fight the proposed budget cuts to the Great Lakes. "Sen. Duckworth is urging the administration to prioritize funding for programs that protect the Great Lakes from pollutants and invasive species, Savett said. The Great Lakes are a vital source of clean drinking water for tens of millions of Americans and dismantling the EPA would jeopardize the safety of families across Illinois and the entire country. Republican Sen. Rob Portman, of Ohio, also plans to continue to fight for the Great Lakes funding. This initiative has been a successful tool in our efforts to help protect and restore Lake Erie, and Rob will continue to fight for it just as he did when the Obama administration proposed cuts to the program, spokesman Kevin Smith said. The EPA declined to comment. The White House did not immediately respond to NBC's request for comment. The EPA declined to comment. The White House did not immediately respond to NBC's request for comment. Former EPA leader Gina McCarthy said the cuts to the EPA prioritize the special interests of big businesses. It shows the Trump administration doesnt hold the same American values for clean air, clean water and healthy land as the vast majority of its citizens, she said in a statement to The Associated Press. Scientists like Reutter worry that with a drop in federal investment, the country could see a return to the 1960s, 1970s condition of the Great Lakes, when they were contaminated with industrial waste. The EPA, NOAA and the National Sea Grant College Program, like the one Reutter works for at Ohio State University, have provided information about toxic algae blooms that build up as a result of high levels of phosphorus in the water. Most of the blooms that form today are from agricultural runoff, but historically they have also been caused by poor sewage. The industrial waste from the 1960s and 70s, such as PCBs, mercury and metals, has seen improvements in recent decades, but the issue of blooms remains. According to Reutters estimates, to reduce the imminent threat caused by blooms, phosphorus levels in the lakes need to be reduced about 40 percent. Next week, more than 100 Great Lakes advocates will make their annual trip to Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress. This year, they will urge them to push back on the Trump administration's cuts. While the president proposes the budget, it is up to Congress to revise and pass it. The new fiscal year begins Oct. 1, 2017. Flanagan said that they're ready to counter the threatening cuts. "We're not gonna go down without a fight," she said. Two new bills that aim to promote women in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields are a positive step forward, but they dont quite cut it, experts say. The bills, recently signed by President Donald Trump, authorize the National Science Foundation (NSF) and NASA to use existing programs and resources to recruit women. But existing programs are underfunded, according to some women working in what are known as the STEM fields, and the two bills do not allocate funding toward the organizations they cover. And without appropriate funding, some say, the mission of the bills is diminished. "Its good to see backing of these programs, and to have both congress and the president support them, but the devil is in the details," said Dr. Alice Agogino, a professor of engineering at the University of California at Berkeley. "And so, its really important what the action item will be." She questioned whether there would be a supplemental budget associated with the bills. The first bill, H.R. 255 or the "Promoting Women in Entrepreneurship Act" was introduced by Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-CT) and co-authored by Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA) to "[authorize] the National Science Foundation to use its entrepreneurial programs to recruit and support women to extend their focus beyond the laboratory and into the commercial world." Following the bills signing, Esty, in a statement said, "No matter how contentious or passionate our political disagreements may get, as representatives for the American people, we must never stop working toward common solutions that will improve peoples lives." She said that the passage of the bills will "help women from all walks of life break into fields where they have been underrepresented." The second bill, H.R. 321, or the "Inspiring the Next Space Pioneers, Innovators, Researchers, and Explorers (INSPIRE) Women Act," was co-authored by Esty and introduced by Comstock. The bill "calls on NASA to encourage girls and young women to pursue careers in aerospace. In particular, it directs NASA to encourage women to enter the STEM fields through three existing programs: NASA Girls, Aspire to Inspire, and the Summer Institute in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Research," according to a news release from Estys office. Comstock in a statement said that young women will now have greater opportunities to pursue careers in STEM fields. "The INSPIRE Women Act is bipartisan legislation that authorizes NASA to encourage young women to study the STEM fields and to pursue careers that will further advance Americas space missions and the Promoting Women in Entrepreneurship Act also promotes women and jobs in STEM fields," she said. Both bills received bipartisan backing, and Committee on Science, Space and Technology Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), voiced support for both measures following their signing. "I believe the INSPIRE Women Act and the Promoting Women in Entrepreneurship Act will help encourage more talented young women to pursue their dreams, and change the world with their ideas," he said. "Its important that the president continues to support this bill, and that he recognizes that [we] do still need to keep working to increase the representation of women in the STEM fields," said Dr. Stefanie Kroll, an assistant research professor at Drexel University. Kroll, who is also the project science director for the Delaware River Watershed Initiative at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, said that without specific grant programs or funding for programs, the bills wont accomplish what theyre meant to do. The White House and Esty did not immediately reply to requests for comment on whether there would be additional funding for programs aimed at promoting women in STEM. In an emailed statement to NBC, NASA voiced support for the INSPIRE act. "NASA has been and remains committed to encouraging more women to enter science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields of study and employment," the statement said. "The agency supports the goals of the INSPIRE Act and will look to expand our existing successful external outreach activities. We also appreciate the growing number of private citizens who help share NASAs exciting story of exploration and discovery." According to a NASA spokeswoman, the organization already has programs aimed at promoting women in STEM, but she said there is no new plan yet in regard to the INSPIRE Women Act. According to the text of the bill, the NASA Administrator must submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation "a plan for how NASA can best facilitate and support both current and retired astronauts, scientists, engineers, and innovators, including early career female astronauts, scientists, engineers, and innovators, to engage with K12 female STEM students and inspire the next generation of women to consider participating in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and to pursue careers in aerospace." In an emailed statement, a spokesman for Comstock said, "We will get more info from NASA, and Congress will, of course, have the ability to seek more resources based on that report. The Congresswoman is in support of funding increases for NASA and in the STEM fields." While signing the bills, Trump said its unacceptable that so many women have degrees in STEM fields, but arent employed. He said he thinks that will change, though. "We need policies that help support women in the workforce, and that's really very much going to be addressed by my administration over the years, and to get more and more of these bills coming out, and address the barriers faced by female and those in STEM fields," Trump said. "We want American women who graduate from college with STEM degrees to be able to get STEM jobs that can support their families and help these American women to live out the American Dream, which they are so qualified to live out." The NSF in a statement said it is committed to creating opportunities for women, and said the legislation reinforces current activities. "One example of such NSF activities includes the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, which seeks to transform scientific discovery into benefits for society by catalyzing the commercialization of innovations. SBIR fosters and encourages participation by women-owned small businesses," the statement said. While signing the bills, Trump also commented on offshoring--when a business bases some of its services overseas for lower costs, or a more favorable economy--which hes brought up repeatedly in the past in relation to U.S. jobs. "Protecting women with STEM degrees, and all Americans with STEM degrees is very important, but it also means you have to crack down on offshoring, because the offshoring is a tremendous problem that displaces many of our best American workers and brains -- the brain power," he said. The bills were applauded by many, including Trumps daughter, Ivanka, who has been vocal about supporting women since her father first began his presidential campaign. Proud to support the signing of H.R. 321 & 255. #ClosingTheGenderGap in STEM fields is vital to innovation and workforce development. #STEM pic.twitter.com/9VsIbTxDEO Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) February 28, 2017 The Association of American Universities, which represents 62 different research universities in the United States and Canada, also praised the bills on Twitter. Margaret Hart, a STEM Outreach Adviser at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, said legislation promoting or creating programs that encourage women to enter STEM fields is a great thing. "Introducing young students to science and engaging and getting them really experience [it] is whats going to help increase the number of women that go into, and hopefully stay in, STEM" she said. Another issue brought up by Kroll is a lack of jobs in her field: environmental science. "I think at the university level, and the masters level, I have seen a lot more women trained in the sciences," she said. "I think part of the problem now, at least in the environmental field, [is that] there have been hiring freezes and changes in agency policies." On the other hand, Agogino said, "They are hurting for getting good women in STEM disciplines." Experts said that the STEM fields have seen improvements throughout the years in regard to female involvement, however they believe there are issues that still need to be addressed. Agogino discussed the idea of a "chilly climate" toward women in STEM, and said that it has to be tackled when trying achieve to goals of inspiring and encouraging women to work in STEM fields. "Whats troubling is the almost renewal of explicit bias that we are seeing today," she said, pointing to sexual harassment as an example. Hart, who works with young women in the Johns Hopkins Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) program, said that she hasnt heard feedback of women feeling awkward in the field, but said, "Hopefully the more young girls we can get interested in the field, it can help curb that." Agogino, who has been honored with a lifetime mentoring award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, said mentoring is vital when it comes to STEM. "We also need to have the leadership that takes gender into consideration all steps along the way," she said. Kroll has similar beliefs to Agogino. She said mentorship seems to be the thing that really gets women to stick with STEM professions. "Its the duty of most scientists to promote excellent students, both male and female," she said. But, they should keep in mind that mentorship of someone may encourage them to stay within STEM, Kroll added. St Peter Mancroft Church Norwich Presents The Leaves of the Trees an installation by sculptor Peter Walker which provides a memorial for those who died of Covid-19 St Peter Mancroft Church Norwich Presents The Leaves of the Trees an installation by sculptor Peter Walker which provides a memorial for those who died of Covid-19 Community Chaplaincy Norfolk begins a new chapter Community Chaplaincy Norfolk (CCN) celebrated the beginning of a new chapter this week, as the new chair of trustees Chris Tomlinson led his first annual meeting. Read more Lowestoft Christians launch on-line bible helps app The Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth branch of Good News for Everyone (GNFE), formerly the Gideons, have introduced a new mobile phone app called On-line Bible Helps. Read more Addicts' rehabilitation centre plan for Drayton Hall Christian addiction charity Teen Challenge London is planning to turn Drayton Hall near Norwich into its headquarters and a rehabilitation centre for men, after it was gifted the freehold of the hall by its owner, the Lind Trust. Read more The power of positive protest Philip Young encourages us to take a stand for what we believe, and has just written to Therese Coffey regarding climate change and the forthcoming COP 27. He explains why we should be prepared to protest. Read more Norwich church celebrates with cribs and trees Rosebery Road Methodist Church in Norwich will be holding its annual Cribs and Trees Festival in December. Read more Transforming Norwich lunch offers ministry tips Ex-Brighton vicar, Rev Phil Moon, will offer tips on how to keep going in ministry to the Transforming Norwich leaders lunch on Wednesday November 16. Read more Quiet Waters in Bungay offers healing retreat Quiet Waters Christian Retreat in Bungay is holding a gentle day retreat exploring healing in the Kingdom of God. Read more Latest Norfolk Christian community events Events of interest to the Norwich and Norfolk Christian community happening over the next few weeks are listed. Read more Norfolk ministry coaching duo are guest speakers Former church leaders and now freelance ministry coaches, Jonathan and Paige Squirrell, are the guest speakers at the next dinner of Norwich FGB on Monday, November 21. Read more Bringing light to Halloween Anna Price encourages Christians to engage positively with Halloween rather than hide away, on what many see as the darkest night of the year. Read more First service takes place at Norwich church site SOUL Church hosted around 400 people for a special service on the site of their new building on Heartsease Lane. Read more Dereham draws up list of warm places for winter As rising energy prices make it harder to heat homes, churches in Dereham are leading the way in creating warm spaces where people can go. Read more South Norfolk church scoops national award A medieval Anglican church in a tiny hamlet in South Norfolk has won a national award and a 10,000 boost. Read more Dereham churches help people to help themselves A group of churches in Dereham have launched an ambitious project which aims to meet needs in the town, including the provision of food and skills training. Read more Halloween light in Gorleston church On Halloween this year, St Mary Magdalene Church in Gorleston will be preparing to welcome around 200 families to experience their Light on a Dark Night event. Read more An opportunity for Norwich to pray for the nation Rev Nigel Fox, who has served as a Methodist Minister for 15 years in Norwich, shares an open invitation to pray for the nation at a crucial moment. Read more Norwich church seeks musicians Kingdom Ambassadors International Church is appealing for instrumentlists, keyboardists and guitarists to be part of their worship experience. Read more Oil is on track to break through the key psychological level of $50 a barrel after a ninth straight rise in U.S. crude stockpiles came at exactly the wrong moment, analysts said Wednesday. The amount of crude oil in U.S. storage rose to another record high on Wednesday, jumping 8.2 million barrels from the previous week, the Energy Information Administration reported. The increase was more than four times what analysts expected. Weekly figures also showed U.S. oil production continuing to tick up toward 9.1 million barrels a day, the highest level in more than a year. That provided further evidence that rising American output is confounding efforts by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries , Russia and 10 other exporters to reduce global oil inventories by curbing their own output. The data sent U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate (New York Mercantile Exchange: @CL.1) crude prices plunging more than 5 percent to a nearly three-month low. The plunge through a number of lows on Wednesday puts oil on a path to test the December low of $49.95 a barrel, said John Kilduff, founding partner at energy hedge fund Again Capital. "From there you could accelerate," he told CNBC, adding that $50 "was the fail-safe." Kilduff's downside target, once oil breaks below $50 a barrel, is $42. For the last three months, oil has traded in a range between $49.61 and $55.24. According to Kilduff, all the elements are in place for oil to break below its three-month range: lack of cohesion among OPEC members, bearish statements from oil ministers at CERAWeek conference by IHS Markit and subdued refinery activity as operators perform seasonal maintenance in the United States. Bearish OPEC comments at CERAWeek On Tuesday, Saudi Oil Minister Khalid al-Falih warned at CERAWeek that the kingdom would only support OPEC's intervention in markets for a "restricted period of time" and would not "underwrite the investments of others at our own expense and long-term interests." Story continues Later that evening, oil ministers convened a last-minute press briefing, where they reaffirmed their commitment to the production cut deal. "The Saudis almost explicitly warned that if we don't get cooperation or we see cheating we're not going to be someone's patsy forever," said Tom Kloza, global head of energy analysis at Oil Price Information Service. Saudi Arabia has so far provided the lion's share of output cuts as OPEC and other producers seek to remove 1.8 million barrels from the market in the first six months of 2016. Iraq, OPEC's second largest producer, produced above its quota in January. Also at CERAWeek on Tuesday, Iraqi Minister of Oil Jabbar Ali Al-Luiebi said Baghdad could increase its output capacity to 5 million barrels a day by the second half of 2017, raising concerns about its commitments to production cuts. Andy Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates, said $50 can now be considered a target. If oil prices break that level, market watchers can expect more talk from oil ministers about extending the OPEC agreement another six months when producers meet in May, he added. "I think that OPEC is hoping they can wait it out so they don't have to make a decision in May to continue with production cuts, but they may be forced into that decision given the high inventories here in the U.S.," he said. Those inventory builds are likely to continue through the refinery maintenance season, according to Lipow. Kettle finally boils over Further fueling the fall to $50 a barrel is the record number of bets traders have recently made on crude rising further, said Matt Smith, director of commodity research at shipment tracking firm ClipperData. As oil prices fall to the bottom of their range, more traders will look to unwind those positions, he explained. "It's really been like a kettle boiling for the last few weeks in terms of having traded in a very tight range. There's been this pressure building form a technical perspective," he said. "As that happens, as that pressure builds, we tend to pop violently." Kloza also sees the anniversary of crude oil storage leases playing into the problem. Many traders took out one-year leases around this time in 2016, when crude prices were near the lows of the downturn, he explained. Now that the oil price curve is flattening meaning prices for future crude deliveries are declining relative to current costs traders have little incentive to sign another one-year lease. Instead they're selling that oil into an oversupplied market. While the next 30 days provide an environment ripe for a drop below $50 a barrel, Kloza said, he doesn't see an "apocalyptic move lower." "We may break below that range for about 90 days, but in the end I think we'll be above it come driving season," he said. "From now through let's say May, it may be stormy times," he said. Also From CNBC Watch The Profit on Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android. More From CNBC Mount Snowdon challenge to raise hospital charity funds Winter ascent of Crib Goch Ridge in Snowdonia STAFF at a Kingsclere dental practice are to tackle the highest mountain in Wales to raise funds for a local charity. Staff at Imogen Dental, situated at Kingsclere Health Centre in North Street, have set their sights on raising money for the Ark Cancer Centre Charitys 5m appeal by climbing Mount Snowdon. They will set out on May 20, aiming to raise 3,000 towards a cancer treatment centre in the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust area, which includes Kingsclere. Dr Neel Tank, who founded the practice in 2005 with his wife Laura, said: Each year, we aim to fundraise for a deserving cause which will benefit our local community, involve friends and family, and invite patients to join us as a team to hopefully make a difference for, not only those fighting cancer, but to add our support to the families involved. Some of our members of staff have been directly affected by the loss of loved ones and understand the need for the cancer treatment centre that Ark Cancer Centre Charity is helping to fund. Team members Neel Tank, Laura Tank, Norma Watson, Jane Gardner, Adele Marietti, Rikesh Patel, Kashif Hafeez, Kim Willis, Rebecca Cruddace, Elizabeth Thomas, Orla Quinn, Rebecca Canning and Suzan Al-Ali will be fundraising through The Good Exchange, with match funding from Greenham Common Trust. Mark Jones, the charitys director of fundraising and communications, said: We hope they receive plenty of local support as they rise to this challenge and strive to reach their fundraising goal. To sponsor the Imogen Dental team, visit www.imogendental.co.uk/charity.html By PTI NEW DELHI: India is keen on expediting development of Chabahar Port in Iran and hopes to complete the first phase of the project next year, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has said. Located in the Sistan-Balochistan province on the energy- rich Persian Gulf nation's southern coast, the port is easily accessed from India's western coast, bypassing Pakistan. "We can complete the work on the first phase of the project in 2018... The funds are likely to be released shortly," Shipping, Road Transport and Highways Minister Gadkari told PTI. "Tenders are out for the project," the minister said. Kandla Port has floated tenders inviting global bids for supply and commissioning of terminal tractor trailers, forklifts, reach stackers, empty container handlers and yard cranes among other equipment at Shahid Beheshti Port, Chabahar, Iran. The Cabinet has already approved funds for development of the project. For greater trade and investment flow with Iran and neighbouring countries, the Cabinet last year had cleared proposals for development of Chabahar port including through a USD 150 million credit from Exim Bank. It also authorised the Shipping Ministry to form a company in Iran for implementing the Chabahar Port Development Project and related activities. As per the MoU signed between the two nations in May last year, India is to equip and operate two berths in Chabahar Port Phase-I with capital investment of USD 85.21 million and annual revenue expenditure of USD 22.95 million on a ten year lease. Ownership of equipment will be transferred to Iranian side on completion of 10-year period or for an extended period, based on mutual agreement. The Iranian side had requested for provision of a credit of USD 150 million in accordance with the MoU. As per the per the pact, operation of two berths is to commence within a period of maximum 18 months after the signing of the contract. Besides the bilateral pact to develop the Chabahar port, for which India will invest USD 500 million, a trilateral Agreement on Transport and Transit Corridor has also been signed by India, Afghanistan and Iran. NEW DELHI: India is keen on expediting development of Chabahar Port in Iran and hopes to complete the first phase of the project next year, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has said. Located in the Sistan-Balochistan province on the energy- rich Persian Gulf nation's southern coast, the port is easily accessed from India's western coast, bypassing Pakistan. "We can complete the work on the first phase of the project in 2018... The funds are likely to be released shortly," Shipping, Road Transport and Highways Minister Gadkari told PTI. "Tenders are out for the project," the minister said. Kandla Port has floated tenders inviting global bids for supply and commissioning of terminal tractor trailers, forklifts, reach stackers, empty container handlers and yard cranes among other equipment at Shahid Beheshti Port, Chabahar, Iran. The Cabinet has already approved funds for development of the project. For greater trade and investment flow with Iran and neighbouring countries, the Cabinet last year had cleared proposals for development of Chabahar port including through a USD 150 million credit from Exim Bank. It also authorised the Shipping Ministry to form a company in Iran for implementing the Chabahar Port Development Project and related activities. As per the MoU signed between the two nations in May last year, India is to equip and operate two berths in Chabahar Port Phase-I with capital investment of USD 85.21 million and annual revenue expenditure of USD 22.95 million on a ten year lease. Ownership of equipment will be transferred to Iranian side on completion of 10-year period or for an extended period, based on mutual agreement. The Iranian side had requested for provision of a credit of USD 150 million in accordance with the MoU. As per the per the pact, operation of two berths is to commence within a period of maximum 18 months after the signing of the contract. Besides the bilateral pact to develop the Chabahar port, for which India will invest USD 500 million, a trilateral Agreement on Transport and Transit Corridor has also been signed by India, Afghanistan and Iran. Energy-focused engineering and construction firm McDermott International Inc. MDR recently announced its intention to make offshore manufacturing investment in Saudi Arabia. To this end, the company has signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Aramco to construct fabrication and marine complex at Ras Al Khair in Saudi Arabias east coast. The cost of construction of the complex is estimated to be more than $5 billion. McDermott intends to build avant-garde facilities with upgraded technology and increased automation. The future fabrication capacity is expected to be 16 million man-hours as against 8 million man-hours at Mc Dermotts current Jebel Ali facilities. Deal Objective The deal will help Saudi Aramco to expand its local supply chain and improve its relationship with McDermott. It will bring about efficiencies along with increasing the local production and export of energy goods and services. The project is also in sync with the Saudi Arabias 2030 Vision and its In-Kingdom Total Value Add (IKTVA) program. The program aims to enhance the domestic value creation of the country and maximize long-term diversified economic growth. This deal with Mc Dermott will create more job opportunities and lead to workforce development, boosting Saudi Arabia's economy. The agreement will enable McDermott to strengthen its footprint in the Middle East markets, while boosting its strong and long-standing relationship with Saudi Aramco. The company aims to expand capacity in other regional markets by imparting world-class training to the workforce of Saudi Arabia. Zacks Rank and Other Stocks to Consider Incorporated in 1959, Houston, TX-based McDermott is an engineering and construction company that solely focuses on the offshore oil and gas business. McDermott is primarily engaged in worldwide offshore oil and gas field developments, including the front-end design and detailed engineering, fabrication and installation of offshore drilling and production facilities. It also engages in the installation of marine pipelines and subsea production systems. Story continues McDermott has outperformed the Zacks categorized Oil & Gas-Mechanical and Equipment industry over the prior six months. During the aforesaid period, shares of McDermott rallied around 30%, while the broader industry gained around 8%. The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Other favorably placed stocks in the broader industry include SemgroupCorporation SEMG, Crescent Point Energy Corporation CPG and Pioneer Natural Resources Company PXD. All the three companies sport a Zacks Rank #1(Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Semgroup had average positive earnings surprise of 79.10% in the last four quarters. Crescent Point Energy reported positive earnings surprise in each of the four preceding quarters with an average beat of 127.16%. Pioneer Natural Resources is expected to deliver year-over-year growth of 1086.4% in its earnings in 2017. 8 Stocks with Huge Profit Potential Just released: Driverless Cars: Your Roadmap to Mega-Profits Today. In this latest Special Report, Zacks Aggressive Growth Strategist Brian Bolan explores a full-blown technological breakthrough in the making autonomous cars. He also spotlights 8 stocks with tremendous gain potential to feed off this phenomenon. Click to see the stocks right now >> 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 McDermott International, Inc. (MDR): Free Stock Analysis Report Semgroup Corporation (SEMG): Free Stock Analysis Report Pioneer Natural Resources Company (PXD): Free Stock Analysis Report Crescent Point Energy Corporation (CPG): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research By IANS CHENNAI: Global credit rating agency Fitch Ratings on Thursday said some Indian banks are at the risk of skipping coupon payments on capital instruments over next couple of years. According to Fitch, some Indian banks are at risk of skipping on obligations despite the pressure easing measures by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), additional capital infusions into government owned banks. "Mid-sized state banks are the most at risk of breaching capital triggers," Fitch said on Thursday in a statement. According to Fitch distributable reserves at small-to-mid-sized state banks were down by one-third in this fiscal during the nine month period as compared to last fiscal's corresponding period, reflecting persistent losses and weak internal capital generation. "Five state-owned banks suffered losses that were equivalent to more than 30 per cent of distributable reserves in 9M17 alone. The RBI's recent decision to allow banks to make additional Tier 1 (AT1) coupon payments from statutory reserves may have helped mitigate short-term coupon-deferral risks, but state banks' reserves are likely to continue falling," Fitch said. The RBI has made several regulatory adjustments in the last few years to avoid potential damage to sentiment in the domestic market for capital instruments. These changes have been applied to the sector as a whole and are not unique to India, but their timing suggests the RBI has felt pressure to provide headroom to state banks. Some banks are also at risk of missing coupon payments on capital instruments as a result of breaching minimum capital requirements. Fitch's analysis indicates that the total capital adequacy ratio (CAR) of 12 banks was at or below the 11.5 per cent minimum that will be a prerequisite for payment of coupons on both legacy and Basel III AT1 capital instruments by financial year 2019. There were also 11 banks with common equity Tier I ratios at or below the eight per cent minimum that will be required to make coupon payments on AT1 instruments by fiscal year 2019. Fitch said Indian banks need around $90 billion fresh capital by 2019 to meet Basel III standards and government owned banks account for around 80 per cent of that. Government owned banks are constrained in raising new equity due to heavy discounts on valuations while limited market depth remains a hurdle to issuing capital instruments domestically. Banks which are capable of tapping overseas markets have been reluctant to do so due to pricing concerns. This leaves state banks largely reliant on the government for recapitalisation, Fitch said. The $10.4 billion that the government has earmarked for capital injections into state banks is unlikely to be enough to support balance-sheet growth. CHENNAI: Global credit rating agency Fitch Ratings on Thursday said some Indian banks are at the risk of skipping coupon payments on capital instruments over next couple of years. According to Fitch, some Indian banks are at risk of skipping on obligations despite the pressure easing measures by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), additional capital infusions into government owned banks. "Mid-sized state banks are the most at risk of breaching capital triggers," Fitch said on Thursday in a statement. According to Fitch distributable reserves at small-to-mid-sized state banks were down by one-third in this fiscal during the nine month period as compared to last fiscal's corresponding period, reflecting persistent losses and weak internal capital generation. "Five state-owned banks suffered losses that were equivalent to more than 30 per cent of distributable reserves in 9M17 alone. The RBI's recent decision to allow banks to make additional Tier 1 (AT1) coupon payments from statutory reserves may have helped mitigate short-term coupon-deferral risks, but state banks' reserves are likely to continue falling," Fitch said. The RBI has made several regulatory adjustments in the last few years to avoid potential damage to sentiment in the domestic market for capital instruments. These changes have been applied to the sector as a whole and are not unique to India, but their timing suggests the RBI has felt pressure to provide headroom to state banks. Some banks are also at risk of missing coupon payments on capital instruments as a result of breaching minimum capital requirements. Fitch's analysis indicates that the total capital adequacy ratio (CAR) of 12 banks was at or below the 11.5 per cent minimum that will be a prerequisite for payment of coupons on both legacy and Basel III AT1 capital instruments by financial year 2019. There were also 11 banks with common equity Tier I ratios at or below the eight per cent minimum that will be required to make coupon payments on AT1 instruments by fiscal year 2019. Fitch said Indian banks need around $90 billion fresh capital by 2019 to meet Basel III standards and government owned banks account for around 80 per cent of that. Government owned banks are constrained in raising new equity due to heavy discounts on valuations while limited market depth remains a hurdle to issuing capital instruments domestically. Banks which are capable of tapping overseas markets have been reluctant to do so due to pricing concerns. This leaves state banks largely reliant on the government for recapitalisation, Fitch said. The $10.4 billion that the government has earmarked for capital injections into state banks is unlikely to be enough to support balance-sheet growth. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The Reserve Bank of India, on Wednesday, objected to the consent agreement between Tata Sons and NTT DoCoMo at the Delhi High Court, terming the conditions worked out in the deal as unenforceable. The central bank has also been directed to clarify its stand and detail its arguments in an affidavit it is set to file on March 14. RBIs stand, if strong, can throw a spanner in the works of a dispute that has dragged on and was one of the issues that cropped up in the Cyrus Mistry ouster. The RBIs stand so far has been that the terms of agreement originally inked between Tata Sons and NTT DoCoMo in case of an exit by the latter violated FEMA regulations, since it did not permit an Indian promoter to buy back, from foreign investors, shares in an unlisted Indian company at pre-determined prices. Any such buyback was only permitted at fair market value. However, the agreement inked by the two firms in 2009 stipulated that NTT DoCoMo had the right to sell Tata Teleservices shares back to Tata Sons and the seven Tata group companies at 50 per cent of the acquisition value or the fair market value, whichever was higher. Tata Sons had stated that while they were open to paying the Japanese firm what it demanded, the RBI had not given its permission for the same. In July last year, however, the London Court of International Arbitration had awarded NTT DoCoMo $1.17 billion for breach of contract by Tata Sons. NTT DoCoMo subsequently took Tata Sons to court to demand payment of the same. The central bank entered the dispute as a third party in the same case citing FEMA violations in the event of a payout on DoCoMos terms, with the finance ministry backing its stance. The Delhi High Court on Wednesday, however, questioned whether the RBIs permission was even needed, now that the two parties have come to an agreement and Tata Sons is willing to make the payment. While the RBIs stance and arguments will only become clear when it files the affidavit on March 14, Tata Teleservices share prices took a slight tumble on Wednesday after ruling high post the announcement of the agreement between the two firms on February 28. Shares currently stand at `8.55, down 2.84 per cent from the previous days close and down 10.9 per cent from its high of `9.60 on March 1. NEW DELHI: The Reserve Bank of India, on Wednesday, objected to the consent agreement between Tata Sons and NTT DoCoMo at the Delhi High Court, terming the conditions worked out in the deal as unenforceable. The central bank has also been directed to clarify its stand and detail its arguments in an affidavit it is set to file on March 14. RBIs stand, if strong, can throw a spanner in the works of a dispute that has dragged on and was one of the issues that cropped up in the Cyrus Mistry ouster. The RBIs stand so far has been that the terms of agreement originally inked between Tata Sons and NTT DoCoMo in case of an exit by the latter violated FEMA regulations, since it did not permit an Indian promoter to buy back, from foreign investors, shares in an unlisted Indian company at pre-determined prices. Any such buyback was only permitted at fair market value. However, the agreement inked by the two firms in 2009 stipulated that NTT DoCoMo had the right to sell Tata Teleservices shares back to Tata Sons and the seven Tata group companies at 50 per cent of the acquisition value or the fair market value, whichever was higher. Tata Sons had stated that while they were open to paying the Japanese firm what it demanded, the RBI had not given its permission for the same. In July last year, however, the London Court of International Arbitration had awarded NTT DoCoMo $1.17 billion for breach of contract by Tata Sons. NTT DoCoMo subsequently took Tata Sons to court to demand payment of the same. The central bank entered the dispute as a third party in the same case citing FEMA violations in the event of a payout on DoCoMos terms, with the finance ministry backing its stance. The Delhi High Court on Wednesday, however, questioned whether the RBIs permission was even needed, now that the two parties have come to an agreement and Tata Sons is willing to make the payment. While the RBIs stance and arguments will only become clear when it files the affidavit on March 14, Tata Teleservices share prices took a slight tumble on Wednesday after ruling high post the announcement of the agreement between the two firms on February 28. Shares currently stand at `8.55, down 2.84 per cent from the previous days close and down 10.9 per cent from its high of `9.60 on March 1. Express News Service BENGALURU: A contract lecturer of St Josephs Autonomous College was terminated from service, allegedly due to his sexual orientation, here on Thursday. While the lecturer, identified as Ashley Tellis, maintained that his homosexuality cost him the job, college authorities said his termination has nothing to do with his sexual orientation. According to Ashley , he was fired from the college, located near Richmond Circle, without any notice. He said he was summoned to the principals office, while he was conducting classes for second year BCom students. As soon as I was summoned, I went to the principals office. In the office, principal told me that the students were disturbed by my personal opinions, Ashley said. Soon after that he informed me that the management of the Institute had asked him to remove me and I was relieved immediately, he added. Ashley also alleged that the management of the Catholic institute was against him, as they did not approve of his homosexuality. In the classroom, I used to discuss everything with students. Sometimes, it also included issues related to different sexual orientations, Ashley added. He also said that he was denied a job in St Josephs College, Brigade Road, for the same reason a couple of years ago. Principal denies allegation When contacted, Victor Lobo, principal of the college, said that the allegations made by Ashley are baseless. He said the termination has nothing to do with his sexual orientation. This faculty member was not following the rules of the contract and was not teaching what he was supposed to. Students, who were disturbed by it, complained to us in batches. After consulting our legal adviser, we decided to remove him, he added. BENGALURU: A contract lecturer of St Josephs Autonomous College was terminated from service, allegedly due to his sexual orientation, here on Thursday. While the lecturer, identified as Ashley Tellis, maintained that his homosexuality cost him the job, college authorities said his termination has nothing to do with his sexual orientation. According to Ashley , he was fired from the college, located near Richmond Circle, without any notice. He said he was summoned to the principals office, while he was conducting classes for second year BCom students. As soon as I was summoned, I went to the principals office. In the office, principal told me that the students were disturbed by my personal opinions, Ashley said. Soon after that he informed me that the management of the Institute had asked him to remove me and I was relieved immediately, he added. Ashley also alleged that the management of the Catholic institute was against him, as they did not approve of his homosexuality. In the classroom, I used to discuss everything with students. Sometimes, it also included issues related to different sexual orientations, Ashley added. He also said that he was denied a job in St Josephs College, Brigade Road, for the same reason a couple of years ago. Principal denies allegation When contacted, Victor Lobo, principal of the college, said that the allegations made by Ashley are baseless. He said the termination has nothing to do with his sexual orientation. This faculty member was not following the rules of the contract and was not teaching what he was supposed to. Students, who were disturbed by it, complained to us in batches. After consulting our legal adviser, we decided to remove him, he added. Sangeeta Bora By Express News Service BENGALURU: Why were three sanitation workers scrambled together in the middle of the night in Bengaluru and sent to clear an overflowing manhole, without safety measures or protective gear in place and which eventually led to their horrible death? It was because senior officials of the contracting firm Ramky Enterprises allegedly wanted the job to be done in a hurry so that BWSSB would clear a pending bill following an inspection of the manhole and their work the next day. While the consequences proved fatal to the three workers and devastated their families, it also underlines the dismal conditions and pressure that these labourers have to put up with. On Monday night following rains in Bengaluru, Anjaneya Reddy, the supervisor who also died in the incident, was allegedly pressurised to fix the manhole in CV Raman Nagar by Ramky contractors. There was no time to make any arrangements, let alone get a jetting machine. The brief to the workers was clear: the manhole was clogged, had to be cleaned and it had to be a thorough job. K B Obalesh from Scavengers Watchdog Committee said, "A relative of Anjaneya told us that on Monday evening, Anjaneya received a call from the MD of the firm to finish the work by midnight, as they have to get a bill from BWSSB after an inspection by its officials on Tuesday. Hence, Anjaneya hurried to the area with the other persons. They were unaware of the depth of the manhole, which is 12 feet, and died. This incident clearly happened under pressure." ALSO READ: Bengalurus manhole horror: Contractor Ramky under BWSSB scanner Interestingly, Baiyappanahalli alone has two jetting machines. Admitting that a bill to Ramky Enterprises had been pending, BWSSB Chairman Tushar said, "Work to lay a sewage pipeline from KR Puram to Kadubeesanahalli was given to the agency three years ago. The firm claimed to have completed the work but it was found to be defective at some places. So we asked them to rectify it. We also issued a notice in this regard last week. We did not pay their bill and said if the work was not well-executed, we will not clear the bill." Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 clearly prohibits manual scavenging. If at all a person must enter a manhole, the government has to notify the particular area. This has to be followed by the presence of fire brigade vehicle and ambulance with a doctor, and 32 safety tools. On Monday night, none of this was followed. Contractors with Ramky Enterprises did not respond to queries by Express. No arrests yet A day after the tragic incident, no arrests have been made. No BWSSB engineer or contractor of the firm has been named in the FIR. Even Ramky Enterprises finds no mention. Hemant Nimbalkar, additional commissioner of police (east) said, "This is a suo motu case. We have written a letter to BWSSB seeking information about the officers assigned to carry out supervision of the job. Teams have been formed and investigations are under way. At the time of filing the complaint, no information was available." KB Obalesh from Scavengers Watchdog Committee said, "The police say that the contractor is still in Hyderabad and hence have not been able to arrest him. Initially when the FIR was filed, it was filed under section 304 of IPC alone. After we made a hue and cry, they filed a case under Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 as well. He alleged that the police wants to close the case by giving the families a compensation of Rs 10 lakh. BENGALURU: Why were three sanitation workers scrambled together in the middle of the night in Bengaluru and sent to clear an overflowing manhole, without safety measures or protective gear in place and which eventually led to their horrible death? It was because senior officials of the contracting firm Ramky Enterprises allegedly wanted the job to be done in a hurry so that BWSSB would clear a pending bill following an inspection of the manhole and their work the next day. While the consequences proved fatal to the three workers and devastated their families, it also underlines the dismal conditions and pressure that these labourers have to put up with. On Monday night following rains in Bengaluru, Anjaneya Reddy, the supervisor who also died in the incident, was allegedly pressurised to fix the manhole in CV Raman Nagar by Ramky contractors. There was no time to make any arrangements, let alone get a jetting machine. The brief to the workers was clear: the manhole was clogged, had to be cleaned and it had to be a thorough job. K B Obalesh from Scavengers Watchdog Committee said, "A relative of Anjaneya told us that on Monday evening, Anjaneya received a call from the MD of the firm to finish the work by midnight, as they have to get a bill from BWSSB after an inspection by its officials on Tuesday. Hence, Anjaneya hurried to the area with the other persons. They were unaware of the depth of the manhole, which is 12 feet, and died. This incident clearly happened under pressure." ALSO READ: Bengalurus manhole horror: Contractor Ramky under BWSSB scanner Interestingly, Baiyappanahalli alone has two jetting machines. Admitting that a bill to Ramky Enterprises had been pending, BWSSB Chairman Tushar said, "Work to lay a sewage pipeline from KR Puram to Kadubeesanahalli was given to the agency three years ago. The firm claimed to have completed the work but it was found to be defective at some places. So we asked them to rectify it. We also issued a notice in this regard last week. We did not pay their bill and said if the work was not well-executed, we will not clear the bill." Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 clearly prohibits manual scavenging. If at all a person must enter a manhole, the government has to notify the particular area. This has to be followed by the presence of fire brigade vehicle and ambulance with a doctor, and 32 safety tools. On Monday night, none of this was followed. Contractors with Ramky Enterprises did not respond to queries by Express. No arrests yet A day after the tragic incident, no arrests have been made. No BWSSB engineer or contractor of the firm has been named in the FIR. Even Ramky Enterprises finds no mention. Hemant Nimbalkar, additional commissioner of police (east) said, "This is a suo motu case. We have written a letter to BWSSB seeking information about the officers assigned to carry out supervision of the job. Teams have been formed and investigations are under way. At the time of filing the complaint, no information was available." KB Obalesh from Scavengers Watchdog Committee said, "The police say that the contractor is still in Hyderabad and hence have not been able to arrest him. Initially when the FIR was filed, it was filed under section 304 of IPC alone. After we made a hue and cry, they filed a case under Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 as well. He alleged that the police wants to close the case by giving the families a compensation of Rs 10 lakh. Ashwini M Sripad By Express News Service BENGALURU: Two days after three workers suffocated to death inside a Bengaluru manhole, the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is yet to take any action against the contractor. BWSSB chairman Tushar Girinath told New Indian Express that the board is waiting for the internal inquiry report to act against the contractor. Interestingly, BWSSB had issued a notice to the company, warning it that its bills would not be cleared if the work is not proper. Excerpts from an interview with Tushar Girinath: Why were the work made to clean a manhole at midnight? We dont know why. Some say our officials asked them to do so. An internal inquiry is being conducted and a report is expected in a day or two. If there is any lacuna from our side, action will be taken against our officials too. Isnt it your responsibility to ensure that contractors take safety measures? As a principal employer of the project, we have paid compensation to the victims' families. But loss of life cannot be compensated with money. In this case, we have paid from our funds, which will later be collected from the agency. Will BWSSB review other projects taken up by Ramky? BWSSB is monitoring all the projects entrusted to other agencies, not just Ramky. However, we cannot stand there all the time along with the agency. Will you terminate the agreement with the agency? An internal inquiry is being conducted. As per the agreement, we can take action against them. We may levy a heavy penalty on them. When was the work given to the contractor? It is a sewage pipeline from KR Puram to Kadubeesanahalli. The work was handed over some three years ago. They claimed to have completed it, but there were defects. We told them to rectify the problems. In fact, a notice was issued to them last week. We have not paid their bills. We told them we won't pay if the work is not proper. BENGALURU: Two days after three workers suffocated to death inside a Bengaluru manhole, the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is yet to take any action against the contractor. BWSSB chairman Tushar Girinath told New Indian Express that the board is waiting for the internal inquiry report to act against the contractor. Interestingly, BWSSB had issued a notice to the company, warning it that its bills would not be cleared if the work is not proper. Excerpts from an interview with Tushar Girinath: Why were the work made to clean a manhole at midnight? We dont know why. Some say our officials asked them to do so. An internal inquiry is being conducted and a report is expected in a day or two. If there is any lacuna from our side, action will be taken against our officials too. Isnt it your responsibility to ensure that contractors take safety measures? As a principal employer of the project, we have paid compensation to the victims' families. But loss of life cannot be compensated with money. In this case, we have paid from our funds, which will later be collected from the agency. Will BWSSB review other projects taken up by Ramky? BWSSB is monitoring all the projects entrusted to other agencies, not just Ramky. However, we cannot stand there all the time along with the agency. Will you terminate the agreement with the agency? An internal inquiry is being conducted. As per the agreement, we can take action against them. We may levy a heavy penalty on them. When was the work given to the contractor? It is a sewage pipeline from KR Puram to Kadubeesanahalli. The work was handed over some three years ago. They claimed to have completed it, but there were defects. We told them to rectify the problems. In fact, a notice was issued to them last week. We have not paid their bills. We told them we won't pay if the work is not proper. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Delhi police has filed a case against JNU students for allegedly threatening and wrongfully confining the university vice-chancellor. According to the police, accused students did not allow the VC to come to his room even though he was unwell and wanted doctor's consultation. A complaint was filed on March 4 by JNU registrar but case was registered on Wednesday. "On March 4, Registrar JNU filed a complaint stating therein that on 27.2.17 after the students removed blockade, VC JNU and staff went to Administration Block. Students again entered the block and adamantly wanted VC to meet them. Since VC was unwell he called a doctor. Students did not allow the doctor to see the VC and also confined VC inside Rector 1 office," Delhi police said. "Next day, one girl threatened to commit suicide and forced the VC to meet students. In the meeting they also misbehaved with him," police added. Delhi police on Wednesday, based on the complaint has filed a case under section 341/342/504/34 IPC. NEW DELHI: Delhi police has filed a case against JNU students for allegedly threatening and wrongfully confining the university vice-chancellor. According to the police, accused students did not allow the VC to come to his room even though he was unwell and wanted doctor's consultation. A complaint was filed on March 4 by JNU registrar but case was registered on Wednesday. "On March 4, Registrar JNU filed a complaint stating therein that on 27.2.17 after the students removed blockade, VC JNU and staff went to Administration Block. Students again entered the block and adamantly wanted VC to meet them. Since VC was unwell he called a doctor. Students did not allow the doctor to see the VC and also confined VC inside Rector 1 office," Delhi police said. "Next day, one girl threatened to commit suicide and forced the VC to meet students. In the meeting they also misbehaved with him," police added. Delhi police on Wednesday, based on the complaint has filed a case under section 341/342/504/34 IPC. By Express News Service KOCHI: When the rest of the world celebrated International Womens Day, Shiv Senas morality brigade went on a rampage at Marine Drive in full public glare and manhandled young couples on Wednesday. The incident occurred around 4pm when Shiv Sena cadres took out a march on the walkway and chased away couples. They also attacked a few boys who refused to go away. In the melee, about 20 couples left the scene to avoid the cameras. There were allegations the police remained mute spectators when the couples were attacked. Six Sena activists were arrested in connection with the incident. The partys state political affairs committee chairman T R Devan, K Y Kunjumon, K U Ratheesh, A V Vineesh, T R Lenin and K K Biju were taken into custody for disrupting the duty of police, threatening youth and for unlawful assembly. The police said they have not received any complaints of assault so far. Sena leaders said the youth, mainly adolescents, indulged in public display of affection on the walkway. We decided to launch this campaign in the wake of reports of sexual assault from various districts, said Devan. SI suspended; cops transferred City Police Commissioner M P Dinesh has suspended sub inspector Vijay Shankar attached to the Central police station here pending inquiry in connection with the incident of moral policing against youngsters by Shiv Sena activists on Wednesday evening. Disciplinary action has also been taken against eight police personnel on duty. They have been transferred to the AR camp. KOCHI: When the rest of the world celebrated International Womens Day, Shiv Senas morality brigade went on a rampage at Marine Drive in full public glare and manhandled young couples on Wednesday. The incident occurred around 4pm when Shiv Sena cadres took out a march on the walkway and chased away couples. They also attacked a few boys who refused to go away. In the melee, about 20 couples left the scene to avoid the cameras. There were allegations the police remained mute spectators when the couples were attacked. Six Sena activists were arrested in connection with the incident. The partys state political affairs committee chairman T R Devan, K Y Kunjumon, K U Ratheesh, A V Vineesh, T R Lenin and K K Biju were taken into custody for disrupting the duty of police, threatening youth and for unlawful assembly. The police said they have not received any complaints of assault so far. Sena leaders said the youth, mainly adolescents, indulged in public display of affection on the walkway. We decided to launch this campaign in the wake of reports of sexual assault from various districts, said Devan. SI suspended; cops transferred City Police Commissioner M P Dinesh has suspended sub inspector Vijay Shankar attached to the Central police station here pending inquiry in connection with the incident of moral policing against youngsters by Shiv Sena activists on Wednesday evening. Disciplinary action has also been taken against eight police personnel on duty. They have been transferred to the AR camp. By PTI NEW DELHI: An actor and director of Tamil film industry who made films from the money gained out of cheating people has been arrested, police said today. "Srinivasan alias 'power star' was arrested in Chennai and a transit demand was obtained from a local court in Chennai to bring him back to Delhi," Additional Commissioner of Police (Economic Offences Wing) Arun Kampani said. Based on a complaint filed by a Delhi-based businessman in 2013, the officer said, "In December 2010, Srinivasan took an upfront payment of Rs five crore for purchase of special adhesive stamp from the complainant promising him a loan of Rs 1,000 crore. However, the accused neither arranged the loan nor returned Rs five crore." During investigation, it was found that the accused was arrested in June 2013. "But Srinivasan who got interim bail granted in September 2013 jumped it. He was later declared 'Proclaimed Offender' in April 2015," Kampani said. "The accsued used the money in film production," said the officer. Srinivasan, who is an Acupuncture doctor by profession, has acted in around 12 Tamil films and had made guest appearances in a few films. "The accused is involved in eight cases of cheating and criminal intimidation registered against him and being investigated in Delhi and Central Crime Branch in Chennai," said Kampani. NEW DELHI: An actor and director of Tamil film industry who made films from the money gained out of cheating people has been arrested, police said today. "Srinivasan alias 'power star' was arrested in Chennai and a transit demand was obtained from a local court in Chennai to bring him back to Delhi," Additional Commissioner of Police (Economic Offences Wing) Arun Kampani said. Based on a complaint filed by a Delhi-based businessman in 2013, the officer said, "In December 2010, Srinivasan took an upfront payment of Rs five crore for purchase of special adhesive stamp from the complainant promising him a loan of Rs 1,000 crore. However, the accused neither arranged the loan nor returned Rs five crore." During investigation, it was found that the accused was arrested in June 2013. "But Srinivasan who got interim bail granted in September 2013 jumped it. He was later declared 'Proclaimed Offender' in April 2015," Kampani said. "The accsued used the money in film production," said the officer. Srinivasan, who is an Acupuncture doctor by profession, has acted in around 12 Tamil films and had made guest appearances in a few films. "The accused is involved in eight cases of cheating and criminal intimidation registered against him and being investigated in Delhi and Central Crime Branch in Chennai," said Kampani. Fayaz Wani By Express News Service SRINAGAR: Two local militants owing allegiance to Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Awantipora area of South Kashmirs Pulwama district on Thursday. A teenage boy and a youth also died during the encounter. Another Hizbul Mujahideen militant was killed in a separate gunfight in North Kashmirs Bandipora district in the evening. A police official said acting on specific information about presence of LeT militants in Padgampora area of Awantipora in South Kashmir, a search operation was jointly launched by police, army and paramilitary CRPF men this morning. He said after plugging off all the possible escape routes, the troops zeroed-in on a residential house and asked the LeT militants present inside to surrender. According to official, after security men ascertained that two local LeT militants Mohammad Shafi Wagay alias Ehsan and Jahangir Ahmad Ganie alias Safiullah were present inside, they asked the militants to surrender. He said militants fired on the security men and as the gunfight ensued, one of the holed-up militant Jehangir attempt to escape by jumping out of a window. However, he was engaged by security men and killed in a brief gunfight. He said after Jehangirs killing, troops halted the assault to give militant a chance so surrender. The police officials through public address system asked Wagay to surrender and law down weapons. We also brought family members of Wagay to the encounter site and his wife and two children made several appeals to him through public address system to surrender and come out, he said adding The militant said he would prefer to die fighting rather than surrender. He said after the militant turned down surrender offers and fired on security men, troops launched an all out assault and killed him in the ensuing firefight. The police official said 15-year-old boy Amir Nazir Wani was also killed after being hit by a stray bullet in the neck during the cross-firing. However, locals rejected the police claim saying the security men fired bullets, pellets and tear gas shells on a group of people, who had taken to roads and were protesting near the encounter site. They said Amir had sustained bullet injuries and died while being shifted to hospital. The locals said 20 people sustained injuries in forces firing. 11 were hit by bullet while 9 were hit by pellets, they said. Some injured were referred to Srinagar hospitals for specialized treatment. Another 22-year-old Jalal-ud-Din also died near the encounter site. Jalal was rushed to District Hospital Pulwama, where doctors declared him brought dead, the locals said. According to doctors, Jalal was brought dead to the hospital and had no external injuries. Meanwhile, a brief encounter erupted between militants and security forces in Bandipora area in North Kashmir this evening. A police official said acting on specific input about movement of militants, police and army men laid a naka outside police station Bandipora. He said the security men set up a check point in the area, where vehicles were checked. A vehicle was stopped for checking and a militant travelling in it opened fire on the troops. The fire was returned by the troops and militant was killed in the brief gunfight, the official said. He said an Army Major was injured in the gunfight. The slain militant was identified as Mushtaq Ahmad Shergojri, a local resident. Mushtaq was associated with Hizbul Mujahideen and was active since last year, police said adding a pistol and grenade was recovered from possession of slain militant. Meanwhile, the separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik in a joint statement have called for complete shutdown tomorrow against civilian killings in Pulwama. They also asked people to protest after Friday congregational prayers. SRINAGAR: Two local militants owing allegiance to Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Awantipora area of South Kashmirs Pulwama district on Thursday. A teenage boy and a youth also died during the encounter. Another Hizbul Mujahideen militant was killed in a separate gunfight in North Kashmirs Bandipora district in the evening. A police official said acting on specific information about presence of LeT militants in Padgampora area of Awantipora in South Kashmir, a search operation was jointly launched by police, army and paramilitary CRPF men this morning. He said after plugging off all the possible escape routes, the troops zeroed-in on a residential house and asked the LeT militants present inside to surrender. According to official, after security men ascertained that two local LeT militants Mohammad Shafi Wagay alias Ehsan and Jahangir Ahmad Ganie alias Safiullah were present inside, they asked the militants to surrender. He said militants fired on the security men and as the gunfight ensued, one of the holed-up militant Jehangir attempt to escape by jumping out of a window. However, he was engaged by security men and killed in a brief gunfight. He said after Jehangirs killing, troops halted the assault to give militant a chance so surrender. The police officials through public address system asked Wagay to surrender and law down weapons. We also brought family members of Wagay to the encounter site and his wife and two children made several appeals to him through public address system to surrender and come out, he said adding The militant said he would prefer to die fighting rather than surrender. He said after the militant turned down surrender offers and fired on security men, troops launched an all out assault and killed him in the ensuing firefight. The police official said 15-year-old boy Amir Nazir Wani was also killed after being hit by a stray bullet in the neck during the cross-firing. However, locals rejected the police claim saying the security men fired bullets, pellets and tear gas shells on a group of people, who had taken to roads and were protesting near the encounter site. They said Amir had sustained bullet injuries and died while being shifted to hospital. The locals said 20 people sustained injuries in forces firing. 11 were hit by bullet while 9 were hit by pellets, they said. Some injured were referred to Srinagar hospitals for specialized treatment. Another 22-year-old Jalal-ud-Din also died near the encounter site. Jalal was rushed to District Hospital Pulwama, where doctors declared him brought dead, the locals said. According to doctors, Jalal was brought dead to the hospital and had no external injuries. Meanwhile, a brief encounter erupted between militants and security forces in Bandipora area in North Kashmir this evening. A police official said acting on specific input about movement of militants, police and army men laid a naka outside police station Bandipora. He said the security men set up a check point in the area, where vehicles were checked. A vehicle was stopped for checking and a militant travelling in it opened fire on the troops. The fire was returned by the troops and militant was killed in the brief gunfight, the official said. He said an Army Major was injured in the gunfight. The slain militant was identified as Mushtaq Ahmad Shergojri, a local resident. Mushtaq was associated with Hizbul Mujahideen and was active since last year, police said adding a pistol and grenade was recovered from possession of slain militant. Meanwhile, the separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik in a joint statement have called for complete shutdown tomorrow against civilian killings in Pulwama. They also asked people to protest after Friday congregational prayers. Fayaz Wani By Express News Service SRINAGAR: Few hours after Indian and Pakistan army DGMOs spoke, Pakistani troops violated border ceasefire along Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday and fired on Indian army posts, killing a soldier. Pakistani soldiers fired indiscriminately on army posts along the LoC in Poonch sector at about 2 pm, defence spokesman in Jammu told Express. He said the army men manning the posts effectively and appropriately returned the fire. The spokesman said an army jawan was killed in the Pakistani troops firing. The deceased soldier was identified as Sepoy Deepak Jagannath Ghadge, 27,from Borgaon village in Satara district of Maharashtra. He is survived by a wife, a 2-year-old son a year-old daughter, the spokesman said. He said the casualties suffered by Pakistani troops in Indian armys retaliatory firing could not be known. The Pakistani troops firing took place few hours after DGMOs of two countries had spoken during which Indian army had convened concern over movement of militants along the LoC. Last year, the situation along the LoC was very tense after Pakistani troops resorted to near daily firing on Indian army posts and civilian areas following surgical strikes on militant launch pads across LoC after September 18, 2016 deadly militant attack on army base in Uri in which 19 soldiers were killed. The defence spokesman further said a jawan identified as Sepoy Balraj Singh, 24, posted in Daraba in Poonch sector in Jammu was found dead with gunshot wounds in his living quarters in the early hours today. He said an inquiry into the matter has been instituted by the Army. The deceased soldier hails from Punjab and is survived by wife and daughter. SRINAGAR: Few hours after Indian and Pakistan army DGMOs spoke, Pakistani troops violated border ceasefire along Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday and fired on Indian army posts, killing a soldier. Pakistani soldiers fired indiscriminately on army posts along the LoC in Poonch sector at about 2 pm, defence spokesman in Jammu told Express. He said the army men manning the posts effectively and appropriately returned the fire. The spokesman said an army jawan was killed in the Pakistani troops firing. The deceased soldier was identified as Sepoy Deepak Jagannath Ghadge, 27,from Borgaon village in Satara district of Maharashtra. He is survived by a wife, a 2-year-old son a year-old daughter, the spokesman said. He said the casualties suffered by Pakistani troops in Indian armys retaliatory firing could not be known. The Pakistani troops firing took place few hours after DGMOs of two countries had spoken during which Indian army had convened concern over movement of militants along the LoC. Last year, the situation along the LoC was very tense after Pakistani troops resorted to near daily firing on Indian army posts and civilian areas following surgical strikes on militant launch pads across LoC after September 18, 2016 deadly militant attack on army base in Uri in which 19 soldiers were killed. The defence spokesman further said a jawan identified as Sepoy Balraj Singh, 24, posted in Daraba in Poonch sector in Jammu was found dead with gunshot wounds in his living quarters in the early hours today. He said an inquiry into the matter has been instituted by the Army. The deceased soldier hails from Punjab and is survived by wife and daughter. By ANI NAWADA: Four Maoists were on Wednesday killed in a fierce gun-battle with the security forces of CoBRA 205 battalion in Bihars Nawada. The encounter took place in the forest area of village Thamkola. Three of the four Maoists killed have been identified as Anil Yadav, Rajesh Ravidas and Chandan Nepali, all belonging to maoist Pradyuman Sharmas (State Committee Member) group. While Yadav was a Zonal Committee Member, Ravidas was a Sub-Zonal Committee Member and Nepali was an armed cadre of Magadh Zone. One AK-47, one SLR and two Insas rifles have been recovered from the slain Maoists. The Maoists are believed to have participated in the Goh town police camp attack on July 17, 2013 in Aurangabad where three Special Auxiliary Police (SAP) jawans were killed besides two civilians. According to the reports, as the operation still continues, some more Maoists of the group are critically injured. NAWADA: Four Maoists were on Wednesday killed in a fierce gun-battle with the security forces of CoBRA 205 battalion in Bihars Nawada. The encounter took place in the forest area of village Thamkola. Three of the four Maoists killed have been identified as Anil Yadav, Rajesh Ravidas and Chandan Nepali, all belonging to maoist Pradyuman Sharmas (State Committee Member) group. While Yadav was a Zonal Committee Member, Ravidas was a Sub-Zonal Committee Member and Nepali was an armed cadre of Magadh Zone. One AK-47, one SLR and two Insas rifles have been recovered from the slain Maoists. The Maoists are believed to have participated in the Goh town police camp attack on July 17, 2013 in Aurangabad where three Special Auxiliary Police (SAP) jawans were killed besides two civilians. According to the reports, as the operation still continues, some more Maoists of the group are critically injured. By IANS NEW DELHI: The BJP is expected to form the next government in Uttar Pradesh winning 190-210 seats in the 403-member assembly, a TimesNow-VMR exit poll said on Thursday. The Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance is tipped to win 110-130 seats and the BSP 57-74 seats. Hung verdict in UP, AAP to win Punjab: India TV-CVoter Uttar Pradesh is expected to throw up a hung assembly while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is set to take power in Punjab, an India TV-CVoter exit poll said on Thursday. Uttarakhand is also tipped to get hung assembly while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could edge out the Congress in both Goa and Manipur, the exit poll findings said. Elections in the five states took place between February 4 and March 8. Both the BJP and the Samajwadi Party-Congress combine were locked in a close contest in Uttar Pradesh and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will come third, it said. The BJP could get 155-167 seats, the Samajwadi-Congress alliance 135-147 seats and the BSP 81-93 seats. The majority mark in the 403-member state assembly is 202 seats. The BJP is projected to get 33.4 per cent of all votes followed by the SP-Congress (32.3), the BSP (24.3) and 'Others' 10 per cent. In Punjab, the AAP is projected to form a government winning 59 to 67 of the 117 assembly seats, it said. The Congress could come second with 41-49 seats and the ruling Akali Dal-BJP combine was projected to finish with just 5-13 seats. In Uttarakhand, both the BJP and Congress were neck and neck and may fall short of majority, the exit polls said. The two parties could win 29-35 seats in the 70-member assembly, it said. Goa may get a hung assembly, but the BJP was expected to win 15-21 seats, the Congress and its allies 12-18 and the AAP 0-4 seats. In Manipur, the BJP is projected to win within a range of 25-31 of the 60 seats in the assembly, with the ruling Congress trailing at 17-23, it said. BJP may retain power in Goa: Exit poll The BJP could retain power in Goa, winning 18-22 seats in the 40-member assembly, an India Today-Axis My India exit poll said. The Congress is projected to get 9-13 seats, it said. Congress to retain Manipur: India Today exit poll The Congress is predicted to retain power in Manipur, winning 30-36 seats in the 60-member assembly, an India Today-Axis My India exit poll said. The BJP is projected to get 16-22 seats, it said. NEW DELHI: The BJP is expected to form the next government in Uttar Pradesh winning 190-210 seats in the 403-member assembly, a TimesNow-VMR exit poll said on Thursday. The Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance is tipped to win 110-130 seats and the BSP 57-74 seats. Hung verdict in UP, AAP to win Punjab: India TV-CVoter Uttar Pradesh is expected to throw up a hung assembly while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is set to take power in Punjab, an India TV-CVoter exit poll said on Thursday. Uttarakhand is also tipped to get hung assembly while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could edge out the Congress in both Goa and Manipur, the exit poll findings said. Elections in the five states took place between February 4 and March 8. Both the BJP and the Samajwadi Party-Congress combine were locked in a close contest in Uttar Pradesh and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will come third, it said. The BJP could get 155-167 seats, the Samajwadi-Congress alliance 135-147 seats and the BSP 81-93 seats. The majority mark in the 403-member state assembly is 202 seats. The BJP is projected to get 33.4 per cent of all votes followed by the SP-Congress (32.3), the BSP (24.3) and 'Others' 10 per cent. In Punjab, the AAP is projected to form a government winning 59 to 67 of the 117 assembly seats, it said. The Congress could come second with 41-49 seats and the ruling Akali Dal-BJP combine was projected to finish with just 5-13 seats. In Uttarakhand, both the BJP and Congress were neck and neck and may fall short of majority, the exit polls said. The two parties could win 29-35 seats in the 70-member assembly, it said. Goa may get a hung assembly, but the BJP was expected to win 15-21 seats, the Congress and its allies 12-18 and the AAP 0-4 seats. In Manipur, the BJP is projected to win within a range of 25-31 of the 60 seats in the assembly, with the ruling Congress trailing at 17-23, it said. BJP may retain power in Goa: Exit poll The BJP could retain power in Goa, winning 18-22 seats in the 40-member assembly, an India Today-Axis My India exit poll said. The Congress is projected to get 9-13 seats, it said. Congress to retain Manipur: India Today exit poll The Congress is predicted to retain power in Manipur, winning 30-36 seats in the 60-member assembly, an India Today-Axis My India exit poll said. The BJP is projected to get 16-22 seats, it said. Fayaz Wani By Express News Service SRINAGAR: The Indian and Pakistani border guards held sector commander level flag meeting on International Border in Suchetgarh sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday during which the two sides agreed to maintain peace and tranquility along the border in the State. A BSF official said on request of Pakistan Rangers, a sector commander level flag meeting was held at IB in Suchetgarh area today. The 18-member BSF delegation was led by DIG BSF Jammu Sector P S Dhiman while Brig Amjad Hussain, Sector Commander Chenab Rangers led the Pakistan delegation comprising 18 officers including 3 Wing Commanders. In the flag meeting, which lasted for about two hours, the BSF officials raised various issues including cross-border firing, facilitation of infiltration attempts by Pakistani troops and detection of tunnel along the border, the BSF official said. He said the infiltration attempt on October 18/19 in Bobiya Sector in Hira Nagar sector, snipping of Constable Gurnam Singh, detection of tunnel along IB in Ramgarh sector, infiltration attempts by militants from across IB and firing in Ramgarh sector and other sectors figured prominently during the flag meeting. The official said there have been increased attempts by militants from across the border to sneak into the State from IB in Jammu region. We have foiled numerous infiltration attempts in Jammu region. The BSF officials also raised with Pakistan Rangers the issue of J&K police constable Sohan Lal, who had crossed to Pakistan inadvertently in 2014, and demanded that he should be sent back, the BSF official said. He said other issues related to border management and cross-border smuggling were also discussed. According to the official, the BSF officers told the Pakistani Rangers to respect the November 2002 border ceasefire agreement. Our officials told them that if they violate the border ceasefire and fire on our pickets and civilian areas, we will give befitting response, he said. The BSF official said during the meeting, which was the first sector commander level deliberations between two border guarding forces since October, both sides agreed for expeditious implementation of the decisions taken in the earlier meeting and committed to each other to maintain peace and tranquility at International Border. The meeting, he said was held in a cordial, positive and constructive atmosphere. The two sides decided to re-energize instant communication between field commanders, whenever required, to resolve the petty matters, added the BSF official. SRINAGAR: The Indian and Pakistani border guards held sector commander level flag meeting on International Border in Suchetgarh sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday during which the two sides agreed to maintain peace and tranquility along the border in the State. A BSF official said on request of Pakistan Rangers, a sector commander level flag meeting was held at IB in Suchetgarh area today. The 18-member BSF delegation was led by DIG BSF Jammu Sector P S Dhiman while Brig Amjad Hussain, Sector Commander Chenab Rangers led the Pakistan delegation comprising 18 officers including 3 Wing Commanders. In the flag meeting, which lasted for about two hours, the BSF officials raised various issues including cross-border firing, facilitation of infiltration attempts by Pakistani troops and detection of tunnel along the border, the BSF official said. He said the infiltration attempt on October 18/19 in Bobiya Sector in Hira Nagar sector, snipping of Constable Gurnam Singh, detection of tunnel along IB in Ramgarh sector, infiltration attempts by militants from across IB and firing in Ramgarh sector and other sectors figured prominently during the flag meeting. The official said there have been increased attempts by militants from across the border to sneak into the State from IB in Jammu region. We have foiled numerous infiltration attempts in Jammu region. The BSF officials also raised with Pakistan Rangers the issue of J&K police constable Sohan Lal, who had crossed to Pakistan inadvertently in 2014, and demanded that he should be sent back, the BSF official said. He said other issues related to border management and cross-border smuggling were also discussed. According to the official, the BSF officers told the Pakistani Rangers to respect the November 2002 border ceasefire agreement. Our officials told them that if they violate the border ceasefire and fire on our pickets and civilian areas, we will give befitting response, he said. The BSF official said during the meeting, which was the first sector commander level deliberations between two border guarding forces since October, both sides agreed for expeditious implementation of the decisions taken in the earlier meeting and committed to each other to maintain peace and tranquility at International Border. The meeting, he said was held in a cordial, positive and constructive atmosphere. The two sides decided to re-energize instant communication between field commanders, whenever required, to resolve the petty matters, added the BSF official. Gayathri Mani By Express News Service NEW DELHI: To support the person who has been declared as criminal by the law and order of the country will get the financial support from his colleagues. A section of Delhi university teaching community is planning to raise fund for the Delhi University professor G.N. Saibaba to help him and his family financially. Saibaba has been sentenced to life time imprisonment for having links with the Naxalite CPI Maoist that has been banned by the government of India earlier. Nandita Narain president of Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA) said that his financial condition as well as his is very week some of the teachers from in and outside the campus will raise fund to support his family. Many teachers from all the college, faculties and departments will come forward to support Saibaba and his family both in legal matter as well as in medical condition, Narain added further. The teachers have also planned a meeting on 11th March to decide upon the future course of action. The teaching section of DU has a Defense Committee in 2013 comprising nearly 1,000-1,500 members, which will include members from other universities as well , who will decide upon the matter in its meeting. To name a few Arundati Roy, Nandita Narain, Sanjay Kant (film maker) and Hany Babu teacher at Department of English, DU are members in the committee. Defense committee was set up in 2013 after Saibaba arrested for the first time by and it has many professors, artist, and authors and so on as its member. NEW DELHI: To support the person who has been declared as criminal by the law and order of the country will get the financial support from his colleagues. A section of Delhi university teaching community is planning to raise fund for the Delhi University professor G.N. Saibaba to help him and his family financially. Saibaba has been sentenced to life time imprisonment for having links with the Naxalite CPI Maoist that has been banned by the government of India earlier. Nandita Narain president of Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA) said that his financial condition as well as his is very week some of the teachers from in and outside the campus will raise fund to support his family. Many teachers from all the college, faculties and departments will come forward to support Saibaba and his family both in legal matter as well as in medical condition, Narain added further. The teachers have also planned a meeting on 11th March to decide upon the future course of action. The teaching section of DU has a Defense Committee in 2013 comprising nearly 1,000-1,500 members, which will include members from other universities as well , who will decide upon the matter in its meeting. To name a few Arundati Roy, Nandita Narain, Sanjay Kant (film maker) and Hany Babu teacher at Department of English, DU are members in the committee. Defense committee was set up in 2013 after Saibaba arrested for the first time by and it has many professors, artist, and authors and so on as its member. By PTI NEW DELHI: India today said it expects Sri Lanka to expedite the investigation into the killing of one of its fishermen given the "gravity and seriousness" of the issue. Sri Lanka has informed the Indian High Commission in Colombo that it will release all 85 Indian fishermen in their custody, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Gopal Baglay said. Asked about the status of the probe into allegations of Sri Lankan Navy opening fire on Indian fishermen and killing one of them, he said the government expects that it will be done "very very expeditiously" given the "gravity, seriousness" and humanitarian aspect of the matter. The Lankan Navy has denied the allegation, saying it does not open fire at poaching fishermen and only arrests them. Sri Lanka has said it ordered an investigation into the incident and wanted to ensure that such incidents would not hamper the good relations between the two countries. Yesterday, Sri Lanka and India had agreed to release fishermen held in each other's custody after a high-level discussion between the two sides in Colombo in a bid to defuse the tension following the killing of the Indian fisherman. NEW DELHI: India today said it expects Sri Lanka to expedite the investigation into the killing of one of its fishermen given the "gravity and seriousness" of the issue. Sri Lanka has informed the Indian High Commission in Colombo that it will release all 85 Indian fishermen in their custody, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Gopal Baglay said. Asked about the status of the probe into allegations of Sri Lankan Navy opening fire on Indian fishermen and killing one of them, he said the government expects that it will be done "very very expeditiously" given the "gravity, seriousness" and humanitarian aspect of the matter. The Lankan Navy has denied the allegation, saying it does not open fire at poaching fishermen and only arrests them. Sri Lanka has said it ordered an investigation into the incident and wanted to ensure that such incidents would not hamper the good relations between the two countries. Yesterday, Sri Lanka and India had agreed to release fishermen held in each other's custody after a high-level discussion between the two sides in Colombo in a bid to defuse the tension following the killing of the Indian fisherman. By PTI NEW DELHI: Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad today saluted the father of suspected ISIS terrorist Saifullah for not accepting his son's body and branding him as a "traitor". Saifullah was killed in an encounter with Uttar Pradesh Police yesterday. Azad described as "courageous" the stand of Sartaj, Saifullah's father, of not accepting his slain son's body saying a traitor cannot be related to him. "A father has rejected a son for the sake of the nation...My salute. This shows there is no dearth of nationalist Muslims in India," the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha told reporters. Sartaj had yesterday told journalists, "A traitor cannot be my son, straight and simple...We are Indian citizens. I was born here, my ancestors were born here." Saifullah was killed in Lucknow yesterday in an exchange of fire with the state police after a 12-hour stand-off. He was suspected to be linked with the blast in the Bhopal-Ujjain train, police said. Meanwhile, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi wondered why was "politics" being done on the issue when the terror suspect's father himself had refused to accept his son's body. "Why should politics be done on this? I need not say further when his father has clearly said that they will not accept his body. What else can I or the community say," he told reporters outside Parliament. NEW DELHI: Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad today saluted the father of suspected ISIS terrorist Saifullah for not accepting his son's body and branding him as a "traitor". Saifullah was killed in an encounter with Uttar Pradesh Police yesterday. Azad described as "courageous" the stand of Sartaj, Saifullah's father, of not accepting his slain son's body saying a traitor cannot be related to him. "A father has rejected a son for the sake of the nation...My salute. This shows there is no dearth of nationalist Muslims in India," the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha told reporters. Sartaj had yesterday told journalists, "A traitor cannot be my son, straight and simple...We are Indian citizens. I was born here, my ancestors were born here." Saifullah was killed in Lucknow yesterday in an exchange of fire with the state police after a 12-hour stand-off. He was suspected to be linked with the blast in the Bhopal-Ujjain train, police said. Meanwhile, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi wondered why was "politics" being done on the issue when the terror suspect's father himself had refused to accept his son's body. "Why should politics be done on this? I need not say further when his father has clearly said that they will not accept his body. What else can I or the community say," he told reporters outside Parliament. By PTI NEW DELHI: Alleged hate crimes against Indians in the US are being viewed seriously by India and the government will make a statement on the matter in Parliament next week, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said today. In recent weeks, at least two Indians have been killed in incidents of hate crime in the US. With Opposition members raising the issue in the Lok Sabha, Singh said the government has taken serious note of the issue. What is happening in the US is being viewed seriously by the government and a statement would be made in the Parliament next week, he said during Question Hour. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar also said the government was very much concerned about the incidents in the US. As soon as the proceedings began after obituary references were made on the passing away of four former members, Opposition members raised various issues, including those related to hate crimes against Indians in the US. AIADMK members wanted to raise the issue of Sri Lankan Navy firing at Tamil fishermen. They raised slogans and trooped into the Well of the House. The members went back after Speaker Sumitra Mahajan assured that they could raise the issuer during Zero Hour. As a mark of respect to the departed members including former Lok Sabha Speaker Rabi Ray, the House stood in silence for a brief while. Other former members who passed away were Jambuwant Dhote, P Shiv Shanker and Syed Shahabuddin. NEW DELHI: Alleged hate crimes against Indians in the US are being viewed seriously by India and the government will make a statement on the matter in Parliament next week, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said today. In recent weeks, at least two Indians have been killed in incidents of hate crime in the US. With Opposition members raising the issue in the Lok Sabha, Singh said the government has taken serious note of the issue. What is happening in the US is being viewed seriously by the government and a statement would be made in the Parliament next week, he said during Question Hour. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar also said the government was very much concerned about the incidents in the US. As soon as the proceedings began after obituary references were made on the passing away of four former members, Opposition members raised various issues, including those related to hate crimes against Indians in the US. AIADMK members wanted to raise the issue of Sri Lankan Navy firing at Tamil fishermen. They raised slogans and trooped into the Well of the House. The members went back after Speaker Sumitra Mahajan assured that they could raise the issuer during Zero Hour. As a mark of respect to the departed members including former Lok Sabha Speaker Rabi Ray, the House stood in silence for a brief while. Other former members who passed away were Jambuwant Dhote, P Shiv Shanker and Syed Shahabuddin. By PTI AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat High Court has dropped rape charge slapped against a retired police official by his live-in partner. The court while hearing the matter also expressed concern over "adultery, divorce and remarriage being treated casually" these days. Justice J B Pardiwala in his judgement on February 27 also observed that "prenuptial contracts" are becoming a popular way to take out economic insurance against a likely future divorce. A retired police official Bhavjibhai Chavda had moved the court seeking quashing of FIR under sections 376 (rape), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document) and 506(2)(criminal intimidation) of the IPC registered against him by his live-in partner of 16 years. The court dropped rape charge while allowed continuation of probe in other charges against the accused. "Many people today consider marriage solely in terms of biology, sociology or culture," he said. "One result is that the premarital sex, trial marriage, and cohabitation are a commonplace today. Adultery, divorce, and remarriage are treated casually. "Prenuptial contracts are becoming a popular way to take out economic insurance against a likely future divorce," Pardiwala said in his judgement, while partly quashing FIR on offence of rape against him. The complainant, a mother of two had told the police that she developed friendship with Chavda who promised to buy a house for her and gold jewellery, and transfer a land in the name of his wife in her name if she took divorce. While she took divorce from her husband to stay with her live-in partner, he eventually refused to marry her and instead forged her signature to sell a property to a third party, she said. Her counsel while opposing Chavda's petition had submitted before the court that the police should be allowed to complete investigation in accordance with law to make picture clearer. Chavda's lawyer, on the other hand, submitted that even if her allegations are true, none of it constitutes rape, is an abuse of the process of law, and allegations of forgery is also baseless. The court further observed in his judgement that "If the person is able to prove that a clear actionable wrong is done, claim for damages is maintainable. Merely because the parties had illicit cohabitation would not make the legal and valid cause of action illegal and immoral. "It is well-settled that breach of promise to marry is actionable and damages and compensation for such breach can be awarded." AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat High Court has dropped rape charge slapped against a retired police official by his live-in partner. The court while hearing the matter also expressed concern over "adultery, divorce and remarriage being treated casually" these days. Justice J B Pardiwala in his judgement on February 27 also observed that "prenuptial contracts" are becoming a popular way to take out economic insurance against a likely future divorce. A retired police official Bhavjibhai Chavda had moved the court seeking quashing of FIR under sections 376 (rape), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document) and 506(2)(criminal intimidation) of the IPC registered against him by his live-in partner of 16 years. The court dropped rape charge while allowed continuation of probe in other charges against the accused. "Many people today consider marriage solely in terms of biology, sociology or culture," he said. "One result is that the premarital sex, trial marriage, and cohabitation are a commonplace today. Adultery, divorce, and remarriage are treated casually. "Prenuptial contracts are becoming a popular way to take out economic insurance against a likely future divorce," Pardiwala said in his judgement, while partly quashing FIR on offence of rape against him. The complainant, a mother of two had told the police that she developed friendship with Chavda who promised to buy a house for her and gold jewellery, and transfer a land in the name of his wife in her name if she took divorce. While she took divorce from her husband to stay with her live-in partner, he eventually refused to marry her and instead forged her signature to sell a property to a third party, she said. Her counsel while opposing Chavda's petition had submitted before the court that the police should be allowed to complete investigation in accordance with law to make picture clearer. Chavda's lawyer, on the other hand, submitted that even if her allegations are true, none of it constitutes rape, is an abuse of the process of law, and allegations of forgery is also baseless. The court further observed in his judgement that "If the person is able to prove that a clear actionable wrong is done, claim for damages is maintainable. Merely because the parties had illicit cohabitation would not make the legal and valid cause of action illegal and immoral. "It is well-settled that breach of promise to marry is actionable and damages and compensation for such breach can be awarded." Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: After a 12-hour pitched battle, suspected terrorist Mohammad Saifullah was killed by the Anti-Terrorism Squad of the Uttar Pradesh police in the small hours of Wednesday. Saifullah had holed up in a safe house in Thakurganj area of Lucknow. While the State police claimed that the suspect was self-radicalised, it denied having any evidence to establish any links to the Islamic State. He is also believed to be part of a module behind Bhopal-Ujjain Passenger train blast. Heavy arms and ammunition including eight pistols, over 600 cartridges, bomb making instruments, pellets, timers and wires were recovered from the encounter site, said ADGP Daljit Chaudhary. Three passports, 45 grams of gold and foreign currency were also recovered from the encounter site. Meanwhile, Saifullahs father Sartaj called his son a traitor and refused to accept his body for final rites. Sartaj said he severed all ties with his son about two months back and had no information about his anti-national activities. Later in the night, his body was buried by the State police amid tight security. Whatever he did was not good. He has let me down. I would not accept his body for last rites, he said, adding a traitor cannot be my son. Recalling his last conversation with his son, Sartaj says Saifullah, a commerce graduate, had called him last on Monday and informed that his visa was cleared and he was going Saudi Arabia in a few days. He wanted to become a driver in Saudi. Saifullahs elder brother Khalid spoke to him on Tuesday night on directions of ATS cops to convince him to surrender. I cried and pleaded, explaining the repercussion of his actions and the subsequent humiliation to the entire family, but he remained unmoved, he said. He was only talking about seeking martyrdom. There were other people living in the house in Lucknow along with the suspect. However, they were not present during the time of the encounter. Four people used to live in the house where Saifullah was holed up, said ADGP Chaudhary. But, several people used to visit the terror suspects. The operation stands closed now. Rest of the legal formalities will happen subsequently, he added. We made all out efforts to catch the suspected terrorist alive, but unfortunately this did not materialise. We fired tear gas shells and lobbed chilly bombs to make him come out but to no avail, said Assem Arun, IG of ATS. The only option thus left was to storm inside the house, he added. LUCKNOW: After a 12-hour pitched battle, suspected terrorist Mohammad Saifullah was killed by the Anti-Terrorism Squad of the Uttar Pradesh police in the small hours of Wednesday. Saifullah had holed up in a safe house in Thakurganj area of Lucknow. While the State police claimed that the suspect was self-radicalised, it denied having any evidence to establish any links to the Islamic State. He is also believed to be part of a module behind Bhopal-Ujjain Passenger train blast. Heavy arms and ammunition including eight pistols, over 600 cartridges, bomb making instruments, pellets, timers and wires were recovered from the encounter site, said ADGP Daljit Chaudhary. Three passports, 45 grams of gold and foreign currency were also recovered from the encounter site. Meanwhile, Saifullahs father Sartaj called his son a traitor and refused to accept his body for final rites. Sartaj said he severed all ties with his son about two months back and had no information about his anti-national activities. Later in the night, his body was buried by the State police amid tight security. Whatever he did was not good. He has let me down. I would not accept his body for last rites, he said, adding a traitor cannot be my son. Recalling his last conversation with his son, Sartaj says Saifullah, a commerce graduate, had called him last on Monday and informed that his visa was cleared and he was going Saudi Arabia in a few days. He wanted to become a driver in Saudi. Saifullahs elder brother Khalid spoke to him on Tuesday night on directions of ATS cops to convince him to surrender. I cried and pleaded, explaining the repercussion of his actions and the subsequent humiliation to the entire family, but he remained unmoved, he said. He was only talking about seeking martyrdom. There were other people living in the house in Lucknow along with the suspect. However, they were not present during the time of the encounter. Four people used to live in the house where Saifullah was holed up, said ADGP Chaudhary. But, several people used to visit the terror suspects. The operation stands closed now. Rest of the legal formalities will happen subsequently, he added. We made all out efforts to catch the suspected terrorist alive, but unfortunately this did not materialise. We fired tear gas shells and lobbed chilly bombs to make him come out but to no avail, said Assem Arun, IG of ATS. The only option thus left was to storm inside the house, he added. By IANS NEW DELHI: India on Thursday said the contribution of the Indian technical professionals helps the US economy become competitive, and added that currently, illegal immigration is the priority of the US administration and not the H1B visa. "It is widely agreed that the presence of Indian technical professionals makes the United States more competitive and helps its economy. You would have seen that senior US officials have stated that illegal immigration and not H1B is their priority," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said in a briefing. Speaking on the discussions held between Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar with his interlocutors in the US last week, Baglay said: "There was a wide-ranging and strong recognition as well as respect for Indian skills and contribution of the Indian technological manpower to the US economy." Giving Indian perspective on the Indian professionals working in the US, the spokesperson said they were positive for the US economy. Calling the H1B a trade and business issue, he said: "Our views have been clearly conveyed to the concerned US interlocutors. We believe that the plans of the US administration for the US economy present an opportunity for the two countries to further consolidate their strong economic partnership." Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar, during his visit to the US last week, said that H1B visas should be considered a trade and services issue and not purely an immigration issue. Jaishankar acknowledged that Trump's administration had a new perspective on the world and that India had to "adapt to it and look at new possibilities". NEW DELHI: India on Thursday said the contribution of the Indian technical professionals helps the US economy become competitive, and added that currently, illegal immigration is the priority of the US administration and not the H1B visa. "It is widely agreed that the presence of Indian technical professionals makes the United States more competitive and helps its economy. You would have seen that senior US officials have stated that illegal immigration and not H1B is their priority," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said in a briefing. Speaking on the discussions held between Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar with his interlocutors in the US last week, Baglay said: "There was a wide-ranging and strong recognition as well as respect for Indian skills and contribution of the Indian technological manpower to the US economy." Giving Indian perspective on the Indian professionals working in the US, the spokesperson said they were positive for the US economy. Calling the H1B a trade and business issue, he said: "Our views have been clearly conveyed to the concerned US interlocutors. We believe that the plans of the US administration for the US economy present an opportunity for the two countries to further consolidate their strong economic partnership." Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar, during his visit to the US last week, said that H1B visas should be considered a trade and services issue and not purely an immigration issue. Jaishankar acknowledged that Trump's administration had a new perspective on the world and that India had to "adapt to it and look at new possibilities". By PTI BHOPAL: A local court today remanded in police custody three accused arrested in connection with the Bhopal-Ujjain train bomb explosion case, till March 23. Additional District Judge (ADJ) Girish Dixit sent the three accused from Uttar Pradesh-- Mohammad Danish (27) and Mohammad Atif Muzaffar (22) both from Kanpur, and Sayyed Meer Husain (19) from Kannauj district-- in police custody till March 23 after the state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) sought their remand for questioning. The trio was yesterday arrested from MP's Hoshangabad district in connection with the train bomb blast. The ATS prayed that it needed to grill the accused as according to initial investigation, they were linked to terror outfit ISIS and SIMI. The ATS told the court that the trio needed to be questioned "in order to reach to the bottom of their network for dismantling it for good". It also told the court that it needed to question the trio to know whether they were involved in acts of violence in the past and also want to get information about their further plans. The ATS said that it has to gather evidence connected to commissioning of the act. At least 10 people were injured, three of them seriously, in the IED blast in the train near Jabri station in Shajapur district of Madhya Pradesh yesterday. BHOPAL: A local court today remanded in police custody three accused arrested in connection with the Bhopal-Ujjain train bomb explosion case, till March 23. Additional District Judge (ADJ) Girish Dixit sent the three accused from Uttar Pradesh-- Mohammad Danish (27) and Mohammad Atif Muzaffar (22) both from Kanpur, and Sayyed Meer Husain (19) from Kannauj district-- in police custody till March 23 after the state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) sought their remand for questioning. The trio was yesterday arrested from MP's Hoshangabad district in connection with the train bomb blast. The ATS prayed that it needed to grill the accused as according to initial investigation, they were linked to terror outfit ISIS and SIMI. The ATS told the court that the trio needed to be questioned "in order to reach to the bottom of their network for dismantling it for good". It also told the court that it needed to question the trio to know whether they were involved in acts of violence in the past and also want to get information about their further plans. The ATS said that it has to gather evidence connected to commissioning of the act. At least 10 people were injured, three of them seriously, in the IED blast in the train near Jabri station in Shajapur district of Madhya Pradesh yesterday. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: In a rare case in the Navy, three to four sailors were airlifted from a ship for alleged indiscipline and insubordination while the ship was on operational deployment in the Bay of Bengal off Paradip, Odisha and investigations were on. The incident happened on Wednesday on INS Sandhayak, a survey ship. Giving details here on Thursday, officials said these sailors were reporting late for training classes on board and creating mischief during classes. When called for disciplinary action while on board, these junior sailors reportedly misbehaved, they said. Indian armed forces are known for maintaining a very high standard of discipline. An inquiry has been ordered to investigate into the incident as there is no scope for tolerance for such incidents. The ship has been directed to disembark personnel involved in the incident to facilitate progress of investigation before she resumes her assigned task, they said. NEW DELHI: In a rare case in the Navy, three to four sailors were airlifted from a ship for alleged indiscipline and insubordination while the ship was on operational deployment in the Bay of Bengal off Paradip, Odisha and investigations were on. The incident happened on Wednesday on INS Sandhayak, a survey ship. Giving details here on Thursday, officials said these sailors were reporting late for training classes on board and creating mischief during classes. When called for disciplinary action while on board, these junior sailors reportedly misbehaved, they said. Indian armed forces are known for maintaining a very high standard of discipline. An inquiry has been ordered to investigate into the incident as there is no scope for tolerance for such incidents. The ship has been directed to disembark personnel involved in the incident to facilitate progress of investigation before she resumes her assigned task, they said. Aishik Chanda By Express News Service KOLKATA: The National Investigative Agency (NIA) is attempting to extradite a top leader of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)--dubbed as the chief of four eastern Indian states, including West Bengal, who was nabbed by Bangladesh police recently. Sources revealed that Sheikh Obaidullah, a native of Uluberia in Howrah district, was tasked with recruiting more youths from the poorer eastern Indian states into the radical Islamist outfit for operations in the subcontinent. Obaidullahs arrest is being considered a breakthrough at a time when an alleged operative of ISIS Khurasan module was killed in an encounter with security forces in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh on the wee hours of Wednesday. The NIA has taken up Obaidullah's extradite-on with the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit of the Bangladesh Police that nabbed him. Also, vigil has been stepped up in the bordering districts of West Bengal to nab the associates of Obaidullah. Sources revealed that the 45-year-old terror operative began his career as a Jihadi by joining the Lashkar-e-Toiba in the early 90s after which he underwent training in handling weapons in Afghanistan for two years (1991-93). According to sources, Obaidullah alias Taufique alias Emadullah crossed over to Bangladesh through India in 2004 on orders of a top LeT operative based in Pakistan. The terror operative is said to have crossed over the porous Indo-Bangla international border several times and held meetings with terror operatives in West Bengal. Two agents engaged in facilitating entry of people illegally to and from Bangladesh-- Debashish Roy and Tarak Mazumdarhad allegedly helped Obaidullah get across to the eastern neighbour. Sources revealed that the nabbed terror operative taught in a Madrassah in Bangladesh and was instrumental in planting several LeT sleeper cells in West Bengal. "During his work as a teacher in a Bangladeshi Madrassah, he met another ISIS operative from West Bengal, Md Masiruddin alias Musa from Birbhum district. After that, he also started working for ISIS," a source said. Extradition of the top ISIS operative is expected to also reveal locations where the terrorist organisation had planned attacks in India. On the other hand, a top Jamatul Mujahiddeen Bangladesh (JMB) leader involved in July 1, 2016 Holey Artisan Bakery attack in Dhaka was reportedly nabbed from Burra Bazaar area of Kolkata recently. Md Idris, the most wanted terror operative of the attack was reportedly shuttling between Kolkata and Hyderabad to recruit youths for the cause of Rohingya Muslims persecuted in Myanmar. The operation to nab the JMB operative was reportedly jointly conducted by the Delhi Police and the Kolkata Police. Idris has been handed over to the Delhi police. He may be interrogated by Bangladesh Police as well. KOLKATA: The National Investigative Agency (NIA) is attempting to extradite a top leader of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)--dubbed as the chief of four eastern Indian states, including West Bengal, who was nabbed by Bangladesh police recently. Sources revealed that Sheikh Obaidullah, a native of Uluberia in Howrah district, was tasked with recruiting more youths from the poorer eastern Indian states into the radical Islamist outfit for operations in the subcontinent. Obaidullahs arrest is being considered a breakthrough at a time when an alleged operative of ISIS Khurasan module was killed in an encounter with security forces in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh on the wee hours of Wednesday. The NIA has taken up Obaidullah's extradite-on with the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit of the Bangladesh Police that nabbed him. Also, vigil has been stepped up in the bordering districts of West Bengal to nab the associates of Obaidullah. Sources revealed that the 45-year-old terror operative began his career as a Jihadi by joining the Lashkar-e-Toiba in the early 90s after which he underwent training in handling weapons in Afghanistan for two years (1991-93). According to sources, Obaidullah alias Taufique alias Emadullah crossed over to Bangladesh through India in 2004 on orders of a top LeT operative based in Pakistan. The terror operative is said to have crossed over the porous Indo-Bangla international border several times and held meetings with terror operatives in West Bengal. Two agents engaged in facilitating entry of people illegally to and from Bangladesh-- Debashish Roy and Tarak Mazumdarhad allegedly helped Obaidullah get across to the eastern neighbour. Sources revealed that the nabbed terror operative taught in a Madrassah in Bangladesh and was instrumental in planting several LeT sleeper cells in West Bengal. "During his work as a teacher in a Bangladeshi Madrassah, he met another ISIS operative from West Bengal, Md Masiruddin alias Musa from Birbhum district. After that, he also started working for ISIS," a source said. Extradition of the top ISIS operative is expected to also reveal locations where the terrorist organisation had planned attacks in India. On the other hand, a top Jamatul Mujahiddeen Bangladesh (JMB) leader involved in July 1, 2016 Holey Artisan Bakery attack in Dhaka was reportedly nabbed from Burra Bazaar area of Kolkata recently. Md Idris, the most wanted terror operative of the attack was reportedly shuttling between Kolkata and Hyderabad to recruit youths for the cause of Rohingya Muslims persecuted in Myanmar. The operation to nab the JMB operative was reportedly jointly conducted by the Delhi Police and the Kolkata Police. Idris has been handed over to the Delhi police. He may be interrogated by Bangladesh Police as well. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) will now probe the Ujjain train blast and Lucknow encounter case with initial findings suggesting the spread of the module to other States having suspected international linkages. Due to the prompt action taken by the police of both the States, a possible threat to the national security was successfully averted. Further investigations will be handed over to NIA, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh told Parliament on Thursday. The decision comes after the Ministry was convinced with initial findings that there was inter-state linkages of the terror module. Preliminary findings by the agencies on these incidents suggested Saifullah was part of the module that hit the Ujjain train. The FIRs into the two incidents were also considered before a decision was taken to the effect by the Ministry, official sources said. The Ministry had on Wednesday received the copy of the FIR into the Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train in Shajapur district of Madhya Pradesh. It received the copy of the FIR into the Lucknow encounter case on Thursday, the sources said. Preliminary probe by the agencies suggest the module had an insidious design to hit vital installations in the country and had some international linkages. The IED blast on Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train injured 10 persons. The Anti-Terrorist Squad of the Uttar Pradesh police killed alleged terrorist Saifullah at a house on the outskirts of Lucknow and recovered eight pistols, over 600 live cartridges, three mobile phones, four SIMs, two wireless sets besides Rs 1.5 lakh in cash and some foreign currency. Three suspects have been arrested from Hoshangabad by the Madhya Pradesh Police following the train blast. The UP police also arrested three suspects from different parts of the State in coordination with the Central Intelligence agencies. While the Lucknow ATS has registered a case in connection with the encounter under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Arms Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, ATS Kanpur has lodged a separate case in connection with arrest of a suspect from the district. NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) will now probe the Ujjain train blast and Lucknow encounter case with initial findings suggesting the spread of the module to other States having suspected international linkages. Due to the prompt action taken by the police of both the States, a possible threat to the national security was successfully averted. Further investigations will be handed over to NIA, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh told Parliament on Thursday. The decision comes after the Ministry was convinced with initial findings that there was inter-state linkages of the terror module. Preliminary findings by the agencies on these incidents suggested Saifullah was part of the module that hit the Ujjain train. The FIRs into the two incidents were also considered before a decision was taken to the effect by the Ministry, official sources said. The Ministry had on Wednesday received the copy of the FIR into the Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train in Shajapur district of Madhya Pradesh. It received the copy of the FIR into the Lucknow encounter case on Thursday, the sources said. Preliminary probe by the agencies suggest the module had an insidious design to hit vital installations in the country and had some international linkages. The IED blast on Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train injured 10 persons. The Anti-Terrorist Squad of the Uttar Pradesh police killed alleged terrorist Saifullah at a house on the outskirts of Lucknow and recovered eight pistols, over 600 live cartridges, three mobile phones, four SIMs, two wireless sets besides Rs 1.5 lakh in cash and some foreign currency. Three suspects have been arrested from Hoshangabad by the Madhya Pradesh Police following the train blast. The UP police also arrested three suspects from different parts of the State in coordination with the Central Intelligence agencies. While the Lucknow ATS has registered a case in connection with the encounter under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Arms Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, ATS Kanpur has lodged a separate case in connection with arrest of a suspect from the district. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Amidst heightened tension on the Pakistan border and increasing incidents of gun battle with militants in Kashmir valley, Parliament Standing Committee on Defence on Thursday slammed the government for not making adequate budgetary provisions to revamp security set up and providing for procuring world class surveillance technologies. In its report tabled in Parliament on Demands for Grants for 2017-18, the Standing Committee said it has taken serious note of the recent terror attacks on military bases, defence establishments, critical facilities and even family quarters of soldiers. The Committee unanimously believes that safety and security of our soldiers along with their families are primary concern any compromise in this regard is unacceptable, the report noted. Parliament panel headed by B C Khanduri, while agreeing with the defence ministry over marginal growth of budgetary allocation is not at all sufficient and the Finance Ministry must consider increasing the funds for modernisation of the services also pointed out several requirement for the armed forces that are hampering its preparedness including, helicopters, aircraft, warships and even basic infantry weapons. Pulling up the government for not making adequate budgetary grants for improving security of strategic installations, the parliamentary panel pointed out deficiencies in the sphere of providing bullet proof jackets to soldiers, latest weapons, machineries and surveillance equipment. Once equipped, it will assist the forces in maintaining a robust and effective response mechanism to counter emerging threats, the report said. However, the budgetary provisions made under the Demands for Grants 2017-18 as well as the dismal status of capital procurements do not reciprocate the seriousness required towards meeting out defence needs, the panel observed. Apart from shortage of weapons, the panel also said impetus has to be given to upgrade surveillance systems and networks. Promptness in monitoring and precision in detection of potential threats will help in tracking the insurgent elements well in advance. The defence ministry should take measures for introducing latest and best available global standards of surveillance technologies. Mere dependence on manual surveillance will no longer suffice the need, the panel opined and said along with installation of the equipment, commensurate emphasis should be laid upon intellectual inputs and technology driver software based detection practices. In fact, during proceedings, Defence secretary informed the lawmakers that Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had written to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley regarding requirement of more funds and even the PMO has also been apprised about the requirement. NEW DELHI: Amidst heightened tension on the Pakistan border and increasing incidents of gun battle with militants in Kashmir valley, Parliament Standing Committee on Defence on Thursday slammed the government for not making adequate budgetary provisions to revamp security set up and providing for procuring world class surveillance technologies. In its report tabled in Parliament on Demands for Grants for 2017-18, the Standing Committee said it has taken serious note of the recent terror attacks on military bases, defence establishments, critical facilities and even family quarters of soldiers. The Committee unanimously believes that safety and security of our soldiers along with their families are primary concern any compromise in this regard is unacceptable, the report noted. Parliament panel headed by B C Khanduri, while agreeing with the defence ministry over marginal growth of budgetary allocation is not at all sufficient and the Finance Ministry must consider increasing the funds for modernisation of the services also pointed out several requirement for the armed forces that are hampering its preparedness including, helicopters, aircraft, warships and even basic infantry weapons. Pulling up the government for not making adequate budgetary grants for improving security of strategic installations, the parliamentary panel pointed out deficiencies in the sphere of providing bullet proof jackets to soldiers, latest weapons, machineries and surveillance equipment. Once equipped, it will assist the forces in maintaining a robust and effective response mechanism to counter emerging threats, the report said. However, the budgetary provisions made under the Demands for Grants 2017-18 as well as the dismal status of capital procurements do not reciprocate the seriousness required towards meeting out defence needs, the panel observed. Apart from shortage of weapons, the panel also said impetus has to be given to upgrade surveillance systems and networks. Promptness in monitoring and precision in detection of potential threats will help in tracking the insurgent elements well in advance. The defence ministry should take measures for introducing latest and best available global standards of surveillance technologies. Mere dependence on manual surveillance will no longer suffice the need, the panel opined and said along with installation of the equipment, commensurate emphasis should be laid upon intellectual inputs and technology driver software based detection practices. In fact, during proceedings, Defence secretary informed the lawmakers that Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had written to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley regarding requirement of more funds and even the PMO has also been apprised about the requirement. Harpreet Bajwa By Express News Service CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Police has not been able to solve a single high profile terror case in the recent past and has been groping in the dark--be it the incidents in which prominent Hindu leaders were shot dead, the Maur Mandi blast or the latest incident in which the two Dera Sacha Sauda followers were killed. Amit Sharma, chief of Hindu Takht was shot in the busy area on Jagraon Bridge in Ludhiana on January 14, 2017 by two motorcycle riders. Meanwhile, three persons were killed and several others injured in a powerful bomb blast at the rally of Congress candidate Harminder Singh Jassi at Maur in Bathinda district on the late evening on January 31 this year. Earlier on August 6 last year, Brig Jagdish Gagneja (retd), second-in-command of Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) Punjab unit was shot in a busy Jalandhar market late in the evening. He succumbed to his injuries in the hospital after about a month. The attackers escaped on a motorcycle. While Punjab Shiv Sena president Durga Gupta was gunned down in Ludhiana on April 24, last year by two motorcycle riders in broad day light. On February 25, 65-year-old Satpal Kumar and his 35-year-old son Ramesh Kumaboth followers of Dera Sacha Sauda, were gunned down by motorcycle-borne assailants in Jagera village near Khanna. Failing to crack the double murder case police recently announced a cash reward of Rs 50 lakh and a sub-inspectors job to anyone who provides information about the killers. The Gagneja case was transferred to CBI, while for probe in to other cases Special Investigation Teams (SIT) were formed. According to sources, the alleged accused in all these cases have not used the mobile phones in a bid to avoid being tracked by the police. Meanwhile, the police has been able to crack down the assailants of Balwinder Kaur, who was on bail in a case of desecration of Guru Granth Sahib. He was killed near Gurdwara Alamgir in Ludhiana on July 27, last year and the assailants, after their arrests, had claimed that they were proud of their action. CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Police has not been able to solve a single high profile terror case in the recent past and has been groping in the dark--be it the incidents in which prominent Hindu leaders were shot dead, the Maur Mandi blast or the latest incident in which the two Dera Sacha Sauda followers were killed. Amit Sharma, chief of Hindu Takht was shot in the busy area on Jagraon Bridge in Ludhiana on January 14, 2017 by two motorcycle riders. Meanwhile, three persons were killed and several others injured in a powerful bomb blast at the rally of Congress candidate Harminder Singh Jassi at Maur in Bathinda district on the late evening on January 31 this year. Earlier on August 6 last year, Brig Jagdish Gagneja (retd), second-in-command of Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) Punjab unit was shot in a busy Jalandhar market late in the evening. He succumbed to his injuries in the hospital after about a month. The attackers escaped on a motorcycle. While Punjab Shiv Sena president Durga Gupta was gunned down in Ludhiana on April 24, last year by two motorcycle riders in broad day light. On February 25, 65-year-old Satpal Kumar and his 35-year-old son Ramesh Kumaboth followers of Dera Sacha Sauda, were gunned down by motorcycle-borne assailants in Jagera village near Khanna. Failing to crack the double murder case police recently announced a cash reward of Rs 50 lakh and a sub-inspectors job to anyone who provides information about the killers. The Gagneja case was transferred to CBI, while for probe in to other cases Special Investigation Teams (SIT) were formed. According to sources, the alleged accused in all these cases have not used the mobile phones in a bid to avoid being tracked by the police. Meanwhile, the police has been able to crack down the assailants of Balwinder Kaur, who was on bail in a case of desecration of Guru Granth Sahib. He was killed near Gurdwara Alamgir in Ludhiana on July 27, last year and the assailants, after their arrests, had claimed that they were proud of their action. By Express News Service NEW DELHI:: India has been assured that the shootings in the US are aberrations and majority in the country do not subscribe to the view. The US has also insisted that Indians are welcome in the country. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that the US government has been very positive in their approach in commending the contribution of Indians to their country and economy. There is a sense of regret at the unfortunate shooting commitment to prosecute the matter, support to the family of the deceased, and recognition of the qualities and contribution of Shri Srinivas (the victim of Kansas shooting) to Kansas. There is also recognition of the contribution of Indians and the assertion that they are welcome, MEA Spokesperson Gopal Baglay told reporters while talking about the letter written by the Kansas Governor to Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the shooting. Baglay added that there has been a wide ranging condemnation of such crimes within the US. This point has also been highlighted by various prominent US dignitaries that such crimes do not represent the views of the vast majority in that country. In fact, several senior US Dignitaries have explicitly mentioned in the recent days that Indians are welcome in the US, Baglay added. The Spokesperson averred there have been a wide-ranging and strong recognition as well as respect for Indian skills and contribution of the Indian technological manpower to the US economy. It is widely agreed that the presence of Indian technical professionals makes the US more competitive and helps its economy. You would have seen that senior US officials have stated that illegal immigration and not H1B is their priority, Baglay said while downplaying the concerns regarding the tightening of norms for H1B visa for high skilled workers. Baglay insisted that the government has been raising the issue of security of Indians and Persons of Indian origin in strong terms with the US authorities. NEW DELHI:: India has been assured that the shootings in the US are aberrations and majority in the country do not subscribe to the view. The US has also insisted that Indians are welcome in the country. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that the US government has been very positive in their approach in commending the contribution of Indians to their country and economy. There is a sense of regret at the unfortunate shooting commitment to prosecute the matter, support to the family of the deceased, and recognition of the qualities and contribution of Shri Srinivas (the victim of Kansas shooting) to Kansas. There is also recognition of the contribution of Indians and the assertion that they are welcome, MEA Spokesperson Gopal Baglay told reporters while talking about the letter written by the Kansas Governor to Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the shooting. Baglay added that there has been a wide ranging condemnation of such crimes within the US. This point has also been highlighted by various prominent US dignitaries that such crimes do not represent the views of the vast majority in that country. In fact, several senior US Dignitaries have explicitly mentioned in the recent days that Indians are welcome in the US, Baglay added. The Spokesperson averred there have been a wide-ranging and strong recognition as well as respect for Indian skills and contribution of the Indian technological manpower to the US economy. It is widely agreed that the presence of Indian technical professionals makes the US more competitive and helps its economy. You would have seen that senior US officials have stated that illegal immigration and not H1B is their priority, Baglay said while downplaying the concerns regarding the tightening of norms for H1B visa for high skilled workers. Baglay insisted that the government has been raising the issue of security of Indians and Persons of Indian origin in strong terms with the US authorities. By PTI NEW DELHI: No concrete measures were taken to beef up security in frontline military bases and the scenario is as "vulnerable" as has been "exposed" during the Uri and Pathankot terror attacks, a parliamentary panel said today. Slamming the Defence Ministry, it said though a Committee had submitted its report 6-7 months ago on the security aspect, no concrete measures have been taken to address the lacunae. "The security scenario is vulnerable as has been exposed during Pathankot and Uri attacks," the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence said in its latest report, which was tabled in the Lok Sabha. After last year's Pathankot terror attack, the government had set up a military committee headed by ex-Army vice-chief Lt-Gen Philip Campose to review existing security infrastructure and suggest measures to strengthen security at defence installations. The Campose Committee had submitted its report to Defence Ministry last May. The parliamentary panel said there is no information regarding inputs considered in the report. "Yet, no concrete measures appear to have been taken even after a lapse of 6-7 months of the submission of the report. The Committee are distressed to note the apparent lack of sincerity on the part of the Ministry of Defence in this regard and desire that situation should improve. "Necessary measures must be taken so as to ensure that any unpleasant incidence does not recur," the panel said. It said security arrangements in military establishments are dynamic in nature and called for maintaining a robust and strong response mechanism to emerging threats. The parliamentary panel said the recommendations of the military committee need to be studied carefully and suitably implemented. As directed by the government, the three Services had carried out security audit of all their military establishments following the Pathankot attack. NEW DELHI: No concrete measures were taken to beef up security in frontline military bases and the scenario is as "vulnerable" as has been "exposed" during the Uri and Pathankot terror attacks, a parliamentary panel said today. Slamming the Defence Ministry, it said though a Committee had submitted its report 6-7 months ago on the security aspect, no concrete measures have been taken to address the lacunae. "The security scenario is vulnerable as has been exposed during Pathankot and Uri attacks," the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence said in its latest report, which was tabled in the Lok Sabha. After last year's Pathankot terror attack, the government had set up a military committee headed by ex-Army vice-chief Lt-Gen Philip Campose to review existing security infrastructure and suggest measures to strengthen security at defence installations. The Campose Committee had submitted its report to Defence Ministry last May. The parliamentary panel said there is no information regarding inputs considered in the report. "Yet, no concrete measures appear to have been taken even after a lapse of 6-7 months of the submission of the report. The Committee are distressed to note the apparent lack of sincerity on the part of the Ministry of Defence in this regard and desire that situation should improve. "Necessary measures must be taken so as to ensure that any unpleasant incidence does not recur," the panel said. It said security arrangements in military establishments are dynamic in nature and called for maintaining a robust and strong response mechanism to emerging threats. The parliamentary panel said the recommendations of the military committee need to be studied carefully and suitably implemented. As directed by the government, the three Services had carried out security audit of all their military establishments following the Pathankot attack. By PTI NEW DELHI: Union Minister Hansraj Ahir today said it was too early to know which terrorist outfit slain terror suspect Saifullah belonged to, amid suspicion that he was influenced by an ISIS module. Saifullah, who is suspected to be linked with the blast in the Bhopal-Ujjain train, was killed in an encounter in Uttar Pradesh yesterday. "We have asked for the report. We have not received the final report and full information has not yet come. What can be said from the documents and other material is that he was a terrorist. "We will get to know who he was linked with after we get the final report," Ahir, who is Minister of State for Home Affairs, told reporters outside Parliament. In a statement in Lok Sabha on Tuesday's train blast and subsequent anti-terror operations in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said NIA will carry out further investigations into the matter. He said eight pistols, 630 live cartridges, Rs 1.5 lakh, three mobiles phone, four SIM cards, two wireless sets and some foreign currency were recovered from the place where Saifullah lived. NEW DELHI: Union Minister Hansraj Ahir today said it was too early to know which terrorist outfit slain terror suspect Saifullah belonged to, amid suspicion that he was influenced by an ISIS module. Saifullah, who is suspected to be linked with the blast in the Bhopal-Ujjain train, was killed in an encounter in Uttar Pradesh yesterday. "We have asked for the report. We have not received the final report and full information has not yet come. What can be said from the documents and other material is that he was a terrorist. "We will get to know who he was linked with after we get the final report," Ahir, who is Minister of State for Home Affairs, told reporters outside Parliament. In a statement in Lok Sabha on Tuesday's train blast and subsequent anti-terror operations in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said NIA will carry out further investigations into the matter. He said eight pistols, 630 live cartridges, Rs 1.5 lakh, three mobiles phone, four SIM cards, two wireless sets and some foreign currency were recovered from the place where Saifullah lived. In this May 1, 1988, photo, Mother Divine sits in the dining room of her Woodmont estate in Gladwyn, Pa. Born Edna Rose Ritchings, the widow of Father Divine and leader for decades of a religious movement he founded that advocated racial equality and provided free food to thousands of people has died in Pennsylvania. Mother Divine was believed to be 92. Emil J. Ciavarelli Family Funeral Homes said Mother Divine died Saturday, March 4, 2017, at the movement's Gladwyne estate. (Michael Mercanti/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP) GLADWYNE, Pa. (AP) Mother Divine, the widow of Father Divine and leader for decades of a religious movement he founded that advocated racial equality and provided free food to thousands of people, has died. Sweet Angel Divine, her legal name, died Saturday at Woodmont, the movement's Gladwyne headquarters, the Emil J. Ciavarelli Family Funeral Homes said in an obituary on its website. The movement doesn't publicize birthdates, but Mother Divine was believed to have been 92 years old, The Philadelphia Inquirer said. An archivist for Father Divine's library and museum, Christopher Stewart, told the newspaper her death was related to old age. Mother Divine was born Edna Rose Ritchings. According to a Time magazine account, she moved from Canada in early 1946 and went to Philadelphia to meet the Rev. Major Jealous Divine at the International Peace Mission Movement, which he founded in New York during the Great Depression to promote racial equality, celibacy and devotion to the Kingdom of Heaven. The two married that year and maintained that they never consummated their marriage, in keeping with Father Divine's devotion to celibacy. Father Divine urged believers not to drink, smoke, swear, gamble or borrow money and to pool their resources and practice communal living. He also barred them from marriage and rejected racial identity, urging people to think of themselves simply as Americans. Critics said those teachings were overshadowed by Father Divine's claim to be God, a declaration Mother Divine insisted was made modestly. The church's key activity was operating dining halls that provided free food to people. Later the mission began charging for the meals, but only a few cents. After Father Divine's death in 1965, Mother Divine led the movement for decades. She sold off many of the landmark properties Father Divine amassed with donations from the faithful in the 1930s, '40s and '50s, including the Divine Lorraine Hotel and Unity Mission Church in Philadelphia. Story continues For a 2003 interview, Mother Divine left Father Divine's big chair empty at their stunning hilltop estate in Gladwyne, pulling a chair alongside it and telling a reporter with a smile, "Father is here with us." At the time, believers, most in their 70s and 80s, still gathered regularly to sing religious and patriotic songs and listen to recordings of Father Divine's sermons. "Basically we have not changed," she said. "We just don't have the people we once had." Musing on the demise of all eight of the mission's cafeterias, she said, "Maybe feeding three generations of people is enough." By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: Special training and awareness programmes will be organised for public to handle fire accidents in summer, in Vijayawada and Vizag, DG AP State Disaster Response and Fire Services K Satyanarayana has said. Speaking to reporters here on Thursday, he said awareness meetings for public on how to protect themselves without panicking before the arrival of the emergency response team in summer will be held. Special task force teams with 15 members per team are being formed in every district across the State to handle fire disasters. These teams have been trained as per world standards, officials said. According to Fire department officials, task force teams will reach the accident spot before the average response time which is half an hour. Fire tenders to soon have GPS Satyanarayana said that one skylift vehicle and backpacks will be procured soon keeping in view the fire accidents in summer. Fire department is planning to install GPS in all fire tenders across the State and they will be monitored on real-time basis to track their movements from specially designed command and control centres, the official said. He said that Fire department officials were sent to other states like Odisha for special training. Comparatively, Odisha and Gujarat are ahead of AP in utilising technology and equipped with required infrastructure, he said. VIJAYAWADA: Special training and awareness programmes will be organised for public to handle fire accidents in summer, in Vijayawada and Vizag, DG AP State Disaster Response and Fire Services K Satyanarayana has said. Speaking to reporters here on Thursday, he said awareness meetings for public on how to protect themselves without panicking before the arrival of the emergency response team in summer will be held. Special task force teams with 15 members per team are being formed in every district across the State to handle fire disasters. These teams have been trained as per world standards, officials said. According to Fire department officials, task force teams will reach the accident spot before the average response time which is half an hour. Fire tenders to soon have GPS Satyanarayana said that one skylift vehicle and backpacks will be procured soon keeping in view the fire accidents in summer. Fire department is planning to install GPS in all fire tenders across the State and they will be monitored on real-time basis to track their movements from specially designed command and control centres, the official said. He said that Fire department officials were sent to other states like Odisha for special training. Comparatively, Odisha and Gujarat are ahead of AP in utilising technology and equipped with required infrastructure, he said. By Express News Service KOZHIKODE: Following the footsteps of traders in Tamil Nadu, Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi (KVVES) has decided to stop sale of drinks produced by multinational cola companies to register their protest against exploitation of ground water by Coca-Cola and PepsiCo companies as the State is reeling under the threat of a severe drought. The traders would make a formal announcement of the boycott on March 14 after seeking support of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, said KVVES president T Nazaruddin. The traders have decided to promote local brands--mainly lime soda and tender coconut to fight against the aerated drinks produced by multinational companies. Around seven lakh shops and traders will join the boycott and it will be a major setback to the two companies. Nearly 70 per cent members of the Tamil Nadu Vanigar Angangalin Peramaippu (TNVSP) had stopped selling products of Coca-Cola and PepsiCo companies through their shops in Tamil Nadu from March 1. The TNVSP has around 6,000 traders associations with membership of around 15 lakh across the State. KOZHIKODE: Following the footsteps of traders in Tamil Nadu, Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi (KVVES) has decided to stop sale of drinks produced by multinational cola companies to register their protest against exploitation of ground water by Coca-Cola and PepsiCo companies as the State is reeling under the threat of a severe drought. The traders would make a formal announcement of the boycott on March 14 after seeking support of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, said KVVES president T Nazaruddin. The traders have decided to promote local brands--mainly lime soda and tender coconut to fight against the aerated drinks produced by multinational companies. Around seven lakh shops and traders will join the boycott and it will be a major setback to the two companies. Nearly 70 per cent members of the Tamil Nadu Vanigar Angangalin Peramaippu (TNVSP) had stopped selling products of Coca-Cola and PepsiCo companies through their shops in Tamil Nadu from March 1. The TNVSP has around 6,000 traders associations with membership of around 15 lakh across the State. By Express News Service PALAKKAD; Days after the death of two minor sisters in Attappalam near Walayar following sexual abuse, a 20-year-old girl from the same locality committed suicide by consuming poison after she was subjected to sexual abuse and rape by a neighbour. According to sources, the incident happened on March 1 when Ratheesh (24)the girls neighbour and an employee of a public sector undertaking, barged in to the girls house in the absence of her parents and sexually abused her. The neighbours had reportedly seen Ratheesh run away from the house after the incident. They chased him and handed him over to the police. The young girl who subsequently consumed poison, was admitted to the intensive care unit of a hospital. However, the girl an employee at a private firm in Pallampulli in Kanjikode, succumbed to the poison on March 3. The post mortem report confirmed the rape on the girl. Now that rape has been confirmed in the post mortem report, further questioning and charging of provisions of the law will have to be undertaken, the police said. Suicide of twin sisters: Meanwhile, the police is likely to record the arrest of four persons taken into custody following the death of two minor sisters. A team led by DySP Narcotic Cell M.J.Sojan is probing the case. The Walayar sub inspector P.C. Chacko who had been handling the case earlier, was suspended from duty by the department. An enquiry is pending in this regard. However, in the preliminary enquiry, it was found that there were lapses in the probe. The suspension was based on the report of the Malappuram superintendent of police Debesh Kumar Behera. According to sources, the report also recommends action against the former circle inspector of the Cusaba police station. PALAKKAD; Days after the death of two minor sisters in Attappalam near Walayar following sexual abuse, a 20-year-old girl from the same locality committed suicide by consuming poison after she was subjected to sexual abuse and rape by a neighbour. According to sources, the incident happened on March 1 when Ratheesh (24)the girls neighbour and an employee of a public sector undertaking, barged in to the girls house in the absence of her parents and sexually abused her. The neighbours had reportedly seen Ratheesh run away from the house after the incident. They chased him and handed him over to the police. The young girl who subsequently consumed poison, was admitted to the intensive care unit of a hospital. However, the girl an employee at a private firm in Pallampulli in Kanjikode, succumbed to the poison on March 3. The post mortem report confirmed the rape on the girl. Now that rape has been confirmed in the post mortem report, further questioning and charging of provisions of the law will have to be undertaken, the police said. Suicide of twin sisters: Meanwhile, the police is likely to record the arrest of four persons taken into custody following the death of two minor sisters. A team led by DySP Narcotic Cell M.J.Sojan is probing the case. The Walayar sub inspector P.C. Chacko who had been handling the case earlier, was suspended from duty by the department. An enquiry is pending in this regard. However, in the preliminary enquiry, it was found that there were lapses in the probe. The suspension was based on the report of the Malappuram superintendent of police Debesh Kumar Behera. According to sources, the report also recommends action against the former circle inspector of the Cusaba police station. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The moral policing incident in Kochi involving activists of the Shiv Sena took the Kerala Assembly by storm on Thursday with MLAs of the ruling LDF and the Opposition UDF nearly coming to blows over the issue. The Opposition later boycotted Assembly proceedings for the day to protest a controversial statement by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan linking the Shiv Sena with the Opposition. During Zero Hour, Hibi Eden of the Congress sought permission to move an adjournment motion on the moral policing incident which was denied by the Speaker. Instead of opting for the usual walkout, irate Opposition MLAs marched to the well of the House. Some MLAs sat in the chamber and shouted slogans. Even as the ruckus continued, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan rose to speak. The Chief Minister wondered whether there was a larger conspiracy behind the moral policing "drama" and whether the Shiv Sena activists were hired by the Opposition. Tense Situation The Chief Minister's statement angered the UDF MLAs who rushed to the Treasury benches shouting slogans. The LDF MLAs soon formed a wall around the Chief Minister and challenged the Opposition. Sensing the volatile situation, Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan adjourned the House temporarily. After the Speaker left the House, the Chief Minister walked to the well of the House and reprimanded a young MLA from the Opposition for allegedly threatening him during the melee. Opposition Boycott Later, when the House assembled after an hour, Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala demanded that the Chief Minister withdraw his statement linking them with the Shiv Sena. V D Satheesan MLA urged the Speaker to expunge the Chief Minister's controversial statement from the Assembly records. The Speaker assured the Opposition that their demand would be looked into. Not satisfied with the Speaker's reply, the Opposition boycotted the House proceedings for the day. Chennithala's statement triggers row Speaking on the moral policing issue, Ramesh Chennithala referred to an incident in Guruvayoor. He said 15,000 litres of groundwater, to be used for rituals in the Guruvayoor Sree Krishna Temple, was drained into the open from a water tanker by anti-social elements. He also alleged connivance on the part of the police. This was countered by Guruvayoor MLA K V Abdul Khader who said the incident happened with the blessings of two UDF councilors. Chennithala then wondered why Abdul Khader was justifying denial of water to the temple. This remark angered the ruling LDF MLAs who alleged a communal overtone in the statement. After a brief ruckus, the Speaker declared that the statement has been removed from the records. THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The moral policing incident in Kochi involving activists of the Shiv Sena took the Kerala Assembly by storm on Thursday with MLAs of the ruling LDF and the Opposition UDF nearly coming to blows over the issue. The Opposition later boycotted Assembly proceedings for the day to protest a controversial statement by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan linking the Shiv Sena with the Opposition. During Zero Hour, Hibi Eden of the Congress sought permission to move an adjournment motion on the moral policing incident which was denied by the Speaker. Instead of opting for the usual walkout, irate Opposition MLAs marched to the well of the House. Some MLAs sat in the chamber and shouted slogans. Even as the ruckus continued, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan rose to speak. The Chief Minister wondered whether there was a larger conspiracy behind the moral policing "drama" and whether the Shiv Sena activists were hired by the Opposition. Tense Situation The Chief Minister's statement angered the UDF MLAs who rushed to the Treasury benches shouting slogans. The LDF MLAs soon formed a wall around the Chief Minister and challenged the Opposition. Sensing the volatile situation, Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan adjourned the House temporarily. After the Speaker left the House, the Chief Minister walked to the well of the House and reprimanded a young MLA from the Opposition for allegedly threatening him during the melee. Opposition Boycott Later, when the House assembled after an hour, Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala demanded that the Chief Minister withdraw his statement linking them with the Shiv Sena. V D Satheesan MLA urged the Speaker to expunge the Chief Minister's controversial statement from the Assembly records. The Speaker assured the Opposition that their demand would be looked into. Not satisfied with the Speaker's reply, the Opposition boycotted the House proceedings for the day. Chennithala's statement triggers row Speaking on the moral policing issue, Ramesh Chennithala referred to an incident in Guruvayoor. He said 15,000 litres of groundwater, to be used for rituals in the Guruvayoor Sree Krishna Temple, was drained into the open from a water tanker by anti-social elements. He also alleged connivance on the part of the police. This was countered by Guruvayoor MLA K V Abdul Khader who said the incident happened with the blessings of two UDF councilors. Chennithala then wondered why Abdul Khader was justifying denial of water to the temple. This remark angered the ruling LDF MLAs who alleged a communal overtone in the statement. After a brief ruckus, the Speaker declared that the statement has been removed from the records. By Express News Service CHENNAI: AIADMK rebel and former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam warned legal action against Tamil Nadu Health and Family Welfare Secretary J Radhakrishnan for his statement that Panneerselvam was informed of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaas health. Addressing the gathering at the end of the dawn-to-dusk fast at Rukmani Street here, Pannerselvam said, I will file a case, if he (Radhakrishnan) did not retract his statement claiming that we were informed about Jayalalithaas possible demise. The protest demanding judicial probe into Jayalalithaas death attracted a crowd of nearly 3,000. During his speech, Pannerselvam also hit back at health minister C Vijayabaskar who earlier said Panneerselvam would be enquired first if a judicial probe was initiated. I was the one who first sought a probe and Vijayabaskar will be first to be get convicted once the truth surfaces through enquiry, he told. Reiterating his earlier stand opposing V K Sasikalas family taking over the AIADMK, Pannerselvam said Jayalalithaa never wanted a family rule in the party and government. However, a single family has now taken complete control of AIADMK and dharma yutham, which began after Jayalalithaas death, will continue until justice triumphs, he added. He also claimed that he was never allowed to see Jayalalithaa when she was in Apollo Hospitals and Sasikala never gave a ear to his repeated pleas to shift Jayalalithaa abroad. The crowd, although subdued, stayed all through the day listening to what the rebel leaders had to say. All the banners and posters at the venue had pictures of Jaya in the casket and the song Enge Sendrai Engal Amma was played on giant LED screens. Everyone were taken by surprise when Pannerselvam arrived at the scene an hour before the schedule. Stirring a fresh row, senior leader P H Pandian said nearly 5,000 men were brought into Chennai during the last stages of jallikattu protests and there was a possibility of some of these men donned police uniforms and resorted to violence. His speech suggested that Sasikala and her family could have had a hand. CHENNAI: AIADMK rebel and former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam warned legal action against Tamil Nadu Health and Family Welfare Secretary J Radhakrishnan for his statement that Panneerselvam was informed of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaas health. Addressing the gathering at the end of the dawn-to-dusk fast at Rukmani Street here, Pannerselvam said, I will file a case, if he (Radhakrishnan) did not retract his statement claiming that we were informed about Jayalalithaas possible demise. The protest demanding judicial probe into Jayalalithaas death attracted a crowd of nearly 3,000. During his speech, Pannerselvam also hit back at health minister C Vijayabaskar who earlier said Panneerselvam would be enquired first if a judicial probe was initiated. I was the one who first sought a probe and Vijayabaskar will be first to be get convicted once the truth surfaces through enquiry, he told. Reiterating his earlier stand opposing V K Sasikalas family taking over the AIADMK, Pannerselvam said Jayalalithaa never wanted a family rule in the party and government. However, a single family has now taken complete control of AIADMK and dharma yutham, which began after Jayalalithaas death, will continue until justice triumphs, he added. He also claimed that he was never allowed to see Jayalalithaa when she was in Apollo Hospitals and Sasikala never gave a ear to his repeated pleas to shift Jayalalithaa abroad. The crowd, although subdued, stayed all through the day listening to what the rebel leaders had to say. All the banners and posters at the venue had pictures of Jaya in the casket and the song Enge Sendrai Engal Amma was played on giant LED screens. Everyone were taken by surprise when Pannerselvam arrived at the scene an hour before the schedule. Stirring a fresh row, senior leader P H Pandian said nearly 5,000 men were brought into Chennai during the last stages of jallikattu protests and there was a possibility of some of these men donned police uniforms and resorted to violence. His speech suggested that Sasikala and her family could have had a hand. By ANI NEW YORK: Certain women who were devastated with the election results and watched horror-struck as Donald Trump became the President of the United States of America, have now decided to take matter into their own hands and plunge headfirst into American politics. 30-year-old graphic designer lyson Leahy remembers sobbing as election results came in. "I felt that Trump's win was the quintessential example of an unqualified man winning over an incredibly qualified woman. And the idea that people I knew, that I was related to, voted for that man ... it made me sick. It also made me realize that everyday involvement is key, and that I couldn't afford to sit around anymore sharing Facebook posts and avoiding real work," Leahy said. It was an incredibly personal choice after the election for Leahy and several other women who followed suit, says Erin Forrest, executive director at Emerge Wisconsin, a group which is part of Emerge America, founded in 2002 to identify female community leaders and train them to run for office, reports CNN. "It's watching the most qualified person, watching a woman get so close to becoming president, watching what she went through, and losing, to arguably the least qualified person to run for president. [It is] deeply personal," says Forrest. Leahy is just one of more than 400 women in the United States this year, who Emerge America says, are going through its six month, 70-hour training program. Meanwhile for 29-year-old Charisse Daniels, the election was nothing short of a kick in the gut as it completely changed her perspective, which is when she made the decision to run for mayor of Watertown. Many women like Leahy and Daniels are making radical life changes in order to bring about the very change that they so strongly stand for. Yesterday, stressing on the need for more women in politics, former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton had credited her family, friends and many of the women she had mentored with for giving her the strength to bounce back after losing to Donald Trump in the elections. Highlighting the need of bringing women into the political sphere, Clinton spoke assertively on the need for more women to run for office. "Let us hope there is a wave of young women running for office in America. And let's be sure we support them, in every way we can. Let's help them shatter stereotypes and lift each other up," she said. NEW YORK: Certain women who were devastated with the election results and watched horror-struck as Donald Trump became the President of the United States of America, have now decided to take matter into their own hands and plunge headfirst into American politics. 30-year-old graphic designer lyson Leahy remembers sobbing as election results came in. "I felt that Trump's win was the quintessential example of an unqualified man winning over an incredibly qualified woman. And the idea that people I knew, that I was related to, voted for that man ... it made me sick. It also made me realize that everyday involvement is key, and that I couldn't afford to sit around anymore sharing Facebook posts and avoiding real work," Leahy said. It was an incredibly personal choice after the election for Leahy and several other women who followed suit, says Erin Forrest, executive director at Emerge Wisconsin, a group which is part of Emerge America, founded in 2002 to identify female community leaders and train them to run for office, reports CNN. "It's watching the most qualified person, watching a woman get so close to becoming president, watching what she went through, and losing, to arguably the least qualified person to run for president. [It is] deeply personal," says Forrest. Leahy is just one of more than 400 women in the United States this year, who Emerge America says, are going through its six month, 70-hour training program. Meanwhile for 29-year-old Charisse Daniels, the election was nothing short of a kick in the gut as it completely changed her perspective, which is when she made the decision to run for mayor of Watertown. Many women like Leahy and Daniels are making radical life changes in order to bring about the very change that they so strongly stand for. Yesterday, stressing on the need for more women in politics, former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton had credited her family, friends and many of the women she had mentored with for giving her the strength to bounce back after losing to Donald Trump in the elections. Highlighting the need of bringing women into the political sphere, Clinton spoke assertively on the need for more women to run for office. "Let us hope there is a wave of young women running for office in America. And let's be sure we support them, in every way we can. Let's help them shatter stereotypes and lift each other up," she said. By PTI WASHINGTON: The Central Intelligence Agency has accused WikiLeaks of endangering Americans, helping US rivals and hampering Washington's fight against terror threats by releasing what the anti-secrecy site claimed was a trove of CIA hacking tools. A CIA spokeswoman would not confirm the authenticity of the materials published a day earlier by WikiLeaks, which said they were leaked from the spy agency's hacking operations. "The American public should be deeply troubled by any WikiLeaks disclosure designed to damage the intelligence community's ability to protect America against terrorists and other adversaries," said CIA spokeswoman Heather Fritz Horniak yesterday. "Such disclosures not only jeopardize US personnel and operations, but also equip our adversaries with tools and information to do us harm," she said. Horniak defended the CIA's cyber operations, which the WikiLeaks materials showed focused heavily on breaking into personal electronics using a wide range of malware systems. "It is CIA's job to be innovative, cutting-edge, and the first line of defense in protecting this country from enemies abroad," she said. She also noted that none of the purported activities were targeted at US citizens. The CIA is prohibited from spying on people inside the country and on Americans abroad. On Tuesday, WikiLeaks published nearly 9,000 documents it said were leaked from the CIA, in what it described as the largest-ever publication of secret intelligence materials. "This extraordinary collection, which amounts to more than several hundred million lines of code, gives its possessor the entire hacking capacity of the CIA," it said. The documents showed that CIA hackers can turn a TV into a listening device, bypass popular encryption apps, and possibly control one's car. Most experts believe the materials published by WikiLeaks to be genuine, and US media said yesterday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is preparing to open a criminal probe into the leak, which could involve searching for a turncoat or sleeper spy in the agency. The Washington Post said the FBI is preparing "a major mole hunt" to figure out how WikiLeaks obtained the huge portfolio of hacking information, plans and tools. US justice officials would not confirm the investigation, which would come as the CIA is already enmeshed in a politicized probe into Russia's alleged interference in the US election last year to help President Donald Trump's campaign. WASHINGTON: The Central Intelligence Agency has accused WikiLeaks of endangering Americans, helping US rivals and hampering Washington's fight against terror threats by releasing what the anti-secrecy site claimed was a trove of CIA hacking tools. A CIA spokeswoman would not confirm the authenticity of the materials published a day earlier by WikiLeaks, which said they were leaked from the spy agency's hacking operations. "The American public should be deeply troubled by any WikiLeaks disclosure designed to damage the intelligence community's ability to protect America against terrorists and other adversaries," said CIA spokeswoman Heather Fritz Horniak yesterday. "Such disclosures not only jeopardize US personnel and operations, but also equip our adversaries with tools and information to do us harm," she said. Horniak defended the CIA's cyber operations, which the WikiLeaks materials showed focused heavily on breaking into personal electronics using a wide range of malware systems. "It is CIA's job to be innovative, cutting-edge, and the first line of defense in protecting this country from enemies abroad," she said. She also noted that none of the purported activities were targeted at US citizens. The CIA is prohibited from spying on people inside the country and on Americans abroad. On Tuesday, WikiLeaks published nearly 9,000 documents it said were leaked from the CIA, in what it described as the largest-ever publication of secret intelligence materials. "This extraordinary collection, which amounts to more than several hundred million lines of code, gives its possessor the entire hacking capacity of the CIA," it said. The documents showed that CIA hackers can turn a TV into a listening device, bypass popular encryption apps, and possibly control one's car. Most experts believe the materials published by WikiLeaks to be genuine, and US media said yesterday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is preparing to open a criminal probe into the leak, which could involve searching for a turncoat or sleeper spy in the agency. The Washington Post said the FBI is preparing "a major mole hunt" to figure out how WikiLeaks obtained the huge portfolio of hacking information, plans and tools. US justice officials would not confirm the investigation, which would come as the CIA is already enmeshed in a politicized probe into Russia's alleged interference in the US election last year to help President Donald Trump's campaign. By Associated Press BRUSSELS: European Union leaders confirmed Donald Tusk for a second term as council president Thursday, overcoming weeks of strong opposition from his native Poland. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel tweeted "congratulations" and Tusk sent a tweet with "Thank you for keeping fingers crossed and for heart-felt support. It helped." The government in Warsaw had argued that the decision should be delayed because of its displeasure with Tusk, a bitter political rival. But other leaders won out, insisting there was no appetite for a delay. "I don't see how one country could oppose this solution when all the others are in favor," said French President Francois Hollande, echoing comment from many of the bloc's 28 leaders. The job is one of the bloc's most prestigious. It involves chairing summits, coordinating the work of the member countries and making sure the 28 nations speak as much as possible with one voice on the international stage. The EU is facing a plethora of challenges, not least the imminent divorce proceedings as Britain leaves the bloc, and does not want to be caught in an institutional quagmire over the position of a leader. Hollande said that "with a Europe that has to affirm its unity, a Europe that needs to be firm in the face of a certain number of pressures it faces, there is every reason to confirm here the nomination of Donald Tusk." Poland's nationalist government had proposed little-known Polish EU lawmaker Jacek Saryusz-Wolski to replace Tusk, whose current term ends May 31. Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo said it was unheard of to confirm a president without the consent of his home nation. "Nothing without us, without our consent," she said upon arrival for the summit. "This is a matter of principles." Tusk is a former prime minister who has a long and bitter rivalry with the leader of Poland's current governing party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski. The government argues that Tusk supports the domestic opposition in Poland and has failed to protect the country's interests in the EU. German Chancellor Angela Merkel offered Tusk public support in a pre-summit speech to lawmakers in Berlin. "I see his re-election as a sign of stability for the entire European Union and I look forward to continuing working with him," Merkel said. Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who chaired the election, acknowledged that several member nations are unhappy that all major EU posts are held by members of the center-right European People's Party. But he said "they don't want to sacrifice President Tusk because of that, because they think he has done a good job." Apart from Tusk, EPP politicians Jean-Claude Juncker and Antonio Tajani head the EU's executive Commission and the European Parliament, respectively. Muscat said a more equitable spreading of posts would need to be addressed some time over the coming months. BRUSSELS: European Union leaders confirmed Donald Tusk for a second term as council president Thursday, overcoming weeks of strong opposition from his native Poland. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel tweeted "congratulations" and Tusk sent a tweet with "Thank you for keeping fingers crossed and for heart-felt support. It helped." The government in Warsaw had argued that the decision should be delayed because of its displeasure with Tusk, a bitter political rival. But other leaders won out, insisting there was no appetite for a delay. "I don't see how one country could oppose this solution when all the others are in favor," said French President Francois Hollande, echoing comment from many of the bloc's 28 leaders. The job is one of the bloc's most prestigious. It involves chairing summits, coordinating the work of the member countries and making sure the 28 nations speak as much as possible with one voice on the international stage. The EU is facing a plethora of challenges, not least the imminent divorce proceedings as Britain leaves the bloc, and does not want to be caught in an institutional quagmire over the position of a leader. Hollande said that "with a Europe that has to affirm its unity, a Europe that needs to be firm in the face of a certain number of pressures it faces, there is every reason to confirm here the nomination of Donald Tusk." Poland's nationalist government had proposed little-known Polish EU lawmaker Jacek Saryusz-Wolski to replace Tusk, whose current term ends May 31. Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo said it was unheard of to confirm a president without the consent of his home nation. "Nothing without us, without our consent," she said upon arrival for the summit. "This is a matter of principles." Tusk is a former prime minister who has a long and bitter rivalry with the leader of Poland's current governing party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski. The government argues that Tusk supports the domestic opposition in Poland and has failed to protect the country's interests in the EU. German Chancellor Angela Merkel offered Tusk public support in a pre-summit speech to lawmakers in Berlin. "I see his re-election as a sign of stability for the entire European Union and I look forward to continuing working with him," Merkel said. Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who chaired the election, acknowledged that several member nations are unhappy that all major EU posts are held by members of the center-right European People's Party. But he said "they don't want to sacrifice President Tusk because of that, because they think he has done a good job." Apart from Tusk, EPP politicians Jean-Claude Juncker and Antonio Tajani head the EU's executive Commission and the European Parliament, respectively. Muscat said a more equitable spreading of posts would need to be addressed some time over the coming months. By Associated Press WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who was fired from his prominent White House job last month, has registered with the Justice Department as a foreign agent for $530,000 worth of lobbying work before Election Day that may have aided the Turkish government. Paperwork filed Tuesday with the Justice Department's Foreign Agent Registration Unit said Flynn and his firm were voluntarily registering for lobbying from August through November that "could be construed to have principally benefited the Republic of Turkey." It was filed by a lawyer on behalf of the former U.S. Army lieutenant general and intelligence chief. After his firm's work on behalf of a Turkish company was done, Flynn agreed not to lobby for five years after leaving government service and never to represent foreign governments. Under the Foreign Agent Registration Act, U.S. citizens who lobby on behalf of foreign government or political entities must disclose their work to the Justice Department. Willfully failing to register is a felony, though the Justice Department rarely files criminal charges in such cases. It routinely works with lobbying firms to get back in compliance with the law by registering and disclosing their work. A Turkish businessman who hired Flynn's consulting firm told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the amended filings were made in response to pressure from Justice Department officials in recent weeks. The businessman, Ekim Alptekin, said in a phone call from Istanbul that the changes were a response to "political pressure" and he did not agree with Flynn's decision to file the registration documents with the Justice Department. "I disagree with the filing," he said. "It would be different if I was working for the government of Turkey, but I am not taking directions from anyone in the government." Flynn's attorney did not respond to questions about whether the Justice Department or FBI had contacted Flynn about his lobbying activities. Flynn's consulting firm, Flynn Intel Group Inc., had previously disclosed to Congress that it worked for Inovo BV, a Dutch-based company owned by Alptekin. But neither Flynn nor his company had previously filed paperwork with the Justice Department, which requires more extensive transparency about work that benefits foreign governments and political interests. In the filings with the Justice Department, Flynn's attorney, Robert Kelner, noted they served as a termination of the registration, saying the firm had ceased operations in November, the same month the lobbying contract ended. Calls to phone numbers associated with Flynn and his firm weren't answered. Kelner, his attorney, declined to comment through a spokesman for his law firm, Covington & Burling. Reached Wednesday afternoon, an official at the Turkish embassy in Washington said he would refer the questions to the embassy spokesman. The spokesman did not immediately respond. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday afternoon. Trump fired Flynn last month for misleading Vice President Mike Pence and other administration officials about his contacts with Russia's ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak. As a key member of Trump's transition team last December, Flynn spoke by phone several times with Kislyak during the period when former President Barack Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats from the U.S. and levied new sanctions in response to Russian election-related hacking. According to the new paperwork, Flynn's firm took on the Turkish-related lobbying work in August while he was a top Trump campaign surrogate. Flynn Intel disclosed in its filing that in mid-September, the company was invited by Alptekin to meet with Turkish officials in New York. Alptekin acknowledged Wednesday that he had set up the meeting between Flynn and the two officials. He said they met at an undisclosed hotel in New York. Alptekin said Flynn happened to be in New York while the Turkish officials were attending United Nations sessions and a separate conference Alptekin had arranged. "I asked one of Gen. Flynn's staff if he was in town and would be available to meet and they got in touch with him," said Alptekin, who owns several businesses in Turkey. Among those officials, the documents said, were Turkey's ministers of foreign affairs and energy. Flynn's company did not name the officials but reported the two worked for Turkey's government "to the best of Flynn Intel Group's current understanding." Alptekin, who previously told The Associated Press he has no relationship with the Turkish government, is a member of a Turkish economic relations board run by an appointee of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president. Erdogan's power base is Turkey's Islamic voters, and since a failed coup in July, he has accelerated a crackdown against the nation's weakening secularist faction. Erdogan has accused cleric Fethullah Gulen of orchestrating the aborted coup and called for his extradition from the U.S., where he lives. The Obama administration did not comply, and Gulen still lives in a compound in Pennsylvania. According to the filing, Flynn Intel's work involved collecting information about Gulen and pressuring U.S. officials to take action against the cleric, including a meeting in October between Flynn's firm and a representative of the House Homeland Security Committee. Flynn Intel arranged the meeting to discuss a technology developed by another Flynn Intel client. But after discussing the technology, the firm changed the subject to Gulen, pressuring the committee to hold congressional hearings to investigate the cleric, said a U.S. official with direct knowledge of Flynn Intel's work. That request was rebuffed. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. The official said Flynn Intel never revealed whom it was representing during the meeting. The October meeting came as Flynn was working on an op-ed promoting Turkey's political and business affairs that was later published in The Hill, a Washington-based political newspaper. Flynn wrote that Turkey needed support and echoed Erdogan's warnings about Gulen, whom he called a "shady" Turkish Muslim cleric living in Pennsylvania. Flynn argued that Gulen should not be given safe harbor in the U.S. In the new filing, Flynn disclosed that in writing the op-ed, he relied on research conducted as part of the Inovo BV contract. Flynn's firm also admitted it conducted "open-source research," directed by Inovo, focusing on Gulen. The results "were provided to Inovo" and to a separate lobbying firm, S.G.R. LLC Government Relations and Lobbying, a public relations company retained by Flynn Intel. The materials were aimed for distribution to "third parties," but because the project terminated early, "the full scope of the contract was not performed," according to the filings. In the filings, Flynn emphasized that neither Inovo BV nor the Turkish government directed him to write the op-ed. He also said he was not paid for the op-ed. Alptekin said he had been opposed to Flynn's writing the op-ed, although he agreed with its anti-Gulen and pro-Turkley stances. Alptekin added that he had asked for some of the $530,000 in payments to the Flynn Intel Group to be returned to him because of his dissatisfaction with the company's performance. WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who was fired from his prominent White House job last month, has registered with the Justice Department as a foreign agent for $530,000 worth of lobbying work before Election Day that may have aided the Turkish government. Paperwork filed Tuesday with the Justice Department's Foreign Agent Registration Unit said Flynn and his firm were voluntarily registering for lobbying from August through November that "could be construed to have principally benefited the Republic of Turkey." It was filed by a lawyer on behalf of the former U.S. Army lieutenant general and intelligence chief. After his firm's work on behalf of a Turkish company was done, Flynn agreed not to lobby for five years after leaving government service and never to represent foreign governments. Under the Foreign Agent Registration Act, U.S. citizens who lobby on behalf of foreign government or political entities must disclose their work to the Justice Department. Willfully failing to register is a felony, though the Justice Department rarely files criminal charges in such cases. It routinely works with lobbying firms to get back in compliance with the law by registering and disclosing their work. A Turkish businessman who hired Flynn's consulting firm told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the amended filings were made in response to pressure from Justice Department officials in recent weeks. The businessman, Ekim Alptekin, said in a phone call from Istanbul that the changes were a response to "political pressure" and he did not agree with Flynn's decision to file the registration documents with the Justice Department. "I disagree with the filing," he said. "It would be different if I was working for the government of Turkey, but I am not taking directions from anyone in the government." Flynn's attorney did not respond to questions about whether the Justice Department or FBI had contacted Flynn about his lobbying activities. Flynn's consulting firm, Flynn Intel Group Inc., had previously disclosed to Congress that it worked for Inovo BV, a Dutch-based company owned by Alptekin. But neither Flynn nor his company had previously filed paperwork with the Justice Department, which requires more extensive transparency about work that benefits foreign governments and political interests. In the filings with the Justice Department, Flynn's attorney, Robert Kelner, noted they served as a termination of the registration, saying the firm had ceased operations in November, the same month the lobbying contract ended. Calls to phone numbers associated with Flynn and his firm weren't answered. Kelner, his attorney, declined to comment through a spokesman for his law firm, Covington & Burling. Reached Wednesday afternoon, an official at the Turkish embassy in Washington said he would refer the questions to the embassy spokesman. The spokesman did not immediately respond. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday afternoon. Trump fired Flynn last month for misleading Vice President Mike Pence and other administration officials about his contacts with Russia's ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak. As a key member of Trump's transition team last December, Flynn spoke by phone several times with Kislyak during the period when former President Barack Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats from the U.S. and levied new sanctions in response to Russian election-related hacking. According to the new paperwork, Flynn's firm took on the Turkish-related lobbying work in August while he was a top Trump campaign surrogate. Flynn Intel disclosed in its filing that in mid-September, the company was invited by Alptekin to meet with Turkish officials in New York. Alptekin acknowledged Wednesday that he had set up the meeting between Flynn and the two officials. He said they met at an undisclosed hotel in New York. Alptekin said Flynn happened to be in New York while the Turkish officials were attending United Nations sessions and a separate conference Alptekin had arranged. "I asked one of Gen. Flynn's staff if he was in town and would be available to meet and they got in touch with him," said Alptekin, who owns several businesses in Turkey. Among those officials, the documents said, were Turkey's ministers of foreign affairs and energy. Flynn's company did not name the officials but reported the two worked for Turkey's government "to the best of Flynn Intel Group's current understanding." Alptekin, who previously told The Associated Press he has no relationship with the Turkish government, is a member of a Turkish economic relations board run by an appointee of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president. Erdogan's power base is Turkey's Islamic voters, and since a failed coup in July, he has accelerated a crackdown against the nation's weakening secularist faction. Erdogan has accused cleric Fethullah Gulen of orchestrating the aborted coup and called for his extradition from the U.S., where he lives. The Obama administration did not comply, and Gulen still lives in a compound in Pennsylvania. According to the filing, Flynn Intel's work involved collecting information about Gulen and pressuring U.S. officials to take action against the cleric, including a meeting in October between Flynn's firm and a representative of the House Homeland Security Committee. Flynn Intel arranged the meeting to discuss a technology developed by another Flynn Intel client. But after discussing the technology, the firm changed the subject to Gulen, pressuring the committee to hold congressional hearings to investigate the cleric, said a U.S. official with direct knowledge of Flynn Intel's work. That request was rebuffed. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. The official said Flynn Intel never revealed whom it was representing during the meeting. The October meeting came as Flynn was working on an op-ed promoting Turkey's political and business affairs that was later published in The Hill, a Washington-based political newspaper. Flynn wrote that Turkey needed support and echoed Erdogan's warnings about Gulen, whom he called a "shady" Turkish Muslim cleric living in Pennsylvania. Flynn argued that Gulen should not be given safe harbor in the U.S. In the new filing, Flynn disclosed that in writing the op-ed, he relied on research conducted as part of the Inovo BV contract. Flynn's firm also admitted it conducted "open-source research," directed by Inovo, focusing on Gulen. The results "were provided to Inovo" and to a separate lobbying firm, S.G.R. LLC Government Relations and Lobbying, a public relations company retained by Flynn Intel. The materials were aimed for distribution to "third parties," but because the project terminated early, "the full scope of the contract was not performed," according to the filings. In the filings, Flynn emphasized that neither Inovo BV nor the Turkish government directed him to write the op-ed. He also said he was not paid for the op-ed. Alptekin said he had been opposed to Flynn's writing the op-ed, although he agreed with its anti-Gulen and pro-Turkley stances. Alptekin added that he had asked for some of the $530,000 in payments to the Flynn Intel Group to be returned to him because of his dissatisfaction with the company's performance. By AFP WASHINGTON: Entries into the United States by "inadmissible persons" were down 40 percent from January to February, the US government said Wednesday, hailing this as progress on President Donald Trump's southern border security focus. "The drop in apprehensions shows a marked change in trends," said Homeland Security chief John Kelly. Trump took office January 20. "Since the Administrations implementation of Executive Orders to enforce immigration laws, apprehensions and inadmissible activity is trending toward the lowest monthly total in at least the last five years." Kelly said this was key because Customs and Border Protection usually sees a 10-20 percent increase in apprehensions of illegal immigrants from January to February. "Instead, this year we saw a drop from 31,578 to 18,762 persons - a 40 percent decline," he stressed, arguing that this meant fewer people were taking the huge risk of putting their fate in the hands of human traffickers. "Early results show that enforcement matters, deterrence matters, and that comprehensive immigration enforcement can make an impact," said Kelly, one of Trumps' closest allies on tightening US-Mexican border security and the president's controversial pledge to build a wall there. During his campaign, Trump, 70, appalled Mexicans and many Americans by calling Mexicans who crossed the border illegally into the US, drug dealers and criminals. Hispanics or Latinos are the largest US minority; most US Hispanics are of Mexican descent or immigrants from Mexico. WASHINGTON: Entries into the United States by "inadmissible persons" were down 40 percent from January to February, the US government said Wednesday, hailing this as progress on President Donald Trump's southern border security focus. "The drop in apprehensions shows a marked change in trends," said Homeland Security chief John Kelly. Trump took office January 20. "Since the Administrations implementation of Executive Orders to enforce immigration laws, apprehensions and inadmissible activity is trending toward the lowest monthly total in at least the last five years." Kelly said this was key because Customs and Border Protection usually sees a 10-20 percent increase in apprehensions of illegal immigrants from January to February. "Instead, this year we saw a drop from 31,578 to 18,762 persons - a 40 percent decline," he stressed, arguing that this meant fewer people were taking the huge risk of putting their fate in the hands of human traffickers. "Early results show that enforcement matters, deterrence matters, and that comprehensive immigration enforcement can make an impact," said Kelly, one of Trumps' closest allies on tightening US-Mexican border security and the president's controversial pledge to build a wall there. During his campaign, Trump, 70, appalled Mexicans and many Americans by calling Mexicans who crossed the border illegally into the US, drug dealers and criminals. Hispanics or Latinos are the largest US minority; most US Hispanics are of Mexican descent or immigrants from Mexico. By IANS TORONTO: An Indian origin Canadian citizen was barred from entering the US and told to get a valid visa if she wanted to cross the border, a media report said on Wednesday. Manpreet Kooner, who lives in Candian city of Montreal, said she was turned away at a crossing along the Quebec-Vermont border on Sunday after a six-hour wait where she was fingerprinted, photographed and questioned before being refused, The Huffington Post (Canada) reported. Thirty-year-old Kooner said an officer told her that she was an immigrant without a valid US visa and claimed that the border agent told her, "I know you might feel like you're being Trumped". "Unbelievable. Refused entry to the States. Because I'm apparently an Immigrant who now requires a Visa to enter the States. While informing me that I cannot enter the States. The office told me 'I've been trumped'", she wrote on her Facebook Page. "At the end of it, they told me I was not allowed going in and that I would need a visa if I ever went in the States again," Kooner was quoted as saying. Last time she had an issue entering the US was in December last year when a computer glitch prevented her from crossing into New York State for 24 hours. TORONTO: An Indian origin Canadian citizen was barred from entering the US and told to get a valid visa if she wanted to cross the border, a media report said on Wednesday. Manpreet Kooner, who lives in Candian city of Montreal, said she was turned away at a crossing along the Quebec-Vermont border on Sunday after a six-hour wait where she was fingerprinted, photographed and questioned before being refused, The Huffington Post (Canada) reported. Thirty-year-old Kooner said an officer told her that she was an immigrant without a valid US visa and claimed that the border agent told her, "I know you might feel like you're being Trumped". "Unbelievable. Refused entry to the States. Because I'm apparently an Immigrant who now requires a Visa to enter the States. While informing me that I cannot enter the States. The office told me 'I've been trumped'", she wrote on her Facebook Page. "At the end of it, they told me I was not allowed going in and that I would need a visa if I ever went in the States again," Kooner was quoted as saying. Last time she had an issue entering the US was in December last year when a computer glitch prevented her from crossing into New York State for 24 hours. By PTI ISLAMANAD: More than 51,000 Afghans and 2,700 Pakistanis crossed to their respective countries in two-days after Pakistan temporarily opened the Afghan border which was closed last month after a string of militant attacks. Pakistan opened the border on Tuesday for two days at Torkham in Khyber tribal region and Chaman in Balochistan province which are the most popular routes to travel to Afghanistan. Over 32,000 Afghans and 2,700 Pakistanis crossed into their respective countries via the Torkham and Chaman crossing points yesterday, the last day of reopening of the border, Dawn reported. "In two days, over 51,000 Afghans and 4,900 Pakistanis returned to their respective countries after the Pakistan government reopened the border crossings on Tuesday," the report said. At Torkham, the Frontier Corps in collaboration with the political administration made elaborate security and immigration arrangements in order to facilitate swift and speedy return of Afghans and also to avoid the situation when the frustrated people on Tuesday broke security barriers and crushed to death an Afghan woman in their desperation to cross the border. Female paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were also deputed at the border to help guide returning Afghan women and their children. According to officials, 11,500 Afghans crossed the border yesterday and 12,539 on Tuesday. About 700 Pakistanis returned home in two days. The Afghans waiting in long queues at the Torkham crossing expressed mixed feelings about reopening of the border and their return journey. Amanullah of Jalalabad said that though he was happy to go back home after 18 days of painful wait, the Pakistan government's decision to close the border again was even more painful for most of his countrymen. According to officials, 20,870 Afghans crossed into their country, while 2,631 Pakistanis returned home via the Chaman border crossing. In two days, 27,718 Afghans went back to Afghanistan and 4,277 Pakistanis returned to Chaman. The border was again closed indefinitely. "We have closed the border again for an indefinite period," a senior security official said, adding that he was not aware when it would reopen. The Pakistan government had decided to close the border last month amid a string of deadly militant attacks, that killed more than 125 people, which the military claimed were carried out by militants operating from safe-havens in Afghanistan. The two countries have long accused each other of failing to combat extremists who operate along their porous frontier. ISLAMANAD: More than 51,000 Afghans and 2,700 Pakistanis crossed to their respective countries in two-days after Pakistan temporarily opened the Afghan border which was closed last month after a string of militant attacks. Pakistan opened the border on Tuesday for two days at Torkham in Khyber tribal region and Chaman in Balochistan province which are the most popular routes to travel to Afghanistan. Over 32,000 Afghans and 2,700 Pakistanis crossed into their respective countries via the Torkham and Chaman crossing points yesterday, the last day of reopening of the border, Dawn reported. "In two days, over 51,000 Afghans and 4,900 Pakistanis returned to their respective countries after the Pakistan government reopened the border crossings on Tuesday," the report said. At Torkham, the Frontier Corps in collaboration with the political administration made elaborate security and immigration arrangements in order to facilitate swift and speedy return of Afghans and also to avoid the situation when the frustrated people on Tuesday broke security barriers and crushed to death an Afghan woman in their desperation to cross the border. Female paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were also deputed at the border to help guide returning Afghan women and their children. According to officials, 11,500 Afghans crossed the border yesterday and 12,539 on Tuesday. About 700 Pakistanis returned home in two days. The Afghans waiting in long queues at the Torkham crossing expressed mixed feelings about reopening of the border and their return journey. Amanullah of Jalalabad said that though he was happy to go back home after 18 days of painful wait, the Pakistan government's decision to close the border again was even more painful for most of his countrymen. According to officials, 20,870 Afghans crossed into their country, while 2,631 Pakistanis returned home via the Chaman border crossing. In two days, 27,718 Afghans went back to Afghanistan and 4,277 Pakistanis returned to Chaman. The border was again closed indefinitely. "We have closed the border again for an indefinite period," a senior security official said, adding that he was not aware when it would reopen. The Pakistan government had decided to close the border last month amid a string of deadly militant attacks, that killed more than 125 people, which the military claimed were carried out by militants operating from safe-havens in Afghanistan. The two countries have long accused each other of failing to combat extremists who operate along their porous frontier. By PTI ISLAMABAD: Pakistan military today rejected Indian Army's concerns over the movement of terrorists along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir and asked it to "share evidence". Army's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt Gen AK Bhatia today spoke with his Pakistani counterpart and conveyed India's concerns over the movement of terrorists along the LoC. Pakistan military spokesman Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor confirmed the contact between the officials of the two armies on the hotline. "Indian concern on terrorists' movement along LoC were strongly rejected during (the) hotline (call). Indian Army asked to look inward, share evidence," Ghafoor tweeted. Indian Army sources had earlier said, "The DGMO spoke to the Pakistan Army DGMO this morning. He expressed concern regarding the movement of terrorists noticed along the Line of Control (LoC)." The Pakistani DGMO was also informed about the repatriation of two Pakistani nationals apprehended in Uri. ISLAMABAD: Pakistan military today rejected Indian Army's concerns over the movement of terrorists along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir and asked it to "share evidence". Army's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt Gen AK Bhatia today spoke with his Pakistani counterpart and conveyed India's concerns over the movement of terrorists along the LoC. Pakistan military spokesman Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor confirmed the contact between the officials of the two armies on the hotline. "Indian concern on terrorists' movement along LoC were strongly rejected during (the) hotline (call). Indian Army asked to look inward, share evidence," Ghafoor tweeted. Indian Army sources had earlier said, "The DGMO spoke to the Pakistan Army DGMO this morning. He expressed concern regarding the movement of terrorists noticed along the Line of Control (LoC)." The Pakistani DGMO was also informed about the repatriation of two Pakistani nationals apprehended in Uri. Express News Service COLOMBO: As a first step towards defusing the fishermens agitation in Tamil Nadu, the Sri Lankan and Indian governments on Thursday agreed to simultaneously release all fishermen in each others custody. While Sri Lanka will release 85 Indian fishermen, India will release 19 Sri Lankan fishermen. However, a court in Chennai on Thursday put paid to the immediate release of Sri Lankan fishermen from Tamil Nadu jails, when it extended their remand till March 23. The two governments had acted after the Indian Vice President, Hamid Ansari, met the Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena in Indonesia on the sidelines of the Indian Ocean summit. In Colombo, Indian High Commissioner ,Taranjit Singh Sandhu, met Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and pressed him to take action. The Sri Lankan navy denied that its men had killed Britjo or that the incident took place in Indian waters. But it said that it is ready for an inquiry based on GPS data from the concerned vessels. Be that as it may, looking at the issue on hand, the agitating fishermen Tamil Nadu are unlikely to react enthusiastically to the announcement on the release of fishermen as 134 boats of their boats still remain in Sri Lankan custody, said S.P.Anthonymuthu, Convenor of the Indo-Lanka Fishermens Welfare Forum. These trawlers had cost their owners several hundreds of thousands of Indian rupees. The Sri Lankan government had introduced the system of seizing and not returning the trawlers of the poachers in the belief that this would be a deterrent to poaching. While this has reduced poaching, it has not prevented it. Thousands of trawlers from the Tamil Nadu coast from Nagapattinam to Rameswaran poach in Sri Lankan waters daily with impunity, unmindful of the legal implications and the harm they are doing to the livelihood of Sri Lankan fishermen who, incidentally, also happen to be Tamil Catholics. Worrying Spin Offs The escalating agitation is worrying people in Sri Lanka who are working for a permanent solution to the India-Sri Lanka fishing problem. S.P.Anthonymuthu, said that if the agitation is not contained by applying a balm to soothe the feeling of Tamil Nadu fishermen, India-Sri Lanka relations will suffer deeply ,and all Sri Lankans across the ethnic divide will stand to lose. I met the Minister of Fisheries, Mahinda Amaraweera , and told him that bad relations with India will affect Indian aid to Sri Lanka which is significant. The people of Indian Origin and the Sri Lankan Tamils will be particularly hard hit. India has constructed 50,000 houses for the war-affected Tamils; is building houses and a hospital for the plantation laborers of Indian origin; and has set up an emergency ambulance service from which all communities in South Sri Lanka are benefitting. I asked the Minister to immediately take steps to assuage the feelings of the Rameswaram fishermen by announcing the return of the detained boats, Anthonymuthu said. Their detention is causing congestion in Sri Lankan harbors. They are rotting for lack of maintenance. They are neither used nor returned to their owners. They are a burden on Sri Lanka even as their detention is not preventing Tamil Nadu fishermen from poaching, Anthonymuthu said. Recall Diplomats N.Devadas, President of the Rameswaram fishermens Association, told this writer that India should ask all Sri Lankan diplomats to leave the country till the issue is settled satisfactorily. We want India and Sri Lanka to stop this drama of friendship and take this issue seriously. What is the use of having Ambassadors if they cannot address the peoples pressing issues? he asked. Devadas recalled the seriousness with which the government of India took the case of the killing of two Kerala fishermen by Italian marines in Indian waters and wondered why in the case of the killing of Tamil fishermen, New Delhi is nonchalant. The Italian marines were arrested and a case of old-blooded murder is still on in an Indian court. U.Arulanandam ,President of the Alliance for Release of Innocent Fishermen, recalled that in 1985, the Indian Coast Guard had arrested a Sri Lankan naval officer for killing two Rameswaram fishermen, Susaiappar and Alphonse, in the Gulf of Mannar. On January 8, 1985, a India Coast Guard vessel intercepted and boarded the Sri Lankan naval vessel in question, and brought its commander to Mandapam, though he was later let off. When there are precedents for strong action, why isnt the Indian government acting, Devadas asked. COLOMBO: As a first step towards defusing the fishermens agitation in Tamil Nadu, the Sri Lankan and Indian governments on Thursday agreed to simultaneously release all fishermen in each others custody. While Sri Lanka will release 85 Indian fishermen, India will release 19 Sri Lankan fishermen. However, a court in Chennai on Thursday put paid to the immediate release of Sri Lankan fishermen from Tamil Nadu jails, when it extended their remand till March 23. The two governments had acted after the Indian Vice President, Hamid Ansari, met the Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena in Indonesia on the sidelines of the Indian Ocean summit. In Colombo, Indian High Commissioner ,Taranjit Singh Sandhu, met Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and pressed him to take action. The Sri Lankan navy denied that its men had killed Britjo or that the incident took place in Indian waters. But it said that it is ready for an inquiry based on GPS data from the concerned vessels. Be that as it may, looking at the issue on hand, the agitating fishermen Tamil Nadu are unlikely to react enthusiastically to the announcement on the release of fishermen as 134 boats of their boats still remain in Sri Lankan custody, said S.P.Anthonymuthu, Convenor of the Indo-Lanka Fishermens Welfare Forum. These trawlers had cost their owners several hundreds of thousands of Indian rupees. The Sri Lankan government had introduced the system of seizing and not returning the trawlers of the poachers in the belief that this would be a deterrent to poaching. While this has reduced poaching, it has not prevented it. Thousands of trawlers from the Tamil Nadu coast from Nagapattinam to Rameswaran poach in Sri Lankan waters daily with impunity, unmindful of the legal implications and the harm they are doing to the livelihood of Sri Lankan fishermen who, incidentally, also happen to be Tamil Catholics. Worrying Spin Offs The escalating agitation is worrying people in Sri Lanka who are working for a permanent solution to the India-Sri Lanka fishing problem. S.P.Anthonymuthu, said that if the agitation is not contained by applying a balm to soothe the feeling of Tamil Nadu fishermen, India-Sri Lanka relations will suffer deeply ,and all Sri Lankans across the ethnic divide will stand to lose. I met the Minister of Fisheries, Mahinda Amaraweera , and told him that bad relations with India will affect Indian aid to Sri Lanka which is significant. The people of Indian Origin and the Sri Lankan Tamils will be particularly hard hit. India has constructed 50,000 houses for the war-affected Tamils; is building houses and a hospital for the plantation laborers of Indian origin; and has set up an emergency ambulance service from which all communities in South Sri Lanka are benefitting. I asked the Minister to immediately take steps to assuage the feelings of the Rameswaram fishermen by announcing the return of the detained boats, Anthonymuthu said. Their detention is causing congestion in Sri Lankan harbors. They are rotting for lack of maintenance. They are neither used nor returned to their owners. They are a burden on Sri Lanka even as their detention is not preventing Tamil Nadu fishermen from poaching, Anthonymuthu said. Recall Diplomats N.Devadas, President of the Rameswaram fishermens Association, told this writer that India should ask all Sri Lankan diplomats to leave the country till the issue is settled satisfactorily. We want India and Sri Lanka to stop this drama of friendship and take this issue seriously. What is the use of having Ambassadors if they cannot address the peoples pressing issues? he asked. Devadas recalled the seriousness with which the government of India took the case of the killing of two Kerala fishermen by Italian marines in Indian waters and wondered why in the case of the killing of Tamil fishermen, New Delhi is nonchalant. The Italian marines were arrested and a case of old-blooded murder is still on in an Indian court. U.Arulanandam ,President of the Alliance for Release of Innocent Fishermen, recalled that in 1985, the Indian Coast Guard had arrested a Sri Lankan naval officer for killing two Rameswaram fishermen, Susaiappar and Alphonse, in the Gulf of Mannar. On January 8, 1985, a India Coast Guard vessel intercepted and boarded the Sri Lankan naval vessel in question, and brought its commander to Mandapam, though he was later let off. When there are precedents for strong action, why isnt the Indian government acting, Devadas asked. By AFP KHARTOUM: Sudan summoned on Thursday US charge d'affaires Steven Koutsis to protest President Donald Trump's revised travel ban which bars its citizens from entering the United States. "The US charge d'affaires was informed of Sudan's discontent over the decisions issued by the American adminstration on March 6," the foreign ministry said. "The Sudanese under-secretary informed him that this order failed to reflect Sudan's major cooperation in fighting terrorism." Koutsis is the most senior diplomat at the US embassy in Khartoum. On Monday, Trump signed a revised ban on refugee admissions and new visas for travellers from six Muslim-majority nations -- including Sudan. It came after a first ban -- which had also included Iraq -- was frozen by US federal courts. Khartoum's decision to summon Koutsis came two days after it issued an angry reaction to Trump's new visa ban. "Sudanese citizens have never been involved in any crimes or terrorism in the United States," Sudan said on Tuesday as it condemned Trump's revised ban. On Thursday, Sudanese under-secretary Abdelghani Al-Naiem told Koutsis that Khartoum was in fact looking forward to Washington dropping Sudan from its blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism, the ministry said. Before leaving office, president Barack Obama eased decades-old US sanctions against Sudan, but kept Khartoum on the blacklist. Sudan was designated a state sponsor of terrorism in 1993 and has been subject to a US trade embargo since 1997 over its alleged support for Islamist groups. Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was based in Khartoum from 1992 to 1996. KHARTOUM: Sudan summoned on Thursday US charge d'affaires Steven Koutsis to protest President Donald Trump's revised travel ban which bars its citizens from entering the United States. "The US charge d'affaires was informed of Sudan's discontent over the decisions issued by the American adminstration on March 6," the foreign ministry said. "The Sudanese under-secretary informed him that this order failed to reflect Sudan's major cooperation in fighting terrorism." Koutsis is the most senior diplomat at the US embassy in Khartoum. On Monday, Trump signed a revised ban on refugee admissions and new visas for travellers from six Muslim-majority nations -- including Sudan. It came after a first ban -- which had also included Iraq -- was frozen by US federal courts. Khartoum's decision to summon Koutsis came two days after it issued an angry reaction to Trump's new visa ban. "Sudanese citizens have never been involved in any crimes or terrorism in the United States," Sudan said on Tuesday as it condemned Trump's revised ban. On Thursday, Sudanese under-secretary Abdelghani Al-Naiem told Koutsis that Khartoum was in fact looking forward to Washington dropping Sudan from its blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism, the ministry said. Before leaving office, president Barack Obama eased decades-old US sanctions against Sudan, but kept Khartoum on the blacklist. Sudan was designated a state sponsor of terrorism in 1993 and has been subject to a US trade embargo since 1997 over its alleged support for Islamist groups. Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was based in Khartoum from 1992 to 1996. By Associated Press BEIRUT: At least 20 civilians, including some children, were killed in suspected U.S.-coalition airstrikes on a village east of the Islamic State group's de-facto capital in Syria, activists reported Thursday, as the militants come under mounting pressure by rival U.S.-backed and Russian-backed forces in northern Syria. The report comes a day after Defense Department officials announced that the U.S. deployed 200 Marines into the region south of the Syrian-Turkish border, with heavy artillery guns to support partners the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in their campaign for Raqqa, the IS capital. The deployment reflects Washington's deeper involvement in Syria under the administration of President Donald Trump and thrusts the U.S. further into a difficult diplomatic entanglement. The SDF, seen as the most dependable Syrian fighting force against IS, withdrew from areas near its bastion Manbij to make room for the Syrian military to deploy last week. Manbij lies 70 miles (113 kilometers) northwest of Raqqa. "There is a clear coordination between the Syrian army and Kurdish forces," Syrian lawmaker Omar Osse told the AP Thursday. But the Syrian government is a pariah to Western states, and Damascus has never approved the presence of their militaries on Syrian soil. "Any presence of U.S. forces or other forces on the Syrian land, without coordination with the Syrian state, is considered a flagrant violation of the Syrian sovereignty," said Osse. The Marine deployment also risks antagonizing U.S.-NATO ally Turkey. The SDF is led by the Kurdish PYD party, which Turkey says is a terrorist organization. Also on Thursday, engineers restored two water pumping stations that feed water to the country's largest city, Aleppo, in territory captured by the Syrian government from IS militants this week, state media reported. Water should reach the city within 24 hours of starting the pumps, according to Ahmad Shami, who used to work for the city's public water utility. The engineer decided to work for the opposition's administration after rebels divided Aleppo in 2012, putting him at odds with the government. He was forced out of the city in December with the rest of the opposition on the heels of a devastating military campaign waged by the government. He spoke to the AP by text message. Aleppo, once Syria's industrial capital, suffered for years from severe water shortages as the government and opposition fighters contested the city and the Islamic State group controlled its upstream source the pumping stations at the town of Khafseh on the Euphrates River. Residents in Aleppo have depended on wells and water deliveries arranged by the government, charities and the U.N. children's agency, UNICEF. UNICEF has been trucking water to Aleppo at a cost of around $20,000 to $25,000 per day since the militants turned off the Khafseh station on Jan. 14, the agency's Damascus office told the AP. It has rehabilitated or constructed 220 wells in the city since late 2015. Imad al-Khal, 64, a resident of al-Aziziyeh neighborhood in Aleppo, told The Associated Press that municipal water hasn't reached his home in nine weeks. The water outage has affected 1.5 million to 2 million people, according to UNICEF. Pro-government forces have been marching east of Aleppo in the direction of Raqqa since December. They recaptured Khafseh earlier this week. On Thursday, government forces and their allies entered Jarrah airbase, 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of Khafseh, for the first time since 2014, the Observatory and the activist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently said. The IS group commandeered several MiG warplanes when they captured the Jarrah air base in 2014. Days later, Syrian warplanes bombed the aircraft on the runway. In the area east of Raqqa, RBSS reported at least 20 civilians were killed in airstrikes Wednesday night on Matab Village. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, however, said the strikes occurred before dawn Tuesday and killed 23 people, including eight children. It was not possible to reconcile the two accounts the Islamic State group maintains a tight grip on communications from its territory. The Observatory and RBSS get their information from closely guarded local contacts. Russian and Syrian aircraft are not known to operate in the area, according to the Observatory. The group said U.S.-led coalition aircraft were believed to behind the attack. The coalition did not confirm the strikes and there was no immediate indication which nation's aircraft were involved. BEIRUT: At least 20 civilians, including some children, were killed in suspected U.S.-coalition airstrikes on a village east of the Islamic State group's de-facto capital in Syria, activists reported Thursday, as the militants come under mounting pressure by rival U.S.-backed and Russian-backed forces in northern Syria. The report comes a day after Defense Department officials announced that the U.S. deployed 200 Marines into the region south of the Syrian-Turkish border, with heavy artillery guns to support partners the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in their campaign for Raqqa, the IS capital. The deployment reflects Washington's deeper involvement in Syria under the administration of President Donald Trump and thrusts the U.S. further into a difficult diplomatic entanglement. The SDF, seen as the most dependable Syrian fighting force against IS, withdrew from areas near its bastion Manbij to make room for the Syrian military to deploy last week. Manbij lies 70 miles (113 kilometers) northwest of Raqqa. "There is a clear coordination between the Syrian army and Kurdish forces," Syrian lawmaker Omar Osse told the AP Thursday. But the Syrian government is a pariah to Western states, and Damascus has never approved the presence of their militaries on Syrian soil. "Any presence of U.S. forces or other forces on the Syrian land, without coordination with the Syrian state, is considered a flagrant violation of the Syrian sovereignty," said Osse. The Marine deployment also risks antagonizing U.S.-NATO ally Turkey. The SDF is led by the Kurdish PYD party, which Turkey says is a terrorist organization. Also on Thursday, engineers restored two water pumping stations that feed water to the country's largest city, Aleppo, in territory captured by the Syrian government from IS militants this week, state media reported. Water should reach the city within 24 hours of starting the pumps, according to Ahmad Shami, who used to work for the city's public water utility. The engineer decided to work for the opposition's administration after rebels divided Aleppo in 2012, putting him at odds with the government. He was forced out of the city in December with the rest of the opposition on the heels of a devastating military campaign waged by the government. He spoke to the AP by text message. Aleppo, once Syria's industrial capital, suffered for years from severe water shortages as the government and opposition fighters contested the city and the Islamic State group controlled its upstream source the pumping stations at the town of Khafseh on the Euphrates River. Residents in Aleppo have depended on wells and water deliveries arranged by the government, charities and the U.N. children's agency, UNICEF. UNICEF has been trucking water to Aleppo at a cost of around $20,000 to $25,000 per day since the militants turned off the Khafseh station on Jan. 14, the agency's Damascus office told the AP. It has rehabilitated or constructed 220 wells in the city since late 2015. Imad al-Khal, 64, a resident of al-Aziziyeh neighborhood in Aleppo, told The Associated Press that municipal water hasn't reached his home in nine weeks. The water outage has affected 1.5 million to 2 million people, according to UNICEF. Pro-government forces have been marching east of Aleppo in the direction of Raqqa since December. They recaptured Khafseh earlier this week. On Thursday, government forces and their allies entered Jarrah airbase, 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of Khafseh, for the first time since 2014, the Observatory and the activist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently said. The IS group commandeered several MiG warplanes when they captured the Jarrah air base in 2014. Days later, Syrian warplanes bombed the aircraft on the runway. In the area east of Raqqa, RBSS reported at least 20 civilians were killed in airstrikes Wednesday night on Matab Village. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, however, said the strikes occurred before dawn Tuesday and killed 23 people, including eight children. It was not possible to reconcile the two accounts the Islamic State group maintains a tight grip on communications from its territory. The Observatory and RBSS get their information from closely guarded local contacts. Russian and Syrian aircraft are not known to operate in the area, according to the Observatory. The group said U.S.-led coalition aircraft were believed to behind the attack. The coalition did not confirm the strikes and there was no immediate indication which nation's aircraft were involved. By Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times EST): 7 p.m. A White House official says former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. is President Donald Trump's choice to be the next U.S. ambassador to Russia. Huntsman will be nominated for the diplomatic post as senior members of Trump's administration face questions about their contacts with the Russian government. The White House official spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a formal announcement. Huntsman served as the ambassador to China during the Obama administration and speaks Mandarin. He had been considering a Senate run in 2018, a decision that would depend on whether Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, runs again. Huntsman in October called on Trump to drop out of the presidential race after the release of a recording on which Trump bragged about groping women. __ 6:25 p.m. If it's St. Patrick's Day, it means Ireland's prime minister will be at the White House. White House spokesman Sean Spicer says Taoiseach (TEE'-shuk) Enda Kenny will make the traditional St. Patrick's Day visit with President Donald Trump this year on March 16. That's one day before the official holiday, though it's not unusual for the meeting to fall on a day other than March 17. House Speaker Paul Ryan announced earlier this week that Kenny and Trump are expected to attend the annual "Friends of Ireland" luncheon on Capitol Hill, also March 16. Trump earlier this month proclaimed March as Irish-American Heritage Month. ___ 4:25 p.m. Two House Democrats say President Donald Trump was "enthusiastic" about their proposal to address the high cost of prescription drugs. Congressmen Elijah Cummings of Maryland and Peter Welch of Vermont met with Trump at the White House to discuss their plan to allow the federal government to negotiate drug prices. Cummings says the president was enthusiastic and made clear to them that he wants to do something about it. The Maryland lawmaker says he also urged Trump to consider voter suppression in any voter fraud investigation. Cummings also told Trump that most black neighborhoods are not places of depression in response to how the president referred to inner cities as "ghettos" during his campaign. Cummings says, "I think he got it." __ 4:20 p.m. The White House is struggling to answer whether it believes President Donald Trump is the target of a counterintelligence investigation. When first asked whether Trump is the subject of such a probe, press secretary Sean Spicer said the White House needed to find that out. He said that's why Trump has asked Congress to include that issue in its investigation into Russian involvement in the 2016 campaign. Minutes later, an aide handed Spicer a note, prompting him to revise his response. Spicer then said the White House has no reason to believe Trump is the target of "any investigation, whatsoever." Over the weekend, Trump alleged on Twitter that then-President Barack Obama had Trump's telephones tapped during last year's presidential election. Trump cited no evidence. An Obama spokesman denies the allegation. WASHINGTON (AP) The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times EST): 7 p.m. A White House official says former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. is President Donald Trump's choice to be the next U.S. ambassador to Russia. Huntsman will be nominated for the diplomatic post as senior members of Trump's administration face questions about their contacts with the Russian government. The White House official spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a formal announcement. Huntsman served as the ambassador to China during the Obama administration and speaks Mandarin. He had been considering a Senate run in 2018, a decision that would depend on whether Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, runs again. Huntsman in October called on Trump to drop out of the presidential race after the release of a recording on which Trump bragged about groping women. __ 6:25 p.m. If it's St. Patrick's Day, it means Ireland's prime minister will be at the White House. White House spokesman Sean Spicer says Taoiseach (TEE'-shuk) Enda Kenny will make the traditional St. Patrick's Day visit with President Donald Trump this year on March 16. That's one day before the official holiday, though it's not unusual for the meeting to fall on a day other than March 17. House Speaker Paul Ryan announced earlier this week that Kenny and Trump are expected to attend the annual "Friends of Ireland" luncheon on Capitol Hill, also March 16. Trump earlier this month proclaimed March as Irish-American Heritage Month. ___ 4:25 p.m. Two House Democrats say President Donald Trump was "enthusiastic" about their proposal to address the high cost of prescription drugs. Congressmen Elijah Cummings of Maryland and Peter Welch of Vermont met with Trump at the White House to discuss their plan to allow the federal government to negotiate drug prices. Cummings says the president was enthusiastic and made clear to them that he wants to do something about it. The Maryland lawmaker says he also urged Trump to consider voter suppression in any voter fraud investigation. Cummings also told Trump that most black neighborhoods are not places of depression in response to how the president referred to inner cities as "ghettos" during his campaign. Cummings says, "I think he got it." __ 4:20 p.m. The White House is struggling to answer whether it believes President Donald Trump is the target of a counterintelligence investigation. When first asked whether Trump is the subject of such a probe, press secretary Sean Spicer said the White House needed to find that out. He said that's why Trump has asked Congress to include that issue in its investigation into Russian involvement in the 2016 campaign. Minutes later, an aide handed Spicer a note, prompting him to revise his response. Spicer then said the White House has no reason to believe Trump is the target of "any investigation, whatsoever." Over the weekend, Trump alleged on Twitter that then-President Barack Obama had Trump's telephones tapped during last year's presidential election. Trump cited no evidence. An Obama spokesman denies the allegation. By Associated Press UNITED NATIONS: The United States on Wednesday rejected China's proposal for a halt to joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises if North Korea suspends its nuclear and missile activities. It called North Korean leader Kim Jong Un irrational and demanded "positive action" before the U.S. can take his regime seriously. In Washington, U.S. State Department acting spokesman Mark Toner said, "At this point we don't see it as a viable deal." A Pentagon spokesman, Cmdr. Gary Ross, said U.S. activities to defend South Korea "cannot be equated to North Korea's repeated violations of its obligations and agreements." The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, told reporters after an emergency Security Council meeting on North Korea's latest ballistic missile launches that the United States must see "some sort of positive action" by Kim's regime before discussing ways to reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula. "They've given us enough reason to think how irresponsible that they are that we ever try and think that we're dealing with a rational person on this," she said. Earlier Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi proposed the freeze-for-freeze, likening escalating tensions between the North and Washington and Seoul to "two accelerating trains, coming toward each other with neither side willing to give way." The idea was rejected by South Korea and Japan as well as the U.S. Haley said the military drills are especially needed now after North Korea conducted two nuclear tests and 24 ballistic missile launches last year and two sets of missile launches and the assassination of Kim Jong Un's estranged brother using a chemical weapon this year. ALSO READ: China says North Korea could suspend nukes for halt in US drills She also defended the upcoming deployment of a U.S. missile defense system in South Korea, a move that has been strongly opposed by China. She said America would not leave its ally facing the threat from North Korea without help. "We have not seen any goodwill at all coming from North Korea," Haley said. "I appreciate all my counterparts wanting to talk about talks and negotiations, (but) we are not dealing with a rational person." With any other country, the United States would be seeking negotiations, she said. "This is not a rational person, who has not had rational acts, who is not thinking clearly," Haley said of North Korea's leader. "This is someone who is trying to get attention. This is someone who is trying to get a reaction." Haley said the United States is re-evaluating how it is going to deal with North Korea going forward "and we are making those decisions now and will act accordingly." "We're not ruling anything out and we're considering every option that's on the table," she said. South Korean Ambassador Cho Tae-yul also rejected the idea of a North Korean nuclear freeze in exchange for halting U.S.-South Korea military exercises, which he stressed are defensive in nature. "Linking this exercise to anything else, which is illegal nuclear and missile provocation by North Korea, is inappropriate and unacceptable, and I think this is just trying to link the unlinkable," he said. "All kinds of options have been exhausted so far," Cho said, "So the only available means to change the North Korean behavior fundamentally is to continue to keep up the pressure and sanctions on North Korea." Japan's U.N. ambassador, Koro Bessho, said that "at the starting point we need some assurances they are serious about the denuclearization." "So Japan's position is that it's not freeze-for-freeze but it's denuclearization that we're looking for," Bessho said. But Chinese Ambassador Liu Jieyi warned that "if you look at ... the development of events now on the Korean Peninsula there's a real danger, there's a real risk." The alternative to China's proposal "would be escalation of tension, and the situation may get out of control," he told The Associated Press and two other reporters. "We should avoid any worsening of the situation, or still any conflict, any sparks triggering a larger-scale conflict or even war on the Korean Peninsula," Liu said. "That's not something that's in the interest of anyone." He said implementing China's proposal "shouldn't be hard" if there is political will, but "it would take the agreement of all the sides to get this result." When asked whether China had a commitment from North Korea to freeze testing, he told the AP that "we have been talking to various parties concerned about this." Haley said talks are one option on the table for U.S. consideration along with many others that she declined to specify. She said other Security Council members would also all be discussing with their capitals what to do next on North Korea. Japan's Bessho said three of the missiles launched Sunday night landed in his country's exclusive economic zone where fishermen troll for squid. He said the North Korean military unit that conducted the launches is tasked with striking U.S. military bases in Japan when necessary. "This shows us they are serious in these aggressive actions," Bessho said, calling the North's actions "a serious matter for the whole world." He welcomed the Security Council's reaction late Tuesday, which was stronger than after previous launches. The council strongly condemned the North's missile tests, "increasingly destabilizing behavior" and defiance of the council's resolutions. It said the missile activity increases tensions in the region and beyond, and risks a regional arms race. The Security Council has already imposed six rounds of increasingly tougher sanctions on North Korea. It urged all countries to "redouble efforts" to implement them and warned of possible "further significant measures." North Korea's Foreign Ministry spokesman on Wednesday categorically rejected the council statement that labeled what he called its "routine" ballistic missile launches a threat. The spokesman reiterated that the U.S.-South Korean exercises are pushing the situation "to the brink of a nuclear war" and the North was responding with "the self-defensive right of a sovereign state." At the Security Council meeting, British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft, the current council president, said members discussed "a potential role" for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in pursuing "a united council position," but gave no details. Speaking on behalf of Britain, Rycroft backed the U.S. saying it's "very important that the first step" come from North Korea to demonstrate its commitment to denuclearization. China's Liu told the AP the Security Council must follow the situation closely "but it is key that the main players in the region refrain from doing anything that would exacerbate the current highly tense situation on the Korean Peninsula." UNITED NATIONS: The United States on Wednesday rejected China's proposal for a halt to joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises if North Korea suspends its nuclear and missile activities. It called North Korean leader Kim Jong Un irrational and demanded "positive action" before the U.S. can take his regime seriously. In Washington, U.S. State Department acting spokesman Mark Toner said, "At this point we don't see it as a viable deal." A Pentagon spokesman, Cmdr. Gary Ross, said U.S. activities to defend South Korea "cannot be equated to North Korea's repeated violations of its obligations and agreements." The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, told reporters after an emergency Security Council meeting on North Korea's latest ballistic missile launches that the United States must see "some sort of positive action" by Kim's regime before discussing ways to reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula. "They've given us enough reason to think how irresponsible that they are that we ever try and think that we're dealing with a rational person on this," she said. Earlier Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi proposed the freeze-for-freeze, likening escalating tensions between the North and Washington and Seoul to "two accelerating trains, coming toward each other with neither side willing to give way." The idea was rejected by South Korea and Japan as well as the U.S. Haley said the military drills are especially needed now after North Korea conducted two nuclear tests and 24 ballistic missile launches last year and two sets of missile launches and the assassination of Kim Jong Un's estranged brother using a chemical weapon this year. ALSO READ: China says North Korea could suspend nukes for halt in US drills She also defended the upcoming deployment of a U.S. missile defense system in South Korea, a move that has been strongly opposed by China. She said America would not leave its ally facing the threat from North Korea without help. "We have not seen any goodwill at all coming from North Korea," Haley said. "I appreciate all my counterparts wanting to talk about talks and negotiations, (but) we are not dealing with a rational person." With any other country, the United States would be seeking negotiations, she said. "This is not a rational person, who has not had rational acts, who is not thinking clearly," Haley said of North Korea's leader. "This is someone who is trying to get attention. This is someone who is trying to get a reaction." Haley said the United States is re-evaluating how it is going to deal with North Korea going forward "and we are making those decisions now and will act accordingly." "We're not ruling anything out and we're considering every option that's on the table," she said. South Korean Ambassador Cho Tae-yul also rejected the idea of a North Korean nuclear freeze in exchange for halting U.S.-South Korea military exercises, which he stressed are defensive in nature. "Linking this exercise to anything else, which is illegal nuclear and missile provocation by North Korea, is inappropriate and unacceptable, and I think this is just trying to link the unlinkable," he said. "All kinds of options have been exhausted so far," Cho said, "So the only available means to change the North Korean behavior fundamentally is to continue to keep up the pressure and sanctions on North Korea." Japan's U.N. ambassador, Koro Bessho, said that "at the starting point we need some assurances they are serious about the denuclearization." "So Japan's position is that it's not freeze-for-freeze but it's denuclearization that we're looking for," Bessho said. But Chinese Ambassador Liu Jieyi warned that "if you look at ... the development of events now on the Korean Peninsula there's a real danger, there's a real risk." The alternative to China's proposal "would be escalation of tension, and the situation may get out of control," he told The Associated Press and two other reporters. "We should avoid any worsening of the situation, or still any conflict, any sparks triggering a larger-scale conflict or even war on the Korean Peninsula," Liu said. "That's not something that's in the interest of anyone." He said implementing China's proposal "shouldn't be hard" if there is political will, but "it would take the agreement of all the sides to get this result." When asked whether China had a commitment from North Korea to freeze testing, he told the AP that "we have been talking to various parties concerned about this." Haley said talks are one option on the table for U.S. consideration along with many others that she declined to specify. She said other Security Council members would also all be discussing with their capitals what to do next on North Korea. Japan's Bessho said three of the missiles launched Sunday night landed in his country's exclusive economic zone where fishermen troll for squid. He said the North Korean military unit that conducted the launches is tasked with striking U.S. military bases in Japan when necessary. "This shows us they are serious in these aggressive actions," Bessho said, calling the North's actions "a serious matter for the whole world." He welcomed the Security Council's reaction late Tuesday, which was stronger than after previous launches. The council strongly condemned the North's missile tests, "increasingly destabilizing behavior" and defiance of the council's resolutions. It said the missile activity increases tensions in the region and beyond, and risks a regional arms race. The Security Council has already imposed six rounds of increasingly tougher sanctions on North Korea. It urged all countries to "redouble efforts" to implement them and warned of possible "further significant measures." North Korea's Foreign Ministry spokesman on Wednesday categorically rejected the council statement that labeled what he called its "routine" ballistic missile launches a threat. The spokesman reiterated that the U.S.-South Korean exercises are pushing the situation "to the brink of a nuclear war" and the North was responding with "the self-defensive right of a sovereign state." At the Security Council meeting, British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft, the current council president, said members discussed "a potential role" for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in pursuing "a united council position," but gave no details. Speaking on behalf of Britain, Rycroft backed the U.S. saying it's "very important that the first step" come from North Korea to demonstrate its commitment to denuclearization. China's Liu told the AP the Security Council must follow the situation closely "but it is key that the main players in the region refrain from doing anything that would exacerbate the current highly tense situation on the Korean Peninsula." By Associated Press MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday for talks focusing on the situation in Syria and Israeli concerns about the role of Iran and its proxies there. Greeting Netanyahu at the start of their Kremlin negotiations, Putin emphasised a high level of trust between them. Netanyahu's visit to Moscow follows his talks last month with U.S. President Donald Trump. Netanyahu praised Russia's role in fighting the Islamic State group and other radical militants in Syria. At the same time, he raised strong concern about the presence of Iranian and Hezbollah forces in Syria. "One of the things that we are fighting together is radical Islamic terrorism," Netanyahu said as he and Putin sat down for talks. "Of course, in the past year, there was significant progress in the fight against the radical Sunni Islamic terrorism led by Daesh and al-Qaida," he said, using the Arabic acronym Daesh to refer to the Islamic State group. "Russia has made a very important contribution. Naturally, we do not want this terrorism to be replaced by the radical Shiite Islamic terrorism led by Iran." Russia has sided with Iran and Hezbollah in helping support Syrian President Bashar Assad, but at the same time, it has maintained warm ties with Israel. The two nations have coordinated their actions to prevent any possible incidents between their militaries in Syria. "The threat of radical Shiite Islam threatens us no less than it does the region and the peace of the world, and I know that we are partners in the desire to prevent any kind of victory by radical Islam of any sort," Netanyahu said. Before the talks, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied media reports that Moscow has given Israel a green light to strike Hezbollah. "It has nothing to do with reality," Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. "It hasn't been discussed, and there is no talk about it." MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday for talks focusing on the situation in Syria and Israeli concerns about the role of Iran and its proxies there. Greeting Netanyahu at the start of their Kremlin negotiations, Putin emphasised a high level of trust between them. Netanyahu's visit to Moscow follows his talks last month with U.S. President Donald Trump. Netanyahu praised Russia's role in fighting the Islamic State group and other radical militants in Syria. At the same time, he raised strong concern about the presence of Iranian and Hezbollah forces in Syria. "One of the things that we are fighting together is radical Islamic terrorism," Netanyahu said as he and Putin sat down for talks. "Of course, in the past year, there was significant progress in the fight against the radical Sunni Islamic terrorism led by Daesh and al-Qaida," he said, using the Arabic acronym Daesh to refer to the Islamic State group. "Russia has made a very important contribution. Naturally, we do not want this terrorism to be replaced by the radical Shiite Islamic terrorism led by Iran." Russia has sided with Iran and Hezbollah in helping support Syrian President Bashar Assad, but at the same time, it has maintained warm ties with Israel. The two nations have coordinated their actions to prevent any possible incidents between their militaries in Syria. "The threat of radical Shiite Islam threatens us no less than it does the region and the peace of the world, and I know that we are partners in the desire to prevent any kind of victory by radical Islam of any sort," Netanyahu said. Before the talks, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied media reports that Moscow has given Israel a green light to strike Hezbollah. "It has nothing to do with reality," Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. "It hasn't been discussed, and there is no talk about it." By AFP LOS ANGELES: The top prosecutor in the state of Washington said Thursday that his office was filing a motion to block President Donald Trump's revised travel ban targeting citizens of six Muslim-majority countries. Attorney General Bob Ferguson, whose state was the first to sue over Trump's initial travel ban that created chaos worldwide and was eventually blocked, said at least three other states are expected to join the new legal battle. He said his motion calls on an existing injunction against the travel ban issued in January to be applied to the new directive. "We're asserting that the president cannot unilaterally declare himself free of the court's restraining order and injunction," Ferguson told reporters. "It's our view that the temporary restraining order that we've already obtained remains in effect." He said although the revised order issued on Monday was narrower in scope, it still could be challenged on constitutional grounds. Hawaii on Tuesday filed the first legal challenge to the new executive order. The new order denies US entry to all refugees for 120 days and halts for 90 days the granting of visas to nationals from Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Sudan. It is due to take effect on March 16. The first order had also applied to citizens of Iraq but the country was dropped from the new list. LOS ANGELES: The top prosecutor in the state of Washington said Thursday that his office was filing a motion to block President Donald Trump's revised travel ban targeting citizens of six Muslim-majority countries. Attorney General Bob Ferguson, whose state was the first to sue over Trump's initial travel ban that created chaos worldwide and was eventually blocked, said at least three other states are expected to join the new legal battle. He said his motion calls on an existing injunction against the travel ban issued in January to be applied to the new directive. "We're asserting that the president cannot unilaterally declare himself free of the court's restraining order and injunction," Ferguson told reporters. "It's our view that the temporary restraining order that we've already obtained remains in effect." He said although the revised order issued on Monday was narrower in scope, it still could be challenged on constitutional grounds. Hawaii on Tuesday filed the first legal challenge to the new executive order. The new order denies US entry to all refugees for 120 days and halts for 90 days the granting of visas to nationals from Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Sudan. It is due to take effect on March 16. The first order had also applied to citizens of Iraq but the country was dropped from the new list. Who are Newport's top taxpayers? Take a look at the top 50. Copy Editor/Entertainment Editor Frank Pieper is a copy editor and entertainment editor at The News-Gazette, and the author of Frank's Faves and Frank's Weekend Faves. His email is fpieper@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@frp308). Champaign, IL (61820) Today Sunshine and some clouds. High 58F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Mostly cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy late. Low 38F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Reporter Debra Pressey is a reporter covering health care at The News-Gazette. Her email is dpressey@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@DLPressey). Columnist Tom Kacich is a columnist and the author of Tom's Mailbag at The News-Gazette. His column appears Sundays. His email is tkacich@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@tkacich). Reporter Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk). Reporter/Columnist Julie Wurth is a reporter covering the University of Illinois at The News-Gazette. Her email is jwurth@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@jawurth). Opening up narrowed veins from the brain and spinal cord is not effective in treating multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study led by the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health. The conclusions about the so-called "liberation therapy," which thousands of people with MS have undergone since 2009, represent the most definitive debunking of the claim that patients could achieve dramatic improvements from a one-time medical procedure. "We hope these findings, coming from a carefully controlled, 'gold standard' study, will persuade people with MS not to pursue liberation therapy, which is an invasive procedure that carries the risk of complications, as well as significant financial cost," said Dr. Anthony Traboulsee, a UBC Associate Professor of Neurology and Director of the MS Clinic at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health. "Fortunately, there are a range of drug treatments for MS that have been proven, through rigorous studies, to be safe and effective at slowing the disease progression." To get the most reliable evidence, the study had some people undergo a "sham" procedure - the surgical equivalent of a placebo. All 104 participants had a catheter inserted into their blocked veins, but only 49 had their vessel walls pushed out by inflating a small balloon, known as venoplasty. A year later, the venoplasty group's results were statistically the same as those in the sham group, as measured by brain imaging, standard assessments of MS symptoms and the patients' own self-assessments. The findings from the $5.4 million study, jointly funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the MS Society of Canada, and the Provinces of British Columbia, Manitoba and Quebec, were presented today, March 8, at the Society for Interventional Radiology's annual scientific meeting in Washington, D.C. The researchers are now preparing an article to be published in a peer-reviewed journal. Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease, in which the body's own defenses attack the protective coating of brain cells, or neurons. The degradation of that insulation slows the neurons' ability to conduct electrical signals, leading to problems with movement, sensation and cognitive function. The causes of the disease remain unknown, though research has implicated genetic variations and environmental factors, including a lack of Vitamin D. Using venoplasty as an MS treatment was put forward by Dr. Paolo Zamboni of Italy, who asserted that narrowing of the veins in the neck could be causing iron to accumulate in the brain and spinal cord, triggering the autoimmune response. He called his theory chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI), and cited several dozen cases of patients who improved after undergoing venoplasty by him. Neuroscience eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today Many patients in Canada and Europe, upon learning of those anecdotal results through the news media, asked for imaging of their veins and subsequent venoplasty. But almost all Canadian physicians, citing the lack of supporting evidence, would not perform it, prompting some patients to seek the treatment in the U.S., Latin America and Eastern Europe. Researchers from across Canada, led by the UBC and Vancouver Coastal Health team, conducted two major studies, seeking more evidence on the CCSVI theory. One study, supported by the MS Society of Canada, sought to determine if narrowed veins was a distinct feature of MS; the other tested the proposed treatment. The first study, published in The Lancet in 2013, found that narrowing was just as common in both groups - in fact, it was even more common than Zamboni had described. Those findings raised serious questions about Zamboni's theory. "Despite the negative findings of that diagnostic study, many patients wanted to know if the venous dilation procedure could help," said Dr. Lindsay Machan, a UBC Associate Professor of Radiology who presented the findings at today's interventional radiology conference. "We were committed to meticulously evaluating this treatment with robust methods and patient-focused outcomes." The 104 people in the latest study - in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Montreal and Quebec City - all had MS and narrowing of the jugular vein, which drains blood from the brain, or the azygos vein, which drains blood from the spinal cord. The study was "double-blinded": Neither the patients nor the physicians who evaluated them knew who was receiving the actual treatment or the sham procedure. All patients were put under minor sedation, and all of them had a catheter threaded through an incision in the groin to the area of vessel narrowing. For those receiving the actual treatment, the balloon was inflated once or twice; for those receiving the sham, the catheter simply remained in the narrowed area for the same amount of time, about one minute. The researchers found no statistically significant difference between the treatment group and the sham group in patient symptoms, either as reported by the patients or as determined by physicians, three days after the procedure and a year later. Patients in both groups reported slight but equal improvements a year later; physician assessments showed no improvement in either group. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of their brains was used to count the number of new lesions in their myelin, and researchers found no difference after six months and after one year between the treatment group and the sham group. A review of previous studies about how women manage menopause symptoms has found that they frequently use alternative treatments but often do not inform their doctors about them. The study, which was accepted and published online by the journal Maturitas, is written by University of Delaware student Dunia Tonob and faculty member Melissa Melby, associate professor of anthropology. Tonob, a senior majoring in anthropology, is the first author on the paper, an accomplishment Melby calls "remarkable" for an undergraduate. In the collaboration with Melby, Tonob conducted a literature review collecting, assessing and synthesizing previously published information on the subject of menopause and what is called CAM, or complementary and alternative medicine. It had been about seven years since such a wide-ranging review was undertaken, said Melby, who specializes in the biological and medical aspects of anthropology. "We wanted to step back and take a broader view of how physicians can relate to their patients who may or may not be using CAM," Tonob said. She and Melby looked at three types of health approaches that are considered complementary or alternative: natural products, such as herbal or soy remedies; mind-body practices, including yoga and meditation; and traditional Chinese and Japanese (Kampo) medicine. "Menopausal women use alternative medicine at very high rates," Melby said, often because they don't feel that biomedical treatments have been helpful or that such treatments are too aggressive. In turn, she said, doctors often seem dismissive of CAM and can be quick to label any benefits a woman experiences as a placebo effect. The study she and Tonob conducted seeks to raise awareness among healthcare providers about the use of CAM and open lines of communication with their patients. "Biomedical practitioners who make an effort to learn about CAM and ask patients about their CAM use or interest may dramatically improve the patient-provider relationship and rapport," they write in a summary of their paper. "By working with women to integrate their CAM-related health-seeking behaviors and treatments, providers may also boost the efficacy of their own biomedical treatments." The collaboration came about when Tonob, who plans to become a doctor, approached Melby about ways to raise her writing skills to a higher academic level. She excelled at writing assignments for her courses but wanted to get experience in the kinds of scientific writing that is done for professional publications. Melby, who has conducted research in Japan and on alternative remedies used in menopause, was considering a request from Maturitas for a literature review on the subject. Tonob, who was writing a senior thesis about how people use alternative medicine, had also spent time shadowing doctors in China as a Plastino Scholar last year. Tonob's interests and abilities made her a great fit for the Maturitas project, Melby said. "Writing for publication is a very different process than writing for class," said Tonob, recalling the numerous revisions and rewrites she and Melby did in preparing the paper for submission. "I'm very happy that I got this experience in writing for a wider audience than a class paper." Tonob plans to attend medical school, but she's first taking time to earn a master's degree in medical anthropology at Oxford University, which she will attend in the fall. Providing direct care to patients remains her career goal, she said, "but I also fell in love with the field" of medical anthropology. A team of researchers repaired a hole in a mouse's skull by regrowing "quality bone," a breakthrough that could drastically improve the care of people who suffer severe trauma to the skull or face. The work by a joint team of Northwestern University and University of Chicago researchers was a resounding success, showing that a potent combination of technologies was able to regenerate the skull bone with supporting blood vessels in just the discrete area needed without developing scar tissue -- and more rapidly than with previous methods. "The results are very exciting," said Guillermo Ameer, professor of biomedical engineering at Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering, and professor of surgery at Feinberg School of Medicine. Supported by the China Scholarship Council, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, Chicago Community Trust, and National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, the research was published last week in the journal PLOS One. Russell Reid, associate professor of surgery at the University of Chicago Medical Center, is the article's corresponding author. Reid, his long-time collaborator Dr. Tong-Chuan He, and colleagues in Hyde Park brought the surgical and biological knowledge and skills. Zari P. Dumanian, affiliated with the medical center's surgery department, was the paper's first author. "This project was a true collaborative team effort in which our Regenerative Engineering Laboratory provided the biomaterials expertise," Ameer said. Injuries or defects in the skull or facial bones are very challenging to treat, often requiring the surgeon to graft bone from the patient's pelvis, ribs, or elsewhere, a painful procedure in itself. Difficulties increase if the injury area is large or if the graft needs to be contoured to the angle of the jaw or the cranial curve. But if all goes well with this new approach, it may make painful bone grafting obsolete. In the experiment, the researchers harvested skull cells from the mouse and engineered them to produce a potent protein to promote bone growth. They then used Ameer's hydrogel, which acted like a temporary scaffolding, to deliver and contain these cells to the affected area. It was the combination of all three technologies that proved so successful, Ameer said. Using calvaria or skull cells from the subject meant the body didn't reject those cells. The protein, BMP9, has been shown to promote bone cell growth more rapidly than other types of BMPs. Importantly, BMP9 also appeared to improve the creation of blood vessels in the area. Being able to safely deliver skull cells that are capable of rapidly regrowing bone in the affected site, in vivo as opposed to using them to grow bone in the laboratory, which would take a very long time, promises a therapy that might be more "surgeon friendly, if you will, and not too complicated to scale up for the patients," Ameer said. The scaffolding developed in Ameer's laboratory, which is a material based on citric acid and called PPCN-g, is a liquid that when warmed to body temperature becomes a gel-like elastic material. "When applied, the liquid, which contains cells capable of producing bone, will conform to the shape of the bone defect to make a perfect fit," Ameer said. "It then stays in place as a gel, localizing the cells to the site for the duration of the repair." As the bone regrows, the PPCN-g is reabsorbed by the body. "What we found is that these cells make natural-looking bone in the presence of the PPCN-g," Ameer said. "The new bone is very similar to normal bone in that location." In fact, the three-part method was successful on a number of fronts: The regenerated bone was better quality, the bone growth was contained to the area defined by the scaffolding, the area healed much more quickly, and the new and old bone were continuous with no scar tissue. The potential, if the procedure can be adapted to treat people that suffered trauma from car accidents or aggressive cancers that have affected the skull or face, would be huge, and give surgeons a much-sought-after option. "The reconstruction procedure is a lot easier when you can harvest a few cells, make them produce the BMP9 protein, mix them in the PPCN-g solution, and apply it to the bone defect site to jump-start the new bone growth process where you want it." Ameer said. Ameer cautioned that the technology is years away to being used in humans, but added, "We did show proof of concept that we can heal large defects in the skull that would normally not heal on their own using a protein, cells and a new material that come together in a completely new way. Our team is very excited about these findings and the future of reconstructive surgery." A study published in the journal Health Communications shows that women at high risk for breast cancer who received a letter informing them of their options for additional imaging with contrast-enhanced MRI of the breast (in addition to a letter sent to their primary care physician) were more likely to return to the center for additional screening with MRI. The letter, which is included in the published paper, may help breast imaging centers navigate the complex legal, ethical and institutional landscapes in a way that increases the likelihood that women will follow through with American Cancer Society breast cancer screening recommendations for adjunct breast screening in women at elevated risk. The project is a collaboration between Invision Sally Jobe Breast Centers, which contributed the de-identified data, and researchers from the University of Colorado Cancer Center, University of Colorado School of Medicine Department of Radiology and the Colorado School of Public Health. "Invision Sally Jobe Breast Centers screen about 65,000 women every year for breast cancer and some of these women are at high risk. When Invision Sally Jobe Breast Centers adopted the American Cancer Society recommendations for breast cancer screening, they first only informed referring physicians. Invision Sally Jobe Breast Centers later went on to adopt the practice of informing women of these recommendations directly, in addition to the physicians. So we have a natural experiment where we can compare the two methods of communication," explains Deborah Glueck, PhD, the paper's senior author. Dr. Glueck is a CU Cancer Center investigator and associate professor of radiology and biostatistics at the Colorado School of Public Health. The paper compares rates of follow-up MRI for women found to have greater than 20 percent risk according to the widely used Gail model risk assessment. The study was split into two periods - one in which the recommendation for additional screening was communicated via letter only to a woman's primary care physician, and one in which recommendations were communicated via letters to both the woman and to her primary care physician. When women were sent a letter informing them of the American Cancer Society additional breast screening recommendations for women at elevated lifetime risk, follow-up screening with breast MRI increased significantly. "In an earlier study, we noticed that only a small percentage of women were coming back for MRI. This paper is the result of us wondering why," says John Brinton, PhD, assistant research professor at the Colorado School for Public Health, the paper's first author. However, the researchers point out that their results do not necessarily prove that direct communication caused the increase in follow-up screening. Because this was an observational study, the increase in follow-up screening could have been due to unrelated factors - what the researchers call "secular trends" - such as current events or changes in culture that could have influenced attitudes about MRI screening in these high risk patients. "We show that this kind of communication is associated with an increased rate of women returning for breast cancer screening with MRI," Glueck says. "But the thing I really care about is whether risk assessment, good communication and breast cancer screening actually save lives, or just cause harms from additional screening." This is the central question of Glueck and Brinton's continuing line of research. Just now, with data collection pre- and post-adoption of ACS guidelines by many thousands of patients at the Invision Sally Jobe Breast Centers, and with the hope for continued research funding, the team may be able to gather the resources needed to answer Glueck's larger question. Cabozantinib, a drug already used to treat patients with certain types of thyroid or kidney cancer, was able to eradicate invasive prostate cancers in mice by causing tumor cells to secrete factors that entice neutrophils - the first-responders of the immune system - to infiltrate the tumor, where they triggered an immune response that led to tumor clearance. The drug, marketed as Cometriq, enhances the release of specific chemical signals, known as CXCL12 and HMGB1, from prostate cancer cells. These signals cause the neutrophils, produced in the bone marrow, to flock to the tumor and attack the cancerous cells. In mice with aggressive prostate cancer, it produced near-complete clearance of invasive prostate cancers within 48 to 72 hours. The authors of this study (published online March 8, 2017, in Cancer Discovery) note that this is the first demonstration that a drug of this type (a tyrosine kinase inhibitor) could activate innate anti-tumor immunity, resulting in the eradication of invasive cancer. They also suggest it could be used as part of a novel approach to combination cancer immunotherapy. "We saw dramatic anti-tumor responses," said the study's lead author and investigator, medical oncologist and physician-scientist Akash Patnaik, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Director of the Developmental Therapeutics Laboratory and Attending Physician within the Genitourinary Oncology Program at the University of Chicago Medicine. "We used a difficult-to-treat, aggressive prostate cancer mouse model. We were very surprised to see complete eradication of the most invasive, poorly differentiated tumors within days." "The results of this study were really unexpected," said co-author Lewis Cantley, PhD, the Meyer Director of the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. Cabozantinib, FDA approved in 2012 for metastatic medullary thyroid cancer and in 2015 for advanced renal cell carcinoma, was recently tested in the COMET-1 trial in men with metastatic prostate cancer. But the results were disappointing. Some of the patients had a good response, but many did not. "Why some of these patients responded and others did not was unclear," Cantley said. Following the dramatic results in a subset of advanced prostate cancer patients in the Phase II trial, Patnaik and colleagues began testing the drug in the lab. In their mouse model for prostate cancer, cabozantinib caused dramatic shrinkage of the tumors within a few days. But when tested on prostate cancer cell lines in a petri dish, it had relatively little effect. Why was there a dramatic in vivo effect with little ex vivo effect? Patnaik and colleagues wondered. "The drug was not actually killing the tumor cells," Cantley said. "Instead, it was inducing them to release factors that stimulated an attack by the innate immune system." The key was the neutrophil-attracting chemical signals CXCL12 and HMGB1, released by tumor cells. When the researchers blocked production of these signals, the drug was no longer effective. The neutrophils - Patnaik refers to them as the "suicide bombers of the immune system" - never engaged in battle. "Our findings could also explain why some patients in the COMET-1 trial did not benefit from the drug," Patnaik said. "This Phase-III trial included patients who had already received aggressive chemotherapy, which may have compromised their immune systems." While additional research is being done to understand how cabozantinib accomplishes this effect, "this paper raises the possibility that a new class of drugs could be developed to treat cancers by stimulating attack by neutrophils," Cantley said. For several years now, the most exciting development in cancer research has been the emergence of immunotherapies, especially checkpoint blockade drugs such as ipilimumab, nivolumab and pembrolizumab that enable the adaptive immune system, in this case T cells, to enter and attack tumors. But there has been little attention paid to inducing the innate immune system, such as neutrophils, to go after tumors. "Neutrophils can be just as potent as T cells," Patnaik stated. He now hopes to use them in combination. "Based on our results showing that cabozantinib can activate innate immunity and overcome an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, we are planning clinical trials to test the combination of cabozantinib and T cell checkpoint immunotherapy in specific subtypes of advanced kidney and prostate cancer. Our goal," Patnaik said, "is to enhance long-term anti-cancer responses from activating both innate and adaptive immunotherapy." New premises to support growth in customer delivery and support opened by International Trade Minister Ellutia Chromatography Solutions, the world-renowned gas chromatography instruments and solutions company, officially opened its new state-of-the-art facility in Lancaster Way Business Park, Ely, on 28th February 2017, consolidating its offices, laboratories, production and warehouse on one site. Ellutia is the first occupier within the Enterprise Zone at the business park and the official opening was attended by Mark Garnier, Minister in the Department for International Trade and Lucy Frazer, MP for South East Cambridgeshire. Mark Garnier with Phillip James The new premises covers 15,000 sq. ft. and the investment made supports the companys vision to be a world leader in the design and production of innovative and unique gas chromatography instruments. The site will give Ellutia the room for its planned growth, with an expected increase in staff levels by 40% over the next two years. Mark Garnier, Minister in the Department for International Trade, said: Ellutia are the embodiment of Cambridges enterprising spirit and show what can be achieved when UK companies take advantage of the global demand for our products and services. With ambitious plans to increase their exports and break into new markets, my department will continue to support them as they achieve their potential. Lucy Frazer, MP for South East Cambridgeshire, said: It was superb to visit Ellutia in its new premises. Ellutia is a growing business operating in a significant market and it was interesting to hear about their current exports and plans for growth. Philip James, Managing Director at Ellutia commented: Ellutias long term strategy focuses on evolving and enhancing our product offerings, continually improving service to our customers and strengthening the network of R&D companies in the Cambridge area. He added: A key consideration for us when choosing this location was our staff. By being based outside the city of Cambridge, our employees enjoy the travel benefits and lower cost of living Ely offers. But we are still in close proximity to Cambridge and London, where much scientific innovation takes place with the help of our instruments. Based in Ely, Cambridgeshire, UK, Ellutia (Formerly Cambridge Scientific Instruments Ltd) has been developing and manufacturing chromatography instrumentation and providing gas chromatography solutions for over 20 years. Ellutia also specialises in the customisation of these products, collaborating closely with customers to produce, install and support systems to fit their exact requirements. Ellutia has regional offices in both the USA and Germany as well as distributors around the world. Chromatography is a versatile analytical technique used to separate a mixture into its individual components. Chromatography instruments are used in the food and beverage, chemical, semiconductor industries; and environmental testing. Source: https://www.ellutia.com/2017/02/28/ellutia-chromatography-solutions-unveils-state-art-new-headquarters-cambridge-uk/ Pittcon 2017 commenced with a fascinating talk by world-renowned optogenetics expert Dr. Karl Deisseroth, D.H. Chen Professor of Bioengineering, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University and Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Optogenetics allows neuroscientists to play in information to the brain by using light to target specific cells. The technique overcomes the challenges of observations and correlations and enables the ability to address causality. Dr Deisseroth outlined emerging insight into how optogenetic proteins work and how his team are building new optogenetic approaches based on this deeper understanding. Dr. Karl Deisseroth (right) and April Cashin-Garbutt (left) The depth of knowledge now achievable was a theme that continued throughout Pittcon. Thermo Fisher Scientific described their focus on allowing users to go from sample to knowledge in order to make the world a healthier, cleaner and safer place. In addition to mass spectroscopy and their newly obtained strength in electron microscopy, through the recent acquisition of FEI, Thermo Fisher Scientific announced at Pittcon the expansion of their informatics capabilities to help customers turn data into actionable knowledge. Data of course plays a large role in many areas of science including genomics. The Twenty-Eighth Annual Waters Symposium at Pittcon 2017 focused on the advances in genomic analysis technologies. Speakers included Professor David Walt, Scientific Founder of Illumina, Inc., and also Jay Flatley, Executive Chairman and previously President and CEO of Illumina, Inc. The Waters Symposium recognized the history, science, and applications of the technologies developed by Illumina, Inc. In his second talk, which took place on 8 March, Professor Walt focused on the single molecule array (Simoa) technology and how it has been applied to the analysis of cultured cancer cells. Dr Chad Mirkin giving a talk at Pittcon 2017 Advances in cancer research were also described by Dr. Chad Mirkin who spoke of the therapeutic potential of spherical nucleic acids as potent immunomodulation agents for cancer therapy and the development of cancer vaccines. Dr. Mirkin explained the exciting phenomenon of the internalization of spherical nucleic acids into cells via scavenger receptors and how they recognize and bind much more tightly than linear nucleic acids. It is hoped that the cancer vaccine will go into human clinical trials later this year. The pharmaceutical market was also a big focus for Bruker this year who showcased a selection of innovative high-performance systems and high-value analytical solutions at Pittcon including the exciting new MALDI PharmaPulse 2.0 system that enables pharmaceutical label-free ultra-high throughput screening (UHTS) for primary screens of millions of compounds at significantly lower cost. Frank H. Laukien, Ph.D., the Bruker President and CEO, explained how the new system can measure up to 10 different samples per second, a 100- to 1000-fold increase in speed and throughput for mass spectrometry-based, label-free screening, with seamless integration into third-party UHTS robotics solutions. Professor Jonathan Sweedler, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, also described how MALDI can be used to perform single cell profiling at high-throughput enabling the analysis of 10,000 cells at a time. During his talk he explained how they take a sample from a brain region and use this approach to probe the neuropeptides and some of the lipids and small molecules in those cells. Following the high-throughput profiling, other techniques can then be used to learn more about the rare cells. Many high-throughput systems could also be found at the Pittcon 2017 exhibition including the award-winning analytical ultracentrifuge, the Optima AUC, from Beckman Coulter Life Sciences, which enables macromolecular characterization in solution and delivers up to 7 samples in a single run. Beckman Coulter Life Sciences award-winning Optima AUC at Pittcon 2017 Neutec Group Inc. showcased their multispectral imaging system VideometerLab 4, which can measure color, texture, shape, size, orientation and gloss, providing product and process information in many areas. Applications include pharmaceutical screening for contamination; forensic analysis and microbiological culture monitoring and automation. Automation was also another common theme and Vitl Life Science Solutions exhibited several of their products including the Ther-Mix heated mixer, which allows users to store up to 100 mixing programs with multiple heating and mixing steps. Steve Knight at Porvair Sciences Porvair Sciences were demoing their new Autocapper, a versatile electronic applicator that enables friction sample seals to be quickly and securely applied to both microplates and microtube racks. They also showcased their genomics plates with reinforced ribs to avoid contamination. Overcoming contamination was also a theme for MilliporeSigma who announced the global launch of the seventh-generation Milli-Q water purification innovation, which marks the 50th anniversary of their first water purification system. Contamination detection was also covered by Bob Clifford, General Manager for Shimadzu, who described the challenges of analyzing both contamination and potency in cannabis. To help tackle these challenges Shimadzu have announced the launch of the new Cannabis Analyzer for Potency. Overall there were many great talks and symposiums at Pittcon this year, a wealth of analytical solutions on show at the exhibition and the conference will return next year in Orlando, Florida Feb. 26 Mar. 1, 2018. What Pittcon Can do for You Play What Pittcon Can do for You from AZoNetwork on Vimeo. When David Gisselsson Nord, a cancer researcher at Lund University in Sweden, read a history book last summer, he was struck by the similarities between how cancer and insurgencies evolve over time. Could military strategy be used as inspiration for cancer treatment? He teamed up with Robert Egnell at the Swedish Defence University to find an entirely novel approach to his field. There are actually a great number of similarities between the US Army's field manual on how to counter insurgencies, or COIN doctrine, and cutting edge thinking in cancer treatment," says David Gisselsson Nord, a pathologist and cancer researcher at Lund University in Sweden. A core principle is that you don't succeed simply by defeating the enemy; you also have to win the trust and loyalty of the local population - by addressing the root causes of the insurgency. A British field marshal, Sir Robert Templer, expressed it this way: 'The answer lies not in pouring more troops into the jungle, but rests in the hearts and minds of the people'," explains Robert Egnell, a strategist at the Swedish Defence University in Stockholm. Both cancer and insurgencies are complex systems of many different cells, or groups, interacting. Initially, they may both seem easy to defeat: the bulk of a tumour, a so-called major clone, is successfully treated with a high dose of chemotherapy and shrinks dramatically, or even goes away. Similary, using armed force against a guerilla can quell a major rebellion at first. The problem? There are still small genetic variants of cancer cells - or subclones - that remain throughout chemotherapy. They become resistant to treatment, and when they are no longer suppressed by the major clone, the tumour can either regrow locally or metastatise in a different part of the body. In the same way, underground paramilitary movements that aren't easy to detect can surface in the power vacuum following an intervention. They can be unpredictable, and may appear in the same province as before, or pop up in other areas. The resurgence can only happen if it is supported by the civil society of the country. Therefore, transforming society so there is no popular support for underground movements (such as finances, food and vehicles) is what ensures long term stability. When it comes to cancer, David Gisselsson Nord wonders: Genetics & Genomics eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today "Could we target the microenvironment of a patient so it doesn't support cancer? How do we harness the patient's own resources? There has been some success with immunotherapy, that is, using the body's own immune system to fight cancer. I believe there is more that could be done. Currently, we simply know too little about the host cells that allow certain cancer cells to survive and cause relapses", says David Gisselsson and Robert Egnell. A summarising tactical brief from the COIN doctrine is: shape, clear, hold, build. Shape the environment to hinder insurgencies (shape), implement a military intervention (clear), then temporarily take over responsibility for the nation (hold), only to finally rebuild the country in a sustainable manner (build). Analogous to COIN doctrine, in certain cases the focus could be on keeping the cancer in check (hold), thereby dealing with a more stable disease which responds to treatment. One way of achieving this, in theory, is to treat the tumour in such a way as to maintain the biodiversity of the main tumour, so that new types of cancer cells which are untreatable do not take over. Such strategies have rarely been investigated", David Gisselsson Nord explains. In addition, increasing numbers of studies show that physicians need to repeat biopsies and double-check biomarkers to enable continuous modification of treatment and prevent the cancer from becoming resistant. It is increasingly clear that, in most forms of cancer, the tumour's genetic code changes over time. In order to keep up with the unpredictable growth of the insurrection of cancer, the warfare must be intelligence-led and flexible. Fighting a guerrilla exclusively with military means, or conducting civil activities which are not specifically adapted to the surrounding political and social context, is doomed to fail according to Robert Egnell. "Physicians need to become better at the clinical intelligence work so that medication can be adapted to changes in the tumour's properties, because a tactic that works for one patient today does not necessarily work a few months away for the same patient", concludes David Gisselsson Nord. A foray into plant biology led one researcher to discover that a natural molecule can repair axons, the thread-like projections that carry electrical signals between cells. Axonal damage is the major culprit underlying disability in conditions such as spinal cord injury and stroke. Andrew Kaplan, a PhD candidate at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital of McGill University, was looking for a pharmacological approach to axon regeneration, with a focus on 14-3-3, a family of proteins with neuroprotective functions that have been under investigation in the laboratory of Dr. Alyson Fournier, professor of neurology and neurosurgery and senior author on the study. During his search, he found research describing how plants respond to a specific type of fungal infection. When plants are exposed to fusicoccin-A, a small molecule produced by a certain strain of fungus, the leaves of the plant wilt but the roots grow longer. Fusicoccin-A affects 14-3-3 activity by stabilizing its interactions with other proteins. Lab Diagnostics & Automation eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today "While 14-3-3 is the common denominator in this phenomenon, the identity of the other proteins involved and the resulting biological activities differ between plants and animals," says Kaplan. Kaplan theorized that fusicoccin-A could be an effective way of harnessing 14-3-3 to repair axons. To test this theory, he and his fellow researchers treated mechanically damaged neurons in culture with the molecule and observed the results. "When I looked under the microscope the following day the axons were growing like weeds, an exciting result that led us to determine that fusicoccin-A can stimulate axon repair in the injured nervous system," says Kaplan. Besides brain and spinal cord injury, axonal damage is a factor in many other disorders and diseases, including multiple sclerosis and neurodegenerative conditions. The team's discovery means that fusicoccin-A and similar molecules could be the starting point to develop drugs that treat axonal damage. Kaplan says future work should focus on better understanding the mechanisms by which fusicoccin-A improves axon repair. In particular, a protein called GCN1 holds promise. The team found that the physical bonding of 14-3-3 and GCN1 is an important factor in fusicoccin-A-induced axon growth. Now scientists can examine the function of GCN1 in the nervous system and test whether the bonding with 14-3-3 could serve as a drug target for more tailored therapies. "We have identified a novel strategy to promote axon regeneration with a family of small molecules that may be excellent candidates for future drug development," says Fournier. "This is an exciting advance because the field has struggled to find treatments and identify targets for drugs that stimulate axon repair." Researchers have been able to demonstrate the hereditary nature of certain forms of tinnitus. Bilateral tinnitus - that is, tinnitus in both ears - has been shown to depend on genetic factors, particularly in men. The twin study, which is published in the journal Genetics in Medicine, was conducted by researchers at Karolinska Institutet together with colleagues from the European research network TINNET. Ringing in the ears, a condition called tinnitus, is experienced by 15 per cent of people in Sweden as well as in Europe. For one or two per cent of the population, the symptoms are extremely distressing and impact adversely on daily activities, work and sleep. Tinnitus thus has negative social consequences for the sufferers, while being an important economic burden to society. Genetics & Genomics eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today Tinnitus prevalence increases with age and is thought to be related to a number of environmental factors but little research has been done on the subject. There are also no effective cures for the condition, due possibly to the heterogeneity of the condition. Using data from the Swedish Twin Registry, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have found evidence that in some cases tinnitus has genetic causes. "We've been able to show that different forms of tinnitus have a significant heritability and thus a dominant genetic influence over environmental factors," says Christopher R. Cederroth at Karolinska Institutet's Department of Physiology and Pharmacology. When the researchers first examined all forms of tinnitus they made the same conclusions on heritability as others have reported. It was only after grouping the subjects by sex and unilateral/bilateral tinnitus that they uncovered the genetic correlation. "This result is surprising and unexpected as it shows that, unlike the conventional view of tinnitus being driven by environmental factors, there is a genetic influence for bilateral tinnitus which is more pronounced in men" says Dr Cederroth. Their discovery also shows that bilateral and unilateral tinnitus constitute two separate sub-groups, only one of which is influenced by genetic factors. This, claims Dr Cederroth, not only has considerable clinical relevance but is also important from a public health perspective: "Tinnitus sufferers need better care and treatment than they're currently getting. We need more genetic studies and a better molecular understanding of its generation, which could open unforeseen avenues to drug development." Researchers of Ghent University analysed data on volunteering, employment and health of more than 40,000 European citizens. Their results, just published in PLOS ONE, show that volunteering is associated with better employment and health outcomes. Volunteers are as healthy as 5 years younger non-volunteers Even after controlling for other determinants of health (gender, age, education level, migrant status, religiosity and country of origin), volunteers are substantially in better health than non-volunteers. Doctoral researcher Jens Detollenaere: "This association is comparable in size to the health gains of being a man, being five years younger or being a native (compared to being a migrant)." This direct association between volunteering and health is highly statistically significant so that it is ruled out that this association is occurring by coincidence. Partly explained by higher income among volunteers When decomposing the total association between volunteering and health in a direct association and an indirect association via income, the researchers found that the indirect association accounts for about one fifth. Volunteers have, after controlling for the aforementioned personal characteristics, a higher income and this higher income is associated with better health. Professor Stijn Baert: "This finding corroborates with previous research (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2016.07.035) showing that volunteering activities on one's cv yield higher employment opportunities, especially for non-natives." Neuroscience eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today Other explanations The researchers put forward three other explanations for an association between volunteering and health. Professor Sara Willems: "Firstly, volunteering may improve access to psychological resources (such as self-esteem and self-efficacy) and social resources (such as social integration and access to support and information), both of which are found to have an overall positive effect on health. Secondly, volunteering increases physical and cognitive activity, which protects against functional decline and dementia in old age. Finally, neuroscience research has related volunteering to the release of the caregiving-related hormones oxytocin and progesterone, which have the capacity to regulate stress and inflammation." Method The research results are based on data from the sixth round of the European Social Survey (conducted in 2012 and 2013). This survey measures the beliefs, preferences and behaviour of more than 40000 citizens of 29 European countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, United Kingdom, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Albania, Iceland, Israel, Kosovo, Norway, Switzerland, Russia and Ukraine). These data were analysed by means of a state-of-the-art mediation model with self-reported volunteering and health as main variables. Source: https://www.ugent.be/en/news-events/news/volunteers-are-in-better-health.htm New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will chair a high-level meeting with Reserve Bank officials on Friday to address the issue of non-performing assets in the banking sector. The meeting, which will also be attended by Financial Services Secretary Anjuly Chib Duggal, will discuss ways of resolution of stressed assets urgently, sources said. While Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian had suggested setting up of a bad bank to deal with the problem of non-performing loans, Reserve Bank Deputy Governor Viral Acharya had floated the twin concept of Private Asset Management Company (PAMC) and National Asset Management Company (NAMC) for resolution of stressed assets. As on September 30, 2016, gross NPAs of public sector banks rose to Rs 6.3 lakh crore as against Rs 5.5 lakh crore at the end of the June quarter. This works out to an increase of Rs 79,977 crore on a quarter on quarter basis. Last month, Subramanian had said the idea of setting up a state-owned asset reconstruction company (ARC) or bad bank to deal with mounting NPAs is gaining traction and needs to be created quickly. The PAMC plan, as suggested by Acharya, could be for sectors such as metals, construction, telecom, and textiles, where the assets will have economic value in the short run. As per the plan, the banking sector may be asked to restructure about 50 large stressed exposures in these sectors by December 31, 2017. The NAMC plan could be viable for sectors where the problem is not just of excess capacity but of economically unviable assets in the near term. Berlin/New Delhi: Qatar Airways plans to set up an airline in India along with the Gulf nation's sovereign wealth fund, its chief executive Akbar Al Baker said on Thursday. This will be the first of its kind airline venture in India that would be fully-owned by overseas entities and the proposal comes nearly nine months after the Indian government allowed 100 per cent foreign direct investment in the airlines segment. Qatar Airways, which is among the top three Gulf carriers, has been exploring investment opportunities in the fast- growing Indian aviation market. "We are joining hands with the investment arm of State of Qatar to start a domestic airline in India with a 100 per cent investment," Al Baker said at a press meet in Berlin. "We are doing this because Indian government has opened up the foreign direct investment in (setting up) an airline in India," he added. While announcing the plan, Al Baker said it is yet to apply to the Indian government. Last June, India allowed foreign investors barring overseas airlines to own up to 100 per cent stake in local carriers by liberalising FDI regulations. Currently, foreign airlines are allowed to invest only up to 49 per cent in Indian carriers. However, the revised norms provide room for overseas airlines to partner with a foreign non-airline player to set up a 100 per cent foreign-owned carrier in India. While the FDI norms have been relaxed, the government is yet to amend the regulations with respect to Air Operator Permit (AOP). At present, AOP is granted only to an airline where substantial ownership is with Indian entities. On several occasions earlier, Qatar Airways which operates a significant number of flights from India to Qatar's capital city Doha had explored the possibility of buying stake in Indian budget carrier IndiGo. Hollywood star Nicole Kidman has blamed her seal-like clapping at the Oscars last month on incredibly expensive jewellery. The Lion actress has become the butt of many jokes and a laughing stock in social media memes after fans compared her odd applauding at the 89th Academy Awards to a seal flapping its flippers. Kidman finally explained her clapping technique on Australian radio interview with Kyle and Jackie O. The Big Little Lies star explained that she had rings on her fingers, making it difficult for her palms to touch together, reported Us magazine. "It was really awkward. I was like, 'I wanna clap, I don't wanna not be clapping' that'd be worse, right? Like 'Why isn't Nicole clapping?'" Kidman, 49, said. "So therefore I'm clapping but it was really difficult because I had a huge ring on that was not mine but it was absolutely gorgeous and I was terrified of damaging it." The actress turned up to the prize-giving in a sparkling Armani Prive dress and paired the embroidered gown with 119 karats of Harry Winston jewels and a vintage diamond Omega museum wristwatch - pieces worth millions of dollars altogether. Kidman says she is shocked her 'seal-clapping' has become such a major talking point, and she is convinced there are far more other interesting issues to focus on than the weird way she was applauding at the ceremony. "It's like, 'Is there not more important things to be focused on than the seal clap?'" MEGA POLL OF POLLS: NETWORK18-GRAMENER PROJECTIONS UTTAR PRADESH BJP+ SP+CONG BSP OTH 193 133 67 10 PUNJAB SAD+BJP CONG AAP+ OTH 10 53 54 0 UTTARAKHAND BJP CONG OTH 38 26 6 MANIPUR BJP CONG OTH 27 25 8 GOA BJP CONG AAP OTH 19 13 2 6 The BJP is headed for big wins in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand but is projected to suffer a drubbing with ally Akali Dal in Punjab, a poll of polls by Network18 and Gramener has projected.The Network18-Gramener projection said the BJP would win 193 seats in Uttar Pradesh, just short of the halfway mark of 202 in the 403-seat Assembly. The Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance is predicted to get 133 seats, while the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is tipped to stand third with 67 seats.Times Now-VMR poll forecast 190-210 seats for the BJP in the UP assembly, while India News-MRC gave it 185 and ABP-Lokniti CSDS 164-176 seats. If BJP wins UP, it would be a return to power for the party in the politically significant and volatile state after 15 years. The three polls projected 110-130, 120 and 156-169 seats respectively for the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance and 57-74, 90 and 60-72 seats for the Mayawati-led BSP.Among the states that went to the polls, Punjab is likely to prove as the biggest upset of all with debutant Aam Aadmi Party predicted to emerge as the single-largest party in the 117-seat Assembly. The Network18-Gramener projection said Arvind Kejriwals party is projected to get 54 seats, five short of the halfway mark. The Congress is likely to emerge as the runner-up with 53 seats, while the ruling BJP-Akali Dal combine seems headed for a massive defeat with just 10 seats.India Today-Axis exit poll predicted 62-71 seats for the Congress in 117-member Punjab assembly, a comfortable majority, and 42-51 to Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP. The Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP combine was projected to be decimated in the state which it has ruled for a decade. All polls showed the alliance getting reduced to a single digit tally. However, India TV-C Voter projected 59-67 seats for debutante AAP and 41-49 for the Congress. India News-MRC and News 24-Chanakya forecast a dead heat by giving 55 and 54 seats each to both parties.In the hill state of Uttarakhand, where the halfway mark is 36, the BJP is projected to win 38 seats. Network18-Gramener projection puts the Congress behind with 26 seats.The AXIS Exit Poll has predicted a clear majority for the saffron party with 46-53 seats. Todays Chanakya and MRC too has predicted an absolute majority for the party with 53 and 38 seats, respectively.In the coastal state of Goa, the BJP is projected to be just two seats short of the halfway mark of 21. As per the Network18-Gramener projection, the Congress will get 14 seats in the 40-seat Assembly. The AAP is not projected to have a successful debut in this state and may get six seats.The AXIS and C Voter Exit Polls have predicted a clear majority for the BJP in Goa, giving it 18-22 and 15-21 seats, respectively. The party has not projected incumbent Laxmikant Parsekar as the CM face and has hinted at Defence Minister Manohar Parrikars return to state politics.In Manipur, the BJP is predicted to fall short of the halfway mark of 31 and is predicted to get 25 seats. The Network18-Gramener projection said the Congress will win 24 seats in the 60-seat Assembly.In Manipur, others, too, predicted a close fight between the ruling Congress and the BJP. Congress has been ruling the northeastern state for the last 15 years.Counting of votes across five states will begin at 7am on Saturday, March 11.Here's a look at the Network18-Gramener projections:Gramener has considered a two-fold measure to assign weights to the agency level numbers:1. Using poll projection intervals for estimation2. Weighted based on deviation from point estimatesUsing a methodology to combine the above approaches effectively, Gramener has provided a single factor as an accuracy measure. This two factors based scheme has been found to assign weights to the agencies with higher accuracy.Poll predictions for Goa have been calculated using national numbers, as agency level detailing wasn't available for this state. Srinagar: An Army jawan was killed when Pakistan violated ceasefire barely hours after the Indian Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) expressed concern over militant movement across the Line of Control. The ceasefire was violated in Poonch sector in the afternoon. A jawan suffered bullet injuries and was shifted to hospital where he succumbed to his wound later. Regret to inform that one soldier has been martyred in a ceasefire violation in Poonch sector today, said an Army spokesman at Northern Command. The ceasefire violation comes close on the heels of talks between Indian DGMO Lieutenant General AK Bhat and his Pakistani counterpart over the telephone. Lt Gen Bhat had expressed concerns over the movement of militants on the Pakistani side of the LoC. Pakistan violated ceasefire after a brief lull given the simmering tensions on borders after surgical strikes last year. Around 18 Army and BSF soldiers and 12 civilians were killed in different ceasefire violations on the Line of Control and International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir after surgical strikes in September last. New Delhi: Attacks on Indians in the US and the anti-terror operation in Lucknow will be raised in Parliament on the first day of the second-half of Budget Session starting on Thursday. Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said on Thursday, the party will raise the issues of attack on Indians in the US and the anti-terror operation of Lucknow, in which a youth was killed, as well as the bomb blast in a train near Bhopal. "On Thursday, these two issues will be raised. We will decide on other issues to be raised in rest of the session later," Kharge said. Home Minister Rajnath Singh is expected to make a statement on both issues on Thursday, according to informed sources in the Home Ministry. Meanwhile, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has said that the government is prepared to take up any discussion opposition parties want. "The government is prepared to discuss all issues raised by the opposition subject to permission of the presiding officers," Naqvi said. The minister said that pending bills, including the ones relating to Goods and Services Tax and Enemy Property, are among those on the government's agenda. "There are 20 new bills on the agenda of the government," Naqvi told IANS. Leaders from different parties felt that the mood of the session will depend on the results of assembly elections in five states -- Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur. Asked about it, Naqvi did not deny the possible impact of the results of assembly polls to five states on the session. Bengaluru: Three students of Vidhyavaridhi International Boarding school in Tumkur district have reportedly died due to food poisoning after consuming the dinner on Wednesday. However, T.B.Jayachandra, Minister for Law, suspects foul play, as two of the three killed was his relatives. He alleges that the students were targeted and miscreants must have poisoned the kids food. The children were first taken to the Taluk hospital where they were recommended to shift them to the district hospital. When they reached the government hospital at 4am on Thursday they were declared dead. The bodies of these children have been sent for post mortem. One more student and a guard are currently undergoing treatment. The District health officials team is investigating the matter and have reached the school campus to collect food samples. The samples will be sent to food laboratory for further studies. A case of death due to negligence is booked against the management of the school and the owner ex-MLA Kiran Kumar has been arrested. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has ordered an high level inquiry into the incident and instructed the district officials to keenly follow it. Ujjain: The crackdown on terror suspects continued in Madhya Pradesh as police arrested four suspected members of Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) from Unhel in Ujjain on Thursday. Police and and intelligence agencies were on high alert after explosion in Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train close to Shajapur. The arrested suspects were being quizzed by police to know their 'plans'. Talking to media, IG Law and Order, Makrand Deuskar, has said that the police had specified inputs about any possible terror strike on trains in Madhya Pradesh. "Central agencies had again alerted state agencies post Indore-Patna train mishap," IG police said adding that GRP and RPF officers were intimated about these alerts. Meanwhile, politics began in Madhya Pradesh over contradictory statements of police and politicians over the links of terror suspects with ISIS. Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had claimed that the arrested suspects were linked to ISIS, while Uttar Pradesh ADG (Law and Order) Daljeet Chaduahry had claimed that the suspects were self-radicalised and there were no proofs to link them with ISIS. Former union minister and senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia slammed Madhya Pradesh government over SIMI jailbreaks in Khandwa and Bhopal, arrest of persons having links with Pakistan spy agency ISI, recovery of telephone exchange and recent explosion in Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train. Scindia termed these incidents as gross failure of the state government. The MP government after every incident remains busy in patting its own back, Scindia said. The Congress leaders also referred to contradictory statements of authorities in MP and UP over alleged ISIS hand in the recent train explosion. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar also said the government was very much concerned about the incidents in the US. The members went back after Speaker Sumitra Mahajan assured that they could raise the issuer during Zero Hour. Alleged hate crimes against Indians in the US are being viewed seriously by India and the government will make a statement on the matter in Parliament next week, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday.In recent weeks, at least two Indians have been killed in incidents of hate crime in the US.With Opposition members raising the issue in the Lok Sabha, Singh said the government has taken serious note of the issue.What is happening in the US is being viewed seriously by the government and a statement would be made in the Parliament next week, he said during Question Hour.As soon as the proceedings began after obituary references were made on the passing away of four former members, Opposition members raised various issues, including those related to hate crimes against Indians in the US.AIADMK members wanted to raise the issue of Sri Lankan Navy firing at Tamil fishermen. They raised slogans and trooped into the Well of the House.As a mark of respect to the departed members including former Lok Sabha Speaker Rabi Ray, the House stood in silence for a brief while.Other former members who passed away were Jambuwant Dhote, P Shiv Shanker and Syed Shahabuddin. This picture shows how much California is sinking up to 2 feet a year in some spots This picture from NASA's Earth Observatory shows how much land in California's Central Valley is sinking, due primarily to the drawing of groundwater during periods of drought. Heavy rains have fallen on many parts of the state this winter, but the image above is a reminder of the lingering effects of drought, even in wetter times. As the legend at the bottom of the picture suggests, the yellowest areas are those with the greatest degree of subsidence (the term for sinking land) and the bluest areas are those with the least. As might be expected, the largest degree of subsidence occurred in southern California where the drought struck the hardest. In some places, the land sunk by nearly 30 feet. California's Department of Water Resources commissioned NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to collect and analyze satellite data during the state's most recent drought, resulting in an initial report in 2015, and subsequent updates. The most recent shows land continued to sink since 2015, at a rate of as much as 2 feet per year in the worst spots. "The rates of San Joaquin Valley subsidence documented since 2014 by NASA are troubling and unsustainable," DWR Director William Croyle is quoted saying in a recent post from NASA Earth Observatory. "Subsidence has long plagued certain regions of California. But the current rates jeopardize infrastructure serving millions of people. Groundwater pumping now puts at risk the very system that brings water to the San Joaquin Valley. The situation is untenable." One of the problems that stems from the sinking land is that it fills in the underground gaps where groundwater collects when rain occurs, reducing storage capacity. NASA also notes that state and federal water agencies have spent an estimated $100 million on related repairs since the 1960s. The state passed its first-ever regulations around the pumping of groundwater in 2014. Srinagar: Two terrorist and one civilian killed in a fierce gun battle in Awantipora village of Pulwama District in south Kashmir on Thursday. Those who were killed identified as: Jehangir Gani and Md. Shafi Shergujari. The identity of civilian is yet to be revealed. Firing began after security forces from the Army and Special Operation Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir police had cordoned off a specific area in Awantipora village. The anti-terror operations begun after security forces have received specific inputs about presence of suspected terrorists in the area. "Two heavily armed terrorists are believed to be trapped in a house. Troops of 130 Battalion CRPF, 55 Rashtriya Rifles and SOG Pulwama are involved in the operations," a senior police officer said. Locals said gunshots were heard after security forces have sealed all the entry and exit points. Superintendent of Police, Awantipora Muhammad Zaid, said, "We are trying other terrorist to surrender. So far he has not responded." Following the gunfight, the Bannihal-Baramulla train service was stopped as the railway track moves close to Padgampora village. Around 11 am, a section of local youths clashed with the security forces in Pampore close to the encounter site. Two civilians were reportedly injured in the incident. A large number of police forces deployed in the area. Meanwhile, Indian DGMO spoke to his counterpart in Pakistan and expressed concern regarding movement of terrorists along the Line-of-Control. (Agency Inputs) Geneva/New Delhi: India on Thursday took objection to the top UN human rights official's use of the phrase "Indian Administered Kashmir", saying it cannot be equated with PoK, and expressed "surprise" at his silence on Pakistan's use of terrorism as an instrument of state policy. Reacting to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein's oral update during the 34rd Session of Human Rights Council in which he made a reference to "India-Administered Jammu and Kashmir", India asserted that the whole state of Jammu and Kashmir was its integral part. "The central problem in Jammu & Kashmir is cross-border terrorism, and hence, we are a little surprised that the High Commissioner was silent regarding Pakistan that uses terrorism as an instrument of state policy," India's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Ajit Kumar said during the general debate on the oral update by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR). "Pakistan remains in illegal occupation of a part of our territory. The two cannot and should not be equated. The neutrality of the phrase 'Indian Administered Kashmir' is, therefore, artificial," he said. In his address, Hussein yesterday said, "As you are aware, my Office has faced difficulty obtaining access to a number of regions. In September, I raised this issue with the Council, highlighting among others Ethiopia, Syria, Turkey's south-east region, Venezuela, and both sides of the Line of Control, in India-Administered Jammu and Kashmir, and Pakistan- Administered Kashmir." In several areas where the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has received indications of severe violations, and where access continues to be refused, it has begun remote monitoring, and fact- finding missions to neighbouring countries -- reports for which it intends to make public, he said. Defending India refusing OHCHR officials access to J&K, Kumar said India has noted the High Commissioner's reference to the denial of access and acknowledges the role sought to be played by the OHCHR in effective promotion and protection of human rights. "However, more would be gained if primacy were accorded to cooperation over confrontation with the states concerned," he said. He highlighted that J&K has a democratically elected government that represents all sections of the people unlike the situation in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Kumar asserted that the "robust and mature" Indian democracy proved once again that it has sufficiently strong and adequate mechanisms to redress any internal difficulties even if they are incited from outside. He said that normalcy has returned as 99 per cent of the students of Jammu and Kashmir have taken their high school examinations and schools have reopened. "States are the primary bearers of responsibility when it comes to promotion of human rights; countries often have unique national circumstances, and it is important to invest trust in their efforts," Kumar said. Mumbai: Embarrassed by the involvement of Shiv Sainiks in a moral policing incident in Kochi, the Shiv Sena on Thursday washed its hands off the activists and announced their suspension from the party. "The said persons involved in the act in Kochi have been immediately suspended from the party membership indefinitely," a terse statement from Yuva Sena President Aditya Thackeray said. Describing the incident as "shameful and unnecessary", he warned that the party would not shield or endorse such acts. The statement came in the wake of an incident of alleged 'moral policing' indulged in by at at least six Shiv Sainiks on the seafront in Kochi, Kerala's commercial capital, on Wednesday evening. They went on a rampage, chased and attacked some youths in full media glare even as police allegedly turned a blind eye to the whole episode. Later, the police arrested six Shiv Sainiks, T.R. Devan, K.K. Biju, K.Y. Kunjumon, T.R. Lenis, K.U. Ratheesh and A.V. Vineesh, for unlawful assembly, threatening youths and obstructing police personnel. Moving swiftly, Kochi Police Commissioner M. P. Dinesh suspended Sub-Inspector Vijay Shankar and transferred eight others for dereliction of duty. However, the police have not received any complaints from the youths or couples who were harassed by the six. New Delhi A 20-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly hitting a 50-year-old man with his Mercedes car in south Delhi. The vehicle, alleged to be involved in the accident, was seized and the accused driver arrested, said a senior police officer. According to police, the accident happened on Tuesday around 5 PM near Moti Bagh chowk when the driver, who works with a Mercedes car showroom owner in Noida, was taking the vehicle from the company's godown in Bijwasan to Noida. After handing over the vehicle to the owner, the driver had gone to his village Shanda as he was scared, said the officer. The police managed to locate the showroom in Noida and during the probe, the showroom owner said that his driver was allegedly driving the vehicle. The accused driver was arrested from his home on Wednesday. On Tuesday, around 5 PM, 50-year-old Dasrath Yadav was hit by a Mercedes car near Moti Bagh chowk and had to hospitalised. The accused driver had been working with the dealer for a year. His work is to ferry the new cars from the godown to the showroom. Police has also seized the car from the Noida showroom where it was kept on display. New Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in the Lok Sabha has praised the father of Mohammed Saifullah for disowning his terror suspect son who was gunned down by Uttar Pradesh police commandos. Members thumped desks when Rajnath lauded Saifullah's father Sartaj for his refusal to accept his son's body saying "if he could not be loyal to the country, how can he be ours". "The government is proud of him and I am sure Parliament too is," Rajnath said on Thursday while adding that the NIA will probe suspected terror cases, including the Lucknow encounter in which an alleged terrorist linked to a train blast was killed. Hours after Saifullah was shot dead in an encounter in Lucknow, his father Sartaj called his son a traitor and refused to accept his body for final rites. Saifullah - who was hiding in a house in Thakurganj area of Lucknow - was killed by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Uttar Pradesh police on Wednesday. "For me nation comes first. He did something which is against my country. He has let me down. A traitor cannot be my son," Saifullah's father Sartaj said. "We never thought that he will end his life like this. He was very good and not after money. We scolded him over some issues and then he ran away from house. He told I am going to Mumbai and then will go to Saudi," he added. "After the incident, I said that there is no place of terrorist at our home. We have given the message to everyone. I am proud that I am not taking his body. I am not sad with the incident," he said. While addressing the Lok Sabha, Union Home Minister Rajnath has Praised Saifullah's father for condemning his son's act. Saifullah was suspected to be linked with the blast in the Bhopal-Ujjain train in Madhya Pradesh on March 7. Giving details of various cases registered in the two states following the blast which injured 10 persons, Rajnath said the state police arrested three suspects in Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh, following which the UP cops acted in various parts of the state following information provided by the accused and nabbed three persons. "The above sequence of events presents an excellent example of coordination amongst state police and central agencies. Due to the prompt action taken by the police of both the state, a possible threat to national security was successfully averted. "Further investigations will be handed over to the NIA," he said. The Home Minister also informed the House that eight pistols, 630 live cartridges, Rs 1.5 lakh, three mobiles phone, four sim cards, two wireless sets and some foreign currency were recovered from the place where Saifullah lived. Colombo: Sri Lanka and India has agreed to release the fishermen held in each other's custody after a high-level discussion between the two sides here following the killing of an Indian fisherman, a top government source said. Lanka would release 85 Indian fishermen, the source said, adding that India would free at least 19 Lankan fishermen. "This move is being made to defuse the current tensions," the source added. It was a reference to the current controversy where the Sri Lankan Navy has been accused of opening fire on Indian fishermen and killing one of them. The Lankan navy, however, denied the allegation, saying it does not open fire at poaching fishermen and only arrests them. Sri Lanka has said it ordered an investigation into the incident and wanted to ensure that such incidents would not hamper the good relations between the two countries. Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said he had spoken with Indian High Commissioner Taranjit Singh Sandhu on the situation. In New Delhi, an Indian official said that India was engaged with Sri Lanka on the issue and their approach is "positive". New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday dismisses real estate baron Gopal Ansal's plea against his jail term in Uphaar fire tragedy case. Gopal Ansal, who was supposed to surrender today, gets time till March 20 to do so. Earlier, a three-judge bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi, in a 2:1 majority verdict on February 9, had granted relief to 76-year-old Sushil Ansal considering his advanced age-related complications by awarding him jail term already undergone and had asked younger sibling Gopal to surrender in four weeks to serve the remaining jail term. Besides this, the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) has moved the apex court seeking modification of the order sentencing Sushil Ansal to the period already undergone by him in jail in the case relating to the Uphaar cinema fire tragedy that had killed 59 people on June 13, 1997. Gopal, who was in jail earlier for around four-and-a-half months, has sought the relief on the ground of parity claiming that he was 69-year-old and would suffer irreparable damage to his health if sent to prison. The plea has said "his body and health are more brittle than that of his elder brother". In its application, Neelam Krishnamoorthy-led AVUT has said both Sushil and Gopal Ansal are healthy and should be sent to jail to serve the remaining sentence in the case. "No evidence or material was ever placed on record, either in the course of the appeals or the review petitions, by Sushil Ansal that suggests that he is having any medical complication (s)," the association has said in its application. The victims' have also opposed Gopal Ansal's plea saying the review pleas of CBI and AVUT have already been decided and "there cannot be a review of the review judgement". 59 persons had died in the Uphaar cinema during the screening of Hindi movie 'Border' on June 13, 1997. (With PTI inputs) New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee has called for "urgent collective action" in order to eliminate the scourge of terrorism from which no country is immune. Mukherjee said this while interacting with visiting Chief of Royal Court of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Fayez Al-Tarawneh who called on him yesterday at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The President said India attaches great value to its ties with Jordan. "India appreciates Jordan's proactive role under the leadership of King Abdullah on regional issues, especially towards resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and addressing the scourge of terrorism that has affected our regions and the world," he said. Mukherjee added no country is safe from terrorism and urgent collective action is needed to eradicate it. The President said India lauds Jordan's exceptional humanitarian assistance in hosting refugees from its war-torn neighbourhood despite the tremendous strain on its socio-economic resources. He said India was happy that it could make a contribution to help mitigate the crisis adding he had warm memories of his recent visit to Jordan, the first-ever visit by an Indian head of state to Jordan. Mukherjee said India-Jordan bilateral trade which was at USD 1.35 billion in 2015-16 is expected to touch new heights. "India is happy that Jordan is interested in cooperation in security and defence, space, and fertilisers among others," he said. New Delhi: Hours after Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh heaped praises on Mohammad Saifullah's father for disowning his terror-suspect son, the father expressed his apprehensions that he might get tagged as the father of a suspected terrorist. Talking to CNN-News18, Sartaj sought help from the government and said: "I want to ask if the government will help us so that nobody questions my integrity and dedication towards this country. I also work somewhere, and I don't want to be thrown out of my job." Sartaj also hoped that the government will help him if "his employer took action against him just because his son was a terror suspect". Sartaj also informed CNN-News18 that had he known his son was "drifting towards the path of extremism, I would have immediately told the police". "The government is proud of him and I am sure Parliament too is," Rajnath said on Thursday, adding that the NIA will probe suspected terror cases, including the Lucknow encounter in which an alleged terrorist linked to a train blast was killed. Hours after Saifullah was shot dead in an encounter in Lucknow, his father Sartaj called his son a "traitor" and refused to accept his body for final rites. Saifullah - who was hiding in a house in Thakurganj area of Lucknow - was killed by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Uttar Pradesh police on Wednesday. "For me nation comes first. He did something which is against my country. He has let me down. A traitor cannot be my son," Saifullah's father Sartaj had said. Photo by Yogen Shah Photo by Yogen Shah Photo by Yogen Shah Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's father Krishnaraj Rai has been admitted to a city hospital. "Aishwarya's father Krishnaraj Rai has been admitted to Lilavati Hospital in suburban Bandra," Aishwarya's publicist told PTI.The publicist, however, did not share any further details. Last night, Aishwarya and her actor husband Abhishek Bachchan visited him in the hospital. Amitabh Bachchan, Mickey Contractor were also seen at Lilavati on Wednesday night. Some reports suggested that Aishwarya's father was in the ICU but the actress' publicist did not confirm the news.Meanwhile, on the work front, speculations are rife that the couple will reportedly be seen together after a gap of seven years in a film titled Gulab Jamun, to be backed by Phantom Films. MOSCOW, March 9 (Reuters) - Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Russia's sovereign wealth fund, and the Israeli investment company LR Group have agreed to co-invest $100 million into dairy farming and milk processing in Russia. The sum represents the first phase of joint investment for which regional projects are already being analysed, a statement from RDIF said. A global oil slump in recent years, western sanctions and counter sanctions have pushed Moscow to work towards diversifying its resource-based economy. Russian and Israeli cooperation in agriculture was earmarked as a priority during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Moscow on Thursday. "Adaptation of the best technologies and creation of vertically integrated regional dairy clusters will significantly increase milk production," Ami Lustig, CEO of LR Group Israel, said in a statement. (Reporting by Dasha Afanasieva; editing by Katya Golubkova) Mumbai: Actress Vidya Balan says Begum Jaan has been a great experience, and she is looking forward to its release. "I am coming back from Kolkata after promoting the film. It was a great experience. Right now, I am feeling very excited about Begum Jaan and loving the reactions of people. I am looking forward to the release now," Vidya said here at the airport. The first poster of the Srijit Mukherji directorial has a tagline that reads: "My Body, My House, My Country, My Rules". The poster has Vidya sitting with dishevelled hair, holding a hookah pipe in her hand, and she is dressed in a maroon lehenga and an embroidered blouse. Asked if Begum Jaan can be tagged as the boldest film of this year, Vidya said: "That I won't be able to tell." The film, which is the Hindi adaptation of Bengali movie Rajkahini, will see The Dirty Picture actress portraying the role of brothel's madam during the partition of India. The film also features Naseeruddin Shah and Gauahar Khan in key roles and is slated to release on April 14. Mumbai: Alankrita Shrivastavas Lipstick Under My Burkha, which is not getting a certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in India, will be the opening movie at the 15th edition of Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA). The festival will be held from April 5-9 in Los Angeles. Revolving around four women - a burqa-clad college girl, a young beautician, a mother of three and a 55-year-old widow who rediscovers her sexuality -- "Lipstick Under My Burkha" features actors like Ratna Pathak Shah, Konkona Sen Sharma and Aahana Kumra. "As India's diverse array of talented filmmakers continues to be recognized around the world for their compelling and daring work, IFFLA is extremely proud to collect the best films from emerging voices and experienced masters and present them to Los Angeles," said Mike Dougherty, Director of Programming, in a statement. "Lipstick Under My Burkha" has been deemed too "lady oriented" in content and according to the censor board, it is laced with sexual scenes and abusive words. But this is also a film that won a gender equality award at the Mumbai film fest last year, and recently won the Audience Award at the Glasgow Film Festival. IIFLA, which will conclude with Shubhashish Bhutiani's directorial "Hotel Salvation", will also features documentaries like "The Cinema Travelers", "Machines" and "An Insignificant Man". There will also be 10 short films in nine languages including Gurvinder Singh's "Infiltrator", Amar Kaushik's "Aaba" and Sonejuhi Sinha's "Miles of Sand". Films by debuting directors like Konkona Sen Sharma's "A Death in The Gunj", Ananya Kasaravalli's "The Chronicles Of Hari" and Padmakumar Narasimhamurthy's "Billion Colour Story" will also be showcased. A host of filmmakers including Adoor Gopalakrishnan, who will make US premiere of his film "Once Again" in Malayalam, will attend the fest. Suman Mukhopadhyay will be making a North American premiere of his Bengali film "Incomplete". : BJP will emerge as the single largest party in Uttarakhand, CNN-News18-Gramener Exit Poll has predicted. Uttarakhand, where no party has formed the government single-handedly ever since the state was carved out of Uttar Pradesh back in 2000, is expected to see the BJP in a commanding position with 38 seats, followed by the incumbent Congress party with 26.Independent candidates and other parties could get close to 6 seats in the sate, according to CNN-Gramener projection.Reacting to the Exit Polls Congress leader RPN Singh said, We are confident of winning Punjab and hope to retain Uttarakhand though it is a tight election there. In Manipur, we seem to be doing well. Uttar Pradesh is touch and go... Will give credit to Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav for keeping the focus on development, he tells CNN-News18.NEWS24 and Chanakya Exit Poll predicts a BJP dominance in Uttarakhand with 53 seats, followed by Congress 15, and others two.IndiaTV C-Voter indicates a neck-and-neck fight between Congress -- expected to strike a mark between 29 and 35 seats -- and BJP with the same tally in Uttarakhand. Others are expected to win 02-09.Out of total 70 seats in Uttarakhand, The India Today-Axis Exit Poll results put the BJP in the leading position with 46-53 seats and the Congress on the second spot after a dismal showing of 12-21 seats, and BSP as the last with just 1-2 seats. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday hinted at an alliance with BSPs Mayawati post a hung assembly prediction in UP by the various exit polls. Akhilesh told BBC Hindi radio that if the SP-Congress combine falls short of a majority, they wont mind joining hands with the Mayawatis BSP in a bid to keep BJP out of UP. Nobody wants the BJP to remote control UP in case of a Presidents rule in the state, Yadav told BBC in an interview hours before the Exit polls results were announced by the TV channel. It was billed as the big semifinal before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. It was seen as a referendum on Narendra Modi governments demonetisation decision. Assembly elections in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur were held from February 4 to March 9. The exit poll results are being published now. Follow the live blog below for updates. Read all the Latest News , Breaking News , watch Top Videos and Live TV here. New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi will not be in India on the counting day on Saturday as she will be travelling abroad for medical treatment. The counting of votes will be held on March 11. It is to be noted that she did not campaign in the assembly elections in five states, including Uttar Pradesh. Party sources said she left for abroad last night for a "routine medical check-up" and will return only after Holi on Monday. Though they did not let in on where Gandhi has gone for the check-up, there was speculation that she was in the US where she had undergone treatment for an undisclosed ailment. Gandhi, who has not been keeping well for quite some time, held a closed-door meeting with senior party leaders and her deputy Rahul Gandhi before her departure. Rahul, Congress vice president, will discharge the functions of the party president in her absence. Rahul, tipped to succeed her over time, spearheaded Congress's election campaign in the five states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur. She has been out of action most of the time after having taken ill during a roadshow in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency, on August 2. She was flown to the national capital and admitted to the Army's Research and Referral Hospital before being shifted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. Gandhi was again admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in November for viral fever and discharged after a few days. (With PTI inputs) India's top e-commerce company Flipkart is holding talks with investors to raise up to $1 billion in one of its biggest funding rounds so far, a source familiar with developments said on Wednesday.Read more: CIA Contractors May be Source of Latest WikiLeaks Release: US Officials The source declined to name the potential investors and the exact valuation Flipkart was looking for, but said it hoped the valuation would be in the "double digits", referring to a valuation of $10 billion or more.Read more: Nokia Flagship Phones With Dual-camera, Snapdragon 835 to Launch in July? Earlier on Wednesday, Financial Express newspaper, citing unidentified sources, said the expected fundraising could value Flipkart at up to $8 billion, far lower than the roughly $15 billion in its last funding round.Read more: Moto G5 to Launch on March 15, Will be Available Exclusively on Flipkart A Flipkart spokesman said the company would not comment on market speculation.Flipkart's latest fundraising comes amid intensifying competition in the e-commerce space from the likes of U.S. internet giant Amazon.com Inc and domestic rival Snapdeal, which is backed by Japan's Softbank Group.The ensuing heavy losses have hit valuations among India's e-commerce players. Some funds that have invested in Flipkart have recently slashed the value of their holdings, media reports have said, citing securities filings.Launched by two former Amazon employees in 2007, Flipkart's biggest investor is U.S. hedge fund Tiger Global. Others include Accel Partners, DST Global and Baillie Gifford.The company has so far raised more than $3 billion in funding, mostly from international investors. Holi, a festival that's associated with loads of colours and of course water. Every year when you are planning to play Holi and take your smartphone along to capture memories, you try to find innovative ways to protect your smartphone. But these days you also get smartphones that are water and dust-resistant. And at News18 Tech we get you the top 5 smartphones that are water and dust-resistant with amazing camera capabilities to make your Holi special.First just watch this video for proof.The new iPhones are built to be water resistant.With its entire enclosure reengineered, iPhone 7 / iPhone 7 Plus is the very first waterresistant iPhone. So now youre protected like never before against spills, splashes, and even dust.You can also literally shoot underwater also with an iPhone 7 Plus, though we would recommend that you do it with caution as it's a water resistant and not a waterproof smartphone. Watch the video below that's shot on an iPhone 7 Plus underwater in a fish pond.Also Read: Apple iPhone 7 Plus Review For capturing images it has a great dual-camera with slow motion video recording and portrait mode . Portrait mode automatically creates a depth-of-field effect that keeps faces sharp while creating a beautifully blurred background. This effect, also known as bokeh, was previously reserved for DSLR cameras.For people who don't like Apple iPhone because it's too expensive, Android option in the form of Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 Edge might suit you. It's also not that affordable though but comes with IP68 certification. This means that it is dust-proof and water resistant in up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes.Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Review To top it all the Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 Edge come with amazing cameras as well that can shoot videos in slowmotion and in Full HD. The primary 12-megapixel camera with f/1.7, 26mm, phase detection autofocus, OIS, LED flash produce some amazing images and offer quick capture and focus. The 5-megapixel front camera is also great for clicking Holi selfies.The Xperia XZ is also IP68 certified, making it as resistant to water as the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. Sony Xperia XZ is equipped with a 23MP rear camera and a 13MP wide front camera for selfies. The company has powered them with f2.0 Sony G Lens, Exmor RS IMX300 custom sensor and BIONZ image processing engine.Along with Exmor RS, Sony has added a Laser Autofocus sensor with distance sensing technology, to help users capture blur-free photos in challenging low light conditions and a RGBC-IR sensor. The RGBC-IR sensor with colour sensing technology accurately adjusts the white balance based on the light source in the environment.Also Read: Sony Xperia XZ Review Sony calls this imaging cocktail- Triple Sensor technology. It aims to provide best results for shooting fast moving objects under low or complex lighting.Sony has also bumped up video recording capabilities in its new smartphone, claiming the Xperia XZ to be the worlds first phone with 5-axis video stabilisation. This enables users to shoot smoother and stable video recording and playbacks.The Moto G4 plus comes with a nano coating, making it water resistant. It is not completely submersible in water, but will survive a holi water-balloon. This phone is also rugged and tough so you really don't need to worry about it as you enjoy holi with the phone in your pocket.The Moto G4 Plus has a screen resolution of 1920 1080 pixels that offers good viewing angles and produces excellent colours and has a great contrast ratio. The cameras, both the 16-megapixel rear camera and the 5-megapixel front camera capture good amount of light and offer good results.Also Read: Moto G4 Plus Review Guatemala declared three days of mourning after a blaze Wednesday in a government-run children's shelter killed 20 teenage girls and focused national attention on allegations of sexual and other abuse in the facility.All those killed were aged between 14 and 17.Most appeared to have died of burns in the fire that occurred in the Virgin of the Assumption Safe Home in San Jose Pinula, 10 kilometers (six miles) east of Guatemala City, officials said.Dozens of survivors were treated for serious burns in several of the capital's hospitals. One, Roosevelt Hospital, said it had 24 wounded, six of them in critical condition. Family members react as they wait for news of their loved ones after a fire broke at the Virgen de Asuncion home in San Jose Pinula, on the outskirts of Guatemala City, Guatemala. (REUTERS)The blaze was believed to have started during an overnight rebellion in the packed center, which holds nearly double the 400 people it was designed to house."They were serving food to the teenagers when some of them started a fire in a mattress and that's how the fire was set," said Abner Paredes, a prosecutor defending children's rights. Family members react as they wait for news of their loved ones after a fire broke at the Virgen de Asuncion home in San Jose Pinula, on the outskirts of Guatemala City. (Reuters)"It was a ticking time bomb. This was to be expected," one of the center's former employees, Angel Cardenas, said outside.He said he had lodged several warnings about conditions inside.At the entrance of the facility -- whose imposing, barbed wire-topped concrete wall showed no sign of the drama inside -- crying relatives crowded the entrance. They were searching for news of the children kept there. Police blocked access to them and to journalists.A few survivors were seen hugging kin on the pine tree-lined road. But many other family members were left in the dark. An ambulance exits the Virgen de Asuncion home, where a fire broke out, in San Jose Pinula on the outskirts of Guatemala City. (Reuters)"They don't want to give any information at all," stormed Rosa Aguirre, a 22-year-old street vendor who had rushed from the capital to see if her two sisters, aged 13 and 15, and her 17-year-old brother were among the casualties.She said many frustrated people had gone to the hospitals to see if their relatives were there.Aguirre said she, too, had lodged past complaints about how the center's charges were treated, but received no attention.She said brawls broke out inside often, and her brother was sometimes put in a dark isolation cell nicknamed the "chicken coop."She said she had tried in vain to be given custody of her siblings after their mother's death four months ago. A woman cries as she waits for news of her loved ones, after a fire broke at the Virgen de Asuncion home in San Jose Pinula, on the outskirts of Guatemala City. (Reuters)Guatemalan media said the shelters' occupants had revolted overnight and into Wednesday against alleged sexual abuse by staff, and over poor food and conditions.The United Nations children's fund UNICEF called the fire and the deaths a "tragedy." It added in a Twitter post that "these children and adolescents must be protected."The center, supervised by state authorities, hosts minors under age 18 who are victims of domestic violence or found living on the street.They are sent there by court order and are under the responsibility of the social welfare ministry. Riot police stand guard after a fire broke at the Virgen de Asuncion home in San Jose Pinula, on the outskirts of Guatemala City. (Reuters)The shelter has been the target of multiple complaints alleging abuse. Dozens of children have run away in the past year, reportedly to escape ill treatment inside.Reports that could not be verified said that dozens of residents had attempted to flee the facility late Tuesday.Guatemala's government expressed its distress at the deadly fire and decreed three days of mourning.A prosecutor for upholding children's rights, Hilda Morales, told reporters she was requesting the shelter be closed due to welfare authorities' inability to manage it."We are going to ask for the immediate closure of the center, and attribute administrative and criminal responsibility against those in charge of the center for not fulfilling their duty," she said.She noted that last year the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights had found in favor of several adolescents who had alleged maltreatment and sexual abuse in the shelter. Family members react as they wait for news of their loved ones after a fire broke at the Virgen de Asuncion home in San Jose Pinula, on the outskirts of Guatemala City, Guatemala. (REUTERS)She stressed that those sent to the center should receive "better protection" than in their families where they were abused.Another prosecutor tasked with protecting children in the country, Harold Flores, told the radio station Emisoras Unidas that since last year complaints had surged against the shelter over minors fleeing to escape alleged sexual abuse there. Riot police stand guard after a fire broke at the Virgen de Asuncion home in San Jose Pinula, on the outskirts of Guatemala City.He said an investigation was under way to find the reasons and those responsible for Wednesday's tragedy.In Guatemala's Congress, lawmakers held a minute of silence for the victims of the fire before demanding those in charge of the center be dismissed. United Nations: The United States supports the UN-led Syria peace talks, UN Ambassador Nikki Haley said on Wednesday, saying Syria could no longer be a "safe haven for terrorists" and that it was important "we get Iran and their proxies out." Haley spoke to reporters after UN Syria mediator Staffan de Mistura briefed the Security Council behind closed doors on 10 days of talks between the warring parties in Geneva, which ended last week. She did not respond to questions on whether the United States believed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, should step down. All eyes have been on how Washington would approach ending the six-year war in Syria, given pledges by President Donald Trump to build closer ties with Russia, especially in the fight against Islamic State. Trump's Syria policy has been unclear. "The United States absolutely supports Staffan de Mistura and the work that he's doing, we support the U.N. process, we support the talks in Geneva, we want to see them continue," Haley said. "This is very much about a political solution now ... and that basically means that Syria can no longer be a safe haven for terrorists, we've got to make sure we get Iran and their proxies out, we've got to make sure that, as we move forward, we're securing the borders for our allies as well," she said. Iran is backing fighters in Syria from Lebanese Shi'ite Muslim group Hezbollah. A crackdown by Assad on pro-democracy protesters in 2011 led to civil war and Islamic State militants have used the chaos to seize territory in Syria and Iraq. Half of Syria's 22 million people have been uprooted and more than 400,000 killed. De Mistura told reporters after briefing the council that he planned to convene another round of peace talks on March 23. He said the most recent round ended with an agenda and a timeline and "some agreement even on substance." "We did not expect miracles and frankly we did not have miracles, but we achieved much more than many people had imagined we could have. No one left, everybody stayed," de Mistura told reporters. Washington: Two senior senators asked the FBI and Justice Department on Wednesday for any information they have on President Donald Trump's unsubstantiated claim that his predecessor Barack Obama wiretapped him during the 2016 US presidential campaign. In a letter to James Comey, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Acting Deputy Attorney General Dana Boente, Republican Lindsey Graham and Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse wrote: "We request that the Department of Justice provide us copies of any warrant applications and court orders ... related to wiretaps of President Trump, the Trump campaign, or Trump Tower. Under US law, presidents cannot direct wiretapping. Instead, the federal government can ask a court to authorize the action, but it must provide justification. Asked at a briefing on Wednesday if Trump was the subject of a probe, White House spokesman Sean Spicer replied: "There is no reason that we have to think that the president is the target of any investigation whatsoever." Critics of Trump in Congress have accused him of issuing the wiretap allegation to try to deflect attention from investigations into his administration's possible ties to Russia. Some have likened it to Trump's long-held contention that Obama was not born in the United States and thus did not legitimately hold the office of president - an accusation he did not withdraw until 2016. Dianne Feinstein, a Democratic member of both the Senate intelligence and judiciary committees, told CNN she had not seen any evidence that Obama had tapped Trump's phone. "It's all rather shocking to me that a sitting president would make this kind of an allegation about a former president without any proof whatsover," she said. "I believe it's patently false." SUBPOENAS Graham later told CNN that if the Justice Department does not cooperate with the senators' request, subpoenas would be issued. "I expect them to come forward as to whether or not a warrant was obtained or sought," Graham said. He chairs a Senate Judiciary subcommittee on crime and terrorism, and Whitehouse is the senior Democrat on the panel. On Saturday, Trump accused Obama of phone surveillance, amid a swirl of questions about possible ties between the Trump presidential campaign and Russian President Vladimir Putin. U.S. intelligence agencies have found that Russia tried to influence the election. An Obama spokesman said on Saturday that neither Obama nor any White House official had ordered surveillance on any US citizen. The spokesman's statement did not address the possibility that a wiretap of the Trump campaign could have been sought by the Justice Department. In their letter, Graham and Whitehouse wrote: "We would take any abuse of wiretapping authorities for political purposes very seriously." The senators added: "We would be equally alarmed to learn that a court found enough evidence of criminal activity or contact with a foreign power to legally authorize a wiretap of President Trump, the Trump campaign, or Trump Tower. On Tuesday, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes told reporters his panel would consider issuing subpoenas if information being sought on Russia's possible role influencing the election was not forthcoming. The committee has scheduled a March 20 hearing and Trump's wiretap allegation is part of that probe. Democrats, questioning the commitment of the Republican-controlled Congress, have been calling for an outside investigation, which so far has been rejected. LJUBLJANA, March 9 (Reuters) - Slovenia's privatisation body has sought a valuation of the country's largest bank, Nova Ljubljanska Banka (NLB), which is due to be sold this year. NLB, which was rescued by the state in 2013, last week reported a 20 percent increase in 2016 group net profit. The government agreed to sell NLB to win European Commission approval for state aid in 2013. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP will assess the bank's value for state-owned Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SDH), which manages state assets and coordinates privatisation, by April 15. Slovenia plans to sell 75 percent of NLB through an initial public offering this year, leaving 25 percent in state hands. Local media said roadshows will start next week and the bank's sale could be completed by May 15 . SDH declined to give further details. (Reporting by Marja Novak; Editing by Ruth Pitchford) The paid parking pilot on Main Street ended Monday, and some business owners are expressing relief. On Monday, the two parking pay stations on the 1200 block of Main Street were turned off, and one-hour parking signs were reinstalled. The two pay stations were removed Tuesday and are slated to replace aging pay stations in two city-owned parking facilities downtown. Im thrilled they have finally come to their senses, said Mary Brockman, owner of Enchanted, an antique store downtown. In February, Lynchburg City Council, through consensus, backed ending the paid parking pilot on the 1200 block of Main Street. From May 1, 2016, to March 7, 2017, total revenue collected from the two pay stations through cash and credit card transactions was $2,720, Parking Manager Dave Malewitz said in an email. The pilot program formally began in May 2016 as an effort to increase vehicle turnover. In a separate initiative, paid parking also began that month in the parking lot of the Lynchburg Community Market. According to Brockman, paid parking kept people from supporting businesses downtown. In November, Brockman said she probably sold a fourth of what she normally sells. Michael Pearl, the owner of Bailey Spencer Hardware, said he did not notice a huge impact on sales, but I definitely got complaints. Thorne McCraw is the owner of McCraws Furniture and serves on the Lynchburg Parking Authority. Thorne questioned the pilots focus on a single block. People think paid parking downtown means all of downtown, but its not, Thorne said. Its just right here. Speaking before Lynchburg City Council last month, Malewitz said the pilot was successful in creating turnover, but some customers have said the pay stations are complicated, and there were not enough instructional signs. I think things like that have to be pretty user-friendly, said John Wormuth, owner of the furniture store Galaxie Modern. I helped a lot of people trying to figure out what was going on. While a lot of his business is online, Wormuth said he saw a reduction in foot traffic Saturdays at his business, as well as on the block in general during the pilot. Historically, Saturdays are really busy days, Wormuth said. With infrastructure projects going on in the area, such as the renovation of the parking lot of Lynchburg Community Market, McCraw said its just not the right time to implement paid parking downtown. In the future, yes, youre going to have to have paid parking, but right now is not the right time, McCraw said. Its fine to try new things, Pearl said, but Im happy community leaders listened and decided to put it on hold indefinitely. A number of different area law enforcement officers and first responders were at Central Virginia Community College on Wednesday morning for the colleges first active shooter training session. Personnel parked their vehicles and staged at a lot near Amherst Hall on campus, ready to assist in a mock live shooter situation. Students and faculty were off campus on spring break, and only a few college staff members were on site, told to react as if in a real shooter situation, CVCC President John Capps said. Capps observed the exercise Wednesday alongside media in a cordoned-off area on campus. Campus safety is a prerequisite to everything we do. Teachers cant teach and students cant learn if they dont feel safe, he wrote in an email Wednesday after the on-campus debriefing. The exercise we held today will help make CVCC an even safer and more secure institution. Observers and evaluators watched as a CVCC Campus Police vehicle pulled up to the campus Campbell Hall with sirens briefly blaring, and officers entered the building, followed later by other law enforcement officers. The exercise was the first live mock event the college has hosted, according to Campus Police Chief Russell Dove. Previous exercises have been simulated tabletop scenarios to help prep CVCC police, but this active event was an opportunity for evaluation on campus police response. Evaluators on scene came from Lynchburg and Campbell County agencies, as well as a number of officials from Virginias Community Colleges and Longwood University. They checked on whether responders, officers, dispatchers and others on campus followed protocols and lockdown procedure, Dove said, and their report will be provided to CVCC within 30 days. Dove said he held expectations on what would go well and what would likely prove to be a deficit. To identify those deficits now and be able to correct them while no one is dying is the way to do it, he said. Regardless, I am satisfied and consider the exercise [a] success, as lately the campus community has been engaged in personal safety conversations and discussions at a level I have never witnessed before at CVCC, he wrote. Both Liberty University and CVCC have campus police forces, and Dove said about four CVCC campus officers were working Wednesdays mock incident. Campus security officers respond to calls made to Campus Safety and Security on Lynchburg Colleges campus. Campus safety officers help keep Randolph College safe, while Sweet Briar College has campus safety officers, some of them with arrest authority on campus. Dove said Virginias Community Colleges recommended institutions hold an active shooter exercise, but the recommendation couldve been fulfilled by another tabletop exercise. Students of CVCCs EMS program working on their first responder certificates played roles of victims, Dove confirmed. He said officers from CVCC, Lynchburg and Liberty University responded to the scenario, while sheriffs offices in Appomattox, Bedford and Campbell counties provided security during the exercise. A Virginia State Police officer played the role of the shooter. Dove said the exercise went very well overall. When asked Wednesday morning whether the campus might hold more staged training scenarios in the future, Dove said training would be coordinated to address any weaknesses found as a result of Wednesdays training. He said the campus police have trained with Lynchburg and Liberty University police but havent had an incident that would require cooperation, though he said CVCC does have an agreement with Liberty to provide that assistance during an incident. The exercise also served to test that inter-agency cooperation, Dove said. Sandusky Middle School held an active shooter exercise in August 2014. According to Liberty Universitys 2016 Campus Security and Fire Safety Report, the campus police department teaches an active shooter response program taught at orientations and on request. tesla kauai solar Tesla will power the Hawaiian island of Kauai with solar panels and its giant battery packs. Tesla officially unveiled the project Wednesday morning in Kauai following opening remarks by CTO JB Straubel and David Ige, governor of Hawaii. Tesla partnered with the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) to launch the project. The solar farm is composed of 54,978 solar panels with 13 megawatts of solar generation capacity. Tesla has also installed 272 of its large commercial battery, Powerpack 2, to store the solar energy to use at night. The project is expected to reduce fossil fuel use by approximately 1.6 million gallons per year, Tesla estimates. Tesla will begin turning on the massive solar system in phases. Tesla is diving into solar energy following its acquisition of SolarCity last November. Tesla is also powering nearly the entire island of Tau in American Samoa with solar power and its Powerpacks. KIUC signed a contract with Tesla to purchase 1 kilowatt-hour of electricity for $.139 over a 20-year time frame. Before Tesla acquired SolarCity, the two companies agreed in February 2016 to use Tesla's 52 MWh Powerpack to bring 20 years of power to Kauai, so this project has been in the works for quite a bit. NOW WATCH: Tesla will begin selling its Solar Roof this year here's everything you need to know More From Business Insider Whataboutism is running rampant in the White House these days. Whats that, you may ask? Its a Cold War-era term for a form of logical jiu-jitsu that helps you to win arguments by gently changing the subject. When Soviet leaders were questioned about human rights violations, for example, they might come back with, Well, what about the Negroes you are lynching in the South? Thats not an argument, of course. It is a deflection to an entirely different issue. It is a naked attempt to excuse your own wretched behavior by painting your opponent as a hypocrite. But in the fast-paced world of media manipulation, the Soviet leader could get away with it merely by appearing to be strong and firm in defense of his country. So it is with President Donald Trump and the buffer of spokespersons he sends forth to explain what he really meant in his tweets and other hastily delivered statements that backfire against him later. We could hear it Sunday in White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders defense of her boss assertion by Twitter tweet that former President Barack Obama ordered a wiretap of Trumps phones. Instead of evidence which she apparently did not have to back up the claim, she insisted that all Trump wanted was a closer look at the allegation. The New York Times, the BBC have also talked about and reported on the potential of this having had happened, Sanders said on ABCs This Week. All were saying is lets take a closer look ... . In other words, what about the allegation? Forget about the alligator, uh, allegation maker. Visibly frustrated, Martha Raddatz, the programs co-anchor, responded, If, if, if, if! Why is the president saying it did happen? I think he is going off information hes seen that has led him to believe that this is a very real potential, Sanders insisted. The American people have a right to know if this took place. Yes, what about the American peoples right to know? This is whataboutism stretched to its limits. The American people have a right to know not only whether Trumps phones were tapped, if they were, but also why Trump thinks they were tapped. Yet he provided no evidence to back up the charge. When Raddatz pressed the point, Sanders said, His tweet speaks for itself. Ah, thats more of a burden than a tweet can bear. Hes talking about, could this have happened? she said. No, he wasnt. He was insisting that it did happen. Terrible! said Trumps early Saturday morning tweet. Just found out that Obama had my wires tapped in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism! Trump made the charge by tweet and then left his spokespeople to fend for themselves. That left a major challenge, even for a master of deflection like top Trump spokeswoman Kellyanne Conway on Fox News Fox & Friends Monday morning. We have this double standard for anonymous sources, said Conway. The media loves to use anonymous sources for anything and everything that could possibly be derogatory, negative for this president and his administration. And yet they refuse to give any credibility to such sources when it may be something positive or exculpatory. Ah, yes, thats the old whataboutist technique of saying, Why do you only report the bad news? What about all the good things that our president has done? Indeed, but let us not be deflected from the main point, which is the apparent unreliability of Trumps sources. How long can this go on? It took the president only four days to wipe away the good feelings left by his widely praised joint speech to Congress. He wiped away his newly enhanced presidential image by reverting back to childish tweets. But this time, the message is downright dangerous. Presidents dont accuse their predecessors of felonious wrongdoing without good cause. Or, at least, they havent in this country until now. Trumps spokespersons want us to ignore what the president says and concentrate on what they say he means. That may work in the short term. But the coincidence that dustup happened over a weekend in which North Korea resumed missile tests raises a bracing question: What happens in a national crisis? Will Americans believe what this president says? Or will we scratch our heads trying to figure out what he means? Page is a Chicago Tribune columnist. Email him cpage@chicagotribune.com. Tesla Motors, Inc. TSLA launched a solar project in Hawaii, in association with Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC). Tesla will provide Hawaiian island of Kauai with solar power, using its panels and giant battery packs at the farm. The solar farm comprises 54,978 solar panels, which have 13 megawatts of solar generation capacity as well as 272 52-megawatt-hour Tesla Powerpack lithium-ion battery storage systems. Tesla has installed these batteries in order to store the solar energy which can be used during night. Under the terms of the collaboration, KIUC will purchase power for a period of 20 years at the rate of 13.9 cents per kilowatt-hour. The cost is lower than that incurred to purchase power from diesel plants as well as below the charge paid by consumers for electricity in the state. Recently, KIUC has also signed a contract with a subsidiary of Virginia-based AES Corp. Under the deal, the entities will develop a solar-plus-battery storage project on the islands South Shore. It will include a 28-megawatt solar farm and a 20-megawatt five-hour duration energy storage system. This will be the biggest battery system globally. The solar project in Hawaii demonstrates Teslas effort to transform into a one-stop-shop for clean energy consumers. The company expects this project to reduce fossil fuel consumption by 1.6 million gallons per year. Tesla Inc. Price Tesla Inc. Price | Tesla Inc. Quote Price Performance Tesla has been outperforming the Zacks categorized Auto Manufacturers-Domestic industry over the last three months. During the period, Tesla gained 28.3% while the industry witnessed a 5.6% rise. Zacks Rank & Key Picks Tesla currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Better-ranked companies in the auto space include Lear Corporation LEA, American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. AXL and General Motors Company GM. All the stocks sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. For the current year, Lear Corporation, American Axle and General Motors expect earnings growth of around 8.9%, 8.1% and 9.4%, respectively. 8 Stocks with Huge Profit Potential Just released: Driverless Cars: Your Roadmap to Mega-Profits Today. In this latest Special Report, Zacks Aggressive Growth Strategist Brian Bolan explores a full-blown technological breakthrough in the making autonomous cars. He also spotlights 8 stocks with tremendous gain potential to feed off this phenomenon. Click to see the stocks right now >> 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 Tesla Inc. (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. (AXL): Free Stock Analysis Report Lear Corporation (LEA): Free Stock Analysis Report General Motors Company (GM): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research 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. Creating opportunity in tough times Admittedly, transformation of our economy is proving to be easier said than done. In this regard, the TT Chamber recognises its role as being critical in facilitating its members as they strengthen, re-frame or retool their operations in what is being called the new normal. Naturally, the support we provide extends far beyond our membership, into the wider national community, through the very essence of the work we do. Time and again we have observed that like economic upswings, the downturns will occur cyclically, very often re-shaping the business landscape, in the process. From all indications, this is the point at which Trinidad and Tobago (TT) now stands today, that is, in a period of adjustment. While your business cannot totally avoid the implications of turbulent times, it is quite possible to buffer the effects upon your operations. Of course, this will call for proper planning, risk-taking, creativity and the willingness to shift course. With the right mix of these ingredients, we believe it is possible for businesses to not only survive, but thrive. A willingness to take risks as cited above is but one strategy for success. However, in many instances this risk is not just a gut feeling but one founded upon thorough and extensive research and development (R&D). Investing in R&D is therefore a very useful strategy in an economic downturn, and partnerships between established companies and start-ups can be a rewarding experience. And for persons with a start-up product or service, as well as established operations looking to expand their reach, networking events are valuable for connecting with potential business partners and complementary alliances. The best strategists navigate life viewing all matters with an opportunity eye. Their success leans heavily upon their keen understanding of their competitors, and of what is trending in their industry or sector so that they can strategically position themselves for the future. Todays marketplace is global, thanks to technological advances and more specifically, the internet. Several companies have made their fortunes solely through online-based sales, while others utilise a combination of brick-and-mortar versus virtual sales. While this phenomenon has been slow to take off in TT in part due to challenges with the legal framework it is slowly but surely increasing. It means that you can peddle your wares at any time of the day or night to a virtually unlimited market. It seems that service providers who peddle their expertise globally have been more embracing of the platform thus far. The term globalisation might conjure up negative images in some quarters, considering Brexit in the UK and the unsettling developments in the US. But globalisation is in fact a natural phenomenon that occurs over time and in different forms. History is replete with examples of how trade among nations has shaped societal changes and built resilient economies. The current head of the Unicomer Group has lived these realities and is ready to share his experiences with our membership and members of the wider business community. Mario Sim?n a native of El Salvador has successfully turned around several companies - starting as early as 1982 with a troubled Honda motorcycle dealership in Miami, leading all the way to his current position as chairman and CEO of international retailing giant, Unicomer. Mr Sim?n has kindly accepted the TT Chambers invitation to deliver the feature address at our Annual Business Networking Luncheon scheduled for March 22, at the Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre. Members of the business community and interested members of the public are invited to contact the TT Chamber on 637 6966 extension 1252 or e-mail sboodoo@chamber.org.tt to attend this networking and business boosting event. By Stine Jacobsen COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Lego is counting on capturing the imagination of Chinese children with its colourful plastic bricks while keeping kids in its core markets engaged with programmable robots, its new chief executive said on Thursday. The privately-owned toymaker, whose global sales are surpassed only by Barbie doll maker Mattel, reported a slowing in growth in 2016 to six percent from more than 25 percent the previous year as its core markets in Europe and the United States saturate. Its sales in China however, although coming from a low level, are growing by 25-30 percent year-on-year. "The brand is not that well-known in China so we have to build a brand... a big part of our franchise is basically unknown," Bali Padda told Reuters in a telephone interview. India, where Padda was born and lived until he was 12, is also a focus, the company has previously said. While plastic bricks will remain at the heart of Lego -- derived from the Danish "leg godt" meaning "play well" -- it will continue developing products with digital features and through partnerships with brands such as Walt Disney's Star Wars. This year will see the launch of Lego Boost, a series of figures with motors and codable bricks enabling your Lego figure to be programmed via an app to walk, talk and even break wind. "We have to convince the child every year that Lego continues to be relevant so we need to ensure the innovation is there," Padda said. Under his predecessor, Jorgen Vig Knudstorp, sales increased by more than 15 percent a year on average for more than a decade. Padda said a mid-single-digit growth rate is more realistic for the years to come. "The supernatural growth we've had is something that is highly unusual, and where we are now is more sustainable," Padda said. Lego reported 2016 revenue of 37.9 billion Danish crowns ($5.38 billion), just below Mattel Inc's $5.46 billion but ahead of My Little Pony producer Hasbro Inc, which has reported sales of $5.02 billion. (Editing by Terje Solsvik and Elaine Hardcastle) Key ingredients for corporate success Success itself means a lot of different things to different people. Corporate success depends on a number of interrelated management decisions, structures and policies. For instance, every business needs good people working for it. In big businesses especially, new hires are often recruited by a professional HR team that can target HR requirements for the company to ensure the organisation can obtain the right people for its needs. Success is often linked to money. Although of course profit is important to help a business grow, corporate success is not just about money. Critically, corporate success is also about good corporate governance, about managing risks, about achieving sustainable value, and about being engaged in the needs of the customer, the shareholder or other stakeholders. Corporate success is about being a great company whether large or small a business that has a clear vision, a clear mission and a direction that makes it a great organisation to do business with, and a great organisation for which to work. The finance function plays a crucial role. Whether a small business or a large corporate, the finance function can add value, helping to fulfil the organisations ambitions for growth and for success; and a finance function whether in house or as a consultant can also help a business thrive and expand to become a bigger business, if it so wants to be. Corporate success is also about being ethical and sustainable. Upholding ethics and sustainability are both essential ingredients for a companys long term success. Royal Caribbean Cruises was named the worlds most ethical company for 2016 by Ethisphere Institute, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices. This is great accolade for this global cruise vacation company which sails across the Caribbean and other parts of the world. Organisations have a responsibility to account for their impact on society and the environment an integral part of corporate success. Organisations must develop strategies that take account of their impact of sustainability and should consider environmental issues alongside their core business functions. The accountancy profession has an important part to play in developing strategies and solutions in response to the environmental, sustainability and carbon challenge. In October last year, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) launched GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards: the first global standards for companies to use when explaining their sustainability impact. The standards cover a range of non-financial areas where a company may have an impact, including its economic, environmental and social footprint. This idea of more holistic, non-financial company reporting is not new: Integrated Reporting, or , has been around for many years. Indeed, ACCA starting using for our own financial reports in 2014. Under , companies are expected to report on financial and non-financial elements of their performance, giving investors a bigger picture of their activity, with a nod towards the future sustainability of their actions. This type of reporting has been prioritised on a global scale, with the United Nations, under their Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs), encouraging countries around the world to adopt such practices. According to the Caribbean Corporate Governance Institute, at the onset of 2016 there were no known applications of integrated reporting in the Caribbean, despite the significant advantage that such application would offer to early adopters. The global move towards non-financial reporting indicates a desire from investors to see a more holistic picture of a company, and offering such information would certainly make Caribbean businesses more attractive to local and international investors. More than 1,000 businesses around the world use to communicate with their investors, and 70 percent of the worlds 300 biggest companies already use GRI Standards. Adopting a holistic reporting approach not only promotes economic, environmental and social sustainability in business practices, but it can also improve a companys ability to attract and retain investors. Successful businesses both large and small play a significant role in supporting the Caribbean economy and providing stable employment. There are many large conglomerates headquartered in the Caribbeans commercial hubs Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad. Businesses across the whole region have a responsibility to ensure utilise their finance function to ensure theyre better positioned to withstand challenges to the business environment to maintain and exceed their current success. When chivalry comes alive Am I overthinking the roles and rules of roles? This was the first email that greeted me at 6 am on the eve of International Womens Day. The question is an extremely pertinent one, in that it presents a unique challenge where the protagonist [main player] questions both roles and rules. The role being questioned is the difference between team member and team leader, whereas the rules being questioned applies to the application of etiquette within the workplace and between genders. Chivalry, according to Wikipedia or the chivalry code, is a code of conduct associated with the medieval institution of knighthood which developed between 1170 and 1220. The more modern origins were adapted to include various codes of conduct of gallantry, courtesy and honour, and the demonstration of these qualities. Based on the scenario presented, it is important to understand a number of dynamics. The first being obtaining an appreciation of the corporate culture within which persons operate. One suggestion to assist with the appreciation of corporate roles is the undertaking of Gender Sensitivity Training. This form of training is becoming more and more imperative within the corporate structures as it is important for employees to understand the corporate culture within which they may operate, as well as to provide an opportunity to explore what is acceptable behaviour for the environment. The thing is, what may be perceived as acceptable and proper behaviour to one employee may be construed as intrusive and disrespectful to another employee, hence the need to explore and clarify these positions. Developing an understanding of the culture within which one operates is an extremely valuable tool. In some cultures, it may be acceptable and even expected for men to demonstrate that they are gentlemen by acting in such a manner, where they are expected to open doors, and allow women to exit and enter rooms before they do. However, there are other cultures and situations where this is completely the reverse and such actions may be deemed as an affront to power position. Hence, it is important to err on the side of knowledge of the culture within which you operate, both organisational and general. For example, if someone were to express a compliment to another, how would that compliment be received? The variables include, tone, location, reason for compliment, manner of compliment, among other variables, as far too often, many persons simply do not understand the difference between compliment and catcall. One of the very important indicators we often take for granted are the verbal and non-verbal cues provided in every interaction. The body language of others provides 90-98% of the communication cues we often take for granted. In the scenario presented, if the eager employee were to take but a few moments to assess the body language of the senior employee, he would note that his actions, and attempts to be gentlemanly, are being construed as intrusive. As such, sometimes we need to place more emphasis on assessing and appreciating non-spoken cues, as we can glean very important interactionbased details. Asserting oneself can be undertaken without causing an affront. Such selfassertion can be practiced in many forms, including the use of both verbal and non-verbal cues. A simple, Thank you, however Ive got it, can send your message without causing offense. Communication is indeed an art and science, and understanding how to communicate effectively provides a solid framework for strengthening interpersonal relationships, both within and outside of the corporate structure. TSTT partners with NWRHA The security video cameras of today are not like your typical Closed Circuit TV systems that simply record the image of what passes in front of them, said Darryl Duke, Senior Manager Government, Security & Directories Business at TSTT. The new CCTV system is intended to augment the security measures currently implemented at the hospital that are geared at protecting people and assets, and enabling an added sense of safety and security to all persons accessing the facility. TSTT had previously completed an 800 CCTV System and Command Center for the Ministry of National Security so the companys expanding expertise in this field made it an ideal partner for the NWRHA which is committed to providing a safe and comfortable environment. The CCTV system boasts of several strategic features that can help in the successful investigation of wrongdoing. One such feature of its video analytics is intelligent license plate recognition which enables operators to receive alerts if a targeted license plate is observed on the compound. It also allows cameras to track the movement of a vehicle of interest. Duke explained that the robustness of the system is also being supported by 24/7 monitoring by TSTTs Alarm Monitoring Centre and is also being monitored by the Hospital as well. In addition to the license plate recognition feature, our system also includes facial recognition technology which is pivotal to improving the effectiveness of the cameras. The data captured means instead of a person having to review continuous hours of footage, the system can quickly find instances where and when targeted persons were captured on camera. Duke noted that the software was sophisticated enough to also aid in detecting when visible items had been removed from their position. The flow of people through the compound is so dynamic it is difficult for any security officer to keep an eye on everything so the intelligent CCTV system improves their vigilance one hundred-fold. The NWRHAs determination to make the PoS General Hospital a safe haven was very evident in all our discussions with them and we have brought 21st Century technology to their aid. This is all part of TSTTs mandate as an agile broadband company to have the technology and flexibility to deliver custom solutions for the specific and varied needs that our customers, especial key institutions like the General Hospital. FCB loan of US dollars to Barbados alarming When questioned last Friday, TT s Minister of Finance Colm Imbert responded that the Central Bank does not direct individual transactions by authorised dealers or specify the sector, institution or individual transactions by which authorised dealers should sell foreign currency. While this is technically correct, it glosses over the fact that the reason for the Exchange Control Act of TT is to control the flow of foreign exchange in and out of the country. This is especially important now, as Trinidad is seeing a record low in foreign exchange availability. The minister also failed to address the fact that First Citizens is a State-owned bank, of which the Minister of Finance has oversight. In fact, section 5(2) of the Exchange Control Act allows for the Central Bank to vary, suspend in whole or in part operations of authorised dealers where the circumstances in the opinion of the Central Bank require suspension of the authorisation. While it is indeed impractical for the Central Bank to monitor every single transaction carried out by local banks, it is unusual and alarming that First Citizens would be allowed to loan US dollars to Barbados at a time when Trinidadian citizens are unable to get US dollars from the bank themselves. We are all aware that we must line up daily to get as little as US$200 for holidays abroad. Local businesses are currently experiencing great difficulty in getting US dollars to pay their suppliers for goods needed for the local markets. There needs to be a balance when it comes to assisting our Caribbean neighbours. We cannot give when we do not have. We should instead advise Barbados to seek a loan from the World Bank, which typically charges a much lower rate of interest than what a relatively small banking institution such as First Citizens can offer. Surely the actions of First Citizens Bank under the circumstances warrant investigation and, in any event, immediate action by the Central Bank. This loan to Barbados is likely to amount to tens, if not hundreds, of millions of US dollars, therefore it warrants direction by the Central Bank. If the Central Bank does nothing about this, the Minister of Finance is well within his right to use the discretionary powers granted to him under the Exchange Control Act to give specific directions to the Central Bank in relation to this matter. One has to wonder who is truly benefiting from this loan. What are the administrative fees, if any? Who stands to benefit from this money leaving our country? Martha Ramtahal via email 600 cops blanked Carnival This resulted in in some ports of entry being unmanned, officers who showed up for work having to double up on and in some instances, having to work excessively long hours to ensure Carnival activities were properly manned. The mass absenteeism resulted in concern being expressed by acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams and Gold Commander for Carnival 2017, Acting DCP Deodath Dulalchan. A post mortem on Carnival 2017 is expected to take place shortly and the Police Social Welfare Association (PSWA) is asking for it to be a part of the examination process. PSWA president Inspector Michael Seales yesterday said a lot of problems were experienced by association members during Carnival, which is what prompted the PSWAs call to be a part of the post mortem. Seales said that based on reports from liaison officers in five areas, where Carnival activities took place, the PSWA received reports of sour (spoiled) lunches being provided to police by caterers; a lack of rest rooms for female officers; extremely difficult and long working hours ordered by seniors and other issues. Seales said if the 600 absenteeism figure is accurate, all is not well when it came to planning for Carnival. The Association looks at this issue in the context that the Service has to do some introspection because if that tally is correct, you have to consider the wellness of the organisation. It is a worrying figure at a time when a national event is being hosted, Seales said. It is understood some officers who did not turn up for duty are officers who were on vacation leave and who ignored the directive to return to active duty for Carnival, which began on Fantastic Friday and ended at midnight on Carnival Tuesday. The Association feels that those officers on vacation should not have been called out in the first place. Newsday was told that reports from PSWA liaison officers who visited officers on duty in where Carnival activities were heavily concentrated, revealed several problems. At the John Donaldson Technical Institute off Wrightson Road, lunch served to officers was declared spoiled and officers were forced to buy their own lunches. At NAPA, absenteeism was noted and officers who turned up complained about accommodation. Meals were also served late. At the Organised Crime, Narcotics and Firearms Bureau, the 90 strong regular staff was whittled down to 50, which left various ports of entry either unmanned or understaffed. Sources revealed that the absenteeism resulted in a shortage of manpower at the Piarco International Airport. Liaison officers from the PSWA have since recommended to Association executives that for Carnival 2018, there should be the introduction of a three shift, eighthour system to avoid officers being overworked; a quality and quantity review of meals provided; toilets placed at areas manned by police officers for their use only among other recommendations. Where all the womens groups? I am amazed that today is universally declared as International Womens Day. But where are the women in Trinidad and Tobago, he asked. Where are the women who got Mr (Raymond) Tim Kee (former Port-of-Spain Mayor) fired because he made some comment about some skirt? Where are all the women who were marching calling for somebodys neck because Shannon died somewhere on Charlotte Street. Where are they today? Bakr said the mothers of the young women who died because of abusive relationships should also have been a part of International Womens Day observances. Where are the mothers of these children who disappear every week? Every week teenage children disappear, where are the mothers of these children? Where are the people who are supposed to mobilise for some kind of collective action against this heinous crime of abuse against women? Yesterdays march, which included scores of placard-bearing Muslimeen women and children, began at Woodford Square and proceeded along Frederick Street and onto Independence Square. The walk then ventured to Duke Street and back at Frederick Street before culminating at Woodford Square. There, the Muslimeen leader lamented the absence of public officials in the march. He said many of them were wrapped up in politics at the expense of meaningful activism. As an example, Bakr said he invited Port-of-Spain Mayor Joel Martinez to address the children before the start of the march but he declined. The mayor was entertaining some people with a tea party and we asked him to come and talk to the children but he said he was too busy to come and talk to the children who have come out here to make a statement against the abuse of women. He had something more important to do, Bakr said. Saying that he has been married for more than 46 years, Bakr claimed his children have never seen him hit his wives. Pointing to his son Fuad, who was in the march, Bakr said: He cannot say that in his 29 years of life, he has ever seen me quarrel with his mother. Now, she is not an angel, but he has never seen that. So, he dont know nothing about abuse to women, Bakr said. Bakr said any society where men abuse women is a failed state. The first thing in rebuilding that society is respect for women, he said. In chapter four of the Quran, God says to Muslim men that they are the protectors of women. We have a mandate. It is an instruction from Allah to all Muslim men that they are responsible for protecting women, he said. Bakr said the Jamaat Al Muslimeen will do all in its power to bring abusers of women to justice. The buck stops here! Where you are seen as a predator, we will hand you over to the police. We will find you...all abusers of women. You will pay for your atrocities against women, he declared. Bakr said society had too many talkers. All we do is talk, talk, talk. As one calypsonian say, We fed up of the lip service. Father of injured boy: Bullies need help Hosein said during the lunch break at the Carapichaima ASJA Primary School on Tuesday, his son Eshan Hosein was playing with his friends when a nine-year old classmate with a history of bullying students attacked the group. Also speaking with Newsday with his fathers permission, Eshan said he come and push all of us around and then he push me on the ground and beat me up and jump on my arm. The incident is strikingly similar to last months alleged bullying attack against nine-year old Tristan Khan of the Mayaro Government Primary School. Khans alleged attacker also jumped on his arm until it broke in several places and threatened the future use of his dominant arm. Khan has still not returned to school, though his parents have happily reported the return of movement in his fingers after doctors feared he would lose the use of his arm. All I want is for all children like my sons bully to get the help they need, said Hosein. As for my son, he is in serious pain, but all we can do for him is give him the best care and love so that he could recover. Eshans left hand was broken and he is set to return to the San Fernando General Hospital next Tuesday for a prognosis. Hosein wrote to the minister of education yesterday, copying the president, prime minister, attorney general, ASJAs president, the schools principal, and the three daily newspapers. He wrote that his sons school does not provide specialist training to teachers to equip them to treat with students such as his sons attacker. I plead with the minister of education to provide special care and treatment of (name called) in a school designed to treat with such behaviour. Newsday could not reach Education Minister Anthony Garcia for comment. U.S. President Donald Trump attends a meeting with U.S. House Deputy Whip team at the East room of the White House in Washington, U.S. March 7, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria (Reuters) By David Lawder and Amanda Becker WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump promised in a meeting with community bankers on Thursday to strip away some Dodd-Frank financial regulations and ensure they can continue giving small businesses access to capital. Trump, joined by National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, said community banks play a "vital role" in the U.S. economy. "Nearly half of all private-sector workers are employed by small businesses. We must ensure access to capital to small businesses and for small businesses to grow. Community banks are the backbone of small business in America," Trump said at the beginning of the meeting. Representing the industry were chief executives of nine community banks with assets of around $1 billion or less and the heads of the American Bankers Association and the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA). Bankers who attended the 45-minute meeting said they discussed the role community banks play in rural areas and provided real-world examples about the difficulties smaller banking institutions face. The bankers emphasized the need for "tailoring regulations to fit the size and complexity of banks," said Chesapeake Financial Shares Inc Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Szyperski, one of the bankers in the meeting. Chesapeake is a regional bank headquartered in Kilmarnock, Virginia, that has 14 branches and a separate wealth management division. "We were very focused our message on how do we create a tiered and proportionate regulatory environment for community banks," said Rebeca Romero Rainey, head of Centinel Bank of Taos, a community bank in New Mexico. The idea seemed to resonate with Trump, who asked questions and showed a pre-existing understanding of the community banking landscape, according to those in attendance. ICBA, one of the industry groups at the meeting, has advocated a tiered system of regulations that tailor regulations to a bank's size, business model, complexity and risk. Story continues "The type of regulation that you need for a $700 million bank and the risks they present are very different than those for a $200 billion bank or a $1 trillion bank," a White House official said before the meeting. Larger banks are able to spread their higher compliance costs over much bigger asset and employee bases, while smaller banks struggle with high costs and workloads. One of the institutions participating, Standard Financial Corp of Monroeville, Pennsylvania, has just nine branches with $488 million in assets and earnings of $559,000 in the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2016. It plans to merge with a rival in southwestern Pennsylvania in a deal that will roughly double its size. Trump officials cited a dearth of applications to form new community banks and around a 30 percent drop in the number of small U.S. banks since 2008 as the impetus for the meeting. A smaller bank has gone out of business every day for the past seven years, Szyperski said, citing the Dodd-Frank financial reform law enacted after the 2007-2008 financial crisis as a reason new banks had not formed in their stead. Trump promised the bankers that his February executive order on reducing regulation was "very powerful" and would apply to the community banking sector. Mnuchin, the former CEO of OneWest bank, a regional lender in Southern California, said at his confirmation hearing in January that onerous regulations are "killing community banks." He pledged to ease those burdens while maintaining "proper" regulation, "so that we don't end up with a world where we only have four big banks in this country." Also discussed at the meeting were the compliance costs associated with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a new regulator created under Dodd-Frank. The CFPB is a perennial target for Republicans, who want to shift its funding from the Federal Reserve to annual appropriations by Congress and shift its management, now concentrated in a powerful chairman, to a multi-person commission structure. Separately on Thursday, when asked during a briefing with reporters whether Trump still backs his campaign pledge to restore the Glass-Steagall Act, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said that he did. The law, which separated commercial and investment banking activities, was repealed in 1999 and, if reinstated, would mainly apply to larger banks. The Trump administration has not made any moves thus far to break up big banks. Investors have bid up bank stocks since Trump's election on expectations they would get regulatory relief but not be forced to divest. There is little indication such legislation is an imminent priority that will be taken up by the administration or the U.S. Congress. (Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton and Emily Stephenson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Jonathan Oatis) The Donovans Put the Fictional Roys to Shame longform Investigators Think They've Solved Mystery of Buried Car in case you missed it Kenyan Runs First Marathon and Wins photos advertisement Black Adam Wins in Lull Ahead of Black Panther box office Among Highest-Earning Dead Celebs, a Surprise Name in case you missed it advertisement Christina Applegate Warns Fans Ahead of Netflix Premiere in case you missed it advertisement 3 Presidents Rally Pennsylvania the rundown Story of Boy, 8, 'Climbing' El Capitan Raises Eyebrows IN CASE YOU MISSED IT advertisement Stephen King Complains, and Elon Musk Responds IN CASE YOU MISSED IT advertisement advertisement After 100 Years, Stolen King Tut Items Located new study Bannon Makes His Next Move in Contempt Case UPDATED No One Has Done This Before in Billboard's History IN CASE YOU MISSED IT "Jack it up quick" are the last words Stephen Parker recalls yelling before passing out, the weight of his Toyota Prius slowly crushing him. The only one around to hear him was his 8-year-old son, JT. The elder Parker and his 17-year-old son, Mason, had been working on the car together in the family's backyard in Sugar City, Idaho, when Mason cut his hand and went inside. With JT looking on, Stephen began trying to remove a sticky axle. Suddenly, however, the car shifted and fell on top of him. "I thought, 'This is it. There's no way [JT] can jack up this car,'" Parker tells East Idaho News of the incident last July. "I was totally trapped, and then I passed out." But JT, weighing just 50 pounds, jumped into actionliterally. He maneuvered the jack into position and started bouncing all his weight on the handle. He jumped for 15 minutes, until the car was lifted, then got his brother, who called 911. Soon after, a helicopter landed in the yard and took Parker to a hospital. But "all they found was 13 broken ribs," says Parker, who was back home two days later. "It was just a miracle." JThonored by the American Red Cross as one of 11 "East Idaho Real Heroes" last weeklater tried to jack up the same car but failed. Parker tells the Post Register he must've "had help from above." Or as JT puts it, "angels." (Read more uplifting news stories.) A White House official says former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. is President Donald Trump's choice to be the next US ambassador to Russia, the AP reports. Huntsman will be nominated for the diplomatic post as senior members of Trump's administration face questions about their contacts with the Russian government. The White House official spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a formal announcement. Huntsman served as the ambassador to China during the Obama administration and speaks Mandarin. He had been considering a Senate run in 2018, a decision that would depend on whether Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, runs again. Huntsman in October called on Trump to drop out of the presidential race after the release of a recording on which Trump bragged about groping women. (Read more Jon Huntsman stories.) A satirical story about a paranoid President Trump wrapping the White House telephones in tinfoil was believable enough to be carried by major media outlets in China. The story from the New Yorker's "Borowitz Report" ended up in publications such as business magazine Caijing this week after appearing in Reference News, a roundup of foreign news coverage produced by the state-run Xinhua news agency, the New York Times reports. Fake news is as much of a problem in China as it is in Western countries, media analysts say, though plenty of online commenters in China had no trouble recognizing the Borowitz story as satire. After a sleepless Trump had the phones wrapped in tinfoil, he "ordered the Secret Service to check every room in the White House for signs of former President Barack Obama," Andy Borowitz wrote in the satirical story. "'He's still here somewhere, I know it,' Trump reportedly muttered." Headlines in China read: "Trump Turns White House Upside Down Looking for Signs of Obama." The "Borowitz Report" has fooled Chinese media before, including in 2011, when Xinhua and other outlets reported as fact its story that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos accidentally bought the Washington Post with an errant mouse click while shopping online. (Read more China stories.) Like many things these days, it started with a tweet from President Trump: He claimed Tuesday that 122 "vicious prisoners" released from Guantanamo by the Obama administration had returned to the battlefield. All but nine of those had in fact been released under George W. Bush, Politico reports, but White House press secretary Sean Spicer made a fresh error in his attempt to clarify the issue Tuesday. "Just to be clear, there's a big difference: under the Bush administration, most of those were court-ordered," Spicer told reporters, though lawyers and officials say that only three of the 532 detainees transferred out of Guantanamo under Bush were moved because of court orders. In the original tweet, Trump "meant in totality, the number that had been released on the battlefieldthat have been released from Gitmo since individuals have been released," Spicer said, per the Hill. He argued that there had been a "huge contrast" between the Bush and Obama administration's approaches to releasing detainees, though former Obama administration officials called his claims about most Bush-era releases being court-ordered "loony" and "flat-out not true." "The truth is that Sean Spicer doesn't know what he is talking about and doesn't care enough to take the time to find out," former White House counsel Greg Craig tells Politico. (A British detainee freed in 2004 blew himself up in Iraq last month.) A landmark familiar to Game of Thrones fans vanished in suitably dramatic style Wednesday when it crashed into the sea during a storm. The Azure Window rock arch in Malta was the backdrop to the wedding of Daenerys Targaryen and Khal Drogo in the first episode of Game of Thrones and also appeared in movies including Clash of the Titans, NPR reports. Geologist Peter Gatt says the limestone pillar supporting the arch on the island of Gozo gave way following many years of erosion by rough seas, the AP reports. "Reports commissioned over the years indicated that this landmark would be hard hit by unavoidable natural corrosion. That sad day arrived," tweeted Malta Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. Gizmodo notes that authorities recently introduced a $1,500 fine to try to stop people walking across the landmark. The loss is expected to be a major blow to Maltese tourism authorities, though the BBC reports that there is another, lesser-known arch at nearby Wied il-Mielah that may now attract more visitors. (Read more Game of Thrones stories.) On Jan. 29, a 27-year-old Ukrainian woman living in the United Arab Emirates went to the doctor after experiencing stomach cramps. What came next: a pregnancy diagnosisand her arrest for unmarried sex, which is illegal in the UAE. Iryna Nohai and her South African partner, Emlyn Culverwell 29, have been detained without charge in Abu Dhabi since, the BBC reports. "The South African government is aware of the case, but unfortunately cannot provide legal assistance" regarding what it says is UAE law, a rep tells News24. "The only thing they did which was wrong, was to fall in love," says Linda Culverwell, who tells News24 that her son and Nohai got engaged on Jan. 27, two days before their arrest. She says the Ukrainian embassy is trying to intervene, and that it sees two alternative outcomes: They could marry or be deported. Otherwise, if charged and found guilty the pair could face time behind bars. The BBC notes that Culverwell has been working in the UAE for the past five years, and his employer reportedly told his family no charges have been filed because authorities are allegedly conducting "tests" aimed at determining how long Nohai has been sexually active. The couple's case is not an expat first: The Independent reports that an unmarried UK couple were sentenced to three-month terms in 2008 for having sex on a beach in Dubai, though their sentences were suspended upon appeal. (A woman was jailed in Dubai after reporting rape.) A mixed martial arts teacher originally from the US found out his fate in Singapore last week for having sex with two 15-year-old girlsand thousands are decrying the punishment as not being nearly as punitive as it should be, the BBC reports. Nearly 29,000 people have signed on online petition calling for a harsher sentence for 39-year-old Joshua Robinson, who received a four-year prison sentence following the 2015 bust. The Straits Times says he pleaded guilty to charges of having sex with minors, as well as to showing an obscene film to a 6-year-old. Robinson's original arrest was for having sex with one of the girls, whom he met via a dating app, but when cops raided his apartment, they also found thousands of XXX-rated films, including one that showed him having sex with the second teen, whom he'd met a couple of years earlier. Sarah Woon, who started the petition and says she knows the family of the 6-year-old, says she finds it "absolutely intolerable" that Robinson only got four years, sans caning (which the BBC notes is a typical Singaporean punishment). The South China Morning Post reports the legal age of consent in the country is 16, and that the maximum sentence for consensual sexual intercourse with minors 14 and older is a fine and/or 10 years in prison. Prosecutors say they won't appeal the sentence because Robinson wasn't charged with rape or sexual assault, and because they said the girls had consented to the sex acts, but the country's home affairs minister said Wednesday that officials will be reviewing cases like Robinson's to determine if they should be "dealt with more severely through higher penalties." (Meanwhile, two guys who spray-painted a Singapore train got a caning sentence.) President Trump's daughter and son-in-law are renting a house from a foreign billionaire who is fighting the US government over a proposed mine in Minnesota. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are renting a $5.5 million house in Washington's Kalorama neighborhood from Andronico Luksic, the Wall Street Journal reports. One of the Chilean billionaire's companies is suing the federal government over the Obama administration decision's not to renew mineral rights for a proposed copper-nickel mine in Minnesota. Luksic's company, Twin Metals Minnesota, filed suit in September to force renewal of its leases. The lawsuit remains pending. Luksic bought the Kalorama property after the November presidential election. Ivanka Trump and Kushner, the president's senior adviser, moved into the property around the time of Trump's inauguration in January. Luksic still lacked the business license necessary under Washington law to collect rent on the property as of earlier this week.The White House says the couple is paying fair market value for the home and hasn't met Luksic nor discussed the mine with him. Rob Walker, an ethics lawyer at the law firm Wiley Rein, tells the AP that the arrangement may pose an appearance problem, because "deservedly or not, critics may still question the propriety of entering into any significant transaction with an individual with these apparent interests before the administration." President Trump could reverse the Obama administration decision to protect this part of the National Wilderness Preservation System from mining. His interior secretary, Ryan Zinke, has advocated for increased mining on federal lands. (Read more Ivanka Trump stories.) Jurors trying to assess the truthfulness of defense lawyer Stephen Gutierrez's closing arguments in an arson trial Wednesday may have been dismayed to notice that his pants were literally on fire. Witnesses say the lawyer had to flee the Miami courtroom with smoke billowing from his pocket, the Miami Herald reports. When he returned, the lawyer, who'd been seen fiddling in his pocket, blamed a faulty e-cigarette battery. Gutierrez said the pocket blaze wasn't an attempt to demonstrate the innocence of his client, who was accused of setting his own car on fire. Gutierrez argued that the vehicle spontaneously combusted, but his client was ultimately convicted of second-degree arson. Prosecutors are investigating the courtroom incident, and the judge could hold Gutierrez in contempt of court if he was found to be staging a stunt, the Herald reports. The bizarre incident already is making headlines in lawyer blogs and overseas newspapers. "I swear this is not a lawyer joke," was the NPR intro to the nugget. And CNET notes that the lawyer has declined to respond to the media's requests for comment, which "leaves several burning questions unanswered." (The owner of this Jeep can probably sympathize.) US Marines have joined the fight to retake the Syrian city of Raqqa from the Islamic State, defense officials say. The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which departed San Diego in October, has been deployed to ISIS' de facto capital and will fire artillery guns, including M777 Howitzers, from an outpost to support local fighters and 300 US special operations personnel already on the ground, reports the Washington Post. An official tells the New York Times that up to 4,000 ISIS militants remain in Raqqa, though some leaders have fled. The US is authorized to have as many as 500 troops in Syria, per Fox News. An official says the plan to deploy the Marines has "been in the works for some time," though it appears in accordance with a Pentagon strategy outlined last month to boost the number of US troops in Syria so they can assist and advise allied Syrian fighters. A similar strategy was previously used in Mosul, Iraqwhere 2,500 ISIS fighters reportedly remainwith local forces doing much of the fighting with support from US forces in bases outside the city. An official tells Fox News that the US will also send fewer than 1,000 US troops to Kuwait so they can be ready to battle ISIS if the need arises. (Read more Raqqa stories.) The GOP's replacement plan for ObamaCare isn't getting a universal thumbs-up, but it cleared one of its first hurdles early Thursday, the Hill reports. In a session that lasted more than 16 hours and went past 4am, the House Ways and Means Committee approved the measure in a 23-16 vote, with Republicans shooting down "off-topic" amendments proposed by Democrats, who in turn accused Republicans of trying to push the bill through while people were asleep and without a Congressional Budget Office analysis of the measure. "You're fearful the CBO will provide answers to questions that you don't like," such as bill costs or revealing who'd lose coverage, Michigan Rep. Sandy Levin said. One of the many bones of contention in the bill: a proposal to cut nearly $1 billion in CDC funding, per CNN. Committee Chair Kevin Brady said a "thoughtful, thorough comprehensive score" was expected before the bill ends up with the House Budget Committee, the next step in advancing the bill. Also pushing back on the controversial measure: groups representing retirees, hospitals, and medical professionals, the New York Times reports. The AARP and American Medical Association spurned the bill Tuesday, and on Wednesday, the American Nurses Association and lobbyist groups for hospitals and other health systems joined in, with the latter also mentioning the CBO's absence as an issue. "We are very concerned" the proposal "could lead to tremendous instability for those seeking affordable coverage," read a letter from the American Hospital Association and others. ABC News looks at the numbers needed to pass the legislation. (Read more ObamaCare stories.) Devastating wildfires have set a record that the Kansas Division of Emergency Management says "it never hoped to see and never hopes to surpass." More than 500,000 acres in two counties in the southwest of the state have burned this week in what is believed to be the biggest fire in the state's recorded history, the Kansas City Star reports. Some ranchers have lost their homes along with almost all their cattle, with the number of livestock deaths believed to be in the thousands, CNN reports. Veterinarians say calving season had just gotten underway, making this the worst possible time for fire to sweep through grasslands. "It's horrible out there, the things I saw today," hunter Larry Konrade told the Wichita Eagle after a day spent helping a rancher put down livestock badly burned by the fire. "The fire was so big, and so much of Clark County burned, I don't see how anything lived through it." The fires also swept through parts of Oklahoma and Texas. They caused at least six deaths, including three people killed while trying to evacuate cattle, and forced thousands from their homes, NBC reports. Authorities blame "extreme fire conditions" including temperatures reaching into the 80s, strong winds, and low humidity. (Read more Kansas stories.) An arrest has been made in what police called the "very rare, random" murder of a nurse in Nashville last week. Police announced Wednesday night that Christopher Drew McLawhorn, 24, had been charged with criminal homicide and especially aggravated burglary in the death of Tiffany Ferguson, WHNT reports. Police believed McLawhorn stabbed the 22-year-old nurse to death after breaking into her condo early on Feb. 28, reports the Tennessean. He is believed to be the man captured on surveillance footage walking around Ferguson's building searching for open doors or vehicles. Police say McLawhorn was already a person of interest in the murder investigation when he was found with a small amount of marijuana early Sunday. He was arrested for drug possession and has been in jail since. Police say McLawhorn, who is homeless, has an arrest record that includes public intoxication and minor theft charges. Ferguson, a nurse at Saint Thomas West Hospital, was a "beloved member of the community" and her murder "truly shook this community," Councilman Colby Sledge told reporters Wednesday night. "I think tonight, hopefully everyone can rest a little bit easier." (Read more Tennessee stories.) There's usually a significant increase, of up to 20%, each January to February in the apprehension of illegal immigrants crossing over into the States from Mexico. But this year, a surprising development, the BBC reports: Based on figures released by Customs and Border Protection, January's number of 31,578 plummeted to 18,762 in Februaryan "unprecedented" 40% decrease. Homeland Security chief John Kelly attributes this "change in trends" to the new inhabitant of the Oval Office, linking the "dramatic drop" to President Trump's executive orders designed to deal directly with immigration. Kelly also notes it's "encouraging news" for the immigrants themselves, since the numbers suggest fewer people are putting their lives at risk of "exploitation, assault, and injury" at the hands of human smugglers, as well as hardship from the perilous trip itself. CNN confirms the upending of a nearly two-decade trend of higher February apprehension numbers, citing CBP data back to 2000. However, critics say this just means that the new mandates have targeted vulnerable populations like women and children and scared them off from even attempting to gain entry. "The bullies can gloat and preen that they chased the skinny kids off the block," says Leon Rodriguez, who used to run the US Citizenship and Immigration Services office under former President Obama. That fear is extending up to our northern border as well, with the Washington Post reporting on "mounting numbers" of migrants fleeing to Canada, braving even blizzard conditions to seek asylum outside the US. "They'll take whatever risk," says the director of Minnesota's Confederation of Somali Community. (What could happen next: moms separated from their children at the border.) A wave of complaints about aggressive dogs in the downtown area of Oregon's third most populous city has prompted Eugene city councilors to ban dogs from the downtown area except those owned by people who live or work there. The Eugene City Council Wednesday voted 6-2 to approve the ban that takes effect in April and will expire in November unless there's another vote to extend it, the AP reports. The ordinance doesn't apply to service dogs for disabled people, police dogs, and dogs inside motor vehicles; it also exempts an area in front of a downtown location that serves hundreds of free lunches four days a week. While ban supporters say it's needed because of a rise in complaints by downtown residents and workers of encounters with aggressive dogs, critics claim the real intent was to displace homeless people and their dogs, the Register-Guard reports. Councilor Chris Pryor said the ordinance was modeled after a dog ban for a commercial strip next to the University of Oregon. "I'm not using dogs as a way to get rid of people I don't like downtown," Pryor said. "That's not my goal here." Councilor Emily Semple voted against the ban because she said "it does exclude homeless people because they have nowhere to leave their dog." Dogs, she added, give the homeless "companionship, protection, and warmth." In one downtown incident, a dog attacked a dog owned by a city library employee, killing the employee's dog and injuring the employee, said Councilor Betty Taylor. She called the incident terrifying but voted against the ordinance. "We don't ban a whole class [of people] just because something bad happens," she said. Violators could be fined as much as $250 per offense. (Read more Oregon stories.) A man was arrested after injuring five people with an ax at Duesseldorf's main train station late Thursday, police said, correcting earlier police reports of two arrests. A spokeswoman for Duesseldorf police Anja Kynast told the AP that the man arrested was also injured. She was unable to say how serious any of the injuries were. Earlier, a spokesman for federal police, who are usually in charge of policing train stations, had said two people were arrested and further attackers might be on the run. Kynast says officers are searching the station and its surroundings, but that they do not have concrete information about further attackers at this stage. (Read more Germany stories.) Amazon has agreed to hand over the home assistant recordings to help to solve a murder case. Initially, the firm refused to provide the information stating First Amendment. But, it is reported that upon the consent of the defendant James Andrew Bates, the firm handed over the recordings on March 3, to assist a murder trial in Arkansas. Last month, Amazon made a strong defense against releasing of the recordings by referring that the home assistant's data are protected by First Amendment. It is now confirmed that the firm has handed over the audios from Bates' home assistant for the days November 21 and 22, 2015. The attorney of Bates, Kathleen Zellner tweeted that it was with the consent of the defendant and claimed that her client is innocent. The new development is considered to be a significant landmark in the case of technology devices and law enforcement. Most of the major tech firms are showing a tendency to not to provide the information recorded or stored in their devices regarding a crime, by stating it is breaching the privacy of the customers. It is found that devices like Amazon Echo can track the movements and activities of the user, and it can be vital for solving major crimes. Apple's fight with FBI was also in similar circumstances for unlocking the phone of a terrorist, and it did not bring any desired result for the investigating agencies. Bates was arrested last year as a suspect in a first-degree murder, is now free on a bond of $350,000. The case was related to the death of Victor Collins, who was found dead in the hot tub at the home of Bates. Since the house was found to have activated with Amazon Echo, the officials sent a warrant to Amazon to provide details of voice records. However, Amazon only provided partial information and said that the officials should show the relevancy of recordings with the crime and should prove it has heightened need of the audio. As the defendant agreed to release the data, now the dispute is closed. Sorry! This content is not available in your region (Adds CIA statement, paragraphs 9-10; U.S. Senate intelligence panel member comment on contractors, paragraphs 13-15) By John Walcott and Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON, March 8 (Reuters) - CIA contractors likely breached security and handed over documents about the agency's use of hacking tools to anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks, U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials told Reuters on Wednesday. Two officials speaking on condition of anonymity said intelligence agencies have been aware since the end of last year of the breach, which led to WikiLeaks releasing thousands of pages of information on its website on Tuesday. According to the documents, Central Intelligence Agency hackers could get into Apple Inc iPhones, devices running Google's Android software and other gadgets in order to capture text and voice messages before they were encrypted with sophisticated software. The White House said on Wednesday that President Donald Trump was "extremely concerned" about the CIA security breach that led to the WikiLeaks release. "Anybody who leaks classified information will be held to the highest degree of law," spokesman Sean Spicer said. The two officials told Reuters they believed the published documents about CIA hacking techniques used between 2013 and 2016 were authentic. One of the officials with knowledge of the investigation said companies that are contractors for the CIA have been checking to see which of their employees had access to the material that WikiLeaks published, and then going over their computer logs, emails and other communications for any evidence of who might be responsible. On Tuesday in a press release, WikiLeaks itself said the CIA had "lost control" of an archive of hacking methods and it appeared to have been circulated "among former U.S. government hackers and contractors in an unauthorized manner, one of whom has provided WikiLeaks with portions of the archive." The CIA, which is the United States' civilian foreign intelligence service, declined to comment on the authenticity of purported intelligence documents. Story continues The agency said in a statement that its mission was to collect foreign intelligence abroad "to protect America from terrorists, hostile nation states and other adversaries" and to be "innovative, cutting-edge, and the first line of defense in protecting this country from enemies abroad." The CIA is legally prohibited from surveillance inside the United States and "does not do so", the statement added. CONTRACTORS MUST BE 'LOYAL TO AMERICA' A U.S. government source familiar with the matter said it would be normal for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the CIA both to open investigations into such leaks. U.S. officials previously have confirmed that prosecutors in Alexandria, Virginia for years have been conducting a federal grand jury investigation of WikiLeaks and its personnel. A spokesman for the prosecutors declined to comment on the possibility of that probe being expanded. It is not clear if the investigation of the latest CIA leaks is part of the probe. Contractors have been revealed as the source of sensitive government information leaks in recent years, most notably Edward Snowden and Harold Thomas Martin, both employed by consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton while working for the National Security Agency. U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein of California and a Democrat on the intelligence committee, said the government needed to stop the breaches. "I think we really need to take a look at the contractor portion of the employee workforce, because you have to be loyal to America to work for an intelligence agency, otherwise don't do it," Feinstein said. Both U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives intelligence committees have either opened or are expected to open inquiries into the CIA breach, congressional officials said. Some cyber security experts and technology companies have criticized the government for opting to exploit rather than disclose software vulnerabilities, though an interagency review process set up under former President Barack Obama was intended to err on the side of disclosure. Those concerns would grow if U.S. authorities did not notify companies that CIA documents describing various hacking techniques had been compromised. Apple, Alphabet Inc's Google, Cisco Systems Inc and Oracle Corp did not immediately respond when asked if they were notified of a CIA breach before WikiLeaks made its files public. At Apple, none of the vulnerabilities described in the documents provoked a panic, though analysis was continuing, according to a person who spoke with engineers there. LARGER NUMBER OF CONTRACTORS One reason the investigation is focused on a potential leak by contractors rather than for example a hack by Russian intelligence, another official said, is that so far there is no evidence that Russian intelligence agencies tried to exploit any of the leaked material before it was published. One European official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the WikiLeaks material could in fact lead to closer cooperation between European intelligence agencies and U.S. counterparts, which share concerns about Russian intelligence operations. U.S. intelligence agencies have accused Russia of seeking to tilt last year's U.S. presidential election in Trump's favor, including by hacking into Democratic Party emails. Moscow has denied the allegation. One major security problem was that the number of contractors with access to information with the highest secrecy classification has "exploded" because of federal budget constraints, the first U.S. official said. U.S. intelligence agencies have been unable to hire additional permanent staff needed to keep pace with technological advances such as the "internet of things" that connects cars, home security and heating systems and other devices to computer networks, or to pay salaries competitive with the private sector, the official said. Reuters could not immediately verify the contents of the published documents. A person familiar with WikiLeaks activities said the group has had the CIA hacking material for months, and that the release of the material was in the works "for a long time." In Germany on Wednesday, the chief federal prosecutor's office said that it would review the WikiLeaks documents because some suggested that the CIA ran a hacking hub from the U.S. consulate in Frankfurt. "We will initiate an investigation if we see evidence of concrete criminal acts or specific perpetrators," a spokesman for the federal prosecutor's office told Reuters. Chancellor Angela Merkel is scheduled to visit Washington on March 14 for her first meeting with Trump, who has sharply criticized Berlin for everything from its trade policy to what he considers inadequate levels of military spending. (Reporting by John Walcott, Mark Hosenball, Dustin Volz, Yara Bayoumy in Washington and Matthias Sobolewski and Andrea Shalal in Berlin; Additional reporting by Joseph Menn in San Francisco; Writing by Grant McCool; Editing by Peter Graff and Bill Rigby) By Mark Weinraub WASHINGTON, March 9 (Reuters) - U.S. soybean supplies will be bigger than expected at the end of the marketing year as a record harvest in Brazil will flood the global market, cutting into demand for U.S. exports, the government said on Thursday. The U.S. Agriculture Department in its monthly supply and demand report raised its outlook for soybean end stocks for the 2016/17 marketing year by 15 million bushels to 435 million bushels. The bump reflects a 25 million bushel reduction in U.S. soybean exports, which is partially offset by a 10 million bushel increase in soybeans crushed by domestic processors. The average of estimates in a Reuters poll of analysts had expected the report to show soybean ending stocks of 418 million bushels. Estimates had ranged from 400 million bushels to 444 million bushels. The government held its end stocks view and export forecast for corn steady despite raising the outlook for Brazil corn production. The outlook for domestic wheat ending stocks was cut by 10 million bushels due to a reduction in imports. USDA pegged U.S. corn end stocks at 2.320 billion bushels and wheat end stocks at 1.129 billion bushels. That compares with the average of analysts' forecasts of 2.317 billion bushels for corn and 1.135 billion bushels for wheat. The forecast for the Brazil soybean crop, which is currently being harvested, was raised to 108.00 million tonnes from 104.00 million tonnes, above the average of analysts' estimates. "The crop has benefited from favorable weather with ample rainfall throughout the growing season, raising the prospects for record yields," USDA said in the report. Corn production in Brazil was raised 5 million tonnes, to 91.50 million. USDA left its soy production estimate for Argentina, another key exporter, unchanged at 55.50 million tonnes. The corn crop in Argentina was seen at 37.50 million tonnes, up 1 million tonnes from a month earlier. The government raised its estimate of world ending stocks for corn and soybeans to account for the increased South American production. It pegged global corn ending stocks at 220.68 million tonnes, up from 217.56 million tonnes a month ago, and global soybean ending stocks at 82.82 million tonnes, up from 80.38 million tonnes. Global wheat ending stocks were raised to 249.894 million tonnes from 248.61 million tonnes. (Reporting by Mark Weinraub; Editing by Andrea Ricci) New Delhi: Poling ends in 40 seats of Uttar Pradesh state assembly spread over seven eastern districts, including five in Varanasi, bringing curtains down on the two month-long exercise staggered in seven phases. The stake are highest in the final phase as Prime Minister Narendra Modis Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi goes to polls. While BJP is looking at reviving the magic and win of 2014 general elections, Samajwadi Party and Congress alliance hope to maintain the edge in the legislative assembly. The three Naxal-affected districts of Sonbhadra, Mirzapur and Chandauli, along with the five Assembly segments under Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, will be in prime focus in this phase. Tight security has been put in place in these districts. Also Read: Assembly elections 2017 Live: Final phase of assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Manipur begins A total of 1.41 crore voters, including 64.76 lakh women, will exercise their franchise in the last phase. 14,458 polling booths have been set up in this phase. In the 2012 state Assembly polls, out of these 40 seats, 23 went to SP, 5 to BSP, 4 to BJP, 3 to Congress and 5 to others. The seven districts going to polls in this phase are Ghazipur, Varanasi, Jaunpur, Chandauli, Mirzapur, Bhadoi and Sonebhadra. In all, 535 candidates, including 40 (BSP), 32 (BJP), 31 (SP), 9 (Congress), 21 (RLD) and 5 (NCP) are in the fray in this phase. While the maximum number of candidates (24) are from the Varanasi Cant seat, the minimum number of candidates (six) are contesting from Kerakat (SC). Also Read: Manipur elections 2017: Its Sharmila vs Ibobi Singh in phase-II on Wednesday The counting of votes polled in all the seven phases of the Assembly polls will be taken up on . Important details about UP Phase VII Elections # Total Assembly Constituencies: 40 # Date of Polling: March 8 (Phase VII of VII) # Total Electorate: 1.41 crore voters (including 64.76 lakh women) # Number of Polling Stations: 14,458 # Major Parties: - SP-Congress alliance - BJP-Apna Dal - BSP -RLD -NCP #2012 Assembly Election Results: - SP: 23 Seats - BSP: 5 Seats - BJP: 4 Seats - Congress: 3 Seats - Others: 5 Seats Here is the LIVE COVERAGE: #06:19 PM: Voter turnout of 60.03% recorded in 7th phase of polling in UP elections till 5 PM #04:50 PM: Around 56 per cent voting till 4 PM in the last phase of #UPpolls. #02:30 PM: Over 41 per cent voting till 2 PM in UPPolls phase-VII. #12:35 PM: Over 26 per cent voting till 12 noon in the last phase. #11:55 AM: 22.84 percent polling till 11 AM #10:38 AM: BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi casts his vote at booth number 76 of Varanasi North. #10.24 AM: 65-year old woman dies before casting her vote at polling booth number 357 of Mughalsarai assembly constituency-ANI #9:48 AM: Apna Dal leader & Union Minister Anupriya Patel casts her vote at polling booth no. 335 of Mirzapur, says "we will win all 40 seats". Apna Dal leader & Union Minister Anupriya Patel casts her vote at polling booth no. 335 of Mirzapur, says "we will win all 40 seats". pic.twitter.com/Sfoma30RkZ ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 8, 2017 #9:35 AM: 11.97 per cent voting in PM Modi's Varanasi till 9 AM. #8:57 AM: Congress leader Ajai Rai casts his vote at polling booth no. 389 of Varanasi South, says "7th phase is going to vote against 'Jumlebaazi'". #8:22 AM: Voting begins at booths. 269 & 260 in Chandauli (Sakaldiha Assembly constituency) after one hour, technical glitch rectified. #8:06 AM: People queue up at polling booth no. 68 in Varanasi North; BJP's Ravindra Jaiswal, BSP's Sujit Kumar Maurya contesting from the seat #7:49 AM: People cast their vote at polling booth 127 in Mohammadabad, Mukhtar Ansari's brother Sibakatullah contesting from the seat as BSP candidate #7:45 AM: Voting has not begun at polling booth number 240 in Mirzapur due to technical glitch in the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) #7:20 AM: Voters queue up at polling booths 176,177,178 in Mirzapur to cast their vote in the last phase of Uttar Pradesh elections. # 7:00 AM: Voting begins in UP for 40 assembly seats in 7th and the final phase of elections. Campaign blitzkrieg: Of roadshows, rallies and press conferences March 4-6 saw the most intense campaign of Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. A highly-charged final phase of campaigning for the Uttar Pradesh polls witnessed the show of strength by the BJP, the SP-Congress combine and the BSP in PM Narendra Modi's Varanasi constituency taking centre stage where he camped for three days. Over the course of three days, the Prime Minister visited temples, held a roadshow and attended a number of public events in the holy city along with several rallies in the region, in the final push by the BJP to reach out to voters. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi also matched it with their own campaign blitz in the region. Joined by Akhilesh's wife Dimple, the two leaders held a roadshow, hours after Modi arrived in the city and paid obeisance at the Kashi Vishwanath and Kal Bhairav temples with much fanfare. BSP chief Mayawati, who is seeking a fifth term as Chief Minister, also addressed a rally in Rohaniya, around 20 km from Varanasi the same day. A galaxy of BJP veterans and Union ministers also made a beeline to Varanasi towards the fag end of electioneering, making the poll atmosphere highly charged. Leading BJP's campaign from the front, Modi mocked Akhilesh and Rahul as "delicate" people incapable of taking hard decisions while pitching himself as a grassroots leader who can bring development to the 'Purvanchal' region and the state. Modi said the SP and the BSP are two sides of the same coin -- the former being A (Akhilesh) SP and the latter B (Bahujan) SP. Taking potshots at the Congress over its run of losses in the recent polls, he said one day research would have be done to find out if it ever existed, as it is "disappearing from everywhere." During his election rally in Sonbhadra towards the end of the campaign, Akhilesh ridiculed Modi's roadshows saying these were bound to fail like the earlier ones and would lead the PM "somewhere else." "A roadshow was held...it failed. He is doing one more...it too will fail and then again a roadshow will be held...Now he will go somewhere else by doing his roadshow," he said at a rally in Varanasi. Rahul, in his address, alleged that Modi has waived loans worth Rs 1.40 lakh crore owed by 50 rich people but refused to write off Rs 50,000 crore due of poor farmers. At her rally, Mayawati claimed the people at Modi's roadshow were "mere spectators" brought from neighbouring states like Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. She said the joint roadshow by Akhilesh and Rahul Gandhi reflected they had "reconciled to defeat" and added that prayers being offered at temples and shrines "will be of no avail". Modi on wrapped up his hectic campaign with a rally at Rohaniya, where he made an impassioned plea to voters to defeat SP-Congress combine and BSP, blaming these parties for the plight of Uttar Pradesh. Akhilesh, meanwhile lined up 13 rallies on the last day of campaigning. The blitzkrieg is over. The counting for all state assembly elections held in last two months will be held on . (With inputs from PTI) Bhopal: A team of federal probe agency NIA reached Bhopal on Wednesday to look into the train blast case in Madhya Pradesh, suspected to be a terror attack. The officials of National Investigation Agency (NIA) may visit the site of the blast near Jabri railway station under Shajapur district, about 60 kms from Bhopal, official sources said. They said the NIA officials will interact with Madhya Pradesh police personnel and verify leads available with them to ascertain whether the explosion was a terror attack. Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Bhupendra Singh had yesterday said that the initial investigation suggested the blast was a terror attack and investigation was underway to unravel the conspiracy behind the incident. At least ten people were injured, three of them seriously, in the blast on Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train. Madhya Pradesh Inspector General (Intelligence) Makrand Deoskar had said the blast was carried out "by planting an Improvised Explosive Device (IED)". For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. us marines firing shooting A Marine detachment from an amphibious task force has left its ships to deploy to Syria near Raqqa, defense officials told The Washington Post. While special-operations advisers have been on the ground in the country for some time, the move shifts more conventional personnel into the country and represents a new escalation of the US's involvement there. Two officials, speaking anonymously, told The Post that the troops were part of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit out of San Diego. The units on the ground include elements of an artillery battery that can fire 155-millimeter shells from M777 Howitzers. Other infantrymen will provide security and other members of the expeditionary unit will deal with supplies. Other Marines have been redeployed from Djibouti to Syria for support, another defense official told The Post. That official said the deployment into Syria did not originate with President Donald Trump's call for a new plan to deal with ISIS. Rather, it was some time coming. "The Marines answer a problem that the [operation] has faced, the official told The Post, adding that they would provide "all-weather fires considering how the weather is this time of year in northern Syria." The estimated maximum range of the M777 howitzer is about 20 miles, meaning the artillery base must be about that distance from the operation it is supporting. Some artillery rounds Marines have used in the past, however, can cover closer to 30 miles. The deployment comes days after a convoy of US troops crossed into Syria from Iraqi Kurdistan. Story continues The troops, comprised of US Army Rangers, were sent to Manbij in northern Syria purportedly to keep peace among the array of militias and other groups that have come together to combat ISIS. Its a visible reminder, for anybody whos looking to start a fight, that the only fight that should be going on right now is with ISIS, Pentagon spokesman and Navy Capt. Jeff Davis told the Associated Press. NOW WATCH: Here are 5 things different about Trump's new travel ban More From Business Insider New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh Polices ADG on law and order addressed media on Wednesday and gave the details about Lucknow encounter in which 24-year-old Saifullah was killed. Speaking about the 12-hour long battle that gunned down Saifullah, Daljit Chaudhary said, They were not provided any external financial aid and were mostly self-radicalised. Atif Muzaffar who was arrested from Madhya Pradesh was helming the ISIS module, he added. ALSO READ | From 4am walk to 8.30pm food: Here's the daily schedule slain ISIS terrorist Saifullah used to follow before being killed in Lucknow encounter Here are the Live updates: We have no such evidence yet of any #ISIS link: Daljit Chaudhary,ADG on #LucknowTerrorOp pic.twitter.com/kMHQuifJIr ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 8, 2017 45 grams gold and foreign currency also recovered: Daljit Chaudhary,ADG on #LucknowTerrorOp pic.twitter.com/geUfbYmwxc ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 8, 2017 8 pistols, more than 600 cartridges, bomb making instruments, pellets,timers,wires etc recovered: Daljit Chaudhary,ADG on #LucknowTerrorOp pic.twitter.com/I3QWuzjzGw ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 8, 2017 #3:30 PM If it can happen on election eve,where can it not?Situation is so serious that neither PM nor HM has control of things-Chacko #LucknowAttack pic.twitter.com/4gO2TW4MrO ANI (@ANI_news) March 8, 2017 #WATCH: Sartaj, father of Saifulla says,"Ye desh-hitt mein nahi tha hum usse naraz hain,aise deshdrohi ki laash nahi lenge" #LucknowTerrorOp pic.twitter.com/bGMxHlokJM ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 8, 2017 The family members of slain ISIS terror accused Saifullah have refused to accept the body of their 24-year-old son who was killed in an encounter carried out by UP Police and Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) in wee hours of Wednesday. This was not in country's interest. We will not accept the body of an anti-national, said Sartaj, Saifullas father. Everyone is shocked. He was well behaved; he performed Namaz five times, we didnt expect this, said another relative of Saifulla. The search operation was carried out by ATS, moments after a blast took place in Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train which left nine people injured. Saifullah was killed after a long 12-hour fierce battle. Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Chouhan congratulated the officials for nabbing the terrorists and said that a timer was used for the blast in train. Everyone is shocked.He was well behaved;performed Namaz 5 times. We did not expect this: Relative of Saifulla killed in #LucknowTerrorOp pic.twitter.com/uVXeZu8q7j ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 8, 2017 He also stressed that the paraphernalia recovered from the terrorists showed ISIS links. ALSO READ | What Lucknow terror encounter tells us about ISIS' long-lived Khorasan dream The police have nabbed two other suspects. We will investigate all the suspects we have nabbed, all agencies are working together, said Daljeet Chaudhary, ADG, Law and Order. There were total 13 suspects, 1 was killed out of which 6 are still on the run, according to reports. CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL COVERAGE For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Bhopal: The perpetrators of Bhopal-Ujjain train bomb explosion were influenced by ISIS ideology and the incident was a trial blast as the terrorists planned to carry out more attacks, Madhya Pradesh Government said Wednesday. Speaking in Madhya Pradesh Assembly, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said said that those who orchestrated the blast arrived from Lucknow and planted the bomb in the passenger train as part of a pre-planned conspiracy. At least 10 people were injured, three of them seriously, in the IED blast in the train near Jabdi station in Shajapur district of Madhya Pradesh yesterday. The terrorists were influenced by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror ideology and carried out the blast. It was a pre-planned conspiracy, Chouhan said in the Assembly during the ongoing budget session. ALSO READ | Lucknow Encounter: It's self-radicalised, self-proclaimed ISIS Cell with no external financial aid, says UP Police Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Bhupendra Singh said the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion in the passenger train was a trial blast. Yesterdays explosion carried out through IED was a trial blast. The police, however, smashed this terror network within five hours after the blast in train, Singh told mediapersons in the state Assembly premises today. The terrorists had plans to orchestrate the blasts at some other places also, he claimed. Earlier, speaking to mediapersons at Barwah town in Khargone district late last night, Chouhan said, Police detained three terrorists who planted bomb in Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train. It was revealed during initial interrogation from the arrested terrorists that they were connected to ISIS. The blast site smelt of deadly explosives. I would like to congratulate the ATS and police who immediately acted. Madhya Pradesh is a peaceful state and nobody would be allowed to create disturbance here, he said. These terrorists had arrived here from Lucknow and planted the bomb in Bhopal-Ujjain train, he said. Chouhan said today in the state Assembly that MP police and central agencies had unmasked the people behind the train blast in just five hours. The three suspects detained for the blast in the state are being grilled thoroughly so as to reach to more of their accomplices, he said. Referring to the jail break by SIMI activists and the subsequent encounter in which eight men of the banned outfit were killed last year, the CM said, Attempts have been made to disturb peace but it has been nipped in the bud by the alert state police. An act of terror wont be allowed to thrive in the state. ALSO READ | Lucknow encounter | ISIS terrorist Saifullah's father: 'A traitor can't be my son, won't take his body' In an official statement released late last night, the UP police had said that three persons were arrested by Madhya Pradesh police in Piparia town in Hoshangabad. Two of the arrested persons are from Kanpur, while one is from Aligarh. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi/Bhopal: One worker died and 15 others were injured after double-storeyed Central Academy for Police Training buildingA which was under construction collapsed in Kanhasainya village near Bhopal on Thursday. Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced compensation of Rs 2,00,000 for the deceased worker in the building mishap. Severely injured workers will receive Rs 50,000 while workers with minor injuries will get compensation of Rs 25,000. MP-Under construction Central Academy for Police Training building collapses;1 dead,15 injured(1 critical);many feared trapped;rescue ops on pic.twitter.com/2HjSFerUPM a ANI (@ANI_news) March 9, 2017 MP government has also announced that all injured people will get free treatment in hospital. The relief work is also underway.A Raipur: The main opposition Congress staged a walkout in the Chhattisgarh assembly on Thursday over alleged corruption in paddy procurement in the state. Raising the issue, Bhupesh Baghel (Congress) sought to know the target fixed for paddy procurement under minimum support price (MSP) by the state government in kharif marketing years 2013-14 to 2016-17. He said the government should reveal how much paddy had been procured and details of payments made to farmers. Cooperative minister Dayaldas Baghel said the state doesn't fix any target for paddy procurement under MSP. He also gave figures of paddy procurment and amounts paid to farmers from 2013-14 to 2016-17. Countering his reply, Congress member Baghel asked how the government provides budget for paddy procurement, its transportation, milling and labour payment when it doesn't fixe any target. There have been irregularities to the tune of Rs 684 crore in paddy procurement and the government is trying to hide this, he alleged. The minister said action is being taken against the guilty wherever irregularities have come to light. So far, 18 employees have been sacked and employees suspended. Besides, process of lodging FIRs against 13 employees had been initiated, the Minister added. Interrupting him, Congress MLAs alleged massive irregularity in paddy procurement and demanded a CBI probe. Not satisfied with the Minsiter's reply, Congress members a staged a walkout. New Delhi: Superstar Salman Khan is now all set to launch a series of smartphones. Reportedly, the actor's new business project has been titled as 'Being Smart'. According to the reports, the actor is taking out time out of his busy schedule to build the operational management team for Being Smart products. The smartphones will be launched on the lines of Chinese brands like Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi.The smartphones will be available to the middle class at a price range of below Rs. 20,000. Profits earned via Being Smart will be donated to the foundation that works for the development of underprivileged children. The Being Smart products will be available at 'Being Human' stores as well as on the other mobile and electronic retail chains. Also Read: Five times when Ram Gopal Verma's sharp tongue sparked row For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Bhopal: A local court remanded in police custody three accused arrested in connection with the Bhopal-Ujjain train bomb explosion case, till March 23 on Wednesday. Additional District Judge (ADJ) Girish Dixit sent the three accused from Uttar PradeshMohammad Danish (27) and Mohammad Atif Muzaffar (22) both from Kanpur, and Sayyed Meer Husain (19) from Kannauj districtin police custody till March 23 after the state Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) sought their remand for questioning. The trio was arrested from MPs Hoshangabad district in connection with the train bomb blast. Also Read: NIA team reaches MP to probe Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train blast The ATS prayed that it needed to grill the accused as according to initial investigation, they were linked to terror outfit ISIS and SIMI. The ATS told the court that the trio needed to be questioned in order to reach to the bottom of their network for dismantling it for good. It also told the court that it needed to question the trio to know whether they were involved in acts of violence in the past and also want to get information about their further plans. Also Read: Video | Blast in 59320 Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train near Shajapur in Madhya Pradesh, 9 injured; compensation announced | See pics inside The ATS said that it has to gather evidence connected to commissioning of the act. At least 10 people were injured, three of them seriously, in the IED blast in the train near Jabri station in Shajapur district of Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Ahmedabad: The Congress on Wednesday charged ruling party BJP in Centre of deliberately delaying construction of the cable-stayed bridge on Narmada river in Bharuch, proposed by erstwhile UPA dispensation, for taking political credit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a plaque to dedicate to nation the cable-stayed (extradosed) bridge which is the longest (1.3 km) in country.The bridge is expected to ease traffic on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai National Highway. Rebutting the Congress claim, the BJP said the demand for the bridge was in fact raised time and again by Modi when he was chief minister of Gujarat. The state unit Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki said then UPA government had awarded the contract for construction of the bridge to L&T in December 2013. The foundation stone for the bridge was laid by then Union Minister CP Joshi and former state revenue minister Anandiben Patel on May 1, 2012, he claimed. Solanki said former Bharuch MP Ahmed Patel had appealed to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to construct the bridge. (As) the company which was supposed to construct the bridge did not do it on BOT basis, the UPA govt declared it as a project of national importance and on February 25, 2014, allowed its construction on EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) basis. It had allotted Rs 8.3 crore on March 6, 2014, the Congress leader said. He alleged the Narendra Modi government delayed the construction of the bridge by six months to derive a political mileage out of the project, causing hardship to public. Solanki said he appealed to Union minister Nitin Gadkari to reveal the truth. Gadkari had said the bridge was constructed in record 34 months with expenditure of Rs 380 crore after the NDA government issued a fresh tender in 2014. Also Read: PM Narendra Modi offers prayers at Somnath Temple in Gujarat The minister had said the previous UPA government had approved the project in 2012 at the cost of Rs 475 crore. BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya said, During its ten-year rule, the erstwhile UPA government draw the bridge only on paper whereas the NDA constructed it in the last 2.5 years. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Armys Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt Gen AK Bhatt on Thursday spoke to his Pakistani counterpart and expressed Indias concerns over movement of terrorists along Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. The DGMO spoke to the Pakistan Army DGMO this morning. He expressed concern regarding the movement of terrorists noticed along the Line of Control (LoC), Army sources said. The Pakistani DGMO was also informed about the repatriation of two Pakistani nationals apprehended in Uri. The individuals will be repatriated through Wagah border on March 10, said the sources. ALSO READ | J-K: Two LeT terrorists killed as fierce gun battle underway between forces and militants in Pulwama DGMO reportedly shared specific inputs with his Pak counterpart about Pakistani forces training terrorists and planning cross-border raids this side. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: India on Thursday said it expects Sri Lanka to expedite the investigation into the killing of one of its fishermen given the gravity and seriousness of the issue. Sri Lanka has informed the Indian High Commission in Colombo that it will release all 85 Indian fishermen in their custody, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Gopal Baglay said. Asked about the status of the probe into allegations of Sri Lankan Navy opening fire on Indian fishermen and killing one of them, he said the government expects that it will be done very very expeditiously given the gravity, seriousness and humanitarian aspect of the matter. The Lankan Navy has denied the allegation, saying it does not open fire at poaching fishermen and only arrests them. Sri Lanka has said it ordered an investigation into the incident and wanted to ensure that such incidents would not hamper the good relations between the two countries. Sri Lanka and India had agreed to release fishermen held in each others custody after a high-level discussion between the two sides in Colombo in a bid to defuse the tension following the killing of the Indian fisherman. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Lucknow: A former IAF employee was arrested by the police on Thursday who they believe is the "mastermind" of a terror module that included Saifullah, a suspected terrorist killed in an encounter on Wednesday. Mohd Ghaus Khan was picked up from Kanpur by the Anti-Terrorist Squad, and revealed vital information during questioning, said Additional Director General of UP Police Daljit Chaudhary. He said another suspect, identified only as Azhar, was also arrested by the ATS. Khan "is a technical man and a hardcore member of the module," Chaudhary said, adding he was the "main accused and mastermind" of the module. He said Azhar, the second suspect, was the main supplier of arms to the module. He did not say where he was arrested from, or in what capacity Khan worked in the air force.The UP police claimed that with these two arrests, all the main members of what they alleged was an ISIS influenced module are in custody. The latest arrests raised to five the number of people in the UP police custody in connection with the blast on the Bhopal-Ujjain train in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. Also Read: Lucknow encounter | ISIS terrorist Saifullah's father: 'A traitor can't be my son, won't take his body' The MP police has also arrested some people. On Wednesday, the UP police arrested three men after an encounter on the outskirts of Lucknow in which Saifullah was killed after a 12-hour ATS operation. Police say he and his alleged accomplices carried out the train blast in which at least ten persons were injured. Police say he was self-radicalized and was influenced by the Middle Eastern terror group, ISIS. Saifullah's father has refused to claim his son's body, saying anyone who carries out a terror attack is a traitor to the nation. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. US Marines 11th MEU US military forces seem poised to take a prominent role in the long-awaited battle to take down Raqqa, Syria, the capital of the self-proclaimed Islamic State. Though the Pentagon has long downplayed the role of US ground troops in the fight against the ISIS terror group in Iraq and Syria, recent deployments of many more "boots on the ground" suggest they may be front-and-center in the coming months. Earlier this week, a convoy of US Army Rangers riding in armored Stryker combat vehicles was seen crossing the border into Syria to support Kurdish military forces in Manbij. The convoy, identified by SOFREP as being from 3rd Ranger Battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment, was the most overt use of US troops in the region thus far. Until this most recent Ranger deployment, the Pentagon had adamantly stuck to the line that its "regional partners" Iraqi security forces and Kurdish Peshmerga for the most part were bearing the brunt of the battle. But on Wednesday, another curious deployment seemed to counter that narrative. According to The Washington Post, US Marines from the 1st Battalion, 4th Marine regiment had left their ships to establish a combat outpost inside Syria that is apparently within striking distance of Raqqa. "For the base in Syria to be useful, it must be within about 20 miles of the operations US-backed forces are carrying out," the Post wrote. The unit, part of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, recently finished conducting training exercises in Oman and Djibouti. Its new outpost inside Syria has M777 Howitzers that fire 155mm projectiles, which are likely guarded by additional infantrymen at the site, according to The Post. USMC artillery ISIS Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the commander of Operation Inherent Resolve, told the Fayetteville Observer last year that most US troops were in Iraq or Kuwait, though "some" were operating inside Syria. Story continues Meanwhile, US special operations forces, who are said to be taking a training and advisory role with Iraqi and Kurdish forces, were quietly given more latitude to call in precision airstrikes and artillery. As the AP reported in February, advisors are now able to call in airstrikes without seeking approval from an operations center in Baghdad. Additionally, advisors were embedded at lower echelons of Iraqi security forces at the brigade and battalion level, rather than division meaning that US forces are increasingly getting closer to direct combat. special forces Though the new directives were lauded by the Pentagon as "adding 'precision' to ground operations," wrote The Institute for the Study of War, "it also underscores that US personnel are increasingly at the frontlines of the operation. Indicators from the new US Administration, including a proposed 10% budget increase for the Department of Defense, suggest that it may expand the level of US involvement in Iraq, beyond the Mosul operation." A spokesperson for the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit did not respond to a request for comment. Col. John Dorrian, a spokesman for OIR, said the moves into Syria were to pre-position US forces so they can provide logistical and fire support to "Syrian partnered forces" who will eventually assault Raqqa. The Marines and Rangers will provide the "commander greater agility to expedite the destruction of ISIS in Raqqah. The exact numbers and locations of these forces are sensitive in order to protect our forces, but there will be approximately an additional 400 enabling forces deployed for a temporary period to enable our Syrian partnered forces to defeat ISIS," Dorrian told Business Insider. He added: "The deployment of these additional key enabling capabilities allows the Coalition to provide flexible all weather fire support, training and protection from IEDs, and additional air support to our Syrian partners." The White House is considering whether to send another 1,000 American soldiers to Kuwait to serve as a "reserve force" for the Raqqa offensive, Reuters reported Wednesday. Officials who spoke with Reuters said there were about 6,000 US troops currently deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, up from the 5,000 that was reported in January. The presence of additional US ground troops inside Syria even miles from the frontline would bring with it considerable risk. Combat outposts often draw rocket and mortar fire, in addition to small arms. Last March, a Marine outpost established to support the operation to retake Mosul, Iraq came under rocket attack by ISIS militants, killing Staff Sgt. Louis Cardin. A total of nine American service members have been killed in OIR combat operations, while 33 have been wounded, according to Pentagon statistics. NOW WATCH: ACLU: Here's what you should do if you're stopped by the police as a pedestrian More From Business Insider Kanpur: Slain terror suspect Saifullah's father Mohammed Sartaj expressed gratitude to the Parliament for acknowledging his refusal to accept his son's body, claiming it sent out a "good message". In the Lok Sabha, Home Minister Rajnath Singh saluted Sartaj's decision amid thumping of desks by members of the House. "The government is proud of him (Sartaj) and I am sure Parliament too is," Singh said. Reacting to the gesture, Saifullah said, "We thank them for this and it is a matter of happiness that they have acknowledged our decision. It is a good message for the country." Also Read: Lucknow encounter | ISIS terrorist Saifullah's father: 'A traitor can't be my son, won't take his body' "It is a big gesture to laud a small man's decision, and sends out a good message to all countrymen," Sartaj, who lives in Kanpur, told reporters. "A traitor cannot be my son, straight and simple," Sartaj had said about his son Saifullah, a suspected ISIS terrorist who was killed in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh Police on Wednesday in Lucknow after a 12-hour gunfight. Sartaj had refused to take Saifullah's body, saying, "A traitor cannot be related to me, let alone be my son." For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Bhopal-Ujjain express train blast, which shook the nation on Tuesday, corroborated official presence of ISIS radicals in the country as images emerged, stating, Islamic states .We are in India. During the probe, the police officials found the statement that was written on the pipe bomb used in blast. On Wednesday, A local court had remanded three accused to police custody who were arrested in connection with the Bhopal-Ujjain train bomb explosion case, till March 23. Additional District Judge (ADJ) Girish Dixit had sent the three accused from Uttar PradeshMohammad Danish (27) and Mohammad Atif Muzaffar (22) both from Kanpur, and Sayyed Meer Husain (19) from Kannauj districtin police custody till March 23 after the state Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) sought their remand for questioning. The trio was arrested from MPs Hoshangabad district in connection with the train bomb blast. The ATS prayed that it needed to grill the accused as according to initial investigation, they were linked to terror outfit ISIS and SIMI. Also Read: NIA team reaches MP to probe Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train blast For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: A fierce gun battle took place on Thursday morning between militants and security forces in Padgampora in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir. Two terrorists were killed in the operation who have been identified as LeT's Jahangir Ahamd Ganaie and Mohd Shafi Shergujari. a civilian was also killed in the gunbattle. The Army have made heavy deployment of troops of 130 battalion of CRPF, 55 RR and SOG in the operations amid reports that four-five militants might have taken shelter in the region. The authorities have suspended train services from Banihal to Srinagar as one of the railway stations is near the Pulwama encounter site. As per initial reports, it is being said that 2-3 militants have been rounded up by the forces, and intermittent gunshots could be heard in the area. The militants opened fire on the security forces. Army has launched a massive combing in the Awantipora area which has been cordoned off. Last week, the Army had to call off an overnight anti-militancy operation in south Kashmir's Shopian district when the militants had managed to escape from the security forces' cordon. Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Chillipora village of the district on Friday night following information about the presence of militants there, a police official had said.(with PTI Inputs) Jammu and Kashmir: Security forces suspect presence of 2-3 terrorists in Pulwama's Padgampora, gunshots heard. (Visuals deferred) pic.twitter.com/OmIkRRQihw For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The hoopla of electoral predictions has started gaining momentum with the end of the restrictions set by the Election Commission on exit polls today. The results of high-octane assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur will be declared on March 11 and two days before that, political research organisations have started churning out their predictions based on assessment of public opinion. Research organisations often team up with leading media brands to gauge the public mood right after the polling. Based on these collective public opinions, they release the projected tally before the results are announced. However, there are many instances when over-reliance on such predictions has given these teams a horrid time. In India, the guess work often turns out to be tricky and in many cases, wrong. ALSO READ | Exit Polls 2017: Ready for tie-up with BSP in case of Hung Assembly, says Akhilesh Yadav With this, a question always arises that how accurate are the exit polls in countrys increasingly unpredictable atmosphere? Live Coverage: UP (403) ABP-CSDS News 24-Chanakya Times Now-VMR India News-MRC India TV-C Voters India Today-Axis BJP 164-176 285 190-210 185 155-167 251-279 BSP 60-72 27 57-74 90 81-93 28-42 SP-Congress 156-169 88 110-130 120 135-147 88-112 Others 2-6 3 8 8 8-20 6-15 Punjab (117) ABP-CSDS News 24-Chanakya Times Now-VMR India TV-C Voter India News-MRC India Today- Axis SAD+BJP 19-27 9 7 5-13 7 4-7 Congress 46-56 54 48 41-49 55 62-71 AAP 36-46 54 61 59-67 55 42-51 Others 0-4 0 0 00 0-2 2 Uttarakhand (70) ABP-CSDS News 24-Chanakya India TV-C Voter India News-MRC India Today- Axis BJP 34-42 53 29-35 38 46-53 Congress 23-29 15 29-35 30 12-21 Others 3-9 2 6 2 2-6 Goa (40) ABP-CSDS News 24-Chanakya India TV-C Voter India News-MRC India Today- Axis BJP 000 000 15-21 15 18-22 Congress 00 00 12-18 10 9-13 AAP 00 00 0-4 7 0-2 Others 02-8 8 4-9 Manipur (60) ABP-CSDS News 24-Chanakya India TV-C Voter India News-MRC India Today- Axis BJP 000 000 25-31 000 16-22 Congress 00 00 17-27 00 30-36 Others 00 00 9-15 00 6-11 West Bengal assembly elections Predicting the poll outcome of West Bengal in 2016 assembly elections proved out to be anybodys game. News channels were successful in predicting a landslide victory for the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC). Chanakya too had predicted 210 seats for TMC while C-Voter gave the party 167 seats. In the end, TMC won by 211 seats, which gave it the predicted landslide victory. Assam elections The exit polls had also given a correct overall picture of Assam as most polls predicted a BJP victory in Assam. After counting, BJP won in Assam with 86 seats, comfortably crossing the 64-seat number needed for majority. Tamil Nadu elections Most exit polls had predicted a defeat for the ruling AIADMK under the leadership of Jayalalithaa in the state. But AIADMK retained power as it won 136 seats in the 234-seat Tamil Nadu Assembly. Bihar assembly election AXIS MY INDIAs exit poll report on Bihar assembly elections in 2015 showed a remarkable 100% accuracy rate. While other agencies were sure of a lead by NDA over others, AXIS MY INDIA poll was the only one to predict JD(U)+ victory with a significant number of seats. Lok Sabha polls 2014 During the bitterly-fought Lok Sabha elections, political research organization Todays Chanakya came closest to correctly predicting the final tally in the 16th Lok Sabha elections. The group had projected 340 seats for the NDA and 291 for the BJP and it turned out that the saffron alliance won 326 seats in the 543-member Lower House. Apart from it, most exit and opinion polls got their results horribly wrong. ABP-CSDS For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Home minister Rajnath Singh issued a statement in Parliament on Bhopal-Ujjain Express blast and Lucknow terror encounter on Thursday during the first day of the second leg of the budget session. The opposition is also planning to corner the Modi government over such incidents that indicated self-styled terrorist group ISIS' growing footprints in the country. Here are the live updates: #1.53pm LoK Sabha adjourned till 2.40pm-ANI #12.47pm Will take steps to ensure that Indians in USA feel secure there. Govt will make a detailed statement soon: Rajnath Singh tells Lok Sabha #12.34pm Such incidents (attacks on Indians in US) have increased after the new US President has taken charge: Mallikarjun Kharge in LS #12.32pm NIA to investigate Lucknow terror encounter, Rajnath Singh tells Rajya SabhaA #12.13pm Lucknow encounter was carried out after gathering strongA evidences- Rajnath Singh #12.12pm Rajnath praises father of suspected ISIS terrorist killed in Lucknow encounter #12.11pm Home minister Rajnath Singh addresses Lok Sabha over Lucknow encounter and Bhopal-Ujjain train blast #11:15 am Rajya Sabha adjourned till Friday-ANIA #11:12 am Incidents regarding Indians in USA taken very seriously, statement on behalf of GoI to be given in the Parl next week: Rajnath Singh in LS-ANI #11.05 am PM Modi hopes that discussions will take place in a democratic manner and the level of debate will be good- PTI WATCH: Hope to see breakthrough on GST, all parties & states have shown a positive approach says PM Modi ahead of #BudgetSession 2nd leg pic.twitter.com/6kVj8tTZ3c a ANI (@ANI_news) March 9, 2017 #11.00am PM Modi hopes for support from the opposition parties over GST and other important bills-ANI For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The investigation into the encounter in Lucknow, where a suspected ISIS terrorist was killed, is likely to be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), a senior home ministry official has said. In all likelihood, the Lucknow case will be given to the NIA for probe, the official said. The move came after the home ministry officials got the hint that there maybe a much larger conspiracy and more people in multiple locations might have links with Saifullah, who was killed in the encounter. Read | Terror encounter: Suspected IS operative linked to MP train blast killed by UP ATS in Lucknow The suspected ISIS terrorist was killed in a house on the outskirts of Lucknow early today after a 12-hour long operation. Saifullah is suspected to be linked with the blast in the Bhopal-Ujjain train in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday, police said. An NIA team has reached Bhopal to look into the suspected terror attack. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Lakhimpur Kheri: Nine SSB jawans and few civilians got injured on Thursday in a cross-border stone pelting incident along the Indo-Nepal border in Uttar Pradesh and authorities said the situation was still tense. Paramilitary and local police personnel fired a tear gas shell to disperse the mob which had gathered around the no mans land in Basahi village in Sampurnanagar area in Lakhimpur Kheri of Uttar Pradesh following a dispute over some construction work. Nepalese citizens pelted stones after SSB jawans deployed at the location objected to permanent construction work on a disputed land near pillar No 200, SSB Commandant Dilbag Singh said. He added that the injuries were not serious. Meanwhile, senior Sashastra Seema Bal officials at the forces headquarters in Delhi said the issue pertains to a joint survey being undertaken by the two sides to erect the missing pillar no 200 at the IB here. They denied media reports that there was firing by the force personnel. A meeting was held last month to conduct the joint survey. When some activity related to permanent construction was spotted by the SSB and objected to, stones were pelted and protests were held, they said. They added nine SSB jawans have been injured in the incident. The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu also issued a statement in this regard. It is categorically denied that there was any incident of firing by SSB near the border at Aananda Bazar, Kanchanpur. There is a need to maintain calm and let the survey officials of both sides discuss the location of border pillars before any construction work is undertaken. District officials have been directed to cooperate to defuse the situation, the Embassy tweeted. District Magistrate Akashdeep and police officials rushed to the spot to take up the matter with the Nepalese authorities. The dispute first arose on February 18 when some Nepalese citizens started constructing a culvert in the area near the missing pillar no 200. Pallia SDM Shadab Aslam had then visited the spot and discussed the matter with Nepalese authorities. It was agreed then that no permanent construction would be carried out till the survey officers of both the countries decided the boundary. However, construction work was started on Thursday by the other side and when it came to their notice, SSB jawans objected to it following which the group of Nepalese citizens indulged in stone pelting injuring the jawans. SSB, which works under the command of the Union Home Ministry, is tasked to guard the 1,751 km long Indo-Nepal border. Uttar Pradesh shares a 599.3 km long open border with Nepal touching seven districts- Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Kheri, Bahraich, Sravasti, Balrampur, Sidhharthnagar and Maharajganj. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Busting another ISIS module after Lucknow terror operations, the Delhi police on Thursday issued an alert, saying that two militants of Khorasan group may enter in the national capital. Both militants are heavily armed. The security arrangements have been beefed up in the vicinity of Parliament. The investigation officials have found a laptop of Mohammed Faisal, which have clips that how to make pressure bomb and mobile phone bomb. It is said that the militants might have been carrying explosives, and they could plan an attack during Holi festival. The authorities have sent an alert to Ghaziabad , Noida, Gurugram police including DCPs to enhance security arrangements at each shopping mall, religious places and crowd-puller locations. The Khurasan module wanted to target three places, a shrine in Barbanki (attended by people of all faith), Varanasi and Sarnath (Buddhist shrine, wanted to target because of alleged atrocities of minorities in Mayanmar. Also Read: What Lucknow terror encounter tells us about ISIS' long-lived Khorasan dream For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday lauded slain terrorist Saifullahs father Sartaj, saying that the latters refusal to take his sons body in national interest made him proud. Proud of father that refused to take his sons body in national interest, the minister said in Lok Sabha. Singh said when the police approached his father, the latter said if he was not the countrys, how could he be his father. The minister said the he showed sympathy to Sartaj, and urged the House to express the same. Home Minister Rajnath Singh speaking in Lok Sabha on #LucknowTerrorOp pic.twitter.com/5KtLKQObRe ANI (@ANI_news) March 9, 2017 A traitor cannot be my son, straight and simple, had said Sartaj, the father of suspected ISIS terrorist Saifullah who was killed in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh police on Wednesday. Sartaj had refused to take the body of his slain son, saying, A traitor cannot be related to me, let alone be my son. Saifullah was killed in Lucknow this morning in an exchange of fire with the police after a 12-hour stand-off. He was suspected to be linked with the blast in the Bhopal-Ujjain train yesterday, police said. Also Read | Lucknow encounter | ISIS terrorist Saifullah's father: 'A traitor can't be my son, won't take his body' For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to make statement on Bhopal-Ujjain Express blast in Shajapur and Lucknow terror operations in the Parliament on Thursday. According to official sources, the minister will likely to make the statements on both the incidents as the second session of budget session will kick off from Thursday. The suspected ISIS terrorist was killed in a house on the outskirts of Lucknow early today after a 12-hour long operation. The terror suspect Saifullah is suspected to be linked with the blast in the train in Madhya Pradesh yesterday, police said. Ten people were injured, three of them seriously, in the IED blast in Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train at Shajapur. Also Read | We wont let ISIS become a challenge for India: Home Minister Rajnath Singh For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Warren Buffett at a Creighton basketball game. (AP) Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) is known for offering its employees the most lucrative March Madness bonanza in business, and on Thursday, days before the official bracket comes out, CEO Warren Buffett boosted the bounty for Berkshire folks. This years contest, like last years, promises $1 million per year, for life, for anyone who predicts the Sweet Sixteen perfectly. But on Thursday, an email sent to all Berkshire employees registered for the contest, obtained by Yahoo Finance, announced, Warren Buffett has increased the prize money! Berkshire is now also offering $1 million to anyone who nails the first 32 games correctly. If no one makes it to 32 games, the $100,000 prize will still be awarded to whomever lasts the longest with a perfect bracket. Graphic sent to Berkshire Hathaway employees for March Madness contest Last year, two men split that prize for correctly calling the first 20 games of the tournament: Kevin Willis, of USLI insurance in Wayne, Pa., and Robert Keller of Geico. Their brackets were busted when Michigan State lost to Middle Tennessee. The two winners discussed their surprise victories in phone interviews with Yahoo Finance at the time. Berkshire Hathaway offered a $1 billion prize three years ago in a contest open to the general public. The next year, it dropped the contest, and since then it has run its contest for Berkshire employees only. The company confirmed the new $1 million-for-32-games prize, but did not comment otherwise. Last year, speaking to Yahoo Finance, Buffett described how he loves contests involving probabilities, and said that if an employee were to correctly pick the Sweet Sixteen, You figure youre at risk like $60 million at the most. And you [Berkshire] can handle that. The Yahoo Sports Tourney Pickem is here! Sign up today. Daniel Roberts is a writer at Yahoo Finance, covering sports business and technology. Read more: Meet the winners of Warren Buffetts 2016 March Madness contest Is your March Madness office pool legal? What March Madness can teach us about business What should sports leagues do when a team owner is indicted? Cairo: A bomb went off in Al-Arish city of Egypt's restive North Sinai, killing a high-ranking Army officer and injuring three others, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. The explosion took place late on Wednesday targeting a security patrol which was passing through Assiut street in Al-Arish city. While Colonel Yasser El-Hadidi was killed in the explosion, a conscript and a civilian sustained injuries. Security forces rushed to the incident spot, cordoned and combed the area, the statement said. Egypt's North Sinai has witnessed several terror attacks after the January 2011 revolution that toppled ex-president Hosni Mubarak. The attacks, mainly targeting police and military, increased after the ouster of Islamist ex-president MohamedMorsi in 2013 by military following massive protests against this rule. The military has launched security campaigns in the area, in which some terrorists are based. The security forces have arrested suspects and demolished houses that belong to terrorists, including those facilitating tunnels leading to the Gaza Strip. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Washington : US President Donald Trump has slammed the Obama administration for releasing prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay and termed it a "terrible decision". "122 vicious prisoners, released by the Obama Administration from Gitmo, have returned to the battlefield.Just another terrible decision!" Trump said in a tweet on Tuesday. "This President is very clear that he understands the nature of the threat that the people in Gitmo pose to our nation, and the recidivism rate that are there among people we have released. That is a concern that he shares," White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said on Wednesday. Defending the Bush administration's decision to release prisoners, he said "it was in many cases they were under court order." "The Obama administration made it actually a priority to let people go, and to actively desire to close that camp and to release more and more of those people, especially in the waning days," Spicer said. Spicer said there is a huge contrast between the posture and the policy of the last two administrations on how they were dealing with Gitmo. 122 vicious prisoners, released by the Obama Administration from Gitmo, have returned to the battlefield. Just another terrible decision! a Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 7, 2017 "This administration understands, and the President has been very clear. He understands that people kept in Gitmo pose a danger to our country and to the rest of the world. There's a big, big difference between the posture of those two," he said. Trump's predecessor Obama had made it a top priority to close down the Guantanamo Bay, as he believed that its existence makes the United States unsafe but was unable to do so, mainly due to the opposition from the Congress. The Guantanamo Bay detention camp is located within Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba.The camp was established by former President George W Bush's administration in 2002 during his 'war on terror' in response to the 9/11 attacks in 2001. US has also rejected the reports of using Guantanamo Bay prison to detain refugees. "There is nothing to consider it for. We're fine right now. There's nothing that we would need to use it for," Sean Spicer said. Asked about the ongoing military exercise in Guantanamo Bay, he described it as "routine exercise" saying the military prepares for a whole host of contingency operations. "It is a routine military operation. As several of them do with our partners throughout the world where we plan for random, contingencies that may or may not happen. That's the job of the military to practice for contingencies that may or may not happen on a whole host of issues," Spicer added. A For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. By Eric Auchard FRANKFURT, March 8 (Reuters) - Tech companies must rapidly step up information sharing to protect users from prying eyes, a security software executive said on Wednesday after WikiLeaks released a trove of documents detailing the CIA's capacity to hack all manner of devices. Dozens of firms rushed to contain the damage from possible security weak points following the anti-secrecy organisation's revelations, although some said they needed more detailed information on what the U.S. intelligence agency was up to before they can thwart suspected, but previously hidden attacks. Sinan Eren, vice president of Czech anti-virus software maker Avast, called on mobile software makers Apple and Google to supply security firms with privileged access to their devices to offer immediate fixes to known bugs. "We can prevent attacks in real time if we were given the hooks into the mobile operating system," Eren said in a phone interview from Silicon Valley, where he is located. "If we can drive a paradigm shift where mobile platforms don't shut off access, well be better able to detect when hackers are hiding in a mobile (phone)", he said. Avast, which counts more than 400 million users of its anti-virus software worldwide, was named in the Wikileaks documents as one of the security vendors targeted by the CIA in a leaked page labelled "secret" but with no further details. The leaks - which Wikileaks described as the biggest in the Central Intelligence Agency's history - had enough technical details for security experts and product vendors to recognise widespread compromises exist. However, they provided few specifics needed to offer quick fixes. Reuters could not immediately verify the validity of the published documents, but several contractors and private cyber security experts said the materials appear to be legitimate. (http://reut.rs/2mEIxjU) The 8,761 leaked documents list a wealth of security attacks on Apple and Google Android smartphones carried by billions of consumers, as well as top computer operating systems - Windows, Linux and Apple Mac - and six of the world's main web browsers. Story continues Apple said in a statement that nearly 80 percent of iPhone users run its current iOS software with the latest security patches. "Many of the issues leaked today were already patched in the latest iOS, we will continue work to rapidly address any identified vulnerabilities," Apple said on Tuesday. The statement made no reference to attacks on its computer software. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while a Microsoft spokeswoman said: "We're aware of the report and are looking into it." Widely-used routers from Silicon Valley-based Cisco were listed as targets, as were those supplied by Chinese vendors Huawei and ZTE and Taiwanese supplier Zyxel for their devices used in China and Pakistan. Cisco security team members said in a blog post that because WikiLeaks has not released any of the actual hacking exploits "the scope of action that can be taken by Cisco is limited". Omar Santos, a principal engineer in Cisco's security response unit, said malware appears to be targeting whole families of Cisco devices but is designed to remain hidden so as to steal data unnoticed. He said Cisco assumes WikiLeaks will eventually disclose the hacks, allowing it to fix them. Huawei declined to comment. ZTE and Zyxel were not immediately available to respond. STAY OF EXECUTION Messaging apps protected by full software encryption also appear to be vulnerable to hacking of the smartphones themselves, communications app provider Telegram said in a blog post. But one positive outcome may be that device and software makers will be able to close up these holes, it said. "This is not an app issue. It is relevant on the level of devices and operating systems like iOS and Android," Telegram stated, adding that: "The good news is that for the moment all of this is irrelevant for the majority of Telegram users. If the CIA is not on your back, you shouldn't start worrying just yet." The WikiLeaks collection contains a mix of copious data and empty files marked "secret" that promised more details to come on attacks against more than 15 security software firms. U.S. cyber security expert Robert Graham said Wikileaks provided enough detail to recognise some known vulnerabilities. "One anti-virus researcher has told me that a virus they once suspected came from the Russians or Chinese can now be attributed to the CIA, as it matches the description perfectly to something in the leak," Graham said in a blog post. Some security experts said the CIA's possible use of tools from other spy agencies raised the risk of false attribution for targeted cyber attacks by the U.S. intelligence agency. He said CIA cyber spying efforts could be set back years. The CIA and White House declined comment. "We do not comment on the authenticity or content of purported intelligence documents," CIA spokesman Jonathan Liu said in a statement. WikiLeaks said it aims to provoke a political and legal debate over the CIA's cyber arsenal. However, it was holding back, for now, much of the technical documentation that would allow other hackers and cyber criminals to exploit the hacks - while putting vendors on notice to expect further revelations. The organisation said in a statement it is "avoiding the distribution of 'armed' cyber weapons until a consensus emerges on the technical and political nature of the CIA's program and how such 'weapons' should analysed, disarmed and published". It describes sophisticated tools for targeting the devices of individual users, in contrast to the revelations by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden's of mass data collection on millions of web and phone users worldwide. (Editing by David Stamp) High Tech Alternatives to Traditional Cigarettes are Often Marketed as a "Safer" Way to Consume Nicotine NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / March 9, 2017 / Electronic cigarettes - or e-cigarettes - have become increasingly popular in recent years, especially among young people. According to a surgeon general's report, e-cigarette use among U.S. high school students increased by a staggering 900 percent between 2011 and 2015. As reported by NBC News, these high tech alternatives to traditional cigarettes are often marketed as a "safer" way to consume nicotine. However, health experts explain that e-cigarettes still contain unhealthy doses of nicotine, even if they don't deliver the same amounts of tar and carbon monoxide as regular cigarettes. E-cigarettes don't burn tobacco; instead, a battery inside the e-cigarette heats the liquid into a vapor, which is why many users refer to the practice of using an e-cigarette as "vaping." Exploding E-Cigarettes Have Caused Serious Injuries E-cigarettes have also been involved in a startling number of serious accidents, in which they have have literally exploded during use. In a recent case, a 30-year-old man experienced horrific burns and other injuries when an e-cigarette exploded in his mouth. The father of three lost seven teeth in the accident and had to be rushed to the intensive care unit to be treated for his injuries. The explosion was so powerful, it also blasted chunks out of the victim's bathroom sink. (Warning: the photos of the injury in the linked story are graphic.) FDA to Host Public Workshop to Discuss E-Cigarettes Although the FDA has not banned e-cigarettes, many safety experts and lawmakers have pressured the agency to take action to reduce the risks posed by the devices. In 2016, the FDA announced it would begin regulating e-cigarettes the same way it regulates traditional cigarettes. Recently, the FDA announced it will also conduct a workshop in April 2017 to "gather information and stimulate discussion" about e-cigarettes. Story continues The FDA has identified the battery as the reason for the explosion in 134 documented cases of e-cigarette injuries occurring between 2009 and 2016. Safety experts say there are likely many more unreported cases of the batteries in e-cigarettes causing injuries. The two-day workshop, which is open to the public, will also host scientific and medical experts, as well as e-cigarette manufacturers, distributors, and retailers. NYC Defective Products Lawyer Discusses Dangers of Exploding Batteries New York City defective products lawyer, Jonathan C. Reiter, explains, "Although it's unclear what, if anything, the FDA will do to reduce or eliminate the risk of injury associated with e-cigarettes and e-cigarette batteries, this is not the first time a battery has caused serious injuries. For example, lithium ion batteries in cell phones and other devices have caused burns and other injuries in consumers. In the case of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone, the FAA actually banned the devices from U.S. commercial flights due to the high risk of the battery inside the phone melting or exploding." Media Contact: New York City defective products lawyer Jonathan C. Reiter. T: 866-324-9211. http://injuryaccidentnews.jcreiterlaw.com/2017/03/03/new-york-defective-products-lawyer-discusses-fda-takes-action-exploding-e-cigarettes/ SOURCE: Jonathan C. Reiter Law Firm via Submit Press Release 123 FINEST KIND CLINIC AND FISHMARKET.... Discussing medicine, culture, and the joys of cooking Pansit. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Grab your camera and head to Kent; according to travel site Expedia, it's the most beautiful town in Connecticut. Expedia surveyed all 50 states to pin point the most beautiful and off-the-radar towns in the country. "Because beauty is impossible to define, we took into account all kinds of aesthetically pleasing characteristics, from historical attractions to natural landscapes. We all know major places like New York City and San Francisco exude beauty, so we scoured through villages, towns, and cities to find lesser-known destinations that will make you sigh with wonder," the site writes. The tiny village of Kent has no shortage of natural beauty. At Kent Falls State Park you can hike along a waterfall and take in the landscape any time of year. Of course, as for most Connecticut towns, autumn is peek season for admiring nature. Here's what Expedia has to say about Kent: "Escape city life in the rural town of Kent. Complete with its own hamlets, it may be small, but it sure can dazzle. Kent Falls State Park has picturesque waterfalls that cascade down Fall Brook, and the Flanders Historic District has an impressive pre-Revolutionary home dating back to 1751. To round out the show-stopping scenery, venture to Lake Waramaug State Park to see its enticing blue waters and grassy lawns." Litchfield Hills is the "in" place these days. This isn't the first time the Litchfield Hills area has gotten good press. Back in Vogue directed its stylish readers to Litchfield County. Vogue urges weekenders to make the trip to Washington, New Milford and Kent among other towns in the rolling-hill county. "For those looking for a city escape that's just a tad less buzzy, there's an equally impressive and just as easy to get to option on the other side of the Hudson River: Connecticut's Litchfield County," said the article posted Tuesday. Its as if a brawl broke out at Brooks Brothers this one pits Jim Himes against Tucker Carlson. The Democratic congressman from Fairfield County has become the new favorite sparring partner of the conservative Fox News provocateur, having appeared three times on Carlsons highly rated prime-time program since Donald Trump took office. Himes seems to relish being the go-to voice of dissent on the Rupert Murdoch-owned network, arguing on topics such as the GOPs attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act to Trumps bombshell allegation that Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower during last years campaign. None of us want to be props for right-wing flamethrowers, but I find that Tucker is occasionally reasonable, Himes told Hearst Connecticut Media. Hes a pretty smart guy. Their latest skirmish came Monday night, when Carlson interrogated Himes on why there hasnt been more congressional oversight of domestic spying on American citizens by U.S. intelligence agencies. Himes is a member of the House Intelligence Committee, which is probing Trumps wiretapping claim and the Russia ties of Trumps associates. Im hearing Tucker Carlson as Edward Snowden tonight, retorted Himes, who is chairman of the centrist New Democrat Coalition. Himes analogy to the CIA whistle-blower, who is on the lam, did not amuse Carlson. Please dont (me) call names, Carlson said. Im asking you a sincere, adult question. Youre calling me Edward Snowden, which I'm certainly not. The segment lasted for nearly 17 minutes, with Himes telling Carlson that surveillance of U.S. citizens constitutes law enforcement, not spying, and must be approved by a federal judge. This is why people lose trust in government, Carlson said. Youre playing word games with me. Himes said jousting with Carlson is not for the faint of heart. It takes a lot of energy to go on a show like that, Himes said. I think its pretty important that I and we be out there talking to people who dont agree with us. Carlson, the one-time host of CNNs Crossfire back when he wore bow-ties, graduated from Trinity College in Hartford. He replaced Megyn Kelly in the 9 p.m. time slot in January, besting his predecessors ratings with a lineup of debate foes that has included Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin. Both went on the show to defend their immigration enforcement policies, which conservatives have decried as giving sanctuary to undocumented immigrants. I think it is Daniel in the lions den, said Scott McLean, a political science professor at Quinnipiac University in Hamden. McLean also said Himes background as a former Goldman Sachs banker and his buttoned-down appearance lend themselves to Fox. Hes a businessman, McLean said. He doesnt come across as someone whos just talking about values or cultures. He talks about business and the economy in a way that might be better suited to the Fox audience than somewhere else. So who won the latest round between Himes and Carlson? Its in the eye of the beholder. The conservative YouTube channel Wayward Son post the clip with the headline, Tucker Carlson DESTROYS Jim Himes....Again. Contrast that with the headline from the liberal website Crooks and Liars, which wrote, Rep. Jim Himes Masterfully Handles Tucker. You wonder whether people saw the same show, Himes said. nvigdor@hearstmediact.com; 203-625-4436; http://twitter.com/gettinviggy STAMFORD A new state law the first of its kind in the country aims to provide a voice for animals like Stanley, Chloe and Toro who police say were found abused and neglected at their owners Westover home. Under Desmonds Law, which went into effect in October, volunteer advocates are appointed to represent the best interests of animals in these types of cases. State Rep. Diana Urban, D-North Stonington, drafted the law to address Connecticuts low rate of animal cruelty convictions. A study revealed only 18 percent of those charged in the state with animal cruelty were convicted between 2005 and 2015. Nearly half of the more than 3,500 cases were not prosecuted and a third of them were dismissed, according to the study, which was conducted in drafting the law. With an 18 percent conviction rate, the issue became how to get convictions, Urban said. Here are people who have done egregious animal cruelty and no one knows, because when they get accelerated rehabilitation, it doesnt go on their record. My hope is that the conviction rate goes up significantly. Urban, a former member of the U.S. equestrian team and owner of four rescue dogs, two race horses and two mini donkeys that were headed to the slaughter house, said she needed to take a stand. The law is named for Desmond, a boxer-Pit bull mix, who was given up at a shelter by a woman after breaking up with her boyfriend. The womans ex-boyfriend adopted Desmond and beat, starved and finally strangled the dog to death with its own collar, according to reports of the incident. More Information All bark, no bite There were 3,513 animal cruelty arrests in Connecticut between 2005 and Oct. 26, 2015. Nearly half of the cases were not prosecuted, 33 percent were dismissed and only 18 percent of the defendants were found guilty. Year Arrests Found guilty 2005 201 38 2006 422 70 2007 339 54 2008 365 38 2009 302 66 2010 256 48 2011 321 65 2012 373 89 2013 230 56 2014 333 48 2015* 371 59 *Through Oct. 26, 2015 See More Collapse Desmonds East Haven master admitted killing the dog. But since he was a first-time offender, he was allowed into a diversionary program for people with psychiatric disorders that eventually erased the animal cruelty felony charge from his criminal record. Desmonds Law authors hope the animal advocates will make it more difficult for these types of outcomes. Animal advocates Advocates have been assigned to three cases, including one in Stamford where twin sisters, Debra and Susan Tandet, 55, have been charged with four misdemeanor counts of cruelty to their English Sheep dogs Stanley, Chloe, Toro and a puppy that died. The sisters have pleaded not guilty. Kristian Exner, a 9/11 survivor, an immigration attorney and founder of the Danbury group Tails of Courage, which trains therapy dogs for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, is the unpaid advocate assigned to the Stamford case. There are eight volunteer attorneys on the list of statewide advocates provided by the Commissioner of Agriculture. Defense attorney Lindy Urso, who is representing Susan Tandet, said while animal activists have good intentions, they are barking up the wrong tree on this one. The professionals in the courtroom are more than capable of handling these cases as they are with human abuse cases every day without the added input of a legal guardian, he said. Urban said there is a surprising connection between animal cruelty and child abuse. In homes where animal abuse is found, Urban said there is a more than 50 percent chance that children living there are also being neglected or abused. She said there is also a link between animal cruelty and the abuser becoming involved in future violent behavior. I hope the conviction rate goes up and we are able to take this link between animal cruelty and future violent behavior seriously, Urban said. Attorney Thom Page, whose name is on the list of advocates, estimated there are about 35 animal cruelty cases pending in the state but only three advocates have been assigned. When each appearance date goes by for these defendants, I am worried that they are going to plead out to lesser charges, be put into a diversionary program or have their charges dropped and not be punished for what they did, Page said. There is nothing going on to get this law executed by the system and getting people assigned to be advocates. Jessica Rubin, an assistant professor of law at the University of Connecticut who helped Urban draft the law, said advocates will assist prosecutors by investigating the facts of the case, speaking to veterinarians, gathering reports and making recommendations to the judge about how to dispose of the cases in the interest of justice. The laws are underutilized. By putting advocates in the courtroom, we are demonstrating that we take animal cruelty seriously, said Rubin, who is supervising law students acting as advocates for animals in the two Hartford cases. Stamford Assistant States Attorney Susan Campbell asked for an advocate in the Tandet case because she received a notification about the volunteers becoming available. Campbell, a self-described animal lover, said she was happy to have Exners experience in the case, because she was also an early supporter of Desmonds Law. Having an advocate so well versed in the law will help me with things I may not know, Campbell said. Lt. Nick Montagnese, whose arrest affidavit led to the charges filed against the Tandet sisters, said the new law gives the abused animals a voice. This gives representation to the animal that is not capable of representing itself, he said. A state Superior Court judge declined to rule quickly on a lawsuit accusing New Milford Mayor David Gronbach of misappropriating town money. After a 40-minute hearing Thursday, Judge John W. Pickard said he needed time to decide whether Republican Town Committee Chair Michael Barnes has standing to sue Gronbach. Pickard did not give himself a deadline, but said he would rule as quickly as I can. Barnes sued as a taxpayer and voter to stop the towns renovation of the John Pettibone School and other appropriations not authorized by the Board of Finance. Gronbach, after the hearing in the old Litchfield courthouse, said there are serious legal questions about whether a taxpayer has standing to sue in such a case. If everyone can sue the mayor, it would grind government to a halt, he said. Barnes said Gronbachs argument is an idea to silence somebody, and that raising the issue of standing suggests he is likely to lose on the merits of the case. Its all they have, he said. Gronbach, a Democrat, has called the lawsuit Republican obstruction. His attorney, Melinda Powell, said Barnes has to prove he was personally affected by Gronbachs actions in order for the suit to proceed. Barnes attorney, Jeffrey Sienkiewicz, countered that case law allows Barnes to sue on the grounds that his votes for finance board members were rendered valueless because Gronbach bypassed the board to spend money on the renovations. Moreover, Sienkiewicz said, Barnes the taxpayer was classically aggrieved because the towns money was spent without the finance board review required by the town charter. They make the appropriations, not the Town Council, not the mayor, not the director of finance, he said. Near the end of the hearing, Judge Pickard asked Powell how residents could uphold town laws if they have no standing to sue. Politically, your honor, Powell said. Just wait till the next election? he asked, chuckling. Yes, she said. blytton@hearstmediact.com; 203-731-3411; @bglytton I read the other day that President Trump (on Fox News) appeared to blame the generals for the death of the Navy Seal in Yemen. Mr. President, how can that be? You are commander-in-chief. That means you are the boss of all the military in our great country (yes, we are a great country, and have been even before you were elected). This means the young sailor who gave his life for his country, the generals you blamed for his death, and all other military personnel are your employees. Rather than throw the unnamed generals under the bus, take responsibility for what happened. If someone fishing or hunting can be required to show authorities an appropriate state permit, then it makes sense that someone openly carrying a gun should have to do the same. A firearm is, after all, much more dangerous to the public than a fishing pole. But state law is murky on the rights of police officers to ask to see a gun permit and so must be clarified. The issue: In Connecticut it is legal to openly carry a firearm or to carry a concealed one, as long as owners have a permit and have it with them. But police cannot ask to see that permit, which makes the requirement to carry the permit hollow. The answer is in a bill, HB 6001, before the Judiciary Committee An Act Concerning Presentation Of A Carry Permit Upon Request would require the holder of a permit for the carrying of any pistol or revolver to present such permit upon request of a law enforcement officer. Police consider this a safety issue and we agree. Dozens of police chiefs at the state Capitol Tuesday supported the bill. Gun-rights supporters see the bill differently. They are concerned that gun owners could be profiled by police. The president of the Connecticut Citizens Defense League stipulates the only appropriate time for asking to see a permit is if a suspect is threatening, agitated or brandishing a weapon in public. The sides are drawn and are the same as last year when a similar bill was raised, but ultimately not adopted in the General Assembly session. This is the year it should become law. What we wrote: The bill changes an existing statute so that law enforcement does not need a reasonable suspicion of a crime to ask to see an individual permit. ... Without the change, the law is subject to conflicting interpretations. ... The line between reasonable and unreasonable is murky. Editorial, March 3, 2016 Why you should care: The public is exhorted by federal Homeland Security If you see something, say something, and a citizen did just that in January, 2016, out of concern for a man openly carrying a weapon into a Subway sandwich shop in Bridgeport. Police responded and asked to see the mans gun permit; he refused, saying he legally didnt have to, and a verbal confrontation ensued. Fortunately, it ended peacefully and no one was hurt. If you are concerned enough to alert police, shouldnt they be able to fully investigate the situation and ensure public safety? Conversely, if you are lawfully and peacefully carrying a pistol or revolver and have a permit to do so, you should not be harassed by law enforcement. This protection should be codified in departmental policy, similar to other instructions for interacting with the public. What will happen next: The bill, introduced by state Rep. Steven J. Stafstrom, a Democrat representing the 129th District in Bridgeport, is scheduled for a public hearing before the Judiciary Committee, of which he is a co-chair, at 10 a.m. on March 15 in the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. This is the time to make your views known, either testifying in person or in writing. Now is the time to bring common sense into the law. If someone has to show a drivers license, a fishing permit or a hunting permit, surely producing a valid gun permit is reasonable. I just returned from Washington, D.C., where I attended a gathering of more than 1,000 volunteers from all 50 states who are part of a national grassroots movement No Labels. The reason for the gathering was simple: Visit our congressional representatives on Capitol Hill to ask them to stop fighting with the other party and start working together for all Americans by solving our countrys problems. If you havent noticed, our government is broken. The focus is on putting party politics first before taking care of the countrys needs. This has to stop. A recent Harvard University-Harris poll found that 73 percent of voters want Democrats to find ways to work with President Trump. And vice versa: 68 percent of all voters want President Trump to find ways to work with Democrats in Congress. The handwriting is on the wall. Unfortunately most in in Congress dont seem to be reading it. OTTAWA, March 9, 2017 /CNW/ - Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Perry Bellegarde issued the following statement today in response to remarks by Conservative Senator Lynn Beyak expressing her positive views of the Indian residential schools: "It's disappointing that these misinformed attitudes still exist after all the work by First Nations and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to bring light to this dark chapter in Canada's history. The residential schools were profoundly damaging to First Nations. Children were forcibly taken from their families and homes for the express purpose of trying to eradicate our languages and our identities. This was an attempt at genocide. Not only First Nations, but all of Canada is still dealing with the painful legacy, a pain profoundly compounded by the rampant abuse that took place in the schools. The Senator's comments point to the need for much more public education and greater understanding of our shared history. We expect more of our government representatives. Truth is essential to reconciliation. And there is no better time than now, during Canada's 150th, for all of us to commit to reconciliation in meaningful ways." For more than a century, over 150,000 First Nations children were taken from their homes and forced to attend residential schools. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission report found that, along with rampant physical, sexual and mental abuse, about 6,000 children died while in care. In 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologized in the House of Commons for the residential schools, stating: "The government now recognizes that the consequences of the Indian Residential Schools policy were profoundly negative and that this policy has had a lasting and damaging impact on Aboriginal culture, heritage and language." The AFN is the national organization representing First Nations citizens in Canada. Follow AFN on Twitter @AFN_Updates. SOURCE Assembly of First Nations For further information: Media contact: Don Kelly, AFN Communications Director, 613-241-6789 ext. 200 or C: 613-292-2787, [email protected] Innovation Minister celebrates diversity and openness on International Women's Day OTTAWA, March 8, 2017 /CNW/ - Canada needs more women to reach the highest levels of achievement because an open society that values a diversity of ideas and perspectives is good for business. It's also good for innovation, which is Canada's path to economic growth. This was the message that the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, delivered to students and academics at a reception celebrating International Women's Day co-hosted by the CanadaIndia Centre for Excellence and Carleton University. Minister Bains outlined the measures proposed in Bill C-25 to encourage Canada's publicly traded companies to recruit more women and other under-represented groups on their corporate boards and in their senior management ranks. A growing body of research shows that businesses benefit from better performance and stronger balance sheets as a result of having senior leaders from a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives. He highlighted the Government of Canada's efforts to encourage girls and young women to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and math, as well as outlined ways the Government is supporting women who start their own businesses. Minister Bains also drew on his recent trip to India, during which he promoted trade and stronger ties, to highlight the economic impact of openness and diversity in both countries. Quotes "Diversity is Canada's strength. In the boardroom, as in life, multiple perspectives lead to innovative thinking and better performance. Today on International Women's Day, we honour the significant contributions of women from all walks of life and rededicate ourselves to the continued advancement of women in Canada and around the world. I am proud to serve a government that has done so much to support women's progress as entrepreneurs, researchers and business leaders. I want my daughters to grow up seeing more women and other under-represented groups reaching the highest levels of achievement." The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development "At Carleton University we are delighted to celebrate International Women's Day with Minister Bains and a conversation on the empowerment of women and our commitment to gender equality. We are privileged to work with the Government of Canada to ensure a bright future for the next generations of Canadians." Dr. Roseann O'Reilly Runte, President and Vice-Chancellor, Carleton University Quick facts Bill C-25 aims to update Canada's corporate framework laws to better reflect modern ways of doing business, including through encouraging the promotion of diversity on corporate boards, and make it easier for companies to harness innovation to grow and succeed. corporate framework laws to better reflect modern ways of doing business, including through encouraging the promotion of diversity on corporate boards, and make it easier for companies to harness innovation to grow and succeed. International Women's Day recognizes women's achievements and acknowledges the challenges they face in the quest for gender equality. The CanadaIndia Centre for Excellence was initiated in 2010 by Carleton University and leaders from the Indo-Canadian community in collaboration with the High Commission of India . Through events, research and partnerships, the Centre expands perspectives, builds stronger ties and leverages great ideas to spark economic engines. and leaders from the Indo-Canadian community in collaboration with the High Commission of . Through events, research and partnerships, the Centre expands perspectives, builds stronger ties and leverages great ideas to spark economic engines. Canada and the U.S. have struck a joint task force, the CanadaUnited States Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders, to promote women-owned enterprises and boost economic growth. Associated links Follow Minister Bains on Twitter: @MinisterISED SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada For further information: Nilani Logeswaran, Office of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, 343-291-2500; Media Relations, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, 343-291-1777, [email protected] Related Links http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/icgc.nsf/eng/home 10 Honourees representing charitable causes from across Canada given $110,000 in charitable grants and celebrated at star-studded Awards Gala TORONTO, March 8, 2017 /CNW/ - At its inaugural Women of Worth Awards Gala, L'Oreal Paris announced the recipient of its National Honouree financial grant. Of the 10 exceptional Canadian volunteer Honourees celebrated at the Awards Gala and given $100,000 in financial grants for their non-profit organizations, Eva von Jagow with DueNORTH was selected as the National Honouree and awarded an additional $10,000 grant for her cause. "It has been a highlight of my career to meet and be inspired by such an outstanding group of women," said Stephanie Binette, General Manager, L'Oreal Paris in Canada. "While the financial grant will be a great help, L'Oreal Paris is committed in providing each Honouree with continuous guidance throughout the year in order to help their organizations prosper, with the mission of extending more resources to those in need. Congratulations to Eva on becoming our inaugural National Honouree and to all the Honourees for all that you have selflessly contributed to making our world a better place!" The Women of Worth signature philanthropic program embodies the L'Oreal Paris belief that 'Every Woman Is Worth It' by elevating and celebrating women who find beauty in giving back. The program honours 10 Canadian women who selflessly volunteer their time to serve and improve their communities. In its inaugural year in Canada, the program received more than 350 nominations which were judged by L'Oreal Paris, Points of Light, the world's largest volunteer service organization, and esteemed volunteer leadership experts. Selection criteria was based on the impact of the cause on the social fabric of the community, the nominee's ability to meet an unmet community need or concern, as well as the passion and innovation she has demonstrated to effect change. This year's Women of Worth Honourees are Abirami Kirubarajan with Multicultural Youth CAN, Audrey Guth with Nanny Angel Network, Betty Lorraine Cornelius with CANGRANDS, Cheryl Perera with OneChild, Deanna McCarron with Kidzact, Eva von Jagow with DueNORTH, Kirsten Bourque with Street Feet at Sunshine House, Lia Grimanis with Up With Women, Nayiri Tavlian with Hay Doun, and Sheliza Kassam with Children's Birthday Miracles. Actress, humanitarian and L'Oreal Paris spokesperson, Blake Lively gave a passionate speech introducing the Honourees. "It's an honour to be at the first ever L'Oreal Paris Women of Worth event in Canada. This program is near and dear to my heart, because these are the women who wake up every day and dedicate their lives to volunteering and improving the lives of others. Whether refugees, children who have been exploited, children who are hungry, or keeping kids off the street and out of trouble, there is so much incredible work these women do every single day." At the Awards Gala, each Honouree was introduced by a prominent media personality including Cheryl Hickey and Sangita Patel from ET Canada, Chloe Wilde from etalk, Tracy Peart from Cityline and editors from Canadian Living, Chatelaine, Fashion, and The Kit. For more information about the Honourees and their causes visit womenofworth.ca. ABOUT L'OREAL PARIS L'Oreal Paris is a division of L'Oreal Canada, a wholly-owned subsidiary of L'Oreal Group, the largest cosmetics company in the world. Headquartered in Montreal, L'Oreal Canada had sales of $1.054 billion in 2015 and employs more than 1,200 people. The company's prestigious portfolio of 35 brands encompasses all aspects of beauty. For more information visit www.lorealparis.ca. SOURCE L'Oreal Paris For further information: MEDIA CONTACT: L'Oreal Paris: Kristina Argento, 514.287.4661, [email protected]; Cowan & Company: Margaret Batuszkin / Katherine Clark, 416.462.8773, [email protected] / [email protected] Celebrate Canada 150, explore nature, be dazzled and dream big! TORONTO, March 9, 2017 /CNW/ - School's out for March Break! Spring into action and join us as we celebrate curiosity and Canada 150 at the Ontario Science Centre. With immersive IMAX films, new hands-on experiences and special programming, the Ontario Science Centre has science-filled fun for the whole family. Delve deep into the invisible workings of nature's engineering with Biomechanics: The Machine Inside. Learn about cutting edge science that's being discovered now from University of Waterloo researchers during our daily Science Hot Spots. Make your data count at Research Live! as you provide researchers from the University of Waterloo with valuable information about hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills and balance. Power up at The Energy Show, an interactive stage presentation that explores energy sources, generation and transmission through live experiments. Learn about transformational Canadian scientific innovations, from the far reaches of space to common household items, and take pride in our national ingenuity at the Canada 150: Discovery Way installation. From the Great Wall of China to underwater robots, experience an exciting new perspective on what it means to be an engineer with the immersive IMAX film Dream Big. Marvel at Legacy, a life-sized, anatomically correct orca skeleton, carved entirely from reclaimed cedar. There's so much to quench curious minds of all ages this March Break March 11th to-19th at the Ontario Science Centre. You won't want to miss out! Here is a sneak peek of what you can expect at the Ontario Science Centre this March Break: http://bit.ly/MB17OSC For more information, including extended hours, admission prices and March Break tips, please visit www.OntarioScienceCentre.ca. Make your March Break stress free by purchasing Science Centre and film tickets online and printing them at home. Upon arrival at the Science Centre, we simply scan your barcode, allowing you to go through one of two express entry points. MARCH BREAK PROGRAMS & EXHIBITIONS All March Break programs and exhibitions are free with general admission. Biomechanics: The Machine Inside Biomechanics: The Machine Inside explores the marvels of natural engineering and reveals the incredible ingenuity behind evolution and adaptation. Through real specimens, lifelike models and interactive experiences, this exhibition brings the science of biomechanics and biomimicry to life. Daily Procter & Gamble Great Hall, Level 2 Check out our special Biomechanics: The Machine Inside programs throughout March Break: Loco Motion From slithering to sliding, and from climbing to creeping, animals have evolved marvelous means of movement to secure food, to find a mate and to survive. Watch a shape-shifting performer mimic animal locomotion, and gain a new appreciation for how animals are equipped to thrive. Daily at 12 p.m., 1:30 p.m. & 3 p.m. Rock Paper Science Hall, Level 6 Dexterity Duel Think stacking cups is a breeze? Try it while wearing fleece mitts, rubber dish gloves or oven mitts. See how your ability changes when you wear different types of gloves. You'll quickly learn that having the right tool fit the task like a glove is essential! Daily Level 6 Get a Grip! Let the natural world feed your imagination! Biomimetic refers to human-made substances and devices that imitate nature. Become a biomechanics engineer and make a gripper that is inspired by a bony fish's tail fin. Daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Weston Family Innovation Centre, Level 6 Take part in live research! Participate in studies led by local researchers and help them make advancements in science and technology: Science HotSpot Plug into live presentations with University of Waterloo scientists who will demonstrate their cutting edge science research. Monday to Friday Hot Zone, Weston Family Innovation Centre, Level 6 Research Live! Your data counts! Provide University of Waterloo researchers with valuable information about hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills and balance control by completing a variety of interactive tasks in real and virtual environments all in the name of scientific research! Daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rock Paper Science Hall, Level 6 The Energy Show Get ready to experience a seven-foot Tesla coil, a hair-raising Van de Graaff generator, flaming bubbles and more in this new theatrical presentation that uncovers the world's ultimate source of power! Daily at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m., 3:30 p.m. & 5 p.m. (plus 6 p.m. on Saturdays) Imperial Oil Auditorium, enter on Level 1 Canada 150: Discovery Way Celebrate Canada's sesquicentennial at the Ontario Science Centre with our newest installation Canada 150: Discovery Way. Through amazing artifacts, ranging from the lightbulb to the flight recorder, you'll gain a better understanding of Canada's unique scientific achievements. And who knows you may even be inspired to be Canada's next great innovator! Daily Entrance, Level 2 Take a fantastic voyage through the Universe with our exciting Planetarium shows they're out of this world: Eyes on the Skies (ages 0-5)* For children 5 years and under WITH their caregivers; learn about the nighttime sky through singing, connect-the-stars constellations and a journey to the Moon! Daily at 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Planetarium, Space Hall, Level 4 The Sky Tonight (age 5+)* Discover what's visible in the sky tonight and learn about upcoming celestial events. Daily at 2 p.m., 3 p.m., 4 p.m., & 5 p.m. (plus 6 p.m. on Saturdays) Planetarium, Space Hall, Level 4 Celestial Storms* Witness the power of a 400-year-old hurricane on Jupiter, the devilish dust storms on Mars and the wicked winds of Neptune as you learn about the wildest weather in our solar system. Daily at 12 p.m., 12:30 p.m., 1 p.m. & 1:30 p.m. Planetarium, Space Hall, Level 4 *Our Planetarium shows are very popular and fill up quickly. Be sure to line up early to secure your seat. Terracosm The universe needs your help! Ulysses Wolfe has invented portals that allow people to travel to the alternate universes he has discovered, but the iON probes he's sent to investigate have lost all contact. Help bring them back before it's too late. Using 3D virtual and augmented reality technologies, players peer into Alternate Universes, fly through their landscapes, interact with their inhabitants, escape perilously close calls, and even play with particles at the molecular level, all without ever leaving the Ontario Science Centre. Download the free app before your visit: www.terracosm.tv/ Daily Various locations Papermaking Demo Transform plants and cloth into paper. Watch the papermaking demo, then take home the instructions and try it yourself! Daily at 11 a.m. & 4 p.m. Rock Paper Science Hall, Level 6 Energy Zone Visit the IESO Save on Energy experts to learn about energy conservation and how to be more efficient around your home. Take part in fun activities and games for visitors of all ages, win prizes, and get answers to your burning energy questions. Daily Lobby Mezzanine, Level 1 About the Ontario Science Centre The Ontario Science Centre, a Centennial project, has welcomed more than 51 million visitors since it opened in 1969, implementing an interactive approach now adopted by science centres around the world. Today, the Science Centre is an international leader in free-choice science learning and a key contributor to Ontario's education and innovation ecosystems, offering lifelong learning through hands-on, engaging experiences. The Ontario Science Centre is an agency of the Government of Ontario funded in part by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. As a publicly assisted organization, the Science Centre relies on generous individuals, corporations and foundations who share a commitment to science and education for additional operating support. For more information about the Ontario Science Centre, please visit OntarioScienceCentre.ca. For images and b-roll, please visit: www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/Media/ImagesVideo Social media links Facebook: www.Facebook.com/OntarioScienceCentre Twitter: @OntScienceCtr | #MarchBreak YouTube: www.YouTube.com/user/OntarioScienceCentre SOURCE Ontario Science Centre For further information: Media contacts: Anna Relyea, Director, Strategic Communications, 416-696-3273, c: 416-668-1967, [email protected]; Jefferson Darrell, Media Relations Officer, 416-696-3154, [email protected] Related Links https://www.ontariosciencecentre.ca In October, Adair demonstrated a new technology she thinks could democratize access to gene therapy. Tweaking a cell-processing device sold by German instrument maker Miltenyi, she mostly automated the process of preparing blood cells with a gene therapy for HIV that her center is also testing. Cells dripped in one end came out the other 30 hours later with little oversight needed. She even added wheels. Adair calls the mobile lab gene therapy in a box. Adair thinks a key job for the mobile gene-therapy lab is to extend experimental studies to the developing world, including Africa, where most HIV cases are. We wanted to show that we could make the trial mobile, because we are kidding ourselves that treating someone in Seattle is going to have the same risks and outcomes as in South Africa, she says. Gene therapy is moving quickly from experiment to medical reality. But with potential treatments for cancer and rare diseases now showing promise, scientists are worried that the technology is so complex that patients will not benefit as quickly as they should because of a shortage of trained technicians and suitable facilities. For the most successful gene therapies, those that require modifying blood cells outside the body, the procedures are offered only by a dozen or so research centers, all in major cities like New York, Seattle, Milan, and Paris. Cancer treatment Helping to drive interest in portable gene-therapy devices is a new form of cancer therapy, known as CAR-T, that reprograms the DNA of immune system sentinels called T cells so they attack tumors. A growing pack of biotech companies has raised billions of dollars to test these treatments, which also require taking a persons blood and performing the gene addition in a specialized facility. One of the first CAR-T treatments to reach the marketplace will probably come from Novartis. The Swiss drug giant last year completed a global test of children with leukemia in which 82 percent of the kids saw their tumors evaporate, and many stayed cancer-free. Novartis will apply for permission to sell the treatment this year, but the company isnt too happy with how the therapy is made. For its study, Novartis says that it air-shipped patients cells back and forth to a single cell-processing factory it owns in Morris Plains, New Jersey, with the help of Cryoport, a company specializing in shipping frozen cells. Its logistically complex, labor-intensive, expensive, and potentially unpredictable, since no two peoples cells are the same. Whats more, Novartis isnt certain how many patients it will actually be able to treat. We are limited in the number of patients we can treat given the cumbersome supply chain that we have going, says Philip Gotwals, chief of exploratory immune-oncology at Novartis. If we dont do anything to automate the process, you would have to [build more of] these large factories, and I dont know if the industry would do that. Less elite Miltenyi, the German device maker, says its instrument, called Prodigy, can already largely automate CAR-T production, and is now being tested by a few companies. The instrument, which weighs about 150 pounds, looks a little like a machine from Willy Wonkas factory, with bright pastel casements, neatly placed dials, and twists and turns of disposable tubing covering its surface. Instead of hot chocolate, a patients cells move through the tubes, mixing with chemicals that stimulate them and, eventually, a load of DNA-carrying viruses used to alter their genetic code. The instrument costs about $150,000, and a kit of supplies to process one patients cells costs another $12,000. Katharina Winnemoller, a marketing manager based in Germany, says doctors in London will use the box to treat cancer patients with CAR-T cells in coming months. Novartiss Gotwals says Miltenyis gadget is just one of several devices under development. Last summer, after predicting CAR-T cancer treatments could generate $10 billion in sales by 2021, General Electric acquired a company called Biosafe that specializes in cell handling. MITs Draper Laboratories is working on microfluidics devices to prepare CAR-T treatments, and a California startup, Berkeley Lights, has new ways to sort through blood cells to zero in on just the right ones. Berkeley Lights delivers a fundamentally new approach to biopharmaceuticals, genomics and clinical applications. Through simultaneous manipulation, analysis and selection of single cells, BLI develops highly sensitive, massively parallel, integrated workflows with single cell resolution. Initial applications of BLIs technology are in biologic discovery and development as well as single cell annotation and genomics. Manipulate Cells with Light BLIs breakthrough technologies enable interactive biology at the cellular level using automated biosystems, integrated nanofluidic chips and OptoSelect visible light technology. OptoSelect technology represents a new approach to cellular and molecular biology that uses low-intensity visible light to precisely manipulate cells, beads and reagents. OptoSelect has two modes: OptoElectroPositioning (OEP) and OptoElectroWetting (OEW). OptoElectroPositioning OEP BLI lets biologists directly view and manipulate individual cells (or other micro-objects) using OptoSelect OEP. Cells can be manually or automatically selected based on cell surface markers, morphology and real-time protein secretion levels. OptoElectroWetting OEW OptoSelect OEW technology uses light to manipulate aqueous droplets, allowing biologists to aliquot, measure, titrate, combine, split and dilute at nanoliter volumes. When combined with our OEP technology, these capabilities allow the true miniaturization of laboratory processes onto a single computer-controlled chip. BLI Nanofluidic Biosystems Most laboratory equipment work at ~50 microliter fluidic volumes, whereas a single cell has a volume of ~1/2 picoliter a hundred million fold difference! Capabilities performed today at microliter scale are now integrated by BLI onto single nanofluidic chips at volumes properly scaled to your cells. Interactive Cellular Biology Finally BLI enables biologists to finally perform cellular biology and choose each cell for experimentation with complete control, full annotation and a complete videographic record. By streamlining and integrating existing workflows with single-cell resolution, and enabling new workflows, BLI has multiple research and commercial partnerships now deploying its technology. SOURCES MIT Technology Review, Berkeley Lights Chinas foreign minister urged North Korea to halt its nuclear activities and the U.S. to suspend nearby military drills, as a way to quell growing tensions and get Kim Jong Un back to the negotiating table. The two sides are like two accelerating trains coming towards each other, with neither side willing to give way, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Wednesday in Beijing. The question is, are the two sides really ready for a head-on collision? Our priority now is to flash a red light and apply brakes on both trains. The United States said on Tuesday that it had begun deploying an advanced and contentious missile defense system in South Korea, prompting China to warn of a new atomic arms race in a region increasingly on edge over North Koreas drive to build a nuclear arsenal. The American announcement came a day after the simultaneous launch of four missiles by North Korea into waters off the Japanese coast, which Pyongyang said was a drill for striking American bases in Japan. The feat, footage of which was broadcast on state television, raised concern about the Norths ability to overwhelm the new defense system being deployed. Hours later, North Korea further unnerved the region by declaring it was blocking all Malaysians from leaving its soil, sharply escalating a dispute over last months assassination of Kim Jong-nam, the half brother of North Koreas dictator, Kim Jong-un. The New York Times reported Sunday that President Trumps national security deputies have discussed both the possibility of pre-emptive strikes that would almost certainly provoke an attack on South Korea and a reintroduction of nuclear weapons to the South. Intelligence officials say North Korea is already able to hit much of South Korea and Japan with a nuclear-tipped missile. Xinhua, the official Chinese news agency, warned that Thaad will bring an arms race in the region, likening the defensive system to a shield that would prompt the development of new spears. More missile shields of one side inevitably bring more nuclear missiles of the opposing side that can break through the missile shield, it said. But in another article, the news agency rebuked North Korea, saying it must face the reality that it can neither thwart Washington and Seoul nor consolidate its security in a breeze with its immature nuclear technology. North Koreas first nuclear test was in 2006. Brooking Institute discusses the North Korea situation. Most of the scenarios in the Korean Peninsula range from dangerous to horrific. This process will continue to test the new administration. Given projected timelines in Pyongyangs nuclear and missile development, President Trump could face an early decision on whether to shoot down or otherwise disable a North Korean long-range missile, very possibly triggering an even larger military crisis on the peninsula. His administration also has an urgent need to fill out its ranks with senior appointments at the departments of state and defense. The president and cabinet officers can set the policy framework, but policy coordination and implementation requires that the fully functioning machinery of government stand behind the policy. All policy options on the peninsula are bad. It is nonetheless heartening that the president shows keen awareness of the scale of the challenge and the need to approach North Korea with deliberation and resolve. A look at the recent North Korea situation and future scenarios A Testimony by Dr. Victor Cha before the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee on February 7, 2017. Cha is Senior Advisor, North Korea chair, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Between 1994 and 2008, North Korea conducted 17 missile tests and 1 nuclear test. However, in the past eight years, these numbers have increased to 62 missile tests and 4 nuclear tests, including 20 missile and 2 nuclear in the past year alone. The leader has stated unequivocally that he runs a nuclear weapons state and that he has no intention of disarming. Indeed, he has enshrined this nuclear weapons status in the constitution, which could be considered normal only by North Korean standards. data at CSIS indicate that North Korea will challenge the new administration almost immediately. This would be for the purposes of establishing a position of strength. There used to be a debate in the expert policy community and within the U.S. government about the purpose of these activities. Some said that the regime, isolated and alone after the end of the Cold War, was building a program for its security, but would be open to negotiating away that program for security guarantees and energy assistance. Indeed, this premise formed the basis of extensive negotiations and significant agreements in 1994 and in 2005 that ultimately failed, but not without demonstrating the U.S. commitment to seek a peaceful resolution to the problem. I think most in the expert community today would have a different assessment of the Norths intentions. The pace of the testing that some have characterized in the past as a provocation disguised as an olive branch is designed to traverse critical technical thresholds to achieve a modern nuclear weapons force.1 In the past years already, the North has demonstrated through testing and propaganda statements that it is pursuing the technology for mobile launch capabilities, a solid fuel propellant, a miniaturized nuclear warhead, submarine launched ballistic missiles, and an exoatmospheric launch capacity. The objective of this weapons drive is clear: To field a modern nuclear force that has the proven ability to threaten first U.S. territories in the Pacific, including Guam and Hawaii; then the achievement of a capability to reach the U.S. homeland starting with the West Coast, and ultimately, the proven capability to hit Washington DC with a nuclear-tipped ICBM. The strategic purpose of this capability is not to launch an attack on Washington, as this would certainly translate into an abrupt termination of the regime in Pyongyang. Instead, it is to deny the U.S. access to the region in support of its alliance commitments. By holding U.S. cities hostage, the DPRK could work to impede the ability of the U.S. to flow forces and materiel to critical nodes and bases in defense of South Korea or Japan. Five scenarios for north korea. Eight years of strategic patience the outgoing administrations policy of sanctions designed to cause the North Koreans to cry uncle and come back to the table has done little to curb the threat. In the past year, North Korea has crossed technical thresholds that were previously thought to be beyond their reach for years. They may have scores of nuclear weapons by the end of this decade. And it is entirely plausible that during Trumps four years in office, North Korea will demonstrate an ability to reach the U.S. West Coast with a nuclear-tipped ballistic missile, making it the only country outside of China and Russia to have such a capability. At the same time, North Korea under Kim Jong-un may try to engage the regime with proposals for peace treaty talks or other diplomatic proposals designed to entice the Trump administration into a deal. It is unlikely that Pyongyang will seek to engage the government in South Korea until after the political impeachment crisis subsides, however. The paths forward are about as clear as a foggy day in London. I [Victor Cha] discern five: *Positive: A positive path would entail a North Korean decision whether of aggregation of sanctions to return to the negotiating table over their nuclear weapons programs. This could be in a bilateral format with the Americans or through a return to the Six-Party talks, the multilateral forum chaired by China. *Ambiguous: That is, North Korea shows a willingness to return to diplomacy, but without a commitment to denuclearize, instead focusing on negotiating a peace treaty with the U.S. as setting the stage potentially for tension-reduction. *Negative: Kim Jong-un could accelerate his efforts to grow his nuclear capabilities accompanied by more nuclear detonations, missile tests, fiery threats, and potentially even proliferation horizontally to Iran, Pakistan or other non-state actors. *Instability: Even though the leader celebrates a five-year anniversary this week, exceeding many peoples expectations of whether he could handle the job, the rate of high-level defections and purges in North Korea is unprecedented, which indicates a significant degree of churn inside the system. This internal instability can manifest itself in external spasms that generate outright conflict in the region. *Status quo: North Korea in this scenario would not be characterized by an increased tempo of testing, nor an increased interest in diplomacy. Instead, it would work methodically as it has done over the past few years to build programs, remain cool to negotiation, and provoke occasionally but not at a level that would generate U.S. or South Korean reactions. Iran test-fired Fateh-110 short-range ballistic missiles about 155 miles away, destroying a targeted floating barge in one case. Iran tested a medium-range ballistic missile in February, in apparent violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution; the incident led to U.S. economic sanctions against 13 people and 12 businesses in Iran. The sanctions came with a warning from President Donald Trump. Iran is playing with fire they dont appreciate how kind President [Barack] Obama was to them. Not me! he said. On Thursday an Iranian frigate came within 150 yards of the Invincible. On Saturday, A U.S. Navy surveillance ship was harassed by an Iranian fast attack craft while entering the Persian Gulf. USNS Invincible (T-AGM-24) was transiting the Strait of Hormuz in the early morning on March 4 with three other coalition ships when the ships were approached by several Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy fast attack craft, the official told USNI News. One of the IRGCN craft maneuvered 600 yards in front of the 2,300-ton Invincible and went dead in the water, the official said. "The U.S. Embassy in Abuja wishes to clarify that there is no reason for Nigerians with valid visas to postpone or cancel their travel to the United States. Nigeria is not named in the Executive Order on Immigration issued on March 6, and there is no prohibition against Nigerian lawful permanent residents or persons with a valid visa or other U.S. government authorization from entering the United States". Following reports of alleged denial of some Nigerians entry into the US by some US immigration officers, the US embassy in Nigeria has released this statement saying Nigerians with valid visas should not postpone or cancel their trips as they are not on the list of Executive Order on Immigration. The statement reads: Justice Ishaq Bello of the Federal Capital Territory High Court on Thursday found two accused persons, Ezekiel Acheneje and Baba Emmanuel,... Justice Ishaq Bello of the Federal Capital Territory High Court on Thursday found two accused persons, Ezekiel Acheneje and Baba Emmanuel, guilty for their roles in the killing of six Igbo traders in 2005.The court convicted the two men, former police officers, to death for culpable homicide.Messrs. Acheneje and Emmanuel was fingered specifically for executing Anthony Nwokike and Augustina Arebun on June 8, a day after the faceoff between the police and the six traders at the directive of a senior officer, Danjuma Ibrahim.The deceased, aged between 21 and 25 years, were returning from a night party in 2005 when they were killed.The defendants had pleaded not guilty to the allegations, making the trial to go through full stretch of adjudication from 2005 to date.Details later President Muhammadu Buhari was visited by the iconic Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby at the Abuja House in London. President Muhammadu Buhari was visited by the iconic Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby at the Abuja House in London.President Buhari left Nigeria for medical vacation in London in January. Since then, he has been visited by several politicians including the Senate President and Speaker of House of Representatives. Meanwhile, in Nigeria, Yemi Osinbajo has been performing the role of Acting President. Seriake Dickson, governor of Bayelsa state, visited Oghara, the hometown of James Ibori, former governor of Delta state, on Thursday. Seriake Dickson, governor of Bayelsa state, visited Oghara, the hometown of James Ibori, former governor of Delta state, on Thursday.Daniel Iworiso-Markson, Dicksons chief press secretary, said during the visit, the governor held a meeting with Ibori in his residence.Iworiso-Markson said the meeting was about peace and security in the Niger Delta, as well as possible roles Ibori could play in stabilising the oil-rich region.Ibori is expected to play a big role in rallying major stakeholders towards tackling some of the peace and security challenges in the region, Iworiso-Markson said in a statement.He disclosed that the two leaders equally discussed likely windows of opportunities for youths in the region to be more meaningfully engaged, as well as protect some of the critical national assets of the country in the Niger Delta.Dickson had earlier met Ifeanyi Okowa, his Delta state counterpart.Lawal Daura, director-general of the Department of State Services (DSS), held a similar meeting with Ibori on February 4, when he returned to the country after serving a jail sentence in the UK.He met me for a short debriefing session and way forward; also, to welcome him back to his fatherland. We are also meeting soon to discuss issues of interest affecting the nation, Daura had told reporters after the meeting.Ibori was arrested in Dubai Interpol operatives nabbed him on May 13, 2010 and he was subsequently extradited to the UK.A UK court convicted him of fraud in 2012 and handed him a 13-year jail sentence.He regained freedom in December, after serving four and the half years and agreeing to be deported from the UK.The former governor still commands a lot of respect among his people and across the region. The governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose, on Wednesday told Ekiti women not to panic, assuring them that a repeat of Ondo States ... The governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose, on Wednesday told Ekiti women not to panic, assuring them that a repeat of Ondo States PDP fiasco would not happen in Ekiti in 2018 governorship election, saying he is on the top of the situation. Fayose gave the assurance on Wednesday at Oluyemi Kayode stadium in Ado Ekiti during the well attended rally held to mark the 2017 Womens day.The rally, which was organised by the state government to celebrate the international women day, had in attendance women from the 16 local government areas of the state. The Women were resplendent in a green attire with the picture of the governor conspicuously imprinted on the clothes, while those without the uniform wore white came to the stadium in large numbers danced to different tunes being dished out by the array of musical bands The event was beamed live to audience across the globe by three television stations, Ait, Channels and Silverbird Televisions At the occasion, Fayose promoted a woman Executive Director in the civil service, Mrs Adewole, who is to retire in two months, while he empowered a female musician popularly called Bukky with a sum of N2 million to purchase instruments with a pledge to appoint more women Special Assistants into his cabinet.Fayose said the celebration was targeted at liberating women from the culture of being kept perpetually in the kitchen, promising to create opportunities for Ekiti women for them to make headway in businesses and politics using his political will and legal instruments. Obviously elated at the large turn out of Women for the event, Fayose enthused, the power of the people is greater than those of us in power While eulogising his wife, fayose described her beauty as internal, according to him, she neither wears ear rings, nor make-ups, always on her kneels, manning my back and the home fronts.Speaking about the 2018 governorship poll and the logjam caused by the crisis between Ahmed Makarfi and Ali Modu Sheriff groups, Fayose stated that some fifth columnists within the PDP allegedly connived with external forces to give All Progressives Congress(APC) victory in Ondo State. Fayose, who ordered the women groups to display their voter cards for the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) to see , boasted that such scenario wont happen in Ekiti , because of the fact that he enjoys massive supports from the electorate. You APC professional riggers, see for yourself, you cant take Ekiti. INEC in Abuja, can you see the voter cards, our performing Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, can you see, show it to Senator Bukola Saraki , let them see.I dont want you to entertain any fear. Let me tell you expressly that the PDP in Ekiti is behind Senator Makarfi, we are not with Sheriff. Ekiti is a no go area for APC. APC only exists on the pages of newspapers and propaganda, but today, we have marched them up and even overtook them. We are waiting for the outcome of the Supreme court judgement and after that we will chart a new political course for ourselves, so no cause for alarm, Fayose said. Promising to liberate women from all forms of oppression, Fayose stated : Very soon, I will empower women engaging in petty trading and other businesses with a sum of N500m. I will also want to give financial assistance to 1,000 women apart from a sum of N200m I want to give to 200 women in farming. Time has gone when women were being kept in the kitchen and the other room.Now, you must come out of your hiding. In the election coming up in December this year, women will be given one-third in councillorship, chairmanship and supervisory councillorship lots and you know when I say I will do, I shall do, he said. A Niger Delta woman activist, Mrs Ankia Briggs , advocated the restructuring of Nigeria, saying this will help in championing the course of womenfolk and bring about equitable and stable Nigeria. Briggs urged Ekiti women to embrace the change being pioneered by Governor Fayose to liberate women from wanton poverty . Mrs Fayose, who appealed to women to be good and supportive wives, promised to use her office to bring succour to Ekiti women wherever they may be . THE Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved $470 million and N186 million for water projects in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). THE Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved $470 million and N186 million for water projects in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).FCT Minister Mohammad Bello spoke to State House correspondents at the end of the FEC meeting chaired by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo.He was with the Minister of Information Lai Mohammed and Minister of Budget and National Planning Udoma Udo Udoma.Mohammad said the approvals were given after FEC considered three memos from his ministry.He said: During FEC meeting, we discussed three very important memoranda from FCT. The first one was the approval of the contract for the construction of greater Abuja water supply project at the total cost of $470 million.This is a very important project for the residents of the city because it aims to provide portable water to the greater part of the city and it intends to leverage on the facility that we have in the city that is lower Osuma Dam as well as the Water treatment plant for the city which is reputed to be one of the largest on the African continent.As you know, water supply to the city based on the masterplan has not been able to extend to other phases of the city. The intention of this project, which is being funded by the China-Nexim Bank, is to provide water to what we called loops 1, 2, 5 and 6.The overall masterplan for the city has 10 loops. Already Loops three and four are currently operational, providing water to Garki, Maitama, Asokoro and Central Business District.He said the water would be extended to other critical areas of the city with new additional four loops.According to him, it is a significant infrastructure project under the present administrationThe project, he said, would also have impact on the wider number of population in the FCT.The second memo, he said, was for supply of alum to serve the FCT Water Board, towards providing portable water to the citys residents.He said the contract amount is N186 million for the supply of 1,000 tons of alum.It is a very important priority for us and this supply is coming from an indigenous manufacturing company, which is in line with the Federal Governments local content policy as well as encouraging investors that are employing labour to be able to continue in their business, the minister said.The third contract, he said, has to do with Wupa water treatment plant, which is an extension of contract to a period of 24 months, including its maintenance, training and retraining of competent workers.He added that the FCT administration is working hard to improve the state of the Karishi, Orozo, Jikwoyi, Nyanya road. Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, on Wednesday said his administrations plan to carry out a total reconstruction of the Intern... Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, on Wednesday said his administrations plan to carry out a total reconstruction of the International Airport Road from Oshodi was being frustrated by the Federal Ministry of Works.Governor Ambode, who spoke to Government House Correspondents at the Lagos House, shortly after carrying out an extensive inspection of some critical projects in the state, said Muritala Muhammed International Airport Road required immediate attention.He said the State Government has a design for the reconstruction of the road as well as the funds to embark on the project but the Federal Government was yet to grant approval.He said, The road linking Oshodi to the International Airport, you would all agree with me is a national embarrassment. In the spirit of the regeneration and urbanisation that this administration has set out to achieve, we believe strongly that the image that is exhumed by the decadence of that road must be repaired and we took it upon ourselves to appropriate the 2017 budget that the House of Assembly should approve the total reconstruction of the Airport Road from Oshodi to the International Airport.The State currently has a design of 10 lanes to come from Oshodi to the International Airport with interchange and flyover that would drop you towards the Local Airport. The contractor is already set to go and everything as I said has been completed and we already have the cash, but alas we are having challenges with the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing. This is a Federal and not a State road. The Federal Ministry of Works believes that they should do the road, but they have not been able to do it all these years past.He lamented that despite the fact that the FG was indebted to the State to the tune of N51bn, which was spent on repairing Federal roads over the years, the LASGs effort to transform the Airport Road to world class standard was being frustrated.Governor Ambode said if given the approval, his administration was ready to hit the ground running and begin construction of the Airport Road within two weeks and finish same within a period of six months.Besides, the Governor also implored the Federal Government to avail the State of the N2bn appropriated for the Airport Road in the 2017 National Budget to carry out the project.He said, I just want to remind Lagosians that prior to my becoming Governor, the Federal Ministry of Works has been owing Lagos State a total of N51bn as reimbursement for reconstruction that was carried out by the State Government on federal roads in the State.So obviously, what we are asking for is that whatever it is that we are asking for, it can never be up to the N51bn that they are owing us.I just want to appeal to the Federal Ministry of Works, to let go or reimburse us with whatever it is that they are owing us and even if they are not willing to pay us now, we have the money to do it. It is a national disgrace and we would not be part of it. We would like to do it as part of the celebration of Lagos at 50. Ex-Egypts Antiquities Minister and renowned archaeologist, Zahi Hawass, has angrily called Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi, an idiot.This came as the striker seemed to show little interest during a tour of the Giza Pyramids.Hawass, famed for his Indiana Jones hat and TV specials on Egypts ancient sites, showed Messi around the Giza Pyramids last month during a brief visit to Egypt by the Argentina star.When Hawass was asked by journalists how Messis reaction was compared to that of Hollywood movie star Will Smith, who also toured the Pyramids with Hawass earlier this month, he said, Messi is an idiot.And I am sorry to say that.I was explaining the antiquities to him and theres no reaction in his face. I was explaining things that would make a rock react, but he was just like an idiot.However in a statement yesterday, Hawass said he was expressing anger over an inefficient interpreter when he was interviewed on the telephone by a talk show host. He made no mention of an interpreter in his original comments on Messi.I apologize to Messi and his fans for the misunderstanding.The nature of brief interviews does not allow enough time to accurately explain what is meant. That contributed to the misunderstanding.Hawass, a former antiquities minister, added that he would like to take Messi to visit the tomb of King Tutankhamun in the southern city of Luxor if he were to visit Egypt again. Nathaniel Adojutelegan, the Special Assistant to the Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs, Prof. Claudius Daramola, has resigned his ... Nathaniel Adojutelegan, the Special Assistant to the Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs, Prof. Claudius Daramola, has resigned his appointment.In a letter to the Minster dated December 2016, Adojutelegan said he tendered his resignation over the non-payment of his salaries for over a year.The letter read, I appreciate the rare opportunity you offered me to serve our country notwithstanding the personal sacrifice I had to make to work for you without any form of remuneration in the last one year.The Arigidi Akoko born legal practitioner, who left his law practice in London to take up the appointment with the Minister in December 2015 told Sahara Reporters that he did not get a refund for payment made to secure his accommodation.I want the whole world to know that I made a lot of sacrifices and the resignation is for the record that I didnt receive any allowance or payment.It was a sacrifice for me to leave my law practice in London and come down to Nigeria and got an accommodation for about four million naira without being given a refund, he was quoted to have said. Veteran Nollywood actor, Prince James Uche, who has been battling with Diabetes, Blindness, High Blood Pressure and kidney-related dise... Veteran Nollywood actor, Prince James Uche, who has been battling with Diabetes, Blindness, High Blood Pressure and kidney-related disease for about two years now is dead. The actor died yesterday afternoon while on his way to carry out his routine dialysis in a private hospital in Festac, Lagos. The Chairman, Lagos State chapter of Actors Guild of Nigeria, AGN, Mr. Don Pedro Aganbi confirmed the sad news.He said, the late Prince James Uche was due to travel to India this Saturday for a kidney transplant before he met his untimely death yesterday. He has gotten his visa to travel to India this Saturday. But only few days ago, he started having complication and had to give up this afternoon, while he was being taken to the hospital for his routine dialysis, he said.Aganbi described Prince Unches demise a rude shock to the industry, adding we were all hoping that he would recover soon since he was due to travel to India for a kidney transplant. The actors conditioned is said to have worsened last Sunday, as he has been unconscious since then.Footage emerged online of the actor in his unconscious state. Prince Uche who has been in the hospital for about a year and seven months reportedly required N2.6 million to pay his hospital bill and N11 million for kidney transplant and eye surgery in India.It would be recalled that Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State through #SavePrinceJamesUche team led by Rita Edochie and Chioma Okoye the donated N3 million as well as approved N10 million as the states contribution to save the actors life last month. The tough-talking actors ordeal started way back in 2010, after he struck with a strange illness that did not only keep him off the screen for many years, but also impoverished him.A good friend of actor Pete Edochie, Prince Uche has featured in many movies like Fair Game Stubborn Billionaires, Big Boys Club, Dangerous Mind, Dons In Abuja, Town In Danger and Ritualsamong others. The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has redeployed a corps member, Mr Michael Uwakwe, serving in Zamfara to Anambra, following his as... The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has redeployed a corps member, Mr Michael Uwakwe, serving in Zamfara to Anambra, following his assault by a police officer.Mrs Victoria Okakwu, the NYSC Director, Corps Welfare and Inspectorate, made this known to newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday.Okakwu explained that the corps member was redeployed to ensure his safety and security while carrying out his national assignment.The briefing was designed to keep the public abreast on the outcome of investigations conducted by the scheme on the slapping of a corps member serving in Zamfara as earlier reported by some media.The reports had alleged that Uwakwe was brutalised and manhandled by the police for punishing a student who happened to be a rich mans ward by simply asking him to go on his knees.Okakwu said that after proper investigations and resolution of the matter the scheme has also ordered the immediate withdrawal of 11 other corps members who were serving along with Uwakwe at Nasara Standard Academy, Gusau.She said that the 11 corps members have been re-posted to serve in other establishments in Gusau as a proactive measure to ensure their safety and security.On Wednesday last week we got information from Zamfara state that a corps member was beaten by the police, arrested, detained and later released.When we got this information I had to speak to the state coordinator to investigate the matter thoroughly. From our investigations, the corps member had a problem in the school he was posted to serve.He came into the class and said he was going to give the students a test asking them to put their books away and get ready but that this student was not just cooperative.In the process of doing the test she hissed and he asked why she will hiss in the class because it was a rude behaviour but she had nothing to say after a while she hissed again and he went to her to ask why again.The next thing he saw written on her script was `Nonsense Tes. That got him infuriated and he asked the student if the questions he set were out of what he had taught them.The girl will not answer so he instructed her to kneel down. In the process he asked her to crawl with her knees and after that he left; later he came to look for the girl and she was no where to be found.The girl went home, spoke to her father and he went to the police. The corps member was in the staff room when he was called that he was needed in the principals office.When he got there he was asked to go with the police but he declined stating that he was just doing his job but he later agreed to go to the police station if the principal will go with him.He went with the principal to the police station and in the station he was slapped and detained for six hours, Okakwu said. Ooni of Ife Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi has ordered the release of Hausas held captive by the Yorubas in the crisis that ensued on Wednesday. Ooni of Ife Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi has ordered the release of Hausas held captive by the Yorubas in the crisis that ensued on Wednesday.He also warned that nothing untoward should happen to them.No fewer than 300 Hausa were taken captive by the Yoruba.Oba Ogunwusi appealed to the warring factions to give peace a chance because, according to him, there is no gain in crisis.Speaking through his media aide, Comrade Moses Olafare, the monarch said he had instructed some palace men to see to the rescue of the Hausa who were captured by the Ife.He said peace would soon be restored between the two warring factions.He said: As Hausa are sojourners on this land of Ile-Ife likewise Ife indigenes live in other towns and cities across the country and in diaspora.Lets give peace a chance and maintain peace and harmony in the land.Also, the Elejesi of Ejesi Kingdom, Ife, Oba Babatunde Awosunle, called on the people to allow peace to reign in the land. The Chairman of the factional National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Makarfi, has rejected ins... The Chairman of the factional National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Makarfi, has rejected insinuations that he has accepted to step down as a prelude to the resolution of the leadership crisis in the party.He said on Wednesday in a statement signed by his spokesman, Mukhtar Sirajo, in Abuja that he had never offered to resign as had been purported in some reports.Makarfi however noted that he and the caretaker committee is committed to reconciliation in the party and was prepared to accept a comprehensive reconciliation programme that would ensure a level playing field.The statement read: The attention of Senator Ahmed Mohammad Makarfi has been drawn to reports in a section of the media ascribing to him the purported offer or acceptance of certain conditions as a precursor to reconciliation within the PDP family.Senator Ahmed Makarfi wishes to state categorically that even though his commitment to reconciliation in the party, as well as, that of the caretaker committee over which he has the honour to preside are total and unwavering, neither he nor the committee has given or accepted any terms to or from anybody.He is on record to have repeatedly assured all that having accepted the challenge thrown at him and other members of the committee by all organs of the party to steer it away from the path of disunity and rancour, he and the committee he heads are ready to abide by any decision(s) these organs may decide to take at any time.And for the avoidance of doubt, the caretaker committee is amenable to a reconciliation that is comprehensive and one that creates a level playing field for all, legally watertight and acceptable to all organs of the party. The senate on Tuesday summoned Hameed Ali, comptroller-general of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), over the plan to seize vehicles with... The senate on Tuesday summoned Hameed Ali, comptroller-general of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), over the plan to seize vehicles without paid duty.On Tuesday, the upper legislative chamber directed customs to suspend the action, but the NCS went ahead to offer 60 percent rebate on the duty.This prompted the senate to summon Ali, and instructed him to appear in customs uniform.The senate will take a resolution and an agency of government will have the temerity, will have the guts, the strength to blatantly disregard the Nigerian senate. It is a very dark day for democracy, said Dino Melaye, senator representing Kogi west, while moving a motion.Im a member of the customs committee. I want to educate some of us, the position of CGC has a rank. When he appeared before the committee, I asked why he does not wear uniform, and he said uniformed men dont wear uniform twice.I reminded him that he retired as a colonel and that a general and was appointed as the corps marshal of the FRSC, and he proudly wore the uniform of FRSC.We need to check this properly, we are taking a decision on behalf of the people, and an agency decides to disrespect the Nigerian senate? If they are taking duty on Nigerian roads, and the president is passing, no customs officer will stop him and ask for papers, they will rather salute him.The senate has resolved that we invite the CGC to appear in plenary with his uniform to either justify or falsify this statement.After the motion was put to a voice vote, it was resolved that Ali should appear on Wednesday. Whether they were simply celebrating International Women's Day or taking part in the "A Day Without a Woman" day of protest that saw many women abstaining from work and housework and wearing red in support of the cause, New Jerseyans honored women who inspire them on social media Wednesday. Using the Twitter prompt #SheInspiresMe, they paid homage to Supreme Court justices, politicians, artists and actresses, but also their own mothers, sisters, daughters, cousins, friends and co-workers. Here's a taste of how some locals chose to mark the day. Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup or on Facebook. NEWARK -- Law enforcement officials in the state's largest city have joined a growing chorus of police officials across New Jersey who say a recent change in the state's bail system is resulting in the release of suspects who should remain behind bars. Joseph Brown (Newark police) Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said Joseph Brown, 24, of Irvington, fired a gun at a home on South 11th Street on March 2 weeks after he was released from jail on weapons and drug charges. He was wearing a monitoring bracelet at the time, Ambrose said. "Bail reform should be re-examined," Ambrose said in a statement. "Brown is another example of a released suspect who posed a public safety threat to the residents of Newark." Brown was arrested Jan. 2 near Vermont Avenue and Plymouth Street on charges of possession of a stolen handgun, drug possession and other offenses. He was released from jail Jan. 10. Following the shooting on March 2, the authorities determined Brown was a suspect. On Sunday, a Jeep driven by Brown from the scene of the shooting was spotted by police, who attempted to pull it over, police said. Instead of stopping, Brown drove off, crashed into two cars and ran before being caught, police said. He faces additional charges of aggravated assault, eluding, resisting arrest and weapons offenses. He was also issued motor-vehicle summonses. Bail reform was intended to move New Jersey away from a cash bail system in order to limit the number of people languishing behind bars because they cannot afford bail. Judges are also supposed to determine how much of a flight risk the suspect is and whether the suspect is a danger to the community. Since the start of the new program this year, prosecutors and police have publicly complained that a number of suspects have been released only to go on and commit additional crimes. Paul Milo may be reached at pmilo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@PaulMilo2. Find NJ.com on Facebook. NEWARK -- An Essex County grand jury has voted not to indict five Newark police officers who fired their weapons in a shooting that killed two armed robbery suspects during a confrontation with police in the city's North Ward, prosecutors said Wednesday. In announcing the grand jury's decision, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray released the results of her agency's probe into the police killings of Najier Salaam and George Richards-Meyers, both 18, from Newark. The investigation found, in part, that while police believed they were being shot at by the suspects, the only weapon recovered from the scene was a BB gun that appeared to be an actual handgun. The suspect vehicle, according to the investigation, also nearly ran down an officer and crashed into police vehicles. The shooting occurred after five Newark police officers responded to the area near North 7th Street and Abington Avenue Sept. 30 around 6 a.m. for a report that an off-duty city officer was following three suspects in a vehicle wanted in at least two robberies earlier the same morning, according to the prosecutor's investigation. The off-duty officer trailed the vehicle to North 7th Street, while relaying the location to city police dispatch, a statement from the prosecutor's office added. Four officers arrived in two unmarked police vehicles, turning onto North 7th Street. As police arrived, the suspects' vehicle drove toward a marked city police cruiser, which had its emergency lights turned on, according to the investigation. "Upon seeing the marked unit with lights activated, the suspects immediately placed their vehicle in reverse and accelerated at a high rate of speed in the direction of the off-duty officer who had been following them," the prosecutor's statement said. "The off-duty officer had just exited his vehicle as this happened and was almost struck by the suspects' vehicle." The wanted vehicle continued speeding up, driving in reverse and hit a marked city police vehicle, the statement added. The shooting came amid the initial crash with the marked unit. A fifth Newark police officer in a marked car heard what he thought was a gunshot, according to the investigation. "As the vehicle collided with his marked unit and scraped alongside his vehicle, the fifth officer saw what he believed was a gun pointed at him in the hand of the front seat passenger," the prosecutor's office statement said. "This officer has stated that based on his observations and in fear for his life, he fired his weapon in the direction of the front seat passenger." The suspects' car continued speeding in reverse and crashed into one of the Newark unmarked police cars, with two officers inside, according to the prosecutor's office report. "As the suspects' vehicle reversed at a high rate of speed and collided with this unmarked Newark unit, the Newark officers heard gunfire," the statement said. "Believing that they were being fired upon by the suspects, Newark officers fired their weapons in the direction of the suspects' vehicle." The driver and front seat passenger died from the gunfire, according to the prosecutor's account, that did not identify which man was driving. A third man, previously identified by authorities as 18-year-old Jeremiah Bowser, of Newark, allegedly ran from the suspect vehicle and was arrested by city police. Bowser, who was initially identified as a juvenile, faces robbery-related charges. The only firearm recovered by investigators was a black BB gun, according to the prosecutor's office. "A black BB gun, which resembled a real handgun, was recovered near the location of the shooting and surveillance footage showed the suspects hiding the gun at this location prior to their interaction with the police," the statement added. Meanwhile, supporters and family members planned to hold a rally Thursday outside the Essex County Veterans Courthouse in Newark in response to the decision. Salaam Ismial, an anti-violence activist and family spokesman, said Acting Prosecutor Murray met with the families of the deceased and would discuss the incident with Newark officials. Murray was "very troubled" by the actions of the police officers, Ismial said, recounting a meeting between the prosecutor, family members and supporters. The prosecutor met with family members and said her office planned to discuss the shooting with Newark officials, Murray's spokeswoman, Katherine Carter, confirmed. Officials did not elaborate on the planned meeting. Ismial has also called for federal authorities to probe the shooting and said the FBI was set to review the matter. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark said the agency does not confirm or deny investigations. The families have not asked for a meeting with federal prosecutors, however, the office is available if they would like to discuss the case, the spokesman added. Newark Fraternal Order of Police President James Stewart Jr. called the deaths tragic for family members, but said the officers responded to a violent crime spree. "It's a tragedy for the families of the two deceased suspects, but make no mistake, the chain of events that began that morning started with the actions of these three young men," Stewart added. "They were out there preying on the vulnerable, they were terrorizing the community. The officers involved simply responded to their actions and we believed from day one that the grand jury would see it that way as well." Police officials have described the men as members of a violent robbery crew that was suspected in multiple attacks in the city. Family members disputed those allegations in prior interviews. Quanna Rollins, Najier Salaam's mother, remembered her son as harmless in an October interview. "He had a beautiful heart," she said. "He would give you the shirt off his back." Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose told NJ Advance Media the matter would be reviewed. "When we get the official notification in writing by the prosecutor an internal investigation will be conducted by our Office of Professional Standards," Ambrose said Wednesday. Incidents where municipal police fired their weapons are investigated by county prosecutor's offices in line with state Attorney General guidelines. A state directive created a "presumption" that cases where police use deadly force are sent to a grand jury for review. When a grand jury declines to indict an officer, prosecutors release a public report on the investigation. Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc and on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook. 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. To activate the text-to-speech service, please first agree to the privacy policy below. Taipei, March 9 (CNA) Taiwan has the right and responsibility to take part in international organizations and believes the two sides of the Taiwan Strait should be amicable on the international stage and work together to benefit the international community, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Thursday. 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. Weather Alert ...DENSE FOG ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CST MONDAY... * WHAT...Dense fog will reduce visibility to 1 mile or less. * WHERE...Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas, Mississippi Sound and Lake Borgne. * WHEN...From 11 PM this evening to 9 AM CST Monday. * IMPACTS...Low visibility will make navigation difficult. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... If you must navigate, proceed with caution. Use proper fog signals. Make sure all running lights are on. Remember to use your radar and compass. && ...DENSE FOG ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CST MONDAY... * WHAT...Visibility one quarter to one half mile in dense fog. * WHERE...Portions of southeast Louisiana. * WHEN...From 11 PM this evening to 9 AM CST Monday. * IMPACTS...Hazardous driving conditions due to low visibility. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... If driving, slow down, use your headlights, and leave plenty of distance ahead of you. && Sue Willms knows how wearing it can be to take care of a loved one with dementia. She cares for her husband, Wally, who has Lewy body dementia. You need support you really need support, Willms said. The Council Bluffs woman is among 35 percent of unpaid caregivers for people with dementia who say their own health has gone downhill since they became a caregiver, according to 2017 Alzheimers Disease Facts and Figures, released Tuesday by the Alzheimers Association. Willms journey began about eight years ago when her husband was diagnosed initially, with Alzheimers disease, she said. He was 67 and had retired a few years earlier. Just hearing the word kind of sets you back, she said. You dont know what to expect. You lose your memory but theres so much more. Gradually, he lost his ability to do things he had always done including simple, everyday tasks like opening the blinds, Willms said. Driving was the first thing he wasnt able to do, she said. He also lost his ability to do household repairs he had always taken care of, Willms said. My husband did all the handiwork things around the house and saved money, she said. Four or five years ago, he reached the point where Willms didnt think she should leave him alone, so she started taking him to an adult day care program in west Omaha. Like almost one-fifth of people with dementia, he has sundown syndrome, meaning he tends to become more active in the evening, she said. This usually peaks in the middle stages of the disease and winds down as it progresses, according to the Alzheimers Associations website. One of the symptoms that sets Lewy body apart from other forms of dementia is hallucinating, said Marsha Williams, program and event coordinator for the local office of the Alzheimers Association of Greater Iowa. The Council Bluffs Alzheimers Association office serves 10 counties in southwest Iowa (with no charge to recipients). Williams goes to all 10 counties to educate the public about Alzheimers and other forms of dementia. Were really trying to get out and reach the rural areas, she said. Willms said her husband would see people who werent there and sometimes converse with them. Now, hes even more delusional, she said. Hell forget who you are your name and he thinks we have a dozen kids (they have seven). Its a very emotional, sad thing to watch. Its hard for a caregiver not to feel isolated, Willms said. You need a lot of support from your family and the community, but you still feel alone, she said. There are times when your friends dont understand and you dont see some of your friends, because they cant handle it. In general, though, talking about dementia is not as taboo as it used to be, Williams said. Emotional support can help caregivers avoid illness and hospitalization, she said. Because some caregivers have little time when they can leave home, a support network called the Hero Project was started that substitutes phone conversations for in-person meetings. Willms is part of the group and recently started volunteering to call other caregivers. She is also on the advisory board for the local Alzheimers Association office. A little more than a year ago, Willms cut back from full-time associate professor of nursing at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, Nebraska to part-time instructor and began spending more time taking care of her husband. Lots of people are unpaid caregivers, Williams said. They want to care for their loved ones. As a nurse, I felt like I could handle a lot, Willms said. Its getting a lot more difficult physically to care for him. Hes needed to be dressed and bathed and all those daily living activities that we take for granted for quite a while. Its a lot of lifting. In fact, Willms recently tore a rotator cuff in one shoulder trying to lift him. Placement options are limited for dementia patients and are expensive for those who do not qualify for Medicaid, she said. Some people exhaust their life savings purchasing care for a spouse or loved one. Willms also wishes there were better choices available for adult day care and emotional support. She does have a private nurse who comes in 20 hours a week to help take care of him. The nurse is there while shes teaching and also gives her a chance to run errands and take a break from caregiving. I think its good to have a break I know it is and I think it makes me a better caregiver, Willms said. To me, it is less expensive to have the caregiver than to have (him in) a facility. WASHINGTON Iowa lawmakers have had plenty to digest the past few days. The Republican Party unveiled its new health care plan this week, drawing scorching criticism of the proposal from hard-line conservatives who have denounced it as Obamacare lite. Proponents, meanwhile, argued the GOP blueprint would return flexibility to the states and that a full repeal of the Affordable Care Act with nothing to replace it simply isnt possible. Democrats have been quick to attack the GOP approach, saying it would leave millions uninsured. But conservative groups and lawmakers have not held back in blasting the proposal as essentially creating a new permanent entitlement in the form of refundable tax credits to help pay for health insurance. Rep. David Young, R-Iowa, passed on the opportunity to weigh in on the plan. Congressman Young is doing his due diligence by reading through the full bill, having ongoing conversations with his constituents on the measure and waiting for the yet-to-be-released cost and coverage metrics before deciding if he will support or oppose this legislation, spokesman Taylor Mason said in a statement. On his official Facebook page on Tuesday, Young reiterated he would wait before taking a position on the bill. Unlike the mistake made by members who blindly supported the failed healthcare law in 2009 and 2010 - Congressman Young is doing his due diligence by reading through the full bill, having ongoing conversations with his constituents on the measure, and waiting for the yet-to-be-released cost and coverage metrics before deciding if he will support or oppose this legislation, which also still needs to go through regular order - the committee and floor process, according to the post. On the other side of the Capitol, both Iowa Republican senators also have been keeping their powder dry and have refrained from supporting or opposing the plan while they study it. Im still studying the details of the legislation, Sen. Chuck Grassley, said in a statement. I agree with its goals of protecting access to health care while moving to a market-driven system that provides coverage people want at affordable prices. Obamacare failed in that respect. He said the legislation preserves ACA provisions that people like, such as protection for those with pre-existing conditions, prohibitions on coverage caps and allowing young people to stay on their parents insurance until age 26. But he said he wants to study its Medicaid provisions before commenting on them. Its important to make sure people with complex medical problems such as diabetes and mental health needs have access to care, Grassley said. The Quad-City Times reported Tuesday that a spokesperson for Sen. Joni Ernst said: Senator Ernst is currently reviewing the bill. Earlier this week, the Trump administration also announced a new version of its travel ban, aimed at addressing legal challenges brought to the earlier travel, refugee and immigration restrictions. Trumps new travel ban received a warmer reception from Midlands lawmakers Monday than his first one did. Ernst said after the first order that it was prudent to reassess the countrys vetting processes but called at the time for more clarity about its implementation.She also expressed concern about its impact on those who had helped the U.S. military forces in Iraq. Ernst, a retired Iowa Army National Guard lieutenant colonel, served as a company commander in Iraq. On Monday, Ernst said she was still reviewing the new version but was pleased that it does not block Iraqis who have supported U.S. military efforts. Here in the United States, we are a nation of immigrants; from all parts of the world and all religions. Our diversity is our strength. However, at the same time, we absolutely must remain vigilant in our efforts to protect our homeland, Ernst said in a statement. At a time of increased threats at home and abroad, it is important to re-evaluate the quality and adequacy of the vetting processes we rely on for our refugee and visa programs. Grassley said the federal government has a responsibility to protect Americans and their way of life. The presidents executive order continues efforts to guard our homeland from terrorism, Grassley said Monday. Todays executive order uses existing authorities to strengthen our national security and also is carefully tailored to exclude lawful permanent residents and current visa holders. By clearly stating this order applies only to prospective visa holders, the president has addressed the crux of the 9th Circuits concerns and should ensure the unintended consequences from the last order do not reoccur. Nonpareil Assistant Managing Editor Scott Stewart contributed to this report. The Missouri Valley Police Department is investigating a string of vandalism. Around 2 a.m. on Feb. 28, an officer on Erie Street in the Harrison County town noticed a damaged flag pole, according to police. An investigation led officers to find damage to multiple flag poles and 20 vehicles with slashed tires. Air was still draining from some of the tires, but no suspect was apprehended that night. Blood was found on one of the flag poles and has been sent to the state lab in Ankeny for testing, police said. The incidents come after the slashing of tires on about 60 vehicles on Nov. 22 and Nov. 23 in Missouri Valley. Murray said an investigation into the recent vandalism continues. Nothing has been solved on the tires, he said of the November vandalism. Murray asked for the publics help in solving the crimes. He said his department is checking with area businesses for surveillance footage. Anyone with information regarding the vandalism in Missouri Valley is asked to contact the police department (712) 642-2736. Were asking for the publics help, anyone that has cameras. Weve gone door to door, Murray said. Were hoping theres someone out there that can help. Surveillance footage helped in a vandalism case around the same time in November. On Nov. 24, 2016, police arrested Steven Pleas, 46, for breaking out windows at Work It Out Fitness, 1109 E. St. Clair St., and Hofmeister Accounting, 312 E. Erie St., along with windows in two vehicles. Surveillance from Work It Out helped lead authorities to Pleas. Pleas was free on bond until his arrest in the afternoon on Feb. 28 on suspicion of making a threat of terrorism toward Missouri Valley police officers. Murray said the arrest is not connected to the Feb. 28 vandalism. A Council Bluffs man pleaded guilty to drug possession and eluding charges on Tuesday after police caught him with meth and heroin after a high-speed car chase, according to authorities. Christopher Lee, 27, pleaded guilty to a controlled substance violation a Class C felony eluding and operating while under the influence-second offense. According to the criminal report, on Dec. 4, 2016 an Iowa State Trooper on I-80 observed a vehicle speeding westbound at 11 p.m. The trooper said the 2004 Nissan 350Z was going 97 mph in a 70 mph zone. When the trooper activated his lights and siren, the driver later identified as Lee kept going. The trooper followed to Iowa Highway 191, eventually reaching speeds of 135 mph near Tamarack Road. Lee eventually lost control of the car and ended up in a ditch. Investigators said Lee got out of the vehicle and fled the scene on foot. The defendant was given numerous warnings before a Taser was deployed to stop him, the report reads. Lee was taken into custody and transported to Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs by Neola Rescue. Inside the car Lee was driving, troopers found heroin, Xanax, meth and drug paraphernalia, the report said. Lee told them the drugs were his. Lee did not address the court Tuesday when asked if he had anything to say before pleading guilty. He is scheduled to be sentenced March 20. Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller announced Tuesday findings that more than 4,200 untested sexual assault evidence kits are in storage. And, while authorities in Pottawattamie County and elsewhere are not part of what the state office called a backlog, shining a light on the number of untested kits is worthwhile. The findings are the result of a yearlong survey of city and county law enforcement agencies, conducted by the Crime Victim Assistance Division of the attorney generals office. The Sexual Assault Kit Initiative audit stems from legislation passed in 2016 requiring the survey and a report, submitted Tuesday to the Iowa Legislature. It was funded by a $3 million federal grant through the U.S. Department of Justice as part of a nationwide initiative to address a backlog of untested kits. Our law enforcement partners across the state are working with us to help us get a handle on this issue, with a goal of bringing offenders to justice while supporting and empowering Iowas sexual assault survivors, Miller said. The report states there are 4,265 untested sexual assault kits in Iowa and that 168 of 287 law enforcement agencies in the state are storing untested kits. We commend Miller and the Legislature for undertaking this survey. Even one kit that might go untested because of budgetary or other superfluous concerns is unacceptable. Not that thats the norm. The report stated the top three reasons departments did not submit kits for testing were because the victim didnt wish to file charges, law enforcement doubted the truthfulness of the accusation or the victim did not cooperate with investigators. Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber said local law enforcement isnt affected by a backlog of untested kits. He clarified, stating any kits that need to be tested do get tested. Sometimes, the victims say they dont want to press charges, Wilber said. We dont have any cases languishing for us because the evidence hasnt been tested. When a sexual assault is reported, authorities try to get an evidence kit done immediately but sometimes the victims later dont pursue the case. We save (the kits) and keep them in case the need is there later, Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker said. Im happy to know theyre working on this issue, but fact is we dont have any prosecutable cases waiting right now from a lack of DNA testing, Wilber added. Will WikiLeaks work with tech firms to defeat CIA hacking? WASHINGTON (AP) The anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks raised the prospect Wednesday of sharing sensitive details it uncovered about CIA hacking tools with leading technology companies whose flagship products and services were targeted by the governments hacker-spies. If that sharing should take place, the unusual cooperation would give companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft, Samsung and others an opportunity to identify and repair any flaws in their software and devices that were being exploited by U.S. spy agencies and some foreign allies, as described in nearly 9,000 pages of secret CIA files WikiLeaks published on Tuesday. The documents, which the White House declined anew Wednesday to confirm as authentic, describe clandestine methods for bypassing or defeating encryption, antivirus tools and other protective security features for computers, mobile phones and even smart TVs. They include the worlds most popular technology platforms, including Apples iPhones and iPads, Googles Android phones and the Microsoft Windows operating system for desktop computers and laptops. This is the kind of disclosure that undermines our security, our country and our well-being, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said. This alleged leak should concern every single American. Spicer defended then-candidate Donald Trumps comment in October 2016 I love WikiLeaks! after it published during the presidential campaign private, politically damaging emails from Hillary Clintons campaign manager. Spicer said there was a massive, massive difference between WikiLeaks publishing stolen, personal emails of a political figure and files about national security tools used by the CIA. The CIA has declined to confirm that the documents are authentic. But on Wednesday, the agency said Americans should be deeply troubled by the disclosures. WikiLeaks has not released the actual hacking tools themselves, some of which were developed by government hackers while others were purchased from outsiders. The group indicated it was still considering its options but said in a statement Wednesday: Tech companies are saying they need more details of CIA attack techniques to fix them faster. Should WikiLeaks work directly with them? It wasnt clear whether WikiLeaks a strident critic of Google and Facebook, among others was serious about such action. A message seeking additional details from WikiLeaks was not immediately returned, and an attempt to speak to founder Julian Assange at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London on Tuesday was rebuffed. Security experts said that WikiLeaks was obligated to work privately with technology companies to disclose previously unknown software flaws known as zero-day vulnerabilities because consumers would have no time to discover how to defend themselves against their use and with companies that design protection software. WikiLeaks has said the latest files apparently have been circulating among former U.S. government hackers and contractors. The clear move is to notify vendors, said Chris Wysopal, co-founder and chief technology officer of Veracode Inc. If WikiLeaks has this data, then its likely others have this data, too. The binaries and source code that contain zero days should be shared with people who build detection and signatures for a living. The political fallout and damage to U.S. intelligence operations was still being assessed. The former head of the CIA and National Security Agency, Michael Hayden, sought to assure people the U.S. would use such cyber weapons only against foreign targets. I can tell you that these tools would not be used against an American, Hayden said Tuesday night on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. But there are people out there that you want us to spy on. You want us to have the ability to actually turn on that listening device inside the TV, to learn that persons intentions. One clear risk is that WikiLeaks revealed enough details to give foreign governments better opportunities to trace any of the sophisticated hacking tools they might discover back to the CIA, damaging the ability to disguise a U.S. government hackers involvement. Thats a huge problem, said Adriel T. Desautels, the chief executive at Netragard LLC, which formerly sold zero-day exploits to governments and companies. Our capabilities are now diminished. Some vendors were already sifting through the disclosures to fix flaws in their software. The first confirmed patch came from Avira Operations GmbH & Co., a German antivirus vendor, which told The Associated Press it fixed what it described as a minor vulnerability within a few hours of the WikiLeaks release. Proposal gets first-round OK after amendment limits it to drug offenses LINCOLN Nebraska lawmakers advanced a scaled-down version of legislation to repeal mandatory minimum prison sentences Wednesday so that it only applies to serious drug offenses. The measure has the potential to reduce the states overcrowded prisons and save several million dollars annually on the cost of housing inmates. And supporters argued that nothing in the bill prevents judges from throwing the book at hard-core drug criminals. But that didnt make the idea more acceptable to the governor or prosecuting attorneys. Under the amended bill, those caught dealing heroin, cocaine or methamphetamine even to children or near school property would no longer face mandatory minimums of three or five years. While the compromise amendment helped Legislative Bill 447 advance to the second round of debate on a 25-22 vote, Gov. Pete Ricketts said Wednesday he still strongly opposes the measure. Removing mandatory minimums, even for drug felons, would soften Nebraskas protections for public safety, Ricketts said in a press release. I urge the Legislature to reconsider its decision to advance LB 447. The bill faces two more rounds of consideration before it would go to the governors desk. If vetoed, the measure would need 30 votes for an override, which looks like a tall hurdle based on Wednesdays close vote. After the vote, Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said that under current law, dealers who sell cocaine, heroin or meth to minors or within 1,000 feet of a school, college or university can face mandatory minimum penalties. The bill that advanced Wednesday prevents minimums from being imposed in such cases. The same applies to dealers carrying firearms or those who use juveniles to sell drugs, a tactic of gang members, Kleine said. I think taking mandatory minimums out for those kinds of situations is a very bad message to send, Kleine said. Its disappointing. The situations were talking about are the worst of the worst. The amendment substantially scaled back the bill, which also would have ended mandatory prison terms for gun crimes, hate crimes, assaulting police or pregnant women, creating child pornography and other Class IC and ID felonies. State Sen. Paul Schumacher of Columbus, a former prosecutor who supports rolling back mandatory minimums, said the criminal code has been littered with get-tough-on-crime enhancements that amount to political spin. Let judges decide which criminals to lock up and which ones deserve a lighter punishment, he said We are forcing our justice system into ... doing injustice, he said. Several senators who supported the amendment pointed to a 2016 position paper by the American Legislative Exchange Council, a pro-business, conservative think tank that has encouraged states to repeal mandatory minimums for nonviolent drug offenders. Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha the sponsor of the bill, said he was willing to accept the amendment even though it greatly reduced the scope of his bill. The amendment, offered by Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, was adopted on a vote of 29-9. Sen. Suzanne Geist of Lincoln voted against the amendment and the bill, saying she was not comfortable lifting the penalties for those caught with dealer-level quantities of meth, cocaine and heroin. Former New Zealand Warrior Kevin Locke is on the right track to return to the NRL in the near future after making an immediate impression in the Intrust Super Cup for the Sunshine Coast Falcons. Locke is fast becoming a leader at the club he signed with late in 2016, with the Falcons reaping the benefits of having the star fullback in their squad. The 27-year-old last appeared in the NRL in 2014, falling out of favour with the Warriors before being moved to the NSW Cup. With his NRL career looking all but over, Locke before moved to England to play for the Salford Red Devils and the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats. But England was not the place for Locke who was plagued by a number of off-field incidents that resulted in him being released from the Wildcats. Now back in Australia, Locke's dream to return to the NRL is still alive. The New Zealand international secured himself a train-and-trial contract with the Manly Sea Eagles in November of 2016 before moving to the Sunshine Coast to play for the Falcons. Sunshine Coast hooker Alex Bishop told NRL.com that Locke's class is already rubbing off on the playing group. "He's a class player. You don't play at the level he has for that many years if you aren't of top quality," Bishop said. "He's been really good for the club. He's become a big part of the team and really understands the club's culture. "Kevin is mixing with all the boys really well and he'll be one of our best this year. He's played for his country numerous times so that experience is invaluable." The Falcons fell just short of a grand final appearance in 2016, losing to the Redcliffe Dolphins in the preliminary final. It's hoped the inclusion of Locke will help their side take that extra step in 2017, and they did their premiership credentials no harm in Round 1. A 7-all draw against the highly fancied Easts Tigers has given Bishop hope, but he knows the talent some of the other teams have at their disposal. Bishop said Locke could be the difference-maker against quality teams such as Redcliffe and Townsville. "We had quite a young side last year so Kevin can only benefit us. All the younger boys are learning off him," he said. "He gives great advice and is helping all the lads out wherever he can. "Redcliffe are always strong. They have a great breeding ground down there. "Townsville of course will be hard to beat. The thing about this competition is that it's just so even. "You have to be on your game every week because anyone can beat you." Edward Garza has kept a secret since he was 9 years old. Forty-five years later, that secret has been the basis for growing his family legacy far beyond the reaches of its beginnings in Northwest Indiana. Garza is the president/CEO of El Popular Inc., which his grandfather Vincent Garza created in 1927 as Mexican Specialties Co. Over the years they have produced and distributed more than 500 Mexican delectable goods, using secret family recipes inspired by past generations. Today, they distribute their three main goods across the nation: Chorizo (seasoned pork sausage), mole (a Mexican cocoa-based sauce) and Mexican chocolate. Garza has memories when he was 9 years old, he worked Saturdays doing odd jobs for his family and mixing spices for the chorizo, mole and chocolate. "It was the family secret recipe, only family members were able to produce that blend," Garza said. Today, Garza's role at the company is multi-faceted. He manages employees at both the company's locations in Valparaiso and East Chicago, works with brokers and distributors, travels to meet clients across the country, is involved with marketing and advertisement design, conducts sales, does trade shows and helps host community events. "The work that I do is so vast, I can't even figure out what I do," Garza joked. "Every day is something different. One day could start at 2:30 a.m. at an airport, or I could be on the phone with distributors for a good part of the day, or at a meeting with our USDA meat inspectors. There's no time that I punch in and punch out. I am always punched in." When Garza became the CEO 15 years ago, he changed the name of the business to its current title and narrowed down the hundreds of products to the three main products they sell today. "I really focused on what was the most important aspects of the business," Garza said. "I wanted us to become a national company, and that's hard to do when you're producing 500 items... Now our distribution stretches from the Rocky Mountains to the East Coast." Today, he works with local shops, food service businesses, restaurants and big retailers like Walmart and Meijer, to name a few. Garza's most recent focus is expanding a line of grilling sausage called Longianiza and also taco meats for restaurants. He is also working on manufacturing all-soy and all-natural chorizos. Sandra Navejas, general manager, has worked with the Garza's for 15 years. She aids him in several areas of the business, one of which is to track and record production and shipping conditions to comply with their stringent food safety certifications. "One thing I want to mention is that [Edward] gives us confidence to do our best. ..." Navejas said. "He gives everyone their space to work to their abilities." Edward Garza said many of his employees have been with the company for several years. "I have great people in different positions that make the wheel continue to roll forward, that's a lot of what helps me do what I need to do," Edward Garza said. How he got the job It's a longer story than most. Garza's family's story began four generations ago, when his grandfather moved to the Region in the 1920s from the city of Monterrey, Mexico, in the state Nuevo Leon. Garza said he migrated to this area because of the recruiting boom at the steel mills, which promised steady work and good pay. His grandfather opened a tailor shop during the Great Depression, but was hit by a sudden turn of events. "One night the store was robbed," Garza said. "The way it was explained to me by my uncle, is that when they stole everything, they stole everything. They even stole the garbage. He said it almost looked like they emptied the building and swept the floors. It was cleaned out. Back in those days you couldn't afford to buy new machines." So his grandfather, Vincent Garza, found a different path: "Fulfilling the needs of the Mexican people." He used recipes from his mother and grandmother and manufacture edible goods he would sell both locally and on the streets of Chicago. His grandfather passed the reins on to Garza's father and uncles in the 1960s and in 1981 Garza's father, Richard Garza, became the sole owner. In 2002, Edward Garza took on leadership of the business, per his aspirations and education in business administration. Expected job growth According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, top executive positions such as Garza's are expected to grow in number by about 6 percent between 2014 and 2024, which is on par with the national average. However, the job growth of food processing workers is estimated to grow by only 2 percent between 2014 and 2024. The Illinois Department of Transportation will give the long-debated South Suburban Airport one more shot at life when it issues a Request for Information early next week seeking potential partners to develop and operate the proposed airport near Peotone. "This is the start of a process to determine whether this project is financially feasible and in the best interest of the people of Illinois," Illinois Secretary of Transportation Randall Blankenhorn said Thursday. He acknowledged residents of the south suburbs have been dealing with uncertainty a long time, and said the state wants to resolve that one way or the other. "We've put people who live in that region in a bad place for decades," Blankenhorn said. "We need to figure out if this is going to get done." The transportation secretary, a former executive director of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, said the RFI will ask respondents a series of questions about the potential demand for the airport, its financial feasibility, and about their background and ability to undertake the project. Firms will have 30 days to respond, before a meeting in mid-April which would anticipate a Request for Proposals to become the state's private partner in developing and operating the airport. Blankenhorn said he doesn't know what the private sector's response will be. "That's one of the reasons we're doing this RFI," he said. Blankenhorn said Gov. Bruce Rauner, who put major transportation projects on hiatus during a budget crisis still to be resolved, wants to determine whether there's interest in a public-private partnership. "He is committed to finding an answer," Blankenhorn said. The state has purchased more than 4,000 acres near the Will County village of Peotone. The heart of the property is the small general aviation airport Bult Field, which the state bills as "The Future Site of the South Suburban Airport." "We have almost all of the inaugural site necessary to build the airport," Blankenhorn said. He said "a handful" of properties would still need to be acquired, but won't be unless the state moves forward with the project. The controversial airport project has found opposition among many residents of the rural area. Others question whether it would generate the aviation business its proponents suggest, including commercial passenger service. A South Suburban Airport would also compete with the Gary/Chicago International Airport, which only two years ago completed a $174 million runway expansion, to be Chicagos third airport. Additional information about the project is available online at southsuburbanairport.com. You may not particularly recall Nov. 16, but Broadway actor Michael Luwoye will never forget it. It was a Wednesday and he certainly earned his salary that day. Luwoye played the title role in the mega-hit musical "Hamilton" at the matinee and then suited up a few hours later to play Aaron Burr that evening. "I knew that this would happen, at some point. I was prepped and a little excited to do that. So it was one of those moments of just, 'Let's just go!'" he said. "It was much more exhilarating than I'd imagined it would be." Luwoye is the first person to play both pivotal roles on the same day, and audiences across the country will soon be getting a chance to see why he was entrusted with the responsibilities. The 26-year-old Alabama native stars as Alexander Hamilton in the "Hamilton" national tour, which kicks off this month with a 21-week stand in San Francisco, followed by a 21-week engagement in Los Angeles. "It's incredible how much people love this show and they haven't seen it. So it warms my heart to know that more people will be able to see it with this tour," Luwoye said. Luwoye is the fifth actor to play Hamilton and promises a strong take on Lin-Manuel Miranda's striving Founding Father. "My Hamilton is pretty gritty. I feel like that fire that Hamilton has, I feel like I capture that very well," he said. Thomas Kail, the Tony Award-winning director of "Hamilton," said he watched and listened to Luwoye audition for Hamilton with a memorable take on the striving song "My Shot." "It was one of those moments when you sit up straight in your chair and you know that you are witnessing something," said Kail. "We throw a lot of material at people when we're auditioning and there are certain people who rise to meet that. And he just rose to meet it." Miranda's multiple award-winning take on the nation's first U.S. treasury secretary has a varied score, ranging from pop ballads to rap battles to sexy R&B. It has been cheered for reclaiming the nation's founding story with a multicultural cast. Luwoye, born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama, went to the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa and decided to make performing a career as a junior in college. His credits include playing a Ugandan dreamer in off-Broadway's "Invisible Thread" and Peter Tosh in a bio-musical of Bob Marley in Maryland. When "Hamilton" was first being created downtown, he initially auditioned for the dual roles of Hercules Mulligan/James Madison. He didn't get it the roles went to Okieriete Onaodowan but Luwoye kept auditioning, learning new characters and eventually impressing with his Hamilton and Burr. Luwoye got the call that he'd won the part of the Hamilton alternate on Broadway when he was working as a caterer. "I was in the middle of putting on my tuxedo," he said. "Once I hung up the phone, I was like, 'I have a lot of words to learn.'" Then came that pivotal winter day when on the same day he played both the chatty, workaholic Hamilton and his political nemesis, the sly and careful Burr, which he considers a harder part. Luwoye said doing both made the show more clear. "Hamilton and Burr onstage mirror each other," he said. "Hamilton gets to express a lot more and is very, very fast that fire is lit under him and he just goes. Burr has the same drive but has to do it a lot slower. The story is not about him. He's telling the story and so his moments are not the priority in the storytelling." Luwoye has packed up his Brooklyn apartment and flown to San Francisco where company members include Joshua Henry as Burr and Rory O'Malley as King George III. "I don't really have words for this, to be very honest," he said. One thing is certain: His catering days are done. "I think so," he said with a smile. "I think so." The Disney "live-action" remakes, of which the new "Beauty and the Beast" is but one in an assembly line, are starting to resemble an iPhone software update. Click a button and that old cartoon interface changes Belle into Emma Watson, the Beast into Dan Stevens and maybe fixes a few bugs in the system. "Beauty and the Beast," that "tale as old as time" (or, to pinpoint it, 1740, when the French fairy tale was published), could certainly use a few tweaks. It is, after all, a fable about finding beauty within that ends, curiously, with the once superficial prince falling for a beautiful woman he's kidnapped, whose name literally means beauty. If you'd like to untangle those ironies, please, be our guest. Director Bill Condon's film let's call it "Beauty and the Beast 2.0" often feels in search of a purpose beyond the all-but-certain dollar signs. Much of the live-action/digital effects makeover is less lifelike than the Oscar-winning 1991 animated film: It's gained a dimension but lost a pulse. The merely fine acting and the lavish production design (the sumptuous sets nearly swallow the performers whole) dutifully strive to make this a worthy enterprise. Opposites attract, of course. And this "Beauty and the Beast" is equal parts dispiriting and enchanting: overflowing in handsome craft, but missing a spirit inside. Howard Ashman and Alan Menken's songs still have their infectious kick, but most of the big musical moments feel more like very good covers of the originals. (There are also three less-memorable new songs by Menken and Tim Rice.) And yet "Beauty and the Beast" finds its own verve or, to quote Lumiere, "reason d'etre" late. Condon (the "Dreamgirls" director who, having helmed much of the "Twilight" saga, knows a thing or two about young love and monsters), working from a script by Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos, has taken many of the old tale's more cringe-worthy gender roles and mixed them up in the movie's bright swirling medley. Belle's bookishness is more pronounced, thanks partly to the "Harry Potter" credentials of Watson. Her performance is a little minor key, still, but Watson lends Belle an intelligence and agency that she has lacked. She's less of a Stockholm syndrome Victim and more deserving of young girls' admiration. And the Beast, a pile of horns, makeup and effects on top of the former "Downton Abby" star Stevens, is more haunted and melancholy. But as the film nears its celebratory coda, a buoyant pluralism bursts forth. Characters large parts and small are freed from their prescribed roles in a glorious dance, shortly after Mrs. Potts (Emma Thompson), Cogsworth (Ian McKellen), Lumiere (Ewan McGregor) and the rest come to life. (Be sure to shake your living room and see which British star tumbles out of the furniture.) Here is where that already much discussed "gay moment," as Condon has called it, arrives. It comes and goes in a flash. Josh Gad, the MVP of many a Disney movie, plays LeFou, the doting sidekick of the caddish Gaston (Luke Evans), the dopey pursuer of Belle's hand. LeFou spends much of the movie hinting at his affection for his lecherous friend, but LeFou, too, earns a chance for redemption toward the end. That's all it is an easy to miss suggestion that LeFou might find another love. And yet this slightest wink of homosexuality has drawn the ire of some who, it's worth noting, raised no concerns over a romance between an imprisoned girl and a beast or, for that matter, a candelabra and a feather duster. In fact, "Beauty and the Beast" would be better if it dared more such moments and went further with them. Nevertheless, the uproar suggests even this must count as progress. Perhaps we'll be ready for a truly up-to-date "Beauty and the Beast 3.0" in another few decades. "Beauty and the Beast," a Walt Disney Co. release, is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for "some action violence, peril and frightening images." Running time: 129 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four. MPAA definition of PG: Parental guidance suggested. Regionites would be hard pressed to find a better way of celebrating all things St. Patrick this week than with a visit to Munster's Theatre at the Center this Sunday. They'll find a plate of traditional corned beef and cabbage awaiting them, followed by the annual concert performance by Switchback. The duo -- Brian Fitzgerald and Martin McCormack -- had one of their original songs "Pour Me" from their "Kanoka" album, prominently featured in the 2016 season of the hit NBC-TV series, "Grimm." "It was in May of 2016 and having the song used in the show was a big boost for us in trying to market our music," said McCormack. "It came about because of a chance meeting with a guy in Sweden." Although Switchback has a Griffith, Indiana business address, much of the year is spent traveling around the globe including annual tours of Ireland, where the lads often perform at the Westport County Mayo pub owned by The Chieftain's Matt Malloy. Although too premature to discuss, the guys hinted they may soon have the opportunity to perform in Cuba, following in the wake of The Rolling Stones, who opened up the doors to Western Music for the tiny island nation. Originally raised and rooted in Chicago, the two musicians told of their first meeting during the mid-1980s at the popular music haunt Durty Nellies in suburban Palatine. And they honed their craft while watching a cavalcade of visiting musicians from the wings at Fitzgerald's Rock Club in Berwyn, owned by Brian's brother Bill. "Having access to see and talk to all those amazing musicians who have played at Fitzgerald's was like graduate school for us," said McCormack. "The exposure to so many kinds of music and being able to connect and learn from so many gifted musicians, really shaped who we are individually and as a group." Switchback -- who has a shifting line-up from tour to tour and album to album making music alongside of McCormack and Fitzgerald -- are generally thought of as a Celtic band. The truth is they play an array of styles and genres, often mixing them together into a hybrid uniquely Switchback. While this weekend's show in Munster will focus mostly on the Celtic side of things given it's St. Pat's week, most of their live shows cover the gamut beyond their Celtic roots. Styles include bluegrass and country, to blues, jazz, and a good deal of rock 'n' roll. A new Switchback album is in the works and teams the band with producer/arranger Paul Mertens. "Paul is the guy who arranged the music for Brian Wilson's album, 'Wilson Re-imagines Gershwin'," said McCormack. "We are pretty excited to be working with him." Along with performing over 200 shows a year, both as a headliner and as a support act on dates with many internationally famous artists, Switchback adds to its work load a few dozen performances for senior citizen groups, school education programs, and special needs audiences. These "giving back" shows are part of their outreach programs with topics focused on such things as Celtic music, songwriting, and music appreciation as well as music residencies. "We tend to do a lot of those types of shows," said Fitzgerald. "They are really rewarding for us and we enjoy helping to light an interest in music in students and bringing some smiles to the faces of seniors." Following Saturday's public concert in Munster, the duo will be performing such outreach events in Chicago, Oak Park, Evanston, Lincolnwood and Burr Ridge, before resuming their official tour with dates in the Western states, followed by a run along the Eastern seaboard. "It's becoming a tradition, us playing in Munster," said McCormack. "It's a beautiful theater and we look forward to playing there." For this year's performance, Switchback will be featuring a pair of professional Irish dancers who have won competitions. CROWN POINT A 29-year-old ex-carnival worker was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison for using interstate communications to solicit sex from an underage girl, according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release. Brendan T. Coetzee, 27, met the girl, who was under the age of 14, at a carnival in Wisconsin over Memorial Day weekend in 2015, according to court records. Coetzee maintained contact with the girl online and arranged to meet with her June 22, 2015, at a motel in Lansing, Illinois, where they had sexual intercourse, records state. He was arrested June 23 by Munster police in Northwest Indiana, and he admitted in a statement to Lansing police he twice had sexual intercourse with the girl, whom he knew was under the age of 14, records state. Coetzee is a South African national who worked in the United States on a temporary visa, according to court records. Coetzee will serve five years probation after he completes his prison sentence, the press release states. VALPARAISO A jury found Portage resident Matthew Richardson guilty of murder Wednesday night in the Dec. 18, 2015, shooting of Lake Station resident Joshua Smith. The jury deliberated for six hours before also finding Richardson guilty of pointing a firearm and not guilty on a felony count of theft. A sentencing date has not yet been set in the case. Richardson had been arguing self-defense in the trial. "Because someone died does not mean Matthew Richardson is guilty of murder," defense attorney Larry Rogers told jurors following lengthy closing arguments in the case Wednesday morning. The closing arguments came after a week and a half of evidence, including home surveillance footage of the shooting. "He did not shoot at the ground," said Porter County Deputy Prosecutor Cheryl Polarek. "He shot him exactly where he aimed at him." Richardson claims he shot at the ground, attempting to scare Smith following a road rage dispute that spilled over to Richardson's house in the 5400 block of Mulberry Avenue in Portage. Jurors heard different versions of the road rage incident and subsequent confrontation outside Richardson's house. Rogers said his client came out of the house with the Soviet Union-built Mosin Nagant 7.62 rifle, yelling for Smith and his fiancee to leave the area. "I think you need to think of Matthew's state of mind at the time," Rogers said. Polarek said Smith was retreating and had left Richardson's property to Mulberry Avenue when he was shot in the leg and femoral artery, causing him to die seven days later. "He is killed in a public roadway," she said. "At that point, he is not a threat if he ever was one to Matthew Richardson." Rogers told jurors that prosecutors could have charged Richardson with lesser counts of reckless homicide or aggravated battery for the shooting. But they chose murder or a lesser count of voluntary manslaughter, either of which requires proving Richardson knowingly and intentionally shot to kill Smith. Porter County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Matt Frost said Richardson had the backing of his two brothers during the dispute at his house. "That ain't self-defense, that's an ambush," he said. CROWN POINT Police have secured murder charges against a 29-year-old man in connection with a 2015 fatal shooting outside a bar in Garys Miller section, according to a probable cause affidavit filed Wednesday in Lake Criminal Court. A warrant was issued Wednesday for the arrest of Christopher M. Godines, of Gary eight months after he allegedly called a Gary detective to clear the air once Godines heard his name was coming up as a possible suspect in the shooting outside Murphys House of Pain in Gary, court records show. After Godines tried to pin the June 24, 2015, shooting on someone else, the detective on the phone asked Godines if he was there at the time of the shooting, according to court records. Im not going to even get into all of that, Godines allegedly responded in the July 1 phone call. Godines is accused of gunning down Jonathan Farries, 20, of Gary, who was found dead inside a vehicle. Another gunshot wound victim was found nearby on the train tracks, court records show. In the months following that phone call, detectives interviewed bar patrons and potential witnesses, including Dakota A. Goldman, 29, who in July 2015 had been charged with assisting a criminal in connection with the incident. Goldman allegedly confirmed Godines was the shooter, court records show. At some point, a man, later identified as Godines, got out of Dakota's Cadillac Escalade parked outside the bar, and he began shooting at Farries' vehicle, court records show. Thirteen spent bullet casings and three bullets were recovered from the scene. A bullet fragment and two spent bullets were retrieved from Farries' body during an autopsy. Godines has a number of open felony cases in Lake County, including burglary and robbery. In 2014 he was listed as one of the Lake County Sheriffs Departments most wanted suspects. Godines was initially charged in connection with a June 2010 shooting in Gary but the case was dropped in 2015. An East Chicago woman was arrested late Wednesday after leading Whiting police on a high-speed chase and crashing shortly after an officer ended the pursuit and turned off emergency lights, police said. Whiting officers first spotted Shareese R. Billups, 21, while they were en route to assist Hammond police about 10:12 p.m. with a report of a person at the Luke gas station, 850 Indianapolis Blvd., waiving a gun around, Whiting Police Chief Stephen Miller said. The Whiting officers noticed the car the woman was driving matched a description of the car at the gas station, he said. Officers stopped the car in the 1800 block of Indianapolis Boulevard. The woman told police her license was at home and appeared nervous, Miller said. Police ordered her to stop putting her hand between the seat and console, and she rolled up a window and drove off, he said. Whiting police chased her south on Indianapolis at speeds approaching 80 mph, Miller said. Police terminated the pursuit near the East Chicago boundary and deactivated emergency lights, but the woman continued on and crashed into a wall near Riley Road and Indianapolis, he said. The officer then continued to the scene, and checked on the woman. The officer pried the door open so she could get out, but noticed the woman was reaching for something on the floorboard, Miller said. Police later found a silver and black handgun on the driver's side floorboard, he said. The woman was taken to Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus and later released into Whiting police custody, he said. Billups was charged with felony resisting law enforcement, reckless driving, carrying a handgun without a permit and driving without a license, he said. She also was issued several traffic citations, Miller said. VALPARAISO Fatal heroin overdoses hit a record high of 20 last year in Porter County, which was nearly double each of the two years prior, according to County Coroner Chuck Harris. The increase pushed the total number of drug-related deaths to a record high of 47 and opioid overdoses tied the record of 36, he said. Members of the Porter County Council, who are startled by the surge in deaths, met with law enforcement officials Wednesday to map out a new plan of attack, according to Councilman Dan Whitten, D-at-large. "What we're doing with the war on drugs isn't working to quash the onset of deaths," he said. Whitten, who served undercover with the Lake County drug unit during his 16 years as a police officer before becoming an attorney, is concerned that since Porter County is already behind in the fight against heroin, it is not ready to face the more deadly drugs now on the scene. Harris reported that three of last year's heroin overdoses were found to be laced with the drug fentanyl, which is an even more potent opioid and an increasing concern for the community. "You're fighting an uphill battle," Whitten said. The Porter County drug unit is operated through the county prosecutor's office, but the County Council has a powerful voice in the matter with control over the $260,000 in casino revenue that is dedicated annually to the drug eradication effort. Indiscriminate killing The deadly scourge of heroin deaths is cutting its way indiscriminately across all areas and populations of the county, Harris said. The ages of those lost to overdoses last year ranged from 17 to 57. "Typically we don't see heroin users at the age of 57 because they're dead by then," he said. One of those who overdosed in the county last year was a steelworker in his 50s, who had been legally prescribed pain pills for back pain, Harris said. The man made the fatal mistake of looking for greater pain relief by combining heroin with the legal pain pills. The members of the Porter County Substance Abuse Council were warned last month about this deadly link between prescription drugs and heroin. Four out of five new heroin users starts out misusing prescription pain medications, said Kourtnaye Sturgeon, education program director of Overdose Lifeline, an Indianapolis-based nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing opioid deaths and reducing the stigma of addiction. Harris said he believes Porter County's affluence may also be fueling the local problem. "Where there's money, there's drugs," he said. Officials asked to do more A group rallying outside the Porter County Courthouse last week, which included recovering addicts and family members of those who lost their lives to drugs, called on local officials to do more to combat the drug problem. Amy Kelly, who lost her sister to a heroin overdose 12 years ago, said she moved from Porter County to Lake County in hopes of keeping her son away from the drug. Porter County Prosecutor Brian Gensel said in response the drug task force has been working diligently with local police to address the opioid abuse problem. "We are focusing on investigating and prosecuting drug dealers while at the same time expending available resources to rehabilitate drug addicted users," he said. Porter County Sheriff Dave Reynolds said the jail is the county's only detox center. "We do provide treatment in the jail during incarceration and additional support outside the jail upon release," he said. He said those seeking more options need to speak to the various treatment centers outside the jail. Harris said, "It is a team approach to help addicts with recovery, prosecute drug dealers, reduce the supply of dangerous drugs, and educate people about the dangers." EAST CHICAGO A group of law enforcement and emergency management officials wants to convert a school closed by the city's arsenic and lead crisis into a crime intelligence and public safety communications center. The Northwest Indiana Information Sharing and Security Alliance, a public-private partnership, is lobbying the General Assembly and East Chicago school officials to take over Carrie Gosch Elementary School. East Chicago schools Superintendent Paige McNulty said NIISSA is one of three suitors for the building in the 400 block of East 148th Street. NIISSA is an 8-year-old effort begun by U.S. Attorney David Capp to encourage cooperation among law enforcement and emergency management agencies that cooperate with private industry. State Rep. Mara Candalaria Reardon, D-Munster, said last week she support's NIISSA's efforts to turn the local school into a Multi Agency Coordination Center. She said it could become a back-up call center for the Lake County E-911 Department, a so-called "dark site, handling police, fire and emergency medical communications across the county, if the main call center in Crown Point is unavailable. "A crime lab, the dark site. That would be a great fit for us," she said. Mark Swiderski, county E-911 director, said he hopes to assess the call center proposal later this spring. Munster Police Chief Steven Scheckel, who is NIISSA's president, said his group had previously planned to build a center at the Gary/Chicago International Airport when, "we were directed to Carrie Gosch by U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly's office." The School City of East Chicago shuttered the elementary last summer after the city ordered families of the city's West Calumet housing complex, including many of the school's students, to relocate because the soil around the neighborhood was dangerously contaminated with lead and arsenic. Scheckel said NIISSA recruited North Township Trustee Frank Mrvan, to assist in selling city and legislative leaders on the idea. Mrvan, who addressed about 100 federal, state and local officials at this month's NIISSA meeting at Wicker Park Friday, said NIISSA needs offices to conduct its mission to respond to crime as well as natural and man-made disasters. "If something happens, everyone is going to want to be in one room giving the best effective results we possibly can," Mrvan said. He said one of the services the center could provide is sharing information with local police. "Intel is what drives crime-fighting. Instead of a policeman sitting in a car, punching data into a computer about who he is pulling over," Mrvan said, "you will have analysts giving him instantaneous information about who he is pulling over." Mrvan said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has declared the building, worth about $36 million, to be clean, but school officials closed it out of concern for the students, who might track contaminated soil into the building. Mrvan said NIISSA officials met with McNulty, who expressed interest in their office and having the school remain open and active for the benefit of the community. McNulty said Wednesday, "Anybody who is interested in buying or leasing the building, I'm in favor of speaking with them. I'm not committing to any particular group, unless they have an offer on the table." She declined to identify the others who have shown interest in the building. Scheckel said if East Chicago finds someone else to take over the school, the organization will move on. "We all agree we need a Multi Agency Coordination Center," he said, "so it will eventually be built or we will move into another building if this doesn't work out." 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 INDIANAPOLIS Four-term state Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago, believes the Indiana Democratic Party needs a new leader after Democratic candidates lost in every statewide election last year. Earlier this week, Randolph filed notice of his intent to challenge Democratic Chairman John Zody, of Bloomington, at the party's March 18 reorganization meeting in Indianapolis. Randolph said Zody and other party leaders repeatedly have failed to follow the preferences of loyal Democrats in selecting candidates or advancing issues, and simply continuing on the same path is the wrong direction for the party. "The key in my view to winning elections in the state is a diversified ticket," Randolph said. "The diversification can only be achieved by inclusion. The inclusion of people with new, fresh and modern ideals as to how to go about winning elections." He noted that the candidate who received the most votes in 2016 was Republican Attorney General nominee Curtis Hill, an African American, and claimed that Hill helped sweep other GOP candidates into state and local offices. "This key fact symbolizes the effectiveness of a diverse ticket," Randolph said. He said if Democrats similarly had a black candidate on their statewide ticket it would have "maximized participation in minority communities throughout the state," as well as showed black voters that Democrats don't take their support for granted. Randolph, the former chairman of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus, confessed that if he's elected Democratic chairman that he doesn't know exactly what he'll do to right the party's ship. But he said he hopes his candidacy at least will show other Democrats that they don't have to accept the status quo and perhaps inspire them to get personally involved in growing the Democratic Party in Indiana. Zody said that while he has a great deal of respect for Randolph, he's been traveling the state since Election Day listening to Hoosier Democrats and talking with them about the party's future. "I look forward to continuing that as the Indiana Democratic Party moves forward together in a way that reminds all of us of our Hoosier values and puts us in a position to elect Democrats up and down the ballot in 2018," Zody said. INDIANAPOLIS State representatives appeared likely to support a financial takeover of the Gary Community School Corp. after learning firsthand Wednesday the depth of its seemingly insurmountable budget crisis. State Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Merrillville, led off a three-hour discussion at the House Ways and Means Committee by explaining that the district has $100 million in debt, including $30 million borrowed from the state's Common School Fund, and expenses are on track to outpace revenue every year going forward. He attributed the problems to a combination of factors, including declining school enrollment, changes to the school funding formula, the imposition of property tax caps, low property tax collection rates, new charter schools in the city and general financial mismanagement. But Melton said despite all that everyone still has an interest in putting the district back on sound financial footing because it is educating more than 5,000 of the state's future workers and citizens. "We cannot get out of this situation by loaning our way out of this," Melton said. "This bill, in my opinion, is a collaborative effort in terms of the local community and the state trying to fix this issue for the long term. Melton's Senate Bill 567, which passed the Senate 49-0, would give a state-appointed emergency manager near-absolute authority to reduce spending, rewrite contracts and oversee all financial matters for up to five years, or until the school district no longer is distressed. It was endorsed by state Reps. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, and Vernon Smith, D-Gary, who both said they hope the final version of the legislation will give local leaders greater say in decisions made by the emergency manager. The committee chairman, state Rep. Tim Brown, R-Crawfordsville, and state Rep. Hal Slager, R-Schererville, also suggested the measure might need to be revised to set definite financial targets for the emergency manager to meet. No one on the 24-member panel spoke explicitly against the proposal. In fact, state Rep. Sue Errington, D-Muncie, said her financially distressed local schools might want to be included in what is now a Gary-only takeover plan. Chairman Brown said he expects to continue ironing out details with Region legislators and Gary leaders, including Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson, before asking the committee to vote on a revised proposal, likely at the end of March. State Rep. Earl Harris, Jr., D-East Chicago, reminded him that the situation is urgent: "The effect it will have on the city will be pretty devastating if we lose our public school system." An elderly New Chicago woman with dementia, missing since Sunday, has been found safe and sound, police said Thursday night. Maria Ramos, 74, was located about 4 p.m. Thursday in Chicago by her son, New Chicago Police Chief James Richardson said. Ramos was reportedly traveling to all of her favorite places in the city since she first went missing on Sunday, Richardson said. She was found after she left one of her favorite restaurants in Chicago on 18th Street, Richardson said. At about 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Ramos had left the home she shares with her daughter Rosemary Herrera Meza to buy tortillas at a nearby store, Herrera Meza said. Richardson said two women came forward Wednesday and told police they gave Ramos a ride to a train station. Ramos was last seen Sunday afternoon leaving Millennium Station in Chicago via the Randolph Street route, police said. Ramos approached the two women for a ride at a gas station, and they took her to the Gary Metro Center and bought her a Shore Shore Line ticket, New Chicago Police Chief James Richardson and Herrera Meza said. The women were grief-stricken, Richardson said. "They were just doing a good deed," he said, adding Ramos didn't appear confused and knew the location of the train station. However, the story Ramos told them indicated she was confused. She told the women she was going to work at a Tyson Foods facility where she was employed years ago, Herrera Meza said. The women told police Ramos had tortillas with her, Herrera Meza said. Ramos was at the Metro Center about 11:30 a.m. Sunday and likely boarded a westbound train about 1:38 p.m. She arrived in Chicago about 2:45 p.m., police said. Herrera Meza said her sister, who lives in Chicago, had been canvassing the area. They also called locations their mother might frequent, she said. Richardson said he had contacted Chicago police to be on the lookout and had been gathering documentation needed to issue a Silver Alert in Illinois and Indiana. Im so happy shes been found," Richardson said. HIGHLAND There are big advantages to the Town Council playing a dual role as the Redevelopment Commission, council members say. On Feb. 27, the council opted to not renew the expiring terms of the commissioners and appointed themselves to fill their seats. The lone exception is that Clerk-Treasurer Michael Griffin will fill the final seat instead of Councilman Konnie Kuiper, D-2nd. "The officers for the new Redevelopment Commission will be elected at our first business meeting," said council President Dan Vassar, D-3rd. "No determination has been made on what that leadership makeup will be." Kuiper agreed to step aside and allow Griffin to sit on the commission, Vassar said. "This will allow us to utilize Michael's financial expertise at each meeting." Councilman Mark Herak, I-2nd, said it makes sense to have Griffin on the commission so he can assist Redevelopment Director Cecile Petro with things such as tax abatement recaps without paying a financial firm to do it. Vassar said he informed the commissioners three days earlier that they were being replaced by the council. Former Commission President Greg Kuzmar said he hopes the council can devote the time necessary to accomplish as many things as the former commissioners. "In order to be successful as redevelopment commissioners, the Town Council will need to create a vision, develop a plan and, most importantly, follow through even in the face of inevitable criticism," Kuzmar said. Councilman Bernie Zemen, D-1st, said he has been meeting with various developers about big potential projects. "When I mention I am on the redevelopment board, it carries a little more weight and I believe I can get a better response." He said there are other pluses to the council wearing two hats. "The process is now sped up since the redevelopment board does not have to wait two weeks" to discuss an issue with the council, Zemen noted. In the past, it would have taken yet another two weeks for the council to study the issue before getting back to the commission. Current business owners may feel better dealing directly with council members, Zemen added. "There was also a lot of friction with businesses in town looking into upgrading their business," Zemen said. "They were sometimes forced to jump through a lot of hoops to complete their project." Zemen said he has taken many calls from unhappy business owners and had to coax some flexibility from both the owners and the commission. "I don't want to discourage our businesses from trying to improve their facades (just) because they think everything is written in stone. I think the council is more willing to bend a bit to keep everyone happy." The council/commission could soon be luring private development on the block where the vacant Town Theatre sits. Aside from the two buildings on the north end of the block, the town owns all the properties except for another business behind the theater to the west. One of the town-owned buildings is still occupied with a business, Maria's Buena Cocina, a Mexican restaurant with a lease through 2018. Herak suggested the town might offer to move her to another downtown location, such as the old First Midwest Bank building on Highway Avenue, or across the street to where The Hydrant Dog Grooming service will soon move to Kennedy Avenue. Once the other buildings by the theater are acquired, the town can level the entire block for future development. This includes the five acres between Condit Street and Garfield Avenue between Kennedy Avenue and the bike trail. Future commission meetings will unfold at 7:30 p.m. in Town Hall every first and third Monday following the council's 7 p.m. study session. "I highly encourage the public to attend," Zemen said. INDIANAPOLIS An Indiana state lawmaker who says he won't "give in to terrorists" is refusing an apology demand from an unknown person who took over his abandoned Twitter handle. The trouble started when Republican Rep. Ed Soliday of Valparaiso got in an online spat last month with Indiana tech company CEO and philanthropist Don Brown, The Indianapolis Star reports. Brown tweeted that a Soliday-sponsored measure was "stupid" because it would effectively bar electric car maker Tesla from selling vehicles in Indiana. Soliday tweeted back, "Not nearly as stupid as you are!!!!" Then he deleted his account. The Twitter handle, @RepSoliday, was eventually taken over by someone who says the real Soliday can have it back if he makes a "public, genuine" apology to Brown. More than 80 miles separate much of Northwest Indiana from the wooded area in Delphi, Indiana, where two young girls were found dead Feb. 14. The distance is irrelevant to Portage Assistant Police Chief Ted Uzelac, who is among a few local police officers helping out with the high-profile homicide investigation. "This kind of crime has no boundaries," he said. "We're here to help." Police said the bodies of 14-year-old Liberty German and 13-year-old Abigail Williams were found a day after they vanished during a hiking trip. Authorities have released two grainy photographs of a man they consider the main suspect in the killings and audio of a male saying, "Down the hill." Police say those came from German's cellphone. A reward fund for information leading to an arrest in the case has grown to nearly $220,000. Federal, state and local police agencies have come to the aid of the small community of Delphi, which Uzelac said is best described as just south of the Indiana Beach amusement park and resort. In addition to Portage and Valparaiso, other local agencies lending a hand include the Lake County Sheriffs Department, the Pulaski County Sheriffs Department, and the Gary, Hammond and Hobart police departments, said Bob Ramsey, supervisory special agent for the FBIs GRIT Task Force. The local officers, who serve on several federal task forces, have been rotating in for a day or two to assist with the large number of leads the case has generated, Ramsey said. The officers began assisting shortly after the homicides, he said. There is no indication of any link to the Region, Ramsey said. The Lake County Sheriff's Department assigned a detective as part of the FBI GRIT initiative, said sheriff's spokesman Mark Back. Valparaiso Det. Melanie Sheets is among those on the site. "She is going to be there as long as they need assistance from her," said Valparaiso Police Sgt. Mike Grennes. He said the department reached out and decided to commit Sheets after discovering that there were multiple leads that needed to be followed. The benefits of joint investigations flow both ways, Grennes said. "She's picking up experience she could bring back to this department," he said. Uzelac said that as a result of federal and state involvement, there are a lot of "assets" in place at the investigation headquarters, located in an office building that is marked for sale. "We're proud to be a part of this," he said. Portage Police Chief Troy Williams, who also sent Detective Jeremy McFadden to Delphi, said he decided to offer help because "the murder of two young teens cannot go unanswered. "Collectively as law enforcement you want to be able to tell both sets of parents that we did everything possible to bring the killer to justice," he said. "It is the right thing to do." Porter County Sheriff Dave Reynolds said his department had an officer helping out a couple days in Delphi. "Also, several of our detectives are receiving tips and are following them up," he said. "This consists of suspects that need to be interviewed and eliminated as suspects." Uzelac said he has added the investigation to his usual duties, and still is stopping in at the Portage police station each morning before commuting south to Delphi. Grennes said Sheets volunteered to represent the department in the investigation as part of her usual shift. It's common for departments to help one another in this way, he said. "I cannot fathom what those parents and that community are going through," Williams said. "It will absolutely also take a toll on the investigators as well, and having some extra hands to help supplement the investigation is a smart decision." Something is wrong So we have a president who ran on his decisiveness, his ability to choose the best people, his ability to run things smoothly, to drain the swamp of all the Wall Street financiers and to be transparent with the American people. What did we get? A national security adviser who had to resign, an attorney general who lied to Congress and has to recuse himself from any investigation of Russia due to secretive meetings with the Russian ambassador and a son-in-law who also meets secretly with the Russian ambassador. We also have a very questionable military operation where an American soldier is killed, along with a number of civilians, including children. The president, who gave the order to go ahead with this operation, does not accept responsibility for this as President John F. Kennedy and others did, and instead blames the generals. Something is very wrong with this administration. Larry Little, Fullerton Who cares? So nice to see that the media and Democrats are so concerned about lying now. Where where they when Hillary Clinton was lying about her emails? They are situationally challenged. So maybe Jeff Sessions should say something along the lines of: What difference does it make now? Or perhaps Sessions should say that his meeting with the Russian ambassador was to discuss their grandchildren, like Bill Clinton and Loretta Lynch told us. Perhaps we should start to look at who is doing this and why. The Democrats are out to try to destroy the winner of an election. Barry Levy, Hawthorn Left coast roads Re: Rotten roads [Focus, March 3]: Kudos to our lovely progressive California. We are almost the worst (again!) on the poor quality of our roads and other infrastructure. In looking at the map of the U.S. and the overall highway rank, there is one other item that I see. The worst states happen to be primarily the West and East Coast ones, governed by leftist, progressive Democratic governors and legislatures. Coincidence? I think not. Of course, in California, we have money to budget for a high-speed train, but little for infrastructure. Debt, poor schools, high energy costs and so on all come with our government, which continues to be elected. When will California voters wise up? Tom Willson, Huntington Beach Remember the dark days of cocktails past? A gin and tonic was made with Gilbeys and whatever came out of the bar gun, topped with a lime wedge that was old enough to vote. A Margarita looked like a green Slurpee and tasted like a bitter iceberg. And a martini was always made with Smirnoffs vodka. Sometimes they skipped the vermouth; occasionally even the olive. Prohibition almost killed the American cocktail, which was a lively and artful subculture in many bars from the mid-19th century until that fateful day in 1920. After repeal in 1933, its recovery was fitful. While domestic wine and beer eventually found their way back to excellence, makers of American spirits took longer to get there, and the countrys bars reflected that deficit. For decades, we drank noxious concoctions that hid the charms and intrinsic flavors of spirits in over-the-top cocktails with names like the Harvey Wallbanger, the Tequila Sunrise and Sex on the Beach. Vodka, that tasteless interloper, became the boring spirit of choice for American cocktails. Gin was what grandpa drank. Bourbon was for bad boys. Rye was for Canadians. But thanks to the persistence of the artisanal spirits movement, combined with the tireless curiosity and deep historical knowledge of the newest generation of bartenders, the cocktail has finally retaken its rightful place at the Classy Drinks table. Here are four of O.C.s newer bars that excel at the art of the cocktail, together with places some new, some well established that are also worth your time. And since its inadvisable to drink on an empty stomach, weve included some information on food that pairs well with your drink. The Bosscat is balanced with rosemary at Newport Beachs Bosscat Kitchen + Libations. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG) Bosscat Kitchen + Libations The vibe is lively and the crowd is multigenerational and not too male-dominated at this popular Newport gathering spot. Its a bit frenetic on weekends, so good luck finding a parking place in the smallish lot or a seat at the bar in the back. But thats where you want to be, because its the pulsating heart of this hip, newish place, which has a doppelganger in Houston. The service is, in a word, bipolar: While the mixologists are friendly and knowledgeable and the drink orders come up briskly, we had to wait forever for some food on a recent Friday, when the kitchen staff looked overwhelmed by the crowd. We sampled three custom cocktails. All are $14. The Bosscat (Basil Hayden, citrus, bitters and rosemary) was nicely balanced, with an acidic backbone and bracing dryness courtesy of the rosemary. The Dr. Seuss Bulldog (gin, house infused citrus, Cointreau) was a bit cloying and sweet better for hummingbirds than hard drinkers. But the 38 Special (Bulleit bourbon, Aperol, Averna Amara and citrus) was manly and Manhattan-like a serious Friday night cocktail. The food menu includes some cocktail-worthy snacks. The best are cornbread madeleines ($6), pulled pork hush puppies ($9), fried oysters ($10) and bourbon chicken flatbread ($12). 4647 MacArthur Blvd., Newport Beach; 949-333-0917, bosscatkitchen-newport.com A post shared by Mix Mix Kitchen Bar (@mixmixkitchenbar) onMar 8, 2017 at 10:31am PST An Instagram post shows one of Mix Mix Kitchen Bars cocktails, which it calls the Chambord Coronation. Mix Mix Im sure there are many night owls who miss the terrific bar in the back room at the Little Sparrow, a restaurant whose reputation rose and fell like a shooting star (a memorable fail on Bravos Best New Restaurant might have sealed its fate). But the Sparrow has been gloriously reborn as Mix Mix, whose talented chef and owner, Ross Pangilinan, was executive chef at Leatherbys Cafe Rouge for seven years. Its more austere looking and upscale than the Sparrow (no more comfy chairs by the windows in the bar and no art on the restaurants white walls), but the cocktails and Pangilinans Filipino-influenced small-plate choices thrust it once more into the top ranks of O.C.s bar scene. Our appetizers (all snack plates are $8) were flawless: Chorizo and potato croquettes with jalapeno lime aioli and roasted cauliflower with gochujang (chili paste), citrus and cashews. We also tried a small plate ($12): Filipino ceviche with succulent chunks of yellowfin tuna, coconut, lime, avocado, pork cracklings and Thai chili. There were seven custom cocktails the night we were there three stirred and four shaken plus something called barkeeps inspiration for $13. We loved the Silly Rabbit (Espalon reposado tequila, vanilla creme de cacao, carrot and Thai chili syrup, lemon-lime juice, cloves and a misting of mezcal). The bartenders are chatty, and theyll give you samples if you seem informed and interested. 300 N. Main St., Santa Ana; 714-836-5158, mixmixkitchenbar.com A Recess Room specialty is its own take on the Old Fashioned. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register/SCNG) The Recess Room Though it snagged its liquor license only a few weeks ago, this stylish bar in a nondescript Fountain Valley strip mall has already found an enthusiastic audience. Our first visit was during Lunar New Year, and there was a large Asian contingent in a celebratory mood. It was a good choice for the occasion the bar food and the cocktails have a sense of pizazz. From the food menu, we sampled three winners: the octopus salad (frisee, roasted potato, watermelon radish, chorizo, chimichurri and kalamata aioli, $15); the Doritos (fried jidori chicken skin, ranch powder and white miso corn porridge, $12); and the blue crab beignet (Maryland blue crab, mascarpone and chipotle aioli, $17). From the eight specialty cocktails (all $14), we tried the Cruella Deville (reposado tequila, jalapeno-infused agave, fresh beet juice, mango, lemon and Grand Marnier-infused foam), the Nora Needs to Catch Up! (Nolets silver gin, St. Germain, apricot brandy and fresh litchi puree) and the Recess Room Old Fashioned (Iwai Japanese whiskey, Rittenhouse 100 proof rye, Hennessy cognac, smoke and salt and pecan magnolia habanero bitters, garnished with a flamed orange). They were all inventive, daring and, surprisingly, not as gimmicky-tasting as their recipes suggest the sign of thoughtful and knowledgeable bartending. 18380 Brookhurst St., Fountain Valley; 714-377-0398, therecessroom.com Mike Magnuson and Kristen Adams share a drink at the Stag Bar & Kitchen. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register/SCNG) Stag Bar + Kitchen Owner Mario Marovic did a stellar job modernizing without ruining this venerable watering hole on Newports Balboa Peninsula, which first opened its doors 109 years ago in one of the peninsulas original buildings. It offers an impressive selection of high-end spirits, especially bourbons. The biggest change Marovic has made since he reopened the place in late 2015 is introducing 21st-century mixology. Some cocktails are traditional, but with a twist. The Sazerac is made with Rittenhouse rye. And theyve dreamed up a couple of variations on the popular Moscow Mule. The Stags Mango Habanero Mule uses Ketel One vodka, Mango/Ginger Wine Shine, ginger beer and dried mango. Other cocktails are pure Newport Coast: the whimsical Juice Cleanse, with Titos vodka, Firewater bitters, lemon, ginger syrup and cayenne pepper, is as smack-in-the-face spicy as its ingredients imply. The Good Karma is made with Giffard Pamplemousse, basil, Karma blanco tequila, lemonade and fresh grapefruit juice and finished with a slice of grapefruit. The menu is famous for three things: meatballs, meatballs and meatballs. Theyre addictive, and the variations are staggering. You can choose from three kinds, two sauces, three cheeses and three presentations: slider, sub or skillet. This could be dangerous info for your waistline, but on Meatball Mondays all meatballs are $2 each. 121 McFadden Place, Newport Beach; 949-673-4470, stagbar.com OTHERS TO TRY 320 Main: One of the first local bars to take mixology seriously. The classic cocktails are meticulously made and include such rarities as Pisco Punch and the Army Navy. 320 Main St., Seal Beach; 562-799-6246, 320mainsealbeach.com The Blind Rabbit: This speakeasy imitator hidden deep within the Packing House looks like a thrown-together 1920s club, with old odds and ends, low lighting and a couch made out of a claw-foot tub. Ask for any classic cocktail here. One of the bar rules: Please exit through the bookcase. 440 S. Anaheim Blvd., Suite 104, Anaheim; theblindrabbit.com Central Bar: A circular bar surrounded by cozy couches in The Districts Union Market. Attentive service and great classics-with-a-twist cocktails combine with first-rate people-watching to make this a popular hangout for shoppers. 2493 Park Ave., Tustin; 714-258-8161, unionmarkettustin.com The Fifth: This rooftop bar in the Grand Legacy at the Park Hotel is one of the prettiest places in O.C. to have an upscale cocktail. The menu includes tempting seasonal cocktails as well as classics. 1650 S. Harbor Blvd., Anaheim; 714-772-0899, thefifthoc.com Red Room: Art deco-themed bar within a bar at Costa Mesas new social lounge, Holiday. Highlights include the Chili Chaplin with St. George Green Chili Vodka, fresh lime, muddled cucumbers and jalapenos, topped with ginger beer and served in a copper mug. The Red Betty combines Titos Handmade Vodka, muddled strawberries, fresh squeezed lime juice, cane sugar and fresh basil. 719 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa; 949-371-9992, holidaycm.com Social Costa Mesa: Theres plenty to choose from in the list of bespoke cocktails (all $14) at this friendly and popular place. Were partial to the Black Magic Woman: tequila, mezcal, pineapple, Fresno chili, mango tea, Ancho Reyes and lime. 512 W. 19th St, Costa Mesa; 949-642-2425, socialcostamesa.com Y.N.K.: This tiny, whimsically decorated bar hidden behind the lobby of the Irvine Marriott Hotel changes its cocktail list every few months, choosing its theme geographically, and two large screens run continuous scenes from the chosen country. Right now its Spain, and the handwritten cocktail menu includes an undisputed star: The Spanish Armada. 18000 Von Karman Ave., Irvine, ynk-irvine.com Contact the writer: 714-796-7979 or phodgins@scng.com http://launch.newsinc.com/js/embed.js _informq.push([embed]); More lodging will be available for overnight stays on the sand at the coveted Crystal Cove cottages, after the California Coastal Commission gave the green light Wednesday to begin final restorations along the nostalgic slice of coast. The plan is to spruce up the 17 remaining, crumbling cottages on the north end of the historic area, adding to the 29 cottages that have been renovated and open for public use in the past decade. This has been a long, hard journey, Laura Davick, founder and vice president of nonprofit Crystal Cove Alliance, said at the meeting. The cottages, which sit on the sand in a state park area between Newport Beach and Laguna Beach, were built in the 30s to 50s. They were occupied by families until a state lease expired in 2001. Crystal Cove Alliance, a state partner that heads the restoration project, was formed to maintain the history and create unique, low-cost public accommodations along the coast. The group previously helped fight plans for a luxury resort. All 17 cottages will be built into 22 affordable overnight units, and once restored they will add about 48,000 rental opportunities annually about doubling the current available occupancy. A new open bed dorm lodge, with 11 beds, will be added at $35 a night per bed. The most expensive cottage, sleeping up to 10 people, will be $245 a night. This is a huge public access success story that we should all be proud of, Davick said. The Coastal Commission permitting process has been in the works for four years. None of the 10 commissioners objected to moving the project forward Wednesday. This is really an exciting project. I think its going to be one of the crown jewels in the California State Parks system, if it isnt already the crown jewel, said commissioner Gregory Cox. This is the first step in gaining approval for the final phase of renovation it could take five years before the cottages are restored and ready for public use. Each cottage needs to be evaluated for historic significance to determine what stays and what goes, and one cottage is so dilapidated it needs an almost complete makeover. The California Coastal Commission already had earmarked $5 million in mitigation funding to assist with the final phase of the Crystal Cove rehabilitation project. The plan is to use $4 million toward the infrastructure and restoration and $1 million toward an education endowment. Davick announced at the meeting a private donation of $3 million has also been secured. The next step is to start a bidding process to get an estimated cost of the project which could be in the $30 million range and to start fundraising for the remainder of the work. Contact the writer: lconnelly@scng.com Stymied by the courts, President Trump has issued a second executive order limiting immigration from high-threat countries. He has a better long-term remedy: new judges. The drafters of the U.S. Constitution understood that men are not angels. They designed a government ever at war with itself, with powers chopped into jostling pieces. The federal governments power is limited to specific, limited functions. Congress writes the laws, the president carries them out, and courts apply the law, resolving grey areas. The founders genius was to give each of the three government branches checks upon the others. When one branch grabs anothers turf, the other branch must push back. The Constitution has never been understood to apply to foreign nationals residing abroad. There is no enumerated or un-enumerated constitutional right to immigrate to the United States. Ordinary federal courts lack access to classified threat information. It is beyond their competence to decide who to let in. President Trump is advocating a repeat of the immigration pause in the 1930s. Voters should be able to choose politicians reflecting immigration preferences, weighing all of the attendant benefits, burdens and risks. But that is for the president to decide, rather than appellate judges living in safe, upper-middle-class neighborhoods. As soon as Judge Neil Gorsuch is safely on the Supreme Court, President Trump should quickly appoint judges to fill 117 federal judicial vacancies. Federal courts themselves are divided into three levels. At the first level are trial courts, which adjudicate disputes where authorized to do so by the Constitution. Trial courts are overseen by intermediate appellate courts, with three judges together reviewing a trial record. With one major exception, appellate courts oversee territory corresponding to groups of states and possessions. If an issue is important enough, all of the appeals judges in that circuit gather for a special hearing. Once a case is heard by the intermediate court, the loser can try to get the Supreme Court to hear an appeal. With few exceptions, it is up to the Supreme Court whether or not to review a case. Two percent are reviewed. The Supreme Court take only about 180 appeals each year. Unless intermediate appellate courts restrain themselves by following Supreme Court precedent, intermediate courts effectively have the last word. Certain rights, such as the Second Amendment, are severely restricted in the Second, Fourth and Ninth Circuits, because a majority of those judges do not agree with precedent. Unwillingness to follow a higher courts precedent creates uncertainty. Outcome-based judging shreds the rule of the law. Trump should nominate an intermediate appellate judge weekly for two months, pause, and then repeat until all 18 spots are filled. Concurrently, he should nominate several trial court judges each week. That way, he would help to protect the best candidates from delay and unfair smears. The Senate has traditions of courtesy toward fellow members, reasonableness in consenting to presidential appointees, and fairly prompt votes. But now, Democrats are running the big stall, whittling away Trumps presidency one day at a time. Each party has retaliated with longer delays, for 30 years beginning with Robert Bork in 1987, when the left adopted Saul Alinsky-type tactics to pick the target, freeze it, personalize it and polarize it to destroy judicial nominees reputations. Top Senate Democrats refused the initial invitation to meet Judge Gorsuch. If they will not cooperate in good faith, then Sen. Mitch McConnell should schedule Senate Judiciary Committee hearings seven weeks after a nomination, and a full Senate vote two weeks later. That was plenty of time in the pre-Bork days, when nominees got a vote after a median wait of 65 days. Majority now wins on circuit judge votes. Once Judge Gorsuch is on the Supreme Court, President Trump should immediately start filling judicial vacancies and restore some balance to the branches of government. Scott Feldmann is a partner in a national law firm. BAGHDAD At least 30 people were killed when bombers struck a wedding ceremony late Wednesday in a village in central northern Iraq, just hours after local military announced it had taken control of an Islamic State prison near Mosul. Local medical and security sources said attackers wearing explosive belts blew themselves up in al-Hajaj village, close to Tikrit and about 105 miles north of Baghdad. Security forces cordoned off the area and imposed a wider curfew for fear of more attacks. Twenty-six people were also wounded in the bombing and there has been no claim of responsibility so far. Iraqi television channel Al Sumaria said at least four suicide attackers carried out the assault. Such suicide attacks have previously been claimed by the Islamic State extremist group in apparent retaliation for the Iraqi militarys offensive on Mosul, the terrorist groups stronghold in Iraq. Troops are currently engaged in an operation to dislodge the Islamic State fighters from western Mosul and have been moving north, closer to the old city center. They forced the extremists out of the eastern side of the city almost a month ago. Earlier, the Iraqi military announced that it had taken control of Islamic States notorious prison northwest of Mosul. Military commander Brigadier Najem al Jabouri told dpa that troops managed to completely take control of Badoush village and the Badoush prison complex. He added that the operation saw at least 30 militants from Islamic State killed. There was no information as to whether any inmates were found inside the prison. Islamic State took control of Badoush village in June 2014 and the jihadist group reportedly imprisoned Yazidi women and executed many people there. According to Human Rights Watch, the militants executed up to 600 inmates at Badoush prison on June 10, 2014. The militants forced Muslim Shiite inmates to kneel along the edge of a nearby ravine and shot them with assault rifles and automatic weapons, HRW said. It reported that survivors also said the Islamic State gunmen also killed a number of Kurdish and Yazidi inmates who were imprisoned in the prison. Call it by its actual title Kong: Skull Island or by its popular nickname Apocalypse Kong. Just dont say its like any other giant ape movie. The latest stab at reintroducing the stop-motion animation marvel from the classic 1933 original, King Kong, is first and foremost one big ol CGI monster fight show. Significantly more than that, its also not only a Vietnam War allegory, but the first major Hollywood production filmed primarily in that country. And somehow its also a more enlightened update that tries to make amends for the Kong mythoss uncomfortable underlying themes of bestial sexism, racism and humanity triumphing over nature. And have we mentioned Skull Island also boasts a vast, eclectic cast of characters who werent generated by computers? What makes that more impressive is how Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, John C. Reilly, Straight Outta Comptons Corey Hawkins and Jason Mitchell, Toby Kebbell and others all manage to limn fairly dimensional, conflicted human beings amid all the massive monstrous mayhem. Perhaps whats most memorable about the whole complicated project is that the director who orchestrated it all, Jordan Vogt-Roberts, is only making his second feature here, following the modest indie teen flick The Kings of Summer. Hes the latest in a line of younger male directors who have taken the vertiginous leap from no-budget indies to huge effects blockbusters, such as Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed to Jurassic World) and Gareth Edwards (2010s Monsters to 2014s Godzilla reboot, which was the first film in Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms hoped-for movie MonsterVerse, which now includes Skull Island). Vogt-Roberts has certainly brought a more distinctive ambition to his first big studio project than others of his ilk. In some ways, this movie pays honor to the Kong films that have come before it, figures Vogt-Roberts, sporting a Duck Dynasty megabeard grown over two years of Skull Island production. But it also leans much more into being a full-on creature feature, like a kaiju film, whether its like seeing a creature fight in a Vietnam War setting or whether its more Miyazaki/anime-inspired quiet moments. There is that, along with sequence after sequence of deadly eye-popping action. Skull Island is set in 1973, when America was pulling out of Southeast Asia and satellites first mapped the entire Earth from outer space. Thats how the mysterious, constantly cloud-covered Skull Island is discovered. MUTO chaser Bill Randa (Goodman) wrangles not only government financing to explore the island, but also an escort from the just-demobilized combat helicopter squad commanded by Jacksons Lt. Col. Preston Packard. Among many others also along for the Huey rides are Hiddlestons British jungle survival expert James Conrad (nudge-nudge, wink-wink Heart of Darkness reference) and anti-war photojournalist Mason Weaver (Larson). When the Hueys drop bombs on Skulls unspoiled terrain, allegedly for geological survey purposes, they all get knocked out of the sky by the islands 100-foot tall, fur-covered defender. The survivors have varied views of what needs to be done next. Packard goes increasingly Colonel Kurtz or is it Captain Ahab? obsessive about destroying the big ape who killed so many of his men. Weaver and eventually Conrad develop a more peaceful coexistence approach to getting off the island alive. And the mysterious but quite benign natives of the place, along with a surprise longtime guest of theirs, make it clear that Kong is the only thing that stands between humans and much more dangerous, big predatory ugly things, like the ravenous lizardy Skullcrawlers. Missing from this ones scenario are Kong falling in love with the blond woman, being captured, climbing a tall building in New York and getting shot off it by aircraft, which were all components of the inelegant 1976 Dino De Laurentiis remake and Peter Jacksons overly reverent 2005 one. When they brought me the project, I said, Cool, I love King Kong; lets make a King Kong movie, Vogt-Roberts recalls. But my next response was, Why? Why do audiences want that? What makes it different. What separates it? The answer, as it turned out, was Apocalypse Now. Francis Ford Coppolas 1979 Vietnam War classic was an initial inspiration to Skull Islands first screenwriter, Max Borenstein, but he admits overthinking the concept to something more along the lines of Coppolas template, Joseph Conrads 1899 novel, Heart of Darkness, by the time Vogt-Roberts entered the picture. But the prospective director loved Apocalypse too and was amazed when the Legendary brass said, OK, lets put Kong in that. Its a movie I admire, and Jordan loves it too, Hiddleston says of Apocalypse Now. I think, to take a group of soldiers who have seen unimaginable things in conflict, who already have a depth of spirit because of their experiences, to put them in this environment is innately interesting. I think this film does raise questions about the nature of war, but also about the bravery and courage of soldiers. I loved the idea of taking people who were disillusioned, caught between the old guard and the new guard, and thrusting them into this fantastical, ridiculous place and confronting them with gods and monsters and myths, the director says. But I also felt that we couldnt appropriate the imagery of that time period, which was very charged for a reason, without saying something. More than any other character, Jacksons Packard embodies Skull Islands apocalyptic war critique. I had a really wonderful kinship with the military advisers, Jackson explains. A couple of them were actually Vietnam vets, which was great. So understanding, and having lived through, that particular era gave me a whole nother way of looking into and approaching it. So when you say, The war wasnt lost, it was abandoned, it has another sort of resonance for that character. Larson says her role wasnt just to voice the pacifist sentiments of the time, but also to represent modern attitudes toward the female element in the Kong story. One of the reasons why I did this was to turn this allegory on its head a little bit and to respond to the fact that were in a different time right now, the Oscar-winning Room actress says. I think were ready to see a different type of female hero, and whats interesting about Weaver is that, yeah, shes strong and shes tough, but shes sensitive, too. Her strength is that shes using her heart and her humanity to actually save all of them. For Vogt-Roberts, the physical as well as the historical/political resonance of Vietnam is what ultimately grounds his mad monster mash-up in something we puny humans can look at and, for a couple of hours, believe. I knew out of the gate that Kong was going to be CG and the creatures were all going to be CG, the filmmaker notes. So the goal was, how do you make as much of the rest of it as tactile and tangible as possible. Not only for the actors, and not only because I am somebody who thrives off of being in an environment and finding small moments of, like, Malick lyricism in a monster movie. But I didnt want it to feel like a CG fantasy world. Vietnam has this element where its rugged and otherworldly, yet it still feels real. Yeah, we fused Australia and Hawaii in some scenes, but I cant stress enough how much Skull Island is Vietnam. Between The Ottoman Lieutenant and next months The Promise, audiences can look forward to not one but two movies about love triangles set against the fall of the Ottoman Empire. When it rains, it pours, I guess. (But who, exactly, asked for this?) Maybe viewers who want to see the record set straight about what came to be known as the Armenian genocide. But dont look to The Ottoman Lieutenant to present evidence of war crimes. It isnt so much a war movie as a melodrama that uses violence as a convenient backdrop for romantic intrigue. And thats not the only problem. The trouble starts with the casting. As strong-willed American nurse Lillie, Icelandic actress Hera Hilmar never quite nails the accent required to play the daughter of a well-to-do family in 1914 Philadelphia. In the opening scene, she tries to save a black man whos bleeding to death in her hospital, only to be upbraided by her superiors for helping someone who they claim doesnt belong in a whites-only facility. I thought I was going to change the world, Lillie says during the mawkish voice-over narration. Of course, it was the world that changed me. After meeting Jude (a wooden Josh Hartnett), an inspirational doctor who has been working at a remote hospital in Anatolia, Lillie volunteers to hand-deliver medical supplies there. Against her parents wishes, she boards a steamship for Turkey, arriving on the cusp of World War I, just as tensions are boiling over between the Christian Armenians and the Muslim Turks. But dont give any of that too much thought. The real focus is the drama between Lillie, Jude and a dashing Turkish officer named Ismail (Michiel Huisman, who, despite being Dutch, is slightly better at accents). A lieutenant in the Ottoman army, Ismail is the military escort assigned to deliver Lillie to Judes hospital. Predictably, Ismail and Lillie dont get along at first. Nor does she mesh with the cranky old man whos in charge of the hospital, Dr. Woodruff (Ben Kingsley, who is essentially playing a cliche). Woodruff drones on about how the hospital is no place for a woman, then questions Lillies credentials: You cant even recognize typhus? Where did you get your training? Heres a better question: How long will it take before both men come around? Ladies and gentlemen, place your bets. As bloodied victims come straggling into the hospital, Lillie is confronted with a difficult choice between the increasingly sanctimonious Jude, with whom she nevertheless has a lot in common, and the mysterious Muslim officer. Given Ismails winning smile not to mention the title of the movie its pretty obvious where this going. Along the way, there are a few moments of genuine suspense, with Ismail out in the field battling Armenians. The movie takes great pains to show that hes reluctant to spill blood; hes just following orders. But morality is hardly the main concern of The Ottoman Lieutenant. Instead, its content with hackneyed romance and soaring strings. Better luck next month, when The Promise comes out. http://launch.newsinc.com/js/embed.js _informq.push([embed]); DANA POINT When the skeletal remains of a torso and a headless body washed ashore at the beach below the Headlands, Sophia Lander took charge. The 14-year-old did a quick inspection of the crime scene. And then she called over her team of evidence collectors, sketch artists and photographers, instructing them in safety protocols that included wearing booties and gloves. The 18 teens, dressed in black TMS Forensic Crime Team uniforms, stared at the sand in disbelief as other items from a make-believe sunken ship washed up swords, musket guns, a pistol, bullets, a treasure chest, treasure map and clothes. Tape off the crime scene and sign people in and out, Sophia told them. They marked evidence and took photos. The two skeletons identified as a male and female were taken away in body bags for review by the medical examiner. The whole pirate-themed crime scene was staged for The Deep Sea Mystery, a forensic crime and mock trial class at Thurston Middle School in Laguna Beach. The course was developed by social studies teacher Michelle Martinez. There is a great interest among kids for the CSI and FBI shows, Martinez said. This program shows them the actual process. Students came up with the plot, based on the fictional sinking of Blackbeards ship and his eventual murder at the hands of Sir Francis Drake. Drake is accused of stabbing Blackbeard a notorious English pirate who operated in the West Indies and off the East Coast in the late 1600s 27 times and shooting him five times. In reality, the pirate died 300 years ago in a battle off the North Carolina coast. Even though Sir Francis Drake wasnt alive at the time Blackbeard died, we twisted that part for the mock trial, Sophia said. For the past semester, students in the class worked on the script, picked out the actors and on Wednesday sifted through the crime scene to find clues to assist them in solving Blackbeards murder. They processed the evidence with help from technology at the Ocean Institute. And in May, the students will hold a mock trial for Drake using virtual reality glasses to view the images taken by the 360-degree camera and drone used at Wednesdays crime scene investigation. Martinezs program is one of 14 in Orange County funded by Foothill Ranch-based Cox Communication grants to further science and technology in schools. The company provided a $5,000 grant that paid for the Ocean Institutes support, supplies, the underwater robot and expenses for the upcoming mock trial. Martinezs class was inspired by her daughter, Noelle Martinez, 23, who graduated in December from Baylor University with a bachelors in anthropology and forensics and now helps her mother with the class. Noelle Martinez was a freshman at Baylor when she met Lori Baker, a professor who started the Reuniting Families Project. Baker created a system that identifies the remains of deceased undocumented immigrants found along the U.S./Mexico border. I thought that was the most amazing thing ever, said Martinez, a Tustin resident. How selfless it was. I thought, I need to study under her. This is my calling. Last semester, she Google chatted weekly with the Thurston students from her lab at Baylor, teaching them aspects of forensic anthropology, criminal investigation, bone analysis and processing. Her brother, 22-year-old Elijah Martinez, is also involved in the program. The Baylor film student has been working on a film documenting this years class. Michelle Martinez launched the forensic crime class in 2014 as a six-week unit focusing on Lizzie Borden, who was tried and acquitted in 1892 for the axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts. The class was so popular that it led to an after-school forensic/mock trial club in 2015 that teaches students about criminal investigation and the judicial system. In 2016, the school launched the program as a seventh-grade elective. Aside from Blackbeards murder, the class this year is focusing on the decomposition of human cells in ocean currents and ecosystems. As part of that, Noelle Martinez showed the students how to retrieve evidence from the water. She dove into a large tank at the Ocean Instititue preceded by a underwater vehicle built by 12-year-old Salvatore La Corte. In a real-life crime scene, the vehicle might be used to go into the water first to make sure its safe for divers, Salvatore said. Following, the diving sequence, Martinez showed Sophia and her team how to wash, rinse and dry the maps, guns and swords found on the beach. She watched as they bagged the evidence for the upcoming trial. Since it was a beach scene, were assuming all the prints and any evidence washed away when the bodies washed ashore, said Sophia, who got hooked on the forensic class when she watched a mock trial as a sixth-grader. I was interested in the judicial system, the now-eighth-grader said. The sense of justice felt really good. In May, she will prosecute Drake for the murder of Blackbeard. Its her second year as the prosecuting attorney. Faith Ackley, the press information officer at the crime scene, consulted with Noelle Martinez throughout the day about what to keep to herself and what to tell the press. The 14-year-old said she wants to become a lawyer and signed up for the club as a way to become more familiar with the legal process. Even though I am one of the people writing the script right now, we dont know what is going to happen in the end, Faith said. I think thats just so exciting to see if the prosecution or the defense wins. Contact the writer: 714-796-2254 or eritchie@scng.com or on Twitter:@lagunaini Advocates for campaign finance reform have worked tirelessly to get special-interest money out of politics. They firmly believe that if politicians are reliant on wealthy groups or individuals to bankroll their re-election bids, those groups will get special consideration, and constituents will suffer. By limiting the influence of large contributions from a select few, campaign finance reformers of both parties believe politicians will become more dependent on small contributions from a wider variety of donors, and will thus be more responsive to the needs of the electorate. Democrats will be less bound by what the unions want, and Republicans wont be forced to bow to big business. Well, a funny thing happened on the way to the ballot box this November a candidate won the Republican primary, and then the general election, without having to pander to the usual suspects in order to fund his campaign. That man is Donald Trump. Trump was able to beat the old system because, as a celebrity and a billionaire, he didnt need special-interest money to get his name and campaign message in front of the voters. Nor did he have to manipulate his platform to keep the check-writers happy. The only people Trump had to please were his voters. And that he did. For decades, the Republican Party has, by and large, been an open borders, free trade, pro-war party, despite the fact that their voters have soured on these positions. So why do voters keep nominating candidates who disagree with them on such core issues? Because they were never given a real choice. Candidates had to sign on to this agenda if they wanted the support of big business, big donors and conservative think tanks. With his ability to self-fund and take popular positions on immigration, trade and war, Trump was able to break the cycle and put the needs of the voters ahead of the special interests. Trump is the product of taking special-interest money out of politics. On the other side of the aisle, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton was entirely dependent on traditional Democratic donors to win her primary election and fund her general election campaign. In total, Hillary raised $1.4 billion when you combine her campaign, Party and joint fundraising committees and the Super PACs for her 2016 campaign. Due to her financial dependence on these entities, she adopted the generic Democratic Party platform even when her positions were in direct conflict with her voters. For example, Clinton ran against pot legalization, and as an unabashed supporter of Israel and free trade, despite the fact that the Democratic base lined up against all three positions. To be fair on the issue of trade, Clintons official position as a candidate was that she opposed the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal; yet she supported it as secretary of state and reportedly sent Virginia governor and confidante Terry McAuliffe to assure top donors that she would flip on the issue as soon as she won. Democratic voters, including the Bernie Bros, were told to get over their differences and fall in line behind Hillary. In every possible way, Clinton was the product of the old way of doing business, while Trumps new model gave voters an actual choice. Hillary was the taxis, Trump is Uber. Now the Democrats have to decide which direction they plan on going for the 2020 presidential election. Nontraditional names keep popping up as potential candidates including talk show host Oprah Winfrey. Dont be so quick to dismiss potential candidates like Oprah, because shell have many of the same freedoms that Trump had. And my money says that if Democratic voters are given an actual choice, a self-funding celebrity candidate will beat the Hillary-esque option in a walk. John Phillips is a CNN political commentator and can be heard weekdays at 3 p.m. on The Drive Home with Jillian Barberie and John Phillips on KABC/AM 790. An Orange County judge on Thursday denied a request by the Orange County Museum of Art to temporarily ban the Newport Beach City Council from taking a procedural vote to halt the Museum House condominium project. On Tuesday, art museum officials asked Orange County Superior Court Judge Geoffrey Glass to direct the city to not finalize its repeal of the 25-story, 100-unit project until its case challenging the legality of a petition against the project could be heard. The council is scheduled to take the vote March 14. We are obviously disappointed with the decision, said Todd Smith, director and CEO of the museum. Political action committee Line in the Sand gathered almost 14,000 signatures for a referendum against the project following the councils November approval. Line in the Sand is appreciative of Judge Glasss denial of the restraining order, group spokesman Tim Stoaks said. We are hopeful Judge Glass will ultimately rule in favor for the 14,000 signature Newport Beach residents petition. The art museum has a big stake in the development. Art museum officials had planned to use the money from sales of the 1.64-acre Newport Beach parcel to move the museum to a new location on the Segerstrom Center for the Arts campus in Costa Mesa. Museum House was slated to replace the art museum. Smith said in January the museum had outgrown its Newport Center location and that attendance was lagging. In its lawsuit, filed Jan. 6, museum officials said the petition does not meet state election law requirements and that its small lettering is unreadable. An analysis conducted by a Marshall B. Ketchum University optometry professor concluded the petitions text was far smaller than those normally encountered in print media, according to the complaint. Residents concerned about the high-density luxury condo building mobilized shortly after the project was approved, circulating petitions to begin the referendum process. Plans for Museum House included 54 two-bedroom, three-bathroom units and 46 three-bedroom, four-bath units. The project also featured an Olympic-sized swimming pool, pet spa, dog run, garden terrace, gym, meeting room, lounge and 24-hour valet parking with 288 parking spaces. The units were expected to sell for $2 million to $4 million. Contact the writer: 714-796-2478 or lcasiano@scng.com SEOUL, South Korea The Constitutional Court of South Korea said it would rule on Friday whether to reinstate President Park Geun-hye or formally oust her from office on charges of corruption and abuse of power. Park has been suspended from office, with all her presidential powers frozen, since the National Assembly overwhelmingly voted to impeach her in December on charges of abusing power and collecting bribes from businesses. If the Constitutional Court supports the vote in its verdict Friday, Park will become the first South Korean president to lose office through parliamentary impeachment. The court has held 17 hearings since the impeachment vote, but Park has never appeared in court. In a statement read by one of her lawyers during the last hearing, on Feb. 27, she vehemently denied any wrongdoing. I feel crushed by all these misunderstandings and allegations, she said, calling the accusations groundless. But Kweon Seong-dong, the lead prosecutor in the impeachment trial, called Park and her secretive confidante, Choi Soon-sil, enemies to democracy. If at least six members of the nine-judge Constitutional Court vote to impeach, Park will be removed from office. South Korea will then have 60 days to elect a successor, with Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn acting as president during that time. If fewer than six judges vote for impeachment, Park will immediately be returned to office. Her five-year term ends next February. Regardless of the Constitutional Courts ruling, Park will most likely face criminal charges as soon as her presidency ends. While in office, she is protected from indictment. On Monday, a special prosecutor asked state prosecutors to indict Park on bribery charges, saying that she and Choi conspired to take $38 million in bribes from Samsung, one of the worlds largest technology companies. Samsungs vice chairman, Lee Jae-yong, the third-generation scion of the family who runs the conglomerate, goes on trial this week on bribery charges. An increasing number of Southern California stores sell e-cigarettes, and shoppers are more likely to find fruit-flavored tobacco products than fresh produce on the shelves. Thats according to 2016 data released Wednesday by the statewide Healthy Stores for a Healthy Community campaign that analyzed advertising and merchandise from more than 7,100 stores across California. The survey included pharmacies, supermarkets, convenience stores and smoke shops. Since the last survey in 2013, the number of Los Angeles County stores selling e-cigarettes jumped 34 percent. The increase was 21 percent for Orange County, 15 percent for San Bernardino County and 9 percent for Riverside County. A lot of these stores are located in close proximity to schools, said Ravi Choudhuri, advocacy manager for the American Lung Associations Orange County division. We know from all different types of research that its a gateway to tobacco use. The way its marketed everywhere is to get lifetime users, especially among younger customers. The findings show that tobacco products are easier to find than nutritious foods. In Los Angeles County, 36 percent of stores sold fresh produce, with 78 percent selling flavored tobacco products such as cherry, grape or strawberry. In Riverside County, 39 percent sold fresh produce and 80 percent sold flavored tobacco. For San Bernardino County, 47 percent sold fresh produce and 86 percent sold flavored tobacco. And in Orange County, 57.5 percent of stores sold fresh fruit or vegetables, while 85 percent stocked flavored tobacco products. The survey also tallied storefront advertising of healthy food, such as milk, fruit or vegetables. Such signs were displayed at 11 percent of Riverside County stores, 13 percent in Orange County, 14 percent in Los Angeles County and 21 percent in San Bernardino County. Georgiana Bostean, who teaches sociology and environmental science at Chapman University, said environmental factors, including proximity, play a large role in shaping health choices. If you have dessert in front of you, youre much more likely to eat that, she said. But if you dont bring M&Ms to work with your lunch each day, youre much less likely to seek out those M&Ms. Bostean said store advertising can also make tobacco products seem attractive and socially acceptable. Especially for adolescents, seeing more of these retailers may ignite curiosity about that particular behavior or product and make them more likely to access it, Bostean said. Evi Hernandez, project director of the San Bernardino County Tobacco Control Program, said another concern is that not all stores are following the state law that raised the legal age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21 last year. Unfortunately, theres a lot of stores that would rather take any financial benefit over the well-being of our young kids, Hernandez said. Choudhuri said hes hopeful that last years passage of Prop. 56, which raised the cigarette tax by $2 a pack and will begin taxing e-cigarette products in April, will help drive down consumer demand. Research shows over and over that increased product pricing reduces the amount of people that use the product, especially kids, because they dont have as much money, he said. To view more survey results, go to http://healthystoreshealthycommunity.com. Contact the writer: cperkes@scng.com 714-796-3686 A special prosecutor to investigate whether federal laws were violated in contacts with Russia, and then lied about, is imperative. A special prosecutor is essential whenever there are credible allegations of possible illegal activities by top government officials. That certainly exists, and only a special prosecutor can offer assurance of an independent, unbiased investigation. At the very least, this is required based on the evidence that Attorney General Jeff Sessions lied to Congress, which is a federal crime. Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, a Democratic member of the Judiciary Committee, asked Sessions in a questionnaire if he had been in contact with anyone connected to any part of the Russian government about the 2016 election, either before or after Election Day. Sessions answer was no. During the confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., asked Sessions what he would do if he learned of evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in the course of the 2016 campaign. Sessions replied, Im not aware of any of those activities. I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign, and I did not have communications with the Russians. But last week it was revealed that Sessions had at least two conversations with the Russian ambassador to the United States in July and September of 2016. This flatly contradicts his saying that he had not been in contact with anyone connected to any part of the Russian government, either before or after Election Day, and his statement that he did not have communications with the Russians. Sessions, last week, said that his communications were in his role as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and not as a Trump adviser. He certainly could have said this in answer to the questions, but instead he categorically denied any communications. To put it simply, Sessions now the nations top law enforcement official lied. Federal statutes make it a crime to lie under oath and to lie to Congress. In fact, over 40 years ago an attorney general was convicted for exactly that crime. Richard Kleindienst, in his hearings to be confirmed as attorney general, was asked about whether the White House had interfered with an antitrust case against the International Telephone and Telegraph Company, and whether he had spoken to anyone in the White House about it. He said that he had not. Later, it was learned that this was untrue, and that President Nixon had told Kleindienst to drop the case. Kleindienst pleaded guilty to a federal crime. But the need for a special prosecutor extends beyond investigation, and possible prosecution, of Jeff Sessions. There are the larger questions of whether those involved with the Trump campaign had illegal contacts with Russians, and what was Russias influence in the 2016 presidential campaign. Sessions is not the first person in the Trump administration to be caught in lies about this. After President Obama imposed sanctions against Russia for its cyberattacks and interference with the presidential election, former national security adviser Michael Flynn discussed these sanctions with Russian officials. Depending on what was said, this could be a violation of federal law. Flynn repeatedly told reporters, and even Vice President Mike Pence, that no such discussions ever occurred. Pence, on a national news show, repeated that Flynn had no communication with Russians about sanctions. But then Flynns spokesman indicated that while he had no recollection of discussing sanctions, he couldnt be certain that the topic never came up. Ultimately, it was revealed that sanctions likely were discussed, and Flynn was forced to resign. Underlying all of this are the unanswered questions about what Russia did to influence the election, what involvement the Trump campaign had with this and what laws might have been broken. No administration ever should be trusted to investigate itself. That is why an independent prosecutor is essential. There no longer is a federal law that creates a mechanism for the appointment of an independent counsel. The Ethics in Government Act, which was adopted in 1978, provided for this. Under this law, a three-judge federal court would appoint an independent counsel when there were allegations of wrongdoing by top government officials. For example, this is the law that led to the appointment of Kenneth Starr as the Whitewater special prosecutor. Largely in response to that debacle, the law expired in 1999. But the Justice Department on its own can appoint an independent prosecutor without needing specific statutory authority. This was done, perhaps most famously, with regard to the Watergate scandal, when Harvard law professor Archibald Cox and then-Houston attorney Leon Jaworski served as special prosecutors by appointment of the Justice Department. The allegations against Sessions and Flynn, and of Russian interference in the election, are very serious. They must be carefully investigated. An independent counsel is essential to do so. Erwin Chemerinsky is dean of the UC Irvine School of Law. WASHINGTON The United States is sending an additional 400 troops to Syria to help prepare for the looming fight for Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State groups self-proclaimed caliphate, U.S. officials said Thursday. The increase, which includes a team of Army Rangers and a Marine artillery unit that have already arrived in the country, appears to represent a near-doubling of the number of U.S. troops in Syria. The U.S. military had declined to say precisely how many troops it had deployed in the country. The formal troop cap for Syria is 503, but commanders have the authority to temporarily exceed that limit to meet military requirements. The presence of the Rangers became apparent last weekend when they were seen driving around the northern Syrian town of Manbij in Stryker vehicles and armored Humvees. The Washington Post earlier reported the deployment of the Marine artillery battery. We are preparing logistical and fire support to enable a successful assault on Raqqa, the self-proclaimed capital of ISIS, said Col. John L. Dorrian, a spokesman for the U.S.-led command that is fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. The exact numbers and locations of these forces are sensitive in order to protect our forces, but there will be approximately an additional 400 enabling forces deployed for a temporary period to enable our Syrian partnered forces to defeat ISIS in Raqqa, Dorrian added. Our indigenous partners in Syria face an entrenched foe and like the Iraqis, will require additional support to enable them to fight and defeat ISIS in Raqqa, he said. The mission of the additional troops will be to help Syrian fighters prepare for the offensive on Islamic State forces in Raqqa. They will provide artillery support, training and protection for improvised explosives, among other efforts, Dorrian said. The decision to deploy artillery mimics the approach taken in Mosul, Iraq, where U.S. and French artillery have been supporting the Iraqi offensive to take the western half of the city. In the case of Raqqa, the idea is that Syrian forces will do the bulk of the fighting on the ground but that Americans will assist them by providing advisers as well as firepower. The United States is already carrying out airstrikes in Syria and has deployed surface-to-surface rockets in the northern part of the country. Before he left office, President Barack Obama approved the use of a small number of Apache attack helicopters, and they are expected to be part of the Raqqa operation, as well. Now, Marine artillery is being added to the mix. The Trump administration, however, has yet to make clear which fighters will seize Raqqa. U.S. military commands favor a mixed force of Syrian Arabs and the Kurdish YPG militia. But Turkey has objected to arming the Kurds, since it has denounced the group as terrorists. Gen. Joseph L. Votel, the head of the U.S. Central Command, alluded to the need for the reinforcements during a recent visit to the Middle East. I am very concerned about maintaining momentum, he told reporters accompanying him on a trip to the region. Votel was scheduled to testify to the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday morning about the situation in Syria and the plans to fight the Islamic State. Gen. Thomas D. Waldhauser, who heads the Africa Command, was also to appear before the panel. Among other duties, the Africa Command has responsibility for operations in Libya and North Africa. Santa Ana city officials are beginning to realize that principled stands come at a cost. Last May, the city declared that it would phase out Santa Anas jail contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, through which the jail houses federal immigration detainees, and allow the existing contract to expire without renewal in 2020. It was a bold stand against immigration detention, and the move has been well-received by anti-detention activists. But revenue for detaining immigrants, which totals upwards of $340,000 per month, has proven helpful in paying down the $24 million in debt for the jail the city opened in 1997. But in a majority Latino city, immigrant detention has understandably become politically unpalatable. Reports of the unlawful strip searches and unsanitary conditions at the jail certainly havent helped matters. In December, the City Council voted to declare Santa Ana a sanctuary city and put ICE on notice that it would be allowed to hold no more than 128 detainees at the jail, down from the 200 allowed under the original contract. Late last month, however, ICE gave Santa Ana a 90-day notice that it was terminating its contract with the city, arguing that the low bed count made the arrangement no longer financially viable. This prompted Councilman Jose Solorio to bring the matter before the council this week in a bid to revive the contract with ICE. Arguing that cancelation of the contract will only result in private facilities profiting from detention, Solorio argued that it is consistent with Democratic Party principles to stop outsourcing, stop privatization. With the support of the Santa Ana chapter of SEIU Local 721, he also argued that ending the ICE contract will eliminate good paying jobs, SEIU jobs, [police officers association] jobs. Solorio was ultimately drowned out with chants of Latino Trump. Perhaps he wouldve made a better impression had he not invoked jobs for politically beneficial labor unions as his chief defense for detention. After a brief recess, the council ended up voting 3-3 on reviving the contact, with Solorio joined by Mayor Miguel Pulido and Juan Villegas, thus killing the move. Thus begins the citys scramble to either try to revive the contract again or look for other revenue sources. http://launch.newsinc.com/js/embed.js _informq.push([embed]); SANTA ANA Police have arrested one man and are searching for another in connection with a series of burglaries at a Sprint store in a Santa Ana. Acting on a tip, police arrested Robert Andrew Austin, 23, of Santa Ana, on multiple counts of suspected burglary on Monday, said Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna. He was booked into the Santa Ana Jail. Austin is suspected of being involved in five burglaries at a Sprint store between Nov. 24. and Feb. 14, Bertagna said. Each of the burglaries was caught on the stores video surveillance system. Police are continuing to look for a second man in connection with the burglaries. That man is described as Caucasian or Hispanic, 18 to 25 years of age with a medium build, wearing a red beanie, black hooded sweatshirt, black pants and black shoes. He was last seen riding a dark-colored beach cruiser bicycle. Anyone with information on the mans identity is asked to contact Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS. Contact the writer: 714-796-7767 sschwebke@scng.com Twitter: @thechalkoutline Immigrants held in Theo Lacy jail in Orange County were served spoiled lunch meats, forced to use dirty showers, and subjected to harsh solitary confinement, among other unsafe conditions, according to a government watchdog. As a result, officials with the Department of Homeland Security Inspector Generals office on Wednesday said they had called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to address health and safety concerns at the jail, which doubles as an immigration detention facility. Because of concerns raised during (our) inspection, we recommend that ICE take immediate action, the report said. As of Wednesday, there were 528 immigrants detained at Theo Lacy, according to immigration officials. The jail, which can house about 3,000 other male inmates in separate units, is run by the Orange County Sheriffs Dept. During a surprise visit to the jail in November, federal officials found unsafe food handling and unsanitary living conditions in the jails immigration units, including moldy bathroom stalls and trash-strewn cells. Detainees told inspectors that meat was often so rotten they had to wash it before eating. Of deepest concern, when inspecting the refrigeration units, we observed slimy, foul-smelling lunch meat that appeared to be spoiled, the report said. The meat was also served to immigrants in other Orange County detention and processing facilities. A Sheriff spokesman, Lt. Lane Lagaret, said inmates throughout the county are served the same food. Immigration officials said Wednesday that food, bathroom, and phone issues at Theo Lacy have been resolved. They also said they have met with the Sheriffs Department to make sure the center is being run in compliance with the agencys detention standards. Immigration agents remain on site at Theo Lacy, according to ICE spokesperson Virginia Kice. The Sheriffs Department said all of the concerns raised in the report had been addressed, and that it remains committed to the health and safety of all immigration detainees housed in its jails. In addition to the food safety and other health violations, Wednesdays report found that detainees accused of violating jail rules were held in solitary confinement for 24-hour periods with no access to recreation or visitors, in violation of ICE detention standards. Inspectors also reported that immigrants with minor or no criminal records were housed alongside immigrants convicted of serious crimes another violation of ICE policy. Detainees were not given the opportunity to appeal housing decisions, the report said, and neither the Sheriffs Department nor federal immigration agents had a system for tracking or addressing grievances from detainees. While the Sheriffs Department has taken steps to resolve these issues, the findings highlighted in the federal report are important, said Tom Dominguez, president of the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs. We are pleased that the Inspector Generals findings were not of a more serious nature, Dominguez said. He added that the union is hopeful the Sheriff makes further improvements throughout the entire county jail system. Immigrant rights advocates heralded the report as a victory, citing a long history of complaints by detainees and advocacy groups against Theo Lacy and the Orange County Sheriffs Department. A 2015 federal complaint filed on behalf of 10 immigrant inmates at the jail alleged that sheriffs deputies physically abused and denied medical treatment to detainees. Last August, several detainees at the jail launched a hunger strike to bring attention to what they said were poor conditions and treatment at the facility. The jail in 2013 was the subject of an Orange County Grand Jury investigation that found sheriffs deputies systematically shirked their duties by sleeping in the guard station, playing video games and using jailhouse bullies to punish other inmates. After months of inaction by the O.C. Sheriffs Department and ICE, we are glad to see that the Inspector General has taken our complaints seriously, said Christina Fialho, executive director of Community Initiatives for Visiting Immigrants in Confinement, which filed the 2015 complaint. The federal government needs to end its relationship with the O.C. Sheriffs Department and stop squandering taxpayer dollars on detaining immigrants in a system rife with human and civil rights abuses, Fialho added. SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador Veronica picked up some modeling clay, molded it into little human figures with her hands and then dug holes into the sculptures face. Look, said Veronica, 9, showing off the creation to her aunt. Thats how Mama ended up. For more than a year, Veronica and her sister have been in hiding here in El Salvador, hoping to receive refugee status in the United States. The two girls were doing homework at their dining room table when masked men burst in and gunned down their grandparents the communitys only two health workers on rumors that the couple had been tipping off the police about gangs in the neighborhood. Like many thousands of others, Veronica and her sister applied for sanctuary in the United States under a special Obama administration effort to grapple with the violence that has gutted Central America and sent waves of its people on a desperate march toward the U.S. border. But on Monday, the Trump administration announced a four-month suspension on all refugee admissions to the United States so security procedures can be improved and, perhaps most significantly, cut the number of total refugees allowed into the country by more than half. We cant remain in the same place, said the girls aunt, Reina, who is seeking refugee status for her nieces, witnesses to the double homicide. We got a call last weekend telling us that theyd find us under whatever rock we were hiding. When President Donald Trump first tried to freeze the nations refugee program in January, the courts jumped in and thwarted his executive order. But one vital limit that the courts did allow and which Trumps new order continues is a drastic reduction in the number of refugees admitted to the United States this fiscal year, from 110,000 under President Barack Obama to Trumps revised cap: 50,000. And those seats are mostly taken already. More than 37,000 refugees from around the world have been admitted to the United States since the fiscal year began in October. By Monday morning, with seven months to go in the fiscal year, fewer than 12,700 slots remained under Trumps limit. In a statement on Monday, John F. Kelly, the homeland security secretary, said the new executive order would make America safer, and address long-overdue concerns about the security of our immigration system. We must undertake a rigorous review of our visa and refugee vetting programs to increase our confidence in the entry decisions we make for visitors and immigrants to the United States, he said. We cannot risk the prospect of malevolent actors using our immigration system to take American lives. Altogether, the United Nations referred more than 100,000 refugees from around the globe last year for resettlement in the United States. The Obama administration accepted nearly 85,000 of them in the 2016 fiscal year, before raising the ceiling considerably for 2017. Now Trumps order will effectively leave tens of thousands of families in limbo, all vying for the sliver of seats still available. Veronica and her sister whose last names are being withheld to protect their identities have been waiting to find out whether they will be among the chosen. They and their father have been interviewed a total of four times, but months have passed. Members of El Salvadors most notorious gang, MS-13, have made menacing phone calls suggesting that more killings are coming, the family says. So the girls, their father, aunts and uncles abandoned their houses and ran. But in a country the size of Massachusetts, there are only so many places to hide. They have already moved twice. Officials and immigrant advocates in Central America fear that as the Trump administration cites the danger of admitting potential terrorists cloaked as refugees from nations like Syria, it is disregarding the tens of thousands of people here who are being terrorized by street gangs that actually originated in the United States. In 2014, the Obama administration began setting up a program to offer refugee status or special entry for some Central American children, hoping to stanch the tide of minors making the dangerous journey to the U.S. on their own. More than 11,000 people have applied through the program, and just over 2,400 had been admitted to the United States by Feb. 22, according to the State Department. In Trumps first month in office, 316 people were admitted, the department said. The undertaking has always been slow. With the bar for eligibility high, and the application process lengthy, comparatively few of the people at risk applied. Many children chose to flee the country rather than wait for approval and risk danger while their cases were reviewed. U.S. officials expanded the program in July to include additional family members, not just children. But countless adolescents all over El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras are hoping to leave their countries because gang members are stalking the young, forcing boys to join their ranks and threatening to rape girls. I have a client who has not left his house since July, said Berta Guevara, a lawyer at the Independent Monitoring Group of El Salvador, which helps people with their refugee applications. Guevara said that many people in danger now believe that the United States no longer wants them. A one-month delay to a person who, on any day if they are seen, they will be killed to that person, every day is a terrible day, Guevara said. Even before Trumps executive order on Monday, officials at the Department of Homeland Security said they had not been taking on any new cases since the president first sought to suspend refugee admissions in late January, effectively freezing new applications to the program. The new executive order will prolong that freeze for at least another 120 days, leaving children under threat in the region with some daunting choices, including staying where they are or making the long, dangerous trek to the southwest border of the U.S. to apply for asylum or some other form of humanitarian relief. Theres still this ambivalence in regarding the Central American situation as a refugee crisis, said Wendy Young, the president of Kids in Need of Defense, a Washington organization that offers legal assistance to unaccompanied immigrant children. Theres a perception in todays world that refugees are people who are fleeing war, and that gang and drug violence is not war, she said. Longer term, the Obama program in Central America could also be under threat because of its frequent reliance on a special provision called humanitarian parole, which allows certain immigrants to enter the U.S. temporarily even if they do not qualify as refugees. Some Republicans who want to limit immigration call humanitarian parole an overused back door to entering the United States. And Trump, in an executive order last month that sought to tighten border security, took aim at the abuse of parole and asylum provisions. Veronicas aunt, Reina, said she was more scared than ever. Arrests have been made in the case, prompting more threats in recent days. I have been offered help to leave the country, but I just cannot leave here until these girls are safe, Reina said. She said she already borrowed $6,000 to pay a smuggler to take her 15-year-old son, who also witnessed the killings, to Dallas. Oscar Torres, a prosecutor who runs the homicide division in the area where Reinas mother and stepfather were killed, acknowledged that the entire family was in grave danger, whether they witnessed the murders or not. Of the seven people who participated in the killings, he said, four are in jail pending trial, one is still wanted, another was killed in a shootout with the police and a minor is out on bail. One of the accused is a gang leader known as El Tigre. Gang members are particularly known to kill the families of potential witnesses when a gang leader has been accused, he said. If these guys come to be sentenced, they are not going to like that their gang leader, their homeboy as they say, was convicted, so this family becomes a target, Torres said. Where do these people go? What path is left for them? Some didnt show up for work. Others showed up for work, and wore red to signify how they felt. Still others marched in protest or solidarity, or declined to buy anything from a business that, in their view, doesnt support women. It was all part of a worldwide response Wednesday to International Womens Day, with women (and men) flexing their economic muscle and raising their voice in support of a national push for equal rights and better pay for women. From Los Angeles to New York, to Melbourne and Seoul, thousands of women took the streets to make the simple point that women often are routinely mistreated in everything from pay to workplace issues to health care. While the day devoted to recognizing the contributions of women dates back to the early 1900s its had a resurgence after Hillary Clinton, the first woman candidate to be nominated by a major party, lost the election to President Donald Trump, whose comments about women and his admission that he gropes women raised the ire of many. I just feel like were moving backward on womens rights, and its upsetting, said Robin Ganahl, a stay-at-home mother in Tustin and organizer of the climate-based womens group, Mothers Out Front. Ganahl didnt march Wednesday or skip work. But, like many, Ganahl said she skipped all economic activities, a non-action that activists hoped would point out that women make about 75 percent of purchase decisions, even though economists suggest women in the United States make 79 cents of every dollar earned by men. I have two daughters, theyre 6 and 7, and I want them to have the same opportunities that their friends who are boys have, Ganahl said. So, equal pay is definitely an issue that Im concerned about. Other women chose to take the day off work to illustrate their importance in the work force. The policy institute the Center for American Progress found that California would lose $2.75 billion in one day if all women stayed home from work. Still others went to work, but hoped to make a statement while there. At a family medical practice in Brea run by Drs. Lauren Stearns and Kristine Percy, the staff ate a homemade breakfast made by Percy and employees wore red as a show of solidarity. Female staffers spent the morning together and talked about how they appreciated each other while surrounded by Womens Day signs, and all employees chose a charity that supports women to direct their donations. Before Wednesdays protests Orange County Democratic Party Chairwoman Fran Sdao sent out an email outlining ways people can participate if theyre not able to miss work. She listed charitable giving to groups that focus on womens health and shopping at women- or minority-owned businesses. Anabel Krishnan who lives in Culver City stayed home from her job as a project manager for a marketing company. She did spend some money getting a haircut but said she the stylist is a woman entrepreneur. Her company supported her decision to take time off, and organized an hour-long meeting held by women in the office sharing all that they do. For Krishnan, womens rights is a unifying theme that people everywhere can get behind. It affects a lot of people, she said. Now people are starting to see at the end of the day that (womens rights) are human rights. It affects women, it affects immigrants, it affects Muslims; its all interconnected. Others view their jobs as part of the solution to gender inequity, and felt inspired to turn up to work. We see ourselves as proponents of change, so its counterintuitive for my partner and I to take the day off, said Becka Klauber, president and co-founder of the Santa Monica-based Helpr, which connects parents with screened babysitters and other child care for working parents in Los Angeles, Orange County and Santa Barbara. We sent a memo out to everyone saying if they want to strike, we support them. Other businesses focused on womens health offered free services. One Down Dog, a Los Angeles yoga studio, encouraged customers to make charitable donations. Two jars labeled with the names of two non-profit organizations, the Downtown Womens Shelter and Planned Parenthood, would receive all the proceeds from the days classes. We know yoga is a refuge for many of you supportive women, men, and non gender-conforming yogis. So International Womens Day will be donation based, organizers wrote on the events Facebook page. We will let classes go to past normal capacity. Make some friends and tickle some toes. Contact the writer: lawilliams@scng.com Tacos are generally low-cost fare in Mexico you can buy one from street stalls for as low as 10 pesos (50) so how can one cost as much as a fully optioned family car? Juan Licerio Alcala, the executive chef at the Grand Velas Los Cabos Resort, a luxury vacation destination in Baja California, and the creator of the worlds most expensive taco, says that the mind-blowing $25,000 price tag of this delicacy is justified by the technique and the harmony that you will lift from the plate. Thats a pretty vague explanation, but he assures those interested in sampling his creation that its worth it. But if you dont feel like taking Licerio at his word with 25 grand on the line, maybe the list of ingredients will give you a better idea of what you can expect from the worlds most expensive taco. To make the opulent dish, the Mexican chef takes a corn tortilla speckled with 24 carat gold flakes, which he then fills with Kobe beef, langoustines, Almas Beluga caviar and black truffle brie cheese. Then, the taco is dressed with a salsa based on Morita chiles and Kopi Luwak coffee, before being sprinkled with some edible gold flakes. Photo: Grand Velas Los Cabos People are excited and a little surprised about how you can eat a taco for $25,000 when you can find one on the street for 10 pesos, chef Juan Licerio Alcala told AFP. Then I explain the delicacy, the technique and the harmony that they will lift from the plate, and that its worth it. As you can imagine, people arent exactly lining up to pay $25,000 for a small taco. In fact, a week after the delicacy was put on the menu at the resorts Frida restaurant, no one has ordered it, although Licerio claims that many people have shown interest, especially vacationing Americans who like to push the boundaries. Is that what were calling shameless splurging nowadays? Photo: Grand Velas Los Cabos But even if someone wanted to order this taco, they would have to follow a protocol. First of all, the buyer has to be staying in the presidential suite at Grand Velas Los Cabos Resort, and put down a deposit of $12,500. Then and only then will Licerio get started on preparing the exclusive taco. When its ready, it is presented to the buyer in the middle of the desert encircled by motorcycles, or during a marriage proposal. That sounds kind of weird, but the chef says that they can adjust the presentation to the clients wishes. Oh, and if you need something to wash down those gold flakes, chef Licerio recommends a bottle of Ley.925 Pasion Azteca Ultra Premium Anejo tequila, priced at $150,000. It makes sense to pair the worlds most expensive taco with the worlds most expensive bottle of tequila. Enjoy! Photo: Grand Velas Los Cabos More than 120 attendees stressed the need for women as well as men to be mentors at a program for International Womens Day held by Porter Novelli in partnership with LMHQ March 8 at LMHQs meeting space in lower Manhattan, an area that has become a hub for creative start-ups and established companies like Conde Nast and Fast Company. The Women + Mentorship event was part of the firms diversity and inclusion efforts. Twenty acknowledged yesterdays Day Without a Woman stance for solidarity and wore red. (L to R) Moderator Soon Mee Kim, executive VP and PNs leader of global diversity and inclusion; Tania Salarvand, head of marketing, North America, for Thoughtworks; and Chandra Briggman, founder of Wide Angle Media. Helpful advice to PR careerists was given by Soon Mee Kim, executive VP and PNs leader of global diversity and inclusion; Chandra Briggman, founder of Wide Angle Media; Nancy Reyes, New York managing director of TBWA, and Tania Salarvand, head of marketing, North America, for Thoughtworks. Purpose of the program was to show how valuable women mentors can be both for women as well as men. "Speed Mentoring" Provided Sometimes we are not our best advocates, Kim said. We are not always the ones to be proactive and seek out those allies, leaders, mentors. Salarvand said her primary role is being a mother of her three-and-a-half-year-old son, and six-months-old girl and her secondary job is leading the North American Marketing at Thoughtworks. She recounted some of her experiences as a consultant for 15 years, saying she found the business world to be a mans world and its not a world that is conducive to working mothers. Speed mentoring The speed mentoring mimicked speed dating where you had five minutes to sit and talk with one of the 12 prominent women across the industry as mentors: Jen Bloom, senior talent manager, employee experience at Warby Parker Chandra Briggman, founder at Wide Angle Media Shana Dressler, co-founder, NYC Innovation Collective Colette Ellis, founder, InStep Consulting Mindy Gikas, EVP global talent at Porter Novelli Anneke Hansen, choreographer, performer, and teacher Sandi Harari, SVP creative director at BARKER Soon Mee Kim, global diversity & inclusion leader, EVP at Porter Novelli Jessica Lappin, president of Alliance for Downtown New York Tania Salarvand, North America head of marketing at ThoughtWorks Karen Short, group creative director at Droga5 Amy Whitaker, author of Art Thinking and NYU Professor Agricultural News Trucking Needed to Transport Hay to Ranchers in NW Oklahoma Affected by Recent Wildfires Executive Vice President of the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association Michael Kelsey, reached out to the Oklahoma ag community today with a couple updates regarding the relief efforts being made to help ranchers affected by the wildfires of Northwest Oklahoma. "As you know by now, many ranchers are in dire need of feed resources," Kelsey stated. "Primarily hay for their cattle to survive until the grass begins to grow later this year. To that end, many ranchers from other parts of the state are donating hay to send to their neighbors up in the northwest. "The current bottleneck in that process is trucking. We desperately need trucking in order to transport that hay to the northwest." If you are aware of trucking resources, please share that information with the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association by calling 405-235-4391 or by calling any of the hay drop locations listed below. Buffalo Feeder - 4 miles east of Buffalo, OK on Highway 64 Contact: Caleb Nelson at 580-727-1332 Tyree Ag - US-283, Laverne, OK Contact: Jay Dee Nielsen at 580-334-6819 Dale Long - East of Gate, OK Contact: Dale Long at 580-571-1249 May Coop Elevator - May, OK Contact: Tom Fanning at 580-727-5530 Buffalo Coop - 322 E. Harper, Buffalo, OK Contact: Beverly Mings at 580-735-2533 Western Equipment - 3999 Lakeview Drive, Woodward, OK Contact: Caleb Zook at 580-254-0080 Also, Kelsey noted instructions on how to make a financial contribution. "For the next two weeks the Livestock Exchange at the Oklahoma National Stockyards will offer folks the opportunity to donate to the fire relief fund on sale days. Folks can drop a check made out to the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Foundation off at the main office of the Oklahoma City Stockyards. 100% of the funds will go to relief efforts for ranchers affected by the devastating fires." Kelsey offers his sincere thanks on behlaf of those affected and the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association, for any contributions. Source - Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady NSI Top Agricultural News Mar Cafe is one of those pleasant surprises a food critic encounters every once in a while. In this case its surprisingly great Mexican in a random midtown strip mall nestled next to a check-cashing business and a vape store. Mar Cafe is filling a need I didnt know I had, and thats breakfast burritos. The burritos, and the rest of the food I tried on two recent visits, could easily compare with some of my favorite spots on South 24th Street. Breakfast was where we began on a recent Saturday morning, with two hot coffees; a plate of chilaquiles, a traditional Mexican breakfast dish; and an egg and barbacoa breakfast burrito. The chilaquiles at Mar are made with house-fried tortillas topped with eggs (I had mine over easy, with runny centers), house-made green sauce, lettuce, tomato, cotija cheese, sour cream and a side of rice and beans. Diners can choose their meat I got tender shredded chicken. The best part of chilaquiles for me is the mixed textures: the warm crunchy tortillas and tender meat against cool cheese and salsa is really nice. The runny eggs pulled it all together with just the right amount of sauciness. A side of rice and Mexican beans finish the plate and you get it all for $8.25. The restaurant has a wide variety of Mexican breakfast burritos, and my dining partner went straight for the barbacoa beef and egg, which had more tender, flavorful meat inside a pressed crispy tortilla along with scrambled egg, bright cilantro and diced onion. On request, the kitchen will bring a bottle or two of hot sauce, which we drizzled over almost everything. When all was said and done, our bill was just $20. Mar which stands for Mexican American Restaurant is the first restaurant for owner Arturo Vargas, who opened it near 46th and Dodge Streets with his friend Jose Orozco. The two talked about opening a restaurant for four years before finally doing it last August. They opened with their own money and some business assistance from the local Catholic Charities microbusiness training program, which helps first-time business owners get started. The restaurant is primarily staffed by their families. We are cooks, we know how to make food, Vargas said. But we didnt know about the other parts of the business. The restaurant has a half-dozen or so low-top tables. You order from a menu theres one written on the wall, but they bring one to the table, too and theres table service, which was quick and efficient. Vargas said the owners wisely narrowed their focus to Mexican breakfast because they saw few other places serving it in the city. The restaurant also serves omelets and other more traditional American breakfast items. At the lunch hour it serves sandwiches, salads, tacos, nachos, quesadillas and tortas. The al pastor taco platter comes served in similar fashion to my favorite tacos in South Omaha at La Choza. Petite pieces of juicy pork are served with hunks of pineapple about the same size, along with diced onion and fresh chopped cilantro. Each comes on two petite, house-made corn tortillas. The platter includes three; I finished two and could have eaten the third. Rice and beans again come on the side. The meal came with a complimentary basket of chips, which Vargas said are made there, along with thin red and green salsas served in jars. I really liked the green, studded with bits of more fresh cilantro and with the tanginess of fresh tomatillos. A pleasantly creamy order of guacamole comes fresh-made in a big stone bowl with simple ingredients, including onions and tomatoes. The asada torta comes served on the big roll tortas are known for, and Vargas, who has a background in baking, said that, too, is made in house. It had plenty of toppings, including mayo, sliced avocado, refried beans, lettuce, onion and tomato, all on top of thinly sliced carne asada. Though it wasnt quite as tender as some of the other meats we tried, it had great flavor. Right now, Mar is offering specials things like a chorizo burger and huevos rancheros only on the weekends, but Vargas said he hopes to soon expand the specials to be daily. Mar Cafe keeps its menu focused and its food homemade and tasty. This Mexican spot is a fun addition to the citys breakfast scene. Mar Cafe Address: 4646 Dodge St. Phone: 402-905-9834 Hours: Tuesdays through Fridays, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.; closed Mondays Hits: Al pastor tacos included tender chunks of pork paired with pineapple on soft, small corn tortillas and a seared breakfast burrito with eggs and barbacoa beef. Misses: Though we liked the house-made green salsa, the red lacked punch. Drinks: American soft drinks, tea, horchata and Mexican soft drinks Prices: Affordable; only one dish on the menu, steak and eggs, clears the $10 mark. Other things to know: On weekends, the restaurant serves specials. Recent offerings included a chorizo breakfast burger and huevos rancheros. Papillion has a fighter in Quinn Albert the strong, soon-to-be 1-year-old little girl who is one of only 53 children worldwide diagnosed with a rare disorder. Quinn was born with Rhizomelic Chondrodysplasia Punctata, Type 1, a rare and terminal form of dwarfism with no treatment or cure. Children with RCDP, a genetic disorder, often suffer from shortening of the bones, seizures, recurring respiratory tract infections and congenital cataracts. It comes with a very short life expectancy, as long-term survivors are considered to be 10 years old, Quinns mother, Lacey Albert, said. Unfortunately, we dont really know how much time we have with Quinn but we do know that every day is a blessing." Both mother and father must carry the gene for a child to be born with RCDP. The chances of that happening are incredibly rare, with the disorder occurring in just one of every 100,000 live births, according to Rhizo Kids International. Both Chris and I carry the mutated gene, Albert said. For us to have found each other and had children together, we had better chances of winning the lottery six times in a row. Thats how the doctors have explained it to us. All of the probabilities are kind of insane. The Alberts oldest and only other daughter, Gemma, was not born with RCDP. The Albert couple is organizing a spirit night to honor Quinn, along with all of her first-year accomplishments. The fundraiser will be from 5 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday at Chick-Fil-A Papillion, 8710 S. 71st Plaza. Those ordering online or through the app, in the drive-thru or in the restaurant must mention they are there for Quinns birthday for a portion of their proceeds to be applied toward Quinns spirit night. A complimentary cookie will be provided for each guest, and a face painter and balloon artist are also scheduled for the event. The Albert family will match the funds collected through the Chick-Fil-A fundraiser and donate the proceeds to Rhizo Kids International, a charity organization formed to raise money for RCDP research. The money will help fund a clinical trial for a drug that may help children with RCDP. Hopefully, and Im praying, it will extend her life expectancy and increase the quality of her life, Albert said. Its just very meaningful for us to raise awareness. Theres only 53 known cases in the world of RCDP right now. The more money we can raise and the more people can learn about this condition, the better off these kiddos are going to be. A 50-year-old man was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of sexual assault of a child at Westroads Mall. According to an Omaha Police Department press release: Officers responded to a call at Westroads for suspicious activity about 12:25 p.m. There, the officers met with mall security and were told that a boy had been assaulted in a mens restroom. The release listed two boys as victims: one age 7, the other age 11. Authorities booked Bruce Perry into Douglas County Jail on suspicion of two charges: third-degree sexual assault of a child, first offense; and child abuse by intent, no serious injury. Third-degree sexual assault of a child is defined under Nebraska law as sexual contact without personal injury. It was fourth grade when the new girl noticed Janis Brown wearing a shirt with butterflies on it and butterfly wings attaching the arms to the shirt. Thats weird, Ciera Boatwright told Janis that day, eight years ago. I think I like it. From then on, they were fast friends rarely apart, rarely quiet, rarely normal. Even when they went to separate schools, Ciera would arrive home to find Janis already there sitting on Cieras couch and chatting up her mom, Jennifer Boatwright. One day in fifth grade, Ciera came home to find that Janis wasnt there. Instead: dozens of Post-It notes in Cieras room. Most were filled with random thoughts. One was sweet and goofy. Love you, baby, it said. That same note with Janiss distinctive script now is tattooed on Cieras left shoulder, just above her hurting heart. The inseparable friends were ripped apart the night of June 24, 2016 when a man who was drunk, on drugs and fleeing another crash scene slammed into the back of a car carrying Janis Brown, her sister and her little brother on Sorensen Parkway near Wenninghoff Road. Wednesday, that man 29-year-old TyVinn Smith was sentenced to nearly the maximum term for the crash that killed Janis Brown, a 16-year-old Benson High School student. Douglas County District Judge Duane Dougherty sentenced Smith to 22 to 25 years in prison for motor vehicle homicide and two related charges. The term means that Smith, who faced a maximum of 25 years in prison, must serve 11 years before he is eligible for parole; absent parole, hell be released in 12 years. My daughter had a lot of goals, Browns mother, Carlotta Vaughan, told the judge. She was preparing to attend Louisiana State University. She was, and is, a beautiful young woman. She touched a lot of people. She was making a difference. ... She was going in the right direction. Then lightning struck. Janis nicknamed Juice had just gotten off work at Gallup. She had just FaceTimed with Ciera, telling her that she met a boy she liked. I was just like, OK, Juice, Ciera said. Why are you telling me this? They talked about their plans for the summer night. Janis was with her sister, Jesseca, then 20, and her little brother, Lord, 4. They went to a Taco Bell near 72nd Street and Sorensen Parkway, then were on their way to rent a movie from a Redbox at the Walmart near Interstate 680 and Irvington Road. Janiss sister, Jesseca Reed, turned onto Sorensen Parkway in a Chevrolet Aveo, headed west. They drove the winding road and descended the hill toward a stoplight at Wenninghoff Road, not far from Northwest High School. Unbeknownst to them, Smith was out of control behind them. Smith who had prior convictions for running from police and fleeing a personal injury accident had just run the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu he was driving into another car at the intersection of 72nd Street and Sorensen Parkway. He peeled away from that scene. Headlights off, Smith was speeding between 70 and 90 mph according to accident investigators estimates when he slammed into the Aveo just after the stoplight changed from red to green. The force of the collision was so severe that the back end of the Aveo crumpled completely, crushing the back seat, prosecutor Ryan Lindberg said. The Malibu burst into flames. A good Samaritan soon called Vaughan to tell her that her children were trapped in the Aveo. Vaughan rushed to the scene, parked a block away and frantically made her way to the wreckage. Seeing what I saw, I thought all three of my children were gone, she said. Remarkably, Lord, in his car seat, survived, despite being smashed against the back of the drivers seat. Jesseca also was alive and trapped inside the vehicle. Janis was gone. I still had to stand there and be strong and comfort (Jesseca), Vaughan recalled. Meanwhile, Smith was still at the scene. At one point, Lindberg said, he told a good Samaritan to let him in his car. Lets go, Smith said. Sheriffs deputies and police officers described Smith as totally out of it. Tests revealed he had a .102 blood-alcohol content, above the .08 legal limit for driving. His urine also tested positive for cocaine and PCP. Wednesday in court, he winced and rocked in a courtroom chair as Janiss mother opened a vein pouring out the pain of that night and of her life since. His knee bounced uncontrollably. He groaned and closed his eyes. He dropped his head to the table. When it was his turn to talk, he was a mess, a mixture of reflection and deflection. He assured Vaughan he never meant harm. At one point, the 29-year-old defendant said he would trade one of his seven daughters for Janis, if it could bring her back. Im sorry for you, Im very sorry, he said. I swear I didnt mean to hurt your baby. I would have never hurt your baby. I cant live with myself. I made a wrong choice ... Thats the reason why all this is making me (expletive) up. At the same time, I understand where youre coming from. He nonetheless disagreed with Vaughans description of him as a menace saying he wasnt a gang-banger out shooting up people. You wrong about me, Smith said. Im not going to make this into an argument but ... Im sorry Im not that type of man. I hadnt used drugs that day. I was drinking ... I was hurt. My head was bleeding. I didnt know what was happening. Whatever happened to me, I cant bring that baby back. ... I hurt her family devastating, real bad. I apologize to this ladys family for real, for real. Lindberg said Smiths diatribe fell flat calling it an extension of previous excuses Smith has made for his behavior. In a previous statement, according to Lindberg, Smith alternately said he had lost consciousness and had been looking for his cellphone. In court, he called the crash an accident. Lindberg blanched at that. This was not an accident or an isolated incident, he said. This is a series of intentional acts. Acts that ended a life. Outside court, Vaughan described her daughter as a bundle of energy a Benson High senior with an eye on helping people, maybe even animals. She talked about becoming a veterinarian, though Mom didnt know if she would have the heart to deal with injured pets. She had goals and dreams, Vaughan said. She talked about how it was her last year before college. They were going to have fun this summer. She loved to sing and to gab and to call for impromptu sleepovers with Ciera. Cieras mom remembered, with an eye roll, all those late-night calls. If Jennifer Boatwright didnt cave, Janis grandfather would, giving his granddaughter a ride to Cieras house. Juice never met a stranger not even in fourth grade, not even with the new girl who thought that butterflies, and butterfly shirts, were weird. For Ciera, Wednesday was surreal just as every day has been since the crash. She recalled how Janis once had made it seem, via Facebook, like she had gone missing, only to later reveal it was a joke. So the day after the crash, Ciera didnt believe the phone calls, the social media comments saying her friend was dead. She sent a couple of texts to Juice, only to receive nothing in return. Nine months later, she still instinctively reaches for her phone to text her friend some funny video, deep thought or shallow observation. Juice was the kind of friend she could count on. They helped boost each others spirits through the angst, the occasional depression and the steady uncertainty of adolescence. Ciera, who will graduate from Ralston High School this spring, said she cant imagine what college will be like without Janis. She knows this, though: Her best friends death made her take stock of her life and become a Christian, just like Janis was. Her death made me realize I needed to get my act together, Ciera said. She knew everything about me whether it was good or bad. And she accepted me. What more could you ask for? Yikes! Big weather changes are in store for the Omaha area starting tonight. Were talking cold and snow. The National Weather Service office in Valley forecast accumulating snow tonight into Saturday morning across eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. After a high today in the low 30s, temperatures are expected to drop into the teens by Saturday morning. Snowfall is expected to begin in earnest around midnight tonight and then taper off Saturday morning, with a lingering chance the rest of the day. The weather service said accumulations of 4 to 6 inches were possible. Winter is going to hold on, said KMTV meteorologist Ryan McPike. Friday night into Saturday morning is the target window for us. McPike said two computer models he uses varied in their forecast amounts of snow for the Omaha area one calling for 1 inch and the other up to 6 inches. I think (the 6-inch prediction) is a little bit high, he said. But its a pretty good bet well see some snow Friday night into Saturday. The air has been dry lately across the region, he said, so it may be difficult for the storm system to generate a lot of moisture. Forecasters said winds should be light during the snowfall, so drifting is not expected. Snow is also possible on Sunday, especially afternoon into evening, when the chances reach about 50 percent, according to the weather service. If temperatures are high enough, Omaha could see some rain on Sunday, in addition to snow. Highs are forecast in the low to mid 30s. By Wednesday and Thursday, daytime highs are expected back in the 40s and 50s. City leaders decided nearly 50 years ago to close off 16th Street between Capitol Avenue and Dodge Street for a new hotel that was supposed to spur downtown development. But they quickly realized that it was a mistake the hotel created a new barrier between downtown and north Omaha and stifled the once-bustling commercial district of 16th Street. Now, Mayor Jean Stothert and others say its time to discuss ways to rectify the mistake. The discussion is in its infancy, but the mayor, current and former city planners and other civic leaders expressed excitement at the possibility of reconnecting 16th Street, by either tunneling under the Doubletree Hotel or demolishing it altogether. Opening up 16th Street would make a lot more sense to encourage downtown development and jobs, Stothert said. Its all about bringing jobs back to the urban core and adjacent neighborhoods. The city agreed to close 16th Street between Dodge Street and Capitol Avenue for the 1970 opening of what was then a Hilton Hotel. Peter Kiewit was one of the city leaders who pushed for the project. But by the time he died in 1979, he had realized that there were negative unintended consequences, according to Lyn Wallin Ziegenbein, director emerita of the Peter Kiewit Foundation. To his dying day, blocking the main artery of Omaha commerce, 16th Street, was one of Peter Kiewits abiding regrets, Ziegenbein said. City leaders today agree: the decision stifled activity along what was a popular commercial corridor. And it hurt north Omaha, which was left without an easy, direct route to and from downtown. Stothert said theres no specific proposal for how to reopen the street. Stothert said recent discussions about the future of downtown have gotten people talking about the benefits of reopening 16th Street, one of the few two-way streets running north and south from downtown. The citys 2030 downtown master plan mentions the possibility of reconnecting 16th Street. By the end of the planning period, the Doubletree Hotel will be approaching 70 years in age, the plan says. It is entirely possible that it will be at the end of its useful life span. If redevelopment of the site occurs, 16th Street should be reconnected between Capitol Avenue and Dodge Street, thus providing a direct connection (streetcar, vehicular and pedestrian) between the Downtown Core and North Downtown. Another option would be to build a tunnel, but several people suggested that that possibility would be too expensive and wouldnt offer the same benefits as a regular street. Either way, the logistics would most likely not be easy or cheap. I think it would be tricky, said Steve Jensen, the citys planning consultant and a former planning director. Its not designed to easily extend the street through. Could it be done? For the right amount of money, anything could be done. Of course, its not just up to the city. First National Bank owns the land, and Doubletree owns the building. The hotels general manager, Sandy Buonanni, said he hadnt participated in any discussions about an extension of the street through the Doubletree. He said if First National expressed interest in the concept, hed take the ideas to his corporate bosses. A spokesman for First National said it would be premature to comment on the proposal before the city offers a specific plan. The idea of blocking the street originated in the late 1960s, when Omaha leaders said the new hotel would be a boon for downtown. In 1968, City Councilman and future Mayor Al Veys said of the project: This is just the shot in the arm that downtown needs. I see no reason we cant vacate the street for the Hilton. Furthermore, a superblock development fit with the trends of the 1970s, said Marty Shukert, another former city planning director. Keep in mind that in Omaha of 1970 ... the Hilton was a flagship hotel, he said. It was a major community project that many of the movers and shakers of the city were behind because they wanted to get a class A hotel. The hotel became a Red Lion Hotel in 1980, and it was home to a penthouse-level restaurant, Maxines, that was the place to be in Omaha for a time. It became a Doubletree in the 1990s. Many black Omahans have long seen the hotel, built on the heels of the race riots of the mid- to late 1960s, as a wall between north Omaha and downtown. Preston Love Jr., a longtime north Omaha resident and community activist, said the hotel is a symbol of the physical and psychological barriers between north Omaha and the rest of the city. Its absolutely a sore spot, Love said. It is like the Confederate flag. It is what it is, but as long as youre waving it, its a reminder of things, the way they were. Thomas Warren, president and chief executive of the Urban League of Nebraska, also said the hotel in effect cut north Omaha off from downtown. He said the hotel is a symbol of a time when the city was investing money and effort into downtown the Central Park Mall, now the Gene Leahy Mall, was being built and north Omaha was falling behind. He said reopening 16th Street, if its possible, could spur more development in north downtown and north Omaha. When we see private investment, economic development, it has the potential to improve the conditions of those who reside in proximity to the development, he said. Now the city is making a push on downtown development, particularly around north downtown and the riverfront. There are two major projects planned north of Capitol Avenue within blocks of the Doubletree. One, the Capitol District, is a $205 million project under way between 10th and 12th Streets. It will feature a Marriott Hotel, apartments, an outdoor plaza and retail. The other project is a proposed development at the former Civic Auditorium site between 17th and 19th Streets. Plans for that site have not been finalized, but it will probably include a mix of retail, residential and public space. Both are considered projects that could help link the Old Market area and downtown. Brad Ashford, a former congressman who now leads a group designed to speed up development in midtown, said he sees consensus that 16th Street should not have been blocked. It was a last-ditch effort to save downtown, Ashford said. But it had unintended consequences. Ziegenbein and Ashford also have personal experience both of their families operated stores on the bustling pre-hotel 16th Street. The hotel never delivered that promised shot in the arm to downtown. Its one of the things we should never have done, Ashford said. Whats neat is that we can rewrite history here. WASHINGTON The Senate voted Wednesday to reject the Obama administrations regulations of teacher preparation programs. Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., sponsored the legislation disapproving the federal regulations, saying they represent an assumption that Washington bureaucrats are competent to micromanage teacher prep. Thats what this regulation ultimately does, and thats absurd, Sasse said during the floor debate. The vote was a bipartisan 59-40, with all four GOP senators from Nebraska and Iowa supporting it. President Donald Trump is expected to sign it. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., argued in favor of the regulations, which she said would bring accountability to teacher prep programs. Some of those programs are great, she said. But there are also teacher preparation programs out there that are struggling and need support to help make sure they produce great teachers for our schools, she said. The rules would require the reporting of the job placement and retention of graduates. Murray said that would help states identify programs that need help. It also would help would-be teachers make informed decisions about which programs were worthwhile, given that many take out substantial loans to continue their training. They are willing to make this sacrifice; they dont complain, she said. But the very least that we can do for those who want to become teachers is to make sure theyre actually getting their moneys worth when they make an investment in themselves. Sasse agreed that many teacher preparation programs are weak but said its best left to state and local jurisdictions to address those problems. He held up the 695 pages of regulations and described their level of detail as silly. He noted that his wife and his father were public school teachers, giving him experience with teacher prep programs. And he cited his time leading Midland University in Fremont, which has multiple such programs. Even though Ive been around a lot of these programs in some detail, I wouldnt possibly think that I am ready to decree all the details inside those programs from thousands and thousands of miles away, Sasse said. LINCOLN As a third-grader attending a one-room school near Wahoo, Tom Kaspar sketched drawings of the states iconic State Capitol. As an adult, he spent most of his career as an architect in the building. It was a love affair that lasted 40 years and included efforts to find and restore the Capitols original wood furnishings, and to archive the thousands of documents, drawings and other items linked to the historic structure. Kaspar, who died Saturday due to complications of a stroke, will be remembered as a cornerstone of State Capitol restoration, said Bob Ripley, the State Capitol administrator. There wasnt a project in the last 40 years that Tom wasnt actively engaged in, Ripley said. He was a real mainstay. As a tribute, a colleague taped a poster to a wall of the State Capitol this week, citing Kaspars contributions and asking people to honor Tom by caring for our Capitol. Gov. Pete Ricketts also plans to declare Friday as Tom Kaspar Day in the state. A graduate of Southeast Community College, Kaspar, 65, of Lincoln, served as a preservation architect for the State Capitol Commission. He was involved in all aspects of preserving and restoring the building, Ripley said, but he owned efforts to locate and restore the original, solid-walnut furniture and lighting fixtures, and to create an archive of 200,000 items associated with the building, which was completed in 1932. Kaspar helped draft legislation that authorized the return of historic chairs and desks that had been moved out of the State Capitol after new state offices opened, Ripley said. Kaspar traveled across the state to track down the items, even obtaining the return of one end table from a private home in Kansas, according to his son, T.J. Kaspar, of Santa Rosa, California. His father also organized the restoration and reuse of such items. Most recently, Kaspar was involved in the design work for a multimillion-dollar installation of a new heating, cooling and ventilation system at the State Capitol. Why does someone devote a career to such a structure? If youre an architect and you especially like historic buildings, and you want to work with the finest available building, with a great design and the finest workmanship, look no further than the Capitol, Ripley said. Its the reason we all work here. Besides his son, Kaspar is survived by his wife of 41 years, Donice, a daughter, Liz Franken of Pierre, South Dakota, and two grandchildren. Other survivors include a sister, LeAnne Gaughen of Cedar Bluffs, and a brother, Larry Kaspar of Mead. Funeral services are scheduled for Friday at 10:30 a.m. at First Lutheran Church, 1551 S. 70th St. in Lincoln. Visitation with the family will be held Thursday from 5-7 p.m. at the church. LINCOLN A majority of Nebraska state senators, 33 of 49, have signed a letter urging a state agency to green-light construction of the Keystone XL pipeline across Nebraska. The letter was hand-delivered Wednesday to the Nebraska Public Service Commission. The letter urges the commission to approve the proposed 275-mile pipeline route across the state, citing the positive impact the Keystone XL would have on job growth, the states economy and property taxes. Whenever we as a state have the opportunity to create jobs, we need to seize it, said first-year State Sen. Mike McDonnell of Omaha. Papillion Sen. Jim Smith, a long-time supporter of the pipeline project, said the Keystone XL also would ease the property tax burden for those living along the route. Construction alone will generate over $16 million in use taxes, Smith said. The taxes would be paid on pipe and other construction materials. The 36-inch-diameter Keystone XL pipeline would carry crude oil produced in Canadas tar sands region to oil refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast. The pipeline is viewed as critical for sustaining the jobs in Canada required to mine, process and thin the thick tar-sand oil. The immediate reaction from a leading pipeline opponent, Jane Kleeb, was that the letter was premature, since TransCanada has yet to file its plans with the Public Service Commission and no public hearings on the proposal have been held. This is a foreign-owned pipeline using foreign-produced steel to send oil to foreign markets, Kleeb said. We know this is not a good project for Nebraska. President Donald Trump signed an executive order shortly after taking action designed to resurrect the Keystone XL project, which had been rejected by former President Barack Obama because of concerns over its impact on global warming. But to begin construction, pipeline developer TransCanada Inc. must gain approval of a route across Nebraska. The routing has generated controversy and has resulted in changes in the route to avoid Nebraskas groundwater-rich Sand Hills region. TransCanada three weeks ago applied with the Public Service Commission for approval of the same route that had been approved in 2013 by another state agency, the Department of Environmental Quality. The new review process could take up to a year. Critics of the pipeline have said the route, which cuts diagonally across the state from Keya Paha County on the north to Jefferson County in the southeast, still impacts the Sand Hills. They dispute the economic benefits, saying the Keystone XL will create only about 35 permanent jobs and that most of the benefits will go to foreign oil companies. Kleeb, who is the head of the Bold Alliance and is chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party, also said that Trump promised on the campaign trail that the Keystone XL would be built with American steel. A spokesman for the president recently backed off that pledge, saying the American-steel-only promise applied only to new pipeline projects, and that TransCanada already has purchased its pipe. According to the DEQs final report in 2013, the Keystone XL project would create $418.1 million in benefits to the states economy and generate $13 million in property tax revenue the first year. That report also said that the route proposed by TransCanada avoided the Sand Hills and would have minimal impact on the environment. Kleeb has said that to minimize the impact on landowners and avoid fragile soils, the Keystone XL should be rerouted to parallel a currently operating Keystone pipeline that dissects eastern Nebraska. Lawsuits, both on the national and state level, are expected to be filed that could delay the start of construction. LINCOLN A dispute between two state officials exploded into the public eye at a legislative hearing Wednesday. The argument concerns whether the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority must put information on a website maintained by State Treasurer Don Stenberg. At the hearing, Stenberg accused NIFAs executive director of covering up financial information and refusing to obey a state transparency law. He compared the situation to recent scandals involving the state Tourism Commission and Brand Committee two small agencies that operate under independent boards. In my opinion, when a government bureaucrat fights this hard to prevent the disclosure of financial information, he is hiding something, Stenberg said. Tim Kenny, NIFAs executive director, responded that he has no objection to making NIFA financial information available to the public. But he refuses to put the information on the StateSpending.Nebraska.gov website without being able to verify that the site is properly secured against cybercrime. Ransomware, in particular, is a growing threat, with more than 4,000 incidents per day worldwide, he said. It is a type of malicious software that locks up a computer system until the owner pays money. He said Stenberg has refused, over the past several months, to provide verification that the StateSpending site is secure. He wants to let robots and Estonians in, Kenny said. We dont think we should be sending your data to China or Russia or Eastern Europe. But Stenberg countered that NIFA is unnecessarily concerned that a cybercrook could access the data and use it in a way that could result in some financial loss to somebody. He said the website only provides what is public record and does not include personal information such as Social Security numbers. Thats a complete red herring, Stenberg said. There is no confidential information here. He said NIFA is the only one of roughly eight quasi-governmental agencies that hasnt cooperated with a law that expanded the disclosure requirement last year. Kenny raised the same kinds of concerns about cybersecurity when lawmakers considered the bill last year. He proposed making the information available through a link from the StateSpending site to the NIFA site, where it would be secure. He said lawmakers assured him that such an arrangement would be possible under the new law. But Wednesday he told members of the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee that Stenberg had balked at such an arrangement. To fix the problem, Kenny urged passage of Legislative Bill 437, which would authorize NIFA information to be made public through a link. Kenny offered the only testimony in favor of the bill. Stenberg was the only opponent. Stenberg urged the committee to change the law so that the governor, rather than the NIFA board, would appoint the NIFA director. The treasurer said he plans to ask State Auditor Charlie Janssen to undertake a detailed audit of NIFA, including a review of the salaries paid to agency staff. Stenberg said he also plans to file a public records request for NIFA financial information. Kenny said he would welcome a state audit. He said NIFA is a regulated financial institution that reports to the federal Securities Exchange Commission, the Internal Revenue Service and the Nebraska Legislature. He said the agency is audited every year and an independent audit committee of the board oversees financial records. A 30-year history of audited disclosure is a track record few, if any, Nebraska departments or instrumentalities can match, Kenny said. NIFAs nine-member board includes representatives from banking, real estate, agriculture and the mortgage industry. It also includes three state agency directors, from the departments of Economic Development and Agriculture and the Nebraska Investment Council. WASHINGTON More than 4,000 people dialed in Wednesday night to Rep. Don Bacons first telephone town hall as a congressman. Over a little more than an hour, the Nebraska Republican took about 20 questions on immigration, national security and a slew of other topics. Lawmakers have been using such telephone-based town halls for years to keep in touch with people back home, but Wednesdays session had extra weight given Bacons statement earlier this year that he was not planning to hold in-person town halls open to the public at large. The reason, he said at the time, was that he wanted to avoid potential disruptions of those gatherings from activists organized by groups such as Indivisible. He took a different tack Wednesday, however, telling The World-Herald before the telephone session that he now plans to eventually hold those kind of in-person town halls open to anyone. Bacon added that before he does so, he wants to ensure they can be conducted in a way that people are respectful of one another and that a small minority does not monopolize the microphone and shut out others. I have to admit Im put off by people who think they can just take over the mic, because it says that right on their Indivisible web site: take the mic and dont give it back, he said. Thats not something I just want to walk into. I think its not the Nebraska way. I think its disrespectful for the big group. I think people should be able to speak their opinions and then allow someone else to speak their opinions. Bacons earlier comments about not holding town halls had brought criticism from some constituents who suggested he simply didnt want to face sharp questions about the big changes afoot in health care, taxes and other areas. Bacon said Wednesday hes never been afraid of facing people who disagree with him. I dont care about people yelling at me or shouting, he said. Ive been on the receiving end of mortars and rockets. Its more about being respectful to everybody else in the room. Bacon said he has been attending many events around the district hosted by companies and civic groups and will continue to do that. And he said hell be doing telephone town halls like the one Wednesday night. There werent any real fireworks during the session, although questioners pressed him on various issues, such as an independent investigation of President Donald Trump and Russia, health care and climate change. The freshman congressman said he shares concerns about Russian interference in U.S. elections and pointed to ongoing investigations by the congressional intelligence committees. He noted his membership in a bipartisan climate-change group and applauded growth in renewable fuel sources. He touted provisions in the House Republican health care plan, including provisions that protect those with pre-existing conditions, allow young people to stay on their parents plans, prohibit lifetime caps on coverage and ensure gender parity in insurance rates. And he committed not to move forward on the legislation until its costs and coverage impacts are clear. In many areas, including education and the minimum wage, he said hed look to the state and local level to drive the issues. The political diversity of the district was on display with some of the questions. One person, for example, asked about the burden on small banks from federal requirements, while the next question focused on the danger to consumers of rolling back financial regulations. Bacon stuck by his position that those regulations could use some revisions but said he would not eliminate them entirely. We have to have regulations, Bacon said. I just think we have to be careful about not doing overreach. Democrat Heath Mello accused Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert of getting her facts wrong about the state budget Wednesday, while Stothert accused Mello of hiding from last years state budget woes. The two mayoral candidates tangled after Stothert criticized Mello over the states budget shortfall, which occurred when predicted tax revenues dropped. Stothert said Mello, who was a state senator at the time, never tried to work with Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts to rewrite the budget. Mr. Mello had no contact whatsoever with the governors office once the session was adjourned, said Stothert, a Republican. The bottom line is my opponent took the easy way out and hid from the mess he helped to create. Mello said Stothert was simply wrong. He said he talked frequently with the governors staff and talked at least twice with the governor. Mello also said that he and Ricketts agreed in a telephone conversation that there was no need for a special session last year and that the new Legislature in January could rework the budget. Its unfortunate the mayor is trying to recreate how state government works in Nebraska, Mello said at a Wednesday afternoon press conference. The dispute centers on Mellos former role as chairman of the Legislatures powerful Appropriations Committee. An eight-year veteran lawmaker, Mello helped oversee the budget that his colleagues passed in the 2016 legislative session. Gov. Ricketts signed it into law without a veto, which is very rare, said Mello. After the budget was passed, however, tax revenues began to drop. The resulting budget shortfall was resolved earlier this year by state lawmakers. By then, Mello had left the Legislature. Stothert contended that Mello should have worked with the governor last year to rewrite the budget. She also noted that Mello has said on the campaign trail that his term ended in April 2016 when the session ended, yet he actually remained a state senator until early January. Mello acknowledged Wednesday that he misspoke. As for the budget issue, Mello said Stothert does not understand the legislative process. When the state budget passed last year, it was balanced. But once the session ended, Mello said, it became the governors job to manage the budget. And, he said, Ricketts took effective steps to address the shortfall that arose. Mello said it isnt true that he didnt talk to the governors office, as Stothert asserted. He said he had numerous conversations last year about the budget issue with Matt Miltenberger, the governors chief of staff. He also said he spoke to the governor on the telephone. And he publicly supported Ricketts decision to control spending through a variety of ways, including a hiring freeze and curtailing spending. Stotherts campaign said later that she was referring specifically to Mellos involvement with the new budget that the Legislature passed in January. David Boomer, a Stothert spokesman, said the governors office has said Mello was not involved in any discussions last year about what should be in the new budget. In response to a reporters question, Stothert said Wednesday that she was not blaming Ricketts or the way his administration handled the budget shortfall last year as the chief executive officer of the State of Nebraska. The issue, she said, was that Mello has been touting his budget-writing efforts in the Legislature on the campaign trail, while distancing himself from the state budget shortfall. Stotherts news conference came shortly after the mayors office put out a press release touting a $9 million surplus in the 2016 city budget. Stothert said the press releases timing had nothing to do with her subsequent campaign press conference. However, she said the surplus was a byproduct of efficient year-round management by her office, working with city departments to ensure they stayed within the budget passed by the City Council. This represents sound budget management, said Stothert. Mello is attempting to deprive Stothert of a second term in City Hall. The two candidates are expected to advance easily in the April 4 primary. Voters will choose the next mayor at the May 9 election. Monday marks the one-year anniversary of the closing of the four beer-only liquor stores in Whiteclay. The one or two dozen street people who used to openly drink, urinate and pass out along the road are gone, and traffic from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, just across the border in South Dakota, has been reduced from a stream to a trickle. A for AK-47, B for bomb: The Islamic State textbook for children India oi-Vicky By Vicky 'A for AK-47, B for battle' -- this is what an Islamic State book reads. The textbook titled, English for the Islamic State, was found at an orphanage in Mosul, Iraq by security forces. The textbook is completely different from what a normal child would get to see during his or her schooling days. The textbook also gives an introduction to war, jihad and terrorism. While B is for battle, W is for woman and S for sniper. There are pictures of guns, battle tanks and Islamic State fighters in the textbook. Textbooks of hate: It would be interesting to note here that even Pakistan has similar textbooks. A few madrasas which are set up to preach violence begin an alphabet class with B for bandook (gun), K for knife, R for rocket, T for tank, and S for sword. A Madrasa run by the Lashkar-e-Tayiba has a textbook on history called the White Falcons. The first chapter deals with Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The Muslims were being enslaved by the Hindu Indian National Congress. This party encouraged the slavery of Muslims. "It was Jinnah who saved the Muslims from the Hindus," says this chapter. Now let us check out some more history and this one is hilarious. "India was part of Pakistan before 1947. The textbook also does its bit to belittle the Indian Army, which dealt several body blows on the Pakistan army in the 1971 war. "In the 1971 war, the courageous Pakistan army humiliated the Indian Army and defeated them both on the Eastern and Western fronts," as the master at the Madrasa reads this out, the 10-year-old listens on keenly only to end up believing that this is the gospel truth. There is also a mention in the history textbook about the 1965 war as well. The chapter begins with, "In 1965, the Pakistan army conquered several areas in India. India was staring at defeat. New Delhi had no option but to approach the United Nations and seek a ceasefire." If one looks at these textbooks, it becomes clear that from the age of 10, the children are taught how to hate India. Chapters on how superstitious Hindu saints were reformed by the Muslims also is part of these books. OneIndia News Above 85%: Voting percentage indicates Manipur wants peace, progress; not militancy, blockade India oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer Imphal, March 9: Manipur is definitely not Uttar Pradesh. However, like the voters of the northern state, the people in the hill state of northeast India too want peace and development that remained elusive in Manipur since independence. The state went to polling in two phases on March 4 and March 8 to elect 60-member Manipur Legislative Assembly. The high polling percentage recorded in both the voting phases in Manipur has been welcomed by all. According to the Election Commission, a voter turnout of 86% was recorded in both the phases of polling in the state. This is a great democratic victory as people in large numbers came out to cast their votes, especially considering the state's law and order issues and difficult geographical terrain. Currently, the state is reeling under economic blockade, a unique 'problem' faced only by the Manipuris (as the people of Manipur are known). On Thursday, Manipur entered the 128th day of the economic blockade. Since November 1, the United Naga Council-- an umbrella organisation of Naga civil society organisations-- has imposed a blockade on NH-2 (Imphal-Dimapur) and NH-37 (Imphal-Jiribam) highways that serve as lifelines for the landlocked Manipur. Because of the ongoing blockade, prices of essential commodities and fuels have increased manifold. In these troubled times, right from petrol to a packet of Britannia biscuit, everything has become inaccessible to Manipuris. Even if they are available, customers have to pay exorbitant prices for fuels and daily essential items. Moreover, we have witnessed a series of bomb blasts that rocked the state before and during the polls. In spite of all these impediments, people in Manipur 'loudly' expressed their wish-they want peace and development and not economic blockade and terror attacks by voting in large numbers. "I have voted for peace and development. We are tired of bomb blasts and economic blockade. We want our state to grow and prosper," said Abem, a college-goer and first-time voter. Her friend, Robert, who is pursuing engineering from a college in Bengaluru, went to his home state (Manipur) to vote. Robert added, "Because of security reasons, youths suffer the most. Hardly schools and colleges function here normally. I too have voted for peace and development." OneIndia News Akhilesh missed Priyanka Gandhi in poll rallies; clueless about her disappearance India oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer Lucknow, March 9: It is not just the voters of Uttar Pradesh, but incumbent state chief minister Akhilesh Yadav too 'missed' Priyanka Gandhi during the month-long campaign trail. Speaking to Scroll, Akhilesh said he would have been happy if she had come. "I sent the message to her through the Congress inviting her to join the roadshow in Varanasi. But the Congress declined. I don't know what happened internally (for them to take this decision)." In fact, Priyanka was the main brain behind forging an alliance between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party to fight a resurgent Bharatiya Janata Party in the state assembly polls. Before the starting of the UP election campaign, news was rife that Priyanka would extensively campaign across the state for the SP-Congress alliance. However, it never happened. Her posters were seen in several parts of the state. However, when the actual campaign begun, she attended only one rally in Raebareli, which is also the parliamentary seat of her mother Sonia Gandhi. The 45-year-old made her appearance at the election meeting after union minister Smriti Irani took a jibe at her for skipping campaigning to avoid public queries. As expected, Priyanka decided to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi in her address to the voters. During her short speech at the rally, Priyanka urged the voters that the state did not need to adopt an 'outsider' (PM Modi). Till now, nobody knows why Priyanka did not campaign for the SP-Congress alliance in the state. Is it to avoid 'overshadowing' her brother and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi? OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, March 9, 2017, 12:56 [IST] Akhilesh Yadav is ready with Plan B, in case he loses elections India oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer Lucknow, March 9: Within 48 hours, we will know which party has won the highly-contested battle of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The results of assembly elections in five states--UP, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa--will be declared on March 11. However, all eyes are focused on the election results of the largest state in the country which all parties want to win. The results of UP elections is a make or break factor for many including--Prime Minister Narendra Modi, UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi. It seems Akhilesh, who in the recent past has emerged as a strong leader, especially after he won the Samajwadi Party internal feud, is ready with a Plan B, in case he fails to form the government in the state for the second consecutive time. In an article published by Scroll, Akhilesh admitted that in a democracy 'explanations' may not always garner votes. "In a democracy kabhi kabhi samjhane se vote nahin milta, behkane se bhi mil jaata hai. Hum logon ko samjha rahe hain, BJP unko behka rahi hai (sometimes, explanations may not get the votes, but even misleading people might. We are explaining things to people. The Bharatiya Janata Party is misleading people). People will have to decide whom they will go to. That is the best part of democracy. It is now up to the people," he told Scroll. "But let me tell you one thing, Main soch hee nahin raha ki main haar jaaunga. I feel shapath maen loonga, yeh dil ki awaz hai. (I am not even thinking that I might lose. I feel I will be the one to take oath as chief minister. That is what my heart says). For I believe hard work never goes unrewarded." His Plan A--if he wins the elections--is worth mentioning. The incumbent UP CM is confident of winning the polls and wants to continue with his developmental works. "If I win it will be due to the work I have done. The biggest thing for me was to build the expressways, and if I win, this time I will take it upto Ghazipur in the eastern part of UP, which is poor and backward. I want to build world class infrastructure in UP," he told Scroll. "I will connect the expressways to district headquarters through four lane roads, which is happening. I will continue building medical colleges, giving samajwadi pensions to those who have not been covered. And I will create a Farmers Fund, which can be used if there is need, say, for something like a loan waiver." OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, March 9, 2017, 11:58 [IST] The war has just begun, let us not let the lockdown go waste: PM to Chief Ministers Alert sounded to prevent violence in Assam India pti-PTI Guwahati, Mar 9: Assam police on Friday sounded an alert across the state to prevent violence following the attack on the office of All Assam Students Union in Dhemaji district and set up a SIT to investigate the incident. "We have sounded an alert and are determined to strictly stop any violence following the incident. If required, we will do it ruthlessly," Assam Director General of Police Mukesh Sahay told reporters here. The attack was allegedly carried out by Nikhil Bharat Bengali Udbastu Samanvay Samiti (NBBUSS) on March 6 and protests by various organisations erupted across the state following the incident. The special investigating team is headed by CID Senior Superintendent of Police Raja Martandan and will investigate the incident, he said adding anyone found guilty will be firmly dealt with as per law. "We will ensure a thorough and impartial investigation into all aspects of the incident, particularly the antecedents of the organisation that held the meeting at Silapathar which led to the violence," Sahay said. The situation, he said, has been brought under control by senior officials camping at the site and additional security reinforcements who were rushed there. Fourteen companies of Assam Police battalion along with 80 additional constables have been deployed in Silapathar, where the AASU office is located, while some companies of paramilitary forces have been shifted from Jorhat and North Lakhimpur to Silapathar. "The army too has been kept on standby and their help will be sought in case of need," the DGP said. Sahay said deputy commissioners have been directed to cancel all meetings and rallies of NBBUSS scheduled to be held in their respective districts. "Deputy Commissioners of all districts have been directed to ensure that no untoward incidents take place and if required additional security reinforcements will be rushed if tense situation prevails in any place," he added. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has already announced an inquiry by Additional Chief Secretary V B Pyarelal and directed him to submit the report within a month. PTI By-poll in Jayalalithaa's constituency R K Nagar on April 12 India oi-Anusha Three months after Jayalalithaa's death, by-poll at R K Nagar constituency has been announced. The by-poll is scheduled to be held on April 12 and filing of nominations for the same will begin from March 16. The Election CVommission announced that the last date for receiving nominations will be March 23, following which the scrutiny will take place on March 24. Candidates will be given time until March 27 to withdraw the nomination of papers and polling will take place on April 12. Counting is scheduled to take place on April 17. The R K Nagar assembly constituency seat that was vacant after the demise of Jayalalithaa will see a new leader emerge. By-polls will also be held in two assembly constituencies in Karnataka on April 9. The Nanjangud seat that fell vacant after former Congress leader Srinivas Prasad resigned from the post as well as the party will see him contest on a BJP ticket in the by-poll. The Gundlupet seat that fell vacant after the demise of former Karnataka minister Mahadevaprasad will see his wife contesting on a Congress ticket. Oneindia News Delhi on 'very high' alert as IS members on the run India oi-Vicky By Vicky Two suspects believed to be part of the Islamic State may be hiding in Delhi, Intelligence Bureau reports suggest. "They escaped during the encounter that broke out at Lucknow on Tuesday," IB officials have warned. [How confusion marred the Lucknow encounter] Based on this information, a high alert has been sounded in the national capital. Alerts have been sounded in the adjoining areas of Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurgaon. The police have been told to keep a tight vigil. IB reports say that these youth may try and target shrines in Sarnath, Varanasi and Barabanki. This was disclosed during the investigations that were conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad. The UP ATS said that the module called itself the ISIS Khorasan of Varanasi. They were plotting a series of attacks and were even involved in the Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train blast. It was following this blast that one operative Saifullah was tracked down to Thakurganj near Lucknow following which he was killed in an encounter that lasted 11 hours. OneIndia News Dastardly act of violence remained unpunished for want of evidence: Court in Samjhauta case Ensure no pressure from govt in Aseemanand's acquittal: NCP India oi-Vikas By Vikas The National Congress Party on Thursday said that the government should approach a higher court to challenge the acquittal of Swami Aseemanand, who has been acquitted in the 2007 Ajmer blasts case. Speaking to ANI, NCP leader Tariq Anwar said that it would show lack of interest to pursue to matter on part of the government if they do not approach a higher court. Another NCP leader Majeed Memon told ANI that it must be ensured that the acquittal did not happen due to pressure from the government. He said an appeal can be filed as the acquittal was based on lack of evidence. Swami Aseemanand was acquitted in the 2007 Ajmer blasts case on Wedensday. The special National Investigation Agency court, however, found three persons guilty in the case. [Swami Aseemanand acquitted in Ajmer blasts case] The court held the deceased Sunil Joshi, Bhavesh and Devendra guilty in the case. On October 11, 2007, a blast rocked the dargah of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, killing three and injuring 17 people. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, March 9, 2017, 12:36 [IST] Exit Poll 2017 at a glance India oi-Vicky By Vicky The BJP will be smiling going by the exit polls that were out at 5.30 pm on Thursday. Almost all exit polls have predicted a big win for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh. In Punjab and Manipur, the Congress is ahead. Most pollsters gave the BJP 210 plus seats in Uttar Pradesh. The exit poll results even prompted Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Akhilesh Yadav to say that he is ready for an alliance with the BSP to stop the BJP from coming to power. In the states of Uttarakhand and Goa, the BJP is ahead according to the exit polls have predicted. The BSP has been routed in Uttar Pradesh, the exit polls predict. The Aam Admi Party according to some polls will be in a fight with the Congress in Punjab, while the BJP and Congress would fight it out in Uttarakhand and Goa. Read what the pollsters had to say: India Today-My Axis India: ABP-CSDS Chanakya: C-Voter: Times Now-VMR NewsX-MRC: OneIndia News Exit polls today: How have pollsters fared in the recent past? India oi-Vicky By Vicky Bengaluru, March 9: The much- awaited exit polls for Uttar Pradesh and four other states will be out on Thursday after 5.30 pm. The exit polls had been postponed until March 9 following the death of Samajwadi Party candidate from Alapur seat in UP. The polling for that constituency is underway. Exit polls are always interesting and much awaited. Some exit polls have been spot on, but there are others that have gone wrong by a long shot. Let us look at some of the exit polls that have gone right in the recent past. In the February 2015 Delhi elections, India News-Axis came close. It gave the Aam Admi Party 53 seats. The AAP finished with 67 seats. In the Bihar elections, all pollsters got it wrong. The grand alliance of the Janata Dal-United, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress finished with 178 seats. Everyone had predicted the BJP and its allies would finish with over a 100 seats. The alliance wound up getting 58 seats. In the 2012 UP elections, Headlines Today came close when it predicted 195 to 210 seats for the Samajwadi Party. The SP ended up with 224 seats. The 2016 Tamil Nadu elections saw pollsters giving the DMK and its allies 110 to 140 seats. However, most were proven wrong when the AIADMK won with 136 seats. In the West Bengal elections, almost all got it right when a landslide TMC win was predicted. The TMC went on to win 211 seats way past the 148 seat mark. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, everyone had predicted a majority for the NDA. The News24-Today's Chanakya prediction came closest. The NDA won 334 seats while the BJP alone won 282. The Congress won just 45 seats. OneIndia News FIR against around 24 JNU students for misbehaving with VC India pti-PTI New Delhi, Mar 9: An FIR has been registered against around 24 students of Jawaharlal Nehru University for allegedly misbehaving with VC Jagdesh Kumar and wrongfully confining him to the rector's office on February 27. The FIR was registered on Wednesday at Vasant Kunj (north) police station based on a complaint filed by the varsity's registrar on March 4 alleging that the students, after calling off their blockade of the Administration Block on February 27, confined the V-C to the rector 1 office, additional DCP (South) Chinnmoy Biswal said. The students were adamant on meeting Kumar, who was unwell. A doctor was called but the students did not allow him to see the V-C, the complaint stated. The next day, a girl student said she would commit suicide if Kumar did not meet the students. When the VC met the students, they 'misbehaved' with him, it said. Around 24 students, including some of those who were suspended by the JNU administration for allegedly disrupting an Academic Council meeting in December last year, have been booked for wrongfully confining and insulting the JNU VC. The students have been protesting the approval given to the May 2016 UGC gazette notification giving primacy to interviews in MPhil and PhD admissions by the university. Exit Poll 2017: BJP will win big in Uttarakhand but lose in Punjab, predicts NewsX-MRC India oi-Anusha NewsX-MRC predicts big win for BJP in Uttarakhand The predictions for Punjab may not be as expected for the BJP but NewsX-MRC's predictions for Uttarakhand will put a smile on the party's face. Predictions indicate that the BJP will win a comfortable 38 seats out of the total 70 seats in Uttarakhand assembly elections. The incumbent Congress government is expected to win 30 seats while prediction for others stands at 2 seats. It may be recalled that the Congress had won just one seat more than the BJP in the 2012 assembly elections. BJP will be single largest party, predicts NewsX-MRC The NewsX-MRC exit polls predicted a win for the BJP in Goa but not with a majority that it would need to form the government. The exit poll predicted a win in 15 seats for the BJP while it said that the Congress would win 15 seats. Debutant Aam Aadmi party is predicted to get 7 seats while BJP ally MAG is predicted to win 2 seats. Goa Exit Poll 2017 - 40 Seats / 21 to win C-Voter MRC-NewsX India Today-My Axis India India News-MRC BJP 15 to 21 15 18 to 22 15 Congress 12 to 18 10 09 to13 10 AAP 00 to 04 07 00 to 02 07 Others 02 to 08 00 04 to 09 08 The exit poll predicted that other parties including independent candidates are expected to win about 6 seats with vote share larger than the MAG. While BJP will hold the largest vote share, it may fall short of number to form the government according to the numbers presented by MRC. NewsX-MRC predicts a tie between AAP and Congress in Punjab The fight is truly between the Aam Aadmi party and the Congress in Punjab with NewsX-MRC exit poll predicting a tie between the two parties in Punjab. The poll predicted 55 seats each to Congress and AAP in Punjab. The incumbent BJP-SAD coalition is predicted to get only about 7 seats while no other parties or independents are expected to win any seats. OneIndia News Gurmehar Kaur on Randeep Hooda's tweet: I didn't tweet, my hands did India oi-Sandra Marina Fernandes New Delhi, March 9: Actor Randeep Hooda, who recently was in news for taking on Lady Shri Ram College student Gurmehar Kaur, has said that he should have been careful with his tweet relating to Kaur. Hooda, in an interview, responded about his tweet and said, "It wasn't gender specific. I was and I am against politicisation of personal opinions. There was an axe to grind and considering the environment in the country vis-a-vis women, in hindsight, I do believe I should have been more careful." The actor added that being in the spotlight, he is used to trolls online, however, said that for Kaur it must have been traumatic. Kaur, on the other hand, responded to Hooda's statement on Twitter saying, "I didn't tweet my hands did" and was lauded by several people online. Hooda said that he was not aware that Kaur had received threats online, that forced her to withdraw from the 'Save DU' campaign. "I didn't tweet my hands did" https://t.co/K5EHmTlJbe Gurmehar Kaur (@mehartweets) March 8, 2017 Hooda said, "You cannot threaten a woman with violence on social media. That has to be addressed. Social media portal heads in India should look into it very seriously because it is becoming a bigger issue." Kaur was caught in a controversy after she spoke against the presence of ABVP in Delhi Univeristy and was labelled an anti-national. She, however, withdrew from the 'Save DU' campaign and left Delhi after she received threats online. OneIndia News How ISI used the IS ideology to stay clear of the blame India oi-Vicky By Vicky In the year 2014, there was an interesting shift in the manner in which the Indian Mujahideen operated. A letter was sent out to the Mumbai police which was signed just, "Mujahideen." The Indian was missing in the name and this marked a shift in strategy. As we debate whether the Islamic State has really arrived in India or not, we must not not lose track of the fact that the IS in India only comprises former members of the Indian Mujahideen. The Indian was dropped from the name at the behest of the ISI which was getting blamed for every attack in India as a result of which international pressure had shot up on Pakistan. The ISI has nurtured several home grown outfits in India. The SIMI or the IM were both products of the ISI in a bid to inflict cost-effective terror on India. For a while the ploy worked and attacks in India either by the SIMI or IM were termed as home-grown. However as Intelligence Bureau officials dug deeper, it was found that the members of both these groups were trained and funded by the ISI. It was the SIMI which was first approached by the ISI. The ISI wanted attacks in India by Indian nationals. It served two purposes- one they did not have to spend time or take risks in sending Pakistani national to carry out attacks in India. Two when Indian names were involved, Pakistan would not be blamed. With the number of strikes by the IM increasing, the Pakistan link soon emerged. Several countries across the world recognised that it was the ISI which was guiding these attacks. It was time for Plan-B. The ISI put out a theory that operatives of the IM were upset. They wanted to move towards a hardcore Islamic ideology. The operatives such as Yasin Bhatkal even spoke about how the ISI was not Islamic enough. It was around the same time that the Islamic State was going all guns blazing and captured the imagination of millions of Muslims after declaring the Caliphate. Yasin Bhatkal was however arrested by this time. But several important members such as Shafi and Sultan Armar were still out in the open. Sultan Armar a resident of Bhatkal announced that he had broken away from the IM and was starting a recruiting agency for the IS in India. IB officials say that every member of the IS in India is a former IM member. At first it appeared as though they were part of the IS, but further probing revealed that it was the ISI which had guided them to make this shift. When an IS inspired attack is carried out the ISI is not blamed. The ISIS does not subscribe to the ISI. The ISI wanted attacks to continue to India, but did not want to be blamed for the same. Using the IM members to carry out operations in India in the name of the IS only meant that the disruptions in India continued without the ISI being blamed for it. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, March 9, 2017, 8:03 [IST] IS module or IS inspired: The danger is ideology India oi-Vicky By Vicky Is it an Islamic State module or an IS inspired module. The war of words on this technical aspect has taken centre stage since the Lucknow encounter took place in which one persons was shot dead. Saifullah was killed following an 11 hour encounter with the Uttar Pradesh ATS at Thakurganj near Lucknow. [Won't accept the body of an anti-national: Slain IS operative's father] It was said that he was part of an IS module and was involved in the Bhopal-Ujjain train blast. The centre is miffed with the UP police for jumping the gun and calling it an IS module. Javed Ahmed, the DGP of UP said that this was a module sympathetic to the IS. While officials may fight over this technicality, what one needs to bear in mind is that the IS does not function like other terror groups. The IS does not function on the module theory. It is an outfit that works like an army in Iraq and Syria. The function it gives its recruits in Iraq and Syria is very different to that it expects from its men in other parts of the world. When Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the boss of the IS delivered a message a year back, he made it amply clear that the outfit needed people who were inspired by it. He wanted to spread the ideology of the IS across the world and directed all to set up the Caliphate in their respective countries. Top Intelligence Bureau officials say that the IS functions on inspiration. There is no set pattern that it works on. It has thrown a lot of material online about ideology and how it expects its men to function. It does not call for an attack that would require a great deal of planning. Do not follow the rules is the message that it delivers. For instance, if a 'non-believer' is pushed down a building, the IS would call it an attack. The Nice attack in which a lorry mowed down several people was also called an attack. That attack was carried out by an IS inspired man who was not part of any module. The centre and the states in India must bear in mind that the fight should be against the ideology of the IS. These are not cases that can be treated as normal ones. There needs to be a shift in the way these cases are investigated. It is not just about recovering weapons or speaking about the modules. It is about how the ideology has spread. The key point to remember that not just in India, but in other parts of the world, IS modules do not strike. Strikes are carried out in the name of the IS. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, March 9, 2017, 7:13 [IST] Kochi moral policing: Police knew of Shiv sena's plans but failed to act India oi-Anusha The Kochi police knew that activists of Shiv Sena planned to assault couples at Marine drive on Wednesday but did not do anything. The same was confirmed on Thursday when Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan admitted lapsing on part of police. The chief minister asking if 'Shiv Sena was hired by opposition to cause unrest', led to chaos in the assembly. Meanwhile, the Kochi police commissioner suspended a sub-inspector who, along with his staff, refused to take any action on Wednesday when thugs in the guise of moral police went about assaulting citizens. Videos from Kochi's Marine Drive show how the police refused to act when men and women were being assaulted but later took members of the Sena into custody as if it were an eyewash. With incidents of moral policing on the rise, activists in Kerala have demanded the revival of 'Kiss of Love' campaign. What came as a shocker for most, is how the Kochi police did not stop the Sena members from indulging in violence despite knowing beforehand that the organisation planned to target couples. Sena members had taken to social media on Tuesday to announce their intentions. Less than 20 members of Sena went about thrashing people as police remained mute spectators. Deeming their violent actions as an attempt to end sexual violence against women and the culture of 'romancing under the umbrella', members of the Sena indulged in moral policing. Instead of being deterred by the presence of cameras and policemen, activists went about assaulting people. T Devan, Kunjumon, Ratheesh, Vineesh, Lenin and Liju, all members of the Ernakulam unit of Sena were later taken into custody. OneIndia News LS discusses Lucknow encounter, hate crimes India oi-Gulam Rabbani By Gulam Rabbani Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Thursday held discussions on the hate crimes on Indians rose since President Donald Trump took charge. The lower house also discussed about the Lucknow terror encounter. Earlier in the day, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that the government is very serious regarding the incidents of hate crimes in United states. He informed the Lok Sabha that on behalf of government of India, a statement will be given in Parliament next week. He also praised Saifulla's father who refused to receive his son's body. He said that every Indian supports Saifulla's father and so do I. [Also read: Won't accept the body of an anti-national: Slain IS operative's father] On the other hand, leader of the opposition Mallikarjun Kharge slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for being silent on the hate crime incidents that have been on the rise since Donald Trump became president of the United States. He added that Modi updates about everything on twitter but he is silent on hate crime incidents. Further details are awaited. Oneindia.news Lunar eclipse 2022: Temples to be closed on Nov 8; Are you allowed to worship? Pranab Mukherjee calls for collective action against terrorism India pti-PTI New Delhi, Mar 9: President Pranab Mukherjee has called for "urgent collective action" in order to eliminate the scourge of terrorism from which no country is immune. Mukherjee said this while interacting with visiting Chief of Royal Court of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Fayez Al-Tarawneh who called on him on Wednesday at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The President said India attaches great value to its ties with Jordan. "India appreciates Jordan's proactive role under the leadership of King Abdullah on regional issues, especially towards resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and addressing the scourge of terrorism that has affected our regions and the world," he said. Mukherjee added no country is safe from terrorism and urgent collective action is needed to eradicate it. The President said India lauds Jordan's exceptional humanitarian assistance in hosting refugees from its war-torn neighbourhood despite the tremendous strain on its socio-economic resources. Dr. Fayez Al-Tarawneh, Chief of Royal Court of Kingdom of Jordan called on #PresidentMukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan yesterday pic.twitter.com/v57eCAh3Yu President of India (@RashtrapatiBhvn) March 9, 2017 He said India was happy that it could make a contribution to help mitigate the crisis adding he had warm memories of his recent visit to Jordan, the first-ever visit by an Indian head of state to Jordan. Mukherjee said India-Jordan bilateral trade which was at USD 1.35 billion in 2015-16 is expected to touch new heights. "India is happy that Jordan is interested in cooperation in security and defence, space, and fertilisers among others," he said. PTI Ram Gopal Yadav confident of Akhilesh's win in Uttar Pradesh India pti-PTI New Delhi, Mar 9: Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav on Thursday asserted that Akhilesh Yadav will get a second consecutive term as chief minister in Uttar Pradesh. Yadav said the party along with the Congress will get "absolute majority" in the state Assembly as he ruled out possibility of a hung verdict. " The Samajwadi Party-Congress combine is set to get absolute majority. We will win 236-240 seats...there is no question of hung assembly," the party general secretary told reporters on Parliament premises. To a question on the BJP forming a government in Uttar Pradesh, Yadav said it is not aware of ground realities. On the other hand, expelled SP leader Amar Singh said BJP has got an "advantage" over its rivals in bitterly-fought Assembly elections. With "opposition parties using expletives" against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Singh said the BJP stands to benefit from it electorally. Asserting that the BJP will have an edge over all other parties in the polls, Singh claimed that the BSP too will surpass the SP's tally. On whether the BJP and the BSP will come together if the elections throw up a hung verdict, the Rajya Sabha member said "UP is a wonderful state and politics a game of possibilities". Singh also dodged questions over the possibility of him joining the BJP, saying such issues are "not to be discussed before camera". The results of polls in the politically crucial state will be out on March 11. The Assembly polls were held in seven phases stretching between February 11 and March 8 in the state. PTI TMC questions Narendra Modi's silence over hate crimes in US India ians-IANS By Ians English New Delhi, March 9: The Trinamool Congress on Thursday questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the killings of Indians in the US and called upon the government to take a firm stand on the issue. While Trinamool MPs from both houses demonstrated outside Parliament House over the issue, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh asserted in the Lok Sabha that the Centre had taken "serious note" of the hate crimes and said the government will come out with a statement on the issue next week. Delhi: TMC protests in front of Gandhi statue at Parliament complex regarding attack of Indians in USA pic.twitter.com/ulX4WyFvrO ANI (@ANI_news) March 9, 2017 Speaking on the issue in the Lok Sabha, Trinamool veteran Saugata Roy said racist attacks including the killings of Indian techie Srinivas Kuchibhotla and businessman Harnish Patel were a result of a "persistent hate campaign against Indians especially after the new (Donald Trump's) government came to power in the US". "The central government, especially our very voluble, vocal and articulate Prime Minister is keeping a strange silence on the issue. Shouldn't the interests of the Indians working in the US be protected by the Indian government," said Roy. "Are we not going to take proper steps to ensure that the hate campaign carried out by certain misguided section of the American society is stopped," asked Roy. "We hope the government will show the gumption and guts to stand up against the bullies in the US so that no more attacks take place on Indians and they are not deprived of their right to work there," he added. Holding placards that read: "All Indians are our brothers and sisters, stop attacking them in USA," Trinamool MPs staged a demonstration condemning the attacks. Earlier on Monday, Trinamool chairperson and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj urging her to take the matter up with the highest US authorities to prevent recurrences of such incidents. The TMC leader was voicing concern over the killing of Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla in Kansas on February 22 in an apparent hate crime. A Sikh man, Deep Rai, who is an American citizen, was also fired at in a racial attack last week. He is out of danger. The US President has condemned the Kansas shooting in his first Union of State address. IANS Two Lashkar militants killed in Pulwama encounter at J&K India oi-Vicky By Vicky Two militants of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba have been killed in an encounter that broke out on Wednesday night at Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir. The militants have been identified as Jehangir Ganai and Mohammad Shafi. Both are residents of Koel village in Pulwama, officials said. Late on Wednesday night, an encounter broke out between security forces and militants in Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir. At least two militants were suspected to be holed up. The firing began late Wednesday night at the Malangpora village of Pulwama district in South Kashmir. Security forces are still carrying out search operations after it was suspected that there may be more militants. The army is currently carrying out combing operations. Meanwhile, a 15-year-old boy was killed after he was injured in the clashes that took place between protesters and security forces near the encounter site. Amir sustained bullet injuries during the clashes. Two others who were injured have been taken to the hospital. The firing began after security forces from the army and the Special Group of the Jammu and Kashmir police cordoned off a specific area in the village. Intelligence Bureau official tipped off security forces about the presence of militants in the area. OneIndia News Islamophobia Time for Alberta and Saskatchewan to step up.Ontario government unveils 3-year plan to battle racismThe provincial government has announced a sweeping new plan for tackling systemic racism that includes Ontarios first anti-racism legislation, $47 million for black youth, and a framework for collecting race-based data something community activists have long demanded.The pan-government strategy developed over the last year by the provinces still-fledgling anti-racism directorate was unveiled Tuesday at a crowded news conference attended by the Attorney General and several cabinet ministers.In his remarks, Minister of Children and Youth Services Michael Coteau, who heads the directorate, promised concrete steps to end systemic racism in government institutions.One of these steps is proposed legislation to be introduced this spring which, if passed, will mandate the collection of race-based data across multiple sectors, including child welfare, education, health and justice. Another is a new framework to apply an anti-racism lens to future policies and programs.The A Better Way Forward strategic plan highlighted specific barriers faced by black youth, who will become the beneficiaries of a four-year, $47-milllion action plan aimed at reducing disparities and helping them succeed. I want black youth in this province to know that their lives matter, Coteau said.Our government is ready to take responsibility and to make change, Coteau said. Its taken us decades to get to this point. And I believe that its never too late for us to correct our course.The anti-racism directorate was formed to address racism in all its forms in February 2016 10 years after the Ontario government first passed legislation that enabled them to create an office for tackling systemic racism. Why NIA needs to take over the Lucknow encounter probe India oi-Vicky By Vicky The National Investigation Agency is likely to take over the probe into the Lucknow encounter in which a suspected terrorist inspired by the Islamic State was killed. The NIA has been probing several cases involving the IS in India. Home ministry officials say that since there is a larger conspiracy emerging the probe may be handed over to the NIA. [How confusion marred the Lucknow encounter] Saifullah was killed at Thakurganj near Lucknow following an 11-hour encounter with the Uttar Pradesh ATS. He was suspected to be involved in the Bhopal-Ujjain train blast that took place on Tuesday. The NIA probe would be crucial after it was found that some members in Telangana were in touch with the youth in UP. The NIA is already probing a case relating to the IS in Telangana and to find the link further would give out more details regarding the operation and modus-operandi. Polarising votes: Meanwhile, an advocacy group has expressed doubts over the arrests and encounters in the case. Rihai Manch, the group, says that it was a tactic by the Central government to polarise the votes in the BJP's favour for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections 2017. The entire story leading to this action is riddled with loopholes, thus making it a case of political gain. The group also claimed that it had predicted such a scenario ahead of the elections. This would be done to help the BJP, the group said. Rajnath to make a statement: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will make a statement on Thursday on the UP encounter. The Home ministry is miffed with the UP police for jumping the gun and claiming that the IS had staged its first attack in India. Police officials have also been saying that this was a module inspired by the IS. The Home ministry too, has underplayed the presence of the IS in India. There are some members who are inspired by the group, but to say that the group has set up specific modules in India is wrong, an official said. OneIndia News Eman Ahmed now able to raise her right hand but has a leaky heart World's heaviest Egyptian woman undergoes weight-loss surgery India ians-IANS By Ians English Mumbai, March 9: Egyptian woman Eman Ahmed Abdelaly, admitted in Saifee Hospital here since a month, underwent a successful weight reduction surgery on March 7, a medical bulletin said on Thursday. Eman, 37, weighing nearly 500 kgs and billed as the heaviest woman in the world, was brought from Alexandria on February 11 for a weight-loss programme which includes surgery. The surgery was conducted under the supervision of well-known bariatric surgeon Muffazal Lakdawala, Chairman of Saifee Hospital's Institute of Minimal Access Surgical Sciences & Research Centre. Since her arrival in Mumbai, Eman has already lost over 100 kg and presents a different picture -- the surgery will help her shed more weight. Though the hospital authorities declined to give details of the actual weight loss accrued till date, it is believed to be another 100 kgs or so. "The medical team of Saifee Hospital successfully performed a Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy surgery on Eman on March 7. She had an uneventful surgery and anaesthesia course," a hospital medical bulletin said on Thursday. She is now on oral fluids and is accepting them well as the weight-reduction course progresses. "The future course of action for the medical team working on her will be to correct all her associated medical problems, to get her fit enough to fly back to Egypt as soon as possible. The patient is now in post-op care and we will share more updates in due course," the hospital said. Earlier, Lakdawala had said that they planned to reduce another around 150-200 kgs and bring her around to 100 kgs or less. Eman's condition will now be monitored before the next surgery is fixed to bring her down to a lean and trim 100 kgs or so. The hospital has already announced that all the treatment for the high-profile patient would be free of cost. IANS Indian-origin Canadian denied entry to US, told 'you have been trumped' International ians-IANS By Ians English Toronto, March 9: An Indian-origin Canadian citizen was barred from entering the US and told to get a valid visa if she wanted to cross the border, a media report said on Wednesday. Manpreet Kooner, who lives in Canadian city of Montreal, said she was turned away at a crossing along the Quebec-Vermont border on Sunday after a six-hour wait where she was fingerprinted, photographed and questioned before being refused, The Huffington Post (Canada) reported. Kooner, 30, said an officer told her that she was an immigrant without a valid US visa and claimed that the border agent told her, "I know you might feel like you're being Trumped". "Unbelievable. Refused entry to the States. Because I'm apparently an immigrant who now requires a visa to enter the States. While informing me that I cannot enter the States. The office told me 'I've been trumped'," she wrote on her Facebook Page. "At the end of it, they told me I was not allowed going in and that I would need a visa if I ever went in the States again," Kooner was quoted as saying. Last time she had an issue entering the US was in December last year when a computer glitch prevented her from crossing into New York State for 24 hours. IANS Saudi diplomat charged with rape, torture of two women: All you need to know about the case Nepali citizen killed along border, India denies firing International ians-IANS By Ians English Kathmandu, March 9: A Nepali national was killed when Indian border guards Sashastra Seema Bal allegedly opened fire at the Nepal-India border on Thursday following a dispute over building a culvert over Sano Khola river in Kanchanpur district of Nepal. Kanchanpur shares the border with India's Uttarakhand state. Govinda Gautam, 20, of Punarbas Municipality-8 in Kanchanpur district, died after he was injured when an SSB Inspector from Sampurnanagar station allegedly opened fire, locals said. The incident took place in Ananda Bazar along the Nepal-India border. The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, however, categorically denied any firing by the SSB personnel. "In response to queries by the local media regarding disturbances near the border at Aananda Bazaar, Kanchanpur, it is categorically denied that there was any incident of firing by the Sashastra Seema Bal," the embassy said in a statement. "There is a need to maintain calm and let the survey officials of both sides discuss the location of border pillars before any construction work is undertaken," it stated. District officials have been directed to cooperate to defuse the situation, said the statement. A dispute erupted in the border area after Nepal-India pillar number 200 went missing and both sides staked claim and counter-claim over the piece of land in the No-man's Land. The Nepali side was constructing the culvert in an area that is claimed by the Indian side. The situation became tense on Thursday after the SSB personnel, who were accompanied by residents of the Indian border town of Basahi, allegedly fired in the air. Nepali residents said the SSB personnel contended that certain Indian territory was transgressed while digging for the construction. Chief District Officer of Kanchanpur Manohar Prasad Khanal told the local media that Nepali nationals in border areas had been protesting since morning after the Indian authorities objected to the construction of a culvert in the locality claiming that was No-man's Land. Gautam sustained a bullet injury when the Indian police Inspector allegedly fired during the altercation. Gautam succumbed to the bullet injury while being taken to hospital. Security personnel from the Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force have been deployed in the area to bring the situation under control. After the death of Gautam, hundreds of Nepalis demonstrated outside the hospital where his body was kept. Locals in Ananda Bazar also accused the SSB of manhandling Nepali nationals living in the border areas and blocking the Nepal-India border since Thursday morning. --IANS FM Nirmala Sitharaman hints at possibility of Centre considering restoration of state status to J&K Pak illegally occupying parts of J-K: India at UNHRC session International oi-Vikas By Vikas Asserting that the entire Jammu and Kashmir was an integral part of the nation, India on Thursday reiterated that Pakistan had illegally occupied parts of the state, said reports. At the 34th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, India said that the core problem of Jammu and Kashmir was the terrorism backed by Pakistan. Whole State of J&K is integral part of India.Pak remains in illegal occupation of part of our territory-India at 34thUNHRC session in Geneva pic.twitter.com/SKLWvevFUZ ANI (@ANI_news) March 9, 2017 J&K has elected democratic govt that represents all sections of people unlike situation in POK: India at 34th Session of UNHRC in Geneva ANI (@ANI_news) March 9, 2017 The 34th session of the UNHRC began on February 27. Pakistan's Law Minister Zahid Hamid on March 1 said that India was violating UN Security Council resolution by claiming that deteriorating human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir was an internal affair. According to reports, Hamid had disputed India's statement that the Kashmir issue was about cross-border terrorism. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, March 9, 2017, 16:08 [IST] Attacks on Hindus in UK: Are Muslims frustrated over spread and reach of Hinduism? Hijab ban: With SC delivering a split verdict, here is what happens next US: Mosques receive threatening messages, security stepped up International oi-PTI Washington, March 9: Five mosques in the US have received intimidating messages, including a bomb threat and one saying 'death is waiting for you and your kind', prompting calls for increasing security at Muslim facilities. A mosque in Lexington, Kentucky, stepped up security following a bomb threat it received this weekend. The bomb threat against Lexington's Masjid Bilal was received through the mail on Saturday from Sheffield, England, Council on American-Islamic Relations said in a Facebook post. The letter contained a green index card wrapped in a blank sheet of paper with the words, "An explosive device will be placed at your mosque very soon!" written on it. The Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations has called on leaders of local mosques to improve their security measures after four mosques were threatened. One mosque received a message threatening 'death for you and your kind' from a self-declared 'Muslim slayer', Executive Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell was quoted as saying by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Three other mosques received identical emails threatening widespread attacks against American Muslims on March 15, Mitchell said. The Greenview Madani Center, a mosque in Lawrenceville, recently received a mailed handwritten letter from a 'Muslim slayer' with the message, "Death is waiting for you and your kind," along with a crudely drawn picture of a decapitated person. The mosque alerted local law enforcement about the letter. Masjid Omar bin Abdul Aziz in Norcross, Al-Farooq Masjid and another Atlanta-area mosque received a threatening email on February 18. The emails, with the subject line "your one warning," stated in part, "...Muslims, Mexicans, blacks will (be) hunted nationwide until (they) are dead and gone... plan to run or die, this is a kindness that we give you all warning, take it and go." "While the perpetrators are being sought, mosque leaders should do all they can to protect their houses of worship by working with local law enforcement authorities, installing security cameras and employing security officers during the daily prayers," Mitchell said. Also recently, two mosques in the US state of Maryland received threatening letters calling for the 'slaughter of Muslims'. Two Islamic centres in Silver Spring, Maryland, received the violent threats by mail. The mosque incidents come amid a wave of bomb threats to Jewish community centres in New York, Michigan, New Jersey and other states. PTI 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd. All rights reserved. One News is a registered trademark of One News Page Ltd. Including Kevin O'Leary.Majority of Canadians support more action on climate changeTORONTO, March 7, 2017 /CNW/ - As Earth Month approaches during the year of Canada's 150th birthday, Canadians are looking to the future with support for more action on climate change and increased renewable energy generation. These results come from a recent poll conducted by Environics Research Group and commissioned by Bullfrog Power, Canada's leading green energy provider.According to the Canada 150 Climate Change Survey, the majority (57%) of Canadians think the country should be doing more to address climate change. Millennials (ages 18-34) are even more adamant, with more than 70 per cent saying that doing more to address climate change is important. Further, 33 per cent of millennials think the country should be doing a lot more to address climate change, compared to 20 per cent and less for all other age groups."It is encouraging that Canadians understand the need for more renewables as the solution to the energy demands of the future," said Ron Seftel, CEO, Bullfrog Power. "To successfully transition to cleaner forms of energy, it is essential for individuals, government and business to all be working toward a common goal."Canadians agree that responsibility for climate change action belongs to everyone, with four-in-five (85%) Canadians indicating that it is important for individuals, businesses and government all to make stronger commitments to address this issue. However, Canadians believe that it is most important that businesses make a stronger commitment (87% compared to 85% government and 84% individuals)."Businesses have a leading role to play to support Canada's transition to a low carbon economy," said Philipp Wassenberg, President and Chief Executive Officer, Munich Reinsurance Company of Canada. "Through our partnership with Bullfrog Power, Munich Reinsurance can continue to integrate sustainable measures into our Canadian business and encourage our employees to do the same on an individual level. Supporting green energy is one way Munich Reinsurance has maintained carbon neutrality globally since 2015."Canadians also have an eye to future electricity demands with 74 per cent thinking the country needs to generate more renewable energy in order to meet the demands of the future. Nationwide, specific forms of renewable power (35% solar, 20% hydro, 19% wind) are widely favoured over traditional forms of electricity generation (7% nuclear, 6% natural gas, 2% oil, 1% coal).To learn more about how individuals and businesses can reduce their environmental impact and support the development of green energy projects in Canada, visit bullfrogpower.com. More Americans than Mexicans claimed refugee status in Canada Not feeling safe in the U.S.? Anticipating persecution under Trump The term "asylum seeker" may not conjure up images of a U.S. passport holder, but in the first three quarters of 2016, Canada registered dozens of U.S. citizens seeking refugee status on Canadian soil, according to statistics from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). While it might be too soon to call it a "Trump bump," the number of American asylum seekers in November 2016, at 28 people, was also significantly higher than the same month the previous year, at just five people.Between January and October 2016, 90 U.S. citizens arrived in Canada by land to seek asylum. It was not immediately clear how many of these claims were granted.There are no official figures since U.S. President Donald Trump took office on January 20, but the number of refugee claimants entering from the U.S. has been on the uptick, with 40 border crossers arriving in Manitoba and Quebec last weekend, according to the Canada Border Services Agency. Whether any of them were American or Mexican is not known. Published reports show some from Syria, Somalia and Sudan.From 2013 to 2015, in fact, more U.S. citizens than Mexicans applied for asylum in Canada, according to IRCC data. During those years, 133 Mexicans came by land to claim asylum in Canada, compared to 184 people with U.S. citizenship.With President Trump's recent attempt to halt refugee intake, ban US entry to citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries and plan to tighten the border with Mexico, there could be a surge of people who already have legal status in the U.S. but want to move to Canada to avoid potential persecution, according to Zool Suleman, a Vancouver-based refugee lawyer.Trump provoked chaos and protest with a series of orders that suspended all refugee intake temporarily, all Syrian refugee intake until further notice and barred entry to citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries (Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen) even if they had a green card or had lived a long time in the U.S. Some green card holders were detained and questioned for hours.The entry ban was struck down in court but the Trump administration has said it will be rewritten and appealed to a higher court.Suleman said the higher number of American than Mexican asylum seekers is "an anomaly" perhaps caused by the fact that Canada imposed visa requirements on travelers from Mexico to reduce refugee claims. The restriction that came into effect in 2009 was just lifted in December 2016.That said, the tense political climate in the U.S. might push more people to escape to Canada."It's hard to know how the next 12 months will go," Suleman said. "There will be an increase in people claiming asylum status because they feel they can't stay in America or are feeling persecuted in America. Especially if they come from a Muslim country and become an American citizen but still feel discriminated against in America or don't feel safe."He said historically, however, U.S. citizens have poor odds of successfully claiming refugee status in Canada. Normally, Americans come to Canada as immigrants in search of a better life, not as refugees fleeing persecution."U.S. citizens don't have a good rate of success in the Canadian refugee courts," he said. "Canadian refugee courts' view has generally been that the government of America is able and willing to provide protection and that depending on the type of persecution, there are alternatives. You can go live in other parts of America. American refugee claims will continue to be challenged."Compared to other countries, relatively few citizens from the U.S. have claimed asylum in Canada over the years. During the January - October 2016 period, refugee applicants included 895 Chinese citizens, 945 Nigerian citizens, and 575 people of Turkish nationality. Only 360 Syrian nationals arrived in Canada claiming refugee status during that time.But Suleman says there may be more people from south of the border crossing into Canada, out of fear that the White House will succeed in reinstating its refugee ban and take future measures to target people from certain countries. In November, then-president-elect Trump pledged to "immediately" deport up to 3 million undocumented illegal immigrants, and appeared to make good on his promise as he implemented immigration raids last week that resulted in 600 arrests. He called certain Mexican illegal immigrants 'bad hombres' during a presidential debate, and claimed his temporary travel ban which has since been overturned in court was designed to keep "bad dudes" from arriving as refugees in the U.S. This rhetoric from the White House could have an impact on migrants who have managed to become citizens in the U.S., Suleman suggested."I think some of it is anticipatory. Some are coming across anticipating worsening immigration enforcement and worsening political climate for them," Suleman said.But he warned that refugee claimants coming to Canada because they had a negative experience in the U.S. could find themselves in a similar situation once they arrive in Canada. Although Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated in a news conference with President Trump on Monday that Canada was practicing a policy of "openness" toward refugees and immigrants, the reality is that refugees can find themselves not only rejected, but also put in detention centres or jails."Some people are coming because they've had a poor refugee claimant experience in the U.S.. Some said they went to the U.S., they were detained, didn't get a lawyer or a fair process, then were denied. These issues existed before President Trump. But people need to know that if they're coming to Canada, they could be detained here as well."According to Vancouver-based refugee advocacy group No One is Ilegal, 87,317 migrants were detained in Canada between 2006 and 2014, and sometimes put in provincial jails. They can be detained for months, and in cases where the applicant has mental health issues, they may be held for years.source: More Americans than Mexicans claimed refugee status in Canada | National Observer Starbucks Earth Hour 2017 Promotion This Earth Hour 2917, Starbucks Malaysia invite you to join in supporting this initiative to protect our planet by switching off NON-ESSENTIAL lights for an hour. Pledge using the caption #iPLEDGE WITH STARBUCKS TO SUPPORT EARTH HOUR and lets raise awareness in saving the environment today. Take the pledge by selecting any of these visuals below, change your profile picture from today until Earth Hour (25th March 2017) to spread the awareness and comment with the statement #iPLEDGE WITH STARBUCKS TO SUPPORT EARTH HOUR! on Starbucks Malaysias post here To thank you in pledging with Starbucks, you can collect your complimentary limited edition Starbucks Malaysia 18th Anniversary Tote Bag at the selected stores during Earth Hour when you present your proof of pledge. Thats not all! You can also enjoy RM10 on any TALL sized handcrafted beverage when you bring your Starbucks tumbler during Earth Hour. Find out how you can make money from home via internet Other Ongoing FREE Samples Giveaway by Graham Pierrepoint Trumps first year in office has barely begun, and it is without doubt one of the most spectacular in terms of drama and intrigue. US President Donald Trumps first few weeks in office have hardly gone by in a breeze hes not only battling against fake news, but he has also caused controversy in a number of executive orders, and tension has continued to stir behind doors as allegations regarding his team and their connections with Russia seep into the mainstream. To say Trump and his team have overseen a fair amount of drama since the President took office is putting it mildly and it would seem that this drama is yet to dissipate if further information made public this week is anything to go by. The Independent published an exclusive piece this week where they had access to speak with Jeffrey Gordon, otherwise known as JD, who had previously advised Trump on the run-up to last years election. Gordon stated in interview that he had in fact met with Sergey Kisylak, Russian Ambassador to the US, up to five months ahead of the general election taking place and that they had discussed ways in which the two nations could work together should Trump be successful in being elected. Since then, of course, he has and high profile heads have already rolled over allegations surrounding falsehoods over whom communicated with whom and whether or not the Commander-in-Chief had any idea. Gordons story may only be a drop in the ocean of controversy surrounding Trumps supposed links to Moscow particularly as the matter of allegations surrounding hacks made against the Democratic Party have yet to be cleared up. Some members of the Republican Party, as well as those representing the Democrats, are calling for an investigation into whom has links with whom. While the Cold War may be over thirty years ago, the tension between Russia and the US has arguably never quite gone away and many are uncomfortable with the fact that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin may have been making plans far ahead of any US election taking place. Trumps first year in office has barely begun, and it is without doubt one of the most spectacular in terms of drama and intrigue. While Trumps team have held their own on policies they promised to uphold, they have enraged millions worldwide with the original travel ban, which has now been amended. With things seeming to have quietened down in the White House (at least compared to the first few weeks), will the President finally have hit calm waters? If the Russian snowball continues to build, its any guess as to what will happen next. Estonia is Offering Some Significant Firsts in Tallinn at Blockchain Conference 2017 Published March 9, 2017 by Lee R Tallinn is the place to be for anyone in iGaming right now. With iGaming conferences seeming popping up everywhere in 2017, Estonia is not going to be left out of the fun by any means. Welcome Estonia Today, March 9, Estonia puts itself on the map courtesy of premiere conference promoter Smile-Expo, where Estonias largest ever blockchain conference will be launched. The Blockchain Network The Tallinn event is part of a greater net of blockchain events taking place across Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kiev and Prague, with Estonia being integrated in as an Eastern European blockchain and iGaming hub. Conference Focus The conference is scheduled to focus on Estonian and foreign projects actively implementing blockchain and cryptocurrencies. Topics Addressed Topics up for discussion include a comprehensive coverage of all aspects of innovative IT product creation, covering all phases from emergence of ideas to full market entry. Participants Participants set to present include IT developers, entrepreneurs, investors, software and equipment manufacturers. Sectors of Expertise The list of speakers includes managers of well-known corporations and representatives of governmental authorities who are integrating blockchain technology. These luminaries continue to exemplify the ability of the technology to be used for all manner of business improvement process, above and beyond the vital support for cryptocurrency through which blockchain has forged its reputation of viability and innovation. Speakers Representatives set to speak include those from IBM, e-Residency, BitcoinFoundation, Funderbeam, along with other prominent projects in Estonia and abroad. Govtech Govtech implementation of Blockchain will be discussed in presentations such as those of KasparKorjus, e-Residency managing director; Franky Hu, WageCanCEO; and Lasha Antadze, a developer of the intriguing e-Auction 3.0 blockchain platform. Banking To address blockchain implementation in the banking sector, Karolina Marzantowicz, IBM Distinguished Engineer; Kaidi Ruusalepp, founder of Funderbeam; and Juri Laur, head of payment services at LHV bank, are all primed to speak. Conceptual Illustrations Conceptual presentations will be provided by Jon Matonis, head of Bitcoin Foundation; Dima Starodubcev, founder of Cyber Fund; and Marc Kenigsberg, of Jamworx. Demo Zone The Demo zone on the exhibition floor will further show off new software and hardware products for cryptocurrency industry demands. Outlook Anyone interested in benefitting from blockchain technology, or already involved in block chain technology anywhere in the world should get to Tallinn to get a leg up on this fascinating and increasingly relevant iGaming industry component. In 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt made a Presidential Proclamation that designated March as Red Cross Month in an effort to remind citizens to volunteer and support the organizations cause. One of the best ways to contribute to the organizations mission, which is to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies, is to donate blood. Local residents will get the opportunity to do just that on Friday at the Nye Legacy Blood Drive. Nye Legacy will be hosting the blood drive from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday in the Terrance Room on their campus, 3210 N. Clarkson Street. Our goal is to get 55 bags, or units, and we are also doing Power Red so there are eight different times slots where you can donate two units of blood instead of just one, said Mandy Ostdiek, Nye Legacy marketing coordinator. Power Red is similar to a whole blood donation, except a special machine is used to allow donors to safely donate two units of red blood cells during one donation while plasma and platelets are returned to the donors body. At the Nye Legacy drive, those who donate two units of blood will receive a $10 e-gift card that is good at any business that accepts debit and credit cards. According to Ostdiek, around 70 percent of the events open time slots have already been filled but walk-ins are welcome. We allow walk-ins as well because we have therapists in our building that dont always know from time to time when they can get away and it also allows for our first shift staff to donate, she said. Donors must bring either their donor card, or a valid form of photo identification, such as a drivers license to be allowed to give blood. The American Red Cross has several other requirements for individuals interested in donating blood. Donors must be 17 years of age, weight at least 110 pounds and be in good general health. Male Power Red donors must be at least 51 in height and weigh at least 130 pounds, and females must be at least 55 and weigh 150 pounds. Before giving blood donors are also encouraged to get a good nights sleep, drink an extra 16 ounces of water and to eat a meal 2-3 hours before they donate. You should also wear a shirt with sleeves that can be easily rolled up and after your donation you will get either orange juice, juice or water and a snack before you leave, Ostdiek said. To make an appointment at the blood drive email mandy.ostdiek@nyehealthservices.com or go to redcrossblood.org to schedule online. It just saves so many peoples lives, and its amazing that when a hurricane hits, or the tornado that just hit Kansas and there needs to be blood transported, we can help, Ostdiek said. Isoamyl Alcohol Guide Report by Wise Guy Reports Isoamyl Alcohol https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/513891-global-isoamyl-alcohol-industry-2016-deep-market-research-report https://www.wiseguyreports.com/enquiry/513891-global-isoamyl-alcohol-industry-2016-deep-market-research-report https://www.wiseguyreports.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=513891 www.wiseguyreports.com The Global Isoamyl Alcohol Industry 2016 Deep Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Isoamyl Alcohol industry.Get Sample Report @Firstly, the report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Isoamyl Alcohol market analysis is provided for the international market including development history, competitive landscape analysis, and major regions development status.Secondly, development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures. This report also states importexport, supply and consumption figures as well as cost, price, revenue and gross margin by regions (United States, EU, China and Brazil), and other regions can be added.Then, the report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials, equipment and downstream consumers analysis is also carried out. Whats more, the Isoamyl Alcohol industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered.In a word, the report provides major statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Leave a Query @Table of Contents1 Industry Overview of Isoamyl Alcohol 11.1 Definition and Specifications of Isoamyl Alcohol 11.1.1 Definition of Isoamyl Alcohol 11.1.2 Specifications of Isoamyl Alcohol 21.2 Classification of Isoamyl Alcohol 21.3 Applications of Isoamyl Alcohol 31.3.1 Spices Industry 41.3.2 Pharmaceuticals Industry 51.3.3 Metallurgical Industry 61.4 Industry Chain Structure of Isoamyl Alcohol 71.5 Industry Overview and Major Regions Status of Isoamyl Alcohol 71.5.1 Industry Overview of Isoamyl Alcohol 71.5.2 Global Major Regions Status of Isoamyl Alcohol 81.6 Industry Policy Analysis of Isoamyl Alcohol 81.7 Industry News Analysis of Isoamyl Alcohol 98 Major Manufacturers Analysis of Isoamyl Alcohol 648.1 Petrom 648.1.1 Company Profile 648.1.2 Product Introduction 658.1.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 658.1.4 Contact Information 678.2 Oxiteno 678.2.1 Company Profile 688.2.2 Product Introduction 688.2.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 698.2.4 Contact Information 718.3 BASF 718.3.1 Company Profile 718.3.2 Product Introduction 728.3.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 738.3.4 Contact Information 748.4 Chemoxy 748.4.1 Company Profile 748.4.2 Product Introduction 758.4.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 768.4.4 Contact Information 788.5 Alfrebro 788.5.1 Company Profile 788.5.2 Product Introduction 798.5.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 798.5.4 Contact Information 818.6 Oxea-Chemicals 818.6.1 Company Profile 818.6.2 Product Introduction 828.6.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 828.6.4 Contact Information 848.7 Nimble Technologies 848.7.1 Company Profile 858.7.2 Product Introduction 858.7.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 868.7.4 Contact Information 878.8 Kaili Chemical 878.8.1 Company Profile 888.8.2 Product Introduction 888.8.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 898.8.4 Contact Information 908.9 Yancheng Hongtai Bioengineering 908.9.1 Company Profile 918.9.2 Product Introduction 918.9.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 928.9.4 Contact Information 938.10 Shandong Hongyuan Chemical 938.10.1 Company Profile 948.10.2 Product Introduction 948.10.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 958.10.4 Contact Information 968.11 Sanjiang Chemical 968.11.1 Company Profile 978.11.2 Product Introduction 978.11.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 988.11.4 Contact Information 998.12 Baohua Chemical 998.12.1 Company Profile 1008.12.2 Product Introduction 1008.12.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1018.12.4 Contact Information 102....ContinuedBuy Now@CONTACT US:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.Pune, India Airport Display Systems 2017 Global Key Players - INFORM Software, RESA, Rockwell Collins, Siemens, Ultra-Electronics Market Analysis and Forecast to 2022 Airport Display Systems https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/1034149-global-airport-display-systems-market-research-report-2017 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/1034149-global-airport-display-systems-market-research-report-2017 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=1034149 www.wiseguyreports.com Airport Display SystemsReport Details:Global Airport Display Systems market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingINFORM SoftwareRESARockwell CollinsSiemensUltra-ElectronicsAmadeusIkusiInternational Business MachinesNorthrop GrummanSITAClick here for sample report @Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Airport Display Systems in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoFlight Information Display SystemsGround Information Display SystemsOtherOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate of Airport Display Systems for each application, includingAirport Operation Control Center (AOCC)Airport Ticket CounterAirport Entrance/ExitOther.......Some Major Points from Table of content:Global Airport Display Systems Market Research Report 20171 Airport Display Systems Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Airport Display Systems1.2 Airport Display Systems Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Airport Display Systems Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category) (2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Airport Display Systems Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Flight Information Display Systems1.2.4 Ground Information Display Systems1.2.5 Other1.3 Global Airport Display Systems Segment by Application1.3.1 Airport Display Systems Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Airport Operation Control Center (AOCC)1.3.3 Airport Ticket Counter1.3.4 Airport Entrance/Exit1.3.5 Other1.4 Global Airport Display Systems Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Airport Display Systems Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)For Detailed Reading Please visit @7 Global Airport Display Systems Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 INFORM Software7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Airport Display Systems Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 INFORM Software Airport Display Systems Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 RESA7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Airport Display Systems Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 RESA Airport Display Systems Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Rockwell Collins7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Airport Display Systems Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Rockwell Collins Airport Display Systems Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Siemens7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Airport Display Systems Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Siemens Airport Display Systems Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 Ultra-Electronics7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 Airport Display Systems Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 Ultra-Electronics Airport Display Systems Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 Amadeus7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.6.2 Airport Display Systems Product Category, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Product A7.6.2.2 Product B7.6.3 Amadeus Airport Display Systems Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.7 Ikusi7.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.7.2 Airport Display Systems Product Category, Application and Specification7.7.2.1 Product A7.7.2.2 Product B7.7.3 Ikusi Airport Display Systems Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.7.4 Main Business/Business Overview..ContinuedBuy now @Contact Us:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)ABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPh: +91 841 198 5042info@wiseguyreports.com Truck Cranes Industry 2017 Global Market by Segment, Types, Regions, Applications and Forecast to 2022 Truck Cranes Market https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/1033788-global-truck-cranes-market-research-report-2017 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/enquiry/1033788-global-truck-cranes-market-research-report-2017 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=1033788 Truck Cranes MarketDescriptionGeographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Truck Cranes in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaGlobal Truck Cranes market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingAltecTerex CranesManitexTadanoGroveLiebherrZoomlionXCMGSANYLiuGongDemagKonecranesLOXAXGMASunwardRequest for Sample Report @On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoLight Truck CranesMedium Truck CranesHeavy Truck CranesExtra-heavy Truck CranesOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate of Truck Cranes for each application, includingPortRoad TransportationMunicipal ConstructionOthersEnquiry before Buying @Table of Contents:Global Truck Cranes Market Research Report 20171 Truck Cranes Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Truck Cranes1.2 Truck Cranes Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Truck Cranes Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category) (2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Truck Cranes Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Light Truck Cranes1.2.4 Medium Truck Cranes1.2.5 Heavy Truck Cranes1.2.6 Extra-heavy Truck Cranes1.3 Global Truck Cranes Segment by Application1.3.1 Truck Cranes Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Port1.3.3 Road Transportation1.3.4 Municipal Construction1.3.5 Others1.4 Global Truck Cranes Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Truck Cranes Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Truck Cranes (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Truck Cranes Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Truck Cranes Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)2 Global Truck Cranes Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Truck Cranes Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global Truck Cranes Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Truck Cranes Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Truck Cranes Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.3 Global Truck Cranes Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers Truck Cranes Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Truck Cranes Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Truck Cranes Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Truck Cranes Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 Global Truck Cranes Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)3.1 Global Truck Cranes Capacity and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.2 Global Truck Cranes Production and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.3 Global Truck Cranes Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.4 Global Truck Cranes Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.5 North America Truck Cranes Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.6 Europe Truck Cranes Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.7 China Truck Cranes Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.8 Japan Truck Cranes Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.9 Southeast Asia Truck Cranes Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.10 India Truck Cranes Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)4 Global Truck Cranes Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)4.1 Global Truck Cranes Consumption by Region (2012-2017)4.2 North America Truck Cranes Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.3 Europe Truck Cranes Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.4 China Truck Cranes Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.5 Japan Truck Cranes Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.6 Southeast Asia Truck Cranes Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.7 India Truck Cranes Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)5 Global Truck Cranes Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Truck Cranes Production and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.2 Global Truck Cranes Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.3 Global Truck Cranes Price by Type (2012-2017)5.4 Global Truck Cranes Production Growth by Type (2012-2017)8 Truck Cranes Manufacturing Cost Analysis8.1 Truck Cranes Key Raw Materials Analysis8.1.1 Key Raw Materials8.1.2 Price Trend of Key Raw Materials8.1.3 Key Suppliers of Raw Materials8.1.4 Market Concentration Rate of Raw Materials8.2 Proportion of Manufacturing Cost Structure8.2.1 Raw Materials8.2.2 Labor Cost8.2.3 Manufacturing Expenses8.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Truck CranesTables and Figures:Figure Picture of Truck CranesFigure Global Truck Cranes Production (K Units) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Types (Product Category) (2012-2022)Figure Global Truck Cranes Production Market Share by Types (Product Category) in 2016Figure Product Picture of Light Truck CranesTable Major Manufacturers of Light Truck CranesFigure Product Picture of Medium Truck CranesTable Major Manufacturers of Medium Truck CranesFigure Product Picture of Heavy Truck CranesTable Major Manufacturers of Heavy Truck CranesFigure Product Picture of Extra-heavy Truck CranesTable Major Manufacturers of Extra-heavy Truck CranesFigure Global Truck Cranes Consumption (K Units) by Applications (2012-2022)Figure Global Truck Cranes Consumption Market Share by Applications in 2016Figure Port ExamplesFigure Road Transportation ExamplesFigure Municipal Construction ExamplesContinued...Buy now @Contact US:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)About Us:Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Spanning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Addres:: Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt Ltd: Pune 411028: Maharashtra, India: Ph: +91 841 198 5042 Report on Global BTS Antenna Market Research Forecast 2017-2022 with Manufacturers, Key Vendors, Suppliers. BTS Antenna Industry https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/1034518-2015-deep-research-report-on-global-bts-antenna-industry https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/1034518-2015-deep-research-report-on-global-bts-antenna-industry https://www.wiseguyreports.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=1034518 www.wiseguyreports.com BTS AntennaThis report focuses on the BTS Antenna in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and applicationRequest For Sample Report @The 2015 Deep Research Report on Global BTS Antenna Industry is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the BTS Antenna industry.Firstly, according to QYResearch study, the global production of BTS antenna had up to 230975 K Units in 2015. Global annual revenue from BTS antenna generated revenues of US $ 3384.58 million, and is forecast to reach $ 5938.68 million by the end of 2021.Secondly, much more companies getting into the BST antenna industry and the market are much scattered. Key players in BTS antenna market include Kathrein, CommScope, Huawei, RFS, Amphenol, Comba Telecom, and Tongyu, etc.Then, in 2015, major demand is expected to account 30.44% from China in the global BTS antenna market. Europe is occupied 27.78% market in BTS antenna industry and will increase stably. Other major demand is expected from emerging markets of North America, contributed 19.79 percent.Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered.In a word, the report provides major statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Complete Report Details @1 Industry Overview 11.1 Definition and Specifications of BTS Antenna 11.1.1 Definition of BTS Antenna 11.1.2 Specifications of BTS Antenna 21.2 Classification of BTS Antenna 31.2.1 Classification of BTS Antenna by Coverage 41.2.2 Classification of BTS Antenna by Band Type 51.3 Applications of BTS Antenna 61.4 Industry Chain Structure of BTS Antenna 81.5 Industry Overview and Major Regions Status of BTS Antenna 81.5.1 Industry Overview of BTS Antenna 81.5.2 Global Major Regions Status of BTS Antenna 91.6 Patents Analysis of BTS Antenna 91.7 Industry Policy and Standard Analysis of BTS Antenna 121.8 Industry News Analysis of BTS Antenna 132 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of BTS Antenna 182.1 Raw Material Suppliers and Price Analysis of BTS Antenna 182.2 Equipment Suppliers and Price Analysis of BTS Antenna 192.3 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of BTS Antenna 192.4 Manufacturing Process Analysis of BTS Antenna 203 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of BTS Antenna 213.1 Capacity and Established Date of Global BTS Antenna Major Manufacturers in 2015 213.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global BTS Antenna Major Manufacturers in 2015 213.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global BTS Antenna Major Manufacturers in 2015 223.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global BTS Antenna Major Manufacturers in 2015 234 Capacity, Production and Revenue Analysis of BTS Antenna by Regions, Types and Manufacturers 244.1 Global Capacity, Production and Revenue of BTS Antenna by Regions 2011-2016E 244.2 Global and Major Regions Capacity, Production, Revenue and Growth Rate of BTS Antenna 2011-2016E 304.3 Global Production and Revenue of BTS Antenna by Types 2011-2016E 364.4 Global Capacity, Production and Revenue of BTS Antenna by Manufacturers 2011-2016E 405 Price, Cost, Gross and Gross Margin Analysis of BTS Antenna by Regions, Types and Manufacturers 505.1 Price, Cost, Gross and Gross Margin Analysis of BTS Antenna by Regions 2011-2016E 505.2 Price Analysis of BTS Antenna by Types 2011-2016E 525.3 Price, Cost, Gross and Gross Margin Analysis of BTS Antenna by Manufacturers 2011-2016E 526 Consumption Volume, Consumption Value and Sale Price Analysis of BTS Antenna by Regions, Types and Applications 596.1 Global Consumption Volume and Consumption Value of BTS Antenna by Regions 2011-2016E 596.2 Global and Major Regions Consumption Volume, Consumption Value and Growth Rate of BTS Antenna 2011-2016E 646.3 Global and Major Regions Consumption Volume of BTS Antenna by Applications 2011-2016E 706.4 Sale Price of BTS Antenna by Regions 2011-2016E 727 Supply, Import, Export and Consumption Analysis of BTS Antenna 747.1 Supply, Consumption and Gap of BTS Antenna 2011-2016E 747.2 Global Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Revenue, Supply, Import, Export and Consumption of BTS Antenna 2011-2016E 757.3 North America Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Revenue, Supply, Import, Export and Consumption of BTS Antenna 2011-2016E 757.4 EU Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Revenue, Supply, Import, Export and Consumption of BTS Antenna 2011-2016E 767.5 China Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Revenue, Supply, Import, Export and Consumption of BTS Antenna 2011-2016E 77 .Continued.Buy This Report@CONTACT US:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categoriesWiseGuyResearch Consultants Pvt LtdOffice No. 528/524, Amanora Chambers, Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar Pune, Maharashtra 411028 Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) 2017 Global Market Key Players Hyundai-Wia, Hitachi, GKN, NTN, Neapco, Lantong, Hengli Analysis and Forecast to 2022 Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Market https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/1034131-global-drive-shaft-driveshaft-market-research-report-2017 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/1034131-global-drive-shaft-driveshaft-market-research-report-2017 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=1034131 Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) MarketSummaryWiseguyreports.Com Adds Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) -Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities, Manufacturers, Analysis of Top Suppliers and Forecast to 2021 To Its Research DatabaseGeographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringUnited StatesEUChinaJapanSouth KoreaIndiaRequest for Sample report @Global Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingGKNNTNDanaNexteerHyundai-WiaIFA RotorionAAMJTEKTNeapcoMeritor?ShowaSeohanHitachiSDSYuandongWanxiangGuanshengLingyunHengliDanchuanFawerGoldenDongfengJDSSinotrukLantongOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoHalf ShaftPropeller ShaftOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate of Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) for each application, includingPassenger VehicleCommercial VehicleFor Complete Report @Table of ContentsGlobal Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Market Research Report 20171 Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Drive Shaft (Driveshaft)1.2 Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category) (2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Half Shaft1.2.4 Propeller Shaft1.3 Global Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Segment by Application1.3.1 Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Passenger Vehicle1.3.3 Commercial Vehicle1.4 Global Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 EU Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 South Korea Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)..7 Global Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 GKN7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 GKN Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 NTN7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 NTN Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Dana7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Dana Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Nexteer7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Nexteer Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 Hyundai-Wia7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 Hyundai-Wia Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 IFA Rotorion7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.6.2 Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Product Category, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Product A7.6.2.2 Product B7.6.3 IFA Rotorion Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.7 AAM7.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.7.2 Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Product Category, Application and Specification7.7.2.1 Product A7.7.2.2 Product B7.7.3 AAM Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.7.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.8 JTEKT7.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.8.2 Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Product Category, Application and Specification7.8.2.1 Product A7.8.2.2 Product B7.8.3 JTEKT Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.8.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.9 Neapco7.9.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.9.2 Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Product Category, Application and Specification7.9.2.1 Product A7.9.2.2 Product B7.9.3 Neapco Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.9.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.10 Meritor?7.10.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.10.2 Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Product Category, Application and Specification7.10.2.1 Product A7.10.2.2 Product B7.10.3 Meritor? Drive Shaft (Driveshaft) Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.10.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.11 Showa7.12 Seohan7.13 Hitachi7.14 SDS7.15 Yuandong7.16 Wanxiang7.17 Guansheng7.18 Lingyun7.19 Hengli7.20 Danchuan7.21 Fawer7.22 Golden7.23 Dongfeng7.24 JDS7.25 Sinotruk7.26 LantongBuy This Report @Continued...Contact Us:NORAH TRENTSales@Wiseguyreports.ComPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)ABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.ADDRES:WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India Heating Cable 2017 Global Key Players - BRISKHEAT CORPORATION, Chromalox, Eltherm, Emerson EGS Electrical Group, Hillesheim GmbH Market Analysis and Forecast to 2022 Heating Cable https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/1032920-global-heating-cable-market-research-report-2017 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/1032920-global-heating-cable-market-research-report-2017 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=1032920 www.wiseguyreports.com Heating CableReport Details:Global Heating Cable market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingBRISKHEAT CORPORATIONChromaloxElthermEmerson EGS Electrical GroupHillesheim GmbHKanthalKlettiMasterflex SEOMERINClick here for sample report @On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoSingle Guide TypeDouble Guide TypeOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate of Heating Cable for each application, includingSchoolOffice BuildingHouseholdGymDining RoomOtherGeographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Heating Cable in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndia.......Some Major Points from Table of content:Global Heating Cable Market Research Report 20171 Heating Cable Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Heating Cable1.2 Heating Cable Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Heating Cable Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category) (2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Heating Cable Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Single Guide Type1.2.4 Double Guide Type1.3 Global Heating Cable Segment by Application1.3.1 Heating Cable Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 School1.3.3 Office Building1.3.4 Household1.3.5 Gym1.3.6 Dining Room1.3.7 Other1.4 Global Heating Cable Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Heating Cable Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)For Detailed Reading Please visit @7 Global Heating Cable Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 BRISKHEAT CORPORATION7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Heating Cable Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 BRISKHEAT CORPORATION Heating Cable Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Chromalox7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Heating Cable Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Chromalox Heating Cable Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Eltherm7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Heating Cable Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Eltherm Heating Cable Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Emerson EGS Electrical Group7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Heating Cable Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Emerson EGS Electrical Group Heating Cable Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 Hillesheim GmbH7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 Heating Cable Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 Hillesheim GmbH Heating Cable Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 Kanthal7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.6.2 Heating Cable Product Category, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Product A7.6.2.2 Product B7.6.3 Kanthal Heating Cable Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview..ContinuedBuy now @Contact Us:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)ABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPh: +91 841 198 5042info@wiseguyreports.com Industrial Cooling System 2017 Global Market Key Players Baltimore Aircoil Company, Johnson Controls Inc, Bell Cooling, SPX Corporation Analysis and Forecast to 2022 Industrial Cooling System Market https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/1033734-global-industrial-cooling-system-market-research-report-2017 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/1033734-global-industrial-cooling-system-market-research-report-2017 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=1033734 Industrial Cooling System MarketSummaryWiseguyreports.Com Adds Industrial Cooling System -Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities, Manufacturers, Analysis of Top Suppliers and Forecast to 2021 To Its Research DatabaseGeographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Industrial Cooling System in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaRequest for Sample report @Global Industrial Cooling System market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingBaltimore Aircoil CompanyBell Cooling TowerBrentwood Industries Inc.Hamon GroupJohnson Controls Inc.Paharpur Cooling TowersSPIG S.P.ASPX CorporationAiredaleAmerican Power Conversion CorporationBlack Box CorpEmerson Electric Co.Paharpur Cooling Towers LimitedMesan GroupOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoEvaporative Cooling SystemAir Cooling SystemHybrid Cooling SystemWater Cooling SystemOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate of Industrial Cooling System for each application, includingPower GenerationIndustrial ManufacturingPetrochemical ProcessingFood Processing & StoragePetroleum & Natural Gas RefiningPharmaceuticalsFor Complete Report @Table of ContentsGlobal Industrial Cooling System Market Research Report 20171 Industrial Cooling System Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Industrial Cooling System1.2 Industrial Cooling System Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Industrial Cooling System Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category) (2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Industrial Cooling System Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Evaporative Cooling System1.2.4 Air Cooling System1.2.5 Hybrid Cooling System1.2.6 Water Cooling System1.3 Global Industrial Cooling System Segment by Application1.3.1 Industrial Cooling System Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Power Generation1.3.3 Industrial Manufacturing1.3.4 Petrochemical Processing1.3.5 Food Processing & Storage1.3.6 Petroleum & Natural Gas Refining1.3.7 Pharmaceuticals1.4 Global Industrial Cooling System Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Industrial Cooling System Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Industrial Cooling System (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Industrial Cooling System Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Industrial Cooling System Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)..7 Global Industrial Cooling System Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Baltimore Aircoil Company7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Industrial Cooling System Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Baltimore Aircoil Company Industrial Cooling System Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Bell Cooling Tower7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Industrial Cooling System Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Bell Cooling Tower Industrial Cooling System Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Brentwood Industries Inc.7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Industrial Cooling System Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Brentwood Industries Inc. Industrial Cooling System Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Hamon Group7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Industrial Cooling System Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Hamon Group Industrial Cooling System Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 Johnson Controls Inc.7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 Industrial Cooling System Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 Johnson Controls Inc. Industrial Cooling System Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 Paharpur Cooling Towers7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.6.2 Industrial Cooling System Product Category, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Product A7.6.2.2 Product B7.6.3 Paharpur Cooling Towers Industrial Cooling System Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.7 SPIG S.P.A7.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.7.2 Industrial Cooling System Product Category, Application and Specification7.7.2.1 Product A7.7.2.2 Product B7.7.3 SPIG S.P.A Industrial Cooling System Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.7.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.8 SPX Corporation7.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.8.2 Industrial Cooling System Product Category, Application and Specification7.8.2.1 Product A7.8.2.2 Product B7.8.3 SPX Corporation Industrial Cooling System Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.8.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.9 Airedale7.9.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.9.2 Industrial Cooling System Product Category, Application and Specification7.9.2.1 Product A7.9.2.2 Product B7.9.3 Airedale Industrial Cooling System Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.9.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.10 American Power Conversion Corporation7.10.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.10.2 Industrial Cooling System Product Category, Application and Specification7.10.2.1 Product A7.10.2.2 Product B7.10.3 American Power Conversion Corporation Industrial Cooling System Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.10.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.11 Black Box Corp7.12 Emerson Electric Co.7.13 Paharpur Cooling Towers Limited7.14 Mesan GroupBuy This Report @Continued...Contact Us:NORAH TRENTSales@Wiseguyreports.ComPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)ABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.ADDRES:WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India Global Nail Polish Consumption Market to 2017: Consumption Volume, Value, Import, Export,Market Share,Trend,Sale,price Analysis Forecast to 2022 Nail Polish Consumption Market https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/890947-global-nail-polish-consumption-market-report-2016 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/enquiry/890947-global-nail-polish-consumption-market-report-2016 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=890947 Nail Polish Consumption MarketDescriptionThe Global Nail Polish Consumption Market Report 2017 is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Nail Polish MarketThe report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure.Development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures are also analyzed. This report also states importexport consumption, supply and demand Figures, cost, price, revenue and gross margins.The report then analyze the global Nail Polish market size (Volume and value), the sales segment market is also discussed by product type, application and region.The major Nail Polish market (including GREECE, Russia, Bulgaria, Romania, etc.) is analyzed, data including market size, import and export, sale segment market by product type and application. Then we forecast the 2015-2020 Nail Polish market size of the Nail Polish.Request for Sample Report @The report focuses on global major leading brand providing information such as company profiles, sales, sales revenue, market share and contact information. Then the Nail Polish OEM market and Nail Polish production market status is discussed.Finally the marketing, feasibility of new investment projects are assessed and overall research conclusions offered.With 321 tables and figures the report provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source to guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Enquiry before Buying @Table of Contents:1 Industry Overview of Nail Polish 11.1 Definition and Specifications of Nail Polish 11.1.1 Definition of Nail Polish 11.1.2 Specifications of Nail Polish 11.2 Classification of Nail Polish 21.2.1 Organic solvent based nail polish 41.2.2 Water based nail polish 51.3 Applications of Nail Polish 61.3.1 Nail art institutions 61.3.2 Individuals 71.4 Industry Chain Structure of Nail Polish 91.5 Industry Overview and Major Regions Status of Nail Polish 91.5.1 Industry Overview of Nail Polish 91.5.2 Global Major Regions Status of Nail Polish 101.6 Industry Policy Analysis of Nail Polish 101.7 Industry News Analysis of Nail Polish 132 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Nail Polish 152.1 Raw Material Suppliers and Price Analysis of Nail Polish 152.2 Equipment Suppliers and Price Analysis of Nail Polish 152.3 Labor Cost Analysis of Nail Polish 162.4 Other Costs Analysis of Nail Polish 172.5 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Nail Polish 182.6 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Nail Polish 183 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Nail Polish 203.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Nail Polish Major Manufacturers in 2015 203.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Nail Polish Major Manufacturers in 2015 213.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Nail Polish Major Manufacturers in 2015 213.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Nail Polish Major Manufacturers in 2015 224 Capacity, Production and Revenue Analysis of Nail Polish by Regions, Types and Manufacturers 244.1 Global Capacity, Production and Revenue of Nail Polish by Regions 2011-2016 244.2 Global and Major Regions Capacity, Production, Revenue and Growth Rate of Nail Polish 2011-2016 314.3 Global Capacity, Production and Revenue of Nail Polish by Types 2011-2016 394.4 Global Capacity, Production and Revenue of Nail Polish by Manufacturers 2011-2016 455 Price, Cost, Gross and Gross Margin Analysis of Nail Polish by Regions, Types and Manufacturers 555.1 Price, Cost, Gross and Gross Margin Analysis of Nail Polish by Regions 2011-2016 555.2 Price, Cost, Gross and Gross Margin Analysis of Nail Polish by Types 2011-2016 585.3 Price, Cost, Gross and Gross Margin Analysis of Nail Polish by Manufacturers 2011-2016 618 Major Manufacturers Analysis of Nail Polish 928.1 OPI 928.1.1 Company Profile 928.1.2 Product Picture and Specifications 948.1.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 948.1.4 Contact Information 968.2 ZOTOS ACCENT 968.2.1 Company Profile 968.2.2 Product Picture and Specifications 978.2.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 978.2.4 Contact Information 988.3 Maybelline 998.3.1 Company Profile 998.3.2 Product Picture and Specifications 1008.3.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1018.3.4 Contact Information 1028.4 Dior 1028.4.1 Company Profile 1028.4.2 Product Picture and Specifications 1038.4.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 104Tables and Figures:Figure Picture of Nail Polish 1Table Product Specifications of Nail Polish 1Table Classification of Nail Polish 2Figure Global Production Market Share of Nail Polish by Types in 2015 3Figure Organic solvent based nail polish Picture 4Table Major Manufacturers of Organic solvent based nail polish 4Figure Water based nail polish Picture 5Table Major Manufacturers of Water based nail polish 5Table Applications of Nail Polish 6Figure Global Consumption Volume Market Share of Nail Polish by Applications in 2015 6Figure Nail art institutions Examples 7Figure Individuals Examples 8Continued...Buy now @Contact US:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)About Us:Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Spanning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Addres:: Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt Ltd: Pune 411028: Maharashtra, India: Ph: +91 841 198 5042 News Release: Julia Brufke Wenger Obtains a MSFS Degree http://taxtacklers.com JULIA BRUFKE WENGER EARNS MASTER OF SCIENCE IN FINANCIAL SERVICES DEGREE FROM THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF FINANCIAL SERVICESPHOENIXVILLE, PA FEBRUARY 22, 2017 Julia Brufke Wenger, owner of Phoenix Tax Consultants has earned the Master of Science in Financial Services (MSFS) degree from the Richard D. Irwin Graduate School at the American College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.The MSFS degree program provides a diverse financial education that prepares graduates to advise their clients on a wide spectrum of financial planning needs. MSFS course topics include advanced pension and estate planning, financial planning, executive compensation, business and personal tax planning, security analysis and portfolio management, and financial statement analysis. The program includes practical case studies and client/practitioner scenarios that graduates can use immediately to help them address clients needs with expertise and confidence.Candidates for the MSFS must successfully complete 36 credits of individual and residency study and pass 12 rigorous examinations. The American Colleges Richard D. Irwin Graduate School has awarded the Master of Science in Financial Services degree to over 2,500 individuals since 1977.The American College is the nations largest non-profit educational institution devoted to financial services. Holding the highest level of academic accreditation, The College has served as a valued business partner to banks, brokerage firms, insurance companies and others for over 86 years. The American Colleges faculty represents some of the financial services industrys foremost thought leaders. For more information, visit TheAmericanCollege.edu.Phoenix Tax Consultants, LLC is one of the countys leading tax advisors. With over 1,500 clients, we are a respected member of the community. We are a full-service firm serving both individuals and small business. Our accountants and CPAs are experts in federal, state, and local taxes. All clients receive additional planning to minimize taxes. Our pricing is compatible with other national tax firms while offering the expertise usually only offered by costly practices.Contact:Amber QuayPhoenix Tax Consultants300 Bridge StreetPhoenixville, PA 19460610-933-3507admin@taxtacklers.com Germanwings- almost 2 years after the crash Almost two years ago, the Germanwings plane 4 U 9525 crashed, 150 people lost their lives.Too soon the guilty one was found, news about an SOS call, first mentioned by CNN, N24 dissappeared.The parents of the copilot are absolutely right that they say that it was an accident.Indeed, there are several disagreements to the official version the media told us.First of all, the Airbus A 320 is mainly driven by computers and not by pilots.The 24 year old plane should be repaired in Koln , only one week earlier, a defect had been discovered in Vienna. But instead of repairing the plane, Germanwings used the plane as a mechanic later said.After the plane had started, it lost hight and speed at 10.17 am and 10.22 am.The captain left the cockpit surely not because of using the toilet. He looked for the "rattling noise" which is described in BEAs final report.Such a "rattling noise" can not be overheard. When the pressure chute is broken, the air conditioning system is going out. Even a closed cockpit door does not help in this case. At a hight of 38 000 feet there is a decompression. As a result, passengers and pilots were soon dead. This is the reason for the missing radio contact.We can proof this fact when we see the segment breakout in the pressure chute.This can not be a result of a "normal crash".Later the French Mirage crashed into Germanwings plane.There are several pictures from "Ministry of Interior" which show that there are parts of a green military plane.Furthermore, we can not believe the whole BEA's final report, since the latter is more like a health check from Mr. Lubitz than a subjective report.On the last page of the final report, there is the contradiction, namely, that there were not enough medical documents and statements to be able to form a picture of the psychological condition of the copilot. This was also underlined by the German institution, the BfU.Even the hospital in Dusseldorf denied that Mr. Lubitz was there because of an psychological illness.Not long ago the German prosecutors office told that there are no proofs that Mr. Lubitz had the wish to die.To sum up the main points, we can say that copilot is wrongly accused to be the only reason for the crash.Nadja MullerHeidelberger Str. 6268723 OftersheimNadja MullerHeidelberger Str. 6268723 Oftersheim RFID Specialist Meshed Systems takes over distribution of CAEN RFID products UHF Mobil Reader CAEN qIDmini bei Meshed Systems www.meshedsystems.com www.caenrfid.com www.caenrfid.com www.meshedsystems.com www.meshedsystems.com www.caenrfid.com 8th March 2017, Munich-Ottobrunn (D): Meshed Systems GmbH (), the leading Central European distributor of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) components and CAEN RFID S.r.l., (), located in Viareggio, Italy today announced that Meshed Systems has assumed distribution of CAEN RFID portfolio in Germany. Meshed Systems is a distributor specializing in RFID components by award-winning technical support. Founded in 2003, the company brings unequaled RFID expertise to the market and is an authorized service center for a growing number of RFID component manufacturers."We are extremely pleased with this new cooperation. CAEN offers a wide range of RFID UHF products with a perfect match to our existing product portfolio. Especially Handheld, Desktop and Fixed UHF Readers with extended features like WIFI and GSM will strengthen our market presence and offer our wide range of customers now another new opportunity for innovative solutions in the RFID area, "says Dipl.Ing. Dr. Michael E. Wernle, CEO of Meshed Systems GmbH."With Meshed Systems we gain a new partner with long term experience in RFID and benefit from the strong position in the German market," commented Ing. David Pallassini, Sales Manager of CAEN. "We are pleased to address with Meshed Systems an important market in Europe in the field of retail, logistics, health care and transportation.About CAEN RFID Readers & Antennas:CAEN RFID is a leading Italian company in the design and production of RFID UHF readers and tags. CAEN RFID was the first company in Europe to produce and distribute UHF readers. Its active involvement in the EPC Global, AIM Europe and ETSI work groups have allowed it to provide RFID readers and tags which are in the vanguard of existing technology. Amongst these the easy2read readers/writers have been designed to permit the use of one single identification technology for reading either at close range or at a range of several meters; the semi-passive easy2log tag can be used for the monitoring and recording of temperatures of perishable products in transit (such as food or chemical/pharmaceutical products in cold storage). For more information please visitAbout Meshed Systems:Meshed Systems (Germany) is a value added distributor (VAD) for RFID components. Meshed offers advice services to ensure the correct selection of RFID components, for individual customer requirements within both industry and retail sectors. The company is active in Middle Europe, mainly in the German speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) and additional in Scandinavia and the (South) Eastern countries of Europe. Meshed Systems supplies a powerful selection of all hardware elements required for delivery of the complete RFID project, and only work with best of breed hardware partners. Customers are both system integrator clients and other Industry Partners alike. For more information please visitFor more information please contact:Meshed Systems GmbHDr. Michael E. WERNLE, General ManagerAlte Landstrasse 21D-85521 Ottobrunn, GermanyPhone: +49-(0)89-6666 5124Email: michael.e.wernle@meshedsystems.comCAEN RFID S.r.lIng. David Pallassini, Sales Managervia Vetraia 11I-55049 Viareggio, Italyphone: +39 0584 388 398Email: d.pallassini@caen.it Magnesium Sulphate Market is expected to be at CAGR 3.28% for 2015-2027 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/statistical-reports/enquiry/2211 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/statistical-reports/global-magnesium-sulphate-market-2211 The Global Magnesium Sulphate Market Outlook (20162027) statistical report, published by Market Research Future contains brief information on global magnesium sulphate market segmented by region. On a global scenario, the region has been divided into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and MEA.Geographically, global magnesium sulphate market has very strong hold on Asia-Pacific region and is expected to lead the global market followed by North America and Europe. In terms of market share, Asia-Pacific is expected to grow from 43.37% in 2015 to 45.11% in 2027. The share of Asia Pacific in world consumption of magnesium sulphate is 43.37%. The per annum growth for magnesium sulphate is expected to be at 3.28% for 2015-2027. China is leading in magnesium sulphate market followed by India and Japan. These countries are categorized into underdeveloped sectors where the key economic growth business is agriculture.Make an enquiry before buying this Report @As health care & agriculture sectors in Asia Pacific are witnessing relatively high growth in the region, demand for Magnesium sulphate is shooting high attracting investments in the market. Consequently, new entrants are seeking opportunities in the region. Moreover, in China about 36% of the population and 40% of Indias population is dependent on agriculture. In China, near 33% of total population are employed in agriculture which indicates magnesium sulphate which helps in preserving the plants has huge opportunities in these countries including other countries of APAC region.North America is a relatively matured market as far as investment in fertilizer industry is concerned. Spending in agriculture industry continues to be constraint in the US, whereas Canada is expected to be the fastest growing market with a CAGR of 3.44% during the forecasted period. The share of North America in global magnesium sulphate consumption is 16.74% in 2015 and is estimated to reach 15.57% by 2027.Browse Report Details @Market Research future through this report aims to provide understanding of the global magnesium sulphate market on the basis of region, and also assists identification of ongoing trends along with anticipated growth during the forecasted period. For this report, extensive primary research was conducted to gain a deeper insight of the market performance. Various industry experts and Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) were contacted and interviewed to get an idea of global magnesium sulphate market.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com Chinese homebuyers coming to Calgary for Different Reasons David Cooke - Dominion Lending Centres Regional Mortgage Group http://davidcooke.ca A report released yesterday by Juwai.com and Sothebys International Realty Canada reveals new insight into the motivation for prospective Chinese homebuyers purchasing properties in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal.While Education was cited as the most common reason for Chinese interest in Toronto , Vancouver and Montreal citied by 41%, 44% and 46% of Juwai.com property inquiries , the highest motivation for Calgary inquiries was for own use at 62%. Investment was the second most popular reason.Junai.com is Chinas #1 foreign real estate portal.Sothebys International Realty Canada is a high end real estate company that deals exclusively in luxury homes and high end condos in Canada. They formed a strategic alliance Juwai.com in November 2016 to help market homes in Canada to Chinese investors interested in Canadian real estate.Fore further informationDavid CookeDominion Lending Centres Regional Mortgage GroupCalgary, Alberta, CanadavisitDominion Lending Centres is Canada's largest mortgage brokerage firm.Dominion Lending Centres Regional is one of DLC's Top 20 brokerages in Canada114, 1212 1 Street SECalgary, ABT2G 2H8Canada Paramax Launches Innovative Engagement Solution: PEPPER http://www.pmx.com/ http://www.pmx.com/ After 14 years of developing countless improvements and customizations for real world applications, Paramax just launched PEPPER, the Paramax Engagement & Points Platform for Employee Recognition. The new B2B tool for point-based recognition systems is the New Jersey companys latest contribution to the incentive/recognition market for employee, direct sales, channel and loyalty programs.Among its notable features is PEPPERs unique capacity for:-Sharing recognitions/badges to the Internal News Feedincluding nominator, reason, date and core value-Free form posting, sharing of photos, news, ideas etc.-Allow users to Like and Comment-Posting recognition/badges to Facebook and LinkedIn-Tool provides Responsive Design. Performs and look great on ANY DeviceAccording to Paramax CEO Jeffrey Dalton, the new platform offers:-Both monetary and non-monetary permission-based nominations-Peer to peer recognition-Budget management-Built-in approvals-Custom award certificates and badges-Configurable core values settings-Sales and purchases claim engine-Video/presentation programming that can be tracked and rewarded-Ability to administer, track and reward participation for quizzes, surveys and polls."Our customers have been asking for a solution with Facebook-like features that is easy to share with social media. We are happy that we were able to build something that can do just that," said Dalton.Paramaxs Awards Solutions, including PEPPER, is designed to connect easily to any incentive points system. The Pepper Awards Catalog provides participants with thousands of choices including: merchandise, gift cards, stored value cards and travel.For more information about PEPPER or Paramax, go to:About ParamaxEstablished in 1995, Paramax creates point-based incentive, loyalty and recognition programs for engaging employees, sales teams and channel partners. The companys goal is to find the best solution for each client to realize greater success at a lower cost. Clients include more than 100 global companies based in the U.S., Canada, England, Mexico and Australia. For more info, go to:PO Box 871346Canton, MI Protective Packaging Market - By Materials (Foam, Paper Board, Others) Forecast (2016-2021) Protective Packaging Market 2021 http://www.marketintelreports.com/report/FBR0087/protective-packaging-market--by-materials-foam-paper-board-others-by-application-cushion-voidfill-blocking--bracing-others-by-type-corrugated-solid-fiber-board-others-by-endusers-food--beverages-automotive-others--forecast-20162021 http://www.marketintelreports.com/pdfdownload.php?id=fbr0087 http://www.marketintelreports.com/purchase.php?id=fbr0087 www.marketintelreports.com Protective packaging products are created to safeguard the goods from damages; it can be atmospheric, magnetic, electrostatic, shock and so on. Products comprises of diverse varieties of box or storage containers, space fillers, liners, and spacers. These products are planned to secure packaging from damages. Protection aspects consist of electrical and thermal insulation, fire security, moist protection, shock or vibration diminishing, UV or weather resistance.Check Complete Report @Different protective packages are used by different trades such as food & beverages, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, automotive, construction, computers & electronics, textiles and others are some of the end-user industries. Corrugated, solid fiber board, molded pulp, fabricated foam, molded EPS, thermo foam blisters, nonwoven fibres and others are the types of protective packaging market. The report also focuses on different geographic regions and the key countries in terms of changing trends in using protective packaging in various fields.There are different materials such as foam, paper, paper board, plastics and others that are being used to achieve this objective; Plastic material is one important evolution in this field. The end user industry is the major driver for the protective packaging market to nurture. The protective packaging market has been segmented into different segments such as types, materials, applications, end user industry and geography entirely. Each type varies greatly and the composition is different with different technical specifications. Protective packaging are being used in different applications such as cushion, void-fill, blocking and bracing, surface protection, containment and others. The key user segments include agriculture, food & beverages, pharmaceuticals, automotive, construction, electronics, textiles and many more.The global market for wet waste management was estimated to be $XX billion in 2015. The global market for protective packaging market estimated to grow at a CAGR of XX% and is forecast to reach $XX billion by 2021. Asia-pacific (APAC) and North America alone are estimated to occupy a share of more than XX% during 2016-2021.Get Sample Brochure of the Report @Asia-pacific (APAC) is the leading market for protective packaging market with china leading the charge followed by North America and Europe. APAC region is forecasted to have highest growth in the next few years due to the increase in manufacturing activities, increase in the Internet penetration, and the increase in spending by end consumers for packaged products through e-retailing channels. APAC protective packaging market accounts to XX% of the global market for protective packaging market.Some of the key players in the market are: Smurfit Kappa Group plc (Ireland) RockTenn Company (U.S.) Sealed Air Corporation (U.S.) Sonoco Products Company (U.S.) Huhtamaki OYJ (Finland) DS Smith Plc (U.K.)E-commerce industry to drive the usage of protective packagingE-commerce (electronic commerce or EC) is the buying and selling of goods and services, or the transmitting of funds or data, over an electronic network, primarily the Internet. These business transactions occur either business-to-business, business-to-consumer, consumer-to-consumer or consumer-to-business.The key driver contributing to the growth of the global protective packaging market is its increasing usage in the E-commerce industry. The growing acceptance of the online shopping in both the developing and developed regions of the world is likely to propel the demand for global protective packing industry.Moreover, acceleration in the global industrial output, along with upsurge in the consumer expenditure on packaged goods across the globe, and demographic drifts such as increase in the number of urban population are further going to drive the market for protective packaging. The opportunities that can be further explored in the global protective packaging market is innovation in technology to develop packaging materials that are sustainable and can be reused and recycled. The availability and high cost of the raw materials is a major restrain in the global protective packaging market.Therefore, with the extreme usage of E-commerce industry the growth of protective package market is possible.Order a copy of Protective Packaging Market Report now @About us:MarketIntelReports (MIR) aim to empower our clients to successfully manage and outperform in their business decisions, we do this by providing Premium Market Intelligence, Strategic Insights and Databases from a range of Global Publishers.A group of industry veterans who are well experienced in reputed international consulting firms after identifying the sourcing needs of MNCs for market intelligence, have together started this business savior MarketIntelReports.MIR intends to be a one-stop shop with an intuitive design, exhaustive database, expert assistance, secure cart checkout and data privacy integrated. It curates the list of reports, publishers and studies to ensure that the database is constantly updated to dynamically meet the targeted, specific needs of our clients.MarketIntelReports currently has more than 10,000 plus titles and 35+ publishers on our platform and growing consistently to fill the Global Intelligence Demand Supply Gap. We cover more than 15 industry verticals being: Automotive, Electronics, Manufacturing, Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare, Chemicals, Building & Construction, Agriculture, Food & Beverages, Banking & Finance, Media and Government, Public Sector Studies.Contact us:Mayur SSales Manager2711 Centerville Road, Suite 400,Wilmington,Delaware,19808United Statespr@marketintelreports.comTelephone: 1-302-261-5343 THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT AT KNUTSON COMPANIES www.knutsoncos.com www.knutsoncos.com LEESBURG, VA Knutson Companies continues its winning ways in 2017 by raising the bar and the quality of its work. The most recent development includes the hiring of a seasoned real estate professional and Virginia Tech Civil Engineering graduate, Lauren DeSomma.DeSommas success began at K. Hovnanian Homes and continued to W.C. Ralston Architects where she led Ralston to being named one of the top architecture firms in Northern Virginia. At Knutson, Lauren will be challenged with identifying sites for future growth and managing entitlements.I am very excited to have someone of Laurens caliber join the Knutson team. Her expertise and drive for success will help take Knutson to the next level, said Donald Knutson, President, Knutson Companies.Knutson Companies welcomes Lauren to the team and will thrive under her dedication to her craft and helping Knutson to build warm and friendly neighborhoods located close to retail, restaurants and transit.For additional information about Knutson Companies, please visit them online atKnutson Companies delivers superior curb appeal and interior design through innovative architecture, attention to detail, careful selection of building materials and quality execution in the field. Most recently, at the October 2016 Great American Living Awards, Knutson Companies received five awards including three for Best Design and Architecture. Every associate at Knutson Companies is guided by the principles upon which the company was founded: be forthright with people, share in their excitement, and build each and every community like you were going to live there.Bow Tie StrategiesPO Box 2965Leesburg, VA 201777036461282rustyfoster@bowtiestrategies.comRusty Foster - Press Contact Run Of River Power Market Driven By Renewable Sector http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/run-of-river-power-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=9064 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ A run of river power plant is a small hydro power plant harnessing energy from the river water. This hydropower being renewable in nature, small in size, and dependent upon the natural water flow, seems to be a suitable low-impact alternative to the existing large-scale plants.Browse Market Research Report @A run of river plant produces hydropower from kinetic energy of the natural flow of a river. A small portion of the river is diverted and led to the power house through a channel or penstock. The flowing water rotates the turbine which in turn rotates the generator coupled to it. This plant can produce substantial power provided there is sufficient water flow and its kinetic energy. The kinetic energy of this flowing water can be increased by having a sufficient pitch. Hence a location having such geographical features is suitable for the power plant to operate efficiently.There are many advantages of a run of river power plant. A dam is required only if the available head is not enough to produce the power demanded. Existing dams can also be used to meet the dam requirement. Since dam is not necessary for such power plant, flood risks are reduced. Thus negative impact on the environment is less. Flowing river water is source of energy which is converted to electricity. It is also environment friendly as it produces no pollution or any particulate matter. It is convenient for use by factories, residential areas and all those whose power requirement is not much. The run of river is an intermittent source of power. The power produced from such plant is suitable only to meet the peak power loads and not base load. Thus its operation and maintenance cost becomes high.The market for run of river plants has high prospects of development. In North America run of river projects are expected to perform well due to its high dependency on hydropower in renewable sector. Europe is expected to see gradual development of such market due to its high concern for the environment and less availability the most economically attractive sites. But it is also been seen as an important source of energy security among other energy sources to meet for Europes future energy requirement. So development but on limited levels are expected in the forecasted period. China in Asia Pacific is the largest producer of hydropower in the world. Other major countries expected to contribute to renewables through hydropower are India, Australia, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Hence the run of power projects can be beneficial in Asia Pacific too. Brazil is the second largest hydropower producer in the world. Thus the rest of the world provides a high scope of run of river market developmentMarket segmentation in run off power projects is dependent upon the water- head availability in the river. A run of river with pondage is the one where low head is available throughout the year. A pondage is a storage facility to store the water and can be utilized during dry seasons when water head is very low. In meeting the peak power demands of consumers this stored water can be used. Another type of such power plant is a run of river without a pondage. Due to enough head availability of the water in the river throughout the year. No storage is required as water availability is enough to produce the required power.Some of the key players in the run off the power market are China Yangtze Power Co. Ltd., Duke Energy, Ontario Power Generation, and Stat Kraft AS.Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @This research report analyzes this market on the basis of its market segments, major geographies, and current market trends. Geographies analyzed under this research report include-North America-Asia Pacific-Europe-Middle East and Africa-Latin AmericaTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Emission Trading Schemes Market is Lead By modern pollution control system across the globe. http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/emission-trading-schemes-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=8746 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ Emission trading schemes form the backbone of modern pollution control system across the globe. This is a system in which special economic incentives are given to companies for achieving reductions in the emissions of pollutants. Various countries have adopted emission trading scheme as one of the initiatives for counter attacking climate change and addressing international greenhouse-gas emission. Pollution control norms, global acceptance and cost effectiveness are the key factors on which the market of emission trading scheme depends. Emission trading scheme finds application in healthcare industry, manufacturing industry, aerospace and automotive sector. Increase in research and development activities in different industries is acting as a catalyst for the growth of emission trading schemes market over the forecast period. Moreover rising awareness of environmental pollution backed by technological innovation and pollution control initiatives by different countries across the globe are the factors driving the emission trading schemes market globally. The highly successful rate of pollution reduction with the use of emission trading schemes is also boosting the market and driving the demand at an exponential rate. Increasing application of emission trading schemes in automobile pollution control and manufacturing sector by proving economic incentives is expected to serve as a market opportunity for future growth.Browse Market Research Report @Asia-Pacific is the most attractive region for emission trading schemes market. The significant increase in application of emission trading in energy incentive sectors like cement, newsprint, steel, aluminium and petroleum in Asia-pacific region is driving the market for emission trading schemes. In addition, presence of unmet needs, government initiatives to increase awareness and improving economic stability are the drivers, driving the emission trading schemes market in the region. Moreover increase in use of modern technologies, continuous research and development by different manufacturing and petroleum companies are the prime drivers of the market in Asia Pacific region. The North America and Europe market for emission trading schemes is expected to grow at a steady pace over the forecast period. Steady recovery from the recent economic meltdown is responsible for the growth in the manufacturing and industrial sector in North America which is driving the market for emission trading schemes in the region. Moreover increasing environmental awareness among the people with the need for reducing carbon footprints backed by government initiatives are expected to boost the market in North America. The necessity to reduce carbon dioxide emission and government rules and regulations about environmental pollution norms in United Kingdom is driving the emission trading schemes market in Europe. Moreover there is an increase in emission trading schemes for reduction of green house gases. This has lead to a significant increase in market demand for emission trading schemes for carbon footprint reduction in Europe market. Europe market faced steep challenge in the recent economic meltdown and is recovering at a steady pace which has also increased the demand for technological innovation and upgradation in the manufacturing industry thereby driving the market for emission trading schemes.Global key participants in the industry include Green Pro Invest, Ecolutions GmbH, CK Connect Co2, GreenTek Indika, Texas Climate & Carbon Exchange, Bedminster International, Spectro Analytical Labs Limited and Carbon Market Data among others.Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @This research report analyzes this market on the basis of its market segments, major geographies, and current market trends. Geographies analyzed under this research report include-North America-Asia Pacific-Europe-Middle East and Africa-Latin AmericaAbout UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Integral Horsepower Motors Market Driven By Rising Global Awareness to Save Energy http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/integral-horsepower-motors-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=8458 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ Integral Horse Power Motors are electrical motors which have horse power rating of 1 or above. These motors are highly energy efficient in nature and used across various application areas. The market is expected to grow during the forecast period. The rising global awareness to save energy is driving the market for integral horsepower motors as these motors are highly energy efficient in nature. Furthermore, the industries are using these motors to save on their electrical expenditures and hence reducing their operating costs. The integral horsepower motors are divided in two categories, three phase and single phase integral horse power motors. Each of these types of motors have a wide area of applications such as refrigeration, heating and cooling, air conditioning, swimming pools, industrial applications and commercial HVAC among others. The improving economical conditions in the European regions are expected to the drive the market with the increasing demand for automotives and growing industrial applications. Furthermore, the changing government regulation in Europe and North America markets is encouraging the use of energy efficient motors. In addition, the growing awareness for alternate sources of energy such as water and waste water is also spurring the growth of integral horsepower motors. These factors are driving the growth for this market.Browse Market Research Report @However, the higher initial cost of installing these motors is acting as a major barrier in the growth of this market. The market is expected to witness growth during the forecast period due to the presence of developing regions such as India and China. The ongoing industrialization in these regions will act as an opportunity for the integral horsepower motors market. Furthermore, the schemes initiated by governments to encourage the companies to upgrade their motors for higher efficiency will also act as an opportunity for the integral horsepower motors market.The integral horsepower motors market can be segmented into three categories: by types, application and region. By types the integral horsepower motors can be divided into small, medium and large motors. In terms of application, the market can be segregated into automotive industries, mining, power generation, food and beverages and HVAC segments. The automotive segment has major application for integral horsepower motors and is expected to witness steady growth during the forecast period.In terms of region, the market can be divided into grow geographical locations: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the world. North America and Europe are the early adapters of technologies. However, the regions will witness a steady growth in this market due to the recent economic crisis in these regions. However, the Asia Pacific region is expected to witness robust growth due to the presence of developing nations such as India and China who are focusing on constant industrialization.The integral horsepower motors are dominated by several players across the globe. Some of the key players in the market include ABB Ltd, Brook Crompton, Allied Motion Technologies, ARC Systems, Danaher Corporation, Rockwell Automation, TECO Westinghouse, Toshiba Corporation, Siemens AG, Emerson Electric and Regal Beloit among others.Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @This research report analyzes this market on the basis of its market segments, major geographies, and current market trends. Geographies analyzed under this research report include-North America-Asia Pacific-Europe-Middle East and Africa-Latin AmericaAbout UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Joint Compound Market Volume Forecast and Value Chain Analysis 2016-2026 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2442 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2442 www.futuremarketinsights.com Joint compound is the white color powder made up of plaster of Paris or gypsum. The compound also is known as mastic or drywall compound. The compound is mixed with water at the time of use which will become a hard stone-like consistency in less than an hour. The compound is used for sealing joints between walls and creating a seamless base for interior walls. The global joint compound market is expected to have significant growth rate, attributed to growing construction industry across the globe. Asia-Pacific except Japan accounts for significantly high revenue share in the global joint compound market, attributed to growing population and robust marketing of the product in the region over the forecast period.Global Joint Compound Market Dynamics:The growth of the global joint compound market is driven by growing construction and adhesive industry. The macroeconomic factor responsible for the growth of the global joint compound market is the rapid rate of urbanization and rising disposable income. The advantages of a joint compound including be easy-to-use, hand-applying simple textures, and skim coating also fueling the global joint compound market. Joint compound may lead to delamination problem if not used according to specification with high price can result in restraining global joint compound market. The company providing the joint compound have significantly high opportunity in regions such as North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, owing to the significant demand for a joint compound with growing construction industry in the regions. The joint compound market also has a significant opportunity in Latin America and the Middle East and Africa region as these are the emerging market, attributed to rising disposable income of consumers in these regions.Request Report Sample@Global Joint Compound Market Segmentation:Basically, the global joint compound market is segmented on the basis of product type, end-use, distribution channel, and region. On the basis of product type, the global joint compound market is segmented as single joint compound and ready-to-use. Among the product type segment, single drywall compound contribute for the significant revenue share over the forecast period in the global joint compound market, whereas ready-to-use has significant growth rate over the forecast period. On the basis of end-use, the global joint compound market is segmented as industries and household, wherein industries segment have relatively high revenue share whereas household segment is growing at a significant growth rate. On the basis of distribution channel, the global joint compound market is segmented as e-Commerce and retail shop. Retail shop segment is further sub-segmented as hypermarket or supermarket, independent shop, and convenience store. Among the distribution channel segment, hypermarket/supermarket segment contribute for the significant revenue share over the forecast period in the global joint compound market.Based on product type, the global joint compound market is segmented into:Single Joint CompoundReady-to-useBased on end-use, the global joint compound market is segmented into:IndustriesHouseholdBased on Distribution Channel, the global joint compound market is segmented into:e-CommerceRetail ShopsHypermarket/SupermarketIndependent shopsConvenience StoresVisit For TOC@Global Joint Compound Market Regional Outlook:Based on the geographies, the global joint compound market is fragmented into seven key regions -- North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific except Japan, Japan, and the Middle East & Africa. Among the regions, North America accounts for a significant share of the global joint compound market, owing to relatively high-value share of the region in the construction. Western Europe is followed by North America region in the global joint compound market. The Asia-Pacific except Japan region accounts for significantly high volume share in the global joint compound market, owing to the rapid rate of urbanization in the region. Eastern Europe and Japan also accounts for significant value share in the global joint compound market. The developing economy such as Middle East Africa and Latin America have a moderate opportunity in the global joint compound market, owing to the substantial growth in the construction industry over the forecast period. Overall, the outlook for the global joint compound market will have a positive growth over the forecast period, owing to the increasing demand for the joint compound in the construction industry as an anti-counterfeiting measure.Global Joint Compound Market Player:Few players in the global joint compound market include United States Gypsum Company, Irrational Propensity Renovations, Sheetrock, Georgia Pacific, USG, Wickes.co.uk, ASG, Everbuild, Drywall, DuPont, and Continental.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comPress: press@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Geospatial Imagery Analytics Market Forecast Research Reports Offers Key Insights http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2445 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2445 www.futuremarketinsights.com Geospatial analytics support to integrate, gather, operate, display, and examine geospatial data which is collected through satellite imagery, GPS, geotagging, mapping, and many other sources to create significant information that are important for making important business/organization decisions. In In geospatial imagery analytics, data is collected in the form of geo-referenced satellite images, and then it is represented in two different ways including raster and vector. Enterprises are using geospatial imagery analytics information to examine their operational effectiveness to endure their company position in this competitive surrounding. Geospatial Imagery analysis offers more precise images as related to 3D and 2D analysis. This analysis includes analysis of modules above, on, and below the earth surface. Geospatial Imagery analysis application of supports private as well as government sectors to make knowledgeable conclusions about businesses and also examine risk assessment and mitigation disaster management, urban planning, and climatic conditions.Geospatial Imagery Analytics Market: Drivers & RestraintsThe major factors driving the growth of geospatial imagery analytics market are increasing growth of geospatial analytics market, disposable incomes, and increasing advancement in analytics technologies. Moreover, geospatial imagery analytics is projected to have and high demand in the future analytics market. In coming years, the demand of geospatial analytics has improved among organizations, as it supports to pathway changes in patterns and trends over a period. Furthermore, technological developments in geospatial imagery analytics have increased the acceptance of geospatial technologies including remote sensing (RS), global positioning system (GPS), and geographical information system (GIS), and many others. Also, increasing penetration of geographical information system technology in the service industry, increasing usage of location-based data and rising demand of open interoperable solutions, are major factors which are boosting the growth of the geospatial imagery analytics market.Request Report Sample@Geospatial Imagery Analytics Market: Market SegmentationThe geospatial imagery analytics market is segmented into five parts based on the imaging type, technology type, by analysis type, application type, and geography.Based on the imaging type the geospatial imagery analytics market is segmented into:VideoImageBased on the technology type the geospatial imagery analytics market is segmented into:Global Positioning Systems (GPS)Geographical Information Systems (GIS)Remote Sensing (RS)OthersBased on the analysis geospatial imagery analytics market is segmented into:Surface AnalysisNetwork AnalysisGeovisualizationOthersBased on the type of application geospatial imagery analytics market is segmented into:Defense & SecurityGovernmentEnvironment MonitoringEnergy, Utility & Natural ResourcesEngineering & ConstructionMining & ManufacturingInsuranceAgricultureHealthcare & Life SciencesOthersVisit For TOC@Geospatial Imagery Analytics Market: Regional OutlookRegarding geography, geospatial imagery analytics market has been categorized into seven key regions including North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APEJ, Japan, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. The geospatial imagery analytics market is expected to register healthy CAGR during the forecast period. North America is experiencing the rapid increase in the production geospatial imagery analytics as a demand for geospatial imagery analytics in wide range of verticals such as defense & security, government, environment monitoring, energy, utility & natural resources, engineering & construction, mining & manufacturing, insurance, agriculture, healthcare & life sciences, others market in the region is rising at faster pace. The geospatial imagery analytics market is projected to register healthy growth due growth of analytics market and technological advancement in information & technology sector across the globe. Geospatial imagery analytics market for Asia Pacific is also expected to witness steady growth during the forecast period primarily attributed to the growth of imagery technologies coupled with demand for customization in offerings, especially in China and India.Geospatial Imagery Analytics Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players identified in the geospatial imagery analytics market are:-Trimble Navigation, Ltd.Hexagon AB, General ElectricRMSI, Bentley Systems, Inc.ESRI, MDA CorporationFugro N.V.Harris CorporationWS Atkins Plc.TomTomDigital GlobeCritigen, AAMNokiaOthersABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comPress: press@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Flat Panel Display Market Projected to be worth US$ 135 Bn by 2020 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-123 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-123 www.futuremarketinsights.com Future Market Insights (FMI) delivers incisive insights into emerging markets in its latest report titled, Flat Panel Display Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2014 - 2020. The report states that the Global Flat Panel Display market will expand at a CAGR of 5.8% and reach a valuation of US$ 135 Bn by 2020. The global flat panel display market is mainly driven by increasing adoption of FPD in mobile devices and increasing consumer demand for monitors in automobiles.The global flat panel display market is expected to be one of the major markets in the near future. Growth of flat panel display market across the globe is driven by factors, such as high rate of technology adoption, increasing demand for big size displays, developing consumer electronics market, and increasing investment on research and development by flat panel display manufacturers.Global FPD market is classified on the basis of technology, application and region. By technology, the overall FPD market is segmented into - Liquid crystal Display (LCD), Plasma Display (PDP), Organic Light Emitting Diode Display (OLED) and others. Liquid Crystal display is the major technology for FPD market, accounting for over 80% share of the market in 2014.Request For Sample@On the basis of applications, the global flat panel display market is segmented into consumer electronics, automotive application and others. The other applications of flat panel display includes healthcare, defence & military, etc. The consumer electronics segment is sub-segmented into television (TV), mobile phone and personal computer (PC). Consumer electronics segment is the leading application in the flat panel display market with a collective market share over 70% in 2014; it is anticipated to exhibit the fastest CAGR over 15% during the forecast period 2015 2020. Consumer electronics market is followed by automotive application with over 7.5% CAGR during the forecast period. The growth in flat panel display market is attributed to technological developments in electronics and semiconductor industry and increasing implantation of flat panel display for consumer products such as televisions, smartphones, tablets and laptops. Significant increase in the demand of flat Panel displays is attributed to high definition image quality offered by various FPDs, reduction in prices of LCDs and plasma displays.On the basis of region, the flat panel display market is segmented as Americas, Europe, APAC (excluding Japan), Japan (as a region) and MEA. In 2014, Asia Pacific was the dominant geographical region in the overall global flat panel display market with over 80% share by revenue, followed by Japan. In 2014, China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan were the most lucrative markets in the APAC region.Technological advancements and innovations remain the key to gaining a competitive edge in the flat panel display market. Companies such as Panasonic Corporation, Sony Corporation, LG Display Co. Ltd., Emerging Display Technologies Corp., Innolux Corp., Sharp Corporation, Japan Display Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Universal Display Corporation and AU Optronics Corporation are some of the major players in global flat panel display market and account for maximum market share and constantly focus on new product release, R&D, mergers and acquisitions to expand their geographical presence and customer base.Send An Enquiry@ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Global Spirits Market to show Impressive Growth Rate between 2016 2024 https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/sample/spirits-market https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/toc/spirits-market https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/report/spirits-market https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/custom/454 http://www.zionmarketresearch.com Zion Market Research, the market research group announced the analysis report titled "Spirits Market: Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecasts 20162024"Global Spirits Market: OverviewSpirit is distilled alcoholic beverage. It is mainly manufactured by the distillation process. In this process, the impurity is removed and the mixture is purified in order to increase the percentage of the alcohol content. In general, the spirit is known as liquor but in different regions, it is known by different names. North Americans usually use the term hard liquor for distilled beverage to distinguish from non-distilled one. However, wine, beer, and cider consist of less than 10% of alcoholic content and are not considered as spirit.Request Free Sample Report @Global Spirits Market: Growth FactorsRising disposal income of middle-class people is the major driving factor of the spirits market. However, increasing consumption of alcoholic beverages in countries such as India, Brazil, China, and Russia is anticipated to fuel the global market in future. Spirit has become a status symbol and hence people are ready to pay for quality brands. In addition, e-commerce and print media come up with more attractive and innovative advertisements to attract customers; this, in turn, will foster the global market growth. The young generation is also getting attracted to alcoholic beverages, hence driving the global market. Whisky is a significant market in India since last few years and is anticipated to witness high growth in the coming years. Conversely, stringent government regulations may hamper the spirit market growth to some extent. Sale of alcohol is strictly banned in the government-approved shops. In addition, the ban on drinking in public places and advertising may hinder the global market growth in future.Global Spirits Market: SegmentationThe global spirit market is segmented on the basis of types as brandy, gin, vodka, cane, rum, flavored spirits, tequila, natural spirits, and whiskey. Of these, vodka accounted for the largest market share in the global market followed by whiskey.Request Report TOC (Table of Contents) @Global Spirits Market: Regional AnalysisAsia Pacific is the dominating sector for spirits market owing to rising drinking habit of the people in this region. This trend is followed by North America and Europe. However, emerging economies such as China and India witnessed higher consumption of alcoholic beverages which is anticipated to boost the global market growth. China is the leading region in Asia Pacific owing to growth in beverages industries. In addition, India is expected to grow at a fast pace due to increasing disposal income and leisure lifestyle. Increasing consumption of whiskey in India and China is also expected to boost the market in near future. Baijiu and rice wine are the most popular drinks in China. Import of the China has been grown four times in past ten years. Whisky is widely preferred in the Indian market.Global Spirits Market: Competitive PlayersSome of the major players in the spirit market include Marnier Lapostolle SA, Berentzen-Gruppe AG, Brown-Forman Corp., Constellation Brands, Inc., Diageo Plc, Remy Cointreau SA, Belvedere SA, and Pernod-Ricard SA. Companies strategies to invent new products in order to increase their market share is the trend in the global market. For example, Adnams introduced two new ranges of spirits namely, Rising Sun Gin and Rye Hill Vodka, by using rye grown. Owing to this, the company has gained around 30% of sales in spirits and beer category.Browse detail report @Global Spirits Market: Regional Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.EuropeUKFranceGermanyAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaLatin AmericaBrazilThe Middle East and AfricaWhat Reports ProvidesFull in-depth analysis of the parent marketImportant changes in market dynamicsSegmentation details of the marketFormer, on-going, and projected market analysis in terms of volume and valueAssessment of niche industry developmentsMarket share analysisKey strategies of major playersEmerging segments and regional marketsTestimonials to companies in order to fortify their foothold in the marketAsk for a customized report @About Us:Zion Market Research is an obligated company. We create futuristic, cutting edge, informative reports ranging from industry reports, company reports to country reports. We provide our clients not only with market statistics unveiled by avowed private publishers and public organizations but also with vogue and newest industry reports along with pre-eminent and niche company profiles. Our database of market research reports comprises a wide variety of reports from cardinal industries. Our database is been updated constantly in order to fulfill our clients with prompt and direct online access to our database. Keeping in mind the clients needs, we have included expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends in this database. Last but not the least, we make it our duty to ensure the success of clients connected to usafter allif you do well, a little of the light shines on us.Contact Us:Zion Market Research4283, Express Lane,Suite 634-143,Sarasota, Florida 34249, United StatesTel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll-Free No.1-855-465-4651Email: sales@zionmarketresearch.comWebsite: Benzylamine Market Industry Analysis, Trend and Growth, 2016-2026 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2467 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2467 www.futuremarketinsights.com Benzylamine is a chemical organic compound with the abridged structural formula C6H5CH2NH2. Benzylamine comprises of a C6H5CH2, benzyl group, bonded to an amine functional group, NH2. Benzylamine is a collective precursor in organic synthesis and used in the industrial production of numerous pharmaceuticals. Benzylamine is a primary alkylamine and valuable intermediate for several applications and a building block for chemical synthesis such as crop protection agents, and the production of active Pharma Ingredients which is used within the coatings industry. Benzylamine is also used as a disguised source of ammonia, and a sub component of Benzylamine that is isoquinolines are a class of compounds which are used in medical frameworks.Benzylamine Market: Drivers & RestraintsThe major factors driving the growth of benzylamine market is growing demand of Benzylamine in wide range of application such as manufacturing paints and lacquers, pesticide, fertilizer, pharmaceuticals, and others. Moreover, growing chemical industry results to development of new technology for the manufacturing of benzylamine to meet its demand across the globe. Demand of benzylamine is rising, as benzylamine is versatile valuable intermediate for various applications and intermediate and building block in a variety of end-user industry like for the production of active pharma ingredients (APIs) and crop protection agents. In addition benzylamine is used as a masked source of ammonia, meanwhile after N-alkylation, the benzyl group can be seprated by hydrogenolysis. Therefore, it is also major source for the derivation of other chemical compound. On the other hand, the major factor restraining the growth of benzylamine market are government regulation and its strong reactional property.Request Report Sample@Benzylamine Market: Market SegmentationThe Benzylamine market is segmented into four parts based on the industry type, application type, distribution channels, and geography.Based on the industry type the Benzylamine market is segmented into:AgriculturePest ControlChemicalsPaint & Coatings IndustryAutomotive & Transportation CoatingsIndustrial coatingsOthersBased on the application type the Benzylamine market is segmented into:Chemical ManufacturingManufacturing of paints and lacquersManufacturing of pesticide, fertilizerManufacturing of pharmaceuticalsOthersBased on the type of distribution channels Benzylamine market is segmented into:Internet RetailingMass RetailersDirect SellingOthersBenzylamine Market: Regional OutlookRegarding geography, Benzylamine market has been categorized into seven key regions including North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APEJ, Japan, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. Benzylamine market is expected to register healthy CAGR during the forecast period. Asia-Pacific represents the significantly high market share and grow with comparatively high CAGR in forecast period. North America is experiencing the rapid increase in the production capacity of Benzylamine as demand for Benzylamine for wide range of end-user in the region is rising at faster pace. Key factors driving the growth of Benzylamine oil market in the region include growing chemical industry, increasing infrastructure across the globe as demand of benzylamine in paints and lacquers is booming at faster pace. The benzylamine market is projected to register healthy growth due rising consumption Benzylamine in various industry for production of their end user products such as in pharmaceutical for manufacturing medicine. Benzylamine market for Asia Pacific is also expected to witness rapid growth during the forecast period primarily attributed to the growth of chemical industry, and increasing production of the product type especially in China and India. In China, demand of benzylamine is booming due to its usage as raw materials of solvent, alkyl alkanolamines, and ingredients of rocket fuels.Visit For TOC@Benzylamine Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players identified in the Benzylaminemarket are:-BASF AGLANXESSHuntsman CorporationDow Chemical CompanyEastman Chemical CompanyOthersABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comPress: press@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Global Cigars & Cigarillos Market to witness Impressive Growth by 2016 2024 https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/sample/cigars-cigarillos-market https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/toc/cigars-cigarillos-market https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/report/cigars-cigarillos-market https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/custom/460 http://www.zionmarketresearch.com Zion Market Research, the market research group announced the analysis report titled "Cigars & Cigarillos Market: Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecasts 20162024"Global Cigars & Cigarillos Market: OverviewThe dried and fermented tobacco leaves are tightly rolled and bound together to form cigars and cigarillos. These are of varied sizes, thicknesses, and lengths. The cigars are burnt at the end in order to intake tobacco smoke into the mouth. The cigars and cigarillos have become more popular in young and adult people. They are now considered a status symbol. People are ready to pay more money for their varied flavors. However, celebrities became an ideal example for attracting more consumers towards cigars and cigarillos. The smoking trend is gaining popularity among young and adult women too. For instance, Snoop Dogg launched his own tobacco cigar line, a new cigar brandExecutive Branch.Request Free Sample Report @Global Cigars & Cigarillos Market: Growth FactorsLower tax on cigar and cigarillos products is expected to fuel market. In addition, consumer acceptance of cigar and cigarillos as a status symbol is further anticipated to boost the market in future. One of the major driving factors is the difference in the in the tax rate. Increasing demand for cigars and cigarillos owing to its growing popularity is anticipated to contribute to the growth of the global market. Conversely, strict government regulation over advertisement and smoking in the public places restraints the market growth.Global Cigars & Cigarillos Market: SegmentationThe global cigars & cigarillos market is segmented on the basis of category as little cigars, cigars, and cigarillos. Of these, cigarillos accounted for the largest category segment due to its availability at low prices. Based on types, the global market is categorized as premium and mass. Of which, premium is the leading segment in the global market. The premium category brand shows robust growth in countries such as China, the U.S., and the UAE. Further, the cigars & cigarillos market is bifurcated on the basis of flavor as fruit, mint, chocolate, and others. The mint flavor contributed for the largest market share. Fruit is expected to dominate the market in the near future.Request Report TOC (Table of Contents) @Global Cigars & Cigarillos Market: Regional AnalysisNorth America is the dominating region for cigars & cigarillos market owing to favorable growth opportunities in this region. Asia Pacific is also expected to boost the market growth due to rising popularity in the youth. Furthermore, China is emerging as a demanding region for cigars & cigarillos market. The U.S. is also an emerging market for the cigars and cigarillos having a lower tax for cigarettes compared to others. The cigars and cigarillos are not controlled by the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act in the U.S. Hence, this region is anticipated to witness growth in the future. Under this act, nearly 20 cigarettes and flavored cigarettes have been banned in the U.S. but are not applicable to cigars and cigarillos; this is expected to propel the global market in future.Global Cigars & Cigarillos Market: Competitive PlayersThe major industries operating in the global cigars and cigarillos market include Trendsettah USA, Inc., British American Tobacco, Swisher International, Inc., Altria Group, Inc., Drew Estate LLC, Swedish Match AB, Imperial Brands, Oettinger Davidoff AG, Habanos S.A., Scandinavian Tobacco Group A/S, Altadis, and Godfrey Phillips India Ltd. and Plc.Browse detail report @Global Cigars & Cigarillos Market: Regional Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.EuropeUKFranceGermanyAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaLatin AmericaBrazilThe Middle East and AfricaWhat Report ProvidesFull in-depth analysis of the parent marketImportant changes in market dynamicsSegmentation details of the marketFormer, on-going, and projected market analysis in terms of volume and valueAssessment of niche industry developmentsMarket share analysisKey strategies of major playersEmerging segments and regional marketsTestimonials to companies in order to fortify their foothold in the market.Ask for a customized report @About Us:Zion Market Research is an obligated company. We create futuristic, cutting edge, informative reports ranging from industry reports, company reports to country reports. We provide our clients not only with market statistics unveiled by avowed private publishers and public organizations but also with vogue and newest industry reports along with pre-eminent and niche company profiles. Our database of market research reports comprises a wide variety of reports from cardinal industries. Our database is been updated constantly in order to fulfill our clients with prompt and direct online access to our database. Keeping in mind the clients needs, we have included expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends in this database. Last but not the least, we make it our duty to ensure the success of clients connected to usafter allif you do well, a little of the light shines on us.Contact Us:Zion Market Research4283, Express Lane,Suite 634-143,Sarasota, Florida 34249, United StatesTel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll-Free No.1-855-465-4651Email: sales@zionmarketresearch.comWebsite: China Cylindrical Lithium Ion Battery Market 2017 - Global Industry News, Strategy Resources, Manufacturers and Supply to 2022 http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/china-cylindrical-lithium-ion-battery-market-by-manufacturers-107399 http://bit.ly/2m1eKxH http://www.marketresearchstore.com/ The China Cylindrical Lithium Ion Battery market report is created with an in-depth study of the trending growth opportunities and also includes self-explaining statistics of the China Cylindrical Lithium Ion Battery market development. The global market report provides a comprehensive overview of the fundamental definitions, specifications and also explains overall manufacturing process along with various advanced production methods. Our qualified researchers have intensely crafted China Cylindrical Lithium Ion Battery market report by referring the databases, secondary sources, and the directories to enhance the understanding of the related technical terms.The report presents accurate information that is significant to competitive analysis based on regional perceptions along with future forecast. The China Cylindrical Lithium Ion Battery market report explains each and every segment of the China Cylindrical Lithium Ion Battery industry based on, applications, various technology and processes, end users industries and products. The report also comprises various future based predictions that are developed by using advanced data analytics and techniques.Browse Complete Report Here @It also provides an In-depth summary of the major key players that includes manufacturers, vendors, and suppliers along with individually analyzed historic data and the companys growth plans. China Cylindrical Lithium Ion Battery market report also highlights the latest mergers and acquisitions, expansions, product development, and modifications carried out by the companies. The report comprises data created with deep study of global economic aspect and its effect on China Cylindrical Lithium Ion Battery market economy.The segmentation of China Cylindrical Lithium Ion Battery Market has been classified into Regions, Manufacturers, Applications, Products, and Key Players. Below is the segmentation:Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversHeidenhainTamagawaNemiconP+FTR ElectronicBaumerKueblerDanaher (Hengstler)OmronKoyoBEISickYuheng OpticsELCOWuxi CREATERoundssSanfengShanghai HOUDEMarket Segment by Regions (Province), coveringSouth ChinaSouthwest ChinaEast ChinaNortheast ChinaNorth ChinaFree Inquiry For Buying Premium Report of China Cylindrical Lithium Ion Battery Market @Market Segment by Type, coversMulti-TurnSingle-TurnMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoHealthcareMachine ToolConsumer ElectronicsAssembly EquipmentOthersThere are 18 Chapters to deeply display the China Cylindrical Lithium Ion Battery market.Chapter 1, to describe Cylindrical Lithium Ion Battery Introduction, product type and application, market overview, market analysis by Region (province), market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the manufacturers of Cylindrical Lithium Ion Battery, with profile, main business, news, sales, price, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4,to show the China market by Regions (Province),covering South China,East China,Southwest China,North China,Northeast China,Northwest China and Central China,with sales, price,revenue and market share of Cylindrical Lithium Ion Battery,for each region,from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5 and 6, to show the market by type and application, with sales, price, revenue, market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 7,8,9,10,11,12 and 13 to analyze the key Province by Type and Application,covering South China,East China,Southwest China,North China,Northwest China,Central China and Northeast China,with sales,revenue and market share by types and applications;Chapter 14, Cylindrical Lithium Ion Battery market forecast, by Regions (Province), type and application, with sales, price, revenue and growth rate forecast, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 15, to analyze the manufacturing cost, key raw materials and manufacturing process etc.Chapter 16, to analyze the industrial chain, sourcing strategy and downstream end users (buyers);Chapter 17, to describe sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers etc.Chapter 18, to describe Cylindrical Lithium Ion Battery Appendix, methodology and data sourceAbout Market research StoreMarket Research Store is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics released by reputed private publishers and public organizations. Market Research Store is the comprehensive collection of market intelligence products and services available on air. We have market research reports from number of leading publishers and update our collection daily to provide our clients with the instant online access to our database. With access to this database, our clients will be able to benefit from expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends.Joel John3422 SW 15 Street, Suit #8138,Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442, USAUSA Tel: +1-386-310-3803GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll Free No.1-855-465-4651Email: sales@marketresearchstore.comWeb: Forecast on Gas Hydrates Market Global Industry Analysis and Trends till 2026 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2469 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2469 www.futuremarketinsights.com Gas hydrates are also known as methane hydrates and are cage-structured lattices of water molecules which contains methane, the foremost component of natural gas. Gas hydrates are crystalline, naturally occurring, ice-like substances which is poised of gas particles bonded in a cage-like arrangement. Gas hydrates are a rigorous arrangement of natural gas but are less concerted as compared to liquefied natural gas. Gas hydrates occur in beneath of the sediment outer continental margins in foremost regions of Siberia and Alaska. Gas hydrates occur in a modes of occurrence and varied range of geologic settings. These regions include host lithology, gas hydrate in abundance, and distribution inside the burial depth, sediment matrix, water depth, and several others. The key regulatory factor on where gas hydrate forms is availability of methane and lithology.Gas Hydrates Market: Drivers & RestraintsThe major factors driving the growth of gas hydrates market are growing demand of oil and gas across the world, gas hydrates end-user adaptability. Moreover, the market is seen as an opportunity in gas sector as most of the major gas & oil players across the world are doing an advanced research to drive methods for extraction of gas hydrates from ocean. Although, recently India and Japan, are launching aspiring projects to examine the feasibility of gas hydrates. These initiative projects from major countries will help to answer significant questions on the properties of the design of the production system, the host reservoir, and, the economics and costs of hydrate recovery. The geological survey performed by U.S. has a dynamic research program to certificate the geographic factors to measure the volume of gas stored gas hydrate accumulations in U.S and that regulate the occurrence of gas hydrates. The factor restraining the growth of gas hydrates market is climate warming, as enormous volumes of methane are stowed across the globe in the sea floor in the form of solid methane hydrates. Gas hydrates signify an abundant energy reserve for the world. But on other hand it cause climate warming, however, could cause the hydrates to unsettle. The gas hydrates is a greenhouse gas, which can emit without any usage into the atmosphere and also can quicken the climate change.Request Report Sample@Gas Hydrates Market: Market SegmentationThe gas hydrates market is segmented into four parts based on the product type, application type, distribution channels, and geography.Based on the type the gas hydrates market is segmented into:Onshore gas hydratesOffshore/ Marine gas hydratesBased on the application type the gas hydrates market is segmented into:VehicleCommercialIndustrialOthersGas hydrates Market: Regional OutlookRegarding geography, gas hydrates market has been categorized into five key regions including North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APEJ, Japan, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. Gas hydrates market is expected to register healthy CAGR during the forecast period. Asia-Pacific represents the significantly high market share and grow with comparatively high CAGR in forecast period. North America is experiencing the rapid increase in the production capacity of gas hydrates as demand for oil and gas in the region is rising at faster pace. The gas hydrates market is projected to register healthy growth in coming five years due rising consumption of gas hydrates across globe in future. Gas hydrates market for Asia Pacific is also expected to witness rapid growth during the forecast period primarily attributed to the growth of oil and gas industry, especially in China and India.Visit For TOC@Gas Hydrates Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players in the upcoming prominent gas hydrates market are:-Global Oil & Gas AGPetroChinaRoyal Dutch ShellSinopecTotal SAValero EnergyOthersABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comPress: press@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Sterile Medical Packaging Market: Continuous Innovations in Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Sectors to Encourage Growth http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sterile-medical-packaging-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=260 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com The global market for sterile medical packaging is extremely competitive and fragmented in nature, owing to the presence of a large number of players operating in it, states a research report by Transparency Market Research. The leading players operating in the market, namely Nelipak Healthcare Packaging, Oracle Packaging, Sonoco Plastics Europe, Placon, Amcor Limited, Wipak Group, 3M Medical Packaging, Ampac Group, Billerkornas AB, Steripack, and Dupont are making remarkable efforts to expand their product portfolio and enhance their services in the coming years. In addition, these players are adopting the outsourcing model so as to expand their footprint in the global sterile medical packaging market in order to generate a high ROI. Furthermore, the strengthening of the distribution network and the increasing number of mergers and acquisitions are likely to accelerate the growth of the market in the near future.Obtain Report Details @As per the research study by Transparency Market Research, in 2016, the global sterile medical packaging market was worth US$26.5 bn and is expected to reach a value of US$38.3 bn by the end of 2024. This market is estimated to register a healthy growth throughout the forecast period.Development of Healthcare Sector to Augment North America Sterile Medical Packaging MarketFrom a geographical viewpoint, North America is expected to witness robust growth in the next few years. The increasing investment in the healthcare and manufacturing sectors is one of the key factors expected to encourage the growth of the sterile medical packaging market in North America in the forecast period. On the other hand, Europe is expected to exhibit a sluggish growth in the coming years. Nevertheless, the late adoption of medical packaging in Romania, Poland, and turkey is expected to offer several growth opportunities in the near future. Furthermore, the Middle East and Africa and Latin America are anticipated to witness a progressive growth in the next few years.The global market for sterile medical packaging has been categorized on the basis of end use into medical supplies and medical equipment. As per the research report, the pharmaceutical and biologics sub-segment in the medical equipment segment is estimated to lead the global market in the coming years. The growing demand for enhanced and innovative packaged medical products is projected to fuel the growth of this segment in the next few years. On the contrary, the medical supplies segment is projected to witness a downward trend in the coming years.Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @Rising Health Awareness to Bolster Global Sterile Medical Packaging MarketIn the last few years, biologics has gained immense popularity and is being preferred extensively as a choice of treatment for chronic disorders such as arthritis and diabetes. As a result, the demand for biologics and pharmaceutical products is predicted to encourage the growth of the global sterile medical packaging market in the near future. In addition, the growing demand for innovative product packaging solutions, especially among biologics manufacturers is estimated to fuel the growth of the overall market in the near future.Furthermore, the rising awareness among patients regarding a healthy lifestyle and the tremendously rising geriatric population are some of the primary factors estimated to accelerate the growth of the market in the near future. The increasing demand for medical devices and drugs, which is predicted to create a favorable environment for the global sterile packaging market in the next few years.Development of Sustainable Packaging Options to Offer Growth OpportunitiesThe global market for sterile medical packaging is expected to witness several challenges in the next few years. The stringent regulations imposed by governments for packaging and the rise in the healthcare costs are estimated to restrict the growth of the global sterile medical packaging market in the coming years. Nonetheless, the development of the new sustainable packaging options and constant innovations in the pharmaceutical sector are predicted to contribute extensively towards the development of the overall market in the near future.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Energy Efficiency Gamification Market Revenue and Value Chain 2016-2026 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2372 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2372 www.futuremarketinsights.com Games are widespread and most powerful ways through which human beings interact, have fun and by which they communicate. Human brains are wired for social bonding, positive feedback and to enjoy the challenges that games provide. Games rise awareness by using visual communication, limits the wastage of electrical energy and collaborative community engagement. This energy efficiency gamification involves games which includes players (either individually or in teams) and are rewarded for various energy savings accomplishments for a particular time of game played. Also, it gives feedback for their actions on actual-time data on players energy use and make maximum use of virtual world. Some of these games are Oroeco, Virtual Energy Advisor, ecoGator, Carbon Footprint Reduction Game, Utilityco, Cool Choices, WeSpire, Vermontivate, JouleBug, Kansas Take Charge and Kukui Cup. As the use of appliances and consumer electronics is increasing so consumption of electrical energy is surging. The governments across various countries, power providers & organizations are looking for the ways to reduce the wastage of energy and help the nation become more energy efficient & globally secured. Hence, the energy efficiency gamification market is estimated to grow at a healthy CAGR during the forecast period.Global Energy Efficiency Gamification Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe surging energy prices, government initiatives to save energy consumption, increasing overall user experience of games are driving the global energy efficiency gamification market. Also due to the ever increasing smartphones market it is easier for people to access the different kind of games that further leads to the growth of energy efficiency gamification market.Request For Report Sample@However, some restraints are hampering on the energy efficiency gamification market those are lack of awareness about these games and unpredictable effects on user behavior and attitudes.Global Energy Efficiency GamificationMarket: SegmentationThe global energy efficiency gamification market can be segmented as follows:Energy Efficiency GamificationMarket, by Type or CategoryEducationActionAnalyticsEnergy Efficiency GamificationMarket, by Platform or DeploymentWeb-basedMobileDesktopOthers (iPad, Laptops etc.)Energy Efficiency GamificationMarket, by End User-SectorResidentialCommercialIndustrialGlobal Energy Efficiency GamificationMarket: Regional OutlookGeographically, the global energy efficiency gamification market can be divided into seven regions, namely North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), Japan, and the Middle East and Africa (MEA). North Americais the leading region for the energy efficiency gamification market due to major adoption of gamification techniques. Asia Pacific is the next major contributor in the global energy efficiency gamification market due to growing adoption of smartphones by the individuals and growing gamification and creative innovation initiatives. Europe is following Asia Pacific and North America in terms of market share in the globalenergy efficiency gamification market because of getting fund support from the European Unions seventh framework programme for research and technological development. Latin America is the further booming region due to UNEPs Efficient Appliances and Equipments Partnership (United for Efficiency) and is expected to save energy consumption by switching to cleaner technologies. The Middle East and Africa are at a nascent stage in the global energy efficiency gamification market.Visit For TOC@Energy Efficiency GamificationMarket: Key playersThe key players in the global energy efficiency gamification market are Oroeco Inc., Energy In Time, myEcoNavigator, Evolaris, Lockheed Martin Corporation, San Diego Gas & Electric, Opower Inc., Cool Choices Inc., Simple Energy Inc., WeSpire Inc., Creative Roustabouts LLC, JouleBug, and Take Charge Challenge.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Global Fish Processing Market will Grow Exponentially during 2016 2024 https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/sample/fish-processing-market https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/toc/fish-processing-market https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/report/fish-processing-market https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/custom/522 http://www.zionmarketresearch.com Zion Market Research, the market research group announced the analysis report titled "Fish Processing Market: Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecasts 20162024"Global Fish Processing Market: OverviewThe practice associated with fish and fish products is known as fish processing. The process begins with the catching of fish and continues until the finished product is reached to the consumer. This finished product is in the ready-to-eat form. It covers all aquatic organisms under fish processing. Fish processing is mainly followed to protect them from decaying. Fish is the extremely perishable food product and hence it needs proper preservation method to extend its shelf life & maintain its nutritional quality. Some dried seafood such as shrimps, dried fish, dried octopus, dried oysters, and many other are gaining popularity among people. Moreover, some of the well-known fish processes used to preserve fish include surimi, curing, salting, drying, and smoking. For example, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and SNV Ghana collaborated to introduce a new fishing technology in order to provide cleaner and healthier fist to meet local as well as international standards.Request Free Sample Report @Global Fish Processing Market: Growth FactorsThis market is mainly driven by health benefits and high nutritional value of the fish and fish products. Growing health concerns and aquaculture industry are contributing for the global non-food processing application market growth. The introduction of modern techniques and motorization of fishing boats are expected to boost the global market in the near future. In addition, government support for fishing activities and technological advancement also fuel the global fish processing market.Global Fish Processing Market: SegmentationThe global fish processing market is segmented on the basis of application as non-food processing application and food processing application. Of these, non-food processing application is the fastest growing application segment in the global market owing to increasing use in the industrial applications. Non-food processing application is further sub-segmented as fertilizers, fish oil, industrial uses, fish meal, and cosmetics. Based on the category, the global market is bifurcated as preserved, frozen, and others. The global market is further divided based on equipment as curing & smoking, slaughtering, deboning, scaling, filleting, skinning, gutting, and others.Request Report TOC (Table of Contents) @Global Fish Processing Market: Regional AnalysisEurope is the dominating region in the global fish processing market. It is accompanied with abundant facilities such as boats, advanced machinery, and others which are anticipated to boost the global fish processing market in future. In European countries, cold smoking and hot smoking fish preserving methods are used to the large extent. Import for varieties of fish and shrimp from Asian economies will contribute to the global fish processing market growth. Portugal is the fastest growing region in the European country with augmenting demand for sardine, turbot, hake, oysters, clams, and cod. Some European countries such as Spain, Portugal, Poland, and Denmark have fishery as their main occupation and thus they majorly contribute to the GDP growth. They are leading exporters to the North American and European countries.Global Fish Processing Market: Competitive PlayersMajor players dominating the global fish processing market include Maruha Nichiro Corporation, Norway Pelagic ASA, Charoen Pokphand Foods PCL, High Liner Foods Incorporated, and Pescanova S.A. Other key players influencing the global market are Marine Harvest ASA, Thai Union Frozen Products PLC, Nippon Suisan Kaisha, Ltd., Leroy Seafood Group ASA, and Royal Greenland A/S.Browse detail report @Global Fish Processing Market: Regional Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.EuropeUKFranceGermanyAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaLatin AmericaBrazilThe Middle East and AfricaWhat Report ProvidesFull in-depth analysis of the parent marketImportant changes in market dynamicsSegmentation details of the marketFormer, on-going, and projected market analysis in terms of volume and valueAssessment of niche industry developmentsMarket share analysisKey strategies of major playersEmerging segments and regional marketsTestimonials to companies in order to fortify their foothold in the marketAsk for a customized report @About Us:Zion Market Research is an obligated company. We create futuristic, cutting edge, informative reports ranging from industry reports, company reports to country reports. We provide our clients not only with market statistics unveiled by avowed private publishers and public organizations but also with vogue and newest industry reports along with pre-eminent and niche company profiles. Our database of market research reports comprises a wide variety of reports from cardinal industries. Our database is been updated constantly in order to fulfill our clients with prompt and direct online access to our database. Keeping in mind the clients needs, we have included expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends in this database. Last but not the least, we make it our duty to ensure the success of clients connected to usafter allif you do well, a little of the light shines on us.Contact Us:Zion Market Research4283, Express Lane,Suite 634-143,Sarasota, Florida 34249, United StatesTel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll-Free No.1-855-465-4651Email: sales@zionmarketresearch.comWebsite: Kokum Butter Market Poised for Steady Growth in the Future http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2495 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2495 www.futuremarketinsights.com The kokum butter is extracted by refining the Kokum kernels using chemical processes of neutralization, bleaching and deodorization. Kokum Butter is composed of beneficial compounds that help to regenerate skin cells. It has a moderate to non-existent perfume and appears like cocoa or shea butter. Kokum butter has outstanding emollient properties and very high oxidative balance which allows kokum butter into many formulations like lotions, lip balms, and soaps. The butter extracted from the fruit kernels is rich in vitamin E, and vital fatty acids. Kokum butter is used in dry skin remedies, hair conditioners, infected pores and skin remedies and in many skin care and beauty products. The Kokum Butter is untreated, unrefined, non-deodorized, unbleached and does not contain any chemicals. Furthermore, Kokum is appropriate for ointment, suppositories, and other pharmaceutical purposes. The ointment is used for treating the ulcer, fissures of lips, cracks or cuts in hands and feet.Market Segmentation:The Kokum butter market is segmented on the basis of its applications in different industries such as pharmaceutical industry, cosmetic industry and other applications. In the pharmaceutical industry, kokum butter is majorly used in creams, skin lotions, balms, and shaving creams. Similarly, in the cosmetic industry, kokum butter is used in conditioners, lipsticks, body butters, moisturizing creams, hair care products, soaps, and toiletries. Other application includes food products such as confectionery and bakery products. The derivatives of Kokum butter are used as substitutes while manufacturing the chocolates, so the end product doesnt melt throughout transport in peak summer months. Kokum butter is most stable and hardest exotic butter. It will appear flaky and cracked, though it will melt when comes in contact with skin. It is best to use this together with different oils or butter to make it more pliable and easy to use.Request Report Sample@Market Regional Outlook:On the basis of geography, the kokum butter market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific excluding Japan, Japan, Middle East and Africa. In regional markets, Asia Pacific is the largest producer of kokum butter followed by Africa. India is the leading manufacturer of kokum butter across the globe.Market Drivers and Trends:High growth of Kokum butter market is anticipated as the cocoa butter is becoming increasingly expensive and limited availability, Kokum butter is becoming more popular as the substitute of cocoa butter. Due to its uniform triglyceride composition, it is often used as a substitute for cocoa butter as it is more quickly absorbed into the skin without leaving oily feel like many other oils and butter.Developing market for personal care and cosmetic products has played a major role in fuelling the growth of the Kokum butter market across the globe. Kokum butter has antioxidant properties and prevents drying of the skin and helps in reducing wrinkles. Kokum butter is rich in citric acid, polyphenols and acetic acid malic acid, and also contains vitamin B complexes, hydroxicitric, potassium, manganese, and magnesium. Kokum butter is used in cosmetic formulations along with other ingredients to make it more pliable.Visit For TOC@Kokum butter Market Key Players:The market for Kokum butter is highly fragmented with a large number of regional and international manufacturers. Some of the key players in Kokum Butter market include International Cosmetic Science Centre, Manorama Group, Biochemica, Marudhar Foods Private Limited, BioChemica International, Keynote International, Villa Germania Alimentos S.A., Madvik Research Labs Private Ltd., Fimanus UG Haftungsbeschrankt, Ausmetics Daily Chemicals (Guangzhou) Co Ltd., Zhongshan Desly Foodstuffs Co., LtdABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comPress: press@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Cottonseed Oil Market Growth, Trends and Value Chain 2016-2026 by FMI http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2363 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2363 www.futuremarketinsights.com Cottonseed oil is an oil extracted from the seeds of cotton. Its production process involves pressing and extraction of oil from the cotton seeds followed by purification and refinement. The refinement of the oil is the key step as it helps in removing gossypol, a naturally occurring toxin that protects the cotton plant from damage. Cottonseed oil is essentially a by-product of the cotton industry along with cottonseed meal, hulls and linters. Over 10-15% of a cotton farmers income is expected to come from these by-products, making them considerably valuable products in cotton processing operations.Market Dynamics of Cottonseed Oil Market:The edible oil market is a highly competitive space occupied by numerous types of oils. The presence of many substitute products is a considerable drawback for the cottonseed oil market. From a consumer point of view, this represents a highly trend-driven market. The introduction of a new and healthy oils is bound to eat into the market of traditionally used oils, at least for a certain time period. This is regarded as a reason for the severe fluctuations observed in cottonseed oil retail demand and market values.Request For Report Sample@One key advantage in this scenario is in regard to the industrial use of cottonseed oils. The product is widely used in various food and beverage products. Such large scale operations rely on a consistent supply chain, which is going to get disturbed in the event of a change of base ingredient, and as such are not impacted by volatile market trends. Cottonseed oil is a good source of antioxidant- tocopherol. The other advantages enjoyed by cotton seed oil are a low relative price and easy availability in cotton producing regions.With the increasing public understanding of the composition of such oils, the fat and nutrient profiles of cooking oils become very important. Given the relatively high fraction of saturated fats in cottonseed oil, this becomes a significant constraining factor for the market.Market Segmentation of Cottonseed Oil Market:Cottonseed oil market is segmented by end-use application, raw material type and region. On the basis of end-use application, cottonseed oil market is segmented on the basis of retail, food processing, cosmetic applications and other industrial uses. The retail segment is centered on its use as a cooking oil. Given its high smoke point, cottonseed oil is mostly used for deep frying and baking. It is mostly used as a cooking medium and is also part of various fried and processed foods such as potato chips and French fries. Due to its ability to form a beta prime crystal, which enables a consistent texture and appearance, cottonseed oil is a major ingredient in whipped toppings, margarines, shortenings, spreads and icings. . Unlike other cooking oils cottonseed oil has a neutral taste, meaning it doesnt alter the natural taste of food being prepared over it. Due to this reason it is used as a salad oil, wherein enhancing the flavor of the salad ingredients is considered primal.Cotton seed oil is also used in several personal care or cosmetic products such as soaps, cosmetics and detergents. As mentioned above, untreated cottonseed consists of gossypol, a toxin present in cotton. Due to this reason, untreated cottonseed oil is used as an insecticide. Other minor applications of the product include its use in making rubber and explosives.On the basis of raw-material type, the market is segmented into genetically-modified (GM) cotton and non-GM cotton. The growing negative perception around GM crops makes this an important variable. Due to the promise of increased returns, many cotton farmers in the developing world switched to GM cotton over the last decade. It is estimated that GM cotton is cultivated in over 25 million hectares across the world, with over 75% of US cotton being genetically modified. This dominance of GM cotton is expected to decrease in response to growing consumer concerns and farmer protests across the world.Regional Outlook of Cottonseed Oil Market:Geographically, the global cottonseed oil market can be divided by major regions which include North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Japan and Middle East and Africa. Both on the production and consumption side, the market is heavily dominated by India and China. These countries produced and consumed over 55% of the total cottonseed oil made during the 2015-2016 period. Pakistan and Uzbekistan are the other major regions in the cottonseed oil market. This dominance by Asia countries is largely attributed to large amount of cotton cultivation in the region and the high domestic demand for low-priced cooking oil.United States (U.S.) is a major producer and consumer of cottonseed oil in the North American region. Unlike the Asian countries, U.S. also exports a considerable portion of its cottonseed oil to other regions. Brazil and Turkey are the other important regions in the market. Eastern European nations such as Azerbaijan are also important but are limited by weak domestic consumption.Visit For TOC@Key Market Players in Cottonseed Oil Market:Some of the key players of the market include, Cargill, Incorporated, Archer Daniels Midland Compan (ADM), PYCO Industries, Bunge Limited, Louis Dreyfus, Adani Wilmar (Fortune Foods), Maharashtra Solvent Extraction (P) Ltd, Oilseeds International, Ltd., maong the others.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: 2017 Forecast - China Electric Control Cabinet Global Market Weather, Size, Share, Analysis and Business Research to 2022 http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/china-electric-control-cabinet-market-by-manufacturers-regions-107405 http://bit.ly/2lFShe1 http://www.marketresearchstore.com/ The China Electric Control Cabinet market report is created with an in-depth study of the trending growth opportunities and also includes self-explaining statistics of the China Electric Control Cabinet market development. The global market report provides a comprehensive overview of the fundamental definitions, specifications and also explains overall manufacturing process along with various advanced production methods. Our qualified researchers have intensely crafted China Electric Control Cabinet market report by referring the databases, secondary sources, and the directories to enhance the understanding of the related technical terms.The report presents accurate information that is significant to competitive analysis based on regional perceptions along with future forecast. The China Electric Control Cabinet market report explains each and every segment of the China Electric Control Cabinet industry based on, applications, various technology and processes, end users industries and products. The report also comprises various future based predictions that are developed by using advanced data analytics and techniques.Browse Complete Report Here @It also provides an In-depth summary of the major key players that includes manufacturers, vendors, and suppliers along with individually analyzed historic data and the companys growth plans. China Electric Control Cabinet market report also highlights the latest mergers and acquisitions, expansions, product development, and modifications carried out by the companies. The report comprises data created with deep study of global economic aspect and its effect on China Electric Control Cabinet market economy.The segmentation of China Electric Control Cabinet Market has been classified into Regions, Manufacturers, Applications, Products, and Key Players. Below is the segmentation:Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversABBSiemensSchneiderMitsubishi ElectricGEToshibaRittalEatonOmronNitto KogyoChuan Yi AutomationEbara DensanDelvalleElectroalfaEIC SolutionsLianCheng GroupWesTechWielandMarket Segment by Regions (Province), coveringSouth ChinaSouthwest ChinaEast ChinaNortheast ChinaNorth ChinaFree Inquiry For Buying Premium Report of China Electric Control Cabinet Market @Market Segment by Type, coversInverter Electric Control CabinetPLC Electric Control CabinetOthersMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoPower IndustryIndustrial ProductionOthersThere are 18 Chapters to deeply display the China Electric Control Cabinet market.Chapter 1, to describe Electric Control Cabinet Introduction, product type and application, market overview, market analysis by Region (province), market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the manufacturers of Electric Control Cabinet, with profile, main business, news, sales, price, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4,to show the China market by Regions (Province),covering South China,East China,Southwest China,North China,Northeast China,Northwest China and Central China,with sales, price,revenue and market share of Electric Control Cabinet,for each region,from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5 and 6, to show the market by type and application, with sales, price, revenue, market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 7,8,9,10,11,12 and 13 to analyze the key Province by Type and Application,covering South China,East China,Southwest China,North China,Northwest China,Central China and Northeast China,with sales,revenue and market share by types and applications;Chapter 14, Electric Control Cabinet market forecast, by Regions (Province), type and application, with sales, price, revenue and growth rate forecast, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 15, to analyze the manufacturing cost, key raw materials and manufacturing process etc.Chapter 16, to analyze the industrial chain, sourcing strategy and downstream end users (buyers);Chapter 17, to describe sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers etc.Chapter 18, to describe Electric Control Cabinet Appendix, methodology and data sourceAbout Market research StoreMarket Research Store is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics released by reputed private publishers and public organizations. Market Research Store is the comprehensive collection of market intelligence products and services available on air. We have market research reports from number of leading publishers and update our collection daily to provide our clients with the instant online access to our database. With access to this database, our clients will be able to benefit from expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends.Joel John3422 SW 15 Street, Suit #8138,Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442, USAUSA Tel: +1-386-310-3803GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll Free No.1-855-465-4651Email: sales@marketresearchstore.comWeb: Automotive Starter And Alternator Market Volume Analysis, Segments, Value Share and Key Trends 2017-2027 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2575 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2575 www.futuremarketinsights.com Modern day automobiles widely use starters and alternators. These are generally used in diesel and gasoline engines. The rising investments on R&D by key players in the market coupled with acquisitions and mergers is expected to make the global automotive starter and alternator market flourish in near future. The manufacturers of automotive starters and alternators are expanding their businesses to emerging economies like China, India, Russia, etc. as these countries are focused on development of automotive sectors in order to serve the rising demand across the globe.Electric starters are expected to dominate the segment during the forecast period. The different types of electric starters used in automotive sector are gear reduction, inertia starter, folo-thru drive and moveable pole shoe. Based on alternator type, the claw pole alternators are projected to witness significant growth in near future.Automotive Starter and Alternator Market: DriversOne of the major factors driving the growth of the global automotive starter and alternator market is increase in production of vehicles across the globe. According to OICA, the total vehicle production increased by around 1% in 2015. Moreover, increasing adoption of electric vehicles due to environment concerns such as rising air pollution, is further expected to escalate the demand for automotive starter and alternator market during the forecast period. Additionally, increasing preference for light weight and fuel efficient vehicles is further projected to escalate the demand for automotive starters and alternators in near future.Request For Report Sample@Automotive Starter and Alternator Market: RestraintsThe increasing production of hybrid vehicles is anticipated to hamper the growth of the global automotive starter and alternator market. The hybrid vehicles use one or more motors which ignite with the help of internal combustion engine. Due to this reason, these vehicles have eliminated the use of automotive starters and alternators which, in turn, is expected to restrict their demand in near future.Automotive Starter and Alternator Market: SegmentationThe global automotive starter and alternator market can be segmented on the basis of starter type, alternator type and vehicle type. On the basis of starter type, the market can be segmented into electric, hydraulic and pneumatic. On the basis of alternators, the market can be further segmented into claw pole alternator and cylindrical alternator. On the basis of vehicles, the global starter and alternator market can be further segmented into light commercial vehicles, heavy commercial vehicles and passenger cars.Automotive Starter and Alternator Market: Region wise OutlookBased on regions, Asia Pacific is expected to dominate the automotive starter and alternator market over the forecast period. Asia Pacific, led by emerging economies like China and India, is projected to be the dominant region during the forecast period due to the presence of continuously increasing automobile manufacturing companies in this region. North America, led by U.S. is expected to witness significant growth during the forecast period. The increasing demand for starters and alternators in North America, owing to rising production of vehicles, coupled with continuous investment in this market is expected to fuel the demand for automotive starters and alternators in near future. The automotive starter and alternator market in Middle East & Africa and Latin America is anticipated to witness steady growth due to sluggish demand in this region. However, increasing demand for vehicles is expected to create lucrative growth opportunities for automotive starters and alternators in near future.Request For TOC@Automotive Starter and Alternator Market: Market ParticipantsSome of the market participants identified in the global automotive starter and alternator market are mentioned below:Valeo SADenso CorporationRobert Bosch GmbHNingbo zhongwang auto fittings Co.,LTDHitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.Mitsubishi Electric CorporationASIMCO Technologies LtdHella KGaA Hueck & Co.BBB IndustriesUnipoint Electric MFG Co., Ltd.Remy International, Inc.Lucas Electrical LimitedMitsuba CorporationFuture Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Market Intelligence Report Frozen Food Packaging, 2017-2027 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2666 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2666 www.futuremarketinsights.com Introduction:The growing urbanization and fast paced lifestyle means less time for cooking a traditional home cooked meal. In addition, the number of females going out for jobs has increased the dependency on readymade and convenience food. All these factors have led to the rise in demand for frozen food which further accelerated the growth in frozen food packaging market.Frozen foods are preferred over fresh foods, as it can be stored for longer periods and also can be prepared in very less time. The packaging for frozen food also increases the shelf life of the product and maintains the nutrition value for the food items. One of the reasons for the growth in the frozen food packaging market is that the packaging has become an important factor in the food industry and the continuous innovation and development in the packaging of food items attracts the customer and hence drives the overall growth in the frozen food market.Frozen Food Packaging Market Dynamics:The most important factor which has accelerated the growth of frozen food packaging market is the growth in the demand for frozen food. The global frozen food market is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 4% during the forecast period of 2016- 2024. Some of the factors which have fueled this growth are dynamic lifestyle, urbanization, changing food habits, increasing disposable income, increase interest in international foods, increase in number of nuclear families and easy availability of products due to rise in number of retail chains. Furthermore, the increase in investments for innovative packaging and development of new features in the existing products by the vendors drives the growth in the frozen food packaging market. Some of the innovating packaging trends like tear notch, hanging holes, sealable zippers, single serve packaging further drives the demand for frozen food packaging market.Request For Report Sample@Even though the frozen food packaging market looks attractive, there are certain factors that can offset this growth. One of the factor that acts as a restraint in the frozen food packaging market is that, there is a section of population that remain resistant to the use frozen food as they believe it is unhealthy and less tasty.Frozen Food Packaging Market Segmentation:On the basis of food type, the global frozen food packaging market is segmented into:Frozen Meat, poultry, and seafoodBaked goodsFrozen specialties (pizza, side dishes, breakfast food etc)Frozen Fruits and vegetablesFrozen potatoesFrozen SoupIce creamOn the basis of product type, the global frozen food packaging market is segmented into:BagsBoxesPouchesFilmsTraysTubs and cupsWrapsCansCartonsOn the basis of material, the global frozen food packaging market is segmented into:PlasticAluminumCardboardGlassWoodFrozen Food Packaging Market- Regional Outlook:Geographically, the frozen food packaging market can be segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC) and Middle East & Africa (MEA). The global frozen food packaging market is projected to grow at a CAGR of around 5% during the forecast period (2016 -2024). North America and Europe are expected to witness a healthy growth in the frozen food packaging market due to high demand in packaged food and frozen food market. However, Asia Pacific is expected to grow at the fastest rate, largely due to the developing economies like India and China where the demand for frozen food is on rise as more hypermarkets and supermarkets are coming up and also due to rising urbanization in these regions. Additionally, MEA is also expected to witness an above average growth in frozen food packaging market due growing retail network in the region.Request For TOC@Frozen Food Packaging Market- Key Players:Some of the leading players identified across the globe in the frozen food packaging market are: Printpack, Inc., Amcor Ltd, Crown Holdings, Inc., Ball Corporation, Pactiv LLC, Bemis Company, Inc., Sealed Air Corporation, WestRock Company, Graphic Packaging International, Inc, FLAIR Flexible Packaging Corporation, International Paper Company and Huhtamaki N.A.Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Automotive Alloys Market: Expected To Observer Major Growth By 2027 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2665 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2665 www.futuremarketinsights.com The global automotive alloys market is estimated to grow phenomenally owing to rapid urbanization, increasing vehicle production and fuel efficiency regulations. The global automotive alloy market has immense growth potential in terms of electric vehicle production and integration of advanced safety and comfort technologies in vehicles.The global automotive industry is gradually transitioning towards light weighted vehicles. Due to a growing demand for safety and comfort technologies, automotive vehicles are becoming heavier. Light weighted vehicles are more fuel efficient and contribute to reducing emissions. Research and development on fuel economy of automotive vehicles shows a direct correlation between fuel efficiency and vehicle weight. This has influenced the trend to reduce weight in automobiles and to opt for light weighted alloys in automotive body panels. Thus, OEMs are now getting inclined to use lighter materials in vehicles. Growing demand for fuel efficient vehicles, and government regulations on reduction in vehicle weight are estimated to drive the growth of light weighted automotive alloys in automobiles. Automotive alloys are classified as steel alloys, magnesium alloys, aluminium alloys and others (composites).In the global automotive alloys market, steel alloys account for the largest market share owing to a growing demand for steel alloys in India and China for manufacturing vehicles. Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in the automotive industry use magnesium alloy as a light metal alloy. Magnesium alloy offers thermal stability, strength, rigidity, ductility and specific strength; it also weighs lighter. Magnesium alloy is primarily used in the automotive body & chassis structure of a vehicle (oil pumps, housings, the crank shaft, the cylinder crankcase, mounts, brackets and the radiator support), and other interior parts. The market for magnesium alloys is estimated to grow at a stable rate over the forecast period. The aluminium alloy segment is estimated to grow fastest owing to a high demand for light weighted vehicles with aluminium alloys.Request For Report Sample@Global Automotive Alloys: Market DynamicsDrivers:It is projected that the global automotive alloys market will be driven by the high demand of light weighted vehicles and the increasing pace of vehicle production.Also, the global automotive alloys market is estimated to be fuelled by rapid urbanization and regulations on fuel efficiency and greenhouse emissions.Restraints:In the global automotive alloys market, the relatively high cost of magnesium and aluminium alloys may hamper growth over the forecast period.Global Automotive Alloys Market: SegmentationFollowing is the segmentation for the global automotive alloys market:On the basis of type of alloy, the global automotive alloys market is segmented as: Steel, Aluminium, Magnesiumand others.On the basis of application, the global automotive alloys market is segmented as:Structural, Powertrain, Exterior and others.On the basis of type of vehicle, the global automotive alloys market segmented as:Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV), Heavy Commercial Vehicle (HCV)and Passenger Car.Global Automotive Alloys Market: Regional OutlookAsia-Pacific is estimated to be the largest market for automotive alloys due to stable economic growth, increasing vehicle production, rapid urbanization and the growing demand for light weighted vehicles over the forecast period. The countries contributing largely to the growth of the Asia-Pacific automotive alloys market are China, India, South Korea, Indonesia, and Thailand. In countries such as China and India, a large population base has contributed to the increase in automobiles sales.Japan, Latin America and Middle East & Africa are expected to grow at a steady rate over the forecast period. North America and Europe are matured markets for automotive alloys.Request For TOC@Global Automotive Alloys: Market ParticipantsSome of the market participants identified in the global automotive alloys market are:ConstelliumAMG Advanced Metallurgical Group N.V.KOBE STEEL, LTDNovelis, Inc.UACJ CorporationArcelorMittal S.A.Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal CorporationNorsk Hydro ASAthyssenkrupp AGAlcoa CorporationFuture Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Global Cardiac Rhythm Management (CRM) Devices Batteries Market Research Report 2016 - 2024 | New Release http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=918673 http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=918673 http://www.researchmoz.us/ http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Cardiac Rhythm Management (CRM) Devices Batteries Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024" to its huge collection of research reports.Rising prevalence of arrhythmic patients globally have resulted in increasing number of CRM devices implantations thus, escalating the market growth over the forecast period. CRM devices are placed in the upper chest of the patients body to help control irregular heartbeats or arrhythmias. Arrhythmias can arise as a result of several reasons including myocardial infarction, myocardial ischemia or due to electrolyte imbalance and drug toxicity. CRM devices are battery powered devices that help keep track on heartbeats of a patient. These include, ICDs, ICPs and CRT devices. Most of the CRM device manufacturers sell their own batteries and have begun to capitalize on improving their overall battery performance so as to extend the lifecycle of their CRM devices. This has led to substantial increase in production capacity of batteries in the near future. CRM devices are powered by various battery chemistries. However, newer devices that utilize lithium manganese dioxide do not suffer with the midlife charge time issue that has increased their sales significantly. Also, introduction of leadless pacing have pushed the battery manufacturers to introduce batteries with improved chemistry and technology further driving the revenues in global CRM device batteries market.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Global Cardiac Rhythm Management (CRM) Devices Batteries Market: Drivers and TrendsSignificant investments in the lithium battery supply chain and the growing need of cheaper yet safer lithium batteries has resulted in increasing sales of the CRM devices batteries. However, huge amount of data supporting the number of CRM devices recalls have significantly affected the sales of such devices over the forecast period. One of the primary reason for this is devices suffering issues with battery depletion. Others include capacitor complications and voltage issues.The report is a combination of primary and secondary research.Globally, rising number of patients with increased risk of developing life-threatening ventricular arrhythmia is expected to fuel the demand for ICD devices over the forecast period. Recent introduction of ICD with dual function modality is expected to create higher revenues for the segment in the coming years. However, the type of battery chemistry utilized to power such devices that has significantly gained prominent market share is lithium silver vanadium oxide followed by lithium iodide cells. This is attributed to low self-discharge rates and high cell potential of these batteries leading to low current currents and improve longevity.Global Cardiac Rhythm Management (CRM) Devices Batteries Market: Research MethodologiesPrimary research formed the bulk of our research efforts, with information collected from telephonic interviews and interactions via e-mail. Secondary research involved study of company websites, annual reports, press releases, stock analysis presentations, and various national and international databases. The report provides market size in terms of US$ Mn for each segment for the period from 2016 to 2024, considering the macro and micro-environmental factors. Growth rates for each segment within the cardiac rhythm management devices batteries market have been determined after a thorough analysis of past trends, demographics, future trends, technological developments, and regulatory framework.The market overview section of the report includes qualitative analysis of the cardiac rhythm management devices batteries market including the determining factors and market dynamics such as drivers, restraints, market trends and opportunities, along with white space analysis. In addition, market attractiveness analysis by country, by product type and power source along with competitive landscape by key players have been provided which explain the intensity of competition in the market considering different geographical locations. The competitive scenario between market players has been evaluated through market share analysis. These factors would help the market players take strategic decisions in order to strengthen their positions and increase their shares in the global market.Global Cardiac Rhythm Management (CRM) Devices Batteries Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, the global cardiac rhythm management devices batteries market has been segmented into five regions with North America leading the market in 2015 followed by Europe and Asia Pacific. The requirement for cardiac rhythm management devices batteries are rapidly growing in Asia Pacific due to rising number of heart failure cases in the region. Also presence of leading battery manufacturers is expected to upsurge the CRM devices batteries revenue in the region. Overall increased penetration of key market players entering into this geography are expected to drive the growth of this market during the forecast period.Key Players Mentioned in the Report are:Key companies profiled in the report include follows Medtronic, Boston Scientific Corporation, St. Jude Medical, Inc., Greatbatch, Inc. (Integer), EaglePicher Technologies, LLC, Quallion LLC, and BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG.The cardiac rhythm management devices batteries market has been segmented as follows:Global cardiac rhythm management (CRM) devices batteries market, by Product Type- Implantable cardiac pacemakers (ICPs)- Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICDs)- Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Devices (CRT-Ds)Global cardiac rhythm management (CRM) devices batteries market, by Power Sources- Lithium-iodine cells (Li/I2)- Lithium-silver vanadium oxide cell (Li/SVO)- Lithium-carbon mono-fluoride cells (Li/CFx)- Lithium-manganese dioxide cells (Li/MnO2)Global cardiac rhythm management (CRM) devices batteries market, by Geography- North America- Europe- Asia Pacific- Latin America- MEA (Middle East & Africa)Make an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @ Global Point-of-care Diagnostics Industry Analysis, Trends and Forecast Research Report 2016 - 2024 http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=918672 http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=918672 http://www.researchmoz.us/ http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Point-of-care Diagnostics Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024" to its huge collection of research reports.Point-of-care diagnostics is carried out in the clinics, home or near patient locations for testing of a sample from a patient in order to facilitate a prompt clinical decision regarding patient management. The report on point-of-care diagnostic market, analyzes the current and future prospects of the market. The report consists of an executive summary that provides information about the products, its segments and sub-segments, along with a market snapshot and comparative analysis by geography, in terms of revenue %, for 2015.Global Point-of-Diagnostics Market: Drivers and RestraintsA detailed overview of market dynamics, including the drivers, restraints, and opportunities of the point-of-care diagnostic market, along with porters analysis, value chain analysis, of the global market, has been provided in this report. Market revenue and volume analysis for all the above mentioned segments, and their sub segments has been provided for the forecast period of 2016-2024, considering 2015 as the base year, and 2014 as the historical year, along with compound annual growth rate (CAGR %), for the forecast period of 2016-2024. Market share estimations were based on in-depth analysis and study of products, and their features, prices etc. Pricing analysis, for every region has been provided considering the average selling prices (ASP), of products, in these regions.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @This report provides in-depth analysis of the point-of-care diagnostic market. The stakeholders for this report include companies involved in the manufacturing of Point-of-care Diagnostics. Executive summary section is included snapshot on stakeholders in this report, which summarizes the market size, trends and competition in different regions. Market players and Market share analysis is analyzed to signify percentage share of the major players operating in the point-of-care diagnostic market. Furthermore, the report includes market attractiveness analysis by geography that depicts the most attractive and significant region in the global market in 2015.Global Point-of-Diagnostics Market: Research MethodologyThe research methodology is a combination of primary and secondary research. Primary research includes information collected via e-mails, and telephonic interviews of key opinion leaders (KOL), and forms the bulk of our research. Secondary research includes information collected from various sources, by study of company websites, annual reports, stock analysis presentations, press releases, and various national and international databases.Global Point-of-Diagnostics Market: SegmentationBased on product type, the point-of-care diagnostic market has been segmented into Lateral flow assay test, Flow- through test, Solid phase assay test, Agglutination assay test. Based on applications, the point-of-care diagnostic are segmented into Infectious Disease test, Cholesterol monitoring, Substance abuse test, Fertility & Pregnancy test, Blood Glucose Test. Based on end users, the market is segmented as hospitals, clinics, homecare settings and diagnostic centers.Global Point-of-Diagnostics Market: Regional OutlookBased on geography, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. The regions are further segmented into major countries which include, U.S., Canada, Germany, U.K., France, Italy, Spain, rest of Europe, China, Japan, India, Australia, Rest of Asia Pacific, Brazil, Mexico, Rest of Latin America, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Rest of Middle East & Africa. The report also comprises list of major players in the market, their SWOT analysis, market share of these players in the Point-of-care Diagnostic market, key business strategies, product portfolios, and recent developments. Key market players profiled in this report include, Alere Inc., Abbott Laboratories, Becton, Dickinson & Company, F. Hoffmann La Roche Ltd., Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. and Trinity Biotech among others.The Point-of-care Diagnostic market has been segmented as follows:Point-of-care Diagnostics Market, by Product Type- Lateral flow assay test- Flow- through test- Solid phase assay test- Agglutination assay testPoint-of-care Diagnostics Market, by Application- Infectious Disease Test- Cholesterol monitoring- Substance abuse Test- Fertility & Pregnancy Test- Blood Glucose TestPoint-of-care Diagnostics Market, by End Users- Hospitals- Clinics- Homecare Settings- Diagnostic CentersPoint-of-care Diagnostics Market, by Geography- North America- U.S.- Canada- Europe- U.K.- Germany- France- Italy- Spain- Rest of Europe- Asia Pacific- China- Japan- India- Australia- Rest of Asia Pacific- Latin America- Brazil- Mexico- Rest of Latin America- Middle East & Africa- South Africa- Saudi Arabia- Rest of Middle East & AfricaMake an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @ Global X-Band Radar Market expected to register a CAGR of 3.8% by 2026 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-879 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/x-band-radar-market http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-879 www.futuremarketinsights.com According to a new market report published by Future Market Insights titled X-Band Radar Market - Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 2016 - 2026, the global X-band radar market was valued at US$ 4.6 Bn in 2015 and is expected to register a CAGR of 3.8% from 2016 to 2026 to reach US$ 6.9 Bn by 2026. Growth of the global X-band radar market is primarily driven by increasing need of advanced security and surveillance systems across the world.Increasing significance of weather and climate predictions, and aviation safety is propelling the demand for X-band radar market globally. X-band radars help improve aviation safety and increase the operational efficiency of the entire air transport industry. Besides, they also provide alerts on floods through continuous monitoring of rainfall. Vendors such as Saab Group and Northrop Grumman Corporation recently introduced weather monitoring radar.Request Report Sample@Inability to adjust quickly to track a stream of separate missiles is one of the factors restraining the growth of the market. Sea-based X-band radar can be supported by a land-based early warning radar in case of an event of an attack. These radars could help X-band radars by identifying a definite location for Sea-based X-band Radar (SBX) to focus on. However, aiming and re-aiming the giant radars beam is a clumsy process. This inhibits X-band radars ability to bend swiftly enough to track a range of different missiles.On the basis of type, the global X-band radar market is segmented as mobile X-band radar and sea based-X-band radar. The mobile X-band radar segment was valued US$ 3.1 Bn in 2015 and is anticipated to register a CAGR of 4.1% during the forecast period 20162026. The sea-based X-band radar segment was valued US$ 1.5 Bn in 2015.Browse the full "X-Band Radar Market - Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 2016 - 2026" market research report atX-Band Radar Market: Region-wise SegmentationNorth America, the largest market for X-Band radar, was valued US$ 1.5 Bn in 2015and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.1% during the forecast period of 2016-2026. In North America region, ARL-E long range radars developed by Northrop Grumman Corporation have witnessed traction in their adoption by the U.S. government. These radars have enhanced the U.S. Armys C4ISR capabilities.Western Europe region is expected be the second largest market of global X-band radar, followed by Eastern Europe. Ground Master 400 radar, developed by the Raytheon Company is very popular in this region.Send An Enquiry@Key Players in X-Band Radar MarketKey players of the global X-band radar market include Northrop Grumman Corporation, Raytheon Company, Saab Group, Japan Radio Company Limited, Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd, Furuno Electric Co.,Ltd, Terma A/S, Detect, Inc., Reutech Radar Systems, and ProSensing, Inc.Leading players in the global x-band radar market are focusing on the development of end-to-end products and services such as logistics, infrastructure and maintenance, and providing support to their clients. Companies such as Saab Group, Raytheon Corporation, DeTect, Inc. serve both domestic and international government customers as a prime contractor and subcontractor of defence and related programmes.Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.compress@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Global Ambulatory Surgical Centre Market estimated to be valued at US$ 108.5 Bn by the end of 2026 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1774 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-1774 www.futuremarketinsights.com Global Ambulatory Surgical Centres Market to Grow from US$ 73.8 Bn in 2016 to US$ 108.5 Bn by 2026The worldwide ambulatory surgical centres market is witnessing steady growth due to a rising demand for a quick, high-quality, and cost-effective alternative to inpatient care. In a new report titled Ambulatory Surgical Centre Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 20162026, Future Market Insights provides useful insights on the key drivers and trends impacting the growth of the ambulatory surgical centres market over a 10-year period. The global ambulatory surgical centres market was valued at US$ 71.4 Bn in 2015 and is estimated to be valued at US$ 108.5 Bn by the end of 2026, registering a CAGR of 3.9% over the forecast period. Future Market Insights attributes this growth to a rising spend in healthcare coupled with a growing number of ambulatory surgical centres.Market projections based on segmentationThe ophthalmology segment accounted for 23.4% market share of the global market in 2015 and is anticipated to account for 23.6% share and 24.0% share of the global market in 2020 and 2026 respectivelyThe global ambulatory surgical centres market was valued at US$ 71.4 Bn in 2015 and is estimated to reach US$ 108.5 Bn by the end of 2026. The North America market was valued at US$ 37.3 Bn in 2015 and is expected to reach US$ 58.9 Bn by 2026, expanding at a CAGR of 4.3% during the forecast period. The APEJ market was valued at US$ 5.7 Bn in 2015 and is expected to reach US$ 8.3 Bn by the end of 2026, expanding at a CAGR of 3.6% during the forecast period. The markets in North America, Western Europe, and Eastern Europe collectively hold 82% of the global ambulatory surgical centres market share.Request Report Sample@Some key players in the global ambulatory surgical centres market are AmSurg Corp., HCA Holdings Inc., Tenet Healthcare, Surgical Care Affiliates Inc., Surgery Partners, Ambulatory Surgical Centres of America, Medical Facilities Corporation, Healthway Medical Group, Community Health Systems, Inc., and Vision Group Holdings.CentreSingle Specialty CentresMulti-Specialty CentresMarket forecast by CentreThe single specialty centres segment is expected to reach US$ 35.7 Bn by the end of 2026, registering a growth rate of 3.2% during the forecast periodThe multi-specialty centres segment is estimated to reach US$ 72.8 Bn by 2026, registering a growth rate of 4.3% during the forecast periodModalityHospital-Based Ambulatory Surgical CentresFreestanding Ambulatory Surgical CentresMarket forecast by ModalityThe hospital-based ambulatory surgical centres segment is anticipated to account for 59.9% share and 61.3% share in the global market in 2020 and 2026 respectivelyThe freestanding ambulatory surgical centres segment is anticipated to account for 40.1% and 38.7% revenue share of the overall market in 2020 and 2026 respectivelyServicesDiagnostic ServicesSurgical ServicesMarket Forecast by ServicesThe diagnostic services segment is expected to expand at a CAGR of 3.6% during the forecast periodThe surgical services segment is expected to expand at a CAGR of 4.1% during the forecast periodSpecialty AreaGastroenterologyOphthalmologyOrthopaedicsPain/NeurologyUrologyDermatologyOthersMarket ForecastSend An Enquiry@The gastroenterology segment accounted for 29.0% market share of the global market in 2015 and is anticipated to account for 29.7% share and 31.3% share of the global market in 2020 and 2026 respectivelyFuture Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.compress@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Global Cyber Security Industry Key Trends, Size, Growth, Shares And Forecast Research Report 2016 - 2026 http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=909444 http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=909444 http://www.researchmoz.us/ http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "The Global Cyber Security Market 2016 - 2026" to its huge collection of research reports.The Global Cyber Security Market 20162026 report offers a detailed analysis of the industry, with market size forecasts covering the next ten years. This report will also analyze factors that influence demand for Cyber Security, key market trends, and challenges faced by industry participants.Key FindingsThe global cyber security Market is projected to register a CAGR of 4.51% over the forecast period, growing from US$11.9 billion in 2016 to US$18.5 billion by 2026. Increased threats of terrorist attacks, the need to secure maritime and offshore installations, and the growing vulnerability of IT and communication networks to hacking are expected to drive expenditure.SynopsisThe Global Cyber Security Market 20162026 report offers a detailed analysis of the industry, with market size forecasts covering the next ten years. This report will also analyze factors that influence demand for Cyber Security, key market trends, and challenges faced by industry participants.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Reasons To Buy- Determine prospective investment areas based on a detailed trend analysis of the global cyber security market over the next ten years- Gain in-depth understanding about the underlying factors driving demand for different cyber security segments in the top spending countries across the world and identify the opportunities offered by each of them- Strengthen your understanding of the market in terms of demand drivers, industry trends, and the latest technological developments, among others- Identify the major channels that are driving the global cyber security market, providing a clear picture about future opportunities that can be tapped, resulting in revenue expansion- Channelize resources by focusing on the ongoing programs that are being undertaken by the defense ministries of different countries within the global cyber security market- Make correct business decisions based on thorough analysis of the total competitive landscape of the sector with detailed profiles of the top cyber security providers around the world which include information about their products, alliances, recent contract wins and financial analysis wherever availableTable of ContentsExecutive SummaryCyber Security Market OverviewMarket Dynamics- Demand Drivers: Analysis of factors that trigger spending within the sector- Trends: Prevalent practices, industry consolidation and procurement patterns within the market- Technological Developments : New products, processes and innovations within the sector- Key Challenges: Obstacles affecting sector growth- Cyber Security MarketSegment AnalysisSegment Analysis: Network Security- Market size and CAGR growth analysis, 2016-2026- Change in market share, 2016-2026- Segment Analysis: Data Security- Market size and CAGR growth analysis, 2016-2026- Change in market share, 2016-2026- Segment Analysis: Identity & Access Security- Market size and CAGR growth analysis, 2016-2026- Change in market share, 2016-2026- Segment Analysis: Cloud Security- Market size and CAGR growth analysis, 2016-2026- Change in market share, 2016-2026Regional Review- Defense capital expenditure- Capex forecast, 20162026- Factors influencing military modernization programsCyber Security Market Regional Analysis- Regional overview- Factors driving spending within the region- Regional expenditure on each sub-segment , 2016-2026- Market Size and CAGR growth analysis, 2016-2026- Change in market share, 2016-2026Trend Analysis Key Defense Markets- Market Size and CAGR growth analysis, 2016-2026- Change in market share , 2016-2026- Country wise breakdown of expenditure for each region- Sub-segment wise analysis for each country- Major Programs for each country- Key Programs Analysis- Description of key programs- Delivery period, units and total expenditureCompetitive Landscape Analysis- Competitive analysis 14 leading companies- Major Products and Services- Major Alliances and Recent Contracts- Financial Analysis covering Revenue, Operating Profit and Net ProfitMake an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @ Global Waste Processor Consumption Industry Key Trends, Size, Growth, Shares And Forecast Research Report 2016 http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=739179 http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=739179 http://www.researchmoz.us/ http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Waste Processor Consumption 2016 Market Research Report" to its huge collection of research reports.The Global Waste Processor Consumption 2016 Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Waste Processor market.First, the report provides a basic overview of the Waste Processor industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. And development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures.Secondly, the report states the global Waste Processor market size (volume and value), and the segment markets by regions, types, applications and companies are also discussed.Third, the Waste Processor market analysis is provided for major regions including USA, Europe, China and Japan, and other regions can be added. For each region, market size and end users are analyzed as well as segment markets by types, applications and companies.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Then, the report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specifications, sales, market share and contact information. Whats more, the Waste Processor industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered.In a word, the report provides major statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Table of Contents1 Industry Overview of Waste Processor1.1 Definition and Specifications of Waste Processor1.1.1 Definition of Waste Processor1.1.2 Specifications of Waste Processor1.2 Classification of Waste Processor1.3 Applications of Waste Processor1.4 Industry Chain Structure of Waste Processor1.5 Industry Overview and Major Regions Status of Waste Processor1.5.1 Industry Overview of Waste Processor1.5.2 Global Major Regions Status of Waste Processor1.6 Industry Policy Analysis of Waste Processor1.7 Industry News Analysis of Waste Processor2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Waste Processor2.1 Raw Material Suppliers and Price Analysis of Waste Processor2.2 Equipment Suppliers and Price Analysis of Waste Processor2.3 Labor Cost Analysis of Waste Processor2.4 Other Costs Analysis of Waste Processor2.5 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Waste Processor2.6 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Waste Processor3 Global Market Size (Volume and Value), Sales and Sale Price Analysis of Waste Processor3.1 Global Market Size (Volume and Value) and Growth Rate of Waste Processor 2011-20163.2 Global Market Size (Volume and Value) of Waste Processor by Regions 2011-20163.3 Global Market Size (Volume and Value) of Waste Processor by Types 2011-20163.4 Global Market Size (Volume and Value) of Waste Processor by Applications 2011-20163.5 Global Sales Volume and Sales Revenue of Waste Processor by Companies 2011-20163.6 Global Sale Price of Waste Processor by Regions 2011-20163.7 Global Sale Price of Waste Processor by Types 2011-20163.8 Global Sale Price of Waste Processor by Applications 2011-20163.9 Global Sale Price of Waste Processor by Companies 2011-20164 USA Market Size (Volume and Value), Sales, Sale Price and End Users Analysis of Waste Processor4.1 USA Market Size (Volume and Value) and Growth Rate of Waste Processor 2011-20164.2 USA Market Size (Volume and Value) of Waste Processor by Types 2011-20164.3 USA Market Size (Volume and Value) of Waste Processor by Applications 2011-20164.4 USA Sales Volume and Sales Revenue of Waste Processor by Companies 2011-20164.5 USA Sale Price of Waste Processor by Types 2011-20164.6 USA Sale Price of Waste Processor by Applications 2011-20164.7 USA Sale Price of Waste Processor by Companies 2011-20164.8 USA Regional Supply, Import, Export and Consumption of Waste Processor 2011-20164.9 USA End Users with Contact Information and Consumption Volume of Waste Processor by Applications5 Europe Market Size (Volume and Value), Sales, Sale Price and End Users Analysis of Waste Processor5.1 Europe Market Size (Volume and Value) and Growth Rate of Waste Processor 2011-20165.2 Europe Market Size (Volume and Value) of Waste Processor by Types 2011-20165.3 Europe Market Size (Volume and Value) of Waste Processor by Applications 2011-20165.4 Europe Sales Volume and Sales Revenue of Waste Processor by Companies 2011-20165.5 Europe Sale Price of Waste Processor by Types 2011-20165.6 Europe Sale Price of Waste Processor by Applications 2011-20165.7 Europe Sale Price of Waste Processor by Companies 2011-20165.8 Europe Regional Supply, Import, Export and Consumption of Waste Processor 2011-20165.9 Europe End Users with Contact Information and Consumption Volume of Waste Processor by Applications6 China Market Size (Volume and Value), Sales, Sale Price and End Users Analysis of Waste Processor6.1 China Market Size (Volume and Value) and Growth Rate of Waste Processor 2011-20166.2 China Market Size (Volume and Value) of Waste Processor by Types 2011-20166.3 China Market Size (Volume and Value) of Waste Processor by Applications 2011-20166.4 China Sales Volume and Sales Revenue of Waste Processor by Companies 2011-20166.5 China Sale Price of Waste Processor by Types 2011-20166.6 China Sale Price of Waste Processor by Applications 2011-20166.7 China Sale Price of Waste Processor by Companies 2011-20166.8 China Regional Supply, Import, Export and Consumption of Waste Processor 2011-20166.9 China End Users with Contact Information and Consumption Volume of Waste Processor by ApplicationsMake an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @ Global Beverage Packaging Market expected to grow at 3.3% CAGR through 2025 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-196 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-196 www.futuremarketinsights.com The global beverage packaging market is expected to be worth nearly US$ 200 billion in 2017, up from US$ 186 billion in 2015. Demand will be sustained by increasing consumption of packed food and beverages and increase in the number of one-person households in key markets. Advances in packaging technology will continue to shape up the global market, with intelligent packaging expected to gain traction.Plastics to Account for Over 50% Revenue ShareBeverage packaging manufacturers will continue to rely on plastic for bulk of production, with glass, metal, and paperboard among other key raw materials. Overall, plastics will account for over 50% revenue share by raw material type, with metal a distant second at approximately 24% market share. Benefits of plastic packaging, such as low production costs, easy transportation, and lower weight will continue to make it a preferred raw material for manufacturers. PET, polystyrene, and polypropylene will remain the highest-selling plastics in the beverage packaging marketcollectively, they are expected to account for US$ 52.64 billion in revenues in 2017.Request Report Sample@Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) Largest MarketAsia Pacific (excluding Japan) will continue to be the largest market for beverage packaging in 2017. Increasing demand for packed food products will continue to fuel market revenues in the region. The APEJ beverage packaging market is expected to surpass US$ 50 billion in revenues by 2017 and continue to be the largest market for beverage packaging globally.North America and Western Europe the other leading markets for beverage packaging will continue to post moderate gains. Adoption of advanced packaging technology will witness higher growth in these two regions vis-a-vis APEJ. Collectively, North America and Western Europe will account for nearly half of global beverage packaging market revenues in 2017.CSD/soda manufacturers will remain the largest application segments in the global beverage packaging market, followed by dairy and juice/soft drinks. Demand for beverage packaging from CSD/soda segment is anticipated to be worth US$ 58 billion in 2017, up from nearly US$ 55 billion in 2015. Plastics will remain the largest product type for CSD/soda, followed by cans and glass bottles.Vendor InsightsLeading players in the global packaging market are focusing on creating functional and sustainable packaging that caters to the swiftly changing needs of consumers. Increasing investment in R&D to develop next-generation packaging solutions and strengthening of distribution networks in emerging nations remain key strategic endeavours of beverage packaging brands. The key players profiled in the report include Ampac Holdings, LLC, Amcor Limited, Alcoa Inc., Ball Corporation, Crown Holdings, Inc., Owens-Illinois, Inc., Rexam PLC, Reynolds Group Holdings Limited, SIG Combibloc, Ardagh Group S.A., Tetra Laval International S.A. and Compagnie de Saint-Gobain.Send An Enquiry@Long-term Outlook: During the forecast period, 2015-2025, the global beverage packaging market is expected to grow at 3.3% CAGR through 2025, totalling US$ 257.5 billion in revenues. Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) will remain the largest market for beverage packaging throughout the forecast period 2015-2025.Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.compress@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Food Contact Paper Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast Analysis For 2016 - 2024 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=15971 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/food-contact-paper-market.html Food Contact Paper Market: OverviewAny paper that is intended to come in direct contact with food or other consumables is known as food contact paper. This paper is usually used in packaging edibles such as confectioneries, bakery products, dairy products, frozen food, groceries, fresh food, takeaway food, liquids, or beverages. Food contact paper is widely used across the food and beverages industry. Major market segmentation is done on the basis of type of paper and presence of coating. Three major types of paper used in food packaging include corrugated paper, kraft paper, and wrapping paper. Paper packaging materials used in packaging of liquid food and beverages have an inner lining on the surface that directly comes in contact with consumables. This is done to avoid direct contact between paper and food items and prevent spoilage of both food and paper. This type of paper is said to be poly-coated, while dry edibles can be stored in simple food-grade papers, known as non poly-coated papers.For More Information About Research, Download Brochure@Food Contact Paper Market: SegmentationFood contact paper is used in varied packaging applications across bakeries, dairies, beverages, confectioneries, groceries, fresh food, and other applications. Packaging of fresh food, groceries, and beverages accounted for approximately two-third share of the market in terms of application in the year 2014. Fresh food packaging held substantial share of the food contact paper market, with nearly one-third of the global share in various applications, while groceries and beverages packing applications together accounted for nearly about one-third share of the market in 2014. Packaging of bakery products, takeaway food, ready-to-eat meals, frozen food, and non-liquid dairy products constituted remaining market share in terms of application. In terms of type of paper used, corrugated paper was the key product type, accounting for significant share of the market. This was followed by kraft paper, while the remaining share was occupied by wrapping paper. Wrapping paper has developed into the most popular food contact paper type during the past few years; a similar trend is expected to continue due to its easier availability and recyclability. Poly-coated papers are used in packaging of beverages, takeaway food, frozen food, and ready-to-eat meals, while rest of the market is dominated by non poly-coated paper packaging.Food Contact Paper Market: Trends and OpportunitiesThere has been growing concern over the usage of poly-coated paper in food packaging. Poly-coated papers are non-biodegradable; hence, they pose environmental concerns. Numerous key players in the market have initiated research and development projects to find a sustainable alternative to poly-coated paper to avoid environmental restraints. Growing urbanization has been chiefly driving the food contact paper market during the past few years. There has also been rising demand for good quality paper to be used in food packaging due to growing consumer awareness toward food security and health concerns. This trend is expected to further augment the food contact paper market. This, in turn, would compel producers to come up with sustainable alternatives to existing low-quality and non-biodegradable papers.Food Contact Paper Market: Geographical and Competitive DynamicsAsia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing market for food contact paper followed by Middle East & Africa due to presence of strong middle class population in growing economies such as China, India, South Africa, and countries in ASEAN. Increasing disposable income and flourishing food and beverages industry are expected to primarily boost the market in this region. Stringent norms for food packaging in North America are likely to fuel the food contact paper market in this region. Europe is anticipated to witness sluggish growth due to stringent environmental norms in the region. Latin America is estimated to witness steady growth in the food contact paper market led by developing economies in the region such as Brazil.Major players in the food contact paper market include International Paper, HUHTAMAKI GROUP, Mondi, Smurfit Kappa Group, Georgia-Pacific, Glatfelter, Burrows Paper Corporation, Seaman Paper Company, Nordic Paper, Pactiv LLC and Cascades Inc.Browse Full Report@About Us:-Transparency Market Research is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact Us:-Transparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Global Reciprocating Compressor Market of Top Countries 2017 : Industry Trends and Analysis Report Reciprocating Compressor Market http://www.decisiondatabases.com/ip/15376-reciprocating-compressor-market-analysis-report http://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/download-sample-15376 http://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/buy-now-15376 http://www.decisiondatabases.com/ip/15359-rare-earth-metals-market-analysis-report www.decisiondatabases.com/ DecisionDatabases.com announces a new report 2017-2022 Global Top Countries Reciprocating Compressor Market Report added to its database. The report provides key statistics on the current state of the industry and other analytical data to understand the market.This report studies Reciprocating Compressor in Global market, especially in United States, Canada, Mexico, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Russia, China, Japan, India, Korea, Southeast Asia, Australia, Brazil, Middle East and Africa.Browse Full Report with TOC @The report focuses on the top Manufacturers in each country, covering Ariel Siemens GE Atlas Copco Kobelco Burckhardt Compression Ingersoll Rand Howden ? ? ?? Hitachi? Shenyang Yuanda Gardner Denver Sundyne Shenyang Blower Neuman & Esser Corken KAESER Mayekawa FushengSplit by Product Types, with sales, revenue, price, market share of each type, can be divided into Vertical Horizontal AngularSplit by applications, this report focuses on sales, market share and growth rate of Reciprocating Compressor in each application, can be divided into Refinery Industrial Gases LNG and CNG Transport and Storage Ethylene and LDPE Plants OthersDownload Free Sample Report of Reciprocating Compressor Market @Table of Contents - Snapshot1 Market Overview2 Global Sales, Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Manufacturers3 Global Sales, Revenue (Value) by Countries, Type and Application (2012-2017)4 Global Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis5 North America Sales, Revenue (Value) by Countries, Type and Application (2012-2017)6 Latin America Sales, Revenue (Value) by Countries, Type and Application (2012-2017)7 Europe Sales, Revenue (Value) by Countries, Type and Application (2012-2017)8 Asia-Pacific Sales, Revenue (Value) by Countries, Type and Application (2012-2017)9 Middle East and Africa Sales, Revenue (Value) by Countries, Type and Application (2012-2017)10 Manufacturing Cost Analysis11 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers12 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders13 Market Effect Factors Analysis14 Global Market Forecast (2017-2022)15 Research Findings and Conclusion16 AppendixPurchase the Complete Reciprocating Compressor Market Research Report @Other Reports by DecisionDatabases.com:2017-2022 Global Top Countries Rare Earth Metals Market Report @About Us:DecisionDatabases.com is a global business research reports provider, enriching decision makers and strategists with qualitative statistics. DecisionDatabases.com is proficient in providing syndicated research report, customized research reports, company profiles and industry databases across multiple domains.Our expert research analysts have been trained to map clients research requirements to the correct research resource leading to a distinctive edge over its competitors. We provide intellectual, precise and meaningful data at a lightning speed.3rd Floor,Fountain Chambers,Nanabhai Lane,Fort, Mumbai - 40001E-Mail: sales@decisiondatabases.comPhone: +91 99 28 237112Web: Global Party Balloon Market Share and Forecasts Research Report 2017 https://marketsizeforecasters.com/get-sample/7141 https://marketsizeforecasters.com/enquire-for-discount/7141 https://marketsizeforecasters.com/securecheckout/paymenta/7141?msfpaycode=sumsf https://marketsizeforecasters.com/global-party-balloon-market https://marketsizeforecasters.com/north-america-party-balloon-market http://marketsizeforecasters.com/ The market research report Global Party Balloon Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 aims to offer insights into new business opportunities for companies active in Party Balloon Market as well as for those players that are aiming to get an entry into the industry.Party Balloons Market are air-tight bags made out of latex a light material or foil that can be inflated with air or other gas. The ordinary air, or other gases such as helium, can be forced into them for expansion purposes. Latex balloons are available in all kinds of shapes, sizes, and colors to delight children and adults at birthday parties and other festive occasions or used as a tool of advertisement.Global Party Balloon Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversGemar BalloonsPioneer BalloonAmscanBELBALXingchengCTI IndustriesMaple City RubberColour WayRequest a sample copy of Global Party Balloon Market Research Report @Global Party Balloon Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers North America (USA, Canada and Mexico), Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.), Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Global Party Balloon Market Segment by Type, coversLatex BalloonsFoil BalloonsThe listed pricing for this Global Party Balloon Market report starts at $ 3480. Request Discount for Global Party Balloon Market Research Report @Table of Contents in Global Party Balloon Market Research Report1 Market Overview1.1 Party Balloon Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.3 Market Analysis by Applications2 Manufacturers Profiles2.1 Gemar Balloons2.2 Pioneer Balloon2.3 Amscan2.4 BELBAL3 Global Party Balloon Market Competition, by Manufacturer3.1 Global Party Balloon Sales and Market Share by Manufacturer3.2 Global Party Balloon Revenue and Market Share by Manufacturer3.3 Market Concentration RateGlobal Party Balloon Market of 119 pages having tables and figures is available for purchase atMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoCommercialResidentialOthersBrowse full table of contents and data tables For Global Party Balloon Market Report @Related Reports: -North America Party Balloon Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022This report focuses on the Party Balloon in North America market, especially in United States, Canada and Mexico. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, countries, type and application.MarketSizeForecasters.com, a Skyline Market Research LLP brand, is an online aggregator of market research reports. MarketSizeForecasters.com offers a comprehensive collection of full length reports on global and regional markets in 100+ industry verticals. We have partnered with some of the leading business and market research publishing houses and regularly update our online library to offer wide range of reports to our customers.Market size forecastersThe Green Suite #4594,Dover, DE 19901United StatesPhone: 1-201-355-0868US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email: sales@marketsizeforecasters.comWebsite:Connect with us: LinkedIn | Twitter Sales of Global Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Market Evaluated by Type, Applications and Regions https://marketsizeforecasters.com/get-sample/7142 https://marketsizeforecasters.com/enquire-for-discount/7142 https://marketsizeforecasters.com/securecheckout/paymenta/7142?msfpaycode=sumsf https://marketsizeforecasters.com/global-personal-protective-equipment-ppe-market https://marketsizeforecasters.com/north-america-personal-protective-equipment-ppe-market http://marketsizeforecasters.com/ Global Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022is the latest market intelligence on growth drivers, industry and regional trends, competitive landscape scenario as well as upstream and downstream sectors.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Global Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report covers3MDuPontHoneywellLakelandUvexMSA SafetyLindstromKapplerRequest a sample copy of Global Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Market Research Report @Global Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers North America (USA, Canada and Mexico), Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.), Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Global Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Market Segment by Type, coversHead, Eye & Face ProtectionProtective ClothingProtective FootwearHand ProtectionThe listed pricing for this Global Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Market report starts at $ 3480. Request Discount for Global Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Market Research Report @Table of Contents in Global Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Market Research Report11 Global Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Market Segment by Application11.1 Global Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Sales Market Share by Application (2012-2017)11.2 Construction Sales Growth (2012-2017)11.3 Oil & Gas Industry Sales Growth (2012-2017)12 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Market Forecast (2017-2022)12.1 Global Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Sales, Revenue and Growth Rate (2017-2022)12.2 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Market Forecast by Regions (2017-2022)12.3 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Market Forecast by Type (2017-2022)13 Sales Channel, Distributors, Traders and Dealers13.1 Sales Channel13.1.1 Direct Marketing13.1.2 Indirect MarketingGlobal Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Market of 124 pages having tables and figures is available for purchase atMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoConstructionOil & Gas IndustryAutomobile IndustryAerospaceCommunication IndustryMetallurgical IndustryBrowse full table of contents and data tables For Global Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Market Report @Related Reports: -North America Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022This report focuses on the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in North America market, especially in United States, Canada and Mexico. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, countries, type and application.MarketSizeForecasters.com, a Skyline Market Research LLP brand, is an online aggregator of market research reports. MarketSizeForecasters.com offers a comprehensive collection of full length reports on global and regional markets in 100+ industry verticals. We have partnered with some of the leading business and market research publishing houses and regularly update our online library to offer wide range of reports to our customers.Market size forecastersThe Green Suite #4594,Dover, DE 19901United StatesPhone: 1-201-355-0868US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email: sales@marketsizeforecasters.comWebsite:Connect with us: LinkedIn | Twitter Single Dose Packaging Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast Analysis For 2016 - 2024 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=17519 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/single-dose-packaging-market.html Single dose packaging Market Dynamics:The growth in the single dose packaging market is primarily driven by the pharmaceutical industry. The stringent regulations in pharmaceutical industry related to product safety is expected to fuel the growth in demand for the single dose packaging market. Other factors such as rising number of working singles, increasing popularity of nuclear family concept also drives the growth in the personal care and food packaging, which further elevates the growth in the single dose packaging market. Meanwhile, the contradictory requirements like hard packaging to meet the child resistant standards and also easy to open feature can restrain the growth in the single dose packaging market.Know Details Recent Industry Insight Overview, Request Brochure@Single dose packaging Market Segmentation:On the basis of application, the global Single dose packaging is segmented into:PharmaceuticalCosmetics and Personal careChemicalFood and BeveragesIndustrialOn the basis of product type, the Single dose packaging is segmented into:Blister PacksSmall BottlesTubesPodsVialsAmpoulesPouchesOn the basis of product form, the Single dose packaging is segmented into:SolidLiquidPowderGelSingle dose packaging Market- Regional Outlook:Geographically, the single dose packaging market can be segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC) and Middle East & Africa (MEA). The global single dose packaging market is projected to grow at a healthy during the forecast period (2016 -2024). North America is expected to witness a strong growth in demand for single dose packaging market. Past initiatives like FDA mandate for single dose packaging in clinical trials in the U.S. due to compliance and regulations related to patient safety triggered the growth in the single dose packaging market in the U.S. Further, Asia Pacific is expected to experience the highest growth rates during the forecast period, primarily because of developing economies like India and China. The pharmaceutical, healthcare, personal care industries in these developing economies are witnessing huge growth rates because of rising young population, increasing disposable incomes, urbanization factors, which is expected to translate into healthy CAGR for single dose packaging market. Europe is expected to witness an above global average growth rates in the single dose packaging market due to rising demand in pharmaceutical industry and huge customer base for retail packaging industry.Single dose packaging Market- Key Players:Some of the leading players identified across the globe in the single dose packaging market are: Medi Dse, Inc., VALMATIC S.r.l., Unit Pack Co., Inc., Unither Pharmaceuticals, Mylan N.V., Ultra Seal Corporation, Unit Dose Solutions Inc., McKesson Corporation, Pacific Packaging Components Inc., Omnicell, Inc., and LF of America Corp.Browse Full Report@About Us:-Transparency Market Research is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact Us:-Transparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Global Tallow Fatty Acids Market 2017 Segmented, Type, Application and Geography Trends and Forecasts 2022 http://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/176723 http://www.orbisresearch.com/reports/index/2017-market-research-report-on-global-tallow-fatty-acids-industry http://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/enquiry-before-buying/176723 https://www.linkedin.com/company/orbis-research https://twitter.com/orbisresearch https://www.facebook.com/OrbisResearch In our aim to provide our erudite clients with the best research material with absolute in-depth information of the market, our new report on Global Tallow Fatty Acids Market is confident in meeting their needs and expectations. The 2017 market research report on Global Tallow Fatty Acids Market is an in-depth study and analysis of the market by our industry experts with unparalleled domain knowledge. The report will shed light on many critical points and trends of the industry which are useful for our esteemed clients. The report covers a vast expanse of information including an overview, comprehensive analysis, definitions and classifications, applications, and expert opinions, among others. With the extent of information filled in the report, the presentation and style of the Global Tallow Fatty Acids Market report is a noteworthy.Request a sample of this report @The Global Tallow Fatty Acids Industry report provides key information about the industry, including invaluable facts and figures, expert opinions, and the latest developments across the globe. Not only does the report cover a holistic view of the industry from a global standpoint, but it also covers individual regions and their development. The Global Tallow Fatty Acids Industry market report showcases the latest trends in the global and regional markets on all critical parameters which include technology, supplies, capacity, production, profit, price, and competition. The key players covered in the report provide a detailed analysis of the competition and their developments in the Global Tallow Fatty Acids Industry. Accurate forecasts and expert opinion from credible sources, and the recent R&D development in the industry is also a mainstay of the Tallow Fatty Acids Market report.The report also focuses on the significance of industry chain analysis and all variables, both upstream and downstream. These include equipment and raw materials, client surveys, marketing channels, and industry trends and proposals. Other significant information covering consumption, key regions and distributors, and raw material suppliers are also a covered in this report.Browse the complete report @For more information contact sales@orbisresearch.comFinally, the Tallow Fatty Acids Market report ends with a detailed SWOT analysis of the market, investment feasibility and returns, and development trends and forecasts. As with every report on Orbis Research, the Tallow Fatty Acids Industry is the holy grail of information which serious knowledge seekers can benefit from. The report which is the result of ultimate dedication of pedigree professionals has a wealth of information which can benefit anyone, irrespective of their commercial or academic interest.Major Points from table of content:Chapter One: Tallow Fatty Acids Market OverviewChapter Two: Global Tallow Fatty Acids Market Competition by ManufacturersChapter Three: Global Tallow Fatty Acids Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)Chapter Four: Global Tallow Fatty Acids Supply (Production) , Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2012-2017)Chapter Five: Global Tallow Fatty Acids Production, Revenue (Value) , Price Trend by TypeChapter Six: Global Tallow Fatty Acids Market Analysis by ApplicationChapter Seven: Global Tallow Fatty Acids Manufacturers Profiles/AnalysisChapter Eight: Tallow Fatty Acids Manufacturing Cost AnalysisChapter Nine: Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream BuyersChapter Ten: Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/TradersChapter Eleven: Market Effect Factors AnalysisChapter Twelve: Global Tallow Fatty Acids Market Forecast (2017-2022)Chapter Thirteen: Research Findings and ConclusionChapter Fourteen: AppendixIf you have any enquiry before buying a copy of this report@About Us:Orbis Research (orbisresearch.com) is a single point aid for all your market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customized reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialization. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required market research study for our clients.Contact Us:Hector CostelloSenior Manager Client Engagements4144N Central Expressway,Suite 600, Dallas,Texas - 75204, U.S.A.Phone No.: +1 (214) 884-6817; +912064101019Follow Us on LinkedIn:Follow us on Twitter:Like us on Facebook: Global Pre-Baked Anode Market - Rio Tinto, UC Rusal, Alcoa, Chinalco, EGA, SPIC, East Hope https://goo.gl/MU4NGA https://goo.gl/5xsL40 Gloabl Aluminum market is the third most abundant element in the earths crust after oxygen and silicon, and appears in its oxidized form. Alumina (Al2O3), which is derived from bauxite a natural mineral consisting of hydrated forms of aluminum oxide associated with small amounts of oxides of iron, silicon and titanium and trace amounts of other elements, is electrolyzed and gives aluminum metal.Anodes are large carbon blocks which are used to conduct electricity during the aluminium reduction process. As they do so they are consumed, at a rate of around 450 kg per tonne of aluminium produced. The two families of smelting technology in operation today Sderberg and prebake are characterised by the types of anode employed.Browse Full Report:The global pre-baked anode production, which measures output worldwide, was expected to reach xx thousand tons in 2016 with an increase of xx% from its year-earlier level. The global pre-baked anode market size is estimated to decrease from USD xx million in 2011 to USD xx million by 2016, at an estimated CAGR of xx% between 2011 and 2016.The global pre-baked anode market report profiles some of the key technological developments in the recent times. It also profiles some of the leading players in the market and analyzes their key strategies.The major players in the global Pre-Baked Anode market are,Rio TintoUC RusalAlcoaChinalcoEGASPICEast HopeNorsk HydroXinfaSunstoneFor sample request click onThe global pre-baked anode industry is relatively fragmented, with the market share of top 10 pre-baked anode producers at xx%.About Market Research Store:Market Research Store is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics released by reputed private publishers and public organizations. Market Research Store is the comprehensive collection of market intelligence products and services available on air. We have market research reports from number of leading publishers and update our collection daily to provide our clients with the instant online access to our database. With access to this database, our clients will be able to benefit from expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends.3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138,Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442, USA Global Rice Transplanter Market - Kubota, ISEKI, Yanmar, TYM, Jiangsu World, Mitsubishi, Asia Tech Rice Transplanter https://goo.gl/j3WeVR https://goo.gl/THmhCa Gloabl A rice transplanter market is a specialized transplanter fitted to transplant rice seedlings onto paddy field. Mechanical transplanting of rice is the process of transplanting young rice seedlings, which have been grown in a mat nursery, using a self-propelled rice transplanter. In conventional manual transplanting practice, 8-12 labourers are required to transplant one acre. However, if a self-propelled rice transplanter is used, three people can transplant up to four acres in a day.Browse Full Report:The global rice transplanter production, which measures output worldwide, was expected to reach xx units in 2016 with an increase of xx% from its year-earlier level. The global rice transplanter market size is estimated to drop from USD xx million in 2011 to USD xx million by 2016, at an estimated CAGR of xx% between 2011 and 2016.The global rice transplanter market report profiles some of the key technological developments in the recent times. It also profiles some of the leading players in the market and analyzes their key strategies.For sample request click onThe major players in the global Rice Transplanter market are,KubotaISEKIYanmarTYMJiangsu WorldMitsubishiAsia TechYamabikoKukje MachineryNantong FLWThe global rice transplanter industry is relatively concentrated, with the market share of top 10 rice transplanter producers at xx%.About Market Research Store:Market Research Store is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics released by reputed private publishers and public organizations. Market Research Store is the comprehensive collection of market intelligence products and services available on air. We have market research reports from number of leading publishers and update our collection daily to provide our clients with the instant online access to our database. With access to this database, our clients will be able to benefit from expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends.3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138,Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442, USA Global Slewing Bearings Market - ThyssenKrupp, IMO Group, Schaeffler, SKF, Liebherr https://goo.gl/2qFAw6 https://goo.gl/HeSzpr Gloabl Slewing bearing market is a rotational rolling-element bearing that typically supports a heavy but slow-turning or slow-oscillating load, often a horizontal platform such as a conventional crane, a swing yarder, or the wind-facing platform of a horizontal-axis windmill.Slewing bearings are thin in section and are often made in diameters of a meter or more, and often use three race elements, such as an inner ring and two outer ring halves that clamp together axially.Browse Full Report:The global slewing bearings production, which measures output worldwide, was expected to reach xx units in 2016 with and slightly increase of xx% from its year-earlier level. However, the global slewing bearings market size is estimated to drop from USD xx million in 2011 to USD xx million by 2016, at an estimated CAGR of xx% between 2011 and 2016.The global slewing bearings market report profiles some of the key technological developments in the recent times. It also profiles some of the leading players in the market and analyzes their key strategies.For sample request click onThe major players in the global Slewing Bearings market are,ThyssenKrupp (Germany)IMO Group (Germany)Schaeffler (Germany)SKF (Sweden)Liebherr (Switzerland)La Leonessa (Italy)Rollix (Italy)NSK (Japan)Antex (Japan)Torriani Gianni (Italy)Fangyuan (China)ZWZ (China)LYC (China)The global slewing bearings industry is relatively concentrated, with the market share of Top 10 slewing bearings producers at xx%.About Market Research Store:Market Research Store is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics released by reputed private publishers and public organizations. Market Research Store is the comprehensive collection of market intelligence products and services available on air. We have market research reports from number of leading publishers and update our collection daily to provide our clients with the instant online access to our database. With access to this database, our clients will be able to benefit from expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends.3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138,Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442, USA Global Smartwatch Market 2016: Focuses on top players Apple, Samsung, Sony, Motorola/Lenovo, LG, Asus Smartwatch http://bit.ly/2mJax6g http://bit.ly/2nhfT55 The Smartwatch research report by QY Research represents an inclusive evaluation of the Global Smartwatch Market and comprises considerable insights, historical data, facts, and statistical and industry-validated data of the global market. Additionally, it consists of estimated data that is evaluated with the help of suitable set of methodologies and assumptions. The research report highlights informative data and in-depth analysis of Smartwatch market and its corresponding segments that are based on technology, geography, and applications.The examination on value chain of Smartwatch market is provided which covers the growth factors and restraints of the industry along with the key market competitors.To Request Sample Copy Of This Report:The report comprises precise information, comprehensive analysis in two waysqualitative and quantitativeindustry experts inputs, and information provided by industry analysts and industry participants involved in the entire value chain. The report highlights exhaustive study of major market and their present trends, along with corresponding market segments. The Smartwatch report also provides data regarding various market factors and their impact on the overall market and its segments.Global Research report analyzes the scope of Smartwatch industry including size, share, analysis, sales, supply, production, definition, specification, classification, demands, application, forecast trends, industry policy, and news. The report focuses on regional as well as global market, its key players, along with market segments including detailed study on various divisions and its applications. The report provides comprehensive information on each and every segment covered of the Smartwatch market.Furthermore, the report evaluated major market points such as production, revenue, capacity utilization rate, gross, price, capacity, gross margin, supply, cost, demand, export, consumption, import, growth rate, market share, and so on.Browse Complete Report At:The global Smartwatch market report is a helpful source which assists manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, customers, and individuals and investors who have interest in this market.SummaryNotes:Sales, means the sales volume of SmartwatchRevenue, means the sales value of SmartwatchThis report studies sales (consumption) of Smartwatch in Global market, especially in United States, China, Europe, Japan, focuses on top players in these regions/countries, with sales, price, revenue and market share for each player in these regions, coveringAppleSamsungSonyMotorola/LenovoLGPebbleFitbitGarminWithingsPolarAsusHuaweiAbout Us:MRS Research Group is the worlds giant collection of the Market research Reports. Where we specialized in global publisher, tailor made reports and specialists consulting. Global Publisher provides in-depth analysis of global and Chinese market. Tailor-made reports represent methodologies deliverable to proper insight of the client. While, expertise research specialist helps to provide strategic solution in specialists consulting. It consists of head such as, latest report, category, niche market and news. Reports published on the million of category like chemical, machinery and equipment, consumer goods, manufacturing and construction etc. Latest national, international, business News published under news portal.3422 SW 15 Street, Suit #8138, Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442,Tel: +1-386-310-3803GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll Free No. 1-855-465-4651 Colombia: New Convergent Service Offerings Heat Up Competition The Fixed Communications Market http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/984840 With a revenue of $7.2bn in 2016, or 2.5% of GDP, the telecom services market in Colombia was the fifth largest in Latin America, behind Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Venezuela. Between 2016 and 2021, Pyramid Research expects Colombia to be one of the fastest-growing telecom and pay-TV markets in the region, expanding at a CAGR of 4.0%, behind Mexico, Uruguay and Bolivia. Growth will be supported by the increasing demand for both fixed and mobile data connectivity services, as well as operators ongoing investment efforts to roll out 4G/LTE, FTTH and cable networks across the country. Ongoing public initiatives, such as the Vive Digital Plan II, will also be key to support growth in the fixed and mobile data connectivity segments, particularly in rural and remote parts of the country.Key Findings- Between 2016 and 2021, Pyramid Research expects Colombia to be one of the fastest-growing telecom and pay-TV markets in the region, expanding at a CAGR of 4.0% behind Mexico, Uruguay and Bolivia.- Telecom and pay-TV revenue growth in Colombia will be supported by the increasing demand for both fixed and mobile data connectivity services, as well as operators' ongoing investment efforts to roll out 4G/LTE, FTTH and cable networks across the country. Ongoing public initiatives such as the Vive Digital Plan II will be also key to support growth in the fixed and mobile data connectivity segments, particularly in rural and remote parts of the country.Request To Get Sample Copy Of This Report:- Colombia continues to be one of the most competitive fixed communications markets in Latin America: Claro is the leading provider of the fixed broadband segment, followed by UNE and Telefnica. In order reduce customer churn and increase overall ARPU levels in the fixed residential segment, operators in Colombia have been increasing their focus on the promotion of double- and triple-play packages, including different combinations of fixed voice, broadband and pay-TV services.- Despite cable traditionally being the most widely adopted pay-TV technology in Colombia, over the past five years, this technology has been losing track to DTH/satellite and IPTV options, a trend we expect to continue in the coming years.SynopsisColombia: New Convergent Service Offerings Heat Up Competition in the Fixed Communications Market" a new Country Intelligence Report by Pyramid Research, provides an executive-level overview of the telecommunications market in Colombia today, with detailed forecasts of key indicators up to 2021. Published annually, the report provides detailed analysis of the near-term opportunities, competitive dynamics and evolution of demand by service type and technology/platform across the fixed telephony, broadband, mobile and pay-TV sectors, as well as a review of key regulatory trends.The Country Intelligence Report provides in-depth analysis of the following:- Regional context: telecom market size and trends in Colombia compared with other countries in the region.- Economic, demographic and political context in Colombia.- The regulatory environment and trends: a review of the regulatory setting and agenda for the next 18-24 months as well as relevant developments pertaining to spectrum licensing, national broadband plans, number portability and more.- A demand profile: analysis as well as historical figures and forecasts of service revenue from the fixed telephony (including VoIP), broadband, mobile voice, mobile data and pay-TV markets.- Service evolution: a look at changes in the breakdown of overall revenue between the fixed/pay-TV and mobile sectors and between voice, data and video from 2016 to 2021.- The competitive landscape: an examination of key trends in competition and in the performance, revenue market shares and expected moves of service providers over the next 18-24 months.- In-depth sector analysis of fixed telephony, broadband, mobile voice, mobile data and pay-TV services: a quantitative analysis of service adoption trends by network technology and by operator, as well as of average revenue per line/subscription and service revenue through the end of the forecast period.- Main opportunities: this section details the near-term opportunities for operators, vendors and investors in Colombias telecommunications and pay-TV markets.ReasonsToBuy- This Country Intelligence Report offers a thorough, forward-looking analysis of Colombias telecommunications and pay-TV markets, service providers and key opportunities in a concise format to help executives build proactive and profitable growth strategies.- Accompanying Pyramid Researchs Forecast products, the report examines the assumptions and drivers behind ongoing and upcoming trends in Colombias mobile communications, fixed telephony/VoIP, broadband and pay-TV markets, including the evolution of service provider market shares.- With more than 20 charts and tables, the report is designed for an executive-level audience, boasting presentation quality.- The report provides an easily digestible market assessment for decision-makers built around in-depth information gathered from local market players, which enables executives to quickly get up to speed with the current and emerging trends in Colombias telecommunications and pay-TV markets.- The broad perspective of the report coupled with comprehensive, actionable detail will help operators, equipment vendors and other telecom industry players succeed in the challenging telecommunications market in Colombia.MarketResearchReports.biz supports your business intelligence needs with over 100,000 market research reports, company profiles, data books, and regional market data sheets in its repository. Our document database is updated by the hour, which means that you always have access to fresh data spanning over 300 industries and their sub-segments.State Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948(USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz Mexico - Telecoms, Mobile, Broadband And Digital Media - Statistics And Analyses http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/964290 http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/category/95 Mexico contracts Altan to operate wholesale mobile networkWith a population of around 121 million and a fixed-line teledensity of around 18% Mexicos telecom sector retains significant potential for growth over the next few years. The fixed-line market is still dominated by the incumbent Telmex, with about 62% market share, while the mobile market is dominated by Telmexs sister company Telcel, both being owned by America Movil. However, telecom reform laws passed in recent years will go far to making Mexicos telecom market more competitive.The mobile market is undergoing considerable changes in the wake of efforts to curb the market dominance of Telcel, the entry of AT&T Mexico following its acquisition of Nextel Mexico and Iusacell, and the greater competitive role being played by MVNOs. Telcel still accounts for about 66% of the market by subscribers, though it is in the process of selling assets to reduce its share to below 50%. The regulator has also endeavoured to encourage competition through issuing additional spectrum. In January 2017 the Altan consortium was contracted to manage a wholesale mobile network for 20 years, aimed at delivering mobile voice and data to underserved areas. The network is to be made available for use from March 2018. Separately, the regulator February 2017 published a plan to auction up to 130MHz of spectrum in the 2.5GHz band later in the year, geared to improving mobile broadband services.Download Sample Copy Of This Report:The broadband sector is one of the highest growth areas in Mexicos telecoms market, although it suffers from a lack of competition to the dominant player Telmex, which still accounts for the lions share of subscribers. The pay TV sector is similarly concentrated, with Grupo Televisa the dominant player in the cable TV sector as also in the satellite TV sector, where it is a major shareholder in Sky Mexico.This report provides statistics and analyses on Mexicos fixed-line market, as well as an overview of regulatory developments. In addition the report covers the mobile market, including a range statistical data as well as subscriber forecasts to 2021, as well as an assessment of the broadband and internet markets, including technology developments and the migration to fibre infrastructure.Browse More Published Reports:Key developments:America Movil secures an additional 60MHz of spectrum in the 2.5GHz band from Grupo MVS;Movistar signs national roaming deal with Telcel;Telcel and AT&T Mexico secure AWS spectrum licences at auction;Regulator issues plan for auction of 2.5GHz spectrum expected in Q3 2017;Altan consortium selected to operate the nationwide wholesale mobile network using 700MHz band spectrum;Movistar to invest MXN3 billion to expand LTE to 300 cities by 2018;Report update includes the regulators market data report to June 2016, telcos financial and operating data to Q4 2016, market developments.Companies mentioned in this report:Telcel, Movistar, Iusacell, Telefonos de Mexico (Telmex), Axtel, Alestra, Maxcom, Marcatel, AT&T Mexico, America Movil, Nextel Mexico, Movistar (Telefonica Mexico), Globalstar, Unefon, Virgin Mobile, Weex, Megacable, Cablemas, Cablevision, Grupo Televisa, Sistemas Interactivos de Telecomunicaciones (SIT), Megafon, InterCable, CFE.MarketResearchReports.biz supports your business intelligence needs with over 100,000 market research reports, company profiles, data books, and regional market data sheets in its repository. Our document database is updated by the hour, which means that you always have access to fresh data spanning over 300 industries and their sub-segments.State Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948(USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz Global LNG Refueling Station Market 2016 Focuses on top manufacturers Kunlun, CNOOC, Sinopec, Guanghui, ENN LNG Refueling Station Market http://bit.ly/2lGMW6j http://bit.ly/2lGMTHF MRS Research Group addsGlobal LNG Refueling Station Market 2016 Share,Size,Trends and Forecast to 2022 Market Research Reportreports to its database.This report provides a strategic analysis of the LNG Refueling Station market and the growth estimates for the forecasted period.The market research analyst projects the global LNG Refueling Station market to grow at a considerable CAGR,in terms of revenue,over the forecast period.The report will provide the client with market insights and in-depth analysis of multiple market segments on the basis of applications,end-users,and geographical cross-sectional study across the globe.Get Free Sample Research Report @The report provides detailed information with respect to competitive landscape along with the top competitors in the LNG Refueling Station market.Furthermore,to help the clients make strategic decision,the report highlights a comprehensive profiling of leading players,their detailed analysis,their key developments along with the market positioning.The report also foregrounds current and future market trends in order to justify the forthcoming attractive markets within the LNG Refueling Station market.Moreover,clients are also provided with segment-wise,region-wise,and country-wise analysis of the LNG Refueling Station market.To convey a proper analysis of all the data,the report comprises a number of figures,graphs,tables,and diagrams,which will help the clients get a crystal clear idea of the current trends in the market.Additionally,the report also strategically analyzes the LNG Refueling Station market with regards to individual growth trends,future prospects, and contribution of each segment to the market.Various competitive developments such as contracts and agreements,new product developments,expansions,and mergers & acquisitions in the LNG Refueling Station market are also included in the report.Access Full Research Report @This research study incorporated the use of extensive secondary sources,directories,and databases in order to identify and gather information useful for the technical,market-oriented,and commercial study of the market.This report is an effort to identify driving factors for the LNG Refueling Station market and sub-markets in the near future.The research report also presents an exhaustive evaluation of the market and comprises contemplative insights,historical data,facts,and statistically supported market data that is industry-validated.It comprises estimations using an appropriate set of assumptions and necessary methodologies.The research report provides analysis,statistics,particulars,and information with respect to the market segments such as geographies,applications,and others.Regional Segment AnalysisU.S.EuropeGermanyUKFranceChinaJapanHighlights of the report:A complete backdrop analysis, which includes an assessment of the parent market.Important changes in market dynamics.Market segmentation up to the second or third level.Historical, current, and projected size of the market from the standpoint of both value and volume.MRS Research Group is the worlds giant collection of the Market research Reports. Where we specialized in global publisher, tailor made reports and specialists consulting. Global Publisher provides in-depth analysis of global and Chinese market. Tailor-made reports represent methodologies deliverable to proper insight of the client. While, expertise research specialist helps to provide strategic solution in specialists consulting.Joel John3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442United StatesToll Free : +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Email: sales@mrsresearchgroup.com Global Deep Brain Stimulation Market to Surpass US$ 1.4 Billion by - 2024 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-customization/84 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/84 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/press-release/global-deep-brain-stimulation-market-to-surpass-us-14-billion-by-2024-11 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com Deep Brain Stimulation DevicesDeep brain stimulation (DBS) device, often described as brain pacemaker, aids in alleviating symptoms of Parkinsons disease (PD). The device is implanted at one of the three FDA approved brain sites to block the electrical signals from these sites to the brain. The three FDA approved targeted brain sites are ventrointermedialis (VIM) nucleus of the thalamus, subthalamic nucleus (STN), and globus pallidus pars interna (GPi). DBS surgery is performed on patients suffering from Parkinsons disease for at least four years, and are on medications albeit with motor complications. Though there are other surgical options such as thalamotomy and pallidotomy, deep brain stimulation is the most preferred option, as it does not involve tissue destruction and is a reversible surgical treatment.Ask for FREE Request Customization @The global deep brain stimulation devices market was valued at US$ 664.4 million in 2015 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 8.2% during the forecast period (2016 2024).Increasing incidence of Parkinsons diseaseAccording to the Parkinsons Disease Foundation, there are over 10 million people suffering from Parkinsons disease worldwide as of 2016. As per findings published by the organization, incidence rate increases with age, and only 4% of people with PD are diagnosed before the age of 50 years. In U.S. alone, incidence is as high as 60,000 each year as noted by the Parkinsons Disease Foundation. According to Parkinsons Australia Inc., there were approximately 11,544 new cases of PD diagnosed in Australia in 2014, while as per stats released by Parkinson Canada, the number of people suffering from Parkinsons disease in the country is projected to increase to over 163,700 by 2031 (double than the prevalence in 2011). Increasing incidence of PD across the globe is projected to drive demand for DBS devices.Development in technology to increase therapeutic outcome and enhance application of DBS in other disease treatmentAccording to a study published in the Neuron journal in December 2016, deep brain stimulation, targeting entorhinal cortex and hippocampus regions in the brain, demonstrated negative impact on improving memory. Researchers, however, are optimistic about obtaining successful results through further research in enhancing memory, especially in Alzheimer patients.Activa PC+S system by Medtronic. Inc, is a closed-loop DBS device being utilized for research purpose among few physicians in Europe. This system records the electrical activity in brain and develops an algorithm of the closed-loop system. The device is being tested in patients with advanced Parkinsons disease. Once commercialized, the closed-loop DBS system would make treatment for Parkinsons disease more effective and customized according to unique patient needs.Get for FREE SAMPLE REPORT @Increasing demand for minimally-invasive treatment options in emerging economiesParkinsons and Alzheimer disease involves long-term administration of medications, making it unaffordable to major section of the population in emerging economies in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Advent of minimally-invasive technology has led to increase in demand for such procedures and devices for treatment of chronic disease conditions such as diabetes, stroke, Parkinsons disease, blood clot, and Alzheimers disease. DBS being an effective minimally-invasive therapy for Parkinsons patients, is projected to gain significant growth traction in emerging economies such as India, China, Brazil, Israel, and North African countries.Browse Press Release:About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.CONTACT USMr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel : +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.comWebsite: Global Blood Processing Device and Consumables Market - Revolutionizing The Healthcare Industry https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-customization/83 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/83 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/press-release/global-blood-processing-devices-and-consumables-market-size-to-surpass-us-493-billion-by-2024-10 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com Global Blood Processing Devices and Consumables One Pint Saves Three LivesBlood collected from donors can be stored and transfused in an unmodified state, referred to as whole blood transfusion. However, if processed, the collected blood can be of use to more than one patient. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2016 estimates, only 43% of the blood collected in low-income countries are separated into different components such as plasma, red cell concentrates, and platelet concentrates. The rate is much higher (96%) in high income countries such as Argentina, Canada, U.S., Germany, Singapore, U.K., and France. Lack of adequate test kits, blood processing devices and infrastructure are some of the factors responsible for low rate of blood processing in low-income countries.The global blood processing devices and consumables market was valued at US$ 27,845.1 million in 2015 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 5.9% during the forecast period: 2016 2024.Ask for FREE Request Customization @Increasing number of blood transfusion procedures making blood processing a necessityBlood transfusion is a process required to make up for the lost blood during a surgery or due to an injury or a disease. According to the American National Red Cross, a humanitarian organization, around 21 million blood components are transfused every year in the U.S. Blood transfusion is a frequent process in sickle cell patients. The sickle cell disease affects 90,000 to 100,000 people in the U.S., as per the American National Red Cross.Demand for blood processing devices and consumables is growing rapidly with establishment of new hospitals and blood banks, and increasing number of blood transfusion procedures. Asia Pacific is one of the most lucrative markets for blood processing devices and consumables. According to the Friends2support organization, a non-profit organization allowing patient access to blood donors, nearly 30 million blood components are transfused every year in India.Lack of blood processing infrastructure in low-income countriesAccording to WHO, 16 countries across the globe are unable to screen the donated blood for one or more than one infections. WHO identified irregular supply of test kits is the factor attributed to this shortage. The Blood and Transfusion Safety program of WHO supports countries in developing national blood systems to ensure quality blood processing and transfusion practices.Request Sample Report for more Professional and Technical Insights:High capital investment and steep operational costs are the factors restraining emerging economies such as India, Brazil, China, and Indonesia to adopt the new blood processing technology.According to the 2016 World Health Organization (WHO) statistics, around 112.5 million units of blood donations are collected every year globally. However, only a few get access to blood on time. Several patients in need of blood transfusion are deprived of blood for their treatment. The WHO therefore recommend having a national blood policy to have centralized control for blood collection, testing, storage, processing, and distribution. According to the WHO, in 2013, 73% of 167 countries worldwide had a national blood policy.Development of national blood policy recommended by WHOLow blood donation rate impacts the demand for blood processing and consumables market negatively. Therefore, improved storage and processing facilities of the donated blood coupled with increase in access to blood and its components will generate demand for blood processing and consumables.Browse Press Release:About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.CONTACT USMr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel : +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.comWebsite: Global Cell counters, Colony counters Market 2017 : Chemometec, Paul Marienfeld GmbH & Co. KG, Interscience, Hecht Assistant, Merck Millipore, Synbiosis Cell counters, Colony counters http://bit.ly/2lGJGrM http://bit.ly/2mEirgF Cell counters, Colony countersA market study based on the " Cell counters, Colony counters Market " across the globe, recently added to the repository of Market Research, is titled Global Cell counters, Colony counters Market 2017. The research report analyses the historical as well as present performance of the worldwide Cell counters, Colony counters industry, and makes predictions on the future status of Cell counters, Colony counters market on the basis of this analysis.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here :Top Manufacturers Analysis Of This Research Report1. Chemometec2. Paul Marienfeld GmbH & Co. KG3. Interscience4. Reichert Technologies - Analytical Instruments5. Hecht Assistant6. Merck Millipore7. Synbiosis8. HACH LANGE EuropeThe report studies the industry for Cell counters, Colony counters across the globe taking the existing industry chain, the import and export statistics in Cell counters, Colony counters market & dynamics of demand and supply of Cell counters, Colony counters into consideration. The ' Cell counters, Colony counters ' research study covers each and every aspect of the Cell counters, Colony counters market globally, which starts from the definition of the Cell counters, Colony counters industry and develops towards Cell counters, Colony counters market segmentations. Further, every segment of the Cell counters, Colony counters market is classified and analysed on the basis of product types, application, and the end-use industries of the Cell counters, Colony counters market. The geographical segmentation of the Cell counters, Colony counters industry has also been covered at length in this report.The competitive landscape of the worldwide market for Cell counters, Colony counters is determined by evaluating the various industry participants, production capacity, Cell counters, Colony counters market's production chain, and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Cell counters, Colony counters market worldwide.Enquiry Here :The global Cell counters, Colony counters market 2017 is also analysed on the basis of product pricing, Cell counters, Colony counters production volume, data regarding demand and Cell counters, Colony counters supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, and market attractiveness analysis has been used in the research to present a comprehensive study of the industry for Cell counters, Colony counters across the globe.About Us :Market and Research are a trusted brand in the research industry with capability of commissioning complex projects within a short span of time with high level of accuracy. At Market and Research, we believe in building long term relations with our clients. Our services cover a broad spectrum of industries including Energy, Chemicals and Materials, Automotive and Aerospace.Contact Us :Market and ResearchUnited States Global Cell imaging systems Market 2017 : West Medica, GE Healthcare Life Sciences, Bioview, Caliber I.D, PerkinElmer, Molecular Devices Cell imaging systems http://bit.ly/2mEjzkg http://bit.ly/2n2wuxN Cell imaging systemsA market study based on the " Cell imaging systems Market " across the globe, recently added to the repository of Market Research, is titled Global Cell imaging systems Market 2017. The research report analyses the historical as well as present performance of the worldwide Cell imaging systems industry, and makes predictions on the future status of Cell imaging systems market on the basis of this analysis.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here :Top Manufacturers Analysis Of This Research Report1. West Medica2. GE Healthcare Life Sciences3. Bioview4. Caliber I.D5. PerkinElmer6. Molecular DevicesThe report studies the industry for Cell imaging systems across the globe taking the existing industry chain, the import and export statistics in Cell imaging systems market & dynamics of demand and supply of Cell imaging systems into consideration. The ' Cell imaging systems ' research study covers each and every aspect of the Cell imaging systems market globally, which starts from the definition of the Cell imaging systems industry and develops towards Cell imaging systems market segmentations. Further, every segment of the Cell imaging systems market is classified and analysed on the basis of product types, application, and the end-use industries of the Cell imaging systems market. The geographical segmentation of the Cell imaging systems industry has also been covered at length in this report.The competitive landscape of the worldwide market for Cell imaging systems is determined by evaluating the various industry participants, production capacity, Cell imaging systems market's production chain, and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Cell imaging systems market worldwide.Enquiry Here :The global Cell imaging systems market 2017 is also analysed on the basis of product pricing, Cell imaging systems production volume, data regarding demand and Cell imaging systems supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, and market attractiveness analysis has been used in the research to present a comprehensive study of the industry for Cell imaging systems across the globe.About Us :Market and Research are a trusted brand in the research industry with capability of commissioning complex projects within a short span of time with high level of accuracy. At Market and Research, we believe in building long term relations with our clients. Our services cover a broad spectrum of industries including Energy, Chemicals and Materials, Automotive and Aerospace.Contact Us :Market and ResearchUnited States Global 3D Printing For Medical Sector Market to Surpass US$ 1.1 Billion by 2024 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/80 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-customization/80 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/press-release/3d-printing-for-medical-sector-market-to-surpass-us-11-billion-by-2024-7 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com Global 3D Printing- Revolutionizing the Healthcare Industry3D printing is a rapidly emerging cost-effective technology with significant potential to transform healthcare delivery and clinical activities. This technology can be used in a range of devices such as prostheses, hearing aids, custom-made knee and hip implants, dental implants, and surgical instruments. The global 3D printing for medical sector market was valued at US$ 412.2 million in 2015 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 11.7% during the forecast period (2016 2024).Get Free PDF Brochure for more Professional and Technical Insights:Reasonable price of 3D printed medical products leading to increasing popularityRegional governments of various countries are focusing on burden of expensive medicines on patients through effective price control measures. However, reducing profit margins negatively impact investments in research and development (R&D) phase. 3D printed medical products can effectively address the concerns of governments and the industry. Spritam (Levetiracetam) from Aprecia Pharmaceuticals, is the first 3D printed tablet that received U.S. FDA approval in March 2016. Low cost of production would in turn reduce cost of product and make it more affordable to patients. Researchers are the University of Toronto, Autodesk Research, and CBM Canada used 3D printing to produce low cost customizable prosthetic sockets for patients especially in low-income countries especially Uganda. This would further boost investment in 3D printing by healthcare providers to reduce product cost and increase profit margins.Similarly, expensive stents, prosthetics, and implants can be made available at a much cheaper rate with improved therapeutic outcomes in the emerging economies such as India, China, Brazil, South Africa, and Russia, which would increase affordability and accessibility of medical products.A plethora of medical applications3D printing technology is primarily used to create artificial skin, kidney, liver, pancreas, pills, and orthopedic and dental implants. The current manufacturing capabilities are not adequate to produce artificial organs with precise shape and size of miniature organ parts. Biological models made from 3D printing technology can help in surgical training, planning, and offering personalized medicines, thus enhancing quality of life of the user. While the use of 3D printing is widely implemented in dental applications, other medical segments such as tissues, prosthetics, medicines and heart valves, medical equipment and synthetic skin are also expected to deploy 3D printing technology to a greater extent in the near future.Different raw materials cater to different 3D printing demands3D printing technology uses numerous materials such as the metals, ceramics, polymers, and biological cells for printing skin, organs, and medical devices. Metal printing is widely used in prosthetics and implants. Biological cells are widely used in skin and tissue printing. In 2014, LOreal S.A. announced partnership with Organovo Holdings, Inc. to 3D-print human skin. Organovo printed the first blood vessel in 2009 and is in the process of developing 3D-printed tissues through strategic partnerships with biopharmaceutical companies. The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM)a research institute associated with Wake Forest School of Medicineis involved in printing organs and tissue using gel and patients own cells. Ceramic is used in dental implants printing. Also, prosthetics can be printed using ceramics and polymers. Polymers are used in printing dental, orthopedic and cranio-maxillofacial implants, and biological models.Ask for FREE Request Customization @Favorable government policies and government funding to boost the 3D printing market for medical applicationsThe U.S. government is encouraging innovation in healthcare through funding and establishing manufacturing hubs. For instance, in 2014, the National Institutes of Health established a 3D Print Exchange organization to promote open-source sharing of biomedical 3D print files and tutorials. While the U.S. FDA currently approves only dental, orthopedics, cranio-maxillary and tissue engineering for 3D printing, clearance of the 3D printing in other segments would boost the 3D printing market growth significantly. Similarly, the Japanese government supports manufacture and sales of professional-grade printers for 3D printing (also used for medical applications). In June 2013, the Chinese government announced plans to set up ten 3D printing innovation centers across the country. In May 2016, SHINING 3Da China-based 3D printing companyestablished its new headquarters in Zhejiang 3D industrial zone.Browse Press Release :About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.CONTACT USMr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel : +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.comWebsite: Global Infant Radiant Warmer Market Industry Insights 2024 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-discount/131 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/131 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/ongoing-insight/infant-radiant-warmer-market-131 http://healthcaremarketconsulting.blogspot.in/ Market OverviewInfant care equipment is used for newborn or preterm infants in order to provide accessibility for resuscitation or procedures without jeopardizing thermal stability .This equipment helps to provide heat, supply oxygen, and monitor vital parameters. Cardiopulmonary monitors, blood pressure monitors, endotracheal tube, bililights, nasal cannula, incubators, radiant warmer, pulse oximeter, and ventilators are among the various types of infant radiant warmers.Infant radiant warmer, also called neonatal warming equipment, offers heat to infants suffering from severe heat loss. The body surface area of infants is large as compared to volume and they have very little fat content in their body. While in most cases basic clothing and mothers warmth would suffice to complement the heat produced in the body of a healthy new born baby, for premature babies and those suffering from debilitating conditions, artificial heat needs to be provided to ensure proper bodily functions of the baby and is crucial for its survival. Infant radiant warming equipment is an open bed, provided with a heat source to keep the baby warm. The source of heat is infrared (IR) radiations that are beamed from quartz heater via parabolic reflector.Get discount on this exclusive report by CMI @The infant radiant warmer market is projected to grow at steady state during the forecast period (20162024). Increasing prevalence of premature birth is expected to drive growth of the infant radiant warmer market. For instance, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), in 2015, approximately 15 million babies are born premature across the globe. Almost 1 million babies die every year due to the complications of premature birth. Furthermore, increasing incidence of hospital acquired diseases, further creates an acute need for proper care and sterile environment for the baby, something that is provided by infant radiant warmers. For instance, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2011, about 1 in every 25 was infected with at least one hospital acquired infections.The introduction of innovative products is expected to increase their application and in turn fuel growth of the global infant radiant warmers market. For instance, GE Healthcares commercially available product, Lullaby Warmer, can uniformly distribute heat to ensure easy positioning of the baby, visually coded control panel and color coded safety alarms simple to understand and language independent and has 69% faster warm up. Also, growing number of infant radiant warmer manufacturers is expected to propel market growth over the forecast period. Furthermore, rise in government funds is analyzed to support growth of the infant radiant warmer market. For instance, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has added a level (level IV) in infant nursing which in turn may increase growth of the infant radiant warmer market. Moreover, rise in number of hospitals across the globe is expected to increase demand for infant radiant warmer market. According to WHO data, yearly around 20 million premature and low birth weight babies are born and out of which 3 million babies die in the first four weeks of life. Hence, it is recommended that every hospital must essentially have at least one infant intensive care unit, which must comprise of all infant care equipment. However, high costs associated with the warmer and risk of high exposure to heat is likely to restraint growth of the infant radiant warmer market to a certain extent.Request report sample for more professional and technical insights @Infant Radiant Warmer Market TaxonomyThe infant radiant warmer market is segmented on the basis of type and geography. By product type, infant radiant warmer market can be segmented into mobile radiant warmer, wall-mount radiant warmer and cot type radiant warmer.In terms of geography, the global infant radiant warmer market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World. The North America market accounts for the highest market share owing to the established healthcare infrastructure, increased healthcare expenditure and high disposable income. Also, major players in the infant radiant warmer market are based in North America. However, Asia Pacific market is projected to grow at a faster rate owing to the rapidly developing healthcare infrastructure and rising prevalence of premature births in the region. For instance, according to a survey conducted by WHO in 2010, out of 27 million babies born in India, over 3.5 million were born premature. Also, an increase in healthcare spending in countries such as China and India is analyzed to boost growth of the infant radiant warmer market during the forecast period.Some of the prominent players in the infant radiant warmer market are Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Limited., General Electric Company, Neotech Medical Pvt. Ltd, Phoenix Medical Systems (P) Ltd., Natus Medical Incorporated.,Ardo, Fanem Ltda., and Draeger, Inc.Browse Global Strategic Business Report @About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact Us:Mr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave, #3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.comVisit Blog: Aluminosilicates Market to Reflect Impressive Growth by 2024 www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/10879 www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/10879 Aluminosilicates are minerals comprise aluminum, oxygen, silicon and countercations. They forms important component of clay minerals and kaolin. Naturally occurring aluminosilicates include sillimanite, kyanite, and andalusite. These minerals are commonly used as index minerals in various rocks. Hydrated forms of aluminosilicates are zeolites and are porous in nature. Environmental impact of aluminosilicates has been characterized by life-cycle analysis. The end user industries of aluminosilicates include petrochemical, biogas, heating & refrigeration, detergents, construction, medical, agriculture and gemstones.A sample of this report is available upon request @Growing petrochemical industry across the world is expected to drive the market for aluminosilicates. These are used as catalyst in petrochemical industry processes such as cracking and hydrocracking. Aluminosilicates are used in reactor and regenerator as well to improve the efficiency of cracking process and extraction. Demand for crude oil across the globe is increasing due to energy requirements for different applications, which in turn expected to drive the aluminosilicates market growth. In addition, the growing demand from laundry and general detergents industry is expected to boost the aluminosilicates market growth. It is the largest application of the aluminosilicates, however it is expected to grow at moderate pace. Furthermore, growing demand from medical and pharmaceutical end user industry is expected to fuel the market growth. Research and developments in the field biomedical applications are driving the aluminoslicate market.However, harmful effects of the aluminisilicates are expected to hamper the market growth. High processing cost to produce pure form of aluminisilicates is also expected to inhibit market growth. Aluminosilicates are obtained from mines and due to decrease in mining activities across the globe; supply of raw material is expected to be major concern for the players in the market.Research & developments in the field of crystallography and biomedical is expected to open up new opportunities for the players in the market. New applications development is expected to provide immense opportunities for the players in the market.Asia Pacific was the largest market in terms of consumption and production. Growing demand from petrochemical and detergents industry is expected to drive the market for aluminosilicates in the region. To scavenge the crude oil reserves in China, exploration and drilling activities has been increased in recent years, which in turn expected to drive the market growth for aluminosilicates. Asia Pacific is expected to grow at faster pace in the near future driven by China. Asia Pacific was followed by Europe in terms of consumption. Medical and pharmaceutical end user industry growth is expected to fuel the demand for aluminosilicates in the region. Per capita expenditure is continuously rising in this region which is contributing to the revenue of this market. North America was the third largest market for aluminosilicates. Owing to increased exploration activities and increase in shale gas rigs across the U.S., the demand for aluminosilicates is expected to increase.Global aluminosilicates market is highly fragmented and dominated by regional players. Major players compete based on their pricing strategies. Moreover, owing to increasing demand for customized products, players also have to compete on the research and development strategies. Therefore industry is characterized by high degree of competition that is expected to remain same for the forecast period.Request to view Table of content @Key players in aluminosilicates market include British Glass, A C Technologies, Associated Ceramics & Technology, Inc., Saunders Foundry Supply Inc., M & M Glassblowing Co. Inc., Minco Inc., Shanghai Jiuzhou Chemicals Co., Ltd, AB Holding Ltd. among others.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Persistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd.305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com Global CAR T Cell Therapy Market A Revolution In Cancer Treatment https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/102 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-customization/102 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/press-release/global-car-t-cell-therapy-market-to-reach-the-value-us-85-billion-by-2028-18 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com CAR T Cell Therapy Market:OverviewOver the last few years, CAR T Cell therapy has gained wide recognition in the healthcare industry. CAR T cell is an innovative technique that involves removal of T Cells from patients blood before reinsertion using a genetically altered mechanism. The technology is still in the nascent stage; however, is expected to grow at double digit growth rate creating multi-billion absolute dollar opportunity for industry players in the near future. As of 2016, just over 40 companies are engaged in CAR T cell therapy market. Novartis International AG, Juno Therapeutics, and Kite Pharma Inc. are the only players that are expected to launch products by 2018. With long impending clinical trials and research activities carried out using chimeric antigen receptor cells (CAR-T) cells, these players in the pharmaceuticals industry are expected to launch various products in 2017 and commercialize them in the following two to three years.Ask for FREE SAMPLE REPORT @The competition in the CAR T cell therapy market is projected to intensify following commercial launch of products of other companies by 2022. In 2015, Cellectis entered into clinical alliance with MD Anderson for development of UCARTCS1 in MM, UCART22 in ALL, UCART38 in T-cell ALL and UCART123 in a rare non-curable cancer.The global CAR T cell therapy market is estimated to be valued at US$ 72.0 million in 2017 and is projected to expand exponentially at a CAGR of 46.1% during 2019 2028.CD 19 to dominate the market throughout the forecast periodAcute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is highly prevalent among children. Adults account for over 40% cases of ALL. Changing lifestyle along with increasing incidence of cancer among children necessitates an effective treatment approach in the healthcare industry for effective treatment of the same. As a result, CAR- T cell therapy has emerged as one of the potential therapies to address this issue. CD-19 marker is highly effective in tackling the growing incidence problem of ALL. The CD-19 antigen CAR T Cell segment is expected to be valued at US$ 1.2 billion by 2023 and is expected to continue dominate the market (in terms of revenue) through the remainder of the forecast period.North America to retain its dominance in the CAR T cell therapy market through 2028North America is home to state of the art R&D labs along and is characterized by high prevalence rate of blood cancer. Each year, over 171,000 people are diagnosed with blood cancer in the U.S. Of these, around 46% suffer from lymphoma (U.S. Leukemia & Lymphoma Society), thereby creating major market opportunity for CAR T cell therapy industry players to capitalize on highly lucrative growth opportunities in the region. North America is expected to account for 52.5% of overall market share by 2020. Kite Pharma Inc. along with Novartis International AG are expected to gain significant market share in the region, as these companies have already applied for U.S. Biologics License Application (BLA). Moreover, these companies have established dedicated manufacturing sites for CAR-T cell therapy products; Kite Pharma established its 43,500 square foot plant in the U.S. for production of CAR-T cell products. The plant is expected to produce up to 5,000 patient therapy products in 2018. In 2016, Juno Therapeutics invested US$ 20 million to set up of CAR-T cell products manufacturing facility in the U.S. These companies are analyzed to greatly benefit from first mover advantage.Ask for FREE Request Customization @Europe is expected to second-most prominent market (in terms of revenue) through 2023, post which it would lose it position to Asia Pacific. Asia Pacific market is expected to grow at the fastest rate, expanding at a CAGR of 62.5% between 2019 and 2028. Japan and China are the key regions in Asia Pacific that market players would focus on during the latter half of the forecast period to pave a way for higher return on investment (ROI).Diversification of CAR T Cell in other therapeutics application is expected to create lucrative market opportunities for market playersCurrently, Juno Therapeutics along with Kite Pharma and Novartis are working on CD 19 antigenresponsible for blood cancers. These companies also have a product roadmap to commercialize products based on CD 30 and 22 responsible for solid cancers. FDA approval of these products by 2025 is projected to drive the market growth over the latter half of the forecast period.Browse Press Release :About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.CONTACT USMr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel : +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.comWebsite: Gonorrhea Diagnostic Market Forecasts up to 2024, Research Report - Coherent Market Insights https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/126 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-discount/126 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/ongoing-insight/gonorrhea-diagnostic-market-126 http://healthcaremarketconsulting.blogspot.in/ Ease of Testing: Can be done on non-invasive and self-collected specimensSexually transmitted Diseases (STDs) are one of the leading health problems globally, affecting the quality of life and triggering serious morbidity and mortality. Gonorrhea is the most common among the various sexually transmitted diseases with the age group of 15 to 24 years being the largest affected group. Around 350,062 gonorrhea cases were reported in the U.S. in 2014, with the national gonorrhea rate increasing to 110.7 cases per 100,000 population. There are major complications when infected with sexually transmitted infections, which have a detrimental effect on the reproductive system and can adversely affect health of the child conceived by an infected mother. Infertility, cancers, and pregnancy complications are among the major complications that can arise from the disease. Symptoms of gonorrhea in men include painful urination, swelling of testicles and pus discharge. In women, symptoms encompass excessive vaginal discharge, painful urination, and abdominal pain. Various complications such as ectopic pregnancy, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) and Epididymitis are most common among females.Thus, these complications further indirectly impact through facilitating sexual transmission of deadly virus such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and therefore, it also significantly adds to disease burden. In 2012, approximately 357 million new cases of curable STIs (gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis and trichomoniasis) were reported worldwide, which include 78 million cases of gonorrhea occurring at the age group of 1549 year-olds. More than a million Sexually Transmitted Infections are acquired every day of which around 50% infections turn into Sexually Transmitted Diseases.Request report sample for more professional and technical insights @Uncomplicated Gonorrhea: Developing Drugs for TreatmentFactors driving growth of the gonorrhea diagnostic market include increase in transmission of sexually transmitted infection. For instance, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data on STD Surveillance Report, in 2013, there were around 1.4 million reported cases of chlamydia, a rate of 456.1 cases per 100,000 population and in 2014, there were 350,062 reported cases of gonorrhea (a rate of 110.7 per 100,000) in the U.S. Lack of biomedical products is a serious factor contributing to high incidence rate of STDs in low income countries. For instance, estimates by the International Conference on Population and Development (2011), for Sub-Saharan Africa, indicates that only nine organizations donated condoms per year to people in the age group of 1549-years and that only one female condom per year is available for every 10 women of the same age range. Condom supplies in many high-burden countries are still inadequate. Lower treatment cost for the test, where STI prevention counseling and HIV screenings are some of many free preventive care benefits under the Affordable Care Act, though the tests themselves may cost you. In the U.S., private health centers charge up to US$ 79 for individual STI tests and US$ 249 for comprehensive STI tests. The Florida Department of Health, for instance, charges only $45 for its comprehensive STI test. However, lack of STI prevention counselling and dearth of trained laboratory specialists are some of the factors restraining growth of the global gonorrhea diagnostics market.Artificial intelligence and diagnostic imaging are in the testing phases and expected to dominate the gonorrhea diagnostic marketThe global gonorrhea diagnostic market is segmented on the basis of diagnostic type, end user, and geography. On the basis of diagnostic type, the gonorrhea diagnostic market is divided into diagnostic imaging, molecular diagnostics, flow cytometry, chromatography, gel micro droplets, liposomes, differential light scattering (DLS), artificial intelligence, and monoclonal antibodies test. Molecular Diagnostic is sub-segmented into Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests (NAAT) and swab tests.Get discount on this exclusive report by CMI @On the basis of end user, the gonorrhea diagnostic market is classified into hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, diagnostic centers, clinics, and others.Gonorrhea diagnostic market traction is expected to be fueled by Growing Prevalence of STDs in Asia PacificRegional segmentation by Coherent Market Insights comprises North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East, and Africa. North America accounts for the largest market share, mainly due to presence of major players and adoption of advanced medical technologies in countries such as U.S. and Canada. In 2013, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) there were over 3.3 million cases of gonorrhea registered. Europe is the second-largest gonorrhea diagnostic market, owing to the increasing prevalence of the disease in the region and largely unmet needs in effective diagnosis and treatments. In 2013, according to European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, 52,995 gonorrhea cases were reported across 28 countries in the region; 61% of all cases were reported in the U.K. Growing disposable income and increasing awareness levels among the populace in Asia Pacific, along with a large population base is expected to drive the market in Asia Pacific in the near future.Licensing approval: Approved for endocervical, vaginal, urethral, urine specimensKey players operating the gonorrhea diagnostic market include Becton, Dickinson and Company, Baxter International, Inc., Pfizer Inc., B. Braun Melsungen AG, Fresenius SE & CO. KGaA, Medtronic plc, Smiths Group plc, Terumo Corporation, Moog, Inc., F. Hoffmann-la Roche Ltd., and Johnson & Johnson. Major companies in the market are constantly working towards introducing innovative tests and lower the costs in order to improve patient outcomes and enhance profitability.Click here to know more about this report @About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact Us:Mr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave, #3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.comVisit Blog: Global Elderly and Disabled Assistive Devices Market to Surpass US$ 26.0 Billion By 2024 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/82 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-customization/82 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/press-release/elderly-and-disabled-assist-devices-market-to-surpass-us-260-billion-by-2024-9 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com Elderly and Disabled Assistive Devices Evolving from Luxury to NecessityAssistive devices and technologies minimize individuals dependence on others and helps improve quality of life. Devices such as wheelchairs, visual aids, hearings aids, and specialized computer software and hardware system aids in enhancing hearing, vision, mobility, or communication of the elderly and disabled people. According to an article published in the Assistive Technology Blog (ATB) in September 2016, there are approximately 7.7 million new cases of dementia reported each year. The number of people suffering from dementia is expected to increase to 135.5 million by 2050. Devices such as clocks and reminders, fall detectors, activity monitors, intercom, and computer aids assist patients suffering from dementia.Request Sample Report for more Professional and Technical Insights:The global elderly and disabled assistive devices market was valued at US$ 14,109.1 million in 2015 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 7.4% during the forecast period (2016 2024).Increasing aging population supporting growth of the elderly and disabled assistive devices marketGeriatric population people aged 65 years and above, is expected to increase from 8.5% of the global population in 2015 to 12% in 2030, as per the report An Aging World: 2015 by the U.S. Census Bureau. Asia and Latin America are the primary regions which are expected to experience rapidly aging population. The elderly and disabled assistive devices market is analyzed to have large market potential especially in Asia and Latin America.Initiatives of government and independent agencies favorably shaping the elderly and disabled assistive devices market scenarioOnly 5%15% of the population in low and middle-income countries, who are in need of elderly and disabled assistive devices, have access to them, as per stats released by the World Health Organization (WHO).Therefore, WHO along with its collaborating centers is working towards improving accessibility of elderly and disabled assistive devices to better cater to the patient population. Few of this initiatives include: Organizing regional and country workshops, meetings, and seminars Creating a database on availability of appropriate assistive devices and technologies Developing normative guidelines Providing assistance for development of national policies and programs on assistive devices and technologies with a focus on human resource developmentFurthermore, on the basis of discussion in the 66th World Health Assembly, held in 2013, WHO prepared a comprehensive global disability action plan for 2014 2021. Under this plan, WHO intends to improve access to health services and programs, extend rehabilitation, habilitation, assistive technology, assistance and support services, and support research on disability and related services. Such global initiatives are indirectly promoting adoption of assistive devices and are encouraging manufacturers to develop innovative elderly and disabled assistive devices.Ask for FREE Request Customization @Regional players are intensifying the competition in the global elderly and disabled assistive devices marketThe global elderly and disabled assistive devices market is extensively competitive attributed mainly to the entry of regional players offering low-cost products. This is influencing leading players such as Sonova Holding AG to increase their global presence through organic and inorganic strategies. Sonova Holding AG acquired AudioNova in September 2016, a Netherlands-based hearing aid manufacturer. This acquisition helped Sonova to strengthen its presence in Europe, by doubling the existing number of retails stores. Sonova Holding AG is implementing a vertically integrated business model by offering customized solutions to individual customers by expanding the number of retail stores. Similarly, other market leaders are anticipated to cement their distribution channels to capitalize on the global elderly and disabled assistive devices market potential.Browse Press Release:About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.CONTACT USMr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel : +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.comWebsite: Functional Printing Market to Reflect Impressive Growth Worldwide http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/10927 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/10927 The functional printing market is a research study which covers printing technologies in addition with functional inks employed for printing electronics. Multiple technologies used in the market include screen, inkjet, gravure, flexo and others. Various applications of functional printing include sensors, displays, lighting, batteries, photovoltaic, medical and RFID.A sample of this report is available upon request @Demand for new low cost electronic products lead to the demand of functional printing globally. This is made possible with the introduction and development of new printing technologies and materials. Traditional printing techniques such as flexography, inkjet, gravure and screen have been developed and modified which made them capable of printing on a wide range of substrates with the use of functional inks. At present, the screen printing technique has highest share in functional printing market owing to its higher reliability. Screen printing is primarily used in the making of sensors and RFID antennas. In addition, functional printing market enjoys huge opportunity and is being used to manufacture RFID chips, sensors and OLED displays and so on.Multiple substrates such as graphene are being developed for printed products. These materials are responsible for production of reliable and robust electronics. New ink such as graphene and other substrates are enabling the companies to adopt printed electronics technology with the use of functional printing. In addition, rising demand for displays, biosensors and RFID tags is driving the functional printing market. The current printing technologies are not specially planned for the purpose of functional printing. Although, now companies are bringing up new printing technologies especially designed for printing electronics.Request to view Table of content @The major players in functional printing market include Avery Dennison Corporation, Blue Spark Technologies, E Ink Holdings Inc., Kovio Inc., Nano Solar Inc., Novaled AG, Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated, Toyo Ink SC Holdings Co Ltd, Vorbeck Materials, Xaar PLC., Xennia, BASF SE, DuraTech Industries Inc., Eastman Kodak Company, ISORG, Mark Andy Inc., Optomec Inc., Toppan Forms Co. Ltd and Trident Industrial Inkjet among others.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Persistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd.305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com Global Tonometers Market - Global Industry Insights,Trends and Opportunity Analysis, 2016-2024 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-discount/66 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/66 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/ongoing-insight/tonometers-market-66 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com Tonometers: An efficient device for early detection of a serious eye disorder, glaucomaTonometers are devices assist in helping the eyecare professionals to determine the intraocular pressure (IOP) inside the eye. IOP is a fluid pressure in the eye. Tonometry is a diagnostic test which aids in examining whether the patient is at risk of glaucoma. This is an eye disorder wherein excess fluid pressure inside the eye tends to damage the patients optic nerve and might lead to permanent vision loss, if the damage retains. Tonometers help to detect this disorder, which usually does not show symptoms until at a later stage. The common target population for such kind of disease is the geriatric population. Moreover, diabetic patients are also at high risk of glaucoma. Hence, tonometers tend to be increasingly advantageous for such target population and they contribute towards the growth of the global tonometers market.Increasing geriatric population significantly supports the growth of tonometers marketGet 10% Discount For First Time Buyers:Global tonometers market is driven by various factors, the foremost of which is increasing geriatric population. It is mostly detected among people aged 60 years and above. Moreover, chronic eye disorders also assist in driving the demand for tonometers. Glaucoma is also found as an inherited disorder; hence people with family history of glaucoma also fall under the target population of the global tonometers market. However, there are some limitations pertaining to tonometers. For instance, Goldmann applanation tonometers might lead to corneal abrasion or risk of spreading infection. Non-contact tonometers also include restraining factors such as poor accuracy level in the measurement of the ocular pressure. Hence, the aforementioned factors are expected to restrain the global tonometers market to some extent.Applanation and indentation tonometers are the most commercially available tonometersGlobal tonometers market is segmented on the basis of product type, end user and region. Product type is classified under applanation tonometers, indentation tonometers, rebound tonometers, pascal dynamic contour tonometers and others. Further, applanation tonometers are segmented into Goldmann applanation tonometers, Perkins tonometers, non-contact tonometers, ocular response analyzer and others. Applanation tonometers help in determining ocular pressure by applying a force which flattens the disk to the cornea. These tonometers are the most widely accepted by the eyecare professionals primarily due to the fact that such diagnostic testing device allows for accurate measurement. On the other hand, indentation tonometers are used to examine through a force which will indent or sink into the cornea of the soft eye as compared to a harder eye. Rebound tonometers are also emerging owing to its numerous advantages such as it does not require anesthetizing the eye. It is a contact rebound tonometer, which uses an extremely light probe.Ask for FREE SAMPLE REPORT @On the basis of end user, tonometers are segmented into hospitals, clinics and others. Hospital segment is considered as the largest market owing to its wide usage in such facilities and hence, contribute towards significant revenue generation.Technological advancements are propelling market growth in North AmericaGeographically, tonometers market is classified under North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. North America is accounted for a significant share for the global tonometers market. This is primarily due to the fact that the healthcare expenditure in country like the U.S. is constantly growing, which in turn is expected to help the market for tonometers to grow. Moreover, technological advancements are also on a peak in these countries, which is expanding the product portfolio of tonometers. On the other hand, Asia Pacific is anticipated to gain lucrative growth over the forecast period due to increasing prevalence of diabetes in country like India. For instance, in 2015, 69.1 million people were suffering from diabetes in India according to International Diabetes Federation.Get More Details About This Report @Some of the major players of the global tonometers market include Canon Inc., Icare Finland Oy (Icare Finland is a part of Revenio Group Corporation), Topcon Corporation, HAAG-STREIT GROUP, NIDEK CO., LTD. and Reichert Technologies among others. Inorganic growth strategies are helping leading companies to obtain a competitive edge. Focus on enhancing product portfolio and inorganic growth approaches are some of the key strategic initiatives undertaken by these companies. In September, 2016, Icare launched Icare ic100 in order to expand its product portfolio.About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.CONTACT USMr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel : +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.comWebsite: Food Traceability Market to Exceed North America to Dominate the Market by 2020 Food Traceability Market https://www.marketresearchengine.com/reportdetails/food-traceability-market https://www.marketresearchengine.com/requestsample/food-traceability-market https://www.marketresearchengine.com/ New York, March 09: Market Research Engine has published a new report titled as Food Traceability Market by Technology (RFID, GPS, Barcode, Infrared, Biometric), End User (Manufacturer, Warehouse, Retailer, Government), Application (Fresh food Produce, Meat & Poultry, Seafood, Dairy, Beverage), & by Region - Global Trend & Forecast to 2020The food traceability market is expected to exceed more than USD$14billion by 2020.Browse Full Report:Food traceability is a skill in which tracking of food during all phases such as manufacturing, processing, delivering, importing and selling phase. It traced all food movements one step forward and one step backward on every position in the supply chain. During this process it should know about sources of food such as raw materials, ingredients, packaging and more. Food tracebility enables Food Company to aim the products affected by a food safety problem, reduce trouble towards trend. It reduces the consumer healthcare risks and all food company should be able to trace all products during all stages. All food company should have maintained record which includes transaction and delivery date, contact details of consumer and supplier, lot identification or any other important information.The major driving factors of food traceability market are as follows:o Support product recallo Traces contaminationo Decrease in Priceo Increasing customer concern in support of food security.o Legislative structureo Certifications and standardizationThe restraints factors of food traceability market are as follows:o Extra charge on traceability systemo Problem related to confidentiality data sharing.o Requirement of strict laws during developing country.o Different product have different requirenment.The food traceability market is segmented on the lines of its technologies, application, end user and equipment. The food traceability market is segmented on the lines of its technologies like RFID/RTLS, GPS, barcodes, infrared and biometrics. Under application segmentation it covered meat, fresh food produce, dairy products, beverages, fisheries and other. The food traceability market is segmented on the lines of its end user like food manufacturers, warehouse/pack farms, food retailers, defense and security departments and other government departments. The food traceability market is segmented on the lines of its equipment like smart PDAs, thermal printers, two dimensional and1D scanners, tags and labels and sensors. The food traceability market is geographic segmentation covers various regions such as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa. Each geography market is further segmented to provide market revenue for select countries such as the U.S., Canada, U.K. Germany, China, Japan, India, Brazil, and GCC countries.Download Free Sample Report:This report provides:1) An overview of the global market for food traceability and related technologies.2) Analyses of global market trends, with data from 2013, estimates for 2014 and 2015, and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2020.3) Identifications of new market opportunities and targeted promotional plans for food traceability4) Discussion of research and development, and the demand for new products and new applications.5) Comprehensive company profiles of major players in the industry.REPORT SCOPE:The scope of the report includes a detailed study of global and regional markets for various types of food traceability with the reasons given for variations in the growth of the industry in certain regions.The report covers detailed competitive outlook including the market share and company profiles of the key participants operating in the global market. Key players profiled in the report include Honeywell International Inc. (U.S.), C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (U.S.), Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (U.S.), DuPont (U.S.), Cognex Corporation (U.S.), and SGS S.A. (Switzerland) Company profile includes assign such as company summary, financial summary, business strategy and planning, SWOT analysis and current developments.The Top Companies Report is intended to provide our buyers with a snapshot of the industrys most influential players.The Food Traceability Market has been segmented as below:by Technologies Analysis RFID/RTLS GPS Barcodes Infrared Biometricsby Application Analysis Meat Fresh food produce Dairy products Beverages Fisheries Otherby End-User Analysis Food manufacturers Warehouse/pack farms Food retailers Defense and security departmentsAbout MarketResearchEngine.comMarket Research Engine is a global market research and consulting organization. We provide market intelligence in emerging, niche technologies and markets. Our market analysis powered by rigorous methodology and quality metrics provide information and forecasts across emerging markets, emerging technologies and emerging business models. Our deep focus on industry verticals and country reports help our clients to identify opportunities and develop business strategies.Media ContactCompany Name: Market Research EngineContact Person: John BayEmail: john@marketresearchengine.comPhone: +1-855-984-1862, +91-860-565-7204Country: United StatesWebsite:Address: 3422 SW 15 Street, Suite #8942, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442, United States Global Breast Pumps - A Perfect Solution for Nursing Mothers https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/81 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-customization/81 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/press-release/breast-pumps-market-to-surpass-us-09-billion-by-2024-8 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com Breast Pumps Market:OverviewBreast pumps are a boon for working women who cannot constantly nurse their babies due to work commitments. Commercially available types of breast pumps are manual, battery-powered, and electric breast pumps. Inclusion of these devices within the reimbursement purview in the U.S. is boosting demand for electric breast pumps. Demand for breast pumps significantly varies across regions, owing to difference in economic condition and culture and societal beliefs.The global breast pumps market was valued at US$ 606.6 million in 2015 and is projected to expand at a moderate CAGR of 4.8% during the forecast period (2016 2024).Request Report Sample for more Professional and Technical Insights:Growing number of women in the workforce providing growth impetusAccording to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), around 57% of women were part of the U.S. workforce in 2015. Furthermore, the DOL projects that by 2024, women in the age group of 25 to 34 years would constitute the major share of employed women in the U.S. On the contrary, emerging economies such as India have witnessed a decline in the female workforce from 35% in 1990 to 27% in 2014 (as per the World Bank Statistics). This is mainly attributed to cultural and societal factors and dearth of suitable jobs opportunities close to place of residence. However, liberalized thinking women empowerment programs are expected to change the scenario and drive growth in the number of women enlisted with the workforce in the country during the forecast period. Countries such as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have reported a significant increase in participation of women in the workforce as per the 2015 World Bank data.Increasing disposable incomes and favorable reimbursement policies driving demand for electric breast pumpsAutomated electric pumps with double pump system offer convenience to women in expressing breast milk. Increasing insurance coverage and availability of reimbursement policies is driving adoption of electric breast pumps in developed markets. Aftermarket for electric breast pumps has witnessed major traction in recent years, wherein renting is an affordable option for women, especially in developing countries. The single-electric breast pump segment is projected to expand at a CAGR of 5.9% during the forecast period (2016 2024). However, these devices are bulky and cumbersome to carry, inhibiting adoption to a certain extent.Battery-powered systems are a more practical solution for on-the-go users. Thus, due to better features and benefits offered by electric and battery-powered breast pumps, demand for manually operated breast pumps is projected to experience a downward spiral during the forecast period.Ask for FREE Request Customization @Technologically advanced breast pumps to replace manually operated breast pumpsIn November 2016, Medela AG launched Sonataa smart breast pump connected to a mobile app MyMedela. This system aids mothers to track babys activities, get access to expert tips, get real-time notifications, and track specific preset goals. In December 2016, Naya Health, Inc. launched Naya pump based on water-based technology. The device connects to the Naya Health Tracker app and helps mothers control the machine and track the amount of milk expressed and consumed by the baby. Such innovative technologies are expected to significantly inhibit demand for manually operated breast pumps, as it offers ease and convenience in managing nursing sessions.Browse Press Release:About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.CONTACT USMr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel : +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.comWebsite: Global Laboratory hoods Market 2017 : Airclean Systems, Weiss GWE GmbH, Nuaire, Felcon, Biobase, Angelantoni Lifescience, ESCO Laboratory hoods http://bit.ly/2m5zzbV http://bit.ly/2n9xdKc Laboratory hoodsA market study based on the " Laboratory hoods Market " across the globe, recently added to the repository of Market Research, is titled Global Laboratory hoods Market 2017. The research report analyses the historical as well as present performance of the worldwide Laboratory hoods industry, and makes predictions on the future status of Laboratory hoods market on the basis of this analysis.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here :Top Manufacturers Analysis Of This Research Report1. Airclean Systems2. Weiss GWE GmbH3. Nuaire4. Felcon5. Biobase6. Angelantoni Lifescience7. ESCOThe report studies the industry for Laboratory hoods across the globe taking the existing industry chain, the import and export statistics in Laboratory hoods market & dynamics of demand and supply of Laboratory hoods into consideration. The ' Laboratory hoods ' research study covers each and every aspect of the Laboratory hoods market globally, which starts from the definition of the Laboratory hoods industry and develops towards Laboratory hoods market segmentations. Further, every segment of the Laboratory hoods market is classified and analysed on the basis of product types, application, and the end-use industries of the Laboratory hoods market. The geographical segmentation of the Laboratory hoods industry has also been covered at length in this report.The competitive landscape of the worldwide market for Laboratory hoods is determined by evaluating the various industry participants, production capacity, Laboratory hoods market's production chain, and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Laboratory hoods market worldwide.Enquiry Here :The global Laboratory hoods market 2017 is also analysed on the basis of product pricing, Laboratory hoods production volume, data regarding demand and Laboratory hoods supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, and market attractiveness analysis has been used in the research to present a comprehensive study of the industry for Laboratory hoods across the globe.About Us :Market and Research are a trusted brand in the research industry with capability of commissioning complex projects within a short span of time with high level of accuracy. At Market and Research, we believe in building long term relations with our clients. Our services cover a broad spectrum of industries including Energy, Chemicals and Materials, Automotive and AerospaceContact Us :Market and ResearchUnited States Phenolic Resins Market Estimated to Experience a Hike in Growth by 2026 www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/11146 www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/11146 Phenolic resins or phenol-formaldehyde resins are the synthetic polymers obtained by the polymerization of phenol and formaldehyde. Phenolic resins possess good physical and chemical properties such as high mechanical strength, low toxicity, good heat resistance, low smoke formation and high thermal stability. Due to such high properties, phenolic resins find their applications in myriad industrial products. From molded products such as billiard balls to coatings and adhesives, phenolic resins are used for different applications across various industries such as automotive, electrical & electronics, construction etc. Besides, by mixing phenolic resins with other polymer, they can also be used in applications like corrosion coating, adhesive, etc. Due to their rising demand from various industries, the global phenolic resins market is expected to register high growth rate over the forecast period of 2016-2026.A sample of this report is available upon request @Construction, automotive, furniture and electrical & electronics industry are the major end-use sectors for phenolic resins. The holistic growth in these industries is expected to drive the demand for phenolic resins in the global market. Phenolic resins find their huge application in different wood products, which is majorly driven by the construction industry growth. Construction industry, which slowed down during 2014-2015, is expected to return to its growth phase post 2016. The growing construction industry output is further expected to have a positive impact on the global phenolic resins market through 2026. Moreover, increase in demand for various molded products in automotive and aerospace industry is also expected to contribute to the global phenolic resins demand through the forecast period.Volatility in raw material prices is a major challenging factor for the growth of phenolic resins market. With global focus growing towards the development of green and sustainable products, bio-based resins are expected to gain popularity among consumers, which could also hamper the growth of the conventional synthetic phenolic resins market.Request to view Table of content @Regionally, global phenolic resins market is segmented into seven key regions, namely, North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ), Middle East & Africa and Japan. APEJ is expected to emerge as one of the fastest growing regions in the global phenolic resins market due to high rise in demand from construction and furniture industry, majorly in China and India. China is expected to remain a prominent consumer of phenolic resins in the global market throughout the forecast period.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Persistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd.305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com Fluorocarbon Gases Market to Reflect Impressive Growth by 2026 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/11161 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/11161 The compounds and the products utilizing fluorocarbons subsidize significantly to the quality of life while. Over the years many new technologies are being introduced that are fuelling investments in industrial in fluorocarbon gases market to utilize its properties to produce electrical equipment and products at a large scale. The improved technologies in air conditioning in buildings, food-preserving refrigeration, insulation systems, motor vehicles and others.A sample of this report is available upon request @There are numerous recent attempts wherein businesses are working to make alterations to compounds with more environment protection without disturbing its basic attributes such as low toxicity, non-flammability and lot more. The market is being majorly driven by the growing electronic appliances and electronics manufacturing. There are numerous industries where a fluorocarbon gases is a prerequisite. Some other prominent industries where fluorocarbon gases are used are automotive, chemicals, semiconductors among others. CFCs emanates a very prominent usage in aerosol format products, as sterilants of equipment of medical usage, and in a lot of diverse applications including tobacco expansion, food freezing, cancer therapy and fumigation. The rising demand from different end use sectors is driving growth in global fluorocarbon gases market.The industry is entering into a fast moving phase. Growing number of industry players is rising the competition into unprecedented heights. Many fluorocarbon gases have a very high global warming potentials. Fluorinated gases are removed only in the upper atmosphere when they are damaged by sunlight. In general, fluorinated gases are the most long lasting type of gases emitted by human activities.The growing need of high-end industrial activities in different industrial applications is pushing the end users to invest in and deploy fluorocarbon gases, subsequently growing the global fluorocarbon gases market. The demand is growing in industrial applications such as electronics manufacturing, semiconductors, home appliances etc. which is acting as one of the biggest driver for the increasing demand of the fluorocarbon gases and global fluorocarbon gases market dispersion.In spite of of being in flammable, compact, and reliable source raw material/compound the fluorocarbon suffers from some challenges such as the changing legislations and strict mandates upon its usage. The gases are ozone depletion substances whose production and usage are controlled under an international agreement called Montreal Protocol. In some of the regions, usage of CFCs and HCFCs is phased out under this international agreement, and are being replaced by HFCs. This is expected to restrain the global fluorocarbon market from growing.The global fluorocarbon gases market is projected to register a favourable growth for the forecast period, 2015?2025. APAC is projected to withstand its control on the global fluorocarbon gases market. The region is anticipated to uphold its dominance in the global fluorocarbon gases market due to consistently growing demand for fluorocarbon gases from developing economies such as China and India. China is the largest market opportunity in terms of revenue in APAC region. North American and Europe are likely to follow the Asia market in terms of growth in global fluorocarbon gases market.Some of the key market participants in global fluorocarbon gases market are Daikin Industries, Electronic Fluorocarbons, LLC, INOX Group, Hindustan Flurocarbons Limited, Fluorocarbon, among others.Request to view Table of content @The research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data, and statistically supported and industry-validated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to categories such as market segments, geographies, types, technology and applications.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Persistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd.305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com Xanthan Gum Market to Witness an Outstanding Growth by 2021 www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/4843 www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/4843 Xanthan gum is a microbial polysaccharide used as a thickener in several industries such as food and beverages, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical. It is also known by other names such as bacterial polysaccharide, and corn sugar gum. Xanthan gum is manufactured by fermenting corn sugar with a bacterium named Xanthomonas Campestris. After the consumption of food containing xanthan gum, it swells in the intestine and stimulates the digestive tract. Xanthan gum also slows the absorption of sugar in the digestive tract and functions like saliva to lubricate the mouth of people who have Sjogrens syndrome. Xanthan gums are also used in drilling activities in the oil and gas sector. Food and beverage is the key end-use industry for xanthan gum and the bakery and confectionary industry accounts for the largest demand.A sample of this report is available upon request @The growth of end user industries is the key driver for the global xanthan gums market. Rising disposable income is propelling the demand for food and cosmetics, which is consequently boosting the demand for xanthan gums. The consumption of convenience foods that contain xanthan gums has also increased significantly in the recent past. The increasing population and a growing economically-active population in Asia Pacific is further increasing demand for on-the-go foods. Increasing government investment in healthcare is also boosting pharmaceutical sales across the globe, which is driving the xanthan gums market.A mounting demand for gluten-free foods is also driving the xanthan gum market. Xanthan gum is used in the gluten-free baking process for several products such as cookies, cakes and pancakes, muffins and quick breads, breads, pizza dough, and salad dressings. Among these, xanthan gum is used in large quantities in the preparation of pizza dough. The nutritional characteristic of xanthan gum further increases its acceptability, as it contains carbohydrates and fiber. One of the greatest restraints for the xanthan gum market is the availability of guar gum as a substitute. However, guar gum is mostly used in ice cream and pastry fillings, whereas xanthan gum finds its largest use in the manufacturing of bakery products. Another restraint for the xanthan gum market is that it is not suitable for people with certain allergies.Request to view Table of content @Asia Pacific dominated the global xanthan gum market in 2014 owing to increasing demand for bakery and confectionary products from countries such as China, India, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Europe also has a large share in the xanthan gum market thanks to its large bakery and confectionary industries. Key players in the global xanthan gum market include Danisco, Cargill, Pfizer Inc, Jungbunzlauer, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), CP Kelco, and Fufeng Group Company Ltd.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Persistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd.305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com FMCG Labels Market - Production, Sales, Supply, Demand, Analysis & Forecast to 2026 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/fmcg-labels-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=11771 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com FMCG Labels Market: IntroductionLabelling is an indispensable part of marketing, which impulse and highly influence consumer buying behavior. In each product category under FMCG market, brand owners are looking for new approaches to develop labels in order to face competitive market. Labelling is used to differentiate or giving distinct looks from the other products available in the market. FMCG labels can be made in different design as per the specific demand of the customers. It includes self-adhesive labels, barcode, tag, sticker and others, available in different shape, size and colors. However government organizations across the world has established packaging labels guidelines for particular products and packaging type and it is required to meet those requirements.Obtain Report Details @Increasing demand for grocery, personal care products and food and beverage is expected to drive consumption of FMCG products. In five years, FMCG market has become highly consolidated, majorly influenced by local players and retailers. In such competitive environment, brand owners are more inclined towards having private labels so that to stand against competitor. Private labels are gaining trust among end-use consumers, and expected to be potential substitute for FMCG labels.FMCG Labels Market: Market DynamicsThe FMCG labels market is highly influenced by the performances of manufacturers who sells their products under FMCG domain. Following a recovery of the world economic turndown in 2010, the retail market of fast moving consumer goods has witness significant growth owing increasing per capita income across each geographies. Government regulations over packaging has forced manufactured to provide quality packaging and ensuring clean and persistence labels which represent all required contents of product and packaging materials. Owing to the demand and supply gap of FMCG products, the retailers has adopted a business strategy of expansion and number of retail store has increased significantly over the last five years. Market penetration of multinational companies like Walmart in emerging economies such as China and India is expected to drive the FMCG labels market in high potential market. Increasing disposable income and rapidly expanding retail sector are two key drivers to drive the global FMCG labels market. However private labels is a potential treat for FMCG labels and it is expected to restrain the growth of FMCG labels market. Additionally, the sustainability of FMCG labels market is highly dependent on innovation and product development.FMCG Labels Market: Market SegmentationOn basis of label types, global FMCG labels market can be segmented as follow as;Gummed LabelsSelf-Adhesive Roll LabelsPlain LabelsSecurity LabelsBarcode LabelsAdhesive Printable LabelsIdentification LabelsOthersOn basis of packaging material, global FMCG labels market can be segmented as follow as;GlassPlasticWoodPaperOtherFor more information on this report, fill the form @On basis of shape of labels, global FMCG labels market can be segmented as follow as;2D Labels3D LabelsOn basis of color of labels, global FMCG labels market can be segmented as follow as;WhitePinkFluorescentOrangeOthersOn basis of geographies, global FMCG labels can be segmented as follow as;North AmericaLatin AmericaWestern EuropeEastern EuropeAsia Pacific Excluding JapanJapanMiddle East and AfricaFMCG Labels Market: Regional OutlookGrowing demand for sustainable packaging and health conscious consumers is expected to augment the growth of FMCG labels market across the world. North America and Europe are expected to be most competitive market, owing to increasing industry preference for private labelling in these geographies. Owing to expansion of retail sectors and marketing strategies adopted by key players, Asia Pacific is expected to emerge as most attractive segment over the forecast period. This can offers an opportunity to multinational companies to penetrate in to high potential market of China and India. China is the largest market in Asia-Pacific followed by India in 2020, and is expected to grow rapidly in the near future. This is primarily because of growing industries such as food and beverages and pharmaceuticals which are highly rely on concise packaging labels.FMCG Labels Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players in global FMCG labels market are as follow as;The 3M CompanyHenkel AG & CompanyAvery Dennison CorporationDow Corning CorporationSika AGWacker Chemie AGDM Card Japan Co., Ltd.Lewis Label ProductsAbout TMRTMR is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact TMR90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Global Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides Industry 2016 Market Research Report Market Research Reports http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=756165&type=E http://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/global-low-pressure-molding-with-polyamides-industry-2016-market-research-report-enterprise-wide-license.htm http://www.qyresearchreports.com/press-releases.htm Qyresearchreports include new market research report "Global Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides Industry 2016 Market Research Report" to its huge collection of research reports.The analysts of the global Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides market report have taken on the challenge of procuring insightful data from reliable resources and precisely segregating critical market dynamics, given the voluminous amount of information available. Established and novice players in the Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides market can secure their position on the cutting edge of the competitive landscape with the help of the in-depth analysis provided in the report. Businesses at different levels can take advantage of this information-rich market guide compiled using real references and case studies to gain an upper hand in their specific industries.The competitive scenario of the global Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides market is comprehensively discussed in the report, taking into account different geographical regions, with a view to help market players to establish groundbreaking strategies for managing their sustenance in the industry. In terms of market attractiveness, the analysts have predicted the prevalence of the rising segments in the Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides market while considering their different growth factors.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The value chain presented in the global Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides market report offers a coup doeil at the current and prospective scenario between buyers, suppliers, and end-users. Using Porters five forces model, the analysts have provided a glimpse of the vital factors that can influence the Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides market, such as the threats from substitutes, degree of competition, and bargaining power. While shedding light on the revenue and global penetration of major market players, the report puts forth a significant company market share analysis. The report also considers various decisive parameters that are likely to impact the demand in the Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides industry to mark market attractiveness on the basis of key segments.Browse Complete Report with TOC @Table of Contents1 Industry Overview of Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides 11.1 Definition and Specifications of Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides 11.1.1 Definition of Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides 11.1.2 Specifications of Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides 21.2 Classification of Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides 41.2.1 Black Polyamides 51.2.2 Amber Polyamides 61.3 Applications of Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides 71.3.1 Automotive Electronics Industry 81.3.2 PCB Industry 91.3.3 Mobile Phone Industry 101.4 Industry Chain Structure of Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides 111.5 Industry Overview and Major Regions Status of Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides 111.5.1 Industry Overview of Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides 111.5.2 Global Major Regions Status of Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides 121.6 Industry Policy Analysis of Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides 121.7 Industry News Analysis of Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides 142 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides 152.1 Raw Material Suppliers and Price Analysis of Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides 152.2 Equipment Suppliers and Contact Analysis of Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides 172.3 Labor Cost Analysis of Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides 182.4 Other Costs Analysis of Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides 222.5 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides 232.6 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides 243 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides 253.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides Major Manufacturers in 2015 253.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides Major Manufacturers in 2015 263.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides Major Manufacturers in 2015 263.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides Major Manufacturers in 2015 278 Major Manufacturers Analysis of Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides 878.1 Henkel AG 878.1.1 Company Profile 878.1.2 Product Information 888.1.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 898.1.4 Contact Information 918.2 Bostik (Arkema) 918.2.1 Company Profile 918.2.2 Product Information 928.2.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 928.2.4 Contact Information 948.3 H.B.Fuller 948.3.1 Company Profile 948.3.2 Product Information 958.3.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 958.3.4 Contact Information 978.4 Jowat AG 978.4.1 Company Profile 978.4.2 Product Information 988.4.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 988.4.4 Contact Information 100Figure Picture of Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides 1Table Properties of Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides 2Table Specifications of Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides 3Table Technical Features of Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides 3Figure Process Flow Advantage of Low Pressure Molding 4Table Classification of Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides 4Figure Global Production Volume (MT) Market Share of Low Pressure Molding with Polyamides by Types in 2015 5Figure Black Polyamides Picture 5Table Characteristics of Amber Polyamide (TECHNOMELT PA 678 (e)) 5Table Major Manufacturers of Black Polyamides 6Figure Amber Polyamides Picture 6Table Characteristics of Amber Polyamide (TECHNOMELT PA 673 (e)) 6For Latest QYResearchreports Press Release Visit @QYReseachReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYReseachReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United States Isoxazole Market Research Report 2017 Top by Manufacturers, Type and Application, Growth and Opportunities by 2022 https://marketsizeforecasters.com/get-sample/9682 https://marketsizeforecasters.com/global-and-chinese-isoxazole-industry-2017-market https://marketsizeforecasters.com/securecheckout/paymenta/9682?msfpaycode=sumsf https://marketsizeforecasters.com/global-north-america-europe-and-asia-pacific-south-america-middle-east-and-africa-chlorogenic-acid-market Http://Marketsizeforecasters.Com/ Isoxazole Market Report provides detailed analysis of worldwide markets for Isoxazole from 2012-2017, and provides extensive market forecasts (2017-2022) by region/country and subsectors. It covers the key technological and market trends in the Induction Stove market and further lays out an analysis of the factors influencing the supply/demand for Induction Stove, and the opportunities/challenges faced by industry participants.The 'Global and Chinese Isoxazole Industry, 2012-2022 Market Research Report' is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the global Isoxazole industry with a focus on the Chinese market. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the Isoxazole manufacturers and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the Market.Request a sample copy @Firstly, the report provides a basic overview of the industry including its definition, applications and manufacturing technology. Then, the report explores the international and Chinese major Market players in detail. In this part, the report presents the company profile, product specifications, capacity, production value, and 2012-2017 market shares for each company.Through the statistical analysis, the report depicts the global and Chinese total market of Isoxazole industry including capacity, production, production value, cost/profit, supply/demand and Chinese import/export. The total market is further divided by company, by country, and by application/type for the competitive landscape analysis.The report then estimates 2017-2022 market development trends of Isoxazole Market. Analysis of upstream raw materials, downstream demand, and current market dynamics is also carried out. In the end, the report makes some important proposals for a new project of Isoxazole Industry before evaluating its feasibility. Overall, the report provides an in-depth insight of 2012-2022 global and Chinese Isoxazole industry covering all important parameters.Browse full table of contents and data tables @Major Points Covers in Table of ContentsChapter One Introduction of Isoxazole Industry1.1 Brief Introduction of Isoxazole1.2 Development of Isoxazole Market1.3 Status of Isoxazole MarketChapter Two Manufacturing Technology of Isoxazole Market2.1 Development of Isoxazole Manufacturing Technology2.2 Analysis of Isoxazole Manufacturing Technology2.3 Trends of Isoxazole Manufacturing TechnologyChapter Three Analysis of Global Isoxazole Market Key ManufacturersChapter Four 2012-2017 Global and Chinese Market of IsoxazoleChapter Five Market Status of Isoxazole MarketChapter Six 2017-2022 Market Forecast of Global and Chinese Isoxazole MarketChapter Seven Analysis of Isoxazole Market ChainChapter Eight Global and Chinese Economic Impact on Isoxazole MarketChapter Nine Market Dynamics of Isoxazole MarketChapter Ten Proposals for New ProjectEnquiry before buying Global and Chinese Isoxazole Industry Market Research Report@Related Reports: -Global (North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa) Chlorogenic Acid Market 2017 Forecast to 2022:The global market size of chlorogenic acid was 122.16 million USD in 2015 and is expected to reach USD 143.50 million USD by 2021, at a CAGR of 3.27% between 2016 and 2021.The growing manufacturing sector in all regions is expected to generate demand and drive the chlorogenic acid market during the forecast period. This report focus on the data of chlorogenic acid used for chemical application.For Read more to @Centralize Market Research Purchases Across Your Entire Organization In One Place Marketsizeforecasters.Com Allows You To Manage And Control All Corporate Research Purchases To Consolidate Billing And Vendor Management. You Can Eliminate Duplicate Purchases And Customize Your Content And License Management.Market Size ForecastersThe Green Suite #4594,Dover, DE 19901United StatesPhone: 1-201-355-0868US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email: Sales@Marketsizeforecasters.ComWebsite:Connect With Us: Linkedin | Twitter 1-Octanol Market - Global Industry Analysis 2024 1-Octanol Market http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/1-octanol-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=20633 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ http://globalresearchmarket.blogspot.in/ 1-Octanol belongs to the family of alcohols. It is also known as octyl alcohol. It is usually present in colorless liquid state and is insoluble in water. The vapors of 1-octanol are heavier than air. This causes irritation in nose, eyes, and respiratory system if inhaled. In order to increase the shelf life, 1-Octanol is stored in a ventilated cool and dry place in tightly sealed containers protected from heat and light. Its physical characteristics make it useful as wetting and defoaming agent due to its slight viscous nature.1-Octanol is used in various other applications. It acts as solvent for waxes, protective coatings, and oils. 1-octanol is also used as raw material for the manufacture of plasticizers. Human exposure to this chemical can either be caused through skin contact or inhalation of fumes. Short term exposure can cause irritation to skin, respiratory tract, and eyes. If swallowed in large quantity, it can cause aspiration in the lungs and pneumonitis.Obtain Report Details @1-octanol is also employed as food preservative in low quantity, so that it does not cause toxicity when consumed by human beings. It is used as synthetic flavoring substance in food, alone or in combination with other flavoring substances. Based on end-use, the market for 1-octanol can be segmented into personal care products, agriculture products, plasticizers, paints & coatings, fuels & fuel additives, and building & construction etc.The market for 1-octanol is niche, but is anticipated to witness promising growth during the forecast period owing to its increased usage in end-user industries. Increase in awareness among consumers regarding the therapeutic effect of lotions, creams, and conditioners is primarily driving the personal care market. This, in turn, is augmenting the demand for 1-octanol. The market is also expected to benefit from product innovation and product development of new lotions and creams. Increase in recognition of novel brands and rise in awareness among consumers to use prestige brands instead of common brands are poised to boost the 1-octanol market.Enter your information below to receive a sample copy of this report @The use of 1-octanol as penetration enhancer in transdermal drug delivery in the pharmaceutical industry is estimated to fuel the market during the forecast period. Ability of 1-octanol to permeate skin efficiently and safely without any hazards is the factor driving its demand in the pharmaceutical industry. The fuel & fuel additives segment held promising share of the 1-octanol market in 2015. Its share is projected to increase in the next few years owing to its usage as aluminum rolling lubricant and plastic lubricant, among others.Implementation of stringent government regulations, especially in mature markets such as North America and Europe, is the only factor limiting the growth of the global 1-ocatnol market. Overall, drivers of the market are anticipated to outperform the restraining factor. Thus, the 1-octanol market is expected to expand significantly during the forecast period.Geographically, the market for 1-octanol was dominated by North America in 2015 due to the high demand in end-use industries in the region. This trend is likely to continue during the forecast period. The market in North America was followed by that in Europe and Asia Pacific, respectively, in 2015. Middle East & Africa and Asia Pacific are projected to be rapidly growing regional segments of the 1-octanol market.Expansion in the market in these regions is estimated to be sustained by healthy economic growth, changing lifestyle trends, increasing industrial development, technological advancements, rise in standard of living, growth in investment in prestige and luxury brands, and large base of young affluent population. The market in Latin America is also anticipated to expand at a steady pace during the forecast period due to the improvement in the standard of living of consumers and growth in economy of countries in the region.Key players operating in the 1-Decanol market are Emery Oleochemicals, Sasol, BASF SE, Thai Fatty Alcohol, Kao Chem, Musin Mas, and P&G ChemicalsAbout UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insights for decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, TMR employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact Us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Blog: Global Automotive Steel Market 2017 - ArcelorMittal, ThyssenKrupp, Nippon Steel, POSCO, Baosteel, HYUNDAI steel http://www.fiormarkets.com/report-detail/35522/request-sample https://goo.gl/okTm6J www.fiormarkets.com www.9dimenreports.com The Automotive Steel report is offers a clear picture of the current and future trends, developments and opportunities. The report, prepared by a highly seasoned team of analysts and data experts, carries an array of tables and graphs besides qualitative analyses. Starting with a discussion on the current state of the Automotive Steel market, the report goes on to discuss the dynamics affecting each segment within it. The report segments the market to up to three levels and studies each of these in great detail. The result is a set of sharp insights and recommendations that will help companies stay ahead of the next new trend in the Automotive Steel industry.Download Free Sample Report @A basic overview of the Automotive Steel market is offered to readers through the use of market definition, segmentation, applications, and value chain analysis. The analysis for the Automotive Steel market is not limited only to traditional or emerging markets. It also covers regions that have been hitherto unexplored but have white space that could be lucratively tapped. In order to do this, however, a clear understanding of ones competitors is imperative. The report provides just that through a section dedicated to key company profiles and news. Equipped with this vital information, players in the Automotive Steel market will be in a better position to foresee opportunities and threats alike and make informed decisions.The regulatory environment, being such an intrinsic part of the Automotive Steel market, does need special focus. The report collates information relating to current and future policies and regulations that could directly or indirectly affect business operations. The report is an invaluable business intelligence repository for new and existing players in the Automotive Steel market.For technical data and manufacturing plants analysis, the report analyzes Automotive Steel leading suppliers on capacity, commercial production date, manufacturing plants distribution, R&D Status, technology sources, and raw materials sources.Access Full Report With TOC @This report also presents product specification, manufacturing process, and product cost structure etc. Production is separated by regions, technology and applications. Analysis also covers upstream raw materials, equipment, downstream client survey, marketing channels, industry development trend and proposals. In the end, the report includes Automotive Steel new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, investment return analysis, and development trend analysis. In conclusion, it is a deep research report on Global Automotive Steel industry.Fior Markets is a leading market intelligence company that sells reports of top publishers in the technology industry.Our extensive research reports cover detailed market assessments that include major technological improvements in the industry. Fior Markets also specializes in analyzing hi-tech systems and current processing systems in its expertise.We have a team of experts that compile precise research reports and actively advise top companies to improve their existing processes. Our experts have extensive experience in the topics that they cover.Contact UsMark StoneSales ManagerPhone: (201) 465-4211Email: sales@fiormarkets.comWeb:Blog: Global Rich Communications Services Market to grow at a Phenomenal CAGR of 41.81% during the forecast period of 2017 2022 http://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/217341 http://www.orbisresearch.com/contact/purchase/217341 https://www.linkedin.com/company/orbis-research SummaryOrbis Research Presents Global Rich Communications Service (RCS) Market By Type (RCS e, RCS, RCS Like), Solution (VoIP, Online Storage, Unified Messaging, Web Conferencing, Multimedia, Social Presence Information, File Transfer, SIP Options), Application, Geography, Trends, Forecast (2017-2022)DescriptionThe Global Rich Communications Services market is valued at USD XX.XX billion in 2016 and is expected to reach a value of USD XX.XX billion by the end of 2022, growing at a projected CAGR of 41.81% during the forecast period of 2017 2022. Rich Communications Service (RCS) is the platform that enables the delivery of communication experiences beyond SMS and voice, providing consumers with instant messaging or chat, live video and file sharing - across devices, on any network. RCS, which is a GSM Association (GSMA) enterprise, provides mobile network operators to uphold their existing customer base by keeping the customers connected through enriched communication services.Get a PDF Sample of Global Rich Communications Service (RCS) Market Report at:RCS marks the transition of messaging and voice capabilities from Circuit Switched technology to an all-IP world - and it shares the same IMS investment and leverages the same IMS capabilities as VoLTE and Video calls over LTE.The major factors driving the RCS market are the customer retention, influence of social networks, collaboration between the carriers, benefits from investments and global interoperability. The rich communication service market faces major hindrances like competition of OTT players and lack of awareness among organizations regarding the consumption and usage. The messaging market has gradually become more competitive with the entry of major OTT players, such as Line, Skype and WhatsApp. Rich Communication Service provides organizations integrated voice and video services, interoperability across any operator network, the ability to connect to anyone and anywhere with an enabled handset and richer communication experience.Place a Purchase Order for this Report at:The global Rich Communications Service (RCS) market is segmented on the basis of types, solutions, and application. The market is divided into Enhanced Rich Communication Suite (RCS-e), RCS, and RCS- like in terms of types of rich communication service. Further, on the basis of solution it is categorized into VoIP, Online Storage, Unified Messaging, Web Conferencing, Social Presence Information, and others.Numerous products are available in the rich communication service (RCS) market such as APIs, VoLTE, WebRTC, and others.The Rich Communication Service (RCS) is highly competitive with some of the key participants are, Huawei, Acision, Deutsche Telekom, Acme Packet, Neusoft, Infinite Convergence, Summit Tech, Nokia Siemens Network, and others.Key Points Covered in Global Rich Communications Service (RCS) Market Report: Introduction Executive Summary Market Insights Rich Communication Services (RCS)- By solutions Applications Rich Communication Services (RCS) Market by Region Rich Communication Services (RCS) Market Share Investment Analysis Future of Global Rich Communication Services (RCS) MarketOrbis Research (orbisresearch.com) is a single point aid for all your market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customized reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialization. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required market research study for our clients.Hector CostelloSenior Manager Client Engagements4144N Central Expressway,Suite 600, Dallas,Texas 75204, U.S.A.Phone No.: +1 (214) 884-6817; +9164101019Follow Us on LinkedIn: Global Geopolymer Market to Progress at a Majestic CAGR of 36.74% and to Reach a Milestone of USD 7,184.32 million by 2020 http://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/218234 http://www.orbisresearch.com/contact/purchase/218234 https://www.linkedin.com/company/orbis-research SummaryOrbis Research Presents Global Geopolymer Industry- by Market Segmentation (End use & Product Type) Regions(North America, Europe, Asia Pacific & Rest of the World) and Companies Profile( Geopolymer Precursor, Geopolymer Resin, Binder and Grout, Geopolymer Cement and Concrete, Structural Rehabilitation, Geopolymer Ceramics, Geopolymer Panels and Composites & Other Alternate Cements and Technology (2017-2022)DescriptionThe Global Geopolymer Market has been estimated at USD 1,502.6 million in 2015 and is projected to reach USD 7,184.32 million by 2020, at a CAGR of 36.74% during the forecast period from 2015 to 2020. The global Geopolymer business is in its nascent stage and is expected to grow exponentially over the following years and approximated at a CAGR of 40% during the forecast period. In 2015, over 8 million tonnes of Geopolymer concrete was poured globally. Increased global acceptance of Geopolymers has swiftly increased the amount many times over and by September 2015, 70000 tonnes of Geopolymer concrete was used to complete the Brisbane West Wellcamp airport in Australia.There exist a wide variety of potential and existing applications for Geopolymers. Some of the Geopolymer applications are still in development whereas others are already industrialized and commercialized. The greatest application in volume comes through Geopolymer cements and which have been commercialized in many countries, the foremost being Australia and also being manufactured and studied by several research institutes. National standards and codes like the European cement standard, which are more prescriptive in nature and explicitly limit concrete to a Portland cement based binder, are an impediment to the industry. Performance based regulations like the ones implemented in Australia are more beneficial for the growth of research and industry. In the Geopolymer market report, we have taken into the following major end-user sectors into consideration: Buildings, Road and Pavements, Runways, Pipes and concrete repair, bridges, tunnel linnings, railroad sleepers and other uses. The Buildings segment accounted for more than 19.5% share of the Global Geopolymer market in 2015.Get a PDF Sample of Global Geopolymer Industry Report at:The market is expected to be driven by construction chemicals as well as pre-set products oriented industries such as bricks and slabs, sealants & grouts, and others. The customer base is across markets from buildings, pavements, embankments, tunnel linings, railway sleepers to repair and rehabilitation of pipes, flooring and wall cracks as well as fireproofing panels. With new laws being drafted for better sustainability, increase in the construction sector in the developing countries and especially with an increasing public and scientific demand for sustainable materials, the geopolymer products are expected to witness a high growth in the foreseeable future.The Geopolymer market, on the basis of type can be broadly segmented into Cement, Concrete and Precast Panels, Grouts and Binders and others. Cement, Concrete and Precast Panels segment is the biggest segment of this market.The market has also been geographically segmented into APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and MEA. In terms of consumption in 2015, APAC led the market with a share of 57%. It was followed by Europe and North America. This high production is driven by a rapid growth residential, commercial and public sector infrastructure on account of growing population and changing lifestyle. However with regard to geopolymer products, consumer awareness in China and India is still lagging behind Australian, European and North American counterparts. This has resulted in lower market penetration of geopolymeric solutions in spite of them being the two biggest construction markets and presence of research dealing with newer geopolymeric product innovations.Company profiles of the major Geopolymer precursor, Geopolymer cement & concrete, Geopolymer resin, binder & grout, Geopolymer panels & composites have been discussed in this study. These include Imeys Group, Milliken & Company Inc., BASF SE, Dow Chemicals, Wagner, Rolca, Murray & Roberts cementation Co. Ltd., and Zeobond Pty Ltd. Among others.Major Points Covered in Global Geopolymer Market Report: Introduction Research Methodology Market Insights Market Segmentation Regional Market Analysis Profiles of Key Companies The Future of the Geopolymer Industry DisclaimerPlace a Purchase Order for this Report at:Key Deliverables in the StudyMarket analysis for the Global Geopolymer Market, with region specific assessments and competition analysis on global and regional scalesMarket definition along with the identification of key drivers and restraintsIdentification of factors instrumental in changing the market scenarios, rising prospective opportunities, and identification of key companies that can influence this market on a global and regional scaleExtensively researched competitive landscape section with profiles of major companies along with their market sharesIdentification and analysis of the macro and micro factors that affect the Global Geopolymer market on both global and regional scalesA comprehensive list of key market players along with the analysis of their current strategic interests and key financial informationA wide-ranging knowledge and insights about the major players in this industry and the key strategies adopted by them to sustain and grow in the studied marketInsights on the major countries/regions in which this industry is blooming and to also identify the regions that are still untappedOrbis Research (orbisresearch.com) is a single point aid for all your market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customized reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialization. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required market research study for our clients.Hector CostelloSenior Manager Client Engagements4144N Central Expressway,Suite 600, Dallas,Texas 75204, U.S.A.Phone No.: +1 (214) 884-6817; +9164101019Follow Us on LinkedIn: Food Packaging Market - What's in store for 2017? http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/food-packaging-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=7283 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Food packaging market is by far the largest application segment of the packaging industry, accounting for more than one-third of the global packaging market. From a global perspective, the food packaging market is at a very interesting situation, where the market has almost reached a plateau in terms of technology in the more developed nations in North America and Europe, while the emerging countries of Asia Pacific region are playing catch up to the packaging technologies and food supply chain management. Different types of food products require varied packaging types according to their individual usage and perishability.Browse Market Research Report @The sea change in food habits and preference for processed food has propelled the food packaging market in the past. The market for packaged food has already reached a holistic level in North America and Western Europe, while rapid lifestyle changes and economic growth, coupled with rising population in Asia Pacific countries such as China and India, has spiked the growth rate of food packaging in the region. The growth rate in South America and the Middle East is also on the higher side compared to the developed economies. The main reason for increasing preference for processed food is the shifting population dynamics towards urban centers from rural areas. This has resulted in the advent of dual income urban families, who prefer processed food due to time constraints. Packaged food has evolved from super markets to neighborhood stores in countries such as China, India, Brazil and Thailand among others. The market dynamics in North America and Europe however, is governed by branding activities undertaken by food processing companies.For more information on this report, fill the form @Tremendous opportunity exist in the food packaging market in emerging economies as the food packaging technology is in its growth phase in this region. Antimicrobial packaging technique is of particular interest as it helps to improve the shelf life of perishable food products. The market is however, slightly restrained by the declining growth in North America and Europe.The food packaging market can be segmented into application segments such as convenience foods, confectionary items, dairy items, fruits and vegetables, meat and sauces and dressings. The popularity of the different food applications is different across the globe. For instance packaged meat is making foray into Asia Pacific region while it is mainstream in North America and Europe. Materials used to package food can also be segmented into plastic, paper & board, metal and glass. They may also be classified as rigid, semi-regid and flexible by type of packaging material. The preferences for different packaging materials also vary with regions due to the food habits specific to the regions. Flexible packaging accounts for the largest share of food packaging.North America is the largest food packaging market followed by Europe and Asia Pacific. However the growth rate exhibited by these regions has subsided considerably as the market is close to its peak. The growth parity is however, restored by the high growth regions of Asia Pacific and South America. China and India have exhibited exceptional growth potential and is expected to overtake the market leading position from North America in the near future.Some of the major players in the food packaging market are American Packaging Corporation, Anchor Packaging, Crown Holdings, Inc. and Bemis Company, Inc., among many others.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Global E. Coli Testing Market to Expand at 6.5% CAGR till 2021 E. Coli Testing Market https://goo.gl/H8ILGU http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/e-coli-testing-market-z60568 http://www.marketresearchstore.com Zion Research has published a new report titled E. Coli Testing (Membrane Filtration (MF), Enzyme-Substrate Methods, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Tests, And Others) Market for Diagnostic Laboratories, Hospitals, Waste Water Treatment Organizations, Bottle Water Suppliers And Other End-user: Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis and Forecast, 2015 - 2021 According to the report, the global E. coli testing market was valued at around USD 1.2 billion in 2015 and is expected to reach approximately USD 2.0 billion by 2021, growing at a CAGR of around 6.5% between 2016 and 2020.Escherichia coli (E. coli) are a large and diverse group of bacteria which are found in the environment, foods, and intestines of people and animals. The membrane filtration technique is widely used for E. coli test. E. coli are used as indicator organisms to test the effectiveness of effluent disinfection in a wastewater treatment plant. While these organisms are generally harmless to human, that live under the same conditions that human pathogens live.Get a copy of Sample Report:The major driving factor for the global E. coli testing market is increasing government support for E. coli tests and the rising occurrence and high morbidity of E. coli. The development of drug-resistant species is another key factor is anticipated to drive the market growth in the years to come. However, high cost of enzyme-substrate test is expected to curb the market growth in the near future. Nonetheless, technological advancement coupled with increasing use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for environment water testing is projected to open up new growth opportunities during the forecast period.Based on testing methods, the E. coli testing market can be segmented into membrane filtration (MF), enzyme-substrate methods, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, and others. Enzyme substrate tests accounted for largest share of the total market in 2015. Membrane filtration is another leading segment and expected to exhibit strong growth in the near future.The E. coli testing market is segmented on the basis of different end-user such as diagnostic laboratories, hospitals, waste water treatment organizations, bottle water suppliers and others. Bottle water suppliers segment accounted for large chunk of the market share in the 2015. This growth is mainly attributed to increasing water pollution. Diagnostic laboratories segment is another key outlet and is expected to witness significant growth within the forecast period.Browse the full report at:The E. coli testing market was dominated by Europe with largest share of the total market in 2014. Europe is followed by Asia Pacific and North America in terms of revenue. This growth is mainly due to the occurrence of food borne infections within Germany in 2011 due to the E. coli bacteria.Furthermore, Asia Pacific was another leading regional market in 2015. With increased government support coupled with increasing population, Asia Pacific is expected to witness robust growth during 2015 to 2021. However, Latin America and Middle East & Africa are also expected to exhibit significant growth over the forecast period.Some of the key players including in the E. coli testing market such as Abbott Laboratories, Danaher Corporation, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Enzo Life Sciences, Inc., and Hologic, Meridian Bioscience, Inc., Dickinson and Company among others.This report segments the global E. coli testing market as follows:Global E. Coli Testing Market: Testing Segment AnalysisMembrane Filtration (MF)Enzyme-Substrate MethodsPolymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) TestsOthersGlobal E. Coli Testing Market: End-user Segment AnalysisDiagnostic LaboratoriesHospitalsWaste Water Treatment OrganizationsBottle Water SuppliersOthersGlobal E. Coli Testing Market: Regional Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaEuropeAsia PacificLatin AmericaMiddle East and AfricaAbout UsZion Research is a market intelligence company providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. Zion Research experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants uses proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Contact US:Joel John3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442United StatesToll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Email: sales@marketresearchstore.comWebsite: Pathway Program Gives Mountain House High School (MHHS) Students Two Years of College by the Time They Graduate http://mhhsearlycollegepathway.weebly.com http://www.gumas.com Associate of Science (AS) Degree and Career Training Program for MHHS Students Is the Joint Creation of Lammersville Unified School District (LUSD) and San Joaquin Delta College Mountain House Campus.Mountain House, CA, USA -- The graduating class of 2021 could be facing tuition costs as high as $339,000 for four years of higher education. However, thanks to the Early College Pathway Program, some graduates of Mountain House High School (MHHS) will have a leg up on college since they will have both a high school diploma and an Associate of Science (AS) degree, while others will graduate with the credentials they need to begin a career. The Pathway Program, developed in conjunction with San Joaquin Delta College Mountain House Campus, the gives high school students access to college classes so they can acquire two or more years of college credit upon graduation.The Pathway Program was co-created by the Lammersville Unified School District, San Joaquin Delta College Mountain House Campus. MHHS first opened its doors in fall 2014, and the Pathway Program began spring 2016, with 38 students. Since then, two more cohorts have been added, with plans to expand to 150 students within two years. The first cohort graduates in May 2019 with an Associate of Science degree and a high school diploma. Students can apply to the Pathway Program as high school freshmen and commit to two classes per semester in order to earn their AS degree."Gerry was instrumental in bringing the Delta College Mountain House Campus to Mountain House and in helping us create the Pathway Program," said Dr. Jessie Garza-Roderick, Associate Dean of San Joaquin Delta College Mountain House Campus. "This is the kind of program that enriches both the community and the college, promoting diversity in education at the same time it gives high school students an opportunity to earn their AS degree."Any student interested in San Joaquin Delta College Mountain House Campus courses can apply for admissions. What makes the program successful is the proximity of MHHS to the Delta College Mountain House campus. Pathway Program classes are incorporated into the high school curriculum and students attend college classes after school hours on the college campus."Being an exurb of Silicon Valley, parents are focused on preparing their kids for college, but the Pathway Program also provides vocational training in fields such as computer networking," added Dr. Kirk Nicholas, Superintendent of the Lammersville USD. "Our high school is ranked as one of the top 100 high schools in California partly because our goal is to meet the educational needs of all students, including those who are college bound and those seeking career training. The Pathway Program is just one way we help our students become more competitive in applying for university admissions."Families move to Mountain House because it's one of the most affordable well designed communities in the East San Francisco Bay area market, and because of the quality of education," said Gerry Kamilos, CEO of Kamilos Companies. "Part of my vision for Mountain House has always been to offer local retail, recreation facilities, and one of the best school systems in the State, which includes the partnership between K-12 and the community college. With the support of San Joaquin Delta College Mountain House Campus, we are able help Mountain House High School students head start on their education. These types of community enrichment programs are what make Mountain House attractive to young professionals and families."According to CollegeData.com, the average cost of an in-state public college is $24,610 per year and the average cost of a private college is $49,320. Even within the state of California, state university costs are $22,000 per year and higher. At a cost of $46 per unit, parents of Pathway Program students can save $25,000 or more of college fees.San Joaquin Delta College established its Mountain House Campus in July 2009 with the help of a $14 million advanced payment provided by Kamilos Companies. As a result, students are able to attend classes locally, without having to commute to Livermore or Stockton. Having the college as a local resource also is attracting the attention of area businesses. Tesla, for example, recently established a plant in Livermore and is interested in working with the Mountain House Campus.For more information about the Mustang Early College Pathway Program, visitAbout the Pathway ProgramThe Mustang Early College Program Pathway is a partnership between San Joaquin Delta College Mountain House Campus and the Mountain House High School to help students gain experience in taking college level courses, earn dual credits at both schools, and earn a high school diploma and an Associate of Science degree while in high school. Graduates of the program have a real advantage in applying for college, and realize a huge financial savings having completed two or more years of course work.About Kamilos CompaniesHeadquartered in Gold River, California, Kamilos Companies has been undertaking major real estate development projects throughout Northern California and the Central Valley since 1990. Kamilos Companies has a proven track record developing large-scale, master planned community projects, including successful project entitlements and coordinating with multiple land owners, as well as working with local, state, and federal agencies. The firm has extensive experience in infrastructure implementation and funding, creating sustainable communities, endangered species, habitat, conservation, cultural resources, transit design, water supply management and wetland issues related to large development projects. Kamilos Companies has managed entitlements and developments for more than 17,000 acres, which will ultimately yield more than 8,000 acres of commercial/industrial land and 35,000 residential lots.Contact:Tom Woolf, Director of PRGumas Advertising99 Shotwell StreetSan Francisco, CA 94103-3625(415) 621-7575twoolf@gumas.com Revolutionise your P&ID designs with the help of a modern software package Revolutionise your P&ID designs http://www.cad-schroer.com/news-events/articles/revolutionise-your-pid-designs-with-the-help-of-a-modern-software-package.html?utm_source=PR&utm_campaign=PID-Revolution&utm_medium=Email www.cad-schroer.com/products/m4-pid-fx/free-trial.html?utm_source=PR&utm_campaign=PID-Revolution&utm_medium=Email Cambridge, UK and Pittsford, NY 08 March 2017: One of the first tasks when designing process plant is the creation of P&IDs. Depending on the tools used, the design time required and the quality of the results varies.Revolutionise your P&ID designsUnnecessary work during P&ID designMany businesses use outdated methods to produce their P&ID flowcharts. The work is per-formed either on paper or with a rudimentary software package. The end result is often just a pictorial diagram, without any underlying intelligence. Consequently, parts lists have to be pro-duced manually, which provides scope for human error to occur. A high degree of checking is therefore usually required to ensure an acceptable level of quality is achieved.Investment in specialised software pays dividendsSpecialised software tools now exist for P&ID work. Not only do these tools enable the creation of P&IDs, they also offer functions to accelerate the project flow. Symbols and symbol groups are loaded from catalogues and connected with pipelines. During the layout process, the system checks the completeness and correctness of the P&ID design. Built-in layout rules ensure that P&IDs are clearly legible. This reduces the time and effort required for every project, leading to a rapid return on investment.Develop leaner processesIn addition to the creation of P&IDs, the plant design process requires the creation of various associated listings to support downstream tasks. For example, accurate parts lists are required to facilitate procurement. With a lean approach, the P&ID software automatically generates all required listings such as valve schedules, parts lists and line lists. The benefits of utilising a lean process means the investment in suitable P&ID tools pays back in an even shorter time.Read more about P&ID design using a modern application:Test P&ID software for free and profit from the many advantages:Download intelligent P&ID software and get started todayOne of the leading P&ID products on the market is M4 P&ID FX. It provides a wide range of functionality for intelligent P&ID design. It also comes with extensive, pre-defined, standards-based symbol catalogues, and offers consistency checking and automatic parts list generation. Users can also add their own custom symbols using the supplied 2D drafting tools. Support for industry-standard interfaces ensures data can be exchanged with both customers and suppliers.M4 P&ID FX is available as a package for just 1,250.00. This includes the software license and one year of updates and technical support. A downloadable free trial version and detailed video tutorials are also available to help you get started and assess the benefits it can bring to your business.About CAD SchroerCAD Schroer is a global software development company and engineering solutions provider, helping to raise the productivity and competitiveness of customers working in manufacturing and plant design, including the automotive sector and its supply chain, the energy sector and public utilities. CAD Schroer has offices and subsidiaries throughout Europe and in the United States.CAD Schroers product portfolio includes 2D/3D CAD, plant design, factory layout and data management solutions. Customers in 39 countries rely on MEDUSA4, MPDS4 and STHENO/PRO to provide an efficient, flexible and integrated design environment for all phases of product or plant design cutting costs while raising quality. CAD Schroer emphasizes close customer partnerships and supports its clients objectives through extensive consultancy, training, development, software support and maintenance services.CAD Schroer UK Ltd2nd Floor Godwin HouseCastle ParkCambridge UKCB3 0RAKate Pottle India High-speed Data Card Industry 2015 Market Research Report - Technological Developments, Insights, Data Speed Solutions, Trends & Applications http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=356655&type=E http://www.qyresearchreports.com The India High-speed Data Card Industry 2015 Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the High-speed Data Card industry.The report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The High-speed Data Card market analysis is provided for the India markets including development trends, competitive landscape analysis, and key regions development status.Development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and Bill of Materials cost structures are also analyzed. This report also states import/export consumption, supply and demand Figures, cost, price, revenue and gross margins.The report focuses on India major leading industry players providing information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials and equipment and downstream demand analysis is also carried out. The High-speed Data Card industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed. Finally the feasibility of new investment projects are assessed and overall research conclusions offered.With 167 tables and figures the report provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Request a Free Sample Copy of this Report @QYresearchreports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations.QYResearchReports1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-618-1030Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com Global Kidswear Market Research Report 2016 Industry Demands, Sales, Growth & Trends : Nike, Carters, GAP, Inditex, Adidas, Gymboree http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=877793&type=E http://www.qyresearchreports.com This report studies Kidswear in Global market, especially in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia and India, focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with Production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringNikeCartersGAPInditexAdidasH&MGymboreeV.F. CorporationFast RetailingC&ANEXTID GroupMothercareOrchestraBESTSELLERUnder ArmourBenettonSanrioMIKI HOUSEDisneySemirLiyingHonghuanglanAnnilPEPCOQierteEspritGreen GroupD.D. CatBoshiwaMarket Segment by Regions, this report splits Global into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue, market share and growth rate of Kidswear in these regions, from 2011 to 2021 (forecast), likeNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaRequest a Free Sample Copy of this Report @QYresearchreports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations.QYResearchReports1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-618-1030Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com Food Diagnostics Systems Market Forecast, 2016-2024 by Applications and End- use Industry https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/sample/food-diagnostics-systems-market https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/toc/food-diagnostics-systems-market https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/report/food-diagnostics-systems-market https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/custom/727 http://www.zionmarketresearch.com Zion Market Research, the market research group announced the analysis report titled "Food Diagnostics Systems Market: Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecasts 20162024"Global Food Diagnostics Systems Market: OverviewThe eruption of the foodborne diseases may put a heavy burden on the healthcare sector. Food diagnostic systems are the result of growing awareness about food safety in emerging markets. These systems are designed to identify food impurities and contamination that occur during manufacturing, processing, and packaging stages. Food can be tested by using various methods such as immunomagnetic separation, microscopic biochemical identification, and antibody-based testing.Request Free Sample Report @Global Food Diagnostics Systems Market: Growth FactorsThe growth in the global market is mainly due to increase concerns about food quality and safety. The strict regulation set by the government on foodborne diseases prevention is anticipated to enhance the global food diagnostics systems market growth. However, increasing concerns about food safety in the consumer may also impact the global food diagnostics systems market in a positive way. Globalization of food trade is also opening gateways for the new growth opportunities across the world and is expected to propel the global food diagnostics systems market in the coming years. Moreover, emerging niche markets and their higher demand for food testing may experience potential opportunities in the global market.Global Food Diagnostics Systems Market: SegmentationThe global food diagnostics systems market is classified based on the consumables, diagnostics systems, types of contaminants, and geography. The consumables segment is divided as disinfectants, test accessories, reagents, and others. Further, the diagnostics systems segment is categorized as spectrometry-based, hybridization-based, testing kits, chromatography-based, biosensors, and others. Hybridization-based food diagnostics systems segment is further sub-segmented as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), microarrays, gene amplifier, and sequencers. Moreover, the chromatography-based food diagnostic systems segment is further sub-segmented as high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), liquid chromatography, and gas chromatography. These systems are used to detect and trace any contaminants present in the food products. While handling these food diagnostics systems also offer insight regarding the nutritional content available in the food products. The types of contaminants, which are used in the testing systems for food diagnostics are moulds, Yersinia, bacillus, listeria, pathogens, shigella, fusarium, klebisiella, and novivirus. The pathogens are a dominating segment in the global food diagnostics systems market. They comprise campylobacter, Escherichia coli, salmonella, and listeria. Furthermore, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa give the geographical segmentation.Request Report TOC (Table of Contents) @Global Food Diagnostics Systems Market: Regional AnalysisNorth America is the leading market for food diagnostics systems owing to rising food contamination causing foodborne diseases. However, Asia Pacific is another region growing at a faster rate in the global food diagnostics systems market. Moreover, food diagnostics systems are expanding in this region rapidly.Global Food Diagnostics Systems Market: Competitive PlayersMajor players in the global food diagnostics systems market are Beckman Coulter Inc., Randox Laboratories Ltd., Biocontrol Systems Inc., E. I. Du Pont De Nemours and Company, Thermofisher Scientific Inc., Perkinelmer Inc., Thermo Electron Corporation, Fermantes, and 3M Company. Other key players include Omega Diagnostic Group Plc., VWR International, Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc., Merck Kgaa, Biomerieux SA, Danaher Corporation, Neogen Corporation, and Foss A/S.Browse detail report @Global Food Diagnostics Systems Market: Regional Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.EuropeUKFranceGermanyAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaLatin AmericaBrazilThe Middle East and AfricaWhat Report ProvidesFull in-depth analysis of the parent marketImportant changes in market dynamicsSegmentation details of the marketFormer, on-going, and projected market analysis in terms of volume and valueAssessment of niche industry developmentsMarket share analysisKey strategies of major playersEmerging segments and regional marketsTestimonials to companies in order to fortify their foothold in the market.Ask for a customized report @About Us:Zion Market Research is an obligated company. We create futuristic, cutting edge, informative reports ranging from industry reports, company reports to country reports. We provide our clients not only with market statistics unveiled by avowed private publishers and public organizations but also with vogue and newest industry reports along with pre-eminent and niche company profiles. Our database of market research reports comprises a wide variety of reports from cardinal industries. Our database is been updated constantly in order to fulfill our clients with prompt and direct online access to our database. Keeping in mind the clients needs, we have included expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends in this database. Last but not the least, we make it our duty to ensure the success of clients connected to usafter allif you do well, a little of the light shines on us.Contact Us:Zion Market Research4283, Express Lane,Suite 634-143,Sarasota, Florida 34249, United StatesTel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll-Free No.1-855-465-4651Email: sales@zionmarketresearch.comWebsite: Global Radiology Information Systems Market Worth US$ 1,179.2 Mn Revenues by 2024-end http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/2816 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/checkout/2816 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/radiology-information-systems-market.asp Hospitals, medical research institutes, as well as governments, across the globe are hiking their healthcare IT spending to bring reforms in both, operations and outcomes. Instating databases is turning out to be more of a necessity for healthcare institutions, particularly for the field of radiology. Criticality of data produced and used by radiologists is compelling them to utilize speedy & error-proof data transference systems. Correspondingly, the transformation of global healthcare industry through digitization trends is also necessitating the deployment of radiology information systems. In its latest publication, Persistence Market Research has compiled more of such factors that will keep driving the growth of global radiology information system market in the years to come. According to this report, the global market for radiology information systems, which is presently valued at US$ 580.2 Mn, is anticipated to soar at 8.3% CAGR and reach US$ 1,179.2 Mn value by the end of 2024.Titled as Radiology Information Systems Market: Global Industry Analysis and Forecast, 2016-2024, the report reveals that global demand for radiology information systems continues to grow on the account of rising incidence rate of lifestyle-related diseases. Increasing consumer awareness to radiological procedures, and easy accessibility to these technologies are also serving as proponents for adoption of radiology information systems. Since installing radiology information systems supports a value-based healthcare model, medical practitioners are also promoting it as the immediate future of digitalized radiology.The report reveals that in 2017 and beyond, the demand for cloud-based radiology information systems will remain considerably higher than on-premise systems. Deployment of cloud-based radiology information systems is projected to bring more than US$ 800 Mn by the end of 2024, while revenues emanating from on-premise deployment will soar at 7.3% CAGR. During the forecast period, a little over 45% of global revenues will be accounted by sales of radiology information software. The adoption of radiology information services is also slated to grow robustly, while radiology information hardware is likely to incur a moderate dip in revenues.Through 2024, medical institutions adopting radiology information systems will continue to do so on integrated platforms. Similar to the current scenario, integrated radiology information systems will procure over three-fourth of global market value by the end of 2024. Standalone radiology information systems, however, will be valued at just over US$ 280 Mn by the end of projection period. And, hospitals will undoubtedly be the largest end-users of radiology information systems. More than US$ 600 Mn worth of global radiology information system revenues will be emanating from hospitals spanned across the globe. Adoption of such systems will also be considerably high in diagnostic labs and ambulatory surgical centers.A Sample of this Report is Available Upon Request @By the end of 2024, North America will remain as the largest market for radiology information systems in the world. In 2016, the regions radiology information systems market was valued at US$ 269 Mn. Meanwhile, Europes advanced healthcare infrastructure will also work in the favor of radiology information system adoption. Throughout the period, Europes radiology information system revenues will soar at a health CAGR, and contribute to nearly 23% share. Although, fastest revenue growth is expected to be recorded by Latin America and the Asia-Pacific regions revenues from which will surge at more than 8% CAGR.To Buy Full Report for a Single User @Ten of the leading companies developing radiology information systems in the world are profiled in the report, and they include Cerner Corporation, Siemens AG, Merge Healthcare Incorporated (IBM), Koninklijke Philips NV, Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc., Epic Systems Corporation, Novarad Corp., General Electric Company, McKesson Corporation, and Medinformatix Inc.Browse Full Report summary and to request sample report and table of content@About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated re-search, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Con-sumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs en-gagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.com Competitive Landscape of Global Bag on Valve Technology Market by Product type, Valve type & Container type 2016-2024 http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=918675 http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=918675 ALBANY, NY, March 9, 2017 : ResearchMoz presents professional and in-depth study of "Bag On Valve Technology Market - Global Industry Analysis and Forecast 2016 - 2024".The report begins with an overview of the global bag on valve technology market, evaluating market performance in terms of revenue and volume, followed by TMRs analysis of key trends, drivers, and restraints witnessed in the global market. Impact analysis of the key growth drivers and restraints based on the weighted average model is also included in the report.Get PDF for more Professional and Technical insights @This Transparency Market Research report examines the global bag on valve technology market for the forecast period 2016-2024. The primary objective of the report is to identify opportunities in the market and present updates as well as insights pertaining to various segments of the global bag on valve technology market.Global Bag on Valve Technology Market: Research MethodologyTo compute the market size, in-depth secondary research is done. Data points such as regional splits and market split by material type, distribution network and primary usage as well as qualitative inputs from primary respondents have been assimilated to arrive at appropriate market estimates. The report comprises the forecast of the global revenue generated by the sales of bag on valve Technology market.TMR triangulates the data via different analysis based on supply side, demand side as well as the dynamics of bag on valve technology market.TMR not only conduct forecasts in terms of value, but also evaluate the market on the basis of essential parameters, such as Year-on-Year (Y-o-Y) growth. This helps providers to recognize the future opportunities as well predictability of the market. In order to understand and assess opportunities in this market, the report is categorically divided into six key sections on the basis of product type, valve type, container type, capacity type, application type and region. The report analyses the global bag on valve technology market in terms of value (US$ Mn) and volume (Mn Units).Global Bag on Valve Technology Market: SegmentationAnother vital feature of this report is the analysis of the bag on valve technology market by region, product type, valve type, container type, capacity type and application type and the corresponding revenue forecast in terms of absolute dollar opportunity. This is traditionally overlooked while forecasting the market. However, absolute dollar opportunity is critical in assessing the level of opportunity that a provider can look to achieve as well as to identify potential resources from a sales perspective of the global liquid packaging market.To understand key segments in terms of their growth and performance in the bag on valve technology market the analysts have developed a market attractiveness index. The resulting index should help providers identify existing market opportunities in the global bag on valve technology market.Global Bag on Valve Technology Market: Competitive LandscapeIn the final section of the report, bag on valve technology market competitive landscape is included to provide a dashboard view of companies that manufacture and provide services of bag on valve technology market. The report contains company profiles of some of the key players in the global bag on valve technology market.Product type assessed in the report are:Aerosol B.O.V.Standard B.O.VNon-Spray/low pressure B.O.VValve type assessed in the report are:Male ValveFemale ValveContainer type assessed in the report are:AluminumTin PlateSteelPlasticCapacity type assessed in the report are:Below 30ml30ml 100ml100ml 275ml275ml 500mlAbove 500mlApplication type assessed in the report are:Cosmetics & Personal CarePharmaceuticalsHome CareFood & BeveragesAutomotive & IndustrialRegions assessed in the report are:North AmericaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia Pacific (APAC)Middle East & Africa (MEA)Make an Enquiry of this report @Key market players featured in this report are:Coster Tecnologie Speciali S.p.A.,AptarGroup, Inc.,LINDAL Group Holding GmbH,Precision Valve Corporation,KOH-I-NOOR Mlada Vozice a.s,Summit Packaging System, Inc.,Exal Corporation,Chicago Aerosol LLC,TOYO & DEUTSCHE AEROSOL GMBHShanghai Golden Aerosol Co., Ltd.ResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.ResearchMoz90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United States Salad Dressings and Mayonnaise Market - What's New For 2016-2026? http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/salad-dressings-mayonnaise-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=2204 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Global Salad Dressings and Mayonnaise Market: OverviewThe global salad dressings and mayonnaise market is growing at a significant pace, owing to the rising popularity of different types of salad dressings and mayonnaise available in the global market. With improvements in the distribution network and channels, the global salad dressings and mayonnaise market is expected to witness rapid growth throughout the forecast period. With these factors, the market is anticipated to register a healthy growth in the near future.Browse Market Research Report @The research study offers a thorough overview of the global salad dressings and mayonnaise market and throws light on the major factors that are predicted to impact the development of the overall market in the next few years. In addition, the report talks about the product portfolio, major applications, key geographical segments, technological developments, and the latest trends in the global salad dressings and mayonnaise market. Furthermore, a detailed study regarding the competitive landscape of the global market has been presented in the research report, presenting insights into the company profiles, financial status, mergers and acquisitions, recent developments, and SWOT analysis. To offer a strong understanding of the market, the research study has included the key business strategies used by the prominent players in order to sustain in the stiff competition in the market.Global Salad Dressings and Mayonnaise Market: Drivers and BarriersThe rising demand of salads, fast food, and soups is one of the important factors projected to fuel the growth of the global salad dressings and mayonnaise market in the forecast period. The rising consumer awareness regarding the use of salad dressing and mayonnaise products is expected to drive the demand in the coming years. In addition, the growing focus of key players on product innovation and attractive packaging is anticipated to encourage the development of the overall market in the near future.Get Sample Report:On the flip side, the strict regulations imposed by government regarding labeling, manufacturing, and food supply chain are expected to restrict the growth of the global salad dressing and mayonnaise market throughout the forecast period. Nevertheless, the rising investment of key players on advertising campaigns and marketing activities is predicted to supplement the growth of the global market in the next few years.Global Salad Dressings and Mayonnaise Market: Regional OutlookThe global salad dressing and mayonnaise market can be classified on the basis of geography into Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World. North America and Europe are considered as developed market and are expected to witness significant growth in the next few years. The presence of a large number of players in these two regions in another factor estimated to accelerate the growth of the salad dressing and mayonnaise market.Moreover, the rising focus of key players on enhancing their market presence across the globe is estimated to encourage the growth of the market in the Rest of the World segment.Furthermore,the rising popularity of fast food in emerging economies is one of the primary factors predicted to encourage the growth of the Asia Pacific market for salad dressing and mayonnaise. The changing food habits and the rising disposable income of consumers are projected to drive the demand for salad dressings and mayonnaise across Asia Pacific throughout the forecast period.Companies Mentioned in the Research ReportThe global market for salad dressing and mayonnaise is dynamic in nature and is expected to witness intense competition in the next few years. The increasing number of players and the rising focus on the expansion of product portfolio are some of the key factors anticipated to contribute extensively towards the development of the global salad dressing and mayonnaise market. Some of the prominent players operating in the market are Tostitos Salsa, Kraft Foods Group Inc., Frenchs Classic Mustard, Best Foods Mayonnaise, Hellmanns, Inc., and Heinz.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: 1248 Capital Golden Visa Spain Program - Retained by 3 Billionaire Investors FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE1248 Capital has been officially retained by 3 billionaire investors from China and Russia to facilitate their Golden Visa in Spain.Since the inception of its Spain Golden Visa Real Estate Program, 1248 Capital was able to secure mandates from 6 billionaire investors from China, Russia and the United States.1248 Capital offers a comprehensive Golden Visa Real Estate Program for Spain, which is unsurpassed by any of its competitors.Jerry Thompson, spokesman of 1248 Capital explains:"The founder of 1248 Capital is very hands-on and doesn't compromise on quality of service and most importantly transparency and privacy. The firm has employed cyber-security experts to keep communication between client and firm 100% secure and encrypted. 1248 Capital doesn't compromise when client data is shared and sent over the internet."1248 Capital has quickly become one of the leaders in Spain of identifying properties suitable for the Golden Visa Program.-----IMPORTANT LEGAL NOTICES-----Safe Harbor StatementOur discussion may include predictions, estimates or other information thatmight be considered forward-looking. While these forward-lookingstatements represent our current judgment on what the future holds, theyare subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results todiffer materially. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on theseforward-looking statements, which reflect our opinions only as of the date ofthis release. Please keep in mind that we are not obligating ourselvesto revise or publicly release the results of any revision to these forward looking statements in light of new information or future events.No Offer, Solicitation, Investment Advice or RecommendationsThis release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell, a solicitation to buy, or a recommendation for any security, nor does it constitute an offer to provide investment advisory or other services by 1248 Capital. No reference to any specific security constitutes a recommendation to buy, sell or hold that security or any other security. Nothing on this release shall be considered a solicitation or offer to buy or sell any security, future, option or other financial instrument or to offer or provide any investment advice or service to any person in any jurisdiction. Nothing contained on the release constitutes investment advice or offers any opinion with respect to the suitability of any security, and the views expressed on this release should not be taken as advice to buy, sell or hold any security. In preparing the information contained in this release, we have not taken into account the investment needs, objectives and financial circumstances of any particular investor. This information has no regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation and particular needs of any specific recipient of this information and investments discussed may not be suitable for all investors. Any views expressed on this release by us were prepared based upon the information available to us at the time such views were written.Changed or additional information could cause such views to change. All information is subject to possible correction. Information may quickly become unreliable for various reasons, including changes in market conditions or economic circumstances.1248 Capital is a private equity firm specializing in real estate, high technology and other sectors with a Global footprint.1248 CapitalBoulevard Totleben 53-551606 Sofia, BulgariaContact:Jerry Thompson ir@1248capital.com Instancy earns 2017 top Learning Management System (LMS) Award 2017 top LMS award winner Instancy www.instancy.com www.instancy.com www.instancy.com Instancy earns 2017 top LMS awardCompany rated #26 out of 1000 learning technology vendors by award program conducted by "The Craig Weiss Group"Morrisville, NC: Instancy Inc. has announced the Craig Weiss Group has recognized them as one of the top 50 LMS in 2017. The award was issued after carefully considering well over 1,000 learning technology providers offering eLearning and mLearning solutions. Instancy was ranked #26 because of the companys dedication to providing innovative solutions that solve problems faced by learning organizations and institutions while trying to deliver eLearning. The company has earned this "excellence award" in the extremely competitive best LMS (Cloud/SaaS) category. More information about the company available on the website at"We are happy for this award because this is our first time entering into this competition. Our team has been working very hard to solve problems and improve delivery of education in the eLearning and mLearning industry. We operate a system that is flexible, providing clients with educational portals configured to their business needs, and brand requirement. Our learning platform is scalable, to reach a global audience and deliver personalized education," said Harvey Singh, CEO of Instancy, Inc. in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.Instancy learning platform is a cloud-based operation that includes a comprehensive yet modular learning system for businesses and learning providers. Instancy integrates many sub-systems and provides an end-to-end workflow for creation, delivery, and management of interactive and blended learning: Learning Management System to deliver and manage eLearning and blended learning programs in a personalized way. Instancy LMS supports multi languages Learning Record Store with Experience API Integration Social Learning and Gamification modules are integrated into the platform Competency-based learning, skill gap analysis, and automated learning plan enrollment Learning Content Management System and web authoring tools ad MS office to eLearning conversion tools Classroom Training Management (ILT and Virtual ILT management) Online assessments and exam preparation E-Commerce and Internet Marketing Mobile Learning App Platform (Apple and Google devices) that enable organizations to white label the mobile app and publish multiple learning modalities ranging from microlearning, discussion forums, knowledgebase, video, audio podcasts, learning tracks, classroom and virtual classroom events and in-app purchase Integration with fifty-third party systems and applications"What I love about Instancy is the wealth of features and capabilities the system provides. An LRS, native mobile apps and a very modern user interface and experience drive this outstanding solution," said Craig Weiss, CEO and Lead Analyst for the Craig Weiss Group.Instancy is a Cloud-based Learning On-Demand Platform that enables the creation, management, and delivery of online training and education which is Scalable, flexible, powerful & complete. Their platform has been used to serve educational multimedia content to over 3 million users worldwide, across over 700 learning portals. The system is the perfect choice due to its unique ability to create personalized learning environments and cut-down costs.About Craig WeissCraig Weiss is the CEO and Lead Analyst for the Craig Weiss, Group LLC. (Formally known as E-Learning 24/7). He is regarded as the most influential person in the world for eLearning, and he is on the advisory board for "The Moment" located in Plymouth and London, England.For more information on Instancy, please contact +1 877-548-3360, info@instancy.com, or visitMedia ContactInstancy IncDurham, North Carolina,United States+1 877-548-3360info@instancy.com Hospital Beds Market Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2026 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/hospital-beds-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=19910 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Beds are among the most essential equipment required in a hospital, as patients are generally not in mobile condition to receive the treatment, and rest is often necessary for them. For the critical conditions that patients are admitted into the hospital, beds are required to be designed in such a manner that provides ideal support and comfort. With growing prevalence of several diseases, the healthcare industry is at an all-time peak and consequently, the global hospital beds market is projected for a healthy growth rate during the forecast period of 2016 to 2024.Obtain Report Details @This report on global market for hospital beds is an in-depth examination of all the factors that are expected to impact the growth rate in the near future, and presents estimations on the future state of the market until 2024. The report is a summation of interviews and discussions with a wide range of key industry participants and opinion leaders. Some of the key players have also been profiled in the report, exploring their market share, product range, regional presence, and recent strategic developments such as mergers, collaborations, acquisitions, and other announcements.The global hospital beds can be segmented on the basis of type, treatment, power, and geography. By type, the market can be divided into general beds, pediatric beds, pressure relief beds, bariatric beds, and birthing beds. By treatment, the market can be categorized into acute care beds, long term care beds, and critical care beds. By power, the market can be segmented into electric beds, manual beds, and semi-electric beds. Geographically, the report studies the opportunities available in the regions of North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Rest of the World.Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @Global Hospital Beds Market: Trends and OpportunitiesRising geriatric population is one of the prominent factors of this market, as the people aged over 65 generally suffer from several diseases such as arthritis, heart disease, respiratory diseases, Alzheimers diseases, osteoporosis, and diabetes. According to the National Institute on Aging, global geriatric population will rise to 1.5 billion, which makes for a strong demand for hospital beds. Increasing number of hospitalization cases and technological advancements in the field, and improving healthcare infrastructure in emerging economies are other important factors positively influencing the market. According to the report, rising demand for advanced and selective features of hospital beds is a trend that urges investment in research and development of advanced beds. Conversely, high cost of these beds is seen as the primary restraint over the growth rate of the global hospitals beds market.Global Hospital Beds Market: Region-wise OutlookEurope is expected to remain most lucrative regional market during the forecast period, which is a reflection of increasing expenditure in Europes medical industry and healthcare organizations. North America forms the second most profitable region due to robust healthcare infrastructure, whereas Asia Pacific is projected for most robust growth rate, which is a result of vast population base and improving healthcare infrastructure in the emerging economies such as India, China, Japan, Australia, and South Korea.Companies mentioned in the research reportParamount Bed Co. Ltd., Getinge Group, LINET spol. s r.o., ArjoHuntleigh, Stryker, Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc., Invacare Corporation, and Medline Industries, Inc. are some of the key players currently operational in the global hospital beds market. Most of these companies have sub-divisional production units in order to meet the demand coming from medical establishments that are replacing their outdated hospital beds with the advanced ones.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: 2012-2022 Report on Global Aroma Machine Market Competition, Status and Forecast, Market Size by Players, Regions, Type, Application http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=1014776&type=E http://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/2012-2022-report-on-global-aroma-machine-market-competition-status-and-forecast-market-size-by-players-regions-type-application.htm http://www.qyresearchreports.com/category/equipment-market-reports-115.htm http://www.qyresearchreports.com Qyresearchreports include new market research report 2012-2022 Report on Global Aroma Machine Market Competition, Status and Forecast, Market Size by Players, Regions, Type, Application to its huge collection of research reports.This research report provides a thoroughly detailed examination of the Aroma Machine on the basis of a tried and true segmented method of analysis. The top factors explained in the report include the various utilities and products provided by the market players along with the supply and demand scales for current market statistics as well as projected market statistics. The market is hence examined initially in a historical sense by collecting all related information across the recent past, and then brings that data into markets future forecast and analysis, which involves a predictive analysis that sticks to current numbers and trends. The interpretation of all results is in the end put in the hands of the user so that they can themselves take business endeavors to the next level.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The regional analysis of the Aroma Machine is conducted using data gathered from the key regions as mentioned in the report, integrating all continental diversities and similar factors. Each region mentioned has been explained with the data based on the overall demand within the region, its growth rate in the market, the factors that are currently influencing it, the presence or absence of strong as well as local names, and the rate at which individual locations are advancing in the market with respect to their rate of research and development.The competitive landscape of the Aroma Machine is generated using methodologies including the SWOT analysis, thus giving the users a high definition point of view on the movements within the market and what it may be shaped like in the near future.Table of Contents1 Aroma Machine Market Overview11.1 Product Overview and Scope of Aroma Machine11.2 Aroma Machine Segment by Types11.2.1 scent bundles11.2.2 Fresh & crisp21.2.3 Global Sales Market Share of Aroma Machine by Types in 201621.3 Aroma Machine Segment by Applications21.3.1 Home21.3.2 Hotel31.3.3 Car31.3.4 Aroma Machine Consumption Market Share by Applications in 201641.4 Aroma Machine Market by Regions41.4.1 North America (USA and Canada)41.4.1.1 USA41.4.1.2 Canada41.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Spain and Italy)51.4.2.1 Germany51.4.2.2 France51.4.2.3 UK51.4.2.4 Spain51.4.2.5 Italy51.4.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, South Korea and Taiwan)61.4.3.1 China61.4.3.2 Japan61.4.3.3 India61.4.3.4 South Korea61.4.3.5 Taiwan71.4.4 Latin America71.4.4.1 Brazil71.4.4.2 Mexico71.4.5 Middle East and Africa71.4.5.1 Saudi Arabia71.4.5.2 Turkey81.4.5.3 United Arab Emirates81.4.5.4 South Africa81.5 Global Market Size of Aroma Machine (2012-2022F)8Get more information from Research Report Press Release:2 Global Aroma Machine Market Competition by Manufacturers92.1 Global Aroma Machine Sales and Share by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)92.2 Global Aroma Machine Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)102.3 Global Aroma Machine Average Price by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)122.4 Manufacturers Aroma Machine Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area, Product Types133 Global Aroma Machine Market Size (Volume and Value) by Regions (2012-2017E)143.1 Global Aroma Machine Sales Volume and Market Share by Regions (2012-2017E)143.2 Global Aroma Machine Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Regions (2012-2017E)153.3 North America Aroma Machine Market Size by Volume and Value (2012-2017E)163.4 Europe Aroma Machine Market Size by Volume and Value (2012-2017E)163.5 Asia-Pacific Aroma Machine Market Size by Volume and Value (2012-2017E)163.6 Latin America Aroma Machine Market Size by Volume and Value (2012-2017E)173.7 Middle East and Africa Aroma Machine Market Size by Volume and Value (2012-2017E)174 Global Aroma Machine Market by Types and Application184.1 Global Aroma Machine Sales and Market Share by Types (2012-2017E)184.2 Global Aroma Machine Revenue and Market Share by Types (2012-2017E)184.3 Global Aroma Machine Price by Type (2012-2017E)194.4 Global Aroma Machine Sales Growth by Type (2012-2017E)194.5 Global Aroma Machine Consumption and Market Share by Applications (2012-2017E)204.6 Global Aroma Machine Consumption Growth Rate by Applications (2012-2017E)215 North America Aroma Machine Market Size (Volume and Value) (2012-2017E)225.1 North America Aroma Machine Market Size by Countries225.1.1 North America Aroma Machine Sales by Countries (2012-2017E)225.1.2 North America Aroma Machine Revenue by Countries (2012-2017E)235.2 North America Aroma Machine Revenue and Market Share by Manufacturers235.3 North America Aroma Machine Sales and Market Share by Type245.4 North America Aroma Machine Sales and Market Share by Applications255.5 USA Aroma Machine Sales and Growth (2012-2017E)26Read More @About UsQYReseachReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYReseachReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact Us1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.comQYResearchReports.com is an unimpeachable source of market research data for clients that comprise acclaimed SMEs, Chinese companies, private equity firms, and MNCs. We provide market research reports on various categories such as Energy, Chemicals, Alternative and Green Energy, Manufacturing, Machinery, Pharmaceuticals and Materials, and Glass.1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United States 2012-2022 Report on Global Conveyor Rollers Market Competition, Status and Forecast, Market Size by Players, Regions, Type, Application http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=1014796&type=E http://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/2012-2022-report-on-global-conveyor-rollers-market-competition-status-and-forecast-market-size-by-players-regions-type-application.htm http://www.qyresearchreports.com/category/machinery-market-reports-169.htm http://www.qyresearchreports.com Qyresearchreports include new market research report 2012-2022 Report on Global Conveyor Rollers Market Competition, Status and Forecast, Market Size by Players, Regions, Type, Application to its huge collection of research reports.The Conveyor Rollers is the target of analysis presented in this research report which is a highly descriptive and insightful publication. It chalks out a detailed, all-inclusive, and logical perspective of the market, casing all crucial categories and their pieces, along with the aspects that have so far shown the potential of having a deep influence on the market over the coming years. The report is therefore a 360-degree representation of the analysis of the current state of market.The market has been quarried to its microscopic nuances, where rudimentary data and key, industry-specific classifications of the market and its elements that are being defined in the overview. The report then moves ahead into a 360 degree analysis of the Conveyor Rollers, while sticking to phrases of the market, such as specific definitions, applications, industry chain structures, government policies, and recent developments.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The large volumes of data presented in this report, on the Conveyor Rollers, have been garnered with the aid of different research methodologies, both primary and secondary. This data is further concentrated by means of standard analytical processes based on industry practices, and therefore only the significant sections of information are provided to the readers of this report.The governing and competitive landscape of the Conveyor Rollers are studied in this research report. The different stages and their details, such as rules, protocols, procedures, and strategies are also included in addition to an analysis of their effect on the overall growth rate of the market. The report also contains a comprehensive analysis of the business profiles of the most influential vendors in the Conveyor Rollers.Table of ContentsGlobal Conveyor Rollers Market Research Report 20171 Conveyor Rollers Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Conveyor Rollers1.2 Conveyor Rollers Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Conveyor Rollers Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category) (2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Conveyor Rollers Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Stainless Steel Conveyor Rollers1.2.4 Plastic Conveyor Rollers1.2.5 Other1.3 Global Conveyor Rollers Segment by Application1.3.1 Conveyor Rollers Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Food & Beverage1.3.3 Pharmaceutical1.3.4 Packaging Industry1.3.5 Other1.4 Global Conveyor Rollers Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Conveyor Rollers Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Conveyor Rollers (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Conveyor Rollers Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Conveyor Rollers Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)Browse Complete Report with TOC @2 Global Conveyor Rollers Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Conveyor Rollers Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global Conveyor Rollers Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Conveyor Rollers Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Conveyor Rollers Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.3 Global Conveyor Rollers Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers Conveyor Rollers Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Conveyor Rollers Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Conveyor Rollers Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Conveyor Rollers Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 Global Conveyor Rollers Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)3.1 Global Conveyor Rollers Capacity and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.2 Global Conveyor Rollers Production and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.3 Global Conveyor Rollers Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.4 Global Conveyor Rollers Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.5 North America Conveyor Rollers Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.6 Europe Conveyor Rollers Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.7 China Conveyor Rollers Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.8 Japan Conveyor Rollers Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.9 Southeast Asia Conveyor Rollers Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.10 India Conveyor Rollers Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)4 Global Conveyor Rollers Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)4.1 Global Conveyor Rollers Consumption by Region (2012-2017)4.2 North America Conveyor Rollers Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.3 Europe Conveyor Rollers Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.4 China Conveyor Rollers Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.5 Japan Conveyor Rollers Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.6 Southeast Asia Conveyor Rollers Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.7 India Conveyor Rollers Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)5 Global Conveyor Rollers Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Conveyor Rollers Production and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.2 Global Conveyor Rollers Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.3 Global Conveyor Rollers Price by Type (2012-2017)5.4 Global Conveyor Rollers Production Growth by Type (2012-2017)Read More @About UsQYReseachReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYReseachReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact Us1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.comQYResearchReports.com is an unimpeachable source of market research data for clients that comprise acclaimed SMEs, Chinese companies, private equity firms, and MNCs. We provide market research reports on various categories such as Energy, Chemicals, Alternative and Green Energy, Manufacturing, Machinery, Pharmaceuticals and Materials, and Glass.1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United States Europe Organ Transplantation Cases to grow CAGR 0f 3.0% forecasted period - 2016-2027 Europe Organ Transplantation https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/statistical-reports/enquiry/2141 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/statistical-reports/europe-organ-transplant-rejection-market-2141 Market IntroductionEurope organ transplantation cases, by type of organ are projected to grow at the CAGR 0f 3.0% during the forecasted period 2016-2027. The total organ transplantation cases in Europe in 2027 are expected to reach 46,577 from 31,849 in 2015. Liver transplants cases are the fastest growing segment at the CAGR of 3.6%. On the other hand, the total organ transplantation rejection cases in Europe were 6,992 in 2015. Europe organ transplantation rejection cases, by type of organ is expected to grow at CAGR of 2.5%. Liver transplant rejection cases are expected to grow at CAGR of 3.5%.The increase in the number of liver transplants is due to various factors including excessive consumption of alcohol leading to the liver failure, fatal diseases of the liver such as liver cirrhosis. Kidney transplants are the most common type of transplants as the rate of kidney failure among population is quite high. Number of people undergoing organ transplants is highest in Kidney patients which were more than 20,000 in 2015, and kidney transplant rejection cases in 2015 were more than 3,800 in Europe.The Europe Organ Transplantation rejection statistical report published by Market Research future contains a brief overview of Europe Organ transplantation rejection cases. The report has the organ transplantation rejection data exclusively for the European countries and total 28 countries were considered in this report study. The major countries included in the report are France, Spain, UK, Germany, and Italy. Apart from that other European countries include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech. R., Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Sweden.Enquiry for this report@The Europe organ transplantation cases has been significantly growing over a certain period of time concerning to the increasing population in European countries along with improving economic condition of consumers. With the developing technologies and advancement in the healthcare sector, it is expected that the rate of organ transplantation rejection will go on decreasing in the future. The report is segmented on the basis of type of organ and type of rejection. The report also consists of the systematic data about the country-wise percentage of the organ transplants and organ transplant rejections in the European regionThrough this report of Market Research future aims to provide understanding of the Europe organ transplantation & rejection and assists identification of ongoing trends along with anticipated growth in the coming years. For this research extensive primary research was conducted to gain a deeper insight of the market performance. Various industry experts and Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) were contacted. It consisted of the experts from the healthcare service providers, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies among others. Moreover the deep and thorough secondary research was conducted through various sources such as company websites, healthcare registry, governmental websites, and world health organization among othersAccess to report@About Market Research FutureAt Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com Stocks China Bed Market Research Report Forecast Period-2016-2027 China Wall Bed Market, https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/statistical-reports/enquiry/2140 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/statistical-reports/china-wall-bed-industry-2140 Market IntroductionWall bed is a concept where bed is attached to wall to increase space in houses. This can be installed in any places and is easy to process.Rise in disposable income and need of more space is driving the demand of wall bed in China. To keep more stuffs people are adopting new concept as wall bed. Wall bed can increase the available area by approximately 20% which can utilized for some other purposeThe China wall bed by type market statistical report published by Market Research future contains a brief overview of China wall bed by type. The market has been segmented on the basis of wall bed type as single, double, king size, queen size and others to provide a clear picture of the wall bed industry in China. Inclusion of superior designs, functionality, offering more space for storage and living is further supporting the market growth. In addition to the availability of space, wall bed also adds aesthetic value to the room where usedEnquiry for this report@The China wall bed market has been significantly growing over a certain period of time concerning to the increasing population in China along with improving economic condition of consumers. Improved income levels has encouraged buying of wall beds among people in China The report analysis the China wall bed market and presents systematic data of market share by wall bed type and its growth rate for 2015 to 2017, along with forecast till 2027Through this report Market Research future aims to provide understanding of the China wall bed market and assists identification of ongoing trends along with anticipated growth in the coming years. For this research extensive primary research was conducted to gain a deeper insight of the market performance. Various industry experts and Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) were contacted from both supply side and demand side of china wall bed market. The supply side industry experts consisted of CEOs, Directors, Marketing Managers, Sales Mangers, R&D Specialists, Country Manager, and Regional Managers wall bed companies, Retailers, and Distributors amongst othersAccess to report@About Market Research FutureAt Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com Overview of US Diary market size, By Applications From 2012 to 2022 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/statistical-reports/enquiry/2131 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/statistical-reports/us-diary-market Diary is a tool used to record observations, feelings in a chronological order. In-addition, it allows the user to record activities and events in their own words. Diary is segmented by applications mainly, business, academics, personal and others. Academics diary is fastest growing segment in the market with a market size of USD 171.8 million by 2016 growing with a CAGR of 5.25% from 2012-2016.Whereas, personal diary are declining at a sluggish rate due to increase in usage of smart phones and tablets . Personal diary are declining in the market. Business diaries are fastest growing in the market as every organization need to provide an employee a diary in order to keep a track of their work, the market is increasing with a growth rate of 3.14% from 2012-2016.Make an enquiry before buying this Report@As per MRFR analysis, US Diary market can improve its sales growth if the diary manufactures use advertising media in prompting and branding the market .in-addition, certain age group from 18+ prefer using diaries on daily basis in order to putdown their feelings whereas, business professionals i.e., age group 30+ prefer in tracking their daily task in order. Attractive packaging of the diary can also help the market grow. The diary market has certain restraints such as, advancement of technologies is taking over such as smart phones and tablets, as these gadgets can be carried everywhere and the data is saved in a secure way. Online diary has taken over the journals as many respondents prefer sharing their thoughts in the social media platforms, such as blogs, online diaries which helps the user in making profits.Browse Report Details @The US Diary market by application statistical report published by Market Research future contains a brief overview of US sales of Diary for the forecasted period. US sales of Diary by application are business, academics, personal and others in-addition to the sales of US Diary market by application the report contains drivers and restraints of US Diary market.At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com Global Gasoline Automotive Fuel Pump Market Development & Demand, Growth Analysis, Key Findings, Application And expected to reach around USD 4,234.6 million in 2020 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/statistical-reports/enquiry/2164 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/statistical-reports/enquiry/2164 The Global Gasoline Automotive Fuel Pump Market statistical report published by Market Research Future contains succinct information regarding global gasoline automotive fuel pump market (units and value), segmented by country. Rising per capita incomes in emerging economies as well as certain government regulations related to fuel efficiencies & environmental sustainability are major factors driving the growth of this market. However there are certain restraints as well, such as high cost for the adoption of electric fuel pumps and fluctuation in raw material prices would restrict the growth of the market.Make an enquiry before buying this Report @Table of ContentsInfographics Information1.1 Global gasoline automotive fuel pump market size, By Country, 2015 & 2020 (USD Billion)IntroductionGlobal Market DataBrowse Report @List of TablesTable 1 Global gasoline automotive fuel pump market, by Country, 2015-2020 (USD Million)Table 2 Global gasoline automotive fuel pump Market, by Country, 2015-2020 (Million Units)List of FiguresFigure 1 Global gasoline automotive fuel pump market, by Country, 2016 & 2020 (USD Million)Figure 2 Global gasoline automotive fuel pump market, by country, 2016 & 2020 (Million units)Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research Future+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.comAbout Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MARKET RESEARCH FUTUREAmanora Town Centre, Office No. 528,, Amanora Chambers, Hadapsar, Pune, Maharashtra 411028 Endoscopy Devices Market Expected Driven By Investment Inflow and Mergers & Acquisitions are Increasingly Contributing to Market Growth http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=488 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/asia-pacific-endoscopy-devices-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com The endoscopy devices market in Asia Pacific has been classified based on type of device, application, and geography (countries). Major device types include endoscopes, endoscopic operative devices, and visualization systems. Furthermore, endoscope devices include rigid endoscope, flexible endoscope, capsule endoscope, and robot-assisted endoscope. Endoscopic operative devices include energy systems, suction/irrigation systems, access devices, and operative hand instruments. Visualization systems include endoscopic ultrasound devices, standard definition (SD) visualization system, and high definition (HD) visualization systems. Based on application, the endoscopy devices market has been segmented into urology/gynecology surgeries, ENT surgeries, neuro/spinal surgeries, laparoscopy surgeries, and others. The market for these segments has been extensively analyzed based on their utility, effectiveness, sales, and country presence. Market revenue in terms of US$ Mn for the period from 2014 to 2024 along with the compound annual growth rate (CAGR %) from 2016 to 2024 are provided for all segments, considering 2015 as the base year.Download Exclusive Brochure of This Report :The market overview section of the report explores the market dynamics such as drivers, restraints, and opportunities that currently have a strong impact on the endoscopy devices market and could influence the market in the near future. Market attractiveness analysis has been provided in the market overview section in order to explain the intensity of competition in the market across different countries. The competitive scenario among different market players is evaluated through market share analysis in the competitive landscape section of the report. All these factors would help market players to take strategic decisions in order to strengthen their positions and expand their shares in the Asia Pacific market.In terms of geography, the report has been segmented into Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, and Rest of Asia Pacific. Market revenue in terms of US$ Mn for the period from 2014 to 2024 along with CAGR % from 2016 to 2024 are provided for all the key countries considering 2015 as the base year.Endoscopy Visualization Systems to Remain Dominant Product VarietyA variety of endoscopes, endoscopic operating devices, and visualization systems required for endoscopy procedures come under the purview of the endoscopy devices market. Of these, the segment of visualization systems presently leads the Asia Pacific endoscopy devices market in terms of revenue, accounting for over 46% of the markets overall revenues in 2015. Factors such as strengthening economies, rising population of affluent patients, and rising expenditure on health and wellness have enabled the increased adoption of costly and technologically advanced endoscopy visualization products across healthcare settings in the region in the past few years. The segment is expected to expand at an excellent pace over the forecasting horizon as well, retaining its dominant stance across key product varieties.Browse Global Strategic Business Report:Some of the leading vendors in the highly fragmented market are Boston Scientific Corporation, Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., Arthrex, Inc., Fujifilm Holdings Corporation, Intuitive Surgical, Inc., Cook Medical, Inc., KARL STORZ GmbH & Co. KG, HOYA Corporation, Stryker Corporation, Olympus Corporation, Medtronic plc, and Smith & Nephew plc.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Heparin Market 2024 Key Growth Drivers, Challenges, Demand and Upcoming Trends http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=4815 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/europe-heparin-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com The heparin market in Europe is rather consolidated, with the Sanofi, Aspen, Pfizer, and Leo Pharma accounting for over 65% of the market in 2015. In a new study, Transparency Market Research (TMR) has found that Sanofi is the clear leader in the Europe heparin market, enjoying a 47.5% share in 2015. Increased global sales of Lovenox can be attributed to the companys success.A focus on the expansion of R&D activities, in-licensing and acquisitions, and portfolio management are the key strategies adopted by the market leader, the author of the study finds. In 2015, the company spent over US$5 bn on the research and development of 18 new medicines and vaccines. Companies in the heparin market in Europe are also emphasizing on key BRIC-M countries, developing market-specific innovations, and prioritizing resource allocation.Download Exclusive Brochure of This Report :Rise in Incidence of Coagulation and Renal Disorders Spurring Demand for HeparinThe recall of heparin products imported from China in 2008 was a turning point in the heparin market across the globe. The presence of a high level of allergenic substances in heparin products imported from China resulted in over a 100 deaths in the U.S. Tainted supplies were also found in several European countries, forcing the implementation of strict regulations regarding the use of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) produced outside the European Economic Area (EEA).This event spurred the domestic development of crude and API heparin and a number of companies entered the heparin processing business in the years that followed. This has had a significant impact on the growth of the heparin market in Europe, a lead analyst at TMR comments.The heparin market in Europe is also fueled by the growing incidence of coagulation disorders such as venous thromboembolism (VTE). These disorders cause nearly half a million deaths in the region each year, even more than the collective deaths caused by breast and prostate cancer, AIDS, and highway accidents, the author of the study finds.Low-molecular-weight Heparin to Register Remarkable Growth by 2024The opportunity in the Europe heparin market is estimated to be worth US$3.4 bn by 2024, rising from US$2.2 bn in 2015. The market is projected to register a steady CAGR of 5.2% from 2016 to 2024. Among the key product types, low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) accounted for a massive share of close to 80% in 2015, emerging as the leading segment. Generating a revenue of US$2.9 bn by the end of the forecast period, LMWH is also anticipated to post substantial growth, registering a 5.8% CAGR from 2016 to 2024. Unfractionated heparin, on the other hand, will grow at a sluggish pace.On the basis of end user, hospitals led the heparin market in Europe by value and are also anticipated to expand at the most rapid pace by 2024. By region, Germany contributed majority of the heparin market share in 2015. In addition to Germany, France, Belgium, and Portugal are likely to register the highest growth rates throughout the forecast period.This review is based on the findings of a TMR report titled Heparin Market - Europe Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024.Browse Global Strategic Business Report:Europe Heparin Market, by ProductUnfractionated HeparinLow Molecular Weight HeparinUltra-low Molecular Weight HeparinEurope Heparin Market, by End UserHospitalsBlood and Stem Cell BanksOthersEurope Heparin Market, by CountryGermanyFranceU.K.ItalySpainPolandSwitzerlandAustriaHungaryBelgiumPortugalCzech RepublicGreeceSlovakiaRest of EuropeAbout UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Kaposi Sarcoma Market: Popular Trends & Technological advancements to Watch Out for Near Future; Global Industry Analysis 2020 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=3354 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/kaposis-sarcoma-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com The global Kaposi sarcoma (KS) market is immensely consolidated and the top two players, namely Johnson & Johnson and Merck & Co. Inc. accounted for almost 50% of the overall market in 2015. The contribution of domestic players such as Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited is presented low. However, Transparency Market Research predicts that the contribution of these companies will increase during the forecast period owing to the patent expiry of several major drugs.Partnerships, acquisitions, and collaborations with other leading companies for the development of newer products with improved efficacy are part of the growth strategies adopted by a number of players in the Kaposi sarcoma market. For instance, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd launched a new Global Access Program in September 2014 in partnership with the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the Clinton Health Access Initiative, and the Global Fund. The program was centered on HIV viral load testing.Download Exclusive Brochure of This Report :High Incidence of HIV/AIDS, Organ Transplants Driving Growth of KS MarketIncreased organ transplant procedures are a leading factor driving the Kaposi sarcoma market since the incidence of the cancer is high among patients who have undergone an organ transplant. Organ transplant patients are given immunosuppressive agents to prevent their body from rejecting the graft. This makes them highly susceptible to Kaposi sarcoma associated herpesvirus (KSHV) infection, the author of the study explains. The long term use of these agents increases the rate of risk of these patients by more than 100 times compared to the general population.The high incidence of HIV/AIDS associated Kaposi sarcoma is one of the major factors driving the adoption of HAART therapy, which subsequently fuels the overall KS market.High Cost of Treatment a Major DrawbackThe cost of cancer drugs used for the treatment of Kaposi sarcoma has been on the rise in the past few years, making it difficult for patients to seek treatment. This is a major concern for both the patients and the payers. The prices of patented drugs have increased by over five times in the past few years in the U.S. and continue to rise, the TMR analyst comments. For instance, prices of major drugs used for the treatment of KS, such as liposomal doxorubicin, liposomal daunorubicin, or paclitaxel in combination with HAART, have been increasing significantly, making these unaffordable for middle and lower income groups.Slow but Steady Growth in Store for Kaposi Sarcoma MarketThe global market for Kaposi sarcoma is projected to expand at a modest 2.2% CAGR from 2016 to 2024, with the opportunity in the market rising from US$118.5 mn in 2015 to be worth US$143.2 mn by the end of the forecast period. Hospitals formed the leading distribution channel in 2015, generating over US$40 mn revenue that year. The segment is also slated emerge as the fastest growing segment in the KS market, expanding at a 2.6% CAGR from 2016 to 2024.By type of treatment, HAART led the overall Kaposi sarcoma market in terms of revenue, with chemotherapy and immunotherapy poised to register the highest growth rate over the coming years. In terms of region, the global Kaposi sarcoma market was led by North America in 2015 and the MEA region will record the fastest growth by 2024.This review is based on the findings of a TMR report titled Kaposi Sarcoma Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024.Browse Global Strategic Business Report:Kaposi Sarcoma Market, By Type of TreatmentChemotherapyLiposomal AnthracyclinesAlkaloidsImmunotherapyHAARTKaposi Sarcoma Market, By Distribution ChannelHospitalsCancer Research InstitutesMultispecialty ClinicsAmbulatory Surgical CentersKaposi Sarcoma Market, by GeographyNorth AmericaU.S.CanadaEuropeU.K.GermanyRest of EuropeAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaAustraliaRest of Asia PacificLatin AmericaBrazilMexicoRest of Latin AmericaMiddle East and AfricaU.A.E.South African RepublicRest of Middle East and AfricaAbout UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG) Market Research Report by Regional Analysis - North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East & Africa : forecast 2024 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/intravenous-immunoglobulin-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=1930 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Intravenous Immunoglobulin Market : Key PlayersSome of the key vendors operating in the highly consolidated global IVIG market are Baxalta Incorporated, Biotest AG, CSL Behring LLC, China Biologic Products, Inc., Grifols S.A., LFB Biomedicaments S.A., Kedrion S.p.A., Octapharma AG, and Sanquin Plasma Products B.V.Global Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG) Market: SnapshotThe global market for intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) products and therapies is heading in a positive direction due to several innovative techniques and advantages it offers to clinicians worldwide. The market is expected to expand at a healthy pace in the near future. Factors that will support markets growth include technological improvements in the methods used for production and purification of IVIG products and an improving health care infrastructure across the globe. The rising patient pool suffering from immunological and neurological disorders, mounting geriatric population, and rising production of IVIG products are also expected to have a significant positive impact on markets future growth prospects.Transparency Market Research estimates that the market will exhibit a healthy 8.5% CAGR over the period between 2016 and 2024. Expanding at this pace, the market, which valued at US$7.23 bn in 2015, is expected to reach US$14.92 bn in 2024.Browse full report on Intravenous Immunoglobulin Market -Hospitals to Retain Dominance but Lose Promise to Home CareIn terms of end users of IVIG infusion therapy and products, the global IVIG market is segmented into hospitals, clinics, and home care settings. Of these, the hospitals segment is presently the dominant end user of the intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) market. A continuous rise in the number of patients opting for hospitals rather than clinics is the major driver of the hospitals segment. High budgetary expenditure, rising government investment, and better reimbursement policies also augment the number of patients opting hospitals for intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapies.IVIG infusion therapy is a time consuming procedure, in which the infusion takes place at a slow rate and lasts for a long period of time. This factor is also expected to increase consumer preference to home care settings for treatment. Although the hospitals segment will continue to lead the global IVIG market, the rising inclination to home care is expected to make home care the most lucrative end-user segment of the intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) market over the forecast.Market in North America to Continue to Remain Highly LucrativeNorth America is presently the dominant regional market for intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and is likely to witness significant growth during the forecast period as well. In the U.S., North Americas most lucrative IVIG market, the demand for IVIG infusion therapy is driven by the countrys strong economy, advancements in technology, abundant plasma supply, and rising prevalence of immunological disorders. Other factors ascribable to market growth include the favorable reimbursement policies, high investments in research and development, and increasing geriatric population in the country.FDAs approval for payments to plasma donors to encourage plasma donation and boost yield is another major factor driving the IVIG market in the U.S. This has helped the country to not only become self-sufficient in plasma supply, but also a major exporter of plasma derived products globally, consecutively strengthening the North America market.The IVIG market in Europe is also witnessing strong growth owing to increasing patient pool and geriatric population. Higher acceptance of innovative technologies and launch of new products in the region are also driving the IVIG market. Additionally, the ongoing clinical development of new products is anticipated to boost market growth during the forecast period. Asia Pacific is expected to be a promising market for intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) due to developing economies and presence of large underserved patient population. The number of patients suffering from immunological diseases is also high in the region, naturally increasing the demand for intravenous immunoglobulin products and therapies.Request for sample of this report -About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Veterinary Therapeutics Market : Emerging Market Trends, Size, Share and Growth Analysis and forecast 2024 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/veterinary-therapeutics-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=14048 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Veterinary Therapeutics Market : Key PlayersSome of the key vendors operating in the global veterinary therapeutics market are Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Bayer Animal Health, Inc., Dechra Animal Health, Ceva Sante Animale, Elanco Animal Health, Merck Animal Health, Virbac S.A., Merial Animal Health, Zoetis, Inc., and Vetoquinol S.A.Veterinary Therapeutics Market : OverviewThe global veterinary therapeutics market has witnessed growth at a significant rate in the past few years, owing chiefly to the rising awareness about health and well-being of companion as well as livestock animals. The market is driven by factors such as the increase in ownership of companion animals, rapid introduction of new products capable of combating new varieties of diseases in animals, increased affordability of treatments, and rising expenditure on animal health.Transparency Market Research estimates that the global veterinary therapeutics market will exhibit a healthy 6.7% CAGR over the period between 2016 and 2024. Expanding at this pace, the market, which had a valuation of US$26.9 bn in 2015, is projected to reach US$50.2 bn by 2024.Browse full report on Veterinary Therapeutics Market -Veterinary Therapeutics Drugs Emerge as Most Preferred Product VarietyOf the key product segments in the global veterinary therapeutics market, drugs emerged as the leading segment, accounting for a revenue share of 56.2% of the global market in 2015. Of the key varieties of veterinary drugs examined in the report, the segments of anti-infectives and parasiticides collectively accounted for dominant share of the drugs segment in 2015. These segments are also estimated to dominate the market over the forecasting horizon owing to the high demand for preventive measures against various infectious diseases as well as endoparasites and ectoparasites. The demand for anti-inflammatory drugs is also expected to see a significant rise in the near future as the significance of pain management and the use of NSAIDs, especially in animals, has augmented radically.The segment of veterinary vaccines is expected to exhibit healthy growth in the next few years owing to development of novel approaches such as recombinant vaccines and DNA vaccines. The rising awareness about prevention and well-being of both livestock as well as companion animals is expected to boost the global demand for veterinary vaccines over the next few years.North America to Retain Dominance; Latin America Presents Most Promising Growth OpportunitiesThe global veterinary therapeutics market is well developed and earns a substantial share of its revenues from developed regions such as North America and Europe. However, regions such as Latin America and Asia Pacific also exhibit significant potential for healthy growth of the veterinary therapeutics market. The market for veterinary therapeutics in North America presently dominates the global market. Factors such as the presence of superior animal health care base, strong economic growth, increasing trend of pet ownership, and higher emphasis on the prevention of diseases by veterinarians and owners are key to North Americas dominance in the global veterinary therapeutics market. The regions rapidly increasing demand for animal food products is also expected to propel the livestock animals segment. The segment of companion animals in the region is expanding owing to factors such as the rising pet population and introduction of new product by global players.In Latin America, which is expected to emerge as one of the most promising markets for veterinary therapeutics, the rising capacity of meat production in countries such as Brazil is compelling several global players to increase their presence to exploit the vast growth opportunities that the region has to offer. Latin America is expected to emerge as one of the leading meat exporters in the world over the course of the next few years. Hence, market vendors are investing in the region to manage the potential rise in demand for drugs, vaccines, and medicated feed additives for the future rise in population of livestock animals. Many domestic vendors in the region have increased their focus on the specialization of swine therapeutics. The segment of poultry therapeutics is also expected to be an attractive area for investment in the region over the next few years.Request for sample of this report -About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Traffic Signs Manufacturers, Market Research Report by Current & Upcoming Trends Analysis 2022 Traffic Signs Manufacturers https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/1036775-global-traffic-signs-2016-market-research-report https://www.wiseguyreports.com/check-discount/1036775-global-traffic-signs-2016-market-research-report https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/1036775-global-traffic-signs-2016-market-research-report www.wiseguyreports.com Traffic Signs ManufacturersWiseGuyReports Publish a Latest Market Research Report On Global Traffic Signs Market Report 2017 Industry Research, Manufacturers, Sales, Consumption, Segmentation, Price, Revenue, Share and Forecasts to 2022.Request Sample Copy of this Report @Description:The Global Traffic Signs 2016 Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Traffic Signs industry.Firstly, the report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Traffic Signs market analysis is provided for the international market including development history, competitive landscape analysis, and major regions development status.Secondly, development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures. This report also states importexport, supply and consumption figures as well as cost, price, revenue and gross margin by regions (North America, EU, Asia and Japan), and other regions can be added.Then, the report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials, equipment and downstream consumers analysis is also carried out. Whats more, the Traffic Signs industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered.In a word, the report provides major statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Check Discount on this report @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comTable of Contents1 Industry Overview of Traffic Signs 11.1 Definition and Specifications of Traffic Signs 11.1.1 Definition of Traffic Signs 11.1.2 Specifications of Traffic Signs 21.2 Classification of Traffic Signs 51.2.1 Traffic Signs above 2 Sqm 61.2.2 Traffic Signs between 1-2 Sqm 71.2.3 Traffic Signs below 1 Sqm 71.3 Applications of Traffic Signs 91.3.1 Guide and Direction Signs 101.3.2 Warning Signs 111.3.3 Regulatory Signs 121.4 Industry Chain Structure of Traffic Signs 141.5 Industry Overview and Major Regions Status of Traffic Signs 141.6 Industry Policy Analysis of Traffic Signs 161.7 Industry News Analysis of Traffic Signs 192 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Traffic Signs 222.1 Raw Material Suppliers and Price Analysis of Traffic Signs 222.2 Equipment Suppliers and Price Analysis of Traffic Signs 232.3 Labor Cost Analysis of Traffic Signs 252.4 Other Costs Analysis of Traffic Signs 272.5 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Traffic Signs 272.6 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Traffic Signs 278 Analysis of Traffic Signs Industry Key Manufacturers 818.1 USA Traffic Signs 818.1.1 Company Profile 818.1.2 Product Information 838.1.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 848.2 Swarco Traffic 858.2.1 Company Profile 858.2.2 Product Information 878.2.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 878.3 Novelis 898.3.1 Company Profile 898.3.2 Product Information 908.3.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 908.4 McCain 928.4.1 Company Profile 928.4.2 Product Information 938.4.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 948.5 3M 958.5.1 Company Profile 958.5.2 Product Information 978.5.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 978.6 Lacroix Group 998.6.1 Company Profile 998.6.2 Product Information 1008.6.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1008.7 Traffic Signs NZ 1028.7.1 Company Profile 1028.7.2 Product Information 1038.7.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1048.8 Rennicks 1058.8.1 Company Profile 1058.8.2 Product Information 1078.8.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1088.9 Traffic Tech 1098.9.1 Company Profile 1098.9.2 Product Information 1118.9.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1118.10 William Smith 1138.10.1 Company Profile 1138.10.2 Product Information 1148.10.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1148.11 RAI Products 1168.11.1 Company Profile 1168.11.2 Product Information 1178.11.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1178.12 Segnaletica 1198.12.1 Company Profile 1198.12.2 Product Information 1208.12.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1208.13 Elderlee 1228.13.1 Company Profile 1228.13.2 Product Information 1238.13.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1238.14 Traffic Signs & Safety 1258.14.1 Company Profile 1258.14.2 Product Information 1268.14.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1268.15 Lyle Signs 1288.15.1 Company Profile 1288.15.2 Product Information 1298.15.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1298.16 Feiyao Jiao Tong 1318.16.1 Company Profile 1318.16.2 Product Information 1328.16.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1328.17 Haowei Traffic 1348.17.1 Company Profile 1348.17.2 Product Information 1358.17.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1358.18 Schwab Label Factory 1378.18.1 Company Profile 1378.18.2 Product Information 1388.18.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1388.19 Shanghai Luhao 1408.19.1 Company Profile 1408.19.2 Product Information 1418.19.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1418.20 Changeda Traffic 1438.20.1 Company Profile 1438.20.2 Product Information 1448.20.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 144..CONTINUEDComplete Report @CONTACT US:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations and Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers, Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411028, Maharashtra, India Transcatheter Embolization and Occlusion Devices Market : Market Trends and Growth Analysis with forecast 2024 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/transcatheter-embolization-occlusion-devices-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=2242 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Transcatheter Embolization and Occlusion Devices Market : Key PlayersMajor players operating in the transcatheter embolization and occlusion devices market include Abbott Laboratories, Boston Scientific Corporation, BTG plc, Cook Medical, Inc., Edwards Lifesciences, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic plc, Merit Medical Systems, Inc., Penumbra, Inc., Pfizer, Inc., Sirtex Medical Limited, St. Jude Medical, Inc., Stryker Corporation, and Terumo Corporation.Transcatheter Embolization and Occlusion Devices Market: SnapshotThe transcatheter embolization and occlusion (TEO) devices market has witnessed strong growth in the past few years due to the rising focus on innovation, resulting in higher product approvals and product launches globally. The market is also characterized by significant research and development leading to several technological innovations.In terms of revenue, the global TEO devices market was valued at US$2.4 bn in 2015 and is projected to reach US$4.8 bn by 2024 at a CAGR of 7.9% therein. In terms of volume, the global market is anticipated to register a CAGR of 8.1% from 2016 to 2024.Browse full report on Transcatheter Embolization and Occlusion Devices Market -High Prevalence of Obesity Drives Use of TEO Devices in Treating Peripheral Vascular DiseasesEmbolization coils are the leading products in the market, as these are one of the oldest embolization products available in the market. However, the embolization particles and flow diverter devices segments are expected to record a high CAGR during the forecast period.Based on application, the peripheral vascular disease segment dominates the transcatheter embolization and occlusion devices market. This segment is expected to continue its lead through 2024 due to a growing geriatric population, changing lifestyles leading to a high prevalence of obesity, and the rising demand for minimally-invasive procedures. However, the oncology segment is expected to record a high CAGR during the forecast period due to the rising prevalence of cancer across the globe.By end use, the hospitals segment captured a considerable market share and is likely to remain a key segment in the transcatheter embolization and occlusion devices market, expanding at a high CAGR during the forecast period.Booming Medical Tourism Industry Contributing toward Growth of APAC TEO Devices MarketNorth America accounted for a major share in the global transcatheter embolization and occlusion devices market in 2015 due to the presence of leading market players in the region. Most of these companies operating in the region have made a series of strategic acquisitions, which contributes to an increase in their market share. The growing prevalence of cancer in the region is one of the primary factors contributing to the growth of the transcatheter embolization and occlusion devices market. According to the American Cancer Society, over 1,658,370 new cancer cases were diagnosed and 589,430 cancer deaths reported in the U.S. in 2015 alone. Well-established reimbursement policies by private or public organizations for TEO devices is also a major factor spurring the adoption of these devices North America.The transcatheter embolization and occlusion devices market in Asia Pacific is expected to expand at a high CAGR during the forecast period. A large patient pool and rising awareness about transcatheter embolization procedures are the key factors driving the adoption of TEO devices in the region. The booming medical tourism industry, driven by rising government support and the incorporation of different schemes by the government to avail better treatment for patients, is also expected to propel the transcatheter embolization and occlusion devices market. An increase in the number of localized manufacturers and the strengthening of the distribution network in Asia Pacific due to a rapidly growing economy offer significant benefits for market players as far as investments are concerned. A surge in the prevalence of neurovascular diseases and cancer in several countries across Asia Pacific is projected to fuel the market in the coming years.Request for sample of this report -About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Global Microscope Slide Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 https://www.reportsworldwide.com/report/global-microscope-slide-market-by-manufacturers-countries-type-and-application-forecast-to-2022 https://www.reportsworldwide.com/enquiry?report_id=5167 ReportsWorldwide has announced the addition of a new report title Global Microscope Slide Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 to its growing collection of premium market research reports.A microscope slide is a thin flat piece of glass used to hold objects for examination under a microscope, typically 75 by 26 mm (3 by 1 inches) and about 1 mm thick. Typically the object is placed or secured (mounted) on the slide, and then both are inserted together in the microscope for viewing. This arrangement allows several slide-mounted objects to be quickly inserted and removed from the microscope, labeled, transported, and stored in appropriate slide cases or folders.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Microscope Slide in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.To view a detailed description and Table of Contents please visit:Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report covers Thermo Fisher Scientific Waldemar Knittel Glasbearbeitungs GmbH BioPlus Corning Leica Biosystems Hirschmann Globe Scientific DURAN Group Paul Marienfeld Matsunami Chemglas MUTO PURE CHEMICALS C & A Scientific Propper Citotest Huida FeizhouMarket Segment by Countries, covering North America (USA, Canada and Mexico) Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia) South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.) Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, covers Regular(Non-adhesive, non-printed)Microscope Slides Adhesive Microscope Slides Pattern Printed Microscope Slides OthersMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided into Scientific Research Tissue Based Testing Urine Analysis OthersThere are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Microscope Slide market.Chapter 1, to describe Microscope Slide Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Microscope Slide, with sales, revenue, and price of Microscope Slide, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Microscope Slide, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, Microscope Slide market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Microscope Slide sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceTo Get Sample Copy of Report please visit @About ReportsWorldwide.comReportsWorldwide.com is a leading provider of global market intelligence reports and services. With research reports from top publishers, consulting and advisory firms, ReportsWorldwide.com offers instant online access to a growing database of expert insights on global industries, companies, products, geographies and trends.Press Contact:Abigail CrastoSenior Vice President101, Arch StreetBoston, MA 02110USPhone +1 (617) 398-4994Fax +1 (617) 398-4995abigail@reportsworldwide.com Urolithiasis Management Devices Market : Advanced technologies & growth opportunities in global Industry by 2024 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/urolithiasis-management-devices-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=2252 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Key players in the Urolithiasis Management Devices Market are Allengers Medical Systems Ltd, C. R. Bard, Inc., Cook Group, Inc., Dornier Medtech GmbH, DirexGroup, Karl Storz, Boston Scientific Corporation, Olympus Corporation, Siemens Healthcare, and Electro Medical Systems S.A.Urolithiasis is development of kidney stones in the urinary system. It includes nephrolithiasis (development of kidney stones), ureterolithiasis (stone formation in ureters), and cystolithiasis (stone formation in the bladder). Urolithiasis is a common condition that affects at least 10% of the global population. Urinary stones are generally distinguished based on the location and chemical composition. Based on chemical composition, these are categorized into calcium, uric acid, and oxalate stones.Kidney stones can be managed through different methods. The natural method involves improving quality of life. Other methods include drug treatment and kidney stone management devices. Major factors driving the kidney stone management devices market are rising geriatric population, increasing awareness, advancements in technology of the devices due to various external factors such as entry of new market players, increasing investment, and government initiatives.This report on the global urolithiasis management devices market analyzes the current and future prospects of the market. The report comprises an elaborate executive summary, including a market snapshot that provides overall information of various segments and sub-segments. The research is a combination of primary and secondary research. A detailed qualitative analysis of factors responsible for driving and restraining market growth and opportunities has been provided in the market overview section. Market revenue in terms of US$ Mn for the period between 2014 and 2024 along with the compound annual growth rate (CAGR %) from 2016 to 2024 are provided for all the segments, considering 2015 as the base year. Market related factors such as increasing preference for efficacious products, product innovation, and historical year-on-year growth have been taken into consideration while estimating the market size. Growth rates for each segment within the global urolithiasis management devices market have been determined after a thorough analysis of past trends, demographics, future trends, technological developments, clinical trials, and regulatory requirements. These factors would help the market players to take strategic decisions in order to strengthen their positions and expand their share in the global market.Browse full report on Urolithiasis Management Devices Market -The global urolithiasis management devices market has been segmented based on device type, end-user, and geography. Urolithiasis management devices are categorized into shockwave lithotripters and ureterorenoscopes. Shockwave Lithotripters include ultrasound lithotripters, pneumatic lithotripters, and laser lithotripters. Ureterorenoscopes include rigid, semi-rigid, and flexible ureterorenoscopes. Shock wave lithotripters accounts for the major share of the urolithiasis management devices market. Extracorporeal lithotripters dominate the market; however, the laser lithotripters and flexible ureterorenoscopes segments are expected to witness high compound annual growth rate during the forecast period.The major distribution channels for usage of urolithiasis management devices products include hospitals, clinics, and ambulatory surgical centers. Ambulatory surgical centers are set to witness rapid growth due to the various benefits ranging from affordability to the ease of access and available advanced technologies. These benefits include easy shipping, huge discounts, and convenience of purchasing from any location.Geographically, the market has been segmented into six regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East & North Africa, and Rest of the World. North America accounted for the largest share of the global urolithiasis management devices market. The market in Asia Pacific is anticipated to expand at the fastest growth rate from 2016 to 2024.Request for sample of this report -US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement. Corporate Wellness Market Research Report by Regional Analysis - North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East & Africa : forecast 2024 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/asia-pacific-corporate-wellness-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=13988 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Corporate Wellness Market : Key PlayersKey players operating in the Corporate Wellness Market in Asia Pacific include Central Corporate Wellness, ComPsych Corporation, Optum, Inc., JLT Australia (Recovre Group), Truworth Wellness, SOL Wellness, Sodexo, ConneXions Asia, and Bupa Wellness Pty Ltd.Strong Government Support Contributing to Japans Corporate Wellness MarketChina led the corporate wellness market in Asia Pacific in 2015 and the market in the country is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 9.1% from 2016 to 2024 owing to the increased development and high adoption of wellness programs. Changing lifestyles, an increase in the incidence of chronic diseases, rapid economic development, and large-scale urbanization are some of the other factors responsible for the growth of the corporate wellness market in China. A large number of public and private players have been providing corporate wellness services in China.Japan is also a prominent market for corporate wellness in Asia Pacific and is likely to remain a key contributor to the APAC market primarily due to the amendments in Japans Industrial Safety and Health Act in December 2015. According to the law, health checkups are mandatory for workers and employees. This is likely to drive the corporate wellness market in Japan during the forecast period. Moreover, sufficient government support to address the issue of employee health in a clear and effective manner has created a demand for corporate wellness programs in the country.Another lucrative market for corporate wellness in Asia Pacific is India. The rising number of corporate enterprises in the country is significant to the growth of the corporate wellness market. The willingness among corporate organizations to conduct wellness programs, the growing awareness among individuals about health and well-being, and the increasing incidence of chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart attacks are expected to accelerate the growth of the corporate wellness market in India.Browse full report on Corporate Wellness Market -Corporate Wellness Market: SnapshotThe corporate wellness market in Asia Pacific is predominantly driven by the increasing prevalence of obesity, the growing number of smokers, and the rising awareness levels among employers about corporate wellness. The number of key players entering the market is increasing consistently owing to the high demand for corporate wellness services in multinational companies and mid-sized firms. The market in the region was valued at US$3.4 bn in 2015 and is expected to reach US$7.4 bn by the end of 2024. If these values hold true, the corporate wellness market in Asia Pacific is anticipated to register a strong CAGR of 9.0% during the forecast period.Immense Scope for Growth offered by Smoking Cessation ProgramsVarious services are available under corporate wellness programs, such as health risk assessment (HRA), fitness, smoking cessation, health screening, weight management, nutrition, and others, including stress management, diabetes management, and vaccination.The fitness segment took the lead in the corporate wellness market in Asia Pacific in 2015 owing to the rising incidence of chronic diseases, increasing medical cost related to obesity, and the growing awareness about health and fitness among the population of various countries.On the other hand, the smoking cessation segment is projected to expand at an impressive CAGR during the forecast period. An estimated 5.8 trillion cigarettes were consumed globally in 2014 and the consumption is still on the rise. China ranks first in the top ten countries in terms of cigarette consumption. This list also includes other countries in Asia Pacific such as Indonesia, Japan, India, and South Korea.Request for sample of this report -About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Energy Efficient Lighting Market - Lighting Sourceof LFL,LED Industry : Trends & Forcast 2024 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/energy-efficient-lighting-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=12989 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ The top three players in the global energy-efficient warehouse lighting market, namely Philips Lighting Holding B.V., Eaton, and General Electric Company, accounted for nearly 83% of the overall market in 2015, with Philips and Eaton holding an almost similar percentage of shares. Despite this, the presence of numerous small-sized local players, especially in China, has been giving large, international vendors stiff competition, Transparency Market Research (TMR) has found.Browse Market Research Report @Smart lighting technology has emerged as a leading opportunity for companies in the energy-efficient warehouse lighting market, the author of the study states. Smart lighting has the ability to reduce overall energy consumption, which is making it an attractive investment for warehouse owners. As end users become informed about the benefits of automated smart lighting systems, together with modern CFL, LED, and OLED lamps, their sales are expected to rise.Increased R&D activities and partnerships for the development of advanced and energy-efficient lighting systems is also a key strategy adopted by several players. A case in point would be Philips. In February 2016, Koninklijke Philips N.V. separated its lighting business to establish Philips Lighting Holding B.V. This has allowed the company to sharpen its strategic focus toward its core competent business. Later in June 2016, this new business joined hands with Netherlands-based Dummen Orange to conduct R&D activities in the LED segment.Government Mandates Support Use of Energy-efficient Warehouse LightingThe demand for energy-efficient warehouse lighting has received significant impetus from companies looking to reduce their energy consumption in warehouses, a TMR analyst states. Compared to traditional incandescent lighting systems, advanced and smart lighting solutions such as LED and CFL help companies conserve energy and save on costs. The demand for energy-efficient warehouse lighting has risen with their growing usage in refrigeration, lighting, cooling and ventilation, material handling, and others applications in warehouses.The energy-efficient warehouse lighting market has also been supported by favorable government regulations around the world. For instance, the U.S. government has banned the use of incandescent lighting in warehouse spaces. It has also provided vendors utility rebates, thereby boosting the use of energy-efficient lighting solutions. Several European countries have implemented Energy Performance Certificates, which require commercial spaces to adhere to energy-efficient processes and requirements.In contrast, high initial investments and undefined technology issues discourage numerous companies from making the switch to energy-efficient warehouse lighting.Demand for LFLs to Decline as LEDs Gain ProminenceThe global market for energy-efficient warehouse lighting will witness impressive growth in the coming years, the TMR analyst predicts. Registering a strong CAGR of 13.4% from 2016 to 2024, the opportunity in the market is projected to be worth over US$15 bn by the end of the forecast period, rising from US$4.2 bn in 2014.Asia Pacific has led the energy-efficient warehouse lighting market at the start of the forecast period and will continue its streak through 2024, accounting for a share of over 45% in terms of revenue. By lighting source, linear fluorescent lamps (LFLs) led the overall market in 2014. However, owing to the increasing popularity of and demand for light emitting diodes (LED), the dominance of LFLs is anticipated to be toppled by LEDs.Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @This review is based on the findings of a TMR report titled Energy Efficient Lighting Market: Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016-2024.Energy Efficient Lighting Market: By Lighting Source-High-intensity Discharge Lamps (HID)-Linear Fluorescent Lamps (LFL)-Light Emitting Diodes (LED)-Other Lighting SourcesEnergy Efficient Lighting Market: By Region-North America-U.S.-Canada-Mexico-Europe-U.K.-France-Germany-Rest of Europe-Asia Pacific-China-Australia-India-Rest of Asia Pacific-Middle East and Africa-Saudi Arabia-U.A.E.-South Africa-Rest of Middle East and Africa-Latin America-Brazil-Argentina-Rest of Latin AmericaAbout UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Bills release multiple artist renderings of new stadium The morning of Oct. 27 was a day Buffalo Bills fans have been patiently waiting for a reveal of what the new stadium will potentially look like. The team... County officials, law firm representatives host public hearing on new stadium SEQR Erie County officials, representatives from Phillips Lytle LLP, power players for a new stadium and interested Buffalo Bills fans packed into one of the community rooms of the Brush Mountain... Vancouver oil train An oil train rolls through Vancouver, Washington. Vancouver Energy is pressing for an oil terminal that would handle 365,000 barrels of crude a day. (Rob Davis/The Oregonian/OregonLive/2014) VANCOUVER, Wash. -- The Port of Vancouver has voted to continue to lease land to Vancouver Energy for its proposed oil transfer terminal while the evaluation and permitting process continues. The Columbian reports that port commissioners voted 2-1 to continue the lease after a five-hour meeting Tuesday. The proposed $210 million Tesoro Savage Vancouver Energy terminal would handle about 360,000 barrels of crude oil a day. It would receive an average of four 1.5-mile long crude oil trains daily. Oil would temporarily be stored on site and then loaded onto tankers and ships bound for West Coast refineries. Vancouver Energy and its supporters contend that the terminal is needed to meet fuel needs and would provide an economic boost to the region. They said it deserves to see the end of the state Energy Site Evaluation Council's scrutiny. But opponents -- including tribes, environmental and community groups -- say they're concerned about possible oil spills and accidents as more trains cut through their communities, a worry that was crystallized by an oil train derailment in Mosier, Oregon, last summer. The project has been caught up in nearly four years of review by the site evaluation council, which is expected to issue a recommendation to Gov. Jay Inslee in a few months on whether to grant the project a permit. The port has been collecting $100,000 a month in rent on the vacant site. -- The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO -- Uber is dismantling a secret weapon it used against local regulators who have been trying to curtail or shut down its ride-hailing service in some cities around the world. The about-face announced Wednesday comes less than a week after a report published in The New York Times exposed the existence of a technology feature nicknamed "Greyball" that identified regulators posing as riders while trying to collect evidence that Uber's service was breaking local laws governing taxis. The report prominently featured a video from The Oregonian/OregonLive of Portland transportation officials blocked from hailing a driver on the app in 2014, during a period when the service was operating without approval from the city. The company told The Oregonian/OregonLive it hasn't used the program in Portland since it started operating in the city legally in 2015. The program served up a fake version of Uber's popular app to make it appear the undercover regulators were summoning a car, only to have the ride never show up or canceled. Uber now says it will ban greyballing undercover regulators, although it may take time to block the program completely. The San Francisco company said it also will respond to city officials who have been inquiring whether their regulators were being greyballed. The Times reported that Uber has targeted regulators in Boston, Paris and Las Vegas, among other cities, as well as a litany of countries that include Australia, China, Italy and South Korea. Uber had previously said it used greyballing to deter passengers who were violating the company's terms of service. The violations included harassing or threatening its drivers, according to the company. The cat-and-mouse game with regulators is the latest example of the aggressive tactics that Uber has adopted while upending the heavily regulated taxi industry. In doing so, Uber has built a rapidly growing company valued at more than $60 billion by its investors that is frequently accused of bending the rules. -- The Associated Press Elliot Njus of The Oregonian/OregonLive contributed reporting. Samantha Bakall | The Oregonian/OregonLive 10 hot new Portland restaurants that opened in 2017 by Samantha Bakall | The Oregonian Its only March, but 2017 has been a big year for restaurant openings in Portland. Since December, thereve been more than a dozen openings -- starting with Lantern, the French-Vietnamese counter-service spot that took over Oso Market + Bar; Figlia, the little sister restaurant from the owners of Southeast Portlands Renata; and Gabagool, the Italian cart that opened a brick-and-mortar location in St. Johns. And there are still more on the way, including Bigs Chicken, the shotgun chicken shack spin-off of Laurelhurst Markets popular Five Napkin Chicken tent that popped up in the restaurants parking lot last summer, set to land at the end of March. Here are the 10 hottest restaurants that have opened since January 1. Don't Edit The Baker's Mark The Baker's Mark, from Portland natives Mark and Lenore Eklund, was a sandwich shop nearly three years in the making. Look for a menu of Italian-style sandwiches, both hot and cold, in addition to cookies, beer and more for their counter-service sandwich joint. All the bread for their sandwiches is baked in-house throughout the day. 1126 S.E. Division, thebakersmark.com Don't Edit Breakside Brewery Breakside Brewery Slabtown The newest outpost of one of our favorite Portland breweries, Breaksides soon-to-be three level Slabtown restaurant, bar and brewhouse is dedicated to all hoppy everything. Dubbed the "Hop Lab," expect to see fresh, hop-forward beers youll only be able to drink here at the Northwest Portland space. For Dekum regulars, the expanded food menu has a little bit of old and new. In addition to a handful of familiar sandwiches and salads, theres new entrees, like a kobe beef burger, to help balance the beer. 1570 N.W. 22nd Ave., 503-444-7597, breakside.com/locations/nw-portland Don't Edit Samantha Bakall | The Oregonian/OregonLive BYH Burgers On Valentines Day, Shalom YAll, John Gorhams quick-service Israeli counter, packed up its pita and left the upscale food hall, making room for Bless Your Heart (BYH) Burgers, the lucky seventh restaurant in the Gorham family. Here, BYH focuses on simple, fast food-style burgers, with crisp-edged, charred patties topped with American cheese, shredded lettuce and housemade pickles. Maybe intentionally, the fries are reminiscent of McDonalds and cocktails fit the mold with a heavy dose of cola. Inside Pine Street Market, 126 S.W. Second Ave., 503-719-4221, byhpdx.com Don't Edit Samantha Bakall | The Oregonian/OregonLive Chalino Chalino, Johnny Leach (Clyde Common, briefly) and Dave Haddow's (Xico) Mexico City-inspired restaurant, is now open in North Portland. Look for a lineup of unconventional tostadas -- think beef tartare, smoked trout with pickled peppers or Vietnamese-spiced carnitas seared in duck fat on the comal -- from the duo, as well as housemade chips, salsas and guac, larger dishes like lamb neck barbacoa marinated in tamarind and more. The bar features cocktails, Mexican wines and a healthy selection of tequila and mezcal. Desserts, which come from Le Pigeon pastry chef Helen Jo -- who happens to be married to Leach -- are worth watching, too. 1 N. Fremont St., just across from the North Williams Avenue New Seasons. Don't Edit Don't Edit Danwei Canting Portland is hungry for Chinese food. The latest restaurant to open is Danwei Canting, a best-of-Beijing street food restaurant from James Kyle and former Bluehour chef Kyo Koo, which joined ranks at the beginning of January. The menu, which includes classics like jiaozi (dumplings), laziji (a spicy, stir-fried Sichuanese chicken dish), wonton soup and more, is culled from Kyle's decade-plus of living in China's capital city. 803 S.E. Stark St., 503-236-6050, danweicanting.com Don't Edit Samantha Bakall | The Oregonian/OregonLive Guero This warm, counter-service torteria, from owners Megan Sanchez and Alec Morrison, opened in mid-March in the former Tabla Pasta e Vino space, just blocks from the duo's sleek cart named by The Oregonian/OregonLive as among the 15 best in the city. The 50- to 60-seat space focuses on tortas, including the classics from the cart, regional-specific sandwiches and one of the best burgers we've eaten all year, as well as new snacks, tequila-heavy cocktails and mezcal. 200 N.E. 28th Ave., gueropdx.com Don't Edit the King: tomato sauce, mozzarella, soppressata, oregano, olive oil Posted by Heart Pizza on Wednesday, February 8, 2017 Heart Pizza It was only a matter of time before pizza got the Little Big Burger treatment. Now at two Portland locations, with at least one more on the way, the duo behind Boxer Ramen and Blue Star Donuts have applied their fast-casual formula to wood-fired pizza. Find a bakers dozen pies -- half vegetarian, half not -- in the $12-$14 range, with $1 from each pie going to a local Oregon charity. Current pizzas look like rapini with Calabrian chilies, fresh mozzarella and aged balsamic, one topped with roasted bone marrow and parsley salad, and a weekend-only brunch pizza with maple sausage, egg and hollandaise. A trio of salads, and beer and wine to-go fill out the straightforward menu. 672 S.W. Gaines St. and 417 S.W. 13th Ave.; Lloyd Center location at 1088 N.E. 7th Ave. to come; heartpizza.com Don't Edit Lamb Sandwich - pesto chevre, calabriain chili aioli, pickeld onions, arugula Posted by Stacked Sandwich Shop on Saturday, March 4, 2017 Stacked Sandwich Shop At Stacked, Gabriel Pascuzzi applies his fine-dining background, which includes stints at Copenhagens Noma and New Yorks DB Bistro as well as Portlands Multnomah Whiskey Library, to the humble sandwich. Focus on the updated classics, especially the polpetta, with its cast-iron-seared meatballs and simple marinara, and the French dip, which comes with braised oxtail, crimini mushrooms, melted havarti and a downright drinkable rosemary-infused jus. 1643 S.E. Third Ave., 971-279-2731, stackedsandwichshop.com Don't Edit Working on a new dish so we are running it as a special today! Seared salmon salad, kimchi 1000 island, pickled ginger +... Posted by Wares on Sunday, February 26, 2017 Wares Fried kale lives again. After a bittersweet closure in August, it seemed as if Johanna Wares' "inauthentic Asian" food would be put to rest forever. But six months later, prayers were answered when a scaled down version of her Beaumont restaurant opened in Northeast Portland's micro-restaurant pod The Zipper. Regulars can once again slurp bowls of chicken ramen while snacking on an abridged menu of potential new favorites, like kimchi stew with daikon and rice cakes, and Sichuan egg noodles with pork sausage and pineapple. 2713 N.E. Sandy Blvd., 503-954-1172, warespdx.com Don't Edit Don't Edit Samantha Bakall | The Oregonian/OregonLive XLB There have been lines out the door since opening day for former Aviary co-owner Jasper Shen's counter-service restaurant devoted to "straight-up Chinese" food and xiaolongbao, the Shanghai-style dumplings filled with pork and steaming-hot soup. Make sure to get at least one order of XLB to pair with a line-up of pan-fried noodle dishes, steamed buns and veggie stir fries made with bok choy, stringbeans or, seasonally, the occasional Chinese green picked up from the Portland Farmers Market. 4090 N. Williams Ave., 503-841-5373, xlbpdx.com Don't Edit Stephanie Yao Long | The Oregonian/OregonLive Hungry for more? Check out our 2017 Cheap Eats Guide to the 99 most delicious dishes under $10. And, read why Portland's hottest restaurants are counting on the counter-service model. Oregon's largest school district plans to track incidents of hate, including attacks based on race or gender, in response to an anecdotal uptick an assistant superintendent noticed in schools. Portland Public Schools' Assistant Superintendent Antonio Lopez said he felt moved to take action after hearing a Madison High School student was assaulted on TriMet on her way to school by a male who ripped off her hijab and called her a "terrorist." Lopez said that act may have been spurred by the rise of President Donald Trump. "I want to start documenting those incidents" that occur in or around schools or when students are traveling to and from school, Lopez said. "We're going to have to come up with a better system. Right now we're just communicating the plan, and we have asked the schools to let us know if they want us to do a meeting for specific communities." Trump ran on a platform of a less inclusionary America and has moved quickly to issue executive orders and directives in line with his pledges. Even before his inauguration, schools around the nation noted a surge in hate speech and attacks, with the Southern Poverty Law Center reporting 200-plus incidents in schools in the month following his election. After hearing about the hijab incident and a few additional complaints from other Madison students a few weeks ago, Lopez decided to personally keep watch on the tensions roiling Portland schools. For now, he's keeping tabs through reports that come directly to him. He told principals and vice principals at a recent meeting to report hate incidents at or near their schools directly to him on his work cell phone. His goal is to develop a more robust tracking system, that could ideally give the district insight into schools that could use extra supports or training and provide data on if approaches are working. Interim Superintendent Bob McKean said Wednesday that Lopez had not yet informed him of a new tracking system, but said he had heard anecdotally of an uptick in tensions that concerned him. The post-election climate has put Portland and other schools in the position of feeling compelled to reassure families they will continue to educate and support children, regardless of the color of their skin, immigration status or sexuality. "When it comes to hate speech, discrimination and a stated agenda that is harmful to youth, there can be no debate, as these are issues that as a principal I cannot and will not accept or ignore," Wilson High principal Brian Chatard wrote to families shortly after the election. Tensions in and around Portland-area schools haven't abated. If anything, they've gotten worse, with fears escalating in response to a travel ban targeting certain Muslim-majority countries that sparked nationwide protests during Trump's first week in office, a rise in immigration enforcement raids that were pitched as targeting criminals but have torn apart some peaceful families, and a decision to rescind guidelines that allowed transgender students to use the bathroom of their choice. McKean has been sending messages intended to reassure families amid the fear. The school board passed a resolution pledging it would not cooperate with immigration enforcement officials. And the district has hammered out detailed actions it will take to support students in the event their parents are detained for potential deportation along with steps schools can take should a raid occur in their communities. After the federal government retracted guidelines on bathroom choice, McKean sent out a message affirming the district's commitment to transgender students. He assured students and families that Oregon law and district rules entitled transgender students to use the bathroom of their choice. Days later, someone scrawled a death threat inside a gender neutral bathroom at Grant High School in Northeast Portland. -- Bethany Barnes Got a tip about Portland Public Schools? Email Bethany here: bbarnes@oregonian.com doctor-salaries.jpg If you know someone who is a medical doctor, chances are good they are making a lot more money than you. But how much doctors make varies from state to state, sometimes by a wide margin. (Pixabay) It's no secret that doctors make a lot of money. When you survey the top 1-percent of wage earners, there are more medical doctors than any other profession. That's not entirely surprising, given that health care is always in demand, and considering the enormous costs of medical school. Still, we're talking seriously big bucks! According to a recent survey by 24/7 Wall Street, the average salary of family and general practitioners across the country is $192,120. And the doctors who specialize generally take home even more. An anesthesiologist, for example, makes about $258,000 a year. And suddenly you're rethinking your career choices. How much doctors make, however, varies from state to state. Doctors in Alaska earn, on average, the most of any state, with a whopping $235,600 a year in pay. Call it the "Northern Exposure" effect to keep top doctors in the snow and the cold. They're followed closely by doctors in far-more-temperate Iowa and Kansas, who earn $234,600 and $228,590. Doctors in Oklahoma earn the least, on average, with $144,100 in salary. Other states with relatively low doctor salaries are Missouri, Nevada and West Virginia. So how much do Oregon doctors make? On average, they make $181,570 a year, which is ranked 35th in the country, and slightly below the national average for all doctors. Before you feel sorry for Oregon doctors for not taking home anything close to what their counterparts in Alaska make, consider this: The average salary for all jobs in Oregon is $48,100, so a typical doctor is making roughly $133,000 more than most of their neighbors. No wonder their cars are nicer than yours! -- Grant Butler 503-221-8566; @grantbutler 1supct.JPG In this photo taken March 3, 2107, the Supreme Court in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) By Noah Feldman In a powerful opinion that will become part of Justice Anthony Kennedy's ever-growing liberal legacy, the Supreme Court held in a split opinion Monday that a jury's verdict may be reopened if there is evidence of racial bias by the jurors. The decision confronted a legal contradiction between the interest in treating jury verdicts as a black box not to be opened and the imperative of racial justice -- and opted for the latter. The decision is unusually honest and direct about how race in America has historically tainted the fairness of the judicial system. Pena-Rodriguez v. Colorado stemmed from a jury's conviction of Miguel Angel Pena-Rodriguez of sexually assaulting two teenage sisters. After the trial was over and the verdict submitted, two jurors signed sworn affidavits stating that one of the jurors had told the others that he was a former law enforcement officer and that in his experience, "Mexican men had a bravado that caused them to believe they could do whatever they wanted with women." For good measure, the juror said that "nine times out of ten Mexican men were guilty of being aggressive toward women and young girls." And he concluded that "I think he did it because he's Mexican and Mexican men take whatever they want." There's little question that these statements are evidence of racial bias. (I say "little question" only because in dissent, Justice Samuel Alito did raise a question, that "this might be described as bias based on national origin or ethnicity.") But the evidence of racial bias wasn't the end of the question, because of a common-law rule going back to the 18th century that says evidence of juror misconduct can't come from the testimony of jurors themselves. That rule is generally pretty useful. It assures that once the verdict has been reached, its finality is respected throughout the legal system. Practically, lawyers never quite want to know why the jury did what it did -- the lawyers are afraid the rationale may be too far from what the law requires, which would upset the apple cart of the judicial system. Indeed, jury verdicts are often treated a bit mystically by the law. It's almost as if they descend from the magic of trial by ordeal -- which in a sense, they do. To his credit, Kennedy in his opinion for five justices didn't play down the importance of finality. Instead he acknowledged that the case "lies at the intersection" between the finality rule and "decisions seeking to eliminate racial bias in the jury system." Kennedy explained that in the U.S. legal system, "racial bias implicates unique historical, constitutional, and institutional concerns." That's definitely and perhaps obviously true -- but the court doesn't always say so in such clear terms. As Kennedy put it, such bias is "a familiar and recurring evil that, if left unaddressed, would risk systemic injury to the administration of justice." That logic led Kennedy to his most inspiring line: "It must become the heritage of our Nation to rise above racial classifications that are so inconsistent with our commitment to the equal dignity of all persons." Those who follow Kennedy's jurisprudence will be unsurprised to see the master concept of "dignity" appearing at this crucial moment in the opinion. To say that Kennedy loves the idea of dignity is a substantial understatement. He's used it to uphold abortion rights and the right to gay marriage. It's particularly impressive that, rather than insisting that the U.S. is free of racial bias, Kennedy instead proposed that avoiding bias should in the future become part of our heritage. That's a great way to invoke tradition prospectively, without falsifying our history of slavery, segregation and discrimination. Kennedy also added that there's a "pragmatic" aspect of racial bias in making an exception to the verdict finality rule. He said that the "stigma" against racial bias is so great that other jurors might not be prepared to report one juror's comments during the trial itself. To be precise, Kennedy was in effect saying that no one really wants to report racism -- which isn't quite the same thing as saying that racism is deeply stigmatized. Nevertheless, the pragmatic analysis served Kennedy's ends. The court's three conservatives dissented from Kennedy's decision, essentially seeing the principle of finality as more important than rooting out racial bias. That view might be defensible in the abstract. But in the particular circumstances of the U.S. justice system, the dissenters are wrong. As Kennedy has aged, he's become increasingly liberal on issues from Guantanamo to abortion to gay rights and even affirmative action. This decision joins the pantheon of Kennedy opinions staking out strong, morally distinct grounds of liberal jurisprudence. Let's hope he doesn't plan on retiring soon. Feldman is a Bloomberg View columnist. He is a professor of constitutional and international law at Harvard University and was a clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter. His books include "Cool War: The Future of Global Competition" and "Divided by God: America's Church-State Problem -- and What We Should Do About It." For more columns from Bloomberg View, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/view. (c) 2017, Bloomberg View The Portland Divide: A look at 82nd Avenue Portland Community College's board recently voted to increase tuition in the coming biennium, in part to address rising costs associated with Oregon's underfunded pension system. (Thomas Boyd) In a letter to students last Friday, Portland Community College informed students tuition will go up by as much as 7 percent next year. PCC, which serves many low-income students, needs to patch a $12 million budget gap over the next biennium. To do so, they're expecting to make the same increase again in the 2018-19 school year. Higher education leaders are pushing Oregon's lawmakers to increase their budget allotment, arguing they need more help to offset the increasing cost of staff salaries, medical plans and pension obligations. But let's be clear about that last part. That's PERS. PCC officials report that their contributions will increase by 33.5 percent over the current rate for Tier 1 and 2 employees and by 48 percent over the current rate Tier 3 employees. The increases for PCC total $8.5 million for the 2017-19 biennium. College and university students across Oregon are beginning to hear and understand how the promises made to public employees in the past are draining their futures. They'll pay more for classes. There'll be fewer instructors teaching them. And likely, they'll see fewer classes and other program offerings. Lawmakers will continue to hear calls for more money for higher education budgets, much like they're hearing from leaders of Oregon's K-12 schools. But they must remember one of the main drivers is a vastly underfunded pension liability, which will continue to eat up public dollars unless solutions are found. It's already too late for many students. Tuition increases, staffing cuts and deferred programs will likely hit campuses even if lawmakers successfully find ways to rein in future pension costs this legislative session. But the longer they wait, the more sacrifices future students will make. Legislators: 124 days to go. 1marines.JPG In this May 5, 2014, file photo, a U.S. Marine Corps Color Guard stands under a Marine Corps emblem in Jupiter, Fla. The Defense Department is investigating reports that some Marines shared naked photographs of female Marines, veterans and other women on a secret Facebook page, some of which were taken without their knowledge. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) By Kathleen Parker WASHINGTON -- An old Marine told me that Marines guard Marines from the other side. And when one of their brothers is being threatened, the Devil Dogs (aka Marines) will "go wild on them" for eternity. Yes, but what about the sisters? Do the Devil Dogs protect them, too? What about the female Marines whose nude photos were posted to a Facebook group where comments ranged from raunchy to suggestions of violence? Do women Marines count in the Devil Dogs lore? The questions arise as the Defense Department begins an investigation into recent revelations about the Facebook group, Marines United, which the Associated Press reports was comprised of active-duty and retired male Marines along with some Navy Corpsmen and Royal British Marines. Some of the nude shots were grabbed from Instagram, which mostly prohibits nudity. Others were shot surreptitiously. Most were passed along a testosterone-rich grapevine. More than two dozen active-duty women in the photographs were identified by their rank, full name and location. Needless to say, the women were horrified to learn that they had been sexually objectified by their peers. One said the scandal had ruined her Marine experience and that she wouldn't re-enlist. One active corpsman said he'd seen the photos on the Facebook page, which also provides news and support, but wasn't interested and skipped over them. He didn't find the collection surprising, however, likely given his generation's comfort with nudity in all its forms. The young women who knowingly had their photos taken apparently thought that viewers would be of their own choosing. One can imagine, however, that a libidinous corpsman (pardon the redundancy) who discovers a picture of a semi-nude or nude female Marine might be inspired to share it. Isn't "sharing" the operative terms in today's narcissistic, show-and-tell-all culture? The difference and the distinction, however, is that the Marines United boys club basically stole the images and used them without the subjects' consent. Marines being Marines? Or are they guilty of something more sinister, potentially deserving court martial? To the civilian mind, the answer is rather simple: The Pentagon, now fully infiltrated and indoctrinated by modern feminists, has decided to put women in combat (thank you, President Obama). Therefore, women must be treated as men. But what about the vice-versa? Must men be treated as women? That is, should they be trained to be more "sensitive"? If so, can you simultaneously create sensitivity in the desensitizing, killing culture that breaks down an 18-year-old's humanity and instills in him an instinct for extreme brutality? Put another way, how stupid are we? There's a reason we say in times of great peril, "Send in the Marines," and it's not because of the few brave, committed women among them. But try to find someone in today's military willing to say so. Older vets with nothing to lose will sometimes open up. Two of my regular Marine correspondents, "Jack" and "Russ," both of them Vietnam vets, explained the culture that creates killers and how this environment isn't conducive to civilian norms. Jack, who told me the afterlife story, is my brother. Russ is a retired Methodist minister who counsels veterans navigating post-traumatic stress disorder. Neither they nor I intend to justify the Facebook group but rather aim to illuminate the mindset that might have led to it and the misunderstandings that create havoc. "Hollywood makes this s--- up," says Jack in his best "French." "I never saw a Marine shed a tear for lost buddies. Now in the Middle East, these guys have f------ breakdowns and unit ceremonies and all that s---. In Vietnam, your buddies put you in a body bag, a chopper flew your dead a-- to Da Nang and off you went on a jet back home. "It ain't Hollywood. It is stinky, bloody, sweat-soaked, soil-your-britches killing and being killed. You push that cr-- down so far in your guts that it comes out 50 years after the job is done. That's PTSD." Russ explains the culture in somewhat more polished terms. "Marines embrace the warrior archetype more than other branches. The shadow of this is patriarchy, misogyny and brutality. We are trained to be killing machines, deadening all emotion except anger. We're told we don't have the luxury of sensitivity, so we objectify everything, including women." Still, he's optimistic, saying that we need to return to "the embodiment of the hero archetype in the medieval knight. Aggressiveness can be coupled with honor, nobility and compassion." Maybe so. But knights typically didn't joust with women, which may be the most salient inference. That said, chivalry has a place here. An apology to the women who exposed themselves to the few, not the proud, would be appropriate -- both as gesture and punishment. Kathleen Parker's email address is kathleenparker@washpost.com. (c) 2017, Washington Post Writers Group Thursday 9 March 2017 2:11pm The University of Otago is a key partner in three inaugural Centres of Asia-Pacific Excellence (CAPE) announced today by Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Paul Goldsmith. CAPEs are cross-institutional centres of excellence in the language, culture, politics and economics of countries or groups of countries within the Asia-Pacific region. As well as teaching about and researching these countries, they are mandated to help all learners, exporters, and government agencies improve their understanding of the countries and their languages. The University of Auckland will lead the North Asia CAPE, which covers China, Japan and Korea, while Victoria University of Wellington will lead two CAPEs focusing on South East Asia and Latin America, respectively. Otago Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Humanities) Professor Tony Ballantyne says the CAPEs represent important national collaborations that will strengthen New Zealands ties to the Asia-Pacific. As a globally-engaged University we welcome the Government's investment and commitment in this area. "I know that many Otago researchers are looking forward to using their expertise to assist businesses and organisations better understand the cultures and economies of the Asia-Pacific region and to have the opportunity to help create new opportunities for students to engage with Asia and Latin America. The three centres are part of the Innovative New Zealand package in Budget 2016, and are funded by a $34.5m Government investment over four years. Goose Creek, SC (29445) Today Sunny, along with a few afternoon clouds. Near record high temperatures. High 82F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A few clouds from time to time. Low 64F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Fisher Companies, located in Midland, took first place in the Decorative Concrete Council 2017 Awards in the category Concrete Artistry, Under 5,000 SF. The project was a compass rose for the Midland Community Aviation Discovery Area (MCADA) at Jack Barstow Municipal Airport in Midland. The awards were presented recently at the World of Concrete, Las Vegas, Nevada. The Midland Area Real Estate Investors Association will host its monthly meeting on Tuesday, March 14, at Golden Buffet Restaurant, 979 S. Saginaw Road, Eastlawn Plaza, Midland, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The guest speaker will be Andrew C. Thompson of Thompson Law PLC, who will discuss Property Taxes in Michigan and Challenging Assessment on Property. A question and answer session will follow. From cookbooks to the streets of Washington, D.C., employees of SPACE Inc. have come together in an effort to encourage others to pay it forward. The employees published cookbooks that contain cherished recipes and then sold them to friends and family. The money received was donated during Random Acts of Kindness Week to individuals and organizations in an attempt to make communities a better place to live. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A Midland County family is receiving an outpouring love after the passing of Fritz Bobalek, a retired sheriffs office detective lieutenant and township fire chief who offered more that his role as a rescuer. Bobalek, 69, died at his home Monday from pancreatic cancer. His career included service with the U.S. Army in Vietnam for two years, 29 years with the Midland County Sheriffs Office and 32 years with the Larkin Township Fire Department. Ten of those years, Bobalek served as fire chief. In the days since his passing, his Facebook page has become a place not only to share love and grieve his loss, but to tell stories. A few moons ago, I was a brand new firefighter and had no clue what I wanted to be when I grew up, wrote Caitlin Lambert. He taught me so much more than just working a fire scene ... most of all he taught me that family is more than blood. After learning the ropes as a firefighters, Lambert eventually landed in nursing school. I had a rough start to nursing school, which left me studying at the fire station (or anywhere I had a light to study by) many nights until well after 2 a.m., but Id always get a little note or a pat on the back at the station with him saying keep smiling kiddo. Bobalek also was a mentor to Erick Forshee, who, among his community roles, serves as a board member at Big Brothers and Big Sisters. One thing I know for sure, every young man needs a mentor, a father figure, even better a dad who encompasses it all. As a troubled youth Fritz and his family took me in and helped me become the man I am today. He not only told me I could be more than I thought I could be, he showed me how. Each step of the way he told me he was proud, if I took a step backwards, he was still there. He told me he loved me and to just work harder and believe in my self, Forshee wrote. In the end he made me want to be a better person, citizen, and more importantly he showed me how to be a great dad and for that I am eternally grateful. Those who worked with Bobalek in various capacities also are remembering him. Such a great man and wonderful human being, wrote Ken Mault, who also retired from the Midland County Sheriffs Office. Proud to have served with him. Homer Township Fire Chief John Hanson and Coleman Community Fire Chief Bill Cozat both noted Bobaleks loss. I am sure Fritz will keep the angels in line and on edge, Hanson wrote. So proud to have been able to work with you and call you a friend, Cozat offered. Roger Garner, retired county emergency management coordinator, said he will cherish his memories of his friendship with Bobalek. From my first day of work at Midland County Fritz was my guide, counselor, and friend, Garner wrote. He listened to my worries, fears, and frustrations, and always supported me. I cant imagine what those early days of my career would have been like without him. Bobalek graduated from Midland High School and Delta College with a degree in criminal justice. He married the former Candace Hoffman on Aug. 8, 1970 in Midland. Fritz worked at the Ware-Smith Funeral Home until 1969 when he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was discharged on April 2, 1971 and went to work at the Midland County Sheriff Department. While a member of the sheriffs office, Bobalek was awarded as an Officer of the Year by the Police Officers Association of Michigan, and received an award for bravery from the Midland County Board of Commissioners. Both recognitions were for a May 31, 1991, incident that occurred in Edenville Township. Officials had responded to a call of a suicidal man, and at one point the subject had pointed a loaded .357-caliber revolver at another deputy and pulled the trigger. Acting on instinct, Bobalek shoved his hand between the weapons hammer and receiver, stopping the gun from firing and saving his partners life. The awards are just two that Bobalek earned during his public service career. His family was the most important thing in his life, and his is survived by his wife and numerous children, grandchildren and more. Memorial services are set for 11 a.m. Friday at the Ware-Smith-Woolever Funeral Home, 1200 W. Wheeler St. Elders Sue and Randy Rausch of the Community of Christ Church will officiate. Family will receive friends at the funeral home on Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. and again on Friday from 10 a.m. until the time of service. Full military honors will be presented by the Midland Area Veterans and last call honors will be presented by the Larkin Township Fire Department and the Midland County Sheriffs Department. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Power outages that hit the region on Wednesday following heavy winds have closed Bullock Creek Schools and Siebert Elementary School, which is part of Midland Public Schools. The websites for both schools confirm the schools are closed on Thursday. As of 8:30 a.m. Thursday, 5,865 customers were without power in Midland County, according to the Consumers Energy outage map. Also without power are 1,602 customers in Gladwin County, 992 in Bay County, 3,938 in Saginaw County, 2,255 in Gratiot County and 857 in Isabella County. Consumers Energy stated this morning that improving weather conditions are assisting it in restoring more than 300,000 customers left without power during two days of high winds across Michigan. As of 4 a.m. Thursday, 187,000 customers were still without power after winds in excess of 60 mph blew through the state. Since Tuesday afternoon, 300,000 customers have been affected in the high winds that took down 7,000 wires and broke more than 1,000 poles. Because of the storm's duration and statewide impact, some customers in the worst impacted areas may not have power restored until Sunday. "We have been working through the night and making steady progress," said Guy Packard, vice president of energy operations. "The lighter winds make for improved working conditions for our crews. We appreciate their commitment to safety and our customers' continued patience." The company said more than 2,000 people are engaged in the storm restoration effort. An additional 130 workers have arrived from utilities in Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana to assist the crews in Michigan. Customers can now sign up to get outage alerts and restoration times sent to a phone, email or text message. Text 'REG' to 232273 or visit: www.ConsumersEnergy.com/alerts. Customers can also, report an outage, check the status of an outage and get useful tips what to do before, during and after a storm by visiting www.ConsumersEnergy.com/OutageCenter Consumers Energy urges the public to keep these safety tips in mind: Stay at least 25 feet away from downed power lines and to call 911 and Consumers Energy at 800-477-5050. Be alert to crews working along roads. Drivers should slow down or stop and wait for oncoming traffic to clear so they safely can go past workers on roadsides. Never use a generator in an attached garage, basement or near any air intakes, and never fuel a generator when it is running. Operating a generator without proper ventilation can create carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless and deadly gas. If using a generator, contact a licensed electrician to ensure that it is properly connected and make certain it is isolated from the company's electric distribution system. In some cases, the mast which holds the electric service wires to a customer's home or business may have been damaged or torn away. Crews will reconnect the wires to a home, but only a licensed electrician can repair or replace a mast or a cable. For A Brighter Tomorrow will be hosting a parent and community meeting to discuss the impact of heroin on students and the school community later this month. Area professionals, law enforcement, medical professionals and parents will present and discuss the rising heroin and opiate issues facing the educational community. Recently statistics have shown a dramatic rise in opiate addiction and abuse among teenagers nationally, as well as the Great Lakes Bay Region. To the editor: I am writing to request that our friends in Midland County give special consideration to making a contribution to the Childrens Trust Fund when filing your Michigan income tax forms. All tax check-off contributions, to the Michigan Childrens Trust Fund (CTF), coming from Midland County will come directly back to the Midland County Child Protection Council/Safe and Sound Child Advocacy Center in our CTF grant. With the current incentive plan, we have a tremendous opportunity to increase the support coming to Midland County for our child abuse prevention efforts. The Midland County Child Protection Council/Safe and Sound Child Advocacy Center currently uses these funds to educate and empower children and adults through community and classroom trainings. Additionally, funds help to support our Safe Sleep Initiatives and Car Safety Seat program. To take advantage of this opportunity when filing your Michigan Income Taxes, use the Charitable Contribution Form 4642 to contribute to the Michigan Childrens Trust Fund. Our Midland County Child Protection Council has an opportunity this tax season to increase funding for the services we provide. As you file your state income tax, please consider supporting us through a contribution to the Michigan Childrens Trust Fund. For more information about CTF, how to contribute, and how to participate in local fundraising activities, visit www.michigan.gov/ctf MICHELLE WASKEVICH Midland County Child Protection Council/Safe & Sound Child Advocacy Center Our government and our society are complex. I think this is a safe statement to start with, and many reading it would agree. I am a physicist and the idea of complexity in a system has a very specific meaning for me. A complex system is one where each of the parts strongly interacts with many or all of the other parts. If we change one part, we will affect many other parts in ways that we may not understand or be able to predict. For society this means analyzing any single issue in isolation will lead to a poor conclusion. We may find a good solution for the problem at hand, but the seemingly inevitable unintended consequences are a result of not thinking about the connections between the different issues. So, if we are to try to understand anything we must exercise discipline and be self-critical of our arguments. This essay is the result of approximately eight months of thought that included internal and external debate. A recent event provides context, and I will be providing an argument for my conclusions. So as not to keep you in suspense, the essay will end with a suggested mantra for each of us: Me second. On Feb. 27, U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar joined his fellow Republicans in voting en masse to table a resolution introduced by Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ). This resolution would have required the president to submit his income tax returns to a closed-door House Ways and Means meeting for review of possible financial ties to Russia. At that point, the committee would have made a decision regarding the appropriateness of releasing the information to the general public. Whereas Rep. Moolenaar has not issued a statement as to why he voted this way, the chair of the committee, Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX), cited a desire to protect the presidents civil liberties. It is always in good form to consider civil liberties when it comes to decisions made by members of the government. But there is a lot of information here, so Id like to take a moment and unpack it, then think about what this decision may mean. (Itll take some time to develop, so I beg your forgiveness and thank you for your tenacity.) As time moves forward, an increasing number of the presidents Cabinet picks, surrogates and campaign leaders are found to have been in contact with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Speaking from a position of ignorance with respect to these matters, in principle I do not find this a bad thing. It certainly should not be considered abnormal for members of a potentially successful presidential campaign to be in contact with diplomats from abroad. After all, it takes time to develop personal trust. What is troubling is the lack of recollection, number of denials or inadvertent omissions of such contact during confirmation hearings. Given the suspected role Russia may have played in attempting to influence the election, one might think an administration bent on draining the swamp would desire to be as transparent as possible. Covering up or withholding any information that may condemn or exonerate the president is not transparency. There is an argument that we have the right to know. If we claim that right, though, we must weigh it against the need to defend the civil liberties, particularly the right to privacy, of every citizen. Which is more important? I suggest we consider the individuals. Our elected officials, just like our public school teachers, police officers, firefighters, members of the military, county clerks and more are public servants. We expect teachers to place their First Amendment right to free exercise of religion on hold while in the classroom. Should that not be the case, there would be a tacit endorsement of a particular religion by the government. This violates the First Amendment rights of the rest of us. With respect to the police, firefighters and military, we demand those individuals value our property, safety, families, lives and freedom above their own. Each time a soldier enters a combat zone, it is with the knowledge that an exit may not happen. Yet they do because protecting our free and open way of life and governance is viewed as more important than their own lives. In both of these cases we ask the pubic servant to consider his or her rights, safety or freedom as secondary to the rest of the population. Our demand is they say Me second, you first. Now we come back to Rep. Moolenaars vote. His decision effectively places the presidents civil liberties above assuring the safety and security of the nation as a whole. The president, as a civil servant, is no different from the soldier in that he should think of his rights as secondary to the good of us all. The structure of the government is such that in the situation a president is unwilling to do this, Congress can force the issue. It seems the framers of the Constitution believed a large body of educated and thoughtful citizens would not permit the president to operate above both the spirit and letter of the law. Remember, the signers of the Declaration of Independence pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor to the idea of the Revolution. How does an elected official defend his choice to place the rights of another elected official above those of his constituents? If Rep. Moolenaar reads this and has a justification, Im excited to hear it. I think there is another way forward, though. A way that will prevent the need to justify questionable decisions. We all need to be more deliberate in our choice of words and our actions. We must practice being aware of how our thoughts and actions impact those around us. In all that we do we should pause to ask Am I acting to improve the world, or am I reacting to what is happening? For our elected officials this translates to always considering if the vote, press release, speech or platform position helps those in power or if it is framed as Me second. Matthew Vannette is a resident of Midland. NORMAL In a current world where truth and fiction routinely interface at various levels of our waking reality, Deb Sokolow's work seems like a perfect fit. But with far more creativity and wit than we get on the 6 o'clock news. The proof is in the artist's immersive and entertaining new exhibit, "Schematics, Surveillance, Murder," now on view in Illinois State University's University Galleries, through April 2. Upon entering the space, visitors are promptly thrust into a world where Big Brother, or his minions, may be no, probably are watching you ... bugging you ... plotting against you ... trying to recruit you ... or invalidating your very existence. Oh, and if you are famous or infamous enough, they also may want to exterminate you: you can run, but you can't hide. In "All Your Vulnerability Will Be Assessed: 2012-13, Plan to Poison," an artist residency in Norway has been transformed into a brainwashing station for an international ring of art thieves. In "You tell people you're working really, really hard on things these days, Part 2," an art studio building in Chicago appears to have become the designated breeding ground for a dangerous cult. In "CIA Failed Assassination Attempt on Mr. Fidel Castro #12 (Mr. Donald Judd)," the agency appropriates works of art in a scheme to assassinate the Cuban leader (hint: death by sculpture). And, in the piece that bequeaths the show its name, "A Case Study in Schematics, Surveillance and Murder," we are thrust deep into the real-life murder case of abstract painter Mary Pinchot Meyer, a mistress of recently assassinated President John F. Kennedy and ex-wife of CIA official Cord Meyer. Sokolow, a Chicago-based artist, describes her work's world view as more "speculative" than the currently fashionable "alternative." It manifests itself in multi-panel, text-based drawings and collages consisting of sheets of paper fulled with what show curator Kendra Paitz describes as "blocky graphite lettering, Xeroxed photographic images, sketchy architectural renderings and painted geometric shapes reminiscent of Minimalism." For the ISU show, each piece occupies a gallery wall, for a total of four Thomas Pynchon-worthy narratives riddled with unreliable narrators, paranoia, conspiracies, altered realities and true-life characters The latter range from the aforementioned Castro to one of JFK's murdered mistress (per the latter, it helps, for inspiration's sake, that Sokolow's cousin once worked alongside accused JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald in a New York youth house in the mid-50s). Paitz, first who crossed paths with Sokolow when came to ISU earlier in the decade as part of a visiting artist lecture series, was immediately struck by the artist's merging of storytelling and graphics skills. The result of that marriage is what Paitz describes as "a wild and zany amalgam of fact and fiction," whose narratives wend their way through landscapes that seem both instantly recognizable and removed from reality. "The best-case scenario is when people stand and spend five or 10 minutes before each piece, which means they are engaged and reading everything," says Sokolow. She confesses that her text-based work was met with resistance when she was enrolled at the Art Institute of Chicago, where she received her master of fine arts degree. One of her instructors informed her: "I don't want to look at work I have to read ... it's too much like doing homework." "I was sort of angry and heartbroken," Sololow admits. "I saw it as a great challenge for the rest of my life." Instead of moving away from it, "I decided to celebrate it." Part of the inspiration for her work comes, she says, from her love of literature, "especially the postmodern devices used by Thomas Pynchon and Don DeLillo." As for the playful strain of paranoia that wends its with through her narratives: Does it come from within her own world-view? "Ask my husband," she laughs. At that very moment, he enters the room and she follows suit: "Hey, honey, am I paranoid?" Pause. "He says 'YES'!" Seriously, folks, "the paranoia works as a device, and it's used with the humor to make you want to keep reading the work." Though Sokolow prefers not to force the issue of her work's relevance to the present moment, she does sense the enveloping presence "of what seems like abusive power in the world." She was first set on the path of fictional realities around 2003 as "a response to post-9/11 fear-mongering ... I noticed a sense of unease among people, who were starting to buy bunkers to install in their backyards." Flash forward to 2017, "and now it's become 100-times that ... all of a sudden we're all skeptics because there are so many viewpoints, so many versions of the media's stories." With her work and its relation to the world we live in, Sokolow says she prefers to avoid making direct ties and letting viewers arrive at their own conclusions. "I don't want to shut down the conversation ... I'd rather open it up. I create the situations and set up lots of different layers. They are vessels anyone who reads them can fill." BLOOMINGTON Bloomington police are looking for a man listed as a sexually violent person whose ankle tracking device was cut off, and they are warning the public to consider him armed and dangerous. David Hermosillo, 50, is described as Hispanic, 6 feet 1 inch tall, weighing 225 pounds, bald and having brown eyes. Hermosillo's tattoos include a rose on his left hand; a heart, panther, skull and rose on his left arm; a Tasmanian devil on his chest; and a hat with a crown above it on his back. Hermosillo had been living on West MacArthur Avenue in Bloomington. As part of Hermosillo's conditional release he is required to register as a sexually violent person and wear a GPS monitor, but his whereabouts are unknown since the monitor was cut off, police said in a news release Thursday. He is wanted on a McLean County warrant charging him with escape of a sexually violent person. Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is asked to contact Detective Thomas Rena at 309-275-5345 or email thomas.rena@usdoj.gov. If you wish to remain anonymous, call McLean County Crime Stoppers at (309) 828-1111. If your call leads to the arrest and indictment of a suspect you may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. The Illinois attorney general's office and the U.S. Marshals Task Force are assisting the Bloomington Police Department with the investigation. BLOOMINGTON The jury considering rape charges against William Gyang continues to be deadlocked, according to a note sent to the judge shortly before 10 a.m. on Friday. The panel deliberated three hours Thursday before sending a note that they were split 11 to 1. No indication was made as to how the decision was split on the four counts involving two alleged victims. Judge Scott Drazewski directed the jury to resume their deliberations. The judge denied defense attorney Stephanie Wong's motion for a mistrial after the second note. Drazewski instead issued what is known as a Primm instruction that directs the panel to make an effort to reach a verdict. If the jury fails, the judge said he will grant a mistrial. As the final witness in the four-day trial, the 19-year-old Bolingbrook man testified that two women he met at Illinois State University willingly participated in sex with him during two incidents in 2015. In closing arguments on Thursday, Wong was critical of the seven-hour interrogation of Gyang by Normal police in which he made statements she said were untrue but incriminating. Gyangs claim that he ripped off the shirt of the second alleged victim was denied in the alleged victim's testimony. Referring to a lengthy interview by detective Nicole Bruno, Wong said, Shes so good at what she does, she got Will to admit things that didnt happen and dont exist. Sexual assault is not limited to the preconceived image of an armed assailant jumping from bushes to attack an unsuspecting victim, Assistant States Attorney Kristin Alferink argued in her closing remarks. The fact that both women may have consented to kissing Gyang during their separate encounters does not mean he had their consent for other sexual activity, said the prosecutor. They could have punched him or run away. Saying no and pushing him off should be enough, and it is enough, Alferink said of the alleged assaults. In his testimony, Gyang said he was not aware that a woman he met in early September 2015 was uncomfortable with the encounter she had with him after she invited him to her dorm room at Watterson Towers. Her opinion of the sexual encounter came about a week later in her text message to him, he said. "While we were together she never said she was uncomfortable in any way, shape or form," Gyang testified. The woman, who now attends college in northern Illinois, told police about her alleged sexual assault by Gyang during a report she made in October 2015 about a second, unrelated alleged assault. Gyang and the alleged victim both testified that she was upset when ISU police called Gyang about the incident. In a text message he sent to the woman from a police interview room, Gyang apologized for making her feel uncomfortable. She also advised him not to cooperate with police. Gyang repeated his denials of forced sex when asked about allegations from a second woman who met him at a party on Oct. 22, 2015. "I did not force her. I did not threaten her," Gyang said, in response to questions from Wong. The jury also heard from two ISU students who lived in the townhouse where the second alleged rape reportedly occurred after the woman and Gyang went there to pick up her keys. Both witnesses supported Gyang's recollection that he and the woman told them "we didn't have sex on your bed; we had sex on the floor." If convicted, Gyang faces up to 30 years in prison. This story will be updated. CHICAGO A mentally ill inmate at Pontiac Correctional Center will be allowed to move forward with his federal claims against two doctors he accuses of sending him to segregation in retaliation for making complaints against prison staff. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit ruled Tuesday that U.S. District Court Judge Michael Mihm erred when he dismissed inmate Ashoor Rashos claims against Dr. Michael Massa and Dr. John Garlick in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois. Rasho, who was an inmate in a class-action case that prompted sweeping court-ordered changes to how mental illness is handled in the Illinois prison system, was sent to state prison in 1996 for eight years in a Cook County burglary case. A 25-year term was added to his sentence for battery against correctional officers, and he is scheduled to be released in 2019. In 2004, Rasho was transferred to Pontiac's mental health unit for treatment for his serious mental health disorders. He stayed there until 2006 when Massa recommended his transfer to the segregation unit, according to court records. Massa did not believe Rasho was benefiting from his time in the unit and that his symptoms of antisocial personality disorder put others in the unit at risk, said the ruling. Garlick concurred with Massa's opinion, according to records. Rasho challenged the doctors' opinion in court, noting that prison doctors continued to prescribe psychotropic medications for him after he was housed in segregation. In his dismissal of Rasho's claim Mihm found it unlikely that the inmate could provide sufficient evidence of physical harm as a result of segregation. "But Rasho did present evidence of at least one undisputed incident of self-mutilation" after he left the treatment unit, said the appeals court. Rasho argues he was denied adequate treatment for about 20 months in segregation. The 7th Circuit judges agreed with Mihm's decision to dismiss claims against Pontiac's former warden, Eddie Jones, and two other doctors. The Department of Corrections was unavailable to comment on the ruling. In a statement on the ruling, Rashos lawyer Alan Mills with the Uptown Peoples Law Center noted an opinion from expert witness Dr. Joel Silverberg that inmates in the North Segregation Unit were isolated and treated like animals. The recent ruling establishes important protections for prisoners who are being mistreated they should not fear retaliation when they complain about their treatment, said Mills. Rasho was the first inmate named in a 2007 federal lawsuit that became a class action with 11,000 mentally ill inmates before it was resolved in 2016. Mihm presided over the lawsuit that resulted in a court order mandating a massive overhaul of prison mental health services, including construction of four new mental health treatment units and employment of hundreds of new staff to handle the expanded inmate services. BLOOMINGTON A Normal man who allegedly tried to strangle a woman because he thought she was the devil was charged Thursday with attempted murder and aggravated domestic battery. Asa Stover, 20, of the 200 block of College Park Drive, Normal, was formally charged in McLean County Circuit Court, but he did not appear on the video link from the jail because he was combative with officers, officials said. In a statement offering support for the charges at the hearing, McLean County States Attorney Jason Chambers said Stover choked the woman, with whom he was acquainted, shortly after midnight Tuesday at his home. Stover reportedly said he had thought he had killed her. He told officers he had been on PCP for several days, Chambers said. The woman, who was treated at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center, Normal, had abrasions around her neck and was unconscious at one point, he said. She told police she felt she was going to die. Stover reportedly was combative following his arrest, Chambers said, adding, It took six officers about 10 to 15 minutes to get him into a restraint chair. Bond was set at $750,000, so Stover would have to post $75,035 to be released. He is due in court for an arraignment on March 17. BLOOMINGTON The District 87 school board approved dismissal notices for eight employees at its meeting Wednesday night. The board also approved summer school programs, including STEM Camp for children who are starting kindergarten to fifth grade. The dismissal notices went to three probationary teachers, four paraprofessionals and the business community coordinator. The latter dismissal is specifically related to uncertainty over state and federal funding. The reduction in force notices are required annually before the end of the school year, and some of the people who are dismissed may be rehired if funding is available. The number receiving dismissal notices this year is the same as last year. Superintendent Barry Reilly said he was pleased the district was able to keep the number low, although he commented that the action is very personal to the names that are on there. Reilly said most other districts will have more people subject to dismissal. District 87 was able to keep the numbers relatively low, despite very difficult times and uncertainty about state funding, because we have built up appropriate fund balances to take some risk. If state funding is lower than anticipated, those balances will help the district absorb the cost, he explained. Another factor that helps me to be more optimistic is that the district saw a little uptick in revenue from last year. In recent years, property tax revenue has been flat or down. The summer school program involves classes and programs that are funded by grants or tuition or are required under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. STEM Camp will run Aug. 7-11 and cost $50 per student. Scholarships are available. Cindy Helmers, assistant superintendent for curriculum, said there will be an adjoining teacher camp where teachers will learn about setting up lessons related to STEM subjects: science, technology, engineering and math. The lessons will be piloted during the camp and used during the school year, said Helmers. The camp will be open to students from other districts, and Helmers said she hopes to have 240 students at the camp. Reilly said the camp is a great opportunity for our kids and a way to help our community by encouraging students to learn more about STEM fields. Raiders 101, a transition program for new freshmen, is scheduled for July 10-21. But Helmers said it is dependent on grant funding and we may have to make some adjustments, depending on grant availability. The program has received funding through the United Way of McLean County in the past. Other summer school programs include credit recovery and extension courses for high school and junior high school students June 5-30. These courses will be taught online and tuition is $250. Scholarships are available. "Whataboutism" is running rampant in the White House these days. What's that, you may ask? It's a Cold War-era term for a form of logical jiu-jitsu that helps you to win arguments by gently changing the subject. When Soviet leaders were questioned about human rights violations, for example, they might come back with, "Well, what about the Negroes you are lynching in the South?" That's not an argument, of course. It is a deflection to an entirely different issue. It is a naked attempt to excuse your own wretched behavior by painting your opponent as a hypocrite. But in the fast-paced world of media manipulation, the Soviet leader could get away with it merely by appearing to be strong and firm in defense of his country. So it is with President Donald Trump and the buffer of spokespersons he sends forth to explain what he "really meant" in his tweets and other hastily delivered statements that backfire against him later. We could hear it Sunday in White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders' defense of her boss' assertion by Twitter tweet that former President Barack Obama ordered a wiretap of Trump's phones. Instead of evidence which she apparently did not have to back up the claim, she insisted that all Trump wanted was "a closer look" at the allegation. "The New York Times, the BBC have also talked about and reported on the potential of this having had happened," Sanders said on ABC's "This Week." "All we're saying is let's take a closer look...." In other words, what about the allegation? Forget about the alligator, uh, allegation maker. Visibly frustrated, Martha Raddatz, the program's co-anchor, responded, "If, if, if, if! Why is the president saying it did happen?" "I think he is going off information he's seen that has led him to believe that this is a very real potential," Sanders insisted. "The American people have a right to know if this took place." Yes, what about the American people's right to know? This is "whataboutism" stretched to its limits. The American people have a right to know not only whether Trump's phones were tapped, if they were, but also why Trump thinks they were tapped. Yet he provided no evidence to back up the charge. When Raddatz pressed the point, Sanders said, "His tweet speaks for itself." Ah, that's more of a burden than a tweet can bear. "He's talking about, could this have happened?" she said. No, he wasn't. He was insisting that it did happen. "Terrible!" said Trump's early Saturday morning tweet. "Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!" Trump made the charge by tweet and then left his spokespeople to fend for themselves. That left a major challenge, even for a master of deflection like top Trump spokeswoman Kellyanne Conway on Fox News' "Fox & Friends" Monday morning. "We have this double standard for anonymous sources," said Conway. "The media loves to use anonymous sources for anything and everything that could possibly be derogatory, negative for this president and his administration. And yet they refuse to give any credibility to such sources when it may be something positive or exculpatory." Ah, yes, that's the old whataboutist technique of saying, "Why do you only report the bad news? What about all the good things that our president has done?" Indeed, but let us not be deflected from the main point, which is the apparent unreliability of Trump's sources. How long can this go on? It took the president only four days to wipe away the good feelings left by his widely praised joint speech to Congress. He wiped away his newly enhanced presidential image by reverting back to childish tweets. But this time, the message is downright dangerous. Presidents don't accuse their predecessors of felonious wrongdoing without good cause. Or, at least, they haven't in this country until now. Trump's spokespersons want us to ignore what the president says and concentrate on what they say he means. That may work in the short term. But the coincidence that dustup happened over a weekend in which North Korea resumed missile tests raises a bracing question: What happens in a national crisis? Will Americans believe what this president says? Or will we scratch our heads trying to figure out what he means? The poem Protest written by Ella Wilcox begins, To sin by silence, when we should protest, makes cowards out of men. The tenor of public discourse has changed. A war hero was disparaged because of capture; differing cultures and religions are made into scapegoats to shift attention from the inadequacies of political demagogues; our press is labeled an enemy of the people ... tyrants Joseph Stalin and Mao Tse-tung condemned their enemies with those words before imprisonment. The catchphrase make America great again, rings hollow. Jesus said we will be judged by our deeds while in this world. This now becomes personal. To the women of this world, our mothers, wives, sisters and daughters: You are due our love and respect, not objectification as was pronounced by one who used power and fame to provide cover for his acts. Our daughter attends one of the premier art schools in the world. She is loved by and loves a fellow student born in Turkey. His path led to a Scottish Presbyterian boarding school for seven years, then Chicago. He is a renaissance man of the world who is minimized to the category of Muslim. He is worried about this governments actions. And I am, too. Dylan Thomas words are burned into my mind. Do not go gentle into that good night... As a patriot, speak against injustice. And see through others eyes. The right of protest is part of what makes this country still great. John William Pitts, McLean Over the weekend, the NYC-based crew from MATTE projects brought their wildly popular BLACK party down to Mexico City. Anchored by a headlining DJ set from Seth Troxler along with sets by Thugfucker and a mix of DJ sets and live shows by Mexico City acts Moon Runner, Superstudio, Nino Arbol and BBY JSS (who had been curated with the help of Mexican label Sicario), the party also featured MATTE's signature immersive art experiences. Hybrid exhibition platform and gallery Peana Projects curated all of the art, which featured light and sculpture installations by artists Aldo Chaparro, Paolo Montiel and Ivan Abreu. Though the mix of music and art would have been enough to trick out even the dingiest warehouse, the MATTE crew took it one step further by renting out Hotel Reforma, an abandoned hotel right in the middle of downtown Mexico City. Click through to see photos from the night below and be sure to catch them next month when BLACK returns to NYC on April 8th (you can snag tickets HERE). The District of Columbia denied a 19-year-old American student's application for financial assistance because of the immigration status of her mother. Natalie Villalobos was born and raised in the United States but her mother is not an American citizen. Villalobos filed a federal lawsuit with the help of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF). She alleged that the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant (DCTAG) did not only violate her civil rights but also discriminated against American citizens living in the U.S. legally but with immigrant parents. "The issues are clear and alarming," MALDEF vice president of litigation Nina Perales said. "You have a U.S. citizen student who just wants the same chance that everyone else has. Legally, when we start chipping away at what it means to be a United States citizen, we undermine the core principles of our nation." Villalobos said thousands of dollars are available for students like her who could not afford to go to College, according to The Washington Post. DCTAG's rules, however, prevented her from availing of the public aid available to most of the students in the District. Congress created DCTAG in 1999 to provide higher education choices for students in the District of Columbia, as per OSSE. The program granted up to $10,000 per year to students enrolled in four-year public colleges, and up to $2,500 every year for those in two-year public schools. President Donald Trump recently issued a second immigration executive order that suspended the immigration of citizens from six countries that are predominantly Muslims. The countries included in the ban were Libya, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia and Iran. Iraq was previously included in the first executive order but was removed from the list. The new immigration order aimed to reduce the number of refugees allowed in the United States to a maximum of 50,000 in 2017, according to NBC News. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said it is part of the country's efforts to eliminate radical Islamic terrorists. Violence has erupted at a higher education institution in South Africa as students fight for college costs and equity. Observers note that what has happened at the University of Witwatersrand could also happen in America, especially if the government continues to ignore issues plaguing universities. The situation at Witwatersrand has led to the enforcement of tighter security measures as students and members of the academe continue negotiations. "The university believes it had no choice but to bring in the police and private security," one academic said, according to Mail and Guardian. Earlier, riots took place in the school and student protesters burned down buildings or punched and took administrators hostages. The school ordered lockdowns and curfews in retaliation, leading to delays in exams. Police also shot students with rubber bullets and stun guns to pacify the riots. A student died during a demonstration, according to The Atlantic. The problem in this university started in 2015 after the officials proposed a tuition fee increase. Protesters instead demanded free college. The government obliged with a one year freeze but the issues remain unsettled, thus the conflict has boiled over in recent weeks. "At the heart of the conflict is that young people don't feel they have the same opportunities as their parents," university president Adam Habib said. A denial of access to higher education means these students might not be able to land good jobs that will help them improve their lives as adults. Only rich families in South Africa have this opportunity. Meanwhile, as the student population increase, government universities continue to be riddled with problems like lack of teachers and funding. Thus, it cannot properly provide for the needs of students. Economist Sean Muller sees the same patterns happening in U.S. higher education institutions, specifically those at the mercy of government resources. "If you're trying to give hope where maybe there isn't hope, you're going to overload the universities while underfunding them," he said. "Friends" star Lisa Kudrow doesn't regret having just one child. The Emmy-winning actress said the choice was her gift to her son, Julian, who apparently didn't want a sibling. Kudrow gave birth to Julian in 1998. The 18-year-old will soon head off to college and the actress and her husband, Michel Stern, will no doubt have an empty nest in their Beverly Hills home. "[Julian] made it clear from the moment he could speak that he didn't want a brother or sister," Kudrow said, according to Page Six. "It just worked out that way anyway - but to this day, he'll say, 'Thank you,'" Kudrow admitted in a 2012 interview on the show "Bethenny" that she felt bad having an only child for just one reason. "He alone will have to deal with his parents when they're old," the actress joked, according to People. "The Comeback" actress was at the height of her popularity on television when she got pregnant with her only child. In fact, her pregnancy was added to the storyline on "Friends," which marked a significant trajectory for her character, Phoebe Buffay. Kudrow, who was then raising a baby, treated her work as a typical 9-to-5 job as "Friends" became popular worldwide. She made sure she got to know her child as he's growing up, hence she didn't take more work that would have her traveling. "[Julian] wasn't a kid [I could uproot] to New York, then London," the 53-year-old actress told Glamour in a 2014 interview. In 2016, Kudrow's family went to Boston to look at colleges for Julian, who is graduating from high school this school year. One of the institutions they visited was Emerson College, according to Boston Globe. Kudrow described her son as "big thinker" and an "intellectual" who could probably major in Philosophy in an interview with the Saturday Evening Post. A mother in New Hampshire faced charges after she asked to be administered with meth and heroin. She refused to get medical help while she was in labor unless she was given drugs. The incident took place in September and it was stated that the information was released just now because authorities said they had to wait for the results of toxicology reports. Concord Police Lt. Sean Ford said the incident was a complete disregard for the value of human life and, "This case is just, honestly, absolutely appalling in my mind. No one died, but the risk to that child and to the mother. ... This stuff is just getting out of control." The mother was identified as 29-year-old Felicia Farruggia and she was in full labor and was set to give birth to a baby boy in their home at Elmwood Avenue. Farruggia then asked her friend, 37-year-old Rhianna Frenette, to give her drugs or else she will not let them call 911. Frenette injected Farruggia with an unsanitary syringe after a second go when the first attempt was unsuccessful, CBS News reported. Frenette told authorities that she knew what she did was wrong but contended she believed Farruggia would have injected herself with more drugs if she did not administer the drugs on her friend. Farruggia's boyfriend was also there but he was not arrested or charged. An ambulance responded to the scene and while the emergency medical team members were in the process of placing her on the ambulance, they delivered the baby. They were rushed to Concord Hospital and were admitted there for several days. The baby was not given to her and was placed into state custody. The child was in stable condition but was breathing rapidly. His urine tested positive for methamphetamine and amphetamine. Farruggia's urine also tested positive for those drugs as well as benzodiazepine, SF Gate reported. The most recent child of Farruggia is not the only child of hers who is in state custody. Her other children are also not with her but the reasons behind that have not been disclosed. She was involved in a guardianship case of a minor that dated back in 2005. Both Farruggia and Frenette were arrested only this week. They were charged with reckless conduct. The bail for the two women was set at $25,000. Police arrested the son of Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, who took part of disturbing a pro-Donald Trump protest. The authorities took the 24-year-old son of the politician in custody due to suspicion of felony second-degree riot. The youngest son of the senator, Linwood Michael Kaine did not take part in the protest called "March 4 Trump" but he and four more people were taken into custody in St. Paul, Minnesota for interrupting the event. The protest took place on Saturday and Ramsey County Sheriff's Office confirmed the report about Linwood's arrest. Linwood was released from custody on Monday morning and no charges were filed against him or his four other companions. However, police continued to investigate the matter. St. Paul Police Department also said in their incident report Linwood was one of the people dressed in black clothing from head to toe who entered the State Capitol to set off fireworks and smoke bombs, NBC News reported. St. Paul Police Department spokesman Steve Linders said they saw the suspects near a park and the group fled in different directions. They then ordered Linwood to the ground but he refused. They then used chemical irritant as he continued to resist the officers as well as a knee strike to subdue him. During the "March 4 Trump" event, around 300 protesters rallied for the president before the disturbance broke out. Fifty anti-Trump protesters started a fight with the pro-Trump protesters before arrests were made. The Senator and his wife, Anne Holton, released a message regarding Linwood's arrest. They said, "We love that our three children have their own views and concerns about current political issues. They fully understand the responsibility to express those concerns peacefully." Tim was the running mate of presidential hopeful Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton during the last election, The Washington Post shared. Other protests for Trump took place all over the country. Counter protests were also recorded in different areas. Photo: (Photo : RT America / YouTube) If you're one of those more techie and social media savvy parents, you may have been using Facebook for about a decade now. You should have seen how the social media platform is able to connect acquaintances and friends from all over the world whether they are related by blood or not. I'm sure you've been entertained by a cool or viral video at one time or another. So what else made you a Facebook enthusiast? I hope it won't be too late before you realize the benefits of not being on Facebook for you and your family. For authors like me who has books to promote, the advantage of being visible on most if not all social media platforms cannot be discounted. Nonetheless, if we are not entrepreneurs and professionals who need to market our products and services online, we can surely live a more productive life, all the more so, when disconnected from Facebook. We may even have friends, relatives or family members who are doing well or will be doing quite well without the most popular social media platform. No need to name names but no offense if your are in this list: 1) Workaholic and Very Private Persons We know they do exist. My sister and her husband in Texas are a good example. Yet some who may be too focused on their work may desire to use Facebook if they don't care about business or personal privacy. Those who wouldn't mind being called "cave men" like my sister and brother-in-law will live "happily ever after" without the distraction and invasion of social media. 2) Unhappy, Unfulfilled Dreamers When social media users are not secure enough to be thankful for what they have, they should not use Facebook. Why? Inevitably, they will see extravagant posts from friends who are successful in their careers, and it will be to their detriment to turn green with envy or wallow in self-pity and even depression when they can't help but compare their status with that of an achiever friend. 3) Unemployed with No Sense of Direction For those who have yet to determine the career path they really want to tread on, the time consuming Facebook habit will be counterproductive. Lacking a clear purpose and passion as well as discipline with time management, each day will pass unnoticed with no progress on their goal setting. The whole day may not be enough in browsing their friends' posts, watching videos and making comments after senseless comments. Unfortunately, these Facebook posts followers may not be aware that they're being robbed of their time when they could have spent the day researching and coming up with plans on what should be done to start a profitable business or land the right job. I don't know about you. But I must admit that despite my good reason for being active on Facebook, I still find it easy to be sidetracked. So I have considered cutting down on my Facebook usage. Or should I experiment with living without Facebook for some time? My family and I lived without a TV and a computer in our apartment when only Friendster and MySpace were generating a lot of buzz in the online world. I didn't expect we would enjoy those months, but we did! Do you think you can survive and make the most of your day without Facebook? Better yet, I'll appreciate it if you can add to my top 3 list here. Please share your thoughts on the comment section below. 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 Parsons Sun office at (620) 421-2000 if you have any questions Last month Patently Apple posted a report titled in-part "Samsung's Digital Assistant for Galaxy 8 to Support 7 Languages." We also reported on Google Assistant being made available to their Android partners but limited to English with others on the way. Amazon's Alexa only speaks English and German while Microsoft's Cortana offers eight languages tailored for 13 countries. In contrast Apple has the lead on this front by the widest of margins with Siri supporting 21 languages localized for 36 countries. It's a very important capability in iDevices where most sales are outside the United States. Today we learn that Apple is extending their lead with Siri as it appears that Shanghainese is coming next, a special dialect of Wu Chinese spoken only around Shanghai. At Apple, the company starts working on a new language by bringing in humans to read passages in a range of accents and dialects, which are then transcribed by hand so the computer has an exact representation of the spoken text to learn from, said Alex Acero, head of the speech team at Apple. Apple also captures a range of sounds in a variety of voices. From there, a language model is built that tries to predict words sequences. Then Apple deploys "dictation mode," its text-to-speech translator, in the new language, Acero said. When customers use dictation mode, Apple captures a small percentage of the audio recordings and makes them anonymous. The recordings, complete with background noise and mumbled words, are transcribed by humans, a process that helps cut the speech recognition error rate in half. After enough data has been gathered and a voice actor has been recorded to play Siri in a new language, Siri is released with answers to what Apple estimates will be the most common questions, Acero said. Once released, Siri learns more about what real-world users ask and is updated every two weeks with more tweaks." For more on this subject, read the full Reuters report here. 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. Patna: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, speaking at a function to mark the International Women's Day at Patna's Rabindra Bhawan on Wednesday, urged Janata Dal U women's cell to intensify 'Beti Bachao' (Save the Daughters) campaign by spreading the message of gender equality in rural areas where sons are still favored over daughters. "You must go out in your districts and tell those who still believe sons are superior to daughters that even daughters can bring name and fame to a family," he said. Taking credit for steps taken to empower women in Bihar, the Chief Minister said that the JD-U was not just a political party that cared about winning elections but it also believed in bringing positive social changes in the state by frequently launching special schemes to attain this goal. "I am forever committed to the women's empowerment cause. As such, I have initiated a number of programs but I alone cannot do everything. I need the help of various women's group in spreading the message of gender equality, the ills of dowry, and child marriage. While the infant mortality rate has overall gone down in Bihar, we still need to lower the death of infant girls. It is a shame that parents provide the best medical treatment to boys but don't do so when it comes to girls' health," the Chief Minister said. Kumar then pivoted to prohibition, his pet topic of late, saying people of Bihar were in a lot better shape since ban on alcohol was introduced in the state nearly a year ago. "Implementing prohibition had not been an easy task. Almost everyday people are being arrested for illegally selling or consuming alcohol. Our police and Excise officials are doing a tremendous job catching the offenders but we cannot for a minute be complacent in enforcing the law," he said. Social Welfare Minister Manju Verma, former minister Ranju Gita, and JD-U women's cell state President Kanchan Gupta were among others who also spoke on the occasion. US effort to seize Iran's assets in Luxembourg illegal: Official 03/08/17 Source: Press TV A senior official with the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) says US efforts to seize $1.6 billion of Iran's assets in Luxembourg run counter to the international laws and will bear no fruit. CBI Legal Chief Executive Ardeshir Fereydouni made the remarks on Tuesday in reaction to a Monday report by the New York Times about a confidential court ruling by a Luxembourg court to freeze $1.6 of CBI assets in a financial institution in the European country. According to informed sources, the Luxembourg court ordered the freezing of the CBI assets after a group of terror attack victims, who had won a default judgment against Iran in the US, filed a lawsuit at the European court to try to enforce it, the report said.br /> In 2011, the group had persuaded a federal judge in New York, George B. Daniels, to find that Iran had provided assistance to al-Qaeda in the 9/11 attacks, an allegation vehemently dismissed by the Islamic Republic. In 2012, the judge ordered Iran to pay the victims two billion dollars in compensatory damages and five billion dollars in punitive damages. That judgment stagnated for years, as there was no obvious financial source to collect it. However, after the nuclear sanctions against Iran were lifted, the group referred the case to the Luxembourg court as it came to light that the Clearstream system in Luxembourg, which facilitates international exchanges of securities, was holding $1.6 billion in CBI assets. "The issue of freezing [CBI assets] does not mean the withdrawal [of money] from the mentioned account and assets. The Luxembourg court is now studying the case and trying to find out whether the ruling issued by the US court can be recognized and enforced in Luxembourg," Fereydouni said. The CBI attorneys have submitted Iran's defense with regard to the case. The country has also lodged a complaint against the US at the International Court of Justice, urging the international body to declare the issued verdicts as illegal and compel the US to end its anti-Iran measures, he added. Iran has also claimed damages with regard to the previous cases in which the US had issued unjust rulings against the country, the CBI official pointed out. Earlier on Tuesday, Iranian deputy foreign minister Majid Takht Ravanchi described the freezing of CBI assets in Luxembourg as part of an anti-Iran campaign and noted, "Some people acting against Iran have tried to broaden [the scope of] a ruling that was delivered in the US, which we consider totally unjust and baseless, to outside the country [the US]." In a similar case in April, the US Supreme Court issued an order authorizing the transfer of around two billion dollars of frozen Iranian assets to the families of the victims of a 1983 bombing in Beirut, which targeted a US Marine Corps barracks in the Lebanese capital, and other attacks blamed on Iran. The assets belong to the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), which have been blocked under US sanctions. Iran has denied any role in the attack and strongly criticized the US move. Iran's Geopolitical Predicament and Its Consequences 03/08/17 By Shireen T. Hunter (source: LobeLog) For some time now, most Middle East states and a good number of Western countries have portrayed Iran as the main cause of problems in the Middle East and parts of South Asia. Iran emerges from this narrative as the world's biggest sponsor of terrorism and, in general, an all-around source of evil. The United States, in particular, has tended to blame all of its setbacks in the Middle East and Afghanistan on Iran. If America's plans for Iraq did not pan out it was because of Iran, if the Syrian war is not going the way it was intended the fault is Iran's, if Saudi Arabia is leveling Yemen it is because of Iran, and so on. In Afghanistan, the US does not blame its setbacks on Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, which created and have sustained the Taliban, but Iran. This perception of Iran as behind every trouble in these regions implies a degree of power and influence that Iran absolutely lacks. Any clear-headed analysis of Iran's material power-economic, military as well as its so-called soft power-will demonstrate that it does not have any great influence over regional developments. Rather, any influence that Iran might have gained has been largely the outcome of Western mistakes, including a disregard for the ethnic, religious, and political realities of the region. Take Syria, for example. President Bashar al-Assad would have been willing to abandon Iran if Israel had been willing to compromise on the Golan Heights. In fact, Assad said so many times although perhaps not exactly in such stark language. In Iraq, a government that is supposedly run by Iran refuses to accept the 1975 agreement that settled the issue of the contested waterway of Shatt al-Arab. Among other indignities, Iraq refuses to deal with sand storms that are choking Iran. In Turkey, Iran is called the Persian Satan. Afghanistan refuses to pay Iran's water rights, thus turning the legendary Hamoon lake into a desert. Iran educates hundreds of thousands of Afghans at great expense and and many work in the country, legally and illegally. Yet Afghanistan's press attacks Iran, and its government refuses to cooperate on many border issues, including the presence there of groups hostile to the Iranian government. So, if Iran is so powerful, how can everyone blame, demonize, and scapegoat Iran without paying a price? The simple answer, and the one most frequently offered, is that the Islamic regime is the culprit. True, the behavior of Iran in many areas leaves much to be desired, and it no doubt has greatly contributed to the current conditions. However, this answer is not quite sufficient. Even before the 1979 revolution, the West in particularly tended to magnify Iran's faults while ignoring or soft-pedaling the shortcomings of other Middle East states. Gamal Abdul Nasser's invasion of Yemen did not even receive a slap on the wrist. But when the Shah tried to help Oman fight the Dhofar rebellion, Persian imperialism was allegedly on the march. When the Shah celebrated the 2,500thanniversary of the Persian monarchy, he was accused of a folie de grandeur, although most of the money was spent not on the event itself but on infrastructural projects such as roads and hotels. Yet the billions of dollars that Persian Gulf princes and sheikhs spend on personal luxuries barely received a mention. Iran's Cultural Isolation Despite invasions by the Greeks, Arabs, and a variety of Turko-Mongol armies and the ensuing losses that reduced the country's Persian core, Iran was not Hellenized, Arabized, or Turkified. On the contrary, Iran's Arab and Turkic invaders largely became culturally Persianized. As Ada Bozman has said if "Islam conquered Iran, then Iran conquered Islam." Iran also retained its separate language and culture and, by embracing Shiism, carved out its own unique place within Islam. But Iran has also paid a price: loneliness. In its neighborhood Iran has no natural allies or ethnic kin. Those who are closest, like Afghanistan and Tajikistan, are separated by religion while those who are close by religion like Iraq and Azerbaijan are separated by ethnicity and language. This loneliness also means that one can mistreat Iran without having to face opposition from other states. There is no League of Persian States that would come to Iran's rescue. Because it is Shia, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation also will not help Iran or protest when it is mistreated. Meanwhile, Iran's value to major international players has been derivative: it has been useful in achieving other goals or serving as a buffer and not as an ally for whom one would assume responsibility. Sir Dennis Wright, the one-time British ambassador in Tehran in the 1960s, wrote that Britain never considered Iran of sufficient value to colonize it. British policy was to keep Iran moribund and deny it to Russia. America essentially followed the same policy. The United States did not sign a security treaty with Iran and gave it less money than even to Nasser's Egypt, which at the time was flirting with the Soviet Union. America has also been much more willing to experiment in Iran than, say, Turkey or Saudi Arabia, as it did both under John Kennedy and Jimmy Carter administrations. Much of the turmoil of the 1970s was the result of the drastic, highly controversial, and quickly implemented reforms in the 1960s in response to America's urging. The Shah thought that he would lose American support if he didn't attempt the changes. By and large, Russia too has had the same attitude towards Iran, except when Stalin tried to turn Iran into a constellation of Soviet Republics in the shape of current "Stans." Iran is both too big and too small. It is too big for the comfort of both its neighbors and the great powers. At the same time, it is too small to deter aggression. Iran is no China or India whose sheer size inhibits aggressors. Iran's Geopolitical Challenge Iran's geopolitical predicament, and the fact that it is blocked both on its eastern and Western fronts, means that any Iranian effort to escape its confinement prompts accusations of expansionism or imperialism. When Saddam Hussein, before Kuwait's invasion, was sabotaging the Gulf Sheikdoms nobody called that "illegitimate interference." But Iran cannot even have a school or a mosque in Bahrain without begin accused of terrorism. As Napoleon said, "Geography is destiny." But one can mitigate one's geographic, and in Iran's case, cultural misfortune. Given its predicament, Iran needs an essentially nationalist, self -contained, pragmatic, and non-ideological approach to foreign policy. . It needs to avoid entanglement in others' disputes, especially when its direct security interests are not threatened. It may not be able to avoid some entanglement in the Persian Gulf, given that some regional states are interfering in Iran itself and the Persian Gulf is vital for Iran's security. But it should not become embroiled in disputes in the Levant such as the Arab-Israeli conflict. Iran needs to have good relations with all major players so that regional players cannot manipulate its difficulties. In this context, its refusal to deal with America is highly destructive. If Iran wants to voice its concerns, it should do so through accepted international fora. Sadly, the likelihood that the government in Tehran will heed this advice is nearly zero. On the contrary, since the revolution, Iran's foreign policy behavior has done nothing but exacerbate its geopolitical predicament. The current government's distorted priorities, which emphasize vague and unattainable Islamist goals instead of focusing on the country's survival and prosperity, has brought Iran to the point when just about everybody uses and abuses it for their own selfish purposes and no one raises its voice to defend it. About the Author: Shireen T. Hunter is a Research Professor at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. Her latest book is Iran Divided: Historic Roots of Iranian Debates on Identity, Culture, and Governance in the 21st Century (Rowman & Littlefield, 2014). mSecure password manager review TechRadar Pro Updated In our mSecure password manager review, we take an in-depth look at this password manager to help you decide if its the most secure way to handle your sensitive data. The new Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway Project, which is expected to be completed by early summer, will link Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan. The new railway line will initially increase trade between countries and let cargo to transfer from Asia to Europe. Turkeys Transport, Maritime and Communications Minister Ahmet Arslan said, "The project is not only important for our country but also for all countries that want to trade through Turkey". "A cargo from China will be able to reach Europe in 15 days when the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railwaygets completed. "The distance will reduce by around threefold. There will be both time and cost savings. Hence, an uneconomical transportation means will become economic when delivery time reduces from 45 [days] to 15," he said. The 826-kilometer (513-mile) railway will be able to transport a million passengers and 6.5 million tons of freight in the first stage. The capacity will later get enhanced to three million passengers and over 15 million tons of freight. Attackers are widely exploiting a recently patched vulnerability in Apache Struts that allows them to remotely execute malicious code on web servers. Apache Struts is an open-source web development framework for Java web applications. Its widely used to build corporate websites in sectors including education, government, financial services, retail and media. On Monday, the Apache Struts developers fixed a high-impact vulnerability in the frameworks Jakarta Multipart parser. Hours later, an exploit for the flaw appeared on Chinese-language websites and this was almost immediately followed by real-world attacks, according to researchers from Cisco Systems. The vulnerability is very easy to exploit and allows attackers to execute system commands with the privileges of the user running the web server process. If the web server is configured to run as root, the system is completely compromised, but executing code as a lower-privileged user is also a serious security threat. Whats even worse is that the Java web application doesnt even need to implement file upload functionality via the Jakarta Multipart parser in order to be vulnerable. According to researchers from Qualys, the simple presence on the web server of this component, which is part of the Apache Struts framework by default, is enough to allow exploitation. Needless to say we think this is a high priority issue and the consequence of a successful attack is dire, said Amol Sarwate, director of Vulnerability Labs at Qualys, in a blog post. Companies who use Apache Struts on their servers should upgrade the framework to versions 2.3.32 or 2.5.10.1 as soon as possible. Researchers from Cisco Talos have observed a high number of exploitation events. Some of them only execute the Linux command whoami to determine the privileges of the web server user and are probably used for initial probing. Others go further and stop the Linux firewall and then download an ELF executable thats executed on the server. The payloads have varied but include an IRC bouncer, a DoS bot, and a sample related to the bill gates botnet, the Talos researchers said in a blog post. According to researchers from Spanish outfit Hack Players, Google searches indicate 35 million web applications that accept filetype:action uploads and a high percentage of them are likely vulnerable. Its somewhat unusual that attacks have started so quickly after the flaw was announced and its not yet clear whether an exploit for the vulnerability already existed in closed circles before Monday. Users who cant immediately upgrade to the patched Struts versions can apply a workaround that consists of creating a Servlet filter for Content-Type that would discard any requests not matching multipart/form-data. Web application firewall rules to block such requests are also available from various vendors. Uber Technologies self-driving cars could be returning to California soon after state authorities permitted the company to test the vehicles. The ride-hailing company is now listed by the California Department of Motor Vehicles as one of over 20 companies, including Waymo, Tesla and Baidu, that have been issued autonomous vehicle testing permits as of Wednesday. The resumption of the tests that were stopped abruptly in December over Ubers refusal to take a permit from the DMV reflects a significant change of stand by the company, which had argued that its vehicles did not need the permit as the rules apply to cars that can drive without someone controlling or monitoring them. For us, its still early days and our cars are not yet ready to drive without a person monitoring them, Uber said in a post at the time. Having started testing its self-driving cars with ride-hailing customers in Pittsburgh in September, Uber decided by December to test the vehicles in San Francisco. But the DMV demanded that the company take the Volvo XC90s vehicles off the roads, threatening legal action over Ubers refusal to seek the $150 permit. Uber later struck a conciliatory note, stating that it would halt its self-driving car trials in the city and would work with state regulators on obtaining proper permits for its test cars. Participating in the states permit program comes with the provision that all accidents involving the cars have to be reported to authorities within 10 business days of the incident, and the data is published online, which Uber was probably not keen on sharing in a competitive market. Testers are also required to submit annual reports of disengagements of the autonomous mode when there there is a failure of the technology or when immediate manual control is required for safety reasons. In the new tests, the Uber cars will not be carrying passengers during the pilot, a company spokeswoman said. In December, the company had offered to match riders who request an uberX in San Francisco with a Self-Driving Uber if one was available. The spokeswoman did not provide a date as to when the tests would begin. Uber made on Wednesday yet another overture to regulators. It said it would prohibit the use of its greyballing technology to target action by local regulators. The Greyball tool, which provided a doctored view of the app to certain riders in many countries, helped Uber avoid officials seeking rides to investigate the ride-hailing service, the New York Times reported earlier this month. Ubers Chief Security Officer Joe Sullivan wrote in a blog post Wednesday that Greyball has been used for many purposes, including the testing of new features by employees, marketing promotions, fraud prevention, protecting its partners from physical harm, and deterring riders using the app in violation of the companys terms of service. It will take some time to enforce the prohibition on targeting of officials, because of the way the companys systems are configured, Sullivan wrote. A public scolding from a state senator led a Riverside County supervisor to push for more details about positions the county takes on bills in Sacramento and Washington. During the Tuesday, March 7 meeting of the county Board of Supervisors, Supervisor Kevin Jeffries sponsored an item requiring any county letter supporting or opposing a piece of legislation to include the vote the board took on whether to endorse or oppose that bill. If the letter stems from a position in the countys legislative platform a document approved once a year that outlines the countys stance on a range of policy matters Jeffries item called for that letter to be mentioned in a future board meeting agenda. Jeffries also wanted regular updates on the status of bills with the boards official support or opposition. Jeffries proposal stems from a recent Facebook post by Sen. Jeff Stone, R-Temecula, a former county supervisor and Temecula councilman. Stone chided his former colleagues on the board and Temeculas city council for formally supporting SB 1, which would raise Californias gas tax and hike vehicle registration fees to raise billions of dollars annually for road repairs. A former GOP assemblyman, Jeffries issued a press release declaring his opposition to SB 1 and criticizing the county for sending a letter endorsing the bill. He said the letter was based on a 3-2 vote on a previous bill Jeffries voted no and vague support for new funding for state and federal transportation obligations contained in our legislative platform. On Tuesday, Jeffries said his reforms wont stop the county from sending letters about legislation. (Its) basically just helping outline the process for future endorsements or opposition to legislation sent on behalf of the board, he said. Supervisor Marion Ashley agreed with Jeffries ideas with the exception of mentioning the boards votes on legislation in correspondence. I believe that indicating the actual vote could dilute the power of the endorsement or opposition to a bill and that the recorded vote is a public record and easily accessible for anyone to obtain, Ashley said. And furthermore, any board member is free to communicate any position they have to anyone who is of concern. As board chairman, Supervisor John Tavaglione often signs letters from the board. He was concerned that Jeffries suggestions would bog things down to the point where the board is unable to express its thoughts about anything at the state or federal levels. As the boards representative to the California State Association of Counties, I would (vote on the boards behalf) without concurrence of the Board of Supervisors, but yet knowing how the board had taken positions from sitting here on the dais, Tavaglione said. You have to be able to read your board, he added. The more you can put faith in your colleagues to make that decision then the better off we are. Supervisor Chuck Washington, a former councilman in Temecula and Murrieta, concurred with Ashley and Tavaglione. Through my experience (of) nearly 15 years, 16 years as a council member having to cast a vote (at a regional body) which in effect represented my council, there was not always an opportunity to go back and consult with everyone, Washington said. Jeffries replied: I shouldnt have to read in social media (about) a vote I didnt take. I respect the right of the majority to rule hell, I served in Sacramento for six years. But the minority has to be heard. The board ultimately voted 4-0 on Ashleys motion to adopt Jeffries ideas with a tweak. Letters from the board supporting or opposing a bill will mention whether the board took action on the matter, but omit any specific reference to the boards vote. A distraught family is asking for the publics help to find a pendant, which contains the ashes of their recently-deceased toddler, stolen Friday, March 3 during a brazen daytime break-in in Yucca Valley, sheriffs officials said. The childs ashes were placed inside two pendant necklace urns, one of which was reported stolen, according to a sheriffs press release. The urn is in the shape of a cross and has the word Faith inscribed on one side. The pendant, along with several other items, were stolen Friday when the victims came home to the 57000 block of Hidden Gold Drive to find a strange man inside. The homeowner confronted the suspect, later identified as Charles Roberts, 18, who ran out and jumped into a dark-colored vehicle, according to the statement. Through an investigation, deputies found Roberts at Black Rock High School in Yucca Valley and during a consent search of Roberts vehicle, some of the reported stolen property was recovered, officials said. It wasnt immediately clear if Roberts was a student at the school, but he had attended the high school in the past, officials said. The Morongo Basin stations Yucca Valley MET Team served a search warrant at Roberts home on San Marino Drive but were unable to find any more items taken during the break-in, authorities said. However, they did locate a stolen firearm which was connected to an unrelated investigation. While at the home, Martin Guzman, 20, arrived at the scene. During a search of Guzmans vehicle, deputies found a loaded firearm and Guzman was arrested for carrying a loaded firearm. The relationship between the men was not disclosed. Anyone with information as to the whereabouts of the necklace can contact the sheriffs Morongo Basin station at 760-366-4175. An associate UCLA professor who pursued a romantic relationship with a student until she was afraid to attend classes paid the university $7,500 in lieu of suspension. At UC Irvine, a dean accused of sexually harassing a co-worker agreed to take a demotion and stayed on as a teacher. And at UC Santa Cruz, a professor accused of sexually assaulting a female student after a wine-tasting trip resigned before he could be fired. The University of California later agreed to pay his accuser $1.15 million. The cases, among a trove of confidential files released last week by UC officials, show that the same lack of transparency and lax discipline that critics complained about at UC Berkeley in recent years also occurred at UCs nine other campuses. In a rare look at the handling of sexual misconduct allegations in one of the nations largest university systems, the cases show discipline was meted out inconsistently. The files cover 112 cases from January 2013 to April 2016 at nine campuses, excluding Berkeley, which separately released documents last year. The Associated Press scoured hundreds of pages, many of which UC officials redacted in whole or in part citing privacy reasons. While the employees who were investigated included cafeteria workers and administrative employees, the AP examined cases involving the most prominent figures on campuses: the faculty. The UC Presidents Office said faculty accounted for a quarter of the more than a hundred employees found to have violated sexual misconduct policies over the nearly three-year period but declined to specify those cases in particular. The AP was able to verify at least 21 of the cases involving faculty members, and found: In several instances, rumors about the accused swirled for years before anything was done. Two were fired and one instructors contract was not renewed. Two people agreed to temporarily forgo merit pay increases, one took a 10 percent pay cut. Six faculty members resigned or retired from their universities before investigations were complete, punishment decided, or as part of a settlement. At UCLA, for example, now-retired French Studies professor Eric Gans was accused of writing some 300 poems to a female graduate student that created a sexually hostile environment, and pursuing the student while serving as her adviser, according to a December 2013 investigation. Gans denied wrongdoing but signed a settlement with the UC Regents agreeing to resign and become professor emeritus. He maintains an office on campus but is prohibited from teaching, mentoring or advising students. Gans did not respond to requests for comment sent to his university email. The university declined to comment on specific cases. The documents were released in response to public records requests filed by the AP and other news organizations nearly a year ago, after sexual harassment cases at UC Berkeley involving a former law school dean, a prominent astronomer and a vice chancellor became public. Berkeley was criticized for initially allowing the senior faculty to keep their jobs. They ultimately resigned under pressure. In response, the UC system overhauled procedures for investigating and disciplining faculty members in such cases. All students and employees must now undergo mandatory sexual assault training and there is a single system-wide Title IX coordinator and peer review committee to determine sanctions for senior faculty. Previously, it was up to individual campuses to impose sanctions on their own staff. Experts on sexual violence have long called on universities to be more transparent about cases involving sexual misconduct. Universities should regularly disclose results of investigations, even if names and details are redacted, said Noreen Farrell, executive director of Equal Rights Advocates. At some point, the institution has to choose between protecting its reputation and protecting its students. Schools cant have its cake and eat it too, she said. They have to figure out a way to show that zero tolerance policies are not all talk. In the latest documents, UC officials said personal identities and intimate personal details were omitted for privacy reasons but also because those disclosures would not shed light on how the university system has fulfilled its responsibility to investigate and respond to sexual misconduct cases. The investigations are administrative, and not criminal, in nature. In one case, administrators at UC Santa Cruz were criticized for their handling of the case of a student who accused Latin Studies professor Hector Perla of raping her during a wine-tasting outing in June 2015. Perla has not commented publicly, but he told investigators that the sex was consensual and the student was not impaired. A letter in his file, however, stated that Perlas conduct constituted sexual assault and that he should be dismissed, according to his 60-page file, which is so heavily redacted that many pages reveal only the page number. Perla resigned before disciplinary action was taken. Last month, the UC governing board agreed to pay the student $1.15 million after she accused it of failing to address previous claims against Perla. Perla did not respond to an email requesting comment. He did not respond to messages, including a text message, left at phone numbers associated with him. The student reported the case to police and, after an investigation, was referred to the district attorney, who declined to prosecute. The district attorneys office has refused to answer any questions on the case. The university said officials acted appropriately, given privacy laws. At UC Santa Barbara, the school said, a professor accused of sexual harassment left before the formal disciplinary process was completed in August 2013. A 2013 university investigation substantiated sexual harassment claims against Gurinder Singh Mann brought by a female student who accused him of inviting her to his home to discuss research, then urging her to lie beside him in bed and putting a hand up her shirt. According to the investigation, other students stepped forward to say the Sikh Studies scholar had tried to kiss them, slapped their rears, invited them to his home and couched his behavior in cultural terms as an enlightened guru caring for his disciples. Mann told investigators the sexual harassment allegations were an utter falsehood that stemmed from cultural misunderstandings. He said he was simply showing affection toward promising students. I have made peace with myself that we live in complicated times, and I am a simple person who tried to help whoever came my way, Mann told the AP. The school website lists him as retired. Officials said about two-thirds of the people accused of misconduct no longer work for the UC system. UC spokeswoman Claire Doan said details on how many were fired was not available and also declined to answer if that meant one-third of the employees who engaged in sexual misconduct still work on UC campuses. Among those who do is the former dean of UC Irvines art school, Joseph Lewis . He agreed to a demotion after he was accused of repeatedly sexually harassing a female co-worker in 2014. An investigation said the womans 26 allegations of harassment were bolstered by numerous witness accounts that Lewis had displayed inappropriate, sexual and bullying behavior toward past and present staff and faculty. University officials wrote in Lewis internal file that it was mutually agreed that he would no longer serve as dean. He currently teaches studio art classes. Irvine spokesman Tom Vasich declined to comment on the specific disciplinary action taken against Lewis, saying each case was in line with UC policies and procedures. Lewis did not respond to two emailed requests for comment. The UC system did not release information on cases where an employee discipline process was still underway, and when asked, Doan declined to say how many cases were still outstanding. Two San Jacinto Valley churches will hold prayer gatherings in solidarity with Stand with Standing Rock, a march on Washington D.C. Pilgrim Congregational UCC Hemet/San Jacinto will hold a Prayer Service for Mother Earth at 6 p.m. Friday, March 10, at 41861 Acacia Ave., in Hemet. St. Joseph Mission church on the Soboba Reservation will host a gathering at noon Saturday, March 11. The services are in conjunction with the Native Nations Rise: Rise With Standing Rock march on Washington D.C. from March 7-10. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and indigenous peoples grassroots organizations are demonstrating about that indigenous rights. Information: Pastor Megan Owens, 951-537-4280; or Michael Madrigal: 951-654-2432. After shedding a few veteran players, the Chargers have decided to retain another. The team will reportedly re-sign safety Jahleel Addae, who has started 27 games in four years, but missed half of last season with a broken collarbone. According to ESPN, the 27-year-old is expected to return to the Chargers on a four-year deal. Contracts cannot be signed until free agency officially opens at 1 p.m. Thursday. Since going undrafted out of Central Michigan in 2013, Addae has recorded 173 tackles, three sacks and an interception building a reputation as a big hitter, as well as a reckless one. Last December, he dove into the leg of Buccaneers receiver Cecil Shorts, dislocating his knee and tearing multiple ligaments. Addae was apologetic afterwards, and said he did not intend to injure Shorts. The Chargers had entered this offseason wanting to retain some of their own players, a process that began when they placed the franchise tag on edge rusher Melvin Ingram who has 18.5 sacks over the last two seasons, and wouldve been one of the top players on the free agent market. On Tuesday, they cleared up nearly $20 million in cap space by releasing offensive lineman D.J. Fluker, receiver Stevie Johnson, and cornerback Brandon Flowers. The Chargers are still in negotiations with Danny Woodhead, who would give them a change-of-pace back next to Melvin Gordon, who recently made his first Pro Bowl. Woodhead, who turned 32 in January, has only appeared in 21 games over the last three seasons, but is nearing full recovery from a torn ACL. A new charter school pitched for Riverside has been rejected and another ones request for five more years may be in trouble. Riverside Unified School District board members have denied a request from Global Educational STREAM Academy, which wanted to open a kindergarten- through sixth-grade campus on Jurupa Avenue in Riverside. STREAM stands for science, technology, reading, engineering, arts and math. At the same Monday, March 6 meeting, trustees gave an existing charter school, REACH Leadership STEAM Academy, 30 days to fix problems before deciding whether it can operate another five years. REACH, which means Reaching Excellence in Academics through Community and Home school partnerships, focuses on science, technology, engineering, arts and math. Board members are expected to vote on the proposal April 10. Charter schools are free public schools exempt from some rules governing traditional public schools. District officials said the proposed schools proposal didnt include start-up costs, cash flow and other required financial information. The application also lacked sufficient details about the schools facilities and the governing body that will make decisions, officials said in a report. Founder and CEO Byron Briggs said he plans to file a revised application to Riverside Unified in August and hopes to open in the 2018-19 school year. We will address everything that they stated, Briggs said Tuesday, March 7. He added the boards decision will give the school more time for teacher training. We dont want to have a staff thats ill prepared to meet the needs of students, Briggs said. We want them to know the curriculum inside and out, especially with Common Core, referring to the states academic standards focused on critical thinking and problem solving. REACH, which opened in 2012, had shortcomings in special education services and academic performance, district officials said. Many students scored below the state and Riverside Unified in Californias Smarter Balanced tests in English and math. The school hasnt included parents on its school board and has shown a lack of transparency in conducting business as part of the requirements of the Ralph M. Brown Act, the states open meeting law, district officials said in a report. We have adhered to the Brown Act from the very beginning, Virgie Rentie, the schools founder and executive director, said Wednesday, March 8. At the districts request, the school will provide more details on its meeting agendas and minutes, Rentie said. Rentie said the school has a seven-member board, including two vacant parent seats. The school has advertised to try to get parents to run for the board but none applied this year, she said. She said the school will present a clearer plan showing how it will educate disabled students and meet academic goals. Once we address their concerns, I feel it places us in a favorable position to be approved for the next five years, Rentie said. The kindergarten- through-sixth grade school wanted to add seventh grade in 2019 and eighth grade in 2020. District officials said thats not educationally sound given the schools academic performance so far. In response to the districts position, the school will postpone adding grades for now, Rentie said. REACH plans to complete a merger of its two campuses in mid-May to one location at Grace United Methodist Church on Linden Street near UC Riverside. Classes will no longer will be offered at Riverside Community Church on Jurupa Avenue. The Global Educational STREAM Academy wants to open at that site. REACH received a $1.2 million federal grant for construction of 21 portable classrooms at the Linden property. Enrollment, now at 450 students, could grow by about 100 pupils with the additional buildings, Rentie said. Reach the reporter: 951-368-9292, stwall@scng.com or @pe_swall CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story listed incorrect information for Elizabeth Ayala of the Womens Foundation of California. Heidi Valdez made sure her two young boys attended a Riverside rally where about 100 women demonstrated Wednesday, March 8, against inequality and sexual abuse. I refuse for them to grow up believing they can just treat women negatively and get away with it, said Valdez, a 39-year-old homemaker from Moreno Valley. I want them to be able to not only be strong men, but support strong women. To mark International Womens Day,women took the day off, shut down their businesses, wore red, and if they shopped, spent their money only in small stores owned by women or immigrants. It was a way to show their economic strength and impact in their communities We are the strength and the foundation of this country and were being marginalized by our current president and his staff, said Christina Duran, a caregiver, at the womens rally in Riverside. _informq.push([embed]); Dubbed A Day Without a Woman, it was the first major action by organizers of the Womens March since the day after President Donald Trumps inauguration, when millions of women across the nation including in Southern California rallied against racism, inequality, and oppression. Unlike the Womens March, Wednesdays event, which organizers called a strike, focused on the absence of women, who were steered to local rallies and community groups and away from work or shopping in stores or online. Organizers also asked women to wear red to signify love and sacrifice. Businesses such as Cellar Door Books in Riverside closed for the day. In Redlands, the women-owned Olive Avenue Market stayed open, but 10 percent of its end-of-day sales was donated to Redlands Family Service Association, a nonprofit group that has helped families in need for 115 years. Employees also wore red. Those who couldnt skip work supported the day in other ways. Irene Sanchez, who works as a supplemental instruction coordinator for Moreno Valley College, couldnt take the day off, but said she honors its ideals by fighting against misogyny and racism when she encounters it. This means speaking up to ensure they have safe environments and education opportunities that have been historically denied to marginalized student populations, she said. Demonstrations varied across the nation. In New York, a number of protesters were arrested, including Linda Sarsour, a lead organizer of the Womens March on Washington. At the Utah state capitol, hundreds of women dressed in red and held signs with photos of their local lawmakers to remind legislators theyre closely watching how they handle womens issues. In Los Angeles, hundreds of women wearing red gathered at Grand Park to recognize the enormous value that women of all backgrounds add to our socio-economic system, organizers said. In Riverside, mostly women, and some men, gathered at the rally outside City Hall. They either skipped work, or took an extra hour of lunch time to attend the event organized by a group called the Inland Empire Resistance. Women rallied for equal pay for women, advocated for more women representation in local politics, stood against sexual assault, and encouraged each other to stand for immigrant and transgender women rights. Alexis Parker, stood in front of the dozens of women, and spoke about the adversities transgender women face. News reports show that at least seven transgender women have been killed in 2017. Trans women are women, too, Parker said. Trans women of color are women, too. Duran, a mother of seven women, said it was frustrating to see an all-male Riverside City Council. We need to get women running for office, Duran said. Elizabeth Ayala, a 33-year-old Riverside resident, attended the rally to speak for immigrant rights. A program associate for the Womens Foundation of California, she said the nonprofit group gave them the day off. She spoke about how racism, sexism, and xenophobia are interconnected. She ended her speech quoting the song, Si se calla el cantor,or if the If the singer is silent, popularized by the singer, Mercedes Sosa. We must stay loud. If we cannot sing, we must march. If we cannot march we must type We must do something for the solidarity of women and other communities, she said. Staff writer Sandra Emerson, The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report. Nigeria has advised against non-essential travel to the United States after some citizens had their visas canceled and were denied entry. In one case, a doctor was refused entry at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The physician, who was due to attend a wedding, was left traumatized, according to Abike Dabiri-Erewa, a senior special assistant to Nigeria's President on foreign affairs and diaspora. She told CNN: "Four Nigerians have been sent back in the past two weeks so we are advising that those without any urgent need to travel should consider rescheduling their trip until there is clarity on the new immigration policy." Dabiri- Erewa added that "no reasons were given for the decision by the US immigration authorities." "Then there was the case of the engineer who was asked to prove he was an IT expert, " Dabiri-Erewa said, referring to software engineer Celestine Omin, 28, who was detained at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. He was on a work trip from Lagos to his employer, startup Andela. According to Andela, Omin was told he didn't look like an engineer and needed to take a test to prove it. He was then asked to answer two difficult computer science questions. Omin was later released after three hours following a call between US Customs and Border Protection and his employer. "It is advice that we feel we have to issue," Dabiri-Erewa said. "We have to inform the people about what's going on." Nigeria is not on the list of countries that face a travel ban to the United States under President Donald Trump's executive order exempting immigration from certain countries. Trump signed a new executive order Monday that bans immigration from six Muslim-majority countries, dropping Iraq from a previous order in January. The new travel ban comes six weeks after Trump's original order caused chaos at airports nationwide before federal courts blocked it. Source: CNN 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 On International Womens Day - March 8, 2017 - we take a look at the richest women on the African continent according to the 2017 Forbes magazine rich list. According to the list only two African women are billionaires. They are Isabel dos Santos, the oldest daughter of Angola's longtime president, Jose Eduardo dos Santos and Nigerian oil magnate Folorunsho Alakija. Isabel dos Santos, 43, made her fortune from investments in Angola's state oil firm while 66-year-old Folorunsho Alakija made the vast majority of her wealth from oil exploration. Read below how these inspirational women amassed their fortune; Folorunsho Alakija - Real Time Net Worth As of 3/8/17 - $1.63 Billion Folorunsho Alakija is the vice chair of Famfa Oil, a Nigerian oil exploration company that has a 60% participating interest in block OML 127, part of Agbami field, one of Nigeria's largest deepwater discoveries. Its partners include Chevron and Petrobras. Her first company was a fashion label that catered to Nigeria's elite women, including the wife of former military president, Ibrahim Babangida, who awarded Alakija's company an oil prospecting license. Source: Daily Graphic Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Three members of the separatist group, who are calling for the secession of parts of Ghana along the countrys eastern border to create an independent state, have been busted. Barring any hitches, they would be arraigned before court today, March 9, 2017. They are to be charged with treason, according to the police, in accordance with the treason felony and other offences Law, Act 29 /62; Section 182 Sub-section B. Their action contravenes Ghanas Constitution and has a potential to destabilise the country, said the Volta Regional Police Commander, ACP Nana Asomah Hinneh. The Volta Regional Police arrested the three members of Homeland Study Group Foundation early this week. Initially, Martin Asianu Agbenu, 57, was arrested at Tokokoe on Monday, March 6, while selling customised T-shirts with the following inscriptions; 9th MAY IS OUR DAY at the top and A CITIZEN OF WESTERN TOGOLAND at the base of the shirt. The front view of the T-shirt has the map of Ghana with Western Togoland well cut out and a flag in green, red, yellow and blue colours with a picture depicting a handshake in the middle. The other two, the Chairman of the group, Charles Kormi Kudjordjie, 93, and Divine Odonkor, 65, were picked up in Ho the following day, Tuesday after Martin named them as those who gave him the T-shirt to sell. The two were interrogated over the T-shirt and an event they held on Independence Day (6th March) in Ho to actualise their ploy to declare parts of Ghana an independent state. Background The group has for some years been agitating for the Volta Region and parts of the Northern and Upper East Regions to become independent under the name, State of Western Togoland which they erroneously claimed existed before Ghanas independence. According to the group, the 1956 plebiscite which joined the British Togoland a United Nations Trust Territory now parts of Volta, Northern and Upper East regions, to the then Gold Coast (now Ghana) has not favoured the people of Western Togoland, especially the Volta Region. To this end, the group claims the time has come to separate Western Togoland from Ghana and make it stand as an independent state. After several lectures and agitations, the group had decided to actualise its intention and declare an independent State of Western Togoland on May 9, 2017. ACP Nana Asomah Hinneh, briefing the media after the arrests of the three men, said their action is an affront to national peace and security. He said they would be charged with treason in accordance with the law. Bail For Nonagenarian He disclosed that the 93-year-old chairman of the group, Mr. Kudjordjie, had been granted a police enquiry bail because of his age as he could not stand the constrictions in a police cell. Mr Asianu Agbenu and Divine Odonkor are in police custody for further interrogation. The arrest of the men comes weeks after the Volta Regional Minister, Dr. Archibald Letsa, had called for a stop to their activities, which he described as treasonable. He warned that he would allow the security services pick up the matter, should they continue with their illegal activities when he appeared before the Appointments Committee of Parliament for his vetting. Advice From Police ACP Hinneh maintained that the group should have used the appropriate legal means in addressing its grievances rather than taking the law into its own hands. If they are saying they have a document that shows that the Volta Region and all the areas they are mentioning should not be part of Ghana, the best thing for them to do is to go to the Supreme Court and have the issue settled properly. You do not take the law into your own hands and do what pleases you. This is a serious issue that can affect the peace and security of the country and we will not sit down and let it happen, he warned. He said that the case had been referred to the Attorney Generals Department for advice and further action. Source: Daily Guide 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 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. A survey conducted by the Ghana Integrity initiative anti-corruption Consortium, has confirmed that bribery is actually taking place at the customs division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), the passport office and the Ghana Police Service. The survey, which was to assess citizens understanding of corruption, their perceptions and actual experiences of corruption, show that Ghanaians still perceive the police, political parties and the judiciary as being corrupt. It however revealed that Ghanaians do not regard the payment of what is commonly called facilitation fee as a form of corruption. Nearly two thirds of the close to eighteen thousand respondents in the survey believes corruption is on the rise in Ghana. The US Ambassador to Ghana, Robert Jackson, said corruption levels in Ghana are at a point where US companies looking to do business in Ghana, have mostly been frustrated with requests for the payment of facilitation fee which he simply described as another language for bribe. Speaking with the media after launching the GII Consortium survey report, the US Ambassador said We are looking at a government official that is demanding an action or a fee for doing the job that he or she is supposed to do. Secondly, we want to identify those institutions are actually taking bribes. Even now, people perceive that the Ghana Police Service for example is corrupt; in fact the DVLA, passport office, and the Ghana Revenue Authority are more corrupt in terms of actually taking bribe. My purpose in highlighting them is no to point fingers. My purpose in doing that is to make people aware, that individuals in those institutions have been profiting illegally, and we need to make people think before they pay fees for the services they are already paying for. The US Ambassador said Ghana has lost lots of business opportunities to acts of bribery and corruption. Corruption inhibits free enterprise and slows economic growth, and it is compromising the quality of much needed services that safeguards health, creates opportunity and save lives. I often hear stories of struggling families having to pay bribe for basic services. Regional monitors report that a typical agricultural exporter in Ghana faces more than forty check points between Accra and the border with Burkina Faso. Check points that add up to 100 dollars or more in what is called facilitation fees. What are facilitation fees? Thats a very diplomatic word. We are talking about bribes; absolute bribes, he said. There have been specific complains about lack of transparency in tenders. We have seen several cases of that reported to us. I have met with company executives. However OI hear time and again that companies are asked to pay facilitation payments in order to get approval or get things done; and they finally just walk away; they say this is just too much trouble; we are going to another country to invest. Corruption is very worrying Ambassador Jackson Ambassador Jackson noted that, Corruption is very worrying; its worrying in my country and every country. We have seen countries like Chile, Rwanda; make huge strides in combating corruption. We have seen countries like Botswana which have relatively limited corruption throughout their history. Now, part of that is cultural, and part of it is about what the culture allows. My worry and my purpose in highlighting this report, is that Ghanaians and Americans perceive that corruption is getting worse in both of our countries. Its time to speak up, its time to take action, and I urge everyone who hears about this report or reads it, to take action, to speak out when they are asked for bribe; to stop paying facilitation payment and to make certain that their friends and neighbours dont pay. He said there was the need for citizens to stop emboldening bribery by refusing to pay. I want people to stop and think, do I need to pay for this service or am I already paying for it? If I am already paying for it, why should I pay again? I cited an example of school teachers; it is one of the most repulsive forms of corruption to be demanding sexual favours for better grades or admission. It shouldnt be happening; lets stop it. Is this how we want our society to evolve? I dont think it is. Ghana has overpaid millions for projects The US Ambassador confirmed the long-held perception that several government projects are bloated for purposes of corruption, causing the state to lose millions of dollars. I cannot, but I can tell you this, Ghanaians have overpaid for projects to the tunes of hundreds of millions of dollars, and we are talking about every kind of infrastructure that Ghanaians think about every day. There have been many examples of overpayment. Source: citifmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A 17-year-old boy seen raping a girl, 13, in Talensi in the Upper East Region in a video that has gone viral has been arrested. His 20-year-old accomplice, who is said to have filmed the act, is being searched by the police. According to the Upper East Regional Director of the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service, David Kofi Gyabaa, the incident happened two months ago at Gbani, a mining community in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region. He said the two boys one 17 years and the other about 20 years raped the school dropout. The 17-year-old was involved in the act while the 20-year-old filmed it, giving out further instructions to the boy. 3news.coms Rabiu Tanko Mohammed explained that during the act, as played out in the video, the girl had difficulties because she was a virgin and was screaming while begging for mercy in Talen, a language spoken in the area, but the boy ignored her plea. According to Mr Gyabaa, the boy was arrested after police investigations but is on bail for further investigations. He said the docket will be sent to the Attorney Generals office on Friday. Meanwhile, the victim has gone through counseling and medical examination and she is well. Source: 3news.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A devastated trader at the University of Ghana has expressed sadness over the suicide of a level 400 student Jennifer Nyarko, who jumped from the balcony of the schools Akuafo Hall, to her death on Wednesday, 8 March. The trader, who pleaded anonymity, explained to Class News that the lady had confided in her a few weeks ago that she had mental issues which were bugging her. He, however, forgot to follow up after asking the lady to consult a pastor for deliverance only to hear of the ladys death on Wednesday when he came to work. In the beginning of this year, she came to me and complained that she was having some problems. I am normally free with all my customers and see myself as a father to them. She said her academics was deteriorating and that she has a mental problem that keeps bothering her all the time and that it was in her family. I thought over the issue and realised that it was not something I could easily solve, so, I introduced her to a pastor friend. Saturday, she came here and bought Malt and meat pie and asked to sit and eat, but I forgot to ask her whether she called the pastor because he is good at deliverance. That was the last time I met her. This morning [Wednesday] I came and I was told that she fell from upstairs and died. In fact, I was really shocked and dont know what to say, he narrated. He described the deceased as a very quiet and private person. She normally walks alone and when you see her, you will never realise she has a problem unless she tells you. Source: 3news.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video As the world celebrate women for the enormous contribution towards humanity, a member of the Progressive Peoples Party has called on the government of Ghana to shift its focus on helping vulnerable women. Many a time, people link celebrating women in the world to getting them into sensitive positions within government and although Mr. Charles Owusu shares this view, he believes alleviating vulnerable women from hardship must be the primary focus of the celebration. In some hinterlands, women find it difficult to come by money for transportation. Some of this people are pregnant and need medical attention but because they dont have money, they are unable to even see a doctor for care. Government must commit resources to help such women facing this condition, he said on ATVs Asem Yi Di Ka show. He further congratulated successive government for appointing women into various sensitive positions. We have a woman appointed as our Chief Justice, we also had a woman become our Speaker of Parliament. Then we had the first one to be appointed as Chairperson of the Electoral Commission and recently, that feat was again achieved as another woman was elevated to be Chief of Staff, he added. 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 As International Womens Day unfolds across the rest of the world, people in the United States have stepped away from their daily lives to protest gender equality with the Day Without A Woman rallies. In the early hours of our morning, reports came in from the Womens March Twitter account that a group of protesters had been arrested outside of the Trump International Hotel in New York City, including several organisers of the days march. It has been confirmed that 13 people were arrested at the protest. One of the women arrested is Linda Sarsour a prominent progressive Palestinian-American activist, and one of the national organisers of the movement. Linda Sarsour was just arrested outside Trump International for disorderly conduct. pic.twitter.com/SOais39G7L Isaac Saul (@Ike_Saul) March 8, 2017 Reports from on the ground at the march say that NYPD officers warned protesters to disperse from the area, and began making arrests when people did not move on. NYPD now giving out warning to disperse. Doesnt look likely. pic.twitter.com/s2aOooj8ZC Isaac Saul (@Ike_Saul) March 8, 2017 The Womens March team took to Twitter once again to detail which precinct the group were being detained, and asked that protesters gather in solidarity at the station. UPDATE: Meet us at 7th precinct (19 1/2 Pitt St) in Manhattan to show solidarity with our sisters who were arrested today. #DayWithoutAWoman Womens March (@womensmarch) March 8, 2017 Womens March organisers released a statement about the arrests, citing civil disobedience during the days peaceful protest. Source: Huffington Post. Photo: Twitter / @amandamarmor. Can you hear that? Its the sound of crying tourists, bereft that theyll never again have the chance to take a selfie in front of the iconic Azure Window, a tourist hotspot on the Maltese island of Gozo thats been destroyed by a ferocious storm. The massive, bridge-like rock which was formed naturally way back in the mid-19th century crumbled into the sea after the limestone pillar supporting it took a systematic battering by gale force winds and savage waves over recent days. Maltas genuinely devastated prime minister Joseph Muscat confirmed the news on Twitter, noting that geologists had been warning of its imminent collapse for years. I have just been informed that the beautiful Tieqa tad-Dwejra in #Gozo has collapsed. Updates soon. Joseph Muscat (@JosephMuscat_JM) March 8, 2017 Reports commissioned over the years indicated that this landmark would be hard hit by unavoidable natural corrosion. That sad day arrived. Joseph Muscat (@JosephMuscat_JM) March 8, 2017 The site from where one could admire it-Tieqa tad-Dwejra. Heartbreaking. pic.twitter.com/S4XV6MyKRu Joseph Muscat (@JosephMuscat_JM) March 8, 2017 Much the same as Sydneys Royal National Park has done with tourist magnet Wedding Cake Rock to preserve its structural integrity, the Maltese government recently imposed fines of AU$2,097 for anyone caught climbing the Azure Windows arch. Its popularity with selfie-thirsty tourists exploded after it was used as the backdrop of Khal Drogo and Daenerys wedding in S1. Dya remember???? Local resident Roger Chessell told the Times of Malta he saw the whole thing happen, having gone to take photos of the wild storm. There was a big raging sea beneath the window. Suddenly, the arch collapsed into the sea with a loud whoomph, throwing up a huge spray. By the time the spray had faded, the stack had gone too. Luckily no one was injured when it came crashing down into the sea. RIP Azure Window, 19th C. 2017. Photo: Getty / Insights. A South Australian court has heard horrific details of a Wolf Creek-style attack on two backpackers on a remote beach in Coorong National Park in February last year. A 60-year-old man went on trial in the Supreme Court today, charged with indecent assault, kidnapping, attempted murder, aggravated assault and other charges over the alleged attack on the European women in their twenties. Its alleged the SA local met the pair on Gumtree, where one of them posted a request for a lift from Adelaide to Melbourne, before taking them to an isolated spot at Salt Creek and tormenting them. Prosecutor James Pearce claims he drove them to a beach accessible only by 4WD and that the group set up a camp before the attacks occurred. The site of the attack, in Coorong National Park. One of the women fell asleep in the car while the other was chatting to the accused, who offered to take her for a walk to look for kangaroos. Once they were alone, he allegedly threw her to the ground and pulled out a knife he used to cut off her bikini. He took some rope and used it to tie her hands and arms together behind her back, Pearce told the court. He used the knife to cut her bikini off. With the flourish of a knife she was naked, lying on the sand. She was helpless. Its alleged he then raped her, kissing and licking her as she tried to reason with him. Eventually, the victim convinced him theyd be more comfortable in a tent at the campsite; he agreed and led her back, still tied up. The woman screamed for help as they got closer, waking her friend, who ran for the car to grab her phone but was chased by the man and allegedly struck with a hammer several times. He used it to strike her over the head, said Pearce. She felt wobbly but she remembers trying to run away. He chased her down in the 4WD and, at one point, literally ran her over as blood streamed from wounds on her head, according to Pearce. On one occasion the car literally ran over her. Fortunately the wheels went either side of her. The woman realised she couldnt outrun the car and jumped on the bonnet, clinging to the roof racks for dear life. By a serious stroke of luck, a group of fisherman were nearby and able to assist the badly injured woman as she ran, naked and covered in blood, down the deserted beach screaming for help. They immediately alerted police and the alleged attacker was found inside the 4WD two hours later, bogged in sand. Aerial footage of police arresting the alleged attacker. The mans trial is ongoing. Source: The Australian. Photo: Hunter Gatherer Diaries. WARNING: This story contains some graphic images. A Cambodian teenager has been left with no face and is fighting for her life after contracting necrotising fasciitis a.k.a. a flesh-eating bacteria following a number of supposedly routine dental procedures. Soth Rey, 18, from a village near Siem Reap, visited a doctor in December last year complaining of a sinus infection. He suggested she might have a swelling in her sinus pocket and gave her an injection. A few weeks later she wasnt getting any better, so returned to the same doctor. He decided to remove her nasal pocket, but didnt prescribe her antibiotics. A few weeks after that, Rey now incredibly sick and with a fever returned again to the same doctor, who removed a tooth. During this procedure he gave her an injection, and it was this shot, some doctors think, that might have started the necrotic process. The above information is via Canadian expat Yulia Khouri, who came into contact with Rey nine days ago after a friend of the teenagers posted an emergency message in a Facebook group. She [Rey] was perfectly healthy and had a minor sinus infection, Khouri said in a Facebook live video. [Now] she has been butchered by somebody who called themselves a doctor. When Khouri met Rey, the teenager had lost 60% of the right side of her face. Her skin, her lips, her eyelids, her cheeks [are all affected], said Khouri. Parts of her skull were visible. Khouri writes that before she met Rey and her sister Borey, 20, the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, the pair had been turned away from three hospitals one of which demanded a $500 deposit before theyd even admit her, which Reys family could not afford. Khouri stepped in to cover the costs, and last week Rey was rushed to hospital weighing just 38kgs. As per an updated three days ago, she weighed just 27kg. Doctors are now trying to halt the spread of the infection. The last update from Khouri, posted yesterday, says that Rey is still fighting for her life. She has been up and down, says Khouri, confirming that its now Day 9 since she arrived in hospital. Im slightly emotional today, due to the fact that we had a team of doctors yesterday at 10pm, a wonderful team of doctors and surgeons that came to see Seth Rey and assess her facial damage that has been done from basically rotting away for three months. The doctors were not very optimistic about her future. Her eye is very much affected, although she can see from the eye. And what is really really really worrying is her nasal bone, which is really affected by the necrotic process. And the question that arose immediately, is how far is necrosis of the bone and whether it touched the brain or not. Khouri says Rey had a CT scan yesterday, and its basically a miracle that shes still alive. Theres 12mm between the necrotic affected nasal bone and her brain, and if somebody does do the surgery, it would be a miracle, she said. Seth Reys family home. Shes set up a crowdfunding page on JustGiving.com to raise money for Reys medical bills. At the moment, her treatment costs $350 per day (its not clear what currency that figure is in). If she survives, recovery is estimated at 35 months, and thats before you even begin to comprehend facial reconstruction surgery. You can follow along for updates of Reys condition via Facebook here. Photo: Yulia Khouri / Facebook. PEDESTRIAN.TV has teamed up with Microsoft Surface to help yall hustle with their new Surface Pro and Surface Book (the devices that do more just like you can). How? Weve called upon some creative business peeps Pip Edwards, Fintan Magee and Jarrad Seng about what really goes on Beneath The Surface of their trailblazing careers. Hopefully itll slap some inspo into your entrepreneurial soul. Get around it here. So, with that being said, feel free to go through your Instas and delete all the senseless stuff (like, does Kylie Jenners $5K jumpsuit really serve a purpose in your feed?) and replace it with these A+ travel grams. 1. MITCH COX A post shared by Mitch Cox (@mitch.cox) on Dec 26, 2016 at 1:00pm PST Mitch and his girlfriend Cleo are caravan-ing around documenting it and I am very jealous because a) I need a boyfriend to take photos for my gram so I can make money off brands, b) I need a boyfriend full stop and c) Ive always wanted to travel around Australia (preferably in a Winnebago but Ill take what I can get). 2. CLEO COHEN A post shared by cleocohen (@cleocohen) on Sep 15, 2016 at 2:00am PDT After a bit of thought (and scrolling), its now apparent that Cleos Insta is just as good, if not better than Mitchs, and also deserves a spot on the list. This may or may not be because Mitch takes the money shots, which I say based purely off the photo emoji accompanied by his name in like, alot of her posts. Theyre really living the life arent they. 3. JARRAD SENG A post shared by Jarrad Seng (@jarradseng) on Feb 19, 2016 at 6:28pm PST You know one of the best things about following a full-blown photographer? Theres not some sad Instagram husband/wife constantly being asked to take pictures as part of someone elses Instagram venture, and thats a really rare and lovely thing to come across in this world. Jarrad Sengs photos are TO DIE, and we spoke to him about hes managed to turn his passion into a profession which you can check out below: *Adobe products sold separately. You can find out more here on how Jarrad uses his Microsoft Surface Book to edit his pictures on the go no matter where his travels take him. Next in our Beneath The Surface series with Microsoft were interviewing muralist Fintan Magee keep your eyes peeled in the coming weeks. 4. EMILIE RISTEVSKI A post shared by Emilie Ristevski ? (@helloemilie) on Dec 19, 2016 at 11:33pm PST This Insta is the kind that makes you reassess whether winter actually is all that bad. As someone who detests the cold with all of her heart, thats really saying something, but tbh I really just want to see this girl crack a million followers. Shell be nearing Selena Gomez 111 million in no time. Surely. 5. SASHA NANCOVSKI A post shared by Sasha Nancovski (@sevencontinentssasha) on Apr 22, 2016 at 1:48pm PDT Well looky here. This Instagram is a beautiful place to REFLECT. Real talk though: Sashas Insta feels a lot more achievable than the others (translate: shes not a model engaged to a photographer whos also a fashion blogger who also tags a bunch of brands in her posts). Shes just being Miley, you know, except shes being Sasha. 6. ADRIAN + LINDA FAGERLUND A post shared by A D R I A N + L I N D A (@the_wanderful) on Feb 16, 2017 at 3:05pm PST You might be familiar with the concept of a honeymoon period, but this Instagram spits that one out for you in visual form. Recently married Adrian + Linda travel everywhere from Australias most pristine beachy hotspots to the Philippines, Bali and beyond. Adrians also Swedish and matches his wifey in offensively good looks, so get that into ya feed. 7. TYSON MAYR A post shared by Tyson ?? The Naked Traveller (@tysontravel) on Feb 27, 2017 at 1:53am PST You might remember Tyson Mayr from his lil stint on Im A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, and for that Im sorry. I didnt watch it, but I imagine it detracted from what he should be known for which is his travels. I say this literally: hes been everywhere, man. 8. BROOKE SAWARD A post shared by Brooke Saward (@worldwanderlust) on Feb 7, 2017 at 8:03pm PST Brookes 24 and prides herself on living out of a suitcase with a desire to see the world. Shes clearly not from round here because lol if an inner-city 20-something could afford a new kettle let alone an international flight. One can dream though, right? Thats the only reason Im following her, for example. 9. JESSICA STEIN A post shared by Jessica Stein (@tuulavintage) on Jan 16, 2017 at 2:31am PST The blogger who reigned supreme before any other blogger reigned supreme, Jessica Stein, is one to follow for her world wanders alone. Shes just announced shes pregnant, so forgive her if the globe trotting comes to a halt. Regardless, think of her gram as as a timeless travel inspiration board. 10. TY VAN HAREN A post shared by Ty Van Haren (@tyvanharen) on Sep 25, 2016 at 3:03am PDT This dude is worth following because even though hes hot, he doesnt spend his whole Instagram life trying to prove that. What do I mean by that? His gram isnt just a string of selfies. 11. JACK MORRIS A post shared by JACK MORRIS (@doyoutravel) on Jul 1, 2016 at 3:34am PDT I cannot even deal with this Instagram. Like what the actual? Its messed up in the best kind of way. 12. EMMA LUCEY A post shared by Emma Lucey (@emmalucey) on Oct 30, 2016 at 1:46am PDT You know what, I quite like Emma Luceys vibe. Because of her Ill think twice before wearing my three-day-old, unwashed muumuu when visiting the Eiffel Tower and ruining a potentially A+ photo with my deplorable fashion choices. #OneShot #OneOpportunity. You know your stuff, Emma Lucey. 13. JUSTIN BASTIEN A post shared by Justin Bastien (@justinbastien) on Apr 9, 2015 at 8:29am PDT Director + photographer Justin Bastien is good at reminding us its not just about seeing the sights but experiencing them too. It might not look like it above, but theres also a bunch of thrill-seeking travels on his Insta, check it. 14. ALEX PADOVANI A post shared by Alex Padovani ?? (@padoune) on Oct 16, 2016 at 12:35am PDT Theres something v. zen about Alex Padovanis Insta. Whether shes lakeside, beachside or canyon-side, we want our lives to be just as chill as hers. Alright, do you feel sufficiently motivated to get out there and travel the world? Good. Then my work here is done. If you wanna smash goals while youre on the go, set yourself up with a tool that can do more, just like you, with the Microsoft Surface Book here. Well be profiling another creative trailblazer muralist Fintan Magee whos turned their passion into a biz as part of our Beneath the Surface partnership, so keep an eye out. Photo: Instagram / @doyoutravel. Skyline.jpg (Photo by Sean Simmers) C. Wayne Keech Trade Talk showcases the businesses in the midstate and the people who make them work. From companies who make iconic products to the small family businesses and everyone in between, we have a little bit of everything in the midstate. Midstate companies keep the economy moving, people working and communities thriving throughout the midstate. You can find business news from around the midstate at www.pennlive.com/business. BUSINESS AWARDS C. Wayne Keech of Affiliated Settlement Services Group in Cumberland County was awarded the Pennsylvania Builders Association's Associate of the Year. Keech, a 16-year member, was recognized for his impact on the home building industry and his service to PBA, the National Association of Home Builders, and his local association, the HBA of Metro Harrisburg, according to a press release. The Pennsylvania Bar Association presented two County Bar Recognition Awards to the Cumberland County Bar Association during the 51st Annual Seminar of the Conference of County Bar Leaders. Recognized for its Law Day -- Miranda: More than Words and Seventh Annual Adopt-a-Family, the Cumberland County Bar Association is one of 23 local bar associations in Pennsylvania honored this year for sponsoring projects that improve the legal profession, justice system or community. The awards are presented annually by the PBA. As part of its Law Day activities and to mark the 50th anniversary of the Miranda decision that granted specific rights to citizens in police custody, Cumberland County Bar Association members visited more than 1,200 students at 12 elementary schools in the county. Twenty-five association volunteers presented a skit, "The Trial of Alex the Wolf," which was written by members of the association's Young Lawyers Division. The association's Young Lawyers Division coordinates the Adopt-a-Family program and asks association members and law firms to sponsor the purchase of gifts for families and individuals in need. Gifts were distributed to 58 families this year. The BB&T Small Business and Middle Market banking groups have won 14 Greenwich Excellence Awards from Greenwich Associates, a provider of global market intelligence and advisory services to the financial services industry. The 14 awards include 12 in national categories and two regional awards. Greenwich Excellence Awards are determined by banks' performance in Greenwich Associates annual U.S. Small Business and Middle Market Banking Research Study. The Pennsylvania Bar Association presented a County Bar Recognition Award to the Dauphin County Bar Association during the 51st Annual Seminar of the Conference of County Bar Leaders. Recognized for its Pro Bono Driver's License Restoration Intake Clinic, the Dauphin County Bar Association is one of 23 local bar associations in Pennsylvania honored this year for sponsoring projects that improve the legal profession, justice system or community. The awards are presented annually by the PBA. The Dauphin County Bar Association's pro bono clinic, believed to be the first of its kind in Pennsylvania, was modeled on the success of the association's earlier clinic focusing on the expungement process. PinnacleHealth System was recognized in the 2017 edition of "150 Great Places to Work in Healthcare" by Becker's Healthcare for the third consecutive year. The list recognizes organizations committed to fulfilling missions, creating outstanding cultures and offering competitive benefits to their employees, PinnacleHealth said in a Press release. The White's Harley-Davison dealership in North Lebanon Township and the Iron Valley Harley-Davidson dealership in Rapho Township, Lancaster County have earned the prestigious Sliver Bar & Shield Circle of Achievement Award for 2016. Presented by Harley-Davidson Motor Company, this award is given to dealers based on motorcycle and related product sales performance, customer service and satisfaction, and operational measures, the dealerships said in a press release. The Financial Times has named ParenteBeard Wealth Management one of the most elite US Registered Investment Advisors in 2016. Featured in the third edition of the FT300 list, ParenteBeard Wealth Management is listed among the top 16 RIA firms in Pennsylvania and is identified as the only FT300 firm in central Pennsylvania. Of more than 1,500 RIAs reviewed by the Financial Times across the country, only 300 earned the recognition. Pennsylvania Business Central has released its annual Top 100 Organizations list, honoring organizations that are an asset to the community. Gunn-Mowery LLC was included in the Top 100 Organizations for 2016. The companies and organizations were selected based on three core components: consistent growth, commitment to honest business practices and community giving, Gunn-Mowery said in a press release. Lancaster County-based TriStarr, a staffing, recruiting and consulting agency has won the Best of Staffing Client and Talent Awards for providing superior service its business clients and job seekers, according to Inavero. TriStarr is the only locally-owned, independent staffing company in central Pennsylvania to receive a Best of Staffing Award. The agency won the awards in both categories last year as well. Presented in partnership with the job search website CareerBuilder, Inavero's Best of Staffing Awards recognize industry leaders in service quality, based completely on ratings from their clients and employees. Franklin Financial Services Corporation, the bank holding company of F&M Trust was named to the 2017 OTCQX Best 50, a ranking of top performing companies traded on the OTCQX Best Market last year. The OTCQX Best 50 is an annual ranking of the top 50 U.S. and international companies traded on the OTCQX market. The ranking is calculated based on an equal weighting of one-year total return and average daily dollar volume growth in the previous calendar year. Companies in the 2017 OTCQX Best 50 were ranked based on their performance in 2016. The American Council of Engineering Companies of Pennsylvania awarded Rettew, a Diamond Certificate for the State Route 11 Bridge Project. The award criteria includes innovation, complexity, exceeding client needs, future value to engineering, and sustainable design. The bridge project was completed in the fall of 2016, is in Larksville, Luzerne County. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation needed to replace the bridge carrying a four-lane roadway over a local walking trail, which is slated for a future addition to the Susquehanna Warrior Trail. Rettew specified precast concrete arches to be erected under the existing bridge without closing the roadway to traffic, in essence building a tunnel and then completing the rest of the structure. Traffic remained uninterrupted for about 90 percent of the project's timeline, and the completed new bridge includes electrical wiring for future trail lighting, as well as enough height to accommodate equestrian trail riders, Rettew said in a press release. The Federal Pointe Inn in Gettysburg is a finalist for Hotel of the Year from Choice Hotels International. The award recognizes the top three rated hotel properties within Choice's Ascend Hotel brand. UPS has announced that 52 drivers from Pennsylvania are among 1,575 newly inducted worldwide into the Circle of Honor, an honorary organization for UPS drivers who have achieved 25 or more years of accident-free driving. The drivers from the midstate include: Leonard Gray of Lancaster County Richard Lowman Jr. of York County William Moyer of Berks County Shirley Rennix of Lancaster County Gregory Rickert of Dauphin County John Sarnowski of Cumberland County Wayne Sentz II of York County Steve Sheaffer of Dauphin County William Wierman of York County Clint Witmer of Lancaster County UPDATE: Verdict coming for Pa. mom accused of drowning 2 young sons in bathtub A western Pennsylvania mother on trial for drowning her two young sons in a bathtub reportedly became "very emotional" in court Wednesday as a parade of prosecution witnesses testified and a new allegation was leveled - namely that the mother, Laurel Schlemmer, had tried to kill her sons before. All this, according to KDKA-TV, which published a detailed story on the first day of the non-jury double-homicide trial in Allegheny County Court. Schlemmer is accused of drowning her 6-year-old son, Daniel, and his 3-year-old brother, Luke, in a bathtub inside their McCandless, Pa., home on April 1, 2014. Initially, Schlemmer claimed the dual drowning was an accident, which she said occurred while she was using another bathroom and returned to find both boys unconscious in the tub. An older son, Joshua, was in school at the time. Later Schlemmer told police, "These crazy voices were prompting me to act irrationally, and I changed clothes and got in there with them and held them under water," KDKA reported. This statement triggered questions about Schlemmer's mental health, forcing her trial to be delayed several times in the past. But finally, testimony is underway nearly three years after her alleged crimes. The biggest surprise in court Wednesday was an allegation by prosecutors that Schlemmer had attempted to kill her sons before. The prosecution went on to cite instances in which Schlemmer allegedly endangered her youngest sons' lives, perhaps laying legal groundwork to show premeditation, KDKA reported, adding: In September 2009, Schlemmer plead guilty after leaving one son inside what police say was a 112 degree car in a mall parking lot. In April of 2013, officials say Schlemmer backed into Daniel and Luke in the driveway of her parents' home, an incident later ruled accidental. Testimony in the trial was expected to resume Thursday morning. Guinness and an Irish breakfast at McGrath's Pub in Harrisburg. (PennLive file) Lisa Wardle | lwardle@pennlive.com Where can you find the best Irish pubs in Pennsylvania? We're talking about a place that knows how to pour a Guinness properly and serves banging bangers and mash. Cities like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh have the most options for Irish pubs because of their size, but that doesn't necessarily mean either city has the best in the entire state. We looked at suburbs, smaller cities and rural areas as well. In fact, the highest-rated Irish pubs we found are in suburban Philadelphia, Scranton and rural Chester County. Don't Edit Methodology We turned to Yelp for help. We searched "Irish pub" near the largest cities in Pennsylvania, as well as scoured the state map for smaller cities with notable establishments. For the sake of this list, we looked specifically for bars and restaurants with Irish in the name or marked with the "Irish" or "Irish pub" category on Yelp. What follows are the highest-rated establishments we found. Don't Edit Allentown: Jack Callaghan's Ale House 3.3 stars, 30 reviews 2027 Tilghman St., Allentown www.jackcallaghans.com Those looking for Irish fare will find potato soup, Irish nachos, and cream bash pie. Popular menu items include wings (available in 32 available sauces and dry rubs), Old Bay-seasoned fries, and, of course, the beer selection. Among the reviews: "Best wings in the Lehigh Valley, as far as I'm concerned... and lots of sauce options to go with them." "It is here that I find warm smiles, lovely wings, and LITERALLY the best old bay fries money can buy." "They have a killer beer selection with usually a local craft beer. And for those who like to try them all, there's even a beer club where you get your own mug." Don't Edit Altoona: PJ's Tavern 3.3 stars, 9 reviews 7874 Admiral Peary Highway, Cresson www.facebook.com/PJs-Tavern PJ's Tavern has a few Irish items on the menu but mostly focuses on pizza and burgers. The tavern does, however, go all out for St. Patrick's Day. Last year PJ's had a three-day holiday celebration with live music, Irish stew and corned beef. Among the reviews: "A must-stop around St. Patrick's Day, always great live music and green beer!" "[B]read pudding is to die for!" "The decor is all Irish, with some old photos and newspaper clippings (primarily sports-related and about the local high school)." Don't Edit Bethlehem: McCarthy's Red Stag Pub 4.2 stars, 105 reviews 534 Main St., Bethlehem www.redstagpub.com McCarthy's hosts month whiskey tastings and offers Celtic cooking demonstrations. Of course, if you're just going there to eat or drink, the pub has plenty of Irish fare to choose from. Start the morning with a full Irish breakfast or come in later for some bangers and mash, Gaelic steak or a cottage pie. Among the reviews: "This is not your typical Irish pub that is pretty much everywhere. It is small, quaint w/a pub flair that feels like Ireland." "The fish and chips were ridiculously delicious." "The whiskey menu is superb and the staff are very knowledgeable about the many different kinds they have on display above the bar." Don't Edit Don't Edit Chester: Monaghan's Irish Pub 4.6 stars, 96 reviews 414 Powhattan Ave., Essington www.monaghanspub.com Patrons will find plenty of bar food as well as shepherd's pie and fish and chips, but the favorite among Yelp reviewers was Monaghan's cheesesteak. Among the reviews: "The cheesesteaks here are a must try! They might be the best in the suburbs." "Best cheesesteak in Delco and I've tried them from all over." Don't Edit Coatesville: The Whip Tavern 4.3 stars, 158 reviews 1383 N. Chatham Road, West Marlborough www.thewhiptavern.com The Whip brands itself as an "English pub in the heart of horse country" (its closest city is Coatesville, about 6 miles north). But Yelp reviewers agree the tavern is worth the trek. Whip's classic English and American cuisine is made with local ingredients whenever possible. Among the reviews: "The Welsh rarebit is silky and sublime with a perfect hint of Coleman's mustard. The bubble and squeak comes in its own cast iron skillet and is just so comforting." "This place is figuratively and actually, miles from your average 'Irish pub or tavern' experience." "Get their famous toffee pudding. You will not be disappointed." Don't Edit Easton: Porters' Pub 4 stars, 142 reviews 700 Northampton St., Easton www.porterspubeaston.com Irish fare includes a corned beef sandwich, a pan-seared sirloin with Guinness demi-glace, a black angus ribeye with a Jameson demi-glace, and The Drunken Clam: a dozen littleneck clams in a beer broth with aromatics and French bread. But the most popular time to visit, according to Yelpers, is brunch. Among the reviews: "We went here for brunch yesterday, and it was to die for. The food was good and all, but first and foremost: Free mimosas." "There is a never ending selection of beers, and if you're feeling daring enough you can get a mug that will hang from the ceiling and wait for you until you try all their 60 types of beer. " Don't Edit Erie: Molly Brannigan's 3.5 stars, 40 reviews 506 State St., Erie www.mollybrannigans.com Molly Brannigan's offers six different boxty entrees for those who want to try Irish potato pancakes with various meats and toppings. Other Irish fare includes Guinness stew, corned beef boil and bangers and mash. Among the reviews: "They flew Irishmen in to furnish the bar which is awesome. You feel like you are in Ireland." "I like the fact that it has traditional Irish pub food as well as the comfort pub food so there is something for everyone." "The whiskey sampler will have you swimming on the floor, be careful." Don't Edit Gettysburg: The Garryowen Irish Pub 4.1 stars, 307 reviews 126 Chambersburg St., Gettysburg garryowenirishpub.net Garryowen touts more than 80 varieties of Irish whiskey as well as draft beers. Irish food on the menu comes from passed-down family recipes. Reviewers praise the Scotch eggs and shepherd's pie. Among the reviews: "The Shepard's Pie was truly amazing and their whiskey selection rivaled much bigger places I've seen in larger cities." "It's a pretty dang decent Irish Pub, and even a little more traditional than some I've been to (with regards to fare and drinkage)." "The scotch eggs were so good that my husband and son ordered a second plate!" Don't Edit Don't Edit Jackie Capp pours a Guinness at McGrath's Pub in downtown Harrisburg on Aug. 30, 2014. (PennLive file) Harrisburg: McGrath's Pub 4.1 stars, 118 reviews 202 Locust St., Harrisburg mcgrathspub.net McGrath's has a few Irish offerings, including fish and chips and Bridget's Irish meatloaf, but its most popular dish is Blarney bread (a toasted baguette with four cheeses). Among the reviews: "Their menu is full of Irish fare along with a great selection of excellent bar food. I enjoy the Blarney Bread and different varieties of wing sauces that change weekly." "They always have great beers on tap, and I hear the Moscow mules are pretty killer." Don't Edit Johnstown: Wooly's Pub 4.4 stars, 11 reviews (Google) 256 Strayer St., Johnstown www.woolyspub.com This is the only Irish pub in the Johnstown area. It had no reviews on Yelp, so we instead relied on Google and Facebook for this information. Among the reviews: "The theme is wonderful and they have great food." "Moscow mule and fresh cut fries! Add bacon and cheese? Yes please!!" Don't Edit Annie Bailey's in Lancaster on March 17, 2015. (Mark Palczewski/PennLive file) Lancaster: Annie Bailey's 3.8 stars, 240 reviews 28-30 E. King St., Lancaster www.anniebaileys.com Annie Bailey's has traditional Irish cuisine and American fare, as well as an extensive beer selection and variety of whiskeys. One of the most popular items among Yelp reviewers was the Waterford fish and chips. Among the reviews: "The fish practically melted in my mouth!" "Once occupied by the Sayers, Scheid & Sweeton clothing store, the Annie Baileys location is providing a whole new service for us Lancaster locals." "My favorite place to sit is in front of the fireplace or outside when the deck is open." Don't Edit Mercersburg: Flannery's Tavern on the Square 3.9 stars, 32 reviews 5 N. Main St., Mercersburg flannerystavernonthesquare.com This multi-cuisine tavern doesn't have many Irish food offerings, but it always has Guinness and Smithwicks on draft. More Irish specialties join the menu for St. Patrick's Day, and the tavern will be shuttling patrons to John Allison Public House for live music. Among the reviews: "There are 18 beers on draught and they boast one of the best selections in the entire county. They offer Trappist ales like Chimay and American craft specialities like Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA." "You can order anything from sandwiches and burgers to full course meals depending on what you are looking for." Don't Edit New Hope: The Dubliner on the Delaware 3.9 stars, 64 reviews 34 Main St., New Hope www.thedublinernewhope.com This Irish pub on the Delaware River is owned by two natives of Ireland. The menu features recipes passed down through their family for traditional Irish flavors. Reviewers love the shepherd's pie and boxty. Among the reviews: "Great staff, Guinness, and I could easily see myself living off their bangers and mash the rest of my life." "Everything you'd want in an Irish pub -- good beer, great burgers, friendly staff, live Irish music on the weekends and owners with Irish brogues!" "The area is long overdue for a real Irish place. These guys are well on the way." Don't Edit Don't Edit (lauren/Flickr.com via https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0) Philadelphia: McGillin's Olde Ale House 3.8 stars, 675 reviews 1310 Drury St., Philadelphia mcgillins.com This old tavern has been serving beer since 1860, and it prides itself on being the "greenest" Irish bar in the United States by composting, using biodegradable materials and pursuing other environmentally friendly initiatives. Irish fare includes a corned beef sandwich and shepherd's pie. Among the reviews: "Long before Irish pubs became cool or trendy McGillin's was here." "If you're a craft beer person this is a great place." "I had the Shepherd's pie and it was fantastic. I especially liked how the peaks of the mash potatoes were slightly broiled to give it a nice crunch." Don't Edit Pittsburgh: Piper's Pub 4.3 stars, 296 reviews 1828 E. Carson St., Pittsburgh www.piperspub.com Piper's brands itself as "a taste of the British Isles," so patrons will find Scottish, English and Irish fare on the menu. Reviewers rave about the boxty and other brunch options, as well as the draft beer selection. Among the reviews: "Piper's brunch is out of this world. The Irish boxty is what dreams are made of." "It's a great place for hearty meals like Guinness stew and Shepherd's Pie, but you'll also find filling and delicious items of slightly 'lighter' fare." "Piper's Pub is the place to go on the south side for great beer." Don't Edit Pottsville: The Wooden Keg Tavern 2.6 stars, 18 reviews 112 E. Norwegian St., Pottsville woodenkegtavern.com This bar's proximity to the Yuengling brewery makes it a popular stop for tourists. Most of the menu is standard pub fare, with Irish additions including Guinness grilled chicken and shepherd's pie. Most of the negative reviews on Yelp are in regard to employees who no longer work at the tavern. Among the reviews: "I haven't had shepherds pie since my adolescence and with all due respect to my mom, this one was better." "It's a fun place to drink Yuengling on draft after the tour up the street." Don't Edit Reading: Ugly Oyster Drafthaus 3.8 stars, 127 reviews 21 S. Fifth St., Reading theuglyoyster.com The Ugly Oyster is not a pretty bar. Reviewers label it as "dank" and "funky" but charming. They tend to agree that the beer selection and seafood make a visit worthwhile. Plus, owner Glenn Rigg studied at the Guinness Brewery to ensure the beer is tapped according to specifications of Arthur Guinness. Among the reviews: "... kudos for pouring a Guinness properly and into the correct glass." "The Oysters, mussels, crab cakes and fish and chips were to die for..." "It's as authentic as you'll find in Berks County, and it doesn't disappoint." Don't Edit Scranton: Mickey Gannon's 4.4 stars, 16 reviews 1925 Sanderson Ave., Scranton www.facebook.com/pages/Gannons-Mickey Most of the food at Mickey Gannon's is typical pub fare, but you can get one dozen clams with butter, which is something not many pubs offer. Reviewers love the wings. Note: Mickey Gannon's does not accept credit cards. Bring cash. Among the reviews: "The wing here is King. The best in the city by my reckoning." "If you get a mixed drink they use cans of soda instead of from a gun and I think that's awesome." Don't Edit Don't Edit Stroudsburg: Siamsa Irish Pub 3.4 stars, 90 reviews 636 Main St., Stroudsburg siamsairishpub.com Siamsa is owned by two Western Ireland natives, and the pub was built in Ireland before being shipped to the United States and reassembled by Irish craftsmen. The menu includes both traditional bar food and authentic Irish fare. Among the reviews: "Terrific place, reasonably priced, great selection of Irish beers (including domestics as well as crafts)." "The menu is short but everything on it is appealing. The cheese dish was phenomenal, goat cheese is my personal favorite." "Their Irish breakfast was great (and a steal at $10)." Don't Edit Wilkes-Barre: CrisNics 3.3 stars, 7 reviews 189 Barney St., Wilkes-Barre www.facebook.com/CrisNics Reviewers claim CrisNics isn't an authentic Irish pub, but they praise it for reasonable prices and good bar food. Among the reviews: "If you are going for drinks and comrodery [sic] and a light bar meal this is your place." "Always a great meal here!! We have had everything from the Lobster Tail, or a steak, boneless buffalo chicken bites, and they have very good burgers." Don't Edit Williamsport: Moon and Raven Public House 3.9 stars, 73 reviews 155 W. Fourth St., Williamsport www.moonandravenpub.com Moon and Raven's signature dishes include a Guinness lamb stew (which Yelp reviewers love), chicken pie and steamed mussels. Among the reviews: "Bartenders are knowledgeable about the beers, what is on tap, and list of what is up next. So if you are into beer,this is your place. Most are local (Pa) breweries. But have few hard to find craft brews." "The menu was very diverse and really prides itself with authentic Irish dishes." Don't Edit York: McCleary's Public House 3.8 stars, 96 reviews 130 W. Front St., Marietta www.mcclearyspub.com McCleary's is the closest Irish pub we could find to York, just across the Susquehanna River. The bar offers a variety of beers and Irish dishes, including beer-battered fish and chips and bangers and mash. Among the reviews: "Really is one of the best pubs in the area. It's a good bar, with enough food options for it to be family-friendly." "I'll start this off by saying that I absolutely love Irish Pubs. I love the food, the beer, and especially the atmosphere. McCleary's is a really great place in all those aspects." Don't Edit More alcohol coverage: Don't Edit Don't Edit More food coverage: ReesesCookie_BigCup-01.png If Reese's Peanut Butter Cups aren't tasty enough, The Hershey Company has unveiled a new twist on the popular candy. Welcome the Reese's Crunchy Cookie Cup. On March 9, The Hershey Company - after day's of teasing an impending brand new product on social media with the hashtag #Cupspiracy - announced the new candy's identity. The new Reese's Cup is basically the same classic peanut butter and chocolate combination with the addition of chocolate cookie bits. If you recall, last summer Reese's unveiled a peanut butter cup with mini Reese's Pieces. "You could say this combination is 'cuptivating,'" said Ryan Riess, Senior Brand Manager, Reese's Brand, in a press statement. "Reese's fanatics are one-of-a-kind. They have a love and devotion to the brand that is unlike anything I have ever seen, and have been buzzing at the potential thought of a new innovation from the brand." You'll have to wait until May to try the new cookie cups. They will sell in the standard size and jumbo Big Cup size. Vogue turns 125 this year. To celebrate, the women's magazine is featuring American Women, including a section on "Anabastists in America" by photographer and Hollidaysburg, Pa., native Bella Newman. "It's funny: We fantasize about Cinderella and things, being pulled away on a horse and carriage," says Newman of the Amish girls in horses and buggies in Lancaster County. "For them, it's just casual everyday life, like how we'd go on a lunch date." The project from Vogue features 15 portfolios of communities of women across the United States. "Last summer we decided to mark Vogue's 125th birthday by photographing American women coast to coast. Our intention was to celebrate the extraordinary diversity of style, enterprise, and values (in every sense) that defines us today," Vogue says in an introduction to the project, which ran in its March edition, on its website. "From our point of view, the objective was always beauty: diverse, unfiltered, and breathtaking. Big league." The "Anabaptist in America" portfolio \features photos of women from Lancaster and Martinsburg. "I really started taking pictures when I was 11. I would photograph my friends wearing Limited Too in bathtubs with my Nintendo DSi," Bella Newman told Teen Vogue. Her father taught her the craft. "It's really interesting--he taught me all the basics, but I shoot so differently from him. It's weird how people diverge stylistically even though the technique is the same." Why capture the images of the Amish? "Ever since I was little, my dad and I would have photographic expeditions, and we'd drive out to the beautiful farmland and go take pictures," Newman an 18-year-old high school senior, told Vogue. "For me, the fascination was discovering that I was so close to this culture: I can drive past them in my automobile, and they're waving at me from their horse and buggy," Newman says. "It's like a time machine." The portfolios also feature women in the military, the women of Standing Rock, the shifting dynamics of family, Chicano history through fashion, how women are powering Middle America, women in Alaska, the women of NASA, the first African-American sorority, women of Muslim faith and more. SAN JOSE PINULA, Guatemala (AP) -- The death toll in a fire at a troubled youth shelter in Guatemala rose to 31 Thursday as a dozen more girls died at hospitals overnight and details began to emerge of a tragedy sparked by angry, neglected youths seeking to flee terrible conditions. Nineteen girls were found burned to death or dead of smoke inhalation in the rubble of a dormitory fire fueled by foam mattresses Wednesday. Twelve of the 39 residents injured later died at hospitals, said Adrian Chavez, the assistant health minister. Of the 27 girls still hospitalized Thursday, 10 were had life-threatening burn injuries, often covering more than 50 percent of their bodies. The inferno grew out of a mass escape attempt. Dozens of teens held in the overcrowded state-run shelter on the outskirts of Guatemala's capital flooded through the gates Tuesday evening, most only to be caught and locked in their dorms. On Wednesday morning, someone set fire to mattresses in the girls' section of the rural campus, authorities said. The blaze quickly spread through two dorms. It was unclear who set the fire or why -- perhaps as a protest to get the doors opened, or to cover another escape attempt, or in hopes of starting a riot. Officials said the sequence of events was still under investigation. According to the Washington Post: It was inside one of these dorms that a teenage girl made a final, desperate bid to be heard. At about 9 a.m. Wednesday, as other residents ate their breakfast, she set her mattress on fire, according to early reports from authorities. Outside, the residents and staff heard the screams. One resident said she heard a girl cry out that she was going to sacrifice herself "so that everyone would know what they were living inside." The blaze quickly spread through the dormitory, enveloping more than 40 girls in smoke and flames. "By the time the room was unlocked, it was too late," Leonel Dubon, director of a child advocacy group in Guatemala, told The Washington Post. The office of President Jimmy Morales issued a statement blaming courts for ignoring an earlier request by his administration to transfer youthful offenders to other facilities, suggesting the deaths could have been avoided if such youths had not been present. "Before the fire, the government had asked the appropriate authorities to immediately transfer youthful offenders to other detention centers, to avoid greater consequences," the president's office wrote. "The government regrets the fact that those authorities did not heed that request in an opportune way, something which could have prevented the tragedy." The president declared three days of national mourning. One survivor said male residents had apparently been able to enter at least some of the girls' dormitories before the fire. The 15-year-old girl, who asked that her name not be used, was being taken to a hospital in Guatemala City for treatment of minor injuries. She said she and other adolescent girls had taken refuge on a roof for fear of being attacked by male residents and saw the fire break out in a nearby building. "I saw the smoke in the place," she said. "It smelled like flesh." Distraught parents waited outside hospitals and the shelter, the Virgen de la Asuncion, which accepted abused, neglected or homeless children as well as those who had completed sentences at juvenile detention centers. Parents begging for information scribbled their children's names on pieces of paper to pass to shelter staff, and hunted for word at two local hospitals and the morgue. Authorities said DNA tests might be necessary for some remains. At Roosevelt Hospital, Dr. Marco Antonio Barrientos asked parents waiting outside for information to come back with photographs, dental records and details about tattoos or other distinctive features. Piedad Estrada, a street vendor, arrived at the hospital with a photograph of her 16-year-old daughter. She said the teen was pregnant and had been at the shelter for nine days because she ran away from home. Estrada searched at the hospitals and the morgue, but got no information. She showed the photo to workers at one hospital, but they said they had five girls who were completely bandaged so they could not be sure. "They only took her from me to burn her," Estrada said. "I blame the state for what has happened." Late Wednesday at the morgue, Patricia Ramirez said her 15-year-old granddaughter Achly Gabriela Mendez Ramirez was one of the dead. She said her daughter, the girl's mother, had identified Achly's burned body at the shelter earlier in the day, but authorities said they would not release her body until there was a DNA test. Ramirez said the family was from a region east of the capital in Jutiapa department and Achly had been at the home for one year. Ambulances hurried to the hospitals throughout the morning carrying the injured, some partially naked, burned bright pink with large flaps of skin hanging from their bodies. Surrounded by trees and a 30-foot wall, the Virgin of the Assumption Safe Home was built to hold 500 young residents, but at the time of the fire housed at least 800. Complaints about abuse and living conditions at the shelter have been frequent. Jorge de Leon, Guatemala's human rights prosecutor, said in a statement that at least 102 children had been located after escaping from the shelter but more had managed to flee. He said younger children fled the shelter because they were being abused by older residents. "According to what they say, the bigger kids have control and they attack them constantly," de Leon wrote. "They also complain that food is scarce and of poor quality." In 2013, a 14-year-old girl was murdered at the facility. Investigators said the girl was strangled by one of the other residents. radio shack.jpg Associated Press photo (Associated Press) RadioShack on Wednesday filed for bankruptcy for the second time in less than three years and said it will close about 200 stores, the Associated Press reported early Thursday. The troubled electronics retailer based on Fort Worth, Texas, will be left with 1,300 stories, although it is also evaluating the future of those, according to the AP. The company said it has cut costs and stabilized operations since its 2015 bankruptcy. But several problems, including a partnership with Sprint Wireless that didn't go as well as expected, contributed to the continued struggle, the company said. RadioShack is owned by a hedge fund which acquired its trademark and many of its stores following the 2015 bankruptcy. Several RadioShack stores in the Harrisburg region were part of the round of closings in 2015. WILLIAMSPORT -- A man who fatally shot a man after being lured into an ambush has been acquitted except for two weapons-related counts on which he conceded guilt. It took a Lycoming County jury of 11 women and one man a little more than three hours Wednesday evening to acquit Dustan Paulhamus, 22, of Williamsport on charges of voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault and possession of an instrument of crime. "There were no winners," Chief Public Defender William J. Miele said after the verdict was read. "One side lost a child and the other will have to live the rest of his life with what he did." Paulhamus is to be sentenced May 10 on charges of possessing a firearm without a license and tampering with evidence, on which he was found guilty. He conceded during the three-day trial he did not have a license to carry the handgun used in the shooting. The tampering count was filed because he discarded the weapon. Paulhamnus, who testified in his own behalf, claimed he acted in self-defense after being blindsided by three men in the Williamsport apartment of an ex-girlfriend on Aug. 4, 2015. The prosecution pointed out William "Chaz" Sawyer, who was fatally shot, was not involved in the assault but videoed the beating with his cell phone. However, there was testimony the former girlfriend, Kirsten Sedlock, asked Tyler W. Cagle, Thomas Carstetter and Sawyer to be in her apartment in the 2500 block of Federal Avenue when Paulhamus arrived to pick up his belongings. Carstetter, who according to Cagle jumped Paulhamus first, is awaiting trial on voluntary manslaughter and other charges. Assistant District Attorney Martin Wade conceded Paulhamus had been beaten and told jurors there was no excuse for what happened to him. But, he said, Paulhamus pulled out the handgun and fired two shots after the assault had ended. Although Cagle was wounded in the chest, charges against Paulhamus related only to Sawyer's death. Cagle and Sedlock have agreed to plead guilty to charges from the incident, court records show. Paulhamus left after the shooting but later, in the company of his mother, surrendered to police. There was testimony that all those involved in the beating and shooting had lied to police about what had occurred. Judge Marc F. Lovecchio said he would consider a motion to set bail for Paulhamus in this case. He was held without bail when he was charged, but that was changed to $25,000 unsecured in November 2015. Bail was revoked in January after he was charged by city police with terroristic threats, harassment and disorderly conduct involving a fight. Bail was set at $100,000 on those charges, on which a preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 6. UPDATE: Service has been restored. Numerous law enforcement and government agencies across the U.S. have reported that AT&T customers are unable to reach 911 from their cell phones, according to an abc news report. The Dallas-based company issued the following statement just before 10 p.m. on Wednesday: "Aware of issue affecting some calls to 911 for wireless customers. Working to resolve ASAP. We apologize to those affected." A spokesman for AT&T could not immediately provide more details on how many states have been affected by the outage or when the problem would be fixed. Agencies in Florida, Tennessee, Washington, D.C and Pennsylvania have reported that they have been affected by the outage and have provided alternative emergency numbers. Officials in Montgomery, Chester, and Delaware Counties said AT&T wireless customers were unable to make 911 calls Wednesday night, according to a philly.com report. In Montgomery County, the alternative emergency number is 610-635-4300 until further notice. In Chester County, it was 610-692-5100. In Delaware County, the number to call was 610 565-6500, the report said. Senator Bob Casey Jr. meets with PennLive Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Bob Casey Jr. meets with PennLive staff to talk about issues he is working on in the Senate, Feb. 8, 2016.Mark Pynes | mpynes@pennlive.com (Mark Pynes | mpynes@pennlive.com) Sen. Bob Casey Jr., D-Pa., on Wednesday went on a tweeting rampage slamming President Trump's Republican-backed healthcare bill. In more than 67 tweets - and counting - Casey noted on Twitter the amount each county across Pennsylvania stands to lose under the newly unveiled American Health Care Act, which is poised to replace former President Obama's signature healthcare bill, the Affordable Care Act. Using the hashtag for the newly minted moniker #Trumpcare, Casey said the plan (specifically its age tax) would result in 50-64 year-olds in Dauphin County to lose $9,970 in credits and pay 71 percent more. Casey ended almost every tweet with #noagetax. The GOP plan would potentially allow insurers to make premiums for older Americans five times more what they charge younger counterparts. Obama's health bill capped the so-called "age rating" ratio at 3 to 1. Casey was not alone in the discord department. Pennsylvania lawmakers Rep. Charlie Dent, R-15th, and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-8th, are among an estimated 15 House Republicans who are uncertain as to their support of the GOP plan. Dent on Wednesday said he is continuing to "thoroughly" review and evaluate the bill. With several organizations coming out in opposition of the Republican plan, including the American Medical Association, the vote margin on the plan is currently a tight one. GOP leadership cannot afford more than 21 defections in the House and two in the Senate, The Hill reports. The American Medical Association, one of the nation's top doctors' group, along with at least seven hospital groups urged lawmakers to reconsider provisions of the law, in particular drastic changes to Medicaid, the government-sponsored health insurance for low-income Americans. The hospital groups include the Catholic Health Association of the United States. SHAMOKIN DAM -- A former school bus driver in the Selinsgrove Area School District has been charged with possessing hundreds of images of teenage boys engaged in sexual activity. Kenneth H. Beaver, 50, of Shamokin Dam, was jailed Wednesday in lieu of $125,000 bail on 242 counts of possession of child pornography and one of criminal use of a communications facility. The investigation that led to the charges began in March 2014, when a bus driver in training reported to the school district that Beaver showed him pornographic images of children on his iPhone while waiting for school to be dismissed. That individual did the right thing in reporting it, said School Superintendent Chad Cohrs. Beaver was not a district employee, he said, but worked for Sharitz Bus Service of Selinsgrove, which fired him. Beaver is accused of having 227 still and video pornographic images of boys that he had downloaded from the internet beginning in 2001. Selinsgrove police initiated the investigation because it was contacted by the school district but turned it over to Shamokin Dam police when Beaver advised investigators he had a computer at home, the arrest affidavit states. One of the sexual images on his phone, which was seized with a search warrant ,was of a known 16-year-old boy from North Carolina, police said. Beaver admitted when interviewed he may have child pornography on a computer in his home and provided names of internet sites he frequented, they said. The delay in filing the charges was caused by the time it took for the state Attorney General's computer forensics lab to analyze the images, Shamokin Dam police Chief Tim Bremigen said. Before filing charges, an opinion was obtained from a doctor at the Children's Advocacy Center in Sunbury that the images he was viewed were males under the age of 18, the chief said. batts.jpg Qu'eed Batts is led into Northampton County Court in 2009. (File/lehighvalleylive.com) The fate of hundreds of juvenile killers who are serving life sentences in Pennsylvania's prisons will hinge on the outcome of the case of one murderer who was 14 years old when he gunned down a fellow teen. His name is Qu'eed Batts. He's 26 now, and the state Supreme Court is considering how to handle his re-sentencing in the face of two U.S. Supreme Court decisions that bar automatic life prison terms without parole for killers who were under 18 when they committed murders. Prosecutors and defense attorneys across Pennsylvania are holding off on resentencing other juvenile killers pending the directions the court is expected to hand out when it rules on the Batts case. That holding pattern is mostly in force in Dauphin and Cumberland counties, which must address cases dating back decades. The only exception came last month when 52-year-old Christopher Nolan, who served 34 years of a life sentence for a robber/murder he committed in Dauphin County as a teen in the early 1980s, was paroled after being re-sentenced to 25 years to life. Action on the cases of the other 15 juvenile lifers convicted in Dauphin and Cumberland counties must await the Batts ruling, district attorneys and defense lawyers said. "Everybody is hoping that will provide us with guidance," Cumberland County DA David Freed said. Some might say that guidance is overdue. It has been nearly five years since the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Miller v Alabama barred the imposition of automatic life prison terms on juveniles convicted of homicide. The nation's highest court found that such penalties amount to cruel and unusual punishment that is barred by the Constitution. The justices based their 2012 decision in Miller on findings that the brains of juveniles are not as fully developed as those of adults. After the Miller ruling, Pennsylvania's Supreme Court ruled that it did not apply retroactively, meaning juvenile killers convicted and sentenced before the 2012 decision had no recourse for reducing their sentences. That changed in January 2016, when the U.S. Supreme Court issued another ruling in the case of Montgomery v Louisiana requiring that all juvenile murderers get a shot at resentencing and parole regardless of when their crimes and convictions occurred. Batts' resentencing plea is seen as the test case for how that will be accomplished in Pennsylvania, which has roughly 500 prisoners affected by the Miller and Montgomery decisions. The state Supreme Court justices heard arguments on the Batts case this past December. Dauphin County District Attorney Ed Marsico said he and Chief Public Defender Brad Winnick have agreed to wait for the Batts decision before taking on the bulk of the resentencings pending in their county. Once the Batts ruling comes down, "Our plan is to look at the oldest cases first, to see if there is a possible resolution," Marsico said. "We've gotten information from the Department of Corrections on how (the defendants) have done in prison. We're working with the victim advocate." Winnick said his office has already had contact with all the affected lifers. Video conferences also have been held with those clients, he said. "The strategy we've been following is to review each client's case on its own merits and deal with this (resentencing) on a case by case basis according to the individual circumstances," he said. Some cases will likely be resolved through negotiations with Marsico's office, but others are expected to be hashed out in court battles, Winnick said. He said Christopher Nolan's resentencing and release had much to do with his good behavior behind bars. "He had a really excellent prison adjustment," Winnick said. That's not atypical, said Winnick, who questioned the wisdom and financial sense of sending teenage killers to prison for life. The prison disciplinary records of those who have spent much of their lives behind bars show whether they have reformed and are good gauges to apply to resentencings, he said. "Statistics show people age out of crime," he said. "These guys aged out of misconduct." The resentencing requirements don't mean all the juvenile killers will be walking out of prison. The U.S. Supreme Court rulings only require that they be given a shot at parole, but they do not guarantee they will be found eligible for release. They also are likely to be on probation for the rest of their lives, so any further crimes would send them back to prison. As Freed noted, the post-Miller/Montgomery standard sentence range for juveniles convicted of first-degree murder is 35 years to life. Prisoners have to file motions with the court to obtain resentencing hearings, "which about all of them have done," he said. While awaiting the Batts decision, Freed said, his office has had "fruitful" negotiations with attorneys for Dontae Chambers, who was 17 when he was convicted as an accomplice to the 2000 murder of a Shippensburg man. Chambers, now 34, had been offered a plea deal for a less-than-life sentence before his trial, Freed noted. "He had a good offer from us and he made a bad call and turned it down," the DA said. He said he expects considerably more contention over the cases of his county's other juvenile killers, John Waters and Ronnie Johnson. "I believe those will be full-blown sentencing hearings," Freed said. Waters, now 52, beat an 11-year-old boy to death in Hampden Township in 1983 when he was 17. Johnson was 17 when he shot and killed a man in Carlisle's Memorial Park in 1998. He's now 36. The oldest of Dauphin County's 12 still-jailed juvenile killers is Foster Tarver, now 66, who was sentenced to life in prison in 1969. York County has 11 juvenile lifers, the oldest being 60-year-old Scott Griffin, who began his sentence in 1975. Michael Kutenits, 58, the eldest of Lebanon County's four teen killers, has been behind bars since 1976. In Lancaster County, that dubious honor among the county's 11 juvenile lifers is held by 55-year-old Gregory Sourbeer, who began his sentence in 1977. The longest-serving juvenile lifer in Pennsylvania -- and the world -- is 79-year-old Joseph Ligon, who was convicted for killing two men in Philadelphia when he was 15. He's been jailed since 1953. Last fall, Ligon made news by rejecting an offer for a 50-year-to-life sentence with immediate parole. Ligon said he wants to be released without any conditions. WEST CHESTER - How do you pick a jury to hear the case of Eric Frein? After police say he shot two state troopers - one of them fatally - and led authorities on a 40-plus-day manhunt through the wilderness of the Poconos, his face appeared on billboards and his name was a staple in the news. There are likely very few in Pennsylvania who are not at least passingly familiar with the case. But jury selections started today in an effort to find the right 12 jurors and six alternates who will hear his case and impartially and fairly decide his fate. Frein, 33, is facing the death penalty after authorities say on Sept. 12, 2014, he killed Cpl. Bryon K. Dickson II and injured Trooper Alex T. Douglass in an ambush at the Blooming Grove state police barracks. Read more about the Eric Frein case. The prosecution and defense agreed to select a jury in Chester County and transport those jurors to Pike County for Frein's trial, which will commence April 3. Trial is expected to run four or five weeks, followed by a one to two week penalty phase should Frein be found guilty of first-degree murder, which is punishable by death. Court officials in Chester County have summoned 1,200 potential jurors. About 104 showed up for the first round of questioning today. A different group is expected to go through the same process on Friday. Individual questioning of the Thursday and Friday groups starts on Monday. If a jury panel is not selected, two more days of group questioning with two different batches of potential jurors are scheduled for March 16 and 17. Court officials say 300 were summoned for each day of group questions, but many had already been excused for reasons like family issues, illness and vacations that had already been planned. Before the jurors were led into the courtroom today, sheriff's deputies escorted in Frein, who was dressed in a dark grey suit with a light green shirt. One of his attorneys, Michael Weinstein, straightened Frein's tie before they took their seats at the defense table, flipping through some documents and sharing a joke at one point. Frein looked groomed and neat with a short haircut and glasses - a far cry from the mugshot released after his capture following the manhunt through the Poconos. Pike County Judge Gregory Chelak kicked off the group questioning just after 10:30 a.m. When he asked how many in the group of 104 heard about Frein's case on television, 71 stood up to indicate that they had. In that group, 44 had seen internet reports about Frein and 23 read about it in the newspaper. And when Chelak asked if any jurors would have religious, moral or contentious objections that would prevent them from imposing a penalty of death, 37 stood. Jury selections will resume at 1 p.m. with more group questioning. Follow PennLive.com for updates. West Earl Township fire crews are battling a 2-alarm blaze at a home next to the fire department. The fire broke out at around 12:30 p.m. on the first block of School Lane Avenue in West Earl Township, according to Lancaster County Dispatches. One person sustained burns during the fire, according to a WGAL report. Two vehicles and a garage were destroyed, in addition to the home. The siding on a neighboring home was also damaged by the intensity of the flames, according to a FOX43 report. Three adults and five children were displaced as a result of the fire. LancasterOnline.com reported that some Brownstown Elementary School students were outside for recess when the fire broke out. Those students were brought in and others who were inside were taken to a wing away from the fire, according to the report. Crews rescued rabbits & a little girl's teddy bear @fox43 pic.twitter.com/t5kLYuKWrr -- Leah Kirstein (@LeahMKirstein) March 9, 2017 Crews rescued rabbits & a little girl's teddy bear @fox43 pic.twitter.com/t5kLYuKWrr -- Leah Kirstein (@LeahMKirstein) March 9, 2017 Fire in East Earl Twp home, 2 cars & garage destroyed. Siding on new gobies home melted @fox43 pic.twitter.com/C1JXZtFdhI -- Leah Kirstein (@LeahMKirstein) March 9, 2017 Homeowner says his 18yo son has burns on back after running through fire to get hose to put it out. Hear from the dad @4,5,6. @WGAL pic.twitter.com/0GTo70bUgK -- Katelyn Smith (@KatelynWGAL) March 9, 2017 Rob McCord Rob McCord resigned with two years left in his second term as state treasurer before pleading guilty in February 2015 to two counts of attempted extortion. (PennLive archives) Four former Pennsylvania treasurers, including one who is now a U.S. senator, are on the list of potential prosecution witnesses to be called for a federal trial over the alleged bribery of ex-Treasurer Rob McCord. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Consiglio ticked off their names Thursday morning as jury selection began in the case against Richard Ireland, a Coatesville businessman charged with using hidden campaign contributions to influence McCord. Consiglio said McCord, who is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to his own federal corruption charges, is on the witness list. The Democrat is expected to be the prosecution's key witness during the trial in U.S. Middle District Judge John E. Jones III's courtroom in Harrisburg. The other ex-treasurers on Consiglio's roster are Barbara Hafer, who is awaiting trial on federal charges of lying to the FBI and the IRS, U.S. Sen Bob Casey Jr., and Robin Weissman. Defense attorney Reid Weingarten told the prospective jurors that those names, and some of the other prosecution witnesses Consiglio cited, also are on his roster. Jones told the jury prospects the trial of the 80-year-old Ireland is expected to last two to three weeks. Ireland was indicted last year on charges that he made more than $500,000 in secret campaign contributions to McCord to steer millions of dollars in state investments to asset management firms affiliated with Ireland. Investigators claim Ireland also promised to put McCord on his payroll after McCord left public office. McCord resigned as treasurer and pleaded guilty in early 2015 to federal charges for threatening to use the power of his office against potential donors who didn't contribute to his failed 2014 campaign for governor. He has been cooperating with the feds in investigating government corruption while awaiting sentencing. Jones gave the jury candidates a thumbnail sketch of the accusations against Ireland, then asked them if they knew anything about the case through the news media or other sources. Only one man, a state employee, raised his hand. Testimony is expected to begin Friday. HARRISBURG -- A senior state lawmaker on Wednesday questioned the handling of a cheating scandal at the Pennsylvania State Police Academy and said he wanted an independent review into the dismissal of some cadets. Rep. Joseph Petrarca, D-Westmoreland, raised the matter with state police brass during a House Appropriations Committee hearing, about a month after the state inspector general's office reported cadets had received test answers in advance from academy instructors, troopers and cadets from more senior classes. In his comments to Commissioner Tyree Blocker, Petrarca said dismissed cadets believe they were punished for something they had been encouraged to do, looking at study guides from other cadet classes. Petrarca, the ranking Democrat on the House committee that handles state police matters, said dismissed cadets believe that fellow cadets who ultimately graduated and became troopers did the same thing. Former cadets had their lifelong dream of becoming a trooper taken from them, and "they certainly object to the way that was done," Petrarca told Blocker. Blocker did not answer Petrarca during the hearing. In an interview afterward, Blocker said graduated cadets did not do the same things as cadets who were dismissed. "My fundamental principle is cadets that resigned resigned of their free will and volition," Blocker said. "Those that were dismissed were dismissed for cause." On the idea of an independent review, Blocker said, "we can certainly have some broader discussions regarding that." Petrarca did not say what sort of agency or organization could provide the review. But, he said, he wanted to meet with Blocker about it. With about 6,000 uniformed and civilian personnel, the Pennsylvania State Police is one of the nation's largest law enforcement agencies. More than 40 cadets from the academy's 144th class, which began in September 2015 and was due to graduate in March 2016, were dismissed or resigned. No instructor, trooper or cadet from another class was dismissed, Blocker has said. In its report, the inspector general's office showed the state police cited 16 dismissed cadets for interfering with an investigation. Fifteen were cited for providing false information. Many of the cadets categorized as resigned were cited for both violations, as well. The state police began an internal investigation after an academy staff member found a folded, handwritten piece of paper in a hallway in December 2015 that was determined to be a cheat sheet containing 20 answers on a traffic law test, according to the inspector general's office. Blocker later invited the investigation by the inspector general, which investigates complaints about fraud, waste and misconduct in state agencies. In its Feb. 3 report, the inspector general's office said providing answers to cadets in advance had become commonplace. Nearly all members of the 144th class who were interviewed -- 51 of 57 -- said instructors, troopers or academy staff provided test answers or study guides that mirrored a test. Nearly all said prior classes received similar information. Test content did not change, sometimes for years. The state police field guide says members should not "furnish" test answers, but the academy lacked additional guidelines or an instructors' manual that outlined what type of information could be provided to cadets in advance, the report said. A man has been charged with injuring a 9-month-old child under his care, according to the Lebanon County Detective Bureau. Justin Lee Rosencrance, 31, of West Cornwall Township, has been charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and endangering the welfare of a child. Investigators said the child was injured at Rosencrance's home in December. "The injuries include a subdural hemorrhage, retinal hemorrhages and neck and ear bruising," investigators said. Additional information was not provided. Rosencrance has been placed in the Lebanon County Correctional Facility on $25,000 bail. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for March 30. 1switchbladejpg-6278a23f0e0393d7.jpg A state appeals court had ruled that Pennsylvania's ban on switchblade knives does not violate the constitutional right to bear arms. William Battle probably wishes he'd emptied his pockets before entering the Pike County Administration Building in July 2014. But he didn't, and a sheriff's deputy quickly noticed the switchblade knife with a 4-inch blade that Battle pulled from his pants as he prepared to go through the metal detector. The deputy charged Battle with possessing a prohibited offensive weapon, since under state law it is illegal to have a switchblade knife of any kind. The 25-year-old Tamiment man was convicted of the crime and sentenced to 1 to 3 years in prison. On Thursday, a state Superior Court panel shot down Battle's claim that his conviction, and the state law on which it was based, violates his constitutional right to keep and bear arms. Judge Lillian Harris Ransom wrote in the state court's opinion that, despite Battle's claim he had the knife for self defense, switchblade knives are commonly used only for attack. So, she concluded, no law-abiding citizen is justified in carrying one. The decision marks Battle's second failed bid to invoke the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. A county judge also rejected that argument. "Offensive weapons are not covered by the constitutional right to bear arms," Ransom wrote. She cited the section of the Pennsylvania Crime Code that bans the possession of "a dagger, knife, razor or cutting instrument, the blade of which is exposed in an automatic way by switch, push-button, spring mechanism or otherwise." "While it is conceivable that (Battle) possessed a switchblade knife for self defense, that is not a switchblade's common purpose," Ransom wrote. Here are the knives that are legal, illegal to own in Pennsylvania Christian Alexandersen, PennLive Ranking the colleges in Pennsylvania While many college students in Pennsylvania attempt to complete their degrees within four years, many are lagging behind. College Board, a not-for-profit college preparedness organization, conducted a study to find the percentage of students that graduated with a bachelor's degree in four years. The study looked at four-year graduation rates for hundreds of colleges throughout the country using data collected between 2009 to 2012. More than 100 colleges and universities were studied in Pennsylvania. They included major state colleges and small private institutions. Here is a breakdown of the Pennsylvania colleges and universities graduation rates, from the highest to the lowest. Don't Edit PennLive photo archive Haverford College - 89 percent Swarthmore College - 88 percent University of Pennsylvania - 88 percent Bucknell University - 88 percent Lafayette College - 87 percent Don't Edit Villanova University - 85 percent Muhlenberg College - 81 percent Dickinson College - 80 percent Gettysburg College - 80 percent Franklin & Marshall College - 80 percent Don't Edit Bryn Mawr College - 79 percent Grove City College - 78 percent Lehigh University - 77 percent Susquehanna University - 76 percent Ursinus College - 76 percent Don't Edit PennLive photo archive Saint Josephs University - 72 percent Juniata College - 72 percent Messiah College - 71 percent University of Scranton - 71 percent Allegheny College - 71 percent Don't Edit Don't Edit Moravian College - 71 percent Carnegie Mellon University - 70 percent Elizabethtown College - 70 percent Washington & Jefferson College - 69 percent Lebanon Valley College - 68 percent Don't Edit St. Vincent College - 64 percent Westminster College - 63 percent Penn State University Park - 63 percent Duquesne University - 62 percent Lycoming College - 62 percent Don't Edit PennLive photo archive Kings College - 61 percent DeSales University - 60 percent University of Pittsburgh - 60 percent Mercyhurst University - 59 percent Misericordia University - 58 percent Don't Edit Eastern University 57 percent La Salle University - 55 percent Arcadia University - 55 percent Rosemont College - 54 percent St. Francis University - 53 percent Don't Edit Geneva College - 52 percent Chatham University - 52 percent Albright College - 52 percent Marywood University - 51 percent Gannon University - 50 percent Don't Edit Don't Edit PennLive photo archive Waynesburg University - 50 percent Wilkes University - 50 percent Immaculata University - 49 percent Gwynedd-Mercy College - 46 percent Cedar Crest College - 46 percent Don't Edit Cabrini College - 45 percent Philadelphia University - 44 percent Delaware Valley College - 43 percent Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania - 43 percent Penn State Erie, The Behrend College - 43 percent Don't Edit Penn State Altoona - 43 percent Baptist Bible College of Pennsylvania - 42 percent Holy Family University - 42 percent Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania - 42 percent West Chester University of Pennsylvania - 41 percent Don't Edit PennLive photo archive York College of Pennsylvania - 41 percent Seton Hill University - 40 percent Point Park University - 40 percent Widener University - 40 percent Alvernia University - 38 percent Don't Edit Wilson College - 38 percent University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown - 38 percent Robert Morris University - 37 percent Carlow University - 37 percent Millersville University of Pennsylvania - 37 percent Don't Edit Don't Edit Temple University - 37 percent East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania - 37 percent Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania - 36 percent Penn State Harrisburg - 35 percent Chestnut Hill College - 34 percent Don't Edit PennLive photo archive Penn State Berks - 34 percent La Roche College - 33 percent Neumann University - 33 percent California University of Pennsylvania - 32 percent Kutztown University of Pennsylvania - 32 percent Don't Edit University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg - 32 percent Keystone College - 31 percent Indiana University of Pennsylvania - 31 percent Mansfield University of Pennsylvania - 30 percent Penn State Hazleton - 29 percent Don't Edit Thiel College - 28 percent Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania - 28 percent Clarion University of Pennsylvania - 28 percent Pennsylvania College of Technology - 27 percent Penn State Beaver - 27 percent Don't Edit Eric Berg/wikimedia commons Penn State Wilkes-Barre - 27 percent University of Pittsburgh at Bradford - 27 percent Penn State Lehigh Valley - 26 percent Drexel University - 26 percent Penn State New Kensington - 25 percent Don't Edit Don't Edit Penn State Schuylkill - 24 percent Penn State Abington - 24 percent Edinboro University of Pennsylvania - 24 percent Penn State Greater Allegheny - 23 percent Penn State Worthington Scranton - 23 percent Don't Edit After negotiations between the State System of Higher Education and the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties failed, faculty at state universities in Pennsylvania went on strike -- including Cheyney University. on Oct. 19, 2016. Cairn University - 22 percent Lincoln University - 21 percent University of the Sciences in Philadelphia- 17 percent Penn State Brandywine - 15 percent Bryn Athyn College 13 percent Cheyney University of Pennsylvania - 13 percent Don't Edit The science center at Cheyney University. Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, in Chester County, is a charter member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and the oldest historically black college/university in the nation. February 24, 2017. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com Read more Read more on Pennsylvania's state-owned universities, and the concerns over the future oil some of the 14 colleges: Can historic Cheyney University be saved? Explore Pa.'s 14 state-owned universities Why Cheyney deserves to survive: alumni, students, faculty make their case shutterstock_593878034.jpg As Democrats in the Pennsylvania state Senate continue to grapple with the fallout of a crippling cyber-attack, their Republican colleagues are also looking to shore up their own security. Republicans who control the 50-member chamber met with their own information technology staff to discuss the attack on the Democrats' computer systems, which are being held for ransom by so-far unidentified hackers. "This is sensitive stuff," said Drew Crompton, the top aide to Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson, the chamber's presiding officer. "Our [computer] systems are two, different universes, so we've assured [members and staff] that we're not affected." The attack on the Democrats' computer system crashed their email and websites remained offline as of Wednesday. Staffers and lawmakers found end-arounds by working off personal laptops and cell phones. Senate leaders have said they don't intend to pay the unspecified ransom demand made during the attack - even though they risk losing troves of valuable data if they fail to comply. "In the short term, it's like a speed bump but we're able to pretty much keep doing what we do," Steve Hoenstine, an aide to Sen. Daylin Leach, D-Montgomery, said Wednesday. "In the long-term, there are questions, for instance, about pending grants. We'd like to get those files back if we can." In a brief interview Wednesday, Crompton said he sympathized with the Democrats' plight. There's also a vigorous internal debate about how much security to slap on government computers, he said. Crompton drew a parallel between the hacking attack and the escapades of a vandal who broke into the Capitol last month and set off a fire extinguisher, shuttering Senate offices. "How much safety do we want and how much do we want to be inconvenienced?" he mused, acknowledging that the hacking attack was far more serious than the fire extinguisher incident. Senate IT staff could impose far more stringent cyber-security measures, Crompton said, though such moves would slow down the pace of work and frustrate staff and lawmakers alike. Similarly, the state could, like officials in Washington D.C. have, severely restrict access to the Capitol after-hours and on weekends in response to the fire extinguisher incident. Both would likely mean more spending in an already tight budget year. "Everyone is vulnerable to a point," he said. "We're looking at other [security] measures." michael-coard (1).jpg Michael Coard, a 1982 Cheyney alumnus, holds himself up as an example of what Cheyney University's mission is and why it needs to continue to exist. (Michael Coard's Facebook ) When it comes to explaining Cheyney's mission, its purpose, it's reason for existing, Michael Coard holds himself up as an example. He was a poor black kid growing up in a financially depressed section of North Philadelphia, in a neighborhood was filled with people who never made much of their lives. It wasn't until he went to Cheyney University that he saw black women as mathematics professors and a black man, like his father, serve as a school president. At Cheyney, Coard said he didn't worry about a white professor giving him a lower grade than he deserved because of the color of his skin. His race proved no obstacle in getting elected to student government, or to being appointed as the council of trustees' student representative. "That wouldn't have happened at Shippensburg and Millersville and West Chester or IUP," said Coard, now a criminal defense lawyer in Philadelphia who serves as the spokesman for Heeding Cheyney's Call, an activist group of university supporters. "I'm not saying white students are racist but white students are not inclined to vote for a black student to lead student government. But that could happen at Cheyney." Cheyney tailored his academic program, enabling him to graduate with a bachelor's in education and one in political science by taking just one extra semester of classes. Upon graduation in 1982, he was awarded a full scholarship to Ohio State University's School of Law. "Once I realized academically what I could do, now I got this confidence. I had this what I call a Muhammed Ali-type of arrogance that I'm the greatest," he said. "I got two damn degrees not just one. Now when I go to Ohio State, I'm like yeah, bring it on. I was not only able to compete with these bright white students from these major universities but in many cases, excel. So for me, schools like Cheyney and other HBCUs [historically black colleges and universities] provide that foundation that a white school can't." It's intangibles like these that Cheyney students and faculty cite when they make the case for keeping this university around and making it more viable. "Cheyney changes lives," said faculty member B.J. Mullaney. She has seen it time and again as students that have passed through the school come back later to thank her for helping to transform their lives. "Cheyney is a place where you can see that you make a difference," said Mullaney, an information systems librarian who is the campus faculty union president. "I've been other places in my career but here more so, you can see individuals who take chances and grow." Nearly in tears, Mullaney talks about her fears that Cheyney's mission of serving a broad pool of low-income minority students, many of them first-generation students, is under attack. The university, part of the State System of Higher Education, is beset by financial woes, a shrinking student population, an accreditation on probation, and other problems at a time when the system is looking to reorganize to make the whole more financially viable. She's worried they won't look beyond Cheyney's bottom line to what makes it unique and valuable. "I think it's good for all segments of society to have a place that acknowledges that they are a valued person and citizen," she said. Cheyney serves that purpose particularly for minority students who need a nurturing environment to succeed academically. Caitlin Schmall, one of the few white students enrolled at Cheyney, came there from predominately white Northampton Area High School. The senior fashion merchandising and management major chose it because it was one of the few fashion programs she could get into, given her lack of experience. She didn't even think about it being a historically black university at first. "After being here for four years, I'm glad I came because I got to learn more things that I didn't learn in school," she said. "I got a more eye-opening experience." Because of the school's small size, students and faculty form strong bonds that make it easy to pass up opportunities to transfer to other schools with more programs or better facilities. Staying, they say, makes them stronger and more resilient. Senior Shaneeka Briggs, 22 of Yonkers, N.Y., speaks of the joke around campus that if you can make it at Cheyney, you can make it anywhere. Psychology associate professor Christopher Barnes agrees. "It represents the fact that education for minorities and African Americans has always been a struggle to attain and the fact they are here and struggling through it kind of makes them appreciate it more," he said. "It makes them much more confident they can succeed anywhere else." Barnes, who taught at Lock Haven University for a year before joining Cheyney's faculty 11 years ago, said his experience in working at Cheyney will likely be the highlight of his career. With all the negative publicity the school gets and the concern about its survival, he said leaving for a more financially stable institution may be appealing, but he sees how hard faculty are working to keep it going. "My heart would sink if two years later, five years later or even 10 years later, I look around and see Cheyney University is viable. It's been turned around. Cheyney University means so much to me that I would rather be here when it's thriving," he said. So he said leaving for him isn't an option "because I would feel I'm turning my back on the institution especially when it needs me the most." Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com Since its founding in 1837, Cheyney has graduated more than 30,000 students as well as educated others who attended classes. The following slides highlights some of its alums who have gone on to make their mark in their various fields. Don't Edit Ed Bradley The late Ed Bradley, a news journalist and longtime correspondent of the CBS program 60 Minutes," graduated from Cheyney in 1964. The university honored this famed alumnus by naming the campus television studio after him in 2011. Don't Edit Cheyney University Robert Bogle Robert Bogle, chairman, president and CEO of The Philadelphia Tribune, the nations oldest newspaper serving the black community, and chairman of the Cheyney University Council of Trustees. He is listed as a 1975 alumnus. Don't Edit Pedro Rivera Pedro Rivera, Pennsylvania's education secretary, earned his master's in education administration from Cheyney University. Don't Edit Audrey Bronson Audrey Bronson, an ordained minister and consecrated bishop and founder and pastor of the Sanctuary Church of the Open Door, earned her bachelor's degree from Cheyney. She also taught at the university for 17 years, retiring in 1984 as an associate professor of psychology. She serves on the State System of Higher Education's governing board and is a Cheyney trustee. Don't Edit Don't Edit Thaddeus Kirkland Thaddeus Kirkland, a former state House member who served for 24 years representing Delaware County, earned his degree from Cheyney in 1990. He is now the mayor of Chester. Don't Edit Photo provided by University of Nebraska at Kearney Gladys Styles Johnston Gladys Styles Johnston earned her bachelor's from Cheyney and later went on to become chancellor of the University of Nebraska at Kearney. She retired from that position in 2002. Don't Edit www.replewis.com Harry Lewis Rep. Harry Lewis, R-Philadelphia, earned his master's in education administration from Cheyney in 1999. The former Coatesville Area School District principal was first elected to the state House of Representatives in 2014. Don't Edit Robert Traynham Robert Traynham, who earned his political science degree from Cheyney, has worked on presidential and senatorial political campaigns, serves as a political analyst and has hosted, moderated and been a guest on television talk shows focused on politics and Capitol Hill movers and shakers. Don't Edit Randy Monroe A 1987 alumnus, Randy Monroe, a member of Cheyney's Athletic Hall of Fame, is the head coach of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County men's basketball team. Don't Edit Don't Edit Andre Waters The late Andre Waters, a 1984 Cheyney alum, went on to have an 11-year career in the NFL as a safety who played for the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals. Don't Edit Levy Lee Simon Levy Lee Simon, an award-winning playwright, actor, director and screenwriter, is a Cheney alum. He may be best known for his trilogy about the struggle for Haitian independence, For the Love of Freedom. Don't Edit Cheyney University Craig Welburn Craig Welburn, a 1971 Cheyney alum, has owned and operated McDonald's restaurants since 1983. He and his company, Welburn Management, now own 29 McDonald's restaurants in the mid-Atlantic states. Don't Edit St. Louis Rams wide receiver Dominique Curry holds a ball before the start of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans Saturday, Aug. 20, 2011, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) Dominque Curry Although he played three seasons at Cheyney and went on to graduate from California University of Pennsylvania, Cheyney claims him as a notable alum who played in the NFL for the St. Louis Rams in 2010 and 2011. Don't Edit Former Chicago Bear James "Big Cat" Williams arrives for the funeral of Chicago Bears safety Dave Duerson at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago, Saturday, Feb. 25, 2011. Duerson, the four-time Pro Bowl pick who played on Super Bowl winners with the Bears and New York Giants, committed suicide at his Sunny Isles, Fla., home last week. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty) James "Big Cat" Williams James "Big Cat" Williams played in the NFL for the Chicago Bears for 12 seasons from 1991-2002 and made the Pro Bowl roster in 2001. Don't Edit Don't Edit General Assembly archives Hardy Williams The late Sen. Hardy Williams attended Cheyney University before transferring to Penn State, where was the first black player in the school's history. He was elected to the state House of Representatives in 1968 and served there for six terms when he was elected to the state Senate. He retired from the Senate in 1998. Don't Edit Bayard Rustin The late Bayard Rustin, who attended Cheyney, was a civil rights organizer and adviser to Martin Luther King Jr. Don't Edit National Constitution Center Octavius Catto Octavius Catto, an 1858 alumnus of Cheyney's forerunner the Institute for Colored Youth, was an activist who was influential in getting the 15th Amendment passed in 1870 which gave black men the right to vote. Don't Edit Read more Thank you! You've reported this item as a violation of our terms of use. This content was contributed by a user of the site. If you believe this content may be in violation of the terms of use, you may report it. FILE - This Tuesday, March 7, 2017 frame grab from video provided by Arab 24 network, shows U.S. forces patrol on the outskirts of the Syrian town, Manbij, a flashpoint between Turkish troops and allied Syrian fighters and U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters, in al-Asaliyah village, Aleppo province, Syria. Rolling 200 Marines backed with Howitzers into northern Syria, the Trump administration is ditching its predecessorAos style of working quietly behind the scenes in SyriaAos conflict, opting instead for dramatic displays of U.S. force in an attempt to shape the fight. The latest deployment significantly widens AmericaAos footprint in a highly toxic battlefield and risks drawing troops into a long and costly war with unpredictable outcome. (Arab 24 network, via AP, File) Harbor Springs girls take 5th at D4 finals, Boyne's Maginity all-state again in D3 BROOKLYN With all the local talent and teams taking on the Division 4 state championships Saturday, there were expected to be some medals and hardware brought back north. CERAWeek: OPEC eyes U.S. shale firms and hedge funds into talks on glut HOUSTON Petroleumworld.com 03 09 2017 The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is moving to bring U.S. shale producers and hedge funds into widening talks about how best to tame a global oil glut. The group held unprecedented talks with fund executives on Tuesday and earlier held meetings with shale producers, including Pioneer Natural Resources Co and ConocoPhillips. The introductory discussions were the first bilateral meetings with shale producers and investment funds, OPEC Secretary General Mohammed Barkindo said on Tuesday at the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston. The two have become important players in adding production to a world awash in crude oil. Cheap financing for newer producers has forced majors to turn their focus from big, long-term projects to those that can generate quick cash for their investors. Last November, OPEC took initial steps to widen its market reach as it sought to end a two-year price war, striking a historic agreement with 13 non-member countries, including such major oil producing nations as Russia, Kazakhstan and Mexico. Saudi Arabia Oil Minister Khalid al-Falih separately told a group of oil industry executives at the conference that the November pact set a new "cooperative framework" for OPEC to address short-term market turmoil. "All of us realize that such an expanded network of producers with a larger share of global production is the only way to achieve a constructive, stable market for all," he said. The discussions with hedge funds come as their role in U.S. energy has grown. Funds have become major equity financiers of young U.S. oil firms and in some cases owners of production assets in expanding basins including the Permian in West Texas. The outreach is expected to continue. Any decision to extend the OPEC-led production cuts beyond June would have to include the continued participation by the non-OPEC countries, Secretary General Barkindo said. "I think we have broken the ice between ourselves and the industry, particularly the tight oil producers and the hedge funds who have become major players in the oil market," he said in remarks on the conference sidelines. OPEC plans to hold an event to consider the impact of oil futures on physical crude markets, Barkindo said, without providing details. Scott Sheffield, executive chairman of Pioneer, said the meeting on Sunday between shale producers and OPEC officials reflects an extraordinary change in the relationship between the two groups, whose interests sometimes are in conflict. "I've seen more dialogue between OPEC and shale producers this year than ever before," he said. The November deal to reduce output is intended to shave global output by about 1.8 million barrels per day, and reduce a supply estimated to be about 300 million barrels above the norm weighing on crude prices. The six-month agreement took effect on Jan. 1. Compliance with the production curbs among top global oil producers should improve in February from January's level, Barkindo said. Members of the production accord last month reported 86 percent of the reduction target had been met in the early weeks of the agreement. The OPEC-led accord has helped increase crude prices by more than 10 percent since the agreement was struck in November. OPEC plans to meet again in May. EIA: U.S. crude stockpiles soar, gasoline inventory plunges NEW YORK Petroleumworld.com 03 09 2017 U.S. crude oil inventories surged last week to another record high, while gasoline stocks went the other direction, posting their largest one-week drop in nearly six years, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday. Crude inventories rose 8.2 million barrels in the week to March 3, compared with analysts' expectations for a 2 million-barrel build. Most of that - 4.6 million barrels - came from an unexpectedly large surge in stocks on the west coast. The ninth weekly crude build boosted total stockpiles, excluding the nation's strategic petroleum reserves, to a fresh record of 528.4 million barrels. Crude stocks at the Cushing, Oklahoma, delivery hub for U.S. crude futures also rose 867,000 barrels, the EIA said. On the other side of the refining equation, gasoline posted its biggest weekly inventory drawdown since April 2011, with a 6.6 million-barrel drop, owing to strong nationwide demand and reduced refining output on the U.S. East Coast. Analysts in a Reuters poll had forecast a 1.4 million-barrel drop in gasoline stocks. "Crude stocks were bolstered by rebounding imports, while both gasoline and distillates draws were exacerbated by higher implied demand," said Matt Smith, director of commodity research at ClipperData. U.S. crude imports rose last week by 385,000 barrels per day. U.S. gasoline futures rose sharply on the news, hitting a session high of $1.7072 a gallon before backtracking to $1.6899, a 0.6 percent gain on the day, by 11:14 a.m. EST(1614 GMT). U.S crude futures extended losses after the bigger-than-expected build, trading 92 cents lower at $52.22 a barrel. The divergent prices for feedstock and product boosted the gasoline crack spread RBc1-CLc1, an indicator of refining margins, to a one-week high at $18.91 a barrel. Michael Korn, a broker at Sweet Futures in Princeton, New Jersey, said if crude inventories continue to rise, it could benefit crack spreads if gasoline stocks fall as demand rises. That would help refiners, who were hurt by weak margins last year due to oversupply, as the summer driving season approaches. Refinery crude runs slipped by 172,000 bpd as utilization rates edged down 0.1 percentage point to 85.9 percent of total capacity, EIA data showed. Distillate stockpiles, which include diesel and heating oil, fell by 2.7 million barrels, three times more than forecast. CERAWeek: Bolivia looking for new natgas clients as Petrobras cutbacks HOUSTON Petroleumworld.com 03 09 2017 Bolivia is scrambling to find new buyers for its natural gas after Brazil's state-run oil company signaled it plans to reduce imports from the neighboring country, Bolivia's state-owned YPFB Chaco said on Wednesday. An existing contract between YPFB Chaco and Petroleo Brasileiro SA, known as Petrobras, involves 30 million cubic meters per day of gas supply under a take-or-pay mechanism, turning Brazil into the main buyer of Bolivian gas. It expires in 2019. But as Petrobras' own gas production increases, it has notified YPFB that it will not renew the contract under the same terms, forcing the Bolivian firm to find new buyers in Brazil. "The contract with Brazil worries us. We are currently negotiating with Petrobras the terms for a new contract or an addendum to the existent contract," said Oscar Claros, general manager of YPFB Chaco on the sidelines of the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston. Prices to Petrobras after 2019 have not yet been agreed, while "many potential buyers" also in Brazil are involved in the talks, Claros added. "We could finally set different prices for many customers, which is good for us, but it will take time to have more than five contracts ready," Claros said. On the other hand, Argentina's demand for imported gas keeps growing, but the contract that has allowed it to import Bolivian gas at a very competitive price compared with purchases of liquefied natural gas (LNG) will not expire until 2026. In the long run, LNG facilities to export Bolivian gas look like the only solution to its dependence on a few regional customers, Claros said. "That is an alternative, but it is not yet mature. Petrobras confident accounting practices correct -CFO SAO PAULO Petroleumworld.com 03 09 2017 Brazil's state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA is "confident" its financial reporting is in line with regulation, its chief financial officer said on Wednesday, after securities regulator CVM questioned its hedging practices. CVM had asked Petrobras, as the company is known, to restate its annual financial statements for 2013, 2014 and 2015 to include the impact of hedging transactions. Chief Financial Officer Ivan Monteiro told reporters Petrobras would appeal the CVM decision and keep the same accounting practices, including in its fourth-quarter results, scheduled for March 21. Monteiro said Petrobras financial statements were approved by external auditors and that the company will appeal the CVM decision later this month. CERAWeek: Industry binge can Kill' oil market - Harold Hamm CERAWeek by IHS Markit U.S. production "could go pretty high," Hamm said at the CERAWeek. HOUSTON Petroleumworld 03 09 2017 Harold Hamm, the billionaire shale oilman, said the U.S. industry could "kill" the oil market if it embarks into another spending binge, a rare warning in a business focused on fast growth to compete with OPEC. The statement, at an energy conference in Houston on Wednesday, comes as top shale companies announce large increases in spending for this year, and the U.S. government says domestic oil output next year will surpass the record high set in 1970. OPEC ministers have said they are keeping a close watch on shale production to decide in late May whether to extend their oil-supply cuts into the second half of the year. Oil prices plunged 5 percent on Wednesday to their lowest level this year, falling just above $50 a barrel, on investor concerns about unbridled growth in America's shale basins swelling U.S. inventories. U.S. production "could go pretty high," Hamm said at the CERAWeek by IHS Markit conference in Houston, one of the largest gatherings of oil executives in the world. "But it's going to have to be done in a measured way, or else we kill the market." Hamm runs Continental Resources Inc. , one of the biggest shale producers in the country with drilling operations that run from the Bakken in North Dakota to Oklahoma. He also was an early supporter of Donald Trump's candidacy, and remains an informal adviser to the president on energy. Spending Announcements After oil prices doubled over the past year, U.S. shale drillers have announced big increases in spending for 2017. Anadarko Petroleum Corp. this week said it planned to invest 70 percent more this year than in 2016. Last month, EOG Resources Inc. , another big shale producer, said it will spend 44 percent more this year than last. Exxon Mobil Corp. plans to spend a third of its drilling budget this year on shale. Shale producers are staging the biggest surge in drilling since 2012, with the number of oil rigs rising to more than 600 this month, nearly double the level of June. They are rushing to spend again after the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and Russia agreed last year to cut its supplies, boosting oil above $50 a barrel after a two-year price rout. The drilling boom has been led by the Permian Basin, which extends from western Texas and south-east New Mexico, and the Scoop and Stack plays in Oklahoma. The Energy Information Administration this week said U.S. production will rise to 10 million barrels a day by the end of next year, more than 10 percent higher than now. If so, shale drillers will capture market share from OPEC, largely filling the increase in global oil demand. "We are witnessing the start of a second wave of U.S. supply growth," Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency , told Bloomberg in an interview on the sidelines of the Houston conference. Saudi Arabia Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih earlier this week warned CERAWeek attendees that what he called the green shoots emerging in the U.S. oil industry were perhaps growing "too fast." ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance quipped afterward that the green shoots looked more like "trees" to him. Al-Falih, in a clear message to the U.S. industry, said it would be "wishful thinking" to expect that Saudi Arabia and OPEC "will underwrite the investments of others at our own expense" through production cuts. CERAWeek:YPF push breakeven below $40/bbl - Gutierrez CERAWeek by IHS Markit Argentina's YPF cuts drilling costs, see more efficiencies-YPF CEO Miguel Gutierrez HOUSTON Petroleumworld 03 09 2017 Argentina's state-run oil company YPF has cut horizontal drilling costs by more than half and slashed the time required to complete new wells, the chairman said on Monday at the CERAWeek energy conference. The company cut the cost of horizontal drilling to around $8 million from $17 million a well, while the time required to complete a new well has been shaved to 15 days from 40 days, Miguel Gutierrez told the gathering in Houston. Those efficiencies have pushed break-even prices to below $40 per barrel, a significant gain for Argentina, which has struggled to attract capital since crude prices started to decline in 2014. Argentina recently has been pushing again to lure energy investment into the country, particularly into its massive Vaca Muerta formation. That reservoir is one of the largest shale deposits in the world. In January, Argentina announced changes to its subsidy program to offer producers $7.5 per million BTU of natural gas produced through 2020 - a figure well above U.S. gas prices. "It's competitive, especially compared to the United States," Gutierrez said on the sidelines of the conference. Despite the vast reserves, lack of production has left the country short on energy, and a bump in production is unlikely to curb imports in the near term. In 2016, Argentina was forced to significantly increase imports of LNG and purchase supplies from Chile, which resells a portion of the gas it receives to its neighbor. For quite a considerable time, Argentina will be importing LNG," Gutierrez added. Argentina also is exploring opportunities for deep-water offshore oil production. A process is underway to explore a new area, with work anticipated to begin in April, Gutierrez said. Several weeks ago, I took my husband to the local emergency room after he complained of severe groin pain. It is a small community hospital here in south Texas. I was directed to the waiting room while the doctor took look at him. It was around 1AM in the morning and no one else was in the waiting room. So I took a seat to wait until I could go back in and see him. I had been sitting for a while watching the waiting room television when a young woman, wearing a cervical collar, walked in and sat down near me. We smiled at each other. She was telling me that she hoped that she could be seen soon, because her neck was bothering her. She picked up a magazine and opened it, but we continued to talk. After a while, a nurse came by, looked over at us, and stopped. Looking at me the nurse asked if there was something wrong. I answered, "No, we are just talking." The nurse looked at me as if I was nuts. Then she said, "There is no one in here but you and me." I looked over at the young woman who smiled, and just slowly vanished. DD This newsletter is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Hotlinking of PM Media images and copyrighted material is strictly forbidden unless permission is obtained. 'Phantoms and Monsters' and 'phantomsandmonsters.com' is protected under the Lanham (Trademark) Act (Title 15, Chapter 22 of the United States Code) 'Phantoms and Monsters' was establish in September 2005 as part of the PM Media Copyright 2005-2017 Phantoms and Monsters / PM Media - All Rights Reserved **********Chilling accounts of the UKs own Bigfoot are fairly common, and many claim to have spotted a glimpse of an ape-like creature roaming the countryside.It comes just months after a photographer told Daily Star Online that he may have captured the first ever footage of a Bigfoot roaming the British countryside.One such bizarre sighting has been reported by monster hunter Jonathan Downes, who says he had a very peculiar encounter which he still cant explain today.While investigating a string of sightings at Bolam lake near Newcastle in Northumberland he claims to have seen an man-like person leaping through a bog.**********The sun was just beginning to set as I pulled up to Hillside Cemetery. For a moment, I felt the slight breeze and fooled myself into thinking I was about to have a relaxing Tuesday evening.Then Michelle Davidson got out of her car with a cigar box full of tools to communicate with the dead, and I remembered exactly what I had gotten myself into.She fixed her pink-streaked hair that was pinned away from her face, smiled and said, "You ready?"I was not.Davidson had always been interested in the paranormal, but it wasn't until she stayed at a well-known haunted hotel in St. Augustine where she finally experienced it for herself. Thankfully, her first encounter at St. Francis Inn was more "Casper the Friendly Ghost" than "Paranormal Activity 3.""That night I was having dreams that a spirit was talking to me," she said. "He was telling me all the pranks he was pulling on people. He would set the alarm clock off on people in the middle of the night, and he thought it was really funny."She said she woke up that morning "with a heaviness" and saw an apparition of a Confederate soldier. After that, she had encounters at nearly every historic place she stayed. Davidson soon became inspired to write the book, "Florida's Haunted Hospitality," where she had sleepovers with spirits in over 15 different haunted hotels and inns.Because you know, that's what everyone likes to do with their Friday nights.Since her book, Davidson has only upped her ghost-hunting game. Her toolkit holds an electromagnetic field (or EMF) meter, a pendulum and a set of dowsing rods. There was not, as I expected a "Ghostbusters" proton pack.We walked among the hundreds of graves, looking for some sort of signal from the EMF. The light stayed green (meaning there were no electrical charges around us), but Davidson said she "felt a pull" to the grave of Vincent Shofner. She got unusually quiet walking towards the man's tomb and apologized for getting emotional. I think it goes without saying that taken on the feelings surrounding other people's deaths is bound to get a little depressing.According to Davidson, she said people stop from crossing over usually because they're attached to someone, something, or they feel like there's something left they still have to accomplish. She did an investigation at the Live Oak Inn where the staff said they were having a hard time remodeling. After speaking with the spirit who was still living in the inn, she uncovered the easily fixable problem."It was his old parlor where he had played card games," she said. "It was stacked to the ceiling with chairs, and he was feeling claustrophobic. After I did a cleansing and talked to him, things got rolling, and they got the inn opened."After meandering around the cemetery for a bit something I don't recommend doing after the sun goes down Davidson said it was my turn to try out a tool. She gave me the dowsing rods, L-shaped metal rods that started as a practice in the 15th century to find ground water, buried metals and other objects without the use of scientific equipment.Basically, you just hold the rods out with straight arms and hope for the best. When Davidson did it, she asked the spirits to show us where we parked our car. Spookily enough, the rods rotated to the direction of my Corolla. When I did it, the rods just rotated in towards each other, most likely because I don't have enough upper body strength the keep a steady hand for more than 10 seconds.Walking back, Davidson explained that while there are scary spirits, most are just regular people who aren't ready to say goodbye yet. She hopes by being able to communicate with them she can help find closure for both those who are alive and dead."I want people to be aware that there is life after death, and there are stories to be told," she said. "Preserving history and people's memories is really, really important. And that's what I'm trying to do." - I walked a cemetery with a paranormal investigator and a ghost told me where I parked my car ***********We've all heard the crazy stories about radioactive boar roaming the nuclear wastelands of Fukushima.But such an outlandish tale can't possibly be true, can it?No-one has ever seen pictures of these creaturesUntil now. These incredibly unusual photographs of the terrifying mammals were taken in the exclusion zone around the crippled Fukushima Daiichi power plant, whose reactors went into meltdown after it was struck by an earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011.There have been many obvious dangers faced by Japan in the wake of the disaster, but one of the most unexpected has also proved to be one of the most fascinating. Find photos at First photos of radioactive wild boar roaming Fukushima's nuclear wastelands as they're culled for attacking people ********** HARRISBURG The Wolf administration on Thursday sued IBM over an attempted upgrade of Pennsylvania's unemployment compensation system that the state says went millions of dollars over budget and years beyond schedule before it stopped the project. The lawsuit says Pennsylvania paid International Business Machines Corp. nearly $170 million but never received the modern and integrated system it promised. By the time the Department of Labor and Industry allowed the contract to lapse in September 2013, the project was more than three years behind schedule and $60 million over budget, the lawsuit claims. Lawyers for the state wrote that IBM, "much like a general contractor on an office building project," was responsible for the various phases of the project and its overall management. "IBM repeatedly failed to live up to these commitments and made decisions that thwarted successful completion of the project," the lawsuit says. How to deal with problems in the software overhaul has become a high-profile political dispute at the state Capitol. After Senate Republicans declined to renew funding for the system, the Department of Labor and Industry in December closed three call centers and laid off nearly 500 employees. About 100 of those workers have since been placed in state jobs, and 30 have retired, said Sara Goulet, spokeswoman for the department. Funded by taxes on employees and employers, the state's unemployment compensation trust fund provides benefit payments for up to 26 weeks to people who have lost a job through no fault of their own. The lawsuit, filed in Dauphin County, accuses IBM of breach of contract and misrepresentation, among other claims. IBM spokesman Clint Roswell said in a statement that the state's claims "have no merit" and that the company would "vigorously" defend itself. "All told, Pennsylvania taxpayers paid IBM nearly $170 million for what was supposed to be a comprehensive, integrated, and modern system that it never got," Gov. Wolf said in a statement. "Instead, the Department of Labor and Industry has been forced to continue to support many of its UC program activities through a collection of aging, costly legacy systems, incurring tens of millions of dollars in server, support and maintenance costs." The legal complaint states that for decades, the department has used a collection of "increasingly outdated" computer systems to assist in its unemployment compensation work. A lack of integration of the systems led to inefficiency, it says. But hiring IBM, in 2006, brought its own problems, the lawsuit says. The Department of Labor and Industry complained, for example, that "frequent IBM personnel churn came to be a defining feature" of the project. IBM also pushed to have components of the project declared complete when they still had code defects, the lawsuit says. It claims that the state relied on misrepresentations by IBM that the project was almost complete to continue paying the company "in what proved to be a futile attempt to obtain a complete and fully functioning system." In 2013, Carnegie Mellon University assessed the project and recommended the state should not continue it because of a high risk of failure, the lawsuit says. Jennifer Kocher, spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R., Centre), said the filing of the lawsuit validates Senate Republicans' questioning of the Department of Labor and Industry about the system. "It just underscores the concerns we have had all along and the questions we have been asking about how [Labor and Industry] is using and spending the resources that have been allocated," Kocher said. We have more newsletters Something went wrong, please try again later. Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. Get the stories that matter to our community straight to your inbox with our Daily Newsletter Husband and wife duo Claire and Ian Harrison only started their unique catering business last year - but they've already proved popular with the people of Plymouth. From their base on Forresters Business Park in Estover, they provide a range of hot food and drink during the week. Now it has become so popular that the pair have received enquiries for weddings, festivals and events. Claire Harrison, 48, had worked at the Land Registry in Plymouth for over 25 years before she decided to start her own catering business last year. "I just wasn't enjoying it there anymore," Claire told The Herald. "When I was offered voluntary redundancy in 2013 I jumped at the chance." Claire came up with the idea for the Kitchen Kart last year after visiting Dartmouth Food Festival with her husband Ian. "We met this couple who had been travelling through Mexico in this funky little trailer made from corrugated iron and wood," says Claire. "I loved the idea and I was so inspired I couldn't stop thinking about it." The next morning she told her husband about her plan, and he told her they should go for it. 54-year-old Ian Harrison had recently lost his job as a Health and Safety officer at Hinkley Point, and the pair had been looking for a new project to keep them busy while he was looking for work. "He's always been amazing at building things and he managed to create this amazing trailer out of warehouse pallets." "We got them for free from the local industrial estate and he just broke them down and completely recycled them," Claire says. Since starting the Kitchen Kart, Ian has found a new job advising on Health and Safety. He is often based all around the world, meaning that Claire has taken on more staff to meet demand - including 21-year-old daughter Hannah Clark. "It's a real family business," says Claire. The Kitchen Kart has proved a hit with the locals, and Claire says her team are inundated with customers from 8am till 2pm Monday to Friday. "We're based in a place called Riverford in Plymouth," says Claire. "We've got a range of homemade soups, cakes and sandwiches and we've even got an amazing coffee machine." "The cafe that used to be here closed and I think everyone missed it," says Claire. "Some of the ladies who work here told us they would drive all the way in to town to get a good cup of coffee, but now they'll come here." Claire says that she is passionate about using the best local food and drink, including drinks from Luscombe and produce from her own smallholding. "We use eggs from our own chickens and in the summer we will be using our own honey." Claire also told us that the couple had started receiving a range of requests, including a friend's wedding: "We've just taken our first booking for a wedding with 100 guests next year," says Claire. "We can't believe it." To find out more about the Riverford Kitchen Kart, visit their Facebook page. A law enforcement officer found dead Tuesday afternoon in the gym of New Orleans Police Department's headquarters was a lieutenant with the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office who previously worked for decades at the NOPD, the sheriff's office said. Sheriff's Office spokesman Philip Stelly identified the deceased officer as Lt. Fred Austin, who was assigned to the Force Investigative Team of the Investigative Services Bureau. Austin joined the sheriff's office in 2015 after his retirement from NOPD. He was 55. James Melancon, a spokesman for the Orleans Parish Coroner's Office, said on Wednesday the cause of Austin's death remains under investigation. NOLA.com reports. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Rachel Maddow explains that each day another piece of the Trump/Russia scandal comes together, and the White House denials fall apart. Video: Maddow said: More pieces of it are falling into place. The Trump campaign used to deny that any of its staffers, anyone related to the Trump campaign had any contact with any Russians during the campaign. Well, no. In fact, meetings between the Trump campaign and the Russians have now led to the resignation of the National Security Adviser. Its led to the recusal of the Attorney General of the United States. The Trump campaign, as of last night, is not only admitting a trip to Russia by one of its official foreign policy advisers during the campaign but as of last night, theyre now admitting that this trip was authorized by the Trump campaign at the time he went to Moscow. Now, politico.com is reporting what is basically a direct Russian tie to that that change in the Republican Party platform to benefit Russia last year. With each passing day, more parts of this dossier get corroborated, get supported by the facts, and previous denials by the Trump campaign whether its about Jeff Sessions, whether its about Carter Page, whether its about Mike Flynn, whether its about that Ukraine platform, whether its about Paul Manafort. Their previous denials are all falling apart. Were learning more about what happened. Were learning more about what bullpucky the Trump campaign denials were on some of this stuff. Were learning more about these investigations. The Trump cover-up is breaking apart. Each day another piece of the puzzle emerges. The American people are beginning to learn what happened, who was involved, and what deal might have been made between Russia and the Trump campaign. Russia wasnt using Donald Trump to smear Hillary Clinton. Putin helped Trump win so that he could have his own interests represented within the United States government. Despite the efforts of the President, the Russia cover-up is coming apart. It is looking more and more like voters didnt elect a president in 2016. They elected an agent of a hostile foreign power. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print It is getting to the point where one wonders what Donald Trump could possibly lie about next, and how will he profit the Russians. He did, after all, help quench Vladimir Putins thirst for oil when he appointed a Russian oil company executive and close friend of Putins as Americas Secretary of State. But of course that had nothing to do with Trumps debt to the Russians and it does profit the new Secretary of States other oil industry interest Exxon. Now, after just last week hearing Trump reiterating that if the Canadian corporation building a tar export pipeline through Americas agriculturally-rich heartland dont agree to use American-made steel exclusively, the project will not happen. Period, okay? Oh, and Trump also lied and said the same conditions apply to building the hotly-contested Dakota pipeline; either use American-made steel exclusively or were not building one; unless there is a Russian Trump friend involved in foreign steel manufacturing. That American steel or else provision was a solemn pledge from the liar-in-chief to TransCanada and an assurance to Americas steel workers that their hero was laying down some serious conditions on that Canadian corporation if they want to despoil Americas heartland. But to no-ones surprise, that pledge was as phony as the proverbial three-dollar bill, like the man who uttered it, Donald J. Trump. So it turns out that no matter how often Trump preached throughout the campaign that in his administration it would be nothing but America first because that is the only way to create jobs and bring those sent overseas back to make America great again, he was lying. Like everything the Trump says, and promises, the American steel or else pledge was just another misleading campaign slogan to trick the rubes into voting for him and of course it worked; rubes will believe anything and that goes quadruple for Republican rubes. On Friday, Trump spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that Trump wasnt lying and didnt break last weeks pledge, he just meant something else entirely. What the Trump really meant to solemnly pledge was that any brand spanking new pipeline projects would have to use America-made steel; not the two that Trump just approved to be built but only if they exclusively used steel manufactured in the United States. That broken pledge made just last week means that Canada can proceed using steel manufactured in India, Italy and by a Russian subsidiary of Evraz, a corporation partly owned by a Russian oligarch with longstanding personal and political ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and a close family friend of who else, the Trump. The Russian oligarch, Roman Abramovich, is one of the worlds wealthiest people worth approximately $8.9 billion landing him at number 151 on Forbes list of the 500 wealthiest humans on planet Earth. Allowing the foreign corporation TransCanada to build its pipeline with Russian steel through the agricultural heartland will help Mr. Abramovich move up a spot or two on the worlds wealthiest list and strengthen Trumps bona fides with the man he most wants to endear himself to, Russian President Vladimir Putin. All those American steel workers Trump lied to in order to garner their votes were never part of Trumps America first slogan; he didnt make that solemn pledge to endear himself to steel workers, just to fool them into putting him in a position to enrich the Russians and the oil industry. As noted at Huffington Post, the Trump-Putin administrations announcement on Friday that Trumps pledge last week was not really a pledge is an example of how a presidential directive can produce an immediate benefit to a Russian billionaire with direct links to Vladimir Putin; even if Trump keeps real President Barack Obamas 2014 sanctions in place to punish Russia for invading Ukraine. Come Hell or high water, Trump is determined to enrich Putin, and by approving the KeystoneXL pipeline, he is also helping enrich the Trump family friend and Russian oligarch, Abramovich. It is noteworthy that Abramovich and Putin are so close that the oligarch gifted Putin with an 187-foot yacht worth 25 million British pounds ($30,518,975) after he became Russian president according to a report by Desmog.blog. There is also a Hell-of-a-lot more Russian steel being used for KeystoneXL than is being cited by various sources. The report continues: 40 percent of the steel created so far was manufactured in Canada by a subsidiary of Evraz, a company 31-percent owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, who is a close ally of Putin and a Trump family friend. Evraz has also actively lobbied against provisions which would mandate that Keystone XLs steel be made in the U.S. Evraz describes itself as among the top steel producers in the world based on crude steel production of 14.3 million tonnes in 2015. Notice that Trump broke his pledge to American steel workers under active lobbying by the Russian oligarchs company to forego the provision mandating that TransCanada exclusively use American steel to build KeystoneXL or were not building one. Whether it is because Trump is indebted to Putin for interfering in Americas democratic process, or because he is close family friends with the oligarch Abramovich, the stunning reversal on the prohibition against non-American-made steel is yet another gross conflict of interest for the Trump. However, he will continue on as if his administration is immune from investigation and scrutiny because it is with Republicans going to the mat to protect their rubber stamp in the Oval Office. What is still mind boggling, really, is that despite shafting millions upon millions of Americans for personal gain, Trumps supporters, including steel workers, are not storming the White House or rampaging in the streets demanding Trumps head on an American-made steel pike. Apparently, the thought of Trump following through on his campaign pledge to purge the nation of Mexicans and Muslims is keeping the steel workers, at least, in thrall of their hero who just screwed them out of promised jobs to enrich his wealthy friends in Russia and create jobs in foreign countries. It is Trumps idea of America First. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print As Donald Trumps Russia story continues to grow, as parts of the unsubstantiated dossier become corroborated in part substantiating parts of the dossier that contribute to the conclusion that Trump knowingly colluded with the Russians to help get himself elected, he liked a tweet about Senator Al Franken accusing Attorney Jeff Sessions of perjury. Heres the screen grab (h/t to Kyle Griffin): Theres nothing in this story that would lead a sane president to want to call attention to it. After running down Frankens obvious comment that it is perjury to lie under oath, which it appears Sessions did given his now not two but THREE contacts with Russians during the campaign (trickle trickle little star, the meetings keep being dropped), Fox went to great pains to explain Sessions reasons for lying, which frankly do not read as very legitimate. Sessions maintains that his answer to a question from Franken was correct. Franken had asked Sessions in January what he would do if he learned of evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign had been in touch with the Russian government in the course of the campaign Sessions responded that he himself had not had communications with the Russians. Sessions said Monday that he answered the question the way he did because Franken had raised allegations of continuing communication between Trump associates and intermediaries for the Russian government. Right. And the contact was continuing. And now we now it was three times, when Sessions had just amended his previously false Senate statement to update none to twice. Follow the deception. Trump liked this story that came out on the same day as the poll showing that a majority of Americans want Sessions to resign and think he lied under oath. Yesterday we also got a lot more confirmations of Trump himself being in the know regarding changing the Republican Party platform to benefit Russia in regards to the Ukraine, as well as the Trump campaign being behind visits with Russian officials. MSNBCs Rachel Maddow devoted a full hour to Trumps Russia scandal Wednesday evening, With each passing day, more parts of this dossier get corroborated, get supported by the facts, and previous denials by the Trump campaign whether its about Jeff Sessions, whether its about Carter Page, whether its about Mike Flynn, whether its about that Ukraine platform, whether its about Paul Manafort. Their previous denials are all falling apart. As Donald Trump dismantles the American values that threaten Putin, including as pointed out by Maddow last night massively underfunding and cutting off at the knees our State Department, the growing question is who all is behind this destroy western democracy plot. The new information being dropped strongly suggests that Trump himself knows about it and is making decisions about it. This is not yet an established fact. When and if it is, it will be collusion. Meanwhile Republicans in Congress seem to have lost all patriotism, and friends or members of the Trump campaign/ Russia are conveniently installed to run both investigations in the House and the Senate, and Sessions yet another Trump campaign Russia connection the boss of the person who will be in charge of the DoJ investigation. America is at grave risk right now, and Donald Trump is at risk. So what does he do? He likes a story about his Attorney General being accused of committing perjury. Perhaps this is why Trump liked this story. Because he is so sure he is getting away with all of this, like he has gotten away with basic thuggery through lawyers his entire life. This isnt at all unusual for Trump. All during the campaign, he signaled what he was doing, crowing about it in advance gleefully like a child who peeked at his Christmas presents. Trump isnt a subtle person, nor does he need to be. His followers are so conditioned to believe him no matter what, they are already sure President Obama is the one at risk of ending up in jail. They also think they are on the right side of this, when all evidence and reality suggests otherwise. It will be the intelligence communities working with the press whose reporting incentivize the people that will bring the Trump administration to account on Russia. Republicans have shown no signs of the courage or will to put an actual independent investigation behind their empty words. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Andrea Mitchell, who once said Donald Trump is Completely uneducated about any part of the world, has been trying to get answers about the world from Trumps Secretary of State, Exxon-Mobils Rex Tillerson. Thats not easy when Tillerson, seven weeks into Trumps administration, has yet to hold a press conference. However, Tillerson did meet publicly yesterday with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin. Mitchell seized the day, or as the kids translate the Latin, YOLOd and now her efforts have gotten her escorted from the room as she asked Tillerson how he will respond to threats from China, and if Donald Trump will be strong against Vladimir Putin. Watch courtesy of MSNBC: That caused Bill OReilly to crow via Twitter, Unruly Andrea Mitchell escorted from press conf https://t.co/dqXjCZke1Y Bill O'Reilly (@oreillyfactor) March 8, 2017 A Fox spokesperson said the tweet was not from OReilly himself but from a staff person on the show but it was International Womens Day, of all days to call Andrea Mitchell, a woman, unruly, and the damage was done. Mitchell owned it, signing off with That does it for this unruly edition of Andrea Mitchell Reports. As NBC News Brad Jaffy added, [mic drop]. She became an instant rallying cry for the press. Jaffy went on to lecture OReilly that, No. She was trying to ask questions as any good reporter should. And Im proud to call her a friend and colleague. The venerable Dan Rather offered full support and encouragement to her. Solidarity. Jake Tapper spoke out too, tweeting, Yeah, that's not "unruly," that's a dogged reporter trying to get a powerful person to answer questions important to the public. https://t.co/v3uHU5H0SS Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) March 9, 2017 The next thing you know you have Buzzfeeds Anne Helen Peterson tweeting, Celebrate Unruly Women Day https://t.co/MnNff2Tpq2 Anne Helen Petersen (@annehelen) March 8, 2017 Brian Williams quipped this is not Andrea Mitchells first rodeo and shes been tossed out of even fancier places while trying to do her job. Which isnt saying much but is saying enough for Donald Trumps so-called state department. Photo: Screen grab MSNBC News Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Yeah, no. Thats a big fat no to the old Republican canard that Canadians come to the U.S.A. to get healthcare because that darn socialized medicine is so awful when everyone has coverage. Trumpcare defense is not going so well these days. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) got taken down on MSNBC when he tried the false Republican canard that people in Canada come to the U.S. for medical care. Ali Velshi called baloney on it, I grew up in Canada Nobody I know ever came to the U.S. for health care. What makes this even better is MSNBC host Ali Velshis bio, which reads, Unlike Obama, I really AM a Kenyan-born Muslim. Watch here: .@AliVelshi challenges Rep. Jim Jordan on @MSNBC: 'I grew up in CanadaNobody I know ever came to the U.S. for health care.' pic.twitter.com/hioorZ3JBM Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) March 9, 2017 Jordan is so sure that people hate having healthcare that he advocated repealing Obamacare before replacing it. Sure, millions will die, but you see, people really hate having universal healthcare, so thus they must also hate having more affordable healthcare. After some tap dancing about taxes and regulations being bad (i.e., Obamacare taxes the rich and has regulations that mean you get the coverage you pay for), Jordan claimed that things will be better than they are now, under complete government control! Clearly we are not under complete government control, because the *marketplace* was a Republican idea and its how people buy, on this thing called the Obamacare free market, their insurance from various companies. Ali Velshi countered this claim by pointing out the fact that in those countries with government control, people are pretty happy with their healthcare. You know, sir, in all those countries, in all those countries that have single payer systems or universal health care, happiness about health care is actually substantially greater than it is in the United States. Then why do they all come here? Jordan demanded Velshi prove his unsubstantiated point. Wait for it They dont all come here! Republicans say that all the time. They dont all come here. People in Canada, people in Norway, people in the United Kingdom, people in Sweden, people in Denmark. They dont all come to the United States for health care. Why do you say that? Velshi demanded. You see it all the time, Jordan offered. People in Canada come her for extensive surgery. They come here and get it done in the United States. Um, no. Velshi killed that sad little Fox News talking point, I grew up in Canada. I lived in Canada, my entire family is in Canada. And nobody I know ever came to the United States for health care. Im sure you have a handful of stories about things like that. Its not actually statistically true. Velshi took this argument home saying he is not defending Obamacare, he is arguing the idea that the free market works for health care, Im arguing the fact that you keep on saying that a free market works. Just name me one country, one country in the world where a free market system for health care works. Jordan had nothing on this, so he claimed Republicans have a mandate to repeal Obamacare. Which they do not. Winning an election with the help of the Russians and still losing by almost 3 million popular votes does not a mandate make. Republicans cant even defend their own plan, let alone their reasons for not liking Obamacare. It turns out that people were quite satisfied with Obamacares 2017 pricing before Republicans began their not-so-subtle sabotaging of affordable healthcare. The problem here is that Republicans dont have any idea what the average American is really dealing with when it comes to health insurance, and they have no interest in listening to find out. They are hell bent on taking away affordable health insurance just to stick it to President Obama. Sure millions will die, but at least Republicans can say theyre governing their way. Image: Screen grab, Ali Velshi, MSNBC Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Donald Trump, and his zealot supporters, believe that the greatest security threat to America is a Southern border with Mexico without a wall; even though there have not been any terrorist attacks launched from our ally directly to the South. There have, however, been terror attacks from the air and due to Americas expanse of coastlines, they are a favored means of smuggling everything from illegal weapons to illegal drugs into America. One might think that protecting the skies and seas from terrorists and deadly contraband would qualify as crucial to national security, but that is not the case with the Trump and there are plans in the works to trade away national security protections for a border wall with Mexico. Since the Trump lied about forcing Mexico to fund his East German-style multibillion-dollar border wall he claims is crucial to protecting national security, he wants to slash funding for agencies that really protect Americas national security. The Trump plan is a rash of very significant, and dangerous, funding cuts to the United States Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other agencies that actually focus on defending against national security threats. Some of the details of trading national security for a political vanity wall were revealed by the Washington Post. The Trump proposal, drawn up by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), would slash the budget of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which provides disaster relief after hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural and man-caused disasters. The Coast Guards 2017 budget would be cut by roughly 14 percent, while the TSA and FEMA budgets would be cut by 11 percent each. Apparently in the Trump brain trust, it is prudent to slash funding for real national security agencies that actually serve to protect Americans to partially fund a border wall that serves no other purpose than making a political statement. It is curious that the Trumps proposed cuts are being planned even as the budget plan for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees all of the agencies set for reductions, is set to grow by about 6.4 percent to $43.8 billion. Some of the increased DHS funding, about $2.9 billion, will be applied to the cost of building Trumps wall to keep Mexicans out, and trapped Americans inside of the nations borders. The coastal borders will be freer to infiltrate and escape through because there will be substantially fewer Coast Guard assets due to Trump-Bannons lust for a Mexican border wall. In fact, the Trump OMBs draft proposal spends billions taken from real national security agencies, to pay for immigration detention beds and other Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) costs to fulfill Trumps campaign pledge to purge Mexicans from America the great. Some of the cuts are just beyond comprehension and as California Republican Representative Duncan Hunter said, This makes no sense. Duncan noted that the Coast Guard is crucial to stopping illegal immigration and the flow of drugs into the United States from South America, if the president is serious about getting after the cartels and getting after drug networks. Included in the proposed cuts is canceling a contract for a national security cutter (big boat with weapons), and deactivating Maritime Security Response Teams (MSRT) that are actually keeping Americans safe and protecting national security. The MRSTs are tasked with carrying out counterterrorism patrols in ports and sensitive waterways, but they are set for deactivation so Trump will be a big beautiful wall on the Mexican border. Who needs counterterrorism patrols and national security cutters to keep out water-borne terrorists when there is a wall in the desert to keep migrant farm workers from planting and harvesting the fields. A national security expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, former Navy helicopter pilot Rick Ozzie Nelson, said that these decisions would effectively sideline the service in missions in which it could be the most effective. Mr. Nelson said: If theyre not there to do it, who is there to do it? Were not going to put destroyers and frigates off the coast to protect those ports. Thats a Coast Guard mission and capability. As first reported over at Politico, the TSA budget cuts will eliminate four specific programs that are universally considered a vital piece of airport security meant to prevent a repeat of the terror attacks on 9/11; especially a hijacking after passenger jets are in the air. The former TSA administrator, John S. Pistols, said, To me, its a relatively small investment for the potential for the risk-mitigation value. Its all about how much risk do you want to take on. Additional cuts will be to a program that sends armed teams of highly trained, uniformed agents to sweep airports, train stations and bus terminals commonly known as the VIPR teams (for Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response). Those VIPR teams were crucial in guarding against terrorist attacks in late January during the inauguration and were deployed to Reagan National Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport, Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport, Amtraks Union Station and D.C.-area subway stations. The cuts also include eliminating grants that fund local law enforcement officers to patrol in and around airports, as well as scrapping a program for specially-trained TSA agents to observe passenger behavior in airports. The highly-trained observers are able to single out people who appear to behave oddly. And no, being dark-skinned or wearing a head scarf does not qualify as appearing to behave oddly. Officials with FEMA noted that the cuts will undermine a long-promoted and refined national response system requiring local communities to follow the same emergency response strategies, and will result in an unsophisticated response to national emergencies. The first vice president of the International Association of Emergency Managers, Nick Crossley, said pouring money cut from FEMA to border security, like a Mexican wall, would be catastrophic. When you propose not just cuts but draconian cuts, your ability to respond to a disaster can cause lives to be lost and property to be damaged. Defense and security at the border are important. But youre damaging the national system that makes us the strongest country when it comes to being prepared for disasters. Look, its painfully obvious that being prepared for disasters, natural or manmade, like preventing terror attacks by air and sea, are unimportant to Trump. However, building a wall to keep out undocumented immigrants from Mexico who are likely crossing the border to do backbreaking agricultural work is of monumental importance to not just Trump, but his xenophobic acolytes and white supremacist support group as well. What is glaringly apparent is that Trump will have no issue cutting agencies responsible for protecting national security to fund a political pledge to nativism because that is what a Southern border wall really is; a monument to Trumps bigotry. With fall in the air, cyclamen start peeking through the leaf litter, giving the woodland garden a splash of color when most plants have finished blooming. As those pink, white or magenta blooms unfurl and appear, it is a memorable sight to see. Read moreFall charmers and winter wonders The Nexx Level Sports Center, planned to be built in Irmo, would host major sports tournaments weekly, and is projected to bring $51 million in spending to the area in the first five years, if developers can line up the financial support needed to build it. Read moreProposed Columbia area sports complex seeking financial commitments from county, state At the northeastern tip of the Grand Strand lies a hidden sanctuary an undeveloped maritime forest and beach in an area where nearly every acre of oceanfront land has been converted to condominiums, hotels and residential subdivisions. The soon-to-be designated state heritage preserve is c Read moreCommentary: Saving Waties Island is South Carolina conservation at its best South Carolina voters head to the polls Nov. 8, casting ballots in midterm elections that will not only determine the state's next governor but will also act as the first major referendum on the Biden era. Read moreYour voter guide to top races, key issues in South Carolina's 2022 midterm elections Rochester's ACT scores are up, with one catch: fewer students took the assessment in 2016. The number of students taking the assessment varies from year to year, but in 2015, not only was the ACT required by the state for graduation, but the state footed the bill for all Minnesota juniors to take it. In 2016, the state decided against continuing that for a second year, and instead provided optional funding for districts that chose to make the assessment available to all students. Rochester was one of those districts that chose to offer it, but about 125 fewer students or 1,019 students took the ACT than in the previous year. "This is not unique to RPS, when you look at the statewide scores ... you see a very similar drop in scores when you go to compulsory participation," said Brandon Macrafic, a principal on special assignment with the district's Research and Assessment Department. In 2016, 35 percent of students met the definition of "college and career ready" in all four areas tested math, science, reading and English as set forth by ACT, compared to 31 percent the year before. ADVERTISEMENT "It's gratifying that our scores are going up, even if it's just a little bit," said school board member Jean Marvin. In 2016, the average composite ACT score was 21.6; the ACT is measured on a scale from one to 36. "This is not to say that students who don't meet that score won't do well in post-secondary education," Marvin said. "It sounds dire that because you're beneath that you're doomed. But that's not the reality." Districts are offered ACT reimbursement on an annual basis, so they won't know if they'll be able to offer the assessment to students free of charge next year or not. Many, including school board chairwoman Julie Workman hope the state continues to fund the assessment for students because many families can't handle the added expense. "This really is a big step in equity, that the state recognizes the importance of students having these tests and the possible barrier of them not being able to afford," Workman said. ACT scores for white, Asian and Hispanic students all saw boosts, while scores for black students remained the same. "So we clearly have an achievement gap when it comes to our ACT," Macrafic said, noting the same holds true for other standardized assessments, such as MCA and NWEA scores. ADVERTISEMENT The district is using these scores and others from standardized tests to assess how well its curriculum is working. RPS is taking a look at the knowledge students are leaving the classroom with, specifically in math. The curriculum team is reviewing not only what the district intends to teach students, but what is actually happening the classrooms, and what information students are taking away from that. When it comes to math proficiency, RPS students hold steady when it comes to the ACT, the MCA and NWEA scores. Macrafic and others want to know what's behind that and how the district can improve. "Is it an issue with the intended are we not teaching the right things? Or, is it an issue with the implemented are we not perhaps teaching the right things the right way?" Macrafic said, noting this is what the district has set out to find with its review. Macrafic also noted the increase in the district's graduation rate jumping to 85.5 percent, with major increases for Asian, Hispanic, black, English language learners and students who qualify for free and reduced-price lunch. Statewide, the graduation rate is 82 percent. That's RPS's highest graduation rate in the last five years, Macrafic said, "so I think that's something to celebrate." Mayo Clinic is kicking off a $217 million, five-year "domino effect" of expansion and renovation projects on its Saint Marys Hospital campus. The plan was announced this morning. The elaborate proposal includes adding three floors to the Generose Building, moving and upgrading the cardiac surgery facilities and expanding the Neonatal Intensive Care and Pediatric Intensive Care units. "This a strategic plan that has been in evolution for the past five years. We looked at where the needs were most pressing," said Dr. Bob Cima, Mayo Clinic's medical director of hospital operations. "We decided that to do this in an incremental fashion with one little project here and there was not the most efficient way of doing this." While it may be a while until construction cranes for this project appear, some work to build out empty "shell space" is expected to begin within a few months. Much of this initiative is about modernizing the historic St. Marys campus and finding creative ways to "expand" within the landlocked space. ADVERTISEMENT "This project not only demonstrates Mayo Clinic's commitment to our mission, but also our commitment to the future growth of Rochester," Mayo CEO Dr. John Noseworthy said in the announcement. The most visually dramatic piece of the multiyear project is building three more floors on top of the five-story, 24-year-old Generose Building. Adding three floors will add 150,000 square feet to the building. About half of that space is expected to house Mayo Clinic's consolidated Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Hospital, currently based in the nearby Mary Brigh building. The use of the other half of the new floors has not been decided yet, though it may be used to expand the current Generose mental health care services. Moving Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation into the Generose Building will be the first time a department outside of the behavioral and psychiatric areas has been based there. Cima said the Generose Hospital will not change, but the building is expected to become "multiuse" going forward. "The reality of what we're looking at here with the Saint Marys campus is that we're somewhat surrounded," he said. "We have to make better use of the land we have, and that means going up." More private rooms Another part of the changes at Saint Marys will involve expanding the number of private patient rooms and reducing the number of semiprivate rooms. ADVERTISEMENT The build-out of four now-empty "shell" floors 7 to 10 of the East Tower will allow for 78 beds to be moved from the Joseph Building. Those floors were added in 2016 as part of a previous $92.7 million upgrade. The new modern private rooms will include their own showers, which eliminate the need for all communal showers shared by 143 beds on the campus. "Private rooms are more effective and more appreciated by our patients, especially by our Destination Medical Center patients, who expect that level of treatment," said Cima. The campus currently has 184 semiprivate rooms, 150 general care beds and 34 Intensive Care beds. "At the very least, this plan will eliminate 76 semiprivate beds (56 general care and 20 ICU)," said Mayo Clinic spokeswoman Kelly Reller. "Because there is flexibility built into the plan, variation in Mayo Clinic surgical patient volumes will enable for the reduction of up to an additional 48 semiprivate general care beds." Will reducing the number of semiprivate rooms affect the cost of patient care at Saint Marys? "We aren't disclosing this information at this time, but will restate that this meets the project's goal of supporting a modernized, affordable and safe patient environment," stated Reller. Cima said moving to more up-to-date private rooms will benefit patients by offering more safety and privacy, in particular making it easier to protect HIPAA-protected information. ADVERTISEMENT "I think it's (private rooms are) an expectation of the patients, but also sort of an expectation of regulatory agencies. It really is a direction all hospitals are going in," said Cima. Upgrading cardiovascular care The Cardiovascular Diseases Intensive Care Unit and associated spaces will be "modernized" and expanded. Part of the Department of Cardiovascular Diseases space also will be updated and expanded during this five-year project. Construction is slated to begin this year and will be completed in late 2018. A related upgrade of the preoperative and postoperative space and the Coronary Intensive Care area will increase the department's capacity. Mayo Clinic also plans to move Cardiac Surgery from the first floor to unused shell space on the third floor of the East Tower of Saint Marys campus.The build-out of the East Tower third floor will cover more than 36,000 square feet. It will include 11 operating rooms, larger than the current ones, plus two shelled operating rooms for future growth. This upgrade will have 13 preoperative and postoperative spaces. "Cardiovascular is a main driver (for this five-year expansion and renovation plan). This is a statement of the growth of Mayo's surgical practice," said Cima. Upgrading neonatal and peds The Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Units on the Saint Marys campus also will be expanded and upgraded. "Here's an area where the practice has been growing and the facility hasn't met the needs of the practice in terms of size and accommodations," he said. "This is an area of strategic importance for our practice and our patients. We're the only major pediatric center in southeastern Minnesota." Neonatal ICU will grow from a 26-bed area to a 35-bed one. The new rooms will be private, eliminating the current 20 semiprivate rooms in the Neonatal ICU. Similarly, the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit will increase from 16 to 23 private beds. WINONA The former Ferrara Candy factory in Winona will soon be turning out tasty treats, though you may want to think hard about sampling them. Midwest Co-Pack LLC, an Illinois-based company, announced Tuesday that it had bought the Ferrara building and will use it as both a packaging facility and a manufacturing plant for pet supplements. Amy Paris, owner of Midwest Co-Pack is also majority owner and CEO of The Pet Health People LLC, which produces health supplements for dogs and cats. "Our supply chain is in five different places," Paris said. "I'll be very happy to transition that here." Paris has already hired back a dozen workers who were laid off when the candy factory closed in 2016. She originally moved her packaging operations into the Winona factory in November but hopes to start production of her pet supplements later this month. ADVERTISEMENT The Pet Health People produces supplements in gummi and gel forms for pets. While those products have been produced by third-party manufacturers to this point, the company will begin producing 100 percent of its product in Winona. The pet products have been in production for about eight years, Paris said, and they are sold either online or exclusively at PetSmart stores. Keeping the supply going while production transfers to Winona will be tricky, but Paris said she hoped hiring back former employees would help since they have experience in factories and making similar products. "That has been just a huge advantage for me," she said. "They know how to produce these gummis better than me." In fact, the plan is to eventually hire another 25 people by July, she said, including areas of maintenance, finance, operations and administration. Lucy McMartin with the Winona Port Authority said bringing back jobs to the former factory is a boon to the city. "It's an old facility and it sits on about four acres on Fifth Street," she said. "We're just really excited that a facility of that size can be utilized so soon after being vacated." While there were more than 100 people laid off when Ferrara Candy closed last spring, McMartin said she has been encouraged to see Paris and her company target those people for rehire. Kat Olewinski, director of public relations for Midwest Co-Pack said The Pet Health People has been working with the city and the workforce center to retrain former Ferrara employees on the differences in making the savory gummy vitamin for pets. ADVERTISEMENT "We're leveraging the expertise of the former employees who worked there," she said. Because The Pet Health People uses human-grade ingredients in its products, the facility -- and its employees will be certified for handling human products. That will help Midwest Co-Pack draw business as a packaging facility not only for its sister company but for other food manufacturers in the region looking for a packing facility, Olewinski said. Paris said despite the hard work of transitioning to Winona, it has been a pleasure finding the people who used to work at Ferrara Candy and getting them back to work. "People have been really excited to come back here," she said. Like John I was also amused about todays Day Without Women, and had to do my best to refrain from all of the bad jokes (and also good jokes) that came to mind as I made my daily rounds on campus at Berkeley. Especially the late afternoon protest against rape culture out front of Sproul Plaza featuring a wide-bodied topless female student with a paper bag over her head adorned with some of the usual slogans about objectification. NO! Are you kidding? I wasnt about to snap a dumb pic on my smart phone. Instead I just took note today of the Unitarians visiting campus: They did make it hard to resist some of the usual sexist jokes. Like the ones about math, when you see things like this: Im wondering what explanation Nelini Stamp will give for where the other half of the population comes from. John offers some good pics of truly empowered women, but the occasion offers further opportunities. Like: Meanwhile, the most interesting gender news is the experiment some talented actors recently conducted where Trump and Clinton were switched out, and whaddyaknow, people really disliked the Clinton content and style just as much as when it came from a man, showing that sexism doesnt explain Clintons loss, any more than Americas rampant racism explained Obamas defeats at the polls. (Oh, wait. . .) Heres a short two-minute clip from the rehearsal of this exercise, and these two actors are really good: The dimensions of Hillarys failure is further underlined by a new study just out from the Wesleyan Media Project, which analyzed and compared Clinton and Trump with previous election cycles. The most interesting finding is displayed in the chart below, namely, that more than any other recent candidate, Clintons advertising heavily emphasized her personal characteristics over her policy ideas. In other words, her campaign really did operate under the delusion that voters could be made to like Hillary Clinton. Let that sink in for a while. Help yourself to a shot of whiskey if necessary. And finally. . . how about some more empowered women for midweek, in celebration of International Womens Day! In late 2013 the radical lawyer Lynne Stewart received a compassionate release from prison in light of her terminal illness. Stewart was released with the consent of the prosecutors who joined her motion for release. On Tuesday Stewart died of the cancer that prompted her release. The New York Times has published a long and respectful obituary. I met up with Stewart at the national convention of the National Lawyers Guild in Minneapolis in October 2003 and wrote about it for Power Line in Face to face with Lynne Stewart. Unbelievably, the National Lawyers Guild still exists. Believably, the Guild applauded Stewarts release. But of course! They opposed her prosecution. I had agreed to speak on a panel with Stewart addressing the PATRIOT Act. Stewart was under indictment at the time and used the National Lawyers Guild forum to decry then Attorney General John Ashcroft for having the temerity to indict her for transmitting secret instructions from Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman (the Blind Sheikh) to his terrorist minions in Egypt. The National Lawyers Guild was an old Communist front group. Many handouts at the Guilds 2003 convention touted the cause of the only Cuban prisoners championed by the Guild the Cuba five. The five, of course, were not any of Castros prisoners, but rather five Cuban men held in federal prison on conviction of offenses including espionage against the United States. Free the Cuba Five was the motto; the cause of the Cuba Five was part of the Guilds old-time religion. In December 2014 President Obama freed the Cuba Five. The Guilds PATRIOT Act panel demonstrated how the Guild had moved seamlessly from defending Americas Communist enemies to defending Americas terrorist enemies. The common denominator between the Communist Manifesto and Sharia law is not apparent in theory; only in practice does raw hatred of the United States reveal itself as the glue joining the Guild with its latter day devotion to holy terrorists. In Minneapolis Stewart invoked the dark night of fascism in response to her indictment. The assistance she rendered the Blind Sheikh was not only criminal in itself, but also violative of her promise to the government not to abuse her access to him as his attorney. Stewarts terrorist-related crimes were premeditated and cold-blooded. She lied about her crimes and she faced up to thirty years in prison on the convictions. Unfortunately, Judge John Koeltl sentenced Stewart to a mere twenty-eight months. Judge Koeltls rationale for leniency was in part that there was no evidence that any victim was in fact harmed as a result of Stewarts crimes. He seemed to think we needed to see more blood in the streets before we got riled up about Stewarts assistance to terrorists. Our friend Andrew McCarthy was the Assistant U.S. Attorney who successfully led the prosecution of the blind sheikh. Andy reflected on his extensive experience with Stewart as sentencing day approached. (Andy confessed to liking Stewart.) Sharon Chadha did a good job of telling Stewarts story in Lynne Stewart, jihadi lawyer. It is a story that illustrates the weird convergence between radical Islam and the radical left, united in their hatred of the United States. At the time of Stewarts sentencing by Judge Koeltl in 2005, the government disagreed sufficiently vehemently with Koeltls leniency to appeal the sentence to the Second Circuit. An unamused panel of the Second Circuit ordered Judge Koeltl to reconsider and give some weight to her perjury at trial. On remand, having been chastened by the Second Circuit, Judge Koeltl resentenced Stewart, this time to 10 years. Like the Communists of old, Stewart was a hard case. And like the Communists of old, she had prominent friends. Although disbarred as a result of her conviction, Stewart was invited to address a legal ethics conference at Hofstra Law School in the fall of 2007. According to Hofstras Web site, conference speakers were expected to discuss prosecutorial abuse, the challenges of representing prisoners at Guantanamo and attacks on lawyers who represent unpopular clients and causes. Walter Olson previewed the conference in Over the edge. According to a New York Times report on the conference summarized here, Stewart admitted to having been cavalier in the way she followed certain regulations governing communications with her client, but argued that the human bond between a lawyer and client is critical to the lawyers role as legal adviser. Said Stewart: I was representing a client, and I would do it again, but I would do it in a way that would better insulate me. Her main regret, she reportedly said, was that she was unaware the government was secretly taping her conversations with her client. As I say, Stewart was a hard case. In todays New York Post Seth Lipsky wonders why an aging leftist like Stewart found so all-fired attractive in a leader in the war that is being waged against America in the name of radical Islam. Thats the question that prompted me to meet up with her back in 2003. In death Stewart remains a case study in what has become a widely observed phenomenon. PR-Inside.com: 2017-03-09 11:29:01 New large boiler plant for Dow Benelux for efficient steam generation First large business customer project for E.ON in the Netherlands E.ON Expands Customer Solutions Business in the Netherlands E.ON SE Markus Nitschke markus.nitschke@eon.com +49 2 01-1 84-42 56 E.ON has entered into a long-term partnership with Dow Benelux to build, own and operate a large gas-fired boiler plant for their largest production site in Europe, located in Terneuzen, the Netherlands. At site, Dow is producing chemical intermediates which are further processed for a variety of products in commercial and industrial business such as packaging, coatings and foams. The new boiler plant will be able to generate up to 350 tons of steam per hour for the production processes on the Terneuzen site and will be taken into operation by the end of 2019. The highly efficient new boiler plant will add to the existing energy generation units thereby increasing the flexibility of the sites energy supply. The new boiler plant is equipped with advanced burner technology that can burn both natural gas and gaseous by-products of Dow production processes. Its innovative technical design allows for high ramp-up rates for a stable steam supply at all times. As the first large decentralised energy solution for a major global industry partner that E.ON will realise in the Netherlands, this project also marks an important step for E.ON in expanding its customer solution business. Sustainable energy solutions that create value for our business customers are an important strategic pillar for E.ON, explains Bernd Schumacher, CEO of E.ON Connecting Energies. We are pleased to form this long-term partnership with Dow and plan to further strengthen our offering in this market. The project with E.ON is also critical for Dow in providing the Terneuzen site with a flexible and cost competitive energy supply solution for the future says Dick Stobbe, Business Director Energy for Dow in Europe, Middle East, Africa and India as well as the region Asia Pacific. About E.ON E.ON is an international investor owned energy supplier, focusing entirely on energy networks, customer solutions and renewables. In the 2015 financial year, more than 40,000 employees from 90 nations generated sales of around EUR 43 billion. Around 33 million customers purchase gas and electricity from E.ON. E.ON Connecting Energies specialises in integrated energy solutions for industrial, commercial and public-sector customers. The company offers bespoke solutions in energy efficiency, on-site generation, virtual power plants, flexibility and battery storage. As an energy partner, E.ON Connecting Energies delivers life-time cost savings as well as lasting reductions in energy consumption and CO 2 emissions. About Dow Benelux Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company is driving innovations that extract value from material, polymer, chemical and biological science to help address many of the world's most challenging problems, such as the need for fresh food, safer and more sustainable transportation, clean water, energy efficiency, more durable infrastructure, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's integrated, market-driven portfolio delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in 175 countries and in high-growth sectors such as packaging, infrastructure, transportation, consumer care, electronics, and agriculture. In 2016, Dow had annual sales of $48 billion and employed approximately 56,000 people worldwide. The Company's more than 7,000 product families are manufactured at 189 sites in 34 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com. For further information please contact markus.nitschke@eon.com This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by E.ON Group management and other information currently available to E.ON. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. E.ON SE does not intend, and does not assume any liability whatsoever, to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201703090055 The Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, plans to seek approval from its members to proceed with the process of becoming a publicly listed company, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt. The NSE with around 200 listed companies, all included in its benchmark share index is the second biggest bourse in sub-Saharan Africa after Johannesburg. It is currently owned by stockbrokers and some institutional investors. The equities market in Africas largest economy was, until 2013, one of the worlds best performing frontier markets, but low liquidity levels and currency restrictions have now deterred foreign investors. This year, shares in Nigeria have lost around seven percent to add to the 6.2 percent loss last year reflecting an economic crisis, caused by low oil prices. On Thursday, stocks rose to their highest level in a week in naira terms after the government said it was determined to tackle the crisis this year. Stock also surged to a 16-year high in dollar terms. As a first step, according to Reuters News Agency, the NSE said it will change its ownership structure from a mutual company of brokers to add new shareholders in a process known as demutualisation. It hopes this will help it improve transparency, product development and deepen the market, leading to more inflows from foreign investors. Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), the continents biggest and most developed stock market, has been a listed company since 2006. Nigeria appointed South African bank FirstRand and local investment firm Chapel Hill Denham to guide it through the process of becoming a listed company. The stock exchange said it will ratify their appointment at the meeting this month. The NSE also said it will fast-track the listing of exchange traded derivatives this year to help investors manage risk, adding that it has created a counterparty clearing house to support the process. Share this: Twitter Facebook The Marines artillery unit has deployed 400 U.S. forces to Syria in recent days to help local forces speed up efforts to defeat Islamic State at Raqqa, coalition spokesman of the Air Force, John Dorrian, said on Thursday. Mr. Dorrian said the additional U.S. forces would be working with local partners in Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian Arab Coalition and would not have a front line role. The additional deployment comprises of Marines and Army Rangers. He said the number adds to around 500 U.S. military personnel already in Syria. The SDF, which includes the Kurdish YPG militia, is the main U.S. partner in the war against Islamic State insurgents in Syria. Since November it has been working with the U.S.-led coalition to encircle Raqqa, ISs main urban bastion in Syria. This week, the SDF cut the road between Raqqa and the jihadists stronghold of Deir al-Zor province the last main road out of the city. Islamic State is also being fought in Syria by the Russian-backed Syrian military, and by Syrian rebel groups fighting under the Free Syrian Army banner with Turkish backing in northern Syria and Jordanian backing in southern Syria. Mr. Dorrian, a colonel, said the effort to isolate Raqqa was going very very well and could be completed in a few weeks. Then the decision to move in can be made, he said. The additional forces had arrived in the last few days, he told Reuters by telephone. The artillery will help expedite the defeat of ISIS in Raqqa, he said, using another acronym for Islamic State. The Marines were armed with 155-millimetre artillery guns. Asked if they had been used yet, Dorrian said he did not believe so. We have had what I would describe as a pretty relentless air campaign to destroy enemy capabilities and to kill enemy fighters in that area already. That is something that we are going to continue and intensify with this new capability. We are talking about an additional 400 or so forces in total, and they will be there for a temporary period, he said. A Kurdish military source told Reuters the extra U.S. forces were deployed as part of a joint plan between the SDF and U.S.-led coalition to capture Raqqa, and further U.S. reinforcements were expected to arrive in the coming few days. Dorrian said the Army Rangers were on a different mission to the Marines in a previously announced deployment near the city of Manbij to create some reassurance for U.S.-allied Turkey and U.S. partners in Syria a reference to the SDF. Turkey views the YPG as a threat to its national security and says the Kurdish militia maintains a presence in Manbij. The YPG denies this. Fearing deepening Kurdish influence in northern Syria, Turkey has been pressing Washington for a role in the final assault on Raqqa. Dorrian said a possible role for Turkey remains a point of discussion at military leadership and diplomatic levels. We have always said we are open to a role for Turkey in the liberation of Raqqa and will continue that discussion to whatever logical end there is.(Reuters/NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook The inability of the prosecution to produce an interpreter on Wednesday stalled the planned arraignment of two Chinese and a Nigerian accused of importing fake tyres into the country. Taolung Shen, 36, Xu Jing Yao, 22, and Chinedu Madubuike alongside their companies, Sino Nigeria Import and Export Ltd and Nedeca International Limited, were charged with four counts of importation of sub-standard tyres by the Attorney General of the Federation. The defendants allegedly imported the tyres, said to be the largest seizure in Nigeria, in February. On Wednesday, the prosecution counsel, Babatunde Alajogun, asked Justice Mojisola Olatoregun allow the charge dated March 3 to be read to the accused. But the defence counsel, Victor Opara, said the first and second defendants did not speak English. I normally discuss with them by means of an interpreter, he said. When the judge asked Mr. Alajogun why he did not arrange for an interpreter, the lawyer said he assumed the defendants could speak English because he once heard Mr. Shen speak English. It was at your request that we took the case today because you said they had been in custody, the judge told the prosecutor. So why are you not ready? Did you ask if they could speak English? Are you not supposed to ask? They are expected to understand the charge. They are expected to follow the proceedings. Thats when you would have fulfilled the legal requirements. The judge declined Mr. Alajoguns request for the Chinese nationals to be remanded in prison pending the availability of an interpreter for their trial. I will not. They will go back to where they came from. I dont persecute people here, he said. Mr. Opara promised to bring an interpreter from the Chinese consulate. I undertake to produce an acceptable interpreter from the Consulate within 24 hours, he said. Justice Olatoregun adjourned till March 20 for arraignment. The charges: COUNT 1 That you Taolung Shen, Xu Jim Yao, Sino Nigeria Limited, Nedecca International Limited and Chinedu Madubuike sometimes in the month of February, 2017 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court did conspire among yourself and imported tyres which did not meet the relevant Nigerian industrial standards through means of stuffing various sizes of tyres into one, knowing same to be in a dangerous state or injurious to life of human beings and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 518(2) of the Criminal Code Act Cap C.38 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. COUNT 2 That you Taolung Shen, Xu Jim Yao, Sino Nigeria Limited, Nedecca International Limited and Chinedu Madubuike sometimes in the month of February, 2017 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court did import tyres that did not comply with mandatory standards on account of your act of stuffing various sizes of tyres into one which makes the tyres to be unfit for purpose and not complying with the mandatory standard and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 26(2)(b)(iii) of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria Act No. 14, 2015 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. COUNT 3 That you Taolung Shen, Xu Jim Yao, Sino Nigeria Limited, Nedecca International Limited and Chinedu Madubuike sometimes in the month of February, 2017 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court did import tyres that did not meet the relevant Nigeria industrial standard on account of your act of stuffing various tyres into one, knowing same to be in a dangerous state and likely to endanger human lives and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 320(2) (b) of the Criminal Code Act Cap C 38 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. COUNT 4 That you Taolung Shen, Xu Jim Yao, Sino Nigeria Limited, Nedecca International Limited and Chinedu Madubuike sometimes in the month of February, 2017 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court did fail to furnish returns on the condition of the imported tyres as required by law and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 32(1) of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria Act No. 14, 2015 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. Share this: Twitter Facebook The African Union Mission in Somalia, AMISOM, on Thursday confirmed that the leader of the militant group al-Shabaab has surrendered to government forces in Baidoa town in southern Somalia. The AU mission confirmed that Hussein Mukhtar surrendered to the Somali National Army (SNA) on Tuesday following a government amnesty offer for militants to surrender. AMISOM calls on Al-Shabaab fighters to heed the governments amnesty, AMISOM said in a statement. It called on al-Shabaab militants to lay down their weapons and join the Somali people to rebuild their county. AMISON hopes that other sons and daughters of Somalia who have been misled into terrorist acts will emulate the courageous action of Mukhtar, it said. The Somali government announced an amnesty offer in 2014 to members of the al-Qaida linked group al-Shabaab, which had been launching attacks on government forces and AMISOM. NAN recalls that Al-Shabaab once controlled much of southern and central Somalia and imposed a harsh form of Islamic law that banned music and led to public amputations for accused thieves. Government and African Union troops have recaptured most of the territory, but the militants were still able to kill several members of parliament last year, and launch two major assaults on the presidential palace. The Somali government first offered amnesty to al-Shabaab fighters last September, after al-Shabaabs top leader, Ahmed Godane, was killed in a U.S. airstrike. Since Godanes death, al-Shabaabs leaders have been divided, but it has remained a strong fighting force and challenge to the Somali government. In words directed at the militants, then president Hassan Mohamud said he knows many al-Shabab members joined for reasons that made sense at the time, including the need for money, or a sense they were proving themselves to be good Muslims or good Somalis. But, he added, What you did does not have to dictate the rest of your life. Mr. Mohamud acknowledged some Somalis are uneasy about amnesty for al-Shabab members. He said those who defect go through a process of supervised rehabilitation and are monitored by Somali security forces to ensure they continue to reject the militant group. He asked Somalis to accept the need for concession and to exercise forgiveness in order to close a dark chapter in Somalias history. (Xinhua/NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook The Senate has asked the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service, Hameed Ali, to appear unfailingly in his appropriate uniform next Wednesday over the services action against owners of vehicles not duly registered with the service. The Senate summon, Thursday, followed a motion by Dino Melaye (APC Kogi) who drew the attention of his colleagues to the refusal of the Customs to suspend the plan against vehicles without duty payment. The Senate had on Tuesday asked the Customs, NCS, to halt the action; but Mr. Melaye presented a report by The Sun newspapers on Thursday, reporting Mr. Ali to have dared the Senate and said the NCS has its own rules which allow the planned clamp down. A number of the Senators, including Kabiru Marafa (APC-Zamfara), Emmanuel Bwacha (PDP-Taraba), Aliyu Wamako (APC-Sokoto), and Solomon Olamilekan (APC-Lagos), supported the call that Mr. Ali, a retired army colonel who has refused to wear the customs uniform, appear before the Senate. The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided on Thursday, then issued the ruling. Lanre Tejuoso (APC-Ogun) claimed Customs operatives killed two persons in his constituency, adding we must look into the activities of the Customs. The lawmakers said disregard for Senate resolutions meant indirect disrespect to the President. Mr. Ekweremadu said such impunity must be fought along with corruption. But the Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan, cautioned his colleagues against acting on newspaper reports. Mr. Lawan, however, also said the Senate must be respected and any official summoned must appear within the stimulated time. Share this: Twitter Facebook A trial that lasted almost 12 years reached a milestone on Thursday when Justice Ishaq Bello of the FCT High Court, Abuja, sentenced two police officers, Ezekiel Acheneje and Emmanuel Baba, to death for killing two of the six Igbo traders in Abuja on June 8, 2005. The two policemen were found guilty of killing Augustina Arebu and Anthony Nwokike. However, three other police officers, including a then deputy commissioner of police Danjuma Ibrahim, Nicholas Zakaria, and Sadiq Salami were set free, discharged and acquitted by the court for want of evidence. A sixth accused police officer, Othman Abdulsalam, has been at large since the case started and had no legal representation. Delivering judgement in a nine-count criminal charge brought by the federal government against the police officers, Mr. Bello said the court had no option than to convict the two men on account of their own confessional statements that they shot the two traders based on instruction from superior officers. Mr. Bello said the action of the two police officers was callous and barbaric because by law, they were supposed to preserve the lives of innocent citizens. The judge further said that their action was condemnable because there was no evidence that the two traders did anything to constitute threat to police at the time they were shot dead. Justice Bello said that the killing of the two traders was particularly painful because they were arrested by members of the public alive and handed over to the police only for the same police, to take laws into their hands by summarily executing them. The judge discountenanced the retraction of the confessional statements during the trial by the two convicts. He described the retraction as an afterthought, because the statements by the convicted police officers were outright confessional. THE KILLINGS The case centred on the alleged extra-judicial killing of five young auto-spare parts dealers in Apo, a satellite town in Abuja, and a young woman, by police officers on the night of June 7, 2005. The victims, Ekene Isaac Mgbe, Ifeanyi Ozor, Chinedu Meniru, Paulinus Ogbonna, Anthony Nwokike, and Augustina Arebu, were said to be returning from a night club when they were stopped at a police checkpoint. The police had claimed that the victims, aged between 21 and 25 years, were members of an armed robbery gang that had opened fire on the officers when accosted at the checkpoint. But a judicial panel of inquiry set up by former President Olusegun Obasanjo found the police account to be false and recommended the trial of the six officers for extra-judicial killings. The indicted officers are Danjuma Ibrahim, Othman Abdulsalami (now at large), Nicholas Zakaria, Ezekiel Acheneje, Baba Emmanuel, and Sadiq Salami. The defendants had pleaded not guilty to the charges. But 12 years later, the trial continued to drag on in court. The five officers accused of the killings and eight other police witnesses eventually testified before the panel of inquiry that Danjuma Ibrahim, the most senior of the accused officers, had allegedly ordered the killings of the youth. According to the report of the panel, the victims were at a nightclub located at Gimbiya Street, Area 11, in Abuja that night of June 7, 2005 when they had a face-off with Mr. Ibrahim after the only female among the victims, Augustina Arebu, allegedly turned down romantic advances of the senior police officer. Mr. Ibrahim had allegedly stormed out of the night club to a police checkpoint at the end of the street and told the officers on duty that he had sited a group of armed robbers in the area. According to the panels report, which formed the bulk of the evidence in court, when the six unwary young people later arrived at the checkpoint in their car, Mr. Ibrahim allegedly had the car blocked and ordered the officers to shoot at the occupants. Four of the six died on the spot, but two of them, Mr. Nwokike and Ms. Arebu, survived the initial onslaught. They were later killed by the two convicted police officers in the early hours of June 8 on the grounds that they attempted to escape. THREE COPS FREED The three other police officers involved, Danjuma Ibrahim, Nicholas Zakaria and Sadiq Salami, who were charged with conspiracy and culpable homicide, contrary to Section 97 and 221 of the penal code, were discharged and acquitted by the court for want of evidence. Justice Bello said from the totality of the evidence placed before the court, the charge of conspiracy cannot be established against them because of the inability of the prosecution to convince the court that the men met and agreed to kill the six traders. The judge said in the case of the Mr. Ibrahim, who was alleged to have seized an AK 47 and shot the traders in their Peugeot 406 on that fateful day, the allegation collapsed in the face of contradictions from two prosecution witnesses that Mr. Ibrahim never seized a gun or fired at the traders. The judge added that if the fingerprint of the deputy police commissioner had been taken, it could have been established whether he handled the AK 47 used in killing the traders on the day of the incident. On the other four victims shot to death, the judge said the issue remained ambiguous and vague because the prosecution was unable to establish those responsible for their murder. The judge said although a witness told the court that Mr. Ibrahim was responsible for the shooting of the four traders, another witness said it was a patrol team invited to the scene of the robbery incident that fired at the vehicle of the traders when they allegedly refused to stop at a stop and search point mounted by the police to track down the suspected robbers that had allegedly robbed Crown Guest Inn at Gimbiya Street. Justice Bello added that in the face of the contradiction, it was particularly impossible to hold anyone responsible for the death of the traders. More so when no name was mentioned of the members of the patrol team invited to reinforce the ambush squad that was trailing the suspected robbers. Mr. Bello also said the six traders created suspicion when they reversed at the checkpoint, inciting the police officers. The judge said he was not in doubt that the occupants failed to stop when asked to, and that the decision not to stop may have created suspicion. Share this: Twitter Facebook The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, on Thursday moved to stop a consortium of Nigerian banks from taking over mobile telecoms firm, Etisalat Nigeria, over a $1.72 billion (about N541.8 billion) loan crisis. Following a meeting in Abuja on Thursday between the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Umar Danbatta, and the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele, both men resolved to intervene in the loan crisis, after the banks threatened to take over the operations of the telecoms firm. The consortium of some foreign and Nigerian banks, including Guaranty Trust Bank, Access Bank and Zenith Bank, has been having a running battle with Etisalat over a $1.72 billion (about N541.8 billion) loan facility obtained in 2015. The loan, which involved a foreign-backed guaranty bond, was for Etisalat to finance a major network rehabilitation and expansion of its operational base in Nigeria. However, following the failure of the company to meet the debt servicing schedule agreed since 2016, the three Nigerian banks, prodded by their foreign partners, reported Etisalat to the NCC, threatening to take over the company. Etisalat blamed its inability to fulfil its obligations to the banks on the current economic recession in Nigeria, sources said, adding that the NCC had intervened with a plea to the banks to relax their tough stance on the issue. PREMIUM TIMES learnt the NCC was not favourably disposed to the takeover bid by the banks, believing Etisalat, the fourth largest telecoms operator in the country, was still strong and formidable business-wise, and was also willing and able to negotiate the servicing of its loan obligations. The NCC, as the regulator of the telecoms industry, made the point that allowing the banks to take over Etisalat would bring negative consequences on the industry. The spokesperson of NCC, Tony Ojobo, said in a statement on Thursday that the regulator was worried about the fate of the over 20 million Etisalat subscribers and the wrong signals a takeover of Etisalat may send to potential investors in the telecom industry. Consequently, at the meeting between the Central Bank governor and NCC Vice Chairman, deliberations centred on how best to stave off the takeover. At the end of the meeting, convened at the CBN Headquarters in Abuja at the instance of the NCC, the financial sector regulator agreed to invite Etisalat management and the affected banks to a crucial meeting on Friday, to find an amicable resolution of the crisis. On their part, the banks said their line of action against Etisalat was informed by the enormous pressure from the Asset Management Company of Nigeria, AMCON, demanding immediate cut down on the rate of their non-performing loans. A senior official of one of the affected banks who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES late on Tuesday said one of the options they proposed to Etisalat management as a middle way out of the crisis was for it to request for a bankruptcy status. The official, who requested that his name not be revealed, since he was not authorized to speak on behalf of the consortium, said the bankruptcy option would require having receivership management appointed by the banks to oversee its operations. Share this: Twitter Facebook A day after the Lagos State governor accused the Federal Ministry of Works of frustrating some of his plans in Lagos State, the minister has replied. In a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode accused the federal ministry of two things: failure to allow the state government rebuild the Oshodi road that leads to the Lagos Airport and failure to ensure the proper handover of the Presidential Lodge in Lagos to the state government as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari. On Thursday, the Works minister, Babatunde Fashola, who is Mr. Ambodes predecessor as Lagos governor, denied the allegations. In a statement by his spokesperson, Hakeem Bello, Mr. Fashola said his response is to ensure that members of the public are not misled by deliberate or inadvertent mis-statements of the Lagos governor. The minister explained that the request of the Lagos government to take over the Oshodi-airport road, as well as three other federal roads in the state, was still being discussed at the Federal Executive Council. Federal Executive Council Memorandum are debated and commented upon by all members and in cases of roads, surveys, maps and other material have to be provided to assist members understand the location and connectivity of the roads, (in this case Four roads), in order to assist how they vote on the Memorandum, Mr. Bello said. On the presidential lodge, Mr. Fasholas aide said it was currently being run by the presidency and that his ministry was working with relevant security officials for the handover. The Presidential Lodge is a high security location and officials of the Ministry also require security clearance to enter in order to do any works, he said. Mr. Bello, who listed some other areas the works ministry has cooperated with the Lagos government, then questioned his successors motive for the allegations. The motive behind these public accusations must therefore be scrutinised coming barely a week after the Governor spoke with the Honourable Minister, Mr Babatunde Fashola SAN on the outstanding requests of the state for several minutes Read the works ministers full reaction below: The attention of the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing has been drawn to certain statements credited to the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode claiming that the Federal Ministry of Works has been frustrating the efforts of his administration to carry out a total reconstruction of the International Airport Road from Oshodi. The Governor also reportedly accused the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and Security Services of denying the State Government access to the Presidential Lodge in Lagos six months after President Muhammadu Buhari approved it off for the State. This response is to ensure that members of the public are not misled by deliberate or inadvertent mis-statements. The allegations of lack of cooperation from the Ministry and frustration of Lagos State Government development initiatives are simply not true and the facts do not bear them out. In 2016, the Hon Minister for Power Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, approved the use of the Federal Ministry of works yard at Oworonsoki for Lagos State Government to create a lay-by to ease traffic. The Hon Minister also approved that Lagos State be granted the Rights to manage the Street Lighting on the 3rd Mainland Bridge to support the security initiatives of the State, a request which the previous Federal Government administration had denied Lagos State for years. During the same year the Hon Minister also supported the approval of the World Bank Loan of $200m to Lagos State, again a request the previous administration had denied Lagos State. As far as International Airport Road which is currently the ground for alleged frustration is concerned, the correct position is that the Lagos State Government presented a request for FOUR roads that it would wish to take over. This is consistent with the position being canvassed by the Hon Minister for States who are interested to apply to take over Roads that are within their States. The Ministry has presented the Memorandum conveying the request of the Lagos State Government to the Federal Executive Council as was done with a similar request by the Kaduna State Government in 2016. Due to the fact that TWO of the roads also connect Ogun State, the Federal Executive Council could not reach an immediate decision on them because it requested the input of the other State Government affected. The Kaduna State Government requested the Federal Government to transfer two roads within Kaduna Metropolis to the State in November 2015. Due process was followed and the request of the State Government was approved in August 2016, a period of ten months. Federal Executive Council Memorandum are debated and commented upon by all members and in cases of roads, surveys, maps and other material have to be provided to assist members understand the location and connectivity of the roads, (in this case Four roads), in order to assist how they vote on the Memorandum. As far as the Presidential Lodge is concerned, it is under the management of the Presidency and not the Ministry. After the approval by Mr President that the Presidential Lodge be handed over to the State Government, there was a directive to the Ministry to work out the modalities for handing over. The Ministry has prepared a vesting instrument to convey the transfer and all that is needed is a survey plan. The Presidential Lodge is a high security location and officials of the Ministry also require security clearance to enter in order to do any works. Access to the lodge is not under the control of the Ministry. The motive behind these public accusations must therefore be scrutinized coming barely a week after the Governor spoke with the Honourable Minister, Mr Babatunde Fashola SAN on the outstanding requests of the State for several minutes and the Minister took time to explain the situation of things to the Governor. (The first telephone conversation the Governor has had with the Minister since May 29, 2015). If there is any lack of co-operation it is on the part of the State Government that has refused to acknowledge not to talk of approving the Ministrys request for Land of the National Housing Programme in Lagos. The Ministry is not frustrated by this lack of response and remains optimistic that a response will come from Lagos State. The Ministry remains committed to serving the Government and Good People of Lagos and will treat all their requests on Merit and in accordance with necessary due process as will be done to other States. As far as the refund of N51Billion is concerned this is not a new item. Almost all if not all states have these claims and the Federal Ministry of Power Works and Housing has verified these claims. What is left is the process of raising the finance to pay the Debt owed to the States. Those who are familiar with the workings of Government will attest to the fact that it is an intricate sequence of processes, consultation and collaboration. Equating processes to a lack of co-operation is therefore akin to creating a storm in a tea cup. Share this: Twitter Facebook The Peoples Democratic Party caucus in the Senate has rejected an invitation by the party chairman, Ali Sherrif, and said it would instead support broad consultation to resolve the leadership crisis in the party. Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, disclosed this to journalists, after the opposition lawmakers met at the National Assembly on Wednesday. Mr. Akpabio said Mr. Sherrif extended invitation to the caucus on March 6, but added that the request would not be honoured because doing so meant sectionalism. Mr. Sherrif was affirmed authentic chairman of the party in February by the Port Harcourt division of the Court of Appeal, defeating his challengers grouped under the Ahmed Makarfi faction. The Makarfi faction rejected the judgement and headed to the Supreme Court for redress. But Mr. Akpabio said the caucus preferred out-of-court resolution; and to that end, would meet with both factions and the Board of Trustees. He said: We held this meeting because there was a letter from Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff to the caucus and we had to meet first to know whether this is the right time. Whether the meeting is right or not, what we agreed is that the leadership meets first and thereafter we meet with the Sheriff group, the Makarfi group and the BOT. When this happens, we will then see whether all can come to a consensus and not just the caucus running to the party office to meet Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff. That will look like sectionalism. As a caucus, we believe strongly in peace and we believe in the unity of the Peoples Democratic Party so that Nigeria can have a robust democracy. We believe that without the PDP being strong and united, Nigeria may slide into a one party state and democracy may be in peril. He said the plan of the caucus could even be a major way out, instead of continuous processes in court. Share this: Twitter Facebook The Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar III, on Thursday urged the Federal Government to relax its ban on importation of rice and vehicles through land borders. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Sultan made the call when the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, paid him a courtesy visit at his palace in Sokoto. We will continue to serve as the voices of the voiceless and in this direction, we are calling on the federal government to look into some recent policies that will further tighten the noose on the necks of Nigerians. Nigerians are already going through difficult times and policies should not be taken to further aggravate the suffering of Nigerians. This will also avoid disharmony between the government and the governed, he said. Mr. Abubakar specifically cited the examples of the ban on the importation of rice and vehicles through land borders, saying the policies should be relaxed. The Sultan stressed that some of the policies were still ill-timed. The monarch pledged to provide sustained support, prayers and wise counsel to the government, adding, we will always work for the peace, unity, stability and the even socioeconomic development of Nigeria. We are also assuring the government of our sustained total support, loyalty and commitment, and would work towards the spiritual and temporal development of Nigerians. Mr. Abubakar congratulated Mr. Osinbajo at 60, welcoming him to the club of the old people. Earlier, the acting president underscored the importance of Sokoto state in the affairs of Nigeria and pledged that the government would continue to pursue the development and agriculture and solid minerals to diversify the economy. The development of agriculture and agro-allied value chains are key in this direction. Sokoto state is in the forefront of agricultural revolution to bring back Nigeria on the path of sustainable development. Agencies of the federal government would continue to facilitate trade and commerce in the nation. NAN also reports that Mr. Osinbajo was accompanied on the visit by Gov. Aminu Tambuwal and Minister of State, Trade and Investment, Aishatu Abubakar, among others.(NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook The Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, on Thursday visited Oghara, the country home of former Governor of Delta State, James Ibori, who recently returned to Nigeria after a jail term in the UK for money laundering. A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, said during the visit, the governor held a closed-door meeting with Mr. Ibori in the latters residence. The meeting reportedly centred mostly on peace and security in the Niger Delta, as well as possible roles the former Delta State Governor, who still commands a lot of respect among his people, could play. Mr. Ibori is expected to play a big role in rallying major stakeholders towards tackling some of the peace and security challenges in the region. The statement further disclosed that the two leaders discussed likely windows of opportunities for criminally minded youth in the region to be more meaningfully engaged as well as protect some of the critical national asset of the country within the region. The Bayelsa State Governor, who had earlier spoken with his Delta State counterpart, Ifeanyi Okowa, expressed satisfaction with the disposition and resolve of the former governor to support current measures at tackling the age long security challenges in the region. Mr. Dickson was accompanied by some members of his cabinet. He has since returned to Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital. Share this: Twitter Facebook The House of Representatives, on Thursday in Abuja, rejected a motion to probe the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, over alleged breach of the Public Procurement Act 2007. It, however, mandated the sponsor of the motion and Deputy Minority Leader, Chukwuka Onyema (Anambra-PDP) to provide evidence of breach for the House to take necessary steps. The lawmaker had argued that the FIRS, as an agency of the Federal Government, was required to comply fully with the provisions of the Public Procurement Act of 2007. He alleged that there were numerous infractions bordering on gross abuse of the letters and spirit of the said Act by the FIRS. Mr. Onyema listed the allegations to include non-compliance with requirements for competitive bidding and abuse of the restrictive tendering option. Others include alleged award of contracts beyond approved threshold to companies, some of which were registered on the day of award and to companies not having the required compliance documents/certificates among others. He said that such abuse and violation of the Act were partly responsible for the numerous challenges bedevilling the nation, including the current economic recession and infrastructural deficit. According to him, the FIRS has consistently shown strong penchant to deliberately violate the act, as it is the case in its engagement of McKenzie which resulted in huge loss of foreign exchange to the nation. He said that if urgent steps were not taken to investigate these allegations and address any infractions, the abuse is likely to continue, resulting in further losses to the nation. When put to vote, majority of the lawmakers refused to give their support to the motion. Speaker Yakubu Dogara, however, charged the mover of the motion to provide evidence of breach to enable the House take appropriate steps. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday asked Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court to strike out a fundamental rights suit brought by Andrew Yakubu, former Group Managing Director, GMD, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, against the Commission for lack of jurisdiction. Operatives of the EFCC had on February 3 stormed a building belonging to the former NNPC boss and recovered a staggering sum of $9,772,000 (Nine Million, Seven Hundred and Seventy Two Thousand United States Dollars) and 74,000 (Seventy Four Thousand Pound Sterling) stashed in a huge fire proof safe following which he reported to the Commissions Kano Zonal Office on February 8, 2017 and admitted being the owner of both the house and the money recovered. In a dramatic turn, Mr. Yakubu, in a suit filed through his counsel, Ahmed Raji, is challenging his detention since February 8 and demanding the enforcement of his right to dignity of person, personal liberty, fair hearing, freedom of movement, private and family life and to acquire own property. Aside praying the court to shield him from further investigation by the EFCC, he is also demanding N1 billion as cost against EFCC and Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, who is the second respondent, for the violation of his aforementioned rights. Mr. Raji, while adopting his written address, urged the court to grant all the reliefs sought by the applicant (Mr. Yakubu). He stated that the sum total of the relief sought by the respondent is the release of the Applicant/Respondent as the investigation is still going on. Though, Mr. Raji admitted that the EFCC can investigate anybody, he, however, said such should not be an excuse for unwarranted detention especially in a situation where at the end of trial the person may not go to jail. Mr. Raji also told the court that he was not aware of Exhibit EFCC 4 (order from Magistrate Court in Kano), adding that the Applicant/Respondent has not been brought to the court or any court of law. He submitted that the exhibit is irregular and constitute a gross abuse of the proceedings of this court. In his preliminary objection, Johnson Ojogbane, counsel to EFCC, told the court that it lacked jurisdiction to hear the suit. He argued that all the facts relevant to the Applicant/Respondents application took place in Kano State which is outside the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court Abuja. It is not in doubt that, the acts leading to this action filed by the Applicant/Respondent all occurred in Kano. He was never invited to the commissions head office in Abuja and never came to Abuja in respect of the instant case. In view of this, the Federal High Court lacks territorial jurisdiction to hear and determine the matter as the court must have both subject matter and territorial jurisdiction to entertain a case, Mr. Ojogbane argued. On the Applicants prayer for human rights enforcement, Mr. Ojogbane argued that the application is incompetent, incurably defective and therefore robs this honourable court of the jurisdiction to determine the suit. He went on to add that the detention warrant that authorised the detention of the applicant/respondent was obtained in Kano State as the EFCC is investigating the allegations levelled against the former NNPC boss. On the other hand, the AGF, represented by T. A. Gazali brought an application asking the court for more time to regularise its processes that was filed out of time. Justice Mohammed has adjourned to March 14 for further hearing. Share this: Twitter Facebook The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Thursday secured the conviction of four counterfeit currency dealers before Justice Simon Amobeda of the Federal High Court, Kebbi, on a four-count charge of conspiracy and possession of counterfeit currency. The convicts, Usman Ahmed, Isiyaku Mohammed, Mohammed Badadi, and Rilwanu Abdullahi were arrested by officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps at Birnin Kebbi while in possession of a sum of N583,000 in fake one thousand Naira notes. The case was eventually transferred to the commission for further investigation. After listening to the charge, all the accused persons pleaded guilty to the four count charge. In view of the plea of the accused persons, prosecution counsel, N. K. Ukoha, urged the court to convict them accordingly. Justice Amobeda convicted all the accused persons as charged. Before sentence was delivered, the counsel to the defendants, S. B. Kaoje, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy given that the convicts are first time offenders with no criminal record. He added that the convicts are all family men with children and many defendants. In his ruling, Justice Amobeda sentenced the convicts to five years imprisonment on each of the four count charge. The sentence is to run concurrently and also to begin from the day of their arrest. Share this: Twitter Facebook The World Bank Group is set to mobilise immediate response for people threatened by famine in Nigeria and five other countries. World Bank Group President, Jim Yong Kim, who made this known in a statement posted on the organisations website on Wednesday, said the five other countries are Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen. The Nigerian government had earlier denied that there was any prospect of famine across the country, but indicated the Boko Haram-raved north-eastern Nigeria could be affected. Mr. Kim, who noted that the World banks first priority was to work with partners to make sure that families have access to food and water, disclosed that millions of lives are at risk and will die if nothing is done quickly to put the crisis under control. Famine is a stain on our collective conscience. Millions of lives are at risk and more will die if we do not act quickly and decisively, the World Bank boss noted. He revealed that the World Bank is working towards a financial package of more than $1.6 billion to build social protection systems, strengthen community resilience, and maintain service delivery to the most vulnerable. This, according to him, includes existing operations of over $870 million that will help communities threatened by famine. I am also working with our Board of Directors to secure the approval of new operations amounting to $770 million, funded substantially through IDAs Crisis Response Window, he added. The World Bank boss, however, said that the international community must recognise that famine will have lasting impacts on peoples health, ability to learn and earn a living, adding that the organisation will continue to work with communities to reclaim their livelihoods and build resilience to future shocks. We are coordinating closely with the UN and other partners in all areas of our response, he said. We know that resolution to this acute crisis will not be possible without all humanitarian and development actors working together. We call on the international community to respond robustly and quickly to the UN global appeal for resources for the famine. To prevent crises in the future, we must invest in addressing the root causes and drivers of fragility today and help countries build institutional and societal resilience. In January, a report by the Famine Early Warning System Network, FEWS NET, an agency supported by the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, had said that due to persistent conflict, severe drought and economic instability, Nigeria and three other countries faced a credible risk of famine in 2017. The report had noted that the Boko Haram crisis continues to contribute to large scale population displacement, limit market activity, and restrict normal livelihoods, especially in north-east Nigeria. The report came two months after the presidency warned Nigerians of a likelihood of famine if the excess export of Nigerian grains was not checked. Huge demand for our grains in the global market is creating an excellent environment for the mindless export of Nigerian food across our borders and unless this is curtailed, Nigerian markets will be bereft of grains by January next year, presidential spokesperson Garba Shehu had said in November 2016. In February, famine hit a part of South Sudan, marking the first announcement of its kind since 2011. Yemen, northern Nigeria and Somalia are also on the brink of famine, analysts said. Share this: Twitter Facebook Acting President Yemi Osibanjo on Thursday said Nigeria would continue to be actively involved in finding solutions to the leadership crisis in Guinea Bisau. Mr. Osinbajo gave the assurance after a closed-door meeting with the Prime Minister of Guinea Bisau, Omaru Sissco Embalo, at the Kaduna International Airport. He told journalists that Nigeria would continue to be part of ongoing engagement initiated by ECOWAS to bring to an end the crisis of succession and leadership in Guinea Bisau. What has happened today, we are furthering that consultation, trying to ensure that we are able to be a part in resolving the leadership crisis that is there, and we intend to be continuously involved until it is resolved. We think that ECOWAS will be able to resolve that problem and we are very active participants in that whole process. We hope that within a very short time, we will be able to resolve the crisis along with all of the other parties in ECOWAS. On areas of collaboration between the two countries, the acting president said the two nations were important partners in every possible things, including economic, political and social issues. On his part, the Prime Minister of Guinea Bisau, Omaru Sissco Embalo, said the visit was to consult with the Nigerian government on the political situation in his country. He said that Nigeria is leading the ECOWAS contact group on Guinea Bissau seeking for amicable resolution of the political impasse in that country. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook The Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, has rejected the recommendations of a committee his party set up and vowed not to be part of any convention organised by the Ali Sheriff faction of the Peoples Democratic Party. A reconciliation committee led by Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, in its report presented to Mr. Sheriff asked the PDP national chairman to conduct a convention within 6 months as part of measures to resolve the crisis in the party. New leaders of the party would be elected at the convention, the committee recommended, while Mr. Sheriff has pledged not to seek the position of party chairman again. While Mr. Sheriff was declared party chairman by the Court of Appeal, another PDP faction led by Ahmed Makarfi is supported by Mr. Fayose and other governors of the party. In his statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES by his spokesperson, Mr. Fayose said he is certain Mr. Sheriff is being sponsored by Nigerias ruling APC and that he and his supporters would not participate in any convention organised by Mr. Sheriff. Read Mr. Fayoses full statement below: Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governors Forum, Ayodele Fayose, has reiterated his support for the decision of the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee to appeal the Court of Appeal, Port-Harcourt, judgement on the leadership of the party, saying; There cannot be any meaningful reconciliation with an impossible character like Senator Ali Modu Sheriff who is obviously working for political interests different from that of the PDP. The governor said he was aware that well over $1 million had been provided by the APC to fund the convention being planned by the Sheriff group while adequate security will also be provided by the security agencies that are now more like part of the APC. This is being done so as to sustain the partys plot to turn Nigeria to a one party State. Speaking through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, the governor, who said he was reacting in his capacity as the governor of Ekiti State to the submission of report of the Governor Seriake Dickson-led reconciliation committee to Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, said; all constitutionally recognised organs of the party, including staff of the national secretariat are with the Makarfi led Caretaker Committee and since political party is about membership, Sheriff will continue to carry with himself the burden of lack of legitimacy. The governor, who said he had nothing against Governor Dickson, added that; I respect Governor Dickson, he is my brother and he is entitled to his own personal opinion just as I am entitled to mine. But I must state it categorically that no genuine lover of the PDP will take part in a convention sponsored by the APC. Governor Fayose, who said implementation of the Dickson Committee report was beyond Mr. Sheriff, noted that; assuming but not conceding that the report is acceptable, can Sheriff even implement it? Where will he find seven serving governors, seven former ministers, etc? Governor Fayose reiterated that no meaningful reconciliation can be done with Senator Sheriff, adding that; With APC calling for support for Sheriff, it should be clear to all genuine lovers of the PDP who are behind the crisis in the party. He said; I am speaking for myself and the entire people of Ekiti State that I represent; we wont be part of any PDP convention sponsored by the APC and I must state categorically that Sheriff is being sponsored 100 percent by the APC. We therefore remain undaunted in our support for the Markafi committee and its decision to approach the Supreme Court to challenge the Appeal Court, Port-Harcourt judgement. Share this: Twitter Facebook The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and Borno State Emergency Management in collaboration with Nigerian Immigration service have received 22, 463 returnees from Niger Republic to Damsak Town in Mobar L.G.A Borno state. The return of displaced persons came as a result of an Agreement signed between Nigeria, Cameroon and Niger for the safe return of the displaced persons. Over 10,000 returnees are also expected to be received and registered upon return in the next few days. The team also conducted a needs assessment to facilitate the provision of aid and relief intervention. The International Red Cross and UNICEF are providing food and medical care for the returnees and their efforts are being complimented by officials of Mobar Local government of the state. According to Abdulkadir Ibrahim, the Information Officer of NEMA in the North East, preparations are being made to receive and register more returnees expected to arrive from Cameroon through Banki town in Bama and Gamboru Ngala in Ngala LGA. The UN Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Activities OCHA, World food Program WFP, United Nations High Commission for Refugees UNHCR, and Government agencies will conduct a sectoral assessment in Damasak to complement efforts of Government in terms of shelter, food security, water and sanitation. Share this: Twitter Facebook Governor Simon Lalong, of Plateau State has accused his predecessor, Jonah Jang, of squandering N2 billion borrowed from a bank for empowerment of women and youth in the state. The governor stated this on Thursday in Jos, the state capital, during the graduation ceremony of trainees under a skill acquisition programme. When we came on board, we were confronted to pay a sum of two billion naira that was spent by the past administration. The sum was meant to eradicate poverty among our youth, but nothing of such was done. I told the bank that I was not going to pay, he said. Governor Lalong said he has alerted the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, to help recover the misappropriated fund. Mr. Lalong of the All Progressives Congress succeeded Mr. Jang of the Peoples Democratic Party as governor in 2015. According to Mr. Lalong, his predecessors government obtained the N2 billion loan from the Bank of Industry. The governor had instituted a panel to investigate alleged large scale corruption by the administration of Mr. Jang. The panel has submitted its report to the government, though no individual has been prosecuted or punished for corruption based on the findings of the panel. Mr. Lalong did not disclose whether the panel investigated the N2 billion borrowed funds. The Director of Press to the governor, Emmanuel Nanle, did not pick his calls on Thursday to provide clarification. Mr. Lalong said 200 youth from each of the 17 local government areas in the state would receive training before the end of this year under the skills acquisition programme. About 2889 participants were trained in different skills under the programme being run by a private organization, Apurimac Onus, under an initiative of the governor called the Simon Lalong Empowerment Scheme, SLEMS. The governor said the training was an attempt to eradicate abject poverty among citizens in the state. During the ceremony, 168 graduands were provided with equipment to enable them set up projects for which they have acquired skills and to train others. Beneficiaries were warned not the sell the equipment, but to set up workshops to become employers of labour and contribute to the growth of the economy. In his address, country director, Apurimac, Godwin Okoko, said his organisation had trained 20,000 women and youth over the past 13 years. Mr. Okoko also said about 55 per cent of the 2889 beneficiaries of the training programme are women, while 10 per cent are physically challenged. Share this: Twitter Facebook A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of former governor of Abia State, Orji Kalu, on Wednesday told a Lagos Division of the Federal High Court that the former governor did not, between 2001 and 2005, issue bank drafts or pay anyone any amount. The witness said the only money paid was a N2.5 million issued from a draft from the Uzor Kalu campaign fund. Mr. Kalu, his company Slok Nigeria Limited, and his former aide, Udeh Udeogu, are facing a 34-count amended charge bordering on money laundering and fraud amounting to N3.2 billion. The accused persons were alleged to have diverted the money from Abia State governments treasury between 2001 and 2005. At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, Justice Idris Mohammed ruled that documents tendered by a prosecution witness in the trial of the former Abia State governor, and others are admissible. The defence lawyers had objected to the document, tendered by Onovai Ovenevoh, a staff of Fidelity Bank Plc, on the grounds that it was stamped and signed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and not the bank. The defence had earlier objected to Mr. Ovenevoh giving evidence in the trial, but their objection was turned down by the judge on Tuesday. I agree that the written document by Fidelity Bank is an original document, Mr. Idris said in his ruling on Wednesday morning. This document is admissible since it is an original document and needs no certification by the EFCC I hold that once the letter dated October 13th, 2006, has been validly accepted, the documents attached goes with it. The letter of October 13th, 2006, and its attachment are hereby admitted as a whole in evidence and marked as exhibit A1. During cross examination of the witness, counsel to the first defendant, Mike Ozekhome, asked the witness if the former governors name or that of his company, Slok, appeared as individuals who authorized the drafts numbering 23. Mr. Onovai answered in the negative. Draft number 205 was issued from the Orji Uzor Kalu campaign fund and is N2.5million, the witness said. The draft was not also issued from Government House, Umuahia, and in the whole of exhibit A, there is no other document or draft paid for or issued by Orji Uzor Kalu. The witness also admitted to not being the maker of the document but was a signatory to the written document sent from Fidelity bank to the EFCC. I was not the maker of this document and I was not part of those who drafted the document, neither did I supervise the making of the document, I was only a co-signatory. There is one Oye Ogunmole who is my supervisor Between 2002 and 2005 when the fraud was said to have been perpetrated, the witness told the court that he had never worked at the defunct Manny bank which later merged with two other banks. He added that he does not know how government operations are carried out. When asked if he had written any statement to the EFCC in 2006 when the matter came up initially, Mr. Onovai said that, I never made any written statement under caution to the EFCC when this matter brewed. The only witness statement I made to the EFCC was the one I made two days ago when proceedings were already going on and I never partook in any of the transactions from the beginning. The prosecutions second witness, Christiana Ohiri, a United Bank of Africa (UBA) manager in Umuahia, Abia State, told the court that the Abia State government had several accounts with the bank amongst which include the Abia State Board of Internal Revenue account, Abia State Judiciary, and the Government House, Umuahia, account. When prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, sought to tender the statement of account of the Government House, Umuahia, and the letter written by the UBA, Umuahia branch, to the EFCC to be admitted as exhibits in the court, the defence counsels objected to the admissibility of the documents on the grounds that the documents have no certification and that the account number is of a bank that has no bank logo. We are just seeing papers they say they want to tender and certification is a legal requirement under the evidence act, Mr. Ozekhome said. He further said that the three pages that has the bank logo do not have any certification pursuant to section 84 of the evidence act. So either way the two documents are fundamentally flawed. Mr. Ozekhome also raised objection to the appearance of the witness on the grounds that her name was not listed among the 19 witnesses enlisted in the document. In fact, I urge my lord to reject to the testifying of the PW2 in this matter. I seriously object to the appearing of the witness, she does not have any business here. Apart from objecting to the documents I totally object to the appearance of the witness. Why are they ambushing us, they should let us know who is coming to testify in this matter and not taking us by surprise or by ambush. Responding, Mr. Jacobs said the objections of the defence counsels were unfounded and that they were raising the same objections they raised the day before which was overruled and urged the court to disregard their objection. These attachments with the document are part of the main document which my lord ruled yesterday that once the main document is admissible the other attachments are also admissible, he said. I adopt your lordship ruling and urge my lord to adopt the documents and adjudge it admissible. From the beginning, they are aware that this witness has been the one we have been calling since 2007 and I dont think we are hiding anything and we dont deserve the comments made. On Tuesday, Justice Idris had ruled that Mr. Onovai, the prosecutions first witness, was competent to give evidence in the trial. The judge adjourned till to March 9 for ruling and continuation of trial. Share this: Twitter Facebook RioContentMarket continues today, Thursday 9, with more panels and intense activities at the Windsor Barra. The economical crisis the country is going through, does not seem to be affecting the show at all. On the contrary, RCM is a faithful reflection of the Brazilian content market. Aisles are full mostly of young and independent producers who, according to Paulo Schmidt, President of the Brazilian Association of Audiovisual Arts (APRO in Portuguese) this is a result of the investment policies and the development of the audiovisual as a profitable industry that today represents a GDP of 3% of the local economy. Even when in Brazil content production has more than 50 years, as industry it only has 5 or 6 years. We are following a model that in USA worked decades ago, but which undoubtedly was necessary to empower the independent producers through incentives and the presence of the Government, concludes Schmidt. Manoel Rangel, president of Ancine, added on his presentation: In 2016, 87,902 hours of Brazilian independent content were broadcast on Pay TV networks, representing a 10.9% of the total programming. In addition, through the Fundo Setorial Audiovisual (FSA), last year were invested R$ 286 million (USD 90,4M) in 485 projects, vs. R$5 millions (USD1, 5M) invested in 2009. Following this strategy, the Agency signed during RCM a cooperation and development agreement with the Centre National du Cinema (France), in which both entities will work under four topics: 1) exchange of officials, 2) training; 3) sharing strategic plans and 4) the fight against piracy. Frederique Bredin, president of the CNC, explained its the second agreement with a focus on the audiovisual sector as a whole and not only cinema (the other one was signed with the Canada Media Fund). Regarding digital, Rangel remarked: It's one of the most complex challenges. There are 32 digital platforms in the market, and YouTube, Netflix and Globo Play are the top three. Netlfix has nearly 7 million subscribers in Brazil, which is close to NET, the leading Pay TV operator. Its all about capitalizing our independent producers. On the other hand, for many international buyers consulted by Prensario, the panorama is different. One of them remarked: Theres a lot of products, but many of them are not available because they were produced in partnership with local broadcaster or Pay TV channel, overriding screens. Others like Marie Jacobson, EVP, programming and production, Sony Pictures Television, sees business opportunities. Landscape is changing; content is everything and the walls between territories are falling, and we, as an acquisitions driver company, want to be where the killer content is What are buyers searching at RCM? Segey Moldovan, acquisition manager, First HDTV (Russia): We handle 12 channels in 12 territories between Russia and CIS, but near 90% of our programming is acquisition. We search everything related to lifestyle but mostly kids content. Alicia Park, licensing manager, CJ E&M/Tooniverse (Korea): In Korea we can just have a 10% of western content to cover the fee imposed by the law. Thats why we focus in strong characters and popular shows for 7-12 years old kids. While Hyunwoo Kim, commissioning editor, EBS (Korea), searches educational and edutainment shows. Sarah Legg, acquisitions, Cbeebies (UK): We pre-buy 30% of our programming and acquire content for 0-6 years old, that helps to educate and what works especially with us are humour, great design, strong characters and adventure-based shows. Rodrigo Cantisano, from Rio de Janeiro ATLANTIC CITY The Greater Atlantic City Chamber honored two leaders of the Gateway Project at its annual awards dinner Wednesday night. The 2017 John G. FitzPatrick Community Leader of the Year Award was presented to Harvey Kesselman, president of Stockton University, and Mike Renna, president and CEO of South Jersey Industries, for their work with the project. More than 300 business owners and members of the chamber attended the event at Caesars Atlantic City. Past award recipient Lloyd Levenson presented the award to Kesselman, saying no one tried harder than Harvey. Kesselman said he was very honored to be selected for the award, but he was only a representative for Stockton. Its about Stockton. Im so happy for the institution and the folks I work with and am representing tonight with the Gateway project and what were doing, he said. Renna accepted his award and talked about the Gateway Project and how South Jersey Industries is returning to Atlantic City We took pride in coming in when everyone else wanted to leave said Renna. Getting together with Stockton and Dr. Kesselman, its a wonderful opportunity and were feeding off their energy. The $220 million Gateway Project includes a new city campus for Stockton University as well as retail spaces, offices and a shared parking garage with South Jersey Industries. In 2018, Stockton will be back in full force at the Gateway Project said Kesselman. MILLVILLE City officials plan to hire as many as 10 new police officers to help battle shootings, respond to a rise in crime and increase public outreach. Police Chief Jody Farabella said the proposal follows installation of a much-improved radio communications system and efforts to better train officers and update policies. Mayor Michael Santiago said adding the officers wont increase tax bills for residents. Residents whove asked for more police protection for years say they support the plan. Its very good news for the city of Millville, said Mary Messeck, chief administrator for the Millville Crime Watch. Its rebuilding our police force back to what we used to have. Millville man arrested for November robbery, shooting A Buena Borough man was arrested without incident by U.S. Marshals for a November shooting, More officers would raise morale in a department whose ranks are stretched thin, Farabella said. The department had 83 officers 15 years ago but now has a staff in the low 60s, he said. That shortage not only creates a tired police force, he said, it prevents the department from being the proactive law-enforcement agency it needs to be. I hate the word burnout, but its taxing on the officers, Farabella said. These guys, they respond to 40,000 to 50,000 calls a year. What were going to do (with the new officers) is change the way we do things, he said. Instead of being reactive, were going to be much more proactive. Weve got to get out there and talk to residents and determine what their needs are and see how we can fix it. The City Commission supports the proposal to bolster the force, Farabella said. Santiago said new officers are needed and going to happen. Millville police seek gunman who shot man in leg MILLVILLE Police were searching Saturday for a suspect in the nonfatal shooting of a man W Santiago, a former city police officer whose duties on City Commission include overseeing the Police Department, said costs related to the new officers will be covered in part by savings from recent retirements of high-ranking, higher-salaried department members. The rest of the costs will be covered by what Santiago called City Commission good budgeting. He said some of the retired officers were earning about $90,000 annually. Farabella put the starting salary for a Millville police officer at about $40,000. The officers wont hit the streets soon. Farabella said hes waiting for results of state Civil Service tests to find candidates. Applicants then undergo background checks, go through the police training academy and get field-trained by current officers, a process that could take more than a year, he said. Theres no assurance all 10 candidates graduate from the academy, he said. Gunshots in Millville hit SUV with 2 adults, baby inside, report says Gunshots fired in Millville and hit a car that had three people and a baby inside, according Still, residents are hopeful. Messeck said the new officers could revitalize special units that dealt with community policing. These officers, they knew the children not only by sight but by name, just like (they) knew the habitual offenders by their names and hangouts, Messeck said. It bridges the gap regarding the way the general public perceives law enforcement and the way law enforcement perceives the public. Messeck said an example of that was what happened after her apartment was broken into about 20 years ago. We had reported it to police, she said. For just about a good three weeks or month and a half, I saw police officers on a daily basis at my home just to make sure I was OK. Thats how I got involved in Millvilles crime watch. The city has experienced a series of fatal and nonfatal shootings during the past few years. Victims included a woman who in January suffered facial injuries from glass that shattered after someone opened fire on the parked car in which she was sitting with a man and a 1-year-old boy in the 300 block of East Oak Street. In December, a 26-year-old man was shot several times in the 900 block of North Fifth Street, and a 30-year-old man was shot in the 200 block of North Second Street. Millville man sentenced to 22 years for killing Port Norris man A Millville man was sentenced to 22 years in state prison last week after pleading guilty to And in November, a 12-year-old boy was hit by several shots fired from a vehicle driven through an apartment complex in the 1700 block of East Broad Street. This (City Commission) is paying attention to the Police Department, Farabella said. We have to remember that we are providing a service to the public, and in order to do that correctly, I have to have the correct number of personnel. TRENTON New Jersey lawmakers want people to have more paid family leave, and they intend to provide it by expanding the state program. State Senate President Steve Sweeney and Sen. Patrick Diegnan, D-Middlesex, said Wednesday they will introduce a bill to expand the states Paid Family Leave Law so it extends paid leave for employees from six to 12 weeks in any one year. The bill also would increase the paid leave from two-thirds of a persons average weekly earnings to 80 percent. But the weekly paid leave would be capped at 53 percent of the statewide average wage for all workers, which is currently $677 per week. Expanding family-leave benefits helps to address the needs of working people who face the demands of supporting their families at the same time they experience the responsibilities of caring for their children or other family members, Sweeney said in a statement. Sweeney and Diegnan are aiming for the changes to go into effect July 1, the start of the states fiscal year. Paid family leave is offered to any employee who needs to take time from work to care for newborn or newly adopted children or a sick family member. New Jersey became the second state in the country to provide paid leave in 2009. California and Rhode Island are the only other states that provide this type of leave. New York will join them in 2018 after having passed its own paid-leave law last year. The 2009 law gives workers as many as six weeks of paid leave. Some employees can take 12 weeks or more, but employers are only obligated to pay for six, leaving half that time off unpaid. The federal Family and Medical Leave Act protects people from losing their jobs if they take unpaid leave, but legislators say many cannot afford it. Paid family leave is funded through employee-paid payroll taxes and administered through state disability programs. Bill sponsors said employees will not have to pay more in contributions to the states Family Leave and Temporary Disability funds because changes will be made to the method of calculating the rate of contributions and by ending diversions from the temporary disability insurance fund. The current employee contribution of 50 cents a week is limited to a maximum of $33.05 this year. This expansion will be especially important to low-income families and to working women who so often carry the responsibilities of caring for newborns, for other children and their family members as well holding a job, said Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen. MAYS LANDING A Bridgeton man indicted Tuesday, March 7 on charges of sex-trafficking a child and two adults was the subject of a federal investigation for several years before his arrest last year in Atlantic City. Marcus E. Tukes, 47, of Bridgeton, was indicted by a grand jury on first-degree charges of trafficking a child for sex and trafficking two adults for the purposes of prostitution, according to acting Atlantic County Prosecutor Diane Ruberton. The FBIs Child Exploitation Task Force has been investigating Tukes for years, said special agent Dan Garrabrant, who coordinates the task force. Authorities arrested Tukes Dec. 2 along with Courtney H. Glose, 31, of Brigantine, at the Knights Inn, Ruberton said. Both Tukes and Close were originally charged with promoting the prostitution of a child under 18, endangering the welfare of a child and conspiracy, according to a release from the Atlantic County Prosecutors Office. The task force located and ensured the protection of the underage victim, a girl, two weeks before the arrests of Tukes and Glose. Tukes and Glose were put in the Atlantic County jail on $250,000 full cash bail with no 10 percent option, set by Absecon Municipal Court Judge John H. Rosenberger. Glose was later released on her own recognizance, while Tukes remains jailed. Glose waived her indictment by a grand jury in February and will be tried on a charge of endangering the welfare of a child, a third-degree offense, the Prosecutors Office said. According to court records, Tukes pleaded guilty to a narcotics charge in 2003. He also pleaded to a 2006 drug charge under the name Marcus Neal, records show. Garrabrant has been working cases for 12 years out of the Northfield FBI office, which covers Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland counties. Numerous minors are victims of human trafficking during the course of a year, Garrabrant said. In some years, there are as many as 40 new cases, he said. The Child Exploitation Task Force was staffed by the FBI, the state Department of Human Services Police, the Atlantic County Prosecutors Office and the Atlantic County Sheriffs Office. In New Jersey, a conviction for trafficking a minor carries a sentence of 20 years to life in prison, with at least 20 years served before parole eligibility. Trafficking adults carries a sentence of 10 to 20 years, and third-degree crimes carry three to five years. Anyone with information on the exploitation of children for prostitution in Atlantic County is asked to call the task force at 800-CALL-FBI, the local FBI office at 609-677-6400 or the Prosecutors Office at 609-909-7800. The funeral will be held Saturday for Harold Whitey Swartz, 80, a longtime Atlantic County firefighter, historian and photographer and collector, who died March 2. Services will take place Saturday at the Church of St. Mark and All Saints, 429 S. Pitney Road in Galloway Township, according to Swartz's obituary. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to noon, and services will follow immediately. Pleasantville firefighter Robert Mallory, Jr. washes Ladder 1 which will participate in funeral for Whitey Swartz #acpress pic.twitter.com/U6HIM4A6cB Michael Ein (@ACPressEin) March 9, 2017 Arrangements are by the Wimberg Funeral Home, 211 E. Great Creek Road, Galloway. For condolences or directions, see wimbergfuneralhome.com. No parking will be permitted from 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Pitney Road between Jimmie Leeds Road and Ridgewood Avenue in Galloway during the funeral procession. Parking at the church will be only permitted for family and friends. No emergency vehicles will be allowed to park there. Emergency vehicles and overflow guests are asked to park at the Galloway Township municipal complex on Jimmie Leeds Road. A shuttle will bring people from the parking lot to the church. The shuttle will run constantly throughout the service, according to county officials. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to St. Jude's Children's Hospital, the obituary said. Swartz had been hospitalized with an infection before he died, his family said. He spent 56 years as a member of the Atlantic County firefighting community, including 31 years with the Pleasantville Fire Department and 24 years as the Atlantic County fire marshal. During that time, he became well-known for his work in the community, his photography and dedication to preserving firefighting history. His dedication to all things firefighting bloomed into the Firefighters Museum of Southern New Jersey, with one of the most extensive collections of firefighting equipment in the state. His collection includes the first Atlantic City firetruck. Swartz is survived by his wife, Joy, three sons, Robert, John and Harold Jr., nine grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. WILDWOOD Policing resort towns that experience huge population spikes in the summer can have its challenges. For example, in North Wildwood, the Police Department hires 55 seasonal officers to patrol the citys Boardwalk and bar districts, Chief Matthew Gallagher said. Wildwood police Chief Robert Regalbuto said the city is talking about holding five beach concerts this year, with acts just as good if not better than previous concerts in the city. City Commission ratified a contract in November with Beach Ball LLC, which promises to bring at least three beach concerts to Wildwood each of the next three summers. Were looking forward to the summer, Gallagher said Thursday during a presentation to the islands business leaders. Gallagher, Regalbuto, West Wildwood police Chief Jackie Ferentz and Wildwood Crest Capt. Robert Lloyd addressed about 60 people during the Greater Wildwood Chamber of Commerces second annual State of the Cities address, held at the Blue Water Grille in Wildwood. Last summer, Wildwood hosted a Tim McGraw concert on July 4, an event Regalbuto said attracted about 20,000 people. Other than the weather, that was probably one of the nicest events Ive been to, he said. In addition to tourism-related events, the departments have to deal with issues facing police forces across the country, such as community-officer relations. Our mantra is all about community policing, Ferentz said. We always try to communicate with our residents. She said the department recently added a Spanish-speaking officer, adding her town has seen an uptick in children who speak the language. Veterans to protest Agent Orange response in Wildwood WILDWOOD Local veterans groups are planning a protest later this month in an attempt to im Regalbuto said his department hopes to add a drug-sniffing German sheppard named Vera. The dog will be presented to City Commission at the March 22 meeting, he said. In 2016, Wildwood police made 2,800 arrests and executed 67 search warrants, Regalbuto said. Our calls for service increase every year, he said. Were probably one of the largest in the county in terms of arrests. Earlier this year, North Wildwood installed body cameras on its officers, and Regalbuto said Wildwood will be doing the same hopefully in a couple of weeks. So far, so good for us, Gallagher said. Its helped out. In Wildwood Crest, Capt. Robert Lloyd said the Police Department has rebuilt itself after losing several senior officers to retirement or other agencies. In 2014, the Cape May County Prosecutors Office was asked to monitor the department as it underwent leadership changes. In the last four years, weve been able to rebuild the administration, Lloyd said. Im extremely proud of where the Police Department is today. 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. 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Founder and CEO, Dr. Andreas Fouras, was invited to deliver the latest data to world leaders in lung imaging and pulmonary medicine. This globally recognised event brings together leaders at the forefront of the industry to present and share the latest developments in lung imaging. "The quality of the imaging is spectacular," said Debiao Li, PhD, Director of the Cedars-Sinai Biomedical Imaging Research Institute and Professor of Biomedical Sciences at Cedars Sinai where the study is being conducted. "This technology will give us unique capabilities." 4Dx's software technology provides accurate and sensitive data with a unique 4-dimensional perspective to clinical practitioners, and has been extensively validated in pre-clinical studies. The technology has the potential to provide more information, and faster validation of treatment with reduced exposure, while also allowing for earlier detection of disease. The announcement of these results by 4Dx, demonstrates compelling evidence of the leap from the laboratory to the clinic, opening the door for huge market potential as 4Dx continues to engage with leading U.S hospitals. 4Dx technology enables clinicians to capture images that effectively visualise and quantify motion of airflow at high resolution within the breathing lungs. Within the $1.4 trillion respiratory healthcare sector, there are 162 million respiratory diagnostics procedures performed each year, for a clearly identified $30 billion per annum addressable market. The public announcement of preliminary clinical data at this prestigious event is a huge milestone for the company, with 4Dx expecting increased interest from key clinical groups as well as investors. Founder and CEO Andreas Fouras says, "We are extremely thrilled to have been given the opportunity to present data that shows the potential of our technology to change the lives of millions through earlier and better informed intervention." Further information: Sarah Kemter Monsoon Communications Mobile (+61) 407 162 530 sarahk@monsoon.com.au About 4Dx: 4Dx is a software company aiming to deliver the global gold standard in respiratory diagnostics for all lung disorders, including, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis and cancer. The unique 4Dx technology accurately and quickly scans lung function as the patient breathes, to provide sensitive, early diagnosis, and to monitor changes over time. Our Software-as-a-Service scans deliver more complete information, revealing subtle variations in lung function down to the finest detail, all while using lower levels of radiation than traditional methods. Respiratory diagnosis is a $30 billion p.a. global industry that 4Dx aims to disrupt and grow through technology that provides clinicians with greater insights into diseases of the lung. 4Dx will bring about a step change in lung health diagnostics by providing better information to doctors and patients. Better information means better decisions, and better outcomes. Monsoon Communications Level 1, 121 Flinders Lane Melbourne VIC 3000 p: 03 9620 3333 e: info@monsoon.com.au w: www.monsoon.com.au This message and its attachments may contain legally privileged or confidential information. It is intended solely for the named addressee. If you are not the addressee indicated in this message (or responsible for delivery of the message to the addressee), you may not copy or deliver this message or its attachments to anyone. Rather, you should permanently delete this message and its attachments and kindly notify the sender by reply e-mail. No warranty is made that the e-mail or attachment(s) are free from computer virus or other defect. SOURCE 4Dx ABU DHABI, UAE, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) celebrated the opening of The Creative Act: Performance, Process, Presence at Manarat Al Saadiyat on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi. Featuring works by more than 25 artists from different nationalities and generations, the exhibition explores the related themes of performance, process, and presence through a variety of mediums. Running until 29 July 2017, The Creative Act is the second major exhibition of works from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi collection. (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/476794/Abu_Dhabi_Tourism___Culture_Authority___The_Creative_Act.jpg ) HE Saif Saeed Ghobash, Director General of TCA Abu Dhabi commented, "The Creative Act offers a transcultural perspective on defining aspects of contemporary art by highlighting interconnections among artists working in various corners of the world since the 1960s. The works in the exhibition reveal common sources of inspiration, lines of influence, and distinctive contributions. Two commissions reflect the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's commitment to supporting the production of new work by living artists. This exhibition marks not only the next defining step for the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, but also the establishment of the future museum's role to encourage, inspire, and inform. Only through direct interaction with artworks, themes, creative professionals, and artists can we provide future generations with a fully rounded set of tools through which to understand the development of artistic expression." Three distinct yet interconnected themes of the exhibition provide a unifying framework for the exhibition, with many artists exploring more than one theme in the works on view: Performance can be represented in several different forms: The Creative Act features examples of live actions that constitute works in and of themselves and performative practices that result in drawings, paintings, sculptures, and videos. A selection of photographs document the renowned Emirati artist Hassan Sharif's 1980s performances, realised in both London and Dubai. His conceptual, experimental, and performative practice greatly influenced subsequent generation of artists in the UAE, such as Mohammed Kazem, who is also featured in The Creative Act. A key work within the process section is Anish Kapoor's My Red Homeland (2003), a monumental sculptural installation composed of nearly twenty-five tonnes of red wax with a mechanical arm that circumnavigates the platform, continually altering the surface as it moves across the material. Works by pioneering 1960s experimental art practitioners including Rasheed Araeen, Julio Le Parc, Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely, Gunther Uecker, and Jacques Villegle, explore the process of creating with everyday materials and using performative techniques. The theme of human presence is highlighted through artworks that involve the appearance of the artist or others in the works as well as visible traces of the physical acts undertaken to realise them. Paintings by artists affiliated with the Gutai Art Association (1954-72) including Motonaga Sadamasa, Shiraga Kazuo, and Tanaka Atsuko epitomise these ideas. Video installations by Susan Hefuna and Anri Sala take the performing arts-dance and music respectively-and the theme of interpretation as points of departure. Autobiography (03-07) (2007), a series of forty photographs and a video, captures Emirati artist Ebtisam Abdulaziz's performances in various public spaces in Sharjah and examines the often complex relationship between social and personal identities. Richard Armstrong, Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation, commented: "The Creative Act brings into focus the complexity, poetry, and power of the human spirit. The exhibition also reflects our shared understanding of the vital necessity of global exchange that is at the heart of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi project. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation is proud to be working with Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority to realize this exhibition that celebrates the considerable scholarship underpinning the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi collection and the catalytic potential of the future museum as a vital addition to the cultural landscape of the region and the world." TCA Abu Dhabi has commissioned artists, Ramin Haerizadeh, Rokni Haerizadeh and Hesam Rahmanian to create an installation inspired by the core themes of The Creative Act. Another Happy Day (2016-17) is a multiroom, immersive installation featuring artworks by the commissioned artists and others, which, like the selections from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi collection, probe the nature of the creative artistic process while inviting visitors to become engaged and activated. This project, coupled with photographs by Tarek Al-Ghoussein, part of a series commissioned by TCA Abu Dhabi for the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi collection, offers a convergence of past, present, and future in our own time. Contacts: TCA Abu Dhabi Faisal Al Dhahri Communications - Museums Department Email: faldhahri@tcaabudhabi.ae Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation: Tina Vaz Deputy Director, Global Communications Email: tvaz@guggenheim.org SOURCE Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority WARSTEIN-BELECKE, Germany, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Improved On-Grid/Off-Grid Capabilities Outdoor cabinet lowers global Battery Energy Storage installation costs AEG Power Solutions, a global provider of power supply systems and solutions for all types of critical and demanding applications, announces its latest version of their Protect SC. 600 Storage Converter, now with a new outdoor enclosure which reduces global installation costs and simplifies system usage, for any type of battery storage energy application, on or off-grid. (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/476809/AEG_Storage_Converter.jpg ) The Protect SC.600 bi-directional power converter from AEG Power Solutions with IGBT technology is based on their highly successful Protect PV solar inverter platform. The core element of any battery energy storage system, the converter charges and discharges batteries to store or provide power according to the application requirement such as frequency control, peak shaving, energy shifting (temporary storage to re-inject power when maximizing profitability), or voltage control (often used to balance the voltage instability generated by integration of renewables in the grid). Protect SC. 600 provides an outstanding conversion efficiency factor for both the charging and discharging phases. Thanks to its wide DC input range, it may be used with any state of the art battery technology currently available. The enhanced Protect SC.600 version allows a seamless transition between off-grid and on-grid mode. This function is available as an option. This extends the battery energy system's usage beyond its core functions, such as peak shaving for system back-up in the event of a grid blackout. This presents an additional benefit for any industrial or commercial customer who invests in battery systems primarily to decrease their energy costs and have an all-in-one installation that also integrates the security of their power supply. This new option is a must when battery energy storage is used in remote areas or islands where grid reliability is uncertain or for full off-grid applications in similar geographies. Protect SC. 600 can be easily implemented in a turnkey solution including batteries and medium voltage transformers. The new outdoor enclosure has been designed to house one Protect SC.600, an optional AC low voltage circuit breaker, a communication interface as well as an auxiliary power supply. The outdoor enclosure replaces the usage of containers whose weight and size make it difficult to transport and handle. With Protect SC.600, up to four units of the new outdoor system can be loaded onto a truck, and transported where on site, the complete units can be moved with a forklift truck replacing the need for heavy load cranes. The outdoor enclosure decreases the cost by 20% compared to container solutions. Combined with outdoor transformers this is a smart solution for building battery storage installations. Thanks to the on-grid off- grid mode seamless transition capability, AEG PS solution for battery storage installation becomes ideally suited to support any type of energy storage application as well as simultaneously secure power supply for critical processes and infrastructure. The new Protect SC. 600 is currently running at several sites around the world in various types of energy storage installations, operating successfully with lead-acid, Lithium-ion or redox flow batteries, and already establishing records for its reliability and efficiency. About AEG Power Solutions AEG Power Solutions (AEG PS) Group is a global provider of power electronics systems and solutions for all industrial and demanding commercial power requirements offering one of the most comprehensive product and service portfolios in the area of uninterruptible power supply and power management. Thanks to its distinctive expertise bridging both AC and DC power technologies and spanning the worlds of both conventional and renewable energy, the company creates innovative solutions for next generation distributed power generation. AEG Power Solutions Group is the sole subsidiary of the holding company 3W Power S.A. (WKN A114Z9) / ISINLU1072910919), based in Luxembourg. The Group is headquartered in Zwanenburg in the Netherlands. The shares of 3W Power are admitted to trading on Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: 3W9K). For more information, visit http://www.aegps.com. This communication does not constitute an offer or the solicitation of an offer to buy, sell or exchange any securities of 3W Power. This communication contains forward-looking statements which include, inter alia, statements expressing our expectations, intentions, projections, estimates, and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are based on the reasonable evaluation and opinion of the management but are subject to risks and uncertainties which are beyond the control of 3W Power and, as a general rule, difficult to predict. The management and the company cannot and do not, under any circumstances, guarantee future results or performance of 3W Power and the actual results of 3W Power may materially differ from the information expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. As a result, investors are cautioned against relying on the forward-looking statements contained herein as a basis for their investment decisions regarding 3W Power. 3W Power undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement contained herein. AEG is a registered trademark used under license from AB Electrolux Energy Storage Europe 2017 14-16 March, Dusseldorf Hall 08B, Stand D05 For further information, please contact: Claire Pairault Corporate Communications AEG Power Solutions Mobile: +33-6-19-60-91-64 Email: claire.pairault@aegps.com Andreas Becker Product Manager Phone: +49-2902-763-231 Mobile: +49-171-9702582 Email: andreas.Becker@aegps.com SOURCE AEG Power Solutions LONDON, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Andrews Kurth Kenyon (UK) LLP is pleased to announce that noted energy transactional lawyer James Comyn has joined the firm's London office as a partner in the Business Transactions section. Mr. Comyn, who previously served as managing partner of Shearman & Sterling LLP's Abu Dhabi office, has an extensive practice guiding clients through complex, international mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and minority investments. In addition to significant experience in the energy sector, Mr. Comyn has provided wide-ranging representation in the healthcare and real estate sectors. His portfolio of services includes advising many of the Middle East region's government-owned entities on transactions with foreign partners, and foreign partners investing in the countries of the Arabian Gulf. "James will be a significant addition to our client service team because he is an English-qualified lawyer who practices around the world," said Bob Jewell, the firm's Managing Partner. "His experience in energy transactions, specifically oil and gas, will help our clients who are active in that industry sector. In addition, his knowledge of the Middle East and the complexities of that market can aid our clients who are looking to capitalize on opportunities in the region." Mr. Comyn's work has included representing ADNOC in its upstream and midstream joint ventures in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and other areas. He also represented the Abu Dhabi Global Market in a variety of matters, including its establishment as an international financial center in the United Arab Emirates and the drafting of its "Companies, Commercial Licensing and Takeovers Regulations" and related materials. "James is a fantastic addition to our London office and fits perfectly with our energy focus," said Melanie Willems, London Office Managing Partner. "He offers outstanding transactional expertise in the energy sector, fitting neatly alongside the existing and well-established international dispute resolution team. We look forward to continuing to grow our oil and gas transactional practice with James." Ranked as a leading lawyer by Chambers Global 2014-2016 for cross-border M&A in the United Arab Emirates, Mr. Comyn also led the team that was awarded "Corporate Team of the Year" at the Corporate Counsel Middle East Awards 2015. "I am looking forward to working with the excellent team at Andrews Kurth Kenyon," Mr. Comyn said. "The firm's strengths in international business transactions, project development and intellectual property, particularly in the energy sector and the Middle East, complements my practice." Mr. Comyn earned his law degree from The London School of Economics and Political Science and a bachelor's degree from Universite Laval. About Andrews Kurth Kenyon LLP Since 1902, Andrews Kurth Kenyon has built its practice on the belief that "straight talk is good business." Real answers, clear vision and mutual respect define the firm's relationships with clients, colleagues, communities and employees. With nearly 430 attorneys and 11 locations worldwide, Andrews Kurth Kenyon represents a wide array of clients in multiple industries. For more information about Andrews Kurth Kenyon, please visit andrewskurthkenyon.com. Andrews Kurth Kenyon (UK) LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in Texas, USA, and is authorized and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA Registration No.598542). CONTACT: Ashley Nelly, 1-713-220-4410, ashleynelly@andrewskurth.com Related Links http://www.andrewskurthkenyon.com SOURCE Andrews Kurth Kenyon LLP Acquisition extends Broadridge's regulatory and compliance capabilities for capital markets firms and investment managers LAKE SUCCESS, New York, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: BR) announced today that it has extended its global post-trade control capabilities for sell-side and buy-side firms in capital markets through the acquisition of Message Automation Limited, a leading specialist provider of post-trade control solutions. The acquisition accelerates Broadridge's ability to allow firms to transform their risk and compliance capabilities, particularly for complex asset classes where Message Automation is a proven leader. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. "Broadridge is a global leader in driving technology innovation and business model transformation. The addition of Message Automation will enhance our ability to help companies to reduce risk and enhance compliance while improving operational efficiency," said Charlie Marchesani, President of the Global Technology and Operations division of Broadridge. "This is the third acquisition related to broadening our post-trade and data analytics capabilities. These recent acquisitions in securities financing, collateral management, and derivatives clearing have helped Broadridge establish a comprehensive suite of capabilities across asset classes globally, benefiting our clients who are seeking more efficiency from a single global market provider." Financial institutions have had to implement regulatory trade and transaction reporting solutions for Dodd-Frank, EMIR and other G20 mandates and they still face waves of regulations including MiFID II and the Securities Financing Transactions Regulation (SFTR). "Companies are faced with the growing challenge of improving their regulatory compliance and operational efficiency, under significant deadline pressures," said Tom Carey, President of Global Technology and Operations International for Broadridge. "Our unique operational and technological insights, complemented by Message Automation's leading technology and expertise on derivatives processing models, enable us to help clients address the fragmentation of data and connectivity standards in the post-trade marketplace." "We share Broadridge's focus on delivering exceptional business value to clients, and we look forward to leveraging Broadridge's scale and relationships to help accelerate industry transformation through our post-trade control solutions," said Hugh Daly, co-founder and CEO, Message Automation. Message Automation's central data model is highly extensible to handle new regulations and market changes. Message Automation is actively implementing its MiFID II solution with global firms in preparation for the January 2018 deadline, already working with Broadridge on addressing self-reporting needs for buy-side firms under MiFID II, and is in advanced planning for SFTR. In parallel, there is a strong demand for the harmonization of clearing reports, an area for which Message Automation has developed exceptional capabilities. Quayle Munro acted as exclusive financial and strategic advisor to Message Automation Ltd. About Broadridge Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR) is the leading provider of investor communications and technology-driven solutions for broker-dealers, banks, mutual funds and other corporations. Broadridge's investor and customer communications, securities processing and managed services solutions help clients reduce their capital investments in operations infrastructure, allowing them to increase their focus on core business activities. With more than 50 years of experience, Broadridge's infrastructure underpins proxy voting services for over 90% of public companies and mutual funds in North America and processes on average $5 trillion in equity and fixed income trades per day. Broadridge employs approximately 10,000 associates in 16 countries. For more information about Broadridge, please visit www.broadridge.com. About Message Automation Message Automation is the leading specialist provider of Post-Trade Control solutions. We help clients manage the multiple trade processing challenges created by new regulations and market practices across all asset classes in OTC, ETD and FI markets. Established since 2003, our clients include tier one and two investment banks, regional banks and buy side firms. For more information please visit www.messageautomation.com. Contact Information: Investors: W. Edings Thibault Head of Investor Relations +1 516-472-5129 edings.thibault@broadridge.com Media: Gregg Rosenberg Head of Corporate Communications Broadridge +1 212 918 6966 gregg.rosenberg@broadridge.com North America Brett Philbin, Edelman +1 212-704-8263 brett.philbin@edelman.com EMEA Oliver Mann, Cognito +44 (0)20 7426 9428 Oliver.Mann@cognitomedia.com Asia Pacific Peggy Wu, Ryan Communication Tel: +65 6875 5785 Peggy@ryancommunication.com Logo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/326728/broadridge_financial_solutions.jpg Related Links http://www.broadridge.com SOURCE Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. STOCKHOLM, Mar 09, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Munich-based investment manager Catella Real Estate has acquired an office property in the Irish capital, Dublin, for its Sarasin Sustainable Properties European Cities fund. The building, which is fully occupied and measures around 4,100 m2, is leased to investment bank J.P. Morgan. "The Irish market for office property has regained its strength after the financial crisis. We have taken advantage of Ireland's current economic prosperity by acquiring a modern, long-term leased office property for our investors. It meets the sustainability criteria specified for the fund, and the acquisition will ensure broader diversification of the portfolio," says Henrik Fillibeck, member of the Managing Board of Catella Real Estate. The property, called One George's Dock, was built in 1996 and stands on land measuring 1,000 m2in the heart of Dublin. This district is home to more than 430 companies, including KPMG, Wells Fargo, AIG and Citibank. "After years of economic difficulties, the recovery of the Irish economy is in full swing. In 2015 alone, Ireland's GDP rose by 26.3%. Economic experts expect the Irish economy to remain on a growth path, forecasting another 3.8% increase in GDP for 2017. Also, Ireland's population is expected to grow by 7.6% by 2026," says Thomas Beyerle, Head of Group Research at Catella. The Sarasin Sustainable Properties European Cities fund is a product of Catella Real Estate AG in cooperation with Bank J. Safra Sarasin AG. The fund, which invests at least 75% of its capital in commercial property, focusing on office and retail, aims specifically to meet the needs of institutional investors in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. Each building has to meet the sustainability standards of Bank Sarasin. For more information, please contact: Dr Tim Schomberg Head of Business Development Institutionals Tel: +49-89-189-16-65-25 tim.schomberg@catella.de Press contact: Ann Charlotte Svensson Head of Group Communications Tel: +46-8-463-32-55, +46-72-510-11-61 E-mail : anncharlotte.svensson@catella.se This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com http://news.cision.com/catella---property-investment-management/r/catella-acquires-office-property-in-dublin-for-sustainable-fund,c2207973 The following files are available for download: http://mb.cision.com/Main/9880/2207973/639824.pdf Press release SOURCE Catella - Property Investment Management STOCKHOLM, Mar 09, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The new Catella Market Tracker, Student Housing in Europe 2017, shows that almost no other market is currently attracting as much investor attention as student housing. However, the differences across Europe are still quite large, which creates exceptional opportunities in this relatively young asset class. Student housing sector growth can be observed across Europe. An especially large percentage increase in students is found in Austria (+65%), Switzerland (+50%), the Netherlands (+33%) and Belgium (+31%). Germany has the highest number of students in Europe, numbering 2.7 million. The individual attributes of residential halls (and student housing markets) vary from country to country. The largest European market for student housing is the UK (438,000 students in residential halls), followed by Germany (297,000) and France (275,000). "Viewed relatively, Sweden has the largest proportion of students in student housing, while in Italy almost half of all students still live in their childhood home. Furthermore, the market is shaped by huge dynamics, as can be seen in Spain, where the market for student housing is recuperating after years of decreasing student numbers and economic crisis. This trend can also be seen in Denmark, where current demand is very high, especially in and around larger cities," explains Dr. Thomas Beyerle, Head of Group Research at Catella. In contrast to conventional forms of accommodation, demand for this category is counter-cyclical to the economy. This means that demand tends to rise during recessions as university enrolment increases due to reduced employment opportunities. However, high demand is even assured during economic booms because of the structural shortage of accommodation for students, especially in big cities. In addition, the relatively short tenancy periods enable flexible adjustment of rents to market trends. "These structural characteristics enable a particularly low risk for investors," concludes Beyerle. The complete Catella Market Tracker, Student Housing in Europe 2017, is available at catella.com/research. For more information, please contact: Dr. Thomas Beyerle Head of Group Research Phone: +49-69-310-19-30-220 E-mail: thomas.beyerle@catella.de Press contact: Ann Charlotte Svensson Head of Group Communications Phone: +46-8-463-32-55, +46-72-510-11-61 E-mail: anncharlotte.svensson@catella.se This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com http://news.cision.com/catella---corporate-finance/r/catella--student-housing-on-the-rise-in-europe,c2207970 The following files are available for download: http://mb.cision.com/Main/6412/2207970/639823.pdf Press release http://mb.cision.com/Public/6412/2207970/bb45bb490f227bab.pdf Catella Market Tracker, Student housing Europa March 2017 http://news.cision.com/catella---corporate-finance/i/thomas-beyerle-catella-june-2016,c2094289 Thomas Beyerle Catella June 2016 Related Links http://catella.com/research SOURCE Catella - Corporate Finance "We are combining our decades' long expertise in wheel hubs for commercial vehicles with Protean Electric's success with drive systems for electrified passenger vehicles," stated Beto Dantas, ConMet VP of Marketing, Innovation, and Strategy. "The result is the development of an innovative wheel end product that will provide lower lifecycle costs, improved fuel economy, added torque, increased power, and better overall vehicle performance." "This agreement enables us to expand the market reach of our ProteanDRIVE technology into the commercial vehicle market," explains Andrew Whitehead, Chief Commercial Officer at Protean Electric. "ConMet has the commercial vehicle market and wheel hub experience we have been looking for to help develop this solution." The ConMet/Protean in-wheel electric drive system will deliver a robust and efficient hybrid propulsion system designed for commercial trucks, tractors, and trailers. This will enable ConMet's OEM and fleet customers to address the continued tightening of safety and emissions regulations, increasing demands for improved fuel efficiency, weight and drivetrain packaging optimization, and shifts in vehicle demands for long-haul and urban delivery. In addition, the jointly developed electric wheel end system, which is compatible with existing vehicles, will provide vehicle packaging advantages, reduce complexity, and minimize drivetrain losses for truck, tractor, and trailer applications. ConMet will feature the new electrified hub in its booth at the MidAmerica Trucking Show March 23-25, 2017 in Louisville, KY. About ConMet ConMet, a subsidiary of Amsted Industries, is a leading global supplier of components to the commercial vehicle market. ConMet products are standard equipment on every major commercial vehicle manufactured in North America and are growing in popularity worldwide. Amsted, a 100 percent employee-owned company, is one of the world's largest transportation component manufacturers. For more information, visit www.conmet.com. About Protean Electric Protean Electric designs, develops and manufactures ProteanDRIVE in-wheel motors, a fully integrated in-wheel drive solution. Protean Electric's technology is strategically positioned to play a major role in the global hybrid and electric vehicle market by offering a combination of range and efficiency gains, packaging advantages, new vehicle design opportunities, performance benefits and cost savings. For more information, visit www.proteanelectric.com. Logo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/476686/ConMet_Logo.jpg Logo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/369601/protean_wtag_cn_en_jpeg_logo_Logo.jpg Related Links http://www.conmet.com SOURCE ConMet and Protean Electric Rising solar power generation across the globe will aid MLPE market growth, finds Frost & Sullivan's Energy Team LONDON, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The module-level power electronics industry is witnessing an intense growth phase. Demand is driven by increasing solar photovoltaic (PV) installations across the globe and modernisation of grid infrastructure capable of accommodating module-level power electronics (MLPE) technology within the system. "With movement towards renewable power and distributed power sources, the MLPE market is expected to sustain further significant growth in all regions of the globe," said Energy & Environment Research Analyst Manoj Shankar. "To gain a competitive advantage and increase market share in a highly consolidated and fiercely competitive market, MLPE companies must innovate their products to reduce prices, seek geographic expansion, and invest in partnerships or merger and acquisition strategies." Global Module Power Electronics (MLPE) Market, part of Frost & Sullivan's Power Generation Growth Partnership Service (GPS) program, finds that the market is expected to grow from $648.7 million in 2016 to $1.16 billion in 2021 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.4 percent. Click on the following link for complimentary access to more information on this analysis and to register for a Growth Strategy Dialogue, a free interactive briefing with Frost & Sullivan's thought leaders: https://goo.gl/u67nHN Other developments include: The residential and commercial segments will see rapid growth in the next three years due to new installations and low product prices. will see rapid growth in the next three years due to new installations and low product prices. Rising installations of rooftop solar in Asia-Pacific , especially in China and India , will see the market moving towards Asia-Pacific from North America . in , especially in and , will see the market moving towards from . Reduced MLPE costs will lead to a higher adoption in many developed and developing nations. will lead to a higher adoption in many developed and developing nations. Changes in government policy will aid the solar industry in new markets such as Latin America and Africa . will aid the solar industry in new markets such as and . The total MW-level MLPE installations are expected to increase from 3.3 GW in 2016 to 10.7 GW in 2021 at a CAGR of 26.2 percent . at a CAGR of . Enphase Energy and Solar Edge Technology Inc are the two major players that dominate the market due to their early mover advantage. and are the two major players that dominate the market due to their early mover advantage. Prices of microinverters and DC optimizers are expected to be on par in the near future with traditional inverters, leading to higher adoption by consumers. and are expected to be on par in the near future with traditional inverters, leading to higher adoption by consumers. Competition from other technologies, increased usage of other sources of power, lack of protocol standards, and regulations and tariffs are key factors that are hindering growth in the market. "Renewable energy targets and regulations are set to play a major role in the development of the MLPE market as countries move towards more efficient and sustainable power generation," noted Shankar. About Frost & Sullivan Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion Contact: Anna Zanchi Corporate Communications Europe P: +39.02.4851 6133 E: anna.zanchi@frost.com http://www.frost.com Related Links http://www.frost.com SOURCE Frost & Sullivan TEL AVIV, Israel and LJUBLJANA, Slovenia, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Care@Home headlines Slovenian IoT services Essence SmartCare (part of the Essence Group), a leading provider of IoT, cloud-based connected living solutions, and Telekom Slovenije have announced they are partnering to offer Essence's award-winning Care@Home aging-in-place solutions to the Slovenian market, giving seniors the independence and security they seek. Telekom Slovenije, a leading communications service provider in Slovenia is committed to leading the way in IoT, offering valuable new services to its expanding customer base. It works directly with municipalities and insurance companies to facilitate adoption of critical new services to improve citizens' quality of life. "Partnering with Essence is part of our ongoing commitment to deliver the most cutting-edge, highest value services to our customers," said Peter Pustaticnik, MS, Head of eHealth and eCare in Telekom Slovenije. "In today's market, we need to provide high value through continuous innovation, so we've added Care@Home to reinforce our mission to help healthcare and long-term care providers improve the lives of the senior population and their families and expand our customer base." Essence has been a leader in the IoT/M2M market for 23 years. With Essence SmartCare's Care@Home solutions, they address the needs of an aging population. These solutions self-learn behavioral patterns and provide real-time analysis and reporting of notable events and anomalies to healthcare providers and family members to prevent emergency situations. The platform includes Smart Alerting devices, such as a Voice Panic Detector and the EP Active Fall Detector, that allow seniors intelligent ways to receive quick assistance. The full range of Care@Home elderly monitoring solutions ensure that emergency alerts will be responded to quickly and other minor and potentially major health incidents will be reported to family, doctors, and/or monitoring companies. All Essence systems are scalable and can include a variety of other safety and security applications. Essence's other flagship platform, WeR@Home, a complete home safety, security and management platform is being used at operators around the world to supplement their traditional offerings. "IoT is becoming a major focus for operators and service providers, opening new markets and increasing revenue streams," said Dr. Haim Amir, founder, CEO and chairman of the board of Essence. "What makes our agreement with Telekom Slovenije unique is that they are launching their IoT commitment by addressing a critical need to provide peace of mind to seniors, their children, and supportive community. Our Care@Home technologies help forward-thinking partners like Telekom Slovenije have a solid base toward offering future services." About Essence Essence is a global IoT provider of scalable, cloud-based connected-living solutions for security, communication, and healthcare service providers. Over the past 23 years, Essence has built an impressive installed base, with more than 18 million products deployed and used by Tier-1 service providers worldwide. Essence is committed to developing and supporting solutions that both enhance partners' businesses and enable people to live fuller and better lives. Essence has won several distinguished industry awards over the past year, garnering recognition by both the consumer and business markets, including the ESX Innovation Award for Care@Home and Care@Home VPD, European Consumers Choice Award, Telecom Broadband Infovision Award, IoT Business Impact Award, and others. Media Contact Amy Kenigsberg K2 Global Communications amy@k2-gc.com www.k2-gc.com Tel: +972-9-794-1681 (+2 GMT) Mobile: +972-524-761-341 U.S.: +1-913-440-4072 (+7 ET) SOURCE Essence AMSTERDAM, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Fidor, the innovative provider of digital banking solutions that helps firms launch and run their own digital banks, today signed a partnership agreement with Van Lanschot, (Euronext: LANS), the leading wealth management firm, founded in 1737 in the Netherlands. (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/476210/Signing_ceremony.jpg ) The partnership will enable Van Lanschot to upgrade their payments software and infrastructure using the Fidor digital banking solution. As part of the agreement, Fidor will manage user and account data and will process Van Lanschot's payments flows within its fidorOS (fOS) platform in addition to modernising the user experience with iOS and Android native mobile applications and a desktop internet banking platform front end. This agreement means that, over time, Van Lanschot clients will enjoy an improved and modern user experience across a range of value added services: an innovative and modern mobile payment app, on-us real-time payments, multiple accounts in multiple currencies, global money transfers, P2P transfers in addition to special services for the Dutch market such as iDEAL payments and Acceptgiro. This partnership comes at a time where banks will soon be facing pressure to comply with the new Payment Services Directive (PSD2). The fidorOS platform is built using open APIs and geared for the future. The integration of fidorOS will provide Van Lanschot's platform with added benefits such as significant cost efficiencies, added flexibility and fast implementation while reducing risks for Van Lanschot to enter into a major and costly infrastructure change on their back end. "To be working with the most reputable wealth management bank in the Netherlands shows how far the belief in the effectiveness of digital banking has now progressed. This partnership with Van Lanschot marks the launch of Fidor's Payments Avenue, which will be extended to other European countries and offered to banks that wish to join our payment business model as a service," said Ge Drossaert, Chief Commercial Officer and Member of the Board at Fidor AG. Richard Bruens, member of the Executive Board of Van Lanschot, said: "This is an important step, as it will allow us over time to provide our clients with state-of-the-art payments services and products. In Fidor Solutions, we believe to have found the best partner to improve our offering and focus even more on our core business, wealth management. Fidor's Payments Avenue also opens up a multitude of opportunities as banks are given more chance to collaborate together." SOURCE Fidor Solutions In this project, GCL-SI provided all the solar modules which are 320W poly modules, while Enerpoint was responsible for the installation and will help maintain the entire system's operation in the future. Danny Denan, CEO of Enerpoint Israel commented, "We're happy and excited to welcome our new collaboration with GCL (one of the world's largest solar photovoltaic enterprises). We're certain that this collaboration will help us increase the use of solar energy throughout 'Sunny' Israel, and raise the awareness to the many benefits of green, as well as efficient solar energy." This latest commercial project is a crucial step for GCL-SI as it aims to continue expanding its global footprint, particularly in middle-east region. Previously, GCL-SI already had initiatives in Vietnam, Mexico and India. "We are very proud to support the project by providing our solar modules and help the local people to generate greener power," said Hu Huiming, president of GCL-SI's overseas business unit. He added, "having been developing for more than a year in the international market, we are very happy to receive a number of global partners. This also indicates that the quality of the solar products we are supplying is recognized worldwide. This latest deal will be another proof that GCL is making clean energy available for everyone and anywhere." About GCL-SI GCL System Integration Technology Co., Ltd. (002506 Shenzhen Stock) (GCL-SI), is part of the GOLDEN CONCORD Group (GCL). GCL-SI delivers a one-stop, cutting-edge, integrated energy system and is committed to becoming the world leading solar energy company. About GCL Group Golden Concord Holdings Limited ("GCL") is the world's champion manufacturer of high quality photovoltaic material, founded in 1990. It is an integrated energy group that specializes in clean, efficient and new energy, with about 22.2% and 29.1% market shares in polysilicon and wafer industry respectively. Since its foundation, GCL has committed itself to "Bringing Green Power to Life" and strives to be the most respectable international clean energy enterprise. SOURCE GCL System DUBLIN, Mar. 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global Remote Sensing Technologies Market Analysis & Trends - Industry Forecast to 2025" report to their offering. The Global Remote Sensing Technologies Market is poised to grow at a CAGR of around 8.8% over the next decade to reach approximately $19.3 billion by 2025. This industry report analyzes the global markets for Remote Sensing Technologies across all the given segments on global as well as regional levels presented in the research scope. The study provides historical market data for 2013, 2014 revenue estimations are presented for 2015 and forecasts from 2016 till 2025. The study focuses on market trends, leading players, supply chain trends, technological innovations, key developments, and future strategies. With comprehensive market assessment across the major geographies such as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Latin America and Rest of the world the report is a valuable asset for the existing players, new entrants and the future investors. The study presents detailed market analysis with inputs derived from industry professionals across the value chain. A special focus has been made on 23 countries such as U.S., Canada, Mexico, U.K., Germany, Spain, France, Italy, China, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, etc. The market data is gathered from extensive primary interviews and secondary research. The market size is calculated based on the revenue generated through sales from all the given segments and sub segments in the research scope. Report Highlights: - The report provides a detailed analysis on current and future market trends to identify the investment opportunities - Market forecasts till 2025, using estimated market values as the base numbers - Key market trends across the business segments, Regions and Countries - Key developments and strategies observed in the market - Market Dynamics such as Drivers, Restraints, Opportunities and other trends - In-depth company profiles of key players and upcoming prominent players - Growth prospects among the emerging nations through 2025 - Market opportunities and recommendations for new investments Key Topics Covered: 1 Market Outline 1.1 Research Methodology 1.2 Market Trends 1.3 Regulatory Factors 1.4 End User Analysis 1.5 Strategic Benchmarking 1.6 Opportunity Analysis 2 Executive Summary 3 Market Overview 3.1 Current Trends 3.1.1 Growing use of GIS Applications in Environmental Risk Management 3.1.2 Recent Technological advancements of Remote Sensing 3.1.3 Growth Opportunities/Investment Opportunities 3.2 Drivers 3.3 Constraints 3.4 Industry Attractiveness 3.4.1 Bargaining power of suppliers 3.4.2 Bargaining power of buyers 3.4.3 Threat of substitutes 3.4.4 Threat of new entrants 3.4.5 Competitive rivalry 4 Remote Sensing Technologies Market, By Type 4.1 Active remote sensing 4.2 Passive remote sensing 5 Remote Sensing Technologies Market, By Insrument 5.1 Space optimized instruments 5.2 Radar 5.3 Cameras (film) 5.4 Laser instruments 5.5 Acoustic instruments 5.6 Seismic instruments 5.7 Sonar 5.8 Spectral imaging 5.9 Magnetotellurics 5.10 Remotely sensed phenomena 5.11 Gravitational instruments 6 Remote Sensing Technologies Market, By Platform 6.1 Terrestrial platforms 6.2 Space based platforms 6.3 Airborne platforms 6.4 Manned platforms 6.5 Aquatic platform 7 Remote Sensing Technologies Market, By End User 7.1 Weather forecasting 7.2 Disaster management 7.3 Oil, gas and mineral exploration 7.4 Agriculture 7.5 Cartography 7.6 Border Security 7.7 Oceanography 7.8 Urban and suburban applications 7.9 Land mine detection 7.10 Other End Users 8 Remote Sensing Technologies Market, By Geography 8.1 North America 8.2 Europe 8.3 Asia Pacific 8.4 Middle East 8.5 Latin America 8.6 Rest of the World (RoW) 8.6.1 RoW Market Forecast by Countries to 2025 (US$ MN) 9 Leading Companies 9.1 Thales Group 9.2 Honeywell Technology Solutions Inc. 9.3 Raytheon Co. 9.4 DigitalGlobe 9.5 Lockheed Martin Corp. 9.6 Planet Labs Inc. 9.7 Remote Sensing Solutions Inc. 9.8 Leica Geosystems Holdings AG 9.9 Mitsubishi 9.10 Northrop Grumman Corp. 9.11 Ball Aerospace 9.12 Antrix Corp 9.13 General Dynamics Corp. 9.14 ITT Corp 9.15 Airbus Defence and Space For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/tmfd34/global_remote Media Contact: Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com SOURCE Research and Markets DUBLIN, Mar. 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global Sustainable Packaging Market Analysis & Trends - Industry Forecast to 2025" report to their offering. The Global Sustainable Packaging Market is poised to grow at a CAGR of around 7.7% over the next decade to reach approximately $440.3 billion by 2025. This industry report analyzes the global markets for Sustainable Packaging across all the given segments on global as well as regional levels presented in the research scope. The study provides historical market data for 2013, 2014 revenue estimations are presented for 2015 and forecasts from 2016 till 2025. The study focuses on market trends, leading players, supply chain trends, technological innovations, key developments, and future strategies. With comprehensive market assessment across the major geographies such as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Latin America and Rest of the world the report is a valuable asset for the existing players, new entrants and the future investors. The study presents detailed market analysis with inputs derived from industry professionals across the value chain. A special focus has been made on 23 countries such as U.S., Canada, Mexico, U.K., Germany, Spain, France, Italy, China, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, etc. The market data is gathered from extensive primary interviews and secondary research. The market size is calculated based on the revenue generated through sales from all the given segments and sub segments in the research scope. Report Highlights: - The report provides a detailed analysis on current and future market trends to identify the investment opportunities - Market forecasts till 2025, using estimated market values as the base numbers - Key market trends across the business segments, Regions and Countries - Key developments and strategies observed in the market - Market Dynamics such as Drivers, Restraints, Opportunities and other trends - In-depth company profiles of key players and upcoming prominent players - Growth prospects among the emerging nations through 2025 - Market opportunities and recommendations for new investments Key Topics Covered: 1 Market Outline 1.1 Research Methodology 1.2 Market Trends 1.3 Regulatory Factors 1.4 Product Analysis 1.5 Application Analysis 1.6 Strategic Benchmarking 1.7 Opportunity Analysis 2 Executive Summary 3 Market Overview 3.1 Current Trends 3.1.1 Consumers looking forward for recyclable and eco-friendly materials 3.1.2 Developments in packaging and logistical efficiency 3.1.3 Recent Technological Developments of Sustainable Packaging 3.1.4 Growth Opportunities/Investment Opportunities 3.2 Drivers 3.3 Constraints 3.4 Industry Attractiveness Sustainable Packaging Market, By Packaging Type 4.1 Lids 4.2 Bottles 4.3 Jars 4.4 Tubes 4.5 Aerosols 4.6 Caps & Closures 4.7 Flexible Paper Packaging 4.7.1.1 Sachets/Pouches 4.7.1.2 Paper Bags 4.7.1.3 Shipping Sacks 4.8 Corrugated Box 4.9 Boxboard 4.9.1.1 Trays 4.9.1.2 Rigid Boxes 4.9.1.3 Folding Boxes 4.10 Bags & Pouches 4.11 Barrels & Drums 4.12 Cans 4.13 Others 5 Sustainable Packaging Market, By Material 5.1 Paper & Paperboard 5.2 Glass 5.2.1.1 Limestone 5.2.1.2 Sand 5.2.1.3 Soda Ash 5.3 Metal 5.3.1.1 Aluminum 5.3.1.2 Steel 5.3.1.3 Others 5.4 Plastic 5.4.1.1 Biodegradable Plastic 5.4.1.2 Bio-Based Plastic 5.4.1.3 Others 6 Sustainable Packaging Market, By Function 6.1 Alternate Fiber Packaging 6.1.1.1 Mushroom Packaging 6.1.1.2 Bamboo Fiber 6.1.1.3 Other Fiber Packaging 6.2 Active Packaging 6.2.1.1 Antimicrobial Packaging 6.2.1.2 Barrier Packaging 6.2.1.3 Modified Atmosphere Packaging (Map) 6.3 Molded Packaging 6.3.1.1 Processed Pulp Packaging 6.3.1.2 Transfer Molded Pulp Packaging 6.3.1.3 Thick Wall Pulp Packaging 6.3.1.4 Thermoformed Pulp Packaging 6.4 Others 7 Sustainable Packaging Market, By Paper & Paperboard Grade 7.1 Recycled (Coated and Uncoated) 7.2 Solid Bleach Sulfate (SBS) 7.3 Coated Unbleached Kraft (CUK) 7.4 Others 8 Sustainable Packaging Market, By Layer 8.1 Primary Packaging 8.2 Secondary Packaging 8.3 Tertiary Packaging 9 Sustainable Packaging Market, By Process 9.1 Degradable Packaging 9.2 Recycled Content Packaging 9.3 Reusable Packaging 10 Sustainable Packaging Market, By Application 10.1 Cosmetics packaging 10.2 Healthcare Packaging 10.3 Pharmaceutical 10.4 Food Packaging 10.5 Personal Care Packaging 10.6 Beverage Packaging 10.7 Others 10.7.1 Others Market Forecast to 2025 (US$ MN) 11 Sustainable Packaging Market, By Geography 12 Leading Companies 12.1 Amcor Limited 12.2 Ball Corporation 12.3 BASF SE 12.4 Be Green Packaging LLC 12.5 Bemis Company, Inc. 12.6 Georgia-Pacific Packaging 12.7 HAVI Global Solutions 12.8 Huhtamaki OYJ 12.9 Kimberly-Clark Corporation 12.10 Mondi PLC 12.11 Overwraps Packaging, Inc 12.12 Sealed Air Corporation 12.13 Smurfit Kappa Group PLC 12.14 Sonoco Products Company 12.15 Tetra Laval International S.A. 12.16 Ultra Green Packaging, Inc. 12.17 WestRock Company For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/xjqlc2/global Media Contact: Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com SOURCE Research and Markets DUBLIN, Mar. 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global and China Third-party Logistics Industry Report, 2016-2020" report to their offering. In 2015, global third-party logistics market size hit USD721 billion, a YoY rise of 4.5%, occupying 8.2% of the logistics market size, and increased around USD35.9 billion in 2016, up to USD756.9 billion. In the future, by virtue of high efficiency and highly standardized operation, the third-party logistics market size will grow steadily, expectedly outstripping USD900 billion in 2020, with a share of nearly 10.0% in the logistics market size. China is the world largest third-party logistics market. In 2015, its market size attained RMB1,065.2 billion or roughly USD171.8 billion (up 13.6% year on year), a 23.8% share in global market, and reached around RMB1,200 billion in 2016. Chinese (Mainland China) third-party logistics industry is still in its infancy, and lags behind the developed countries/regions by share in the whole logistic market (developed regions generally above 10.5%, Mainland China around 8.0%), leaving a large development space. Moreover, China's regional trade imbalance also creates certain opportunities for the rapid development of third-party logistics. It is predicted that third-party logistics market size in China will see a CAGR of around 15.0% in 2016-2020. Additionally with not a high market share, Chinese third-party logistics industry also has problems of insufficient demand and low-level demand at present, respectively due to relatively little use of third-party logistics by most traditional companies, and basic and conventional demand of companies which choose third-party logistics and their small demand for high value-added, comprehensive logistics service. Development trend: to improve profitability and maximize operational efficiency, third-party logistics is heading towards largescale, informatization, asset-light and platform. In addition, as E-commerce in China gradually spreads to regions outside the first tier cities, third-party logistics companies make layout in the second- and third-tier cities accordingly. Seen from competitive landscape, third-party logistics market has a low concentration rate, and the players compete fiercely. In 2015, CR10 of global third-party logistics industry was less than 20.0%, of which DHL Supply Chain & Global Forwarding with the largest market size only saw 4.1%; Sinotrans, China's largest third-party logistics company, ranking eighth in the world, only witnessed a market share of 1.0%. Key Topics Covered: 1. Overview of Third-party Logistics 1.1 Definition 1.2 Classification 1.3 Industry Barriers 1.4 Industry Characteristics 1.5 Industry Chain 2. Logistics Industry 2.1 Development Overview 2.2 Operation Mode 2.3 Market Status 2.4 Industry Characteristics 2.5 Development Trend 3. Global Third-party Logistics Industry 3.1 Development Overview 3.2 Market Size 3.3 Market Structure 3.4 Competitive Patten 4. Chinese Third-party Logistics Industry 4.1 Development Overview 4.2 Development Environment 4.3 Market Situation 4.4 Problems 4.5 Development Trend 5. Third-party Logistics Market Segments 5.1 Automobile 5.2 Pharmaceutical 5.3 Cold-chain Third-party Logistics 6. Supporting Industries of Third-party Logistics 6.1 Infrastructure Construction 6.2 Transportation Equipment Industry 6.3 Other Equipment 7. Foreign Third-party Logistics Companies 7.1 DHL 7.2 Kuehne + Nagel 7.3 DB Schenker 7.4 Nippon Express 7.5 C.H Robinson 7.6 UPS 7.7 DSV 7.8 CEVA 7.9 Expeditors 7.10 Others 7.10.1 Dachser 7.10.2 Panalpina 7.10.3 SNCF 7.10.4 Kintetsu 8. Chinese Third-party Logistics Companies 8.1 Sinotrans 8.2 COSCO Shipping Logistics Co., Ltd. 8.3 China Merchants Logistics Holding Co., Ltd. 8.4 China National Materials Storage and Transportation Corporation 8.5 Beijing Changjiu Logistics Co., Ltd. 8.6 Others 8.6.1 China Shipping Logistics Co., Ltd. 8.6.2 Tianjin DTW Logistics Co., Ltd. 8.6.3 Qingdao Haier Logistics Co., Ltd. 8.6.4 Annto Logistics Co., Ltd. For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/ttm5sc/global_and_china Media Contact: Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com SOURCE Research and Markets LONDON, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Orbis, one of the world's leading eye charities, has reached a major milestone in patient care, delivering over 10 million treatments in a single year[1]. Orbis's new 'third generation' Flying Eye Hospital, a unique aircraft that plays a vital role in the fight against avoidable blindness, lands in the UK today for the first time in history[2]. (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/475588/Orbis_Flying_Eye_Hospital.jpg ) The Flying Eye Hospital stands at the cutting edge of medical innovation. To the eye, it is a typical passenger plane; however on the inside there is a state of the art operating theatre, with audio-visual equipment that transmits live operations to trainees in a 46 seat classroom at the front of the plane. The aircraft also features pre and post-op spaces and a laser eye suite. The Flying Eye Hospital enables a global volunteer team of the world's most highly regarded ophthalmic experts to train local medical professionals, leaving a lasting impact for future generations. HRH The Countess of Wessex, Global Ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) says: "Orbis's Flying Eye Hospital is a unique and inspiring instrument in the fight against avoidable blindness. In 2013 I was able to witness the plane in action in Kolkata, India. I observed everything from the most simple cataract surgery using basic cost effective techniques, to a complex prosthetic surgery restoring sight to a man who had been blind for fourteen years. These medical interventions, however small, act as a platform to lift communities and countries out of poverty; if you can see you can work, if you can see you can learn." The UK event, taking place between the 11th and 17th March, will celebrate the charity's vital work in the fight against avoidable blindness. In many countries across the world, a lack of sight can impede your ability to gain an education, prevent you from finding employment and can lead families into a life of poverty. About the Flying Eye Hospital The Flying Eye Hospital is kindly supported by FedEx Express, L'OCCITANE, Alcon Foundation and OMEGA. Since 1982 the Flying Eye Hospital has delivered programmes in 78 countries, trained thousands of doctors and restored sight to people all around the world. The 'third generation' Flying Eye Hospital was launched in June 2016. More than six years in the making, it is the world's only mobile ophthalmic teaching hospital, on board an MD-10 aircraft donated by FedEx in 2011. About Orbis: Since 1982, Orbis has been working to prevent and treat avoidable blindness in Africa, Asia and Latin America and runs 40 long-term programmes across the world in countries including: Cameroon, Ethiopia, South Africa, Zambia, Bangladesh, India, Mongolia, Vietnam. Discover more about Orbis at http://www.orbis.org.uk -------------------------------------------------- [1.] Figures may include individuals receiving multiple treatments [2.] This is the first time the customised MD-10 aircraft, completed in 2016, lands in the UK SOURCE Orbis UK Early Bird discounted registration extended to March 22 for popular enterprise software development and delivery event PORTLAND, Oregon, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- IT Revolution (http://itrevolution.com), the industry leader for advancing DevOps, today announced the second round of speakers for DevOps Enterprise Summit London 2017 (DOES17) and also extended Early Bird discounted registration pricing to March 22 (http://bit.ly/DOESEURreg). The newly added conference speakers have extensive experience implementing DevOps at large, complex organizations in the US, UK and Continental Europe. Hosted by IT Revolution and premier sponsor HPE Software, the second annual DevOps Enterprise Summit London event will be held June 5 and 6 at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre. Blind Bird tickets have sold out and Early Bird registration is highly encouraged as the conference is anticipated to sell out early. Newly Added Speakers Include Leaders from Telecom, IT Services, Media, Government and Financial Services The second round of speakers to be included in the DOES17 London program include: Alexa Alley , DevOps Program Manager, Hearst Business Media , DevOps Program Manager, Hearst Business Media Dr. Tuuli Bell , Partner Account Manager, EMEA, Tasktop , Partner Account Manager, EMEA, Tasktop Amine Boudali , Core Banking Programme Platform Lead, Nordea , Core Banking Programme Platform Lead, Nordea Tom Clark , Head of Common Platform, ITV , Head of Common Platform, ITV Sam Guckenheimer , Product Owner, Visual Studio Team Services, Microsoft , Product Owner, Visual Studio Team Services, Microsoft Andrea Hirzle-Yager, Head of department, IT, Allianz Deutschland AG Bruno Meniere, Orange DevOps Country Delivery Programme Director, Orange Mayank Prakash , Chief Digital and Information Officer, Department for Work and Pensions , Chief Digital and Information Officer, Department for Work and Pensions Etelvina Melo Pires , Agile and DevOps Transformation Agent, Orange , Agile and DevOps Transformation Agent, Orange Jose Quaresma , DevOps Lead DK, Accenture "I'm delighted to announce these talented technology leaders as speakers at the DevOps Enterprise Summit London. They will share their experiences, lessons learned and insights on how they've been using DevOps principles and patterns to transform their organizations," said Gene Kim, founder of IT Revolution and co-author of "The Phoenix Project" and "The DevOps Handbook." "As they share their stories, we have the opportunity to integrate those learnings on our own transformation journeys." DOES17 Live Video Chat On March 1, Gene Kim was joined by fellow programming committee members Cornelia Davis (Pivotal), Jonathan Fletcher (Hiscox) and Jonathan Smart (Barclays) for a "Deep Dive into DevOps" video chat. Panelists reflected on the 2016 London event, shared insights about the upcoming event this June, and discussed new ideas for immersive conference programming. The full discussion can be viewed here: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_YcdOsIxUc). For more information about DOES17 London, please visit: (http://events.itrevolution.com/eu/). Share This: DevOps Enterprise Summit London Announces Next Round of Speakers!http://events.itrevolution.com/eu/speakers/@DOES_EUR#DOES17#DevOps About IT Revolution IT Revolution assembles technology leaders and practitioners through publishing, events, and research. Our goal is to elevate the state of technology work, quantify the economic and human costs associated with suboptimal IT performance, and to improve the lives of one million IT professionals by 2017. Contact: Jeremy Douglas Catapult PR-IR 303-581-7760, ext. 16 jdouglas@catapultpr-ir.com Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160322/346968LOGO SOURCE IT Revolution Americas Region Chairman will succeed John Veihmeyer upon completion of his term NEW YORK, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- William B Thomas, 49, has been elected Chairman of KPMG International. He will lead the KPMG global network of professional services firms for a 4-year term, effective October 1, 2017, succeeding John B Veihmeyer, 61, who is completing his term as Chairman and retiring from the firm, at the end of September 2017. Bill Thomas, who was elected to his new role by KPMG International's Global Council, has served as Chairman of KPMG's Americas region since 2014 and has been a member of the Global Board since 2009. He has been a leader in defining KPMG's global strategy and a champion in promoting an inclusive and high-performing culture throughout the KPMG network. Bill was CEO and Senior Partner of KPMG in Canada from 2009 to 2016, leading the firm in achieving strong growth in the market, and making strategic investments that contributed to expanding the firm's capabilities. In his 28 years with KPMG, Bill has also held a number of leadership roles in the Canadian firm and within KPMG International, and has served as an audit partner for prominent clients in a variety of industries. John Veihmeyer said: "I am extremely proud to announce that Bill Thomas has been elected to succeed me as Chairman of KPMG International. Bill brings an exceptional range of skills and experience that will benefit KPMG and the clients our professionals serve. As leader of KPMG's Americas region and the Canadian firm, Bill has an outstanding leadership record of quality growth, innovation and collaboration. But what distinguishes Bill most are his qualities of integrity, sincerity, passion and personal commitment. I'm confident that Bill's authentic leadership will bring tremendous value to KPMG, our people and to clients." Bill Thomas said: "It is a great honor to be elected Chairman of KPMG International. John Veihmeyer has been an exceptional leader and role model, who has strengthened KPMG immensely with his commitment to quality and integrity, and his focus on the culture of our global organization. I intend to build on the foundation John has put in place, and help KPMG's 190,000 professionals around the world to fulfill their potential and bring their best in meeting the rapidly expanding needs of clients. I'm convinced the next few years will be among the most dynamic our profession has ever seen, and I'm excited about the opportunities that are in front of KPMG." About KPMG International KPMG is a global network of professional services firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services. We operate in 152 countries and have 189,000 people working in member firms around the world. The independent member firms of the KPMG network are affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative ("KPMG International"), a Swiss entity. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such. KPMG Biographies William B Thomas: Biography William B Thomas is the Chairman of KPMG's Americas Region a position he has held since March 2014. In addition, Bill served as the Chief Executive Officer and Senior Partner of KPMG in Canada from 2009 to 2016. As a member of KPMG International's Global Board since 2009, Bill has brought tremendous international experience and perspectives to his Americas role. Bill has also built strong relationships with many Canadian and global clients, bringing key knowledge and insights to help them navigate the increasingly complex markets in which they operate. As CEO of KPMG in Canada, he provided leadership and direction for the firm's business across the country, working with partners and staff to drive KPMG's strategy and growth forward. Bill holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of British Columbia and achieved his Chartered Accountant designation in 1992 from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia. He was named a Fellow of the Institute in 2008. Bill is a past recipient of Business in Vancouver's Forty-under-Forty award, which recognizes British Columbia's top 40 outstanding young entrepreneurs, executives, managers and professionals. In 2012, he was honored with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his significant contribution to Canada. In 2015, Bill was named a Catalyst Canada Honours Champion in recognition for his leadership in building a diverse and inclusive culture across the firm. Bill is married with three children. John B Veihmeyer: Biography John Veihmeyer is the Global Chairman of KPMG International. During his 40-year career, he has previously held numerous leadership roles at KPMG, including US Chairman and CEO from 2010-2015, and US Deputy Chairman from 2005-2010. Veihmeyer has been consistently named as one of the "Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting" by Accounting Today magazine, and one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Corporate Governance by Directorship Magazine. He is a member of the Business Roundtable, the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum, and the Mendoza College Business Advisory Council of the University of Notre Dame, from which he graduated. He serves on the board of the US-India Business Council, the Board of Trustees for both the US Council for International Business (USCIB) and the Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF), and the Executive Committee of the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF). Veihmeyer champions KPMG's high-performance culture, with a strong emphasis on inclusion and diversity as a foundation for being a great place to work and build a career. He is a member of the board of Catalyst, whose mission is to expand opportunities for women in business, and in 2011 he received the CEO Leadership Award from Diversity Best Practices for his commitment to diversity. He is also deeply committed to philanthropy and corporate responsibility. Along with his wife Beth, Veihmeyer is a driving force behind KPMG's "Family for Literacy" (KFFL) program. In its 9-year history, KFFL has provided nearly 3 million books to children in need in the US and has now expanded to many countries around the KPMG network. He is a Board member of the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP) and Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. In 2013, Veihmeyer was honored as "Responsible CEO of the Year" by Corporate Responsibility Magazine. Brian Bannister, Head of Global Communications, KPMG International, +44 7919 393753, Brian.Bannister@KPMG.co.uk SOURCE KPMG International OYO, Republic of the Congo, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A declaration signed today by nine African nations will contribute to efforts to reduce global warming and improve local economies Ministers from nine African nations (Morocco, Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo and Rwanda) have today gathered in Oyo at the invitation of the President of the Republic of the Congo to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on the creation of the Congo Basin Blue Fund. (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/477062/Congo_River.jpg ) An initiative originally introduced at COP 22 by the Republic of the Congo in partnership with the Brazzaville Foundation, the Memorandum commits to establish the Congo Basin Blue Fund as a means to help shift the focus of Congo Basin economies from the exploitation of forests to a new form of sustainable development based on renewable water resources of the Congo and its tributaries. The Congo Basin is one of the world's most important ecological systems and its forests are second only to the Amazon Basin as a global carbon sink. Preserving its forests plays a crucial role in reducing global warming. Further, the countries and peoples of the Congo Basin have the right to economic development and improved standards of living. The Congo Basin Blue Fund will finance projects in sectors including; river transport, dredging and infrastructure, renewable energy, irrigation, fishing and eco-tourism. All offer an alternative to further deforestation. Cecilia Attias, member of the Brazzaville Foundation commented, "Today's memorandum marks a huge step forward in delivering economic and environmental sustainability to the Congo Basin and surrounding communities. We are delighted by the support of these nine nations who have united in peaceful cooperation on this vital mission." The Congo Basin Blue Fund will be seeking financial support from the main climate change financial instruments as well as other international institutions and donors and the private sector. The Brazzaville Foundation The Brazzaville Foundation is an independent, non-profit organisation. It is named after the Brazzaville Agreement signed in the Congolese capital in December 1988. It has two principal objectives: to develop sustainable development projects that bring countries and peoples together; and to facilitate dialogue between conflicting parties with informal diplomacy. The Foundation is proud to have originated the idea of a Congo Basin Blue Fund in partnership with the Strategic Foresight Group. For more information: http://www.brazzavillefoundation.org SOURCE The Brazzaville Foundation PUNE, India, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The report "Pharmaceutical Packaging Market by Type (Plastic Bottles, Blister Packs, Vials), Veterinary Vaccine Packaging (Livestock, Aquaculture, Porcine), Drug Delivery (Oral, Pulmonary, Topical), Raw Material (HDPE, LDPE), and Region - Global Forecast to 2021", published by MarketsandMarkets, The market was valued at USD 65.55 Billion in 2015 and is projected to reach USD 94.93 Billion by 2021, at a CAGR of 6.4% from 2016 to 2021. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 ) Browse 94 market data Tables and 44 Figures spread through 189 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Pharmaceutical Packaging Market" http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/pharmaceutical-packaging-market-890.html Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report. Growing urbanization across the globe, increasing affluence in the Asia-Pacific region, and rising demand for improved and efficient healthcare services, globally are the major drivers for the growth of the pharmaceutical packaging market. In addition to this, stringent government regulations related to manufacturing of counterfeit medicines in several countries of the world are also expected to fuel the growth of the pharmaceutical packaging market during the forecast period, 2016 to 2021. Ask for PDF of the Report at http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=890 Among types, the plastic bottles segment is projected to lead the pharmaceutical packaging market during the forecast period, 2016 to 2021. Among types, the plastic bottles segment is projected to lead the pharmaceutical packaging market during the forecast period. Plastic bottles are the most preferred packaging used, globally. Factors, such as their easy availability and increased demand for administering oral drugs, prescription dose medicines, and over the counter (OTC) medicines are expected to drive the growth of the plastic bottles segment of pharmaceutical packaging market, globally between 2016 and 2021. The injectables drug delivery segment of the pharmaceutical packaging market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period, 2016 to 2021. The injectables drug delivery segment of the pharmaceutical packaging market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2016 to 2021. Injectable drug delivery mode is receiving considerable attention due to efficiency offered by it in drug administration and high suitability of it for drug delivery in hospitals and other institutions. The R&D departments of different companies manufacturing pharmaceutical packaging are carrying out research & development activities to widen application areas of different types of pharmaceutical packaging, such as plastic bottles, blister packs, vials, and others through continuous innovations. Make an Inquiry @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=890 The Asia-Pacific pharmaceutical packaging market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2016 to 2021. The Asia-Pacific Pharmaceutical Packaging Market possesses immense growth potential. Increasing demand for improved healthcare services, growing urbanization, and increasing affluence in the Asia-Pacific region are the factors expected to fuel the demand for pharmaceutical packaging during the forecast period. China, India, Japan, Australia, and South Korea are some of the key countries in the region that are significantly contributing towards the growth of the Asia-Pacific pharmaceutical packaging market. Some of the key players in the pharmaceutical packaging market are Amcor Ltd. (Australia), Schott AG (Germany), AptarGroup, Inc. (U.S.), Gerresheimer AG (Germany), Becton, Dickinson and Company (U.S.), and Capsugel Inc. (U.S.), among others. Investments, expansions, and new product launches were the major growth strategies adopted by the market players between 2012 and 2016 to enhance their regional footprint and meet growing demand for pharmaceutical packaging in the emerging economies. Subscribe Reports from Chemicals & Materials Domain: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Knowledgestore.asp About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets is the largest market research firm worldwide in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to a multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. M&M's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. The new included chapters on Methodology and Benchmarking presented with high quality analytical infographics in our reports gives complete visibility of how the numbers have been arrived and defend the accuracy of the numbers. We at MarketsandMarkets are inspired to help our clients grow by providing apt business insight with our huge market intelligence repository. Contact: Mr. Rohan MarketsandMarkets 701 Pike Street Suite 2175, Seattle, WA 98101, United States Tel: +1-888-600-6441Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Visit MarketsandMarkets Blog @ http://www.marketsandmarketsblog.com/market-reports/chemical Connect with us on LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsandmarkets SOURCE MarketsandMarkets MONTREAL, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SNC-Lavalin (TSX: SNC) is currently conducting a feasibility study for Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) for its 10th generation Technology Pilot Section project, located at EGA's Al Taweelah site in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The objectives of the study are to define the project and validate the budget in order to launch the execution phase of the Pilot Section. The work is being carried out from EGA's Al Taweelah site. Design and detailed engineering work has already been completed by the EGA technology team. "We have established a long-lasting relationship with EGA, and we are proud to once again work with them on setting the foundations for another ambitious project," said Jose J. Suarez, President, Mining & Metallurgy. "We are looking forward to the next phase of this project that expands and adds to EGA's already impressive asset portfolio, being one of the largest aluminium producers in the world." About SNC-Lavalin Founded in 1911, SNC-Lavalin is one of the leading engineering and construction groups in the world and a major player in the ownership of infrastructure. From offices in over 50 countries, SNC-Lavalin's employees are proud to build what matters. Our teams provide engineering, procurement, construction, completions and commissioning services together with a range of sustaining capital services to clients in four industry sectors, oil and gas, mining and metallurgy, infrastructure and power. SNC-Lavalin can also combine these services with its financing and operations and maintenance capabilities to provide complete end-to-end project solutions. http://www.snclavalin.com Media: Louis-Antoine Paquin, Manager, Media Relations, +1-514-393-8000, ext. 54772, louis-antoine.paquin@snclavalin.com; Investors: Denis Jasmin, Vice President, Investor Relations, +1-514-393-8000, ext. 57553, denis.jasmin@snclavalin.com SOURCE SNC-Lavalin Opportunity for Manufacturers to Pre-install Video Services on Smartphones That Offer Exclusive Benefits BOSTON, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent study from the User Experience Strategies (UXS) Service at Strategy Analytics (www.strategyanalytics.com) has assessed Chinese mobile video consumers' behaviors, preferences, and attitudes towards video services. Participants reported spending more time watching videos on smartphones than other connected devices including connected TVs and computers. A strong willingness to pay for video content was also exhibited due to an increasing lack of free content in China. Surveying consumers in China, Strategy Analytics has found that the type of content watched on a smartphone by Chinese consumers is becoming similar to what they used to only watch on devices with a larger display longer content including movies, TV series, and variety shows. As the time spent on video being viewed on a smartphone is likely to keep increasing in China, the mobile video viewing experience will become more important and the ability to fulfil consumers' changing needs of mobile video viewing will be vital. Click here for the report: http://sa-link.cc/1jq Chris Schreiner, Director of Syndicated Research, UXIP commented, "An important behavioral and attitudinal change of mobile video consumers in China in 2016 was that they were much more willing to pay a subscription fee for video content. Moreover, some consumers have already been paying for multiple video services to watch desired content, which reveals a new opportunity for hardware manufacturers to seek closer cooperation with video service providers." Kevin Nolan, Vice President, UXIP added, "This provides the opportunity to pre-install video services on smartphones that offer exclusive benefits such as content aggregation from multiple sources, one subscription to access multiple services and discounted or free subscription offers. This can only work to improve brand attractiveness and consumer loyalty." About Strategy Analytics Strategy Analytics, Inc. provides the competitive edge with advisory services, consulting and actionable market intelligence for emerging technology, mobile and wireless, digital consumer and automotive electronics companies. With offices in North America, Europe and Asia, Strategy Analytics delivers insights for enterprise success. www.StrategyAnalytics.com. About User Experience Strategies (UXS) Analyzing UX innovation opportunities in wireless, smart home, and other emerging technologies, UXS forms part of the User Experience Innovation Practice (UXIP) at Strategy Analytics. Focusing on user behaviors, motivations and interests across multiple consumer verticals, UXIP helps clients meet consumer needs, develop usable solutions and deliver compelling user experiences through both syndicated and proprietary research capabilities. With our extensive expertise in large-scale survey work, in-depth interviews, focus groups and observational sessions, UXIP's research methodologies allow strategic user-centric analysis on the potential for new technologies. Providing actionable insight, go-to-market strategies and business recommendations, UXIP is a leading supplier of consumer knowledge to the technology industry. Click here for more information. Press Contacts US Contact: Chris Schreiner, +1 617 614 0713, cschreiner@strategyanalytics.com European Contact: Diane O'Neill, +44(0) 1908 423 669, doneill@strategyanalytics.com Logo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/453838/Strategy_Analytics_Logo.jpg Related Links http://www.strategyanalytics.com SOURCE Strategy Analytics SINGAPORE, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Symphony Financial Partners (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. ("Symphony Financial Partners") today announced the appointment of industry veteran Hiroyuki Abe as Head of Business Development based in Tokyo. Hiroyuki brings with him 17 years of expertise, experience and an extensive network in Japan's capital markets. Reporting to co-founders David Baran and Kazuhiko Shibata, Hiroyuki will drive the firm's growth strategy and manage key client relationships globally when he assumes the new role in May 2017. Hiroyuki joins from Goldman Sachs Japan where he was Vice President of Prime Brokerage Sales and Capital Introduction spearheading prime brokerage sales for global institutional investors and start-up hedge funds in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore. He also advised international investors on Japan strategies, consulted new hedge funds on licensing requirements and navigating regulatory processes and facilitated capital introductions between global managers and institutional-quality Japanese investors. During his 17 years with Goldman Sachs he was Vice President and Executive Director of Global Securities Lending Trader in Tokyo and Hong Kong respectively. Hiroyuki started his career in Global Equities Operations in Tokyo. David Baran said, "We have known Hiroyuki for many years and are thrilled he is joining the team. We are confident of the added value he will bring to clients given the breadth of his experience, strategic thinking and insight. These skills, combined with the investment strengths of Symphony and our deep knowledge of the Japan market, will help ensure that we remain at the forefront of the industry in the years ahead." "I am a strong believer in Symphony Financial Partners' long-term value approach of being an engaged investor and partnering with management to close the valuation gap for high-potential Japanese companies, which are often overlooked. I look forward to working with the team to pursue new opportunities for clients and portfolio companies alike," added Hiroyuku. Hiroyuku joins Symphony Financial Partners' team of 17 which is recognised as one of the best funds in Japan with annualised returns of 12.4% over 13 years. About Symphony Financial Partners Symphony Financial Partners is an award-winning institutional asset manager founded by David Baran and Kazuhiko Shibata in 2000 and has offices in Tokyo and Singapore. The firm manages approximately $1billion for a global client roster of blue-chip foundations, pensions, endowments, sovereign wealth entities and prominent family offices. For further information: Q Akashah (Ms.) Ogilvy Public Relations Singapore Tel: +65-6213-7881 / 9825-1944 Email: akashah.q@ogilvy.com SOURCE Symphony Financial Partners SAN FRANCISCO, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The global ultrasound image analysis software market is expected to reach USD 1.2 billion by 2025, according to a new study by Grand View Research, Inc. The growing prevalence of chronic diseases is a high impact rendering growth driver for the ultrasound image analysis software market. The increasing prevalence is presumed to be driving the clinical urgency to adopt ultrasound image analysis software in order to improve the existing poor patient diagnostic imaging measures and reduce long-term cost associated with the conventional diagnostics. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150105/723757 ) In addition, a widening geriatric population base, possessing high susceptibility toward development of chronic diseases is expected to upsurge the demand for ultrasound image analysis software in the future. According to a research published in Medscape, chronic diseases, which predominantly include cardiovascular diseases, are responsible for high mortality rate in the U.S. Consequentially; presence of these highly prevalent cardiovascular diseases raises the demand to utilize advanced diagnostic and imaging alternatives. The aforementioned factor is anticipated to widen the potential for growth throughout the forecast period. Browse full research report with TOC on "Ultrasound Image Analysis Software Market Size & Forecast By Software Type (Integrated, Standalone), By Product (2D, 3D & 4D, Doppler), By Application (Cardiology, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Radiology, Oncology) And Trend Analysis From 2014 To 2025" at: http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/ultrasound-image-analysis-software-market Further key findings from the report suggest: Standalone systems are expected to exhibit lucrative growth rate during the forecast period. The exponential growth can be attributed to associated benefits that include easy access, data sharing, enhanced diagnostic, and ability to monitor medical disorders 3D&4D ultrasound systems are anticipated to witness growth at an exponential rate owing to increasing software adoption in this segment due to its simplified functionality and enhanced interactive execution of image processing tasks In 2015, North America held a dominant share in the global ultrasound image analysis software market owing to local presence of established pharmaceutical companies that work toward direction of extensive commercialization of their product offerings held a dominant share in the global ultrasound image analysis software market owing to local presence of established pharmaceutical companies that work toward direction of extensive commercialization of their product offerings Asia Pacific is anticipated to grow at an exponential CAGR as a result of unmet patient needs, continual infrastructural & technological upgradation, and rising healthcare expenditure is anticipated to grow at an exponential CAGR as a result of unmet patient needs, continual infrastructural & technological upgradation, and rising healthcare expenditure Some major players of this sector include GE Healthcare, Philips Healthcare, Siemens Healthineers, Merge Health Incorporated. The key participants are employing sustainability strategies to gain competitive advantage. For instance, in May 2015 , GE Healthcare collaborated with OneMedNet Corporation to expand medical image sharing solutions such as web-based sharing Browse related reports by Grand View Research: Healthcare Cognitive Computing Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/healthcare-cognitive-computing-market Healthcare Contract Research Outsourcing Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/healthcare-contract-research-outsourcing-market Post-marketing Pharmacovigilance and Medical Information Market- http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/post-marketing-pharmacovigilance-medical-information-market Grand View Research has segmented the ultrasound image analysis software market on the basis of software type, product, application and region: Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) Integrated Software Standalone Software Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) 2D ultrasound systems 3D & 4D ultrasound systems Doppler imaging Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) Orthopedic Dental Cardiology Oncology Obstetrics & Gynecology Nephrology & Urology Radiology Others Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) North America U.S. Canada Europe UK Germany Asia Pacific Japan China India Latin America Mexico Brazil MEA South Africa Read Our Blog: Ultrasound image analysis software: Anadvanced approach to analyze multidimensional ultrasound images About Grand View Research Grand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare. Contact: Sherry James Corporate Sales Specialist, USA Grand View Research, Inc. Phone: 1-415-349-0058 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: sales@grandviewresearch.com Web: http://www.grandviewresearch.com SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc. PHILADELPHIA, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Tickets are now on sale for the Philadelphia Antiques & Art Show, which returns for its 55th year April 21-23. One of the most respected shows of its kind in the country, PAAS features 59 dealers; a lineup of expert speakers, authors and historians; and a loan exhibit of historic American flags. "Charlotte, Queen of Great Britain," one in a pair of 18th Century English colored mezzotints called "The Royal Couple." Jeremiah Meyer, Pinxit (1735-1789). Richard Houston, Sculpt (1721-1775). Offered by Georgian Manor as part of the Philadelphia Antiques & Art Show, April 21-23, 2017 at The Navy Yard, Philadelphia PA. philadelphiaantiquesandartshow.com. "Fifty-nine dealers will again come to Philadelphia showcase the best of the best that they have to offer," said Anne Hamilton, co-chair. "We couldn't be more excited to welcome them back to our wonderful venue at The Navy Yard, along with some excellent programming and special events." One of the Show's most anticipated programs this year is a presentation by Special Agent Jake Archer on Friday, April 21 at 2pm. Assigned to the FBI's elite Art Crime Team, Archer is one of 16 investigators focused on art and cultural property crimes across state and international lines losses that total billions of dollars annually. He promises a rare glimpse behind-the-scenes into what it takes to recover and protect these precious artifacts. The Show's dealers including seven new ones specialize in a wide range of periods and styles, including furniture, fine and decorative arts, silver, textiles, porcelain and jewelry from America, England, Asia and the Continent. The Show also features contemporary art, a component introduced to great acclaim in 2016. The Show begins with a Gala Preview Party on Thursday, April 20. The Show will be open to the public Friday, April 21 and Saturday, April 22 from 11am until 8pm and Sunday, April 23 from 11am until 5pm. Regular admission is $20 per person, with discounts available for students, seniors and groups. It is held at The Navy Yard. For a schedule or to purchase tickets, visit www.PhiladelphiaAntiquesandArtShow.com or call 215-573-2247. The Show is presented by AIG, Freeman's and PennFIRST, and has raised funds for Penn Medicine since 1962. SOURCE The Philadelphia Antiques & Art Show NEW YORK, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- 6D Global Technologies, Inc., a premier digital business solutions company, announced today that a putative class action complaint against it has been dismissed with prejudice by Manhattan U.S. District Judge Robert Sweet. "I am excited that 6D Global has been vindicated by such a strong and decisive ruling," said Tejune Kang, Chairman and CEO of 6D Global Technologies. "I am pleased with the Court's clearheaded analysis and sound judgement on this case. We will rigorously defend all lawsuits, especially those frivolous complaints without any support for their claims. But most of all, I am looking forward to focusing my full attention on 6D Global's core mission: providing a platform of digital marketing services to our clients on a global scale." The class action lawsuit against 6D Global alleged that the company violated federal securities laws, but Federal Judge Sweet on Monday dismissed the action with prejudice because the plaintiffs' pleadings failed to make out a viable case. "One by one, the allegations against 6D Global have crumbled," added Kang. "As we free ourselves from the burden of fighting baseless claims, 6D Global is charging forward." Judge Sweet's ruling was in Joseph Puddu, et al., v 6D Global Technologies, Inc., et al., No. 1:15-cv-08061-RWS, in the United States District Court, Southern District of New York. 6D Global is represented by Peter Flocos of K&L Gates LLP. About 6D Global Technologies, Inc. 6D Global Technologies, Inc. is a premier digital business solutions company serving the digital marketing and technology needs of enterprise-class organizations worldwide. 6D Global Technologies' companies offer a full suite of services and solutions to help large organizations optimize digital business channels and create better experiences for their customers, resulting in increased revenue growth and market share. Services include web content management, web and marketing analytics, digital creative, marketing automation, mobile applications, digital publishing, and marketing management solutions. For more information, visit www.6DGlobal.com. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements with respect to the Company's future growth opportunities and strategic plan. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy, and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Our actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, those items listed under the "Risk Factors" caption in the Company's public reports filed with the SEC, including the Company's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this press release is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. SOURCE 6D Global Related Links http://www.6dglobal.com SPRINGFIELD, Ill., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AARP Illinois today urged the Illinois Department on Aging to suspend a proposed, controversial senior care program that negatively impacts critical in-home and community care services for 36,000 nursing home eligible Illinois seniors, their loved ones and family caregivers. The Governor's budget address proposes a $120 million cut to home and community-based services. The Department has proposed the creation of a new $260 million government program, the Community Reinvestment Program (CRP), with proposed rules besieged with alarming loopholes jeopardizing senior safety and their ability to live with independence in their home and community. The creation of CRP is systematically bypassing the General Assembly and is expected to be heard before the Illinois Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR). The diversion of the legislative process denies affected seniors and their loved ones true legislative representation in the review, debate, and vote on this senior government initiative. "The proposed program is a catalyst for seniors to face premature nursing home placement," Ryan Gruenenfelder, AARP Illinois Director of Advocacy said. "The Community Reinvestment Program is a short-sighted budget cutting, political tactic at the expense of 36,000 of Illinois' most vulnerable senior citizens, and their loved ones. The proposed program hinges on service availability by geographic regions, on the continuation of budget appropriations, and the sole authority of the Department to amend eligibility standards with zero legislative oversight." CRP eligibility requirements are subject to adequate funding, services/supports and/or vendors. The program sanctions the Department full authority to implement program cuts at any time without a requirement for appropriate review by policy makers. The program is restrictive and places an undue hardship on affected seniors and their families as services will be undependable and endanger the continuity of services. "Our parents and grandparents have worked hard, played by the rules and supported our families and communities. Now they need our help to stay in their homes and active. It's wrong to change the rules and cut off their supports when they need us the most," said State Rep. Greg Harris, D- Chicago, chair of the House Appropriations Human Services Committee. "Senior care is one of our most critical priorities in Springfield, and this proposal raises serious concerns that we have started to uncover today," said State Rep. Anna Moeller, D-Elgin, chair of the House Aging Committee. "The testimony clearly underscores the need to work through these proposed Community Care Program and Community Reinvestment Program rule changes very carefully, and to work toward a state budget that protects and prioritizes how we care for our seniors." "The lack of safety standards and criminal background checks for local providers in the proposed rules for the Community Reinvestment Program put our older adults at serious risk for harm," said Cindy Cunningham, President of the Illinois Adult Day Services Association. "There are other ways to offset costs in the Community Care Program that do not jeopardize the people we are seeking to help." "Under our current program, a senior has maintained in-home services throughout our budget crisis because of a consent decrease during recent budget turmoil," Gruenenfelder added. "CRP will not save the state money, as in-home care is at least three times less expensive than Medicaid nursing home placement. The proposed program will drive more seniors into nursing homes when CRP services abruptly stop due to political budget impasses, limited senior providers in rural areas, or when the Department implements new eligibility standards further limiting service availability. CRP is not only bad for vulnerable seniors, it will become a long-term, financial burden on all Illinois taxpayers." AARP Illinois urged the Department on Aging, on behalf of its 1.7 million members in the state, to halt the Community Reinvestment Program rules and its creation with limited statewide representation under JCAR. AARP supports open dialogue with all parties and the discussion of common-sense CCP reforms that offer cost savings and sustainability of the program for years to come. Gruenenfelder stated, "Our state can implement common sense, compassionate and cost-effective reforms to maintain our state's current Community Care Program without jeopardizing the lives and well-being of thousands of Illinois' greatest generation." SOURCE AARP Illinois Related Links http://www.aarp.org WASHINGTON, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- PlanetRisk, a pioneer in enterprise risk analytics, announced today that Abdul Omar has joined the company as chief financial officer. Omar, who has more than two decades of experience in financial management and business operations for global technology and services companies, will be responsible for PlanetRisk's finance, accounting and M&A functions as the company continues a period of rapid growth and business expansion. Abdul Omar, PlanetRisk Chief Financial Officer "We are extremely pleased to have Abdul on board in this important role," said Paul McQuillan, President and CEO of PlanetRisk. "As the demand for our Analytics Platform-as-a-Service continues to increase and helps us expand into new markets, Abdul's financial and technology expertise, depth of experience in commercial and government sectors, and strong track record of delivering results will be a great asset in supporting our growth." Omar joins PlanetRisk with more than 20 years of experience in financial management roles. Most recently, he was the CFO of Orchestro, Inc., a McLean-based Software-as a-Service company that was acquired by E2Open. Previously, Omar was the vice president of finance for Reston-based Infor Global Solutions, a multinational enterprise software company. He also served as vice president of finance, controlling and administration for Software AG, a German company providing software solutions to global enterprises. Earlier in his career, Omar also held senior financial leadership positions at Enterra Solutions, Lexis Nexis and SAIC. Omar is a Certified Public Accountant. He earned his Master of Science in Finance from George Washington University and Bachelor of Science from George Mason University. About PlanetRisk PlanetRisk is a pioneer in enterprise risk analytics helping organizations improve critical decision-making. The company delivers actionable intelligence by accelerating the aggregation of data globally to interpret connections between seemingly unconnected events. PlanetRisk's unique, holistic approach to enterprise risk solutions combine big data with geospatial intelligence, position and contextual awareness to recognize hidden patterns, detect anomalies and forecast future conditions on a local, national or global scale. PlanetRisk is headquartered in the Tysons Corner area of McLean, Virginia. For more information, please visit www.planetrisk.com. Media Contact: Kristina Messner, [email protected], 703-678-6023 This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com SOURCE PlanetRisk Related Links http://www.planetrisk.com REDWOOD CITY, Calif., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Accelerance, which connects companies that need software development services with the most qualified outsourcing firms around the globe, is about to embark on its 43rd international trip to meet with software development providers and to certify those that will become Accelerance Partners. Accelerance is first heading to San Juan, Puerto Rico, March 9 12, and then Curitiba and Florianopolis, Brazil, March 13 19. A second trip to Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka takes place March 14 April 7. During these trips, Accelerance will meet with local software development providers to review their processes, metrics and best practices, as well as their recruiting and training processes, to assess their capabilities as world-class software engineers. Once these trips are complete, only the top software service providers will become a part of the Accelerance network of qualified offshore and nearshore software development partners. Accelerance has already researched more than 6,000 software development firms to create the most curated network of thoroughly vetted software providers ever assembled. Accelerance is the only company to carefully select, visit and investigate partners from among thousands of software development firms, to ensure that client companies looking to outsource are matched with the best software engineering companies. "When considering the use of global software services, nothing is more important than the experience and qualifications of your outsourcing partner," said Accelerance Founder and CEO Steve Mezak, a software development expert, co-author of Outsource or Else! How a VP of Software Saved His Company and author of Software Without Borders. "Enterprises want confidence that the software outsourcing company they engage with is highly accomplished and brings deep experience to the table, so we take the time to find the best outsourcing providers with perfectly aligned technical expertise for your software. Puerto Rico, Brazil, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka all have some excellent software developers, and we're looking forward to meeting them and bringing new revenue to their businesses and local economies." According to Mezak, when an enterprise or CTO decides to outsource one or more software initiatives, the next step is to find a highly-qualified software development partner to deliver. "You're looking for technical capabilities, industry experience and a host of other criteria," said Mezak. "Due diligence in the partner selection process makes all the difference in the success of your outsourcing engagement and, ultimately, the quality of your software. However, most companies that need software don't have the time or resources to spend months on searching for the best partners. You don't want to cut corners when selecting a good outsourcing partner, as you'll likely pay for it via low quality work, missed deadlines, wasted time and resources, cost overruns, etc. That's where Accelerance steps in. We simplify the process of finding and working with offshore, nearshore and even onshore software development companies." During its upcoming trips, Accelerance will conduct technical evaluations of software development providers and review: innovations the companies have implemented; project management processes; operations; security protocols and the reliability of a potential partner's infrastructure; business culture; company history; staff recruiting, training and retention; and communication skills, among other key areas. Once vetted, a select few companies will become Accelerance-certified software providers, and they'll be connected to companies that are looking to outsource with world-class development teams. For enterprises and CTOs that are ready to outsource software development, Accelerance's new Software Outsourcing Due Diligence Guide presents key areas to consider, what to look for when vetting a potential partner, and questions a company should ask. The free guide can be downloaded at http://www.accelerance.com/how-to-evaluate-a-software-outsourcing-provider . About Accelerance Accelerance (@accelerance) connects companies that need software engineering services with the most qualified outsourcing firms around the globe. As the global outsourcing authority, Accelerance sets the standard for software outsourcing best practices and has developed a proven process for verifying the skills, references, business practices and trustworthiness of top software service providers in more than 60 countries. Accelerance's proprietary Rapid Referral System reduces the time it takes to identify and select a trusted outsourcing partner from five months to five days. To talk to an Accelerance Advisor about your software needs, visit http://www.accelerance.com. SOURCE Accelerance Related Links http://www.accelerance.com "After losing my brother Jamie to suicide at the age of 18, my own family learned the hard way (and a little too late) what the risk factors and warning signs are for someone who may be at risk for suicide," said Michelle Toman, Chair and Co-Founder of the West Virginia chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention . "In 1994, we had limited resources for help and support; I've been able to help change that as an advocate with AFSP. It is crucial moving forward for others to understand we CAN save lives if we know what to watch for and where to turn for help." She continued, "In the year my brother should've turned 40 years old, we passed a law they named after him called Jamie's Law, HB 2535, which was adopted in 2015. It is incredible that over the course of the past two years while putting that legislation to work, we see those efforts making a difference. West Virginia moved from being 10th highest in the nation for youth and adolescent suicides (10- to 24 year-old age group) down to 37th in the nation ranking." Ms. Toman is part of a national movement of AFSP volunteer advocates who will be visiting 35 state capitols across the United States in spring 2017 to bring best practices in suicide prevention to state legislators. ' The Youth Mental Health Protection Act (SB 435) If passed, this legislation will prohibit mental health professionals from engaging in conversion therapy with individuals under the age of 18. Sexual orientation conversion efforts are based on the belief that homosexuality is a mental illness that needs to be cured, a belief that has been rejected as scientifically invalid by the American Psychiatric Association and all other major mental health organizations. Conversion therapy has not been proven to change a person's sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. Conversion therapy can, however, invoke feelings of rejection, guilt, confusion, and shame and can lead to decreased self-esteem, substance abuse, social withdrawal, depression, anxiety, and increased risk for suicidal behavior; LGBT adolescents are at particular risk for emotional or physical harm. When students do not feel marginalized by governmental policies, such as banning same sex marriage, their suicide attempt rate is lower. On February 20, there was a study published in the Journal of American Medicine which found that same-sex marriage policies were associated with a 7 percent reduction in the proportion of all high school students reporting a suicide attempt within the past year. The study analyzed pre- and post-policy rates of self-reported suicide attempts and found a decrease by 0.6 percentage points (8.6 percent to 8.0 percent) among the all-student group following policy implementation. For students identifying as sexual minorities, the reduction in suicide attempts was larger (28.5 percent to 24.5 percent). School Based Mental Health and Behavior Health Services (SB 251) If passed, SB 251 would create a three-year pilot program through the Department of Education to establish school-based mental and behavioral health services for students and families. This pilot will be available to schools who have implemented a school-based health center or an expanded school mental health framework. Through direct employment or contractual relationships, participating schools shall be required to provide mental health services, have services available for all tiers of need, and authorize those providing the services to receive referrals for students who violate the disciplinary code, provide mental or behavioral health assessments, and provide ongoing services to the student if necessary. Services would also be available to the student's family and household members. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide. AFSP creates a culture that's smart about mental health through education and community programs, develops suicide prevention through research and advocacy, and provides support for those affected by suicide. Led by CEO Robert Gebbia and headquartered in New York, AFSP has local chapters in all 50 states with programs and events nationwide. AFSP celebrates 30 years of service to the suicide prevention movement. Learn more about AFSP in its latest Annual Report, and join the conversation on suicide prevention by following AFSP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. SOURCE American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Related Links http://www.afsp.org RESTON, Va., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Leidos (NYSE: LDOS), a global science and technology company, was awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract from the U.S. Air Force to provide research and development for electromagnetic systems. This cost-plus-fixed-fee IDIQ contract has a five-year base period of performance with a total contract value of $38 million that includes an initial cost-plus-fixed-fee task order for $11 million. Work will primarily be performed at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. for the Air Force Research Laboratory. Under this contract, Leidos will research the development of high power electromagnetic (HPEM) technology with the goal of producing and advancing next generation HPEM sources. Milestones include establishing a program and research facility, conducting component research, and working with the government and other researchers toward their HPEM objectives. Leidos will also provide diagnostic and data acquisition, as well as laboratory preparation work. "We look forward to continuing our efforts for the Air Force by developing critical next generation capabilities such as this HPEM technology," said Mike Chagnon, president of the Leidos Advanced Solutions Group. "As threats become more advanced, Leidos is committed to creating innovative solutions that enable our customers to achieve their missions." About Leidos Leidos is a global science and technology solutions and services leader working to solve the world's toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, homeland security, civil, and health markets. The company's 32,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $7.04 billion for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2016. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com. Statements in this announcement, other than historical data and information, constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause our actual results, performance, achievements, or industry results to be very different from the results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Some of these factors include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set forth in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 30, 2016, and other such filings that Leidos makes with the SEC from time to time. Due to such uncertainties and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. SOURCE Leidos Related Links http://www.leidos.com "The 10 new San Francisco routes and three new San Jose routes offer something for both the leisure and business traveler, including exciting destinations like New Orleans, Baltimore, Austin and Kona, Hawaii," said Andrew Harrison, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Alaska Airlines. "Our strategy is to use the same philosophy that's worked well for us in our Pacific Northwest hubs, which is to offer convenient, nonstop flights to the places guests fly to most. And if your itinerary requires travel overseas, our 10 global airline partners offer 137 international departures a week from the Bay Area." The new flights build on previously announced Bay Area routes scheduled to begin in the coming months, which include San Jose-Newark, San Jose-Burbank, San Francisco-Orlando, San Francisco-Orange County, San Francisco-Minneapolis and San Francisco-Mexico City. To purchase tickets on Alaska Airlines, visit http://bit.ly/2mCC6NS to find great savings, or call 1-800-ALASKAAIR (800-252-7522 for Hearing & Speech Impaired (TTY): Dial 711 for Relay Services). To purchase tickets on Virgin America, visit www.virginamerica.com or call 1-877-FLY-VIRGIN (877-359-8474). "With this announcement, Alaska and Virgin America have demonstrated their continued commitment to the San Francisco Bay Area," said Ivar Satero, San Francisco International Airport director. "Like both of these great airlines, we have a passion for creating exceptional travel experiences, and we are thrilled that our guests can now enjoy more destinations from Alaska and Virgin America." Schedule of new daily service Start City pair Departs Arrives Aircraft Type Frequency Aug 31 San Francisco- Philadelphia 10:35 p.m. 6:59 a.m. A320 family Daily Sep 1 Philadelphia- San Francisco 8:15 a.m. 11:25 a.m. A320 family Daily Sep 21 San Francisco- New Orleans 8:48 a.m. 3:03 p.m. A320 family Daily Sep 21 New Orleans- San Francisco 4 p.m. 6:30 p.m. A320 family Daily Sep 5 San Francisco- Nashville 12:55 p.m. 7:25 p.m. A320 family Daily Sep 5 Nashville-San Francisco 8:15 p.m. 11:25 p.m. A320 family Daily Sep 26 San Francisco-Indianapolis 12:35 p.m. 7:50 p.m. A320 family Daily Sep 26 Indianapolis-San Francisco 8:40 p.m. 10:40 p.m. A320 family Daily Oct 19 San Francisco- Raleigh-Durham 11:35 p.m. 7:40 a.m. A320 family Daily Oct 20 Raleigh-Durham- San Francisco 9:00 a.m. 11:50 a.m. A320 family Daily Oct 16 San Francisco-Baltimore-Washington 8:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m. A320 family Daily Oct 16 Baltimore-Washington- San Francisco 5:25 p.m. 8:42 p.m. A320 family Daily Dec 14 San Francisco- Kona, Hawaii 11 a.m. 2:30 p.m. A320 family Daily Dec 14 Kona, Hawaii- San Francisco 3:30 p.m. 10:35 p.m. A320 family Daily Sep 18 San Francisco- Albuquerque 6:15 p.m. 9:48 p.m. E175 Daily Sep 18 Albuquerque-San Francisco 7:15 a.m. 8:57 a.m. E175 Daily Sep 18 San Francisco-Kansas City 9:50 a.m. 3:30 p.m. E175 Daily Sep 18 Kansas City-San Francisco 2:55 p.m. 5:05 p.m. E175 Daily Aug 28 San Jose-Austin 8:45 a.m. 2:02 p.m. E175 Daily Aug 28 Austin-San Jose 3 p.m. 4:50 p.m. E175 Daily Aug 28 San Jose-Tucson 5:35 p.m. 7:45 p.m. E175 Daily Aug 29 Tucson-San Jose 7 a.m. 9:24 a.m. E175 Daily Sep 20 San Jose-Los Angeles 6:30 a.m., 10:50 a.m., 2:39 p.m., 6:55 p.m. 8:03 a.m., 12:25 p.m., 4:12 p.m., 8:28 p.m. E175 Four times daily Sep 20 Los Angeles-San Jose 8:45 a.m., 1:05 p.m., 4:52 p.m., 9:20 p.m. 10:08 a.m., 2:30 p.m., 6:15 p.m., 10:44 p.m. E175 Four times daily *Note: Service between San Francisco and Mexico City will begin later this year, pending government approval. Flight times based on local time zones. To bring the excitement of these new destinations to travelers quite literally, Alaska is launching a social media promotion today to deliver on-demand, destination inspired food items and free flights to Bay Area residents. Travelers who tweet the airlines at @AlaskaAir and @VirginAmerica using the hashtag #MostWestCoast and with an airplane emoji will score the chance to have a destination-specific treat (think BBQ for Nashville and beignets for New Orleans) delivered within a few hours to their front door. The airlines are planning more than 900 deliveries today and 10 lucky travelers will also score a free flight to one of the new destinations. More details will be announced at 11 a.m. Pacific time on the airlines' Twitter handles. Editor's note: High-definition, broadcast quality footage of Alaska Airlines and Virgin America is available for download at https://ascorpcomm.sharefile.com/d-sadfdde4d49545f4a. Alaska Airlines and Virgin America along with their regional partners, fly 40 million customers a year to 118 destinations with an average of 1,200 daily flights across the United States and to Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica and Cuba. With Alaska and Alaska's global partners, customers can earn and redeem miles on flights to nearly 900 destinations in the U.S. and worldwide. Learn more about Alaska's award-winning service and unmatched reliability at newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines, Virgin America and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK). SOURCE Alaska Airlines Related Links http://www.alaskaair.com LONDON, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Summary Global Markets Direct's latest Pharmaceutical and Healthcare disease pipeline guide Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease Pipeline Review, H2 2016, provides an overview of the Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease (Hematological Disorders) pipeline landscape. Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4603784/ Renal anemia is a disease in which the patient has an unusually low count of red blood cells. Renal is a term that means of the kidneys, so anemia is often associated with kidney disease. This type of anemia is caused by a lack of erythropoietin, a protein produced in the kidneys that helps to create red blood cells. Symptoms caused by renal anemia include pale skin and gums, become short of breath, dizziness and inability to think clearly. Report Highlights Global Markets Direct's Pharmaceutical and Healthcare latest pipeline guide Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease Pipeline Review, H2 2016, provides comprehensive information on the therapeutics under development for Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease (Hematological Disorders), complete with analysis by stage of development, drug target, mechanism of action (MoA), route of administration (RoA) and molecule type. The guide covers the descriptive pharmacological action of the therapeutics, its complete research and development history and latest news and press releases. The Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease (Hematological Disorders) pipeline guide also reviews of key players involved in therapeutic development for Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease (Renal Anemia) and features dormant and discontinued projects. The guide covers therapeutics under Development by Companies /Universities /Institutes, the molecules developed by Companies in Pre-Registration, Filing rejected/Withdrawn, Phase III, Phase II, Phase I, IND/CTA Filed, Preclinical, Discovery and Unknown stages are 1, 1, 11, 9, 4, 1, 6, 2 and 1 respectively. Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease (Hematological Disorders) pipeline guide helps in identifying and tracking emerging players in the market and their portfolios, enhances decision making capabilities and helps to create effective counter strategies to gain competitive advantage. The guide is built using data and information sourced from Global Markets Direct's proprietary databases, company/university websites, clinical trial registries, conferences, SEC filings, investor presentations and featured press releases from company/university sites and industry-specific third party sources. Additionally, various dynamic tracking processes ensure that the most recent developments are captured on a real time basis. Note: Certain content / sections in the pipeline guide may be removed or altered based on the availability and relevance of data. Scope - The pipeline guide provides a snapshot of the global therapeutic landscape of Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease (Hematological Disorders). - The pipeline guide reviews pipeline therapeutics for Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease (Hematological Disorders) by companies and universities/research institutes based on information derived from company and industry-specific sources. - The pipeline guide covers pipeline products based on several stages of development ranging from pre-registration till discovery and undisclosed stages. - The pipeline guide features descriptive drug profiles for the pipeline products which comprise, product description, descriptive licensing and collaboration details, R&D brief, MoA & other developmental activities. - The pipeline guide reviews key companies involved in Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease (Hematological Disorders) therapeutics and enlists all their major and minor projects. - The pipeline guide evaluates Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease (Hematological Disorders) therapeutics based on mechanism of action (MoA), drug target, route of administration (RoA) and molecule type. - The pipeline guide encapsulates all the dormant and discontinued pipeline projects. - The pipeline guide reviews latest news related to pipeline therapeutics for Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease (Hematological Disorders) Reasons to buy - Procure strategically important competitor information, analysis, and insights to formulate effective R&D strategies. - Recognize emerging players with potentially strong product portfolio and create effective counter-strategies to gain competitive advantage. - Find and recognize significant and varied types of therapeutics under development for Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease (Hematological Disorders). - Classify potential new clients or partners in the target demographic. - Develop tactical initiatives by understanding the focus areas of leading companies. - Plan mergers and acquisitions meritoriously by identifying key players and it's most promising pipeline therapeutics. - Formulate corrective measures for pipeline projects by understanding Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease (Hematological Disorders) pipeline depth and focus of Indication therapeutics. - Develop and design in-licensing and out-licensing strategies by identifying prospective partners with the most attractive projects to enhance and expand business potential and scope. - Adjust the therapeutic portfolio by recognizing discontinued projects and understand from the know-how what drove them from pipeline. Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4603784/ About Reportbuyer Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers http://www.reportbuyer.com For more information: Sarah Smith Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 208 816 85 48 Website: www.reportbuyer.com SOURCE ReportBuyer Related Links http://www.reportbuyer.com At the regionals on March 4, they captured the top prize against 70 teams from such schools as Harvard, Yale, Princeton and the London School of Economics. Rutgers is the only U.S. school among the finalists from the Boston regionals. The team's six-minute winning pitch detailed their idea for Roshni Rides, a business that will run a system of electric-powered rickshaws in refugee settlements, offering residents an affordable way to reach jobs, schools and vital services, including hospitals and markets. The system would use reloadable ride cards similar to the New York City subway's Metro card. The plan proposes piloting the system in Orangi Town in Pakistan's port city of Karachi. "We've worked very hard," said Farooqi, who like the other team members is American of Pakistani ancestry. "This," she added, "is very personal for us." The students have been working as a team on case competitions at Rutgers since 2014 and have won a couple of them, including the Target e-commerce case competition. Farooqi said the Hult Challenge was "definitely the most challenging competition we've entered." The Hult Prize Challenge, which was started in 2010, is focused on social entrepreneurism and encouraging solutions to the world's challenges with ideas for innovative sustainable start-ups. This year's challenge asked participants to pitch ideas that focused on restoring the rights and dignity of people and societies "forced into motion due to social injustices, politics economic pressures, climate change and war." The Hult Prize Foundation puts the number of global refugees at 1 billion. Daria Torres, a managing partner at Walls Torres Group, served as an adviser to the team. "Archimedes is known for quipping that a lever long enough can move the world," Torres said. "This Hult Prize regional win for Roshni Rides is evidence that students at Rutgers University can be a dynamic lever for positive change. Society stands to benefit from their curiosity, ingenuity, humility and optimism." As regional winners, the Rutgers team now has the ability to attend the six-week-long Hult Prize Accelerator. In September, they will compete in the Hult Prize Global finals for a chance to win $1 million to help build their plan into an actual business. Professor Alok Baveja, who worked closely with the students, said the Roshni Rides team embodies a truly inspiring ethos "Real success lies in having a positive impact on the lives of others." "This competition is not about the four of them," Baveja said, "It is about the difference the four of them will make in the world. This team of supply chain management students, leveraging their diversity and talents toward social good, should inspire the entire Rutgers community." Umair Masood, who organized the Hult Prize @ Rutgers, said the students put in hundreds of hours preparing for the regionals. "In Boston, they excelled at pitching their idea and evoked amazement from the judges, Masood said. "It's safe to say that hard work pays off." "With the support from all the advisers and mentors from the Rutgers community," he said, "it's now time for them to compete in the last round for the seed money to help change lives and make an impact." Farooqi said she felt confident going into the regionals, primarily because of the passion and experience of her team. "We are the right people looking at this issue at the right time," she said. At Rutgers Business School-New Brunswick, Farooqi is studying supply chain management with a double minor in political science and gender studies. Mian is a double major in supply chain and business analytics and information technology. Usmani is also studying supply chain management. Lakhani, who graduated last year with a major in supply chain management, is currently working as an operations analyst for J.P. Morgan. Follow the progress of the team as they take their plan to the next phase of the Hult Prize Challenge. On Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/roshnirides/) and Twitter @RoshniRides. SOURCE Rutgers Business School Related Links http://www.business.rutgers.edu OSLO, Norway, Mar 09, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Chief Executive Officer and primary insider of Asetek A/S, Andre Sloth Eriksen, has today sold 100,000 shares in a single, private transaction to a long term investor in Asetek A/S at price NOK 82.70 per share. Pre transaction Andre Sloth Eriksen and closely related parties owned a combination of 624,337 shares, warrants and options and post transaction 524,337 shares, warrants and options. "I sell some shares due personal reasons, as explained in October last year. I still hold a substantial amount of shares, warrants and options. Given Asetek's recent development and the exciting place we are in, I obviously remain fully committed as the company's CEO", said Andre Sloth Eriksen. About Asetek Asetek (ASETEK.OL) is the global leader in liquid cooling solutions for data centers, servers and PCs. Asetek's server products enable OEMs to offer cost effective, high performance liquid cooling data center solutions. Its PC products are targeted at the gaming and high performance desktop PC segments. With over 3.9 million liquid cooling units deployed, Asetek's patented technology is being adopted by a growing portfolio of OEMs and channel partners. Founded in 2000, Asetek is headquartered in Denmark and has operations in California, Texas, China and Taiwan. For more information, visit www.asetek.com. For further information, please contact: Andre S. Eriksen, Chief Executive Officer Mobile: +45 2125 7076 E-mail: [email protected] This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com http://news.cision.com/asetek/r/asetek---mandatory-notification-of-trade--ceo-sells-shares-to-a-long-term-investor-in-asetek-a-s,c2207998 The following files are available for download: SOURCE Asetek Related Links http://www.asetek.com PLANO, Texas, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Home Decor Superstore Celebrates Grand Opening At Home Group Inc. (NYSE: HOME), the home decor superstore, announces the opening of the Montgomery, Ala., location on Thursday, March 9. The more than 104,000 square-foot store, located at 1500 Eastdale Mall, Montgomery, Ala., marks the fifth store in Alabama for the big-box specialty retailer of home decor products. Following the store opening, the Montgomery location will host a grand opening ribbon-cutting Friday, March 17 at 9 a.m. with the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce. At Home will offer mystery gift cards to customers who visit the store Saturday, March 18 beginning at 9 a.m. At Home has everything decorators need to ready their homes for spring. At Home allows customers to express their personal style with any budget by choosing from an expansive selection of more than 50,000 items including wall art and decorative accents, rugs, housewares, patio furniture, home furnishings, seasonal and holiday decor. Employing an everyday low pricing model, At Home is dedicated to allowing customers to affordably make their house into a home. This new location brings 25 jobs to Montgomery and surrounding communities. Other Alabama At Home stores can be found in Birmingham, Hoover, Huntsville and Mobile. ABOUT AT HOME: At Home, the home decor superstore, is focused on providing customers with the broadest assortment of home decor products to suit any style, at any budget, for any reason to redecorate. With a wide assortment of 50,000 items throughout our stores, At Home enables customers to express themselves and create a home that reflects their personality and style, in ways big and small. At Home is headquartered in Plano, Texas, and currently operates 123 stores in 30 states. For more information, visit the company on http://www.athome.com or find us on Facebook (AtHomeStores), Instagram (AtHomeStores) or Pinterest (AtHomeStores). SOURCE At Home Group Inc. Related Links http://www.athome.com Commercial real estate firm also retains Gold Standard status for third year in a row TORONTO, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Avison Young, the world's fastest-growing commercial real estate services firm, announced today that it has been named one of Canada's Best Managed Companies for the sixth consecutive year. The Toronto, ON-based company also attained Gold Standard status for excellence in business performance for the third straight year, while again competing against some of the nation's top firms in all business sectors. Sponsored by Deloitte, CIBC, Canadian Business, Smith School of Business and MacKay CEO Forums, the 2017 Best Managed program recognizes the best-in-class of Canadian-owned and managed companies with revenues greater than $15 million demonstrating strategy, capability and commitment to achieve sustainable growth. Every year since the launch of the program in 1993, hundreds of entrepreneurial companies have competed for this designation in a rigorous and independent process that evaluates their management skills and practices. The announcement was made today by the national sponsors and in a special report in Maclean's magazine (print) and Canadian Business (online). "On behalf of the board of directors of Avison Young, our Principals, our employees, our clients and our partners, I would like to thank Deloitte and the other award administrators for recognizing us as one of Canada's Best Managed Companies for the sixth consecutive year," comments Avison Young Chair and CEO Mark Rose. "We are also honoured to attain Gold Standard status for the third straight year. This award is a testament to the success of our Principal-led ownership model and the dedication of our entire talented workforce. Ultimately, this award shows that our success is not only about high sales and transaction volumes, but also about treating people fairly, respecting the importance of their properties and goals, and giving back to the community." Rose continues: "This award also demonstrates that our company's values, collaborative culture, client-centric approach, and dedication to sustainability are resonating not only in our industry but all business sectors. Although we have achieved widespread growth, we are still using a model that speaks to clients and top talent, and we are differentiating ourselves from all other commercial real estate service providers. We are grateful for this recognition and salute all new and repeat winners." Established in 1993, Canada's Best Managed Companies is one of the country's leading business awards programs recognizing Canadian-owned and managed companies for innovative, world-class business practices. Winners are an important engine of economic growth for being adaptable and sustainable in a global market. Applicants are evaluated by an independent judging panel made up of judges from Deloitte, CIBC, Canadian Business, Smith School of Business and MacKay CEO Forums. Best Managed companies share commonalities that include an emphasis on culture and people, innovation, sustained performance and strong financial results. "It's much more than just financial performance," states Lorrie King, Partner, Deloitte and Co-Leader of Canada's Best Managed Companies program. "The ingredients to success also include overall business performance and sustained growth. It takes dedication and commitment from the entire organization." Avison Young Principal Mehdi Shokri, based in Vancouver, says the company's employees are humbled to receive an award that covers diverse Canadian-based firms and industries. "As our business rapidly evolves and our competitors vie for a larger market share, it is great to be recognized as a consistent industry leader with a strong, team-oriented culture. It is Avison Young's commitment to stay true to its collaborative culture and its differentiating and disruptive business model that has enabled us to be recognized as one of Canada's Best Managed Companies for the past six years. We are all proud to be part of a company that prides itself on always being aligned with our clients' interests and strives to set new standards and best practices that are the envy of our competitors." Over the past eight years, Avison Young has grown from 11 to 79 offices and from 300 to more than 2,400 real estate professionals in Canada, the U.S., Mexico and Europe. "CIBC is thrilled to congratulate Avison Young on being named one of Canada's Best Managed Companies, recognizing its excellence in leadership, business performance and innovation," says Jon Hountalas, Executive Vice-President, Business and Corporate Banking, CIBC. "As a sponsor of Canada's Best Managed Companies program for over 20 years, CIBC is proud to celebrate private companies like Avison Young as a leader in its industry." The 2017 winners of the Canada's Best Managed Companies award will be honoured at the annual Canada's Best Managed Companies gala in Toronto on April 19, 2017. On the same date, the Best Managed symposium will address leading-edge business issues that are key to the success of today's business leaders. Avison Young Principal Stephanie Skrbin, based in Los Angeles, adds: "This award reaffirms the value of our full-service platform and dedication to finding innovative real estate solutions for clients in local, national and international markets regardless of the asset class or investment level involved. Our unique platform and collaborative approach to doing business have enabled us to serve clients' complex business and property needs in ways that other business models simply do not. As a result, Avison Young has emerged as a global commercial real estate industry leader." A bout Canada's Best Managed Companies Canada's Best Managed Companies continues to be the mark of excellence for Canadian-owned and managed companies with revenues over $15 million. Every year since the launch of the program in 1993, hundreds of entrepreneurial companies have competed for this designation in a rigorous and independent process that evaluates their management skills and practices. The awards are granted on four levels: 1) Canada's Best Managed Companies new winner (one of the new winners selected each year); 2) Canada's Best Managed Companies winner (award recipients that have re-applied and successfully retained their Best Managed designation for two additional years, subject to annual operational and financial review); 3) Gold Standard winner (After three consecutive years of maintaining their Best Managed status, these winners have demonstrated their commitment to the program and successfully retained their award for 4-6 consecutive years); 4) Platinum Club member (Winners that have maintained their Best Managed status for seven years or more). Program sponsors are Deloitte, CIBC, Canadian Business, Smith School of Business and MacKay CEO Forums. For further information, [email protected] www.bestmanagedcompanies.ca About Avison Young Avison Young is the world's fastest-growing commercial real estate services firm. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Avison Young is a collaborative, global firm owned and operated by its principals. Founded in 1978, the company comprises 2,400 real estate professionals in 79 offices, providing value-added, client-centric investment sales, leasing, advisory, management, financing and mortgage placement services to owners and occupiers of office, retail, industrial, multi-family and hospitality properties. For further information/comment/photos: Sherry Quan , Principal, Global Director of Communications & Media Relations, Avison Young : 604.647.5098; cell: 604.726.0959; [email protected] , Principal, Global Director of Communications & Media Relations, : cell: Mark Rose , Chair and CEO, Avison Young : 416.673.4028 www.avisonyoung.com Avison Young was a winner of Canada's Best Managed Companies program in 2011 and requalified in 2017 to maintain its status as a Best Managed Gold Standard company Follow Avison Young on Twitter: For industry news, press releases and market reports: www.twitter.com/avisonyoung For Avison Young listings and deals: www.twitter.com/AYListingsDeals Follow Avison Young Bloggers: http://blog.avisonyoung.com Follow Avison Young on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/avison-young-commercial-real-estate Follow Avison Young on YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/AvisonYoungRE SOURCE Avison Young Commercial Real Estate (BC) Related Links www.avisonyoung.com DALLAS, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- BARBRI Law Preview, part of leading legal education provider BARBRI, and the American Bar Association (ABA) are challenging incoming law students to positively impact our world. Through the annual "One Lawyer Can Change the World $10,000 Scholarship" opportunity, one student will be awarded a $10,000 scholarship to go toward his or her first year law school tuition. And for the first time since the inception of the scholarship, a second scholarship of $5,000 will also be awarded. The scholarship competition invites students from across the nation to submit a 250-word essay online by April 15, 2017, in response: "How you hope to use your law degree to change our world and how would $10,000 towards your 1L tuition change your world?" Ten finalists will be selected by BARBRI Law Preview panelists, and the scholarship recipients will be chosen by the Chair of ABA's Young Lawyers Division with the award paid directly to the winners' law schools. In addition to the opportunity to win a scholarship, all applicants will receive free ABA membership, and the top 10 applicants will receive a complimentary ABA premium 1-year membership. Scholarship winners will be announced on or before June 10, 2017. "A legal education can be an expensive journey," said Don Macaulay, president and founder of BARBRI Law Preview. "We are very excited to partner with the ABA to offer an opportunity to deserving students to attend law school and ultimately impact their world." About Law Preview Since 1998, thousands of incoming law students have taken Law Preview, a week-long intensive study course prior to entering law school. Offered as law professor-led sessions in multiple locations around the country, BARBRI Law Preview teaches students how to brief cases, write outlines, study effectively, take tests and manage their time all critical skills for success in law school. In addition to the skills portion, the course provides an overview of the six core law school subjects that are required for most students in their first year. Law Preview has demonstrated success in enabling stronger early academic performance in law school and beyond. An independent study reported that of students who had completed Law Preview, 19 percent finished in the top five percent of their 1L classes and nearly 40 percent finished in the top 10 percent. From a post-school perspective, 88 percent of those who had completed Law Preview passed the bar exam on the first try and 84 percent reported being employed in the legal services industry, or as a judicial clerk, within nine months of graduation. About The BARBRI Group The BARBRI Group companies meet the legal education needs of law students and attorneys throughout their careers. At the core of The BARBRI Group Companies is BARBRI Bar Review, which has helped more than 1.3 million U.S. lawyers pass the exam. The company also provides specialized ongoing skills training and certifications in areas such as financial crime, eDiscovery and cyber awareness, security and protection. The BARBRI Group affiliated companies work to improve legal and professional learning in the United States and around the world by providing superior opportunities for law schools and law firms as well as law- and finance-related businesses to prosper. Founded in 1967, The BARBRI Group is headquartered in Dallas with offices throughout the United States and around the world. Contact: Cindy Parks 913-526-6912 [email protected] SOURCE BARBRI Law Preview LONDON, March 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Summary This report provides all the information you require to better understand BioCryst Pharmaceuticals and its partnering interests and activities since 2010. Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/3605552/ Description The Partnering Deals and Alliance since 2010 report provides an in-depth insight into the partnering activity of one of the world's leading life sciences companies. On demand company reports are prepared upon purchase to ensure inclusion of the most up to date deal and company data. The report will be delivered in PDF format within 1 working day of receipt of order. If the CD-Rom version purchased, the report will be sent by courier using express service. One of the key aspects of partnering is finding those companies that are potential candidates for the development and commercialization of the next generation of therapies. A lot of resources are spent on finding partners, identifying their interests and making contact to initiate discussions. Using this report, dealmakers will effectively and efficiently target their partnering activities to deliver the company's business development objectives. The initial chapters of this report provide an orientation of deal making and business activities. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the report, whilst chapter 2 lists the top companies partnering with the company since 2010. Chapter 3 provides an overview of the leading partnering and M&A deals since 2010 to present date based on headline value. Chapter 4 provides details on how to approach biopharma companies with partnering opportunities whilst chapter 5 lists forthcoming partnering events and conferences where biopharma companies will be present to discuss opportunities face to face. The main body of the report is provided in chapter 6 providing a infographic visual summary of the company's partnering activity since 2010 according to deal type, industry sector, phase of development, and therapy area. The deals are listed by deal type, stage of development and therapy focus, allowing easy access to deals and alliances of interest. Every deal record links to an online, live version of the deal record at the Current Agreements deals and alliances database. Where available, deal records also include the contract document as disclosed at the SEC. One of the key aspects of partnering is conducting due diligence on a partner to determine under what terms a prospective partner agrees to a partnering relationship. Understanding the flexibility of prospective partners' negotiated deals terms provides critical insight into the negotiation process in terms of what you can expect to achieve during the negotiation of terms. Whilst many smaller companies will be seeking details of the payments clauses, the devil is in the detail in terms of how payments are triggered contract documents provide this insight where press releases and databases do not. In addition, contract documents provide the answers to numerous questions about a prospective partner's flexibility on a wide range of important issues, many of which will have a significant impact on each party's ability to derive value from the deal. Each contract document is accessible through a link to an online version of the actual contract document as filed with the Securities Exchange Commission. Analyzing actual company agreements allows assessment of the following: - What is actually granted by the agreement to the partner company? - What exclusivity is granted? - What is the payment structure for the deal? - How are sales and payments audited? - What is the deal term? - How are the key terms of the agreement defined? - How are IPRs handled and owned? - Who is responsible for commercialization? - Who is responsible for development, supply, and manufacture? - How is confidentiality and publication managed? - How are disputes to be resolved? - Under what conditions can the deal be terminated? - What happens when there is a change of ownership? - What sublicensing and sub-contracting provisions have been agreed? - Which boilerplate clauses does the company insist upon? - Which boilerplate clauses appear to differ from partner to partner or deal type to deal type? - Which jurisdiction does the company insist upon for agreement law? Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/3605552/ About Reportbuyer Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers http://www.reportbuyer.com For more information: Sarah Smith Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 208 816 85 48 Website: www.reportbuyer.com SOURCE ReportBuyer Related Links http://www.reportbuyer.com PISCATAWAY, N.J., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- BlackStratus, a leading provider of cloud-based security and compliance technology tailored for both small to midsize businesses (SMBs) and large enterprises, today announced that it was selected as one of the 20 Coolest Security Information Event Management (SIEM) and Threat Detection Vendors for 2017 by the reseller market's top media outlet, Computer Reseller News (CRN). The distinction was underscored by another industry accolade; BlackStratus made CRN's annual Security 100 list. The two industry accolades by CRN are a direct result of the widespread adoption of BlackStratus' white-label, SaaS-based SIEM service, CYBERShark, by hundreds of Managed Service Providers including IT distributor Tech Data. The award-winning CYBERShark technology takes BlackStratus' proven enterprise-class security and compliance platform, trusted by thousands of large enterprise customers, and delivers it via the cloud to SMBs at an affordable price point. "We our honored to be recognized as one of CRN's 20 Coolest SIEM and Threat Detection Vendors of 2017 as a result of our breakout year following the launch of our CYBERShark SIEM service," said Dale Cline, CEO of BlackStratus. "CYBERShark is fundamentally changing the cyber security landscape by allowing MSPs for the first time to offer a white-label, SaaS-based SIEM service that is tailored exclusively for their SMB clientele." To view CRN's selection of BlackStratus as one of the 20 Coolest SIEM and Threat Detection Vendors of 2017 and making it to its Annual Security 100 List, please click here. CYBERShark Features Advanced architecture designed to cover complex regulatory compliance, business continuity and risk management needs Multi-tenancy support silos customer accounts and files, protecting privacy and data integrity Real-time attack visualization identifies zero-day attacks based on rules-based, vulnerability, statistical, and historical correlations Vulnerability correlation integrates data from detection systems, eliminating false positives and freeing up your team to focus on actual threats Unparalleled visibility in distributed networks to correlate activity in individual customer environments, identifying hidden threats, suspicious trends and other potentially dangerous behavior Sophisticated reporting tools for ISO, PCI, HIPAA, SOX and other compliance standards To learn more about becoming a reseller of CYBERShark, please contact the sales team at 1-203-569-2444 or visit www.cybershark.com. About BlackStratus BlackStratus is a pioneer of trusted security and compliance solutions deployed and operated on premise, in the cloud or "as a Service'' by providers of all sizes, government agencies and individual enterprises. Through patented multitenant security information and event management (SIEM) technology, BlackStratus delivers unparalleled security visibility, prevents downtime and achieves and maintains compliant operations at a lower cost to operate. BlackStratus is headquartered in Piscataway, New Jersey, and protects millions of devices and thousands of businesses worldwide. For more information about BlackStratus, please visit www.blackstratus.com. Follow the firm via Twitter at @BlackStratusInc. BlackStratus PR Contact: David Splivalo [email protected] 1.703.798.2395 SOURCE BlackStratus Related Links http://www.blackstratus.com CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Boston Biomedical, an industry leader in the development of next-generation cancer therapeutics designed to inhibit cancer stemness pathways, will present data from six preclinical studies including five late-breaking posters from its research and development portfolio at the upcoming 2017 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting held from April 1-5, in Washington, D.C. One of the featured pre-clinical studies highlights the potential of BBI-801 a gene-silencing investigational agent designed to inhibit cancer stemness pathways and promote anti-cancer immunity by targeting -catenin and PD-L1. BBI-801 was discovered through our proprietary asymmetric interfering RNA (aiRNA) technology and is being investigated in preclinical studies. Additional preclinical data on our first-in-class compounds, napabucasin and amcasertib, will also be shared at the meeting. Napabucasin is an orally-administered investigational agent designed to inhibit cancer stemness pathways by targeting STAT3. Amcasertib is an orally-administered investigational agent designed to inhibit cancer stemness pathways, including Nanog, by targeting stemness kinases. "Our presentations at this year's AACR highlight our fundamental research in cancer stemness science and the exciting potential of targeting cancer stemness pathways," said Chiang J. Li, M.D. FACP, President, CEO, and Chief Medical Officer of Boston Biomedical, and the Head of Global Oncology for Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Group. "These data underscore our continued commitment to bringing potentially transformative therapies to patients living with cancer." Planned data posters include: Sunday, April 2, 1:00 PM 5:00 PM ET; Late-Breaking Research: Molecular and Cellular Biology 1; Poster Section 36 Abstract LB-023, Poster #9: STK17A, a novel serine threonine kinase, promotes cancer stemness phenotypes by phosphorylating -catenin Taiki Kida , Harry A. Rogoff , Chiang J. Li .; Boston Biomedical Inc., Cambridge, MA Monday, April 3, 8:00 AM 12:00 PM ET; Late-Breaking Research: Cancer Chemistry, Poster Section 35 Abstract LB-069, Poster #8: In vivo delivery of asymmetric gene-silencing RNAs targeting CTNNB1 and PD-L1 show a broad spectrum of potent antitumor activities in preclinical cancer models Youzhi Li , Yuan Gao, Yuxin Wang , Jie Su , Eric Hsu , Ewa Wybieralska, Janet Huang , Keyur Gada , Jun Oishi , Xiaoshu Dai , Erina Koga , Wei Li , Xiangao Sun , Emily Brooks , Chiang J. Li .; Boston Biomedical Inc., Cambridge, MA Monday, April 3, 1:00 PM 5:00 PM ET; Late-Breaking Research: Tumor Biology 1, Poster Section 36 Abstract LB-140, Poster #12: Inhibition of cancer stemness sensitizes colorectal cancer to immune checkpoint inhibitors Yuan Gao, Youzhi Li , Eric Hsu , Yuxin Wang , Janet Huang , Emily Brooks , Chiang J. Li .; Boston Biomedical Inc., Cambridge, MA Abstract LB-142, Poster #14: Identification of STK33 as a cancer stemness kinase and regulator of Nanog function Susan L. Tran , Yudai Furuta , Chen Zhu , Ao Yang, Xiangao Sun , Harry A. Rogoff , Chiang J. Li .; Boston Biomedical Inc., Cambridge, MA Abstract LB-143, Poster #15: Identification of STAT3-NRF2-hypoxia as a novel reinforcing mechanism for promoting cancer stemness Luz Elisa Tavera , Karen Simon , Juying Li , Katherine Geromini , Zhuo Zhang , Sarah Keates , Harry A. Rogoff , Chiang J. Li .; Boston Biomedical, Inc., Cambridge, MA Tuesday, April 4, 1:00 PM 5:00 PM ET; Cancer Stem Cells, Poster Section 37 Abstract 4777, Poster #15: Cancer stemness and resistance: Napabucasin (BBI-608) sensitizes stemness-high cancer cells to Paclitaxel by inhibiting the STAT3-MUC1 pathway Harry A. Rogoff , Juying Li , Chiang J. Li .; Boston Biomedical, Inc., Cambridge, MA About Cancer Stem Cells Cancer stem cells (CSCs) possess the property of stemness the ability to self-renew and differentiate into heterogeneous cancer cells. This allows the CSCs to act like seeds, causing a patient's cancer to relapse or spread within the body.i,ii Evidence suggests that these cells possess resistance to chemotherapy, radiation and targeted therapy as well as immunotherapies, so while such treatments can successfully shrink tumors, a population of CSCs may still survive.ii,iii Boston Biomedical is leading the biopharmaceutical industry in the development of novel compounds designed to target cancer stemness pathways, with the goal of addressing ongoing challenges in cancer treatment. About Boston Biomedical Boston Biomedical, Inc. (Founder, President, CEO and CMO: Chiang J. Li, M.D. FACP) was founded in November 2006 and is wholly owned by Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd. Boston Biomedical's mission is to develop the next generation of cancer therapeutics by creating drugs designed to target cancer stemness pathways. Boston Biomedical's innovation in drug discovery has received a number of recognitions and awards in the United States, including the Frost & Sullivan 2010 North American Drug Discovery Technology Innovation of the Year Award, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) cancer stem cell initiative grant award in 2010, and the 2011 Biotech Pioneer Award at the Alexandria Oncology Summit. The company also received the "Company To Watch" award in the 10th Annual Team Massachusetts Economic Impact Awards in 2013. Boston Biomedical is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. Additional information about the company and its product pipeline can be found at www.BostonBiomedical.com. Disclaimer Regarding Forward-Looking Statements The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on management's assumptions and beliefs in light of information presently available, and involve both known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Any forward looking statements set forth in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. We do not undertake to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof. Information concerning pharmaceuticals (including compounds under development) contained within this material is not intended as advertising or medical advice. For general inquiries: Boston Biomedical 617-674-6800 For media inquiries: Sara Baker CHAMBERLAIN PR 212- 849-9474 [email protected] RELATED LINKS http://www.bostonbiomedical.com i Gupta PB, Chaffer CL, Weinberg RA. Cancer stem cells: mirage or reality? Nat Med. 2009;15(9):1010-1012. ii Ajani JA, Song S, Hochster HS, Steinberg IB. Cancer stem cells: the promise and the potential. Semin Oncol. 2015;42(suppl 1):S3-S17. iii Jordan CT, Guzman ML, Noble M. Cancer stem cells. N Engl J Med. 2006;355(12):1253-1261. SOURCE Boston Biomedical, Inc. Related Links http://www.BostonBiomedical.com NEUILLY-SUR-SEINE, France and FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Bureau Veritas (Euronext Paris: BVI), a world leader in laboratory testing, inspection and certification services, today announced the appointment of Natalia Shuman as Executive Vice President, North America for the Group's Commodities and Industry & Facilities division, effective April 10, 2017. Natalia Shuman Ms. Shuman will lead a team of approximately 5,000 people in 130 locations across the United States and Canada. She will be responsible for expanding the Group's presence in North America, one of its core regions, and achieving other of its 2020 strategic goals. Ms. Shuman, who will be the first woman to join the Executive Committee of Bureau Veritas, will be located at the Group's Fort Lauderdale, Florida office. Ms. Shuman brings to Bureau Veritas extensive management, sales and operational experience gained in key roles at an international level. She joins the Group from Kelly Services, the workforce solutions provider, where she was senior vice president and general manager for the company's EMEA and APAC regions. "As the leader of our Commodities and Industry & Facilities division in North America, Natalia Shuman will hold a key position within our Group. Her experience in human resources, management and corporate development, at an international level, will help drive the transformation of the Group and accelerate the implementation of our 2020 strategic plan in North America," said Didier Michaud-Daniel, Chief Executive Officer of Bureau Veritas. "I am very pleased to be joining Bureau Veritas. To me, this means embracing new challenges in a global company that represents trust, excellence and innovation, and that has great ambitions to make the world a safer place. I am excited about the growth opportunity that North America represents," stated Natalia Shuman. Ms. Shuman is succeeding Pedro Paulo Guimaraes, who is leaving the company to pursue new professional opportunities. Additional Biographical Information Natalia Shuman is a global executive with more than 20 years of management and operational experience in the HR services, outsourcing and staffing industries. Before joining Bureau Veritas, Ms. Shuman was in charge of Kelly Services' APAC and EMEA regions. She also served as a board member of Kelly's joint venture, and she was based in Singapore and Switzerland. Ms. Shuman's career with Kelly spanned three regions of the globe and a variety of leadership positions. She first joined Kelly to establish Kelly Services' operations in Russia. In 2000, she moved to New York to manage the Company's operations, key accounts and strategic growth initiatives in the United States. She was responsible for managing Kelly's largest and most complex customer programs across the U.S., Europe and Asia, and led strategic cross-divisional projects focused on delivering value creation for clients. In 2011, she relocated to Singapore to focus on Kelly's customers and partners in the APAC region. She was then appointed chief operating officer to Kelly's joint venture operations in China and North Asia and was based in Shanghai. For the last four years, she served as a general manager of EMEA and APAC regions. Ms. Shuman completed a dual Global Executive MBA program at Columbia University and the London Business School, and graduated with distinction from St. Petersburg University of Economics and Finance. She has been named to U.S. Diversity Magazine's 2015 "Women Worth Watching" list, Staffing Industry Analysts' 2016 "Global Power 100 Women in Staffing" list and nominated as a finalist for the CNBC 2016 Asia Business Leaders Awards. She sits on the board of the World Employment Confederation. About Bureau Veritas Bureau Veritas is a world leader in laboratory testing, inspection and certification services, with global revenues of 4.55 billion. Created in 1828, the Group has 69,000 employees located in 1,400 offices and laboratories around the globe. Bureau Veritas helps its clients improve their performance by offering services and innovative solutions in order to ensure that their assets, products, infrastructure and processes meet standards and regulations in terms of quality, health and safety, environmental protection and social responsibility. Bureau Veritas is listed on Euronext Paris and belongs to the Next 20 index. Compartment A, ISIN code FR 0006174348, stock symbol: BVI. For more information, visit www.bureauveritas.com Press contacts [email protected] [email protected] SOURCE Bureau Veritas Related Links http://www.bureauveritas.com SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 8, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Uber today received a permit from the California Department of Motor Vehicles to test its robot cars in the state and Consumer Watchdog warned that the cars should not carry passengers while still being tested. "When Uber illegally deployed its robot cars in San Francisco last year, the vehicles were observed driving through red lights," said John M. Simpson Consumer Watchdog's Privacy Project Director. "Uber's technology simply isn't safe enough to put passengers at risk." Under California law companies testing self-driving cars with a permit in the state must file reports of any crashes and annual "disengagement reports" describing when the robot technology failed and a human operator had to intervene. Both reports are posted on the DMV's website. "Now that Uber has permits to test, the company's activities must be closely monitored by police," Simpson said. "What is clear is that Uber must not use passengers as human guinea pigs as part of a publicity stunt." Consumer Watchdog asked people in San Francisco to watch out for traffic violations and safety threats by Uber's test vehicles. "If you see something, say something," Simpson said. Send reports to: [email protected]. Visit our website at www.consumerwatchdog.org SOURCE Consumer Watchdog Related Links http://www.consumerwatchdog.org SAN ANGELO, Texas, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CalTech announced today that CRN , a brand of The Channel Company, has named CalTech to its 2017 Managed Service Provider (MSP) 500 list in the Managed Security 100 category. This annual list recognizes North American solution providers with cutting-edge approaches to delivering managed services. Their offerings help companies navigate the complex and ever-changing landscape of IT, improve operational efficiencies, and maximize their return on IT investments. CRN MSP 500 In today's fast-paced business environments, MSPs play an important role in helping companies leverage new technologies without straining their budgets or losing focus on their core business. CRN's MSP 500 list shines a light on the most forward-thinking and innovative of these key organizations. "Managed service providers play an increasingly important role in the day-to-day operations of businesses across North America," said Robert Faletra, CEO of The Channel Company. "MSPs help organizations streamline their spending, effectively allocate limited resources, and benefit from advanced expertise in the latest technologies. We congratulate the service providers on CRN's 2017 MSP500 list, who have continually succeeded in meeting their customers' changing needs and help them get the most out of their IT investments." CalTech CEO, Will Welch, said, "CalTech is honored to once again place on the 2017 Managed Service Provider (MSP) 500 list. We have stellar employees who are dedicated to providing the best service to one of the best industries in the nation community banking. We understand that if we help them succeed, our local communities will succeed. Being recognized for this award goes a long way in validating the great work we are doing." The MSP500 list is featured in the February 2017 issue of CRN and online at www.CRN.com/msp500. About CalTech Committed to providing best in class service, CalTech specializes in optimizing technology for financial institutions by designing unique business-aligned IT strategies. By creating an innovative IT environment within your organization, CalTech gives you the ability to have flexible functionality and a competitive business advantage that yields positive outcomes. With over 25 years of experience in the financial industry, CalTech's services and solutions are designed to increase your financial institution's profitability, productivity, and efficiency while ensuring the security and prosperity of your business. CalTech is hiring! To discover more, please visit https://goo.gl/i77Wb3. Contact: Allen Rodarte CalTech 325-947-5561 [email protected] SOURCE CalTech LOS ANGELES and ST. CLOUD, Minn., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Cetera Financial Group ("Cetera")*, a leading network of independent firms supporting the delivery of objective retail financial advice, and Cetera Financial Institutions today announced that American Savings Bank (ASB), one of Hawaii's leading financial institutions, has signed a contract to transition its wealth management program to the Cetera Financial Institutions platform. Cetera Financial Institutions is the Cetera Financial Group firm specifically focused on serving the wealth management programs of banks and credit unions. The new relationship will enable American Savings Bank to significantly refocus its wealth management program to provide more holistic client offerings. These offerings will include enhanced financial planning and advisory services to better penetrate and maximize its client relationships; and better training and utilization of its corps of financial advisors and licensed bankers selling investment and insurance products. The transition is expected to be completed in April 2017. Headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii, American Savings Bank is one of Hawaii's leading financial institutions, with approximately $6.1 billion of assets and 51 branches across the state. Its wealth management program has approximately $1 billion in investment assets. LeAnn Rummel, President of Cetera Financial Insitutions, said, "We are very pleased to welcome American Savings Bank to Cetera Financial Institutions. With the advent of major changes affecting the financial advice industry, ASB has a tremendous opportunity to better serve its clients, and to establish deeper client relationships, by converting its wealth management program to a more holistic model emphasizing financial planning, life insurance, and fee-based advice. We look forward to working with ASB to provide a robust platform of quality investment solutions, along with technological capabilities appropriately designed for bank-based services, that will support their aspirations and fulfill their clients' financial needs." Tab Bowers, Executive Vice President, Marketing & Business Development, for ASB, said, "We are excited to join forces with Cetera Financial Institutions, and benefit from their dedicated focus on meeting the particular needs of institutional wealth management programs. Cetera's understanding and preparation for upcoming regulatory changes, in whatever form they may ultimately emerge, gives us full confidence that we will not only be well prepared but will also be able to greatly enhance our client offerings and relationships. We look forward to taking advantage of Cetera's many technological tools and resources, which will enable us to better analyze and optimize client information, thus providing our customers with a more fully integrated online banking experience. We also look forward to utilizing the multiple tiers of advisor engagement enabled by Cetera's platform." About American Savings Bank Based in Honolulu, Hawaii, American Savings Bank has been serving Hawaii's businesses and communities since 1925. It provides a full range of financial products and services, including business and consumer banking, home loans, insurance, and investments. ASB is one of Hawaii's leading financial institutions, with e-banking services and branch locations throughout the state. ASB matches its exceptional customer experience with an employee experience that has garnered local and national awards. ASB has been recognized locally as one of the "Best Places to Work" by Hawaii Business Magazine for eight consecutive years and honored nationally as one of the "Best Banks to Work For" by American Banker Magazine. For more information, visit www.asbhawaii.com. About Cetera Financial Institutions Cetera Financial Institutions is a marketing name of Cetera Investment Services LLC, a self-clearing registered broker-dealer that delivers customized investment and insurance solutions to financial institutions nationwide. Cetera Investment Services helps institutions expand their financial offerings, which allows clients to pursue their financial goals through a holistic approach while delivering sound and strong financial solutions. Advisory services are offered through Cetera Investment Advisers LLC, an SEC registered investment adviser firm, where financial advisors receive a wide array of solutions and back-office support, so that they can focus on their clients. Cetera Investment Services LLC and Cetera Investment Advisers LLC are members of Cetera Financial Group, which provides leading wealth management and advisory platforms and innovative technology to financial advisors and financial institutions nationwide. Cetera Investment Services is a member of the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC), the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC), and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). For more information, see www.ceterafinancialinstitutions.com. About Cetera Financial Group Cetera Financial Group ("Cetera") is a leading network of independent firms empowering the delivery of objective financial advice to individuals, families and company retirement plans across the country through trusted financial advisors and financial institutions. Cetera is the second-largest independent financial advisor network in the nation by number of advisors, as well as a leading provider of retail services to the investment programs of banks and credit unions. Through its multiple distinct firms, Cetera offers independent and institutions-based advisors the benefits of a large, established broker-dealer and registered investment adviser, while serving advisors and institutions in a way that is customized to their needs and aspirations. Advisor support resources offered through Cetera include award-winning wealth management and advisory platforms, comprehensive broker-dealer and registered investment adviser services, practice management support and innovative technology. For more information, visit www.ceterafinancialgroup.com. * "Cetera Financial Group" refers to the network of independent retail firms encompassing, among others, Cetera Advisors, Cetera Advisor Networks, Cetera Investment Services (marketed as Cetera Financial Institutions), Cetera Financial Specialists, First Allied Securities, Girard Securities, and Summit Brokerage Services. Media Contacts: Matthew Griffes Haven Tower Group 424.652.6520 ext 103 [email protected] Joseph Kuo Haven Tower Group 424.652.6520 ext 101 [email protected] SOURCE Cetera Financial Group Related Links https://www.ceterafinancialinstitutions.com HAIFA, Israel, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. (IL0065100443, IL0065100856) (the "Company") hereby notifies, in accordance with the provisions of Section 4.03 of an Indenture entered into between ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. (the "Company") and Hermetic Trust (1975) Ltd. on July 16, 2014 (the "Indenture"), as follows: ZIM Integrated Shipping Services' ("ZIM's") Board of Directors has nominated Eli Glickman as President & CEO of the company effective July 1, 2017. Glickman will replace Rafi Danieli, current CEO, who last year advised that he would be stepping down. Guy Eldar, CFO, has requested to leave the company after four and a half years in this position. A replacement is yet to be nominated. Glickman, 55, was previously CEO of the Israel Electric Company. Before that, he was Deputy CEO of Partner - Orange Cellular Communication and previously managed Partner Orange's Customer Division. During 2003-2005 Glickman was CEO of Exel MPL, the logistics company. Before working in the business community Glickman was a Commanding Officer of the Israeli Navy Special Operations Unit, and was also a missile ship commander and the Naval Attache in Washington D.C. Glickman has a Master of Science in Financial Management from the University of Monterey (California) and is a graduate of Georgetown University's International Executive Business Administration program. Guy Eldar, 42, led ZIM's financial functions for the past four and a half years. Eldar led the complicated restructuring of the company's debts in 2014, and in so doing improved Zim's balance sheet and financial stability. Eldar decided to leave Zim for personal reasons. Rafi Danieli led ZIM for the past 8 years. Before being appointed CEO, Danieli fulfilled various positions in ZIM, including CFO and Deputy CEO. As CEO, Danieli led a successful operational reorganization which resulted in material improvements in Zim's efficiency. Rafi Danieli said: "It has been a privilege to lead Zim during the most difficult times the industry has ever faced. Through the combined efforts of management and our devoted employees, during these difficult times we improved our network, operating margins, efficiency and customer service. For the last eight financial quarters, our operating margins have put us in the top tier of liner companies." Eli Glickman said: "Despite challenges throughout the liner industry, Zim has continued to perform well relative to its peers. Zim is a dynamic and exciting company and I am looking forward to joining." Contact: Omer Refael [email protected] +972-3-511-5208 SOURCE ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. MIAMI, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Chelsea Design, Inc. (www.ChelseaDesignMiami.com) announced today that it has been awarded the prestigious 2017 DCOTA Design Stars on the Rise Award. Regina Agro and Samantha McKenna The Stars of Design and on the Rise Awards are presented by DCOTA (Design Center of the Americas); DCOTA is the premier destination for those seeking the finest design showrooms and industry professionals along the East Coast of the United States. Each year DCOTA representatives honor excellence on the world of design. DCOTA, which nominates and selects Stars of Design Winners, is comprised of industry experts, manufacturers and design peers. Chelsea Design, Inc. led by its founders Regina Agro and Samantha McKenna have continually excelled in both residential and commercial design. They have shown fantastic prowess in design/build as well as renovation projects throughout the world. "This award is a testament to the skills, ingenuity, and vision of our team and the support of our industry partners. We are so appreciative and grateful for this recognition from our peers and look forward to many more years of continuing to create beautiful and timeless spaces," stated Regina Agro. Samantha McKenna and Regina Agro created Chelsea Design in 2006 from a desire to design spaces that would be loved and enjoyed by their clients. They have dedicated their personal time and attention to each and every project to insure their client's happiness and as a result Chelsea Design, Inc. has become one of the world's top design firms. "Of course, no two clients have the same lives, tastes or dreams just as no two interiors have the same light, proportions, history or personality. Each and every client is different; and so, too, is each and every building, each and every space. Chelsea Design's interiors therefore differ markedly from one another. However, they all reflect Samantha and Regina's personal aesthetic: their predilection for light, air and space; their pursuit of both simplicity and refinement; their emphasis not only on restraint but also on softness; and the importance they attach to materials and to texture," stated Mr. Cohen of DCOTA. 2017 STARS OF DESIGN AND ON THE RISE AWARDS 2017 Stars of Design and Stars on the Rise Awards. The ceremony spotlighted the best in the various fields of design including interior design, architecture, art, photography, graphic design, landscape design, and a special award for lifetime achievement. These creative professionals were honored for their significant achievements and contributions to their profession and within the Florida community with a special recognition of their talents, ideas, creativity, and business savvy. DCOTA DESIGN CENTER OF THE AMERICAS For 30 years, Design Center of the Americas (DCOTA) has served the design community with the finest campus amenities and showrooms in the industry attracting world-class designers, architects, decorators, dealers and their clients. At nearly 800,000 square feet, DCOTA is the largest design campus of its kind. High design is showcased within over 100 premier showroom locations, catering to any home, yacht or office project. Fine indoor and outdoor furniture, fabrics, flooring, lighting, kitchen, bath, antiques, accessories, appliances, window treatments, decorative hardware, paint and surfacing are just some of the resources found within the center. DCOTA is part of the Cohen Design Center quartet with sister locations in Manhattan (D & D Building) in West Hollywood, California (Pacific Design Center), and in Houston, Texas (Decorative Center Houston). Press contact: Rebecca Murphy [email protected] Related Images image1.jpg image2.jpg This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com SOURCE Chelsea Design Inc. Related Links http://www.ChelseaDesignMiami.com DURHAM, N.C., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading Christian higher education resource, Christian Universities Online (http://www.christianuniversitiesonline.org/), has published a ranking of the 25 Most Beautiful Colleges and Universities in the Midwest for 2017. In accordance with other rankings from Christian Universities Online on aesthetic beauty, (50 Most Beautiful Bible Colleges 2017 and 25 Most Beautiful Christian Colleges and Universities in the South 2017), Christian Universities Online considered a variety of categories and weighted them equally to provide the most objective ranking possible. This ranking began with schools that are members or member eligible of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). The following four categories were evaluated for each school: 1) continuity of campus; 2) architectural style; 3) signature building(s); and 4) natural setting. As previously stated, equal weight was assigned to each category to determine the final scores. University of Northwestern-St. Paul in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, claimed the top spot on the list. Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa, and Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri, complete the top three. The ranking can be viewed at http://www.christianuniversitiesonline.org/25-most-beautiful-colleges-and-universities-in-the-midwest-2017/. Other schools making the list include (in alphabetical order): Bethel College-IN - Mishawaka, Indiana Bethel University - St. Paul, Minnesota Bluffton University - Bluffton, Ohio Calvin College - Grand Rapids, Michigan Cedarville University - Cedarville, Ohio College of the Ozarks - Point Lookout, Missouri Cornerstone University - Grand Rapids, Michigan Huntington University - Huntington, Indiana Indiana Wesleyan University - Marion, Indiana Judson University - Elgin, Illinois MidAmerica Nazarene University - Olathe, Kansas Mount Vernon Nazarene University - Mount Vernon, Ohio Northwest Nazarene University - Nampa, Idaho Northwestern College - Orange City, Iowa Olivet Nazarene University - Bourbonnais, Illinois Spring Arbor University - Spring Arbor, Michigan Sterling College - Sterling, Kansas Taylor University - Upland, Indiana Trinity Christian College - Palos Heights, Illinois Trinity International University - Deerfield, Illinois University of Sioux Falls - Sioux Falls, South Dakota Wheaton College - Wheaton, Illinois Anna-Rebekah Orr, site editor, states that the goal of the ranking is to highlight schools that excel in their environment and visual appeal for educational offerings. The ranking is a guide to schools that provide a pleasant, appealing atmosphere that is conducive to learning. Orr says, "While campus appearance is typically not a primary criteria for determining where to attend college, an aesthetically pleasant environment in which to study and learn is not a trivial consideration. Atmosphere, environment and a student's general surroundings have a role in the overall educational experience. Prospective students generally give consideration to campus appeal alongside a school's academic quality, because they know that pleasant surroundings can enhance the learning environment." Providing a ranking with a specific geographical scope allows some local and regional campuses to be showcased for their aesthetics. Christian Universities Online (http://www.christianuniversitiesonline.org/) is an online resource for students and families researching Christian higher education. The site publishes rankings and reviews of the best Christian colleges and universities, information about Christian scholarships and financial aid, and many other resources for finding, getting into, and paying for a quality Christian education. Contact: Michael Templeton, editor Christian Universities Online (919) 858-6153 [email protected] SOURCE Christian Universities Online Related Links http://www.christianuniversitiesonline.org CHICAGO, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CNA and the Worldwide Broker Network (WBN), the largest integrated network of independent property & casualty brokers and employee benefits consultants in the world, today announced CNA as the newest premier sponsor of WBN. This relationship allows CNA and WBN to support brokers and their clients with international needs. "Brokers expect to work with insurance specialists who have the expertise and understanding of their distinctive insurance needs and emerging risks for companies doing business internationally. That is what CNA brings to the table," said Dino E. Robusto, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, CNA. "We are proud to enter into this relationship with WBN to bring additional value to their members and the clients they serve." CNA offers a broad portfolio of commercial and specialty lines of coverage with tailored solutions to support companies of all sizes doing business internationally, from small startups to multinational organizations. Combining the latest market insight with industry expertise, CNA's underwriting, risk control and claim specialists collaborate to develop and adapt relevant coverages to provide a seamless experience as clients grow and evolve. "We are pleased to welcome CNA to WBN. The company's growing international reach, enterprise capabilities, distinctive insurance solutions and demonstrated commitment to the markets served by WBN members make them a desirable addition to our network," said Francie Starnes, Chief Executive Officer, WBN. "CNA's support of WBN allows us to continue offering valuable resources and insights that help our members address the trends that affect the everyday decisions of their clients." To learn more about CNA's business insurance solutions, please visit www.cna.com. To learn more about WBN, please visit www.wbnglobal.com. About CNA Serving businesses and professionals since 1897, CNA is the country's eighth largest commercial insurance writer and the 14th largest property and casualty company. CNA's insurance products include commercial lines, specialty lines, surety, marine and other property and casualty coverages. CNA's services include risk management, information services, underwriting, risk control and claims administration. For more information, please visit CNA at www.cna.com. "CNA" is a registered trademark of CNA Financial Corporation. Certain CNA Financial Corporation subsidiaries use the "CNA" trademark in connection with insurance underwriting and claims activities. Follow CNA (NYSE: CNA) on: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube About Worldwide Broker Network WBN is the largest, fully integrated international network of independent Insurance Brokers and Employee Benefits Consultants and 4th-largest among all broker networks. Founded in 1989 in Europe by 9 firms, the strategic alliance today comprises more than 100 market-leading independent firms in over 100 countries on 6 continents, providing clients with cross-border expertise and outstanding service wherever they do business in the world. With more than $5 billion in combined annual revenues, WBN has become an important part of the industry's distribution network. CONTACT: CNA Brandon Davis 312-822-5167 [email protected] Worldwide Broker Network Howard Kalt 415-317-0092 [email protected] SOURCE CNA and Worldwide Broker Network Related Links https://www.cna.com Key Market to Concur's International Growth Strategy SAO PAULO, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Concur, an SAP company and the world's leading provider of travel, expense and invoice management solutions, today announced plans to expand into the Brazil market. With this global expansion and investment, Concur will join SAP's Sao Paulo office offering travel and expense solutions to Brazil-based and multi-national customers. "Latin America is a key region in Concur's global growth strategy. We already have more than 160 multi-national customers using Concur in Brazil today despite no local market presence," said Mike Eberhard, President, Concur. "As spend management and Cloud services adoption in Brazil are forecast to increase in the coming years, we believe opportunity for growth is significant." According to Cristina Palmaka, President of SAP Brazil, the launch of Concur in Brazil is strategic to the subsidiary's growth. "In 2016 we had a great performance with cloud solutions revenue that was tripled compared to the previous year. Now we have another Cloud option for our customers. Concur completes our strategy of taking business applications to the cloud," Palmaka said. Valeria Soska, who recently joined the company as Managing Director of Concur Brazil, will lead the expansion and oversee business development, sales, marketing and customer support services throughout Brazil. Ms. Soska joins Concur from SAP where she most recently served as Vice President of SAP's Strategic Customer Program in Brazil and was responsible for the region's largest customers. Concur customer expense spend in Brazil increased 23 percent year-over-year in Q4 of 2016. In December alone, it jumped to 50 percent growth year-over-year. Brazil currently ranks among Concur's top 10 countries in the world for total transactions and users. "Sanofi has benefitted from Concur Travel and Expense solutions offering a holistic view into company spend. This information helps our business drive significant savings in Brazil," said Roberto Simonsen, Head of Treasury for Sanofi LATAM. Concur offers a fully connected travel and expense platform ecosystem that integrates its products, suppliers and partners, including strong brands in Brazil such as Uber and Airbnb. This open ecosystem connects spend data to deliver insights that help customers and partners run their businesses more efficiently. "Concur is known as the market leader and innovator in the travel and expense space, and we are excited to see Concur making Brazil a priority in their global expansion. We look forward to working closely with Concur in delivering business travel innovations to our local customers," said Antonio Fernando Slomp, President, Avipam Turismo e Tecnologia Ltda. Concur announced Brazil expansion plans today at SAP Select, an invitation-only event that offers select SAP customers an exclusive opportunity to engage with top SAP executives and gain valuable insights into industry-leading discussions. SAP, which acquired Concur in 2014, will help fuel Concur's go-to-market strategy in Brazil. About Concur For more than two decades, Concur, an SAP company, has taken companies of all sizes and stages beyond automation to a completely connected spend management solution encompassing travel, expense, invoice, compliance and risk. Concur's global expertise and industry-leading innovation keep its customers a step ahead with time-saving tools, leading-edge technology and connected data, in a dynamic ecosystem of diverse partners and applications. User-friendly and business-ready, Concur unlocks powerful insights that help businesses reduce complexity and see spending clearly, so they can manage it proactively. Learn more at concur.com or the Concur blog. 2017 Concur Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved. Media Contact: Laurel Cifala Edelman 206.268.2229 [email protected] SOURCE Concur Related Links http://www.concur.com Ms. Sun was awarded the first International Philanthropist Award at the University of Florida for "boosting the university's reputation and expanding its global preeminence." After a summer school program at the University of Florida 28 years ago, Sun Jie, a sophomore student in Peking University at the time, decided to stay in the United States and pursue a degree in business at the University of Florida. Despite cash-strapped, Sun Jie was never daunted, and she was determined to stand on her own feet through diligence and perseverance. In 1989, when China's economy has yet to take off, Sun's parents were only making less than $15 per month. She has to work around the clock and pinch every penny to make both ends meet and provide for herself. "I must work very hard to get a semester's tuition. Fortunately, at that time, we had weekends, so I still had Sunday to study," said Sun. She would bike seven miles at 6 o'clock every morning to go to school to make sure she could sit in the front row of the first class at seven. Right after noon, when the morning session is over, she would work at part-time job from 1 pm to 6pm, she reminisced. Professor Nancy Baldwin, who brought Sun to University of Florida, offered Sun a place to live and took good care of the 19-year-old girl ocean away from her parents. "She had no money, and she couldn't go back home, so she came to live with the Baldwins, and we have loved her as a daughter," said Baldwin. The goodwill was much appreciated by Sun, who promised to reciprocate and take care of the Baldwins when they get old to honor traditional Chinese filial piety. But the professor told her the kindness could be better used if she could pass on the love and help students in need of help, just like when they helped young Sun Jie three decades ago. Sun said since then she has made a wish to "help those good children who study hard, and also need help. I hope those children could have more opportunities." By waiting tables at the university at $3 an hour, Sun managed to put herself through graduation and landed on a job at KPMG in 1992. In 2005, she went back to China to join Ctrip. She has recently been named by Forbes as one of 2017 outstanding Chinese businesswomen. And now she is trying to nurture the next generation of leaders by offering students things she would have dreamt of three decades ago. Chen Qiao, a Chinese girl studying at the university's business school, was the first recipient of the newly-established scholarship. "I feel deeply grateful to her," said Chen, who is from a modest family in a remote area in Jiangxi, China. Without the scholarship, it would be more challenging for her to study in the US, given her family's humble economic condition. And it is not only the students are getting benefits from the generosity. "I hope that through the establishment of this scholarship, international students could have the opportunity to achieve their dreams in the United States, and I also hope the University of Florida can achieve better development in China, and bring the best talent here," Sun said. SOURCE Ctrip.com International Ltd. NORTH CANTON, Ohio and PADERBORN, Germany, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated (NYSE: DBD) today announced plans to close its manufacturing facility located near Budapest in Gyal, Hungary as part of the company's recently announced DN2020 multiyear business transformation program. Production activities from the Hungary site will be integrated into other facilities in the company's global manufacturing network. Diebold, Incorporated opened the Hungary plant in 2006. It assembles and ships automated teller machines (ATMs) and related components, primarily for customers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Latin America. Production and related operations at the facility will be phased out by the end of the third quarter in 2017. The Hungary facility currently employs approximately 150 people. Separation packages will be made available to support impacted employees. "As with any project of this kind that impacts our people, these are difficult decisions," said Juergen Wunram, senior vice president and chief operating officer, Diebold Nixdorf. "Closing the Hungary plant and consolidating production into larger and more scalable facilities will enable us to be more competitive, agile and efficient for our customers, and help ensure the future success of the company." Restructuring charges associated with this action include the cost of closing the facility, transferring equipment and impairing idle assets. These costs are fully reflected in the company's previously disclosed guidance for 2017. About Diebold Nixdorf Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated (NYSE:DBD) is a world leader in enabling connected commerce for millions of consumers each day across the financial and retail industries. Its software-defined solutions bridge the physical and digital worlds of cash and consumer transactions conveniently, securely and efficiently. As an innovation partner for nearly all of the world's top 100 financial institutions and a majority of the top 25 global retailers, Diebold Nixdorf delivers unparalleled services and technology that are essential to evolve in an 'always on' and changing consumer landscape. Diebold Nixdorf has a presence in more than 130 countries with approximately 25,000 employees worldwide. The organization maintains corporate offices in North Canton, Ohio, USA and Paderborn, Germany. Shares are traded on the New York and Frankfurt Stock Exchanges under the symbol 'DBD'. Visit www.DieboldNixdorf.com for more information. SOURCE Diebold Nixdorf Related Links http://www.diebold.com TOKYO, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- UBM's Global Licensing Group today announced that Don Anderson, Head of Family & Learning Partnerships, YouTube APAC will headline the Keynote at the inaugural Licensing Expo Japan on 26 April. Mr. Anderson will discuss how independent content creators around the world are influencing and driving change for the licensing and merchandising industry utilizing case studies from popular YouTube Family and Learning Creators who are making a name for themselves in this space. "YouTube has been a launchpad for many of our family and learning creators to establish strong, engaging brands across consumer products: Korea's Carriesoft, India's USP Studios, Brazil's Galinha Pintadinha, and Australia's Moose Toys, known for its successful Shopkins franchise, are just a few examples," said Mr. Don Anderson, Head of Family & Learning Partnerships, YouTube APAC. "As our creators are successfully tapping new audiences, retail is also beginning to reflect their popularity by expanding into a more diverse range of products. We look forward to new partnerships arising between licensees and YouTube creators around the world." Japan is the world's third largest market for licensed products after the U.S. and the U.K., generating $700 million in royalty revenues and nearly $12 billion in retail sales each year. The country continues to see an upward trend in licensing with a highly developed retail market that features a wide range of brands and characters throughout the fashion, toys and stationery categories.* To support this growth, UBM, organizers of Licensing Expo in Las Vegas, in cooperation with the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association (LIMA), the world's leading trade organization for the global licensing industry, developed Licensing Expo Japan, an unparalleled licensing, brand extension, networking and education event in Tokyo on 26-28 April. The event is the only show in Japan sponsored by LIMA and will run alongside IFF MAGIC Japan, the leading tradeshow for the fashion industry in Japan. "We believe that Japan's licensing business has a huge potential for growth due to international popularity of the country's brands and characters," said Ms. Jessica Blue, Senior Vice President, UBM, Licensing. "At the same time, there are many high-quality Japanese manufacturers who would make great licensing partners for international properties. Licensing Expo Japan was created to help exhibitors and attendees develop a network of brand extension partners on a national and international level." More than 40 licensors and agents, showcasing over 300 brands, have confirmed their participation in the inaugural show including: Copyrights Asia, Crown Creative, GAIA, G-angle, Honmoku File, Green Camel, Handmade Creative, Ingram, IMG, KAMIO JAPAN, Le cordon Bleu Japan, Nissan Motor Co.,Tact Communications, TLC-The Licensing Company, Tohokushinsha and Tokidoki. To learn more about Licensing Expo Japan 2017 please visit www.licensingexpojapan.com Event Name: Licensing Expo Japan 2017 Dates: 26-28 April, 2017 Venue: Tokyo Big Sight Exhibition Center, Japan Organizers: UBM Japan Co. Ltd., UBM Americas Special Sponsor: International Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association (LIMA) Website: www.licensingexpojapan.com Parallel Events: LIMA Licensing Conference, IFF MAGIC Japan Co-located Events: IFF MAGIC organized by UBM Japan Co, Ltd. and Senken Shimbun Official Media: License Global Magazine *Courtesy of the LIMA Global Licensing Industry Survey Report 2016 About UBM's Global Licensing Group (www.licensingexpo.com/global) The Global Licensing Group at UBM is the global licensing industry's leading tradeshow organizer and media partner. Its mission is to provide opportunities around the world to bring brands and products together to explore and cement licensing partnerships. The following events and information products are produced for the licensing industry by the Global Licensing Group: Licensing Expo (May 23-25, 2017), Brand Licensing Europe (October 10-12, 2017), Licensing Expo Japan (April 28-30, 2017), Licensing Expo China (July 18-20, 2017), NYC Summit (March 2-3, 2017), License Global magazine, License Global Daily E-news and License TV. About UBM UBM plc is the largest pure-play B2B Events organiser in the world. In an increasingly digital world, the value of connecting on a meaningful, human level has never been more important. At UBM, our deep knowledge and passion for the industry sectors we serve allow us to create valuable experiences where people can succeed. At our events people build relationships, close deals and grow their businesses. Our 3,750+ people, based in more than 20 countries, serve more than 50 different sectors from fashion to pharmaceutical ingredients. These global networks, skilled, passionate people and market-leading events provide exciting opportunities for business people to achieve their ambitions. For more information, go to www.ubm.com; for UBM corporate news, follow us on Twitter at @UBM, UBM Plc LinkedIn SOURCE UBM Related Links http://www.licensingexpojapan.com LA PAZ, Mexico, March 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- With increased drug abuse and drug-related violence threatening lives daily in Baja California Sur, state officials are initiating the Foundation for a Drug-Free World's "Truth About Drugs" program with an official co-signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) and a special one-day teacher training seminar for educators in La Paz this week. BCS officials adopting Foundation for a Drug-Free World Both are the first steps in implementing a drug awareness and education curriculum that Public Education Secretary Prof. Hector Jimenez Marquez has ushered into the state school system, one that has expanded by 16 percent this school year and now services upwards of 240,000 students. At the official launch this Thursday, March 9, at Hyatt Place (9am 12pm), the Foundation will provide more than 80 educator-attendees with free teacher instruction and materials. The Truth About Drugs program will then reach BCS youths in classrooms and community learning programs over the next two school years. Thursday's seminar attendees will then teach the Truth About Drugs education and prevention curriculum in schools and community health education programs statewide, according to Rocxana Vianey Reyes Simon, President of the Health and Social Welfare Commission. The Foundation for a Drug-Free World is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit, public benefit corporation that promotes and distributes the Truth About Drugs program. The cornerstone of the program, the Truth About Drugs education package, contains a complete curriculum with a user-friendly educator's guide; audiovisual aids including the award-winning documentary The Truth About Drugs: Real People, Real Stories documentary film; and 24 sets of the Truth About Drugs booklet series, each containing 14 booklets on the most commonly abused drugs. The curriculum allows for as many as 19 one-hour lessons. For this sweeping initiative, the Foundation has already donated to the BCS Secretaria de Educacion Publica (SEP) and its schools more than 800 free Truth About Drugs packages for the current school year. And earmarked for summer classes and the 2017-2018 school year are another 2,000 packages for the state's public and private schools. The adoption of Drug-Free World's prevention program took shape in mid-November 2016 with an introductory training session held during state Health Week at the BCS Department of Education complex in La Paz, according to Cecilia Silva Velazquez, Executive Director of the State Department of Public Education's "Safe Schools" Program. Ms. Velazquez is executing the mandate of Secretary Marquez to implement drug education with intensity in all schools. At the November launch, she expressed her commitment and that of other state education and health officials to broad implementation of the Truth About Drugs lesson plan as the state's recognized drug education and prevention program for secondary schools. "By donating our Truth About Drugs education package to teachers throughout Baja California Sur, we are committing to work hand-in-hand with SEP to ultimately reach all adolescents in the state," said Foundation Executive Director Ambra Calzolari. And by all accounts, the effort could not come too soon, says Francisca Olachea, a state educator and mayor of Los Barriles, who has implemented the program already in her city and in other coastal communities. "I have taken the initiative, and will conduct the special March 9 training session, because drug-related violence has spiked in this state," said the mayor. She points to the doubling of homicides many of them, drug- and alcohol-related from February 2014 to 2016 over those from 2011 to 2013. In a letter to the Foundation, Profra. Martina Camacho Higuera, General Director of Basic Education, stated that the Secretary of Public Education "has initiated the delivery of the 'The Truth About Drugs' Educator Resources to the state's secondary level schools, so that the teacher can give lessons to students on the subject of antisocial conduct, such as addiction." Profra. Higuera says the 2,000 packages of the Truth About Drugs educator resource "will be much support for basic schools to be disseminated among teachers and students," and "will be entrusted to secondary schools, sector leaders and supervisors of primary education." For media information and coverage arrangements, contact: Rocxana Vianey Reyes Simon, Second Regidora Email: [email protected] Address: Boulevard Luis Donaldo Colosio E / Carabineros and Av. De Los Deportees, Building of the H. Town Hall of La Paz. Office phone: 6121237900 ext. 1002 Cell: 0446121322073. Related Links Foundation for a Drug-Free World This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com SOURCE Foundation for a Drug-Free World Related Links http://www.drugfreeworld.org ALBANY, New York, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The presence of only a few players, namely, MonoSol, LLC, WikiCell Designs Inc., JRF Technology LLC, and Tate and Lyle Plc., in the global market for edible packaging reveals its consolidated structure, states a new report by Transparency Market Research (TMR). The market is highly competitive at present and is anticipated to remain so over the next few years. As per the research report, the global edible packaging market, which offered an opportunity worth US$0.77 bn in 2016, is expected to rise at a CAGR of 6.90% during the period from 2016 to 2024, attaining a value of US$1.3 bn by the end of the forecast period. The food and beverage manufacturing segment has acquired the leading position in this market and is anticipated to remain highly attractive throughout the period of forecast. Market for Edible Packaging to Remain Strong in North America According to the report, North America, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa are the prime geographical segments of the worldwide edible packaging market. It further present a regional analysis of this market on the basis of its performance in each of these regions. Among these, North America has emerged as the leading regional market for edible packaging, thanks to the U.S. being both, a prominent producer and consumer of edible packaging, across the world. The North America market for edible packaging held a share of more than 36% in 2016. The regional market is projected to remain on the top of the global market by the end of the forecast period, although with a slight decline in its share, which is attributed to its maturing state. On the other hand, Asia Pacific is anticipated to offer a highly lucrative market to players in the near future, thanks to the rising awareness level of consumers regarding the benefits of edible packaging and the increase in their disposable income, which is impacting positively on their standard of living, fueling the demand for edible packaging in this region. Fill the form to gain deeper insights on this market @ http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=12899 Urbanization and Changing Standard of Living to Have Great Influence on Demand for Edible Packaging "The rising consumption of processed products, increasing household income, and the growing preference for hygienic and durable products among consumers have surfaced as the main driving force behind the growth of the global edible packaging market," says an analyst at TMR. The upswing in urbanization in emerging economies is another important factor that is pushing this market to grow steadily. In addition to this, the rising awareness among consumers about the attributes of edible packaging, such as the easy handling of products despite maintaining their quality and the shelf life is likely to propel this market substantially in the near future. However, the high cost associated with the packaging machines and quality films utilized in edible packaging may hamper the smooth sailing of this market, in the years to come. Apart from this, the escalating usage of modified atmosphere packaging may also limit the market's growth to some extent in the near future, notes the study. Get more information from Research Report Press Release: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/edible-packaging-market.htm The study presented here is based on a report by Transparency Market Research (TMR) titled "Edible Packaging Market - Global Industry Analysis and Forecast 2016 - 2024." The global edible packaging market is segmented into: By Material Type Polysaccharides Lipid Surfactant Protein Films Composite Films By End User F&B Manufacturing Fresh Food Cakes & Confectionery Baby Food Dairy Products Other Food Products Pharmaceuticals Others By Region North America Latin America Europe Asia Pacific (APAC) (APAC) Middle East & Africa (MEA) Top Most Research Reports by TMR: Vacuum Packaging Market - http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/vacuum-packaging-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/vacuum-packaging-market.html Thermoform Packaging Market: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/thermoform-packaging-market.html About Us: Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The company's exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information. TMR's data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports. US Office Contact: Transparency Market Research 90 State Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207 Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Google+: https://plus.google.com/+Transparencymarketresearch SOURCE Transparency Market Research ST. LOUIS, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Financial-services firm Edward Jones ranks No. 5 on the 2017 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list in its 18th appearance there, according to global research and consulting firm Great Place to Work and Fortune magazine. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list. Edward Jones' 18 Fortune rankings also include top 10 finishes for 14 years, top 5 rankings for seven years and consecutive No. 1 rankings in 2002 and 2003. Last year, the firm ranked No. 10 overall. The prestigious ranking of the top companies in the U.S. is based on employee ratings of their workplace culture, including the level of trust they feel towards leaders, the pride they take in their jobs and the camaraderie they experience with their colleagues. According to the Great Place to Work, this year's ranking companies continue to show that a high-trust culture fuels better business results. Great Place to Work research shows that list winners keep outperforming the stock market, beating industry rivals when it comes to talent retention and demonstrating higher levels of productivity than peers. "Our work matters, and we take pride in knowing that we make a significant, positive difference to our clients and to the communities where we live and work," said Edward Jones Managing Partner Jim Weddle. "As a growing firm, we are proud to have created a rewarding career destination that sets us apart within our industry. Congratulations and thank you to all 41,000 associates in our branches and in our headquarters. Every day they demonstrate our values and our culture in action." Edward Jones also was ranked as a best workplace for women, millennials, Gen Xers, those approaching retirement, camaraderie and flexibility and for those in the financial services industry. "Congratulations to the 2017 100 Best," said Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work. "These leading companies are at the vanguard of a new business frontier, where organizations know they have to develop the full human potential of all their employees. They are working to build Great Places to Work For All, which are better for business, better for people and better for the world." Edward Jones, a FORTUNE 500 firm, provides financial services for individual investors in the United States and, through its affiliate, in Canada. Every aspect of the firm's business, from the types of investment options offered to the location of branch offices, is designed to cater to individual investors in the communities in which they live and work. The firm's 14,000-plus financial advisors work directly with more than 7 million clients. The Edward Jones Web site is located at www.edwardjones.com/fortune, and its recruiting Web site is www.careers.edwardjones.com. Member SIPC. About The Fortune 100 Best Companies To Work For To identify the 100 Best Companies to Work For, each year Fortune partners with Great Place to Work to conduct the most extensive employee survey in corporate America. The ranking is based on feedback from more than 232,000 employees at Great Place to WorkCertified companies with more than 1,000 employees. Winning a spot on this list indicates the company has distinguished itself from peers by creating a great place to work for employees measured and ranked through our analysis of the results of our Trust Index survey and Culture Audit questionnaire. Through the Trust Index, employees anonymously assess their workplace, including the honesty and quality of communication by managers, degree of support for employees' personal and professional lives and the authenticity of relationships with colleagues. Results from the survey are highly reliable, having a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of 5% or less. Companies' results on the Trust Index survey are compared to peer organizations of like size and complexity. The Culture Audit includes detailed questions about benefits, programs and practices. SOURCE Edward Jones Related Links http://www.edwardjones.com Company invites individual and institutional investors as well as advisors to attend interactive real-time virtual VirtualInvestorConferences.com OWENSBORO, Ky., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- First Security Inc. (OTCQX: FIIT), the holding company for First Security Bank, Inc., a Kentucky based banking corporation, today announced that Michael F. Beckwith, President and Chief Executive Officer, will present live at VirtualInvestorConferences.com on March 15, 2017. DATE: Wednesday, March 15, 2017 TIME: 9:30 am ET LINK: https://tinyurl.com/315prepr This will be a live, interactive online event where investors are invited to ask the company questions in real-time - both in the presentation hall as well as the association's "virtual trade booth." If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an on-demand archive will be available for 90 days. It is recommended that investors pre-register and run the online system check to save time and receive event updates. Learn more about the event at www.VirtualInvestorConferences.com. "We are excited about the opportunity to share our story and vision for our future through the Virtual Investor Conference. We transformed our Company in 2016, and we have shifted our focus to executing portions of the strategic plan that we finalized in 2016 as we continue planning for the future of the Company. We are beginning to see the results of the groundwork that we laid in 2016, and we are planning to build on that foundation in 2017," stated Michael F. Beckwith, President and Chief Executive Officer. About First Security Inc. First Security, Inc., a Kentucky corporation, is the holding company for First Security Bank, Inc., a Kentucky based banking corporation. The Bank is a full-service community financial institution serving the Owensboro, Lexington and Bowling Green, Kentucky and Evansville, Indiana areas. The Bank offers a variety of financial services to its customers, including the making of loans and receipt of deposits. The bank also offers Internet banking and mobile banking that allow customers to access account information and transact efficiently through its website www.firstsecurity.net. Certain corporate customers utilize remote deposit capture, a service offered by the Bank that enables customers to deposit checks remotely. Additionally, other services are offered including wealth management and brokerage services, through LPL Financial. The Company has $640 million in assets and is headquartered in Owensboro, Kentucky. About VirtualInvestorConferences.com Since 2010, VirtualInvestorConferences.com, created by BetterInvesting (NAIC) and PRNewswire, has been the only monthly virtual investor conference series that provides an interactive forum for presenting companies to meet directly with investors using a graphically-enhanced online platform. Designed to replicate the look and feel of location-based investor conferences, Virtual Investor Conferences unites PR Newswire's leading-edge online conferencing and investor communications capabilities with BetterInvesting's extensive retail investor audience network. SOURCE First Security Inc. Related Links http://www.firstsecurity.net BURGESS HILL, England, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Ringdale, a leading provider of secure document output management solutions, will be attending IDC's Digital Security Conference, 28th March, London, United Kingdom. Ringdale's FollowMe team will meet with top IT Security professionals to highlight how the world's largest organisations leverage FollowMe to prevent valuable data loss and meet tightening industry compliance regulations in an evolving era of digital security. (Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/476805/FollowMe_Ringdale_Logo.jpg ) The FollowMe team will be discussing the demands of 'digitalisation' on key print security areas, including: Enterprise-grade m obile print security - Securing workflow for office staff, remote workers and guest users with one solution to enable printing from all PC, laptops, mobile phones and tablet devices - Securing workflow for office staff, remote workers and guest users with one solution to enable printing from all PC, laptops, mobile phones and tablet devices FollowMe Data Loss Prevention (DLP) increased data security - Identifying high risk data areas, then monitoring, tracking and archiving sensitive information - Identifying high risk data areas, then monitoring, tracking and archiving sensitive information Industry compliance - Minimising the risk of security breaches and industry compliance violations with detailed print data monitoring and custom auditing tools - Minimising the risk of security breaches and industry compliance violations with detailed print data monitoring and custom auditing tools Federate document security across all office locations and printer brands - Apply consistent security measures across entire printing environment, including branch or regional office locations "IDC's Digital Security Conference is a great opportunity for IT security professionals to discover how the latest innovations in document output security can prevent data loss and eliminate costly exposures to security breaches." says Eric Crump, Director of Strategic Alliances, Ringdale. IDC Digital Security Conference is held on the 28th March at America Square Conference Centre London. For more information, visit IDC Digital Security Conference web site About Ringdale Ringdale invented FollowMe and the print roaming technology in 1997 and has continued to be at the forefront of the industry for over three decades. With offices in the United States, United Kingdom, Singapore and Japan, Ringdale has a strong global partner network and relationships with the world's leading printing manufacturers including Brother, Canon, Hewlett Packard, Lexmark, Konica Minolta, Kyocera Mita, Oce, OKI, Ricoh, Samsung, Sharp, Toshiba and Xerox. To learn more about FollowMe by Ringdale, please visit www.followme.ringdale.com SOURCE FollowMe by Ringdale "We had a record 70,000-plus people apply to work at Burns & McDonnell last year," says Ray Kowalik, chairman and CEO, Burns & McDonnell . "Being a best place to work allows us to attract and hold on to the most innovative and client service-oriented people in the industry. Our commitment to our clients is that we have the best people who work the hardest on their behalf. Our projects are critical to the building of our great nation, and we can only be successful with great people." The Fortune rankings are based on employees' ratings of their workplace culture, including the level of trust they feel toward leaders, the pride they take in their jobs and the camaraderie they experience with co-workers. Burns & McDonnell is also consistently recognized atop the Best Places to Work by the Kansas City Business Journal, with similar honors often coming from more than 20 other publications across the country. "It takes effort to become a best place to work," Kowalik says. "It takes time. It takes passion. I read every comment from the surveys to see if there's the next great idea for being a better place to work." "For Burns & McDonnell, our road to becoming a best place to work started 31 years ago when we become 100 percent employee-owned. That spirit of entrepreneurialism and attacking your job as if you own the company because you do has defined our culture and fueled our success." This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list, and this year's winners continue to confirm that a high-trust culture fuels better business results. Great Place to Work research shows that companies on the list beat industry rivals when it comes to talent retention and demonstrating higher levels of productivity than peers. "The Fortune survey validates our continued efforts to be the best place to work," says Melissa Wood, chief administrative officer, Burns & McDonnell. "For example, we see community involvement as a responsibility at Burns & McDonnell. Employee-owners say they are proud of how we contribute to the community where we work, live and raise our families and, in turn, charitable involvement is among our highest rankings." "Congratulations to the 2017 100 Best," says Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work. "These leading companies are at the vanguard of a new business frontier, where organizations know they have to develop the full human potential of all their employees. They are working to build Great Places to Work For All, which are better for business, better for people and better for the world." To see the full list of the 2017 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For, click here. To see the schedule for all Great Place to Work Best Workplace lists and more information on how to apply, visit Great Place to Work's website. For photos and support materials, please visit our MEDIA KIT. About Burns & McDonnell Burns & McDonnell is a family of companies made up of more than 5,700 engineers, architects, construction professionals, scientists, consultants and entrepreneurs with offices across the country and throughout the world. We strive to create amazing success for our clients and amazing careers for our employee-owners. Burns & McDonnell is 100 percent employee-owned and is proud to be No. 16 on Fortune's 2017 list of 100 Best Companies to Work For. For more information, visit burnsmcd.com. About The Fortune 100 Best Companies To Work For To identify the 100 Best Companies to Work For, each year Fortune partners with Great Place to Work to conduct the most extensive employee survey in corporate America. The ranking is based on feedback from more than 232,000 employees at Great Place to WorkCertified companies with more than 1,000 employees. Winning a spot on this list indicates the company has distinguished itself from peers by creating a great place to work for employees measured and ranked through our analysis of the results of our Trust Index survey and Culture Audit questionnaire. Through the Trust Index, employees anonymously assess their workplace, including the honesty and quality of communication by managers, degree of support for employees' personal and professional lives and the authenticity of relationships with colleagues. Results from the survey are highly reliable, having a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of 5% or less. Companies' results on the Trust Index survey are compared to peer organizations of like size and complexity. The Culture Audit includes detailed questions about benefits, programs and practices. About Great Place to Work Great Place to Work is the global authority on high-trust, high-performance workplace cultures. Through proprietary assessment tools, advisory services, and certification programs, including Best Workplaces lists and workplace reviews, Great Place to Work provides the benchmarks, framework, and expertise needed to create, sustain, and recognize outstanding workplace cultures. In the United States, Great Place to Work produces the annual Fortune "100 Best Companies to Work For" and a series of Great Place to Work Best Workplaces lists, including lists for Millennials, Women, Diversity, Small and Medium Companies and over a half dozen different industries. Great Place to Work provides executive advisory and to businesses, non-profits, and government agencies in over 50 countries across six continents. Contact: Kristi Widmar, Burns & McDonnell 551-208-5922 [email protected] SOURCE Burns & McDonnell Related Links http://www.burnsmcd.com Four Seasons ranked 79th on the list, which is based on employee ratings of their workplace culture, including the pride they take in their jobs, the level of trust they feel towards leaders, and the camaraderie they experience with co-workers. As one of only 12 organisations to be included on the list since its inception in 1998, Four Seasons is also being recognised as a "Great Place to Work Legend." "Being named as an employer of choice by our employees for twenty consecutive years is a tremendous honour, a great source of pride and a testament to the strength of our culture," says J. Allen Smith, President and CEO, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. "It is the people of Four Seasons, their love of hospitality and the passion they bring to their work that have made this company legendary. Many things can be taught; the extraordinary capacity for empathy that is shared by Four Seasons employees cannot be." A Legendary Culture of Service Much has been written about Four Seasons service culture and the company's ability to deliver the highest levels of service excellence and personalised guest experiences consistently across its global portfolio. It is a reputation that Four Seasons has worked hard to earn and maintain for more than fifty years, and one that is grounded in the Golden Rule the simple belief in treating others as one would like to be treated. This universal philosophy unites more than 45,000 Four Seasons employees in 43 countries around the world, helping the company attract top candidates in every market where it operates. "With every new Four Seasons we open, our exceptional track record of respect for our employees and culture of service allows us to attract and retain the industry's top talent," says Ed Evans, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. "The same level of care that we extend to our guests applies to our people. By empowering our employees and giving them the tools and trust needed to succeed, they in turn carry our values forward, connecting deeply with our guests and creating the memorable experiences that Four Seasons is known for." As the company grows, Four Seasons continues to extend its service excellence to new destinations, creating exciting opportunities for professional development and employment around the world. In 2016 Four Seasons added nine hotels and resorts to its portfolio, a record number of openings in the history of the company. This year, Four Seasons introduced new hotels in Tianjin and in London at Ten Trinity Square, with additional openings planned for 2017 and beyond in Surfside, Florida; Tunis; Kuwait; Megeve, France; Desroches Island, Seychelles; Philadelphia; Montreal; Sao Paulo; Kuala Lumpur; and Bengaluru. In addition to Fortune's US-based "100 Best Companies to Work For" list, Four Seasons consistently earns recognition internationally as an employer of choice, hiring and developing local talent in every location where it operates. The company is also regularly recognised for its excellence in luxury hospitality and the dedication of its employees to providing highly personalised, thoughtful service. Recently, Four Seasons was awarded 30 Forbes Five-Star Awards the most Five Star awards ever received by a hotel company in a single year; 21 AAA Five Diamond Awards; and 53 Conde Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards. Four Seasons was also named the "Best Hotel Group Worldwide" by both Gallivanter's Guide and Voyage Magazine. To learn more about Four Seasons culture, service, and history please visit: http://www.fourseasons.com/about_four_seasons/ For additional images visit: http://press.fourseasons.com/news-releases/2017/fortune-100-best-companies-to-work-for/ Methodology To identify the 100 Best Companies to Work For, each year Fortune partners with Great Place to Work to conduct the most extensive employee survey in corporate America. The ranking is based on feedback from more than 276,000 employees at Great Place to WorkCertified companies with more than 1,000 employees. Winning a spot on this list indicates the company has distinguished itself from peers by creating a great place to work for employees measured and ranked through analysis of the results of the Trust Index survey and Culture Audit questionnaire. Through the Trust Index, employees anonymously assess their workplace, including the honesty and quality of communication by managers, degree of support for employees' personal and professional lives and the authenticity of relationships with colleagues. Results from the survey are highly reliable, having a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of 5% or less. Companies' results on the Trust Index survey are compared to peer organisations of like size and complexity. The Culture Audit includes detailed questions about benefits, programs and practices. ABOUT FOUR SEASONS HOTELS AND RESORTS Founded in 1960, Four Seasons continues to define the future of luxury hospitality with extraordinary imagination, unwavering commitment to the highest standards of quality, and the most genuine and customised service. Currently operating 104 hotels, resorts and residences in major city centres and resort destinations in 43 countries, and with more than 50 projects under planning or development, Four Seasons consistently ranks among the world's best hotels and most prestigious brands in reader polls, traveller reviews and industry awards. MEDIA CONTACT: Laura Schlecht, [email protected], 646-460-8922 SOURCE Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts Related Links http://www.fourseasons.com SAN JOSE, Calif., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- 42Q, a leading provider of cloud manufacturing execution systems (MES), has been named Entrepreneurial Company of the Year in the North American MES Market by Frost & Sullivan. 42Q is a complete manufacturing cloud solution for high technology companies, providing data security, global operations visibility, component traceability and process control. Frost & Sullivan recognized these and other attributes of 42Q, differentiating their solution from the rest of the competition. "42Q's vision of 'taking MES to the cloud' clearly resonates through its solution offerings and service capabilities, breathing fresh air into a market that is awash with point solutions and on-premise installations," said Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst, Shilpa Mathur Ramachandran. "With its strong overall performance, 42Q has earned this 2017 Frost & Sullivan Entrepreneurial Company of the Year Award." MES technology is becoming increasingly important for manufacturers, helping them accelerate the implementation of IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) in their operations. But according to Frost & Sullivan's research, only 20 percent of companies have deployed MES technology. Traditionally, barriers to deployment have been high up front software licensing and I.T. hardware costs, along with lengthy implementation schedules. 42Q is a cloud solution, ready to deploy immediately at a fraction of the cost. No I.T. hardware is necessary and equipment can be quickly connected using web based applications. Tracking, serialization, routing, work instructions and paperless travelers can be configured and used within days. These advantages underscore the relevance of 42Q's solution especially for companies implementing IIoT technology in their operations. "At 42Q, we deliver a comprehensive and proven cloud MES solution which operates between an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system and the manufacturing equipment in a factory, enabling easy and cost-effective implementation of the smart factory and Industry 4.0," said Srivats Ramaswami, CTO, 42Q. "With robust and proven functionality, our cloud-based solution helps manufacturers more easily cross traditional boundaries of automation, engineering, operations and IT. We are excited to receive this honor from Frost & Sullivan." Frost & Sullivan's Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices. About 42Q 42Q is a leading provider of cloud MES and manufacturing software solutions. 42Q is fully deployed in over 50 manufacturing facilities. Our mission is to deliver scalable, flexible and easy to implement manufacturing solutions to our customers. Our management team has extensive experience with the architecture, development and implementation of advanced MES and manufacturing automation systems for a broad range of vertical markets. 42Q is a business unit of Sanmina Corporation. For more information about 42Q, please visit http://42-q.com/ and follow the company on LinkedIn. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160502/362634LOGO SOURCE 42Q Related Links http://42-q.com MEXICO CITY, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Atento S.A. (NYSE: ATTO), the leading provider of customer relationship management and business process outsourcing services (CRM/BPO) in Latin America, and one of the three top providers worldwide, has been recognized by Frost & Sullivan with the Award for Market Leadership in the Contact Center Outsourcing Services in Mexico. According to Frost & Sullivan, Atento Mexico "Excels in providing an end-to-end digital services platform that delivers outstanding customer experiences while driving customer operations at digital speed. Whereas a cornerstone of Atento's success is its strategic commitment to people, its transformational growth strategy and its performance management model which have proven unique in Mexico". The consultancy firm also recognizes the strength of the Atento brand, and the company's ability to work in direct collaboration with businesses to develop solutions that combine a multichannel platform, leading-edge technology, analytical capacities, and vertical specialization by industry to offer the best customer experience on the market. Alejandro Reynal, CEO of Atento, commented that, "Our ongoing commitment to developing innovative and high added value customer experience solutions leads to more satisfied customers and more competitive companies. This commitment is recognized daily by our customers, who entrust us with managing their most strategic processes, and also by our industry, as shown by the Contact Center Outsourcing Services Market Leadership award granted to us by Frost & Sullivan in Mexico". He added that "In an increasingly digital world, our solutions help companies to maximize the opportunities offered by the digital transformation to acquire customers and generate loyalty". According to Miguel Matey, Managing Director of Atento Mexico and the Americas North Region, "We are very pleased with this exceptional recognition from Frost & Sullivan. At Atento Mexico we work to always offer the best and most innovative customer experience on the market. Our leadership is the result of our ongoing work and investment in developing new solutions adapted to our customers' needs and to the challenges they face." He added, "I want to thank our customers and employees for their major contribution to Atento being recognized once more as market leader in Mexico". The analysis conducted by Frost & Sullivan to grant the Market Leadership award also highlighted: As part of its transformational growth strategy in Mexico , Atento is accelerating local and nearshore opportunities, developing a comprehensive portfolio of business process optimization (BPO) solutions and advancing relationships with major clients to the next level, by enlarging the type of services provided to them , Atento is accelerating local and nearshore opportunities, developing a comprehensive portfolio of business process optimization (BPO) solutions and advancing relationships with major clients to the next level, by enlarging the type of services provided to them The analysis particularly states that Atento's digital and omnichannel solutions are composed of vital capabilities to grow business in the digital era. These include: a personalized customer experience (independent of channel and device); extensive use of analytics, Big Data, and cognitive computing, allowing robust insights and continuous learning about customers' needs; a highly specialized consulting team with industry- and process-differentiated knowledge and a streamlined approach to solutions based on ideation, innovation, and running short-term prototypes, powered by UX (user experience) and analytics Atentos brand strength. The company is the largest customer relationship management and business process outsourcing (CRM/BPO) provider in Latin America and one of the leading providers in the world You can see the full report by Frost & Sullivan here: http://www.atento.com/news-room/thought-leadership About Atento Atento is the largest provider of customer relationship management and business process outsourcing (CRM BPO) services in Latin America, and among the top three providers globally, based on revenues. Atento is also a leading provider of nearshoring CRM/BPO services to companies that carry out their activities in the United States. Since 1999, the company has developed its business model in 13 countries where it employs more than 150,000 people. Atento has over 400 clients to whom it offers a wide range of CRM/BPO services through multiple channels. Atento's clients are mostly leading multinational corporations in sectors such as telecommunications, banking and financial services, health, retail and public administrations, among others. Atentos shares trade under the symbol ATTO on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). In 2016, Atento was named one of the World's 25 Best Multinational Workplaces by Great Place to Work. For more information www.atento.com SOURCE Atento S.A. Related Links http://www.atento.com SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Fujitsu World Tour 2017, a global event spanning 24 countries across six continents, kicks off its first stop in Santa Clara today alongside the 10th annual Fujitsu North America Technology Forum. This year, Fujitsu brings its theme, "Human Centric Innovation: Digital Co-Creation," to life with a unique, hands-on experience for businesses and government bodies to learn how to leverage the power of knowledge integration. Created by Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Cloud and Cybersecurity technologies, this knowledge integration guides organizations to successfully take on digital transformation and ultimately, reshape their organizations and society. "Recent independent research by Fujitsu revealed that 98 percent of C-Suite decision makers believe that digital has already disrupted their businesses," said Alex Attal, executive vice president and head of Digital and Business Application Services, Fujitsu America, Inc. "Hyperconnected technology is redefining the limits of what is possible, and co-creation bringing together previously unconnected fields of expertise has become an absolute necessity to realizing innovation and value creation at scale." The panel sessions and keynotes at Fujitsu World Tour will reinforce the company's dedication to continuous and collaborative innovation that supports digital co-creation and will cover the industry's most talked about topics including Hyperconnected Cloud, Enabling Digital, Workplace Anywhere, Advanced Cyber Security with AI, Infrastructure of the Future and Making Digital Transformation a Reality with MetaArc/K5. Keynotes will be delivered by: Shigeru Sasaki, chief executive officer of Fujitsu Laboratories, Ltd.; Dr. James Kuffner, CTO, Toyota Research Institute; Kevin Ubert, vice president of IT at Vitamix; and Alex Attal. Additional Fujitsu executives speaking include: Ankit Gandhi, vice president of Digital Services and SaaS practice lead, Fujitsu America, Inc.; James Zhang, director of Business and Application Services, Fujitsu America, Inc.; JC Dewaele, head of Offerings Management for Hybrid IT, Fujitsu America, Inc.; Shobhit Porwal, vice president of Digital Business and head of Hybrid IT, Fujitsu America, Inc.; Sreedhar Kajeepeta, global technology officer, Fujitsu America, Inc.; Stafford Bond, chief digital officer and head of IoT and Analytics, Fujitsu America, Inc.; Dr.Takeshi Horie, head of computer systems laboratory, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd.; Shoji Suzuki, member of the board, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd.; Dr. Fumihiro Maruyama, senior expert, Artificial Intelligence Research Center, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. Attendees will experience live demonstrations of new Fujitsu solutions that are shaping today's digital landscape, as well as the latest innovations from the researchers and scientists from Fujitsu Laboratories worldwide. Exhibitions include: Fujitsu RoboPin: A friendly robot intermediary that delivers customer services, enabling seamless interaction between people and information communication technology (ICT). A friendly robot intermediary that delivers customer services, enabling seamless interaction between people and information communication technology (ICT). Emotional AI: Technology that improves the customer experience by reading a customer's psychological "mood" based on his or her interactions with touch screens and tone of voice in conversation. Technology that improves the customer experience by reading a customer's psychological "mood" based on his or her interactions with touch screens and tone of voice in conversation. AI-based Cyber Security : As the cyber attack surface continues to expand from the exponential increase in sensors (e.g., social media data, IoT data, etc.), Fujitsu AI, with its fully automated Machine Reasoning and Machine Learning, enables 87 percent automation on average, preventing many incidents before they occur, minimizing exposure to threats and reducing time and effort to resolve outbreaks and security events. : As the cyber attack surface continues to expand from the exponential increase in sensors (e.g., social media data, IoT data, etc.), Fujitsu AI, with its fully automated Machine Reasoning and Machine Learning, enables 87 percent automation on average, preventing many incidents before they occur, minimizing exposure to threats and reducing time and effort to resolve outbreaks and security events. IoT Optimization for entire factory operation: Intelligent Dashboard supports optimal factory management by integrating various factory data using IoT sensor technology. Data that could not be collected or integrated previously can now be holistically captured to provide a singular view into factory operations including issue identification, root cause analysis and issue resolution using proven processes with the help of AI. Intelligent Dashboard supports optimal factory management by integrating various factory data using IoT sensor technology. Data that could not be collected or integrated previously can now be holistically captured to provide a singular view into factory operations including issue identification, root cause analysis and issue resolution using proven processes with the help of AI. iNetSec Smart Finder: This hybrid internal network security appliance offers wired and wireless device and application discovery, classification and management, directly addressing the growing BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) and BYOA (Bring Your Own Application) trends facing organizations of all sizes. Smart Finder allows IT administrators to identify, monitor and prevent future threats that are introduced from within an organization, while maintaining business productivity. "Digitalization is progressing at a very rapid pace. Fujitsu helps customers quickly and responsibly turn their innovative ideas into reality by removing the barriers and complexity of digitalization. Our unique approach helps them realize the full value of digital transformation, all without introducing new risk to their business," Attal added. "We are dedicated to working with our customers and co-creating a future that is rewarding for business and society. I think you'll see that commitment evidenced throughout the World Tour both in our exhibitions and our people." Fujitsu World Tour and Fujitsu North America Technology Forum 2017 take place at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. Additional information on today's event can be found here. Media contacts Fujitsu America, Inc. Bryan Hollar 408-746-6412 [email protected] Finn Partners Andrew Corcione 415-249-6775 [email protected] About Fujitsu Fujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company, offering a full range of technology products, solutions, and services. Approximately 156,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.7 trillion yen (US$41 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com. About Fujitsu Americas Fujitsu America, Inc. is the parent and/or management company of a group of Fujitsu-owned companies operating in North, Central and South America dedicated to delivering the full range of Fujitsu products, solutions and services in ICT to our customers in the Western Hemisphere. These companies are collectively referred to as Fujitsu Americas. Fujitsu enables clients to meet their business objectives through integrated offerings and solutions, including consulting, systems integration, managed services, outsourcing and cloud services for infrastructure, platforms and applications; data center and field services; and server, storage, software and mobile/tablet technologies. For more information, please visit: www.fujitsu.com/us and http://twitter.com/fujitsuamerica About Fujitsu Laboratories Founded in 1968 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fujitsu Limited, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. is one of the premier research centers in the world. With a global network of laboratories in Japan, China, the United States and Europe, the organization conducts a wide range of basic and applied research in the areas of Next-generation Services, Computer Servers, Networks, Electronic Devices and Advanced Materials. For more information, please see: http://www.fujitsu.com/jp/group/labs/en/. Fujitsu, the Fujitsu logo, RoboPin and "shaping tomorrow with you" are trademarks or registered trademarks of Fujitsu Limited in the United States and other countries. iNetSec is a trademark or registered trademark of PFU Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. Information provided in this press release is accurate at time of publication and is subject to change without advance notice. SOURCE Fujitsu America, Inc. Related Links http://www.fujitsu.com/us LONDON, March 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- This research study analyzes the gas insulated substation market in terms of revenue (US$ Bn). The market has been segmented on the basis of voltage and geography. For the research, 2015 has been taken as the base year, while all forecasts have been given for the period from 2016 to 2024. Market data for all the segments has been provided at the regional and country level from 2015 to 2024. The report provides a broad competitive analysis of companies engaged in the gas insulated substation business. The report also includes the key market dynamics such as drivers, restraints, and opportunities affecting the gas insulated substation market. These market dynamics were analyzed in detail and are illustrated in the report with the help of supporting graphs and tables. The report also provides a comprehensive industry analysis of gas insulated substations with the help of Porter's Five Forces model. This analysis helps in understanding the five major forces that affect the market structure and profitability of the gas insulated substation market. The forces analyzed are bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, threat of new entrants, threat of substitutes, and degree of competition. Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/3752613/ The high-level analysis in the report provides detailed insights into the gas insulated substation business in the U.S. There are currently numerous drivers of the market. One of the most prominent drivers is the compact size and reliability of gas insulated substations. Market attractiveness analysis was carried out for the gas insulated substation market on the basis of revenue realization and industrial growth. Market attractiveness was estimated on the basis of common parameters that directly impact the market in different regions. The gas insulated substation market was analyzed across four regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of World. These regions are further segmented by country and voltage of installed gas insulated substations globally. Voltage range (0 to 72.5 Kv and above 72.5 Kv) has been provided for each country and region. Regional data has been provided for each sub-segment of the gas insulated substation market. Some of the key manufacturers of gas insulated substations are ABB Group, Eaton Corporation Plc., Fuji Electric Co., Ltd., General Electric Company, Hitachi, Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Schneider Electric SE, Siemens AG, Crompton Greaves Limited, and Toshiba Corporation. The report provides an overview of these companies, followed by their financial details, business strategies, and recent developments. Gas Insulated Substation Market: By Region North America Europe Asia Pacific Rest of World Gas Insulated Substation Market: By Voltage Medium (? 72.5 KV) High (> 72.5 KV) Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/3752613/ About Reportbuyer Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers http://www.reportbuyer.com For more information: Sarah Smith Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 208 816 85 48 Website: www.reportbuyer.com SOURCE ReportBuyer Related Links http://www.reportbuyer.com IRVINE, Calif., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Edwards Lifesciences Corporation (NYSE: EW), the global leader in patient-focused innovations for structural heart disease and critical care monitoring, today announced that a district court in Dusseldorf, Germany ruled that Boston Scientific's Lotus valve infringes one of Edwards' patents for transcatheter aortic valves, but does not infringe a second. The court also ruled that the Edwards SAPIEN 3 valve infringes two of Boston Scientific's patents for outer seals of transcatheter heart valves. Edwards will promptly request an appeal, and believes that the company will ultimately prevail. Boston Scientific initiated litigation that now involves multiple patents in multiple venues, and will likely yield court actions over an extended period of time. The company does not presently anticipate disruption to the supply of SAPIEN 3 valves to patients, and Edwards is not updating its 2017 financial guidance. About Edwards Lifesciences Edwards Lifesciences, based in Irvine, Calif., is the global leader in patient-focused medical innovations for structural heart disease, as well as critical care and surgical monitoring. Driven by a passion to help patients, the company collaborates with the world's leading clinicians and researchers to address unmet healthcare needs, working to improve patient outcomes and enhance lives. For more information, visit www.Edwards.com and follow us on Twitter @EdwardsLifesci. This news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding financial guidance and expected future impacts of the court's decision. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by management of the company and are believed to be reasonable, though they are inherently uncertain and difficult to predict. Our forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and we do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of the statement. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements based on a number of factors, including but not limited to, unanticipated outcomes from future appeals and legal proceedings, including potential damages, costs and injunctive relief (which is not automatic, but is instead up to each party to enforce), and the effectiveness of plans to mitigate these impacts. These factors are detailed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016. These filings, along with important safety information about our products, may be found at edwards.com. Edwards, Edwards Lifesciences, the stylized E logo, SAPIEN and SAPIEN 3 are trademarks of Edwards Lifesciences Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. SOURCE Edwards Lifesciences Corporation Related Links http://www.edwards.com LONDON, March. 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Usage-Based Insurance Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4611133/ The global automotive UBI market is at a nascent stage and has low penetration in the overall automotive insurance market. The market is seeing an influx of new players owing to its growth potential and the emergence of smartphone app technology in automotive UBI. The competition is expected to intensify during the forecast period because of product extensions and technological innovations. Many international players are expected to grow organically during the forecast period by expanding their customer base and creating differentiated products through partnerships with insurance companies. Technavio's analysts forecast the global automotive usage-based insurance market to grow at a CAGR of 7.93% during the period 2017-2021. Covered in this report The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global automotive usage-based insurance market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report presents the vendor landscape and a corresponding detailed analysis of the top four vendors in the market. The market is divided into the following segments based on geography: - APAC - Europe - North America Technavio's report, Global Automotive Usage-Based Insurance Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market. Key vendors - Intelligent Mechatronic System - Octo Telematics - Hubio - Sierra Wireless Other prominent vendors - Baseline Telematics - Masternaut - TomTom Telematics Market driver - Government initiatives encouraging use of telematics. - For a full, detailed list, view our report Market challenger - Maintenance of data accuracy for optimum UBI scores. - For a full, detailed list, view our report Market trend - Shared data plans to reduce number of data subscriptions per user. - For a full, detailed list, view our report Key questions answered in this report - What will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be? - What are the key market trends? - What is driving this market? - What are the challenges to market growth? - Who are the key vendors in this market space? - What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors? - What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors? You can request one free hour of our analyst's time when you purchase this market report. Details are provided within the report. Methodology Research methodology is based on extensive primary and secondary research. Primary research includes in-depth interviews with industry experts, vendors, resellers and customers. Secondary research includes Technavio Platform, industry publications, company reports, news articles, analyst reports, trade associations and the data published by Government agencies. Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4611133/ About Reportbuyer Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers http://www.reportbuyer.com For more information: Sarah Smith Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 208 816 85 48 Website: www.reportbuyer.com SOURCE ReportBuyer Related Links http://www.reportbuyer.com In appreciation of this opportunity to slow down and reconnect in today's fast-paced lifestyle, The California Milk Processor Board, creators of the iconic got milk? campaign, is introducing three Cuban-coffee inspired recipes to make at home and enjoy with a friend or two. "Here in California, we've become accustomed to a grab and go lifestyle," said social media influencer Eddie Zamora, creator of the Yum Yum Foodie brand and developer of the recipes. "Growing up in a Cuban household a large pot of coffee kept warm on the stove was the centerpiece of many social gatherings and long conversations. Coffee has the power to connect people from all over, from Miami to California, because it sparks conversation, friendship, and with these recipes, even excitement." Eddie's recipes include the "Euro-Cuban," a delicious blend featuring Nutella and whole milk with a touch of salt; the "Neighborhood Gossip" blending rich espresso and whole milk with dark rum for an adult offering served in a martini glass; and a Cuban Hot Chocolate, a treat perfect for kids with dark chocolate, wholesome milk, ground cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Adding milk to coffee enhances the "mouth feel" as the fats in milk change the texture, making it thicker and adding smoothness. To view the recipes created exclusively for got milk?/ Toma Leche and a fun instructional video featuring Eddie Zamora, visit: www.gotmilk.com, www.tomaleche.com and follow got milk? via social media on Facebook/ Twitter @gotmilk and Instagram @officialgotmilk. About Cuban Coffee Culture Cuban coffee, from the way it's prepared to how it's enjoyed, has a long rich history. Coffee first came to Cuba in the 1700s, and the Caribbean island was once a major producer of coffee in fact, its first plantations now have a place on the UNESCO World Heritage list(1). Coffee production began to decline largely due to the production and export of rum and cane sugar; yet coffee consumption continued to rise. In 1962, the Cuban government began to ration coffee. As a result, many Cubans drink cafe con chicharo, a mix of coffee beans and toasted chickpeas, adding sugar to curb the bitterness. Because of the limited quantity, coffee is always consumed in small amounts from small cups known as tacitas. As exports from Cuba are being lifted beginning with Cuban-grown coffee, a cultural coffee exchange between the Caribbean island and the U.S. is due. Here are a few helpful terms to understanding Cuban coffee: Cafe cubano or cafecito espresso mixed with sugar Cortadito espresso topped with steamed milk Cafe con leche coffee and hot milk About the CMPB The California Milk Processor Board was established in 1993 to make milk more competitive and increase milk consumption in California. Awareness of "got milk?" is over 90% nationally and it is considered one of the most important and successful campaigns in history. The "got milk?" trademark is a federally registered trademark and service mark that was licensed by the National Dairy Board in 1995 for use in its advertising, including their long-running "Milk Mustache" campaign. The CMPB's Spanish-language campaign began in 1994 using the tagline "Familia, Amor y Leche" (Family, Love and Milk). The "toma leche" (Drink Milk) campaign replaced it in 2006 in order to better align the English and Spanish language work. The CMPB is funded by all California milk processors and is an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Source: (1) http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1008 SOURCE California Milk Processor Board Related Links http://www.gotmilk.com Sheetz, which ranked 87th, was selected among hundreds of companies across the nation vying for a place on the 2017 list, and the ranking improved on Sheetz's 2016 standing by ten positions. Applicant companies opt to participate in the selection process, which includes an employee survey and an in-depth questionnaire regarding their programs and employee practices. Great Place to Work then evaluates each application using its unique methodology based on five dimensions, including credibility, respect, fairness, pride and camaraderie. "Sheetz is committed to investing in its people, rewarding employees, and attracting the best talent for the job, whether it's in the distribution centers, kitchens, corporate office, or one of our store locations. We strive to create a great working environment where our employees feel valued and have all the resources they need," said Sheetz, Inc. President/CEO Joe Sheetz. "We do this by providing all of our employees with the opportunity to grow; instilling a culture of respect; and ensuring that all employees understand the importance of their job and the role they play in the larger company. We are a family-owned business and are very proud of the culture and environment we have created and nurtured at Sheetz." In 2016, Sheetz announced both plans to hire 8,000 employees companywide as well as the investment of more than $15 million to increase employee wages. Sheetz reaffirmed its commitment to employees when the company announced that salaried employees will earn a minimum base salary of $47,500 despite a federal judge's injunction in November 2016, which prevented the FLSA minimum wage regulation from going into effect on December 1, 2016. To view a video regarding the announcement, go to https://youtu.be/BkV28FX8PlE. Current Sheetz, Inc. Snapshot Headquarters in Altoona, Pa. Operates 540+ store locations in six states Serving 1.5 million customers per day Family owned 65th anniversary in 2017 40 new and rebuilt stores in 2017 On the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list in 2014/2016/2017 Listed in 2016 as a Fortune Best Workplace for Women (Top 12) Selected by Fortune in 2016 as a Best Workplace for Millennials (Top 35) Named by Fortune in 2016 as one of the Best Workplaces in Retail (Top 10) Named one of the Best Places to Work in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Ohio and North Carolina Convenience Store Chain of the Year/Convenience Retailer of the Year Locations in six states: Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio and Maryland Total yearly sales of more than $5.6 billion More than 17,500 employees Employee bonuses paid in 2016: More than $53 million Corporate Charities Supported Sheetz For the Kidz, a charitable organization operated by Sheetz employees, provided more than $1.6 million in 2016 to ensure approximately 8,800 children in need have gifts at Christmas. Through this program, Sheetz for the Kidz has helped more than 100,000 children since 1992 raising $22.9 million. Through Make-A-Wish, Sheetz For the Kidz sponsored 48 family trips to Walt Disney World each year. Since 2005, Sheetz has been able to grant more than 450 wishes! Special Olympics: In 2017, with the help of its generous customers, Sheetz will donate more than $650,000 to the Special Olympics. Sheetz was Pennsylvania's largest contributor as well as an inductee into the Special Olympics Hall of Fame. In addition, Sheetz donates millions of dollars in cash and products to worthwhile community endeavors each year. The Future In fiscal year 2018, Sheetz is projected to operate 600 stores with projected capital investment (including new and rebuilt unit growth) of eight percent annually. "Congratulations to the 2017 100 Best," said Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work. "These leading companies are at the vanguard of a new business frontier, where organizations know they have to develop the full human potential of all their employees. They are working to build Great Places to Work for all, which are better for business, better for people and better for the world." Organizations named on the list see many benefits that include better financial performance, less employee turnover, higher levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty, more innovative and creative thinking, higher productivity and enhanced public perception. About Sheetz, Inc. Established in 1952 in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Sheetz, Inc. is one of America's fastest-growing family-owned and operated convenience store chains, with more than $5.6 billion in revenue and more than 17,500 employees. The company operates more than 540 store locations throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio and North Carolina. Sheetz provides an award-winning menu of MTO sandwiches and salads, which are ordered through unique touch-screen order point terminals. All Sheetz convenience stores are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Recognized by Fortune as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, Top 12 Best places to work for Women and Top 35 Best Workplaces for Millennials, Sheetz is committed to offering employees sustainable careers built on an inspiring culture and community engagement. For more information, visit www.sheetz.com or follow us on Twitter (@sheetz), Facebook (www.facebook.com/sheetz) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/sheetz). About Great Place to Work Great Place to Work is the global authority on high-trust, high-performance workplace cultures. Through proprietary assessment tools, advisory services, and certification programs, including Best Workplaces lists and workplace reviews, Great Place to Work provides the benchmarks, framework, and expertise needed to create, sustain, and recognize outstanding workplace cultures. In the United States, Great Place to Work produces the annual Fortune "100 Best Companies to Work For" and a series of Great Place to Work Best Workplaces lists, including lists for Millennials, Women, Diversity, Small and Medium Companies and over a half dozen different industries. Great Place to Work provides executive advisory and culture consulting services to businesses, non-profits, and government agencies in over 50 countries across six continents. Follow Great Place to Work online at www.greatplacetowork.com and on Twitter at @GPTW_US. SOURCE Sheetz, Inc. Related Links http://www.sheetz.com VALLEY COTTAGE, New York, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Growing adoption of large power transformers in heavy industries as well as residential sectors is driving the sales of electrical steel coatings. Particularly in developed countries, a majority of electrical steel coatings are used for manufacturing the core of such transformers. Higher surface insulation resistance and thermal stability are some of the key advantages that promote the use of electrical steel coatings in such applications. Future Market Insights recently published its report on the global market for electrical steel coatings, excerpts from which also indicate how increasing sales of hybrid cars and EVs are factoring the growth in demand for electrical steel coatings. According to the report, the global electrical steel coatings market is presently valued at US$ 211.9 Mn, and is expected to expand at 5.3% CAGR to reach US$ 353.6 Mn by the end of 2024. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161020/430874LOGO ) Apart from their use in manufacturing large power transformers, and motors of hybrid cars and EVs, electrical steel coatings are also gaining applicability in energy conservation measures. Eco-friendly production of various electrical equipment has necessitated the use of electrical steel coatings, especially for spiking energy efficiency of such equipment. While the global electrical steel coating revenues are projected to grow at a steady pace, the market is estimated to witness downtrend in terms of global consumption. Decreasing end-use sales of electrical steel coatings among potential buyers is said to impact the global consumption count, which recorded sales of 34,563 tonnes of electrical steel coatings in 2016. Request a Sample Report with Table of Contents and Figures: http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-3103 In the report, titled "Electrical Steel Coatings Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 2016-2026," the demand for electrical steel coatings has been projected to be considerably high in the Asia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) region. By the end of 2026, the APEJ electrical steel coatings market is expected to dominate by accounting for US$ 150 Mn revenues. While the region will register fastest revenue growth, Western Europe's electrical steel coatings market is also predicted to grow robustly. Moreover, Japan's electrical steel coating revenues will also soar at an impressive CAGR of 4.6%. US-based Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. is being profiled as one of the largest manufacturer & supplier of electrical steel coatings in the world. Companies such as AK Steel Holding Corporation, Proto Laminations Inc. and Polaris Laser Laminations, LLC are also contributing towards consolidation of electrical steel coatings market in North America. The global electrical steel coatings market will witness significant participation from APEJ companies such as Wuhan Iron & Steel (GROUP) Corp., and Filtra Catalyst and Chemicals Ltd., as well as Japan's JFE Steel Corporation. World's leading steel manufacturer, ArcelorMittal SA, is also partaking in the growth of global electrical steel coatings market. Other companies profiled in this report include, thyssenkrupp AG, Rembrandtin Lack GmbH Ngf. KG, Cogent Power Limited, and Chemetall GmbH. Preview Analysis on Global Electrical Steel Coatings Market Segmentation By Coating Type - C2, C3, C4, C5, C6; By Material Type - Chrome-Free, Chrome-Containing, Formaldehyde-Free and Mgo; By Application - Grain-Oriented, Non-Grain Oriented (Fully Processed, Semi Processed); By End-Use - Transformers (Transmission, Portable, Distribution), Motors (Upto 10 HP, 10 HP- 100 HP, 100 HP -500 HP, Above 1000 HP) and Others: http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/electrical-steel-coatings-market Key highlights of the report on global electrical steel coating market include: Development of water-based semi-inorganic coatings is slated to revolutionize the global electrical steel coating market. More than three-fourth of global electrical steel coating revenues arise from sales of C5 coatings. By 2026-end, nearly 80% of global electrical steel coating market value will be accounted by chrome-free coating materials In 2016, more than US$ 140 Mn worth of electrical steel coatings were globally consumed for non-grain-oriented applications. worth of electrical steel coatings were globally consumed for non-grain-oriented applications. Over the forecast period, automotive motors will be remain as the most prominent end-use of electrical steel coatings in the world. More from FMI's Cutting-edge Intelligence: Sludge Treatment Chemicals Market Segmentation By Product Type - Flocculant, Cationic, Anionic, Coagulant, Organic, Inorganic, Disinfectant, Anti Foulant, Anti Foamer and Activated Carbon, By Application - Municipal, Industrial, Paper & Pulp, Food & Beverage, Oil & Gas, Metal Processing, Chemical & Fertilizer and Automotive, By Treatment - Primary and Tertiary: http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sludge-treatment-chemicals-market Segmentation By Product Type - Flocculant, Cationic, Anionic, Coagulant, Organic, Inorganic, Disinfectant, Anti Foulant, Anti Foamer and Activated Carbon, By Application - Municipal, Industrial, Paper & Pulp, Food & Beverage, Oil & Gas, Metal Processing, Chemical & Fertilizer and Automotive, By Treatment - Primary and Tertiary: http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sludge-treatment-chemicals-market Fine Hydrate Market Segmentation By Application - Cable Compounds, Sheet Molding Compounds, Bulk Molding Compounds and Others: http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/fine-hydrate-market Segmentation By Application - Cable Compounds, Sheet Molding Compounds, Bulk Molding Compounds and Others: http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/fine-hydrate-market Refrigeration Oil Market Segmentation By Product Type - Mineral Oil, Synthetic Oil(Polyol Ester, Poly Alpha Olefin, Alkyl Benzene, Polyalkylene Glycol and Polyvinyl Eather); By Refrigerant Type - Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), Hydro-Chlorofluorocarbon (HCFC), Hydro-Fluorocarbon(HFC), Ammonia and Others; By Application - Air Conditioners, Coolers, Chillers, Refrigerators/Freezers and Condensers; By End User - Industrial, Commercial and Residential: http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/refrigeration-oil-market About Us Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights and an aerial view of the competitive framework and future market trends. Browse More Chemicals & Materials Market Insights Contact Us 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018, Valley Cottage, NY 10989, United States T: +1-347-918-3531 F: +1-845-579-5705 T (UK): +44(0)20-7692-8790 Sales: [email protected] Press Office: [email protected] Website: www.futuremarketinsights.com SOURCE Future Market Insights WASHINGTON, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA), a national higher education reform group, today released a new essay describing how the international movement to pressure universities to end economic and cultural exchange with Israel is undermining free speech and academic freedom on campus. The new essayentitled Campus Free Speech, Academic Freedom, and the Problem of the BDS Movementinvestigates the threat to academic freedom, civic discourse, and free speech posed by the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and other related initiatives that seek to squelch free expression. The report remains firmly neutral on foreign policy questions such as the two-state solution or settlements. Academic freedom ensures that students and faculty are free to pose questions, conduct research, and freely discuss controversial topics. However, in recent years, supporters of BDS have shouted down pro-Israel speakers on campus and challenged the legitimacy of Israeli scholars to present. Several academic disciplinary associations have voted in favor of boycott and sanctions, endorsing a political agenda outside their academic mission. Anti-Israel groups have attempted to pressure boards into taking a side on the territorial dispute and shut down relations with Israeli institutions, in violation of colleges' institutional neutrality and responsibility to maintain academic freedom. Most alarming of all, media have reported examples of activists engaging in overtly anti-Semitic behavior on campus. Dr. Michael B. Poliakoffpresident of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, the former vice president of a major university system, and a lifelong educatorcommented on the importance of academic freedom and the problem of BDS: "ACTA's research suggests that the tactics employed by the BDS movement clearly conflict with the principles of academic freedom that enable students and educators alike to engage in open discourse, inquiry, and learning. Higher education leaders and trustees should take this opportunity to reinforce their commitment to free expression and institutional neutrality," Poliakoff said. "These core principles are not to be taken lightly: They represent the foundation on which our colleges and universities have built a long record of achievements and expanded opportunity for millions. Americans are fortunate to enjoy a deep commitment to academic freedom and free expression that so many other nations do not." ACTA joins a growing number of policymakers, notable higher education leaders, and national professional associations raising concerns about tactics used by the BDS movement that directly conflict with academic freedom and the First Amendment. Encouragingly, members of the American Historical Association and the Modern Language Association properly rejected recent attempts to pass sweeping boycott resolutions that would politicize these important disciplinary associations. State legislatures have taken steps to discourage contractors that receive state funding from joining the boycott. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TRUSTEES ACTA is in the process of contacting its network of more than 22,000 trustees and regents to share the report's findings. The publication recommends actions trustees can take to protect academic freedom and individual rights, safeguard their institutional neutrality, and create a strong campus culture with diverse viewpoints. ACTA's recommendations for higher education leaders include adopting best practices such as the Chicago Principles on free expression. STATEMENTS OF SUPPORT In addition, the essay received a number of statements of support from higher education, intellectual, and civic leaders, including the following: "The 'Boycott, Divest, Sanction' movement is an especially sinister example of how colleges and universities are drawn into affirming certain political orthodoxies, to the detriment of the free exchange of ideas." George F. Will, author and syndicated columnist "ACTA illuminates a growing challenge to our basic freedom of expression. Denying others the right to express their ideas strikes at the heart of American freedom." The Honorable Hank Brown, U.S. Senator from Colorado, 19911997; past president of the University of Colorado and the University of Northern Colorado "The ACTA analysis of the BDS movement and academic freedom on university campuses is superb. The essay provides trustees and regents with the knowledge they need to understand the challenges to free speech and the troublesome underpinnings of the BDS movement. The authors also illuminate the legal context in which campus speech issues arise. This essay is a reliable reference work for governing boards." Mark G. Yudof, president emeritus, University of California; professor emeritus, UCBerkeley School of Law; former chancellor, University of Texas system ACTA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to academic freedom, academic excellence, and accountability in higher education. We receive no government funding and are supported through the generosity of individuals and foundations. For more information, visit GoACTA.org, follow us on Facebook or Twitter, and subscribe to our newsletters. Contact: [email protected], 202-467-6787 SOURCE American Council of Trustees and Alumni Related Links http://www.goacta.org (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/475588/Orbis_Flying_Eye_Hospital.jpg ) The Flying Eye Hospital stands at the cutting edge of medical innovation. To the eye, it is a typical passenger plane; however on the inside there is a state of the art operating theatre, with audio-visual equipment that transmits live operations to trainees in a 46 seat classroom at the front of the plane. The aircraft also features pre and post-op spaces and a laser eye suite. The Flying Eye Hospital enables a global volunteer team of the world's most highly regarded ophthalmic experts to train local medical professionals, leaving a lasting impact for future generations. HRH The Countess of Wessex, Global Ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) says: "Orbis's Flying Eye Hospital is a unique and inspiring instrument in the fight against avoidable blindness. In 2013 I was able to witness the plane in action in Kolkata, India. I observed everything from the most simple cataract surgery using basic cost effective techniques, to a complex prosthetic surgery restoring sight to a man who had been blind for fourteen years. These medical interventions, however small, act as a platform to lift communities and countries out of poverty; if you can see you can work, if you can see you can learn." The UK event, taking place between the 11th and 17th March, will celebrate the charity's vital work in the fight against avoidable blindness. In many countries across the world, a lack of sight can impede your ability to gain an education, prevent you from finding employment and can lead families into a life of poverty. About the Flying Eye Hospital The Flying Eye Hospital is kindly supported by FedEx Express, L'OCCITANE, Alcon Foundation and OMEGA. Since 1982 the Flying Eye Hospital has delivered programmes in 78 countries, trained thousands of doctors and restored sight to people all around the world. The 'third generation' Flying Eye Hospital was launched in June 2016. More than six years in the making, it is the world's only mobile ophthalmic teaching hospital, on board an MD-10 aircraft donated by FedEx in 2011. About Orbis: Since 1982, Orbis has been working to prevent and treat avoidable blindness in Africa, Asia and Latin America and runs 40 long-term programmes across the world in countries including: Cameroon, Ethiopia, South Africa, Zambia, Bangladesh, India, Mongolia, Vietnam. Discover more about Orbis at http://www.orbis.org.uk -------------------------------------------------- [1.] Figures may include individuals receiving multiple treatments [2.] This is the first time the customised MD-10 aircraft, completed in 2016, lands in the UK SOURCE Orbis UK SAN FRANCISCO, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- HouseCanary, Inc., a provider of real estate insights and predictive analytics, is excited to announce today its collaboration with Google Cloud Platform Commercial Datasets. HouseCanary will power residential real estate datasets for Google Cloud Platform. HouseCanary's predictive data analytics engine processes thousands of data elements spanning 40 years of historical data and one billion residential real estate transactions. HouseCanary indexes, standardizes and analyzes the data to forecast home-price valuations and market trends for 3 million residential blocks, 18,000 zip codes, and 381 U.S. metropolitan areas. Using the latest machine learning and data modeling techniques, HouseCanary's team of data scientists and engineers have developed the industry-leading approach to modernize the residential real estate market. "Making HouseCanary's platform available in the cloud gives investors greater access to a vast amount of real estate data and analyses they can act on in real time," said Jeremy Sicklick, CEO of HouseCanary. "By joining the Google Cloud Technology Partner program, HouseCanary is expanding its services to help businesses of all sizes understand different real estate markets around the country and modernize how they make investment and lending decisions." On Google Cloud Platform, HouseCanary will provide industry professionals with trends, insights, and indices for nearly every MSA, zip code, and block in the country today and three years into the future. From retailers looking to place the next one hundred stores on the right block to rental investors seeking properties with optimal return on investment, professionals use HouseCanary data to gain precision never before possible. The company's proprietary datasets are exclusively available on www.housecanary.com and now through Google. HouseCanary's service extends the capabilities of Google Cloud Platform, allowing users to access nationwide and localized residential real estate data. For more information on HouseCanary's offering, go to http://cloud.google.com/commercial-datasets/. About HouseCanary Founded in 2014, HouseCanary's mission is to help people make better real estate decisions. Built on a foundation of great data, powerful models, and predictive analytics, the HouseCanary platform aggregates millions of data elements, including more than four decades of property data and a rapidly expanding arsenal of proprietary calculations and analytics, to accurately define and forecast values and market influences. HouseCanary is financed by notable investors, including Hillspire (Alphabet Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt's family office), Alpha Edison, ECA Ventures, Raven Ventures, and other top Silicon Valley investors. The company is headquartered in San Francisco. Visit the company's website www.housecanary.com. SOURCE HouseCanary, Inc. Related Links http://www.housecanary.com ARLINGTON, Va., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation has appointed Stanley Hubbard, Chairman of Hubbard Broadcasting, to its board of directors. "Stan embodies the values of selfless service, courage, integrity and patriotism we stand for in the Foundation," said Louis Chenevert, Foundation co-chairman. "We'll rely on his leadership in business and the community to help us create more nationwide awareness and support for our education, outreach and recognition programs." Hubbard, a broadcast pioneer, was called the "father of satellite broadcasting" by Broadcast & Cable magazine. He and his family created the world's first satellite newsgathering organization. Along with DIRECTV, Hubbard's U.S. Satellite Broadcasting established the Digital Satellite System. DSS became the first high-powered digital broadcast system in the world. "I was humbled to be asked to join the Medal of Honor Foundation," said Hubbard. "I have the highest respect for America's military, veterans and especially our truest heroes, the Recipients of the Medal of Honor. It will be my honor to serve with them." Col. (retired) Jack Jacobs, Medal of Honor Recipient and Foundation co-chairman, is excited about Hubbard joining the Foundation. "Stan will bring the same cutting-edge drive that has made Hubbard Broadcasting an industry leader for 80 years to his support of us Recipients and our Foundation programs," Jacobs said. "Stan is a great patriot and leader and the 75 living Recipients of the Medal of Honor are proud to have him on the Foundation board." Hubbard is a charter member of the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame and a recipient of the National Association of Broadcasters' highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award. Hubbard Broadcasting owns 13 television stations serving Minnesota, New Mexico and New York. The company also owns 46 radio stations in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Minneapolis, Seattle, Phoenix, Cincinnati and St. Louis. In the cable network arena, Hubbard Broadcasting owns REELZCHANNEL-TV About Movies and is the controlling shareholder of Ovation TV. Hubbard was born in St. Paul, Minnesota and is a Lifetime Trustee of the University of Minnesota. He serves on the executive committees of the Minnesota Business Partnership and the Intrepid Foundation. About the Congressional Medal of Honor Society: The Congressional Medal of Honor Society was chartered by the Congress in 1958 to create a brotherhood among the living Medal of Honor recipients, to protect and uphold the dignity and honor of the Medal, to promote patriotism and love of country, and to inspire our youth to become worthy and dedicated citizens of our nation. Its membership consists exclusively of those individuals who have received the Medal of Honor. Today, there are 75 living Recipients of the Medal of Honor. The Society is unique in that its membership hopes that there will be no need to welcome new inductees. About the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation: The Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation was founded in 1999 by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society to perpetuate the legacy of the Medal. Through character development, scholarship and citizen recognition programs based on the values embodied in the Medal courage, sacrifice, selfless service and patriotism the Foundation teaches all citizens that they can make a difference in the lives of others. The Foundation also supports the important work of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with Tax ID #25-1828488, the Foundation carries a rating of 4/4 stars for fiscal management, accountability and transparency from Charity Navigator, America's premiere nonprofit evaluator. Contact: Mike Caldwell, 703-469-1861 SOURCE Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation Related Links cmohfoundation.org Rang Barse draws revelers from all over the East Coast, many returning each year for IN Group's exclusive brand of Holi. "I am from Brazil and I feel the Holi festival is even more fun than the Brazilian Carnival and I am so happy I got to attend this" (2016 guest). Rohika Hardas, co-founder of IN Group Events, says, "Holi is one of India's most loved festivals. It is celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm all across India, and now in New York too. We have a large South Asian population here that misses the tradition of celebrating Holi and they are loyal attendees. And in recent years, our event has attracted a large number of non-South Asians looking for a cultural and enjoyable experience unlike any other." IN Group wants to know Are you IN? 'Rang Barse' will set sail on the Serenity, March 25 from 12:00 to 3:30 pm from Pier 40 on the Hudson River. Early bird tickets are sold at $65 until March 3rd. Prices will increase to $85 closer to the event. For more information or to purchase tickets, check out www.ingroupevents.com. https://www.facebook.com/ingroupevents About IN Group: IN Group is a New York-based, event production company committed to creating dynamic events and delivering style and substance. Our reputation reflects our attention to detail, creative passion and drive for excellence. We specialize in social and cultural gatherings that introduce Indian/South Asian culture to the broader community. MEDIA CONTACT: Elena Bantovska, IN Group Events, [email protected] SOURCE IN Group Events SAN MATEO, Calif., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Inbenta ( https://www.inbenta.com ), the Natural Language search platform powered by Artificial Intelligence, today announced the addition of four new hires to the executive team. These appointments include Chief Financial Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, Head of Product and EVP of Sales. Together, these new leaders bring decades of experience and expertise to the Inbenta organization. "Inbenta is currently well-positioned to continue its exponential growth in a market that's expected to reach $5.02 billion by 2020. To support this scale, we've welcomed an exceptional group of industry veterans to help lead the company," said Jordi Torras, Inbenta CEO and Founder. "We are very excited to now have these prestigious individuals as part of our executive team." Inbenta's current executive team which includes Torras, Ferran Saurina (COO), and Jordi Prats (CTO) will now be joined by Chief Financial Officer Greg Wookey, Chief Marketing Officer John Forrester, Head of Product Peter Charles and Executive VP of Sales Patrick Cassady: Greg Wookey, Chief Financial Officer Greg is a veteran CFO with over 30 years of financial and operational experience in the technology industry. A valuable contributor to the growth of several private and public enterprise software companies, he most recently served as the SVP of Payments at MINDBODY, Inc. Prior to his SVP role, he served MINDBODY, Inc. as CFO. His expertise also earned him a position on both the Retail Technology Committee and Payment Sales & Strategy Committee for the Electronic Transaction Association. John Forrester, Chief Marketing Officer John is a seasoned marketing executive with a 20-year career in global marketing, branding, product marketing, digital marketing, customer acquisition, social media, and corporate marketing. Prior to taking on responsibility of leading all aspects of global marketing at Inbenta, John served as the Chief Marketing Officer of Workato, and previously held management roles at Xero, RingCentral and VMware. Patrick Cassady, Executive VP of Sales Patrick is a top-performing strategist with an extensive and progressive sales management career. He has achieved multimillion-dollar revenue growth for enterprise software providers through his in-depth understanding of effective selling techniques, and experience across diverse vertical markets. Prior to joining Inbenta, Patrick was SVP of Worldwide Sales and Business Development at Ascribe, an NLP and Machine Learning company focused on text analytics. Most recently he drove the sales effort for ClearSlide as Vice President of Sales. Peter Charles, Head of Product Peter is an Enterprise Search veteran who joins the from OpenText (Recommind Inc.), where he was the Senior Director of Product Management with ownership of Enterprise Search and SaaS Infrastructure. As an early member of the Recommind team Peter led Professional Services, Development and Product teams with a focus on search user interfaces, visualization of machine learning and content integration. Inbenta's products are now used by hundreds of customers around the world. Over the past year, the company has grown its global client roster with impressive wins across various industries. For more information about Inbenta, please visit www.inbenta.com . About Inbenta: Inbenta specializes in natural language processing and semantic search to improve the customer experience. Support services such as dynamic FAQs, knowledge management and chatbots improve business website searches, customer self-service, and e-commerce conversions. With a team of expert linguists assigned to each client to help them understand the root cause of queries and make suggestions on updates to FAQs, Inbenta's products help businesses improve the overall online experience offered to customers. Inbenta's patented technology has greatly reduced incoming customer service emails and calls to call centers for industry-leading companies including Ticketmaster, BBVA, NTT, Groupon and Schlage Locks. SOURCE Inbenta Related Links http://www.inbenta.com OYSTER BAY, N.Y., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ABI Research forecasts industrial automation control and field device shipments will surpass 55 million units in 2017 and reach approximately 146 million by 2025. This will translate to $298 billion in industrial automation device revenue by 2025, with $45 billion attributed alone to robotics. Industrial robot shipmentsa subset of industrial automation field deviceswill reach slightly more than 300,000 in 2017. "Control and field devices from the likes of Emerson, Honeywell, and Siemens are used to integrate disparate technologies, as well as regulate, manage, and accomplish industrial automation," says Philip Solis, Research Director at ABI Research. "Robots from companies like ABB, Fanuc Corporation, Kuka Robotics Corporation, and Yaskawa Electric Corporation make up a small fraction of yearly industrial automation device shipments but account for a disproportionally large amount of revenue due to their high costs." The automotive sector, which historically invests heavily in robotics and other automation technology for manufacturing purposes, is and will continue to be the leading acquirer of control and field devices for automation technologies. Other classes of manufacturers, like food producers, as well as non-manufacturing industries, such as logistics, are also adopting automation technologies at a rapid rate. "The Asia-Pacific region, particularly Chinese manufacturers, will be responsible for much growth moving forward," concludes Solis. "Regional manufacturers are now relying on automation to try to offset a dramatic rise in Chinese worker wages and combat the declining numbers of age-appropriate employees in the workforce. Labor pool variability is another key growth factor that will undoubtedly lead to increased levels of automation technology among Chinese manufacturers in the coming years." These findings are from ABI Research's Industrial Automation and Robotics (https://www.abiresearch.com/market-research/product/1026934-industrial-automation-and-robotics/) report. About ABI Research ABI Research stands at the forefront of technology market research, providing business leaders with comprehensive research and consulting services to help them implement informed, transformative technology decisions. Founded more than 25 years ago, the company's global team of senior and long-tenured analysts delivers deep market data forecasts, analyses, and teardown services. ABI Research is an industry pioneer, proactively uncovering ground-breaking business cycles and publishing research 18 to 36 months in advance of other organizations. For more information, visit www.abiresearch.com. Contact Info: Mackenzie Gavel Tel: +1.516.624.2542 [email protected] SOURCE ABI Research Related Links http://www.abiresearch.com NEW YORK, March 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- iStar (NYSE: STAR) announced today that it has agreed to sell at par $375 million aggregate principal amount of its 6.00% Senior Unsecured Notes due April 2022. The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the offering and cash on hand to repay in full its 5.85% Senior Notes due March 2017, to redeem in full its 9.00% Senior Notes due June 2017 and to pay related expenses. BofA Merrill Lynch, J.P. Morgan, Barclays, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, Raymond James and Wells Fargo Securities are the joint book-running managers for the offering. The notes will be issued pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement that was previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the offered notes, nor shall there be any sale of the notes in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction. The notes will be offered by means of the preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus for the offering. Electronic copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus for the offering may be obtained for free by searching the SEC online database (EDGAR) on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus for the offering may be obtained by contacting the joint book-running managers at the following addresses or telephone numbers: BofA Merrill Lynch NC1-004-03-43 200 North College Street, 3rd Floor Charlotte, NC 28255-0001 Attn: Prospectus Department [email protected] 1-800-294-1322 (toll free) J.P. Morgan 383 Madison Avenue, 3rd Floor New York, New York 10179 Attention: Syndicate Desk [email protected] 1-800-245-8812 (toll free) Barclays c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions 1155 Long Island Avenue Edgewood, New York 11717 [email protected] 1-888-603-5847 (toll free) SOURCE iStar Related Links http://www.istarfinancial.com NEWARK, Calif., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ITRenew, an industry leader in IT asset disposition (ITAD) and data sanitization software for large-scale data center decommissioning, today announced that the company's patent non-infringement lawsuit brought against Blancco Technology Group has been dismissed. Blancco had been court-ordered to file infringement claim by March 2, 2017, which would have required the company to produce actual evidence of infringement. Blancco instead filed stipulation for voluntary dismissal after two separate examinations of ITRenew's Teraware by a third-party digital forensics expert found no evidence of infringement of a Blancco patent covering a particular method for erasing data from solid-state drives (SSDs). "It is extremely unusual in such cases that a countersuit asserting actual infringement is not filed, which speaks clearly to the irresponsible allegations made by Blancco," said Aidin Aghamiri, vice president of corporate strategy at ITRenew. "By filing the voluntary dismissal, Blancco effectively retracts its unfounded allegations, but that's not what the company will lead the public to believe." With no good faith basis to assert counterclaims, Blancco contends in a press release it issued last week that Teraware uses compressible data, and any system that uses data compression is a security liability. According to ITRenew's director of product management Matt Mickelson, who was closely involved in technical analysis of the patent claims, Blancco's position is both inaccurate and misleading. "ITRenew does not subscribe to the hype of telling customers an uncompressible data overwrite will eliminate the risk of data breach, as it fails to do so for flash-based storage," said Mickelson, chief architect of Teraware's SSD sanitization scheme. "After careful review of the Blancco patent in question, it was immediately understood that the patented process does in fact allow for a degree of compression. It furthermore executes a firmware erasure command, which would not be necessary if the technique of overwriting uncompressed data were sufficient and absolute." Mickelson further addresses the issue of compressible data in the blog post 3 Vulnerabilities of SSD Data Sanitization. "Innovation is core to everything we do, and begins with the realization there's a better way to do things," said Aghamiri. "Just because we developed a better process does not mean we infringed a patent. Just because we're not tied to 20-year-old thinking does not mean our process is vulnerable. The certifications we've achieved, and the customer base we've established, validate Teraware among true experts in the field, and on the ability to perform in the most technologically-demanding IT environments. Our clients operate the most hyperscaled data centers in the world and cannot afford to take weeks to erase data onsite, only for that process to fail half the time. We had to build a better mousetrap, and we did." In October 2014, ITRenew's Teraware became the first software forensically-certified to erase SSDs when an ADISA Product Claim Test of Teraware showed that data was not retrievable by a Test Level 2 forensic attack. ADISA, a leading accreditation body for the ITAD industry, tested several other erasure tools, including Blancco's. More than two years later, Teraware remains the only data erasure solution to have passed Risk Levels 1, 2, 3 and 4 (High) and Test Levels 1 and 2 for the forensic-level sanitization of SSDs. According to Mickelson, ITRenew is currently engaged in the largest independent forensic-analysis study of data sanitization technology. "We're confident the certified results will further distance Teraware from other erasure software for enterprise-grade data sanitization." For additional information on the patent non-infringement lawsuit (5:16-cv-03221) filed against Blancco in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, read ITRenew's press release and FAQ. About ITRenew's Teraware ITRenew developed Teraware in 2007 to solve a need for enterprise-grade data sanitization. Teraware has been adopted by the world's largest cloud companies as the default data erasure solution due to its cutting-edge architecture and feature set. This includes the ability to erase 100,000 hard drives in as few as four hours, with an industry-best 95-plus percent erasure success rate, compared to only a 50-60 percent success rate by other leading erasure tools. Teraware has been recognized by Gartner as a competitive differentiator and is used to sanitize more than four million drives a year. About ITRenew Headquartered in the heart of Silicon Valley, ITRenew supports the onsite data erasure and data center decommissioning needs of some of the most large-scale, data-rich, privacy-obsessed organizations on the planet. Our technology-driven approach streamlines traditional ITAD processes to deliver superior data and asset security, value recovery and IT sustainability. To learn more, visit ITRenew.com. Media contact: David Nadsady Vice President of Marketing 216.404.2390 [email protected] SOURCE ITRenew Related Links http://www.itrenew.com SALT LAKE CITY, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- OrthoGrid Systems, Inc., a leading innovator of medical imaging technology for orthopedics, is excited to announce its exhibition at Booth #649 on March 15-17 at the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) 2017 Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA. HipGrid OrthoGrid will be showcasing its unique and proprietary HipGrid System, a patented image-enhancement device engineered to help orthopedic surgeons improve acetabular cup angle, leg length, and hip offset. The HipGrid System has also been shown to reduce average surgical time and is widely utilized in the Direct Anterior Approach Hip Arthroplasty, a fast-growing technique that accounts for nearly a third of all hip replacement surgeries in the USA.1 In addition to the HipGrid System technical exhibit, OrthoGrid is pleased to offer an educational lecture by renowned physician John Masonis, MD, of OrthoCarolina in Charlotte, NC, in which he will discuss the effective use of fluoroscopy in Direct Anterior Approach Hip Arthroplasty and the proper application of OrthoGrid's HipGrid System. "OrthoGrid's unique HipGrid System has tremendous potential to aid physicians with implant positioning and component placement in total hip arthroplasty procedures. By attaching directly to mobile C-Arm systems and providing instantaneous feedback, surgeons can anticipate greater confidence in limb alignment and leg length, two key metrics that directly influence surgical outcomes and patient satisfaction," explained Edouard Saget, President of OrthoGrid Systems." The HipGrid is available for sale in the USA through OrthoGrid's rapidly expanding distributor network. Please visit our website at www.orthogrid.com to learn more about our company and how to schedule a free product trial. Reference: Gililland JM, Anderson LA, Boffeli SL, Pelt CE, Peters CL & Kubiak EN. 2012. A Fluoroscopic Grid in Supine Total Hip Arthroplasty: Improving Cup Position, Limb Length and Hip Offset. J Arthroplasty, Sep 27 (8 Suppl): 111-6. About OrthoGrid Systems, Inc. OrthoGrid Systems is a rapidly expanding global leader in orthopedic imaging technology with specialized applications available or in development for hip arthroplasty, trauma, knee replacement, and other common procedures performed over 1 million times per year in aggregate in the USA and 3 million times globally. OrthoGrid helps to overcome the limitations of traditional low resolution, distorted imaging technology by providing computerized image correction and image guidance direction to physicians performing orthopedic procedures. Learn more about OrthoGrid and our products by visiting our website at www.orthogrid.com. Media Contact: Edouard Saget, President Email: [email protected] Phone: 801-703-5866 SOURCE OrthoGrid Systems Related Links http://www.orthogrid.com LAKE GENEVA, Wis., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Come join The Jacobson Group as the Insurance Journal & Demotech host the 2017 Super Regional Conference. Jacobson is proud to sponsor a tote bag giveaway. This event is held at the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin from July 16 - July 18, 2017. The firm's Greg Jacobson, chief executive officer, and Jamie Elgas, engagement director, will also delve into the changing talent landscape in the insurance industry. Their session will provide an insider's view of best practices and strategies for successfully navigating today's evolving recruitment and staffing challenges. The conference theme is "Finding Your True North", and kicks off with a Keynote address by Tony Markel, Vice Chairman of Markel Corp. You will get direction in "Finding Your True North" through workshops such as: InsureTech panel - Robert Mozeika (Munich Reinsurance America, Inc.), Brian Cohen (Altamont Capital Partners), Laird Rixford (ITC), Martha Notaras (XL Catlin Ventures) - (Munich Reinsurance America, Inc.), (Altamont Capital Partners), Laird Rixford (ITC), (XL Catlin Ventures) Cyber Security - Jason Smolanoff (Kroll), and David Garrett (Tensyl Security) (Kroll), and (Tensyl Security) Talent That Takes You North: The Changing Landscape of Human Capital - Greg Jacobson and Jaime Elgas (The Jacobson Group) - and (The Jacobson Group) Autonomous Vehicles panel - Peter Rafferty ( University of Wisconsin Madison), Joe Schneider (KPMG Corporate Finance), Ryan Purdy (Merlinos & Associates) ( Madison), (KPMG Corporate Finance), (Merlinos & Associates) Reinsurance Britt Newhouse ( Guy Carpenter ) and others TBA ( ) and others TBA Big Data panel TBA. More information and the link to register is at www.superregional.net. Register by March 31, 2017 to receive the early bird discount! We look forward to seeing you there! About The Jacobson Group The Jacobson Group is the leading global provider of insurance talent. For more than 45 years, we have been connecting insurance organizations with professionals from the board room to the back room on both a permanent and temporary basis. We offer a variety of solutions including executive search, professional recruiting, emerging talent, RPO, temporary staffing, subject matter experts, and onsite and work-at-home operations support. Regardless of the need or situation, Jacobson is the insurance talent solution. Further information is available at jacobsononline.com. About Demotech, Inc. Demotech, Inc. is a financial analysis firm specializing in evaluating the financial stability of regional and specialty insurers. Since 1985, Demotech has served the insurance industry by assigning accurate, reliable and proven Financial Stability Ratings (FSRs) for Property & Casualty insurers and Title underwriters. Demotech's philosophy is to review and evaluate insurers based on their area of focus and execution of their business model rather than solely on financial size. Visit www.demotech.com for more information. About Insurance Journal Insurance Journal is a member of Wells Media Group, Inc., which serves the property/casualty insurance industry. In addition to national and regional Insurance Journal magazines; Insurance Journal is home to the P/C insurance industry's highest trafficked website, www.InsuranceJournal.com. Wells Media's services also include Carrier Management, a website and magazine network for P/C carrier executives; a website, www.ClaimsJournal.com, for P/C claims professionals; an online database of available P/C markets, www.MyNewMarkets.com; a media site featuring insurance industry videos and podcasts, www.InsuranceJournal.TV; and the Academy of Insurance (www.IJAcademy.com), an online learning center for P/C insurance professionals. SOURCE Demotech, Inc. Related Links http://www.demotech.com CINCINNATI, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) today announced that Mike Schlotman, Kroger's executive vice president and CFO, will address investors at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Consumer & Retail Tech Conference on Wednesday, March 15, 2017 at 1:50 p.m. (ET). The presentation will be broadcast online at ir.kroger.com. Click on "Events, Presentations & Webcasts" to access the event. The presentation will be available in an archived format for one week following the conference. Every day, the Kroger Family of Companies makes a difference in the lives of eight and a half million customers and 443,000 associates who shop or serve in 2,796 retail food stores under a variety of local banner names in 35 states and the District of Columbia. Kroger and its subsidiaries operate an expanding ClickList offering a personalized, order online, pick up at the store service in addition to our 2,255 pharmacies, 784 convenience stores, 319 fine jewelry stores, 1,445 supermarket fuel centers and 38 food production plants in the United States. Kroger is recognized as one of America's most generous companies for its support of more than 100 Feeding America food bank partners, breast cancer research and awareness, the military and their families, and more than 145,000 community organizations including schools. A leader in supplier diversity, Kroger is a proud member of the Billion Dollar Roundtable. SOURCE The Kroger Co. Related Links http://www.kroger.com SAN FRANCISCO, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- AdsWizz, the leading technology provider of advertising solutions for premium digital audio publishers, and PodcastOne, the nation's largest advertiser-supported podcast network, announced today a new partnership that allows PodcastOne to offer its advertisers dynamic audio advertising with unique one-to-one targeting abilities. The relationship leverages PodcastOne's more than 400 million monthly impressions and AdsWizz's suite of audio-centric technology products, including Audio Ad Insertion Software (AIS) for on-demand content, AudioServe for campaign management, and PodWave, the largest marketplace for podcast audio inventory, to increase monetization of inventory at scale. The expanded global dynamic insertion capabilities will also be utilized for the new PodcastOne Australia platform, launching soon. Norman Pattiz, Founder and Executive Chairman of PodcastOne said, "Working with AdsWizz is yet another example of our ability and commitment to use the best third-party solutions available in the industry. From the very beginning, we concluded that it was best to provide advertisers with the latest technology and choices to not only measure audience, but be at the leading edge of emerging technology. This allows us to focus on producing and providing audio consumers with the best programming choices in the marketplace. AdsWizz has been a leader and provider of reliable advertiser solutions for years, and is constantly developing new ways to maintain their leadership position. We're a perfect fit." PodcastOne will now be able to provide advertisers with demographic and geographic targeting of 100% of its podcast listeners across all shows, regardless of which platform or device they are listening on. Advertisers can also target behavioral segments, as well as offline versus online consumption. In addition, AdsWizz's programmatic advertising platform will enable PodcastOne to offer its digital audio inventory to the many programmatic buyers that are connected. "We are delighted to work with PodcastOne and provide AdsWizz's technology to further monetize the rapidly-growing consumption of on-demand audio content on their premium network," said Alexis van de Wyer, CEO of AdsWizz. "PodcastOne has been the leader in evangelizing the medium and understanding the needs of advertisers. We look forward to working with them to bring powerful new capabilities to the advertising community." About AdsWizz AdsWizz is the leading technology provider of advertising solutions for the digital audio industry. The company seamlessly connects the digital audio advertising ecosystem with its suite of platforms and software solutions. AdsWizz provides leading audio publishers with its advanced server-side and client-side insertion software, and with its audio-centric adserving and supply-side platforms. AdsWizz also operates the largest premium audio marketplace and provides ad networks and programmatic trading desks with solutions to effectively trade online audio inventory. AdsWizz powers the world's leading digital ad-sale houses, advertisers, and audio publishers. The company is based in San Mateo, California with teams in Europe and Asia. For more information, visit us at http://www.AdsWizz.com/. About PodcastOne PodcastOne, (www.PodcastOne.com) the nation's leading advertiser-supported podcast network, was founded by Norman Pattiz, founder of radio-giant Westwood One. The network currently hosts more than 200 of today's most popular podcasts, including Adam Carolla, Shaquille O'Neal, Steve Austin, Heather and Terry Dubrow, Dan Patrick, Barstool Sports, Dr. Drew, Laila Ali, Neil Strauss, Gabrielle Reece, Penn Jillette, Eddie Trunk, Ross Mathews, Rich Eisen, Chris Jericho, Jay Mohr, TheCHIVE, Jordan Harbinger's The Art of Charm, Laura Ingraham, and the Forbes on PodcastOne Network. Media Contacts: AdsWizz Liz Estrella [email protected] +1.650.576.8286 PodcastOne Amanda Deutchman [email protected] +1.310.858.0888 SOURCE PodcastOne Related Links http://www.PodcastOne.com Lee Stevens, a veteran of two decades in the retirement industry, will join T. Rowe Price on March 31 in the newly created position of Head of Mega & Large Market Retirement Sales. In this role, Stevens will lead the firm's efforts to expand its business in this key segment of the U.S. retirement plan marketplace. Stevens is a widely respected retirement leader with an impressive track record in sales, client satisfaction, distribution strategy, product innovation, and talent development. Prior to joining T. Rowe Price, Stevens worked at JPMorgan Chase & Co. and its predecessor firms from 1987 to 2014. Starting her career in the asset management business, she successfully took on increasing levels of responsibility in JP Morgan's retirement plan business, culminating as Head of Sales and Client Retention. She joined Empower Retirement when it acquired JP Morgan Retirement Plan Services' large-market recordkeeping unit and was responsible for the stewardship of many of the firm's new and legacy JP Morgan marquee clients. In her most recent position, Stevens served as Head of Sales for Great-West Investments and was a member of the firm's executive leadership team. T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services, the firm's full-service recordkeeping unit, has been an industry leader for more than 30 years. It currently serves 1.9 million plan participants across more than 3,600 plans with $156 billion in assets under administration. In recent years, the firm has been expanding its commitment to the business, building out capabilities to serve plans of all sizes and types, adding key talent, and supporting participants through web, mobile and phone channels. The business enjoys industry-leading client satisfaction scores. QUOTES "We are thrilled to have Lee Stevens join our organization. Lee brings vast experience and expertise in the retirement plan business and, in particular, the mega and large plan market," said Kevin Collins, Head of Sales for Retirement Plan Services. "Lee is widely recognized and respected across the retirement industry as a leader of the highest caliber and she has a history of building strong sales and distribution teams and delivering powerful business results. She is precisely the leader we need to expand our presence in the big plan market." "T. Rowe Price remains committed to attracting and retaining the best talent to grow our retirement business," said Aimee DeCamillo, Head of Retirement Plan Services. "Lee Stevens is an exceptional leader and is a key addition to our team focused on attracting new clients." ABOUT T. ROWE PRICE Founded in 1937, Baltimore-based T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. (troweprice.com) is a global investment management organization with $810.8 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2016. The organization provides a broad array of mutual funds, subadvisory services, and separate account management for individual and institutional investors, retirement plans, and financial intermediaries. The company also offers sophisticated investment planning and guidance tools. T. Rowe Price's disciplined, risk-aware investment approach focuses on diversification, style consistency, and fundamental research. SOURCE T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. Related Links http://www.troweprice.com BROOKVILLE, N.Y., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Long Island University's Hornstein Center for Policy, Polling and Analysis released a new poll with information about the emerging global priorities of American voters. While the poll showed narrow support for the United Nations and policies that would allow refugees into the United States, there were very sharp partisan divides on both of those questions. This divide extends into basic questions of national security where Republicans and non-affiliated voters overwhelmingly chose terrorism as the top threat to America's national security while Democrats chose global climate change. "When it comes to how Americans view our place in the world and global priorities, we now see many of the same partisan divisions that were once reserved solely for domestic policy," said LIU Political Science Professor Stanley B. Klein, Director of the Hornstein Center. "This will create new challenges for policy makers." The poll did find one major area of agreement. Regardless of partisan affiliation, Americans overwhelmingly agree that our nation's cyber security is inadequate. When asked if the United States is adequately equipped to defend itself against foreign and domestic cyber-attacks, just 15% of Americans said "yes," while 49% said "no" and 36% said "somewhat." The 12% of Democrats who believe our cyber defenses are adequate nearly mirrored the 15% of unaffiliated voters and 16% of Republicans who share that belief. "Americans come together in their belief that our current cyber security is inadequate," Dr. Klein said. "The American people overwhelmingly agree that we must do more in this critical area." The poll presented a battery of questions covering topics such as global threats, cyber security, immigration and the United Nations. In total 496 Americans 18-80 were surveyed by the poll, which was conducted entirely via SMS text messages and was in the field from February 22nd-28th, 2017. Respondents were asked to rank threats to national security on a 1-5 scale of most threatening to least threatening. The options were: Cyber Attacks from Foreign Entities, Global Climate Change, Nuclear Proliferation, Political Instability and Terrorism. Among those, Terrorism (37% overall), was voted as the most threatening issue- and this trend held true among all demographic groups including age, gender and political affiliation with the lone exception of Democrats, 27% of whom identified Global Climate Change as their top concern. On the topic of whether "The United States should welcome refugees who are displaced due to war or climate change," the breakdown was 37% "Always", 47% "Sometimes" and 16% "Never." There was a strong partisan divide on this issue. While 59% of Democrats believe the United States should "always" welcome refugees, just 12% of Republicans felt that way. A similar partisan divide was shown when respondents were asked "Do you think the United Nations has a positive impact on global affairs?" Respondents answered in the affirmative by a slim margin, with 42% responding "Yes", 17% responding "Unsure" and 40% responding "No." While 65% of Democrats believe the United Nations has a positive impact on global affairs, just 23% of Republicans agree with that sentiment. Finally, respondents were asked "Which foreign language would you encourage younger Americans to learn in order to better equip themselves for a global society?" and were given the choices of Arabic, Chinese, French, Hindi, Russian, Spanish or Other. Overwhelmingly, Spanish (43%) and Mandarin (30%) were the most popular choices. The Steven S. Hornstein Center for Policy, Polling, and Analysis at LIU Post conducts independent, fair and balanced polling, empirical research, and analysis on a wide range of public issues including lifestyle preferences. The Center's goals include informing the community, public and policy makers about critical issues. Future topics will include but are not limited to foreign policy, education, healthcare and the environment. Polling Methodology This Long Island University Steven S. Hornstein Center for Policy, Polling & Analysis poll was conducted February 22nd to February 28th, 2017 entirely by SMS text messages conducted in English to 496 registered voters aged 18-80. Polling data was sorted by age, political affiliation, gender & geographic location in efforts to ensure a nationwide representative sample. This poll has an overall margin of error of +/- 4.4 points. The Steven S. Hornstein Center for Policy, Polling & Analysis is an independent and fully nonpartisan institute directed by Dr. Stanley B. Klein which endeavors to conduct research on a variety of issues affecting the American electorate. Dr. Klein has taught political science for over 50 years at LIU-Post bringing extensive experience in politics, government, and academia to the work done here at the Steven S. Hornstein Center. For more information, contact [email protected]. About Long Island University (LIU) LIU is one of the nation's largest private universities. Since 1926, LIU has provided high quality academic programs taught by world-class faculty. LIU offers 500 accredited programs to more than 20,000 students and has a network of over 200,000 alumni, including leaders in industries across the globe. Visit liu.edu for more information. STEVEN S. HORNSTEIN CENTER FOR POLICY, ANALYSIS, AND POLLING at LIU POST NATIONAL SURVEY RESULTS Q1: Of the options displayed below, please rank in order from most threatening (1) to least threatening (5) issue to United States national security? % Ranked as #1 Concern Cyber Attacks from Foreign Entities 18% Global Climate Change 18% Nuclear Proliferation 17% Political Instability 11% Terrorism TERRORISM AS #1 AMONG DIFFERENT DEMOGRAPHIC GROUPS: MEN WOMEN REPUBLICANS NO POLITICAL PARTY 37% 37% 37% 58% 36% Q2 Specific to the topic of cyber security, do you believe that the United States is adequately equipped to defend itself against foreign and domestic cyber-attacks? (OVERALL) % Yes 15% No 49% Somewhat 13% Q2 Specific to the topic of cyber security, do you believe that the United States is adequately equipped to defend itself against foreign and domestic cyber-attacks? (AMONG MEN) % Yes 13% No 49% Somewhat 37% Q2 Specific to the topic of cyber security, do you believe that the United States is adequately equipped to defend itself against foreign and domestic cyber-attacks? (AMONG WOMEN) % Yes 16% No 48% Somewhat 34% Q2 Specific to the topic of cyber security, do you believe that the United States is adequately equipped to defend itself against foreign and domestic cyber-attacks? (AMONG DEMOCRATS) % Yes 12% No 47% Somewhat 33% Q2 Specific to the topic of cyber security, do you believe the that the United States is adequately equipped to defend itself against foreign and domestic cyber-attacks? (AMONG REPUBLICANS) % Yes 16% No 50% Somewhat 32% Q2 Specific to the topic of cyber security, do you believe the that the United States is adequately equipped to defend itself against foreign and domestic cyber-attacks? (AMONG NO PARTY AFFILIATION) % Yes 15% No 47% Somewhat 37% Q3: The United States should welcome refugees who are displaced due to war or climate change (OVERALL) % Always 37% Sometimes 47% Never 16% Q3: The United States should welcome refugees who are displaced due to war or climate change (AMONG MEN) % Always 36% Sometimes 47% Never 16% Q3: The United States should welcome refugees who are displaced due to war or climate change (AMONG WOMEN) % Always 38% Sometimes 15% Never 16% Q3: The United States should welcome refugees who are displaced due to war or climate change (AMONG DEMOCRATS) % Always 59% Sometimes 37% Never 2% Q3: The United States should welcome refugees who are displaced due to war or climate change (AMONG REPUBLICANS) % Always 12% Sometimes 59% Never 27% Q3: The United States should welcome refugees who are displaced due to war or climate change (AMONG NO PARTY AFFILIATION) % Always 38% Sometimes 45% Never 16% Q4: Do you think United Nations has a positive impact on global affairs? (OVERALL) % Yes 42% No 40% Unsure 17% Q4: Do you think United Nations has a positive impact on global affairs? (AMONG MEN) % Yes 43% No 38% Unsure 18% Q4: Do you think United Nations has a positive impact on global affairs? (AMONG WOMEN) % Yes 40% No 41% Unsure 17% Q4: Do you think United Nations has a positive impact on global affairs? (AMONG DEMOCRATS) % Yes 65% No 21% Unsure 13% Q4: Do you think United Nations has a positive impact on global affairs? (AMONG REPUBLICANS) % Yes 23% No 56% Unsure 20% Q4: Do you think United Nations has a positive impact on global affairs? (AMONG NO PARTY AFFILIATION) % Yes 42% No 40% Unsure 17% Q5: Which foreign language would you encourage younger Americans to learn in order to better equip themselves for a global society? (OVERALL) % Arabic 8% French 2% Hindi 1% Mandarin- Chinese 30% Russian 2% Spanish 43% Other 13% SOURCE Long Island University Related Links http://liu.edu JACKSONVILLE, Fla., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- MarketingSherpa split 2,400 U.S. consumers into two groups. One group of 1,200 was asked, "Thinking about companies that you are generally satisfied with their products/services, how often do you do the following?" The other group of 1,200 was asked, "Thinking about companies that you are generally unsatisfied with their products/services, how often do you do the following?" Each group was then asked, "How reliable are [chosen company's] products/services?" The most frequent response from satisfied customers (43%) was "very reliable," or a five out of five on the scale of reliability. The most frequent response from unsatisfied customers (34%) was "fairly reliable," or a three out of five on the scale of reliability. The MarketingSherpa article, "Product Development Chart: A 'minimum viable product' is not enough to satisfy customers" includes the full data along with an analysis. In the article, Daniel Burstein, Senior Director of Editorial Content, MarketingSherpa, said, "What really stands out to me about this data is how it is distributed. If a reliable product or service had the same effect on satisfaction as an unreliable product, we would expect the satisfied and unsatisfied customers to mirror each other." "But we don't see that. The responses for satisfied customers skew heavily towards reliability while the responses from unsatisfied customers were much more evenly distributed. In other words, it takes much more to win over a customer than to lose her. You need a very reliable product to satisfy a plurality of customers, but will lose a plurality of customers with even a fairly reliable product. Three out of five just isn't good enough," Burstein said. The data is from the MarketingSherpa Customer Satisfaction Research study of 2,400 consumers, sampled to reflect a close match to the U.S. population's demographics, conducted in September and October 2016 during the planning of MarketingSherpa Summit 2017's content. Half of the respondents (1,200) were asked to reflect on their experiences with a specific brand with which they are highly satisfied along with companies they were satisfied with in general, and the other half (1,200) were questioned about a brand with which they are not satisfied and companies they are unsatisfied with in general. The responses of these two groups were then compared and contrasted against each other. The respondents from each age group, the Silent Generation (71-93); Baby Boomers (52-70); Generation Xers (34-51); and Millennials (18-35) were nearly evenly split between the paired surveys. View the entire study at MarketingSherpa.com/ConsumerStudy. For questions regarding the survey or its methodology, please contact Erin Donker at [email protected]. About MarketingSherpa Summit 2017 MarketingSherpa Summit 2017 is a showcase of inspirational stories of customer-first marketing. Building off Email Summit's heritage, the four-day 2017 Summit, taking place at the ARIA Resort in Las Vegas from April 10-13, 2017, will highlight some of the most successful digital marketing campaigns using email, data, mobile, social media and content, including award-winning case studies presented by brand-side marketers. There will be breakout sessions that offer interactive roundtables for marketing technology and messaging tips and advice from industry experts and brand-side marketers, as well as networking opportunities to exchange experiences. MarketingSherpa is a publishing subsidiary of MECLABS Institute. For more information about MarketingSherpa Summit 2017, visit http://marketingsherpa.com/summit2017. About MECLABS Institute Founded in 1997 and based in Jacksonville, Florida, MECLABS Institute is the world's largest research institute dedicated to discovering how people make choices. MECLABS has been involved in direct Research Partnerships with companies throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas since 2001. As an institute focused on offer-response optimization particularly in the field of value exchange, the Institute is dedicated to taking an academic approach to improving the discipline of marketing by teaching its discoveries through workshops, online learning and a graduate-level program in partnership with the University of Florida. MECLABS' two publishing subsidiaries MarketingExperiments and MarketingSherpa publish experiments and provide insights to the marketing community. For more information about MECLABS, visit https://meclabs.com/. SOURCE MarketingSherpa Related Links http://www.marketingsherpa.com LOS ANGELES, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Meetings Questthe nation's longest-running series of educational and networking events for meeting plannershas announced its support for the second annual Global Meetings Industry Day, which is being celebrated April 6 in Africa, Europe and North America. Led by the U.S. Travel Association's Meetings Mean Business Coalition, Global Meetings Industry Day aims to shine a light on the real impact that meetings and events have on businesses, economies and communities. On April 6, meeting professionals, association chapters, corporations, destinations and other supporters will hold events around the world to support this day of advocacy. Events include rallies, press conferences, speaker panels, educational events, award presentations and proclamations. Local chapters of industry organizations and other industry-related companies and partners are encouraged to organize or attend events; engage with local elected officials and business leaders; participate in online conversations; and spread the word through their social media networks. When Meetings Quest is held at the Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey, March 1415, it will reinforce the same principles upon which Global Meetings Industry Day was founded. Hosted by Meet AC and presented by Association News, Meetings Quest will include an Opening Celebration on the iconic Atlantic City Boardwalk, a half-day of hot-topic educational programming featuring expert presenters, a luncheon with a keynote speaker and an afternoon appointment-based expo. Destinations from around the country have committed to exhibit at Meetings Quest, which will allow the meeting planners in attendance to experience Atlantic City and connect with an array of prospective host cities. "Meetings Quest is proud to once again support Global Meetings Industry Day," said Timothy Schneider, president and CEO of Schneider Publishing, which publishes Association News and organizes Meetings Quest. "Despite the uncertainty surrounding the recent travel restrictions, we stand behind the importance of travel as a way to strengthen the meetings and events industry. At Meetings Quest in Atlantic City, we look forward to facilitating valuable face-to-face interaction between meeting planners and destinations from coast to coast." "Hosting Meetings Quest is a great way to promote Atlantic City as a dynamic meetings and conventions destination," said Jim Wood, president and CEO of Meet AC. Click here to read more. For further information, visit MeetingsQuest.com or call (877) 577-3700. Tweet: Celebrate #GMID17 with @MeetingsMeanBiz @MeetingsQuest @Meet_AC bit.ly/2n7ikIe Media Contact: Ann Shepphird Phone number: (310) 577-3700 SOURCE Meetings Quest Related Links http://MeetingsQuest.com PRINCETON, N.J., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Mikros Systems Corporation (OTCQB: MKRS) announced today that it has received a three-year $11.5 million order from the U.S. Navy for engineering and technical support of its ADEPT maintenance workstation. The award is the second Delivery Order issued under Mikros' Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity multi-year $35.1 million contract with the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, IN. The order covers engineering services to provide product support, systems engineering, increased capabilities and upgrades to the more than 200 ADEPT systems currently deployed by the United States Navy. This order will run through 2020. Navy cruisers and destroyers use ADEPT to help maintain and optimize the performance of advanced radars, including the AN/SPY-1 phased array radar used by the Aegis combat system. "This order enables Mikros Systems to continue delivering advanced capabilities to the warfighter," said Chuck Bristow, Mikros Chief Operating Officer. "It will also provide a pathway to increased ADEPT adoption into additional combat systems and ship classes. We look forward to continuing to work with our Navy customer to improve and expand the capabilities of our ADEPT system." Mikros Systems maintains an engineering and development facility in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, and a manufacturing and depot center in Largo, Florida. Mikros Systems Corporation is an advanced technology company specializing in the research and development of electronic systems technology primarily for military applications. Classified by the U.S. Department of Defense as a small business, its capabilities include technology management, electronic systems engineering and integration, radar systems engineering, command, control, communications, computers and intelligence systems engineering, and communications engineering. Mikros' primary business is to pursue and obtain contracts from the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Navy, and other governmental authorities. For more information on Mikros, please visit: www.mikrossystems.com. Important Information about Forward-Looking Statements All statements in this news release other than statements of historical facts are forward-looking statements which contain our current expectations about our future results. Forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties. We have attempted to identify any forward-looking statements by using words such as "anticipates," "believes," "could," "expects," "intends," "may," "should" and other similar expressions. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in all of our forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Such statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause the Company's actual results, events or financial positions to differ materially from those included within or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, changes in business conditions, a decline or redirection of the U.S. Defense budget, significant delays or reductions in appropriations for our projects, the termination of any contracts with the U.S. Government, changes in our sales strategy and product development plans, changes in the marketplace, continued services of our executive management team, our limited marketing experience, competition between us and other companies seeking SBIR grants, competitive pricing pressures, market acceptance of our products under development, delays in the development of products, our ability to adequately integrate our new software offerings into our business model, statements of assumption underlying any of the foregoing, and other factors disclosed in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 and other filings with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to disclose any revision to these forward-looking statements. SOURCE Mikros Systems Corporation Related Links http://www.mikrossystems.com LISLE, Ill., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Army Contracting Command recently awarded Navistar Defense, LLC, two foreign military contracts valued at more than $475 million. The first is to produce and support 40 MaxxPro Dash DXM Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles for Pakistan. The second is to reset, upgrade and support 1,085 long wheel base MaxxPro MRAP Excess Defense Article vehicles for the United Arab Emirates. "MaxxPro vehicles are recognized as the most survivable wheeled vehicles in the U.S. military's fleet," said Kevin Thomas, president and general manager, Navistar Defense. "We are pleased that these important U.S. allies are confident in the MaxxPro's ability to protect their forces allowing them to complete their missions and return home safely." The majority of the work will take place at the company's West Point, Mississippi assembly plant. Delivery is planned to be completed for Pakistan in calendar year 2017 and for U.A.E. in calendar year 2018. Navistar is currently resetting U.S. Army MaxxPro vehicles that have been retained in the Army's enduring fleet at its West Point facility. West Point is also busy producing new Medium Tactical Vehicles for the Afghanistan National Security Forces and other allies based on a contract awarded in August 2015. About Navistar Navistar International Corporation (NYSE: NAV) is a holding company whose subsidiaries and affiliates produce International brand commercial and military trucks, proprietary diesel engines, and IC Bus brand school and commercial buses. An affiliate also provides truck and diesel engine service parts. Another affiliate offers financing services. Additional information is available at www.Navistar.com. SOURCE Navistar International Corporation Related Links http://www.navistar.com The fast-growing Neo Financial has drawn many attention, particularly the capital side subsidiary of the company, "Neo Online", has become the largest online inclusive finance platform in Southern China. On LendIt, CEO Linda Wong concluded that the future of fintech in China lies on mining out the long-tail customers. The most significant value of a company consists in optimizing the discovery process of quality assets. The core value of finance technology lies on optimizing the development of quality assets The fintech development in China is leading the world, generating a huge demand in the fintech investment in Asia Pacific region. As a result, the topics on "China's innovation in fintech" have become a hot trend in LendIt USA this year. Linda Wong, CEO of Neo Financial pointed out that the core strength of internet fintech companies is the ability to develop and discover quality assets. With the slowdown of internet user growth, and the reduction of growth in online traffic, the cost of acquiring a customer is increasing. In addition to that, the major risk of peer-to-peer lending platforms comes from asset sides. The quality of the assets plays a critical role of the company's survival. Therefore, improving the ability of discovering quality assets and the quality of risk management are vital. Neo Financial is transforming its business model from offline to an "online + offline" integration scenario, aiming to shift the current labor-driven business into tech-driven. On the asset side, Neo Financial builds up a network of salesmen throughout the nation, looking for quality microloan applicants. Meanwhile, on the capital side, Neo Financial acquires customers on its online platform, matching the two sides efficiently. By constantly upgrading its AI technology and big-data-facilitated risk management, Neo Capital is in an effort to optimizing the ability of discovering and approving quality assets. Wong also explained that due to the regulations and the vulnerability of a single large asset, small and distributed asset is a must for enhancing risk management. And one of the major risks is the credit of borrowers. If the real credit status of a borrower can be traced and acquired, it is believed that the risk could be kept low. Technology drives the rapid growth of inclusive finance Fintech companies in China have developed inclusive finance platforms in an attempt to grow rapidly. As the existing credit system still has room for improvement, most of the fintech companies invest offline manpower to search for assets, meanwhile developing self-built risk management model to investigate the credit quality of the asset provider, to ensure the safety of the capital flow. However, this business model may lead to the imbalance of asset side. The operation effectiveness is therefore hard to be enhanced. This dilemma has become the general problem of the industry. Some of the companies such as Neo Capital and Ping An Inclusive Finance have embarked on the enhancement of big data and deep learning automation. It seems inevitable for Neo Capital to initiate the transformation through technology. Peng Tie, chairman of Neo Capital disclosed that by utilizing technology, the company is optimizing its business structure and manpower allocation. By clarifying each contact point of its financial service, it can attract more professional service providers to cooperate with Neo Capital, working together to revamp its business model and reduce its operating costs. During LendIt 2017, Wong emphasized that labor-intensive finance companies must reduce its cost by utilizing technology. In order to accomplish two goals: to provide better financial products and services to customers, and to upgrade internal operation, fintech companies must reform their businesses by deploying big data and deep learning technology. The next step: Neo Capital plans for IPO in USA Neo Capital is striving to achieve all-around fintech implementation, aiming to accelerate its business growth. By applying big data technology and artificial intelligence, it can efficiently optimize process of risk management and achieve delicate management of clients and products. The effort would effectively reduce the threshold of its service and the amount of fees charged, further increase its operation efficiency and effectively reach the long-tail market. One of the big data applications is building client personas. To increase the risk management capability, Neo Capital has developed personalized labels for each borrower to gain a better understanding of the object of risk management and reconstruct borrower behavior. The effectiveness of big data-facilitated risk management is enhanced when knowledge of user habits is mastered. Wong also shared an interesting insight from Neo Capital. The analysis of client personas involves at various stages, including customer acquisition, risk evaluation, and during and after the lending process. With millions of borrowers' data accumulated and mined, Neo Capital discovered that if a customer is in default on a loan, borrowers with closer relations with him/her may have greater chance of being in default as well. With this kind of relation modeling, Neo Capital is able to make good control of the risk. It is believed that Neo Capital will keep focusing on providing inclusive finance to individuals and small-size enterprises in 2017. Due to Neo Financial's advantage in deploying fintech infrastructure and its trustworthy risk management capacity, both the asset and capital sides of Neo Financial have the advantage of delivering quality services in the entire value chain. With its rapid expansion, Neo Capital has revealed consideration of planning for IPO in the US last year. Neo Capital has been in touch with some of the well-known investment banks like JP Morgan. It is believed that Neo Capital has taken the opportunity of participating LendIt USA 2017 as one step further to get acquainted with international capital markets. SOURCE Neo Financial SALT LAKE CITY, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Tech-savvy high school seniors from all over the country who have been accepted to attend Neumont University descend on downtown Salt Lake City this weekend for a taste of STEM-life at Neumont's "Freshman Experience" or as it's known on campus, "FReX." "The weekend is an opportunity to give future students a chance to better understand our unique approach to computer science education," President Shaun McAlmont explains. "The highlight of the weekend is our Project Showcase a must-see tech fair where students display and demonstrate the projects they've developed in a friendly competition." Project Showcase is open to the public and held Friday, March 10 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Neumont University, located at 143 South Main Street in downtown Salt Lake City. However, FReX is about more than student projects. "This is really where students and their families get the reassurance they're making the right choice in higher education," says McAlmont. "Since more than 80 percent of our students are from outside the state [of Utah], FReX is an important opportunity to showoff what a great place Salt Lake is to live and to see that Neumont is different by design." He notes that with recent changes in Washington, D.C. including a new administration and Department of Education leadership, "there are a lot of questions about where private education is headed. But we know that there is a huge demand for computer science degrees." He cites code.org reports that show more than 527,000 open computing jobs nationwide, while last year less than 43,000 computer science students graduated into the workforce. "Our focus has always been and will continue to be preparing students to be career-ready by graduation," says McAlmont. Ninety-seven percent of Neumont graduates are hired within their field within six months of graduation with average starting salaries of $63,000. McAlmont says he's looking forward to addressing prospective students and their families at FReX, where he'll talk more about Neumont's blueprint for success and Neumont's transition process to a new accreditor. He says, "FReX gives accepted students and their families a chance to experience our project-based culture first-hand." He made similar statements earlier this week that can be found on Neumont's blog. More information about Neumont is available at www.neumont.edu. SOURCE Neumont University Related Links http://www.neumont.edu CHICAGO, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Restaurant goers surveyed by Pentallect, a food industry strategy and business improvement firm, in collaboration with its insights partner Critical Mix, are increasingly making food at home versus using restaurants since the election. Specifically, 35% report making food at home more often versus 13% using restaurants more often during the past 90 days. While 47% believe the Trump Administration will be positive for the economy and 38% believe it will be positive for their personal finances, this has not yet led to any noticeable improvement in restaurant performance. Bob Goldin, a Partner at Pentallect, says "46% of our respondents claim to have very little or virtually no discretionary income. This is a huge drag on the restaurant industry, which is highly dependent on discretionary income. In this type of environment, consumers tend eat at home to save money." Goldin also notes that consumers have a growing number of attractive alternatives to restaurants, including meal kits, home delivered groceries, supermarket prepared foods, farmers markets and specialty stores. "In many cases, these new and emerging channels are neutralizing some of the major advantages of restaurants." Despite the current inertia, Pentallect forecasts that restaurants will outperform traditional retail in 2017 as consumer uncertainty over the election's socio-economic impact subsides and restaurants focus on building consumer traffic. Rob Veidenheimer, Pentallect's President, predicts "restaurants, especially independents, will benefit by their innovation, flexibility, quality and broad appeal on multiple dimensions." The firm expects restaurants to grow 3.0 4.0 % and traditional retail 1.0 2.0% this year. About Pentallect Inc. Pentallect is a strategic consulting and business improvement firm that provides an extraordinary breadth of food industry knowledge, drawing on vast food business management experience and broad networks of relationships throughout the supply chain for manufacturers, operators and distributors. The team leverages its expertise to conduct in-depth assessments of clients' business strategies, structures, sales and marketing efforts, supply chains and spending/profitability to provide guidance and actionable insights that will have a direct P&L impact. For more information, visit http://www.pentallect.com or call at 888-651-3104. About Critical Mix Critical Mix provides easy access to highly-targeted global survey respondents, survey programming and data visualization services. Driven by a passion for simplifying data collection, the team at Critical Mix is personally invested in giving clients the ultimate customer service experience. Every project, no matter the size or type, is supported by a team of always-available, experienced market research practitioners who anticipate your needs and provide thoughtful customer care. Service options include a complete spectrum of high-quality data collection tools ranging from sample sources, survey programming and fielding, to report automation and data dashboards. Critical Mix is headquartered in Westport CT and operates globally. Call us at 1-800-651-8240 or email [email protected]. Media Contact: Bob Goldin P: 312.286-6506 E: [email protected] Related Images image1.jpg image2.jpg This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com. SOURCE Pentallect Inc. Related Links http://www.pentallect.com RALEIGH, N.C., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- House Bill 36 in the North Carolina General Assembly is meeting fierce opposition from medical doctors across the state. A recent article in the Raleigh News & Observer highlights that optometristsnon-medical doctorsare seeking to perform eye surgery with lasers and scalpels. Optometrists are trained in basic vision care services. But unlike ophthalmologists who are medical doctors and surgeons, optometrists do not go to medical school and do not undergo surgical residency training where medical doctors train to become surgeons. "House Bill 36 needlessly lowers the standards of patient safety and quality eye care in North Carolina," said Sara Stoneburner, M.D., a practicing ophthalmologist in Greensboro, and President of the North Carolina Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons. "There are no simple surgeries or procedures involving the eye. Every eye is unique and eye surgery requires a level of expertise that can only be gained through rigorous medical education, surgical training and clinical experience. Ophthalmologists are the physicians who are qualified to perform eye surgery and prepared to manage surgical complications that can and do occur," said Stoneburner. "Whether you use a blade or laser, surgery is surgery," stated Stoneburner. "What patients and lawmakers alike must realize is that mastering the use of a laser requires the same, if not more, practice and experience as using a surgical scalpel. Lasers are surgical instruments that cut as deeply and as sharply as any blade. Optometrists simply do not undergo the training required to perform surgery safely. When it comes to any surgery, especially on or near the eyes, there's no such thing as 'simple" surgery," Stoneburner remarked. HB 36 is currently under consideration by the North Carolina House Health Committee. Radio advertisements (listen here) began airing on March 8th across the state aimed on educating the public on the dangers to patient safety associated with the legislation. Members of the media seeking comment from North Carolina physicians are asked to contact Dee Stewart at 919-828-6455 or [email protected]. CONTACT: Dee Stewart 919.828.6455 [email protected] SOURCE North Carolina Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons MAHWAH, N.J. and SAN FRANCISCO, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Capacity Group of Companies and EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants, a unique and innovative national retail insurance brokerage and employee benefits consulting firm, announced today that they have joined forces. Established in 1990, The Capacity Group has grown to become one of the largest full-service independent insurance brokerage groups in the nation. Operating multiple brands from 15 locations across the country, The Capacity Group has assembled some of the world's top-rated providers of specialty insurance and financial services solutions. Today, they are a nationally recognized industry leader and one of the nation's fastest-growing full-service insurance brokerage groups. EPIC, founded in 2007, is already one of the 20 largest U.S. retail insurance brokers and ranks #26 among the top commercial insurance broker/consultants globally, with a belief in and reputation for service excellence, innovation, community, collaboration and having fun - all in the interest of being a "people first" (clients and team members) organization. "The Capacity Group has been delivering strategic guidance and service around the risk management, insurance and benefit consulting needs of our clients for more than 25 years," said The Capacity Group's President and Chief Executive Officer Robert Lull. "We believe the decision to join EPIC will help us deliver an even broader and deeper set of capabilities and added value to our clients, with the same commitment to service delivery excellence that has always been a hallmark of our firm. We are thrilled to join forces with a unique and successful company like EPIC." As part of EPIC, the firm will now operate as The Capacity Group an EPIC Company, and the Capacity Group's leadership team will continue to play vital roles within the larger EPIC organization. Said EPIC CEO, John Hahn, "We found a strong cultural partner in The Capacity Group, in an important and highly desirable region where we have wanted to be an even larger partner in the community and see strong opportunities for growth. The Capacity Group, under the leadership of their executive team alongside their impressive team of owner-operators, will add significant value to our clients across the country and create further opportunities for our employees' long-term growth and career success." EPIC Northeast Region President Thomas O'Neil added, "In addition to the integration and expansion of our respective capabilities, The Capacity Group provides a strong platform in the Northeast to extend our risk management, property casualty insurance, employee benefits consulting, program solutions and private client services to companies across the region and nationally." The addition of The Capacity Group significantly expands EPIC's capabilities, adding more than 280 top professionals in an additional 15 locations and a strong client base centered in the Northeast. About The Capacity Group an EPIC Company: The Capacity Group an EPIC Company offers an expansive range of standard and customized insurance and financial products, while providing superior customer service for all types of businesses, industries, and individuals. It has a diversified insurance distribution and product platform in Retail, Wholesale and Specialty Program business, as well as all types of personal, commercial, specialty and benefits lines of business. Headquartered in Mahwah, N.J. the firm has grown organically and through a series of acquisitions and strategic partnerships to become one of the 100 largest insurance brokerage firms in the U.S. It is currently ranked number 39 by Business Insurance Magazine, and is among the Top 25 privately held brokerage firms in the U.S. according to Insurance Journal Magazine. For additional information, please visit https://capcoverage.com/ About EPIC: EPIC is a unique and innovative retail property & casualty and employee benefits insurance brokerage and consulting firm. EPIC has created a values-based, client-focused culture that attracts and retains top talent, fosters employee satisfaction and loyalty and sustains a high level of customer service excellence. EPIC team members have consistently recognized their company as a "Best Place to Work" in multiple regions across California and as a "Best Place to Work in the Insurance Industry" nationally. EPIC now has more than 1,000 team members operating from offices across the U.S., providing Property Casualty, Employee Benefits, Specialty Programs and Private Client solutions to more than 20,000 clients. With more than $250 million in revenues, EPIC ranks among the top 20 retail insurance brokers in the United States. Backed by the Carlyle Group, the company continues to expand organically and through strategic acquisitions across the country. For additional information, please visit http://www.epicbrokers.com/. MEDIA CONTACTS: Dave Hock, of EPIC 650.295.4608 [email protected] Nicole Conley 408.295.4309 x104 [email protected] *LOGO for media: Send2Press.com/mediaboom/17-0309s2p-capacity-epic-300dpi.jpg This release was issued through Send2Press, a unit of Neotrope. For more information, visit Send2Press Newswire at https://www.Send2Press.com SOURCE EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants Related Links http://www.epicbrokers.com The 14-day sailing departed from Miami on March 7 and will continue on to Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Panama Colombia, and the Cayman Islands. Oceania Cruises has two more sailings to Cuba scheduled this March and six scheduled for this autumn. For more information about Oceania Cruises and their inaugural season of voyages to Cuba, call 855-OCEANIA (855-623-2642) or contact a professional travel agent. About Oceania Cruises Featuring a fleet of intimately luxurious ships, Oceania Cruises offers an unrivaled vacation experience renowned for the finest cuisine at sea and destination-rich itineraries spanning the globe. Seasoned world travelers are drawn to Oceania Cruises' expertly crafted voyages, which call on more than 370 ports across Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific and the Americas. Spacious and elegant accommodations aboard the 684-guest Regatta, Insignia, Nautica, and Sirena and the 1,250-guest Marina and Riviera invite guests to explore the world in unparalleled comfort and style. SOURCE Oceania Cruises Related Links http://oceaniacruises.com SILICON SLOPES, Utah, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Omadi, Inc., the custom mobile technology leader of towing software, teams up with the International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum (ITRHFM) to help with fundraising activities and to raise awareness for the Survivor Fund. Omadi, Inc., the custom mobile technology leader of towing software, teams up with the International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum (ITRHFM) to help with fundraising activities and to raise awareness for the Survivor Fund. Millions of tows or jobs are run through the Omadi towing software platform annually. Omadi has committed to donating a percentage of each job to the Survivor Fund. This contribution alone will be able to provide assistance to multiple families. The the Wall of the Fallen, a monument to honor towing operators killed in the line of service. Always remember to Slow Down & Move Over when you see a tow truck on the side of the road. Because behind every Tow Truck Operator is a family waiting for them to come home. Omadi donates to the Survivor Fund on a per tow basis. The Survivor Fund was established in 2005 "to provide immediate financial support to the families of these men and women who lose their lives in the line of service in our industry." In recent years, the dangers of towing and roadside assistance have been made very clear. On average, the towing industry loses 60 operators annually making it one of the most dangerous professions in the world. That means, on average, every six days a tow operator leaves home for the last time. Since entering the towing industry in 2013, Omadi has been disheartened by these figures. "Being a custom software, we often spend time with our clients on site helping to implement our product. We've gotten to know these wonderful individuals not simply as clients but friends. It pains us anytime we hear that one of these dedicated professionals loses their life while in the line of duty," said Charles Lukens, CEO of Omadi. "Omadi's mission is to provide uncommon, disruptive, cutting edge technology to the towing industry. This mission also includes any uncommon effort on how we can extend a helpful hand to the industry. Upon learning of the Survivor Fund, we became anxiously engaged in seeking ways to contribute to and promote the fund." Omadi acts as an operating system for towing companies. Millions of tows or jobs are run through the platform annually. Omadi has committed to donating a percentage of each job to the Survivor Fund. This contribution alone will be able to provide assistance to multiple families. Omadi is also working to actively promote the fund through other industry partners, email campaigns, and general awareness of the issue at large. They are also in the process of putting together a contribution match program for their clients making it easier for many more donations to be possible. "We are thrilled about Omadi's involvement with the Survivor Fund," said Lee Roberts, Board Member of the ITRHFM and Co-Chair of the Survivor Fund. "We all wish for the day when there are no more deaths in our profession; however, the reality is that more lives will be lost and more families will be in need. Fortunately, though, with partnerships like this, we will be able to maintain our goal for the Survivor Fund to create a strong and secure perpetual offering to the families of those in the industry when tragedies occur." The Survivor Fund is managed alongside the ITRHFM's industry memorial wall, The Wall of the Fallen. Unveiled in 2006 at the towing museum in Chattanooga, TN, the Wall of the Fallen has already had to add over 400 names to the Wall reinforcing the value and need for the Survivor Fund in the towing industry. To learn more about the Survivor Fund, visit http://internationaltowingmuseum.org/survivor-fund/ About Omadi, Inc. Omadi towing software began when an owner of a towing company searched for a software to help manage his business. Dissatisfied with the available options, he set out to develop his own custom software. The development of Omadi helped his business increase tows and boosted revenue by 300%, from 400K to 1.2 million in the first year. Omadi allows the towing industry to streamline their processes by tracking, analyzing, and increasing employee productivity while enhancing communication and replacing the need for multiple software solutions. To learn more about Omadi's towing software visit http://Omadi.com Media Contact: Joshua Bushnell, 209-33-OMADI [email protected] SOURCE Omadi Mobile Management NEW YORK, March 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The vendors in the optical transceivers industry have invested in high-quality technology and processes to develop leading edge broadband network capability. Internet, enterprise augmented reality, and IoT Drive optical network adoption as the mega data centers are poised for significant growth to support trillion-dollar app markets. Global adoption of the Internet is driving rapid growth of the mega datacenter and the need for very high speed network transmission. Optical transceivers are used to upgrade telecommunications networks and launch very large mega data centers. The development of innovative products is essential to keeping and growing market share. Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04194394-summary/view-report.html An optical transceiver is a single, packaged device that works as a transmitter and receiver. An optical transceiver is used in an optical network to convert electrical signals to optical signals and optical signals to electrical signals. Optical transceivers are widely deployed in optical networking for broadband. Optical transceiver manufacturers test to ensure that their optical transceivers have compliance with the defined specifications. Testing of key optical parameters: transmitter optical power and receiver sensitivity is a big deal. According to Susan Eustis, leader of the team that prepared the research, "Optical transceiver markets are driven by the use of broadband in every industry. Video, Internet adoption, and tablets drive demand for broadband. Markets are influenced by apps, augmented reality. IoT, the move to cloud computing and the adoption of smart phones by 9.5 billion people by 2020. Mega data centers that support online commerce, streaming video, social networking, and cloud services for every industry are expected to adopt optical transceivers as a fundamental technology. Software as a Service (SaaS) is a primary offering that will leverage optical transceivers in this mega data center." High-speed serial transceivers form the backbone of networks. Communications, servers and many other electronic systems depend on high-speed serial transceivers. Global adoption of the Internet is driving rapid growth of the mega datacenter. Data centers support online commerce, streaming video, social networking, and cloud services. Software as a Service (SaaS) is a primary offering. Leading vendors offer a broad product selection. They are positioned with innovative technology. Optical module manufacturers address the needs of all major networking equipment vendors worldwide. Leading vendors have taken a leading role in transforming the data communications and telecommunications equipment market. The global optical transceiver market at $4.6 billion in 2015 up dramatically from $3.2 billion in 2013 is anticipated to grow to $41.1 billion by 2022 driven by the availability and cost effectiveness of 100 Gbps, and 400 Gbps devices. Next generation optical transceiver devices use less power, are less expensive, and are smarter and smaller. The adoption of widespread use of the 100 Gbps devices, followed by 400 Gbps devices and the vast increases in Internet traffic are core to helping manage change in the communications infrastructure markets. Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04194394-summary/view-report.html About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. http://www.reportlinker.com __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links http://www.reportlinker.com NEW YORK, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On March 8, 2017, Outten & Golden LLP's San Francisco office hosted an award ceremony as part of the firm's Eighth Annual Public Interest Award program. The New York office hosted a similar award ceremony on March 2, 2017. Outten & Golden typically honors one organization each year that is engaged in cutting-edge grassroots activities to protect and enforce the rights of workers, particularly low-wage workers. This year, given the enhanced risks to such workers, the firm decided to honor four organizations, instead of one, that are engaged in resisting actions by the new Administration that adversely affect at-risk workers; each award consists of $17,500. In addition, Outten & Golden has created a Resistance Task Force to coordinate the firm's efforts to protect the interests of such workers. The New York event honored the Council on American Islamic Relations ("CAIR") New York, New York State Youth Leadership Council ("NYSYLC"), and Youth Represent. The awardee in San Francisco was Centro Legal de la Raza. Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) New York is the New York State affiliate of the country's largest Muslim civil rights group. CAIR New York fights for the civil rights of Muslim New Yorkers in every area of life, including in employment discrimination, national security harassment, and hate crimes. To learn more, please visit http://www.cair-ny.org/. New York State Youth Leadership Council (NYSYLC) is an undocumented-youth-led organization in New York. It works to empower immigrant youth through leadership development, grassroots organizing, educational advancement, and self-expression. NYSYLC has long advocated on behalf of undocumented immigrant youth and is committed to protecting their rights and fighting back. To learn more, please visit https://www.nysylc.org/. Youth Represent helps young people who, due to encounters with the criminal justice system, face unfair discrimination as they pursue jobs, education housing, and stable family lives. When our justice system creates barriers to success for young people, Youth Represent uses the law to help them leave the stigma of a criminal record behind. To learn more, please visit http://www.youthrepresent.org/. Centro Legal de la Raza is a comprehensive legal services agency protecting and advancing the rights of immigrant, low-income, and Latino communities through bilingual legal representation, education, and advocacy. Centro Legal promotes access to justice for thousands of individuals and families each year throughout Northern and Central California. To learn more, please visit http://centrolegal.org/. Outten & Golden LLP focuses on advising and representing individuals in employment, partnership, and related workplace matters both domestically and internationally. The firm counsels individuals on employment and severance agreements; handles complex compensation and benefits issues (including bonuses, commissions, and stock/ option agreements); and advises professionals (including doctors and lawyers) on contractual issues. It also represents employees with a wide variety of claims, including discrimination and harassment based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, race, disability, national origin, religion, and age, as well as retaliation, whistleblower, and contract claims. The firm handles class actions involving a wide range of employment issues, including economic exploitation, gender- and race-based discrimination, wage-and-hour violations, violations of the WARN Act, and other systemic workers' rights issues. Outten & Golden has nine practice groups: Executives & Professionals, Financial Services, Sexual Harassment & Sex Discrimination, Family Responsibilities & Disabilities Discrimination, Lesbian Gay Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Workplace Rights, Discrimination & Retaliation, Whistleblower Retaliation, Class & Collective Actions, and WARN Act. Outten & Golden has offices in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, D. C. For media inquiries, contact Managing Partner Wayne N. Outten at (212) 245-1000. www.outtengolden.com SOURCE Outten & Golden LLP Related Links http://www.outtengolden.com LONDON, March 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Plastic additives market projected to register CAGR of 4.9%" The market size of plastic additives is expected to reach USD 50.86 billion by 2021, registering a CAGR of 4.9% between 2016 and 2021. The growth of the plastic additives market is primarily triggered by the rising demand from the packaging sector. The market growth is also attributed to the increasing use of plastic in several other applications. India and China are noteworthy markets as various companies shift their manufacturing facilities to these countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4042226/ "Plasticizers and flame retardants expected to witness high growth during forecast period" Plasticizers and flame retardants are expected to witness high growth in the overall plastic additive market during the forecast period due to increasing consumption in various end-use products such as wires & cables, electrical & electronic devices, automotive designing, cable jacketing, floor & wall coverings, and coating fabrics. "Asia-Pacific projected to be fastest-growing market during forecast period" Asia-Pacific is the largest and fastest-growing market for plastic additives in the world. The growing packaging industry coupled with the increased demand from the retail industry drives the market of plastic additives in the region. Polymer industries are witnessing high growth in developing nations such as India and Brazil. Breakdown of profile of primary interviews for the report - By Company Type Tier 1 30%, Tier 2 43%, and Tier 3 27% - By Designation C Level 21%, Director Level 23%, and Others 56% - By Region North America 37%, Europe 23%, Asia-Pacific 26%, and RoW 14% Some of the key companies profiled in this report are Songwon Industrial Co. Ltd. (South Korea), Albemarle Corporation (U.S.), Clariant AG (Switzerland), BASF SE (Germany), The Dow Chemical Company (U.S.), Bayer AG (Germany), Evonik Industries AG (Germany), Kaneka Corporation (Japan), Lanxess AG (Germany), and others. Reasons to buy this report: From an insight perspective, this research report focused on various levels of analysisindustry analysis (industry trends), market share analysis of top players, supply chain analysis, and company profiles, which together comprise and discuss the basic views on the competitive landscape; emerging and high-growth segments of the plastic additives market; high-growth regions; and market drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges. The report provides insights on the following pointers: - Market Penetration: Comprehensive information on plastic additives offered by the top players in the global plastic additives market - Product Development/Innovation: Detailed insights on upcoming technologies, research & development activities, and new product launches in the plastic additives market - Market Development: Comprehensive information about lucrative emerging markets the report analyzes the markets for plastic additives across regions - Market Diversification: Exhaustive information about new products, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments in the global plastic additives market - Competitive Assessment: In-depth assessment of market shares, strategies, products, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players in the plastic additives market Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4042226/ About Reportbuyer Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers http://www.reportbuyer.com For more information: Sarah Smith Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 208 816 85 48 Website: www.reportbuyer.com SOURCE ReportBuyer Related Links http://www.reportbuyer.com MINNEAPOLIS, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Plus Relocation welcomes four new employees to the Plus leadership team. These hires are part of Plus's strategic growth plan and are aligned with the company's mission to be the world's best relocation company. Ron Labin , CRP, SGMS-T joins Plus as director, global business development. A 20-year veteran of the mobility industry, Labin serves as a valuable resource in building new relationships and helping corporate teams manage global mobility more effectively. Labin is based in the metro- New York City area. "I've admired Plus's research and approach of putting the client and employee experience at the center of everything they do. It's a super-innovative culture and clients love the new approaches they're taking with everything from service technology to long-standing industry issues," Labin states. "I'm really excited to help clients build and sustain world-class, mobility programs with Plus." A 20-year veteran of the mobility industry, Labin serves as a valuable resource in building new relationships and helping corporate teams manage global mobility more effectively. Labin is based in the metro- area. "I've admired Plus's research and approach of putting the client and employee experience at the center of everything they do. It's a super-innovative culture and clients love the new approaches they're taking with everything from service technology to long-standing industry issues," Labin states. "I'm really excited to help clients build and sustain world-class, mobility programs with Plus." Tim Trepkowski joins Plus as senior vice president, global finance. With more than 40 years of progressive experience in accounting and finance, Trepkowski brings a wealth of financial expertise to Plus. He also has more than 15 years of mobility industry experience, having previously served in senior leadership positions within the industry. "Throughout my career, I've helped relocation companies with their global expansion," Trepkowski said. "In my new role, I'll be able to apply my financial expertise as Plus continues to grow globally and assist our clients with their mobility programs. I feel fortunate to be able to contribute to the organization during this exciting time!" With more than 40 years of progressive experience in accounting and finance, Trepkowski brings a wealth of financial expertise to Plus. He also has more than 15 years of mobility industry experience, having previously served in senior leadership positions within the industry. "Throughout my career, I've helped relocation companies with their global expansion," Trepkowski said. "In my new role, I'll be able to apply my financial expertise as Plus continues to grow globally and assist our clients with their mobility programs. I feel fortunate to be able to contribute to the organization during this exciting time!" Tracey Gatlin joins Plus as vice president, global supply chain. In her role, Gatlin manages all aspects of Plus's worldwide supply chain, ensuring that supplier partners provide the best possible service to clients and relocating employees. She comes to Plus with more than 15 years of relocation industry experience and is a certified Six Sigma Green Belt. "I am excited to have joined this experienced Plus global supply chain team during a time of incredible growth," Gatlin said. "I look forward to the continual expansion of our global offices, working with existing partners and identifying new supplier partners to provide the best possible service to clients across the world." In her role, Gatlin manages all aspects of Plus's worldwide supply chain, ensuring that supplier partners provide the best possible service to clients and relocating employees. She comes to Plus with more than 15 years of relocation industry experience and is a certified Six Sigma Green Belt. "I am excited to have joined this experienced Plus global supply chain team during a time of incredible growth," Gatlin said. "I look forward to the continual expansion of our global offices, working with existing partners and identifying new supplier partners to provide the best possible service to clients across the world." Andrew Kubitschek joins Plus as vice president, technology. As technology continues to play a bigger and bigger role in the mobility world, Kubitschek's 20 years of progressive IT experience, as well as his leadership overseeing data security, integration, application development, infrastructure services, and project and program management make him a great fit in Plus's innovative culture. "I am thrilled to be working for a growing, global organization that is already committed to innovative technology," Kubitschek said. "All organizations have an obligation to keep their clients' data safe and secure. I feel honored to be able to proactively manage the security of the data our clients entrust to Plus Relocation." Plus CEO Susan Schneider said of the hires, "All of these leaders bring great value to the Plus team. With their input and expertise, we can continue to be the world's best relocation company as we grow globally." About Plus Relocation Plus Relocation designs and implements completely customized mobility solutions with flawless execution for mid-sized companies to some of the largest, most-recognized brands on the planet. Our clients come from a wide array of industries, and they feature some of the most dynamic mobility programs in the world. We've been in business since 1968, and our innovative, game-changing approach has propelled us to a full-service, global mobility powerhouse with offices located around the world. Our tri-regional model allows us to deliver seamless mobility services in more than 150 countries. To learn more, please visit www.plusrelocation.com. Contact: Stephanie Ottenbacher Plus Relocation 600 Hwy 169 S, Suite 500 Minneapolis, MN 55426 Phone: 1-952-562-8970 [email protected] SOURCE Plus Relocation Related Links http://www.plusrelocation.com LONDON, March 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The market size of PMMA was USD 4.20 billion in 2015 and is projected to reach USD 5.56 billion by 2021, at a CAGR of 4.7% between 2016 and 2021. The market is largely driven by the increased demand from end-use industries. In addition, the rising demand for high quality thermoplastics increases the demand of PMMA, globally. Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4042224/ "Electronics, the fastest-growing application of PMMA" PMMA-based products form a major part of the electronics industry due to its optical properties, strength, structural stability, durability, and resistance to chemical and weathering among others, making them suitable for various applications. They are widely used in LED screens, LCD screens, appliances parts & accessories, and cover panels. Rising demands for electronic devices in Asia-Pacific are expected to boost the market for PMMA in the electronics segment. "Asia-Pacific to dominate the market during the forecast period" The rising demand for high quality plastics is driving the market for PMMA in Asia-Pacific. The market in the region is mainly driven by the increased demand from China and India, where China is the largest market. The major end-use industries, namely, automotive and electronics are gaining momentum in the region, which is increasing the demand of PMMA. Furthermore, the rising demand from the construction industry is estimated to boost the market for PMMA in the region. In the process of determining and verifying the market size for the several segments and subsegments gathered through secondary research, extensive primary interviews have been conducted as follows: - By Company Type: Tier 1 (37%), Tier 2 (50%), and Tier 3 (13%). - By Designation: C-level (50%), Director Level (31%), and Others (19%) - By Region: North America (28%), Europe (33%), Asia-Pacific (22%), Latin America (11%), and the Middle East & Africa (6%). Various key players profiled in the report include Arkema SA (France), Evonik Industries AG (Germany), Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd. (Japan), Saudi Arabia Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) (Saudi Arabia), Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. (Japan), Asahi Kasei Corporation (Japan), Chi Mei Corporation (Taiwan), GEHR Plastics, Inc. (Germany), and Kolon Industries Inc. (South Korea). Reasons to buy this report: This research report is focused on various levels of analysisindustry trends, market share analysis of the key players, supply chain analysis, and company profiles, which together comprise and discuss the overall views on the competitive landscape; emerging and high-growth segments of the PMMA market; high-growth regions; and market drivers, restraints, and opportunities. The report provides insights on the following: - Market Penetration: Comprehensive information on PMMA offered by the key players in the global PMMA market - Product Development/Innovation: Detailed insights on upcoming technologies, R&D activities, and new product launches in the PMMA market - Market Development: Comprehensive information about lucrative emerging markets-the report analyzes the market for PMMA in various regions - Market Diversification: Exhaustive information about new products, untapped regions, recent developments, and investments in the global PMMA market - Competitive Assessment: In-depth assessment of market shares, strategies, products, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players in the PMMA market Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4042224/ About Reportbuyer Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers http://www.reportbuyer.com For more information: Sarah Smith Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 208 816 85 48 Website: www.reportbuyer.com SOURCE ReportBuyer Related Links http://www.reportbuyer.com LONDON, March 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- fluoroethylene (PTFE), a homopolymer of tetrafluoroethylene, is a linear chain polymer of great molecular length, or a "long chain" fluorocarbon, with the chemical formula (CF2CF2)n. PTFE resins have exceptional resistance to high temperatures, chemical reaction, corrosion, and stress-cracking. The mechanical toughness, electrical, and low-friction properties of PTFE make it the plastic of choice for a host of applications and different processing techniques. Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/3769747/ PTFE's vast potential applications in developing world such as China, India, Russia and other emerging countries is a key opportunity for PTFE manufacturers, that would be converted into market demand by new product and application development. Increasing use of novel products like modified PTFE and expanded PTFE in applications such as chemical processing, electrical & electronics, medical devices and filtration is set to increase the global demand for PTFE in the coming years. Micronized PTFE is estimated to be the fastest growing product form owing to the increasing usage in applications including thermoplastics, lubricants and inks. Global market for Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) has reached 165 thousand metric tons in 2015 and is projected to reach 247 thousand metric tons by 2022 at a CAGR of 5.6% between 2016 and 2022. In regard to the market value, global demand for PTFE is projected to touch US$2.9 billion by 2022. Accounting for a share estimated at 53% and equating to 87.4 thousand metric tons in 2015, Asia-Pacific is the leading global consumer of PTFE, which is also likely to post the fastest 2016-2022 CAGR of 7.3%. The chemical processing sector leads the global volume consumption of PTFE with an estimated 50.9 thousand metric tons (30.9% share). In terms of growth, the volume market for PTFE in the automotive & transportation sector is likely to post the fastest 2016-2022 CAGR of 6.9% and reach a projected 34.1 thousand metric tons by 2022. Worldwide market for PTFE product forms explored in this study includes Granular PTFE, PTFE Fine Powders, PTFE Micronized Powders and PTFE Aqueous Dispersions. The report also analyzes the key end-use sectors of PTFE comprising Chemical Processing, Electricals & Electronics, Mechanical/Industrial, Automotive & Transportation, Building & Construction and Other Sectors including such as Medical and Textiles etc. The global markets for the above mentioned product forms, end-use sectors are analyzed in terms of volume in metric tons and value in USD. The report reviews, analyses and projects the Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) market for the period 2012-2022 globally and the regional markets including North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of World. The regional markets further analyzed for 12 independent countries across North America The United States, Canada and Mexico; Europe France, Germany, Italy, Russia and the United Kingdom; and Asia-Pacific China, Japan, India and South Korea. This 342 page global market research report includes 244 charts (includes a data table and graphical representation for each chart), supported with meaningful and easy to understand graphical presentation, of market numbers. This report profiles 12 key global players and 25 major players across North America 3; Europe 5; and Asia-Pacific 17. The research also provides the listing of the companies engaged in manufacturing, processing and compounding of PTFE. The global list of companies covers the address, contact numbers and the website addresses of 108 companies. Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/3769747/ About Reportbuyer Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers http://www.reportbuyer.com For more information: Sarah Smith Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 208 816 85 48 Website: www.reportbuyer.com SOURCE ReportBuyer Related Links http://www.reportbuyer.com Practice fire drills at home . Fire experts agree that people may have as little as two minutes to escape a burning home before it's too late. Every household should create a fire escape plan and practice it until everyone can escape in less than two minutes. Escape plans should also include at least two ways to escape from every room, and a safe spot where family members can meet after leaving the home. . Fire experts agree that people may have as little as two minutes to escape a burning home before it's too late. Every household should create a fire escape plan and practice it until everyone can escape in less than two minutes. Escape plans should also include at least two ways to escape from every room, and a safe spot where family members can meet after leaving the home. Check smoke alarms. Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying from a home fire by half. Test smoke alarms once a month. Change the batteries at least once a year if your model requires it. Place smoke alarms on every level of your home, including inside and outside bedrooms. Launched in October 2014, the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign is a national initiative to reduce deaths and injuries caused by home fires. With the support of thousands of local partners, the Red Cross has helped to save at least 197 lives and installed more than 702,000 smoke alarms in 9,100 communities nationwide. The campaign has made 294,000 households safer and helped create more than 248,000 home fire escape plans. In addition, through programs like The Pillowcase Project, the campaign has helped teach more than 707,000 young people about home fire preparedness and safety. GET INVOLVED Nearly every weekend, the Red Cross is joining with local partners across the country to install smoke alarms and share fire safety information in neighborhoods at high risk for home fires. To volunteer and help keep families safe from home fires, contact your local Red Cross chapter today. Learn more about the Home Fire Campaign in this video featuring the Red Cross's national charity partner, the Harlem Globetrotters. The Red Cross depends on the generous support of the American public to fulfill its crucial mission. Please consider making a donation today by visiting www.redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 gift. People can visit redcross.org to find out more about how to protect themselves and their loved homes from fire or contact their local Red Cross to find out about smoke alarm installation events in their community. About the American Red Cross: The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross. SOURCE American Red Cross Related Links http://www.redcross.org LOS ANGELES, March 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- When a person can't work because of an injury and a claim is initiated, it could take months or years before the injured individual is compensated for the loss of income and incurred medical expenses. How can someone pay basic living expenses and medical bills if they are not able to work? Disability insurance may help to the extent it applies, but it's often insufficient. Rockpoint Legal Funding Many plaintiffs who find themselves in this position dig into their emergency fund (if they have one) or may seek cash from friends and family or possible apply for a bank loan to hold them over. "Another monetary option while waiting for the completion of a case is arranging for pre-settlement funding," says Rockpoint Legal Funding President Ramtin Ghaneeian. "Pre-settlement funding is not a loan. Funding on a personal injury claim is only repaid by case proceeds if the plaintiff wins. If the case does not succeed, the funding does not need to be repaid." In contrast, a loan is a debt that has to be repaid to the lender, typically in monthly installments, regardless of case outcome. "This places the injured plaintiff in a financially vulnerable position because of the burden of high monthly debt payments and the need to pay back the loan even if the case is lost," says Ghaneeian. If the plaintiff defaults, depending on the type of loan, the lender could seize the plaintiff's assets (such as a home or automobile) or take other legal action. Any default would also be recorded on the borrower's credit report. The pre-settlement funding company works closely with the plaintiff's attorney to determine the strength of the case, the likelihood of settlement and a funding amount that would be adequate for the plaintiff. "Unlike a loan obligation, no collateral is necessary to qualify for funding," explains Ghaneeian. "Additionally, credit profiles are not even reviewed because funding is based on the merits of the case. Hence, bad credit is never an issue." With a loan, the borrower incurs fees and interest charges. With pre-settlement funding, the plaintiff pays a previously determined amount upon settlement. For settlement funding questions, visit to Rockpoint Legal Funding, call 855-582-9200 or email [email protected]. This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com. SOURCE Rockpoint Legal Funding Related Links http://rockpointlegalfunding.com LONDON, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Royal Dutch Shell plc (the "Company") (NYSE: RDS.A) (NYSE: RDS.B) announces the following changes to the membership of its Board Committees: AUDIT COMMITTEE Gerrit Zalm, a Non-executive Director, has been appointed a member of the Audit Committee ("AC") with immediate effect. Guy Elliott, a member of the AC, steps down with immediate effect. CORPORATE AND SOCIAL REPONSIBILITY COMMITTEE Guy Elliott, a Non-executive Director, has been appointed a member of the Corporate and Social Responsibility Committee ("CSRC") with immediate effect. Patricia Woertz, a member of the CSRC, steps down with effect from the close of business of the 2017 Annual General Meeting [A]. REMUNERATION COMMITTEE Sir Nigel Sheinwald, a Non-executive Director, has been appointed member of the Remuneration Committee ("REMCO"), with effect from May 24, 2017. Patricia Woertz, a member of REMCO, steps down with effect from the close of business of the 2017 Annual General Meeting [A]. [A] Patricia Woertz has notified the Company of her intention to retire as a Director of the Company and not seek reappointment at the 2017 Annual General Meeting. BOARD COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP Following these changes, the membership of each of the Board Committees is as follows: COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP Euleen Goh (Chair) Audit Committee Gerard Kleisterlee Linda Stuntz Gerrit Zalm Hans Wijers (Chair) Corporate and Social Guy Elliott Responsibility Committee Sir Nigel Sheinwald Charles Holliday (Chair) Nomination and Succession Guy Elliott Committee Linda Stuntz Hans Wijers Gerard Kleisterlee (Chair) Remuneration Committee Sir Nigel Sheinwald Gerrit Zalm March 9, 2017 Linda M. Szymanski Company Secretary Royal Dutch Shell plc LEI number of Royal Dutch Shell plc: 21380068P1DRHMJ8KU70 Classification: Additional regulated information required to be disclosed under the laws of a Member State. ENQUIRIES Shell Media Relations International, UK, European Press: +44-20-7934-5550 Shell Investor Relations Europe: + 31-70-377-4540 United States: +1-832-337-2034 SOURCE Royal Dutch Shell plc LONDON, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Royal Dutch Shell plc (the "Company") (NYSE: RDS.A) (NYSE: RDS.B) announces its intention to propose to the 2017 Annual General Meeting that Catherine Hughes and Roberto Setubal be appointed Non-executive Directors of the Company with effect from June 1, 2017 and October 1, 2017 respectively. Patricia Woertz, appointed a Non-executive Director of the Company in 2014, has notified the Company of her intention to retire and not seek reappointment at the 2017 Annual General Meeting. Chad Holiday, Chair of Royal Dutch Shell plc, said: "The Board is delighted that Catherine Hughes and Roberto Setubal have agreed to join the Board. Catherine and Roberto are distinguished international business leaders and I believe they will bring valuable experience to our Board. "Patricia Woertz has confirmed she will not be standing for reappointment at the 2017 AGM and I would like to take this opportunity to thank her for her commitment and valuable contribution to the Board, the Corporate and Social Responsibility Committee and the Remuneration Committee over the last three years." Catherine J. Hughes Catherine Hughes is a Canadian and French dual national and has more than 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. She served as Executive Vice President International at Nexen Inc. from January 2012 until her retirement in April 2013, where she was responsible for all oil and gas activities including exploration, production, development and project activities outside of Canada. She originally joined Nexen in 2009 where she served as Vice President, Operational Services, Technology and Human Resources. Prior to joining Nexen Inc. she was Vice President Oil Sands at Husky Oil from 2007 to 2009 and Vice President, Exploration & Production Services from 2005 to 2007. Ms Hughes started her career with Schlumberger in 1986 and held key positions in various countries including Italy, Nigeria, UK, US and France and was President of Schlumberger Canada Limited for five years based in Calgary. She served as a Non-executive Director of Statoil from 2013 to 2015, and currently is a Non-executive Director of Precision Drilling Corp. and SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. Ms Hughes graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering from INSA (Institut National des Sciences Appliquees) Lyon, France. She is a Professional Engineer, as designated by the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta. She is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors and a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors. Roberto Egydio Setubal Roberto Setubal is a Brazilian national and is Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In April 2017, he will retire as Chief Executive Officer and act as Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors. Following a brief period with Citibank in New York, he joined Itau in 1984 where he held a variety of senior roles in individual banking, consumer credit operations and retail banking before being appointed Chief Executive Officer in 1994. Following the merger of Banco Itau and Unibanco in 2008, he was appointed to his current position of President & Chief Executive Officer of Itau Unibanco S.A. Currently, he is President of the Advisory Council of the Brazilian Federation of Bank Associations, a member of the board of the International Monetary Conference (IMC), a member of the board of the Institute of International Finance (IIF), a member of the International Advisory Committee of the New York Stock Exchange, a member of the Economic and Social Development Council of the Presidency of Brazil and a member of the International Business Committee of the World Economic Forum. He also serves as President of the Fundacao Itau Social and as a member of the Instituto Itau Cultural. Previously, he has served as a Non-executive Director of Petrobras S.A, as President of the IMC and as Vice-Chairman of the IIF. Mr Setubal graduated with a degree in Production Engineering from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil and a Master's degree in Science Engineering from Stanford University in the United States. March 9, 2017 Linda M. Szymanski Company Secretary Royal Dutch Shell plc LEI number of Royal Dutch Shell plc: 21380068P1DRHMJ8KU70 Classification: Additional regulated information required to be disclosed under the laws of a Member State. ENQUIRIES Shell Media Relations International, UK, European Press: +44-20-7934-5550 Shell Investor Relations Europe: +31-70-377-4540 United States: +1-832-337-2034 SOURCE Royal Dutch Shell plc ANDOVER, Mass., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Schneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management and automation, today announced it has partnered with Microsoft on the design of a Universal Rack Power Distribution Unit (UPDU), introduced this week at the OCP U.S. Summit 2017 in Santa Clara, California. The co-engineered solution offers a single UPDU to simplify rack power system procurement, inventory management and deployment processes for data center operators managing large, hyperscale and colocation data centers. The UPDU's flexible input connector allows data center operators to use a single power distribution unit across their rack system architecture, which eliminates the need to employ an array of remote power distribution units (rPDUs) with differing densities and geographies. The UPDU also supports a wide range of input power ratings including: 16A 3Ph 400V, 30A 3Ph 208V, 32A 3Ph 400V, 50A 3Ph 208V. "Working closely with Microsoft and within the open source community has enabled Schneider Electric to deliver a truly innovative solution that overcomes real issues seen in large scale global deployments," said Robert Bunger, director of Data Center Standards, Schneider Electric. "The Universal PDU will enable our partners and data center operators to deploy rack scale capacity anywhere in the globe at speeds not seen before, while minimizing project risks." Last year, Schneider Electric unveiled a new portfolio of products and resources aimed at enabling data center managers to make more informed decisions around Open Compute data centers and make implementation easier. The solution is on display at the OCP Summit booth #B16. For more information on Schneider Electric's open source solutions and resource tools, please visit www.schneider-electric.com/ocp. About Schneider Electric Schneider Electric is the global specialist in energy management and automation. With revenues of $26 billion US dollars (25 billion euros) in FY2016, our 160,000+ employees serve customers in over 100 countries, helping them to manage their energy and process in ways that are safe, reliable, efficient and sustainable. From the simplest of switches to complex operational systems, our technology, software and services improve the way our customers manage and automate their operations. Our connected technologies reshape industries, transform cities and enrich lives. At Schneider Electric, we call this Life Is On. www.schneider-electric.com/us Discover Life is On Discover EcoStruxure Hashtags: #LifeIsOn #Innovationateverylevel #OpenCompute #racks #powermanagement Follow us on: https://twitter.com/SchneiderElec https://www.facebook.com/SchneiderElectric?brandloc=DISABLE https://www.linkedin.com/company/schneider-electric https://plus.google.com/+schneiderelectric/posts https://www.youtube.com/user/SchneiderCorporate http://tv.schneider-electric.com/site/schneidertv/index.cfm http://blog.schneider-electric.com/ SOURCE Schneider Electric Related Links http://www.schneider-electric.com CHICAGO, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Shapiro+Raj, the sixth-largest independent insights and inspiration company in North America, today announced that Nizam Sayeed has been promoted to Chief Technology Officer of the firm as well as Managing Director of its Digital Insights and Intelligence Practice (DIIP). Nizam was previously Co-Founder and CTO of MutualMind, a leading provider of real-time social-listening analytics, visualization and engagement solutions. Shapiro+Raj acquired MutualMind in 2016 and combined their digital technologies with its insights products and services to deliver a new level of speed, agility and actionable next-generation insights to its clients. "In today's constantly evolving landscape, finding new and innovative ways to integrate data and technology are becoming the key enablers of getting to powerful insights for our clients. Nizam is a new kind of CTO he's an artist with a data-driven mind. I've been blown away by his ability to jump in and create productized solutions that are allowing us to help our clients get to better answers faster," said Zain Raj, Chairman and CEO of Shapiro+Raj. In his new role, Nizam will lead the technology teams across the Shapiro+Raj network to deliver new products, capabilities and innovations by leveraging new and emerging technologies. He will also be the company's lead evangelist to reframe its point-of-view for this digital age by identifying and partnering with other firms and groups that share similar perspectives, vision and values. "As an avid technologist, I enjoy finding simple and intuitive ways to solve problems through products that connect with users at a very human level. In my new role at Shapiro+Raj, I am getting a unique opportunity to create new and innovative technologies that will push the envelope in the world of research and insights. We've developed Client Learning Centers (CLC) as a platform through which end users can explore, understand and visualize their research data on top of our proven analytics architecture. We launched a Social Adaptive Recruiting functionality to help us identify and recruit respondents that more traditional recruitment firms still find elusive. The S+R Rapid Research product gets us to deeper insights into people and issues with much faster turnaround times than traditional research methods. This growing list of technology-driven capabilities is just the beginning of what we have in store for the future. I am extremely excited to work with the team to innovate, find better ways to understand people, their needs and to disrupt the research industry as a whole." Nizam holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Baylor University. He is a national member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and an active member of the International Rescue Committee's GenR program. For more information on Shapiro+Raj visit www.shapiroraj.com About Shapiro+Raj Shapiro+Raj is the sixth-largest independent insights and inspiration company in North America. Our mission is to help Fortune 500 clients find new and different ways to grow their brands in today's continually reshaping landscape. We have integrated behavioral science principles with behavioral economic capabilities and battle-tested brand marketing experience to creatively connect the dots between what consumers think, feel, say and do. The results are powerful commercially viable insights that identify new pathways for growth. Headquartered in Chicago, the firm has offices in New York, Dallas, and Pune, India. SOURCE Shapiro+Raj Related Links http://www.shapiroraj.com DALLAS, March 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) company, today paid tribute to the U.S. Coast Guard's century of aviation (1916-2016) during which the service successfully adapted the helicopter as a primary life-saving tool for untold thousands of human beings in need of rescue. Sikorsky President Dan Schultz gave the tribute during HAI Heli-EXPO 2017, the world's largest trade show and exposition dedicated to the international helicopter community. Sergei Sikorsky (left) and Sikorsky President Dan Schultz present U.S. Coast Guard aviators Rear Adm. David Callahan and Capt. Joe Kimball with a framed photo of an MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter taking off from Sikorsky's Stratford, Connecticut headquarters on Dec. 7, 2016. The aircraft is painted chrome yellow to commemorate the U.S. Coast Guard's aviation centennial (1916-2016). "The year 2017 begins a second century of aviation for the U.S. Coast Guard in which the uninterrupted beat of rotary wing aircraft will continue to carry some of the most courageous and best trained men and women on the planet into hazardous situations for the purpose of saving human lives," said Dan Schultz. "Their selfless courage in Coast Guard helicopters and aboard other vessels at their command exemplifies humanity's best values at work." U.S. Coast Guard aviators Rear Adm. David Callahan, commander of the Eighth Coast Guard District, and Capt. Joe Kimball, chief of the Office of Aviation Forces, attended the ceremony. The U.S. Coast Guard began accurate record keeping of its helicopter search and rescue (SAR) cases starting in 1993. Since that time, the service has recorded more than 131,000 SAR missions in helicopters, including 36,942 in the Sikorsky H-60 Jayhawk model, which became operational in 1991. "The Coast Guard is proud to be a pioneer and advocate during early rotary-wing aviation, especially for search and rescue," said Callahan. "Coast Guard aviators continue to rely on helicopters to perform missions under hazardous conditions to save lives and property. Countless lives have been saved due to the unique abilities of helicopters, and they will continue to be a valuable asset for the Coast Guard." Sergei Sikorsky, eldest son of company founder Igor Sikorsky, also attended the ceremony. In late 1943, he enlisted as an aviation machinist mate second class assigned to the Coast Guard's first helicopter test squadron at Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, New York. Dangling from a primitive rescue hoist beneath a Sikorsky R4 (HNS-1) helicopter whose design his father, Igor, had flown for the first time in 1939, Sergei placed his absolute trust in his commanding officers, who themselves had received their pilot licenses just months earlier. "There is no doubt in my mind that the Coast Guard pioneered the use of the helicopter as a rescue vehicle," said Sergei. "It was under the leadership of two brilliant men, Commander Frank A. Erickson and Lieutenant 'Stew' Graham, that the rescue hoist and the Erickson basket were developed in 1944-1946, in some cases with me as the test rescuee. The Coast Guard has proven time and time again Igor Sikorsky's prediction that 'the helicopter will prove to be a unique instrument for the saving of human lives.'" On January 3, 1944, Cmdr. Erickson performed the world's first life-saving mission in a helicopter shortly after the destroyer USS Turner blew up while operating off the coast of New Jersey. Flying from New York City during a severe winter storm, he successfully delivered cases of critically needed blood plasma to a shore-based field hospital at Sandy Hook near the accident site. Only with the fielding of the vastly more powerful Sikorsky S-51 helicopter, and later the S-55 in the late 1940s and early 1950s, said Sergei, did the true value of the helicopter become apparent as a rescue vehicle. About Lockheed Martin Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 97,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. SOURCE Sikorsky NEW YORK, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Foreign Minister of Singapore, will address the AJC Global Forum 2017, which will take place June 4-6, in Washington, D.C. The AJC Global Forum is the advocacy organization's signature annual event, bringing together more than 2,500 participants from across the United States and 70 countries around the world. "Singapore is a cherished partner of the United States and Israel, and a dear friend of our organization," said AJC CEO David Harris, who has led several AJC leadership delegations to the country. "We are honored that Foreign Minister Balakrishnan will join us in Washington to share his perspective on regional and global challenges." Dr. Balakrishnan's address follows in the footsteps of two of his distinguished predecessors who have addressed previous AJC Global Forums: Foreign Minister K Shanmugam, who spoke in 2014, and Foreign Minister George Yeo, who participated on two occasions. AJC maintains close ties with Singapore's representatives in the U.S. and across the globe through its Asia Pacific Institute, led by Shira Loewenberg. Dr. Balakrishnan's address will come soon after the historic visit of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to Singapore. Last year, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong made a visit to Israel. Both visits were the first for sitting prime ministers of Israel and Singapore. "Strong bilateral ties between Israel and Singapore date back to the nation's independence in 1965," said Harris. "We're excited to help share this story with a larger audience at the AJC Global Forum." AJC, founded in 1906 and with headquarters in New York, maintains 22 regional offices across the United States; 10 overseas posts, including 3 in Asia; and 33 international association agreements with Jewish communities. SOURCE American Jewish Committee Related Links http://www.ajc.org COLUMBUS, Ohio and CINCINNATI, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Spirit Aeronautics (Spirit) and Global Aerospace Design Corporation (Global) are pleased to announce a teaming effort to provide both commercial and business Boeing 737 operators with ADS-B capabilities. "Our goal is to provide Boeing 737 customers with a low cost but compliant ADS-B solution that is reliable and effective," said Tony Bailey, Spirit President & COO. "Teaming with Global is a no-brainer relationship that can accomplish that and more. Global's expertise and abilities complement our own making us an incredible team with the ability to put together a Boeing 737 ADS-B solution that is second to none." "Global is excited about where this partnership with Spirit will take our company," said Todd Hamblin, Vice President of Business Development at Global. "Both organizations employ complementary resources within the commercial and business aviation industries and by combining our resources we are able to maximize the reach of our solutions." Boeing 737 ADS-B Solution Mandated for aircraft operators, Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) is part of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) NextGen and Single Sky in Europe projects which require operators to comply with stringent airspace mandates. To do so, aircraft need to be equipped with a 1090 Mode S DO-260-B transponder, a certified Wide Area Augmentation System Global Positioning System (WAAS GPS) and interface to a modern radio tuning unit. By combining the expertise of Spirit and Global, a comprehensive FAA Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) will be developed that will encompass all of the FAA and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) requirements while maintaining a focus on future mandates at a highly competitive price point per aircraft. About Global Aerospace Design Global is a technical services organization located in Cincinnati, Ohio with the primary focus to provide FAA certification for a wide variety of aircraft modification efforts, both "in front of the door" (avionic upgrades) and "behind the door" (interior modification/IFE upgrades). Global has the technical expertise and ability to modify any aircraft nose-to-tail, anywhere in the world. Global is comprised of a highly experienced engineering staff dedicated to meeting all aircraft certification efforts About Spirit Aeronautics Spirit Aeronautics, a trade name of Spirit Avionics, Ltd, located in Columbus, Ohio is a growing industry leader offering worldwide aviation services to corporate, military, private, government and commercial aircraft operators. Spirit Aeronautics is primarily engaged in the refurbishment, design, development, completions, management, engineering, material supply, integration and sustainment of Business, VIP, VVIP, Commercial, Military and Government aircraft. Contact: Spirit Aeronautics +1 614 237 4271 [email protected] Photo(s): https://www.prlog.org/12625371 Press release distributed by PRLog SOURCE Spirit Aeronautics TAURANGA, New Zealand, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Stockton STK, who specialize in the development and marketing of botanical based bio pesticides, announced today that it has signed a distribution agreement with Grosafe Chemicals in New Zealand for Timorex Gold. The product is currently available in the market to meet the late powdery mildew season in wine grapes. Timorex Gold has been used successfully on vineyards and table grapes for the control of powdery mildew, as well as in other fruit and vegetable crops in many overseas markets. It may be used as a standalone product or in rotation with other fungicides. It is harmless to beneficial insects and bees and is safe for human surroundings and the environment. "The synergy between Grosafe Chemicals and Stockton STK is very high as both companies are committed to the research, development and marketing of bio-based solutions to improve plant health in a wide variety of crops without compromising environmental integrity," explained Guy Elitzur, CEO of Stockton STK. "This is another significant confirmation of our product's platform, paving the way for the flow of our new and innovative products and for sustainable crop protection." Timorex Gold has proven prophylactic and curative efficacy against a broad spectrum of diseases in a wide range of crops and is suitable for use in conventional and organic agriculture and can be applied year-round without inducing fungi resistance. Its components provide multiple action mechanisms against fungal and bacterial crop diseases, offering effective and sustainable control. "This is great news for the New Zealand grape industry," said Mark Yortt, Managing Director of Grosafe Chemicals. "Timorex Gold presents a true alternative for grape producers as this natural fungicide enables chemical load reduction and is a highly effective resistance management tool. It's a new generation of biofungicides which can be integrated into conventional, IPM and organic production." Grosafe started trailing the product in New Zealand vineyards in spring 2014 and Yortt expects growers, advisors and retailers will welcome its registration for a number of reasons. Timorex Gold will complement Grosafe Chemicals comprehensive fungicides' portfolio, providing growers a unique natural solution for their vineyard production, in line with the industries objective of sustainable production. Stockton's flagship product Timorex Gold is used to control a broad spectrum of diseases in diverse crops. The product demonstrates an efficacy equivalent to chemical fungicides and is suitable to be used in conventional and organic agriculture and is exempt from MRL's. Timorex Gold is registered and sold in over 30 countries. About Grosafe Chemicals Grosafe Chemicals is a wholly owned New Zealand company established in 1995 to import, formulate and market a range of pastoral, arable, horticultural and brush weed pesticides and plant protection products under the Grosafe, Agcare and Hortcare brands. About the Stockton Group Stockton STK specializes in the development and marketing of botanical-based bio pesticides. Its core focus is on the incorporation of these bio pesticides into integrated agriculture spraying programs that use conventional chemical products, thus creating a balanced, cleaner and sustainable agricultural environment. Stockton is a global company and was established in 1994. It has an active R&D Center for the development of future natural products for crop protection. Its unique research and development center in Israel invests substantial resources in developing 'green' products. Stockton has a variety of products adapted to different agro ecological areas, biological parameters and regulatory guidelines. For more information, visit: http://www.stockton-ag.com. Contact: Judy Jamuy +972-52-7599242 [email protected] Or the New Zealand Distributor Grosafe Chemicals Limited, http://www.grosafe.co.nz Mark Yortt +64-7-572-2662 [email protected] SOURCE Stockton STK BOSTON, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent study from the User Experience Strategies (UXS) Service at Strategy Analytics (www.strategyanalytics.com) has assessed Chinese mobile video consumers' behaviors, preferences, and attitudes towards video services. Participants reported spending more time watching videos on smartphones than other connected devices including connected TVs and computers. A strong willingness to pay for video content was also exhibited due to an increasing lack of free content in China. Surveying consumers in China, Strategy Analytics has found that the type of content watched on a smartphone by Chinese consumers is becoming similar to what they used to only watch on devices with a larger display longer content including movies, TV series, and variety shows. As the time spent on video being viewed on a smartphone is likely to keep increasing in China, the mobile video viewing experience will become more important and the ability to fulfil consumers' changing needs of mobile video viewing will be vital. Click here for the report: http://sa-link.cc/1jq Chris Schreiner, Director of Syndicated Research, UXIP commented, "An important behavioral and attitudinal change of mobile video consumers in China in 2016 was that they were much more willing to pay a subscription fee for video content. Moreover, some consumers have already been paying for multiple video services to watch desired content, which reveals a new opportunity for hardware manufacturers to seek closer cooperation with video service providers." Kevin Nolan, Vice President, UXIP added, "This provides the opportunity to pre-install video services on smartphones that offer exclusive benefits such as content aggregation from multiple sources, one subscription to access multiple services and discounted or free subscription offers. This can only work to improve brand attractiveness and consumer loyalty." About Strategy Analytics Strategy Analytics, Inc. provides the competitive edge with advisory services, consulting and actionable market intelligence for emerging technology, mobile and wireless, digital consumer and automotive electronics companies. With offices in North America, Europe and Asia, Strategy Analytics delivers insights for enterprise success. www.StrategyAnalytics.com. About User Experience Strategies (UXS) Analyzing UX innovation opportunities in wireless, smart home, and other emerging technologies, UXS forms part of the User Experience Innovation Practice (UXIP) at Strategy Analytics. Focusing on user behaviors, motivations and interests across multiple consumer verticals, UXIP helps clients meet consumer needs, develop usable solutions and deliver compelling user experiences through both syndicated and proprietary research capabilities. With our extensive expertise in large-scale survey work, in-depth interviews, focus groups and observational sessions, UXIP's research methodologies allow strategic user-centric analysis on the potential for new technologies. Providing actionable insight, go-to-market strategies and business recommendations, UXIP is a leading supplier of consumer knowledge to the technology industry. Click here for more information. Press Contacts US Contact: Chris Schreiner, +1 617 614 0713, [email protected] European Contact: Diane O'Neill, +44(0) 1908 423 669, [email protected] SOURCE Strategy Analytics Related Links http://www.strategyanalytics.com TORONTO, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Superior Glove was honored with the prestigious Canada's Best Managed Companies designation. The 2017 Best Managed program recognizes the best-in-class of Canadian-owned and managed companies with revenues over $15 million demonstrating strategy, capability and commitment to achieve sustainable growth. "CIBC is thrilled to congratulate Superior Glove on being named one of Canada's Best Managed Companies, recognizing its excellence in leadership, business performance and innovation," said Jon Hountalas, Executive Vice President, Business and Corporate Banking, CIBC. "As a sponsor of Canada's Best Managed Companies program for over 20 years, CIBC is proud to celebrate private companies like Superior Glove as leaders in their industry." This year Superior Glove Works Ltd. focused on investing time and research into our processes and infrastructures. As part of this project we appointed a dedicated strategic team within our company. These new capabilities allowed us to improve communication throughout our company and to make a more robust and comprehensive strategic planning for the future. Established in 1993, Canada's Best Managed Companies is one of the country's leading business awards programs recognizing Canadian-owned and managed companies for innovative, world-class business practices. Winners are an important engine of economic growth for being adaptable and sustainable in a global market. Applicants are evaluated by an independent judging panel made up of judges from Deloitte, CIBC, Canadian Business, Smith School of Business and MacKay CEO Forums. Best Managed companies share commonalities that include an emphasis on culture and people, innovation, sustained performance and strong financial results. "We are thrilled to be named one of Canada's Best Managed companies five years in a row," said Tony Geng, President of Superior Glove. "It's not hard to be one of Canada's Best Managed Companies when you have the employees that we do. Their ingenuity and hard work encourages us to always try harder and be better." "Well-run companies are important to the economic health of our country. These companies serve as role models to help make all Canadian businesses better" said Lorrie King, Partner, Deloitte and Co-Leader, Canada's Best Managed Companies program. 2017 winners of the Canada's Best Managed Companies award will be honored at the annual Canada's Best Managed Companies gala in Toronto on April 19, 2017. On the same date, the Best Managed symposium will address leading-edge business issues that are key to the success of today's business leaders. The Best Managed program is sponsored by Deloitte, CIBC, Canadian Business, Smith School of Business and MacKay CEO Forums. About Canada's Best Managed Companies Canada's Best Managed Companies continues to be the mark of excellence for Canadian-owned and managed companies with revenues over $15 million. Every year since the launch of the program in 1993, hundreds of entrepreneurial companies have competed for this designation in a rigorous and independent process that evaluates their management skills and practices. The awards are granted on four levels: 1) Canada's Best Managed Companies new winner (one of the new winners selected each year); 2) Canada's Best Managed Companies winner (award recipients that have re-applied and successfully retained their Best Managed designation for two additional years, subject to annual operational and financial review); 3) Gold Standard winner (After three consecutive years of maintaining their Best Managed status, these winners have demonstrated their commitment to the program and successfully retained their award for 4-6 consecutive years); 4) Platinum Club member (Winners that have maintained their Best Managed status for seven years or more). Program sponsors are Deloitte, CIBC, Canadian Business, Smith School of Business and MacKay CEO Forums. For further information, visit www.bestmanagedcompanies.ca. About Superior Glove www.superiorglove.com Superior Glove Works Ltd. is a multi-product award winning leader in the industrial work glove industry. Vertical integration, a sound business approach and a dedication to research and innovation has led the company to be one of the largest work glove manufacturerswith customers in North America and Europe. Specializing in cut-resistant gloves, Superior offers an astounding 3,500 styles of work gloves to the safety glove market. Providing "engineered hand protection for every industry" is more than just a sloganit's the impetus for growth and the foundation on which Superior Glove was built. SOURCE Superior Glove Related Links http://www.superiorglove.com/ DECATUR, Ala., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Superior Mosquito Defense, a commercial and residential mosquito solution company, will be opening franchises in Mississippi, Georgia, and Florida in 2017. They are actively screening candidates for different territories within each state. Superior Mosquito Defense offers one of the best franchise opportunities in the industry today. Even those who have never managed and operated a business can capitalize on this opportunity. The company offers one of the lowest franchise fees in the industry today with only five percent royalty fees of sales and no territory or renewal fees. Those interested in owning a franchise can start-up with the company's Standard Model in most cases for under $20,000.00. Superior Mosquito Defense's streamlined process allows individuals to start their business without additional employees, saving operating capital from day one. There is no requirement to lease office space or buy a new vehicle. For those who already own an insect control business, the company offers their Conversion Model at a discounted rate. Superior Mosquito Defense will help to take their business to the next level. The franchise fee for the Standard Model is a low $5,000 and the Conversion Model even lower at $2,500. Both models include a start-up kit and comprehensive five-day training course. "This is a great opportunity for anyone who has a keen business sense, a passion for the outdoors, and ridding homes and businesses of annoying mosquitoes, fleas, and ticks," says Heath Legg, CEO of Superior Mosquito Defense. "The company offers a lot of support to their franchisees to ensure their business is an ongoing success." A franchise with Superior Mosquito Defense could be up and running in as little as a few weeks. Franchisees will receive training and continued support from the entire experienced team at the Superior Mosquito Defense corporate office as well as Superior Mosquito Defense franchise owners. In addition, a dedicated ongoing marketing support team will aid in the development and implementation of marketing planning. To learn more about the company and franchise opportunities, visit SuperiorMostquitoDefense.com. About Superior Mosquito Defense Superior Mosquito Defense is a brand of Superior Services, which has been in the pest industry since 1996. To learn more, visit http://superiormosquitodefense.com/join-our-franchise/. Related Files YourTotalInvestment_EMAIL.pdf WhyOurFeeAreLow_EMAIL.pdf Related Images image1.png image2.jpg image3.jpg image4.jpg image5.jpg image6.jpg Related Links http://iHateMosquitoes.com http://superiormosquitodefense.com This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com SOURCE Superior Mosquito Defense Related Links http://superiormosquitodefense.com The campus, designed for up to 1.8 million square feet of data center space and up to 320 megawatts (MW) of power, marks Switch's strategic expansion across the country to serve major key markets including Chicago, Ashburn, New York, Washington D.C. and Toronto, all just milliseconds away. The entire campus is powered by 100-percent green energy, cementing Switch's leadership in sustainably running the internet. The first phase of construction is an adaptive reuse of the Steelcase Pyramid into the Switch Pyramid data center designed to include over 225,000 square feet of data center space. It is developed to the same world-renowned Tier IV Gold-rated standards as the company's Las Vegas multi-tenant data centers. Based on more than 260 patent and patent-pending claims developed by founder and CEO Rob Roy, Switch data centers continue to exceed all industry standards. Like all Switch data centers, the Switch Pyramid is designed to accommodate future-proof, high-density deployments, high-performance workloads and always-on applications across a wide spectrum of industries and technical requirements. During the accelerated construction and development schedule over the past year in Grand Rapids, led by local general contractor, The Christman Company, more than 700 people have been employed at the site in construction and mission-critical positions. Almost 99 percent of these workers are Michiganders, reflecting Switch's commitment to support local economic development by hiring from the local workforce. Switch expects that hundreds more people will be employed as the campus is built out. With the support of officials in Gaines Township and Kent County, development and permitting has begun well ahead of schedule for the first 471,248-square-foot Switch GRAND RAPIDS 1 data center on the property surrounding the Pyramid, the first of several data center facilities planned for construction there. The campus is expected to be in continuous expansion for at least 10 years, making it a constant source of construction work and growing employment. "Rob Roy's vision has turned one of the most iconic buildings in the country into the foundation of what we believe will be the most advanced technology ecosystem campus in the eastern U.S.," said Switch Executive Vice President for Strategy Adam Kramer. "Since the announcement of Switch's expansion into Michigan, the state has been attracting the tech world's attention, defining the region and the state as an epicenter for technology that runs the internet of absolutely everything." State lawmakers who were instrumental in attracting Switch to Michigan praised the opening of the Switch Pyramid campus. "In the Legislature, we took very seriously our commitment to creating public policy that would enable and encourage new companies like Switch to make Michigan the most competitive state in the region for economic development," said Michigan State Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof, R-Grand Haven. "Having the technology backbone of the internet right here in Michigan up and running ahead of schedule definitely delivers on the vision of that policy." The Right Place, the economic development corporation for the Grand Rapids area, sees the establishment of the Switch Pyramid campus acting as a catalyst for the growth of the tech sector in the region. "Switch's investment, local employment, and community commitment have exceeded our expectations for what was possible when they first approached us about coming to West Michigan," said Birgit Klohs, President and CEO of The Right Place, Inc. "From an economic development perspective, Switch has established a new industry in the state and our region, bringing new opportunities to existing businesses and attracting new interest from outside technology and related companies." Switch expects to hold an official "grand opening" event at the Switch Pyramid later in 2017. About Switch POWERING THE FUTURE OF THE CONNECTED WORLD Founded in 2000, this technology infrastructure ecosystem corporation, headquartered in Las Vegas, is built on the intelligent and sustainable growth of the internet. Switch founder and CEO Rob Roy has developed more than 260 patent and patent-pending claims covering data center designs that have manifested into the company's world-renowned data centers and technology solution ecosystems. Visit switch.com for more information. SOURCE Switch Related Links http://switch.com "Taylor Farms is proud to support the Future Citizens Foundation and the innovative programs that give the youth of Monterey County the tools, support and experience needed to lead productive and healthy lives," said Bruce Taylor, Taylor Farms Chairman and CEO. "The new Center for Learning is going to enhance the First Tee's important role in character development with broader educational opportunities. It is our hope that our gift will encourage other major donors to support the youth of Monterey County." The Salinas-based learning center significantly expands the educational efforts of FCF's First Tee of Monterey County and Pay It Forward Scholarship & Mentoring Programs, providing youth of all backgrounds access to the innovative learning component. "We are grateful to Taylor Farms and Monterey County's generous philanthropic community who have taken the lead to respond to the invitation to invest in our new Center for Learning," said David Gill, Chairman of the Future Citizens Foundation Board. The 5,000-square foot facility, located at The First Tee of Monterey's Campus in Salinas, was initiated, and built by FCF's Capital Campaign. Taylor Farms' sponsorship reflects the company's continued dedication to supporting local youth through education; providing all students the opportunity to succeed and secure a strong future for America. Other lead gifts for the Capital Campaign were made by the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, Andy & Phyllis D'Arrigo Charitable Foundation, David & Susan Gill, Mann Packing, and D'Arrigo Bros. Co. The Center will provide a continuum of services to help participants from ages seven to 22 define success on their own terms, offering programs in three primary focus areas: Academia, STEAM, and Life Exploration and Preparation. Grade specific tutoring, homework assistance, coding/website development classes, vocational exploration, college preparation and mentoring support are among the variety of specific programs offered. Taylor Farms is North America's favorite maker of salads and healthy fresh foods. Taylor Farms focuses on innovation by consistently developing new products and improving production methods. Taylor Farms is grounded in a commitment to quality with products harvested, packaged and shipped at the peak of freshness. Taylor Farms is family owned and based in Salinas, California with twelve operating companies and distribution facilities throughout North America. www.taylorfarms.com The Future Citizens Foundation, a California non-profit organization, is a youth development organization that began program operations in November 2004. The mission is to offer young people of Monterey County opportunities for a better future. The Future Citizens Foundation operates three distinct programs in support of this mission; The First Tee of Monterey County, the Pay It Forward Scholarship and Mentoring Program and the Center for Learning. www.fcf-ca.org SOURCE Taylor Farms Related Links http://www.taylorfarms.com (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 ) Browse 75 market data Tables and 67 Figures spread through 172 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS) Market" http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/terrain-awareness-warning-system-market-168440166.html Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report. The TAWS market has a huge potential across various applications such as commercial aircraft, military and defense aircraft, and other aircraft. The major factor driving the TAWS market across the world is the increasing number of fleet globally and mandate to install TAWS in aircraft by the directives of aviation regulation bodies in the U.S., the U.K., and China, among many other countries. Market for Class A TAWS is expected to grow at the highest rate between 2016 and 2022 The market for Class A TAWS is expected to grow at the highest rate between 2016 and 2022. Class A TAWS installation has reduced controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) accidents globally by providing advanced safety features. This growth can be attributed to the increasing demand for military and defense aircraft from Asia Pacific and Rest of the World. Download PDF Brochure @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=168440166 The market for turbine-powered aircraft is expected to grow at the highest rate between 2016 and 2022 The higher growth rate of the market for turbine-powered aircraft is attributed to the growing need for turbine engine-based aircraft in commercial and military and defense applications. The growth of the market for turbine-powered military and defense aircraft is due to the increasing demand for fighter planes, carrier planes, and military rotorcraft in countries such as the U.S., India, China, and Russia. TAWS market for military and defense aircraft is expected to grow at the highest rate between 2016 and 2022 The higher growth rate of the military and defense aircraft globally is attributed to the growing need for safety, increasing government expenditure, and rapidly expanding inter-country conflicts as well as the terrorist activities. India and China have cumulated their defense expenditures, which has consequently driven the TAWS market for military and defense carrier planes. Inquiry Before Buying @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=168440166 Currently, North America leads the TAWS market in terms of market size North America is currently leading the TAWS market and is estimated to be at a leading position for the next few years, owing to the high adoption of TAWS. The growth of the TAWS market in North America is because of high government funding and FAA mandates, presence of leading players, and strong technical base. The major driving factor in North America is the presence of prominent vendors of TAWS including Universal Avionics Systems Corporation (U.S.), Honeywell International Inc. (U.S.), and L3 Technologies Inc. (U.S). Browse Related Reports Collision Avoidance System Market by Device, Technology, Application (Automotive, Aerospace, Railway, Marine, and Construction & Mining), and Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW) - Global Trend & Forecast to 2020. http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/collision-avoidance-system-market-127445458.html Situational Awareness Market by Industry (Military & Defense, Aviation, Maritime Security, Automotive, Healthcare, Construction, Industrial, Homeland Security), by Components, Products, Applications, and Geography - Global Trend & Forecast to 2020 http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/situation-awareness-system-market-1272.html Subscribe Reports from Semiconductor Domain @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Knowledgestore.asp About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets is the largest market research firm worldwide in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to a multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. M&M's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. The new included chapters on Methodology and Benchmarking presented with high quality analytical infographics in our reports gives complete visibility of how the numbers have been arrived and defend the accuracy of the numbers. We at MarketsandMarkets are inspired to help our clients grow by providing apt business insight with our huge market intelligence repository. Contact: Mr. Rohan MarketsandMarkets 701 Pike Street Suite 2175, Seattle, WA 98101, United States Tel : 1-888-600-6441 Email: [email protected] Visit MarketsandMarkets [email protected] http://www.marketsandmarketsblog.com/market-reports/electronics-and-semiconductors Connect us on LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsandmarkets SOURCE MarketsandMarkets HOUSTON, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Two lawyers from noted Houston intellectual property firm Heim, Payne & Chorush have earned recognition on the select 2017 Texas Rising Stars list of the state's top young legal leaders. Firm partners Eric Enger and Miranda Jones were singled out on the Rising Stars list for their expertise in technologically complex patent litigation. With an electrical engineering background complementing his litigation expertise, Mr. Enger has successfully prosecuted and defended numerous high-tech companies in complex, multi-patent lawsuits in venues nationwide. He has been named to the Rising Stars list annually since 2008. Ms. Jones focuses on patent litigation and patent-related antitrust lawsuits. In addition to her national trial practice, she has been involved in appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court. Ms. Jones also has served as lead counsel in inter partes review proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. This is her second appearance on the Rising Stars list. To learn more about Heim, Payne & Chorush, visit http://www.hpcllp.com/. Texas Rising Stars recognizes the best lawyers age 40 and younger or those who have been in practice no more than 10 years. Honorees are chosen based on nominations by legal peers in Texas, extensive research and a final review by Thomson Reuters' legal division. Only 2.5 percent of Texas lawyers are selected to the Rising Stars list each year. The 2017 listing appears in the April issues of the Texas edition of Super Lawyers magazine and Texas Monthly. Profiles of individual lawyers can be viewed at http://www.superlawyers.com. Heim, Payne & Chorush represents plaintiffs and defendants nationwide in patent and antitrust litigation in a broad range of technologies and business sectors. Firm attorneys have a wide variety of technical and scientific backgrounds and expertise to handle all facets of intellectual property litigation for some of the largest energy and technology firms, as well as individuals and smaller companies going up against the behemoths of industry. Heim, Payne & Chorush takes pride in its ability to partner with other attorneys and firms to bring the best possible trial team together for the benefit of the client. For more information, contact Robert Tharp at 800-559-4534 or [email protected]. SOURCE Heim, Payne & Chorush Related Links http://www.hpcllp.com CHILMARK, Mass., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Martha's Vineyard Film Festival (MVFF) announces that the 17th annual festival will be taking place March 16 19, 2017. The MVFF is more than movies. As in past years, the MVFF's "Hay Cafe" will be a warm, inviting place to enjoy farm-to-table meals, gourmet coffee, and live music. Each of the three venues will be filled with couches and transformed into comfy community living rooms. Directors, producers, and film subjects will be on hand to present their films to festivalgoers of all ages. This year's guest of honor is labor rights activist and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Dolores Huerta. She will take part in a discussion following a screening of DOLORES , the new documentary about her life, fresh from the Sundance Film Festival. Eduardo Garcia, outdoor chef and subject of CHARGED: THE EDUARDO GARCIA STORY , will stir audiences with his story of transformation after the near-death experience of being jolted by 2,400 volts of electricity in Montana's backcountry. As always, the MVFF aims to expand social awareness through film and discussion. In his new documentary CITY OF GHOSTS , Vineyard resident Matthew Heineman (director of the Oscar-nominated CARTEL LAND ) sheds light on the Syrian citizens-turned-activists who banded together after their hometown was taken over by ISIS. The March festival also includes award-winning films like I, DANIEL BLAKE , winner of the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and the BAFTA award for Outstanding British Film of the Year. DEAN , the hilarious directorial debut from comedian Demetri Martin, won the Best Narrative Feature award at the Tribeca Film Festival. I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO was nominated for this year's Best Documentary Oscar. BLIND VAYSHA , part of the MVFF's INTERNATIONAL SHORTS program, was nominated for the Best Short Animation Oscar. And all weekend long, there will be free workshops and screenings for children. Saturday is opening day of the Kids Fest!, starting with the free screening of SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS , a compilation of animated shorts from around the world. A discussion with director Lynn Tomlinson, an award-winning animator, will follow. She will also teach the STOP MOTION WORKSHOP on Sunday. The MVFF is dedicated to producing community events, educational programs, and film screenings that spark discussion, debate, and action. More information and the full festival schedule are available at www.tmvff.org or by phone at (508) 645-9599. SOURCE The Martha's Vineyard Film Festival Related Links http://www.tmvff.org SAN FRANCISCO, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Gymboree Corporation today announced it will hold a conference call and webcast to review second fiscal quarter 2017 financial results. The call will be held on Tuesday, March 14, 2017, at 2:00 p.m. Pacific/5:00 p.m. Eastern. To listen live over the internet, please log on to www.gymboree.com, click on "Company Information" at the bottom of the page, go to "Investors & Media" and then "Conference Calls & Webcasts." A replay of the call will be available two hours after the broadcast through midnight PT, Wednesday, March 29, 2017, at 855-859-2056, passcode 65304456. About The Gymboree Corporation The Gymboree Corporation's specialty retail brands offer unique, high-quality products delivered with personalized customer service. As of January 28, 2017, the Company operated a total of 1,291 retail stores: 586 Gymboree stores (536 in the United States, 49 in Canada and 1 in Puerto Rico), 174 Gymboree Outlet stores (173 in the United States and 1 in Puerto Rico), 149 Janie and Jack shops (148 in the United States and 1 in Puerto Rico) and 382 Crazy 8 stores in the United States. The Company also operates online stores at www.gymboree.com, www.janieandjack.com and www.crazy8.com. Gymboree, Janie and Jack and Crazy 8 are registered trademarks of The Gymboree Corporation. SOURCE The Gymboree Corporation Related Links http://www.gymboree.com NEW ORLEANS, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The National WWII Museum today announced a new educational travel program Writing the War: In the Footsteps of WWII Correspondents. From September 25 through October 3, 2017, renowned WWII historian and best-selling author Donald L. Miller, PhD, will lead an extraordinary journey through Europe in the footsteps of World War II's best-known combat correspondents. Guests will experience an exciting adventure into some of World War II's most significant battles, accompanied by the words of Ernie Pyle, Ernest Hemingway, Lee Miller, Martha Gellhorn and "Beachhead Don" Whitehead. The nine-day, eight-night tour will visit some of the most beautiful and historically significant places in Europe, including Normandy, Paris and Saint-Malo, among other noted UNESCO World Heritage sites. Participants will get the unique opportunity to stand on Omaha Beach, while the words of Ernie Pyle and Ernest Hemingway take them back to June 1944. They will be able to contrast the modern serenity of St. Malo with the horrors recorded by Lee Miller during the 1944 siege of the city, and they'll also experience Martha Gellhorn's Paris and "Beachhead Don" Whitehead's Huertgen Forest. Additionally, tour guests will visit the historic cities of Mont Saint-Michel, Chartres and Aachen. "The Writing the War tour is a perfect blend of history, literature, and World War II's greatest stories," says Miller. "For me, it is also an especially meaningful tour because it will serve as research for my next book; as we visit the sites that inspired Hemingway, Gellhorn and Pyle, I'll gather the stories that will make up my own next writing project. As an author, it's an experience I relish, and one that I look forward to sharing with my fellow travelers on Writing the War." Pricing for Writing the War is $5,995 per person based on double occupancy and $7,990 per person for single occupancy. The program features accommodations in historic locations, including a chateau in Normandy that served as a German headquarters between Bayeux and Port-en-Bessin, within the walled city of St. Malo, and steps from the Cathedral of Aix-la-Chapelle in Aachen. Most meals, beverages and all gratuities are also included. For a detailed itinerary and registration information, visit http://www.ww2museumtours.org or call 877-813-3329 Ext 257. The National WWII Museum tells the story of the American experience in the war that changed the world why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today so that future generations will know the price of freedom and be inspired by what they learn. Dedicated in 2000 as The National D-Day Museum and now designated by Congress as America's National WWII Museum, it celebrates the American Spirit, the teamwork, optimism, courage and sacrifices of the men and women who fought on the battlefront and served on the Home Front. For more information, call 877-813-3329 or 504-528-1944 or visit nationalww2museum.org. SOURCE National WWII Museum Related Links http://www.nationalww2museum.org SAN FRANCISCO, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Professional BusinessWomen of California (PBWC) is excited to announce that its 28th annual conference will be held on March 28th, 2017 at Moscone Center West in San Francisco, offering a full day of world-class keynote speakers, cutting-edge seminars by top thought-leaders, panels of industry experts, and networking opportunities with leading business executives. This event is an opportunity to reflect, recharge, refocus and renew your commitment to achieving your ambitions and supporting others in achieving theirs. The PBWC conference brings together individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and industries to discuss today's most relevant issues and catalyze careers. The theme for this year's event is 'Inclusion Now'. Speakers and discussions will center around critical questions that are front-of-mind for us all, such as: How do we ensure that women are not only at the table, but fully and fairly included in the conversation? What we can do to ensure equal access to opportunity for allregardless of gender, race, ethnicity, age, ability, religion, socio-economic status or sexual orientation How do we fully support and include one another? "Access to opportunity remains unequal not only for women but also for others based upon race, ethnicity, age, ability, religion, socioeconomic status and sexual orientation," said Board Chair Alex Roddy. "PBWC wants to work in unity with other underrepresented groups to ensure equal access to opportunity for all." At this year's event, award-winning actress, advocate, and entrepreneur Rosario Dawson will discuss her luminous career, advocacy for women and Latina inclusion in her keynote address. Academy Award-nominated actress Taraji P. Hensonknown for her breakout roles as Cookie Lyon on groundbreaking hit Empire on Fox and real-life hero Katherine Johnson in Hidden Figureswill also share her insights into the importance of inclusion and diversity. In Hidden Figures, Taraji's character Katherine fights to cross all gender, race, and professional lines with her desire to rise in the ranks of NASA beside history's most brilliant minds. Like her character, Taraji is known for redefining diversity, sharing the importance of talking about women who work behind-the-scenes, as well as advocating for equality and inclusion of those from every orientation, ability, gender and race. The full conference line-up will include more than 50 other speakers, including U.S. Congresswoman Jackie Speier; Nandita Bakhshi, President and CEO, Bank of the West; and Memory Banda, a leader for girl's rights who is leading Malawi's fight to end child marriage through her work with Let Girls Lead and the Girl Empowerment Network of Malawi. Memory's work is directly linked to the historic step Malawi's parliament took last month to end child marriage. Attendees will also have the opportunity to participate in more than 20 workshops that provide invaluable opportunities for interactive learning, tactical training and purposeful networking. Over the course of the event, the PBWC Expo Marketplace will showcase nearly 50 businesses and nonprofit organizations. The PBWC is California's premier non-profit organization working to support and advance professional women and achieve gender equity in professional settings. Founded by an enduring champion of gender equity, Congresswoman Jackie Speier, PBWC has been fighting for equal access to opportunity in professional settings for nearly thirty years. Women remain underrepresented in the halls of power in 2017, comprising just 15 percent of this nation's C-suite positions. In almost every industry, we are over-represented on the lower rungs of the corporate ladder and paid less than our male counterparts for equal performance. 'Inclusion Now' is our collective opportunity to renew our commitment to making changefor ourselves, our colleagues, other underrepresented professionals, and young women beginning their professional journeys. WHO: The Professional BusinessWomen of California WHAT: 28th Annual Conference, 'Inclusion Now' WHERE: Moscone Center West, San Francisco, CA WHEN: Tuesday, March 28, 2017 WEBSITE: www.pbwc.org/conference PRESS CONTACT: Alexea Candreva, SSPR, [email protected] SOURCE The Professional BusinessWomen of California WASHINGTON, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights will hold a public briefing to examine the Department of Justice's (DOJ's) enforcement efforts in the area of municipal courts and fees, Friday, March 17, from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm EST. The briefing will take place in the Commission's offices at the National Place Building, 1331 Pennsylvania Av. NW, Suite 1150, Washington, DC 20425. (Entrance on F St. NW) In 2015, the DOJ released findings from its investigation into the practices of the City of Ferguson's municipal courts. The DOJ identified financial conflicts-of-interest and adverse impacts to community policing that came from jailing community members for non-payment of fines and fees. Municipalities that rely on raising revenue through the court system may interfere with the judiciary's independent role, divert attention from the courts' essential functions, and adversely impact the most vulnerable residents, principally those living in or near poverty. The Commission hosted a briefing on March 18, 2016, to examine the extent to which these practices occur nationwide, and to explore reforms. For our statutory enforcement report this year, the Commission is building upon last year's briefing and focusing on the DOJ's enforcement efforts regarding municipal court reforms and fines and fees. To inform the Commission's review of these enforcement efforts and the preparation of a report on the civil rights issues related to these fees, our March 17 briefing will hear from three panels, comprised of judicial officials, civil society organizations, academics, and individual stakeholders. Panelists will focus on three areas of enforcement: 1) the "Dear Colleague" letter, which was sent by the DOJ to State Administrators and Chief Justices; 2) "The Price of Justice: Rethinking the Consequences of Justice Fines and Fees," a DOJ grant program that supports reforms to address individuals' inability to pay fees and fines, along with the elimination of unnecessary confinement; and 3) the DOJ's patterns and practices investigations. In addition, the panelists will discuss data collection and surveys published since the Commission's 2016 briefing to address the scope of problems surrounding municipal fines and fees, and to make recommendations for reform. The briefing agenda can be viewed here. It is open to the public, and individuals can also call-in (listen only) to hear the sessions: Phone 1-877-545-1402; ID # 874-9423. Chair Catherine E. Lhamon stated: "Municipal practices of raising money through persons in contact with the justice system raise serious civil rights concerns regarding unequal access to justice and conflict of interest for those charged with assuring justice. In addition, as the recent past in Ferguson, Missouri painfully highlighted, the practices can have racially discriminatory impacts. The Commission is committed to assessing the efficacy of federal efforts to ensure fair and nondiscriminatory practices." Vice Chair Patricia Timmons-Goodson stated: "The administration of justice in this country rests on municipal courts performing the judicial function for which they were designed." The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is an independent, bipartisan agency charged with advising the President and Congress on civil rights matters and issuing an annual federal civil rights enforcement report. For information about the Commission, please visit http://www.usccr.gov and follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/usccrgov Contact: Brian Walch [email protected] 202-376-8371 SOURCE U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Related Links http://www.usccr.gov CHENGDU, China, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Tianfu Software Park, one of the largest tech parks in China, selected a batch of companies located in the park and visited their founders or CEOs. The face-to-face communication allowed them to learn more about the latest thoughts, analysis and outlooks of the enterprises about the internet industry. The discussions represent the real side of the Chinese Internet industry, bringing inspiration to possible future entrants. In January 2017, Keruyun from Chengdu Tianfu Software Park was invited to attend the International Consumer Electronics Show 2017 (CES 2017), the largest and the most influential electronics show in the world. As the first Chinese SaaS company in the catering industry to attend CES, Keruyun attracted lots of attention. As one booth visitor said, "Among such service providers around the world, Keruyun is highly competitive." During the CES, Keruyun received collaboration requests from 10+ agents and cross-border payment enterprises located in North America, Europe and Asia. "Table reservations, online ordering, mobile payment and automatic e-invoice generation are all made easy with SaaS," said Phoenix Peng, Founder and CEO of Keruyun. "New ways of eating out are now at your fingertips. The brand-new dining experience is leading everyone into a new era. According to the 2016 Catering Consumption Report published by China Cuisine Association (CCA), the mobile payment proportion of third-party platforms jumped from 9.9% in 2015 to 35.6% in 2016, achieving a dramatic increase of approximately 260%. The catering industry has ushered in conventional-to-smart changes. "Intelligent restaurant management SaaS service" is an ERP system developed specifically for restaurants, based on Internet of Things and cloud computing technology. It provides restaurants with the following new ways to integrate advanced digital capabilities into their day-to-day operations: - new generation of POS terminal to collect operational data automatically, - digital menu replacing old fashioned printed menu to delivery almost infinite flexibility in promoting dishes and service options, - restaurants analytics for restaurant operators to analyze and improve their efficiency Keruyun, Tian Cai Shang Long, 2DFire and other catering software have emerged one after another. Among similar software, Keruyun, which was founded in 2012, has enjoyed a particularly rapid development. After settling down in Chengdu Tianfu Software Park in 2014, Keruyun has grown quickly with its support. In April 2015, Keruyun obtained Round B financing of RMB 58 million from Baidu and Tianxing Capital. In December 2015, it got listed on the National Equities Exchange and Quotations (NEEQ) in China. In December 2016, it completed private placement of RMB 72 million and launched private placement for Hengqin Wallet No.1 Fund and issued no more than 8,960,574 shares. As everyone knows, leading technology companies have made smart mobile devices accessible by millions of households, but the revolution that smart terminals supersede conventional devices has not thoroughly spilled over into the catering industry. "Keruyun helps make catering businesses' services simple, smart and efficient through its cloud-based intelligent restaurant management system," added Phoenix Peng. OnPOS is Keruyun's first all-in-one device that can provide such services as booking, take-away, payment, marketing and supply chain management for restaurants. To meet the different demands of businesses, Keruyun launched OnPOS mini in August 2016. Sales volume exceeded 10,000 units within 3 months. "In any industry, there are certain development laws to be followed," said Phoenix Peng. The first six to eight years are a market cultivation. During this period, the development is slow, with industry penetration rate of below 10%. However, once the turning point is passed, the penetration rate will reach 80%-90% within 3 to 4 years. "In 2017, the Intelligent Restaurant Management SaaS Service industry will pass the turning point." "Smooth connection at terminals B and C will be ensured by a 250-person software & hardware R&D team, valuable experience from thousands of salespersons in hundreds of cities and a great number of strategic resources such as Baidu, Ali and WeChat," said Phoenix Peng. "I am fully confident in the development of Keruyun." In early 2017, the excellent performance of Keruyun at CES was a solid step forward in the implementation of its global strategy. "So far, overseas intelligent restaurant markets are relatively simple and lack similar services," said Phoenix Peng. "Keruyun will make well-thought-out plans to enter appropriate overseas markets in next two years. Meanwhile, Keruyun will set foot in the retail, stadium, beauty industry and other segments and extend its operations throughout the whole service industry." Wang Lijuan +86-28-85331111-8185 [email protected] SOURCE Chengdu Tianfu Software Park GREENWICH, Conn., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Tower Three Partners ("Tower Three"), a leading operationally-oriented private equity firm that invests in a concentrated portfolio of U.S.-based middle market companies, is pleased to announce that its portfolio company NTS Communications, Inc. ("NTS"), a Lubbock, Texas-based telecommunications business, is supporting the YWCA of Lubbock's 2017 Women of Excellence Awards on March 9, 2017. The YWCA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. The Women of Excellence Awards recognize and honor women in the community who have achieved excellence in their careers or professions. Tower Three and NTS Communication are proud to honor these exceptional women and their contributions to business, industry, organizations and the community of Lubbock. Both Companies are committed to supporting future generations of women and the community through this important initiative. About NTS Communications, Inc. NTS is a premier provider of Fiber Internet, Voice and Video services to both residential and business customers in regions of West Texas, North Texas and Southeastern Louisiana. NTS delivers one of the fastest Internet connections available over a true fiber to the premise network. For the Company's website, please visit: www.ntscom.com. About Tower Three Partners Tower Three Partners is a leading operationally-oriented private equity firm that invests in a concentrated portfolio of U.S.-based middle market companies. With long-term committed capital from major institutional investors and a senior management team that collectively has decades of experience revitalizing businesses, the firm targets equity investments of $50M to $150M that provide a catalyst for growth. For more information, visit our website at towerthreepartners.com or call 203-485-5800. Contacts Tower Three Partners: Loisann Poppo 203-485-5811 Media: Jonathan Keehner / Aura Reinhard Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher 212-355-4449 SOURCE Tower Three Partners Related Links http://towerthreepartners.com NEW YORK, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- TUSHY, the chic bidet attachment brand that transforms any standard toilet into a booty wonderland, is announcing their $500K seed round led by Propulsion Capital with participation from angels including Luke Sherwin and Neil Parikh of Casper and Zachary Werner of Poln. In other words, TUSHY just got a bunch of money to support its continued mission of replacing environmental and health-damaging toilet paper and wet wipes by hooking up a bidet to every toilet across the country. How does TUSHY work you ask? It's butt spray. Heaven on your booty. A fountain of fun for your bum. A TUSHY instantly enhances anyone's bathroom experience and aims to change the way Americans clean their rears in an easy and affordable way. The company is founded by Miki Agrawal, CEO and co-founder of THINX, the period-proof underwear. Miki first set out to challenge social taboos with periods then pee and now TUSHY is meant to change the way we all talk about poop. And skid marks. And general germy stank. Growing up with Indian and Japanese parents who thought Americans were dirty for sitting in their own fecal matter all day without properly rinsing, Miki along with Monica and the TUSHY team are looking to school us all on the health benefits of a bidet. What will TUSHY do with this money you ask? The seed funding will be used for manufacturing and more online penetration. The cash will also be used toward continued marketing efforts and hiring fellow trailblazers to be by TUSHY's (back)side during its growth. TUSHY's CEO and CMO, Monica Pereira, joined the team of toilet crusaders last January to grow the brand and handle day-to-day operations. Monica was formerly with Sony, Accenture and General Assembly where she led brand development and customer experience design to strategically position companies in the marketplace. TUSHY also cares about the world. In their effort to combat the global sanitation crisis, TUSHY is also committed to making clean water and toilets attainable to all by partnering with Samagra. For every TUSHY sold, a developing country receives more accessible toilets. How could you not get in on that? "We are thrilled to have such smart and established people who believe in what we're doing and get behind (pun intended) our mission," says Monica Pereira, CEO of TUSHY. "As consumers become more willing to talk about taboo subjects like the fact that we all poop, and care about their health and impact on the environment, TUSHY's message of clean living will increasingly resonate." "Tushy's leadership is absolutely the perfect team to address this obvious gap in the market -- Miki and Monica are a powerhouse duo," says Tikhon Bernstam, Propulsion Capital. "Miki generates incredible creative energy and a strong passion for breaking taboos and changing culture through storytelling, while Monica brings the idea to life through hustle and relentless execution. I'm thrilled to be involved!" About TUSHY We believe a clean booty is a happy booty. TUSHY was founded by Miki Agrawal, a taboo-busting force of nature who experienced benefits of different caboose cleaning rituals with her Indian and Japanese heritage. The easy-to-install modern bidet attachment is a sleek way to modernize your bathroom. It helps people feel cleaner, keep booties healthier, and helps improve our environment. TUSHY wants to forever change the way people clean their rears. SOURCE TUSHY Related Links https://www.tushy.me WASHINGTON, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- New legislation introduced in the House and Senate this week has been met with fierce opposition by the union that represents 230,000 VA employees. The VA Accountability First Act of 2017 H.R. 1259 introduced by Rep. Phil Roe of Tennessee and the VA Accountability First and Appeals Modernization Act of 2017 S. 493 introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida pits VA officials and managers against frontline employees at the nation's largest integrated health care system. American Federation of Government Employees National President J. David Cox Sr., who served as a VA nurse for more than 20 years, immediately decried the proposed legislation, saying: "Once again, some lawmakers have completely ignored the evidence that the VA provides veterans the best and only integrated healthcare system tailored entirely to their needs. Instead of hiring the more than 45,000 frontline caregivers our veterans desperately need, they'd rather spend their time sticking it to the people who serve veterans every day." In addition to the punitive measures that could be used against future whistleblowers at the VA, the VA Accountability First Acts destroy the right of every VA front line employee to use union grievance procedures to efficiently and fairly address proposed adverse actions. The egregious proposal would leave VA frontline employees 120,000 of which are veterans themselves with only a rushed management-run appeals process. Not only that, but all frontline employees and managers would be left with weaker rights to appeal to the Merit System Protection Board (MSPB) their first chance at an independent review. If enacted, the bills could inhibit the recruitment and retention of frontline workers who are already in dire need at the agency, which was noted in a signed letter from Cox to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs Chairman Roe and Ranking Member Rep. Tim Walz of Minnesota. "The VA Accountability First Act of 2017 is a union-busting bill plain and simple. It will only advance the agenda of the Koch brothers, anti-union lawmakers, and private, for-profit corporations that would reap the benefits of a dismantled VA medical system. Backhanded efforts to eliminate employees' workplace rights does nothing to improve the VA or veterans' care. In fact, it leaves our nation's veterans without the advocates who are empowered to speak up on their behalf every day. "Every lawmaker who is willing to put veterans and their country above politics should oppose this bill. Veterans and all Americans should be able to get the true story of what is happening at the VA, and if this bill passes it will only ensure that VA officials and managers can be shielded from public scrutiny." The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union, representing 700,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia. For the latest AFGE news and information, visit the AFGE Media Center. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. SOURCE American Federation of Government Employees Related Links http://www.afge.org LONDON, March. 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- market is expected to reach USD 48.03 billion by 2021 from USD 32.24 billion in 2016 at a CAGR of 8.3%. The global vaccines market is segmented based on technology, type, disease indication, end-users, and regions. The conjugate vaccines segment is expected to register the highest growth rate in the vaccines market, by technology, during the forecast period. The high growth in this segment is attributed to the increasing company investments in development of new vaccines. Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4062597/ Based on end-users, the vaccines market is segmented into paediatrics and adults. The paediatrics segment is expected to account for the largest share of the market in 2016. Increasing prevalence of diseases in children and the rising number of awareness programs to promote vaccination will drive the growth of this market. Geographically, the vaccines market is dominated by North America, followed by Europe, Asia, and the Rest of the World (RoW). Growth in the North American segment is primarily driven by rising government funding for vaccine research in the North American countries. The major factors contributing to the growth of the vaccines market include high prevalence of diseases, rising government and nongovernment funding for vaccine development, and increasing focus on immunization programs. Furthermore, increasing R&D spending and new vaccine development activities by companies is another major factor driving the growth of this market. Apart from comprehensive geographic and product analysis and market sizing, the report also provides a competitive landscape that covers the growth strategies adopted by industry players over the last three years. In addition, the company profiles comprise the product portfolios, developments, and strategies adopted by the market players to maintain and increase their shares in the market. The above-mentioned market research data, current market size, and forecast of the future trends will help key market players and new entrants to make the necessary decisions regarding product offerings, geographic focus, change in strategic approach, and levels of output in order to remain successful in the market. The major players in this market include Astellas Pharma Inc. (Japan), CSL Limited (Australia), Emergent BioSolutions, Inc. (U.S.), GlaxoSmithKline, plc. (U.K.), Johnson & Johnson (U.S.), MedImmune, LLC (U.S.), Merck & Co. (U.S.), Pfizer, Inc. (U.S.), Sanofi Pasteur (France), and Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd. (India). Reasons to Buy the Report: This report will enable both established firms as well as new entrants/smaller firms to gauge the pulse of the market, which in turn will help these firms garner greater market shares. Firms purchasing the report can use any one or a combination of the below-mentioned five strategies (market penetration, product development/innovation, market development, market diversification, and competitive assessment) for strengthening their market shares. The report provides insights on the following pointers: - Market Penetration: Comprehensive information on the product portfolios of the top players in the vaccines market. The report analyses the vaccines market by technology, type, disease indication, end-users, and regions - Product Development/Innovation: Detailed insights on the upcoming technologies, R&D activities, and new product launches in the vaccines market - Competitive Assessment: In-depth assessment of the market strategies, geographic and business segments, and product portfolios of the leading players in the vaccines market - Market Development: Comprehensive information about emerging markets. This report analyses the market for various vaccines across geographies - Market Diversification: Exhaustive information about new vaccines, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments in the vaccines market Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4062597/ About Reportbuyer Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers http://www.reportbuyer.com For more information: Sarah Smith Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 208 816 85 48 Website: www.reportbuyer.com SOURCE ReportBuyer Related Links http://www.reportbuyer.com NEW YORK, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2019 Commemoration has selected Finn Partners to drive communications and public relations for Virginia's AMERICAN EVOLUTION campaign. The multi-year campaign, which consists of 20 events and nine legacy projects, highlights the series of events that occurred in 1619 and set Virginia and America on a course towards the ideals of Democracy, Diversity and Opportunity. "The 2019 Commemoration has retained Finn Partners to elevate Virginia's history to the national stage and engage local and national audiences as we explore the 400-year arc of history that continues to influence our future," said Kathy Spangler, Executive Director, 2019 Commemoration. "The professionalism, expertise, creativity and tenacity demonstrated by Finn Partners will advance the Commonwealth's planning and implementation of the AMERICAN EVOLUTION campaign and build long-term awareness among Virginia and national audiences." "Finn Partners is thrilled to support the 2019 Commemoration by generating awareness and interest in, the complex history involving Virginia and its relationship to the nation's development through promoting visitation and learning experiences at Virginia's historic sites," said Peter Finn, founding partner, Finn Partners. "Our past award-winning experience obviously played a role in winning this multi-year account." Finn Partners will work closely with 2019 Commemoration communications, education, and partnership staff, as well as external partners, to drive local, regional and national media coverage of the Commemoration, through signature events and legacy programs. The 2019 Commemoration explores our AMERICAN EVOLUTION through key events that occurred in 1619 Virginia and their enduring influence over the ensuing 400-years of history, which has shaped modern-day America. These pivotal events include the first representative legislative assembly in the New World, the arrival of the first Africans to English North America, the recruitment of women to the Virginia colony, the first official English Thanksgiving in North America, and the development of the Colony's entrepreneurial spirit that embodies American business culture today. Upcoming 2019 Commemoration events include: March 1 May 14 - March to Mother's Day campaign recognizing 12 Virginia women's powerful influence on American history and raising awareness of the Virginia Women's Monument in Richmond's Capitol Square. - campaign recognizing 12 Virginia women's powerful influence on American history and raising awareness of the Virginia Women's Monument in Capitol Square. April 10-16 Annual Tom Tom Founders Festival a one-of-a-kind weeklong celebration of the power of innovation, entrepreneurship, and community incorporating business, technology, local food, music, art and leadership in Charlottesville, VA . Annual a one-of-a-kind weeklong celebration of the power of innovation, entrepreneurship, and community incorporating business, technology, local food, music, art and leadership in . May 6 Virginia Arts Festival , a partner of the 2019 Commemoration, showcases the Richard Alston Dance Company's performance, a British Troupe of graceful dancers that brings music to life. , a partner of the 2019 Commemoration, showcases the Richard Alston Dance Company's performance, a British Troupe of graceful dancers that brings music to life. May 19 Virginia Arts Festival, a partner of the 2019 Commemoration, showcases Lula Washington Dance Company's performance reflecting African-American history and filled with power, grace and "theatricality that is captivating." Learn more about the 2019 Commemoration, AMERICAN EVOLUTION, at http://www.americanevolution2019.com. About the 2019 Commemoration The 2019 Commemoration, AMERICAN EVOLUTION, highlights events that occurred in Virginia in 1619 and continue to influence America today. Featured programs, events and legacy projects will position Virginia as a leader in education, tourism and economic development. AMERICAN EVOLUTION commemorates the ongoing journey toward the key ideals of democracy, diversity and opportunity. About Finn Partners, Inc. Finn Partners was launched in late 2011 to realize Peter Finn's vision to create a leading communications agency dedicated to shaping a bold new future in which innovation and partnership are strong drivers of the brand. Finn Partners specializes in the full spectrum of communications services, including digital and social media. Specialty areas include technology, consumer, education, health, travel and lifestyle, CSR, arts, and public and corporate affairs. Since its inception four years ago, Finn Partners has received six agency awards that are indicators of client and cultural leadership: "Best Midsize Agency" in 2015, "Best Agency to Work For" in 2013 and "Best New Agency" in 2012 from the Holmes Report and "Midsize PR Firm of the Year" in 2015 and "Top Places to Work in PR" in 2013 from PR News. Headquartered in New York City, the company has approximately 550 employees, with offices in Chicago, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Jerusalem, London, Los Angeles, Munich, Nashville, Paris, Portland, San Francisco and Washington D.C., and offers international capabilities through its own global network and PROI Worldwide. Find us at www.finnpartners.com and follow us on Twitter @finnpartners. CONTACT Robin Crawford [email protected] C: 703.966.7616 O: 202.974.5025 SOURCE Finn Partners Related Links http://www.finnpartners.com Choosing to take a nostalgic look backwards rather than progressively forward, HMD Global has announced plans to relaunch Nokia's successful 3310 model - a handset first seen 17 years ago. Expected to relaunch this summer at a price of $52 (a mere drop in the ocean compares to the prices of Apple's iPhone or Samsung's Galaxy ranges), the Nokia 3310 had a reputation for being near indestructible. In light of the recent market announcement to revive the only phone to sport a 30 day battery life, software company Wondershare has launched an online running survey of mobile phone users to ask the simple question, "Will you buy a Nokia 3310?" While there, participants can learn about Wondershare's dr.fone software, and download tools to transfer old Android/iPhone data to new Nokia 6, and/or recover deleted photos, videos, contacts, messaging, etc. on Nokia 6. The survey, hosted on the company's website, has to date received over 2100 votes, with the results currently showing a landslide victory for the "yes" vote at 74%. In addition to the vote, the survey provides an opportunity for participants to comment on their yes or no vote. Wondershare are keen to involve as many participants in the survey as possible. Individuals interested in taking part can visit the Nokia 3310 survey at: https://drfone.wondershare.com/yes-or-no/will-you-buy-nokia-6.html . About Wondershare dr.fone: dr.fone is the world's first solution providing iOS data recovery software and Android data recovery, which has helped lots of people. With over 10 years of experience in providing people top-ranked software and services, Wondershare dr.fone has been dedicated to serve over 50 million users. Wondersharers have and will never forget the promises and keep helping customers enjoy wonderful digital lives. Learn more: https://drfone.wondershare.com/ This release was issued through Send2Press, a unit of Neotrope. For more information, visit Send2Press Newswire at https://www.Send2Press.com SOURCE Wondershare Related Links https://drfone.wondershare.com The three BLNDS sku's will be available through July, 2017 exclusively at Whole Foods Market stores nationwide in a 12oz single serve size for $3.99. A percentage of all BLNDS product sales will benefit Whole Planet Foundation, whose mission is poverty alleviation through microcredit in communities around the world that supply Whole Foods Market stores with product. "We are so excited to partner with WTRMLN WTR on the exclusive launch of their functional blends line," said Alix Simmons, Whole Foods Market's Global Grocery Category Manager. "In addition to being an innovative brand within the cold pressed juice category, they're innovating in the food waste space through both sourcing and manufacturing practices. We're proud to share their products and mission in our stores." "Congratulations to my partners at WTRMLN WTR," said Company investor Beyonce. "I applaud the innovative female leaders at WTRMLN WTR, who inspire us with their creativity and their true commitment to elevating our community and culture." The three new BLNDS join WTRMLN LMN (Lemonade), a low sugar lemonade offering, which was launched last summer. Like the original WTRMLN WTR, the BLNDS will all be made using "seconds" the blemished, sunburned, misshapen watermelons that aren't viable for commercial retail and are typically discarded. About the BLNDS: WTRMLN GNGR contains watermelon (flesh + rind), organic lemon juice, organic ginger juice, and organic ginger extract. "Spice it up! Amplify. Detoxify. Light up your immune system. Digest this, baby!" WTRMLN LME contains watermelon (flesh + rind), organic lime juice, organic lemon juice, and organic lime extract. It is "Mesmerizing. Alkalizing. A lil' green for your PH prime" WTRMLN TRT CHRRY contains organic tart cherry juice concentrate and organic lemon juice. "When your muscles be like 'Can't stop, won't stop', Pop this for your mighty marathon mojo" About WTRMLN WTR WTRMLN WTR is the pioneer in healthy, cold pressed juiced watermelon. The delicious, nutritionally rich WTRMLN WTR is sourced from "ugly" melons that are otherwise discarded, and consists of nothing but watermelon and a drop of organic lemon juice. It is straight from the fruit, with low calories / sugar (equal to coconut water), high electrolytes (550mg of potassium), Citrulline and Lycopene (for muscle health and antioxidants). There is no added water, and no added sugar! Our mission is rather simple: better, more sustainable methods of food production, less waste, a smarter planet, healthier humans, a healthier world, more love, equality, decency and kindness. The product is all natural, gluten free, non-GMO, vegan, and kosher. WTRMLN WTR: Hot pink juicy watermelon flesh. Everything but the skin. Packed with the good stuff. Entrepreneurs Jody Levy and Harlan Berger founded the company in 2013 with a mission to create the most ethically produced, clean, and conscientious bottle of pure watermelon water aka liquid love. Visit www.wtrmlnwtr.com to learn more. @WTRMLNWTR #WTRMLNWTR SOURCE WTRMLN WTR Related Links http://www.wtrmlnwtr.com TAMPA, Fla., March 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Yogurtology is proud to announce the grand opening of their newest location at Tampa International Airport. The store is located at the airport's newly-opened Eatery at Terminal F and gives travelers throughout the world an opportunity to enjoy Yogurtology's selection of Premiyum flavors. New Yogurtology shop at Terminal F of the Tampa International Airport The new store will feature all the items that have made Yogurtology a fan favorite in communities throughout Florida and nationwide. Guests can enjoy a rotating group of delicious flavors and combine them with a variety of Bottomings (toppings for the bottom of your cup) and Sloppings (syrups and sauces). The Eatery at Terminal F is a 7,700 square foot dining area that features six brands, selected to give travelers to and from Tampa International Airport a feel for the quality and diversity of the cuisine that can be found in Tampa Bay. The Eatery at Terminal F is operated by SSP America, a division of SSP Group, a leading operator of food and beverage brands in travel locations worldwide. SSP America hosted a grand opening event on Friday, March 3rd from the location. "It's an honor to be a part of this great group of brands that represent some of best this area has to offer. Yogurtology is all about providing great flavors and tremendous customer service. We are excited to provide the Yogurtology experience to those traveling to and from our wonderful city," said Jordan Levy, President of Yogurtology Franchising, LLC. "We are always excited to see a new Yogurtology open. This grand opening takes on additional significance because we are a part of a group of outstanding brands that will serve as ambassadors for the amazing food that can be found in this area," said Ean Mendelsohn, Vice President of Yogurtology Franchising, LLC. About Yogurtology Franchising, LLC Yogurtology is a frozen yogurt franchise headquartered in Tampa, FL., where "the art + science of frozen yogurt" converge to provide a healthy and delicious dessert experience. Yogurtology offers over 100 exclusive Premiyum flavors, Bottomings (toppings for the bottom of your cup), Sloppings (syrups and sauces), fresh toppings, along with healthy probiotics in each serving. Yogurtology was recognized as one of the Tampa Bay Times Top Workplaces in 2016. A total of 100 organizations made the list, and Yogurtology was ranked 2nd out of the top 50 organizations listed with less than 100 employees. For more information regarding franchising opportunities, please visit http://yogurtology.com/franchising/. Media Inquiries: Jennifer Dufek Director of Marketing Yogurtology Franchising, LLC 813-867-8628 [email protected] Related Links Website Facebook This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com SOURCE Yogurtology Related Links http://yogurtology.com EVANSDALE | Two cases involving the murder of two young girls in Iowa and Indiana appear to be coincidental, according to investigators. Investigators handling the case of two Indiana girls murdered in February say the case doesn't link to the death of two Evansdale cousins in 2012. We are comparing our case to their unsolved case. We have done that. We have talked with the investigators in Iowa. At this point in our investigation, it appears merely coincidental, the similarities in this case, but we dont believe they are connected at this point, Indiana State Police Sgt. John Perrine said Thursday. As of right now, there is no connection, Iowa DCI Agent Michael Roehrkasse said. Lyric Cook-Morrissey, 10, and Elizabeth Collins, 8, disappeared on July 13, 2012, while they were riding their bikes in Evansdale. Their bodies were found in December 2012 in a rural Bremer County wilderness area. Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14, disappeared Feb. 13, 2017, while hanging out near an abandoned railroad bridge near Delphi, Ind. Their bodies were found the following day in a wooded area about half a mile away. Both cases remain unsolved. Authorities noticed similarities in the crimes. Both involved a pair of young girls, both involved rural, wooded areas, and both happened on the 13th. Beyond that, authorities cant find anything connecting the cases, Perrine said. He did go on to say investigators werent ruling out a connection between the crimes. We just compared notes with the investigators. Its too early in our case to say they are connected. We dont have any similar evidence. But were not ruling it out. Were not prepared to say 'yes' or 'no' now, Perrine said. He said agents with the Iowa DCI, which is handling the cousins' case, began communicating with Indiana investigators shortly after the Delphi incident. One of the elements that drew Iowa officials attention to the Indiana case was the fact that it involved a double abduction. Statistically, they are very rare. And thats one of those reasons that it caught our attention, Roehrkasse said. Roehrkasse said that while the DCI is talking with Indiana officials to explore possible connections, they are also giving them room to conduct their investigation. We were in that boat four and a half, five years ago. During that time, there was an abduction in Colorado as well as in Wyoming in the early stages of our case (in Evansdale) ... Other agencies were calling us, and that kind of takes you away from your core mission, Roehrkasse said. Another double abduction caught the attention of investigators in the cousins case in May 2013 when two young girls were kidnapped near Dayton. Suspect Michael Klunder killed one of the girls, the other fled, and Klunder took his own life. Ultimately, authorities determined Klunder was likely near his Stratford home at the time the cousins disappeared in Evansdale, and he was ruled out as a suspect. In the Indiana case, investigators have released a grainy photograph of a person walking on the Delphi Historic Trail near where the bodies were found. During the course of the investigation, preliminary evidence has led investigators to believe the person, in the distributed photograph, is a suspect in the investigation of the homicides of Abigail Williams and Liberty German, Indiana State Police said in a prepared statement. Also, authorities released a voice recording of a man saying down the hill that was extracted from a video found on Libertys cell phone. MASON CITY | The City Council on Tuesday approved a forgivable loan program for downtown Mason City similar to a highly-successful program begun two years ago for properties along Federal Avenue. Director of Development Services Steven Van Steenhuyse said the Corridor Revitalization Loan Program (CoRL), approved by the council in August 2015, provides matching loans of up to $30,000 to business owners who want to fix up their properties. If the property owner maintains ownership and maintains the property for seven years, the loan is forgiven. The loans are funded through tax increment financing. "The program has proven to be quite popular and is having a positive effect on the aesthetics and property values," Van Steenhuyse said. He said so far, four projects have been completed with loans disbursed. The loans have totaled $97,999 and have leveraged $223,354 in total improvements. In all, the city has approved 13 loans totaling $332,354 which will leverage $887,775. The program was designed to improve properties along the north and south Federal Avenue corridor. Based on its success, Van Steenhuyse recommended expanding it to include downtown businesses. Features of the downtown loan plan: Priority will be given to renovating old or badly-altered facades. It applies to commercial, mixed-use and multi-family properties. Projects creating affordable downtown housing will be considered. Applicants will be encouraged to seek multiple sources of funding, including the city's Downtown Revolving Loan program to close financing gaps. Funds used for interior improvements will not be subject to the $30,000 maximum used in the CoRL program. All projects will be reviewed by a committee to ensure minimum standards are met. 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 Mumbai, March 5 : Filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar, who is directing Bollywood superstar Salman Khan in "Tiger Zinda Hai", says the upcoming film will feature scenes shot in sub-zero freezing locations. "Butterflies in stomach and lots of excitement, packing for sub-zero freezing locations 'Tiger Zinda Hai'. It's gonna be fun," Zafar posted on Twitter on Sunday, without giving the exact location of where he is shooting. Salman will return to share screen space with actress Katrina Kaif in the film. The shooting of "Tiger Zinda Hai" started in Morocco. It is a sequel to 2012 film "Ek Tha Tiger", which was directed by Kabir Khan. "Ek Tha Tiger" centered on the life of an Indian spy of RAW (Salman), code-named Tiger, who falls in love with a Pakistani spy from ISI (Katrina) during an investigation and how Tiger's ideology and principles change over time. Earlier, Salman and Zafar worked together in 2016 blockbuster "Sultan". On March 2, Zafar shared a screenshot of a Skype video call, where he was talking to six people from six different parts of the world. "Countdown to the shoot begins as the crew from six different countries does a Skype call 'Tiger Zinda Hai', technology makes the world so small," he wrote alongside the image. Kolkata, March 6 : A women's rights group on Monday demanded that the West Bengal government immediately probe alleged police atrocities in Bhangar and withdraw fake charges against leaders of an ongoing movement opposed to the setting up of a power grid in the area. The 12-member team of WSS (Women against Sexual Violence and State Repression), who visited the violence-stricken villages of Bhangar, said the government should immediately start a dialogue with the villagers to "de-escalate the situation". "We have reports of 23 village houses and four-five shops being vandalised by the police on January 16 when police entered the villages. There were also instances of sexual and physical assault on women," WSS team member Madhuri Krishnamurti told media. "A woman was sexually assaulted by police in front of her disabled husband and another's hand was broken in three places during the police beating," she added. "The villagers also alleged that the two persons killed during the January 16 clash between police and agitators were in fact 'murdered by the police in cold blood'. The government must take immediate action against the police personnel and goons involved in the violence," Krishnamurti said. Krishnamurti also accused the state government of trying to quash the land movement by arresting the leaders on fake charges and tagging them as terrorists. "One of our members Sharmistha Chowdhury is presently in jail for supporting the movement. Many leaders of the mass movement were also arrested under UAPA (Unlawful Activity Prevention Act) which can be only used against persons endangering the integrity and sovereignty of the country. Attempts to paint the legitimate and peaceful protest as unconstitutional or terrorist must stop," she added. Another member of the visiting team said the land acquisition process at Bhangar is illegal even by the older land acquisition Act of 1984, as the villagers were repeatedly misinformed about the project and the compensation packages arbitrarily decided. "The illegal acts about the Bhangar project started as early as 2003 when the 13-acre land was taken over without informing the motive and scale of the project. The whole act of giving compensation to the villagers was handled by a local Trinamool Congress leader who decided the packages arbitrarily. None of the government officials were involved in the process," Advocate Shalini Ghera alleged. "A case against the forcible land acquisition is still pending in the high court and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said that 11 families have not taken the compensation. How then did the work for the power grid advance," she wondered. Taking a swipe at the Trinamool Congress-led state government for its harsh stand against the land movement, the WSS members urged the government to immediately start a dialogue with the villagers as part of confidence-building measures. "A party that came to power by supporting the land movements of Singur and Nandigram is now taking harsh stand on another land movement. They should hold immediate and unconditional talks with the protesting villagers and undertake confidence building measures to gain back the trust of the village," they said. South 24 Parganas district's Bhangar, known for its history of political violence, was on the boil since November over 'forced' acquisition of 16 acres of farmland -- spread over the villages of Khamarait, Machhi Bhanga, Tona and Padmapukur -- by the state government for the Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL). The area flared up when angry protestors fought a pitched battle with police when the law-keepers tried to enter Padmapukur village in January. The agitators hurled stones and bricks, surrounded the police vehicles and also torched some police vans. Two persons were shot dead and a several were injured in the clash. Following the incident, the West Bengal government announced the cancellation of the power grid project and said no land would be taken from the villagers if they were not willing to part with it. Chennai/New Delhi/Colombo, March 7 : A fisherman from Tamil Nadu was shot dead in Sri Lankan waters but the island nation's navy on Tuesday denied any involvement in the incident. As India voiced "deep concern" after the Monday night incident, Colombo promised a thorough probe. Six fishermen from Thangachimadam in Ramanathapuram district were fishing near the Katchatheevu islet in the narrow sea dividing the two countries when they were fired at, Indian officials said. A Tamil Nadu official said fisherman K. Britso, 22, died when the Sri Lankan Navy allegedly opened fire without any warning. Another Indian fisherman was injured. Katchatheevu is located in the narrow Palk Straits dividing India and Sri Lanka. The sea near the island is rich in marine life, leading to frequent clashes between Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen as well as Navy. Hundreds of fishermen launched a protest at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, blaming the Sri Lankan Navy for the killing. After promising "a full and thorough probe" when India took up the matter at the highest level, the Sri Lankan Navy said it was not involved. Navy spokesperson Lt Commander Chaminda Walakuluge said in Colombo that the Navy personnel had been ordered not to fire at Indian fishermen but to only arrest them if they entered Sri Lankan waters. The Sri Lankan Navy has been accused of killing scores of fishermen from Tamil Nadu fishing in the island nation's territorial waters. Indian High Commissioner Taranjit Singh Sandhu took up the matter with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, informed sources said. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family of Britso and Rs 1 lakh for the injured fisherman. The attack comes a day after Palaniswami wrote to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the release of 85 fishermen and their 128 boats now in Sri Lankan custody. PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss on Tuesday condemned the killing and said New Delhi should stop terming Sri Lanka as a friendly nation. "They were first attacked by the Sri Lankan Navy with grenades and then were shot at," Ramadoss said in Chennai. He said attacks on the Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy have been happening for the past 30 years, leaving more than 800 fishermen dead. Ramadoss said India and Sri Lanka had agreed that fishermen crossing the maritime boundary by mistake should not be attacked but handled in a humane manner. "It seems Sri Lanka is not willing to abide by any agreement," he said. Lucknow, March 7 : The guns have fallen silent and the armies are back in their camps. With campaigning over for one of the most keenly watched and caustic assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh in recent times, political heavyweights, as also their foot soldiers, now have their eyes set on which way the last phase goes on Wednesday and then the vote count on March 11. Over a dozen helicopters and private planes that were used by the bigwigs of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party (SP), Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have gone back to the hangers and beta's of all hues have had a "good night sleep" after an arduous campaign of more than two months. Sources told IANS that Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav spent quality time with his children after a long time on Monday and got a long sleep after a hectic campaign that saw him hili-hopping across most parts of Uttar Pradesh. Desperate to retain his chair against a resurgent BJP and BSP, Yadav addressed a whopping 221 rallies in 36 days, spending almost five-six hours flying. "He has lead an amazing campaign without showing any signs of being tired or irritated and we are hopeful that the toil will reap us a good electoral harvest on March 11," a close aide informed IANS. The Chief Minister's wife, Dimple Yadav, and also the Lok Sabha MP from Kannauj, also hit the campaign trail like never before. Playing a quiet role, she was occasionally seen in public and government functions in the last five years but didn't speak much. This time around, the electorate saw her transformation and she campaigned with a flair, taking on the BSP's Mayawati and even Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Accompanied by senior party leader Juhi Singh, she addressed as many as 33 rallies to drum up support for her husband. Missing from there scene, however, was former SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, who unlike last assembly polls in 2012, just addressed four rallies. Of these three were for family members who are in the fray and one for old colleague Parasnath Yadav. In the last polls he led from the front and addressed 100-plus rallies. Modi, after a hectic back-to-back roads shows over three days in his parliamentary constituency of Varanasi and a 'dharmik parikrama' of various temples, is back to his daily chores. Having addressed 23 rallies in the state over the two months, Modi is flew to his native Gujarat on Tuesday to inaugurate India's longest cable bridge and for many other engagements, that include a visit to the Somnath temple. BJP chief Amit Shah, who had a whirlwind campaigning schedule, is also out for some quiet moments, away from the hurly burly of politics. After addressing more than 200 rallies in a two month-long campaign, Shah is back to his bungalow in Lutyens Delhi and is monitoring development at the BJP's Ashok Road office. Keshav Prasad Maurya, the BJP's UP unit chief, has been driving in his SUV for almost four months now and has taken a "chota sa break," a party leader informed, but is marshaling the party cadres for the last round in Poorvanchal, which goes to polls on Wednesday. At stake are 40 seats. Party general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak, who also traveled extensively during the election campaign, says he is "back to normal". Resuming his morning walk at the Lohia Park in the posh Gomtinagar area of the state capital, he is hopeful of a BJP majority in the assembly and is now awaiting the March 11 vote count. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, who has been the chief minister four times, fiercely tried to regain lost ground and romp home to power. Ably assisted by party leaders Satish Chandra Mishra and Naseemuddin Siddiqui, she led a brave campaign amid reports that the "elephant was a poor third" and held sway over her Dalit vote bank. She addressed 52 major rallies across the state and logged more than 60 flying hours. "Behenji has envious stamina and she has worked very hard for the comeback," said a staffer at her sprawling, heavily-guarded bungalow at Mall Avenue in Lucknow. She skipped campaigning on the last opportunity on Monday and is learnt have relaxed at her home with a warm water and salt foot massage. She spoke to the second rung leaders of her party and made an internal assessment of her party's performance at the hustings. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi also worked hard in the staggered seven-phased elections and addressed 45 big and small public rallies, took out four road shows and went 'proactive' after the party stitched up an alliance with the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP). He is back to Delhi and is learnt to have called on his mother, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and briefed her over dinner about the potential outcome of the "sweat and toil". Sources say the Gandhi scion was "pretty sure of the alliance victory". Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) chief Raj Babbar also worked hard and addressed 45 rallies, along with Pramod Tiwari and other senior leaders. But as the generals retire to the confines of their daily routine, voters in the state are left with one more round of voting on Wednesday when 40 seats in seven districts of Poorvanchal go for balloting. After that it is cut to Saturday, March 11, the vote counting day when the world will get to know whose hard work paid and whose went down the drain! (Mohit Dubey can be contacted at mohit.d@ians.in) Mumbai, March 8 : Senior Shiv Sena leader and former college Principal Vishwanath P. Mahadeshwar was on Wednesday elected the Mayor of BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation, the country's biggest and the richest civic body, officials here said. Mahadeshwar, 56, is a three-time municipal corporator from Bandra. With his election, the Shiv Sena's hold over the Mayor's post continues for the fifth consecutive term. A former Principal of Raje Sambhaji Vidyalaya and Junior College in Santacruz East, he sailed through the BMC house vote easily on Wednesday afternoon, as members of the Sena's former ally Bharatiya Janata Party voted in his favour while opposition Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's seven corporators stayed away. Present during the election were outgoing Mayor Snehal Ambekar, Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta and other senior leaders and officials. The election came four days after the BJP abruptly withdrew from the mayoral race and decided to keep away from any other post like Deputy Mayor, or other major committees or sit in the opposition in the 227-strong BMC house. The BMC elections last month threw a sharply fractured verdict, with the Shiv Sena emerging as the single largest party with 84 corporators, the BJP second with 82. The Congress won 31 seats, NCP nine, the Mahar ashtra Navnirman Sena seven, Samajwadi Party six, AIMIM two, Akhil Bharatiya Sena just one, and Independents five seats. Beijing, March 8 : China on Wednesday proposed that North Korea suspend its tests of missile and nuclear technology to "defuse a looming crisis". Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the US and South Korea could halt annual joint military drills, which consistently infuriate North Korea, if Pyongyang suspended its ballistic missile tests, BBC reported. The appeal comes after North Korea test-launched four missiles on Monday, breaking international sanctions. In response, the US began rolling out a missile defence system in South Korea. Speaking on the sidelines of China's annual parliamentary meeting, Wang said the Korean Peninsula was like "two accelerating trains, coming toward each other with neither side willing to give way". "Are the two sides really ready for a head-on collision?" he asked. A mutual halt of military operations would be the first step towards easing tensions and reopening negotiations, he said. Three of the North Korean missiles came down inside Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) on Monday, prompting Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US President Donald Trump to say the region had entered "a new stage of threat". The UN Security Council in a statement strongly condemned the launch, calling it a grave violation of North Korea's international obligations, which risked destabilising the region. According to the BBC, the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence system (Thaad) is designed to protect South Korea, and US troops based there, from North Korean missile attacks. The first elements of it were moved into place on Tuesday, hours after the North's latest launch. The Thaad deployment, originally agreed under the Obama administration, is controversial. South Koreans living in areas which will host defence batteries are concerned they could become targets. China has said its radar capabilities go far beyond what is required for defence and represents an encroachment of US military power and that it will "resolutely take necessary measures to defend our own security interest". In a State Department news briefing on Tuesday, spokesman Mark Toner repeated US reassurances to China. He said the US had been "very clear in our conversations with China that this is not meant to be a threat, and is not a threat, to them or any other power in the region". Toner said North Korea would be discussed next week when Secretary of State Rex Tillerson makes his first official visit to South Korea, Japan and China. Mumbai, March 8 : Senior Shiv Sena leader and former college Principal Vishwanath P. Mahadeshwar was on Wednesday elected the 76th Mayor of BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation, the country's biggest and the richest civic body. He defeated his lone opponent, Congresss' Vithhal Lokare, by bagging 171 votes against his rival's 31 in the 227-member BMC house. A former principal of Raje Sambhaji Vidyalaya and Junior College in Santacruz East, Mahadeshwar, 56, is a three-time municipal corporator from Bandra. With his election, the Shiv Sena's hold over the Mayor's post continues for the fifth consecutive term. Earlier on WEdnesday afternoon, Mahadeshwar secured the vote easily, as members of the Sena's former ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) voted in his favour. However, the opposition Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's seven corporators remained absent from the house and Samajwadi Party's six corporators were present but abstained from voting. Earlier efforts by the opposition to unite with a common agenda of defeating the BJP failed to materialise following Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' announcement four days ago that he was withdrawing his party from the mayoral race. Present during the election were outgoing Mayor Snehal Ambekar, as well as Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta and other senior leaders and officials. The voting was preceeded by a massive show of strength, singing, dancing and music by the Shiv Sena activists outside the BMC headquarters in south Mumbai, but inside the house, the party voice was drowned by BJP corporators' thunderous chants of "Modi, Modi". Four days back, the BJP abruptly withdrew from the mayoral race and decided to keep away from any other post like Deputy Mayor, or other major committees or sit in the opposition in the BMC. The BMC elections last month threw a sharply fractured verdict, with the Shiv Sena emerging as the single largest party with 84 corporators, followed closely by the BJP second with 82. The Congress won 31 seats, NCP nine, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena seven, Samajwadi Party six, AIMIM two, Akhil Bharatiya Sena just one, and Independents five seats. Juba, March 9 : South Sudan on Wednesday said it granted cash grants for education of 150,000 girls in 2017 in a bid to prevent them from early child marriage that has kept majority girls out of school. Minister of General Education Deng Hoc revealed in the capital of Juba that they are working toward making education free for all South Sudanese children, with majority out of school due to poverty and conflict, Xinhua news agency reported. "We have worked together with British government on supporting girl education of 150,000 girls. These girls will receive cash transfer from Girl Education South Sudan (GESS)," he revealed. Girls in South Sudan face serious disadvantages in education. The country has the worst indicators for girls' education in the world. Not only are they less likely to enter school, girls are also more likely to drop out compared to boys. "We are working to make education free for all from the age of three. I have reminded the people of South Sudan about this provision in our constitution. All children must be allowed to go to school unconditionally," Hoc said. The World Bank has estimated that only seven girls for every ten boys attend primary education, while five girls for every ten boys are enrolled in secondary education. In 2013 only 500 girls were in the last grade of secondary school in the whole country. Washington, March 9 : US President Donald Trump met with the widow of Apple founder Steve Jobs, Laurene Powell Jobs, to discuss "immigration and education policy", the media reported. The meeting was held on Wednesday in the Oval Office, Efe news reported. Powell Jobs, an activist, is the founder and president of an organisation called Emerson Collective that focuses on "removing barriers" to "education, immigration reform (and) the environment". The contents of the meeting was not immediately clear but, according to White House spokesperson Lindsay Walters, she was slated to speak with Trump about "education and immigration". The California activist for years has supported the Dream Act, a bill that failed in the Senate and that would have legalised the status of tens of thousands of undocumented migrants who came to the US as young children - the group known as "Dreamers". Besides bringing pressure to bear for immigration reform and the rights of the Dreamers via her organisation, Powell Jobs made clear her opinions on recent immigration measures adopted by Trump on her Twitter account. "We cannot be silent. Too much suffering already. America wants common-sense immigration reform, not mass deportation," Powell Jobs had said earlier about Trump's executive orders to toughen US immigration policy. "This action against immigration and refugees will go down in history as a source of national shame. Speak up, speak out. Do not accept hate," she tweeted after Trump signed an executive order to create more detention centres for undocumented migrants and to accelerate deportations. MASON CITY | A Mason City woman was ordered to serve up to seven years in prison this week after her probation was revoked on theft and forgery convictions. Shannon R. Lybarger, 29, violated the terms of her probation by using meth and drinking alcohol, according to Cerro Gordo County District Court documents. The Mason City Police Department charged Lybarger with misdemeanor third-degree theft after she concealed merchandise from Target on her person and left the store without paying for it on Jan. 7, 2016. The felony forgery charge was filed after Lybarger forged a check at Diamond Jo Casino in Worth County on April 26, 2016. Court records state the charge was filed in Cerro Gordo County because the victim in the case was the same as in another related incident in Mason City. Lybarger pleaded guilty in both cases. -- Mary Pieper Chennai, March 9 : Global credit rating agency Fitch Ratings on Thursday said some Indian banks are at the risk of skipping coupon payments on capital instruments over next couple of years. According to Fitch, some Indian banks are at risk of skipping on obligations despite the pressure easing measures by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), additional capital infusions into government owned banks. "Mid-sized state banks are the most at risk of breaching capital triggers," Fitch said on Thursday in a statement. According to Fitch distributable reserves at small-to-mid-sized state banks were down by one-third in this fiscal during the nine month period as compared to last fiscal's corresponding period, reflecting persistent losses and weak internal capital generation. "Five state-owned banks suffered losses that were equivalent to more than 30 per cent of distributable reserves in 9M17 alone. The RBI's recent decision to allow banks to make additional Tier 1 (AT1) coupon payments from statutory reserves may have helped mitigate short-term coupon-deferral risks, but state banks' reserves are likely to continue falling," Fitch said. The RBI has made several regulatory adjustments in the last few years to avoid potential damage to sentiment in the domestic market for capital instruments. These changes have been applied to the sector as a whole and are not unique to India, but their timing suggests the RBI has felt pressure to provide headroom to state banks. Some banks are also at risk of missing coupon payments on capital instruments as a result of breaching minimum capital requirements. Fitch's analysis indicates that the total capital adequacy ratio (CAR) of 12 banks was at or below the 11.5 per cent minimum that will be a prerequisite for payment of coupons on both legacy and Basel III AT1 capital instruments by financial year 2019. There were also 11 banks with common equity Tier I ratios at or below the eight per cent minimum that will be required to make coupon payments on AT1 instruments by fiscal year 2019. Fitch said Indian banks need around $90 billion fresh capital by 2019 to meet Basel III standards and government owned banks account for around 80 per cent of that. Government owned banks are constrained in raising new equity due to heavy discounts on valuations while limited market depth remains a hurdle to issuing capital instruments domestically. Banks which are capable of tapping overseas markets have been reluctant to do so due to pricing concerns. This leaves state banks largely reliant on the government for recapitalisation, Fitch said. The $10.4 billion that the government has earmarked for capital injections into state banks is unlikely to be enough to support balance-sheet growth. Seoul, March 9 : The corruption trial against Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong in the "Rasputin" scandal case began on Thursday at a court here in the South Korean capital, a media report said. The de-facto President of the country's biggest business conglomerate, Lee was being tried for his part in the graft case which lead to the impeachment of its President Park Geun-hye, Efe news reported. The preparatory trial would take place at the Central District court here from 2 pm onwards but it was unknown whether Lee would appear on Thursday as the law does not oblige him to do so. The 48-year-old Samsung chief, who has been detained since February 17, was accused of having authorised the diversion of $37.3 million to foundations controlled by Choi Soon-sil, dubbed the "Korean Rasputin", because of her friendship with Park. Payments were made in exchange for the South Korean public pension fund authorising a merger of two Samsung subsidiaries (one of which was owned by the fund) which would further reinforce the Lee clan's control over the group. Aside from the bribery, Lee, who has been heading the Samsung Group since his father was disabled by a stroke in 2014, also faces charges of embezzlement and concealment of assets abroad. Four other officials of the company, who remain at large, would also be tried alongside Lee. The Rasputin case led to the dismissal of President Park by the South Korean Parliament in December 2016, and the Constitutional Court would announce on Friday whether or not it would ratify this decision. If the dismissal was approved, it would strip Park of her immunity and force Presidential elections in less than 60 days. New Delhi, March 9 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi has exuded confidence on the passage of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill in the Budget session of Parliament which resumed on Thursday. "There will be detailed discussion on the Budget and I am sure the level of debate and discussion will be of good quality. It will be focused on the issues pertaining to the welfare of the poor," Modi told the media. Citing positive response from the states and other political parties, Modi said he hoped the GST, the country's biggest tax reform, would be in place by this session itself. "We are hopeful of a breakthrough in the GST. One of the reasons for our optimism is that all the states have cooperated in a positive manner. All the political parties have also been extremely positive and cooperative in their response," he added. "We have been able to move forward in this direction after arriving at a consensus on certain decisions subsequent to detailed discussion on this issue in a democratic manner," the Prime Minister said. "The efforts are on to enlist the cooperation of all to ensure that the GST is in place by this session," added Modi. New Delhi, March 9 : In a clear instance of adversity being turned into an opportunity, mango varieties from northern India, which arrive in the market much after those from western and southern India have satiated the appetites of aficionados, could now get a leg-up with the government promoting their export -- and the first lot could be headed for Iran later this year. "When the mango season starts in March, varieties such as alphonso, badami and banganapalle hit the market and they get attractive rates and export opportunities. However, when mangoes from the northern parts arrive by late June and July, there is no demand, which results in poor returns to farmers," Agricultural and Processed Food and Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) Chairman D.K. Singh told IANS. "So we have decided to promote these varieties (daseri, chausa, langda) globally and locally. If everything goes as per plan, mangoes from Malihabad (in Uttar Padesh) will set off to Iran this year," Singh added. This follows the Food and Drug Administration Department of Iran accepting the Indian Embassy's invitation to examine local mango varieties in Malihabad, the core area of mango production in north India. The promotion of these mangoes will also result in better prices in local markets as well, APEDA officials hoped. After a decline in exports in 2015-16, there was a surge in 2016-17. As per APEDA data, India exported 45,563 tonnes of mangoes in 2016-17 (April-November) -- a hike of 20 per cent over the 36,329 tonnes exported in 2015-16. However, exports from north India were found to be very low. "At present, daseri from Uttar Pradesh is being exported but the quantity is less. Now, the demand for mangoes abroad, including the US, has seen a steady increase in the past few years. So we want to promote the late-arriving varieties as well," APEDA Deputy General Manager Sudhanshu told IANS. Meanwhile, mango growers welcomed the APEDA's efforts but also demanded the necessary facilities to ensure their success. Malihabad grower Kaleem Ullah Khan, who was in 2008 awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour, for developing innovative varieties of mangoes, sought a subsidy in air-freight charges to flourish in the global market. "During exhibitions in Gulf countries, our mangoes fared well, defeating those from Pakistan in quality. However, our rates are higher than those from Pakistan since our government does not give any subsidy in air-transport charges," Khan told IANS. Echoing Khan, Insram Ali, President of the Mango Grower's Association of India, said the government should provide better transport facilities, including an increase in the subsidy for brand promotion and air-freight of up to 50 per cent. "While alphonso in Maharashtra reaches Rs 1,200 per dozen, Malihabad mangoes fetch a maximum Rs 80-90 per kg. If we effectively succeed in promoting these mangoes abroad, especially in the Gulf countries, we will get a fair price," Ali told IANS. The government, however, will have to take measures for preserving Malihabad mangoes while exporting them since their shelf life is of just 4-5 days as against 12-15 days for alphonsos, Ali cautioned. (Saurabh Katkurwar can be contacted at saurabk.k@ians.in) Mumbai, March 9 : Paresh Rawal will play a special role in Ali Abbas Zafar's "Tiger Zinda Hai", making it the first time the veteran actor will be seen in a Yash Raj Films (YRF) project. The film shoot will begin in Austria next week. Always one to take up new challenges, Paresh will be seen "in a manner that hasn't been seen before", read a statement from the banner. Commenting on his entry to the film's cast, Zafar said: "I have always been a fan of his work and what he brings to his characters. I can't wait to see him in this very special role, I am fortunate to be part of a film which is Paresh Rawal's first for Yash Raj Films." The movie features Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif in the lead roles. A song and slick action sequence will be shot in below 20 degrees temperature in Tyrol, Austria, starting March 15. A sequel to the blockbuster "Ek Tha Tiger", the film promises some stylish and thrilling spy drama. For the film's action and stunt sequence, well-known Hollywood stunt performer Tom Stuthers -- known for Christopher Nolan's Batman series, will be in charge. The team is gearing up for the challenging environment as they will shoot amid snow-capped mountains, icy surroundings and small and quaint rural hamlets. A YRF spokesperson said: "It will be very cold to shoot here, but Tyrol is both an unexplored and a stunningly beautiful location. We loved the challenge of shooting here. Tom Struthers will bring in a lot of value with his expertise. "That Salman and Katrina agreed to shoot in this freezing cold place, where temperatures fall below minus 20 degrees, just goes on to prove how committed they are to the film." The film will also travel to various other locations abroad during the course of its shoot. Chennai, March 9 : Filmmaker Praveen Sattaru, who has roped in actress Sunny Leone for a special number in his upcoming Telugu action thriller "PSV Garuda Vega", says she was the first choice for the song. "Sunny was the first choice I had in mind even before I informed my producers. The song comes at an important juncture in the film and it needed a very familiar face. While we had plenty of options in the Telugu film industry, I believed Sunny's presence will help in drawing the masses," Sattaru told IANS. He also clarified it's not an item song. "It's a song that's part of the narrative. It's not a standalone item number. In fact, it's the only song in the second half of the film. Sunny will be seen in a rustic avatar and the song will be shot in Kerala," he said. The film stars Rajasekhar in the lead. He plays a police officer. "This project will reinvent his on-screen cop avatar. It will be a very realistic police story," he added. Also starring Pooja Kumar, Shraddha Das and Adith Arun, the film is gearing up for release soon. This will be Sunny's second Telugu film. She had earlier played a cameo in 2014 Telugu film "Current Theega". Agartala, March 9 : A Bangladeshi security man was lynched and another detained when 12 intruders attempted a robbery in Tripura, police said on Thursday. "Twelve Bangladeshis comprising eight Griha Rakshi Bahini personnel (equivalent of Indian Home Guards), two government employees and two civilians illegally crossed the India-Bangladesh border and tried to rob Indian villagers on Wednesday night," South Tripura district Superintendent of Police Tapan Debbarma told IANS over phone. "When the villagers jointly hit back, the trespassers fled. However, a personnel of Griha Rakshi Bahini, identified as Nausad Mia, 62, died on the spot while another was injured in the retaliatory attack. The injured was later shifted to the government hospital by the police," he added. The incident occurred at Siddhinagar village under the jurisdiction of Puran Rajbari Police Station in southern Tripura along the Bangladesh border. Around 12 Muslim families comprising 80 people have been residing in the village outside the border fencing. The police officer said that the Bangladeshis came into Indian territory in two auto-rickshaw and fled on the vehicles when the villagers chased them. Senior Border Security Force (BSF) and police officers, along with reinforcements, have been camping in the tension ridden areas, 135-km south of here. Tripura shares a 856-km border with Bangladesh a portion of which is still unfenced. Patna, March 9 : A day after security forces killed four Maoists, police stations across Bihar have gone on high alert, police said on Thursday. The police have also launched a combing operation against the Maoists, the police said. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) shot dead on Wednesday the four Maoist guerrillas in the Banskatwa forest area in Gaya, about 100 km from here. "Police stations have been directed to be on alert in view of the killing of Maoists because they may target police stations to take revenge," a police official said. It was the first major successful operation against Maoists in Bihar since last year. Last month, the Special Task Force of Bihar Police shot dead a self-styled sub zonal commonder of the outlawed CPI-Maoist in Banka district. Tura (Meghalaya), March 9 : The outlawed Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) suffered a major setback when its so-called "Foreign Secretary" surrendered on Thursday, police said. Briyan R. Marak alias Milliam crossed over to India from Bangladesh on Wednesday night between Gausapara and Sibbari in Meghalaya's South Garo Hills district and surrendered to Abraham Sangma, the district police chief of South Garo Hill. "It is a huge setback for the GNLA leadership (Sohan D. Shira). We were caught by surprise," Sangma told IANS. Marak was arrested on December 15, 2012 by the Rapid Action Battalion for illegally entering Bangladesh without valid travel documents. Ten months after being released from jail, Marak continue to stay in Bangladesh illegally besides criss-crossing the India-Bangladesh border to meet GNLA cadres in Garo Hills region in Meghalaya. "Marak told us he decided to give up after realizing that the GNLA fight for a separate Garoland will not succeed besides growing dictatorial attitude of Sohan towards the cadres besides unwanted killings," Sangma said. However, the police officer said Marak came overground in the wake of the intensified combing operation launched by Meghalaya Police in Garo Hills. "They have been under intense pressure and the only option for them was to surrender. We are hopeful more of them will follow suit," one officer said. The GNLA, which claims to be fighting for a Garoland in western Meghalaya, is headed by police officer-turned-rebel Champion R. Sangma, who is now in a Shillong jail after being arrested near the India-Bangladesh border in 2012. The GNLA has forged an alliance with the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent. New Delhi, March 9 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday made a brief appearance in the Lok Sabha as the second half of Parliament's Budget session commenced here. The Prime Minister entered the lower house just before its sitting was to begin at 11 a.m. He walked up to the opposition benches and greeted Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, Biju Janata Dal's Bhartruhari Mahtab, AIADMK's M. Thambidurai and Communist Party of India-Marxist's P. Karunakaran, among others. Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice-President Rahul Gandhi and leader of the Congress Legislature Party in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge were not present in the house. Modi left after around five minutes, just as the Question Hour started. MASON CITY | City Council members agreed Wednesday night to delay a decision on a hotel developer until the March 21 council meeting. Read the proposals: Mason City releases hotel development applications ahead of Wednesday meeting The City of Mason City released Wednesday the requests for proposals related to a downtown d They met in special session to hear details of the two proposals the city has received from G8 Development (Philip Chodur) of San Diego and Gatehouse Capital of Dallas. The proposals both were received by the March 1 deadline. Council members did not see them until Tuesday and they were made available for public viewing Wednesday. City Administrator Brent Trout briefed the council on both proposals and said, "If a decision had to be made tonight, I would recommend going with G8." Its proposal is essentially the same as the one Chodur proposed last year but could not receive financing for a Marriott franchise to be built in the parking lot west of City Hall. The Gatehouse proposal is to build a hotel in the south parking lot of Southbridge Mall with a skyscape connecting it to The Music Man Square which would be remodeled to include a conference center and ballroom. It would include much more public financing, including the possibility of two bond issues that would have to be approved by voters. Mayor Eric Bookmeyer said a difference between the two plans is that with G8, the city would be a partner; with Gatehouse, it would be a client. Several council members said they had less than 24 hours to study the proposals and the public also hasn't had time to learn about them and react. "It's a community decision. We need to get the community involved in the decision making," said Bill Schickel. John Lee laughed as he said he knew he was asking for more phone calls. But he said, "I'm still digesting them. I want the citizen to have time to react." Paul Adams said he had a hard time holding anything against Gateway if their proposal had some unanswered questions. "G8 has had a three-year head start," he said, referring to Chodur's attempts in the past to build a hotel. Adams said he was not prepared to make a decision on something he had seen for only 24 hours. Travis Hickey said the Gatehouse proposal was exciting but had a lot of obstacles in it, including the public funding. Brett Schoneman said the key will be to look at which project is the most likely to be successful. Schickel replied, "The one that will be most successful is the one the citizens get behind." Full details of both proposals can be found at www.globegazette.com. Damascus, March 9 : At least 23 civilians were killed in airstrikes by the US-led international coalition near the Syrian city of al-Raqqa, a British war monitor reported on Thursday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that six children and four women were among those killed, reported Efe news. SOHR added that most of the victims were members of the same family. Many were also wounded, but the NGO was not able to specify the numbers, although it said that some of them are in serious condition. Since the start of international coalition operations in September 2014, at least 890 civilians, including 212 children, have been killed in bombings, according to the observatory count. The NGO reiterated its request to the international coalition to take caution in airstrikes in urban areas like al-Raqqa, because there is no justification for killing civilians, according to the report. Washington, March 9 : Hawaii has become the first state in the US to file a lawsuit against President Donald Trump's revised travel ban, saying the order will harm its Muslim population, tourism and foreign students. Attorneys for the state filed the lawsuit against the US government on Wednesday in the federal court in Honolulu. The state had sued over Trump's initial travel ban, but that lawsuit was put on hold while other cases played out across the country, CNN reported. Hawaii Attorney General Douglas Chin said the new version is fundamentally the same as the first, calling it "Muslim Ban 2.0". The revised order, which takes effect on March 16, places a 90-day ban on people from six mainly Muslim nations and a 120-day ban on all refugees. It replaces an initial order issued in January, which sparked confusion at airports and mass protests in the US. The previous order was subsequently halted by a federal court following legal challenges across the country. Chin said that despite changes Trump made to his first executive order, the new one amounted to the same policy "dressed up differently", the New York Times reported. "Any time you have an executive order or some government decision that's calling out people by their nation of origin or by religion, we've got to be a check against that," he said. "Nothing of substance has changed: There is the same blanket ban on entry from Muslim-majority countries (minus one)," Chin said. The new order will bar entry of citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen for 90 days. Iraq, which was included in the first ban, has been taken off the list. The Justice Department declined to comment on the filing, but will have an opportunity to respond to the state's amended complaint against the travel ban on March 13, CNN report said. "The entire history and culture of Hawaii is based upon non-discrimination either in its constitution as well as its laws," Chin told CNN affiliate KHON. "Hawaii has 20 per cent foreign-born residents and 100,000 people who are not citizens as well as 20 per cent of our workforce that are not foreign born," he said. Hawaii is also joined in the lawsuit by an American who is the imam of the Muslim Association of Hawaii and says he has lived in the state for over a decade with his wife and children, but now his Syrian mother-in-law cannot visit them because she does not currently hold a visa to enter the US, according to the report. Trump has not yet commented on Hawaii's latest legal bid, but had previously insisted he has the right to enact such an executive order and hit out at "so political" courts. New Delhi, March 9 : The All India Students' Association on Thursday held a protest march here against hate crimes against Indians in the US and demanded strict action from the government. Members of the left wing student organisation marched from Teen Murti to the US Embassy here to protest rising cases of racist attacks against Indians in the US. Engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla was killed on February 22 in a racist attack in Kansas, while his friend Alok Madasani, was injured in the same attack. Deep Rai, a Sikh who is an American citizen, was injured in a racist attack last week. Another Indian, Harnish Patel, was killed in South Carolina 10 days ago, but the killing was not identified as a hate crime. The AISA demanded the government should hold US President Donald Trump "accountable for propagating hate against racial minorities". They asked for a tough diplomatic stand by Prime Minister Narendra Modi against increasing cases of hate crimes in the US. The protesters raised slogans like -- "America ki dalali nahi chalegi", "Trump ki dalali nahi chalegi" (The American and Trump interference will not be tolerated). "We will try to make this a civil society protest later. We are raising an initial voice against the deaths of the Indian-Americans in the US. Not only Indian-Americans, there have also been attacks on racial and religious minorities," AISA's National President Sucheta De told IANS. "The racist attackers see minorities and shout -- 'This is not your country, go back to your country'. Very interestingly, the Ministry of External Affairs and the Prime Minister are silent because their own party (the Bharatiya Janata Party) tells religious minorities here to go (back) to their countries," she said. "We are here to say that hate makes no country great and that there is a need to be proactive to end hate crimes in the US," she added. New Delhi, March 9 : The Indian government on Thursday said Colombo had assured of a thorough probe into the killing of an Indian fisherman allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy. "The Sri Lankan government has assured us of a very thorough investigation into the matter. Let us await its outcome," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Gopal Baglay said. India approached the Sri Lankan government through its High Commission in Colombo and conveyed its concern regarding the Monday night killing. Referring to Indian fishermen detained in Sri Lanka, Baglay said: "The government of Sri Lanka has informed the High Commission of India in Colombo that all 85 Indian fisherman currently in Sri Lankan custody will be released." "We understand that instructions to authorities concerned in Sri Lanka have been issued in this regard. We are awaiting further orders," he said. In the latest incident of its kind, six fishermen from Thangachimadam in Ramanathapuram district were fired at on Monday night while they were fishing near the Katchatheevu islet in Palk Strait. Fisherman K. Britjo was killed and another injured, who was hospitalised in Tamil Nadu. On Thursday, Lok Sabha members also raised the issue in the house and sought action from the Indian government. AIADMK leader M. Thambidurai said Indian fishermen were regularly being troubled by the Sri Lankan Navy which, at times, also took away their fishing equipment. Colombo initially denied Sri Lankan Navy's involvement in the killing but later promised a thorough probe into the incident. Kolkata, March 9 : Two men were arrested for allegedly raping a young woman inside a beauty parlour in Kolkata, the city police said on Thursday. "The prime accused, Raj Kumar Mondal, and his accomplice Amal Mondal were arrested for allegedly raping a young woman after calling her for a chat in Face to Face Beauty Parlour in south Kolkata's Mukundapur on Monday evening," an officer from East Jadavpur police station said. According to the police, the two accused knew the woman and allegedly spiked her food before raping her. "The victim said she became unconscious after having the food offered by the two accused. She has been sent for a thorough medical check up to find out what exactly happened," the officer said. "The two accused have been taken to court on Thursday. Police would seek to take them in remand for investigation," he added. New Delhi, March 9 : The opening day of Amazon India Fashion Week (AIFW) Autumn-Winter (A/W) 2017 here later this month will have 71 designers showcasing their creations across six shows on the ramp. Binding them will be a common thread of Indian handloom and textiles. The fashion extravaganza, organised by India's apex fashion body Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), will be held from March 15-18 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here. In the opening show, FDCI and The Handloom School will acknowledge the anonymous makers who create magic with thread. It will feature ensembles from 13 designers or labels like Akaaro, Antar-Agni, Eka, Good Earth, Neeru Kumar, Nicobar, Pero, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Raw Mango, Rohit Bal and Suket Dhir, read a statement from FDCI. "Handloom weavers need and deserve a platform where their skills and rich heritage can be showcased and where weavers can learn about their markets. This show is a great opportunity for The Handloom School graduates and its future students to synergize the potential of traditional and modern textile design," said Sally Holkar, Founder of WomenWeave and The Handloom School. "The event will also link these young artisans directly with the design world with strong support from Good Earth and The Handloom School," Holkar added. A special show dedicated to Indonesian textiles and techniques will also take place on the basis of FDCI's partnership with Jakarta Fashion Week (JFW) to enable a cross-cultural exchange of designer talent between the two platforms. Veteran designer Madhu Jain will be celebrating 30 years in the industry as a craft revivalist and textile conservationist, along with Krishna Mehta known for bringing Maheshwari fabrics to the limelight. Designers Abraham and Thakore will highlight the irregularity of Indian textures, using pure Indian cottons that are either hand woven or hand printed. The day will also have creations of Jharkhand as it is the partner state for the fashion week. Celebrating a decade in India, the fashion brand Vogue will showcase 55 modern day narratives of Indian traditional drapes. This will be the closing show for the day. "The FDCI and its designers want to amplify creativity and infuse fresh energy through the medium of textiles and subtle minimalism, which have been a tour de force in the Indian design ideology. Like always, this year too, the event will be multifaceted, as we explore the nuanced processes behind the final refinement," said FDCI President Sunil Sethi. Thiruvananthapuram, March 9 : It was a virtual free for all on Thursday on the floor of the Kerala assembly, with angry legislators from the treasury and opposition benches coming close to exchanging blows. Situation went out of control after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in his speech hinted that the Shiv Sena and the Congress-led opposition were hand in glove. Soon after he made the remark, angry opposition legislators were seen rushing to the well of the house and some of them advancing menacingly towards the seat of Vijayan. But rising to the occasion, legislators from the treasury benches rushed to ring and guard Vijayan. However, better sense prevailed on the members after Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan appealed to them to behave themselves and return to their seats. It was after repeated appeals by gtfhe Speaker that the situation was defused, and sensing that the things could go out of control, the Speaker adjourned the house. It all started after Congress legislator Hibi Eden sought leave for an adjournment motion on the incident where angry "Shiv Sena activists donned the role of moral police" at the famous Marine Drive park in Kochi on Wednesday evening. "The Shiv Sena activists had informed the media about the programme much before and they went around chasing and harassing couples who were relaxing in the park, which is a a must-visit place for even foreign tourists," he said. "Where were your police officials and the intelligence people? When these anti-social groups were on the rampage, your police officials watched it from the sidelines. Is this the way you have asked your police to act," asked an angry Eden. Replying to this, Vijayan agreed that what happened at the park was a shame for the state. "The police official on duty has been suspended from service, while seven others have been transferred, as it amounted to dereliction of duty. We will not tolerate moral policing and there will be no bar on friends to sit together in parks and other similar places. Eight people have already been arrested and the police have been told to act tough against 'moral policemen'," said Vijayan. Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala also spoke tough and condemned the callous attitude of the police force. But things went out of hand when Vijayan hit back at the opposition and asked if the Shiv Sena activists had the tacit support of the Congress and if they were hired by the Congress party to do what they did at the park. Soon after this statement the situation in the house went out of control. Meanwhile, to protest the Shiv Sena activists, hundreds of people, mostly youths, on Thursday evening got together at the Marine Drive park and hugged and kissed one another. Ranchi, March 9 : Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on Thursday said the allocation for Jharkhand in the railway budget has been increased six times compared to that in 2009. "The work of railway projects have gained momentum in Jharkhand. The share of railway budget for Jharkhand was Rs 497 crore in 2009, which has increased to Rs 2,583 crore in the current budget," said Prabhu while flagging off a passenger train through video conferencing. Prabhu inaugurated through video conferencing from Rail Bhavan in New Delhi the extension of 58653/58654 Ranchi-Barkichanpi passenger train up to Tori to provide train services on new broad-gauge Barkichanpi-Tori section (29.5 km). In Ranchi, Chief Minister Raghuar Das and senior railway officials were present. The Railway Minister further said: "At present, Rs 29,824 crore railway projects are going on in the state. Once all the projects are completed, the state will be immensely benefited." Agra : Agra March 9 (IANS) Defying age-old restraints, over a 1,000 widows living in Braj area on Thursday splashed colours and threw flower petals on one another at the Radha Gopinath temple in Vrindavan, about 70 km from here. Draped in white sarees, the elderly as well as middle-aged widows joined the festive celebrations to re-enact the scene from Krishna Leela as per the Hindu mythology. Scores of pilgrims joined them in singing hymns and Holi songs. Local priest Ram Gopal said: "Such fervour has never been witnessed before. They were so excited and flipped; many joined in group dances, singing merrily and loudly cheering every now and then." Holi is a major Indian festival in the Braj region of Mathura-Vrindavan -- the land of Lord Krishna and his Gopis -- where all temples are specially decked up for the big event on March 13. "Holi in this area begins on Basant Panchmi; but these days, it is a five-day affair from Ekadashi to Purnamasi (as per Hindu lunar calendar)," Jagan Nath Poddar, a local activist, told IANS. Madan Jha, a spokesperson for Sulabh International that organised the colourful event for the widows, said: "A total of 1,500 kg 'gulal' (coloured powder) in different colours and 1,500 kg rose and merrigold petals were used for the Holi celebrations." The Sulabh International looks after the widows after a Supreme Court directive. In many parts of India, widows are not permitted to play Holi or participate in public festivals or events. "Their participation in Holi symbolises a break from tradition that forbids a widow from wearing colourful saree, among many other things," said Sulabh International's Bindeshwar Pathak, who joined the widows during Holi celebrations. He said he got the idea of organising Holi celebrations for widows five years ago. Apart from ensuring rehabilitation and healthcare for these widows, Sulabh has for the past five years been paying Rs 2,000 to Rs 800 to widows living in eight 'ashrams' in Vrindavan and Varanasi. Vrindavan is known as the 'City of Widows' for the sheer number of women who find shelter there after their families either shun and turn them out of house or dump them in the temple town. Most hail from West Bengal. (Brij Khandelwal can be contacted at brij.k@ians.in) Gangtok, March 9 : Actress Priyanka Chopra's mother Madhu on Thursday launched their home banner Purple Pebble Pictures's first Sikkimese film "Pahuna" here in association with the Ministry of Tourism Sikkim. The news was announced through a statement, which read that the "association of PPP and Ministry of Tourism Sikkim was possible due to the unwavering support of the local government led by Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling". Priyanka could not attend the press conference here due to her work schedule in the US, but conveyed her message via the statement. "This is a genre that I have always been very excited about and I'm so glad that I am in a position today to do something meaningful in this space. We're honoured that the local government have extended their support to 'Pahuna'. Together we hope to provide opportunities for the creative talent in Sikkim," she said. "Pahuna" is a brave story about the love, strength and courage of three Nepali children who get separated from their parents, while fleeing the Maoist agitation from Nepal to Sikkim. The entire cast and many of the technicians are from Sikkim. Madhu said: "When we started out with 'Pahuna', I thought it would not be possible to shoot the movie in Sikkim since 'it's a remote place in the Himalayas but the film's director Paakhi, producer and the CEO of Purple Pebble Pictures were all very confident of shooting the movie at Sikkim, also because the film features Sikkimese cast and crew." "After having visited the beautiful place, I've realised that the place is not remote or inaccessible. It's a place everybody in their lifetime should visit. I believe film industry should showcase Sikkim not just as a beautiful place but also give opportunities to the talented people out here," she added. Beginning this year, PPP had announced its foray into children's cinema by launching three films in Sikkimese, Konkani and Hindi.